Potluck Party With RJ Friends

I always wanted to host a party with RareJob friends and it finally happened yesterday. I woke up early in the morning and went to the market to buy the things I'll be needing for the party. I had to wake my brothers up early because I needed help to clean the house. Just like a miracle, my brothers were so cooperative. Haha.

before the party started

The first to arrive was tutor J.Marie, she arrived around 1 pm. We were just talking about random things while waiting for the others. The other tutors were already on their way and they constantly sent messages asking for directions. The drivers don't know the street where I live so I instructed all of them to get off at the hospital nearby. Upon arriving at the hospital, they sent messages and I fetched them there. Tutor Ayn.C arrived next, followed by tutor Zeng, and the last to arrive was tutor Ellie.B.

While they were talking in the living room, I was cooking spring rolls and pasta in the kitchen. I would occasionally join them and rush to the kitchen again. 

seafood pasta in oil

spring rolls

The other tutors also brought food with them. tutors J.Marie and Ayn.C had 2 boxes of  pizza delivered.

Tutor Ellie.B brought a native Filipino delicacy, sapin-sapin. This is actually one of my favorites.

sapin-sapin

Tutor Zeng who just came back from South Korea brought some sweets and other freebies.

We talked about fashion, Zeng's stay in Korea, J.Marie's full time job and many more. We were laughing and eating during the entire time. They were supposed to go home at around 5 pm, but we enjoyed too much and forgot about the time. We started taking pictures when they were about to go home. It was already 8 pm!

From L to R: me, Ellie.B, J.Marie, Ayn.C, and Zeng

Just like any parties, we also had a special guest. Haha. Well, I wanted them to meet my bf so I asked him to come over. 

I had a great time with them. Tutor Ayn said that she's hosting the next party. It may not be soon but we are all excited about it.

Photos without "jeepneypassenger" are from Ayn's camera.

Finally!!!

At this very moment, I think I am the happiest person alive. I took the civil engineering board exam last weekend and I am very happy after seeing my name on the list of successful examinees. This is my dream. I celebrated my birthday a day before the result was posted and I think this is the best gift I've ever received for my birthday.

I don't know why I'm so blessed. I might have done something really good in my past life. I always tell people that I am not religious but I have always kept my faith in God. No, you won't see me going to church every Sunday, but I do pray. I prayed really hard, and my prayer was answered. I can't be more thankful.

This, I offer to my family. I have a very supportive family and they have always believed in my capabilities. When I didn't know how to answer the exam questions, I thought of them. I wanted to see their smiling faces and tried answering the exam again. I'm not only thankful to my immediate family, but to my bf's family as well. They gave me so much love and support.

I am very thankful to my friends as well. I had to say "no" to many party invitations and they understood. Many of them prayed for me. 

To my RareJob family, my fellow tutors, bosses, staff and students. I've been receiving love from Japan since I started working three years ago. My students wished me luck. Some of them even visited temples to pray for me. I feel so loved. Arigatou gozaimasu minna-san!

Many thanks to the instructors and staff of Review Innovations. I haven't met such dedicated people before. I learned a lot from them. They taught me and the other reviewees well but more than the academic part, they have inspired us to do our best. I know that RI will be around for many more years and will help future engineers reach their dream.

I'm happy I am living a new chapter of my life. Thank you everyone. 

"When you really want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you achieve it." 

--Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist--

Life of Public School Teachers: A Story Told by Their Daughter

I was very popular in school during my elementary days. The reason, my mom teaches in that same school that I attended. My father's a teacher, too, but he was teaching in a different school. He got transferred to our school four years later. Yeah!! I got more popular.. Kidding.

I enjoyed having teachers for parents. Who wouldn't? I got to play with the toys my father confiscated from his students and enjoyed reading the books my mom's students were using. It felt great until I came to understand how hard it is to be a teacher. Teachers have to talk all day, prepare visual aids, deal with noisy students every now and then, and on top of it all, they receive a meager salary.

my mom during a seminar/training

I remember tagging along with mom and dad whenever the month ends. They claim their salary (they were issued checks before) from the district office. After that, we would go to one of the big stores in town (no supermarkets in my hometown yet) to buy groceries and at the same time pay the debt mom and dad incurred the month before. 

It is a sad fact that some teachers are not even sure if they could send their children to college.When I entered the university, mom and dad had to apply for loans just so they can pay my tuition and other expenses. My brother entered college two years later so they had to send twice the amount they used to send me for our allowance. Luckily for us, we both studied in public universities so the tuition wasn't so high.  In addition, we stayed with our aunt and uncle so we didn't have to rent an apartment. 

I never wanted to be a teacher because I know how difficult it is. It made me wonder why my parents chose to be teachers. It was three years ago when I finally understood. I started working as a part-time English tutor to Japanese students. It makes me happy when my students say, "Thank you" because they got a high TOEIC or TOEFL score, they successfully entered an MBA program in the US or UK, and simply because I am teaching them. It's that kind of happiness that no amount of money can replace.

I wrote this post as a present for my parents and my former teachers. Thank you for sharing a part of you with us. Whoever we are now, wherever we may be, whatever we achieved, you are all part of our success. Happy Teachers' Month!! More Power!!

happy teachers!!

Stories of the 3/11/11 Quake

Sunday. I called my first student. It was the first time that student took my lesson. She preferred to have a free conversation, that is, talking about random things during the entire 25 minutes. I asked her what she did the day before. She told me she watched a special documentary about the earthquake which shook Japan last March 11. She said she wants to share two stories about the earthquake. One her own, the other she knew from the documentary. The former, heartwarming; the latter heartbreaking.

An act can move hearts.... (my student's story)

According to my student, she was watching the news with her husband, few days after the earthquake and in the news it said that some canned bread were being distributed to the people in evacuation sites. According to the news, those canned bread were donated by a baker/businessman. The baker and his family worked hard, day and night to make a lot of canned bread to be distributed to those greatly affected by the earthquake. The canned bread tasted good and was packed in easy-to-open cans so that the children and the elderly can easily eat it.

After watching the news, my student's husband decided to visit the company that supplies the canned bread because it's just a few blocks away from their house. When they got into the company, they had the chance to talk with the businessman's wife. According to my student, his husband donated a big amount to the company, and asked the businessman's wife to make more bread and distribute them to the victims. My student was so surprised with her husband's act. According to her, she has never seen her husband donate money, until that day. 

When it's too late to say "i love you, too"....

This must be one of saddest love stories I ever heard. My student knew about this story when she watched a documentary on TV. 

There was a woman who worked in a nursing home. When the earthquake happened, she tried to save the old people in the nursing home. She was able to save some, but unfortunately she was not able to save her life. She was found dead in the restroom together with an old woman. Her body was recovered days after the earthquake. In an interview, her husband was asked about her. The husband said that it is still difficult for him and their son to accept that she's already gone. According to the husband, they had a small argument before the earthquake happened. His wife left for work and they were not able to settle things. Few days later, when his wife had already passed away, he found a letter. A letter for him, from his wife. In the letter, the wife said, "We have been married for many years now, but my love for you hasn't changed at all."

I couldn't stop myself from crying after hearing the second story. My student started crying, too. Until now, I shed tears whenever I read or hear stories about the big earthquake in Japan. I just can't help it. 

May all those who already passed away be at peace and those who survived be able to find strength and continue living. 

Lost and Found

I have a blue umbrella. When it was new, it was beautiful, long and sturdy like an outstanding man. Unfortunately, his beauty faded quickly. After a while, the blue turned gray and stains appeared like freckles. So, I began to create oppurtunities to take it out on rainy days, hoping I’d leave it behind. Let it disappear, a painless separation. A perfect excuse to buy a new one. Won’t that be nice?

The unloved are sensitive. One day, it just disappeared, without wasting my energy. Umbrellas have their dignity, too. But wait, I’m not ready. It can’t disappear without my permission. I became determined to get it back. I thought about where I had left it; bookstore, restaurant, library. I searched high and low, desperate to find it again.

Finally, I found it in the library, sitting quietly in the corner near the entrance. It was pouting, waiting for me. I recovered my lost love, all was well. But from another angle, if I had really lost it, it would be gone forever. Would that touch of regret suit me better?