tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17036132330578231252025-01-04T10:44:32.481-08:00Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.comBlogger240125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-68805786130897654512013-02-06T20:33:00.000-08:002013-02-06T20:33:05.528-08:00

Writing is my outlet! I have been doing this since Grade 4. When I’ve written what I have in mind, I would sleep really well and would move on.  So, it’s like a therapy to me! Lol! http://gemsdaily.blogspot.com I love writing, I love the process of unfolding, unraveling, cocooning, De-boning as I put the exact words in my piece.. Kind of like a puzzle... Almost there, but

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-86682159067672499512012-11-29T21:57:00.001-08:002012-11-29T21:57:09.789-08:00

This is the first time in years since coming here in America that I allowed Dennis, my hubby, to take a break, mmm, it’s actually more of a time-out! Lol! He’s in an H4 visa, what it simply means is that he can’t work, since he is my dependent.  It was a relief for me when he gave up his job as a seaman 4 years ago, because that was my dream – for our family to be together. 

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-41387413686964403272012-11-09T21:54:00.000-08:002012-11-09T22:16:37.897-08:00

I heard or read somewhere that life will continue to give us lessons until we learn it. Two weeks after graduating from college, I was already teaching college students.   I was so idealistic, perfectionist and wouldn’t tolerate students who were cheating, talking while I was teaching and not doing their work. Yes, I was really strict! Many of my former students would attest to

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-73747533269050199972012-11-09T07:43:00.001-08:002012-11-09T22:01:16.138-08:00

  When our desires are deep-seated, when we want something so bad, when we want our hopes and dreams to come true… what do we usually do?  Keep it to ourselves or let the whole world know about it? My mom would always say that if you have plans, keep it to yourself. Let it be between you and God first, and when it comes to pass, then shout it out to the whole world!

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-5252979946731057752012-10-31T10:28:00.001-07:002012-10-31T10:28:29.824-07:00

When I started my work as a Special Ed Teacher here in America, it just felt natural. I mean, I was elated to be here, right? So I was just like a sponge, wanting to learn, wanting to do more, wanting to be more. One of the duties that we have to do is to pull out the student for testing. We need this so we would know the present level of performance of the student in the core subjects:

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-67018528906378436432012-10-31T10:20:00.001-07:002012-10-31T10:20:04.403-07:00

Our minds our powerful. Whatever we think, we create!   I remember it was summer time during my elementary days when my cousins had already learned how to ride a bicycle.  We didn't have any bicycle to use then. Every time I would see them enjoy riding one, there was this gushing feeling from within that I could do it too! My mind just seemed to shout, "You could learn to ride

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-81780625453734304372012-10-10T13:32:00.002-07:002012-10-10T13:32:38.296-07:00

How old is old? So I called my 89-year-old friend again. She's at home, she said, working on her crossword puzzles. "I thought you joined the Senior Center?" I asked. She said, "Oh, it's not for me. They were too old for me!" Too old?! Lol! She is 89 years old!!! How old is old?!! Photo credit I guess, age is really just in the mind. Like everything else, it all begins in our mind

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-55492742026344908982012-09-28T22:37:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:30:26.198-07:00

I don't like making future plans. Lol. Well, maybe, just maybe, I fear that if I make plans, it won't come true. Now, there goes the problem. FEAR. I know that very same fear, will actually create the very thing that I do not want, which is for my plans not happening! Erase, erase, erase. I honestly like making goals. Planning for the future. Envisioning things, places, events, people, dreams

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-34973590127621446932012-09-18T21:13:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:30:38.390-07:00

Funny.  My son, Mimoi, came home from school one day with a sticker on his shirt. I asked him, "What is this?" He told me, "Oh, the policemen came to our class.. but they didn't arrest us!" Lol! Talk about perception at an early age. It may have come from the movies he's watching and maybe, when he hears us say "the policeman is coming" when he is being naughty. He continued sharing his

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-3506249903985886752012-09-18T14:31:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:30:50.339-07:00

I would like to believe that my experiences are simply because of pure luck or coincidences but are they really? I was wanting to eat Goldilocks polvoron, really simple story, lol! I asked my husband about, maybe, asking a friend to buy it for me, since she left to visit her family in the Philippines. Great timing, right? But, decided not to. The next day, guess, what happened? I visited

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-11150058601126471422012-09-18T00:08:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:31:02.487-07:00

 "The only way that I will ever be great to myself is not what I do to my body but what I do to my mind." - Ramtha from the documentary "What the bleep do we know". Hey, it's all about infinite possibilities, how powerful our mind is and how our thoughts can become our reality. I remember being scared of just the thought of "infinite possibilities" - since it also equates to

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-29567597707744281222012-09-16T23:20:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:31:13.013-07:00

So, what if after following "..whatever-your-mind-can-conceive-and-believe, it-will-achieve" mindset and just tried to focus on what we want, STILL the result isn't what we want?  What will we do next.. and how come it didn't work? Well, I've just read THE SECRET by Rhonda Byrne book again, and interestingly, my question, just got answered: Quoting from the book, page 146:  Don't

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-21621505881522559782012-09-11T22:00:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:31:37.943-07:00

 Remember the 88 years old? http://gemsdaily.blogspot.com/2011/12/not-too-late.html and her reminders? http://gemsdaily.blogspot.com/2012/01/meet-88-year-old.html Not too late... My stories: She's 89 years old - Part 1 She's 89 years old - Part 2 She's 89 years old - Part 3 NAMASTE. -day 223 to 225

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-88375981479989432812012-09-11T21:33:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:32:27.819-07:00

First thing this morning, I decided to drop by her school, to hopefully sit down with her again, to, maybe, if we could, finish her very first IEP preparation for this year. She wasn't there. Not too late... I was thinking, maybe she was sick or maybe caught up with family issues, but no. She has finally decided to retire, yesterday. Her co-teachers shared how she has been crying the

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-13766420447204568402012-09-11T21:04:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:32:42.861-07:00

So, I asked her, "Why did you come back?" She said, "Maria, there's nothing to do. What will I do?" I said, "Well, enjoy life!, you're 89, it's about time you go and enjoy!" She said, "If I can only go back (to her hometown), but there's just a flood of memories there. All my friends have died. There's nothing left do. Anyway, I love where I am, I enjoy where I am!" I said, "Ok, but you will

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-27834300653293115362012-09-11T20:49:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:32:13.266-07:00

I felt fed up by just thinking of doing IEPs the whole year again, since she has decided to come back to school. She's 89 years old, and even though she blatantly told me that she was thinking of maybe, resigning, she didn't. She was back to school. Not too late... Being with her was a different story though. I like being with her. I like her company. I like sitting in her classroom

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-19686367445362603152012-09-06T01:31:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:32:57.727-07:00

Dear God, Today, I am just grateful for the wonderful years You've given me. Looking back, it's all good! You continue to amaze me, Lord! Thank You for the many stories of my life. Thank You for the opportunity to learn lessons from it, to share and to inspire in my own way. You've held my hand each night I walk alone in the dark (Holding Hands story) You've given me a

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-35360321889961512462012-09-03T23:36:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:33:13.480-07:00

I could still remember the phone call I received almost two years now. I was driving on the way home when the cell phone rang. I wasn't supposed to pick it up but the number was coming from New Mexico. There was just this feeling that it was from the school I applied just a week ago online. True enough, it was the Assistant Principal in-charge of Special Education calling me. I immediately

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-88309909592648797702012-08-29T23:22:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:33:31.747-07:00

I love things to be in order. I remember when I was in high school - especially during exam week, I would make my own week-end schedule. Time and activities were listed and followed!! I forgot what time I'd start but I believe it was something like this: 7:30 Wake up 7:30-8:30 Eat, Take a bath 8:30-9:30 Math 9:30-10:00 Rest 10:00-11:00 English 11:00-12:00 Science 12:00-1:00

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-20833901547725184172012-08-23T21:26:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:33:51.042-07:00

I was just given a name and a schedule of a student that was added to my caseload (we call students we work with (with special needs), our caseload). So, I went ahead and looked for the new student. He was in the Math class, he was seated at the far side of the room, his hood was up, and head bent down. I asked the teacher if I can pull him out for testing, she said yes, and told me that

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-56935203645177667122012-08-22T21:50:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:34:07.112-07:00

Since I already bought my baking ingredients: all-purpose flour, bread flour, baking soda and baking powder; I also have packs of active yeast, bottle of vanilla essence and baking pans, measuring cups and spoons, I have decided to make use of it! Lol! And here's my next output! - Banana Bread! I just followed the recipe found in the net. It was gone an hour after baking! Maybe, it

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-90616120902709868792012-08-21T21:26:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:34:21.197-07:00

The real story. Lol. At 24 and still single, my friends and I decided it was time to start dating. The great thing about it was we actually got to eat for free, and saved some bucks on transportation. Lol. But yes, we were actually very decided on having a relationship already. And so we dated. There were some guys who were passed on from one to another. Lol! (Well, for obvious

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-6691524220829512432012-08-19T21:54:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:31:57.599-07:00

 It has been years since I tasted PANDESAL (Salt Bread) again,  so when a friend here in Gallup made one, I knew I just have to learn how to do it too! The first try was good enough!  I followed panlasangpinoy's recipe but then I am not sure if it was kneaded correctly,  but still good enough! Lol!  I started preparing at 11:30pm, I finished at 2:00am. I was

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-51029573892428148162012-08-14T21:32:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:26:11.128-07:00

During our last night at the New Mexico Tech in Socorro, New Mexico, we visited the Etscorn Campus Observatory. The observatory is surrounded by earth berms and is strategically located to avoid as much light pollution as possible from campus and town. (website here).Here's the whole team of sun-kissed turned browner kids and adults (more like refugees here, LOL!)

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1703613233057823125.post-38877804028544184842012-08-10T00:05:00.000-07:002012-10-01T23:26:11.124-07:00

I was thinking of getting a Back-to-School-for-Teachers loan at a credit union here in Gallup. I was told the union will ask for a contract (for SY 2012-2013, as proof of employment).Well, it was Monday and in my mind I still have 4 more days of vacation. I wasn't really ready to be seen in the office with jeans, slippers and shirt yet! lol! but WHY NOT?!, so I decided to drop by the office to

Maria Gemma Hilotinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04312043983408572168noreply@blogger.com1