Holiday Travel and Travel Tips For Kids (ages 3-10)

Paul Newman's Greatest Legacy

The Hole In The Wall Camps will be one, if not the most lasting, the most memorable of Paul Newman's legacies. More than his films, and his other philanthropic works, this is the advocacy that perhaps will leave it's mark on thousands of lives. Paul Newman will live on in each every child that has come through this camp.

Watch this beautiful video...

Paul Newman, 83 Goes Home

I just read the sad news. One of my childhood idols has passed away.

Paul Newman, 83 died in his Connecticut home after a long battle with cancer. He will be a great loss not only to Holl

ywood, but to the world, which he made a little better by his presence. Not only was he a brilliant actor but he was a wonderful human being.

An Associated Press report says --

"Newman had a soft spot for underdogs in real life, giving tens of millions to charities through his food company and setting up camps for severely ill children. Passionately opposed to the Vietnam War, and in favor of civil rights, he was so f

amously liberal that he ended up on President Nixon's "enemies list," one of the actor's proudest achievements, he liked to say."

I loved all of Pual Newman's movies. I first saw him in the movie "The Sting" with Robert Redford, when I was all of eight years old and since then I have become such a huge fun. My admiration for him was further heightened by his humanitarian work, especially in helping children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Like me, he also lost a child too. His only Scott (from his first wife), passed away in 1978 from an accidental overdose of alcohol and valium.

In his memory, Newman set up the Scott Newman Center which produces anti-drug abuse films for kids.

He shared a long, enviable marriage to the actress Joanne Woodward by whom he had three daughters, and three others from his first wife, Jacqueline Witte.

Sally Field once said of Paul Newman "Sometimes God makes perfect people, and Paul Newman was one of them."

AP Movie Critic Cristy Lemire in her article, said it best -- His passion came shining through in his love of, and talent for, auto racing. But it's through his philanthropy — the Newman's Own Foundation, which has raised more than $250 million for charities worldwide, and the Hole in the Wall Camps for children with life-threatening diseases — that he showed his true heart.

He will be missed very much. Read the full story here.

Blue Eagles Fly HIGH!

How sweet it is...!

Rabeh and the team rocked Araneta this afternoon.

Thank you Lord for leading our boys to victory!

69-61. It was simple awesome!

Let's continue to pray and soar!

Let's Help Hannah! One Year Old Needs Portable Ventilator

There are stories that tug at your heart and remind you of certain points in your life’s journey.

Once upon a time, I was a mother with a child who was born with a congenital heart defect. Migi left this world to return to his true home ten years ago, and that episode changed my life, our lives as a family forever. I remember how, when he was just a baby, I would hardly leave the room in the first three months of his life, anxious that the moment I left, he would stop breathing. All throughout his toddler years, we would make sure that someone was with him 24/7.

When I heard about Hannah Ysabelle Cordoviz and the efforts of her parents Carlo and Joan to help keep her alive, I knew I had to do something to help get their story out. Hannah was born on August 14, 2007 with a very rare condition called Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS). It is a rare and lifetime condition characterized by one's brain failing to signal the body to breathe. In Hannah's case, her brain fails to do so when she falls asleep. To keep her breathing, her parents need to hook her to a mechanical ventilator/respirator, which connects to her through a tracheostomy tube found in an opening in her neck.

In the Philippines, there are only three known cases of CCHS, including Hannah. The eldest among them is a three-year old girl.

The CCHS Family Network website says that the Key to the CCHS patient’s longevity is informed medical supervision by medical professionals who also work to support the family in optimizing the home healthcare and school (or other) settings. At minimum, this requires nighttime nursing support in the home for the infant and young child, along with some respite support for the parents and caregivers. The U.S. based study cited above found that the majority of CCHS families’ medical costs were covered by government and/or private insurance programs.

Unfortunately, in our country, congenital defects such as CCHS is not covered by healthcare insurance at all and so you can imagine the burden of the cost Hannah’s illness has placed on her parents. I had the privilege of speaking to Joann and she tells me that on the average, the family has to spend 150,000 pesos a month to sustain Hannah’s care. This already includes monthly payments to the hospital where Hannah was confined for eight months – from September 2007 until May 2008. But what parent will not do everything to keep their child alive?

A huge chunk of the monthly expense comes from renting a ventilator which costs the couple 25,000 pesos a month. “The money we have is money we already owe family, relatives and friends who have helped us since Hannah was born,” Joann and Carlo tell me. Both of them have had to quit their jobs to take care of Hannah who requires full-time care. There is a private nurse who relieves them and helps them out when they need to rest and her salary is factored into the cost. “It is our dream to buy Hannah her own portable ventilator, which she can use for so many years ahead. This portable ventilator will also allow us to bring Hannah outside the confines of our house: to the park maybe, to church, or even to a nearby fast food restaurant. It does pain us to know that we're not able to have Hannah see the same sights, hear the same sounds, and experience the same things as other babies of her age do,” the couple say. Joann tells me that a portable ventilator is crucial to Hannah’s survival and it will cost them 750,000 pesos to purchase one. With debts piling up month after month, the ventilator seems to be a pipe dream but the Cordoviz couple remains strong in their faith. “God provides and He has taken us this far,” Joann says.

To help in their fund-raising efforts, they have started a home business and built a website called “Rosaries for Hannah” – www.hannahysabelle.multiply.com Carlo and Joann make and sell lovely rosary bracelets as a means of raising funds to buy Hannah her much needed ventilator. If you would like to learn moiré about Hannah, do visit their beautiful website, if your heart is moved to help out this couple, please call Joann at 0915-3111641 or email her at jscordoviz@yahoo.com

Tara Update

Tara Santelices, the young woman who survived a hold-up in a jeepney last August 9, continues to lie in a coma at The Medical City. The good news is she has begun to open her right eye (the left is totally damaged) and yawns occasionally. Her mother told me yesterday that Tara has also started to move her hands. These movements were not expected at all, considering the extent of her wounds (fragments of a bullet remain lodged in her skull). The President paid her a private visit late last week and pledged to look into her case. As of this writing, the case had been brought to the NBI and a new witness has surfaced. We continue to pray for Tara and for more miracles to come her way.

Fly High! Ateneo Defeats De la Salle... Again!

We soared HIGH... once more! Go ATENEO! All the way to the championship :)

A wonderful prelude to our sesquicentennial.

For All Ateneans - Basketball, The Ateneo Way

This was sent to me via email by my friend and blogmate Jane :) and then I saw it on my other friend Tina's site. Too brilliant not to share! September 6 is THE day...One BIG FIGHT!

ADM 102: Introduction to Ateneo-La Salle Games
Thu/Sat/Sunday, 4:00 PM, Araneta Coliseum

Course Description
The course introduces the student-cheerer to the dynamics and principles of the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry. The course employs both theoretical and application dimensions. The theoretical phase exposes the student to the history of the rivalry, the tradition of cheering, the construction of the ideal Atenean 6th Man, and other theoretical concepts.
The application phase on the other hand requires the student to put into practice all the theoretical principles. These practices include, among others: effective skills in lining up for the games, cheering (pre-game, during the game, half-time and post-game), jeering, heckling, creating effective posters and banners for one's favorite players and posing and smiling for Fabilioh.com.

Course Objectives
By the end of the course, the student should have been able to:
understand what it means to be the Sixth Man
understand the difference between an Atenean and La Sallite
integrated himself with the community of believers
develop his school spirit

Course Outline and Reading List
Chapter 1: What is School Spirit?
Required Readings:
Excerpts from the "History of the Ateneo"
The student's "OrSem Manual"
"The Ateneo Cheerbook"
"Who and What is the Ateneo Sixth Man?"
Ruel De Vera's "The Eagles Have Landed"
Selected Speeches of Angelico Sinjian (Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion)

Chapter 2: Knowing the Enemy
Required Readings:
SUSPENDED! The 2005 UAAP Scandal
"We Must Come From/Hit Them From Behind"
"What is Sports Science and Translation Management?"
"How To Spell Correctly During Cheerdance Competition"
Optional/Supplementary Readings
"No Cheering During Time Out"
"Get that Ball! — UE"
"Why are there Two Birds in UAAP?"
"Who let the (Bull)Dogs out?"
"You Cannot Overcheer Us!"
"NABRO: Equality or Social Injustice?"

Chapter 3: Pre-Game Rituals
Required Readings
"The Art of Lining Up"
"Sketching Great and Creative Posters and Banners for Your Favorite Players"
"Scalpers and Where To Find Them"
"Reserving Seats for Friends in Upper A and Upper B"
Optional Readings
"How to Jump From the Gen Ad to Upper B: A Step-By-Step Guide"
"How to Jump From Upper B to Upper A: A Step-By-Step guide"

Chapter 5: Game Time
Required Readings:
"Developing Your Endurance"
"The Psychology Behind Get That Ball"
"Who are the Gang Green?"
"Half-time is Game-Time"
"Fly High" + "The Victory Song"

Chapter 6-A: When the Final Buzzer Beats (In case of Victory)
Required Readings
"The Song for Mary and the Proper Way to Sing It"
"How to sing The Song For Mary and Still Look Cute for Fabilioh.com"
"How To Argue with Sore Losers in PinoyExchange.com and Gameface.ph"

Chapter 6-B: When the Final Buzzer Beats (In case of Defeat)
Required Readings:
"Win or Lose, It's The School We Choose: Deepening Your Spirituality — The Sesquicentennial Edition"
"Contemplating on the Meaning of Life: An Introduction"
"Surviving the Wrath of Fr. Adolfo Dacanay SJ"

Course Requirements
Written Long Test will assess your memorization of the tradition and history of the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry. The test items consist of Multiple Choice questions and an evaluation of True or False statements.
Oral Exam. The student will randomly draw two cheers from a lot. The student must cheer/sing the cheers he picked. Afterwards, he must be able to explain the significance of the cheer/song. He must also be able to identify when these cheers/songs are used.
Practical Exam:. The student must line up for tickets. This is a pass or fail exam. If the student is able to acquire a ticket, he automatically gets an A. If he doesn't get any ticket, he must take the Make-Up Test.
Make-up Test: Negotiating with Scalpers. Students who wish to pass the first practical exam for the course but failed to do so must take the Make-Up test. The student must locate a scalper within the vicinity of Araneta Coliseum. This is not a pass or fail test. The student's grade depends on how he was able to acquire a good ticket with the lowest possible price. The better the ticket with lower ticket price, the higher the grade.

Final Exam: Students are required to cheer during the game. The grade depends on the voice quality and frequency of the cheering. The Ateneo standard grading system will be applied. Therefore the passing score for the Final Exam is 70%. Students who cannot stand up and cheer 70% of the time automatically fail the exam.
Bonus points are given to students who are able to convince others to cheer loudly, either through a well-articulated speech or forceful coercion. Extra points are also awarded to fans who make creative banners for their favorite players.
Written Long Test: 20%
Oral Exam: 20%
Practical Exam: 20%
Final Exam: 40%

Course Policies and Other Reminders
1. Plagiarism. Plagiarism is an extreme offense. Do not copy cheers from other schools.
2. Cellphone Use. Using your cellphone to place in bets is illegal. Do not get yourself into trouble.
3. Cuts. Once you are inside Araneta, you are not allowed to leave. You must watch all four quarters. Win or lose, you are not allowed to leave before the Song for Mary is sung. Doing so merits an automatic W for the course.

Course prepared by Migoy Lizada.

Prayer For My Friend

And just when I thought that the Lord was done speaking to me through music, I had to "stumble" upon this.Another beautiful one from Casting Crowns. For a friend who is very dear to me. Here's my prayer for you, set in music and lyrics that I pray you will listen to. May the Lord touch your heart.

Who Am I? Here's the answer...

There are some songs that move the spirit and move you to tears of joy and humility.

Last night at worship, one of our pastor's sons sang this song that resonated in me.
Reminding me how we are but a speck of dust on this earth and how everything we have - loved ones, talents, and material possessions are only lent to us. "Not because of who I am, but because of who YOU are..." Here today, gone tomorrow.

What is unchanging is the unconditional love that He has for us and how we can always trust Him no matter what.

May you be inspired by this beautiful song...