April 24, Universal Studios and a Boyfriend

Great. My cousin gave us several coupons for a free pass to Universal Studios. There was only one problem: It was not transferrable. But as cheapskate Filipinos - or to be politically correct, as Filipinos trying to be smart - we nevertheless tried our luck. We had crazy ideas like to ask my cousin-in-law Aldo to represent himself as "Ed Halili". Anyway, we got to the booth, and thank God, the only condition is that anyone of us who has Halili as a last name (or middle name for that matter) can avail of the coupon. Good thing my cousin Cynthia brought her Philippine driver's license that shows Halili on it. :) Instead of paying f$44 for my ticket, I got to save that and I could buy anything worth that much now for shopping spree tomorrow. Haha!

What I liked about Universal. I got to see the stage in which they tape CSI Las Vegas: Stage 25. No, I didn't go inside. I just got to see the outside and the words "Stage 25" on the walls. That's the closest I can get I guess, but funny how I still felt like I actually saw them live. Heehee. I also liked the Shrek 4-D. Great show. It was funny. When Donkey sneezes, you actually feel a sprinkle of water splash on to your face. And when Lord Farquaad's ghost appears, you could feel cold breeze pass through your hair (or your nape, depending on your height). It was quite cool. The crew in Universal are really funny people. Not too funny, but they just like to kid around. For example, before we started the Shrek show, the voice over announcer was telling us to make sure we put on our seatbelt and that we could find it on the right side of our seats, and as we were just trying to look for it, he suddenly says, "just kidding"! I like the Jurassic Park ride and the show on different visual efffects. It was quite educational. :)

Lunch was also an issue. Imagine paying for hotdog and chips for $6.99? Or just a chili dog for the same price? You're going to go hungry inside if you're saving! That reminds me, we brought our own chips and water jugs for Universal. The water jugs were no problem, but the chips were. The security told us we can't bring big bag chips, but only small ones, so we decided to eat part of the chips before we enter so we can bring them in, and throw half of them into the trash. Embarrassing, but hey, I won't buy small bag chips for $2.99 each!

So we finished and went home early enough not to catch the rush hour traffic. I slept through the whole ride home because I was so tired.

Other things worth mentioning is tonight's blackout. What are the chances that there is a blackout when we are here, and while I was enjoying watching the latest CSI: Miami?!

Well, here I am working on my laptop on battery. Gotta sleep now.

April 23, Flight to LAX and Bladder Problems

Imagine, I only double-checked my scheduled departure for Los Angeles the night before I was going to leave, and I already told the driver that we're leaving at 4am. Anyway, I tried to be calm at my own mistake, and patiently waited. The driver came and we sped off to the airport. Mom was with me to see me off the airport. Boy, what a long line to the check-in counter to think that I was only 2 1/2 hours prior to my scheduled departure! As I lined up, a Northwest attendant approached me to ask if I was willing to be bumped off and get paid $740 NW voucher. I immediately declined. I hate changing my schedule going there but I would be willing if it were going home. :)

To make the long story short, I got to the check-in counter. When the NW personnel asked what my address was at my first stop and I didn't know! I said that I only know the city and state. So I wrote "Los Angeles, California", which I now realize is still wrong because it is actually Sta. Clarita, CA. Then he asked me if I already tried the Business Class, and I said "How I wish!" Then he continued sticking the labels on my check-in baggage, and as soon as he finished he handed me my boarding passes and told me that I was upgraded to Business Class for my Manila-Nagoya trip. I couldn't believe it at first, and at least I have 3 hours to stay and get to know the "Business Class". So I proceeded to Gate 11, and conveniently arrived just in time for boarding.

Boy, was I like a child playing in Business Class! I made sure I did everything I could to enjoy the privilege of being upgraded for free and without deducting mileage plus points. Hehe. I took advantage too much I took a complimentary bag of toothbrush and toothpaste from the lavatory. Cheapskate! :) After riding the Business Class, Economy felt and looked so cheap. Some marketing tactic! There is definitely a big difference between Business and Economy, and the most important is: getting out of your seat to go to the lavatory without disturbing your seatmate! There were three times that I had to go to the lavatory, but decided not to because I didn't want to bother my seatmates since I sat by the window. I hope my bladder is still okay.

I had a stop at Narita, when I felt really hungry. The only thing I could afford was a pork bun (siopao) which probably had more onions and ginger than meat! I only finished half of it and I gave up.

I arrived at LAX earlier than expected. We had to wait for another 5 minutes before we could deplane because the customs said so. Haha. They probably had to still settle into their seats since we arrived earlier. Line to the Immigration Officers were long. Since I passed by the washroom first, I was almost at the end of the line. Good thing, there was a Filipino personnel instructing NW2 passengers form a new line after all the U.S. citizens were already done with their passports. So again, I was "upgraded". Funny, another immigration officer was explaining to the ones left behind in the long line why we were given "special" treatment. He said, "We asked the Northwest passengers to form new lines because they take more time during the interview." I was a bit offended by that comment because I thought it was insulting. But nevertheless, we still finished ahead of them. The officer gave me six months despite my having a return ticket on May 19. Great!

Customs was not a problem for me too maybe because my box is a third the normal size of a balikbayan box, and my suitcase was rather small. I breezed through the whole ordeal in just an hour. Not bad, not bad at all. And boy is it cold here in LA!

Holy Week and Vacation

Just watched an episode of Youth Speak on Studio 23, and their topic was about how to spend the Holy Week. Here are some thoughts I remember from the episode: "I'd like to spend my Holy Week on vacation because the rest of the year I have already been suffering and I deserve a break." "Shouldn't we be doing daily sacrifices and prayer, and not just do it during Holy Week?"

You find anything wrong in what they said? I do. The first one: The person who said that does not really know what Holy Week is all about for Catholics. But I don't blame him for not knowing. Not a lot of people evangelize these days. Maybe he didn't get a good Religion teacher when he was young. The Church commemorates the Holy Week as a special time of the year when we reflect on the basic truths of our faith, things that we don't normally reflect on during the rest of the year. The Church has organized its calendar in such a way that it facilitates its followers to focus on the basic truths of the faith throughout the year. As in during Christmas, we reflect on the Incarnation of the Son of God - gratitude for his self-giving. Then we have May and October to reflect on the important role of Mary in our Salvation. We have other feasts like Sacred Heart, Immaculate Heart, Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph, Assumption, Ascension, Pentecost, etc. As for having suffered during the rest of the year because of work, it's not like everyone has a choice. Work is indeed hard and one must suffer a lot working hard if we want to earn money. Holy Week is a time to reflect and not necessarily a time of doing extraordinary sacrifices. What the Catholic Church only demands is the fasting and abstinence on Good Friday. Other than that, the Church did not say not to listen to the radio or watch TV. As for going on vacation with your family, there is no problem with that as long as you go to Mass, observe the basic fasting and abstinence on Good Friday, and sobriety on Black Saturday. Can you imagine bingeing and partying the night of Good Friday? I can't. While Mother Mary stands sorrowful at the foot of the cross, I am partying at home? Yikes! Don't I have a conscience?

For the second one: Yes, it is true that we ought to do daily sacrifices and prayers (I wonder if the person who said that actually does it), but the Holy Week - like what I said - is special. If you are not required to do extra hard sacrifices during the rest of the year, during Holy Week, you are asked to do sacrifices which you don't like doing. Do you like to eat just fish on Good Friday? I'm sure you don't. I see a lot of people eat meat on Lenten Fridays. See the wisdom of the Church? They know what the people like.

The Catholic Church is one big tradition. Are you going to be one of those who will destroy the tradition? Will you go on partying on the night of Good Friday? Will you party on Black Saturday? Will you eat your heart out on Good Friday? Will you be one of the bogus New Agers? Will you just choose what aspects of the Catholic Faith you find fitting your lifestyle or will you fit yours to how God has wanted us to live our lives through the Church?

A 2.0 Grading for Service

The Upper Grades faculty was in chaos. It was 15 minutes before we needed to board the bus for our faculty outing in Batangas when we were required to sign our coordinators' evaluation of us.

As I read consecutive ratings of 2.0 in my evaluation form, I was dumbfounded. I immediately thought I don't deserve such a rating, but being my submissive self, I signed without questioning them, accepting their opinion of me. I definitely do not agree that I performed below average in the points of service, and rapport with students and teachers. If I performed below average, then why keep me? Why do they want to keep a teacher who is performing in "mediocrity"?

After all the good things that they tell me about how open-minded I am, and how I can be voted to be the next Faculty Club president, then seeing those grades, I screamed interiorly.

I think it was unfair, subjective, and uncharitable. Was it their last hoorah since they would not be my coordinators anymore next school year? Are they threatened with how much better we are than they? Are they insecure of our capacity to do better? Rumor has it that the batch of Upper Grades teachers are the best compared to the other levels, then why give us such a below average grade? After what our principal said about not being wrong in hiring us because we are so creative and innovative, how can we now accept such a rating?

We need clarification. We need dialogue. We want peace, not war. We want a dialogue because we want peace. We do not want to harm any relations. May they accept our pleas with an open mind as well.

"Maling Akala"

I didn't know we had such a television show.

Last night, it featured local television personalities and they were made to look despicable. One actor was made up to look like having blisters all over his face and legs. He tried to enter a parlor and asked if he could be given foot spa. They declined him. He asked one of the customers if he could borrow her phone to text someone, and later on begged to use it for a phone call. She willingly obliged. When the actor revealed his true identity, the people who declined him felt ashamed, and the actor warmly thanked the girl who let him use her phone. She was honest enough to say that she didn't want to lend him at first because she was grossed out, but later pitied him and lent him in the end.

Another actress was made up to look like a really poor woman with a hair lip. Her mission was to get a free ride to Aurora Boulevard. After 628 cars that passed, she finally got a ride. A Christian woman stopped and gave her a ride. When they reached her stop, she revealed her identity to them in tears. The actress was so moved that someone would be willing to give an ugly and despicable woman a ride. The driver of the car was moved herself. She was glad she helped. She said it is what Christian people ought to do.

This whole ordeal is called empathy: The art of learning first hand.

"We see the fruits, but...

...we don't see the seed that died and fell on the ground."

That was the refrain in priest's homily today. He talked about how superficial we look at events. In the Philippines, March is the month of graduation for most schools. He talked about the graduation he attended. He mused over some his impressions that most of the time, we see the flowers being handed to the newly graduates, the medals, the diplomas, the togas, their nice formal dresses, but we don't see behind them... we don't know what's behind in each of those graduates.

Behind each graduate, their teachers are there: They run after them for their requirements, cry over their stubbornness, smile at their successes, work hard to find ways to make them learn calculus more easily and perhaps develop an interest in it.

Behind some graduates, their parents sacrifice comfortable living to give them good education, sick parents who force themselves to attend their son's graduation, a mother who works in another country simply watching her son give his valedictory address via the webcam, mother and father who only got together because their daughter graduated.

Behind a graduate, he had to beg their principal to revoke his punishment not to march on stage because he didn't want to make his parents feel even worse being a constant troublemaker that he is.

Behind every fruit, is a seed that had died in order to grow into a beautiful fruit-bearing tree. Many sacrifices have been delivered before we can appreciate the fruit: as sweet and colorful as they can be.

To appreciate effort takes effort.