PAK at Pal-PAK: flirting and failing in India

The expression “PAK!” comes from the Filipino movie Here Comes The Bride. There’s a scene where the character of Angelica Panganiban does a series of poses for the camera and the photographer(?) exclaims, “PAK!” with each pose. This term has made its way to Pinoy slang, and is used when “someone says something really fierce and you just HAVE TO strike a pose while saying ‘PAK!'” (Samaniego, P. 2011).

The British Council’s Global Changemakers Summit, held in India, had so many PAK moments. When you gather 60 of the UK’s and Asia Pacific’s youngest movers and shakers, there’s bound to be all kinds of quotable quotes, pickup lines, and memorable moments. Some were tumPAK (loosely translated as “spot on!”) while others were palPAK (“fail” in Tagalog).

First, I’d like to introduce the guys who meant the most to me: my fellow Filipinos.

L-R: Dwight, Steven, Jam, Albert, Sam, and Ponce

Without informing me, they agreed to be my wingmen/pimps. Ponce’s line to “sell” me was, “Have you met Anna? She’s a scuba diver.”

For example:

me (approaching table where Ponce is): hey ponce! have you eaten?
ponce: hey guys, have you met anna? she’s a scuba diver.

SAY WHUT!

stranger: hi! where are you from?
me: the Philippines! 🙂
ponce: she’s a scuba diver!

???

One afternoon, I cornered Ponce.

me: what is this ‘scuba diver’ pickup line?! ponce, i swear, if i went to a bar with you, no one would bring me home!
ponce: anna, i always say you’re a scuba diver because divers can hold their breath for a really long time… IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN 😉
me: ooohh… and divers like it deep. and wet. if you know what i mean.
ponce & me: *apir*

***

steven: where did you study?
me: university of the philippines 🙂
steven: you don’t look like you studied in UP.
me: huh? why not?
steven: diba that’s only for smart people??

***

jam: i love how your business card doesn’t have a title or occupation.
me: because i can be whoever you want me to be.

***

sam (new zealand): so, all this traveling and no boyfriend?
me: yeah, no boyfriend. single as ever. and you? dating anyone?
sam: yeah. i have a sort of boyfriend back home.

OH MEEHHNN!

***

me: do you know what australian kisses are?
adam (australia): nope.
me: they’re like french kisses, except they’re down under.

SPEECHLESS SI KOYA! (Des, thanks for the best Aussie pickup line ever.)

***

nadya (indonesia): how do you say ‘hi’ in tagalog?
me: ‘sex na tayo’ HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
nadya: i don’t believe you!!!!
me: haha ok, just kidding. that means ‘let’s have sex.’
steven (sits next to us): huy, anong chismis? (what’s the gossip?) bilis, bilis!
nadya: what does ‘bilis’ mean?
dwight: it means, ‘faster, faster!’
nadya: WOW! what a perfect combination! ‘sex na tayo! bilis bilis!’

WAHAHAHA PAK!!!!!!!

Nadya, the best Tagalog student I’ve met thus far

***

me: ‘i love you’ in tagalog is ‘mahal kita.’
nadya: really? ‘mahal’ in bahasa is ‘expensive’!
me: yes, also in tagalog. because in the Philippines, love is precious.

***

ira (indonesia): how many languages do you know?
me: well, i’m fluent in 3 but i can flirt in 9.
ira: HAHAHAHAHAHA you should put that in your resume!
me: hey, you’re right! “skills: international relations.”

***

jam: you should always dress for success, because you’ll never know when you’ll have a date with destiny.

***

me: it’s my first time in india. and you?
omar (afghanistan): it’s my third time here.
me: oh great! can you recommend places to see or food to eat?
omar: there’s a place i know that sells shark. you eat shark?
me: O_O um… that’s… my advocacy. saving sharks. i’m trying to ban shark finning in my country.
omar: …oh 😐
me: …yeah 😐
*awkward silence*
omar: ……so i guess i asked the wrong question.
me: …..sooooooooo i’m gonna go get coffee. see ya!

***

João (Portugal) is possibly one of the most gorgeous guys I’ve ever met. The blue eyes, the mad breakdancing skillz (yes, with a zey). I’m trying to convince him to move to the Philippines and be an underwear model. A la Philippine Volcanoes, ganon.

at the dessert buffet
me: hey, do you know what this is made out of?
joão: shark. HAHAHA.
me: ??? you do know that that’s my thing right?
joão: O_O NO! i mean i knew it was marine conservation, but not shark conservation specifically!

Pal-PAK! He now calls me Sharkira, due to my shark-saving cause and hip-shaking tendencies.

***

Ah, Leo my Leo (Brasil). My borracho. When we first met, he thought I was a brat and I thought he looked like a hobo. Blame it on the beard and boho pants.

candid photo taken by Dwight

But we warmed up to each other soon enough.

leo (looking at my shoulder): you should get a tattoo there.
me: yeah? you think so?
leo: yeah, it feels like something’s missing…
me: a kiss? 😉

***

leo: i want to bring you to bed so you could sing me to sleep.
me: oh. just sing? 😦

***

leo: i’m afraid of heights.
me: i’m not afraid of heights. i’m not afraid of depths. i’m just afraid of love.

HAHA

Towards the end of the summit, I must say we successfully fulfilled the objectives of the United Nations: forging bonds among countries, solidarity, and cross-cultural understanding. We plan to meet next year in Brazil or the Philippines or Cambodia. He kept on squeezing my thunder thighs, which I initially had an issue with.

me: can you stop squeezing my legs?! I HATE MY LEGS.
leo: well, that’s YOUR problem.

That called for more than a PAK. It called for a cartwheel.

***

leo: i have something for you when we go back home.
me: what, your heart?
leo: no, you have that already.

AWARD! Napatambling ako sa harap ng Taj Mahal!

***

me: if i go to brazil next year, can you introduce me to your hot brazilian friends?
leo: seriously?! you’re not crossing two oceans so i can share you. seriously.

Possessive! Haba ng hair ko! Tumawid ng dalawang karagatan!

***

narayam (nepal): the most important thing in life is food.
jam: no, it’s love.

PALAK-PAK!

There you have it, folks! Love is the answer. All ways, all the time. Keep spreading the love! And during the right occasions, spread your legs.

namaste from India

Today is the last day of the British Council’s Global Changemakers summit in India. This country is, well, incredible. It’s a nation swollen with color and commotion, with soul and stories.

I too am bursting to tell you stories. I want to tell you about the most inspiring people I’ve met, and some of the funniest conversations I’ve had. A vlog on flirting and failing is in the works as well. But I won’t be able to do all of that until I go home at home at the end of the month. We head to Agra tomorrow morning to see the Taj Mahal and possibly the Red Fort. On Sunday, I want to see an ashram and/or the Ganges River. Then Joseph and I are off to embark on our Nepal adventure.

In the meantime, I want to share with you some pictures.

My Indian seatmate on the plane showed me this article, which was published in their national newspaper.

The immigrations section of the newly renovated Indira Gandhi airport. WHAT A GORGEOUS AIRPORT. I dream of having works of our National Artists all over our airports. Abuevas, Ocampos, Amorsolos… Or actually, I dream of having art in our airports, period. (We’re working on this already.)

A typical Indian meal. It doesn’t look so appetizing because I take horrible food pictures, but eating here is always something to look forward to.

My favorite Indian dessert: jalebi. After I tasted this for the first time, napa kanta ako ng, “O na na what’s my name?” ECHOS

 

If we have askals (i.e., asong kalye a.k.a. stray dogs), they have er, unggkals? Unggoy ng kalye? Basta, stray monkeys!

I reached out and touched one of them. When I saw it bare its teeth at me, I got scared. I can imagine my hygiene freak of a best friend Abet gagging at the sight of this picture. Don’t worry, I doused my hands with Human Nature sanitizer after.

Joseph and me, 2 out of the 6 Filipino delegates representing the Filipino youth here at the Global Changemakers conference

Om shanti. I’ll tell you more stories soon 🙂

call for applications: Global Changemakers Youth Summit in the UK

Sixty (60) social activists will be selected from all over the world to attend the Global Youth Summit in England, November 13-19. The participants will spend a week in the UK sharing best practices in the areas of human rights, climate change, poverty reduction, education, HIV/AIDS, and social entrepreneurship.

The sixty Changemakers will share best practices in the areas of human rights, climate change, poverty reduction, education, HIV/AIDS, and social entrepreneurship, and will work together with experts and organisations like MTV, Oxfam and Save the Children. The week will consist of five full days of training, workshops, as well as visits to local community projects to help build participants’ capacity and establish innovative youth-led solutions to pressing global challenges.

Who will be selected?
Candidates should:
✔ Be aged between 16-19 on November 13, 2011
✔ Have a proven track record of social entrepreneurship, community activist, or volunteer work
✔ Possess good spoken command of English

How will participants be selected?

On 4 July 2011, an online call for applications will go out on http://www.global-changemakers.net
asking social entrepreneurs, community activists and volunteers from around the world aged 16-19 to submit a written application and 2-minute YouTube video detailing their track record in community work and how they plan to contribute to the network activity and wider impact if selected.

Deadline of Applications: 24 July 2011 (Sunday)

Applications will be evaluated for quality of the applications as well as geographic, thematic and gender balance. Sixty candidates will be invited to attend the summit and join the Global Changemakers network.

There are currently nine (9) Global Changemakers from the Philippines. Six of them were recently selected to attend the Asia Youth Summit in Delhi, India on 17 – 23 July. They are: Albert Gonzalo Bautista, Joseph Anthony Ernest Mansilla, Anna Oposa, Dwight Jason Ronan, Samuel Rottiers and Ponce Ernest Samaniego. They have been selected from over a thousand young people who applied from all over the world. It is the first time that the Asia Youth Summit is being held.

ABOUT GLOBAL CHANGEMAKERS

The Global Youth Summit is part of the British Council’s Global Changemakers initiative. Global Changemakers is a global youth network of social entrepreneurs, social activists and volunteers.
They meet to share ideas and best practices, and work individually and together on projects that directly impact the lives of those in their local communities. In addition, each year, a select group of Global Changemakers is chosen to participate in high-level political and economic events like the World Economic Forum, to act as advocates and to raise decision-makers’ awareness of key issues on the global agenda.

Since its inception at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in 2007, Global Changemakers has organised and run over 15 regional and global youth workshops across the world – in Amman, Beirut, Cape Town, Doha, Harare, Rio de Janeiro and London, among others. Global Changemakers have been invited to participate in World Economic Forum events in Cartagena, Dar es Salaam, Sharm el Sheikh, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro and Davos, the Clinton Global Initiative, G20, UN World Climate Conference, Women Deliver, and the launch of the World Bank’s Youth Anti-Corruption network.

For more information or questions, please contact:

Jennifer Domingo, Programme Coordinator
T +914 1011 to 14 ext 134
E jennifer.domingo@britishcouncil.org.ph

The British Council is the UK’s international body for cultural relations. We build engagement and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people worldwide.
We are registered in the UK as a charity.

For more information, please visit: http://www.britishcouncil.org/philippines or http://www.global-changemakers.net.

Globe Tatt Awards: Marking Greatness in Social Media

By the time you read this, it may just be the last day for nominations (July 14, 2011). Which only means you must nominate your favorite online personalities NOW NA!

Here are the categories:

The One: the most influential trendsetter that shaped opinion, moved people and prompted action
Ballbreaker: a blogger or a Twitter user who started a debate, sparked conversations or a revolution of opinions with just one hard-hitting post
Stylisimo: a person that not only reviewed fashion but also set a trend one that everyone followed
Indie Rocker: a musical band or indie artist who fought hard to claim their space in the hearts of Filipino audience via webtime
Wordslayer: a blogger whose mastery of words showed wit, humor and grit to the Philippine blogosphere
Artiste: an inspiring person whose fiery passion for creating visual art through original graphic design, animation or photography has caught fire in the Philippine online art scene
Tech Junkie: a blogger, podcaster or Twitter user who shares access to the latest in trends and the fast pace world of e-knowledge
#Thought-mover: a Twitter user who sparked a fire in the Philippine Twittersphere with one unique hashtag
Video Slinger: an individual or group who shook the Pinoy web space with thought-provoking or entertaining video.
The Advocate: a person or a group of individuals who worked to improve the state of societal cause in the Philippines through social media

Nominate here. Gorabelles!

everything i learned in life, i learned in theatre

Four years ago, I could not imagine life without theatre. From the time I was about 12 until early last year, I was taking voice/dance lessons, teaching/participating in musical theatre workshops, rehearsing for shows and events, and performing with some of the most talented, hardworking artists that this country has to offer. But one thing led to another, and now I do what I do.

I miss the stage deeply, especially when I watch my friends perform. People ask if I have plans to go back, but sometimes I feel like I never left. My stage is just different now. Every talk/lecture/seminar/speech I give is still a performance, complete with gesticulation, animated facial expressions, and punch lines. The roles I play are different too: resource speaker, policy researcher, writer, environmental advocate, teacher. I am able to do all of these because everything I learned in life, I learned in theatre.

Theatre taught me discipline and the art of multitasking. During performances, actors don’t just think of lines and songs. We think of our microphones, costume, cues, cues of other people, choreography, and blocking. Throw in schoolwork or a day job and we have more to think about. When I was in 1st year college, I chose a 7AM-230PM schedule so I could make it to 530PM rehearsals at Repertory Philippines. I was very grade conscious then and wanted to graduate with honors, so I began projects and papers the day they were assigned so I wouldn’t procrastinate and turn in shitty work. I studied AT LEAST 2 days before an exam. I even brought homework to rehearsals/shows and asked my co-actors for help. (No less than Joel Trinidad was my human dictionary during Aladdin.) I didn’t stay up too late or get too drunk, because performing with a hangover was TORTURE.

Now I don’t believe in stress because multitasking comes naturally. I also know the importance of hard work, and how it always trumps talent.

Theatre taught me to wing it. There is absolutely no room for excuses and mediocrity on stage. The show must–and will–go on. If you forget your line, no one is going to say, “cut!” and you cannot stand still and wait for Jojo the Super Stage Manager to yell your line from the wings (“KENAT BEEE!”). IMPROVISE. If you walk into a scene with the hanger of your costume still on, you gotta act like it’s part of your costume! When something funny happens on stage that isn’t supposed to, either think of the worst possible thoughts to curb your laughter or find blocking where you can hide your face.

The work I do now? I’m making it up as I go. True story. But I’m going to keep acting like I know what I’m doing, because that’s what I learned. Sabi nga nila, fake it ’til you make it.

Theatre taught me to be a team player. Being part of a production is like being part of an athletic team, but on a MUCH grander scale. Never forget that the crew is part of that team. They create about 75% of the magic. They too need respect. BAWAL MAGING DIVA (unless you are _______. Uyyy, issue.). My experience on- and off-stage introduced me to all kinds of egos. (Generally, the greater the talent, the smaller the ego.) It’s also important to know who your friends are, keep them close, and be civil to everyone else.

Theatre taught me to be strong and brave. A rehearsal will stop because you forgot to bring in a prop. You will then be yelled at, cursed, and maybe even thrown an object at. Your director will critique every flinch, every facial expression. Your voice teacher will make you repeat a phrase 90823084 times if you’re flat/sharp, or if your breath falls short. Don’t take it personally, because they mean well. In fact, you should worry when they don’t say anything, because they probably think you don’t have what it takes to improve. This positive attitude to criticism came in handy during creative writing workshops. I definitely would not have had the courage to testify at the Senate had I not toughened up and performed in front of hundreds of people.

And last and most importantly, theatre taught me to live a life of passion. I can assure you that no one in the Philippines pursues art for money. It is done for love. We love it so much that we are smart about it; we find ways to (financially) sustain ourselves through other means. You see, the opportunity to be able to share and communicate a story to an audience has no price tag. Fortunately, the passion I gained from theatre is portable. I carry it with me wherever I go.

kids tell it like it is

A conversation with my 10-year-old student

Teacher Anna, I’m going to tell you a few basics about boys. You need to know the basics before I tell you the advanced stuff.

Okay, I’m listening.

1, Younger boys are into toys and video games. 2, Older boys are into Facebook, Twitter, beer, and beautiful girls.

Hmmm. That’s true. What happened between you and your ex-crush, the one you told me about in class kanina? How come she’s your ex-crush and not just crush?

Well… I liked her before I discovered toys and video games. Then she anti-friended me. I’m trying to be friends with her again, but being friends with your ex-crush is so hard! You have to be very, very mature. That’s one problem about us boys–we can be very immature.

I think so too.

You wanna know what our other problem is? We sometimes have two girlfriends at the same time. The guy you’re dating probably found another beautiful girl already.

Really?

Maybe. I’m not sure. You should talk to him about it, Teacher Anna.

(The 9-year-old student joins the conversation.) Or text him. TEXT HIM TEXT HIM TEXT HIM UNTIL HE REPLIES!

BUT you can’t keep texting or calling him ’cause he’ll think you’re annoying.

Do you have a computer?

Yes, I do.

When you get home, you should also Google “dating tips and advice for boys.”

Alright. I’m learning a lot from you two.

Good. When you finally talk and he breaks up with you, just say “okay,” then hang up.

Hang up?!

Yup. The third problem with boys is they like strippers, so maybe he found a stripper to replace you with. Don’t feel bad, Teacher Anna. Another basic rule: don’t ever, EVER let a guy hear or see you cry.

But what if I’m sad, Marucs? What should I do?!

You can cry by yourself or with your BFF. Oh, and listen to Justin Bieber’s “That Should Be Me” while drinking coconut milk.

Why coconut milk?

Because coconut milk is good, and after a breakup, you need to feel good.

Thanks, Marcus.

One last thing, Teacher Anna.

Yes?

After a breakup, you’re going to have another problem.

And what is that?

You’re going to have many more handsome faces to choose from. But that’s a good problem to have 🙂

🙂 Can you give me a hug?

Okay. Let me know what happens, Teacher Anna. Then maybe I can teach you more advanced stuff next time.

bag-a-boo!

In Mary Poppins, there’s a scene where she keeps yanking things out of her bag. It was one of the most magical scenes for me.

My bag is kinda like that.

1. Tumbler, a gift from my Japanese soulmate Bun-chan. I drink about 2-3 cups of black coffee a day, so I usually carry this around.

2. Tissue. I have a severe case of allergic rhinitis, so I consume a LOT of tissue.

3. Pouch for office supplies: pens (Pilot v5 in black and Muji pens in shades of purple, pasalubong from from Donna), paper clips, highlighters, pencils. The pouch itself came from Vicka.

4. Ecobag. It unfolds into a bag with straps. (I stole this from my mom, ssshhh.) If I know I’m going to shop, I bring a bigger one made of tougher material.

5. “Kikay” kit: mascara, Human Heart Nature hand sanitizer, sunblock, perfume, hair ties, lip butter, and band-aids. My lip butter, given by Vicka, says it is made of “peace, love, and happiness.” True story. I carry ordinary band-aids and ones with Disney Princesses on it. The printed ones are especially for, say, my little cousins or students, because having colorful band-aids takes a bit of pain away 🙂 Oh, they’re for best friends too.

Juanch with Aurora HAHA

6. Electronics kit: USB flash drive, Macbook-to-projector connector, card reader, and clicker for presentations. I hate it when resource speakers say, “Next slide please,” or worse, when one hand is on the laptop and they have to keep looking back at the screen. It’s so unprofessional kaya. So I carry my own.

7. Reusable chopsticks. I got these from a hundred yen store in Japan because it had stars and a hard case. I used to carry a complete set of utensils (I wrote about it here) but my fork got confiscated at the airport, along with a jar of Nutella that Abet gave me. Punyeta.

8. Envelope for receipts and cash/checks meant for the bank. If these were in my wallet, I’d end up throwing the receipts away and/or spending the money.

9. Eyeglasses. Which, by the way, are missing right now.

10. Journal. Pasalubong from Mariel when she went to Bangkok for the first time. This is where I write quotes, funny things I overhear, notes for ongoing and upcoming projects, thoughts, drafts for articles, etc.

11. iPod.

12. BlackBerry.

13. Moleskine planner. I still prefer writing down my to-do and to-buy lists, birthdays, and appointments. I once missed a job interview because I forgot to write it down. Eep!

14. A book. My Lit teacher once said that English majors should never be caught without a book, and I took that to heart. Now it’s Pico Iyer’s A Video Night in Kathmandu. I just finished Astigirl a couple of days ago. Books always keep me company when I’m waiting.

15. Wallet. A gift from my Singaporean friends. It never has a lot of money hahaha. It has a grad pic of Mariel, a picture of me and my friends in Baguio, and a picture of me and my friends in Cebu. It also has a stock of ID pictures. I ALWAYS have ID pictures in different sizes prepared for all sorts of application forms!

Those not in the picture:

16. Ray Ban aviators. This is a staple in my bag because I’m always outdoors. I lost my other one when I was in Hanoi, but I just got another one which should be arriving tomorrow. Wheee.

17. The Vapur Anti-Bottle Water bottle. I drink a LOT of water everyday, especially when I run or go to Barre3. This one is a gift from Rizzy! I love this so much because it’s so light and not bulky! When it’s empty, it can be flattened and rolled! SUPER perfect for traveling! Ako na! Ako na ang endorser! And it’s purpleeeeeee!

Everything fits nicely in my purple Lulu bag, which I bought using the GCs from hosting the DLSZ’s grad party with Uli back in 2008.

This entry is a response to Kel‘s comment, who said, “Blog about what’s in your bag.” The title is the barok version of Destiny’s Child “Bug-A-Boo.”

today is a perfect day for a perfect day

I wake up with that thought in my head to shoo away any nega vibes that may be gathering outside (i.e., sunless sky, rainclouds) or inside (i.e., tiredness, frustration). The soundtrack for this is Tiesto’s “Feel It In My Bones,” my morning alarm.

Unlike most people my age who just started working, I don’t have a very predictable schedule. Each day varies. I could be in Quezon City for a meeting with social media personalities, Makati to interview one of Jose Rizal’s descendants for a magazine, Cavite to test-taste Island Cove‘s latest offerings, or Cebu to write press releases for an event. I’m a workaholic, so I don’t have “lazy days” where I just sit at home and watch TV. Even my weekends are packed with meetings and appointments.

This is what Friday, July 1, looked like.

6:00-6:30AM: Swim. I love this pool because it uses industrial salt instead of chlorine, which I’m allergic to.

Morning ablutions are ALWAYS done with music. Right now “I’m In Love (I Wanna Do It)” by Alex Gaudino and “You Can Dance” by Chilly Gonzales are on top of my playlist. For breakfast: fruits and locally-sourced brewed coffee. Black. “Beauty” routine: facial wash, moisturizer, and sunblock.

7:30-8:30AM: Barre3 at The Spa. This workout is a combination of yoga, Pilates, and ballet–all of which I’ve done and loved. I just started last month, and I’ve been going about 3-5x a week.

9:00-11:00AM: I’ve been challenged by another lovely reader to go vegan for a week, so I scheduled a one-on-one vegan cooking class with Marie Gonzalez of Kitchen Revolution.

I love learning from Marie because she loves what she does. I’m a disaster waiting to happen in the kitchen, and most vegetables make me gag, so her encouragement, patience, and fire keep my fear away. I may never become vegan, but I’m determined to add more vegetables to my diet for health and environmental reasons. That morning, Marie and I made a green smoothie, tofu scramble, veggie sausages, roasted vegetables, and a bean stew. Mmmmm.

11:00AM-4:00PM: Office time at The Law of Nature Foundation. I shared my freshly-cooked veggie goodies with my friends. Calling them “officemates” feels like a disservice to our relationships. Around this time I have my second cup of black coffee. The to-do list that day included:

*Planning a youth-oriented environmental conference in November (FYI: WE’LL BE NEEDING LOTS OF VOLUNTEERS!)
*Putting together final requirements for the upcoming Global Changemakers summit in New Delhi, India (!!!!)
*Putting together requirements to become a certified Wildlife Enforcement Officer
*Completing financial reports (my least favorite part)
*Brainstorming for social media strategies and corporate packages for the School of the SEA
*Researching for next Senate hearing later this month

Somewhere in the day, I’ll get in touch with one of my brothers, Gold, Ria, Donna, Ma, Abet, Zoe, Juanch, Des, Kester, or Viv (if we’re not together) through Skype/Facebook/Twitter/phone ’cause we’re needy like that.

4:00-5:30PM: Teach musical theatre to children with special needs at the Center for GOALS. I love my kids so much because 1, they love Justin Bieber, so we can warm up to “Somebody to Love” without hearing “EWWWW! JUSTIN BIEBER IS SO GAYYYY.” 2, they keep me on my toes. 3, I learn from them just as much.

student 1: I HATE MY GLASSES!!!!!
me: “hate” is a bad word. it’s not good to use that word.
student 2: you know what else is a bad word? S-T-U-P-I-D!

Strong.

student: teacher anna, do you have a son?
me: nope!
student: okay. are you still a virgin?
me: hmmm… what does that mean?
student: that you’re not married!
me: ah. well, i’m not married 🙂

We once played “Paint me a picture” and I asked them to paint me a picture of the underwater world. One of my students said he was a moray eel. I was so surprised because I only learned what a moray eel was early this year! This is why moral eels make my heart smile when I see them underwater. Below are some of the cards they gave me after class:

Here is an illustration of the “Hey!” theatre game I usually start my classes with. That’s supposed to be me on the left.

Love, I tell you.

7:00-10:00PM: Despedida dinner of my cousin/boss/life coach at Yakimix, Mall of Asia. Super sulit Japanese buffet.

11:00PM-1:00AM: Back to work. This involved writing, replying to emails, and revising concept papers or project proposals. Usually I’d go to another party (Friday night eh), but both my parents are out of town and I wanted to be home to keep my youngest brother company.

1:00AM-?: Read. I just finished Sisterhood Everlasting yesterday, and now I’m halfway through Tweet Sering’s Astigirl. Next is Pico Iyer’s Video Night In Kathmandu.

This entry is a response to Crystal’s question, “I’d like to know what your typical day is like. I notice you write a lot about issues and other quotes and events with friends, but what is it really like to be Anna Oposa for the day? Which takes up more of your time now that you’re done with college?”