Ode to Uncle Ces, Defining moment, Pickleball journey, Superhost

Thank you, Uncle for the wisdom, wit, and unwavering warmth  

  

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Conversations with Uncle Ces didn't just flowed; they cascaded from one topic to another, all rich with wisdom, sparked by inspired ideas, and punctuated by masterfully delivered punchlines. Masterfully, Uncle steers conversations to offer equal airtime to every soul seated at the table. These meals and visits forged my fondest memories with him.

His life was a testament to hard work and commitment. His genuine humor and profound humility made him the perfect companion for any occasion.

Uncle Ces championed a healthy lifestyle, passionately pursuing good health and nutrition. His vibrant love for life and unwavering devotion to family inspired everyone around him. In the academe, his pioneering contributions to duck raising, he was an exemplary dean of the college of agriculture, set a standard worth emulating.

But above all, his boundless love and the full, open-hearted welcome he extended to Ma Dahls and her family truly completed and rounded out our home.

Thank you, Lord, for the enduring gift of Uncle Ces' legacy. He has now found his peace with you and our dearly departed loved ones. May we, too, carve out meaningful, well-spent days, just as Uncle Ces did.

Defining Moment 

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The Challenge: A college entrance essay. The constraint: a rigid 750-word limit.

The Context: This monumental task collided head-on with the his school’s summative exams.

The Style: True to form, it was a race to the finish—a classic, eleventh-hour sprint. But from that pressure cooker, an essay ignited.

My heart simply swells to see the quality of the work he wrested from the deadline's grip. He didn't just meet the requirement; he conquered it.

I'm sharing his powerful output here:

One experience that has helped define me as a person was performing as a bassist for the first time. I did not know it at the time, but playing instruments in bands would become a regular part of my life. It was all because of that first performance. In December 2019, there was a church youth event, and one of the people who was involved in organizing the event asked me and my friends if we could play songs as a band. At that time, I was just beginning to learn bass. I wanted to learn bass because I had watched so many YouTube videos of people playing bass, and I became inspired. To prepare for the event, we had practices where we would play the songs together repeatedly, fix mistakes, and refine our parts until we could play them well. During the practices, I realized that playing in a band was not just about focusing only on my own part, but about paying attention and listening to everyone else's parts so that it would sound good. We kept practicing until the day of the event, and when it finally came, we were ready. It was a small gathering, but some people cheered and clapped for the songs we played. The performance went well. It was something that I had wanted to do ever since I started playing bass. It led me to continue to play bass after that. I kept playing bass and started learning new songs. By learning songs, I discovered that if I put enough effort and time into it, I could learn and master things that I thought I could never do. Breaking down hard riffs and solos into smaller parts, slowing them down, and playing them over and over again until I could play them properly showed me that I could be patient and persistent--two things I wasn't good at being. After a few years, I became a regular musician at church, playing bass, drums, and guitar. I also then joined a band at school and made new friends through music by meeting different musicians who shared my musical interests. It all started with that first performance, which led to many experiences that helped define who I am. 

Trust the journey. God has already plotted the path and will anchor your roots deep within His purpose.
Forge ahead in your walk. Your faith is your compass.

And here’s to an abundance of great music—a lifetime soundtrack of praise that rings out for Him!

We love you, always. Budi!

 

 

 

 

Pickleball journey

One fine day in December 2024, I traded the corporate grind for something wildly unexpected, my husband’s beginner pickleball class.

I’d teased him for those suspiciously long “games with friends,” warning that his new obsession might have family-wide consequences. Who plays sports for six straight hours, anyway?

Then I picked up a paddle and that was it. The sharp pop of the ball, the rush of movement, the laughter on the court, the sleek gear, the surge of endorphins. Everything clicked. I was hooked.

Fast-forward: we bought a ball machine (now “for rent” to fellow addicts), I’ve played in tournaments, earned a DUPR rating, and found a sport I can chase, sweat, and grow in.

Here’s to a life of pickleball—thank You, Lord, for the serve I never saw coming. Here's to meeting new friends, reconnecting with old ones through pickleball games.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Superhost badge 

Two homes. Two stories.
One in Bay, another in Nuvali. Both born for different reasons, both now thriving on Airbnb. And just like that, Superhost status unlocked.

Grateful for family and friends who made it happen. May every guest find the rest and comfort they deserve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professional Skills vs Academic Knowledge, Travel Goals, Embracing YOU

Are professional skills more valuable to graduates than academic knowledge? Does a higher degree get your foot in the door, or does your past work experience count for more? And beyond this, how valuable are professional skills vis-à-vis work experience or academic credentials?

I am having my first PhD classes this month. Despite my educational credentials and almost similar work experience vs. my partner who is into IT (I am currently in the education industry), our salaries have 8x disparity to his favor.

Education is very important. A degree is a winning ticket to turning lives around economically. More important than the school where you came from, is also the kind of degree you take as well as your character, goals and dreams.

An act of kindness can help you as much as the person you’re helping out.

Bucket List: Japan

Day 1: Tokyo Shinobuya
Day 2: Ghibli Museum
Day 3: Tokyo Dotonburi & Shibuya
Day 4: Shinkansen to Kyoto
Day 5: Kyoto
Day 6: USJ
Day 7: Osaka Castle
Day 8: Airpot to Kanzai

God, when we focus on You things get alright.

In order to love who you are, you cannot hate the experiences that shaped you.

Ace water spa buffet fee and other menu, Paper and pencil assessment, Ethical considerations in assessment, #IWishMyTeacherKnew

Thinking of going to Ace Water Spa?

Here are their buffet rates:
Adults
P605/head weekdays
P715/head weekends
Kids (3-4.6ft in height)
P247.50/head

Separate access and payment to the spa

Spa access:
Adult - P550
Kids 4ft below - P250

Paper and pencil assessment
Paper and pencil type comprise the majority of classroom assessments I had as a student - from quizzes, to seat work to essay tests. I remember taking some performance-based assessments such as dance presentations, home economics skills demonstration and public speaking during elementary and high school. For college, my undergraduate course required a few TV and radio production classes which involved regular performances.

Paper and pencil assessments taught me valuable life skills such as taking down notes during class, mustering the courage to clarify what is not clear to me, and developing friendships with classmates who help me prepare for such exams.

Performance-based assessments, on the other hand, helped me directly learn new skills and processes.

Hat Tip, Escape The City

I have been a proud product of Philippine public school education. It is only now in post graduate that I have enrolled in a private institution. Generally, I consider my schooling as top notch. I was fortunate to have excellent and passionate teachers who valued us, their students, as if we were their own family.

However, my educational experience does not resonate with the majority of Filipinos.

Stories about teachers physically hurting non-performing students, school administrators manipulating honor roll, teachers giving out quizzes as punishment to students' behavior are real and illustrate lack of ethics when it comes to assessment of learning.

Though I have not directly experienced any such things, I am most able to resonate with the psychological strain that classroom assessment typically has on students.

I would like to meet a student who enjoys taking exams. Assessments, no matter how beneficial, remain a requirement students grudgingly take on. It is synonymous to pressure, cramming and manual labor.

School and learning are fun, but when assessment gets into the picture, the fun stops. Perhaps due to competition among learners, pressure from the family or society, and the feeling of being judged among other things, contribute to the negative psychological impact of classroom assessment.

#IwishmyteacherKnew
An American teacher, Kyle Schwartz gave out a simple question at the start of the school year to break the ice with a short essay prompt: I wish my teacher knew. The responses she got where overwhelming, with several students revealing deep and personal issues about their family, parents and dreams.

She shared some students' reply via Twitter and the hashtag #Iwishmyteacherknew became viral.

Property rentals and teaching kids how to code

Crazy genius ctto

Property for lease
For almost half a year now, one source of conflict between boss husband and I is my inability to finish off a possible money-making rental business. He wants me to prioritize this while I argue that my other money-making projects keep me busy to work on what he wants. Hopefully, as soon as I find time and will power to follow boss husband's call, I could use this start-up website which marries AirBnB, Lamudi and OLX: http://www.zipmatch.com/

Kid coders
My husband boss is a software architect. He knows several friends whom he considers superior in skill when it comes to bending codes. Just the same, he is the MKO (Vygotsky speak, more knowledgeable other) for all things technology.

That is why at home, we are open to our kids using technology. Kids are only limited by two things: inappropriate content and wifi cut-off. Websites that are R-13 and beyond are totally inaccessible. Plus kids are not allowed to use gadgets alone in a locked room. Boss husband has also fixed the connections so that weekdays, wifi for them gets cut by 7PM and 8PM for weekends.

As much as possible, we expose them to what we do. Boss husband talks about his projects. I show them my portfolio and sends them snaps of my client meetings. So far, none of them are into coding or web development yet. That's fine and dandy.

When they finally develop the interest, will let them tinker with:

• https://scratch.mit.edu/about/ - MIT's Scratch project
• http://www.alice.org/index.php - Alice by Carnegie Mellon and other brand partners
• https://hourofcode.com/us - Latest and most popular so far supported by several IT giant companies

Pakialamera is a noun that describes a woman who meddles, which I think best describes me as I pursue the polymath within me. Yeah, long shot! Hehe!

Open-ended questions, smart kids, traffic sensors, dream perspectives, PETA

Thanks Tito Danny! You will be missed.

Open-ended questions
Interviews encourage open-ended questions. They have the power to elicit deeper thinking and meaningful conversations. Parents are encouraged to ask open-ended questions to start family bonding.

One way we do this is through our daily roses and thorns. I found out about this from Pastor Herald Cruz who talked about parenting in my kids' school. He shared the Obama's roses and thorns which lets the kids share the best and worst part of their day. Every night, before we do our story time--we are in Book 10 of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events--kids have to share what was their most and least favorite parts of their days. Then we pray and give thanks for them.

My 8-year old boy never fails to give the answer: I am thankful for the computer. Day in and day out, believe me!

Our beloved pets: Sunny and Myeh!

Smart kids

We noticed that our 8-year old's best friends are the smartest kids in his class. We asked him and this was his answer:

I only befriend the smart kids at school because they are the only ones who understands.

Traffic sensors

Passing through an intersection, our 8-year old suggested to his dad that there should be traffic lights with sensors. So that when there are no cars on the other side, the green light for those with heavy traffic can still go on and drive.

Throwback photo of us fit girls trying to get slimmer

Dream perspectives

Our two kids were discussing their dreams last night. Couldn't hep but laugh when I overheard our 8-year old asking this:

Was your dream in 1st person or 3rd person?

Kids reaction to my blog
I told my kids that I keep a blog to house my journal of our experiences. I have been very forgetful, and the blog will remind us what those past years have been. I read to them several posts I found very funny. While I was already cracking up reading the first few lines, they were cringing.

Lenny Kravits 
One of the early video games we let the kids play is Guitar/Music Hero. Most of the songs were rock classics, and not the usual pop songs the kids know. One of the songs included was Lenny Kravits' Are You Gonna Go My Way. So imagine our amusement when recently, we caught our 8-year old humming to that song.

A very sloppy picture without much thought about composition

Peta Theater's Art Zone
My friend and I recently attended a PETA parenting seminar. It was my first time to be at PETA Theater's building. They are located at the back of Quezon City Sports Club, near St. Lukes. Their building was impressive. I know that was a product of much labor and sacrifice. It felt chilling being within a structure build by the country's geniuses of theater and music. Yes, I was able to spy several theater greats like Kuya Bodjie Pascua, Direk Soxy Topacio, musician Noel Cabangon among others. It was great that there's a place like that where enthusiasts can hang out and be in the company of these wonderful, talented and accommodating stars.

PETA or Philippine Educational Theater Association started as a Martial Law protest group, if I remember it right. So imagine my surprise, finding about their other programs which include theater acting for kids, writing as well as storytelling. They have regular weekly offerings. How come I didn't know about this when we were still QC-based?

How important is preschool education

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/preschool-waste-of-time-money-2016-8

A growing body of evidence suggests that preschool doesn’t offer kids anything they can’t get more easily — or more cheaply — through other means.

Chris Weller wrote about that and looking back, I agree. Finland starts late, schooling their kids at age seven. Yet their education remains top of the world.

Early childhood remains important development milestone that society especially families should protect and maximize. Yet as parents, we should not stress it too much. Life is a marathon after all. Starting strong doesn't equate finishing strong. Letting kids be is better than denying them of their childhood because of early schooling.

I fell into this trap once. I saw my kid's natural timidity as a weakness. We decided to send her to school early to address this. The extra three school years didn't change her into the spunky gal I wish her to be. Yet now that she's much older, I hear positive feedback about how she gets along well with all of her peers. Her mild personality allowed her to blend easily. She has been asked to lead too, both by her teachers and classmates.

Human development theories: Erikson's Psychosocial Development and Kohlberg's Moral Development

	Erickson’s Psychosocial Development theory			Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory
Stage of Basic Trust and Mistrust (From birth to 18 months)	At 18 months My mother remembers that I was given Carnation milk and my grandmother collected all the used cans and used them for her plants. I remember seeing a whole line of flowers growing from Carnation cans when I was a toddler. I was fortunate that my needs and wishes—feeding wise at least, were met and generously provided for, and now as an adult, building and nurturing relationships are easy.		Pre conventional Morality Stage 1 - Obedience and Punishment (Ages 2 to 5)	At 5 years old While my older sister was in school, I would sneak on her crayons and other stuff and play with them on my own. Then, before she comes back from school, I would make sure I have properly returned it because she gets upset when I use it without her permission. There was one vivid day I remember that she found out and she got mad at me and pinched me. I didn’t repeat that after I got hurt.
Stage of Autonomy and Shame (From 18 months to 3 years)	At 3 years old I remember falling from the stairs and hitting my head against my mother’s sewing machine. It was a bloody afternoon which left me scarred and the whole household fumbled. I accidentally stepped on the towel wrapped around me. I was given enough autonomy to play and explore the world around me, but was not spared from the consequences of wrong decisions, like in this case, draping clothes and stairs.		Pre conventional Morality Stage 2 - Individualism and Exchange (Ages 5 to 9)	At 9 years old One of the games we played as kids was the rubber band game. When it is your turn, you have to blow on a rubber band and if it lands on the other person’s rubber band, that will be yours. One of my friends would give me her rubber bands, but when we would play together, she would take several chances when it is her turn until she wins. She would only give me one chance when it is my turn. I didn’t complain, because in the end, she would give me rubber bands.
Stage of Initiative and Guilt (From 3 to 6 years)	At 4 to 5 years old Being the youngest, all of my siblings were already in school while I was left at home. My grandmother and mother told me that every June, before the classes would start, my neighbour and I would always plan to go to school and agree to wake up early so we could start school by ourselves. However, I was a late sleeper, and my neighbour would wake me up, as the other kids were already at school. Our parents allowed us to hatch our own plans but knew that we were too young to attend school and played along with our initiatives.		Conventional Morality Stage 3 - Interpersonal Relationships (Ages 7 to 12)	At 12 years old When together, my friends and I would conduct ourselves as hip and cool. We would play out jokes and stories from the TV shows we watched especially Ang TV. However, when our teachers are within reach, we keep quiet and get serious as if putting on a different kind of us.
Stage of Industry and Inferiority (From 6 to 12 years)	At 11 to 12 years old I became part of the Journalism Club during this stage and became part of the school’s official representative for competitions. Our English and Journalism teachers would regularly train us after class and I enjoyed the support and mentoring they provided, along with my classmates’ friendship and fun company. We were confident and together we achieved memorable things for the school and for ourselves.		Conventional Morality Stage 4 - Maintaining Social Order (Ages 10 to 15)	At 15 years old I remember that this is the first time I have become aware and passionate about obeying the traffic laws especially the no jaywalking. Even though there were no cars passing, I would wait for the Go green light before I cross the street.
Stage of Identity and Role Confusion (From 12 to 18 years)	At 15 years old My father passed away due to a long-time sickness. I remember being very sad, uninterested and confused about what course to take in college. I had no firm personal goal or path. I followed and copied some of my friends’ course choice, and was fortunate that I ended up in a degree I enjoyed. I believe that God’s plans prevailed despite my lack of direction and I am very thankful.		Post Conventional Morality Stage 5 - Social Contract and Individual Rights	At present I remember during the presidential debates, one candidate would always mention that the rule of law should be observed. Individual choices and behaviour are allowed, however, the rule of law must be observed. This was imminent when one presidential candidate wanted to present documents as proof of his claim when the debate organisers’ rule was that no documents are allowed.
Stage of Intimacy and Isolation (From 18 or 20 to 40 years)	At 25 years to present I have been blessed with a life partner husband and a loving family who support and encourage me. There is ample room to be myself, to follow my personal dreams—one of which is to become a teacher and have our own school—as well as to do life together as a family supporting alternative learning with the help of technology.		Post Conventional Morality Stage 6 - Universal Principles	At present As discussed in class, a great example was the priest who lied to the policemen in order to let main character Jean Valjean in the fictional story Les Misérables start a new life. The priest even gave robber Valjean his extra silverware so that he may use them for his needs. Even when the priest’s action conflicted with the laws and rules, the priest took the high ground of moral reasoning and instead forgave so that Valjean may have a fresh start. On a more personal and practical level, letting someone who is old, pregnant, with kid or carrying loads of bags to go first at the grocery counter illustrates support universal principle of generosity and goodness.
Stage of Generativity and Stagnation (From 40 to 60 years)	Not there yet, but parents and older relatives are generous to offer life tips and financial support to draw learnings from, very much like standing on the shoulder of giants.
Stage of Integrity and Despair (From 60 till death)	Not there too. Hearing from my parents, older family and friends, it’s wonderful to observe the quiet wisdom of our elderly as they allow us, younger people, to shape our own lives, only casually giving their inputs and trusting that there is an individual plan for each of us, plans that prosper and not harm, plans that give hope and a future.

Everybody wins

Everything else implies a winner and a loser. But this is not a game. If someone wins, everyone does not have to lose. And if someone loses, everyone else doesn’t win. Instead, we need to figure out how to come together and reconcile with one another. — @glennbeck https://medium.com/@glennbeck/disagree-or-be-fired-a0ae2deca9b6#---54-305.ld8hbj7dz

As a parent and a wannabe educator, I would like to promote an alternative mindset much different from competition we are all familiar with. 

In competitions, contenders battle it out for the first spot.  Each prepares and trains, but only one one gets to be awarded the ultimate competition title. This works in athletics, in school competitions, in promoting excellence and hard work. However, the trouble begins when we adopt this competition mindset to our daily lives. On the road, we feel like we must beat the other car and drive ahead. In the office, we refuse to help others who may reach higher than us.

We fail to understand that life has its ups and downs. Life has opportunities and right timing (TAMANG PANAHON ala Kalyeserye style). No matter how good we may be, our preparations and skills will not land us to the top spot unless the odds favor us as well. Adopting the mindset that we can all win recognizes that our time has not come yet, and we must keep on improving and growing until it comes. We can begin to feel truly happy for others who reach this success, because their triumph is not deducted from our capabilities to win.

We must not treat one another as enemies fighting the same battle where only one wins. Instead, let us think that life is a battle, yet all of us WINS at our own right time.

It's all a matter of perspective.

Personal vs. Organizational Goals

If the organizational goal does not match with employees’ personal goals, which one should prevail? This dilemma reminds me of psychologist Erik Erikson and his psychosocial development theory. Erikson believed that every stages in human growth focused on overcoming a conflict. Success or failure in dealing with each stage impacts overall functioning. For example, during adolescence, the primary conflict is to establish personal identity. Failure to do so results in role confusion while successful completion of each stage lead to healthy personality. For this paper’s topic, this falls under the adulthood stage, occurring from ages 18 to 40 where someone battles between intimacy vs. isolation. Relationships become long term commitments which afford safety, care and trust. Though this theory obviously focuses on finding lifetime partners, I would like to think that this theory plays well in the conflict of personal vs. organizational goals. There are people who transfer from one workplace to another, leaving their resumes littered with lists of companies they have worked with, while others remain loyal to the company where they have started working professionally until their time of retirement. Some companies may have provided culture and relationships that promote strong employees’ commitment that are hard to break and leave behind despite conflicts of personal and organizational goals.

Looking at our dilemma again, there are two sides and standpoints to consider. Management will definitely require that their goals win over employees’ personal goals during times of conflict. On the other hand, employees want that the management will listen to their personal arguments and allow that their own goals prevail over that of the organizations. We see this conflict and have probably read about failed collective bargaining agreements resulting in employee unions’ protests. These are disruptive and unproductive for both parties concerned yet these occur in real life due to unyielding parties.

One of the biggest concern of top business leaders when it comes to managing human resources is the difficulty of convincing the workforce that when they align with the company’s goals, their personal goals will be met too (Collins, Porras 2004). Applying Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in the context of businesses, we note that basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, etc. must be satisfied first before employees can progress to the higher levels which involve self-esteem and self-actualization. It is my opinion that when personal and organizational goals clash, effective management should support personal growth. This can be done through the establishment of performance culture where management works involvedly in both personal and organizational level - engaging with employees while setting the direction of the organization. When management ignores employees’ personal interests and conerns, the employees become uninterested and unmotivated in achieving the goals of the organization. Effective leaders ask how to help the people they are leading, and when employees know that their needs are important and being addressed by the organization, they become motivated and productive at work. Effective leaders also present all the necessary information to employees—how employees’ performance impact organizations’ goals and success financially. When employees are educated, they feel more involved and empowered towards the organizations.

References

Collins, J., & Porras, J. I. (2004). Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. New York: Harper Business.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - Learning Theories. (2014). Retrieved June 25, 2016, from http://www.learning- theories.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs.html

McLeod, S. (2013). Erik Erikson. Retrieved June 25, 2016, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html