One of the Christmas presents I received from my parents was a new blue luggage. They were always telling me to get a new one whenever they saw my old beat-up green luggage, but I love that luggage even though it’s really ugly and falling apart. It has sentimental value to me, but I knew it was time to let it go.

That green luggage has been to several countries: US, Hong Kong,  Thailand,  Korea, and of course, around the Philippines. That’s the reason why it’s so bruised and battered; it’s been there and done that. I have so many fond memories of it.  I hope I will have even better memories with my new blue luggage.

Share on Facebook

I love the Internet! It has everything you need and want. If you opted to work at home, as long as you have a personal computer and an Internet connection, you don’t even need to leave the house. For that matter, you don’t even need to take a shower, haha!

I can’t imagine how I would live my life without the Internet, just like I can’t survive without my cellphone. How could we work or even communicate with people?

I just wish that the speed was faster here in the office. I like going to the Korean Internet Cafe, 168, because their connection is super duper fast! I love it! I can open ten windows at a time without anything slowing down.

I wish I still had my old laptop from before so I could search for a Wifi signal wherever I am. Now I’m thinking if I will buy a new one in the future…hmmmm….

The Internet is the second greatest invention in the world, next to the PC, which of course, without the latter, the former would not exist.

I miss my younger days, especially during the summer, when I had all the time in the world to sleep all day. Nowadays, I only get 5 to 6 hours of sleep on average a night, sometimes even less than this. Maybe I can’t sleep because of the caffeine intake I get from coffee, tea, and chocolates. Yes, I found out that chocolate has caffeine and I’m a chocolate lover.

Many of us feel the minor effects of sleep deprivation. Of course, most of us feel sleepy the next day or we feel tired, but this is just the immediate side effects. I remember my mother telling me when I was a teenager to go to bed early, because she said I wasn’t getting enough sleep. I would stay up all night doing several things: watching TV, reading a book, or talking to a friend over the phone. I’d just remedy my sleepiness by drinking more coffee during the day, which is like a vicious cycle, because then, I wouldn’t be able to sleep early the following night.

I did some reading about sleep deprivation and the long term effects it can have on us. We all know we should get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night, but with the world we live in now, I think this is unrealistic.

We shouldn’t take this issue lightly, because we can experience fatigue, irritability, forgetfulness, illnesses and depression as long term effects of sleep deprivation. I try to catch up on my sleep as much as possible, and I believe that getting sufficient sleep is just as important as exercising or eating a balanced diet, because it affects not only your body, but also your mind.

We all have 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, but some people accomplish more in their lives than others. Why is that? Is it because some people choose to sleep only a few hours a night? Maybe, maybe not….Some people choose to work like a crazy horse, while others live their lives carelessly, as if they will live forever….

Time is very precious. We can never turn back time. Many people equate time with money and this is the reason why we use the expression, “spending time” with our friends, families, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, children, etc. We can compute how much our time is worth at work by dividing how much we make in a month by the number of days we work. We know how much we make everyday, every hour, every minute, and every second. But, are we that conscious of how much time we spend with our loved ones? Hmmm….

For me, time is very important. You will know if you are important to me if I spend a lot of time with you. I have a schedule with everything in my life; I have to-do lists with specific deadlines for both work and my personal life. I believe that how you spend your life will determine your destiny.

It’s all about priorities. We all have a choice to say either “yes” or “no” to someone or something. If you don’t make this decision, other people and things will make the decision for you. You need to take control of your life; life does not control you. Don’t be forced to do something you really don’t want to do. Remember, you only have one life to live. You don’t “need” to do anything to make other people happy or to impress them. Live and spend your life based on your priorities. Only when you do this will you feel a sense of purpose in your life.

Halloween Party 2008

It’s that time of the year again folks when you need to go to the supermarket to buy assorted confectionaries, to give to those children who will knock on your door or window or ring your door bell and say, “Trick or Treat!”

Don’t you just find these children adorable, dressed in different costumes, from ghosts and goblins to superheroes? On October 31, you will see them running around in a frenzy, excited to get their free sugar rush, holding either a plastic bag or the typical orange Jack-o-Lantern.

Halloween is one of my favorite American holidays. It’s autumn in New York at this time; leaves are scattered all over the ground in assorted shades of yellow, orange, and green. The wind blows these leaves in the air, creating a beautiful scene in the suburbs. I love the sound leaves make when you step on a crisp one.

Oh, I forgot I’m in Manila. To console my homesick heart, I remind myself that our country was and is still influenced by American culture, and so, we continue to celebrate Halloween, year after year, and this year is no exception.

This year, I will be joining the Halloween party of *American Institute for English Proficiency (AIEP) where I have been working as an English Specialist for a little over a year now. In essence, I get paid talking and spending time with students and I have fun doing this at the same time. We don’t only teach English grammar and writing, like most English schools, but we also help our students to speak with fluency, to hold their head up high with confidence, and most importantly, to think for themselves.

I’m really looking forward to this party next week! I already have a costume. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go to last year’s party because I was out of town with my family. I know everyone who will be at the party will have a great time getting to know each other. We will eat, drink, talk, laugh, sing and dance the night away! In AIEP, we don’t only value education; we believe developing strong relationships is key in order to improve communication skills. Our students come from different educational, professional, and racial backgrounds, but our common ground is we all speak in English.

*American Institute for English Proficiency (AIEP) is located at 6772 Ayala Avenue, Suite 610

Makati City, Philippines 1226. Our offices is in The Manila Bank Center, Corner Paseo de Roxas Please.

Visit our interactive website at www.aiepro.org or Email: info@aiepro.org

You may also contact us via:

Phone: +63 (2) 893-1566

Mobile: +63 (0917) 850-3456

Telefax: +63 (2) 893-1566

US Phone: +1 (702) 987-3141

Ever since I was young, I always had my own room. I moved around a lot when I was growing up, but it was okay with me, as long as I had my own personal space.

Last year, I made the decision to move out of my parents’ house. It was hard for my parents to see me leave, but I felt it was time to move out. It’s so stressful commuting back and forth, Monday to Saturday, for three to four hours a day. It was such a waste of time, money, and energy. Besides the insane traffic and the high cost of commuting, I really wanted to live in Makati, because I’m practically in Makati everyday. I work and hangout in Makati.

I’ve been living in Makati for almost a year now and I now know the disadvantages of sharing a room with someone. I never knew it was so difficult to share a room with someone. It made me think…If I’m having a hard time sharing a room with a woman, how could I survive living with my future husband???

Hmmm….Maybe it was a good idea to try sharing a room with someone before I get married. I think it prepared me for the harsh realities of life. Haha….

But, I’m thinking of moving out soon. I’m looking for a new apartment, also located in Makati. I realized I need to have my own room. It’s okay if I have a housemate, but I don’t want to share a room with anyone, anymore.

Have you ever experienced being a teacher’s pet? What is a teacher’s pet? A teacher’s pet is a teacher’s favorite student.

When I was younger, I always thought that it was unfair when teachers and students became close to each other. Maybe I was jealous or maybe I thought that these students got higher grades or better treatment than the other students, but I felt that it just wasn’t right.

Well… that was then…and now I finally understand why, now that I’m an educator myself.

It’s hard not to become close to some students after spending time getting to know each other.

I love teaching and some students have become very special to me. One of them is the older sister I’ve never had. Her name is Kaye. She was one of my one on one students and I really miss her. She’s very busy being a businesswoman and a mother and she travels a lot outside the country. We haven’t seen each other for a few months now, but we do try to keep in touch. We even went to Seoul together last March and that trip was so fun and amazing!

We met with another one on one student of mine, Moo and his friends, who live in Seoul.I miss them both but regardless of distance and time, both of them will always be special to me.

Today is September 5, 2008, and it’s a Friday. It was raining earlier but now it stopped. Regardless of the strange and uncomfortable weather lately, today is a beautiful day. Maybe for you, today is just an ordinary day, but for me, today is a very special day.

It’s my first year anniversary here at AIEP. Wow…time flies when you’re having fun… I can’t believe I’ve been here for one year already; I feel as if it was only yesterday that I started working here.

I was doing the same thing last year what I’m doing exactly right now…writing. I started out as a writer first before I became a teacher. Actually, everyone was writing, not only me. We had many writing projects at that time. Chris trained and mentored me first for three months before I started teaching students. I also observed Migs and Neysa…how they taught C Cubed, Grammar and Writing class and One on One tutorials. It was tough and I thought I couldn’t do it…teaching three kinds of classes, but somehow, I was able to do it, thanks to all of you guys You stretched and stretched and stretched me until I felt pain and it was uncomfortable, but after some time, I just got used to it, and I became more flexible than I’ve ever been before.

It’s been quite a journey so far…I’ve taught 44 students for one on one tutorials…(yes, I have an attendance list so I’ve kept count) For me, this is the hardest kind of class to teach. As a specialist, you have to assess the needs and wants of each student; you cannot teach each student the same way. The youngest student I had is 11 years old and the oldest is in her 60’s (she does not want me to divulge her actual age, haha…but I do know how old she is :p) The nationalities also abound: Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Italian, Spanish, German, Persian, etc.

Whoever said teaching is easy? Teaching in itself is a challenging endeavor. What more teaching English to students of different nationalities, cultures, and personalities? Believe me, it’s difficult but you learn from your mistakes, more so actually than from your accomplishments. I’m not a perfect teacher, but I know I did the best of what I knew at the time I was teaching.

Even though teaching one on one is the most difficult class to teach, it’s actually the most rewarding. I’ve become very close to most of my one on one students: we hang-out together, spend time together, eat, drink, party and laugh together. I’ve even experienced traveling outside the Philippines with two of my one on one students and they are both very dear to my heart…I miss them so much. We became really good friends…

Grammar and Writing class is the second hardest class to teach, because I don’t really consider myself as a grammarian. Not only that, it’s also time consuming- before, during, and after the class. You have to prepare lesson plans and check grammar tests and written assignments. The best thing to hear though is when even just one student will come up to me and say, “Thank you Mia. I’ve learned so much from you.” Then it’s all worth it

Finally, C Cubed class. This is the easiest to teach among the three but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to teach it in general. This class also changed me as a person. It helped me improve in the three C’s: Critical Thinking, Conversation Fluency, and Confidence Building. I see the world now in a different way. I analyze everything and everyone, sometimes, a little too much, haha. I’m still doing the modules in my head even when I’m not at work: What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing this?…My life is like a rollercoaster…going up and down, right and left, exciting and scary at the same time….Should I do it or not? Etc…

No matter what class I teach, one thing will always remain the same: I am constantly growing and improving as a teacher and as a person Let’s see where else the journey of an English Specialist takes me

To be continued…..

I’ve always been interested in yoga and Pilates since I graduated from college. I’ve always admired and envied people who practiced these two disciplines, because one, I think they have great and sexy bodies, (haha) and two, I’m also intellectually stimulated with the philosophies behind them. Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow are two of the celebrities that have been practicing for many years. I’m fascinated by their transformed bodies over the years and I think the effects of yoga and Pilates are amazing.

Let me tell you about my relationship with yoga and Pilates.

The first step I did was I bought a small, itsy-bitsy, teeny weeny, travel size yoga book. I think this was in 2002. Well, it was so small that apparently, I lost it when I moved out of my parent’s house last year and I realized that it was gone! I was so annoyed with myself; I really hate losing things, especially when they have great value to me.

Then, two years ago, I bought a yoga ball from SM; it was on sale, 50% off, so it cost only P399.00 (haha). It’s my favorite color, purple Anyway, I would lie down on it, stretching my back…(ooh, it felt so nice, haha) Anyway, I left my ball at my parent’s house and nowadays, my god-daughter, Alex, who’s three years old, plays with it. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough space in my apartment now for my ball, since I have a roommate.

This year, to be exact last month, I bought a yoga mat and a Pilates book. But I made a decision; it’s not enough just watching yoga and Pilates on YouTube or DVD anymore; I needed to stop reading and researching about it and actually just get off my butt and just do it! I don’t know what was holding me back; I was making so many excuses to myself: “I’m tired, I’m sleepy, I don’t feel well, I’m busy, etc.”

I decided to research about places that teach yoga and Pilates here in Makati. But finally, FINALLY! I tried doing Hatha yoga at Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Makati Avenue and it was an amazing experience! It was great doing it rather than reading and watching it. There are some things in life that you can learn by passive

learning either doing research or through observation. But yoga and Pilates do not fall in this category. For example, you don’t learn how to drive by reading a manual; you learn how to drive by driving. That how simple it is.

My yoga instructor is Indian and I asked him how old he was and boy was I shocked! He looks like he’s 25 but he told me he’s 42! Whoa! That’s the effect of yoga and Pilates on your face and body. Anyway, gosh…I think I will get addicted to doing these kinds of exercise. I plan to do Iyengar yoga soon, what’s called the hot yoga, where you are in a room that has a temperature of 40 degrees. I’ll let you guys know about my experience soon, haha :p