Happy New Year

During the year may you have
Enough happiness to keep you sweet.
Enough trials to keep you strong.
Enough sorrow to keep you human.
Enough hope to keep you happy.
Enough failure to keep you humble.
Enough success to keep you eager.
Enough friends to give you comfort.
Enough wealth to meet your needs.
Enough enthusiasm to make you look forward to tomorrow.
Enough determination to make each day better than the day before.

Christmas Without Dad

This would be the second time that we would be spending Christmas without my Dad. I still feel sad thinking we would be at the dinner table without him. I miss seeing him in his fave jacket and ever-present cap or hat and his expensive leather shoes. He was such a dashing gentleman. We loved his presence. We miss him , sorely.

WE DID IT !!!

I just came from the Outreach and Medical/Dental Mission. It was successful and I give back all the glory unto God. I am just so thankful that there were people who supported our project by donating and just by being present.

I AM EXCITED !!!

I AM SUPER EXCITED! I just came from our Drop Zone where we prepared all the stuff we need for the Outreach and Medical/Dental Mission on Sunday. Everything is set. We also visited our Alma Mater, Holy Spirit Academy to inform the principal about our project. It was good to see our old classrooms renovated, the newly-constructed restrooms, the newly-furbished computer room and our dear canteen managers who have served HSAL all their lives---Ate Janice and Ate Agnes ( still cheerful but much older now).

One day more and we're on the road to Caaoacan with the medical/dental team and our truckload of goodies.

Check out our pics in my other blog, hsal'78hub.blogspot.com.

Ooops, tomorrow I'm going to watch the play "Merchant of Venice" at the Laoag City Centennial Arena. Gotta log off now and go home coz I'm with my hubby Tony here at Jollibee for a late dinner.

It's 12 midnight!

"Karaoke Dreams" Bares The Truth

I watched PETA's "Karaoke Dreams" at the Isabel Cinema here in Laoag City yesterday with my husband, Anthony. I also invited 74 members of my Theater Arts Guild to watch the play.

The play was entertaining . The audience loved the funny characters of Aling Pising, Julie Nahuli, Rudy Natsugi, Mrs. Biglangyaman but they ended up pitying the fate of this bunch of hopefuls that fell prey in the wily antics of the handsome fixer Boy Peke.

"Karaoke Dreams" bares the painful truth that there are, indeed, wolves who take advantage of Filipinos who seek employment abroad. The naive and gullible end up losing their properties, money, dignity after fully trusting these heartless wolves who thrive on other people's hard-earned money and "karaoke dreams".

I had the privilege of meeting Kirsten Bartsch and Louie Sebastian of the International Organization for Migration. IOM is funding the play and it is such a good project for it helps Filipinos to be more careful in preparing pertinent papers before leaving the country. Queng of PETA was oh-so friendly.

Now, I am in a dilemma. IOM faxed an invitation for me to attend a workshop at the new PETA headquarters from Nov. 24 to dec. 5. That would be great! But I am currently in the middle of preparations for the Outreach and Medical/Dental Mission of HSAL Batch '78. Being the chair, I have to be here to supervise everything. We are on our last stretch of gathering stuff before the big day, Nov. 30. I bow to PETA, it's where I had my first training in theater under the founder, Cecile Guidote-Alvarez (well, she might not remember me but that was years ago). But I am also being egged to stay for the Outreach. My batch mates don't want me to leave them and just fly in on the day and fly back to Manila like some seagull snapping some fish from the water.

Hmmm....let me think.

Leading the pack

Ok, I was silent for awhile coz I got busy with another blog which I have: hsal78hub. I created this for the purpose of culling out all my batch mates for our very first community project wherein I am the chairperson. It's a few days more before our big day in Caaoacan ( a depressed area in Laoag City) and I am so excited. The idea of doing this socially relevant activity popped up last month. I just quipped about helping the needy while growing more advanced in years and ...zoom...here I am with my humble idea, handling all the preparations. I am just so blessed to have batch mates and friends who are fully supportive of this cause.

The medicines are ready, sacks of rice, clothes, noodles, toothpaste, toothbrushes, pails, etc. Our truck is on standby and members of the Medical/Dental Mission are all set. Some will be coming in from Manila and donations from here and abroad have poured in too.

What a good feeling to pay forward for all the blessings and grace God has in store for us in the future.

September Born

I am a September babe. I just celebrated my birthday last September 12 but don't ask how old I am because that would be one question women like me would rather not hear. One thing I want to do to mark my celebration is to give all praises to the Lord! I have no fear regarding my blog entry last July because my latest ultrasound test revealed no operation is urgent. The lump...err, the lumps ( yes, 3 small ones) are benign. Yup, benign. But of course, I continue to drink my chlorophyll, watch my diet and shun away from stress as much as I can. I love this soya coffee I chanced upon in a grocery. My cupboard now welcomes vege choplets, vege franks, vege burger, more pasta. No white sugar, thank you. I am guilty of drinking soda sometimes but I carry with me a 1.25 liter bottle of water which flushes out whatever toxins I have inside. I can say I am a pescatarian now. I only have to choose from a wide array of fish and veggies cooked in different ways. Carrots are good snacks for me.

I also shut out people who cause me pain and too much stress like one of the bosses we have in school who loves to pester me with her abhorrent attitude. But, of course, I do my best in my teaching job. And my studes (!)... I really have to stretch my patience and try not to snap.

I seek out friends, old friends who are true. I hang out with my family. I hold on to my husband who is with me all the time. But I lift up my hands to reach out to my Creator and continue to be the person He has fashioned me to be in His hands.

God is good

Last May 29, I decided to see a doctor regarding a lump in my right breast. I first noticed the thing in December 2007 but I got caught in a web of activities in school, church and business. So, zoom in at the Healthlink clinic with me and my friend, Bannie sitting at the receiving room waiting for the surgeon. I was not really at worried at all. I had a lumpectomy 20 years ago when I was still single and the lump was benign, it was a fibrocyst. I knew the new thing would not be much of a problem.

Dr. Crislie Crispin Agullana is a cheerful doctor who was my former high school student. Imagine, he is 5 years my junior but now, he is my doctor. I was hesitant to let him examine me at first but my friend Bannie assured me it would be a breeze. When Dr. Cris sat down to tell me that he suspected invasive breast carcinoma, I immediately uttered, "I rebuke that in Jesus' name!" He must have kept silent for a few seconds then went on to explain to me that he thought of the possibility because an occurence of a growth after 20 years would lead to that. Again I rebuked it and I continue to rebuke that everyday.

I wanted to cry, but I kept a strong front holding on to the thought that God is my healer. Dr. Cris told me to take in...LIQUID CHLOROPHYLL and I was surprised because that is one product my husband, Anthony ,and I have been endorsing and distributing for around 3 years now under Synergy Worldwide! I must have been a li'l stubborn for not taking Liquid Chlorophyll as religiously as my husband does. He would be drinking lots of it everyday while I would be downing liters of Coca-Cola from morning till evening. And now, I feel like God has knocked into my consciousness what a silly thing to pass up the chance to be healthy with what he has gifted us...LIQUID CHLOROPHYLL. Dr. Chris told me to have 2 tablespoonfuls of LC with one glass of lukewarm water 3 times a day. I left the clinic, half smiling, half worried. When I got home, I stayed in the bedroom, talked to God and cried for more time on earth. My brain wheezed from visions of doing all the things I want, the ministry which Anthony and I are in, my family, my career as a teacher,journalist and broadcaster and dreaded what the future holds for me. But then, I held my Bible and looked for my prayer book and recited the Bible verses for divine healing. My mind rested after praying and I dozed off. Later, I woke up and found myself crying and telling my husband about the surgeon's findings. He led us in prayer and he told me everything would be okay. My man is really God's man.

And so, I spent the succeeding days surfing websites about the big C (I don't even want to spell it out because I want to totally shut it out of my system) and ravaging foodie books to find out which fruits/vegetables would best benefit me. Dr. Crislie said NO COKE(!), no coffee, no noodles, no tea, no white sugar...no almost everything. I managed to list down an agreeable list of what to eat and drink. And YES, I drank my LIQUID CHLOROPHYLL religiously. Four days after my first consultation with Dr. Cris, I went back to him with my husband. Guess what...he happily told me,"Congratulations Ma'am, the lump has shrunk from 3 by 5 to 1.0 by 1.5!" Praise God! God is my healer! God continually drives away my infirmities. And I want others to have the same faith. I also continue to drink LIQUID CHLOROPHYLL so the lump will be gone. By Jesus' stripes, I am healed.

SkyBlue Talent Center Gears Up For The New School Year

Summer was a blast! SkyBlue Talent Center was a-buzz with Speech Improvement and Mathematics classes. The Center looks forward to the new school year with tutorial sessions. Schedules have been set. Foreigners who happen to stay or live in Laoag are welcome too. SBTC has a mini-library cum cafe where people can relax and elevate their levels of information. The Center has a corner where cute thingamajigs can spring some surprise. SBTC also holds seminars on varied subjects or issues. For those who want to refresh their spiritual lives, we hold Bible lessons too.

Visit SBTC. You are always welcome!

Chilling Out At Balay Da Blas

I'm chilling out at Balay da Blas with Sam ( the owner ); my husband, Anthony and Dr. Merce Q.( a doctor-writer-singer rolled into one) but guess how we are "bonding" at the moment... we're all busy reading our mails on the internet ( each of us has a lappy/notebook), surfing, or simply updating our blogs. Everyone's glued on his own site with nary a word to say and yet we still feel so together, so bonded. This is great!

We're traversing different roads of information, getting connected to other people and the world courtesy of Sam's wi-fi (so now, you have a little idea why we love to chill out here at Balay da Blas Pension house). But, hey (!) Balay da Blas is one Pension House I don't get tired of visiting. BDB is a beautiful Mediterranean structure with suites that boast of living rooms and kitchens in each aside from the standard bedrooms. You should see the suites, they have a mixture of Asian and European fixtures. The people are superb, they are warm and solicitous.
On top of these are the meaty and intelligent banters we have by the patio or the garden. Staying here calms my nerves after a hard day's work. No wonder BDB keeps a log of famous names who have stayed here on their visits to Laoag and Ilocos Norte.

You think this is a commercial? Nope. I just love this place. My husband does too. Our friends do too.

Spend the summer at SkyBlue Talent Center

It's March, the end of the schoolyear 2007-2008. The searing sun spells the onset of summer. I have to get ready with my modules for my summer school, SkyBlue Talent Center ( which I established 11 years ago). I can see hordes of tweens, high school and college students making noises in my Speech Improvement classes. I am excited to hold sessions with professionals too for IELTS review and American Accent Training. I can see myself conducting one of the favorite workshop courses, Theater Arts!

SkyBlue Talent Center will have its new location pretty soon at my residence which will be more convenient for me. I will be including Broadcasting classes and Painting. My place would be an activity hub really. Here are some pics of some SkyBlue Talent Center graduates.

You can see me in the pics, just spot where I am. Well, spend the summer with me at SkyBlue Talent Center. Classes will start on April 14. Better still, hook up on this site.

SkyBlue Talent Center

Rizal Street

Laoag City

INCAT Centennial Song

INCAT: A Hallmark of Brilliance and Excellence

Lyrics: Ritchelle Blanco-Dejolde
Music: Primo Crisostomo

Yes, I wrote the lyrics last November 2007. The melody was given to me first so I had a little prob because I had to make sure that the words would be precisely in place with the notes. I scribbled possible words at first, then made the final draft in an hour. I was so happy that the orchestration was done by the Manila Symphony Orchestra. There are 2 recorded versions, one by my students in Theater Arts and the Choir and another by the one who gave the melody, Prime.

It was so nice to watch people sing it in different programs and events during the Centennial celebration of the school where I am teaching ( I am not a graduate of INCAT, I teach English here). Some have downloaded the song and made copies and turned it into their message alert too.

Here is the song which was introduced during INCAT's Centennial Celebration last Feb. 12-15, 2008. . Please take note of the lyrics. I feel a li'l sorry to find the song in other blogsites of people who carelessly typed misspelled words. I also feel a bit sad that they uploaded it on Youtube and missed my name as the lyricist and just placed the name of my good friend Primo as the composer. Well, other lyricists like me would understand my sentiment because I also worked hard to come up with a Centennial Song for INCAT to think that I am a graduate of Holy Spirit Academy.

INCAT: A Hallmark of Brilliance and Excellence

Lyrics: Ritchelle Blanco-Dejolde
Music: Primo Crisostomo

Illuminate the colors gold and green
For we celebrate remarkable hundred years.
From the north to the south,from the east to the west
Gather to herald our centennial crest.

From nineteen hundred eight to two thousand eight
Awards and laurels have crowned your name.
From a handful in one class to a thousand in a batch
You're a hallmark of excellence and brilliance.

Chorus

Now we stand with heads up high and hands outstretched
To express our thanks.
Our dear College of Arts and Trades
You're a paragon of honor and success.
The prime center of learning,
Vocational,technological
We salute you INCAT, you're the best.
(repeat 1 and chorus)

( Bridge)

We praise and thank God for all the years
Of realizing INCAT's great goals and dreams.
Let God pour out more grace and blessings
To celebrate another hundred years.

( repeat chorus 2x)

We salute you INCAT, you're the best.
We salute you INCAT, you're the best,
You are the best!

February, Love Month

Happy Valentine everyone!

February is a very special month for me and my husband, Anthony. We got married twice ( on the 2nd and 18th ) on this month 14 years ago.

How time flies! We both have gone through a lot. With God's grace and blessings, we are still together and our relationship is strong as ever.

Who's Complaining?

Who's complaining? It's the Year of the Rat! So who cares about the rat? Does the rat really bring you luck? Does it really give you money, job, a new love, bigger opportunities? What else is new? Half of the world thinks that life depends on what those animals in astrology are supposed to bring to people every year. Who believes that????
How can some people not trust God who is the source of all things? Who's complaining? ME!!!!

Happy New Year!