While Cleaning Up My Yahoo Account

While cleaning up my Yahoo Account, I found something I had copied from a blog last year.  If my memory serves me right, I came across this while preparing for our school's orientation.  Anyway, I just posted it on Instagram and tagged a number of friends with toddlers.  Got a handful of likes already. It was also favorited by "Dads Being Dads" on Twitter...don't even know who owns that account.  Hmmm... So I guess it struck a chord for a number of folks out there, so I believe it is worth sharing here.  Here's to parenting and teaching!

One Thousand Gifts to Thank God For (66-75)

66)  October 28, 2013 R & R in Tagaytay with Mike and Iya before THE planning.
67)  Catching up with "birthday boy" kuya Jojo (and the rest of the family) over cups of coffee (still in Tagaytay).
68)  PTC planning (in Tagaytay pa din) last October 29 & 30, 2013 with the guidance of our awesome brother and mentor, Arcie.
69)  2 PTC centers in 4 years!
70)  Sunday mass, breakfast at Rustic Mornings and grocery galore with the folks.
71)  Daddy Rudy is home after a night in the hospital.
72)  50 days before Christmas!
73)  50 days before hubby turns another year older!
74)  52 days before my (not so) baby brother comes home!
75)  Renewed zealousness to protect and pursue my personal prayer time and scripture reading.  

One Thousand Gifts to Thank God For (58-65)

58)  Silid Aralan, Inc. learners giving back to their community
59)  Short but meaningful chat with mom
60)  Opportunity to learn how to handle children with special needs
61)  Reminder to "Reinforce the best and ignore the rest"
62)  Text from Romy
63)  Sunday nightcap with good friends
64)  Found a "Diet Buddy"
65)  CCE Outing to Villa Escuadero and Ugu Bigyan's Garden and Restaurant  

One Thousand Gifts to Thank God For (53-57)

53)  Dinner out with dad and mom: Dinner Time = Family Time
54)  My folks and Noehl's folks get along 
55)  Order of the Phoenix
56)  Making old people happy
57)  Making young people happy

Brain Fart: Unplugged

I have observed that it takes longer for an iPad to charge when it is plugged into a computer than when it is plugged into a wall socket.  This is something I have observed in myself as well....

I have been plugged into my computer every evening for so many months now that I have been slow to charge spiritually.  It has been so long since I really plugged into the one true source of strength.  My prayer time is at an all time low...my scripture reading is barely passing and I have been doing things that dishonor my God.  It is about time that I clean up my system.       

I really need to learn to discipline myself once again when it comes to faithfulness to my promises to my God.  I haven't been showing up for our "dates" for quite a while.  I'm a lousy date!

Message to brain:  It takes 21 days to form a habit.  Let's bring back the habit of defending our prayer time (by God's grace)!   

4 Days of Voice Lessons

Guess who has been taking voice lessons?  Me!  LOL!  But seriously…

Every year since we got married, I would tell hubby that I wanted to take voice lessons during our summer break.  His response would always be, “Sige!”  But I never did.  This year, when I told him I wanted to enroll, his response was, “Dati mo pa sinasabi yan.  Ikaw lang naman, eh.”  So I felt very much compelled to finally enroll and long story short, yesterday was already my fourth session.  It’s been quite a journey!

My voice coach is none other than Jojo Acosta, the first person here in the Philippines to offer customized voice lessons.  He has 30 years of voice coaching experience tucked under his arm.  He can play the guitar, flute, and keyboards.  He is a loving son, dependable kuya, loyal husband, awesome dad, and yes, he is my brother-in-law. =)

After four sessions with kuya Jojo, I have greater respect for singers.  I used to think that dancers sacrificed more since to hone their craft they have to move their whole body.  With singers, I always thought it was just about the “voice box” and diaphragm.  However, if singers sing properly, they must use their whole body to perform!  Oh, and more than anything, it is about good posture and proper breathing.  As kuya Jojo would say, “Singing is just a breath away.”  Nice!

Being the teacher that I am, I have learned about the different Learning Styles of individuals, and I am very happy that my “customized voice lessons” have been feeding the “analytical” me. I figure since kuya Jojo has known me for more than 5 years already, he has seen the need for things to be broken down for me first.  I have sung only twice in my four sessions with kuya Jojo.  Once during my first session when he wanted to hear me sing and the second time was yesterday, and it was just a verse of a song, but mind you, I feel like I know so much about singing already.  Here’s why:

Day one – kuya Jojo talked about good posture and he explained to me how the different body parts contribute to singing properly.  Singing with your chin held not too high and not too low.  Think “dangling earrings right above your shoulders” is what he says.  But after executing homework in front of the mirror, I’m now thinking, “Hide double chin.” and this works perfect for me.  LOL!  Kuya Jojo got a good laugh out of this when I told him about it during my 2^nd session.

Day two – was all about proper breathing.  I felt like I was having a workout with all the different breathing exercises.  It was hilarious and enlightening at the same time!  The “proper” way of breathing is an individual thing because what is most comfortable for me may not be the same for someone who has a left nostril that is clogged, or whatever.

Day three – had to do with facial positions.  Tapping on my visual way of learning, kuya Jojo used animals to show the proper way of opening one’s mouth when singing.  Here are the three animals that he used:

Again, there is no real “best” way of opening one’s mouth since it all depends on which one is the most comfortable to you.  Though there is a preferred type for majority of singers.

Day four – had me “drinking vowels”.  Who would have thought that each of the five vowels place themselves in different parts of our “home”?  The letters “A” and “O” come from the dining room, letters “I” and “U” from the main gate and letter “E” from the front door.  Huh?  I’ll hold back on this lesson because you just might want to discover all about it on your own…for as kuya Jojo would say, “Anybody can be a singer!”

I have six more sessions to go for the summer program and already I’m thinking of enrolling in the whole year round program.  Lea Salonga, eat your heart out!  LOL

Old Notebooks

I found these on one of my shelves the other week...

Inside each notebook are hundreds of quotes (and a whole lot more) that I wrote down (copied) since my HS days.  I totally forgot I ever did this.  Amazing!

Here are some quotes/advice that are worth sharing:

• Give compliments.  One of the easiest ways to feel good about ourselves is to recognize the beauty in others.
• A good friend laughs at your worst jokes, puts up with your worst moods, goes along with your worst ideas...and always sees the best in you.
• Do not free a camel of the burden of his hump, you may be freeing him from being a camel.
• Could we see when and where we are to meet again, we would be more tender when we bid our friends good-bye.
• What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul.
• When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say I used everything you gave me.
• When you reach the edge of a cliff, trust God enough to let go.  One of two things will happen: either He will catch you when you fall or He will teach you to fly.
• The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.

Found a very short poem (I have long ones, too):

• I once had the blues, 'coz I had no shoes.  Until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet.

Pang-asar lang:

• I may be fat, but you're ugly and I can diet.

Even some passages from "The Gospel According to Forrest Gump" (I think I got this from a book with this title):

• Nobody ever got into trouble by keeping his mouth shut.
• If you can' sing good, sing loud.
• Whatever you do, try to have a reason for it.
• Always be nice to your mama.
• When you are feeling really down, read the Book of Job --- and see what he had to go through!

At may short story pa!

It was Worth it

     During the First World War a soldier in the trenches saw his friend out in No-Man's Land -- the ground between our trenches and those of the enemy -- stumble and fall in a hail of bullets.  

     He said to his officer, "May I go, sir, and bring him in?"  But the officer refused.  "No one can live out there, " he said.  "I would only lose you as well."  

     Disobeying the order, the man went to try and save his friend, for they had been like David and Jonathan throughout the whole war.

     Somehow he got his friend on his shoulder and staggered back to the trenches, but he himself lay mortally wounded and his friend was dead.

     The officer was angry.  "I told you not to go," he said.  "Now I have lost both of you.  It was not worth it!"  

     With his dying breath, the man said, "But it was worth it, sir."  

     "Worth it?!" said the officer.  "How could it be?  Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded."  

     The boy shrank from the reproach, but looking up into his officer's face he said, "It was worth it, sir, because when I got to him he said, 'Jim, I knew you'd come.'" 

I even copied paragraphs from my favorite books!  LOL!  Baka ma copyright infringement (is that what you call it?) ako.

How about I even wrote down text messages...and who they came from:

• It is wonderful to get answers to prayers but its even more wonderful to let God mold you and make you into an answer to someone's prayers. - Rye Benemerito
• In life, God doesn't give you the people you want, instead He gives you people you need...to teach you, to hurt you, to love you and to make you exactly the way you should be. - Iya Pagui
• What God is doing, you may not know now; but someday you'll understand why; questions that taunt you and trouble your mind, will one day have Heaven's reply.  Trust in God's ways! - Lannie Blas
• Good teachers smile in trouble, gather strength from stress, and grow brave by reflection and prayers.  Send this to a worthy teacher...I just did. - Jennie Wi
• I wish you woke up this morning realizing what a wonderful person you are and the world is blessed to have you as a part of it.  Claim and enjoy God's blessings! - mommy
• In life, we can't change the direction of the wind.  However, we can adjust our sails and take advantage of the wind.  May God sail with you always. - ninang Hermie Hernandez
• This coming Easter, let us, like birds, leave behind what we don't need to carry -- grudges, sadness, pain, tears and regrets -- fly light.  Life is beautiful. - Doods Lavapie

And this is where I end, a few minutes into Easter.  What a way to welcome the Resurrection of our Lord...to be reminded of where I came from and how it got me to where I am now...I am where I should be.  Thank you, Lord!

My Redeemer lives!!!