The Last Day of 2013

Please bear with me. It's the last day of the year! ;)

The Year End Post

2013 was indeed a challenging year to me. Life was throwing lemons at me, and it was giving me options on what to do with them. Do I make a lemonade? Do I get salt and a small cup of tequila? Do I leave the lemons behind and do nothing with them? Decision making was not an easy task, and I'm glad that my family and friends and God were there to help me, to comfort me, to make me feel that I am not alone. The lessons I learned from my experiences, they will forever stay in my heart.

The Philippines had her fair share of ups and downs too. Calamities like the earthquake and typhoon Yolanda had visited the country and what they left behind brought tears to people around the world. Despite what happened, the Filipinos showed the world that giving up is definitely not an option. Filipinos may have all the reasons to be sad, depressed, (insert all the negative things that you can think of) but they chose to move forward instead. Even the strongest earthquake or typhoon will not let the Filipino spirit down.

In a few hours, the journey to 2014 begins. Some of us have started packing for the huge trip of our lives, and are ready to jump in the doors of the Year of the Horse. Some of us cannot wait to experience the awesome adventures that await them. Sounds exciting, yes? ;)

Just like Saab Magalona, I have started packing all the good memories that I will bring with me as I start my journey in the coming year. Inside my bag, I have also kept positivity, determination, humility, courageousness, and all the positive things to make this trip more worthwhile. My game face is on, and I am ready.

How about you, are you ready? :)

P.S. Thank you, God, for all the blessings You have given me, my family, and the people around me. :)

The Creative Juice

This is my third year making personalized Christmas gift wrappers. It all started when I decided to become resourceful and creative when it comes to gift wrapping so I could save money. Instead of buying wrappers, I looked for materials at home which could be good substitutes (for a wrapper). On my first year, I got hooked on making snow flakes and thank goodness my friends, colleagues, and family loved it. ;) Since then, I always make it a point that every year, I make personalized Christmas gift wrappers to make the recipients feel that they are special. Naks!

For this year, I got inspired by the two creative people I know, Ms. Alessandra Lanot and Bianca Regala. Well, I haven't met Ms. Alessandra Lanot but I visit her blog often because she makes one-of-a-kind crafts. She can turn a simple object to an extraordinary one. Who would have thought that an eraser can be carved and turned into a stamp? I admire her for being so creative! Ms. Lanot can make simple things look elegant by the touch of her hands. It would be an honor to meet her someday. Bianca, on the other hand, is my school mate in college. We know each other personally as we belong to the same department, College of Education, at De La Salle University. Just like Ms. Lanot, Bianca is very much into arts and crafts. Recently, she has taken a step to the next level as she shared her talent and passion to others by making kids and kids at heart happy at parties. You may check out her works on Instagram. :)    

The other week, Bianca posted a photo of her latest rubber stamps: gingerbread man, candy canes, and Christmas trees.I've always wanted to carve erasers but I didn't have much time. I took the chance on the start of our Christmas vacation and started carving erasers. My mom has a lot of craft papers so I asked her if I could have some. :)) The only things I bought were the stamp pads. The erasers have been with me since summer.

 

Got everything I need from my supplies! Thank you National Bookstore and to my other sponsors (a.k.a family and friends). Hihi.

Here's a preview of my Christmas wrapper. There was no available brown stamp pad that's why I used the multi-colored one for my gingerbread man. Anyway, I liked how it turned out. It required a lot of work, but I enjoyed stamping on the craft paper. It took me three hours, by the way. I used 2 and a half rolls of craft paper.

For the ribbons, I used green strips of corrugated paper and twisted red Japanese paper. Got my washi tapes from my friend Hazel to stick the ribbon in place. Also, I didn't print new cards this year. I used the remaining specialty paper that I have and cut its edges using craft scissors. The messages were hand written. See, it's from the bottom of my heart talaga! :p 

I posted the second picture on Instagram and tagged Ms. Lanot. After a while, when I checked my Instagram, I was so surprised and got so kilig when I read a message from her: She even liked the photo!

I was fangirling the whole time! Haaay. Now, I'm more inspired to carve erasers. My friend Mau and I are planning to have a stamp party soon. ;)

The Greeting

Christmas is not all about having new clothes and receiving gifts. It's the time of the year when we remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus. It's okay if you don't have new clothes or new gadgets this Christmas. As long as you are with your family and loved ones and you put Jesus in the center of your lives, Christmas will definitely be much merrier. ;)

May you all have a meaningful Christmas. :)

 

It's Time to Give Back

Last night, I rummaged through my closet and looked for clothes that no longer fit me or slightly used. While folding these clothes, I just realized that each one of them has been with me in my most memorable moments. The t-shirts have witnessed my "pagsusunog ng kilay days" in the library or at SJ walk and made me feel comfortable way back in college. The collared tops kept me company in our reporting, interview, and school observation days. The pairs of pants, on the other hand, have been with me through thick and thin,since my gradeschool and highschool days.

To my dear clothes, thank you for everything! Make new memories with your future owners as well, okay? :) 

 

The 90's Kid Collection

Last Friday, classes were cancelled due to typhoon. I had an attempt to clean my room, but I ended up cleaning these. Hahaha! I used to save my weekly allowance so I could buy an album of Britney, Avril, Christina, and the others. This was my collection before I went to highschool. Haay, those were the days. I wonder if kids today were familiar with cassette tapes and cds. Hmm, what do you think? :)

Luna by Up Dharma Down

"Ano nanaman itong gumugulo sa buhay ko

Bawat nakaw tingin sinasalo lang ng hangin

Minamasdan ang saya ng puso mo

sa piling ng iba..."

Here's the latest song from Up Dharma Down! Every line in this song gets me. This band never fails to give me so many feels. The chills... Asdfghjkl.

The Month of October

Just realized that I was missing in action for the whole month of October. My birthday month was a busy one for me. I had to meet deadlines and finish all the requirements needed in preschool. We were also busy preparing for PTC (parents-teacher-conference) and halloween party that's why I didn't have time to open my blog and update. However, I was more active on Instagram and I enjoyed sharing snapshots of the activities we did in school. :)

Hi, Frankie!

I remember surfing pinterest for a long time, looking for the "perfect" and "child friendly" Frankestein activity. Our directress gave us a heads-up that one of my students was afraid of Halloween in general so it was a challenge for me to prepare an activity that would make her change her perspective on Halloween. Anyway, I found this Frankenstein craft and I fell in love with it. It was originally a Frankenstein pudding but the total price of the ingredients was beyond my remaining budget so I thought of getting a green food coloring instead. In class, the kids mixed the green food coloring with water. They had fun mixing food coloring to water, and I helped them pour the colored water in their Frankie cups. I regretted not using jell-o though. Now I know what to do next time. ;)

The Goblin Goo

Ah, goblins. I googled how they look like and they don't look nice, at all. It was a challenge to look for a picture of cute-looking goblin too. :)) In my research, I read that goblins are mischievous creatures. Of course, I had to give the description a twist. I told the kiddos that goblins like to have fun. My set of kids this year like messy stuff so I thought of making a goo in class and just associated it with goblins. The kids and I, together with Teacher Abby and our teacher aid, made a goblin goo. We pretended like goblins having fun and doing icky stuff. Of course, in the preschool, you have to be imaginative. I'm proud to say that the goblin goo activity was a hit to our kids, and even to us teachers. ;) Unfortunately, we're not allowed to post photos of the kids so here's a sample of the goo we made together.

Monsters Inc. Popcorn Cups

 Of course, the Halloween theme won't be complete without the monsters. Monsters University was in my mind as I included monsters in my lesson plan. I associated Mike and Sully and pop corn to monsters and I told the kids that they like surprises and are friendly (remember, I had to twist the definition of monsters). So in our class discussion, I told the kids that just like Mike and Sully, pop corns surprise us when they "pop" inside the microwave. The kids didn't take their eyes off the microwave and they were really waiting for the bag to expand inside. Plus they liked their cups. Weeee! :) By the way, I also got this idea from Pinterest. ;)

Pinterest is indeed a library of ideas and a heaven for teachers. ;)

The Tenth of November

As I type this, I am still thinking of what happened in Tacloban, Iloilo, and other areas that were greatly affected by super typhoon, Haiyan (also known as Yolanda in the Philippines). I have been watching news for the past two days and it was really heartbreaking for me to see what the typhoon has left behind. Haiyan was indeed the strongest and most dangerous typhoon so far. In my opinion, it is as heartbreaking as the tsunami incident that Japan experienced three years ago. A lot of people lost their homes, properties, and loved ones. I was teary-eyed while watching the news. I prayed while Ted Failon (a Filipino reporter) was sharing his experience amidst the typhoon, and I wished it won't happen again. On the other hand, I felt really blessed because the wind, rain, and flood in our province were not as strong and scary. Luzon was spared from Haiyan's wrath.

I also commend the reporters who reported live while Haiyan was wreaking havoc. Their lives might be in danger, but they chose to brave the typhoon and do their job. It was pure passion and dedication. Hats off to Atom Araullo and his crew as well as to all reporters!

I wish I could do something to help. For now, praying is the least I can do. 

Please pray for the Philippines and help in any way you can.

Hello

Today marks the last day of September. In a few hours, my birthday month is about to begin and I don't even know how I feel about it. So much has happened this September and I'm looking forward to a better and brighter October. ;)

I'm thankful for all the experiences I had this month, whether good or bad. I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders, and I'm thankful for the people who have shared their precious time with me to give comfort and make my emotional baggage a little bit lighter.

Bring it on, October! :)

I know I posted this photo before but I'm going to post this again. :)

To one of my dearest friends, Thesa, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Thank you for always being there, for all the time you spent with me. I feel grateful for having a friend like you. God bless you more! :)   

Not a very long time ago, I remember thanking God for a wonderful opportunity given to me. I wasn't really expecting it to happen but it did. Never in my wildest dreams have I ever imagined that something like this special would happen in reality. I was wondering what on earth did I do to deserve this. Since that day, I have never stopped hoping, wishing, and praying.

  

Hindi rin pala talaga madaling umasa sa isang bagay na walang kasiguruhan. Kung pwede lang sana ibalik ang araw na iyon... 

I should stop living in my past, don't you think? It's been years.

The Rainy Sunday Playlist

It's a rainy Sunday afternoon and I'm not yet in the mood to work on preschool stuff. Hihi. Instead, I decided to put my earphones on and drown myself in the sea of music. ;) I believe that rain and music have this power to make people have this "this-is-the-life" kind of moment. For some reason, rain and music gives you that relaxing feeling. And with a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows on the side, everything becomes perfect. ;)

Made in the USA by Demi Lovato

Burn by Ellie Goulding

We Can't Stop by Miley Cyrus

The Ninth Day of August

Guess the song that's playing on my iPod. :) Here are some clues: It's a Justin Timberlake song, and it is included in his latest album. Good luck! ;)

The Seventh Day of August

Wouldn't It Be Nice by the Beach Boys reminds me of summer and happy vibes. Don't you feel cool because you're listening to a song that is way, way older than you? ;)

Yo, James! Today is your special day. Enjoy it! Take care always. God bless you. :)

The July Report

I haven't been updating my blog lately because of teacher duties. Since the start of June, I spend most of my time in school preparing for the class the next day or checking the fun sheets and making work sets for our school's enrichment program. This school year is my busiest school year ever but it's okay. I consider these things as blessings and I feel grateful because I've been given tasks that truly challenge me in all aspects. :) On another note, my Instagram is more updated and I keep posting the photos that mean something to me (except for some *hashtag* selfies and all that jazz). Anyway, let me share some of the photos I posted on Instagram for the month of July.

Our study room's floor looks like this most of the time. There's colored paper, googly eyes, glue, pencils, eraser, and the like all over. If you are a teacher, or preschool teacher to be exact, this kind of "happy mess" is considered normal. Fact: I don't throw the scraps or smallest pieces of papers because I use them in our craft activities. Resourcefulness at its finest. :))

 

It was a manic Monday and I felt really awful after class. The kiddos' energy level reached its highest peak and I wasn't happy with my performance. Come lunchtime, Joy arrived and gave me doughnut. She said she dropped by Globe's office in Nuvali and she craved for Krispy Kreme's doughnut, then thought of buying one for me too. :') I thank God for giving me sweet friends like Joy. :)

I bought some bibingka, barako coffee, and popcorn for Ate Rosie, Kuya Fidel, and Ate Lisa because they stayed up late, waiting for me, for two consecutive nights. They really deserve these goodies. Thank you so much ulit Ate Rosie, Kuya Fidel, and Ate Lisa! :)

This night was a night of firsts. Well, not for me but for my cousin, Joven. I remember making a promise to him that I'll bring him to Army Navy, Krispy Kreme, and to the other places he hasn't been to. Last July 22, I fulfilled my promise. Along with our good friend, Chia, we ate dinner at Army Navy and bought some doughnuts at Krispy Kreme. What's more? James followed. We weren't expecting him to come because he told me that he has dinner with his mom. So when he said that he's coming and considering that it was almost 10pm, nagulat talaga kami. Ayun, happy night. :p

 

Haaaay, after years of waiting, I finally bought a Roxy watch. I blogged about my dream of having a Roxy watch before and I would be more glad if someone would give it to me as Christmas present. :)) Obviously, it didn't happen and there's no box (or paper bag) of Roxy under our Christmas tree. Anyway, patience is indeed a virtue. And it feels so good to buy something you worked hard for. I'm super duper happy and kilig at the same time. It's worth the wait. :)

The Nail-a-holics Date

Joy and Edz were suprised when I confessed that it was my first time to be in a nail salon. I've never been to a nail salon because someone goes to our house for our mani-pedi sessions, and I get it for free because auntie always pays for it. Hahaha! When Joy invited me, I didn't have any second thoughts because I'd like to know the feeling of being pampered in a nail salon. ;)

It was raining hard when we arrived at Nail-a-holics at Solenad 2 in Nuvali. Good thing, the place was not as crowded so we were able to sit on the soft couches. How lucky! I felt like a celebrity when the nail experts offered us baskets of nail polish. There was Orly, OPI, and other brands which I usually see on Tumblr. The three of us had a hard time choosing which nail polish to use because the colors were all lovely. I opted for Orly (if you read my blog last December, you would know why), Joy and Edz likewise.

Edz choosing which nail polish to use. ;)

With Joy :)

It was definitely a girl bonding moment! Feeling ko nagdadalaga na ako. Ayieeeee. Hahaha!

I'm in-love with everything pastel. ;)

The green nail polish looks good on you, Joy! :)

I present Edz' fierce red nails. :p

It was a super fun experience! I'm looking forward to more bonding moments like this. :) And oh, by the way, this is not only applicable to girls but to boys as well. Boys can also have their nails cleaned/done at Nail-a-holics. ;)

The Fifth Day of August

After his long hiatus in the music world, Justin Timberlake is back with new chart-topping album, The 20/20 Experience. I listened to the whole album one Sunday morning and quoting a DJ from my favorite local music station, "listening to his new album is like being in his actual concert". I can imagine myself in the crowd, singing my heart out in every song (not necessarily in his new album though. It includes the other songs from his previous albums as well). In my honest opinion, Justin Timberlake is one of the best musicians of this generation. Hands down.

In his album, there's this one song that I never get tired of playing on my player and that is none other than Mirrors. The song is mesmerizing in a lot of ways and I could totally feel the love and sincerity in it. The music video, on the other hand, is just as amazing as the song. So sit back, relax, and press play. :)

Maybe, the Big Guy above wants me to be inspired with everything I do that's why He gave me this opportunity to spend some time with Thesa, Joven, and James. And guess what? This week is filled with happy vibes, and I'm super inspired to finish all the paper work and lesson plans for this month. I'm taking advantage of this "inspired feeling" before it finally goes out of my system. I feel sooo blessed. Thank you, God. :)

One of my best nights ever. Well, I had approximately 30 minutes of I'm-sorry-I-can't-relate moment when you talked about cars, anime, and some other things I've never heard about, but I'd like to tell you that I really enjoyed every moment with you guys. Let's do this again, shall we? :)

Still Into You by Paramore

This new song from Paramore has reached the second spot on Andi and Jessica's radio show, Top 5 @ 5, on Magic 89.9. Imagine myself singing along with Hayley Williams whenever this song is being played on air. That's what I like about driving home, I get to have a mini concert inside the car. Feel na feel ko yung kanta. Haha! And aside from Taylor Swift's 22, Still Into You has been playing non-stop on my player for almost 2 weeks already. :)) I enjoy watching its music video as well because it's too cute. Good morning! :)

The Summer Crafts

Karla and I spent our whole summer preparing arts and crafts for our kiddos. We even came to a point when we ran out of supplies so we had to be more resourceful. Instead of rushing to a nearby National Bookstore, we chose to have a "scavenger hunt" in our school's stock room or study rooms in our respective homes to save time and money. With our limited resources, I'm proud to say that we were able to make some fun, colorful, and age-appropriate arts and crafts activities for our kiddos.

lettuce, bacon, and cheese cut-outs

sandwich bags

sandwich! :)

 For our lesson about picnic, one of our subtopics is the food we eat when we go on a picnic so we thought of sandwiches. It was really challenging to think of an arts and crafts activity about sandwiches! Karla was the one who made these and I was so happy upon seeing these cut-outs on our table the next day. She's so resourceful! She also drew the details on each piece of the lettuce and bacon cut-outs. Sipag! ;) 

   

I wouldn't forget the day I drew the coloring page for our class. It was my first time to be early in school. Hahaha! I asked one of the teacher-aides to photocopy my drawing because she knows how to operate the machine.

bathing suits and board shorts

For our lesson on swimming, we decided to make small bathing suits for the girls and board shorts for the boys. Karla did these cut-outs. I remember telling her that she's so matiyaga and masipag because drawing the details of these cut-outs (more than 10) is not an easy task!

snorkels!

 What's more? These snorkels were also Karla's masterpiece. ;) Super hands-down talaga ako noong pinakita niya sa akin ang mga ito. I'm beyond amazed! 

These are our kiddos' finished product. They all enjoyed decorating their snorkels!

This is the activity on our second to the last day. The kiddos decorated the sprinklers with the flower cut-outs and soft and colored popsicle sticks. If you noticed, the flowers were not proportional because I cut these at around 4am. Medyo inaantok pa ako habang naggugupit. :)) I was running out of ideas the night before so I chose to sleep it off and wake up early instead. :)) Nevertheless, Pinterest will always be my life-saver! ;)

You don't need expensive materials to be able to make fun arts and crafts activities for the kids. As long as you have the markers, colored papers, scissors, glue, PLUS passion, dedication, creativity, resourcefulness, and Pinterest (hahaha!) on your side, you're good to go. Good luck! :)

Going Back to Basics

Top: Bench | Pants: HerBench | Necklace, bracelet, and watch: Bazaar

You know how much I love sales and discounts. Imagine how happy I was upon seeing the sign that says "2 for 449php" at Bench while walking around the mall some weeks ago. I bought navy blue, pink, brown, and dark blue. I didn't have any second thoughts as I pay at the cashier because I know that these would be very, very useful. 

Last Sunday, I chose to wear my navy blue basic tee and paired it with pants. It was a laid back outfit but I liked it. It's a perfect choice of outfit for a hot summer day. I think that it made me look a little bit slimmer as well. My dark colored top was able to hide my big tummy. HAHA. Kidding aside, nothing goes wrong with a basic tee and pants combo. It never goes out of style. Classic, indeed.

To keep my outfit interesting, I wore some quirky accessories which I all got from a bazaar. I fell in love with the mustache watch the first time I laid eyes on it so I bought it immediately. My aunt was surprised to know that I got it for as low as 300php! I'd like to think that it's also a mere case of serendipity; I found something useful by accident. Anyway, on another note, the bracelet brought a pop of color to the outfit. I like it's edgy appearance and it really stands out. I feel like a rockstar whenever I wear it. ;) The elephant necklace, on the other hand, goes well with my watch and bracelet that's why I used it.

Sandals: Jelly Nelly

I did some color blocking when I used my sandals from Jelly Nelly. This pair goes well with the outfit too. I can wear this the whole day without worrying about my feet because they're sooo comfortable and stylish. This has to be my favorite sandals! 

Have a good day everyone! :)

The Thursday Playlist

 22 by Taylor Swift

Clarity by Zedd feat. Foxes

 

Just Give Me a Reason by Pink feat. Nate Ruess

 

The Summer Flip-Flops

I am a professional crammer. The elders do not approve because cramming or procrastination leads to a "half-baked-half-cooked" outcome, but it doesn't happen all the time. Just like in my case. For some weird reason, I get ideas on the last minute! Whenever I'm under time pressure, I have the tendency to think beyond the box and I usually surprise myself when I finish a particular task. As Hazel puts it, it's called "productive procrastination". However, I'm trying to overcome this habit because I always end up sleeping late and that alone is not good for my health. Lola vibes right here. :p

My summer has never been this busy. I never expected that I would spend my summer cutting, pasting, and drawing in the wee hours of the morning! Nevertheless, I'm having fun whenever I create something out of ordinary, and it indeed feels so good when people get to appreciate what you've done. Sleeping late has become worth it. ;)

These are the summer flip-flops that I was talking about in my previous post. Believe it or not, I slept at around 4am, after a couple of tries. It took me some time to finally create eleven flip-flops that it almost similar to the pair of Havaianas infront of me. My pair was the inspiration to this activity. :))

I used cutter in making the three holes of my mini flip-flops. You may also use scissors but I highly recommend cutter because it can produce finer and smaller holes. On the other hand, I used a hard specialty paper to keep the flip-flops sturdy. I made a sample so that our kiddos would have an idea about what they should do.

I got my colored papers and shape punchers and started punching. These cut-outs made our kiddos' works colorful and unique. Some of them also used markers and stamps. Teacher Karla and I have proven that our toddlers this summer enjoy doodling more than playing with musical instruments, connectors, puzzles, and the like.

After singing the good-bye song and receiving their stars, the kiddos proudly showed their work to their parents/guardians. The parents were also happy upon seeing the mini flip-flops decorated by their little angels. That moment is truly priceless. :)
    

The Parking Lot

I'm beginning to be a little bit O.C. when it comes to making arts and crafts activities for our summer class. It all started when I made small flip-flops in lieu of our lesson about the things we wear during summer. It was a big hit to our kids as well as to their parents. From then on, I got inspired and more motivated to create nice and interesting arts and crafts activities for our kiddos.

One Sunday night, I decided to make paper popsicles at Starbucks. It was my first time to do school stuff on a coffee shop. I got odd stares from the baristas and I noticed that they were wondering what on earth I was doing. I was drawing, cutting, and pasting on small corner for about thirty minutes until my friend from gradeschool, Thesa, arrived from work.

I can't believe I finished nine paper popsicle sticks in an hour! Well, Thesa helped me make one. :)) I'm glad with how it turned out because it somehow looked "real". I kept it simple and plain because I wanted the kids to unleash their creativity. I allowed them to use markers, crayons, and colorful cut-outs to decorate their popsicles. Next time, I'll let them use paint. :)

It was a productive one hour for the both of us. Thesa and I were multi-tasking as we catch up and make paper popsicles at the same time. Thesa got a glimpse of my life as a preschool teacher while I learned so much about her work as a nutritionist in the hospital. Wow, parang kailan lang. We used to play Chinese garter in school and now, we have our own responsibilities. 

After our stay at Starbucks, we had a mini "pictorial" in the parking lot. We took advantage of the almost empty and quiet parking space. For some reason, we enjoyed making funny faces and poses infront of the camera. And the moon was really pretty that night, don't you think? :)

The Third Day of May

And this, my friends, is one of my cray-cray moments. :p