work break agenda

We got 5 days off from work starting tomorrow, counting in the weekends. Tomorrow is the city fiesta, a non-working special holiday for our city. Then on Monday, National Heroes Day which is a official declared holiday. Yehhey!! Long break..

And long workday break for me means NO CLASS, more time with friends and dvd marathons. Hehe.. As always.. I have to finish watching the last 4 episodes of NUMB3RS season 3. Other title on my list to watch is the season 7 of 24. Hopefully I could have time for it on Saturday. Tomorrow morning though, be meeting up with some friends of my friend having problems with their thesis paper. Meeting up also with a co-worker who wants to borrow my NUMB3RS dvd. Monday morning, meeting with the boss at school. In the afternoon, be with the youths to plan out our activity for the October festival.

Notice that when I don’t have class or even when there’s extra time for relaxation, its either I’m with the youths or having a marathon run of shows I’m interested in or music tripping? It seemed as though I don’t have any other choices. Are my options limited? Hhmmm.. Or, am I limiting myself?

time out

I do not consider it wasting time when I am with the young people or even just 2 of them.

After buying a refreshing cold drink at DiviSoria, we decided to sit at the park while consuming our Orbitz. We didn’t plan to stay much longer as it is Sunday night and tomorrow is a school and workday. Yet we did. Just talking about anything, teasing Mari and sharing and exchanging views with Kevin. Small talks yet memorable and helps me know them more.

Last Friday night, at 10:30PM, 7 of us went to a city carnival to ride the roller coaster courtesy of Makoy. It was fun, the ride was thrilling and we got hilarious reactions. We just rode the roller coaster then went home at minutes past 12 midnight. Quite late for young people like them to be on the street and we had to walk from the carnival place to the highway were Makoy could ride a jeepney to his home.

I could have stayed at home that night. I was still exhausted from our river trekking. I could have rested since I could only have 2 nights in a week to rest my mind from work. I could have went home immediately early tonight. But I didn’t. And I chose to spend it with them.

Indeed, the best and the most beautiful things in this world, cannot be seen or even touched. They are felt with the heart. It doesn’t make me rich in wealth. It did made me rich in relationship and contentment.

sunburned in August

Friday was a non-working holiday, no class, no work. So my brother and I decided to go to an adventure. We went river trekking and an out-of-the-plan water tubing. The trek was not so challenging and tedious, as it has become a popular destination for people who wants to light candles on wooden crosses along the way. Yet the time spent with my younger brother was worth it. We hadn’t been in activities we both enjoy lately. Its either me going with the young people if I’m not at work and him in his computer programs and whatsoever if he’s not at school. So as expected, when we go for an adventure, its either we’ll make up our own route or go beyond the usual route. But this time, we followed the trail and went tubing instead, it was not part of the plan. The heat was scorching at minutes before noon. Enjoying the waters and trying hard not to get wet but to no avail, and it was what made tubing fun. It was a nice break from work for me and school after midterms for him as well. Because our pants and shirt were wet, we decided to walk to a friend’s house which was located on the way, not very far from the starting point of the trekking site. Not part of the plan also. I also find it amazing that we only had a bottle of Gatorade and a pack of biscuit each yet we still had energy left after that trek. Others who went had packed food and big bottles of water. Does that mean we’re still very much capable for an adventure? Hehe.. I sure do hope there’ll still be more adventures to come.

for lack of anything to post

Read this line somewhere, “When your student hurt you, do not hurt him back. Hurt the other student instead”. Haha.. Unreasonable.. Okay okay.. I’m just tired right now. Thinking up of reasons why I don’t want to go to work today or handle my MR student. For one, she would be hyperactive again this time. Yesterday, I had to restrain her feet so she won’t kick me or lie on the floor. I must say, she made me weary after almost an hour of doing that. I felt like I had a workout in the gym, except that my dumbells were her feet and strength. Hahayz.. Sometimes, I just want to sit with her in our room and not say anything, not try to teach her anything and just stare blankly at her, see her smile for no reason at all. Glad my other 2 students weren’t as tough as her yesterday.

kagay-an festival

It is the city fiesta once again. I wish to see most of the planned events, like the cultural parade, civic military parade and other events in the DVSoria. Unfortunately, I had work on those days and would prefer to get some rest. An opportunity to take a break from my hyperactive student I say. I wish to snap pictures as well. Oh well.. We’ll just see.Since Friday is an official holiday, had a plan with my younger bro to go for a river trekking adventure at Tablon, just for the thrill of it though and the kicks for my muscles. Hehe.. Hoping it’ll not rain on Thursday afternoon till Friday morning. We’ll see..

dvd marathon for turtle speed net

For the sake of this person who wants update on me and my activities (hehe.. peace..).

Well, there’s nothing much this past few days. Work, leisure, food, etc. The internet was slow due to a network breakage in the Southeast Asia area as I’ve read on another blog. So I resorted to dvd marathon instead of waiting and wasting time on the turtle speed net. And much reading on a book about Dyslexia. No wonder I had a slight headache and my eyes hurt nowadays. Ignoring to wear the glasses and continuing on reading and watching much. That’s what I got. Glad I got a restful sleep last night than opting to continue on the dvd marathon of the tv series NUMB3RS, which my younger brother is still watching as of this post, to catch up with me. I’ve talked to one of my friends about this tv series and exclaimed that he cannot relate and is uninterested. Huh.. He made me think I’m kind of weird to like numbers so much and how the characters and producers played it in this tv series. Oh well.. At least my younger bro also liked it. Haha.. Still waiting on my younger bro though to call me so we can watch it together. We almost had the same interest though, when it comes to these tv series. Haha.. Credits to that.

one person at a time

Sean Porter: Everybody listen up. The Gridiron is a football field. On the Gridiron, we do it my way, not your way. Your way got you here. Whatever gang you claim, whatever hood you’re from, this is your hood now.

Sean Porter: Most sixteen/seventeen year old kids, they make a bad choice. Something gets broken, they screw up in class, hurt somebody’s feelings, show up at the prom drunk. They get sent to the Principal’s office, have their car keys taken away or get grounded. Then there’s kids that make a bad choice, somebody ends up shot dead in the parking lot. Those kids get sent here.

Lines from the movie “Gridiron Gang”.

The “Gridiron Gang” is about making a difference, one person at a time, in small but significant ways, in the lives of troubled youths that societies the world over would just as soon ignore. Much like the situations we have in our communities nowadays. Whenever there’s violence, the youth gets blamed for it. Whenever there’s resistance, the youths gets tagged into it. What are we doing about it?

Had a talk with a fellow youth worker and an apprentice last night. He was asking how they’re doing, their activities until our talk touched to our effectiveness as youth workers. When people look at them, specifically the boys or rather guys, they’ll conclude that nothing really has changed. They get frustrated and was on the verge of giving up because their desired results were not met. It isn’t like that as we all know. Life can’t be changed instantly like snapping a finger. It is not done overnight. It is a process. I had been closely with them for over 2 year now and I could say that they’ve really changed. Not with every member of the group though. For some, the changes were obvious to us. At times, their parents, brothers and sisters were the once telling me about it. While there were instances also that I hear complains about them from their parents. Some changes were in their choice of company, in their decision-making, in perseverance to continue on with their studies and in their choice of activities. I wonder what their lives were when they weren’t together, when they’re at school, when they’re with friends other than the group we have. We’re they good examples and influence to them? I certainly hope so. They live in a society were drinking, smoking, youth and adult violence, teen pregnancy and youth drop-outs were rampant. Older brothers who hadn’t finished college because they see school as a waste of their time and laziness with studies. These are what they usually see in their society. Deviating from their society’s norm could gather up praise and ridicule at the same time. Yet they still persevered and strive to do good and make a better future.

Two years, the changes may not be that big but at least we had planted a seed and continue to nurture it until maybe it is ready to be left alone. It is still worth it. Our effort is not in vain. The journey is not over yet.

new series marathon

Haven’t been on the net lately. I’ve been gone for 3 days I think. So what updates have I missed? Hmm.. I hope not much. Wonder what I had been up to when I’m at home and not doing work-related activities or not yet in my bed? Been glued to NUMB3RS the television series and would watch a marathon run of it without getting bored. In fact, it got me interested that I’ve planned to buy the other 2 series soon. Calculations, math, numbers, hypothesis and proving it through numbers, family relationships, etc., count to that randomness. Would do a marathon run on it again even if I still have classes to attend to the following day. Haha..

He balances it

With the entries I posted, I’m sure you’ve come to know the nature of my income generating job. You’ve known of the struggles I endured to defend myself though there were times that I wasn’t successful. I get to receive punches, kicks, spits, slaps, shoes thrown, etc. every now and then and I just address it as part of the job. Why? Because even if I wanted so much to restrain, scold or punish her, she wouldn’t even understand why I had to do it nor would she understand that it hurts. Unless maybe if I do to her what she does to me, revenge. NO, can’t. With the case of the ADHD kid, it was his impulses that made him do it. And that’s what he is trying to control. That’s why he is my student. Patience is an essential virtue in my line of work, much patience that is. Even if my student had punched me on the head 5 times, 2 on my back, 1 on my right temple, 1 on my right jaw and 1 on my face, I could only cry from the pain. I could not hit her back or restrain her with my anger, I might hurt her and I don’t want to do that. My license will also be at stake. I just don’t want to mind it and concentrate more on how I can help my students. Even if sometimes, waking up to another teaching day is hard, much more when upon entering the gate, my students would then show hyperactive gestures. Expect that I’d be stern with my ADHD kid and merciful with my MR student. My Bipolar student was also different, I still had to get to know her more. As well as my other 2 students who were not so difficult to deal with anyway.

I am very glad we have Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. I sometimes wish that there won’t be Tuesdays and Thursdays to deal with. Hehe.. I’m glad there’s Fridays to end the workweek. Saturdays and Sundays to wake up late, have some alone, quiet time without my students, leisure, meet up with the youths, jam with them and be recharged.

Thankful also to the food that relieves my stress, even if it makes me fat.

a unique mountaintop experience

What an experience it was.

The Sunday afternoon was quiet as the youths were treated for a birthday lunch at KFC, Limketkai Mall. After which, to make their time useful and not just wander around the mall in pairs or groups without unified direction, we revised a game with the objective of surprising the birthday celebrant. It was very spontaneous, was only planned and organized then and there but was fun nonetheless. We made the youths race around the mall to find key persons to accomplish the tasks. This was not the highlight of my Sunday though. It was after the youths went home at around 5:30PM.

Since Kevin had to finish some drawings with the help of Patrick, I decided to join them and Mari since we also go to the same direction going home. I didn’t know when they’ll finish the drawing assignments of Kevin for his Architecture course. To while away time, Mari and I talked and wrote just about anything while Kevin and Patrick were busy sketching and talking at the same time once in a while we didn’t notice that it was time for Limketkai Mall to close. It was already 8PM. So we decided to transfer to McDonald’s outside the mall. Had dinner and finished their drawings. By that time, Kevin was already shading while Patrick was figuring out the designs, structures and details of an old church. After dinner and some talk, the guys proceeded back to their work while Mari and I got bored and talked about anything, again. Until Mari got sleepy and I helped out at shading Patrick’s work while he continued to worked on his detailing. It was the only help I could give since I am not talented with arts. It was already past 10PM and we still had a long way to go but enjoyed our company as well. Talking just about anything, life, the designs, a little orientation about Architectural designs, terms, and techniques from Kevinski and singing as that’s what we commonly do. Unknowingly, McDonald’s Limketkai closes at 10PM on Sundays so we overstayed. We didn’t even bother to look at the time I guess. We were aware that we were the only customers left, but we weren’t aware that they closed early. The staff didn’t even bother to approach us and advised us that they were already closed, until we went to the counter to buy snacks which was hidden from our view where we sat. Bad. By 12AM, we left the store since the crew has already finished cleaning up the place and was about to turn off the lights.

What an experience that was. Two stores closed on us on a Sunday night as we were enjoying each other’s company. Though bothered a bit with the fact that Monday is a school and work day but we all had a common goal, to finish the drawing before we leave, that overpowered our reasons why we should have been home by that time.

Upon leaving McDonald’s, the crew jokingly stated that we had spent 2 days at their store, since it was minutes past 12AM that we had gotten out of their premise. It was the first time for us. They were friendly and nice people too. We were indeed grateful.

What did we learn from our experience? When someone has projects, call a friend. Hehe.. Seriously now. Kevinski shared that he could have worked on his projects at home and avoid the reprimands of thier parents for coming home late, vey late in tonight’s case, and spending for dinner, he had no regrets about spending time with us while doing the work. Though he could have finished his work sooner if he stayed at home, it would have felt that the load was heavy carrying it alone. I totally agree. I’m glad he came along and shared his assignment with us.

mountaintop experience

Do you know what mountaintop experiences are? These are the moments when you experience a breather after a very stressing day or event or a relax from the pressures of daily life. I’m not sure if I did justice to Kevinski’s word about mountaintop experiences, but its more quiet like it.

Like last Saturday night, I know it was supposedly a rest day or night and a respite from all the hustle and bustle of workdays. And to think that it was already late in the evening so basically for workers like me who have a regular day job. Saturday night is suppose to be a rest night. But not tonight. After our practise and jamming at Cugman, we visited a friend at their residence for a little talk. He was on his guitar that time with his cousin on the beatbox. Without wasting much time, I and a fellow youth joined in on the soundtrip while his cousin asked permission to go on his way as he was only passing by as well. And so that started our 2-hours soundtrip and short talks in between. It was truly spontaneous. It just happened that we 3 wanted to have a respite and craves for the sound of our own music rather than getting it from a radio or from our music players. We had fun laughing at our own made lyrics, actions, the way we cut a song and instantly changed into another, changed its pitch, etc. All for 2-straight hours and none of us wanted to end it. Sad to say, it was truly late, t’was almost 11PM and to think that I still had to take 2 rides going home. It was a fun night though, no regrets.

Truly a mountaintop experience for me. Event though my body is craving for rest already and I so wanted to go home for some tasks to be done, yet I chose to stay with them and make music. My way of relaxation. Music. And their company most of all. It has become my life. It was also the first time that we 3 had jammed and bonded. Truly great. Hope it’ll happen again.