"And so this is Christmas, What have I done?"

Today is the day before Christmas, December 23. We went to Victory today, but this time to preform our Christmas play (Christmas in Egypt) again. Well if you don't know (since I haven't been blogging) I was chosen to be the narrator of the play. Time goes by so fast... Wouldn't you believe my  last post was October? And just to answer the title of this post, I'd be pleased to plate you on the things I've done in the "ber" months.

Probably the very highlight of the ber months was the death of my grandfather , yes, Lolo Doc. You've probably seen most of my posts about him on my posts, and it hurts for me to posting this, but  I've fully recovered from my grief. Although,  there are times wherein I think about him. An example was today, when at the garden I realized the cool Christmas breeze, when I suddenly thought of him coming to our house to maybe grill out. This leads to the story of  my parents in the conversation of buying a new charcoal grill for that led to my dads sad remark of, "Huwag na natin bilhin, Hindi naman natin mapapaimpress si Pa kasi wala na sya." 

So it was my moms Birthday recently, and amidst the funny thought that her birthday celebration was doomsday, and the various games me and my friends played, there was always that singing of Lolo Docs version of Happy Birthday, with or without him was present.

I will miss not having Christmas without Lolo Doc but thank God for many great memories God has allowed to me to experience with him. I know that I should be happy and not sad because I definitely know that he's face to face with his Creator. 

To keep you happy (and me ) let me tell you what happened in the party.  So we were in the study       room: Me, Chessa, Colin, Camerin, Josiah, Joshua, and Kuya Theodor (Josiah's cousin who rents one   of our rooms). We were playing taboo, I was ahead with points and the rest were catching up with me. Kuya Theodor was next. "Ok so this is very famous person in Greece" he says. Mentioning Ceasar Agustus, Homer the poet, and many others, Gelo ( the twins friend) comes in and with a firm answer, says, "I know, I know..." With our attention on his answer he says, "Obama!" Busting with laughter, we fall to the floor.

Watching the Christmas in Egypt Play

Merry Christmas Everyone! And don't worry 1 more day till a pile of Christmas wrappers! 

Another Day

For the past few days I've been extremely busy... In all aspects which ranged from, memorizing Shakespeare poems, finding the slope and intercept of lines, teaching while my mom couldn't teach(which was due to her thyroid operation) and much, much more. As for today moms's gone again which means more responsibility, but thankfully my grandma, who we call Mama Ganda, is here to help out. I learned from her that her step brother actually died from... No not a car accident, no not naturally, but from being one of the rare to have died(or if you may call it, disappear) while working for a Spanish ship in the Bermuda triangle. To me that was amazingly freaky. That led both of us to watching bermuda triangle videos. I also learned she baked in high school...cool!

We weren't be able to go to church, so I watched the service thought the Internet. You can actually watch it yourself though this link:  http://www.ccf.org.ph/the-middle-east-in-bible-prophecy/   
. 

Today was also that day mom was gone to go to the wake of my grandpa's best friend, Uncle Lory. He was with us most of our trips in Bicol, and we stayed in his resort every time we visited. 

These occurings today remided me to use my time wisely,to live each day as if it were my last, and to start spreading the news of salvation because there are so many people who need God's love. 

Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar

For Happy and Lolo Doc's Birthday, Feb 21 and 22, we went for a trip to Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan. I didn't have much time to blog about this, since I was reviewing for the test, so I decided to fill this post with pictures, since a pictures worth a thousand words, so be ready for a picture heavy post of Las Casas. Enjoy!

Another Year End Test (ELCOM)

Today I took another year end test, but this time it was a mixture of all the subjects (Math, Filipino, Language Arts, Science).  This test is what me and Mom have been reviewing for the past two months and I got to say that  last week, I wasn't feeling too well. I had coughs, headaches, and the sniffles. The cold really bothered me that week but I was determined to get a high grade.  The twins had a cute conversation the other day  and it went like this:

Brenner: I'm gonna get 3 A+'s in my test!
Teacher: How about you Brandon what will your grade be?
Brandon (thinking)...: Ahh! I know I'm going to get 4 A+'s in my test! 

After reviewing It was a great joy, me and Mom were just so much confident that I would not just pass the test, but I would get 10 A +'s!

Today as I took the Test I was ready, with hardly any sound of doubt in my mind. The test started with reading comprehension, I think to myself, " this pretty easy!", the next was math, "These are easy questions" (but I took long in each, just to make sure), the next in line was Filipino, in which I thought to myself, "Some of this is quite hard!", afterward I proceeded to the last subject, Perceptual Reasoning, in which some parts were tricky yet some easy. When I finished the test, I still had quite some time to review while my classmates were fooling around, so I changed some of the questions that I thought was wrong, and submitted the paper.

"I'm FINISHED!" I thought to myself as I left the room and was proud to tell mom that most of the problems were fractions, when all along I had thought I would encounter algebra. The next in the schedule was the picture taking for my Graduation from grade school. I was so proud of myself as I put on that toga and smiled for the camera. It was a sign of how much God has really guided me thought this homeschooling life of mine, and how I had so much opportunities in life that was to come.

 The feeling of finishing the test was like that of a marathon, going through tough struggles, but yet passing the finish-line and rejoicing for going through that struggle.

 This test is different from other tests because through  this test, God has really shown me of how to glorify Him in whatever you do. Because really, this test made me realize that what I was doing was just not a measure of the brains, but a measure of how much determination I had to glorify him.

We left  with a smile in my face, icecream, and a pair of shorts and a shirt from Mom. Thanks Mom for being patient, and understanding during the review, thanks a lot! :)

The Day of the Year End (Reading) Test

Today was the day I took the, what I thought was hard, reading test. It started in Victory where me and my classmates waited for the rest of the students, and me praying to God for His guidance. The rest of the students didn't come so we started the test without them. I took one big breath, prepared my pencils, and started. By two hours, I was finished with the Reading Comprehension exam. I was pretty fast in reading (thanks to speed reading classes) and I'm pretty confident that I would get a good grade in this test! I realized also that this was the same test we took last year! What a relief, Now I'm feeling a lot more confident! Today was a great day and   I thank God so much for giving me the wisdom to finish(and be confident) in this Test.

Year End Tests

Today I've been reviewing for the ELCOM exam (year end exam) tomorrow. Right now I'm feeling a bit nervous but confident that I'll do good ... hopefully. Here's some exam tips that I use in an exam.


1)Never EVER not review before the exam.
2) Do your best at the exam and God will do the rest.
3) If there's a question in the exam that you need to think about, go back to that question and move on so you'll  save on time. If you can't go back to the question cause you don't have time read it one more time and make the BEST guess you can make. 
4) Pray Before Starting. :)
5) Never let nervousness set in (at the Test). Relax and take deep breaths, and don't think of it as an extreme test but think of it as an easy quiz :)  

Can't wait till the exam is over... even if it hasn't started.

A Day in Villa Escudero

Right now i'm in Villa Escudero in Laguna and I'm enjoying the view of the waterfalls while eating lunch. When I mean enjoying the view of the waterfalls I mean standing right beside the waterfall while eating lunch at the flowing water right at the end of the man-made waterfall. Still don't get what I mean, we'll here's a picture!

Before actually eating by the falls, we went to the museum riding a carabao pulled trolley. It was just beautiful! There was so much stuff to see! It ranged from a vintage scuba diving suite, to old peso bills, to old shark teeth. I really did love it (considering I love vintage stuff).

Right after eating a wonderful lunch at the falls, we hung out with a  Tita Maricar at a hut nearby because she wasn't feeling well due to high blood pressure. After a while the "gang" aka Lolo Doc's visitors and Dad and the kids began hanging out with me, Tita Maricar, Mom, and Tita Jean. Just then we saw our ride coming in a distance that would bring us to the cultural dance show.

We hopped on the "carabao-mobile" and headed for the show. The seats we filled downstairs, so I headed straight upstairs, and found the perfect spot. The narrator spoke and I listened and watches the dancers sway and move gracefully. They did a variety of different dances that I liked, but my favorite was the Tinikling.

We decided to go stay for a while when lolo docs visitors left so the kids swam (but i didn't cause i was cold) and I discovered the free kayaking in their river. When the kids were getting cold we headed straight to the bamboo kayak booth, grouped up ( with me and happy as teams, and set off to the river in the kayaks. Because me and happy were teams, and because happy didn't know how to row we took a bit slow to get a hand of maneuvering the boat but we did well. :P

It was time to go, we said bye to Tita Maricar, Carl, and Tita Jean and waited for our ride to the parking lot. The trip was a long way home, but we got home safely with dinner served on the table and tita maricar and tita jean sitting beside us.

Usual Saturday Days

Today is my usual Saturday day wherein I make cupcakes do some homeschool work and look at one of my favorite blogs, freeprettythingsforyou.com. I found some great ideas in FPTFY and even found doilies in the pantry!The cupcakes (cupcake batter)I made today was my favorite red velvet recipe, and since I ran out of cocoa powder I decieded to use the Truffles chocolate my Tita Maricar (from the US) gave me 4 days ago. Any way my day passed quite fast and as for Mom, she was planning for Lolo Doc's 80th Birthday.  I wouldn't say this was a boring day but I would say this was a fruitful day filled with fun and learning.

A digital scrapbook picture I did today.
Template from FPTFY

My Project On: Consumer's Rights

Ok so, last week I learned about consumers rights, and at the same time was looking for ideas on what to sell for my business plan. As a field trip/business trip, we went to where else but... Divisoria! So I will first explain what ARE the consumers rights and give you some handy tips on being a wise consumer in Divisoria. 




What is a consumer?
A consumer is a person who pays for a product or service.


What are the rights of a consumer?
He/she has a right to :


1)Be Protected.

Every consumer buying a product has a right to be protected from
disease, illness, injury, or other health hazards that may come from the product.

2) Know the Truth

Everyone has the right to know information and ingredients in a product.

This is to provide knowledge to the consumer on what they are consuming

and at the same time, helps avoid health risks. One example, are Nutrition Labels

that show much of the bad stuff and the good stuff you're getting and its ingredients.

3)To Choose

Consumers have to have a right to choose what kind of product or service they
want to  purchase. This gives them the choices to make on what selection they
want that is affordable to them, and what they think is the best quality.




4 )To be heard
People have the right to say their complaints in the product or service to authorities.
























5) File A Legitimate Complaint

If people receive defective products, they may ask government agencies like the Bureau 
of Food and Drugs (BFAD), and the Department of Trade and Industry.





Ok, now that you know your rights as a consumer I''ll give you TIPS on being a wise consumer in Divisoria.




1) List down the things you NEED to buy before buying the things you need. 
This an important part before you go to Divisoria that way you'll prioritize
 what you need first (before you run out of cash) and not do overboard.


2) Bring lots of cash.
As you they obviously don't accept credit cards. I suggest to put your
 money on a belt bag, but do face it in front of you.


3) Bring an eco-bag.
This helps especially in putting the stuff you've bought without
 using and carrying a lot of plastic bags.


4) Avoid buying expensive toys, as most of them break easily.
You may buy small toys for goody bags, but we've had a bad a bad
 experience in buying expensive toys for Christmas in which they broke
 weeks after. :(


5) Wear comfortable clothing.
Wear the lightest and most comfortable clothing to cool yourself in bad
human traffic. If possible wear white, as it doesn't absorb as much heat.


6) Compare prices and quality.
Look out for cheap prices with high quality goods. There may even be
 low quality items for the cost of a high quality price.


7)List down important stall numbers.
You see that bag you want but you totally forgot where or which part
of 168 you saw it. This was the case for me, so I pretty much learned
what to do, 1) write it down include the price if you're comparing or 2) buy it
before you loose it. :)


8) Ask for a discount!
This is a must in Divisoria this way you'll get what you want for what you have.


9) Take Small Frequent Breaks
At the break, count the money you have left, check if the items you bought are complete, if you received the right amount of change, and clear your mind. 


10) Avoid riding a pedicab.
If you were to really ride one, be SURE you know the price of your ride and ask the driver multiple times for it as pedicab drivers may fool you into paying price of a taxi ride.

As the Holidays Pass Away

Hi! Sorry I wasn't able to blog for the past few weeks(I've been really busy), so here's another one of my not so short, recaps.


Dec. 24, 2011
Today was Christmas Eve and Lolo Doc came today to celebrate our Noche Buena. Early in the the morning though, we enjoyed Christmas Eve with those who needed our love and ears to listen to their stories. We went to the Home of the Aged. Our experience giving clothes, food, and drinks to these homeless Lolos and Lolas really touched my heart as I imagined being abandoned by the people you love and not even celebrate the Happiest time of the year with them. I really felt their joy and happiness as they showed their talents though singing, dancing, and reciting poems. This one of those Christmas Eve's I'll never forget. 

 The day goes on, when at night the triplets (the twins and Bea) go to sleep, while me, Dad, and Happy enjoy as we sit , enjoy the  Christmas breeze, and watch "Nigella Christmas" to soothe our hungry stomachs. I help Mom wrap gifts at about 10 pm, and took a nap. I woke up at 5 am (not knowing I missed Noche Buena) with my room filled with Christmas wrapping paper and Christmas presents scattered in the floor.


Dec. 25, 2011 
"Merry Christmas Guys!" was the first thing I heard this morning and I ran downstairs to sort out my gifts and guess what they were. In 12 Days of Giveaways I got so far: Havaianas, tennis string, and a cute Accessorize cupcake set. But today I'm wondering what I'll get for the 12th day! So here's what I got:
1) A Magic Set
2) Automatic Bread Maker
3) Earphones
4) A cute Drawing Book
5) Owl Shirt
6) T-Shirt
7) Pants
8) A Popcorn Maker
9) $20
10) Pen Set
11) Paint Set (Which I got weeks before Christmas 
The hardest part though, is that you have to wait for each and every kid to open their gift first before you can open your gift! (Mom set the new rule)  





Dec 27. 2011


Today I received a gift that rewarded me for my humbleness.

The story happened like this, Tita Suzanne invited me and Happy to choose our Christmas gift in Rustans.
As we walked around Tiat Suzanne spotted a cute tin lunchbox, with an owl design in front of it. It was worth alot, and when she asked me If I wanted, I said "No" despite the fact that I really did like it. I really didn't want to take advantage of her money, so I decided to get acrylic paints and brushes that could probably found anywhere. I got home with regret and foolishness for my wrong doing, but mom comforted me and told be that she now knows how humble and good I am for thinking  of tita suzanne's money rather that myself.

Today I was rewarded by Mom when she gave me a pink paper bag where inside lay a cute bag with an owl print all over it! Mom told me that God gave her the right timing where the whole store was 50% off and that, that bag was the last one standing there.

God really does reward you with blessings when He thinks you need them.