a matter of teys.t

The weekend was quite busy for us.  It was the pictorial of ACTS Manila ballet schools.  While Saturday was not so bad as it only involved my wife, Sunday engaged all four of us.  We woke up very early to be at the pictorial site at 730am.  The shoot started around 830am, with my daughter’s ballet class. About an hour later, it was my son’s ballet class. At around 10:30am,  it was the turn of my students to be photographed.  The whole morning was practically a family affair.  After lunch, it was back to my wife’s monopoly of things to do.

Perhaps your kid is about to have look into that Canon camera in a ballet pictorial setting. Here are some practical tips:

• 1.) Come early! - In a production pictorial setting, you have to put on a costume or wear special make up.  For this reason, call time is usually 1hr before the scheduled shoot.  By coming late, you run the risk of not wearing the costume properly or putting on the best make-up.   In some cases, you may even damage the costume.
• 2.) Wear make-up before getting to the site. - If your circumstances permit and no special make-up is required, you should have your kid wear make-up before arriving at the photoshoot.  This way, you can focus on his/her costume.
• 3.) Keep the kids busy. -  Do what you can to keep your kid preoccupied while sitting down.  Bring books or games that will keep him/her from running around and destroying his/her costume. Pictorials usually take long because of the number of kids to be shot, so you have to bring quite a number of books and games.
• 4.) Bring food. - Because of the long wait time, bring along some snacks.  However, don’t let your kid eat brownies or other dark colored stuff unless you want his/her teeth to have stains.  You should also stay away from messy stuff like cream pies as they may spill on the costume.
• 5.) Bring a good container for the costume. - Bring a container that keeps the costume from being damaged during transport or storage.
• 6.) Practice your child’s smile. -  It’s interesting that we had to nag kids to smile. Have your child practice smiling the night before. It would even be better if you have a mock pictorial!

Hopefully this makes your pictorial experience more memorable in a positive way. Smile!

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Its that time of the year, when school is about to end and parents are scrambling to get their kids into activities.    A lot of parents would try to get their kids into dance.  What style should they get into? Where do they train? The answers really depend on what your goals are for your kids.

When choosing a style for your child you should consider the what of the following aspects you want to develop:

1.) Musicality

2.) Acting/Character on Stage

3.) Expression and creativity

4.) Physical control/flexibility

5.) Physical strength

If you want musicality, then jazz, tap and hip-hop. The dependency of these styles on beats and syncopation makes them ideal for this goal.  For character and acting, the classical is the best.  It teaches you to carry yourself like a prince or princess.  If you want to foster creativity and expression, then nothing beats contemporary.

As far as physical training is concerned,  Classical Ballet and Contemporary develop great control over muscle groups.  Classical leg battements and port de bras define peripheral muscles.  Arabesques and pirouettes develop the back and abdominals.  Contemporary contractions and releases develop the core. Think about contemporary dancers rolling like on the floor like rugs.   Hip-hop is known for exposive moves.  Jazz is notable for pelvic and hip isolations.

Among the styles, contemporary appears to confuse some people.  A co-teacher of mine in ballet commented that contemporary is like jazz.  They are actually not.  To understand what contemporary, we go back to its roots.  In the early part of the 20th century,  dancers hated the “fairy tale” like quality of ballet so they developed a more realist, earthy style known as Modern Dance.  In this style, dancers would use the floor and contract their bodies.  In the 60’s some dancers emphasized that natural movement was dance.  Improvisation and natural movement marked what is known as post-modern dance. The combination of Modern and Post-Modern  is now called Contemporary.

After choosing the style, you then consider the teacher.  Is the teacher really a dancer? How long did he/she dance? Where did he/she get the training? Is he/she part of a guild or network of teachers that oversees the quality of instruction? Are the rates reasonable? In my case, I danced for about 3 years before working in industry for 15 years.  After that I returned to ballet as a teacher.  I am part of the Christ centered  ACTS Manila consortium of teachers and ballet schools.  You can call me to compare my rates with other teachers in my area.

Only after considering the teacher should you consider the studio. I have taught ballet in small kindergarten classrooms.  A good teacher should be able to improvise teaching methods to meet the needs of the students.  I teach in 60 sq. m. church hall at Laguna Bel Air 2, Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Philippines.  You can call me at 09083020319 for a free ballet or contemporary class.

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I survived! I took another trip to Divisoria a few days ago and I can now say to myself I won’t get lost anymore in this jungle of a marketplace. This time I even have pictures to boot! I planned to get to Divisoria early but unfortunately, I got too excited planning my trip the night before and ended up leaving late the next day. I left the house around 9am and expected to arrive at around 10:30am but I got caught in a monstrous traffic jam. I ended up in Divi past 12 noon. Tsk tsk! BUT all things work together for good so I guess it was all for a reason.

My entry route to Divisoria was through Binondo where the you see the famous Chinatown arch landmark after passing the Jones Bridge and the original Savory restaurant. The next landmark you will find is the rotonda where you will see the Binondo Church. Traffic was so bad, I got off at Starbucks and began my hunt in Juan Luna St. Take a look at where I got off.

This is where Juan Luna St. starts coming from Binondo.

**JUAN LUNA STREET

WHAT YOU WILL FIND: t-shirts (wholesale), t-shirt printing, commercial paper, printing and binding supplies, office equipment and supplies and a lot of banks in

Juan Luna Bridge - On the left side of the bridge, you will find  Ilaya and Tabora, New Divisoria Mall, M. de Santos etc.. On the right, you will find Juan Luna Plaza, Meisic Mall and 168 Mall. If you go straight up, you’ll end up on C.M. Recto Ave. where you will find Tutuban Mall.

** I turned left 2 streets after the bridge and bought 2 packs of jewelry foam from this lady who didn’t mind my taking a picture of her.

**COMMONER’S COMMERCIAL

This is how Commoner’s Commercial looks like. These guys were sport enough to “candidly” pose for me. Ü

WHAT YOU WILL FIND: acrylic boxes (be sure to bring a sample of the item you want to box so you can choose your size), plastic bags, sando bags, plastic bags with adhesive, kraft paper bags, round magnets, french fries boxes, plastic containers, cups and boxes for food or baked stuff, acrylic sheets, bubble wrap, cling wrap, colored wire, jewelry tags, paper and other packaging stuff.

** MORNING GLORY

Not quite sure if this is Morning Glory or Good Morning but nevertheless they’re both on the same street and both of these store sell sewing stuff.

WHAT YOU WILL FIND: all kinds of beads, thread, glitter, ric rac, lace, fabric flowers, sequins, buttons, ribbons and all kinds of jewelry and sewing stuff that you can imagine.

**WELLMANSON SEWING NOTIONS

I don’t have a picture of the store, but yes, there is a Wellmanson store in Divisoria.

WHAT YOU WILL FIND: jewelry making materials, findings, beads, jewelry tools, glitter, feathers, ric rac, lace, swarovski crystals, little wire tie twisties,

**TUTUBAN MALL COMPLEX

I just discovered that Tutuban Mall was divided into three buildings - am not quite sure if this is how they’re called : 1) Prime (where National bookstore is)  2) Block (the building with the escalator 3) and Cluster (the one parallel to Recto)

99 Slice and Dice Steak resto - So far this is where we always eat when we are in Divisoria.  We usually have the beef salpicao and kangkong. Affordable and tasty.

I discovered that there were other interesting places to eat just outside Tutuban Prime, near the parking lot. Maybe we’ll try them next time:

This is where we parked. This is directly behind Tutuban Prime.

I asked the security guard to pose for me (feeling John L. hahaha) Ü

Finally, this is what happens when the malls close. NIGHT MARKET!!!!!!! Pardon the blur. I was trying to shoot while in a moving car. Ü I just wanted to show how the shopping is still relentless even at night.

If you’ll notice, my pictures start out bright under the heat of the summer sun and end with  street lights and headlights galore. That’s how long it took us in Divisoria. I think I’ve walked my feet to death. It felt like walking on a treadmill that you can’t get off from. aaaaack.

Overall, despite all the hassles and difficulties of shopping here, Divisoria is still the mother of all markets hands down.

Check out the first post I did on Divisoria here—> http://teystirol.com/2009/11/17/decoding-divisoria/

Hope this post helps someone. HAPPY SHOPPING EVERYONE!!!!!

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Food pics for foodies out there! These are some of the food escapades we did with the grandparents during their stay with us early Feb. this year. The kids love it when the grandparents come because part of the fun is finding new places to eat around town.

First stop, TRAVEL CAFE PHILIPPINES - Greenbelt 5

Kids are the best sales people you  can find. We had tried Travel Cafe for a quick snack of pandesal and tsokolate é a couple of years ago so when we passed by the resto with the grandparents, they enthusiastically recommended the place to them. Of course, how could the old folks decline with two persuasive adorable little sales tots. Ü Lunch it is!

My son ordered the tomato soup in a bread bowl…

… while the old folks ordered this deconstructed kare-kare dish. In contrast to kare-kare being served stew-style, the meat and veggies were served on a plate with the kare-kare sauce poured on top like gravy. Quite interesting. I liked the flavor although I would have preferred it to be drenched with more sauce.

Aside from the above we also sampled their adobo and beef ( I forgot the name of the dish but it was yummy and it was gone before I could take a pic). The old folks ended the meal with a hot mug of Cordillera Coffee served in a clay mug with a cute little “pitsel” for the milk- extremely hot and a bit pricey. I’m no coffee drinker but I  sipped a little bit just to taste and boy! it was a like a shot of nicotine straight to my veins! (barako sa tapang! very brave - joke Ü hehehe)

Next stop, MINI SHABU-SHABU - Bonifacio Hi Street

I took a shot of the interiors, nope, these are not cardboard displays…

… this geisha was directly above me Ü

Finally, the food… healthy and guilt-free…

…. a little bit guilty

Über guilty!!!!!!

… prepare to meet thy maker!

awww…

The kids had fun cooking their own food, although the little one had more fun cooking than eating.

You can almost smell it right?

One last look before they go into the hot pot!

Happy and satisfied! Ü

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The old second hand 8-cylinder “bat-mobile” is gone. The red-plated Minica is no longer. The Mitsubishi lancer was sacrificially sold to pay for attorney’s fees to settle a sibling’s case. I remember these cars my father drove while I was growing up. I can still recall how big the “bat-mobile” was and how I would sink into the backseat and become nauseous. I could barely look out the window because it was too high. Or was I too small? One day it was no longer in our garage. Some time later, my father brought home a smaller car - a red-plated Minica. I remember my dad taking a picture of me in front of the car right before he drove me to PICC for my college graduation. Later on, he gave it back to the office when he retired and our garage was empty again. Finally, my father brought home a Mitsubishi Lancer. A car he bought with his retirement money. He lovingly took care of it. This car was his prized reward from all the years he had been working as a government employee. He would drive more than 40 kilometers just to fetch me and my dirty laundry from my dorm and then bring me back the following day. It didn’t matter even if it was already late in the night. I clearly remember those moments with him in the car. Everything was safe when I was with him. Unfortunately, there came a time that he had to sell it for a greater need. Without a thought he gave it up sacrificially to shoulder the legal fees of someone so dear to him. Our garage was empty once again. My father has since passed. I miss him terribly and though I’ve accepted the fact that he is in a better place, the pain is as real today as the day he left me.  Life is not the same.

Today, I have a family of my own - a husband, two kids. We have our own car, but it was just the other day that I realized something missing from it. I received an email that reminded me what it was. I quickly rummaged through our house to find it and when I finally did, tears welled up in my eyes. My childhood came flooding back to me and the little memento I found was the only witness to all those years of riding with my father. This little memento had been hanging in every car that we had. They are my old and tattered little red shoes that I wore when I was a baby. My father kept and preserved them and hung them on the rearview mirror in each and every car we ever had. Maybe my father wanted to remember me whenever he saw my shoes hanging on the mirror. Maybe he wanted me to be close by… to be within reach… to be his little baby even if he knew I was pursuing my own career. When we sold the Mitsubishi Lancer, I forgot all about those shoes. I got married, moved house and had kids. There was no place to hang them… until today. Thanks to that email, I can now hang my little red shoes once again. This time it’s to remind me of my father and how much he is still a part of my life. Hopefully, I can do the same for my own children - that they too will have many, many fond memories of riding with mom and dad in the car. Thank you, daddy. I love you and miss you.

(here are my little red shoes hanging in our car today)

Thank you Nuffnang for emailing me about this contest.

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My wife has mentioned previously an event where she saw digital images printed on canvas.  She was astonished at the price our friend paid for this product.  She mentioned that she could do the job if she had poster printing capability.  All she had to do was to print her art on poster size canvas to achieve to the look of the product she saw.  As she said, our friend would have gotten a better deal from her.  She might even have given one item away for free on our friend’s birthday.   A lot of times, it’s about being diligent in learning your craft and investing in the equipment you need.  A new printer is likely one of our next projects to augment Tes’ capability.

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I’m still awake trying to finish blogs for Tes as she joins her webinar.  As I’m doing this, I get an email inquiry about the ballet lessons we offer here in Laguna Bel Air.  The lady seemed to beg for her daughter to be enrolled. So I send of the logistics for the trial class.  It’s amazing to see parents who are really committed to give their children what they need or desire.    For a lot of folks, ballet is a luxury. But for those who understand that it is a very good way to develop a child’s disciple and self-esteem, it is a necessity.  Kudos to the parent who sent this message at 2am.  I guess it’s worth my while to stay up with regards to the acne spot treatment I’ll need.

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My wife has been going in and out of the  bathroom in the last couple of hours.  She attributes it to corn we had for dinner which she has a hard time digesting.  She has a very sensitive gastrointestinal system.  Things that normally makes her system go haywire are cream salads and raw fish.  These things likely cause her to have diarrhea.  At times she also experiences constipation.  When she was pregnant, she frequently sought relief for hemorrhoids.  I guess this motivates us to plan our meals better or be careful in our food preparation. All part of our lives as a members of one family.

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As I write this, my wife is preparing to join her webinar, scheduled at 2am Philippine time.  Obviously, I’m also awake at this odd hour.  This is our typical routine. Last night, I decided to sleep early for a change.  It’s really good to have enough sleep to recharge your body.   It seem like my body realized that I needed sleep as it tried to get more rest throughout the day.     Rest really does something to you.  As you complete your rest, you seem to have extra energy as you do things.   It also ensures that you live a longer healthy life.  I was acquainted with a guy who eventually died of a heart attack because of complications of a 2 hour a day sleep time.  Consider that the next time you buy dark circle eye cream.

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It’s about a year now since I started to return to ballet as a teacher.  Prior to that my life was pretty much sedentary.  I was stressed since most of my work was cerebral.  Now, I have the physcial and social aspects of a ballet teacher life to balance the analysis I do to correct my students.  From a 208 lbs weight to 182lbs, I’d like to say that I’m getting closer to becoming a weight loss success story.  The most important thing is that I feel that I am fulfilling God’s call in my life and that I enjoy the job so much.

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My son just finished a 5-day battery of performances for a theater production of the Internation Christian Academy in Sucat.  He was the only boy among 12 girls who danced to the music “Circle of Friends”. It’s quite amazing to see your son doing pas de chats and chassés on stage.  It was only a few years ago when Tes had to take prenatal vitamins and experience the cravings when she was pregnant with him.  I also remember the days when Kairos would poop on me. I guess I better stop this now… Anyway, I’m proud of my son for his performance. Kudos Kai!!!

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My Ballet Classes in Laguna Bel Air are having some changes. For the month of February, we will be having the classes at the 3rd floor instead of the 2nd floor of  the same CJRS building we are currently using.  The time will change from 5pm to 430pm because our gracious host, Victory Christian Fellowship will be having their services afterwards. For March, we will be moving to a new building in the same same street. The space will be a wider 60 sq meters.  One of the key things I need to work on is to get a mover to bring the barres and mirrors to the new place.  For any inquiries call 09083020319.

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Tes recently called my attention that I was playing too much games.  I spent a lot of my time lately playing freeciv, the free version of the classic Civilization game.  It’s a turn based strategy game that takes hours even days to complete. As I reflected on this,  I realized that a lot of productive time is actually lost.  Time that could be spent making money or honing my craft. (For students, this could mean time lost to make an excellent paper or do some advance reading. ) Perhaps, the addiction to computer games could be a factor in the increased obesity in the world. This is because of the sedentary lifestyle game addicts live.  Wii would  be a good compromise because of the physical nature of its games.  How can you be addicted if you’re already tired?

I not trying to dictate what lifestyle our readers live, I’m just saying there are consequences to our choices.  Perhaps the reason why we are addicted is because we don’t like to take a look at ourselves and reflect on the ups and downs of life.  If we ignore this necessity, we miss the opportunity to discover our need for God and the experience of Him revolutionizing our lives.

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The other day I was walking to the College of Saint Benilde, School of Design and Arts building when I saw my student smoking.  Its quite a pity to see a lady in her twenties hooked with an addicting substance.  In our youth we usually thought we’re super and that we’ll live forever.  After a couple of decades, we discover the damage to our lungs and other vital organs because of our indulgence.  My  father in law, stopped smoking a few years before he died after he started having asthma attacks.  In spite of that, he had to battle pneumothorax issues because of years of smoking.  My advice to the youth: QUIT! It doesn’t look cool when your gasping your breath in some hospital room 20 years from now. Or at least get  e-cigarettes.  For parents, particularly those with young kids, you have to do this with utmost urgency for the sake of your children.  They have to inhale secondary smoke that will shorten their lives.

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A co-worker of mine recently visited his Aunt who died. The lady was working in the middle east.  She was going home at past midnight when the vehicle she was riding had an accident.    According to my co-worker, the accident left her marred beyond recognition. It was quite sad to hear that she left behind young kids. Times like these make you want to check the latest life insurance quote to ensure those you leave behind have something.  Anyway, I urge everyone who reads this, to pray for the family of the victim. That they may be comforted, provided for and that they may know the grace of God at this time.

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