| I am afraid of new technologies |
[May. 26th, 2007|02:26 pm] |
|
I am presently undergoing a Moodle Training, one of the most popular Learning Management Systems anywhere. The best thing about it is that it's free, but I had to admit that I kept putting it off because I was AFRAID. I am just a mass of fears when it comes to new technologies. I might be found out as a fake, incompetent in a field which I am supposed to know since I am an Educational Technology major. There's so much to learn, so many new softwares, that I feel positively shell-shocked. I haven't read Alvin Toffler's Future Shock but I think I should so that I will be able to help others navigate this information age. |
|
|
| The Philippines is Beautiful |
[May. 8th, 2006|07:59 am] |
Last May 3,we had an out-of-town office outing. First, we went to Lagos del Sol resort in Caliraya. I sat on a plastic chair protected from the sweltering noonday sun by a makeshift tent of sorts. The resort has a pool on one side, the opposite of which is a man-made river surrounded by mountains. The mountain was still a refreshing green towering beside an artificial river the color of the deepest royal blue. It's difficult to think the river is artificial but Vice-Dean Tristan reported that they dammed this side of the mountain to create the said river. After having a dip in the pool, I ate 3 pieces of rellenong bangus, one bowl of ginataan, another bowl of buko-pandan salad and all the juice I could drink. Yum, this was the life!
I haven't even developed a tan when we had to leave. Our bus took us to the Exotik restaurant whose huts were seemingly carved beside the mountain side, the whole area was verdant with flowers and ornamentals. Best of all, we could see a small provincial church with a small bell, beyond which was Laguna de Bay. This resaurant got its name because they serve "exotic" food like snake, frog, deer, etc., etc. We opted for the safe "frog" delicacy. Ummm...tasted like chicken, just never mind the soft, small cartilage. They also took care of two big, beautiful pythons in cages that were at least about 2.5 m x 1.5 m x 1.5 m. They were wonderful to watch but were too stuffed to move about. One of them was as thich as a golf bag.
From here, we went to Pakil, specifically to the house of a man who made art from wood shavings. He made peacocks and other birds, roses and sunflowers, fans, and what not. He had a small part of his house display all his wares from wood crafts like picture frames and large chess pieces to delicate works of art. We watched him as he worked deftly with a sharp and pointed wood knife almost about a foot long.
Next, we visited the churches at Pakil and Paete. Both were at least a century old, made of what seemingly looked like adobe blocks. There were many statues of the saints,gold gilded and framed, mixed with paintings of Christ's sufferings in a high ceiling of 3-4 storeys high. It made you feel small, awed and insignificant.
Outside, was a shopper's haven. One avenue led to small house businesses of cheap clothes, both new and old, graven images of the Sto. Nino, paper mache horses, Moriones masks, fruits, wood work and a small, intimate coffee shop with paintings of clowns, dalagang Filipinas and the Filipino version of the Madonna and Child.
When we left, the sun was setting at our right, burnishing the waters of Laguna de Bay a rich hue of reds, oranges, purples and vermillions that slowly turned to blue, violet and black. At our left was the long mountain range of the Sierra Madre.
It was night time when we finally got to Pagsanjan. There we stopped at a small, shoe store named "Rite Step", where an assortment of sandals, mojos and shoes were displayed.Tsinelas costs about Php 60 while shoes were anywhere from Php 390 - 1,000. One shoe that I liked was Php 390 only but I already had shopped way too much so I passed it up. Some of my officemates though couldn't pass the chance and bought at least a pair or two.
Our last stop was to buy buko pie at Los Banos. I only bought cassava cake but still, it was soooo good.
Though we ended the day past 9 pm, I loved every minute of it. I am proud that the Philippines has so much to offer in terms of beauty, charm and novelty. I don't want to travel abroad without traveling the country first. Next stop, hundred islands at Alaminos, Pangasinan...I hope. |
|
|
| Hi Guys, was curious and took the test |
[Nov. 1st, 2005|01:28 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  anxious | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Sometimes I give myself the creeps | ] |
 | | The Wild Rose
Random Brutal Love Dreamer (RBLDf)
shmolorful, but unpicked. You are The Wild Rose.
Prone to bouts of cynicism, sarcasm, and thorns, you excite a certain kind of man. Hoping to gather you up, he flirts and winks and asks you out, ultimately professing his love. Then you make him bleed. Why? Because you're the rare, independent, self-sufficient kind of woman who does want love, but not from a weakling.
You don't seem to take yourself too seriously, and that's refreshing. You aren't uptight; you don't over-plan. Romance-wise, sex isn't a top priority--a true relationship would be preferable. For your age, you haven't had a lot of bonafide love experience, though, and this kind of gets to core of the issue. You're very selective.
Your exact opposite:
The Dirty Little Secret
Deliberate Gentle Sex Master
| The problem is them, not you, right? You have lofty standards that few measure up to. You're out there all right, but not to be picked up by just anyone.
"You're never truly single as long as you have yourself."
ALWAYS AVOID: The Bachelor
CONSIDER: The Vapor Trail. |
Link: The 32-Type Dating Test by OkCupid - Free Online Dating.
My profile name: sexyfoxychick |
|
|
|
| Now it's gone! |
[Oct. 20th, 2005|08:08 pm] |
Oh my gosh, I pressed something and the entry I was writing here got erased. Grrrr. Nakakainis. Now, I am NOT in the mood anymore. But by hook or by crook, I am going to post something. Hubby Erick and ANIME character turned live action friend Matthew is waiting.
Would you guys believe I posted in the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty? I was just itching to get my thoughts heard. When I was writing it, I couldn't help but reflect on the fact that beauty standards are EVER changing. Also, beauty standards are different, even diverging depending on the culture. For example, in Africa and the Polynesian islands, a full body, which our current culture considers fat is beautiful. Perhaps that is something women should keep in mind. Also, the thin is in just basically caught on a couple of decades ago with the advent of Twiggy and her twiggy counterparts. Medically speaking of course, if your body fat dips too low, you could suffer from amenorrhea -- the inability to menstruate, which of course affects your child-bearing capability. Also, such a low fat condition can also slow down recuperation from sickness.
Women should also be discriminating. Let's NOT gulp all that hogwash that fashion mags and tv ad dictates are the standard of beauty. For example, long hair. As long as it is a commercial and consumer business, never forget that they are selling a product, therefore it makes sense if they also sell you the idea, even if it's so irrational and mind-numbing. With the advent of mass production, the multinationals and corporate consumer empires are also trying to "massify", "universalize" the notion of beauty through their products. Otherwise, if we don't buy, they close shop, right? I am sure that is a major motivation for these firms.
I am also sure that there must be some studies on what I am thinking of right now.I just haven't got the time to do research on this. So bear up with my in-front-of the-computer philosophizing. I will get some research on these soon enough.
We should also realize that these commercial images forward an ILLUSION. Models are smeared with so much body make-up and concealer, dolled up and lighted like Christmas ham. No one really looks like that, not even those models.
I think every woman should define for herself what she considers a realistic definiton of beauty. Physical beauty after all is ephemeral, unless you're a pure materialist, and no one wants to be that. We all want to believe that the most important part of us would live on, that the most beautiful part is eternal.
Cheers! |
|
|
| A Quirky Love Story |
[Sep. 4th, 2005|02:33 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  cheerful | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Barenaked Ladies-"Pinch Me" | ] |
After work, I felt like skipping and dancing. I decided to visit our tambayan. Though an alumna, I still had close contacts with the current members. There, I met a guy who introduced himself as Erick. He was a member of SVCF or State Varsity Christian Fellowship.
We hit if off very well. He felt like a soulmate. That sounds kitsch but its true. We were debating on the Song of Solomon. He did not bat an eyelash when he explained the phrase, "Your breasts are like a twin gazelle", but there was no malice in it. We had to end the conversation when I realized it was so dark that he looked like a black blob.
When we parted, he left the impression of an intellectual who wore his heart on his sleeves. What struck me the most was when he said that he cooked for the ones he liked. I wondered vaguely if he'd ever cook for me. I brushed the thought away. He looked for me after that but we did not meet again until much later. He wondered if I was real.
As I was swamped with work and school, a friend suggested a date with an acquaintance. I agreed. The guy was a musician and member of SVCF. There was a concert where they were to play. Though I wanted to talk to him, he was busy, and shy. We had a number of silent, painful moments. I was mentally squirming. Worst of all, he had a bad case of sore throat. He was a guitarist and vocals, so I don't know how he pulled that off. While they played, I sat at their tambayan. Lo and behold, who do I see but Erick?! He remembered my face but forgot the name. Hmph, men! Needless to say, we had a second talkathon. He was also a musician. He recorded two of his songs and lent me the only CD copy. In the process, we swapped numbers. He said he'd call, which he did. Then, the rest they say is history.
Three months into the relationship, it was obvious how diametrically opposite we were. He invited me to his sister's wedding on one Saturday morning in the province. We both had work and could only take the Friday evening schedule. We got to the station, missing the 9 p.m. trip by a measly 5 minutes! While waiting, we ate the astronomically priced bus station fare. I felt we would go broke if we ate more than a can of Pringles and slurp on more than one cup of instant noodles.
At 11:30, everyone was in an orderly line. As soon as the bus came though, all hell broke loose. Droves of men broke off from the line and started going over the 1.5-meter barrier, not unlike a stampede of kangaroos. Erick was aghast, ranting at the chaos. When he looked at me, I had a leg on the barrier. He had to follow. It was a good thing he did too, because we got the last two seats.
One semester later, I was taking an M.A. subject that included some production. I bought the biggest piece of illustration board. It was about 1 meter by 1.5 meters. We lugged it at the overpass. We lugged it to the jeepney stop. We lugged and tugged it in the jeep; we were a nuisance to everyone. Then it rained cats and dogs. It poured like there's no tomorrow. Since neither of us had an umbrella, we used the board instead. We lugged it over our heads. Thirty minutes later we got to my boarding house, drenched from the waist down, but dry from the waist up.
Recalling these memories and many others, I can't help but chuckle. Erick and I have been through a lot. Some were happy memories, a couple were really traumatic. He tells me I am difficult to handle at times, but said that life was more meaningful and undeniably more interesting with me around. |
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| |
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
sexyfoxychick's journal