Kimmy Schemy

Archive for June, 2011

I’m so excited, and I believe every body in the house is. Well, honestly, it’s not that big deal. I just bought a new flat screen tv last Tuesday. You see, I’m not much into watching as I’m more into reading. I don’t watch soap operas, sports or reality shows. I don’t enjoy variety shows either. But, I love watching movies, especially those novel based ones.

Lately, I’ve been having difficulty in watching because my ancient television set is no longer that ‘nice’ to look at. My kids have been bugging me to get new one but since the old is still working, I ignored the request until I, myself, couldn’t watch anymore. So, I did. And I enjoy watching so much that I also consider getting nice outdoor speakers that we would enjoy watching even more. Now, I’m kind of thrilled about he next pay day, lol!

Photo taken and owned by Charles Fredeluces Mundo

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want..”

Psalm 23:1

Remember Alison and Arianne? If you are a regular follower of my blog, you will have an idea.

Alison (A Chance for Alison) was my 17 year-old student who took the Placement Test so she  can enroll in Grade 6 and finish her grade school.  She was the one with very limited knowledge of basic grammar rules and English vocabulary, and with almost non-existent Math skills as she couldn’t even do skip counting by 2 (2, 4, 6…).

Regardless, we did our best with her and though we were anticipating that she wouldn’t make it, we still kept our fingers crossed. So, we were greatly elated when her uncle came to tell us that she made it and that she is going to enroll this school year.

Arriane (Pushy Mom) was the 4 year-old who was enrolled in my Reading Class so she could enter Kinder 2 just like her other classmates. Too young to extend her patience and too weary to digest the concept of reading, she was able to finish the program after two weeks of hard work. I learned last week that she was assessed and accepted in Kinder 2.

“A teacher’s life is a never ending search for knowledge. The search doesn’t stop at the end of the day, nor does it stop when the answer to a particular question is found. There is always something to search for as there is always a child who needs to learn. And the older a teacher gets, the more she realizes how little she knows, thus, she begins another search and the cycle begins again…”

Much as we would like to, we didn’t celebrate the Father’s Day. It doesn’t mean, however, that we don’t care much about this occasion. Quite the contrary, for we are actually anticipating the homecoming of the celebrant. Regrettably, the ‘anticipated homecoming’ was moved, and though we are justifiably disappointed, we are still hoping and waiting for our upcoming reunion and finally celebrate the Father’s Day.

For now, we just have to do with our regular chat..

An entry for

Photo taken and owned by Charles Fredeluces Mundo

“Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be..”

~Grandma Moses

I was searching for a picture from my Facebook account to post in one of the memes I join when I noticed a picture tagged by my sister about a month ago. The caption says ‘After the Tornado’ and I was kind of scared and worried about my sister and her family. Though no one was hurt and the damage was minimal, I still think they should live in a safer place otherwise put up a safer house like one of those metal buildings I see on tv. If there is one thing I am the most thankful for about that disastrous event, that is the fact that my mother already moved in Illinois with my aunt long before it happened. I can imagine how frantic my mother would be if she experienced having a tornado raging outside ready to toss them out of the house any moment..

Sometime during the mid to late 90s, I met and befriended one remarkable boy. Good looking yet sheepish, talented yet laconic. There is just no way I could possibly describe the simple complexity of Lee Viray Cahili. The least I can do is try.. PRIVATE.. RESERVED… PASSIONATE.

“Don’t Peep”

Awarded as the Grand Winner of the Photoworld Cup by the  Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation during the Photoworld Asia convention, Lee is a true master in his craft. His voiceless masterpieces uncovered all the secrets of his heart. His love for nature, love for his country and the burning desire to make a change and make the world a better place not for himself but for the next generation.

Featured in September 2008 issue of the Manila Bulletin Picture Perfect as the Photographer of the Week, Lee described “Effective photographs are those that communicate, those that make viewers drawn to them…” No wonder the impact of his creations penetrates the heart and speaks to the soul with a message so subtle only the most discerning minds could fathom..

“Willed 2008″

Equality, unconditional love, freedom from cultural bondage, respect for privacy and individuality, beauty of youth, beauty of nature are only few of the unwritten messages Lee managed to get across but only to those sensitive enough to perceive the power of his works. His photographs are meant not only to be seen by the eyes but to be felt by the heart..

For his students he is ‘Master,’ for his colleagues he is one accomplished photographer, but for me he is just.. Lee, my friend, Mon pluie..  Because behind the fame, behind the grandeur, behind all the awards… is the ‘curious sheepish and charming boy’ that is Lee, the boy I used to talk with for hours under the ebak* trees in FEU and whom I will always call.. my friend.

Happy birthday, Lee.. honored to be a friend to you..

(*Much as I tried, I was not able to find out the name of the stinking trees that ornament the FEU campus. I called it ‘ebak’ tree here not to  mock but because that is what I heard it was called.. )

Flor* is an incoming fourth year student. She was enrolled in our review for the College Entrance Test. As it was I who always facilitate the orientation, I noticed right away that she has a little.. air. Her raised eyebrows can be seen through her eye glasses. Her mouth was stern and her eyes were calculating. I told my colleagues about my observation and warned them to watch out for her.

She was quiet, though. She neither volunteered her answers nor asked remarkably significant questions. And though her scores were quite high, she wasn’t the best in class. What more, she usually comes to class late and keeps on taking long breaks between sessions. She didn’t talk with her classmates or even pass them her answered homework, instead, she would give it to me herself. All in all, she just kept to herself.

Yesterday was the last session of their program. As a standard operating procedure, we gave out feedback form for the students to evaluate our services including the facilities, the review materials and the reference books, the faculty and the staff. Flor didn’t write her name on the form, but I know her penmanship because she submitted an essay to me as part of the review. I have the feeling that she did it deliberately thinking that we wouldn’t identify her. She said that (1) the Math teacher was not able to present the lessons clearly, (2) the Science teacher should not talk rapidly (3) the receptionist was impolite, has an attitude problem and was not well-groomed and (4) the English teacher (referring to me) make grammatical errors, managed to present the lesson clearly and fairly professional.

I immediately checked her record to find out how good she is in grammar to make such comments. She is actually not that good. In fact, her actual comment on the form was grammatically incorrect and misspelled. I allowed myself to fume for a short while, trying to convince myself that of course, I couldn’t please everybody and that it’s natural to commit minor mistakes as long as the concept I give is correct.

I was able to cool myself down and decided that I would post about this incident on my blog as a reminder that I should be more careful and vigilant of my grammar as this is my job and that I have to be good at it, otherwise, I would be replaced by a better teacher.

Thinking and feeling that I am faultless and impeccable is arrogance, so, may this serve as a lesson in humility and competence so that I will work harder to be better in what I do. Moreover, I have to learn to accept my mistakes and to learn to forgive myself for committing them.

“Christmas of 2002″

“Candid’s Recognition Day in Grade 1″

“Mika’s Recognition Day in Nursery”

“Daryl’s Recognition Day in Nursery”

I know my husband’s greatest happiness is to see the kids grow up to be beautiful,  smart, nice and GOD-fearing children..

An entry for

Encircled is my daughter, Candid, in her first week in college.. She is no longer my little girl, instead she is already a fine lady that every mom would be proud of..