LSS since yesterday

The Zepher Song
Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Can I get your hand to write on
Just a piece of lead to bite on
What am I to fly my kite on
Do you want to flash your light on
Take a look its on display - for you
Coming down no not today

Did you meet your fortune teller
Get it off with no propellor
Do it up it's always stellar
What a way to finally smell her
Pick it up it's not to strong - for you
Take a piece and pass it on

Fly away on my Zephyr I feel it more then ever And in this perfect weather We'll find a place together Fly on my wing

Riddlin on liberator
Find a way to be a skater
Rev it up to levitator
Super mainly aviator
Take a look its on display - for you
Coming down no not today

Fly away on my Zephyr
I feel it more then ever
And in this perfect weather
We'll find a place together
In the water where the scent of my emotion
All the world will pass me by
Fly away on my Zephyr
We'll find a place together

...thanks to Jay, I now have more mp3's yipeeeeeee!
Now, I want something hot.

Message from a Friend on Christmas Eve

The scent of Christmas is still in the air
And the new year is just around the corner.

Why don't you hang around for a while
And give me a chance to make you smile.

I know life hasn't been kind
But it's not like that all the time.

Just remember you have so much else to be happy for
Including the future and what it holds instore.

So let's see you get rid of that frown
There's no need to keep your spirit down.

Tears may have rolled down your cheeks yesterday
Here's to keeping your beautiful brown eyes dry today.

LET it be Mine

I’ve always wanted to figure out what the purpose of my life is. Now I have an answer. Sort of. Well, I know for a fact that I want to teach. And learn. Teaching and studying, that’s what I’ve been wanting to do for the longest time now. But, I have yet to figure out where to teach, what to teach, who to teach. Gosh, sooo many choices. Hmm, I can teach in a pre-school. This will serve as a prep time for me. By the time I have 3-5 year olds, I’ll know what to do with them – storytelling, art works, paint their nails blue and the likes. Exciting! Feels like I’m a kid again. So this is option 1. Next, I can teach in a review center. Like, for those who want to take certain exams like TOEFL, IETLS, or NMAT, I can teach English or Math there. Exciting too! I get to meet tons of new people as my students and co-instructors. Wow, can’t wait! Hmmm, what else, I can also teach in say, U.P. Diliman. Mae Anne Salinas – Math Lecturer. I like that! Heck, I still have to pass LET (Licensure Exam for Teachers). I browsed some of the reviewers available in National Bookstore, and of course the first section I read is the Math part. Word problems, mostly. I miss those! Can’t wait to solve those again. So that’s the easy part. The hardest one is the Education part. I still have to recall all the lessons I learned from those 18 units I took in UPLB. Lesson Planning, Cognitive Learning, Classroom Management, and the likes. WOW! I am gonna be a teacher, for real.

I had a talk with Mama last weekend. She said, when we 3 were little she and Papa were wondering who among us will become a teacher someday. And yahoo, that’s me! We came from a long line of teachers, by the way. From my mother’s side, lolo was in fact the dean of Bicol University, where I had my elementary education and where my mother taught for 23 years. And in that school, most of mama’s siblings taught there, even until now. Hmmm, maybe I am meant to teach in that school too? Why not, maybe someday when I am old and already with a PHD degree. Can’t hardly wait.

So for now, my plan is to pass LET this August 2008, and the thought of reviewing again for an exam excites me. I love this. And then enroll in graduate school. This, too, is a must. I’m thinking of enrolling in UP Open University. Omg, mega star and I are like, schoolmates. Hehe. Hmmm what else. I also have to find a way to include PLAYING in my sched. Diliman is a good play ground. I love jogging there. And I love fishballs there too.

So there. My plans. My purpose. My passion.

Touched by an Aj

I recently viewed my friend's blog and I was touched by what he wrote. Let me tell you more about Aj...

He's funny. He's smart. He's sensitive. Easy to get along with. A friend I can truly rely on.

Well, we click because he's Bicolano like me, he loves food trips, he enjoys porma days in the office as much as I do and he never gets tired of spending time with me - may it be in the sports events of the project, or washing dishes in the pantry, or buying food in the penthouse in the middle of the day - he's always there.
How can I not miss him? Here's what he wrote about me:

"I left the office by 7:30 PM and I headed to Gateway to meet my other new friends. I opted to ride a bus so that it would take my travel longer. I was seated at the back near the window. When the bus did a stop in Guadalupe almost half of the passengers were gone so I decided to move forward. I was seated near the window and as I observed the billboards, the road and the cars, tears started falling from my eyes. I remember Mae… Memories were flashing back and I really could not help myself from feeling sad. I'll be missing her so much…"
(the complete entry may be viewed here: http://aljon.multiply.com/journal/item/368/Mamimiss_kita_Mae_)
...and so after I read his words, here's how I reacted and told him this:

"...and you made me cry with this entry AJ. I was deeply touched and cannot express how much I miss you, too. Matibayon ka baga magsurat and I really admire your talents! The past few days seemed totally different, I am still not used to not seeing you all the time. I miss all those times when i can just look into the other cube and see you and talk to you. But anyway, we can move on, right? I am still in the process of searching for the ultimate purpose of my life and I appreciate your support to me. Basta, pirmi lang ako digdi for you. Kung may problem, ako bahala saimo okay? Let's not shed tears. Maski dipisil sometimes. See you soon"

I am so thankful to God for giving me such caring people, I will definitely treasure friends like Aj.

Nail Polish Queen Says Goodbye to her Beloved Project

September 28, 2007 was my last day in Accenture.

I sent the following message for the project I've worked for almost 3 years:

Wacky. Beautiful. Colorful. Lively. Fun. Hard to replace. These best describe my stay in Caterpillar. But just like the polish on my nails, the time has come for it to be washed away to pave a clean canvass for another art. Today is my last day in Caterpillar project and also in Accenture. I will definitely miss CAT-uwaan, the games of the Las Catitas in Ateneo Field and Urdaneta Village, the training we had as Flammin' Hotties, the happy moments, sleepless nights, goose bumps during night shifts, parties, red box sessions, lunches and a whole lot more. I am so proud to be a part of this project: CAT-Pamilya na, CAT-Puso pa!

For now, I must continue where I have to go, where my passion resides and my heart is aflame.

God bless and bless God!

Just When Things Started to be in Place, I chose to leave…

I’ve always wanted to teach. I pursued BS Math, with Teaching Option because I planned on teaching Math someday – i.e., “when I grow up.” Well, as early as my college days, I’ve been teaching Math, come to think of it, though I started with the one-on-one set up (tutor-tutee). One of my favorite students in this tutorial center I’ve worked for while I was still studying in U.P. Diliman, is, Micheline Zamora. She’s a Povedan and I was first intimidated by her fluency in English. I strived then to communicate with her in the best means I knew how – so, I taught Math in Taglish. At first, I was just teaching her Algebra and Geometry. Later on, I also helped her with her Chemistry home works and Physics projects. To keep her from, say, tuning out, I usually asked her about her school life, her friends her and her sweet lovelife. This made our sessions fun. And I get her attention on the lesson again. I’ve always treasured those fun days with Micheline.

Another student I had, this time when I already transferred to UPLB, is Daniel Tabing. I started teaching him Math when he was still in 6th grade. Everyday, during one summer, he used to go to our apartment in UPLB, just so I can tutor him – and he came all the way from Calamba (30min-45mins away from Los Banos). Daniel wasn’t my first student in LB, come to think of it, because I was only referred to his parents by our friendly neighbor - a Pastor in Calamba church. Being a pastor of a large church, he was able to introduce me to other high school students, almost all of them residing in Calamba. There came even a point, when I had to travel to Calamba because I had to teach 5 siblings – Daniel’s brothers and sisters, that is. I had so much fun then. We had tutorials either on a Saturday or Sunday – the whole afternoon! Mariz is also a student I will never forget. Like Daniel, she had to come to our apartment weekly for our tutorials. I like the feeling of sharing my love for Math to students who fear it. My usual ‘openning’ speech for them is, Math should never be feared, all you need is practice practice practice” They all listened to me well. Right now, most of them are in their early college years. I still get to see some of them, from time to time.

And then I became busy with the corporate life...so I stopped tutoring.

Recently though, I’ve started tutoring again. Instead of Math, now I’m teaching English. Ironic, isn’t it? Some say, if you’re good in Math, you must be lousy in English. Hmm, well, I beg to disagree hehehe. Anyway, as of this writing, I have two English students – one is Korean, his nickname is DC, and the other one is a registered nurse, her nickname is Che. I am so thankful to God for giving me very kind, highly intelligent and interesting students. What I basically do is converse with them in English. I have to thank my previous jobs for honing my communication skills.

Let me tell you more about DC (the Korean). He’s a very smart hr director of a very famous company here and abroad. My hat is off to his excellent grasp of the English grammar. He just needs aid in the listening and spoken part of the English language. I like the way he’s very open with his country’s culture, their common practices and their food. By now, I’ve been introduced to a lot of Korean dishes. I always learn something new everytime I teach him and I know it's the same way with him.

My other English student is Che. She’s a very nice and jolly person – never a dull moment with her. Our tutorials is all about the spoken language so we take turns in asking and answering questions – to the extent that some questions are already personal, but we don’t mind. She’s a very fast learner and this greatly amazes me! She keeps in mind the areas of improvement I bring to her attention. We only had a few sessions but I feel like I’ve known her for a long time. When we had our last tutorial session, she gave me a parting gift and I was deeply touched by her gesture.

Now all these past and present students of mine made me realize that teaching is indeed my passion in life. It’s where my heart is aflame. After every session with a student, especially if he/she cannot thank you enough for the help I somewhat provided, I feel all warm and joyful and alive inside that I can’t wait to give the glory back to God. I can finally say that I am doing what I am created for. This path may be narrower than the path I just left off. Nevertheless, I know I have a Director who can lead me to the right turns along the way. This is going to be exciting!

Square Root of 10

So tell me...

What is the square root of 10?

There was this one time when I was on a date and just out of the blue, I asked him that question. Guess what? He answered, "Eh di 5." And I go...huuuWHAT?!?!? Tapos, poker-faced pa siya, I swear! And he even provided other examples to 'prove' his answer right. Lalo lang umakyat yung dugo sa utak ko. Hay, I ended up explaining the concept of square root to him. What a memorable date that was.

Di naman ako Math geek, pero ewan ko ba, turn-off talaga sa kin ang guy na di man lang makasagot ng basic Math questions. Basic ang square root e. Kapamilya nyan ang long division. Grade 3 pa lang kami sa BUPES (Bicol University Pilot Elementary School), pinag-aralan na namin yan.

Well sabagay, kanya-kanya naman tayo ng nagustuhan na subject nung elementary. So malamang yung ka-date ko na yun, magaling sa English o kaya sa History. Sayang kung nag-change topic kami sa subject na forte nya at kung nagpasikat siya ng, say, highfaluting english words or political terminologies, e di sana nagka-second date pa kami hehehe. That could have cancelled out everything. Oh well.

And by the way, the square root of 10 is 3.16227766...(an answer of 3 point something would do na sana hehehe). Basta please lang, wag naman 5!

The Nails!

Mae who? Ahh...yeah, the one with "The Nails!"

That's usually what acquaintances remember of me. It's what makes me stand out...well, aside from the other equally outstanding characteristics I already have (like my God-given height and body hehehe). My polished nails serve as an ice-breaker or a conversation starter in most gatherings I've been to. There were even times when some couldn't help but hold my hands to take a closer look at my nails. "Wow, ikaw ba gumawa nyan? Galing naman!" Yep, I paint my nails myself. I do it when I'm in Laguna, while watching TV with my family, just about after dinner time or in the afternoon. It sort of relaxes me and for a while I forget the usual things I get worried about, and just focus on my color-combination, the lines or the dots that I have to make using the tip of the polish, stuff like that. Very relaxing indeed.

Some equate funky-colored nails with creativity and ingenuity. How flattering, right? What I'm actually implying is that, this is one form of me daring to be different, and choosing to stand out. Hmmmmmmmm, ano naman kaya ang magandang design for next week?