Category Archives: General Category

Anything and everything under the sun.

100 Moments of Happiness Project

Image Source: Google Images
Image Source: Google Images

Last week during my grammar and writing class, I invited a couple of my students, Fley and Jerome, to join me, the teachers, and other students in celebrating the birthday of Liz, one of the teachers of our school, the American Institute for English Proficiency. In normal Filipino fashion, Jerome first rejected the invitation with the typical Filipino excuse: he’s busy. Fley chimed in with the same reason: she’s busy too.

In reality, they didn’t mean that they were busy. What they really meant was that they had other plans already. Jerome had a date to go to Something Fishy, a buffet restaurant in Eastwood where I live, and he wanted to try the Php 199 breakfast buffet. Fley already planned a badminton game with her friends, and this would be their third week in a row, and she couldn’t miss it. Therefore, what they truly meant was that they had other priorities. I proceeded to teach them that being busy and having other priorities were completely two different terms.

I tried convincing them to prioritize Liz’s birthday, but I was unable to. I told Jerome that he could always go to the buffet anytime, and I told Fley that she could always play badminton on the weekends with her friends, but Liz’s birthday happens only once a year. I know that these two students are also dealing with confidence issues, so I told them coming out with us for the night would be a nice change, and it would definitely help boost their confidence. However, I could not manage to convince them.

In one final attempt, I told them that being happy was sometimes doing something out of one’s comfort zone. Sometimes, we have to do activities that we wouldn’t normally do to get us out of routine. I also mentioned to them that we always need to constantly challenge ourselves. I gave them examples of how I had been so comfortable with being a teacher and co-founder of the American Institute, but now, I was forming a youth empowerment group with four other Filipino entrepreneurs and community leaders. Still, I could not manage to convince them.

One great thing that came out of our conversation, though, is one writing assignment. As we started talking about being happy, I mentioned to them that I had seen on my Facebook news feed about the Happiness Project. As a part of the class, we would write, instead of 100 days of Happiness, 100 moments of happiness, to put our own take on it. We don’t need to write daily for 100 days; we just need to write about 100 moments. Why do this? One, it will help my students develop a writing habit. Two, it would help them be happier by focusing on the positive moments they encounter each time. To do this assignment, they simply need to write at least 300 words or more about the their happy moments, and they could include one to as many moments they want in a single blog post. Fley will be using her own blog, and Jerome will be writing his happy moments on the American Institute’s blog, The Five Elements.  Next, make sure to use the hashtag, #100MomentsofHappiness whenever posting on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

We are hoping as well that others would follow suit.  If you would like to participate, you may simply do so by posting your name and your blog in the comment section below.  If you do not have a blog, you can get an account at The Five Elements.  Simply let me know in the comment section below.  You don’t have to blog about it as well; you can also just post on Facebook.

I have already started it on Facebook:



Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Don'tSweattheSmallStuffCarlsonIn our last Christmas party at my company, the American Institute for English Proficiency, I was in charge of buying the gifts for our games and giveaways.  As co-founder, general manager, and teacher, I prefer buying gifts that would inspire our students, and I therefore headed to the bookstore to buy books as our prizes for the winners of our Christmas games.  One book caught my eye in particular, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson.  I bought several other books that have inspired me throughout the years, but I was more interested in this book by Carlson because I had never read it before, and it contained information that was very similar to what I was teaching in my classes.

We played the games during our Christmas party, and lo and behold, most of our students actually wanted this book as their prize.  However, I kept a copy for myself, and I have begun reading it.  I have only leafed through a few pages (since each chapter is about a page and half long only), and I must say, I am quite inspired already.  As the book suggests, it is a compilation of life advice and how we should stop letting the small things in our life from driving us crazy and thereby getting the best of us.  It is about letting go.  It is about acceptance.  It is about peace of mind.

In this first chapter, aptly entitled “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” as well, I have learned that to keep everything in order, to achieve a zen-like lifestyle, that peace of mind we all so want, we need to remember two rules in life: 1) Don’t sweat the small stuff, and 2) Everything is all small stuff.

It doesn’t mean that we should stop taking life seriously.  What it simply tells us is that there are things in life that we sometimes blow out of proportion, when really, things are still under control.  Sometimes, we just over-analyze when we should just simplify, we get angry when should just forgive, we get stressed when we should just go with the flow.  As a result, we let life get the best of us, and we become easily distracted and discombobulated instead of getting a better perspective so that we can move on doing the things we should be focusing on.

I am going to take this mantra with me this 2015.  In fact, I have been instilling this in my mind for the past few days, and I must say, I am doing more “perceiving” than “reacting.”  This means that instead of quickly reacting with emotions, I am perceiving my situations more with a sense of order and a sense of peace.  I have hundreds more chapters to go, with each chapter relating to personal growth, business, and more.  I can’t wait to share the rest of the book to my friends, colleagues, and students.  It’s going to be a very different new year for me.  I embrace 2015.















How to Know if He or She Really Likes You

Image Source: CNN/Google Image
Image Source: CNN/Google Image

How to Know if He or She Really Likes You
by John “JT” Tan

Love is so unfair.

When you’re trying to be perfect for the one that you love, sometimes it may end up to rejection or the person you love might ignore you. But when you try to play with others, they end up falling in love with you, and the bad thing is, you don’t love or even like them.

I don’t know how to explain that situation. It’s just that the people who are mostly rejected are the ones who are really sincere. Maybe sincere people don’t know how to explain it or show it because they are shy.

Sometimes, we are so confused when the heart and the mind don’t coordinate well. However, I have observed some ways to help out because I have been in and out of love many time.  These are three things that I can consider on how to identify if that person really likes you.

First one is try to be with him/her.  Not in bed of course.  Try to be with him/her means try make him/her as your friend. The best way of knowing other people’s background, attitude and any other stuff is to be with them.

The next one is to be friends with his/her friend.  Sometimes, their friend can’t stop their talkative big mouth from “talking some shit,” especially when they are drunk, and their friends sometimes can be the reason for you to know about her and her feelings.

The third way to identify if that person really likes you is to stop being numb.  Stop being so picky.  Don’t set too much standard, or else you will lose those people who are really sincere.

Value your self a lot. If the person doesn’t like you then stop pushing yourself to them. There are billions of people in the world so don’t stick to someone who does not value you.  Learn on how to identify true people from impostor.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John “JT” Tan is a former student of the American Institute for English Proficiency Quezon City Branch.

The Three C’s in Practicing for Success

The Three C’s in Practicing for Success
by Christian Quadra











Finding Inspiration


Finding Inspiration
by Christian Quadra and Chris Delacruz


  1. Source: Google Images
    Source: Google Images


  2. Source: Google Images
    Source: Google Images





How to Make a Long Distance Relationship Work

Source: Google Images
Source: Google Images

Have you ever been in a long distance relationship?  Were you able to maintain your strong bond, or did the distance end up breaking the relationship?  There are many couples who must end up in a long distance relationship for many reasons.  Some of them have to go abroad to work so that they can support their families and give them a better future.  There are also many who go for their studies abroad so that they have a more global education.  Others simply migrate to find greener pastures.

In my case, my husband migrated to Canada five years ago to work so that he could give our family a much better future than he could if he were to work here in the Philippines.  As a result, we have had to make our long distance relationship work, and until today, we are happily married with two children.  In fact, in a few months, he will be returning to the Philippines, and we will go with him to live a new life in Vancouver, Canada.

According to Helen Keller, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.  They must be felt with the heart.”  She is absolutely right.  The things we value in life are not material things, but the love that we have for our loved ones.  Even long distance cannot separate two people who are truly in love.  Now, I would like to show you how my husband and I maintained a strong relationship despite our long distance.

  1. The first way to keep your love alive is to have patience with each other.  When you are thousands of miles away from each other, it can be very frustrating because when you want to talk, it will be very difficult not only because you are in different countries, but also due to time zone differences.  Sometimes, you are available because it is daytime, but he is unavailable because he is already sleeping to get a good rest for a long hard day at work the next morning.  As a result, you tend to get irritated because you can’t talk to each other right away to inform him or her about your needs and wants.  If you do not have patience for each other, you can easily be annoyed, and when this happens, the tendency is for you to give up because of all that negative feeling you have inside of you.  The more you become negative, the more you ignore your loved one, and eventually, you just resent each other.
    Source: Google Image
    Source: Google Image

    At first, when I couldn’t reach my husband, I didn’t mind because I knew that he had a different schedule.  I was available to talk to him in the afternoon, but he was already sleeping.  I wanted to talk to him about our kids and our finances, but I just couldn’t reach him.  But I understood, and I had the patience to wait until midnight when he wakes up.  Sure, there were times when I got angry and frustrated, but I managed to be more patient than impatient.  At the same time, he was also very patient with me because he knew that I was taking care of our two kids, and he wasn’t here to help.  So it takes two people to be patient with each other in order to make the relationship work.  Now, ask yourself, do you have that kind of patience?

    “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”

  2. Another “must do” in order to maintain a strong relationship despite long distance is to have good communication.  It is very easy to skip talking to each other because of distance and time zone differences.  You can set a time to speak to each other, and make sure that you follow through.  In addition, communication means being able to express yourself so that the other person would know what you think and how you feel.  If you hide your feelings and thoughts, the other person might not know what to do or expect.  When this happens, you have a breakdown in communication.  Communication breaks down especially when you have an argument or a misunderstanding because you tend not to talk to each other anymore.  However, it is important that you continue to talk to each other so that the resentment doesn’t get any bigger.

    For example, my husband and I make sure that we would talk every Sunday since that is the time we are both available.  I know that he gets busy on the weekdays, but we have decided that Sunday is our day together no matter what.  When I was sad, I told him that I missed a lot, and I cried.  It was important for me to express this to let him know how much we missed him.  He also tells me about his problems and his feelings, and I feel that he still needs me.  Despite our distance, we open our lines of communication by expressing ourselves, and it feels as if we are next to each other.“Assumptions are the termites of relationships.”
    Henry Winkler

  3. Most importantly, you must have an understanding heart.  Understanding means you know why you are not together, why you can’t talk to each other all the time, why he made a decision you couldn’t accept at first, why he can’t come home right away, why he can’t send more money, why he is out with others at night, or why he is so tired.  At first, you wouldn’t understand, but if you put yourself in his shoes, you eventually learn that life on the other side is also difficult, especially when you don’t have your love one beside you.  Understanding doesn’t mean that you accept everything; it just means that you open your heart so that you would be more knowledgeable, more caring, and more forgiving.  And when this happens, you become more loving.
    For example, after so many years, I can finally understand why I had to be separated from my husband.  Yes, he did come and visit only once, and waiting for him was so difficult.  I didn’t understand why he only came once.  Now I realize, that things do happen for a reason.  Sometimes, God makes you see things only in the end, not during the trials.  I had to learn to understand without questioning so much in order for my heart not to have a heavy burden.  I had to understand that my husband was only doing his best for us, and I put my trust in him.  Now, in a few months, we will all be reunited here in the Philippines, and of course, in Canada when we go together.

    Marie Curie

There may come a point in time when we are separated from the ones we love.  In order to ensure that we do not get separated from their minds and hearts, we must have the courage to face the struggles of long distance relationships.  With patience, communication, and understanding, we are more prepared and ready to deal with any obstacles.  Make sure that when difficulties arise, you would also pray for guidance, and you will be stronger to face the difficulties together.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sharon is a student at the American Institute for English Proficiency, preparing for her migration to Vancouver, Canada.

Job Interview Strategy: What is your Weakness?

Ralph is studying at The American Institute to practice his English and improve his communication skills to become a flight attendant.

Almost every job interviewer, regardless of industry, salary, or country asks the question, what is your weakness?  Yet, many recent graduates, and even seasoned professionals do not know how to answer this question.  Do you just tell them your weakness?  Of course not.  You don’t want the interviewer to know that you are weak.  You want them to know that you have strengths that would match the position they have to fill.

Here are some strategies on how to answer this question:

  1. Discuss non-essential skills or attributes.  For example, when you work in an airline industry, time management and customer service are very essential skills.  So, you do not want to tell the interviewer that these are your weaknesses.  Focus instead a skill that is not quite necessary in becoming a flight attendant, such as being funny.  You do not have to be a comedian to become a flight attendant.  You can tell the interviewer that you are only funny to your closes friends, but to strangers, you seem to be more on the serious side until they get to know you better.
  2. Discuss the skills you have improved.  For example, tell the interviewer that you once didn’t communicate very well in English.  Now, after taking courses at the American Institute for English Proficiency, talking to other professionals, and communicating with all kinds of individuals, you have not improved only your English, but also your communication skills in general.  The interviewer wants to know that even if you had a weakness, you challenged yourself and developed your skills.
  3. Another strategy is to turn the negative into positive.  For example, perhaps you can say that you were a perfectionist, which led you to spend too much time on a project.  However, you have learned to work faster, work harder, and work smarter so that you can get the task done correctly sooner than later.  Let the interviewer know that you are not a perfect person, but because you can now work more efficiently and more effectively, your task can be completed right away.  Give examples, like when you were a basketball player, you were such a perfectionist that sometimes, you went home late because you kept practicing.  Tell the interviewer that in order for you to meet your goal of being a starter, you took advice from and had skills practice with your coach and the team captain rather than practicing on your own over and over again.

As they say, practice makes perfect.  Now, I have to keep reading this over and over so that it becomes more natural when I say it.  Good luck to those who are also interviewing.  If you would like to improve your English and communication skills to prepare yourself for a certain career, like Ralph who wants to become a flight attendant, you may visit us at the American Institute for English Proficiency in Makati or Quezon City.

How to Give Good Advice

How to Give  Good Advice
by Chris Delacruz and JT Tan

Good-AdviceWhen we have problems, it’s so difficult to solve it ourselves. Sometimes, it is easier to help others with their problems. Giving advice to ourselves is much more difficult than giving advice to our friends or family members.  We have learned some really good strategies on giving advice to others.

First, listen. Yeah, just shut up and listen.  Do not talk.  Just listen.  Let the person who has a problem tell you everything first.  Instead of giving feedback right away, just nod your head to let your friend know that you understand their situation.  Sometimes, our friends just need someone who to be there for them, someone who will not judge, someone who tries to understand first.

Second, be patient. Don’t think that you can solve problems right away. Some problems do take time to be fixed. Some wounds just need time to heal.  If you’re looking for a quick fix to some problems, then you’re on the wrong track when giving advice.  Sometimes, the advice we give won’t take effect right away.  Sometimes, our friends won’t even take the words of wisdom immediately.  They become stubborn, and they continue to repeat the mistakes.  Just be patient, and don’t give up on your friend.

This is my student and new friend, JT. I’m trying to help him out, and I know I need to be super patient with him. Good luck to you JT.

Finally, ask your friend what solutions they have in mind. Sometimes, your friend may already have the solution. It’s better if you ask them for options.  You might be surprised that they already know the answer to their own problems.  They just have a hard time implementing it.  And if they come up with no solutions, then you can offer your own solutions. Just don’t insist on it.  Don’t force your friends to take it.

When we have problems, we want someone to help us. We want to hear our friends’ opinion or advice. It’s much better if we are prepared to give advice as well so that we don’t antagonize or make matters worse. Next time a friend or family member needs advice, just listen, be patient, and ask your friend for their own solutions.  And if a friend doesn’t solve his problem right away, just remember, it is not your fault.  You can lead the horse to the water, but you can’t force ’em to drink.


Flight Attendant (FA) Impact Interview

The Impact and Preliminary Interview with Philippine Airlines (PAL)
by Ralph Jason Buenaventura

Ralph is a student at the American Institute for English Proficiency in Quezon City.  He is preparing to be a flight attendant.

Are you looking to be an FA or flight attendant?  Do you have difficulties answering some of the questions?  Ralph and I are working on making it easier for you.  Ralph signed up for a 10-hour private class and a 50-hour group class at the American Institute for English Proficiency so we can help him prepare for his career as a flight attendant, preferably with Philippine Airlines.  We are working on helping him answer his interview questions as well as developing his grammar, American accent, and public speaking skills.

I advised him not to memorize it, but he can start practicing because when we have written down the answers and practiced it, it’s much easier for the words and ideas to roll off your tongue.  Here are our preliminary answers to some of the questions he may encounter during his Impact and Prelim interview.

Tell me about yourself:

Let me start by describing my personality.  I am outgoing, friendly, and responsible.  For example, I love sports, and I was a varsity basketball player at Fatima University on full scholarship.  Also, I love music, and I sung in different school activities.  I love being around friends, and most people say that I am very easy-going and fun to be with.  I tend to focus on being positive when I’m with my friends.  In addition, I was able to manage being an athlete and worker while I was a student.  As a responsible person, when I have a problem, I tend to focus on the solutions and not the problem itself.  That helps me to be able to manage my situations very well.

PhilippineAirlinesAnother thing about me is my professionalism.  I have always wanted to achieve something greater for myself and not settle for the average.  As a student, I had very good attendance because I almost had perfect attendance and hardly any tardiness.  And when I was playing basketball, I attended all of my practices on time.  Actually, I wasn’t as good as the others in basketball, but because I treated it with professionalism, I was a part of the team for three years.  And when I worked as a promoter, I was able to treat my guests as VIP’s no matter their social status.

Lastly, I would like to describe my career goals.  Ever since I entered the university, I have always wanted to be a flight attendant.  I majored in travel management so that I could find out more about the travel and airline industry.  I realized that it was exactly what I wanted because I love to travel and deal with people.  I love talking about culture and places, and the airline industry is the perfect place for it.  I have already completed an OJT with Macro Asia Airport Service, and I was able to observe another aspect of the airline and travel industry.  I know that this is what I really want to do because every time I was at the airport, I felt so close to achieving my dream.

Why do you want to work for the airline industry?

Image Source: Google Images
Image Source: Google Images

I mentioned earlier that I studied travel management and  completed my OJT  in the airline industry.  Furthermore, I have traveled to Singapore and throughout the Philippines.  I also have friends who are working in the industry, such as flight attendants, passenger service agents, customer service agents, and the like.  With all these, I am even more excited to be a part of the industry.  As a flight attendant, I will be able to enjoy two of my passions, which is travel and meeting people from different places and cultures.  I also know that those who work hard and those who continue to grow would be given an opportunity to travel not only within the Philippines, but also internationally since PAL is international.  For me, the airline industry is just very exciting.

Why do you want to work for Philippine Airline (PAL)?

Philippine Airlines is a highly reputable organization, and it is the leading carrier in Asia.  The brand is very strong because of its customer service, compared to other airlines.  Furthermore, working for Philippine Airlines would be very patriotic for me, since it’s very Filipino.  The motto, after all, is “Fly your flag.”   For me, I would prefer to be affiliated with a brand that prides itself in nationalism and customer service at the same time.  Another reason why I would want to work for PAL is because of the different stories I have heard from my friends who are already working for the company.  They told me that the company treated them very well, that the people they work with were like family, and that they really enjoyed what they do.  Of course, I’d get some of the employee benefits that PAL offers.  The last reason I want to work for PAL is because they look and act truly professional.  I would agree with my teacher from The American Institute when he said that he would rather pay more at PAL than another carrier just so he can get more professional service.  At the end of the day, the company that pays attention to their customers wins.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?


My top three strengths are problem-solving, customer service, and professionalism.  As a problem-solver, I know how to look at the the different angles to a problem, like how it started, who was involved, and why it did it start.  After probing, I focus on looking for creative solutions rather than being stuck with the problem.  (Give specific example here.)  When it comes to customer service, I understand the customer is king.  In fact, when I worked as a promoter, I always had to make sure that my guests enjoyed their night out, and that if they had any problems, they can always call or talk to me.  I can definitely relate this to working here at Philippine Airline.  I see every customer as VIP.  And as I said, professionalism is my other strength.  I do manage my time well when it comes to reporting to work.  I treat my colleagues with respect.  And I am very loyal to the company I work for since it is my source of passion and income. (Give example here).

Weaknesses: (to be completed)

As you see, this article is still incomplete.  If you’d like to learn more about interviewing as a flight attendant for Philippine Airlines, please come back here soon.  Thank you, Ralph, for sharing your answers with everyone.  I’m sure you have inspired others.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ralph is a student at the American Institute for English Proficiency, preparing to become a flight attendant.