Tuesday, October 27, 2015

TSAA Entrep Day, Part 2

After the dance show by different classes....


Cameras and cell phones out. Pictures with the Kinder 1 kids.


The bazaar begins. The kids assisted by their teachers and parents sell these food, drinks, some souvenir items. The Nursery classroom.


The Kinder 2 classroom. Bien, Miggy and Kyle holding their paper money, watching some souvenir items for sale. They were also selling kebab, pita pocket, brewed coffee.


The paper money that day. Parents, guardians, exchange their real money for these, which are used to buy items.


Grades 1-2 kids were selling cakes, brownies, salad, other items.


Grades 3-4 were selling cupcakes, pizza, others. Elle Marie watching the items, behind her is Teacher Hannie.


Mark and Joseph taking orders for pizza.


 The inflated tent with slide was a hit to the kids.


All photos above from Audie Gemora's fb album.

These 2 photos from K2 Teacher V's fb page.

Clockwise from the top: Teacher V, Zac, Miggy, Pollux and Bien. Kyle and Agatha have not arrived yet when this photo was taken.



Got this from Marco Garcia, dad of Miggy (in green). Kyle (in red) and Jac (in blue) looking serious :-) Nice shot p're.


Thanks again to TSAA for that wonderful morning of dances and entrepreneurial skills implanted with the kids.
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See also:

TSAA's Family Day, September 13, 2014

Pidro Sing in Palawan

My family and I went to Puerto Princesa City (PPC), capital of Palawan island-province, last Friday. We were going to Astoria Palawan because we got a low, promo rate for 3D/2N stay, in an extended birthday gift for the two girls, Bien Mary and Elle Marie who turned 5 and 9 years old respectively, early this month.

We arrived evening that day and we stayed at Aquari Suites, not far from the airport. The next day, my friend from more than 3 decades ago in UP Diliman, Peter "Pidro" Sing, arrived from Manila and he offered to take us to launch, then have his driver bring us to Astoria later, about 61 kms. from PPC proper. Pidro has several businesses in the city.

Pidro brought us here, a famous restaurant in the city because of its location -- seafront, the walkway from this entrance to the dining hall is surrounded by huge and mature mangrove forest with their extensive root system.

This is my second visit to this resto. The first time, another friend from UP, JB Baylon also brought me and his other friends here, after our visit at Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corp. in the southern municipality of Bataraza.

Lots of nice food over-flowing in front of us. And lots of interesting conversation on what he's been doing recently, including the results of a self-financed survey of Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates this month.


 Pidro is an all-around guy with his hands spanning from corporate and political consultancy to running his own personal and family businesses to personal advocacies and civil society work of spreading personal financial education to many poor and middle class people. See my earlier discussion about this, Financial education and Pidro Sing.

Pidro likes to treat us, some of his lesser entrepreneurial buddies and former dormmates at Narra Residence Hall in UP Diliman in the early 80s, to an occasional and spontaneous buffet dinner. Either he would text one or two days ahead, or hours before. Below, in one of those spontaneous treat in 2009 (wow, 6 years ago). From left: me, Ding Aguila, Cliff Espinosa, Jim Naval, Sarge Colambo and Pidro. All former Batang Narra Kids.


From Badjao resto to Astoria Resort last Saturday, Pidro's driver, Dong, drove a Toyota pick up. Yesterday, from Astoria back to the City and the airport, with a side-trip at the Crocodile farm, Pidro sent this van. Dong posing with the van, at the Viet Ville where we had lunch before heading to the city.


The two girls enjoyed the van, sleeping in the trip as they have wide and long legroom. Thanks again Pidro for the VIP treatment. Tummies and memories still full of our Palawan trip.
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See also:
Pan de Pidro, July 28, 2012
Palawan Tour, by Patty Soliman, October 19, 2012

Crowded Puerto Princesa Airport, Palawan, April 05, 2014 

CSOs and State 23, Financial education and Pidro Sing, October 27, 2015

TSAA Entrep Day, Part 1

Entrepreneurship is a skill, a virtue that cannot be possessed by anyone. It can be innate, or it can be taught, with lots of failures and heartaches in between, before one can finally succeed, or finally close shop. So teaching the skill at a young age is a good educational pursuit.

Last Friday, October 23, The School for Academics and Arts held its "Entrep Day" for its students from Nursery to Grades 3-4. It was also a dance and cultural show for the UN anniversary, so young students were in some international costumes and dance. Below, the Nursery students in Mexican/Latino attire and dance. Cute young kids.


The Kinder 1 students were in African/Safari attire, and juggled at a famous African dance. Another batch of cute kids.


Kinder 2 kids, in Indian-Arabic attire and dance. The costumes alone make these kids so adoring. Below, my daughter Bien Mary behind Kyle.


They are only six in the class, all present. From left: Miggy, Kyle, Agatha, Bien, Pollux. Hidden behind Bien is Zac.


The Grades 1-2 kids, in Filipiniana dance and costume. Lights were off except the spotlight, candles were lit, and they swayed. Nice contrast and moves.


They cannot fit in the stage, so the boys on the stage, the girls below. After the dance, and the lights were on again.


Before the dance. Such beautiful girls.


Finally, the Grades 3-4. In another Filipiniana dance and costume. The five girls. From left: Akisha, Elle Marie (Bien's older sister), Happy, Minday and Ysa.


And the two boys in their macho attire, Joseph and Mark.


A small class, but intimate and fun.


Thanks TSAA for another wonderful day. Thanks Teacher/Directress Cherry and all the teachers from Nursery to Grade school. It was a greeeaat treat for us parents.
Part 2 will be the bazaar and entrep scenes.
All photos above from Audie Gemora's fb album. Thanks Audie.
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See also:
The School of Academics and Arts, July 07, 2014

TSAA's Family Day, September 13, 2014

Monday, October 26, 2015

Thailand's bright nights

When I went to Bangkok last October 14-15 this year for a workshop-seminar, my plane landed at midnight. I saw the huge, wide, extensive well-lighted areas of Thailand, even hundreds of kms. away from Bangkok proper. Very very few dark areas. They must have cheap and stable power sources.

This photo I got from the web, that's in Bangkok already. Even outside Bangkok, there are just too many lights, they do not economize on energy as electricity prices I think are cheap and affordable.

Compared to Metro Manila at night, Bangkok and its suburbs are much much brighter.

Thailand heavily relies on natural gas, 68% of their total energy needs as of 2011. Other ASEAN countries that are heavily dependent on natural gas, a fossil fuel are: Singapore 78%, Malaysia 45%, Vietnam 44%. PH only 30% dependent on nat gas.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport and terminals near Bangkok is also very bright. It is not as big as the airports of Singapore or Hong Kong or Incheon-Seoul, but if compared with Manila/NAIA international airports (composed of four separate and non-contiguous local and international airports).
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See also:
Thailand trip, part 1, June 10, 2008
Thailand trip, part 2, July 22, 2008