A new job, more teas and a musical.

For the past weeks or so, I have spent most of my time mussing over the fact that I am turning 30 soon. I flaked out on meeting my friends. I've cancelled plans. I barely wanted to socialize with anybody.

I was entering a decade that was all about settling and I had a lot of destructive thoughts lingering in my head with so many questions about how my life turned out to be, how it would turn out to be and especially questions if this is how my life will be for as long as I live. It was a depressive plus grieving stage but, I'm happy to say I think I've gotten over it. I could only allow myself to be at the nothingness stage for so long.

I have now found new purposes in my life to look forward to. 

I purchased tickets to the Lion King musical after debating with myself whether or not if I would purchase it. For one, I've been waiting so long for this musical to arrive the Philippines. However, the tickets are so expensive and I would only want the really really really good seats if I ever do decide to watch this broadway award winning musical. Another thing is that I don't want to watch it alone, of course. But none of my friends seem to be showing any interest or eagerness to spend that much money. So I bought tickets today at the premium seats and I got one for my sister and another one for myself. The ticket prices are really steep but then I also realized that if I were on "vacation", I would have actually purchased the same amount as well. I also panicked a little bit when I recognized that the good seats are slowly being taken. So there. Booked. Front Row, Premium Seats. 

Lesson Learned: If you know that you really really really want something and you know you'd spend your life thinking of "What if you bought it", then don't doubt yourself and just make that purchase. You'll feel better afterwards.

Otherwise, if you know you only half-want something and you're not sure if you really want it then don't buy it. Wait for a day to decide and then come back for it if you know you want it. (Case example: Gym membership XD)

Another thing I will be looking forward to is my DavidSTea purchase. When I was in Canada I practically spent over $200 coming back and forth and buying DavidSTeas. Some were good buys, some were not so good buys (chocolate and candy mints). But this time, I know I'll stick to the tea leaves. 

A friend is going to Canada and I'm ordering the teas online for him to bring back home to me. I am going to spend a steep amount of money for teas (again) because I wanted to qualify for the free shipping. Shipping fee costs more than 50grams of tea so might as well just buy more tea. I love DavidSTea. 

My last news is that I made a new commitment. I have a new job apart from my current full-time job as a curriculum writer. I am going back to teaching. I am going back to tutoring former students of mine as a homeschool teacher. Sometimes I wonder if I devalue myself when it comes to professional fees. It's hard to give a price for your service and at the same time you are not sure if your clients can afford it. You also don't want to feel that you are taken advantaged of. But I guess this is also part of learning.

I took this extra job as means of additional socialization and for me to be able to exercise my teaching skills since my office job focuses on the curriculum development part rather than first hand implementation. 

I am looking forward to this new endeavor. It's a new purpose for me to wake up everyday. Although I am still not sure if I was able to give a good rate of my professional value but I will charge this to experience. I am sure that at the end of it all I would gain something out of this interaction.

In the end. I am happy that I have awoken from the nothingness.

I am now ready to face life in the 3rd decade with a new perspective and less fear.

Keep the Faith!

For the past weeks I've been thinking about my status in life, my career and my direction.

I read an article yesterday about what it means to be 30 years old.

An important thought that struck me is that when your 30, your life begins to settle. And you might not be used to settling because life in the 20's had so many changes. Graduating from college, getting a new job, transferring to a different job and all other changes that pertains to becoming a fully pledged adult.

It made me start thinking that the writer was right. I think the dissonance I am feeling right now is that I'm afraid to settle. I've only had 2 years in my current employer and I really have no complaints being affiliated with my current employer. I love what we do. I am good at what I'm doing. And I love the freedom that it gives me.

Two years is also the longest I have stayed in one company.

That may or may not be a good sign. But I know it's a company that I don't want to leave.

However, there's still this gap that bothers me inside. I started feeling this gap when I finished my masters degree. What now? What do I do with all these free time? What do I do with this huge void in my life?

I've done my share of volunteer work until it didn't give me enough motivation or fulfillment anymore. I want to do something else. I started learning Spanish online and I've improved a lot. Hablo Español! But I realized I lack the social interaction.

Ay me. To be a psychology major there's so much internalizing and self analysis going on.

For the past weeks, or even way back since I arrived from Canada, I have been flaking out on a lot of my meet-ups. There's just not enough motivation for me to get my ass off my bed. Some friends are calling it depression. But I don't want to be that person going around telling people "I'm so depressed." I may have signs of depression but I think it really has something to do with either 1) Bereavement process / Grief and 2) Pre-30 Crisis.

Long story short, I eventually came to a conclusion that I might need a new job. I need a new commitment. I need to do something else. I need to do something more. I need to stop binge watching Netflix and make my life a little bit more useful.

(It's funny how nowadays we just can't do NOTHING... always something to fidget with).

I guess that's just me. There's a limit to my nothingness.

But the Lord hears our prayers and for some reason I woke up today having a lot of opportunities that I can explore on.

What I am most excited about is the opportunity to teach again.

I haven't had student interaction ever since I got into the Curriculum Development business. It's still a different kind of fulfillment teaching kids.

I'm so excited! I've known these kids when they were 3 or 4 years old and I super love them! They're super smart kids too so I know I wont have a hard time dealing with them. :)

I feel like it's easter for me. There's another reason to wake up now and be productive!

I don't want to adult.

But I have to.

I can't stay in bed forever.

Turning 30 soon.

Thoughts on Integrating Technology

Important aspects to remember on Technology Integration: 

Does the activity engage the student on the learning goal or the manipulation of the device?

Is the activity something that cannot be achieved without the enhancement of the technology? 

Does the technology provide an extension of the classroom by connecting it to the outside world? 

Why is it taking me so long to finish this damn book.

I'm investing a lot of my time finishing this book that I've been wanting to finish for ages. 

For a book that wants to teach people how to make ideas that stick, this book is sure quite lengthy.

I'm not sure if it's practicing what it preaches and how are they sure the ideas that they want to convey are going to stick to the reader when this book is just so damn long to read.

The only thing that's keeping me interested in wanting to finish the book is the "Knowledge Gap" as coincidentally they are explaining in the current chapter I'm reading on. 

Well in summary, the book explains in the introduction that there are 6 principles to remember when trying to generate ideas that "stick" to people's minds. 

S-imple

U-nexpected

C-oncreteness

C-redibility

E-motions

S-tories

Well, here's to me hoping that I remember all those principles.

I still have 3 more books to focus on. How to win friends and influence people, Good to Great & Learning first Technology Second. 

This is me just trying to make my brain bigger by stuffing in a lot of information.

I hope I also don't forget to practice my Spanish. I only have 2 more months before I renew my 1 year subscription to Babbel again. 

Books I'm Reading

I'm trying to juggle my time where I can practice my Spanish and at the same time be able to read the books I want to read.

Wow, look at me... I sound like a book worm. Whereas I remember the days when I hated reading. But eventually I realized I hated reading because I haven't really discovered the things that you can learn from books.

Currently I'm reading Made To Stick and Learning First, Tecunology Second.

I actually remember that I started reading Good To Great and How To Make Fruends and Influence People, but I never got to absorb everything it said.

So now I'm deciding I'm going to juggle reading these 4 books.

I like reading books where I learn things... and most of them are actually related to things that I can apply on how I live my life. I guess that's why my degree is psychology. I like studying human behavior and I am constantly reflecting on my own behavior and trying to improve myself.

There are actually a lot of things I want to happen in my life right now but most of them are out of my control. So might as well focus on the things I can control and try not to waste too much of my time on things that are not really an investment (like playing Fall Out Shelter or Binge Watching TV series)

This post is a reminder to read

1) Made to Stick: Why some ideas survive and others die
2) Learning First, Technology Second: The Educator's Guide to Designing Authentic Lessons
3) Good To Great: Why some companies make the leap.. and others don't
4) How to make friends and Influence People

Focus focus focus gotta finish them all!

Professional Teaching License

It's the time of the year I need to renew my teaching license.

The professional regulation commission has a lot of changes these coming years when it comes to renewing professional licenses. They require professionals to acquire a certain number of units before renewing.

I used my iPhone front facing camera to take this photo of myself :)
And then edited the background to pure white with Photoshop

This is why you should know basic Photoshop skills. XD 

Thankfully I have my master's degree completed, that would cover my need to comply.

Fortunately for teachers, they don't need to complete any units as long as you renew before December 2017.

Luckily for me, my teaching license will expire this coming December 2017 and I am due for renewal before that. So now, I don't really need to comply with the units yet.

Woo! Either way, I'm so prepared for this.

I am the type of person who wants to do things in advance because I don't want to rush and I don't really like the crowd. The type of person who starts her Christmas shopping in September because I don't want to compete with shoppers by December. Thus, because of this, my friends actually rely to me to explain to them the experience I have from 1) Talking board exams to 2) Renewing Licenses. 

All you really need to do is follow the instructions on the website and hope that the website is user friendly with clear instructions.

I watched the video on the new license renewal for the PRC. It showed that there are really just few steps now.... 1) apply online and make an appointment.. 2) pay at recognized payment centers... and then on the day of your appointment you just have to go to the processing window and then claim your ID to the claiming window.

Aside from the application form, it doesn't seem to show if you will have to bring any additional requirements. 

Hopefully, my experience with the new renewal system is as easy as the video shows... My friends and colleagues will have to depend on my experience.

And then next year, I will have to process my second license... the Psychometrician license... 

Gracias Y Merci

Ahora es el tiempo para aprender a nuevo idioma.

I'm going to start familiarizing myself with the French language as I continue to practice Spanish.

I'm thinking of studying these languages: Spanish ✔️. 

Then, French. Then, German. 

Maybe a little Italian after German. 

But my priorities would be Spanish, French and German. 

For many reasons that I would blog about on a later date.

For now, Me quiero aprender lenguajes! 

Don't settle..

There's so many things going on in my head right now but all I can say is, "I must never give up".