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.

Life Direction and Puberty

When life is gray, where do you turn?

High School Challenges

Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines awardee and Ateneo de Manila University’s first visually-impaired Filipina summa cum laude Roselle Ambubuyog summarized her life story in colors. Green for her childhood days, red when she became blind, white for that time when she has accepted her disability, yellow for those years that despite her blindness there are supportive people around her who helped her accomplish her dreams, and so on. For me, my high school years were gray. Gray because I have never been as unsure of my life as I was then.

I was clueless as to what to do with my life. I didn’t know what course to take because I didn’t know what career I would enjoy best. While my friends and classmates were sure as to the steps they want to take after high school, I was drifting along. I was copying whatever sounded great. I guess I was most hesitant to make the first mature decision of my life: to choose a college degree.

I was also most disinterested about life when I was in high school. Perhaps it was due to hormonal changes, but I was most sluggish then. Nothing appeared interesting to me. My days would be the same day in and day out. School was fun and I have numerous fun friends, but life was monotonous. Everything was boring, everything was gray.

Lastly, I remember that back in high school, during my third year, my father died. It was one of the saddest days of my life. My father, whom I love and respect very much got sick of emphysema and was in pain for quite some months. Several weeks before Christmas, my brother fetched us from the province with the bad news that our dad passed away. I was crying all throught our trip home.

It was amazing that high school life consisted only of four years, but led to more colorful and difficult yet rewarding life ahead. I am most thankful of God’s mercies on my life because looking back, it is clear to me that by His loving kindness I came out fine and triumphant after high school.

“People plan their path, but the Lord secures their steps.” Proverbs 16:9

2009 Hopes & Dreams

The most important and life-changing lesson God taught me and my husband last 2008 was the sureness of death. Having witnessed a friend passing away, God has made me understand how possessions do not matter. All these will be left behind. The gift of the present is to be cherished and lived to the fullest. Carpe diem, indeed.

To be able to live this life making a difference, to share God's love in a me-centered world. This is what we want the kids to learn this 2009. We are adopting a spartan mode of living. Only the essentials. We do not want to live in luxury, but to be able to pass on what has been blessed to us so that others may have another day to live.

Bold and fearless
Relating to this, Paul and I are all set putting up our own company. The first pursuit has been made last year, with music video website SlingandStoneMusic. Have I mentioned this project won 2nd prize in TopCoder's contest? God deserves all of it, and more.

Now, we're pushing it further with SlingandStoneWeb.com. Our very own Filipino IT company to offer web hosting, web design and other web related services. This is Paul's way of easing out of his daily office grind. This is my all, my one big journey with God.

Prayerfully, this will also be the channel God would bless to use us – all of us.

Lois and Carlos
Brother and sister are doing well. I appreciate the good naturedness of the two especially last week when we were left by ourselves. They play together. They share food, not toys. They fight over them. But when they are both in good moods, they really are heaven sent.

Nanny Irish went to the province and was four days late. House chores and caring for the kids were left to me. Daddy Paul was around though he had to report for work January 6. It really felt draining seeing all the tasks I need to do but cannot because the kids are all over me. They love me so much, they want every piece of me. They say this phase doesn't last long. That keeps me going, and that convinced me to not go nanny-free not even for a day. Maybe not until Carlos is four-years old?

Off-topic, but a good consumer news
Sun 3G Broadband Plan 799
If you live in Antipolo City, along Sumulong Highway and are thinking of getting Sun 3G Broadband, you might want to entertain other options. The 3G signal connects 2 out of 10 times I use it. It operates on other signals, EDGE and HSDPA, but they are no good. It's like surfing dial up during early 2000.

It is the cheapest unlimited broadband offering in town, but if the connection is as poor as this, it's not worth the money.

Carlos' Favorites
1.Bikes
2.Balls
3.Food – whatever kid

Lois' Favorites
1.Hillsong Kids Tell the World DVD
2.Strawberry Shortcake doll (a gift from the Celinos)
3.Raisins, chocolate spreads, marshmallows

Baby 1 Gallery Photos, Fastidious, Life Measure: CHAZOWN

Granny and Baby


Lois with Granny


Lois with Yays


First Hair Pins

Word Collection

Fastidious: adj. very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail.

Our revenge travel to Japan went smoothly because my husband was very fastidious in planning our DIY 10-day trip.

Measuring Life through CHAZOWN

I wish for everyone to live a full life. So that when we reach the end, we can look back and sincerely say that we have lived well.

Just like in the Bible's Parable of the Talent , we long to hear the "Well done" confirmation.

Now, more than ever, I am focused on achieving this through CHAZOWN which means vision. It's a framework that looks at your past experiences, values and spiritual gifts to determine your current season's mission.

Mine is: Motivating teachers with uplifting stories about real-life experiences.