For a while back at Toowoomba, my
brain has been generating THIS and THAT. My life was about making sure I
survive the cold, get comfy in my room in some house where I am mostly by
myself and that I get some sort of nutrition to keep me going. All those to
fuel this Chap 4. No excuse to get a few things done and so I did.
The rewards:
> a brief night of nonstop
dancing at Cube Hotel with Maria
> meeting Maria
> a short but sweet weekend
with A<3a risbane="" span=""><3a o:p="" risbane="">
> a week’s stay at Springfield
= chancing upon Bronte’s Villette at the USQ Springfield Lib + Merlot's
coffee + touching base with my native tongue – literally tasting chocnut, ube,
sinigang (and any version close to it) at pananagalog nang todo todo kasama si
kaisa-isang Jon Cagas, former yoga teacher & now a colleague + USQ
batchmate.... post-PGECR symposium...
And of course that PGECR
symposium where my mind continued to open up and learn from all those
kinds of minds
Now back in MMLA and of course
could not put my mind to work. Took time to do/ have these:
Wk 1 July Family break
Wk 2 July Medical exams/
immunization, visa application, School Site visits A & B
Wk 3 July 1 week required break
-NO TV NO GADGET NO WORK NO DRIVE
Wk 4 Sending survey results to
Schools, drop by Builders, being with Agustin family of Butch 87 and ever
loving Queenie 87.
Wk 5 last weekend with my lovey
doves to briefly enjoy Virgin beach, that Chinese birthday noodles, and of
course being at FED shortly to congratulate and brainstorm the new UPOU
Pahinungod Director; chitchatting with Kitchie and see possible re-entry points
at UPOU.
Feeling a bit swell=coming home
2019 has been all worth my time and energy just to literally be with the
Agustin family, that hug of Queenie and Atel, feeding Java some jerky , short
time with CAJ, and home cooked meal by my one and only Vic
Then I receive an email from my
supervisor who is hoping to see some movement in this Chap 4 which generally
feels like life at 50, being midway through life but actually closer to death
than life. I see my son at 15 getting through HS and his new found drama
club and seeing him take more things seriously. I see my daughter finally in
love at the age of 19 and seeing a totally different side of her and how fast
she is getting into a sense of social justice – all because she is dorming,
commuting MM, and being with all kinds of minds, the Iskolar ng Bayan kind in
our one and only alma mater - U.P. Naming Minamahal...magpa-hanggang
ngayown at kaylan man!
Along with my Chap 4 came wake
up calls coming from friends losing loved ones, friends having family/ life
emergencies, of deaths, near deaths and pending deaths from cancer, old age or
HIV. And reality bite moments of feeling that still sorry sight of
EDSA-AYALA underpass, and now the spreading stench of mall waste behind Vista
Mall Sta Rosa.
Decay is inevitable...but while I haven't reached that stage yet,
let me take this in slowmow...
I captured Builders kids of Luzon
only this time together again as THE Visayas class. How time flies – they
are now learning to cook – hands on real knives!!! With a former student now
having his go of teaching students. That’s like a replay of all the fun cooking
activities during my mid-career teaching years. Then that feeling of
‘been really there and really, really done with lots & lots of those.
Whew....!
Me human after all and finally
seeing that this PhD is not the be all and end all of me. That it is happening
soon and fast and knowing that when I turn 60, I'll be re-reading
this…precisely why may I just press rewind, pause and read and relish these
snapshots of my real life in the Phils, again, in slowmow....
We will
never pass this way again.
Reposted from ePortfolio at
Mahara, Article by aLeTa on 13 August 2019, 9:19 PM
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