Polaroid Me

2011-12-08T19:23:00.001+08:00

I would never be the patient person that I am (at least I think I am, hehe!) had I not been a teacher.

Dealing with a bunch of fifth graders who act like kindergarten kids and think like silly teenagers, second graders who act like toddlers (haha...too cute but!) and being smarty pants, and a special child who I think just recently added 'step on teacher Nina's toe' on his daily routine list is never an easy task!

Nevertheless, I am truly in love with these bunch of kids--and that is even an understatement!

SLOWER

2011-11-30T16:54:00.002+08:00

This is a poem I wrote four years ago.

SLOWER

Raindrops fall

as lightly as feather.

Oceans wave

as timidly as daybreak.

The wind blows

as quietly as a whisper.

Moon gazes

as blankly as white.

Trees sway

as bleakly as water.

Mountains stand

as motionless as space.

The sky stretches

as endlessly as abyss.

From where I am,

Your eyes lay…

Distant as the sun

Indifferent like a foe

Unloving as abhorrence

Lifeless as void

The world turns…

Slower

than

forever.

My favorite pirate once had spoken, "..if you were looking for the opportune moment...that was it."

Okay, there's obviously no apparent unity among all the words I've posted above...haha. Though coherence is an issue in this entry, trust me, I am trying to emit an undimmed message here :D

The Teacher WAS a Student

2011-11-12T20:59:00.002+08:00

I came across my high school planner while cleaning my room (It was a memory explosion!) and found this page while leafing through crisp, well aged (haha exagg) pages--It's funny how I needed to write down passing my Physics long test...it must have been a rare occasion worthy of being immortalized on paper! :P

Random (usual kind of) conversation:

student 1: "Teacher, look, I'm cross-eyed!"

student 2: Don't do that, you'll be crossed-eyed forever if it gets blown by the wind!

student 1: "Oh that's okay, I want to be crossed eyed so I'll look funny forever"

How can anyone not love these kids? So adorable :D

So Little Time, So Much Food

2011-11-08T21:10:00.002+08:00

Paradise

2011-11-05T01:40:00.005+08:00

I am currently in a love affair with Coldplay's 'Paradise'.

On a different note, Learning to play the electric guitar is in my top ten...wonder when I can finally tick the box.

Papers, Crayons and Scissors

2011-09-11T17:55:00.003+08:00

A crammed art lesson: "Silhouette Self Portrait", the kids enjoyed it nevertheless :D

Okay, let me just throw in a few irrelevant words :P I came across this quote and thought it was very beautiful, "A heartfelt apology can't change the past but it can brighten the future". Indeed.

Have you ever tried sleeping with a broken heart?

2011-08-28T15:53:00.005+08:00

Sunday Lunch Date With My Pop

2011-08-27T07:43:00.001+08:00

This is arguably the best red velvet cake I've ever had...it literally melts beautifully in my mouth...a piece of heaven! (feeling Marshall much? hehe)

Pop checking out a book.

Got my hand on a vintage Charles Jourdan clutch (from my Lola, of course), the midnight blue color is stunning :)

Shhh.

2011-08-22T20:33:00.001+08:00

"Words are cheap, deeds are priceless."

Rainy Friday Night

2011-08-20T00:12:00.001+08:00

Orange Fur Ball

2011-08-16T19:41:00.002+08:00

Guess what this fur ball had so greedily consumed in less than a heartbeat. Hmmmm...

Me Like To Eat A Lot

2011-08-15T19:50:00.004+08:00

Ate at Cafe 1776 a month ago with a friend. I found their food overpriced, oh but that's the cost you have to pay for good food and fine ambiance :)

The whimsical colors and interior are oh so inviting!

The prawns and risotto cake was a dish that brought yummy to my tummy!

Olga and I being such girls and posing at the entrance (haha...bit embarrassing)

Pretending Like It's the Weekend Now

2011-08-02T09:43:00.006+08:00

(Cue in Jack Johnson's Banana Pancakes)

Woke up to the pitter-patter on the roof at 5 am, took an (outrageously bone freezing) shower. Then as I stepped out of the bathroom, I instantly got a text message from my boss saying that work has been suspended today due to heavy downpour. What joy!!!

I cooked banana pancakes for an early rainy breakfast.

Ahhh...this is life :)

Games' Take On Life

2011-08-01T21:31:00.004+08:00

Don't vomit scornful words in passing anger and take them back after a few contemplative seconds.

Think before you speak.

We build and build but sometimes, everything falters and disappears into nothing but a wisp of smoke in a blink of an eye.

Don't invest on temporal and material things. What matters most in life are usually the ones that can't be purchased with money, but with love and time.

One. Two.

2011-07-26T19:33:00.004+08:00

Two things.
One, I can't help but stare at this photo of a sushi/sashimi platter I indulged myself with last summer. huhu. I'm desperately salivating over it at this very moment.

Two. I miss the sun and the crystal clear skies.

The weather has been utterly depressing lately.

I miss walking barefoot along the beach and I certainly miss the smell of Hawaiian Tropics even though most of the time, it fails to serve it's purpose :D

Cirque du Soleil

2011-07-24T07:52:00.003+08:00

Watched Cirque du Soleil's VAREKAI yesterday... It was nothing short of fantastical! It was a trip down memory lane...except it took a detour to my childhood fantasies.

The Cirque du Soleil is not only world renowned for their breath taking, heart thumping, stomach churning acrobatics, but also for their blue and yellow-striped tents...hehe, just as how I a imagined a circus would be like as a child ;)

The entire production was a color feast...I've never seen anything so colorful in my life...haha. It made the gloomy sky outside the tent cry a little sunshine.

The stage view from the Trapis Rouge. We were not allowed to snap some shots during the show.

To enter the Grand Chapiteau and witness the grandiosity may cost one a fortune, but all in all, the show is indeed worth every hard-earned penny :)

Tick Tock

2011-07-22T09:38:00.003+08:00

Photo from www.free-extras.com

Time.

Completely free and yet so difficult to give away.

Hadouken!

2011-07-20T19:39:00.000+08:00

Missing Palawan.

I'm Nearing Silver!

2011-07-19T06:52:00.006+08:00

I wished for only one thing :)

Wining and Dining.

I was feeling ill from work so I opted to go home and cook dinner for the family.

By and large, I had a great birthday--sweet and intimate, just the way I really want it.

Thank you Lord for another year. You chose to give life to my worthless, minuscule soul...I don't even deserve it but Your unfailing goodness, love and mercy overshadow my flaws and now I'm worthy to enter your Presence. I love you :)

Be Captivated

2011-07-18T05:38:00.000+08:00

Is it ever possible to love and not be captivated?

I miss this place (GINORMOUS SIGH)...It is so rare to chance upon the heat of the

sun these days...(It's rainy season)

...The answer is, NO.

Seven and Still Single

2011-07-15T06:14:00.000+08:00

Happy happy birthday to our fat furry bundle of joy, Boxer!!! He's already seven and he still has no interest to go after a female counterpart to spend the rest of his life with. heh.

Everybody loves Boxer!

I Simply Remember My Favorite Things and Then I Don't Feel So Bad

2011-07-13T06:11:00.000+08:00

...because the Sound of Music is on Repeat in my Ipod...

Shades for protection. Ironically, I don't really use them, I just stare at them as they sit on my dresser. I simply like them cos they look vintage :)

My trusty Ikea lamp for the semi-bookworm that I am.

Some of the purses I got from my Lola's closet :D

I'm obsessed with "The Glass Heart" by Sally Gardner, I'm especially drawn to the illustration, not to mention it is nothing short of a fairy tale story. Expect an abounding sigh too as you leaf through it. (It's a children's book by the way). I used to love pearls and gold but now I think dainty doesn't fit me well anymore.

Vintage Bill Blass from Pop and some gold pendants representing Paris' landmarks (of course) that I got from my mom's "discard tray".

How could anyone possibly resist happiness in a bottle?...I just can't help but paint life onto those dead skins (aka nails) with these colors!

New Babies!

2011-07-12T19:50:00.001+08:00

"My" little felines. They are so darn cute...my heart melts. WAH!

One (wo)Man's Trash is Another (wo)Man's Treasure

2011-07-10T13:10:00.000+08:00

Dug up this beautiful dress from my Lola's baul (my Grandma's trunk).

It's a wrap dress with a draping at the side (can't be seen though). I wonder when I can raid my Lola's baul again...hmmm :)

Homemade Burger

2011-06-25T19:37:00.000+08:00

Anything homemade is good to me! :) nomnomnom

Heartbreak Warfare

2011-06-15T06:14:00.000+08:00

quoting words immortalized by Mr. Mayer.

Vanity

2011-06-11T14:10:00.000+08:00

Let's Twist Again

2011-06-06T15:42:00.001+08:00

This Is My Side of the World...

2011-06-03T06:18:00.002+08:00

...and it's pretty AWESOME!

Can't help but be thankful that I live in a wonderful country, and be able to experience its beauty too :) God is good.

A Hollywood Affair

2011-06-02T20:39:00.005+08:00

As a little girl, my sister, Sasha, had always dreamt of becoming a famous Hollywood star (didn't we all?). But since her stars did not lead her to that glittery path, Michie (Sasha's bestfriend) and I decided to to make her dream come true, at least for a night. So, we threw her a Hollywood themed bridal shower...

We made her Oscars (those are actually made from cartons and newspapers! Pretty resourceful huh?)

She was happy to go home with two Oscars even without being featured in a single film. Effortless recognition. haha.

Have You Met Ted?

2011-06-01T18:07:00.003+08:00

I love this photo because it reminds me so much of the fabled pub scenes in How I Met Your Mother. I had to beg my friends to pose in front of the bar--an opportune moment I didn't want to miss! Thankfully, they graciously gave in to my rather awkward appeal.

Who Likes British Rock? Raise Your Hands!

2011-05-31T07:44:00.001+08:00

Photo from www.barewalls.com

I do! But I'm not even gonna start pretending like I'm a solid die hard fan...because I'm not. I do enjoy the style and the music and sometimes, I unconsciously get lost in the lyrics. Everybody finds a niche in music, but I wouldn't say I am particularly gravitated towards only one genre, but If I were a music nomad...I would definitely visit my british rock and brit pop play lists over and over and over again.

Look Ma, I Actually Cooked!

2011-05-30T09:32:00.002+08:00

I was never exactly a domesticated kind of woman. In fact, in my entire life, I didn't want to have anything to do with the kitchen, except eat (by that, I meant to taste test) and wash the dishes. So it was quite an irony that I was able to produce a plateful of tuna penne with cream cheese and eggplant parmigiana! I'm starting to feel like this is potentially a beginning of a bright future for me experimenting in the kitchen...hmmm.

Can You Feel the Ocean Waves?

2011-05-29T20:57:00.003+08:00

...can you?

I Want Her Dress!

2011-05-28T08:44:00.003+08:00

Photo from www.jessicaclaire.net

I hope I could zoom into the details on the shoulders though...

For now, I have to settle for this breezy pale yellow high tea dress. It still hangs almost unworn in my closet.

Silly, Silly Girls

2011-05-27T15:02:00.000+08:00

Have you ever felt like you could have a cousin for a sister? I did...and still do. So, albeit robbed of sisters by some guys with heavy accents from down under, I am somehow living my Manila life with the warmth of having a sister by my side, thanks to that girl on the left :)

I Don't Mind Living in a Place Like This

2011-05-26T19:22:00.000+08:00

Photo from www.jessicaclaire.net

I just had to post this photo I came across with while browsing through a blog. Aside from it being such a breathtaking picture, I simply have a peculiar fondness for wide, spacious grassy outdoor spaces--they simply make my heart fly! I've no memory of how I actually acquired this kind of affinity but I guess it must have stemmed out from a mighty frustration...having been raised in a city densely populated, and in an environment wherein you walk down a street and your face will immediately be powdered by the smoke belching machines speeding down the roads. You can tell I didn't really enjoy much outdoor activities when I was young (in the city, that is), because where I'm from, it is immensely over POPULATED and heavily POLLUTED. So it's no surprise that I daydream about a piece of earth ideally miles and miles distant from the hustle bustle of a city.

Blaaaaah

2011-03-26T17:23:00.000+08:00

Today, I decided to walk around the village--an attempt to brush the blues away. It was a beautiful, breezy afternoon. The sun was out and the skies was in it's purest blue. I just wished I had somebody to walk with...or at least talk to today. But things aren't always how I imagine it to be. Suffice to say, I have to consider abating some decreed set of expectations...or do I have to?

Classroom Diaries: Intellectual Capacity

2010-12-09T19:15:00.001+08:00

Conversation with a fourth grade student...

Student: Teacher, I don't think my math teacher fully understands the vastness of my intellect...

TN: (laughs in my head ...what a very typical comment from this boy) Why do you say so?

Student: She doesn't know that I can already do difficult maths like square roots and ...(yada yada... to be honest, I didn't understand what in the world were the other things he mentioned)

TN: Okaaaay...I think you should tell her that you know how to do those things so you won't have to answer the easy ones.

Student: But I already told her and she wouldn't believe me.

TN: Well you should probably show her instead of you just telling her. (hehehe)

Student: (flashes me a smile that spells mischief) Thanks teacher, you always give me the best ideas...

(student gets out of the room in a hurry)

TN: (shouting) Uhm, don't do anything silly okay!

Classroom Diaries: Where's Nikolai?

2010-12-09T18:28:00.000+08:00

Teacher Nina: Where's Nikolai?

Student: He didn't come to school today teacher.

TN: Does anybody know what happened to him? He's been absent since Monday...

Student: maybe he's sick...

During breaktime, TN checks her FB page and while scanning through the news feed, lo and behold, "Nikolai did some damage to a Dog in Wild Ones!"

Found him.

Classroom Wars: Teacher Nina vs Shane

2010-12-08T21:53:00.000+08:00

A boy makes unnecessary noise in class while everyone else writes quietly...

girl: Will you please stop talking Shane! Shush! (ridiculously annoyed)

boy: Why, do you own the classroom now?

girl: (looking more vexed)

TN: (talks to the girl) don't show him that you are annoyed, otherwise, he wins...

girl: Okay...(continues writing)

boy: (still makes annoying noise)

TN: (boiling with utter vexation) SHANE! WILL YOU PLEASE STOP TALKING? IT'S SO ANNOYING!

(dead air)

S: oh, oh, OH! Teacher! YOU LOSE, I WIN! (evil laugh)

TN: (awww...man) FOR NOW...but the war isn't over! (sly smile)

Oh well, tomorrow's a new battle...nonetheless, I love being with my students! haha ;)

Faith

2010-11-22T13:37:00.001+08:00

(Posted March 1, 2009)

It is so easy to fall into the pit of doubt and drown in waves of deceit. Sometimes, lies cloud our reasoning that we are compelled to plot convincing excuses to hold back and to keep from taking a bold step when we are faced in a pivotal decision: to take the step of faith or to timidly step back? And when we have chosen to retreat we put the blame on circumstances, other times, on bad timing, often, on human limitations when ultimately, these excuses are just blatant disguise for lack of faith.

Most often, we start off filled with passion, running forward until we finally hit the edge of the cliff, where the real test of faith begins. Do we jump hanging on to faith or do we move backward and choose to settle on the familiar ground? The biggest problem is, some let belief fall behind their worries, and when assurance is unseen, they choose to hold back. Some choose to rationalize rather than trust. And others simply choose to forget faith.

But what fuels faith in the first place? Is it passion? hope? vision?

Most people are driven by vision. But I think faith should be fueled by Love. For vision changes and dims through winds of seasons. But Love is constant--in storm, in drought, in cold or heat, it remains unclouded and ceaselessly blazing through time.

Worship

2010-11-22T13:34:00.000+08:00

(Posted January 21, 2009)

Worship...what trivial word for such a deep and extraordinary act.

Worship. Ordinarily, we find ourselves instinctively worshiping in sanctuaries amid the happiest hours, when everything falls right smack where they should be, when we find favor in what we do, when our deepest prayers are answered, when we experience unimaginable breakthroughs and when we are at our most convenient state. It isn't too hard to be grateful and, thereupon, act in worship when situations are in accordance to our expectations.

But when happiness deserts us, when we're thrown at a completely opposite situation, when weariness burdens us, when jubilation and laughter beat a hasty retreat and when things happen contrary to what we expect and hope it to be, how exactly do we respond? do we still find reason to worship the Lord or does worship develop into nothing but a feeling which fluctuates from time to time depending on the state of the flesh?

One thing I know...true worship is not dependent on situations. It is a state of the heart. When our heart is right with God, then even if we find ourselves at the highest peak of a mountain or at the bottom of a pit, there will always be infinite reasons to worship the Lord!

When You Decide to Love

2010-11-22T13:24:00.001+08:00

(Posted June 23, 2008)

I realized that to Love is a decision. But falling in love isn't. I understand that however logically we may try to approach how we feel, we still can't condition our mind, especially our heart to feel otherwise. However, putting meaning to the feeling is a decision. It's either we choose to admit what's hidden or deny the obvious. And most of the time, to dismiss one's feeling is the worst feeling of all.

But to love, most of us should remember, is inevitable. We are not subject to judgment if we do. It isn't like an alien rock from outer space that everyone should start blabbing about. It is completely free and normal, as normal as God's love for us. And most importantly, Love is never questionable and deniable when it comes from Love Himself. :)

The Lines Don't Meet

2010-11-22T13:23:00.001+08:00

(Posted April 24, 2007)

The ends justify the means.
Mr. Machiavelli has convinced most of us to believe that cheating is justifiable when we do it out of helping a friend pass an exam. But if we think about it, it's the same as saying that evil can be good at some extent. But this is completely false because evil can never be good.

Evil can never "evolve" into good or Godly because these two, in the first place, are not only different, but are entirely opposite in every way. In Geometry, they are like parallel lines; they don't meet nor intersect--not even at one miniscule point.
The world tells us that evil can 'evolve' into good through time, in the same way that solid ice turns into liquid water, but the Bible tells us otherwise. Nothing good springs out of evil, which makes sense for “…how can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That's not partnership; that's war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands?” (2 Cor 6:1-18, The Message). There is nothing common between good and evil, therefore, to think that evil can eventually evolve into somehing good is just foolish. It is almost like a transversal line that passes through parallel lines in attempt to 'bridge' them, but guess what, it still won't make the two lines meet.

If we choose to believe that evil deeds can 'eventually turn out to be good', then we have chosen to compromise, to lower our standard. Why follow the world’s standard? The last thing the world needs now are Christians who condescend into practicing ungodly ways, thinking that their wicked actions are justified by their good intention.
Let’s not choose to blend in with the rest of the world. But now that we know the Truth, it’s our chance to make a difference and set the REAL standard, God’s standard.
The bad means is never justified by the 'good' end.

I Long for a Secret

2010-11-22T13:19:00.000+08:00

(Posted January 6, 2009)

Women can never keep a secret, they say. I beg to differ!

Most often than not, men refer to women as creatures as roughly synonymous to gossip machine. I, personally, am taken aback whenever I hear boys, comment "please don't tell it to her, if you don't want the whole world to know!". What an absolute insult! Seriously, my blood boils up with anger!

Nevertheless, I wouldn't yield to this false perception toward women. Neither will I ever possess-- not even a whisper, of gossip in me. For I am determined to prove that women are not interested with the 'juice' of a secret, rather, women, or I, for that matter, am interested at the care and love I can undividedly accord to those whom who share to me with their utmost trust their...deepest secret.

Besides, I don't intend to contribute further vexations to men, as a woman being woman alone is complicated enough for them. Thus, gossip is not in me, and never will be. A secret is a secret. It makes life easier.

But in my defense, a woman's heart alone is already a dwelling of secrets. How can a woman who lives by it, create a loop hole for her own shame? A woman is naturally a secret holder. She holds it in her hands...she keeps it in her heart. Everything is guarded in her heart, for her heart is sealed and locked...not anyone can simply get through it.

Women long for a secret, not so they can gossip about it but just because they can keep it.

Truth vs Fact

2010-11-22T13:08:00.000+08:00

(Posted January 9, 2009)

People are thirsty for Truth. Desperate for it, in fact.

But nowadays, people's thirst for truth seems too difficult to quench. Mostly because people attempt to search for Truth in the wrong places and in a completely wrong method: looking for physical evidence, which leads them to believe that to see is the only way to believe, which then, leaves them disappointed when they don't actually 'see'.

But surely, searching for truth is unlike investigating for facts. Truth doesn't require corporal and solid proof for it to be actually true.

Truth is definitive. It requires neither evidence nor attestation from any human form for it comes from the Ultimate Source of all wisdoms Himself. It is incontestable, perfect and authoritative. The truth about Truth is that no matter how much we deny it, it will stand firm, no matter how much we laugh at it, it will not bow down, we may try to push it away, yet it will not defer and even though we may not perceive it, we are overwhelmed by its existence. For the enormity of its power is founded and influenced by God and not by human judgment.

Fact, on the other hand, is not necessarily equal to Truth (and yet, unfortunately, we think that they are one and the same) for it requires evidence, witness and authentication (based on human understanding) to prove its verity. Fact, in other words, is any visible information at all that can be molded and fashioned into "fact" so long as it passes human standard of "truth".

The truth of the matter is, facts don't always lead to the truth. And Truth is fully independent from facts.

See, the search for Truth doesn't need to be a long process of frustrating disappointments. It doesn't need to be as exasperating as uncovering evidence. But Truth, though unseen, is, in fact, easily available to anyone (actually, it's not at all something that we search for) as it is something that's being offered to us all this time, the only question is: are we willing to accept the Truth or would we rather try to look first for proof before we actually believe?

..."I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:16

Where Does Your Heart Run?

2010-11-22T06:00:00.000+08:00

Photo from www.popartuk.com/photography/

If you had the chance to be at one place at this very moment, where would it be?

While outside, doing the laundry, I was caught at a retrospect. I was reminded of a dream I once started to dream about four years ago.

This dream has everything to do with the above-mentioned question. There's only one word to this dream: Paris.

If I were to be at one place at this instance it would be in Paris. Now, this begs the question, WHY? Every answer and every choice is forged by a reason.

Why Paris? because my heart ran off to that place...before I could even get there myself. (hehe)

But on a serious note, every woman's heart was created to be captivated...it is nurtured by the distinct beauty of every day life. We are more of Romantics rather than Realists. Women breathe to be inspired, captivated and enamored by circumstance, a lover, family and even by everything else that is existent--distant or close, alive or inanimate. That being said, it answers the very reason why women long to be pursued. We want to live and not just enjoy beauty and love. Why Paris? because everything in that immortal place captivates, captures and pursues the heart of a woman :) Where else?