Thursday Thoughts v. 2

This is a link up with Sar.

(1)

I woke up this morning thinking of one thing:  yema.  It's some sort of a local candy that has peanuts and milk as its main ingredient.  It comes in small pyramid shapes.  I could actually see these small pyramids inside my head the whole morning.  I could taste it's sweetness and  I could feel its crisp surface and the soft inner part of the candy.  

(2)

I finally returned the book, Best Man to the library.  Honestly, I did not finish it.  The story was  too slow for me.  I kept on waiting for the funny parts which were supposed to come from the main character's attempts to sabotage his best friend's wedding.  I was already halfway through and still, there were no attempts.  I couldn't even understand why it was entitled Best Man. 

(3)

After returning, Best Man, I went to the fiction section of the library and looked for another book.  I saw a college student, a friend I made in Brigadoon, who recommended two books to me.  It has been a long time since I read a book I truly enjoyed and I hope I would end up enjoying these two.

(4)

I have been craving for milk tea for like a week and today, I got the chance to have some with Angel.  She and I took the train together after work.  We got off at Gateway Mall, as usual, and had our milk tea. On my way home, I dropped by Mango.  They were having  a sale and I saw this really nice white top that was great for Fridays  (That's the only time we were allowed not to be in uniform).  I fought the urge try it on because I knew that if it fit me, and I was sure it would, I would end up buying it.   I got home and regretted not having tried it on.  I guess I'll go back tomorrow. :)

(5)

I went to Sar's blog when I got home and I was happy to see that she had already posted the questions for her 15 Day  Challenge. Can't wait to read answers to these questions!

How was your Thursday?

Countdown

I have decided to do a little countdown today....but only until the end of this year.

159 days to go before my wedding.  When I first got engaged...I mean, this time around....I was so excited that the wedding was all I could think of.  Today, five months before my wedding, I am still excited, but most of the time, I try not to think about it because of the stress that it gives me. This is really a stressful time for me and Ruel.

3 months to go before the first fitting of my wedding gown.  I was the one who designed the wedding gown so I really can't wait to see if they would be able to follow my design and if my design would look as lovely in real life as it looked on paper.

2 months to go before I turn another year older.  I honestly cannot say my age at the drop of a hat anymroe.  I stopped counting a long, long time ago.  When people ask me my age now, I say, "I don't know" because I really don't know or I ask them to wait as I do the math.  It's really funny, I thought I was the only one who had this experience but I was recently talking to my college best friend and she has the same don't-know-my-age-till-I-do-the-math disorder as well!  Anyway, I thank God for every year of my life, every year with my loved ones, and for all of the many more years He'll give me  to enjoy with my loved ones.

39 days to go before my son turns 13! I can't believe it! I have a teenager!!!  I pray that God will give me the strength and the wisdom to raise such a strong-willed teenager like my son.  Who am I to complain?  As they say, "The apple does not fall far from the tree.", "Kung ano ang puno siya ang bunga".   I thank God for giving me such a talented, intelligent son. I love him so much and I pray that God will give us many, many, many more years to be together.

42 days to go before my mom turns another year older.  My mom is probably the most unselfish person I have ever met when it comes to her children and grandchildren.  My goodness! She doesn't sleep a wink when we are sick, even if it's just a slight fever.  I actually wonder how she does it.  I have tried doing it several times but I have failed every time.  I pray to God that He will bless my mom with many more happy, healthy and productive years.

6 days to go before Brigadoon practices start.  Well, you probably know by now how excited I am about this.  I have written about it twice, thrice if you count this one.   I really can't wait to see the other members of the cast.  And I want to feel that adrenaline rush again!


I really hope everything turns out great!

Monday's Letters

This is a link up with Megan.


Dear Monday, thank you for being so nice to me today....no problems in school whatsoever, and I got to leave school early.   I'm so glad you're almost over though coz I can't wait for Friday.

Dear Sar, I'm so excited about the 15 Day Blog Challenge you're planning.  Please hurry up and start it already! A lot of us are waiting.

Dear Toots, I love you so much! I hurry home every day just so we can have time to talk and just be with each other.   I miss my little Toots but I don't love you any less now that you are big.

Dear Spiderman, I'm not much of a fan but I can't wait to see you on Friday. That way, my son and I can compare notes about you, and I can talk about you in my blog.

Dear July 2, I am counting the days till you're here!  I don't care if I have to leave school later than usual, as long as I get to be on stage again, rehearsing for the Brigadoon cast's last hurrah.

Dear God, thank you for everything and for everything you have in store for me.

Just Trying to Make Sense of It All

I have been betrayed by people I once considered friends—people who appeared  to be decent and worthy of my trust and loyalty.  As it turned out, appearances can really be deceiving, and so are someone’s actions, words, and way of speaking.

I admit I have been wrong, in judging a book by its cover, so to speak.  I have placed my trust on people who were in all appearances meek, nice and who acted like ladies.  Always forgetting past mistakes, always forgetting that some wolves are in sheep’s clothing, I fell into the trap.  Time and again, I find myself trusting the wrong people, investing my time in false friendships and getting hurt in the end.

I have worked in another industry prior to this – an industry that DID NOT HAVE to place high premium on Christian values but I have never been betrayed by people I met there. In fact, they were the friends I will always cherish for life.    In contrast, the industry that I belong to right now, place so much importance to Christian values and the Christian way of life.  However, it is where I have suffered betrayal, persecution and injustice.  The worst part of it all is that I suffered them all in the hands of people I trusted, people I once called friends. 

I wonder what is it about this profession that makes it so easy for colleagues to step on one another’s toes? I wonder what is it that makes them want to put someone down just so they can look better?  I wonder what is it that makes it so hard for them to just let the other enjoy his moment of triumph or glory?   Why can’t they keep themselves from raining on someone else’s parade?  Why can’t they just simply be happy for one another?  What is it about this profession that keeps someone from being the friend he is supposed to be?   

Are we all just so hungry for recognition, position and power that we are willing to sacrifice our relationships?  Is glory more important to us than kindness, respect, loyalty, trust and friendship?

Things will never be the same again. They CANNOT be the same again.  I may be able to forgive them in time but I know I will never see them again the way I once saw them.  As far as I am concerned, if they acted the way they did, they were never my friends and I do not in any way owe them any amount of loyalty.

I know that no matter what happens, no matter how many times I get hurt, I will always end up trusting once again, when someone new comes along.   It is kind of stupid, but it is the way I am.  Some may call me gullible or naive but I think that no matter how hard I try not to be, no matter how hard I try to keep my walls up, I will always end up letting my defenses down,  hoping against hope that someday, someone true and worthy of my trust will finally come along.

Real Friends

Today I realized that not all people I chat with, joke around with, or laugh with are my friends.

A real friend is:

 -someone who wishes the best for you;

 -someone who does not only stay with you when you are fun to be with, but who will stay with you when you are down, cranky or depressed;

 -someone who will laugh with you during silly moments and cry with you during times of loneliness and despair ;

 -someone who will risk looking like a fool as long as you get to enjoy your shining moment;

 -someone who will never show your weaknesses to your enemies;

 -someone who will stand by you and with you;

 -someone who will do everything to help you when you are truly in need

 -someone who will honestly tell  you your faults and still love you just the same;

 -someone you can trust with your life.

 Although I can only count my real friends with my fingers, I still  feel so blessed that I have them in my life.

Happy Independence Day!

This is in response to the question I just heard on TV.  "Do you think the Philippines is really free?"

Here is what I think.

Today, the Philippines is free from colonizers.  However, Filipinos are now slaves of other things.

Filipinos are slaves of corruption.  It exists not only in government but shameful as it is, it also exists even in schools, in the workplace, and in all other aspects of society.  It has become a part of life and is practised by people from all walks of life.    Of course, there are still those who are honest and live their life with integrity but I am talking about the majority.

Filipinos are slaves of  poverty.  More and more people go to bed hungry.  Salaries stay the same while prices of commodities constantly go up.

Filipinos are slaves of ignorance.  More and more people cannot afford quality education.  There are a lot of children who cannot even afford to go to school.  Some of those who go to school do not get to stay in school.

Filipinos are slaves of indifference.  Many choose to just let things happen, rather than take active part in making them happen, or in preventing them from happening.

Filipinos are slaves of greed -- greed of other people as well as their own greed.

Worst of all, Filipinos are slaves of themselves.  They want the country to change, the government to change, but they forget that the change should start with themselves.  Many people complain about many things.  However, they do not do anything to change things.  They complain about garbage, but they litter everywhere.  They complain about corruption but all they do is point their finger at someone else.  They do not know how to make sacrifices. Even the sacrifice of standing in attention when the National Anthem is being played or sung, is difficult for them to do.

I know I have made my country and my people look bad in the light of the things I have just written.  However, I write with the hope that my countrymen will read this post and reflect on it.  It  is only when we see ourselves for what we are and for what we have become can we be able to change what it is that needs changing.

I love my country and I love my people.  I believe in the goodness and in the greatness that lie within us. I just hope that we work hand in hand to let that goodness and greatness shine so that we may one day reclaim the glory that was once ours.

Happy Independence Day fellow Pinoys!

Thursday Thoughts

This is a link up with Sar.  

(one)

 School is starting in just a week and there are still a lot of things I need to prepare.

We'll have our Parent Orientation/Meet the Teachers tomorrow.   I'll be in school the whole day.

(two)

I was in Intramuros in the morning (business purpose) and fell in love with the place for like the hundredth time.  I kept thinking , "I should take a picture of this building, and that building ...."  but  we were in a hurry and there was no time to stop and do all these.   I'm so looking forward to our dinner date there on the 8th!  Hopefully, we'd get there before the sun goes down and I can take as many pictures as I want.

(three)

I need to write another letter to another bishop regarding the procedural fee that I incurred during the processing of my petition for the nullity of my first marriage.  Somehow, problems keep sprouting up.  With God's help and grace, I am filled with great hope that Ruel and I will be able to overcome all of them and that we will finally receive the sacrament of Holy Matrimony on the 2nd of December 2012.  I think these problems or trials are going to make our wedding even more beautiful.  

(four)

Pre-opening activites start on Tuesday next week and there are thousands of butterflies in my stomach.  I'll have a big role to play and I am not that confident that the people I'll be working with will be as cooperative as I want them to be.  Most of them are  older than I am, and this is the first time I'll be working with them.  I really don't know what to expect.

This is all I can think of at the moment. I hope you head to Sar, read what is on her page and link up!

A Childhood Treasure

I loved Wonder Woman and I loved pretending to be her.  I used to get  discarded photo negatives from my Dad's small photo studio then  I'd put them around my wrists and pretend to be fighting bullets with them.

One day my grandaunt came home from the States and my family asked me to recite a poem for her.  They said she was going to take a picture of me and give it to Wonder Woman.  The gullible four-year-old that I was  believed them and did what they asked.

A month after my grandaunt left for the States, this came for me in the mail!  My grandaunt said, Wonder Woman was very happy with the picture and decided to give me this thermos. ( It actually came with a lunch box which had been misplaced by my parents and was never found again.)   I was so proud I had a thermos from Wonder Woman!  Silly little me!

This is the only thing I have from my childhood, aside from my pictures.

All my dolls were left behind in the house I grew up in.  I had my View Master till I was 14 but a cousin borrowed it and I never got it back.

That's what makes this thermos such a treasure.  It is the only tangible proof of the innocence of my youth.

Do you have a treasure from your childhood?  I'd really love to know.  I hope you can leave your answer on the comment form.  I'll check out your blog.

What I Hate

I know it's weird following your own blog but something definitely went wrong when I tried to click on a follower's name.  I ended up following my own blog and I have absolutely no idea how I can delete my name from the list.  I've tried to but couldn't.

I went to blogger earlier and found it in my native tongue.  I hate it when the web is in my native tongue.  Not that I hate my own language...it's not like that at all.  I love my language! The thing is, things are translated in a funny way and there are things I cannot understand.  Another thing is, when I go online, my mind is on English mode...as in, it automatically does that, and I feel very uncomfortable when I try to navigate my way thru a site when it is in my own language.  The problem is I do not know how to put it back to English. I tried opening blogger in another window but still, it was in Filipino.   I really hate it when this happens.  Anyway, following this line of thinking, I think, I'm going to list down the things I hate.

What I hate:

- long lines

- poor customer service

- sales ladies who follow me around the store

- being asked by a site to type the weird-looking letters and numbers that I see just for them to know I'm not a robot or machine

-worms

- other people's wet hands touching me

- people in the malls who do not stop walking or talking while the national anthem is being played at the start of mall hours

- teachers who keep on walking and checking on the students while the national anthem is being sung
 (I think they are worse than the people in the malls.)

- student officers who imitate the teachers, walking around and checking on other students while the national anthem is being sung

- injustice in whatever form
   Sometimes the poor has a tendency to think that they are the only victims of injustice.  What they don't know is the middle income people usually become victims themselves on account of the poor.

- people who ask for money from politicians

- self-righteous people

- people who smile at me and then talk against me behind my back

- not receiving any increase in salary for three years straight while prices of commodities go up almost every other month

-disrespectful students

- establishments who try to cheat senior citizens out of their benefit

- fast drivers

- jeepney drivers who keep on changing lanes

- ordering something based on what it looks in the menu and then getting something which does not in any way look like the one in the menu

- a hero or a heroine dying in the middle of the story....I hate it when this happens...sometimes I just stop reading altogether, specially if the hero and heroine are madly in love.

- those who never lived in the States but who try to talk with an American accent they just learned from TV

- oily serving spoon

- demonstration teaching

- watching a teacher applicant do her demo teaching

- unscheduled meetings which everyone is required to attend....as if school is the only life I have!

- working on a disorganized desk

- organizing my desk....oh well, I have a hard time with that.

I guess that's all I can think of for now. :)


-

What I Never Leave Home Without

There are things that I always have to have inside  my bag. 

I have to have: 

face powder

lip balm

 two shades of lipstick: red and pink (My Mac lipstick here has gloss on the other end)

blush

pocket-size perfume (the one you see here is Clinique Happy, Ruel's favorite scent on me)

my comb.

What I Love about Being a Teacher

Some people would probably wonder what I like about my job.  Well, honestly, I can only think of five things:

1.  I get to have a summer break which is usually around one month and a two-week Christmas break.

2.  Knowing that I had made a difference in the life of a child and being appreciated for it.

    Below  is a facebook conversation I had with Adie, one of my former students.  She was under me when she was in the fourth and fifth  grade.  She is now 17 years old and has turned out to be every inch a lady.  I feel pride everytime she would tell me that I am one of those who made her who she is today.

 3. I get to explore my creative side like designing classrooms like this and getting a trophy for it.

4. I get to choreograph dance steps and teach my pupils to dance and sing and act.

      Here are eleven of my 3rd grade pupils singing and dancing You're Never Fully Dressed without a Smile from the musical, Annie.

                 

This was a contest and we won first prize. I was so proud of them AND of myself!

5. seeing my students look all grown-up like the four girls I'm with in the photo below

Well, I guess everything has to do with some sort of fulfillment.