What's on my Mind that's Unique!!

03 December 2013

THAILAND, TEACHING AND ANYTHING IN BETWEEN



When I returned to Bangkok on April 30, I then proceeded to job hunting. I stepped into a very modern looking Language Center, went up to the lady at the front desk, and said "I'm applying for a job, and I would like to leave a copy of my resume."



The man seated next to her said "Let me have a look at that". He proceeded to scan my CV and I could have sworn his eyes shot back and asked..."How did you get this?" As he looked up at me and pointed at my IELTS (International English Language Test Standard Scores).




I am not paid by the Institute to endorse them, but me posting my pic and giving them due credit for my success is due and it is my way of thanking the Institute.
(The Study Aide Avenue, Davao City)




"I just took the exam like everybody else". I replied.

The man seated next to me ended up to be the 
Academic Head himself. He  then said with a puzzled look 

"Okay, but I have an English degree in a University from America and My bandscore is just 7. So how could you have possibly gotten scores like these? Do you have the original copy of your IELTS)"

I knew he was doubting the authenticity of my papers 
Asking me to follow him for an on the spot interview made me have butterflies in the stomach. 

He told me that among the Foreign applicants, I had an very beautiful accent and an aura of command. However, in Bangkok, it is all about appearance and as much as he does not want to sound racist and to sugar coat things, I had to accept that I do not meet the standards most people in Bangkok would look for in a Language Teacher.

I must warn you that this part here may be unbelievable but I have seen this myself and so have some Ex-pats in Bangkok.


1. Native English Speaker : Yes you must have a passport from the US, UK, South Africa

2. Must Have a Teaching Degree ( or any degree in a related field) , coupled with TEFL, TESOL, CELTA

3. Must have blonde hair and blue eyes. 

This bit here might be ridiculous and  offensive but I tried applying for jobs with my friend and he's African American . He's one of the nicest people that I know but I saw how he was shot down even though he has a US passport, Master's Degree, and TEFL certification and yet it was hard for him to find a job.



_________________________________________________
To make a long 800 pages story shorter in 300 pages, I ended up working in the South of Thailand where people are seemingly more accepting, gracious, and have a lot of the positive qualities that Thais are known for and I am happy.

I can write a million things about the things I have seen in Bangkok and the South....
But as the 'cliche' goes, A picture is worth a thousand words. I have several, you do the math and tell me how many words these pictures are.

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BANGKOK 


           

   Traditional Ancient Costumes                                                Coconut Ice cream 
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Interesting Temple Structures Right outside the Leaning Buddha's Sanctuary







My shot of the Leaning Buddha

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Me , touring the Grand Palace. It is so huge and there are a lot of things to see for the selfie posers. 






                               

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WAT-ARUN    "Temple of Dawn"





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DOWN SOUTH, HATYAI-SONGKHLA





























23 August 2013

From Needlestick to Blackboard stick!!!




Sawasdee Kah!!! As the immigration officer stamped my passport, I am officially in Bangkok, Thailand. 

My journey begins when I was so burned out from work as a nurse that I decided to see what else was available. I wanted a job wherein I could have proper sleep, bigger pay-check, where I can travel, talk to people , and be surrounded by people from different backgrounds. 

I think the gods must have been listening because after I took the exam in IELTS, my instructors commended me in my command of the English language. I googled "English teaching" and I discovered Teach English as a Foreign Language or TEFL for short. 


Again, the gods must have a sense of humor that I ultimately decided to take it in Bangkok, Thailand ------the second country that I ever visited but swore was on the bottom list of my places to come back to for numerous reasons.






The first day of class, I was nervous as hell. I remember thatI was getting dressed, the zipper of my jeans ripped. My aunt  was laughing so hard but luckily she had an extra pair of jeans for the day. 

My teacher ended up to be a man named Albert. He's South African and his voice was soothing, deep, and it had a distinct accent  that it kinda reminded me of a character from the Lion King. My classmates ended up to be very interesting characters -----We have an ex-cop, an ex-hollywood worker, a tall but very shy giant, a sweet angelic lady, a rock-star vibed guy, a cool chilled out dude,  a serious looking but fun guy , a brit who I just wanted to punch the hell out of for always bugging me (but he's funny tho), a Mr.  Marlboro , and a little miss nurse who sounds American, talks sh*t like an, American only with a seemingly better grammatical sense yet has never been to America. My classmates looked at me with some sort of wonder like Winnie the Pooh discovering some sort of alien-exotic honey pot. 

As the weeks go by, I have learned that Thai culture is very interesting and unique and so are the students. A lot of them would look at me and say in high tones "YOU LOOK THAI, BUT YOU NO SPEAK THAI WHAT ARE YOU?" 


( What am I? Well assuming the person was a native speaker and I was my smart-ass, often feisty self with a hint of sarcasm and vanity, I would definitely say something like,...I'm a creature with a desirable amount of proportionate ASSets. ) 

I politely told them where I was from and why I became a teacher. I can tell you 8 pages of how my experiences are but one of the best during my TEFL teacher-training skills was the time when the Thai staff that could speak English told me that the students approached them at the end of the class and told them to tell me "that they loved me as a teacher, whenever I teach...they are always attentive and it is very easy to understand the lesson."  (KLEENEX please sob***)

The feeling that your students will say that and the effort they showed to reach out to you and to communicate those words gave me great joy as much as some patients are appreciative of your interventions as a nurse. 

End of January, I graduated with a final grade of "A" and here is a pic of that special day....Second graduation for me (Hint, I'm the one looking tall in high heels....oh damn!!! Fine yes I am small but I did emphasize that I wore heels so I seem taller than I normally am especially with my classmates who are mostly male and 5"10" up lol!!!) 
What happens to the rest of my adventure? 
It gets better than this so keep reading on til the next blog!!!




Graduation day. The 2 gentlemen are Mr. James Parmelee, (Director) and Albert Venter (Instructor) 







10 January 2013




HAPPY NEW YEAR


Hello everyone~! First and foremost I'd like to apologize for taking so long to fill up my blog again. Right now, I am in Bangkok, Thailand pursuing a TEFL degree. I am a month away from being a certified instructor (I better hit the books~!)

I'd like to emphasize though that I am not going to shut off nursing. I am merely taking a long vacation from it. I placed it upon myself to go back to nursing once I will get married. The manhunt is on as I am single** (**wink***wink**!)

To start off, let me tell you interesting things about THAILAND that I have observed as a FARANG (foreigner)
1. Lady boys are hotter than a lot of  women, Okay*** Ok before people start to rap on and yell at me all I can say is seeing is believing. 

2. Pedestrians don't have the right of way. If you get hit by a truck, YOU pay for the damages YOU caused by hitting the truck. The thing is, Thai people don't honk their horns coz doing so means that you are going to get down from your car and start a fist fight. It's interesting...A quiet, crazy highway!! I remembered a scenario when all we heard was a screech..............BANG, BOOM then that's the time the driver goes BEEEP** BEEP*** (Really? Honk your horn before your hit somebody, not after!) 

3. Bottled water is more expensive if you got it off the fridge. 

Well now that we have that aside, I'd like to tell everyone that laughter is truly the best medicine and as much as I hate Psy Gangnam style~ for once he made my day especially when the Army and Navy dance with their weird gyrations. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine the word-count a single video in gangnam can do and now i'm posting two!!

ANGEL SAYS : wOOOOhHHOOOwhooo WooHoooHHHOooo..I kept on laughing the whole time in my room!!

ARMY 



NAVY



Angel says : Well, I must say that even though Army guys make my heart skip, this video somewhat made me say damn Navy you nailed it lol! Hey, I must admit that the guys in here are pretty cute!


So then again, I'll be keeping everyone posted about more of my adventures as a nurse in Thailand learning how to teach English! 

HOOAH OVER and OUT!

15 October 2012

MORE HOOAH, OOH-RAH UAH and a couple of HAHAHA ( And OOOohHhhhs)


I've been surprised to open my blog and to see how many supporters have watched my first blog featuring the funniest and hottest videos of the Military that I have watched. Back by popular demand, here are more videos that I have compiled. Show some love LADIES (and gents!)



CALL ME MAYBE -MARINES




Angel says : I'm definitely going to tell these marines, don't call me maybe just REALLY CALL!



ARMY VERSION








NAVY VERSION





Carly Rae Jepsen must be really flattered that these sets of hotties are into her song Ooooohhh!



LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE FLY BOYS - ONE MORE TIME





Angel says : I'm not pretty much a fan of Nsync (Ok, fine I was!!) But these guys placed the pizzazz in this vid lol 




THEY REALLY DO IT WITH AN OOH-RAH!!!



Angel says : If that guy**blush** says he wants my body now, I won't hold it against him!!



BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!





This is what happens when marines get too bored out of their minds...




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I'm dedicating this part of my blog to the NAVY SEALS!! I am honored to have known a few and they are the most amazing men out there!! HOOYAH...





This is me showing some love!!




04 September 2012

"LUCKY" : My 2011 Entry to a Travel Writing Competition



A few blessed years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Beijing, China!! Just like those who have traveled to new places, I'm sure there are a lot of things to share. I entered my story  in a competition and even though it wasn't the winner in the eyes of the judges, I do think my story is worth sharing and it is a winner if you're looking for a good travel story, a good laugh, and a bone-tickling memory of someone who has stepped in the land of chopsticks, the great wall, and and everything made in CHINA!!

  



I’m so LUCKY to have a memorable trip in China - I wish I could have said the same for our driver then.
My family couldn’t contain the excitement to see Beijing and our first day was a tour of The Forbidden City. I was all the more excited to see meet our driver, Lee! –It was crush at first sight.

As we got to the parking lot, Lee murmured phrases in Chinese. It was quite clear something was wrong from his tone. Things got clear after a while – The keys were left inside the car! 

Two hotel staff came out to help Lee by trying to force open the backseat window just enough for an improvised hook, made out of a bent old metal hanger, to unlock the door. They were successful after several attempts and a third staff came out of the lobby with a chair that Lee used so he could climb up the window. As he took of his shoes before climbing, I tried to stifle a laugh at the large holes I saw on his right sock. 

The second day of our tour started off smoothly as we enjoyed the sights of Beijing while on our way to see the Great Wall. My mind wandered at the magnificence of the things that I saw. My amazement was rudely interrupted by a large pop and a halt. The van’s engine died!!

Our interpreter informed us that Lee has a mechanic friend nearby, from where we were but we had to be patient because his friend was busy and that a tow-truck will take time to arrive. The men in my family got impatient so they helped our driver push the car towards the shop. As for me? I just enjoyed the ride as well as the view of my brother pushing the car alongside my crush who was blushing.

Day three: the saga continues and the setting was in the van, after a half-day tour of the summer palace. 

My mother whispered “Finally, luck is on our side”. she spoke too soon when a policeman signaled the van to stop at an intersection. Lee committed a traffic violation and was asked to sit on the curb along with 7 other drivers while waiting to be interrogated and be given a ticket by another policeman. 

“Traffic rules and street directions often change so drivers must be up-to-date.” 
Ashley explained. 

What an interesting 3 days I had on the road! 

On our fourth and last day of the tour, everyone confided that we each said a prayer last night that nothing bad would happen and heaven help our deprived-of-luck driver.

Everything fell into place and we knew that our prayers were answered- or so we thought. Exhausted from the half-day tour, we all took a nap on our way to the airport in the afternoon.

Everyone woke up alarmed when Lee suddenly stopped the van on the side of the highway and literally flew out the door and ran into the curb. Ashley jumped right out and called out to him. We were all stunned as we were trying to figure out what had happened. 

I saw Ashley pull out a large pack of tissue from her bag and I finally made sense of what was going on- Lee was having a heavy nosebleed! I ran out of the car with a half- full cold can of root beer to administer first aid as a nurse. 

I was lucky to have Ashley to interpret instructions as Lee didn’t want to breathe the entire time I was pinching his nose to stop the bleeding. Not to mention, he seemed to have thought that the can of root beer was for him to drink when in fact I only meant to use it in lieu of an ice pack on his forehead to further stop the nosebleed. 

At the airport, 2 hours after, my family gave thanks to Ashley and Lee for being with us the entire trip. I remember what Lee told us because of the sincerity in his voic, the fact that he never spoke a word of English until that time, and what he said with emphasis.”

“Thank you, I am LUCKY to meet you, I never forget you”

I can definitely say the same to him for not only is he my crush, but in my years of traveling I have never encountered a man who made my trip INTERESTING indeed!




28 July 2012

THEY MAKE YOU GO OOOH, AAAAHHHH, HAHAHA~!!!



I am spending this part of my BLOG to give credits to those serving us in the MILITARY. KUDOS to them for finding the time to chillax, have some fun despite the dangers that they are facing. I also appreciate how others are portraying their culture and their creativity. 
 I can say a lot of things and reactions, and love to the videos they have made and there are a lot but I'm posting out the BEST of the BEST (at least with what I have watched!!) 

LET ME HEAR YOU GO OOH-RAH!!!


THE BEST VIDEO GOES TO THE MARINES~~~!!! These are the same guys that made the "Hold it against me" which went viral a few years ago. I Honestly swear, that my ears nearly bled hearing Justin Bieber but these guys are hilarious especially when they were dancing to the BEP in the middle part.








Angel says   : I have a major crush on the marine here named Vasquez who appears in 1:19 and the guy who appeared in 2:49 and I asked my marine friend who worked with these guys their e-mails so I can personally say "Thank you for your service" and that they were awesome. The 1st guy  is engaged and the other doesn't want to give his e-mail but he says he's saying thank you to me for appreciating his service. Ooh-rah!! Thanks for the service yo!



Angel says : Ohmigod! The guy in the shower was kinda pulling a shower stunt, and lol!! I had no idea marines were hot!! LOL! The Marine coming out of the laundry dryer was kinda scary!! But as they say that was washed up!! The female marines are awesome!! Thank you for the service ladies~!! You Rock!!


LET'S DO IT WITH A HOOAH!!

GIVE IT UP FOR THE ARMY!!!

This video actually went viral as well!! I still love how these guys were singing to lady gaga! This was also just around the time my then boyfriend was deployed!! 

<

Yo Soldier!! If there was a problem YO let's solve it!!! ICE ICE BABY!!!



This is from the NEW ZEALAND Army and they are performing what they call a HAKA! A Haka is a ritual dance the aborigines  do before they go to war which is supposedly power and psychological play!!!
I love how they do this and I'm giving credit to the NZ Army!!! 






IN THE NAVY : I'M ON A BOAT!!!





Angel says : "WHERE DO I SIGN UP TO JOIN THE NAVY~!! I was laughing hard while I was watching 2 versions. This could make a freakin epic recruitment video lol. I am having this major crush on the Australian sailor named Amos below!! Oooooohhhh........................That mermaid was lol!! I think i'm skipping raw sushi for awhile lol!! Also the Wiggle-wiggle2x
Yeah made me go Whiskey Tango Foxtrot !!!

AUSTRALIAN NAVY VERSION




HEY AIRFORCE : TIK TOK ON THE CLOCK!!!








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TEAM GRENADE AWESOME PHYSICAL TEST!!
BONUS


Angel: Forget MAGIC MIKE~! I want these guys on my shower party lol~!





06 July 2012

MANatomy and Psychology 101! : Ladies it's our turn to be tried to get figured out!!


MANatomy and Psychology 1.0.1 !




 INSTRUCTIONS : 


1. LOOK AT THE  PICTURES FOR ABOUT 1 MINUTE.




2. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING:


WHAT FEATURE DID YOU INITIALLY STARE AT?


WHAT PART OF A GUY'S MANATOMY HAVE YOU REPEATEDLY MADE MENTAL NOTES ON (OR MORE THAN OCCASION, DROOLED AND TOOK INTO DEEP CONSIDERATION?!



In my last blog, I have explained what it means when men check us out. This time around, it is time for women to have the spotlight and what it means in deeper psychology contrary to men who have a more direct approach "What-I-see-is-what-I-want-to-get" mode.

PSYCHOLOGICALLY Speaking, Women have a different approach and emotional thought process when it comes to Dating, Romance, Intimacy and Sexual preference. Now aside from the private fantasies that we each harbour while staring at these seemingly hunky species of MANimals (Oh ye, don't deny it!!) here are general meanings to the answers.

The ANSWER TO THE 1ST QUESTION  has 2 possible meanings: 

On a POSITIVE note, it denotes a personal concept of sexual power, feminine confidence, and a woman's perceived ability in terms of intimacy, and preference, general state of mind while looking at the feature. 

The FLIPSIDE is that, it can also denote what a woman lacks / feels to miss out / or something that she would want for herself. For example, if a woman stares continuously on a man's abs...she may feel that she neglected herself, or doesn't exercise too much to be healthy....more explanation on this)

***Although the information given is based on some psychology , interviews and observations in women.........it is up to the reader to responsibly decide how this relates to real life. 

The answer to the SECOND QUESTION shows the tip of the iceberg of what we consider in in the long-haul! Ladies admit it, at one point we have looked upon a man we have wondered if he could be  "dada to my kids",  "Shrek errrr Prince in shining armor", "The ultimate alpha cowboy" or whatever spins your mental wheels. 

To make it easy, I am placing color legends. For question 1 answers leaning on the positive I use Sky-blue, and Orange for negative. 

For question 2 answers as in what it means when you have made mental notes in particular , I will be using Light Green 



IF YOU FIRST CHECKED OUT....................................


FACE and EYES





A1 : 

You are thinking how handsome he looks, how presentable he is to show to mom and dad (* with a shotgun in his hand ) , and imagining how you two would look together as a couple walking by while other people stare. 

Chances are, if you perceive him as someone too handsome you may think that you are not that beautiful or worthy to be with him. When defense mechanisms come into play, thoughts like "he's too handsome, he's probably out-of-league, vain & stuck up, taken or gay anyway"


IF YOU FIND YOURSELF CONSTANTLY STARING AT IT :

A:

In this regard, a woman is trying to read a man in a deeper sense with questions such as "how sincere is he? Is he checking me out or any other woman in this room? What kind of guy is he really deep inside? , or wonder what his probable blood line is and the kinds of kids you two would have. In terms of intimacy, just like men, women of this class are not all about the sex and most likely to remain faithful to their partners. 


ARMS and how he WORKS IT





Men with big arms have been considered as "macho and hard-working". We normally associate this part with a third degree of masculinity coupled with force and power. Ladies drawn to these are in general are responsible, hard-working and have independent streaks. 


There is a lack of emotional stability or subconscious discomfort and distrust with men. Majority of women who falls under this category grew up not used being around men, had traumas, and strong distrust. Seeing this feature can also mean a subconscious yearning for the opposite sex intimacy but fear is a constant restraint for doing so. Probably a fear exists of whether or not a man is prone to physical harm. 

We seek constant affection, love, acceptance, and protection. A girl who is generally drawn to arms is the type to reciprocate love and have stronger feminine instincts and the type to "baby" a man in times of illnesses or being bummed and may not easily fall unless sure to have found "THE ONE". Alternately it can also mean that she is leveling a man on how good a provider he is for the family.  In relationships, this is the proverbial "boy, love me with all your heart and fierce passion and I shall constantly protect you, feed you, and take care of everything else."


ABS


***Sarah's note : I was ABSolutely stunned and ABSent minded for awhile while staring at these photos.
As for my Abs? They're ABStract shaped for now but who cares...men like these dig curvy women!! Haa!!





Majority of women ( if a guy in question is shirtless for real or in our eyes) are drawn to ABS as this is the universally perceived sign of masculinity , athleticism, and in a nutshell Alpha Male. Lasses noticing abs first on a positive scale are strong, confident, and have high standards in terms of dating. 

This can be a sign that a woman lacks intimacy, needs a confidence booster,  and may be realizing split-secondly that she has neglected her health. Caution may be needed when self-esteem issues arise that may cause distorted views of self-worth, and what is healthy. 

Abs on a Man to Women are the equals of what Knockers do to Men who feast their eyes on them. As reinforced, females who are constantly drawn to abs are naturally seeking an alpha male ---a man that exudes confidence, " I dont take crap" attitude, self-discipline, independence and emotional stability.
Women may have high expectations in men and this can be a good thing in a sense that they do not just settle for anyone. 


CROTCH





To 'SIZE UP' , angling down our peepers on to his mystery member is a sign of  being liberal when it comes to sex. It also means a woman knows what she wants---and all she needs is to figure out how to get it. Studies suggest furthermore that women are vastly competitive , adventurous and impulsive.

Sex may be taken casually and is also a sign of low self-worth, promiscuity. In a bigger picture, relating to practical everyday matters, women who focus on these are disorganized and pay less attention to other important details. (Note again *** seriously, it seems creepy if you meet a woman who is too focused on every man's groin!!)

Just as every men "Size up" females in terms of knockers & lovely derriere &  the satisfaction and rewards gained, us girls do the same but in a different way. When men stop at the quick physical check-up and the pleasurable sensations they associate us with, women on the flip-side of the coin consider long-term pleasure, and associate this with how MANLY he is. Interestingly....this can mean a lot of things depending on a woman's age. Young women tend to see this as a challenge or adventure on how strong they can "handle it" or "take it in" while mature women see this more as "what we deserve and want" which is supposedly coming from more experience, and having concrete ideas of what they truly want and what works for them. 



BUTT AND LEGS



"Who says you have no future looking at my behind?!"




The most sexually playful & adventurous women are naturally drawn to a man's behind and strong legs. It also means that a woman is detail-oriented, self-assured and powerful. This suggests a mix of contradicting traits blended sensibly so a woman may be care-free but strict when it comes to responsibilities, frank but tactful and diplomatic, playful in manner but logical in solving problems, 
impulsive yet conscientious, risk-takers but with safety in mind ergo...the type to do bungee jumping but only after assurance the rope is secure, the instructors are good, safety gear are provided etc..., & resourceful.


Can be associated with being "flighty" in relationships resulting from being clueless of what they want in a relationship. Statistically speaking, majority of women have the tendency to have affairs, and slightly Obsessive Compulsive with commitment issues. 

Although this DOES NOT apply to all, indications seem to point out that women attracted to these are not the types to be in a long-term commitment. When in a relationship and in an on-going commitment however, it is commendable on how much passion, love, energy and creativity is given in terms of romance and intimacy. This is not to say that a relationship will not work if such be the case...rather, it only emphasized the need to be creative in keeping the spark of romance alive!


xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxo