Robbie Tan is a good friend of Vinny and The American Institute.  He is currently studdying in Pennsylvania, and we have invited him to contribute as a special guest blogger as we know that he is full of great ideas.  You will be astonished, charmed, surprised, and even provoked by his opinions on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  In other words, you will learn and be inspired in one way or another. So Robbie, this is your section!  You may take the floor.

Whoa!!!  So many things to do, and so little time.

Where should I start.  First, we just celebrated Joanna, Neysa, and Mia’s one year with The American Institute celebration at Italianni’s, Greenbelt 3.  I can’t believe it’s been that long already.  Yet, it feels like it was just yesterday.

We’ve spoken to potential business partners recently asking us to open up in Mongolia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Korea.  Even a good friend wants me to open up a school in Mexico City, Mexico.

We are currently working four major corporate clients this month.  That’s four in one month!  Yikes!  Sooner or later, we’ll have to ask Maryann to become a specialist!  

It’s stress, but the healthy kind.  Sigh!

When I was in college, there were times that my friends would drag me to the movies, internet café, and sports center to play billiards. I would only watch my friends playing billiards because I didn’t know how to play.

I thought it was hard because the cue stick was heavy for me when I played billiards the first time and I didn’t know how to position my fingers.

I wasn’t especially interested but I would just play whenever my friends are playing and when there’s no other game to be played. I just kept playing until I got the hang of it and started liking it. I used to play at a friend’s house, beside the car wash where my cousin used to have his car washed, I even play billiards online, and I would invite my date to play billiards with me.

It was years before I got the chance to play billiards again and it was during the sports fest and luckily, I brought home the bacon. It feels good to succeed in learning how to do something after practicing it.

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Early this year, I finished reading Lance Armstrong’s book titled, “It’s Not About the Bike.” He is a professional road cyclist, and he has won the prestigious Tour de France seven times. He is a cancer survivor.

One of my favorite lines from the book says, “Cycling is hard; the suffering is so intense that it’s absolutely cleansing. You can go out there with the weight on your shoulders, and after a ride at a high pain threshold, you feel at peace.

The pain is so deep and strong that a curtain descends over your brain… at least for a while you don’t have to brood on your problems; you can shut everything out because the effort and subsequent fatigue are absolute.”

I like that. Because I get it.

I may not be a professional cyclist, but I bike for many reasons: to sweat out the lethargy out of my body and to unleash pent up emotions. I bike to think. I bike when the world seems to be chasing after me, and I want to run away.

Biking for me can become almost a sacred ritual. It takes you to that divine moment when the world becomes your stage. It allows my mind to wander as I fly with the breeze, pulling away farther and farther as I pedal. The first blow of wind against my face is something I eagerly anticipate; it is a form of rush. It is in these first few moments that I may have the perfect feeling of being unbound. It is exhilarating and literally, I am lifted high above the grounds. My spirit dances, and I feel alive within. I am transported to another dimension.

As my muscles cry out and start to ache after each pedal, so does my heart bellow. My skin is dampened by sweat, but it feels like spring. My pulse race, yet I am in a state of solitude. I am a lone rider, yet I commune. It is both effervescent and ethereal. And then slowly, I enter into an abyss of tranquillity.

Just the wind, my bike, and me.

How I wish I can bike endlessly. I forget about the time. I actually forget about a lot of things while riding my bike. My bike has become an extension of myself. It is my silent friend. I can’t wait to ride my bike again. It almost feels like I’m coming home.

I can agree with Lance Armstrong. It really is not about the bike.

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“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people make our souls dance. They awaken us to a new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints in our hearts, and we are never ever the same..”

I had lunch yesterday with my good friends Chingkee and Bentley.

I met Chingkee and Sandy in college (Sandy is now based in Iligan and sometimes visits Manila). We’ve been friends for 18 years now. And then they introduced me to Bentley. I’ve known him for 13 years, I think.

I need to stress the number of years: 18 and 13. That’s a long, long time to be friends with your friends. Relationships don’t come by easy now. There are a lot of distractions. In a hi-tech world where everything is instant, easy and disposable, relationships have become a commodity. A relationship can be equally disposable.

It’s true, a relationship is a lot of work. It’s labor of love. You choose to be in, or out. Just like friendships. You don’t just enjoy the high after rounds of a drinking spree, or the burps and giggles after feasting on party food. You have to find reasons to keep in touch. You have to give time, and a bit of yourself when a friend is need. You decide to commit through hell or high waters. Period.

After 18 years it amazes me that I am still friends with them. In that span of time I have met a lot of people, and have become friends with new faces. But sad to say, some or even many of those ties did not outlast the strong 18 years I have with Chingkee, Sandy and Bentley.

We’ve had our share of disagreements, we have our own preferences and personalities. But in spite of the differences, we’ve managed the friendship. We hardly even see one another! Maybe 3 or 5 times in a year? But we don’t let distance be a reason for distancing ourselves from each other. Whenever we have a get-together we can always go back to where we last took off. We don’t demand, nor impose. We respect each other’s life and lifestyle. We respect our individual journeys yet still walk together as friends on this road called life.

Over lunch I couldn’t help but stare at my friends. They still talk the same, sound the same, even look the same.

Or maybe because I see the person beyond the physical. My spirit connects to their soul. I just know we “connect”. I can’t even explain.

How time flies, 18 years… it hasn’t changed our friendship in the midst of our changed lives. I treasure them. I smile to myself.

And I know, we can still count on each other as we keep counting the years ahead of us.

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Hello everyone!

I’d like to introduce to you Maryann. She is our final member of the AIEPRO family. She is not a Specialist, but she helps with our office tasks, like correcting papers, filing folders and profiles, preparing meals and snacks, typing, delivering files, organizing and decorating the rooms, and now, BLOGGING! She’s also involved in our FORUM!

We want to help Maryann with her English proficiency and her communication skills as well. We consider everyone in our team, regardless of position, to be vital in the progress of our school!

Here, you will see her posts and the corrections of her writings. We hope that her development will inspire you.

Sam Milby, an accomplished student leader here in the Philippines, was chosen by the Department of Education to become the “youth spokesperson” at the DepEd’s annual National Leadership Training for Student Government Officers at Teachers Camp tomorrow in Baguio City.

Sam Milby, a product of the Philippine education system, who was also a recognized student leader throughout his studies here in the Philippines, is truly a good choice to be a spokesperson for the emerging Filipino leader.

What the…???

Are you telling he’s not even a product of the Philippine education system?  What?  He can’t even speak conversational Filipino?  He’s an actor?  A model?  He’s from the US?  Whoa!  Wait a minute…

According to Sarah Katrina Maramag, deputy secretary general of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines, in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, “What we need are stars in quality education, not publicity stunts.”

Furthermore, Antonio Tinio, head of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers added, in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, added, “Why has DepEd chosen a foreigner who barely speaks Filipino to be its spokesperson?  On the other hand, he’s a good choice if they want to highlight how deeply entrenched the colonial orientation is in our educational system.”

Have we gone mad?  Or am I just envious?  Maybe a combination of both.  Maybe I’m wishing I was the spokesperson.  Or maybe, just maybe, we are so interested more in the glamor, glitter, and gold that we forget how to make things right.  We want flashy and pang-masa, or “for the masses.”  I’m hoping Sam Milby becomes a good spokesperson for the Filipino youth and leadership.  I don’t know much about his history here in the Philippines as a youth leader, so I should not jump the gun.  Maybe he does have a rich background in the Philippine education system.  Maybe his looks and talent alone will inspire the student leaders of the Philippines at this conference.

Or maybe, just maybe, this is another “dumbing down” of the Philippines.  We are telling our own people that we are so stupid, we won’t know the difference.  Just put a pretty face in front of them, and it will inspire them with awe.  Why do we keep on dumbing down our own people?

We deserve better.  We deserve more.

My daughter, Alexa,  turned eight on September 3. Of course, I took a leave from work to prepare for her after school party. I cooked Filipino-style spaghetti , which is a wee bit sweeter than regular spghetti; and fried chicken – using the Del Monte Fried Chicken Mix which my daughter loves. I got a chocolate cake from Red Ribbon  and ice cream from Nestle, namely, Chewy Choco Crinkles and Banoffee Surprise . I chose a kid-friendly menu so it wasn’t  too complicated to prepare. The party was a hit with the kids. It was such a hit, that they pretty much decimated the food. I never realized what voracious appetites these children had . They were all below twelve years old and they went through the food like they’ve never eaten before! It was hilarious. I didn’t even get the chance to eat. Which was cool since I was too busy making sure everyone had enough on their plates.

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 just finished reading Mitch Albom’s for one more day, and I have learned several things from it.  Sometimes, we forget the basic things in life because we are caught up with work, relationships, friends, and then more work.  This book reminded me of some of the basic, but extremely valuable lessons in life.

First, we must always show our love to our mothers.  Our mothers are always there for us.  My mom has always been there for me, but I rarely showed to her how much I appreciate her.  As an adult, I’m showing her how much I love her and appreciate all the things she’s done for me.  I’m also showing my father my respect and love for him, even if he has done so many things wrong to us.

Second, it reinforced the notion that I already believed which is, there is reason for everything.  The clock on the wall has its purpose, not just for time.  It also has a story of how it got there.

Most importantly, we have another day to look forward to.  That’s why this book is called “for one more day.”  Never give up.  When things seem like they are going wrong, when nothings going right, when you are tired, that’s when you know you have another chance to fight again.  Keep fighting till your last breath of air.

This book was heartwarming.  I know that I must never forget those around me, especially my mom and dad.  I’m looking forward to reading [b]Tuesday’s with Morrie[/b] also by Mitch Albom.