Jakie and the Beadstalk

I love being a teacher.  But what I hate most in teaching is checking exam papers especially when the questions asked are essay-type. I remember that song, "I wanted a shadow I don't anymore. No matter what happenS, I can't anymore!" Because and Bankrupt. Is that so hard to spell, my dear? Half!!! I thought it was a mere error, then he repeated it. Barrow, Borrow, Barrow, Borrow! Grrr!!! Hince! And the word "barrowed" again. Hay! Exceptive - similar sounding words include: Exception, Expletive, Except. Wait... Oh, I get it, EXEMPTED! The proper term here is "Ultra Vires" meaning acts done outside of one's authority.  Primary and Secondary Education in the Philippines should really be drastically improved to avoid Spelling Bee disqualifiers like these in high school. And it's not just the spelling. It's the entire communication thingy!!

Lunch Date! It's been months since Hubby and I had eaten out together.  We were supposed to meet a friend for lunch, so we didn't bring "baon" for lunch.  But since she cancelled our meeting, we decided to push through with our lunch date, sans our friend. We chose to eat at Kamay Kainan along Kalayaan Ave., Diliman, Quezon City.  We chose a place that we would have our fill and the price would not be too much.   We haven't tried eating here yet, so we went in to take a look. Hubby said, "Okay na ako dito." So, Kamay-Kainan it is. There are over 35 dishes to choose from. There's plain rice and garlic fried rice, sinigang, nilaga, tinola, bopis, dinuguan, ensalada, itlog na maalat, daing na bangus, crispy hipon, crispy crablets, ginatang kuhol, ginataang langka, and lots more.  At P298 per head, eat-all-you-can, sulit na talaga.  Sumugod agad ako sa Crispy Hipon  Lotsa Many Foodie! Chicharong Bituka. Earlier there w...

Photo credit:  Roy Pogi Calangian Last September 8, I joined the R.A.C.E. To Serve II Fun Run organized by the Civil Service Commission as part of its anniversary celebration.  It was touted by websites on fitness/running  as better and bigger.  Bigger, maybe. Better? NOOOOO!!!!!  Hubby and I were in front of Dr. Jose Rizal's Monument along Roxas Blvd at around 4 in the morning.  The starting point was teeming with civil servants all excited to hear the sound of the starting pistol for the 10k, 5k and 3k. I joined the 3k race and finished it in 26 minutes and 21 seconds. Hahahahah! Oh I ran, till I was short of breath, but it still took me that long.  One reason is that, my rubber shoes, because of non-use for a long time, gave up on me and was snapping its jaws one kilometer into the race.  I had to stop from time to time and tell each pair to behave or else I'd run barefoot. Mercifully, it didn't disintegrate on me. I join races...

OreO CheeseKeyk by Tatie My little boy is at that stage when he wants to try everything that he could get his hands on.  He loves helping me out in the kitchen.  Whenever I'm cooking, if he's not bugging me to stop and go up the room with me, he forces himself so I would have no choice but to make him help me.   At a young age, I want him to learn the value of food, nutrition, cooking your own food and initiative. Since he is still only a toddler to me, errr, a giant toddler, I can only ask him to help me in slicing ingredients using a plastic knife. But when making desserts, he is usually my sous chef. One of our favorite desserts is cheesecake.  We aren't really fond of eating cheesecake, but making it is fun. It is Kuya Berbee who is really into cheesecakes.  He told me that his favorite dessert is my cheesecake! How we make our Banana CheeseKeyk: 1. Prepare the crust. Ground graham crackers and add butter.   Put in round baking pan. ...

When I was kid, I wanted to be a teacher for one very special reason:  I loved erasing blackboards. Decades later, that one dream came true.  And I came through a very nasty realization: Erasing blackboards is not so fun after all.   Oh well!  On another note, becoming a teacher has a lot of perks (emotionally and spiritually, NOT financially). That includes free access to the school's library!  Erasing a blackboard is definitely not a perk!  Photo credit:   http://extravagantdlsu-d.blogspot.com One time, while waiting for my next class to start, I dropped by the library to get a few reference materials for my classes.  I realized that the last time I really stayed in a real school library was before I took the bar exams in 2005!  That was soooo long ago!  Going to the library is like going inside a time space warp So, I enjoyed the moment and relished going over books, checking the card catalogues, signing the ...

Ang LRT at MRT. Bow! So, I 've mentioned   here on my blog that I ride the MRT everyday to and from work.  Tuesdays and Thursdays, I ride the LRT after work to go to the university where I teach part-time.  Everyday I wish that the stations would not be so full of people and the trains are all cooperating so there won't be any delays.  Operations may halt from time to time and one's face is not too safe from being squished to oblivion as a regular occurence, but I still find that riding the LRT and MRT are convenient modes of transportation in Manila. I remember the first time I rode the LRT, what was then used to enter the station was the very heavy tokens.   I was an excited girl, watching the view from the train's window. It was one of the most exciting rides of my life! My mother and I attended a party in Caloocan and we rode the LRT from P. Gil to Monumento. In the evening, after the party, I was nauseous and feverish in the train.  I st...