5th of September

There's a huge dorm in UPLB called 5th of September. Way back in college, we used to go there for the party the owners throw on that day. I guess to celebrate it's founding day? I have no idea. But I sure miss those parties! And late night 'group studies' in our brods' apartments haha. Good old college days :) Now I remember Bujo. He's a classmate in one of my minor subjects, who lived in 5th of September. Where is he now, I wonder.

These past few days, I've been reconnected with my old friends. This is one thing I'm soo gonna keep - contact with old buddies! Ramir, my friend since grade 1 has been soo helpful in giving pieces of advise for Mama's health. And coincidentally, his Aunt was Mama's doctor when she was giving birth to me. Haha! Small world, I should say. Rams, what will I do without you? :) In this picture, I am with Rey and Ramir, both are classmates from grade school and we still manage to get-together and keep in touch. :)

Then, I've recently joined a medical mission for the Dumagats in Sierra Madre, which reunited me to some of my Pisay batchmates (Mic, Brymac, Markku) and introduced me to U.P. Org members. I had a great experience there with all the doctors we were with, the children we taught, the patients we treated, the volunteers I got to know better and the rest of the pack. Looking forward in our next med mission come November. These are events that are eye-openners and made my personal problems seem so shallow. This taught me to count my blessings.

My UPLB org, Society of Math Majors, also came up with dinners and gimmiks and reunions recently. I'm sooo happy to be a part of a huge event for the org - our 20th anniv! Now, this is gonna be awesome! I can totally dig these guys, geeky yet cool and quirky, just like me! :)

September is the month of my Mama's birthday and this is why I am happy with the days to come. We've been visited by her sister (my Aunt) at home and indeed, that was a dream come true for both Mama and me. Reunions and bonding times are priceless events that I intend to do more often. Now I've proven that I really am a people-person and that I value my relationships with others a lot.

5th of September. I heard it's the start of the October Fest today. Another fun-filled Friday ahead of me, I should say.

Planning to post my thoughts here...as frequent as I can. :)

Wanted...

iPhone hacker!

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!