A Semi-Comprehensive List to Manila’s Summer Classes (Sports, Staff Crew, Sensory Play)

Summer is once again here and everyone wants to enroll their child to an interesting activity that can further their child’s holistic development and well being. But where do you start?

Personally, I want my child to develop more academically, so I’ve enrolled my child to CMA (Math), The Reading Station (Reading and Comprehension), Bless Learning Center (Conversational Mandarin) and Aqualogic (Swimming), but other mothers may want something else.

Hence, I have compiled a list of Manila’s available summer classes for 2019. Who knows? You may find the right class for you and your child!

If you want your child to experience being a Kiddie Crew:

McDonalds Kiddie Crew 2019

WHEN/Schedule: Weekday workshop runs for 5 days and each day will last for 2 hours each. While the new weekend workshop option is a 2-day workshop made of 3 hours each.  Time schedule: 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM.  Workshop will run from April 8 to July 7, 2019
WHERE: Participating McDonald’s branch nationwide, see links below for reference.
RATES: P695 (for 5-day workshop) and P595 (for 2-day workshop) inclusive of the workshop uniform (t-shirt, cap, bag, ID with lace), daily workshop materials, and daily meals!
LINKS: For more information, visit the McDonald’s branch nearest you or check their website: https://mcdonalds.com.ph/content/page/kiddie_crew_2019 and Facebook Page for updates.
SOURCE: Credit goes to Mommy Practicality Summer Workshops 2019 to where I copied and pasted this information.

Jollibee Mini Managers Camp (April 1-May 31, 2019, Nationwide)

The Jollibee Mini Managers Camp is a 6-day workshop for 4 to 12 years old kids. To inquire, please proceed to the participating stores yourselves.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/jollibee/mini-managers-camp-2019/2244320688947478/

According to the site, the camp “aims to impart to kid participants the importance of hard work and good values like leadership and responsibility through various fun learning activities. As a bonus, they get to interact with other kids and meet new friends. Example of camp activities include exposure to Jollibee values, store practices, arts and crafts, Yumburger making, ice cream making, dancing and more.”

Rates: Php 650 gets you the following:

• 1 set of Mini Managers Uniform (w/ Name Plate)
• Camp Bag
• Snacks for 6 days
• Other activity materials

Attire: Their Jollibee Mini Managers uniform, black belt, white socks, black shoes, and hair net (for girls) during the entire workshop duration.

Here are a semi-list of participating outlets. You can get the full list at their site here.

Sources: Manila for Kids Summer 2019

If you want your child to be active in Sports:

Milo Sports Clinic (Nationwide)

WHAT: “MILO^® Summer Sports Clinics teaches participants the fundamentals of popular sports and values such as discipline, confidence, and teamwork to help them become more well-rounded individuals.
PROGRAMS: 19 different sports programs
SCHEDULE: Each sports has its own schedule where you can check out here.
How to Register: Pick a sport and region where you’re located to register. Contact the organizers closest to you for registration details.

  

Ready Steady Go Kids (Valle Verde, Pasig City)

Ready Steady Go Kids is a well-known Australian sports and exercise program for kids, offers fun classes that improve your child’s gross motor skills, and learn skills like how to listen, follow directions, and work with other children.

Duration of classes: Classes in Valle Verde 5 run from April 6, 13, 27, May 4, 11, 18, 25, June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 (every Saturday).

Venue: Valle Verde 5, Pasig
How to enroll: Call +632 211-8344
Price: Php7,800 for 12 classes and Php10,000 for 20 classes
Facebook: Ready Steady Go Kids
Source and Credit to for Information: Smart Parenting

Futbol Funatics (All over Metro Manila)

Want your child to learn soccer? This summer class ends with a blast with a tournament to rev up your child’s competitive spirit.

Program Information: Futbol Funatics offers year-round camps in various locations around Metro Manila, specifically Cavite, Paranaque, Alabang, Makati, Taguig and Pasig.

Schedule: April 1-May 15, 2019. Each module has 10 sessions, with 5-6 modules offered per camp venue per year. Enrollees are accepted any time throughout a module.
Training Frequency: 2x per week.
Class Duration: The Beckham Buddies sessions (ages 3 to beginner 6’s and 7’s) run for 1 hour, while sessions for all other older age groups run for 1.5 hours.
Ages: At least 3 years old
Contact: 0917-329-0011
Schedules: Full schedule here.
Venues:

• Cuenca Park, Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa (April 3 to May 15, Wed & Fri, 8:30 a.m.)
• Tahanan Village Park, BF Homes, Parañaque (April 3 to May 15, Wed & Fri, 4:30 p.m.)
• Urdaneta Park, Urdaneta Village, Makati (April 2 to May 16, Tue & Thu, 4:30 p.m.)
• BGC-Turf, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig (April 1 to May 15, Mon & Wed, 4:30 p.m.)
• Meralco Fitness Center Oval, Ortigas Ave., Pasig (April to May 19, Sat & Sun, 4 p.m.)
• Elizabeth Seton Field, Imus, Cavite (Schedule TBA)
• Goodstart School – Philamhomes, Quezon City (Schedule TBA)

How to enroll: Make your reservations via text message to +63 917 329-0011 (for all venues except Philamhomes, QC). Messages should follow this format: Full Name of the child + Age + Camp Venue + Module Period. Within 24 hours, Futbol Funatics will send you a response regarding the availability of slots.

Price: Ranges from Php550 (1 session) to Php4,000+ (all sessions)
Website: http://www.futbolfunatics.com/
Facebook: Futbol Funatics
Source and Credit to for Information: Smart Parenting

Bohemian Football School (Paranaque City)

Summer is just around the corner and Bohemian Football School is doing its first Summer Camp for kids who want to learn or develop their skills in Football!

A tribute to Filipino Football legend Paulino Alcántara, The Bohemian Football School is a training program that strategically focuses on strengthening the player’s fundamental skills. It is a program that you can choose to opt as your child’s primary football training, or an appending football mastery class on top of your child’s ongoing club or varsity football training.

Ages: Age 4 to 15 years old
Child to Coach Ratio: 1 coach to 10 students max
Venue: Sessions will be conducted at The Village Sports Club, Paranaque City
Contact: footballschool@bohemiansc.com.ph or 09177744696
Website: www.bohemiansc.com.ph
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bohemianfootballschool/

Taekwondo Lessons at The Upper Deck Sports Center (Pasig City)

FitKids’

FitKids’ Summer Programs offer a variety of fitness programs aimed to increase collaboration, active fun and learning. They offer the following classes in different venues in and around the city:

• Ballet: Makati, Taguig, Alabang, QC and Manila
• Hip-hop: Makati, SM Aura, QC
• Football: ⚽️ Blue Bay Pasay, Binondo, SM Aura, Salcedo Makati, Rockwell, San Antonio Village Makati, and Marikina!
• Judo programs: SM Aura, Makati

Here are the classes available in Makati, powered by Cambridge Salcedo and Groundworks by Playworks:

Classes in Taguig and BGC Areas:

Classes in Quezon City and Manila:

Please check out their Facebook account for more details:

Contact: 0917 513 8377
For Ages: 1.5 years old to 12 years old
How to enroll: Send a message to FitKids official Facebook page to reserve a slot.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitkidsph/

Swimming classes at Aqualogic Swim Co. (Various Locations)

It’s never too early to start fostering swimming skills in your little one! Aqualogic Swim Co. offers year-round swim classes for kids of all ages: AquaBabes for children ages 6 to 35 months, AquaKids for children ages 3 to 14, and AquaTech for children ages 15 and above.

Rates are also reasonable given how important swimming is as a skill to learn:

To reserve or enroll, simply text their numbers and they’re quite responsive.

 

To contact them:

Aqualogic Swim Co.
Tel: 0917-858 2782, 0917-703-6386, 02-703-6386
Website: www.aqualogicswimco.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aqualogicswim/

Swimming classes at Bert Lozada Swim School (All over Metro Manila)

Bert Lozada Swim School (BLSS) is the biggest and well-managed swim school in the country, employing an average of 150 teachers, coaches and staff. From a single venue in 1956 (YMCA Manila), it now has 56 venues all over the country. The school has produced 7 Olympians, several national swimmers and record holders.

Programs: http://www.bertlozadaswimschool.com/programs

How to register? Check out their list of accredited Bert Lozada Swim School locations via:

1. Visit their website: www.bertlozadaswimschool.com
2. Call them at Tel: (632) ‎563-5532, or
3. Send them a message at their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bertlozadaswimschool

If you want your child to enroll in a variety of other activities:

Photography: 1 Day Young Photography Workshop for Kids

Young Photographers: Photography Workshop for Kids 2019

Is your child aged 8-17 years old and is showing interest in taking pictures with remarkably great photos? Would you like them to enhance their talent in photography?

Manila Workshops and Cath Kidston would like to invite you to this year’s Photography Workshop for Kids!

What Kids Will Learn:

1. The Camera and How It Works
• Bodies and lenses.
• Capabilities and limitations

2. Why Are We Getting Blurred Photos?
• Exposure triangle lecture and hands-on
• Aperture and depth of field
• Shutter speed and motion
• ISO

3. Camera Handling and Care

4. Why you need to shoot in the best lighting conditions and finding what works.
• Light and exposure (further demo on the exposure triangle)
• Understanding light and how to use it to your advantage.
• Artificial lighting and Natural light
• Hard and soft lighting.
• Modifying light

5. Quick formulas to ensure good photos.
• Elements of composition.
• Subject, foreground, and background relationship.
• Emphasis.
• Rule of thirds.

6. Visual exercises and the IG game.
• Photo challenge
• Portraits
• Still life
• Abstract/IG game

EVENT DETAILS:

Date: April 13, 2019
Time: 11AM – 6PM
Venue: Cath Kidston, BGC, Taguig City

LEARNING RATES:

Early Bird Rate: Php 2,499.00
Regular Rate: Php 3,499.00

**Workshop Fee is inclusive of handouts, certificates, giveaways and snacks!**

For more details contact:
VENI – veni.anabo@manilaworkshops.com | 09272816651

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Quezon City Activities:

Bless Learning Resources (Banawe, Quezon City)

Address: 219-6 Biak na Bato, Quezon City, Philippines
Contact: 0943 858 3211
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blesslearningresources/

Hello Munchkins Play Cafe (Banawe, Quezon City):

Address: 219 Biak na Bato, Barangay Manresa, Quezon City
Tel: 961-4634 or 0917-528-9163
Ages: 2 to 10 years old
Email: hellomunchkinsplaycafe@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellomunchkins/

Smallville Montessori: Arts & Crafts, Yoga, Cooking, Reading, Music @ (Katipunan, QC)

Smallville Montessori Katipunan
Location: 21 Esteban Abada St. Loyola Heights QC
Contact: 0917-898=8374 or 932-6322
Class Times: From 10am-12nn, 2x to 3x per week
Rates: P15,000 for the whole month

Pasig City Activities:

Messy Baby Play (UA&P, Pasig City)

Why messy? Because is fun!  Especially when each session has thematic, sensory play stations that allow your little ones to explore colors, shapes and textures, with you guiding them.

It’s a great way to bond with your little ones, and observe how they relate to different objects and experiences.

For example, for water play:

Beat the summer heat while engaging your little ones in water play! Water’s one of the best open-ended mediums to interact with—depending on presentation—we’ve had them sudsy, colored, frozen—whatever shape or form, kids loooove playing with it!

And it isn’t just all splashing, splooshing, and making a fun mess, water play is an exercise in gross and fine motor skills, and for our toddlers who are crazy about transfer work and pouring, their play can also

☀️ Begin an understanding of the concepts of less and more
☀️ Develop eye-hand coordination
☀️ Help develop problem solving skills
☀️ Engage their senses with varied presentations—warm, cold, solid, sudsy, colored

What’s even more awesome, is if you have a little patch of green grass available to you, you can set up right there, and not only keep your little one busy with play, you get to water the plants too! 😊 Multitasking, and conservation! Well, every little bit helps. We hope your access to water’s a-okay. To water play, you won’t need much. 😉

Check out what we have in store for you this week, as we come to the last few sessions of Term 1! We have a few more slots left at CDE, we hope to see you there!

Just send us a DM, or head over to messybabyplay.com/register —it’s the link in our bio.

To Register: http://messybabyplay.com/register/
Locations: Makati and Ortigas Center
Price: Php 3,900.00 
Website: www.messybabyplay.com

To be Continued if I have time….

 

10 Practical Tips in Visiting a Singapore Hawker Center (Newton Park)

If you’re in Singapore, one of the more accessible hawker places is the Newton Food Center. Located at the MRT Station Newton, the Newton Food Center is a mere 3 minutes walk from the subway.

Merely go out of the Newton MRT Station via the Newton Food Center Exit (There are signs), follow the shaded pathway, cross the street and you’re there.

Newton Food Center is one of the most touristy hawker centers in Singapore. The prices are slightly more expensive than the rest, but some dishes are extra yummy, and I still think is worth a trip.

Photo Credit: Smart Local

Here are 10 practical tips in visiting Newton Food Center and to get the authentic Singapore hawker experience:

1. It gets really hot so wear light clothing: Shorts, Cotton T-Shirts, Etc.

Going to a hawker center is not the same as going to an air-conditioned fashion show. Prepare to sweat, line up, and mill with crowds from all income levels.

This was the scene on a Saturday night:

The place was full, full and FULL! It doesn’t help that Newton Food Center was featured in Crazy Rich Asians. Remember this?

Photo Credit: Crazy Rich Asians

It was hard to get a table especially with a bigger group (We were a group of 7-8 pax), but eventually we did if your eyes are keen and you’re willing to stand and wait for awhile:

Eventually you will get seats, but once again, dress down instead of up. It’s harder to wait when you’re in a neoprene dress and sky high heels.

2. Seats are actually free for all. 

You actually DO NOT have to order from the food stall in front of your seat even though it’s ideal.

My husband was pressured to order from the hawker stall in front of our seat and was somewhat scammed because the vendor insisted he had to purchase a minimum order to seat on the table.

This is NOT true.

You are not obliged to order from any specific stall if you sit on a table. Vendors know this so don’t feel pressured if you want to order from other stores.

3. Before ordering, make a one round trip around the hawker center to get an idea about what to get and where.

There are so many stalls to choose from at the Newton Food Center. It’s so easy to get confused and to wonder what and where to order.

However, a quick trip around the center shows a lot of redundancy. For example, despite the sheer number of stalls, the most popular food stalls sell the same food as the following:

• Chili Crab and Seafood with Baby Veggies
• Oyster Cake & Carrot Cake
• Chicken Wings and Satay
• Indian Food
• Noodles: Char Kway Teow, Prawn Mee, Fishball Noodle Soup
• Juices and Drinks

This means that many of the stalls serve practically the same food, and every stall actually has a minimum standard to taste, so despite the confusion, just pick a stall. Any stall. Given that it’s Newton Food Center, you’ll still be okay regardless of which stall to choose.

4. Despite the redundancy, some food stalls are more popular than others. 

This is what my local friend said about ordering in hawker centers:

When I asked my friend what to get, she said that most locals usually order in the stalls where the lines are longer. Their sense is that the more delicious the food, the more popular it is, hence the lines.

You can also do some minimum research on what type of stalls are more popular. Stalls are numbered by numbers posted on the signboard as follows:

5. Bring wet wipes.

Yes, there’s a clean toilet at the end of the Newton Food Center. There are a lot of washing basins too. It is in this area that you can also refill your water.

However, it’s safer to bring wet wipes with you especially when eating seafood. Better safe than sorry! 🙂

6. Stalls will deliver your paid ordered food to your seat, so REMEMBER YOUR TABLE NUMBER.

Every table has a number which you need to remember. It’s printed on the side of the table.

When ordering on multiple stalls, hawkers will deliver the cooked food to the table once you give them instructions on where your table is.

See? Check out the table number written on the plates that were delivered in our table #202:

It’s a lot easier than carrying plates of food. Just let them do it for you.

7. Never order food that does NOT indicate a fixed price.

My husband didn’t know and ordered the grilled tiger prawn from the stall in front of our table. They charged him SGD13 (Php 500) PER PRAWN, with a minimum order of 4 tiger prawns.

This was what Php 2,000 looked like — not only was it dry, it was also freaking expensive.

Locals will always tell you: Never order anything that’s not fixed price. The vendors may cheat on the weight of the food, and overcharge you on the order.

And of course, once the food is on time table, you have no choice but to pay it. Very important, only order fixed price items.

8. If you’re ordering a non-fixed price item — say, Chili Crab, make sure you determine the price first when making the order. 

Apparently, Chili Crab is worth SGD40-50 depending on kilo/size. While our tiger prawns was SGD 53 for four pieces, a Chili Crab will average around SGD 45-55 per order, which makes it very worthwhile to have:

Photo Credit: GastronomicWanders Blog

Indicate the total price to pay before ordering and paying so there’s no misunderstandings once it’s cooked. Order some delicious mantou to wipe the sauce with.

9. Almost everything was good: Here’s what we ordered from the best to the worst:

When you’re at the Newton Food Center, order the Cockles, Satay Sting Ray and Chicken Wings. They were the best dishes we had when we ate there.

This plates of Cockles (SGD 10/order) was cheap, and was the best dish we had along with the satay sting ray. It was best eaten with chili sauce:

Another best dish was the Satay Sting Ray worth SGD10-15 depending on the size. It was tender, perfectly cooked and very flavorful. Apparently, this is one of Newton Food Park’s specialty. Please order it:

The third best dish was the Chicken Wings, which was around SGD 1.4 each. Eaten with a dash of calamansi, the chicken feet rounded up the best three dishes at Newton Food Center:

Here were the consolation prizes:

Satay — Pork, Chicken, Mutton, worth SGD0.70 each (Minimum of 10 pcs):

Oyster cake worth either SGD6/8/10 depending on size:

Fried Dark Carrot Cake worth SGD3-5:

Char Kway Teow:

And Hokkien Prawn Mee:

 

For the drinks, the Soursop Juice is to die for. I would go over and over again for the Soursop Juice. My juice had bits and pieces of Soursop. Very authentic.

10. Out of courtesy, especially on peak periods, vacate the table/seats when you’re finished eating.

The busy Hawker Center is not the best place to hang out and make tambay especially after finishing your meal. Especially during peak hours, so many other guests are standing by and waiting for the next available seat:

If you want to talk to your friend, go to the coffee shop or the mall. But especially during peak hours, while it’s okay to eat leisurely, please vacate the table for the next guest to sit in once you’ve finished and somewhat digested your food.

It’s just the courteous thing to do.

Come and visit the Newton Food Center in Singapore when you visit Singapore. Start with this center first and go and visit the rest. It’s a great introduction to a hawker experience when you visit Singapore.

Newton Food Centre
Opens till 2:00am
Newton, Singapore

10 Practical Tips when Visiting Universal Studios Singapore if you have Kids 3 Years Old and Above

If you’re in Singapore, the best attraction to go to if you have kids 3 years old and above is a day trip to Universal Studios. It’s fun, something different and definitely an experience to remember. In short, it’s a great reasonably priced way to spend time with the entire family.

Here’s my top 10 tips on making a trip to Universal Studios especially if you have kids:

1. Go on a weekday for best results.

Universal Studios Singapore get very crowded on the weekend. If you can, go on a weekday.

We went on a Friday, and it was still comfortable. Sure, some popular rides had lines that last an hour, but it’s still better than to line up on a Saturday or Sunday.

2. Take a taxi if you’re coming from the city. Not the subway or Grab Car.

Interesting fact: Since Grab utilizes private vehicles, kids are required to use car seats if you’re bringing little kids. If you ride a taxi, not only is it equally safe, but car seats are optional.

We took a taxi from Orchard Road and it cost us a reasonable SGD 10 from Orchard Road to Universal Studios. The taxi drops you right by Resorts World Sentosa, which is a short walk to Universal Studios.

Given that we had one stroller, one naughty 3 year old kid and two adults, a taxi was a fine way to get around Singapore at an affordable price. No need for unnecessary transfers!

Added plus: Singaporean taxi drivers are a chatty bunch. I’ve had lovely conversations with all of the taxi drivers we engaged with this trip.

3. Take a souvenir photo at the Universal Studios Singapore globe.

Make sure that the globe spells “Univers” when you make that shot.

Yes, it’s okay to ask the other visitors to take your photo.

They won’t run off with it because it’s Singapore. 🙂

4. Buy your tickets via Klook: Less Lines, Zero Hassle 

We bought the tickets via Klook, and it was a breeze.

All you have to do is show your Electronic ticket by the door, and you’re in. No need to line up in the Singapore heat:

The more you buy, the more you save. The price is a measely Php 150 cheaper, but with the added credits earned when you’re a Klook user helps. When we bought for example, I used the code and saved HKD10.

5. Make sure your child avails most of the rides if allowed by height requirement. 

My daughter is 3 and she was able to ride most of the rides. The rides can be ridden based on height requirement, and my daughter was able to ride most of the rides except for Cyclone, The Mummy, and Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure.

Here were some of the rides that she partook as a 3-year old. My niece who was 6 months old pretty much stayed in the stroller, but a 3-year old girl can already enjoy most of the park.

6. Bring your own stroller. 

Save money from renting and simply bring your own stroller. You can hang your shopping on the side, or have your child nap when he/she gets tired.

There’s a designated stroller parking beside every attraction, and it’s perfectly safe to just leave most of your things unattended while you go on the rides. Just make sure to bring your money bag with you.

7. Take advantage of the SINGLE RIDER option especially with popular rides. 

Popular rides like Transformers The Ride (Sci-Fi City, F4), Revenge of the Mummy (Ancient Egypt, E2), and Jurassic Park Rapids Adventue (D5, The Lost World), and Canopy Flyer (The Lost World, D2) have the Single Rider option you can fully take advantage of.

If you go in via the Single Rider option, you are what we call the “Panakip butas.”

The Single Riders ride in USS is almost always surprisingly empty. Hence, it’s a great way to ride the attraction faster since everyone always takes the regular attraction line since they want to sit with their companions.

While most groups would want to ride together, Single Riders can be inserted in any group whenever there’s a seating gap in a ride. That’s why, this line is so fast.

At the peak hour, it only took us a brief 10-15 minute wait for Transformers. Whereas riding the Mummy on peak hour took us 70 minutes for the regular line.

No point with sitting together with your companions. Take the Single Rider line instead.

8. Make time for the shows, even though they’re a bit disappointing. 

Here’s the list of shows available at Universal Studios Singapore. Many of them run short — the Madagascar Boogie lasts only 10-15 minutes before proceeding to picture taking, but it’s worthwhile to catch them if you can.

Catch the Waterworld Show (1:30pm, 5:00pm and 8:30pm): It’s a classic and fun to watch, complete with fire and water special effects.

Is Shrek 4D considered a show? Please don’t miss it. It was really fun. The Donkey Live Show however was a bit boring and can be missed if you’re out of time.

9. Position yourself in New York by the Diner for the Parade at 7:30pm. 

We sat in front of the Spaghetti Space Chase Theatre (Close to the Diner) and was able to get an amazing view. of the parade which started on 7:30pm.

This position already signals the end of the line, which is most likely why this is the best position to watch the parade.

The parade only lasts till 8:00pm so it was super short. There were only a handful of floats that were presented, but if you are already there, might as well go. Selected Saturdays include fireworks, but going on a Saturday may not be worth it especially given longer lines.

10. BEST TIP EVER: Ride all the rides from 8pm!

After the parade, everyone was keen to go home and eat especially since many of the restaurants were already closed by that time. Hence, there were literally ZERO or minimal lines after 8pm. This was the BEST time to go around the park.

We left all our bags with our relatives by the Diner (Remember the 6 month old baby?), and ran all the way through all the rides.

From 8pm to 9pm, we were able to ride the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, Canopy Flyer, Revenge of the Mummy, the Puss in Boots Giant Journey, the Cyclone Roller Coaster twice, and the Transformers.

Given this new information, if you visit, go on a weekday, start late afternoon, and end at 9pm when the park officially closes. Ride what you can, but if the line is too long, wait until the parade finishes and ride the popular attraction twice or three times.

In summary, come and visit the Universal Studios Singapore if you visit Sentosa. It is a worthwhile place to go to for the day especially if you have toddlers in tow. The price is also reasonable given the quality of the rides, and if you live in Singapore, it may be worthwhile to get the Annual Pass.

Regular ticket prices is only SGD79. If you go to USS 2.5 times more, then it’s well worth your money already.

Universal Studios Singapore
8 Sentosa Gateway, Singapore 098269
Operating Hours: 10am to 9pm
https://www.rwsentosa.com/en/attractions/universal-studios-singapore/explore

10 Tips in Looking for a Yaya Online

As agencies have increased their fees to now Php 6,000 to Php 18,000 for every successful referral, there is a need to be more self-sufficient in finding yayas on our own.

“But I would rather wait to get a referral from someone I know,”  some mommies would say. “At least they can be trusted and not steal.”

Well, many mommies end up NOT having a yaya anymore, and end up taking care of their own kids themselves.

I don’t have that option. I work full time, and I need to take care of our business. I need a yaya, and am willing to do whatever means necessary to get a yaya, including opening myself up online.

Anyway, even the best yaya agencies source their yayas online. So why not if possible save on the fees and search online as well?

Over the last month, I have interviewed at least 10 serious applicants for the yaya position, hired 3 and browsed through at least 25 applicants. I am no expert, but at the end of this adventure, I have done more interviewing of yayas than I should in a lifetime.

Here are my tips in searching for a Yaya Online.

1. Hire someone who is at between 28 to 60 years old.

If the yaya is too young: If the yaya is only 17, you would need parental consent before allowing her to come and work for you.

If she is between 18 to 21, she is only coming to you for experience and really isn’t serious about working. My sister in law’s yaya is 18, and spends a lot of her evenings talking to her partner, making her always exhausted when working the next day.

Her last newborn yaya who was still looking for love got pregnant by the houseboy. The baby is expected to come out mid this year. Maricel only stayed for 1.5 months, got pregnant, and is not at home resting as she doesn’t want to work anymore.

If the yaya is too old: They tend to be slow, forgetful and sometimes stubborn. You have to be patient and repeat your instructions in a very clear manner. If they are wrong, you can’t shout at them, but have to talk to them in a still respectful manner.

Since I am looking for a yaya to my 3-year old daughter, I need someone who can keep up with her. This means that I cannot find a yaya who is too young (who will only look at the cellphone) or too old (who cannot run around with her).

It’s the Goldilocks principle. For yayas, you cannot get them too young, or too old. They have to be just the right age.

The right age varies from employer to employer. For me, it’s 28 years old to 55 years old.

At 28 years old, they have most likely had 1-2 kids from 1-2 different fathers, so they’re less likely to have more children since the realities of taking care of a lot of kids are more real to them.

A yaya in her 30s are already more serious in finding a job for keeps since she has mouths to feed and she understands that her husband’s income is insufficient in providing for her family. She works because she loves her kids. If she doesn’t work, her family would starve.

2. Sorry, just a personal preference, but I want a yaya who is not too pretty or sexy.

This is unacceptable for us — yayas who post sexy photos on Facebook.

This means that if the yayas post photos of herself showing off her legs, boobs or tattoos, I am no longer interested in them.

We live in an area where there are a lot of construction workers, traffic enforcers and security guards, all of which try to get in our yaya’s pants whenever possible, despite being married and having kids. That’s just the way it is.

Our previous yaya was fired because she was dating the married traffic enforcer in our area while on duty. I caught her the second time having tryst with the traffic enforcer in a darkened area before firing her.

Stories of the driver or the houseboy dating and impregnating the yayas are too common in their own good.

To make it safe for everyone, I choose yayas who are not that attractive. Just my personal preference, if her photo includes of her in a spaghetti strap, she’s off my list.

Yes, this applicant was applying to be a yaya in our household. She is way too pretty to be a yaya. 🙂

3. I hire people who are actually unemployed. Meaning, they are not looking of transferring employers while still employed with the others. I don’t hire yayas who are still employed with others. 

I had applicants who applied with me while still being employed with others. Their reason for switching?

• Higher salary which is understandable.
• Not liking their current employers because of (insert reason here).
• Complaining about their current work.
• The best? “I only stay here because I am merely tolerating my boss. In fact, I have wanted to switch ever since.”
• Gee… if you are like that to your current boss, then how will you be when you switch? Will you snitch on me too?
• Among other reasons…

There are cases when the complaints are valid. If you have been in a household for years and are still paid peanuts, YOU SHOULD LEAVE.

But on many cases, the complaints stem from a yaya who is unsatisfied with her lot. It is a red flag for me that this yaya has a tendency to complain despite knowing what she was getting into in the first place.

This is because salary, benefits and work conditions are usually disclosed to the yaya during interview. Before they start, a yaya should ask all questions necessary to ensure that they know what they are getting themselves in. In other words, Pinili mo yan (You chose your fate). Hence, you should barring extreme circumstances, enjoy your lot instead of endlessly complaining about it.

In my personal opinion, I prefer yayas who actually like the situation they bring themselves in. I don’t like yayas who keep on complaining about their situation especially since it was their choice to enter these situations in the first place.

A leopard never really changes her spots.

If they complain there, they will also complain once they are in my household. And I don’t want the peace in our household be destroyed because of one yaya’s discontent.

In addition, I also don’t choose these women who are still employed with others because of delicadeza. This means that just because I am in desperate need, I would pirate another person’s yaya and cause her misery in looking for a replacement.

There are still many applicants who need jobs out there. Would rather pick someone else than to harm another household because of my own dire need.

4. I hire yayas who are okay with my conditions namely:

1. Rest days two days (48 hours a month) a month: I do NOT agree if the yaya wants weekly rest days. Nothing wrong with weekly rest days, but having them leave every week is a hassle and a security risk for me. Please note that I pay for the two rest days not taken, which is in accordance with the Kasambahay Law.
2. No emergency rest days. We follow the schedule of two rest days per month. Anything above that is a no, except if someone died. Before hiring the yaya, I always ask them if they have their family affairs in order. I do not hire anyone who will disappear from work whenever there’s a family emergency because this means they are unreliable. I also like yayas who return on time from their rest days.
3. No cash advance or bale while under my employ: This is a big one. I have had yayas who backed out after hearing this rule. Bale or cash advance is a big problem in hiring Filipinos. Because they can’t budget their money properly, they always tend to borrow money from their employers, leaving them on a continuous cycle of indebtedness. I tell my yayas I will never lend them money. If someone dies in their family, I will give her family, but save on a death, I will not help out since I pay her a lot of money and on time.
4. No cellphone on duty hours: Many Filipinos cannot let go of their cellphones or Facebook. My rule indicates that they can only cellphone when my child is asleep. Many don’t like this.
5. They eat when we eat: We provide three meals and more a day, but I don’t like yayas who are more particular with food than we are.
6. They are okay with being an all around, which is already disclosed to in the ad. This means, I don’t like yayas who only want to take care of the kid and nothing else. Since I pay 50% more than minimum, I do want the yaya to also care about the general surroundings and do the laundry (via WASHING MACHINE) once the clothes need washing. I put this clause in because I don’t want our yaya to be maarte. 
7. No to padala pamasahe. With so many scammers in the Philippines, I don’t want to problematize about sending money to applicants who never plan to show up. If they want work, they will always find a way to come to you (I will reimburse the travel expense AFTER they arrive) with complete requirements.

These conditions already filter out many applicants. But since I only need one and they are joining my household, I would rather filter out those who are maarte, mareklamo and have many family issues instead of accepting them and then being disappointed later on.

5. I don’t hire yayas who don’t post their own faces on Facebook.

This is a photo of a Facebook applicant for yaya:

Lord help me if she really looks like that. She should be an actress, not a yaya.

If the yaya cannot be honest with who she is on social media, she may be hiding something, and I don’t want to consider yayas who don’t reveal anything about themselves.

6. I don’t hire yayas who frequently updates her status and post on Facebook. 

If I check their Facebook page and see that the yaya is always updating on Facebook, I don’t interview her anymore.

There are yayas who update their status every day, every half a day, with selfies and post about their random thoughts. This means, their phones are always by their side and they are very busy being active on social media.

Since one of my rules is to only use the cellphone during off duty or when the baby is sleeping, I don’t think hiring someone who is always on Facebook will work for us.

7. I also don’t like it when a yaya posts photos of herself and her alaga. Or photos of her in her employer’s house. 

It’s not her house or her kid. She should not post photos of what isn’t hers on social media. It’s not right, and in the Philippines, can be quite dangerous.

So when I see a yaya applicant posting her photo that features her employer’s house, child, car or belongings, I don’t even consider hiring her anymore.

8. I don’t hire yayas who have a bad record online.

I check out whether she has been blacklisted on other maids groups as a scammer or a maid with a bad record. I check her name out on Bad Maids PH Facebook group to see if she has been previously employed by someone before.

Checking online of their status have saved many employers a lot of future grief. For example, an agency referred to me a yaya who sounded decent on the phone. She was 4 years old, single, and was well experienced as a yaya.

Later, when checking online, someone gave me the feedback that not only does this yaya suffer from a bad attitude, she also had sexy photos of hers posted online!

These were her actual photos posted on Facebook for everyone to see!

My gosh, makati pala! Even I do not have the gall or strength to post a photo of myself on a swimsuit online, and here in an applicant who is open to showing on what she looks like to everyone who wishes to see.

And to those who are wondering, these are her real photos. Not Photoshopped. The agency said that these were her bikini photos from Boracay. Uhhhh….

Thank goodness for the Interet. If I didn’t ask for feedback, we would have ended up with a yaya who would give us many problems later on.

9. I hire yayas who have an acceptable record of leaving their previous employers properly. 

Many yayas, like mine, leave their employer without proper notice. Many simply go on a rest day and never come back, insisting that they left their employer because of (insert yaya reason here).

It doesn’t matter if the employer was masungit or abusive. What’s important is that the yaya leaves with grace, and with proper notice.

If they left an employer without giving a proper goodbye, they would do the same to me too. And given that I had been a victim of such yaya before, I do not want to have such experience repeated again.

Hence, I listen very closely when asking the question, “Why do you leave your previous employer?”

If they give me an answer that shows they are malabong kausap, then I move on to the next interviewee.

10. I only hire yayas who show WORD OF HONOR. They have to show up on the agreed schedule. They don’t lie on the interview. In short, they do what they say. 

My previous yaya told me that she didn’t even finish high school even though the yaya she was replacing was a college undergrad.

I appreciated the honesty and told her there was nothing to be embarrassed about. She turned out to be a pretty decent yaya for my daughter until she wasn’t.

I like yayas who tell you as it is. No lying, no twisting of the truth, no drama. One yaya told us that her first husband was dead, even though he wasn’t really. That was bad.

Since they are joining our household, we have to choose people who is similar like us. My husband says we like to surround our people who is not malabong kausap (which means we hate people who don’t do what they say).

Hence, we have declined the services of a yaya who keep on moving their starting date. Bago pa lang, ganun na. 

This was a yaya who didn’t show up as agreed because she claimed her son was sick. It would have been more believable if she didn’t text me the day before asking me to postpone her start date since her daughter wanted her to get her report card in school.

I didn’t take her anymore.

Sure, maybe it means having a yaya starting later, but at least, weeding out those who are unreliable will keep us more sane in the long run.

SUMMARY

Yes, it’s very hard to find a yaya in the Philippines. Even at a higher salary, I still experienced difficulty in finding a yaya myself. There is reason for agencies to exist. It’s not just to profit off employers, but to also save employers from the type of stress and frustration I’ve experienced this month.

Many employers have already given up from finding a suitable yaya for them.

The group that asks for referrals now number more than 1000 and yet, so many are left yaya-less. Many mothers choose to give up their jobs because they cannot find suitable help.

Personally, I can’t stand inactivity.

I don’t believe accepting my fate that I should be left yayaless since yaya left us last December. If I cannot find a yaya, I would have to take care of our child, and our business and my staff will suffer. Since we can afford a yaya, we should have one. Hence, not having a yaya is unacceptable for me.

So now, we have one. Zeny started just last Sunday, and she’s still alive as of today.

I hope she’s finally the yaya I am looking for. If not, we will look for someone else again.

Ahhhhh… that is life.

Anyway, hope my tips will help you find a yaya of your own. Good luck to all of us, and may the right yaya enter our employ.

 

 

10 Best Books for Babies (0-3 years old)

My one wish for my baby is that she will have the love of reading. That’s why, I’ve hoarded many books ever since she was born. We now have a growing library of books for her to read.

However, books can get really expensive. The more you buy, the more expensive it gets. I’ve also noticed how we would always go back to the same books over and over. It makes me think that I would have saved a lot of money if I only focused on the few book essentials, instead of buying every kiddie book I encountered.

Here are the top 10 books my baby loves to read. Maybe, if you are under the budget, you can just stick to these following books that you can read and reread over and over.

1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Slide and Find by Eric Carle (USD 11.13)

This is the first book my baby absolutely loved. There’s something about the repetitive structure of words, the use of vivid colors and imagery that has the baby engrossed.

A bonus? The slide function in every page!

My baby had a LOT OF FUN trying to open the slide. Please buy the one with the Slide Function. Do NOT buy the other book options.

Consolation Prize: From Head to Toe by Eric Carle – The book challenges kids to try to do the same actions as the animals.

Overall, a fun book to read as the child imitates the characters in the book.

What Baby Learns: Animals, Colors

2. Where is Baby’s Belly Button Lift-a-Flap Book by Karen Katz (USD 4.19)

The vocabulary is so simple but effective, teaching my child the different parts of the body. The imagery is also so cute as well. My baby squeals whenever she sees photos of different babies. One of the best books for babies.

Note: The other Karen Katz books are not as effective as this one. Save your money and only buy this Karen Katz book.

What Baby Learns: Parts of Body

3. Dear Zoo: A Lift Flap Book by Rod Campbell (USD 4.71)

Have you noticed that many of my baby’s favorite books are lift the flap books? I guess for babies, there is that element of surprise that lies behind every flap. And it brings them great pleasure to anticipate which animal that appears behind every container.

The Story is about a child who writes the zoo asking for a pet. The zoo sends the child a series of animals for pets, which is returned for many different reasons. Finally, the zoo finds the right pet for the child.

What Baby Learns: Animals, Animal Sounds

4. May I Please Have a Cookie? by Jennifer E. Morris (USD 6.17)

It’s important for kids to learn some manners, and there’s no better way to teach manners than by a good story.

This book tells of the story of Alfie, who really LOVES cookies, but cannot find the right way to ask for it. The story ends with Alfie learning that getting what you want may be as simple of having the right manners and asking politely.

The rhymes, the photos, and the story all add to the charm. We absolutely love this book!

What Baby Learns: Using the word “Please”

5. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae (USD 5.06)

The story of Gerald as an awkward giraffe who cannot dance is absolutely endearing. Gerald wants to dance, but can’t. He is mocked by the other animals for his inability to dance. However, he later realizes that the beauty of dance comes more from his own self, and this increase of confidence earns him the praise of the other animals.

There is a rhyme to every page of the story, which makes every page a pleasure to read and re-read. There is also a lesson to be learned, and if done correctly, can increase a child’s self-esteem and will to dance in his/her own drum.

If you can, please buy the large hardbound version. The illustrations are beautiful, and the story sucks you right in.

What Baby Learns: Animals, the Different Dances, and the Importance of Dancing in one’s own Beat

6. How Do Dinosaurs Collection by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

We LOVE this book! There’s something about the way Jane Yolen and Mark Teague construct the story that teaches kids in a fun way on how to eat, how to see the doctor, and how to say goodnight. My daughter loves how everything rhymes and memorizes every page.

The best books in the collection are as follows:

• How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?

• How do Dinosaurs Eat their Food?
• How do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?

The rest of the collection are meh. I have the How do Dinosaurs Learn Colours and Numbers? and How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends?, but the rest of the books are no competition to the first three I mentioned. Save your money and just buy the three best books.

What Baby Learns: Proper Manners and How to Do the Right Thing

7. Potty by Leslie Patricelli (USD 4.00)

A cute little board book, the story introduces the concept of a potty in such a safe and fun manner. It’s about a child who wants to go potty but is afraid to. However, after trying to potty and finding success, everyone celebrates.

I’ve bought the other books by Leslie Patricelli but nothing is better than this book. Stick to the best sellers, mommy!

What Baby Learns: Potty is our friend.

8. Press Here and Mix it Up by Herve Tullet

Not for baby but for a toddler, these two interactive board books are fun to read with baby.

For Press Here, it teaches baby to follow simple instructions, and the effect lie on the pages afterwards.

Mix it Up teaches about colors, and how when they are combined, results on wonderful surprises.

What Baby Learns: Simple Instructions, Directions (Left, Right, Straight), Colors, Color Combinations

9. My Big Book of Beginning Books About Me by Dr. Seuss

Out of all the available collections (which I mostly bought), this is probably the best. The collection of book features simple stories that rhyme and are just super fun to read. The book include the following stories so as you can see, if you are traveling and you need only one book to bring, this book is it:

What Baby Learns: Parts of the Body

10. The Berensteins’ B Book by Stan Berenstain

My baby loves to read along. The story repeats words per page in such that it incites mastery. I love it when baby can anticipate what’s going to be on the next page. If you want your baby to increase his/her vocabulary, this is a great book to start.

What Baby Learns: Words that starts with the Letter B

Do you have another books to add? Please let me know! I would love to see if they fit my baby and I. Please comment below.

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BOOKS I FEEL ARE OVERRATED

No, I didn’t forget about these.

I actually have these, but they aren’t really that much fun to read. Maybe because the words don’t rhyme or the story drags, but I have no clue why these books are super popular. They honestly don’t do it for myself and baby.

I call them the Overrated Books: Nice to have but skip if you don’t have the budget. Please note that this is just for my personal reference, so I’m sorry if you love them and I don’t.

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle – It’s great but I don’t really get the story of a caterpillar who wakes up and eats a lot of things everyday. A good story, but not best-seller quality.

 

• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown – Unimpressive illustration, dragging story. Yawn.

• Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sedak – I don’t like this book because it features a naughty, misbehaved child who becomes the King of the Wild Things. However, the story is brought to an abrupt conclusion after he misses his mom and returns home.

• Harold and the Purple Crayon – What a dragging book. Super long and blah. I couldn’t wait to get it done.

• Corduroy by Don Freeman – Great story about a lost bear in the shopping mall. But oh so dragging. Skip!

Marriage Tip: Love Your In-Laws

A lot of people complain about their mother-in-laws (MIL).

One mommy complained to her husband when her mother-in-law brought out her 3-month old baby out without asking for her permission.

“It was raining!” she said in exasperation. “Do I have the right to get mad? Or call her out? I just need advice right now as I’m not thinking straight.”

Most of the mommies were very upset.

A common answer was to let the husband deal with it.

“Its understandable that you feel mad. Talk to your husband about it and let him do the talking to his parents.”

And….

“Talk to your husband so he can be the one to deal with it. Confronting you MIL is never a good idea. If you live with your MIL and you left your baby in her care, she probably felt it was ok.”

Others invoke the “I’m the Mother. It’s my baby. My baby, my rules.”

“If that would happen to me, yes I will get mad and definitely discuss it with hubby. Call me an OA mom I don’t care but I think I have the right to know where they will bring my child since I am the Mother. “

The mommy confesses that her MIL is very sensitive and can’t be told what to do. She is helpless on how to handle this problem.

I honestly think it’s a Perspective Issue.

Just to put this in context, I am actually the second wife of my husband. He was married in his mid-20s to another woman. That marriage lasted half a year, a lot shorter than the time they dated.

A point of contention was the parents-in-law.

Husband’s first wife hated her in-laws. She thought they looked down on her and was out to get her. When she was told or when she didn’t get her way, she pouted and touted my husband against his parents.

One day, she has had enough. She felt that his parents were meddling too much in their business so she ran away from home. My husband followed her, and they rented a small dinky place in Quezon City.

The fights still continued, and the fact that they were already separated from my husband’s parents made one thing perfectly clear: It wasn’t the in-law who was the problem. She was.

Because she had an inferiority complex, she felt that her in-laws were out to get her. She never thought that she was at fault and always blamed them. In the end of the day, when she withdrew herself from their support, she fell.

When my husband went back to his parents, they facilitated the annulment. The marriage was over in less than a year. Her fears came true: When push come to shove, her support was weak, and she was cut off as soon as the husband grew tired of her.

I knew this when I married my husband. The only thing different was how I dealt with it.

For one, I tried my best to love my in-laws. Here’s my thoughts about this:

If it makes you feel better, I also get hurt and upset by something my in-laws may unconsciously do. But I always remind myself of my role within the family: Remember I entered their family, not the other way around. And I have to respect my in-laws and love them, just the way I love my husband.

Once you come from a position of love and respect, everything changes.

They are no longer your enemies. You don’t think of their actions as them trying to annoy you. Instead, you are partners in raising your child(ren) together. They become helpers, providers and counselors, instead of SOBs who are out there to purposely annoy you.

One day, when you become a MIL yourself, you too will understand. And when your daughter- or son-in-law pushes their weight around just because they’re married to your child, you will be more appreciative of your own experience right now. Will you give way just because your son or daughter-in-law says so? I seriously doubt it! 😜

Change your perspective. See your in-laws in a better light. And I promise, once you respect them better, they will fight you less and appreciate you more, even when you don’t constantly remind them to do so.

When you start with a position of love and respect, everything changes.

I don’t think marrying a guy marks an achievement. It doesn’t mean just because I married the son, the parents-in-law should accept me immediately, without any or mediocre effort in my part.

Some women don’t get it. “But I’m the wife!” they’d scream. “I bear their grandchild(ren)!”

No, you being the vessel just meant that you managed to trick their son into marrying you. You haven’t done anything yet. It doesn’t mean that they should automatically love and respect you just because you are part of the family.  IF you managed to weasel your way in, that’s great. But it doesn’t mean they’ll have to accept you. You’re the outsider… not them.

I always imagine that there’s an imaginary emotional bank account for every relationship I have.

Every time I do something nice for someone, I put a coin into that emotional bank account. I may not see any immediate returns, but such good will increases that person’s positive feelings about you if they feel that your efforts were sincere and heartfelt.

I increase my emotional bank account to my in-laws whenever I:

• Follow their instructions and advise
• Force my husband to follow their instruction and advise, instead of pitting my husband against them.
• Do them a favor without asking them for anything in return
• Give them small tokens of appreciations once in a while
• Among other nice little things I do without them asking for it. Just because I love and respect them a my in-laws.

When I do so, my emotional bank account with them goes up. Inevitably, their positive feelings for me go up too. When that happens, that cycle of goodwill continues, and I know that my husband’s parents are our pillars of support, especially during the bad times.

Here was my advise to the complaining mommy:

Think before you blow.

First, have you communicated to your in-laws that they should ask your permission about everything regarding your child? I know you may strongly believe that since you’re the mommy, your rules supersedes all, but the truth is, it takes a village to raise a child. And if you want people to help, you should cool it and trust them so long as they are coming from a place of love.

Remember, they raised your husband and he was FINE. Trust me, your kid will also be FINE. So before you accuse them of exposing your child to the rain, be careful first on what you’re accusing them of — The rain is not the issue here. It’s all about control and distrust. If you blow, you are accusing them of not being trusted to handle your child. How irresponsible of them to expose the child to such dangerous rain! How dare they?!

Chill a little bit. Breathe easy, mommy. There are many things that endanger a child, but your in-laws are not one. Trust your relatives especially if they love your child. Do you know the saying, “Wisdom is knowing what you can change vs. what you cannot?” You may tell your in-laws off, but you cannot change them completely. They were there before you even met your husband, so I doubt you blowing up will help, and will just make the situation worse. Hence, if you can’t stop getting upset and cannot stop picking fights with your in-laws, you will just create an environment of discomfort, awkwardness and negative energy between your families.

If it makes you feel better, calmly talk to them. Share with them your concerns. And if they brush you off, don’t feel too bad. Trust them. Chances are, they are right. A little rain won’t kill anyone, and I am sure an umbrella was used. They didn’t leave your child in the rain by herself. Relax. Your baby is only 3 months old. There are many more battles to come. And if you’re going to be upset with a little rain, it won’t be about the rain anymore. And you have no one but yourself to blame.

I think that we often misunderstand family relationships based on winning and losing. As daughter-in-laws, we want to win over our parents-in-law all the time. We demand their love and respect even though we give so little in return. We make them our enemies and pit their children against them. We try to wield our influence whenever we can, just to show that they should love and respect us just because we are married to their kids, or are mothers to their grandkids.

WRONG. WRONG. WRONG.

They are our elders.

We need to love and respect them first.

Even when it’s hard, we have to be understanding of them.

As we love our husbands, so we should love them too.

And while that love and respect may not be reciprocated — for the rare case that our in-laws are truly psycho and bipolar — it’s fine. We have done our part and that is enough.

My in-laws love me as their own daughter. I think sometimes, I am better than their own daughter because I make an effort not to sulk or complain.

And therein lies the difference.

While my husband’s first wife tried to portray them as enemies, I saw them as allies. And I know I can count on them when shit hits the fan.

How about you? Do you enjoy a healthy relationship with your in-laws? Thoughts appreciated.

 

Top 10 Tips in Traveling to Siem Reap/Angkor Wat

We were at Siem Reap last weekend for my birthday. Here are some takeaways from our trip:

1. The flight and temple tickets were expensive. The rest were not.

We booked a direct flight from Manila to Siem Reap via Cebu Pacific. The flight was 3 hours long and we left on Saturday at 7:30pm, arriving in Siem Reap International Airport at 9:30 pm. We then departed Siem Reap back to Manila at 10:30pm arriving Manila at 2:30am on Wednesday, missing only 2 days of work for a 3-day vacation.

The airfare was expensive given a budget airport. We paid Php 18,000 net per pax. I understand we can find another place cheaper than Siem Reap, but hey, since Bali’s Mt. Agung volcano was rumored to erupt soon, we had to change plans and settle for Cambodia instead.

Ticket for a 3-day temple tour is at USD 62.00 a pax. However, aside from these large ticket items, visiting Cambodia is still relatively cheap.

2. Do NOT exchange USD to the local currency at the airport or anywhere else!

In Siem Reap International Airport, you can exchange USD to Cambodian Reals at 3,850 Reals to 1 USD. Outside, the exchange rate in MOST restaurants is 4,000 Reals to 1 USD. Truth be told, the currency exchange in Siem Reap is making a lot of money.

Everyone in Siem Reap accepts USD. Actually, they prefer it. You will also get Cambodian reals as change when you purchase/buy something. Do NOT exchange USD to the local currency.

3. Hotel rates in Siem Reap are relatively cheaper. Book a hotel with free breakfast. 

We stayed in the Suorkear Villa & Resort in a 2-storey villa with private pool, paying USD 420.00 (Php 20,000) for 3 nights and 5 adults. This is still cheaper than a 4- or 5-star hotel in Manila.

The bedroom is nicer in the photo, but the service is warm and attentive, and the public pool is as beautiful as the photo. It’s a bit out of the way and requires a USD 3 tuktuk ride to town (Note: The resort does provide free tuktuk rides to town up until 10pm), but if you would like to stay in a relaxing place, Suorkear Villa & Resort is a nice reasonably priced hotel to book.

We really enjoyed our breakfast and free coffee refill. They served a variety of Asian and Western dishes which include Asian fried rice, Khmer curry noodles, Asian stir fried noodles, Cambodian noodle soup, pancakes, french toast, American breakfast, among others.

Suggest you try out their Asian fare than their Western’s. It’s more sulit!

4. Shopping in Cambodia is cheap.

Even inside the temples, shopping in Cambodia is cheap if you bargain carefully.

We bought 3 pcs of t-shirts for USD 5. Pants were only USD 2 a piece. A drum that was marketed as USD 15 was let go for USD 6. To be fair, shopping is a joy in Siem Reap if you like their loose backpacker style.

Personally, I appreciated the products available.

Cambodia is VERY HOT and we went through at least 2 changes of clothes per day. We brought enough clothes to last us our 3 days but went through them by the first day of tour. Being able to shop for a cheap change of clothes was a godsend, and the products weren’t bad for the price you paid for!

5. That said, the weather in Cambodia was HOT!

We were sweating like pigs the whole time.

I sh*t you not — my husband changed clothes 3x. He usually doesn’t do that in Manila.

Siem Reap weather is a lot like Manila’s — hot, humid but less air circulation. So you feel like you’re in a hot oven with nowhere to cool off.

Restaurants are open air and not a lot of establishments have aircon. We ate at several establishments but none of them were airconditioned. I guess, they take saving electricity seriously.

If you go to Cambodia, bring a change of clothes. Better yet, buy clothes in Cambodia!

6. Our 3-day itinerary:

			USD Price
Saturday
7:35 PM	5J 257 Cebu Pacific Departure from Manila T3 to Siem Reap
9:30 PM	Arrival at Siem Reap International Airport
	Hotel: Suorkear Villa & Resort		410.40
	Angkor High School Road, Sangkat Sala Kamreuk, Siem Reap Cambodia
	Tel: +855 60 999 882
	Check in: Oct 21, Check out: Oct 24 (1pm)
Sunday
Breakfast	Hotel: Suorkear Villa & Resort
	Can swim a little bit and enjoy private pool
Lunch	Lilypop Restaurant (10am to 10pm)	717 Reviews
	#20 Taphul Road, Siem Reap 17259	Chicken amok, spring rolls, lok lak, khmer curry,
	Tel: +855 86 879 255	papaya salad, smoothie
	Try Me (8:30am to 10:30 pm)	292 Reviews
	Taphul Road. It’s the road beside Caltex Station	Amok fish, Lok Lak, Cambodia Curry, pesto pasta
	Tel: +855 17 419 343
After Lunch Meal	Fresh Fruit Factory	Fruits on french toast, ice mountains (mango+passion fruit)
	#155, Taphul Road, Siem Reap
	Tel: +855 81 313 900
Afternoon	Cool Sense Spa
	60 Street, Siem Reap, Cambodia
	Magic Four-Hand Massage With Warm Herbal Linen	USD 25 for 90 mins
	Traditional Khmer Massage (60 mins)	USD 10, USD 14 for 90 mins
	2-Hour Specialized Package	USD 25
	http://www.coolsense-spa.com/
	Free Pickup from Tuktuk
Dinner	Spoons (11:30am to 10:00 pm)	521 Reviews
	#142, Group 5 Pave Road, Wat Damnak Village,	Mackarel, coconut chicken, beef skewers
	Salakomreouk Commune, Siem Reap
	Tel: +855 76 277 6667
	Old Market Area
	Between Street 9, Street 11, 2 Thmou Street and Pokombor Avenue
	Pub Street
	Red Piano to order Tomb Raider Drink
	Angkor Night Market (**If asking price is $10, ask for $3)
	Can eat fried banana kebabs, roasted corn on cob, banana chocolate pancakes (from corner
	closest to Warehouse)
	Can try Baray Spa for affordable foot reflexology for only $2 n 1 hour
Monday
8:30 AM	Happy Angkor Tour Pickup. Have breakfast already.		180.00
	Tel: Mony (Tel: +855-92-900 000)
	**Ticket to Temples at USD 62 per pax		310.00
Morning	Angkor Thom	Elephant & Leper King Terrace
	Bayon	Ta Prohm
	Baphoun
	Royal Enclosure
12:30 PM	Lunch at Local Restaurant (Palmboo)
2:00 PM	Angkor Wat
	Phnom Bakheng to watch sunset view
6:00 PM	Back at Hotel
Dinner	Aspara Show: Koulen Restaurant
	Includes Buffet dinner and show at USD 12 per pax excluding drinks		60.00
Tuesday
5:00 AM	Watch Sunrise at Angkor Wat
	Back to Hotel for Breakfast
	Banteay Srei or Ladies Temple	Banteay Samre
	Sugar Palm Villages or Landmine Museum	Pre Rup Temple
12:30 PM	Lunch at Local Restaurant (The Hut)
	Off Route #6 | Steung Village, Prasat Bakong District, Siem Reap 00000, Cambodia
	Tel: +855 12 926 391
1:30 pm or 2:00 pm	Tonle Sap Lake at Kampong Pluk Village OR
	Grand Circuit Road: Prah Khan, Neak Poan, Ta Som, East Mebon
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm	Genevieve’s Restaurant	3968 Reviews
	Bamboo Street Sala Kamreuk Commune, Siem Reap 3058
	Tel: +855 81 410 783
10:30 PM	5J 258 Departure from Siem Reap to T3 NAIA
2:25 AM	Arrival in NAIA Terminal 3

Downloadable Excel File: FINAL Itinerary – Angkor Wat Trip

7. Must Do in Cambodia!

For restaurants, must try dining areas are the following:

The Fresh Fruit Factory (Rated #1 in Trip Advisor)

Order their lovely ice mountains and french toasts. We thoroughly enjoyed our Mango Ice Mountain (USD 5) and Alcoholic Coffee Ice Mountain (USD 6.5).

Worth every penny!

Lunch at The Hut Natural

Address: Off Route #6 | Steung Village, Prasat Bakong District, Siem Reap 00000, Cambodia

Tel: +855 12 926 391
Website: http://thehutnatural.com/

We ordered the fish with lime sauce and it was DELICIOUS! Very fresh, fat, and succulent and priced at only USD12 a fish.

We also ordered the other dishes — fish amok, lok lak, etc. but nothing was as good as the fish. What’s more, the fact that the restaurant consists of several nipa hut tents with cool air and usable relaxing hammocks as part of the decor helped aplenty!

Please please please add this restaurant to your itinerary! We did this restaurant when we were temple visiting. You won’t regret it.

Dinner at Genevieve’s.

It seems that Genevieve’s is an institution in Siem Reap. Managed by a friendly Aussie who dedicated the restaurant to his long gone wife, the food was above average, the price still reasonable and the service great!

We were glad that we managed to squeeze Genevieve’s on our last meal.

The meats were tender and nicely cooked. We enjoyed every dish except for the beef in betel nut appetizer. Please skip this dish.

The show and buffet at Koulen Restaurant

Yes, there were a LOT of tourists.

Yes, the food is not as much as the other restaurants.

But at USD 12 per pax, what do you expect?

We found the show to be impressive and well done, and we left the restaurant happy and fulfilled.

8. Overrated Restaurants

We didn’t like Lilypop Restaurant which was well-ranked in TripAdvisor.

They didn’t have any stock of Khmer Curry and Fish Amok. The service was sloooooww. The price was average (not cheap), and the food was just okay.

As to why this restaurant was well ranked, I don’t even know.

TripAdvisor ranks it at #39 out of Siem Reap restaurants.

We also didn’t like Spoons at all.

Over priced dishes with small servings.

Relatively slow service with more arrogant waiters (compared to friendlier waiters elsewhere).

The food selection was limited and the taste merely okay.

We did not enjoy Spoons at all.

Given, the restaurant had a good ambiance but that’s the only thing it had going for it. To be honest, it’s a restaurant most Westerners will love, but there are other better restaurants elsewhere.

Please save your money and go elsewhere instead. Spoons is ranked #5 restaurant in Siem Reap.

Tonle Sap Lake

Most tours will offer a tour of the Tonle Sap lake for USD 15 per person.

The fee comes with a private boat and a tour of the stilted village at Tonle Sap.

The only great thing we saw was a small crocodile farm where you can feed it a small sized goose for USD 10. Not impressive at all.

Please skip this tour!

It’s not that it’s expensive. It’s more of, there’s really nothing special of huts on top of stilts. You came to Cambodia for the temples, so if I had to do it all over again, I would just do the Grand Circuit tour and visit Prah Khan, Neak Poan, Ta Som, East Mebon.

Preah Khan Temple

Neak Poan

Ta Som

East Mebon

9. The best time to go to Angkor Wat is when you are single and childless.

We had a senior and a toddler in tow. So climbing up the temples of Angkor Wat was not as easy for us. I think we would have had a grander time if there were no kids around.

10. If you haven’t been, just GO!

This is my second time to Siem Reap and the place is as magical as it was before. The tourist industry is more mature and there are less annoying children trying to sell you useless trinkets for USD 1.

I hope that my commentary of Siem Reap will entice you to go. Despite the relatively expensive airfare, Siem Reap is a wonderful haven if you’re into culture and temples, delicious food and cheap items.

How to Fight With Your Husband

If you’re with someone, it’s inevitable that you will one day fight with them.

I personally have fought with my husband in our three years of marriage.

The biggest was during our first few months of marriage when I had a big meltdown in the middle of Ortigas Center, screaming at him and refusing to get out of the road even if it meant that I was at the risk of being hit by an incoming car.

Not my proudest moment.

But at the heat of the moment, I felt that that was a fight worth making. And if it meant dissolving our young marriage, then so be it.

What was the issue at hand?

It was that new hubby would not and could not put down his cellphone during mealtime. So even when we were having lunch, he would still be texting and Facebooking.

Hence, the meltdown.

We came up with a few rules of engagement that day. So far, in our brief marriage, these rules have kept us happy and sane. And I would like to share them to you so hopefully, your marriage/partnership will also benefit from our mistakes.

1. Keep fights clean and stay away from the Red Topics.

When we fight, we want to hurt the other person as much as they’re hurting us.

That’s why, we often go for the jugular, using vile words that we know should be off-limits, if only we can help ourselves.

They’re not bad words per se, but these are words that hurt the heart.

For example, if you know that your husband is always afraid that he cannot meet his father’s expectations, we cannot help but slide in the words, “And that’s why your father is always disappointed in you! You always fail to do what is right!”

If he had an indiscretion he was truly sorry for before, we cannot help but say, “And that’s why I can’t trust you. You cannot help but cheat on me for every girl that shows you the littlest of attention!”

If he is having trouble at work and can’t seem to catch a break, it may be words like, “And that’s why you can’t find a job. You’re a good for nothing and nobody will ever want to hire you!”

Sadly, it’s usually our loved ones that hurt us the most. Because they always know the worst thing to say. And when they speak, the words cut to the core.

For my husband, the big red no-no words are threats that I will leave him and our marriage.

Say whatever you want, but never tell him that you’re leaving him.

Discuss the topics with your husband that are off-limits and KEEP THEM OFF-LIMITS.

Stay within the topic.

If you’re fighting about his inability to call you back, keep the fight to the fact that he’s not answering his phone. Do not bring his family, his job into the mix. The more you stay on topic, the better you can in solving the problem, which is why the fight is there in the first place.

2. Do not involve other people as much as possible. Discuss the problem with your husband directly. Solve it with him directly.

Divorces and separation become more likely once other people get involved. When we tell other people our problems, they tend to butt in on the smallest of issues and petty problems become mountains.

I don’t like it when my husband complains about me to his parents. For example, I really don’t like to do the laundry, and I’m useless in housework. He knows this, and he cannot help but shake his head on my domestic ineptitude.

Sometimes, he cannot help himself.

During family dinners, he will once again mention that I don’t do the laundry. He said he meant it as a joke, but do it a couple of times and it becomes annoying.

So I told my husband to stop complaining about me to his parents. Marriage is hard enough and it’s crucial that we build our support system with the people around us. Even with my family, I build my husband up.

If there was a bad thing he did with me, I don’t go around complaining about him to other people. I deal them directly with him. Anyway, if I have the problem with him, complaining about them to other people will NOT solve the problem. If husband is the problem, only he can solve the problem.

3. Be very direct on what’s bothering you. Don’t beat around the bush.

Maybe it’s the way women are trained but we can be very passive aggressive when we’re fighting with our husbands. We don’t usually say what we want them to do, and instead, say many things that  has nothing to do with what’s bothering us.

If we are angry, we tell him to do whatever he wants, even though we want him to STOP doing what he’s doing.

And then get even angrier when he actually does it!

Ladies, let us tell them what exactly we want them to do. Men listen better to instructions, so we better be clear on what exactly we want them to do.

For me, I will usually tell him, “Stop complaining about me with your family. I only want you to say good things about me even if it kills you.”

In our house, we have the you-need-to-call-me-back rule. If we see a missed call from each other, we want them to call us back.

Keep instructions clear and specific. That way, we can get what we want.

4. Don’t ever bluff and say you will leave the marriage unless you meant it.

Many a marriages are destroyed because someone bluffs to leave the marriage, and the other person calls them out on it. Stop threatening to leave unless you’re actually ready to carry out that bluff!

It’s really annoying when you fight over petty things, speak words that wound the heart, and then threaten to leave at any time! Do that a few thousand times and eventually, your husband WILL leave you!

STOP BLUFFING AND THREATENING THAT YOU’LL LEAVE YOUR HUSBANDS IF YOU CANNOT SUSTAIN YOURSELF. There might be a day that he will leave you. And there’s nothing else you can do than cry.

A breakup is not a joke. Do not bluff and threaten to break up with someone if you really don’t mean it.

5. Admit if you’re wrong. Apologize if you are wrong.

That way, you’re not the unreasonable bitch who’s always right, even though she is wrong. Pick your fights and make sure to remain sane and reasonable, so if you really are right, your husband will concede too.

Sometimes, we always want to get our way.  We want our husbands to give in with us all the time. Otherwise, we will threaten to leave (See Rule #4). Don’t do that.

If you’re wrong, say you are wrong and apologize.

That way, if you’re right, your husband will do the same too.

6. Always end a fight with a resolution!

When we fight, we always end our fights with a resolution. This is how resolution is defined.

Finish the fight with the end in mind — in every fight, there’s always something that pissed you or him off, and you don’t want him to do it again.

Identify what is the root cause of the fight and resolve to avoid doing it again.

If there’s always a resolution to a fight, then a fight becomes worthwhile. If it stops you from getting pissed from each other, then a fight becomes a constructive fight. There’s a purpose to the fight, which is stopping you or him from doing something that upsets the other.

End every fight with a resolution, and if all fights end with a resolution that is kept, then you’re already on your way to a happy marriage.

Happy weekend everyone! Do you have any other tips on how to fight fair and square with your husband? Comment below.

Interview Chronicles: Top 5 Red Flags when Interviewing

I’ve interviewed thousands of people since our business is in retail and we have been expanding. 

When I interview, there’s a few red flags I look out for. The biggest bombs come after the question, “Why did you leave your last employer?” 

Here are a few red flags I look out for when I interview. When I hear them, I don’t hire the candidate. Take a look and see if you agree:

1. “For greener pastures“ or “For career growth.”

I like people who tell it to me straight. There’s few things I like less than bullsh*t, and when you answer that the reason for leaving your previous employer is for career growth, you’re not telling me the entire truth. 

People leave because they’re unhappy about something. Maybe they’re unhappy with the pay, their coworkers or with how they’re treated. These are completely valid reasons to leave a company.

But when you leave a company because of career growth, it shows me two things: 1) Your capability limits your growth in your previous job, and 2) You’re most likely to show little loyalty and run after the money. 

The first point possibly means you cannot climb the company ladder anymore so you’ve decided to shift gears. As I know there’s always a demand for reliable and competent people, you having reached the top of the ladder means that’s how good your work is. And if your boss hasn’t promoted you yet, there must be some good reason for it.

The second is most likely, you’re a job jumper. This means that every 1.5 to 2.0 years, you jump into another company because they’re offering you a little bit more money. This shows a lack of loyalty, grit and compassion for your employer, qualities I don’t like in my people.  If you’re bribeable to change jobs for just a few thousand bucks, I wouldn’t want you with us lest you dump me for another higher paying employer.

2. For personal reasons (e.g., mother got sick, family asked you to go home to take care of some legal issue, you got pregnant, etc.)

True. 

Life is unpredictable and bad shit happen all the time. People get sick, get hospitalized and die. There will be tragedy and unfortunate accidents, and such occasions call for you to deal with them properly.

But you don’t quit your job because of some personal issue. In fact, you should NOT quit your job when these issues arise.

Why?

Because you need funds to tide you over. 

If you have money, you can pay for your mother’s hospitalization bill. You can support your kids even if your husband leaves you. You can pay someone else to take care of your kids while you work.

While money is not the answer to your problems, it’s still a great way to help you with your problems. If you have money, many problems go away. If you don’t have money, you’ll feel powerless and you won’t have the financial artillery to get you through.

So if you have personal problems, deal with them. Don’t quit your job.

And if you quit your job because you’re dealing with a personal problem, chances are, you’re probably the sole responsible breadwinner of the family who can’t stop but save his/her family member when they’re in trouble. You don’t have the healthy support system to help you through.

If that’s the case, come the time there’s a next personal crisis, you will once again quit your job and now it’s me who is hanging.

3. My employers treated me unfairly. I should get this or this pay, or this or this benefit.

Sure there are bad employers out there who abuse their people. But given the strictness of the government, these very abusive employers are a lot less than you think. Instead, I’d like to think that many companies have a minimum set of standards that they uphold to. In other words, the abuse many employees believe they’re in just lie in their heads.

I don’t say this very lightly. In fact, I empathize with employees who have clearly been abused by their employers. As I’ve said, there are a few bad companies out there. But most of the time, the complaints staff have over their previous employers are not exactly valid.

Many applicants complain about the lack of benefits. But it’s the understanding of what benefits are mandatory or are merely icing on the cake that’s the problem. 

For example, staff complain about the lack of benefits. But upon further questioning, it turns out that they are complaining a lack of health card or HMO. However, the mandatory benefits are SSS, Philhealth and Pag-ibig. HMO card depend on company policy, tenure and need. They’re great to have but it doesn’t mean that if the company doesn’t offer HMO yet, they’re already an evil employer.

Many employers offer HMO but with good reason. My husband’s company offers accident insurance because the job is risky and they’ve had people who lost a finger or two while on the job. Many BPOs offer HMO because the graveyard shift screws up with your body and makes you easily susceptible to sickness. But if the company doesn’t offer HMO, it’s not a deal breaker. 

Some employers complain that their salaries hadn’t been increased every year. Their families and needs have grown and yet, their salaries had remained stagnant following only the minimum wage. 

Technically, companies need to follow the minimum wage. Above that, salary increases per year are not mandated by law. As a waiter for example, your salary follows the minimum wage for as long as you are employed. The wages do not really increase the longer your tenure, but they will be increased if you take on additional responsibilities or get promoted.

In short, salaries are rightfully based on performance and output. If you are good, I don’t need you to wait for five years before your salary is increased. I should increase it already after a certain period especially if I don’t want to lose you. However, they are not based because your wife gave birth to another child, or your husband lost his job. 

That’s why I don’t want to hire people who wrongfully complain about the pay or benefits they should have. Aside from what is dictated by law, there are no shoulds. And if you want to have that salary increase, don’t act like the victim. 

Take control of the situation and work harder and better. 

Then money will naturally follow.

4. “I do not get along with my boss / co-workers. They think I am (insert criticism here).”

If you complain about your previous boss or colleagues, more often than not, you’re the problem. Not them.

Again, there are some employers who are truly bitches and awful. But if you can’t get along with most of the people working in the companies you used to work for — mind you, the word is companies — you’re probably the problem. 

And I don’t want to have toxic, complaining and negative people to be part of my team.

5. If you did not leave properly.

Companies all have a set notice period. 

The standard in the Philippines is 30 days notice, but some places do allow for 15 days. There aren’t a lot of companies who will allow you to leave without putting in the notice period as you leaving immmediately causes operational disruption and a lack of turnover. 

So if you left without resigning and clearing properly, it sets off a big alarm that you’re the type who has no qualms in leaving other people hanging. If you’re unhappy, you leave. If you don’t feel like working, you don’t go to work.

If you are unhappy with your job, will it kill you to work for 15 or 30 more days to properly turnover your tasks and clear yourself properly? 

It won’t, right?

Why then would you just wake up and not come to work because you are unhappy? It shows irresponsibility, immaturity and unreliableness that I don’t like in anybody I hire.

There are many other red flags I look out for. But these are the top 5 so far.

How about you? What are your top 5 red flags when it comes to hiring people?

Why I love the Philippine mall culture!

Whenever I have foreign guests flying into town, I book them in a half-day cultural tour in Intramuros and ask them to visit our big malls.

“Come to SM Megamall!” I’d exclaim as I book them at the BSA Towers. “Its just right in front of the hotel. Just cross the street!”

Manila has been criticized for its penchant for big malls. Filipinos have no money and the city has less space, and yet, big malls are being built in every community as if they are mere 7-11s or Family Marts.

“How can one city where space is an issue have this many malls?” another author asked. Her article was published in Rappler and she criticized that malls don’t say much about our history except to highlight our materialisticness and consumerist attitudes.

I respectfully disagree with my fellow kababayan on multiple accounts. I am actually very proud of our malls. Here is an aerial view of the SM Mall of Asia:

But why you may ask?

Well, it’s all about perspective. While many people see our supermalls as hunks of steel and concrete full of materialistic shoppers, I see something else. I see:

1. The thriving of local businesses and the ingenuity of the Filipino entrepreneurial spirit.

Whenever I go around the Philippine malls, I see a healthy mixture of both international and local brands. As I walk across the shiny floors and window shop various stores, I cannot help but appreciate all the small to large businesses that make up the malls.

A lot of Filipinos made their money through the help of the malls.

Case in point is Potato Corner, a small store that sells flavored French fries that boasted php1 billion of sales in 2015.

Potato Corner bags P1-billion sales in 2015

Homegrown food cart business Potato Corner had 2015 as its banner year by hitting over P1 billion ($21.36 million) in sales.

The 23-year-old company benefited from a robust domestic market, plus expansive growth network, ABS-CBN reported on March 9.

Potato Corner, whose franchisees swear success through the brand has over 550 Potato Corner stores worldwide: 90 are located in overseas markets such as Australia, Indonesia, Panama, United Arab Emirates, and the US.

There are many other success stories out there. Stories like Silverworks, Unisilver, Penshoppe, Genevieve and Gozum, People are People, Lydia’s Lechon, Chowking, Greenwich, Belgian Waffles, and more!

So while the author sees shoppers, I see local businesses. All owned and managed by entrepreneurial Filipinos.

I see jobs being created. Imagine how many cashiers and cooks Greenwich employs?

I see families being supported. Imagine how many kids can go to school because their parents have jobs? How many family members can afford to stay at home because their daughter and son are working in the mall.

I see the economy running, generating income and creating stability for the country. While other countries like China and the USA have to rely on infrastructure and government spending to make their economy go around, we Filipinos can depend on the trusty retail market to keep our economy stable.

Why do you think we Filipinos have been relatively protected from all the financial/economic crisis hit globally, aber?

2. The togetherness of the Filipino community.

In other countries, you can see people shopping. But look very closely and you can see them mostly shopping alone.

The Singaporean mother buys grocery for her family. The HK corporate yuppie shopping for clothes or shoes. The Taiwanese millennial enjoying the quiet.

But the Filipinos?

Oh, the malling is a group event.

As teenagers, their favorite hangout place is the mall. There, they window shop and watch the latest blockbuster movie. They exchange gossip over cups of Bo Coffee or if they’re financially challenged, Zagu or Fruitas.

The Filipino family goes to the mall together on daddy or mommy’s rest day. Despite their meager income, they have enough moolah to enjoy the aircon, but Jollibee for their kids, and a little more extra for a few games in the arcade.

My dad and mom, as retired senior citizens will also go to the mall. Every Wednesday, they would watch the free movie (because they’re seniors) in Rockwell and then sit by the McDonald’s sharing a hamburger as they people watch and for time to pass by. They will finish all the English movies available that week before restarting the cycle again.

I don’t see lonely people in the mall.

I see happy people in the mall.

Happy because even though life is hard, php100 is still enough to buy you food from the food court and a little extra for dessert.

3. The mall is one big convenient store. SM was correct in its tag line, “We got it all for you.”

I just love the fact you can buy anything —including the kitchen sink — in many of our supermalls.

If you want office and school supplies, you can find it at National Bookstore.

If you want affordable food with different cuisines, there’s always the food court.

If you want to buy bread, fruits, milk, potato chips and shampoo, there’s always the supermarket.

If you want to fix your home, you can find whatever you need at Ace Hardware.

If you want to buy furniture and fixings, there’s always SM Our Home and an array of different furniture stores on the 4th floor.

If you have kids, you can let them run around at Toy Kingdom or ride the token car at World of Fun arcade.

There is a section of the mall, called Cyberzone, selling all high tech items including PCs, mobile phones, cameras and other accessories.

If you want anything else, there’s always the SM Department store. Again, whatever you need, the mall has it. Why would you want to go anywhere else?

4. The mall as the great equalizer.

No matter how pretty or smart you are, no matter how big or expensive your house or car can be, and no matter how screwed up your marriage is, every mall goer will still go through the same security check, breathe in the same oxygen, and shop at SM Department Store.

I love the fact that our malls are our society’s great big equalizer. Especially as the poor gets poorer and the rich gets richer, I admittedly get off in the fact that our malls are so ubiquitous,  nobody can escape the allure of the supermall.

In some countries, megastars like Britney Spears and Kim Kardashian can still close off a retail store for “privacy.” VIPs still get some extra special treatment.

Not in the Philippines.

Here, you get to touch the same clothes showcased in H&M as celebrities do. You get to see them in the same restaurants you’re eating in.

Sure, Heart Evangelista is wearing an Hermes bag that costs as much as your house, but you’re still in the same Mango or Zara store as her.

The mall is a great reminder that no matter how rich or poor we are, we still shop at one of Manila’s supermalls when we have time.

5. Lastly, the mall is part of the Filipino culture, like it or not. 

If you spend most of your weekends at the mall, it inevitably shapes who you are. We were trained to be spoiled because of the mall.

If you want to buy anything, you go to the mall.

If you want to tambay (waste time), you go to the mall and enjoy the free aircon.

If you want to see the latest offerings and whatever is on trend, you go to the mall.

In the mall, all you have is to brace the heavy traffic to and fro the mall. But once you are there, you don’t really have to leave until closing time.

There is food, stuff to window shop, the movies and amusements to keep you entertained till the mall closes.

Sure, people may criticize you for not wanting to stay in the outdoors and enjoy the Philippine lovely beaches and mountains, but seriously, who would want to brave going out of town given the Manila traffic?

The mall is part of our culture. We can’t escape it no matter how hard we try. So instead of complaining about it, why don’t we savor it instead?

There are many things bad about the mall. But there are many good things as well. I hope that you can see what I see as well so you can see the good in the mall and not just the mindless consumerism seen by others.

How about you? Do you see what I see?