fruity confusion

I don't get this. If people crave for mango, why won't they buy mango? Unless there's some allergy to mangoes and this is the hypoallergenic alternative. But hey, both are fibrous aren't they?

Secret Santa

We had agreed to do the Secret Santa tradition every other day, a week before our department’s Christmas party.

We started with something red and I got this...

From gifts09

I think it’s the most beautifully wrapped thing that day so I guessed that my secret Santa could be a female

From gifts09

Next was something sweet. I got another Washington apple, except it’s in office paper. “Seems that my Santa wouldn’t want me to call in sick because of the apple-a-day-keeps-the-doctor-away slogan; could she be my boss?” I mulled

Finally, it has to be something cute. Anonymous Santa gave me this cell phone charm

From gifts09

And when our identities were revealed during our Christmas Party, my Santa happened to be none other than my friend, Jing.

From gifts09

So, my intuition about my Santa being a female was right all along. And the second apple also stirred my suspicion because she was absent that day but the gift with my name was in the drop box by the time I came in; I don’t find gifts for me until after lunch. Jing is the only one whose official schedule is an hour later than ours.

And her ultimate gift is a convertible shirt, again wrapped so beautifully



Thanks a lot!

holiday wall

To incorporate the holiday atmosphere in the workplace, I decided to decorate the two dividers by the door.

Here’s how it was done:

1. Covered the entire dividers with scratch papers with its clean side up to hide the dull upholstery beneath.
2. To have a clean slate with the slightest texture, 6 white crepe papers were carefully laid while securing it with thumb tacks at the back. Perhaps this is the hardest part because crepe is quite delicate.
3. Gold trims made of plant fibre were then added to conceal where the crepe papers overlap, and served as decorative borders as well.
4. Gift tags were then pinned randomly to the “wall”, leaving out the spaces between the trims.
5. Finally, our best photos which had been pasted on cardboard and cut in circles were pinned to the remaining blank portions to greet everyone who enters the room, “Happy Holidays!”

gift shopping 101: a wish list

It’s barely a week before Christmas but rush shopping won’t be necessary actually because I believe in random gifting all year round. The advantage on the giver’s part however is the holiday sale. (I’m being very helpful you see?)

With their current collections, I would like…

• A shirt, a jacket or pants from Mint
• A top or an outerwear from Solo
• Anything from Folded & Hung
• Undercover boxers (size L) and Revolt jeans by Penshoppe
• This, this or this shirt from Shirts.ph in white color please

Standard size for clothing unless specified: M-L for tops and 34 for pants

• The Lost Symbol by D. Brown
• Have a Little Faith by M. Albom
• The Last Song by N. Sparks

I’ll post updates about additions to or omissions from these in case I already own any. But until then, consider it pending.

Happy holidays!

reunions

Getting in touch with friends who were for some time away always feels good. Recently, I’ve gotten to see again some of my mates and ours were reunions of laughter and a lot of catching up

So here's Irene, my classmate for 2 years in computer programming...


She happened to be applying for copies of her credentials from our school where I now teach and coincidentally I was in the campus that morning she visited; prettier and noticeably thinner than couple of years ago. We used to text and e-mail even after graduation but became less frequent since her resignation from her job.

---

Meet Dave. Not Eddie Murphy’s character but uh...Dave. Fans of Blogger might already know him as the author of the Coconuter blog which once made it to the “Blogs of Note”. It was through his blog that the line of connection was re-established. Prior the Blogger recognition, Coconuter has been online for about a year or so I think and it’s famous here in the Philippines having been featured on TV and in various groups. I was just literally browsing when I came across it without the slightest idea that the sensational blogger was a classmate in first grade. Unfortunately, we have no photo to prove that.

I faintly recognized his profile photo but had the strong feeling of familiarity enough for me to make the first e-mail. And the rest is history.

During the peak of the Coconuter prominence, which is contrary to the struggles that were actually experienced by him and which Dave is telling in his posts, our communication was expectedly sparse and limited to blog comments.

I remember Dave as the very quiet boy who wore glasses and just nodded or shook his head to most things offered and said to him. But just as we, the typical Pinoys (Filipinos), were always enthralled to every student with foreign lineage in our school, Iws eager to make playmates but Dave is stiffly just not into playing in class.

Fast forward 18 years later, who would have thought that our roads shall meet again and I’m so honored meeting Coconuter himself again – and this time, he’s talking.

---

Open wide! Indeed, we were smiling wide each other when Raechelle and I met in her clinic for my oral prophylaxis. My new dentist was a classmate from preschool to second grade.



“Who would have thought? Raechelle who had no teeth would become a dentist”, I teased her. Well, She did have teeth but I would hate to describe how bad they were. Despite that, she was always helpful. I remember our parents had informally made us like ‘backup’ of each other for contingencies. Whenever she’s absent, her mom borrowed my notes and the reciprocal happened when I was confined in the hospital for typhoid fever. It’s always that way.

We lost connection though when I was accelerated thus graduated ahead of her. And this exactly is the next thing: I was in her clinic and she worked on my mouth for hours. The girl who used to have poor teeth told me I have some abnormal clicking of the jaw and gingivitis too, and taught me how to floss properly.

the first semester

Made it through my first 4 months as a classroom instructor; the later part was breakneck as we had to compensate for lost meetings due to the consecutive typhoons that hit our place. In fact, in my Management class, we haven’t had enough time for the “Controlling” function but I’m glad we had completed “Leadership”– something the other sections haven’t. Not that we’re competing with them though.

Overall, it was a rewarding experience to know that I had been part of the education of these students or perhaps, touched their lives in a way or two if some consider it that way. I intend to be regarded as a strict teacher. I sense, and co-teachers affirm that even other students who weren’t in any of my classes have the same impression of me. My students themselves had amusingly associated with me the word “stress” throughout the term. They often say, “Sir, ka-stress naman!” (Sir, that’s stressful!). Oh c’mon! Are they expecting to study ABC’s?

Alright, I won’t deny being meticulous with their output especially homework. These kids belong to ‘Generation Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V’ as one of my former mentors put it and true enough, their papers were copied from the Web then pasted in Word often without even bothering to cite their sources. My frustration almost made me suggest to having the web page itself printed along with the ads and buttons which, in truth, would be better because the URL is printed as well – the least way of giving credit to the authors. Worse, they did not even bother reading the relevance of what they submitted to what was asked! Perhaps they thought there were too many of them and I am too busy to actually read what they submit. Somehow they were right; I just scan through their papers. But the purpose of scanning is to find key words which would either earn my approval or otherwise. To give them a hint of what I look for, I returned their first homework with some parts underlined and noted with remarks like “What are you talking about?”, or “Next time, read if relevant”, or “Summarize!” For the rest of the term, this was my index: 3 to 5 points deduction from their actual grade for those exceeding the prescribed two pages and the real hopeless ones get 10 points more than the equivalent of zero but which, still is 15 points below passing just for their expense on paper and printing.

Cheating is another major issue. As a part-time instructor, I am paid in an hourly basis and so I do not get to proctor my own exams because the school is maximizing the pay for full-time colleagues whose salaries are computed in monthly rates. Still, when I got the answer sheets, cheating was apparent. Guess what – both parties were punished. The “copiers” received a failing score whereas the accomplices’ answers for the cheated part were disregarded losing them at least 10 points. They were never confronted and no names were named but this disappointing revelation was announced in class to warn everyone. I may be tough but I don’t embarrass them. I want them to know that they were given a fresh start. The next exam therefore was given in multiple sets created similarly and labeled uniquely and included topics from prelim to finals. This would not give them enough time to decipher who got which questionnaire.

Even for computer subjects, some students abused the magic of computer shortcuts. The results were files with different names but the same errors, date and time created and modified, and author. To prevent recurrence during the finals, I surprised them with a written exam for laboratory to find out who really knows what. With computers shut off and pens in hand, they analyzed codes printed on paper. The results were an expected drop of grades from the previous grading period.

I did not expect my students to equal in one sitting, the knowledge I’d acquired in my years in college and in the industry. Neither do I intend to be the villain who would not wish them success and find amusement in their sufferings. One moment I’m mad about their negligence and noise, the next, I’m cracking jokes. I break monotony whenever possible. But I feel I had to be stringent to instill in them to always strive for excellence and not settle for mediocrity; to try their best before believing that it is all they could. So they may understand that they could cheat their exams in school but not the fact that they did not learn anything which would eventually manifest when they’re applying for decent jobs. Further, grades aren’t numbers that they must achieve by all means but rather are figures that measure how they really perform. I try to be as transparent with how their grades are computed and constantly remind them how much more they need to make the cut.

I believe this is generally a promising group if given sufficient motivation. Significant part of this motivation however could neither be imposed by me nor by somebody else – students ought to learn to draw it from themselves and for themselves.

One lad, I’ve learned, was taking Computer Fundamentals for the third time. His previous teacher had told me that he’s not dull and in fact a fast learner. He fails because we would miss class if doesn’t feel like attending. He would miss his exams not because he has problems settling his fees but simply because he intends to miss it. With me, he failed during prelim. He could have passed midterms but didn’t officially file for special exam until the filing period lapsed so he failed once more. He redeemed himself during pre-finals by earning a whopping 94% mark and I saw hope for him. I talked to him seriously and told him that we’re almost there and that I appreciate his renewed eagerness along with the encouragement to just keep it up for until the finals which would be in a month. He agreed and was cooperative and diligent for the rest of term. Ultimately, he passed the subject and is now eligible to enroll major ones come next semester.
The experience so far is indeed a combination of inspirations and frustrations; there are more to expect. I had heard some of their stories and they had heard mine. Classes resume in a couple of weeks and I’m handling a new group of students. But nothing beats the first time, they say.

Here are few memories of my students from our last two meetings. Sadly, not all of them passed. But I hope lessons were learned.

guilty

I admit. I was a neglectful blogger for the longest time so far. And that was until this post. But after this, I can’t assure yet whether or not the next hiatus will be as long. Aside from the packed-schedule-excuses you are tired of reading (and I myself am getting tired of believing), there had been another impediment. You see, I was supposed to share my account on our department out-of-town strategic planning this year; it was in June and collecting the photos wasn’t a problem. But then for some reason, I can’t upload it to my Photobucket. For weeks I was getting the “Upload error 404” which at first I thought was due to the filter policies configured recently in our servers at the office. But after 2 weeks of failed attempts, only then did I decide to bring the photos home to try uploading them using a different connection. I got the same problem. For a few times, it said that upload was successful. But then the photos cannot be found in my album no matter how many times I refresh the page.

Yeah, it took me that long before I finally decided to resort to Picasa Web. Just yesterday actually…

Oh well, it’s too late to tell about the trip now. In brief, after 2 consecutive years going up north, our group decided to go southbound this time. The first destination was a private resort in Laguna, made exclusive for us. Laguna is a place famous for hot springs. And the next day, we ascended Tagaytay which, as far as we have explored, the only interesting attraction is the view of the renowned Taal volcano submerged in a lake.

Let the pictures do the talking

unfortunate sunday

It started with the family’s abrupt decision to go shopping. And so we rode a bus to the mall after church service. A day in the mall wasn’t very eventful but still for someone like us whose daily lives just switch between home and work recently it may be considered a good break. We got out of the mall by 7PM and learned that all vans bound back to our city had already left and none other will arrive. This is an unpleasant surprise because the last time I went with a colleague, transport was available until 9PM. So we waited for a bus in front of the mall for half an hour but to no avail. Cutting the story short, we were able to get a ride past 9 o’clock and boy was it inconvenient! Imagine there were 6 of us squeezed in the back of the AUV which would only be comfortable for four but since all the passengers are just as eager to get home, we all endured the inconvenience.

From the cab’s unloading area, we rode a tricycle. Feeling giddy from the uncomfortable travel, I started getting ready for bed and as I changed my clothes I found out that my cell phone’s missing. I tried ringing it using my sister’s handset hoping that the rider would hear it and pick it up. But it just rang on until it went dead because the call is not answered. I’m certain that it slipped from my pocket in the tricycle because it was still in my left pocket when we got off the AUV.

I immediately gave up my hopes of retrieving it because foremost, tricycles roam around the city and pick passengers in succession. Second its battery is not fully charged thus would be drained soon. The only consolation was that both the phone and the SIM card is secured with a PIN so whoever finds it would have no use for it unless he’s quite techie to know how to deactivate the locks

I am saddened by the loss of my phone which I bought on credit and paid for several months and which had been a big help in my
studies since I used it for Internet connection at home. It had even been a handy camera for several photos for this blog. Now, gone with it were the dates and messages which mean much to me.

Fitted (A sequel to ‘A Teacher’s Uniform’)

This blog debuted with a post that tells about how I was often mistaken for a teacher when I was just a student myself. Now two years later, I really am.

My mind was flooded with post-graduation plans since my hasty finish from college. Teaching was considered though it wasn’t a priority then because my prolonged stay in college made me feel satiated with the classroom environment. But with the insistence of my former mentors and the tempting yearning of my pocket for extra cash as well as the pitiful state of my savings, I gave in.

A month of anxious waiting since the teaching demo and I was hired. Since last week, I teach from 6-9PM after my old fulltime office job and so far, I am still getting the feel of being in front and managing a class of no less than 30 students whose ages range from 15 to 28 years old for the four courses loaded to me. Honestly, teaching was more difficult than I thought it is.

It is indeed starving exhausting challenging especially that my former teachers are now my colleagues. I hope to be good at this. So help me God.

Sure I’ll miss my free Saturday nights too *sob*

Farewell to a teacher, fighter and mother

I left for Baguio last week to pay respect for Dennis’ mom who succumbed to complications of breast cancer. I haven’t had the chance to meet the woman before since she was hospitalized during my last trip to Baguio .

The trip was decided abruptly. It’s good that I have gained few leave credits again since I came back to work last month and that Lalaine had kept in touch again after a long time. I insisted to myself that this is for the bereaved family and I wouldn’t want Dennis to be the least worried about attending to my needs during my stay and so I conspired with Lalaine to keep my plans secret. Lalaine and her family were dutiful hosts as before and I just can’t thank them enough for accommodating me.

It was a sad reunion but it’s rewarding to see how my friend reacted when he saw me the first night I attended the funeral. He just can’t seem to believe I was really there.

“She was a teacher, a fighter and a mother”, described Dennis as eulogy. His mom was a high school teacher by profession – perhaps one factor why Dennis and his two siblings pursued Education for their college degrees. He spoke how his mom trained them to promptly accomplish tasks given to them. The more touching tale was how with unswerving faith, his mother ‘fought all the way’ despite that her chances solely relied on miracle thus a ‘fighter’.

I believe that more than anybody else in their family, Den had prepared himself for their mother’s departure. But when we we’re having coffee together a night after the interment, he confessed how “It still feels different. It’s so easy to say ‘at least it’s over, she’s finally at peace… move on…’ but then it still feels different especially when it’s your mother [you lost]” I feel sorry for him. Yet I admire how he tries to amuse himself and live each day after. Truly he’s one of his mom’s greatest fulfillments.


* * * * *

Here are studio shots we have had taken the day before I returned home; a remembrance how we stuck together when one just needs somebody during life’s tough time.

xoxoxo

We love chocolates and so my colleagues and I frequent the nearby department store during lunch break. Once we were scanning the shelves and the next thing, I was thinking aloud. “If Hershey’s will be introducing another Kisses variant, what would they name it? ‘Make Out’? Since they have ‘hugs’ and ‘kisses’…” Jing replied, “Get Laid”.

Other ideas?

May in a nutshell

I know, I know! I was a truant from blogosphere. Now you may turn to me and with wide eyes exclaim, “You’re alive! Where in the world have you been?”

Alright, here are why. But we shall run through it quickly because I know you won’t care about the details…



The finish line

It all started when our College Head offered me to enroll my remaining 6 units in advance. That meant 30-hour per subject tutorial classes to make it in time for graduation. I had my name included in the invitation draft, graduation gown and cap measured, and I attended rehearsals but only completed the hours required and took the final exams one day before graduation day


Unexpected guest

A special visitor arrived in short notice and had to stay with us for a week. Well, this one needed help and of course I volunteered to be an instant counselor. You’ll get to know more about the guest in due time…


Man at work

My 5-month leave from work had expired by end of April and I reported back to work first working day of May (even though the aforementioned friend was still with us) Well, not yet as busy as before I left but that’s just because my superior’s been too busy herself to mind me. Unfortunately, aside from the policies on midyear bonus which disqualified me for said benefit, I’ve learned that I wasn’t included yet in this month’s payroll and so here is “The Employed Who Cried ‘SOS Mom!’” – as in Salary Of Son is withheld until next month.


The wedding date

A former schoolmate tied the knot in her hometown which is 3 hours away by car. Left before sunrise, wedding’s at 2PM, arrived home 10PM. *snorezzzZZZ*


Teacher in the making

One of my Alma Maters finally called me for teaching demo as I applied for a part-time teaching job. Maybe a subject or two in the evening… I’m wondering, what type of instructor will I be because even though I tell myself I’ll be a good one, who can really tell?

The Valedictory Address That Never Was

Change does not necessarily assure progress, but progress implacably requires change. Education is essential to change, for education creates both new wants and the ability to satisfy them. Henry Steele Commager

Several months ago in November 2008, change was intimidating. For five years, I have what my fellow students aspire after college: a stable job. The recently concluded semester left me no option but restructure my fixed pattern as a fulltime employee by day and part-time student by night. The daunting concern then was basically losing my steady revenue. Whether or not the study leave was granted, it would mean burdening my mom not only with scholastic expenses but also my personal expenses despite chopping off the non-essentials.

Those times change was inevitable and not reassuring for even though my leave was granted, I still had several units left to take. And so I embarked on the change while the progress I was hoping for still lies faintly at the distance. I knew very well that I risked losing my job after the 5-month study leave expires by the end of April. Still, I pursued the direction that change led me to.

Today, I am elated and still surprised on what great progress had transpired. Graduation day was just an event I looked forward to indefinitely as I inched my way toward it. Four years, 2 courses, 2 curricular revisions, and 3 graduation ceremonies prior this… it seemed endless. Like a worm’s, my progress was gradual until I did that little extra bend that enabled me to lunge myself farther and eventually to the finish line.

Now friends, as my tenure as a student end, allow me to share with you few things that kept me through and to not speak of them is wasted privilege.

The entire experience had demonstrated to me in many ways the virtue of trust. It is trust that teachers can leave you on your own as you take exams and they don’t doubt your scores. Trust is why you’re appointed to various orgs and chosen to compete in contests. Trust could sometimes give you privileges and make things easier for you like for example, extend a deadline. Trust is how you make people listen and oftentimes agree with you. Most importantly, trust is the only loyal ally we have for ourselves.

Let me thank these people whose trust served as pillars that upheld me all along.

Foremost of course is my family. And considering how extensive Filipino families are, my gratitude extends to each of them who expressed support even just through short emails and IMs. But most especially to my immediate family who were there with me all the time… mom and dad for believing in my potentials even though sometimes we differ in strategy; we’re both aiming for the best anyway. And to Shep, my sister, who had made me famous among her peers; I know you’re proud of me although I may not the best sibling one could have.

Secondly, my mentors who have become more like colleagues and friends to me.

Mr. Bert Casabal, Head of Academic Affairs; I don’t know what else is left to say to commend you as an educator, coach and a friend to us.

Ms. Sam Dizon, Head of Computer Studies; I am greatly indebted to your unequaled support for me from the very start. I’ve always admired your diligence and your assertiveness.

Similar commendation to the esteemed college heads; I wish that you’ll be aptly recognized for being the true prized assets of the school

The present and former instructors especially of the CCS, your patience and tolerance are impressive… Nestlé for bearing with me during my last 30-hour tutorial class… Of course friends from the Gen Ed: Brye, Agnes, and Aby, my adviser for the school publication; I’ll definitely miss all the sensible and ‘not so’ sensible fun we had and I hope we could lunch again with Mama Ann soon.

My employer, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority especially to my colleagues of the MIS Office currently in the leadership of Jeff Salazar, thank you for the opportunity that has given me the advantage to be ‘extraordinary’ as a student. Similar gratitude for the two previous managers who held office since I was hired, thank you for the trust and encouragements... DA Doc Martinez, Deputy Administrator for Admin, for recommending approval of my 5-month leave… And my closest friends at work, you make the workplace seem less stressful than it actually is.

I’ve also fortified the value of friendship. There are friends who won’t mind feeding us while others would just teach us to fish. Personally, it is my joy to share with a friend our catch after a day of fishing. We shouldn’t oblige our friends to work with us during exams because that would be parasitic rather than mutual. But it’s reassuring to know that someone is there to give us a hand or a shoulder when it seems we are just too exhausted.

To my schoolmates and friends, the present and the past 3 batches prior ours regardless of our courses, every moment with you was worthwhile and fun.

My special thanks however to the original Batch 2009 IT students, for making me feel really one of you even though my graduation came earlier than expected. Gerald Rankin, my constant pair in group projects… Aie and Nikki, I’ve always admired your persistence… the IT experts, Je and Alvin, you are the pride of the class, and Paul – the three of you; thank you for volunteering as layout artists for the school paper.

And to the incoming senior IT students, my best wishes…
And should I forget to thank my work colleagues, Ryan and Alfred? You guys are unselfish to render technical support when my PC malfunctioned on weekends and even though I was officially on leave; big thanks!

Now let me quote this section from the famed “The Road Not Taken” that describes quite well the journey it had been but I want to believe that mine’s not the regretful interpretation of Frost:

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Finally, I’ve learned that writing could take us places and make us what we want to be – even a class valedictorian.

Subic Beach Bodies 2009: Sneak Peek

GJRE, the production that behind Beach Bodies, commissioned me once again to aid in the staging of this year’s bikini showdown. For its 8th edition and the first time in Beach Bodies history, GJRE has decided to make the contest exclusive to females hence the search is on for ‘Miss Beach Bodies’. However, we are also brewing a separate event for the appealingly fierce men who are just as eligible to wear bikinis. That – is something to look forward to. For now, here are snapshots from the first scheduled screening of hopeful ladies who made that one afternoon hot even if the sun had set.

heart-racing discovery

The news came as a surprise. Early last month, my classmates and I attended a seminar in the school where two of our instructors are pursuing their graduate studies. It was a 3-hour drive from our city.

I had a slight headache. Although generally bearable, I felt occasional painful throbbing in my head. I informed my companions about it and while the program has not begun, our college head decided to bring me to the school clinic to ask for a tablet of Paracetamol. The nurse did not issue the med right away though but cuffed me with the sphygmomanometer instead.

“Are you high blood?”

“No”, I replied.

She pumped the device again and while she’s reading the meter, I began to suspect. “Why? Did it register high?” I asked calmly. “Yes. 130/120”, she affirmed. “Oh! It’s the first time I’m told such”, I said with a sheepish smile which I cannot tell whether due to my attempt to shrug off the fact or I was just feeling weak to be panicky.

I was given the tablet and a glass of water. “Rest for a while”, the nurse advised me pointing to the couch behind her desk.

She checked my BP every 5 minutes and told me it was declining. I fell asleep in the interim when our college head left me to check our companions. When I woke up about 20 minutes later, I was feeling better; not very well but better. Before sending me back to the seminar venue, we checked my BP once more and it had slipped back to the normal range. We attributed the incident to the sweltering weather in the area – a province not blessed with vast bodies water and has been greatly affected when a nearby volcano erupted 18 years ago.

The drowsing effect of the med brought me to a stupor mid of the second talk and I was awakened with the sound of clapping.

I was back to my ‘normal self’ the entire trip home.

* * * * *

Thursday afternoon of the following week, I entered the Electronics laboratory to refill my bottle of water. One Engineering instructor had with her a sphyg so I decided to have my BP taken without anticipating a negative result. But the reading still seemed a surprise to me. Two more tries later, the result was consistent: 120/110. As if doubting her own skill, she recommended that I ask our school nurse for second opinion although technically hers was already the ‘second’ opinion.

Fifteen minutes later, I was in the clinic. A different device and a different person affirmed the result: 120/110.

* * * * *

As advised, I sought a doctor’s evaluation. The next week, I went to my employer’s dispensary. In fact I had fasted overnight in case a blood analysis will be required. After being queried at the nurse’s station and my BP checked as well, I was given a slip with the instruction that I have to have my BP monitored by someone every morning for 7 days. Based on which would the doctor shall give his recommendation upon my return. I was told though that in any case I feel something odd, I could come back immediately.
Thankfully though, there are no weird feelings ever since I was first told of my condition.

* * * * *

Despite slight fluctuations in my BP register, the doctor said that these were acceptable especially that BP is affected by fluid intake and the hot weather. I was relieved and grateful. Nonetheless, I personally took the initiative to be more careful. I was a pescatarian for 4 years so I guess it has little to do with diet but I did cut on carbs. I’m also guilty of living a sedentary lifestyle although recently stress is quite inevitable especially that we just had our finals at school; I did gain weight within the first quarter of the year. Heredity is also one possibility.

Regardless, I guess it’s time to act now and do things to truly a healthier me.

i'm in

Did my part last night; the fan and the fridge were the only things running

Ink of Romance

The editorial staff of Sine Qua Non is proud with the launch of ‘Ink of Romance’, our special Valentine literary folio that is first in the history of our school’s publication.

The folio primarily features love poems and short stories which are fruits of both our [very own] literary writers and our contributors’ ingenuity. We also offered page footers as ‘ad space‘ for dedication and greetings although we weren’t able to raise much money from it maybe because students don’t know yet how the thing works for our publication. Anyway, nothing is more rewarding to see the excitement in the readers’ eyes when they saw their names printed along with their contributed articles, survey responses, or dedicated greetings.

Although the release had been a couple of weeks delayed from Valentines’ Day due to funding matters which we had to contend with the school administration, we at the editorial board had completed the thing for printing promptly as set .

Here are the cover, my page and excerpts laid out for A4 paper and folded in half.



The monikers “Ink of Romance” and “Bolpen na Hinugot sa Puso” (Ballpen Drawn From The Heart) cater to articles in English and in Filipino respectively; the idea behind “Bolpen” is a joke that is provided to grab attention from readers.

We are glad that IOR was able to incite reading to our students; it’s a pleasant change that students are asking for copies rather than us almost forcing them to claim. We believe that we’re able to make our (the Ed board) presence better known. In fact, I already received a handful of contributions for the next issue. We could expect that students will be looking forward to the future issues of Sine Qua Non – something we aim to instigate to students the sense of involvement and concern towards the more serious issues in the school community.

highly in-demand

Here’s a pictorial account of some things that kept me occupied during the hiatus of my blogging.

There was the IT Week which I emceed thrice in the span of the 5-day event. First was the opening program, then the IT Quizzes held the next day which, I must say was the most demanding part since separate quiz sets were held for every year level. And since I belong to the seniors, I was quizmaster for the other 3 levels and that meant reading set of 25 questions per year level, twice.

Our instructors mandated our participation in the quizzes so somebody else had to be quizmaster while I competed in the senior category where eventually I was winner with 2-question lead. Considering that two of my classmates were the official quizzers who represent our school in regional competitions, it’s quite a surprise that I won! Must be my lucky day; the cash prize was 300% ROI for my registration fee.

Part of celebration of our school’s Founding Anniversary which coincided with the IT Week was a seminar for graduating students. It featured talks on preparing a résumé, handling job interviews and work ethics. Again, I was emcee.





























































And in the afternoon of the same day was the closing and awarding program of the IT Week. That explains why I’m wearing the same thing minus the jacket.




















































































I don’t know why they do not seem to get tired of me as program host. I’m highly in-demand. Hope I become ‘highest paid‘ too.

perfect time

Finally, our colleague and friend Dorothy marries her prince.

Time indeed was fast. Gone are the days when she could only joke that everything is ready for her wedding – everything but a groom. As well as the many times she had been the subject of ridicule of some officemates for being left behind in the race to finding a partner. Now, she could be proud she’d made it.

What I know about their love story is certainly just a tad of the whole thing nonetheless I feel privileged to have been entrusted with such fragments which Doth would usually share over breakfast. She used to be very private with her affairs so when she started sharing things about Pete when their relationship was in its early stage, I can tell it is love actually.

I just can’t refuse to be part of the action when Jing told me they were arranging a bridal shower. I was the emcee/facilitator of the rather wholesome (the groom was there to attest) shower which was mainly dinner with games and well-wishes attended by close friends.

The wedding was held in the bride’s hometown situated about 2 hours away from our city so we had to travel and spend the night there before the big day.

The bride started her day early and happy; truly she was most beautiful. It was wish-come-true that her bridal bouquet was made of yellow tulips – something she had fancied long before she even met Pete.

Here are some funny facts I recall on the wedding day:

• The priest did the ceremonies quite differently and forgot to prompt the couple to kiss. The couple only kissed when the photographer had to capture the moment. By that time, the wedding proper was over and the priest was out of the chapel.

• During the ceremonies, the priest ordered the couple to bow their heads for a prayer. But to translate word for word in Filipino, the order ‘bow your heads’ would come first before to whom it was addressed (‘the couple’). As a result, the assembly bowed upon ordered and undid the action when ‘the couple’ was mentioned. Wide grins followed.

• In the reception, the bride’s mom had mentioned in her privilege message that “should you (the groom) only hurt our daughter, you better return her to us.” When it was the turn of the groom’s clan, Pete’s uncle in behalf of his father used the same words about returning the groom.

Finally, Doth has someone to start her day with by having breakfast together. She’ll now be celebrating her birthdays with a family of her own and somebody else shall give her yellow flowers. Indeed, her dance to the beat of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” has been replaced with her wedding march – “Perfect Time”, finally.