The Dancel brothers

Vin comes from a very close-knit family, with siblings who are not only creative but excellent at what they do. I take cues from them as family when I am blessed with the opportunity to be around them. And yes, Vin has other brothers aside from Ebe, who is undoubtedly the most famous rockstar-y one. (I’ve seen childhood friends get tongue-tied around Ebe, if that’s enough indication at how well-loved he is in the Philippines). I’ve also been witness to what a thoughtful and involved father Vin is to his two sons with Kris Gorra-Dancel. Kaio and younger son Andres are growing up happy, healthy and strong because of their parents and their tight Dancel support system.

Ebe, the one who leaves my friends speechless. Yes, even the guys.

Through Vin, I’ve had the opportunity to meet his older brother Dennis, as well as spend an afternoon with him doing a photo shoot with some artists for Republikha. Manong Dennis, as we call him, is a passionate and dedicated doctor as well as a seriously talented photographer.

Vin and eldest, Kaio at Vin's album launch

And it was Manong Dennis who sent out a personal message today, standing as a voice for his dear friend  Dr. Tec Flores who, not so long ago, reached out and helped save little Andres Dancel’s (Vin’s son, and Manong Dennis’ nephew) life. The message, posted on his facebook accounts, talked about “returning a favour” that was so graciously and selflessly extended to him. Now, it is his turn.

Kaio and Andres Dancel

An excerpt from Manong Dennis’ note:

Almost 2 years ago, my nephew was in the ICU because of neonatal sepsis. One of the people who took care of him then was a medical school classmate, Dr. Tec Flores, a pediatric cardiologist. For that, I will forever be indebted.

 

I promised her I would someday return the favour.

 

That day has come.

 

A few days ago, while attending a conference in Taiwan, Tec fell very ill. She suffered from an intracranial bleed because of a ruptured aneurysm. She underwent surgery in Taiwan and she is currently in the surgical ICU.  Her hospital bill as of this morning was at PhP 800,000, and rising. Fast. She is a good week or two away from being cleared to be airlifted back to the Philippines, and God knows how much that bill would be by then.

 

I have also been told that her mother is also in the hospital because of breast CA with brain metastasis.

Because of this dire situation, Manong Dennis is now raising funds by selling his amazing photographs for P5,000 each. All the photos you see on this entry are his. 

 

I am now selling custom-framed 8X12 prints of my photos to help raise funds for my classmate. Every photo from my personal fb page (www.facebook.com/dancelmd) as well as my photography page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dennis-Dancel-Photography/152614264773741) will be available for sale for PhP 5,000.00 for each framed photo.

If you’d like to take part in extending a hand by purchasing a photo or making a donation, you can send him a message here: dancelmd@gmail.com 

Several musicians are already talking about a benefit gig, so stay tuned to our Facebook page for further developments!

Here are other photos by Manong Dennis that you may want to purchase for yourself or a loved one (with more on his accounts, linked below):

From the album, "Batanes"

Also from the album, "Batanes"

As you can see, the photos are amazing and will definitely go a long way in helping save someone’s life. Here are the links to the facebook accounts of Dennis Dancel, and please do ask his permission and credit him properly if you want to use his photos for anything else.

Dennis Dancel Photography: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dennis-Dancel-Photography/152614264773741

Dennis Dancel’s Facebook account: http://www.facebook.com/dancelmd 

The note that Manong Dennis sent out: http://www.facebook.com/notes/dennis-l-dancel/returning-a-favour/10150664039563174

Let’s help him return the favour.

If you have other ideas or ways to help raise funds, you can also email me at carisse@republikha.org 

One of the most common issues I hear parents voice out about their kids is how to get them to “stop playing”. Now I know, for the most part, they don’t mean that their child should never play again. Mostly it’s a plea for their child to learn the skill of time management and being responsible; certainly if it’s not appropriate to play then children need to be respectful of their environment and those around them.

However, something happens to us as we grow older, would you agree? Somehow we lose that joy we experience when we’re simply playing. I’m not suggesting we have our parents to blame, of course. But so much of our grown-up stress can be alleviated by, you guessed it, PLAYING.

Enter the Bototoy. As the name suggests, its both a robot, and a toy. (Well, duh.) Yes, sometimes those two are separate from each other, but in this case its creator reminds us that they can be one and the same. That creator, in fact, was someone I had the pleasure of having a conversation with one evening. Arnold Austria is part of the superduo that steers the amazing design firm called JAGNUS DESIGN STUDIO and with the help of the good folks at DETALLE, he came up with this fun, customizable, posable wooden robot that can be whatever you want it to be!

Arnold and Sonny of Jagnus Design Studio

The Bototoy represents the toy-art segment in the art industry, something most parents today may not think is a serious endeavor. But judging from the full house at Secret Fresh where the launch was held, collecting toys is something grown ups do, and no they don’t just involve GI Joe.

More than that, though, it was a conversation I had with Arnold and his team that showed me the heart behind this toy. He spoke about giving back to the community, touching on personal experiences that left him with the desire to do more. I love the fact that he is able to look into a challenging experience and turn it around into something positive, which is what the Bototoy is to me. It was then he told me that he wanted to help Republikha in its mission to reach the next generation through music: through an 18-inch Bototoy, which he painted a beautiful shade of gold. Proceeds from its sale will be donated to us. News that certainly made my heart happy! You can see that gold Bototoy in the first photo above The other big ones will go to the other beneficiaries Arnold has chosen, which are U Happy Events and Child Haus.

Farley del Rosario's Bototoy

Arnold also asked several of his friends to create their own version of the Bototoy, which were on display at the launch. Artists such as Archie Geotina, Egg Fiasco, and Republikha’s own Heidi Franco put their own spin on the wooden bundle of joy and reminded those who attended that really, its OKAY to play.

Ready to fly!

(I wish I caught the name of the artist who created that Bototoy above. Crazy amazing!)

So you know what? Keep playing, and never stop. Whatever it is that helps you reconnect to that peace inside you, helps still you and lets you come out inspired – do it. Whether that’s taking off on your longboard for an afternoon, taking photos of random objects, baking 300 cookies, or walking your chihuahua. Do it and come back with some inspiration to keep doing what it is you do. And who knows, you just might have the best day yet!

Secret Fresh's Robert Dim, Heidi Franco, and MTV Exit's Louie Barretto

Photos courtesy of Secret Fresh’s facebook account. You should like ‘em. Seriously. Thanks Secret Fresh!

Interested in The Bototoy?

Give Secret Fresh a call: 

5709815 local 7

Email them at:

freshmanila@gmail.com

 secretfreshinfo@gmail.com

Despite the common exhaustion of lugging around a camera, a laptop and carefully holding a flip video to capture each interview, I walk away inspired and with a renewed faith that someday I can and WANT to be a mother that raises her children to be the most outstanding person that they can be. Not just by immersing them in academics but most definitely surrounding them with creativity and supporting an innate passion for the arts or whatever it is that they will be interested in.

I am truly grateful for this experience and for the time that I was given that enabled me to spend time with these moms and dads who are doing their best to raise the next generation of citizens that will run our country. It definitely is the most difficult albeit rewarding role one can have – to be a parent. Out of all of this my dream to be a wife and a mother were reinforced in my heart.

On that note, I wanted to share with you all one of the most common questions I get asked by parents even today: I want my child to love reading, but he doesn’t seem to care for books at all! What can I do?

There are a number of ways to answer this question, and truly parents do know their children best. But here are a few things you might want to try:

1. Have books at home specifically for your child.

If you haven’t built up a collection yet, make a trip to the bookstore with your child and take him to the children’s section. Be enthusiastic about looking through the racks of books with him and announce that you need his help to find the “best books in the store”. Take the books home and go through them with him with as much interest and excitement as you would want him to have on his own.

2. Look for a book that talks about what your child is into. 

Children’s books are so varied these days, its almost impossible to find one that doesn’t cover a particular topic. Preschoolers also tend to have general topics of interest, such as: dinosaurs, robots, cars/trains, fairies/princesses, family, adventure, food and even things like personal hygiene, pets and making friends. I think it would be safe to say that there’s at least one book out there for whatever it is your child is truly interested in at this age.

3. Read to your child, and be just a little bit OA.

There’s nothing like a good children’s book that calls for a grown-up to bring out the acting skills. Now you don’t necessarily have to put on a whole variety show, and in fact the point is not to detract from the book and act of reading. Rather, choose a comfortable, quiet spot and sit with your child (preferably on your lap) with the book in front of the both of you. As you begin reading, come up with funny voices, tones and sound effects as the story progresses. You may find that not only will it make the story even more interesting, but it just may bring a smile onto your child’s face as well.

4. Spend time reading, too.

The best way to pass along a value is not to teach it but to model it. They say values are “caught” not taught and as you probably already know how important reading is, having reading time of your own sends the message to your child that it is an important and valuable activity to take part in

Hope that helped a bit! If you have preschool questions of your own that maybe you’d like for me to answer, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Goodbye for now!

Teacher Carisse taught preschool in De La Salle Zobel (Alabang) for about 5 years and was head teacher of a playschool called Jellybean for about a half year before formally leaving the teaching field in 2004. She has a Teaching Certificate from De La Salle University and Master’s units in Basic Education from Ateneo de Manila.

Do YOU have your own tips and strategies to get kids reading? Share share share!

We’d love to hear how you handled this challenge too

Email: carisse@republikha.org || Twitter: @republikha || Facebook: Republikha, Inc.

Nothing separates the generations more than music. By the time a child is eight or nine, he has developed a passion for his own music that is even stronger than his passions for procrastination and weird clothes. 

- Bill Cosby