An update

Well, I see it's been sometime since I last updated this blog.

Nearly a month has passed, and I've got some new pictures and video clips of Ben to post.

First, here are a couple of video clips of Ben singing songs from his favorite show, Thomas and Friends:





I'm sure you had trouble trying to figure out what he was saying.

Then, on October 21, we attended Claret's Foundation Day celebration which coincided with the United Nation's Day celebration. The CSC (Ben's school) had a presentation and Ben's section did a Chinese dance. Since he is among the biggest in class, he's usually relegated to the back, and that is the case during the presentation. I tried to take photos while he was dancing, but I was too far. Anyway, the photos below are from the presentation.

Doing the Chinese dance. That's Ben in the back near the stairs to the stage

Posing after dancing

With his classmate Mark

Enjoying the confetti

Ben with his Teacher Coocoo

Following the presentation, it was a couple of weeks of school break for Ben. We went home for a week-long stay in Baler on October 28, for the All Saint's Day holiday. Unfortunately for us, a supertyphoon hit the country, specifically northeastern Luzon. Baler was hit as well, and it was several days of brown out after that.

The first picture was taken on our way home. This is in Brgy. Diome in Maria Aurora, Aurora. We stopped to let Ben take a leak. Then he wanted his picture taken, so I did. So here it is:


Later on, when we were in Baler, he decided to take some self-portraits using my cell phone (without my knowledge) so I thought I'd share one (with his complete face on the photo since the rest had only part of his face):


We also visited the beach once. Ben was all excited to go when we were still at the house, but when we got there, he didn't want to go down to the beach anymore. It took me the better of 15-20 minutes to convince him to go down. When he finally did, I managed to get him to wet his feet...and then there was a little bit of an adventure, as the video clips will show. See the pictures first:

Ah, the sun!

Worried about the water

Here's me assuring Ben that the water is nothing to fear.

Yehey, he didn't run away.

And now the video clips:





I'm kind of surprised he didn't ask to leave after his first fall, and neither did he asked to go home after the second fall. Oh well, I thought he would want to visit the beach again before we left for Manila, but he passed. I guess we'll have to wait until we go home for Christmas to get him to go back there.

On the way back to Manila, we had a flat tire in the mountains, very near the place where Doña Aurora Quezon (after whom Aurora was named) was killed. I tried to tell Ben who she was, but he wasn't too interested. Anyway, we got off the car and had a little walk around. As usual, it was photo opportunity for Ben. I just couldn't resist.

the flat tire

in front of the marker for Doña Aurora Quezon

ruined road

no more water

So, can't wait until we go back home again. As they say, there really is no place like home...which in my case is Baler. By the way, it's Mama's birthday today. She would've been 74. It's also Girlie's birthday (Happy birthday, Girlie).