Schoolwork Number 1

Will mostly post random school outputs of kids which I think are worth recording and looking back to, lest I misplace hard copies of them.

Just last night, I had this annual purging of school stuff and papers which I've been putting off for some time for it requires a lot of sorting and organization - for keeping, for newspaper drive, for re-use, etc.

With my tiring new job routine, my days have become so lethargic and predictable that all I do on weekends is sleep and slumber until I turn yellow.

I found this one work which could have been written days after PNoy's inauguration last year. I think that she wrote some significant points here and her teacher seemed to think so for she gave her a 10 and a stamp saying "Great Job!" :)

Read below:

Dear Mr. President,

               Congratulations for being the new president of the Philippines. I am just here to tell a few things to help my family and the country. First of all my mom is having a problem with money because of the taxes and school payments. So I think the taxes should maybe go down a bit. Second I wish the poor would have nice houses, delicious food, clean clothes, education for children and jobs for adults. Third I like everyone to care for the environment. Since we didn't take care of earth we should have electrical cars, clean rivers, segregate trash and use less plastic. I hope you will be a great president.

Kanneyla Concepcion

When there's Christmas, there's Scrooge

This is one Christmas that I'm hard put to spend.
Either I had an Epiphany of sorts and finally realized
the true meaning of Jesus' Nativity.
Or I'm just getting old and and am becoming a scrooge.

For one, kids are tweens and are no believers of Santa.
Is that bad? 
Second, I don't have a list yet and I'm scared to make one.
Sure I know that I have a responsibility, at the least, for us
to have some sense of yuletide spirit.
I've put up the tree, isn't that enough?

Last Thursday, traffic wasn't just in Edsa, it was also in the escalator.Tried to squeeze in buying daughter's accessory for their school's annual
Christmas play, shoppers were rushing as SM opened promptly at ten a.m.
One parent thought of placing his child in the willowy cart and kid tumbled 
out as they landed on the next floor.
Poor thing! Carts are not carnival rides.
Such mayhem can make one abhor malls.

Then today, I was all scheduled to buy that birthday giftie for myself,
faced with the shiny thing, I turned away. It didn't seem to matter
much buying it anymore. What is happening?

Could it be that in the new office group I'm in, peeps are less
pomp and more brains? Is it more harmonious to blend in or would I
rather not care and keep the airline grooming standards thought to
us in my former department?

I remember this tweet: "With great style, comes great responsibility."
And with responsiblity more or less means breaking your bank.
Style's not cheap.

It's only my Day 4 tomorrow and the more I talk to these people and
have a glimpse of their lives, the more I feel somehow insignificant
with my shallow material wants. They're like bored, rich, corporate habitues
but of simple demeanor, unassuming personal circumstances and living
meaningful lives.

I feel lucky that I have this opportunity to be right, front, and center as
great minds talk.

So I'm taking it in one breath at a time.

If it influences my material view of the season, then I think that's good.
Epiphany is real and let's just give love and hug as gifts then. ;)

Formal Theme No. 3

Objective:     To be able to write descriptive paragraphs about Christmas

Christmas Is A Time For Everybody

Christmas is the time for love and sharing. You can say it's a time for getting a lot of gifts and money. But we all agree that it's the time to remember the Lord Jesus Christ and his birth. Everybody loves the presents and food when it's Christmas. It's like a fiesta! But when Christmas is here, we will always be ready to share.

Kids always write to Santa. They want a nice gift from him. Everyone will wonder why the cookies and milk we'll leave will be gone. And the presents that wasn't there yesterday. And we all agree that those things were done on Christmas Eve was done by Santa Claus. So the next time you see a new gift under the tree, you know who that person is.

Christmas is our favorite time of the year. The presents we receive and the food (in a) on a giant fiesta table. (Bu) But the missing ingredient in this (Chrim) Christmas special is the love we show. In this (s) special (its) it is not just our family and friends it's also the poor. We should also show them how happy we are. For happiness I wish everyday is Christmas.

KIPC 4-Obedience
(typed exactly as seen on paper)

it's not just a job

When you choose to give up smoking because life is pulsating

When in a blink, you drop down get dirty scooping some poopie

When you allow yourself to be unglamorous - hair uncombed

When your time is not yours, sleep is a forgotten course

When you had to answer little questions in the middle of tv, a favorite book

When you’re yanked out of bed for the little one is wailing,

Or when the alarm failed to alarm and school bus is beeping

When it’s 4am and your hand is feeding and one foot is crib swinging

And you try hard to catch some sleep for in a few hours work would be knocking

When all you watch is cartoons over and over again. And again.


That you're suddenly a wiz in children's television

You’ve unlearnt how to cringe on spiders

You’re a big pillow during thunders 

When you can’t wait to get out of the office and scurry your way home

When you choose to forego dessert and bring the sweet treat to your rabbits

When your walls are big canvasses, splattered with all colors

When you have chipped furniture, chairs with missing leg, broken vases,

Sagging bed from jumping sprees and innumerable dives

When you leave the lamp on to light the dark bedroom

And you are their superhero shooing larking creatures

When everyday you clean goo, their teeth were a cave with cobwebs to be brushed

When you’re one big paranoid over safety

And you disinfect like crazy

When they bump on everything

And shniffles rule and you have to nurse each knick and every imaginable bruise

When you monitor temperature, flinch with the sound of cough,

Because you know when something's wrong and can tell right out

When they frolic in the water and swim until they’re blue

When your heart leaps out your chest as they sprint, somersault


cross the street, or say some darn thing

When they ask permission to a pajama party

Or on the cellphone texting somebody


When you get front row seats on

Little hands, tiny toes, missing tooth, sun-kissed soft hair, sparkling smiles,

Artworks, lost pencils, crayons, spilt milk, juice and crushed cookies.

When they draw you in squiggly lines with big eyes and love written all over it.

When you develop a third eye on your back with an acute sense of hearing for

sibbling squables;

When baby packing means bringing the whole house and yet you still forget a thing;

When lego parts are scattered asunder on the floor,

your lotions and colognes tumble from being a building,


And Barbie’s shoes had to be found, yes, right now.

Puzzle pieces on your dresser, toy cars in your bag, left-over oreo for your snacks

All the happy meals you can eat so the collection is complete.

When spiderman webs his way out on the roof, waiting breathtakingly for it

to web its way back. And it doesn’t. So you buy another.

When your vocabulary is constrained to “No!”, and all they say in turn is what else but,  “No!”

Or favorite word is "waaiit"

When you run out of warnings, find yourself hoarse from counting




When it’s a battle of wills during bathe time, eating time, tv time and nap time.

When you sit through your countless PTAs, study the school handbook and spot loopholes,

write excuse letters, sign on reminders, sharpen pencils, prepare mock tests,

"what's for baon?" a fixture in your subconcious;

When you’re a cook, a nurse, doctor, police chief;

First teacher, ball catcher, magician, party planner;

A toy fixer, toy sorter, crappy toy instructions analyst;

A personal shopper, bag packer, a gluer, cutter, name tag labeler,

and a project maker;

A dance/sports/speech/financial/life coach, photographer and videographer;

A meat flaker, fish thorn finder, fruit slicer, candy peeler;

A storyteller, a fetcher, washer, janitor, a hair-stylist, a stitcher;

A shoe lacer, sweat wiper, speller, editor, gut reader;

A lie detector, and trouble-sniffer, spectator at mayhem;

A heart healer,  a killjoy person, an ATM;

When you’re ask.com., the explainer, a tagalog-english translator, problem-solver;  

A listener, an unpaid psychiatrist, best cheerleader, and the biggest superhero of all,

When you're all these rolled into one.

Then you have the world’s most amazing job.

You are a mom.

still mom's baby

in every way.

fascinatingly I watch

as she..

traipse and sing like a princess,
run and get giddy in new places.

she is a child in every way.

awed I whisper thanks as she...

pause to look at some ducks
opine that eating ducks sucks.

still a child in every way.

not encumbered by angst.
haven't grown some fangs.

yes, a child in possible ways.


sweet fairy as can be,
she is mom's bubbly baby.

every bit a child in many ways.

kaney, may God's grace always guide you.
to lose not the amazing and appreciative child in you.

please stay a child in every way.

yet with no delusions I know
that reality is no fashion show.

it can be harsh, judgmental.
might hurt your heart in style so mental.

dear kaney,

you cannot afford to be a child that way.

I pray to be there when you need me.

blow your awwchie like you were three.

let me be there to wipe your tears.

hand you a hankie and aid fight your fears.

may I live long to teach you to be strong
to respect and love yourself and be whole

may I be ready then, god,

to accept and nurture the coming years

may I be ready, please,

                                           to let go and allow her to spread her wings.

Shopping for a teener = exasperating

We were rolling eyes alternately.
I think I died when he said, "This is ok. I like it."
Then he had to bug me that we needed to hurry home
for he's to watch his fave anime.
"It's the last episode!"
How many times have I heard that?
You can't rush shopping. You just don't.

waxing poetry

1. On what the inspiration was on his current artwork - a cello propped on a tree against a landscape (will post peg):

My choice of a musical instrument to draw was this cello. Imagine playing it overlooking
a mountain and lush greeneries, cool breeze. It just engulfs you, the music is engulfing.

He rambles on even when I'm only half-listening (my bad) during dinner, watching tv.

2.  On the taco feast given to him as a birthday gift by his best bud's mom:

Tita Jette ur a really great cook, the ground beef was nicely cooked, its taste was heartier
than the others I tasted, the salsa was nicely mixed, I could taste everything from the onions
down to the tomato sauce, and once I assembled the taco, it gave a very unique flavor,
it had the perfect amount of sweetness and was rather one of the best I ever had.

Yes, he was indeed soo happy with it that there was no pause in his glowing praise.

He's a taco monster.

Will his friend's mom cook for him again? She'd love too!

I'll let you in on a secret. Migz's mom, Jette, approves of Bas as her son's friend right at the onset.
Remember, how mothers could be wary of what type of friends her children could be keeping.

My Bas, according to her, is polite and well-mannered, speaks well and personable.
Imagine my disbelief erm pride ha ha! *winky-wink*

You know, I sometime think that my son is hopeless in foresight and practical sensibilities.
And despite my endless yakking, he doesn't seem to get it. And that boys have different
brain zones altogether (may have scientific basis read somewhere).

3. And how can I forget this classic more than a year ago. We were set to venture out when
I asked him if it was raining or not. He looked out the window and said:

"The dark clouds are devouring the sky."

I swear a simple yes or no would have sufficed.
But Bas, waxing poetry on that ordinary afternoon made me want to cry.
Over-actingmuch. Ha ha!

My vocabulary was not this good when I was his age.

But I remember to being always the one to write on birthday and farewell cards given to teachers
on behalf of the class.

lesson in patience

I am not a patient person. Motherhood taught me just about an ounce and I still struggle with the virtue. I can be patient the first time, but on the second and third, my fuse bursts.

For me, stupidity is not an option much less a pathetic excuse. Everyday life is no rocket science, doesn't need a brilliant mind. All you have to do is read instructions and be considerate of somebody's own space and time.

But I guess God has His smart way of outsmarting me. Or to phrase it positively, open my eyes.
Just yesterday, a virtual stranger and nobody told me: "Kapag ganon, huwag ka nang magalit,
turuan mo na lang."

*dumbfounded me* Okay.

Who does he think he is? What does he know?

I couldn't shoot back. He's a decidedly kind person and for the life of me I was catatonic-speechless.

That's rare. Hit a nerve. Unbelievable. Me and my heart of stone.

This morning, I had a test of patience with my daughter. I was calling her and she suddenly
opted to be deaf. Grrrrr.

I failed the test but had this realization. Will strive to do better in my patience barometer.

So help me God.

what a decade meant

one mystery in rosary.
a bar in quezon city.
ten years of kannae-y.

baby steps no more.
wall drawings are gone.

sweet smelling breath a memory.
tea parties getting to be a rarity.

no more barbies and bratz.
disney princesses are a thing of the past.

we now visit comic alley.
toy kingdom is history.

anime convert, she is.
her brother's influence, that is.

but some things remain unchanging.
in a decade that's not stopping.

she still likes popcorns.
and zac efron.
and that old pillow.
and swirly ribbons.

bubbles always bring cheer.
days are like christmas morning.

with her sparkle and gaiety,
her letters to me are worth keeping.

in her secret diary,
she has no idea she is funny.

at ten, I still...
fix her hair,
kiss away her awwchie,
help solve her little problems,
explain life and its riddles,
and prod her to gobble her greens.

I wish she will not grow up too fast.
boys to not occupy her sweet, untainted heart.

conversations with bas

I feel that this would be a series, peppered almost everyday as I am with funny, thought-provoking one liners from my son who was born a motor mouth. daughter is another story.

last saturday, as bas labored on his project using the image movie maker (they were taught this in grade v and me an adult can hardly make the program's head and tail, I tried once):

B : I am tired, how is that possible?
Mom : bas, you're a mere mortal.
B : what, I'm a demi-god (start of our usual good-natured banter).
Mom : no, you're not. you're a mortal, lowest of the mortals (exaggerating. gotta pull him back to earth, you see).
B: a demi-god.
Mom: mortal, bottom of the pyramid.
B: ok, how can the pyramid stand without the bottom?

I hate you, son. :)
we were laughing to death afterwards.

but it got me thinking.
more than its scientific truth, its meaning resonates more loudly in social terms.
it's no laughing matter at all.

hopefully, with bsa's daang matuwid and our collective participation,
the pyramid equalizes somehow.

the link

a friend emailed me a link to her blog today.

we've often talked about blogging but neither one has taken it seriously.
until she did late last year. and me, well, just today haha!

the entry was an account of her daily travails with her househelp which lead to the last straw this morning. she can be kind and forgiving, my friend. she has her reasons.

there is no need for us to be updating each other through blog actually.
as it is, we've been texting and calling each other almost everyday for, wait, five years.
wow five. from mundane, random happenings to office-related issues,
to ones' heartaches, daily budgeting and same concern for a "wayward" friend.
there definitely were lots of laughter along the way.
but largely, it is motherhood that bonded us.

now since she emailed me the url to her blog, I scrambled to remember my account and password.
suddenly I found myself wanting to breathe some oxygen into this baby. we'll be exchanging
links! what big step!

a big step totally since I am sagittarian and is an extremely private person by nature. I've long debated creating a blog for which purpose - to monetize (which meant opening myself up to the big online world with its own consequence and rules) or strictly as a private journal (a venue to destress, depressurize, express thoughts).

for one who works in an environment where the latest in communications technology spells the bottom line, I do recognize the explosion of social media in the last two years and what a force to reckon with it has become.

as time wears on, I might just find my inhibitions dissolving. my space, my blog, as they say.
I may have to edit and obssessively check myself along the way, pray that I don't publish with emotions full. I know I can dictate the tempo and create my own rules as I deem appropriate.
Must.not.forget.to have fun. Write my love letters to my two charming cubs.

I welcome me under the mink sky.

perhaps I should

take this online journal seriously.
a lot of drafts are on my notebook - aged, trusty, old-fashioned way of diary writing.
been rusty, not really that prolific a writer.
the only time I could remember writing dedicatedly everyday was back in college.
when I was assistant editor in chief in highschool, I hated it. hated that it was a task.
and when I got married I just lost it. uninspired as I was probably of the doomed relationship.



my regret, definitely, was failing to chronicle my little ones' growing up years and smilestones
the way most modern moms do it now with blogging and photography.
but everything is etched in my heart, emblazoned on my mind.
a mom simply does not forget. the first smile, the first step, first tooth and word and a gazillion tugging moments after.



lately, I have been writing a lot. pure office stuff. maybe it's god's way of reminding me of his gift. I struggled to accept it, squirmed when people
noticed it.

now I am affirming it. I can write. :)

started this out of need

it's an assignment at the office to ready us for our social media training course. i never thought i'd start a blog out this way. don't see this prospering. teehee.