edeL ramiLo

Reflection Paper on Student Anxiety

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

It is my first time to learn about the effects of Student Anxiety and I am thankful that it has been reported and discussed in class. It is such an eye opener for me to learn about the Inverted-U Theory where humans are said to operate at their best when they are moderately anxious or optimally aroused.
For the longest time, I did not know that a certain level of anxiety would be helpful . I used to think that anxiety would be best eradicated for all classes to come to their most efficient state.

As a major in Teaching in the Early Grades, I personally disagree with the use of too much paper and pencil tests to assess very young children. Aside from focusing much on the cognitive development of the children, I find it really unfair for children to be lead to feeling very anxious due to these forms of assessments. Add to that the soaring expectations of the parents. Aside from trying to find the right answers to the questions, students are usually found worrying about the reactions of other people on their performance.

I believe that for the young learners, at least, teachers need to be made aware of the ill effects of too much bias on test-taking as a source of information of what students know or can do. I think it would be better to instead use more accommodating forms of evaluation that would make children more comfortable with school and other assessment related activities.

As in my previous reaction on Student Approaches to Learning, I believe that this knowledge of the effects of anxiety on student performance, once again, gives teachers more power to help make learning a lot more easier and enjoyable for students to engage in. I cannot imagine being a teacher having no knowledge of these important revelations on student learning. I consider them golden opportunities to improve the teaching and learning process.

When I was still a student in elementary and high school, I remember a lot of moments when my teachers would show us a straight face and use a threatening voice as they enter the classroom. We would all be stunned by our teachers' presence and therefore try to slide back to our tiny chairs and keep our eyes and ears open for their instructions. I remember being one of the most responsible students in those kinds of classes. I think I developed a very good tolerance to cold and angry teachers and thought that it was actually normal because my father is simply just like that. My father does not talk to me kindly and raises his voice every single time. To see teachers like that was not something new to me.

However, upon realizing how students can be very much affected by anxiety in the learning environment, I think that teachers can and should be able to regulate their emotions properly and show more compassion and interest in their students. We would not want our students to be overly threatened by our unstable moods and our untendered personalities. I realized that not all students can be like me who are used to being frightened. Well, of course, that style usually works for those who wish to control the misbehaviors of a rowdy class, but to be consistently threatening cannot be a very good way to help students moderate their anxiety. Because of that, we cannot expect them to be working at their best.

With my knowledge of should anxiety, I can be an advocate of anxiety reduction in my future classes or even now as I deal with people in my daily life. I can be more supportive of people who are undergoing difficulties related to anxiety. I would always remember that the easiest way to reduce anxiety is by offering a different perspective on the problem or issue. In the same light, with this knowledge on anxiety, I am beginning to become a better evaluator of classroom practices/situations related to anxiety that can hinder student performance.

May I be an agent of change wherever I am now. :D

Reflection Paper on Student's Approaches to Learning

2011-09-10T01:55:00.000-07:00

It is my first time to be oriented with the three major Approaches to Learning, namely Deep Approach, Surface Approach, and Achieving Approach. While I was listening to the reporter, I was trying to seriously contemplate on which approach I am most probably inclined to use. As I was thinking, I realized the following truths about myself:

I always want learn.
I always want to have fun while learning.
I always want to have top marks.

It makes me wonder that maybe, there can also be a lot of instances where the three Approaches to Learning get to overlap. I think that a good combination of these approaches should also be appreciated. We cannot always require that students operate on the Deep Approach. Every person is unique and each has his/her own goals to fulfil in life. Whichever is beneficial to the person engaged in learning should be given the respect that they deserve. I think that it's too much to ask for the Deep Approach all the time. I just want the "discriminatory" remarks off, specially for those who are more inclined to using the Surface Approach and the Achieving Approach. It's not because I prefer the two approaches but because I just think that it is a more realistic perspective on the issue.

However, when it comes to teaching, I am and will always be supportive of the efforts to promote teaching strategies that result to having students engage in the Deep Approach. I recognize the importance of knowing how to use the Deep Approach. Of course, it would always be best if we engage into meaningful learning. It's just so sad that there are lots of times when some teachers lack the necessary training to become advocates of the Deep Approach. We sometimes tend to promote Surface Approach instead. Actually, there are many times when teacher-made tests reflect our emphasis on surface learning. Most of our questions are multiple choice, matching type, or fill in the blanks. But still, we need to respect these teachers who use those type of exams. Maybe that is what is expected of them to do. Maybe there are other external factors that affect the way they teach and assess their students. I wish everyone can be made aware of these approaches so that everyone can consciously help himself/herself become a better student/teacher.

In our class, at least, this orientation of the different learning approaches can prompt us to reflect on our own biases when it comes to learning and our own advocacies when it comes to teaching. I also find it very helpful to have a list of ideas on how teachers can encourage a deep approach in class. I think that the reporter really did a great job in her review of related literature and that she made a very good point emphasizing that teachers have the power to make student learning move to a higher level.

Please allow me to quote from the handout that was given to us. Watkins (1982) said that enthusiastic, skillful teaching aroused student interest in the subject matter being taught and that this tended to encourage students to adopt a deep-level approach to learning. Upon reading this, I remembered my niece who is studying in the country's top university. She keeps on telling me how boring one of her teachers is. She said that she is starting to regret having taken up the subject because each time she comes to class, she would always tend to sleep inside the classroom. I find it really disturbing because my niece is starting to forget about the value of learning what the subject is all about just because the teaching-style of this instructor is discouraging her to learn. I could not actually believe her remarks because she is such a competitive student. She's very grade conscious, very much inclined to achieving approach, but due to her teacher, she tends to engage in surface learning instead. She hates the teacher and learned to dislike the subject too.

As her guardian, of course, I try to explain to her the value of the topics that they discuss in class, but I can only do so much. I think that teachers, in general, have bigger responsibilities to promote interest in whatever subject they are teaching. I believe that the more successful they are in exploiting effective strategies, the more students would be inclined to engaging in the Deep Approach. It is always better to start a semester hating the subject you are enrolled in but end up loving it, instead of enrolling in a subject you thought you love and end up hating it because of the teacher.

I hope I can do better when I go teaching for real. :D

A Blessing From God

2011-05-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

Many months ago, my niece, Tomomi Hayashi, took the UPCAT for school year 2011-2012. However, because her chosen course was a quota course, she didn't get to meet the criteria. We were very sad. We all wanted her to study at the University of the Philippines, Los Banos (where I also finished my undergraduate course). We believe in the quality of education that the UP System provides and we also appreciate its affordability compared to many other schools in the country.

For a while, my niece grieved for the lost opportunity, but after some time, we were able to encourage her to fight for a spot in another course in UPLB that is equally compatible to her skills and interests. After moments of contemplation, she decided to have her name written on the waitlist.

She had a lot of sleepless nights, just because she was so worried and nervous about what could happen to her application. She didn't apply for any other school and whenever she is asked to do so, she cries like a little child. She knows in her heart that it would be UP or nothing.

While waiting for the interview, I advised her to appreciate the course she will be applying for and try to find it in her heart if she can see herself growing in the said course. Due to her eagerness to "win the battle," she purposefully practiced during the wee hours whenever the whole family is already asleep. She would try answering interview questions on her own too.

I made her think that she really has to take the interview seriously and that those few seconds that she will be spending with her interviewer would determine her entry to her dream university. I even told her that out of 1700 applicants, only 300 will be given an opportunity to enroll. It made her afraid even more, but it also made her more and more serious about doing a good job. She wanted the opportunity that bad.

On the day of the interview, I came to support her, even if I was having dyspepsia and fever that morning. We came in just in time to see how many hopefuls were lined up, waiting for the chance to show off what they've got. I guess, we both felt nervous back then, but I could not afford to make her know that I was also afraid for her. HAHA. :D So, instead of waiting for our turn at the lobby where hundreds of people were waiting, I decided to bring her to McDonalds to ease her mind a bit and help her fill-out the application form.

After about an hour, we went back to the lobby. We were surprised to observe how fast people were being interviewed! In no time, number "28" was called and was asked to stand in line, right beside other applicants. In about 10 minutes, the one-on-one interview commenced. I was left praying outside, trusting in the Lord.

After another 5 minutes, she was back with a smile on her face. She shared about how kind the interviewer was and how the interviewer simply asked her to tell something about herself. She said that she was feeling really confident and happy while sharing more information to the interviewer, but she felt a little dissatisfied with her performance. She said that, maybe, she could have given more.

At the end of it all, I told her not to think about it anymore and simply enjoy the moment and thank the Lord for the wisdom and strength that was given to her to make it all happen.

The day ended with her feeling really free from stress, while I went back to take some sleep because my fever hasn't been stopped by the paracetamol. HAHA. :D

Now, several days have passed and the results have been up for two days. My family and I are all very thankful to the Good Lord for giving Tomomi the chance to study in her dream university, no less than the University of the Philippines, Los Banos!

Oh, how I love receiving blessings from God!

Fight! Fight! Fight! :D

Your friend,

Edel Ramilo

How Ready Am I To Take A Plunge?

2011-05-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Elvin and I attended the Christening of Sophia Lorraine Denal, daughter of our friend Reden Denal. We attended the event with our friends Ebb Magtuba and Maan Ferrer. It was our first time to visit Red at his place so we were all excited to meet his whole family.

Red has a beautiful wife and two cute daughters! Sophia, the younger daughter, looked so much like Red. She was so cute in her white gown. We also met Red's mom who was busy taking care of Sophia.

We all had a great time sharing stories with each other yesterday, but there was one thing that truly surprised all of us. It was a sharing from Red, about how he managed to get a unit from that beautiful subdivision.

Red's place was only 15 minutes away from Robinson's Place Dasmarinas, Cavite. He lives in one of San Miguel Properties' subdivisions in Gen. Trias, Cavite. (I didn't know that San Miguel Corp. has its own real-estate company.)

One day, he was given a chance to avail of a promo. What kind of promo? Well, Red was offered to pay only P20,000 CASH. After that, he was allowed to move-in to the unit! How cool is that?!

Now, he is paying an affordable amount every month to make the unit his own! Wooot! Wooot!

Because of this, I started to wonder, what other promos are out there that are yet to be known to me? How could I be informed of similar opportunities in acquiring real-estate properties? How ready am I to grab such opportunities that will surely arise?

How ready am I to take a plunge?

Friends, how ready are you to take a plunge?

May the Good Lord bless our dreams.

I love Facebook!

2011-05-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Facebook saved my life.

In the past weeks, I have been constantly checking the UP Diliman Computerized Registration System for any updates about the 2011-2012 Online Pre-enlistment. I've been wanting to enlist as soon as possible, so I can save much time and effort during enrollment. However, I started forgetting about it after two weeks. I almost lost the chance to enlist online had I failed to check my Facebook notifications.

Facebook Wall

As I was carefully checking my notifications, I noticed my name being mentioned by classmate/friend (Frances "Tatan" Fontanilla). She informed me and another classmate/friend (Rosalie "Mae" de Ocampo) that online pre-enlistment is now open. I was amazed about how fast she knew about the information. I thought that she must have been diligently checking the UP CRS website too.

Upon looking into her Facebook account, I realized that another classmate/friend ("Sandra") posted the info on Tatan's wall. Tatan got the info from Sandra through her Facebook wall! I wondered, how much time have I saved by just receiving valuable information from my Facebook friends? Amazing!

Facebook Messages

After checking the schedule of the subjects, I decided to send a message to all my girlfriends. I typed a short message asking the girls about which subjects they will be enrolling this coming semester. I tagged Tatan, Mae, and Bethlehem "Bethel" Bertiz as recipients. At that time, Mae was having her vacation in Cebu, but fortunately, she was able to reply to my message promptly. We exchanged ideas and raised various concerns about the subjects. Later that night, Tatan joined us in the thread. I love the way the messages are arranged in Facebook. One can easily follow what everyone else has been talking about. The new messages are made to appear at the bottom of the thread. We get to read the messages from top to bottom, without the risk of getting lost.

We had a long thread that night. I had so many concerns that I needed to consult with my friends, but communicating with them was very much comfortable. The Facebook Message platform is so easy to navigate and exploit. If we wanted to, we can even send links, photos, and videos in the thread without occupying too much space. It's all neat and simple. Everyone can be sure to learn how to use it.

After that night, I started to appreciate Facebook even more. I realized how valuable it can be, no matter how serious or silly our intentions in using it may be.

I love Facebook! and I thank God that Facebook is FREE!

I also thank my friends who patiently replied to each of my queries! They make Facebook even more valuable. Wink!

Have a fun-filled Facebook life!

Love,

Edel Ramilo

My love cannot wait for another wake

2011-05-08T23:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my family and I went to Cabuyao, Laguna to attend the wake of my grandmother who died at the age of 75 due to heat stroke. Sadly, unlike heat cramps and heat exhaustion (which I experienced last Friday), two other forms of hyperthermia that are less severe, heat stroke is a true medical emergency that can be fatal if not properly and promptly treated.

Before going to Cabuyao, my mom thought of bringing sympathy flowers. She asked me to call our local florist to order one funeral wreath. It was my first time to do that in my entire life. I have never tried requesting for a funeral wreath before. I was actually quite worried about how the wreath would look like. I wondered if our local florist can do a good job. I was praying that the arrangement would look good so I won't hear any grumblings from my mom in the afternoon. It was Mother's Day, anyway, and I wouldn't want to disappoint my mom on a special day.

After watching the Pacquiao-Mosley fight, my family and I went to pick-up the funeral wreath. The florist loaded the flowers at the back of the car, so I didn't see how it actually looked. What I'm sure of is that it was big and that it had healthy looking flowers in it.

The journey to Brgy. Bigaa, Cabuyao, Laguna was short, as there were only few vehicles roaming the streets that time. We called it the Pacman power. Only Manny Pacquiao can clear our streets off cars that well.

When we went to the wake, I finally had the chance to bring the flowers to Lola Auring. She looked pretty in her usually smiling face. She still hasn't lost her morena beauty after all these years. When I looked at the flowers, I felt happy and satisfied. The local florist was good. She made us a really good wreath for lola. However, my satisfaction did not last long. A thought suddenly popped up and it got me thinking wild.

How can I be bringing these beautiful flowers to lola on her wake, when all these years, while she was still alive, I have not given her even a single rose? How could I be so cruel? How could I have lost all those years/opportunities to have made the difference in her life?

I felt really bad.

I had nothing else to say but "sorry."

Because of this, I promised myself yesterday, that I would not wait for another wake to give honor and to show love to the women who are most dear to me.

I would take the responsibility to express my sincere appreciation of the people in my life, no matter how simple my ways are.

I would take conscious effort to give more flowers to my loved ones, while they are still living and breathing by my side.

My love for them cannot wait for another wake.

Friends, I invite you to love now and worry not tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Edel Ramilo

How can I forget it's summer?

2011-05-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Elvin and I went out to do a series of activities in preparation for our wedding. We started our day with an interview with the all time favorite Parish Priest of St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish in the University of the Philippines, Los Banos. We had loads of fun and laughter with Fr. Thor Villacarlos, who made sure that the both of us are 101% fit to receive the sacrament of marriage.

Amazingly, in our short discussion, I have also learned from Fr. Thor about the existence of female impotence. At first, I actually thought that he was just joking, but when he said that he was serious about it, and that female impotence can be a valid reason for annulment, I promised to Google "female impotence" as soon as I get back home. Indeed, I learned that there are such medical conditions, even for females. But this is not what my article is about. (Laughs.)

Today, I'm writing about how I suffered yesterday after failing to consider how HOT summer is in the Philippines.

After having been exposed to the scorching heat of the summer sun, I experienced heat exhaustion. Oh, well, it was all my fault. I didn't bring enough water to sustain me the whole day and I didn't realize that failing to respond to my thirst for 2 to 3 hours would lead to heat exhaustion. And so, there I go, after allowing myself to fast for water (which I now realize is a really bad idea), I had severe headache, dizziness, and exhaustion.

I could have avoided that...I know.

I was wrong. I should have been more careful.

It isn't too hard to keep oneself safe from the summer heat, anyway. Here are some pointers from the Red Cross that we can follow to avoid similar problems from happening again.

Red Cross Heat Safety Tips:

Dress for the heat. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing. Light colors will reflect away some of the sun's energy. It is also a good idea to wear hats or to use an umbrella.

Drink water. Carry water or juice with you and drink continuously even if you do not feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which dehydrate the body. Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do so by a physician.

Eat small meals and eat more often. Avoid high-protein foods, which increase metabolic heat.

Slow down. Avoid strenuous activity. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during the coolest part of the day, which is usually in the morning between 4 and 7 a.m.

Stay indoors when possible. If air-conditioning is not available, stay on the lowest floor out of the sunshine. Remember that electric fans do not cool, they simply circulate the air.

How can I forget it's summer, di ba?

Friend, please keep yourself safe.

Love,

Edel Ramilo

Gmail, Y!m, Skype, unlimited Globe calls and texts, and Facebook

2011-05-04T20:44:00.000-07:00

Elvin and I love communicating with each other A LOT. Everyday, we use various media to keep in touch. Our favorite modes of communication include Gmail, Y!m, Skype, unlimited Globe calls and texts, and Facebook.

As much as possible, we keep our communication lines open, wherever we are and whatever we do. This way, we are able to understand each other's thoughts and feelings in a deeper level. But don't get me wrong. None of us dictate each other to communicate. We simply got used to sharing our thoughts to each other, no matter how silly or serious our thoughts are. He is not required to send updates every now and then, nor am I.

I thank God for helping us express our thoughts and feelings freely and effortlessly without the fear of being judged or ridiculed.

Because of this joy that I get from communicating with Elvin, I thought of replicating our habits with my relationships with other people. I try my best to communicate openly with my family and friends, wherever they are in the world. Thankfully, technology has made overseas communication a whole lot easier for everyone. I can easily greet my sister in Japan "Good morning!" every single day, without spending a lot of cash. A simple instant message via Y!m or Skype can make a difference. At least, she knows that everyday, I remember her, no matter how far she is. The same goes with my bestfriend, Mark, who is now in Korea. We try to send regular updates via Facebook. Because of this, I know whenever he experiences a headache or a nightmare or a surprise or whenever he is happy or sad. I, at least, have clues on how I can better reach out to him, regardless of distance.

I love the feeling of being connected to the people whom I love and care for. However, it is not as easy as it seems. At first, I was having a hard time developing the habit. There were times when I feel lazy and I would not want to send greetings or quotes. There are times when I have changes in my schedule and I forget to get in touch with them. But no matter how difficult it is at first, I just keep doing it over and over again, until it doesn't hurt anymore. Now, I receive so much satisfaction from being able to reach out to them and being able to serve them in my own little way.

I'd love to keep improving my communication skills and use it to improve my relationships with people who truly matter. With communication, life can become more meaningful and more exciting every single day.

I suggest that you make good use of it too.

Keeping in touch with you,

Edel Ramilo

Bingo cards without Bingo balls

2011-05-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

This morning, as I was exercising with my nephew (Ren) and my niece (Brigitte), I noticed that they were feeling a little bored and unchallenged. I asked them what was wrong and they gave me a little problem to solve.

The kids said that they were trying to look for something to do. It's summer vacation, anyway, and it seems that they are already running out of ideas on how to creatively spend their precious time.

And so, with this challenge in mind, I tried scanning the room for something that they can tinker with. In the previous weeks, we have already done a number of activities that tickled their interest. We tried cooking gelatin, making refrigerated cake, playing with water-based paint, watching Disney movies, and a lot more. This time, I wanted to introduce them to an activity that they have never tried before.

Fortunately, I saw an inch thick of Bingo cards piled up right in front of our cabinet. They were pretty new and attractive. I cannot remember playing with those cards before. I then decided to show the cards to them and invited them for a short game. However, we soon realized that the Bingo cards did not come with any Bingo ball. This then made the kids feel really sad. I felt sad too.

After some seconds, an idea popped up! Why not ask the kids to make the Bingo balls themselves?!?

I called the kids back and shared the challenge to them. They were again filled with hope and enthusiasm! They immediately began looking for materials to use in their project! Oh, how I love seeing them excited!

I then remember what Brian Tracy, a famous success mentor, once said, "Within every difficulty you face is the seed of an equal or greater benefit or opportunity."

With that, I'd say that we've got one opportunity seized!

Friends, let's keep seizing opportunities now and always.

Love,

Edel Ramilo

2011 Holy Week Self-regulated Retreat (Thanks to Jack Canfield's free course materials)

2011-04-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

I belong to a family where allergies are predominant. I'm allergic to chocolates, nuts, calamansi, orange, ponkan, and a lot more. So, during the Holy Week, due to my allergies, instead of participating in the Laguna Feast Holy Week Retreat, I had to stay in bed because I was not feeling well. So sad. Yes, I was so sad because I have been anticipating the fun and learning I would be having with my Laguna Feast friends. "Sayang!" I missed the retreat provided by our Brothers Jon Escoto and Michael Angelo Lobrin. What a loss.

Time was running slow. I felt like I had nothing to do but sleep and eat. I prayed for fast recovery. I drank all the medicine I had to take. I rested really well.

When I was feeling a little better, I decided to finally take a bath. I was so excited to get well. I wanted to read enriching articles from the internet. I got hold of my laptop and started reading the newsletters in my inbox.

I got to read about Jack Canfiled's Success with Jack website. He was offering free access to his life-changing materials. I immediately registered and browsed the whole site. I was overwhelmed with the wealth of valuable information freely given in the website: www.successwithjack.com. It was amazing!

I immediately decided to save the assignments and share it with my fiance, Elvin Peria. I asked him to spend a whole day with me at home, so we could both do the exercises provided by Jack Canfield. Elvin knows what kind of mentor Jack Canfield is, so he agreed to come to our house the next day.

Together, we were in a self-regulated Holy Week retreat. Together, we reviewed our life purpose, our dreams, and our aspirations in life. Together, we set our goals and devised our own list of affirmations to inspire and direct us everyday.

Jack’s Success Pack is a collection of Jack Canfield’s most powerful keys to success designed to help you take charge of your own success. Jack’s Success Pack stresses that only you have the power to change your life, so you make it a fantastic one!

The materials we got for free made us realize a whole lot of things about our worth, our career, our family, our future, our relationships. We felt so blessed to have read all of the free course materials that we decided to spend another day to polish our plans for the future.

Now, we feel more empowered and more engaged with life and all things that bring joy to our hearts.

How I wish all couples could spend time reflecting on the their lives together. I'm sure, Father God will be truly honored to see His children making the most out of the life He has given.

Let's live lives of love, fun, and abundance!

Sincerely,

Edel Ramilo

Edel Ramilo and Elvin Peria at the Sky Experience Adventure, Crown Regency, Cebu City, Philippines

2011-03-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

Edel Ramilo and Elvin Peria at the Sky Experience Adventure, Crown Regency, Cebu City, Philippines.

My favorite Religion teacher made me cry big time.

2011-01-18T23:39:00.000-08:00

Early this morning, I received a call from my boyfriend, Elvin Peria. His voice was low and I thought that he was about to say something really bad. I didn't have enough time to prepare myself for the message. He said, "Mahal, wala na si Mrs. Viriña." I couldn't believe what I was hearing from Elvin. To my disbelief, I tried recalling what he said and what it really meant. I only got it clear when he finally said, "It was a car accident." I hate the thought of having my guess right.

My heart started to beat so fast. My eyes were suddenly filled with tears. The only words I was able to mutter were "Oh my God! Oh my God!" My mom and my siblings were all looking at me, inquiring what went terribly wrong. I had to control my emotions to keep them all calm. It was a terrible surprise and I didn't know how to rightfully react. The pain I felt had a strong message. I felt really sorry for the tragic death of my favorite Religion teacher in elementary. She made me cry big time.

Her name was Mrs. Loida Enabore Viriña. She was our Religion teacher in Canossa Academy, Calamba, Laguna, Philippines. I remember, she was a very joyful and energetic teacher. She was fond of giving us affirmations and high grades. She was always included in our list of "My favorite teachers." She always wore her big smile with her almost always malikot and makulit na gestures and jokes. She was one of our most appreciative and loving teachers whom we love to do things with. I always remember her for her unique mole on the face and her brown complexion. She was always neat and organized. Recently via Facebook, we were all happy when she shared that she's now working in the US. She wanted her kids to have a better life so she was patiently enduring each day away from her loved ones.

Now that she's gone, I pray that God would take good care of her even more. I hope that God would also bless her family with greater strength and bigger blessings. I pray that her family would be given whatever it would take to overcome the pain of losing such a wonderful person.

My wise friend, Jason Mendoza, who was helping me accept what happened, said "It's a win-win. If she's done her mission, then God will take care of her family. If He sent someone else, that person would be best for her family. God takes care of His own."

I'd love to believe that.

To Mrs. Viriña, we love you and we will continue praying for you and your family. See you when you get home, even for the last time. I don't mind crying for you again.

---

1-10 Fatal Crash

Notes from the 2010 Kerygma Conference

2010-12-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

God, first.
Family, second.
Community, third.

---------------------

Formulate and work on a legacy that you wish to leave behind.

---------------------

8 Laws of Integrity:
1. Integrity is something you either have or you don't.
2. The higher the leadership position, the greater the need for integrity.
3. Integrity is determined by your beliefs.
4. Integrity determines trust. Trust determines leadership.
5. Integrity may not make you likeable but it always makes you respectable.
6. Integrity begets integrity.
7. Integrity demands high cost but the dividends are sure.
8. There is no distinction between integrity with the little things and with the big things.

---------------------

There is no "I" in TEAM.

---------------------

Concentrate in "WE" not in "ME."

---------------------

TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More

---------------------

If you are going to work with a Team, Grow UP!

---------------------

Myth: Great leaders have no weaknesses.

---------------------

You are not the smartest person and the most spiritual person in your community.

---------------------

Find strength and growth in admitting your weaknesses.

---------------------

It is never new information when you admit your weaknesses to your team.

---------------------

Teamwork means you never have to blame everything to yourself.

---------------------

Myth: For a leader, authority and competence is the same.

---------------------

Leverage your authority as much as possible.

---------------------

If you cannot pass, you cannot play.

---------------------

If there is no one to whom you can delegate the job, it is your fault. Go and develop leaders.

---------------------

Don't ask "How can we grow bigger?" Ask "How can we grow better?"

---------------------

5 Love Languages:
1. Words of affirmation
2. Quality time
3. Receiving gifts
4. Acts of service
5. Physical touch

Photos during Elvin's proposal at The Feast Laguna

2010-11-21T23:05:00.000-08:00

Special thanks to our Feast Laguna Family for the photos.

My boyfriend is a squealer no more. (The story of his proposal.)

2010-11-21T07:10:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,

I have good news for you!

Today, my boyfriend, Elvin Peria, has proven that he is a squealer no more.

For the past five years, I have known Elvin as someone who is very poor at keeping surprises secret. Knowingly or maybe unintentionally, he has the habit of giving away clues to his master plans whenever he is cooking a surprise in mind. Usually, he is unable to control his excitement that's why he gets to spill the stories ahead of schedule, but today is a different story.

As you may know, today, November 21, 2010, is a Sunday. On Sundays, we regularly come to SM Sta. Rosa to join our Light of Jesus Family at The Feast Laguna. Together, we worship the Lord and hear His words with our family and friends. Right after the Feast, we usually have lunch together and spend the rest of the afternoon with our friends.

On our usual way to The Feast Laguna, I received a text message from our Feast Director, Sis Gene Castillo, asking us for a favor. She wants Elvin and I to serve as mobile hosts for "God Treats," a segment of The Feast Laguna where volunteer attendees get to share to the whole Feast family about how God has blessed their lives. Honestly, I was a little hesitant to accept the task at first because we were only given a very short notice and I was not mentally prepared for the activity. I was actually hoping to go back home as soon as possible because my family needs our car in the afternoon. However, since we were convinced that the task would be very short and easy, I opted to give it a shot.

After the very inspiring talk of Bro Jon Escoto about Faithfulness, Elvin and I were called to facilitate the sharing for "God Treats." We got to accommodate three volunteers but when I asked the audience for more sharers, our director gave me a big "no" sign. I thought we had to cut the segment short because we were already running out of time, but then, my boyfriend, Elvin, who was my co-host, started to act as if he also wanted to share something. It felt really awkward because it seemed as if he wasn't at all sure of what blessing he wanted to share. He simply made a very short introduction and started asking for a certain video to be played on the big screen.

Thinking that Elvin was simply so nervous about the hosting job and thinking that I need to help him make a good introduction for the video, I thought of saying something like "Anong video yan?" with a "nang-o-okray" tone, until I started reading the shady letters on the video with a seemingly touching background music. I was having a hard time figuring out what the video was about because I wasn't wearing my eyeglasses and the lights were so powerful I could hardly see what's on the big screen, until I read the line "It was the best FIVE years of my life and I can't wait to be with you for eternity." That's the only time I got the idea and when I turned my back, I saw Elvin holding a box and as he opened it in front of me, then I realized that he was indeed doing a proposal. He knelt down without a word. Staring at him, I didn't know what to say. I felt tears gushing out of my eyes. I then blurted out "I hate you!" Hahahahaha. :D And I think I said it twice. Haha. :D

I answered back with a tight hug and as Bro Jon asked us to come up the stage so the whole Feast Laguna family could pray over us, I could not stop myself from crying. My heart was simply filled with so much joy and astonishment. I couldn't believe it was all happening at a moment when I least expected it.

Gosh! I didn't even had a clue! :D

What a blessing this day is, for me and my loved one!

For this, I thank God for His faithfulness and generosity!

I thank every single person who has always been supportive of our relationship!

...And as of today, we are officially engaged.

Please continue praying for us.

Love,

Edel Ramilo

The Power of Prayers: A lesson from Manny Pacquaio

2010-11-19T18:26:00.000-08:00

This morning, as I was having breakfast, my father turned the radio on, tuning in on a radio station which airs the arrival of The Greatest Fighter in the World today, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao.

I felt very proud and happy for Manny Pacquiao for finally reuniting with his kids after a long time. He said he has been really busy with his training and fight that he missed his kids a whole lot. He plans on spending most of his time with his children in the coming days to make up for the days when he was away.

While our dear kababayan was being interviewed, he was asked to give a message to the Filipino athletes who are currently competing abroad. I did not expect to learn something really really important from his message though. He said that more than the physical and mental preparations he did prior the fight, he also focused on his spiritual preparation. He said that no matter how good a player/athlete is, one cannot succeed without prayers.

My idol, Manny Pacquiao, really is a very prayerful man, that whenever he begins and ends his fight, he kneels down at his corner and prays to the Almighty God. He must be really blessed and taken cared of by God for having achieved something monumental in the history of boxing. That's eight boxing belts in a row!

I hope we can always remember this lesson from our kababayan, Manny Pacquiao. If we are dead serious about becoming successful in our respective careers, we better learn to bend our knees and pray for God's blessings, just like Manny, the modern day "David" (for me at least).

Long live, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao!!!

The Montessori Method by Dr. Maria Montessori

2010-11-14T19:54:00.000-08:00

The Maria Montessori Method by Dr. Maria Montessori

The Montessori Method - Maria Montessori

The first day of my second semester

2010-11-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

Today, I went to school for the first day of my second semester as a graduate student of the College of Education, University of the Philippines, Diliman. It is also my first time to enroll in a class outside of the College of Education. For this semester, one of the subjects I enrolled in is FLCD 223, known as "Child Development Programs." The said subject is from the College of Home Economics.

I was happy to meet our teacher, Dr. Evalyn Hizon, who has been with the College of Home Economics since 1972. She will be retiring in 2011. I thank God for giving me a chance to get to learn from her before she retires.

I am attending the class with my fellow Teaching in Early Grades major, Mae de Ocampo. At first, we were worried about how we will manage to meet the requirements of the subject, but when our dear teacher started to explain the topics that will be discussed in the course, we felt a little more confident because there were a number of topics which we can easily relate to after having attended the subject EDTEG 201, known as "Foundations in Teaching in the Early Grades," last semester. We had Prof. Leonor Diaz (Teacher Nong) as our teacher back then, an inspiring teacher from the College of Education. Personally, I miss Teacher Nong.

Anyways, this week, I will also be meeting my teachers for the two other subjects that I will be attending for the second semester namely EDSP 222 (The Montessori Approach to Education) and EDTEG 211 (Trends and Approaches in Teaching in the Early Grades).

I find all these subjects very interesting as these do not only make me a potentially great teacher but also a potentially great mother to my future kids. I have but God to thank for all the learning opportunities He has been giving me all these years.

How I wish every mom or future mom can also take time to get to know more about Teaching in the Early Grades too. Motherhood can surely be even more meaningful if coupled with proper education.

EDFD201 Reaction Paper: Psycho-Philosophical Foundations of Education

2010-11-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

EDFD201 Reaction Paper: Psycho-Philosophical Foundations of Education Final Paper

A Day In Pagsanjan Falls

2010-09-16T04:04:00.000-07:00

Kids usually hold a grand party on their 7th birthday, but for my nephew, Ren, he only had one thing in mind. He wanted to go out with the whole family to a famous Philippine tourist spot, as seen in his Sibika book. Initially, he thought of visiting the Chocolate Hills in Bohol. We welcomed his idea but reminded him that his birthday was coming in less than a week. We told him that it would be a little difficult for the family to arrange a trip to Bohol with too short a time. We then gave him time to rethink things. He got busy checking his Sibika book, again, looking for a good place to visit. Fortunately, he got interested to an awesome water feature in the Laguna area, The Pagsanjan Falls.

A day before his actual birthday, we made Ren’s birthday wish come true.

Starting our journey from our hometown, Calamba, Laguna, we traveled for about one hour to reach the Official Pagsanjan Falls Tourist Information Center where we were welcomed by a cheerful representative from the office of the now Gov. Jeorge “ER” Ejercito Estregan. In the tourist information center, we were told of how we can get to the Pagsanjan Falls. We were also briefed on the rates paid for the trip. In our case, we were told that the all inclusive fee costs P1,300 per person. This, however, confused us because all of the signage that we saw on the way to Pagsanjan Falls indicated that the standard boatride was P1,000. To keep our adrenalin up, tough, we decided not to focus on the price difference and instead pursue our mission as soon as possible.

Here is a picture of our family inside the Pagsanjan Falls Tourist Information Center.

The representative from the tourist information center then assigned us to one of the local hotels in Pagsanjan. The hotel provided our helmets, life jackets, and shower facilities. They were also the ones who arranged for our boatride.

Here is a picture of my nephew, Ren, with my Mom, and Ren’s Dad (all getting ready for the boatride).

It took us about an hour to get to the Pagsanjan Falls. On our way there, we had a lot of fun appreciating the beauty of the man-made structures and all-natural features parallel to the river.

The boatride was not a no-sweat-job for our boatmen. There were a lot of times when they had to literally carry or drag the boat to its destination. This made us appreciate the efforts of our jolly boatmen who shared with us a lot of stories along the way. They told us that there are around 1,000 boatmen in Pagsanjan who get to work once a week, as they are called by the number. They usually have foreign visitors from Japan and Korea, so they get to learn some foreign words every now and then. They also explained to us that Pagsanjan Falls is actually located in Cavinti, Laguna and not in Pagsanjan, Laguna. We also learned from them how the Pagsanjan boatmen have changed from the chaotic set-ups before into the courteous and jolly boatmen that they are now. The boatmen were used to be known for harassing their visitors in exchange for money. They say that some still do it but most of them have already changed, thanks to the former Mayor and now Governor Jeorge Estregan. Upon hearing this, I realized how fortunate we were for having sought the guidance of the tourist information center.

When we got to our last stop, we were ecstatic to see the Pagsanjan Falls. We then run as fast as we could to get to see its magnificence. We walked along side very big rocks that equally amazed us, especially the birthday celebrant. When we finally saw the falls, it was breathtaking! We then realized that we can actually go the “cave” right behind the falls. So we all waited for our turn to ride the “balsa.” We swum along the sidelines of the water where we experienced its coldness. The kids were really very happy!

When our chance to ride the balsa came, we all got nervous. We did not know what to expect. We were all cheering on each other and holding each others’ back to make sure we do not fall into the water. Thank goodness, we all wore helmets! The current was so strong that the experience was actually incomparable to anything we’ve had before. We were as if battling against a super typhoon that we could not do anything but scream and shout! It was really a whole lot of fun for everyone! Crossing the Pagsanjan Falls seemed dangerous at first but when we got inside the cave, we were convinced of how safe it was, even for kids as young as my newphew, Ren.

Thanks to the Pagsanjan Falls, Ren’s 7th birthday will forever be remembered in an oh so special way!

I hope you can try it out yourself with your family and friends.

Long live the Philippines!

Visiting Taal Volcano in Batangas (while it was in a good mood)

2010-08-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Last night, as I was watching the news on television, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) was said to have recorded an increased activity from the Taal Volcano in Batangas. I was then reminded of my recent family trip to the Taal Volcano crater.

It has always been our family's dream to view the Taal Volcano up close and personal. We have always awed the beauty of the volcano's sight from Tagaytay and we have always wondered how it would be like to really be walking on the edges of the volcano's mouth.

We finally took the chance of making our dream come true when one Sunday night, our family stayed at the Picnic Grove Hostel as we got ready for our Taal Volcano trip on early Monday morning. The Picnic Grove Hostel is a very wholesome and affordable place to stay in Tagaytay. An air-conditioned room cost as low as P1,800. It may not have the amenities that other hotels would offer but the Picnic Grove has more than enough area covered with trees and challenging terrain to keep you busy for your morning jog.

Early Monday morning, we met with one of the many authorized tour guides from the Department of Tourism stationed at the Picnic Grove. He explained to us how we will get to the famous Taal Volcano Crater, coming from Tagaytay. We were also informed of how much we are to pay for the tour. In our case, where we were exactly 10 pax, including children. We were asked to pay P4,850 for the boat ride (crossing the Taal Lake, going to the Taal volcano) and P5,500 for the horse ride (P550 per person, going to the volcano crater). Please note that these rates only apply to Filipino citizens.

Upon agreeing with the terms, our tour guide then joined us in our car and led us to the shores of Taal Lake where many motor boats were lined up, waiting for more tourists. Our tour guide asked us to buy bottled water for everyone, telling us that there wouldn't be stores on our way to the crater where we could buy drinks in case we get really thirsty. He also offered us a list of Filipino dishes that we could enjoy for lunch after visiting the volcano crater. Each dish costs P450 but the serving is good for 3 to 4 persons. An unlimited serving of rice was also offered for P200. Having settled all these, our family was finally invited to get in the boat named, "Exclusive." Hehe.

The boat ride was about 20 to 30 minutes. From the boat, we enjoyed the view of the many fish cages set up in the Taal Lake, the view of the mountains, and of course, the closer look at the Taal Volcano. We were however surprised when we were told that the whole island that which we were about to visit is the Taal Volcano itself. Also, the boatmen noted that the crater that we would be visiting is not the one that we usually think of...This is not where we were going...

According to the boatmen, the crater shown above was said to have died many years ago and that it wouldn't be our destination. We were all astonished when we heard that. After all these years, we have been looking at the wrong volcano crater. Haha.

When we got to the shore of the island volcano, we were each given a horse to ride towards the volcano's crater. Each of us also had one horseman who served as our tour guide. At first, were all very much comfortable on our seats for the terrain was mostly flat at the beginning, BUT there came the challenge when we started seeing the tricky, curvy, muddy, and edgy paths that we were about to pass through with out dear horses. Please note again that most of us were first time horse riders, including my 7 year old nephew, my 68 year old mom, and my 75 kilos sister-in-law. You'll hear them call the names of the saints and angels as they struggled to keep themselves seated on the back of their horses. Haha.

For the most part, the 45 minutes horse-ride going to the volcano crater was the fun part of the experience (maybe because there was a great mixture of fear and excitement as we all struggled to keep ourselves safe at the back of our horses). Haha.

When we got to the crater, however, we all forgot about our butt pains!

We all rushed to the view deck and enjoyed the astounding view of the Taal Volcano Crater! We saw the smoking rocks and the bubbling waters at the edge of the crater and talked about it with "Manong Buko" who was selling super fresh and super cold buko juice for P50 each. Woah! It was all worth it!

Manong Buko was indeed very hospitable that he offered to take our pictures before we left. He is also very talented because he has learned to speak Korean and Japanese to accommodate their usual foreign visitors. We actually met a lot of Koreans at the view deck, most of them above their 40's. They were as thrilled as we were and took a lot of pictures of the place with their high tech cameras. Nakakatuwa sila. Haha.

I hope that you could get to visit the Taal Volcano Crater too. Just make sure you go there while it is in a good mood. Wink!

My first attempt on Powerpoint + Camtasia

2010-08-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

Summary of the cross-cultural differences in children's emotional reactions to a disappointing situation. A journal report relating to children's socio-emotional development, presented under the subject Foundations of Teaching in the Early Grades.

***Please pardon the mispronunciations in the presentation. The reader was bearing a terrible toothache during the production of this material. Thank you.

My first quarter homeschool experience with my nephew, Ren Louis

2010-08-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

Homeschooling my nephew was one of the greatest things that ever happened in my life. I have never shown this much patience and compassion to anyone as I have shown to Ren. The experience has changed me, as much as it changed him.

Our day usually starts with an opening prayer. We lead the prayer alternately. Most of the time, our prayers are filled with thanksgiving. My nephew would usually say, "Thank you, Lord, for our delicious breakfast, for my crayons and my pencils! I love them a lot!" His prayers never fail to make me grin. We appreciate him leading the prayer now. He used to be so shy and wouldn't want to say a word.

Ren is comfortable studying one or two subjects a day. It pisses him when we spend a short time discussing one different topic after another. He doesn't want leaping from one subject to another.

He is a very patient student but I do my best to animate my stories so he doesn't get sleepy. I always tap on his previous knowledge of a topic before I go introducing him our lesson for the day. After having understood the details of the lesson, he would ask me to give him a lot of quizzes to answer. He LOVES answering tons of quizzes and amazingly, he would ask me to give him a time to beat! Like for a 5 item quiz, I'd give him 3 minutes to answer. He enjoys it so well that he craves for more and more quizzes!

Consequently, as a form of appreciation to his eagerness to learn, I thought of giving him incentives. At first, I'd give him food, like pastillas. He'd share his prizes with me and so I get double the fun. Hehe! He's a very generous kid that he'd even cut a candy in half just to give you a piece of what he's eating. But eventually, I thought of giving him a chance to play Tap Tap on my Ipod Touch each time he gets a perfect score. From 10,000 points, he is now averaging 80,000 points in the game and his self esteem has soared a lot! He is very honest when playing Tap tap. If I say he only gets one round to play, he'd immediately give the Ipod back to me after one round. There was never an attempt to fool me or hide his scores from me.

He is also more confident now more than ever and is becoming even more active as he discovers all the many things he could do with his body. Last month, he started his Karatedo training with many other kids in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. We were all amazed with his passion for the martial arts. We didn't expect him to like "moving a lot." We used to have him trained to dance but he wouldn't wanna move, but now we see him practicing on his own, counting aloud in Japanese, "Ich. Ni. San. Shi." He even joined a novice Karatedo exhibition in Robinson's, Sta. Rosa. He was the youngest but one of the most confident participants in the exhibition.

Ren used to hate reading books because he tends to have a hard time decoding words, but now, he already loves books. We even bought him story books of his most favorite Disney and Pixar movies like Alvin and the Chipmunks and UP. He would read them when he has got nothing to do or he would ask us to read it to him. Although he finds the CFA Reading book challenging, he never fails to understand the stories, so he gets to answer the comprehension questions very well. We sometimes supplement the stories with videos from YouTube to deepen his understanding of the new concepts introduced.

If there is one thing that Ren is having a hard time doing, that would be reading the directions and following them on his own. Even if he is able to read the directions, he would still ask me if his understanding of it is right. Sometimes, I answer his questions. Sometimes, I simply read the instruction again aloud. Sometimes, I ask him to read it again while I explain to him unfamiliar words or phrases. I understand that directions can be very tricky most of the time. Maybe, he's just careful not to lose the chance to play Tap Tap.

When it comes to doing Math, he doesn't want me explaining things too much. Once he understands the concept, he expects me to bombard him with a lot of mini quizzes. It amazes us how happy he is when answering all those Math problems. He's the only kid in the family whose favorite subject is Math. Haha. When he is so fired up, I take the chance to give him more time to work on his own. He loves to see me trusting in his Math abilities.

Ren also enjoys doing Arts. Even if we are not scheduled to do Arts, he would sometimes ask for some Art materials to work with. I let him explore with his mini-scissors, crayons, water color, and all. He doesn't want us peeping on his work though. He wants us to check on his work when it's all done. We then congratulate him for his job well done, as we have always been doing. We post his artworks on the walls and show it to visitors every now and then.

Our family agreed to give him a field trip every month and for the month of August, we went to the Taal Volcano Crater. He experienced traveling the zigzag roads, riding the motor boats, riding the horse, and climbing the mountain. He was so happy with his new experience that he is starting to think about where to go next.

So far, our homeschool experience has been very very memorable for all the members of the family and we look forward to learning more from Ren in the coming days.

I hope all Filipino children are having as much fun with their families and academics too.

Thanks for taking time to read.

Sincerely,

Edel Ramilo

A Filipino teacher's thoughts on the digitized form of reading via Kindle

2010-08-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

A Reaction Paper on the article "Books aren't dead (They're just going digital)."

I agree with Bill Hill when he said that the transition from the traditional typographic reading to the new reading has already happened and we have not noticed. I, for one, am a perfect example of this. As an online marketer (actively maintaining a website for the Light of Jesus Family in Laguna and creating a number of online sales pages for various commodities; not to mention homeschooling my nephew using various online media), I am very much exposed to writing and reading online. On a daily basis, I spend 6 to 8 hours a day writing and reading in the internet, short form and long form of reading included. However, not until I read about the said transition have I realized that I have already been accustomed to the now famous electronic reading.

Honestly, it had never occurred to me that there would be people like Annie Proulx who would not appreciate all the benefits that the new reading provides us. Electronic readers such as the ambitious Kindle, the high priced Ipod, and the equally talented Dell Pocket PC mentioned in the article offer unlimited possibilities for progress both for the readers and the writers alike. That was what I thought at first, until I started doing this reaction paper.

There have been many details mentioned in the article as to how the new reading differs from the traditional reading. A major change would be the shift from the printed form to the digitized form of reading materials. Digitizing the superbly designed book meant that books are now literally paperless. As Bill Hill mentioned, the new age books, called e-books, would free us from the energy-wasting, resource-draining process of producing physical books, making the transition eco-friendly at first look. The whole world should be rejoicing for this breakthrough, right? Well, not really. Why? I think we also have to ask how eco-friendly it would be to produce all those electronic readers that we would use to view the e-books. Would needing just one Kindle for a person’s whole lifetime be enough to justify its claim of being eco-friendly? The issue of weighing which is more sustainable would have to be resolved in a different venue though for it does not directly affect the reading teacher’s endeavors, but the issue of pricing follows this argument as well.

E-books sold online are said to be priced lower than the books sold at physical libraries and this price difference is seen to be an opportunity to encourage more people to buy and read books. This claim could be true for I have been personally buying e-books online and find them worth every penny. This price difference encourages me to read more and as I read more, I am able to share more. This affordability can directly benefit both reading teachers and students. However, a very affordable electronic reader would then be necessary to make a significant increase in e-book consumption. If we are to put this in the light of the Philippine scenario where the price of a Kindle is even higher than the usual monthly income of a common Filipino teacher, I think it would be fair to suppose that e-books and electronic readers alike would have to wait for a while.

If there is one thing that I am overly excited about, it would be the Kindle’s ability to work anywhere around the world, “as long as the batteries are charged.” It makes me imagine how easy it would now be to buy books with a Kindle even when you are millions of miles away from the source. There would be no need for teachers to travel to the larger cities just to find the books of their interest. They would have entire collections of relatively affordable books at their grasp. Given an electronic reader that can connect anytime, everywhere, there would be no need to wait for weeks or months for book deliveries. There would also be no such thing as “books out of stock.” The new reading indeed makes “all works of human kind available to all people.” As I imagine it in the Philippine setting, where provincial schools are very much isolated, much of them can really benefit from this feature of accessibility, BUT that is if reading teachers would be given enough resources to do the purchase. Without the financial resource, however, as I have stated in the previous paragraph, our people has yet to have a chance of benefiting from this innovation.

Another sweet treat mentioned in the article that concerns me a lot is the fact that Amazon has really exerted much effort to make their electronic reader evoke an almost real aura of bookishness. Indeed, “reading on a televisionlike screen a desktop away is not the ideal experience.” But with the Kindle, which is said to provide the same experience as physical books do, ludic reading can now be possible in an electronic device. This possibility is not new for me though for I have personally finished reading the Harry Potter series by reading the e-book version in my laptop. I think it’s simply a matter of getting used to using the new technology. However comfortable I am with reading e-books on my laptop, I cannot expect my teachers in high school or in college who are almost 30 or 40 years older than me, to appreciate the digital experience as much as I do. I even doubt if they now know how to operate computers effectively (with all due respect to my beloved teachers). I am sure they would best prefer the physical books over electronic readers, as other writers have argued in the article. But for the younger generations of reading teachers and students, I do not think that encouraging them to read via Kindle or other electronic reader would be of any problem. Being exposed to computers and more complicated gadgets at an early age, the younger generations would find shifting from reading via physical books to electronic books relatively easy.

On the number of interruptions in an online book, however, I believe that it can be easily resolved by simply manipulating the settings of the electronic reader according to the comforts required in the reading experience. Jumping from one reading material to another then becomes a separate issue of discipline. This is where the guidance of reading teachers would be very much necessary.

This change from the old to the new is something that we should not be afraid of. Instead, this change should be seen as something that supports our teachings goals. However, that is if we choose to make the new reading our ally. If we run away from it and act as if it were a villain in our teaching world, we will soon be left out. Our students will miss all the learning opportunities that many other students around the world may be enjoying. If we make it an ally though, we need to be humble enough to accept that we still have a lot to learn. We would need a deeper understanding of how it all works. As teachers, we will need a lot of time and training before we get to master it all, but the earlier we begin to learn, the better. The less afraid we are to try and explore the unlimited possibilities that the new reading offers, the more we become creative and productive in using it.

Enjoying the cold breeze at Picnic Grove Tagaytay

2010-08-13T01:57:00.000-07:00

My older sister, Elizabeth, came home from abroad two Thursdays ago. She wanted to have some fun with the family in a park near the Laguna area where she could run around and play with her kids. Since we have always been visiting Nuvali (Sta. Rosa) every time she comes home, she thought of finding another place to have fun.

Around 15 to 20 minutes away from Sta. Rosa, Laguna is Picnic Grove, Tagaytay. It's a place where you can do site seeing, horseback riding, kiting, shopping and the likes. That day, however, our interest was on experiencing the Cable Car Ride and the Zipline Ride, which we think are the newest attractions in Picnic Grove.

Funny as it may seem, near the gate, we were welcomed by the foul smell of the horses for hire. We were all laughing as each of us tried to hold our breath upon passing by. The kids didn't mind the smell though. They kept on pointing at the horses and saying "Wow! Gusto ko ding sumakay sa kabayo!" Haha!

Wanting to breathe fresh air, the adults opted to bring the kids to a slope covered with grass where they can fly kites. Each of them bought a ready made kite from one of the many vendors inside. The kids got very excited again because the cold Tagaytay breeze was blowing so hard that it was an ideal time to make kites fly. The kites actually flew by themselves that the kids didn't have to worry about not knowing how to fly them.

Unfortunately, after around 5 minutes of enjoying the peaceful scenery and the extra cold wind, dark clouds came in and poured rain (evidently seen in the picture above). Everyone had to rush back to their cottages. As for our family, we opted to take refuge in a small restaurant in front of our cottage. We took the opportunity to order our favorite brewed coffee and pancit bihon for merienda. After about an hour of eating our hearts out, we finally decided to come out of the restaurant and pursue our goals of riding both the Cable Car and the Zipline.

Everybody was thrilled by the thought of trying out the very affordable cable car and zipline ride. However, when we were about to take our turn, heavy rains suddenly poured again that we had to postpone our intention to engage in the 24 seconds adventure. We ended up running back to one of the nearest souvenir shops where we bought a lot of beautiful native bags and shirts for the whole family.

Before heading home, we promised ourselves to go back to the Picnic Grove this week to finish our aborted mission last Sunday afternoon. I'm looking forward to enjoying Tagaytay's cold breeze again this weekend. I'm sure my family won't forget to bring their jackets and umbrellas anymore. Wink!

I thank God that I am safe and loved.

2010-08-11T23:04:00.000-07:00

Friends,

As you may know, the past week had been a very challenging week for me. I have experienced one of the things that I least expected to happen in my whole lifetime. Being sexually harassed by a practicing professional really made me learn a lot.

Without having to focus on how terrible my experience was, I wish to express my most sincere gratitude to the people who have expressed their sympathy to me as I was battling with the psychological effects of the incident. Your kind words and assurance of support make me stronger.

Thank you so much for bothering to call, text, and email/PM me...

Tomomi Hayashi
Rachelle Paunlagui
Marvin Medrana
Lemuel Cena
Jeddahlyn Acuna
Bro Jon Escoto
Sis Mayet De Leon
Bro Rem Arganda
Maricar Rovira
Jessica Claridad
Harold Ebora
Jessiline Cheng
Guring Ramilo
Atty. Tina Navarro
Dr. Dada Rosanes
Arnold Domondon
Jason Manilay
Faye Nguyen
Mei Elazegui
Joanne Saucelo
Vanessa Liwanag
Jick Placido
Abigail Coronel
Wilson Testa
Mini Campos
Marge Garchitorena
Jenny Macaraan
Raymond Santiago
Carol Okada
Geraldine Gamboa
Stephanie Asi

I would also like to thank the Peria Family for bearing to hear my remorse right after the incident: Tito Efren, Tita Alice, Jas, and Elvin.

I also thank SPO2 Herbert Mendoza for the most empowering words I have used to beat the fear I feel towards my offender. Effective, Bert. Pero ayokong sabihin na "sa uulitin."

Heartfelt thanks to my family too. It's really a lesson learned.

Let me take this chance to remind everyone to take extra care of their female loved ones. When they ask you to accompany them, please do. When they text you, please reply. When they call you, please call back. It's never safe to assume that they are in good hands.

That's all for now.

Thanks for taking time to read.

Sincerely,

Edel Ramilo

Books versus Zombies: Are you going for the old or the new?

2010-08-02T01:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

My reading teacher asked us to make a reaction paper on the issue of the changing nature of reading from print to the now famous hypertext. If you are wondering what a hypertext is, a perfect example of it is this article that you are currently reading.This is a hypertext, while the ones on print are the books in your shelves and the newspaper in your living room. Wink!

Some say that the change from reading the printed ones to reading hypertext is good, but some argue that it is not.

Please allow me to share with you my personal opinion on this issue (from a perspective of a current homeschooler and a future preschool administrator)...

As an online marketer, actively maintaining a website for the Light of Jesus Family in Laguna and creating a number of online sales pages for various commodities, I am very much exposed to writing and reading hypertext.

I am 101% convinced that just like the Movable Type, the hypertext is changing the way people share all sorts of information or knowledge across the globe. But just the same, the presence of this technology, specifically the hypertext, will definitely require a new set of skills that most of us have not yet learned or developed.

I sincerely agree that the use of hypertext changes the way we read. Most of the changes are beneficial, such as the availability of opportunities to enhance our critical thinking skills, to collaborate with other people without being limited by time and space, to integrate all forms of available media which enhance our learning, and to provide us with virtually unlimited access to information that matters to us.

Through the years, I have successfully produced a number of valuable data that came about by maximizing the above mentioned benefits of using the internet and working around hypertext. I have even received a certification through an online educational program, provided by people who are literally on the other side of my world. This proves how much I value and appreciate the creation of this medium.

On the other hand, let me not forget to reiterate that I also agree that to manage reading hypertext, one is required to possess a higher level of discipline and intelligence as compared to reading paper. Personally, I have lots of stories to share about how much time I have lost struggling to read productively when using the hypertext. There have been so many times when I missed a lot of context clues, felt disoriented, and got cognitive overhead while reading hypertext. These difficulties, however, can be addressed in many ways and should not be the basis for disregarding the value of this innovation.

For the benefit of the younger generations, I believe that we ought to develop the skills that would make us adept in writing and reading hypertext. There is already no question about whether we are going to shift from typography to hypertext. That is because we already are.

Our students have long started to appreciate or favor hypertext over typography and I believe that they really should. One reason for this change of heart is the comfort of learning from home or from anywhere in the world where there is a computer and internet connection. Our quest for information has never been this “easy,” especially when we get to master the new skills that reading hypertext requires. Another reason would be the practicality this technology offers. While book prices remains high, free articles about anything under the sun have exponentially multiplied in the internet, making it all the more attractive to learn from the new medium. These days, knowledge is even more available to those who are proficient in searching for it.

This change is something that we should not be afraid of. Instead, this change should be seen as something that supports our teachings goals. However, that is if we choose to make it our ally. If we run away from it and act as if it were a villain in our teaching world, we will soon be left out. Our students will miss all the learning opportunities that many other students enjoy as they read hypertext. If we make it an ally though, we need to be humble enough to accept that we still have a lot to learn. We would need a deeper understanding of how it all works so we can be effective in guiding our students in the proper use of this medium. As teachers, we will need a lot of time and training before we get to master it all, but the earlier we begin to learn, the better. The less afraid we are to try and explore the unlimited possibilities the hypertext offers, the more we become creative in using it.

Thanks to the hypertext that I am now able to share my thoughts with you even if you are miles away from me. This just proves how powerful and useful the creation of hypertext is in the sharing of knowledge to the whole wide world.

I hope you'll choose to learn how to use this technology too.

Sincerely,

Edel Ramilo

PS. If you are interested in reading more about this issue, you are very much welcome to browse my teacher's website: Nemah Hermosa, From Typography to Hypertext: The Changing Nature of Reading.

Project Inkheart: A Review of the Movie Inkheart (in light of the theories and concepts in Psychology of Reading)

2010-07-27T23:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Allow me to share with you one of our group projects in my subject Psychology of Reading.

As you may know, I am currently taking up Master of Arts in Education at the College of Education, University of the Philippines, Diliman.

So far, this has been one of the most memorable group projects that I've had in my first semester. I have been blessed with groupmates who are equally gifted in beauty, knowledge, and good attitude. Hehehe!

If you have the time, you might want to watch the movie Inkheart too. It's a great adventure story for the whole family.

I hope you'll find this text of value, specially if you are already a parent raising your kid to become a real reader.

God bless.

Sincerely,

Edel Ramilo

Psychology of Reading a Review of the Movie Inkheart

President Noynoy Aquino's First State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2010

2010-07-26T06:19:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I am happy to share with you that our new president's website is up and running.

We can now be updated about President Noynoy Aquino's activities at The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.

Here's a link to a complete copy of President Noynoy's First State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2010. Note that they posted an English and a Tagalog version of the PNoy's First State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2010.

Personally, I am convinced that the Philippines is off to a good start with PNoy. He may not have detailed his future intentions but his moral ascendancy makes him a symbol of hope to every Filipino who is looking for righteousness in the Philippine government. PNoy deserves our trust and support. PNoy needs the Filipino people, now more than ever.

Let the SONA 2010 be our inspiration towards a brighter future.

Long live PNoy!

Long live the Philippines!

I love my father.

2010-07-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

Around 10 years ago, it was impossible to hear me say the words: I love my father.

Like many other fathers in the whole wide world, my father was really really imperfect. Through him I got introduced to the famous Filipino words "put*ng *na, t*anga, *lol, g*go." Those are his most favorite words ever! I got so used to them that when I hear people say those words, I feel like home. Hehehe!

He was also a very very good smoker, puffing 3 packs of cigarette a day. He'd spend most of his time puffing with his "macho" friends with matching five cases of beer a day or even more. AND! When he gets drunk, he'd run around the house searching for me and my mom, trying to bully us around with the usual hurtful words. For fear of losing our lives, we learned to lock ourselves in the house, or sometimes, in our room, praying that he'd soon fell asleep and forget that we ever existed.

My father is sooo imperfect that I once wished he'd simply be gone forever. As in gone forever.

BUT...

After so many years of relentlessly praying to God and reaching out so my father would change, here we are, as if, nothing as terrible as all that ever happened before.

My father is still the most nasty and most difficult person to handle in the family right now but he definitely changed a lot. Now, there's just so many good things about him and our relationship that I can super duper appreciate.

My dad cooks our favorite food. You read it right. My dad is a very good cook. He once cooked for the rich and famous in the Middle East and he is really naturally gifted with a good sense of taste. He cooks for the family everyday and every time he cooks, he cooks with passion and love. No wonder his dishes always taste great!

My dad is like a watch dog, in that he never sleeps soundly until every member of the family is safely home. Even at my age, he'd text me to check if I'm okay. He'd open the gate for me even past midnight. He'd give me slippers to wear before I get in and ask me if I already had dinner.

My dad buys me taho. He knows that I love taho and so he buys me taho in the morning when a vendor walks by our house. He also buys me iced tea, my favorite afternoon drink, when the weather is hot. He also gives me soup when he cooks nilaga or bulalo. Lots of the oily, fatty soup that he also likes.

My dad is really good at cleaning the house. Wherever he works, he wants it all tidied and cleaned to the max. He also helps keep my mom's garden watered everyday because he loves green and beautiful plants around the house.

Above all, my dad is awfully faithful to my mom. He loves my mom so much that even at his age, he is still seloso and all. He still sings to my mom, to me, and our family. He still courts my mom with his corny jokes and amazingly, he still kisses my mom passionately. My parents are both senior citizens now, by the way. Hehe!

Well, there's just so many nice things about my dad that I'm thankful for.

I really wanna thank God for always making me wanna say "I love my father."

---------------------
Family Reborn: How to increase the love in your family and prevent them from drifting apart by Bo Sanchez

Above all, I missed the hugs.

2010-07-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

This week has been a challenging week for me. I had to quarantine myself in my room for several days because I was having severe colds. I was feeling weak, drowsy, and was coughing like a noisy but cute puppy. Ahem.

I took the liberty of sleeping and eating and sleeping and eating and sleeping, until I was finally able to read a little, and sleep some more, eat a little, and sleep some more, and read a little, and sleep some more. It was a little boring but I failed to notice how much time I was spending in the room because I was almost always asleep. Hehe.

Everything seemed fine until after two days of having to avoid all the members of the family for fear of infecting them with my illness. I was literally protecting them from myself and it didn't make me feel good.

On normal days, when I wake up in the morning, I'd readily greet each of the members of the family, including our house help, good morning. I'd give each of them a kiss or a hug and exchange short stories with them about my dreams or their dreams from the previous night. I'd have coffee with my dad and talk about our estate and politics and all. I'd go run around the house with my little nephew and do some karate exercises too. I'd even spend at least 30 minutes after lunch, watching their favorite TV program, commenting on all the activities, and betting on the contestants.

In about 5 days, I missed all that.

Above all, I missed the hugs.

Thank God, I'm a little better now, less contagious as I was before.

I'm not gonna miss their hugs anymore.

I hope you're not missing your family's hugs too.

P.S. In case you feel like needing guidance in strengthening your relationships, please do meet my mentor, Bo Sanchez, and start filling your relationships with loads of fun and love.

The 21 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Money by Brian Tracy

2010-07-04T06:14:00.000-07:00

Friends, I am very happy to share with you a document called "The 21 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Money by Brian Tracy." Dr. Jaime Lorenzo of the International Marketing Group, Makati, Philippines sent me a link to this file. I believe that its contents can really help us make a change in our financial lives by opening our eyes to the very core of amassing wealth that will bless us and all people whom we care for.

I hope this document would bless you as much as it blessed me.

(Feel free to share it too.)

May your dreams come true.

Sincerely,

Edel

21 Absolute Unbreakable Laws of Money - Brian Tracy

It's not the "Jolens"

2010-07-01T18:50:00.000-07:00

This morning, I was learning how to play "Jolens."

My 6 year old nephew, Ren, was teaching me how to play the game. We've already played several rounds before I was finally able to hit one of the targets. I felt really lousy for a moment but as I try to convince myself to keep on trying, I suddenly heard my nephew say, "Makapagpalit nga ng pato. Baka mas swerte 'tong isa. Sabi ni Taktik, pampato daw ito, eh."

Upon hearing his remarks, I instantly voiced out my thoughts and said, "Ren, walang swerteng pato. Hindi porket sinabi ni Taktik na swerte ang pato, yun na ang best na pato. Kailangan i-try mo talaga ang bawat isang jolen para malaman mo kung ano ang pinakamagandang pato."

My nephew stared at me for a while and later on said, "Tita, it's not the jolens. It's you."

And that hit me...

Friends, Ren is right.

It's not the Jolens.

It's me.

It's you.

You have the power to hit the target.

You have the power to reach the goal.

You have the power to make your dreams come true.

May your dreams come true.

How often are we inclined to engaging in Rational Inquiry?

2010-06-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

My teacher in Psycho-Philosophical Foundations in Education, Michael Arthus G. Muega, gave us a question to answer as an assignment: What can you possibly lose if you cannot do Rational Inquiry?

I'd like to share with you my answer to his question. Please read on.

Inability to use Rational Inquiry means losing fresh ideas, creative solutions to problems, and implicit points for improvement that could have been found through the exchange of rational questions and answers.

With Rational Inquiry, we focus on careful questioning and systematic evaluation. We give no specific respect to the sources of the opinions examined. The method of rational inquiry, not the "authority," establishes the truth. Therefore, any statement coming from any source can be challenged.

We treat knowledge as tentative and we are open to change our mind when the evidence permits. We stand unbiased to the various pools of information that may have differing beliefs or claims. We focus on our objective which is to get to the truth.

With Rational Inquiry, we are led to finding a reasoned choice. We arrive at information that can lead to significant physical, spiritual, moral, social, and intellectual progress. The wealth of knowledge brought about by the use of Rational Inquiry is therefore immeasurable.

Friends, I just wonder, if Rational Inquiry were this good, then how often are we inclined to engaging in Rational Inquiry?

Please meet my boyfriend, Elvin Peria

2010-06-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

Friends, I am happy to share with you an article written by my boyfriend, Elvin Peria. I find this article really worth sharing, specially to kids who are about to take the upcoming college entrance exams (especially UPCAT). The same goes to everyone who claims to have a waterloo in life. Enjoy reading!

Journey to the Past: An Introduction

I’ve been blogging for a year in this blog and I think I haven’t introduced myself (well aside from the about me page) yet. So here’s a post that will show you a glimpse of who I am. I’m happy with my title.

My favorite subjects are math and science. I love computing. I love the idea of problem solving. I love numbers. I love thinking of a better way on how to simplify things with the use of science (observation) and math (computations). I know I’m a good researcher. I’m a good absorber of knowledge. I’m a very curious kid very hungry for information that would simplify problems using the tools I’m good at. As a matter of fact, in our office, I’m considered as the best problem solver, mini-tool programmer even if I’m not in the IT department.

But here’s the catch I’m not good at public speaking, constructing sentences, and some other things that is related to English. In fact, if I were given a chance not to take English subjects I would grab that opportunity no thinking twice. No second thoughts! Also, if you read my English papers before you’ll see grammatical errors after grammatical errors and my writing has no sense at all (well not all but most of them). English is really found outside of my comfort zone.

I remember the time when I took the entrance exam of my alma mater. In that entrance exam there are four subjects, Math, Science, Reading and Language. My grades in science and math are exceptionally high (above the 95th percentile) but my Reading is 71st percentile and the worst of them all Language 54th percentile. Imagine that. I didn’t pass the entrance exam. So I applied for wait list. Luckily, because of my exceptionally high grades in science and math I landed on a BS Chemical Engineering course.

I know you’re currently thinking of this line, “You’re saying that you’re not good at English and yet here you are creating you’re craft with the use of words, sentences and paragraph. You’re insane!”

Yeah. Most of the people who went out of their comfort zone were once called insane but most of them made a difference in this world. Most of them created a dent in the universe.

I know I am not that good in the English grammar but I know my mind is great. And I can do anything with the help of my brain.

I know you can do it too.

Get out of your comfort zone.

Share your greatest talents to the world.

Contribute.

Make a difference.

Until my next post!

eLviN

A Forgotten Relationship

2010-06-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

Last night, my father, who is a true blooded "amulet collector," brought home a book called "The Sixth and The Seventh Book of Moses." He proudly handed a copy of it to me and my boyfriend, Elvin, as we were joyfully having our daily exchange of experiences at home.

At first, we were hesitant to look at the book. We were never interested at gaining power and fortune through amulets anyway. I usually feel doubt and fear towards these amulets that my father is collecting because they are usually written in ideograph that I have no way of understanding. But the book he brought home last night was different. I found it really interesting.

The book was a cross breed of a history book and a magical book. It showcases images of different Hebrew "incantations used by Moses" himself. I had a little difficulty in readily understanding what it says because it was written in "old old English" but since it's contents were attributed to people of great historical significance, like Moses, King Solomon, and David, my interest in it plummeted.

Unlike my father though, I wasn't at all interested in the magical powers that the incantations promise to bring. What really amazed me were the lengthy prayers of King Solomon that boasts of how great God is, as shown in another book attached to the "Seventh Book of Moses". I know King Solomon as a wise king of old, but until I read his prayers, I didn't appreciate how much emphasis he gave to praising or worshiping God. And by the lengthy prayers I read, the king's prayers were all directed to his great love and special relationship with God.

And not only that, according to the book, they'd even pray during very specific times of the day and night that is almost impossible and impractical to do today, but that only highlights the importance they give to their relationship with God, as evidenced by their deliberate and documented prayer life.

Let me not forgot the Psalms of David too. Oh, how lengthy and specific his prayers were! I'm not a hardcore bible reader but when I got to read the history of how much King David values his communication with God, I realized how much prayer time is lacking in my life. I even got to ask myself, "Hey! Do you still know how to really pray?"

This morning, I simply thank God for using my father to wake me up from my recently lost, usually forgotten and taken for granted prayer life. Well yes, I tend to forget to pray too. Due to my usually fully booked schedule, I usually tend to do very small talks with God, and I feel bad about it now. I know I could make it up to God after this. I'll do everything I can to make it happen.

I hope you'll also find time to fix a forgotten relationship.

Homeschooling in the Philippines: Promoting Personal Hygiene in a Homeschool Set-up

2010-06-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

It was June 20 when I first held my formal homeschooling activities with my nephew.

A day before our "first class," I gave my nephew his first assignment. It was a list of 5 things that I wanted him to bring to class: pencils, erasers, crayons, books, and a notebook.

I also included several reminders for him to take note of before coming to class. My reminders were:

1) Eat your breakfast.

2) Brush your teeth.

3) Take a bath.

4) Comb your hair.

5) Use cologne.

I thought of asking him to do all those things before "coming to class" to promote personal hygiene early on. He seems to take the reminders to heart because each time he comes in, he is 100% fresh and ready to be kissed and hugged!

Because of that, I started to love the rules even more!

My Thoughts on Being a Reader/Reading Teacher

2010-06-18T04:36:00.000-07:00

Readers are powerful. If knowledge is indeed power, then with so much information available in written form that people can actually read and learn from, a serious Reader can indeed be a powerful being. For example, a housewife who is interested in investing in the stock market, but has no time to attend a series of formal trainings on investing, may simply purchase a book from a local bookstore or simply search related articles in the internet and begin her understanding (through reading) of how the stock market works. In a couple of months, the used-to-be-plain-old-housewife can possibly apply whatever strategies she learned from reading books/related articles on the stock market and start earning her first few millions.

Readers are free. As readers, we have the ability to choose what to read and what not to read. For example, given a regular magazine, we can choose to read every single word written on the magazine from the cover to the last page or we can browse right away through the inner pages and focus on a single article that we can easily relate with. If in case we get to love the contents of the magazine so much, we can choose to buy the magazine's next issue, reading the whole magazine again or just that one part we liked most. We read at our most convenient time, choosing the pace, and stopping at any given moment that we wish to do so. If in case we forget about what we have read last month, we simply go back and read the magazine again until we satisfy our desire for information.

Reading Teachers are powerful and free too.

Reading Teachers possess the power to influence the minds of the young. They create reading experiences that can either encourage or discourage students to be real readers in themselves, now and in the future. As mentioned in a famous quotation, "With greater power comes greater responsibility." If by chance, a Reading Teacher creates a positive reading experience for the student, we can just imagine the possibility of creating a more informed and perhaps more powerful family, community, and nation. On the other hand, if by unfortunate circumstance, a Reading Teacher creates a negative reading experience for the student, a good list of undesirable possibilities may be expected.

Reading Teachers possess the freedom to choose to be remarkable Reading Teachers or just choose to be on the forgettable list. There exist seemingly countless ways to make each reading experience an inspiring one, both for the student and the Reading Teacher. The question would then be, “Is the Reading Teacher willing to go that far?” Is the Reading Teacher willing to use her freedom to go the extra mile, for the sake of touching the lives of her students or for the sake of taking the notch to a higher level, creating something that people can truly value for the rest of their lives?

Nevertheless, I believe that Readers and Reading Teachers are both powerful and free.

Ren's Anointing Day with the Catholic Filipino Academy

2010-06-11T02:39:00.000-07:00

Greetings of love, joy, and abundance!

Today, my mom, Ren, and I feel very very happy to finally be anointed as part of the Catholic Filipino Academy, a homeschooling program provider, founded by Marowe and Bo Sanchez.

We started the day with a mass at the Lay Formation Center of the San Carlos Seminary. Together with all the other moms and dads who are homeschooling their kids, we lifted our families to Jesus, asking Him to bless us with all of what we'd be needing to make our homeschooling efforts a success, specifically for school year 2010 to 2011. Bro Bo Sanchez gave a few words and led us to prayer.

We also watched some of the kids perform a dance number. After that, we headed to the canteen and shared the food that each family brought. It was my first pot luck experience and I didn't realize that it'd be sooo good! There was so much food for everyone that we even got a chance to bring home some more.

After the 30 minute break, we left the kids at a room in the second floor and we proceeded to another room in the third floor where we had some fun with the other parents. Most importantly, we had an awesome time listening to the inspiring homeschooling experiences of the parents who have been homeschooling their kids for a long time.

I was so surprised with how most of them described their experience. For example, there was this couple who had a daughter who read all the Harry Potter books at age 7. I was so shocked, I remembered how long it took me to finish one. Indeed, homeschooling can help bring out the best out of the kids, in that sense.

Now, Ren is very much excited to start his homeschooling and he's eagerly waiting for his books to come, here at home, as books are sent via local courier.

What can I say? I'm all too excited for Ren too! I look forward to making the best out of our coming homeschooling days with the Catholic Filipino Academy.

May the Good Lord continue to bless us all!

Laguna Feast: Happy Zone

2010-06-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

Today, at the Laguna Feast, my family was given a chance to serve the Lord and we're all ecstatic about it!

Here's a brief description of how we served the Lord at the Laguna Feast.

My 4 nieces, Tomomi, Jessca, Brigitte, and Kichi, served with the Dance Ministry. They powerfully danced to the tune of "Trading My Sorrows." They looked really great on their Laguna Feast shirts of blue and green, and white pants too. They all looked beautiful with their happy faces lighted with so much passion for the Lord! They were all energetic and simply amazing in their bold dance moves!

My mom, my brother's wife, and our house help were all supportive of the kids too, constantly providing financial and moral support to my super excited nieces. They were patiently waiting and anticipating the performance of the kids. By simply doing that, they were extending God's love to the children. They were very proud to see their children and grandchildren serve the Lord in their own special way.

My nephew, Ren, was also very supportive of his Ate Tomomi and all his cousins. He was listening attentively to the worship leaders, singing, praying, worshiping the Lord. He was even very kind to help his Lola carry the bags and the umbrella.

Elvin and I, on the other hand, happily greeted everyone who attended the Laguna Feast and thanked them for coming. We welcomed new comers, ushered them, and made them feel how happy we were to see them come and join us at the Feast.

We all felt sooo good, that when we were in the car, on our way home, we were all feeling sooo blessed and sooo touched by the Lord.

It was really a very very fruitful day for all of us!

For God's glory, we are all looking forward to sharing more of our time and resources to the Laguna Feast!

We love you, Lord Jesus! Thank you for giving us the chance to serve You with our inspiring brothers and sisters at the Laguna Feast!

As for you, yes you (the one reading this post), come. Let's serve at the Laguna Feast.

Be at the happy zone.

The FEAST at Binan, Laguna (Search Story)

2010-05-31T01:39:00.000-07:00

How To Use Bo Sanchez' Love Circle Prayer

2010-05-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

How To Use Bo Sanchez' Love Circle Prayer

There are three steps…

Bo Sanchez' Love Circle Prayer STEP 1: Be Grateful For You

Select one stone to represent you. While holding it, thank God for who you are and the blessings of the day. (Example: “Thank you Lord for protecting me from an accident this morning; Thank you Lord that I was able to finish my report and my boss likes it…”) After praying, place the stone at the middle of the “Love Circle” Card.

Bo Sanchez' Love Circle Prayer STEP 2: Be Grateful For The Love You Received

Select a stone for each loved one in your life. Hold each stone and thank God for how this person blessed you. (Example: “Thank you Lord for my wife’s unconditional love for me.”; “Thank you Lord for my mother’s gift of life to me.”) Place the stone at the outside circle. Repeat for each stone.

Bo Sanchez' Love Circle Prayer STEP 3: Be Grateful For The Love You Gave

Hold each stone representing each of your loved ones, and thank God for how you were able to show love to that person. (Example: “Thank you Lord I was able to spend time with my son today”; “Thank you Lord I was able to tell my father I loved him today.”) As you do this, move the stone from the outer circle to the inner circle. Note: If you weren’t able to show your love to that person that day, plan how you can do it the next day.

Pray the Love Circle Prayer in the evening before you sleep. Do this for 7 days. This will change you and transform your relationships.

To know more about how The Love Circle Prayer can change you and transform your relationships, read on Bo Sanchez' blog post called "The Only Way To Happiness (Everything Else Is Fake)."

Bo Sanchez: A Life of No Regrets --- The Joy of Intentional Living

2010-05-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

BO SANCHEZ A Life of No Regrets --- The Joy of Intentional Living

TALK 1: NO FAKES

BO SANCHEZ A Life of No Regrets --- The Joy of Intentional Living
TALK 2: NO FEARS

BO SANCHEZ A Life of No Regrets --- The Joy of Intentional Living
TALK 3: NO INDIFFERENCE

BO SANCHEZ A Life of No Regrets --- The Joy of Intentional Living
TALK 4: NO RUSH

Preparing for the 2010 UPCAT (University of the Philippines College Admission Test)

2010-05-27T01:34:00.000-07:00

The University of the Philippines College Admission Test, also known as UPCAT, is coming soon.

Students who wish to take the UPCAT are now preparing for it. Most of the students prefer to review by enrolling in summer review programs, where they are taught countless ways to pass the UPCAT. For my two nieces, however, they opted to review with me at home.

As tools for our review, we bought review materials at the local bookstore. We are happy to find a lot of choices and ended up buying almost all of them. Haha! One of the most appealing and most helpful reviewers we found was made by the MSA Academic Advancement Institute.

Everyday, I spend a minimum of four hours reviewing my nieces, Tomomi and Kichi. I act as their proctor for the mock UPCAT, explaining to them what to do. I give them my office space as their table and my Ipod as their timer. As they answer each subtest, I simply read Seth Godin's book and wait for them to finish.

When they're done with each subtest, I'd have them exchange their answer sheets, where they have shaded imaginary circles (like the actual exam). We then check on their answers one by one by reading the question aloud and comparing their answers while checking. We discuss every single possibility of whys and hows associated with answering the questions.

Amazingly, I'm surprised with how my two angels explain their answers. Sometimes, it can be very very funny, to that point that each of us would wonder what was going on in their classrooms back when they were still discussing the topic in school.

I believe this experience is really good for the three of us (or shall I say the four of us, because I don't and can't actually discuss the math part with them, it's Elvin's part, really). Haha!

One thing is that, by facilitating their review, I got a good chance of personally measuring their ability in each learning area. I now have a good estimate of how well they understand things that are taught in school. I get to know their strengths and weaknesses so well, I'd understand if they either pass of fail the test. I know where they're coming from.

Secondly, the kids can ask me any question, may it be funny or stupid or whatever, without worrying about what other people will think of them if they ask whatever that is. How can they worry about other people's opinion on them if "other people" are not there to witness the funny queries? Haha!

Third, we can take our time. I mean, we've got so much time that even if we spend 10 minutes discussing just one question, it's practically OK! No problemo! I'd be very happy to explain it to them until they finally get it right.

As we move closer to the UPCAT dates, we all get even more excited and passionate to learn more and share more.

Am looking forward to their success.

REWORK by 37signals.com

2010-05-11T01:38:00.000-07:00

I've just finished reading the book Rework by 37signals.com.

Rework is a must read both for business owners and employees.

Let Rework redefine "work" for you too.

Congratulations to the new president of the Philippines, Noynoy Aquino!

2010-05-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

I would like to congratulate my president, Noynoy Aquino!

Although no official announcement has been made to date, I strongly believe that he will win the race.

This is only the beginning of a new chapter for my country, the Philippines.

I believe that it will not be a painless transition but I am very much hopeful that the new president, Noynoy Aquino, can help make this country a better place to live in.

To my Mr. President, Noynoy Aquino, may God be with you now and always, so you may make the right decisions for your Filipino family.

We, as a family, like many other families, may not be perfect but we hope that you'd really take it to heart to guide us and protect us as we support you in your battle against corruption and poverty.

Mr. President, Noynoy Aquino, galingan mo po, ha? :D

Bo Sanchez: Don't Burn Your Money

2010-05-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

Good day to everyone!
I'm very happy to share to you another email I got from a friend in the International Marketing Group, Dr. Jaime Lorenzo.

His email contains a very inspiring message from our mentor, Bro Bo Sanchez, who has been constantly teaching us how to become truly wealthy.

Having felt blessed after reading the email, I felt the need to share it to everyone.Have fun learning from my awesome mentor, Bo Sanchez!

WEALTH is simply not about high income.

Boxer Mike Tyson was a World Heavyweight Champion. In 20 years, he earned $500 million (~P25B).

That’s high income.

But unfortunately, Mike isn’t wealthy today.

In fact, in 2003, Mike Tyson did the unthinkable: He filed for bankruptcy.

He lost all his $500M and could no longer pay a debt of $27M.

Here are a few reasons…

He didn’t like to just have a dog or cat as pets—he also pet tigers. So he bought two Bengal tigers for $140,000, plus a tiger trainer for $125,000/ yr.

Mike also spent $410,000 on one bday party.

He also bought a bathtub for his first wife worth $2M. (FYI, that’s how much a mid-sized house in Forbes or Dasma costs).

For his cars, he spent $4.5M; $65,000 just to maintain his limousines.

For his cellphones, he spent $230,000. (I’m sure Globe, Smart, and Sun would be happy to make him a subscriber).

One time, he walked into a jewelry store and picked up a watch and a bracelet worth $1.6M. Just like that.

Many wealthy people think their cash flow will never end.

So they burn their money as fast as they earn it.

Big mistake.

You may not be earning as much as Mike Tyson, but you can fall for the same mistakes he made.

What are your “tigers”?

What do you buy that you can do without?

Live below your means.

Do you squander or do you save?

- Bo Sanchez

Proverbs 13:11 The more easily you get your wealth, the sooner you will lose it. The harder it is to earn, the more you will have it.

Matthew 25:29 For every person who has something, even more will be given, and he will have more than enough; but the person who has nothing, even the little that he has will be taken away from him.

How to Become Financially Free: The Parable of the Pipeline

2010-05-06T01:17:00.000-07:00

Iron Man 2 Hangover: I love Tony Stark even more.

2010-04-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

Today, I watched the newest movie in town, Iron Man 2. I'm so happy to see my favorite Tony Stark do his funky moves again. The way he carries himself really amazes me. He looks so sleek and cool in his outfits. I love it when he struts on the stage. I have yet to meet a man like him in the real world though. I hope the wait doesn't take forever. I think Tony Stark, or shall I say Iron Man, is making me fall in love again, but I respect Ms. Pepper, who is extra beautiful in the movie. Pepper fits the role of a CEO so well, I'm dreaming of becoming like her. Haha! This must be what you call Iron Man 2 hangover. Wink!

I gotta admit it. I love Iron Man 2 so much that I kept on thinking of what good it can do to my life other than entertain me for less than two hours. I mean, there's gotta be something in Iron Man 2 that I can make good use of.

Allow me to make a list of the things I re-learned from the movie Iron Man 2. Here you go!

Iron Man may be the most accomplished man in the world, but he still is incomplete without his dad's approval/affirmation.
Iron Man may be the strongest man in the world, but he still needs constant help from people who truly care for him, his team (who are willing to die with him, for him).
Iron Man may be the best speaker in the world (who can easily get away from the issues thrown at him), but he still is having a hard time expressing his real feelings to his love interest, Pepper.
Iron Man may be the richest man in the world, but he still can die like anybody else.
Iron Man may be the most successful warrior in the world, but he still is unsuccessful if he loses the life of the woman he loves.

Well, you might have heard all these things in the past and say that all these are cliche. It doesn't really matter. What matters is we keep ourselves reminded of all of it so we may put these values into action in our daily lives, right?

Iron Man is not Iron Man unless Iron Man is an Action Man.

Let's do it right.

P.S.1 If you wanna make it right with your relationships, join the Feast near you!
P.S.2 If you wanna make it right with your finances, learn at the Wealth Academy.

May 2010 Philippine Elections: The Corrupt Philippine Senator

2010-04-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

Greetings of peace, love, joy, and abundance!

The May 2010 Philippine Elections is fast approaching and I'm happy to receive an email from one of my college friends about how we should be choosing our future leaders.

I enjoyed learning from this short story, so I'm sharing it to you.

The Corrupt Philippine Senator

While walking down the street one day a Corrupt Philippine Senator was tragically hit by a car and died.

His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the Senator.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really?, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Senator.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the Filipino people.

They played a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and the finest champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who is having a good time dancing and telling jokes.

They are all having such a good time that before the Senator realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him, "Now it's time to visit heaven."

So, 24 hours passed with the Senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."

The Senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders.

"I don't understand," stammers the Senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

The devil smiles at him and says,

"Yesterday we were campaigning ...Today, you voted."

PLAY (while you still can).

2010-04-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, April17, I was with my high school classmates at the Caliraya Recreation Center and Resort at Lumban, Laguna. We were off for a whole day of fun and laughter as early as 4:00 in the morning. Eleven brave souls set sail for a summer vacation of a lifetime at the a place where companies and families get together to have a taste of endless summer possibilities!

The Caliraya Recreation Center and Resort was the perfect place for our summer getaway as each of our energy-filled bodies long for some kiddie fun. With no hesitation and no shame, we ran through the fields like wild animals and grabbed whatever chance we had for a fun summer in the resort.

To give you an idea of how much fun we've had while playing all over the resort, here's a quick list of Caliraya Recreation Center and Resort's amenities that which we enjoyed:

Fly Pinoy Zip Line
Monster Earth Ball
Slip and Slide (Mud Slide)
Slide Pinoy
Canoe / Kayak

There are actually a lot more things you can do at Caliraya Recreation Center and Resort if you have the time and energy to spare.

I didn't really expect to have as much fun as we had that day. I didn't expect it to be my best summer getaway to date. I didn't expect it to bless me this much happiness and inspiration!

I don't care getting tired or sun burned.

I came to PLAY (while I still can).

P.S. Having money problems that prevents you from enjoying life? Get help from The Wealth Academy near you.

IMG Wealth Academy: Key to Success

2010-04-15T03:26:00.000-07:00

"If you're not really rich and happy, there's a good chance you still have some things to learn about money, success, and life." -T. Harv Eker

It's time to quit being a know-it-all and start being a learn-it-all!

If you are passionately looking for opportunities to:

Increase your Financial Intelligence and understand how you can attain Financial Freedom;
Meet reputable Financial Mentors (like Mr. Rex Mendoza and Engr. Noel Arandilla) who will not only help you improve your financial situation but also inspire you to become the best you in all aspects of life; and
Become a part of a strong Support Group who value the same principles in life and assist you in achieving your goals...

...then why not let the IMG Wealth Academy give you what you've always wanted?

Visit the nearest IMG Wealth Academy near you!

IMG Wealth Academy --- ILOILO

Room 04, Iloilo Asian Lumber Building

#144 M. H. del Pilar St., Molo

Iloilo City, Philippines

IMG Wealth Academy --- MAKATI

3rd Floor, King's Court Building 01

Chino Roces Ave. corner Dela Rosa St.

Makati City, Philippines

For schedule and seat reservation, please contact:

Edel Ramilo / Elvin Peria
Mobile: 09275001118 / 09165169873
Email: ramilomem@gmail.com / elvinperia@yahoo.com

WEALTH FILES from the Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

2010-04-08T23:09:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, I happily finished reading the book given by Carmela Arguelles to Elvin Peria (my boyfriend). It's called the Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker.

From the book, I learned about how I operate my life based on the "financial blueprint" I have developed from childhood to date. Particularly, the author tries his best to stop us from operating our lives on a "poor financial blueprint." Through his well written book, he encourages us to fix the backward thoughts we currently have and replace them with a "rich financial blueprint" that will propel us toward financial freedom and genuine happiness.

Here are the Wealth Files discussed by T. Harv Eker in his book Secrets of the Millionaire Mind:

Wealth File 1: Rich people believe "I create my life." Poor people believe "Life happens to me."

Wealth File 2: Rich people play money to win. Poor people play the money game to not lose.

Wealth File 3: Rich people are committed to being rich. Poor people want to be rich.

Wealth File 4: Rich people think big. Rich people think small.

Wealth File 5: Rich people focus on opportunities. Poor people focus on obstacles.

Wealth File 6: Rich people admire other rich and successful people. Poor people resent rich and successful people.

Wealth File 7: Rich people associate with positive, successful people. Poor people associate with negative or unsuccessful people.

Wealth File 8: Rich people are willing to promote themselves and their value. Poor people think negatively about selling and promotion.

Wealth File 9: Rich people are bigger than their problems. Poor people are smaller than their problems.

Wealth File 10: Rich people are excellent receivers. Poor people are poor receivers.

Wealth File 11: Rich people choose to get paid based on results. Poor people choose to get paid based on time.

Wealth File 12: Rich people think "both." Poor people think "either/or."

Wealth File 13: Rich people focus on their net worth. Poor people focus on their working income.

Wealth File 14: Rich people manage their money well. Poor people mismanage their money well.

Wealth File 15: Rich people have their money work for them. Poor people work hard for their money.

Wealth File 16: Rich people act in spite of fear. Poor people let fear stop them.

Wealth File 17: Rich people constantly learn and grow. Poor people think they already know.

Among all these Wealth Files, there are two main Wealth Files that I could relate to the most. One is Wealth File 16 and the other one is Wealth File 17.

Wealth File 16 is my weakness. I have tons of fears in life. One very simple example is my extreme fear of animals. I couldn't even touch a snake or a turtle or any other domesticated animal. I feel like they will bite me or hurt me at any moment without any valid reason. As I read the book, I realized that one of the most probable reasons why I have this fear is because of my past experiences with animals in the earlier years of my life. A puppy, who I thought was simply playing with me, attacked me. A cat, who lost her new born babies, attacked me. Those past experiences must have really pushed me away from animals.Now, we have around 8 dogs in our compound and I couldn't even say "Hi" to them. I feel like they're all angry at me when they start to bark. Haha! But I'm trying my best to really conquer my fear of animals. I know that there are lots of awesome animals that are very sweet and thoughtful of people. I hope to give them a chance to make me happy one of these days. Haha!

When it comes to my finances, however, Wealth File 16 made me realize that I have to train myself to not be stopped by anything. Being comfortable may make me feel warm, fuzzy, and secure, but it doesn't allow me to grow. To grow financially, I have to expand my comfort zone. I gotta learn to do things I have never done before. I gotta take bold actions. I gotta focus on my goal and not on my fear.

On the other hand, Wealth File 17 is my strength. When it comes to learning and sharing what I learned, I believe I'm number one. Haha! Kidding aside, my desire to constantly learn has made me an entirely different person inside. The books I read, the seminars I attend, the people I talk to, the movies I watch, the podcasts I listen to have all molded my inner being into something really good, something I can really be proud of. Through the years, my desire to learn has never changed. I keep learning and learning new things every single day. Using my learning, I bless my family and friends (the most important people in my life). I bless my colleagues at work. I bless my church. I bless my community. I bless the world (using the world wide web, of course, wink!).

To be really rich, however, Eker tells us to own each and every single one of those Wealth Files listed above. But how? For the details of each Wealth File, I recommend that you read his book too. You can also visit T. Harv Eker's blog and see how he can help you make yourself rich.

Looking forward to conquering my fears and becoming financially free in 18 years time,

Edel Ramilo

P.S. You can choose to be a learn-it-all person too. Take time to attend the Wealth Academy and learn how you can help yourself and your family become financially free. Increase your financial IQ with the help of our CEO, Engr. Noel Arandilla. Simply email ramilomem@gmail.com for more info.

Choose To Be Wealthy by Bro Bo Sanchez

2010-04-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Elvin (my boyfriend) and I attended the GRAND FEAST at the SMX Convention Center with the 9,000+ members of the Light of Jesus family.

We had a great time worshiping God as a whole family, with all of our great LOJ leaders, brothers, and sisters.

In the said event, Bro Bo Sanchez, my favorite best-selling author, launched his newest book called "Choose To Be Wealthy." Of course, without second thoughts, my boyfriend and I purchased our very own copy. We wanted Bro Bo to personally sign the book but since the line was ohhh sooo very long, we decided to do it next time. Haha!

On the same day, I have managed to read the whole book without stopping! Call me an addict or what! But I was really fast when I read the book. Why? Well, since I'm an avid follower of Bro Bo Sanchez, I have been faithfully reading all of his blog posts, books and newsletters. I have also attended the seminars that he have suggested me to attend. So, basically, I have already finished step one, when it comes to choosing to be wealthy.

You know what the book "Choose To Be Wealthy" gave me that day? It gave me an assurance that I was doing the right thing. It affirmed all my actions. It gave me more confidence to keep doing what I have been doing so far.

However, if you are just about to start your way to becoming financially free, I am sincerely recommending you Bro Bo Sanchez' newest book, "Choose To Be Wealthy" and be on your way to creating a better life for you and your family!

Go get a copy of the book now!

P.S. Learn the details of how you can become financially free in 10 to 20 years at the Wealth Academy. "Money Management Strategies" is open on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7pm and on Saturdays at 2pm. Meet financial mentors that will not only increase your financial literacy but also teach you how to become a better person in all ways possible. For more details simply email me at ramilomem@gmail.com

Celebrate with the Light of Jesus Family at the FEAST near you!

2010-04-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

Celebrate with the Light of Jesus Family at the FEAST near you!

BINAN - Every Saturday, 5pm to 7:pm at the Pavillion Mall Activity Center, Binan, Laguna.

PASIG - Every Sunday, 8am to 10am or 10:30am to 12:30pm or 1pm to 3pm at Valle Verde Country Club (Beside Ultra)

ORTIGAS - Every Monday, 7:30pm to 9pm at Roofdeck, Prestige Tower, F. Ortigas Ave., Pasig City

MAKATI - Every Thursday, 7;30pm to 9:30pm at AIM Conference Center, Benavidez Corner Paseo de Roxas, Makati City

MANILA - Every Friday, 7pm to 10pm at Cinema 4, SM Manila (Near City Hall)

QUEZON CITY - Every Sunday, 9am to 12nn at Convention Hall, Bureau of Soils, Visayas Ave., QC

SOUTH - Every Sunday, 11am to 12:30pm or 3pm to 4:30pm at Cinema 10, Festival Mall, Alabang, Muntinlupa

MARILAO - Every Saturday, 5pm to 6:30pm or 7pm to 8:30pm at Cinema 2, SM Marilao, Bulacan

BUSTOS - Every Sunday, 2:30pm to 5:30pm at San Isidro Labrador Parish, Liciada, Bustos, Bulacan

RIZAL - Every Sunday, 9am to 11:30am at Valley fair, Taytay Rizal

ANGELES - Every first and third Friday of the month, 6pm to 9pm at Professional Bldg., Angeles University Foundation, Angeles City

Faith Declaration
(You may copy and use this for your benefit.)

I'm a Servant; I'm God's anointed; I serve God and his people through my job, my business, and my life; I have a special gift that blesses many people; Because I serve, rich rewards pursue me; Because I serve, I receive abounding joy, happy friendships, and blessed wealth.

Good Friday candles speak.

2010-04-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was out to join the local Catholic Church's Good Friday procession. It's been years since I last joined one. I didn't expect big. I just wanted to go out and get myself moving for God.

I was with my friend Marvin Medrana and my boyfriend Elvin Peria. We went to the church right after our regular bonding session at my place. We were surprised by the huge number of people both on the streets and inside the church waiting for the procession to start. We saw people from all walks of life, talking to each other, holding their candles. We realized, we didn't even think of buying candles for the event so we went around looking for a medium-sized candle for sale. The three of us hoped that the candles will last until the end of the procession.

As the procession started, we were waiting to see the group who usually leads the prayer. We wanted to join them. Unfortunately, we waited and waited until we didn't find any. We were expecting to hear someone praying with a megaphone but alas. No prayer leader was insight.

We really wanted to pray during the procession.To make it come true, we requested Marvin to lead our own Rosary (the three of us in prayer). We gave the Rosary a go and as we walked the path where the procession leads, I started to realize great things.

We didn't have any problem praying aloud. We were matured enough to handle the strange looks that people give us when they hear our mumblings. However, as you may recall, the three of us were holding a candle each. We didn't realize that it will be our greatest challenge until the wind started to blow. We wanted to keep our candlelight ON all the time. And as we did that, here are some of my strange great thoughts:

Each of us had to learn "how to protect" our candle from the wind. We can't do anything about the unpredictable wind but we can change the way we hold the candle and even cover it with our hands. We had to learn strategies. At first, we were struggling but as we tried to do it over and over again, it became a lot easier. We sort of became Masters in Candle Holding at the end of the procession. Haha!
We had to keep our lights on not only for ourselves but also for other people too. You see, there were times when both of their lights (Marvin and Elvin's) were turned off by the wind but it was okay. Why was it okay? It was okay because I still had my candle burning and I simply shared my light with them. Soon, their lights were on again. There were also times when my light got turned off by the wind and I had to ask them to share their light with me. It was really our team effort that helped us keep the lights on but there were also times when all our candles were off. We had to look for other people to help us light our candles again and the cycle goes on and on. It was a fulfilling thing to do. I knew we were all doing our best for the same goal. We ended the procession with our candlelight burning strong.
We really had to intend to keep the light ON. We had to really commit to protecting the candle from the wind, or else. We actually had to focus our eyes on the candles. Twice, I tried to look around to see the people's faces but in a split second, the wind blew my candle off again. Argh. Too bad. I really had to look at it with the sincere intention to keep it alive. There was no way I could keep it on if my attention was on other things.

So, maybe now, you're asking, "What's the catch of the story?"

Well, from that experience, I re-learned the following:

EXPERIENCE is my best teacher.
Life is great when shared with an awesome TEAM.
Without COMMITMENT, I can never make my dreams happen.

I hope you re-learned something too.

Advance happy Easter Sunday!

Sincerely,

Edel Ramilo

P.S. Join The Grand Easter Feast with Bro Bo Sanchez on April 04, 2010, 8am to 12nn at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex Pasay City. Please come in white and be super blessed!

What's stopping you from becoming your best you?

2010-03-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

This Holy Week, I realized that I'm a busy person.

I love making the most out of my time. So, every now and then, I try to squeeze in a few important things into my already full-packed schedule.

Here's how my schedule looks like:

7:00 - 7:55 Rise and Shine
Morning prayer
Breakfast

8:00 - 8:55 Bath
Chitchat update with Mom and Ren (my nephew)

9:00 - 9:55 Read Didache, Daily Gospel, Sabbath, Bro Bo Sanchez' blog posts
Answer emails
Check on Facebook

10:00 - 11:55 Study Online Nihongo Lessons

12:00 - 12:55 Lunch

01:00 - 02:55 Business

03:00 - 3:55 Lesson Plan Preparation

4:00 - 4:55 Merienda / Rest / Nap

5:00 - 5:55 Early Dinner

6:00 - 7:15 Bonding with Elvin

7:30 - 10:55 Online English Teaching

11:00 Sleep

Are you wondering why I always put 5 minutes break between every activity in my schedule? I don't intend to waste my time. I simply want to make sure that I finish my activity early and start the next activity on time. It's how I lessen the stress I feel when looking at my schedule. Haha!

Kidding aside, I'm very happy with my schedule. I believe that if I continue to make the most out of my time, in the long run, I'd have a better chance of reaching my full potential.

Do you still remember Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs? "What a man can be, he must be."

When was the last time you evaluated yourself? At what level do you think you are in now? Do you have a dream of reaching the level of Self-actualization? Do you think your daily/weekly/monthly activities support your dream of reaching your full potential?

What's stopping you from becoming YOUR BEST YOU?

Dedicating all my activities to Jesus,

Edel

Are you INSANE?

2010-03-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, I was supposed to attend a seminar entitled "The Entrepreneur Mind" by Mr. Rex Mendoza, Ayala Land's senior Vice President for Corporate Sales and Marketing. Unfortunately, it was canceled hours before the seminar. Mr. Rex Mendoza's father was said to be very ill and our dear speaker of course needed to be there for his dad.

I felt sad for Sir Rex. I also felt sad about not being able to hear him speak that night, but I pressed on. I still went to Makati to see what other seminars I could attend. I'm sort of addicted to the wisdom I get to learn from theses free seminars. Actually, they keep rocking my world. (Laughs)

When I got to the IMG Office, I had three choices. They were offering three seminars: a) Series1: Financial Solutions Today b) Series2: Finance and Investment 101 c) Mutual Fund 101. I wasn't very happy with the choices. I have already attended each of it, twice. "Won't it be a waste of time to repeat them?," I asked myself.

I asked about who the speakers for each seminar would be. When I knew that Engr. Noel Arandilla, our CEO, would be giving Series1, I thought it would be a better option.

I decided to sit at the back of the room to give way to those who would be attending the seminar for the first time. I got my notes out and started to listen to Sir Noel as he started the talk.

I couldn't believe I was writing so much more in my notes that night. I really thought I already knew everything, after having attended the seminars several times. I hate to admit it but I was acting like a know-it-all-girl, instead of acting like a learn-it-all-woman.

One thing that struck me most that night was when Sir Noel redefined the word "insanity."

He said, "Insanity is doing the same WRONG thing over and over again, expecting a DIFFERENT result."

When I heard this, I felt like I was hit by a bullet train. Something inside me hurt. Unexpectedly, I felt guilty of being insane.

But I thank God for hitting me with a bullet train. He knew I needed to be hit again so I may wake up from my nap and keep stumbling forward.

From now on, I gotta keep learning the RIGHT thing, do it over and over again, and expect GREAT results.

P.S.1. Are you doing the right thing with your relationships? If you feel the need to find the right thing, I recommend that you visit Bro Bo Sanchez' blog posts and be super blessed!

P.S.2. Wanna know the right thing to do to become financially free? Be a learn-it-all-man/woman at the WEALTH ACADEMY.

GOD makes His presence felt.

2010-03-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

I woke up today thinking: "I'm taking Master's Admission Test in Education early tomorrow morning, but my Test Permit hasn't come yet. I gotta fetch it today, as soon as possible."

Laguna-QC-Laguna. Haaay.

Anyway, I went back to my room and prayed to God, thanking Him for all His blessings. I didn't complain.

After around 30mins, decided to fetch the permit, I went downstairs and found an envelope with my name on it.

Then our house help said, "Del, kadarating lang."

GOD makes His presence felt.

Bro Bo Sanchez writes about investing in Mutual Funds and the Stock Market

2010-03-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

My favorite author, preacher, and mentor, BRO BO SANCHEZ writes about investing in Mutual Funds and the Stock Market in his article How To Be A Millionaire.

My heart was pumping fast when I read the article. I felt really proud that I've already learned all the concepts he discussed in the article. In fact, I am practicing them already, saving and investing my hard earned money. I admit, I owe Bro Bo a lot. I learned everything I know now through the International Marketing Group, a company we were introduced to when we attended Bro Bo's Kerygma Conference 2009. With that, thank you so much, Bro Bo!

It was year 2008 when I started becoming a fan of this Catholic charismatic preacher. I read his books. I read his blogs. I joined his online community. I watched his videos. I said his prayers. I listened to his audiobooks. I attended his seminars. I literally stalked him everyday, because I simply couldn't get enough of his wisdom. I was a hundred and one percent certain that through him, God was touching me and many other people in the whole wide world (blessing me in so many ways possible, in all aspects of life). That's the best part. He's got this wholistic approach.

I love it when Bro Bo Sanchez talks about spirituality. I love it when he talks about personality development. To top it all, I love it when he talks about building wealth. Yes. He may be a hard core preacher but he is human enough to recognize that building wealth and managing one's finances is a crucial part of becoming a decent human being. He's from planet earth. Thanks to God.

He really tries his best to increase people's financial IQ. He teaches us how to get out of the rat race by using various wealth vehicles that will increase our chances of securing our future or even retiring at age 40. He prevents us from living from pay check to pay check, like millions of people do (no matter how big a salary one receives, no matter how powerful a position one holds). I so admire his dream of "making tons of Filipino millionaires."

Because of that, through my own weblog, I simply "pay it forward."

P.S. Take charge of your finances. Learn how to build your wealth (in details) at the IMG WEALTH ACADEMY When you're done learning the ABCs to financial success, I expect you to pay it forward too.

EARTH HOUR: It's time for some action.

2010-03-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

Once again, the whole globe will be reunited by its desire to save Mother Earth. Putting religion, financial status and personalities aside, WE, sons and daughters of this planet are called to TAKE ACTION.

Mark your calendars, folks: Saturday night, 27 March 2010. When the clock strikes 8:30PM, the world will once more be engulfed in darkness – and a Billion people will celebrate the biggest party in recorded history.

Now in its third year in the country and envisioned as a celebration of climate change solutions, Earth Hour Philippines aims to inspire 15 Million Filipinos in 1000 towns, cities and municipalities to switch off and join in the revelry – in an environmentally-conscious manner, that is. Many of the nation’s most iconic landmarks are expected to dim their lights in the largest call for action on climate change. Cities from around the world, from Europe to Africa, are expected to join in.

Be a part of history. Let Globe show you how: EARTH HOUR

IMG Wealth Academy: Teaching You How To Build Wealth

2010-03-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

Building wealth is like filling a bucket with water. Put the bucket under running water and it can be filled up easily. However, if there are holes in the bucket that allows water to leak, it will not be filled, no matter how much water you put in.

This holds true with your WEALTH BUCKET.

Your goal is to fill it up with money. That’s why you work so hard. However, if there are holes in your bucket, money will leak. These holes are Debt, Tax, Inflation and Liabilities. Unless you seal these holes, you can never fill up your bucket.

But How?

International Marketing Group has a solution. Learn the strategies on how to properly seal these holes by attending the WEALTH ACADEMY.

Venue: IMG office - 3/F, King's Court Building 1, Chino Roces Ave. (former Pasong Tamo), corner Dela Rosa St, Makati City.

***NO registration fee.

***Limited seats only!

For schedule and seat reservation, please contact:

Edel Ramilo / Elvin Peria
Mobile: 09275001118 / 09165169873
Email: ramilomem@gmail.com / elvinperia@yahoo.com

Thank you!

How to get to IMG Makati Office from MRT Magallanes Station

2010-03-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

Guide to IMG Makati Office From MRT Ma Gal Lanes Station

TIME is of the essence.

2010-03-16T02:43:00.000-07:00

TIME is of the essence.

Why spend it on TV???

...

My 6 year old nephew, Ren, spends about 4 to 6 hours watching TV on a normal day. He watches the following programs, or shall I say cartoons on a regular basis:

Woody Wood Pecker
Tom and Jerry
Dibo
Mr. Bean
Phineas and Ferb
Diz Iz It
Eat Bulaga
Daisy Siete
24 Oras
Panday Kids
Etc.

He sits in front of the TV comfortably changing channels every now and then. There seems to be so much TV programs to choose from that he couldn't even sleep in the afternoon.

My parents and I regularly encourage Ren to quit watching TV and read some books or color some pictures instead. I usually call him to my "home-office" and give him some math problems to solve (e.g. 987,654,321 minus 123,456,789). I also give him some reading and vocabulary exercises to choose from. It works perfectly fine. The TV is forgotten until 24 Oras.

Well, it may be understandable that kids love holding the remote control. Kids love cartoons and the TV offers tons of it! They are forgiven.

The problem comes when a kid starts to get used to watching TV every time he thinks he is "free." The kid grows up and watching TV becomes his favorite hobby.

According to Seth Godin,

Broadcast TV was a great choice when a> there weren't a lot of other options and b> when everyone else was watching the same thing, so you needed to see it to be educated.

Now, though, you could:

    * Run a little store on eBay
    * Write a daily blog
    * Write a novel
    * Start an online community about your favorite passion
    * Go to meetups in your town
    * Volunteer to tutor a kid, in person or online
    * Learn a new language, verbal or programming
    * Write hand written thank you notes each evening to people who helped you out or did a good job
    * Produce small films and publish them online
    * Listen to the one thousand most important operas
    * Read a book or two every evening
    * Play a game a Scrabble with your family

None of them are perfect. Each of them are better than TV.

The time we spend on watching too much TV is wasted time. In this life, where time is of the essence, why would anyone choose to waste it?

PS1. If you wanna make use of your free time during Saturdays, you may grow your faith and expand your dreams by simply attending The LAGUNA FEAST.

PS2. Great financial education await you at the TRULY RICH CLUB of Bro Bo Sanchez. You won't even need to leave your house to increase your financial IQ.

PS3. For those who are near Metro Manila, you might want to keep your Wednesday nights booked with the International Marketing Group's WEALTH ACADEMY Series where you can learn how to get yourself out of the rat race for free.

PROSPER at The LAGUNA FEAST

2010-03-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

The Laguna Feast is a weekly gathering of the Light of Jesus Family. This one-and-a-half hour event consists of live workship, powerful talk and healing service upon conclusion. Our Feast Builder is Bro. Hermie Morelos.

Contact: 09189901811 / 09189489454 / lojlagunafeast@googlegroups.com

Laguna FEAST: An answered prayer

2010-03-13T20:18:00.000-08:00

(In this picture is Elvin Peria and Edel Ramilo, receiving instructions after the LAGUNA FEAST proper.)

The FEAST has finally invaded LAGUNA!!!

Elvin and I have been praying for this since 2009. We've been requesting God to bring the FEAST closer to Calamba so Elvin and I could regularly attend it (hopefully serve through it too, one of these days).

We used to attend the SOUTH FEAST in Alabang. However, due to exhaustion from working hard from Mondays to Saturdays and traveling long distance on Sundays, we failed to really pursue it.

Now that the FEAST is a lot closer to our place (around an hour and a half if you commute from Calamba or 40 mins. drive if you have your own car), we'll have a better chance to serve God better and hopefully serve with our closest family and friends too.

FYI. The LAGUNA FEAST is a weekly gathering of the Light of Jesus Family, every Saturday afternoon at 5:00pm after the 4:00pm anticipated Mass. It is held at the Pavillion Mall Activity Center, 2nd Floor, Km 35, Brgy. San Antonio, Binan, Laguna. This one-and-a-half hour event consists of live worship, powerful talk and healing service upon conclusion. Our Feast Builder is Bro. Hermie Morelos. Also, FYI, the Light of Jesus Family is the spiritual group headed by Bro Bo Sanchez.

Our speaker yesterday was Bro Jon Escoto and he was really awesome! The talk was very much inspiring and empowering! I hope more and more people get to be blessed through the LAGUNA FEAST.

P.S. For those who are looking for super practical and objective spiritual nourishment, I sincerely recommend that you read Bro Bo Sanchez' blog posts at http://bosanchez.ph or watch tons of his powerful talks at http://preacherinbluejeans.com or join Bro Bo's online community at http://www.kerygmafamily.com

I'm so shocked. Bro Bo Sanchez' house help invests P2,000 a month for their retirement!

2010-03-12T03:38:00.000-08:00

I don't know what to say.

Once again, I'm stunned.

Really. My jaw dropped.

In an ebook entitled "My Maid Invests in the Stock market," Bro Bo Sanchez shares how he teaches his house helpers to save money and invest it for their retirement. His goal is to make them millionaires in 20 years.

Here's how they do it:

I explain to them the principles found in my other books, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich and Choose To Be Wealthy. “Because you don’t have a business, the best way for you to grow your money is to invest in the stock market.” Let’s review my helpers’ simple system:
They earn P7000 a month.
They tithe P700.
They spend P1000 for their own needs.
They send P2000 back home to their family.
They keep P1000 as an emergency fund—also for their family.
So what’s left? P2300.
Remove the P300 for miscellaneous needs.
My helpers invest P2000 a month in the Stock Market.

Can you just imagine the level of discipline these people possess?

I have been dreaming of investing in the stock market too for months now and I have been "having a problem" saving up money, thinking that my income is still not enough. I think of many other things I need to pay. I think of the many other activities I have to prioritize. In short, I complicate things so much, that I am unable to see how easy it is to actually do what I have been dreaming of.

If Bro Bo's house help can save P2,000 a month, then maybe I can save P4,000? P5,000? P6,000? or even more! I just have to focus on it and simply do what has to be done.

From now on, I'll have no more excuses.

P.S. If you wish to read the book "My Maid Invests in the Stock Market," I'm sorry but it's exclusively distributed to the members of Bro Bo's Truly Rich Club. If in case, you are very interested to know more about it, I suggest that you visit this link: Truly Rich Club.

HAPPINESS: All it takes is the correct frame of mind.

2010-03-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

I have read another very enlightening article from one of my favorite online mentors, Todd R. Tresidder. Todd is the founder of an online financial coaching program. However, in a surprising article, he talks about happiness: his personal struggle in achieving happiness, his own way of achieving happiness and his observation on why other people are mostly unhappy, even when amassing great wealth/financial freedom.

Here are some of the most striking points he raised in his article:

It doesn't matter what occurs during your day or how many things go wrong – you can still experience happiness. All it takes is the correct frame of mind.
Remember, your happiness is a state of mind. You don't have to be rich, and you don't have to wait until you reach some level of achievement in the future. You can have happiness right now.
Financial freedom is important and worthwhile but the real game is personal freedom and happiness. That is what will make the biggest difference in the quality of your life.

To read the whole article, simply click on The Secret of Happiness and Why It Has Nothing To Do With Money.

I also remember my spiritual mentor, Bro Bo Sanchez, talking about how happiness actually comes from within oneself. If you are interested to know how similar their ideas are, you may search for Bro Bo's article from his blog by clicking on this link: Bro Bo Sanchez' Blog (You might find it fun to click on his nose.)

Let's all have a happy day ahead. God bless!

It's 12:00 am and I just got home.

2010-03-10T09:45:00.000-08:00

It's 12:00 am and I just got home from a very enlightening seminar on Investment Strategies and the Secrets of Insurance provided by Engr. Noel Arandilla, our dear CEO.

I admit. I really had a long day, but I am very much surprised to discover that at this late hour, my financial mentor, Dra. Dada Rosanes, is still in a meeting with Sir Noel. I am super shocked when I knew that my mentor, who is living 3 hours away from Makati, is still at the IMG Office, discussing with the big boss who's got a super big heart and a super big vision.

What can I say? I am super inspired by these people! No wonder, creating wealth is never a problem for them. With the level of discipline they exert to keep the company alive and kicking, we can only expect nothing but super big success.

To all my mentors in IMG, I salute you!

P.S. To start learning your ABCs in Personal Financial Management, read my previous article on the Wealth Academy Series.

You cannot negotiate with an angry person. Doesn’t work.

2010-03-09T02:17:00.000-08:00

I have just finished listening to two angry people (one person disagreeing with the other). I never thought I'd be so stunned that I actually forgot how I was supposed to handle the situation.

So much anger. So much heated conversation. What can possibly turn it all off?

Searching through my inbox for an article on handling angry people, I found an article from Seth Godin's blog. After reading the article, I finally thought of what to do next.

Here's what Seth Godin has to say:

    * Acknowledge the anger. You don’t have to agree with it, but in order to have a chance at making it go away, you need to empathize with the person’s anger. You cannot sell something (even a solution) nor can you negotiate with an angry person.

    * Talk more quietly and more slowly than the person you’re talking with. Not an exaggerated mantra, but just enough that you will be de-escalating, not escalating.

    * Ask the person what it will take to help them not be angry. Repeat what they’re asking for, in your own words.

    * Ask them if that will not only solve their problem, but give your organization a chance to delight them.

    * If no, then ask again what it will take. (But only once. You'll settle for a benign grudge if you can get one.)

[It’s important to note that so far I haven’t asked you to give them anything or to actually agree with their point of view. Just to understand it and recognize it. You cannot negotiate with an angry person. Doesn’t work.]

* Now, summarize. Human to human, not as a manipulator or someone following a list of steps read on a blog. “Sue, I’m really sorry you’re upset. I can imagine that having one of our room service people walk into your room at 11 pm, uninvited, and wake you up before a big conference could cost you a lot of sleep and really ruin your visit with us. It sounds like you’re hoping for an apology from our manager and a waiver of our internet fee as a way of showing you we really blew it. Would that help?”

P.S. Are you faced with more serious problems on your relationships or finances? Get blessed now by simply visiting any of the following sites: Kerygma Family and/or Bro Bo Sanchez.

Thank you, Elvin.

2010-03-08T17:54:00.000-08:00

Allow me to thank Mr. Elvin Peria for helping me give my blog a simple and fresh new look! He works really fast and does what is exactly needed/requested to improve the blogsite.

Again, thank you so much and I pray that you be blessed in so many great ways today and always. :D

P.S. If you have plans of creating a blog for your business and you are having a hard time putting up your own, you can ask for some tips from Elvin thru text or email: 09165169873 or elvinperia@yahoo.com You can also read his blog posts related to blogging and earning from it thru Google Adsense at http://elvinperia.blogspot.com

When faced with a challenge, say "I have faith in Jesus."

2010-03-07T19:54:00.000-08:00

When faced with a challenge, how do you usually react? Does your heart beat faster than usual? Do your hands and feet sweat profusely? Do your knees tremble? Do you feel your heart ache with excruciating pain and simply wish the challenge to be gone?

Many times in our lives we face challenges, or what others would prefer to call "problems." We are faced with things that we have never expected to happen, making us feel so embarrassed, caught off guard. We struggle with the confusion of not knowing what to do. We worry about what will happen to our status quo and feel pressured to the max. We unconsciously let the problems rob us of the chance to actually exercise our ability to create strategies that would most appropriately solve whatever problem we have.

Knowing that all this emotional thingy is natural (because we are humans), why can't we simply try a different strategy next time?

When faced with a challenge, say "I have faith in Jesus." Believe that Jesus has equipped you with all of what it takes to solve the issues you have in your personal, professional, financial life. Believe that Jesus is simply giving you an opportunity to exercise the gifts he has given you, so you may grow and develop faster than usual. Remember the video games we regularly play when we were kids? We trust in our Master who sent us in a mission to conquer the bad guys of the world. We trust in our Master that whatever we need in the battle will be provided for, in his generosity. We start with level one and as we become more skilled in the battle against the bad guys, we simply go one level up, and so on.

It's how our video games work. It's how our lives work. Why? Because humans made the video games and they patterned it all in the real world.

Let's remember that, from now on.

P.S.1. If you think you already have everything but still feel incomplete and unhappy, I recommend that you allow yourself to be blessed through an online community of loving people called the Kerygma Family. Visit their website: http://www.kerygmafamily.com/

P.S.2. If you are struggling with your finances, try attending the Wealth Academy Series by IMG. It's a seminar where you understand how you can get out of the rat race and become financially independent in 5 or 10 years. Text me for the schedule at 09275001118.

P.S.3. If you are curious about where I get all these information, I suggest that you get to know my mentor, Bro Bo Sanchez at http://bosanchez.ph/

Birthdays are always special. Let's make them bigger and happier in the coming years!

2010-02-21T17:51:00.000-08:00

The month of February have always been a birthday-filled month for me. I have at least 10 friends in my list celebrating their birthdays this month, including my mom and myself. Haha!

Let me share with you some of my thoughts on a number of birthday celebrations I have actually been to.

1. My Mom's 68th Birthday. My mom is a very simple person. Unlike my father who celebrates his birthday with the whole community, in a real party, my mom chooses to stay home with us and cook the all time favorite spaghetti and blow her all time favorite coffee crumble cake. Actually, that's how we celebrate her birthday every single year. To make it extra special for her, I sometimes conspire with other family members and give her a bouquet of flowers or a special birthday gift. This year, however, since I was technically bedridden for a week, due to influenza, I didn't have the power to make a simple surprise. But since my mom is really really simple, she didn't mind it at all and celebrated her birthday with us with a soft candle blow. It's her 68th birthday, anyway. According to her, another year in her life is actually the greatest gift she'll receive on her birthday. :D

2. My High School Friend, Harold Ebora's Birthday. Coming to Villa de Calamba to celebrate fiesta is an annual thingy for me and Elvin since our sexy friend "Borj" has always made sure we are invited. This year, however, we are not only coming to celebrate fiesta with him but to celebrate his birthday! According to Borj, he thinks it's a must that he celebrate his 25th birthday, a stage which he calls a "quarter-life." We so agree with Borj! It's a time when we may actually recall whatever things we have done in the past years of our lives and evaluate our performance as an individual, as a professional, as a son/daughter of God. We were very happy to see Borj having much fun with all of his guests who, I'm sure are all very happy to be with him on his birthday too. How I wish we could also give Borj a great treat with our batch mates on our birthdays. Babawi kami, Borj. Wait lang. :D

3. My Kumpare, Ponch Chan's Surprise Birthday Party. After a week of resting in bed, I have finally gone out of the house last Saturday to take part in a surprise birthday party for Kuya Ponch, a party most specially prepared by his beautiful wife, my Kumare, Ycar Chan. We traveled from Calamba to Pagsanjan with so much anticipation of what's gonna happen on the first ever surprise party that we would be attending. Haha! Guess what?! After attending the said event, I really think surprise parties are all worth it! Surprises bring so much joy to the celebrant! It can really make anyone cry, specially when you get to see how much your loved ones have prepared for your birthday. I'd say that my Kumare really did a great job! Two thumbs up! And may I also take note that my Kumare even extended the party to accommodate my birthday! Haha! She got me a surprise treat too! It made my tear glands swell. Such a sweet lady! I hope we can all be like her and surprise our loved ones every year! She really lifted our birthday meters to a higher level. :D

As for my birthday, today, I have been receiving tons of love from my family and friends, both personal and online and it's making my heart pump real fast! I have also been very thankful for the video presentation that my boyfriend posted in my iPod and in my Facebook account. It's a real surprise! ...and I loved it! Haha!

This evening, I have planned to have a simple dinner with my family, somewhere we have not been to recently. I hope to make it a night of good food and laughter for everyone and from now on, I commit to celebrate my birthday every year, knowing that God wants me to really enjoy on my special day!

I hope to make it bigger and happier in the coming years! :D

My Observations at Boljoon, Cebu

2010-02-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

This would be my very first post after visiting my mom's province in Cebu.

It took me 13 long years before finally coming back to my mom's birthplace, Boljoon. I am very fortunate for having been given the chance to learn a lesson or two from where and how my mom was raised.

Allow me to share with you some of my observations/realizations from my week-long adventure. Here it goes:

1. Filipinos leave the province to work in the city and never come back. Foreigners pool their money and invest it in the Philippine provinces to live there for life.

2. Most of the super big houses built in the province are "owned" by women who got to marry foreigners. Houses that remain simple and look pretty old are "owned" by families who are never related to foreigners.

3. Brownouts can happen three times a day.

4. People still use a big leaf as an umbrella.

5. A kilo of my favorite halaan/shell can be as cheap as twenty pesos per kilo.

6. There are many other brands of hotdogs other than Purefoods and Swift.

7. "Tuba" is an everyday drink, like soda.

8. People from the province "shout" when they talk to people who are sitting next to them.

9. People from Boljoon are brave for having the courage to sit right next to the road where cars' speed reach 80 km/hour.

10. They've got ultra-better roads in Boljoon than many other provinces I've been to. Thumbs up to their local leaders!

The Wealth Academy Series

2010-01-28T19:17:00.000-08:00

In relation to increasing our Financial Wisdom, I am sincerely inviting you to attend the Financial Management seminars I have been attending with my family and friends at Makati City.

Here are the list of topics covered in each seminar:

Learn at The WEALTH ACADEMY Series.

Series 1	*Financial Solutions Today* The Six (6) Steps to Financial Independence How Money Works The Wealth Formula How to Build a Solid Financial Foundation
Series 2	*Finance & Investment 101* Different Investment Vehicles & Strategies How to Bypass the Middleman & Become Your Own Financial Adviser/ Broker Mutual Funds, Diversification, Money Cost Averaging, etc
Series 3	*Creating Multiple Income Streams* The Different Sources of Passive Income How to Create Passive Income Streams New Concepts in Making Good Money
Series 4-12	A Comprehensive Approach to Personal and Financial Success!

LOCATION: 3/F, King’s Court Bldg 1, Chino Roces Ave, Makati City

I hope you'll find time to learn about how you can make yourself and your family abundant while you're still young, like I do.

I have been learning a lot from these seminars and I highly recommend that you learn from it too. It's free, anyway.

Seminar schedules are as follows:

Mondays, 7pm
Wednesdays, 7pm
Saturdays, 2pm

Let's increase our Financial Wisdom together. :D

Feel free to reach me at any of the following:

ramilomem@gmail.com
(049) 545 3114
0927 500 1118

Sincerely,

Edel Ramilo

Lead yourself towards freedom from fear.

2010-01-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

This morning, I was amazed by Seth Godin's blog post entitled: Quieting the Lizard Brain. I thought of sharing it with you so you may also be led towards freedom from fear. Here it goes:

How can I explain the never-ending irrationality of human behavior?

We say we want one thing, then we do another. We say we want to be successful but we sabotage the job interview. We say we want a product to come to market, but we sandbag the shipping schedule. We say we want to be thin but we eat too much. We say we want to be smart but we skip class or don't read that book the boss lent us.

The contradictions never end. When someone shows up and acts without contradiction, we're amazed. When an athlete just does the sport, or when a writer just writes the words, we can't help but watch, astonished at the purity of their actions. Why is it so difficult to do what we say we're going to do?

The lizard brain.

Or as Stephen Pressfield describes it, the resistance. The resistance is the voice in the back of our head telling us to back off, be careful, go slow, compromise. The resistance is writer's block and putting jitters and every project that ever shipped late because people couldn't stay on the same page long off to get something out the door.

The resistance grows in strength as we get closer to shipping, as we get closer to an insight, as we get closer to the truth of what we really want. That's because the lizard hates change and achievement and risk.

The lizard is a physical part of your brain, the pre-historic lump near the brain stem that is responsible for fear and rage and reproductive drive. Why did the chicken cross the road? Because her lizard brain told her to.

Want to know why so many companies can't keep up with Apple? It's because they compromise, have meetings, work to fit in, fear the critics and generally work to appease the lizard. Meetings are just one symptom of an organization run by the lizard brain. Late launches, middle of the road products and the rationalization that goes with them are others.

The amygdala isn't going away. Your lizard brain is here to stay, and your job is to figure out how to quiet it and ignore it. This is so important, I wanted to put it on the cover of my new book. We realized, though, that the lizard brain is freaked out by a picture of itself, and if you want to sell books to someone struggling with the resistance (that would be all of us) best to keep it a little more on the down low.

Now you've seen the icon and you know its name. What are you going to do about it?

This is such an amazing article! It simply explains why there is so much friction whenever we are at the point of starting something or anything. The lizard brain is the one causing us to freeze when faced with risks. No matter what great opportunities come to us, unless we learn how to fight this lizard brain that we have, we will never soar heights.

Let's silence this part of the brain and take action.

P.S.

You can subscribe to Seth Godin's blog at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

IMG Principles in Practice

2010-01-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

In December 2009, Elvin and I learned how to manage our finances with the help of the International Marketing Group. One of the most striking lessons I learned during one of the seminars I attended is how to do a personal financial check-up. I was happy to realize that I am able to handle my finances really well. I realized that although my income was relatively small compared to others, I didn't have any debt and I got to save considerable portions of my income too. I was living below my means without sacrificing my comfort. Knowing this made me breathe a lot easier. Since I possess great self-discipline, I thought that I can be a great financial manager of myself. Haha!

However, last January 09, 2010, when I brought my whole family to attend the free financial management seminars of IMG, I didn't realize what I was getting into. My sister, who is much of the family's bread winner, learned so much from the seminar. She got so inspired and got so enlightened that she wanted me to do a financial checkup on our family. She wanted me to tell her how well my mom is managing our finances. She wanted me to make sure we were doing things the right way. That's when my heart started to pump super duper fast!

Meddling into the family's finances was too much for me. In my 24 years on earth, I have never questioned my mom's authority and decisions over our family's wealth. I have never dared to ask her how she uses the money that we earn. I love my mother so much and I trust her with my whole heart. I know that she'll never do anything that would put our family's finances in trouble.

I was really hesitant to ask my mom about the details. I knew that any form of questioning will signal a level of distrust and make her worry and eventually hate me. I didn't want that to happen. I wanted to keep our relationship in its top shape. I was thinking not to take action on my sister's request.

My sister, on the other hand, kept asking me about the details everyday. She would constantly remind me to meet and talk with my mom and present her the details. The longer it takes me to do the job, the worrier she gets, the heavier pressure I feel.

Yesterday, my mom and sister went to Antipolo Church. I decided to stay home. Thankfully, I finally thought of a strategy. I had a one-on-one talk with my father. I asked my father about the details of our finances. Patiently, he explained to me everything he knows about our income and expenses. As he was discussing it all to me, I was listing all things down on my beloved notepad.

In less than 30 mins., I had my estimates. I then computed for our total income and total expenses. I can't believe the results of my computation.

For purposes of illustration, let's say we have...

Total Income of 120,000php per month

BUT we also have...

Total expenses of 130,000 per month!!!

It simply means...

We're even short of 10,000 every month!!!

We were spending more than what we were earning!!!

This information really gave the chills. I now understand why my sister wants me to do the checkup. She must have felt that something was really wrong because, until now, my mom still fails to save up.

Now, given the information, I had the courage to call everyone's attention. This morning, as we were all having breakfast, I shared with them my discovery.

If you'll ask me how the meeting had been, I'd say that it wasn't conflict free or issue free. People raised their voices. People questioned my ideas and said it would be impossible to keep some but I stood by what I have learned and dared each of them to simply focus on our goal of saving up money for my parents' emergency fund/healthcare. I told them not to defend our bad habits and instead encourage everyone to cooperate. That's the time when they all listened and started to think of ways on how we can all hit our set goals.

Today, I am happy and proud to say that I am putting my learning into action by encouraging my family to follow this simple financial guide:

10% Tithes
20% Savings
10% Emergency Fund
60% Expenses

We are looking forward to a brighter future, from this day onwards. Thanks to my financial mentors, Dra. Dada Rosanes and Engr. Noel Arandilla of the International Marketing Group, for all the learning and inspiration. Long live the Wealth Academy!

P.S.

If you wanna know how I learned all these, email me at ramilomem@gmail.com

I'd be happy to help you too. :D

If you love what you do, you will surely miss it.

2010-01-10T22:54:00.000-08:00

It's been ten days since I last sat at my office table to check on my emails and write some articles and it felt like ages.

I had around 80 messages in my inbox and I read them one email after another. It feels so good to be back online.

How about you?

What is that one thing you do that makes you miss it badly once you stopped doing it for quite some time? When was the last time you actually gave yourself a chance to do it and be really happy?

Take a moment to reflect and identify what you really want to do.

Once you know what you want, JUST DO IT!

Give you heart a gift.

Start your year with power!

2010-01-01T16:23:00.000-08:00

Can I ask you something?

I was just wondering, how you started your new year.

Choose among the list of statements which is more or less your way of starting your new year.

"Can anyone tell me if this new year will bring me more luck?"

"I hope this year turns out to be okay than before."

"I wish I won't be as unlucky this year as I have been last year."

"Will better opportunities come to me this year?"

"Do you think this year would be a great year for me?"

Can you relate to any of these statements? How do these statements make you feel? Is that how you started your new year? I hope not. Saying these statements can only make you lose your power to make your dreams come true. Yes. Words have power and by using the same words as above, you are letting go of your power to make great things possible.

So, how do I suggest you to reclaim the power that you have lost in your life? It's as simple as saying any of the following statements below.

"If it is to be, it is up to me."

"God's river of blessings is flowing to me at every moment of my life."

"I find everything I need."

"I'm anointed by God to save and bless the world."

"I deserve an awesome new year and that's what am gonna get. Nothing less."

Now, how do these statements make you feel? Say it over and over until you finally believe it.

Let these statements be your daily message to yourself to help you make your dreams come true.

Remember to always start your day with power! Your words are as good as your reality.

2009, A Year of Learning

2009-12-31T17:55:00.000-08:00

Happy new year, everyone!

The year 2009 has been a year of Learning for me and my boyfriend, Elvin. It's a year when our eyes have been opened to the endless possibilities of life. You may ask, how did we learn all these? Well, we love reading books and listening to audio books. It's how we get to learn about almost anything under the sun.

With this said, we are sharing with you a list of the books that really influenced our perspective of almost everything in life.

I hope you'll get to have time to educate yourself too by reading/listening to these wonderful books:

Ebooks by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen:

Cash in a Flash
A State of Abundance
Chronic Profitability
Confidence
How to Fast Write a Book
Investing Strategies-Business
Leapfrogging
Making Money While You Sleep
Marketing Miracle
On Being a Millionaire
Philanthropy
Starting Poor Getting Rich
The Best Ideas We've Ever Heard
The Effective Executive Assistant
The Extra Mile
The Four Ways to Make Money
The Generosity Factor
The Leader in You
The Master Habit
Time for Everything
Wealth: The Most Unselfish Process

Books by Bo Sanchez:

How to Conquer Your Goliaths
How to Turn Thoughts into Things
Don't Worry Be Happy
How to Live a Life of Miracles
8 Secrets of the Truly Rich

Invest in your education.

Life ends when you stop learning.

Thank you Lord for a peaceful Christmas!

2009-12-25T03:04:00.000-08:00

I wish to thank the Good Lord for giving me a very happy Christmas this 2009.

I am with my family and we are definitely enjoying every minute of our togetherness. It's such a memorable day, being able to dine and talk to people who are most of the time away or virtually away from me. Christmas definitely opens doors to forgiveness and eventual reconciliation.

I also thank God for the humility that He gives each of us. It makes us accept our weaknesses and understand other people's weaknesses too. I hope everyday can be a Christmas day to everyone.

Let's savor the remaining moments of Christmas day by simply saying this prayer:

Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

by Robert Louis Stevenson

My 2009 Christmas Gift for Everyone

2009-12-24T02:10:00.001-08:00

Since Christmas encourages the spirit of giving, I am giving you a free copy of my eBook entitled STOP Jobhopping NOW!

This serves as my Christmas gift to you and can serve as your Christmas gift to anyone whom you send this eBook to. Isn't that just great?

To download a copy of my free eBook, simply click on this link: http://edelramilo.posterous.com/

Again, I'm wishing you a merry merry Christmas!

To view the readers' comments on my eBook, click here.

Wanna be happy? Learn your favorite.

2009-12-22T22:46:00.000-08:00

I've been busy during the past two weeks and I admit that I have not played with my little nephew, Ren, for quite some time now. So today, as I do all my work on my laptop, I decided to also do a mini-project with him.

Using an old box of Kraft Eden cheese, we are going to create a gift box / paper bag! This isn't the first time we are doing a mini-project similar to this so I encouraged him to do it with less supervision. As he was doing all the cutting and pasting of sorts, I started playing his favorite Christmas carol, Jingle Bells.

He's very much delighted to sing the song but since he doesn't know the lyrics well, I needed to teach him the chorus first. So I'd sing the song over and over again until he catches up with the lyrics and the tune. I can feel just how much he enjoys the music. Eventually, we ended up singing more new Christmas songs. It's such a sweet sweet moment for me and Ren.

I believe that life is simply like that.

We start by learning our favorite song and then find a coach/mentor who will guide us in learning more about our favorite song. We sing our favorite song for many many times until we realize that we're so good at it and we already want to learn a new one. Again, we start from knowing nothing about the new song and then our coach/mentor teaches us how to do it again and the process goes on and on and on until we become experts of our favorite songs and of many other songs that interest us.

That's how life really is and I believe that starting with our favorite song is actually our key to success. Why our favorite song? Well, it has long been proven that we learn best when we get to enjoy what we are doing. So, the more we do what we love best, the easier and the faster we learn from our experiences with it.

So my message is that you sing your favorite song now, before it's too late!

If it's cooking, dancing, writing, or whatever that is your favorite, go ahead and do it. Why? Because unless you do what you love to do, you can never be really happy. Go and get your body moving towards "your favorite."

Slumbook, anyone?

Again, Merry Christmas!

My first investment: Kaiser Premium Health Builder Plan

2009-12-22T15:21:00.000-08:00

Good news!

I have just started my Health Savings Account / Long Term Health Care Program with Kaiser International Health Group.

The Kaiser Premium Health Builder Plan, as endorsed by the International Marketing Group, provides the following to its plan holders:

Medical services at Over 500 Accredited Hospitals, Hospital's Intensive Care Unit and Operating Room
Medical services by Over 1,000 accredited Physicians / Specialists / Surgeons / Anesthesiologists
Free Chest X-ray Stool and Urine Analysis Complete Blood Count Electrocardiogram (for 35 yrs. old and above)
Free unlimited dental check-ups once a year free dental prophylaxis, free simple tooth extraction
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Nuclear/Radioactive Isotope Scan, CT Scan, Dialysis, Blood Transfusion, Chemotherapy, and Radiotherapy, Physical/Speech Therapy, Anti-Rabies, Venom and Tetanus Vaccine, Emergency Benefits (Ambulance)
A guaranteed benefit which you can use after 15 years, whatever sickness you have or you can also use it at age 65 onwards...
A 10% yearly accumulation based on the long term care benefit starting on the 6th year up to the 15th year
If no claim was made during the Accumulation period all premiums paid will be given back on the 15th year, making it COST FREE
Lifetime access to over 1,000 doctors, over 500 hospitals as long us you have funds available in your health benefits
If the policy owner dies during paying and accumulation period the beneficiary will receive an amount equal to Long Care Benefit
If the policy owner becomes totally and permanently disabled for a period of six months (before age 65 years and 6 months) during the accumulation period. all the succeeding payments will be waived
If the policy owner dies due to an accident before age 65 and 6 months, or suffers from dismemberment of both hands, both feet or loss of sight in both eyes (or any combination thereof) before age 65 and 6 months during the paying period, the nominee will receive equal to 200% of the Long Term Care Benefit
If the policy owner dies during the accumulation period, the balance of premiums is waived, rendering the plan fully paid

I thank God for giving me the capacity to invest for my health or in other words, prepare for my health needs when I get really old. I thank God that people from IMG are guiding me towards a better future.

When I get old and I won't be fit to work anymore, at least I won't need to worry about where am gonna get the funds for my health care. My future kids won't have to worry about the usually large expenses from hospitalization and many other medical procedures that I would have to undergo. I won't need to worry about what most senior citizens today are worrying about.

I am forever thankful for the Financial Education I get for FREE at IMG. The information that they have shared with me will forever change how am gonna live my life. Thanks to Dra. Dada Rosanes for being such a good mentor.

I hope to build more investments in the coming years.

Cheers to more success!

-edeL

P.S.

In case you want me to personally share with you more about where and how I'm learning all these, simply email me at ramilomem@gmail.com. I'd be very happy to share with you my experiences. God bless!

Thanks for appreciating my first eBook, April!

2009-12-21T07:25:00.000-08:00

I'd like to personally thank my friend, April Limbo, for taking time to read and appreciate my first eBook entitled "STOP JOBHOPPING NOW."

I hope to learn more from life so I'd get to share more to everyone. Keep sharing the eBook to people whom you think are in need of it.

I wish you the best.

Merry Christmas! :D

-edeL ramiLo

P.S.

For those who wish to get a copy of my eBook, feel free to send your request at ramilomem@gmail.com. I give it to interested parties for FREE. :D

Learning Real Estate 101 with Crown Asia

2009-12-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

It has long been my dream to learn more about the real estate business and I am very much privileged for having taken a step towards that dream yesterday as Elvin and I attended a seminar under Ms. Ann Salvador of Crown Asia.

By attending the seminar, I have learned the following revelations:

If anyone plans to buy a property by using PAG-IBIG loan, the total contact price should be less than a million pesos or else, the interest rate that will be applied to the loan will be greater than the advertised 6%. Remember, bigger interest rates translate to bigger headaches. Make sure you get the lowest interest rates for any of your housing loans or any other loans you are gonna make.
By just paying the reservation fee and the 15% of your total contract price, you can already move-in at your condominium. Take note that you can ask to pay for the 15% through installment scheme. You don't have to worry about not having a large money at once. You just have to make sure that you can cover the monthly payment.
Foreigners can indeed own a condominium. (Hahaha!) I should have believed my sister when she told me about this before. I could have searched for condominiums that her Japanese friends could have bought years ago. Now, I know.
It's a lot easier to buy a condominium and have it rented to someone else, as compared to a house and lot. Why? Because most of the condominiums have Property Managers that could look for tenants in your behalf. You can ask for their assistance and your rental business can easily be up and running. Just make sure you're buying a condominium with good Property Managing credentials.
For real investors, it's always best to buy a property at pre-selling price. Your property's value can double in just a matter of 2 to 3 years. That means you could sell your property to someone else with a double profit margin.

I hope this list of revelations helped you as much as it helped me. I'll try to share more of my insights when I get back.

Have a fun-filled day and if in case you are desperately in need to find a good condominium somewhere in Metro Manila and you can't seem to know where or how to start finding a good one, you can simply email me at ramilomem@gmail.com and I would be very happy to share with you what I have learned and loved in Crown Asia.

STOP JOBHOPPING NOW: My first ever eBook!

2009-12-19T06:43:00.000-08:00

I would like to thank everyone who has read and appreciated my first ever eBook entitled "STOP JOBHOPPING NOW." I am very much happy to receive your wonderful comments. It makes me wanna share my eBook to more and more people who might be needing guidance in finding their perfect job.

Allow me to quote some of the wonderful feedback I have received from people who have read my work.

It's an amazing read - practical, sincerely written. I'm sure many of us could relate to it. INSIGHTFUL indeed and I hope this will provide wisdom and courage to overcome the experience as you did.

- Mrs. Carla Gonzales-Jimena, Instructor

I felt the sincerity of the entire piece. I must say it's a masterpiece. :)

- Rachelle Paunlagui, Financial Mentor

This is a book that would ignite the imagination of everyone. This would help people define themselves and help them answer the big question: "Who am I?"

- Joselito S. Alayon, Plant Manager

Again, thank you so much and I hope that more people would get to read and learn from my experiences.

To get a FREE copy of the eBook, email me at ramilomem@gmail.com.

I join you in your quest for happiness.