Yeye Viray

Month: September 2011

  • When kids travel

    I’ve read somewhere that one of the qualities that define great leaders is that they are well travelled. Keeping that in mind, I made sure that I bring our kids to all our travels and kept it as a family goal and tradition. On my very first international travel, Gary’s first time too, we brought with us an infant, a 4 year old and a 10 year old to HK. Two years later, we thought we were ready to see Europe as a family, so we did for a month! Parents have been asking me how do we do it. Looking back, I don’t have all the answers but two words pop into my mind, patience and preparation .

    Anyway, I just thought of sharing some of my observations when we travel with kids. They most of the time;

    1. Enjoy the traveling part more than the destination, except of course if you’re going to Disneyland (or the like).
    2. Get hungry and thirsty every minute. But do not want to eat when it’s time to.
    3. Get bored easily. So they either do or say the silliest things one could imagine and most of the time you just end up laughing.
    4. Are super-hyper. Or maybe not, it’s just that you lack enough rest or sleep and too tired to look after them.
    5. Need to go to the bathroom at the most inconvenient time and place. And ‘Wait’ is not an option.
    6. Prefer to stay inside the hotel than go out. (Again, except if you’re going to a place that interest them)
    7. Think they need to buy something, just anything. Like clothes, food, candy, souvenir, books… but most of the time TOYS. (Well, adults do feel that way too)
    8. Will find a way to PLAY. And run. And climb. And hide. 
    9. Can find all the reasons to fight (with sibling/s) or complain.
    10. Can be easily pleased… for a short time.
    11. Can’t be forced to MOVE when they’re sleepy. You’ll end up carrying them, on top of your hand-carries.
    12. Will talk nonstop. (Traveling or not)

    In short, kids will be kids. I am not discouraging anyone though. It’s fulfilling to travel as a family.  You just need to be well informed so that you’ll expect for the worst, come prepared and make the most of it. As they say, ‘Knowing is winning half the battle.’

  • Clumsy Smurf

    Have you seen the Smurfs Movie? If so, it would be difficult to miss Clumsy Smurf. And if you’ve spent time with my son, Zach, it would be equally difficult not to see their similaries. Haha! We’re not making fun of my little boy but it’s just really funny to see how similar they are (whatever!). I used to be bothered about Zach’s clumsiness. He would fall all by himself just walking or running, without anything to cause him to slip or tip over. When he eats, his food is everywhere and he usually spills his drink. Marcus and Lia developed their physical skills and became independent faster than Zach. But then I realized that Zach must be ‘taking his time’ growing up and I don’t want to push things. Besides, intellectual ability wise, he belongs to the cream of the crop. So now what we do is to continually motivate him to keep up the good work and help him overcome his weaknesses with practice. Again, if you have seen the Smurfs movie, Clumsy smurf turned out to be the hero in the end. It may be too big for Zach to digest the overcoming-your-weakness idea, but I know he understood that you don’t need to be perfect to be the best. (Or something to that effect). Btw, Lia claims she’s smurfette. Strong-willed and papa’s girl she is, why not? La la lalalala… sing a happy song. :)

     

  • TRUST is a big word

    My son and nephew enjoy our spelling game. They usually spell the words correctly while I correct those they missed. Sometimes my nephew would say, ‘I can’t spell it, it’s a BIG word for me.’ So I’ll just give him another one to spell.

    When I started reading the ‘Secrets of the Millionaire Mind’ I realized that I have my own set of big words as well. It’s not about spelling of course (though I’m not really fond of it hehe), but words that seems so hard for me to handle. TRUST for one. It’s the main reason why I want to be in control of things and doesn’t want to entrust my life to anybody 100%. I finished my education, got a job and did good with my profession because I want to have a fall back whatever happens. I don’t think it’s wrong of course, but I realized that I did it for the wrong reason. Fear (of the future) is my strong motivation which should be/have been happiness and fulfillment. Even the time I quit my job, I know the business can sustain us or else I wouldn’t risk it. I can talk endless about my trust issues but I guess I have to deal with it myself.

    I just want to share a story from the book I’m reading because it made me smile.

    It’s about a man who is walking along a cliff and all of a sudden loses his balance, slips and falls off. Fortunately, he has the presence of mind to grab on to the ledge and he’s hanging there for dear life. He hangs and hangs and finally yells out,”Is there anybody up there who can help me?” There’s no answer. He keeps calling and calling, “Is there anybody up there who can help me?” Finally this big bellowing voice calls back, “This is God. I can help you. Just let go and trust. Next thing you hear: “Is there anybody else up there who can help me?”

    Wapak! Hit me big time. With this, I want to remove worry and fear from my vocabulary and replace it with risk, growth and more faith. They’re equally big words but I am willing to learn.

  • Getting what I want

    Oprah_World tweets “You can have it all. You just can’t have it all at once.”

    I agree. I remember Gary telling me in Venice that my dreams have been fulfilled already. Those dreams don’t have to be big dreams, they can be simple and ordinary to some but fulfilling for me. I told him with wide grin that it only means one thing, I have to create another set.

    Just recently I was thinking that it would be nice to spend a birthday or holiday in one of Discovery Suites’ big rooms. I did not push the idea. Days after, an agent called me up offering me Discovery Suite membership with numerous perks. I prayed, “Oh God, that was fast!” It was simple yet sweet.

    Big or small, I encounter these answered prayers everyday. Of course I won’t see them if I let worries, fear and problems overcome me. I count my blessings. Contrary to what Gary said, I still have a number of dreams waiting to be fulfilled, not to mention those I’ve added on the list. Just a reminder, when an answered prayer comes, it doesn’t usually come in the form you’re expecting. In those times, also pray for wisdom and understanding.

    So how do I get what I want, here’s a list.

    1. When I ask God, I’m specific.
    2. I hold on to my dreams because, unimaginable as it is today, it can really happen in the future. I don’t know how, but God makes it happen.
    3. I always remind myself to be generous, kind, considerate, humble and thankful.
    4. I pray wherever and whenever I feel the urge… for whatever reason.
    5. Despite all the negative things happening around… I keep the faith.

    The rest is up to Him. God will either answer it immediately, delay it for the perfect time or give me something better. What more can I ask for?