The Ocean of My Being

June means a lot to me because this month reminds me how blessed I am to have some very special people in my life. Now, before this month ends, I'd like to write about two of the most important men, in my life, who make June such a special month. First, of course, is my father. June would always remind me of him because Father's Day is in June. Second, my Kuya Rashid . He was born on June 9, so June will always be his month. Abi Kulay... * I (we) call my (our) dad Abi . Abi is the Arabic term form "my father". Abi has been a huge figure in my life. Basically, everything that I am is influenced by Abi (and my mom, too), from the way I look at the world as a whole and my attitude towards people to the things I like. Abi is not your typical Meranao dad. Yes, he's strict and all, but he allows us to actually decide for ourselves and also leaves us to learn through experience. He gives us the freedom to try things that other Meranao kids can only dream of...

In 3s I was tagged by Lanee . Three names you go by: 1. Diane 2. Olilie 3. Diandra Three screen names you have had: 1. BabyPink 2. DianeWills 3. Sisa Three physical things you like about yourself: 1. Hands 2. Hair 3. Skin Three physical things you don't like about yourself: 1. Feet 2. Tummy 3. Extra weight! Three parts of your heritage: 1. Meranao 2. Bangsamoro (Muslim Filipino) 3. Arab-Malay Three things that scare you: 1. To fail my loved-ones 2. Natural disaster 3. To die not a good Muslim Three of your everyday essentials: 1. Sweets 2. A good book (a few pages at the very least) 3. Prayers Three of your favorite musical artists: 1. Maksim (The Piano Player) 2. Jewel 3. APO Hiking Society Three of your favorite songs: 1. "I Believe I Can Fly" ( R. Kelly ) 2. "On My Own" (from Les Miserables ) 3. "Constant Change" ( Jose Mari Chan ) Three things you want in a relationship: 1. Respect 2. Understanding 3. Love (4. Trust) Three lies and truths in ...

I love my feet! I have been playing badminton for some time now. Uhm, when I say playing, I mean just playing for fun. Not seriously playing or anything. Last Saturday, I went to the SIP (SSEAYP Alumni Association) Weekly Badminton with my friends, Bok , Erik and Lachi . We finally saw Drew there after not seeing him for a long time. It was bound to be a great, fun night. I was really looking forward to playing again as I missed the last badminton get-together. Before leaving the dorm, I drank around one liter of water and did my stretching in advance. I was really, really excited! We got to the court at 8 o'clock in the evening. We were having so much fun playing and laughing at our mistakes when about five minutes into the game, I jumped to hit the shuttlecock, which was obviously beyond my reach, and landed twisting my ankle. I was still laughing as I fell on my butt, but I knew it was going to be bad as I heard a crunch from inside my skin. I tried getting up and ...

Wow! I feel like I haven't blogged and/or bloghopped for the longest time. Except for work-related stuff, I haven't been surfing the net that much recently and I've just realized how much I actually miss all the blogs I regularly read. Before, when I wouldn't have the time, the energy or the drive to write and post a new entry, I would usually still have the time to check on my regular reads. But, these days, I haven't done this and the idea that the blogs I've been reading have become, well, a part of my life finally sank in. There'd be times when I'd wonder if this blogger and that blogger have updated and/or wonder what that blogger and this blogger have written recently. Just like craving for something very specific, I'd go nuts wanting to bloghop. And, because of this, I'm having some sort of "blog withdrawal syndrome" or something. Hay! So, what is my point? Hmm, this is just my way of telling everyone " I MISS YOU ...

Your Inner European is Spanish! Energetic and lively. You bring the party with you! Who's Your Inner European? ******** Slow and Steady Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It'd really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment. They expect you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then usually decide against it. How Do People See You? ******** You Were Actually Born Under: Full of spunk, you are the original party animal. You bring fun, activity, and stimulation to any event. Self-control is not one of your strong points; you have been known to over indulge. Cheerful and energetic, you can turn the most boring thing into something fun. You are most compatible with a Rat or Dragon. You Should Have Been Born Under: Resourceful and practical, you are a quick thinker. You are very observant - and it's hard to get anything past you! A total...

The past week was wonderful... and busy. At work... I had to work from 8 o'clock in the morning up to 6 o'clock in the evening for the past two weeks. I love and enjoy teaching, but teaching every single hour of the day (from 9am-6pm) with just 5 minutes interval per session can be tough. Especially when you're working with a group of students with different levels of proficiency in English. Add the fact that you're doing this online (through the Net). Sometimes, there are sessions where some of the students are almost as good as native speakers already, some intermediate, some just beginning and some can barely speak English. You have to always be up your toes and make sure nobody feels left out or nobody manipulates and/or dominates the whole session. You have to make sure nobody gets bored or loses interest. You have to make sure that each of the students understands everything. And, you also have to make sure not to rub them the wrong way and always keep in...

All my life, I have been an animal person. I've always loved animals. Freaky as it may sound, I can even touch the friendlier house mice/rats and give them some pats. I remember when I was in high school, at one of the very few times that we didn't have a cat at home, we had rats. They were weird because they were not scared of us. When we passed by them, they just continued doing their thing and minding their own business. My sister, I remember, would freak out and all. As for me, I tried befriending the rats. And, it came to a point when I could actually sit near a rat and run my fingers through its soft-furred body. The only thing I never liked about them were their tails, especially very long ones! Those very weird tails, weird in a negative/bad way! But, despite that, I could still play with rats. Now, I still can but I don't because I've found out how dirty they can get! I've had cats, dogs, goats, fish, chickens, ducks, and geese for pets. I'...

I've been really busy with work. One of our co-teachers accidentally broke her arm, so we have to substitute for her. It has been quite exhausting so that as soon as I get back to the dorm after dinner everyday, I'd just wash up and get immediately in bed and doze off. When I do get to my PC and surf the net, I just check the latest soccer news, read some of my regular reads and then I'd decide to turn the PC off and just hit the sack... again! The weekend was supposed to be my rest time, but my mom came for a visit (all the way from Mindanao), so I went around with her and my aunt. We had such a great time together. And then, of course, my Kuya A also came to Manila for an interview and, so, we also got together. The guy's actually one of my favorite people in the world. It was so nice seeing him again and hanging out with him again after four years! We just laughed and laughed the whole time we were together. Oh, I miss the old days. And, it was also fun to...

Today is a very special day for we celebrate the women to whom we owe our lives. We celebrate our mothers! :) I don't really know how and where the idea of having a Mother's Day started, but I really like the idea. Sure, it has become another grand day for the capitalists and all, but, it's still the day that honors the most important women in our lives! I feel so proud and lucky to be my mom's daughter. She's the kind of mom that transforms the world into an ocean of colorful and golden rainbows. In the book of my life, pages upon pages are filled with beautiful stories, great thoughts and pink dreams because of her mere existence and presence. Her love for us, her children, is so unconditional and so true it makes me cry and smile at the same time. She may drive me nuts at times; that makes our bond stronger. I can go on and on about my mom, but words are just not enough to capture how I feel about her. Today, I would also like to honor my two grandmother...

I've been quite busy the past days as I've come back to work after being on-leave since last year. I just cannot let this day pass without thanking Miss Ala Paredes for my new layout. I know it's not very easy to decide on a design for somebody as " sabog " as I am, but Ala did such a great job and the layout came out exactly as I wanted it to be (not that I actually had an idea of how I wanted it to look like). It's perfect! The new layout is just sooo... ME! I'm in seventh heaven just looking at it! :) Ala, doumo arigatou gozaimashita! :)