The Ate Imma Kids Summer 2012 Batch

I wasn’t able to make love to the beach (AS IF) this summer, but the past weeks has been nothing but awesome because of my work + play life.

It was class picture day yesterday. I will let the pictures tell the story behind our picture taking. I was too lazy to bring Baby Gaga (my camera) so I brought Seth (the laptop) instead. Here’s what happened:

Yes, we had a lot of fun, kahit na we had to move the table where the laptop is on a few times para magkasya kami sa frame. Sobraaaang gulo lang nilang lahat. In fairness, every class picture day is fun day! Thanks, kids! Too bad absent si Hymn, though. Huhu. I think we’ll have class picture day part two later!! Hahaha. We’ll see.

♥ Dyosaimma

Rainy days and Mondays doesn’t always have to bring us down

Summer days are almost over and because I’m a tutor, that means I’m going to say hello to the brouhaha that I love the most, my students, in a few days. I was planning my week last Friday and I decided to make the most out of this week. Gladly, Monday did not fail me!

1) I finally dropped by the RX station to claim my prizes: a Palmolive gift pack, a very heavy Jergen’s bag filled with Jergen’s goodies and gift certificates from John Robert Powers, Ystilo Salon and Goldilock’s. Traffic was bad on my way to the station, but the announcement of the Monster Scholars kept things light for me. I was tearing up as I inched my way from Quezon Avenue all the way to Greenhills. It’s so nice to hear all the scholars reaction when they learned that they were going to school for free. Good job, RX. (And thanks for the prizes! Wheeee!)

2) The past five Monday afternoons in all Starbucks branches have been busy, thanks to their 50% off promo on all fraps. Yes, I had to fall in line for fifteen minutes (more, even) but the look on my students’ faces as they slowly enjoyed their 50% off fraps were priceless. Iba kaya yung feeling ng nagpa-Starbucks ka ng anim na students! Hahaha. Feeling ko big time ako. Well, truelaloo, feeling ko lang yun. I paid P504 in all for all our drinks, not bad diba?

Besides, last day ng promo kanina, kaya sabi ko sa mga students ko, “Enjoy nyo yan ha. Wala ng sale bukas.” Smile.

 

 

3) Late na late man ang lunch ko, okay lang. Kasi ito ang kinain ko:

Yes, I like to live my life to the fullest. Mahihirapan na akong kumain ng ganyan pag kwarenta na ko. So ngayon na ang tamang panahon para sa chicken balls at kwek-kwek. Hihi. (Though sa UP lang ako kumakain ng mga ganyan.)

4) I was waiting for the stoplight to turn green when I noticed this sign on the side of the road:

…and it made me giddy! Kasi ibig sabihin nyan, malapit na ko sa Brookside Hills Subdivision! Feeling ko umuuwi ako sa probinsya ko pag nandun ako. That place may be 22 kilometers away from our house, but it really feels like home.

♥ Dyosaimma

Ava as Jessie

Last week, Ava had her recital at the Star Theater in Pasay City. She got a solo number!

She was Jessie for the recital and her mom went all out with the costume. Saktong-sakto!! Boots na lang ang hindi pinatos, pero ok lang. Ang cute nya diba? Jusko kung ganyang lang ako ka-cute, lahat ng play sasalihan ko.

From left: Gwen, Ma’am Cherry (Ava’s mom), Sir Alan (Ava’s dad), Ava and Bono. (Syempre si Ava, photocopy lang ng daddy nya.)

Ava has always been a star for me–and she’s the one that shines so bright, no matter where you put her, she will stand out. She’ll be transferring to a different school this June so I’ll see her less. I MISS HER ALREAAAAADYYYYYYY. Huhuhuhu. Well. I know she’ll shine brightly in her new school and her classmates will love her the same way her friends in Meridian loves her.

Pero para sa akin, sya ang pinakaspecial. Kahit saang school pa sya mapadpad at kahit anong costume pa ang ipasoot sa kanya.

♥ Dyosaimma

 

Noli Me Tangere: Chapters 1-3

I’m working on a Noli Me Tangere project this summer and I’m trying to simplify it for a student. I’ve done this last school year, kaya lang hindi ko naman sinave! Boo! So para hindi na mawala, I’m going to share each chapter here.

First three chapters muna ha! Click this to view/download the first three chapters of Noli Me Tangere: Noli 1-3

You’ll notice that there are blank lines on after paragraphs, I really put those so the student will have space for their notes. Pwede rin yan sa notes ng tutor/teacher. Pwede ring dyan mag-FLAMES. The watermark is there nga pala for very practical reasons–para sumikat! Hahahaha. Jusko pag palpak yung summary ko madali akong mahanap.

You may drop comments or even send me an email (dyosaimma@gmail.com) for questions or your problems about my summary.

BTW I based my summary on Vibal Publishing House’s simplified Noli Me Tangere.

♥ Dyosaimma

I’d like to think that I spent Holy Week wisely.

I spent the Holy Week in Laguna with the Gatdula, Alvarez and Bueno families. It’s so fun to be a groupie! Hahaha.

The Gatdula Family in Cabuyao, Laguna owns a caro and they join the procession every year. Syempre kahit bisita, kasama. The kids weren’t so thrilled about the idea of walking around the entire town (literal na buong bayan kasi iikutan), but since I love walking, walang problema. Medyo excited pa nga ako kasi first time ko. This is the Gatdula Family’s karo/caro, the Tres Caidas (The Third Fall):

Ito kami before the procession started:

From left: VG aka Boss, Ma’am Ovel, Arvin + me. I got my “uniform” during the second round of the procession nung Good Friday na.

The Gatdula Family’s karo, or the Tres Caidas, is the only original karo/caro left that’s still part of the procession. I have no idea where the original karo/caros are, pero siguro kaya wala na yung mga original ngayon is that they’re too hard and too expensive to maintain. Hula ko rin, nabili na ng antique collectors yung ibang karo. It’s also a nice way to maintain close family ties, I’d have to say. Kasi syempre ipapasa within the family yung karo, parang crown, ganon. I think it’s nice na hanggang ngayon buhay pa rin sa mga Gatdula yung tradition. At least I got to be part of it kahit minsan. Though iba na nga rin talaga yung kalakaran ng processions ngayon compared to how people used to do it.

In between the two processions (there were processions on Thursday and Friday kasi), umikot kami ng konti sa Laguna tsaka chill lang sa Pansol. And with “chill in Pansol”, ang ibig sabihin nyan ay magbabad dito:

The pool in the Gatdula’s rest/retreat house in Pansol is calling me and you. Sobrang sarap magbabad dyan sa gabi kasi mainit yung tubig. Laging kulang ang mga kwento basta nakababad dyan. We’d use frisbees as food containers so we can eat chips while we’re in the pool and we’d all joke about having an alipunga attack while half of our bodies were submerged in the water. Masarap sumigaw ng “Ang kati ng buni ko!!” tapos yung mga kasama mo sasagot ng, “Ako rin, makati yung hadhad ko. Grabe.” Sometimes, you really just need to be around people who will make you feel normal.

I was fortunate enough to be with the Bueno’s, who served us with a lot of good food. Good food courtesy of Mrs. Jane Bueno and good kwentuhan (sabay sa inuman) with Dr. Bong Bueno. Sabi ni Dr. Bueno at ni Sir Art, kinakain daw yung palong ng manok. Hindi nila ako tinigilan hanggang nung uwian na. Feeling ko nakahanap sila ng pagti-tripan. Oh well. Pagtanda ko maghahanap rin ako ng batang mapapagtripan ko.

In between all the walking, the chill time and the kwentuhan, I’d like to think that I got to think about a lot of things over the break. It was nice finishing the books that I’ve been wanting to read. I wasn’t able to bring my journal though, so I had to use the OneNote app para mahabol ko ang likot ng utak ko. But still, I’d like to think that I had a really good Holy Week. I may have spent it in a different way this year, but it wasn’t that bad! Medyo fun nga. Hihi. I’d love to try to do new things more and more. Just like my Holy Week, I’d like to spend more days the best way I can. Naks.

♥ Dyosaimma

 

Bono’s Graduation Day

When I first met Bono (and his dad) four years ago, hindi pa sumagi sa isip ko yung graduation nya. Well, I saw him graduate from grade school today. Ang bilis ng panahon.

Siguro ito na yung isa sa mga pinaka-bittersweet na bagay that I’d have to go through. I’m very proud and I’m very happy to see Bono finish grade school. Dumaan din ako dyan at sobrang sarap ng feeling nyan but I will not deny that it’s hard for me to watch him grow up. (OHMYGOD TEARS.) I’ve been blessed enough to find a job that doesn’t really feel like one and I’ve met a lot of amazing people whom I’ve come to work with. Hindi mangyayari lahat ng yan without Bono. When I saw his dad earlier, he said na dapat din akong i-congratulate dahil napa-graduate ko si Bono at yung iba pang mga batang tinuruan ko. (ZOMG TEARS.) Jusko masyadong madrama ang entry na ‘to.

One of the things that I dread whenever I’m with Bono’s family is that pumapangit ako. Ito ba naman ang tatabihan mo eh:

We celebrated in Outback after. Medyo malayo ang drive, but the steak was worth it. I got the ribeye garlic steak. Feel na feel ko ang celebration, naubos ko. Hindi ko na nga lang kinaya yung mashed potato.

Nag-cheers din kami! Pero Coke lang ang laman ng mga baso namin because of the kids. Pero kahit naman ano ang laman ng mga baso namin, keri lang. We know in our hearts that we’re all proud of Bono. Naks. Cheers!

♥ Dyosaimma

It’s Moving Up Day in Brick’s Place!

We had our students’ moving up ceremony today:

From left (first row): Francine, Lia, Coby, Iyuri and Enzo. Second row: Me and Teacher Och.

Our students got their awards and we played games with their parents too. It was fun, seeing the mommies and the daddies passing balls around to get a prize for their child. It was my first time to attend a moving up ceremony as a teacher, and it felt good. Tomorrow, I’ll attend my first parent-teacher conference as a teacher. I don’t know what to expect! Hahaha. If all else fails, chikahin ang parents. Chos.

I like how my new job makes my life “more exciting”.

BTW, the Brick’s Place Learner’s Circle is at 123 Don A. Roces Avenue, QC. Just turn right when you reach the first stop light in Tomas Morato, the one near McDonald’s and Goldilock’s. We’re on the 2nd floor os M&J Building, you’ll see our golden yellow sign on the side of the road. (It’s very hard to miss!) Drop by anytime to check out what we have for the kids. Sa Brick’s, masarap maging bata. Bongga yung play room!

♥ Dyosaimma

It’s class picture day!

Meet the Ate Imma Kids Batch 2011-2012:

Grade two represent! From left: Rod John, EJ, Patricia, Kirsten, Brandon and Prince. Ang hirap nilang pakalmahin, promise. Yan na ang pinaka maayos na picture sa lahat. They have their “school is over” smiles.

I asked them to do a jump shot. Puro fail. Daanin na lang natin sa pagiging cute ha:

Grade three! We had to have two pictures because Ava had to leave early for another class and Jian came in late. Yan, ang daming pictures ni Jeorge!

With Jeorge and Jian:

Grade five students, represent! From left (seated): Jared, Khervin and Hymn. Abi is the girl beside me na ayaw mag-smile. Dibale, di na nya kailangang mag-smile, cute na sya.

Samantha, a grade five student, came in late. Inabutan na ng grade six ang grade five, kaya nag-merge na lang sila. From left (seated): RX and Stefano. Second row, from left: Khervin, Abi, Sam and Jared. All smiles, yes!

RX and Stefano are both in grade six. These two are the sweetest boys evaaaaar:

Sabi ko sa kanila, dapat matakpan yung braso ko. Ayan! Hahahaha. Thank you, RX and Stef!

Next batch: grade seven boys! Ito medyo pahirapan, kaya tatlong boys lang kasama ko. Ayaw pumayag nung iba, masusungit. Anyway, keri lang. I’m with Rafael, Paolo and Jira here:

Lahat ng grade seven boys ko mas malalaki na sa akin, kaya pinilit kong nakaupo kaming lahat. Crop na lang yung tyan. O diba, lahat sila pogi?

At syempre, hindi mawawala ang high school kiddos:

From left (seated): Joanna, me and Jessie. Second row, from left: Tom, Daniel, Samuel and Andrei. Sa pinakamatatanda ko palang students ako ja-jackpot ng maayos na picture.

Umaapaw sa tuwa ang puso ko dahil ang mga batang ‘to ang kasama ko for the past few months. It’s a bit hard for me to think of another place where I could possibly be, actually. I also don’t know when I’ll be seeing all of them, or for some, I don’t know if I’ll see them again. But I’m fine with that because seeing and working with these kids’ smiles has been the coolest thing about my job. Hihi.

It’s also good na halos lahat ng alaga ko may “ZOMG school is over!” smiles on their faces. Refreshing.

♥ Dyosaimma

The perks of being a teacher

There is always cuteness overload in the classroom. (Or at least sa room namin.)

Kids are always game for anything that involves kulitan.

There are unlimited smiles.

You’ll get a hug everyday, guaranteed!

At syempre, pag wala silang pasok, ikaw rin wala. Hihihihi.

I love biglaang holidays. I can’t believe that I spent half of my day with my back glued to the bed. It was a good move that I bought a new router last night so I was still able to do some things that I needed to (pay bills online huhu). I enjoyed my biglaan holiday, though I know that the reason behind the strike that caused my “holiday” is a huge issue. Sana ibigay ang tama.

Anyway, tomorrow is a brand new day! Let’s hope for better things to happen.

♥ Dyosaimma

Nung bata ako, akala ko nag-uusap sa loob ng box yung mga munchkins sa Dunkin’ Donuts.

Isa sa mga nicknames na binigay ko kay Patricia ay Munchkin. Pinapili ko kasi sya kung Siopao or Munchkin, sabi nya, kung pwede eh wala syang pipiliin.

Bali ganito ang nangyari:

Me: Pili ka kung anong itatawag ko sayo, Patricia. Munchkin o Siopao?

Patricia: Haaaa? Ano? Ayoko!! Patricia na lang!

Me: Ang haba eh! Pili ka dali!

Patricia: Kailangan talaga?

Me: Oo. Munchkin o Siopao?

Patricia: Munchkin na lang. Ayoko ng siopao, may pula yun sa ulo eh! Tsaka may papel sa pwet.

Hahahaha!! Shiz. May point nga naman sya.

On a more serious note, hindi ko ide-deny na medyo pinagtutuunan ko ng pansin si Patricia. Well, there’s a reason for it. Lagi kasing umiiyak si Patricia, lalo na pag tinutukso sya ng mga tao sa paligid nyang ang taba nya, ganon. And I sort of know how it feels to be in her place. Nakita ko yun nung una pa lang eh, kasi she doesn’t want her picture taken kasi nga raw ang taba nya. Kaya whenever I can, I always tell her that there’s nothing wrong with being a fat kid. Tomorrow, I will show her my kalabaw pictures para mas mainitindihan nya yung mga sinasabi ko sa kanya. Last Friday kasi umiyak sya dahil nga may nang-asar daw sa kanya. Patricia is verrry dear to me, lahat naman ng students ko pinagkakasya ko sa puso ko eh, kaya ayokong nakikitang may umiiyak sa kanila.

Anyway, Monday na bukas! Wheeeeee. Makikita ko ang mga makukulit kong mga alaga.

♥ Dyosaimma