Hello everyone! It's nice to be back to my haven. I've been very busy with my work and studies lately. I'm going to have two last classes for my PhD in Applied Linguistics, then move on to my comprehensives and, finally, dissertation writing. Who am I kidding? I'm sure this is all boring stuff to you. But I'm glad to share this gruelling task anyway.
I hope everybody's good.

In my country, everyone is in a hurry to greet everyone they know "Merry Christmas!!!". During the 1st day of the month of December, everyone is all smiles and in high spirits. Why? We, Filipinos, want to feel that warmth and joy every Christmas season brings. It's a season of hope and good tidings. We like to feel hopeful even though our country is being ruined by our government leaders because of this push to change our constitution in order for them to perpetuate themselves in power. It really is disgusting.
In this season, everyone forgets for a while the kind of leaders we have. We try to be with our families and friends. We exchange gifts. We share our food. We enjoy each other's company.
But after this season of hope, we are back to the realities of incompetent politicians who are out there to drain our country's dignity and to destroy the people's hope for a better Philippines.
It is, indeed, a season of hope! That's the only weapon we have against leaving this country to the mad dogs.

Just in case there was someone who wondered why I havent been writing for the past few days it was because my system got "infected" with loads of virus. It was really a bad experience because I had to take my laptop to the computer center where I purchased it only to be told that they don't do reprogramming. So I had to ask my friend who's a computer instructor to reprogram it for me and to install the newest version of Trend anti virus. But then he wasn't able to reconfigure the internet connection so I had to wait for several days because he went out of town. At that time I tried to tinker with all the instructions I had to tick. And voila!!! Here I am connected to the internet once again. It was really a big hassle, not to mention the sleepless nights I had to endure in order to reconfigure my laptop. That was the kind of stress caused by technological advancements, but it was worth it. Now I am more careful, especially in opening unknown senders to my email.

Don Salvador Benedicto is a municipality in the island of Negros. It is a mountainous location with beautiful panoramic view of Mt. Kanlandog and the Kanlaon Volcano.

My Boracay escapade was a worthy experience. I had spent the much needed break in a paradise with some of my friends. Now I'm back to the real world where work and play do not mix. But life is really full of challenges, and I'm ready to tackle them. Wheew!
I'm trying to upload some pics for posterity and for my friends to view.
Boracay is an island located in Aklan. It is a world-class resort visited by tourists coming from the US, Europe, and other Asian countries such as Korea, India, and Japan.
The experience of swimming in its clear waters and walking on its fine white sand was an exhilirating one. It gave me time to catch my breath and renewed my energy.

Finally, the moment has arrived for me to schedule the much needed break from all the hustles and bustles of my academic life. I'm going to spend my semestral break in this paradise called Boracay Island, with nothing in mind but sleep, food, rest, sun, and beach.
In great anticipation of this paradise escapade which will happen from November 2 to 5, I prepared tons of sunblock lotions and swim suits. Yeah! I'm going to enjoy the crystall clear waters and the sceneries around this island.
I love thinking about this now as this will help me overcome the tedious PhD class I will be having next week. My mind seems to have shrinked from doing stressful papers and holding classes. And it has been three years since I started with this program. Three years!!!! So, just imagine how much I'm going to enjoy my vacation.

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I'm going to be absent from blogging for a few weeks because of my busy schedule and my doctoral classes. I need to focus on my papers, too as I will be preparing for my one week intensive class with our professor from the University of San Carlos in Cebu.
This one week class is so stressful yet exciting. I'm looking forward to it.
See you soon everyone!

If a woman is deeply in love with a man, should she fight for him? What should she do in order to get the man she truly loves?

"Love must be learned again and again...Hate needs no instruction, but waits only to be provoked."
Katherine Ann Porter is right when she wrote this. There is a great need for people to consciously make it a habit to love and respect others. This is not a show of weakness. And this must not be taken advantaged of by people. What would the world be like if everybody learns to accept and love people no matter who they are? What would it be like if there is tolerance and humility among nations? Maybe there are questions that have no answers. It may be that the right time is not the here and now.

I'm starting a new chapter in my life. And this time, it's the kind of life I really want. With my Ph.D. almost done, I'm looking forward to a life of service and commitment to my profession. I want to tour my beautiful country and meet people.

I would like to post this question to everyone: What would you do if you were in charge of the world?

I've listened to Dr. Chopra's lectures on CDs, and I think he speaks the truth. His insights are very sharp in terms of determining the outlook that can make people feel and think affluent. This does not refer to mere materialism. But the deep implication of his insights is that we create our own wealth, which includes richness of character and charity for other people. He considers the mind as the starting point of whatever success we may gain from our undertakings, be it in our careers and in our personal relationships with other people. Such realization creates a dent in the way we live and the way we think.
I am thankful that I was able to listen to him. I'd like to express my gratitude to the person who introduced Dr. Chopra to me. His name is Allan Charles King, my friend in Alberta, Canada.

Yes, I did it again. I hosted the musical competition of the NOPSSCEA, and it was a success. The coliseum was jampacked with students and teachers from different colleges and universities. I thought it was going to be difficult because the whole program was not planned a day prior to the show. Thankfully, everything went smoothly and I finished my responsibility without a stitch. It was, indeed, a wonderful night for me.
I looked like a flamenco dancer with my embroidered flowing black skirt, a red sleeveless blouse, and a black shawl. Oh, and not to mention the red, high heeled sandals that matched my red blouse. I felt great during those 3 or so hours I was on stage-- smiling, being charming, and just being my usual cheerful self.

Another pic...I'm at the rightmost back. Since it's another angle, it looks like I'm way too far. But it doesn't matter. It's still a beautiful pic.:D:D

That's me on the leftmost side wearing dark denims and flare blouse. This was taken during the college night. We were the back-up dancers of the Pussy cat dolls, La Salle version.

It's G's 28th birthday!!! He is the most loving and passionate man I've known.

Real friendship is tested through time. It is strengthened by the challenges and trials that friends face together.

"Anxiety is the rust of life, destroying its brightness and
weakening its power. A childlike and abiding trust in
providence is its best preventive and remedy."

"Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction."

This saying by Erich Fromm is a fact in the modern world. Everybody wants to have everything--money, house, cars, nice clothes, women/men, a good job, etc. The list is endless. But have we asked ourselves lately if we showed our love to another person?

:D:D Friends are plentiful. Work is doing great. Lovelife is exciting. Blessings abound. Sleep is restful. I feel great. I look great.
What more can I ask for?