micki's photoblog

2010-02-05T09:12:00.000+08:00

Damn the cuteness!

Wall decals from myBulileet, Theater Mall Greenhills.

2010-01-03T11:11:00.002+08:00

New Year dinner

2009-12-11T12:09:00.001+08:00

I absolutely love Christmas decorations.

2009-12-10T14:30:00.000+08:00

Some of my old friends dropped by to visit, and one of them made this awesome diaper cake from scratch.

2008-01-13T20:55:00.000+08:00

I finally got the chance to upload a few pictures of my godson's birthday party more than a month ago. The giant pizza was such a hit they had to order another one.

2007-10-29T21:44:00.000+08:00

Another game hubby and my brothers-in-law are going gaga over...

2007-10-09T18:54:00.000+08:00

A few pictures taken at Toykingdom SM the Block.
We were there early so there weren't that many people yet. I was planning on taking more pictures after lunch but when we went back the place was swamped.

2007-09-30T19:49:00.000+08:00

After all these years, I finally bought a camera. No more asking friends to email me pictures, I can now take my own. For the past 2 weeks my hubby and I have gone camera crazy and here are some of the pictures we took.

Here is my hubby's latest video game that he has been going crazy after

Some cars on display at Trinoma last week

The newly renovated Toykingdom Megamall

We would have taken more pictures at toykingdom but there were so many people blocking our camera view.

2007-08-20T18:56:00.000+08:00

Which South Park kid are you most like?
Butters
You are extremely naive. You'll believe whatever anyone tells you. This is because your parents have sheltered you.
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2007-07-08T16:34:00.000+08:00

A few weeks after classes have started I'm home sick with no voice. I didn't go to work Thursday and Friday. Why in the world parents give their kids "fruit" juices that contain nothing but sugar and water, chocolate bars and candies as their recess snack is a mystery to me. Its hard enough to get two year olds to sit still for more than 5 minutes, let alone 2 year olds filled up with sugar and sweets. It took me 30 minutes just for them to form a line. As a result I've moved recess right before dismissal. You let your kids drown in sugar, you handle them.

I was also surprised to find out that I have a 4 year old in one of my classes. Apparently, he failed the entrance test to nursery, which is unheard of. Nobody has ever failed the nursery entrance exam. The principal, not wanting to let go of additional cash put him in my class without my talking to or seeing the child. I only found out on the first day of classes. He doesn't talk, just grunts and walks around hitting other kids. Sigh. I've talked to the mother, he suffered some brain damage as an infant. She assured me that the doctor told her he will magically turn into a normal child when he turns 7. I feel bad for him, he should be undergoing therapy. I've strongly suggested to her that he get regular checkups from the doctor and she get a speech therapist and physical therapist.
I also have two other kids who have developmental problems, but not as bad as this one. I don't know why but I think word got out that I was handling special children, and several kids with special needs started applying this July. Arrgh! I am not qualified! I could see in my principal's eyes that she wanted to accept them (additional cash) but I really put my foot down.

2007-06-18T21:01:00.000+08:00

I got to go to the toycon last Saturday. While my hubby went from one toy stall to another, I took pictures of some cool costumes and a few statues. Wish I could have gotten more pictures but it was so crowded. It took me more than 10 minutes just to get to the exit.

2007-06-18T20:13:00.000+08:00

Last week was the first week of classes, fondly referred to as hell week, when all hell breaks loose or with what we went through all of our sins must be forgiven. In one week, I have managed to loose all the weight I've gained during the summer. We had one father who complained "My son has never cried his ENTIRE LIFE. Why is he crying now?!" We also had the usual kids arriving two hours early and fetched two hours late. They always turn out to be the kids we have problems with later on. Turns out the reason why they spend so much time in school is because their parents don't want them at home. Sigh. We've also got several parents demanding that they be able to pay for the tuition on March next year, with threats of them making up stories about the school to shut it down if we don't give into their demands. I don't get their logic. You want your kid to study in a school you can't afford, so you threaten the school in order to get your kid in. One father even screamed at one of our teachers "I'll run you over with my car when I see you on the road!", right in front of his child. Yeah, that will ensure your child's acceptance into our school.

2007-06-11T14:00:00.000+08:00

In the pursuit of thinness... during the cooler months I was able to do some walking about an hour a day, but for the past 3 months or so it has been so hot I can only manage around 20 minutes. It doesn't help that I cancelled my gym membership. With the monthly cost of membership, gas and parking it was getting pretty expensive to keep fit. Sigh, so my husband in I invested in a weights machine than exercises the whole body. This means I will not, or must not make any major purchase for the next year or so. At least classes are starting this week, which means I will now have more stuff to blog about and start loosing some weight. Teaching preschoolers is a physically demanding job.

2007-03-25T11:42:00.000+08:00

The preschool graduation is finally over. As expected, the preschoolers were restless and bored to death. But as it turned out, the parents were more unruly than their kids. A fistfight almost broke out when one dad refused to sit down, blocking the view of the parents seated behind him. Almost all of the parents were screaming at their kids (who were seated in front) to stand up and wave at them. At the end of the graduation, several guards were posted on stage since since some parents wanted to take their child's picture while their child "rode" on top of some of the stage decorations which were all made of papermache. Sigh, sometimes you wonder why a kid is the way he/she is, and when you meet his/her parents you go "ohhh, that's why".

2007-01-15T14:47:00.000+08:00

I've been feeling terrible since Saturday having a sore throat, major headache and colds. I suspect one of my students came to school sick last Friday because I usually get sick when one of them is sick. Kids' germs seem so much stronger and easier to catch. Sure enough, half of my students were absent today. Half of those who came to school had terrible colds. I ended up going home right after my class because my headache was becoming unbearable. Please! If you have sick kids please do not send them to school! Sigh.
One thing I've noticed is that the most disruptive kids are usually the ones sent to school sick. They're also the ones who arrive an hour early and are fetched an hour late. The nice kids always arrive for class just 5 to 10 minutes early and are fetched on time. The most disruptive kid in my class has his mom waiting for him outside the school, but she still pick him up late and brings him to school super early. She just hangs out outside the school. Hmmm, makes me think they don't want to watch over their own kids. She even brought him to school when classes were cancelled due to a typhoon and asked me to watch over her kid during the alloted class hours. He was the only preschooler who came to the school that day. Could this mean that he is the most behaviorally challenged kid in the whole preschool?

2007-01-05T00:07:00.000+08:00

I got tons of body wash as Christmas gifts. Hmmm... Are people trying to tell me something? For some strange reason I get the similar gifts every year. 2006 was the year of the body wash, 2005 was the year of the blouses and shirts - all of which were too small for me and 2004 was the year of the bags.
I hate getting clothes. My friends and family refuse to believe that I am not a size small and always get me something too small. I ended up giving away all the clothes I got in 2005. Oh well, at least this new year I'll be spending a lot of time in the bath.
My husband gave me the same gift he gives me every year - something he likes. When this first happened I started dropping hints about what I wanted. It didn't work, so I tried pointing out the stuff I liked every time we went to the mall. It still didn't work. Its come to the point where I give him a detailed list of what I like, complete with the store name and mall where the store is located. It still didn't work. This year I think I'll get him something I like and just have a gift swap.

2006-12-16T23:32:00.000+08:00

One of my dogs gave birth today. That makes a grand total of 11 dogs. 11 dogs! That's a whole lot of mouths to feed. I've been bugging my hubby to get the males snipped and he keeps on saying that he'll call the vet next week. So now its come to this. I totally put all the blame (and responsibility of feeding them) on him!!! My mom-in-law doesn't want us to sell or give them away since she likes them, but hates them at the same time. Confusing, I know. She doesn't like dogs, but she doesn't want them gone, either. Ayyyyy.

2006-11-29T19:10:00.000+08:00

Oh, I forgot to mention, I finally graduated this March. I haven't posted so long I didn't realized I didn't blog this. Yes, for all of you who have been asking me for the past 8 years, I am now sick and tired of studying, researching and writing papers. It is over!!!

2006-11-29T19:03:00.000+08:00

It's the last week of November and I haven't been to the gym for 2 months. I think I've gained back all the stuff that took me months to loose. Everytime I'm about to go to the gym something always seems to come up - a sore throat and fever, no ride available, a super hectic work week, and now a major typhoon. Perhaps I was meant to be fat. I'll just have to try again next week.

2006-05-13T21:19:00.000+08:00

Ok, I know I said I would be posting regularly again but I guess I just lost track of time. Now is probably a good a time as ever to start blogging again, especially since I've been home sick for a week and bored to death.

I finally lost the weight! The stress of finishing my studies last year made me neglect exercise and diet, and I ended up looking like a plump goldfish. Whenever I feel fat I remember my friend's goldfish. He had no eyes. I asked my friend if it was some sort of freak of nature. Nope, she said. That particular goldfish just ate too much. Yup, he ate too much that he grew too fat and his eyes popped out.

So I've spent the next few months exercising like crazy, and I can now fit into my shorts again. Ofcourse I haven't dieted and exercised for a week because I've been sick. No big deal, its just one week, right? Then last night I saw on tv that Oprah gained 10 pounds in 10 days because she wasn't able to exercise.

To make matters worse, I've been to the eye doctor twice because I have keratitis. I have to go back again next week because my eyes are not getting better. Are these signs? Why did I happen to open the tv the exact momment they talked about Oprah's weigh gain on Entertainment Tonigh? Why are the corneas of my eyes inflammed? Is this somehow connected to that fat blind goldsfish who is probably dead by now since the last time I saw him was more than 5 years ago?

2005-09-01T17:04:00.000+08:00

Friday night last week I was attending one of my masteral classes. I had to take a bathroom break and quietly slipped out of the classroom. There are hardly any students in the school at this time of the night, and the ladies room was empty. I went inside one of the cubicles and basically, began to pee. Suddenly, I hear this beeping sound. It began with a series of soft beeps. What the? There was no one in the bathroom when I went in and I'm sure no one else went in after me. I would have heard the bathroom door open. The beeps started getting louder and faster. Oh my God! Is there a bomb in the bathroom! The beeps were getting really loud and really fast. BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP! I have to get out of here! But I really have to pee! Damn my weak bladder! I couldn't stop peeing mid-way! I don't want to die with my pants down, much less while peeing. The beeps suddenly stopped. Am I dead? Why am I still peeing in hell? Is this my personal hell being stuck in this cubicle peeing for all eternity? The beeping then started all over again. What the what the? I finally got out of the cubicle and saw that someone had left their cellphone in the bathroom. Those crazy beeps were just the ringtone.

2005-08-11T18:24:00.000+08:00

Yes, I know, I haven't posted in a really long time. Right now I'm trying to finish my masters by October. This basically means that I don't have a social life, and all of my time is spend worrying on finishing my final paper instead of actually doing it. Anyway, if I am able to pass, I'll be posting again in late October.

2005-06-14T18:18:00.000+08:00

Sleepy Puppy

Dead Tired

Huggy Bear

Awwww...

Stretch
Posted by Micki

2005-04-14T18:02:00.000+08:00

Taking the advice of an article I read about different types of friends, I have decided to cut ties with "friends" who drain you of energy, time, money, etc... Please refer to my Wednesday, January 26, 2005 blog entry. Ever since the incident, I have cut contact with such "friends". It turned out to be harder than I thought. I have been numerous phone calls at home, work and on my cellphone every single day. I haven't answered any of these calls. Sigh. You'd think she'd get the hint after a week. I'm now on my third week of 3 to 5 phone calls a day. Can you say stalker?

2005-04-13T16:28:00.000+08:00

Summer, the time when parents enroll their child for the next school year. It is also the time when all of these "calamities" seem to occur. As expected, a large number of parents who were on their way to school to enroll had wallets which were stolen, or bags that were slashed, grabbed or lost. A large number of grandparents also seem to die during this time of year, resulting in depleted funds. There also appears to be an enormous amount of house break-ins and house fires, making it impossible to be able to pay for the tuition fees. A small minority of parents, however, have enough money to leave the country. They leave behind their 4 year old child with the maid, who show up during enrollment with no money and no idea when the parents will return from their vacation. There is also an epidemic of amnesia, with parents forgetting that it is time to enroll, forgetting to bring money, and some forgetting that you need money to enroll. "What? I didn't know you had to bring money. I thought that you just had to sign up. Can I just enroll now and pay for it next time?" I think I've heard it all. There was even one mom who had a dog..., and yes, the dog ate the money.

2005-04-07T23:04:00.000+08:00

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2005-02-26T21:48:00.000+08:00

February is almost over and I'll remember it as the mumps month - the month when dozens of children were sent to school with mumps despite memos and announcements not to send a sick child to school. The most common "excuse" parents gave when they were called to the office was "She/He doesn't have mumps, she/he has a toothache." The second most common was "She/He was crying because she/he really wanted to come to school. I can't stand to see her/him cry." But my favorite of all was "He doesn't have mumps! His father punched him in the face last night, that's why his face is swollen."

2005-02-20T22:16:00.000+08:00

One of my students has lice. Due to this development, I have temporarily suspended naptime and hugs. I've talked to her father, and his initial reaction was ignorance, followed by surprise, then denial, and finally acceptance. His response went like "Lice? What is lice?" I explain what lice is. "Really? She has lice? I didn't know! No, she doesn't have lice!" I explain that she scratches her head constantly and complains about it being so itchy. "Ok, I'll buy her some medicine."

A week later I checked her hair and she still had lice. It seems the father didn't do anything. So I asked the school doctor to write a prescription and I handed it him.

2005-01-26T22:51:00.000+08:00

I had always told myself that I would never have a toxic friend, the kind of friend who seem to suck every bit of life out of you like a vampire. Well, right now, I'm eating my words.

Last week, she invited me to her birthday party, which is a few days from now. She asked me what dish could I recommend from the restaurant where my husband works. I suggested roast beef, the total cost being P3,000 for 50 people. She said ok, she would buy. The next day, she texted that her budget was only P2,000 and could I bring cake. I thought, alright, the cake would be my gift to her, and my husband would do his best to fit P2,000 in roast beef for 50 people. We were basically giving it to her at a loss. I texted back that I'll do my best with P2,000.

The next day, she texted back that she wants rice and another dish. Oh my God! P2,000 for 50 people, 2 dishes, rice and cake?!!! Why didn't she just tell me that she wanted me to pay for her damn birthday party?! I also found out that she made her party potluck, requiring the other guests to bring food. What a cheapskate!

I texted back that I could no longer "cater" for her. P2,000 just isn't enough. Add that to the fact that my husband's restaurant doesn't do outside catering, so we just don't have the equipment, manpower or transportation for such a task.

Many, many hours later, she textes that she didn't mean for me to bring another dish and rice. She was just asking what else could I recomend from the restaurant, and that all she was asking for is roast beef. Huh? So okay, all I was bringing was roast beef.

Today, she textes me again, asking me if I'm bringing pasta. What?! I text back saying that I thought she wanted roast beef, but if it's pasta she wants, I'll bring pasta instead. She just texted me a few minutes ago saying that what she wants is roast beef.

Now I'm just waiting for her next text.

2004-11-23T19:20:00.000+08:00

It has been a very frustrating 2 weeks. It started 2 Fridays ago when one of the fetchers of my students was late, again. He always fetches the child 30 minutes late, which means that my lunch break is reduced from 1 hour to 30 minutes. Everyday he always has an excuse, traffic was terrible, his tricycle wouldn't start, a road was being repaired, etc... So 2 fridays ago I decided to leave the child in the office while I have a 1 hour lunch break. The Monday after that the child's mom came to school furious. The fetcher had told her that I had locked up her son in a dark room. Duh? I explained that I had asked the school staff to watch over him and left him in the office. Four of the school staff eat their lunch in the office so he was not alone, the door was not locked and the light were not closed. What planet is that child's fetcher from? At least now he is never late in picking up the child. I've tried talking to him for the past 2 weeks but he just turns his back and leaves. What is his problem? Hmmm... maybe its because the mom discoved that he always picks up her son 30 minutes late?

2004-10-13T21:14:00.000+08:00

One of the moms came to the office with her son and asked me if I could talk to him. He didn't want to go to school. Thoughts started racing thru my mind, was he being bullied, did he fail to do his homework and was scared that his teacher would get mad, was he in an embarrasing situation the day before? I asked the mom what was wrong. She then told me that he had high fever and colds, that's why he didn't want to go to school. She must have noticed my eyes widen, and quickly added he wasn't coughing as bad as last night.

2004-10-09T01:12:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I discovered another child who was the victim of parents giving weird names. She handed me her excuse letter for being absent the day before, and it was only then I noticed that her name was Lard. Lard! How could her parents do that to her? If anyone wanted to make fun of her, all they had to do was call her by her name.

2004-10-07T01:28:00.000+08:00

Ahh yes. Isn't it wonderful when parents take an active role in their children's education? Teachers aren't perfect, they make mistakes, too. I suppose that was the reason why one of the moms took it upon herself to correct the teacher's lesson. The topic was what plants needed to live. As it turned out, the mom happened to be a grade school science teacher, so ofcourse she knew what she was talking about. The teacher had helped the students draw on their notebook water, air (symbolized by wavy lines) and the sun. The next day, the teacher was surprised by a huge red X drawn on the sun and a note by the mom correcting her, saying that plants don't need the sun. Oh my God. She's a grade school science teacher?!!!

2004-09-23T22:45:00.000+08:00

It was one of those rare moments. The kids were having their recess, when the boy seated at the left-most corner threw up. His seatmate looked at his puke, and threw up as well. Then, the next child beside the second also threw up. It felt like I was in a cartoon. The kids, one after the other, were puking in order. It started with the kid seated the farthest and ended with the kid seated nearest the blackboard. I could see myself running in slow motion towards the kid in the corner, only to gasp at the puke-fest going on. It just had to be one of those days.

2004-09-05T22:25:00.000+08:00

After going to the gym religiously for 5 months, I was finally able to attain killer abs. I was finally able to wear low waisted jeans and actually look good in them. Then, I didn't go to the gym for 2 weeks, and the flab came back! Arrgh!!! My dad calls it the curse of the ancestors. I, just like all the women in my family who came before me, am pear shaped. Will it take me another 5 months to regain my former glory?

2004-09-03T16:40:00.000+08:00

I think its become a sore eyes epidemic.
It started with a couple of students coming to school with sore eyes. They were sent home right away, but came back to school the next day. They were sent home, and again they came back to school the next day. This went on for the duration of their infection.

I don't know why they keep coming back. Its so frustrating. You explain to their parents that they should rest at home for at least a week, you say its contagious, you say sick children should not be in school. They agree with you, then send their kids back to school the next day. I had actually seen several parents drop off their kids with sore eyes in the front of the school gate, and run. The guard called out to them but they just jumped back into their cars and sped away.

Last week we were averaging about 50 kids with sore eyes who would come to school. This week the number is at 120. Why won't they stay home? The school doctor now has sore eyes, so do the high school counselors and several teachers. It has gotten so bad that yesterday, the school directress announced that anyone who came to school with sore eyes would be suspended. Today, more than 100 kids still came.

2004-08-25T22:09:00.000+08:00

At around 11 a.m this morning the Pasig City mayor finally woke up from his beauty sleep and anounced the suspension of classes in Pasig. Thanks a lot. The other mayors had already announced suspension of classes in their respective cities at 5 and 6 a.m. The children were already in school with wet socks. A few were soaked from the waist down. I feel bad for the teachers who live far. Whenever there are heavy rains they end up arriving home past nine in the evening.

2004-08-14T18:53:00.000+08:00

Rhochie and I visited my parents at the hospital today. My mom has dengue. Yesterday, one of the school staff heard that my mom was in the hospital. She kept trying to convince me to buy flowers from this store where her sister-in-law works. I explained to her that my mom would much rather have me buy some take-out for lunch, and perhaps some snacks, since she absolutely hated hospital food. Besides, flowers make her sneeze. My workmate spent an entire afternoon trying to change my mind, saying things like flowers have healing powers and will absorb the illness. Gee, the next time I get sick, flowers will be the first thing I'll buy. If only I knew this before, then I wouldn't have wasted all of my money on medicine.

2004-07-30T18:03:00.000+08:00

We asked the parents of one of the students to come to school today. Their son wasn't wearing the proper uniform. There wasn't really anything wrong with his uniform, except that it was for a girl. Why? Why? WHY?!

2004-07-23T20:31:00.000+08:00

I wish to nominate my preschool principal as the newest member of the Homer Simpson Duh? Society. She told me that her husband had complained to her about my being a snob. It seems that he had seen me in the mall on several occasions and I had totally ignored him, no hi, hello or how are you. I was so shocked I didn't know what to say. I had never met her husband and I had absolutely no idea how he looked like! Come to think of it, how in the world did he know who I am? Does she expect me to talk to every guy I see just in case it may be her husband? He could have at least introduced himself when he saw me on those occasions so I would have known who he was.

2004-07-20T19:44:00.000+08:00

We're having exams this week, which translates to tons of sick kids coming to school. I can't understand why parents would sent a seriously ill son/daughter to school just because it's exam week.

Yesterday a boy threw up right outside the school gates.His mom kept on insisting that he was okay while helping him to stand. There was also another kid who had chicken pox and her mom said she had rested for two days so she was strong enough to take the test. Today we had around four kidswho all had high fever, chills and sunken eyes.

It makes you wonder if these parents care at all. Last year a parent sent her daughter to school with german measles even though she knew that her teacher was pregnant.

2004-07-13T12:26:00.000+08:00

I call it "Attack Of The Parents With Weird Logic".

Today, a mom came to the office and wanted us to replace her son's school bag. It seems that on the way to school, the bag had gotten dirty and it was our responsibility. Duh?

Yesterday, a mom gave birth in front of the school. She was going into labor early this morning, and instead of going to the hospital, she thought it would be best if she brought her daughter to school first. When they reached the gates of the school, the baby literally popped out.

Last week, another mom wanted me to play dentist and pull out her daughter's rotting tooth.

When I think I've seen it all, another attack occurs.

Last school year we had a mom who brought her son to school three days in a row despite the fact that the nurse had told her to let him rest at home. The mom then told us that she had consulted several doctors and they all said chicken pox was not contagious, and that the airconed classroom would do him good.

2004-07-08T20:14:00.000+08:00

This afternoon an angry mom came to the school with her son. In between tears and screams she said that they were on their way to the hospital since her son had broken his right arm earlier in school that day. She demanded that the school compensate her for what happened.

The boy's teacher was really surprised. She told the mom that her son had tripped and had a small scratch on his arm. But that was all that happened.

The mom started screaming again and asked what kind of school would allow a child to trip. She also complained that his older sister who also studied in our school had tripped a few years ago.

Her son was seated in the corner of the office, and it looked like he was getting bored. His mom had been screaming at us for more than 15 minutes. So, using his right hand, he took out a yoyo from his pocket and started playing with it, using the arm his mom said he had broken.

Needless to say, his mom decided that they didn't need to go to the hospital after all.

2004-06-26T23:25:00.000+08:00

Here we are at Fazoli's.

We've got a lot of catching up to do.

The food was great.
Posted by Micki

2004-06-26T19:28:00.000+08:00

The first week of classes has come and gone, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Last school year half of my students cried for the first month, and one of them cried all the way till March. This year only four of them cried, and they cried only until the third day of classes.

On the first day, the kid who slapped me during the entrance interview was absent. I wondered if her mom decided not to send her to school anymore. She came the second day. To my surprise, she had totally changed. She didn't even cry. She smiled whenever I talked to her and wanted me to tickle her most of the time. What happened? I'm starting to wonder if 2 year old kids can be devious.

My only real problem was what I call the escape artist - the kid who tries to run out of the classroom and out of the school in order to find his/her mom. They can be real fast and squirmy. She slid under tables and jumped over chairs. Its no wonder when my mom came over for a visit yesterday she was surprised and said I had lost weight. Even my friends who I saw today asked me if I had lost a few pounds.

2004-06-04T18:14:00.000+08:00

Mother-in-laws from hell do exist!

A few of my friends were talking about their mom-in-laws, and their experiences made me feel really lucky. I never thought such people existed.

My first friend who has a small store was wondering why they always came up P1,000 short every week. It turns out her mom-in-law who eagerly volunteers to watch the store swipes P1,000 every week. To add insult to injury, whenever she, her husband and 3 year old kid visit, her mom-in-law charges them for whatever they used, eat, or are given. What kind of grandma would charge her grandson for the food he eats whenever he visits her? Even more shocking is that when the kid washes his hands, she charges them for the soap!

My other friend's mom-in-law regularly calls her up to borrow money. Sometimes, she also receives an envelope containing her mom-in-law's bills, asking her to pay for it. My friend's husband works abroad, and whenever he comes home every 6 months, all of her in-laws come knocking. When he arrived last week from Japan, she rented a van so she could pick him up from the airport. Her in-laws wanted to come, too, including nieces and nephews, and even a family friend. As it turned out, there was no room in the van to fit all of them and it was hinted that she and her daughter should stay behind.

Sometimes I wonder if people with this kind of attitude have any friends.

2004-05-20T17:13:00.000+08:00

Today at work I was checking the registration cards parents filled up during enrollment. I don't know why but some parents misspell the names of their own children, and often write the wrong birthday. I end up having to check it against the child's birth certificate.

Sometimes, their child has such a strange name, I check to make sure it's right. There was a boy named ArrArr. I thought maybe it was a nickname, but his folks really did name him ArrArr. I can imagine when he reaches high school people will call him doggie or bow wow.

Then, there are the kids who I really feel sorry for. If only I could, I would tell their parents to have their family names changed. I mean, if you were a girl, would you to marry someone with the family name Ginahasa? Or how it would feel if everyone at work called you Mr. Peniz?

2004-05-15T10:42:00.000+08:00

Hooray! I just came back from a Boracay beach vacation with my husband. I haven't had a vacation in 3 years, haven't been to a beach in 7, and haven't been to Boracay in 12. The last time I was in Boracay, there wasn't any electricity and there weren't any bars, and the only water sport available was scuba diving. The most exciting activity available was watching naked foreigners sunbathe.

Now, they've got electricity, shops and bars galore, and tons of water sports. My only disappointment was that the naked foreigners were now extinct. Everyone had skimpy clothes on. It will never be the same.

2004-05-09T23:23:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I went to the gym. I've been going for about two weeks now and I'm starting to notice something. The personal trainers are always happy to see me and encourage me to try out every single machine in the gym. I suspect it may be my tiny tiny frame with tons of fat and they feel they must put some muscle meat on me.

It was okay at first, I got to learn how the machines work and what the different classes are. But after a while it was just painful. "Here, let's add some more weights." "You can do it! Push! Pull!" "Just one more machine and we'll be through." "Let's do a whole body workout today." Ugh! I couldn't budge a couple of machines, even without any weights.

The first three times I went my body hurt for more than two days. But now it's getting better. Maybe in three months I'll actually be able to move all of the machines, with weights.

2004-05-06T20:59:00.000+08:00

I was hopping she wouldn't enroll, but today she did. Last week I was conducting entrance interviews for incoming pre-schoolers. I handle the prenursery class and she was applying for my class. The moment I sat down beside her, she started slapping me in the face! One of my co-teachers approached to help me, and she dug her nails into the teacher's arms and scraped her. We both backed off to give her some space. She started screaming and waving her arms. When she noticed that we were ignoring her behavior, she urinated on her seat. When we called her mom to pick her up, she told her mom that I had hurt her.

Unfortunately, the school rarely turns away pre-schoolers who apply, unless they are special children. We explained to her mom what happened and strongly suggested that she may not be ready. She didn't enroll last week so I thought I was safe. Today, I was handed her registration card. I am not looking forward to this school year. I've had kids who hit other kids, kids who curse, kids who spit, kids who have body odor and bad breath, kids who say they will kill you or shoot you in the face, kids who throw chairs and tables, but not one with behavior as bad as this. When I showed the registration card to the teacher she had scraped, the teacher showed me the wounds on her arm and said "you'd better be ready for this." I just hope she doesn't hurt any of the other children.

2004-05-02T08:30:00.000+08:00

here is a recipe my parents emailed to me

Banana Cake with Cashews

3 eggs
1 cup (250 ml) sugar
3/4 cup (180 ml) cream
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) flour, sifted
4 lbs (2 Kg) very ripe bananas, peeled and
slightly mashed
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) coarsely chopped cashews
1 cup (250 ml) grated coconut
1 tsp (5 ml) Chinese five spice powder*

* Available in finer supermarkets and Asian specialty shops

Beat the eggs and sugar together until thick and pale. Add the cream
and stir to combine. Add the flour, bananas, cashews, coconut, and
five spice powder and stir just enough to combine the ingredients.
Pour into two greased and floured 8 inch (20 cm) cake pans and bake in
a preheated 350F (180C) oven for about 1 hour, until the top is golden
brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes two 8 inch (20 cm)
cakes.