Reasons Why I love watching Korean Dramas
Since I was in college, I've been a fan of Korean dramas. I first started downloading dramas in 2012. Back in college, I had a few friends who would always ask me why I enjoy watching Kdramas and what I get out of them, and you know what's funny? They became addicted to Kdramas a few years afterwards.
Aside from the technical aspects and other elements of Korean dramas, I enjoy watching them for other reasons. It's not just because I enjoy looking at attractive, talented actors and actresses; it's also because of fantastic storylines and cutting-edge cinematography. When I watch Kdramas, I get a lot more than that. Here are some of the reasons why:
**It allows me to let go of emotions that are normally bottled up inside of me.** One of my friends said I'm the type of person who can masterfully conceal my genuine feelings. I am a very private person who is hesitant to tell anybody, even my closest friends, how I truly feel. I'm usually embarrassed to express what and how I'm feeling. Even as a child, whenever I was scolded or beaten by my mother, I tried very hard not to cry in front of her, preferring instead to cry quietly after everyone had gone to bed. My crushes were also kept a secret from others. I never tell anyone about it, not even my friends. The truth is that I can only express myself fully while I'm writing.
However, watching Korean dramas has help me in releasing the feelings I've been holding inside. I have a tendency to empathize with the characters, and I frequently find myself smiling, crying, and occasionally being enraged or irritated while watching a drama. And apparently that this is beneficial to one's emotional well-being.
**It aids with my relaxation.** Dramas provide me with a sense of relief and relaxation. Though there are moments when the flow of the story or a particular character irritates me, watching something suspenseful appears to help release cortisol, the stress hormone, which is later followed by dopamine, which releases feelings of pleasure. So, even if anything in the drama irritates me, it still helps me to de-stress. Usually, I prefer light dramas with little suspense, such as romantic comedies and romance dramas, so I can unwind more.
**It helps me in temporarily forgetting about the things that concern me.** I'm not getting any younger, and all of these 'adulting' responsibilities are quite distressing to contemplate. I don't want to waste my time worrying about things that will only make me feel sad and worse, depressed. However, watching Kdramas allows me to divert my attention away from such issues. It's as if I'm temporarily immersed in the world of the drama I'm watching, which distracts me from my troubles.
**Dramas teach me a lot of life lessons.** I'm now watching a Netflix drama called 'Hometown Cha Cha Cha,' which is a light romantic comedy drama that makes me smile a lot while I'm watching it. Aside from that, it has other valuable life lessons. "The only gift that parents can give to their child is remaining healthy," says one line that I can't get out of my head, and I know it's true. It also shows that true happiness in life is not solely dependent on a high-paying career. We may also appreciate and cherish the tiny yet lovely things in life.
These are just few of the reasons why I love to watch Korean dramas which I thought about after I saw a post that says watching movies is good for mental health.
`Lead image taken from shutterstock.com`
Ways to a better health
Nowadays, a significant number of people become sick. I am not exempt to this, as I have recently become ill. When you get sick, it costs a lot of money - you can't go to work, you have to pay hospital bills as well as medicine expenses, and if you have a child or children, you have to find someone to look after them while you recuperate. Indeed, the Filipino saying *"mahal ang magkasakit"* (being sick is expensive) holds true.
It's nearly hard, however, to avoid becoming sick at all.
We still become sick, no matter how well we take care of ourselves and our health, especially nowadays.
One of the things mentioned during a Zoom meeting I attended yesterday is very timely. It was discussed how we may maintain our health and avoid becoming ill. I wrote down notes while listening to the discussion because there are five really convenient and easy approaches that are discussed. I'm going to share what I learned from our meeting yesterday with you here.
Five Ways to be Healthier
As I previously stated, these methods are quite easy and simple, and they will not cost us very much compared when we become ill.
**Always observe cleanliness and proper hygiene**
Isn't it simple? But how do we go about doing it? Washing our hands on a regular basis is the first step toward maintaining cleanliness and proper hygiene.
*“Proper and regular hand washing might aid in preventing infections, according to one of the leading hospitals in the United States.”*
Why?
It's because bacteria can be spread by our hands. It is the most direct route for germs to enter our bodies, resulting in diarrhea, gastrointestinal issues, meningitis, and other illnesses. It is estimated that over one million children die each year from diarrhea caused by insufficient hand hygiene.
**When should we wash our hands?**
After using the restroom, dressing a wound, changing diapers, preparing foods, coughing, petting your pets, and holding and throwing out the trash, we should always wash our hands.
**How to properly wash your hands?**
***There are five steps to proper washing of the hands.***
To begin, wet your hands with running water rather than stagnant water.
Scrub your fingers, including your nails, with soap that has been lathered. It should be scrubbed thoroughly.
Third, make sure you complete the second step for a total of 20 seconds.
Fourth, give your hands a thorough rinsing with running water.
Finally, dry your hands on a dry and clean towel or paper towel rather than on your clothes.
Proper hand hygiene is basic right? But it can definitely save lives!
**Use clean water**
Modes:
**Standard**
When the water container is dirty, it can be a home for parasites which can cause diarrhea, cholera, typus and other bacteria and infections. How to avoid infections caused by dirty water? First, makes sure that the water you use for whatever purpose is clean. It may be for drinking, brushing the teeth, and cooking. Second, if you are sure that the water is contaminated, bring it to a boil first to kill the pathogenic bacteria. Third, make sure the water containers are clean. And lastly, if you are using a tool to fetch water from the container, make sure that it is also clean.
When the water container is contaminated, parasites can live there, causing diarrhea, cholera, typhus, and other diseases and infections.
**How can you avoid diseases brought on by contaminated water?**
First and foremost, be certain that the water you use is clean. It might be used for drinking, brushing one's teeth, or even cooking. Second, if the water is certain to be tainted, bring it to a boil to eliminate any pathogenic bacteria. Third, inspect the water containers for cleanliness. Finally, if you're retrieving water from a container using a tool, be sure it's clean as well.
**Watch out what you eat.**
To maintain a healthy physique, it is critical to consume a well-balanced diet. As just a necessity, we must exert control over what we consume and how much we eat. Consume high-fiber, high-protein foods, as well as fish and vegetables. Consuming a lot of sweets can lead to obesity, so drink plenty of water after eating something sweet and limit your sweet food intake. Limit your intake of solid fat foods and MSG as well. If you truly like msg, try replacing it with herbs & spices.
Finally, once you feel full, stop eating, no matter how much you still want to eat or how delicious the food is.
Food poisoning causes a lot of people to get sick, and some even die. To avoid contamination, wash fruits and vegetables before eating or consuming them. Foods that have gone bad should be thrown away.
**Exercise**
This seems simple, yet it's the most difficult thing to do. The majority of us only exercise when we feel that we are already overweight. However, exercise is beneficial for people of all ages and can be done even if you are not overweight. Exercise is essential for maintaining a healthy physique. It only takes thirty minutes to an hour per day to have a good night's sleep, avoid depression, and stay physically fit.
Have enough sleep
Getting adequate sleep is believed to help us improve our memory, have a balanced hormone, have a healthy heart, and avoid ailments.
Why not give these easy steps a try for a better life and a healthier body?
`Lead image credits to dreamstime.com`
Health is wealth
"**Health is wealth."**
How many times have you heard that phrase or saying? Most likely a hundred times. We constantly hear it, but we rarely take it seriously until we become ill. And I'll be the first to admit that I'm not exempted. I don't get sick a lot; even if I'm drenched in rain and don't wash up, I still don't catch a cold. I was overconfident, and as a result, I neglected my health.
Last week, however, I began to feel ill on Tuesday. It started out like any other day. I went to school to work, but because my colleague who usually gives me a lift on her motorcycle didn't go to school that day, I opted to leave early because the last public transportation trip is between 11:30 and 12 p.m. It was a hot and humid afternoon, and the jeepney was running a little behind schedule. I waited for more than thirty minutes in the scorching heat, and I was famished since I didn't have enough time to get a lunch because I was worried the jeepney would leave me behind. I got home after 1 p.m. and ate my meal right away. I felt nauseated and dizzy thirty minutes later, and I figured it was mainly due to hunger, so I chose to sleep it off. I fell asleep and awoke an hour later, but my head felt like it was about to crack from a severe headache, so I chose to sleep some more. When I woke up, it was already dusk, but the headache was still there, along with a fever and a chill. I ate my meal and drank my medicine because I couldn't afford to be sick as I had to go to school the next day.
I was sick, so I went to bed early. The fever remained the next day, but I'd told my tutees and their parents that I'd tutor them that day, so I forced myself to go to school, assuming that the reading session would only take an hour and that I'd have more than enough time to rest afterwards. Because the tutoring took over an hour, so I felt much worse, my colleague and I headed to lunch early so that I could drink my meds on time. Fortunately, my colleague is really nice, and she agreed to have us leave school early that afternoon because of my condition. However, it began to rain heavily about halfway home, and we were drenched, worsening my situation. I was weary when I got home. I decided to skip work the next day and recuperate, but my situation didn't improve; in fact, it worsened. I spent the entire day in bed. I expected to feel better after a full day of rest, but nothing changed; in fact, it worsened as my tonsils swelled and I felt as if needles were piercing my throat when I consumed food and water.
I'm used to applying alcohol on hand even while I'm at home, so I was startled when the alcohol didn't smell that afternoon! I believed it had expired, but I had only recently purchased it, so that was impossible. I had another bottle of alcohol in my backpack, and because it had a stronger scent, it was impossible for me not to smell it. But it didn't smell like anything, so I was concerned. I sniffed everything at home that had a strong scent, including lotion, soap, shampoo, and food, but they were all odorless. The spaghetti was very bland when I tasted it. I expressed my dissatisfaction, but my family members told me that it tastes fine. I'm worried I've acquired the Covid -19 virus because I'm showing most of the symptoms, but I don't want to risk seeking medical attention, so I'm staying at home and resting.
Never did I expected that failing to take better care of myself and my health would result in my inability to go to work, my difficulty to eat delicious meals because I can't swallow them properly, my inability to go online for a long period of time, and my isolation at home. I dislike this feeling, yet I have to put up with it. Staying at home is better than risking other people's health.
Health is wealth indeed, so better take care of yourself, specially nowadays that being sick is a big deal.
`After a week, I was finally able to complete an article. Because I can't look at the monitor for lengthy periods of time, it took me the entire afternoon till 8:30 p.m. to complete this brief blog.`
Carnival-themed Reading Booths
In support to the *Brigada Pagbasa*, which aims to help every learner of the community become fluent in reading, the school where I currently works as a learning facilitator launched the ***reading materials pantry.***
Most of my fellow countrymen probably knows or even experienced getting some supplies from community pantries wherein those who are in capacity donates some supplies, mostly are food supplies and placed it in an area where everyone in the community are welcome to get what they need for free. With this in mind, our school head proposed the Reading Materials Pantry. She told us that if food supplies can be given out for free, why not give reading materials for free as well? It was a week later after this proposal was finally put into action.
PREPARATION
In preparation for the launching of the program, we prepared a big *tarpapel* banner. It is the same with banners printed in tarpaulins, the difference is that we printed it in bond papers.
We consumed a total of one hundred twenty (120) pieces of 8.5x13" long bond paper for this. It is one of the biggest banners ever made at school they said.
Here's the end-product of our hours of effort.
Every grade level also prepared the carnival themed booths to make it more fascinating.
KINDERGARTEN
For the Kindergarten team, we decided to make a **Toy Land -** themed booth as it perfectly fits for the young learners who surely loves toys and balloons. We brought toys and some are donated and given along with the reading materials. I don't know how to make an animal-shaped balloon, but I immediately learned how to make it, thanks to the wisdom from Youtube lol.
Here's what the inside looks like. We placed the story books here. But those story books are only for display. We printed out reading materials to be given to the parents, since children are not yet allowed to go to school. Along with the reading materials, we also provided free school supplies such as papers, pencils and sharpeners and to make the kids happier, we gave them cupcakes too.
GRADE ONE
Here's what the grade one team made: **Candy Land-**themed booth. This one looks so cute in person. I took the photo when the reading materials are not yet placed on the booth.
GRADE TWO
The grade 2 team also made a very cute booth which is **Circus-**themed. They have cool magician hats and interesting reading materials and books in English.
GRADE THREE
**Ticket booth**-themed booth. This is what the grade 3 team prepared and I think it's the simplest yet very cute booth.
GRADE FOUR
What about the grade 4? Well, here's their awesome booth - a **Photo Booth!** What's more interesting about this is that they only made the booths out of scraps they asked from other grade levels!
GRADE FIVE
I forgot what they call this, but I think this is a **Game booth.** You ever been to carnival before? There are games where you can win prizes, and this is their theme.
GRADE SIX AND SPED
There is only one special education class in the school, so the SPED teacher was assigned to help with the booth of the grade six. I think this is the **Rides-**themed reading materials booth. I also took the photo while they are still decorating the booth.
It was indeed a tiring day when the reading materials pantry was launched, but there is a sense of accomplishment and happiness knowing that it could help the learners.
A Busy Month
Unlike the month of July when I was able to post 3-4 articles each week, this August I can only write 2 articles at most during the month of August. I'd love to do more than that, but there's a lot of things to do and errands to take care of this past month.
***Brigada Pagbasa.*** In the Philippines, before the start of every academic or school year, the Department of Education has this Brigada program where everyone in the community, specially the education partners and stakeholders such as the parents, teachers and barangay officials works together and take part in preparing the school for the opening of classes. Activities usually includes cleaning of school grounds, repairing the school facilities, cleaning and preparing the classroom and seeking donations for school supplies needed. This year, the Department of Education launched another program in connection with the *Brigada Eskwela* which is called the *Brigada Pagbasa.* The school encouraged those who are in capacity to help by becoming a volunteer tutor, volunteer reader and volunteer aid. This is to help the struggling learners to be able to read fluently both in their mother tongue and in the English language. I volunteered as a tutor and I was given 10 incoming kindergarten learners to teach. Since the barangay is located in an area which is far from the place where I live, I usually go there to teach them on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. There's a lot to do aside from helping them and teaching them how to read. I have to prepare the necessary and appropriate reading materials for them. While doing this I also have private tutoring from Friday to Sunday where I get money for my daily expenses and needs.
***School Programs.*** Aside from being a volunteer tutor, I am also a volunteer learning facilitator. My job is to assist the kindergarten teachers with their tasks at school such as looking after the parents who come to school to clean and at times, we the teachers are the one who cleans the classrooms too. The school has programs each week which we have to participate in.
*Launching of Gulayan sa Paaralan*. We are encouraging the parents to plant their own foods so we launched this program at school. Some speakers came to school to give the stakeholders the overview regarding the *gulayan.* Parents are given seeds that they can plant on at their vacant lots at home. We attended this program too.
*Launching of reading materials pantry*. The next day after the launching of Gulayan sa Paaralan, we had to prepare for another school program which is the launching of the reading materials pantry. We printed out reading materials to be placed on the booths and will be given to parents during the launching day. The next day, we made carnival themed booths to make the program more exciting.
*Capacity training on disaster and risk reduction and management.* Yesterday, we had another program at school. Some members of the Philippine National Police and Bureau of Fire Protection are invited to school to train the teachers and the parents regarding disaster risk reduction and management. This was done to prepare for any disaster that may happen at any moment since we are located in a place where there are frequent typhoons during *ber-months.* We are taught what to do during and after a calamity and many more.
*Staff Conference.* After the capacity training, we had a staff conference in the afternoon to talk about the incoming opening of classes. It started at 1:00 in the afternoon and ended at 5:30 p.m. This is the first time that I starved at school. We didn't have the time to even grab a snack because right after the conference, we had another meeting for almost 30 minutes at the principal's office regarding the teacher's month celebration program next week. It was already past 6 when our school head decided for us to go home.
Such a busy month indeed! As much as I would love to stay online, read articles on read.cash, engage with other users on noise.cash and write articles for my blogging career, I have to prioritize my day job as a teacher. I am not good in managing my time and multi task between real and virtual life but I'm still thankful though that at least, I can still spare a moment to be here and talk to my virtual friends.
`Image credits to depositphotos.com`
Absurd Practice Teaching Moments
One of the most exciting aspects of an education student's life is practice teaching. It lets a student apply all the concepts, principles, and lessons learned throughout his or her academic career. It is during this time when aspiring instructors are given the opportunity to interact with real students and convey knowledge to them.
On-the-job training (OJT) for aspiring teachers is known as practice teaching. Those who do business and other courses are likely to earn some money during their OJT; meanwhile, student teachers are usually the ones who spend money in exchange for their services. This is a manner of spending money on educational materials.
As a former education student, I was also ecstatic about the thought of experiencing teaching practice. I imagined to finally be able to go into a true teaching-learning setting. There are times in life though, when our expectations are not met, and we receive the exact opposite of what we hoped for. The experiences I had were far less than I had anticipated.
We were given the opportunity to teach both primary and intermediate levels during the apprenticeship, so after one and a half months of teaching a specific grade level, we had to reshuffle and pick a new grade level.
I was appointed to teach 3rd grade students during the first shuffle, but to my dismay, I was assigned to the final section at random. We simply have to watch and learn from our cooperating instructors on the first day of duty. My first day has not gone well. My cooperating teacher only did one thing: she let the kids sing ***Kumukutikutitap***, a Filipino Christmas song, to stress that it was just September at the time, and it was still too early to start practicing for the Christmas show. I felt like my ears were going to bleed from listening to the kids sing that song all day. The music was still playing on my mind when I got home that afternoon, and worse, it was even playing in my dreams. The next day, it was on my mind again, thanks to the children singing it the entire morning.
We were expected to teach one to three subjects first because we were only apprentices at the time. However, this is not the case for me. The teacher handed me the books for the 10 subjects and ordered that I submit lesson plans the following day. I taught four subjects the next day, and by the fourth day, I had covered all the children's subjects. My classmates, on the other hand, only have to teach two subjects per day.
Even though I thought it was a little unfair, I saw it as an opportunity to challenge myself and show that I am capable of more than what is expected of me. With that class, I had a lot of not so good yet memorable experiences.
When I was teaching an English poem, a student sought for permission to go to the restroom. I gave him permission. But, alas! A few minutes later, I was surprised to see him hanging from the ceiling, making strange faces to annoy his classmates. I reprimanded him and advised him to get down because it was unsafe and he might fall and injure his head. The following day, the same student caused a ruckus once more. He threw a tantrum after a fight with a classmate. His classmates were engaging in the activities I assigned, but he sneaked inside the hanging cabinet and hid. It was difficult to persuade him to go out. When I told the teacher about it, though, she merely laughed.
After that happened, a few weeks had gone. Since my cooperating teacher was running late one afternoon, I began the Mathematics session without waiting for her. I moved my gaze away from the children for a few moments to set up the materials we'd be utilizing for that lesson, when I heard several children giggling outside. What did I see, by the way? I spotted three boys, all of whom are my students, playing in a puddle outside the classroom. They rushed inside while I was preoccupied. At that point, I was on the verge of losing my cool and giving up. I've met a lot of kids over the years, but those are the most disorganized, difficult to manage, and annoying children I've ever met.
I love that they don't keep grudges, even though they are really bothersome and I reprimand them on a daily basis for being rowdy. I'd scold them, and after a few moments, they'd come back and be clingy, hugging me and sharing their food with me. When it came time for the shuffle, they didn't even want me to go. They would come into my classroom to give me sweets and fake flowers even after I had been transferred to a different grade level. The boys occasionally come into my classroom to irritate the older students.
Those were some of the more bizarre encounters I had with the kids during my practice teaching days. I'll write about the second shuffle in the next article.
`Lead image from shutterstock.com`
Lesson I learned about Obedience
In this day and age, it is undoubted and no longer surprising that a lot of people no longer values obedience or even practice and apply it in their daily lives since self interest and independence is what most people want. We can observe children and young adult being disobedient of their parents, as an adult who still live with my parents, there are times that I disobeyed them too because I don't agree with their idea, with what they want to happen, or the decision they made for me. However, is obedience really something that we can just regard as a bygone era? Or on the other hand, is it a significant lesson that everyone should learn?
It is embarrassing to say and even write about this, but today, I realized the value of being obedient. I am a filial daughter, but like what is already mentioned, there are times that I also fail to be obedient and does something which I think is better to do. But being obedient is not only limited in the family system. Being obedient can also benefit the entire human society.
Just take this example: when the Covid-19 pandemic shocked the world, the government gave us health regulations that we need to obediently follow. Those who strictly followed the health and safety protocols are still alive and kicking until now, but those who disobeyed, those who didn't wear the protective equipments such as face mask and face shield when they're on public places, those who partied and disregarded the protocols, those people might have put themselves by either catching the virus or infecting their loved ones. See how important it is to obey.
But I myself have disregarded that. I was used to getting out of the house on a regular basis because of my nature of work. I've been to the city a lot of times and been in contact with a lot of strangers. I always go to school because I work as a teacher. Given this circumstances, I am always at risk of being infected with Covid-19. Thankfully, I always follow the health and safety protocols when I'm outside so it is fortunate that I am not being infected by the deadly virus.
But last sunday, I did a terrible mistake which I regret and I am truly reflecting now.
Some of you might probably have read my **Not-so-busy Sunday** article, forgive me of I haven't replied to your comment. Anyway, like I said in the article, I went to my friend's place to somehow give her encouragement because of the depressing things that happened to her. We had fun, and the goal of the visit was given justice, my friend somehow forgot her problems even for just a short period of time and she's very thankful for our visit. https://read.cash/@sc/not-so-busy-sunday-c920b131
To be honest, that day I was hesitant to go. I had a lot of errands to take care of, but my cousin was very persistent and urged us to come. I had a lot of second thoughts. I really want to comfort and encourage our friend but I'm planning to do it via direct message on messenger because I want all of us to be safe too. However, I gave up after my cousin persistently bugged me to come.
Same with the other friend, her husband does not want to go, but since my cousin said that it's a *once in a blue moon* meet up, her husband finally gave his go signal.
We went there with a good reason and we never imagined that it can have a negative impact to the people around us, because the day after that, my friend's mom was sent to the hospital and wednesday, the result of her swab test came out and it says positive of Covid-19. My friend and her husband were immediately sent to the quarantine facility since they are in directly contact with the sick lady. Then she messaged me saying that if they test positive, I'll be listed for contact tracing because we met on sunday. I was taken aback and didn't know what to do for a moment. When I got home, I can't tell my family that I will be included in the contact tracing if ever, because I know they will surely freak out and they will most probably blame me for going anywhere without valid reason.
I prayed so hard for my friend's mom to get better and for my friends to test negative. Because if ever they were positive, it will not only affect me, but the people around. My parents won't be able to go to work, I will be fired from my job, I can no longer volunteer and might lose the opportunity to earn a volunteering experience. And I will be forced to quarantine myself for 14 days! It the same for my cousin. She's freaking out because at this time, they have a lot of patients who come to their office and she can't afford to be absent for a long period of time. Her boss will surely get mad at her. She kept telling me that we should not be included in the contact tracing because it will affect our jobs and that since we are always outside, we really have the risk of being infected by Covid, and once you are sent to the hospital, you are most likely to be positive of the virus.
It sounds like she's blaming our friend for what happened. Instead of showing empathy to the worrying family members, all she think of is herself and she even sent messages on the group chat that doesn't sound right. So I told her that we should just talk when the result is already out.
Though she's just worrying about what will happen next, I can't help to be disappointed at my cousin because of her reaction.
That's when I realized that if only, we obeyed. If only we followed the protocols that we should only go outside because of work and because of something urgent. If only...
I can't help but blame my cousin for persistently asking me to come, cause of we didn't meet, we won't be in direct contact with our friend who's mom is infected. But I know, it's partly my fault too.
This evening, my friend told me that they're negative and I was so happy to hear the news.
But in this experience, I realized that obedience should come first because disobeying can have unfavorable results. Sometimes, it can even lead to chaos. And these days, no matter how much we miss our loved ones and no matter how much we want to see them, a better way of showing love is not to see them. We show we love them because we prioritized their safety and our safety as well.
I learned a lesson the hard way.
`I thought I published this before going to sleep last night, but to my surprise I didn't.`
`Lead image from dreamstime.com`
To All The Boys I Loved Before
You probably clicked the article after reading the title because you've seen the movie with the same title before, or because you're simply interested, or maybe because you clicked it for no reason at all.
This afternoon, I was viewing some Netflix movies when I came across ***"To All The Boys I Loved Before,"*** a film I had seen a few years before. If you haven't seen it yet, it's about a young woman who is unable to reveal her affections for her crushes, so she wrote letters to them and kept them in a box. Late on, her letters were forwarded to her crushes without her knowing, and that's when her adventures began; if you're interested, just watch it.
Seeing this, reminded me of my adolescent years and the feeling of having a crush. Those times when you see your crush, you get that giddy feeling. You are motivated to get to school early so you can stand near your crush at the flag ceremony. The feeling of doing your best in class to avoid embarrassing your crush. And then there were those mini heart attacks and butterflies in your stomach when you saw your crush staring back at you. Not to mention the pain you'll experience if you find out your crush is already in a relationship.
Just thinking about those days brings a smile to my face. I never had the chance to be in relationship with them or date them, but they made my school days more exciting and enjoyable. So in this blog let me tell you about the boys I '*loved'* before.
I'm certainly a late bloomer compared to the majority of my peers. Most of my classmates were already experiencing crushes, getting and writing love letters, and some were even in relationships when I was in sixth grade. I used to think I was the odd one out since I wasn't attracted to my male classmates. During high school, I was sent to a school in town, where I realized that I, too, could experience attraction. ***Juan Paolo*** was my first crush; he was a classmate, but I only noticed him after a week of eating lunch with him. Don't get me wrong: we just ate lunch together since her aunt is the class adviser for my sister's class. So we both went to that room every lunch break, but we never try to chat to each other. He got my crush not only because he is attractive, but also because he is smart. We were both in the star section, and he does exceptionally well in class. I recall taking a lengthy Mathematics quiz and receiving a score of 4/30. My classmate showed Juan Paolo my paper and the freak laughed at it. I admit I'm dumb when it comes to numbers, and getting a low score is embarrassing enough, but my classmate added fuel to the fire when she showed my paper to Juan Paolo and the freak laughed at it. It was extremely humiliating, and I knew there would never be another chance for us after that day. But I still admired him secretly for that school year, and no knew about it up to this day.
Summer break arrived, and after two months of not seeing Juan Paolo, I had completely forgotten about him, and I became even more sad to learn that he was no longer a classmate since I had been demoted to the second section. There, I met a transferee from Manila. His name is ***King John Paul***, and he is the most attractive boy in our class. His skin is fair, and his perfect tagalog accent is pleasant to hear. Every night, I talked about him in my diary, stressing our small encounters. I admired him even more after he gave me two *chocolate krim sticks* (LOL, how petty), and of course, I made sure to record it in my diary. There's a time when there's only him, another classmate, and me who were left in the classroom. I gazed at him in my small mirror but he caught me off guard and brazenly asked me: *"Why are you staring at me? Do you like me?"* My heart went *dug dug dug dug*... Oh my gosh, that was really humiliating. But King is a little dumb compared to Juan Paolo and he also likes to skip class so I was disappointed in him What's more upsetting is when I found out that she's dating Katrina, the loud girl with a curly hair from the first section. They were the talk of town that day they went public.
Fast forward to third year, I was brought back to the star section and I had a classmate who's is haughty and full of himself. His name is ***Elias.*** He formed a group along with the famous people in class who are composed of pretty girls and handsome boys. He is really annoying likes to bully the weak, but he is so attractive, He's the epitome of the *talk, dark and handsome* description in the novels I read. He has a a pair of prominent, dark and tantalizing eyes, perfectly chiseled pointed nose, and kissable lips. His complexion is not fair but he's not dark either. But despite of him being so annoying, he is smart which totally made me fall for him. He became my group mate in our Chemistry subject which is the reason why I failed the *memorizing the periodic table of elements quiz.* He is my leader and I have to recite to him, but I was to nervous so I decided not to do it. I got a failing mark as a result. In fourth year, I had to go through loops just to be his classmate again. I talked to my teachers to let me transfer to his class, fortunately they allowed but I have to make up a lot of excuses. For two consecutive years, I only had my attention focused on him, so I was really broken hearted when I found out that he's already dating Stefanie, his friend. They broke up months later though. A week before our graduation, Elias sat beside me while I was quietly reading a pocketbook. He held my hand for an hour without letting it go. I was too nervous and it's not just butterflies, it felt like there are hummingbirds in my stomach. I just let it be and I never dared to ask him why he did it until we graduated.
When I got into college, I got a new crush again, it was ***Xander***. We became closer when we became partners during a pageant and during a dance presentation. Our classmates kept teasing us, but he likes someone else so I was only contented about being friends with him.
When I transferred to a new university, my school life became boring. It's a big school but no one caught my attention. I was only focused on my studies. But it all change when I met an engineering student who's feature is almost similar to Elias. I did a lot of crazy stuffs because of him. I had to check with the registrar's office about his schedule, so that I know when and where I can see him. Eeew, such a crazy stalker you might say, like I told my friends before, I'm pretty so I'm an admirer, not a stalker. 🤣 My admiring skills went far when I even spent money to print his photo with a message that says "*I don't care if you don't like me, just let me like you",* then I had to stay at the campus until all the students went home so I could attach the printed photo on the freedom wall for him to see the next day. The following day, I woke up at 4 am to go to school early just to see his reaction once he sees the photo. I feel like it was all worth it when he smiled and took a photo of it. I even wrote a poem for him (Read it here), I was on cloud nine when I got a photo with him during our final year in college. https://read.cash/@esciisc/dear-crush-cd7bdd8f
And the last time I had a crush was two years ago, but unlike the previous once who gave me wonderful memories, this one left me with distressed feeling. https://read.cash/@sc/unrequited-feelings-bac1b106
Thinking about it, the reason I fell for those guys are not their physical appearances alone, but because they are smart. I think being smart is attractive, but of course it will be a bonu if they are good looking!
`Lead image credits to deppositphotos.com`
Not-so-busy Sunday
Today is just another Sunday like any other. I awoke a little earlier than usual, at 6 a.m., just like the previous Sundays. I made myself a cup of black coffee, took a bath, and got ready for our religious meeting, which was held through Zoom. We've been doing this for almost a year, so it's become second nature to us. Because the meeting ended early, I ate my lunch early as well.
I had booked a get - together with my pals because it had been a long time since we had seen one other. We're all busy with our everyday activities: I work as a teacher, my cousin works in an office, and our other buddy is married while working at the same time. We hardly see each other these days due to our hectic schedules. We don't talk much on messaging applications either, but we're still friends, and that's the only thing that hasn't changed.
As I previously stated, we had planned a get - together, but I was undecided about attending because first, I don't have any money because all of my money was spent on materials for a project at home, second, I have a lot of things to take care of, such as creating instructional materials for tutoring, and third, I just want to stay at home.
But my cousin is too persuasive, so after the tenth second thoughts, I decided to go. Instead of hanging out at the malls or other places with just the three of us today, we decided to pay a visit to an older friend who is going through a difficult time; she's been through a lot and I heard she was on the verge of depression. We made the decision to make her happy, even if it was just for a short time.
This friend is much older than us, yet she is more than a friend to us; she is a sister and a family member. She's been through a lot, as I indicated. Her first son died while mountain climbing in 2016. I witnessed her hurting as a result of that tragedy. Despite the passing of time, she still sheds tears whenever she speaks of her son. Then, in 2018, she was separated from her only daughter by thousands of kilometers when she decided to work in Israel to aid her struggling family. But the unfortunate part is that they discovered she has cancer few months after she came. She died a few months ago, just a week after arriving home from Israel. The only good thing is that she was reunited with her loved ones before passing away. My friend is left with her remaining kid, who is regrettably the family's black sheep and causes her a lot of stress. Worse, the friend I'm referring about is also bedridden. She was in an accident when she was younger, and she has only been able to move half of her body ever since. Her spouse can only make a small profit these days due to the pandemic. My friend's situation is extremely tragic and difficult, therefore I realize how sad her life is. But she is an incredible woman who is still striving to live her life to the fullest and sets an encouraging and inspiring example for others.
So we wanted to make her happy today. We danced for her despite our lack of dance talent, made a fool of ourselves, and even sung for her in sign language. She cried as she saw us humiliate ourselves.
I also printed a photograph of the four of us with the biblical passage ***"There is a friend who sticks than a sister. Thank you so much for being such a wonderful friend!"..***
She was moved and impressed by the tiny gesture. And she's grateful that we took some time out of our busy schedule to pay her a visit. I also assured her that I would return during the weekend. I just hope I'll be able to keep that promise.
I opted to leave and go home at 4:30 p.m. since I needed to prepare for my tutorial class. I prepared educational materials, and my tutee arrived at 5 p.m. It was over at 6 p.m., and I was finally done for the day. It's not as hectic as the preceding day, but I'm pleased since I feel accomplished and satisfied with how my day went.
`Lead image from unsplash.`
Beauty Pageant Experience
I was in first year college when I experienced joining a beauty pageant. I felt euphoric because never in my wildest dream have I ever thought of being in a beauty pageant. I have *chinita* eyes, and I am fair-skinned, but I don't look as pretty as my high school classmates who joined pageants to represent our class. Back then, I don't use make ups, I don't wear lipstick and a baby powder is all I need.
Second semester came and one of the college instructors came to orient us about the incoming school foundation anniversary. There will be a lot of activities, and along with those is the crowning of the so-called school's *Mr. and Miss.* Our instructor asked for volunteers as to who will join the pageant, and one of my male classmates was easily selected since he has a lot of experience back in high school. It was hard selecting the female representative from our class because no one wants to volunteer. We nominated some, but our instructor didn't approve. Jennifer is one of the smartest, so we nominated her, but her height is only 5 feet which is quite small, and she is also chubby. There's also Veronica who is fair-skinned and pretty with a long straight, blonde hair and a pointed nose, but she was also rejected because of the way she speaks. Even when she speaks English, her *rinconada (a variant of the Bicol language)* accent is overpowering, which sounds weird. Our last option is Angelica who has an angelic face and a *Morena* kind of beauty, but honestly, she's not that smart so she was rejected too.
Then one of my male classmates kiddingly said "*how about Shiela sir? She's smart, fair-skinned and has a slim body. She'll be perfect!"* And I said, *"Noooooooo!"* I have a stage fright, and I am very shy. I do not even know how to do that pageant walk.
But that time, I was also struggling with my programming classes and there's the thesis too. My instructor perfectly knows about that, so he made an agreement with us that whoever will represent the class will automatically get a hundred percent rate at the final exam and that means the person no longer have to study for the finals and can focus on the thesis instead. So, I agreed.
But it was not an easy journey. During the first day of practice, the gay PE instructor who is in-charge of the pageant scolded me a lot for not knowing how to ***walk*** properly. I'm not good at dancing either, so I embarrassed myself during practice for the opening performance. But I endured it all. Good thing, my partner (who happens to be my crush) was patient with me. He helped me practice the dance, and he taught me how to walk and pose properly. I felt like I'm on cloud nine. Just imagine your crush being your personal trainer. He's also one of the reasons why I agreed to join. It's a chance to get closer to him! lol.
It was another challenge during the pictorial. I didn't tell my parents about it, so I don't have enough money to buy my swimwear. I went to thrift shop to find a decent swimwear but most of it are two-piece swimsuits which I am not confident to wear. I searched more and fortunately, I found something that suits for me.
It's a two-piece cloth I bought for only $2 if my memory serves me right. I thought it's perfect for me because I don't have to show too much skin, unlike the other contestants. And it perfectly suits my slim body too. ***My goal is not to win, but to participate.***
It was a challenge both to me and the photographer too because my poses are too awkward, and I'm too shy to get near my crush. 😅 Thankfully, I made it through that day and survived with the support of my instructors and classmates. I didn't win the popularity award, but I was impressed of how my photos turned out.
The day of the pageant finally came. I was impressed with what the makeup artists made to my face. It's like an ***ugly duckling turned to swan*** moment. I looked pretty, and the pimples are gone! They taught me how to introduce myself.
I didn't think I would win nor to be a *placer* because they are all too good. My only edge is the question-and-answer portion.
If there's anyone who is sure to win, I thought it would be the lady in black tank top and white pants. She seemed like a pro, and she got a lot of support from our schoolmates. And there is that lady in white too, who is the *face* of our school. She's very pretty and has a fair and smooth skin, and she's also very smart.
The pageant has two parts. The first part is that casual thing, which includes the opening dance while wearing our sports attire and introduction.
There's a part where we must wear our school uniform and this when we had to answer the preliminary questions which will determine whether we can proceed to the final round or not.
Fortunately, I answered the question with confidence, so I got in the top three. And I can't believe I did it!
And the last part is to wear an evening gown. The fair-skinned ladies wore black and the *Morena* or brown-skinned ones wore a long white gown, while the gentlemen wore their *barong Tagalog*. After this, the top three pairs are announced. I was really surprised that I was in the top three, while that lady who I thought is sure to win never made it to the final round. Life is ironic.
And finally, we had to pick the judge that will ask us a question.
I forgot what the question is, but all I know is that I answered it with a smile and just blabbered whatever.
I won second runner-up which was unexpected and the other girl from my department won the crown. It was good for us because our department was on top. My advisers told me they were surprised about my performance because they also thought I'm not going to the top three. Let me tell you that prior to the pageant, they were really frustrated about the way I walk and the way I danced, and their only hope is the question and answer. Well, life is full of surprises.
This is one of the most unforgettable experience I had, and I don't think I'd ever do it again.
`Lead images taken from dreamstime.com`
Preparing an instructional lesson
When I was younger I never imagined myself as a teacher. I don't like boisterous kids and I don't have enough patience for them. I swear to myself long ago that I will never be a teacher because I'm afraid that I'll just hurt a child if it's too hard to reprimand them.
But I ended up not living to my words. I am now a teacher and I love what I'm doing. I now have enough patience for exuberant kids and I love to help them learn.
Teaching is not easy though. Some think that teaching is so easy as long as you have a book or a topic then you can already teach. No. Before we execute a lesson, there's a lot we have to do.
**Familiarize yourself with the topic.** Once you already have a topic or lesson in mind, you have to familiarize yourself with it then think of the objectives for the lesson. Objectives are the things that you want to achieve during the lesson. In defining the instructional objectives, you have to think about what are your goals for executing that lesson. This will help you assess the students or the learners at the end of the lesson whether they learned something or not.
**Writing a lesson plan.** The next step is to write a lesson plan. A lesson plan is basically your "**plan**" for the lesson. You'll write the things that you will do during the entire discussion. For new teachers, we are required to write a detailed lesson plan. It's can be compared to a script because a teacher is required to write down what she will say during the lesson as well as the learner's possible response. Here's a sample lesson plan in teaching English to third grade pupils which I made for my previous lesson.
**Detailed Lesson Plan in English 3**
**I. Objectives:**
At the end of the learning experience, the pupils are expected to:
· Identify hyponyms 9EN3V-IIIi-j-13.7);
· Select the general class or generic name of the sets of hyponyms; and
· Give the hyponyms or subcategories of a general class correctly.
**II. Subject Matter:**
A. Topic: Working with Hyponyms
B. Materials: Pictures, Visual aids
C. References: Grade 3 Module: Quarter 3 Module 3
**III. Procedure**
**1. Preparatory Activities**
`“Good morning class!” - “Good morning ma’am!”`
`“How are you today?” - “We’re good!”`
`“That’s great!”`
`“Are you ready to learn something new today?” - “Yes ma’am!”`
`“But before we start our lesson, I want you to sit properly and avoid making unnecessary noises.”`
**2. Presentation/Introduction**
**Activity 1**
The teacher with give an activity to activate the prior knowledge of the pupils about hyponyms.
`“I have here several pictures.”`
The teacher will show each picture to the pupils.
`“Do you know who she is?”- “Yes ma’am. She’s Wonder woman”`
`“That’s right! She is Wonder woman. How about this one?” - “He is Superman”`
`“Very good! This is Superman. How about this one, do you know him?” - “Yes! Spiderman!”`
`“That’s absolutely right! This one is Spiderman. Okay, lastly, this one?” - “That’s Batman ma’am!”`
`“Very good children!”`
`“Now, what do we all of them?” - “We call them the superheroes.”`
`“That’s correct!”`
`“Okay. Now I have here another set of pictures. Lets see if you know these people.”`
The teacher will show the pictures one by one.
`“Do you know him?” - “That is Dr. Jose Rizal.”`
`“That’s right. This is Dr. Jose Rizal.”`
`“How about him, do you know his name?” - “No ma’am.”`
`“This is Apolinario Mabini.”`
`“Now let me show you another picture. Do you know him?” - “Yes. He is Emilio Aguinaldo”`
`“Very good!” “Now let’s take a look at the last picture. Do you know him?” - “Yes. He is Andres Bonifacio.”`
`“Very good children!”`
`“Now, what do we call these men?” - “They are heroes!”`
`“Very good! But they are not just heroes. We call them The National Heroes.”`
**1. Modelling/Teaching**
`“Today we will talk about hyponyms.”`
`“Let’s find out what hyponyms are.”`
**Hyponyms are words that refer to subcategories or members of a more general or broader class.**
**They are the specific examples of a general word.**
A ***hyponym*** *is a term used to classify a particular member of a broader class.*
A ***hypernym*** *is a word that names a broad category that includes other words.*
`“Going back to the pictures I’ve shown you a while ago, I’ve shown you two sets of pictures of heroes. The Superheroes and The National heroes.”`
`“Superheroes and National heroes are the general word. While Wonderwoman, Superman, batman and Spiderman are hyponyms of the word Superheroes.”`
`“Dr Jose Rizal, Apolinario Mabini, Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo are the hyponyms of National heroes.”`
Another examples:
**Examples:**
1. Sampaguita and gumamela are **flowers**.
2. Narra and acacia are **trees**.
`“The word flowers is the general name or word. What are the hyponyms? - Sampaguita and Gumamela`
`“Next, Narra and Acacia are trees. What are the hyponyms?” - Narra and Acacia.`
**2. Guided Practice**
**Activity 1**
`“Now let us have another activity.”`
Identify the hyponyms of the following words:
`“Now I will divide you into two groups. Here’s what you have to do.”`
`“But before you do the activity, what are the guidelines in doing a group activity?” – “Cooperate with your groupmates. Don’t be noisy.”`
A. **Generalization**
`"Now class, based on the activities that you did today, can you tell me what hyponyms are? - "They are the specific name of general words ma'am."`
`“That's right! Just remember that you just have to think of names for a given general word for you to give the hyponym.”`
**I. Evaluation/Independent Practice**
`“Now I want you to get your papers and answer this.”`
***Directions****:* Read the words inside the boxes. Then put them in the correct column where they belong. Write your answers on paper.
**II. Assignment**
***Directions****:* Match the general names in Column A to their set of pictures in Column B. Write the letters of the correct answers on your paper.
That is only a simple lesson plan I made, it can be more complex than this. Sometimes, you don't have to stick to the activities provided in the books, but you have to think of unique activities that suits to the learner's thinking abilities. And it is no longer advisable for the teacher to just talk and talk and let the students listen. Teaching is more effective if they are engaged in the lesson, so it is better to ask them questions and let them say what's on their mind. Group activities are also essential. The lesson plan I showed here only has a little activities but it is advisable to add more. Specially if the learner's are still having a hard time understanding the lesson.
**Preparing the instructional materials.** After writing a lesson plan, the next step is to prepare the instructional materials needed for the lesson. It is better if you have it printed out so as to increase the retention of ideas. That's why we always have a lot of pictures prepared. Preparing a powerpoint presentation is more convenient but for younger kids it is not advisable since they tend to forget what they learn once they can no longer see the materials.
As shown in this photo, even if the the learners *(this is a simulation class, so the learners are grown-ups lol)* are already doing an activity and presenting it, the previous materials are still pasted on the board since this is a second grade class.
If the learners are kindergarteners, the teacher has to make big books for the reading lesson since small story books are not effective.
**Delivering the lesson.** Once all the steps are done, a teacher is now ready to proceed with the lesson. But there are still challenges because they have to deal with the learner's attitudes and reactions towards the lesson. There are times that the ***lesson plan*** is not followed because of distractions such as reprimanding the kids and telling them to listen well.
It's not easy to be a teacher. Just imagine if you are teaching primary level kids, in the Philippines we have 10 subject areas to teach, so the teacher is required to write 10 lesson plans a day and prepare the corresponding learning materials. Some teachers no longer have time for themselves because it is all consumed by work. But once you are done with the lesson and found out during the assessment that they learned or achieved the objectives, that is very fulfilling.
Reunited after 16 Years
If you ask me why I'm still single at my age I can give you many reasons why. But thinking about it, it looks like choosing to be single or being single until age is already beyond the calendar runs in our blood. You see, in my paternal side, most of my cousins got married at the age of 28 and up. We are carrier-oriented, we prioritized our careers over our love life. So being single even at the age of thirty is still normal to us, being single doesn't matter.
Aside from my cousins, my uncles has the same principle too. One of my uncles got married at 34 and the other one is more than 50 years old now but is still single. Those uncles worked and focused on their careers, they work abroad and are dedicated to helping their nephews and nieces. One of them is too career-oriented that he worked oversees without going home for more than 16 years. But we always had a communication with him. During special days and occasions he never forget about us. He helped my cousins to finish college and there are times that he also gave me some gadgets that I can use for my schooling.
When I was young, I always anticipated for the day that my uncle comes home because it means lots of chocolates for us and of course there will be a family reunion which means I get to meet my cousins who lives far away from us. But after my grandparents passed away, he never went back home ever again. Now, I am no longer excited for him to go home because of chocolates, I'm excited just to see him in person. And finally after 16 long years, we received a news that he is going home.
After days of preparation I finally got to see my uncle, and the first thing he said to me is *"Oh look at Shiela Mae, she looked like Korean! What happened to you?!"* After a long time, he still look the same, except that he's head is already bald.
Since we didn't see him for a long time, we had a lot of catching up to do which we had to accomplish for a short time because he only has more than one month for vacation. He has to go back after a month to take care of his business.
There's the family reunion which was held at our house. My cousins, uncles and aunts came to visit. It was too noisy at home and I'm not used to having a lot of people but it's fine because it only happens every one in a while.
We partied and drink together. My uncle was fascinated about how we could drink a lot without getting drunk at all. He bought us a lot of alcoholic beverages one night and we all drank together.
I didn't get a lot of photos that time, this is the only photo I got.
We danced that night, but I am not going to share a photo or video here because it is too embarrassing.
That was pre-COVID so we had the chance to visit the beautiful sceneries and local tourist attractions.
We visited the famous **Cagsawa Ruins.** There used to be a big church here but when the Mayon volcano erupted the church and the people inside were buried and only the high belfry remained. And it is now a famous tourist attraction because here people can see the perfect cone shape of the Mayon volcano. But during our visit, Mayon is shy and hiding.
We also went to Ligñon hill. It is a hill located in the city of Legazpi where you can see the entire city. The place is refreshing and a lot of native products are sold here. There are also a few foreigners who are hanging out when we came. We spent a few hours here, we bought some products, more like my uncle bought native bags for my siblings and cousins.
After eating our lunch at Ligñon hill, we went to Mayon Planetarium and Science Park. We had to climb the steep roads built on the Mayon volcano. And it feels like we are close to the clouds. The place is so beautiful and refreshing, there are fogs even if it is just 2 pm.
We went home tired but happy because we enjoyed a lot on that one day trip.
Before my uncle went back to Saudi, we had another outing. We went swimming as requested by the kids. There was a long water slide where only the adults can play. My uncle took videos of us that he will look at when he is back to working.
`I was thinking so hard about what article to write but these days my mind seems to be on freeze again. So I decided to just let it be and maybe one of these days I'll find an inspiration for my next article. Then I went on to my Facebook account and do the usual - stalk my account, because I don't have a crush to stalk LOL. And there I saw album which gave me an idea.`
Early Goodbye
I suddenly thought of her when I read @Ruffa 's article **Gone So Young****.** This is not related to her topic, but her article's title caught my attention and I decided to write something about it. https://read.cash/@Ruffa/gone-so-young-f114c24c
This is about my dear older cousin who was *gone so young.*
Her name is Joycie, her friends call her Joyce but I simply call her *ate Diday,* only those who are really close to her calls her that and she doesn't want her classmates to find out what we call her because it is an *ugly* nickname. When we are still in elementary, she doesn't want me to find her during recess and lunch break and call her with her nickname. Nevertheless, we are still very close.
We literally grew up together, she lived with our grandparents and when grandma died, they moved in with us. Growing up, we did a lot of craziness together. I remember that time when a bakery owner borrowed money from our uncle, our uncle told grandma not to ask that debtor to pay back with cash, instead it can just be paid with bread and other stuffs from the bakery, so that grandma won't have to worry about what to feed the workers for snack. When we found out about it, we secretly asked for bread from the bakery and tells them to add it on the list to pay off the debt. We did it many times every time we play *bahay-bahay* (play house) without telling mom and grandma. We would then go to my grandparent's land where a lot of cacao and mango trees are planted, climb a mango tree and there, we would eat the bread we asked from the bakery. One time, grandma sent me on an errand to go to the bakery to get some snacks for the gardener and the cleaner, but they didn't give me some because the debt was already paid off. Grandma was surprised because the total amount of merchandise we got there is only one fourth or probably one half the amount of the debt. That's when they found out about what we've been doing. We we're scolded and spanked, but I only got a little of spanking because I told them, *ate Diday* was the one who influenced me to do it. We didn't talk for three days after that.
Time flew so fast and we were already in high school. I was in second year when she transferred to my school because she was kicked out of her school. That time I was a mean teenager, so I told her not to get too close to me at school. Still, she got herself a lot of friends because she's very friendly. But when she's already in fourth year, her friends became a bad influence to her. There are a lot of instances that they didn't attend their classes just to hang out and drank alcoholic beverages. How did I found out? She's telling me about it because she knows I won't tell my parents. I became an accomplice of her *'crimes'* but little did we know that papa knows everything. He is just waiting for my cousin to confess her sins. She confessed after graduation.
She got into college. That time, she's no longer staying with us. She stayed with another uncle who paid her tuition, but that uncle is very lenient compared to my father, he allows her to do anything she wants and she was even allowed to stay on a boarding house at the town where her university is located. Little did our uncle know that aside from studying she's hanging out with her friends and partying at different bars almost every single day. That time, my cousin doesn't know yet of it's impact to her own body and health. Her unhealthy lifestyle continued for years. I lost contact with her for several years because I was also busy with my studies and though we're close, I know that she won't be a good influence to me anymore. I kept my distance.
In 2016, a younger cousin sent me a message saying that our cousin, *ate Diday* is dying. It seems like she inherited her father's DNA who died of the same illness. Her whole body became swollen and she stayed at the hospital for weeks. Thankfully, she managed to survive that year. In 2017, she thought that she's already fully cured, so she went back to her old lifestyle - drinking and partying. She thought that everything's already fine with her health. She even got pregnant, but little did she know that her illness is already terminal, at the end of that year, she fell ill again. She lost her baby and she had kidney failure again. She was sent to the same hospital and the only option is for her to undergo hemodialysis twice a week, the family had to spend Php. 5,000 ($100) for each session.
She knows that her time to say goodbye to her loved ones is getting near, while at the hospital, she kept asking her mom to let me and our other cousin who's also close to her to pay a visit. I visited and stayed with her at the hospital for a night and I saw her suffering, it hurts to see her, but I can't help but to blame her too for exploiting her body. It hurts to see her dying, but in my mind I was blaming her for not taking of herself. I blamed our uncle for not disciplining her like what papa does. But then, what can I do? She's already dying. The bills are piling up, so she was transferred to the biggest public hospital in the city. I saw her pain during her hemodialysis. I saw her suffer when I spent another night at the hospital to watch over her. I can't bear the smell of the hospital but I decided to stay with her.
Days passed and thankfully she managed to survive. She was released from the hospital but she had to go back every week for the hemodialysis. Then one day she decided that she no longer want to do it. She doesn't want to bother everyone. She decided to stay with us instead of her mom's second family. She kept asking my parents for forgiveness, to forgive her for disobeying them during high school, for not listening to my father who cared so much about her. Every night, she wants to sleep with my parents and cuddle with them and every night, they saw her suffer.
After spending two weeks at home, she decided to go back to the town where we lived when we were little and after a week, we received a sad news - that *ate Diday* has passed away. It was a very sad news for all of us though we already expected it. Papa cried a lot that day, one of his beloved nieces is already gone. She was only 25 when she passed away.
One thing I learned about her experience is no matter how annoying my parents are, I should obey them because they only want what's the best for me. Even though we're not always on the same page, they care about me a lot. And as for *ate Diday*, she will always have a place in our hearts.
This is taken in 2011, we sneaked out and went to the river without asking permission from my mom.We made memories before I moved to the other province for college.
Our last photo taken in 2019. This is also our last outing as a family in January. She passed away 3 months after this photo was taken.
Adulting 101
Adulting.. Being an adult is good because you have more freedom compared when you are a teenager. I can say this based on my own experience. When I was a teenager, my daily routine is home-school-home-school. It's a repeating cycle everyday. I can't even go to parties, I can't hang out with my friends and I can't go with them during *gala,* or going some place to hang out. This went on 'till college.
But everything changed after I graduated in college. My parents became more lenient. They allow me for sleep overs, I could go anywhere I want. I got my jo so I can pay for my needs. Being an adult is fun!
Here, I will discuss some facts about adulting life. This is when you realize that you are getting older.
**You prefer to stay at home rather than going out.** Most teenagers often feel like their parents don't want them to enjoy because they are usually not allowed to have fun with their friends and go strolling at the mall, the park or anywhere they could have fun. That is why they often go without asking permission from their parents. There were also times when I went with my friends without asking permission from my parents. But now that I'm older, I'm the one who insists on just staying at home. Staying home is better because you won't be tired, you can just stay at home during day offs, eat and sleep or maybe watch your favorite drama or movie. This will also help you not to spend money on useless things. Well, maybe this is only applicable to struggling adults.
**You get excited about buying stuffs you can use at home.** Buying stuffs you can use at the kitchen excites you more than buying a new make-up palette. Before, I used to spend most of my money on personal stuffs such as clothes, perfume and beauty products. But now, those are not my priority anymore. The things I kept buying nowadays are those we can use at home, I'm buying stuffs one at a time to prepare once I move out of our house - curtains, beddings, utensils, casserole and last time I even bought a steamer and a blender! I am not sure if this applies to other adults out there too.
**You are not bothered when people don't check on you on a regular basis.** Most of us probably became addicted to texting once. You are willing to spend your money to buy load just to be able to talk to your peers. Sometimes, you get sullen when your friends doesn't send even a single message to ask how you're doing. I felt that too. But now that I am an adult, I understand that everyone has their own life and struggles to deal with. I understand that my friends are struggling with their adult life too, so there are times that they wont message me and so am I, I can't exchange messages with them everyday. Like one *noise.cash* user said *"less time with friends".*
**You usually get the cheapest product when grocery shopping.** When grocery shopping, I usually go to the store who has the cheap price for their products compared to other supermarkets. If the product I'm looking for is pricey, I would try to look for alternative products that is cheaper.
**You prioritize your needs over your wants.** We know that we have bills to pay because we can't just rely on our parents most of the time so instead of spending more on what we want, we think about the more important things first. Sometimes, when I go to the city, I treat myself with expensive foods, but there are times that I can't do it because I have more important things to spend my money on. Though it is not wrong to treat yourself from time to time as a reward for a job well done.
These are just few of the manifestation of adulting life that I could relate to. What about you?
Customer Encounters
Working in the BPO industry gave me a lot of experience that I can never forget. As a newbie, at times meeting people over the phone is so overwhelming and I don’t know how to deal with it, sometimes I was too caught up in my own emotions that I take the customer’s mean comments personally, though they are against the company and not me. But over time, I was able to manage my emotions well, and dealt with every encounter in positive way.
While looking at the memories on Facebook, I suddenly felt nostalgic, and I can’t help myself from reminiscing the days when I was still working in the BPO industry. So, here I share my most unforgettable encounters with customers.
***A dying man***. Before working as a customer service representative, I worked at the order entry department first where the task is to answer calls from customers and assist them in placing their orders. The account is a Flower shop in the United States and customers can place orders by themselves through the company’s website, but there are some who doesn’t want to trouble themselves in placing the order on their end, so they call us to ask for assistance. It was my second week on the job when one time, a customer called in and asked me to assist him in placing a multiple order. I was overwhelmed because multiple orders is a good thing for me. It was for his wife, and I told praised his sweetness. Then ‘he told me that he wants to order flowers that will be sent to his wife every Valentine’s Day for the next ten years because he is in the hospital and the doctor said that he only has one month to live. He wants his wife to still receive flowers from him even if he already left this world. From his story, I felt how dearly the customer loves his wife and it breaks my heart to hear about the story. When I told him that we do not have the option to place an order for the next ten years, as we can only do it for six months the most, his voice started to break and sounds like he is crying. I badly want to help him that time so I put him on hold and asked for manager if we can make an exception for the customer, but they can’t do anything about it too, even the supervisor. So, I went back to the customer to tell him about it. He started to sob which made me cry hard too. To make up for him, I stayed with him longer and listened to his stories even though I will be scolded for talking on the phone for a long time. It happened two years ago but that phone call is still vivid in my memory.
***An old lady who probably know all the curse words in the English language***. This time, I was already in customer service department, one time an old lady called in and as soon as I answered her call, she bombarded me with curse words, she was hysterical. She cursed at me like everything is my fault and made me feel so dumb and insignificant. No matter how much I tried to hush her, she would not stop, so I just muted myself and listened to her for 30 minutes. It’s the first time that I heard so much curse words and I can’t really take it since I am not used to hearing bad words. When I can no longer take it, I asked the customer if she want me to transfer her to a manager, though we are prohibited to do that.
***A pervert.*** There are times that I was assigned to work during daytime, instead of a graveyard shift, I work from 5:00 am to 2:00 pm and since most of the customers are from the United States, it means that it is nighttime in their area. One time, I received a call from a male customer, I can’t understand most of the stuffs he’s saying but it sounds like he is moaning or something, since I was a newbie that time, I asked my manager to barge in and listen to my call and he laughed to hard saying “Eeew, it’s a pervert! Sounds like he’s masturbating!” I think that is worse than the cursing lady.
***A suicidal lady.*** This happened on the day I handed in my resignation letter. A lady called in, she is shouting that time while telling me that received a defective keyboard. She told me that it is the reason why she can’t create a letter which she will send to the government to ask for aid. I apologized to her for the inconvenience on behalf of the company, but she doesn’t want to accept my apology telling me that it is not my fault, though she insisted that she was inconvenienced because of it. She told me that it has been 3 years since she last went out of her house, and she only live from the government aid. And she only has stuffs delivered to her front door. She started to get hysterical and told me that she’s going to commit suicide right away! I felt nervous that time, but I tried my best to comfort her and told her not to do it, in my mind, I was thinking that my conscience will bug me if she really commits a suicide. While listening to her, I research my tools to see what I can do to help her. The call ended, but I didn’t know what happened to that lady. I just wish that she’s doing fine until now.
While writing this, I can’t help but to think that those are all weird encounters.
What's on my bucket list
Most of us probably has a bucket list or the list of things that we want to do or achieve in this life. It can be similar to a goal too. As for me, I honestly haven't given it much thought nor have I written down the things that I really want to achieve.
I am already 26 but I am still contemplating on what I really want to do in life. Oftentimes I want to settle to a permanent position in the public sector and be a teacher to inculcate change in the lives of the children and youth. I want to, because that is what is expected from me - by myself and by the people around me. But it is not really easy to do that. I feel like I already wasted two years of my precious life waiting... waiting for the right time to get what I want. But there are times that I wonder if that is what I really want to do in life. I love adventures and I want to explore which I can't do once I am confined in the four corners of the classroom. Thus, I sometimes think that maybe I am chasing not my dream, but the dream of people around me, the dream of my parents.
Due to that, these past few days I've given it some thought. I tried to figure out what I really want and what I really want to do. So I came up with my own bucket list. These apparently just a few since I am still thinking about it more.
Go on a trip alone.
Usually, trips can be more fun if you are not alone. Being with close friends or with the family can make a trip more enjoyable and I think that way too. But since I am now used to being alone and I can literally live by myself, I want to experience the solemnity of travelling alone. And perhaps I could meet new people and make friends while travelling. Once the pandemic is over, maybe I could go to local travel destinations and do this.
Travel to Korea or Japan.
I am a fan of Korean dramas and anime so I really want to visit either of the two countries. I want to experience the snow and the cherry blossoms and go to Korean palace and wear the traditional Hanbok, meeting one of the *oppas* I watch on dramas will be awesome too! I know it's a wishful thinking, but we never know what life has stored for us. Or I can walk on the streets of Japan wearing a colorful Kimono and just thinking about it makes me excited already.
Learn how to drive a motorcycle.
Since high school, I've been pestering my dad and my male cousins to teach me how to drive a motorcycle. They know how clumsy I am so they keep declining my request. My dad even told me that once I learn how to drive, I'd probably end up either in the hospital or the morgue. I want to prove to them that they are wrong so I really want to learn. If my family can't teach me, I will go to a driving school and learn. I know I can't do it as soon as possible, but I will make sure that a couple of years from now, this is already checked from my bucket list.
Master one foreign language and meet a person who speaks it.
Those who have known me for quite some time probably knows that I am very interested in languages. Because of my addiction to K-drama, I tried to learn Korean and Hangul - the Korean's way of writing, I was able to memorize the characters in just a week of studying and I can also read and write it now. However, the lack of conversation with a native speaker made me forget what I learned. Currently, I am learning the *Spanish* language and I want use it to converse with a person who speaks it and when I say converse, it means personally talking and conversing to that person. I still have a long way to go, but I am crossing my fingers for this.
What else? Hmmmm. I guess this is all for now, but maybe I could think more and add more to this list. Maybe I need to have a self check up and get to know about myself more to see what I really want and what I really want to do in life.
`Thanks for reading! Lead images credits to itockphoto.com.`
Kuripot
Agosto na. Kung hindi lang pandemya, siguradong buwan na naman ito kung saan abala na naman hindi lang mga guro, kundi pati na rin ang mga mag aaral sa paaralan. Paniguradong magiging abala na naman ang lahat sa paghahanda para sa buwan ng wikang pambansa. Buwan kung saan hinihikayat ang lahat na mas mahalin pa at pahalagahan ang ating sariling wika.
At dahil buwan na ng wikang pambansa, naisip ko na magsulat ng artikulo gamit ang sariling kong wika, at hindi ang wikang banyaga. Sa totoo lang, hindi talaga ako matatas sa pagsasalita ng wikang Filipino pero susubukan kong huwag gumamit ng kahit isang salitang Ingles sa isinusulat kong ito.
Tama na ang kung ano anong pang satsat, tara na't simulan ang tunay na kwento!
Kuripot. Madalas din akong masabihan na kuripot daw ako. Sabi ng isa kong kaibigan kuripot daw ako dahil imbes na bumili ng mamahaling damit, mas gusto kong sa ukay-ukay bumili. Kuripot daw ako kasi kapag nagyaya siya na gumala kami, lagi kong pinipiling kumain ng mga *tusok-tusok* pagkatapos kahit di naman ako ang magbabayad. Kuripot daw ako kasi di ako nagbibigay ng limos sa mga pulubi. Sa bahay madalas din akong mapagsabihan ng kuripot. Kuripot daw ako kasi ultimo sampung pisong sukli hinihingi ko pa rin. Minsan nakakasawa na rin pakinggan.
Ang totoo hindi ako kuripot, hindi lang ako komportableng magpalibre tapos mahal pa yung pipiliin ko. Matipid lang ako kaya mas gusto kong bumili sa ukay ukay. Di ako madalas magbigay ng limos kasi minsan ang lalakas pa ng katawan ng mga pulubi, imbes na magtrabaho nanghihingi na lang sila. Ako nga pinaghirapan kong kumita ng pera tapos siya hihingi pang diba? Yung ibang matatanda nga uugod ugod na pero kinakaya pa rin na magtrabaho. Di rin ako nagbibigay ng limos na pera sa mga bata dahil baka ibili lang sigarilyo, pero kung pagkain madalas na nagbibigay naman ako. Masinop lang ako kaya kahit maliit na halaga ng sukli, hinihingi ko pa rin. Dahil alam kong pag ako naman ang nangailangan, di nila ako matutulungan.
Ang totoo niyan, ang nanay ko talaga ang pinaka kuripot na taong nakilala ko. Noong bata pa ako, madalas kahit sentimos na lang na sukli hinihingi niya pa. Di ko man lang nasubukan noon na magkaroon ng sobra sa baon, dahil kahit piso di niya ibibigay yun.
Kapag nagluluto, ano kung gumastos ako ng malaki ang importante masarap ang pagkain, kaya gusto ko maraming sahog at rekado. Ang nanay ko, kung ano na lang ang nandiyan, yun lang ang ipapagamit. Kapag sinunod siya, magrereklamo pag di masarap ang lasa. Naku! Di ko talaga maintindihan kung bakit ganyan siya.
Ngayong may trabaho na ako, pag nangungutang siya binibigay ko na lang kasi alam kong di niya naman ako babayaran. Pero kapag ako naman ang nangutang sa kanya, halos di na makatulog, di ko nga alam kung nanay ko ba talaga yun. Di biro lang naman.
Minsan di ko rin mapigilan na isipin na baka naiimpluwensyahan na ko ng nanay ko sa pagiging kuripot, dahil sa totoo lang ayaw kong maging katulad niya at ayaw kong gayahin ang pagiging kuripot niya.
`Ayun nga, nairaos naman ang isang artikulong walang kahit isang salitang Ingles. Pakiramdam ko dudugo na ilong ko haha. Mas mahirap talaga mag tagalog kaysa mag ingles.😅 Pasensya na kung ganito ang nasulat ko, naiinis lang talaga ako sa nanay ko kagabi kaya naisipan kong magsulat na lang.`
Most Memorable memories with my Grandparents
My childhood is not the best, I must say. I grew up taking care of my siblings most of the time, so I must be mature at an early age. Nevertheless, I still have wonderful and unforgettable memories as a child. Most of my unforgettable memories are made with my grandparents, who love me a lot. I may not have received so enough love from my own parents, but it was filled by my grandparents – my paternal grandparents. They supplied my emotional as well as spiritual needs that my parents could not give me.
When I was young, my mornings started by drinking a glass of milk. I particularly don’t like milk because it makes me puke, so I would secretly give it to my cousin who is younger than me, and as a result she’s bigger and fat though she’s younger. Before having our breakfast, we usually read a bible text together. Since I have other cousins in the care of my grandparents as well, one of us is scheduled to read the daily bible text and the corresponding comment about it. Sometimes, even though someone’s already scheduled to read, we would still compete as to who will get the textbook first, so we could show off our reading skills. Then we would discuss and give our personal insights on how we could apply it to our lives, my grandfather would commence it with a prayer, then we proceed to eat our breakfast. During school days or weekdays, we couldn’t do this every day because we usually wake up late, so this is done in the evening instead before we go to bed.
Going to bed is one of my favorite things to do because before we go to sleep, my cousins and I would usually talk about random stuffs while whispering, sometimes we don’t realize that our whispers are getting loud, and my grandma would here and hush us. Sometimes when we can’t be reprimanded at first try and still gets loud in the middle of the night, grandma would give us small pinches which totally hushed us off.
When my cousins and I got a little older, we became boisterous and naughty. We live in one compound which has 3 houses, my parent’s house, my grandfather’s house, and the big bungalow house where my grandmother stays. You see, my grandparents are not a sweet couple. They sleep separately and live in different houses, so they would avoid getting into arguments. But during meals, they still eat together. At night, my cousins and I would sneak out to watch television at our neighbor’s house which is located few meters away from our compound, we must cross a creek to get there. Since our grandmother does not allow us to go out at night, we just sneaked and once she noticed us missing, she would close and double lock the door to teach us a lesson. But we were smart kids, she didn't know that we had a secret tunnel to enter the house even though she double locked the door. There is a room in the house where they planned to put a new air conditioner, the box-like opening in the wall is ready but the aircon hasn't been installed yet, so they cover it with plywood first. Grandma didn’t know we secretly removed the lock. A grown-up would not fit in, so it is safe from thief, but since I am small, I can perfectly fit in. We usually go home at 10 p.m. when the television dramas are done. By that time, my grandma is already sound asleep. To sneak inside the house, my older cousins help me to climb up the *tunnel,* they would gently push me upward until I could get inside, and I would slowly pick up the key next to my grandma. That’s the most challenging part because she has all the keys in the house, and it would get noisy if I’m not careful.
One time, my youngest cousin who is just 6 years old that time sneaked out first, so we played a prank on her. We decided not to watch drama, and we didn’t follow her. She probably enjoyed the dramas and forgot that we stayed at home. As usual, grandma closed the door, and we all went to sleep. My cousin slept at the small nipa hut next to my grandpa’s house. She stayed outside on a cold night with my older cousin’s shirt as her blanket. The next day, grandma beat her up with the broom to reprimand her. Since that day, she never dared going out at night without us.
I also loved it when it is time to harvest coconuts. My grandparents owned a big coconut plantation, so when it is time to sell the copra or dried coconut kernels, one of us accompanies grandma to the town where the copra is sold. That time, it is a happiness of a child to be able to go to town where I could see lots of products in the market, and we would eat out in one of the cafeterias at the market. When she’s in the mood, we would go to the bigger town where grandma’s favorite restaurant is located. There are no fast-food restaurants that time.
I was in second grade when my parents decided to went home and put up a business instead of working far away from home. My happiness became limited since then. Mom would always give me just enough money to buy a biscuit, which is Php.3 or merely $0.06. To have more pocket money for school, I would drop by at my grandpa’s house and act cute. Sometimes I volunteer to shave his beard for him, and in return he would give me cookies and money. His feet are paralyzed due to arthritis, so he can’t walk at all, and that is another opportunity for me to get more money from him lol. I would tell him to pay me 10 pesos or $0.20, and I would fetch water for him. Ten pesos is already a big amount that time, and it makes me really happy every time he gives me money.
When there are no classes, my cousins and I would usually hang out with grandpa. He would tell us stories about his adventures when he was younger, he would tell us how he obtained his so-called *anting-anting* or amulet and where he buried it because he no longer need it. He would tell us the story of his *paninilbihan* or service of courtship to marry my grandma, and his stories about how girls would swoon over him because he has a beautiful penmanship. When we get tired of his stories, he would give us riddles and lecture us about science and math which we find really boring, so we would ask him to play a music instead using his harmonica. Sometimes, instead of playing his harmonica, grandpa would sing us Spanish songs instead and sometimes songs in our native language which sounds funny to us then after that, he would feed us cookies and biscuits.
One of the days I looked forward to before is the day when my uncles goes home from abroad. That time, they would send letters to my grandparents stating the date of their arrival. My grandparents would be excited to see their sons again after years of not seeing each other, but my cousins and I are more excited about the thought of having lots of chocolates for *pasalubong* or presents. Aside from the sweets, we usually receive perfumes, clothes, bags, and shoes which we could show off at school. Looking back, I was such as show off as a child.
These are a few of the most unforgettable memories from my childhood, which makes me happy and nostalgic every time I look back on those days.
These are photos of me and my grandpa when I was just a one-year old baby and the 15-year old me during my graduation in high school.
These are my beloved grandparents. I call them *nanay* and *tatay*.
`Lead image from lastly.com`
When Trust is Lost
*“Mom, well have an activity at school. I was assigned by my teacher to bring 2 bottles of soda. Please mom give me money to buy it.”*
*“Are you sure it’s a school activity? I think you’re just deceiving me; no teacher will ask students to bring bottles of soda for a school project. Look at your sister, she graduated in college without asking for projects like that.”*
*“You’re comparing me to my sister again! Mom I’m telling you the truth!”* She started to stomp her feet on the ground and whined like a little child.
*“Hey! Will you stop that?! You’re too noisy! I’m going to town later so I can buy those for you if mom will give me money.”*
*“Alright, here’s $2. Buy whatever that girl is asking for.”*
*“Okay mom”* I said. My sister stopped doing tantrums too. Gosh! She’s already in 9th grade and still whine and throws tantrums!
I quickly changed my clothes and readied myself to go to town. I arrived at the nearest supermarket and looked for bottled sodas. I got three 1.5 liters and roamed around the supermarket to look for groceries. I then headed to the counter, but to my dismay, it looks like a line for a blockbuster movie, so I must wait for almost 35 minutes in queue. Finally, when my legs almost gave up, it’s finally my turn to pay.
I paid for the groceries and went home. My sister was so happy to see that I already bought the stuffs she’s asking for. I asked her what the activity is all about but, she just shrugged her shoulders and didn’t answer my question.
The next day, she woke up early and went to school. I too prepared myself because I also have a class at 9:30. I took a bath and ironed my uniform. Then I ate my breakfast and went outside to wait for a ride. A few minutes later, a tricycle stopped by, and I saw my sister’s friend inside the tricycle.
*“Hey! What’s up? Looks like you’re running late for school huh. Marian went to school early. She told us that you have some sort of activity at school. I even bought the projects assigned to her by your teacher.”*
*“Really?! She told you that?”* She asked in disbelief.
*“Yes, that’s what we heard from her. Are you not part of the activity?”* I asked
*“No, we don’t have classes today. Our friends planned to go on an outing today, but I didn’t join because I don’t feel like going. I thought Marian’s not going to come because the two of us already decided not to join.”*
That caught me off-guard. But I was laughing in my mind upon finding out that my sister lied to us. I was annoyed about the fact that I must wait in queue for more than 30 minutes, but she just deceived us. Mom was right about it. So, I pretended that I’m okay about what she told me.
*“Really? So where are you supposed to go for your outing today?”* I asked my sister’s friend.
*“We planned a swimming and it’s in Villa Sofia. Are you familiar with the place? It’s just an eight-minute ride from here.”*
*“Yes! I’m familiar with that resort.”* I bid her goodbye as soon as I reached the gate of my university.
Lunch time came so I must go home. I told my mom about what I just found out to get back at my sister and to teach her a lesson for lying to us. Mom was enraged too, probably more annoyed than me. So, he sent my brother and my uncle to the resort to check if my sister’s friend is indeed telling the truth since we can’t really trust her words hundred percent, she is known to be a liar too according to my sister’s stories.
Fifteen minutes later, the two are back with evil smiles on their faces.
*“What! Is she really there?”* I eagerly asked the two.
*“Well, I just caught her happily running around trying to catch a boy. Must be her friend.”*
Afternoon came. My sister went home with a reddish complexion caused by too much exposure to sunlight.
*“Where did you go?”* With a stern and serious face, mom asked her.
*“I told you, there’s an activity at school! So obviously I went to school.”*
*“Don’t lie to me. I know you didn’t go to school.”*
*“I really did! You should ask Rachelle, we were together.”*
*“Oh really? Are you sure about that?”* I meddled with their conversation.
*“I met her this morning and she told we you went on an outing.”*
Her face started to become pale. *“Quit lying because we already know the truth. John and Uncle went to look for you and they saw you on the resort. Really? Is that the project you are talking about? And you have the audacity to lie eve though you are already caught in the act.”*
She didn’t anticipate that her friend would betray her and tell on her. It’s her fault for not saying the truth. So that’s the story of how my sister lost the trust of our parents. I admit that I also told white lies before but not to the extent that I will deceive them because I know how vital it is not to lose my parents’ trust. For young people, the trust of our parents is like a key – the key to getting more freedom. They’ve granted me more freedom and they never question me when I ask for their permission that I’m going on a trip, or an overnight because I showed them that they could trust me. But as for my sister, until now they still doubt her every time, she asks for a permission to go somewhere. Though she just made a mistake as a rebellious young teen and that she already changed, but still what’s lost is lost.
So, if you are a teenager and you’re reading this, make sure that you maintain the trust of your parents, because it’s hard when trust is lost.
Team Building
**Team building.**
This is a term for the *"process of creating a team that is cohesively working together towards a common goal."* https://www.teambonding.com/6-reasons-for-team-building/
It is usually done to help employees of a certain organization to become closer and develop a harmonious working relationship.
When I was still in the BPO company, I was supposed to have my first team building but I didn't went with them. Firstly, that time I was planning to resign, so I thought 'there is no reason for me to be closer to the team', second, that time I still haven't moved on from the previous team I was with. Second, my team leader was trying to matchmake me with another teammate which I don't really like, and I don't want to spend a day and a night with such people. I was pretty sure that they'll try to pair us up that time and I may end up in an awkward situation or a situation which will lead me to compromise. See, I really have trust issues.
That was supposed to be my first team building. But I don't regret not coming.
Fast forward to the present. I had my first team building about a week ago.
We we're so busy at school during the past weeks and we dealt with a lot of paper works and other works that uses our physical strength. That was really exhausting. And as a newbie, the tasks given to me were kind of challenging, thankfully I was able to manage and did the tasks assigned to me. After almost two months of preparation, we were so glad to know that we finally passed the validation. It was an unforgettable day for us - so we had to celebrate!
And I am leaving the school too because my contract has already ended, so they want to hold a *despidida* or farewell party for me. So our school head decided for us to have our **Team Building-cum-despidida.** I was so excited because it's my first time attending a team building.
This is where we spent the activities. It is a resort called **Attorney's Beach Place** because it is owned by a lawyer. To be honest, the beach is not that beautiful so I didn't even bother taking lots of photos, but they decided for us to go here because the resort is rented exclusively for us, so there won't be a risk of getting infected with the Covid-19 virus.
It was already 4 pm when we arrived here, but unfortunately the weather that time is not so good, it was raining the entire morning and I even thought about not going. I still went there nevertheless, and this is the only decent photo I took.
When everyone's has already arrived, we started the activities with a snack. Everyone brought foods and there's a lot! After that, we proceeded to the beach and played games, which made me enjoy the day a lot!
First game: water relay. We were divided into three teams and the first team to fill up the bottle with seawater using a small sponge will win. We won this game.
Second game: pass the water relay. We had to fill up the bottle again with sea water but this time, we had to pass the water using glasses and we were sitting facing each other's back. We failed to win this game because one of our teammates is so clumsy, he can't get any water on his glass. We were disqualified too because, the member in front cheated and his wife, who's on the other team didn't tolerate his cheating.
Another game: human tug of war. We were at a disadvantage this time because the members of our team were the small ones, while the opposing team had males and big girls. But we still won! Don't underestimate your enemy.
We played lots of games aside from these and then we had our last game of the day.
This is flour relay. The team to have more flour will be the winner and we are tied with another team.
We basically won almost all the games that day.
Since it's already evening, we cleaned up ourselves and prepared for dinner.
Here's the food table that night. I only took a photo from one end so I'm unable to take a photo of the seafoods.
The night was long, and we had lots of fun.
I didn't want to swam at the beach, good thing they have a pool there and it looks cute with the different colors of light. See we're still social distancing at the pool.
Enjoyed the pool with a bottle of beer. It's been months ago since I last drank an alcoholic beverage so I didn't hesitate when they offered me this.
After a few hours, I went to sleep. We spent the night at the rooms they rented.
The following day, we still had a lot of activities.
It was a fine day and Mr. sun finally showed up. We started the morning with a zumba. I was at the back because I don't know how to dance.
Then we played games again. And yes, our team won 4 games out of 6 that morning.
After these, we had our breakfast and the prizes for the games were given. Everyone was happy and had a great time.
Good thing that I decided to come for this team building.
I'd Rather....
Yesterday I joined the challenge I'd Choose challenge which I randomly saw on noise.cash. I think it is really a fun challenge, now I'm joining another challenge which I saw first on @Jeaneth's article. https://read.cash/@sc/id-choose-3f9a7085
**Would you rather look and feel 20 years younger from the neck down or the neck up?** https://read.cash/@Jeaneth/decisions-options-would-you-rather-or-not-80c529b3#would-you-rather-look-and-feel-20-years-younger-from-the-neck-down-or-the-neck-up
I talked to one of my colleagues to get to know her more since she was just recently reinstated at work after being on a maternity leave. While talking about random stuffs, she asked me about my age. I told her I'm already 26 and she answered: **"Really?! I thought you're just 21 or 22!"** I just laughed and told her I get that a lot. Though I don't really believe it, but there are people who tells me I look younger than my age. Oftentimes I am being mistaken as a college student and as a result I usually get student discounts for my fare lol.
So if I would choose weather I would rather look and feel 20 years younger from the neck down or the neck up, I would choose to look and feel 20 years younger from the neck down. That way I could still do the activities that young people could do and go on adventures. For older people that's the https://read.cash/@Jeaneth/decisions-options-would-you-rather-or-not-80c529b3#would-you-rather-look-and-feel-20-years-younger-from-the-neck-down-or-the-neck-up
Would you rather only be able to drink coffee or never be able to drink it again? https://read.cash/@Jeaneth/decisions-options-would-you-rather-or-not-80c529b3#would-you-rather-only-be-able-to-drink-coffee-or-never-be-able-to-drink-it-again
Without any second thought, I'd choose the first option! I'm a certified coffee lover. On weekdays I usually drink 2-3 cups of coffee a day, One in the morning, one during my morning snack and one for my early afternoon snack. While on weekends where I won't have to wake up early the following day, I could have 4 cups at most.
I have *Gastroesophageal reflux disease* also known as being **acidic,** so every time I drink coffee, specially on an empty stomach, I usually throw up and gets acid reflux. But despite of that, I still love drinking coffee.
So, I would choose ***"only be able to drink coffee"*** over the latter.
**Would** you rather kiss a random stranger on the mouth or use a family member's toothbrush? https://read.cash/@Jeaneth/decisions-options-would-you-rather-or-not-80c529b3#would-you-rather-kiss-a-random-stranger-on-the-mouth-or-use-a-family-member039s-toothbrush
I already commented on Jeaneth's article as an answer to this question. Although both are gross and just imagining both scenarios is already making me cringe, but I'd rather pick *to kiss a random stranger on the mouth* than using my family member's toothbrush.
Haha. This is interesting. **I would rather kiss a random stranger on the mouth** than using a family member's toothbrush. I don't even drink on the same glass they used, it grosses me out to use the same spoon they used, and we don't eat together in the plate so how much more using their toothbrush. That's totally eeeew. LOL.
**Would** you rather have a free day off on Friday or Monday? https://read.cash/@Jeaneth/decisions-options-would-you-rather-or-not-80c529b3#would-you-rather-have-a-free-day-off-on-friday-or-monday
I love Mondays! I feel energized every time I go to work on Mondays. So I would rather have a free day on Friday than on a Monday. That way, it would feel like I have 3 days off on a weekend. It would be a good time to just stay at home, eat, sleep, browse the internet.
I know this is weird, but I would feel lazy if i start my work week on Tuesdays. When I was still working in the BPO industry I hate it when my Team Manager would give me days off during the weekdays so I usually request for him to give me days off during the weekends. And if ever I asks for a 1 day leave, it should be on Friday.
**Would** you rather never own a car or never own a pet? https://read.cash/@Jeaneth/decisions-options-would-you-rather-or-not-80c529b3#would-you-rather-never-own-a-car-or-never-own-a-pet
I don't like pets to be honest. Though I find pets cute, and we do have lots of pets at home - 4 dogs, a goat, ducks and chickens (and we used to have a cat too) but I don't really like taking care of them. I just don't like how animals smells and I literally freaks out every time I see them making a mess and I don't like cleaning up their poo.
So I would choose never to own a pet than never own a car.
Would you rather have five feet or five hands? https://read.cash/@Jeaneth/decisions-options-would-you-rather-or-not-80c529b3#would-you-rather-have-five-feet-or-five-hands
Now this is a weird question, like who would ever want to have five feet or five hands? You would look weird if you have those extra numbers of body parts. But, maybe I'd choose to have five hands. If I have five feet, then that would make me spend more money on shoes, imagine buying two more pairs of shoes, that would be a waste of money.
So I'd rather have five hands. And instead of spending more money, having five hands will help me to be more productive. I could use two of my hands for eating and the rest, I could use it to work while eating, perhaps I could use the other two to encode on my computer and the remaining one can help out the two. It would be really good to have five hands, so I could work on different things at the same time.
**Would** you rather be able to change your past or be able to change your future? https://read.cash/@Jeaneth/decisions-options-would-you-rather-or-not-80c529b3#would-you-rather-be-able-to-change-your-past-or-be-able-to-change-your-future
I do not know yet what the future has for me, so I would rather choose to change my past. I would love to go back to my past and tell myself not to do the same mistakes I did. I would choose to go back and not do the things that makes me feel sorry nowadays and choose the opposite of the decisions I made that I regretted later on.
**Would** you rather be an infamous villain or an unknown superhero? https://read.cash/@Jeaneth/decisions-options-would-you-rather-or-not-80c529b3#would-you-rather-be-an-infamous-villain-or-an-unknown-superhero
I like doing things without getting my attention from people. I choose to lean up the house when no one's around, I choose to keep my talents to myself. Maybe because I have an introverted nature so I don't like like catching people's attention. So I would rather be an unknown superhero than being an infamous villain.
Finally done sharing mine, now it's your turn to join the fun!
I'd Choose....
It’s been almost two weeks since I last wrote and published an article here, I feel bad for not writing, but my day job was my priority for the past three weeks since I had to hand in my reports and other paper works. Now that I’m finally getting a vacation, I had the time to write again.
I’m not supposed to write about this as I have other topics in mind, but this article that @Charlotte posted on noise.cash caught my interest and I think it’s really cool, so here I am joining the challenge. I am not sure what this challenge is called though, but I think it’s a good way to learn more about our virtual friends. So here we go……
Hot chocolate or coffee?
It would definitely be coffee! I’m pretty sure, everyone knows how I love coffee, so I’d definitely pick coffee over hot choco. But, if it’s a choco drink made of ***tabrilla*** (tableya) chocolate which my late grandma used to fed us,, I’d probably choose the hot chocolate.
Morning or evening?
Morning! I’m a morning person, I usually wake up very early, as in super early. It doesn’t matter if I slept at 8 pm, 10 pm, 12 am, or 2 am – I’d still wake up at 5 am, and sometimes it really sucks because no matter how much I still want to sleep, my mind is already wide awake. I don’t really like working until late at night, I’d prefer to wake up early and do my unfinished works early in the morning.
Text message or call?
Call! If I was asked with the same question when I was still a teenager, I’ll most probably choose text because I love texting back then. But as an adult, I’d surely choose to call because texting is so time-consuming. And I really don’t like texting or chatting, specially if it’s something important. Just don’t do a video call, because I’ll definitely not answer it!
Library or museums?
Museums! I have never been to a museum before to be honest, so I’d choose museum over libraries. I practically ‘lived’ as a student, and I’d surely not do it as an adult lol. Unless there’s free Wi-Fi in that library.
Summer or winter?
Summer! Because it’s time to go to the beach! And it’s not like we do have winter in the place where I live. But I want to experience winter too.
Love or Career?
The original question is *“love or money?”*, love is really not my priority, and it’s not like I’m craving for money.. So I changed the question a little.
I’ll choose career over love. Like I said, romantic love is not my priority. I’d rather build my career, focus on my career and be a successful, independent woman. Then I’ll wait for love to come, lol. And if it’s the storge love (love for family), maybe I’d still choose career because I’m a firstborn, I can’t just depend on my parents until we all grow old, and I can’t depend on m siblings either. So.. Career.
Book or movie?
I’d choose books! Watching movies is really not my cup of tea. I do watch movies sometimes, but I easily get bored by them, unless it’s a comedy! So I’d choose books. Books are my first best friends.
Tea or coffee?
Of course, it would be… Coffee! I’m not a fan of teas or even milk teas, so I would choose coffee. Coffee is life.
Chocolate or vanilla?
Chocolate! I love chocolates and there’s no explanation to that!
Coca-Cola or Pepsi?
Coca-cola? Well, I’m used to drinking cola, and it’s been ages since I drank Pepsi. But, is there any difference though? I think they taste the same.
Rain or snow?
Rain. Because I don’t know what it feels like when it snows. I like it when it rains, it feels so good to just cuddle your favorite pillow, lie in bed with a hot coffee on the side table. Or just watch a kdrama while listening to the raindrops on the rooftop.
Car or motorcycle?
Motorcycle. I easily get dizzy inside cars, and I think it’s really cool to ride a motorcycle. Speaking of, I think I should get my own motorcycle soon.
Comedy or horror?
Comedy! Would you believe that it's been probably a decade since I watched a horror movie? It’s not because I’m afraid of ghosts and other scary stuffs they show on movies, I just don’t like horror at all. I wonder why some people like watching horror, though.
Phone or computer?
Phone! These days, you can now do the stuffs a computer can do on your phone. So I don't mind not having a computer on regular days.
Brown or black hair?
I was born with jet black hair and a lot of people envies my long black straight hair before. Though people say brown hair suits me because I have a fair complexion, but I don’t really like dying my hair all the time because it gets really dry, and I get split ends. So I’d choose my natural hair color.
Milk or juice?
Juice! I never liked milk ever since. Even as a kid, I usually give my glass of milk to my cousin or my sister whenever grandma or mom is not looking, lol. So I’d choose juice, doesn’t matter if it’s a fresh juice or concentrated juice.
Google or Bing?
Google. I’ve been using google since I don’t know when, and I really don’t like Bing. It doesn’t usually give me the answers I want.
Fire or ice?
Fire! Because I can cook food with fire. Oh yes, food is life!
Straight or curly hair?
Straight hair. Like I said, I have a very straight hair before that my peers envy. I don’t need to go to the salon because it already looks rebonded. It was just ruined when I had it curled back in 2014.
Fruits or vegetables?
Vegetables. I can live without fruits, but not without vegies.
`Shared mine, now it's your turn to do this challenge! And I'm challenging anyone who's reading this!`
Vacation is waving so good bye paper works for now and hello read.cash again.
It's been a week since I last visited read.cash and I really miss blogging on this site and reading articles too.
A day in the life of a public school teacher
It's been three days since I last published an article here. I actually have several unfinished drafts but I am unable to finish them all due to being a busy bee these past few days.
So while I am currently taking a rest from the overtime work, I decided to write a journal of this unforgettable experience.
Today marks my second month as a public school teacher and this is one of the most unforgettable day I had because I feel more exhausted than ever.
Today, all the teachers at our school are too busy preparing for the School-Based Management validation. It's an event at where the progress and accomplishments of the school during the past three years will be checked by Public Schools District Supervisors. I heard that seven supervisors will be coming tomorrow during the validation.
We've been preparing for this for a couple of months already and we are excited yet nervous about this validation.
This is the reason why I'm not active in going online. One of my seniors noticed that I have some creativity in me, so she asked me to make a layout of the school dashboard and make it into a tarpaulin. Who am I to say no? And I actually like doing those kind of tasks.
Yesterday, I spent the entire afternoon doing this so-called '***tarpapel***'. It is a word derived from '**tar**paulin' and '**papel**' (Filipino word for paper). I even worked overtime to finish it, however I still have to put in some data. So today, I made some charts for the school performance indicators and I can't believe that I can actually make it!
Tsadaaan! Here's the end-product of my effort! I'm quite satisfied of the ending and I'm happy that I'm able to do this without the help of others.
While I'm trying to finish the school dashboard, I simultaneously helped my colleagues in cleaning the principal's office. We carried and transferred the furnitures and added a linoleum mat on the floor to make the office look more decent. I felt like I did an early mor ing workout!
At the same time, some parents also looks for me asking of they can still get the activity sheets and module I released last week. To be honest, it is quite annoying because I already told them to come to school om friday, but they didn't. But still, I'm a considerate person so despite of my busyness, I still entertained them which added to my stress.
At 10:30 a.m., my group mates requested my help. So I helped them sort out the documents we need for the validation. And then, another teacher/colleague looked for me and asked for my assistance since I will be one of the usherettes for tomorrow's event. So I told her I'll drop by at the site 2 of the school once I finished helping my group.
I had a late lunch because I have to finish some documents and print it. I was also asked by one of my colleagues to get some documents photo-copied. Then I had to transfer the Instructional materials, so there's no time to rest during lunch time.
Lunch time ended so work is resumed, though I've been working even during lunch.
I was asked again to help. This time I was tasked to do a skirting on the table outside. It's my first time to do a skirting and I didn't know what to do. Good thing, one of the nice teachers here helped me.
Then after helping my colleagues, I had to layout some labels again, then I was asked to help do the backdrop at the other room.
I had to work overtime today and I'm staying at school over night too. Of there's one thing I learned today, it is: "when you're talented or have some skills, more people would want your service and it is very tiring. So better not to show off your skills". LOL.
So that's it, I'll end this blog here for now. Good night.
Language is Cake. Or a piece of Cake?
***"Language is Cake."***
This is the title of the first lesson on the module I am currently working on. I applied for a financial aid or scholarship grant to get a TESOL certificate from Arizona State University and fortunately they granted me with that. So as soon as I got home today, I opened my personal computer and logged on to my gmail account to check the email once again. After confirming, I was routed to the site and after the short introduction video, I'm off to watch my very first module.
The module is about *"language is cake".* In the lesson, the instructor said that language is cake, at first I thought that maybe he is saying *language is a piece of cake* instead, which means that language is very easy to learn. But as I watched his lesson further, I realized that the phrase is actually a metaphor. I realized this when he asked if anyone wants a cake, he has a cake in front of him and got a slice from it. Then he transferred the cake to another container which is just a small piece of plastic. It looked gross so if ever he give that piece of cake to me, I'd surely not accept it. After that, he asked once again if anyone wants a slice of cake and asked to give him another chance to give the cake. This time, it is well presented, of course, anyone would accept it, given the fact that the chocolate cake looks really yummy.
Now, going back to the topic, language is a cake. Learning a new language is challenging. I could say that based on my experience in learning the Spanish language. But no matter how challenging it is, it can also be "delicious" if presented in the right manner. Just like a cake that looks appealing because of its appearance and delicious when eaten, learning a language can also be "delicious" or should I say good and rewarding if it is presented right. Many foreign people who doesn't speak English as their primary language disregards learning the during their early years because they don't find it appealing and they don't think they can use it at all. But in the later years of their lives, they find out that it is essential to learn the language for their professional development and other reasons such as us moving to a different country. And this time, they are more than willing to learn the language to whatever expense and whatever the cost is. However, adults doesn't have the ability to grasp and learn as fast as children does.
Now, if language teachers presents the language learning just like how the slice of cake is presented in a "gross" manner, students will never enjoy *eating* it, or learning it.
Baking a delicious cake requires different elements. There should be enough ingredients, materials and the baker's knowledge in baking. We do not expect a first timer to bake it as delicious as the professional baker. In the same manner, language needs different elements. It require reading, writing and speaking or conversing to be able to have a good command of the language, English for example. If you only keep reading but never speak what's on your mind, you are more likely to not be able to speak clearly because it is all just in your head. You only think you are good, but in reality you are not. This is why, to learn a language fast you have to converse with the native speakers, or someone is has a good command of it. And just like baking a cake, it doesn't take just a few minutes to cook the cake, ample time should be given to bake a really delicious cake. Same with language, we don't expect a foreigner who does not speak that language in just a few sitting! But if you dedicate time, effort and be more interested in a language, language is just a piece of cake!
Okay, so this is actually part of the questions on my assignment in ***Foundational Principles in Teaching English as Second Language.*** It's been more than a week since I last posted an article here, so I thought of writing an article out of my assignment.
Jai Lost Her Mom
There's this kid I became friends with about a year ago. Her family moved to the house near ours in the middle of the *Enhanced Community Quarantine* and we were glad to have a new neighbor.
Her name is Jaira Maine and we simply call her **Jai**. I already wrote an article about her eight months ago on my old account (https://read.cash/@esciisc/friendship-cd72e66d), that's when she cried after my brother made fun of her. We thought she will no longer come to our house because usually, that's how kids are.
But the next day, we were surprised when she came early in the morning and with a piece of paper she doodled on. She drew us and old us we're still her friends. I appreciated it and I was really touched that time so I wrote the article.
After almost a year, she became so close to our family. So became really sad after hearing the news that her mom passed away.
My heart aches for her knowing that she's too young to lose a mom, someone to take care of her. She's just five years old and now she only have her sister to care for her.
A couple of months ago, her mom almost had a heart attack after being pranked by one of her brother's friends. Fortunately, my mom is entertaining a guest that time and they are outside. While talking to her guest, my mom suddenly heard a loud crash coming from Jai's house, it is near us and it is just a small house so noises can be easily heard. Knowing about what happened in the afternoon, my mom left guest and run towards Jai's house and there she saw Jai's mom lying on the floor. Together with my brother, they rushed her to the hospital, good thing that they arrived on time because if not, she'd be dead that day.
We pitied jai that day because she's even laughing with my younger sister, not knowing what's happening to her mom. She's was very happy that night because she slept over to our house for the first time.
Months has passed and since then, her mom's condition deteriorated. Their real father is working far from them, and there's this man her mom is living with to take care of them.
Before, she used to refuse every time I tell her to eat at home. But a month ago, it was obvious that she is no longer being well taken care of. So when I ask her to eat with us, she would. She lost weight too. Her older siblings are still young and still plays a lot instead of taking care of her.
Then these past weeks, my siblings and I are always sleeping at the nipa hut near their house because it's cool out there. Every night I could hear her mom puking and vomiting. One time, I couldn't sleep well because I kept hearing her vomit the whole night. I told my mom about it the next day and she said that it looks like Jai's mom will no longer last long because her health has deteriorated badly. And we were talking most of the time how pitiful Jai would be if that happens, it may be wrong to say it but my cousin was inn that same situation before she passed away too, so we know what's going to happen.
The next day, their entire family left their house. Jai told us that they will temporarily stay at her grandma's house because her mom can no longer take care of them. We jokingly told her that we'll surely miss her if she won't come back as soon as possible.
Two weeks has passed and they still haven't returned. One day, after a week of being away from home due to work, I was told that Jai's mom has passed away. I was still shocked when I heard the news because we were still hoping that she'll get better. I pitied my friend Jai. I know that she's still too young to not have a mom.
Yesterday Jai's grandmothers came here to get their belongings, when we heard that there were people at the neighboring house, my sisters and I suddenly woke up. Although still sleepy, we excitedly ran out of the house to see if they were with Jai. Unfortunately she couldn't come with them.
I asked one of them how she's doing and she told me that the child does not speak much these days and sometimes she just sits at a corner dazed. When someone she knows come's by, she would not talk and once the person leaves, she starts to cry. My eyes almost swelled up with tears and my heart ached for my young friend.
Always Suspicious
Are you someone who easily trust other people, even those who you don't fully know yet? Well, not me. Since I was a kid I always had ***trust issues.*** I don't easily trust people and most importantly I don't trust people I don't fully know yet. Even those I know sometimes still have a hard time trusting, how much more who I don't fully know yet.
Where am I coming from by the way?
I just had this thought after reading mommy @Yen 's **The shared umbrella story** article. I was fascinated how she was able to talk to a complete stranger because if it was me, no matter how nice the stranger is, no matter how much he talks and acts like a gentleman, I will never act the way like mommy Yen did. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that is wrong. What I mean is that I don't have the guts to be that friendly around strangers. Why? **Because I'm always suspicious.** If I was the one in that situation, I'd probably think that the stranger is feeling close and considering my personality, I'd probably just ignore him LOL. Sometimes, I'm hoping to be more trusting to people. https://read.cash/@Yen/the-shared-umbrella-story-12fee281
I remember the instances that I acted so silly just because of my trust issues.
When I was in college, there was a time when I had to go home late. Our classes ended up an 7 p.m. so it was hard to get a ride home. Thankfully, I managed to ride a tricycle but I had to get off on a street that is a little farther from the house where I am staying that time. It was already 8 in the evening and the road was too dark. There are no streetlights in that street and I don't have a flashlight to light the way I am taking. I am not afraid of anything in the dark such as a ghost or what. What I'm afraid of and I'm thinking about is what if someone evil lurks there and kill me? Oh yes, I know it's a silly thought, but that's how normally I am. Then while having this thoughts, I suddenly realized that it looks like someone is following me. My heart is started to throb fast. I was thinking of ways to avoid the *criminal !* I accelerated my pace and made bigger steps. I thought of the high-heeled shoes I was wearing that time, and aha! I got a bright idea. I thought of removing my shoes and I will use its sharp heels to hit the man who keeps on following me. I was ready to take the shoe off my feet, when suddenly the man made an abrupt turn right and there I saw a girl waiting for him! Then I saw them walked away while holding hands! Good thing I didn't get into trouble for being too suspicious LOL.
And do you think that's the end? No. I have more silly stories. I have more of my silly stories because of overthinking and being suspicious of people.
A couple of years ago, I was looking for a job since I was just a fresh college graduate that time. It was my first time to go to the city alone. I don't know where to go and wait for my ride. There's a lot of vehicles and I'm confused which one I should take to go to my destination. Then, I saw 2 policemen sitting on a shade. I approached them and politely asked for directions. They gave the instructions and I was told that I had to wait for the free ride right in that corner. So I waited. But it's taking so long and I'm starting to get bored. Suddenly one of them asked me questions and I feel like he's interrogating me. He asked where I live and I told him the name of the town where I reside. He seemed not contented of my answer and asked me which barangay, I was starting to get suspicious of him. I really don't trust policemen a hundred percent because of the horrible stories I saw in the news that concerns policemen. So I told him, I live in one of the barangays near the town. Then he guessed and I just nodded though he got it wrong. I don't want to give personal information no matter who it is. Then the *talk show* went on, but I was only giving vague answers. 30 minutes has passed and my lift still hasn't arrived, so the policeman said he'll just drop me off the place. I barely agreed because I don't know him, who knows what he might do. But I will be running late for my interview so I have no choice but to get on the motorcycle. Before we bid goodbye, the policeman asked for my phone number. Oh my! He's too old school! But that's actually better because I wouldn't want to tell him my full name if ever he asked for it. I don't want to give my phone number either, so I asked for his name and phone number instead and told him I'll be the one to contact him instead. But duh! It never happened. I never tried to contact him and that day was the end of the story.
These are just two of the most unforgettable experience I had which is a result of being too suspicious. I'm hoping I could be more trusting tho :0
It's Rare To Meet Someone Similar As You
**"No two individuals are exactly alike. Even twins have differences."**
I encountered this phrase several times on my professional education subjects back in college. Yes, even identical twins who looks exactly the same also have different likes or preferences, dislikes, attitudes and so on that makes then distinct from each other.
Having this in mind, individual differences is probably one of the reasons why we usually find it amazing whenever we meet a person that is somehow similar to us. Having similar vibes, similar outlooks in life, similar taste in music, food and other trivial things. Similarities sometimes makes us attracted to others. But it is also rare to meet a person that have that similarities. As a matter of fact, we rarely meet people who have much in common with us.
This is why I was utterly impressed when I briefly met a person that I had a lot in common with.
A lot of people nowadays probably don’t care about those that they meet online. For others, meeting other people online is just a hobby or they just do it for fun because soon they will part ways. But I on the other hand, whether it's virtual or personal once I consider someone as my friend, I will remain friends with that person unless the latter changes. So I met this person online quite some time ago. I ignored him at first thinking that maybe he was just like most of those who chatted with me in the past. At first, they said they were just looking for friends but as time goes on, they got you surprised for suddenly confessing their co-called f*eelings*. I hate those kind of guys who makes moves on girls in such way. So I ignored him.
But one day, I find myself intrigued because he was really persistent, and it seems like he's a good guy after all. It all started that day.
Talking to that guy made me realize that we had a lot in common.
**We both believe that you can't briefly fall in love with a person you just met virtually.** Others may not agree to this, but that's my opinion and I am entitled to that. There's no way you'll fall in love to someone you know nothing of. You have to get to know someone to fall in love with them - their personality, their goals, their preferences, their fears and to get to know the '*secret person of the heart*'. Falling in love is not just about physical aspects, but you should be able to understand each other. Saying that you love someone just because you are attracted to their physique is not love, that is just attraction. And we both believe in that. We have the same view when it comes to that matter.
**We both like nature**. Those who have known me for quite some time will know how much I like nature. I'd rather go hours of hiking or trekking than to spend my time wandering at the mall. As we time goes by, we found out that we're the same when it comes to that. We exchanged photos of the beautiful places and landscapes we've been to. It was really nice to talk with someone who can understand you with what you like to do in life.
**We have the same taste in trivial stuffs such as music and movies.** We had a long hours of conversations which made us know about each other a little more and we found out that we both have similar taste in music. We used to share the music we listen to. The artists or singers that we like and recommends good music to each other. When I asked him about his movie preferences, I was surprised when he told me that he prefer romantic-comedy or romcom movies over movies with violence as the theme. I have a lot of male friends but most of them usually doesn't like romcoms because they find it boring and unmanly. But this friend is different. At times when I'm bored, he would recommend movies I should try watching, and I mostly liked them.
**We both have obsessive stalkers.** As funny as it may seem but we find it hilarious that we had the same experience. When I told him that I was having a problem with someone, a person who said he likes me, but is actually obsessed, he told me he had the same experience and I find it really hilarious.
I can go on a blab about more similarities we had, but time is running out. I was just reminded of that person after I read articles with the prompt ***similarities.*** If you are currently struggling about what to write next, I urge you to go ahead and try this trend! So what are you waiting for?
Time Flies So Fast: First Blogging Anniversary
I can't believe that it has been a year already since I started blogging. The memories of the past year are still vivid on my mind.
I still remember the struggles I had last year. Several months has already passed and the government's order for a community quarantine is till not lifted. I was jobless for a year so I was broke as I have already spent all the savings on my bank account. I can't find a job and I was starting to get depressed and hopeless.
But this day last year, my life started to get better. It all started with a single post I stumbled upon online. Since I badly want to find a job, I joined different groups on Facebook about data entry and freelancing works. Then I came across a post that says, I'll get paid for posting articles about topics of my own choice. I really can't remember who it was. But I already discussed about it on my previous article on my old account.
https://read.cash/@esciisc/fifth-monthsary-bf5d666e
What really caught my interest aside from earning money, because that's what I badly need that time, is being able to write again. I love writing since I was younger. I've been in several essay-writing competition in high school and I think once when I was in college. So I am confident that I'll do a good job.
Fast forward, I joined read.cash and as soon as I registered, I read several articles and tried to make friends. That night, I slept at 2 a.m, after publishing my very first article.
***This is my first time writing in this website and I'm really hoping that I will be able to earn some money here. I already came across a lot of get paid to website which have very promising deals but in the end after investing my time and effort, I only got heartbreaks. But life must go on, here I am trying this website hoping that this is indeed for real this time. I can say that I am not a very good writer, I only write as a hobby and most of my writings are about my real feelings. So really hope you guys will support me though my writings aren't perfect.***
That's the very first article I published on my old account. See, my comments are even way longer than this article.
And I also have a tagalog version of that, which happen to be my second article:
***Hello ako nga pala si Esciisc. So ayun na nga nakita ko lang sa facebook and tungkol sa website na 'to at di naman masamang umasa na legit nga talaga siya. Alam nyo kasi guys maraming beses na kong napaasa ng mga gpt websites na yan. Yung ang gaganda ng mga promises nila na kesyo mag invite ka lang ng isa may $10 ka na, yung tipong naka ipon ka nga ng $500 worth na referral tapos scam naman pala 😅 Ang sakit lang sa puso, mas masakit pa sa katotohanang di ka crush ng crush mo 😂***
***Pero eto na nga, nakita ko tong website na to at sabi sa mga reviews legit naman daw ang pay out. So eto ulit ako, parang sa love kahit ilang beses man akong mabigo at maghost babangon at babangon pa rin hanggang sa makita na si the one. Sana etong website na to na ang the one na makakapag cash out talaga ako.***
***Maraming salamat sa pagbabasa. Sana ilike nyo to. At sana naman madagdagan nayang 2 pesos sa coins wallet ko.***
I still have doubts about being able to earn. Still, I trusted and thought that maybe I'll see the earnings the next day.
The following day, I was feeling groggy and I head is throbbing due to lack of sleep. But I excitedly woke up and opened my read.cash account. I was surprised to see that I got 100 points. That afternoon, I received my very first Bitcoin cash amounting to $0.44. It was a small amount but that time, it meant so much to me. It made me trust the site.
Since I proved to myself that it's legit, I tried to tell my friends about it too. I told my close friends about it on our group chat and two of them joined. It was @Myt.24and **@Thalia**. They both joined but only Mayt remained. But after experiencing and proving to herself that the site is legit, she also told her siblings and cousins about this. It was was already late when I found out who **Bbang** and **Dyemi** are.
I also invited my college friend **@JulyAnn** and she also joined and reaped benefits from the site. But after some time, she quit publishing articles on the site. Later on I encouraged her to try writing one more time and she did. Now she's active again and she also invited 2 of siblings to join here as well as her sibling's friends.
One year has passed and a lot of things has happened. Conflicts such as dealing with spammers, having my original content plagiarized and published on other website and most of all, we have to deal with the changes and updates on the site. But what's important is that I am still here until now.
These days I'm too busy with my day job, but I still find time to write articles as I don't want to leave the site. Read.cash has not only helped me to solve my financial struggles back then, but it also helped me to protect my mental and emotional health. I'm someone who find it hard to be confined at home and I tend to get depressed when I can't do anything. But blogging has helped me not to dwell on the negative things. When there is something that bothers me, I write about it. That way I can take a load of my mind.
Blogging om read.cash helped learn about new things. I learned to hodl my earnings instead of spending as soon as I got it. I learned to do spot trading to escape volatility, though it's not always successful and I learned to stake. And aside from read.cash, I am also publishing blogs on other websites now to monetize my writing skills.
Really, one year of blogging is such as good thing! Happy first blogging anniversary to me!
Just Another Love Story
She was just a lowly slave so never in her wildest thought she ever imagined that one day she’ll ever fall in love nor a man would love her too. She only focused every day on the tasks assigned to her, so she never had time to think about love. Her only concern is to do well in the works that are assigned to her. Her only goal is to save up enough money so that one day, she would also be able to pay off the debt of his parents to his master which is why he became a slave in that family.
But one day to her surprise, her master said that he would sell her, but she will no longer be just a slave, instead she would be one of the concubines of the man who would buy her. She became dejected, unable to know what to do or react. She wanted to protest because she didn’t want to live a life as a concubine. She didn’t want to lose her dignity. Yes, she’s just a lowly slave but her dignity was very important to her, because it was all she held on due to the lack of material things that she could be proud of.
She could barely sleep that night thinking about what might happen next. That afternoon, her fellow slave told her to fix her belongings because the person who had bought her would pick her up after two days. She thought of running away, but she doesn’t have the courage to do so. She knows how ruthless her master is and she knows that he will never hesitate to let his assassins kill her if ever she defy his order.
She consoled herself by thinking that maybe that was really her destiny. Come to think of it, that would be better than being a slave for the rest of her life. And at least there, her life was pretty comfortable.
The next morning, she had dark circles due. Her eyes is hurting and her head seemed to be throbbing with pain due to lack of sleep. But she forced herself to get up because she could do nothing. She’s just a lowly slave so there is no time for her to slack off.
While fetching water from a well in the yard, she almost screamed when suddenly someone pulled her and covered her mouth. When she realizes who it is,she can’t help but to stare at him . He is one of the guards outside the house. She once caught him staring at her when she is returning after running an errand outside. She also once he admired him and his trustworthiness but she knew it was impossible for just a slave to fall in love so she removed that thought and became contented of just glancing at him from afar every once in a while.
*But what is he doing now?*
**“I can't bear to see the master sell you to that businessman. That man is known for being a womanizer. And those he lost interest with are found dead after a few days. I don’t want that to happen to you. Please, marry me. I have loved you for a long time but because of our situation, I know that is impossible. But now, the Young Master has promised to help us. Tonight we will escape. If you like me too, please meet me tonight on the hill. I will wait under the mango tree. I'm sure you know where it is. "**
***"But ...."***
***"Shhhh. Don't be afraid, as I said the Young Master will help us. See, he's looking at us now."***
And as she turned to her right, there she saw their young master. He smiled at her when their eyes met and gave them a thumbs up. So she smiled back too.
*'Maybe this is the chance for me to be happy too. '* She thought.
Maybe this is an opportunity to escape from her bitter fate. She nodded to show that she liked the idea and the proposal offered to her.
`So how was it? I am not good in writing fictional stories, but recently I was too hooked in historical dramas which prompted me to write this article haha. Let me know if I you want to know what will happen next 😂 P.S. Sorry for the lame title` 😅
@sc
