Branded Rice

My hubby and I went to the local grocery one time.  Our baby (now little boy) was in tow.  Since there was a long line in the cashier, and the local grocery only had industrial fans for ventilation, my little boy and I went near the entrance to the grocery, where a GIANT industrial fan was operating.  While enjoying the face-scrunching power of the fan, I looked to my left and noticed that it was the "rice section" of the grocery store. 

My kid went to that side, and touched the sacks of rice and the rice grains, one by one.  While watching him do this ( you know how therapeutic it is to touch rice grains in sacks, right?), I noticed a cute-looking sack of rice.  Well, what do you know, it's a BLUEBERRY RICE!   The sack was fashioned from the original checkered design prominent in Burberry women's bags. 

Blueberry Rice? Mahal to!

And on its left side is SKY HIGH RICE! I never knew there was a "Disney" variety of rice.  The sack design was after the CD cover of the Disney movie, "Sky High".

Sky High Rice

This truly made my day! This only proves that Filipinos can find humor everywhere... even in the hard-earned fruits of their sweat as they toiled under the hot sun, backs bent all day just so we can have that perfect rice for that perfect "ulam"!

Adoption Part 2

This is a continuation of my previous post on adoption. I seem to have a problem with it, so I split the post in two.

In addition to foreign nationals who want to adopt a child in the Philippines, here are the additional requirements:

1. Certification that the applicant(s) have legal capacity to adopt in his/her country has a policy, or is a signatory of an international agreement, which allows a child adopted in the Philippines by its national to enter his/her country and permanently reside therein as his her legitimate child which may be issued by his/her country’s diplomatic or consular office or central authority in inter-country adoption or any government which has jurisdiction over the child and family matters; or in the absence of the foregoing, the Philippines Inter-country Adoption Board may also certify that the Philippines and the applicant’ country have an existing agreement or arrangement on inter-country adoption whereby a child who has been adopted in the Philippines or has a pre-adoption placement approved by the Board is allowed to enter and remain as permanent resident in the applicant’s country as his/her legitimate child.

2. Certificate of Residence in the Philippines issued by the Bureau of Immigration or Department of Foreign Affairs, as appropriate.

3. Two character references from a non-relative who knew the applicants in the country of which he/she is a citizen or as a resident prior to residing in the Philippines, except for those who have resided in the Philippines for more than fifteen years.

4. Police clearance from all places of residence in the past two years immediately prior to residing in the Philippines.

5. Individual and joint interview with the couple, through home visitation/collateral interview with the relatives.

6. Preparation and approval of Home Study Report.

7. Presentation and matching of the child and adoptive parents with the Child Welfare Specialist Group (CWSG).

8. Placement or physical transfer of the child to the adoptive parents.

9. Six months supervised trail custody- the family social worker conducts monthly home visit, phone calls, or interviews in order to monitor the child’s integration in the adoptive family. This would also be the basis for the recommendation for termination or finalization of the adoption.

10.Sharing of Post Placement Report to the Child-caring Agency where the child was fetched.

11. Finalization of adoption- adoptive family, thru lawyer files the petition in court.

12. Adoption Registration- Adoptive family presents a certified photocopy of Court Order and Certificate of Finality to respective Local Civil Registrar.

13. Amended Birth Certificate- Adoptive family presents certified true copies of the Court Decision, Certificate of Finality, Adoption Registration and the copy of the child’s old Birth Certificate to the LCR where the child was originally registered.

14. Motherland Tour for tracing the roots- this would only happen if the child desires to locate his/her biological parents.

Adoption requires the filing of a petition for adoption in the family court where the petitioner resides, so be prepared to shell out money for the filing fee, lawyer's fees and other expenses.

But make sure you contact your lawyer and these offices first for the other nitty-gritty details: DSWD-ARRU (Department of Social Welfare and Development- Adoption Resource and Referral Unit) and KBF- (Kaisahang Buhay Foundation).

Photo credit: en.wikipedia.org

Adoption

Photo Credit: bringinghomebabychapman.blogspot.com Add caption

This week, I was consulted by three different people about adoption. They are all unmarried, they do not know each other, but they have one common goal: to adopt a child.

So, I advised them on the requirements for adoption and the possible costs of adopting a child in the Philippines. Allow me to share some info with you.

At present, we have two laws on adoption: Inter-country Adoption Act and the Domestic Adoption Law. The first provides for the requirements and the procedure for adoption by a foreigner of a Filipino child and the second governs local adoption.

I would like to focus right now on domestic or local adoption.

Who may adopt under the Domestic Adoption Law?

Section 4 of the law enumerates the persons who may adopt, to wit:

(1) Any Filipino citizen of legal age, in possession of full civil capacity and legal rights, of good moral character, has not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude; who is emotionally and psychologically capable of caring for children, at least sixteen (16) years older than the adoptee, and who is in a position to support and care for his children in keeping with the means of the family. The requirement of a 16-year difference between the age of the adopter and adoptee may be waived when the adopter is the biological parent of the adoptee or is the spouse of the adoptee’s parent;

(2) Any alien possessing the same qualifications as above-stated for Filipino nationals: Provided, That his country has diplomatic relations with the Republic of the Philippines, that he has been living in the Philippines for at least three (3) continuous years prior to the filing of the petition for adoption and maintains such residence until the adoption decree is entered, that he has been certified by his diplomatic or consular office or any appropriate government agency to have the legal capacity to adopt in his country, and that his government allows the adoptee to enter his country as his adopted child. Provided, further, That the requirements on residency and certification of the alien’s qualification to adopt in his country may be waived for the following: chan robles virtual law library

(i) a former Filipino citizen who seeks to adopt a relative within the fourth (4th) degree of consanguinity or affinity; or chan robles virtual law library

(ii) one who seeks to adopt the legitimate child of his Filipino spouse; or chan robles virtual law library

(iii) one who is married to a Filipino citizen and seeks to adopt jointly with his spouse a relative within the fourth (4th) degree of consanguinity or affinity of the Filipino spouse.

(3) The guardian with respect to the ward after the termination of the guardianship and clearance of his financial accountabilities.

Husband and wife shall jointly adopt, except in the following cases:

(i) if one spouse seeks to adopt the legitimate child of one spouse by the other spouse; or

(ii) if one spouse seeks to adopt his own illegitimate child: Provided, however, That the other spouse has signified his consent thereto; or

(iii) if the spouses are legally separated from each other.

In case husband and wife jointly adopt or one spouse adopts the illegitimate child of the other, joint parental authority shall be exercised by the spouses.

Section 5 provides for a list of those who may be adopted, and they are:
(1) Any person below eighteen (18) years of age who has been voluntarily committed to the Department under Articles 154, 155 and 156 of PD 603 or judicially declared available for adoption;
(2) The legitimate child of one spouse, by the other spouse;
(3) An illegitimate child, by a qualified adopter to raise the status of the former to that of legitimacy;
(4) A person of legal age regardless of civil status, if, prior to the adoption, said person has been consistently considered and treated by the adopters as their own child since minority;
(5) A child whose adoption has been previously rescinded; or (6) A child whose biological or adoptive parents have died: Provided, That no proceedings shall be initiated within six (6) months from the time of death of said parents.
(7) A child not otherwise disqualified by law or these rules.

The Cribs foundation lists down the procedure proper for adoption:

1. Complete the following documents.

a) Authenticated birth certificate
b) Marriage Contract or Divorce, Annulment, Declaration of Nullity, or legal separation documents.
c) Physical and medical evaluation by a duly licensed physical and psychological evaluation by a psychologist,
d) NBI/Police clearance
e) Latest Income Tax Return (ITR) or any other documents showing financial capability,
f) Three (3) character references, namely from the local church/ministries, the employer, and a non-relative member of the immediate community who have known the applicant(s) for at least 3 years.
g) Recent Postcard-size pictures
h) Affidavit of guardianship

2. Certificate of attendance to pre-adoption fora or seminars.

3. Accomplish application form

Firmoo Glasses

Got my free pair of Firmoo Glasses and I only have nice words for them!

They're fashionable, lightweight, and man, it's real great protection from the sun with an added bonus of giving your view a different hue.

These men's aviator glasses
may be worn by women too!
 Price: US$ 44.90

I feel like Dolly Parton!!!!
 Price: US$ 42.00 (estimate)

Firmoo offers prescription glasses too.   Each pair has a price range of US$ 8.00 to US$ 70.00. Very flexible, right?

Check out my previous blogpost about Firmoo to know more.  Oh, by the way, Firmoo's website offers a virtual try-on so you would have an idea how a pair of glasses would look on you.  It is user-friendly, and gives all the details on a pair of glasses that one would need before buying one (price, shape, size, color/s, and even how many stars it got from its buyers!).  See, that's excellent customer service!

Here's more from its website:  Firmoo assures its clients that all the Firmoo’s eyeglasses will go with some free eyeglasses tool in each order

*For plastic memory plastic frame: Spectacle cases and eyeglasses bags, micro-fiber lens clothes, one screwdriver and extra screws.

*For metal, mixed material and titanium frame: Spectacle cases and eyeglasses bags, micro-fiber lens clothes, one screwdriver, extra screws (screw nuts) and replacement nose pads.

*For goggles ( all the RMAL series), only the eyeglasses bag will be sent free.

So, buy your own pair now!  Order online at http://www.firmoo.com.

  

Unisex full frame plastic eyeglasses by Firmoo.com  
#SD2320 - US$18.50    

Who is This?

Lone Ranger is on the loose!

He is everywhere!  He can be seen walking along Kalayaan Ave., Quezon Ave., Quezon City Circle donning his mask and trusty sword.

People need not worry anymore because Lone Ranger is here, ready to assist, ready to rescue and ready for a quick pose.

sMiLe!!

Weekend Blessings

Weekend Blessings

Last weekend had been one of the most fun and tiring weekends I've had.

First Blessing:

Saturday Morning. Plan: Lunch Meeting with Ms. Cabico, my super loved/beloved second year high school class adviser. She celebrated her "tisxith" birthday a few days ago (July 4, if I'm not mistaken) and she wanted to have lunch with someone different (differently-abled?heheheh) from the usual lunch dates that she has.

Our text messages were somewhat like these:

Me:  Ma'am, tuloy po ba tayo sa ating lunch date today?

Ma'am: Yes!

Me: Pwedeng request, MOA na lang para malapit?

Ma'am: Ah, ako sana ang magrerequest na sa Makati na lang, bec. I have a meeting there too.

Me: Ah ok, but I will be late po ah.

Ma'am: Ok. see you at Mom and Tina's at Dela Rosa St.

Me:  Sige po, hanapin ko na lang yun.   Thank you po.

12: 15 pm. arrived at Mom's and I brought my favorite baby with me, and he instantly bonded with Ms. Cabico and her Ipad.

It was a lunch filled with business opportunities, case load possibilities and a lot of catching up after almost two decades of life pre-FB. I told my little boy that we're meeting my teacher. When he saw Ms. Badeth, he couldn't believe that she used to be my high school teacher (we look like classmates lang because Ms. Badeth still looks young!)

Gosh, we had no picture!!!!!!!!!

2:20 pm. on our way to Trinoma for meeting with bloggers Kira and Krissy.  Little Boy didn't want to leave Ms. Badeth's side (well, actually, uhm, he didn't want to go without bringing with him Ms. Badeth's Ipad)

Thank you Ma'am for a wonderful lunch and I wish you a very happy birthday!

Second Blessing:

3:00 pm. at the entrance of Red Mango.  

   
          I won a Red Mango Date with Kira and Krissy in Kira's blog. So I met  Kira Ramirez,  Krissy,   Sunshine,  Mizi,  Svetlani and Lemuel.  I introduced my little boy to them and true to his form, he ignored them (to my utter embarrassment).  It's so nice to meet new friends!

       I had Yuzu Lemon Swirl (medium) with almonds, mango and banana. It was sinlessly heavenly!!!!!(Frozen Yogurt! How can something soooo good be not sinful?! But it's true!). Picture-picture... (Thank you Ms. Kira!!!)

Me, Mizi and Kira. Photo credit: krissyfied.com

Yuzu Lemon Swirl, medium, with bananas, almonds and mango

In between spoonfuls of Fro-Yo, we talked about everything that came up - work, school, Krissy's zero (zero nga ba?) love life, Kira's unconfirmed answer to her lovelife, (hahahahaa) work, blogging, and lots more.  The little boy kept on going to the comfort room, so sayang, I missed a lot of conversation.  (Wouldn't have ever wished that he wasn't with me at that time, though cause he is my "cherry" on my Fro-Yo). I'm always busy during the whole week so I wouldn't mind missing a few topics if the reason for that is to attend to my unico hijo's whims. hahaha.

Sunshine brought cupcakes from Silvanas. Sarraappp!! Creamy, cheesy goodness in every bite. Parang commercial! Thank you :)

Here are my other new friends:

Lemuel, Svetlani, Krissy and Sunshine Photo Credit: krissyfied.com

Their orders: Fro-Yos galore. Photo Credit: krissyfied.com

       I was so blessed to meet in person those people behind the blogs that I follow (and blogs with giveaways that I join in and sometimes win in).  They put real, actual faces on each post that I read. I wasn't able to be my talkative self too because I was somewhat star struck! (who, me?) hahahahaa!  I was inspired to blog more.

        Sometime later, Paul the PR Guy arrived with Ana, Aisa and Dani.  Again, more bloggers that I follow! Can this day be more blessed?  Picture-picture and more picture-picture pa ulit.

The Little Boys' Yuzu Lemon Swirl

Third Blessing:

           Ms. Kira gave me these (as if the date was not enough!)  Thank you again!  Not in photo are the anti-acne vitamins and eyeshadow.  While I was taking a photo of the gifts, my little boy put his Superman on the side. Kasama daw siya dapat sa picture.

Superman is not included. My boy just put him there.

Fourth Blessing:

5:15 pm. We asked to be excused, since it's getting late and we intended to hitch a ride with my friend, Abby.

                We were already inside the MRT when Abby texted me to say she went ahead already because she has a headache.  But she asked me to text Joanne and invite her to our place for a weekend get-together gimik.

5:45 Phone Conversation:

Me: Shaids, may date ka? Tara sa amin. Pupunta daw si Abby.

Jo: Sige!

Me: Kaso ikaw daw magdala ng kotse, nauna na siya

Jo: Ha? Tinatamad ako magdrive. Pabalikin mo siya.

Me: Ok.

...

Me: Abby, asan ka na?

Abby: Toll na malapit, expressway. Balik ka daw. Di daw dadalhin ni Shaids si Bruno.

Abby: Sige. MOA na lang.  (Later it was changed to Bluewave)

Later again at Bluewave...

Jo: Ate, susunod daw sina Ate Joy (with Glenn, Tara and Rooky-sayang wala si AJ)

Me: Weeehhhhhhh

On our way home...

Me: Ay tatawagan ko si Nancy, tutal malapit lang siya.

       ( I look at my phone to text her and see a missed call from Nancy. Call it telepathy or Bioman instinct!)

Nancy and Joy came the next day.

Imagine how many people slept over in our home that night. Hahahaha.  Imagine Ligo Sardines!

Sayang Dhang and Aie weren't there.  Pati si Lanie and Myra. Oh well, had they been there, I don't know where else to let them sleep... sa bahay kubo siguro pwede...

My friends stayed overnight at our humble home and left before dark yesterday. It had been several months since our last get-together at my home. Whew! What a weekend of  meet-ups and get-togethers.   I get to spend the whole day with my baby also and did not complain that he was tired.  He just complained that it was so hot outside when we were on our way to Trinoma. Such a good boy.

Unforgettable.  Thank you God. I am so blessed. 

Pink 5, Shaids, Green 2, Yellow 4 and Rooky

Simple Genius

This is another of Sean and Michelle's adventures.  This time, Michelle is suffering mentally.  Will she able to help Sean without her suicidal tendencies getting in the way of doing her job?  Will she help herself recover?  Will their duo prove the that their nettle and their friendship are essential to solving a crime committed in the weird Babbage Town?

A little girl, whose dad was murdered also needs Michelle's help.   How will this little genius help Michelle's psychiatrist, Horatio, uncover her dark, forgotten past?

Simple Genius by David Baldacci is a must read.  Believe me, I've read it thrice.  And I'm finishing the last two chapters to make it a fourth read.

What are These?

At first I thought they were boldly-colored garbage cans.

    I saw these small boxes at the Quezon Memorial Circle and wondered what they were.  So, I took a closer look and realized that these are newspaper boxes for  "Tempo" and "Manila Bulletin"!!  This is the first time I saw these in the Philippines!

    Instructions on how to use these:

  1. Press button corresponding to the item that one likes
  2. Drop coins (Php1, 5 or P0.25)
  3. Wait for the newspaper to come out of the chute.

Sorry, exact amount only.

  
    WARNING: The machine does not give change so make sure that you insert the exact amount.

    Nice!

    These boxes are located just outside Serye and Max's at the Quezon City Memorial Circle.  Wanna try?