beach on my mind

Summer is not my favourite season. I despise the sun. My hubby? He's the sun-seeking one. So during our short visit to the Philippines last March, he had to have his beach fix. Also, toddler girl hasn't been to an actual beach. So we went on a day trip to Eagle Point in Anilao, Batangas. Twas about an hour's drive from the hubby's hometown. Upon reaching, we had to be "shuttled" down to the resort area itself. The road was steep and winding. Toddler girl kept saying "it's so fast!" She was clinging to daddy for safety the whole time! When we got to the resort, we were a bit a disappointed as we saw rocks instead of fine sand. Largely our fault though because we didn't research properly. Despite that, the daddy and daughter pair enjoyed tremendously! The beach water was pristine and we had the place to ourselves. While the pair was busy collecting rocks and swimming in the pool, I was happily watching them under the shade.

outernet

look out your windows. get out of your doors.

there's a whole world outside our computers. 

via

best job

Just had to share. Don't forget to bring out the tissue.

the real diaper journey.

This post is written for the Real Diaper Week Carnival with the theme "Real Simple. Real Diapers."  We aim to educate and advocate the use of cloth diapers in the Philippines.  Please scroll below to read the other carnival posts about cloth diaper styles, how to's or must haves.

Why Cloth?

I'd never given cloth diapering a second thought until I took hiatus from full-time work.  I started reading and learned really interesting things. Modern cloth diapers aren't anything like the "lampins" we grew up with. Now we have modern fabric that is soft, do not crack or keep odour, breathable, water-resistant and super absorbent! Polyurethane laminate fabrics hold up well in the washing machine and dryer too! Good quality cloths are gentle on baby's skin so no worries about getting the irksome diaper rash.

Did you know that having a child on disposable for 3 years means adding over six thousand more diapers to the landfill? And that it takes over 300 years before a disposable fully decomposes?

Oh, poor Mother Earth.

Of course the economical aspect of cloth appealed to me more. Building a stash of modern cloth diapers is an investment that will save you money in the long run. As an example: my stash of 15 pocket cloth diapers ~PHP 1,000 (S$30) each = PHP 15,000 (S$450), plus maybe a few extra inserts a pre-folds,  hybrids. Mind you, this stash will last me till the end of my diapering days and I can keep them for my future children's use too! Disposable on the other hand (based on Singapore SRP), 6 pieces per day x S$0.30/diaper x 365 days = S$ 657/year (~22,000 PHP). Not to mention the costly nappy rash creams and anti-fungal creams that we've to use in case of a rash. Do the rest of the math and see how much savings you'll incur!

titanic | not only in the movies.

i saw this on twitter the other day (via). i can only shake my head in disbelief.

i'm aghast and disappointed that there are people out there who are ignorant of the real events behind the deadliest peaceful maritime disasters of all time. 

today marks the 100th year since the ill-fated sinking of the rms titanic in the frigid waters of the atlantic ocean. to commemorate, an aritfacts show is ongoing at the singapore art and science museum (29/10/2012 − 29/4/2012). i would have passed up the chance to view the exhibit were it not for my good friend, who came over for a brief visit. thanks che che. now i consider myself lucky to have dured during my lifetime. 

surreal and eerie. these feelings were instantly evoked the moment i stepped into the gallery. extensive recreations of the ship's grand staircase, the hull, the boiler room, the first and third class cabins, the promenade brought back visions of jack, rose and their clandestine affair from the movie adaptation. survivor accounts plus the authentic items recovered from the ship's wreckage - stamps, belts, articles of clothing, letters, perfumes, trunks, jewellery, scarves, bank notes, a toothpaste jar, among others - were haunting reminders that real people perished in the catastrophic sinking. 

a life-sized ice wall in the iceberg gallery simulated the subzero temperatures that hastened the death of those who were left afloat. as a filipino, it was interesting for me to note that four-inch thick manila ropes were used to tie the ship's bollards (steel posts) to the pier. who knew that manila ropes existed over a century ago? 

to me,  the artifacts presented was one thing, putting a name and face behind those personal items was another. none of the passengers and crew were left nameless. we were each given boarding passes with real passenger names when we first came in. in the memorial gallery were listed the names of the 705 who lived to tell their stories and the 1,523 who perished. among the survivors was my passenger. elin matilda dolck from the the 3rd class cabin. elin was 24 year old from helsinki, travelling to pennsylvania with her husband, pekka, to flee the economic and political oppression of the russian occupation of finland. i wonder if pekka had survived too. i truly wished he did for that fateful day also marked their 3rd month of marriage. 

there were more stories told, all equally poignant and sobering. but much is left for speculation.

a century and numerous expeditions thereafter, the mystery behind the titanic tragedy has been solved. 

giant ship vs. iceberg. human vs. nature. a tragic reminder that mindlessness sinks us.

we know now how arrogant complacency, blind faith in technology,  and a series of preventable errors claimed the lives of thousands. 

may this kind of tragedy never befall human kind again.