that feeling

when you wake up excited to go to the 930am mass... nuninuninu

when you take a bath and groom yourself... nuninuninu

when you feel happy because you are done preparing at 9am... nuninuninu

when you don't rush because you have 30 more minutes to go... nuninuninu

then you realize that the mass actually starts at 9am... nuninuninu

kablag! kaboom! *cold water splash!* late na pala ako! shaks!

mrs. bau the beloved

mrs. bautista was our world history teacher during 4th year hs. we fondly called her mrs. bau. she was also a guidance counselor. sounds "normal"? well, she was an elderly cancer survivor, she walked with crutches, didn't really need the money, but she taught anyway.

she said her salary wasn't even enough for her daily taxi rides to and from work - or should i call it passion in her case? she said she wanted to exert her last days making a difference. so selfless!

one rainy day, she was walking with a male teacher when she slipped on the wet floor. sir caught her but accidentally grabbed her breast. alarmed and ashamed, he immediately let go and so poor mrs. bau fell on the floor. sir apologized for grabbing her boob  and for letting her fall down.

mrs. bau, in pain, said, "bat mo ko binitawan?!? ok lang yun! sana sinalo mo na lang ako! medyas lang to o! o! o!" and she mashed the rolled medyas in her bra. hahaha! that was mrs. bau showing humor despite pain.

i didn't have much recollection of my world history, but i could never forget her stories of aliens, mines, her endearing pronunciation of machu picchu, papyrus, totem poles. and there was one story i super love... the day she walked without crutches after being summoned to walk by a healer priest. faith, sister!

mrs. bau died a few years ago. no doubt, she achieved her goal of making a difference. she did what she loved to do - educating her students. she did it the best way she can with no regard for suffering. 

how do i make a difference? 

how do i end indifference?

lessons learned on the crazy hazy situation

- apreciate. appreciate. appreciate the precious clean air. you'll never know when you'll have your last dose of it.

- give thanks for the wind's decision to change its course... but show compassion to people who live where the wind took the haze.

- i've known how to properly wear an N95 mask. sadly, it was a bit too late. i treaded outdoor when the haze was in a hazardous level. and my mask may have been a little loose.

- that we may have masked the smoky smell, but the dangerous micro particles still make it through the lungs - and they stick there! it's the same concept with the asthma inhalers. particles have to be tiny enough so they can reach the lungs. wonder how our lungs look like now and what the effects will be  a few years from now.

- that staples in your bag may change over time. i never thought that an N95 will be a mainstay in my bag. welcome to the family!

- cheap is different from practical. when you are practical, you don't endanger other people's lives. the opposite happens when you are cheap. you even cripple an entire country! why burn? why?

- checking the psi level every hour is essential.

- bau. it's always bau.

hazy afternoon with 2km visibility

the 730am sun di makaporma

not too obvious in the pic, but haze was terrible here! parang may nagsisiga na hindi ka makaiwas sa usok ng siga.

all windows and doors shut. suffocating.

the loose mask 

and one of the better days!

sir cab's electric blue pen

sir cab was my 2nd year HS araling panlipunan teacher. he was that and my super kaduper crush! i wasn't alone in this admiration. i was with tina and thecx. hala naming names! i now proclaim our group the "cabsters" hahaha!

sir cab had a deep voice, he was not tall, he was always very neat-looking. we also associated him with roderick paulate and it follows that the theme song is "together forever" ano ba yan!!!! hahaha!

the terms zoroastrianismo, nebuchadnezar were extra interesting because they were taught by sir cab. on pop quiz days, the usual conversation was:

sir cab: ok, kumuha na ng 1/4 piece of paper at ballpen

us (just trying to jest sir cab): sir, anong color ng pen?

sir cab: kahit ano. green, black, neon red, electric blue!

and then we all crack up... all the time!

we love sir cab! he could be brutal and mataray too. i failed to submit my project when my lola died. then i went to him to explain why.

me: sir, sorry po. hindi ko po nagawa yung project ko kasi po... kasi po... yung lola ko po... sniff...

sir: ano? namatay ang lola mo kaya wala kang project?!

i swear, i thought, "tinatarayan ba ko ni sir?" hahaha!

there was even a time that thecx and i followed him on his way home (walking distance from school). stalker mode! we just wanted to see where he lived! susme pati mga sampay ni sir nakita pa namin! when we saw the house from afar, thecx and i quickly walked away, laughing like crazy teens! i am not too proud of this moment.

i heard an old song last night and thought that maybe this was sir cab's inspiration for the electric blue pen...

"When the moon disappears forever

And the sun shines electric blue

And the mountains and trees tumble into the sea

To rest there for eternity

No matter what you do

I will still love you"

side note: parang ang martir naman ata ng kantang ito? talaga? no matter what?

ningas cogon adventures - getting physical

here i go again. venturing into another trip - while the excitement lasts! i'm doing aerobics! hahaha bagong bago ba #80s? i know the in thing now is yoga-ing, gym-ing, even simply jogging, but i know better than to engage to such activities. i don't have the de-ter-mi-ney-syen to keep going! give me a week and i'll "find other more important things to do" (read: tamaryok).

well, i should be proud. i'm on day 2 of my aerobics adventure. the "passion" started late last night when i pinched my... ehem... tummy baby fats. i wondered if i'll ever cease sporting a muffin top. then the first word that came to my mind was "aerobics". haha i don't know why.

well, my 12-minute aerobics is better than nothing at all.

well, we'll see tomorrow if the passion will still be there.

on sea waves and papa

my earliest memory of the beach was when papa took me to the sea shore near my lola's house in mindoro. i was probably 4 or 5 years old then. i couldn't remember much about that trip, or if it was indeed in mindoro, but that beach stroll was very vivid. i could still remember how, for the first time, the waves touched my feet. how i got scared of the strange moving water so i tightened my grip on papa's hand. i still remember feeling dizzy and disoriented as i stared at the water rushing back to the sea. then we walked along... all feelings replaced by awe and happiness... and i somehow learned to love the majestic sea.

to the man who first brought me to the beach, we shared quite a few father-daughter moments, but this is probably the best! happy birthday, mr. leny! i hope you are in a state of bliss now, just like what we shared on my first beach stroll. please watch over us. 

ps: ehm but please don't make paramdam. hehehe. we all know we are strong when dealing with problems, but not when it comes to mumus. 

fat brains

battle of the brains! how could we forget this show that aired during the 90s? the show was hosted by david celdran and it featured kids who fought using their fat brains hehe. parang quiz bee lang pero sosyal version because it's televised. i loved how david gave that look of disgust whenever a player pressed the buzzer too soon, or gave incorrect answers. if looks could kill!

even though not deliberately, i learned a lot from this show! it was fun to guess (most of the time that's what i did) and it was great to discover answers. i was not the pinapadala-sa-quiz-bee-student type but still i really enjoyed watching this show with my mom.

i wish we have more shows like this - shows that would encourage the viewers to learn. better than heavy drama shows, or shows about halimaws, or shows that subconsciously tell the undiscerning viewer that it's not ok to be dark-skinned or hunchback. otherwise, you would need magical intervention to be pretty and acceptable to others. the power of media!

then there was battle of the brainless... which was just unexplainable. hay.

home

i am coming home on august 8 to 18!

for the two-day holiday

for the plane fare sale

for the husband who scouted for the best deal... and for him not leaving until the booking was done

for the office schedule that cooperated

for the excitement

thank you!!! see you, my beloved country - the philippines! 

wow!

red

first real pedi in almost 3 years! 

while i am an advocate of diys, and we have complete mani/pedi paraphernalia at home, and i feel more at peace when i do it myself (because i don't get to pay a dime), i believe it's good to get pampered every once in a while too - even if it's just pedi. ang haba ng sentence! how sweet it is when someone else does the scrubbing, clipping, polishing for you! no strained back! you just sit back, relax, and see your toe nails transform from yucky to lady's feet. 

i like red polish! babaeng babae :) hahaha!

incidentally, red is the color of the day! this is us during ft time this morning, di sinasadyang nagbabaga ang mga damit. :p