Unpublished

I could not remember the reason why I wrote this article below with a title that says  “A Different Kind Of High”. I discovered this just today while I was browsing through the draft section of my blog. I’ve got tons of unpublished articles written months and even years ago. Some of these articles are unfinished, some are nonsense, some are too personal, and others are the result of my emotions at that very moment which I need to express in writing. As what Lord Byron said, “If I don’t write to empty my mind, I go mad.”

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A DIFFERENT KIND OF HIGH

I’m wide awake and I’m high. I get sick and tired and yet I’m high. I sit still and I am still high. What kind of high is this which drowns me deeper into an ocean of thoughts? These thoughts are way too overwhelming that throws me further into thinking deeper– some are unexplained, some are brought about my past, and mostly brought about by the present events that occur in my life. And that even while I am speaking my mind right at this moment, my thoughts are running crazy. I can barely put the exact words I need and want to say.

I am high on thoughts all the time and it gives me a different kind of high. It’s in my mind and it’s within my system. How do I get rid of this high? I am completely overdosed and I pretty much sigh.

Music, Voice, and Emotions…

 

Two of the most talented singers and songwriters whose songs I listen to over and over again are Regina Spektor and James Blunt. Regina’s compositions are simply extraordinary and unconventional. The lyrics of her songs are products of her imagination and creativity. Sometimes, you need to understand what she’s trying to convey through her songs because it’s filled with metaphors. For me, she’s a genius. I love all of her songs, but of course, there are those songs which I listen to most of the time. First on the list is SAMSON. The first time I heard this song, I instantly fell in love with it. Another fave of mine are EET, FIDELITY, and US.

“Samson”

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth
I have to go, I have to go
Your hairwas long when we first metSamson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
He ate a slice of wonder bread and went right back to bed
And history books forgot about us and the bible didn’t mention us
And the bible didn’t mention us, not even onceYou are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
Beneath the stars came fallin’ on our heads
But they’re just old light, they’re just old light
Your hair was long when we first met

Samson came to my bed
Told me that my hair was red
Told me I was beautiful and came into my bed
Oh I cut his hair myself one night
A pair of dull scissors in the yellow light
And he told me that I’d done alright
And kissed me ’til the mornin’ light, the mornin’ light
And he kissed me ’til the mornin’ light

Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
Ate a slice of wonderbread and went right back to bed
Oh, we couldn’t bring the columns down
Yeah we couldn’t destroy a single one
And history books forgot about us
And the bible didn’t mention us, not even once

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first

And of course, another favorite song-writer of mine is James Blunt. If you listen to him sing, you will really feel the emotions being poured out through his songs. His lyrics touches your heart and his voice captivates your soul, and that’s how I describe my mood every time I listen to his music. Sometimes, I can’t help but play the same song over and over again before I shift to another song.

Here are my top 3 favorite songs by James Blunt:

1. Goodbye my Lover

2. You’re Beautiful

3. Same Mistake

So, hope you’ll also enjoy and love their songs like I do. I really think they are amazing singers and songwriters.

 

Kurt Turns 8 Today!

It’s my son’s 8th birthday today and the best gift ever is that he is already feeling well. Just few days ago, he was high with fever. His temperature almost reached 39 degrees Celsius. I even suspected him of having dengue so I had him checked by a doctor, and had his blood tested for CBC platelet count. It was a relief that the result turned negative for dengue.

Funny how my son blames me for his sickness because I didn’t allow him to bring his jacket to school the other day. Kurt always tells me that he feels cold when he is inside the classroom because of the air-condition.  So it’s my fault then that he got sick for not letting him bring his jacket to school? hahaha…oh my!

It’s amazing how time goes by quickly. My son is now 8 years old and I am turning old too? Geeee! Last week, before Kurt got sick, I planned that we will just dine out and maybe go swimming in the pool to celebrate Kurt’s birthday–good timing because his birthday falls on a Saturday. However, since he just got well, I think that there’s a slight change of plan or I better ask Kurty what he wants. For sure, if  i’ll ask him what he wants, he’ll surely say TOYS!

Happy Birthday Kurty!!!

You Make Me Smile…

There is something about the song “You Make Me Smile” by Uncle Kracker that makes me feel good every time I play it on Youtube. It’s like I instantly think of certain people and things that give me reasons to wear a smile on my face.

Perhaps, people who are very much inlove  can relate well to this song. This is the kind of song that makes you want to stay happy and inlove all the time. The lyrics are simple yet it captivates the heart. Do you have that special someone in your life right now who makes you smile? And simply being able to see that person or just to be near  that special someone in your life is already enough to brighten up your day.

I hope you too will find this song cool and captivating. Stay Happily Inlove!!!

Here’s the lyrics of this song “You Make Me Smile” by Uncle Kracker:

You’re better then the best
I’m lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler then the flip side of my pillow, that’s right
Completely unaware
Nothing can compare to where you send me,
Lets me know that it’s ok, yeah it’s ok
And the moments where my good times start to fade

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed, sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head, spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh, you make me smile

Even when you’re gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower poking through sidewalk crack and just like that
You steal away the rain and just like that

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed, sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head, spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh, you make me smile

Don’t know how I lived without you
Cuz everytime that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed, sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head, spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh, you make me smile

Authors Are My Rock Stars

It has been a while since I last had the time, the energy, and the inspiration to consume my thoughts into blogging.  I guess I have indulged myself too much on thinking too much–hmm?…whatever that supposed to mean. And every time I try to blog about something, my thoughts become disorganized. I can hardly pick the right words to say or I can’t even make my sentences collaborate with what my thoughts are telling me to say.

Yesterday, I happened to come across a movie entitled “The Raven” starring John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe. “The Raven” is a fictional story about the life of Edgar Allan Poe, and his quest in finding the serial killer who patterns after his murderous intent from the stories which Poe writes. As soon as I finished the movie, I suddenly remember the poem entitled “Anabel lee”, which was written by Edgar Allan Poe. I had memorized this poem long time ago when our English teacher asked us to memorize it by heart for the graded recitation. It’s funny now that all I could remember from this poem are the words “kingdom by the sea”.

I tried to search more about E.A. Poe, and I found some very interesting quotes written by him. I somehow reflected and thought about blogging, which I haven’t done for a while. And while I was browsing, I happened to see this image:

Authors are my rock stars

I agree 100% with what the words on the shirt says–“Authors are my rock stars”. A bunch of talented authors of poems, stories, novels, articles, etc inspires many of us in so many ways through their magnificent words. Well, obviously, this had led me to get into my blogging mood.

Raining On A late Saturday Evening

As I sit here, I see the flash of lightning emanating from the sky, clearly visible from my open window. I hear the loud sound of thunder and the splash of rain pouring directly to the ground–a music to the ear that only nature can orchestrate.

I wonder why every time it rains I always think of several things like drinking a hot cup of coffee, singing and dancing in the rain or perhaps ‘do my crying in the rain’ as the famous line suggests in a song entitled “I’ll do my crying in the rain.”

Most of us associate rain with something such as experiences–either good or bad, love, life, sorrows, luck, and even romantic moments.

Oh well, the rain is slowing drifting away, I guess. The sky is once again in silence as the growling sound of thunder fades to nowhere.

 

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You Need Not Find A Cure For Everything That Makes You Weak

First of all, I am glad that I am here again with my first post for this month of April after not having been able to blog for quite some time. It feels so good to be able to share my thoughts and insights once again.

Sometimes, I feel that a lot of things run through my mind. Maybe, I am just allowing myself to be drowned in a pool of thoughts which somehow cause me to drift away from reality. These thoughts somehow give me an overwhelming feeling   that often result in a state of bewilderment–I don’t know how else to describe it. I try to look for answers, uncover the truth, and find solutions to whatever I may be feeling and thinking lately.

As I was browsing online, I saw this picture with words that says “You Need Not Find A Cure For Everything That Makes You Weak.” I got struck by these words. I often feel that every time I fall trap into my own weaknesses, I always seek for things that would cure these anxieties.

It’s okay to welcome into our lives the bitterness of things that weakens us. Rather than trying hard to find for cure for things that make us weak, it’s better if we just try to strengthen ourselves and try to look on the brighter side–Perhaps, these things which make us weak would be the same reason that gives us strength to hold on– and I choose to hold on.

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Homemade Pizza!!!

I was just taking my time off yesterday strolling around town when I decided to bake pizza for dinner. I suddenly had this crave for pizza so I went to look for a readily-made dough at a local bakery store. Luckily, I found it somewhere nearby and it was very affordable-1 pack with 4 pieces of dough costs 22 pesos or half a dollar.

I then headed straight into the grocery to buy some stuff  for the pizza toppings when I realized that it was already dark. So, I rushed home and surprised Kurty and Ryan that our dinner would be pizza. As expected, they both complained why the heck only pizza for dinner. Well, I was already expecting that kind of reaction from them–the hungry boys need something more than pizza. Oh Well, I only ate pizza for dinner while the boys ate rice and ham, and of course, the pizza.

We had satisfied our hungry palates as we devoured every slice of it. I was absolutely full and I was overly pleased with how my boys enjoyed the pizza I baked.

 

Online Profile: Impress To Gain

Image via Wikipedia

Online jobs may sound pretty cool especially if you work right at the comforts of your home. However, the competition is tough. The need to stay on top of the game requires a good strategy and the ability to sell yourself to prospective clients or employers in the internet. One good way to do that is to post your profile online or create a profile that clearly points out your skills, expertise, and experience. Here’s a sample of my profile I submitted for my employer from Taiwan:

*Take note that the sample profile below emphasizes my teaching experience since my employer is an administrator of an online English school, and the job I applied for is an online English instructor.

 

 

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May P.

Bachelor of Arts Major in Political Science/Professional Education Certificate (PEC)

May had been a consistent dean’s lister in her college years. She graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Political Science as cum laude. She then took the Professional Education Certificate (PEC) program to hone her teaching skills. Before she began teaching, she worked as a marketing assistant and circulation-in-charge at a local publishing company.

Her first teaching experience was in a SPED school where she handled students with learning disabilities. In 2006, she started teaching in a preschool environment as a lead teacher. She had been invited as a resource speaker for children’s creative arts as part of a local government activity.

With her growing interest in expanding her teaching skills, she decided to try her luck in online teaching. She taught English online mostly to Japanese students with various ages.

May has an experience in handling TOEIC, IELTS, and Business English classes. May likes blogging, watching movies, and chatting with her friends.

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It’s really up to you on how you would come up with an impressive profile. Some would highlight more on their experience or skills and some would give more emphasis on their educational background, especially if they still lack or do not have the experience yet. The important thing when you want to impress is to captivate the employers or clients’ attention–the first few lines of your profile should be something that makes you stand out, but do not exaggerate. Remember, just like any other jobs, online recruitment also requires a job interview. Usually, the interview is set via phone call or via Skype voice or video call. So, your employers would know if you exaggerated your teaching profile because they are going to ask you tons of questions and others would even ask you to take an exam.

Home-based job is quite fun, but it also demands a lot of hard work and patience. The good thing about this line of work is that you have all the time at home–no hassle of getting late due to traffic, no pollution, and no need to dress-up for work.  However, it also has its negative side. When you work at home, you often get distracted especially when you have kids around, you tend to do some house chores instead of focusing on your task, and no social life–the closest interaction you get with others is through social networking sites.

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Banana Blossom (Puso ng Saging) Patties: No Meat, Just 100% Banana Blossom!

Banana Blossom Patties

Lately, I have been preparing veggies (no meat at all) for dinner.  A couple of nights ago, I cooked sauteed bitter gourd and malabar spinach mixed with egg. Usually, I only saute bitter gourd with egg, but I decided to give the dish a little twist by adding malabar spinach or Philippine spinach. In Filipino, we call it “alugbati“. And so, speaking of veggies, I was again in my cooking (experimenting) mood for preparing a healthy dish last night.

I got inspired when I saw a cooking segment in a TV show featuring a healthy alternative to beef burger patties. Instead of using grind beef in making burger patties, banana blossom was used as an alternative.

Locally, banana blossom is commonly known as “puso ng saging” which literally translates as “heart of the banana” or “banana heart”.

Image via Wikipedia

So, as I have said, I was ‘experimenting’ in the kitchen again and purely relying on luck. Oh well, if the outcome turned out to be a disaster, I could always justify and say AGAIN, “hey, it’s my first time, you know?”

In cooking Banana Blossom Patties, you’ll need the following:

1 banana blossom (chopped)

1/4 cup flour

2 eggs

cooking oil

3 cloves of garlic (chopped)

1 onion (chopped)

salt and pepper to taste

seasoning (magic sarap)

Instruction:

Of course, peel the banana blossom until what’s left is the part where you will see the lightest shade of the banana blossom. It was somehow tricky for me to determine if I was still peeling the outer skin because I really could’t tell which part goes to the pan and which part goes straight into the trash bag. By the way, last night was my first time to peel and slice a banana blossom–weeeee!

Okay, going back. After chopping the banana blossom into tiny pieces, boil it for few minutes to remove the sap. Then, remove it from the fire and let it cool down for a while. Mix all the ingredients together–flour, eggs, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and seasoning.

In your frying pan, pour the vegetable oil and wait until it’s hot enough to fry the banana blossom burger patties. When you’re done, you may even make it more delectable by preparing a gravy for your banana blossom patties. In my case, I bought an instant gravy which was sold in a pack. All I did was add hot water into the powdered gravy and mix it until it has the consistency of a sauce.

Banana blossom patty is also great for snack. Instead of the usual beef burger we eat for snacks, why not try this healthy alternative? I am sure your kids will love it too.