ONE

note: photo courtesy of MakePovertyHistory

with all the craziness in our country now, it's good to know that there are still a lot of people who want to make the world a better place.

check out their site to find out more about this worldwide movement.

get involved.

we can make poverty history.

kid at heart

Piece of Cake

last wednesday, i got to join the kids (who also happen to be my students last year) from the Pre-K1 afternoon class in their special activity. as part of their Baker theme, the class invited one of students' aunt to teach them how to decorate cupcakes. she loves to bake (her chocolate cakes are excellent!) and recently turned her favorite hobby into a small business.

i thought i was only going to observe but, as luck would have had it, i was given my own chocolate cupcake to decorate!! yipee!! (see, it pays to have good relations with the relatives of your former students. haha.)

i really had a great time. sobrang therapeutic pala sya. at first i was chatting with the kids (and teachers) but after a few minutes, seryoso na ko! hehe.

Tita Mia (our special guest) was kind enough to give me an extra cupcake (decorated by her, of course). can you guess which is my cupcake and which is hers? (ang hirap magdecide no??)


HPHBP

ok, if you understand what those letters mean, then you must be a Harry Potter fan, too.

yeah, you guessed right! i finally have my own copy of HPHBP!! woohoo!

can i just say how thrilled i am after reading the book?? di ko sya mabitawan! i read it for about 6 hours (excluding merienda and dinner breaks).

why am i thrilled?

oh wait.

just want to clarify....it's not because of the ending ok??? (naiyak nga ako dito e)

it's because of...something else.

sige na nga, aaminin ko na. i'm a die-hard Harry-Ginny fan!! been one since after reading book 3. ewan ko ba. i just love rooting for the underdog. ^_^

sorry nalang dun sa mga di pa nakakabasa (or di pa tapos ma) pero talagang tuma-tumbling ako sa tuwa nung nabasa kong sila na. *^_^*

although their ending was kinda expected given their current situation, i wasn't disappointed. to be honest, the ending was reminiscent of Spiderman 1...ah well, that's what happens when you get involved with The Hero.

kaya ok rin yung low-profile lang e. tignan nyo ko...low-profile. nasobrahan nga lang. ^^

"Someday my half-blood prince will come....." (hm. somehow that didn't sound right.)

my week at a glance

before my recent post, i was supposed to post my opinion about the goings-on in our country. but then, i read about ionaks' reaction to jawbreaker's blog entry and i just couldn't send it out. i'm sure a lot of you have read about it or received an email about their passionate opinions about our government, officials, and the rest of the bunch. so now i'm thinking, Sayang naman nasulat ko.

ah well. what the heck. i'm still including the draft i wrote about my take on our country's current situation....

Tama Na, Sobra Na, Magbago Na!

ANO BA?!?!? nakaka-buwiset na talaga!

napanood ko sa TV yung rally kahapon. as usual, andun nanaman ang mga politiko, mga cause-oriented groups, mga mamamayang naghahanap ng madaling pagkakakitaan, at shempre, ang mga dakilang usisero/usisera.

alam nyo, nagmumukha nang pamilyar tong eksenang to ha.

presidenteng corrupt na nasangkot sa isang skandalo. mga Cabinet members at iba pang politikong nag-resign (may nagwalk-out na ba?). mga mamamayang nagalit at sumisigaw ng "____ Resign!" (fill-in-the-blank). mga studyanteng hindi pumasok sa klase nila para mag-rally sa kalsada. welga dito, welga don. impeachment, anyone?? or how bout a little coup d'état?? at wag nating kalimutan ang kapangyarihan ng People Power...hm. pang-ilang EDSA rally na ba to? EDSA quatro na nga ba?

mga pare, bumenta na yan!

hindi ako pro-GMA (ni hindi ko nga siya binoto e) pero hindi na ko sang-ayon sa pagresign nya. bakit, kamo? sige nga. sino ang papalit sa kanya? (utang na loob, walang sisigaw ng, "SUSAN ROCES!" o makakatikim kayo ng matinding whallop!) o, wag nang magbanggit ng pangalan at baka sumakit pa lalo ulo ko...

mga kapatid, ganon nalang ba tayo lagi? tuwing may nakikita tayong mali sa mga lider natin, kelangan nang palitan. ilang beses na natin nagawa yan a. may nangyari ba??

bakit, nakasisiguro ba tayong yung susunod na pangulo natin ay hindi magiging corrupt? hindi mandadaya sa eleksyon o kung san mang proyekto ng gobyerno? hindi iwawaldas yung pera ng mga mamamayan?

yang mga Opposition na yan....sino ba ang hindi kurakot dyan, aber? sinasabi nila na wala silang hidden agenta. sus, kalokohan!!

naiirita na ko kasi nakakasawa na e. nanggaling na tayo dito at hindi ito ang solusyon!!

imbes na patalsikin ang pangulo, ba't di nalang natin bigyan ng pagkakataong ituwid ang pagkakamali nya? ang dami pang ibang mas importanteng problema sa Pilipinas. dapat yun na muna iatupag natin.

ano ba napapala ng pagrarally? bagsak nanaman ang peso. bagsak ang ekonomiya. at higit sa lahat, nababawasan (nanaman) ang respeto sa mga Pinoy!

totoo, isang milagro ang naunang People Power. mga dude, di na natin mauulit yan. kahit ilang sandwich pa ang iabot natin sa mga sundalo, kahit ilang beses tayo humarang sa mga pulis o humiga sa kalsada sa harapan ng mga army vehicles...wala na yung madyik.

we can never replicate the camaraderie, the heart-felt emotions and compassion, and the power of the very first People Power Revolution.

kaya wag nang pilitin.

ume-epal lang naman ang karamihan dyan e. pwede ba, gawin nyo lang trabaho nyo.

imbes na magturuan tayo, ba't di natin tignan sarili natin. oo, baduy sya. oo, gasgas na tong kasabihan na to. at oo, mahirap syang gawin. pero yun ang kelangan natin e.

we need to bring back the integrity, honesty, dignity, and the heart to serve our country and more importantly, our fellow countrymen. it's not about the fame. the popularity. the money. masyado nang maraming sakim sa mundo. wag na nating dagdagan pa!

kaya di na natin masisisi kung bakit ang daming gustong mag-migrate sa ibang bansa. nakakalungkot naman talaga sitwasyon natin dito e.

pero, alam nyo...kahit naman saang sulok ng mundo tayo pumunta, Pilipino pa rin tayo.

let's bring back the pride of being a Filipino people.

bow.

Estudyante Blues

nakakatawa talaga yung teacher namin sa Masters class ko every Saturday.

yesterday was our Mid-Term exam. now, we're all working students. but this does not stop us from acting like high school delinquents (hahaha!). in true teenager fashion, we exerted all our efforts on talking our way out of the exam. but, of course, it didn't work. the exchanges during the whole negotiations really cracked me up (which was a good thing. i was so sleepy that time and i needed something to wake me up.).

professor: You know class, this is the first time I'm giving a mid-term exam!
student A: Sir, wag nalang tayo mag-exam!
student B: Oo nga, Sir!
student C: Sir, open notes nalang!
professor: Nako, wag kayo kabahan. Madali lang to, pramis. Siguradong makakasagot pa rin kayo.
student A: Kahit di open notes?
student D: Kahit di kami nag-aral?
professor: Oo!
student B: Kahit di kami pumapasok?
professor: Oo nga e!
student A: Kahit di kami enrolled?

(hahaha!)

professor: Class, don't confuse achievement with effort.
student E: Sir, effort should always be rewarded!

(short pause)

professor: Kay Lord, may reward.

see, how can i be sleepy in this class??? ^^

shempre, tuloy ang mid-term exam. hhmm? how was the exam, you ask? well, i have a general rule: never talk about anything about the exam after taking it. so there. :p

Touch the Color...

for the second time in my life, i attended the 9 AM mass at our (Taytay) church. i usually go to the 7 PM mass with my family but i had so many stuff to do so i wanted to have a head start. anyways, since the church is just a short ride from my house, i decided to ride the jeepney instead of a tricycle (cost-cutting ^^).

on my way there, i noticed something about the houses and other buildings in my town...for some reason, a lot of families and businessmen decided to paint their homes or offices in a combination of pastel or bright colors. it was like driving around Dr. Seuss' world. either idol ng mayor namin si Bayani Fernando or he just likes having that pastel-motif thing going on. well, whatever his reason may be, i like it! seeing all the colors makes you feel refreshed and the journey less stressful. bravo to our mayor!

hm. i wonder if he's planning to bring that theme to our street.... ^_^

Sales 101

current mood: inspired

hi. i just want to share an email i sent to my community yesterday. change of pace (and mood) muna....i hope this story inspires you as it has truly inspired me. oh, and yeah. this is my sharing. :)

o0o

God truly has a great sense of humor.

this afternoon, i went to UP to meet (well, actually it's more of "to stalk"...) the person my friend recommended for my music therapy research. nung huling email ko, naghahanap ako ng taong nagpa-practice ng music therapy. i found out through a friend that this person even gives seminars on MT. the thing is, hindi alam ng kaibigan ko yung contact info ni Chat. so, like a true stalker, i called up the University to gather information. the best i could do was to get her class schedule. oh well.

flashback muna. two weeks ago, i waited for Chat before her class. unfortunately, the teacher decided to conduct his lesson outdoors. e iisa lang ang klase nya sa UP. kaya bigo ang pag-stalk ko.

fast forward to this afternoon.

i prayed to God that i would be able to meet Chat. i got there early to beat the rush hour. her class starts at 5:30 and i was there before 4. ang aga ko, no?

well, i recently took up a new hobby - photography. so for the first half-hour, i walked around the area near Chat's building (ayoko nang lumayo e. hehe.) and took a few pictures. aba, napakatalino ko talaga, kasi nakalimutan kong magdala ng extra batteries. kaya ayun, namatay yung camera ko. e may isang oras pa ko. anong gagawin ko ngayon??




so i found a nice spot in the football field - a huge tree root to sit on. i realized i could actually have my prayer time there. i was sitting quietly, initiating a conversation with God, when somebody approached me.

isang Koreano.

and the first thing he asked me was, "Miss, are you OK?"

teka, mukha ba kong di ok?? nag-e-emote lang ako! anyway, i just smiled and answered, "Yes."

i was wondering what this was about (i was even tempted to look behind the nearest tree for a hidden camera or something) when he introduced himself as a Protestant pastor from the Presbyterian church and asked if i had a few minutes to spare. when i agreed, he sat down beside me and pulled out a sheet of paper.

hhmm...mukhang pamilyar tong scene na to a.

aba, random evangelization nga sya!

i did mention that God has a great sense of humor, right? well, yesterday during the prayer meeting, Ate Malou gave a talk on "Sales 101 for God: Evangelization." looks like i'm about to be evangelized!! also, during the worship last night, i prayed to God to bring back the zeal in my heart. lately, i've been experiencing spiritual dryness...

this afternoon, instead of the usual "prayer time format", God changed tactics.

the whole time Mr. Korean Pastor was speaking, i felt like i was starting my relationship with God all over again. actually, it was the first time that i was receiving the evangelization talk from somebody outside of SOLV...and from a Korean pastor, no less! during his sharing, i think he asked me twice if i was ok. i just nodded and told him to continue...little did he know that i was trying so hard not to cry. oo, narinig ko na yung talk. it's the same thing we underwent during our CETP days in La Salle. but God was speaking to me through his evangelization.

actually, the fact that a Korean Presbyterian pastor was evangelizing me was not what amazed me the most. what really blew me away was that he, along with other members of his church, flew all the way from Korea to spread God's Word to different Asian countries. they have two weeks in the Philippines before they fly to Japan to evangelize other people. i also found out that, annually, their church sponsors out-of-the-country random evangelization missions.

amazing!

while most of us find it so difficult to leave our comfort zone and do random evangelization in malls or schools, they actually leave their own country to spread the Good News.

it was truly an enriching, humbling, and refreshing experience for me.

towards the end of his talk, i was dreading the closing prayer. sigurado kasing maiiyak ako e (hahaha!). fortunately (for me), he simply ended his talk with the last portion of the evangelization outline (whew).

sayang nga kasi aalis na sila this friday for Japan. i invited him and his brothers to the Crossroads Retreat (shempre, nag-plugging pa ko diba?? hehehe!). but then, they have an important mission also, so it's just as well.

anyway, after talking more about our faith, his church, and Korean telenovelas (sayang, di ko kasama yung ibang mga ka-CG ko - you know who you are :p i'm sure mas makakarelate sila doon sa mga actors na nabanggit nya...), my first "Korean pastor encounter" ended.

even if i still was not able to meet Chat (cancelled pala classes sa UP because of the rally!), i didn't feel bad.

God brought me there for a reason.

it was not coincidence that i did not see Chat the last time i was in UP because if i did, i wouldn't come back...
it was not coincidence that i had a lot of time in the afternoon because if i didn't, i wouldn't be there early.
it was not coincidence that the batteries of my camera died because if it didn't, i wouldn't have stopped and sat down to rest....

God brought me there for a reason.

and as i was driving home, i felt His warm embrace and heard Him whisper affectionately, "I LOVE YOU."

p.s.
for more info on the Korean Presbyterian Church, you may check out this site: http://www.sfkcpc.org/
more on their mission: http://www.sfkcpc.org/missions/index.htm

tidbits. and then some.

Bummer

i just realized that the photos in my gallery cannot be copied. see, i'm just a freeloader in the site so i don't get the nice privileges (such as the ability to download the pictures). kawawa naman si rica. dami pa naman nyang kuha sa site ko. hehe.

ayan, napahanap tuloy ako ng ibang online gallery provider...unfortunately, di ko nagustuhan yung sites nila e. too many things going on in just one page (e.g. ads, frames, more scrollbars, friends, blogs, etc.) the ones that i do like are not for free...so i ended up going back to my original site. oh well.

kaya rica, magrequest ka nalang sa kin kung may gusto kang ipa-forward na pix, ha? :p

Going Steady

my papa gave me a small, old (but the case was still unopened) Vivitar tripod. it's the rubber, adjustable kind. he found it while he was rummaging through his closet one day. i was so touched. :)

so i guess i can say goodbye to blurred close-ups from now on. woopee!

Ilang Tulog Nalang...

...Embassy night na! ^_^

Aby Phone Home

tinopak nanaman ako kanina. there are days when i suddenly have the urge to catch a certain movie at the last minute that it'll be too late to invite a friend. (aaah,the perks of being single. teka. perk ba yun??) on my way home after my class this afternoon, i just felt like watching War of the Worlds. i was already at The Fort that time and i found myself turning the wheel towards Market! Market!, falling in line at the movie booth, and entering the theater.

prior to this, my friend warned me about how the movie sucked (sorry nalang sa mga fans ng movie...^_^). well, since i wanted to catch it since i saw the trailer, i just ignored her low opinion and hoped for the best. hehe. after all, i wasn't looking for an intellectually-stimulating or thought-provoking story (hello, i came from my masters class! i've had enough mental stimulation for the day.). i just wanted to see Tom Cruise...hahaha! actually, i wanted to be entertained (but the other statement is true, too. ^_~).

so how did i find it? it was more disturbing than entertaining, actually. it is definitely not the typical Spielberg sci-fi film. it's not family-oriented (i think kids shouldn't even watch it!). it wasn't a feel good movie. don't get me wrong. it had a happy ending. just not what i expected. there were scenes that were downright nasty. i mean, really...sucking the life out of humans and turning their blood into fertilizer?!? and what about that scene where all the clothes of captured and killed people were slowly falling to the ground, like dried leaves? gave me the chills. (oops, pardon the spoilers) i wanted to cover my ears, close my eyes, and tell myself over and over, "I am in a happy place. I am in a happy place." it isn't the movie to watch when you've had too many cups of coffee, i tell you. ewan ko ba. hirap talaga pag masyado active ang imagination. (0_o)

i still had a hangover while i was driving around The Fort. i could see buildings that turned into alien ships.

and the "bat signal" of a certain spot at The Fort (may happening ata doon) looked like the laser beams of the ships that zapped the people into oblivion. see? way too active imagination. (ay, di pala halata sa picture yung beam...)

my nightmare began on my way home. nasa Floodway na ko (a loooooong strip that can lead you to certain areas in Pasig and Rizal) tapos napansin kong traffic na. i wasn't worried. that happened to me before. i love passing Floodway because there are no stoplights and major intersections. of course, once you encounter an accident or some other disturbance, you can't get out. i was stuck there. still, i wasn't worried. i even spent time tinkering my camera and taking silly shots.

the red droplets on this photo reminded me of a particularly eerie scene in the movie. tsk, tsk, tsk. hopeless na ko talaga.

when i got to the intersection going to Taytay, i gave a sigh of relief. finally. see, once i get there, it's just a straight drive along the rice patches and unfinished subdivisions and i'm home.

not.

did i tell you i spent almost an hour at the main road in Floodway? let's add another hour on the road to Taytay. oh, and my car battery died on me. yun lang naman. sa kakapatay-sindi ko ng battery, bumigay sya. i was lucky that my car broke down right beside a gate of a subdivision. some of the guys riding the jeep behind me helped me out by pushing the car to a clear and safe spot. i was in a dilemma. i knew my Papa was home but i didn't want to call him. stupid pride, really. so i waited for several minutes. baka kelangan lang lumamig ng makina. after about 10 years, it still won't start. ok, i had to call for help. he told me to wait for him (as if i had a choice). he was going to bring the other car so we could do a series connection with the batteries. that time, the traffic was terrible. both lanes were filled with cars. the single lane heading towards Taytay had two columns of cars already. and i could see people hopping down from their commute and walking down the road...it was a scene from my own disaster movie. terrific.


after another 10 years, help arrived. we waited until the traffic cleared (mas mahirap pag tumirik kami habang nakapila). after two hours, and thirty minutes of braving the traffic and waiting for my car to start, i was finally home.

really, there's no place like it.

ho-hum

i've never particularly liked rain.

rainy days make me lazy. sleepy. and sad. (i think i got this from watching too many cheesy music videos)

but for a preschool teacher, rain can be her ally. it's a simple equation, really.

signal #1 = NO CLASSES

it's been raining non-stop today but, unfortunately, no signal declaration whatsoever. yeah, yeah, i know. i should be thankful that the storm is not as destructive as the past typhoons but, hey, a teacher can dream, right?

*sigh*

i should be doing my report on Music Therapy but, like i said, i'm feeling LAZY. ("Blame it on the rain, yeah, yeah...")

so i made hot chocolate instead (hahaha!). spiked with coffee and milk. it's my lame attempt at homemade cafe mocha. ^_^

well, for those of you who're too lazy to work (like me), you can take a break and go on a digital tour...



...while i try to motivate myself to open my Introduction to Music Therapy textbook (*yawn*). pag tinitigan ko ba sya, lalapit sya sa kin? ooh, i have an idea! Accio, textbook!!

Accio, textbook!!

Accio, blue textbook!!

Accio, textbook on Music Therapy!!

Accio, Introduction to Music Therapy textbook!!

hm. mukhang kelangan ko ulit magpa-consult kay pareng Dumbledore.

happy browsing!:)

notes to self:
- when going to Baywalk, bring a friend (i was too paranoid while taking pictures that i couldn't use both hands to hold the camera. had to use my left hand to hug my bag. hirap tuloy i-steady yung cam. - excuses, excuses. hahaha!)
- bring my camera at all times
- BRING EXTRA BATTERIES!!




Accio, ALL BOOKS!!!!
[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!]

*splat*

p.s.
star, kung binabasa mo pa rin tong post ko, pansin mo ba yung photo? :D i've finally figured out how to enlarge it. ah well, better late next time! este, better luck than never!! a whatever! :p

nahalata tuloy yung boo-boo ko: not noticing that the lamp post had a busted bulb and a few dirty ones...hehehe.