Love for Volleyball

Who would have thought that the Geronimo volleyball genes would run through the veins of my 2 daughters - Natassja and Neenah.

I am proud to say that I have been playing volleyball since I was in Grade 5, consistently played in the school intramurals during high school and joined the varsity team during my senior year. In college, I trained for a while in the varsity team but our team was unfortunately disbanded. I was fortunate to have been trained by Volleyball Coach extraordinaire, Mr. Cuenca, a member of the national volleyball team and coach to a number of volleyball teams, including the Philippine team. I also joined a few inter-barangay leagues. I am an addict of this sport and always loved to play.

My other family members in the Geronimo clan also played this sport beautifully - our beloved Ate Minna+, and my cousins Ronnie and Rochelle. It was from a spike of my cousin Ronnie that hit me on the face which actually removed my fear of volleyball.

My eldest daughter, Natassja, joined the varsity I think 2 years ago. And Neenah joined last year in the elementary level. Both of them have excelled in this sport that is so close to my heart which is why I totally support them as they continue to better themselves and show their love for volleyball.

Lovin that they both do overhead service :-)

This year, both of them are playing in the varsity team of Holy Rosary Academy of Las Pinas City and it's  exciting for me, too, that they are playing in one team. Today is intrams day at HRA and they told me they would compete with each other as Freshmen and Seniors. I have not seen them in action yet, thus, I didn't want to miss this opportunity so I dropped by late afternoon to see how well my kids played.

Candid moments while waiting for service :-)

Neenah's freshies team didn't win both their games but I was so proud of how their team played. They even beat the Juniors in one set, a feat which has not been achieved by any freshman team in a while. They also gave a good game vs. the Seniors where Natassja was playing. I could really say Neenah earned her right to be named "female athlete of the year" last year when she graduated from elementary. :-)

Neenah in action

Natassja exceeded my expectations. As I knew she was a good player, she was very composed even if I knew she was pressured with their game vs. the juniors. She led her team and played as if she owned the court. And I also have to congratulate her teammates as well. Great job, Excedence. :-)

Tashi in action

I was indeed one proud mommy today, seeing my 2 daughters play the sport I truly love, and play it very well. I hope they continue their love for the sport and develop the values associated with it - dedication, teamwork, humility, and respect.

Busy as a bee..

It's been a while since I last posted and I feel so bad about it :( It's just that things have been quite busy lately and I haven't had time to plan my blog content. I hope you all missed reading as much as I have missed blogging.

I am excited about a number of reasons:
- Natassja, my eldest daughter, is graduating from high school this school year - goodness I feel so old! Time really flies sooo fast.
- Neenah has made peace with Mathematics, thanks to her math teacher this year. She hates math, sleeps in class because she couldn't understand the lesson. Now, she's made a comeback. I knew she had the Geromimo blood in her ;)
- Nukh has been improving with his speech and how he corresponds with people. He also knows how to answer in Tagalog (well, super konti only haha) but still, I'm glad we're all taking baby steps with him and his progress. :)
- Audrey - my super cute and adorable niece lives with us 4 days a week and she brings life into the house with her crazy antics.
- KTG turned 1 last July 15, 2012. It has been a great ride and we've been so blessed we are very much thankful for the continuous blessings we are receiving. <3

I will really, truly try to blog more regularly - so help me, God.

Stay safe everyone, it's typhoon season. Always bring your umbrellas, jackets, and try to keep warm and stay dry. See you all again, soon. :)

Graduation Moments with Neenah

Times flies so fast. Neenah Yzabelle Nicolas Mariano, my second baby, just graduated from Elementary school last March 30, 2012 at the Insular Life Auditorium, Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

Lunch idea: 7-Eleven Hotta Rice

And I am back. I've been terribly busy with work and KTG (and the episodes of Dongyi just got me hooked so I don't do anything between 10:30-11:30pm unless I have a meeting). I don't even have time to go to the parlor anymore. Not a good sign, I know.

But anyway, I know I owe you a blog on one of the most interesting lunches I've had lately.

Food trip: Magnum Chocolate Ice Cream

So I've been seeing this poster at 7-Eleven and I am just intrigued with this new Magnum Ice Cream Bar. So on the hottest day ever recorded in the Philippines for 2012, I didn't let the day pass without satisfying my curiosity on this new dessert treat.

Apparently, Magnum has already been popular in other countries but I haven't heard of it 'til I saw the seemingly impossible-to-miss posters at 7-Eleven's entrance door. When I approached the chiller, I was surprised to see not just one, but three variants of Magnum: the Classic ice cream bar, Almond, and Chocolate Truffle.

Of different things :)

Lunch Time

Today, I remembered it's Friday, so therefore, I decided not to eat anything meat during lunch. :-) I had Country Tuna sandwich ordered from The Sandwich Guy. It's been quite a while since I had my last TSG meal so I was quite excited when my order finally came. But sad to say, I wasn't all satisfied. Don't get me wrong, the tuna spread was good, veggies were fresh and all. But I just didn't have the "full" feeling after eating it, comparing it to HBLT or roast beef. It was not that bad tho.

But I still have yet to blog about my lunch yesterday, until I eat it again. :-)

Report

So today is management meeting day, and when everyone uploaded their reports in our chatroom, I was surprised to find their reports direct to the point and plain simple (in MS word docx only). And I fabulously worked on my report yesterday using powerpoint. Haha. To think my report is already toned down because I didn't want them to feel I'm too OA. But so much for that, I guess I'm really destined to shine. :)

Death

I wanted to talk about death last weekend, however I didn't have the energy to write. Two people I know passed away last week, within the week. Shocking so to speak, because they are quite young. Arth is probably around 30, and Christina is the same age as me, 34.

Death is inevitable. We meet someone, then in an instant, they could be gone. And as I quote the timely sermon from the priest who officiated the mass at Christina's wake, the reason God does not allow us to know when we will die is because we always have to live our life as if it were our last.

Life is short. Tell the people you love that you love them and show it to them. Live life to your fullest. Be thankful for when you wake up, it's a blessing coming from the Lord, because you are given one more day to make a difference.

I leave you with that. Happy lunch, friends! :)

Fighting the Social Stigma of Persons with Intellectual Disability

Going back to my previous post on the Family Fun Day celebration of Las Pinas Montessori School, I just can't help but not comment on the students suffering from Intellectual Disability. Those with autism, mental retardation, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, aspergers, among others, were just so game in the competition. I stare in awe as they participate from one game to another. Cheering their hearts out for their teams, rooting for it to win. And their parents are ever supportive. :)

I salute LPMS for not having a separate activity for students with special needs because it cuts the barrier and does not stigmatize them. Exposing and having them interact with regular students make them feel more "normal" and would not feel like they are losers or unwanted.

Sadly, not everyone give the same love and care for persons with intellectual disability. We perceive them as abnormal people and would not want to interact with them because of a number of reasons. They're scary as they might harm you. Perhaps they will have a hard time talking to them. They don't have the patience to handle dealing with them. A number of reasons for sure.

When Nukh was diagnosed with Broad Spectrum Autism, I've heard some comments from neighbors that he is "abnormal." It broke my heart to hear those comments, especially those whom I have considered friends. While we cannot dismiss the fact that there is abnormality in his behaviour, it doesn't make him less of a person.

Nukh's heart is genuinely real. He shows you he's happy when he is happy. Sad when he is sad. Frustrated, angry, surprised, excited. You name any feeling you'll think of, and he'll honestly show you what he really feels. You'll see it in his eyes, his actuations. The challenge is to verbalize what he feels. And what difference is it for us so-called normal people. Oftentimes, when we are sad, we hide our true emotions by telling everyone we're ok. When we're hurting, we don't cry because it will be perceived as a weakness on our end. So who's the normal person now?

As with the symposium I attended at Las Pinas Montessori a few days ago, I stopped and thought of just starting my own crusade on protecting and upholding special children. I'd like to blog my way and be an advocate to hopefully lessen the social stigma that children like my Nukie experiences.

We consider our Nukie to be our lucky charm and our biggest blessing. And we will continue to do so. We love him for who he is, and will do all our best to help him cope up with the "norms" despite his condition. We're seeing a lot of improvement. But there's still a lot of work to be done.

Today, I hugged Earl, Nukh's classmate with mental retardation. He was plain happy to see me and embraced me wholeheartedly. When he finally broke the embrace (it was quite a hug I may say), I raised my hand and asked for a high five. His father was just happy I did that.

As I borrow the words of Dra. Rhoda, who was one of the speakers of the symposium, if you have nothing to say to someone who has intellectual disability, just offer a smile. It will surely come a long, long way. And knowing that you did something good would do wonders for your self, too. :)