Our Ayala Museum Adventure

July 19, 2008 - The plan this weekend was to see the National Museum in Manila. It was not meant to be as we learned that the museum is undergoing renovation. The back up plan was to go to Ayala Museum which was just 5 minutes from our place. Funny, we've been living in Makati for the past 4 years but we haven't seen the "new" museum. One of the perks of being a Makati resident is a big discount in museum entrances. We only had to pay P150 for adults and P75 for children. Museums in the Phils are relatively cheap as museums abroad cost in the neighborhood of P500 to P1000.

T'was my second time to see Ayala Museum. The last time was over 2 decades ago during a school field trip in my elementary days. While the building is new, the location and the concept are the same. It's located at the corner of Dela Rosa St. and Makati Ave. The concept - dioramas depicting the history of the Philippines, miniature galleons and paintings from famous Filipinos.

The difference lies withe the company - my wife, my 10 year old son and my 4 year old daughter. My wife was amazed, it was learning filled for my son and my daughter saw it as space freedom (compared to our 65 sq.m. condo). In all, it was mega bonding time for the four of us.

Not Short on Leadership

Carlos P. Romulo - 5'1"
Jose P. Rizal - 5'2"
Emilio Aguinaldo - 5'3"
Andres Bonifacio - 5'4"

Philippine history declares that in the late 19th century to the early 20th century, these were the people that we look up to. These people fought eye to eye with towering Spaniards, Brits and Americans who stood at 5'10".

This is what I learned or relearned during our 2 hour field trip with my family in Ayala Museum last Saturday.

Budget Four Wheel Drive

We are based in Central Business District, Makati City. Sounds cool, huh? Well, not entirely true! For a simple provincial lad like me, the magnet of a cosmopolitan city is not that strong. I'm only here for thefinancial benefits, the future of my children and preparation for retirement.

As soon as I retire from the hustle and bustle of the corporate world, the first thing I'm going to do is get myself a four wheel drive vehicle. ATV? UV (pick up)? SUV? The acronym doesn't matter as long as all four wheels engage on demand.

If retirement were today, budget would be in the range of P150,000 to P200,000. For that budget, candidates would be early 90s Suzuki Samurai SJ10 or early 90s Mitsubishi Pajero 1st gen. It's just a utility vehicle, just needs to get the job done, no flares, no fanfare. My ideal set up includes- clean (red) paint, stock all terrain tires, decent sound system, cool air conditioning and well maintained.

And where will I use it? The most logical answer would be an agricultural farm. The family currently has agri farms in Tarlac City and Bamban, Tarlac. I also dream of purchasing my own farm in Tarlac. It should be an integrated farm with a lake or a pond, rice pods, corn field, some eggplants and tomato and lots of trees, preferrably mango so they would be income earning.

So when is retirement? It's 20 years from now when our children have graduated from college and should be working by that time.

Bisita Iglesia, SG

When I was a newbie manager handling Central Luzon region, one of my religious commitments was to visit a town's cathedral and say a little pray. I did that consistently while assigned in Central Luzon and continued the commitment when I handled South Luzon region.

I am now based in Metro Manila handling a newly formed group. Recently, the company sent me to SG to attend a telco convention and I just had to continue my pledge and visited St. Andrew's Cathedral.

That visit felt good.

Happy Father's Day

Hi Papa,

I was in SG during the 3rd week of June, just a week after Father's day. This adage used as a window ad in Suntec City Mall caught my attention. It reads "My father taught me about life not with words but by how he lived his."

I wish I could say Happy Father's Day directly to you but I know you're in another universe right now. I hope they have internet in heaven and that you're reading this web log. I read in your diary that you consistently read my blog entries.

I miss you and I love you. Happy Father's day!

Your son, DyLac