.: the bojicas » Family & Lifestyle

Weekend in Al Ain

Silviu D. Bojica — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:09:38 +0000

Last weekend was one of those magical ones, spent with my family and a handful of friend in Al Ain.

This post wishes to be a picture story of the above mentioned trip and the two places we visited there: Al Jimi oasis and the Al Ain Zoo.

First step Al Jimi Oasis.

Bellow a picture of my daughter, my wife and myself on the shade. Sorry guys and girls from back home, I know it’s winter there with tempratures far below zero:

The wonders of the desert, yes we are in the middle of the desert, but mind your steps…

and a close-up (my friends were busy visiting & making pictures of the nearby fortress), but I got myself knees dirty, attracted by these tiny flowers…

Hey, here we are, waive my girls…

If you follow me on twitter, you may know about that crazy project of mine dailyshoot / 2010 in 365 daily shots. Today’s assignment… Quirky things often catch your eye and make for interesting art. Make a photo of something that makes you go “Hmmm” today. So here comes my first candidate…

Let me see if you guess. What is this? Aliens?

Hmmm… a door profile:

Well, we were into an oasis, so this is how it looks like:

Let me introduce you now, one of my friends, without which the story will not be complete. His name is Octavian, passionate of photography himself. Here, he is aiming that flower bush…

or well, not exactly, hmm… as I hear him saying: A little to the left, no… no too much, to the right, just a bit. Perfect! And now say, cheese!

One more shot of his…

Time to move on, to the next place, Al Ain Zoo, but just before reaching there we enjoyed photographing our shadows (probably candidate #2 for the hmm moment):

Finaly, at zoo…

It’s time to introduce Daniel, snacking his popcorn:

So why go to cinema? Popcorns, berry juice, and hey … we can see Alvin, live, right here …

My turn to feel attracted of flowers

… and flowers (love ya!) …

Wildlife… thinking at its supper

couple of fences apart…

Panorama

Final shots, to remember…

and

The winner of the quirky, hmmm moment is (laughing, laughing & laughing):

The zoo attraction, white lions:

But it’s late and my daughter is… getting tired.

Many more moments to come, I warn her.

Oh, man! says she, like Swiper the fox from Dora, one of her favourite cartoons.

From here, the last retreat in Heritage Village, then back to Sharjah.

I hope that you like it and I could bring the smile on your face showing you this photo-story.

The last, but not the least, I would like to hear from you, be sincere if you like it or not, and also I am awaiting other crazy ideas for one-weekend adventures. Comments are open …

What Is That?

Silviu D. Bojica — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:53:54 +0000

A touching short film about parents and parenting.

Bellow is the link to the blog from where I have been originally referred to this movie: http://personalgrowthmap.com/blog/

“Baby Bumblebee” Kids’ Song Lyrics

Silviu D. Bojica — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:50:12 +0000

I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me,
(Cup hands together as if holding bee)

I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Ouch! It stung me!
(Shake hands as if just stung)

I’m squishing up the baby bumblebee,
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me,
(‘Squish’ bee between palms of hands)

I’m squishing up a baby bumblebee,
Ooh! It’s yucky!
(Open up hands to look at ‘mess’)

I’m wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me,
(Wipe hands off on shirt)

I’m wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Now my mommy won’t be mad at me!
(Hold hands up to show they are clean)

Parenting The Shy Child

Tatiana Bojica — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:15:11 +0000

This subject is interesting not only for me but for lots of parents with shy children.

I have a daughter 2 years and 9 months.

Shall I consider her shy at this age?

She is shy with new people, with strangers, afraid to talk with them but after a while (half an hour or more) staying with them she is no longer shy but she is still afraid to talk. But she is not shy with other kids, with her friends.

I am thinking that she might be confused about the language. She is learning in the nursery English and Arabic. At home we are talking with her in our mother tongue: Romanian language .

Here is a compilation of some interesting paragraphs I have found on my research related to parenting a shy child.

Do you have a shy child?

Children are shy in different ways for different reasons each child is different from the others.

Understanding the nature of your child’s shyness will help you develop a program geared towards your child’s specific needs. Is your child shy in groups? At parties? Meeting new people? In novel situations? Or, pretty much everywhere? Does your child have trouble eating in public? Playing with other children? Making phone calls? Knowing the nature of you child’s shyness will help you identify the specific skills your child needs to be more at ease in social situations.

It saying that the shyness is coming from parents, it is true? I think so. Also it saying that the parents to help their children not to be shy they have a social life, meeting people, inviting in your home friends, children . Going out to dine, going to some spectacle for them.

Tips:

“”"

Do . . .

Go first in social situations. Be the first person to say “Hi,” to introduce yourself or to strike up conversations.
Make a list of the kinds of things you would like your child to feel comfortable doing (e.g., talking with other children, asking for help from store clerks, making phone calls, etc) and make a point of doing these things in front of your child.
Be friendly. Routinely smile, say high and greet the people you see as you go through your day.
Compliment others often. Notice what you like about people (friends, family and strangers alike). Tell a stranger you like their hat or a friend how wonderful their dinner was.
Make an effort to help other people when you see they are in need. Open doors for people, pick things up when people drop them or offer to carry things for friends.
Role model taking risks and learning from them. Help your children learn by making positive comments about how you felt while you did things. Things like: “I thought that would be harder than it was.” ”That wasn’t much fun, but I’m glad I did it and got it out of the way. At least now I don’t have to worry about it.” Or, “That didn’t go as well as I thought it would, but at least I know what to do next time.”
Enroll in social skills classes and let your children know that you’re going. Bring back the things you learn from class and share them with your family and friends. I routinely encourage parents (shy or not) who take my social skills classes to practice their new found handshake, conversation and introduction skills with their children, friends and family. Don’t be surprised if your new skills make great party conversation, too. Most people struggle with social skills and are eager learn what you know so they can try it out themselves. Show your children that learning new skills from a class is a good thing.

Don’t . . .

Cross the street to avoid people you are too nervous to see.
Embarrass your child in public.
Criticize people in public.
Berate yourself for having failed when you try things and they don’t turn out the way you would like.
Berate your children when they make a mistake.

“”"

Source: www.shakeyourshyness.com.

Global Warming

Silviu D. Bojica — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:09:10 +0000

Global warming – action vs. non-action

Happy New Year!

Silviu D. Bojica — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 09:08:23 +0000

Romanian Traditions:

“Sorcova” is a bouquet used for New Year’s wishes. Children invoke the divinity of vegetation for the health of the host in the morning of the first day of the New Year.

Firstly, children wish to the members of the family or to their neighbors and relatives a happy New Year while touching them lightly with this bouquet.

Merry Sorcova,
May your health be strong
And your life long:
As an apple tree
As a pear stately
As a rose bush fair
Blossoming beyond compare:
Strong as a granite rock
Quick as an arrow’s shock
Hard as an iron bar
Tougher than steel by far,
Over summer, over spring,
May your health be great
A New Year with happiness
And in everything success.

Happy New Year!

Source of “Sorcova” carol English version: http://www.roembus.org/

Tabbouleh (bulghur and herbs salad)

Silviu D. Bojica — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 09:11:44 +0000

Tabbouleh is a popular salad in Middle East, made with fresh veggies, olive oil and spices. It can be eaten in pita, scooped onto pita bread, or traditionally with a fork.

INGREDIENTS:

2 bunches of fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of fresh mint, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 medium tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup bulghur, medium grade
6 tablespoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Romaine lettuce or grape leaves to line serving bowl

PREPARATION:

Soak bulghur in water for about 2 hours in cold water until soft.

Draiun well, squeezing out excess water from bulghur using hands or paper towel.

Combine all ingredients, except for salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Line serving bowl with grape leaves or romaine lettuce, and add salad.

Sprinkle olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper on top.

Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator for couple of hours before serving.

How Safe Is Your Food?

Silviu D. Bojica — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 16:24:31 +0000

Interesting facts, regarding facts of food poisoning: click here.And when I am thinking I had same sort of acute problems, just about a year ago… Now, I am thinking twice, before putting something in my mouth.