YOUTH

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

 Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease.  This often exists in a man of sixty more than a body of twenty.  Nobody grows old merely by a number of years.  We grow old by deserting our ideals.
 Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.  Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

  Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living.  In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.
 When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.

               -Samuel Ullman 

THINK CLEVERLEARN

I work here! It's comfortable and fun.

I'm not really fond of teaching but in a coincidence,  I arrived here.

Well, I fell in love with the profession. I fell in love with the students, with the conversation and with the people I work with.

This is one of my workmate and close friend here in Cleverlearn. She's busy doing something.

While having a break from work, I'm having a sip of coffee and writing this blog. You gotta have a break from a tiring day. 

Every little things

There are a lot of things in this world that are worth appreciated but most of us take these things for granted. Big or small, living or non-living; they deserve our attention and care.

I have here a list of the small things/animals that are very special to me.

BAGART

This is our 8 year old cat Bagart. He's quite big and heavy. He likes to sleep all the time on the chair. We have 6 cats now and he's one of the oldest. When we feed them, he doesn't like to join because he doesn't like the crowd. But, he goes to the seashore to catch some fish.

SHADOW FARAWAY

This is Shadow. An adopted cat, he's somehow different. He likes to play and doesn't extend his claws. He's 7 months old.

A watch given by my second father

I really like this watch. It's very comfortable to wear. I like it's color. I wear this everyday but one day, I lost it in a cliff. We were biking that time and I left this on the rocky cliff. I miss my watch.

TUMBLER

It's a Christmas designed tumbler with snowflakes and a little snowman. This is the first tumbler I received from my student. I'll keep it forever.

LETTERS

I received a lot of letters from my students. I actually prefer letters from expensive things. Every time I get bored, I read these letters and reminisce the time I was teaching them.

BOOKS

I love books! When I was young, I usually carry books with me. I didn't like talking with other kids nor playing with them. And until now, I still love them. They can never be replaced by PDFs.

ROSES

I'm not the flower type person but I do love roses. 

LETTERS

These are the letters my co workers and friends gave me. I was very surprised when I saw these. I read these letters again and again at home.I don't really think birthdays are special but for them, it is. I'm so lucky to have met them.

There are a lot of things that I consider special. Like the sunrise on a foggy day, the sunset on a beach, the singing of the birds in the morning, the smiles of the innocent children and the time that I wake up everyday. Everyday that you spend is special, Every morning  that you wake up is special. These may be ordinary but never take them for granted. Always remember "You will only miss the water when the well is dry."

Riverstone Castle

Have you ever been to a a very old castle? How would you feel if you've entered a medieval castle for the first time? For me, It was creepy. It was great. It was fantastic. 

a map from Lapu-Lapu City to Argao, Cebu City

We traveled for almost 2 hours just to reach the place. It's located in Argao, Cebu City. You can travel there by bus and then take a tricycle to reach the place. When we arrived at the castle, we took the time in taking pictures of the entrance door.

This is the entrance of the the Riverstone Castle. With the looks itself, it's totally creepy. The stones used for building this castle looks very old. It's a medieval castle so when you take a step inside, you will definitely feel like you traveled back in time. 

We're the king and queen of the castle.

Pose and enjoy! When you enter, you can take a picture of yourself wearing a royal's clothes. Isn't that cool?

You will definitely feel like a royal while entering the place.

Together with medieval castles, crocodiles and other dangerous animals are placed. These crocodiles are said to eat enemies who try to enter the palace.

Armored men stay in front of the castle to prevent enemies from entering. 

This is the drinking place inside the castle. Complete with the drinks you need, you would really feel comfortable staying and having a few sips of wine. (actually, it's not a functional drinking bar)

This is the restaurant part of the castle. It looks really old and creepy. But you can try eating here if you like.

This is the torture area. Perfect for Halloween parties and stuffs. 

The bridge going to the swimming pool.

1 Liter of Tears

For 2 consecutive days, I watched a drama series entitled 1 Liter of Tears. The movie is actually old already but I failed to watch it before so I took time to watch it. I cried a bucket of tears while I was watching it. It was really inspiring and painful. There were memorable lines in the series so, I think they're worth remembering.

Here they are. 

I really don’t want to say things such as ‘I want to go back as how things were before.’ I recognize how I am right now, and I will continue to live on.” – Aya

“You’ve always encouraged me. You’ve listened to everything I couldn’t tell anyone else. When I was down, you made me laugh. You were always near me. Whenever I was in pain, you were always with me. Arigatou Asou-kun.” – Aya

“Suffer and suffer through, and there’s a rainbow colored happiness waiting on the other side. Do not rush it; do not be greedy. Don’t give up, because everybody takes a step at a time. It didn’t matter how insignificant, but I wanted to be useful to others.” – Aya

“What’s wrong with falling down? You can always stand up again. If you look up at the sky after falling down, the blue sky is also today stretching limitlessly and smiles at me… I’m alive.” –Aya

“I want to accept the me right now. And live on. Although I will always be hurt by those heartless glances, but also at the same time I understand that gentle glances exist. Even though it’s like this I still want to be here. Because here is, the place that I exist. What’s wrong with falling down? Because as long as I stand back up again it’ll be just fine. If you look up at the sky after falling down. The blue sky is also today, stretching timelessly and smiles at me. People shouldn't dwell on the past. It’s enough to try your best for all that your doing now. Mother, will I…. be able to get married? Thank you.” – Aya

Can i say what i feel now?
I don't know what will happen in the future.
But, i can say with 100% certaintly 
that what i'm feeling is not a lie.
I...
if you're speaking
no matter how slow, I will listen to you.
If you can't talk on the phone, 
I'll come directly to see you.
I'm not a dolphin,
and you're not a dolphin either.
If you're walking,
no matter how slow, I'll walk with you.
I may not be useful now,
but one day, i want to be of help for you.
Even though it won't be like old times,
our feelings are connected,so
i don't think we live in separate worlds.
i...
you...
love...
maybe...
i maybe in love...
probably.
-Haruto

“Even now… sometimes… I want to hear her voice so badly.” – Haruto

How I am right now, I want to like how I am now. That's what I think because I realized a lot of things for the first time. Just staying by my side. My family has made me realized how important they are to me. The hands of my classmates, who are so willing to support me, are so warm.With regards to health, is such a blissful thing.-Aya

On the road that I chose for myself, step by step I want to find that light.

To be able to smile and tell everyone this, I have at least cried 1 liter of tears. - Aya

It'll always be here Aya-nee..
A place where you can come home to..
Nothing will change; it'll always be here.
-Ako 

Dear Aya.
A year has already passed away
by since you're gone away
aya,
Are you walking?
Can you eat?
Can you laugh loudly and talk?
Although, i'm not by your side,
Are you well everyday?
I'm just worried about those things.
Why did the disease choose me?
What am i living for?
You asked, didn't you?
You've suffered and suffered.
What was the meaning behind your life
filled with so many tears?
I'm still thinking about that.
I'm still unable
To find the answers
But, Aya...
Thanks to you,
many people started thinking about life.
They've realized that being able to live
normally everyday is a happy and warm thing.
They noticed the warmth of those around them.
The people who has the same illness as you
know now that they're not alone.
The many tears you've cried...
and your worlds that was born from it
has touched the hearts of many.
Aya,
You're not crying over there, are you?
I want to see your smiling face just once more.
-Aya's mother

“What’s wrong with falling down when you can always stand up?” – Aya

“If you feel frustrated, do something about it!” – Aya

“People shouldn't dwell on the past. It’s enough to try your best in all that you’re doing now.” –Aya

Live. Live on forever.- Aya

Life is short. So, live and live forever. Do everything you would love to do because you might not know, you wouldn't be able to them in the future. -me

Simala Church

September 30, 2012,
We had our 1 hour trip to Simala Church, a sacred place for Christians in the Philippines. We took a van and passed by several cities in the south before arriving in Simala Church. And before our very eyes, we had the sight of the Castle-like Church of Simala.

Friends posed while waiting in line to kiss and touch the image of Blessed Mary. The heat of the sun didn't bother us at all.

It took us few minutes waiting in line before we reached the top of the church. It was so hot but seeing the church so near made us comfortable.

I took pictures of some of the Mary images

When we reached the top, we entered the holy place. We prayed inside the Simala church and toured around a museum like part of the church. And there, we saw a lot of images of Mary from different countries.

After praying before the image of the Blessed Mary, we took our lunch and posed together. Though we were sweating a lot, we gave our biggest smiles for the picture.

Letters for me

After I graduated in university and took the board exam, I applied in an ESL school near our house. It was really not my plan to work there because I didn't know at first what jobs they were needing. So,I brought my resume with me and stepped inside the campus. I had my first interview, then my second interview then my third, which was a teaching demonstration. Basically, It's a school which teaches English to non- English speaking students  for at least a week to the maximum months. It's my first application and also my first job. I stayed there for 1 year and 9 months and I really did experienced a lot of things. I learned a lot and I changed a lot. I learned to talk confidently in front of the public which was difficult for me when I was studying in elementary, high school and university. I learned to open myself more, singing in public, dancing in public, hosting in public, etc. It was like, a place which opens my inner self. And together with my learning and happiness are the people in the school and the students whom I've taught.

I RECEIVED THESE STUFFS FROM MY STUDENTS

An owl origami