Of Bonds and Mutual Funds

A co-teacher of mine invited me to a business seminar today. I’ve started learning the ropes of commerce when I became a dealer of Human Nature. It was hard work and I used my own money to start with the capital but it was worth the effort.

I thought it would be good if I get extra money aside from the income I get from teaching so I went there and joined the few handful of people who attended the seminar.

There company’s name is IMG (International Marketing Group). Basically, the seminar shall teaches you financial security. After that you might want to join as a member (membership fee is Php 3,700). Once you become a member and start investing on their products, you get a commission. You get money, too once you’ve managed to sign-up somebody to become a member. Their products are healthcare, life insurance and investments. I already have life insurance and I’m a rider/beneficiary in my mother’s healthcare. I got really interested in investments. I’ve always wanted to invest in stocks and bonds after reading Robert Kiyosaki book’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad (incidentally, his poor dad was a teacher) but I never knew how. I guess, it would be good to start investing with this company. Tempting, tempting! The downside of course, is that I have to pay Php 1,000 every month aside from the initial fee of 5k that I have to pay. Right now, I would like to focus on paying my Sunlife insurance since I haven’t fully paid that one yet.

This year also I’m saving for my trip to Hong Kong. The last time I went abroad was still 6 years ago. I badly want to go out again.

One issue mentioned by one of the speakers is that sooner or later SSS and GSIS (retirement funds of the Philippines) won’t be able to handle all the retirees in 2050 (which is the year I’ll be retiring). They won’t be able to give all the retirement benefits to these old people. Bah!

If you’re a teacher, you can never really trust the income that you get from school so I suggest that teachers start investing!

My co-teacher suggested I invest in the First Metro Save & Learn Equity Fund. Hmmm...

Of Hatred and Death

While studying in a Catholic school as a high school student, I really hated our priest director. No, abhorred is a better word. He was a short and stocky man, bespectacled and ridiculously effeminate. What I hated about him was that he has the ability to make me feel guilty with only a look and well, he embarrassed me several times. Everytime I see him, I would curse him in my head, I still did even when I was already a high school teacher myself.

I can't curse him anymore since I won't be seeing him around here. He just died. I just knew about it yesterday when the priest in the mass I attended mentioned, "And let us all pray for the repose of the soul of Rev. Fr. __________." I was in disbelief for awhile. Here was the priest whom I hated so much, dead, and I was praying for him!

I prayed that he'll forgive me. At that moment, I also prayed for the people who have hurt me in my lifetime.

I realized right there and then that there's no point in hating somebody while we're still alive, after all, our enemies are all going to die. We're all going to die! What's the use of that hatred? The question, however, is who will go first? I or my enemies? If I go first and I'll go to heaven, I'll definitely pray for them.

From this point onward, I refuse to hold grudges and hate somebody.

Hooray for Summer Class!

I taught Educ 212 to a group of math and special education majors for 18 days. Educ 212’s course title is “The Teaching Profession.” I was quite excited when I was asked to handle the merged class. I was, however, surprised with their number. All 72 of them! It was my first time to handle such a big class but it’s a good thing I was given the merged classroom. The first day we had our class in the well-equipped classroom, I told my students that we’re using an ideal classroom for college students. After all, it’s spacious, air-conditioned, multimedia-ready, and there’s a microphone! Everyday before we start our class, I’d play inspiring music videos. They would usually sing along. It was a really nice way to start our class which would start at 7:30 in the morning.

Since it was a three hour class, I would give a 10-minute break after an hour and a half. Most of the students were attentive that after mid-term, most of them got a grade of 2.0 and up. Two students even got a flat 1.0.

When my co-teacher lent me the book for the class, she said, “Good luck! It’s a boring subject.” When I looked at the content of the book, I immediately thought of ways to make the class more interesting. Who wouldn’t be bored with the laws, the theories, and the philosophies? My sophomore students definitely would. During the final period, I invited speakers for 4 sessions. I invited a lawyer who especially talked about the laws. I also asked my sister to share her public school teaching experiences. It was good to see my students interacting and asking questions with the speakers. According to their journals (I required them to keep one), they were thankful for the speakers’ presence.

I think 18 days was too short for me to share everything that I’ve learned about teaching. But then again, I always tell them that what I teach will be just 50% useful when they’re already in the classroom. The rest of the 50% they’ll just have to learn from actual teaching.
I’ll never forget this summer. After all, it was my first time to handle “The Teaching Profession” and it definitely wasn’t boring!

BSED Math major boys and girls

BSPED students

Portraying what Jewish Education and Culture are all about

Ruthell Moreno

Gabriel Felix Umadhay

Indian Education and Culture

Japanese or Chinese? I forgot...

Wow, they all seem attentive

Sooo attentive?

Candy, my best buddy giving a talk about her Korea Experience.

I invited this guy over to give a talk but I forgot his name.