I've managed to fill my day.
I met my students from the only class I have today and I'm happy to report that they did not succeed in jumping on me with their brown rubber iguana. HAHAHA!
I met and tortured, I mean tutored Kim, Kring's second-grade little brother, after lunch for his Reading and Language periodical exams, and we enjoyed lots of snacks. Tita even brought Mc snacks later in the afternoon. I'm such a sucker for food. Gawd!
And at five, Jackie, my co-adviser and I met with the II-Amorsolo parents (only nine of 23, I'm disappointed to say) and we discussed some matters. It's sad that we only managed to resolve half of what we planned on accomplishing. I hope that eventually everything will be settled soon.
And so far, that's it. We also got our delayed salary today, and we all were upset to learn of the increase in our witholding taxes. I'm not really familiar with all these tax talk, but I do hope that this raise in the witholding tax would eventually be for the good of all the Filipinos, and of our nation as well. Haay...
Friday, October 17, 2008
Umnggthz...
...
Nakakainip.
Nakakainis.
Nakakabadtrip.
What is?
To wake up to an empty day.
But I'm hopeful that today will turn out fine.
Umnggthz...
Nakakainip.
Nakakainis.
Nakakabadtrip.
What is?
To wake up to an empty day.
But I'm hopeful that today will turn out fine.
Umnggthz...
Monday, September 29, 2008
How dads can be so supportive
Gregorio del Pilar has a boyfriend.
Gregorio del Pilar used to be eye candy for a thirteen-year old girl. He still is even when she is already twenty-three.
But the eye-candy turned out to like lollipops, too. No more hope for that girl; otherwise called "Me."
I sort of ran into dear old Gregorio recently. And about him are vines, vines that brought me news of his true identity. My young wards (etch, governess?), who were with me, were shocked. Our common friends were incredulous for a second (yes, for only a second). It's not surprising, that's what most of them assured me.
"Ahay," is all they could say.
My dad was less sympathetic. I told him, "Dad, remember Gregorio del Pilar? He has a boyfriend. (Sniffles, sniffles.)"
If daddy was sitting on a stool instead of a chair with a backrest, he could've toppled over with laughter. So much about filial love. (Sniffles, sniffles).
Monday, September 22, 2008
Ode to my Yosi Boy
For people who hurt there is one thing that they reach for to ease the pain that they feel.
Some people reach for the phone and talk or text to their friends, telling them they are okay when they actually aren't, perhaps only saying so to assure not their friends but themselves.
Some people reach out more personally, like going home to curl up in daddy's arms or cry buckets on mommy's breasts.
Some tend to be less vegetative and rather let out the [party] animal in them--perhaps they would reach out for that bottle of Red Horse or that videoke microphone and belt out "I Will Survive" or "I Did it My Way."
Still, for some other people they reach for a variety of things--some opt for the steering wheel and the welcoming wide stretch of the orange-lighted highway at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, for some who believe in God, they reach for the rosary or the Bible, and let themselves be comforted by the Holy Word.
Some, on the other hand, instead of drowning their tears in beer or sending up prayers into the Heavens, or letting whoever is in Heaven take pity on their road-racing souls, like to simply fog out reality in a blanket of cigarette smoke. Smothering themselves in intoxicating tar and nicotine is a way for some people to breathe freely.
But what happens when that single thing that you always reach for when you want to breathe suddenly turns out to be a reminder of the allergen that had set off your asthma? What do you do when everytime you inhale the sweet, menthol taste of tobacco and everytime you let that taste take over you, you remember how somebody used to do the same thing to you? What do you do when instead of smoke rising above your head, you see his face and instead of the cigarette smell, you smell his hair?
What do you do?
Some people reach for the phone and talk or text to their friends, telling them they are okay when they actually aren't, perhaps only saying so to assure not their friends but themselves.
Some people reach out more personally, like going home to curl up in daddy's arms or cry buckets on mommy's breasts.
Some tend to be less vegetative and rather let out the [party] animal in them--perhaps they would reach out for that bottle of Red Horse or that videoke microphone and belt out "I Will Survive" or "I Did it My Way."
Still, for some other people they reach for a variety of things--some opt for the steering wheel and the welcoming wide stretch of the orange-lighted highway at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, for some who believe in God, they reach for the rosary or the Bible, and let themselves be comforted by the Holy Word.
Some, on the other hand, instead of drowning their tears in beer or sending up prayers into the Heavens, or letting whoever is in Heaven take pity on their road-racing souls, like to simply fog out reality in a blanket of cigarette smoke. Smothering themselves in intoxicating tar and nicotine is a way for some people to breathe freely.
But what happens when that single thing that you always reach for when you want to breathe suddenly turns out to be a reminder of the allergen that had set off your asthma? What do you do when everytime you inhale the sweet, menthol taste of tobacco and everytime you let that taste take over you, you remember how somebody used to do the same thing to you? What do you do when instead of smoke rising above your head, you see his face and instead of the cigarette smell, you smell his hair?
What do you do?
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Restaging a show put on by a formerly abhored artist, and loving every second of it
Who'd have thought that after ten years, I would be back where I've started?
It's just funny that this time I'm on the opposite side of the teacher's table, and honestly, I am still stunned that I found myself once again on this place that has made me into, well, me.
It's been only a mere three months since I've started teaching in INHS- School for the Arts, and believe it or not, I've managed, in a couple of occassions, to do what Sir Rex had done several times during our high school stay in this crazyhouse --yank open each locker door and throw out messy/wet/smelly tshirts and leotards and undershirts, and dirty socks and sneakers from Girbaud to Chucks, and Algebra workbooks, and unwashed lunchboxes (which shouldn't have been in there, in the first place) in a perfect 180 degrees trajectory out the door!
May my students forgive me but yes, I simply couldn't help it. Perhaps it came from impulse, that ugly little red nerve threatening to burst inside my brain that twenty four kids managed to switch on just by being very messy, very irresponsible, very snotty, very foul-mouthed, and ugly-mannered, and very everything!
But then perhaps it also came from wanting to try to do that very thing-- what seemed to my 14 (or was it 15?) -year old mind as an act that was full of flair, full of extravagance, a memorable finale to an impulsive reaction from an abhored yet idolized teacher of Biology. And so perhaps I simply wanted an encore performance, starring myself.
Thank you, Sir Rex for inspiring me to break plastic garbage cans by throwing them in the middle of the room for the sad reason of being unemptied, and to experience the sheer thrill of letting an Algebra workbook fly!
It's just funny that this time I'm on the opposite side of the teacher's table, and honestly, I am still stunned that I found myself once again on this place that has made me into, well, me.
It's been only a mere three months since I've started teaching in INHS- School for the Arts, and believe it or not, I've managed, in a couple of occassions, to do what Sir Rex had done several times during our high school stay in this crazyhouse --yank open each locker door and throw out messy/wet/smelly tshirts and leotards and undershirts, and dirty socks and sneakers from Girbaud to Chucks, and Algebra workbooks, and unwashed lunchboxes (which shouldn't have been in there, in the first place) in a perfect 180 degrees trajectory out the door!
May my students forgive me but yes, I simply couldn't help it. Perhaps it came from impulse, that ugly little red nerve threatening to burst inside my brain that twenty four kids managed to switch on just by being very messy, very irresponsible, very snotty, very foul-mouthed, and ugly-mannered, and very everything!
But then perhaps it also came from wanting to try to do that very thing-- what seemed to my 14 (or was it 15?) -year old mind as an act that was full of flair, full of extravagance, a memorable finale to an impulsive reaction from an abhored yet idolized teacher of Biology. And so perhaps I simply wanted an encore performance, starring myself.
Thank you, Sir Rex for inspiring me to break plastic garbage cans by throwing them in the middle of the room for the sad reason of being unemptied, and to experience the sheer thrill of letting an Algebra workbook fly!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Do you know where your money goes?
If you are concerned about your future and your children's future, please take the time to read and repost the following email from Pathways. Thank you!
Dear Friends and Fellow Filipinos,
Good day to you! :)
In light of the recent spate of scandals and allegations of corruption in our government, we at Team RP believe that the call for Truth and Accountability in our government should not stop in the investigations that are being conducted by our Senate, Ombudsman and our Judicial System but this should also be complemented with a push for a Philippine Access to Information Law that would help prevent future graft and corruption practices by many of our government officials from happening again. By enacting this law, ordinary Filipinos will now be able to access public documents which would narrate what kind of agreements our government enters into on behalf of the Filipino people and at the same time show us how our public funds are spent. This will increase transparency in our government and will further hold our government leaders and officials accountable for their actions.
In line with this, we are launching a Signature Campaign to help convince our lawmakers towards prioritizing the immediate passing and implementation of this law. Here is Team RP's petition on pushing for a Philippine Access to Information Law:
"Secrecy breeds irregularity, fraud and crime. It allows chicanery, graft and corruption… A democracy based on ignorance, on misinformation, on conjectures, on suspicion is doomed to fail. The more enlightened the people have, the more guarantees there are for their success in their collective enterprises, and in the fulfillment of their social aspirations and purposes."
From the de Venecia-Lozada expose, the Hello Garci scandal and the Spratlys
mind-boggler to the North and South Rail questions, events of the recent past clearly highlight how very little we know about the workings of our government, how much difficulty is involved in getting truth to come out and how, albeit fundamental in any republican and democratic state that the government is accountable to the public, we Filipinos are in reality denied direct access to our government institutions and our public servants. As a country that prides itself with democracy, it strikes us with a disquieting reality that we Filipinos have no real access to information to empower us to properly and actively participate in governance.
We in TEAM RP believe that in order for there to be a responsible citizenry that can actively and meaningfully craft the future of the country, there is a need to give teeth to the policy of full public disclosure and the right of the people to be informed as contained in the fundamental law of the land. Moreover, we are aware that if people, especially those who have been bypassed by development, are unaware of laws andprocedures for availing themselves of their entitlements or of mechanisms they can use to remedy their plight, then they will always remain poor.
Let us call on our lawmakers to make top priority the passage of a Philippine Access to Information Law which, subject to reasonable and clearly outlined conditions, nsures unfettered access of the people to information of public concern, including government transactions involving public interest.
We urge our lawmakers, let us not delay this any further.team.rp.pail@gmail.com
If you support our petition and call for the passage of a Philippine Access to Information Law, you can join and help us in any of the following ways:
a.) Sign our petition online by emailing "I Support the Campaign for a Philippine Access to Information Law" together with your complete name and contact information to
b.) Forward this email to your friends and post this email in your website, blog, friendster, multiply or facebook account for all your friends to read.
c.) Volunteer for our campaign and help us get more Filipinos to sign our petition. If you want to volunteer and help, you can email Karen Naranjo at k_ren_naranjo@yahoo.com or you can send her a text message at 0918-9183685. We will send you copies of our petition so you can also help gather signatures in
your school, office or organization.
Thank you for your time in reading this email. We hope that you will consider joining Team RP's movement for Truth, Accountability and Reform in our country.
May you have a pleasant day ahead! :)
Sincerely,
Harvey S. Keh
Chairperson
Team RP
Team RP is an organization of youth leaders and young professionals who working together for Truth, Accountability and Reform in our country. We are part of the Buong Bayan Isinisigaw Tama Na, Itama Na (BUSINA) Movement. We believe that complaining and lambasting our leaders is not enough but we should proactively work towards finding concrete ways to help solve our present problems. As such, Team RP believes that issues should always take precedence over personalities thus, our programs and activities are always geared towards helping build our democratic institutions and furthering the development of every Filipino. If you want to know more about Team RP or join Team RP, please email us at team.rp.official@gmail.com
Sunday, March 9, 2008
It's a Sunday baby!
This baby of a blog is on its way out of my crazy, catatonic womb of thoughts, feelings, emotions, and everything else that compose me--including bladders, intestines, a brain, a gorgeous body, a beautiful face...
Everyone, remember this day, the 9th of March, 2008, Sunday. Today, my blog baby is born. It was conceived from my passionate, sometimes illicit, affair with Life and everything it has to offer--may it be happiness, sorrow, triumphs, disappointments, dreams, fears.
I hope that this baby may help me grow up as it gains its extremeties in the form of more posts!
So, see you around! And oh, yeah, Welcome to my blog!
Everyone, remember this day, the 9th of March, 2008, Sunday. Today, my blog baby is born. It was conceived from my passionate, sometimes illicit, affair with Life and everything it has to offer--may it be happiness, sorrow, triumphs, disappointments, dreams, fears.
I hope that this baby may help me grow up as it gains its extremeties in the form of more posts!
So, see you around! And oh, yeah, Welcome to my blog!
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