precious comments

overheard in class during sign-in...

student: malapit na ang Christmas. malapit nang mag-snow :)

are you there, God?

prior to the fieldtrip to manila seedling bank, i asked my kinder class what they thought they'd see there. a student replied, "God." well, seeing the explosion of colors and the sheer variety of shapes and sizes of the flora world left me again, in awe and humbled. yup, my student was right, i DID see God at the manila seedling bank!

.

the php 15k opera fern

hydrangeas in full bloom

a crocodile lurking by the lilies

drip...

drip...

drop!

lotus, very pink :P

APO... bow!

Photo from APO's FB page

After 40 years of being together, the APO Hiking Society is finally bidding adieu. I was very fortunate to see the first of their last three performances as a singing group last night at the Music Museum and enjoyed every minute of it. As always, the APO did not disappoint.

They don't make them like they used to. For a musical group (can't really call them a band) to stick it out together for 40 years is a feat in itself. They've been APO longer than they've been students, married, parents, teachers, and entrepreneurs. Other groups couldn't put a candle to these three's longevity. Their decision to disband is saddening but very respected, as respected as the APO is, collectively and individually.

I grew up with their music. I will even admit to owning an LP or two of theirs (LP? What's that?! Hahaha!). APO not only knew how to write music, they MADE music. Theirs was whimsical, entertaining, feel-good, and even sexy (I love, love, love "Kumot at Unan"). Maybe it's a sign of my age, but most of what comes out of my radio nowadays is noise compared to the music of my time. Sigh... They don't make them like they used to.

It was fun seeing them on stage again last night. Yes, they've aged over the years, greys and wrinkles here and there but their wit and comedic timing remain sharp. They still poke fun at Buboy's height, Danny's complexion, and Jim, well, for being Jim! (I imagine that they'd still be doing so well after retirement.) As for their music... simply APO perfect. The audience paid them the great homage by singing along, but not too loud so as not to hear the 3-part harmony the APO has been so known for.

Leaving the theater last night, I couldn't help but feel a tinge sad at seeing them go. But everyone's gotta go some time, right? So, to you, APO, take a bow and make it a long one. You deserve it!

Easter "Magic"

children are always entertaining and are easily entertained. sometimes, all you need is a spoon. see what my cousin beau started in our last Easter family get together...

first, the demo

then the assist

success!

the cousins join the act (with some cheating)

jyo becomes a pro

as does gueli

easter balut :)

A Triduum Martha

i've always been a martha. that explains a lot about my being a producer: always in the background, making sure that there are no loose ends and that everything runs smoothly.

this triduum, i was still martha, but one with more faith. you see, our triduum coordinator, tito eddie, has this bizarre prayer that we have a difficult time. he's not a sadist (at least, not that i know of). "all the better to rely on Him," he says. he says it each year and each year, the triduum preparations get more and more difficult.

this year took the cake. despite what we thought was an early start on preparations, we found ourselves grappling for time 'til the very end. tito eddie was having a dry spell and i (quite literally) could not find the face of Jesus for the reveal sequence. with less than 2 weeks to go, my lead dancer informs me that she can't make it to our planned rehearsal dates because of a conflict with a sudden school activity and so far, only 5 sisters had signed up for the dance (we wanted at least 10). eleven days before "show day," my assistant director backs out due to a family emergency. less than 24 hours later, my floral coordinator and supplier begs off as well.

i had no script, no lead dancer, no dancers, no assistant director, no production assistants, and no florist. what i DID have was faith.

had these been the circumstances say, 10 - 12 years ago, i would've panicked; not this time. strangely enough, i was very calm. driving from a meeting one day, i heard the Lord say that He was in control. all i could say was "amen."

it really helps when you have a friend in high places. the Lord had all the proper connections and He led me straight to them.

• surfing the internet, i found, of all things, a website specifically dedicated to images of the resurrected Christ where i found His face!
  
• a dear friend agreed to do my flowers at my price (with delivery) over a simple phone call. they were beautiful too! plus, she delivered 2 hours early!
  
• a simple e-mail to the sector youth workers instantly yielded the 15 kids we needed to dance the hora tambourine dance (18 actually showed up on rehearsal day!)
• on the day of the first dance practice, a sister called me up and couldn't believe what she was about to ask me: "could i still join the dance?" she then shared that during her morning prayer time, the Lord asked how she could dance for her health but not for Him. the moment she decided to dance for the Lord, her schedules cleared up, making her available for rehearsals. she was the 10th dancer that we needed.
• last minute, we decide to have kids wave ribbons during the Gloria. i asked the help of a brother who was at the rehearsals (for a different meeting) to do the recruiting and he and his wife got me 29 kids that same night (30 if you count the little boy who took his brothers ribbon and refused to return it. his mom waved it for him.)
• a brother and a sister in community (separately) helped me look for an assistant director. a week before show day, i had not one, but two assistant directors!
• better still, one of them recruited the four production assistants we needed (on the actual day, i had 3 additional volunteers!).

the Lord provided every need. every task that needed to be done was accomplished, even the unexpected. a third priest helped celebrate the Easter vigil mass (we were only expecting two). no one knew his name. mid-mass, i was informed that a sister knew him and so to get the priest's name (so he could be properly acknowledged), i needed to find her... in a sea of over 2,000 attendees! were they joking me?! while ranting, i turned my head to find, seated in the front row of the group of chairs just behind me, the very sister i was looking for! it brings new meaning to the verse "seek and you shall find."

i finally printed my final script 5 hours before it was to be executed. midway through my final revisions, tito eddie texted to ask how i was doing and i reported to him my status. he rejoiced with me and texted me a prayer for smooth transitions for the day. i replied that i was grateful that his prayer was not that i would have a difficult time. he said that it was no longer necessary because that was already an answered prayer and that i had truly experienced the weight of His glory. he's absolutely right!

when God is in control and ties up loose ends, Marthas get to experience being Marys too. what a glorious God we have indeed!

Being good, one student at a time

when i was a religion teacher, i preached that "religion is not a subject; it is a way of life." i remember how in sophomore year, our teacher, a nun, made us memorize the entire gospel of mark (because it was the shortest of the four). well, i made it through sophomore religion easy. did it make me a better person? hardly.

i am a product of 16 years of catholic schooling, but it was not until i joined a Catholic charismatic community that i finally met Jesus. after having met him, i thought to myself, "i wish that i had known him earlier." and that, ladies and gentlemen, was one of the main reasons why i went into teaching preschool. it couldn't be just any school; it had to be a school that knew Jesus, too. it had to be cradle of joy.

the school's tagline says it all: shaping young hearts and minds for Jesus. i made it my mission to share with kids that Jesus is real, not just a storybook character like snow white or the three little pigs. i wanted the kids to know early what i knew so late in my own life. and they got it!

a few years into my teaching stint, i was asked to teach at the grade school, at first, for english, then later, for religion. the lessons required more structure (no, i didn't make them memorize the entire gospel) and my audience was tougher, but i still taught what i knew and prayed that someone listened.

early this year, i met a COJ alumni after mass. i'll admit that he wasn't the brightest light bulb in the batch, but a good kid, nonetheless. he shared with me that he was doing pretty well in his new school except in 1 subject: religion.

aaaaaaargh! i failed him!

before i could ask him why, he went on to explain that his religion classes were boring and that all they did was memorize, memorize, memorize. (sounds familiar!) he ended by saying, "at least in coj, they taught me how to be a good person."

yesssss! one down, many more to go.

well, hello!

haven't done this in a while. ok. i haven't done this in a looooong while.

like riding a bike, i'm hoping that it all comes back to me... more sooner than later, i hope.