Girlfriends Reunited

We met again! :)


Last year was a big change for us. In June, Ate My transferred workplace. In November, Laiza started her Masters in Manila. The last time we were together was in June so it was a big event when we met again! :)

Ate My and I flew to Manila. She, coming from Davao and I, coming from Gensan. There was no definite plan beforehand. I was to attend a conference in Camsur the next day. Laiza had to attend class in the evening. Ate My had a document to process at CHED. We only had a day so we made the most out of it. We took another 2-hour ride to Laguna for Enchanted Kingdom! Yehey! :)







And as it always has been, we had the best laughters and updates.

I miss you girlfriends! It was a blast! 'Til next time in another part of the world :P

She's Married

Look at us then...

That's me on the left. My sister Len-len on the right. I was I guess 3 and she was 4.

I call her Ating. Ating is 11 months and 3 weeks older than me. :) The close age gap had advantages and disadvantages. When we were still so much younger, I always got jealous of her. The sibling rivalry was always present in my heart but Ating was the kindest and most patient sister so it was so hard looking for reasons to get angry of her. :P

When we got a little older, we became closer. No more rivalry. She was my best girl buddy. From school and heart matters, she was the best. She made my school projects extra beautiful because she had a creative mind and artistic hands. She listened to my every cry and infinitely repeating stories.

My sister had the kindest and most genuine heart.

She got married recently...



How beautiful a woman she has become. As she starts her own family, I could never be happier because she has a lot of love to give. She has loved us well and I'm confident that she'll even be a more loving wife and mother.

I'm proud of who you've become Ting! :)

Goodbye 2010!!!

It took me a while to think of something to post. I usually had a written yearend evaluation but I didn't for 2010 :) Let's just say, I didn't want to recall the pains. :)

But of course, there were greater things than pain like...

Family



It was last quarter when I decided to go back staying at home. It was in 2008 when I thought of leaving home to experience having a life on my own. I stayed in a quarter in school. Though I came to visit during weekends, it was still different. I missed being at home. I was at my happiest when I was with family. :)

Friendship



My two greatest girlfriends took different roads. This was one of the pains that 2010 brought me but the great thing about it was that, we knew how much we loved each other. There were more affirmations of how much love had been planted and will remain in our hearts.


2010 brought lots of surprises which beckons a greater 2011! :)

Wedding Bells Again

Am I hearing wedding bells?!? I'm such a big fan of weddings!!!!!! Are the exclamation points making it obvious? It was just a month ago when I became a bridesmaid for the first time. And soon, I would be a maid of honor for the first time at my sister's wedding! Yahooooo!!!! :)

Me and and my girlfriends often talk about weddings. Even years ago, we have made our pledges for each other's weddings.

I pledged to give wedding shoes for Nenskie.

Shoes also for Norline.

Video coverage and photography for Ate My. And I'll be her maid of honor.


And Laiza will be my maid of honor. Laiz, was it also a pair of shoes? Or was it lechon? Or was it a honeymoon package? Hehe...

We were planning our wedding years before it would actually happen. We even had partial list of ninongs and ninangs. Not kidding! Few of our officemates already volunteered themselves. :) Insane? Nope... We just wanted everything to be so organized by that time. Ok... Insane as it may seem but there's no harm in wishful thinking. :)

It almost slipped my mind that I had an elder sister. Actually sisters but I wasn't able to attend my eldest sister's wedding. (Ne and Kuya Rey, please get married again :P ) So this is a big thing for me. I offered to make the invitations and the bouquets. I didn't want to give this task to just anybody. I wanted the flowers and the invitations to have a touch of a sister's love.

It would be a white wedding with a touch of violet. Ahh... One of my favorite colors. Here are a few of what I found...






How do you like them?

So many choices! I can't make up my mind! Ahhh... Everyone's excited!

Wish No.3

And the third wish! It was lunch at The Farm.

I've been reading about this place and seeing its pictures so I was really dying to go there. And there we went indeed! Yey!

It was a quiet noon feeling the Christmas spirit in the well-decorated restaurant. We were alone(except for the waiter who was always refilling our glasses with water. Hehe.. ) And there was a wedding held in the convention area which was a little bit far from us so it was still almost serene. And because we were alone, Drew had all the freedom to consume everything. :)



We noticed several sinks all over the place and indulged ourselves on washing our hands in each one. :P



There were ponds, function rooms, gardens, playgrounds, a Japanese gazeebo, etc. They have everything!



In the garden: Drew insisted to be a flower! How odd! :P I enjoyed my being a butterfly, however. Fly fly fly like a butterfly! Ahhhh...



Another great, happy moment!

Just One Of Those Good Times

It was the day before Christmas last year when my younger brother was busy taking pictures of my mothers' green thumb's wonderful fruits.

The flowers...







The leaves...






And God's beautiful creation.. The skies...



And then I woke up from a very restful sleep. And well.. you know, when I had good sleep, I felt extra beautiful upon waking up. And wanting to feel even better, I decided to go outside and meet the sun, have a feel of some of its gentle morning rays.

Ahhhh... What a wonderful day... The skies were so blue. The clouds seemed so friendly. I felt the most beautiful creature in the world. And I wanted that the peace and the joy that I felt that moment be captured on cam.

So I asked my brother to take a picture of me. I gave it my sweetest smile and my most gentle pose.

And taddddaaaaah!!!



OMG! What happened?!? He didn't tell me I forgot to comb my hair. :P Nevertheless, this picture still said about the peace and the joy in my heart, right? Look at my eyes. They're sparkling. It showed the joy. Look at how I hold the twigs. It showed the peace.

Ok ok! It's still my hair that destroyed it all. :P

Wish No.1 and Wish No.2 Checked

Drew and I listed the things we wished to do before the year ends. Actually, it's more of a to-do list.:)

Wish No.1 - Lunch in Sarangani Highlands



This place, in my opinion, is the best place in General Santos City. Considering the nature-lover that I am, this has the best views Gensan has to offer. It's so refreshing to be eating with the blue waters and the skies surrounding us. Plus the excellent landscapes and the perfect food and service. :)




I truly recommend Sarangani Highlands for any occassion even little ones. In fact, we went there on a Sunday and I saw many family get togethers. I love SH! We swore to be back there. :)

For the budget conscious:
Jeepney ride from the city - P 25
Habal ride to Sarangani Highlands - P10
Good meal for two - P300 - P500

It's open at lunch to dinner.





Wish No.2 - Veggie Pizza

I love pizza and Drew does, too but only veggie pizza. And so, I set aside my meat cravings to be on the same wavelength with what he liked this time. (Because actually, it has always been what I like and what I want. so, ok. His like for now. Just this once. Well, uhhmmm.. Up until I'll be convinced to give way again. Hehe.)

So there we went to Giacomino's. I love Giaco but only next to Greenwich. Because Greenwich has the pearl coolers but Giaco has none. And the lasagna! Oh my lasagna. When I saw the lasagna on the menu, I almost forgot we were there for the pizza. But I coudn't resist it. I'm a pasta girl. But it's still more delicious in Greenwich.


Going back... These little things are ways to snap out from the usual. Weekends are more exciting because we have things to look forward to. :)

Failed to full charge my cam-bat though so we had limited pictures. So glad there was still left for a pizza souvenir. :)



Thank you for the great things Drew. So with the little things which I won't ever consider simple because everything seems to be grand when I'm with you :)

More wishes coming true. Aja!!!

General Santos City's Lifestyle Magazine

Magandang Gensan! :)

I was at Coffee Dream in KCC waiting for someone. Got some magazines to kill the time and I was in complete awe when I got hold of GENSAN GAZER.

It said on the cover, Gensan's First Lifestyle, Trades, and Travel Magazine. And I got so excited! It was just recently when I wished that there would be something which talks about Gensan. And I never thought that this kind is already existing for quite sometime. Yey!

I'm so glad that Gensan Gazer is now available for the Generals and people at nearby provinces. Gensan's tourism must be improved and having this kind of publication will be a sure help.

Gensan Gazer magazine is published monthly. It's not for sale. It said on the magazine that it's only distributed at affiliate establishments and organizations. I don't know if schools are also given this. I haven't gone to MSU library but I hope that sooner, it would be readily available for all the Generals and for others who would want to visit our city. :)

I've learned so much about Gensan as I was reading through it. And I couldn't help but be excited to visit the places which were highlighted there.

Hey all Generals! Let's salute all the people behind this endeavor!

We can also check out all the issues at www.gensangazer.com.

Enjoy reading! And feel the pride of being a General!

P.S. I've also been following Bariles' gensantos.com. :)

Go For Raisins!

I've only known raisins in my macaroni salad, in my buko salad, maja blanca, valenciana, in a some sort pork or chicken dish. It's considered to be a special ingredient so it was as if a sin at home to eat it as it was. When my mother prepared her dessert, the last to be put were the raisins. My brothers and I would sometimes act like crying, begging our mother to give us some before she'd allow the raisins to dive down to the sea of other fruits.



With my eyes in a slow-mo mode, I would watch the raisins fell down from the plastic container to the bowl of already white-covered fruits and watch them giving beauty to the whole dessert. My mother would then stir up everything and the black raisins would gradually be unseen. It had become white. Ahhh... No excitement anymore but then, when I started to eat the salad, I would search through the fruits in my mouth and when I tasted the raisins, I would shout. "I'm eating raisins! Yey! I have raisins!" Hehe... That's how it was when we were young.

Recently, I started shifting to raisins as a snack. I always craved for it. It's so delicious that I could't get enough of it. It's like Pringles ( a potato chip snack) "Once you pop, you can't stop." :) I heard that it was healthy. So before I got worried of having too much sweets, I searched for the benefits of eating raisins. And voila!!! I'm so glad I was addicted to it. :) Here's an excerpt from an article:

Antioxidants: Raisins are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants protect our bodies against free radical damage.

Energy: Raisins contain many B vitamins known for boasting energy. I personally eat raisins for this very reason. Raisins are also high in calories, which is important for athletes.

Fiber: Raisins are a good source of fiber, which is important for your body to stay regular.

Healthy teeth: Don't let the sticky and sweetness of the raisin fool you. Raisins do not cause cavities and gum disease, and rather promote oral health because of the oleanolic acid found within them. This acid is very effective in killing the bacteria that cause cavities and periodontal dental disease.

Eyesight: Raisins are also a preventative measure for Macular Degeneration, which is the health of your eyesight.

Bone Health: Raisins contain Calcium which in known for causing bone health.

On top of all the other wonderful health benefits raisins are fat free, cholesterol free, and low in sodium.


How can something be so delicious and so healthy at the same time! Ohhh... I so love raisins! Go raisins! Go raisins! :)

Teaching Is Not Checking

Yeah! Definitely not! I do not become a teacher just to check! I dont want to spend my nights and my weekends bringing all my students' papers and checking them all at home. I dont want to watch my favorite tv shows with bunch of papers by my side and some on my lap using the commercial breaks to attend to the papers. I dont want to skip from my girlfriends' dates just to check papers. No! I dont ever want to make checking an excuse to attend to more important things. No!!!!! (Omg! Excuse me.I was sleep talking! I had this dream when I was still a thread away of being a teacher.)

That was such a nightmare! But hey, that's part of my life as a teacher. A Math teacher! And sad to say, my biggest nightmare is happening. Checking! Checking! Checking! When will I ever be spared of checking? I only wanted to teach! I never wanted to check! Huhu!

But that was when I haven't figured out the beauty in checking. Ahuh! It does have a beauty. ( Just agree with me, ok. I'm also trying to convince myself here. :P) Seriously, as years went by, I had learned to appreciate checking. It's just a matter of acceptance. It's part of the profession that I'd chosen and so I had learned to embrace checking whole-heartedly. Hmmmmmmmm... Ahhhh.... Checking! I love checking! More papers there? Let me have them. :P

I have learned some strategies to lighten up things for me. And I'm so loving every bit of learning I gain.

1. If possible, give short quizzes and assignments - just enough to evaluate the learning.
2. Seatworks can be done in pairs or small groups. This also promotes cooperative learning. (This was what I discovered in my classes - When students do things in group, they learn more because they discuss answers and solicit ideas. Sometimes, when they do things alone, it's either they depend solely on themselves or on others if they don't know the answers.) Cooperative learning works!
3. Give other forms of evaluation instead of just in writing. Try individual recitation or group reporting. It not only makes them express everything they know, it also develops their confidence.
4. Give multiple choice questions during exams. It can serve as a training ground. Board exams are given in multiple choice. Train them early.

The above not only makes things easier for me, it also improves students' learning and classroom experience is more enjoyable.

And another tip, by the way... Check with a group of checkers. I mean, group of teachers. :) That's what we do in the office every after final exam. We stay in the office for a day to check! It may be impossible to finish everything but as the day ends, we'll be more than half way of all the papers. Because, we motivate each other. We laugh together, we eat together, we tease each other, we compete playfully. And everything would just seem to be a play!

I never imagined checking could be so fun after all. Thank God! I would have quitted teaching. Hehe..

Final exams for this semester were done. Here's a view of a busy checking office :)

MSU Intrams 2010

It was my most loved intramurals ever! :)

When I was in college, which was not really that long ago, I never enjoyed intrams. It was a vacation week for me. After the parade, I kept myself at home watching so much TV, eating a lot, and sleeping a lot. When everyone else was having a good time, doing what they do best (sports), I was also doing what I do best (studying). Ahuh! The nerdy-geeky that I was. Even during intrams, I read my notes and prepare for exams which were usually given after the intrams week.

When I got to work in MSU, I had the same attitude towards the "sports week". I took a leave from the dust and heat of our beloved university and dug myself into the ocean of my paperworks. I only attended the parade and the Faculty and Staff Night which, if not required, I never would have involved myself with. When I got back to work, my students were exhausted from all the showcasing of their talents while I was so refreshed and renewed from a week long vacation.

But this year was different. I had the time of my life! :) Even before the grand week came, I really felt the excitement of being involved this time. One significant reason which gave me an excuse to be always in school was that I was a member of the tabulation committee in which Laiza was the chairperson. I gladly volunteered for the service. The first days were kinda boring because final results were still few so we had to entertain ourselves with lots of movies and ZAGU!!!

Laiza stayed in BQ for a week so it gave us a chance to get to know each other better. :) (Missing Ate My during girl bonding moments.)


I also got to know Kuya Ipe from the College of Engineering and his so adorable son Angelo.
This is the tabulation committee with Kuya Ipe at the leftmost and Julius at the rightmost. Good job guys! It was a success!

The Faculty and Staff Palaro was the best ever also! (I had lots of bests this year! Yey!)





Playing, dancing, laughing, mingling with the other hard-workeks of the university.

The Faculty and Staff Night was extra special. Ma'am Nimfa, our beloved Nanay-nanayan in the office was given a special award for a dedicated 25 years of service.


Ever since I became a teacher, I had a better view of all the activities especially during the opening ceremonies compared to the half-eyed views when I was still a student. Imagine being on a bench in the middle of five thousand people in an over-crowded gymnasium. (Calling all alumni of MSU-Gensan. Please help build us a wider and better gym .. :) There really is a need to extend or rebuild with our growing population every year.)

Going back to my better view. :) I'll beg again some other time. :P I was cheering for our cheerdancers the whole time they were performing. The College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Cheerdancers have been undefeated for 3 straight years. Yeah! Go Wizards! The first day has always been for the wizards. The next days, let other colleges rejoice! We come back on the last day for the dancesports competition. And there was a new event this year. The field demonstration. Whew! A lot of other things to mention but I would be biased for the wizards! :)


But as much as I desired, I simply couldn't exclusively clap for the wizards. Teacher as I was and with a proud heart like a mother to my students, I found myself clapping for my every student whom I saw performing. This was the greatest gift that the intramurals had brought me - to be able to witness the talents of my beloved students. I realized that some of my students may not excel in Mathematics but they could be excellent in a number of ways.

I was proud like a momma, like I was the one who carried them in my womb and brought them into the world. I was really that proud. I had students in the chorale, in the university cheerdancers, many joined the musical and dance contest. As they were dancing and singing, my heart was bragging. "These are my students." It was so surprising to see them so alive on stage and being at their best. Ahhh... Those were beautiful moments.



(I wish I had a better camera. :P)

I never appreciated students being indulged with non-academic activities before. I was only focused on their academic achievements because all I knew was the importance of the grades for an impressive record. That when you enter the real world, one of the passports would be an excellent performance in school. I almost forgot about the total development. I forgot about the multiple intelligences. Maybe I haven't understand because I never experienced the same joy. And at some points, I refused to understand. The intramurals reminded me of the other aspects of life which make a happy and fulfilled individual.

I have always known that success doesn't only mean being good in the classroom but it's just now that I've truly believed it :)

My Door Was Locked

It's Friday and I was supposed to attend a Seminar on Social Graces and Pedagogy for Young Workers of Mindanao State University. It's the first ever in this university and thus, I was so looking forward to it. I even had to cancel my classes so I could participate.

After breakfast, I went back to my room to get my bath towel. And there it went! Taddah!!! My door was locked. I couldn't get any help. My housemates had all gone to work. Help! I needed to get in!

Strategies:
1. I looked for an old ID so I could swipe through the door but found none.
2. I used the knife to swipe but failed.
3. I thought of calling someone from the office. Oh great! My phone was left in my room.
4. I would ask help from the boy's quarter just beside ours but oh oh.. They too had all gone to work.
5. I wanted to scream for a life-and-death emergency! But it would just be so OA of me. :)
6. I wanted to go out and wave to whoever would come along but I was not so decently dressed. It would just be so improper.
7. Oh yeah! My last option was the internet. I again wanted to ask help from the office. I was so glad I took my laptop to the kitchen first thing in the morning but omg! What happened? I couldn't connect! Why now?

All the above ways failed. The only solution was to wait for someone from the boy's quarter to lend me an old ID. *Sigh...

Ok then. I was left with nothing but a computer with no internet connection and no paper works to finish. Oh.. What a day! But instead of viewing it as an unfortunate moment, I took my time watching lots of movies! Yeah! And lots of sleeping time, too.
:)

After 7 hours, someone truly had an old ID. Yey! I missed my room so much :)

Lesson learned: Leave a key duplicate outside the room, just in case. And oh don't be absent-minded. :P

Why I Love Marriages

Let me first talk about how it all started and the exciting things in between :)

It was one of those surprising nights. We were from the Faculty and Staff night and about to go home at midnight with my BQ buddies, Ate Zita and Ate Caring. But Ate Zita's friend, Ma'am Alma wanted to go out for a drink and a dance. I had no choice but to go even if it meant going home at dawn. I had a bad headache before that so I thought it was a wrong decision to go with the group :( .

We went to Mismo Bar - their second home. We were with Ma'am Alma's husband, Sir Mayong and their other friend, Ma'am Pilar. They go to Mismo regularly for years! It was a bar for the Oldies as we, the youngs, described it. We've been there once with the young people. Laiza got bored and sleepy. :) But I honestly enjoyed their music. Maybe I really have the heart for old songs. Well, it was not really everything old. But generally old. I maybe a little harsh with the word I'm using but I just refer to people 20 years ahead of me. And I love the oldies! Mostly are in their glorious years.

Anyway, they started conversing about anything, greeting the people who came. They knew almost everyone around there. And I was just smiling and nodding everytime I was introduced. But my head was crying loudly. I wanted to go home!

This impatience continued up until I was forced to dance. Yah! I was forced to dance Cha-cha! Oh my gosh! I couldn't believe it! After a short convincing moment, I was seeing myself on the dance floor actually grooving to the songs I called old and dancing with the people I've never imagined myself dancing with!

What more was, I didn't know how to dance Cha-cha! My feet only knew the basic. Forward left. Back close. Backward right. Such a disaster! For the next 2 songs, I only had the basics! It was embarrassing because I was with "The Dancers". I just couldn't excuse myself. They were sooooooo into grooving! So I decided to enjoy the dance instead. I slowly swayed my hands. Moved my hips even more. Put a smile on my face and danced my heart out! :)

I was studying the people on the dancefloor. I was the youngest in the crowd. But their energy was amazing! Every face had a smile. I saw fun. Fulfillment. Freedom.
It was so nice seeing people living and loving life. My body was giving up but my spirit was so glad I went out with those people.


And now here's why I love marriages.

My greatest inspiring moment was seeing such a lovely couple. Ma'am Alma and Sir Mayong was a picture of a happy marriage. They have 3 children but still manage to have fun all by themselves. I saw them dancing and laughing and hugging. I love couples! :) They made fun of each other's weaknesses and hailed each other as well. They are few of the couples who keep inspiring me that marriage is such a wonderful part of life's journey.


Ma'am Alma kept emphasizing that being married was hard. But I seemed not to care. At that moment, all I felt was the excitement of getting married :)

Another picture of seems like a perfect marriage is that of my mentor Sir Rene and his wife, Ma'am Teray.



I see them often and everytime, they're happy :) Again, I don't care how married people describe their relationships as such a roller coaster. Now, I'm just into all the goodness it brings. :) Of course, every relationship has benefits and it's SO delightful to imagine myself being with a partner who's born to take this journey with me :)