night

I had my read of Elie Wiesel's novel "Night" for the holidays.

Who reads during the Christmas break a book about a teenager's personal experience being in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp? (Aye!)

Maybe it's like watching QuentinTarantino's "Hostel" during Valentine's Day, I don't know. Could it be worth the try?

It is a good read.

I got a bit disappointed though (ask Anili why).

I have to thank a good friend, Catherine, for getting me a copy of the novel.

Wiesel writes this human document for the future to know, for the past to remember, for the victims to heal.

christmas is what you make it -

I have recently heard a lot of people complaining about their degrading annual Christmas celebrations. One can't help but feel the same way. Times seem to go parallel with the "Oh-gone-where-the-days" sentiments of the majority.

You get bitten by the same bug too and tell yourself that "It seems the last year was better than what we have now".

This might be way too off but I can quote a line of a character from 'The Name of the Rose' of Umberto Eco, (please don't ask me if I have already finished reading it) he aptly stated something similar about education. People might agree with his thoughts... others may find it offensive.

"In the past men were handsome and great (now they are children and dwarfs), but this is merely one of the many facts that demonstrates the disaster of an aging world. The young no longer want to study anything, learning is in decline, the whole world walks on its head, blind men lead others equally blind and cause them to plunge into the abyss, birds leave the nest before they fly, the jackass plays the lyre, oxen dance..."
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My mom, sisters and I were able to buy toys for our younger cousins (yes, kids!) and while everyone was feasting on the catered Noche Buena (for the simple reason that everyone in the house opted to let somebody else do the daunting task of preparing food), my sisters convinced our cousins to eat a full meal (you know kids, they could not finish up what’s in their plates) so that I could give them their presents. Oh! So it was I who was going to be the Santa for the night(all of his elves reading this blog are laughing out loud).

After Noche Buena, when everyone gathered around our living room (I don’t remember if I have finished up my own plateful, these kids are way too anxious!) I went to do my Santability and boy did the children have the time of their life! We never wrapped them since they were going to tear them up anyways. Toys flood the floor. It was a good thing they were not on the table; otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the true fruits from the plastic ones.

I did not complain. I was happy. I made other people happy. I made my own Christmas.

a kid's first time

We always experience our firsts...

I just had my first budget hearing both for the LCLC and OSASI set for the next school year. Crunching numbers was never a forte of mine, so the preparations for this day made me mentally under par.

I have heard anecdotes about these hearings… and today I have become part of it.

I think what really bothers me most aren’t really the numbers (my mathematics teachers really did their best to help me with this predicament, unfortunately it just doesn’t work for me) but I think it’s really the responsibility of planning for things to happen in the future.

I must admit I am still a kid (even though my students remind me I’m 20ish and that I have an ample supply of white hair). Being born the youngest doesn’t help at all. Kids like me don’t deal well with responsibilities grown ups have. Kids just want to play and have fun (just like what I do in my classes). I can still remember a colleague telling me in the face I still haven’t outgrown toys (because I still have some hidden in the drawers of my desk).

But kids don’t just come into this world as kids… they were once what we call infants. Infants had to learn and explore numerous things to become kids. For grown-ups, seeing their children learn to walk, talk, and eat for the first time might not be something of an achievement. But for the infant, it’s a milestone.

So does this mean I’m still a kid learning something new? A kid who just had a milestone? Well, its nice to know that at least I’m still a kid.

live your life and still be able to get away with it

After every hard battle, every warrior of the light needs to reflect and rest. After a long week working for the office budget, I was able to finish everything. I had to go somewhere and rest. I had someone with me to break the routine. It was nice to think that I was able to win two battles.