An open letter to my students

My dearest students,

I hope when you look back to the time when you took Psych 1, your minds would be filled with fondness. That when you think of Psych 1, you will remember it to be a fun subject and also a bit challenging. I hope, with what I know of psychology, I have shared information that will be put to use for the rest of your lives.

This may just be a general education subject for you, but with the five months that we have been together, I hope you realized the practical use of what you have learned in this subject. I also hope that at some point, I have offered relief from stress whenever I would crack jokes in class or give ridiculous examples.

As we are about to end the semester, let me leave a few words for you:

First: never stop learning. Your brain is the most important part of your body, don’t ever forget that. You know this (see also: physiological basis of behavior). Take good care of it. Nurture it.

And of course, always choose what makes you happy. Make happiness one of your top priorities. Always, always choose to be happy or find ways to be.

Lastly, I’m excited to see who you will become in the future! Please know that I will be among those people who will wait for PRC to release the results of the different board licensure exams a few years from now. I will be among those people racking their heads in anticipation to see your names on the list. Maybe, the next time we meet, you will have Arch., Engr., RMT, RPh, or even Atty. or MD attached to your name. Or you are on your way to becoming one. I hope this brings comfort.

I hope when you finally go out there, to your chosen fields, you will serve people with a good heart. As I’ve said: never ever get tired of people. And choose to be a good person. Be the better person than you think you are.

To end this, always remember: I am rooting for all of you. You are all full of possibilities, be excited for that! May life lead you where you want to be.

After a while you learn the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul.
And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning
and company doesn’t mean security.
And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts
and presents aren’t promises.
And you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead,
with the grace of an adult, not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight. .
After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,
instead of waiting for someone to leave you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure;
You really are strong, you really do have worth.
And you learn, and you learn
With every goodbye you learn.
~ Veronica A. Shoffstall, After a While

Sincerely, a teacher who did the best he could with the talent he had

2 years ago
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They say if you look close enough, you will see the marvels of the sea. So I sat on the bow to get a closer look. I looked but only saw fragments of myself staring back at me.

They say if you look close enough, you will see the marvels of the sea. So I sat on the bow to get a closer look.

I looked but only saw fragments of myself staring back at me.

2 years ago
 3
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gender role, n.: I’m still in the process of stripping myself away of all conditioned ideas I have of gender. Growing up, I have been told not to play with dolls because dolls are a girls’ thing. That it’s a no-no for boys to cry. And that a lot of...

gender role, n.: I’m still in the process of stripping myself away of all conditioned ideas I have of gender. Growing up, I have been told not to play with dolls because dolls are a girls’ thing. That it’s a no-no for boys to cry. And that a lot of things are gender-based. But you know what? Fuck gender roles! I can do whatever the fuck I want and choose whatever the fuck I like because I enjoy these things. And at the end of the day, what matters most is my happiness.

2 years ago
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Always.

Always.

2 years ago
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Via flashbulbmemoriae
Gods, I’ve been neglecting this blog since forever. As much as I’d want to post stuff regularly, I really don’t have the time for it like I used to. Ha, spoken like a true adult busy with “matters of consequence” and responsibilities! Here’s a photo...

Gods, I’ve been neglecting this blog since forever. As much as I’d want to post stuff regularly, I really don’t have the time for it like I used to. Ha, spoken like a true adult busy with “matters of consequence” and responsibilities!

Here’s a photo of when I was trying to convince myself into thinking that I’m actually preparing for my Advanced Abnormal and Clinical Psychology exam. Bringing notes around gives wonders, no? It gives me the illusion that I’m getting some studying done which makes me feel at ease and lessens my anxiety.

2 years ago
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This is a long overdue post of our visit to Bataan literally before the semester started (because who knows when I will be able to spare a whole weekend for a vacation). As it had always been, I was the one who looked for possible places to go to, and I fell in love with the things I saw on travel blogs and Instagram.

Of course, the Dambana ng Kagitingan is first on our list. It is a shrine that was erected on Mt. Samat in Pilar, Bataan dedicated to those who fought during World War II. I was looking forward to going up the shrine but the elevator was under construction when we went there. Bummer.

After which, we headed for Bagac to look for a place to stay. Along the way, we stopped by the Bagac Friendship Tower, a tower that symbolizes the renewed friendship between Japan and the Philippines after the Second World War.

Just a few steps away from the Bagac Friendship Tower lay the Zero Kilometer Death March Marker. It makes me sad that there weren’t anything protecting this landmark and no information whatsoever about its significance.

We found a place to stay near the beach, and the caretaker was so kind to help arrange our boat ride the next day. She even offered to make arrangements so we could also go to the heritage park called Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar.

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar was the highlight of our visit. The park is a collection of old houses from the Spanish era. The houses were disassembled, transported to Bataan, and were carefully rebuilt piece by piece. It was a very beautiful place; every corner is Instagram-worthy. The red brick house was my favorite!

2 years ago
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I’ve been wanting to visit Ilocos for ages but since I work six days a week, it seemed impossible to go there during the semester. So while school was out during the holidays, my family decided to go for a three-day vacation in Ilocos before 2015 ended.

We spent the first day at Saud Beach Resort and Hotel in Pagudpud. The waves were calm when we went there, and there was a lot of *~white sand~*. We had lunch at the resort’s restaurant and I fell in love with their bagnet!

After which, we traveled to Laoag, which is located somewhere between Pagudpud and Vigan, to look for a place to stay for the night.

The next day, we went to Iglesia de San Agustín de Paoay (Paoay Church)–a church that was built in 1710. And of course, our visit to Paoay wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t eat at Herencia Restaurant, the birthplace of Pinakbet Pizza. We also visitied the Malacañang ti Amianan (Malacañang of the North). It was where former President Marcos stayed whenever he visited his hometown.

And for the last leg of our Ilocos trip, we went the lovely city of Vigan. Gods, Calle Crisologo was beautiful regardless of whether you go at night or in the morning! But if you want less people so you can take photos, I’d recommend going any time before 10 in the morning. Also, natural lighting! Aside from Calle Crisologo, we also went to Baluarte and Bantay Bell Tower.

There were still a lot of places to go to, but since we just allotted a day for each location, we weren’t able to go to all the places on our list. Oh well, there’s always a reason to go back!

2 years ago
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Wherever you are now, I hope you are reading Harry Potter with a big smile on your face. Always, Alan Rickman, always. Thank you and good night. Rest in Peace.

Wherever you are now, I hope you are reading Harry Potter with a big smile on your face. Always, Alan Rickman, always.

Thank you and good night. Rest in Peace.

2 years ago
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“People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect; but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff.” ~The Doctor

“People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect; but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff.”  ~The Doctor

2 years ago
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The 28th Oath Taking Ceremonies of Professional Teachers was held in Saint Louis University last December 20, 2015 which was also my mom’s birthday.

This is the culmination of two months and three days worth of anxiety of waiting for the LET results. And the nerve-wracking moment when I was looking for my name in the Roll of Successful Examinees. I was very lucky to have someone hold my hand while I was doing that! (If you’re reading this: I love you~)

I offer this to my very first teacher: my mom. For always pushing me to be the best person I could be and for always supporting my life choices. What could be a better birthday gift than to see your child take oath as a professional teacher?

2 years ago
 5
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