Family Afternoon Out

After Sunday mass and lunch, Michelle went off for a massage and a facial. That left Jeanne and I with at least two hours together. No biggie, I’ve done it before.

First we went to Gymboree where Jeanne had a great time playing alongside the kids. All the other kids were doing the same. I guess the typical visitor still haven’t learned how to play with others. Still it was lots of fun for her even if the interaction with other kids is limited to things like “That’s my ball!”, “I’m still playing with it!”, and “No! No!”. Most of the time, I just let Jeanne romp. Only later did I find out that they recommend you to be a “hug distance”.

Next, we went windows shopping at iStudio and ROX. Jeanne had fun with the white iPad at iStudio but said she likes her black iPad better. At ROX, she had fun with the ramps at the shoe section. I also took the opportunity to look at the gadgets and gear.

Finally, we dropped by the Spa. But Michelle wasn’t done yet. So we strolled around some more inside and just outside The Spa. After a while, Jeanne was getting bored so I took her to Dimensione which I like visiting and which Jeanne seemed to also enjoy. But it was stressful for me with all the breakable stuff within her arms’ reach.

Finally, with Jeanne becoming cranky and sleepy, I decided to head home. After leaving a text message for Michelle, we went to the parking and then drove off. Halfway there, Jeanne was already asleep.

 

Language For Teaching

Tonight, my uncle and cousins encountered a taxi driver sidelining as a linguist (or is it the other way around?). His name is Vicente (just like my uncle) and he speaks several languages including English, Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, even Japanese. He seemed to be a smart, learned guy. I wonder which language he uses to teach his kids. Experts say that the best language for teaching is the child’s first language. I expect it would. Of course, the educational material, e.g. books, would also need to be on that first language. It’s easy to say there’s no reason why we can’t develop material for a particular language since the Japanese, Chinese, etc were able to do it. But those languages have millions of users with a huge pool of domain experts. If you are to take that concept here, you’re talking a dozen languages with a few million users each with a smaller percentage of domain experts much more those capable of developing educational material. I say instead of changing the language used at school, change the first language to the one used at school be it primary, secondary, tertiary, or beyond.

Fireproof

Today, I found myself again not knowing what to do. So I prayed for guidance and called my parents. We had a long talk about many things. I followed it up with research. Which somehow led me to the movie Fireproof. I remembered having it on my hard drive a long time ago. I checked and it’s still there! And so I watched.

It was uncanny, the similarity to my situation. You could change the names and certain details and it would be like it is about Michelle and me. There are many things to learn from the movie. But the top three for me are:

  1. Change begins with us. If we must wait for others to change before we do, then we can’t answer the question: When will they change? And maybe we never will. But if we take it upon ourselves to change, we can, we can do so now.
  2. Love is unconditional. We should not look for reciprocation. We should not stop loving because of rejection, or perceived rejection. The love of Jesus is for everyone, he gave his life for everyone, for those who accepts Him and those who rejects Him. So must we. I love Jeanne unconditionally but I was blind to the fact that I should love Michelle the same way.
  3. Marriage is a covenant. During the wedding, I vowed to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. To love her and honor her all the days of my life. It is how God intended it to be. And by making my vow, I made a commitment to her and to God. As soon as I saw this, I put back my wedding ring on and I resolved that though I have stumbled, I will pick myself up and I will strive towards how He intends it to be.

Fireproof is highly-recommended watch for everyone. Through it, God provided me guidance. I’m sure it will do the same for others, too.