Panagbenga 2007

I think this is the third time that I came to Baguio during this festival, but only my first time to watch the parades. Anyway, the parade was fantastic! I will blog more about it later. I just couldn’t resist the temptation to blog away from Metro Manila. It’s also my first time to do that with Trinity [the name of my laptop]. And so, that’s it for now. I wish I didn’t forget the USB cable so that I could have uploaded the pictures easily here.

Tagaytay

Fanatical Teacher looks absolutely happy here in spite of the fact of two ladies posing in the background. I really don’t mind here since this picture is all about relaxing and having fun and not so much as taking the perfect picture. So where is Fanatical Teacher? Where did he go? Well, he is seated just outside the Spa area at Sonya’s Garden which is located near Tagaytay. Incidentally, this was the first time in the life of Fanatical Teacher that he went to Tagaytay and did something and lingered around.

What? You hardly believe that? How is it possible for Fanatical Teacher to have missed out on Tagaytay and its many allures when in fact he has been to the Visayas and Mindanao, lived with his family for three years in Singapore and has traveled on his own as well to Malaysia and Indonesia for his 27th birthday two years ago? Well, it’s possible and yes it sounds such a surprise indeed even for me as the realization dawned on me because I rarely get fits of excitement over something. I slept at past 1am but woke up at 630am and was in Bacoor Cavite shortly before 8a.m — an hour earlier than the appointed meeting time with my friend, Enigma.

Ah, the joys of just lounging around. The past three weeks have been so hectic, riddle with doubt and also pinning me down with other worries. Nevertheless, I give my best smile here simply because the place is absolutely fantastic. I heard that Sonya’s Garden was conceptualized as something that would keep a retired lady busy.

And so, here’s another picture of Fanatical Teacher enjoying himself around the garden. Mind you, there were three weddings being held at the place during the time of our visit. According to Enigma, the place has undergone several facelifts since he has visited the place and even stayed at the bed and breakfast area with his friends.

Speaking of Sonya, here she is with Enigma and Fanatical Teacher. She’s simply amazing! Although she is it a bit aloof in some ways, I just can’t explain it. The garden and dining area was filled with positive energy that put me to sleep or was trying to put me to sleep. I wasn’t planning to get a massage treatment, but because of the heavy meal and the exhilirating environment, I was severely tempted to give in. But no — Fanatical Teacher has to wait to visit the place again. For it’s quite pointless to get a massage when one has to report for work right after such a getaway experience.

This is a rare flower, a New Guinea what??? You do have to forgive me as I wasn’t really paying that much attention to the name of it while it was being described to me by Sonya. What I remembered was that she mentioned that it just bloomed because it only blooms once a year. Once a year??? Hmm, I really need to dig up on this flower to confirm her statement.

And now for the goodies. We arrived around lunchtime, and the menu only serves vegetarian cuisine! Goodness! This is vegetable and fruit heaven! There was one serving of salmon on the side, but that’s about it. Everything else is just fruits, vegetables and they really tasted as fresh as newly plucked flowers! Ok, maybe I went overboard with that description but I was quite happy because I had my fill of five servings of fruits and vegetables in one sitting for the day!

Here’s Enigma presenting more salad to me. We’re here celebrating his birthday! So here’s a toast to you, Enigma! Enigma’s a writer like me, but he writes far better than me and if you guys get the chance to read his articles he has a way with words that Fanatical Teacher has yet to reach. Oh yes, I am just as enamored by his writings as I am with his persona [well, maybe not all of his writings but at least enough to keep me wanting to read more].

Here’s Fanatical Teacher indulging himself. Nothing beats a big smile to wipe away the stress and heartachesa! And I totally agree that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. In my case, my vegetarian stomach!

After about an hour and a half, here’s Fanatical Teacher giving up already! STOP! I can’t take another bite off this thing! Ok, I might be a vegetable freak, but even my stomach has limits! I am not a cow that has about four stomachs!

Anyway, after Sonya’s Garden Enigma and I went to Bag of Beans. The brewed coffee is superb! For only P95 pesos, you get a bottomless brewed coffee! How’s that, Starbucks! I know, I know. I like Starbucks Coffee as well, but man, their prices are just off the charts for most folks. Speaking of Starbucks, there’s one in Tagaytay with a fabulous view of Taal Lake and volcano. So why did we opt for Bag of Beans? Well, the coffee is refilable for one thing and the pastries are just priced right. Unlike Starbucks, the price is the same for ANY branch regardless of the fact that they have already moved to the province. I think that’s one thing that Starbucks should consider, since the local competition have other things to offer — in the case of Bag of Beans they have a mini zoo and the cafe has two, no, three partitions. One is a closed area with sofas and throw pillows and a few tables. But the larger area is the garden cafe with a mini zoo of birds in cages that mimic voice patterns. Finally, there’s an area that seems to be allotted for meetings and small conferences. Hmm, I guess they have developed a good reputation for companies to drive all the way here just to enjoy a cup of coffee and a change of scenery.

After basking in the shades of green in Bag of Beans, Fanatical Teacher and Enigma left for Manila. I feel a bit nostalgic, since it is my first time to truly enjoy Tagaytay and what it could offer. I’m glad that I celebrated Enigma’s birthday here, and that he considers me a friend worth the journey and trip since this was sponsored by Enigma [I only paid for the gasoline which is still minimal]. Seeing nature once more just makes Fanatical Teacher even more grateful and thankful to God for the life he gave and the small blessings of being able to enjoy life in the in-betweens.

At the Gym

I wasn’t planning to blog right now but I am so pissed. At the gym, I saw this very beautiful lady and I was trying to strike up a conversation and I ended up with getting a statement — “None of your business… etc etc.”

Later I found out she’s a Austrian-Filipina who is working here as a commercial model.

I normally don’t give compliments to women that I find pretty, and I think I made a wrong decision. Anyway, I apologized because I thought maybe the way I approached her offended her and she did say that it did. Whoa! But girl, you are one snooty lady. Frankly, I don’t think that I would want to greet you again.

Funny thing is, it has been such a long time since I felt this ANGRY at anybody. In fact, I felt so bad that my knees were shaking and also my entire body was literally boiling up!!! And when I mean long time, I mean LONG LONG time like years. I just started my day and this is what I get? Girl, you don’t deserve to be here in the Philippines if this is how you treat ordinary people.

So that’s it for now. Writing this entry helps me cool down. But man, I do have other thoughts about this later…..

Ahhhhh Baguio!!!!

About four weeks ago, Fanatical Teacher joined the Dgroup retreat in Bagiuo City. Although going to Baguio is similar to a pilgrimage for me as I go there annually, it was still something new because it was my first time to stay at the Baguio Country Club.

Ah, the cool windy air of Baguio City! In Baguio Country Club, I actually smelled faint traces of pines that I don’t smell in the city proper anymore. As you can see, I’m all smiles as I really enjoyed my time there. In moments like this, I really thank God that I am a freelancer.

It was also my first time to go to Tam-Awan Village. We had our sketches done, but most of us didn’t look like the ones that were drawn at all! Tam-Awan Village is an artist community of painters, sculptors and there are several traditional Ifugao huts that are also being rented out for people who would like to experience living the way Ifugaos did for several centuries. During our visit, there was one couple that rented the “Fertility Hut”, but for me the main highlight was the brewed coffee and Lemongrass. Man, it was one of the best coffee I’ve ever tasted in our country!

Here’s a picture of the paper placemat that also doubles as a menu at Cafe by the Ruins. It’s the only two places that we really went out to eat during the entire weekend trip. Most of the time we just went back to the cottage that we stayed and cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner.  All in all, it was really a fun ride,  a time that I got to know most of the DGroup people better. But most of all, the trip was an affirmation on my part on Gpd’s direction for my life for this year.

Insomnia 2

I’ve shared with some of my friends that I have experienced insomnia lately. In fact, to my surprise and I did not really ask for it, the people in the DGroup that I joined started praying for me about it. Wow! Thanks guys! But really, I think I need to clarify a few things about it as well.

For one thing, I think that insomnia is one of the curses of writers/researchers. It is something that we would have to live with for the rest of our lives. There are just times that one experiences a sleepless nights. It just so happens that this time around, it is taking more than two weeks. And usually, it is during these times of restlessness that I experience an transdimensional idea of sorts that clears up my mind and strengthen my resolve further. It is the burden for writers. Some people here may not agree with me at all. That’s ok. Yet of the writers that I have met in my life, I have often asked them if they experience similar bouts of sleeplessness and a restless soul.

I always believe that there is no such thing as a perfect job. We just live with something that we either like or what we have just learned to live with. But for others, it is more than just a job — but a profession of one’s spirit and an outpouring of one’s soul. That is how I view my work as a writer and researcher. There are times when a writer experiences a mental blank gropping with the words to say. And for two weeks and counting, Fanatical Teacher is still caught in that limbo. Hence the long silence between the days of updating this blog and other blogs.

And so, I end this entry at one in the morning. I hope I get a good night’s rest. If there’s anything you guys could pray for me, then  pray that I would be able to get more writing and research assignments. For now, I will do my best to get my Vitamin Zzzzssssssss…………………..

 

Insomia again

Ok, so it has been about a week now since I haven’t slept well and it has been almost two weeks since I wrote down anything significant here in my blog. But yes, Fanatical Teacher is insomniac lately…. thinking of the most recent things that has transpired in his life. The most recent one being that he has given his resignation letter at the school he is presently teaching, simply because he can’t handle the complaints being lodged against him by the parents of the students that he teaches.

I have talked with the College Secretary, and he said that I did a brave thing and also he agrees that this may be the best step for both of us. I gave him several reasons why I left — one of those reasons has to do with the fact that I am severely affected emotionally by the complaints. Second, I think that I still need to develop confidence in what I teach which would only come about when I am done with my graduate studies. The final reason is that I still need to develop life skills that are much needed in the workplace as well.

Last night, the speaker at the bible study had a chit chat with me and was wondering why I work freelance. I guess he rarely encounters people who are freelancers at my age. But the thing is, I work best when I am alone.  In fact, I think that being a freelancer is the best step I have ever taken to date because it has challenged and forced me to face some inner demons such as the way I relate to people.

And yet most of the time, I just deal with people online. It’s quite different when I meet the person face to face. I am still trying to be a more authentic person — no wait, I am trying to become a more compassionate and warm person.

It’s tough. Especially since I know for a fact that I am a rough person at heart. I’m a highly defensive person because I feel that I have been deprived of many things in life, including real love and acceptance that I haven’t had in my own family even until now. Only two of my siblings truly tries to understand me and I thank them for it. It’s quite surprising that it is my dad that is more understanding between my parents, and I have seen him try to do something to bridge the gap between us. It’s a long road ahead, and time is slipping away. I just pray that I would be able to do the right things. And I pray that this year would prove to be more than just a highlight in finishing my graduate studies and taking other certification programs, but I hope that this would indeed be a year of growing into loving God and others as well.

Slowly Getting into the Rhythm

Although it is already the third week of January, I am still getting into the rhytm of my schedule. For one thing, I managed to organize my email in gmail and also in yahoo into different folders. It was interesting as I was organizing them, as I began to realize that there were people that I regularly interacted with through email.  But other than that, I also noticed that the bulk of activity of my email is still mostly related to my work. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I really do not know. I am just happy that I finally managed to do it.

For those waiting for the launch of the DGroup blog, I am still making final touches to it. I can barely keep up, especially with what’s going on Fanatical Teacher’s life at the moment. more stories on the way. For now, I hope that I can get back into action in the gym. For I certainly gained weight from binge eating over the weekend!

I Love Google Desktop

For those of you who happen to have gmail accounts or are frequent users of Google, Fanatical Teacher is excited to share with you that Google Desktop just rocks! It’s like a personal organizer only much better! It automatically indexes your files for you on your computer, and if you are connected to the internet, keeps you abreast of the latest news, the weather and updates you if there’s new mail coming through your email account!

It’s even better than the RSS feeds, which collates the news from different websites for one to read up on in catching up with the latest global news!

The Google Desktop is great for those whose work involves a lot of data encoding, internet searching and emailing! But even those who don’t surf the internet that much or tinker with their computers could benefit from this as well!!!

So go type Google Desktop and download the program! I’m sure blown away by it! If Enigma is reading this, this is perfect for your work in keeping up to date with the news as you won’t need to go to websites in order to find the lates buzz!

Till then, see have fanatical days ahead!

Spring Cleaning

I’ve decided to clean up my chaotic room. Oh yes, in the next few days Fanatical Teacher will be covered in dust and would probably get a cold because of the dust mites that are hidden in the crevices of the books and clothes that are inside the wardrobe. I’m doing this because I am running out of space, and a majority of the space in my room is occuppied by student papers I have finished checking last semester and student records.

Hopefully, by the end of next week I would have been done with cleearing my room of such debris.

Going Freelance

Fanatical Teacher has been a Freelance Writer/Researcher for about nine months now. And frankly, he doesn’t have much to show for it at all in terms of financial gain yet. In fact, it wiped out the savings of Fanatical Teacher last year, as clients were not paying on time. But overall, Fanatical Teacher still had one of the best years of his life. Last year was a year of revelation.

Most people think that freelancers have a good life. The Teacher discovered that most people have this notion that freelancers could wake up at any time that they want, and that the schedule that they have depends totally on what they want to do. Although there is truth to that statement, it was discovered by Fanatical Teacher that this is not the entire picture.

Yes, it is true that there is freedom in terms of schedules. The liberty of waking up at one’s pace and not because one has to rush towards the nearest MRT to go to one’s place of work is exhilirating. Yet freelancing is not for the weak of heart either. It involves a greater deal of discipline because all aspects of discipline is determined by oneself. For instance, almost all freelancers I know fret about how they would get through the day, and how they could come up with other projects in order to provide for themselves and their families. Yes, famililes are involved in this too especially if the freelancer happens to be married. Freelancing in the true sense of the word is being a businessman and establishing one’s business.

Fanatical Teacher has great ambitions in life, but behind all the smiles that one can see in this blog, Fanatical Teacher is actually going through birth pains in his quest to establish himself as a reputable freelancer writer/researcher. And it has already been pointed out by Enigma and Dark Materials that since I keep mentioning that I am a writer/researcher in the blog, then it should be done with utmost intergrity with the use of the English language.

Sometimes, Fanatical Teacher thinks about becoming a regular employee again. But then, the past year has taught him that he can do much more on his own. He discovered that he can be disciplined in how he manages his time. He also found out that he needs to be more cautious and prudent with the way he handles his finances. Fanatical Teacher also dreams of working abroad, primarily because he wants to see the world and also so that he could tell his own tale when he comes back to the Philippines. Is it really worth it to become an OFW? Fanatical Teacher has heard enough stories that could paint a picture of a thousand frowns, or echo a million murmurs in the dark that symbolizes the pain and trauma that most OFWs suffer without ever being able to share it to their loved ones.

But for now, Fanatical Teacher will keep doing what he does best. Teaching, writing and doing research work. May this year prove to be fruitful and not just a challenging one for the heart and soul……