A long overdue post... Princess D'Annam

Last August, Paolo and I were treated to a relaxing 3 days 2 nights stay in a quite secluded place 4 hours away from the chaos of Saigon. People in VN know that August is not a good time to go to the beach as this is the start of rainy season here, but what the heck! we still managed to enjoy our stay in a beautiful resort called Princess D'Annam (Phan Thiet). Pouring rain greeted us when we got there but it did not stop us from looking around the area and appreciate the strong winds and the waves in the sea.

The resort's service is great, i think the service really comes with the price. The villa we got was really beautiful and we got an amazing view of one of the many swimming pools available in the resort. Our villa was in a quiet location amongst the beautiful flora and fauna, a little far from where the main hall is, but it was nice to be really away from others. It was very quiet and we can hardly see other guests. It was really a time for us especially Paolo to relax and enjoy his time away from his work.

Home Alone

Chiqui and Pino left last night for Manila after months of staying with us. So now, i am all alone whilst Paolo is still at work beating deadlines:( When i got home, i cleaned the house and cooked dinner for us. I tried using the vacuum cleaner i got for teacher's day and it was working ok. I just did not like the work of assembling and disassembling all of it. Good thing I only have 1 carpet to maintain at home:)

It's 3 more weeks to go before term 1 at school ends and we are now all busy with International celebration on Thursday and the upcoming Christmas production!

I just hope Paolo comes home soon as I am getting bored with nothing else to do.

Have a good night!

Teacher's Day

It was Teacher's Day here in VN yesterday. And many people who have lived or have been living here can definitely attest to the fact that Vietnamese people celebrate this particular day with respect and in such a big way! The week prior to this day, you will see loads of banners hanging outside schools and language centres saying "Happy Teacher's Day!" Even shopping malls, banks (credit card companies), flower shops etc would join in the hype and offer numerous discounts for teachers.

But nothing beats the smiles and hugs and (really nice presents) i received from my students and their parents! It was very overwhelming! Nice is an understatement actually for the fact that they made an effort of making this day extra, extra special by those sweet gestures.

All i can say is that I love what i am doing and will definitely be doing this for a very long time!! And i enjoy being with them!!:)

Christmas is for Kids (kids at heart too)

Being a true-blooded Pinoy, i can't seem to help myself but be extremely excited about the yuletide season even if I am away from home! I just can't explain that feeling of joy whenever Christmas is getting nearer. Btw, up until now, i have not bought my christmas tree yet as I needed to go around the city to look where i can buy one :( But was able to buy 2 cute christmas decor that i plan to put under the tree once i have it in my house. For now they are standing on the shelf where Paolo puts some of his PS3 games.

I started buying some gifts for our nieces and nephews back home since Paolo's sister will be flying back to Manila next week. I bought a maxi-dress and skinny jeans for Asha and a pair of polo and trousers for Baby Cedrick. I was not able to finy any for JM but will look for 1 tomorrow. I just love buying things for them (i don't know and can't really explain why, but I know that it is better to give than to receive and whatever i give is returned tenfolds!)

When I was little, I always hear adults saying that Christmas if=s really for children and I don't understand what they mean. And now that I am adult, I can definitely say that indeed Christmas is for kids and kids at heart like ME!

I have not thought of what i really want for Christmas but Paolo and I already have an understanding of what we both want :-)

For now, I will just stick with a christmas tree for me. Until then, i will only start thinking of what i want to buy for myself :)

Hat Day for Charity

Today was Hat Day at school, a fund-raising activity lead by children in Year 1. It was really nice to see children and parents alike putting so much effort with variety of hat/cap style they wore this morning. Majority in my class wore hats made by themselves and it was a success knowing that the children themselves made/designed/created all of them.

It was hard for me to choose which one is the BEST because knowing children this age, I appreciate every little and simple things they do. But i had to choose only 1 and I chose the one made out of weetabix carton, cut and made into a "crown". I know it was my student's work of art because of the uneven snips of the papers she used to stick on her crown. I will post the photos on my next blog as I forgot my camera back at school.

38 more days to go before Christmas!!

Hohohohoho.... btw, just told my husband the other day to start sticking his wish list up on the fridge door :) will see if he'll do it!

Down with Flu:(

This is something that most teachers can relate with...flu! we are very much prone to getting it easily. Just 1 big sneeze from those cute and huggable kids and BOOM! you're ready to take your pills when the night falls.

I remember when i was a kid, my mum used to make me some herbal medicines she learned from when she was still living in the countryside. It was a concoction of different herbs that i can no longer remember how they look like, but i tell you, it always work!

Now, that I am away from her, and time has changed. I still sometimes stick to natural remedies for simple cases like flu.
Byt of course, taking lots of H2o helps to ease it out a little bit. I usually, make ginger, honey and lemon tea when i feel sick.

Here is the no-fuss recipe for the ginger tea.

1 whole piece of ginger
honey
lemon (optional)

1. Boil a cup or 2 of water, peeled and sliced ginger for about 3-5 minutes.
2. Transfer into a cup and put honey to taste.

Some people squeeze lemon in their tea, but i want mine to be simple as the above's recipe.

I prefer my ginger tea with a little honey because i want to feel the "spice" through my throat when i drink it. I think the effectiveness of it is when u feel that your throat is being washed with that distinct taste of the ginger.

Countdown to Christmas 2010

Woot!woot! i can now feel the cool breeze of the upcoming yuletide season. i know, i know, it's been raining these past few weeks and that also made it feel a lil' colder! but i'm a pinoy and i know the feeling of excitement when "ber" months start. we all get excited and giddy about it that we want to decorate as soon as possible.

My next to do list this weekend is to buy me some christmas stuff as I plan to put a tree up in our apartment. Paolo and I are celebrating Christmas here in VN so I would like to create a "christmassy" atmosphere just like back home.

I am really looking forward to this weekend's escapade and I hope to find me some really nice decor!

It's 45 days til Christmas Day!