Today was a good day to be a teacher

Yes, it was. 

It was the last day of an in-company English class that I had been teaching since April. Their classes actually started in January, but they requested a change of teacher and I was sent in as the replacement. I had been a bit anxious about teaching them, wondering if they were particularly demanding or some such, and if they would eventually ask that I be replaced as well. 

They turned out to be a fun class with a lot of energy considering the time (their classes were on Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:00-9:30am). I actually liked them from the start. They were five, and they all seemed to be friends with each other, at least enough to constantly tease one another if they made mistakes in class, be it about grammar, pronunciation, spelling, or even general facts/information.

Today the last of their presentations was done (I had asked each of them to prepare an oral report for the end of the course that would last 15-20 minutes on any topic of their choice), and they suggested that we have breakfast together after to celebrate the end of their English classes (at least for the moment). They have a break for summer and will resume in October.

My B2 Students

We walked to a nearby place where the only male of the class gallantly treated all of us to breakfast. Talk revolved around their children, and everyone ooh-ed and aah-ed over photos of everyone’s offspring. I asked them what they wanted to study if I were to teach them again in October, and they said that they had fun during class and that they would like to have more of the same.

We walked back to the office after our meal, and as I said goodbye to them at the entrance (class was done so I was set to go home), they all gave me the Spanish “double-beso” and told me they hoped I would still be their teacher when classes resume. They said they would tell their coordinator that they liked me and would want to have me back.

So sweet of them to say that. AND free breakfast to boot.

So yes. Today, I didn’t mind at all that I was an English teacher.

Blows to the ego

Yesterday, I had Blow to the Ego Incident #1. (For the week, at least.)

I'd been slacking off in terms of exercise for the past two weeks, so I went to the gym to join a couple of evening classes to make up for it. It was the first time for me to see and meet the instructor teaching the first class. He was cute, so I decided to chat him up after the workout was done. 

I am not really the queen of small talk, so I tried to think of a topic I could bring up with him. Thankfully, I knew that I once took a P.E. theory class which his father taught at my university. So, I came up to him and said, "Hey, I know your dad. He was my teacher some time ago." To which he responded, "Really? Where? In weightlifting?"

I guess I didn't look very girly to him.

Today, I had Blow to the Ego Incident #2.

Again, the scene was at the gym, this time, the wall climbing gym I regularly go to. I saw a guy whom I hadn't seen in around ten years. He's one of the old-timer mountaineers who pioneered rock climbing in the country, and I met him when I was just starting to climb at the old climbing gym. I wasn't sure that he'd remember me, so I came up to him to say hi. 

"Hey, do you remember me?" I said. He said, "Yes! I wasn't sure it was you though. You got big. You weren't macho before." I tried to show that I was not very happy with what he said, and at the same time I gave him the chance to modify/retract his rather tactless statement. "I'm not really sure how I should take that," I said, hoping he would realize his lack of sensitivity and somehow take back what he said. Well, he did modify it. Kind of. "Well, you really bulked up."

Oh well.

March NUDI Night- Marine Life Portraits

A few months ago, some diving friends of mine set up a group called NUDI, which stands for Network of Underwater Digital Imagers. Nudi is also short for nudibranch, a kind of sea slug which is a favorite subject of underwater photographers. The main regular activity of the group is NUDI night, a photo competition held every month. There's a theme per month, and for March, it was Marine Life Portraits. Basically this meant a photo of an animal which shows its face and highlights its expression. This was my entry, a blenny peeking out of a coral. I chose it because the fish looks like it's smiling. It won fourth place in the compact category.

Waiting for the supermoon at Punta Fuego

I'm in Punta Fuego in Batangas for a planning session for work. Despite the long traveling time, I do like coming here. We arrived early this morning, around 5am, because we left Quezon City around 2am. When we got here, we saw this big fat moon when we registered at the reception area. It was a moonset, although it really looked more like a sunset. The moon looked particularly big because of March 19's supermoon, when the moon will be at its closest to the earth in 18 years.


Since we arrived here so late (or early), we started our session after lunch. After our afternoon workshop, we had our buffet dinner outdoors. The view from the dining area is very pretty, as you have a view of the sunset over the sea. There were a lot of visitors in Punta Fuego who also enjoyed the view with us, a lot of them foreigners. If they came from colder climes, Punta Fuego probably seemed like paradise.



Tonight the moon was even fuller, as it is the actual supermoon. It was a even more of a pleasure to dine outside because you had front row seats to the moon's splendor.

I always enjoy going to Punta Fuego, whether for business or for pleasure. I wish that I could afford to get a house here someday.

This blog is settling down!

I've been importing and exporting this blog and I'm getting tired of all the moving, so (for now?) I'm going to stick to this address. This will continue to be my personal blog, to be updated when possible, and I will continue writing little things that I've heard about, that happened to me, that struck me as funny, or whatever else that strikes me to be worthy of putting pen to paper (or more accurately, fingers to keyboard).

One thing I hate about being Filipino...

is the way people feel free to comment on your weight gain/loss (in my case, ALWAYS gain), and then look at you strangely when you show any sign that you were offended by what you were told. I'm so tired of people saying "ganyan talaga ang kultura ng Pinoy" (that's part of Filipino culture), and making that an excuse for their rudeness. So many people don't see how rude it is, and label you as onion-skinned or what not when you point this out.

Last Friday, I was at my parents' house for a visit before they left for an extended trip. My mom's manicurista was there, and she hadn't seen me in a few years. Expectedly, she said, "Tumaba ka!" (You gained weight!), then when my mother told her I didn't like being told that, she changed gears and said (as SOOOOOOOO many Filipinos do), "Bagay naman sa 'yo eh!" (It suits you!) GRRRRRRRR!!! I'm really so sick of hearing this. Again... and again... and again. I can never get used to it, (I certainly don't intend to!) and I continue to think it very ill-mannered, offensive and objectionable. My weight is my own business, and nobody else's. Keep those comments to yourself.

(And to those who think this behavior is acceptable, please don't tell me it's my fault for gaining weight. You wouldn't want me pointing out your faults and saying they suit you just fine, would you?)

Harry Potter vs. Twilight

I discovered rather recently and belatedly that fantasy is my favorite genre, both for books and for movies. I think it's because it's more possible for me to have some suspension of disbelief when dealing with outright fantasy than I can with sappy love stories.

Today, I came across a quote (care of a facebook status update by my friend Jan) that's been attributed to one of my favorite authors, Stephen King. I think it's hilarious.

"Harry Potter is all about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity… Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend." -Stephen King

"I Survived", finalist in NY Festivals for the category Best Docudrama

I was at the birthday dinner of my friend Yeng when I got a call from Cheryl from the station's news department. She asked me if it was true that "I Survived" was a finalist for the 2011 New York Festivals International Television and Film Awards. She wanted to feature the story in our late night newscast. I hadn't heard the news, and I was no longer at the office, so I couldn't confirm what she'd heard.

After an hour or so, I got a text from our host, Ces, telling me that our show did make it to the finals for the category "Best Docudrama". I was ecstatic from the news. Although our show had already been cancelled (we aired our final episode Dec. 8), it is still getting recognized.

I immediately called some of the people who worked for the show to share the great news. We were all so happy, and proud of the show as well. Our show got one out of only eight nominations for our entire network, and we were the only show produced by the Current Affairs Department that got a nod. I am so very proud of our team.

The awards night will be held in Las Vegas, on April 12th. Up for grabs are bronze, silver, and gold awards. Of course I am keeping my fingers crossed that we win any of them, but reaching the finals is exhilarating enough for me.

Finally, after years of procrastinating...

I'm finally a dive instructor! I can't believe it. Well, actually, what I really can't believe is how emotionally draining the instructor exams turned out to be. It's one of those "you had to be there" experiences that you can't really imagine unless you went through it. It was totally nerve-wracking, and one reason why I don't want to spell out the details is that part of me wants to just forget the whole experience and instead just remember that I came out of it an instructor.

Well, I'm glad it's over, and now I can move on with the rest of my life. (It was kind of on hold while I focused on studying and preparing for the exam.)

The spirit of the chain letter

When I was a child, I would occasionally receive chain mail from my classmates, usually written on cheap stationery. We all have received these, in one form or another, over the years. Email made it easier in the 90s, and recently, we receive these over text messages as well.

They bear the same message. "Pass this on, and something good will happen to you." The more dire ones say that something bad will happen to you if you don't pass on the letter/text message/email.

I got a text the other week from a friend, and I found it highly amusing. This is what the text said, verbatim.

"Sory ha, needed lng kc! Pass ds to 25 prsn: JESUS I LOVE YOU! F u ignor ds n nka-unli ka, u wl sufer 4 8 yrs. So jz do 8! after 5dys 30 mrcles wl come 2u!"

Translated, it basically says "I'm sorry to be sending this, I just needed the help. Pass this to 25 persons: JESUS I LOVE YOU! If you ignore this, and you are on an unlimited text plan, you will suffer for eight years. So just do it! After five days, 30 miracles will come to you!"

Now, I don't intend to belittle my friend's desire to have 30 miracles happen in five days. I don't know what she needed the miracles for, but I'm sure it was important to her. What I found funny was that apparently, you will be punished for having access to unlimited texting and not using it for chain text messaging.

Remind me to downgrade my cellphone plan.

Another lucky thresher sighting in Malapascua, Cebu

A few weeks ago, my friends and I again went to look for thresher sharks in Malapascua in Cebu. We were unlucky for the first four dives in Monad shoal. No threshers, no mantas. Only then did I truly realize how lucky we were last year, when we saw either mantas or threshers in almost all our dives in Monad.

I was glad to find out though that we still had some luck left, because we were blessed by a close encounter with a thresher on our last dive.

Work excuse of the week (year?)

I got this text message from one of my staff members this morning, and I'm writing it here verbatim. He was asking to be excused from our weekly meeting. I have to say, it's the most creative excuse I've heard so far in my career. So creative (and honest) that I just had to accept it as legitimate.

"maam, hindi po ako maka attend ng miting. ang pimples ko. hndi ako makalabas. i dnt look good. sorry po. please."

Translated from Tagalog and text-speak, it says, "Ma'am, I won't be able to attend the meeting. My pimples. I can't go out. I don't look good. I'm sorry. Please."

Monkey see, monkey do

I recently had dinner with my climbing friend Angel, and she had this story to tell about her three-year old son, Tyke.

Angel's husband Mars was driving in horrible traffic, with Angel in front and Tyke at the back. Road rage was building up in Mars, and he honked his horn at a particularly rude driver. He said something equivalent to "Get out of the way!"

Tyke: Papa, you forget to say something.
Mars: What's that, Tyke?
Tyke: Ashul.

Angel has since decided to be a tad more careful with what she says around her kid.

The Chowchow from China

Note: After this blog entry, I researched on this story for a few months, and have concluded that it's some kind of new urban legend, as I've heard it from so many people, featuring slightly different details. Unless someone can give me the actual name of the person who supposedly bought the "chowchow", I am sad to say it will have to be filed as "fiction" in my book. I still think it's a good story, though.

My friend Zara told me a true story that's got me cracking up each time I think of it. I think this story is worth sharing with many people, and I've in fact told and re-told it to many friends already.

Anyway, Zara heard this story from her friend Luanne. Luanne has an officemate, whom we shall call "O". "O" recently went to China, and while she was travelling, she came across a chowchow, which is a popular pet dog in Manila, for sale. She proceeded to buy the dog and planned to make it a pet back home.

On the way back to the Philippines, she had to go through quarantine with her newly-acquired pet, first in China. "O" encountered no problems with the airport officials, and she was able to fly home. She also had no problems clearing the dog when she arrived in Manila.

"O" excitedly brought her new pet back to her house. She went back to work, but her helper called, sounding quite panicked. "Ate!" she said. "Yung aso, sinapian! Naglalakad na parang tao, at sinusundan-sundan ako!" (The dog is possessed! It's walking like a human and is following me around!)

"O" rushed home to see what the matter was. She brought the dog to the veterinarian, and had it checked to see if anything was wrong with it. She thought that maybe the front paws were infected with something, which made the dog favor its back legs.

After a brief examination, the vet found out what the problem was. "Hindi ito chowchow. Bear ito." (This is not a chowchow. It's a bear.)

New Year's Resolutions

So... more than half of January has already passed by, and I have yet to start working on my new year's resolutions. I've thought of another way to have a brand new start. Chinese new year is on February 14, so I've decided to implement my list of resolutions then.

No, in case you're asking; "stop procrastinating" is not on that list.

Welcome, 2010! You're going to be fabulous!

Watching fireworks from the ABS-CBN helipad

For some inexplicable reason, I have a strong feeling that 2010 will be a great year. Maybe it's blind optimism born of the desire to believe that this year will somehow cancel out the bad things that happened to our country in '09. Maybe I've been reading too many astrology websites. Or maybe it's just a premonition of something that's going to come true.

Whatever it is, I'm going to try to maintain this highly positive state of mind that comes so rarely to me. I have my usual list of new year's resolutions that I will try to tick off. Oops, make that... resolutions that I WILL tick off. To paraphrase Yoda, there is no try, only do. There are so many things I want to achieve this year, and I am hopeful that they will be realized by year's end.

Bring it on, 2010!

A cliche for the times

A friend of mine posted a funny line as her facebook status. I thought it was hilarious because it's put a new twist on an old "adage for life". The saying went like this.

"Dance like the photo's not tagged, love like you've never been unfriended, tweet like nobody's following."

As far as I'm concerned, it's much better than the original version. (Was it "Dance like nobody's watching, love like you've never been hurt..."? I forget the other part of it.)

My first dive with a WHALE SHARK!!!

I went diving in Leyte over the All Saints’ Day weekend with my friends, expecting nothing much more than the novelty of diving in a place we’d never been to before. We were surprised by one of the biggest treats a diver could ever experience- seeing the biggest fish on earth, the whale shark or butanding, in the deep. Dindo banged his tank repeatedly to call everyone’s attention, then signaled everyone to stay back. All the divers tried to get closer to get a better look, and take pictures and videos. Fred couldn’t resist, and touched the butanding’s left fin. We all followed the slow-moving creature as it swam. I looked for someone to put in the frame with the shark, and as usual, lucky Berg was in the best position to be in the video. Then one of our DMs, it seemed, couldn’t help himself and pulled on the creature from below, causing the shark to swim away in surprise. (We all gave him a hard time about it afterward.)

“I Survived” wins its first award!

I haven’t been blogging much, not because I’m so busy with work (hah!), but mostly because I’ve been diving a lot, and focusing on underwater photography. However, this entry is not about diving, but, unbelievably, about work. Since March this year, I’ve been working for the show “I Survived” which Ces Drilon hosts. Not even six months since its pilot, the show won its first award from the MTRCB. During the awards ceremony last Friday, Sept. 4, we won in an unexpected category, which is Best Reality Show, but of course, we’ll gladly take it. The show I used to work for a few years ago also won awards but it didn’t mean as much to me as this one, probably because I am the first EP of this show and saw it through its birthing pains. The production staff members comprise a lean team working on a limited budget, and I am proud of all of them for putting up an award-winning show. Congratulations to the team of “I Survived”!

Your real age

I saw a quote in Google by Gertrude Stein – “We are always the same age inside.” I thought it was an interesting quote. Some people say they are “young at heart”, or some similar cliche, to indicate that they have some of the child left in them. Stein’s quote made me think that in the same vein, some people are “old at heart” Just like people who are young at heart have always been like that, “old at heart” people have probably been that way for most of their lives.

It’s probably possible to change the real age of your insides, but I’m sure it takes Herculean effort.