Civic and Culture was extremely boring but since she never played favorites, I tried real hard to perform well in her class. She always focused her attention to pupils who couldn’t catch up with the lessons and that included me. In the school where I came from, if a student is not active in oral recitation it means that he/she is a slow learner. So, I was a slow learner. Even if I knew the answer I would never raise my hand and would only partcipate in class discussion when forced to do so, like when directly asked by the teacher. I was shy and very quiet back then … and until now.

One day, Ms. Amoy was angry with my classmate.

Ms. Amoy: Why are you wearing slippers? You’re supposed to wear black shoes in school!

Classmate: Ma’am, my shoes don’t fit anymore and my mother said we don’t have the money yet to buy a new pair.

Using a pencil and a piece of paper, my teacher measured the size of his foot and then the following day, she brought a used pair of black shoes for my classmate. Corny? Dramatic? Maybe. But Ms. Amoy’s true concern for her students really inspired me. In my elementary slum book, I wrote:

Crush: Not you

Motto: Try and try until you die

Ambition: To become a grade school teacher

About Ingrid

At first I couldn’t believe that Teacher Gonzaga, or Ingrid as we call her, was a teacher. She just didn’t look like one. I’ve always had this stupid impression that teachers don’t wear mini skirts - it’s a long story why so please don’t ask why. I think Ingrid looks more of a model than a teacher She was a tallish lady who has a very long hair, has a caramel skin (which I’ve always envied), and has a cheerful laugh which made me feel at ease talking with her after just a few hours. She never runs out of things to talk about - that’s the best thing about her.

to be continued …

I don’t smoke. I am an occasional drinker. And no, I’m not a shopaholic either. I was never convinced to apply for a credit card so it’s also kind of impossible for me to get tempted for grandiose spending. I’m also not a drug addict, HELLO!

So, in other words, I’m a saint.

Haha! Kidding What I’m trying to say is that I’m a clean living person. Yeah, I’m an OC (obsessive-compulsive) when it comes to my room’s cleanliness. Seriously, my close friends told me I’m too much of a good girl (I also misbehave and throw tantrums sometimes, of course. But that’s another story) and that they have nothing to complain about me except for being almost always late. It drives them nuts. Like when we have an agreement to meet somewhere at exactly xx:xx PM and I don’t show up on time without a text message or a call, they’d start thinking if I changed my mind or worse, something bad happened on the road.

I honestly have a bad reputation for being late. In fact, my best friend who just got married asked only one gift from me on her wedding day. She said “just come on time, okay.” The delivery of that line was so hilarious, all the guests on her bridal shower laughed out loud. And me? Oh, I almost fell from my chair due to embarassment. It was a good joke, though. But she took it back, fortunately. She said she only wanted me to gain weight and be beautiful on her wedding day

I can hardly remember when it all started. This humiliating disease, I mean. As far as I can recall, I was never late in important events like birthdays, graduations, or in important matters such as school, work, church, etc. I was always on time or to be precise, I was always ahead of time. My parents have instilled in me the value of time, that I can’t buy time and that I can’t turn back the hands of time. In fact, I started working at the age of 17 in fast food chains because I didn’t want to waste my time on non-sense things like barkada. I finished college when I was 19 and worked as a pre-school teacher not far from my family’s home. I’m quite sure, during those times I was never late. I was afraid to come late.

Then things changed a few years later. I gave up teaching and started working as a QA. The first three years was great, fun-filled, exciting, challenging, my colleagues are amazing, I almost thought I’m going to stick with this job for the rest of my life. And then things changed again. Just last year, I started losing interest in everything.  And because my friends always give me a long and annoying sermon on why I’m so lucky to have a regular job, I’m also not excited to see them. The saddest part is that I don’t have a valid reason and I also have no plans to improve.

First, I celebrated my 26th birthday. There was no party, just a small family gathering and a few invited friends. Albeit the fact that I’m not contented financially and career-wise at my age, I’m still thankful that I was able to survive last year’s difficulties. Sometimes, thoughts like “I should have already achieved this and that at my age” and questions like “why are you still single?” make me sad but my family reminds me to always look at the silver lining. I still have a stable job and family and friends who love me no matter what and that should be more than enough.

Second, my younger sister gave birth to a healthy baby boy Our neighbors told us he’s very handsome! No wonder, it runs in the blood! *Wink. He is our little angel, he makes us happy and everything he does is just amazing. Like when he smiles, when he cries, and even when he farts, it’s just fantastic! He’s unbelievably irresistible He is the only person in this world who farts and doesn’t annoy me. On the contrary, I find it very funny when he does it haha!

Last my bestfriend, Mary, just got married. I was her bridesmaid and her elder sister, Martha, is the Maid of Honor. Her wedding gown is so beautiful, she looks like a queen! And me? Well, I’m the princess hehe I tried really hard to gain weight for my gown but friends still think I’m too skinny I’ll post a picture when I find the time. It was a blissful event. Some of our former classmates and schoolmates in high school were also there so it was like a reunion for us.  

new angel

That’s my 35-week old nephew, Justin. Isn’t he lovely? We think he is! In fact, we are all very excited to see him. Every member of the Vargas Family is eagerly waiting for his arrival and it won’t be long. My sister, who is a first time mom to be, is scheduled to give birth within this month. And you know what? Our family is kind of very traditional. Kally had a complete pre-natal check-up but she won’t be giving birth in the hospital. Instead, a licensed mid-wife was hired to attend to her during child delivery. We were at first horrified by her decision especially her husband who wouldn’t give his consent. We’ve heard a lot of horror stories about women who suffered compIications while giving birth at home. But Kally’s decision is final and she trusts Sally, the mid-wife, very much. They’ve been bestfriends ever since the world began. I think my sister is the strongest woman in the whole wide world! In her ultrasound report, it was written:

   Within the gravid uterus is a single, live, male fetus presently in cephalic presentation … there are active cardiac pulsation and gross body movements…

I am honestly super dooper scared with the idea of her not wanting to go to the hospital but I also know that I have to respect her decision. I just trust the Lord that everything will be alright.

Everytime visitors ask me about the exact meaning of my pseudonym, I always tell them that sterndal is the German word for star, starry or little star (something like that). You see, I am crazy about stars and constellations. It’s amazing how they twinkle and sparkle at night especially when the sky is clear. Simply beautiful! So, when I needed a pen name for my blog, I didn’t think twice about sterndal. I told myself it would be perfect! And why not? I am a star in my own right

The funny thing is this: one visitor from Norway who happens to speak German disagrees with me. As far as he knows, star in German would be stern and not sterndal. Really? Mmmn … I wasn’t quite sure because I don’t really speak German (though I know a few phrases such as ich vermisse dich or guten tag). So I asked a friend from Munich about his thoughts on this and surprise!!! I was badly mistaken about the correct meaning of sterndal haha!  According to my friend who is a true blooded German, star is stern and little star would be sternchen! And would you believe that he doesn’t know what is meant by sterndal? He said it could be a name but definitely, it’s not little star in their language. Well, I still believe it’s a german word haha Stubborn!

A headhunter is someone who specializes in matching highly skilled professionals with corporate clients. It is the task of a headhunter to identify the most qualified person for the job. Among the things that she takes into consideration would probably be age, work experience, personality, education, etc. She can be an indepedent contractor or she  may work through an Executive Search agency. Just like a hard to get woman on the first date, a headhunter may act cold during the initial interview. This is because, she is measuring the willingness and determination of the applicant to work for the company.  So you ought to give your best if you want to impress her.

I am a 25-year old woman and it is but natural that I am already searching for a possible lifetime partner.  Just like a headhunter, there are certain things that I am looking  for in a man. He’s got to be really nice, respectful and decent. Basically, I just want to fall in love with someone who can make me laugh and somebody who believes in marriage. Yes, unfortunately, I’m not that choosy hehe