Wow!  I can’t believe it’s already been two years since we first opened our doors on January 22, 2007.  We had our 1st year anniversary celebration here at the office, but our 2nd year anniversary was celebrated with a bang as 75 students, friends, and clients invaded Puerto Galera with us!

With four vans, two SUV’s, and a lot of heart, we started our journey on Ayala and made our way through Batangas to Lea Beach where our two private boats awaited us.  The sea was calm and the sky was cloudy, but a glimmer of sunshine gave us hope that we were going to have a great weekend ahead of us.

We celebrated on day one with The Treasure Hunt / Amazing Race, and the team of Kiko, Edward, Jhana, Jason, Grace, Amy, Arisa, Rebecca, Jinny, and yours truly, Chris, won this event.  Our prize?  Dinner and a movie!  Yehey!

That night, we saw some great videoke singers, excellent dancers, silly jokers, mild to wild drinkers,good eaters, and so much more!

On our way back, we had another excellent adventure as our boats traveresed high waves and rocked the boats!  The high seas were no match for AIEPRO!

Thank you to everyone who joined and helped us!

This past Christmas/New Year break, I finally tried wakeboarding!  I have gone to Camarines Sur twice before, but wasn’t able to wakeboard because there were always events there.  This time, I got lucky!

I tried the kneeboarding first because it was easier.  My first try was a failure.  After three seconds, I let go of the rope, and I fell into the water.  The second time around, I made it 3/4 of the way.

Then I got bolder, so I tried the wakeboard.  I tried and tried to no avail.  I kept falling into the water.  I could not get a proper take off.  That means, I need to go again!

So wakeboarding will be another AIEP activity!!!

I have celebrated Halloween here in the Philippines for the last three years.  During the first party, I was with my friends at a condominium at the Prince Plaza next to Greenbelt.  There were less than ten of us then.  I was a goth or the Crow lookalike.  Last year, the party was held at my friend Dan’s house in Dasmarinas Village here in Makati.  I was a simple security guard.  There were about 20 to 30 of us there.

This year, it was a much bigger party, with 70 ghosts, goblins, monsters, vampires, warriors, goddesses, witches, devils, princesses, and more.  We had so much food and beer.  We had a DJ complete with smoke, laser, and lights.  We partied the night away.

We had games: The Ship is Sinking, Simon Says, and Speed Dating.

The winners of the contests received Php 3,000 for 1st, Php 2,000 for 2nd, and Php 1000 for 3rd.

It was also an international affair.  We had about 50 Filipinos and 20 friends from S. Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Ireland, UK, Australia, US, and more.

Next year, we hope to have an even bigger party.  How about 100?

Here are some pictures.  We have many more at our main website forum or gallery at www.aiepro.org.

Ha ha. This question never fails to crack me up. I will always say the latter. Would prefer being HOT than being intelligent for the sake of having an argument. Ha ha. I think it is really funny.

Here are the top 3 of their answers and what goes inside my head when they say these:

*I would rather be intelligent because I can work on being beautiful. or When I have all the money in the world because of my intelligence, I would be able  to pay for cosmetic surgery a gazillion times. I say, if you are so freaking intelligent, you should work on making brain transplants possible! Buy a “MODEL” and have your brain transplanted into their carcass. I think that way you will be able to save a wad of cash than going under the knife several times, and save yourself from the constant agony and pain of having all those procedures.

*Because beauty fades away. Their explanation was, if you get into an accident and your face crashes on to something, you will be ugly already. I’m like duh, that’s the same as being intelligent. You get into an accident, and debris falls on your head, and you live through that experience. That’s it. That’s the end of you, Einstein!

*Beauty and brainless is a turnoff. I say, intelligence + arrogance + ugliness =  You are so screwed. You are never going to get laid. People are so gonna backstab you.

So there you go. When people say they choose intelligence over beauty, chances are they don’t have the latter. But in deep their hearts, they so wanna be Apollo or Venus, and that’s the reason for answer no. 1. Answer no. 2, has something to  do with one of the seven deadly sins — ENVY (should i say more?). Lastly, answer no.3, simply means that no freaking HOT PERSON wants to do it with them. And this is their defense– gossip about how stupid that hot looking person is, even though it is not true (Carmen contibuted that the punk was just being a loser!).

Bottomline is, if you will choose to be Intelligent, you have to stick with it, stand by it, and be proud of it. Don’t dare try say reason number one, because that just means a big H. — Hypocrisy that is. And with that, my dear friends, is my two cents worth. Capeche?!

Hi there,

My name is Chris, the general manager of The American Institute.  This is my section of this blog, and here, you will find about my perceptions of all things relating to this world.  Yes, this whole world, since my mind wanders from one topic to another.  I warn you now, there will be times I’m very sarcastic, but don’t worry, I will be civil most times.

I love life, which means I love sports - all kinds; I love travel - wherever; I love food - almost anything and everything.  I love music and movies.  I love being with friends.  I love chocolates.  If you get me some, I will be your friend.  Chocolate covered macadamia nuts.  Hawaiian Hosts.  Hehe.

My motto is Carpe Diem, or seize the day.  Carpe Diem.  Chris Delacruz.  Got it?  Initials C and D?  Cool!

Here’s something more professional about me…

Christopher Delacruz, General Manager

Chris grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii where he finished high school as National Honor Society President and Editor-in-Chief of the paper, attended college in Seattle, Washington as a Trustee’s scholar and commencement speaker, and developed himself professionally as sales and marketing manager, corporate trainer, and management consultant in Las Vegas, Nevada.  He has returned to the Philippines believing that “education is the key to liberation.”  Chris fosters both a personal and professional relationship with the students, believing that each individual must be treated respectfully and uniquely.

+ BA, Political Science, Seattle University (Seattle, Washington, USA)
+ Seattle University Commencement Speaker
+ Writing Specialist, Seattle University Writing Center
+ Sales and Marketing Director (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA)
+ Parliamentary Debate Finalist/Award Winner, Northwest Parliamentary Debate Association Tournaments
+ Impromptu Speech National Champion, Western States Communications Association (Western USA and Canada  Championships)
+ Impromptu Speech and Debate Competition Sponsor and Judge
+ Corporate Trainer/Manager/Consultant for local and international corporations
+ Business Developer and Manager
+ National Honor Society President, Class President, Editor-in-Chief in Honolulu, Hawaii

I am human being, just like you.  So treat me with respect and dignity as that is the only way I will treat you.  No more.  No less.

Hi guys,

Welcome to the official blog of American Institute for English Proficiency, also called AIEPRO, AIEP, or The American Institute.

This blog is long overdue.  We, the Specialists, students and friends of the school, want to reach out to as many Filipinos, even foreigners, as we can because we believe that we have something to say.  Some of these things will be educational, some will be comical, and some will be purely emotional.  Our end goal is to be inspirational!

We want to share stories and ideas.  And in sharing our thoughts with you, we hope that we will, in some way, touch your lives.  After all, we are all interconnected.  As they saying goes, “No man is an island.”

This is AIEPRO’s official blogsite.

The American Institute, located in Makati City/Manila, is the Philippines’ leading service provider of English training and career development, specializing in American Accent, Conversation Fluency, Critical Thinking, Confidence Building, Grammar, Writing, and Test Preparations (TOEFL, IELTS). We have revolutionized and innovated English language learning in the Philippines by offering specialized courses that will not only teach you how to speak English well, but also to think critically and analytically; you will not find any English learning institution with higher standards and better staffed than we are. Our goal is simple: to provide only the best English learning experience to help you or your company reach your personal and professional goals.

Our clients are from all over the world; they are executives, professionals, and students from Japan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Germany, Turkey, Italy, and Spain. Here in the Philippines, we have consulted with not only corporate groups and call centers, but also with business professionals who are seeking to improve their critical thinking skills, confidence level, and of course, speech and communication skills, recent college graduates who are preparing for their call center interviews, and school teachers who are applying for positions abroad. Simply put, we are both the professionals’ and students’ choice.

Because we administer the highest educational standards, our graduates are poised, knowledgeable, and very confident; they excel in interviews, are awarded promotions, and become social and corporate leaders. Once you meet with us, you will find that American Institute for English Proficiency (AIEP), Philippines is very different than other schools here in the Philippines in that we are extremely professional and friendly as well as innovative and qualitative. Our English Language Specialists are Americans and Filipino-Americans with extensive backgrounds in English language training, corporate training and management, and personality development. Now is the time to take charge of your future. We invite you to call or visit us today.