let the fun begin

busy bee and the thousand chain

the main man in my life right now

march 2011

---

tomorrow we are going on a field trip

we are watching the berenstein bears live in concert at the crest theater in downtown sacramento

i am excited, this is going to be fun

a couple of hours away from the school

what more could a harassed teacher ask for?

---

ashes to ashes

it's that time of the year

no not halloween, but i know looking at the picture you would think that it is

it's ash wednesday!

march 2011

---

"sofia who is our president?"

sofia: narak obana

who?

sofia: NARAK OBANA!

oh okay

---

rex: oh i love gold

it's my silver favorite color

because gold is not a color, it's shiny like silver

so it's my silver favorite color

---

my neighbors have been very busy

both the upstairs and the next door

this what happens when you have very thin walls

i should invest in earplugs

----

remembering highschool and nu107

the glory days of alternative rock

"big fish, little fish"

do you want fries with that?

today in class:

nicole! can you please come here?

what is it josephine?

i need your help

i don't know if i have diarrhea or not can you please check?

(and since i am such a nice teacher, or a gullible one i went over to the bathroom and peeked)

no, you don't have diarrhea

oh okay, thank you!

*my career has reached an all time low

call me nicole, the poop checker

---

once again the fabulous miike snow

what i wouldn't do to see them live

cult logic, miike snow

a glimmer of something wonderful

hello long beach

from my hotel window

february 2011

---

so rex what did you do yesterday?

rex: well we went to a park that had a wishing well

me: did you make a wish?

rex: yes

me: do you mind sharing what it was?

rex: yeah

me: what is it?

rex: i wish i could eat ice cream every day.

being 4 is so uncomplicated

---

everyday i am just looking for tiny miracles

this morning my class was absolutely wonderful

it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop

i was so amazed

maybe there is hope

----

i know i always say i am in love

but i just can't help it!

to phrase it very delicately i super, duper, over the moon and back like this song

"Misery is all we know lately
Saturdays are all the same
Sympathy is overrated
Like a snapshot when you've lost the game

Now it's the funeral I become the serial killer of us all
Now it's the funeral I become the serial killer of us all

No I don't wanna get thrown in your ocean
Don't try
You know that we already know you
It's over

At your, own burial don't forget to cry
At your, own burial

Looking at my 81st birthday
Everyday this body goes to waste
Remembering how I would raise an army when we went back to your place

Now it's the funeral I become a serial killer of us all
Now it's the funeral I become a serial killer of us all
No I, don't wanna get thrown in your ocean
Don't try, you know that we already know you
It's over

At your own burial, don't forget to cry
At your own burial"

burial, miike snow

news from the war front

this afternoon rex and i were organizing the moveable alphabet

me: here rex do you think you can find the compartment for "P"?

rex: oh yes "P" like the "P" that comes out of your penis

me: hmmm...it seems that you are right again rex

kids say the most bizarre yet very accurate things

----

for dinner i snacked on raw ramen noodles and 4 pieces of butterscotch

i had to stop myself from opening a bottle of beer

to be healthy i decided to scrub and scour the bathroom

so now my hands smell like bleach and my bathroom looks sparkling clean

i'm going to sleep well tonight

----

unexpected development

the magic number is 3

i hope there's more to come.

----

coby and his magic box

christmas 2010

it's not you it's me

today during carline i saw rex's 2 year old sister junie

junie: what's your name?

me: i'm nicole, what's your name?

junie: junie

junie: how old are you? are you 6?

me: hmmm..i'm a little older than 6

rex: she's 30

i guess when you're 2, 6 is pretty old

---

i have noticed that my patience is getting shorter and shorter these past couple of days

i would like to say it's a monthly woman thing but i don't really think so

sad to say i am slowly falling out of love

----

spring come soon

we need your warmth

2011

----

"they don't love you like i love you"

yeah yeah yeahs, maps

falling off the wagon

i have been unfaithful and for that i am sorry

vanana yogurt you still make my heart go boom boom boom

---

my children make me want to drink- A LOT

i think i jinxed it because last week i told my supervisor how happy i am that the class has finally settled, how hopeful i am and how i am so proud of them

me and my big mouth

today was one of those days that you just want to lock yourself in the bathroom and scream

before i go to bed i will think of unicorns,puppies and rainbows so that tomorrow i would have fluff to compensate for all the chaos.

again Lord please give me strength.

----

on a very weird note, this morning while at work i felt very sick so i ran to the bathroom and threw up

i think that was a sign that today was going to be a challenge

very strange, indeed

my friend joked that i might be pregnant

yeah right and i am maria montessori.

sweet dreams...

----

once again, i heard a song that made me miss the chikiting patrol

let's go back to 1998

back in the day when we would pile up in hannah's car and drive around the city

no bills to pay, no meetings, no retirement funds

no worries.

it's beginning to feel like panic

uh oh i got carried away

i guess it's curry for lunch and dinner until the 22nd

---

rex: salvador don't step on my paper you'll damage it!

sal: things don't get damaged, only people get damaged

you dig?

--

i hear jingle bells and frosty the snowman everywhere i go, when i take a shower, when i am about to sleep, when i am walking let's just say i can't wait for this week to be over.

---

positivity

phuket

2010

-----

never underestimate the power of kiddie germs. i learned that lesson the hard way on wednesday when i found myself with a temperature of 100 degrees.

overheard last week:

"i had a bagel with a lot of butter

you'll explode if you had that much butter"

salvador, age 4

"my dentist would be mad if i had that kind of breakfast"

sofia, age 4

while waiting for his ride, rex (age 4) looks up at the sky and told me that he loves rain because rain makes the flowers grow.

everyday i hear something new :)

christmas in the philippines -- i can't wait

have a nice weekend.

----

fast forward in slo mo...

"Let’s get out of this country
I’ll admit I am bored with me
I drowned my sorrows and slept around
When not in body at least in mind
We’ll find a cathedral city
You can convince me I am pretty"

let's get out of this country, camera obscura

---

spending my weekends putting my life (once again) in boxes...

"goodbye is hard, i prefer see you later" - charlie brown

3 more days until school ends, i spend most of my days hugging the children instead of giving lessons. today i was holding back my tears while i was watching them. sentimental is the theme of this month. on the other hand, in less in a month i will be back home. after 4 years i am coming home. excited does not even begin to describe what i am feeling. but until then there are boxes needed to be stuffed, old letters to be thrown out, memories to be made and numerous hugs to be given.

i am officially addicted to glee.

----
asian art museum
april 2010
san francisco

if you look closely, the answer is there...

---

"ben you don't know anything about life!!!"
exclaimed by an exasperated d
5.14.2010

"b, what is life?"
"life is what makes us happy"
5.14.2010

for all the times when we feel like we are cornered
for all those moments when we feel like we are the only ones suffering
for those days and nights when we just want to be alone
for those instances when we just want to scream and holler at the heavens
just remember that life is good, life is what (and it should) makes us happy and even though there are times when we feel like we don't know anything in life rest assured that you are not alone.

"i am happy because you are in this world :)" evie, age 6

---
self portrait
may 2010
<<<<

Control yourself
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees wanted
To be haunted

The water is warm
But it’s sending me shivers
A baby is born
Crying out for attention

The memories fade
Like looking through a fogged mirror
Decision to decisions are made
And not bought,
But I thought this wouldn’t hurt a lot.
I guess not

-kids, MGMT

love letter

good morning
belmont, ca
may 1, 2010

--------
things that make you go ummm...

"ms. a, can i be your daddy?"
- jonas (3)
( it sounds creepy yet funny at the same time)

after 3 years of teaching in my current school i finally decided to move on. my heart breaks a little every time i think of leaving my children. they drive me crazy sometimes but most of the time i just feel this overwhelming love for them. my class will always have a very special place in my heart. 10, 15, 30 years from now they will still be very dear to me. they were the first group of children i have ever taught in my entire life. they gave me a sense of accomplishment, a taste of what it feels like to be needed and be loved unconditionally. in a sense i needed them more that they needed me. my wish is for them to grow up to be loving, respectful and compassionate adults. i feel happy that in some way or another i have made an impact in their lives. i want them to remember me as someone who made a difference in their lives because they definitely made a difference in mine. they taught me patience, kindness, love and a sense of wonder and for that i am grateful.

after christmas:

julia (6)
"ms a, did you get any presents for christmas?"

me
"umm..no"

julia runs up to me and hugs me very tightly
"now you have 1 present"

love, pass it on...

-------

"and when i think of you and all the love that's due
i'll make a promise, i'll make a stand
'cause to these big brown eyes
this comes as no surprise
we've got the whole wide world in our hands

advice to the young at heart
soon we will be older
when we're gonna make it work"

advice for the young at heart, tears for fears

the worrywart in me...

summer is finally here...

no more pencils, no more books, no more screaming "no snack for you today!" 3 weeks of pure bliss. i know in the first day i will say to myself "this is great!", and then second day rolls in and i might show some signs of cabin fever, however on the third day i will guarantee you that i will be tearing my hair out bored out of my mind. that is why i stacked up on trashy romance novels, my must have summer reading as well unwatched episodes of my dramas. i feel like i really need this break. for the past couple of weeks i have been missing my old life. i miss living in the city and having my friends around me. i miss the weekends when i would just hop on the bus to go to new york to visit vans, ina and nino. i miss the feeling of walking around my neighborhood and having a cup of coffee after work with my friends. i miss my cramped apartment and its broken elevator. i miss being 25.

my mom had a cancer scare a couple of weeks ago. when she told me about it the first thing that came to my mind was that she will never get to see her grandchildren. of all the things that i can think of i thought of grandchildren i think it is my biological clock ticking loudly. i just remembered standing in front of the sink, washing my plate and sobbing uncontrollably just thinking over and over again that my mom won't live long enough to hug her grandchildren. anyway i haven't told my mom about this i don't know what her reaction will be. i feel that she might be amused as well as a little bit concerned about my feeling pressured to produce an offspring. like is said oh to be 25 again!

----------

have a great summer!
july 2009

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Show all

Friday Funday

today at school i gave my camera to two of my children and asked them to take pictures around the playground. the results were amazing, i did not expect them to take such great pictures. today is is just one of those days that you wish would last forever, this beats sitting inside the office 8 hours a day...

----------
pictures courtesy of kelli (5) and curtis (5)

tire
shoot and run
run

hanging around
nature's jungle gym
crazy teacher who aged 10 years

------------

milking it

lunch time, wedensday

miss a: curtis please finish your milk
curtis: i don't want to
miss a: i believe you are 5 now right? so you have to finish your milk
curtis: i want to be 4
miss a: well you still need to drink milk
curtis: i want to be 3
miss a: the more you need to drink milk
curtis: i want to be 10
miss a: you need milk to strengthen your bones
curtis: i want to be 18
miss a: the older you get the more you need calcium for your bones curtis, so please drink your milk
curtis: i want to be a dog
miss a: dogs still need to drink milk
curtis: i want to be a cow
miss a: cows also drink milk, it even comes from them
curtis: *looks around* i want to be a flower
miss a: *taken aback (how do you top that?) ummm... okay go ahead and clean up

*that child should be a lawyer

still life
monterey bay aquarium
2008

-------------------------------------------

a day in the life of...

palace of fine arts
san francisco

........................

discovered books again. it's like seeing a very dear and old friend.


a day in the life of...:

erika *holding up a picture of tulips*
me: those are tulips
erika: tulips
me: yes tulips have you seen these in the garden?
erika: yes i have tulips at home, they are red
me: really?
erika: yes (then she put her hand on her mouth, pretending like she is holding something) tulips (rubbing her mouth) i have a red one
me *puzzled look*
erika: tulips (still doing that action) i have a red one
*ding*
me: ooooooooohhhhhh erika tulips are flowers, what you put on your lips is called LIPSTICK
erika: *nods* yes tulips *and goes away*

it took me a while to figure out why she associated tulips with lipstick and then i realize ahhh tu-LIPS!

.............

Should i give up,
Or should i just keep chasing pavements?
Even if it leads nowhere,
Or would it be a waste?
Even If i knew my place should i leave it there?
Should i give up,
Or should i just keep chasing pavements?
Even if it leads nowhere

chasing pavements, adele