Multiply is going bye-bye

So, Multiply sent me mail saying that they will be closing Multiply sites except those that will be used solely for ecommerce, or to that effect.  Here it is:

Hello. Stefan here, writing you from Multiply HQ in Jakarta, Indonesia.

As most of you are probably aware, Multiply's mission has evolved over the past year and a half to become the biggest and most beloved ecommerce marketplace in two very exciting markets, Indonesia and the Philippines. As our focus has shifted, we have reviewed all of our operations, and made some decisions that will affect everyone here.

• From December 1st, we will unfortunately no longer be able to support Multiply in its current form - notably we will be removing the social networking and content sharing part of Multiply (photos, videos, blogs, social messaging, etc.). We have decided to discontinue providing and hosting these services, as we have concluded that other Internet sites who are committed to social networking services will do a better job serving you than we can.
• For our existing users of social networking features, we will be providing easy ways for you to either download your stuff (photos, blogs, content, etc), or migrate it to other online services. We'll announce the precise details shortly. It will be your choice whether to download, migrate or just let your content lapse (and get deleted).
• For our existing ecommerce users (both buyers and sellers) in Indonesia and the Philippines, there will be no action required.
• Regarding any existing Multiply Premium subscriptions we will refund any unused balance, and apologize for any inconvenience this will cause. Please contact customer service to request a refund. Note that this is for Multiply Premium, not the ecommerce related Multiply Trust product.

I am aware of how disruptive this news may be, and understand the disappointment that it may cause. Ultimately this was a business decision, critical to our to success moving forward. Instead, we are excited to pursue our own mission to give the 350 million consumers in Indonesia and the Philippines a great way to buy and sell items online. Our singular focus now is for Multiply to retain its status as a vibrant e-commerce destination in Southeast Asia in the years ahead.

I suspect that many of you will not like this news, and am sorry to have to deliver it now. I hope that you will be able to understand the reasons for our decision and thank you for being a part of the Multiply community over the past eight years.

Stef

So, it means that Dale's blogsite from Multiply will be taken down, so I have to find another place to put all his pictures and videos or whatnots to.  Maybe I'll just create a page in FB or something.

Helping Dale With School

Note:  This post has Filipino words.



Since Dale is now in Grade 7, everything levels up.  So here comes Filipino and AP (Araling Panlipunan, also known as Makabayan).  What we do is study them beforehand so when he comes to school, he knows some of the answers to the questions in the book.  One of his assignments was making his own fable.  I never thought that he would try making one, because I have always done his assignments (Yes, I am a bad mother!).  I was shocked when he said, "Here you go.  I think I have corrections, Mom!"

While I read what he made, I forced myself not to laugh.  I told him that we're going to fix it, but he did great.  Read what he made below:

Isang araw, mayroong maliit na pagong.Siya ay sa isang baybayin.Siya ay gutom at nagsimulang maghanap para sa pagkain.Sa kanyang paraan para sa paghahanap para sa pagkain niya nakilala ang isang sanggol alimango.Alimango ang sinabi "Saan ka pupunta?"."Ako na naghahanap para sa pagkain."Sinabi pagong ang."Alam ko ang isang lugar na puno ng pagkain."Sinabi ang alimango "Sa Aqua Cove! Makikita ninyo ang maraming ng pagkain doon, ngunit mag-ingat, ang panganib sa iyong paraan, ako gutom. Ko dapat dumating sa iyo.".

Kaya ang pagong at ang alimango ay nagsimulang ang kanilang mga paghahanap upang mahanap ang Aqua Cove upang makahanap ng pagkain upang punan ang kanilang stomachs. Ngunit sa kanilang paraan ay dumating pating isang! Sila ay tumakbo palayo mula sa pating, at pating ang chased kanila. Ang pagong at ang alimango May stuck sa isang patay na dulo. "Huwag matakot." Sinabi pating ang "Ako ay isang vegetarian". Kaya sila ay dumating at sinabi, "At bakit ka habol sa amin?". "Dahil alam ko ang pinakamabilis na paraan upang Aqua Cove." Sinabi pating, "Ito ay karapatan sa dulo ng kasalukuyang tabi sa amin." Kaya sila jumped sa kasalukuyang at off ang sila pumunta!

Ang mga guys naabot Aqua Cove tulad ng pating ang kanilang sinabi. "Salamat ng pating." Kanilang sinabi. At pagkain ay delicous! At sila ngayon pahinga sa kanilang mga bellies sa buong.

Ang Wakas.

When he passed his work, I included his original work so his teacher can see that he really did his homework, and maybe laugh a little.  :)

image from casapinka.typepad.com

Anyway, some homework or projects require some artwork and creativity.  I found a website that sells artistic tapes.  The tapes can be used as borders or just something to spruce up a journal or poster.  I haven't had the opportunity to purchase one, but I think from the pictures, it is a very cute way to be creative.  One tape is a hundred bucks, and some are bundled so you can get them much cheaper.  They're called Washi Tapes and you can check them out from Hey Kessy. :)

Prohibitions on Ridicule and Vilification Against PWDs

As stated in the RA 9442 or the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities.

Deliverance from Public Ridicule

Public ridicule shall be defined as an act of making fun or contemptuous imitating or making mockery of persons with disability whether in writing, or in words, or in action due to their impairment/s.

No individual, group or community shall execute any of these acts of ridicule against persons with disability in any time and place which could intimidate or result in loss of self-esteem of the latter.

Deliverance from Vilification

Vilification shall be defined as (a) the utterance of slanderous and abusive statements against a person with disability; and/or (b) an activity in public which incites hatred towards, serious contempt for, or severe ridicule of persons with disability.

Any individual, group or community is hereby prohibited from vilifying any person with disability which could result into loss of self-esteem of the latter.

Penal Clause

Any person who violates any provision of this Act shall suffer the following penalties:

(1) For the first violation, a fine of not less than Fifty Thousand pesos (P50,000.00) but not exceeding One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00) or imprisonment of not less than six months but not more than two years, or both at the discretion of the court; and

(2) For any subsequent violation, a fine of not less than One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00) but not exceeding Two hundred thousand pesos (P200,000.00) or imprisonment for not less than two years but not more than six years, or both at the discretion of the court.

Source: NCDA and autismsocietyphilippines

If you're troubled...

Halos lahat ng aspeto sa buhay, nagka-problema na ko.  pamilya, anak, asawa (super problem to the maximum level), kalusugan.  i will not deny that i have done some stupid things that i thought will make those problems go away.

i've been crying for more than half of my life, I came to a point that I'm not sure anymore if there is a God.

Then I realized, if there is no God, then everything is on me.  I have to make do of what I have.  I made a checklist in my head.  Asked myself who and what I was living for.  I called this list, my reasons for breathing.  Topping that list were my children.  And that's enough.  I could've stopped there.  But, everyday, I see things that makes it to the list.  Small things, like seeing a butterfly on the porch perched in a flower pot.

Now, I admit, I am a little scared of dying.  Not because of myself.  I am afraid for the people I will be leaving behind.  I know they will not survive that.  So, even if I felt like giving up, I couldn't.  I've been in and out of the hospital too much, the lab people are sick of me.  But I'm still here.  I still am breathing.  Because I do not live one day at a time anymore.  I live one breath at a time. 

I do think of the future.  I have to, because of Dale (my son who has autism).  The days that I have left here breathing, I would like to dedicate on keeping my family together.  I stopped being angry with my husband's failures or "kakulangan," as my mother always says.  Because I accepted the fact that I, too, have them.  I just had to open my eyes and realize them.

I am teaching my children to love one another, because in the end, that's all they will have left--each other.

I study not because I have to.  it's because I want to.  It makes me feel younger.  Younger means healthier.  I think my parents know this, because even if they sometimes question my decision to continue studying, they do not ask me to stop.

I take my medicines regularly, not because I want to, but because I have to.  If these expensive little pills will somehow, miraculously, give me more breaths to take, then I will take them.  As I said, not because I want to.... coz If it were me alone, I'm ready to die.  But because I have to, coz everything is not about me.

Pain is just a reminder.  Whatever you forgot, pain is there like a ribbon round your finger.

If you're crying because of pain, let them flow.  There is no shame in crying.  But, after you've exhausted yourself enough, stop.   Then face your problems.  Tears will not do you any good except for one thing. It was made to lubricate the eyes... to clean them... like windshield wipers... for you to see clearly again.

Sometimes, we all need a brick wall to bang our heads with, and that's ok.  Sometimes, you may want to die, and that's ok, too.  We're all human, anyway.  Just remember, you are alive for a reason.  Find that reason.  I don't think you need to look far.

Have faith.  Even if we don't see God, it doesn't mean He is not there.  Even if it seems like He doesn't answer your prayers, pray still.  He knows what He's doing.  After all, He is God.

I will not tell you to cheer up.  I will not tell you that I understand your pain.  I am not you.  I will also not tell you that there are people who are experiencing pain worse than yours.  Again, they are not you.

However, you are you.  You know yourself more than anyone.  Go tell yourself what you need to do.  Be brave, little one.

General Questions?

The reason I put up this blog is to keep memories of Dale, and to help other parents like me who have special children.  If you wish to know more about me, Dale, and our journey, please feel free to post them as comments below.

Thank you and have a stress-free day! :)

Update

I have been procrastinating for a long while.  I just didn't have the energy to post since my kidney transplant and then the rejection.  Anyhow, I managed to browse through almost everything on my blog today.

There are numerous comments that I needed to address and delete, as well.  I have to remember to change my settings to require comment moderation.  I can now easily blog, because of my iPhone, but that's another story.

So, what I did was....

• remove all spam comments
• update the therapy centers list
• put up a post where you can post your questions via comments, I will answer them to the best of my ability; if not, I ask my readers to please answer them for me.
• put up a post about advertising

I am aiming a lot for my two blogs (the other is at pinoynanay.blogspot.com).  One aim is to collect revenues from them since I am now an at-home mother because of my illness.

By the way, if you wish to know more about me and being sick, just click on my other blogsite.

Thank you for patronizing this blog and praying for Dale!

Have a stress-free day!

Dale and Girls

He looks too much like his Dad.

Dale will turn 14 this December.  We've had problems with regards to his sexuality as early as he was 9.  He would like watching love scenes in movies and tv shows.  He showed early malice.  However, when he turned 11, he understood how inappropriate some things are and he just stopped wanting to look at anything sensual, and with that came the embarrassment of kissing and hugging Mommy.

Dale is actually turning away from me during this shot.

He now does not want to hold my hand. He twists his hand away. :))  He explained that I am his Mom, and not his girlfriend.  I sometimes pout and say that maybe he doesn't love me anymore or he's embarrassed to be seen with me, so he just pats my back (the closest thing to a hug) and tells me that of course he loves me.

Happy day with Dale

He is growing up so fast.  He now towers over me.  Girls look at him differently now.  He claims that they are like "fangirls," because they call his name and pinch his cheek all the time.  "Cute," is the word they use to describe him.  I actually saw a girl give him a flying kiss last week on his way to school. @.@

His counselor said that Dale does not want to sit beside girls.  When I ask him this, he said, "You know about me and girls, Mom.  I don't want to get teased by my classmates."  

I asked him when he'll have a girlfriend, he said confidently "After college."


Before, I worry about his future, like would he be able to love?  To have a girlfriend?  To marry and have children?


When asked about the future, he said, "Mom what is the highest paying job?"  He said that he needs to have a high-paying job so he can buy a house where he could live with his wife.  He also claims that he will marry at age 26.  He computed the years when he will finish college, have a job, and save for a house.  He is really something!  

I can imagine how his kids would look like.  :)) Now, I rarely worry.  I am positive that he will accomplish his goals, and more.


p.s. 
It's actually the girls I'm worried about.  They are so liberated nowadays! PBBTeens!

Music, Dale, and Autism

There has been numerous researches and articles about the use of music therapy in autism.  I have no doubt that it can help.  Even with us folks, we have nothing special, but we feel different when we hear music.  It calms us.  It engages us.  It makes us feel alive.

Dale showed early signs of his interest in music when he started humming when he was younger.  He tinkered with the piano and can play simple tunes by ear.  Although he seldom sings, he can carry a tune.  My iPhone, which he borrows from time to time, now has his own folder.  His choice of apps are music and art related, as you can see from the picture on the side.

When I checked out the Glee application, I heard a song he said was his own composition.  It went a little like this:

"I'm roaming around, there's nothing I can do.
I'm roaming around, what should I do?"

It was funny!  I asked him why he did it, he said because I told him to stop roaming around.  :)

He also sang a song from one of his (and mine, as well) favorite bands, Viva la Vida by Coldplay.  It was nice because Dale speaks too fast most of the time, but in the song, I can understand him better.

On the violin:

I really wanted even one of my sons to learn the violin.  My first choice was to have Anton learn it.  However, he didn't want to study alone.  With budget restrictions, I told him they can't all study together.  We'd have to buy three violins!  So, Anton just went back to the choir.

Note:  Anton and Dale need church involvement.  Anton is in the choir, and Dale should've been in the rondalla, but he wanted to study violin instead.

Dale saw one girl from the rondalla playing the violin (?).  We asked and Don Bosco Makati has a program for people to learn music like guitar, violin, and piano for a small fee.


Note:  2,500 for the program!  Others cost 6,500.  When I asked his teacher about it, he said, it is part of his service to the Church.  :)

So, we bought a violin (1,600 from Raon), and a Suzuki 1 book (550 from Euphony).  His first official lesson started last Sunday.  Teacher Wes told me he did great!  He was able to finish more pages than most of the kids.  He was given homework when they were done.  It was a simple song that he has to practice.

I told him he needs to practice 30 minutes a day.  Yesterday, I didn't need to tell him to practice, he just went to my room and played the song for me.  He memorized it already! He didn't need to look at his book.

When his Dad asked me why we should enroll Dale to violin lessons, I told him, why shouldn't we?  As long as Dale shows interest in it, he will continue with his lessons.  We must do everything we could to make him better.

I love Dale the way he is.  With this quirks and weird gestures.  But, if there is a way to minimize them, I will try it, as I know that it sometimes "hurt" him.

One time, we were inside the church, he had a small tantrum wherein he shook his head more than usual, grimaced and told me "Mommy, I can't make it stop."

Now, how can I stop wanting to make him feel better?

First week

Yesterday, I sort of freaked out a bit coz Dale was already playing on the computer and he has not fixed his school requirements yet.

I checked his bag and saw that he was bringing his drawing notebooks to school. 4 big ones! I took them out and threw them on the floor. I said maybe he wasn't listening to his teachers and was drawing instead.

He quickly picked them up and said "mommy, you can get angry at me but please don't take it out on my notebooks... And I am listening to my teachers. I was about to fix my homework..." and he did.

Sigh.

Grade 7

things have been so chaotic... and lazy!

Kuya graduated from elementary! Yahoo!

I'm now in the process of making a Behavior Intervention Plan for him as required by the Principal/counselor. We will be having him assessed again. And they asked us to submit a Waiver of Admission, if we fail to comply. :))