LIFELONG LEARNERS

by Carmelita Cochingco Ballesteros.
November 16, 2012
Tuesday, Oct. 23. Typhoon Ofel was reported to be in Mindanao. We live in Mendez, Cavite in Southern Luzon. So we thought we were safe.
The Block Rosary devotion visited us at the Faithful Shepherd’s Garden. This devotion involves the home visit of a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the praying of the rosary as well as Bible reading and sharing. The visit lasts about a week. Continue reading →

by Carmelita Cochingco Ballesteros.
October 16, 2012
There are roughly 20 million Filipino children aged 5 to 14 years according to the 2010 census conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) of the Philippines. That’s a staggering number of young people who may hardly know how to say the rosary. But ask them if they know apl.de.ap, internationally-known rapper of the Black Eyed Peas, and you get a resounding, “Yo!” Continue reading →

by Carmelita Cochingco Ballesteros.
October 1, 2012
Have you heard of “Pansit Choco?” “Kabuteng Sisig?” “Lihim ni Lola?” These were the three intriguing dishes which I discovered when I attended my first food fest called, “Taste of Cavite,” at Gourmet Farms on August 28, 2012. In addition, I found out that some dishes and delicacies are quite similar to the ones I grew up with in Batangas and Nueva Ecija. Continue reading →

by Carmelita Cochingco Ballesteros.
September 1, 2012
Everything that happens to you is your teacher. The secret is to sit at the feet of your own life and be taught by it. Everything that happens is either a blessing that is also a lesson, or a lesson that is also a blessing. (Berends, 1993) Continue reading →

by Carmelita Cochingco Ballesteros.
August 1, 2012
The Philippine summer, April and May, is gone. Right now, the rainy season is upon us. As the rains keep me home, I re-read my writing pupils’ drafts and try to learn from what I failed to teach them.
Let me focus on one pupils’ multiple d Continue reading →

by Carmelita Cochingco Ballesteros.
July 1, 2012
I wrote about a girl whom I called Rica in Part I. She was 12 and was going to be in first year high school. But she had extremely limited proficiency in English. I tried to help her and other writing students grapple with lack of clarity, inadequate content, lack of focus and organization, broken grammar, and atrocious spelling. Continue reading →

by Carmelita Cochingco Ballesteros.
June 16, 2012
I’ve taken the plunge! No, I didn’t re-marry. I organized my own company in the Philippines, the Blessed Teresa Language and Education Consultancy Services. That means that I registered my business name at the Department of Trade and Industry and I obtained the required clearances and permits. Continue reading →

by Carmelita Cochingco Ballesteros.
May 1, 2012
When I heard on TV that Jessica Sanchez is safe in the ongoing Season 11 American Idol competition, I stopped writing and watched her sing “Dance with my Father” by Luther Vandross on YouTube. It made me cry. Continue reading →

by Carmelita Cochingco Ballesteros.
April 1, 2012
“Place. Penance. Patience and Perseverance. Peace.”
This was the gist of the homily of Rev. Father Ariel Tecson, the celebrant at the Holy Mass and blessing rites of the Grotto of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and the Faithful Shepherd’s Garden in Mendez, Cavite, Philippines on March 24, 2012. Continue reading →

by Carmelita Cochingco Ballesteros.
March 1, 2012
Do you attend class reunions? Why? Do you go because you’d like to compare notes with the former beauty queen? The former bully? The former student leader? The former class sweetheart? The former sports star? Continue reading →