Phenomenological Dispatches: 2009

I can't believe her nerve to come up to me like that. This is my event, mine!
OK. This is actually my brother's engagement party, but I organized it!
I really can't blame her, she was invited too. That was back when we were still a "couple". She is free to come as she pleases after all.
There are just moments that I want to lash out at her.
I went to the bathroom and looked at my face. Did she notice I lost weight? I wondered. I felt the urge to splash water over my face but quickly noticed there weren't enough paper towels. Some hotel this is.
I walk back to the party, smiled at people I recognized but forgot their first names. Belonging in a large community of expatriate Filipinos meant I can disguise my not knowing their names by calling elder people "auntie" and "uncle" and giving a quick peck and hug. This was a mixed party though, with more white people than usual. Of course Danica and James would invite people as many white people as possible. Typical of them to wash their hands off the "fresh off the boat" smell. I don't know what my brother saw in that pretentious woman.
I checked with the waiters to see if they sent out the rest of the hor d' ovres. She said, not yet. I made a mental note of it. I checked the program to see what is next. Tina Cruz and Jun Santos are singing after the toast. I scanned the room for them.
Why do I always have to see her? Why is she always in the middle of the room?
There she is smiling with a group of our friends, laughing at something Sherryl said, while she tuck her hair behind her ear. She glanced at me and I quickly looked away.
Toast!
Someone said.
I quickly came back to reality and signaled the bestman and maid-of-honor. This just an engagement party, the wedding is next week but these people didn't even wait till then to be totally useless.
Why am I in such a bad mood?

I can't say I didn't like it, of course I did. Seeing her once again agitated those proverbial butterflies in my stomach. I admit I enjoy the attention.
How are you, she says.
I'm fine.
I tried to look casual and unaffected. I'm glad I am wearing something decent. She looked amazing. I mean, she was wearing that red dress and it took all my will power not to touch her. I haven't seen you in a while, she says. After.. you know... She trailed off her speech, I'm almost certain she did that on purpose, as a trap.
Yeah, I've been busy, I said as I run my fingers through my hair, as I always do when I'm uneasy, and of course she knows that. What does want me to say? Sorry? For loving her for fifteen years?
Well it was nice seeing you again, she said.
I said nothing.
I looked down at the cocktail I've holding. I never liked to drink alcohol anyway, but I figured I might as well get numbed right now.

Read articles, watch every video, post on interesting forums in Edutopia everyday.
Start writing my PACT, by copying the example paper on the reader.
Read all the twitter link post by Dr. Mcleod and the Teachertoolbox.

Forget about him.

The Museum of innocence - Orhan Pamuk
October -Jan issues of Harpers'Magazine
Numbers*
Purple Hibiscus - Chimamada Ngozi Adichie
Dune - Frank Herbert

Naruyagon ako kan Feist :-)

"The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day."

Was great! Too bad I had to go and call someone. Must have been weird for some that I didn't say why I was really leaving early. Well it's somewhat related to my previous blog but I didn't want to give too much details because well, it's not "cooked" yet.

There was so much food! I wonder where it all ended up... leftovers anyone?

I didn't think Blood would be good, but it is. I would definitely watch that next time.

Thanks to Cherrylou, Cheddelyn and everyone who was there!

First Train Home - Imogene Heap

I've got to get on it) (3x)

Bodies disengaged, our mouths are fleshing over.
It's just an echo game, irises retreating
to ovals of white.
The urge to feel your face
And blood rushing to paint my handprint
A Frisbee one by one
Your vinyl on lamanent
Desperate for some kind of contact.

First train home, I've got to get on it (3x)
To Catch, to catch, catch catch catch.
First train home, I've got to get on it (3x)
First Train home

Temporal deadzone where clocks are barely breathing
Yet no one cares to notice for all the yelling
All night clamor to hold it together.
I want to play don't wait forms in the hideaway
I want to get on with getting on with things
I want to run in fields, paint the kitchen
And love someone
And I can't do any of that here, can I?

First train home, I've got to get on it (3x)
First Train home

So what? You've had one too many.
So what? I'm not that much fun to be with
So what? You've come silly hatter
So what? I didn't want to come here, anyway.

What matters you, doesn't matter, matter to me.
What matters to me, doesn't matter, matter to you.
What matters to you, doesn't matter, matter to them.
What matters to them, doesn't change anything.

Got to get on it first train home.
Got to get on it first train home

First train home I've got to get on it
(I've got to get on it)
To catch, to catch, catch-catch, catch.
(First train home)
First train home I've got to get on it
First train home.
(First train home)

To go, to go, to go
Get, get, get, get
Out, out, out, out
Now, now, now, now

Did you know that she is also 1/2 of Frou Frou? Ah another hypnotic song from Imogene.

Ah glorious new song from Train. Thanks to Valerie for the info. Really cool song. Makes me miss my concert going days.

I got you - Train

Hey, did you hear about the one that got away, they say he looked left,
she turned right-meant to be together but not that night,
it’s when fates running late, we tend to make mistakes,
we go round and round from love to love
it’s either way too much or not enough
gimme lazy days with nothing better to do
than singin oh black water keep on rolling while I wait for you
I don’t care if it rains, I’ll be just fine,
I’m leaving the ghosts behind until I got you I got you
you’re the sun through my window, warming my skin Oh you,
I got you
hey then when one of them was taken, the other one was waiting
for the next big thing
To bring them to the gates of heaven or maybe just late night in Vegas
It’s true that’s what we do when were going down swingin-
then coming up singing the blues
Wearing out my shoes-chasing new faces to get to you-
driving home on a summer night
Singing old black water keep on rolling- till the time is right
I don’t care if it rains, I’ll be just fine sit back enjoy the ride
until I got you I got you you’re the sun through my window
warming my skin, oh you I got you Like Sonny and Cher
Except I’ll be there for you , I got you
Let old black water bring us together – old black water keep on rolling
Mississippi moon won’t you keep on shining on me
Wanna hear some funky Dixieland
Pretty Mama come on take me by the hand, wanna hear some funky Dixieland
Pretty mama come on take me by the hand
Here she comes, here she comes I got you I got you
You’re the sun through my window warming my skin oh you
I got you like Sonny and Cher you know I’ll be there for you
I got you let old black water bring us together
You I got you, I got you , I got you baby
By the hand hand take me by the hand
Pretty mama dance with your daddy all night long wanna hear some
Funky Dixieland pretty mama come and take me by the hand

A fruitless activity. Tring to achieve something that is destined to failure, usually as a result of blind hope.
- Urbandictionary.com, coined by Adele

Is that all you can say?

Bliss: waking up to his whiskers brushing against my cheek.

Ah, such a grand song. Makes me think of good friends far away and not so far away. When will I go to Italy and the other countries touching the Mediterranean Sea. Only time will tell. The adventure continues.

One of my favorite songs! Well I really like Rachael's bangs and I even tried to sport it a few months ago. The video is nice too, shot using a 35mm camera I think. Made me think of Arturo, an 11-year-old aspiring director. I really hope he discovers this kind of camera and make really nice videos one day.

Create an account in playlist [dot]com
Create a playlist there by adding songs on your list. Make sure you have clever playlist name.
When you are done with your playlist, click “add your Playlist to Myspace or Facebook”
Choose option E and your playlist.
Then click “get code”
Go to your Blogger account and sign in.
Edit your Layout
Create a new widget
Choose an HTML JavaScript kind of widget
Copy the code from playlist.com
Paste it to the big space on that widget.

In seeking knowledge, the first step is silence, the second listening, the third remembering, the fourth practicing, and the fifth -- teaching others.

-Solomon Ibn Gabirol

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

ee cummings

*********

Ah, exquisite! I find myself liking poetry even more these days. Maybe it's the advancing age which was so bluntly revealed by Sunny, or maybe I have started to appreciate and understand quite a few things that used to scare me.
I saw this poem at www.jeanettewinterson.com, Jeanette Winterson being one of my favorite authors. I've been stalking her through her website lately, I hope she doesn't issue a restraining order just yet.

She’s been my friend for most of my life; we met when we were both 12 navigating our way through puberty and adolescence. I met her in class; her cheerful and friendly nature seduced me to want to be with her.
I must have written two or three essays about her. All praising her for saving me from the abyss and being that one person I can turn to for comfort and understanding. She is the one person who understands how hard it is for me to exist even though I hide behind a façade of strength.
The past few months though, I admit I’ve been impatient and because I wanted more. I wanted to live out of my head for once and free myself from the seclusion. In my muddled way of thinking, I contemplated on leaving her.
The lines from a declamatory piece resonated in my head. Time interwove us like two fibers; if one must die then the other would disintegrate to nothingness. I depended on her for my own survival.
Yet I also feel that we are a crossroad. We must chose a path and the way I see it, either part ways or bring each other out of a miserable experience bound tightly by the circumstances of our birth. The third option is to spiral uncontrollably to our destruction.
If I were to choose I’ll take the option of getting out of this rut together. It’s a terrifying ride but it could be comforting to have someone beside you.

I didn’t realize how dependent I was with microwave ovens until the one here at the apartment broke down. I didn’t know how or why, since I am not here in the weekends. I put a cup of water on the rotating dish, and waited for the number 1:00 to register as I pressed the numbers. I pulled the plug and plugged it back in but still it nothing. It was like it just died a quiet death which forced me to use the stove top once again.
Microwave ovens, during my younger days, were an appliance for the rich or well off. I didn’t use one until I came to the United States. I remember the first time I used one was to heat up rice for dinner with my father and brother. Since then it’s been the staple kitchen and home dining implement in my household. Now it is as if I can’t eat at home without it. The demise of such an appliance in my adult life drew me to contemplate on how my life has changed in the past 10 years.
For instance, I’ve realized I haven’t cooked a full meal in almost a year. It’s not uncommon of course, but my upbringing makes me feel bashful about this. Using the microwave to heat up my everyday food is something college students straight out of high school does; not a grown woman.
This made me wonder why I haven’t cooked for so long. My answer to that is this: cooking, the way I see it, is a communal and social activity. One always should cook for other people as well as for one’s self. My parents, when I stay with them, insist on cooking. When I am here at the apartment alone, it seems like a waste to cook when I am not sure if others will eat the food as well. Often too, I come home and see food in the fridge, ready and begging to be heated in the microwave oven.
Now the microwave is dead. I wonder what I will do for tea tomorrow morning. I can heat up water on the stove, but it will be different. I’ve depended so much on the microwave that I have to make all these adjustments. I can do this! I can survive without a microwave oven, I’ve eaten many meals at home in the Philippines without it. Yet I am not quite convinced. I am still in the state of disequilibrium.
The microwave oven is a symbol that divided my childhood from adulthood. It is can be taken as a sign of progress or conformity, sometimes even laziness which ever way one might see things. The realization that I am indeed dependent on the microwave oven for my survival is disconcerting and a way to remind myself to be more flexible in the face of the changing times. Cooking more and giving it away may not be such a bad idea after all.

Pay attention to culture. At each of the schools where I’ve worked, most of the students have been black and almost all the teachers have been white. I’ve seen teachers struggle to connect with their students because they think they have nothing more to learn about the kids and where they’re coming from. I’ve also seen teachers from all cultures connect brilliantly with students. These are the teachers who are constantly reaching out to connect with their students and their families, and to base their teaching on that understanding. What music are they listening to? Who in the mass media are they paying attention to? You need to ask these questions and pay attention to the answers as you craft your own message.

- Larry Miller

I am not slacking off, my code is compiling...

Write down as many different uses as you can think of for the following objects:

1. Blanket
2. Brick

If you are reading this, lease participate! Write it as a comment or email.

Racism is reflected in a hierarchy in which beauty, intelligence, worth, and things associated with whiteness are at the top. The school is one site in which this hierarchical arrangement of skin power is confirmed daily. It is also a site where it can be undone.

Anti- Racism is a proactive strategy for dismantling racist structures and building racial justice and equality. It must become a perspective that cuts across all subject areas and institutional practices.

- Enid Lee, in “Anti-Racist Education: Pulling together to close the gaps,” in Beyond Heroes and Holidays.

Quote of the Day by Robert H. Schuller - "Tough times never last, but tough people do."

The mind is not a vesssel that needs filling but a wood that needs igniting
- Plutarch

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.
- Sydney J. Harris, Journalist

Education is the progressive discovery of our own ignorance.
- Will Durrant

The book is the axe by which we break open the frozen seas within us.

- Franz Kafka

CHECHE: I reserved the theatre at our complex.
ME: That's great! What are we going to watch?
CHECHE: I don't know yet.
ME: Hey, I have "Two Lovers" I got it from netflix.
CHECHE: What???

I have forgotten the word I intend to say, and my thought, unembodied, returns to the realm of shadows.

- O. Mandelstam, Russian Poet

9Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you but because the pain turned you to God. It was a good kind of sorrow you felt, the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so that I need not come to you with harshness. 10For God sometimes uses sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek eternal life. We should never regret his sending it..." II Cor 7:9-10 TEV

Forgive yourself for making mistakes: Your first year of teaching will undoubtedly be full of them. Don't be harsher on yourself than you would be on your most trying student.

- Dale Weiss

"Forgive yourself for making mistakes: Your first years of teaching will undoubtedly be full of them. Don't be harsher on yourself than you would be on your most trying student."
-Dale Weiss

Drunk On Wine, I'm Amazing
Bitter Pill; It's My Raising
News At Five And At Midnight
Caught On Tape; Serves Me Right

The Crowd Around Me Starts To Grow
I Can Feel The Undertow

Anyone With A Half A Heart Would Help Me Out
Before They Ever Let The Other Half Find Out
But If They Could See How Far I've Let You Down
Anyone With Half A Heart Would Let Me Drown

Flashing Lights Couldn't Warn Her
Paint Myself In A Corner
Bracing Now For The Impact
Losing Hope, Keeping Track

Standing On A Crumbling Wall
Tethered To A Cannonball

Anyone With Half A Heart Would Help Me Out
Before They Ever Let The Other Half Find Out
But If They Could See How High I've Built This Wall
Anyone With Half A Heart Would Let Me Fall

In The Space Between Sleep And Sleeplessness
We Redress All Our Wounds
If We Replace All This Hopeless Hopelessness
Then We Could Rest

Anyone With Half A Heart Would Let Me Drown
Anyone With Half A Heart Would Pull Me Down
Anyone With Half A Heart Would Let Me Fall
Anyone With Half A Heart Wouldn't Care At All

Anyone With Half A Heart Would Help Me Out
Before They Ever Let The Other Half Find Out
But If They Could See How Far I've Let You Down
Anyone With Half A Heart Would Let Me Drown

The Wind up bird Chronicles
Underground: The Tokyo Gas attack and the Japanese Psyche
After the Quake
What I talk about when I talk about running

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2008.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your
present& nbsp;happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and
fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Dear Sunny Mono, this is why I love you so. You get me and you send me stuff ;-)

"Le petit cadeaux, l' entretemient le amitre."

Thank you again and again for these. You know who you are ;-)

Me: (speaking to three Kinders) Do you know what's going to happen to you if are left by our line?

Kinder 3: Oh I know. Strange men will come and put us in their cars. Then they will sell us to new parents who won't love us like the parents we have now.

Me: OK...that could happen too! But most likely you I will catch you and I will make you sit and watch the other kids play for about five minutes.

I want to run
I want to hide
I want to tear down the walls
That hold me inside
I want to reach out
And touch the flame
Where the streets have no name

I want to feel, sunlight on my face
See that dust cloud disappear without a trace
I want to take shelter from the poison rain
Where the streets have no name

Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name
Were still building
Then burning down love, burning down love
And when I go there
I go there with you...
(its all I can do)

The cities a flood
And our love turns to rust
Were beaten and blown by the wind
Trampled into dust
Ill show you a place
High on ta desert plain
Where the streets have no name

Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name
Still building
Then burning down love
Burning down love
And when I go there
I go there with you
(its all I can do)

Kinder: You stay where you stay and you don't complain!

_________________________________________________

Kinder: You get what you get and you don't have a fit!

"boys are like TOILET. They are either vacant or occupied but most of them are full of shit! That's why they are called BOYLET"

by Shella D., Friend, Adviser, Artist

If you are curious about sending sms messages to me, you can now do this via gmail. As long as you have a gmail account, because I have one it's easy. When I am offline, there is an option at the bottom that says "switch to sms". Just click that and enter my Phone number (+1 650.291.7312) once you've entered my phone number, enter my name, then type in the message and I will get it on my phone.

Try it and you will be amazed too!

If you call me Gladys then you know my real name.

If you call me Nining then you are my parents, most probably my father.

If you call me Kondessa then you are one of the Ubings.

If you call me G you are probably Sarah.

If you call me Lil G then I used to work with you.

If you call me Angel, you are a secretary from DC/ SSF or I used to ride the service bus with you.

If you call me Y then you are X or a member of the Dailycraps

If you call me Mareng Y, you are Mareng D.

If you call me Dawg or Ate then you are my brother.

If you call me Grace, stop it right away before I embarrass you.

If you call me Glenda, don't do that again.

If you call me Dude, you are my adoptive brother Ian

If you called me Princess, you are probably the other Ian

If you call me Ate Gladys then you are still in PNK/CWS, a KADIWA Officer, or used to attend PNK in Palmera I, my younger cousins, my adoptive sisters or the Polaris.

If you call me Manang Gladys, you are probably Karah.

If you call me Gladys Night, you are over 45 years old

If you call me Tita Gladys then you are Lia, Marianne, The Roque sisters, Mynee or Nate

If you call me Panget then you are Arnel D.

If you call me Kumag, you are my Tita Jo.

If you call me Mommierette, you are either Shiela May, Elena, Audrey or Marie.

If you call me Gladys Morrissette, you are Awikins.

If you call me Gladys the Kid, you are Kulots (Ciannyl the curly).

If you call me Gladiola, you are a highschool classmate, more specifically, 3^rd year.

If you call me Buddy then you are Judy.

If you call me Glado you are my classmate from elementary or Cathy and Cheche

If you call me Mrs. P***** then you are Joanne

If you call me Dyz you are probably Jille.

If you call me Beastley then you are My classmate from grade 3-6 or Sean M.

If you call me G-chan then you are Poi.

If you call me Ms. Fernandez, you are one of my students.

If you call me Ms. Gladys, you are one of my students.

If you call me a Bitch, I probably sent you to the principal's office and called your parents, in short, you know your life is over.

If you call me Gladys Hanim/ Gladys Abla, you are Turkish.

If you call me Bruha/Gaga then you are Jackie

If you call me Bestfriend then you are Mynee’s mom, Jo-Ann Ray.

Somebody - Depeche Mode

I want somebody to share
Share the rest of my life
Share my innermost thoughts
Know my intimate details
Someone who'll stand by my side
And give me support
And in return
She'll get my support
She will listen to me
When I want to speak
About the world we live in
And life in general
Though my views may be wrong
They may even be perverted
She'll hear me out
And won't easily be converted
To my way of thinking
In fact she'll often disagree
But at the end of it all
She will understand me
Aaaahhhhh....

I want somebody who cares
For me passionately
With every thought
With every breath
Someone who'll help me see things
In a different light
All the things I detest
I will almost like
I don't want to be tied
To anyone's strings
I'm carefully trying to steer clear of
Those things
But when I'm asleep
I want somebody
Who will put their arms around me
And kiss me tenderly
Though things like this
Make me sick
In a case like this
I'll get away with it
And in a place like this
I'll get away with it
Aaaahhhhh....

1st grader A sat on the bench writing next to me when three boys came to see what she is doing.

1st grader B: (to me) What is she doing?

Me: She is writing a letter to her dad.

1st grader B: Why? He in jail?

_______________________________

Me: No he is not in jail. He is just working very far from here. Now go and play!

Kinder A: Teacher! He says I'm gay!

Teacher: What do mean by gay? (looks at both Kinder A and B)

Kinder C: It means that you are acting like a girl.

Teacher: Be quiet! I am not asking you!

Kinder D: No! It means when two boys are kissing each other, that is gay!

Make you feel my love - Adele

When the rain
Is blowing in your face
And the whole world
Is on your case
I could offer you
A warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows
And the stars appear
And there is no one there
To dry your tears
I could hold you
For a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you
Haven't made
Your mind up yet
But I would never
Do you wrong
I've known it
From the moment
That we met
No doubt in my mind
Where you belong

I'd go hungry
I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling
Down the avenue
No, there's nothing
That I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging
On the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
Though winds of change
Are throwing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing
Like me yet

I could make you happy
Make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends
Of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love

Math Tutor to another tutor: Man, you are so lucky you don't have to shave so much. I've been shaving since I was a freshman in highschool. I hate this! I have to shave everyday! And not only my face! My arms and legs too and my back. Everywhere! I have to get my eyebrows waxed every week...

*Math tutor is a 19-year old male student

Kinder: What do I smell like?

Me: You smell like a 6 year old girl.

Kinder giggles.

Kinder: You smell like a 100 girl!

Kinder: Teacher! Do you also work in a hospital?

Me: No, why did you ask?

Kinder: Because you smell like the hospital.

Treating common injuries.

Blow in the head - if the person is unconcious, call 911. If the struck area is bleeding, treat it as you would any other cut, but follow up with your doctor, as there maybe internal injuries. Icing a small bump can help reduce the swelling.

Bloody nose - Lean forward slightly and pinch your nose just below the bridge, where the cartilage and the bone come together. maintain the pressure for 5 to 15 minutes. Pressing an ice pack against the bridge can also help.

Object in the eye - If it is a small particle, try to dislodge itby blinking several times. If it doesn't budge, rinse the eyes by holding the lid open under a running tap (if possible remove contact lenses first)

Sprain - Alternately apply and remove ice very 20 minutes throughout the first day. Wrapping the joint may also help. Stay off the injury for at least 24 hours. After that apply heat to promote blood flow to the area.

Fortune Cookies have a way of appearing at the most opportune times.

Here are some ideas to help your little one have a great time at camp... or a college dorm ;-)

A picture of the family pet in a magnetic frame, perfect to stick up on a locker or a bed frame.
A bottle of bubbles for lazy afternoons.
A battery-operated night-light for dark cabins with no outlets.
A favorite childhood storybook to ward off homesickeness.
A calendar with stickers to mark off memorable days.
An empty scrapbook and a polaroid camera or digital camera to capture new adventures.

Is this program for you?

If you answer "yes" to one or more of these questions, this may be the program you've been looking for:

Are you interested in developing educational policy and practices to promote social justice?
Do you want to conduct participatory research at cooperating schools?
Do you want to develop culturally and linguistically sensitive curriculum in a variety of content areas?
Do you want to create project-based curriculum that is relevant to the daily lives of the children you teach?
Do you want to be part of a cohort group of support in a program that provides a challenging curriculum?
*Do you want to meet the Multiple Subject Credential requirements in 12 months? (and complete the MA in Education requirements in the second year or extended over a longer period of time)

Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you
ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk
looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being
alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to
know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been
opened by life's betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from
fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without
moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can
dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your
fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic,
remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want
to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can
bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can
be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every
day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still
stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon,
'Yes.'

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you
have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and
despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to
feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want
to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not
shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I
want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like
the company you keep in the empty moments.

Peace.

It looks like this once a month I think. On other days it is covered with paper :-)

Welcome to the 27th year! Stay alive.

Laughter is the best...

Cockroach is a pest, find their nest and you will rest!

-Bongbong

After reprimanding a kinder for pulling the pants of another kinder...

KINDER: And what if someone had a cellphone and took a picture of him with his pants off and post it in the internet, then that would be very embarrassing!

character; ma, di ko na alam ang gagawin ko, nahihirapan na ako.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

me; bawasan mo kaya ang make up mo?

Kinder: Miss Gladys, teach us what you taught the first graders. We want to know what they know!

All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW about how to live and what to do

and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not

at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the

sandpile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life - learn some and think some

and draw and paint and sing and dance and play

and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic,

hold hands, and stick together.

Be aware of wonder.

Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup:

The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody

really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even

the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die.

So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books

and the first word you learned - the biggest

word of all - LOOK.

And it is still true, no matter how old you

are - when you go out into the world, it is best

to hold hands and stick together.

Found in Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten, Villard Books: New York, 1990, page 6-7.

Live loudly, play hard, choose your line, follow your passion, ride hard, rock hard, reward yourself, educate, dig in , aspire to greatness , commit to excellence, go big or go home, have fun give, share, free your spirit, free your mind, respect others, respect yourself, stretch, dream big, say what you don’t want, empaque su basura, pack your trash, love the earth, love yourself, wear sunscreen, be a steward to the land, imagine peace, take a chance, carpe diem, follow through, drop in, set your edge, shred, cut, relax, celebrate life, breathe, eat right, be kind, smell the flowers, smell the coffee, grind it, rip it, stick it, kick it, work it, nail it, hit it , spin it, flip it, jump it, enjoy it, fear not, save the whales, save the humans, take only pictures, leave only footprints, vote, challenge mediocrity, run don’t walk, love your friends, be good to each other, be yourself, let your inner beauty shine, laugh, chill out, don’t trip, dance, paddle.

Dear Ms. Fernandez:

Thank you for contacting me regarding recent events in the Middle East. I appreciate hearing from you.

As you may know, on December 27, 2008, Israel responded to ongoing rocket attacks against its citizens by launching an offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, the militant Islamist group that controls the Gaza government. The death and destruction is tragic on all sides.

It is time for a real and sustainable cease-fire and a post-conflict diplomatic solution that will allow the promise of peace in the Middle East to be realized, not just for hours or days but permanently.

I believe that it is important for the United States and the international community to be actively engaged in promoting a lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me on this important issue. Please be assured that as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I will continue to monitor this situation closely and work to encourage a peaceful solution to the crisis in the Middle East.

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

I miss your letters. Please write soon.

Two weeks ago I went to Chinatown with my friend Angela and found several small art galleries in downtown San Francisco. I saw this and couldn't resist asking my friend to take a picture ;-)

1st grader: Miss Gladys, you smell really good:-)

_________________________________________

After me being sick for 1 whole week...

1st: grader: Miss Gladys, I have something for you.

Me: What is it?

1st grader: Here! (produces a small unopened bag of animal cookies)

Me:Thank you!

__________________________________________

1st grader: Miss Gladys, I have something for you (hands me a pink index card)

"Miss Gladys, I *heart* you"

___________________________________________

I wondered about the same thing, but I guess not everyone likes a sopralto ;-)

Pumasa ako! Salamat sa Ama!

Philosophy 4 (Knowledge)

Spanish 2A (Sem 4)

Yehey!

Leos do not want to be like everybody else, and take a lot of pride in being who they are. They love attention and strive for recognition and praise of others. Most Leos have a very strong character and are very independent; this allows them to be great leaders. A Lion is a very proud creature and never wants to be left in the background, he always wants to shine and be appreciated by others.

Generosity and warm heartedness are some of Leo’s best features, which are pretty easy go get if the big cat it is shown some love and loyalty. When it comes to family, Leos are usually very responsible and protective. They will try to provide the best they can to their loved ones, however in return they will expect love and loyalty. On the negative side, Leos can sometime be bossy and over-proud, which will stop them from seeing things as they are and stubbornly insist on their own point of view. To tackle this situation, all you have to do is show your Leo friend some respect (and maybe love) and his/her warm heart will melt and start thinking rationally once again.

People under this zodiac are usually quite materialistic. They like to live big and spend a lot. However at the same time they can be quite hard working, but they must see the benefits of such hard work. Most Leos have big dreams, however those dreams are nothing unless there is someone who will appreciate it. Though on the outside Leo individual might look strong and self-confident, on the inside he/she very much depends on affirmation, love and recognition of others.

Many Leos like to perceive the world as if it revolves around them, however they often fail to recognize that it isn’t so, and that sometimes they are not part of the picture.

Laugh at their jokes
Be fun and entertaining
Wear expensive, branded items
Be honest and respectful

The following is what you should not do, if you want a Leo person to like you:

Be disloyal
Lack confidence
Criticize them - NEVER do this to a Leo

Passionate lover

Very loyal, but also quite possessive. At times can be very jealous

Protective over their loved one

Wants to be a leader in relationships

Loves with full heart and is very caring

Knows how to make their second half feel special

Leos are never cheap

"When you are a foreigner, you can't be your humble self anymore. I am my nation, my place of birth. I am everything except me."

- Omer Ozipahioglu, Saints of Incipient Insanities by Elif Shafak, p. 110)

Gladys sends her sincere gratitude for the "LOVE".

Greatest Gift of All, Isabel Bryer

Ice Skaters, by Benn Mitchell, 1950-51?

I don't know why I am particularly drawn to this picture of skaters. Maybe because I don't know how to skate? Or maybe because their shadows are the same size as they are. I also enjoy the contrast of dark and light. I guess that is it.

Friday, December 18, 2009

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Is this program for you?

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