Leadia Pillars

Making our own Dollhouse

Projects with Kids

The whole point was to do a project together. Something that excited both of us.

So summer of 2023 we started our dollhouse and months later, this still holds true.

We enjoy this bonding activity that allows us to be busy with our hands and push the imagination a little bit every time. I deliberately use recycled materials to encourage our daughter to stretch her idea about everyday things and how we can re-imagine anything. The sustainability or envrionmental lesson is a nice bonus.

There are easier projects out there for sure, and on some days I need to remind myself why we DIY anything. Here are ways to reframe when projects like this start to lean towards “chore”:

  • “It’s time-consuming.” –> It’s wonderful hours of non-agenda, non-gadget play.
  • “It’s not perfect-looking.” –> It’s handmade and spirit-filled work. The delight is in the making.
  • “We can just buy a dollhouse.” –> We strategize and design all the little details. It’s very intentional.

This is an open-ended work that will just keep getting upgrades when inspiration hits. It’s become the default art project in our home, and admittedly I do a little dance of joy every time I hear my daughter say, “Don’t throw that! I can use it for my dollhouse.”


How to DIY a Dollhouse

Project start: July 2023 – ongoing

Materials We Use:

  • For the base:
    • Egg Trays, toy boxes, pizza boxes, cake boxes, milk cartons, medicine boxes
    • Barbeque Sticks for support
    • Scratch paper / used bond paper to cover small boxes as furniture
    • Tissue for papier-mache
  • For decorating:
    • Colored Felt
    • Colorful pages from Activity books and coloring books
    • Stickers and Paint
  • White Glue

Updates:

  • 💛 What are your Works-In-Progress?💛

    💛 What are your Works-In-Progress?💛 Here’s an update on our DIY dollhouse (yes it’s still alive!). ✅️ Pool – our milk carton got a fresh coat of purple paint and tada! Outdoor pool is ready [Not in pic]: ✅️ Sofa – only a pink one will do for this little pinkie, made from juice carton…

  • 🤍What’s your big picture?🤍

    Our 5yo wanted a dollhouse, and in the spirit of doing projects to get her off gadgets, I told her we would make it.💪 Here we are halfway into it, doing some testing. I thought all along the house was for her Lego dolls about two inches high. Turns out she wanted her Barbies to…

💜 What tools keep you in flow? 💜

Rhythm Technology
Montalut Daily Rhythm

I’ve been figuring out Notion for two months. Right when I feel a breakthrough is coming and I start to get it, the dumping just begins again: task dumping, drafts dumping, table dumping. I have too many databases now, too many pages within pages.🗓📑

So many people swear by Notion as their ultimate productivity tool. I’m possibly stuck in the swearing. 🤣

💜 On Purple Day, it’s good to do a maintenance check on our life tools, the helpers that (supposedly) make our everydays easier, more organized and breathable.🪔 Now if a tool keeps you up late at night so you can figure it out…🤔

💛 What are your Works-In-Progress?💛

Projects with Kids
Montalut Daily Rhythm

Here’s an update on our DIY dollhouse (yes it’s still alive!).

✅️ Pool – our milk carton got a fresh coat of purple paint and tada! Outdoor pool is ready

[Not in pic]:
✅️ Sofa – only a pink one will do for this little pinkie, made from juice carton

✅️ Sofa pillows – She drew squares on Red felt, asked for help to cut and glue them, and insisted on looking for cotton to stuff them with ➡️ this one was a fail, they fell apart, so will probably need to sew them together

✅️ Bunting banner – She made it all by herself: drew triangles on paper, colored and cut them, and asked mommy to help string them together

✅️ Curtains – pipecleaners for the rod and unknown for the curtains–paper towels didn’t pass our 5yo’s quality check

There are so many wins on this project:

👉 It’s ongoing, so it helps build sustained interest and a longer attention span. We’ve been working on her dollhouse for almost a month, and she’s still coming up with ideas for it.🌈

👉 Hours (not minutes) of focused, creative play.

👉 Planning: she’s the architect, mommy is just her assistant

👉 Problem-solving, especially when things don’t work

👉 Resourcefulness: she now sets aside random things because “maybe I can use it to make something for my dollhouse.”

💛 On Yellow Day, check the WIPs in your life: the open projects that excite and challenge you, hold your attention (and time), and keep you imagining what’s possible and what’s next.🙃

Happy Wednesday!

People will ‘not be able to know what is true anymore.’

Technology Philosophy and the Future

“His immediate concern is that the internet will be flooded with false photos, videos and text, and the average person will ‘not be able to know what is true anymore.’

Down the road, he is worried that future versions of the technology pose a threat to humanity because they often learn unexpected behavior from the vast amounts of data they analyze. This becomes an issue, he said, as individuals and companies allow A.I. systems not only to generate their own computer code but actually run that code on their own. And he fears a day when truly autonomous weapons — those killer robots — become reality.

“The idea that this stuff could actually get smarter than people — a few people believed that,” he said. “But most people thought it was way off. And I thought it was way off. I thought it was 30 to 50 years or even longer away. Obviously, I no longer think that.”

The best hope is for the world’s leading scientists to collaborate on ways of controlling the technology. “I don’t think they should scale this up more until they have understood whether they can control it,” he said.

Worldschooling in the Philippines in 2023

Education Slow Travel

Collating helpful information here for families who see the world as our classroom and wish to explore the Philippines with their children, combining travel with schooling. Please let me know in the comments if there are places, initiatives, schools and groups that should be here too!


About me: I’m a Filipina artist with 20+ years experience in real estate, also education. I love the Philippines and do what I can to keep fighting the good fight of helping Philippine tourism. I spend my time now raising two kids with my husband: our 4yo daughter and our startup, Leadia. Leadia is our joint life work that is bringing together founders and leaders to live, work and play in multiple inspiring locations around the world.

My recommendations here are a reflection of my interests and preferences for slow travel, sustainability, nature, conversations, impact initiatives, Waldorf, art, farming. Hope you find them useful, and if you need any help, please just reach out in the comments 🙂

Happy travels and exploring!

tl; dr: Crown jewels of the Philippines are El Nido in Palawan and Batanes. Siargao is a close third.
Life-changing experiences unique to PH: Taophilippines.com, Swimming with the whalesharks in Donsol (not Cebu), Benguet trek/Banaue Rice Terraces
Danjugan Island Sanctuary Marine and Wildlife Camps – annual camps for adults 3N and youth 5N. Private camps can be arranged at any date for a min group of 10.
Heritage trips: Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar
Beach towns with surfing and robust communities: Siargao, La Union, Baler.
Best beaches in PH (sand and water/swimmable quality): the remote Islands in the Linapacan strait between El Nido and Coron, Nacpan in El Nido, Darocoton in El Nido, Boracay
Best snorkelling beaches: Bantayan Island in Cebu, Balicasag in Bohol, Bolinao in Pangasinan, Anilao in Batangas
Best dive sites (disclaimer: I’m not a diver): Tubattaha Reef in Palawan, Anilao in Batangas
Luxury island resorts: Amanpulo, Balesin
Family-friendly island resorts: Club Paradise in Palawan, Shangrila Mactan in Cebu, Shangrila Boracay

Overview

The Philippines has 7,107 islands, with over 120 ethnolinguistic groups (that means there are over 120 languages, not just dialects, in the PH). English is widely spoken.

MANILA

Manila is not an easy city, but there are gems if you really try to look.

Caveat: Anticipate heavy traffic, crowded streets and public places, concrete everywhere. Manila is not pedestrian-friendly.

If you want to stay in a walkable neighborhood with city conveniences: Bonifacio Global City, Makati Business District, or Rockwell Makati

Good things about Manila: English is spoken everywhere. It’s where you can see Philippine Art and Museums, take cultural/historical tours. Malls are everywhere and complete with modern conveniences (even 4D cinemas), so it’s a good place to stock up on specialized foods, toiletries, gagdets, clothing, etc. Everything is also available online on Lazada.com.ph or direct to sellers on Facebook Marketplace, with courier service for same day deliveries. Filipinos love to eat so there are lots of dining options and specialized home bakers/ foodies that fit every budget.

Where to check weekly things to do and events: Spot.ph

Popular souvenirs/products: Pearls, dried mangoes (try plain and covered in dark choco), Philippine textiles

Best way to get around is via Grab (car on-demand like Uber)

Intramuros and Old Manila

Lots of groups offering walking / bike tours of Old Manila covering the areas of the old walled city (Intramuros), the Luneta Park, Binondo (oldest Chinatown in the world) and Escolta districts.

Activities for Kids in the City

These are compiled information from recommendations of other parents in Best of the Best Manila.

  • Obstacle course class at Obstacle Sports Factory
  • Malacanang Museum(weekdays only)
  • Ateneo Art Gallery
  • Carpentry for Kids: Taty_mnl on Instagram
  • MiraNila Heritage House – conducts day tours of a Heritage Mansion in the city

Outside Manila

  • DreamPlay
  • Camp Boa
  • Hiraya Farm
  • Pinkie’s Farm
  • Lake Caliraya for camping, fishing, water sports: recommend to stay in The Lakehouse Caliraya
  • Gardenia Bread City in Laguna (weekdays only)
  • Makiling Botanic Gardens
  • Project Curma, La Union
  • Visit the windmills in Rizal
  • Hiking trails in Rizal

AROUND MANILA

Tagaytay

You can view Taal, the World’s smallest volcano (and it’s a volcano within a volcano), from the Tagaytay Ridge

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

Heritage

Masungi Georeserve

Forest school Philippines (Cavite)

Guided 2-hour walk through a forest in Cavite, south of Manila. Take off point is the Canopy Farm, which can be a destination on its own. https://www.facebook.com/thecanopyfarmph?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Antipolo

Mountain city, natural extension of Metro Manila where people who want a greener lifestyle relocate. It has a lot of quaint restaurants, cafes, museums.

Camp Explore

PALAWAN

Puerto Princesa

Microtel: a small beachfront hotel in a mangrove area. When the tide comes in, it’s great for kayaking. Needs transfer service to get to the city center.

Ka Lui: Restaurant serving local dishes. Our favorites: Coco banana milkshake and leche flan. Call to reserve seating.

Dos Palmas: Island resort accessible by a boatride from Puerto Princesa bay

Sabang

Underground River

Taophilippines.com

Remembering the expansive ricefields of Bali (2017)

Enterprise and Wealth Creation Green Design and Architecture

First published on July 23, 2017. Reposting these from my old (now deleted) IG account.

Here’s a vid of my pretty friend Liudmila and I trying to overcome being camera shy and showing you 2 of the 5 intentional energy pavilions of #VisionVillas. These pavilions were built in relation to the Chinese elements of Wood, Fire, #Earth, #Metal and Water, each with its attendant energy and intention. We’re standing next to the Metal or Steel pavilion that inspires answers to the question #How?

What a brilliant idea to dedicate physical spaces in our homes with #energy #intentions.

Why Tokenization is the new superpower for communities

Technology,
blockchain, network, business-3448502.jpg

When a group of people share a common interest and decide to pursue that interest together, you have a community. And today, there is an unprecedented level of participation and engagement made possible in communities through tokens.


Over the weekend we connected with Murshida and Zeal, amazing entrepreneurs from Singapore and Malaysia, who have a vision of a sustainable community of inspired and like-minded conscious entrepreneurs, very much like the vision of Montalut Creative Communities. They’re the husband-wife team behind Love and Respect: Coaching for Change. And what’s amazing is that they’ve already covered two big steps in their project: acquiring the land, and building the community of like-minded entrepreneurs who want to do good.

village, rural, field-5521554.jpg

The resonance was so strong in listening to them share about their project, and we very clearly saw how they could superpower their community by tokenizing it.

The idea was new to them, and we were very happy to share our experience about it in the simplest way possible.

Disclaimer: I am not a tech or legal expert, and ideas shared here are from a conceptual point of view, meant as a basic start to a deeper dive into tokenization.

What is Tokenization?

Let’s define some terms first.

Blockchain

There’s no talking about tokenization without talking about blockchain.

When I first “met” blockchain in 2017, I was blown away by the possibilites of a distributed, transparent, and immutable system of exchanging value, such as money. Blockchain is a technology, like the internet, that creates a public ledger or recordbook with a touchmove feature: once a record is made, there’s no editing it. What does this mean? It’s a reliable way to keep important records, such as financial transactions (payments, investments) and contracts, such as buying and selling assets like art, property, even gaming assets.

What are the features of Blockchain?

Transparent Records

Records are kept in a shared aka distributed network of computers scattered all over the world, that crosscheck each other.

Direct Transactions

No more middleman (bank, government, etc.) to make transactions. Anyone on a blockchain can directly transact with others on the blockchain, aka peer-to-peer (P2P).

Immutable

Permanent, historical records that cannot be edited.

Use case of blockchain technology: Tokens

Tokenization is a phenomenon that grew out of blockchain technology.

Real-world assets, like company shares and real estate, can now be given a digital value in the form of tokens. The real magic sauce here is that tokens can be bought in bits and pieces, what’s called fractional ownership. What does this mean? You don’t need to buy big to be able to participate in a project. If you see something that resonates or interests you, you can support and benefit from it with a low entry cost.

Here’s an example: I’ve been brokering real estate for over 20 years, and for many, the golden goal is to acquire commercial property that earns rental income. That’s a big amount of capital we’re talking about before you can participate in the gains. With tokenization, an asset like a commercial building worth 1M can be tokenized for let’s say 1,000,000 tokens, with each token representing one of a million or .000001% share in rental income. This allows up to 1,000,000 individuals to buy tokens and enjoy the benefits of their investment. A real estate investor today can easily go in and out of property investments all over the world, at a fraction of the cost and without having to deal with administrative and legal hoops, by buying and selling tokens of tokenized real estate.

Tokens for Communities

So how does this apply to communities?

1. Tokens allow participation in the mission

For this alone, I will stand by the benefits of tokenizing a community.

When I first dreamt of a creative community, I was a lone believer. Then I started talking about it to as many people as possible, and everyone I talked to felt the passion and determination I had for it. Those who were deeply moved by it asked how they could support it, or contribute to it, and almost always these conversations ended with “let’s see what happens”. I just didn’t have any means of welcoming them into the party in a concrete way, even if they loved the vision and wanted to support it.

A tokenized community can let anyone have a stake in the project through the token. The beauty here is that these token holders are curated investors who believe in your cause and who will be your natural community or project ambassadors.

2. Tokens are built for borderless connections

Even from day one, the vision I had for Montalut was to create a model that would be replicated in many parts of the world. Tokens can be used as the currency of the community that can be used in any location, without friction cost of conversions, transfers, etc. It is a unit of trust that’s being passed around within the community.

Because tokens are borderless, your audience also becomes borderless. A real estate community project in Singapore can easily attract entrepreneurs in Minsk or Istanbul. What does this mean? Borderless marketing, borderless offers, borderless possibilities.

3. Tokens are customizable

Whether the token translates to rights to make decisions or rights to a share in the profits entirely depends on you and how to design your token. Tokenization can be designed according to any business model, and is especially suited for those that work as a community or ecosystem.

Any feature you want in your token, you embed in its smart contract on the blockchain, so token holders are also fully aware of the benefits that they can expect from having your token.

On our LEADIA ecosystem, for example, we designed tokens as a complement to the idea of bringing together 1) successful tech companies from Eastern Europe that have maxed out their existing markets, 2) small businesses and professionals in Southeast Asia who would benefit from these tech tools to optimize operations and profits, and 3) investors who want to support this project and ride on the growth journey of these tech companies. The LEADIA Token, $LFT, is the magic that brings all these pieces together in a quantifiable, fluid, and borderless way.

Tokenizing a Farming Community

Back to Murshida and Zeal’s project. Top of mind, here are possible ways of tokenizing a farming community:

Traditional WayTokenizedBenefits of Tokenization
Real Estate/Land OwnershipSubdividing the land for traditional titled land ownership for each home/familyTokenized ownership of the landUnlimited and fractional owners
Raising Capital -Founding members to fund it or seek out traditional investors/VCs to develop the farm

-Lumpsum investments
-Tokenized ownership of the animals + farm plots

-Fractional investments
-Faster Fundraising and wider community engagement

-Progressive inflow of funds (i.e. you can start your project with one small investor with just one cow and grow from there)
Income Streams-Harvest
-Membership approach, like a timeshare
-Renting out built housing or commercial units
-Renting out the land
Tokens with rights to harvest/rental incomeDistributed profits

These are just initial ideas we bounced off them, and they are of course subject to laws and regulations in the jurisdiction of the intended community.

Final points

Possibilities are endless on how tokens can superpower a community! The ideas of distributing entry point, entry cost, share in the gains, and even decision-making–they are all aligned with what most communities do in the first place.

  • Tokenization is a powerful tool in supercharging your community.
  • CAVEAT: Not every project can benefit from being tokenized, especially since there are costs to being on the blockchain.
  • It’s important to first pin down the architecture of your community to see how tokens can come into the picture.
  • Also understand your tokenomics: How will your token flow in and out of your community? How will this flow balance the supply and demand for your tokens?

If you have a community project in mind and are considering tokenizing it, let us know how we can support you on your journey. We would be glad to see more and more people understand and use this superpower so that more good can come out of this amazing technology.

Zen and Money: Notes from Ken Honda’s Money Trauma

Enterprise and Wealth Creation

“The Zen approach to wealth is to find satisfaction in what you have instead of seeking more.”

Ken Honda

Interesting exercise to meditate on this.

Watching Moana, for example, I resonated so much with her resistance to staying in her village. “You can find happiness right where you are” just felt so limiting.

I’m going through Ken Honda’s work on Money Trauma now and making time to digest every wisdom nugget. Will be posting a doodle series on it! #alayaph #entreplife #moneytrauma #kenhonda #zenmillionaires

Abundance is trusting this cycle of giving and receiving. It’s what life is all about, and it’s giving from that special place inside that never runs out–your unique gift. The best part? When your inner candle is lit, you can keep lighting other candles without losing your own light.🌟

What’s your gift that keeps on giving?

If you want to change your money mindset, Ken Honda says to forget about money.

When your focus is on money, and it doesn’t come, you end up frustrated and anxious. Fear becomes your life.

What are you focused on? How do you shift your focus towards giving without agenda? His pro tip: Appreciate. Come from a place of full appreciation for people, for little and big things, for life. Then see the magic happen.


In every situation, think of what you can give first, and everything else will follow.

Happiness is…waking up to Sulana feel-na-feel singing in bed. It’s homemade frozen hot chocolate just because. Montaluts on the walls of friends’ homes. Finding money in an old wallet. Watching the sunrise. Cold beer and sunsets. Sand beneath my toes. Good conversations. Silly conversations. Kayaks and calm waves.

What’s your happiness?💙

I appreciate you.

Tell someone today.

Interesting image from Ken Honda: a futon bed for one’s wallet or credit cards, meant to foster that loving, nurturing relationship with money. I heard a similar tip on being intentional with our wallet: allow for more money to come in, so don’t overstuff it. On the opposite end, don’t ever leave it empty either.

How do you keep your money, finances, receipts, bills? Is it helping you cultivate a gentle, friendly and happy relationship with money?

Arigato your money. Show respect to Money In, Money Out.

What’s your Money Language? Is Money a gentle person?

Money is energy.

Do what you love, and make sure money follows you. It has to be both.

We are born with several mediocre gifts. What is your one gift that shines the brightest? Some clues: what were your nicknames as a kid? Or what were you usually scolded for?


Joy radiates. It attracts.


Once you start appreciating X, X appreciates you back.

Day17 since I “met” Ken Honda, and going strong with the mindful exercises to have that radiance of appreciation. No lies though, pandemic gremlins are still hanging about, so each day is a dance between giving in to fear and anxiety on one hand, and bursting with hope and freedom on the other. Appreciation definitely makes the dancing much more pleasant!

How much wealth do you want? If you catch yourself saying, “I just want enough” or “I just need to pay my bills”, it may be good to revisit your feelings and beliefs about money, specifically your money container. No matter how much money comes to you, if your subconscious thinks having more than enough is evil or selfish, you’ll always find ways to just go back to “enough”.

What story do you tell yourself?

Lesson on month 3 of gardening: Pests are inevitable.🐛

Enterprise and Wealth Creation Farming and Gardening

The Alaya Mindset: “I am prepared for whatever comes.”

 
 
Last night, I found 4 bald tomato stalks on my sprouting tray, with the culprit munching on neighboring leaves 😵
 
Despite being indoors and 22 floors up, a worm managed to crawl into our garden. Quite timely too, as that morning I was musing about having zero pest problems, and perhaps needed a wake up call.
 

My takeaway:

Prepare for all possibilities, desirable and undesirable. It’s good to be reminded that things can always turn sideways, and that the effective mindset to take on is not “Everything will be okay” but “I am prepared for whatever comes.”

Morning lesson from the garden

Farming and Gardening Enterprise and Wealth Creation

The Alaya Mindset: “I tend to my own life pot, soil and environment.”

Two alugbati cuttings in the same pot, same soil, same weather conditions, and yet growing so differently in our garden. One is moving in spirals as a wild vine and the other sitting smugly in its center, sprouting in beautiful symmetry. 

What is this life force that is  so unique and asserts itself so undeniably?🌱 This life force is in all nature, including us.

Nice reminder to tend to our own pot, soil and environment–to keep them nurturing and permitting of all surprises and possibilities. To welcome both rain and sunshine, and watch out for pests.

What’s in your life garden? Are you getting enough nutrients: good food, quality sleep, inspiring conversation? Are you open to sunshine: things, experiences or people that warm and excite you? How about rain: those that keep you relaxed and flowing? And what are you doing to protect yourself from pests, or seasons of drought, like the COVID19 pandemic?

How about your business garden? Are you tending to your entrepreneur soil and business environment?

Today is Monday, and we’re crossing over to the second half of 2020 in 2 days. Here’s hoping for better, more nurturing days ahead. 🙏