Online Teaching Experience

First of all, I can't believe this. I kind of actually forgot that I made a blog. I'm not really the "writer" type of person to begin with. But I'm just so happy to rediscover that I have a blog so I'm going to fill it with all kinds of junk. Here it goes.

Today I just decided to write about my experience as an online tutor. Honestly, it's very convenient that you can teach right from your own house. The problem though has many facets. It could be your internet connection, your laptop, your sleepiness, etc. It's difficult to multitask too. Eventually after a few days of teaching, I got the hang of it. Eventually it became enjoyable at some point. I can still remember the first ever student I had. It was a straight 50-minute lesson and he was a beginner. He was around his 60's and he was really cute (and when I say cute, I mean like the grandfather type of cute that you want to take for a walk in the park). I was very nervous of course and it showed in my countenance. He booked me a few times after but he doesn't book me anymore. He is really creative though, the way he would create a story from a simple picture.

Generally, teaching English is Janus-faced. It could be stressful if you teach stubborn students but really enjoyable if you talk with optimistic and participative students; most of the time it's the latter. There are times that I master a certain material already that I almost memorized it. When I was starting, I thought having free conversations would be the most awesome feeling ever. However as I get to teach often, I realize that it's not the greatest thing as I imagined since it would depend on the student. There are hebetudinous students who will really make you fall asleep amidst a free conversation lesson. On the other hand, there are animated students who will make you smile even if you are having a grammar lesson or an article discussion. As I continued teaching, I began to gather a few loyal students who would book me often. They are some of the real treasures I could appreciate.

I have to admit though that teaching online to foreigners gave me a sense of fulfillment. It also boosted my self-esteem. I was appreciated not only for my conversation skills but also for my looks. It made my heart race to hear students say that I look beautiful. Of course it's only a form of appreciation and it's not meant to go beyond that. Honestly most of them who said this were already married themselves. However, it's really flattering to know that you are appreciated for how you look when many things put you down. For example, I have been having a hard time with my family and love life (perhaps these topics deserve another blog entry) so having these students who are very enjoyable actually put a smile on my cheek. I have to thank them for that. 

I guess that would be it for now. I'm very tired from teaching today and who knows, I might write more about this in the future. Aja!

                                          A few minutes after teaching my last class for the night.

Last night, I went to Luneta park to clear my head of all the worries and problems that I carried. Little did I know that it would be one of the most beautiful and remarkable experiences in my Manila life. 

The lights were the most magnificent things I saw that night. They began to play Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" and the water and lights were in complete synchrony with it. There were even fire balls and "water fireworks". It was too amazing to be true. There were also numerous songs that were played afterwards. It is a shame, though, that the place where I live is just a walking distance from the said park and yet it was only lately that I was able to see this sight.

It truly is the perfect place to relax. Well, don't mind the many couples that date there, though. And the many people who actually sell roses that make you feel like it's Valentine's all over again.

Why Catholics?

 I just browsed through Yahoo! News this afternoon and saw a really shocking report about "nuns" in Colombia who were arrested due to illegal possession of cocaine. If you did not have the time to see the video or read about it, perhaps you may get the perception that they were genuine nuns indeed--but they were not. They were a bunch of ladies who were just pretending to be nuns to bypass the guards perhaps due to the "good" reputation of the religious.

This incident has created an eerie feeling within me. Well, maybe because nowadays, the Catholic Church has suffered great damage, especially in the sector of the religious. It's reputation has been greatly stained due to the many errors committed by priests, nuns, monks, seminarians, etc. that is not only against their religious vows but against the federal law as well. Some extreme examples are child abuse and rape cases. There is also the issue of homosexuality, of female priests, married priests, and rampant addiction of various kinds. Now to add to it all, there are people who pretend to be priests and nuns (just like the news I mentioned) that further add insult to injury. There was even a case in our country where a certain man pretended to be a seminarian and went about collecting donations in a certain town or city.

These facts, some people argue, are some of the major reasons for the slow decline or shift in religion of many Catholics in the contemporary world. And indeed, they are the examples used by those against the Church to lambast it. 

I can only sigh. First of all, being a Catholic or a Christian, for that matter, (since Catholic means "universal" and was meant to cover those who "universally believe in Christ's teachings") means more than looking at the religious. True enough that they have vowed certain things that they were suppose to keep; however, I think we also need to understand that they, like us, are just human beings and are subject to err too. The only issue is that we think that when a person is a priest or nun, that person has to be "perfect" whether we admit it or not. But sometimes I ask myself, aren't we, the lay people, suppose to adhere to our Catholic beliefs as well? I mean, aren't we suppose to avoid sin as much as they do? Why would we bother so much on looking at their mistakes if we know that like them, we are also equally expected to live up to the life and teachings of Christ? It's just really unfair, I think--or at least, that is my opinion and we all have a say, anyway. I mean being a religious is just one vocation. Isn't it as equally as important as marriage? Then how come that when a mother lies to her friends, it is neglect-able than when a nun does so? I did not mean that it was okay to lie, okay. I mean it's just really not okay to make the mistakes of the religious seem gigantic while we somehow minimize to the point of tolerance those committed by ordinary people.  

The sins committed by some religious does not define the Mother Church. Let us remember that the Church is the "mystical body of Christ" and like the apostles, it is continually guided by the Holy Spirit despite temptations and sin lurking in this world. Maybe we could try something else for a change. Maybe we could try attending Holy Mass and instead of looking at the human errors of the celebrant, we will look at him as the representative of Christ and see that the value of the Mass does not depend on the sermon or the choir, but on the mystery of the transformation of bread and wine into Christ's real body and blood. Maybe instead of saying that priests and nuns are hypocrites, why don't we try correcting ourselves first, making sure that we are not hypocrites ourselves. Maybe instead of saying that prayer has no effect on the lives of those who frequently attend mass and recite prayers, let us try to imagine how worse they would have been if they did not start praying at all. Maybe instead of saying that rituals of the Church change nothing of a person's character, maybe we should start attending them and see for ourselves not its physical manifestations but be critical in knowing its true meaning on why it has been part of the Catholic tradition.

The Church in the Greco-roman period meant "an assembly of people". Today, that assembly is not only composed of the bishops who compose the Church's magisterium but is--actually--largely composed of us, the lay people who are the more influential apostles in the world. And what we are is what actually redefines the meaning of being a Catholic. 

My 2013 Summer Dance

I am honestly torn between my love for NCR and my home province. I mean, it will be three years that I will be staying in Manila and the adventures I experience are way more fun here than the ones I repeatedly do at home. Or maybe it's just my "teen" spirit. Or maybe part of me says that my "home" is here now? I myself am confused.

It's funny how I begin writing my first blog because I can't access facebook, or any social networking sites for that matter. Not even youtube or slideshare! Well, it would be a little productive even if most of what I will write may contain really useless and boring stuff. And maybe because I know I'll be the only one reading it someday when I'm sitting in a wooden chair with very thick eyeglasses and almost bald head and say, "Gee, was I really that bored when I was young?" But anyway, i would like to think that it can also contribute to my writing skills (if I have any) and my typing speed of course. Okay, you can stop reading now. I know you're bored.

But hey, that may be a reason for you to keep reading anyway. So here it goes.

I just got home in Bacolod around 4th or 5th of April. After around a week, I realized that I could apply for a scholarship in my university. I knew well I am really bored at home. I was so used to studying and traveling that I just couldn't bare sitting and eating at home and just being unproductive there. I knew I had to do something. Then came an inspiration, a eureka moment. Why not go back to Manila and apply for the scholarship and have a summer job? The experience could be worthwhile. So I called my parents and told them and thank God, my aunt funded my ticket back here. So here I am now.

I had to sleep in the condominium of my mom's friend since I checked out of the dorm. I knew I had to adjust and thankfully, everything went well. My mother's friend, Evelyn, had a sister Lily and they were both very hospitable to a point that they treated me like I was part of the family. Now here comes the exciting part.

Dr. Jojo, their nephew was going to celebrate his birthday at a certain restaurant around Malate. I was invited. When we got there, I was very impressed because the place was very "Filipino". There were music playing, the waiters and waitresses dressed in Filipinana costumes and the place had an ethnic aura. The name was Zamboanga restaurant. I didn't focus much on the food--which was really expensive--but turned my attention to the music and people around me. I was so eager for the performance on stage and hoped that I would witness an ethnic dance from the South since I saw the instruments on stage. When an announcement was heard that a dance was to be performed, I was very excited. Then the dancers came and did their thing. I was at the front and saw their facial expressions and movements. Then there was a point that a couple was to dance in the stage, like an Ibarra and Maria Clara, and I immediately noticed the extreme charisma of the male. he was indeed handsome that it was difficult for me to avoid looking. Then as the night went on, different dances were performed and I was waiting for him to appear on stage. Whenever he did, I would smile and avoid his gaze when he sees me looking. I was contented to be just on my seat and clap my hands when a dance was finished. However, there was a twist. After their last dance, he immediately approached me amidst all the dancers and people in the restaurant and told me to dance with him on the stage. I did not hear the announcement because I was too dazzled when he was approaching. I then wen to the stage and we both danced Tinikling, the national dance, and it was the most beautiful dance I have experienced. It was also my first time to dance Tinikling. I only wish I were an expert at that dance to avoid looking at my feet due to the fright that it may be squished by both bamboos as we held hands. I guess it was his smile that captivated me. Yep, it was definitely the smile.

I wanted to ask his name or maybe take a picture with him but I was too shy. And now, I have no idea who he is, or where he lives or even find him on facebook. He remains just this mystery man in my life. If only I had a little courage. But Filipino customs forbid me to be so daring as to do such an action. The male is the first one who should always approach a woman. It never goes otherwise. Or does it?

Sometimes I think that he was just compelled to do it anyway. I was literally at the front and inviting me would reduce the difficulty of inviting other people from farther tables. Also, he had to do it. It was part of the performance. I wonder how many ladies he had already invited to dance with him and asked for his name or post on facebook about how they were invited to dance by this really cute guy. In the end, it is just another fairytale because no one really knows the ending to those childish stories as much as I would never know the ending to mine.

He was the first guy to invite me to dance on stage. I, at least, am thankful for that.