An Archer's Reflection

In Memoriam: Fr. Domingo Moraleda CMF (1942-2008)

2008-11-03T19:02:00.000+08:00

We will miss you Fr. Moraleda. You will be missed dearly by the Claretian community and by the people you love so much.

Eternal rest grant unto Fr. Domingo Moraleda, Oh Lord. Let the perpetual light shines upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen

Rizaliana collection is book printer’s prized treasure - Sir Gus' new news article

2008-06-19T06:04:00.000+08:00

Sir Gus Vibal is in the news again but for a good reason. Well done sir.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

147th BIRTH ANNIVERSARY
Rizaliana collection is book printer’s prized treasure
By Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:27am (Mla time) 06/19/2008

MANILA, Philippines—Gaspar Vibal’s face lit up when he showed a five-inch thick compilation of articles either written by, for, or about Dr. Jose Rizal.

The Rizaliana—made thicker by dried up moisture, discolored by time and its edges eaten by termites—was Vibal’s latest treasure. “It was all covered with dust and termites,” Vibal mused proudly about his latest find—in a forgotten nook of a bookshop.

“My mother said that I should not bring this up here because my books will be eaten up by the termites as well,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer at the Vibal Foundation, the social arm of the 50-year-old publishing house founded by his father Hilarion and mother Esther.

The compilation has been placed inside a transparent and airtight plastic bag, Vibal said, “to kill the termites.”

However, no termite will eat up the material when Vibal and his staff digitize the articles and upload them on filipinana.net—the foundation’s “fully featured digital library and research portal.”

Sharing book

“I just wanted to share books. I collect old books. I tend to take them from oblivion,” Vibal said while showing off a modest sample of his wide collection of filipiniana, or printed works on Philippine history and culture.

Vibal picked up a volume of Ricardo Galang’s first Philippine Encyclopedia, published in 1939 until he ran out of funds.

“There must have been only 1,000 copies of the 20 volumes,” he said.

He has one of the early copies of the 1935 Constitution, its pages already yellow-brown with age as well as historian Esteban Ocampo’s 40-year-old Rizaliana collection which he rescued from the bugs at the Heritage Art Center in Cubao, Quezon City.

Vibal also has copies of first editions of Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. His page on wikipilipinas.org shows that Vibal bought them from the Old Books Fair in Madrid in 2006. He wouldn’t say how much they went for. “It might put the prized items in danger,” the site said.

‘She thought I was mad’

Vibal first thought of making such historical resources available for free via the foundation’s websites filipiniana.net and wikipilipinas.org.

“I told my mother about it in 2005. She thought I was mad,” Vibal said. “My mother thought it was crazy to give away free books. How does that sit well with our business model? Our business model is you can’t get this book until you give me your payment.”

He said he told her this was no longer in vogue.

Vibal said that all the books uploaded on filipiniana.net are already 50 years old or older.

“As long as the book is already public domain, let’s put it there. Give it an audience,” Vibal said.

Filipiniana.net went online in September 2006 with a modest collection of books and documents in English, Spanish and Filipino. Vibal and an associate, Jaime Marco, initiated the portal. They were later joined by Spanish historian Carlos Madrid.

Comprehensive collection

“Today, it has one of the widest and most comprehensive collection of hard-to-find Filipiniana books and documents categorized under history, geography, culture, government, and society,” said Kristine Mandigma, editorial director of the foundation.

The website also features photographs, maps, paintings and illustrations, the Virtual Philippine Revolutionary Records, 100 Nobelang Tagalog, Virtual Blair and Robertson, and the Master Union Bibliography of the Philippines, 100 Pinoy Komik Serials, Premio Zobel.org, and Archivo General de Filipinas.

“We want to create informed Filipino netizens,” Vibal said.

“Right now, when you go to the top ten sites visited by Filipinos you see gaming sites. That’s why we have these (filipiniana.net, Filipino wikipedia site wikipilipinas.org and the forthcoming e-turo.org),” he added.

The ‘in’ thing

Mandigma said some of Vibal’s partners were Jeroen Hellingman, the Dutch director of Project Gutenberg Philippines, the world’s first and biggest provider of free Philippine electronic books; Isaac Donoso, a young Spanish historian living in Manila; Dr. Lloyd Espiritu, former dean of the De La Salle College of Computer Studies; University of the Philippines-based historian Grace Mateo; and Georgina Padilla Zobel of Premio Zobel.

Vibal worked for two decades in the Philippine and American publishing industries. In 1983 Vibal moved to New York to study at the New York University Book and Magazine Publishing Institute.

He has a bachelor’s degree in business economics from the University of the Philippines.

Wacky

“Free information. Free books. That’s the in thing. Free is the new economy,” Vibal said quoting Wired magazine editor in chief Chris Andersen.

“They think I’m mad. All the other publishers think I’m wacky,” Vibal said.

Teaching “Children from Hell”

2008-03-13T09:44:00.000+08:00

I was watching National Geographic the other night. In their show, Show Real Asia, the episode was about a boot camp in China entitled Brat Camp China. In that episode, the boot camp was open to Chinese children from age 10-18 years old. Most of these children are rebellious, hardheaded and trouble-makers. Most of the children were brought there against their will or by force because their parents trick them that they’ll go into a resort, have a medical check-up and other excuses. Of course, the poor, unsuspecting children will either cry pleading to not send them their or try to be tough. The “teachers” will then subdue the stubborn children by force like body lock or by pinning them down the floor. The parents pay the boot camp roughly around $2,000 for a 6-months stay in the camp. The main task of the school is to reenact the march of the National Revolutionary Army that covers around 100 km worth of walk! To the children in the boot camp, it is worse than torture and corporal punishments strike not just fear but horror to those who receive it.

After watching this episode, I realized how different culture views education. It might seemed normal for a Chinese to punish a child using a bamboo stick, here in the Philippines, you might get a shock upon seeing one, or you will going to call Bantay Bata 163 immediately. That is why, I think, boot camps is not as popular here in our country unlike in the US or China. What interested me in that episode is that the founder of the boot camp was actually a middle school teacher (high school here in country) and he himself made the curriculum of the camp based on discipline, nationalism, patriotism and respect for the individual. It might sounds good enough but what does a child learn from marching 40 km a day, rain or shine? The child might learn how to feel not tired or carry a lot of water. Or better, they might learn to regret their ways why they landed up in the boot camp. But is it for the good or bad? In the episode, there are 3 cases; 1 young delinquent boy, 1 hard-headed girl, and 1 rebellious teenager. Only the delinquent boy seemed the only one to pass and changed while the hard-headed girl had a ningas-cogon, meaning after a few months, she reverts back to her old self. They rebellious teenager, outsmarted the school and escaped. He is now working as an employee in an internet café and was disowned by his father. I guess it is safe to say that the teaching method, unorthodox yet accepted in the Chinese society, is not as effective as the principal hope for.

The teachers in the boot camp also interested me. The teachers are all well-trained and screened vigorously. But why to some teachers there almost gets away with their erring ways like punishment without reason? The instructor’s defense was he’s doing it with good intentions. He is a product of the armed forces and like the children in the boot camp, was a trouble maker. But after receiving complaints and repeated warnings from his superiors, he was relieved from his post. The principal said that, although they allow corporal punishment, it should be just and fair. He also admits that as much as they hate punishing the children, they have no choice sometimes but to teach them that doing erring things does not do them any good. I see the logic of this one but in my experience, corporal punishment, little or severe, is not my cup of tea. I used to remember how my dad inflicts corporal punishment to me and my brother. It was terrible and whenever he strikes us with a bamboo or thin plywood stick, it is so hard, brutal and so fraternity-like that it bruises our thighs black and blue and we have to force to wear long khaki shorts going to school. Whenever neighbors see our bruises, they are shocked and shaken with what they see. That is why I am totally against severe corporal punishment because of its atrocious and barbaric way of discipline.

Going back to the episode, I noticed that there are a lot of children in the boot camp. As I found out, many parents put their children there because they are concerned with their children’s behaviors. This is very alarming according to Chinese psychologists and sociologists because of the rapid urbanization and westernization of China, it gradually destroying the once family-centered Chinese into a broken family once. Also, this broken families and possibly the rapid growth of China, children tend to rebel and became trouble-makers. But what is shocking is that parents tend to think that it is their children are at fault rather than them, the parents, itself. That is why some parents came to regret their decision to send their children to the boot camp after learning some brutalities and severe punishments being inflicted upon their children.

As I finished watching this episode, I cannot help but think about this in regards to educational psychology. For me, this Chinese boot camp is an excuse to inflict not just physical scars but also emotional and psychological trauma on the children. Also, the boot camp, in my opinion, is simply fronting as a legitimate school for discipline. Although I understand the principal’s and the teachers’ intention, we left with a question whether they are doing the right thing to motivate and instill a holistic personality among the children.

So now the question; how do we teach the so-called “children from hell”? Certainly it is like moving heaven and earth to achieve this. But one person in the class, Sir Danny, shared his late sister’s experience with the juvenile delinquents in the US. According to him, his sister educates these delinquents with something unconventional yet effective method; she used rap music to teach them education. In fact, it was so effective that many delinquents, from a black to a German immigrant, learned effectively and without any incident. When her sister died, many of her former students mourned and pay their last respect for their beloved teacher. I was touched and impressed with this inspirational story because working with juvenile delinquents in the US is as hazardous as working in a nuclear factory. The story of Sir Danny’s sister is similar to that of Jaime Escalante, a dedicated high school mathematics teacher in the US.

So inspiring even the hardest of all children isn’t enough to teach them and what better method we should use for these type of children. I noticed that Sir Danny’s sister used constructive method of teaching in her class. For me, constructivist approach is probably the easiest and the most effective method because it works on the principle that a child has prior knowledge and must achieve and actively engaged in the construction of knowledge rather than passively receiving it. My only concern in this type of method is the fact that a possible deterrent for this teaching method is that, due to the emphasis on group work, the ideas of the more active students may dominate the group’s conclusions. But this is due to the fact that not all students learn uniformly but at different phases. It is true that more active students may dominate a certain group; it doesn’t necessarily means that the more passive students cannot contribute. I believe that many have this thinking because how constructivist method is implemented and applied is either wrong or poorly-trained.

Can discovery learning be applied in delinquent children? It is said that practice in discovering for oneself teaches one to acquire information in a way that makes that information more readily viable in problem solving; it may or may not work with delinquent children. It may work because delinquent children have other abilities that can be considered useful like psychomotor skills, and physical strengths. This is useful especially when giving the problem solving exercises through these given skills like in art, mini-plays, music, and dance. It may not work, at the same time, because delinquents can be so stubborn that they won’t even cooperate nor wants to have anything to do with their education. The teacher will then use a lot of motivations and inspirations for these delinquents to finally relents and start their education, thus defeating the purpose of discovery learning theory.

In the case of the Philippines, this is also true. Many Filipinos are very meticulous and very assuring that no problem solving is gone amiss. But since problem solving takes a lot of efforts, many give up easily and, thus the saying of “Bahala na” comes in to play. This attitude is uniquely Filipino and has a long history. The term “Bahala na” came from the expression “Si Bathala na ang masusunod”. This is a manifestation of the Filipinos’ reliance on faith and the divine in solving problems, which in my opinion can be positive or negative. But in the case of giving up on a problem, “Bahala na” is not the final answer to the problem.

Leaving the question about “children from hell” for a while, let us now focus on whether we should assess how we are orienting the students when it comes to their school evaluation. Should it be based on the mastery of the lesson or it is their performance should matter? For me, it should be both that needs to be assessed. For the mastery evaluation, a student must master the lessons he is being taught and we must know how well they progressed. If we are using Bloom’s mastery theory, we can assess the students on their progress in molding their own knowledge through discussions, quizzes, research papers etc. For the performance evaluation, it is basically the same with mastery evaluation. Only that it focus more on the psychomotor performance of the student rather than the cognitive performance. Filipinos should stop measuring academic success simply with numbers and grades, like most parents and teachers believe, but rather on these evaluations. In my experience, numbers can be deceiving because most A1 students tend to be “intelligent” and “brilliant” by simply doing what is required. After getting their awards and/or citation, they forget what they learned, thus rendering them useless and ignorant once more.

As teachers, surely we have our own expectations with our students. But as the old saying goes; things don’t go according to plan. Teacher’s expectations can affect students’ learning that can be positive or negative. And sometimes, teacher’s expectations can be of extremes. A teacher that expects too much of her class that they tend to be so over-enthusiast or too strict that it over-excites or choke the students. On the other hand, a teacher that expects less that they feel bored or take for granted the students. But one way of solving this is by moderating or going to the middle ground of expectations. A better solution is by setting a more realistic expectation by first assessing what students will the teacher be having and then they can made an expectation well within reach.

In ending this paper, the episode about the boot camp is a reality of how education varies from one culture to another. We cannot say the Chinese were wrong or right in doing that kind of discipline and curriculum that calls for such strictness. For me, the success was really lies upon the individual and how well they’ll succeed in overcoming such challenges. In the case of the boot camp, even though it might be effective after all, is not my idea of a healthy and engaging environment especially to “children from hell”. For me, there is no tough shell for a very patient and caring teacher. In the case of Sir Danny’s sister, which is how education being taught even at the most dangerous persons in society. That is why there is no boot camps in the Philippines because I think we Filipinos find too much discipline based on corporal punishments is too much, especially for a child. Our society is based on compassion, patience, and faith in god. If our society isn’t build on these, then for sure boot camps are everywhere and we’ll be living in a strict disciplinarian way. If there is one thing we learn from the Chinese boot camp is that never leaves the child unguided and uninspired and don’t try to solve the problem through short-cuts and easy-way-outs like this. We should start by giving them more time and attention, counsel and help them in any ways we can, inspire and motivate them to do well, and teach them the goodness in them to be a better person living a better life.

Some Questions in Educational Psychology

2008-02-23T22:55:00.000+08:00

In my humble opinion, psychology was one of the most complex subjects I ever studied since I was in high school. It is really hard to come by the very meaning of psychology and its importance to our understanding of life. This can be understood in simply understanding what is going on in the mind of a person when education comes in to their lives. This is why the study of educational psychology is ever important in our understanding of what is the ideal and real mode of education for a child.

Educational psychology can in part be understood through its relationship with other disciplines. It is informed primarily by psychology, bearing a relationship to that discipline analogous to the relationship between other multi-disciplinary fields like history, sociology, anthropology, humanities etc. This poses a challenge not just for the psychologists but also by educators, like parents, teachers and people surround the child. Also, even a simple person can ask these crucial questions; is it nature or nurture that molds a child? Can cognitive development be accelerated? Should it be mono-lingual or bilingual education in the early years? Should boys and girls study together or separately? What are the advantages and disadvantages of ability grouping? And many more questions to follow.

Is it nature or nurture that molds a child? These camps of thought, in my opinion, are not in opposition with one another but co-existing and dependent from each other. Nature is very important in the child’s growth since a child learns a lot from his/her environment just like the vision of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. According to Rousseau, a child should grow within nature and learn to use the bounty of it as an educational tool. But is nature solely responsible for a growing child? Certainly not or else we will raise a feral child similar to that of the famed novel, Jungle Book. Nurture is very crucial since it is the parent’s responsibility to teach and nourish the child with the knowledge he/she will need in order to survive, think, and gain wisdom from the world around them. Without the balance of nature and nurture, a child will grow up inadequate and might not survive the world they’ll live in.

Can cognitive development be accelerated? Yes and no is my answer in this question. Yes it is because a child’s growth is depending on the genetics of his/her parents, intellectual quotient and, more recently, emotional quotient. We sometimes call these children as “gifted” because of their ability to do something ahead of their years. I remember a classmate of mine in college. She is Shaira Luna, a well-known gifted child. We all know her vast knowledge and expertise in the field of science and we all oohs and ahhs on her. But when I found out that she kept on shifting and shifting from once course to another, she told me that she didn’t live d life she had when she was growing up. The last thing I heard, she is now in College of St. Benilde taking up photography. This is far from the “Promil Kid” we know. This is why cognitive development should not be accelerated.

But at the same time, cognitive can be accelerated if the child is showing maturity at the early age. I know some cases where children mature as early as 5 years old and have a high IQ at the age of 12. We can accelerate their cognitive development by nurturing their capabilities at this stage in their life. But we should be reminded never to push hard on the child that he/she will be expected to be like an adult wherein they are still young. Child psychology, in my opinion, is one of the most complex branches of psychology and many studies are being conducted to gain insights on this field.

Should it be mono-lingual or bilingual education in the early years? This is contentious when it comes to national identity and nationalism. But for me, it should be bilingual in the sense that knowledge is not confined in one language or culture but many. Taking the case of Japan, almost all subjects are taught in Japanese, even science and technology. But the problem of Japan right now is that they are now having a hard time coping with the demand of globalization, which English is the medium of communication. This is why bilingual education is crucial in the early years so that when a child grows up, he/she will be knowledgeable not just with their native tongue but also another language.

But the question is; what about the issue of nationalism? It is true that nationalism calls for national identity but that doesn’t mean we should not include other ideas. A good example is our own country. With the bilingual education, we are not only adept to the Filipino language but also, albeit not that strong, English. We can see this with the influx of foreign students from Korea and Middle East since it cheaper to study English here. And foreigners won’t be having a hard time communicating with Filipinos since we learn to speak English at the early age.

Should boys and girls study together or separately? I am neutral with this issue since both can have advantages and disadvantages. I for one is a product of an exclusive school so one advantage is that the friendship and camaraderie is built up as early as the primary level. Even at my age of 24, I still have friends dating back from our preparatory levels. At the same time the disadvantage I see is that it can trigger homosexuality since the lack of exposure with the other sex. This is a common stereotype from people coming from an exclusive school as a “breeding ground” for gays and lesbians. But this is a case-to-case basis and not all people who came from exclusive schools don’t turn being gays or lesbians.

A non-exclusive too has its advantage similar to an exclusive school. In fact, it can break barriers of machismo and “Maria Clara” stereotypes, which can be prevalent from an exclusive school. I find a non-exclusive school more engaging and a good learning process as a child grows up and in fact, I see no disadvantage at all.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of ability grouping? We cannot deny that every person has their own strengths and weaknesses. The advantage of ability grouping is harnessing and developing their potentials to the fullest. That is why schools have honor section for this example. They were taught more vigorously and more demanding subjects since they have potentials. But the disadvantage, and very negative, is that this can instill envy, self-doubt, self-pity and disunity in a classroom setting. I had that experience when I was in my grade school and high school days where the teachers favored more the honor section while “neglecting” the other classes. The honor class have the best teaches while the others have the not-so-good teachers that we end up learning nothing at all. Also, this grouping led to the mutual hate of the other sections to the honor section because of this so-called preferential treatment of the honor class.

But the negative view of ability grouping can be prevented if the child will be taught that they are grouped because of their strengths and should not expect special treatment but rather a more rigorous and demanding output expected from them. They should also be taught not to rest on their laurels but to prove others that what they are doing is no easy task but rather difficult.

To end my reflection, there are still questions I would like to answer. But as young as I am, I don’t have the necessary answers of the moment. The questions I tried to answer are just the tip of the iceberg of the many questions regarding education and psychology. And with more answers answered, more questions rises. But by trying to give my 2 cents on the questions, I hope that I can help contribute to our understanding of educational psychology.

History and Other Inter-disciplinary Approach

2008-02-23T22:48:00.000+08:00

History is not just about history. In fact, history cannot stand alone that it cannot ignore the other disciplines in social sciences. Anthropology, sociology, psychology, literature, philosophy, economics etc. are some of the discipline the augment and enrich history as a discipline. History, in return, also augment these disciplines to further enrich and better understand social sciences.

Historians are finding out the great usefulness of a multi-disciplinary approach in historical writing. Other social sciences such as political science, economics, linguistics and literature are among the major contributing disciplines that contribute to the richness of history. You could imagine a historian writing history without even understanding the language of the people. This will be a fatal mistake for how can someone write a credible and authentic history ignoring this factor.

But how exactly can other social sciences contribute in history and vice-versa? For example, anthropology can fill in the gaps in the pre-historic studies of history thru the fossils and remains of the early people as they march in history. Political science can give history a good insight in the rise and fall of governance and politics. Literature can inspire a historian to write it down with solid and rigid frameworks of a literary writing. Psychology can give a historian a clear analysis the factors why such things happened in the first place thru the actions of a person. These lists are some of the few contributing social sciences to history on how they benefit from each other and further develop the inter-disciplinary approach in history.

The Current Problems in Philippine Education

2008-02-23T22:44:00.000+08:00

I was watching a commercial in Knowledge Channel in SkyCable long time ago regarding the state of Philippine education. According to the commercial, the country is 2^nd to the last in the South-East Asian region in terms of the quality of education. This is well shocking and embarrassing to think that some of the best educational institutions in the region are in the Philippines. But despite these, why is it that the Philippines is lagging behind its neighbors? Is their something wrong with our state of education?

I also remember a survey made by the University of the Philippines (UP) way back the early 1990s. The survey ask the students why is the UP education is deteriorating. The proponents of the survey expected the quality of education and professors are to blame while others are the dilapidated and outdated facilities of the university. When the result came out, the majority said it was the lack of parking space is to blame for the deteriorating cause of UP education! But the lack of parking space is not even at the tip of the iceberg when the question of the problems of Philippine education. There are more things to be considered the other possibilities of the questions of the problems of Philippine education.

Probably many will agree that it is really the quality of education is to blame. Many felt that the curriculum set by the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is not enough for a more competitive in the modern world. Some said that some subjects are lacking in substance like Mathematics and Science, both are the bulk of most of the educational institution in different countries. Here in the Philippines, many said that these subjects should be taught comprehensively and intensively because is will be the backbone of the country’s development in the near future. This is why Thailand, Malaysia and China outpaced the Philippines in terms of economical and industrial growth because these countries invested in the fields of Mathematics and Sciences. In fact, the best institution in the South-East Asian region is the National University of Singapore (NUS) and their course offerings are in these fields that the Philippines should need to develop.

Another problem pestering the quality of Philippine education is the quality and proficiency of the teachers. According to a recent news article, Filipino teachers lack proficiency in English, Science and Mathematics. Many said that these areas should have been trained comprehensively since as teachers, they should be able to teach the students with a more quality for future growth. But with what I see, the teachers have problems of their own. One example, and the most obvious, is the low salary and terrible working condition. Many public school teachers opt to have “sidelines” during class that sometimes the teacher simply forgets to teach. But who can blame them if their salaries of around 6000-8000 pesos, plus deductible, who can a teacher provide for his/her family? And with the rising cost of living, these figures are not enough. Others cannot teach well in class because of the ratio of students to a teacher. In a typical public school, in every one teacher there are 50-60 students in a class! If I were the teacher working in these conditions, how can I teach properly taking in to consideration of ordering more than 50-60 students per class?

The school facilities can also be a factor of the problem. The Philippines, both in private and public, lacks sophisticated laboratories and facilities to cater the needs of the students. For example, many public schools are still lacking the basic computer laboratories and it is so ironic that computer nowadays, computer education is crucial for future Computer Studies student. Without proper training in computer, how can a student be competitive and computer literate? Jose Rizal reminds us how modern and latest technologies are important in a student’s development in his novel El Filibusterismo. Like in the novel, the laboratory equipments are stored shut in a cabinet and never to be used in class because of the insufficient number of equipments. And when it is shown in class, it is presented like a monstrance of a priest! And prophetic as it seems, Rizal’s time is happening all over again in our contemporary times.

Lastly, a common problem of our Philippine education is the rising cost of sending a child to school. Private schools charges skyrocketing tuition and miscellaneous fees to a student that parents are having a hard time to cope with the rising cost of education. Even sending a child in a public school doesn’t fare better since even the poorest of the poor cannot afford to send a child in school. I remember vividly a story of a public school teacher with a pupil of him. He said that this student was so poor that teachers pay for everything so she can go to school. The teachers don’t mind this sacrifice because the student is so bright and intelligent. She never went to college after high school since she cannot really afford it anymore. What saddened the teachers is that this student passed UP but with no scholarship. Right now, many see education not as necessity but a luxury they cannot afford.

The state of Philippine education is indeed sad and disheartening. We probably all asking who’s to blame for all this mess. But we cannot simply point finger since we all have responsibilities to solve these problem. The government tries its best to give the country and it seemed not enough. But we should not blame the government entirely since it is just not the government’s problems. It is the problem of each and every one of us. If we want the highest quality of education in the country, we should work together to solve this problem.

As a future teacher, these problems will be a big cross to bear. But if I can help solve this problem in my own little way, the cross can be lighter and easier to bear. This is the bitter cup of a teacher to bear. But we must remember that the teacher and every one of us will determine the course of our country’s development through education. Even Rizal said that for a country to progress, education is the key to that success. Solving the problems of Philippine education is a long way to go but if we work for the better, we can attain that quality education we all hope for the best.

Newbies

2005-02-11T01:56:00.000+08:00

Well, there they are folks, 6 new members to my staff. Those guys are swell. I see fires in them and I hope I’m not making a big mistake there. And on our section meeting last Wednesday, they are all present. J good one for me.

Orient

2005-01-30T01:24:00.000+08:00

My ORIENT3 class came to and end just this afternoon. I’m glad its over yet I think Sir Norman was right about what he said…we’ll always remember it until the very end. He’s very cool, smart and can spice up the class. J And one thing I’ll miss on that class is my team, Smart Team. I’ll miss KG, Eca, Dani and Arby. You guys are great and I’m happy teaming up with you guys!!!

Fears and hopes

2005-01-15T01:12:00.000+08:00

I had my 1st section meeting last Wednesday afternoon and discussed some changes and developments on my staffs and section. Off the record, I aired my concerns and fears on the upcoming Editorial Board race. Out of my 8 staffs remaining, half of them are the most likely to succeed my post as an editor. But only one emerges as a strong candidate. I admit, that staff member of mine showed a lot of what it takes to be an editor; motivated, dedicated and can stand the pressure of the school paper. But there is certainly lacking of him; discipline. In fact, he has an attitude problem that even the other staff member and my co-editors cannot contain. If he will make it and still have that kind of attitude, what will happen to my section after I’ve done my term? Some of my staff confesses that it will be devastating and unimaginable if he still doesn’t realize his attitude problem. My concern is that it might cause a serious problem not only to the section but also to the entire publications. I keep on praying that the worst-case scenario won’t even happen. Otherwise, he will take the heat! Boy, I hate to see him suffer a downside with his attitude. Even though some of my staff assured me that they will run, it’s not enough for me to rest on my laurel. I had to anticipate and motivate them more to do beyond their limits.

How did that happened?

2004-12-29T04:02:00.000+08:00

The 2nd term had ended and I still can’t believe that I have no failures! Wow, talk about achievement. Even more astounding is that I passed my statistic and perfected a problem solving! What wonders my professor and me is that I didn’t attend her last 2 classes and still passed. Is it luck or stock knowledge?

Anyway, being in our farm is good but not a blessing. It is as stressing here in the city. Di kaya nasanay lang ako sa lungsod? Possibly yes. But I did enjoy picking calamansi and filled a whole basket. As least I don’t have to worry about juice for my colds.

By the way, to that sanctimonious bastard from Gokongwei, kapal ng mukha mo! Who do you think you are, some hottie from a gay bar? Excuse me; you’re more pathetic than I do. At least I’m not as stupid and bigot like you.

How I wish

2004-12-13T15:53:00.000+08:00

Hayy, most of my friends ang blockmates are about to graduate. What about me? Well, I still have a term to burn and hopefully I’ll graduate by June. But why am I sound somber on this one? It’s been a 4 years when I first step in to the green and white colonnades of DLSU and boy, time flies so fast…di ko alam na senior na pala ako dito sa DLSU. It’s been a blessing and a curse seeing fellow schoolmates come and go. Parang feeling ko matanda na ko dito sa DLSU. Pero ok lang yun, it was a great experience for me. Meeting a lot of new people won’t even hurt. Pero how I wish I could don the graduation toga that I wasn’t able to wear them during my elementary and high school days. How I wish I look good on those .

What a day

2004-12-10T01:29:00.000+08:00

Would you believe it? I just missed 2 make-up classes in statistics!!! My my, my bad. But the good news…I passed high on my last quiz! Great!

Anyway…one of my staffs and i went church hunting for the photo assignments. It turned out to be an “amazing race” type! First, we made an unexpected move to the Mason Temple, went straight to the Aglipayan Church, made a wrong turn to Sta. Cruz for the Chinese Temple and braved the traffic in Divisoria. After that, we get a rest in the new LRT minus my access pass no thanks to some stupid LRTA personnel in EDSA, and then grab a drink in Mcdo in…Katipunan! (hehe, talk about sleeping with the enemies), and then was almost get mugged by a husky security Guard in the main temple of the Iglesia ni Kristo in Commonwealth and created quite a stir. Hehehe. What an adventure to remember.

My quiz

2004-11-30T19:02:00.000+08:00

Take my Quiz on QuizYourFriends.com!

sitting down with Jam

2004-11-11T01:11:00.000+08:00

It’s been how many weeks now when I last saw my classmates in my Spanish level 3 class. How I miss Sis. Ansi, the two Peters, Liz, Nancy, Ian and lastly, Jam.

Who is Jam? Well, when I 1st saw her, I thought I’ve seen her before. It’s just that I can’t remember where and when. Then I remembered and almost fell on my seat. She’s no other than the courtside reporter of FEU!!! My God! Lucky me.

As our class comes to an end, it was an opportunity to sit down and talked with her. We almost devoted our tit-a-tit on the UAAP, players, courtside reporting, Mr. Montinola etc. then it happened, the end of our Spanish class. But it didn’t end there, we ate at a pizza parlor just near DLSU and it was superb. There I noticed how charming Jam could be. She’s not the typical mataray nor snob but rather friendly and sociable. We even shared laughter on Kris Aquino and her rejected application in PBL’s courtside reporting. It was great.

Now I don’t see her anymore, in TV or in person, I was blessed to meet someone sweet and friendly. I hope we could see each other in Spanish classes or just in passing. Who knows?

Raging rage

2004-11-07T04:27:00.000+08:00

Ilang beses ko bang sasabihin sa isang tao na ayaw na ayaw ko sa mga taong walang palabra de honor? Hanggang mamatay na lang ako yun at yun na lang ba sasabihin ko? Eh di siguro ang kakapal ang mga apog ng mga tao sa paligid ko kung yun ang sagot.

Why do people sometimes take for granted that is very valuable to you? Laruan lang ba yun sa kanila? Sana masunog na silang lahat ng buhay ng malaman nila ang importansya ng isang bagay.

Pathetic

2004-11-04T01:12:00.000+08:00

How pathetic for some people to be so close-minded. What’s worse is that they are your best friends and they seemed “annoyed” with your ideas. OMG, what’s gotten to that person’s mind? Shouldn’t he at least respect my ideas since I do respect his? Sheesh…talk about childish behavior.

Well, it’s final. That stupid cowboy from Texas wins again. I guess another 4 years of agonizing ordeal with this so-called “war on terror” which is going around in circles anyway.

Getting the steam

2004-10-20T01:04:00.000+08:00

Well, it seemed that I’m not the only one who is complaining one of my erring staffers. Our News Editor burst her anger in our yahoo groups because of my staff’s unscrupulous use of computer. My staff is so hardheaded that not even my editor-in-chief can contain him. Now, is it still my problem or am I telling the truth? I guess the latter is the right one. But no worry because his evaluation now on its way to my associate editor. I just hope he likes his appraisal.

Yearbook at last!!!

2004-10-19T01:37:00.000+08:00

Finally, after many months of waiting for my darn college yearbook, it was launch last Friday. Yay!!! Great job Green and White peeps! It’s worth the wait.

Anyway…intensity 4 earthquake sure scared my guests off their pants on my birthday. Hehe. Pero it was a great party.

Pensive

2004-10-12T01:56:00.000+08:00

Before I begin my post, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who greeted me and/or came to my b-day party last Friday.

Now, let’s get down to business…I’ve been disturbed by an unpleasant incident that happened last month until now although I don’t want to think it too much but it brings out a devil in me like an angry beast ready for the kill.

So ok, what was this unpleasant event? Well, it started last month while I’m getting in the office. Then suddenly, one of my co-editor started yanking and motor-mouthing me because the supposed assigned staff for the pictorial was not around during that time. it was their Press Week and I couldn’t blame her for being a hot-tempered lady that day. But things became worse when she confronted me off the record. She accuses me of mismanagement and an irresponsible editor. With this is the last straw, I punched the wall and cursed her in rage. Thank goodness I was a gentlemen or else I could have hit her on the face. Good thing our Editor-in-chief came out to find out the commotion. Good thing he sided me as he soothe that bitch. As we tell our side of the story, it turns out that my staff took some photo news prior to his assignment outside DLSU. But it rained so he didn’t make in on time. Her staff however, didn’t communicate with my staffer at all! Before the cool-down ended, she make another rant by saying I was trying to intimidate her with a fist. But the EIC didn’t buy it anymore and said to us to settle it all.

In doesn’t matter who’s right or wrong in this situation anymore. But I ask myself sometimes if it is prudent to shout at someone in front of many people especially when your staff members are around. Is it just to assume I’m such an incompetent fool because I didn’t monitor my staff? Excuse me bitch but you better watch your tongue because you have no right to do that to me. Not even my parents can shout at me in public and you Ms. No-breeding-bitch did it in a snitch. Wow, I should call the Guinness Records for you. Besides, you don’t feed me to be shouted at.

Seriously, I now buried the hatchet and had move on. Maybe I should just control my temper more.

cumpleanos

2004-10-07T22:59:00.000+08:00

21...the debut of every guys in this world. Well, getting old is a good thing but it's better to be young forever. But that's life...always spinning and tumbling. Anway...few hours from now and I'll be inducted to the many young bachelors and start my year as a full-pledge gentlemen.

Rio Diaz is certainly making some hit today after her death but my goodness, those freaking vultures from ABS-CBN and GMA are making a fuss out of it!!! For the lover of God!!! Can't they once stop this freaking rating war??!!!

Animo!!!

2004-10-03T14:33:00.000+08:00

That's official...DLSU Green Archers were once again the UAAP basketball champs! Well, i remember those vivid days back in 2001 when DLSU got its 4-peat. hayy... Anyway...i went to the victory party in school and shucks...i didn't even get a hotdog because of the line!!! pero ok lang, i got a styro No.1 thanks to Smart and i got a Ringback tune of Rektikano thanks also to Addict Mobile.

Well, certainly i won't be around to see DLSU defend their crown next season but hey...full support will always be my best offer .

ANIMO LA SALLE!!!

remembering 1081

2004-09-22T01:02:00.000+08:00

Sept. 21 - Martial Law. i wasn't born that day it was proclaimed but as a future historian i must learned its mistake and avoid further repitition of history. i know that history repeats itself but one should learn from its lessons that had been left.

Gotcha!!!

2004-09-16T01:49:00.001+08:00

before this thing get flushed out in my memory, i was a bit doubtful that a guy i knew in school is oddly unusual. talk about "looks can be deceiving". anyway...i got the chance to confirm it in an NGO meeting where he is one of the host. good thing i got a pic of him in the net that was posted in a MIRC channel. using it to start a conversation, i said that someone is posting it over MIRC. he was shocked and said that "kahit na b******** ako eh i don't post my pics on the net so and so". boom! i got my answers :) . well honestly, i wasn't surprise kung ganun nga talaga siya. gusto ko lang naman malaman kung ganun nga talaga siya. well, kung san nga masaya ang tao eh dun siya. not bad for a pep squad member isn't it?

que barbaridad es mi grado en lengua espanol!

2004-09-03T21:20:00.000+08:00

hayy, bagsak ako sa spanish ko. kainis at panira sa mga grades ko. kainis yung propesorang yun. sobrang strict sa grading system!!! pamatay sobra.

Robert Frost

2004-09-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

Road Not Taken
-Robert Frost-

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

that's what I am right now. trying to make a difference in the world.

a month of reflection

2004-08-30T22:11:00.000+08:00

August is about to end and as I look back, it was the pain and the joy to look once again to the month of turbulence and troubles.

1. final had just been done. i hope i got high grades. i can't afford another screw-up.

2. ano kaya ang matimbang? 12 years of knowing each other or 4 years of cold friendship? ewan ko ba. people tend to forget all the goodness of a person and always remember all the bad and ugly. di ko alam kung sino may problema kung ako nga ba o sila na.

3. para kay V.A.P. - PUTANG INA MO!!!! MAMATAY KA NA AT MASUNOG KA SA IMPIERNO!!! ISA KANG MALAKING PLASTIC SA MUKHA NG MUNDO!!!

4. sa mga taong may talagang pakailam sa akin, maraming maraming salamat sa inyo. sana huwag kayong makain ng mga sinasabi ng ibang tao. kilala ninyo ako sa simula't-simula pa lamang. huwag kayo sanang padadala sa mga ihip ng hangin.

5. ikaw na nga lang ang tutulong, napapasama ka pa. bakit kaya ganun ang tao? misunderstanding nga ba o natapakan ko mga pride at ego nila? aba ewan, di ko naman sila ka-utak eh. basta nasabi ko ang gusto kong sabihin. huwag sana nilang damdamin.

6. salamat sa mga phonemates ko sa pakikinig ng mga problema ko sa buhay. hayy sorry kung mistulang dr. love na kayo sa akin. hehe. i do appreciate all your cares for me as a friend.

7. i'm not sure kung makakaya ko pa work ko sa school paper, sa school, sa church at sa bahay. i feel i'm straining my health because of work overload at sa kakaisip ng kung anu-ano. maybe i should go to a personal retreat, away from all problem and be like the buddha for one day in my life.

8. for those who are asking, "who am i to are speak at them like that?" well, i'm some darn old fool wanting for a change in the institution i've loved and embraced. who doesn't want a change? you think change is something by a trinkle? hell no. change is drastic and cataclysmic. look at what happened to industrial revolution, the age of enlightenment, the reformation, all the known revolutions and wars of the world. did they happened like a trinkle of sand in an hourglass? think about it.

well, that's for the whole month of august. you know, the chinese might may been right. august is really the most turbulent month.

buhay

2004-08-07T02:46:00.000+08:00

Life is so sweet and bitter. sometimes our nostalgic and estatic on every good that comes to our life. but when bitterness come, it's like a hard pill to swallow. sometimes, when goodness comes, as if it is just an illusion that goes away so easy. if only life is ideal and no more pains and sufferings will ever happen. but i guess that's it, the sweetness of life is when bitterness comes. it will test your strength as a person. how i wish i was like that always amidst the terrible storms of my life.

nasty

2004-07-28T23:11:00.000+08:00

would you know it? my lover had a 3rd Party!!! well, here's a song for you Two-Timer bitch!!! hope you like it!!!

Nice to Know You
Better than watching Gellar bending silver spoons
Better than witnessing newborn nebulaes in bloom
She who sees from up high smiles and surely sings
Perspective pries your once weighty eyes and it gives you wings
I haven't felt the way I feel todayIn so long it's hard for me to specify
I'm beginning to notice how much this feels
Like a waking limb, pins and needles, nice to know you
Goodbye, nice to know you
Goodbye, nice to know you
Deeper than the deepest Cousteau would ever go
And higher than the heights of what we often think we know
Blessed she who clearly sees the wood for the trees
To obtain a birds eye is to turn a blizzard to a breeze
I haven't felt the way I feel today
In so long it's hard for me to specify
I'm beginning to notice how much this feels
Like a waking limb, pins and needles, nice to know you
Goodbye, nice to know youGoodbye, nice to know you
So could it be that it has been there all along?

wrong side of the bed

2004-07-26T22:44:00.000+08:00

naman to. lunes na lunes eh bad trip ang araw ko. well, kasalanan ko yung una kong malas dahil kulang ako sa tulog kaya ako nasita ng prof ko. once na nga lang kami nagkikita-kita eh tutulugan ko pa. pero ang talagang nakaka-badtrip eh yung bang walang pakundangang tao. ano ang solusyon? balibagin mo ng sharpener! haha, served her right. sige na, bad kung bad pero siya naman ang mali.

anyway...on the lighter note, i did well pala sa isang subject na akala ko eh tagilid ako. it's not good pero at least i'm off the hook. di me pumasok sa religion at thank god cancelled kasi pinanood pala sila ng SONA ni GMA. hehe

before i forget pala. mig, kung mababasa mo ito, you don't have to bandwagon with blogspot. ok lang yan. be proud at deviant ka sa trappings ng popular culture hehe. ganyan ang ating signature, deviant and innovative.

risk

2004-07-21T00:54:00.000+08:00

you know what's the hardest thing tonight for me? it is taking the risk of my decisions. i think it's necessary to do those stuffs 'cause you are willing to take the chance. to that, here's a dedication song to what i feel on the risk i took:

TILL MY HEARTACHES END

i recall when you said that you would never leave me
you told me more so much more like when the time you whispered
in my ear there was heaven in my heart i remeber when you said that youd be here foreverthen you left without even saying that youre leaving
i was hurt and it really wont be easy to forget
yesterday and i pray that you would staybut then youre gone and oh so far away

i was afraid this time would comei wasnt prepared to face this kind of hurtin from within
i have learned to live my life beside you
maybe ill just dream of you tonight
and if into my dream you come and touch me once again
ill just keep on dreaming till my heartaches end

and then you left without even saying that youre leaving
i was hurt and it really wont be easy to forget
yesterday and i pray that you would stay
but then youre gone and oh so far away

i was afraid this time would come
i wasnt prepared to face this kind of hurtin from within
i have learned to live my life beside you
maybe ill just dream of you tonight
and if into my dream you come and touch me once again
ill just keep on dreaming till my heartaches end

i was afraid this time would come
i wasnt prepared to face this kind of hurtin from within
i have learned to live my life beside you
maybe ill just dream of you tonight
and if into my dream you come and touch me once again
ill just keep on dreaming till my heartaches endkeep on dreaming

happy days are here again

2004-07-21T00:06:00.000+08:00

3 lucks in 3 days. wow, world record na yun para sa akin. ano ba yung una? ah yes, i got a photo with leila barros of brazil! yey! swerte ko talaga that day. i wasn't expecting that she will be on LSGH that faithful morning and i think lady luck was with me then.

this night, i think i'm in love!!! i can't explain what's happening to me with this person. as if siya na ang katuparan ng aking mga hiling.

hell week

2004-07-14T14:43:00.000+08:00

press week is here again. damn, i never expected to have negative comments from two of my editors. pero ok lang 'cause kasalanan ko naman pero yung manlamig sila eh di ata maganda. pero it's all in a day's work.

tapos na mga papers ko for now so wala na kong gaanong problema. pero kulang pa rin ako sa tulog at lagi akong nakakatulog sa office. my co-staffers are asking me kung natutulog pa ba ako sa bahay. hehe.

i'm glad my correspondents are doing well. i guess i'm sailing smoothly as expected. pero ingat na rin ako kasi baka lumaki ulo nila o baka ma-spoiled.

depressing weekend

2004-07-12T23:39:00.000+08:00

hayy, ang plain and simple ng hosting ng dlsu sa UAAP opening. millions spent for such simplicity. pero in fainess, i like the PEP squad's rendition of other school's cheer. it was something unexpected.

what a shame to DLSU! pinabayaan ang ADMU makahabol. ayan, talo tuloy. anyway, nice game though.

2 days without post

2004-07-08T09:57:00.000+08:00

hayy, lovelife. ang tingin ko sa sarili ko ngayon ay parang si jennifer lopez sa the wedding planner. i planned and be proud of planning my friends' happiness in their lovelife pero sadly, ni hindi ko man lang mapagplanuhan ang aking sariling lovelife.

dumating muli ang kinakatakutan ko, depression. well, i saw my distraught friend on his relationship and then nagkabalikan sila right in front of me. damn, i feel down that night at halos blank utak ko nung gabing yun. pero like my friend suggested, itulog ko lang daw. i guess tama nga siya. :)

eto, i took my mid-term sa east asia history, major subject ko po yun. it wasn't that hard. partida, hindi pa ko pumapasok minsan. hehe. ang bad ko noh.

anyway...july 10 is the big day! UAAP opening na! pahirapan na to sa kin as a photo editor.

palabra de honor

2004-07-05T23:11:00.000+08:00

you know what i hate when your applying for a slot? yung mga walang palabra de honor (word of honor). hayy, i lost 2 correspondent in favor of the rival school paper. although it's their choice and they are free to choose, i just wish i never passed them in their application for the slot. you guys wanna know why? its because many would like to apply to my staff and i see this coming i should have not accepted them. they said in their interview that they prefer our school paper than the other because of the credibility and fiery in bringing the truth and fearless news. to those 2, i wish they made a right choice and won't regret it in the near future. pero i just want them to know that, they got the highest mark of all my applicants. :(

anyway, another dinner Editorial Board Meeting and it was great. and i can sleep in peace now because the "stolen" camera turned up unexpectedly!!! it seemed that one of the senior photo staffer borrowed it w/o my notice. but it's ok because i understand that she doesn't know the new rules.

i almost didn't make it to my report in my major subject because i overslept. i made an excuse that i was having my report acetated and the queue was long. even though i got used to my prof's attitude towards tardiness and absences, i feel i'm making a bad impression but it was ok. i learned from it and hopefully it won't happen again. the report turned out great and even he was impressed.

well, i guess that's a slice of my Monday. till next time.

beautiful sunday

2004-07-04T13:08:00.000+08:00

hayy, hirap ng maraming ginagawa. tuloy ultimo mong pahinga eh nauuwi sa aral. pero ok lang yun. mahirap bumagsak diba? anyway, eto papunta kami sa isang blessing ng kaibigan ng dad ko, surf the web as usual before we leave. hanggang dito na lang muna.

my 1st post

2004-07-03T23:52:00.000+08:00

yey, at last may blog na ko. i can't wait to start posting here.