Toilet Paper

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My local Tesco is doing it again.  My favorite toilet paper is on sale again!  I wonder if I’m going to make that BIG purchase this time.

Last winter, when they had these things on sale,  I bought a whole bunch of it.  Because it was too much, I had to store some in Jakub’s room because the toilet cabinet was full.  But like anything else that’s left in the open, it did not escape Jakub’s curiosity.  Thus, I ended up cleaning up a very messy room.

Toilet papers galore!

A friend of mine once told me that during the Socialist era in Czech, the type of toilet paper that you use in your home signifies your social standing.  Thus, if you use the more expensive kind, you are considered wealthy.

These days, I think the type and amount of toilet paper in one’ s home simply tells you what kind is on sale or as they call it over here — “in action”.    With free trade comes competition and the supermarkets in Czech are really resembling US supermarkets where companies are competing in terms of good deals.

In my case I hope the lady at the register didn’t think: “Damn, you must poop a lot!”

Fil Czech Kids Invade Kuliskov

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Last Wednesday, Jakub and I went to the Kuliskov children’s play area in Prague to meet some friends.  Since he doesn’t go to these places that often, Jakub was totally enthralled.  On the train to Prague, it was quite difficult to keep him in his seat.  Although not a very good idea, I allowed him to play with an mp3, if only to keep him still.

Tinkering with the mp3 on the way to Prague.

We met with 2 of my Filipino friends who are also married to Czech nationals.  When we got there, Jakub totally forgot about me.  He immediately rushed to the toys.  I could leave him there and he wouldn’t mind.

It was very difficult to keep the children still.  Thus, a group picture was close to impossible.  This is the closest photo that I got with all 3 of them sitting still.

Pose for the camera!

We tried placing them inside this enclosure, but look at what happens.  Somebody always has to leave.

Raising a child is not easy.  But it is always nice to know that one is not alone in this journey.  The meeting went very well and I am hoping for future get togethers with more moms and their kids.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

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There used to be only 2 occasions in the year when I would expect flowers from my husband — on Valentine’s Day and My birthday.  But ever since I became a mother, the number increased to 3. I now require flowers on Mother’s Day.

Well, if I get flowers at any other time, that means somebody does not want to be in the “dog house.”

This year’s Mother’s Day flowers.

I’m not so into pink but I think these pink roses were pretty awesome.  Now I just have to take care of it to make it last longer.

Last year, when my son was still in day care, they had this cool project.  His caregiver helped him make a mother’s day card which I still treasure up to this day.

Jakub’s card for mommy – Mother’s Day 2011

This year, as he is now approaching “terrible two,” this is what he gave me  — a tantrum.  I’m glad it was my day and his daddy was there to deal with his meltdown.

Last year’s, “Dr. Jekyll”  is this year’s “Mr. Hyde.”

Spring Musings

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Although today, is relatively cold, we have been having warm weather these past few days. It is definitely spring! The flowers are in bloom and the leaves are just so full of color.

Macro shot of a flower in bloom.

To prepare for the warm weather, I bought Jakub his first pair of sunglasses from a local optical shop.  Unfortunately, he inherited mommy’s nose, so it has to come with a strap to hold it in.

Jakub’s new sunglasses
The boy with his shades.

Last week, Jakub also got his first ice cream.  There was a gelato shop close to the town square, so we got him ice cream which he eventually shared with his daddy.

Devouring his first ice cream — a gelato

I love  warm weather!   When we were living in California, it always meant going to the beach for body surfing, playing volleyball or simply hanging out.   How I miss those days.  I miss California!

Jakub and I at the Will Roger’s State Beach in California.

Unfortunately, Jakub will not get to do all those things now because he is in a totally different environment.  But there’s always something new to look forward to.  I know that the national parks in Czech will always be great.  When we got here last year, it got me amazed.

One of our favorite places in Czech — Adrspach.

From the  3 significant country moves that I’ve made in my lifetime, I find myself missing more people, more places and more things.   The good thing about all these moves is that I get to meet so many people, make valuable memories and form good lasting friendships.  Czech is probably not my last stop, as the world is constantly changing.  But for now, it is the place I call “home.”

Weekend in the Village

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This past weekend was a national holiday in the Czech Republic. It is formally called “Den osvobození ” (Liberation Day). May 8, 1945 marked the end of the second world war and the end of the German occupation in Czech.

We did not participate in any special celebrations, but went to my husband’s village instead to visit my in-laws.

In their village, this is the main mode of public transport.

The beauty about life in the village is that everything is pretty slow and everybody knows everybody.  It was interesting to note that even children are aware of this.

In the playground, the village children were checking out the “new kid in the block.”

During our trip, we also had the opportunity to visit my father-in-laws’ bestfriend and his family.

Friends for life

They had a very beautiful backyard and Jakub immensely enjoyed playing there with his grandpa.

Baby in the bucket.

After some time, the family princess came in with his daddy.  Since she is the first female child in the family, everyone was all over her.  Even Jakub wanted to carry her.  They’re almost the same size but he seems to think that she’s a baby and he is significantly older than her.

Jakub: “Baby, baby”

This weekend’s trip went very well and it made us realize once more the value of strong family ties.  I am glad that my husband shares my values.  There is nothing else in the world that is more important than family.

On our way home, we still got a glimpse of the Liberation Day celebration since this is what we saw on the road.

A scene from May 8, 1945?

That, and this….

A farmer in a horse-drawn carriage transporting hay.

Village life is so simple yet so full of color!

First of May

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May first is International Labor Day.  As such, it was a non-working holiday here in the Czech Republic.  In the long tradition of Worker’s parades on May 1, the Communist Party held a rally at the city center.   The  Social Democrats took over with their own gathering in the afternoon.  Meanwhile, the Anarchists also had their own protest on Střelecký island, which then moved on to Náměstí Republiky.  At the same time an extremist right party also gathered not far away at Můstek.  To abate any violence, the police was out in full force with dogs as well as on horseback or in helicopters.  Luckily, there was no major violence noted.

The second tradition unfolded in Petřín park near the Karl Mácha statue.  In a salute to the romantic poet who died at 25 not long after writing  the dramatic poem “May,” young couples kissed under the blossoming cherry tree.    Here in Czech, May first is recognized as a festive day of love.

Far from all those political demonstrations and the young kissing couples at Petřín park, we celebrated May first by going to Czech chateaus.    The first chateau we visited was Radim Zamek.  We  were there with my husband’s good friend and his family.  They had a friend who was managing the chateau so we had the privilege of having a guided tour where the kids even got to dress up as characters in a fairytale.

Radim Zamek
In the afternoon, we visited another chateau – Choltice Zamek.  The beauty of this place is in the lush greenery that is surrounding it.  The kids had a great time running through the grounds and playing in the small playground.   Although it was 29C,  it was surprisingly comfortable for me because of the nice breeze that was blowing through.
Prancing through the grounds at Choltice Zamek
Chasing after the ducks. He would jump into the water if we wouldn’t stop him.

I thought I was not going to get my kiss that day because Jakub was so active and both my husband and I had a hard time keeping him still.  We couldn’t even manage to get a meal together because one of us really had to watch Jakub lest he hurts himself.  But on the way home, he pulled over one of those blossoming trees and asked me to get out of the car.  It was not a cherry tree, but it was a blossoming tree nonetheless.  There, I got my kiss.  It is the month of love afterall.

Anything to Drink?

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Other than wine and beer, I am not very familiar with the whole gamut of commercial alcoholic drinks.  But eversince I came to the Czech Republic, my vocabulary  of “drinks” has greatly increased.   Here are a few of those unique drinks that I recently came upon.

They call this “egg liquor” because the base ingredient  is egg.  It has a sweet alcoholic kick with a distinct egg taste.

This one is wine made from honey.   One of my favorites!    The sweet taste of honey with a hint of alcohol is very interesting and unique.

This is “visnovice,” a spirit distilled from fermented cherries.    They pretty much distill spirits from any fruit that has sugar.  The most common of which is “slivovice,” a spirit distilled from plums.

I guess this one does not need further explanation, because its label is giving it away.  It is beer with a hint of cannabis.  I was surprised to see that is was regularly sold in a leading supermarket.    But I guess it may not be “that”  kind of cannabis.

If you were a visitor in my home, I already have a whole array of “drinks” for you.  So…. what would you like to drink?

One Bright Sunny Day

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Ambient temperature is at 25C today. It is very nice. Jakub and I were out on our daily walk, when we found this at the town square.

Upon seeing it, Jakub immediately ran to it.  There was very little I can do to keep him from climbing into one of the vehicles.  I was wondering what kind of vehicle he would pick .  He went straight to the excavator!  At his current age, he is quite amused with excavators, 6-wheeler delivery trucks and garbage trucks.

When the first round stopped, I was ready to pull him out when he immediately transferred to another vehicle.  Since he was clearly enjoying himself.  I decided to just let him have his way.  He went to the Jeep.  At some point, he even pretended like as if he was changing gears.

He went three cycles in this thing.  It took a lot of convincing to get him to transfer to this.

However, it did not have the same appeal as the vehicles.  He only jumped for just a minute and left.

He is very mechanically-inclined.  When he was a year old, this was how he played.

Maybe engineering is also in his future.    Afterall, his mom is a wife, daughter, daughter-in-law and sister of an engineer.  Would I be a mother of an engineer too?  I wonder.

Filipino Czech Association

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When I first got to the Czech Republic, one of my initial instincts was to connect with people from my country of origin.  Through facebook, I found “Pinoys in Czech Republic,” an informal group of Filipinos living in CZ.  I regularly visited the site, participated in some discussions and eventually attended a Christmas Party organized by the Philippine Embassy in December 2011.  When the organization was formed during that party, I volunteered for a position in the newly formed “Filipino Czech Association.” (FCA)  It is interesting to note that although the climate in the Czech Republic does not sit well with us people from the tropics, there are actually 350 of us currently living in this country.

On May 26, 2012, we shall be formally launching the FCA.  FCA’s objective is to promote camaraderie and goodwill among Filipinos, Czechs and other nationalities in the Czech Republic. It also aims to promote Philippine culture and tourism and facilitate the integration of Filipinos into Czech culture.  To do that, it will organize solid activities, programs and events that will promote Philippine culture and tourism, on its own, or in partnership with the Philippine Embassy in Prague and other legal entities in the Czech Republic.  It will also conduct other programs or events that will help promote social awareness and development.

If you are currently living in the Czech Republic, and would like to know more about the FCA, consider this as a personal invitation to the Launching Party.  More info on that event can be found here.

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I felt the need to reblog this. I need one of those bracelets.