Once Upon A TYPE…

Archive for April, 2007

Cambodia….here we come

i’ll be out of the country for 4 days beginning on saturday (apr 28) chele and i will be in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for a nice summer treat we’re all set and excited. bus ticket’s only $10, 6 hrs away from Ho Chi Minh City, bags are packed and cameras are ready. trip will start at 8am, quite early for a saturday, but it’s ok – early birds gets nice seats in the bus, haha!

i’ll blog when i come back – definitely with great pics and nice adventure stories! c yah guys

adios sa aking bagong bf!

i was so happy this day when i recieved my new fone, motorazr v3i, i know it’s not that new in town kasi it’s been a while na simula ng lumabas un sa market, ayaw ko kasi bumili ng bago, dhil mahal na mahal ko ang luma kong bf – samsung na ubod ng liit at cute. i was taking my shower when i thought of having a new one, so before leaving, i told chele to grab it for me and make sure that when i arrived back i’ll be having it in my hands. it was afternoon when she bought it, lahat ng details sinabi nia sa kin, ang bangis nga dw nung fone, cool indeed! so, eto ako, excited na umuwi ng bahay para makita at mahawakan, salamat at wlang staff meeting maaga ako nakauwi. the moment i arrived un agad ang inuna ko, ang ayusin ang fonebook at tones. nakipagchat ke mama, syempre mgyayabang ng konti, hehe tapos ngkayayaan ng kumain. then, worse came, on our way home, nasnatch un fone ko,,,ang bago kong bf inagaw ng iba sa kin, huhuhu. i was so shocked with the incident kasi me tinetxt ako, i dont have any idea naman na mahahablot un sa kin. then there’s this 2 guys on their motorbike, hinde sila mukhang snatcher, kasi ang gana pa nung motor nila, to think na kasasakay lang nila. then dumaan sila sa harapan ko, at wahlah, hinablot nung backrider un bago kong bf, sa pangyayari hinde ko alam kung pano ako nakatakbo ng matulin para lang habulin sila, kung d lang umilaw ang green sa stop light i know malaki ang chance ko na makuha ulit un fone ko, to think na bottle next dun sa intersection, cla agad makakaalpas ng mabilis. and there came the realisation na d ko na cla maabutan, mabilis sila kasi me motor sila ako mano mano. c chele nga napatunganga na lang sa bilis ng mga ngyari. to my delight, tumakbo ako ng matulin pauwi ng bahay para kunin un susi ng motor ko, i got the feeling na makikita ko sila, ang lakas ng pakiramdam ko na inde sila lalayo. pagkababa ko tinanong ako ni chi oi kung ano ang ngyari, then i told her nga, i asked her kung kaya bang i lock un fone ko here, she said yes, after sometime, pinigil nya na akong lumabas, sabi nia no use na dw at d nmin sila maaabutan…pero ang lakas talaga ng pakiramdam ko. i called jeff, i asked him about what’s the best thing to do, he got shocked kasi parang kanina lang dw happy ako to let hom know na me bago na nman ako ngaun i was almost crying na wla na un telepono. sad, sad, sad! nanginginig ako, goosebumps! namumutla, natakot ako sa nangyari, feeling ko nga hihimatayin ako, pero i tried to calm down, kahit sa loob ang sabi ay —-mga auff cla, lintek lang ang wlang ganti! makalipas ang ilang mahabang sandali, umakyat na ako sa room ko, tinawagan ko c jeff gamit un isa ko pang sim, i need someone to talk to, buti andyan sya ready makinig. he tried to comfort me, kahit pano natuwa namn ako. matagal ang usap nmin, telebabad, i need to speak out or else sasabog ako. ako ito, nahihirapan akong mgexpress ng nararamdaman ko, need ko lang mgsalita kahit pano.

sabi ng mga friends, blessing dw at wlang ngyari na masama sa kin…hay! ewan ko ba, basta mabigat pa din un pakiramdam ko. kung luma na un ok lang e hinde. ilang oras ko pa lang na nahahawakan tapos bigla na lang mawawala…hay, buti na lang anyan pa un samsung ko, inde ako iniiwan sa hirap man o ginhawa, mahal na mahal ko talaga un bf ko! pero mas masaya sana kung 2 sila na nasa tabi ko.

Dahil isa akong tamad…ayun ngcramming ako, tsk tsk!

wala akong pasok every saturday and sunday, kaya naman naeenjoy ko ng sobra ang beauty rest ko, hehe, but lately, it’s been worse kasi un kapitbahay ngpaparenovate, imagine ang ganda ng crib nila, i reckon wla pang 3 yrs un pero heto at natibag na sya…suma total – ang ingay! para syang thump thump music sa aking mahimbing na pagtulog! lagi na lang tuloy akong nagugulat, feeling ko ginigiba din nila un room ko! kaya nman nasisira ang aking sleeping beauty ;P

it’ll be just a couple of months at vacation na sa IS, yahooo! meaning to say, i’ll be having tonnes of time para maglakwatsa. i’ve been very excited lagi na makapagtravel sa ibat ibang places (sino ba nmn ang hinde) and since vacation is coming soon, workloads being tripled. here comes the reports everywhere and the exam papers not to include, boohoo, konti pa lang nagagawa ko. ang dami ko kasing extra curricular activities! im teaching igcse maths and chemistry to hi-skul students, and if you think it’s easy, ur mistaken…amp! samahan mo pa ng A-level chemistry, actually im not yet teaching it but next month im going to start it with my yr10, preparation for their yr11. woot, galing galing ko namn! yabang e no? dami kong subjects na kayang ituro, biro lang… i dont have any choice – actually i like it coz meron akong growth as a teacher,it’s a good feeling na well versed ka sa iba’t ibang subjects, kinda hard coz i need a lot of preps for my subjects, pracs are done first just to make sure that i wont make mistakes. plus meron pa akong maths training with my yr9 students everyday, im preparing them for next years SEAMC! sikat si teacher..ngko-coach pa…fighting!

at dahil malapit na nga ang bakasyon at madami na ang trabaho, minamadali kong matapos lahat, kahapon (sabado) maghapon akong tumunganga sa harap ng laptop, chatting to dear ramsey…pasaway kasi si nepo, suplado! kaya ayun, kami ni kewlburn ang ngusap, isali pa yun kapatid ko, haha! i almost forgot that i have papers to mark…at eto pa, un presentation ko nga pla for my yr10 d pa tapos, uhuhu! thank u at maaga akong nagising, after washing up, humarap ako agad sa trabaho ko, takot ko na lang na hinde matapos! it’s 730am and i was already ganado to finish all, yihee! ng makaramdam ako ng gutom kumain ako ng 2 bowls ng hu tiu, sarap sarap! pagkatapos kong kumain back to work na naman ako! pasulyap sulyap minsan nakikipagchat! fortunately, i finished it on time, konti na lang ang gagawin ko then im all set. free to relax na! i dunno why, but til now dala ko pa din yun cramming attitude ko, haha! buti na lang at hindi nahahalata ng ibang tao!

when she cries

News: The Science of Kissing

There’s a feeling people get from a good kiss that’s just hard and just hard to explain.

Women compare it to “melting butter” and being “hit by a wave,” according to a recently conducted online survey. Men describe it as similar to “vibrations at a concert” or a “three pointer at the buzzer to win the NCAA basketball tournament,” according to the same survey, sponsored by SMINT Powermints in conjunction with the release of the Drew Barrymore movie Never Been Kissed.

On the surface, the SMINT sponsored survey appears to be more of a cheesy product promotion than a strict scientific survey. Let’s face it, how can anyone compare a good kiss to a buzzer beater to win the NCAA championship when there is probably nothing that compares to hitting the game-winning shot? And for the guy that does that, there would probably be a lot more than just kissing going on after the game. That’s where the science of kissing comes in. Experts believe there is a whole lot of physiology behind the warm and fuzzy feelings that accompany a good kiss. It’s all about dopamine, neurotransmitters, pleasure receptors and the like.

Feelings of passionate love, often but not always a contributing factor to a really good kiss, are believed to stimulate the same type of brain activity as parachuting, bungee jumping, distance running or other sports activities, says Marta Miana, a UNLV psychology professor specializing in sexuality and health psychology.

In a nutshell, these types of activities cause the brain to experience a surge in norepinephrine, dopamine and phenylethylamine (or just PEA to some), Dr. Miana explains. These neurotransmitters attach to the so-called pleasure receptors in the brain to create feelings of euphoria, giddiness, elation and the like. Components in amphetamine drugs are similar to these same neurotransmitters, which is why these drugs create similar feelings, according to modern science. Any of these activities can be addictive, because the pleasure receptors crave a certain level of the different neurotransmitters. For a variety of reasons believed both genetic and environmental, some people are more susceptible than others to certain types of addictions–drugs, alcohol, skiing, shopping and maybe even sex–based on the type of neurotransmitters the activities produce and the brain craves.

So you’re a guy. You feel the firm touch of your girlfriend’s full, soft lips pressed tightly upon your own. Maybe there’s even a little tongue involved. You’re feeling pretty good. And you want more.

Does that make you a sex addict? Not necessarily. Is sexual addiction a bona fide disease or just a scam that psychologists created to justify research and book sales? There apparently is no clear answer. The National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity contends that addiction to sexual activity can be just as destructive to an individual as chemical dependency. “For most people, sex enhances the quality of life,” according to a 1991 NCSAC report posted on this agency’s well-designed and seemingly credible Internet website. “However, about 3 percent to 6 percent of Americans have sexual addiction. Through their addiction, they may injure themselves physically, experience psychological distress, lose their livelihood and ruin meaningful relationships. “Sexual addiction often coexists with chemical dependency, and untreated sexual addiction contributes to relapse to chemical use. These patients not only endanger themselves but also put their loved ones at risk for AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.” Dr. Miana is like many psychologists with reservations about characterizing sexual addiction as a bona fide disease. For someone involved in a monogamous, loving relationship with his or her spouse, there may be no such thing as too much sex. However, compulsive sex often leads to conduct that is immoral, like extramarital affairs, or even illegal, like solicitation of prostitution, pedophilia or worse. And engaging in compulsive behavior often leaves a person with feelings of remorse or guilt. Dr. Miana declines to pass moral judgment on others, but she believes a person should seek help for compulsive sex if they start to feel bad about their conduct and/or engage in activity that harms others. “If a person is feeling badly about it, then they have a problem,” she says. “If they don’t feel bad, and they aren’t doing anything injurious to themselves or others, then that is not a problem that needs psychological

A Day in Cu Chi

It’s quite an exciting day for me and my students last Wednesday – we went to Cu Chi Minority Village to study history (of course not me but them ) The trip started early to avoid heavy traffic, 20 Yr9 students tagged along with three teachers(me, Van Anh & Ms. Oanh) That day, I was a bit annoyed, I was not in the mood to participate in this kind of activity! So on our way, I took my ipod and listened to the music loudly! Halfway through, we stopped to eat breakfast, while waiting I saw the face of my students – gloomy!  Van, Nhi & Xuan Anh were just frowning (they said they were still sleepy)  and since I’m not in the mood, too, I joined them!  Waiting for the food made the situation even worse…my girls waited for their sunny side up for a century before it arrived. Everyone was almost done when they served it, grrrr! they wasted time! After a not so appetizing breakfast, we headed back to the road. Cu Chi is not so far from the city, it’ll be around 2 hrs going there (+ the traffic).

When we arrived, kids immediately went inside the museum, old artifacts are displayed and we took the chance to take some pics.

 this is a replica of an old house in the northern part of Vietnam. Normally it has a very high roof made from dried coconut leaves. People believe that when you go out of this house, you must go down backwards, because, they believe that it’s badluck if you don’t do so! (quite similar with the famous bahay kubo in the PI).

native clothes of men and women (looks like the Igorot clothes up in Banaue).

 robe worn by high ranking people in the village.

 dead water buffalo, no joke! it’s just a replica…I was trying to make a funny pic so I decided to look like I was carrying it, hehe!

Xuan Anh, Nhi & Van – copying Ms. Joyce!

 next, we stop at the auditorium where they usually conducts ceremonies. Old instruments are displayed. I wondered if long time ago they also have microphone, hehe! Never knew that they like karaoke, too!

die hard! tambuli queen!!!

another replica of an old man, weaving…oops sorry, i mean old woman! her look’s so decieving, even you will be mistaken! my student commented – “teacher, luckily she doesn’t have any lice on her hair, hahaha”. You bet!

school of fish! we liked this one a lot! we enjoyed feeding them for they keep on slapping one another just to get the feeds in the water.

monkey bridge, used in early days for crossing river. It’s made from bamboo, the catch here is that the bamboo that you have to step on is only one. If you can’t balance right, the water will be very much happy to catch you.

I tried it and some of my students as well, were supposed to do it w/o our shoes so it’s easier to balance but due to the hot weather, we put it back or else our feet will be burned. It’s pretty exciting, though!

 In the middle of walking, we decided to have a group pic, there I am, the pasaway teacher in black!

lunch soon came, we took our break for a while and feasted with seafood and vegetables, sorry I got so excited I didn’t manage to take pics. We ate a lot and truly were all full out of it. After some rest, we went to the playplace and tried to take more pics. One of my student, who’s eating a snack saw the cage of a pair of monkeys, she tried to feed them with her food, the monkeys got excited and fed so fast. But the food wrap was out of the cage, what I did is I went near them and tried to push it in, to their surprise, thinking that I might be stealing it away from them, they hurriedly pull till the snack fell off the floor.

out of my pity, I leaned over and tried to pick up some of it. To my delight they took off my new cap! Arggh, it’s my first time to wear it and it’s a gift! I was so annoyed but can’t do anything. They went wild when my students tried to take it away from them using a stick! Desperately, I went to see the keeper to ask some help. The man arrived and gave me back the cap. My only remark is – how did they put the monkey in the cage when there’s no door? They were trapped inside by cyclone wire! Kinda cruel I think!

playplace, here we come, yihee! the fifteen y/o students acted like 4 y/o’s hahaha, well, even the teacher did the same

I rode the lion, since I’m too heavy it turned sideways, nyehehe!

a student asked me to try the swing and asked her classmate to push me, it’s nice coz it’s really fun but the push was so hard that I started to feel the butterflies in my tummy!

soon after, i felt like I’m going to puke, I asked Kiet to stop it and I wanna go down immedietely before something bad happen!

relieved I stood up again and headed to see-saw, hehe!

do I look like surfing??? hell yah! surfing see-saw. It’s Mai Anh and Thao with me

this one is the hardest game I’ve played! narrow and painful! my sister told me I look like a monkey here, amp! fortunately, I finished it although I got hesitant in the middle of the way. I got a black patch on my knee afterwards!

push me away! all you have to do is sit on the chair and let other people push you to reach the other end. Im quite sad coz it’s just a short distance!

going down but I want more

after the push-me-away-swing, it’s push-me-away-ball next…i wont let this pass on me!

too heavy, I got stucked in the middle!

it’s over! but I still want more!

leaving the playplace made us sad, once in a while, playing like a kid soothes our heavy feelings and took us far from the busy shedule we have at school. I wonder how much will I spend for this kind of playground in our house? I guess it’s too big, maybe miniature will do! hehe!

I’m really enjoying my time now! but it’s not yet over!

we went back to the auditorium to watch a cultural dance. Eventually all of us danced the afternoon away!

the ipitin-mo-ang-paa dance a.k.a. tinikling!

last activity, com lanh eating…glutinous rice cooked inside the bamboo, partnered with bbq and cold water!

We arrived back at school exactly 4.25pm, although I was a killjoy at first, I will still say that it was FUN after all! Thanks to Van Anh for choosing me to come with them rather than going to the other trip next Wedneday! Conclusion: I learnt, I enjoyed, I got full and I felt like a child one more time!

Here Comes The Bride…..

   Phuong and I      

 together with the couple

  a toast for the newlywed!

 Chele!

 sisters at the wedding!

 John, Ngan and Kev

 Tobsey and his Mimi

 Lau (hotpot)

 nice dress but no nice men around!

 It’s an honor to be a witness of two people binding together…actually i feel envy every time i see sweet couples exchanging vows to one another. I once told my friend something about marriage – ‘Marriage is not a word, it’s a sentence – LIFE SENTENCE!’ then my friend laughed getting married with the one you love is a great thing! and  partaking the happiness that the couple’s experiencing is truly deligthful.

Phuong is our lab assistant at school and she’s really nice! she was very lovely last Saturday, no doubt about it. It’s my first time to a Vietnamese wedding and I’m kinda surprised with the way things happening. I arrived with Chele at the reception, wearing our beautiful dresses of course! we wanna look good as the bride do, too! We’re greeted by the couple and took some pictures with them, signed on the guest book and went through the hall. Live streeming’s happening at the wedding, it’s like the Academy Awards! You can see all the people coming on the big screen inside the reception hall. Colleagues came a bit late from the expected time of arrival – well, were used to it! When they say 6 it’s gonna be 7. We sat on the same table and chat for a while, exchanged jokes and soon after the program started…

At first, there’s this host that spoke in Vietnamese telling us some infos about the groom and the bride – the horrible thing is that he sounds like a ring announcer in a boxing fight —- how about this, in the red corner weighing 200 lbs give a round of applause to Phhuuooongggg!!!! hahaha. Really terrible, my colleagues just kept gigling while he speaks! Then the music starts…awful….it’s like their doing a film ‘scary movie’ i think….the lights went blinking many times while they’re enjoying the background music! the couple made a grand entrance where they rode a carousel with 2 lines of women playing violins (they’re not really playing it though, just for style) everybody applaused when they entered the hall. There are no bridesmaids and groomsmen, but there are these people who danced waltz for the couple. Everbody’s hired for the said wedding! After the brief intro, it’s eating time. The menu’s quite impressive but not the food. They served it so fast that you have to eat it quickly! Oh boy, I could tell you that it’s not fun when they’re hurrying you up especially when you’re trying to devour your food slowly! The drinks are over flowing – so if you’re a good drinker, it’s a good chance for you! After 2 hrs. everyone’s heading home fat, ooops fast i mean!

If I’ll analyze the event – rating it from 1 – 10, I’ll give it 7. The place was expensive and as well as the food, the programs great and were pretty happy with it. The only thing is…were not used to kind of ceremony, so far different from the one we usually see on tv. Here, the wedding proper is not celebrated on the wedding party. Traditionally they do it the next day. Hmmm, i think it’s not important after all. What matters most is the couple who’ll share their lives with one another for the rest of their days.

Suddenly, I imagined my special one. I questioned myself of when am I gonna have my dream wedding with my dream man….someone who’ll make me happy and make me inlove till I stop breathing….answer: I dunno!

be spoiled….be very very spoiled

this may not be a very good start of the week for my dear sister…she dumped her job for certain reasons i can’t elaborate  =( she’s really upset and felt devastated after 2 months of hardplay…ah i mean hardwork =) chele’s very confuse what to do next, being the older and more experienced sister, i tried to comfort her and suggested some ways to distress herself…vacation, rest, do whatever she feels doing, eat, play, shopping. so tonight, we went to a massage parlor after going to saigon square market. chele was so happy w/her new pink soft slippers, hahaha! then the massage! wooooh, sooooothing!!!! we’re spoiled to the highest level! we even gigle all the time bcoz of the ticklish feeling, hic hic! it was our first time to be massaged with all the clothes off and we’re really S_H_Y! but we can’t do anything, they forced us, huhu! joke! they did a great job….for $50USD you’ll get a head to toe massage! facial, too! after 3 hrs, we feel brand new, wow! good value for money, ey! while i was being massaged, i cant stop thinking of someone…that person makes me smile all the time! reason?? no reasons needed! i always look forward to what we can do this together in due time….im happy and felt relieved that i can spoil myself once in a while in my busy sched:D

now, mixed emotion! inlove, happy, frustrated, challenged and hoping…ooops, i forgot SpOiLeD!!!

tastebuds satisfaction!

After a long day of work nothing pays off more than a good food together with your family and friends.  It’s been a long time since I went out with my buddy Mike – manager of Pepperonis (HCMC) I recieved a message from him last Tuesday asking if I wanna go out for dinner, since I’ve got nothing to do I simply said yes. I met him at Bia Tuoi Pacific (bia means beer) it’s a beer haven with very cheap price but mediocore! Mike’s birthday is coming soon so I thought of bringing a cake for him. I met some of his friends who also owns restos in the city…after some chat and heating up, we headed to Pho Co Dieu St. down in District 5. They serve only ‘crabs’…one of his friends is preggy and craving to eat crabs, actually she only wants to eat the sauce! The place was not that impresing because it’s just down the alley but the moment we arrived there, were all stunned with the aromatic smell of buttered crabs. They are freshly cooked, we even watched the man who cleans and opens the crabs!  I think we ordered 15 pcs, served with baguette we all digged into the sumptuous meal! wheeew, it’s heaven, that we can’t stop moaning how delicious they are! fueled with beer, were all satisfied with our dinner! although cracking them was damn difficult, luckily my friend’s always to the rescue to do it for me, hehehe! The price was not bad, we paid $120USD for all! Pretty good, ey! Unfortunately, Chele wasn’t able to come with us – blame her tough work this days! But don’t worry I’ll bring you there when you’re sched’s a bit loose

When me and my sister Chele were so bored to eat, we usually go to a particular steak house to have dinner…steak is extremely cheap and served well! I love this one so much because I could have an excuse for dieting…steak is no excuse at all! It’s normally served with bread and fresh lettuce with pickled cucumber! another heavenly meal, hic hic!

 

I maybe very busy for the past days working hard, but the tiredness fades off after eating a good meal and having great conversation! Wow, life is really great, especially if I could eat all the food that I’m craving for!

p-r-o-u-d

One of my greatest achievements in life is being a teacher in IS. For the past 2 years I was able to enjoy life to the fullest, learn and do what I love most – teaching! I never imagined myself as a good teacher, only the students can answer that, how? based on their performance! good teachers reflects bright students (true!) so skip that one, im not going to blog about good students or me as a good teacher, hic hic! Today all of the staffs recieved their name cards from school. It was kind of late but it’s ok rather than never getting at all. I was sooooo happy to take mine – it’s like an award from a prestigious event, joke! For me, it’s another memorabilia! another milestone, that once in my life i get to participate a great school, where I know a lot of teachers also aspire to be one. I am damn lucky to be here in ISHCMC – lots of reasons…I’m the only Filipino, I’m the youngest among all the staff, I’m the most adored teacher by the students(maybe because my age gap is not that big from them) I’m cool as they say, caring (sometimes) and a lot lot more, nyahahaha! Tell me, I am really lucky right? forgive me, the photo’s blurry – dunno why! i guess because of the print!

Then there’s our leaflet. It’s already out in the market! No! It’s already out somewhere out there…where people can see my beautiful face(the nerve!) no kidding, it’s really out now for parents to browse! When I first saw the leaflet, I was just so amaze – I am part of it, I saw my pic there with my students. The more I became proud of myself. That moment I immidiately asked Tien if I could have that copy for souvenir and she replied “sure, for 10,000 dong” then I replied “price doesn’t matter!” for me it’s priceless…although it’s just a paper for other people, for me…it’s my trophy!

(hanapin nio kung asan ako dito sa pic na me bahay kubo, gudluck!)

Other pages are not that important, wala naman kasi yun pic ko dun!!! joke. Seriously, being an educator is a one tough job! sometimes I complain when its hell week for us! but I still love it!!! Time will pass, things will change, I will be old and may not be funky anymore as students see me, but the passion for what I’m doing will never fade….teachers can’t rest….we should continue to learn and continue to share our great knowledge as we meet new students in our life! wink wink

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