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Archive for the ‘Motivational Monday’ Category

Motivational Monday: President’s Day Edition ~ The Great Communicator

In Higher Ed, Motivational Monday, Politics, Pro-DiSPO, Public Interest, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Workin' Woman on 02/15/2016 at 06:00

Happy President’s Day!

Here’s a tribute to my personal favorite Commander-in-Chief, Ronald Reagan, whose 105th birthday would’ve been earlier this month ~ as well as to the Challenger Crew, whose crash took place just over three decades ago …

References to The Great Communicator:

Ronald Reagan

 R.I.P. ✌ also to my Lolo Tico (February 10, 1909-August 26, 1996) on his birthday and his 20th anniversary this year.

Motivational Monday: Mis Padres

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Health, Home Sweet Home, Motivational Monday, Public Interest, Relationships, Thirsty Thursday, Travel, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Yours Truly on 01/11/2016 at 19:00

Pope Francis offers his take* on how home influences our faith [my commentary in brackets]:

Faith opens a ‘window’ to the presence and working of the Spirit. It shows us that, like happiness, holiness is always tied to little gestures.

‘Whoever gives you a cup of water in my name will not go unrewarded,’ Jesus says (Mark 9:41).

“These little gestures are those we learn at home, in the family; they get lost amid all the other things we do, yet they do make each day different. They are the quiet things done by mothers and grandmothers, by fathers and grandfathers, by children, by brothers and sisters. They are little signs of tenderness, affection, and compassion.

  • “Like the warm supper we look forward to at night [my mom‘s homecooking], the early meal awaiting someone who gets up early to go to work [my dad‘s coffee].

“Homely gestures.

“Love is shown by little things, by attention to small daily signs that make us feel at home. Faith grows when it is lived and shaped by love. That is why our families, our homes, are true domestic churches. They are the right place for faith to become life and life to grow in faith.”

*Pope Francis in the U.S.: Words of Mercy and Hope (2015), Daughters of St. Paul, pp. 22-23 ~ as said at the Closing Mass of the Eighth World Meeting of Families, Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, Sunday, September 27, 2015.

^– I actually used this passage as my pre-brunch prayer of grace with my parents today! –^

Bearing in mind these homely gestures, let’s also consider our cultures and upbringings…

Have you ever wondered why your parents act the way they do then realize that you’re turning out more like them as you grow up?

Wong Fu was right on point:

Have you eaten yet? = Priceless ♥love♥

Speaking of family …

Happy 17th Birthday to Rey-Rey, my beloved GODdaughter Reyanna mañana!

Motivational Monday: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Health, Higher Ed, Home Sweet Home, Motivational Monday, Pro-DiSPO, Public Interest, Relationships, Thirsty Thursday, Travel, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Workin' Woman, Yours Truly on 01/04/2016 at 18:30

Happy Feast Day of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton!

This educator was my favorite saint growing up. In my own childhood Catechism class, I first heard this ♪song♫ (Matthew 6:33) when we watched a video about her life…

With my own dreams of helping establish a Ca†holic school in my hometown, I look to St. Elizabeth for inspiration and seek her intercession.

Manic Movie Musical Monday: More to Life than Me

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Health, Higher Ed, Home Sweet Home, Manic Monday, Motivational Monday, Movie Monday, Musical Monday, Politics, Pro-DiSPO, Public Interest, Relationships, Technology, Travel, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Workin' Woman, Yours Truly on 11/16/2015 at 19:30

Peace to Paris

Trivial problems in our own lives don’t compare to world issues such as this traumatic terrorist act.

Therefore, tuning into Ryan Higa‘s First World Problems puts our own woes into a fresh perspective:

Original (2012) — *NEW* iPhone 5 

More Recent (2014) — NON-iPhone 5 compatible

Speaking of terrorist acts, we also live in a time when natural disasters draw our attention to devastating death tolls from either, leaving us with uncertain times.

San Andreas shows us the measures that we may take by human nature to save our ♥loved♥ ones and survive.

MCM (Man Crush Monday): Dwayne Johnson *stars*

Another Action-Packed Adventurous San Andreas Trailer

This was an excellent flick pick for Movie Night at home with the fam ~ especially since it showcased family!

I certainly needed some down time (even bypassing party and Fight Night invites) after my faculty defense!

With the HOLYdays around the corner plus after a productive day of grading speeches and practicing my own presentation

♪Chestnuts Roasting on an Open-Fire♫ = exactly what this soon-to-be Doctor ordered!

Motivational Monday: Non-Trick Treats

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Health, Higher Ed, Home Sweet Home, Motivational Monday, Movie Monday, Musical Monday, Pro-DiSPO, Public Interest, Relationships, Technology, Travel, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Workin' Woman, Yours Truly on 11/02/2015 at 15:33

We can’t go wrong with positive reinforcement …

Childhood Examples

Lately, rewarding myself helps ease the toughness of a rigorous project!

Adult Examples

Great timing since I just progressed onto my next series!

IMG_6792

3:33 ~ make a wish!!! ✌

Go, *Dez Bryant* ~  in his return to the field for NFL ☼Sunday☼ yesterday!

Motivational Manic Monday: Series I, Round I

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Higher Ed, Home Sweet Home, Manic Monday, Motivational Monday, Pro-DiSPO, Public Interest, Relationships, Sports, Study Saturday, Travel, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Workin' Woman, Yours Truly on 10/12/2015 at 20:00
Grad Cat

♫Columbus sailed the ocean blue♪ … which are as deep & true as my Grad Cat‘s baby blues! Here, I’m bringing out those blues with my *NEW* Adam Lippes for Target sweater dress vest ~ my gray go-to playful plaid layering piece this fall!

Happy Columbus Day!

Stats Cat

Stats Cat‘s got my back on Columbus Day & always as I rock out my Anchor & Sailor Wheel earrings!

As I prepare for my committee defense, I’m connecting and comparing my upcoming dissertation presentations to playoffs for post-season sports:

  1. First Series: Committee Defense (for my team of 3 professors) — 2 Rounds anticipated
  2. Second Series: Faculty Defense (for my entire conference of professors) — 2-3+ Rounds anticipated
  3. Third and Final Championship Series: Public Dissertation Defense to become Doctor (for anybody and everybody) — last Round, a.k.a. the Final Reveal before my well-anticipated graduation

So, who is my competition, you ask?

I could say my faculty of professors, but they’re on my side to succeed, so I’ll have to go with myself on my level of resilience to determine whether I stay and sustain through the game: Yours Truly vs. Yours Truly

I got this! Bring on the determination and confidence!! No thanks to the fear and discouragement!!!

Also, my good family friend, fellow devout Catholic, my ♥Tita Lydia♥ pointed out to me this:

My Doctoral Degree is my Vocation

Non-Manic Motivational Monday: Labor of Love

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Higher Ed, Home Sweet Home, Manic Monday, Motivational Monday, Pro-DiSPO, Relationships, Study Saturday, Weekly Wonders, Workin' Woman, Yours Truly on 09/07/2015 at 16:10
Motivator Cat

Soon-to-be Bday GrrrSweet Annie to me: ♫Baby, I’ma be your Motivation (Kelly Rowland’s ♪song)

Happy Labor Day!

Bday Blessings

Bestie Evie‘s bday advice: Start & end everyday by remembering 10 blessings!

I devoted all weekend long (including today ~ and still going) on my dissertation: my Labor of ♥Love♥ … My goal is to finish writing my draft today and prepare my defense!

Stats Blessings

I luckily found a blank page in my stats book to jot down these blessings ~ I’m guaranteed to glance at them every single day since I study it anyway!

Thank GOD I have Grad Cat & Stats Cat to keep me company as moral support!

Here’s more stats comic relief… As I analyzed more results on the relationships between my research variables, I thought about the series of three numbers that I report in terms of body measurements.

Exhibit A

Motivational Movie Monday: TV Professors

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Higher Ed, Home Sweet Home, Motivational Monday, Movie Monday, Pro-DiSPO, Public Interest, Relationships, Technology, Travel, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Workin' Woman, Yours Truly on 08/24/2015 at 06:45

Happy 1st Day of School (for my students + others out there)!

As I’ve been ready for the fall term since this past spring ~ when I revamped my syllabus, & my wardrobe has been planned for awhile now ~ I’ve happily hitched myself to my dissertation, so I’m challenged with breaking away from my “spouse“!

Of course, I’ve also played my collection of movies & shows in the background + to motivate yours truly the teacher

My 2 favorite sitcoms of all time:

Friends & HIMYM

I actually share common careers with my least favorite main characters from both:

  • Dr. Ross Gellar from Friends
  • Ted Mosby from HIMYM

We 3 all teach at the college level!

 Dr. Ross Geller

That’s basically the extent of it. Although their 2nd best friends/players are the ones who I favor the most (as characters & the actors who played them) ~ I’m not like either 1 of them

 Joey Tribbiani

  • Joey Tribbiani from Friends (who “doesn’t share food”* ~ but apparently didn’t mind sharing his women ~ I also watched his name-titled spin-off to keep me entertained during graduate school a decade ago that co-starred this chick from The Sopranos as his big sis)
  • Barney Stinson from HIMYM (who can resist this tailor-made “awesome” * “legen-wait for it-dary” * “Suit up!” * “Challenge accepted!” + author of The Bro CodeThe Playbook ~ both of which I have as audiobooks on iTunes)

How about you? Which character(s) do you admire the most? Who remind you of yourselves?

Are you a Ross/Ted (since they’re similar)?

  • Do you tend to correct people on their grammar or their pronunciation of certain words?
  • Do you go out of your way to impress a woman of man (depending on which way you swing)?
  • If YES to the above, have you worn something outrageous to impress said woman or man? (Think: Ross‘ leather pants that he tried to remove with powder & his Casper the Friendly Ghostscary white teeth or Ted‘s red boots that were featured on his ex-fiancé’s baby’s daddy-turned boyfriend-then husband’s movie, The Wedding Bride)

No offense, but I wouldn’t want to be that guy ~ the one who is nit-picky about people’s grammar. However, I must be when I grade or copy edit (just not as much in my personal relationships)!

 HIMYM DVDs 

Are you a Joey or a Barney?

  • Do you scheme to score your latest conquest?
  • Are you clever (like Barney), or clueless (like Joey)?

*Speaking of Joey not sharing food, here’s a fave food parody from the Fung Bros ~ who film on all things Asian ~ that was released exactly 1 year ago on my birthday

Motivational Movie Mon: GT is for … 

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Higher Ed, Home Sweet Home, Motivational Monday, Movie Monday, Pro-DiSPO, Public Interest, Relationships, Technology, Travel, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Workin' Woman, Yours Truly on 08/17/2015 at 05:00

Great Teacher!

GTO

GTO reminds me of myself: He cares about his students & is a biker!

Before I began teaching at the college level, my 🇺🇸Airman✈️ buddy, who was stationed in 🐎Texas🏇🏽 and 🌺Cali🌴 when I lived in both, introduced me to anime Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO)

GTO 1st Semester

Watch with humor …

So I’ve been going by Great Teacher Dispo ever since!

GTO 2nd Semester

Warning: Clever wit is needed for this content!

Great timing to pop in these DVDs as the 🍎school🎓 year approaches!

Motivational Movie Monday: Vic Vids 

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Health, Higher Ed, Home Sweet Home, Motivational Monday, Movie Monday, Pro-DiSPO, Public Interest, Relationships, Sports, Technology, Travel, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Workin' Woman, Yours Truly on 08/10/2015 at 10:10

For a 💡dose🍊 of motivation:

My 👓Must-See👀 💿DVDs📀

  

Get Coached is a collection💾 of 🎬segments🎥 from 🌠winning🏆 🏉football🏈 📣coaches📢

  • 4 NFL head coaches, including 2 Mikes ~ one (Singletary) who played for another Mike (Ditka) & the father (Buddy Ryan) of another featured coach (Rex Ryan), + another one (Sean Payton) who I actually reported on for one of my last doctoral classes
  • The Florida State Seminoles former coach (Bobby Bowden)

 

I also am including how their speeches🎤 ~ which are relevant not just in terms of athletic leadership, but 👔corporate💼 🏣business, as well ~ tie in with the 🌈exemplary💭 leadership theory that I’m exploring in my doctoral🎓 📜dissertation.

📢Cheers👏🏽 to 🏉NFL🏈 Preseason I 🎊2015🎉 👟kickoff!