My Secret Place

Oct. 25 2011: US K1 Visa Approved

2011-10-25T17:24:00.000+08:00

Yes! I finally got my US visa approved. It was so great to hear when the US consul said, "Everything looks good, your visa is approved, go to counter 73 for further instructions." Wow it was so amazing and before I left the window the consul added, "By the way you have an excellent English and Alpharetta is such a beautiful city." I said thank you and said goodbye with a BIG smile :)

NOTE: DON'T bring any electronic gadgets with you, if you do you may deposit them with the people outside the embassy for P150.00. I don't know how it works but they are just walking around with their bags, so I am not sure how safe it is to deposit your electronic items.

Here are the things that I did while at the US embassy: (My application if for K1 Visa)

1. I arrived at 5:30am and the line was already so long. I was already on the second group.
2. Someone advised us to prepare our passport, Form 156, Form 157 and "Appointment Letter" or the print out of the online application stating the schedule of the appointment. I gave the forms at the visa assistants outside before entering the building.
3. I entered the building using door 3 (read room labels, example Door 2 is for US citizen only) and scanned my bags.
4. After scanning my things, I had to fall in line again to get a priority number.
5. I went to another building (the main building for the interview) and dropped the requirements at window 39.
6. I waited for about 2 hours at the waiting area before my number flashed on the screen. (Note, unlike St. Luke Clinic, the US embassy doesn't call names, they only use the screen so you have to watch out for your number to flash since they flash it like 5 times)
7. My number flashed again and I went to window 40 for finger print scanning, left and right, like doing it at the NBI but this is digital scanning. (Before I got my fingers scanned the lady asked me to state my name and date of birth)
8. I had to sit and wait for about 30 minutes.

9. My number flashed again. I went to window 48 for my initial interview with a Filipina lady. I also submitted all the requirements needed to the lady who did the interview. Those requirements include, NBI, Police Clearance(Only Foreign), Form I-134, Affidavit of Support, W-2, Form 1040, NSO birth certificate, NSO CENOMAR and pictures together with my fiance. (I got the pictures back)
Questions are mostly about me and my fiance eg. my DOB, my fiance's BOD, family background, job of fiance, address, history of marriage, time of meeting: month and year.
10. I had to sit and wait for another 30 minutes.
11. My number flashed again and I had to go to window 63. All I thought was it was only my second interview because I heard people saying that the last interview was at window 73. I was not nervous thinking that it was not the consul. I greeted him and he smiled and returned my greetings. He asked if it's alright to ask in English. I said YES. He asked me to raised my right hand and solemnly promised that all the information I submitted are true and correct, I said YES. (Eye to eye contact is very important) He asked questions which the lady in the initial interview asked and just added a few like my work in China and the history of the relationship: "How did you meet with your boyfriend." It was a very easy question for me since I know it from my heart. Other questions are about my fiance's family background, brother and sister, children etc.
12. I was surprised when he said, "Everything looks good and your visa is approved, just go to window 73 for further instructions." Oh I thought he was not the consul! Good that I had a natural conversation with him.
13. I waited for my number to flash at window 73 then instructed on how my visa will be delivered. I asked if I could just pick it up. He said go to the courier to make arrangement.
14. I went to the man outside window 65 2GO agent and filled in the form for delivery preferences.
15. At 9:45am I was already heading back to my hotel. The whole process only took me about 4 hours.

Other observations:

When I was at the waiting area, I could overhear the conversations between the interviewee and interviewer. The interviewer got irritated when the applicant doesn't answer the questions directly. For example.

Situation 1:
Question. How many brothers and sisters does your boyfriend/husband/wife/girlfriend have?
Answer: He has many.

Please answer the question directly, it says how many so give an exact number like, 2 sisters, 2 brothers.

Situation 2:
Question: When was the last time you saw your daughter/son?
Answer: It was long time ago. I can't remember the date.

Answer directly when month and year. Like, June 2004.

There were more questions that were not answered correctly and the interviewer got annoyed and sounded like she was shouting to get the exact answer.

One interviewer even said, "these are very simple questions and you don't even know how to answer. How can you get approved?"

Hadsan Beach Resort in Mactan Cebu

2010-09-30T15:39:00.001+08:00

Hadsan Beach Resort in Mactan Cebu, originally uploaded by Aprilheart7.

My family and I spent a day at Hadsan Beach Resort in Mactan Island Cebu. We rented a jeepney from Cebu city from 6am to 6pm. The beach is clean and with white sand. You have to pay P60 per person for entrance fee and 500 for the cottage. Electricity is P600 pesos for 1 use, regardless of the number of hours. I didn't like that at all, that's just over charging. Anyway it was fun to be on the water and get so much sunburn afterward because we forgot to take the sunscreen lotion and we underestimated the sun rays. You can also buy fresh sea shells from the local fishermen.
Island hopping costs 3500 for 1 day, you can visit 3 islands. This is good for 30-40 persons.

A View of Cebu from Dumaguete City

2010-09-30T15:31:00.001+08:00

Cebu Island, Philippines, originally uploaded by Aprilheart7.

I took this photo when I visited my brothers in Zamboanga City last 2009. The ship sailed 22 hours since it stopped in Dumaguete city for almost 2 hours. This a view of the island of Cebu. I love the clouds and the little reflections they created.

You Have Two Choices

2010-09-27T14:02:00.001+08:00

This is a great story about having a positive attitude. Thanks to Ralph for sharing this wonderful story. I like this story too! I know life doesn't always give me reasons to smile, but it's my choice to find some reasons to smile each day and I am always successful. Thanks FJR for being one of the reasons!

Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, “If I was any better, I would be twins!”

He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?”

Michael replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Mike, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood.

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes tome complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose to point out the positive side of life.

“Yeah, right, it’s not that easy“, I protested.

“Yes it is,“ Michael said. “Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or a bad mood. The Bottom Line: It’s your choice how you live life.”

I reflected on what Michael said. Soon thereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was doing he replied, “ If I was doing any better I would be twins. Wanna see my scars?”

I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

“The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon to be born daughter,” Michael said. “Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live.”

“Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked.

Michael continued, “….the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, ‘he’s a dead man.’” I knew I needed to take action.

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,” said Michael. “She asked if I was allergic to anything.”

“Yes I replied.”

The doctors and nurses stopped as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, “Gravity”.

Over their laughter, I told them, I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”

Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything!

A Visit to Hanshan Temple in Suzhou

2010-09-24T23:54:00.002+08:00

Today is still a holiday here in China, so I decided to visit a temple in Suzhou. It is an old Buddhist temple located at the town of Fengqioa, near the Bridge when you are going to DaRunfa or RT Mart.
"The temple was first built in the Tianjian period of the Liang Dynasty (502-557). A famous monk, Hanshan, was said to have been in charge of the temple during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) so it was named after him.
Hanshan Temple is famed in East Asia because of the poem "A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge" (楓橋夜泊), by Tang Dynasty poet, Zhang Ji. The poem describes the melancholy scene of a dejected traveller, moored at night at Fengqiao, hearing the bells of Hanshan Temple:

月落烏啼霜滿天，
江楓漁火對愁眠。
姑蘇城外寒山寺，
夜半鐘聲到客船。

Yuè luò wū tí shuāng mǎn tiān,
Jiāng fēng yú huǒ duì chóu mián.
Gūsū chéngwài Hánshān Sì,
Yèbàn zhōngshēng dào kèchuán.

While I watch the moon go down, a crow caws through the frost;
Under the shadows of maple-trees a fisherman moves with his torch;
And I hear, from beyond Suzhou, from the temple on Cold Mountain,
Ringing for me, here in my boat, the midnight bell.

The poem is still popularly read in China, Japan and Korea. It is part of the primary school curriculum in both China and Japan. The ringing of the bell at Hanshan Temple on Chinese New Year eve is a major pilgrimage and tourism event for visitors from these countries." -wikipedia-

I got off on the bus stop right in front of RT Mart and just walked over to the bridge then turn left on the first street. Looking from the bridge the place looks quite. I could only see few people walking around the place. I like the place since it's near a canal and many barges are passing every second. I went inside the park and good thing it was free. Then when I went further in, there was a big gate leading to the temple which has the sign "Entrance Ticket to Hanshan Temple" that means going inside and seeing what's in there is not for free. I decided not to go since there were too many people going in and I think it would be too crowded inside so I just enjoyed the view from the outside.
I was surprised to find many tourists from all over the world trying to visit the temple. The reason that I couldn't see people walking on the road it that they have their own buses, tourist buses, taking them there. Most of them are Chinese but I've overheard people talking in Japanese and Koreans. They even have their flag carried by their tour guide. Here are some of my photos with the temple and the place around the area.

Hansha temple view from the outside.

Entrance Ticket Office

A Small canal in front of the temple's entrance gate.

Tourists going inside the temple, except me.

The famous orange wall. They all wanted to take a photo here.

A view from the bridge.

Barges from northern China.

Why Are Americans Jobless?

2010-09-15T17:37:00.001+08:00

Source: I got this from Patrick, a friend from Luxembourg and though it's not really that funny for a joke, there's some reality in it, not ONLY in America but true to every nation.
Note: Fictional Joke

John Smith started the day early having set his alarm clock (MADE IN JAPAN ) for 6 a.m.

While his coffeepot (MADE IN CHINA ) was perking, he shaved with his electric razor (MADE IN PHILIPPINES ) .
He put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA ), designer jeans (MADE IN SINGAPORE ) and tennis shoes (MADE IN
VIETNAM). After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet (MADE IN INDIA ), then he sat down with his calculator (MADE IN MEXICO ) to see how much he could spend today.

After setting his watch (MADE IN TAIWAN ) to the radio (MADE IN INDIA ), he got in his car (MADE IN GERMANY ) filled it with GAS (from Saudi Arabia ) and continued his search for a good paying AMERICAN JOB.

At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day checking his computer (MADE IN MALAYSIA ), John decided to relax for a while. He put on his sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL ) poured himself a glass of wine (MADE IN FRANCE ) and turned on his TV (MADE IN KOREA ), and then wondered why he can't find a good paying job in AMERICA .

AND NOW HE'S HOPING HE CAN GET HELP FROM HIS PRESIDENT (MADE IN KENYA )

28 Funny and Amazing Facts

2010-09-01T15:19:00.000+08:00

Adapted

Reminder: Please don't try to do Number 7, believe me you just can't! :)

1. Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.

2. In the 1400's a law was set forth that a man was not allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"

3. The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

4. Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.

5. Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

6. Coca-Cola was originally green.

7. It is impossible to lick your elbow.

8. The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska

9. The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)

The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

10. The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400

11. The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000

12. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

13. The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

14. The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

15. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

Spades - King David

Hearts - Charlemagne

Clubs -Alexander, the Great

Diamonds - Julius Caesar

16. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

17. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

18. Only two people signed the Declaration ofIndependenceon July 4th, John Hancock and CharlesThomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

19. Q. Half of all Americans LIVE within 50 miles of what?

A. Their birthplace

20. Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?

A. Obsession

21. Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?

A. One thousand

22. Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?

A. All invented by women.

23. Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?

A. Honey

24. Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?

A. Father's Day

25. In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."

26. It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month . which we know today as the honeymoon.

27. In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."

It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"

28. Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired

Go Green: Beginner's Subjects

2010-08-31T20:30:00.002+08:00

I love these photos taken from Cebu, Philippines.

Microwaving Water---Dangerous

2010-08-30T00:03:00.003+08:00

Adapted
A 26-year old man decided to have a cup of coffee.

He took a cup of water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something that he had done numerous times before).

I am not sure how long he set the timer for, but he wanted to bring the water to a boil.

When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup from the oven.

As he looked into the cup, he noted that the water was not boiling, but suddenly the water in the cup 'blew up' into his face.

The cup remained intact until he threw it out of his hand, but all the water had flown out into his face due to the build up of energy.

His whole face is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his face which may leave scarring.

He also may have lost partial sight in his left eye.

While at the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him stated that this is a fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven.

If water is heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as a wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc.., (nothing metal)...

General Electric's Response:

Thanks for contacting us, I will be happy to assist you.

The e-mail that you received is correct.

Micro waved water and other liquids do not always bubble when they reach the
boiling point.

They can actually get superheated and not bubble at all.

The superheated liquid will bubble up out of the cup when it is moved or when something like a spoon or tea bag is put into it.

To prevent this from happening and causing injury, do not heat any liquid for more than two minutes per cup.

After heating, let the cup stand in the microwave for thirty seconds before moving it or adding anything into it.

Here is what our local science teacher had to say on the matter:

'Thanks for the Microwave warning. I have seen this happen before.

It is caused by a phenomenon known as super heating.

It can occur anytime water is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel that the water is heated in is new, or when heating a small amount of water (less than half a cup).

What happens is that the water heats faster than the vapor bubbles can form.

If the cup is very new then it is unlikely to have small surface scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to form.

As the bubbles cannot form and release some of the heat has built up, the liquid does not boil, and the liquid continues to heat up well past its boiling point.

What then usually happens is that the liquid is bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot liquid.
The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a carbonated beverage spews when
opened after having been shaken.'

Which One Would You Choose to Offer a Ride To?

2010-07-31T01:51:00.001+08:00

Source: Forwarded Email from Patrick of Luxembourg

You are driving along your car on a wild, stormy night, it's raining heavily, when suddenly you pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for a bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.

2. An old friend who once saved your life.

3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing very well that there could only be one passenger in your car?

Think before you continue reading............

This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

* You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first;

* or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect hence to pay him back.

* However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer.

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

......

His answer:

"I would give the car keys to my Old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams."

Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations... and begin to "Think Outside of the Box"!

Cheap International Calling: Save up to 90%

2010-07-04T19:06:00.007+08:00

I really appreciate the new VOIP service that Rebtel offers for international calling. I used to call my family and friends abroad using skype, but now I changed to rebtel for one very good reason, it's CHEAPER and the call quality is very good.When you save the number in rebtel you will be given a local number which you can use to call the international number. For example, the smart network in the Philippines, +63920#### you would get a local US number which is +1404### if you are from the USA. This new VOIP is just great! Free for United states number. Thanks FJR :)

Save up to 90% on international calls

Pay only for the time you talk
One minute billing, no contract, no hidden fees.
Great call quality
Reliable lines with clear voice quality.
Any phone, any network
Works with your current carrier.
No calling cards, no downloads
PIN-less dialing. Use it instantly.

TRY IT NOW!

Cheap calls from United States to Calling rates per minute starting at     Calling rates to all countries

Australia                       USD 0.020
Bangladesh                   USD 0.032
Cameroon                    USD 0.155
Canada                        USD 0.015
China                           USD 0.019
Colombia                     USD 0.029
Dominican Republic     USD 0.049
France                        USD 0.019
Germany                   USD 0.019
Ghana                         USD 0.209
Haiti                            USD 0.169
India                           USD 0.039
Indonesia                    USD 0.025
Israel                          USD 0.010
Malaysia                     USD 0.029
Mexico                       USD 0.010
Nicaragua                   USD 0.125
Nigeria                       USD 0.089
Philippines                  USD 0.099
Poland                       USD 0.019
Russia                        USD 0.019
Thailand                     USD 0.008
United Kingdom         USD 0.010
United States              USD 0.000

Please Click Here!

What is Gmail Error #721?

2010-06-26T18:19:00.007+08:00

FINALLY! it's resolved after 7 hours. I was thinking of switching back to yahoo :)

Just this afternoon, June 26 at 4pm (Beijing Time) I tried sending email to some of my contacts but all I got was, "Oops-a server error occurred and your email was not sent. (#721". Messages are not sending but I am receiving new messages.

Steps I did.
1. I've tried to log in and log out but it didn't help.
2. I tried switching from firefox to IE, google chrome and Safari, I thought it was a browser issue but still it didn't help.
3. I tried another gmail account. It worked!

I don't understand this at all, why my main account doesnt work when I'm only using 57% of the space?

Please help me...I desperately need to reply some important emails from my main account.

I posted this problem in google discussion forum, hoping that some google wizard will be able to solve this issue, after an hour I got people responding to my question with the same concern.

"I have the same error! and exactly the same thing is happening. I can send from another account but not my main account. Somebody help!" - natgerm-

" Exactly the same problem just now happening from my gmail account in Holland.

Just 30 minutes ago it was still working, now I get the 721 message and sending fails. Other gmail accounts still work....Any one?" -Mlvo123-

"I've been having exactly the same problem all morning.Very annoying. What can be done about it?" -Parvati-

Click here to view more gmail users reply.

Other info
Operating system: Windows Vista Home Edition

Program and version you use to access Gmail: Firefox 3.6.4, IE 8, google chrome, Safari

Your antivirus software: Avast Home Edition

Any extensions, toolbars or plug-ins: Bing search engine, video downloader toolbar, Stumble, translate

Watching TV Shows

2010-06-19T18:14:00.005+08:00

Waking up late on a lazy Saturday afternoon, I quickly grabbed the remote control beside me. I clicked on CCTV 9, the only English channel that is available out of more than 50 channels. The show was a documentary about a Royal wedding of a princess in Sweden. Oh, so it's a political fairy tale. I was not so interested so I transferred to CCTV 5. As usual coverage about the World Cup, well I watched few of their matches because I have to know some of the famous people in Football in order to relate with my students' interest. It was hard since the commentator is speaking in Chinese, but I was glad I'm picking up some expressions while watching the show. I remember some words such as Piàoliang! (beautiful), Hǎo! (good), Měiguó (USA), Fàguó (France), Àodàlìyǎ (Australia), Xībānyá (Spain), and few others. It's nice to learn some new words that I know will stay in my long term memory since I can relate it to the event. I am now serious about learning Chinese. It's my goal to speak the language within a year, so I must use whatever resources I can find. Talking about studying Chinese, I have to go back to my lesson now, self learning Chinese using Rocket Chinese!

It's Tough Shopping in China

2010-06-18T18:43:00.002+08:00

Shopping in China is one of the difficult situations that you will experience due to language barrier. Most shop owners or clerks don't have any English ability. What's more frustrating is when they realized that you don't speak Chinese they won't even try to make an effort to help you. I've been to some video shops and book shops in Suzhou when the owner just left me after I inquired if they sell English movies and books. I have been to quite a lot of situations like that they would just dismissed the situation. I felt helpless and wish that I could just speak their language instantly. But all those frustrations are actually just secondary. What's more tough is when you go shopping with a Chinese company. I usually ended up buying things that I don't like just because she likes it and insisted that I should buy it because it looks good. Aside from the fact that I don't like the style, the price is also too much compared to what I imagined. The Chinese people don't realize that businessmen lead them to believe that the price is cheap by displaying a sign of 50-90% off. If you really take a look at a new price, it is still too much. Imagine that a dress still costs 260RMB after the so called 50% discount! They would think that this is a good price, well unfortunately not for me. I'd rather go shopping alone and struggle with my few Chinese phrases about asking for the price and trying to get a bargain. I feel more at ease and at the end of the day I can say, I survived!

Before...

2010-06-17T14:45:00.006+08:00

Adapted

Life Is a Gift Today - before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.

Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before whining about the distance you drive - Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) The Official 2010 FIFA Theme

2010-06-16T01:28:00.001+08:00

Habits

2010-06-03T16:43:00.003+08:00

Author: Darren Hardy

A wise teacher was taking a stroll through the forest with a young pupil and stopped before a tiny tree.

"Pull up that sapling," the teacher instructed his pupil, pointing to a sprout just coming up from the earth. The youngster pulled it up easily with his fingers.

"Now, pull up that one," said the teacher, indicating a more established sapling that had grown to about knee high to the boy. With little effort, the lad yanked and the tree came up, roots and all. "And now this one," said the teacher, nodding toward a more well-developed evergreen that was as tall as the young pupil. With great effort, throwing all his weight and strength into the task, using sticks and stone he found to pry up the stubborn roots, the boy finally got the tree loose.

"Now," the wise one said, "I'd like you to pull this one up." The young boy followed the teacher's gaze, which fell upon a mighty oak so tall the boy could scarcely see the top. Knowing the great struggle he'd just had pulling up the much smaller tree, he simply told his teacher, "I am sorry, but I can't."

"My son, you have just demonstrated the power that habits will have over your life!" the teacher exclaimed. "The older they are, the bigger they get, the deeper the roots grow, and the harder they are to uproot. Some get so big, with roots so deep, you might hesitate to even try."

Charice Pempengco

2010-05-21T04:33:00.011+08:00

For someone who didn't win and rise above the winner, just an inspiration!

USA National Anthem...amazing

Note to God

Listen

Because You Loved Me with Celine Dion

Before the Philippine 2010 Election

2010-05-21T04:10:00.001+08:00

A day before the 2010 election in the Philippines I called my mother in Cebu and asked about who she was voting for and without hesitation she said, "Noynoy". I asked why and she said that it's because of her mother, the late President Cory Aquino. I felt bad because my mother and I went to COMELEC together to register but I flew back to China so I missed the chance of choosing the right person for our leader. It would have been my first time to write someone's name on a ballot. Our constitution says that every Filipino has a right to vote when we turn 18 years old but I have never exercised that right. Well, I'm just happy that Noynoy won not because of his promises or platforms but because my mother voted for him. I'm sure she is happy now that her candidate won the election and will become the president of the Republic of the Philippines, the Pearl of the Orient Sea. Congratulations Noynoy and all the best, you have a long journey ahead!

I just miss home... :)

Ang Maging Senador ng Pilipinas

2010-05-07T05:06:00.002+08:00

(I got this email from a friend in Dubai, I hope that Filipinos will choose an HONEST leader for this coming May 11th election)

CORRUPTION is the MAIN reason why Philippines will always be a developing country. Goodluck "hungry" politicians, this is for you!

GUSTO KONG MAGING SENADOR NG PILIPINAS

(I want to be a Senator of the Philippines)

ANG SARAP MAGING SENADOR!
(How sweet to be a Senator)

Miriam Defensor Santiago was featured in Correspondents last week.

Maganda rin naman ang naidudulot ng pagiging prangka ni Senador Miriam Defensor-Santiago. Ayon kay Santiago , marami ang tumatakbong Senador dahil sa laki ng budget na ibinibigay sa kanila kada buwan.

Lumalabas na P35,000 suweldo nila kada buwan ay pakitang-tao lang sa milyun-milyong budget ng bawat senador... Kada buwan ay may Fixed Monthly Budget ang bawat Senador ng humigit-kumulang P2 Milyon.

Sa opisina pa lang nila ay humigit-kumulang P500,000 ang budget nila sa Maintenance and Operating Expenses (Rental, Utilities, Supplies at Domestic Travels) at P500,000 para sa Staff at Personal expenses. Kaya para makatipid ang ibang Senador, kaunti lang ang staff na kinukuha nila. Nagtataka ka pa kung bakit mayroong mga Ghost Employee?

Bukod diyan, may P760,000 allowance pa sila kada buwan para naman sa Foreign Travel. At ang masakit pa nito, hindi na kailangan i-liquidate ng mga resibo ang mga gastusing 'yan kundi Certification lang ang Requirement.

Heto pa, lahat sila ay Chairman ng mga Komite sa Senado. Ang Committee Chairman ay tumatanggap din ng budget na sinlaki ng tinatanggap ng mga Senador na humigit-kumulang P1 Milyon din! Hindi sila mawawalan ng Komite dahil 24 lang ang ating mga Senador at 37 naman ang Committee sa Senado. There's food for everybody 'ika nga! Lumalabas na doble ang kanilang benepesiyo at kita kapag sila ay nabiyayaan ng Committee Chairmanship.

Sa P200 milyon na Budget para sa Pork Barrel ng mga Senador bawat taon, awtomatikong may 10% na S.O.P. o kita ang Senador na P20 milyon. Ito ang porsiyento na ibinibigay ng mga kontratista sa mga Senador na nagbibigay sa kanila ng mga Infrastructure at Livelihood Project.

Bago matapos ang termino ng isang Senador, kumita na siya ng P100 milyon sa Pork Barrel pa lang. Yung ibang Senador mas gahaman, hindi lang 10% kundi 20 - 30% ang komisyon hinihingi sa mga kontratista.

Pansinin ninyo na lang ang pagbabago ng buhay ng ilan sa ating mga Senador simula nang manungkulan sa puwesto. Kung dati ay simple lang ang kanilang pamumuhay ngayon ay nakatira na sila sa mga eksklusibong subdivision, maraming bahay sa Pilipinas at abroad at mahigit lima ang sasakyan.

Ngayon nagtataka ka pa ba kung bakit gumagastos ng daan-daang milyong piso ang mga Senador sa kampanya para sa isang posisyon na P35,000 lang ang suweldo kada buwan? Bawing-bawi pala ang gastos kapag naupo na!

ANG SARAP MAGING SENADOR! ! !

One of the reasons why the Philippines will never, ever get off the ground...... ayon..... . kaya talagang mahirap nang umasenso ang bansang Pilipinas - yung mismo gobierno nila ninanakawan ang kanilang kapuwa taong pilipino at hindi pa iyan..... hindi pa sila nagbabayad ng buwis sa bansa - kaya lahat ng kalyehon lubak-lubak at masyadong madumi at mababaho!!! Hindi na sila nahiya sa kanilang nakikita.... eh kasalanan naman nila yoon - dapat sa kanila pumunta lahat ng mahihirap... ..we should be thankful to miriam defensor santiago for being fair dinkum and honest about this - for exposing these people - that is what the country needs - whistleblowers - if there are no whistleblowers the country will never ever prosper and will just sit in the sidelines watching with envy the prosperity of the other southeast asian countries - look at Vietnam now, much better...... .while the rest of the new breed of filipinas are just maids - the present level of education has also deteriorated in that country - whether it be ateneo, up, la salle - they could not compete anymore - they do not know how to use their education to better up their poor country, they prefer to steal not to assist in the path of prosperity for their country - they lack human factor and social conscience and no social responsibility. ...the result of a poor level of education. so wake up, you filipinos paying your taxes there, stop defending your corrupt masters and do something!!! !! we all feel so sorry for you....

First Time in China

2010-04-29T14:38:00.031+08:00

There are many things that I only did for the first time in China. One of them was riding on a China Railway High-Speed Train (CRH). When I arrived in Shanghai Pudong International Airport last 2008 I was so amazed with the train that went so quickly from the airport to a distant place. I wanted to be on that train but my instruction was to take the airport bus to Suzhou which is really convenient for someone who is Chinese illiterate like me.
I met two other foreign teachers, Mokom from Cameron and Randy, from Canada. We became good friends and they showed me around Suzhou, Venice of the east. I told them that I really wanted to try riding on a high speed train. I was so excited when Randy said that he would be meeting friends in Shanghai and I was welcomed to go with him. I was only thinking that it would be a fun ride, just like my first plane ride. I have never imagined that for 35 minutes from Suzhou to Shanghai I would only have enough space for my two feet. The train was so fully packed that I couldn't see the floor. We were not lucky to get a seat since we just bought the tickets on the day of our trip.

I also noticed that the authorities would only open the gate five minutes before the departure. Most of the passengers were pushing and running to get on the train. I just let them pass but Randy told me, "that kind of walk won't work here in China, see everyone is running." I quickly followed him. He told me that I should take note of the information on the ticket. I should remember numbers such as train number that starts with D for the bullet train, coach number and seat number.The train is very long with 16 coaches and we should go to coach 10. There were only few people running so he decided that we should use the door on coach 5 and just walk through. When we got on coach 5 we couldn't walk through since every little space was occupied so we just stayed on coach 5 instead of 10. I noticed that the attendants didn't care if the passengers were on the right coach number. I learned that lesson when I was on my own. It seems that if you did not have a seat, and are standing, you can stand in any coach, as long as there is room.

One lesson that I didn't learn, was to push people away especially in line to buy a ticket. Some of the people don't know where the line is and would just go directly to the counter. Inserting in a line is an issue and it seems that it's acceptable in China. I was in line at the only English Speaking counter in Shanghai. There were at least five people who were able to cut in front of me. When there was only one person in front of me, the counter closed because it was already 12:40PM. So I had to transfer to another line which took about 30 minutes and ended up not getting a ticket and I didn't know why. On my third attempt at least I was able to say "Suzhou" properly I guess. I started to fall in line at 11:50am I got my precious ticket at 1:20PM and my train departed at 2:21PM. Good thing that Starbucks is just around the corner. A cup of coffee made me feel a little better.

Train ride is nice since it's faster than our jeepneys in Cebu, but I would rather be on a jeepney than being on a queue for ages, pushing your way while boarding, running to get on the train and standing until your destination. A day trip like this would take me a few days to get my energy back. If this is their way of being "Globally competitive" as my friend said, then so be it. TIC (This is China)

The 20 Dollar Bill

2010-04-25T16:23:00.002+08:00

Author: Christian Godefroy

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up
a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked:

"Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up. He said:

"I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first,
let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.

He then asked:

"Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "what if I do this?"

And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into
the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

"Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson.
No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because
it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground
into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that
come our way. We feel as though we are worthless.

But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you
will never lose your value. To those who love you, you are
priceless.

The worth of our lives come not in what we do or who we know
but by who we are!

What are the BIG STONES in Your Life?

2010-04-20T16:56:00.001+08:00

Author: Christian Godefroy

One day, an old professor of the national School of
administration (ENA-France) was asked to give a training-course on
the effective economic planning of one's time to a group of about
fifteen leaders of big companies from North - America.

This course constituted one of 5 workshops of their day of
training. So, the old Prof. only had one hour to spend on this
subject.

Standing in front of this group of elite who was ready
to note everything that the expert was going to teach, the old
Prof. looked at them one by one, slowly, then said to them:

"We are going to make an experiment".

From under the table which separated him from his pupils,
the old Prof. took out an immense jar Mason of a gallon
(glass jar of more than 4 liters) which he directly put in
front of him.

Then, he took out about a dozen pebbles roughly as big as
tennis balls and placed them delicately, one by one, in the
big jar. When the jar was filled up to the brim, and when it was
impossible to add anything to it, he raised slowly his eyes
towards the pupils, and asked them:

"Is this jar full?"

Everybody answered: "Yes".

He waited for a few seconds and added: "Really?"

Then, he bent again and took out from under the table a pot
filled with little stones. With accuracy, he poured these little
pebbles on the big stones, then moved softly the jar.

The fragments of little pebbles went between the stones
down to the bottom of the jar. The old Prof. raised his eyes again
towards his audience and asked:

"Is this jar full?".

This time, his brilliant pupils began to understand the whole
process. One of them answered:

"Probably not!"

"Well!" answered the old Prof..

He bent again and this time, took out from under the table a
bucket of sand. With attention, he poured the sand into the jar.
The sand went to fil the spaces between the big big stones and the
little pebbles. Once again, he asked:

"Is this jar full?". This time, without hesitation, and in a
choir, the brilliant pupils answered:

"No!".

"Well!" answered the old Prof. And, as expected by the
brilliant pupils, he took the jug of water which was on the table
and filled the jar up to the brim. Then, the old Prof. raised
his eyes towards his group and asked:

"Which big truth does this experiment show to us?" .

Being no fool, the most audacious of the pupils, thinking
about the topic of this course, answered:

"It shows that even when one believes that our diary is
completely filled, if one wants really wants it, one can add
more meetings to it, more things to be made".

The old Prof. answered. "It is not that".

"The big truth that this experiment shows to us is the following
one:

- "If one does not put the big stones first in the jar, one
will never be able to make all of them go in, then".

There was a profound silence, each becoming aware of the
evidence of these comments.

Then, the old Prof. Told them: "Which are the big stones
in your life?"

"Your health?"

"Your family?"

"Your friends?"

"To make your dreams come true?"

"Learning?"

"To do what you enjoy?"

"To relax?"

"To fight for a cause?"

"To take time for yourself?"

"Or any other thing?"

"What it is necessary to remember is the importance to put
one's BIG STONES in first in one's life, otherwise one incurs
the risks not to succeed in one's life.

If one gives priority to peccadilloes (the little pebbles, the
sand), one will fill one's life with peccadilloes and one will
have no more enough precious time to dedicate to the important
elements of one's life".

Then do not forget to ask to yourself this question:

"Which are the BIG STONES IN MY LIFE?

Then, put them in, first"

With a friendly gesture of the hand, the old professor
greeted his audience and slowly left the room.

Great Speech Imitation Competition

2010-04-13T22:00:00.054+08:00

Today was a memorable day for some students of the International Business Department in our school. We had a "Great English Speech Imitation Competition." The event was held in a big hall with about 500 seats. My friend, the coordinator and I arrived an hour before the show started since we wanted to check that everything was set. I imagined that the place would be filled with students. When the program started I glanced at the back to see if the seats were already filled, only to find out the the students who came were mostly the contestants and their close friends. I wonder where the others were since we have hundreds of students in our department. There were 18 contestants who showed both confidence and fear. As the show continued I had to listen attentively to each one of them since I had to give comments and also give a closing remarks. I had to pick some important lines from their speeches and at the same time rate each contestant as I was also one of the judges. Honestly it was a tough job for the judges since more than half of the contestants were really great. It was so hard to decide as to who would be the BEST speech imitator. They were so good in imitating President Obama, former president George W. Bush, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Hilary Clinton, Yang Lan of Beijing Olympics, Bill Gates, Sen. McCain, Steve Jobs, Franklin Roosevelt and Madonna.

I told everyone that they did great. Tried to be specific in giving individual comments, like "you really sounded like Pres. Obama or Hilary Clinton, good voice quality, confident, you maintained eye- contact, relaxed,good pronunciation etc. They all amazed me since public speaking is not my specially. But since I am the only foreign teacher in this school I am expected to speak, usually the closing speech. Opening speech is usually assigned to the department Deans.

Anyway my main message for everybody was, "On behalf of the judges tonight, I would like to say, Congratulations on a job well done! You gave us a very tough job tonight. You are all good in imitating these famous people who are doing this everyday. I believe that if you can sound like them, you can be better. I hope that in the future, students will be imitating your own speeches.

The Chinese Luck

2010-04-07T17:13:00.005+08:00

After having lunch today, I still felt so sleepy since I only had 4 hours of sleep. I didn't have to wake up at 11am but my friend wanted to have lunch with me since it was my birthday. It was still very cold and I was glad that the sun was out. Walking outside the restaurant I saw a group of teachers and students looking up at the sky with camera and phones in their hands. I was wondering what they were doing since I couldn't see anything. I had a feeling that I was asleep while walking. When we got near them my friend said, "Oh look there is a rainbow around the sun, it's your lucky day today!" I tried looking up but still couldn't see anything. I got my camera from my bag and just tried pointing it to the sky and didn't think I would get anything since it was just all white.
I made a few clicks and when I clicked preview all I saw was just white bright light, no sign of a rainbow. I was surprised when I downloaded the photos to my laptop. I saw the rainbow around the sun. I actually got a small view of it and I was happy that I captured the Chinese luck on my birthday.

(Thanks FJR!)

Youtube Kills My Any Video Converter

2010-04-01T18:39:00.009+08:00

Few months ago I remember spending so many hours researching for free youtube proxies. With the help of google I found a lot of proxies. I even tried using China's local search engine, Baidu and it gave me the same results. So I wonder if the government was smart enough to block youtube and allowed Chinese internet users to use a web proxy. Then to prove to the people that they are smarter and more powerful, they started blocking the free proxies. There are always new proxies everyday but the service is not so fast so I decided to go for a paid proxy server and glad that I found a reliable VPN (Virtual Private Network). I Was willing to pay since I really needed youtube for supplementary materials, specially for news clips, speeches, movie clips and songs. I also enjoyed unlimited video downloads using Any Video Converter Professional Edition. I didn't have any problem grabbing any videos that I like from youtube. I download movies too. In short, youtube is the website that I always use everyday for entertainment and work purposes. Today, I tried to download Shakira's music video since we had a listening activity that talks about Shakira's job. I found out that the downloader is not moving at all. I uninstalled the file and downloaded the latest version. After downloading I tried installing it, but it just said error or "corrupted". I quickly searched online for another youtube downloader and tried about few of them with no success. So I was thinking that perhaps youtube blocks video download. I typed "youtube kills video download" on google. My fears were true , youtube kills my any video converter :( Now I don't know if I could find another software to download youtube videos or if youtube would sell their videos if I want to download them. I don't know exactly why they're doing this but for sure they have business in mind.

Gate Keepers Lies or Alibis?

2010-03-24T17:08:00.001+08:00

I have been calling companies in the USA for the past few months. What I noticed with gatekeepers is that they have the same job, not to let cold calls get through. So in order to do it in a nice way without being rude they have invented some lies which I think they are good in doing.
1. "He's on a meeting". Right, I can understand, managers usually have meetings, but I wonder why their meetings can last for a day and even for a week? Hmm I was once in a management position in a company dealing with US markets but I remember we only had meeting at least twice a week. Our everyday meetings would be those before and after the shift, like 6-10 minutes. How can you be productive if you're always sitting in the board room discussing about SWOT? So he's on a meeting means, "I'm sorry I can't put this call through."
2. "He's in an out all day." Hmmm I just wonder is he always meeting people outside the company? Or does the company hire people who can work anywhere they like? How come the secretary doesn't even know his schedule? Well, again it's just another way of saying, "I'm sorry I can't put this call through."
3. "He is on his vacation". Okay that's great they have to enjoy away from work. But when I asked, "When is he coming back," they would say okay next week. Then I call back the next week and guess what he is still on his vacation. Good thing companies allow people to extend their vacation? vacation means "I'm sorry I can't put this call through."
4. "He is not in today." Well could be his day off on the weekdays. Wow that is a nice day off. But if I asked, "will he be in tomorrow?" They would say, "probably, don't know his schedule?" Well who knows?
Again, not in today means, "I'm sorry I can't put this call through."
5. "He's with a client." That's okay, since it's business so they could meet clients anytime of the day. But chasing them all the or all week and the owner or manager is always with a client, wow he must be a very busy man. Again, he's with a client means, "I'm sorry I can't put this call through."
6. "Nobody does that." If asked if the purchasing manager, they would say, nobody does that, we don't purchase anything at all. Seriously? What keeps the company in operation? Do you ever purchase water? I guess not as well?
7. "He doesn't accept cold calls." I think some are very honest to say this and I would understand. But for all those other excuses, I hope that they would just be honest enough to say that it's impossible to speak with the right person at all.

He Said, "Teacher I am that Person"

2010-03-24T16:41:00.001+08:00

In China, I was aware that people are still a bit closed minded about "gay thing". I talked to my colleague about it and she just immediately said, well it's so sad but people still see that being a gay is an unacceptable thing. I then adjusted my expectations and careful not to bring up the topic again. I have been with few gay friends in the Philippines and most of the time it's so easy to spot a gay back at home since most of them are cross dressers. They even have long hairs and wear very sexy skirts while "shopping" at big malls like SM City Mall or Ayala Center Cebu. In China it's so hard to tell since they don't even have the freedom to show otherwise they would be discriminated and the worst scenario would be losing their friends and family.
Few weeks ago, while I was on the bus, a student sat beside me and asked to see my ipod touch.
He browsed though all my videos and when he finished he commented,
"You don't have Lady Gaga videos?"
"Not even Beyonce, or Britney Spears?"
"You're list is not updated." He continued.
I was a little surprised why he was asking for all those female videos. But I didn't put any thoughts about it. When I arrived in school I turned on my pc and logged in to qq. The moment I got online, he sent a quick hello then a question, "Have you met any gay in China?"
I said, "No. Why do you know anyone here?
He said "Of course, I have gay friends in Shanghai and Nanjing."
He asked other questions about what my opinion about being a gay then I tried to clearly stay away from the topic and just said, "some people are gays and some are not, some people accept them and some people don't."
Our conversation went on and on, then it was getting late so we said our goodbye. (88)
The following day I met him in class and he told me, "Teacher, I am that person we were talking about on qq."
I said, "What? are you serious?"
He said, "You should know when I asked you about Lady Gaga, Britney and Beyonce."
"Oh, I see." The only phrase I could say.
"Yes, I am a gay and does it surprise you that much? You're so naive. There are gays in China and I just happen to be one."

After the Snow

2010-03-24T15:57:00.004+08:00

A simple wish to see and touch a pile of snow is one of the reasons that brought be here in China. I always felt that there was something magical when it snows. When I watched movies that feature winter scenes with children outside playing with the snow and building snowman, I would always imagine that one day I would be able to do those things. When I see couples walking hand in hand or kissing under the snow I imagined that it was so romantic that I wished I would also get the chance to experience it.

What I failed to noticed was that, the snow gets dirty too. It turns black just like the mud that we get after the rain. The sight is magnificent but the desire to stay out is no longer there. Yes, snow it white and yet it's just a mask, letting us forget that winter took every flowers and leaves that our eyes would love to see. Snow is there to cover what winter has taken away, and when the snow is gone all we get is dirty road and bare trees and flowers.

Dictionary Moments from Suzhou to Shanghai

2010-03-12T13:18:00.011+08:00

Few days ago, I had to go to Shanghai to renew my passport. It was my first time to take the train from Suzhou to Shanghai alone. I was a little nervous since it was peak season for train travel. When I got to the train station, the first thing I noticed was the group of people coming in and out from the station. I immediately went to the ticket counter. It was a long line and although most of the people tried to follow the long queue some just managed to squeeze in or push their way to the counter. Well, the teller tolerated them anyway.
Dictionary moment 1: At the train ticket counter.
When it was my turned my gave her 50 rmb and said that I needed 1train ticket for Shanghai. In my chinese (wo xuyao yi ge huoche piao, wo qu Shanghai) (I need 1 train ticket, I will go to Shanghai). I don't know how to put them together but at least she understood. Then she asked for the time so I said,"jintian" "today". She asked another question and pointed the clocked at her back. I wrote 9 and said "dian" and she made an inaudible sound and looked at me saying something with a word, "meiyou" that mean's "don't have". I knew I wouldn't get a seat with those people coming home and students going back to school after the Chinese Spring holiday. So, I still decided to buy a ticket even if I had to stand. I said "meiguanxi" it's okay", I will just stand. I got a ticket for 9:10am and I was surprised since it only cost 15rmb. Then I realized that it was not a D train or the new bullet train which only take 35 minutes from Suzhou to Shanghai. I bought a ticket for the slow train to Shanghai...grrrrrrrrr.
Dictionary Moment 2: On the slow train.
Since I didn't have a seat, so I decided not to follow the right car or platform on my ticket. I just got in the nearest car since I would be standing anyway. When the train arrived, a lot of people were getting off while the passengers outside tried to get in. I got annoyed again for the zillion times, why these people won't wait until the last person would get off? The lady attendant tried to block them but failed. I waited until everyone got on the train and that moment the lady checked my ticket and asked me to go to the other car, way back to car 15 and I was on car 3! no way! I waited long enough and was scared that if I had to change to car 15 the train would leave, so I followed the rest of the passengers, just pushed my way in. The slow train is different from the bullet train. It didn't smell good and it was also dirty, a lot of litters around. There were no individual seats, but tables and a couch that is good for 3 or 4 persons. I saw one woman in one couch so I was hoping that nobody would sit beside her. The train started and the old woman saw me standing so she called me and let me sat beside her. The old woman said, "wo gei ni" which means "I give/gave you" and I said, "xie xie ni" "thank you'. I don't know how I said it, but she immediately said, "ni bu shi zhongguoren ma?" "you're not Chinese?" "Wo bo shi zhongguoren." She continued asking other things which I managed to answer for one or two words. But she didn't stop there, she found it interesting that someone who looks like Chinese doesn't speak Chinese. She asked about where I live, what's my job and my stay in China. I was so thankful that I took the little Chinese-English/English-Chinese Dictionary from Randy. I felt that I somehow connected with the old woman and she was so kind in trying to understand me. She gave me some Chinese cookies and cupcakes, perhaps to thank me for my effort in trying to speak Chinese. After eating our snacks she continued on asking more questions and I figured that she was asking about my trip to Shanghai, what would I do there? If I had a friend there, If I'm going back to Suzhou that day. I understood some of it, but I needed to give her quick answers so I turned around and since everyone around us were listening, I turned to the next table and said, "Hi, can you help me out here, can you please translate what she is saying?" I assumed that one of them could at least speak English, luckily a young man immediately translated her questions. Whew! Perhaps they had fun listening to our conversations since every now and then I would hear them mimicked my Chinese. The dictionary did a great job and although the ride was longer than the bullet train, it was fun.
Dictionary Moment 3: With a taxi driver in Shanghai.
I thought that going to the Philippine consulate was easy since I had the English and Chinese address with me. I took the metro line 4 from Shanghai Railway Station. It was quite a long walk going to the transfer station, I thought I was lost in the underground city of Shanghai. I felt scared and hungry but I kept on walking following the sign that says line 3/line 4. After my long walk I finally found the metro station, wow again I felt that I was in China, in the middle of the crowd. I had to choose which way since there are two lines for line 4. I already knew it was going west since it is in West Yan An Road. But the other line also says it would go to Yan An Road. Good thing I had a nice subway experience in Beijing so I had to count the number of stops. I chose the road going to Zhongtan Road since it has only 6 stops to West Yan An station. When I got there, I took the address from my phone and gave it to the taxi driver. He said, he didn't know the place. A taxi driver in Shanghai doesn't know where No. 1168 Metrobank Plaza Building in West Yan An Road is, so I'm in trouble. I didn't want to waste another minute waiting for another taxi driver who would tell me the same line, 'I don't know." So, I asked him if he knew the road, he said yes. So I got my dictionary and told him, to drive me slowly around West Yan An Road and I will check the number of the building. Finally we got to a place where it the number runs from 1000, the taxi metered showed 30 rmb and I didn't care if he would charge me more as long as I would get to the right place. But he stopped and dropped me off near a big building saying that, "ni qu" "you go". I was confused the building says, Shanghai bank and not Metrobank. So I asked if this is the building and he said, "due-yes". So I paid and got off. I went inside the building and went to the information only to find out that Metro bank building is still 10 minutes walk away and it was on the opposite road...grrrrr. I had to walk on a very cold and windy day in Shanghai and I just wanted to hide from the angry weather. Finally, I found the building, but unfortunately it was almost 12noon so they just got my requirements and gave me the form which I had to submit in the afternoon. It was a long day for passport renewal, but I am glad I did it in one day and I just need 6 weeks until the new Machine Readable Passport will arrive from Manila.
With those difficult and funny dictionary moments, now I'm thinking about buying a dictionary for my ipod touch. I hope I can find a good one.

Beautiful Cebu

2010-03-04T04:08:00.002+08:00

100_4921, originally uploaded by Aprilheart7.

I love traveling by bus from Cebu city going to the Southern part of Cebu using the eastern highway because it runs beside the sea. A clear water that reflects the sky. I miss Cebu!

Chinese Students New Year's Resolutions

2010-03-02T19:54:00.004+08:00

On our first day of school, I simply asked my students to write their new year's resolution on an index card, since it was their new year two weeks ago.
(Thanks FJR for all these index cards, they are very useful)

At first I was thinking of making them write a composition, but I changed my mind since many of them still need help in basic sentence construction.

The instruction was to use the following words and phrases in at least 5 sentences.

a. quit/stop

b. cut down/reduce

c. keep doing

d. give more effort

e. start/begin

Most of them said that they would quit playing games, specifically computer games. Well, if they were really serious about it then they could possibly do it. I just think it's a less possible since most of our students are addicted to computer games and inside the class you have to keep on reminding them to put their phones away. More than 90% of their phones are internet capable and almost 100% is loaded with QQ, a very famous Chinese Instant messenger that has features like yahoo messenger. Every now and then you would qq beep. The next popular New Year's Resolution is about studying English "hard" that they even more than two words and phrases to emphasize their point or it could be that they could not think of other changes they want to have.

Honestly, I am a little frustrated with students learning behavior in general. It is only here that I see many students who just come to sit in class and wait for the time without showing any effort to learn. Why did I say this? I observed that many of them attend classes with only their phones in their hands, yes they have two or more phones by the way.When I wrote something on the board or show some important points on the big monitor I thought they were memorizing them. Sometimes I even think that writing something is useless, no one is trying to take some notes.

Last week, one of my colleagues told me, "These students are not worth my time and effort, they just don't want to learn. They are so lazy and just wanted to play." She is a very good teacher who finished her undergraduate and post graduate studies in Peking University and yet she is struggling on how to make these students learn-specially English and Japanese languages. So what she did was call the father of a boy who always sleeps in her class. The father told her, " I'm sorry teacher, my boy is such a pain so we sent him away because we can't control him and it is his punishment, your school serves as his prison." She was frustrated with his reply and said that this year will be her last year of teacher in this school. Wow! I can't imagine those words came from a father who pays a lot just for his son to be in this very expensive software engineering school. I don't know if any foreign teachers teaching English in prestigious universities have the same struggles as we have in a technical school where many students are only interested to get a diploma. So I wish them luck in realizing their number one New Year's Resolution, "Quit Playing Games." 真的吗？

Here are some of their New Year's Resolution:

* give effort to pay more attention to my teachers

* cut down on drinking beer and wine

* save money for travel and Spring Holiday shopping

* make more friends

* find a gf/bf (2 boys wrote this and a girl said she hopes she will find a bf)

* pass the English level test this June

*try hard to lose weight

*reduce internet surfing time

*start going to the library ( I still see it as a dating place...hmmmmmm)

* quit using mobile phone (huh? did I read this right?)

*start reading books

* start finding a part time job

* stop sending text messages in class (just like quit playing computer games?)

One resolution really caught my attention, "I will start feeling good about life." He said that he felt bad about life last year since he failed in the University Entrance Examination in China so he couldn't get a degree. I understand his sentiments about their educational system. I hope the standard will change soon, but he said he'll be old when this happens.
Teaching in China is a very challenging job, specially when it comes to students behavior in learning English. In spite of all these teaching challenges, I still feel good about life. I am thankful about everything. It made me realized that making a difference in someone life is such a tough job, but it's not impossible so I'm not giving up. Although change is the only constant thing in this world, there are things that are impossible to change and I just have to accept them. Some very important values that I believe I developed here in China are patience(learning is so slow so as much as possible repeat explaining thing a thousand times), hard work, tolerance for diversity, flexibility (due to changes that could happen in the last minute), independence (you have to figure out things for yourself). Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

The value of time:

2010-02-28T20:07:00.000+08:00

-Christian Godefroy-

To understand the value of a year, talk to a student who has
failed an important exam.

To understand the value of a month, talk to a mother who has
given birth to a baby a month prematurely.

To understand the value of a week, talk to the publisher of a
weekly newspaper.

To understand the value of an hour, talk to a couple in love
who are separated and want only to be together again.
( yes I wish we could be together again, at least an hour)

To understand the value of a minute, talk to someone who has
just missed a train or a plane. (oh I can relate...ask me)

To understand the value of a second, talk to someone who has
lost a loved one in an accident.

To understand the value of a millisecond, talk to someone who
won a silver medal at the Olympic Games.

Time waits for no one. Gather all the time you have left every
moment, and it will be of great use to you. Share it with people
you value and love and it will become even more precious.

The Triple Filter Test

2010-02-28T20:03:00.001+08:00

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in
high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher
and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me
anything, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the
Triple Filter Test."

"Triple filter?"

"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about
my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what
you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test.
The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what
you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "Actually I just heard about it and..."

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's
true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of
goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend
something good?"

"No, on the contrary..."

"So," Socrates continued, "You want to tell me something bad
about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass
the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of
usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to
be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "If what you want to tell me is
neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

Amazing "Queen" Kim Yu Na

2010-02-26T16:01:00.000+08:00

My 9-year old online student from Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, asked me if I watched the Winter Olympics Figure Skating. I haven't seen it on tv but I've heard that South Korean won as the champion but I didn't know her and didn't even see any of her performance on ice. Anna appeared to be very interested to talk about the subject for the next 30-minute online class. She sent me links from a Korean site showing the girl's performance. (Here's the link that she sent me)

She said, "you don't know, Kim Yu Na is very good. I like her, my mother, brother and me went to her skating rink in Seoul. Mother is so happy we all watched her on tv tonight." She was so lively that I had quickly browsed more information about her so I would know what to say and at least we could talk about her, since Kim Yu Na was born in the city where she lives.

"As of February 2010, Kim is ranked first in the world by the International Skating Union (ISU).She is also the current record holder for ladies in the short program, the free skating and the combined total under the ISU Judging System. She was the first female skater to surpass the 200-point mark under the ISU Judging System." wikipedia

As I watched some of her videos on youtube after our class, I couldn't help but say, "Wow!, Amazing! Perfect!" She really did a wonderful job. No wonder she won the gold medal for 2010 Winter Olympics. I felt that she was telling me to try it and it would be so much fun. I always thought that if one could skate well then he must be good in dancing and have a good balance. I know I don't have either of then so I am a little pessimistic about trying to skate. But I hope one day I can try.

Kim Yu Na in 2009 World Championships, I couldn't find her latest video during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Happy Chinese New Year: Year of the Tiger

2010-02-14T02:11:00.004+08:00

The second month of 2010 happens to be the first month of the year for Chinese. What's exciting about their New Year is that it falls on the 14th of February which is also a Valentines Day. Chinese people love red, so everything around us is red, it felt like Valentines Day. Although it is my second year in China, it is my first time to be out on the street watching the people welcome the New Year with colorful and deafening fireworks in Beijing. The freezing night didn't stop us from going out on the street and tried capture the moment...ssssssshhhhhhh........boom....flash......oopppppppssssss runnnnn!

We also had a wonderful time "making" or shall I say "wrapping" dumplings, thanks to Luka and her boyfriend Erick, who patiently showed us how to wrap dumplings nicely. My 2010 New Year in China is so memorable because I spent it with a group of amazing people; new friends (my bf friends), my beautiful and true friend Nerissa and my sweetlovingromanticthoughtfulfunnyunderstandingsupportivesmartgwapo (yes, that's all one word, the longest adjective hehehe) boyfriend FJR.

These are the people who made my Chinese New Year meaningful.

Nerissa: Thank you for coming all the way from Shenyang to Beijing just to be with us. I understand that your schedule is so tight but you made it and I really appreciate your time with us. I hope I would be able to visit your place one day. Have a wonderful 2010...as you said in IAU before, "may each of us be the reason for someone to smile." For me you are one of the reasons why I smile. I hope you will find something that will make you smile each day.

Grace: Thank you for spending time with us and for showing us a great place to have fun. I had a wonderful time sledding and having dinner with that Chinese Beef Steak? I love that meal. Thank you for taking great pictures too!

Grace (Beijing Apartment): Thank you for providing us with a nice place to stay with a magnificent view of Beijing Chaoyang District. I would love to stay in that place again. ( I don't have her photo)

Delia: Thank you for playing UNO with us and spending the night in our apartment and giving us the gift card for that expensive Italian restaurant. Congratulations for being an excellent employee in Sadler and for receiving the gift certificate as a reward. Keep it up!

Lisa: Thank you for singing with us and introducing me to a vegetarian restaurant. Wow, honestly it was my first time to be on a vegetarian restaurant and the dishes taste far from being vegetables at all..I love the sausage, steak and most of all the FISH...Xiexie a lot Lisa.. Thanks to your husband and niece, they're kind and sweet.

Christine and Husband: Thank you for your time and for walking with us to Wangfujing street to the camera repair shop and for calling them. I am glad I had the chance to meet such a nice couple like you.Thank you for the flowers. I wish you all the love, joy and prosperity for all the years to come. Congratulations!

Luka and Erick: "Lovers in Beijing" Thank you for the great dinner and most of all for teaching us how to wrap dumplings. Hope to see you again!

Most of all, my New Year and Valentines in China is more than wonderful because of someone who flew all the way from Atlanta to Shanghai, Beijing then back to Shanghai and then to Suzhou to be with me. He made my dream come true and he made me believe that TRUE LOVE exists. He showed me that loving means trusting, respecting, forgiving, believing, giving, having fun, understanding and loving unconditionally. To my boyfriend, Cisco, thank you so much for coming into my life. I Love You....

Snow in Beijing

2010-02-09T02:12:00.001+08:00

Finally I got the chance to hold some snow in my hands and enjoy the white beauty of Beijing.
It was just flurries but for me it was enough to make me feel amazed with how things suddenly turned white. Snow made the place so clean and calm.Walking on it made me feel at peace and I was glad that finally after more than a year in China, my wish was granted.

The Wish-Granting Tree

2010-01-27T16:21:00.004+08:00

I remember attending a Seminar in Cebu Normal University with Mr. J. F. Kong, CEO of Company B, he mentioned that people worry too much and and the truth is more than 90% of those worries don't actually happen. Sometimes, I worry even if there's nothing to worry about. I think the worst scenario even if I got the best. I know that worrying doesn't help and it will only decrease the value of something good. I hope I can totally eliminate worries and live a worry-free day. My former British Boss, late Richard Woodhead used to tell me, when you want something remember PMA (Positive Mental Attitude). He was the perfect example of a person who has PMA all the time. He appeared to be so confident and happy. He always encouraged us and even see the best in us without knowing that he only had few months to live since he had a terminal skin cancer. Richard, you're part of what I am today, thank you so much. Every time I hear, "My Heart Will Go On", I always remember him, since this is his favorite song, he sang this during our farewell party when he went back to the UK. I thought that he was moving his family there for good...

Enjoy the story of the Wish-Granting Tree.

By: Christian Godefroy
(Source: Email from Saires )

This is Randy, my colleague with Saires, my friend in Dubai.

There was once a weary traveler who sat down to rest in the shade

of a tree. He did not know that the tree he rested upon was a

magic tree. It is called " The Wish-Granting Tree."

Seated on the hard ground, he thought how pleasant it would

be if he can sleep in a soft bed. Instantly, a bed appeared before

him. Astonished, the man immediately climbed onto the bed. Then,

he thought that it would be nice if there would be a beautiful

young girl

beside him who would massage his sore legs. At that moment, a

young girl appeared before him and began massaging him.

"I'm so hungry," the man said to himself. "Having something

to eat now would be a great pleasure." Instantly, a table appeared

with delicious foods.

The man rejoiced and began eating and drinking to his heart's

content. His head spun a little and his eyelids grew heavy as

the wine took effect. He stretched himself and was thinking about

the wonderful events that took place on that extraordinary

day.

"I'll sleep for an hour or two," he thought. "The worst that

could happen would be if a tiger wandered by while I'm asleep."

Instantly a tiger appeared and devoured the poor man.

You have a magic tree inside you, waiting to grant your wishes.

But be careful! The same tree can also make your negative thoughts

and fears come true. At the very least it will be influenced by

your negative thoughts, so that the good things you wish for do

not happen.

That's what worrying can do.

I wish with all my heart that you live a life free of worry,

negative thoughts and fear, in the shade and comfort of your

personal Wish-Granting Tree.

What Can Friends Do During Job Interview?

2010-01-26T02:04:00.004+08:00

Job interviews are not fun and no matter who you are or what job position you are applying for, at some point you will feel nervous since you don't know what's in the interviewer's mind.
You may need your friends' help in order to lessen the tension, just like this Pepsi commercial. I'm not promoting pepsi here. :) :) :)

2010 GIST New Year's Party

2010-01-12T16:50:00.000+08:00

These are some photos taken during our school's party to mark the end of 2009 and the end of first semester. This is an advance New Year's Party for Chinese since they will have their New Year this coming February 14th. I am never comfortable singing in front of many people, plus playing the guitar...I'm in trouble. But since they wanted some variety in their presentation not just someone standing there and singing which most of them did, then I agreed. Anyway, it's fun to strum the guitar but I got butterflies in my stomach, I think they were having fun too :)

College President, Mr. Min

Suzhou New District government official.

Administration staff

It's show time! Find me here...

HAPPY NEW YEAR CHINA! 中国新年快乐! zhōng guó xīn nián kuài lè

I am Thankful...

2010-01-12T15:52:00.003+08:00

Source: Friend's email

I received this article from Sai, a friend who is currently working in Dubai. I like the message because it reminds me that I have no reason to complain about life, rather I have many things to be thankful for. I'm truly thankful that I am blessed with great friends and great family. I'm thankful for my boyfriend who taught me the true meaning of love. I'm also thankful for my jobs, because they keep me busy. I'm thankful for my students who don't understand me, because they teach me to be patient and to slow down. I'm thankful to be in China because it makes me understand their culture, although sometimes I am having a hard time. I'm thankful that I could NOT read and understand Chinese so I could feel how it is to be illiterate. I'm thankful for the cold winter because it makes me appreciate our never ending summer back at home. I could go on and on and the lists will never stop.

Here is the article, have fun reading!

I AM THANKFUL:
FOR THE WIFE
WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT,
BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME,
AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

FOR THE HUSBAND
WHO IS ON THE SOFA
BEING A COUCH POTATO,
BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME
AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.

FOR THE TEENAGER
WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES
BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME,
NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM EMPLOYED .

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE
BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,
WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,
AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME .

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING
I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE IT MEANS
WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH. .

FOR THE PARKING SPOT
I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING
AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION .

FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM WARM.

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH
WHO SINGS OFF KEY BECAUSE IT MEANS
I CAN HEAR.

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES
AT THE END OF THE DAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN
CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MUCH E- MAIL
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE
FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.

Live well, Laugh often, & Love with all of your heart!

Half Awake or Half Asleep?

2010-01-07T16:50:00.004+08:00

I wonder if these two phrases has the same meaning with the famous philosophical line about seeing a glass of water as "Half empty or half full." They are both correct but your choice would determine how you view life in general. I wonder if I could apply this idea in my friend's situation last night. If I say that she was "half awake" when we were chatting on skype, would it make me an optimistic person? Or would I become a pessimist if I would say that she was "half asleep"? I was working with my part time job at 2am when she was still awake doing some stuff for her classes. It is not uncommon for her to stay up until 2 or 3am and get up at 7 or 8am and start working. We were both working so we only exchanged few short messages. I was on the phone when she sent three different words to me. First was, lddp which I thought was some acronym about computer stuff. Second was speep, which gave the idea that was she meant was the word "sleep". Third was "speed" so I got another idea that she might have some problems with her internet connection. When I asked her what was that, she was gone, so I just said goodnight and my mind was left wondering what she meant in her last message. She just reviewed the message today and she thought it was funny because what she really meant was "sleep nko", which means "I'll sleep now or simply goodnight." I think this is a cute blooper from someone who is "half awake or half asleep " because I could picture her typing and one eye was closed and the other was opened so she still managed to hit the keyboard. Hehehehe but the other eye refused to opened to she didn't hit the right letters. Sometimes we force our body to stay up so late at night because we have so many things to do, but the brain sometimes doesn't cooperate. I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day, and I wish that we didn't have to sleep like 7-8 hours to make us feel good the next day. If there is something I wish science could do, it would be something that would ELIMINATE sleep from human system so we could fully maximize our 24 hours and we would be able to do more things before our next journey. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE sleeping, but if our body would not long for it then that would be wonderful.
Here is a copy of our chat below. Do you think that she was half awake or half asleep?

My Favorite Youtube Videos

2010-01-06T17:27:00.007+08:00

1. Obladi Oblada Ukelele: This is a future rock star, a Japanese kid.Courtesy to FJR.

2. I'm Yours: Still the Ukelele version from the Japanese kid, I love this song. Courtesy to FJR.

3. More Than Words: This is just awesome, by Sung Ha Jung, a Korean prodigy. He is really great but too serious, unlike the Ukelele kid. Just found in youtube when I was browsing for good acoustic songs.

4. Beijing Huan Ying Ni: I think this is the only song that I heard more than a 100 times while I am here in China, and honestly I love it because it gives me a real feeling that I am welcome here. I love those places in this video as well.

5. Saying I Love You: Sarang He yo, korean song by wondergirls. Courtesy to Jerry.

6. Azul: A Spanish song which means a lot to me for some special reason. Courtesy to FJR.

7. Because I'm a Girl by Kiss: I can say that what the video shows is true love, but I sense that there is a guilt feeling too. What he did is just too selfless. The real meaning of this song is about a girl's pain and suffering after the man she loves left her. The music video shows that the man left her for good reason. Courtesy toNoah (Network Engineering Student GIST)

8. Viva La Vida by Coldplay: I love Coldplay, the song is so meaningful. I have read from yahoo answers that the persona of the song is Jesus Christ. I dream to watch a concert of coldplay. Courtesy to Arthur (Network Engineering Student GIST)

9. Love Story by Taylor Swift: Somehow it relives the childhood feeling of believing that Fairy Tales come true.

10. The Climb by Miley Cyrus: A good song about making our dreams come true. Wow, more than 69 million hits, that's a lot! Courtesy toHanna Montana, the Movie.

2010 is Going to be Exciting!

2010-01-01T17:29:00.000+08:00

I'm looking forward to many great things that will happen this year. I'm positive that things will be great. I still haven't decided if I am going to stay in China for another year or go back home and do a home based job. Either way, it would be just great. I feel that this year will be the best year for me. I will be turning 30 years old in a few months. Although many experts say that we should disregard numbers in order to live life to the fullest, I just can't help but feel excited about being in my 30s. I may be 30 years old but sometimes I feel like I have lived for a long time and have done many things. I'm thankful for all the years I had and for every new seconds that I breath and be with the people I love.
A happy 2010 for everyone!

New Year's Resolution: Be Happy!

2009-12-31T21:41:00.000+08:00

It would be nice if everyone would make HAPPINESS as his/her new year's resolution.
I admit that with our struggle to reach our goals and meet the society's standards sometimes we forget to stop
and smile and think of happy moments. When we feel happy things seem to be easy and everyone seems to be nicer and CNN is right, "Being UNHAPPY is NOT socially acceptable." We can always find things that can make us happy. For me, little things can make me happy such as my first train ride, my first plane ride, saying my first Chinese words, taking pictures, chatting with my friends, listening music, watching movies, talking to my family, helping my family, doing my job to the best of my ability, eating peanuts and sunflower seeds, being in warm place in this cold winter, seeing snow, visiting new places and most of all spend time with someone I love.

Dream and Travel

2009-12-31T21:31:00.007+08:00

My friends and I once dreamed of working abroad and visiting one of the wonders of the world. It was a dream that we knew would be possible by working since we don't have the luxury of money and time for travel abroad. Few years ago we all wanted to experience life away from home. Three of us realized our dreams. One found her true love and got married in India. She already visited Taj Mahal, which one of the 7 wonders of the world. Then the other one went to Seoul, South Korea to work as a private tutor. She visited many interesting places in Seoul. She was very positive about our plans and she said that if we should leave the Philippines, we should leave on the same day. We didn't really leave on the same day, but it was just 3 days difference. Before her trip to Korea, we went to many job fairs, agencies, bought newspapers every Sunday and use the most powerful took, the Internet. We often visited the internet cafe to search for ESL (English as a Second Language) job opportunities in any Asian countries. We responded to a lot of online advertisements and at the same we posted our resume to different free online job listings. I decided to buy a desktop computer and hooked it up with Smart Wifi Broadband so I could focus on my job search abroad. We dreamed and we realized them. How? We set a time limit, we decided that before we reach our 30s we should at least visit one foreign country. Now, we are both in China and we have both seen one of the 7 wonders in the world which is found in China, The Great. It's such a great feeling when we fulfill our dreams.
To visit and live in another country is a challenging experience, culture is very different yet we learn to respect and understand them.

Happy New Year to all of my friends!To Leah in Indian, Neriz in China, Sai in Dubai, Jerry and Joy in Philippines, my family in the Philippines and to the most special person in my life, the love of my life, FJR. I miss you and I love you all...

Merry Christmas Suzhou - 圣诞快乐苏州

2009-12-27T14:53:00.003+08:00

As I walked in the city center in Suzhou yesterday, I was amazed with their Christmas decorations. Honestly, I was not expecting to see a big Christmas tree and a Chinese Santa Clause on his sleigh with a two reindeer. I noticed that their malls put some Christmas trees and Christmas lights too. I went to Wanda Mall and the first thing I noticed was the big Christmas tree right at the entrance. I went to another big shopping mall in Suzhou New District and I saw a big Christmas tree outside. I admit that it is a little strange for me looking at those Christmas decorations and feeling that something is missing. I felt that the Christmas decoration is just a picture or a plain poster which nobody notices that they're there. I didn't feel the warmth and joyful spirit. among the people around. According to my Chinese friend, the church near her apartment was packed with people on the Christmas eve and most of them were Chinese. I wonder if Chinese people are beginning to celebrate Christmas because they believe in Jesus Christ or just because it's fun to celebrate it, or it's beautiful to see some colorful Christmas lights or fit's just for business. Whatever their reason is, I'm still glad that everyone seems to know the word "Christmas". They won't say, "Ting Pudong" or "I don't understand" if you happen to talk about it.

圣诞快乐苏州- Merry Christmas Suzhou! -shèng dàn kuài lè sū zhōu -

(Is Santa looking at me? How do you say, "say cheese" in Chinese? Santa please say cheese, not kiss... hehe)

My Christmas Day

2009-12-25T15:16:00.010+08:00

Christmas day activities.

8:00 AM-11:40AM: class with English level A students.
1:00 PM-4:00 PM: office hours, check for homework and update the class record files (soft copy and hard copy)
5:00-6:00PM: dinner
6:00-7:30PM: prepare for online lessons
7:30-8:30PM: online class (students didn't show up...FJR time :)
8:30-11:00PM...FJR time...makes my day complete!

.........I had a wonderful Christmas!

On Closing Doors...

2009-12-23T14:44:00.004+08:00

I wonder why most of them (teachers,staff and students) never learn to close doors. We are supposed to be in the office after our class teaching hours. That is if we only have 2 teaching hours in a day, that would mean we have to stay in the office for 6 hours. Usually this is the time for me to prepare my lessons and check homework and do other stuff like chatting with students on qq. We just moved into a new office where I and my Canadian co-teacher are seated right next to the entrance door. In southern part of China, such as Suzhou, buildings don't have heating system. Usually they have to use air-conditioners heaters but they rarely use them, perhaps they consume too much electricity. I understand this since it's important to save energy. What I don't understand is that, no matter how big the sign, "Keep Door Closed" in English and Chinese, only few people seem to understand it. The temperature is really freezing and this month it's always below zero degree Celsius, so literally I freeze my butt when I stay in the office. Canada is even colder than China, but my friend said, that this place is even colder that his country because people love open doors, breath fresh air and freeze during this winter season. I just wonder though, do schools in China teach this basic skill to close doors when they enter and leave the room? It's just annoying that you have to tell everyone to do it when you're busy doing something. We're lucky if someone is going inside so we could tell him nicely to close the door but if someone is going out, then my friend has to stand up and close the door. These days I've noticed that he's really being annoyed with his new job, being the door man.
I hope they would learn to close doors specially when air conditioner heaters are not on. It would really help a lot.

In China, Do as Chinese Do?

2009-12-21T11:01:00.002+08:00

"In Rome, Do as Romans Do." Does it mean that in China, I have to do what Chinese people do? Well, I have this saying in mind before leaving for China last year. I have read about Chinese culture, specially when it comes to eating. I saw the exotic food in Beijing when it was shown on television before the Beijing 2008 Olympics. I was thinking that eating snakes and scorpions would be some of the exceptions of not being a Roman in Rome. I don't have any problem with following or respecting their culture at all. In fact, I tried hard, just like eating dog barbecue and going to a public bath. I couldn't say no since everyone was eating it and any dish with a dog meat is the specialty of Xuzhou, a city located in the northern part of Jiangsu Province. They asked me if I have tried and I said "No". I was about to add that I didn't have any plan to try, but before I could say it, they were asking me to try, saying that I would love it because it was delicious. It was the look on their faces that made me try. They look so sincere and anxious to see my reaction so I did it. When I started biting the barbecue I was thinking it was pork and I muttered, "hmmmmm hao chi." That simple statement made them smiled. So, they ordered more and put more on my plate. By the way, they love to serve you with anything, and even if you're so stuffed, you just have to try every dish that they would offer. Chinese people love having big meals during their Spring Festivals, so you don't have to worry about being hungry.

When it comes to trying their exotic food, such as beetles, scorpions, silk worms and snakes, I think I still need a lot of courage to do this. For now, I could say, that in China, I am trying to do what Chinese do.

New Divide (LP)

2009-12-11T22:18:00.004+08:00

I just wanted some noise because silence is deafening and I found this new single by Linkin Park. Don't get me wrong, I love Linkin Park, this song is made specially for the movie, Transformers Revenge of the Fallen.
This song states that there are two sides or differences among people which can result to disagreement and sometimes it's difficult to reconcile, thus creating a wall, a New Divide.

"So give me reason to prove me wrong, to wash this memory clean
Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes across this new divide"

Facebook Farm Store Useful in Teaching

2009-12-08T21:13:00.003+08:00

I was searching for some items in ebay for my English class with a 9-year old Korean girl.

I copy pasted some, such as shoes, camera, and other stuff. I had to copy them one by one. Suddenly, I remembered Facebook farm store. I clicked the store and chose animals. I decided to use it and used print screen to copy them. I used paint to delete XP points and just left the price which is in coins. I was the buyer and my student was the seller. I asked how much is each item and I then gave more than the price and asked her how much the change was. At first she had hard time saying the price in English because she said that she only learned numbers in Math which is in Korean language. For 400 she would say, 4-0-0 or 4 and 2 zeros. I just discovered that she has a good mathematical skills. She was too quick to say, "your change is 4-0-0." The lesson was a good chance to teach her how to say numbers in English such as 100, 200, 300 up to 1000.

After I deleted the XP points, leaving only the price

First I used the animal category, but after we finished it she wanted to sell more things and asked me to make another list. I quickly printed trees and flowers on paint and saved them in .jpg format so I could send it to her. During the lesson she asked me why the items were so expensive. I told her that they were only used as an example and in a game. She said that she likes selling something because when she grows up she wanted to sell bags and shoes just like her friend's parents.

Sample of the lesson flow:

Teacher: How much is your chicken?

Student: It costs 500 dollars.

Teacher: Okay, I will give you 1000. How much is my change?

Student: I will give you 500.

We use this pattern until the last item, and later on she decided to change the price because thought they are too expensive, so she made the trees just 10 dollars from 1300 facebook price.

I also taught her the idea of bargaining. I tried to asked for a lower price and most of the time she said no and she would give the final price which is not too far from the original price.

The last part is using the superlative form of adjective, focusing on the words such as cheapest, most expensive, most beautiful and strongest.

According to the picture, the most expensive animal is the Bull and the cheapest is the chicken.

According to her, the most beautiful animal is the White Rabbit and the strongest is the Bull.

It was fun, I didn't think that my game could be a source of a 30-minute lesson.

When Did a Prison Become an Attraction?

2009-12-04T22:46:00.003+08:00

I used to think that a prison is the last place that any tourist would consider visiting. I remember when one of my nephews had a field trip and one of their destinations was a jail in Zamboanga city. I was surprised the school included that place for their trip. There were many terrorists in that prison and most of them killed a lot of people in western Mindanao. My sis-in-law said that they just witnessed the prisoners making Christmas lanterns and other crafts. I was scared for them because I never wanted to visit a prison thinking that those people might escape and harm everyone around. I was always thinking that a prison is a hell on earth, the last place that one would want to live. How could one truly live when he is in a cage like a wild animal or a bird? What difference does a man have from an animal when he is in prison? I also think that authorities beat them or are harsh on them when they break some rules in the prison or caught them trying to escape. There are also gang fights and bloodshed among prisoners and if they're serious it can cause one's death. I had a very negative image of a prison until I started watching Prison Break. Then I come to love the story of each character, specially the leading character, Michael Scoffield. The show somehow changed my concept about some of the prisoner's stories.

In 2007, one of our BPO clients from the USA said,

"So your prisoners there in Cebu are good dancers huh?" and he laughed.

I was puzzled so I asked him? "Have you visited the prison here in Cebu?"

He said, "No, I have never been to your city or any place in the Philippines."
"I have seen it from a tv news and from youtube that inmates in your city are all dancing."

"Oh, I see! Right, they just want to entertain the world." I replied quickly because honestly I didn't have any idea about their dancing performance and them being on the news. So after I hanged up I quickly search the information in youtube and I was ashamed because it's in my city yet I didn't know about it. I think that time I didn't know what is tv because I had to work at night talk to US and UK decision makers and my boss and our company managing direcror were always at my back asking for more closed deals......arrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggg! Then in the morning I had to rush to my part time job where I had to face my Japanese and Korean students. For 2 years in the BPO industry I could say that the tv missed me and I didn't know what's happening around, unless it concerns about the business SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). The inmates dancing was becoming a hit in youtube. I think that the administrator has a very good intention for doing this, for he believes that letting these people dance would rehabilitate them. I also believe that making them follow all the dance steps is an achievement considering that these people are in prison because they're lawbreakers.

Now, many people, specially the reporters are interested in visiting the prison to witness their monthly performance. The prison has turned into one of the destinations that one should consider visiting when they go and visit Cebu. Well, dancing is better than sleeping in their cell. Great job Byron!

Here are some of their videos.

"Thriller" by Michael Jackson

"Jai Ho" from the movie, Slumdog Millionnaire

Untitled Spanish Poem

2009-12-04T16:57:00.002+08:00

Author: Unknown

I was searching for a Spanish poem and I found one on a website selling poetry gifts so the poem was printed on a picture therefore copy-paste feature is not possible. I typed it on a notepad because I wanted to see the English translation. I understand some words, such as corazon, lugar, solo and a few more but I couldn't understand the entire message so I had to translate it using google. I was surprised with the result since the English poem is exactly the one I got yesterday. I just love this poem and it's funny how I found the same piece which was given and read by someone so special. I think it has a very special reason.
Thank you so much!

Spanish version

Hay un lugar especial en mi corazon
Que solo tu puede tocar-
un lugar donde puedo ir y te siento cerca.
Durante el dia pienso en ti.
Miro tu sonrisa, oigo tu voz
Y en mis pensamientos apareces amorosamente.
La manera en que nos amamos uno a otro
Hace mas dificil estar separados
Por eso aunque no te puedo tener en mis brazos
Yo te tengo en mi corazon.

English version

There's a special place in my heart

that only you can touch -

a place where I can go and feel you near.

Throughout the day I think of you.

I see your smile, hear your voice

and in my thoughts you lovingly appear.

The way we love each other

makes it hard to be apart

so when I can't hold you in my arms,

I hold you in my heart

Bring Excellence to Life

2009-12-03T18:11:00.002+08:00

Author: Ralph Marston

You cannot achieve excellence just by proclaiming it to be. Excellence is built in the details.

Attend faithfully and competently to the details, while staying true to your purpose. That is how to bring excellence into your world.

What is done with genuine love is done with excellence. Let love guide you in each moment, and you will consistently create excellence.

Excellence resonates with what is true, what is good and authentically valuable, with what is right. Work with honesty, integrity, and a commitment to truth, and excellence will permeate the results.

Intention is critical, yet excellence does not come from good intentions alone. Excellence comes from actions persistently and consistently guided by the highest and most authentic intentions.

In each thing you do is the opportunity to create excellence. Again and again, bring excellence to life, and live true to your highest purpose.

Philippines Call Center Bloopers

2009-12-02T17:19:00.002+08:00

Source:internet/email

Actual c0nversati0n from a technical acc0unt in C-Cubed (Cust0mer C0ntact Center)

TSR: 0kay sir, Let's check if y0u wiLL be abLe t0 g0 0nLine n0w...

CUST: yes... (yes Lang ng yes kase et0ng HAPON na it0... )

TSR: type in www.yahoo.com

CUST: what? yahoo.cot?

TSR: n0 sir... yahoo.com...

CUST: yahoo.cot?

TSR: n0 sir... com... C-O-M

CUST: cot?

TSR: (asar na) .com sir!

CUST: aahhh... yahoo.cot.

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

TSR: It's C as in CAT.

CUST: what?

TSR: C as in CAT. C-A-T... me0w me0w...

(ayuz! very specific na yan ha baka hindi m0 pa magets...)!

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

CS: Thank you for calling... this is Candy, how may I help you?

Cust: What did you say your name was... Mandy?

CS: No, sir, it's Candy...

Cust: Sorry, can't hear ya... didja say Mandy?

CS: No, sir.. Candy, sir... Candy... as in Storck!!!

(oohhh... now I get it!!!)

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

CS: Was that a "B" as in boy or a "B" as in bravo?

Cust: Uhhmmm... how about "B" as in boy...

(good choice...)

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

CS: Alright, let me verify that... Was that a "G" as in golf?

Cust (with a different accent): NO! That was a "G" as! in GEBRA! (z as in zebra)

Oh, Gebra!!! like the one in the Goo?!!!... Gusme... Gon't gou get git?)

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

CS: Yeah, sir... sir... are you there?

Cust: Yes, yes, I'm there!

(siguro naglalaro sila ng Counter...)

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

CS: Sir, do you have NET-ESCAPE there?

Cust: Huh?... Oh!!!.. No, I have MSN IN-NERNET EXPLODER here...

(... makes sense to me!!!)

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

TS: Ok, sir... do u have a PEN and a PENCIL ready?

Cust: What?!!

TS: Oh, Im sorry, sir... Do u have a PEN and a BALLPEN ready?...

(klap! klap! klap!)

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

ethernet cord connected???...

Cust: Tha Hwhut??? (with alabama accent)

TS: Yung yellow cord, mheem...

(oh-oow ngee nehmeeennn..)

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

CS: ...That's E as in I-KOW... (echo)

(oki lang yan, Dong...)

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

CS: I w! as hoping you can take this survey with me... Would you have the time to do that, sir?

Contact: How long is this gonna to take?

CS: Mmm.. MGA three minutes....

(ay shyet!!!)

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

CS: ...I'd like to speak with Billy Thompson please???

Contact: He's not in. Would you like to leave a message in his voicemail?

CS: Sure, SIGE...

(ay shyet, ulet!!!)

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

TS: Ok, sir... Could you please drag the icon UPSTAIRS?...

(... lemme try...)

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

Cust (US): So how's the weather there?

CS: Well... it's kinda cloudy today, sir...

Cust: Oh really?!!!... So where are you located?

CS: Sir, your call has been re-routed in ORTIGAS!!!...

(... dats nir Mexico...)

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

TS: Alright, we're going to perform a checkdisk... that is for us to see if your hard drive has errors in it.please type in C-H-K-D-S-K...

Cust: What is that again?

TS: C-H-K-D-S-K... that is... C as in Charlie... H as in Harley... K as in Karly... D as in Darley... S as in Sarley... and K as in Karly...

(gleng-gleng... bagong version...)
----------------------------------------
Tech Support: "O.K. Bob, let's press the control and escape keys at the same time. That brings up a task list in the middle of the screen. Now type the letter "P" to bring up the Program Manager."
Customer: "I don't have a 'P'."
Tech: "On your keyboard, Bob."
Customer: "What do you mean?"
Tech: "'P' on your keyboard, Bob."
Customer: "I'm Not going to do that!"

"No Promises" by Shayne Ward

2009-11-30T17:44:00.002+08:00

Another song by Shayne Ward that I like at the moment.

"Breathless" by Shayne Ward

2009-11-30T17:41:00.001+08:00

click the link below to see the music video

(youtube video)

If our love was a fairytale
I would charge in and rescue you
On a yacht baby we would sail
To an island where we’d say I do

And if we had babies they would look like you
It’d be so beautiful if that came true
You don’t even know how very special you are

Chorus

You leave me breathless
You’re everything good in my life
You leave me breathless
I still can’t believe that you’re mine
You just walked out of one of my dreams
So beautiful you’re leaving me
Breathless

And if our love was a story book
We would meet on the very first page
The last chapter would be about
How I’m thankful for the life we’ve made

And if we had babies they would have your eyes
I would fall deeper watching you give life
You don’t even know how very special you are

You leave me breathless
You’re everything good in my life

You leave me breathless
I still can’t believe that you’re mine
You just walked out of one of my dreams
So beautiful you’re leaving me

You must have been sent from heaven to earth to change me
You’re like an angel
The thing that I feel is stronger than love believe me
You’re something special
I only hope that I’ll one day deserve what you give me
But all I can do is try
Every day of my life

You leave me breathless
You’re everything good in my life
You leave me breathless
I still can’t believe that you’re mine
You just walked out of one of my dreams
So beautiful you’re leaving me
Breathless
Breathless

Wrong Question or Correct Answer?

2009-11-29T20:17:00.004+08:00

I thought that exposing students to native English speakers would be a good experience for the class since most of them haven't tried communicating with a foreigner in any means. I thought using my skype would be the best idea since I purchased a plan for USA and Canada. Before the activity, I gave an example of conversation between a hotel receptionist and a customer who wanted to book a hotel room. It was simple and to help them understand the dialogue better, I explained the idea using more examples and using pictures so everything would be clear. Their task was to ask for a price of a hotel room, and they only needed to read the questions because I already wrote them on the board. I just wanted to see if a native speaker could understand the way they speak and in return is to test their listening skills. We only called to inquire for the price, and they could either say, "How much is your single room," or "Do you have a vacant room for this coming...?" All they need to do was just read the sentences out loud. I made the first call and after I got the price I thanked the person and hang up. They were all quiet for a moment. I asked if they heard what the other person said. Most of them said yes. So I thought they were ready. I wrote some expressions that they could use such as, "Good morning, Thank you, please, hold on, one moment please and have a great day." I asked if someone was ready to go first then the class pointed to a boy at the back. They said, "ta..ta...ta..." it means, "he". I called the boy to come forward and I was glad that he stood right away and took the mic. I asked him where he would like to call and he said that he wanted to call a 5 star hotel in Houston Texas, USA. Using google, I quickly searched for 5 star hotels in Houston. When I found the list with phone numbers I made sure that he clearly understood what to do. I asked everyone to listen for the conversation. Before dialing the number, I wanted to add a phrase for him to use which is, "could you repeat that please" or simply saying "pardon me" to make the person repeat what he said.

I asked the class if they could provide the phrase,

"Class what would you say if you couldn't understand the person in the other line?"

Everyone seemed to be thinking, then suddenly a boy at back answered,

"Just say, Can you please speak Chinese?".

I responded by saying, "Good luck! I hope you can find a receptionist who can speak Chinese."

Most of them were laughing so I had to wait for a few minutes for them to calm down. We got someone from Houston who was so friendly and helpful. The student was able to get the most important information which is the price of a single hotel room. He asked for the total price of 5 nights stay and everyone was shocked after I converted the rate to RMB. The total price for 5 nights was 15,500 Chinese Yuan, before tax and without breakfast. They were all saying "wahhhhhhh!" The next student called New York 5 star hotel and most of them said "wahhhh" again because 5 nights was 18, 755 RMB, if I remember it right I think the name of the hotel is New York Palace. Honestly, I don't understand why these hotel room charges are so high,when we get the same sleep we're getting when we're at home, at the airport of even out there in the street? Don't tell me it's the food, because breakfast is not included. I wonder, is the bed made of gold?

I'm Thinking About Food

2009-11-25T16:10:00.004+08:00

I miss those hot summer days when I don't have to wear a lot. I miss the warm sunshine and the warm breeze when I left my windows opened at night. Those were the days when I didn't have to think about electric blanket, heater and food a lot. The changing seasons in China is one of the reasons why I really wanted to be here, to feel what it is like in autumn, winter and spring. This is my second year in China and I am happy that I was part of their four seasons. Now, I'm facing the cold winter again, and my colleague said, it should not be too hard for me since it's my second year. Perhaps he was right, I should not be feeling too cold since I already had an idea what it feels during winter, but I couldn't control my body from shivering when the temperature drops below 5 degrees Celsius. I turn my heater on to 30 degrees and I wear at least 3 clothes but I still feel that I'm going to freeze. All I wanted to do is stay in my warm bed all day and think about those delicious food, but I don't even have the motivation to go to the city and enjoy a good meal. I'm still looking forward to see some snow. They said that perhaps this year it will snow in Suzhou since this is the coldest year for the past decades in China. I would love to see some snow through my glass windows. I'm sure the temperature will be below 0. Well, of all the four seasons, I love Spring the most. I can pick some flowers such as wild roses from the bushes. I'm feeling lazy this winter season and I'm just thinking about delicious food that I have tasted during my stay here.

Here are some photos of the food that I enjoyed in the past few months.

Hot and Spicy Fresh Water Fish.(from Tai Lake Suzhou)

"Hot Pot" Ideal for winter, mixed vegetables and meat with Kung Fu Noodles.

(a man made the noodles while doing actions like Kung Fu)

Hot and Spicy snails...so delicious. Sold in the street restaurants.

A big fish in a small pan? It was tasty, I wish I knew the name.

Fried Chicken Value Meal with fried banana balls and tomato.

I love those fried banana with eggs. Hmmmm

Fried rice with meat and egg.

Hot beef with tomato soup.

Shrimps with cheese and "others" so delicious..cheesy.

Rice with meat in pineapple, beans and shrimp

Sichuan Hot and Spicy chicken..super spicy but so delicious,

I just love this dish but I forgot the restaurant, it's somewhere near

Guan Qian Street, Suzhou.

I thought we ordered "broccoli" but not the first time though.

So my friend and I said, is this "Chinese Broccoli"?

I guess we pointed the wrong picture,
it's hard to be illiterate....

Finally we got the broccoli but from another restaurant.

Beijing Roast Duck, so crispy, juicy and delicous....

Exotic barbecue stands in Wang Fu Jing Street, Beijing.

I couldn't take a good picture because the owner tried

to chase us with his knife or stick. You can find snake,

Cicada, scorpion and vegetables barbecues. I just

love vegetable barbecue like mushrooms and pepper.

A Reason to Smile

2009-11-19T18:41:00.013+08:00

A few days ago, I felt that teaching was the most difficult job in the world. I was staring into a pair of 61 eyes and all I could see in those eyes were the words, "I don't care" and "I don't understand". I felt that I was giving everything yet I still see so many students with no interest in learning English. I decided to find out what type of learners do we have and so I changed my lesson the following week. Instead of giving them short dialogues and stories to read, I decided to use Dr. Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences which is basically a lecture type. I made few simple YES/NO questions for each type for them to easily identify their abilities.

The class with 61 students didn't disappoint me. More than half of the class said that they are Body Smart people, that they love sports and other outdoor activities than any other things. The rest fell under people smart, musical smart, number smart, nature smart and self smart. Out of 61, only one said that he likes to learn a foreign language specially English. At least there was someone in that room that made me smile.Then, going to the next class, I was expecting the same result. So, I just went on with the discussion and finally asked questions to more than 40 students. There were more than half of them who said they to learn English so much and that they enjoy our English class. When I asked about one girl about her ability she said she is musical smart and word smart. So I asked her if she could sing any English song. The class supported my request by saying, "sing..sing..sing". The girl started singing, "My Heart Will Go On". She has a really nice voice and the class gave her a big round of applause. Another boy was inspired by her song so he also sang, "God is a Girl", a song which I heard before but I actually didn't know its title. The singer is a girl but the boy gave justice to the song. He really did well.
Here is the video from youtube. No wonder this song has become no. 1 in China.

The last boy really surprised me when he said he can sing and dance like Michael Jackson. I thought he would do moonwalk or some Michael Jackson moves, but the class applauded more when he started singing "Nobody" and doing those cute moves from right to left by Wondergirls.

I just felt that the students would do best once they are given the chance to do what they can do best. I always believe that teachers can motivate students, but that's just 50%, the students should add 50% of that motivation in order for learning to take place. That day, they gave me reason to smile :)

Tug of War

2009-11-10T17:57:00.003+08:00

These are the teachers and staff enjoying the opening of workers’ day celebration in our school last September 4, 2009. Our department, The International Business Department didn’t make it since there are many female teachers than male. The rule of the game is just to have the same number for each department regardless of one’s weight or gender. I remember when we did it back in college when the rule was a little strict since the coach had to weigh all the players for each team and had the same number of females for each team.

Common Sense Obituary Printed in the London Times

2009-11-10T17:27:00.007+08:00

Author: Unknown

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has
been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since
his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
Why the early bird gets the worm;
Life isn't always fair;
and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more
than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in
charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but
overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy
charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended
from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for
reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job
that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly
children. It declined even further when schools were required to get
parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but
could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have
an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the religious organizations became businesses; and
criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took
a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own
home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to
realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her
lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded
in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his spouse, Discretion, by
his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now,
Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

Spiderman ReturnS

2009-11-04T22:53:00.002+08:00

I had fun watching these two men while they were cleaning the glass walls of the college restaurant. I was glad I noticed them that day since few days after taking this photo I found one of them outside my room, in the terrace, wiping the glass. I wondered how he got there since I was inside my room and all the main doors were locked. Then I remembered this scene and I thought, " Oh, Spiderman is outside my room". Then few minutes later another man appeared hanging on a rope just like the one on this photo. I just waved at them and said my overused Chinese phrase "Ni Hao".

Fun Farming at Farmtown

2009-11-03T22:01:00.002+08:00

I could say that I am still addicted to farming in Facebook Farmtown. I was glad that I accepted my friend's invitation to start farming. At first I didn't think it was interesting since I only saw a small plot with a few plowed plots and planted with potatoes. I didn't realize how interactive the game is. Later on, my friend Leah, taught me how to make my farm look better by removing the spaces in between plots. I wanted to plant more and plowed more plots but the problem was I didn't have enough money to buy seeds. Again, my friend helped me by letting me harvest and plowed in her farm. While I was harvesting, her husband joined and we were chatting in her farm and later on he also hired me to work in his farm. It was fun, I was working while we were having a conference chat. It's like an IM where you can send a real time message when you are both online. It has also a function that would let you send an offline message if your friend is not online. I started to get interested when I went to the market place and saw many people looking for jobs and shouting phrases like,"Hire me!" " I need a job!" "The baby is hungry!" "I need some job to feed my family!" "I'm a good harvester!" "I'm a fast worker!" and many more. I had fun at the marketplace. I stayed for a few minutes without saying anything, but a farmer hired me to harvest his farm. I earned a lot and I went up to a higher level. I asked him how could I hire someone to work for my farm, and he said that I needed to have at least 10 neighbors. So from there I invited some friends to be my neighbors and also tried to befriend other farmers and asked them to be my neighbors. I finally got the privilege to hire someone to harvest and plow my farm. The most interesting part of this game is the fact you have to work in order to get something. If you want to buy a house then you have to work for it. To get more money, I worked a lot in other farms, planted every spaces in my farm and sold some gifts. Now, I can just visit my farm to see if harvest is ready, then go to the marketplace to hire someone to harvest and plow then plant some seeds and get back to work. It's virtual farming yet it's fun since I can "reap what I sow."

Ginkgo Leaves and a Butterfly

2009-10-31T17:39:00.002+08:00

I love these ginkgo leaves. These are the only trees inside our school that make me feel that there is fall in Suzhou, China. All the trees here in our school remain green throughout the year except these ginkgo trees. I feel sad when they sweep these leaves away. I don't really think of them as rubbish in fact I think that they make the place beautiful by spreading gold in the ground.

Purple Envelope

2009-10-30T00:00:00.003+08:00

I went to China Post yesterday at 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon.

I gave the letter to the man who was asking something or telling something when I arrived.

He looked at my letter and laughed. He also said that my letter was in "Yinyu" English and asked the woman to tell me something. The woman also got the letter and then without saying anything turned around, got her phone and started pressing. Then got a pen and paper and wrote something, so I figured that she was using a dictionary on her phone. She handed the paper with the two English words, "change envelope". I stared at my purple envelope and asked the man, "weishenme?" why? But he just said, "Ting Pudong" which means "I don't understand" and got inside and took something inside the box. He came back and gave me a brown envelope and doing some actions to let me transfer the contents of my purple envelope. I did it quickly so I could just put the stamps and go back to school. When I sealed the envelope, the man showed his watch and pointed at the door, saying something like "shabar le, ni...mingtian...san.." and making the sign of 3 so I guessed that means I had to come back at 3pm the next day, since mingtian means tomorrow, san means three. I'm not so sure with "shabarle" since but since he was pointing the door so I guessed that means they were closed. I said okay, "xie xie ni ", thank you and left with my two envelopes. I wondered why they didn't like my purple envelope. I bought it from Carrefour, and I wonder why they are selling purple envelope that is not accepted in China Post standard.

Short Story: Love, Wealth and Success

2009-10-28T16:42:00.000+08:00

Author: Unknown

A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them.

She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat."

"Is the man of the house home?", they asked.

"No", she said. "He's out."

"Then we cannot come in", they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened.
"Go tell them I am home and invite them in!" He said.

The woman went out and invited the men in.

"We do not go into a House together," they replied.

"Why is that?" she wanted to know.

One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed.
"How nice!!", he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!"

His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"

Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"

"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife. "Go out and invite Love to be our guest."

The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest"
Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him.

Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success, "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!"

Desiderata Narrated in Spanish

2009-10-20T15:20:00.011+08:00

This is an amazing oral interpretation of Desiderata by Arturo Benavides, a Mexican actor. I believe that he did a great job in delivering this inspirational poem in Spanish. His voice is full of emotion that even if I could only understand a few words, I just can't stop admiring his soulful voice. Thumbs up! Gracias Arturo and RIP...

"Desiderata" (Latin for "desired things", plural of desideratum) is an inspirational prose poem by Max Ehrmann about attaining happiness in life. It begins: Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. Ehrmann first copyrighted it in 1927, but it was widely circulated in the 1960s without attribution to him. This copyright was renewed in 1954 by Bertha Ehrmann.
This prose poem is written by Max Ehrmann (1872 – 1945), a poet and lawyer from Terre Haute, Indiana, is its author. It has been reported[by whom?] that Desiderata was inspired by an urge that Ehrmann wrote about in his diary: "I should like, if I could, to leave a humble gift -- a bit of chaste prose that had caught up some noble moods." Conventional belief is that Ehrmann actually wrote the prose himself and copyrighted it in 1927.(wikipedia)

DESIDERATA

By Max Ehrmann (1872 – 1945)

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

When Technology Fails

2009-10-19T19:30:00.002+08:00

Angelita H. Cuevas

I spent my summer holidays in the Philippines trying to learn something new, and something that I really like doing. I enrolled in Web Designing class for 30 hours and it was great. I learned how web designers create those HTML codes and CSS, but I couldn't make them myself. Well, using the software one doesn't have to worry about any html knowledge. It's just that some people spent their college lives learning how to do programming and created those codes and then someone had put them together in a software when we only have to perform simple tasks such us the basic clicking technique. It was nice to play around with Dreamweaver and Flash, so I decided to ask a friend to install the software in my laptop since she got the original copy. I left the Philippines with the software installed in my pc. I didn't expect that my computer would crash and lost that most important program. I was just glad that I was able to access safe mode by pressing F8 then I followed HP Total care advisor on how to retrieve the OS back to an earlier date. I was too scared that I would lose everything including the original Home Vista Basic since I was just not ready to do any higher technical task. I sent a message to my IT friend in the Philippines and he said that I can still access my desktop by pressing F8 that's how I got the Help care advisor. But it took me more than 4 hours to get my pc running. I only got the OS in it and lost everything. I felt so sad, but it was not the first time that I had to say goodbye to my files. I already lost a lot of photos from my 2GB memory card when one of my nieces or nephews accidentally erased the files in my digicam. I just told myself that I can always take another photos, and they're just inanimate objects, no feelings. With that I just learned to say goodbye, but with my computer issues, I just wanted to cry but again it's just a thing. No use of feeling bad since a computer or a digicam can't even return the feeling, no matter how smart these inventions are, they are not smart enough to feel what we feel. So with those successive technical failures, I learned two important lessons: BACK UP FILES if not, then LEARN TO SAY GOODBYE...As the saying goes, "It's no use crying over spilled milk."

The Web and I 10 Years Ago

2009-10-16T14:58:00.004+08:00

I am a big fan of this latest inventions, in fact I can say that all of the computer technologies are here to make our lives easier. With the development of information technology even someone like me who doesn't have any background in computer hardware and software can greatly benefit from this new era, The Computer Technology World. I remember just having one computer subject way back in college and it was just offered for one term that 's about five months with at least 20-hour class for the whole term. If I think about the number of hours I would think that one can learn much specially it was just basic computer manipulation, like getting to touch the keyboard, the monitor, CPU and other stuff. But the problem was I only attended twice as far as I could remember. One time when the class was held in the computer lab and we were asked to open an blank MS Word document and type anything we like. The next time I attended the class was when the teacher was introducing how to insert a picture on the MS Word, after that I didn't know what happened. I had to drop the class since it I couldn't work and go to class at the same time. I chose to keep my part time job. I had to retake the subject and the next time the professor was more into lecture type, giving notes and letting us memorized things. He only used the computer lab only a few times and I could say that any programs on that computer were strange but one thing I like the most was the blue icon with a small letter "e" with a small yellow belt around it, the internet explorer. I stayed more hours in our internet library since the student assistant was my friend so I can use the computers for free. That was not fair for other students but if I didn't do that I wouldn't have a chance to get into the web. I couldn't use the internet often since the Jesuit would charge us 50 cents for an hour. Anyway, I would only use the computer lab when there were less students. The first email account I got was from eudoramail. The first search engine I used was lycos. I didn't know about yahoo or google that time. I like the idea of finding things from the internet. I also met few online friends using http://www.robs-place.com and pinoychat.com. I enjoyed what I got from the internet so much that I even read the summary of stories we discussed in World Literature. I remember giving the summary of Oedipus Rex in class emphasizing the theme of the story since I have already read it online. It's amazing how information technology makes my life easier and from learning MS Word to learning other programs is something that I am always grateful for all those brilliant people who don't stop innovating.

A Pretty Face with an Amazing Voice

2009-10-15T11:23:00.005+08:00

I love this pretty little girl. My students love this song too but they prefer "Westlife" version. Yes, back in high school and college I also love this group and spent most of my weekend watching MTV because of them. I love the way Connie Talbot sings it since she is so young and the message of the song really fits her. I love her smile, it's just perfect. This is one of my favorite songs, a source of inspiration.

"I believe in angels, something good in everything I see." I guess this is true for every person as well. No matter how bad a person is there is always something good in him, it's just that sometimes we prefer to see the dark sides which is easier than looking for something good. For most people, finding mistakes is a common thing, but appreciating someone for a job well done is something that only preschoolers would always hear from their teachers. I can still remember my first grade teachers' lively and sincere, "very good" remarks specially that cute red script on top of the paper. I used to collect them and my father and mother would pay all my "very good" and "100" papers at the end of the week. I was motivated to get more "100s" and "very goods" not just for the sake of money, but the fact that my mother really kept them and sometimes showed them to friends and relatives. If only I could turn back time, I would love to be in those days again.

Nice Thoughts

2009-10-14T23:25:00.003+08:00

I got these photos from a forwarded email, and I love the messages in them.

This is really true!

We only have one life and if we spend all of it worrying about

what others might think about us then I guess we won't

have much time to enjoy the beauty around us.

Yes, I am glad I have found this kind of friends.

We can spend hours talking about socks...hehehe

To Jerry, Leah and Neriz...thanks for being there all

the time!

Yes that's why we have some people study and

write stories about the past for us to remember

that our present and future are parts of our

forgotten past...yeah forgive and forget.

Words are mightier than swords!

I know one who thinks I am an Angel, but I no longer

have the copy right hehehe

I agree. I just wonder,

"does silence really mean YES?"

Yes, everyday is a blessing...family, friends

and someone special...

Hallmark Moments

2009-10-14T20:38:00.004+08:00

I'm going to use Hallmark words here and I hope that they're not going to sue me for using their property :) I just love this message so much because this is from the man I love so I guess they would understand that I like to share my hallmark moment with my family and friends. I really believe that the words from the card and his words are just one.

(Francisco Javier Rodriguez, Thank you so much for choosing this message, I love it)

"I'm in Love With You"

by: Linda Lee Elrod

There I was-

one minute getting to know you,

enjoying you, and wondering

where it would lead...

and the next, thinking about you all the time,

knowing that I never, ever

wanted to be without you!

I guess that's the way life is.

You're going along

doing your everyday things,

and out of the blue,

life surprises you

with something amazing-

something you had no idea

how much you wanted.

That's what you are to me, you know,

an amazing gift...

Falling in love

was something I hadn't expected,

but being in love with you

is something I couldn't stop,

even if I tried.

What I'm trying to say is-

you're "it" for me,

now and forever.
-FJR-

My First Red Roses

2009-10-13T22:52:00.005+08:00

Was I surprised? I think this would be an understatement. It was indescribable and I had to find some words since people were looking at me and waiting for my reaction. I just stood looking at them saying WOW...amazing. It's just that it's my first time to receive this kind of presents, and not just from anyone else but from someone I love so much. I can't even think straight and I just kept staring at them for a few minutes. Today, is one of the days that I will always remember for the rest of my life for unexpectedly my 12 red roses arrived. As my friend said, "You should know that these are red and that means love." I love him so much and he knows how to make me fall for him more and more each day.

Today, I feel so lucky and I even feel beautiful just holding these flowers. It's so great to be in love and to be loved in return. There are no perfect words to describe how grateful I am for his sincere love. I just pray that we have right now will continue to grow and someday we could be together.

Now, now this bedside table has a purpose. I love to see them here.

This is my desk where the delivery man put these lovely roses while I was out walking with my colleagues.

Te Quiero "I love You"

2009-10-10T18:05:00.007+08:00

Francisco Javier Rodriguez (FJR), my sweetheart this is for you: Happy 1st Monthversary!

Te Quiero (I Love You)

You said hi and I said hello.

That was a few months ago.

We became friends.

You are so sweet,

So I was afraid of falling for you.

The days have gone

And I started missing you.

Something has changed

and I thought I would lose

a great friendship with you.

One day you said,

"Te Quiero" and I thought

it was meant to say "I like you"

You said it has double meaning,

I took my chance and chose the other

meaning so I had the courage to say

"I love you"

That's how we started this great LOVE,
with your simple,"Te Quiero"

I LOVE YOU...

Our First Monthversary/Monthsary 10-10-09

2009-10-10T18:04:00.008+08:00

The word monthversary is a bit foreign to me. I have heard it back in the Philippines in people called it monthsary. I also thought that this word is just a Filipino English word that is not registered in some standard English dictionary. I also never had the experience of celebrating this event so when I received my boyfriend's greeting this morning I smiled because I was surprised and at the same time so happy that he remembered. I remembered the date because it was a very special day for me when he asked me to be his girlfriend and started calling me his "baby".After that day, we keep in touch every single day. He calls me every morning to wake me up and sometimes I call him or just send an SMS to wake him up. A day would not be complete if I won't hear from him, or even just see him online without sending a message would be enough, just to know that he's there. One month has passed and I could say that all those days, my love for him grew stronger and I could not even find the right words to express sincere love for him. I know that this is the real thing and I believe in everything he says and I feel so lucky to have a boyfriend who is so romantic, so thoughtful, honest, faithful and most of all a best friend. I can't wait to be with him and spend every single minute of my life with him. I love him so much...

Shanghai West to East on Foot

2009-10-09T00:35:00.005+08:00

(click the map to enlarge)

We left Suzhou at 10pm and luckily we got the bullet train to Shanghai which only takes about 35 minutes. The metro was already closed when we got there so we decided to take a taxi going to the east (Pudong area) since our hostel is located in Dongchang Street. It took us more than 20 minutes to get there. We left our things and decided to spend the night in the street since we don't have so much time. We took our notes about night life in Shanghai and my friend got the name and address of famous resto bar in Shanghai which stated that they have a live band. Before we went back to western part of Shanghai we had a nice dinner on the street, vegetable barbecue, they're yummy.

We took a taxi to Hengshan Lu or Hengshan Road. It was not difficult to find since the moment we got into the place the road was full of bright lights, different colors. Those were the kinds of light that we don't like. The plan was to find a good bar where there is live music where we could relax, but all the bars there are for drinking and dancing. We checked two bars and they were just the same, they smell cigarette and alcohol and the many people looked drunk. We left those places and I was glad that my friend found a bowling center in one of the buildings that we visited. We spent the entire night playing and I realized that bowling is really fun and addictive.

Trying hard to hit at least ONE pin.

My friend is so good with it that she always hit all the pins with just one throw. When it was 5:am we decided to go back to Pudong area. We thought about experiencing real Shanghai so we decided to take a walk from Henshang Road turning Northeast to Changsu Road then the turning west to the very long Nanjing Road. We spent most of our time taking pictures of the street and the great buildings so we didn't feel tired during our walk. We always consulted our map and at one point a man approached us and told us what bus to take going to Nanjing East Road to go to HuangPu River. We didn't follow his advice instead we continued to walk down the road. When we arrived at the end of Nanjing Road, which is Donshandong Yi Road, we felt a little tired. We thought about crossing the river through Bund sightseeing tunnel. I was expecting too much since I heard from a friend that there are sea creatures show there. We paid 40 yuan/rmb per person. Then we took a cart which looks like a cable car.

We spent about 5-10 minutes in the tunnel and all we saw was colorful lights and some big screen which showed sharks, turtles and other sea creatures. There was also a voice saying about "meteor shower" which was just the light blinking. Talking about disappointment, then that was the perfect example. I was expecting that I would see something real. If I knew that we would only be seeing Christmas lights and big tv screen, there was no way that I would take the tour through that tunnel. But anyway we just thought about the ride going to the other side of Shanghai, back to where we stayed. It was the longest walk that I ever did here in China, it was about 6 to 7 hours.

We spent a few minutes looking at the other side where we have walked and took some more photos of Shanghai Puxi area. The view was magnificent since the sun was so bright and the sky was so clear. We had a good view of their great skyscrapers. Shanghai is such a modern city with a touch of real China.

Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai

Suzhou: Venice of the East

2009-10-06T13:40:00.002+08:00

Riding on a boat with my friend. we started at Shantang street near Shilu then ended up in Tiger Hill entrance. We had to take a bus going back to the city center and since we can't read the sign we asked a policeman about what bus number to take. Instead of telling us the number he took us to the bus station and spoke to the driver telling him to drop us in the city and that we were foreigners. In China, I always feel confident to go around even if it would mean getting lost because I am always sure that someone will be able to help in spite of the fact that I don't speak their language and I don't speak any Chinese except, "Ting Pudong"...that's not pudong airport in Shanghai, but it means "I heard but I don't understand."
(Date is shown as Day/Month/Year)

Shilu Plaza.

on a boat

another boat going on the opposite side

Suzhou Alley

It's fun to take a ride and see other boats coming and also the Chinese architecture beside the alley.

Tiger Hill Entrance

Happy 60th Anniversary China!

2009-10-01T12:24:00.006+08:00

Today is the 60th anniversary of Peoples Republic of China(PRC). I'm watching a live CCTV 9 show showing different floats from different provinces of China. The even is so nice, I like the soldiers marching part. Tiananmen Square is packed with thousands of people and foreigners from all over China and other countries. Red balloons filled the sky when all provinces had shown their floats. Happy 60th year anniversary China!

Time

2009-10-01T00:27:00.020+08:00

Time is so precious that every second spent with someone special is worth more than any precious stones in this world. It's funny how time stood still when you're spending it with someone so special that 4 hours just feel like 5 minutes. How can the time passes so quickly when you're with him and how can the time runs so slowly when you're waiting to be with him? Is it possible to invent some magnetic satellite to control the motion of the earth and make it revolves faster? Perhaps it would be possible to control the future? It is still a big mystery but one thing for sure I am always looking forward when the day in the calendar changes to the next. It seems so slow but it's worth the wait. Each brand new day brings a new smile, a new hope and I will always be grateful for the moment when he said "Te quiero" and then I said, "I love you". I believe that it was the best time of my life...Sept. 10, 2009

Forbidden City On Foot

2009-09-30T23:50:00.001+08:00

My friend Sai and I had a wonderful time in Beijing. We were glad that the hostel where we stayed in just walking distance to the major tourist attractions in the city. We were also satisfied with the service and accommodation that the hostel provided. We highly recommend Wangfujing Youth Hostel for those who wanted to meet different people and are considering to get a cheaper room rate. The room which is good for 4 people is quite big and we got one bed each and we had two roommates from Hongkong whom we only met once during our last day in Beijing. We had a long trip from Suzhou to Beijing and in order to save time we traveled at night. So when we arrived in Beijing we took a walk around the city, went to Catholic church then we went directly to Forbidden City and Tinanmen Square.

Here are some of the photos we have taken last July 2009.

Typhoon Ondoy in the Philippines

2009-09-28T18:19:00.001+08:00

I wish that the government officials would do something instead of preparing for the coming 2010 election. I hope others won't take advantage of this situation to get the publicity they need. These people need a real heart.
It's funny how one can still smile in spite of the difficult situation they're in. Again, I remember how Filipinos can find happiness in the most difficult situation. I am praying for all those who were affected with this typhoon.

How to be a Filipino Hero?

2009-09-24T23:03:00.002+08:00

Times have changed. People have changed and will always be changing. In the past,I believe that a person has to work hard in order to become a hero. Dr.Jose Rizal who was known for his intelligence and bravery and was proclaimed as the national hero. He studied and Spain, Paris and other European countries and learn how to speak different languages. When he came back to the Philippines he wrote a book about how Filipinos are being treated with the Spaniard leaders, specially the leaders of the church. He showed that "Pen is mightier than sword". Who killed him? a Filipino or a Spaniard? I only learned that he was gun fired by soldiers. But don't know who they were.

Looking back with the lives of other heroes before and after him I could say that they all did a great job. They fought hard to get what we are now enjoying, freedom. In our time, I was surprised to find out that it is too easy to become a Filipino hero. Sitting on a plane, I grabbed the magazine in front of me. It was an inflight magazine of Cebu Pacific air called Smile. I scanned through the table of contents and my eyes were directed to the bold title, "Filipino Modern Heroes". I turned to the pages right away and what I saw surprised me. With those information I've read, here are some ways which a Filipino can be a hero. I only presented them based on what I can remember but I don't agree with all of them.

Grab a pair of boxing gloves. Hit someone's face real hard. Knock him down and raise your hand! Yes, what I'm trying to say is be like Manny Pacquiao. You can earn millions by hitting someone's face and that would make you look so powerful...then try the politics? Oh no,what happened to the standard of choosing a hero? Just because he's got to punch other people faces and earn millions US $? Well, personally I don't agree with this heroic thing. Sorry, I'm not a fan of boxing.
Be a wrestler like Batista and you'll come home well heroes treatment. Again? Who is he? A mighty wrestler who would break someone's arms and be a hero? No, no, no...
Be a pop singer or a rapper like Alan Pineda of Black Eyed Peas. Well, I like their and they are too famous around the world. But again popularity has nothing to do with being a hero.
Appear in Hollywood or Disney movies like Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical. Right she is talented, beautiful and earning million dollars. So I guess we are talking about $$$ here to become a hero.
The last, but not the least. Be an OFW. (Overseas Filipino Workers). Well, I belong to this group, but again I disagree with the idea. Just because we are sending money back home and we are paying for some Overseas membership don't mean that we are heroes. We work hard, that's for sure. We miss our families back home, that's without a question as well. OFWs are just people who wanted to work abroad for different reasons. For example, if a person left the Philippines and become an OFW because he/she hates the system, then does it mean that she's now a hero? I wanted to work abroad for the sake of experience and opportunity to travel in another country, does this mean I am a hero now? I don't think so. Those thousands of Filipinos working in hospitals and nursing homes in the US and UK for immigration purposes, does this make them heroes to? Or those who work hard for their families back at home? Yes, I think those people can be considered heroes.

Well, I have real example of ways on how to become a hero.

First, I think the real Filipino heroes are the teachers, doctors, nurses, accountants, lawyers, midwives, engineers and other workers who prefer to stay in the Philippines and serve the country in spite of the fact that they're so underpaid and continue paying 12% of income tax to the government and when they buy a slice of pizza or something they will still be deducted with another 12%. Now that's 24%..hmm this is what I don't understand with the law of taxation.

Second, is be a parent.

My hero is my mother. She is my perfect example of someone who can love unconditionally. Always willing to give and forgive. She never stops believing that something good is going to happen when you work hard and pray hard for it. A woman who doesn't know the meaning of hate. Most of all she is the wind beneath my wings. I love my mother so much, my hero.

Third, don't go into politics. I just don't understand the difference between truth and a lie...

Kayne West: When a Big Star Turns to Dust

2009-09-14T16:26:00.009+08:00

I remember my summer vacation in my brothers home in Zamboanga City,Philippines. I enjoyed my time with the kids, my nieces and nephews, and most of all I enjoyed because they did what I asked them to do, sing and dance. I noticed that all my nieces wanted to sing Taylor Swift's song, Love Story and You Belong With Me. Three of them are in high school and two are in grade school, so I wouldn't be surprised, those songs were popular since it talks about love, specially high school love. They could sing the song without looking at the lyrics so I was impressed. They simply love Taylor Swift. I think she's a talented pop star and yes I like her songs too and even her music videos.

When I found out that she won the Best Female Video award for MTV VMA 2009, I was happy and thought that she deserves the award. I like her reaction when her name was called, it shows a total surprise or disbelief. She went to the stage and delivered her acceptance speech, only to be interrupted by Kanye West, saying, "Oh Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I will let you finish,but Beyonce have one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!" Telling her in front of many people that she souldn't be receiving the award since she doesn't deserve it? Wow, what a rude man! Is this how a big star would act in a very formal occasion like this? So disrespectful. I admit I like his song, specially "Heartless" but I didn't realize how rude this artist is. Just perfect for his song, "Heartless", How could you be so heartless? I feel sorry for Taylor, and how she lost her words in front of many people. If this is the kind of person who works the business called entertainment industry, then he should learn the accept the decision of the voters if not then just QUIT. I'm sad to see this behavior when he got millions of people who look him up as a star only turning him into a dust. I appreciate what Beyonce deed when receiving her award as Video of the Year, instead of giving her speech she called Taylor Swift and let her continued saying thanks to her fans. Thumbs up for you Beyonce and Taylor you deserve the award, stay humble. Your fans are very supportive that includes my five nieces back in the Philippines.

Taylor Swift giving her acceptance speech for winning Best Female Video award only to be interrupted by Kayne saying Beyonce has the best video of all time. When Beyonce wins video of the year she lets Taylor swift continues her unfinished acceptance speech. Right, "Class and No class" stars meet at VMA 2009!

Kayne Apologized, but I think, it's too late to apologize.

A Date to Remember: 09-10-09

2009-09-10T22:00:00.000+08:00

Today is the day that I will remember for the rest of my life....

What Does Your Facebook Status Say?

2009-09-05T12:25:00.004+08:00

Facebook or most of us would just type its initial FB, is one of the famous social networking sites that is open to the world. I like this site because there are many things that I can do. The first reason is I can share and keep my photos without worrying about my computer's hard disk memory with my jpg files. Next, is I can keep in touch with my friends and I am updated with what they're doing or what's happening in their life through their Status updates. I think it's the most interesting feature. FB offers this box which you can write anything on your mind, for it displays "what's on your mind". Even if you don't write anything on it, FB still displays an update of what you're doing in the site. For example, I clicked on farmville application and my status displayed that I was playing farmville. You can also search for your long lost friends in high school or even your first crush hmm. Well, these are just some features that one can enjoy when using FB. Members love to exchange messages and somehow others are careless about their choice of words and choice of friends. As expected you will receive invitation from other users, and you have the option to add or just ignore them. Others just add them without carefully thinking who they are. Then, here comes the most exciting part. Let's say your boss added you to his FB, perhaps you would be flattered because he considered you to be added in his network. A few days later you forgot that he is now in your connection. You came in for work, didn't like the way things are and oppppppps posted your sentiments in your status box. You forgot that everyone in your list will see that message, including your new added friend, your boss. Gotcha!

Here's an example of this situation. I got this photo from my friend, Saires. I don't know who got this first but it's funny how your status in facebook can change your life.
(Please click on the image below for a larger view, thanks)My status just say, "I hate it because FB, youtube, wordpress, twitter and blogger are blocked in China, but thanks to a powerful VPN I can still access them though a little slower than direct access from these sites."

Enjoy using FB but be careful what you say!

Love and Water

2009-09-04T18:08:00.006+08:00

Plants are very different when we compared them to us. We are similar for the fact that we belong to the same living species who need food in order to survive. We, human beings are too blessed to be given the ability to think and to use our thoughts to create great ideas. Plants can't do this but they are one of the tools in realizing those thoughts. We are capable of loving and expressing our love in words and deeds. No one thought us to love but whether we like it or not we will experience this strong emotion.
I'm trying to compare these facts since a few months ago I bought a pot of plant which costs me 17RMB (about 2.5 USD), if I remember it right. It's not that I am concern about its price, but rather the feeling when I got this particular plant. I was happy coming back to school. It changes something, for I feel calm every time I see this plant right next to my bed. I took good care of this plant everyday. In the morning I would water it and put it outside my terrace where it could get enough sunshine. During lunch break I would go back to my room to put it back inside since the sun is too hot. I believe that exposing it to the sunlight for a few hours in the morning would be enough. I did this process for about two or three months. The plant showed signs of growth, there were new buds and small green leaves. I was happy seeing these little changes. When I went back to the Philippines last July, I was thinking of leaving it to the caretaker of the building but the problem was, I didn't know how to say it and I felt shy. I would be away for about two months so I was sure that the plant wouldn't survive. I then decided to put it in the terrace or a washing area outside my room. There is a faucet so I turned it on and made sure that there's a drop of water that would come out. I then put the plan under the faucet and observed the drops of water for a few minutes. There were few drops within one minute, so I thought that was alright. I left China thinking that my plant will continue to grow and give more new buds. When I arrived last Tuesday, I was so excited to see my plant. So I left my luggage outside my room and rushed to see my plant in the terrace.

What I saw was a gray pot and staring at the faucet I noticed that there was no drop coming out. I checked around and saw that the wall was newly painted so I figured that someone came and did the painting and also turned off the faucet which I left a little open. I felt sad and a thought came into my mind. My plant was deprived of water for only two months and yet it withered. How can it die when there was sunshine and I'm sure it also rained within those months. I still watered the plant hoping that it would still grow. I went back to get my luggage and it occurred to me that this plant is a perfect example of any human relationship. Isn't it that when we go into a relationship we give and receive love. We continue to show that we care and in return the person would show his love for us. If one of us would stop doing this process, the relationship weakens. If a man stops showing his love, the woman stops responding and eventually love dies. When it dies, no matter how much love the other person would pour in order to bring it back, it would be impossible since it no longer exists. A friend told me that I can just buy a new plant. Yes, "buying a new plant is better than waiting for the withered one to grow."

Nobody: A Sensation in the Philippines

2009-08-17T19:46:00.003+08:00

The wondergirls, a group of singers from South Korea is now conquering the world with their single, Nobody. Here in the Philippines, you would be surprised if you won't hear the song in every fm radio station every 30 minutes or so. Here they are.

It Was Just A Dream

2009-08-11T20:54:00.004+08:00

I was excited to go to my web designing training class today and glad that I was not the only one who doesn't have any background knowledge about web designing. It was funny that my dream last night about dreamweaver was really true. I have heard about Dreamweaver before but I didn't know that it is a software for web designing. Last night I had a dream that I was going to see and use dreamweaver with my class today. I thought it was weird since I had imagined that dreamweaver has something to do with mystical beings or some magic. I haven't seen or heard from friends about its functions. After using a notepad and doing some basic html coding our trainer introduced a software called Dreamweaver. Perhaps I was just too excited for my first day of class that's why I had a dream about this software which we are going to use for our entire training period. Hello Dreamweaver, I hope we can get along pretty well :)