RESPECT, CONSIDERATION & INTEGRITY

I am wearing a knit shirt from Oxygen, G2000 white shirt,F&H bow tie,
Memo black trousers and Xianniao eyeglasses.

I have been part of the teaching force for almost 5 years now. Two gratifying school years in elementary level and another three years in collegiate level. I would say that one of the most satisfying aspects of teaching at the college or university level may be found in the mentoring relationship that faculty members can develop with their students. It has been observed that student relationships with members of the faculty is regarded by most students as the most vital aspect of the quality of their college experience.

Being a mentor with young individuals bring forth self satisfaction to the teacher. I firmly believe that to establish a mentoring relationship a teacher must eradicate most of the boundaries/stigma between educator learner relationship, because a good learning process can only be achieve through lectures, social activities and glimpses into each other's personal lives. And yet, despite this closeness and sharing, the teacher does remain a teacher and the student a student. The teacher maintains certain evaluative responsibilities and the student continues to be dependent on the mentor's guidance and approval. Therefore respect must be the foundation of this or any other type of relationships, may it be mentoring relationship or professional relationship.

Maybe you might already asking yourself by now, whats with the sudden change of direction of our today's post? Well after spending a fun afternoon with friends (one of which is my colleague) I am sadden by his story of how some students can be a little inconsiderate & impudent. And it got me thinking...What are appropriate student & teacher boundaries? Is there a necessary limit to the verbal,  personal, or even social interaction that may be experienced between student and teacher without compromising their academic & professional responsibilities? How should one handle verbal or social overtures made by a student? What can we do, as individuals, as professionals, and as institutions to help ensure that appropriate student-teacher boundaries are maintained?

Most students nowadays believes that being frank & vocal with how & what they feel at the moment, suggests being assertive. They forget to analyze the situation, study the action they need to execute and most importantly organize the words they want/need to say. Resulting in the damage of three general positive  principles, which are central in building and maintaining harmonious relationships. These concepts are respect, consideration, and integrity. We must be reminded that there's a thin line between being outspoken and being uncouth. Some students think it’s OK to interact with teachers the same way they interact with their friends or peers. These students get into all kinds of trouble at school because of it.

It is necessary that we both respect the boundaries needed to exist between a student and a teacher, because there are load of things a student can do at home that he can’t do in school. The maintenance of healthy boundaries is not only something that teachers need to do in their own relationships with students. We also need to prepare ourselves to monitor our personal boundaries & other people's boundaries. We can help  our students develop this awareness by exploring this issue as a part of their training and by modeling appropriate professional behavior in our own relationships with them. Finally, we can help develop institutional guidelines and policies that reflect a commitment to the maintenance of appropriate student-teacher boundaries.

Relationship might be the most complicated subject to teach, yet it is the most rewarding topic on Earth. Develop a relationship to produce intellectual sparks and lightning—and fan those flames for the benefit of yourself, classmates, the instructor and all whom you will eventually meet along your journey.

BEING SINGLE BY CHOICE ROCKS

I am wearing Wharton white dress shirt, Memo black trousers, knit vest from Gap, F & H striped bow tie and Adidas Superstar II.

I am not entirely sure why most men hate it when asked by their loved ones “what are you thinking?” I used to be asked by that line quite a bit, actually, and I never really got  to answer with a straight face. But I think most men feel invaded. Men are, by and large, more “emotionally contained” than women are. Men use "joke-speak" to mask their real emotions. Men evolved the ability to contain their feelings, sometimes even from themselves! So we are not as comfortable sharing our intimate world because we feel our words might backfire on us. In an effort to break the cycle let me share something intimate about relationships.

A wise young friend once said: "It takes half the time you dated someone to fully get over them." It's like a math solution of what known as romance equation, the unwritten rule that implies that - if you went out with the person for, let's say three years, it means that you got 18 months to get over with that person until you finally get back in the game. That just doesn't sound right, noh?!

Some people want a help-mate, someone who will build a family and share their moral code. Others want a soul-mate, someone with whom they can share their deepest needs and feelings. Others seek a mind-mate, someone with whom they can exchange ideas and fulfill their ambitions. And some want a play-mate, someone who will go adventuring with them, either intellectually or physically. Living in a town where everyone's dying to couple up, sometime there's nothing better than being out of the relationship. In most cases being single is just what a person needs. You have more time for yourself - to sleep as long as you want; to go for a long walk alone and lose yourself with the faces and places; and of course do weird stuffs that a loved one might not approve of. But the best part of being single is having adequate time to catch up with your close friends. And discover with them that there is something thrilling about varying the pace of life. It's really important to be unattached for a while and get to know this new you.

There are times we need to stop and look who we are and appreciate how far we have come and less attention on how far we still need to go. Freeing oneself of everything we've been holding on is crucial to send us on our new path...the right path. I needed to make a choice and I choose me! Because when I am truly single, I step to quite a different tune.

YOUNG, DRIVEN & "BLUE" BLOOD

Who doesn’t want to look younger than his/her age? The older the age, the stronger is the desire to look younger.  Most people says that choosing the right color of our clothes speak volumes about our  digit. Therefore, it becomes important to dress in colors that will be enough to betray your real age, especially if you are past your teens. I always thought that the shade of powder blue, baby, or sky blue can really be a great fresh look. The color helps me paint the picture I want for my day and every day should be absolutely perfect to be prepared in a very stressful environment.

Did you know that powder blue may refer to two different colors? Originally, it referred to a dark blue color, but it has since come to refer to a pale blue color, possibly because the name reminded people of baby powder and so people thought of it as a color similar to baby blue. The original color is now called dark powder blue. The paler variant is often associated with powder snow. Incredibly beautiful color that's both unexpected and calming! I never would have put these combination together, but that's why they're so inspiring... Sweet innovation.

MY MARTHA STEWART MOMENT

The "Student's Acquaintance Party" at work has been moved next Saturday instead of this 13th day of August. For my friends in the Western world, acquaintance party is a formal black tie dance  event (but in my college it is a semi-formal attire event), or gathering of college students from different departments. It is typically held near the beginning of the school year. It figures greatly in Phili popular culture and is a major event among college students, think of it as a prom, now you get the picture. Anyway because of this it got me thinking about some of the accessories men may use to jazz up their usual ensemble of oxford shirts, ties and trousers.  Behold! The "Lapel Flower Pin". I really like the lapel flower pin from Lanvin.  You can wear it on a suit lapel or  place it a few inches away from the left collar of your oxford  to achieve a sophisticated finishing touch to formal dressing.

 

Lanvin Buttonhole Flower Pin £102.66. To view full details click HERE.  Not ready to shell out the cash for an upgrade? Don't worry, try to channel your inner Martha Stewart by creating your DIY lapel flower pin...LOL. Here's how:

These are my "pin-it-everywhere" brooches.  I can pin them to any coat, top or shirt and it instantly transformed my piece of clothing into something much more special.

MATERIALS: 

       Fabric ribbons, a needle and a thread, glue gun, and  button badge pins / safety pins.

PROCEDURE:

• Do a rough running stitch all the way along the edge of the fabric ribbon. The stitches don't have to be even or the same length or anything. Make sure you've secured the thread at the start of your stitching, by knotting the thread or just stitching over the first stitch a few times. Stitch all the way to the end of your strip of fabric.

• Gently pull the thread and push the ribbon down it: this will gather the material and give you the ruffle. Hold the two ends of the ribbon between your thumb and index finger, while still pulling the thread tightly to keep the ruffle, well, ruffled.

• Once you've done that, thread the needle through anywhere - this stops the fabric from fraying. You may also want to do a few more stitches to secure the thread and make sure it won't come loose.

• Then attach the button badge pin by using the glue gun - and you're finished.
  
  

SMART CASUAL MONDAY

"Smart Casual" dressing  is a middle ground between business formal wear and street wear. It is a loosely defined dress code, casual, yet smart enough to conform to the particular standards of certain social groups.The whole idea behind "smart casual" outfits is to make the employees more relaxed and to allow them to better express themselves. This is all to make them more productive and happy at their workplace.

As a college instructor, there’s not a lot of pressure on me to dress up. If anything, it’s just the opposite. For one thing, I interact regularly with younger people and besides wearing business attire can be daunting and boring sometimes. Yet, there are days that  I want to set the sartorial bar high and express myself in a more corporate dress code. Days I just want to violate my bohemian standards of dressing.  It's a great thing that there's enough smart casual pieces in my "treasure trove" that I can incorporate in  my  day to day dressing to enjoy  my work in a more conservative yet stylish manner. Rule of the thumb: When you dress to impress, make sure that your confidence shows not only in your gait but in how you carry your business attire, as well.

DRESS (SHIRT) TO IMPRESS

Living in a tropical country with enough year-round humidity, I always anticipate the return of rainy days. When rains starts pouring down and temperature simply becomes cooler,  it is the best time to whip out my dress shirts and play the art of layering. I know most of you would raise an eyebrow, but dress shirts are one of the most flexible clothing item out there for men. The beauty of a classic shirt like this is that it can fit with almost any style, from preppy to bohemian. Gone are the days when dress shirts are stuffy and baggy. There are dime a dozen of brands in the market today that offer this classic in semi-fit cut and would definitely bring any man's powerful masculine silhouette.

So what is a Dress Shirt?

A proper dress shirt is a button-up shirt with a collar, long sleeves, and wrist cuffs. It is usually made from a cotton fabric woven and dyed into various, non-obtrusive patterns and colors. By altering these characteristics, a dress shirt can either send the message its wearer is ready for sport or ready to meet the President of the Free World.

Tips in Choosing Your Dress Shirt

1. For beginners, stick to the basic. This means that when unsure with what color will suit you, start with white since it compliment all skin color/tone. To this day, white still reigns as the most formal color, and its popularity has safely placed it among the iconic garments a man can wear. Where ever you may be, a man can safely assume a white shirt will never be out of place.

2. Look for the simple details, like quality stitching, the fabric and buttons must be made from Mother of Pearls (not actually pearl, these buttons are made from shell and are so hard that they can break needles).

3. A well fitted dress shirt should first and foremost be comfortable, this is different for every man. Larger men are usually complimented by a looser fit while petite and thin men are complimented by a more form cut. In general, though, a shirt should:

• Allow two fingers in the collar when buttoned.
• Be tight enough around the wrist so that the cuffs must be unbuttoned to slip them off.
• Have long enough sleeves so that you can raise your arms like wings and not pull the cuffs down the forearm; they should be short enough so that you don’t have more than 1 inch of fabric bunching near the cuff when your arms hang.
• Shoulder points that extend to the end of the shoulder and no farther.
• Have room in the chest and waist to pinch out 1-3 inches of fabric. 

For some, wearing a dress shirt isn't only being uptight, but downright geeky - so they say, but there is something romantic in an Old World sort of way about it . The ability of  a Dress shirt to add a little something special to the wearer and it's capacity of turning every man into a "gentleman", is definitely undeniable. The truth remains that, it's still up to the individual to wear the shirt out of it... as in bring their own style to it, because true style isn't something you can just buy in any retail shops. Style is something that comes from within.