How to Get a Student Driver's Permit from LTO

Yesterday, I accompanied my son in getting his student permit from the Land Transportation Office.  As I promised that I will enroll him in a driving school this summer school break to make his vacation worthwhile.  So off we went to the nearest branch from our place.  We arrived in LTO a little past one o'clock in the afternoon.  When we get inside the compound,  we went straight to the customer service booth right beside the gate.  I was surprised that it seems the licensing system has improved compared to previous years when fixers would be the first to greet you even before you get near the gate.   So when I asked the staff where we should file our application, he readily asked for the documents and checked its completeness.  We submitted the following, duly filled- out application for driver's license, a photocopy of my son's birth certificate with school ID, a parental consent that I signed since my son is only 16 years old, a photocopy of my valid ID and his 1x1 ID picture.  After that we were told to wait for his name to be called.  There is a waiting area in front of the booth and in less than three minutes, my son's name was called.  He was asked for an original copy of his birth certificate to prove his identity.  After that he was told to wait again while his documents were checked.  He was given a number then told to submit the document to the evaluator inside the office.   He was assigned at window 6.  There are about eight evaluators there so the evaluation process did not take long.  After several minutes, his name was called at the photo section to have his picture taken.  We waited again then after about 10 minutes, his name was called at the cashier.  He paid 317.00 then instructed to wait again for a call from window 14  or 15.   We waited for about 20 minutes before his name was called at window 15 for the release of his student permit.  

My son's experience in filing his license was generally problem-free.  If services from the government would all be like this, so much time and effort would be saved and most importantly, red tape seems to have been eradicated unlike in the past.  LTO's fast service is really worthy of acknowledgement.  BIG improvement, indeed!  Keep it up! L

Giving Back to Red Cross

 Today is WORLD RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT DAY.

I read lots of interesting facts about red cross and in many times in my life, I have been served by Red Cross during crucial times.  One of those incidents was when my son was hospitalized due to Dengue.  It was past midnight when his platelet count dropped that almost killed him.  The doctor advised for an emergency blood transfusion but at that time there was no available supply at the hospital.  We needed to go directly to the Red Cross office at the Port Area.  With the request provided by the doctor, my husband and brother in law went there and luckily, the staff gave them what was needed. Because of that, my son survived the deadly Dengue.  I am so grateful to Red Cross that it made me understand its principles better.  Its seven fundamental principles are; humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality.  Armed with his own personal experience and guided by its principles, my son became a member of Red Cross.  Just a way to show support to an organization that was instrument for his second chance at life.

Today, as a way of thanking this institution, I decided to post about Red Cross to promote its cause.  We can help this institution through different ways such as giving donation, promoting its cause or volunteering to its different activities and programs. In the Philippines, we can become a Red Cross 143 volunteer. Red Cross 143 is a program of Philipine Red Cross that aims to promote citizens' involvement in taking care of its community.  It promotes learning in disaster preparedness and responsiveness in the barangay level.  Its goal is to create a network of volunteers that shall be mobilized to respond immediately in times of calamity or disaster.

To know more on how to become a Red Cross 143 volunteer, you can visit the local chapters near your residence or you may call 02-5270000 for more information.

First Post for 2013

June 1, 2012...that's the last time I posted in this blog! The great news is... I am not planning on abandoning this site forever!  I still go back here whenever i got plenty of time to spare.  I read my own posts from time to time as I get to relive happy moments I had and it also reminds me of my own life's lessons.  Hmm...ten months had passed and that means lots and lots of enriching experiences that I failed to take note of.  If my memory would serve me well, I still want to write about them when I find the opportunity to do so.  Indeed, first love never dies...oopps...my dear Con, i mean my love for writing, huh! It's a lot different when it's all about the story of us. :-D  Anyway, I momentarily stopped blogging to focus on a very important event in this life of a working-blogging mom.  I gave way to have an all exclusive "Just-between-you-and-me" moment with my precious little one.  Blogging keeps me awake until the wee hours of the morning so after I learned that I was pregnant, i decided to stop for a while since it was advised by my doctor to take lots of rest as much as possible and to sleep early.  The long wait is finally over.  I can now go back to blogging ang all those activities I missed. (*o*)  I missed some things but I gained much more with an additional angel in my life.  That means more great things ahead, more happy adventures to try and lots of exciting moments to share.  Happy blogging everyone!

Be Part of the Earth Hour 2013

On Saturday (March 23, 2013) 8:30 PM, show your support in the Earth Hour Movement.

To My Sweet Amour

There are no exact words to describe the happiness i feel for having you.  I made this one for you to let you know how thankful i am that you came to my life.  A renewed sense of happiness and fulfillment filled my heart these days...and for that i feel more blessed.

Your sweet face reminds me of the calmness I long for.
My spirits soar in your every smile or frown
Each day with you becomes so precious
Much like a diamond in my sub-conscious

I will always treasure the moment
When i first held you in my arms
That i was so enchanted 
With your innocent charm

An angel from heaven was sent to me
To assure me of the great life ahead
To always remind me to be happy
Wherever our life would lead.

Photo Tour: Friends Retreat in Puerto Galera

This is a late post from Summer of 2012 when I had the chance to visit Puerto Galera in Mindoro for a much needed weekend retreat with workmates.  I never passed up this chance when I was invited by close friends from another work unit to join in their team building. Puerto Galera was one of the places I had been yearning to go to for a lot of reasons.  First, it was written in my travel wish list for 2012 to visit a place that I had never been to. Second, I felt so burnt out with work that I needed some relaxation, I thought that an escape at the beach would give me that.  Third, it had been too long ago when my best office buddies spent time together outside of work. It was the best chance to be with them minus the rush and deadline. Plus, a handful of good reasons to pack my bag and enjoy the pleasure of being away from the busy city life.  I also enjoyed taking photos though amateurish, the most important thing was I took snapshot of anything that captured my fancy.

Simply taking a look around the beach with the sand, the sun and the sea will give you that calm feeling

It is best to reserve your accommodation in one of the hotels right in front of the beach, nice view and you will always be in the loop of every event

There are many activities that you can try here like jet skiing, para-sailing, banana boating or if you prefer to just hang around to have chat with friends

Have a relaxing time with the stunning sunset while sitting in one of the benches right there at the white sand beach.  Janice and I spent some time just to capture this sunset by the beach 

Or just walk around barefoot to calm your nerves

Have a boat ride all by yourself

Or enjoy a banana boat ride with friends. Our group tried the banana boat ride, we were all gasping for breath when we hit the water.  Though clad in life vest, I felt like I was drowning that I felt a rush of adrenaline.  It was not my time yet. :-P  

There are shops here that offer this service...a henna tattoo.  I had a butterfly tattoo on my left leg :-D
At first, I was hesitant to try this as I thought that it was painful. My friend Ynz accompanied me and told me that it doesn't hurt like the real tattoo. 

If you are taught not to drink and drive, it is also not a good idea to drink and swim.  Better heed this warning, it is dangerous to swim when drunk.

Have a  "halo-halo" afternoon delight to give you relief during a hot day at the beach

Or have a cup of coffee in the morning before dipping in the water.  I was actually dreaming of a brewed coffee that comes with the free breakfast in our hotel. Just the smell of brewed coffee takes my worries away.  But to my dismay, we were given an instant coffee.  Anyway, I still need that drink, pronto!   

Our team had a great time at the White Sand Beach in Puerto Galera.  I was really thankful to my friends Ces, Ynz and Neil and to all our companions for this memorable bonding moment with them.    

Photo Tour: Weekend Family Getaway in Zambales

Here are the snapshots from our travel in Iba, Zambales. This place is more than 200 kilometers from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).  We had almost six hours of land travel passing through the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).  

You can rent a motorized banca to take you to nearby islands or just cruise around.  The rent costs about P100 per person. There are also other offers at  a much lower cost.  

We stayed at this place named Balihambay.

 The pathway leading to the beach with numerous coconut trees.

We almost had the beach all by ourselves as it was not too crowded.  Our family especially the kids really enjoyed the water, wind and wave. It was a memorable family weekend..

 I was hoping to capture sunset in different hues and angles.  Some crash course on photography with my cousin somehow paid off...I guess. :-)

Indeed...#itsmorefuninthephilippines