Confirmed

She's been asking for weird food lately (halo halo in the evening, Snow Bear candies in the morning, etc) and she's a bit cranky haha..

Today, she woke me up with this surprise:

An awesome early Christmas gift for the both of us :)

Joy Is Busy

... Busy slaying zombies, that is!

And mostly just letting our frustrations out since the Avatar DVD we rented kept on failing us :(

Trip to Cebu Philippines Temple

We recently had our chance to visit the Cebu Philippines Temple. This is a dream come true - thanks to awesome friends Sherron and Agnes!

DAY 1
Here are some pics upon our arrival at NAIA:

While waiting for our flight, we were surprised to see this old man reading THAT magazine:

I approached him and introduced myself. Turns out he was a former bishop at Cebu... It was really nice to meet a fellow LDS at a huge airport. What are the chances, right? :) 

Now here we are upon hitting Mactan Airport. We arrived past 9pm already. 

We were tired and hungry (but still managed to crack a smile while Manong Guard took this shot) and so we rushed our way to the temple housing. 

DAY 2
We got to visit the temple the following day and it was truly a majestic sight to behold.

 

Naturally, we cant resist but take a few pictures of ourselves as well :)

We then went out to have a dinner with Bishop Gaso at AAB BBQ. Such a kind-hearted family!

Now this is how the temple looks like at night:

 

With several sisters from Bacolod :)

DAY 3

Third day started really early with the two of us visiting the temple again. We just love this place! So peaceful and beautiful!
 

 

We also too the time to visit the nearby Taoist Temple but that might be a separate blog entry. For now, I'd say one of the highlights of our whole trip was the mini-PDM Reunion with Bro. Faune - another mission-friend who is based in Cebu.

DAY 4

 

Day 4 was even earlier since our flight was scheduled around 5am. Surely, we hope to come back next time and travel the place more..

Goodbye for now, Cebu! We hope to see you again soon!

My Birthday

We bought an acoustic guitar and a Beatles songbook. We also purchased a harmonica - which she immediately learned to play after her first few attempts. I was amazed and it took her some time to convince me that its really her first time to play it.

Ailin's 18th Birthday

We were invited to attend Ailin's 18th birthday last November 5. This took place at Star Plaza Hotel.

Here are a few pics:

 

Movie Marathon

Thanks to the long weekend, we got our chance to stay at home for two days and catch new movies we've recently missed - plus a few classics we've always wanted to see.

Here are some titles we loved among the videos we rented:

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

I loved Jack Sparrow, she liked the mermaids - until she saw what they can do! Heheh.. This was another fun installment of the hit franchise. Looking forward to more adventures with everyone's favorite suave pirate!

  

Gnomeo and Juliet

Its Shakespeare plus Elton John music plus Pixar-flavored animation. She picked this one and we had fun watching it. This is one movie where you will hear Ozzy Osbourne's voice as - believe it or not -a garden deer. Hahah!

This is highly recommended for families.

 Green Lantern

 Finally had my chance to catch this. Personally, I couldn't get while a lot of people were pissed with this.

Of course, it's not the best superhero film out there (that spot belongs to Captain America, I think) but this is nonetheless good. Ryan Reynolds fits right in as cocky pilot Hal Jordan. The CGI was pleasing and the story's really simple. This one is about being chosen, living up to the expectations and turning weaknesses into strengths.

As for my favorite scene, I'd say it would be Sinestro's transformation into a Yellow Lantern!  

Patch Adams

I've heard lots of good things from friends about this film and so we also got this. Simply put, we weren't disappointed. Hope more doctors would watch this film and learn from it. If they don't want to be as funny as Patch, well, fine! Just at least try familiarizing themselves with patient names and show more care and concern :)

Message in a Bottle

An outdated yet cute love story with a tragic ending. The film stars Robin Wright Penn, a Chicago Tribune researcher and Kevin Costner, a guy who writes letters for his dead wife and tosses it on the sea. Overall a great film. Nuff said!

 I Am Sam

This was a must-watch for the both of us, she being a Special Education student and me being a Beatles fan since high school. This is a touching movie about a mentally-challenged father trying to keep his daughter. The first few minutes of the film was a good way to learn what's going on inside the mind of people with developmental disability.

Sean Penn's performance was praiseworthy.

Of course, Eddie Vedder's rendition of "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" was both unexpected and particularly exceptional. And oh. I NEED a copy of this film's soundtrack!   

Trese

 

Its Christmas Time In The City

Last Saturday, we went to buy some Christmas decors for the new home. We bought something for the door plus a 4-feet Christmas tree. It was also fun choosing which decors to buy for the tree.

Too early, you say? Well, we can't help it. We're excited for our first Christmas as a marriedcouple :)
Here are some pictures:

This is the door decor.
Its job is to welcome the visitors.
Greetings, earthlings! Heheh..

 

This is our first Christmas tree.

I've always wanted a white tree since I was a kid. I finally got my wish.
We bought this for only 75 pesos heheh..

More pictures:

Looks like it will be a White Christmas for the both of us :)

LISTENING: AN IMPORTANT SKILL IN TEACHING

I wrote this speech for her. She has to memorize and deliver it for her Speech Improvement class. I'm sure she'll do a great job :)

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LISTENING: AN IMPORTANT SKILL IN TEACHING

“Listening is the beginning of understanding.” So goes the saying on a radio advertisement that I heard during my younger years.

“People won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” This is a quotation I’ve often heard as a member of our church.

Truly, listening is an important skill not only in life but also in teaching. Effective communication always plays a vital role in our chosen profession. Contrary to popular belief, a good teacher is not always someone who can deliver long lectures during the class. Most often than not, a good teacher is someone who takes the time to pause and listen to the students, frequently assessing their feelings and reactions to the lesson, and then makes the necessary adjustments for the future classes to achieve the desired results and help students improve.
Just think about it.

In one way or another, all of us have received both formal and informal training in other methods of communication. Since our elementary days and onwards, we have been taught to read and speak and write. However, how many of us can make the claim that we have been properly trained when it comes to listening?

I suppose not that many.

This is the main reason why it is important to learn the principles of emphatic listening. In his bestselling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey stressed the significance of seeking first “to understand, then to be understood.” He writes, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. They’re either speaking or preparing to speak.”

As future Special Education teachers, it is very necessary – even crucial – for us to reach the hearts of our future students. This cannot be done by lecture alone. This can only happen if we listen with love.

Jeffrey R. Holland, a prominent educator and leader in our Church believes the same thing. He once said “More important than speaking is listening. (Our students) are not lifeless objects… they are children of God.”

When we listen carefully, we understand people better. We will be more effective and we will be able to adapt our teaching to the needs and interest of our students.

PULP Magazine Cover

Photo taken and edited by Vanilla Media.

I'm thinking of printing this as a poster.

Or maybe even a bookmark.

Thanks, Wendel!