Archive for June, 2010
Oceans 11 and Oceans 12
June 29th, 2010 | 
Author: 
For this week’s theme, I chose to feature Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s 12..
I could have featured the Bourne series, however, I like Matt Damon’s role in Ocean’s 11 and Oceans 12. I find him somehow.. VERSATILE playing the role of Linus Caldwell..
An entry for
Posted in 
Sweet Blog Award
Faye of ME in the Dutch Society gave me this award.
Faye, thank you so much for this award. I find it very sweet of you to pass this on to me.
Here are the sweet rules:
1. Pass it to 10 Sweet people.
2. Inform them about this award.
3. Link back the one who gave this award.
I will pass this Sweet Award to my friends who often visit my blogs and always leave their footprints.
1. Liz
2. Melcole
3. Manang Kim
4. Nuts
5. Mama Ko
6. Tetcha
7. Pretty Mom
8. Lina
9. Yen
10. Willa
This is my way of thanking you GUYS for visiting my blogs. HAVE A NICE WEEKEND!
A Teacher’s Journal: A Teacher’s Friend, The Photographer
I met Lee (Viray Cahili) when we were in college. A quiet guy with a rare smile (very rare), He was what I call, at the time, a SILENT LEADER. He got the looks, the brains, the guts, and some thing else… CHARM maybe. But generally, he was one INTRIGUING person..
He had been a president of the Chemistry Society in Far Eastern University, where we both graduated from, and a representative to various contests. A competitive person with passion for excellence, he is now an acclaimed photographer and was awarded Photographer of the Year by the Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation, last year, 2009..
Together with the other members of LENTI Camera Club, a club which he, himself, founded, he keeps himself busy with humanitarian projects like outreach programs. Among his future plans are free seminars and workshops in photography, in which, he intends to invite well-known photographers here in the Philippines to conduct seminars and workshops for children..
When asked what his most valuable award is, he answered, “Honestly, just knowing people appreciate my works is a huge recognition..”
Truly an asset to our country, Lee, single at 34, lives the life of not just an ordinary lensman, but as a talented photographer hoping to make a difference..
And as he will be celebrating his birthday on the 24th of this month, this post is for him.. Happy birthday, LEE! A toast for your SUCCESS.. I want you know how proud I am of you, and how honored I am to be one of your friends!
A Mother in a Father’s Clothes
Much as I like to post something ‘new’, the absence of my husband, as he is working abroad right now, does not make it possible.
If i will be asked to describe my husband as FATHER to my children, well.. THE BEST would be an understatement…
I know there are a lot of good fathers out there, they are good providers, they play with their kids, they teach homework, they take their kids to basketball games.. typical. But my husband is a MOTHER in a father’s clothes.
My husband starts to be a hands-on father the moment I give birth to my children. He is the one who gives them their baby baths, cleans their little ears with cotton buds, lets them burp after they are breastfed, changes their diapers when they ‘wiwi’ and wipe their butts when they ‘pupu’.
He changes their clothes, from tie-sides to onesies, he applies lotion to their little bodies, he puts cold compress after each vaccination time, he administers medicine every four hours and gives them tepid sponge bath when they run with fever.
He cut Daryl’s hair regularly. He ties Mika’s hair, and even pick a louse or two when he gets across them in the process. He trims their fingernails, mine as well.. He does all of these when he gets home from work installing and cleaning heavy air conditioning equipment..
How does he know how to do these wonderful things? Well, he happens to be the 5th among 14 siblings, and he had the ‘pleasure’ of taking caring of the remaining 9. PRACTICE makes perfect, so they say, hehe..
And now that he’s abroad, he still takes good care of us. Aside from providing us with our allowance, he also sends us ‘gifts’ in FARMVILLE, and ‘fertilizes’ our farms… REGULARLY.
So, this post is for him…
Happy FATHER’S DAY, Neng (Ronel)! You don’t know HOW MUCH you are LOVED!
An entry for
A Teacher’s Journal: A Teacher’s Mother
This post is a tribute to a very special woman.. My MOTHER who just had her birthday on June 14.
A local of Nueva Ecija, Philippines, my mom was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth, nor blessed with high level of education. She was born, however, with limitless determination and boundless faith in God.
She is from a family of farmers, farming their way to live, deprived of luxury of any form, yet living with pride and teeming with compassion for other people. She experienced discrimination from her IN-LAWS, but she stood her ground and never allowed herself to be intimidated.
She studied vocational courses, Cosmetology, Hairdressing and Dressmaking, hoping to armor herself with skills that may help her feed her children and may give her pride that she earns what she eats.
In 1988, she was given a chance to work abroad, in Dubai. Due to unfortunate circumstances, she did not find what she went there for, but she was fortunate enough to still make it home. Undaunted, she tried several things, from selling barbecue to selling AVON products, anything that will help the family.
However, the greatest challenge that she faced, and faced with extraordinary strength of character, was to see her children drift away from the moral values she instilled on them. But instead of asking herself what went wrong and blaming her children for what they did, she never gave up on them. She never gave up on US.. and for that WE ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL.
Right now, she’s staying with my sister Liz, of This is my Life, in the US, aging in body, but NEVER in spirit.
Happy Birthday, Ma! I LOVE YOU!
A Message to Papa
.
My father passed away 6 years ago. It was the ‘big C’.
He was in the US with my sister Liz of This is my Life when he was diagnosed with cancer. The tumor was immediately removed and he underwent radiation treatment. However, the cancer already metastasized to other parts of his body particularly the lungs and the liver. So, what was left for my sister to do was to send him back here in the Philippines to spend his remaining days with us
Death, for me, is inevitable. Anybody can die any time of the day or night, and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. So, I believe that the best thing you can do before you die is TO LIVE.
I knew he was dying, but what pained me most was to see him die of painful death, little by little, minute by minute.. but I stood by him until his last breath. And I was so thankful to the Lord for giving me the chance to be with him and be of service to him until the end.
I have accepted a long time ago that he is gone and is no longer with us. There was nothing left unsaid, nor anything left undone… We have said ‘i love yous’ and ‘i’m sorries‘ and every thing there was to say.
However, if there is something that I would like to tell him now, that would be… I MISS HIM SO MUCH.. He may not be the perfect father but I do believe HE TRIED to be and that was good enough for me.
Happy Father’s Day, Pa….
An entry for
A Teacher’s Journal: An Anxious Parent
A parent came to us a month ago. He wanted to enroll his daughter to the college entrance test review program..
He asked the name of every teacher and asked the school we graduated from. Upon learning that NOT ALL of us is from UP (myself included), he raised an eyebrow. In addition, he asked for the list (which was not available) of our students who passed the entrance test . And despite the waiver at the back of the registration card, he insisted that he is going to REFUND (ignoring the non-refundable sticker) IF he is not satisfied with our services.
I understand his anxiety over his daughter’s making it to a good school. However, we, teachers, are only helpers, the ones who would take the test are the students, themselves. Moreover, if he really was not convinced that we can help his daughter get admitted, what was he doing in our doorstep?
We are teachers, we are not GODS, we can’t perform miracles. We can only do OUR BEST. But if our best is still not good enough, it’s time to LET GO….
Summer of 2005
We’ve been settled in Manila for a long time now.
But as a typical ‘promdi‘, born and raised in the province, my heart longs for the place where I grew up. And I wanted my kids to know where I came from.
So, in 2005, my whole family spent the summer vacation in Laur, Nueva Ecija, where we stayed with my brother, Kuya Henry and his wife Ate Nympha.
My kids had so much fun. I, myself, enjoyed narrating my childhood where we had to walk from home to school and from school to home with a bunch of other kids, mostly my neighbors.
Home is where the heart is. But my heart is with my family.. So, wherever we are now.. that is HOME and the visit to the province is just one unforgettable summer..
Happy weekends!
An entry for
A Tag from Faye
Faye of My Life in Holand, tagged me this. THANKS FOR THIS TAG, Faye! I will try my best to answer these questions. In this way, you will know me better. Here we go.
1. What time did you get up this morning?
6:00 a.m
2. How do you like your steak?
well-done
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
‘Harry Potter 6′
4. What is your favorite TV show/s?
i don’t have any, i seldom watch TV
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
I’ll go back to our province in Nueva Ecija
6. What did you have for breakfast?
coffee, plain rice and egg (sunny side-up)
7. What is your favorite cuisine?
nothing in particular
8. What foods do you dislike?
anything that stinks, I guess
9. Favorite place to eat?
at home
10. Favorite dressing?
for salad? caesar salad dressing
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive?
i don’t drive, don’t even have a car, lol!
12. What are your favorite clothes?
comfy ones,white shirt and pajamas for instance
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
Venice, Paris, Barcelona, Prague and a lot more
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
1/2 full, i consider myself an optimist
15. Where would you want to retire?
in our province in Nueva Ecija
16. Favorite time of day?
that would be the MORNING, at sunrise
17. Where were you born?
in Nueva Ecija, Philippines
18. What is your favorite sport/s to watch?
not fond of any sports, but i enjoy a game of billiards
19. Who do you think will not tag you back?
no idea
20. Person you expect to tag you back first?
no idea, either
21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
no one in particular
22. Birdwatcher?
i love birds
23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
morning person, i LOVE MORNINGS
24. Do you have any pets?
no, can’t take the responsibility
25. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share?
nothing special, hmmm..
26. What did you want to be when you were little?
can’t remember anymore, but a teacher i guess
27. What is your best childhood memory?
A LOT, playing hide-and-seek during brown out, christmas vacation, summer vacation, endless list…
28. Are you a cat or dog person?
neither
29. Are you married?
yes
30. Always wear your seat belt?
yes
31. Been in a car accident?
no, thanks God
32. Any pet peeves?
cannot think of any
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings?
mushroom, i LOVE mushroom
34. Favorite Flowers?
tulips, but sinbce we don’t have any here in the Philippines, HIBISCUS would do
35. Favorite ice cream?
“UBE”
36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
nothing in particular, i eat anywhere
37. How many times did you fail your driver’s test?
haven’t taken one yet, lol!
38. From whom did you get your last email?
from FACEBOOK?
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
oh, not about credit cards, i get dizzy, lol!
40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
i do EVERYTHING spontaneously
41. Like your job?
yes, i LOVE TEACHING
42. Broccoli?
yes
43. What was your favorite vacation?
every time my sister and my aunt come home from the States for vacation is a favorite
44. Last person you went out to dinner with?
my husband, 2 years ago, lol!
45. What are you listening to right now?
the birds
46. What is your favorite color?
purple
47. How many tattoos do you have?
don’t have any
48. How many are you tagging for this quiz?
no idea
49. What time did you finish this quiz?
right now, started it a while ago
50. Coffee drinker?
i LOVE coffee!
This tag goes to Mommy Liz, Faye, Willa, Nuts, Melcole, Yen, Anne, Khim and you. Before you start answering this, you must take your snacks or meal. LOL! If you have time and like to answer these questions, feel free to copy the tag. ENJOY!
