To Be Young Again

I am not getting any younger. Just the other day I was browsing FB when I saw a caption of one of my contacts. It said "my nth honeymoon". I clicked on the the album to see what it was all about. I recognized the place, Thailand. I did not recognize the "nth honeymooners" though. I looked hard this time and I was surprised that the matronly woman staring back at me was my high school classmate! She still looked pretty but in a matronly way. Do I look that old too?

Ethan thinks I am ancient. As I look at old pictures I can't help but think that Ethan is right... I am old. I guess vanity plays a part as to why most women fear growing old. I don't think it's the chronological age that matters but the wear and tear that "age" has brought upon us that we fear. Sigh... it seems like it was just yesterday when my skin was stretched and supple. I am not really vain, just a little.

I sometimes I think about the good-old-days and I can't help but feel a little sad about the things that I should have done but did not do. Sometimes I wonder if I could still pursue some of my shattered dreams. I was in a very fragile state, emotionally, when the phone rang. I answered it, listened for a few seconds, said "thank you" and hung up the phone. It was a telemarketer, offering me a free life insurance quote.If she offered a "youth" pill, I would have ordered a box-full.

Earth Hour

March 27, 2010 is Earth Hour. Everyone who is conscientious enough to care about Mother Earth's plight should turn off their power supply for an hour - 8:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M. What's an hour turning off electricity for a more sustainable future?

Mead Johnson and WWF-Philippines have collaborated to host the Kids' Earth Hour on three areas simultaneously on the said date. The venues will be at:

1. the 3rd level of Trinoma
2. SM Mall Of Asia open grounds
3. Bonifacio Global City open grounds

The thrust of Kids' Earth Hour is to encourage kids to "unplug" their electronic gadgets not only during Earth Hour but on a periodic basis so that they could enjoy the benefits of actually playing outdoors.

A lot of activities are lined up for the kids. Registration is free. You can just bring your kids around 6:00 P.M. and let them have a blast playing "piko"; trampoline; rocky mountain; human parachute and more. During the switch-off hour, a shadow play will be presented and kids will be given glowstick to "light" up.

If you can't drop by the tree venues, there are over 1,000 cities and towns that are participating too. Check your locality. Or! Do your own Earth Hour at home. We will. I have invited guests over for Earth Hour. Candles? Check! Matches? Check! Laptop battery and digicam battery? Check!

Online Masteral Degree

For the last three days, D2 has been going home past 10:00 P.M. It is graduation season this side of the hemisphere and D2 being a teacher is busy with the million and one things that a teacher does for graduation. It is usual here in the Philippines to hold a grand moving-up day for grade 6 students.

The other night, D2 was the faculty guest speaker for the high school's graduation batch testimonial dinner. She was chosen to be give an inspirational speech because the high school batch 2010 was her grade school batch 2006 - a batch she dearly loved. It has been four years since D2 planned on getting her masterals and the plan has not materialized yet.Being a graduating batch adviser is not an easy task more so for D2 as she is hands-on in everything and anything regarding teaching.

For the coming school year, D2 already expressed her desire to be transferred to a lower level so that she could finally further her studies. Even if she opts for an online university, she would still need to be less saddled with her teaching load. She had looked into Western Governors University and learned that the online university offers M.S. Special Education - the Masteral degree that she wants. The website information says that a 20-hour weekly session would be sufficient to finish the 41-unit degree in no time at all.

What's great about the tuition rate is that, you don't pay per unit. You pay for the time as tuition is at a basic and flat rate of $2,890 regardless of how many units you take. You can save a load of money if you could handle more units per term. It is therefore possible to finish a 4-terms degree into 3 terms or even 2 terms if you go full time. Loans and financial aids are available too for qualified students. Great huh?!

WGU offers a wide range of undergraduate courses and Masteral courses in the field of teaching, business, information technology and health profession. Better check the site out for more information.

Smokeless

I had a guest the other night for dinner. We had not seen each other for quite a while that we had a lot of catching up to do. After dinner, as was customary for him, he went out to the patio to smoke a cigarette. He asked for my lighter and since I had none I got a large box of matches. He was quite amused with the matchbox and asked me where my designer lighters are.

"I quit smoking two years ago." I said.

"What?! You quit smoking?" he echoed.

"Yup! I had to. Smoking was giving me chest pains already and since I wasn't getting any younger, I had to make a healthy choice." I lectures. I continued by telling him that although I quit, I still had a transient ischemic attack (mild stroke).

My friend was surprised by my story. He said he has been wanting to quit too but just can't seem to succeed. I told him to browse online and look for a product called electronic cigarette. This "cigarette" will let him puff away without the harmful (and smelly) effect of real cigarettes. It does not require lighting up and has no second-hand smoke effect. I think my friend had already purchased a trial kit.

Summer Vacation

The regular academic school year is officially over. Ethan's culminating activity for the school year was a trip to a pizza parlor where they were taught to make their own pizza. The kids were in aprons and chef's hat while preparing their pizza. The dough was already mixed and in its pan. The kids just had to put in the tomato sauce, tons of mozzarella and ham. Each pan was numbered so there was no mix-up when the pizzas were done. There were some parents who participated in the pizza-making session. I was there but I ordered putanesca instead. While some of the parents were busily preparing their dish, I was sitting in one of the corner tables, waiting for my food. I got to talking with the new Korean mother and I found out we have so much in common including the shapes of our eyes.

Ethan was pretty lethargic when I woke him up yesterday morning. I told him we have to go to his reading therapy and that made him almost explode in exasperation.

He said: "Mom! It's summer vacation. No more school!"

I explained that his reading therapy is not a regular school. After a few more minutes of explaining the whys of his reading therapy, we got up from bed, got one of the imitation Nascar jackets given by his "ninong" and told me that he'd wear the jacket to his therapy. It was hot and humid outside so I had to say no. By the time Ethan and I were in the car on the way to therapy, I must have uttered about 12 "NO's" already. We are starting the summer vacation on a wrong footing.