Time to face reality

Aging is no joke.

I only have 2 years to enjoy my 20's.

And my metabolism does not function the same way it did when I was in my teenage years. 

This year, I had months studying for my board exam. And sometimes, when you feel like you've been punishing yourself and straining yourself for studying so hard from morning till evening.. You want to reward yourself with some great food. Milkshakes. Frappes. Eggs Benedict. Pasta. Pizza. Philadelphia sandwich. Gelato. Tacos. Cake.

I passed the board exam. Which is great! But now turns out I have to focus on one thing I've end up neglecting. Despite my regular yoga classes, it wasn't enough.. 

Apparently my "broken" Wii, says I gained about 10 pounds this year. And people have been commenting on how I've gained weight too. And it's quite consistent. Normally, my weight doesn't bother me. But when I feel uncomfortable and randomly catching myself holding my tummy as if I had a baby inside, then it means it's not a good sign.

The new year hasn't started yet. but I don't want to procrastinate this one. I'm already cutting back my carb intake and making sure I burn some calories everyday. No need to wait for 2016. I'm starting it now. 

The goal by mid-2016 is 125 lbs.

And the end of 2016 is 120 lbs. 

And maybe some abs? Haha. Or at least lessens the jelly in my tummy. Blah. I feel so bloated. It's so uncomfy. 

Hayayayayayay.

But at least I've started to get back to getting a life now. Watching Arrow series consumed my life. 

Now I'm back to getting Physical and mental. Tonight imma get back to my thesis. 

The pleasure of a meeting ends in the pain of a separation.

Tame, love, bid goodbye…

It will take the Little Prince a year of travelling to understand his feelings towards the rose. To understand that the pleasure of a meeting ends in the pain of a separation. To tame another being is to accept that, some day, that being will disappear. It is the “danger of early disappearance” of his rose that plunges the Little Prince into melancholy and prompts him to let the snake bite him so that he can return to her on planet B612.

(source: http://www.thelittleprince.com/work/themes)

“You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” 

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

I haven't been blogging or working on my thesis for the past weeks. For what reason? I don't know exactly... laziness? I've been exhausting all the means of distraction that came along my way. TV Series, My birthday, Vacation, Dating.. The last being the worst of all distraction. I even forgot to communicate with my online community.. and even stopped attending yoga classes. As the year comes to an end, I'm just waiting to turn a new leaf again. I guess the "new" year is psychological. New year resolutions have been a bad habit of procrastination. Why wait for the New Year to change a habit and not start now? As St. Augustine would have put it ... "Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet."... Oh, what a distraction the past weeks have been. But I think I have no regrets. The pleasure of a meeting ends in the pain of a separation. I read an article that mocks the cliche of uttering words "What would I do without you? ... and the answer actually was .. "things that I had to do " ...

“So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near--

"Ah," said the fox, "I shall cry."

"It is your own fault," said the little prince. "I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you . . ."

"Yes, that is so," said the fox.

"But now you are going to cry!" said the little prince.

"Yes, that is so," said the fox.

"Then it has done you no good at all!"

"It has done me good," said the fox, "because of the color of the wheat fields.” 

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Revised Academic Calendar and Revised Thesis Timeline

My original plan was to finish the data gathering for the first term of the school year and be able to write the paper and defend my thesis by second term.

I was able to create an instrument and gather quantitative data within the timeline but looks like qualitative phase will take a while.

I'll just have to revise my thesis timeline.

DECEMBER 2015 - update paper with revisions, create qualitative interview questions, try to conduct qualitative interviews

JANUARY 2016 - FINISH qualitative interviews

FEBRUARY 2016 - Write paper. 

Hmm .. On another note, if I'm able to write my paper February & March, I can actually reach the April schedule for thesis Defense. 

Hmm.. We'll see then. 

Best birthday week ever.

 
      

 

Quantitative Phase

So I've already pilot tested my instrument and already distributed my survey to scholars.

I even e-mailed Dr. Mike Linacre to inquire on how I should analyze the results of my IRT analysis in my instrument.

http://www.rasch.org/rmt/rmt83b.htm

I'll get back to RASCH analysis and WINSTEPS tutorial on a later time.

But for now, I need to study now on the statistical analysis I'll be doing for my quantitative data.

I realized I should be doing "Ordinal Regression Analysis" instead of multiple regression analysis because my survey is a Likert Scale.

https://statistics.laerd.com/spss-tutorials/ordinal-regression-using-spss-statistics.php

I'll worry about having access to SPSS on a later time too. I have statistica but I've always gotten used to SPSS.

Well, here goes the quantitative phase of my thesis... And I still have a qualitative phase. People say that my thesis is not a dissertation but I think I just gotten used to a mix method study. One isn't complete without the other.

Lord just let me pass on time.

Thesis Update

On Friday, October 30, 2015, I started distributing my initial survey for pilot testing.


By November 1, 2015, I was able to reach my targeted number of participants (and even growing).

I can't believe I've gathered enough participants over the weekend.

I was actually giving myself a week for data gathering.

And now, I already have the revised survey and it's ready for the distribution once my mentor gives me the go signal.

The power of networking indeed.

I'm so grateful.

I suddenly realized why God gave me chance to work in my university. Even if it was just one school year. The relationships I have created with the Lasallian Scholars have been helpful and the key behind my thesis. Heck, even my whole thesis is about them.

I am still at awe at how many students supported me in answering and spreading the word about my thesis survey.

I can't believe it.

Thank you so much my fans! <3 hehehe

Kidding aside, THANK YOU SO MUCH.. I don't know how I can make it up to you guys.

UnOfficial Cv #DigiWriMo

After releasing my survey to the public for pilot test.. I stared at the google sheets waiting for responses to grow one by one. 2 responses, 5 responses... 10... 15... It's growing !! But then I realized I shouldn't spend my whole day just waiting and staring for people to answer my survey.

I asked myself, what now?

I guess I'm used to myself having "THESIS" in my things to do and it's been in pending status for like forever. And now I'm in the pilot testing stage I just have to wait. But what do I do while waiting? I'm not used to this idle time.

And then I remembered I promised some friends in Twitter network that I will get back to the network. Ergo, good timing #DigiWriMo has "pre-started" and here I go sticking to my word.

Toni Rose Pinero's Unofficial CV

• I'm Toni 
• Philippines.
• Half mermaid 
• Half graduate student.
• Always curious 
• Always asks questions.

Weakness: 

I gave myself a label of a having a disability called "lack of sense of direction". (Not even poor but lack). I thank my iPhone so much and google maps because it has been serving as an assistive technology to my disability. I started calling it a disability because I realized I really feel disabled when I don't have people with me to guide directions. Even if it's just walking around the mall... I feel like I'm in a forest walking in circles.

I talk a lot. It is a reason why I have my personal blog in the first place. I spare people (I try...) from reading my lengthy messages and thoughts by just deciding to write a blog post and pour my thoughts here.

Strengths:

I like to travel. I guess a lot of people do. But it's because new places, meeting new people, learning new things always makes me happy. I guess I get my energy from talking to various people because I talk a lot and that compliments it well. 

Long Term Plans:

I'm currently taking my Masters in Learning and Teaching and it's what I've been doing since 2009... I don't really know what life is like not being a student. 

I'm on my thesis stage and hopefully I will graduate soon when more people get to answer the survey I mentioned at the beginning of the post. 

When I graduate masters, I have no idea what life is like. I think I'm going to feel sad not being able to use the status "student" anymore. I've been used to it since I was three years old.

But being a student is a lifelong status, isn't that right? I'm just not enrolled in a formal education system anymore.

I would like to learn how to swim and cook after graduation. 
<--------------------- I would like to practice my mermaid life. 
And cook to be more domesticated.

I will do those things after I leave the formal education.

I think that's all that I can say for now.

You only live once.

It's Fund Raising again for my favorite student organization: The Lasallian Scholars Society.

They grow up so fast :( 

Now it it's second year and they're so independent !! 

My favorite Lasallians !!! Love them!! 

Got invited to this exclusive event by Globe telecom! 

Very interesting and informative session done by well chosen speakers. 

Happy to see Brother Dennis of DLS-CSB over here !!

Finally got my official Oathtaking photos as well. This is my highschool friend pinning the Psychometrician pin on me. Friends forever. 

A brief visit to my other home

It's been years since I last went to my other home down south... My family and I finally got to go back and we'll be doing it more often.

>

Morning jog... It feels so great to run around with fresh air and great space.

Here comes the sun !! ☀️

Beautiful morning, even this bush agrees.

I love my home and I hope to go there every weekend... A great escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

In other news, I was able to write a paragraph of my thesis !! So, all good.. 

On Love and Passion

The two ted talks below talk about two different things, Scott's talk is about finding the work you love while Mandy's is about the science behind falling in love (with a person).

Love both nevertheless... 

How to find the work you love? #Passion

If you don't know what you're looking for then you're never going to find it. There's no major on passion, purpose and career. Everyone thinks it's impossible... Until somebody did it. - Scott Dinsmore


You have lived a legend, Scott. 
"Falling in love is different from staying in love." - Mandy Len Catron

What is a Psychometrician?

I've always been asked by that question whenever people find out I'm a registered professional Psychometrician.

The Philippine professional regulation commission just released a board exam for Psychometrician license last 2014 and I took the test this year as part of the second batch.

I would always wish people didn't ask me what a Psychometrician is. People don't ask what a doctor is, what a psychologist is, what a counselor is or what a psychiatrist is.

It's sad because you realize that your profession isn't really that well known. On another hand it's better than having a stigma in your profession like how people don't want others to know they visit a psychologist or psychiatrist because they know people will just label them as being crazy. 

Come to think of it, I guess it's the opportunities like this we psychometricians can get to build our name.  And making sure people understand it correctly.

For most cases, I use the analogy of a nurse & a doctor. That we psychometricians are the nurse to a psychologist. The assistant. 

I know. Shame on me. Why am I dumb downing the profession? Some people would say "oh okay, I get it" then we move on to another discussion. While some would respond, "I don't get it". Now we get deeper into talking about it. But then I ask myself the same question, "What is a Psychometrician?"

Of course I've read through the documents when I was studying for the board exam but seems like it the documents are a bit misleading. It is because of those documents that I started believing that we are the assistants of psychologists because there's a part that gives us certain limitations that we cannot practice our profession without a registered psychologist. Much like a somebody with a student driver's license won't give you enough driving privileges unless you have somebody with you that has a qualified driver's license. 

But as more people asked me what a Psychometrician is, turns out I am a psychologist myself but we are specializing in psychometrics. Those people who are In charge of making sure that tests measure what it intends to measure and are reliable. People who make sure you don't misinterpret them too. 

From this day on after I publish this post I will do away with my automatic simple response of comparing psychometricians to a nurse:Doctor analogy. Because turns out we are psychologists ourselves too. I can call myself a psychologist because I maiored in psychology. 

I don't know why I'm dumb downing being a registered psychometrician just because because being a registered psychologist is of "higher" position here.

(Qualifications to take psychometric board exam is a bachelor degree in psychology while qualifications to take psychology board exam is a master's degree in psychology)

Hey I'm taking my masters too! 

(Just not in Psychology)

And I really really worked myself hard to pass the damn board exam that even my forme psychology professor who's a well known professor here and internationally told me that I should be proud of myself because it's difficult to pass that exam. 

Maybe I'm just not practicing what a traditional Psychometrician is. I'm not working in a clinic administering and interpreting psychological tests nor am I in a guidance counselor office explaining the achievement or personality test results to students. But I'm applying the principles and my knowledge on psychometrics in the academe through research and proper student assessments. 

Next time a person asks me what is a Psychometrician I'll explain exactly what it is and not how the PRC board explain our roles to be. 

I'll still make it simple but more accurate than the nurse and doctor analogy. 

Psychometricians are responsible in making sure that tests are valid and reliable. They are responsible to make sure that tests measure what they intend to measure and that people don't misinterpret it. 

Because in a society that relies a lot of their decisions on test results and in a society that label people based on these results, it is important that those tests really measure and represent what their supposed to be. 

Or else you'll end up being a fish who believes he's dumb just because he could learn to climb a tree. 

--- that's true and from now on I'm not just going to be proud of passing the board exam, but I will also be proud that I am a Psychometrician. 

September is over.

Wew. What a month that it was !!

A very eventful month shall I say. 

Tiring too. (But very fruitful and productive)

Google Education Conference

Edtech Asia Meet-Up

National Convention on Educational Measurement and Evaluation

International Congress on E-Learning

National Convention of Catholic Educational Association

SEAMEO & KEDI policy forum

Then of course meetings and exchange of e-mails. 

I think I've lost communication of the other people I've contacted. 

I have to hibernate this October. The past month just drained the hell out of me.

So many Continuing Professional Deveopment activities. Being in the academe gets mentally draining. 

On another note I did have time to go out with my friends which was very awesome as well. 

I didn't enroll for yoga in September because I already anticipated that I wouldn't have the time and energy to commit myself with the classes but I'm jumping back this October.

I can't believe there's only 3 months remaining for the year 2015!!! This year has been quite a year for me. I didn't start the year with euphoric feelings but as I expected, my feelings got high as the year went by.

This is my favorite year. 

Passed my thesis proposal, changed jobs, had more time to myself, attended more events, passed the board exams, met new friends, my grandparents coming home, more family gatherings... 

Phew.. I'm turning 28 this year too... So. 

Moving on.. Gotta start working..

Lovely Saturday we're having today !! ...

National Convention of Educational Measurement and Evaluation

My mentor in Research

2015 National Convention of Catholic Education Association of thePhilippines

The Isle of the Lost and My Thesis

I was able to finish working on one of my independent variables for my thesis, specifically Parent's Educational Socialization.

I wrote it while listening to Disney Descendants Soundtrack, on REPEAT.

Specifically, Rotten to the Core and Be Our Guest.

Disney's new movie and new cast is nothing but another work of art. I even got me a copy of the novel "The Isle of the Lost" because I'm just that much of a fan of Disney.

Thank you for bringing me back to my childhood. And thanks to you, I've actually done something productive in terms of writing my thesis !! ❤️

International Congress on E-Learning 2015

Attend a conference on transforming education with technology and go home with a pen and a notebook. LOL!!! The irony... Had fun though...