Reading Eat, Pray, Love

I'm in the middle of reading this book right now. I'm not done yet but the travel accounts are pretty well written. Didn't like much the personal accounts of depression and not having children (maybe because I'm at a stage in my life right now where I'm pretty happy with my life. To each his own, I guess.) I couldn't imagine depression and loneliness ever having a face. I liked the account of the writer wherein she questions the other voice "talking" in her head. Yes, that could be conscience. A divine being? It makes you think.

I would love to go to Italy one day. I wish I could do what she did -- just go and take a year off and live on other places in the world. That would really lead any person on a journey of self-discovery. I'm excited to open the book and see what happens next.

Malapascua Island -- for my Communication Skills Class

        I love to travel. I've been to a couple of places in the world. These are Arizona, New York, Las Vegas, Korea, Singapore, San Fransisco and Hong Kong. In the Philippines, I've been to Bohol, Cebu, Boracay, Bicol, Baguio, Laguna, Batangas, Tagaytay, and Malapascua Island.

        Malapascua Island stands out because it was a different experience. I don't think I would be able to go back there for some time but it is a travel experience that is forever etched in my memory. It is hard to get there. You have to take a bus in Cebu and then a small boat. Malapascua is in the north of Cebu, a tiny island that is somewhat like Boracay without all the restaurants and hotels on the beach. It is a secluded haven wherein you can walk the whole width of the beach in a couple of strides.

       The beaches are also filled with fishes and are well worth the time it takes to go snorkelling. I saw a school of fishes there and it was an unbelievable experience! Unfortunately, I didn't have any underwater cameras so I don't have pictures of the fishes :(  It is almost an untouchable island. I sincerely hope it never becomes like Boracay because it is like a peaceful sanctuary.

       I want to go back to Malapascua Island one day. I want to share what I have experienced with my friends. I'm sure that like me, they are going to love this little patch of heaven in the Philippines. I want to go back and see the fishes, walk around the beach, enjoy the home cooked food, and just plain get away from the city and enjoy a day at the beach.

   

TOP FIVE THINGS I LIKE ABOUT BEING DEAF

1. i can study anywhere.. in busy mc donald's or in a crowded starbucks.. (well, i did..)
2. when i don't want to listen to anybody, all i gotta do is screw my eyes shut.. hehehe..
3. bloody noisy sounds aren't gonna be waking me up in the middle of the night.. (sounds, what sounds? )
4.  thunder is just like a light show to me..
5. when people find out that i am Deaf, they look at me warily.. then get this shock in their eyes when they find out that i can speak.. i LOVE that look.. i don't know why.. maybe it's because i am able to get one more person to be aware that Deaf people are not what they're perceived to be..

Anakin's Lamentations

Watched Star Wars: Episode 3 ...

Suddenly was in the mood to make a poem :) Don't know why!!!! Don't ask!!!! If Anakin had any say, it would have probably been somewhat like this:

Everyday I wake up to face the unknown

Life is a mystery

Sometimes we have to stand alone

The force is not enough

There must be something more to this

Your love helped me see the light

You are what I look at

Every night

I told myself I will protect you

From this cruel world

I dream of the darkness

I fear of losing you

I refuse to let that happen

There must be a way to get through

Alas, I did find something

It was more than I bargained for

I was fooled into thinking it will save you

Love makes us do crazy things

But now I cannot turn back

I have lost you

And our future too

Sometimes I wonder what could have been

If I had never succumbed to darkness

If the Dark Force had not taken me

Would we have lived in bliss?

But all that’s left is to regret

To accept that I failed the test

I should have stayed by your side

I never should have tried to hide

Someday we will be together again

And until that day comes

I will hold on to those memories

Padme, you, I will forever cherish

Good night :)

P.S. if you're gonna get this poem, please let me know... it probably isn't the best poem there is... but PLEASE... don't plagiarize, okay?

Help me!

Help me!

That’s a common thing I hear nowadays from my Deaf friends. The common question that keeps on popping up everywhere I go, whomsoever I meet. It’s quite interesting because they ask me to:

1. Tell them the meaning of a certain word (it makes me feel like a walking encyclopedia/dictionary)

2. Interpret at a fast food place, a restaurant, even in a movie theatre! (because I’ve read the book that was the movie adaptation already)

3. Explain the meaning of a story, even a pedestrian sign(it was in Tagalog and the Deaf are mostly English speakers), , a newspaper article(I have a friend who asked me if Bush is mad that Obama is now President and I had to explain that Obama was voted by the people, Bush was not sacked), and once, a sign at the LRT station (and boy, all of these take a long time because there will be pauses in between when they have inquiries)

….. most recently, friends have been asking me to help them find a job. This one gets me really down. When you think about it, our parents invested so much in our education. Our teachers, administrators, interpreters all tell us that we can do it - that they have high hopes for us, that the Deaf can be anything they want to be. Then suddenly we are thrust in the outside world and reality hits us. It’s hard out there. We don’t have the same job opportunities that hearing people have.

I read about Deaf in other countries such as the United Kingdom and America, getting benefits from the government (as in they get paid even though they have no jobs. I forgot what it’s called.) and getting a job as a lawyer, a doctor, a psychiatrist. If we were given the same opportunities, imagine what the Deaf here can do! Many of my friends are forced to study a certain course because (as the school says) the course they want is not available for the Deaf.(as in, kahit na gusto mo maging architect, di pwede, sorry na lang). That’s really sad. It’s like killing the dreams of a person even before they graduate.

When I think about it, I was a Deaf teacher because I wanted to help shape the future of my fellow Deafies. When I left, it opened my eyes to reality. I mean, what was the point of being a teacher for the Deaf when they graduate, nahihirapan sila maghanap ng trabaho? Maybe my friends asking me for help is another God-given sign. I hope my blog post will open up more opportunities for the Deaf.

Maybe this is my real purpose in life- to raise Deaf awareness.

I’m up to the challenge.

Getting back to my roots

The past few months, I've been on the move... constant strain to make money(found a new job, a new love, a new place, a new everything).. however, with it i kind of lost some of myself.. i got caught up with the whatsits and whatsnots. am i even making sense?

blogger has even changed so much since the last time i've been here. as in, i got confused with all the new settings. i spent hours just changing the design of my webpage.

i'm back because.. i want to post new stuff about being Deaf... (and possibly blog about restos, book reviews... what else? hahahaha!) i realize there are still some people who are not aware of the Deaf.. this came when we were making a new research paper and had some hearing people evaluate the items on our survey(the survey questions). the comments came back.. it said, Deaf people cannot speak (untrue!), among other stuff that i won't post here anymore coz they annoy me and i'm trying to lessen my stress levels(pretty high these days, don't need any more!)

so that's why i'm back.

hopefully, some people will come across my webpage, learn something from it and in the process, tell other people about it... and us Deafies.

:)