Country Staycation Weekend at Discovery Suites

We decided to continue the tradition of welcoming the Chinese New Year in style.  This year, we spent our CNY Staycation weekend at the Discovery Country Suites in Tagaytay.  This city, with its cool and breezy weather, always evokes peace and tranquility.  A perfect getaway for families looking for a break from the daily grind.  Discovery Country Suites (DCS) under the Discovery Suites hotel chain, is an elegant country- side Bed and Breakfast retreat that offers a great view of the Tagaytay ridge and Taal lake and volcano. I like the idea of simply chilling out and doing nothing.

Misty mornings at Country Suites

Facade of the Discovery Country Suites

Our suite opens to this loft

There are seven suites at DCS and each comes with a unique theme. The rooms  are spacious and comfortable enough for a family of four. We had the Spanish-themed Andalucia suite located at the loft level.

This window overlooks the lake... and the Starbucks beside DCS

Bold colors dominate the Andalucia suite

The Verbena restaurant is cozy and intimate setting that extends to an enclosed balcony. Sumptuous breakfast is served here.  Select a hearty breakfast of your choice from their extensive menu and the chef will cook this for you.  There is an accompanying spread of bread, cheese, jam and fresh fruits and juices.  I selected the very tempting steak and eggs breakfast. Every calorie was worth it!

Guests also are treated to a wine and cheese platter every afternoon at the Verbena restaurant.  Perfect for an afternoon chit-chat with hubby while we excitedly ponder our plans for 2014.  The youngsters get to have cookies and milk for an afternoon snack.

My brekky of choice- Steak and Eggs.
Will worry about the calories later.

Sumptuous breakfast at the balcony.
I'd love to wake up everyday with this.

  

Wine and cheese afternoon with hubby while we ponder our 2014 plans

After breakfast, we also did a bit of exploration around. There is a small garden that overlooks the Tagaytay ridge and a family sized jacuzzi pool, if you dare to jump in and brave the surrounding cold weather!

Small backyard garden for an afternoon stroll

The lake and volcano -- visible when its not too misty

Jacuzzi pool looks tempting. But not in this weather.

A quiet staycation - just what we needed

Likes

• Intimate setting - with maximum of seven rooms, you are not plagued by an abundant, rowdy crowd
• Perfect for those looking for a peaceful retreat
• Tasty and tempting food choices at Verbena restaurant. 
• Close to Starbucks for your caffeine fix
• Lots of other places to see around Tagaytay, if you feel like going out

However,

• I would not go there again on a holiday weekend though. Traffic was a bummer!
• I appreciate peace and quiet.  At some point, the place was way toooooo quiet.
• The bathroom amenities and towels need some upgrade. I expected better given the price of an overnight stay.

Overall, it was a weekend well spent.  Just what I needed just before the stressful weeks ahead at work!

Cheers for Five Years of Metamorphosis

Five years is quite a milestone for Metamorphosis*.

In my January 2013 article, I recalled “(The blog) started as an extension of my childhood diary days and the habit of putting thoughts into writing.  When I ventured into my first article in my blog site, all I wanted is to have an online repository for my essays and musings.  Metamorphosis was the title of my column in the UST Thomasian Engineer Journal. I decided to stick with this because of its symbolism.”

For someone who grew up to be painfully shy, writing is a great medium to express one’s thoughts and individuality. It is humbling how a simple blog whose roots came from solitary childhood ramblings grew to become a means to share life’s serendipities and somehow touch lives, albeit one person at a time, one article at a time.

Thank you dear friends and readers for allowing me to share a part of that voice with you!

*My column Metamorphosis got its name from the transformation of a lowly caterpillar to a bright and beautiful butterfly, after hibernating in the darkness of the cocoon. One can have a greater appreciation of light and beauty after getting enveloped into darkness and solitude.

My Yearender 2013: Seasons of Time

This year is incidentally, the 13th year of my year-end chronicles, in remembrance of the highlights and life events of the year that is about to come to pass and a gesture of embracing the New Year with optimism and good vibes. Yearenders are not just about a list, but pondering through life’s lessons that makes every year we add into our life, richer, meaningful not only for ourselves but also for others. And so I did the pondering-thing while chilling out under the palm trees dotting the beautiful Boracay shoreline and uncannily, there were indeed top 13 stories of 2013.

So here it goes…

A Time to Heal. Kyla had an accident at exactly Christmas day of 2012. She had a broken wrist and had to wear a cast for six weeks until the fractured bones healed itself in time. What amazed all of us including the doctors was her calmness and bravery throughout the ordeal. She did not cry or rage into hysterics (which, understandably, a child may have done). And even while still in her cast, in January 2013 she completed 2.6KM for the Singapore Terry Fox Run for a Cause and raised $100SGD for cancer research. Kyla is an example of a child whose spirit can never be broken, and I tell her that this is the most important lesson from that episode.

A Time to Let Go. I’ve gotten better in terms of taking my vacations and really let go, albeit for a while, of my usual I-need-to-do-this-by-so-and-so-at-work baggages, and really enjoy a true vacation. In 2013, we have ticked off every destination place in our travel plans: my birthday staycation at Shangrila Sentosa, Legoland Malaysia, Hanoi Vietnam/Halong Bay Tour, SEA World SG, Art Science Museum and revisiting good old Boracay. I also had my last run in SG with the Venus Women’s Run. Life is good!

A Time to Say Adieu. I already knew that our time in Singapore is about to come to an end and once again, time to say goodbye-for-now to friends in SG and at work. I am happy to go back with old friends, but equally grateful for making new friends who will become part of my life’s tapestry.

A Time to Connect to the Next Dot. I am forever thankful for the new avenues that life had opened for us during our stay in SG—after all, this is where Kevin grew leaps and bounds in his development, where he spoke his first sentence, where we were given a renewed sense of hope on what he can be. It validated my belief that the time we spent in Singapore was not a mere happenstance but part of a bigger picture, not only for myself but also for my family. Another dot was revealed and it is time to move on to the next one. (See article Connect the Dots)

A Time for Home Coming. The first place we visited after arriving in Manila was of course our home in Laguna. There is a sense of rightness into it, something much more than the act of physically seeing our house. While we spent the last 2.5 years living in a first world metropolitan city, nothing compares to the sense of peace that I felt when I saw our house once again. In my heart I understood what Coming Home meant. Thank God, we are finally home.

A Time to Savor Triumph. At the work front, FY1213 ended at a high note. After gruelling two years of challenges and tough times, AAIJK FC SNO results are all back on track and promises to be one of the best ever year. As promised, I treated my team to that well deserved buffet dinner to celebrate all the sweat and tears it took to get to where we are.

A Time to Charter New Horizons. By June 2013, I am officially back to the Plant. I feel an adrenaline rush simply thinking about the possibilities of what could be the next level of breakthrough for an organization that is already at the high end of that bar. I was not disappointed. In a split second moment while internalizing what can be, the vision came to me like fireworks lighting up a dark sky. Destination: known. The road is set.

A Time for a Renewed Sense of Hope. The biggest challenge coming home was finding a new school and partners for Kevin’s special needs. After all, he left as a child and returned as a teenager. But once again, the Lord has been there. Always. To lead our hand to the right way. We missed our appointment with one of the teachers who was supposed to give Kevin a referall for a center in Las Pinas. Instead, I saw this flyer on their desk for a school for special needs children, somewhere in Alabang. We decided to inquire there instead and it ended to be a better option for Kevin. We are very happy that Kevin found a new family in Optimal Academy and he continue to surprise us with his progress!

A Time to Change Hats. Our little girl is now a tween. I need to learn now this fine balance of being a mom (authority) and also be a friend whom she can trust, confide with and continue to bond via shared interests. So we endeavor to continue Fun Runs whenever we can, play more Badminton (good luck to me), listen to music together (thanks to Ninang Ninnie for Kyla’s mini boom box!), read books together, bake/cook together and continue to impart wisdom as I know she is hungry for it.

A Time for that Defining Moment. Kyla told me that she wants to become an educator and open a school for special children someday. This brought tears to my eyes because, even though she may still be young and can change her mind someday, I know that this was borne out of her nurturing spirit and love for her brother. Whenever she is off-school, she spends her day going to Kevin’s school and actually acting as the teacher’s assistant.

A Time for Rekindling Old Passions. Writing has been my passion. I had been very busy early this year from all the transitions we had to go through, for family and at work. But in the middle of moving to SG and Manila, my new roles and responsibilities, I had been given an opportunity to once again flex my literary and editorial muscles with a much broader audience. Thus, the Asia D&I Newsletter came to be. (Special thanks to Marlon Devera and Choops Tupe for their creative contributions for the logo.)

A Time for Retribution. I am going to be deliberately vague on this one. I once read somewhere that “The strongest of steels are forged from the hottest fires.” I know the feeling of going through a crucible. When the day of retribution finally came, was the day when I can truly say, I survived. I will always be thankful for my truest and trusted friends and confidantes who stood my me and held my hand through that rite of passage.

And finally, a Time for Peace. 2013 is probably, the year out of so many that passed, when I can truly I am at peace with my life and with every day that pass, I thank the Lord for giving me and my family this feeling of serenity, knowing fully well that wherever He wants to BE, whatever He wants me to BE, will be.

With this, I embrace 2014 with open arms.
Life Begins.
Again.

Camp Benjamin - Day at the Farm

It is a wonderful blessing that we came to know about Optimal Academy, soon after we came back to Manila, last May 2013.  We did not doubt that this will be Kevin's new second home, and that he will have an enriching and fulfilling teenage life with them.

Kevin had plenty of opportunities to join outdoor recreations and educational activities since then. Like the class field trip, for instance. The out-of-town field trip was held at Camp Benjamin in Alfonso, Cavite.  This camp offer teambuilding activities for corporate and school functions.  They also have facilities for overnight events, an in-house coffee shop/café and pool. Instructors joined us throughout the day to assist in the teambuilding activities.

Here are a few pictures of Kevin's class activities for the day tour...

First stop was tomato planting.  The in-house instructors demonstrated the proper measurement and premixing of soils and fertilizers.  The children proceeded to follow the same, assisted by adults, scooped a portion of the soil premix into their pots. This was followed by the tomato plant and finishing it off with a water shower.

Kids get to take home their plants

For the morning snack, the children get to experience a cooking and food preparation challenge ala Master Chef :-)   The staff provided home-grown ingredients and a menu that the team of children and parents can follow.

Cooking and Food Preparation Challenge:
Veggie Burger
Squash Fritters
Pink Lime Cooler (Talbos ng Kamote extract with Kalamansi)

Taking his turn to fry the fritters

Gently turning over the patties

The team's final presentation.
Incidentally, this ended as the morning snack.

The Bamboo Bowling was a hit! We had to transfer in-doors due to the slight drizzle.

More fun games and team events...

Team Frisbee Challenge

Time for the hoops!

Kevin's first experience for a Boodle Lunch

 

 

After our fill of lunch, we prepared to visit the farm...

 

 

 

Harvesting peanuts at the organic farm

Kevin harvested a handful of peanuts

And finally, cooling down to refresh after a day's work and play! Kevin and Dad were the first to take the dip while I satisfy my caffeine fix at the café.

 

It is great to be back home! Kevin is now able to join a school with boys and girls of his age group especially now that he is a teenager already.  We feel so blessed to find this school where Kevin is in an environment where children genuinely care and support one another and the belief that every child can improve even if a little bit more, day by day, is championed.

 

At one point, I look at the children playing... they were all so happy, they cheer for each other and they are cloaked with simplicity and selflessness. I can only say to myself, "this is how truly beautiful people are like."





Plant a Tree Today for a Greener Tomorrow

It has been five months after we settled back home and its time to start updating my blog once again. Last September, we participated in the Tree Planting activity of our company for the first time. This has been an annual event sponsored by the plant in partnership with Haribon Foundation and this is being done several years now. I learned that the plant already contributed at least 16,000 trees from the tree planting activities that benefited municipalities in Laguna and Rizal. This year, the chosen site for the tree planting was at the Barangay Casile in Cabuyao. The descent to the tree planting site was quite an adventure! Due to the monsoon rains several days earlier, the 20-minute hike over muddy earth proved to be a test of stamina and agility. Our kids joined the tree planting and I am proud that they did not have a single complaint during our hike.

We were able to plant close to twenty trees that morning. Although we went home sweaty, a bit muddy and with strained muscles, it was nevertheless a worthwhile experience especially for the kids to be able to take part in an activity that helps save Mother Earth, in our own small way!

A Journey Back to Wuthering Heights

My first encounter with the classic literature Wuthering Heights was in my junior high school years. It was one of the recommended reading material for the juniors’ Literature class, although it baffled me that we never did quite discuss the book thoroughly, but was only mentioned in passing. I actually tried reading it then but unlike
Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice, I did not find it compelling enough to hold my interest. The complex nature of the story was too much for my fifteen year-old mind then.


But after re-reading this book after so many years, I understood why I could not have appreciated it then.

Love that is on the brink of being destructive and obsessive, mental (and physical) abuse, domestic violence and revenge that draws the soul to downward spiral, are not exactly what a fifteen year old would be able to relate to, enough to encourage any attempt to ponder what lies beyond the surface.

I still cannot feel any empathy to Catherine and Heathcliff's star-crossed love. Based on my earlier pre-conceptions, WH was sold to me as love story of the ill-fated couple. That is all there was to it-- ill-fatedness. But no redemption at all especially for Heathcliff’s dark obsession to possess what is beyond his reach.

I found Isabella Linton, though a minority in the story, as the most compelling character in WH. She has transformed from a somewhat foolish young girl that was blinded by her infatuation to Heathcliff, to a woman who found the will and tenacity to fight back and break free from a tragic life under Heathcliff's abusive ways.

If something was worth a 5-star in this book, it would be Isabella Linton's transformation as a woman of strength.

My Latest Book Stash for Long Weekend Reads

If you are facing another long holiday weekend, going for a long drive (and not driving) or simply, enjoying a lazy day in your usual “lazy day corner”, here are a few books for a good, light reading. This assumes, of course, that we are of the same wave-length on the choice of good reads.

Strengths Finder 2.0

I have long been sold on the idea that we ought to play to our strengths. Always worked for me. The pre-requisite is knowing your basic strengths, assessed in a purely objective point of view. This book describes the thirty different types of strengths and provides a detailed description of how a person possessing those qualities can leverage it to keep them motivated, progressive and effective.

I have two of these kinds. The first book “Now, Discover Your Strengths” was given to me as a gift. The latest edition is now called Strengths Finder 2.0. It comes with a unique code that you can use to access the website Strengths Finder that will facilitate the assessment of your strengths. After taking the assessment, it will summarize your top five strengths. You will have to refer back to the book to have a deeper understanding of what those strengths mean, how it affects the way you think, operate, relate to people and so on. If you work with people, this book also helps guide a manager of others how you can develop the talents of your people based on their unique strengths.

The Little Book of Talent

Everyone has their unique set of talents. But how does talent differ vs. skills? How do you develop those talents to their fullest potential? This book is a compilation of 52 tips on how one can improve skills and develop talents. I like this book because the concepts were simplified and you can readily adopt them. Key here is being able to flex those mental muscles and turn what you have read into actual practice!

Classy

This was an accidental purchase for me while I was looking for the book The Food Rules. What is class anyway? Is it something that you are born with? Does being classy equate to being part of an elite circle and surrounded by all things posh?

This is a book that is worth reading especially for young women who aspires of growing up to be a lady and not a tramp. We see a lot of women today, young/not-so-young/young-once who embrace fleeting, trivial things that leaves a bad taste in the mouth in the hope of being classy but ends up being trashy. My daughter was interested in this book and I had to guide her through it.

This book include highlights on the following: how to dress sexy without looking like a skank, how to avoid sticky situations that lead girls to making bad decisions (think about homemade sex videos, those pictures that will haunt you to the grave, etc), behaving in public, why you are what you read, why one should avoid the rumor mill, and many more! The tagline: Because if you are not a lady, chances are you are a tramp.