That Health Rules

Just came back from Manila this afternoon after I was invited to give a lecture in the annual convention of the Philippine College of Physoicians- the biggest organozation of all internists in the Philippines.  But before this date, I brought my family to take a vacation in Manila and visited some sights both for entertainment and cultural learnings.  I would have wanted to bring my family somewhere in Asia again during this summer but my being away to attend conventions for these past few months have made me decide to have fun with them in time for my work. And boy it was full of fun!

To those with kids and plan to explore Manila… these are the fun things you can do with your kids.  First we visited The Manila Ocean Park where the Oceanarium is located. It was full of fun for the kids and was the first time for my youngest to see such a huge collection of sea life. It can compete with the aqauriums in Hongkong and Singapore. 

 Then we proceeded to go to Star City which is a covered amusement park where the Snow World is located. Its bigger than the Snow City of Singapore and is more fun BUT… you need to bring your own jacket and boots if you like more time inside because they only provide you with a light jacket without boots which are not enough considering the freezing temperature.  Overall, Star City has lots of other fun rides for the kids and also clean and safe.  This early the kids are expressing their desire to go back!.

The next day we went to the Kiddie Fun ranch near Tiendesitas just around Ortigas also. The place has a huge adventure zone like playground and a huge inflatable slides with mini boat rides and games. Avilon mini zoo was a lso nearby and a walking distance which was also both fun and educational for the kids. But the most fun for them was when they rode on a donkey, held an eagle and fed the rabbits with a carrot stick on their hands.

The next day was more cultural as my son wanted to see the places he has learned in his Social Studies especailly Intramuros, Fort Santiago and Jose Rizal.  We toured Intramuros using a Kalesa ride and gave us a glimpse of the past.  We visited the place where Jose Rizal was imprisoned and traced his footsteps on the way to his death!  We visited the museum and glanced at his book the Noli mi Tangere and El Filibusterismo which my son knows about.  Then we visited the Discovery Science Center where the most amazing for my kids was the talking fish who interacted with them with questions and dances.  They now want to go back becuase of the FISH!  It has a Planetarium with an IMAX theater and Robotics.  Worth to visit.

The last day was a visit to Tom’s World and Toys R Us and a swim in our hotel…my favorite the Discovery Suite.

This Sunday I will be attending the American Association if Clinical Endocrinologist meeting in Orlando.  This one educational meeting that I always attend to update me of what’s new in my field. I will be away again for a week for work. But all these for the benefit to learning more so as a specialist I can update my knowledge of this ever changing field of Medicine.

But as all of us are busy, taking time to be with our kids and just be away from work is all much fun.  My way of mixing fun with work worked!  Grab all the time to be happy with them and bond with them.  They will be young only once! I feel better, healthier just laughing with them and younger as I rode the rides with them and as we all shouted together as if I was young again! 

This entry was posted on May 6, 2008 at 9:37 pm and is filed under General Health Tips.