Dim Light

I know you read this so... Yeah...
I saw the video posts. So nostalgic, circa 1 year ago...
No regrets. No reservations. No expectations.
Just know, I'm thinking about you.

Maybe some regret. But not the way you think.
I don't have a jar, and I'm not collecting hearts.
I'm not out to hurt anybody.
I hope you know that.

I've said "Fuck" today so many times...
With fear, excitement, longing, nervousness, guilt.
I don't know what I'm doing or thinking or feeling.
Fuck.

But here i am all alone, the lights turned down to low
With the room - cold and crisp, bathed in a comforting glow
As sleep evades my soul, I think of you tonight

And when I close my eyes, It's you I see in that dim light


Smile and Good Night

Those who teach...

October 6, 2011

12:34pm

I took a sick day coz I was super tired…

2 or 3 months ago, I went to KL for a business/leisure trip. It was a pretty fun trip… I did the obligatory L’Oreal responsibilities, but I also met up with a few friends and had a blast along the way. I met up with Joshie - a friend of an ex, who is now weirdly closer to me that he is to my ex (No complaints J); we had dinner and watched this semi-cheesy rom-com flick with Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks about a middle aged college dropout going  back to community college and his borderline trashy, slightly trashy, yet unconvincingly inspiring professor. It was one of those movies you catch on HBO or the Lifestyle Network at 11pm; the ones you don’t really want to watch but you can be bothered to get up and do something else or channel surf for something better.

Anyways, the movie wasn’t half bad… but it wasn’t half good either. The one thing it did do for me was remind me of all the wonderful professor and teachers I’ve had in the long, arduous and completely fulfilling journey that was my academic life. I was fortunate to have has a handful of exemplar mentors and educators who have shaped and molded the way I look at things and see the world. So as I was stepping out of that theater in KL, with Joshie and I cursing the movie for its cinematic lackings, I also told myself that I would blog about the some of the teachers I hold closely in my heart. While its months late, here goes:

Ms. Monsod. My HS Theater teacher. She fostered as spark, a fire that was in me. When all things were unclear and blurry in my life being in her class and her productions allowed me to be the truest possible me that I could have been at that time in my life. Theater gave me an outlet and an excuse to be crazier that was allowed. She was the facilitator.

Ms. Vicky. My HS Guidance councilor. Whenever I was having a shit day or just tired of life, I would step into her office… I could spend 5 minutes or 2 hours there as did hundreds of students before and after me. When we were with Vicky, we were part of something bigger… something more than the pimple teenage selves that we were. We were part of the legacy that was ISM, and as we sat in that photo-covered room you knew that some time ago someone was dealing with exactly what you were dealing with and that they turned out ok… It was comforting, as side from the darkness of the FAT, it was the most comforting place on campus…

Sir Acuna – Filipino. I don’t know how much academics I really learned from Sir. But he was just so much Fun. He was a great mentor and confidant. He always believed in me. His quotable quotes will never be forgotten… “amoeba proteus” “Have you ever seen a flying stapler” “Stand Erect!”

Ms. Ching – English and Creative Writing. 5 whole semesters with this woman makes some sort of impact. And while I had Tami as my physical and verbal outlet, Ms. Ching’s classes because my silent written outlets. Her creative writing class allowed me express so many scared and frightened thoughts in vague vehicles of poetic prose. It helped keep me sane.

Mr. Fagg – My HS Calculus teacher! Man, was his class tough 2 years with my grades continuously dropping from B+ to B to B- to C+. Derivatives and Integrals! I HATED that shit. But you know what, going through his class made Math classes in college soooo much easier. He was smart and wise and fair and kind. Respect.

Mr. Faustino – HS Vice Principal. This guy got me out of trouble a few times in my life. I think deep down he knew I was a good kid and that we were family… So I felt him looking out for me…

Cammy Wang – Director of the Learning Center at Woodbury University. My sanctuary at that school. She knew that I was bigger than Woodbury and she always encouraged me to find wider pastures.

Sir John Aque – My Community College Life Coach. When I was trying to understand what the hell my purpose was at GCC, he was there to be of guidance. He was there when I just simply needed a sane and reliable role model. And although I feel like I did let him down with PCO, I he still continues to be soooo proud of me!

Dr Wong Healy – Business Communications. My writing has always had a point of view. But I know how to write good business emails and correspondence because of her. The power of this weapon is so highly underestimated.

Dr. Wilbur – Advertising and Promotions. I learned that communicating through ads is different from communicating in general. He taught me the fundamentals of how to look at an ad, Why certain elements are included and how they are utilized.

Other Notable Mentions…

First Grade: Ms. Rodriguez

Second Grade: Ms Dadiego

Third Grade: Mr. Widel

Fourth Grade: Ms. Manosa

Fifth Grade: Mr. Yerro and Ms. Walsh

PE: Coach Castro, Coach Padilla, Coach Noli, Coach Abel

Middle School: Ms. Rucio, Ms. Bard-Loy, Mr. Quimpo, Ms. Vergel, Ms. Fowler, Ms. McGuire, Mr. Martin, Ms. Da Silva, Ms. Siew

High School: Ms. Samson, Mr. Matther, Mr. Crumrine, Nishido Sensei, Mr. Acuna, Marj, Mr. E, Ms. Tesalona, Ms. Nadora, Ms. Huang

Woodbury – Randy (Speech Communication), Brad Monsma (Critical Thinking),

GCC – Barb (Dance), Ken Gray (Theater), Melissa Randall (Dance),

USC –, Dr. Dennis Schorr (Global Marketing), Dr. Rakesh Niraj (Market Research and Analysis)