thanks to… for…
Comments (2)Thank you to …for teaching me…
Mr. Godofredo Lascano…the alphabet
Ms. Elena Biscarra ( Sr. and Jr.) …to learn from experiences
Ms. Viray…letter sounds and sight-reading
Ms. Enriquez …to read more than just words
Ms. Camacho …chemistry
Mrs. Cagas… algebra
Mrs. Lomibao …BASIC
Mrs. Nilda Sunga …confidence
Prof. Thelma Arambulo and Mr. Danton Remoto … literature
Ms. Roorkie Del Rosario …Deutsch
Mr. Joey Santos …higher chemistry
Mrs. Maligalig and Mr. Cabansag …zoology
T. Nancy Lim …efficiency
T. Julie Sajorda…to fix my ball of yarn
T. Gia Dela Cruz … fulfillment in teaching
Ms. Pria Tauro…resourcefulness
T. Emma Flores…immeditate psycho-emotional processing
Mr. Reynaldo Cabansag …responsibility
Ms. Jane Crystal Simpson…perseverance
Mr. Rohan Hood …self-expression
Ms. Anele N. Biscarra …accepting diverse inevitability
Mr. Rodger M. Caidic …patience and trust
Mrs. Carmencita Keolani C. Biscarra…organization
and Engr. Leo N. Biscarra… to have perpetual hunger for learning.
Thank you for teaching me.
picture
I’ve got your picture in my wallet,and your phone number to call it,
and I miss you more, whenever I think about you…
been staring at your picture
the whole night
as if it would make the image come to life
so i could have you by my side
to see that smile,
to hold that hand,
to have that scent.
been looking at your number
the whole time
thinking whether i should call
to hear that voice
to have you back
with me.
To PFC Max Eriksson
Dear Eriksson,
I never had the chance to somehow thank you.
That night couldn’t have been worse. The pain they gave me was so much I wondered why God let me live through it. I could smell… taste… feel my own blood oozing… dripping… splattering out of me. And the more blood came out of me, the more they beat me up. Violated, every inch of my body ached. My throat couldn’t have contained all the screams that I wanted to release. My eyes ran out of tears; I must have been delirious, but I think I heard the sky weeping for me.
I was broken inside and out. My body was no less than a piece of tattered meat, a stinking repulsive mess, ughh… sickening! My mind was hopelessly, helplessly struggling to deny that any of this was happening as it is too embarrassed to admit that it was in itself nauseated with the body it was attached to. My soul was even more shattered than my body; it had spent eternity in hell over the past few hours. My whole being was burning, I was in flames.
When you untied me, I came to hate myself more for thinking at that very moment that hope existed. I took the food in my mouth, but even my tongue was numb so as to taste it, all the more to choke as I swallowed it. The water seemed to boil as it came in contact with my throat; which only made it hurt even more.
I didn’t understand what you were saying. I didn’t understand a word. I didn’t understand why you were crying. I’m sorry.
I could have gone, made haste to flee… but I didn’t know what came over me. I don’t know why I felt you needed to run away with me, why I just couldn’t go without you…
Then you tried to push me away. But I saw it in your eyes… I was sure your heart knew I needed you.
And that, that is what I want to thank you for.
I was alone. And you were there. With me. For me.
Thank you, Eriksson.
Oanh
no…at me.
There he was. Sitting there. His elbows on his knees. Palms together, fingers crossed over.
Shirt was a faded blue-grey, jeans with paint stains. Straight, long, black hair tied back in a ponytail. Glasses, to top it all.
I pushed the glass door and walked out.
He turned. Used a pointer to push his glasses up in the bridge between the lens.
I held my breath as he got up smiling and walked towards me.
Then I heard a girl’s voice coming from behind, “And I thought he was smiling at me…”
I couldn’t help but smile when he held my hand as we walked across the street.
earrings
So I had to force a smile…
“This is so…nice.” …and so damn small! I might as well have blurted out.
Gee thanks, after putting up with you all these years and all I get is this teeny tiny miserable box!
He nodded to signal me to go ahead and open it.
And I saw something I never expected to receive, especially from him.
“Earrings?” I didn’t get it.
“Put them on.”
I did. Tiny, faintly sparkling white, green, and pink crystals lay side by side on a silver band that embraced the soft part of my lobes. It felt weird. But it sure felt good.
All these years he never allowed me to wear earrings, so I never did.
Until now.
And as precious as these earrings is the liberty to wear them. Then it wasn’t a small box after all.
“I missed you.”
Missed. Got it.
He was talking about the part of me that he never let me show. That part I willingly gave up when we tied the knot. That part I’ve been showing recently but hoping he wouldn’t notice.
That part of me. Doing what I liked to do. Choosing what I wanted to have. Getting what I wanted for myself.
That part of me that was me.
if i could stay home today
If I had my way, I’d stay home with you today.
I’d lie beside you, cuddle you, and share the warmth of your dinosaur blanket.
No, I won’t wake you up. I’d wait until you do.
And when you do, I want to be the first thing you would see.
Then we could bring enormous Wesley and Sheru as we sneak into Ate’s room. And we pounce on her and start wrestling and tickling until she gets really, really angry. Then she’d be forced to get up no matter how late (or early in the morning) she slept.
Then I would make pizza-ala-mama for breakfast, which we would eat while watching Rajesh repeatedly, until he gets tired either from singing “I don’t ever wanna feel like I did that day…” or get so upset with Howard for scaring him and Sheldon for the Ladybug Bazinga.
Then we would connect all your colored pipes and set it on the faucet and make a grand lego-themed fountain just before you take a bath. Right after, Ate would be eager to fix your hair, and i would be ready with the camera so I can take shots of all the impressions the two of you make out of your diverse hairstyles. I can’t help but wonder how you two could come up with a gazillion of them.
Then we would set-up the radical roadway, crash curve, swamp beast, and do-city tracks, never mind if this means we’d have to tiptoe our way across the room. Of course, this deserves nothing less but bringing out all your 300-plus-and-still-counting toy cars!
Yes, we would get tired packing away the toys after, and you and Ate would want to play your Accelepedia game as I prepare lunch.
After lunch, we would read and discuss our favorite ‘over-and-over’ storybooks until we get sleepy from all the yakkity-yakyaks.
When we do wake up, the sun would be setting…
I’d have to make the most of the night because I just hate it that I have to go back to work again tomorrow.
And really, if I could just have my way, I’d stay home today and be with you.
…because that’s just what I really want to do. I love you.
if you were here with me tonight
if i could just reach you
i would never let you go
ever.
if.
but you are there
like you’ll always be
and i am here
like i’ve always been
and an “us” is totally impossible.
if i could
i would stop thinking
about you
completely
but i can’t
so i won’t.
if only you were here with me tonight…
if.
go on
lying on her stomach, she turned…
what made her?
he was licking her leg, in the crevice behind her knee.
while his fingers deftly traced from her waist
up inside her shirt
to the softness they knew so well.
“I’m busy…” she went back to reading.
“So am I…” he managed to whisper as his kisses went further up.
then his lips savored the bare skin that showed
between the waist band of her skirt and her now-slightly-raised shirt.
“No.”
she could have sounded more convincing.
“Why?”
she knew this was inevitable.
“Go on.”
so he did.
and it was over, too soon actually…
she then told herself to do the same thing,
“Go on.”
she knew she would anyway
…like she always did.
janelle’s smile
Janelle forgot to bring her science book to school today. Noticing she felt really disappointed that everyone was busy coloring their own book, I drew something for her on a piece of paper. Nothing grand though, just the earth, sun, moon, and some stars. She looked on quietly and when I was done, she said, “Wow, ang ganda naman!” (That’s so nice!).
She gave me a tight hug and went back to her table. She had that smile she wore all the way back to her chair, and the whole time she was coloring my drawing. That kind of smile that won’t actually take my splitting headache away, but would remind me why it was worth having anyway.
cloze-open
I have found the use of oral cloze as an effective way to develop predictive listening and encourage responses from children. A rising tone of the voice would suggest that the student would have to supply a word to complete the open-ended sentence. So simple, teachers do it all the time with eyes closed.
This afternoon, the kinder class had a review in identifying the values of bank notes…
Me: How much did Aunt Carol give Ana? Ana got…
Student: One hundred…
Me: One hundred ….?
Student: …centavos!
.
Me: How much did Mommy pay to the cashier? Mommy gave…
Student: Five hundred…
Me: Five hundred ….?
Student: …thousand!
.
Me: How much was in Jamie’s pocket? Jamie had…
Student: Twenty…
Me: Twenty….?
Student: …O’clock!
So there. Today, I’d say that not only my eyes, but also my mouth has been opened with the answers I have gotten. My eyes, because I realized that the responses were telling me that reteaching was obviously necessary; and my mouth, because I couldn’t help laughing (which of course, I did much later when all the kids have gone).
