Gem's Insights

Some of you may have read my recent post Some bi***y behind-the-scene story . Quite a story, yes? Well, who's the victim and who's responsible? Here I was writing it all down but the point is, they may be sharing their own points of views too with their friends. We all have our share of stories. Who ends up the victor and the loser, is the question. But does it really matter? My point:  People will always have something to say. Either you accept it as true or negate it. If I am affected (and really affected!), I'd rather confront the person involved than go to all my friends asking for comfort, I'd rather talk to the person and have everything settled than go to all channels, whispering behind backs! - It will not solve anything - promise! Since I may have unconsciously hurt their ego, (and really, many are not so sensitive about this, sometimes we are already hurting people with our words and actions and NOT know about it! - INDIFFERENCE! I am guilty of being ...

What I love about the camping trip was our food! The whole 9 days except for dinners where we ate as a group in a fancy pub or Mexican or Italian restaurant was all non-Filipino food, of course! No rice at all! We ate  French toast and pancakes for breakfast, cereals and snack bars were offered too! credit  Burritos -  breakfast burrito, just like the one sold at Mcdonalds. credit Salad with some Italian dressing for lunch or dinner or sometimes as burger, sandwich or tortilla wrap topping. credit Fajitas , according to Wikipedia, is a term found in both traditional Mexican cuisine and in Tex-Mex cuisine, commonly referring to any grilled meat served as a taco on a flour or corn tortilla. cooked beef, onions, red and yellow bell peppers, seasoning and heated flour tortilla. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or sometimes ham, bologna or turkey sandwich with cheese and veggies on top for lunch and V8 fruit juice in can or water. credit credit Pasta , well, it was actua...

Beautiful Rock Formations of Colorado Plateau! Ute Peak or Sleeping Ute Mountain, Cretaceous Rock Formation - formed by intrusion of igneous rocks at about 72 million years. (on our way to Cortez, Colorado)   arches type rock formation.. on our way to a uranium mining company.  Not sure where this is. Lol! But I see Moenkopi and Chinle Formations... mmmm, I think! Lol!   Paradox Basin, if I remember right!      The Grand Canyon (North Rim) in Arizona.   Picturesque view of the Glen Canyon Dam.  The beautiful Capitol Reef in Utah. Mmmm weird rock formation... Lol! It is actually one of the 67 sedimentary pipes in Kodachrome Basin National Park in Utah where we camped.  Amazing scenic views from once an ocean a long long time ago!

Maybe, I have this vision that professionals especially Americans in general would be mature and FRANK enough to be able to communicate their feelings, thoughts and what-have-you about something to your face. Well, I guess, not. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter where you are. People are people. Some mature, most immature. Some straightforward, some timid. Some frank enough to say what they need to say, others talk behind your back.   We were having a discussion one day, and well, the topic was about immigration. The Canadian commented about Americans NOT really wanting to do commoners jobs like farming and all the other blue collar jobs. Here I was, loudmouth and tactless, commented, well, "I think, because most of them have this superiority complex and I-know-it-all mentality." The discussion continued. But, I just noticed after that how aloof they were with me! Mmmm.. true enough! Two of them may have gathered all the other men and women of their race and...

It was fun studying again! I guess, I had so much fun that I'll be back end of July for more education! Yay! I was told we will be building a brand new desktop computer from a kit, install a couple of operating systems/open software and develop a website (time allowing).. and then we can bring it home! Now, isn't that fun!!! LOL! Prior to that by Monday, we will be leaving (with classmates, not sure how many enrolled) for a 10 day camping trip - remember this post? To Camp or NOT to camp ? post here Well, I've decided to put aside my fear and anxiety. I will just go, show up, savor the experience and have fun! We were given the itinerary already and well, we will be going to different mines, geologic structures in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, including the Grand Canyon! Nice huh? I am pretty sure, I'll be taking photos and more photos! Hoping to learn GEOLOGY this time! Breathe in, breathe out! Let me pack my bags! Happy Summer everyone!

I admire Dennis, my husband. Well, because of the photos in Facebook, I am sure you already know how skillful he is! He's totally my opposite! What amazes me too is how he can plant something, anything, and it will grow. I also do the opposite! Lol! Maybe, there are really people who has "green thumb" and others who has not. (what do you think? lol) You see, he dreams of having his own farm lot someday, well, maybe our backyard (hehe), where he’ll grow herbs, flowering plants, trees! Back in New Orleans where we stayed for 4 years he planted chayote, melons, and other vegetables – and I was informed that up to now, it is still alive and producing! Here in New Mexico, he tried growing vegetables too, but with the heat of summer and since we are staying in an apartment, he is limited as to what he can do. Maybe someday, he’ll make his dream come true. For the meantime, while browsing the net about gardening, I have found this website The Growers Exchange – where gardeners ...

credit Honestly, I do not know how to teach young kids. Shame huh, but that’s the truth, I can teach older kids, high school students, college students, even graduate students. But not little kids! Maybe, I just don’t have the patience and the skills to teach them! There was this one time when I really wanted to teach again. Since there was an opening at a grade 1 level, I tried my luck and applied for the position. The thing was, I do not have any elementary education background but using all the positive energy in me, I tried my best. I did, really! I stood up in front of the room of bright-eyed kids. I started my lesson, and tried to make them follow what the lesson was about. I didn’t know what to expect! I’ve never seen Grade 1 kids in action (I forgot how we were in Grade 1 too!). My! My sweat was just all over! There were staring at me, and just doing that! Maybe they were asking themselves, if I am a real teacher or what! Lol! Even if my credentials were exceptional haha, they ...

Our Physics professor stood in front of the room the first day, and asked the class, "Do you have any questions for me?" credit No one asked any. He repeated, "Do you have any questions for me?", then came questions of anxiety.. Will the class be hard? Are we to memorize all Physics vocabulary? What will happen in the next 5 days... He allowed students who took his other class to answer. We were quite relieved with their responses. He then proceeded with Newton's law. He wrote all laws on the board (we were in the laboratory) and told us what his requirements were: 7 write-ups; we were to answer the questions: What did you do; What did you learn; How did you learn it. Quite simple. The first activity was an experiment. He allowed us to play with the spark generator machine and discover for ourselves and as a group insights from it. Then we were given a test - Force Concept Inventory. Out of 30 questions, I got 10 correct! Thanks to the first experiment I was abl...