Make way for blogging!

Before I know that we can monetize our blogs, I thought blogging is just spending my time doing a lot of unimportant things instead of the things that I should be doing. But, I can't help it. I love blogging (though it consumes a lot of time and effort at first). It provides a way for me to express myself, develop my reasoning power as well as my writing capabilities. It serves as a diary for me. I can keep tracks of my activies for the week, for the month and for the whole year! I can post important information essential for others to learn and can be a beautiful and information-packed keepsake to be treasured by my family in the future.


There are many websites that will pay you for blogging. YES!!!pay you for blogging your oinions and thoughts. One of them is the the site http://www.payingpost.com/. I heard about them through one of the blogs of my friend. The site is very helpful for new bloggers like me . I just click on the areas where I need help and PUFFF!!! goes the answers. It is true to what it claims that it's easy, fun and it pays! It's very user-friendly. It caters not only the blogger but the advertisers as well. It's a very cool site! I am just a newbie in the field of blogging but I'm looking forward to enjoy the benefits they offered for a blogger like me who wants to get paid to blog.


I have some friends and acquintances who monetize their blogs and already enjoying the fruits of their labor. I hope the same thing is going to happen to me.


With this new discovery, I could say that everytime I spent blogging , I'm not faffing about. I have done something useful even for just 15-30 minutes a day.


Let's start blogging and get paid to blog!

Chit chats on Tennis and Boxing

I've been sick since Thursday night. I had muscle pain, headache, and severe cough. It's too hard to be sick when you have a baby. Good for me that I have a helpful husband. He's the one who takes care of the baby I refrain from getting near with him. I'm afraid I'll spread the disease to him. I'm too weak to do the household chores especially the laundry. He did everything. I thank God that He gave me to a wonderful husband.

To get well soon, I drink a lot of water every now and then and eat lots of oranges. I bought cough syrup to be relieved from dry cough. I'm glad that it works well for me.

I spent my weekend watching Australian Open. I'm not really into tennis but my hubby persuaded me to watch. He's telling me the background of each player and have found it interesting . So far, our favorite player for male is No.9 seed James Blake because of his cool disposition even under pressure. He's tagged as the crowd pleaser. Last night, No.5 seed Tsonga, the losing finalist last year, defeated him, 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in two hours and 24 minutes. It's a fierce game.

For females, what caught my attention is the speed and agility of Australian tennis player, Jelena Dokic. She defeated 29th-seeded Alisa Kleybanova 7–5, 5–7, 8–6. She is scheduled to play third-seeded Dinara Safina in the quarterfinals. I'm looking forward to it next week. The interviewer said she is now slowly returning to tennis. Last year she still on No.600+ rank and after that victory, her ranking has risen to World No. 187 as of 19 January 2009.

I'm able to watch also the bout between Shane "Sugar" Mosely and Antonio Margarito in a WBA welterweight title boxing match on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009 in Los Angeles. Mosely won by TKO in the ninth round. I thought Margarito will win over Mosely because many commented that he's the most- feared boxer. In the boxing arena, he couldn't gave punches to Mosely and he looked like the underdog.

Irritating House Pest

Mosquito bites...mosquito bites...mosquito bites...I muttered as I looked at the red patches on Hyzyds cheeks and foreheads. It's been three consecutive days already and it seems that my son is on the mosquito smorgasbord list.Prevention is his best cure. I thought I already protected him by covering him with mosquito nets. It's not enough. I looked for an anti-mosquito wet tissues but wasn't able to find one in 7/11 convenience store.

Can my baby be harmed by all the mosquito bites he gets? I get the answer from the internet.

Ruling out malaria, arboviral encephalitis and West Nile virus, the harm from mosquito bites is limited to itching and the possibility of infection from scratching.

Scientists are still baffled as to why certain people are mosquito magnets while the people next to them are mosquito repellants.

Prevention begins with avoiding areas known to be heavily inhabited by insects (flowery gardens, stagnant water areas, open food areas, woods!). If the baby must be exposed, taking the following precautions may reduce the number of bites.

Insect repellants containing DEET offer the best protection, but the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises that products used on infants and children should contain no more than ten percent DEET, because it is absorbed through the skin and is potentially harmful. Look for a repellant that is made for children, and then read the active ingredients label carefully. Lightly spray an appropriate insect repellant on your baby’s clothing and/or apply it to your hands and sparingly rub it on her exposed skin.

Tightly woven, long-sleeved tops and pants offer some barrier protection. Light colors refract heat and may make you less attractive to mosquitoes; dark colors capture heat and thus attract mosquitoes. Some experts suspect that bright colors and flowery prints also attract mosquitoes.

While garlic has been touted as a repellant and bananas as an attractant, both currently fall into the realm of folklore.

Dusk to dawn is the peak time for mosquito attacks, with dusk being the most important time to avoid exposure. Cover outdoor play yards and carriages with mosquito netting in infested areas.
Bites can be treated with calamine lotion (or Caladryl) except around eyes and genitals. Contact a physician before using antihistamines or home remedies. Mosquito bites may appear more red and swollen on the second or third day. If bites look infected or itching is severe, consult your baby’s healthcare provider.

The AAP recommends immediate medical attention if bites result in any of the following:
Sudden difficulty in breathing
Weakness, collapse or unconsciousness
Hives or itching all over the body
Extreme swelling near the eyes, lips or genitals that makes it difficult for the child to see, eat or urinate.

My Friend's Generosity

When I gave birth to Hyzyd, gifts flooded for him from my Thai friends. My parents were amazed of the generosity of my friends. Here in Thailand they have the so called "nam jai", literally means "juice of the heart" or " flow of the heart". Nam-jai is "generosity", a desire to give one's time, resources, and attention to others just for the good feeling it generates in both. A person who shows nam-jai will not ask for money or any kind of payment in exchange for her generosity. The Thais will even feel uneasy accepting a payment that is offered for her generosity, because this suggests that she did it for the payment instead of the good will.

I'm reminded to blog it in here because yesterday, I received a gift from our Coordinator for Hyzyd. She told me about this gift two months ago and at last she's happy to be able to give the gift for my baby. He has a new pair of pajama and a cozy pillow.

Because of this generosity, Hyzyd has a one-year supply of baby anti-rash powder, baby bath cream (one for the day and one for night time), head-to-toe tear-free shampoo, lotion, oil, bottles and nipples cleansing soap.

We're also blessed to received gifts from our dear Filipino friends. One family gave us their baby's crib complete with mattress and beddings, stroller, carrier and other indispensable items for baby.

Super Kids

Yesterday, we were asked to attend the book orientation of Super Kids,published by Pearson Longman . Lately, I stated
my opinion about the English book we currently use and how I'd love to still use the same for the next term. As I listen to the short presentation and scanning the book's features, I came to realize that this book is much simpler and more functional. This book is widely used in Japan, Korea and Taiwan in teaching English as a second language. It is also suitable for a class like mine consisting 40-47 students .

It blends the best techniques from proven language teaching methodologies into a program that creates confident, autonomous English speakers. Furthermore, it has comprehensive language learning , functional grammar dialogs, phonics program, songs and chants make language easy to remember . The unique phonics program moves students from letter sound recognition to reading short phrases . The colorful artwork features friendly characters. who gradually mature with students as they move through each level. The animals hidden in each unit is a feature that students will surely love.

No matter how excellent the book is, teacher's teaching ability still matters the most. Teachers need flexibility to prepare and teach both effectively and efficiently.

Hyzyd's first haircut

What age do you give your baby a haircut?I think the recommended age is when the baby needs it. Hyzyd's hair is growing longer. Grandma Paa told us he needs a haircut because he's always scratching his hair and his thick hair cause him to be somewhat like irritable because he feels so hot. I'm a bit hesitant because he's still 2 months old. I don't want to cut it in case he suddenly moves and I snip an ear or it's cut it too short that he won't look like my lil chunky baby anymore.

Good for us that his daddy is expert in hair cutting. I hold him with his face in front of me. His dad can't do it well because he's wriggling. His dad let him sleep and do the snipping while he's snoozing. I was able to take a picture for mementos but I forgot to keep his hair! I'll add an image next time.

Sunday School lesson 101

My sister-in-law and I started to conduct Sunday school to Thai youngsters. Our lesson is about "The Creation". We first played Hangman. The words were about God's creation. We let them read the Genesis chapter 1 and picked randomly the students to draw on the board the things created from the 1st-6th day. We really had lots of fun. The worksheet we used is found below:

Lesson 1 Test - The Creation
God made our beautiful world. What did He make on:

Day 1 ________________
Day 2 ________________
Day 3 ________________
Day 4 ________________
Day 5 ________________
Day 6 ________________
Day 7 ________________
sun, moon, stars
sky
God rested
birds and fish
dry land, flowers, trees
animals and man
light

1. Who was the first man? _________________
2. Who was the first woman? _______________
3. What was their home called ? _____________
4. Who told the woman that she should eat the fruit? _______________
5. She then gave the fruit to _________________.
6. They had to ______their garden home because of their ____________.

Garden of Eden
serpent
Adam
clean
Eve
sin
leave
Paradise
her husband
Noah

Owner's Generosity

I just want to write in here how I appreciated the generousity of the owner of the house we rented. This new year she gave us a dinner set and a can of cookies. Last October, she gave baby Hyzyd 1,000 baht worth of baby items. We're blessed to have them in our lives. If we need anything from them like lighting repair, cable connection, sink and faucet repair they readily comply the needs of their clients.

Swaddling helps Hyzyd's enjoy better sleeps

Becoming a parent for the first time, I feel the most fabulous and terrifying thing! Fabulous because I have a beautiful new baby, and terrifying because he doesn’t come with a handbook (or a volume control!) I haven't been prepared for the first night at home with our baby. Baby hyzyd started crying and there are times he didn't fall asleep for hours!


This week Grandma Paa taught us about swaddling a baby as a means of helping the baby settle more easily, sleep longer and sleep through the night sooner. She added that a baby who gets plenty of sleep generally cries a lot less too. We just need to recognize Hyzyd's tired sign. He is ready to sleep when he is jerking jis legs, grizzling, eye rubbing and facial grimacing. We swaddle him and put him back into bed as soon as we see ANY tired sign.

Swaddling is the ancient art of baby wrapping. It replicates the snugness and warmth baby was used to in the womb and ensures that her ‘moro’ reflex (flailing arms) doesn’t wake her up. Swaddled babies generally enjoy an extra hour or two sleep per sleep. The majority of babies love being swaddled but they like it done right – a wrap that is too loose or comes undone easily will not improve sleep.

Last month Hyzyd slept at 12:00pm-1:00 am whether he gets enough rest for the whole day or not. I'm really praying this will change as Joseph and I both work. The moment Grandma introduced us about swaddling, we tried it and it worked! Actually, we tried it to Hyzyd when he's a month old but he cried and we felt pity for him. Initially Hyzyd protested at first and started crying and wriggling but after few minutes he started to sleep and sleep through the night. I can happily say he is a happy boy who reliably sleeps 9 hours .He sleeps easily as we follow his evening bath and bottle bed routine. We also get enough rest and alive, awake and enthusiastic in going to school.


Here are some benefits of swaddling your baby as I've googled:

1. Swaddling enables you to quickly soothe uncontrollable crying from colic.
2. Swaddled babies generally sleep an extra hour to two per sleep.
3. Swaddled babies stop crying quickly and settle down to sleep easily.
4. Swaddled babies often learn to sleep through the night earlier, from as early as six weeks.
Other settling and sleep techniques, such as rocking, hammocks and pacifiers, are far more effective when combined with swaddling

Why is swaddling so effective?
1. Swaddling prevents babies waking themself up (from their startle reflex)
2. Swaddling reminds babies of the warm, snug environment they enjoyed for nine months.
3. Swaddling gets your baby ready for other calming techniques to work, such as rocking, ssssshing and sucking.

We really experience the benefits of swaddling a baby.

Gripe Water

Through Grandma Paa I learned to use Woodward's Gripe Water. Gripe water is a home remedy for infants with colic , gastrointestinal discomfort, teething pain, reflux and other stomach ailments. It is typically given to an infant with a dropper in liquid form, and adults may also take gripe water for soothing intestinal pains, gas or other stomach ailments including flatulence. It is equivalent to Aceite de Manzanilla we have in the Philippines. The only difference is on its application because it couldn't be administered orally.

Brief Book Review of Let's Go Book (3rd edition)

Earlier today we were asked to make a brief review of the English book we're currently using. Based on our book review, our manager will decide whether to change our book or not.

The Let’s Go Book 2 (3rd edition) features beautiful full-color illustrations in a clear and attractive format. Creative activities, utilizing a wide range of skills, engage students in a variety of learning experiences. The students love the songs that appear in the “Let’s Sing” portion of each unit’s first’s lessons. The students are always looking forward to play the track and sing with it before we’ll start our class.

This book emphasizes communication within a carefully controlled grammatical syllabus. Beginning with the first lesson, students are provided with a variety of activities that focus on interactive communication. The activities gradually increase in difficulty. Students are regularly presented with new vocabulary and structures so that they have adequate language to communicate with at each new level.

The dialogues, songs, and exercises feature real-life situations that the children are familiar with. This helps the students to quickly begin speaking English in their own natural pace.

I like this book and I vote that we're still going to use the same book for the next term. Another reason why I don't want to change our book for ป.2, it's because I already have lesson plans for it and I don't need to make another bunch of leson plans for the next term.

God's Awesome Plan

God’s Plan
By Ryan M. Akers


This is a prayer for the sick, the lonely, the discouraged…
Feeding off listless days with mixed meals of despair and disgust
Yet there is a reason for delay, you should still be encouraged
For God has a plan for you, a plan unseen yet a strategy you should trust.

Try to find that one thing that brings you hope, brings you wonder
Revives the sense that you are not alone in this dark night, in this difficult fight
Something to lift your chin and realize with the power of echoing thunder
At the end of each dark hour, there is hope growing in the widening light.

Very easily said yet actions speak suffering with a severed spirit and broken heart
Very easily denied yet applied when you look past regret and learn to accept
Some dreams in life have weak seams, unravel with experience and slowly tear apart
But others are sewn in steel wool and will be yours fully, truly, without precept

All my life I have seen visions of what I hoped would be my future, a dream
Lovers a bliss and never amiss in the narcissistic amuse or most harrowing of times
And although that love is not something I will ever hope in esteem
My potential for love is harmed and mimicked a fool by my own selfish crimes.

So now you see you are a lot like me, like any person who has dreamed and slipped
For love, for life, for any measure of greatness to make a person feel fit
Yet despite all the consternation, I move to a migration of a man well equipped
To surface beyond the darkness and take faith in my charm, my smile, my wit

These rains, these tears from above, will soon pass away to something better
A new sun is dawning on the horizon you have not seen, far beyond the storm
So throw off the shackles, the cuffs, the fleeting resolve, even your sweater
Because God has a plan for you… some place you’ll be loved, encumbered, and warm.

Yes, God has a plan and he is not telling
A plan specifically for you without the slightest clue
A plan that you’ll soon find yourself no longer rebelling
A plan fit perfect for his vision: a vision of you!

A tactic resurrecting a dream anew
A special plan for the one and only you!

I love this poem. It encourages me to keep trusting God no matter how hard our circumstances are. I know that He has a very special plan for me and for my family. I believe that the things we consider "best" for us that were stripped away from us will be replaced with greater things much "better" than the things we once treasured.

When my husband's contract from his former school ends, he didn't apply to other schools so that he could take care of me and our newborn son. On the other hand, it's not an easy decision for us. Itmeans our income will be cut off 50% for the meantime. We consider that he'll find job by next term (May) for that time Hyzyd will be 7 months. We were glad for this opportunity that one of us could really be with Hyzyd in his early stage of life. We want that we will be there for his first smile, laugh and other "firsts"things of his life.

Our neighbor (another Filipino couple) told us to try applying to one of the big schools in Songkhla. We come to agreement that he will visit the school and pass his resume the following Monday so that if they needed one for the next term he will be prioritized. I called our head in the English Department that I will be absent on Monday with my reason to take care of my baby because my husband will apply to one of the schools in Songkhla. She agreed readily for she understands well our situation.

Joseph called me around 12:00 pm telling me that he's accepted and was told to start having class at 1:20 P.M. Of course, I was overjoyed. I called my friend who has his mother-in-law with them if she will be able to take care of Hyzyd. By the way, a week before , I told "nanay" informally that if ever Joseph can find a job, we would like to get her to take care of Hyzyd. I'm quite confident that she's available. I didn't know that somebody already asked her service . I'm devastated!:)

I turned to God for help. I prayed for His ways even when there seems to be no way. We prayed for Joseph's job, God provided and now another challenge arised, we needed someone to babysit Hyzyd. I called our friends from the church, no one is available, we looked for nurseries (though as much as possible I don't want my baby to stay in a nurserybecause of the bad experiences of other Filipino babies) -all are fully-booked or else wouldn't accept a 2-month old baby. I could quit my job and take care of my baby, that's not a problem but if I do so I will also lost my visa as well as my husband's and work permit. God touched our neighbor who happened to be a nurse to volunteer for a day to take care of Hyzyd while I still have time to look for baby sitter. Around 5 PM, the wife of our Pastor gave me a ring and told me that a Grandma will babysit as long as we send the baby to her instead of her going to our house.

I thank God for the on-time answer of our prayers. Grandma Paa is the babysitter we have at present and we're grateful for her helpful tips in taking care of Hyzyd.

Recipe for the New Year!

Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

Talk to God about what is going on in your life.

Buy a lock if you have to.

When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'Mypurpose is to__________ today.

I am thankful for______________'

Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

Drink green tea and plenty of water.

Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli , almonds & walnuts.

Try to make at least three people smile each day.

Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

Eat breakfast like a queen, lunch like a princess, and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

Don't take yourself so seriously....no one else does.

You are not so important that you have to win every argument.

Agree to disagree.

Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

Forgive everyone for everything.

What other people think of you is none of your business.

GOD heals everything in his own way - but it helps if you ask Him.

However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!

Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for__________. Today I accomplished_________.

Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You'll be smiling before you know it.

God Bless You!

New Year's Bash

January 1, 2009

Happy New Year!!!!!

Our neighbor, another Filipino couple gave us bountiful set of food-gelatin, bijon, macaroni, brownies, orange fruit and drinks to celebrate the first day of the year 2009.


December 31, 6:00 pm

We were invited to attend a small gathering of Filipino's at Kuya Jomo and Ate Ella's place. We're glad to spend our new year with our friends in a Filipino way. The hosts prepared spaghetti, sotanghon, chicken lollipop, mushroom-corn soup, nilagang baka, fruit salad with peach and kiwi toppings and grilled chicken. One family brought chocolate muffins and ice-candy.





We raised a toast in welcoming the new year. Kuya JoGa facilitated the giving of praises and prayers of the group. It's so touching to hear thanksgiving and counting God's blessings for us for the past year 2008.





December 30 , 9:00 am

The school is buzzing with busy teachers and excited students with gifts and foods in their hands as everybody prepares for the New Year's Party in each class. We were invited to attend their party. We went from one room to another, picking food and drinks and taking pictures here and there. What we're doing was like attending fiesta hopping from one house to another to visit friends and relatives for food...he..he..he.. Their food preparation is flooded with different kinds of junk food:(. Anyway, we still enjoy it especially we're treated like celebrities with flashing cameras here and there and everywhere..he..he..he...Unfortunately, I couldn't post a single photo about our new year's spree with our students I lost all our pictures as I tried to transfer it to the computer because of technical problems.

December 30, 7:00 pm


All the faculty and staff of Suwanwong school attended the New Year's Party at Dai-ichi Hotel. Let me give you a brief account of this hotel. Daiichi hotel is located at Hat Yai business and shopping area, and surrounded by a variety of famous food outlet. The hotel offers first class accommodations in 5 suites, 20 tower rooms, and 145 standard rooms. Each suite has a garden balcony for personal relaxation. The famous rastaurants close to this hotel are North Eastern, Chokedee Bah Kut Teh, Jalek Thai Food, Khlong Thei chicken Rich, Tai Cii, Chin Git Beacon, Uan Bah Kut Teh, Nut Phop Yoong Thong, De-Char Fried Chicken, and Kok Samet Choon noodle restaurant.

with our Head Teacher in English Department

Anyhow, I managed to make an appearance with a casual peach dress with V neck, empire line dress and a personal touch of light make-up and hottest hair accessory for 2008 - The Ponytail. I was astonished to find out that the rest of my colleagues wore trendy outfits-from a velour hoodie with jeans or a denim miniskirt to elegant evening dresses. Their hair and make-up were done by hair and beauty saloon. I couldn't believe that one of the school's janitress wore red short mini dress with a matching red high-heeled shoes inspite of her age (she's almost 50). I hardly recognize her as well as the rest of the staff! I appeared like a dull, pale mannequin in a crowd of models!toinkzz!!!



The rest of the evening was filled with laughter and gaiety. Our blushful and reserved male computer teachers became the opposite as they posed as Mr. and Mrs. Suwanwong- the hosts of the night. Dances and different presentation from every department add color to the event. Raffle draws made everybody expectant to be the recipient of dashing prizes like Samsung Digicam, 24 inches flat screen TV, refrigerator, DVD player and component. Before we headed for home, we received our gifts. I got a new comforter.