It's okay to say No. Being an extrovert, I have the tendency to please people. I didn't realize that until I've some of my friends told me about my tendency to do such a thing. There were moments when I thought I was being a good friend by saying yes to everything that the other person is asking/requesting me to do, only to realize that there are certain things that I shouldn't do because I don't want to do it. I tend to overthink about the other person's reaction if the…
@rayselp in June 2021
10 Years as an Educator Yesterday marked my 10th year as a teacher. Wow. I didn't realize that it already has been a decade. I took some time to reflect on the learnings that I can say I had gained in this 10-year journey. But first, let me give you a background of why where I am today. To those of you who read my previous article "How did I become a teacher", you might probably remember that I was not a graduate of a bachelor's degree in education, I was actually a graduate…
I love Switchfoot! If you're a surfer, you may be familiar with the term *switchfoot*. I am not a surfer, but I get to learn Switchfoot because of a band that's named Switchfoot. :) Switchfoot is a rock band based in San Diego, California. It's composed of five members - brothers Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar) and Tim Foreman (bass guitar), Chad Butler (drums), Jerome Fontamillas (keyboards, etc.), and Drew Shirley (lead guitar). You may not know them as a band but, one…
What is LOVE? Love is just another four-letter word. It's so simple, yet sometimes, it becomes so complicated. Love has a lot of meanings to different people. Some people try to understand the concept of love by thinking of their significant other. Others see love as the kind of love that a mother has for her child. There are those who see love as platonic - something that you give to the people you care about a lot, maybe it is your brother, sister, a friend, your village…
The Truth About P!nk P!nk is one of the most versatile artists of this generation. I was in high school when I first heard her song "Get the Party Started" from her Missundaztood album way back in 2001. I honestly did not like the song as I was in the phase of loving alternative rock band songs, but I knew the song because it has this lingering upbeat and catching lyrics... I'm coming up so you better get this party started. (I'm coming up, I'm coming!) It was a very popular…
100 Lessons Done Tomorrow marks my 30th day to be launched as a Newly Qualified Teacher in my part-time job as an English tutor. As of today, I was able to fulfill the 100 lessons required for me to reach a new level for promotion. I was kinda late, actually, because some of my co-mentees had already undergone their training for the new teaching level, and they are now tagged as new level teachers. It took me a little while because I only book at most 3 lessons per day (peak…
The Agony of Waiting I think I'm getting tired of waiting. I just turned 33 last week. Gosh, I realized, I've been in the academe for a decade now. I started out as a young 23 years old who came from a job that's neither related to the course that I took in college and the work that I am about to venture on which is becoming a teacher. I took on the job of teaching because I wanted something to change in my life. It was a gamble. I didn't know how to become a teacher, I have…
What's your worth? I searched for the synonyms of the word "worth" on the internet, and here's the list: From the list above, I selected those words that I found to be more related to how I understand the meaning of the word "worth". Cost. Price. Quality. Valuation/Value. Desirability. Equivalance. Importance. Merit. Significance. Usefulness. Utility. Weight. Sometimes people ask "What's your worth?" Does it mean that you are for sale? To some, yes, it means literally that…
Sweet Tooth I just finished watching the Netflix series "Sweet Tooth" last night. And all I can say is, wow! It's a work of fiction and fantasy but is super related to the breakout of a virus that we're experiencing today. To give you a quick background, the story circled on a kid named Gus who is part-human, part-deer. In this series, Gus is called a hybrid. Ten years ago, a virus emerged together with the birth of hybrids. They called this time "The Great Crumble". For ten…
Get Vaxed! COVID-19 is still present, even when it's not invited to the party. Coronavirus likes to be at parties. It likes to socialize and jump from one person to another especially if the persons are too physically close with each other. Coronavirus likes to stay on surfaces, standby, and wait for a person to touch the surface. Now, when the person finally touches the surface with Coronavirus on it, Coronavirus will wait for the person to touch his/her face so that it can…
Choose Kindness, Always Have you watched the movie, Wonder? It's a story of a boy named August Pullman or Auggie who was born with facial differences as compared to common kids. It circled on the time that he had to be enrolled into a normal school after years of being homeschooled by his Mom, who is played by Julia Roberts. Here's the trailer of the movie: https://youtu.be/Z6OTanu6G2c?list=PLJ7A97yl9oXqLdBzIlB0Ivf6sn1dWYmqv Not being in a "normal" school before made Auggie…
To those who were left behind... What do you do if you knew that your partner is happy and gay? Okay, that's a pun intended. Hmm, well, you wouldn't be here if you're not suspecting that s/he is, but hey, I can assure you that you are not alone. There are many people who also ask the same question. When people come out and present themselves are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, many would commend and applaud this act, as these people realized who they really are, and decide…
Uncertainties 1, 2, 3.... I'm counting the days. At the end of this month, I have to make a very important decision that will run the course of my life in the next two years. If you have been reading my previous articles, I've shared that I am employed as a teacher in an exclusive girl's school, and just recently, I've applied as an online English teacher (part-time). So, what's the dilemma, if you may ask? I applied as an online English teacher because I might "lose my…
Adulting 101 What makes you get up every morning? If you'd answer the alarm clock, that's not what I'm asking, well, not literally. I remember a TV commercial from a known brand of coffee asking the viewers the million-dollar question: *"Para kanino ka bumabangon?"* And that's exactly what I've also been meaning to ask. What's the reason behind you waking up and deciding to get up in the morning? There are many possible reasons why. There are those who don't want to, yet,…
Superheroes in our midst. If you have a superpower, what would that be? That's what the fantasy world is trying to create in our minds, the ability to imagine the impossible - superhuman powers like super strength, flying, telekinesis, invisibility, flexibility, super-fast movement, x-ray vision, and so on. But in the natural world, what does it really take to be a superhero? Or is there such a thing? A superhero is defined as any fictional character that has superhuman…
I got Vaxed! Yesterday, I had the first dose of my COVID-19 vaccine, and it was fine. I am fine. I am not experiencing any untoward side effects, whatsoever... Only a little pain or weight in the area where the vaccine was injected. Since I am from Quezon City, and I belong to the A4 category, I decided to take part in the free vaccine from the local government unit. What I did was to sign up and create an account in EZConsult, a third-party app that you can download in App…
Minus 140 Yesterday, I received my first salary deduction due to my absence from one of my classes last Sunday. ...and I was not even absent during the class. I just had a technical issue that still confuses me until now. Okay, so here's what happened. Since this is my first class in the afternoon, I had to test my devices if they're working properly. So, that's what I did. I checked my internet connection and my equipment. We are encouraged to take screenshots of the…
When is Enough? How do you know when to stop? While having lunch today with my sister, we heard a loud voice coming from our neighbor. His voice was so loud that we heard him shout at someone when our apartment unit is 1 apartment unit away from them. We were busy eating when we heard him screaming and cursing... then I looked at my sister, she also looked at me. We were quiet. We actually froze for a good few seconds, and then she got up and closed and locked our door.…
Slow down We are living in a fast-paced world due to advancements in technology. Before, communication is very expensive. When you want to talk to your loved one who is living abroad, you have to pay for an overseas phone call, which costs tons. Another option is to send your loved one a snail mail, which is the least expensive but will take months for him/her to receive, and for you to have a return letter. It is true that due to these innovations, our lives become more…
My Grandpa I'm a believer of the saying - "It takes a village to raise a child." I, for one, is raised by a village or group of people who are working at our municipal hall. I was literally raised by a lot of people from the municipal hall because my grandpa served as a mayor in our small town in Pangasinan for more than 30 years. I am not sure how many years was he serving when I was born but I get to realize that my first birthday party was held near the municipal hall…
Feeling demotivated? It's been days that I struggle to write on this platform. I am running out of ideas, of experiences to tell you. I wanted to type in the letters, I have two drafts here that I haven't published yet because I know that they're incomplete. One is a story that I'm not sure how will go about. I just had an idea, but I don't know how to sustain it. Why is it as if I'm just good at doing something in the beginning? And when the going gets tough, I begin to…
I got in! Yesterday was the start of our school's in-service training in preparation for the school year 2021-2022, which will still be in an online distance learning platform. I attended the meetings yesterday as a regular faculty member for I am waiting for the result of my scholarship application which they said was this June and yesterday, it was the second to the last day of June! Sharing with you the timeline of my application: February 5, 2021 - I submitted my…