Being a teacher

I am done with Tuesdays with Morrie. I feel like I have to blog about it since I mentioned it in an earlier post.

Actually, it just took me one sitting to finish that book because once you start reading it, I can't really put it down. I consider it now one of my favorite books.

A teacher indeed affects eternity, as you can never tell where his or her influence stops. Thanks to the author, he shared all that was passed on to him by his professor Morrie to us.

I used to be a teacher, well I never really gave too much meaning to it, it was just an opportunity that arose when I was in law school and I took it, so I could have my extra-money aside from my allowance while studying the law. The funny thing was, I was teaching Math, particularly Algebra as my college degree was Math major in Computer Science.

Anyway, recently I got this message from a former student I don't really remember through my nephew's blog and she said she has been looking for me and found me through a picture posted in my nephew's blog. She wanted to thank me because I made her like MATH that she became a Math Whiz in her class. And now she's also in law school. =)

That was one of the best compliments I ever got. It felt good knowing I have touched her life the way I did. Priceless.

On reading

I am done reading The Witch of Portobello and what a "reading journey" it has been.

The concept of "blank spaces" is something we all could relate too. Read the book.

Now, I'm suppose to start reading "the Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini as recommended by a very dear friend, but I'm reading "Tuesday's with Morrie" first. This is one book I have always promised myself to read but never got to buy the book then.

This is another heartwarming story I will definitely write about.

About the future

"The future is not some place we are going to but one we are creating."

Which means I have to start creating the future I really really want huh?

Paulo Coehlo and his books

I have to admit that ever since I read Paulo Coehlo's The Alchemist, I developed a liking for his works. The book was a recommended read by my best friend in law school, Raffa. From thereon, I have read his other novels, The Valkyries and Eleven Minutes.

Now, with this new project I manage, I find myself being able to do a lot of reading. =) And so after that sweet book of Marley and Me, I am now reading another Coehlo - The Witch of Portobello. Interesting. I am not done with it yet but the first fifty (50) pages are quite intriguing.....

Will try to share my thoughts about it next time...

*** next in line is "the Kite Runner" which I realized has been developed into a major motion picture...

One good night

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.-- Anonymous


Last Wednesday night, I had dinner with the UNFPA Country Representative for Indonesia, Dr. Zahidul Huque, with whom I had the priviledge of working for in Jakarta. Consequently, Dr. Huque has become a very good friend of mine, too. He used to be the UNFPA Country Representative for the Philippines from 2002 to 2006. He was here in Manila last week, together with five (5) other delegates from Indonesia, to attend the 2nd Regional Consultative Meeting on Universal Access to Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support in Low Prevalence Countries (LPC).

Anyway, my post is not about the said conference but more about my "friendship" with this great person. You know how someone touches your life unexpectedly, in ways you can never really explain? That to me is Dr. Huque. And in the process, a unique and a very special kind of friendship was built. Something you know you would want to preserve for the rest of your life. I couldn't help feeling honored and privileged having his trust and confidence in me. Even the way he speaks about me to others makes me ask, "Am I really all that?". It can be pretty overwhelming as I wonder what have I really done to merit this person's respect and friendship?

In his kind of life, he has undoubtedly met thousands of people, in all forms and shapes, from various cultures and destinations. He would know the people that are trustworthy from those who are not. Needless to state, I feel so blessed I am one of those people whose life he has touched in ways that could never have been achieved otherwise. And because of him, I am more confident and secure...knowing I am on the right path.

Sometimes, it just takes one person to make the difference you need.

Marley and ME

I've been meaning to write about this book I read - Marley and Me. It's about a dog, a labrador retriever and its owner ( who is of course the author of the book).

It's "a heartwarming and unforgettable story of a family in the making and the wondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life."

I guess in a way I could relate to it because I, too have dogs, a mixture of sharpei and labrador retriever, which I love so dearly. My day actually starts with them, cleaning their cage, changing their water and giving them their "breakfast". I also believe they can't sleep at night unless I give them my "good night" kiss.

The author's relationship to Marley quite resembles the one I have with my own pets. The attachment to one's pet, the joy of simply being with them, the irritation at some of their nasty habits when I'm busy and the longing during times I can't be with them. I must confess I found myself crying during some parts of the story.

You see, those who love animals, dogs in particular, share common values. This is something I have observed from pet lovers around and to quote the book:

"Animal lovers are a special breed of humans, generous of spirit, full of empathy, perhaps a little prone to sentimentality, and with hearts as big as a cloudless sky."

Indeed, that statement is so true. You can learn a lot from a dog. - Courage, Joy, Unconditional Love and Loyalty are just some of them. Everyday, my pets show me what unconditional love is all about. They really don't care about anything else but me and my attention for them as well. They can also be very protective and possessive at times. =) But most of all, they are contented simply having me with them, as that is probably the best part of their day. And the truth is, that is mine, too.

Give them your heart and they will give you theirs. "It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not."

Read the book and appreciate your dogs more. And if you don't have pets, you will probably get one. =)

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities

let the river take you

in moments of silence and solitude
a river of memories run through my mind
sitting on top of the rocks beside it
i find the past stuck between stones
preventing the present from flowing undisturbed
beyond the river
the future runs deep.

i stood from where I seated
and allowed myself to be carried by the current.

who knows how far or how deep the river takes me
but i'm going with the flow...

First Date

This is so funny. Talk about an "unorthodox" date!

First Date

If you didn't see this on the Tonight show, I hope you're sitting down when you read it. This is probably the funniest date story ever, first date or not!!! We have all had bad dates but this takes the cake. Jay Leno went into the audience to find the most embarrassing first date that a woman ever had. The winner described her worst first date experience. There was absolutely no question as to why her tale took the prize! She said it was midwinter... Snowing and quite cold...and the guy had taken her skiing in the mountains outside Salt Lake City , Utah . It was a day trip (no overnight). They were strangers, after all, and truly had never met before. The outing was fun but relatively uneventful until they were headed home late that afternoon.

They were driving back down the mountain, when she gradually began to realize that she should not have had that extra latte.

They were about an hour away from anywhere with a rest room and in the middle of nowhere!

Her companion suggested she try to hold it, which she did for a while.

Unfortunately, because of the heavy snow and slow going, there came a point where she told him that he had better stop and let her go beside the road, or it would be the front seat of his car.

They stopped and she quickly crawled out beside the car, yanked her pants down and started.

In the deep snow, she didn't have go od footing, so she let her butt rest against the rear fender to steady herself.

Her companion stood on the side of the car watching for traffic, and indeed was a real gentleman and refrained from peeking. All she could think about was the relief she felt despite the rather
embarrassing nature of the situation. Upon finishing, however, she soon became aware of another sensation.

As she bent to pull up her pants, the young lady discovered her buttocks were firmly glued against the car's fender.

Thoughts of tongues frozen to poles immediately came to mind as she attempted to disengage her flesh from the icy metal. It was quickly apparent that she had a brand new problem due to the extreme cold.

Horrified by her plight and yet aware of the humor of the moment, she answered her date's concerns about "what is taking so long" with a reply that indeed, she was "freezing her butt off" and in need of some assistance!


He came around the car as she tried to cover herself with her sweater and then, as she looked imploringly into his eyes, he burst out laughing.

She too, got the giggles and when they finally managed to compose themselves, they assessed her dilemma.

Obviously, as hysterical as the situation was, they also were faced with a real problem. Both agreed it would take something hot to free her chilly cheeks from the grip of the icy metal.

Thinking about what had gotten her into the predicament in the first place, both quickly realized that there was only one way to get her free.

So, as she looked the other way, her first-time date proceeded to unzip his pants and pee her butt off the fender. As the audience screamed in laughter, she took the Tonight Show prize hands down. Or perhaps that should be "pants down." And you thought your first date was embarrassing.

Jay Leno's comment... "This gives a whole new meaning to being pissed off."

Oh, and how did the first date turn out? He became her husband and was sitting next to her on the Leno show.


Nice Ending huh. =)

HOUSE Season 5

I am so hooked on this series "HOUSE" that I got to finish Season 1-4 by watching 3-5 episodes per night. And now Season 5 will air in the US this September. I wish they air simultaneously here, but the "2nd Avenue" channel airs just the 2nd Season! Imagine how long it will take before they air Season 5! Which means I get to watch only after the whole Season 5 is done airing in the US and DVDs are out!

Watch the trailer as aired in the US.