I was named after a tennis player but I was never much of an athlete.
I dabbled at badminton and volleyball during my elementary years but it was clear that while I love sports, the feeling was not mutual. I remained a sports fan though. I preferred watching the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) league over the teleseryes (soap operas). I was a solid San Miguel Beer fan. Ginebra and Alaska came in second and third on my list.Continue reading“The Olympics and this family”
Hello there again.
I am now going to tell you about cleaning our home here in Liloan.
I love to clean because it makes my Mom happy. You know we do not have a Yaya, a house helper that helps us clean the house or cook food. We do all household chores all to ourselves, well, except for laundry because a man comes to our house four times a week to pick up our dirty clothes and then deliver our clean clothes.
When the house is clean, my Mom does not get upset. Continue reading“Cleaning the Ruffolo Liloan home”
Dear Cris Evert,
You waited for the sun to set so you can finally say that the school year ended.
You imagined this day, July 10, to close with you on a stage surrounded by parents and children alike clapping and cheering as multi-colored asterisks of fireworks burst on the night sky.
“You did it! You did it!” screamed the faceless crowd in your fantasy, sounding like Dora the Explorer alongside her best buddy, Boots.
The buffet table is filled with your favorites: the slow-cooked humba with its fats jiggling like jello; thousands of lumpia rolled and fried to perfection; the one-dish meal bam-i with slivers of meat and chicken liver; and the charcoal-roasted lechon, its skin crispy and golden brown ready for a horde of visitors to rip its luscious body apart.
Endless taps on the shoulders, handshakes, nods, and smiles came your way as you tried your best to look and sound humble.
Continue reading“Warrior Mommy: Battling depression, modules, chismosas in a pandemic”
I’m in a perpetual juggling mode.
I’m still in graduate school while serving as my children’s teacher given the modular platform of learning that they are currently enrolled in.
So when I work on my learning tasks in school, I often involve my children in the process.
One of my learning task was to create a theory on the origin of language. Our class was instructed to be creative.
By now, dear readers, if you have been following the Reading Ruffolos’ Facebook page, you know that I am Mommy-Teacher. I have taken on the challenge to be at the frontline of my children’s education by being their teacher, day in and day out. It’s not the most glamorous task; it’s not easy peasy! I have mastered the art of intimidation by staring. Laser beams come out of my eyes and my nose is a smoke-belching organ. 
Because I teach full-time now — my twins are in Grade 2 and my youngest boy is in Kindergarten — I decided to continue my studies in professional education so I can be a full-fledged teacher. Continue reading“A poem and a song: A retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears”
It’s 11:46 a.m. on a Tuesday, October 6. I just told the twins to take a break because the last activity for the Mother Tongue (Sinugbuanong Binisaya language) subject is a bust.
I’m tired and I’m close to being fried.
I seriously feel like I’m this huge chunk of meat that has been marinated and breaded, ready to be submerged in a vat of boiling oil.
Yesterday, October 5, the first day of school was great! We tackled English and Math and we were done before the rice cooker flashed the red light on top of the “warm” sign.
Today is another story. Continue reading“Tuesday Tale of the Tired and Fried Mother”
Because I said I would be a better wife, I promise to cook more this year so my husband can eat more homemade food.
I started doing this in January when I bought a crock pot especially for this purpose. I’ve since then cooked dinners for him and we’ve enjoyed wonderful homecooked dishes over dinner every time he comes home from work.Continue reading“T30WC: Because I said I would…”
I yell when I’m upset with my children. I yell when I’m frustrated with my husband when he asks me about a bill that I already reminded him to pay two weeks ago. I yell when I’m disappointed with my bank’s call center representative because she can’t understand my point.
Continue reading“T30WC: Scream”
I was checking my Facebook newsfeed when I saw Joni Mitchell singing “Both Sides Now” on a stage with a microphone, her guitar, and her usual unassuming self.
