Ever since I was small my parents have constantly considered going abroad to work. In fact, during the course of my schooling, my dad was able to work in Saudi Arabia and in Taiwan. My mom, on the other hand, has tried her luck in Taiwan a year after dad went there, but both of them seemed to tire easily. Dad spent a total of 5 years outside the country while mom was only able to last a year.

Even though both of them do acknowledge the fact that money seems to come a lot faster abroad, they both couldn’t find it in their hearts to stay apart from each other and from us for a significantly long time. I will forever admire and respect them so much because of that.

I guess this is why I’ve always shunned the idea of finding my future outside. In fact, I turned down an opportunity some 5 years back to study and teach in Houston because I couldn’t consider the idea of going there without andrea. And with mateo now, I have even more reasons to stay put. There are so many people here that I can not live without.

However, whenever I think about the many things I want to give them (andrea and mateo and my parents) I can’t help but ponder about the idea of trying. I mean, with the way things are going, it would be a long time before I could have a roof over our heads or a brand new car that we call our own.

Let’s face it. Teaching is not necessarily a lucrative profession – enrinching and fulfilling, yes, but not lucrative. Howeve,r if I work abroad, let’s say for two to three years, I could save enough to buy ourselves a house and a car. Also, overseas workers don’t only receive better financial compensation, they’re also secured with insurance policies like those from Blue Cross North Carolina. One just has to bear certain sacrifices.

As to whether I have what it takes to make these sacrifiices – that I’m not yet sure. However, I will do everything in my power to keep my family together, secured and happy. Until I’ve not yet exhausted all means, I will continue looking for me and my family’s future here.

As teachers, we are required to do whatever it takes for the children to learn. But, to what extent are we willing to sacrifice in order to achieve that goal? Are we willing to sacrifice our morals? Our standards? Or even our job?

Some might say no. I can’t blame them. We are after all ordinary humans – expected to be every bit as responsible for our words and our actions as any other human. We live by the same standards, the same codes, the same rules and regulations. To willingly sacrifice these things, to some, might be the same as ignoring this fact.

I, on the other hand, think that some goals (such as ensuring learning) are worth grave sacrifices. If, in some instances, I need to be the villain in order to bring unity to the class then I would. If I need to be crude and brutal to enforce discipline, then I would. If I have to lose my pride and leave myself vulnerable to ridicule and question just to illicit participation and openness, then I would. Heck, if I have to be beaten just so they would know how serious I am about wanting them to learn then I am willing to offer my body as well.

It is a heavy burden, (even a real fat burner for some)- teaching – but it is a burden worth carrying. To enforce learning is what we do. I see that now. Especially with mateo going to school, I have a deeper understanding of what is expected of us and our responsibility to respond to these expectations.

Am I being subversive by considering extreme measures in ensuring learning? I don’t know! I hope not! I may be unorthodoxed when it comes to certain aspects, but what guides my actions now is my new found respect for what we are and what we do.

I am a teacher and ensuring learning is what I do.

Andrea and I never had a quarter-life crisis. We married at the age of 24 and we’ve spent those beautiful years enjoying our new life together. I guess that’s why it’s catching up with us now.

You see, for the past few months, we’ve been feeling anxious about our condition and we’ve been seriously considering taking the next big step – building our own home. I mean, with the amount we spend for rent, we’re figuratively throwing money out the window instead of investing on a property. And we thought it’s about time we started taking risks and buying a land of our own.

Nevermind if we have to make our house from container vans straight from the cargo liner or construct a traditional abode the traditional way, the important thing is that after several years, we’d have a house or our own.

This is what’s been bugging us and it hasn’t gone away.

I hate deadlines. Who doesn’t?

Don’t get me wrong. I understand what they’re for and I actually think that they’re nothing less than essential. However, they add so much stress to the mind as well as to the body. In fact, during deadline seasons (exam draft deadlines or grading sheet deadlines), my body often succumbs to sickness, to fatigue, or to some other condition. Or sometimes I just tend to gain more weight.

Just this July, for example, we’ve had to submit our midterm draft before the 10th so I started working on mine around 2 weeks before the said deadline. Unfortunately, the new changes in the exam format set me back a significant number of days. This change, coupled with the fact that I had to check everyone else’s drafts in the department, and that I had to adjust to being an adviser again, have given me quite a load to think and worry about – so much so – that I have gained a minimum of 5 pounds.

Coffee in sugar apparently comes in significant amounts. (Not to mention, my coffee is usually accompanied by a biscuit or muffin.) With the large extended hours of work came extended amounts of coffee and coffee treats thus accounting for the additional pounds.

Now that I’m almost done, I’m thinking about whether to try out fat-burner meds like Stimerex ES, or force a physical exercise regimen in my schedule to get rid of the stress and fats. Either way, I’m planning to detox and be in better shape after the midterms and nothing is going to stop me. Hehehe!

With the internet enabling people to do so many things at home, some wonder whether actual personal shopping is still better than online shopping. I mean, yes, there are still a few things that the previous allows you to do, but there are also advantages to doing things online.

First, by shopping online, you save up on gas and travel time. Although some would argue that delivery fees more than make up for the gas you save, time is still something that you save. By doing things over the internet, more time can be spent on other things. This allows people to take care of house chores or continue working while shopping. Not to mention, if delivery fees are an issue, there are certain sites that provide free shipping if you’re located near enough.

Second, online shopping saves up on gas emissions brought about by traveling to and from home. This is why it is considered as Green shopping.

Lastly, although the lack of touch prevents you from feeling the material you’re buying online, online shopping makes up for this by providing customers with seller feedbacks and ratings. This assures buyers that they’re dealing with people and companies with established names and qualities.

When I was young, the only form of electronic gaming consoles we had were those from Nintendo. They were popularly and colloquially known as game & watch. These were handheld consoles which usually featured just a single game and sometimes functions as a clock or an alarm.

Now, there are several gaming  consoles to choose from. The more popular of these are XBox from Microsoft and Playstation from Sony. They’re more than just gaming consoles. Their latest renditions allow users to connect to the internet, watch movies, play music, read DVDs, or even store information. This is why parents such as I, are finding it harder and harder to resist the temptation of getting one for the kids. Unlike before, it is so much more difficult because there are so many things you’re saying no to once you reject  the idea of these game consoles.

However, no matter how you look at it, no matter how reasonable they seem to be, gaming consoles will always carry with them risks of distraction or even addiction. They will always have the potential to ruin studies (by destroying study habits and concentration), cause dispute between siblings, or sometimes even affect budget (not only because of the initial cost of the unit but also because of electricity bills).

I’m just so glad mateo has not reached that age yet. I still have some time to decide whether we would allow him to have one or not. Until then, he’s sticking to books and toys.

You’ll never know how out of shape you are until you’ve climbed the stairs. That’s the realization I got after going up the stairs of the Preschool Department to fetch mateo after his class.

You see, earlier today, andrea was caught up in a class so she wasn’t able to run and stand at the entrance to the Preschool place in order to fetch mateo. I went in her place instead. When I saw mateo’s face frowning and showing a hint of frustration (perhaps because of not seeing andrea there) I immediately went up the stairs to get him. And around 2-3 steps per stride I climbed. As soon as mateo was within reach, he jumped towards me with a smile on his face. I wrapped my arms around him, carried him like I usually do, and nonchalantly climbed down.

I think I had around 5-8 steps left before the landing when I felt my calves twitch and started cramping. It was humiliating. The climbing (both up and down) didn’t even take more than 2 minutes and yet my muscles felt like they just had half an hour’s worth of treadmill exercise. That’s how out of shape I am. And it’s really scary.