have basement, no heat stroke

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It’s more hot this year than the previous summer. This time last year it was already raining everyday. May was wet last year. Dry, hot and very humid this year. Our house is concrete, except for the separate dirty kitchen which is a nipa hut, so I can stand staying in the living room without the electric fan turned full blast.

But I have this one solution whenever the heat becomes unbearable, I stay in the basement. The architect who designed the house is a genius when he included a basement in the blueprint. i should buy bean bag chairs  next time we go to the mall. My son and niece use the extra mattress from my mom’s room whenever they want to stay in the basement. They be more comfortable sitting on small chairs when they are in the mood to paint or draw.

behind is stairs leading to the basement

So if you want to not feel hot during summer months, add a basement room in your house next time you renovate. It should be a spacious room with lots of windows though.

summer activity for kids: guitar lessons

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RJ is again taking guitar lessons this summer break. He finished a few days of piano and guitar lessons last year. But completely forgot everything he learned when we got back in Manila. He doesn’t have a piano in the house and he only learned a few basic chords in guitar so it was understandable that he lost interest and didn’t even tried to practice those few chords.

So this summer break I asked him if he wants to enroll in piano, guitar or both. He chose guitar lessons.

He can now play “I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane”. Although he’s still a bit slow in changing chords, I’m glad that he’s not wasting his summer break by just playing computer and handheld games.

Queen Elizabeth’s Visit to the Philippines

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Queen Elizabeth has visited 116 countries but has never been, not even once, to the Philippines? She has done state visits to different Asian countries but the Queen probably doesn't know that "It's More Fun in the Philippines!". I wonder if it’s more fun in Iran, she has been there twice already.

Maybe she's looking for a hotel like those in the UK but those hotels, in my opinion, are not as elegant as Manila’s 5-star hotels. But I'm no queen so we probably don't have the same taste.

Traffic in EDSA is not fun

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I saw this picture on twitter. Although it seems hilarious at first glance, it doesn't exactly show that "It's more fun in the Philippines ". A first-time tourist should know that EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue) should be avoided at all times, during traffic and non-traffic hours.

I avoid travelling thru EDSA not just because of the traffic. Look at the picture, the motorcycle and bus behaviors -all true. EDSA bus drivers overspeed all the time without any thought of causing an accident. They only care about getting first in line on that bus stop to get more passengers. The motorcycle riders are no different, they all drive so fast -truth be told they have the cheapest tires and the cheapest helmets. They even use the sidewalks to avoid traffic.

And yes, the "actual sign" is also true although it's written in Filipino. Yes it does look funny, but very embarrassing that there are many st*pid people, pardon my French, who risk their lives crossing that street.

where to buy shirts for your not-so-little-boy-anymore

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Bench, the clothing line, holds a monthly (maybe even biweekly) sale at their Cash and Carry Mall branch. Since I do my grocery shopping there every week, I always pass by their store to check the sale rack. I always end up buying a shirt or two for my son. My son most probably own a dozen bench shirts, not including those that doesn't fit him anymore.

 

 

If ever Bench decides to go public, I'll surely invest a few thousand shares. This is a good store to buy nice, but not very expensive, shirts for your kids. Although the clothes for girls is a different story. I have a few shirts from this brand but I seldom find one that fits well.