Sunday, April 21, 2024

Empowerment Alert for Moms and Kids: Join the Self-Defense Workshop to Bond and Become Unstoppable!

Lean In Network Manila, in collaboration with Origins Athletics, is excited to announce a groundbreaking event designed exclusively for moms and their children: The Moms and Kids Self-Defense Workshop. Set to take place on Saturday, May 18, 2024, at 3 PM at Origins Athletics San Juan, this event promises to be an unforgettable adventure of strength, solidarity, and empowerment.



About Lean In Network Manila and Origins Athletics:


Lean In Network Manila is part of the global Lean In community, inspired by Sheryl Sandberg's book "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead." It's dedicated to encouraging women to pursue their ambitions and offering them the support and resources to help achieve their goals. 


Origins Athletics is renowned for its commitment to fostering a community of strength, health, and empowerment through fitness training and martial arts like jujitsu, judo, and kickboxing. As a pioneer in promoting physical well-being and self-defense skills among all age groups, Origins Athletics creates a supportive environment where individuals can learn, grow, and thrive.


Together, these organizations are joining forces to empower mothers and children with the skills, confidence, and bond that will serve them in every aspect of life.


Why You Should Join:


Learn Vital Self-Defense Skills! 

In a world where safety has become a paramount concern for everyone, especially children, learning how to protect oneself is a valuable skill. This workshop offers practical self-defense techniques in a fun and supportive environment.


Strengthen Bonds! 

What better way to strengthen the unbreakable bond between mother and child than through learning and growing together? This workshop is designed to enhance your connection with your child, while both of you gain confidence and empowerment.


Join a Community Movement! 

By participating, you and your child become part of a larger movement toward safety and empowerment within the community. It's an opportunity to be influencers of safety in your circles and champions of your own stories.


Who Can Join:


Lean In Manila and Origins Athletics are calling on 15-20 dynamic pairs of moms and kids (ages 5-12) to join this empowering activity. If you're looking for a unique opportunity to bond with your child and learn essential skills that could one day protect you and your loved ones, this workshop is for you.


More than just a class, it's part of a movement towards a safer, empowered future for our community. It's a chance to stand with us, learn with us, and grow with us. Be part of this life-changing experience!


Event Details:


Date: May 18, 2024, Saturday  

Time: 3:00 PM  

Location: Origins Athletics San Juan | 606 General S. De Jesus, San Juan, Metro Manila  

Registration fee: Php 1200 for a pair (Mom & Kid) via Gcash and BPI 

(Session is free for past attendees of Lean In events!)


Sign up here!


Spots are limited, so secure your place in this transformative journey today. Let’s embrace empowerment and make safety a shared adventure!


Join us at The Moms and Kids Self-Defense Workshop and take a significant step towards creating a safer, empowered future for yourself and your child. We can't wait to welcome you into our community of strong, empowered families.


For more information, join the Lean In Manila Facebook community and visit Origins Athletics.

Friday, April 19, 2024

Our wedding anniversary through the years

Yesterday was our 17th wedding anniversary. It was also our 25th first kiss anniversary. Vince cooked 3 slabs of steak. medium rare, which is how we like it. I would've made mashed potatoes and roasted some vegetables but I had had a long day at work and so we and our three boys just ate the juicy steaks, had ice cream after, then plopped in front of the TV and had chips and chocolate-covered raisins while we watched 3 Body Problem.

And that's how we celebrated our anniversary. I think we're still planning to go out this weekend. So if you see us out and about (which we do so rarely!), please yell, "Happy anniversary, Vince and Frances!" 

One thing I enjoy every year is when Facebook Memories reminds me of the stuff I posted years prior on this special day. So lemme share with you all of them!

2007

Well, this surprised me because I only joined Facebook in 2010! Then I realized it was a Life Event. But I need to edit it because the wedding was on April 18! Never believe everything you see on Facebook, even apparently your own Life Events haha


2010

Aww, I wish I had taken pictures. I don't remember what I cooked! Well, it was the early days of social media when we didn't have a camera with us 24/7. Now it's "pictures or it didn't happen." 


2011

Me, being makulit and Vince having a sense of humor. I think it's a testament to his fortitude that he's stayed married and in love with me for so long. I'm quite a handful!


2012
Aww, Vito! First mention of a child on my anniversary posts! Gosh, what a joy Vito was. That's why we decided to have even more babies because he was just so precocious! The perfect gift to a happy couple.

And this is also the perfect gift to a couple who've been together a long time! Gotta keep the spark alive.


2013
Sigh. Youth. And to think everyone said we were so old when we got married (he was 33, I was 30). Looking at this, though, with my 47-year-old eyes, we looked so young!


2014
Nothing on Facebook, just here on the blog!


2015
I love flowers. I am a huge sucker for flowers! Vince usually gives me flowers on anniversaries and Mother's Days. But my golly gulay, they're so frikkin' expensive these days! 


2016
None this year??? What happened??? Oh, it's because I blogged instead! 


2017
Ooh, this is an odd post. For our 10th/18th, we went to Baguio (where we met and fell in love) with the kids. But why is this my post and not photos of our trip? Well, no worries because I have a lovely blog post about our anniversary trip to Baguio!


2018
This dinner was at Amare in Kapitolyo. The year previous, we celebrated at Amare Baguio so this year, we continued the tradition but in Manila. 


2019
This was at Mango Tree in BGC. The food was sooo good. And the company was great, too. We should do this again. Maybe we'll go eat there this weekend...


2020
Ooh my favorite photos! Gosh. So happy and carefree! We're still happy, okay? But life threw us a few punches through the years. And we also have been so tremendously blessed. There's a general feeling of exhaustion (kids, old age, bills) but also a quiet enjoyment and appreciation for everything. 


2021
I have no memory of this hahahaha Did I get drunk???


2022
So thankful I still get to laugh with my husband. By this time, the world was recovering from the pandemic. We made it through. Alive. Still together. Still happy. We can't take that for granted.   


2023
Who are these kids??? I don't know how old we were here or even where we were. Goshness, we've been together for so long, I don't remember things anymore! Must've been pretty early on because I still have my buck teeth. I had braces when I was 27. Or 26? 


2024
And this is this year's post! Another blast from the past! To my kid, the distant past hahaha

Memory Lane is a fun place to stroll through when you're still happily together. It's not perfect, our marriage. But there are very few things to complain about and after 25 years, that's pretty wild. We've seen dreams come true. We've had dreams crushed. We've had plenty, we've had barely enough. Always we've had each other. 

We're very lucky. One day, this will all be gone and it will just be memories. So I'm grateful, so very grateful, for every day I'm still loved and get to love. 



Sunday, March 31, 2024

My Nana Mouskouri playlist

Do you know Nana Mouskouri? I grew up listening to this Greek singer and actually wanting to look like her. Hence, my penchant for black-rimmed glasses. Anyway, she has the most interesting voice. This is a list of my favorite songs sung by her. I arranged them in order of my favorites ever, top to bottom. Listen, listen.

"Both Sides Now"

This is a song I sang to Vince when we were coming home from the writers workshop in Bagiuo way back in 1999. I sang it because I was thinking of Ferris wheels because that's where we fell in love. He said he's never heard of this song before. I said it was Nana Mouskouri. He never heard of her either. Then I realized everyone knows this to be Joni Mitchell's song. But I love this version best.

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale 'comes real
I've looked at love that way
But now it's just another show
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away

"Song for a Winter's Night"

I was so obsessed with this song when I was kid! Silly 14-year-old me had just read Wuthering Heights and then I heard this song and I would cry for an imaginary love who was far away from me, with only a letter, a lamp to read it by, a glass of wine, and the snow outside to mourn and hope with me. 

If I could only have you near 
To breathe a sigh or two
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
And to be once again with you

"Scarborough Fair"

This is another song I sang to Vince on that fateful bus ride. For me, this and Simon & Garfunkel's covers are the very best ones. 

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine

"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"

I think this is the most beautiful cover, even better than Roberta Flack's. Josh Groban did a cover a few years ago but nothing compares to Nana's version.

The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the empty skies, my love
To the dark and the empty skies

"Love is Like a Butterfly"

This song made me excited to feel love for the first time! I really did wonder if I would feel butterflies. Thing is I had boyfriends and I didn't feel any butterflies anywhere. So I was kinda disappointed but decided that, well, creative license and all. So imagine my joy when I finally felt butterflies when Vince and I started going out! So, yes, kids, love is like a butterfly!

Love makes your heart feel strange inside
It flutters like soft wings in flight
Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing

"Yesterday's Dreams"

I remember listening to this song for the first time and being so sad that dreams and hearts can be shattered and broken. But then it makes a complete about-face in the chorus! It's a lovely song of hope after despair.

You are my harbor
My dream of tomorrow
My promise of sunshine
My shield from the storm
   
"Your Love, My Love"

She sings this so tenderly. I just remember listening to this and hoping I would find a love like this - so sure, so true, so constant - one day. And I did!

When our castles crumble, when our dreams take flight
And we sometimes find it hard to face the morning light
There is one thing that will see us through the darkest night
Your love, my love

Isn't Nana amazing?