why go camping?

just got back yesterday from a camping weekend in tayabas, quezon with 80+ kids from ligaya ng panginoon. for 4 days and 3 nights, we prayed, played, sang, ate, sweated, fished, and bonfired. we also slept in tents.

i understand how housing some 80+ kids plus adults in tents would be the most practical solution. it is, after all, a camp. we had the campsite all to ourselves thursday. by friday, we shared the campsite with another group that stayed overnight. they had some activities too. a second group joined us at the campsite on saturday. their main activity, it seemed to me, was drinking.

why anyone would leave the comforts of home in this sweltering heat to go "quasi-camping" (graceland has airconditioned apartelles, restaurants and sports facilities) is beyond me. parang nonsense. maybe they truly enjoy sleeping on hard surfaces, in which case, they could have also done on the floors of their homes.

diba?

what's the rush, miguel?

yesterday, from nowhere, miguel insisted on having his own bed. so yaya and aida rolled in my brother's old pull-out bed, vacuumed it, and dressed it with linen. miguel had his nap there in the afternoon... quite quickly, too, which was amazing!

it was somewhat strange seeing him on his own bed. all of a sudden, he seemed so grown-up. couldn't help but hear strains of fiddler on the roof's "sunrise, sunset" in my head.

this morning, over breakfast, i commended miguel on his big feat. he replied, "i want to be a big boy fast so i can go to disneyland!"

no wonder.

sweet tooth

had been wanting to post this for the longest time.

cashed in on my reward for being pink for 2 weeks. so now, i give you... THE COLOSSAL! ta-daaaaaah! good as a stand alone; better when shared; best when it's free! now THAT is the sweet taste of victory.

payback

be warned; i am about to gloat.

went to school to turn over some school stuff when my boss greeted me with a very cheerful, "congratulations!" huh?

the children took an international standardized test at the start of the school year, and again 2 weeks ago. turns out that the posttest grades for english, the subject i taught, improved remarkably! some of the kids even got the highest score of 110! even the kids with "problems" soared! at the very least, they were progressing towards standard.

sigh... the news truly made my day. after all the hard work, stress, and the tears (literally!), my kids pulled through. this is not only justice; i know that it is God's reward for doing the work He's tasked me to do. to Him be all the praise!

miguelism

spent a good part of yesterday morning playing with miguel. i wanted to move on to other things (like go back to sleep); miguel planned otherwise.

miguel: ninang, let's play!
ninang: oh, miguel, ninang's tired.
miguel: why?
ninang: ninang's old already.
miguel: you're not THAT old; you're just old enough to be a ninang!
ninang: why, how old should ninangs be?
miguel: eight!

and that is one more reason why i love this child!

not a problem!

got an invite to a children's party last week. it's set for today. anyway, last week, i asked miguel if he wanted to be my "props" to the party, and he agreed. he got all revved up about it, thinking of a gift for the celebrant, manu.

later in the day, i realized that there was a conflict in the schedule. the party was on the same day as miguel's moving-up ceremony.

ninang: miguel, i have a problem.

miguel: what?

ninang: you can't go with me to manu's party because that's your moving-up day. you might get too tired to perform.

miguel: that's not a problem. a problem is when you ride a plane and the palne's going to crash!

hear! hear! : )

face to face with goofy

this one's especially for teacher fofem.

there hardly is a dull moment when you work with kids... especially when one of the students is as unconventional, non-conforming, innovative, and as entertaining as isak (pictured below). i saw him as i left the faculty room last week. i thought he was wearing a headband with dog ears. only moments later did i realize that he was actually wearing his socks on his ears! the socks came fresh off his feet, after an entire day in school, not that he seemed to mind.

a good friend once told me that intelligent people never get bored. safe to say that that'll never happen to isak. this is one bright kid!

woof! woof!

timepieces

i've always liked watches; they're one of my fettishes. watches, hands, and wallets. it's one of the first things i notice in a person. when i watch tv or a movie, i always notice the actors' watches (forget the frontal nudity; did you see his watch?!).

i keep a number of them also, each with a story to tell. i still have to attain my dream watch though... a 2-toned, square-faced, santos cartier (gold screws, please) - just like my dad's. i would've wanted to keep his for myself also if only... but that's another blog.

my first watch was a mickey mouse watch where mickey's arms were the watch's hands. it's gone now but i'm always in the market for another one, but only if the gloves are yellow. my second watch, i still have. it was given to me when i was around 9-years old, so i guess it's kinda like an antique already, hahaha!. it's a silver, metal, tiny, round-faced, seiko timepiece, a gift from my dad. thankfully, the bracelet still fits around my wrist. i decided to have it fixed ("restored" is the more appropriate term, i think) yesterday. thought it would just be a battery thing. guess what... it's de-susi! gosh! it IS an antique! sometimes, it pays to be a packrat, i guess. can't wait to get it back!

dare to be pink

a pink person, i definitely am not. it's just... too girly for my taste. only very recently did i venture into wearing pink, only because i had no choice as it was our school uniform. some people actually said that i look good in pink. yeah? well, i'm not about ready to change my wardrobe, let alone use it on my cellphone. which brings me to...

the other day, amy and len were tinkering with my (somewhat) new cellphone. then they return it to me with a new wallpaper - a lion with hearts around it, kasi valentine daw - and new color scheme... PINK! ew. it makes sending and reading text a painful endeavor! they're daring me to keep the settings for two loooooooong weeks, in exchange for a treat: old spaghetti house's cookie collosal. hmm...

shet. ang cheap ko. hahaha!

secret garden

one of the "features" of my new room is that it opens up to a veranda and a mini box garden where, among others, we've been growing basil and oregano for my cooking necessities. the place has potential for a "gimmick area" by adding lighting, a banig, big pillows... must do something about the view though.

i'm no green thumb but i am, kahit papaano, a nature lover. i like plants that are ALIVE. so it was to my dismay that when i opened the door to the veranda this afternoon, it was the sight of parched dying plants that greeted me! i mean, it's bad enough that one of the plants is a funky, slightly tacky, red, pussy-willow-ish / feather duster type. what more a DYING, funky, slightly tacky, red, pussy-willow-ish / feather duster type?!

i tried to water the plants with the use a tabo, but it was evident - and more physically economical - that i needed a hose. i asked the helper in charge of that duty to help (duh) hoist the hose from the ground floor. as if embarrassed, she volunteered to water the plants herself. when i asked her when she last watered the plants, she replied that it had been almost 2 weeks! ugh! siya kaya ang hindi ko painumin ng dalawang linggo! grrr! AKO NA LANG ANG MAGDIDILIG NGAYON.

as i watered them, i couldn't help notice the plants gently swaying with the breeze, as if dancing a "thank you" dance. they're on a respirator for now. will update you on their situation. haay...