As a parent, the ongoing milk scare brought about by Chinese-made milk that are tainted with melamine, a toxic substance, caused us so much concern.

Our fears have somewhat been allayed by Nestle Philippines’ recent announcement assuring the safety of their milk products.

According to Nestle’s website, the other products that they produce or carry aside from NIDO are the following: BEAR BRAND, NESLAC, NESTOGEN, NESVITA, and NESTLÉ.  They also import NAN 1 from the Netherlands, NAN 2 and 3, from Switzerland, and NAN HW 1 and 2 from Germany.

Well, at least that’s one less milk-related item to worry about, now the problem is what of other milk-based products circulating our Philippine markets (pastries, milk snacks, candies, etc)? What do we do now?

I’m sorry, but you can’t blame me if I stay clear of Chinese-made or Chinese-sounding products for the meantime. Melamine-tainted milk, formalin-laced white rabbit candies, toxic lead-laced toy paints and defective christmas lights are more than we can handle for now, thank you.

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Related blog entry:
Warning: Do you know what milk products have melamine?

In the news:
1. Philippine Daily Inquirer: Ban on China milk eyed
2. ABS-CBN News: Nestle assures safety of milk products
3. GMA News: Arroyo orders temporary ban on China-made milk products

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We were finally able to make that long awaited Hong Kong trip as a family. We’ve been planning the trip since last year but had to defer it a couple of times because “something came up.” This trip is actually Conne’s birthday gift to me! :)

We touched down at Hong Kong International Airport at around 10AM yesterday, July 4th, via Cebu Pacific. We were expecting the flight to be delayed but, fortunately, everything went according to schedule!

Here are some pictures taken upon arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport:

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So I guess it would be better for me to invest in a desktop PC for home use instead, especially since my son, CJ, is showing signs of being techno-savvy. He’s getting the hang of browsing his favorite websites (or at least he’s getting the hang of forcing me to go to the Disney site – “Daddy! Mouse! Mouse!”) and I can see how fast he’s learning. Now, the only challenge is how to make such a computer system childproof.

What I do know is that I need a keyboard and mouse that’s extremely durable. And what’s also important is that the base that supports these peripherals should be strong and sturdy enough to handle CJ’s weight – he does love to lean on the desk. And judging from my old computer desk, I need one with a high quality, ergonomic keyboard drawer like those sold by Ergoware.

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Here are some early morning shots of Fort Ilocandia taken from my mobile phone:

Here are some pictures taken while on the way to Pagudpud, which was roughly a one and a half hour’s drive from Fort Ilocandia in Laoag.

We came across the scenic coastline of Cape Bojeador in the municipality of Burgos, Ilocos Norte:

Here are some pictures of us featuring the awesome windmills of Bangui, Ilocos Norte (the first power generating windmill farm in the country) in the background:

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Related Blog Entries:
Holy Week 2008 – Fort Ilocandia and Pagudpud – Day 1

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We left Manila yesterday at around 11:30AM but had to make an initial stopover at Clark, in Pampanga, for lunch and some provisions. We also had to meet up with Li-Ann, who had to come from Subic.

We left Clark at around 7:30PM yesterday evening and arrived in Fort Ilocandia at around 5:30AM this morning, which makes it roughly about a 10-hour drive (9 hours on the road, 1 hour for stopovers) . Cocoy and I took turns at the wheel, where I drove the first half of the journey, and Cocoy the final half. Our first stopover was at 8:30PM at the Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac. We stayed there for about 30 minutes to have dinner. Our next stopover was at 12 midnight at a gasoline station somewhere near the border of Pangasinan and La Union.

Here are some pictures taken today.

CJ in the shade:

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Related Blog Entries:
Holy Week 2008 – Fort Ilocandia and Pagudpud – Day 2

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This was sort of a post-valentine date, family vacation and celebration (Conne’s promotion to manager-lvl2) – rolled into one – event.

Conne, CJ and I had lots of fun. And we thank the Lord for giving us the opportunity to have a safe and wonderful trip.

Cheers!

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The DFA has implemented a new passport processing system. Philippine passport applications and appointments must now be done online via the official DFA passport application website at http://www.passport.com.ph.

You will no longer need to bring passport-sized pictures since your picture shall be taken at the DFA premises. Here are the guidelines that you need to follow when having your picture taken at the DFA Enrollment Section: http://dfa.gov.ph/main/index.php/guidelines-on-photo-capturing.

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We were finally able to apply for CJ’s passport yesterday, Friday, for our upcoming trip this December which was, as expected, accompanied by the usual hassles prevalent when applying for, or securing, any government license, certification or identification document.

We just found out that the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) recently issued new passport application guidelines, specifically on the new colored photo requirement where the photo of the applicant should be taken against a royal blue background.

We already had a passport-sized picture of CJ taken a month ago with a white background, the old requirement. And it’s a good thing that Conne checked out the DFA website to verify the requirements, otherwise she would have wasted a trip to the DFA office if she brought along CJ’s old pictures. And so we had a new set of CJ’s pictures taken last Thursday, his 2nd birthday.

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Update: Here’s a link to the new PASSPORT PHOTO GUIDELINES dated August 14, 2008: http://dfa.gov.ph/?p=234 and you can download the PDF file here: http://www.dfa.gov.ph/consular/PHOTO%20GUIDELINES.pdf

Related posts:

1. DFA Passport Appointment System

We were originally planning to visit Hong Kong Disneyland but might be rescheduling it this December in time for Conne’s birthday, or at least until our budget allows it.

Calling all “ninongs” and “ninangs”: “Yoohoo! Utang niyo!” :)

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CJ had a great time and was simply adorable in his Winnie the Pooh costume. Barely two years old, he had no idea what trick-or-treating was, well, he couldn’t even utter the words “Trick or treat!” But we really had fun watching him eagerly and clumsily rushing towards every house that we went to and knocking zealously at the doors. It’s too bad that we did the rounds a little bit late or he could have gotten more treats. But, all the same, we were really proud of our cute, cuddly and oh so adorable little Pooh bear.

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