BEHIND THE BRUSH STROKES

A few weeks ago I attended the grand opening of the Chan Lim Family of Artists and Friends art exhibit.  Aside from witnessing the grandeur of the art exhibit, I also had a rare opportunity to experience Chinese brush painting.  And as I said, it was not easy!   Read HERE

Now I am thinking.... for someone like me, who wants to paint but is not that artistically gifted... can I still make art?  Are artists/painters.... born or made?   Can art be taught? "May pag-asa pa ba ako?"  

Let me share with you my encounter with some of the artists responsible for the exquisite artworks of the Chan Lim Art Exhibit.

This is Rolex Chan Lim, one of the sons of Chan Lim.  He showed me his artworks currently displayed at the Chan Lim Art Exhibit at the SM North Edsa atrium.  

Rolex Lim's artwork

I asked him my question -- can art be taught? 

I LOVE YOU.... MY HONEY!!!

“I LOVE MY HONEY”

Not pertaining to my hubby... but I do love him too... but I don’t call him “honey” hahahaha  :)

 

I am talking about my love and addiction to HONEY.  Oh yes, that thick, golden liquid produced by bees.     

Why am I such a lover of honey???

>>  As a mom, I believe in its power to strengthen the immune system.  One honey variety that I use whenever I am close to developing coughs and cold is “manuka” honey.  I regularly get mine from Sydney... from my very nice niece Liza  :)

I put manuka honey on freshly boiled turmeric or ginger.  And yes, the ginger, oregano or turmeric come from my own backyard garden so I know they are organic.

>> Honey is my favorite ingredient in making our salad vinaigrette. A very simple mixture of honey and apple cider vinegar makes my extra special.  Again... this is such a healthy option for the family, because the greens, arugula and lettuce usually come from backyard garden.  

>> Because I am a tea drinker... honey is my tea sweetener.

>>  Honey is great in blood sugar regulation.  Even though honey contains simple sugars, it is NOT the same as white sugar or artificial sweeteners.  Its exact combination of fructose and glucose actually helps the body regulate blood sugar levels. Some honeys have a low hypoglycemic index so it won’t jolt your blood sugar.  This I what I learned from Ms. Cheshire Que, dietician/nutritionist during the Philippine launch of Germany’s leading brand of honey – Langnese!   

And yes... everything that I believed that honey can do for the body – were proven right by the experts during the launch.  

DOING THE HOUSEHOLD CHORES.... GOOD FOR YOUR TEENS!

 Hi there Ka-WISE MOMS!

Question:  Are you having a HARD time making your teens do some household chores? 

If yes.... then we're on the same boat!  There are a gazillion list of reasons why they shouldn't do the chores.. reasons ranging from... 

"I have lots of homework"
"I'm on the computer"
"I'm tired and sleepy"

To simply...

"I don't like mom..."
"Bakit ako?"

Hays.....   I think its pretty obvious that teens hate doing chores because its boring. And it keeps them away from things that they enjoy doing -- do stuffs on the computer, chat with friends or watch youtube vids.

Bad news for my teens.... me and my hubby won't settle for NO!  One, we want to instill discipline and responsibility.  We don't want them to go to senior highschool, then college, then to adulthood without knowing how to do the laundry, clean the house or wash the dishes.  That's a big NO-NO!

But making them do the chores is one-hell-of-a-struggle.  I admit.. I nag, I insist, and sometimes I shout at the top of my lungs with matching hair-pulling just to make them do it... hahaha!  But, as a family... we simply don't have a choice.  We don't have a helper and I have no intention of hiring one.  Helper horror story is simply another LONG article that I will write sometime in the future  :)

Why is accomplishing household chores important for my teens?

1.  It teaches them what its like to belong to a family and to contribute for the well being of that unit.

2.  I can make my teens' life easier by not making them do the chores, but am I making their lives easier for the future... when they leave home?  I don't think so.  It's better to teach them early.

3.  Consequential Learning.  If they don't put their dirty clothes in the hamper, I will not wash it.  Then they will have no clean clothes to wear.  Easy and simple.  Thus... they comply.


If you want to read more of why it is important to teach your children to do household chores as early as you can... read more  HERE


Recently, I was picked to do a product review of this interesting dishwashing liquid BUBBLE MAN.  I was excited to test it... and have my two teens test it too.

THE VERDICT:

1.  It smells nice.  Bubble Man comes in three variants -- Antibac, Lemon and Kalamansi.

2.  Easy to rinse so it saves time, money and water.  Teens are happy because they can wash the dishes fast -- more time for computer and youtube.

3.  Gentle on hands.  I didn't feel some itchiness that comes with using other dishwashing brands.

4.  As per product description, it is effective even at 3% dilution or that's 30ml of the soap added to 1L of water.  That can last for weeks!  Talagang tipid.

5.  Most importantly. it is an eco-friendly, biodegradable product made from coconut derived surfactants. So we are not posing any harm to the environment when we use it. Yey!

Ka-WISE MOMS.... its time to give Bubble Man Dishwashing Liquid a try... and tell me about your experience.  And oh.... don't forget to tell me also.... if like me, you are successful in making your children do the household chores!

Till next post.....   :)

CHAN LIM ART EXHIBIT

I am not Chinese... but I am such a big fan of the Chinese New Year.  I get excited reading about my Chinese horoscope, seeing the lion and dragon dancers, and most especially... eating tikoy!

This year, is the year of the Red Fire Rooster.  For a “metal dog” like me.... feng shui says, this year I am bound to feel more in control of my life.  And that this will be a happy year for me. Yey!

You can read about your own Chinese Horoscopes here  http://www.sunsigns.org/chinese-horoscope-2017/

It is definitely a happy year for me!   As a blogger, my very first event for the year is SM City North Edsa’s Chinese New Year celebration, featuring the exhibit of the Chan Lim Family of artists and students.  They have prepared more than 300 artworks done in porcelain plates, scrolls and oil paintings.  The exhibit is participated at 43 talented artists and will be held from January 15 to February 12 at the Block Atrium of SM City North Edsa.

REASONS WHY CHOCOVRON MADE OUR CHRISTMAS MEMORABLE

I first encountered the name Choco-vron when we were still doing this lifestyle show at tv5.  My segment producer pitched the inspiring story of the Laguna couple who started making chocolate coated Polvoron, a new twist to that well-loved Filipino delicacy.  That is when I started to research on Mr. Joey Yala, president and CEO of  Chocovron Global Corporation and was truly amazed by his success.

He was an ordinary employee, who dreamt of having his own business.  The idea of the chocovron came when Mr. Yala saw  chocolate covered marshmallows and biscuits being sold in the groceries, and thought of a way to creating a new product... something very Pinoy.

Since it is the New Year... we can learn a thing or two from  Mr. Yala on how he did business.  With just P8,000 as capital, he and his wife worked hard and really got themselves immersed with their business.  Even when there was "challenges" Mr. Yala didn't quit.  And the couple didn't stop from producing different flavors and variants -- because their customers requested for it!   

You can read more about the success story of Chocovron here