Bicol University in Valenzuela Solar Energy, Inc.

Upon learning from the Events Unit of our department that the engineering students of Bicol University (B.U.) will be touring the Solar Power Farm in Barangay Isla, a feeling of nostalgia tinged my senses because it has been a couple of years already since I last visited my mother’s province – Albay.

B.U. is a prestigious school in Region Five. Only brainiacs can study there just like U.P. I have plenty of elementary classmates who went there in college and they’re quite successful now. I’m pretty sure a handful of students who visited ValSol (short for Valenzuela Solar Energy, Inc.) will also go places soon.

Engr. Edwin Chao, former construction manager of ValSol, has been a very accommodating and knowledgeable tour guide at the plant. He patiently answered all the queries of the students from the most mundane to the most hypothetically logical.

The 12-hectare ValSol used to be a robust fish farm in Barangay Isla. Unfortunately, because of pollution, fish and fingerlings were no longer able to survive there, leaving the fishpond business owners compelled to put their properties to better use, hence the conversion of the place into a promising and earth-friendly industry.

Engr. Chao said that ValSol’s area is definitely an ideal space for the plant because it is accessible and there are no high-rise buildings around the place. The plant is typhoon-ready for it is constructed 2.7 meters above sea level. Their basis for the elevation of the plant is the strongest typhoon that devastated Valenzuela, Ondoy, which only reached 1.7 meters above sea level.

It is interesting to note that apart from accommodating city tourists to their plant, part of ValSol’s corporate social responsibility are job generation for the barangay residents and the provision of solar panels to Isla Elementary School.

ValSol, which will commence its operation next month, is expected to produce 8.5 megawatts of power supply. Each of its 32,692 solar panels generates 260 watts. 

Congratulations Gerson!

A few of days ago, my brother posted a Facebook status saying that he’s now a “regularized” IT officer in their company. I immediately congratulated him because I know that he’s considering it as one of the most significant milestones in his corporate life.

Right after he graduated in college, he worked in a business process outsourcing company just for him to gain professional experience. I heard he did quite well there in terms of quality and attendance metrics. When the company started to show some management pitfalls, he took it as a timely reminder that testing the waters should be over and he should already shift to the battlefield where he truly belongs – the world of IT professionals.

I’m one proud big sister here; and my mother must be prouder!

Little brother used to get the worst performance in school among the four of us. In kindergarten, his teacher would tell my mother that he’s inattentive in class and that he’s always caught playing with his eraser like a toy airplane. In grade school, my mother was also invited by the guidance counsellor because he allegedly unhinged a door in one of the restroom cubicles. In high school, I saw my mother cry in desperation because he consistently brought barely passing grades on his report cards. But despite all these, I know in my heart he can’t be that bad.

He was never an honor student but he was once awarded, “Pinakamahusay sa Pagbabaybay” or best in spelling in Filipino. I was also told by one of his classmates in grade school that he was not one of the exceptional students in their class, but there was one time when their teacher asked a question, it was only him who knew the answer.

And how can I forget the story of his stupid teacher who’s unfamiliar with an orca whale?

His third grade teacher asked for example of animals which are water dwellers. He raised his hand and proudly answered, “orca whale!” The teacher ridiculed him, “Anong okra (gumbo pods)? Ang okra gulay ‘yun hindi hayop!” (What okra? Okra is a vegetable not an animal!) My brother, only eight years old then, was misty-eyed when he shared me this story. And I was like, “What?! You know better than your teacher? How can that be?”  

But the best success story I heard from him about his schooling was when their group in college was hailed the best thesis group in their class, meaning they surpassed the performance of those groups composed of the most serious and studious ones. He said the program they created is a budget and computer specs matcher that would suggest the type of computer a potential buyer can purchase based on his available funds. I’m a technology migrant and I don’t understand computer language that much but this output he mentioned is quite impressive.

I think little bro is enjoying his ride now -- simple, not too ambitious, uncomplicated, and realistic. I may not be always vocal and expressive of my support towards him but as his big sister, he’s always got my back.

Congratulations again, our dear IT officer! We love you.

My Son's 6th at Ark Avilon Zoo

          I grew up in a family where birthdays are given humongous attention. Since I was one, my mother made sure that a birthday party is always staged for me. Because of this practice, I had this mentality that my own children’s birthday celebrations should be really worth remembering too. Now I’m pondering, how am I going to make my son’s birthday special again this 2016?

Sweetness Overload.
A toothsome birthday cake baked by Ms. Orlea Francisco

         

          Last year was rather simple. It was an educational tour-slash-a team building activity. I purchased some discount tickets for Ark Avilon Zoo online, so that the kids could learn about the domesticated and wild animals from various parts of the world. Then I also opted to have our lunch celebration at Tiendesitas. Due to some budget constraints, Vladimir’s guests that time were merely my immediate biological family, my select office buddies, and his godparents. We were round about fifteen.

Family and Friends at Ark Avilon Zoo

Team Building of Writers and Artists

Colorful Tiendesitas

Happy Tummies

Vladimir's godparents arrived in Tiendesitas to see him.
Tired Baby Hillary is sleeping.

          It was really heart warming to witness the fun and excitement not only in the kids’ eyes but also in their parents’. After my son’s birthday tour, I felt accomplished because I know this activity made him learn something new.

Father and Son and Somebody else's Son with a Virtual Mother

The Twins and the Albino Snake

         

Adorable and Amiable Jenny

Fowl Buddies

          I heard from someone that a child’s 7^th birthday should be one of the grandest. Too bad I have fewer pennies this year due to my recent chaotic experience. At any rate, I’m pretty determined to make my son’s birthday this year to be another wonderful one to cherish in his memory.

Meet Hillary, the baby sister. She's only three months old here, and this is her first trip ever.

Top 3 Quotable Quotes from My Students

          It’s really nice to teach Philippine literature especially if your students are analytical and vocal of their views. Indeed it’s not always the teacher who provides the learning. Through give and take of well-thought perceptions, both the students and the teacher yield cognitive empowerment.

Thinking Out Loud.
Stolen shot during my first day in class
2nd Sem 2015-16

          There are several classroom-borne ideas that are worth sharing here, but these three are the best ones for me. 

ON HAVING A HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONSHIP. “When we talk about love, we talk about loving the person. Not the gender. You love the person on his or her entirety, not on his or her sexual preference.”

ON LIVING LIFE. “People live from B to D, meaning from Birth to Death. But we should always remember that between B and D, we have C – and it refers to Choices. In our lives, it is only C that can determine whether we’ll be successful or not.”

ON BROKEN FAMILIES. “Even if the father and the mother no longer live together, but as long as both of them provide love and affection to their children, the kids will not feel neglected. The kids can still regard the set-up as a family. Maybe not physically, but in substance.”

          I’m excited of more jewels to dig up soon. Meanwhile, I’ll be preparing test questions for their midterms tomorrow.

I Am A Writer

I can still vividly remember Zian’s question when he interviewed me for the writer’s post in my current work, he asked, “Are you a writer?” I’m not sure if I turned red after he asked that, for I knew I lack professional writing experience then. I only blog and this was the only proof that I can write. I’m not even certain if the result of my on-the-spot writing test was the reason why I got the job. Maybe Zian just got mystified of the thought that he will be employing a former beauty queen, who by the way is now oozing with cellulite depot and a balding head.

This job opportunity in the local government opened a lot of doors for me. It is through this job that I was able to get to know a handful of established people who trusted my capability as a writer. They helped me get published.

Bagumbayan - the official magazine of Knights of Rizal. This is the first magazine where I got published.

The article I wrote in our local government website was spinned and published in Bagumbayan.

The first newsletter of PLV features my article about former mayor Sherwin Gatchalian.

The official magazine of our local government where I usually contribute articles.

Acknowledged by my good friend, Arch. Ed Padilla on his architecture book.

I didn’t ask for any penny for all these works. Nonetheless, seeing my name mentioned on these media gave me a sense of pride and immortality. I read somewhere that once you’re published, you’re already immortal. Wink.

I can’t wait for the writers club in Valenzuela City to materialize soon for I will become part of it too. It is bound to become a very prestigious writers’ organization in my home city because it will be joined by multi-awarded writers, Mr. Jerry Gracio from Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino and Mr. Joselito delos Reyes who wrote the phenomenal book, “Istatus Nation.”

Brainstorming session for the creation of Valenzuela Writers Guild (2014)
(See the toy cars beside my journal? You bet my son was with me, playing somewhere while mom's in a meeting.)

Now that I’m back into blogging, I hope that I could harness my writing skills better. I want to be the best that I can be so that my children will be proud of me. At this point, my ultimate goal is to hear my children say that they’re happy and proud of their super mom – this is if I can do better than my mama, who for me is the greatest mother in the universe. 

Team Building at Underground Bar in Timog, QC

I realized that I’ve been wearing a lot of masks lately and my ultimate wish is for me to be able to carry on. I do motherly duties first thing in the morning, I’m an office employee after I get to send my son to school, I’m a teacher thrice a week after my day job, and I have to be momtrepreneur also when I get home at night. While my heart often irks at the dramas that had to happen to me, the back of my mind is somewhat strangely optimistic because I’m being given another chance to live my life in an entirely different fashion. And I can blog about my daily adventures without qualms!

I attended lots of soirees last December and I can say that my favourite was our party at the Underground Bar in Quezon City. It was attended by our office’s Communication and Research Team, News and Publications Unit, and the mayor’s personal public relations team. The experience was an excellent breather from all the workplace hassles and personal concerns. We had a good laugh, we enjoyed the food, and a lot of us became singer-performers that night – something that only extroverts can do mindlessly anytime. Well, most of us, writers, are introverts.

Writers and photographers of Mayor Rex Gatchalian (2015)

The funniest part in the party is our “awards night.”It was intended to make fun of each other based on how we are perceived by our workmates. I was a contender to the Kristeta Award (this refers to gals in the team who often speak English or Taglish) and Early Bird Award (employees who have the most attendance issues). I’m not sure if I’ll be pleased or annoyed with the award I received, which was the Call Me Baby Award, implying that the boss always rings the phone to look for me. Other funny awards were the Accenture Award (given to the guy who always picks up the phone because he’s nearest to the unit) and the Fashionista Award (given to our funny officemate who was scolded by the mayor for not wearing appropriate uniform). This is the second time I received a crazy-themed citation. My first was the Prim and Proper Award when I was still a training support professional at Citigroup.

"Call Me Baby of the Year"

Our funny emcee shares the floor with this talented musician.

One can stand a chaotic workplace as long as the people inside are your good friends. Despite the challenges in my career in 2015, I can still say that our writers’ nook is my little piece of heaven here on earth. 

The People's Park and the Town Center: My House's Annex

                I’m really glad that I live in Valenzuela City where everything I need is just a few walks away. My house is at the heart of all the places an ordinary person would need to frequent daily – my office, my son’s school, my business space, the market, the grocery store, the park, the church, the banks, the highway, and most importantly, I reside close to my relatives’ abodes. In this country, or at least in our clan, having my relatives around is tantamount to having my friends or confidants nearby all the time. I must be a lucky gal.

                Living near the People’s Park and the Town Center is one of my favourite blessings. You know why? Because every time I need to accommodate visitors, I am not pressured to clean up my small house nor cook food for my guests. All that I have to do is to tell them to go to the park and wait for me in a specific restaurant at the Town Center.

My visitors from Rizal and Marikina City at the People's Park
(photo screen grabbed from Golda)

A few days after Christmas, my college friends, who are also Hillary’s godparents, offered to pay me a visit since they were not able to make it at my daughter’s christening. I was pleased because my homies who are based in Marikina City and in Rizal travelled all the way to my hometown just to see my baby girl. It had been easy for me to give them directions on how we could meet because the park is just located along MacArthur highway. While waiting for me, they toured the People’s Park and they had their picture-taking there. We had our lunch and chit chat moment at Gerry’s Grill, Town Center. Before they left, I bought “putong polo” (Valenzuela’s native delicacy) for them to bring home.

Ninong Paolo visits Hami at Gerry's Grill, Valenzuela Town Center

Hillary and I together with Mr. and Mrs. Grospe

I have also set my bonding moment with my former writer-officemate at the Town Center, this time at Sugar Cravings (I heard this sweets shop is owned by actress, Ms. Glaiza de Castro). There were just the three of us – Wynndee, Ate Beng, and moi. Wynndee said her hubby declined to accompany her because he thought that we’ll just have our girls talk. What a formidable talent because he was right. Hahaha! Before we parted ways, Wynndee visited Hillary because she is my daughter’s godparent too.

Mayor Rex Gatchalian is quite successful in making friendships and relationships continue to grow because of the park and the town center. Of course, when people dine together, time is quality spent in bonding and catching up. As social beings, mingling with people dear to you is priceless. Indeed, connection among people is best rekindled over a palatable food and a comfortable space.