My Tombstone

Echoing an activity we did during a Tuesdays With Morrie lesson, my seniors presented a tombstone they created especially for me, during their Baccaulareate Breakfast.

What makes this gift extra special, is that I'm not even an adviser this year. And yet the kids were sweet enough to stay up late creating an extra surprise for their English teacher.

The inscription is a lovely poem, created by the boys (Anton R., Juan, Henry, Anton Z, Christen, David and Bruce). It reads --

Undefined

Rarely do we ever see

A combination of brains and beauty

But proven wrong were we

When we met Martinez May Lady

Everyday we saw this face

Which gave our classroom such grace

She never frowned in all her days

No word can describe, no sentence, nor phrase

Inspiring and caring for all her kids

Her love and affection, she never hid

Ironic as it was, she never stuck to the book

As an English teacher, she had an alternative look

A subject most people would abhor

That's why "WE LOVE ENGLISH!" it was never a bore

Her style of teaching was new and unique

She brought topics to life even if they were bleak

With The Little Prince, she gave us back our childhood

Teaching us to dream, just like little kids could

Not just on Tuesdays, we had Morrie

The value of life exposed through the wisdom of the story

You gave yourself away

For us you chose to stay

And so you should be in the dictionary, for no word can describe

Therefore you, Ms. Martinez, are meaningfully undefined

Okay, so not only did they make a poem from scratch, they also made sure to include a line from my all-time favorite song, With Or Without You -- "You gave yourself away."

You know, I've sometimes been a bit bothered by the idea that most of my peers have achieved or earned more than I have, at this age. Most of them have enough disposable income for nice clothes, and shoes, gadgets of every kind, cars, condos, etc.

But then something like this happens, and I know in my heart, that this handmade, somewhat tattered, unevenly cut piece of cardboard, is worth more than anything money can ever buy. This, right here, is pure love, baby.

"Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and  why do you labor for that which does not satisfy?" - Isaiah 55: 2

Dear Cambridge

To tell you the truth I came this close - this close - to quitting my job last year. But boy am I glad I stayed. Because I met, and fell in love, with a class called US 4 Cambridge.

My previous classes tried my patience, provoked me, and made my life a virtual rollercoaster ride.

But Cambridge 2011. Cambridge gave me endless days of laughter and smiles, great lessons, amazing essays, beautiful insights, happy, childish times.

I am so jealous of their class adviser, Mr. Briones, because I'm not their adviser. In fact my boss, Miss De Guzman said, "Etong si May nagpipigil lang magpaka-homeroom adviser ng Cambridge."

Thank you Cambridge. You are the main reason I go to work everyday. You are the reason I have less wrinkles and feel prettier this year, the reason I feel blessed and loved. You are the reason my last year as a teacher wasn't great. It was GRAND :)

Pico Iyer Quote for the Day

"Yet for me the first great joy of traveling is simply the luxury of leaving all my beliefs and certainties at home, and seeing everything I thought I knew in a different light, and from a crooked angle."

from Why We Travel by Pico Iyer

I Can Hardly Believe It Myself

The Great Wall at Jinshanling