BounceBackPH Education and the New Normal

Thank you #BounceBack PH for the opportunity to join your webinar today on "Education and the New Normal". I hope I was useful for the audience who joined to watch. There are truly a lot of considerations to take as we face this uncertain times, but as Usec. Alain Pascua said, "Education must go on." Adapting to the new normal needs a lot of support. I received some pings after the session and wanted to share the available resources for teachers who want to start learning how to conduct distance learning.

Google for Education COVID19 Resources

Teach from Home

Google for Education YouTube Channel

GEG Program YouTube Channel

APAC GEG Connect webinars (in 10 languages!)

Indonesia Edu Webinars

Philippines Edu Webinars

Malaysia Edu Webinars (also here)

Japan Edu Webinars (also here)

Korea Edu Webinars

Hong Kong Edu Webinars

Taiwan Edu Webinars

 Here's the video from the webinar today -

#CB24 #WFH30 #StayHome #BeKind

Laundry and Strange Behavior

The sky rumbled for more than an hour tonight and just as we finished hanging our laundry in the balcony it started to pour. We ran back inside and observed whether our clothes were in peril of getting blown away. Luckily it didn't and now we could relax a bit and watch some YouTube videos. 

I miss dining out. This was over a month ago.
Normally this place is packed, but they had marked tables you're not allowed to sit on. 

The quarantine/lockdown/circuit breaker, call it whatever you want, has really been challenging. I don't think we were created to just stay put in one place. I must admit I like staying at home and just venture out when I feel like it. My friends usually have to kidnap me to go out with them. The first few weeks of working from home was bearable for me since I had physiotherapy sessions twice a week. That was the only essential thing I needed to do outside and after my sessions I'd usually pop by the nearby stores near the MRT and that was good for me. My sessions abruptly stopped because of the circuit breaker. It's been bearable since we could still easily order anything we need online. 

Lunch with my "officemate". 

The past month has been really challenging. I've encountered strange behaviors around. It's been happening almost everyday I've learned to just face it squarely and chalk it up to experience. All I could say is, communication is key and don't judge things too quickly. I guess people are going bonkers over the situation and it's been hard to manage stress. I've been working an average of 11 hours a day since early March. I took a 2-day leave early this month, but I was so busy moving to our new place. I guess I should take another short break soon just to recharge. 

I know eventually things will start going back to normal in good time. I expect that when our office re-opens we will probably just come back gradually. I'll probably be one of the last to come back since realistically, much as I hate to admit it, I'm vulnerable and should take more precaution. Sweetie has been making sure I do not take any risks and that's why he only allows me out when we do our weekly lakwatsa.

Of course I'm the cutest :)

I had a video call the other night with my siblings to plan about Mom's wellbeing. I realized we've never really don't that in the past. I frequently chat with them, but never really did video chats since we all use different platforms for communication. And well we're weird that way. I was happy to see my Ate and Kuya laughing over bleach and an unnamed president*. I didn't know about it so I just watched them enjoy the moment together. It was like when we were all still at home. I was always clueless about what they were talking about because I was a good 13-16 years younger than both of them. I wish we could all go on vacation with Mom when things are better. 

We can all survive this pandemic. Aside from keeping safe, washing hands, wearing masks we should make sure to also take care of our overall wellbeing. Exercise! Meditate! Eat Healthy! And most importantly, pray. 

*Sweetie later on explained to me what this was about. I seriously haven't had time to really read the news. I've only been reading the updates on cases everyday. My reading time has been re-directed to reading Didache. 

#CB23 #WFH29 #StayHome #BeKind

Making Homemade Pancake During Community Quarantine

I was craving for pancakes the whole week last week and got up early last Saturday to make some for breakfast. I ran out of my favorite pancake mix (which I usually buy in Manila). I thought, "No boxed pancakes? No problem!" I decided to make it from scratch. Sweetie and I liked it a lot! Here's how I made it -

Ingredients:

dry ingredients

2 cups APF

4 Tbsp white sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

wet ingredients

1 egg

1 1/2 cups milk

4 Tbsp salted butter, cool after melting

2 tsp vanilla extract

I realized that I've been spending so much money on buying the mix when making it from scratch is easy! The ingredients are also easy to find. Try it and let me know what you think :)

How can Education Bounce Back?

I am joining the webinar "Education in the New Normal" on Thursday, April 30, 2020, 3pm. You can sign up and get future updates through this link.

#CB21 #WFH27 #StayHome

Miracles During a Pandemic

My friend Rose has launched a vlog called "Rose Talks". She sent me a request the other day to share what my biggest miracle has been during this COVID19 pandemic journey. I sent her a short video and thought I'd write about it at length. I wrote a little about it the other day, but I wrote more about the verse that uncle shared with me. We had a longer conversation since my destination was quite far. 

It started when the uncle Grab driver picked me up and I told him that I was really affected by the announcement that the circuit breaker was extended. We talked about it at length and I eventually explained to him why I had to go to the hospital. I usually tell the driver that I'm not sick and that day I was headed to see my respiratory doctor for my quarterly check-up. I couldn't miss my appointment since I'm almost out of meds. I shared to uncle that I know I'm vulnerable, but I've been facing this situation squarely since I know I'm still alive for a reason. I shared to him that I had gotten ill several times, but I've been very blessed to be still alive. I shared that my Dad taught me that God would only take you when you've completed your mission. Of course, I still take precautions.

Uncle then asked me if I was Christian. I told him yes I'm Roman Catholic. He said that he is Catholic too and pointed out that's what different about how we all have been facing this trial. After that he shared the Psalm with me and gave me a reminder to read the Bible every day. It was like a cloud was lifted over my head. I was reminded that I should face this pandemic with faith in God. And that is one of the many miracles I've experienced during this trying times. 

Happy Sunday everyone. 

#CB20 #StayHome

Our Weekly Lakwatsa During #CB #StayHome

The last day I worked at the office was on March 6 and I only go out for essential stuff. With the circuit breaker in Singapore I don't go out anymore. I try my best to keep active during the day and I could just look longingly at the park near our new home. It is for the best and by doing this we help to get the situation under control. It is hard, but as RegineV said during her online concert, "One day this will end and this will just be stories we tell our grandchildren". 

Sweetie trolling me while brushing my teeth haha.

Once a week Sweetie and I go downstairs within our property. Here's what we do -

It's something we look forward to do every weekend. Everything else we need we manage by ordering online and purposely only get what we need. I was really forlorn the other day when the extension of the #CB was announced, but I'm okay now. I realized that God only gives us what we can bear. We just need to be flexible and to understand there is an important reason why we need to do this. I found the Didache I bought just before leaving Manila and I've been reading it every night before I go to sleep. It is the best salve for one's soul :)

Happy weekend everyone!

#CB19 #WFH26 #StayHome

Adobo and Friends

I cooked chicken adobo last night since I miss being home. It's been three months since I left Manila and ended my two month break. Wow! Time flies so fast. I feel like I just woke up to start the work-week, but I realized this morning it's Friday again! The day also went by so quickly since I was in meeting after meeting. 

It took me awhile to learn how to cook adobo. My housemate's former boyfriend was the one who first showed me how to cook adobo. I got scared though how he cooked it since it had oil and there was a lot of wisik wisik. Eventually I met the Komikero (the famous Gerry Alanguilan) who taught me how to cook adobo via Twitter and YouTube. The idea of marinating it overnight and then just leaving it to boil appealed to me. It took me awhile to find the perfect balance of ingredients. I have two other adobo recipes (Spanish adobo and cheesy adobo) which I should try making again soon. One tip my Dad taught me was never to mix the marinade until after it boils for a few minutes. 

I heard that when you mention Filipino food, adobo is usually one of the top of mind dishes. I have many fond memories of adobo. When I was small we used to do roadtrips to my Mom's hometown in Camangui. We would always have adobo as our lunch baon and normally we'd stop somewhere in Quezon/Camarines Norte and have lunch. Back in the day it wasn't common to have restaurants in that stretch of road so we always brought our own food. Why adobo? Because it never spoils and last for a few days. And of course we had leftover adobo for dinner tonight (it's actually better tasting as leftover). 

My lunchmates.

Today I got to hangout with my lunchmates through Google Meets. Most of us live within 5 minutes of each other. We moved to our new place to be closer to them. Unfortunately we haven't seen them since we moved. The funny thing is we have the same view but we don't have direct view of each other's window. We plan to meet-up when all of this is over, but who knows we may bump into each other on the street. It's been raining like crazy in the afternoons the last three days. I told them that I didn't expect to experience bagyo-like rain in the West Coast. 

Weekend will be busy as we finish tidying up our new home. Luckily the boxes have been picked up by the movers so our place doesn't look as hideous anymore. How about you, how are you spending your weekend?

#CB18 #WFH26 #StayHome

A Message from Above

I went out twice today. I had to go to our old apartment to open the door for movers who picked up some of our furniture. I was in and out in an hour. Went back home and got a call from my doctor's office. They wanted me to come for my quarterly check-up and so I could pick up my medication. My doctor was quite happy with my progress since I told him the physiotherapy helped me a lot (I super miss my physiotherapist!!!). He reduced my medication and said we'll slowly reduce it in the coming months. I told him that it helps that the air has been clean. I can only hope that the air will remain this clean forever. 

Don't you love the clean breeze nowadays?

I was still feeling a bit forlorn about the news when I woke up. My Grab ride to the hospital seemed to be a message from above. I told uncle that I was frustrated about the news on the extension, but I know that it's inevitable and really needed. He told me that in times like that I should read/listen to Psalm 91. I saved it up in my phone to read when I got home and I realized it is one of my favorite mass songs.

It calmed me down and gave me the strength to face this tough time. By the time I got home I was back to my usual bouncy self. I'm so glad uncle gave me a nice reminder that put me back to my usual stable self. <3

#CB17 #WFH25 #StayHome

Teach from Home in Multiple Languages

Today I just wanted to share that the Google for Education Teach from Home page is now available in more Asian languages.

If you click on the word "English" on the upper right area it will show a drop down to the different languages it is available on. This is a great resource guide for teachers and parents who are working on distance learning. I know it is hard to learn this quickly, but do take a look at the available resources. Who knows in a few months you might be ready to take the Google Certified Educator exams as well.

The teacher communities have also made tremendous efforts to help co-educators to learn the ropes of distance learning. Here are resources you can look at -

APAC GEG Connect webinars (in 10 languages!)

Indonesia Edu Webinars

Philippines Edu Webinars

Malaysia Edu Webinars (also here)

Japan Edu Webinars (also here)

Korea Edu Webinars

Hong Kong Edu Webinars

Taiwan Edu Webinars

I also wrote about other resources and how you can start on distance learning here.

#CB16 #WFH24 #StayHome