dear avatar and minion

see you super soon!

love,
mama pretty

:-)

getting back (on track)

dear mommy yvonne,

thank you very much for your email.

it was heartwarming. thank you for the kind words.

you're one of my coolest classmates :)

i love tuesday class.

i love our post discussion discussion.

i am so learning a lot from all of you.

you and your son vinci are one of the reasons why

going to grad school is a big task yet a great privilege.

being called to be an educator is an exciting and challenging adventure.

and yes, there are sacrifices to endure.

i might not witness the outcome of all these, but i know it's worth every teardrop.

whenever i see my 4 year old tots and whenever i listen to your stories and sentiments as a mother

of a child with special needs,

i always find myself captured by the realization that at the end of the day,

there is nothing more important than relationships.

every day i'm being taught what to value in life.

from these little and fragile souls, i am learning how to really give.

and for that i am blessed.

:-)

Fringe, Awakenings and Cheesecake

the best science fiction ever!

Fringe's final season premieres Friday, Sept. 28, at 9 p.m. on Fox.

i really hope you watch this.

Cheesecake, cheesecake, carrot raisin cheesecake...

greatfinds:)

Rain.

Stars.

Dreams.

Rainbow.

Life.

Sunshine.

Sunset.

Food.

Music.

Laughter.

Words.

Tears.

Reasons.

People.

Seasons.

Prayers.

Love.

Smile.

:)

...

Good Mownin, Tita Pretty ni Aidan, Hannah, and Zo!

This is the only reason why I signed up in Facebook.

The closest I can get...

(Screenshots of Squirmy Cute Aidan, Hannah the Olympian, 

and Rafael the Running Back Champ :-)

Orange County is a cute place because of you! haha :-)

little boy no more (#30)

:-)

Furious Five and Crazy Katsu

I was on leave for two days to visit a school in Marikina for my Inclusion class.

(Grabe, I missed my students. My coteacher said they were surprised to know that I also go to a big school as a student. I forgot to tell them that I will be away for two days. I thought of saying hello to them through Skype, but found myself glued in the middle of an extremely busy morning.
I missed them big time.)

Now here comes the funny snippets of my day at a SPED class

handled by the very dynamic, Teacher Pau.

It was a group class with different exceptionalities. Let's call our stars, The Furious Five!

cool. cool. cool.

There's Migs, 13 with ADHD and Dyslexia (whom i see as a future CEO)
He kept saying, "Teacher, kami po ang may ari ng Shell Station. Ako po si Boss Migs."
Teacher Pau said, "Migs, alam na nya, dun sya nagpapa gas!"
Migs went on with his stories. I enjoyed listening and watching him. Cool and funny to the max!

Kin, 15 with GDD (I see her as a future Nurse)
Patc, 11 with Speech and Hearing Impairment (I see her as a future Teacher)
MJ, 10 with GDD (I see him as a future IT geek who will rock the flatworld!)
Ashley, 5 with ASD (I see him as a cute little boy who has a big heart and big smile!)

You're the coolest children in the world!

It was a great experience meeting all of you.

Hanggang sa muli!

:-)

Oops... after the long morning, I remembered (forgot actually) something. Lunch.

While walking at the same street (Lilac St. at SSS Village), I passed by this cutesy restaurant

and the name seemed to intensely connect with me. hahaha!

napangiti bigla :-)

I was offered right away with their best seller,
Chicken Katsu, laid on a bed of thinly sliced cabbage soaked in low sodium yet tasty and yummy sauce,
topped with sliced chili, and steaming hot rice.

cozy, warm lights, warm people, warm food :-)

Cross merchandise- Crazy Katsu shirt on the wall and CDs at the front counter are for sale.

your gourmand may lack sleep, but never with a smile for a hearty meal and excellent service :-)
thank you, Crazy Katsu.

puzzle!

little boy: sorry teacher, i broke your headband.

teacher: that's my favorite headband, but it's ok. what should you do next time?

little boy: i'll be more careful.

teacher: ok.

little boy: look, teacher it became a puzzle!

teacher: (laughing my heart out!) :-)

pancakes, pancakes

and early morning laughter with teacher jack.

maraming salamat.

love you!

:-)

live. love. laugh!

:-)

i am certain more than ever that God cares more about what our heart contains than anything else this life and ego hold so dear- youth, vanity, wealth, comfort, fame, power, and all the bits and pieces this mundane world can offer. and as my heart welled with tears this past days (weeks actually), i got to reflect on life like never before. i realized more clearly now how amazing (and life changing) it can be to give until it hurts and that happiness is just merely an effect of it. yes, im hurting but i am so holding on to the promise. and as always, this undeserved grace is bringing me back on track once again.

true colors- link

True Colors-1st attempt.m4a

True Colors- 1st attempt :-)

please bear with me, im still exploring my garage band. im soooo out of tune!!!!

i was led to this

to a beautiful season i am yet to completely fathom.

there are things that science and even hard-core psychology cannot explain (and mend).

i just dont want to 'lose sight of the reason for the journey

or miss a chance to see a rainbow along the way.'

-=(.")(",)=-

rainy friday

every day is like no other :-)

i left (for the nth time) another payong in the taxi. (at least it wasn't a book or something else) :-)

the hot choco i ordered from a drive thru spilled on my bag. (at least it wasn't on my lap and white dress) :-)

sumakit tyan ko big time while in my grad class last night. (at least i learned that yogurt and siomai

are not a good match to eat) :-)

at marami pang ibang nangyari na di inaasahan at nakakatawa.

salamat sa umagang ito.

kape tayo!
Kopiccino!

soon these tiny runners will sprint in search for the rainbow connection
whoosh!!!

i knew it!

i love cheesecake!!!

:-)

befriending time

(random thoughts)

because it's not over yet.

a week ago today...

have you or i been half asleep?

if there is one story...

yep, we are so going on an adventure!

high five!

salamat, salamat sa pusit!

thank you for this, teacher amy!

you obviously know the simple joys of my

childlike heart!

happy lunch po!

:-)

engulfed by :-(

crazy.

fragile.

sometimes, the worst times are the best times.

i hope that this sobbing, like my allergies, will soon go past.

don't ask why. don't ask how many minutes more.

hmm... the next chapters are the best chapters to look forward to.

we don't remember days, we remember moments, right?

my mini bucket list (big bucket will follow) :-)

in no particular order :-)

1. put up a frontyard cafe
2. dive in coron and tubbataha reef
3. sing The Rainbow Connection at the summit of Mt. Apo
4. put up an orphanage
5. spend one winter break in irvine, play with aidan and hannah, watch rafael's game and cook for them
6. teach an indigenous group for one entire summer 
7. learn Braille
8. storytell to blind children
9. get advanced sign language class
10. camp with significant other
11. sponsor two or more really smart and diligent kids 
to go to school
12. sleep in a tree house
13. witness a shooting star
14. meet lee kuan yew
15. put up a public library with media room
16. meet ferran adria
17. make a scrapbook for another person
18. publish a storybook
29. write a script for a short stage play 
20. meet you
21. donate my heart to a child

:-)

i'll stay with you...

(",): Can I go back now to Neverland? 
Or you want me to stay with you?
(."): Stay with me.
(",): Ok.

september 4, 2012
two life changing "yes" 
decisions happened today.