Regarding Parents

Parenthood is, as they say, the best thing that can happen to a person. Waking up to this little girl trying to squirm into your arms, or kicking you in the stomach, trying to find a comfortable place for herself is gratifying. Watching her learn things such as numbers, shapes, colors, and alphabets fills me with pride. Especially that she cannot really make conversations yet. But with the four mentioned, and the nursery rhymes that she sings in a far better tune than her mama, I look forward to the debates that we will be having in the near future and hopefully for a long, long time after.

Watching their children grow, and eventually letting them go must be hard for parents. Even if they are prepared for this, and wish this for their children, the empty-nest syndrome is actually real. Parents feel that they are no longer needed and succumbs to depression which sometimes led to illness or death. But that is only a feeling I have right now.

The past week has been trying, and I hate COVID now more than ever. As I listen to my brother recite things that are happening to our mother, from the house until she was brought to the hospital. The feeling of helplessness of not being able to give support or assistance to this 'kid' brother you always tease to be the 'irresponsible' one is overwhelming. Even if he tries to give you decision-making authority and allow you to decide things for mama's health care, it is not enough. 

And as things take turns for the worst, and there is nothing you can do really except pray. Is it really normal to lose one's parent right after the other? Or is it just me, having a defeatist attitude and already trying to accept this scenario even if it did not happen yet.

As grown children now, deciding their mother's fate, it's a wry feeling. 

We had hoped to be children for a 'long', long time and even with the baby, I had hoped to call somebody and ask for advice whenever I need it. Or simply because I need to talk. 

And as COVID denies us the chance of 'seeing' Mama through this or even saying 'goodbye' if it comes to that. All I can hope is that, my parents did rear 'strong' children that can push through things even if it seems hopeless now.

P.S.I wish to write lots but the tears started falling, so let's reserve things for the next one.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!  :D

Regarding Relationships

This afternoon, while the baby and I were exploring the neighbourhood for her daily walk (the 2nd for the day). She got caught up in trying to remove all the ipil-ipil seeds from the 'shrub' before they even flower and become fruits. I sat on the sidewalk and watch her run to and fro, chasing her imaginary friends. Or trying to reach out the 'seeds' from their branches by any means necessary. (I let her be and just watch in case she overshoots and fall to the vacant lot where the ipil-ipil grows). Watching her is more fun anyway, she throws the seed as far as she can, run to the side and holds the 'alambre' that supports the clothesline, and then sprinkles imaginary salt in the middle of the road where the seed was thrown. Rinse and repeat.

Got you thinking that this is a Mommy post?

Fortunately, it's not, just want to share that little tidbit.

So soldier on.

As I was watching her, I saw 3 little birds descend on the red roof of a neighbouring subdivision house. I was about to ignore them, as birds flying over and on rooftops is a common occurrence. But then, the birds started pecking each other. My thought was, "Oh, its a mating game of who is the more worthy partner". As the pecking and petting progressed though, it did not seem that way anymore. (Not that I am an expert on birds and their rituals). I did stand up to see clearly to see what is really happening. Still, a bit blurry, (did not have my glasses), but I can make out all the birds and what they were doing.

I cannot tell you if all the birds were female, or all-male, or 1 female and 2 males or 2 females and a male. It's just that they were pecking each other in all combinations, and whenever one is pushed behind in their shenanigans, it will spread its wings and cover the other 2 in an embrace. (Or it seems that way to me, is all). This happened a few times and I watched all of it until the birds flew away. In the time, that the 3 birds stayed on the roof, the other birds in the area just went about their business.

Sadly, the same cannot be said of humans. We tend to poke our noses into other people's businesses. And if we disapprove of whatever agendum our fellow humans are up to, we show our disapproval with disdain and malice. Can we shut up about other people's preferences?

The LGBTQ+ community is usually the target of such cruelty. I do not approve of it nor I do support it. But I have a brother who is a member and a sister who is very vocal in her promotion of gender equality and all the other things that go with it. I may not approve, but I do understand. And so I let them be. It's a choice, and they choose to be classified in a different manner than what they were born with. 

If the church with its traditions and long-standing reputation embrace this reality, why can't you? It's not as if they are harming you by existing. Unless, you are in denial, and cannot bear the slap of reality that you can never have if you do not step outside of the closet.

The other one is people in a polyamory relationship. Again, I do not support this and I vehemently refuse to support people especially 'friends' who are cheating on their partners because they feel that some of their soul belongs to someone else. PUH-LEEZ. Polyamory after all is when all three or more of you are in a relationship. Not you with your partner, and you with another person without your partner's knowledge, and certainly not you with another person that does not know you have a partner. If that is the case, it's not a relationship. It's just you that cannot keep it in your pants.

Again, if polyamory works for people, let them be. You are not the one that is in the relationship, so you do not really know how it goes. Unless it's a fantasy and you can never make it work.

I think I can list a lot of things that people, including me, look down on. But this post is not about that, so I'll stop the examples here. Just the 2, since the 1st one is close to my heart and the 2nd one is the reason why I am writing this post anyway.

The bottom line is if the Animal Kingdom can tolerate any form of relationships, why can't we? Humans are placed in a higher level of intelligence compared to animals. Yet, here we are. Full of prejudice and disdain against people who do not conform to the 'normal' we try to put our perfect world into.

Just a reminder, since the start of Covid Quarantine a year ago, we are not exactly normal right now. So, normalcy is not really perfect as well.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!  :D

P.S. The title I gave this one reminds me of all those essays that I used to read for Papa. Haha, brings back memories of reading such obscure works written in old English and poring over the dictionary to find out its meaning but still feels that its out-of-context.

The Last 3 Decades

Today, I am supposed to be making progress on a term paper due by the end of the month. Or create a lesson plan due tomorrow, or start watching the videos and write an article due on Sunday. 

If not these, I should have been adding module content for our Online Learning Management System.

I have a lot of things to do but my mind is a restless place, and I feel that it will not settle unless I put my scrambling thoughts to words and finally let them go.

No need to belt Elsa on me, that has already been replaced by her Into the Unknown songs that well I think is more appropriate for what is still in store for me.

As I close this decade, I cannot help but look back to the journey that made me who I am.

It has been fun, and it has been filled with lessons that never did stick, or maybe they did. Because as far as I'm concerned, I WAS and STILL IS Papa's Little Goody Two-Shoes. 

I never planned to live with regrets. And I am happy that even if I did have what-ifs and I shouldn't have done those moments, generally my life has been strait-laced and clean :D <3

So let's start the first one, not that there are too many things to remember.

The first few years as a baby are just stories to tell. I was born in my Grandma's house and my head was too big, my uncles called me ET. I had a nanny growing up and I met her when I was older but can't really remember her.

I grew up in a 30-hectare farm, and as far as the eyes can see, all of those belongs to Papa. I remember being gifted a bike and learning how to ride one down a slope that was too dangerous and resulted in bruised knees and egos. But hey, I learned to ride.

I learned how to ride a cow, a carabao, a horse, and lead a carabao pulling a cart first to a spring some kilometers away to fetch water for drinking. And later to the Monterey compound, also a few kilometers away, when it was established. We lived without freshwater resource since a deep well was not a viable option. We lived without electricity because it was too far away from civilization. 

I enjoyed living on the farm, especially during summer and the harvest season. We had lots of fruit trees, and climbing them was fun. Even 'stealing' from the neighboring farms and running away from the caretaker was fun.

We had long dips in the NIA- waters that run through the farm while munching on whatever fruit is in the season but sugarcane is the best. I think it's one of the reasons why I have such straight teeth.

Growing up on a farm is also chore-filled. We learned how to sow corn, plant rice, weed the garden, feed the dogs, clean the chicken house, and collect the eggs from ducks. 

But mostly, I remember the separation during school days since I have to live with my Grandma during this time. Until Papa decided to move us from the farm permanently so that me and JV can focus on school.

And school has been my focus since.

I graduated first in class for Pre-school and was dubbed the bookworm since my nose is always buried in the fictional world, and sometimes non-fiction as well. I remembered being in a fistfight in 2nd grade since I was not able to answer a question posed by a classmate as I did not hear him at first, and when I did, did not really have an interest in the conversation. He ended up transferring to the public school, and we did not have any contact ever since. Such drama at such a young age. This was also not my last fistfight :)

But after that, all my classmates, there were only 9 of us, actually, leave me alone when I get like this. 

I also remembered sleeping in a Math class and was made to answer Long Division in front of the class. It was actually OK because I think I was already on algebra at home when this happened. I think Papa wanted an engineer for me as a career but I was not into it though Math was tolerable. There was also the multiplication until 12x12 that we had to recite to the school director so he will sign our clearance.

I enjoyed living in the barrio even if it was not such a leap from the farm. At least, there was water and electricity which meant I can read far into the night.

The bookworm in me was happy, but the free-spirited girl who wants to laze all day among the trees was in contest. But it was for my best interest, so nothing was needed to be said.

And now to the 2nd one.

The 2nd decade was full of changes as well, and a lot of moving on my part. It was a decade of growing up and being independent. So a chronological order is a reasonable and rational way to expound on it.

Crushes and all that started in Grade 5 or 6. I had one as well. So I think I was normal enough teenager. I have no idea though if it was reciprocated. And I don't really wanna know. It was elementary, and not really important at the time:) I was too focused on thinking where I will end up since I don't really wanna go to the High School in the barrio.

So I graduated at the top of the class and has 2 science high schools to choose from. This was after receiving the rejection letter from Pisay. Of course, I picked the nearest one. But it still meant living in a boarding house.

Enrolling in CMULHS, opened doors for me. But I did not really explore any of them. I have spent too much time living in my fictional dreams that being faced with the reality was a challenge I was not ready for.

So the plays, contest, quiz bees, and all the stages offered were too much, and so I remained the loud kid that never really excelled in anything. I had one goal in High School and it was to consume all the books in the library. And I am proud to say, I was able to finish at least a whole section in the four years I stayed. Reading was and will always be my priority that speech and writing took a backseat. And the only piece I wrote was in the Horizon and was not even dedicated to me.

This is between finding out that volleyball is a sport I will never enjoy, and running is such a freeing thing to do.

Basketball is OK even if I am too short for it, and leave the chess to the Math whiz since I cannot really win against them. 

Science Research was a surprise, we won 2nd in the Locals. It was unexpected, but we were glad for the experience. For the record, my groupmates in that research are now in the medical field. Not surprising since our research was on Fungi (Mushrooms) against Fungi (Tinea versicolor). That was also fun, we camped out in an internet cafe in the city doing research for RRL and finishing that paper.

With the 4 years stay in CMU High, I was just glad I remained in the first section all throughout. Even if it was too late, I managed to land in the top 10 right before we graduate but whose remembering. 

I had my choice from the best schools, and all of them offered scholarships.

Which was a good thing, because if not for it, I wouldn't have been able to study in college. 

Papa would have done his best, of course, but losing the farm was a devastating event in our lives. And financially we had suffered, though the parents tried to pass it off as not important.

But here comes college, and now I'm off to Visayas. To study in UP Miagao taking up Computer Science. Not my first choice, but the scholarship is kinda limited to sciences.

College, how to sum it up. Aside from the rigorous school works, which is expected. My college life was dedicated to making Elektrons the Best Org in the world. I was part of the Execom for 3 years, was active in the Komsai.Org, played sports during Pahampang, become a member of the Debate Team and joined some contests. 

These days were also 'wild' days. Meet 'new friends', some of them controversial. Got myself a boyfriend, and it was a romance that lasted for 3 years. Learned how to smoke and drink, but did not really enjoy these things. So did not explore pot, drugs, and other vices deadlier than these.

But all in all, college made me met friends that are and hopefully will be friends for life. To add to my high school friends that are also for keeps.

And now for the last one.

At 21, I graduated from college. Started working for ESPC and worked with a fitness guru for 6 years.

At 22, I passed my Civil Service Exam, I met my now-husband and it has been a roller coaster ride until we got married at 26, and then we proceed to another roller coaster ride.

At 23, I enrolled for my Master's Degree in Math, as I cannot really see myself being a programmer in the long run especially with the shift to mobile development.

At 24, we bought our first property.

At 25, I graduated from my Master's Degree and pursued my Diploma in Teaching.

At 26, we built a house on our property and got married. I resigned from Eversun and started Teaching.

At 27, I passed the Licensure Exam, and we decided to have a baby.

At 28, PJ started living with us since she passed the UP High School exam. I started my PhD Degree on another scholarship.We became parents to a little girl, we named Ithlinne Aegli Van, and if she was a he, he would have been named Alistar Ray Von. Haha. Geek Parents. We also lost Nanay right after It-it was born, and Papa before Christmas. It was an eventful year.

At 29, we should have been in Indonesia but CoVid happened. So we are now starting on Online Learning which consumed my time.

At 30, today is the first day. And I am grateful for the people I can call my family, including super extended ones, that I do not really chat with all the time or contact at all. To my friends, who remained all these years, even with my 'shitty' and snobbish attitude towards them. To everyone that passed through my life and gave me life lessons. To the what-ifs that never happened like 'boyfriends', 'contests', and decision-making that was not done hurriedly but still made me question myself after like the 'running for CAS councilor'. The games and matches that would have been done differently. The job opportunities I did not grab. The travels I let slide. All the scenarios churning in my mind that could have ended differently.

But hey, not everything is a novel. Life is as good as we make it. One can never really have an ending unless one dies. And I think death is not yet in the cards for me, hopefully.

I still have a lawyer to send to school, a beauty queen to convince he needs to finish his degree, a husband to convince he is doing his best and has been for the last 8 years that we've been together, two mothers to pamper, a baby to mother and push towards her chosen path in the future, and hopefully a baby boy in the future if I am no longer torn between the different responsibilities I find myself in right now.  

Also, I still need to decide what's best for me. Getting the degree is the start.

As it has been for the last 27 years. 

I never really rested from school.

It's one level after the other. And I cannot seem to stop. And I do not really have anything to show for it.

No riches, not even glory.

Though I hope that my students did learn something from me, outside the lessons I gave.

One can only hope.

And as I breathe in the new age, the one where the calendar is no longer part of, I hope that my parents are PROUD of who I've become and will be as a daughter, a sister, and now a mother.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

Math Education and the New Normal

CTTO: https://education.uitm.edu.my/v5/index.php/en/admission/postgraduate/ed706-master-of-science-in-mathematics-education

Math, as we all have observed, is the bane of all students. It is very rare to encounter a Filipino student who loves Math and will fight for it to the death. Even fellow Mathematics students during my education days are not really teaching math just because it's easy for them but more of they see it as a challenge that needs to be overcome.

In the last three decades of doing math, those who excel at it did not really use their full potential to focus solely on math as a career, though most of them are in a career that stems from competence on the said field. Those of us left to teach it, are not bad at it but we all know that we can do better.

With the PISA results for 2018, and the Philippines in the red for Math, Reading and Science. We, educators, ask ourselves, where did it go wrong?

Was it the change to the K-12 program? Are we not ready enough?
Was it the No Child Left Behind Policy? That, in my opinion, is being wrongly executed.
Was it the level of education and mastery skills of teachers? Are all competent teachers teaching abroad?
Was it the curriculum?

There are too many questions that need answering. And no study has actually answered what really needs attention in the Philippine education.

A lot of situations to take into consideration. Especially with our remote schools in far-flung areas in mountain regions and middle of nowhere islands.

And the primary problem, the COVID situation that is still not being addressed or taken seriously (the Malacanan boasting that they beat the UP prediction, when in fact predictions always comes with a margin of error; another show that our Math education is really not up to par), to add in all these literacy difficulties that we need to face.

With the new normal in our horizon come August 2020, and we are no closer to answer the questions that came even before the PISA results came out. How will the Filipino students and teachers take a stance and hopefully improve our scores in the next PISA Test?

Hopefully, I will not see another comment that the PISA Test was biased and does not reflect the learning of the Filipino students. I am praying though that, that comment did not come from a math teacher.

As it stands, the student should always be better than the teacher. History has shown us this.

So if we have poor students, what does that make of the teacher?

=======

On another note, since Math is a subject that is best learned when doing it.
How can we ensure that our students will be able to understand the remote discussion? How can we check that they are actually doing their part in learning their lessons?

The dilemma is as real as it gets, and granted that we cannot really know. The only answer left is to provide our future students with good lecture and lecture notes that they can learn from with the limited resources available to us and them.

Be it modules, notes, videos, and online links. I hope that each and every educator will arm themselves for their students and take into consideration that the Philippines is not a "techie" nation even if everybody is on Facebook and/or Twitter.


=======

Lastly, I am doing a series of math lecture/tutorial videos.

If in the future, your children, nieces, nephews, and what-not need additional lectures.

Just give me a heads up on what mathematics topic, and what language (Filipino, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, English) the student prefer it in, and I'll be happy to create a youtube video for the said difficulties.

xoxoxo

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

CoVid 19 and the Rant of Jeng

Photo from CDC

I am supposed to work on the last few assignments for Statistics and call it the end of the semester for me since you know Final Exams are supposed to happen on April 25 but then the Enhanced Community Quarantine is being extended to April 30. (Still waiting for announcements on exams!)

But being on Facebook and the Internet exposes you to a lot of things. Plus the discussions with husband does not really help matters. My brain is full of Covid News and Covid Controversies and Conspiracies and I feel that I should write it all down so that I can let it out and finally get back to Statistics.
So CoVid 19 is a pandemic that when left on its own will double every day, and that's a conservative estimate if we use 2^N (2 raise to the power of N). With a greater base, the exponential increase would be overwhelming as shown in Italy and the US' increase in cases.

So THE WHO decided as the procedure to combat the disease is to:

1. LOCKDOWN everything though air travel is still open for some countries and those with vehicles can still get everywhere.
2. SOCIAL DISTANCING (3 feet apart should be practiced. But well, damu japon gapost sa FB na super close ang pamilya. Pero well, wala man guro me virus sa ila.
3. DISINFECT all the time, tapos me ng hoard alcohol. Hmmm, Soap guro dapat gi-hoard, ang alcohol ipadala na to sa Hospital mas needed nila ang fast disinfection. Ikaw kay sa balay ra man ka dapat, panghugas ug kamot or ligo lang gud pirmi. Especially na init ang panahon kay summer na.
   
   Then NEW UPDATES,
4. WEAR FACE MASKS all the time kay indi lang siya gale ma contract from people who showed symptoms. There are people who are asymptomatic, meaning sila ni ang wala gabatyag pero me COVID na gale sila. 
5. The TESTING KIT is now available in the Philippines, and so people with authority had themselves VIP TESTED bypassing those people who are critical in the hospital for reasons nga me upod sila sa isa ka MEETING na me COVID kuno.

Pero in times like these, we see people both in power and outside of power who shows pasaway behaviour and have not done any good for the country the past month that everyone has been quarantined.

There are people na galagaw japon without any protection to themselves and does not seem to care nga dapat gahalong ang tanan karon nga mga panahon. I, myself is guilty since I allow the baby and myself to roam around our block since 7 lang man di kabilog ang mga balay sa palibot namun and wala kami immediate neighbors.

There are people who tested POSITIVE then mapalagyo from the authority kay Hindi nila gusto ang OSPITAL nga dal an sa ila. EXCUSE ME, Limited PO ang Hospitals na Allowed to House COVID PATIENTS kasi nga po we do not want it to SPREAD.

Tapos asta subong wala man japon concrete plans ang atong gobyero panu ni tapna-un ang COVID disease without resorting to extending the LOCKDOWN until the end of the year. Tani mag participate man ang tanan, para ang VIRUS nga ara sa isa ka person ndi na mapasa sa next na person.

TIME is an asset that if WASTED will be never returned to you. TIME spent with FAMILY is WELL and GOOD but doing this only during LOCKDOWN lacks planning in your part. MAKE TIME for your FAMILY biskan busy ta always.

KUNG MA FREE NA ANG ATON PUMs (Person Under Monitoring) and PUIs (Person Under Investigation) after sang ila QUARANTINE days, INDI NA PAGDUGANGI PLEASE ky ginatrace pa to gani ang naka meet and greet sa ila.

AMU NG FOR THE BENEFIT of EVERYBODY nugay lagaw sa mga Lugar nga damu tawo nga gakadto. Kung gusto mu gid ma gwa because some People are JUST EXTROVERTS na indi makapahimuyong kung sa balay sila, PALIHOG PROTECT YOURSELF!

And then there are THE PEOPLE who ROSE to FAME because they did something right like MAYOR VICO SOTTO, and THE PROVINCE OF ILOILO, and those people nga na #hashtag pirmi because ang ila response to the VIRUS has been effective.

SO Kung me nami kamu na IDEAS to HELP, Go as long as you are not endangering yourself.


Tapos na ko rant, thoughts naman!
------

In the Philippines, a lot of issues has arisen. But the main point of the government is: we should help stop spread the virus by distancing ourselves from other people and keeping ourselves safe inside the comforts of our HOMES.

Remember, we are a third world country. Our government cannot afford to provide for us for long. Its resources are limited. AND this time, we cannot rely on other nations to provide for us, since everybody else is going through the same calamity / tragedy, whatever you want to call it.

If the government can no longer provide for those who need it the most, the poorest of the poor, that are being blamed because they are poor, what will they do then?

Please do not be insensitive to the welfare of other people. If you can provide for yourself and your family, because you still have online work, you still have salary even if you are staying in the house, you have savings, you have plants in the garden or you can ask from your neighbors, you have food (rice) that will last for months on end. Then yes, you are privileged enough to last long.

But those people, who rely on their everyday income as drivers, manual laborers, peddlers, sidewalk vendors, even farmers and fisherfolks who are banned from going outside their houses. Those who are contractual and do not have permanent incomes that are the ones most affected by this lockdown. Have you given them thoughts?

Then we can see all these negative comments on people (Huya man ta sa 8k na kulang pa sa 1 week), and those members of 4Ps (Gasalig lang sa gobyerno, wala man gabayad tax).

Remember these people do not have Financial Management Background, Budgeting is one of the hardest things to do and we even have difficulties doing it. It would have been better if what they needed was provided and not the money because now that they have money, they will not be able to know how to use/budget it to fit in a month. One computation was it was 47 pesos/meal per person. That's correct if it's a big household. You will not understand this because if you are in Jollibee and decides to buy a Jolly Savers Meal, you will not even think twice that its 50 pesos. They, on the other hand, would, and asked what can they buy with 47 pesos that will feed more than one person. See? Difference?

Also, in 4Ps, it is not true that they are not paying taxes because every one of us is paying E-Vat whenever we buy something. They are not exempted. And if you have problems with 4Ps recipients, Facebook or Twitter is not the right platform, send a message to your DSWD branch since they are the ones responsible for this. Have pity to the Lumads and other indigenous tribe members that are benefiting from this.

Ohkiey, I think I am good to go now.

-----

Last thoughts.

We are a people under one nation. In these times, fighting over who's better or needs help the most is not the way to go. Just do what you can to help.

1. Stay inside your own house / community , if your community is safe.
2. Remember these people who did good and bad, and VOTE Wisely next Elections.
3. Start planning on how we can live with Covid as the LOCKDOWN is never a good solution for our nation.
4. My friends in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and outside the country. Keep your body and mind safe in these times. Boredom is the least of our problems. 
5. Prioritize your Health, Security, and Mental Capacity.

Tapos na gid man siya.

Statistics na ta liwat!
I


Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

Dear Mr. Martinez

Today we applaud the memory of a man who loved me more than any man could.
Today we honour the man who raised such independent children that it felt like I moved on, the moment I heard that you have slept the eternal sleep.
But I think, my siblings could not really blame me. After all, for the last decade, you have constantly reminded me of what may or may not happen to you and the responsibilities that will fall on my shoulders the moment it will. I have taken the role now, and I hope that I am not failing your expectations.

But today is for your memory, and my role in that is as a daughter who remembers her father as someone to look up to.

My father is a person who had held responsibilities in many private and public institutions. The last of which is as president of the senior citizens association. That one he held with pride because even in his old age it felt good bringing a very disorganized group into something that the whole city organizations models in their own associations now.

My father has faced a lot of battles, in court and outside of it. I hope that it will come to an end soon as it has deprived my father of the privileges that he should have enjoyed after all the hard work that he has done in his employed life. It almost also deprived us of our education if not of luck and sheer perseverance.

My father is a very proud man, who felt that he has wronged his children by not being able to provide them with a good life. But I do not feel that I am unlucky that I cannot afford what others can because I know that I can live without them. This has been one of his regrets, though time and time again we have assured him that it was fine.

My father has raised us to follow our own morals, to own up our mistakes, and to choose our battles well. He has always reminded us that character is better than intelligence. But at the same time, preach that without intelligence you cannot get anywhere.
He always says that we can follow whatever path we want in life as long as we do not regret it. But after that, give suggestions on what are the best options to choose from. In time, I have learned to nudge him into my own direction. And that is an accomplishment in itself.

My father is very strict, but he has always allowed me to do things outside of the house as long as I inform mama about it. I am proud to say that amongst my siblings, I never experienced the 'paha' only the tongue-lashing. Though that is harsher,at least you can argue your way out.
The only quarrel with papa that I cannot really forget is the one from college when I finally confronted him on the reasons why 'technically I am a bastard child'. That was a sad argument that left me in tears for hours and I think hurt papa more than it did me. The parents' mistakes should never be blamed on the children, he quipped. But I cannot understand that, and society is not really a forgiving enemy. But I have made peace and he knows that I no longer blame him for it.

My father tried to raise independent children that I was sent out of the house when I was eleven. My brother when he was fourteen, and PJ when she was sixteen. But whenever I had problems, it was always a comfort to know that you and mama are just a phone call away. Thank you for the technology.
This year, I missed hearing your voice over the phone even if it was just you scolding me that you cannot hear whatever is being said.

But I do not have regrets, I know that you are at peace. You had live a good life. You outlived some of your siblings even if you are the eldest of them all. You had held your apos and great-apos. you had doled out advice to lots of people both asked and un-asked for.

This is for you. And I will always remember you.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

Journey to 60: Week 9

I've been neglectful in my duties of blogging the progress in the diet program we implemented for my not so little sister.

It has been 2 months since we started this project and her school will open the calendar for Academic Year 2018-2019 by the end of this month. She wants to lose a bit more weight before that happens, though I am planning to take her to the tailor next week so that her uniform will be ready by the time school opens.

As to lifestyle change, we made her undergo; she is still on intermittent fasting for the diet and the exercise is still a combination of strength training and jogging. We are adding more exercises for Arms and Legs since we do not want her skin to sag especially now that she has lost some weight.

I also offered that we buy new clothes especially shorts since some of them no longer fits her. but she declined, saying she might still lose some weight and we'll have to buy new ones again.

So I think, July will be for shopping clothes just before school opens for her.

Updates on her statistics:

WEIGHT: 

• 85 kgs before the road to 60 program
• 85 kgs after 1 month of training at the end of May
• 76 kgs after we introduced intermittent fasting in June

WAISTLINE:

• 42 inches before the road to 60 program
• 37 inches after 1 month of training at the end of May
• 34 inches after we introduced intermittent fasting in June

Before Pic

After 2 months

Before

After 2 months

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article once a week... :D

Journey to 60: Week 7

This week marks the 3rd week of the fasting regime of our not so little project. We planned to escalate her fasting to 48 hours instead of 24. But unfortunately, it did not go as planned because of various circumstances like an invitation to the fiesta. :D

Anyway, for this week this was the routine she made. I cannot detail the exercise or name them for the circuits done because most of the time I am doing something else.
But the workouts usually are a combination of Gym Rings routine and Bodyweight exercises and Bodyweight  exercises with Weights.

Monday (June 11)

• Circuit C Workout
• Fasting
  

Tuesday (June 12)

• No Workout
• Dinner - Tinolang Manok
  She was allowed to eat as she was the one who prepared the chicken for the stew.
  

Wednesday (June 13)

• Walked for 3 km.
• Dinner at the Fiesta :D
  

Thursday (June 14)

• No Workout
• Homemade Shawarma
  We made her eat Shawarma condiments wrapped in Mustard Leaf instead of Pita Bread. :D
  

Friday (June 15)

• Circuit C Workout
• Fasting
  

Saturday (June 16)

• Leisurely walk for an Hour or so.
• Late Lunch at Jollibee
  I allowed it because she was with me all throughout my medical appointment that lasted for 3 hours.
  

Sunday (June 17)

• Combination of Circuit C, Circuit D and Circuit B for a single rep of each.
• Fasting
  

And this marks the end of the 7th week. Today we start a new one and hopefully, we can strictly follow that diet order :D


Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article once a week... :D

Journey to 60: Week 6

I am required to report to the office the past week and was not able to see what workout conditions were being imposed on our not so little project.

One thing for sure she's on her 2nd week of intermittent fasting.
With regards to fasting, we make her eat once every 2 days or let's say once every 36 hours.
No snacks in between, only water.

And before you react, I ask her every 2 hours if I am at the house if she is hungry.

We noticed though that even after fasting, the amount of her food intake is the same when she was not on fast.
Hmmm... Makes you wonder if an extension of the fast is in order.


And so for the workout.
Just to be clear, there are 5 circuits that the husband is making her do, that I am aware of.
I am not really sure which were done this week and I do not also know the routines in between, but I'll try to fill in the blanks in the succeeding posts.
After all, we are halfway there.

Monday (June 4): Yoga

• Yoga with the Pregnant Lady to improve Breathing and Lower Back Mobility.

Tuesday (June 5): Circuit A

• Squats
• Push Ups
• Pull Ups (in her case Hanging from the Gym Rings)
• Chair Dips
• Bent Knee Rows
• Bear Crawl 
• Squats with weights
• Rest

Wednesday (June 6): No workout

Thursday (June 7): Run

• 5 KM Run, she was able to run for almost 1KM without stopping this time, so improvement.

Friday (June 8): Circuit B

• Reverse Lunges
• Bridges
• Push Ups
• Bent Knee Rows
• Squats

Saturday (June 9): No Circuit

• She should have one but we were walking half the day in the city because of some errands, so this was skipped.

Sunday (June 10): No Circuit

• We were also walking for an hour or so because we attended a birthday celebration and we let her eat a lot of Meat, and No Rice but a Pizza is still carbs. Not entirely cruel.

For now, she is complaining that when lying in a prone position she can feel her bones.

A bit of progress there then :D

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article once a week... :D

Journey to 60: Week 3

As we were on a trip, the hubby and I were not really able to monitor what our little project was doing except for her Monday workout which was circuit involving gym rings and bodyweight.

Monday:

• Lunges
• Bridge
• Push Ups
• Bent Knee Rows
• Hanging on the Gym Ring

The rest of the week according to her was divided between walking and some Rows.

I'd like to add that at the beginning of this endeavor, she

WEIGHS 85 kgs 

AND her

WAISTLINE is 42 inches.

Slowly but surely getting there.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article once a week... :D

My Trip to the Capital

The last week has been busy for me. I had my very first trip to Manila, though not to Luzon as I was in Palawan a few years back for a vacation.

We stayed over with some friends who work in the business capital, Makati.

SM Mall of Asia

Makati and its neighboring cities did not turn out to be what I expected. Yes, the traffic is ever a pain in the neck as projected and commuting is hard. The population is overflowing which leads to the main problem people are facing which is the traffic.

But, it was not as expensive as I expected nor was it as polluted as I dared not hope it to be.

Expense-wise, if you spend your time eating in the malls and restos, then check it will consume half your paycheck. Though, if you spare some time to do marketing and cooking, I think you will save a lot more. The prices for meat products and vegetables and fruits are almost the same in Iloilo, some are even cheaper. True, the beef and fish products are a bit on the pricey side but the pork and chicken products are priced exactly the same in Iloilo. Ours are just fresher :D

Dining at Chili's

The fare is cheap. I think me and the hubby spent a total of 100 pesos in fare excluding the taxi to the airport and my Grab ride to Diliman.

Pollution-wise, the Pasig River stinks and there was trash everywhere on the streams leading to it and basically everywhere. But only a few cars smoke-belch so that's a plus. And the vehicles are not as noisy individually, though there are just a lot of them so it's still too hot to be walking anywhere with cars around you.

Though, I like the effort put in by developers to add green things like trees and shrubs to their buildings. It adds are refreshing vibe to the whole scenario of tall buildings, no sky dilemma.

The greenest place I've seen was the UP Diliman Campus and I hope it stayed that way.

Bringing Tibiao to Diliman

All in all, the experience was not so bad. There are just too many people for my taste. I hope our City of Love does not turn out as bad as Manila when all the developments are done.

A BIG thanks to all of our friends who accommodated us and spared some time in their busy schedules to chit-chat with us.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article once a week... :D

Journey to 60: Week 2

So for the 2nd week of trimming down fats of this BIG girl emphasis on BIG. This was her routine.

Aside from the Bodyweight Workouts and Yoga Sessions, Gym Rings were added because the hubby bought a set.

Monday:

• Knee Push Ups 10
• Climbers 10
• Leg Raises 10

Tuesday:

• Yoga Routine with the Pregnant Lady for 45 minutes

Wednesday: Gym Ring Exercises as long as she can

• 15 counts of Hanging / Suspension / Pull ups
• 15 counts of Reverse Hang or at least we made her pull the rings as far as she can go and had her in a push-up position with her arms stretched backward holding the rings 

Thursday:

• 5 km run / walk

Friday:

• 10 km run / walk 

Saturday:  3 sets of

• Knee Push Ups 10
• Climbers 10
• Leg Raises 10

Sunday: Gym Ring Exercises as long as she can

• 15 counts of Hanging / Suspension / Pull ups
• 15 counts of Reverse Hang or at least we made her pull the rings as far as she can go and had her in a push-up position with her arms stretched backward holding the rings 
• Bodyweight Rows 10

All of our pet projects exercise are done as long as she can.

Though next week, we won't be around but we hope she stick to the routine we set.
At least the walking part.



Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

I post an article once a week... :D

Journey to 60

It has been so long since I last posted anything online.

With the Baby Shark on its way, the end of the school year, and a new adventure coming up, I cannot really think of anything worthwhile to post for a while. Or I had too many and did not really know what to write.

But this time, I have a new project ongoing and I really want to see an improvement by the end of June. I hope you bear with me as I try on new things for this project to be successful.

So here goes.

Starting this week or precisely as of the 2nd of May 2018, I had become a legal guardian of a 16-year-old kid, all 85 kgs of my youngest sister. She decided to study in Iloilo, and so I gained custody of her for the next two years at least.

I think this is a prime of example of too much love resulting to neglect. My parents tried to limit her food intake and made her diet to no avail. She gained 5 kgs each year, staring her Junior High Days and did not stop.

So here we are now.

 


Since she will be living with me. The husband and I will be disciplining her to change her lifestyle. Starting with EATING and EXERCISE.

For eating, we banned eating in-between meals. So no junk foods for her. She can eat fruits or drink water in between and nothing else. She has 2 months before the start of the class, so we hope to instill this training before then.

For exercise, this was the program so far:

• May 4 - Friday
• Run / Walk 5 km
• Chair Push Ups 
• Leg Raises
  
• May 5 - Saturday (5 reps)
• 5 Knee Push Ups
• 10 Mountain Climbers
• 5 Leg Raises
• 10 Jumping Jacks
  
• May 6 - Sunday
• Walking for 1 hour or more

We are hoping for the best in this endeavor.

Hopefully, we achieve the 60 kgs goal by the end of June :D

Join us on this adventure to NIWANG in 60 days :D

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article once a week... :D

Pork Adobo (Pig's Feet)

Happy New Year everyone...

As the new year starts, the hubby started dominating the kitchen. For the weekend, we got this for lunch. Yay! Adobo na Tiil sang Baboy. It feels good to be not doing anything really.

Adobong Baboy

I do not know the accurate measurements of the ingredients; so, experiment according to your taste. You can never go wrong with adobo after all.

Ingredients:

• 1 Pork Feet (ask the vendor to slice it beforehand)
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 medium-sized onion, sliced
• Ginger, sliced
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/4 cup Vinegar
• 5 pcs calamansi, extract the juice
• 1/2cup Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp oil
• 3 pcs bay leaves
• 6-10 cups water

Preparation:

For the amount of salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce added, I am giving you free reign because it will ultimately depend on your taste.

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Sautee the garlic, onion, and ginger for 2 minutes.
3. Add the pork, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
4. Stir every now and then until the pork turns slightly brown.
5. Add the calamansi, vinegar, soy sauce and sugar.
6. Stir sporadically for 5 minutes and add 3 cups of water and cover.
7. Once it starts boiling, uncover and wait for the water to evaporate?
8. Check if the meat is tender. If not add another 3 cups of water and simmer until tender.
9. You can keep doing this until you are satisfied with the tenderness of the pork meat.
10. Check the taste as well, if it's to your liking and adjust according to preference.

Pork Feet Adobo

Serve with rice.

Enjoy.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article once a week... :D

Recipe: Spaghetti

Because its' Christmas and the Spaghetti pack is cheap.

Spaghetti Madness

Ingredients:

• 2 large onions minced
• 5 cloves of garlic minced, preferably large also
• salt and pepper
• sugar
• water
• 5 pcs of Jumbo Hotdog, sliced thinly :D
• 1/2 kg ground meat
• oil
• 1 kg Spaghetti Sauce
• 1 kg Spaghetti Pasta

Preparation:

THE SAUCE

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pot (good for 1 kilo of sauce).
2. Sautee the garlic and half of the onions.
3. Once slightly brown, add the ground meat ( I usually use meatballs in my spaghetti, so this is actually a trial run).
4. Stir lightly for 10 minutes or until you feel that meat is cooked.
5. Add 1-2 cups water and wait for it to boil.
6. Once boiling, check if the ground meat is cooked and add the hotdog, and the remaining onions.
7. Stir well and add the Spaghetti Sauce. (I also usually add Tomato Sauce and season again, but not this time :( )
8. Bring the sauce to a boil and salt and pepper and sugar, depending on how sweet you want your sauce.

THE PASTA

1. Boil a large amount of water in a pot, bout 3 liters since the pot is almost full.
2. Once boiling, add 2 tbsp of salt and 2 tbsp of oil.
3. Add the 500 gram of pasta.
4. Cook the pasta for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.  (For al dente, do not cover the pot)
5. Remove from the fire and strain. Wash with cold water.

NOW TO EAT.

Serve pasta with sauce and grated cheese.

Bon appetit :D

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article once a week... :D just because!

Thoughts On: Iloilo City PRISAA Math Challenge

The Iloilo PRISAA(Private Schools Athletic Association) is currently ongoing.
And as different sports team seeks to destroy each other physically on the field, some students battle it out in talent, skill, and intelligence on stage.

Last Saturday was the Math Quiz which ended with Hua Siong College of Iloilo taking home the bacon. The 2nd place was a tie between Paref Westbridge School and Ateneo de Iloilo, not that the students did not try to duke it out with 5 clincher questions that failed to select a winner so both were declared.

Our team contestants ranked 6th or 7th depending on how you look at the ranking and they are happy with it though we hoped for a better result, same as with the other 26 teams that did not cut it.

For me, as a first timer in this type of events was just happy that I was able to contribute a bit to the students' preparation for the contest. It was a matter of giving questions and making sure they got the correct answers based on the answer key provided or be able to justify the answers if it was different. It also involved practicing trial time and some shortcuts that are not really taught in general classes.

I also learned new things during this sessions and that's good enough for me. It was worth the effort.

During the contest, it was really fun to watch students enjoy answering Math questions and debating on which answers are correct and why. Debating in Math. Yay!

Made me wonder what would it be like to have 87 students, all brilliant in the subject in your class.

Must be what a NASA office will feel like. All have the answer, but which is the best?

I can resent it or embrace it.
Such simple choices, but really hard to act upon.

I guess I'll answer it when I am given a roomful of Einsteins next time.

For now, I am just happy to have one.


Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

 I post an article once a week... :D

Resto Review: Monkey Grounds

If you're a yuppie and wants to drown yourself in coffee, Monkey Grounds is the place to be.

If that sounds rhyme-y, blame it on the literature stack, the place has.

This quaint little place is located just below the overpass in Barangay San Rafael along Benigno Aquino Avenue (Diversion Road) and Donato Pison Avenue.

I have been here 3 times and I ordered a different pancake each time. And so far I have not been disappointed. As for the coffee, I am not a fan but my friends always orders, so far no complaints, so you will just have to take my word that they loved it.

The price ranges from 50 to 250 Philippine peso depending on what your order is. They have pancakes, sandwiches, pasta, coffee, some fruit juices and yogurt, and they also have brownies and cakes and yeah! milk and coffee.

Monkey Grounds Menu

This week, we felt like chilling out on a Saturday night, so there were only a few people. The place is not too crowded, though that also depends on the time and day because sometimes when I pass it also has a full house especially on weekdays.
But I guess the relaxing atmosphere and good music always draw people in.

As seen from inside.

Our orders were: Funky Monkey is a pancake with attitude, that's Peanuts and Banana Toppings with Chocolate Syrup. The yogurt tasted like Dutch Mill, so tangy with a hint of strawberry.

Funky Monkey Pancake with a glass of yogurt.

 Garlic Bread and the Dip is made up of Mozzarella and Spinach and some other cheese.

Garlic Bread with Spinach Dip or somethin

 Spinach and Mozzarella Melt Sandwich: The name I think suggests what its like, so no need to explain. It comes with a Tomato Dip and French Fries as a side, so it's really worth it.
The Fried Mushroom is a different appetizer though.

Spinach and Mozzarella Sandwich and Fried Mushrooms

 And for dessert, it's brownies because, with chocolate, one can never be wrong.

Brownies

I forgot to take a picture of my friends coffee.
I got distracted by the food.


Anyway, let me know if you liked your own visit.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article once a week... :D

Recipe: Fish Burger

Because we usually buy a big tuna mackerel (budlisan) from the market to make fish fillet. We always end up having lots of excess tuna since some parts cannot be sliced well.
When I was young, my mother always do this to make us eat fish without us knowing.
I adapted this one to give you my version of the Fish Burger. (You can use any fish)

Fish Burger

Ingredients:

• Leftover fish
• 2-3 pcs Calamansi, we use the juice
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 onion,minced
• 1 cup flour
• water
• 1 egg
• salt (and pepper)
• 1/4 cup oil

Preparation:

Fish:

1. Place the leftover parts, like head, tail, and parts of the body that where not filleted inside a pot. (You can either have fish adobo or sinabawang isda, your call really).
2. This time, we have sinabawang isda, so add 1-2 cups water, salt, crushed ginger, 1 medium onion, and pepper corns inside the pan and wait for it to boil.
3. Taste the broth if the flavor is just right for you and remove the pot from the fire.
4. Separate the fish parts that you will use for the burger like the tail and body parts, the head does not really have much meat, so you can eat that with the soup.
5. Allow to cool.

Fish broth

Fish Burger Mixture:

Na sipad-sipad na isda

1. I cannot find the English translation for the word, sipad-sipad. Basically, you separate the bones from the meat while crushing the fish meat to fine texture.
2. Once its fine and the bones have been removed, add one cup flour and mix thoroughly.
3. Add the calamansi juice and soy sauce.
4. You can have fresh onion or use the onion from the fish soup, mince this and add to the fish meat and flour.
5. Beat the egg and add to the mixture. Mix thoroughly.
6. Add a bit of salt and ground pepper for the egg and flour.
7. Add water slowly while mixing the ingredients. Stop adding water once the desired mixture is achieved. It should be not be too sticky but definitely not watery. The mixture texture should be similar or close to meat balls.
8. Set aside.

Sticky Fish Mixture

Now to fry.

1. Heat oil in pan over medium heat stove.
2. Form burger patties by taking 1-2 tbsp of fish burger mixture and flattening it inside the heated pan or in a separate plate.
3. Fry for 1-2 minutes and flip. Flip from one side to another until patty is golden brown.
4. Remove from pan and drain oil by placing it in a strainer or on a plate with tissue paper.
5. Serve with ketchup, or ketchup and mayo dip. :D
   OR  Serve inside a burger bun with all the burger trimmings. :D

Note:**

1. The thinner the patty, the crunchier it is.
2. I do not recommend super thick patties and high heat because there is a possibility that the inside parts will not be cooked.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

I post an article every two days... :D Just because!!!