Pinoy Big Brother Winner "Nene Tamayo"!

Pinoy Big Brother just had a very successful Big Night at the Clark Expo in Pampanga. Everyone that I know wanted either Jayson or Nene to win the PhP 6 million prize money as the first PBB winner. Well, Nene won and Jason was the first runner up. Although I was rooting for Jayson since the beginning, Nene won the hearts and minds of the Filipino people and I acknowledge that she was a deserving winner. Her strength of character showed through in every episode of the series. She never resorted to back-biting and always did the tasks assigned by Big Brother with grace, poise, and a never-gonna-quit attitude. The girl was loved by my mother and most mothers I know. They must have seen in her the ideal daughter. My congratulations, Nene!



But in contrast to the excitement of PBB's Big Night, my day was kind of boring. I had a monstrous migraine last night which caused me to be groggy the whole day today. Yet I still had to go to school even on a Saturday because of the Pre-Midterm exam I had to give my second year Organic Chemistry students.



As you can see from the picture above, they took their exams in the faculty room because I wanted to work on my afternoon lecture while looking after them. Unable to concentrate because I was too hungry, I just enjoyed watching my friends play Tumblebugs - the latest craze in the Chemistry Department. I had to wait for the pizza to be delivered by 11:30am.



The pizza was delivered at almost noon. Good thing that I was too famished to complain! Anyway, here is proof of my hearty appetite:


My lunch!

Classroom Scenes

Teaching may not make you a millionaire, but the fulfillment you get from the job more than makes up for it. I do get my share of lazy and dull students, but I am generally blessed with bright, enthusiastic, and respectful students who remain my friends even after they graduate from my class.

Today, I had Organic Chemistry laboratory and lecture classes for the Chemistry majors. They were engrossed in the lab trying to finish their analysis on an unknown organic compound. They have until next Friday to submit a report on the identity of the organic compound that I gave them for qualitative analysis.




Color reactions are fun!

For my lecture class, we continued on the discussion on how to separate the components of a mixture of organic compounds.






Settled on my desk, I noticed an envelop addressed to me. It bore good news as I finally got my tenureship! Tenureship means job security, but most all it means that I still get my 2-months summer pay even if I do not work for the 3 months of summer. During this time, I could focus on my translation job, photography, reading my back-log of books, watching DVDs, and trying out new recipes to cook. I also got promoted to Associate Professor Level 3, which is 7 levels my former rank of Assistant Professor Level 1. This signifies a higher pay and more financial security. When before I have to augment my income with my translation jobs (which actually pays me 5 times more!), now my salary as a teacher can support my lifestyle. The money I get from translations will be saved and a portion used to buy luxury items like another Louis Vuitton bag. hehe.



After a few shouts of joy on my part and congratulatory cheers from my colleagues, I had to eat lunch. Since the start of this semester, I have been preparing my bento box for lunch whenever my classes take the whole day. The food at the cafeteria got tiring on the palate and they were expensive to boot!

Pag-ibig, Dentist, and Some Shopping

My application for the Pag-ibig loan had to be submitted today. I was already at the Pag-ibig office by 8:26 to get my priority number. The wait was not that bad, an hour for a really busy government office...

I got out just in time for my 10:00 am appointment with my dentist. It went along fine and I got some tidbit from my dentist about puppies of imported dogs costing PhP15,000 to PhP25,000 here in Cebu. Each dog could give birth to about 10 puppies which can be sold easily since demand is also up for them. That would be a nice business to take up if only I love pets. But I don't, so it's not a good idea at all. hehe.



Right after, I decided to proceed to Ayala Center to have brunch at Idea Italia. I love their minestrone! It is hot, delicious, and comforting. Satiated, I decided to walk around the mall. My first stop was the Beauty Bar where I got the Bebe Magic Matte facial oil absorber made of linen paper. At only PhP85, it was a bargain. To think that my Shu Uemura, with only a few sheets left, costs me 5 times! Hmmm. Let's see if the Bebe beats the Shu quality wise, too...



Remembering that the girl from What A Girl Wants texted me yesterday about the arrival of new Havaianas, I went to the 3rd floor to visit the shop. Fortunately, a pair of the Havaianas in white was available in my size. Bought! My last stop was my favorite magazine shop to get copies of the December 2005 issues of my favorite magazines.




I went home by 2pm to finish some proofreading job I had to submit by early afternoon. That done, I revert to teacher mode and made 3 exams.

Teacher's Day

I attended to my laboratory and lecture classes the whole morning. As there were no classes in the afternoon due to Teacher's Day celebrations, I decided to go to the main campus to apply for SSS and Pag-ibig loans. I was advised to do so because apparently other people may loan using my SSS and Pag-ibig IDs if my records remain loan-free. The application process only took about 30 minutes. I do not have to go to the SSS office for the SSS loan, which is a big help as lining up there is hell. However, I have to go to the Pag-ibig building tomorrow to finalize my loan. It is sort of cute that I will only be receiving PhP12,000 from SSS and less than PhP5,000 from Pag-ibig for these loans. hehe. But still, better me getting the money than other people. Bad trip if you have to pay for loans that other people enjoyed in your name.

It was already 2:30 when I finished finished submitting all my loan related papers to the Accounting office. I was famished and was so tempted to drop by Jollibee for some fries and mais con hielo ice craze. But, I was more sleepy than hungry and decided to just go home to catch a nap. The 30-minute nap resulted in hunger pangs that could not be denied. I had to wake up and fry some banana turons and match them with yummy vanilla ice cream lined with Hershey's chocolate, and topped off with homemade yoghurt! Yummy! Perfect for the rainy weather.



There was supposed to be a Teacher's Day fete at the Grand Convention. But it was really raining hard. I was already ready to go and even changed to a skirt for the party...



In the end, I decided to celebrate being a teacher by staying home and continuing on that nap a few hours ago...

Pretty Normal Day...

Due to some pressing tasks related to a translation job, I was almost late for my class. Luck was with me as the roads were clear and I got to class in 20 minutes.

After my lecture, I decided to pay a visit to Canon to follow up on the lens cover that they stupidly left in Manila. I am so pissed off with their incompetency. I had my Powershot Pro1 repaired because ants decided to make a home inside the hot shoe of my digital camera. It took them 2 months to return my digicam and wonders of wonder! The lens cover was not shipped together with the camera body. I discovered the mistake a month ago, but still the lens cover has not been shipped! My blood boiled over and they got a piece of my temper. Grrr...

I let myself cool off and since my dentist's office is in the same arcade, I decided to drop by to make an appointment for Thursday morning. Afterwhich, I stopped by the salon for my regular hot oil treatment, pedicure, and eyebrow grooming.


I also went shopping and bought Guinot skin care products and the last set of DVDs for Friends. Yey! All 10 Friends DVD sets are completed! Just like my 6 DVD sets for Sex and the City! Hurray!



Target DVDs for the new year:
1. Monk Seasons 1, 2, and 3
2. 2046 (A must have since I already own the DVDs for "In The Mood For Love" and "Chungking Express")

Time to spend and click on that Amazon icon...