Awesome Paz!

Meet Paz..my bubbly former student. She was my contestant for English Declamation around ten years ago. Our tandem was memorable because she was my first "big winner" in the local PRISAA. Having been champion then delivering a piece I wroteespecially for her.. She truly made me proud (as her victory made me discover my penchant for creative writing).  She fought many "battles" since then, (marriage and parenting included) but none was as hard as her battle with weight. All her life she was "big." Literally.

Then 3wks ago, she surprised me. We bumped into each other at a mall. And i couldn't believe I was staring at my favorite student... Paz wasn't the "big" lass I knew before..

She lost all her extra weight to metamorphose into this awesomeness of a state that is now. She "shrunk" into her current weight thru strict diet, rigid work-outs, and commendable discipline.

Mid-last week, i was shocked to learn her first-born died of dengue. The grieving Paz who was then getting ready for the 36th Milo Marathon decided to run -- still..even as her son was still being laid in a wake. She confides she had to run if only to momentarily release her grief...

It was to be her first running race ever...
And she placed 10th...in the half-marathon. Yes. She ran and finished 10th amongst the 12thousand or so runners who joined the Iloilo City leg of the Milo Marathon (21k category).

But the latest feather on her cap wasn't that Milo race yet. Because she's on this month's issue of Women' Health Magazine (p.49). Her journey to wellness and fitness is truly awe-spiring. I am soo thrilled!

So please grab a copy of the November issue of Women's Health mag...and be inspired.

Cheers to you Paz! You definitely make me proud. :-)

(l-r: she used to be 190lbs...now she's 127lbs...that's page49 of the November issue of Women's Health)

Two Became One

She had her share of broken hearts. 
She cried a lot but learned to start.
She believed that one day soon,

One will come and make her swoon.

He did.
And he didn't let her go.
He couldn't.
He didn't.

And off they went to tie the knot,
in our tiny garden they laid their oaths,
to keep each other,
to remain together,
to face forever,
and live happily, 

The Newly Weds

no matter what,
ever after.

Two became one.
Here's to Lanz and Dyan...

We pray they remain
Loyal and true to the vows they exchanged,
Because isn't that all it takes?
For the two to remain one, and for love to persist?

Everybody's Mama

A Band for Keeps

Finally, a band to call my own. :-)

It matters not where it's from,
Where it's been,
How it''s done,
The long sad years are all but gone...
because at long last,
the ring's in my hand. =)

Missing Teaching

Was buying water from the refill station when a guy in a motorcycle called out, "Ma'am Cheng!" I paused to look who it was. Of course I didn't recognize him but assumed he was a former student.  He got off his bike and we chitchatted while waiting for my water refill.  Told me he was so glad to see me after such a long time.  Found out he graduated six years ago and been in the army since then.  (Boy, it's been that long?! I suddenly felt old.)

Eversince I quit teaching a few years back, and old acquaintances ask me if I miss my former job, I would always respond no.  My present career(s) give me a sense of liberation which I never felt before in my former job as an 'esteemed university professor.' But that brief tête-à-tête with my former student made me realize that yes, teaching will always be special. It's an incomparable privilege...an understated role that creates a lot of impact upon the lives of young people. A teacher can become a significant influence in her students' dispositions.  A teacher can be unforgotten.  A teacher can leave an imprint in the souls of her students which, although unintended, remain there for keeps.  A teacher's legacy reverberates throughout eternity.. Sigh.

So if somebody asks me again if I miss teaching, I'd say yes. Most definitely.

When I am Old and Grey

When I am old and grey, I still wanna do this...

Walk along the beach, frolic in the summer heat,

Perhaps (but not necessarily) in a purple two-piece,

Hopefully alongside also my sweet. ;-)

(-shot  in Boracay, date indicated)

Why Not?

Just because it ain't Valentines anymore doesn't mean I can't get any more flowers, can I? But perhaps, 'tis why my tears fell when I received this...

It's not my birthday. It's not Valentine's Day. We weren't fighting.  So why this?

I was told, "Why not?" Then I sobbed.