Good Teachers are Angels

Today is parent’s-teacher’s conference day at Living Spring Academy, the school where AJ goes for Nursery classes.

May i just say that having talked to teacher Dina, I am very much impressed by her dedication and concern for each of her students by the way she spends time talking to each of the parents. I was expecting her to just give out the grades and talk a little about how aj performs at school.

She did that and more. I was able to talk to her about my apprehensions about the effect of ptosis on her confidence, about her propensity to create elaborate stories. She reassured me that aj’s confidence is developing just fine and infact she knows how to deal with every situation she’s been given. She’s already “ate” in her maturity and i found out that all my other concerns about her learning progress were all common to children her age. With only two hours per day at school,aj already knows the alphabet, knows how the letters sounds, can speak conversational english and knows how to write her name. Not bad for a 4-year old.

Thanks to teacher Dina,teacher ces and the rest of the angel teachers of living spring, I am one happy mommy.

Teacher Dina...

Today is parent's-teacher's conference day at Living Spring Academy, the school where AJ goes for Nursery classes.

May i just say that having talked to teacher Dina, I am very much impressed by her dedication and concern for each of her students by the way she spends time talking to each of the parents. I was expecting her to just give out the grades and talk a little about how aj performs at school.
She did that and more. I was able to talk to her about my apprehensions about the effect of ptosis on her confidence, about her propensity to create elaborate stories. She reassured me that aj's confidence is developing just fine and infact she knows how to deal with every situation she's been given. She's already "ate" in her maturity and i found out that all my other concerns about her learning progress were all common to children her age. With already two hours per day at school,aj already knows the alphabet, knows how the letters sounds, can speak conversational english and knows how to write her name. Not bad for a 4-years old. Thanks to teacher Dina,teacher ces and the rest of the angel teachers of living spring, I am one happy mommy. :)

"These Words"

i don't know why i identify so much of natasha's songs. she has a habit of expressing beautifully my feelings...


"These Words"

by natasha bedingfield

These words are my own

Threw some chords together
The combination D-E-F
It's who I am, it's what I do
And I was gonna lay it down for you
Try to focus my attention
But I feel so A-D-D
I need some help, some inspiration
(But it's not coming easily)
Whoah oh!

Trying to find the magic
Trying to write a classic
Don't you know, don't you know, don't you know?
Waste-bin full of paper
Clever rhymes, see you later

These words are my own
From my heart flow
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
There's no other way
To better say
I love you, I love you...

Read some Byron, Shelly and Keats
Recited it over a Hip-Hop beat
I'm having trouble saying what I mean
With dead poets and drum machines
I know I had some studio time booked
But I couldn't find a killer hook
Now you've gone & raised the bar right up
Nothing I write is ever good enough

These words are my own
From my heart flow
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
There's no other way
To better say
I love you, I love you!

I'm getting off my stage
The curtains pull away
No hyperbole to hide behind
My naked soul exposes
Whoah.. oh.. oh.. oh.. Whoah.. oh..

Trying to find the magic
Trying to write a classic
Waste-bin full of paper
Clever rhymes, see you later

These words are my own
From my heart flow
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you

That's all I got to say,
Can't think of a better way,
And that's all I've got to say,
I love you, is that okay?

i bruise easily

Sometimes, we can be so insensitive to our actions that we rarely think about how it affects others. We only become aware of it, when we are hurt also by the words and deeds of others most often close to us. That's the way it goes, we are seldom hurt by the actions of those who are not important or close to us. It's a different thing, altogether with our love ones. A single unkind word or act from them leaves us hurting, or at least me. And what i feel during those times are best described by Natasha Bedingfield in this song:


"I Bruise Easily" by natasha bedingfield

My skin is like a map
Of where my heart has been
And I cant hide the marks
Its not a negative thing
So I let down my guard
Drop my defences down by my clothes
I'm learning to fall
With no safety net to cushion the blow

I bruise easily
So be gentle when you handle me
Theres a mark you leave
Like a love heart carved on a tree
I bruise easily
Can't scratch the surface
Without moving me underneath
I bruise easily
I bruise easily

I found your fingerprints
On a glass of wine
Do you know you're leaving them
All over this heart of mine too
But if I never take this leap of faith
I'll never know
So im learning to fall
With no safety net to cushion the blow

[Chorus]

Anyone who can touch you
Can hurt you or heal you
Anyone who can reach you
Can love you or leave you

So be gentle...

[Chorus]

I bruise easily
I bruise easily

Perpetual Help..

Today is Ash Wednesday.

Today, i have also rediscovered how beautiful the prayer contained in the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help. I wondered when was this prayer created because it seems pretty current. I don't think this was written in the 1900's because drugs don't seem to be a problem back then.

Anyway, let me just put it here so you will know what i mean:

**********
Mother of Perpetual Help look on us your children.
We are proud to be your children and happy to call you our mother.
We are not all we ought to be so we come to you our mother.
You are always ready to accept us as we are,
to encourage us to do better inspite of temptations and weakness.

As we look at your picture we remember your life on earth.
You had many crosses and trials but you knew how to face them.
You had faith and trust in God.
You relied on his loving fatherly goodness.
Help us to be like you.
We too have our trials and troubles.
We are often worried and confused.
Give us courage.
Strengthen our faith.
Help us make one more effort when we are inclined to despair.

As you stood at the foot of the cross,
you found it hard to see how God could allow His Son to suffer such agony.
Yet you never lost faith.
Help us to learn from your example to face our trials
with confidence and trust in God.
Sometimes loving mother, we are so worried about our own problems
we forget about God and needs of others.
We want to be like you.
You forgot about yourself and your own problems
when you saw others in need.
Help us to remember that the troubles and sorrows of others
are sometimes greater than our own.

So Mother Mary, while we pray with you for our own special intentions
we include those all of your children in need:
the sick and the dying,
the lonely and the broken hearted,
the poor and the oppressed
in a word, all who need your perpetual help. Amen

LTANY OF PETITIONS

Our Mother of Perpetual Help, your children call on you.
Mother ever help us.

That you may ever be our inspiration..
That we may have courage to face up to all our difficulties..
That we may see meaning in the joys and sorrows of life..
That our trust in God may help others too..

When faced with difficult decisions..
When asked to make a sacrifice for the sake of others..
When put to shame in front of others..
When hurt and tempted to take revenge..

In times of sickness in the home..
In worried about our financial difficulties..
In misunderstanding with those we love..
In helping young people to become self-reliant..
That many may respond to God's call to the priesthood
or religious life..
In choosing our entertainment and recreation..

That parents may learn to adapt to their growing children..
That students may show appreciation to those who
sacrifice for their education..
That teachers may always be inspired in forming
their students to become better christians..
That we may not resort to drugs or drinks as an escape from life..
That we may always be honest in the
struggle to earn our livelihood..
That we may not be driven by greed for power and wealth..
That we may always take pride in doing our work well..
That worjers maybe justly rewarded for their labor..
That we and lending agencies, in the guise of helping others
may not destroy people by collecting unjust high interest rates..
That we may never interfere with justice by bribery or perjury..
That we may rise above personal considerations when
called on to serve the community9or to vote)..
That we may never lose sight of the the beauty of our country
and the goodness of our people..
That we may do everything in our power to bring about justice,
peace and progress in our land..
That we may never be so pround as to think we can do
without God or religion..
When seriously ill and we realize that death is near..
When our loved ones are called home to their heavenly Father..
When we pray that our dear departed may share in the full joy
of Christ's resurrection..

**taken from the revised version 1998 Mother of Perpetual Help Novena
Redemptorist,Cebu Province

Alfredo's boarding house

There's a nice, clean, safe and affordable boarding house for students and professionals alike within the heart of the city of Iligan. You can choose to rent a whole room or just as bespacer only. For 1,500 you will get a room inclusive of electricity and water bills. If you opt for bespacing, you only have to shell P700 pesos inclusive of electricity and water. Water is not a problem since an overhead tank keeps the water flowing at anytime of the day. A separate entrance for boarders are provided.

You can absolutely save on transporation since every major landmark is just walking distance. Alfredo's boarding house is located just outside of St. Mary's maternity hospital. It's just a stone throw away from the Pala-o Public Market, St Michael's Cathedral, Gaisano Mall, Squarrelland shopping centers.

Here's the contact numbers for those of you who are interested:

09059132298 (mobile) / 221-7506 (landline) ask for Papa Pido


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What does your earth revolves around?

If you came across earthlingorgeous’ site, you will see photos of her child and the caption “earth revolves around her”.

Isn’t it nice when you are somebody else’s sun? You must think you're pretty special and important to be the center of their universe.

Fact is, the sun is the center of our galaxy which may only be a small part of our universe but it’s the be all and end all of our existence. I wonder what will happen if the sun will no longer shine? Never did think much about science or of cause and effect consciously. As I understood it, the sun’s gravity holds together the planets in the milky way galaxy to revolve around it. If the sun will cease to be a ball of energy, will it also lose it’s gravitational pull around these planets? Life will probably cease to exist also for some since the sun is needed in the most basic of all life’s processes like photosynthesis. I’m showing my ignorance.I’m too lazy to research…

The sun is responsible for a lot of things huh! And life too..maybe it’s not that great to be the sun. maybe it has no choice on the matter of being the center but The Almighty. Maybe, if you're somebody else's sun, you have no say in the matter. Still, you become one of the primary reasons for your earth's existence.

To answer the question, let me first qualify: God is first, in all things. Outside of God, my earth revolves around my family. I am after all, a wife and a mother.

What does your earth revolves around?

If  you came across earthlingorgeous’ site, you will see photos of her child and the caption “earth revolves around her”.

Isn’t it nice when you are somebody else’s  sun? You must think your pretty special and important to be the center of their universe.

Fact is, the sun is the center of our galaxy which may only be a small part of our universe but it’s the be all and end all of our existence.  I wonder what will happen if the sun will no longer shine? Never did think much about science or of cause and effect consciously. As I understood it, the sun’s gravity holds together the planets in the milky way galaxy to revolve around it. If the sun will cease to be a ball of energy, will it also lose it’s gravitational pull around these planets? Life will probably cease to exist also for some since the sun is needed in the most basic of all life’s processes like photosynthesis. I’m showing my ignorance.I’m too lazy to research…

The sun is responsible for a lot of things huh! And life too..maybe it’s not that great to be the sun. maybe it has no choice on the matter of being the center but The Almighty.  Maybe, if you’re somebody else’s sun, you have no say in the matter.  Still, you become one of the primary reasons for your earth’s existence.

To answer the question, let me first qualify:  God is first, in all things. Outside of God, my earth revolves around my family. I am after all, a wife and a mother…

New nurses in the family!

Congratulations are in order for two LG young ladies via salinasal and emmalou tagab for passing the nursing board exam given last november 2008.

PRC said 39,455 or 44.51 percent of the 88,649 who took the November 2008 Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE) passed the grueling two-day test. Which means that out of every 10 bright individuals who took the exam, you 2 are among the 4 people who made it. Celebrate it, it's not a common achievement.

Congratulations also goes to the parents who made it possible. I'm sure Nong venancio and nang anne, nong lito and nang fatima are bursting with pride and their smiles a mile wide. God is good all the time.

Simple joys of life...

The sunday after valentine, i woke my kids early to take them to the beach which is about 20 minutes ride by jeep. My parents both over 60 also decided to came along.

Since we were not familiar with the jeepney routes, we actually took 2 rides stopped at the famous timoga spring pools to buy grilled chicken and kamote. First, we took the buruun line then at timoga, we took the linamon line. The day before i made a trip to the grocery so i bought a 1.5 liter royal tru-orange softdrink, so we already have something to quench our thirst. I also packed a bottle of mineral water.

Linamon beach resort is not your usual fancy beach resort but compared to other private beachfront property it is clean, has abundant fresh water, simple cottages for day outing, and a cooking/grilling area. In fact if you're up to hitting a few notes, you can actually satisfy the singer in you for 5 pesos per song at their videoke machine. The cottage rental costs a hundred while there is an entrance fee of 7 pesos per person. Actually, the 2 pesos goes to the government.



There was only one other family when we got there. The sea was unmoving, just like a calm after a storm has passed. There was no wave at all and the water so clear you can see the bottom, that's why the kids enjoyed it very much. The oldies enjoyed it too. I am glad.

My signature scent

The race to choose my signature scent officially started yesterday when I bought a 4ml bottle of Clinique Happy Heart Perfume for 560 pesos. Since I still don’t know if I will like the scent on a day-to-day basis , I thought it prudent to buy the small bottle.

What really attracted me to this perfume is the name. It seems like a good slogan for my subconscious to remember. I think I have a pre-disposition to brood. So choosing this perfume will be like a mental /behavioral intervention for me to be less pensive. Maybe.

I was never a perfume person. My exposure to scents was limited to bath soaps , and lotions, which could easily be purchased at the local grocery stores. At one time or another, I may have purchased cologne(johnsons, avon) but I’m pretty sure after the novelty of opening a new purchase, I think I may have just stopped using it or gave it away. Over time, the scents that I wear came mostly from lotions and very mild at that. I only started to really appreciate scents when I got married. You see, my husband likes perfume very much. He sprays it all over his upper body, twice in front and twice at the back. His pillow, his clothes, the car, our room carry his scent whenever he is around. I quite like it. In fact, except when he smokes or when his feet stinks, my husband smells good all the time. Really. Which is probably the reason why I like embracing him, a fact that he pointed out to me long ago. Also, from his many trips abroad, his usual presents for me includes a variety of Victoria secrets, which may have eased my transition from a non-wearer to a liker of scents.

Anyway, I looked up Clinique Happy Heart Perfume ingredients and found that it’s rich floral fragrance is a combination of essences of water hyacinth, mandarin and blond woods. The signs are good that this is going to be one of my signature scents. Already I am looking forward to adding it to my morning rituals and inhaling the mild but significant smell.

But do visit my blog again, I may yet discover a different yet equally likable mild scent but for now, I am using Clinique Happy Heart perfume spray.