In retrospect, I am thankful for…

1. Today, September 1,  I am thankful for… the keen observation of that little girl Caitlin who saw me waving my arms at the school bus so I can get my two little children home earlier than usual (hah! long story but that was an epic moment for me).
2. September 2: Today I’m thankful for being able to spend time with my mommy blogger friends as we learned new ways to prepare healthy food for the children, all courtesy of Active Fun. The kids got to play for free too!
3. September 3: Today I am thankful to a student, G, for the life lessons he learns from which I learn big time too. Taking a “sneak peek” into what he thinks makes me more conscious about how I am as a teacher and as a mom.
4. September 4: I am thankful for the time I get to spend with the family, yes, crunch time for review or not.
5. September 5: I am thankful for the “gift” of technology as I am able to do pages upon pages of reviewers without having to write these on papers.
6. September 6: Today I am thankful for my friend Ronald and his wife Gennell for dropping by our (chaotic home) and giving me a brand new pink and silver Hoopnotica hula hoop. Yes, I’m super happy! Wheee!
7. September 7: I am thankful for the chance to get to know my children through their notes, even if I have to stay till the wee hours of the morning to finish their reviewers. They appreciated the efforts and I hope they will do well in the tests.

I was inspired by my friend Ria‘s daily gratitude journal on Facebook and I decided to do this too.Since today is the first day of September, I figured why not start now?

I plan to write the little things I am thankful for each day and collate these as a weekly entry.

if I can’t go online, of course there are days I can’t go online, I’ll use that little notepad in my bag to write my “I’m thankful for…” thoughts. If not, my good old mobile phone can be my wee digital notepad.

Have you counted your blessings lately? Is your cup half-empty or half-full?

I know I will not just keep tabs what the people, happenings and things I am thankful for, but I will be able to learn to appreciate the “details of the fabric” woven as a canvass called “My Life”.

I thought of a phrase while I was brushing my teeth: philandering fool.

Curious, I Googled it and came across a song, a blog URL and someone asking for advice regarding a marital issue. Not that I have someone in mind who best personifies this phrase. I don’t have one. Yet.

I admit, we all attach “labels” on people at one point in our lives. You know that blabbering idiot, the perpetual whiner, the spoiled brat and the boxing fanatic.  And the village fool as well as the good-for-nothing class clown.

Have we not read “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will  never hurt me”? True or false?

False. For me at least.  Words, hurtful words, hurtful labels, bring us tears of sadness,  a feeling of ineptitude and that nagging gut feel that we can never do anything right and acceptable in the eyes of the ones who see no good in us. Hurtful words that pierce the heart and break the spirit heal longer.

Have you been labeled unfairly?

Have you yourself labeled someone else without thinking if what you are doing is fair?

I have been writing for years. I suddenly remembered having a notebook and writing my “novels” which were largely inspired by the spine-tingling and heart-tugging teenage romance novels I loved reading back in high school.

Why did I suddenly remember this? Because my two daughters have the same habit as mine: they write stories in notebooks.

There are times when I write from the heart such as there are times when I need to have to write reviews on tire chains, eyeglasses and even golf clubs.

As if blogging about the food we eat and writing about the stories behind the photos that I took are not enough, I also write topics for online publications and has attempted to write short and precise sentences for an online presence of a business.

No matter what the topic is about, I try to write from the heart.

Have you tried writing from the heart? Let me rephrase that question: Have you tried blogging with passion?

How can one do “writing from the heart” articles?

Writing from the heart comes naturally. One expresses thoughts, feelings, wishes, impressions, perceptions and those itty bitty things that tugs the heart and stirs passion that needs to be expressed in words.

Writing from the heart need not a grammar police because the sincerity, the passion and the thoughts are understood even having to resort to interpretations that need a deeper psyche.

Writing from the heart conveys sincerity which is akin to not just the baring of the mind and soul in a too personal way but through sharing with which those who read what has written will respond in positive ways.

I’m looking for a new mobile phone.

Just “looking for” with no plans to buy yet because that is not a priority must-have expense.

There’s a toss among several brands and specs with blackberry curve (or Playbook? dream on) and Samsung Galaxy S2 (or Galaxy tab). I can look, look and look till I faint with the specs and because there are too many gadgets to choose from, there’d be a new one once I purchase what I chose.

So, how to choose the “perfect” mobile phone for you?

• know what you need and learn which phones support these needs
• read reviews on the mobile phone(s) you are eyeing
• wait for a few weeks before buying that newest mobile phone to see if a newer model will come out by the time you are buying (this may make that model’s price drop a bit if you wait a little while)
• make the most of your budget so that’s you don’t feel guilty or you don’t feel you’ve been “robbed”

Happy mobile phone hunting!

My youngest daughter would sing the songs from Nestle’s Kasambuhay Habambuhay TVC. It is her LSS so to speak. Here is the Nestle 100 Years Pag-ibig TVC if you haven’t seen it yet:

So when I had the chance to be invited to last night’s (June 8 ) special screening of Nestle’s Kasambuhay Habambuhay Short Film Anthology at PH Nestle’s HQ, I decided to attend the event, dragging my youngest daughter with me who had her initial session at Global Art yesterday. No rains nor high water can make us not come because my Bunso was not going to take “NO” for an answer. It was after all, a chance for her to see what she has been singing about for several days.

Anyway, I’m glad we went. We sure did have a great time as I’ve written earlier in my Teacher Julie FB page.

So there, I think my laughter was one of those that resonated the venue’s walls where we watched the Nestle Kasambuhay Habambuhay Short Film Anthology. I don’t know if it was obvious when my tears were falling but I know, there were some whose heart strings were tugged just like me.

There are 10 shorts films with 10 minutes each featured in Nestle Kasambuhay Habambuhay Short Film Anthology. Please click on the title to be directed to the YouTube trailer:

• The Howl and the Fussyket directed by Chris Martinez (Genre: a family comedy of manners; Brand: Bear Brand Instant Milk which is my mom’s favorite brand of milk for several decades now). 8-year old Aaron (Gerald Pesigan) volunteered to be his grade 2 class’ representative in the coming English Declamation contest. Will he win the contest despite his obvious difficulties interchanging “p” and “f”? How will his mother (Eugene Domingo) and sister (Kiray) help him prep for the competition? This is a story of perseverance, family unity and knowing what triumph is all about. Guaranteed howls of laughter and “awww…” moments.

• Unplugged directed by Raul Jorolan (Genre: a feel-good adventure of discovery; Brand feature: Milo hands down my kids fave chocolate milk drink). Foot ball coach (Marvin Agustin) brought his team of young football players to his grandfather’s (Eddie Garcia) home in the province to bond. But as the grandpa observed, they are all engrossed with their handheld gadgets so he asked them to give it all up and stay unplugged. The boys had so much fun enjoying the outdoors, coming to the realization that by going offline, they are able to reconnect back to (the simple joys) in life: a life unplugged. Note: one of my personal favorites.

• Silup directed by Jun Reyes. Genre: A Gritty Urban Drama. Brand feature: Bear Brand Sterilized Milk. Silup, Pulis spelled backwards, is about a Manila cop (Sid Lucero) who is a third generation policeman. He sees crime, had been shot at which missed. He is strict and tough but at home, he is that caring person who lives with his grandma (Gloria Romero). Be prepared to see what these cops deal with and believe me, some of the scenes are not something you’d probably want to see in real life. continue reading this entry »