Teachers of the Decade..\o/

     Attending my son's graduation in high school last March 31 made me shiver and reminds me of my graduation day 25 years ago. I wasn't sentimental back then compared to my son's graduation..there's a mixed emotion..happy, that finally another stage of my son's life has ended and the joy of hoping he would be in college and that he would make it better this time...sad, that my son isn't a baby anymore, the one I used to cuddle, he would have his own life and decision and I'm afraid for him to have mistakes.

     As the ceremony has ended, we took pictures with some of his teachers..our teachers. This blog is actually for these teachers who have exemplary done their work..our English teacher, our Social Studies teacher and our Music teacher. Except for the first one, both teachers were known for their terrifying effect on students and I had been one of those students. They really have an  impact on me as a person and as a teacher. I would say they are effective and efficient as well.

     They are the teachers of the decade, dedicated to their work, inculcating the importance of teaching and learning of their students..How come..I'm an English teacher too and planning to get a certification on TESL, I still remember the Afro-Asian literature, the use of auxilliary verbs, doing a written report, the World history, reporting inside the class, how to read musical notes and understanding the piano parts. How to be neat, how to talk in front of the people and how to recite even if your nervous. Twenty-five years have gone by, and they became the teachers of my son.

     Imagine the times they have been in our alma mater, the times they have spent teaching kids, the many times students were leaving them and new ones came in. I've felt the same way they had felt many times when my own students have graduated. When all else are leaving for the American Dream, they were the ones who are left for the Filipino dreams. And still no one can surpass the dedication they have..love them all..they deserve more of the best! Kudos to all my teachers..\o/

Our English teacher, Mrs. Raquel Naanep-Bato.

Our Social Studies teacher, Ms. Loida Estrada

Our Music teacher, Mr. Silvestre Mariano.

My Advisory Class on their Recollection

     Kinda late to write this on my blog, since it happened last January 17. The place were Alagad ni Maria (Disciples of Mary) Formation House in Tahanang Nasaret (Nazareth Home) Retreat Center. This is actually a seminary for aspiring priest but as part of reaching out to the youth they offer recollection program for the graduating students of some high schools in and out of Antipolo vicinity. I'm actually handling 4th year students and they have joined this program initiated by our school.
     I was not in the room where the session is being held but I know what is happening inside since I had been into this kind of recollection program when I was in high school. Some of my students were sharing what happened during the session, what they have heard, and what they did. Well, there are some things that some students never shared to anyone but the session made them open it up. I wouldn't share what some of my students found out from their classmates, and it's a realization for them to understand each other and of course to understand these kids..what they have been undergoing in such a young age. But thinking of it, what's the recollection is all about..
     Every Retreat and Recollection is a SPIRITUAL ENCOUNTER with GOD, meant to be a venue for silence, prayer, reflection and renewal. This Recollection is a special moment, each year, which would hopefully facilitate this meeting with God, so as to bring about transformation. A true spiritual experience brings about change in values, attitudes and convictions, rendering persons more “Christ-like” - this is the heart of all the goals and objectives of the Retreat and Recollection Program. As every students who had undergone a recollection program, each had their own story to tell, experiences to share and a reflection to think about. It is knowing who they are, what they have, what they will be if without God on their side or if with Him all through out their endeavors. Recollection is the time for them to bringing again their past experiences, recalling how it was, but not to mingle with these past but makes it a learned lesson on how they will face the present challenges in their lives and how they would walk on to their future.

     These students if properly guided and motivated can be push on to set and work out their goals. Though they are not the best of the best nor the cream of the crop, each has its own unique  personality, special gift and talents that they can use. Each passing day, I am discovering new things from them and the time is getting nearer for them to say goodbye to their alma mater. On Tuesday, they will receive their diploma and say, "I did not drop the class! I have graduated!"..

Watching The Super Moon

     As we all have known, Supermoon starts at 2 am, Sunday, March 20, 2011 (Manila time).  A supermoon is a full or new moon that coincides with a close approach by the Moon to the Earth. The Moon's distance varies each month between approximately 354,000 km (220,000 mi) and 410,000 km (254,000 mi) due to its elliptical orbit around Earth. Lunar Perigee as what we call it. Super moon was coined  by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. It is being said that the combined effect of the Sun and Moon on the Earth's oceans, the tide is greatest when the Moon is new or full. At lunar perigee the tidal force is even stronger resulting in more extreme high and low tides, but even at its most powerful this force is still weak.
     At 2:45 am, looking up in the sky, I took pictures of how moon is closer to the earth. I was worried then if I could take a shot of it since I only have my Sony ericsson cybershot 3.5mega pixel cellphone..but..wow..its very clear, to think I;m not even on top of a roof. That night you could even see the clouds slowly moving underneath because of the shining moonlight affecting the sky. According to some reports, this same phenomenon occurs every 2 decades.

...more on SEE AND ENJOY page...

The Sunflower, My Fave

     It's always been my standard bearer, from email add, chat, IDs, my house, decorations. Aside  from the fact that my fave color is yellow (maybe one reason why I love this flower), sunflower is very cool to the eye, whose shape and image depicts the sun. It's like saying sunrise is here again for a new hope and a new beginning. Sunflower for me symbolizes summer and spring, bright day ahead, and it's rare you couldn't see it in almost all commercial flower shop nearby.

     The sunflower got its name from its huge fiery blooms forming like a sun. Sunflower or Helianthus annuus is an annual plant native to the Americas that possess a large flowering head.  Sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads of flowers. The heads consist of 1,000-2,000 individual flowers joined together by a receptacle base. Sunflower leaves can be used as a cattle food, while the stems contain a fibre which may be used in paper production. With sunflower, what is usually called the flower is actually a flower head also known as a composite flower of numerous florets, (small flowers) crowded together. The outer petal-bearing florets are the sterile ray florets and can be yellow, red, orange, or other colors. The florets inside the circular head are called disc florets, which mature into seeds.

Head displaying florets in spirals of 34 and 55 around the outside

     Despite the common belief, mature sunflowers do not track the sun. The mature flower heads typically face east; only young sunflowers exhibit heliotropism or sun turning: the leaves and buds of young sunflowers follow the sun so that their orientation changes from east to west during the course of a day. The movements become a circadian response and when plants are rotated 180 degrees, the old response pattern is still followed for a few days, with leaf orientation changing from west to east instead. The leaf and flower head bud phototropism occurs while the leaf petioles and stems are still actively growing, but once mature, the movements stop. These movements involve the petioles bending or twisting during the day then unbending or untwisting at night. Members of the sunflower family are popular with butterflies because the wide flower head makes a good landing platform and the numerous individual flowers make for a high probability of finding nectar. Monarch butterflies are commonly seen nectaring on sunflowers during their fall migration.



     It's amazing to know the characteristic of sunflower, my favorite flower. It signifies coolness, new hope. A flower that can make you smile, rarely seen but delightful to look at and amazing to know...hope you have seen one..(",)..

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood..

On the edge of a moonlit bayou, the Mistress of names, descendants of the divine tribe of Ya-Yas, now bestows upon you your official Ya-Ya name, forever joining you to the proud and true lineage of Queen Dancing Creek, Duchess Soaring Hawk, Countess Singing Cloud, and Princess Naked-as a jaybird. I find this link very interesting..just for fun..you might want to click on here and find out your Ya-Ya name

Click

Type in your name and you will find what royalty name you have. Mine is Countess Illusions of Grandeur.

But there's more about this link, I just found out..it's a book and it's a movie and there are Ya-Ya mania silently making their way on whoever is interested on someone or  the special people in our lives who help us discover who we are.  Click here!

Mesmerize by Baguio..

     City of flowers, summer capital of the Philippines, whatever you may call it..it's the place you've always wanted to come back..the mountains, its landscape, her flowers, the wind, its people. It's been a long time since my last visit to Baguio, 12 years ago..but still the memories, all that is in Baguio lingers. A happy family it seems, I have 2 kids then. We went boating in the man-made lagoon in Burnham Park, took our walk up the 100 stairs, took pictures with the Mines View park and The Mansion as our background. Sweet memories..we even experienced a tremor at 2am in the morning then, an earthquake! whew ..which I thought a monster was opening the door from the other side of a room where we are sleeping ..(",). 

     Travelling 6 hours from Manila, always excited to get there, remembering my 1st visit when I was in college for a leadership seminar sponsored by one of our student society I was a member of. I remember, it was 6 months after the July 16, 1990 earthquake when Baguio, one that was badly hit that time...I could still see the ruins but you would see it's natural beauty  in spite of the tragedy. The warmth of the native people living there..the rich culture, would also make you comeback. 

     My sight longs for Baguio maybe that's why I would always wanted to go back and even wanted to live there. I think this is the place where I can really be one with nature, be what I am, be with other God's creation. It's a beautiful place..being tired of the suburbs' polluted air, the noise..it's a one place that will bring you to your senses.  Though I know there are far better place in Baguio, but still, her flowers leave its color in my eyes.

      One day, two days or even three days are not enough to see the splendor of Baguio ..and maybe after all these tedious days, I would go back there and experience once again the different colors and blooms of Baguio..(",)

Get Paid To Podcast, Teach, or Publish a Newsletter Online

     Making money online is a matter of finding an audience who you can either advertise to or receive direct payment from. Either way, you need something interesting or informative with which to catch and hold your readers' attention. Your content is everything. 

     I'll show you how you can make money presenting and distributing content via podcast or a newsletter, and how you can connect directly with your audience as an online tutor.

Getting Paid To Podcast

To create a podcast, you will need a microphone and some recording software. If you have a camera, you can also produce video podcasts.You can download a free recording program from audacity.sourceforge.net, where you will also find tutorials on the technical side of podcasting.When you have the content and are able to produce good quality podcasts, you need listeners. You can find them by submitting your podcast to directories such as podcastalley.com, promoting it through a website or blog, or  advertising in forums and newsletters. The bigger your market, the better. 

Don't be afraid of competitive markets, they're big for a reason--they pay and people are listening! You will then be able to make money by finding a sponsor who is willing to pay to reach your listeners. You could find your own advertisers, or join a podcasting network such as podtrac.com. If your content is desirable enough, you can charge for access to it, through services such as iTunes (apple.com/itunes). If you are selling your podcast, however, it is a good idea to create a free content version too in order to reach new listeners.

 How To Get Paid To Publish Online Newsletters

Even if you prefer the written word to audio podcasting, you will still need to take care of some technical details. The best way to distribute newsletters is through an autoresponder list service. These can be set up to automatically deliver pre-written emails to subscribers at set intervals. Each new subscriber will receive all of the emails in your predetermined sequence. That means you can load up a year's worth of content (or more), and it'll automatically publish straight to your subscribers' email boxes without you touching it again!

 A free autoresponder can be downloaded from responders.com, while a more professional program

 can be bought from aweber.com. These programs will also help with managing your subscriber list, so you stay spam compliant.

 A successful newsletter will be attractive, easy to read, and compatible with different computers and internet browsers. You can create beautiful PDF documents using a free program such as openoffice.com. Also, you do not have to create all your own content. You can get free stock photos and articles from sites such as publicdomainimages.net and ezinearticles.com. You can also pay for pre-written content from sites like associatedcontent.com.

 Email newsletters are perfect for marketing your own products, if you are running an online business. You can also make money by selling space to advertisers or even charging for subscriptions. By using the tools from services such a aweber.com, you can grow your online newsletter list to hundreds or even thousands of people.

 Get Paid To Teach People All Over the World

 If you have knowledge and experience to share then you can do so in a podcast or newsletter, or by writing content for a site such as demandstudios.com, who will pay for articles. Alternatively, you can become an online tutor and communicate directly with students through video chat and email. You could find your own students by advertising your services on craigslist.org, or join a company who will pair you up with suitable learners.

 In order to get the best jobs, you may need some relevant qualifications, such as a degree, proven experience in a particular field, or a teaching certificate of some kind. Websites that recruit online teachers include universalclass.com, mytutor24.com, and tutor.com. Wiziq.com has a teacher directory where you can describe yourself and potential students can find you.

Unwritten Letter

I have come across a profile from a certain site and found a letter written by one of my chats. I am fascinated by what he has written, find it romantic and subtle. An unwritten letter maybe for his future partner. Here's the letter written by him....

This is a letter I write to my love...even though we've never met:

I need to be told how you feel. I need to be shown. I need you to communicate with me. I will listen. Forgive me, but when you pull me close one moment and push me away the next; I can't understand. I can't know what to do. All I know is to show you how I feel and hope for honesty and respect in return. I want you to have time to yourself. Yes, I want you to have friends. I want to also be included from time to time...as I will include you. I do this because I want you to know I am proud to walk beside you and I want to feel the same. I do this because I want you to know I have nothing to hide from you. I want you to KNOW I am with you, only you. I want to trust you. No, I don't want to know all your past mistakes. They are yours and you must own them. I am human and have my own. I hope we both have learned their lessons. I want to love your imperfections. I want to love the changing lines in your face year after year. I know we will not always agree, but we can try and understand. When I walk away from an argument understand I do so because I know that people often say things they don't mean. The last thing I want to do is hurt you or reinforce doubts you have about yourself. I want only to lift you up. When you're sick I want to take care of you. I want to tuck you into bed and keep you warm. I'll hold your hand in public and sit beside you when we dine alone. I'll put my arms around you at unexpected times and at others you'll look in my eyes and know I am undressing you in my mind. I want to send you flowers for no reason. I want to leave you notes in places you wouldn't expect to find them. Cards will come in the mail on random days. I want to let you know through your day that I am thinking of you. And at night, while you're asleep, I'll whisper how much you mean to me and hope you'll remember me in your dreams. I want to love and to be loved.

Different Colors, Different Meanings

February is the "love month". As a symbol of love or adoration, people send flowers to their love ones. But did you know that the type of flowers, their colors and the quantity have different meanings? 

Flowers are a symbol of many things. Throughout history, people have given flowers as a sign of their love, devotion, admiration, appreciation or sympathy to other person. Through the years, the language and meaning of flowers evolved into different meanings.

Rose, among all other flowers is the best choice or the most popular among lovers during special holidays and occasions. The color of a rose has different meanings as well as the number a person would give to a certain person.

Red: Love and Romance

Red is the symbol of love. To give red roses says "I love you still". One of the most universal of all symbols, the red rose represents true love. It has also appeared throughout history and across cultures as both a political and religious symbol.

Yellow: Friendship, Joy, Get Well

Throughout history, yellow has been closely associated with the sun, making these roses excellent for cheering people up. Yellow roses send a message of appreciation and platonic love. The color represents feelings of joy, delight and friendship - yellow roses don't specifically show love. They can also represent starting over,or a new beginning. Yellow tipped with red shows friendship falling in love.

Pink: Love, Gratitude, Appreciation

Pink carries with it the connotation of grace and elegance, as well as sweetness and poetic romance. To give pink roses shows grace, joy, and gratitude.

Dark pink roses are symbolic of gratitude and appreciation, and are a traditional way to say thanks.

Light pink roses are associated with gentleness and admiration, and can also be used as an expression of sympathy.Pale pink also has the meaning of fun attached to it.

White: Purity, Innocence, Sympathy, Spirituality

They also represent humility, youthfulness and charm.

Early tradition used white roses as a symbol for true love, an association which would later become the hallmark of the red rose. Also known as the bridal rose, the white rose is a traditional wedding flower. In this sense, white represents unity, virtue, and the pureness of a new love. White roses are also associated with honor and reverence, which makes them a fitting memorial for a departed loved one.

Orange: Desire, Enthusiasm and Passion

A literal mixture of yellow and red, orange roses were seen as a bridge between friendship symbolized by yellow roses and love represented by red roses. They can be an expression of fascination, or a gift to say 'I'm proud of you'.  These would be a great choice to give to someone if you want the relationship to develop further. Lilac and Lavender roses also show these feelings.

Lavender: Enchantment, Majesty, Love at First Sight

The color purple has a traditional association with royalty. In this regard, shades of lavender roses suggest an air of regal majesty and splendor.

The following are the significant numbers associated in giving roses...

 1     - Love at first sight - you are "the one"

 2     - Mutual love and feelings

 3     - Also says "I Love You".

 7     - Together for ever

 10   - Represents perfection. To give someone 10 roses shows you feel that way about them.

 12   - The standard for "be mine". Often given on Valentines day, when for a married couple,actually 7 or 10  might be a better choice. (slightly cheaper as well! ;-)

 13   - A sign of enduring friendship

 15   - I'm sorry

My Pain, My Joy

It was during my seven (7) months of pregnancy that I had come to know that my baby has a congenital defect. It was seen during the ultrasound test that she is hydrocephalic. When the doctor had told me the baby’s condition, it’s as if my whole world suddenly stopped. All those remaining weeks of my pregnancy, I had to undergo serial ultrasound and was really shaken to find out that her spine is curved. Worse came to worst, my baby's back is not fully developed when she was born and she needs to undergo immediate operation to close her back as well as to insert a shunt on her head.

Life has not been that easy for us, but there is a life that has to be carried on. Though doctors told me she wouldn't have a good mental development, it was unfair for my baby not to let her given a chance to see the light of this world. God is the only One who could get back what He has given.

My daughter has been diagnosed with myelomeningocele or arnold chiari malformation II. My little cuddly baby who was only 5lbs more had undergone two (2) types of operation when she was barely a month old. One in the head for the shunt and another on her back to repair her lumbo-sacral. As she was growing, there is no trace that she has mental retardation as what doctors had insinuated when she was still inside my womb. Now that she is four (4) years old, it pains me to see her moving from one place to another though with some limitations, because she wouldn't be able to walk due to damaged nerves in her lower extremities.

But in all of these, I have been thankful to the Lord for the special gift He has given us. We have given her the name Emily Faith Princess, after my name and because through faith, impossibilities had become possibilities.Though there are therapies and medications needed for her to stay healthy, she’s giving us joy and laughter. That baby girl who has limitation in her movement never give us limitation for the joy , the sweetness and embraces she's always giving us.

What's more painful?...

     The "physical" definition of pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage. But what about the pain that we have experienced emotionally?..well, actual and potential tissue damage are not present here. Emotional pain is what we feel inside..things that make us hurt as if we're bleeding inside.
     Pain, according to Don Ranney in his "Anatomy of Pain" says that it is a perception, not really a sensation, in the same way that vision and hearing are. It involves sensitivity to chemical changes in the tissues and then interpretation that such changes are harmful. This perception is real, whether or not harm has occurred or is occurring. Cognition is involved in the formulation of this perception. There are emotional consequences, and behavioral responses to the cognitive and emotional aspects of pain.
     From that definition..I would say pain depends on what we perceive as painful, how we could tolerate a certain pressure, disaster, calamities, life threatening situation, unacceptable words, a love loss..whatever you have in mind that could stop your world for a while. One thing for sure.. what we think would hurt us is really painful.

     Emotional pain is not necessarily the cause of physical pain..and sometimes..emotional pain can cause physical pain. So what's more painful?...Let me see...I met an accident sixteen years ago, I was crossing the street when a car suddenly hit me and according to some witnesses I flew 4 meters away from where I stand.Does it hurt?..I didn't feel anything during those times because I fell unconscious and didn't even know what had happened. Just after I wake up that I had gotten to know I met an accident. I got bruises and stitches in my head. After six hours, that's when I felt the throbbing pain in my head maybe due to a shock...and every time my head aches I always remember the dreaded pain I had felt that time. After a year, I found out that my boyfriend was dating another woman not only one but two. It hurts and I will found out later these incident will have bearing on what I am going through and what I am writing now.

     As everyone perceives it, it's painful to have trusted someone and yet you found out he doesn't deserve it; very painful to have known that the baby inside your womb would not live a normal life; very painful too to have met a blow from the one you have loved most, receiving every words that you would not even thought he would say; and painful too to find out he's turning you to a fool making every bit of what he had done would took a blame on you...and later to find out he got another woman pregnant...Pain??..Yes! very painful..don't even know how I would live every bit of it..I made some mistakes but who would understand?..the one whom I trusted so much now has lost it..Everyday, the pain seethes in, losing my respect to the person I have been with for the past thirteen years.The happier me turns to be withdrawn, and making happy face though sad within. Painful it is that I can no longer say much words as tears began rolling on my face again...and up to you what you think is more painful...