Every Saturday participants post photos based on a theme. The theme for this Saturday is METAL.

Here is my other entry for metal, a die-cast metal Matchbox Ford GT.

My son loves to collect car toys, like other boys his age. He does not get cars though that are not real-car models. Being a “veteran at age 5” of several cars’ makes and engine names, he definitely knows the stuff that make cars interesting.

He can talk about these cars with my husband using terms that I don’t know about. He can even give stats on speed (of cars he prefers) and what-have-yous. Dyno run? He can explain what that means

Anyway, here is another die-cast metal toy, this time from Tomica, a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.

Tomica’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.

Do you want to see how the real one looks like?

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The most awaited movie has been shown and our young family all trooped to the movie house yesterday to watch it.

The verdicts have been out whether it lived up to the book‘s storyline or not, and of course, as it always happen, “we can not please everyone”

Here are my two cents worth of thoughts:

Robert Pattinson is a cool Edward, I mean, not because he is supposed to be “cold”. I was skeptical at first because he seemed “thin” for the role. His wary smiles, the way he looked at Bella, its as if one can feel the tension and the passion building up. His sparkling body did not really sparkle much or maybe my eyesight was just a bit blurry even when looking at the big screen.

Kristen Stewart as Bella looks like she can’t possibly drive a humongous truck that she must have trained at a truck driving school back in Arizona. Her passion lacks in the movie like she was just there for the thrill in being with a vampire. I like her reaction though when she was in the hospital and she was shaking her head, saying “No” or something like that. I also liked when she was shouting at Edward as they “broke up”.

Sure, the tender moments were enough to make one giddy but there seems to be something lacking, and I can’t exactly pinpoint what it was. The meadow seems was not what I had in mind though.

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This is a brief explanation of Simon Baron-Cohen about Autism explained in 100 words:

Simon Baron-Cohen

Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) occur in 1% of the population, are strongly heritable, and result from atypical neurodevelopment. Classic autism and Asperger Syndrome (AS) share difficulties in social functioning, communication and coping with change, alongside unusually narrow interests. IQ is average or above in AS with average or even precocious age of language onset. Many areas within the `social brain’ are atypical in ASC. ASC has a profile of impaired empathy alongside strong `systemising’. Hence, ASC involves disability (when empathy is required) and talent (when strong systemising would be advantageous). Psychological interventions that target empathy by harnessing systemising may help.

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Here is CHAT, a Checklist for Autism in Toddlers that you can check out for those children in the toddler years. Click here.

My Week 3 entry for the “What’s in your Lunchbox Meme” of the FilipinoMomBlog.com is up.

The ever favorite chicken breast fillet cut into strips, marinated and cooked with Hunts Hickory Barbecue Sauce, Oyster Sauce and ground pepper. The BBQ sauce gives it that aroma that it was cooked in open grill. The kids love this.

For snacks, the children had this.

This was what we had in our lunchbox yesterday. Eggs cooked over easy with very little oil as added extra.

This was a filling lunch for me and the two younger children as well as for Trixie, minus the eggs.

What is in your lunchbox? Join our meme and share your post here.

Saturday was not a very busy day at work for me, and this is unusual. We took advantage of my free time to go somewhere different to experience early Christmas. The Christmas season is celebrated early in this part of the world, where Christmas-related decorations are displayed alongside Halloween costumes and what-have-yous.

We went to Greenhills Shopping Center for a dose of shopping, to watch the annual Christmas show from COD Family and also to meet my brother who will be sleeping over at home.

My children enjoyed the show though is was drizzling when we were watching the show and I wasn’t able to concentrate taking photos and listening to the narration.

The show features a church, a priest, people as family members going to church (they look real to me whose eyesight is blurred), a horse-drawn carriage, a carabao-drawn cart with fruits, and a marching band.

The background has mountains, waterfalls and nipa huts.

The Annual Christmas Show talked about Filipino traditions like the Misa de Gallo or mass novena which starts during the December 16 with 4am masses till the 24th. This is a series of masses in preparation for the coming of Christmas.

On the other hand…

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Every Saturday, participants post photos based on a theme. The theme for this Saturday is reflection.

I have another entry for reflection here.

The photo below is the reflection on a small pool of Carlos IV’s statue in Plaza Roma, Intramuros, Manila.It was 1803 when Spanish King Carlos IV sent a team to bring smallpox vaccine to the Philippines. This was headed by Dr. Francisco Xavier de Balmis who was a court physician of the royal family in Spain.

This has been written on the base of the statue: “Al Rey D. Carlos IV. En gratitud Al Don Benefico de la Vacuna. Los Habitantes de Filipinas.”

After several centuries, our country is still being given free medical assistance by rich nations. Not bad really but for me, it seems that only circumstances have changed and we are still dependent on others for some of the basic services that the government can’t deliver.

On the other hand, daily reflections can give people renewed faith, hope, and strength:

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