Category Archives: On Me

hairy reflections

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They say that a woman’s hair is a reflection of her current state. Some women would get a haircut or whatever whenever they’re undergoing some emotional challenge in their life. There are times when I myself would go to a hair salon because of a disturbed emotional state. But there are times when I just want a haircut. These days, I find myself looking at my hair in the mirror more often. Aside from the fact that my hair badly needs a new cut or style, the stressful work life we’ve been having these past few days is making me want to go to a hair salon. Since I couldn’t decide on a particular style and I’m not up to spending for one right now especially with the online shopping I did the past few days, I did the next best thing.

Okay, I had a good hair fix right there. I feel better now ;)

getting older

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I can’t believe I’m old already. Specifically ten-years-after-high-school kind of old. Ramil and I will be attending our tenth year alumni homecoming later tonight and I’m still in a denial over the thought that it’s been ten years already. We haven’t seen even some of our close friends in a long while and I’m looking forward to catching up with them. Ramil and I are just debating whether to bring Mateo along. Although we both want to, we’re worried that the event might not be conducive for little kids like him so we’ll see. If he’s in a good mood later we just might bring him.

a more secured future

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One of the things I am planning to get for Ramil and me are life insurance coverage, even if we only get term life insurance. Having worked in the insurance industry before, I know how important it is to have yourself covered. Now that we have Mateo with us, I feel the importance all the more. We would want to be sure that Mateo will be taken care of if something bad happens to us. Hopefully, we’d be able to get ourselves covered by next year. I just need to save more and to budget it.

back to work

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We’re back to the grueling everyday life of teachers. After midterms week where students only take the exam and then go home at lunch time, and the no classes announcement yesterday, I had extremely difficulty getting my groove back. I had difficulty waking up this morning because there was still this cold, rainy atmosphere and it felt too good to cuddle with my two boys. Even Mateo woke up later than usual. I was even sad that my double periods had to be on a tuesday. Oh well, I don’t think I’m up and running already. Hopefully before the week ends I readjust to my daily schedule.

no kids = bliss

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There are no classes tomorrow!!! Yipee!!! I don’t think any number of exclamation marks can accurately express my giddy happiness upon learning of this great piece of news. Although teachers are still required to report for work, our official time tomorrow is from 8am to 2pm which is still so much better than a regular class day.

There are currently three teachers in our house: me, Ramil, and my sister. All three of us were working by checking test papers and doing lesson plans when we found out about the no classes announcement. We dropped everything that we were doing like a hot pancake and proceeded to do other things like watch tv, read a book, surf the net, and blog! :D

stem cells technology

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One of the most controversial issues in the field of science and medicine is the issue of stem cells and their promising use in curing serious illnesses and life-threatening diseases. I first heard about this a few years ago and it got me researching about what stem cells are and what it is about them that makes them so promising and controversial at the same time. I consulted my biologist husband and he was very helpful.

Stem cells are found in almost all multi-cellular organisms. What makes them promising is their ability to renew themselves into different cell types. The key word is ‘renew’. My mind automatically shouted amazing! Imagine having a disease and having the capability to ‘renew’ cells in that part of your body where you have the disease, or something like that. Since they have the capability to renew into almost any type of cell, that pretty much covers every cell in your body. So if you are able to get you own stem cell, they can actually be grown into whatever cell type – your own cell type. It’s like being able to get a part or a stem of a plant and growing it into another plant. The problem is directing it into renewing into a specific cell that you want and I think most stem cell research revolve around this dilemma.

Right now, some stem cell therapies are already available. They use it for bone marrow transplants to treat leukemia. Stem cell therapies are also promising in treating cancer, spinal cord injuries, muscle injuries, and Parkinson’s disease. The issue revolves around its delicate connection to cloning.

The idea of cord blood banking lies in the promise of stem cell research. New research has also showed that stem cells can also be harvested from a woman’s menstrual blood. Every woman can now preserve her own stem cells from her menstrual blood! A mentrual stem cell service called C’elle provides women with a safe and easy method of collecting and preserving her menstrual stem cells. They have a C’elle kit that has easy-to-follow instructions and all other things needed for non-invasive collection and transport of the specimen. The specimen will be sent to their laboratory for processing, isolation, and cryo-preservation. Right now, there are no approved therapies using stem cells except for diseases involving the blood and immune systems. However, with the quick advancement of research in this field, it might not be long before they can be used for other diseases. Read on C’elle Client Testimonial if you are interested in getting yourself a kit.

crunch time

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This week is crunch time for my students because it’s midterm week in our school. Ramil and I had our own crunch time last week when we were rushing to finish the midterm exams for our respective classes. For two weeks, we had to stay up late. I’ve had to use my acne cream once again because I started breaking out from lack of sleep and too much coffee. This week, it’s the students turn to be stressed. I love exams week, all we have to do is to proctor the exams and check the papers afterwards. I just have to be better prepared as the trimestral week approaches so that I can hopefully limit rushing my exams and sleeping late.

centennial date

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Ramil and I celebrated our 100th month as a couple last July 7. We initially wanted to go for a vacation somewhere even if we just stay overnight. Since we’re both not fans of bringing luggage, not to mention our tight budget will not allow it, we’ve opted to have dinner at a small, quaint Swiss restaurant nearby called Vieux Chalet. We had fun especially since it’s been awhile since we went out on a real date. The food was a bit expensive but it was worth it because it was really good. We had shrimp ravioli which costs around 400+ and is good for 3-4 persons.

This pasta dish was way better than what I was expecting. I was about to go for the safer Fettucine Alfredo but decided to be more daring and try their shrimp ravioli. I was so happy that we got to try it.

We also had beef tenderloin in mushroom sauce which was very pricey at 700+. Although the dish is good for 2-3 persons, it didn’t come with anything else except for a few leaves on the side. The sauce was really good, very similar to Razon’s sizzling bulalo sauce which Ramil and I love very much. I would have liked the beef to be more tender though.

For our drinks, we both ordered lemonglass cooler. It was a refreshing, cool drink which we’re sure to order when we come back for another visit. Since we felt that we spent a lot already on that restaurant, we opted to have our dessert and coffee in a coffee shop on our way home. All in all, the date was a great one especially after a very long date hiatus. We only wish we could do this more often.

in defense of myself

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Just a few weeks ago, I made one of the biggest decision I’ve ever made as a mother. It was a decision that I’m sure many mothers out there had to make. It was a decision that made my heart break into a million pieces. Looking back, it was a decision that was necessary and I hope the decision I made was what God wanted me to do.

I’ve officially left the ranks of stay-at-home-moms (SAHMs). Not that I was a 100% SAHM in the first place but I barely considered my 10-month stint as a part-time teacher a job. Nevertheless, I’m a 100% hands-on mom. Even Ramil, despite having a regular, full-time job, was a hands-on dad. Even before I gave birth, I knew I wanted to be the one taking care of my baby. When I gave birth last January 2007, it was natural for me not to go back to teaching anymore. It was just Mateo and me for five months. No yaya. No grandparents. No relatives.

The next schoolyear brought me out of being a full-time SAHM. I decided to try teaching part-time, not really for the money (though we need money too) but because I felt that I needed to go out of the house from time to time. So for 10 months, Mateo will be left with the yaya for three hours from Mondays to Thursdays. It was perfect for us. I get to do everything for him as a mama and yet I still get to enjoy what I like doing, teaching.

This year I was bent on teaching part-time again. However, a lot of math teachers from last year left and I was given a load that’s appropriate for a full-time teacher. Unlike last time when I would just be asked to report to school during times when I have classes, this year the principal asked five hours a day from me and was actually trying to persuade me to go full-time. Since five hours is a considerably long time, Ramil stepped in and told me to just choose between going full-time or staying at home altogether. Rather than a five-hour part-time work, might as well stay an additional three hours everyday and get the benefits of a full-time teacher if I decide to keep working. So we worked something out with the school. We’re allowed to bring Mateo and the yaya. Ramil and I have ‘shifting’ schedules – he starts real early and goes home early too while I start a bit late and goes home late too. That way, we get to limit Mateo’s time in school.

I prayed hard for it and tried to consider a lot of things. I ended up saying yes to a full-time teaching job. The day Ramil and I gave our answer was a day I think I will remember for a long time. I cried buckets that night and for many nights after. I wanted to go back and take back what I said. I cried for my time with Mateo that will be lost. I cried for all the things that I will not be able to do for him. I cried for all the things that I will not be able to teach him. It was a total guilt-trip, not to mention a not-so-mild case of separation anxiety. I kept asking Ramil whether we made the right decision or not. I asked him whether Mateo will be able to understand in his own way why everything has to change. Why I will not be able to spend time with him like I used to. Why he has to stay with somebody he doesn’t really know yet. Why we won’t get to do things like we used to.

If I was able to find somebody to handle my teaching load, I would have swallowed my pride and decency and quit as fast as I could. But I think it God wanted me to stay put because no replacement appeared no matter how hard I prayed. The whole thing from the dilemma to the way I felt about it might be too melodramatic for some people but if you’re a mother like me, you’d know what I mean.

There were only three things that will make me feel that we didn’t make a mistake with our decision. These are Mateo’s health, development, and behavior. Unfortunately, after a week of going to school with us, his amoebiasis recurred. It was good that Ramil and I were able to act quickly so he only had diarrhea for two days. He’s still undergoing medication right now but he’s on his way to total recovery. We only hope that this time, we totally eliminate the amoeba. One thing that I think won’t suffer is his development. He still gets to interact with a lot of people so his mind is also continually stimulated. He’s also been given permission to sit-in with the toddler class so he’d surely learn a lot of things. I’m also particularly concerned with his behavior. Mateo has a tendency to be strongheaded and I’m afraid that if I lessen my presence then I lessen my authority too. So far, I haven’t seen anything that would indicate that he’s negatively affected with the arrangements we’ve made. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Right now, I’m just letting go and letting God. I’m a believer of karma too and I believe that taking good care of my other kids (my students) and loving them would make sure that Mateo gets the same from his yaya and from other people around him. I know he understands. I actually tried explaining it to him even before I committed to a full-time job. Everything is going great right now, we’re very lucky to find a yaya who’s good with him. I still get that guilty feeling every now and then though, I just need to remember that Ramil and I are doing as much as we can right now.

So is this post in defense of myself? To myself, yes. I just have to read this again when guilt strikes.

off to a good start, hopefully

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We’re now entering the second week of school and already, we missed a day because of typhoon Frank. I would have expected myself to be ecstatic about it. Even though I was grateful for the extra day that Ramil and I get to stay home and spend more time with Mateo, I was surprisingly a little bit pissed off because it would delay my schedule. I would lose precious meetings with my classes which means my lessons would be delayed by at least a day. Since I’m still pretty much on time with my preparations (read:a week ahead), the OC in me got frustrated over not being able to keep up with the academic budget I’ve set.

I’m off to a good start this school year. Still not as great as I would want it to be but good enough especially since we’ve got a spanking, newly-constructed, air-conditioned teachers’ lounge. My little pleasures as a teacher are my own personal space and an air-conditioned place I could stay in during breaks. Certainly puts me in a good disposition. Everything looks nice now in our lounge, everyone has their own cubicle and despite some CAT6 cables scattered here and there, the place is pretty much organized.

On another note, it’s such a relief that Mateo and the new yaya are getting along great. Sometimes too great, much to my dismay. I guess it’s just the jealous mama in me, which I’m trying to squish by the way. Mateo would definitely be better off if they fall in love with each other. They’re now certified playmates and sometimes, Mateo would call out her name as if asking to be saved whenever Ramil and I are berating him for some naughty deed. He’s also adjusting well to being in school everyday. It’s good that out of his 5-6 hours stay in school, 2 hours is spent on nap time. Also, his social skills are now superb. He’d willingly say hi even to students he doesn’t even know. It’s also great for him to always be surrounded by teachers. I am so grateful for our co-teachers, they also make it a point to converse with him and check on him whenever they see him around school. I’d even often catch some of them teaching him things and some tricks.

So yes, after weeks of terrible adjustment, we’re all okay now (I think). I’m optismistic about the next few weeks and months ahead. I just need to remember to keep my thoughts and actions positive.