Proud papa don't preach

mickey performing a la andres segovia/earl klugh 

compliments to nica for the picture.


Yesterday, my son (yes, he's blogging now!), Mickey asked permission if he can bring my guitar to school. I was a bit hesitant as that guitar has a very significant meaning for me. (I have blogged about it and if you're interested, just follow this link.) It turned out that he volunteered to play the guitar in an intermission number for an activity of Juniors and Seniors at the main theater. I conceded and gave him my nod. I told him to just leave the guitar in my office and to come and get it from there should he want to practice. He agreed and said it's not yet certain anyway if he could be allowed to perform.

I completely forgot about it and was out of the office during lunchtime. Naturally, he wasn't able to practice.

Showtime came. I think he was told that there would only be one intermission number and that he might not be able to perform. "Performing was already out of my mind," he told me later. What happened was the judging took some time more (it was some sort of a songwriting contest for Juniors and Seniors) and the teacher-in-charge asked him to go up the stage to perform. So, when the announcer called out his name, that started a gruelling experience I've ever encountered.

You see, I've seen him perform playing the violin before. That's supposed to be his instrument. He's had proper training and had been playing the instrument since grade three. But the guitar? He just picked it up this year. One time, my guitar was lying on the sofa, he picked it up, and began asking me questions about where the notes are. "Pa, where is C (do)? Where is D (re)? etc. Then, he asked to see my guitar pieces. I gave him an easy piece to humor him. He struggled and I kept reminding him where the notes where. Soon enough, he was already playing the instrument to my amusement. "Geez, I don't think I taught that boy!" So, playing the guitar was fine, but performing live? Talking about kicking it up a notch! He's not only kicking, he's trying to pull a round house flying kick! I would assume he wouldn't have the guts. But not my Mickey. Somehow, I feel he has set out a goal and that the only thing that is preventing him is stage fright and he knew he has to confront his demons.

So going back to my gruelling experience. Once his name was called, I already start setting my sensors on. How would the audience react? Would they be booing? I hope not because that would hurt big time! Would he suddenly have mental block and stop playing in the middle of the tune? (That happened to me with my friend Redjie, you see) Will he be heard considering that he's not really accustomed to plucking strings as he's always used a bow? Will the students holler and heckle him? What do I do just in case? Will I stand up and show them I was watching.

No, let him be. He will have to face this alone.

During the intro, he missed the third note and he stopped! He strethed his hand and fingers, wiggled his foot, looked at the audience searching for someone, who I later on learned was his sister Kim, signalled her the thumbs up sign which she acknowledged, and start playing again. He played Earl Klugh's rendition of "If you should know by now" and the girls started singing the song once they picked it up. I, on the other hand, was trying to send out mental signals (as if they work) "too slow!" "too soft" "put the guitar closer to the mike" while my heart pounded.

Finally, the song was finished and he gave a bow. He finished it without a fluke. Everybody cheered. And my ordeal was finished. I had to go to the clinic to check my BP. I swear, the next time he performs, I will demand that my wife watch it with me. Nevertheless, I am avery proud papa right now.

School sanctions

This is one post I didn't want to post but I have read somewhere that if one wants to become a writer, one should be honest if one wants to be effective in this field. Just look at the very famous writers. They were sincere with their writings and they shared what was to be shared. Now, I do not have any intentions of becoming a famous writer, but since I am doing this journal of some sorts for my children, and their children's children, I might as well do it right.

I did not want to post this because it involves my youngest son. You see, I had to suspend him for two days for a misdemeanor that he did in school. He was caught by his math teacher talking to a seatmate while a test was going on. Our handbook clearly states that talking during in a test shall be misconstrued as cheating. So, as soon as the violation report was given to me, I signed it and implemented it according to the handbook. I have told my children before I accepted this position that once they have been complained of any ill-doing, there won't be any investigation anymore but has to be addressed and be giving its full sanction. Tough job but I have to do it.

This leads me to another point. A teacher came to me once to say that a student has copied another student's assignment. The teacher was in a dilemma as to what offense has been committed. Should it be cheating? The handbook says cheating is committed during an exam. Should it be plagiarism? No, because it was not a project or a research paper the student was claiming as his own. It was an assignment. You see, assignments are done at home and the child can seek help anywhere it can be had. For me, an assignment's purpose is to aid the understanding of a lesson. Whether it be as a prelude to the lesson so that the following day, the student would have an idea of what is going to be tackled in class or it could be a review of some sorts or an exercise that was supposedly learned in class. At any rate, it is not similar to a test which aims to evaluate one's understanding of a particular lesson.

Sometimes, I do not go for the traditional way of thinking. As eccentric as it may sound, I sometimes go for different ways to handle a specific problem. It is not uncommon for me to get into trouble, mind you. But that's who I am. Anyway, considering the circumstances, I told the teacher that if it was I who was in that predicament, what I would do was to call the parent just to inform that such a thing happened, give the child a zero for the assignment and give him a similar homework (which was not to be graded anymore) if only to make him understand the concept being taught by that particular assignment. Probably a harder one since I would be working on the premise that the lesson to be learned has indeed been learned already. To my mind, this is a better sanction than issuing a violation and following the traditional sanctions prescribed by the handbook. After all, the end product should be a lesson learned from the endeavor.

Unfortunately, the teacher followed a different route. Oh well, it was by the book, so no problem. What would you have done? Was my idea so far-fetched?

All about seminar-workshops

This morning, as usual, before going to my office, I passed by the faculty lounge to have a brief chat with my friends. I chanced upon reading a news article from Philippine Star that says our students did poorly with regard to Science and Math by international standards. Students in Manila did fairly better than their counterparts in the provinces. Once again, this poor showing in these semingly important subjects was attributed to the lack of good teachers as one of the culprits. Several solutions are being thought of to address the issue. I read that one of the solutions is sending these teachers to seminars and workshops to upgrade their skills.

Now, I have just attended a seminar-workshop on drug counseling at a hotel along Taft Avenue several weeks ago. As is always the case, I have been disappointed with some of the participants. Of all the people I can sit with, I was unfortunate to share the table with two middle aged ladies who did not care what was going on during the lecture part. They kept on talking and talking about mundane things. I was so pissed I wanted to shout, SHUT UP will you? These were teachers from public schools who, I am sure had been sent there using tax payers money. I know because that was one of the topics of their discussion. I did not mean to eavesdrop but I can't help hearing what they were talking about. They wouldn't even whisper. This is not the first time I had experienced teachers of this kind. I once attended a seminar on the Liabilities of Teachers and was disappointed to share seats with people who would not give a damn about their seatmates and talk in their natural voices making you lose an entire thought of what the speaker is saying. "What did you eat? The fish was a little undercook, wasn't it?" I wonder how these teachers react to talkative students?

What is my point? The point is, if we would like to upgrade the ability of teachers, we cannot do it via two day seminar-workshops but by a thorough training program, which, of course, would be a little expensive. But who cares, its our children's welfare at stake. It is about time we start spending wisely.

Composition at work

Here's the last entry on my Art lesson posts. If you remember the things I discussed earlier, (formal and informal balance) here are two examples of how these work. I shall be using a poster as the example as the same priciples apply to practically everything else.

So, imagine that we are to do a poster of a product, say a pencil. What are the key elements that we can put on the poster? First we have a "title". Let us use the name of the product for the title. I shall use the name of my daughter, Keshia, as the product name. Then, we have a "sub-title". Usually, this is a slogan or a by-line to call the attention of the viewer. Then, there's the "illustration". Now, this is very important. You have to come up with a very catchy illustration or photograph so that passers-by would be drawn into the poster and stay awhile to look and get him/her to read the information. Next is the text or copy which is the actual information or message you want to get across. This part is usually supplied by the copywriter. When I was in college, we use to represent this with plain lines just so the printer would know where to put the text. Remember not to put very long sentences or paragraphs when the poster. Nobody will read very lengthy advertisements. Lastly, we have the company name or the logo.

Now that we know the parts, here are two examples. I used formal balance for the first example.

formal 


Notice that all elements are justified. Remember that formal balance is having symmetry of all the elements. What you find at the left, you will find at the other side. In computer lingo, it is "justified". This is a very safe ploy. You will never go wrong when you use this. The only thing you have to worry about is proper spacing and proportion. (Okay, I committed a boo boo here. Notice the flap? There is something wrong with it. Can you tell me what it is?) O di ba, may test pa. hehe

Now, compare the same elements using informal balance.

informal balance 


If you were the artistic director, what would you have chosen, if ever? Or would you rather that the artist create another one? Do you have another idea for a layout? Tell me about it.

I hope I was able to help someone out there with these simple tips on how to prepare a visual presentation.

Composition

Layout

Once again, I have been successful in coercing (in a loving way, of course) my son, Mickey to help me create simple drawings based on my instructions to share some tips on another important aspect in creating an art work. Remember, this is very basic as my main goal is to help teachers in making (un)usual tasks like bulletin boards, instructional materials and whatever their principal would care to throw at them to expedite and make the learning experience fun.

Now that I have given tips on how to use color effectively, let us discuss composition and layout. Composition and layout is the arrangement of artistic parts so as to form a unified whole. Hence, composition is the art of putting together all the elements of a piece to make a pleasing whole. Let's take for example a square, a rectangle a circle and a triangle in one art piece. If we just toss these objects to a given space without much thought, it would probably look like this:

Fig. 1 


As you can see, they are unrelated and there is no movement at all. However, if we make a few adjustments, put them together in an artistic manner, then we have a more coherent arrangement. Something that goes like this:

Fig. 2 


Remember, when doing a bulletin board, a poster or anything that calls for a visual presentation, always consider how you are going to put the various parts together. To do this, we must bear in mind the concept of balance. There are two types of balance in art. The first one is called Formal balance. This is when all the elements found at one side of the given space is also found at the other.

Fig. 3 Formal Balance 


This type of balance is very safe for there is already symmetry. However, sometimes, this can be boring to look at. This brings us to the next type of balance which is called Informal balance

How is this done? Just like when two people of different weights ride a see saw, either the heavier one or the lighter person adjusts so that the seesaw will have a good equilibrium and they can enjoy the ride. This is what a good artist does. Find a "feel" for balance. There are some rules which we can follow. I can give you one. Remember, a big white object will balance several dark smaller objects. Hence:

Fig. 4 Informal Balance 


If you see a photograph where all the elements are placed on the right side, don't you feel like they are falling off from the frame? That is because it has poor balance.

Lastly, consider patterns when making a design. you can use three basic patterns. These are, repetition, (aaaaaaaa), alternation (ababababab) and alteration.

Fig. 5 Pattern 


Since my son (feel free to browse through his works) is already sleepy and it being a school day, I had to free him from helping me. Thus, using the same example, imagine that all the shapes are in white, that is repetition. Since I asked him to make it black and white, the pattern is alternation. If say on the space at the left of the picture, I created a red circle, then I would have altered the pattern, hence such will be alteration.

Lastly, one can use the rule of thirds. How this is done is by dividing the drawing or working space into three parts horizontally and vertically like so:

fig. 6 Rule of thirds  


The intersections are the most interesting spots where you can put your subject. Simple, right?

For a much more detailed lesson, you can go here and here

Design 1

I will have to thank my son, Mickey, for patiently doing the images I present in this entry. As you see, it took him only a short while to do what I would have done in ages accompanied by almost bleeding to death, pouncing on my head and throwing the entire computer to the ground out of dismay.

One of the tasks given to teachers is the preparation of the classroom especially during the opening of classes. Not only that, they would be given assignments to display works of students, and occasionally design a bulletin board. What about those visual materials they have to prepare to aid the teaching of the lesson and hype it up a notch? All these require some knowledge in design, at least to a conscientious teacher, that is. Of course, one does not want to make sloppy work. Being an art teacher, I have been requested to do these things not only for myself but co-teachers as well. Since i am maintaining a blog and have not been inside a classroom for quite some time, I decided to share my little knowledge which I think would be most helpful to those facing the task of having to make a design for the school or even for just a class.

Allow me to start this off with color. Color is very important. When making a design, the important thing to remember is that it should be pleasing to the eye. Colors one must use should harmonize with one another. Often, you hear someone quip, "Somehow, the colors don't match!" When you hear this, you know that you failed to harmonize. There are people who have a knack for color. They have a good color sense. But what about those who don't? Don't despair for there are certain standards which we can follow so that we can never go wrong with our color choices.

Hence, I introduce to you the Prang Color Wheel. This is a device designed by Mr. Prang to guide us with color combinations. This is how it looks like:


Fig. 1

So, okay, now that you know that there is a color wheel, so what, you ask? The name of the colors as we know them, ex, red, violet, magenta, are called hues. Allow me to dissect this color wheel a bit. Let's start off with the very basic. We have three primary colors, viz., yellow, red and blue. These are called primary because these are the sources of all colors. We cannot produce these colors by mixing two or more colors. They are what they are. Let's present them in a triangle. Hence:


Fig. 2


Now, what happens if we mix equal parts of two primary colors? Yes, we get secondary colors. These colors are orange (the mixture of red and yellow), violet (blue and red) and green (yellow and blue). Again, we can form a triangle to represent them.


Fig. 3


Now, let's make it even more interesting. What about mixing one primary color with a secondary color? Of course, we get a tertiary color. Some people call them intermediate colors but just for the sake of simplicity, convenience and consistency, let's call it tertiary. Now, the wheel is complete. No, not really. We can still go in-between these colors but I'll let you do the imagining from this point on.



Fig. 4

I can almost hear you saying, "So what? Fine, now I know there exists a cute arrangement of color. But what does it do?" Here comes the important part. There are various ways by which you can use this color wheel. From this, we derive proper color combinations artists call color harmonies. Again, I am going to present to you the very basic of these color harmonies.

First one is called MONOCHROMATIC color harmony. Mono means one, ergo, choose a color and by either adding white or black, lessen or increase the intensity of the color.

Here, I have made five different "shades" or "tones" of one color. So, if you have a drawing of say, a landscape, use these different tones to create a painting. Divide a drawing into several parts. Assign a number to each of the tone. Set aside. Put numbers on the segragated areas making sure no two area of the same number sits side by side. Apply the tone to the numbered area and there you go! YOu have made a monochromatic painting of a landscape.

Next one is called analogous harmony. Analogy means relationship. Thus, these are colors that are related to one another. Take a look at the color wheel again. Notice that colors to the left of yellow and violet viz., YO, O, RO, R, and RV come from one primary color which is red. On the right side, YG, G, BG, B and BV, the common color is blue. See the relationship? The colors to the left of yellow and violet are called "warm colors" while those to the right are called "cool". I shall let you decide which set would be suitable for what design. Just like the monochromatic harmony, what you can do to a drawing is segregate the areas into five to six numbers and assign each area a number. Apply the color and voila, you have a painting that uses analogous harmony. So, you ask, "what are yellow and violet? Cool or warm?" They are neutral colors!


Color Harmonies 
Fig. 5

Lastly, we have complementary colors. These are colors that lie opposite each other. They are called complementary because they somehow complete the color wheel. What do I mean? Remember how the colors are related to one another? Those in left being related because they all have a portion of red. However, they do not have any blue! So, in order to complete it, get the opposite color. Hence, orange and blue are complementary. So are red and green. Can you think of a season where the color harmony is predominantly red and green? In the example, I have made yellow and violet slightly bigger to show you how they lie opposite each other.


Fig. 6

There are other ways by which you can use this wheel. For example, there is one called "split complementary" where you combine yellow with Red Violet and Blue Violet. As you make your works of art using this wheel, you will realize that tt's worth the trouble experimenting with color. i don't want to spoil your fun so this is where I get off and leave you to have your fun.

I've been tagged!

This is my first to do this. I have been tagged before but for one reason or another couldn't oblige. Sorry guys.

Anyway, I've been tagged by Eruannie a co-member of pinoy teachers network. She's a teacher, storyteller, writer who works as a librarian in one of the best schools in Manila. So, what do you think is the meme about? Books, what else!

So, I'm supposed to enumerate 5 books that I love and own. Hmmm... That should be easy as I stopped buying books when prices skyrocketed. I get my reading materials from the school library and borrow from friends. Anyway, the books that I love and actually have are:

1. The Little Prince by Antoine de St. Exupery - So simple and unassuming and yet very powerful.

2. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach - gave me the idea that nothing is impossible.

3. The Covenant by James Michener (I can't find this one anymore as the others, like Hawaii) - tells about the history of South Africa in novel form. I've read Chesapeake, too, but I just borrowed it from the library.

4. Shogun by James Clavell - Bought this from a dollar store in Steveston. I've always been fascinated by Japan and the Japanese culture. Incidentally, I've also read King Rat, Tai Pan and Noble House.

5. Dude, where's my country by Michael Moore - this one's a present from my niece who came for a visit from the States. She also brought me Ron Suskinds's The Price of Loyalty. Interesting how Michael Moore put the pieces together.

Additional:

6. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - this one I have to keep in balance as I might turn out to be greedy. Also had The Virtue of Selfishness and even wrote about it here

So there, that wasn't really hard. Anyway, I am beginning to like Neil Gaiman. i've heard so much about him from bloggers especially from friends in blogkadahan who are big Gaiman fans like Batjay, Doc Emer and Joffin. With people of this caliber saying something, one better listens, right? And they're so right! Neil Gaiman is one hell of a writer. Finished reading Coraline and reading American Gods and loving it.

-------------------------

Btw, can someone explain to me what happened to my site meter? It had 38000 before until I realize I've lost it. The next time I saw it appear, it was back to two hundred and counting again? Weird. Has this happened to anyone yet?

God Bless you Ben Stein

It is with deep regret that I have not been blogging and bloghopping the past couple of days because I had been very busy with work. Much to my regret, I missed this post of my friend The Cat where she featured an article written by Ben Stein, which he claims, would be the last article he would write for his column "Monday Night at Morton's" after seven or eight years of writing it. The column is about a steak house called Morton which is supposedly frequented by movie stars. However, I am still in luck for another blogging friend, actually, idol, Sassy emailed the same article to me.

I have seen Ben Stein in a couple of shows before. There was this trivia quiz I regularly watched in Canada while seated on the couch and trying to answer the questions before the contestants gave out the answer. The idea was whoever won the match would pit it out with Ben Stein and grab his money. I forgot the title of the show. Then, I've seen him at Fox News giving his opinions on economic issues, and lastly, at that talent show hosted by, I think, Arsenio Hall. Yes, Ben Stein might be uninteresting on the surface, with that inanimated voice and sleepy stance on tv but he sure is smart. Now that I've read this article, I came to realize he's even smarter than I thought he is.

Anyway, in this article, we see how Ben Stein got to an enlightened realization that while it is true that society may not have changed looking for heroes, it has changed its criteria through time.

Beyond that, a bigger change has happened. I no longer think Hollywood stars are terribly important. They are uniformly pleasant, friendly people, and they treat me better than I deserve to be treated. But a man or woman who makes a huge wage for memorizing lines and reciting them in front of a camera is no longer my idea of a shining star we should all look up to.

He talked about how he shifted his ideas of what constitute heroism from these huge money makers to the ordinary soldier in Iraq, the policemen and firemen and women who will put their lives at risk without fear for life and limb just so the citizens of the world can live peacefully and happily.

Real stars are not riding around in the backs of limousines or in Porsches or getting trained in yoga or Pilates and eating only raw fruit while they have Vietnamese girls do their nails. They can be interesting, nice people, but they are not heroes to me any longer.

A real star is the soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who poked his head into a hole on a farm near Tikrit, Iraq. He could have been met by a bomb or a hail of AK-47 bullets. Instead, he faced an abject Saddam Hussein and the gratitude of all of the decent people of the world.

What do I make out of this article? Why the interest? There are two things I want to point out here. First, the article moved me for I feel the same thing. Why do people look up to these so called "stars" making them ultra rich while thousands of people out there are sacrificing their lives for a measly sum? What kind of values do we have? Then that made me think this may be one of those perks of capitalism. The more money you have, the greater you are. Nevermind how wealth is attained. As long as you have plenty of it, you are worthy of emulation. This makes you realize how parents would make their "talented" child stand long hours in a queue to audition for a role, or a kiddie contest in a noontime show. The "return of investment" should the child succeed is staggering!

Second, can we say that the average Filipino cop worthy of our adulation? What with all the bribery, the corruptness and sometimes, the lack of intelligence that seems to plague policedom in the country today. What about firemen? We have heard how these firefighters would, holding his waterpump, stand guard on the richest guy in the neighborhood simply because he was promised a reward, or the looting that took place during a fire. Do I dare mention politicians? So, who do you think would be our heroes? I am tempted to say teachers but that would be self-serving. I'll let you be the judge.

What I do know is that I envy Stein for he has found his true heroes. Can we say the same thing if ever we wanted to have a paradigm shift in choosing our heroes?


You can read Ben Stein's article here

Our house, is a very very fine house!

I was invited by Teacher Sol to join and be a core member in a recently formed group of teachers who will write, discuss, share with one another, tales and tips about education and teaching per se. How can one deny such a request?

As you may well know by now, I am a Fine Arts graduate and had no teaching experience when I first began teaching. Needless to say that I had to learn things the hard way. I would hear buzzwords in education which sounded Greek to me and although it was really humiliating, I had to ask around for meanings. Ex. I didn't even know what a syllabus looked like. Hence, when I was asked to design my syllabus, I had to ask for a copy of the old one so that I can see what were supposed to be written there and use it as a template.

Now that there is this group of pinoy teachers, hopefully, we would be able to reach out and answer some questions other teachers have, affirm decisions, and correct what's wrong with the loose ends in teaching through a lengthy discussion.

Officially launched last Tuesday, July 12, the pinoy teachers blog has been in cyberspace since July 8 to advertise the group. I had posted my first entry How can a teacher be a happy camper which tackles the duties and responsibilities of teachers and their consequent legal liabilities towards their wards. This is an old post of mine here but I thought many would benefit from it, hence, the reason for its reposting in another venue.


So, if you are a teacher reading this entry, why don't you try and see for yourself what is in store for you. Joining is easy! Just click the button below:



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Click to join pinoyteachersnetwork

Happy Birthday Kim

My little angel, and I mean it literally (you choose if it's the little or the angel part hehe or both) is celebrating her 16th birthday today. I've told a lot of funny stories about her in this blog. You can read about them here, here and here.

My little angel is my third child, and youngest daughter. She is by far the sweetest among the four children that I have. She still hugs me tight and kisses me in public. I dread the day when she no longer wants to do that like her ate. Not that I am complaining but what parent would deny that a child's kisses and hugs are more than enough to take away ones worries. Works everytime, folks. I dread the day when my kids will all be grown-ups and old enough to face this uncertain world we live in. Somehow, I cherish the thought that they depend on me and my wife. I'm not fearful that they might be stepped on for my wife and I try to raise them to be fighters, not arrogant and aggressive but humble and yet assertive. We try to raise them to be independent and I think we are succeeding. Even when they were a lot younger, we would let them go to the counter in a MacDonald or Jollibee outlet, buy whatever they liked and come back with their purchase. We would le them wander in malls while we watched at the sides or sometimes give them instructions where we would meet them. Now that is a luxury rich people will never have. They'd always be worried that their children might be kidnapped. hehe

Anyway, Kim is articulate (maarte na makulit pa), speaks her mind without being rude, and is her own person. I don't doubt that she will go places as she is very determined. I've been pushing her to study hard and when she does, she gets good grades. If only she'd be consistent with her studies. At any rate, I love her very much as she's my guardian angel. Always nagging me about my smoking. Sadly, I have not kicked the habit totally. Not just yet. At any rate, Happy birthday my darling angel. Your family loves you very much.

CBCP has spoken

With the death of Cardinal Jaime Sin who had, on at least two occasions, called for the Filipino people to gather in EDSA to express their anger over the leaders of the government that led to the toppling of strongman, Ferdinand Marcos and President Estrada, the country had been eagerly awaiting what the Catholic church, a dominant religion in the country, has to say. Well, the Roman Catholic Bishops have spoken. In a statement read by outgoing CBCP president Fernando Capalla entitled "Restoring trust: A plea for moral values in Philippine politics" the Bishops have announced their stand on the issues confronting the President and the whole political system in the country today.
They said that the President should not dismiss the allegations against her suggesting that she: "discern deeply to what extent she might have contributed to the erosion of effective governance and whether the erosion is so severe as to be irreversible." By saying this, the Bishops are appealing to the President to use her conscience, what I perceive to be the real "jusrisdiction" of the church.
In the same document, the Bishops expressly said that they are not for resignation. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted the Bishops thus: "We do not demand her resignation," One cannot be much clearer than that. However, in spite of this position taken by the leaders of the Catholic church, Bishop Bacani and the running priest, Father Reyes, have outspokenly stated their dismay over the statements made by the CBCP. Bishop Bacani even went farther by suggesting that some Bishops might have been spoken to by those in Malacañang.
Now this turn of events again puzzles me. I have been raised in a Catholic school from Elementary to a year of high school and is now teaching in one. I have always believed that the Catholic religion espouses obedience. I am sure that this is true within the hierarchy of the Church. The priests, after all, have agreed to a vow of obedience among others. iwonder what the implication of this open criticism of Bishop Bacani and Father Reyes, will have on the very institution they are supposed to belong. Surely, Bishop Bacani is a member of the CBCP and as such have expressed his opinion on the matter, even argued strongly for his beliefs. Clearly, with the statement read by Bishop Capalla, he was outvoted. In a scenario such as this, one should follow the decision of the majority for after all, "vox populi, vox Dei". What right has Bishop Bacani to express a dissenting opinion after his colleagues have taken a stand? What right does an ordinary priest in the hierarchy have to arrogate to himself the power to talk about something that is different from what his leaders are saying?

Lastly, I ahve always been taught that the Christian faith is about love and forgiveness. We are supposedly the only Christian dominated country in Asia, and as such, are the true representatives of what Christianity is all about. Where do we stand after the president's apology for having done something that may have been improper but is not really legal?

Read about the Bishops statement:
Philippine Star
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Pandora's box re-opened

I was supposed to blog about the President's apology for her "lapse of judgment" talking with a Comelec official during the elections to "protect her votes". However, I was busy working and had not enough time to gather materials and write a fairly accurate opinion, at least from my layman's point of view, anyway. So, I had to pass on this "bloggable" phenomenon in Philippine politics. Last night, as I was watching the news, I heard that legal experts (that included Fr. Bernas, who was not present but submitted his opinion anyway) have presented their opinion on the matter of whether Congress should hear the tapes containing the conversations Gloria had with said Commissioner. Reading Sassy's entry on the matter gives an excellent opinion on the matter, The media proclaimed 'legal experts' say that the people's right to public information is paramount and, hence, there is no legal impediment to the playing of the tapes in the Congressional inquiry.

In the news last night, a Dean from a certain law school read his opinion in the hearing. (Neither the name nor the school stuck as I was doing something else. Multi tasking, hehe) If I remember correctly, (I couldn't find any copy hence couldn't verify it) his main contentions were that the tapes were no longer private since copies are all over the place, even citing ringtones in particular, and that since Gloria admitted it to be in her own voice, the right to privacy no longer holds. Maybe my interpretation/recollection of what he said was erroneous so I will welcome comments correcting my understanding.

In view of the fact that that was what I heard, and assuming that my interpretation is correct, then I am troubled by this turn of events. I have always believed that the Bill of Rights is sacred. Marvin Aceron another lawyer, puts it succinctly in his entry "Sun Tzu Advice No. 10: Time to use the "P" word" when he said The right to privacy has primacy

What is contained in Sec 3 of the Bill of Rights? It states that:
SEC. 3.
(1) The privacy of communication and correspondence shall be inviolable except upon lawful order of the court, or when public safety or order requires otherwise as prescribed by law.

(2) Any evidence obtained in violation of this or the preceding section shall be inadmissible for any purpose in any proceeding.


If the President of the Philippines could not be protected by this right, what can I, an ordinary individual, have to hold on to?

Obviously, the contentions of these legal experts (I am assuming that they were expressing the same opinion as the news did not say someone had a dissenting opinion) are founded on the seemingly majority perception that Gloria cheated in the last elections and that this can be proven by the tapes. Hence, it is of their opinion that it was imperative for Congress to hear them in making the public's right to information rule over the Bill of Rights in spite of the fact that the taped conversations might not even fall within the purview of what information the public has a right to know. I have forgotten which among the rules of statutory construction should apply but when there are enumerations in the law, other similar items not written may be included. Hmm, probably, noscitur a sociis or "the context rule" (Sassy help!) But even then, the one that can only be included are those within the same context as those enumerated.

Now, going back to the arguments. "The tapes are no longer private because of the proliferation of copies of the same everywhere." Now, that is dangerous. It implies that If I wanted to violate the privacy of, say a philandering husband, all I have to do is put a bug on his phone and innocently distribute hundreds of copies to every Juan and Juana I meet together with an original copy which I put on his wife's door. This will of course be admissible evidence as it is now public property. Oh, maybe that is not a good example as I am not sure if the law works that way. Maybe if I change the word husband to a public official, say a mayor. Maybe that would work within my context. Is this how we shall interpret it? We may be opening another Pandora's box, don't you think?

Gloria may have cheated in the elections one way or another. Thanks to my boss who gave me a copy of Dr. Hans Koechler's report which can also be found here I am reminded that there had been allegations of cheating in Mindanao even right after the elections. Of course, it is now common knowledge that most of these so called leaders cheat one way or another, but I say, let's fight it using legal ways. I would like to believe that we are a country governed by laws. Unfortunately, we are being lured to the easier way of emotionalism, drama and fanfare. What a circus Philippine politics has become.

What values? Cash or in kind?

How much luxury should a parent allow his/her child? I ask this because I've seen students of ours who have very expensive cellphones, sometimes even having two. I don't know why they need to have two but they do. Maybe one for texting, another, (Sun) for calling.

I am not writing this to criticize parents who have the luxury of buying their children the latest cellphone and whatever technological gadget there is. How one raises his/her child(ren) is entirely up to himself/herself. Noone has the right formula in rearing kids. I know I don't. I am writing this because as always, I want to share my thoughts with my children and their children's children on what I think and what guidelines I follow in life.

One of my daughters wanted to buy a new cellphone. (I know she'd hate me for sharing this. She even dreads her coming birthday knowing I'd be writing about her. :-)) She knew I wouldn't give her money so she's using her own. Her godmother arrived from the States and since they haven't seen each other for a long time, decided to give her cash. Now, adding to that amount her own savings, she, indeed, can buy a second-hand phone.

My wife was okay with it. However, when given the chance, since my daughter never mentioned it to me, I told her I have reservations about her purchasing another cellphone. What for? It's not that it's a necessity. More than anything else, it is merely a status symbol. And because it is, you have to flaunt it. Always keep it visible to let everyone know you have an expensive phone. Otherwise, why need one if you just keep it in your pocket, right? Remember, its a status symbol. If yor phone is not visible, ergo, you don't have your status? Now, when did that ever become a virtue? You are just inviting pickpockets and probably endangering your life that way. When everybody else appears to be living in abject poverty, I think, it is a sin to flaunt your material possessions.

One of my apprehensions in having my kids study in a school where there are plenty of rich kids is that my children may get their penchant for material things. My wife and I have always been simple people. My kids know that. They know that while we do not live in dire straits, we only have enough for our needs. Maybe give in to a few luxury here and there but that would be on a very lucky day. i have been using the same cellphone for years. I fear of accidentally leaving it on the restaurant not because it might get stolen, but because the waiter might think its trash and throw it down the toilet in disgust. My wife only had her cellphone just recently because she "inherited" my eldest daughter's. My eldest daughter is now in college and without me knowing it, bought her own brand new cellphone from her own pocket.

Back to having expensive cellphones. Maybe these teen agers think its part of the packaging these days. Mabye that comes with wealth. If you have it, why deprive your child, right? Parents only want the very best for their children. However, I am of the impression that this not need to be so. I shall remain firm that if there's a need for a cellphone, all you need is a phone that works. That especially holds true if you're a student. If it's good for texting and you can use it to call somebody else, that's good enough. Maybe teeners believe that having a "neat" cellphone is part of a good packaging for oneself. But what it is to me is that the packaging of a student is not what he/she has but what is stored in her brain. Do all of the lessons stick to their heards? Do they make their assignments, give their projects in time, maintain a good grade? Do others perceive them to be good kids? Are they respectful? Are they aware of their roots? Are they sensitive to the issues that concern the common man? Are they sympathetic to those in need? Are they independent? For me, these are the ones that comprise the packaging of a good student. If my children can say yes to all these, then I shall be a happy parent.

PS

In fairness to my obedient kid, she's passing on this one. She didn't buy the phone. I love her so much.

pinoy poets plugging!

Pinoypoets’ Anniversary Night at Conspiracy

The pinoy poets, a group of young writers (uhm I am a member,too, you know) will be having its first anniversary. These are young, energetic, creative group of people who share their passion for poetry and seriously working hard to hone their craft. I am such a lucky guy to have been accepted to this group. If you care to join us in our revelry, read on!

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If you’re a writer, a poet, an artist or simply a lover of literature, better block off Tuesday, June 28 on your social calendar. Pinoypoets (PP), an online community of literary enthusiasts, will be holding its first anniversary bash at Conspiracy Bar in Quezon City.

The event, dubbed PP ‘to!(The Pinoypoets’ First Anniversary), promises to be an evening filled with laughter, music, and of course, excellent poetry. Prominent social, academic, and literary figures Makati Rep. Teddy Locsin Jr, Conchitina Cruz, Vin and Kris Dancel, Noel Del Prado, Joyce Burton Titular, Enrico John Torralba, Hannah Romawac, Roli Inocencio, Monica Llamas and Gary Granada, are but a few of our guest readers.

The celebration will also be highlighted by performances from G-Strings, 10kpp, Rubberband, Johnoy Danao of Bridge, Paramita, and Hanna Romawac of Session Road.

Pinoypoets is a community of poets, writers and literary enthusiasts who share their works, thoughts and insights on poetry. Formed by less than 50 members in June 2004, Pinoypoets has grown to 250 members based in different regions of the archipelago--and even abroad.

Its primary objective is to facilitate a creative forum and enrich its members' knowledge and craft. Michael Coroza, Edgar Samar, Santiago Villafania, Louie John Sanchez, Eileen Tabios, Bino Realuyo and Jema Pamintuan, some of the most respected names in Philippine poetry today, are the group’s consultants and critics.

PP ‘to!(The Pinoypoets’ First Anniversary), will start at 8 p.m. Admission is FREE! For more information, please get in touch with Rhodge Fernandez (721 7229, seventhgecko@yahoo.com), Kathline Tolosa (09175777128, kathline_anne@yahoo.com) or Romel Samson (09278470212, risingphoenix101@yahoo.com)

Respect your flag

How much respect do we give to the Philippine National flag? Do we really pay attention to such details? I say, hardly. My attention to this came after reading this article by noted columnist Manuel Quezon III entitled The Long View: Amend the Flag Law. I was a boy scout, a Maginoo Scout, thank you, and I have been trained to respect the flag during those growing up years. I remember how we were taught how to properly raise (briskly) and lower (solemnly and slowly) it, fold it and to burn it in case it has to be put away as a result of wear and tear. I even remember that we would run to the flagpole and lower it at the slightest sign of rain lest it be drenched. This is the reason why I've always wondered why the flag is let alone flying during a rainy day in school. I looked for the flag law and to my amazement, it doesn't say anything to this effect. As a matter of fact, The Sec. 16 (f) of Republic Act 8491 entitled "AN ACT PRESCRIBING THE CODE OF THE NATIONAL FLAG, ANTHEM, MOTTO, COAT-OF-ARMS AND OTHER HERALDIC ITEMS AND DEVICES OF THE PHILIPPINES" says: The flag shall not be raised when the weather is inclement. If already raised, the flag shall not be lowered. I wonder where our scout master got the idea that it should not be drenched in rain. MAybe the 1935 Constitution, huh? But still, it makes more sense to me that the flag should not let stay under the rain out of respect. But who am I, right? Maybe just a romantic teacher whose ideals can be misplaced at times.

Reading the Flag Law, I noticed we also have a Pledge to the Flag in (f) Sec.24. We never recite this. What we recite is the Panatang Makabayan (Patriot's Oath) which the Department of Education changed sometime in 2001 under Sen. Raul Rocco, who was then the Secretary of Education.

I've written about the singing of the National Anthem and it can be found in the first paragraphs here. As Mr Quezon points out the error of the law, how can the government assure that the song is sung with fervor? Who measures it and with what? If I don't sing it within their standards, would I go to jail? I believe that rules are made with the intention of following it through. Hence, the law must include a teeth by which such can be implemented. Otherwise, it is inutile and must be changed.

Also among Mr. Quezon's observations/protestations, which I believe are noteworthy, are:

1. Displaying the flag en masse violate(s) the spirit and letter of the law...The flag is not for decoration; to display it en masse is to use it primarily for decorative effect; (what about all those flaglets the government put on the roads during Independence Day?) and,

2. Standards for the flag, ie. its color both on historical and practical grounds. The shades chosen are not enforced, and this bothers me, considering the fervor that attended the debate and the discussion on the matter among historians, and the bother our legislature, presidents and government, in general went through to make the change. (Why not enact a law prohibiting the manufacture/purchase of the Philippine flag for both public and private sectors confining it to a single company to ensure uniformity, huh?)

In a country besieged by turmoil brought about by graft and corruption, brain drain, downward economic plunge and all that, the flag may be the last thing on our minds. But should it be so? I say it should not for the flag should be there to unite us and make us proud as a people - collective individuals who aim for one goal under one spirit, one blood. Too bad this is lost to us for the common individual still longs for the most basic commodities such as food, shelter and clothing. When will this ever end? No amount of education can top that, will it?

benefits of blogging

I have blogged about this before but I would like to blog it again. I am glad I have discovered blogging for I am continuously benefitting from it. I am not a real writer and I have never written as thoroughly as I am doing after I discovered blogging. The only written document I've done before are letters to parents of my students, to superiors and occasionally to some friends. Oh yes, I have done some research papers but not the full-blodded academician that i should be, I only produced boring, up to par term papers. Had I started blogging then, I know I would have come up with something more decent.

But that's not all! Much to my surprise, I have befriended wonderful people for only a short span of blogging. Before I go deeper, I'd like to reiterate that my purpose in blogging was two-fold. First, to have an online journal, hence, it can be said that I am doing this for self-gratification only, and later on, to leave something behind for my children and theirs, so that they would know what I thought of, how I reacted in different situations and why my decisions at certain issues had been. Gaining friends was a wonderful fringe benefit, so to speak. I started out with my Soft Grumbles which was really a trial blog where I intended to put yet another of my experiments which was writing poetry. Not computer savvy as the average blogger, I had to find my way like a blind man using his stick to feel his way. Slowly reading the instructions at blogger, I learned, albeit with a lot of heartaches, how to add links inside and outside the text. I learned how to manipulate my template, and most of all, bloghop.

It was through bloghopping that I realized how inferior my writing was. I envied blog titles which were really catchy and captured the essence of their contents. I was voyeur of some sort as i read and read different blogs trying to find a pattern. And then I chanced upon Batjay's kwentong-tambay. I was so impressed at its uninhibited content, honest and down-to-earth that I literally checked out all the entries in its archives. After some time, feeling that the owner of the site was approachable, I dared myself to put a comment. And lo and behold, he responded! That emboldened me to put more comments on every entry until we were exchanging emails. AFter some time, he encouraged me to put up a teaching blog and Mga turo ni tito was born. He is the loving husband of the sweet Jet whose writing style is flawless. BTW, the two just celebrated their 14th year anniversary as a couple.

Next was the Sassy's house on a hill. Now, this was my model of what straight writing was all about. Just like what I did with Batjay's blog, I kept coming back to look for patterns on how to compose my thoughts into a cohesive, understandable text. Amd as before, I started out as a lurker, trying to get a feel of what the owner would be like. If you take a look at the archives in this blog, you will discover that I was not putting a link in my blog yet during the first few attempts that i tried commenting. I feared that Sassy might go to my site and realize how poorly written the contents in my site were.

Slowly, I learned how to kick my blog a notch higher and people started coming and leaving comments. I then discovered the sites of The Ca t and Doc Emer respectively. These two sites provided me with more models of writing. The Ca t was writing like Batjay's but in a different style of her own while Doc Emer was like Sassy's albeit this time, it was about medicine and health. By this time, I had already grown confident both in writing entries and commenting in other people's blogs.

From thereon, I have been continuously in touch with these guys. Not only were We putting comments on each other's site but we constantly exchanged emails that gave Doc Emer the idea of forming our own google group called the bloggingberks. This group finally decided it was time to put up a blog of our own and blogkada was born. From the original seven, we grew to a whopping thirty three that we decided to stop at that number or we would be having a hard time maintaining it. I have never seen a group that clicked that well. Members include food connoisseurs Ting and fellow rocker Zennor. There's the analytical Jardine Davies who could tackle any issue just like Sassy, who got me involved with pinoy poets, the blogkadahan twin towers and super models Mari and Ajay who did a very good review of my blog in manila Bulletin, voluptuous Mec who's about to tie the knot with a former student of mine, the beautiful TinTin from Fort Worth Texas, Durga from New Jersey, Cerridwen who lives in California, proud mother JMom also residing in the States, strong-willed Svelte Rouge, academicians Ruth, co-teacher Joyce, the cute Ate Sienna owner of Pansitan and designer of my template, beautiful MrsPi, petite tanya, irresistably beautiful and kind Toni, proud mother Sachiko who lives in Japan, sweet Kiwi Pinay from where else but New Zealand? and the youngest of them all, bunsoy Karla.

Not to be outdone are master story-teller Bong K, master computer manipulator, Polo, kind-hearted Watson, student activist Apol, and inspiringly handsome Tatang Rome.

who is number one?

I received an email yesterday citing a list of top universities in the country today. Too bad, I accidentally erased the email not thinking that I will blog about it. Anyway, as far as i can remember, topping the list was the University of the Philippines, together with some 10 other universities in Luzon. Anyway, Bobit S. Avila of Philippine Star, in his Inside Cebu column said, "On the top four slots were the University of the Philippines Diliman, UP Los Baños, UP Manila, and Siliman University (Dumaguete City), respectively. Ateneo de Davao came fifth, followed by Ateneo de Manila University. In seventh to 10th places were the University of Sto. Tomas, Mindanao State University (Iligan), Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, and St. Louis University (Baguio)...

This list got me wondering how we fared internationally. Making a quick browse in the internet, I chanced upon a list of top universities in Asia here. As you can see, Asiaweek has the UP ranked as 41st, DLSU (71), Ateneo de Manila (72) and UST(74)in Asia alone. Should I say we are doing poorly? Now, I don't know how old the list is as the recent Professional Regulations Commission and CHED list shows that Ateneo and UST are higher in ranking than DLSU. However, which ever is the best University to go to is not the point of this blog.

What does a list like this say? Does it really mean that the one at the top slot is the best among the lot? Maybe, for after all, the statistics cannot lie. I have a very simple mind and in my simple way of thinking, I believe it is easy to be number one. All a University has to do is to select its students... meaning, accept only the best student-applicants through a very competitive entrance examination, then, weeding out those who cannot cope with the high standards of the university during the course of their stay. This is the reason why high school seniors would attend review classes just to enter a university of their choice. (I believe there is something wrong here. The entrance test is given to see the preparedness of the applicant for college. Now, if the student still has to review for it, then does it follow that either our high schools' offerings are not sufficient, that we are looking at the wrong direction, or are colleges testing the wrong areas?) In any event, by choosing and teaching only the best students, the university is sure to produce the best.

However, is that what we need right now? The country produces thousands upon thousands of high school graduates. Where will these kids go? We know for a fact that we, as a people, put a very high premium on education thinking that it is the key to a well-paying job, ergo, a ticket to easy streetville.

For me, education should be open to all. Every young Filipino should have access to education. I can understand UP for its acceptance policies because it is State run. But that is on the premise that it only cater to the poor. No tuition fee paid. If the State will shoulder the burden of educating the masses for free, it has to be ensured of a very high performance rating. But is that really the case? How many students from the UP are poor? With the advent of technology, the playing field had changed. Only a fraction of the poor sector can pass its very high standard simply because most of them did not have the luxury of having a good education during their elementary and high school days. Maybe the socialized tuition fee is the answer for after all, UP cannot exist without a steady income. (Well, what school would?) It cannot rely on the government for sustenance, can it? But still, what is the percentage of the those in the lower socio-economic bracket are studying at the UP? Never mind.

What is saddening is that in her article entitled "A Bill to save University of the Philippines, which appeared on August 9, 2003, Rina David hints that the UP's edge over other universities may soon end. In a letter, UP president Francisco Nemenzo wrote that even as the university approaches its centennial, 'UP is facing harder times than ever." Many of its top Ph.D.'s have left for better-paying jobs in the private sector here and abroad, he mentions, while its laboratories and libraries "badly need to be modernized." Hopefully, our government leaders would find it in their hearts that we need good schools like the University of the Philippines and put greater emphasis on education by allocating more budget because not doing so would spell our doom as a nation and as a people.

What makes a school a good one? I believe it is the combination of a good faculty line-up, good resources and educational equipment and a conscientious student body. These I believe are the essential requisites of a good educational organization. But of course, that would be asking for the moon.

bloggers beware!

I received a message from my friend Batjay about a newstory of a Singapore student who may be facing legal consequences over a public blog containing
defamatory statements. This made the student, who is currently completing his Masters' degree in the United States to close his blog after he was threatened with legal action by A*Star (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) who stated that while it is for "diversity of views" still found the contents of the blog beyond what was acceptable. Read the story here

I am not aware if we have anything in the court dockets that concerns articles in blogs to this nature or something else. That would be along the turf of the Sassy Lawyer and La Vida Lawyer, Marvin Aceron. Assuming that there are no cases yet filed, I guess, the legalities concerning blogs are still unfamiliar territory to Philippine courts. Hence, Filipino blogging is still very much fair game.

As I have said in my interview with Ajay in that article she did featuring my blog, I do not believe in censorship as it is counter-productive and stifles the creativity of an
individual. However, I also leave it to the good judgment of the writer, yes, even of a blog, to know what to write and what not to. To paraphrase
Dean Alfar in his eloquent speech last Saturday at the iBlog summit held in UP, that once one puts up a blog, one owes it to his/her readers to come up with intelligent content in one's writing. Let's face it, a blog is part of a public domain and hence, we shall be accountable to what we say in our blogs.

I am a supporter of free speech but only when the writer/speaker focuses on ideas. To me, resorting to name calling and character bashing is a cheap shot and has no place in an intelligent discourse. I guess, the rule of thumb is, stick to the issue! Leave the name calling to people who are short sighted and have nothing to hold on to with their arguments. Arguing with them is an exercise in futility. It would be a lot better to pick up your guitar and sing rather than engage them to a lengthy, circular and useless debate.

Fun time!

Every summer, the family takes advantage of the long vacation to travel and tour the country. We would do this with our extended family, a group of seven or so families with whom we spend time together on practically every occasion there is. This year, my family couldn't make it to the tour but because I have not yet gone to Bicol (probably the only province I haven't been to in Luzon), I was granted permission by the wife to tag along. I rode with Joven's family which is a welcome change as I know I couldn't stand that long hours of driving. (I am not that repentant as the my wife took the girls to Boracay. Besides, the children and i are together the whole day everyday as we all go to the same school so I guess my absence was a welcome relief, hahaha)

My real purpose was to see Mayon Volcano as I have seen a glimpse of the mountain in an airplane enroute to Manila from abroad. I can see the majestic mountain and somehow, it gives me a thrill just looking at it. It seems like its power lures me to stare at it from a much closer view. So, we went there mid-summer and I know I would have a real good view as the place we were staying in was a good spot for viewing. It would seem like a stone's throw away, so to speak. Guess what? I saw a glimpse of it on our way and never saw it again until we left on Easter Sunday. Why? It was raining and the mountain just disappeared, covered by thick clouds. No matter where we went, like the Cagsawa ruins, that famous picture perfect view of the mountain amid the ruins... nada!... Not even when we went to he Mayon resthouse where I was told was the foot of the volcano, actually about a 400 meter climb where you are suppose to see the canals, every nooks and crannies of past eruptions... still nada. What we experienced was a day filled with mist and a very cold breezer that surprised me no end as it was Good Friday at the time. I never thought nature would have deprived me to see the legendary volcano but nevertheless, it didn't spoil my fun as I was with beautiful, happy and energetic people. Here are two pictures taken at the Resthouse.




The boys at Mayon Resthouse: From l-r: Shane, Edgar, Arnel, Joven, Dante, Ricky, moi, Ollie, our Japanese friend who comes yearly to visit his beloved, Hocto and at the back is our host and friend, Gene

the girls from L to R: 

from l-r: Claire, Gigi, Ethel, Tetay, Vivian, Jenny, Kathy and Agnes.


Not to be outdone, my blogging family also had a blast a few days ago. Ate Sienna the petite owner of the blogging group Pansitan.net and Manileña who designed my template is in town! Naturally, close friends that we've become as we are both members of the Blogkadahan community blog, we decided to meet with her at Dad's for dinner at the Megamall. She was even more vibrant and warm in person than she is with her blog and other forms of correspondences like the email. When you think you;'ve known the person for so long, it still surprises you to know more about him/her in person. That's what i thought when we first met. And everybody else agreed.

Another person that we've met for the first time who turned out to be a real revelation was misispi. Although she appears "tres chic" and elitist, she also turned out to have her share of "kabaklaan" that night. I may have been shy around her as she looked intimidating with her black dress and the way she carried herself, but knowing that although she's younger than I am, we share the same tastes for music.

Those who attended were Karla the youngest in the group, Apol, Doc Emer who had to leave early as he was extremely busy tending to a sick patient, Bong K whose blog's template is another one of Ate Sienna's creations, and the twin towers of blogkadahan kingdom, Mari and writer/poet Ajay who wrote that ever so kind article at the Blog-o-rama, Technews section at the Manila Bulletin featuring my blog and Marisol's. Too bad, Sassy and Mec had to cancel as there had been more pressing matters to attend to.

That was some night and a lovely sharing of stories and food. Ah, what could have been a better combination?

EB with Ate Sienna 

Standing from l-r: Karla, Apol, Doc Emer, and Bong K: Seated from l-r: Mari, misispi, moi, Ajay and Ate Sienna.

Farewell, my friend

I have just received news that my college buddy, my best friend, Lynne Sanchez, passed away last April 4 after a gruelling battle with the Big C. Lolit, her sister, told me that I was to give a eulogy for her.

It might sound a bit cliche but it just seems like only yesterday when I first saw her on her motorbike driving from home to school. You should understand that during those days, that was not a very usual site so I was really impressed.

She was my partner in crime from first year till we parted ways after graduation. When I got married and had my first child, she was the first one to come for a visit while wife was heaving in pain, counting how far apart were the contractions. Naturally, she was first on the list as one of the godmothers. From then on, she would come for a visit with another friend and stay in our house. There was even a time when she and another friend stayed over while we discussed the friend's philosophy assignment.

In college, we would meet in our favorite tambayan at UERM in the morning, have breakfast at Laurel and Hardy, attend classes until we got tired and decide to go some place else, like watch a movie with our friends. Usually, we would go to her sister's printing press and stay there to eat, bum around, play the guitar (this was the time when not even the karaoke was invented yet.) She loved singing Carly Simon songs...Legend in your own time, Anticipation, and her favorite, I've got my mind on my man again. She also played a mean Lucy in The Skies with Diamonds, among others). From her, I've learned to like sappy songs like Tavares' Hardcore Poetry, Allesi Brother's OhLori and Kenny Rankin whose concert we saw at the Folk Arts Theater. We would separate ways at about 6 pm when there's no other place to go, and talk on the phone afterwards. No, we were not a couple. We were just good friends all that time who shared the same likes and tastes for music and practically everything.


No sooner than the first time we got together, her family and friends became known to me and I would spend Christmas with them, go to discos, Baguio and all other fun places. In school, we would go with our friends and roam all over town on her sister's car, have lunch at the Golden Room of the Aristocrat or whatever fancy place we would chance upon. These we've done for what seemed like ages.


After college, she worked for a Travel agency for a time until she decided it was time to migrate to the US. The last time I talked to her was when she was already ill but she was still the same kind of woman I've known. Her hearty laughter permeates the room everytime. I remember that her strong presence was felt once you've entered the room. Her cologne was simple and yet always had a lasting effect on anyone. We always had fun time together.

It just seemed so impossible that death should come to her, young as she was and full of vibrance and wit. And yet, it did. It is during these times that I know how small I am, that I am not invincible and that life as I know it should cease one of these days.
So, to Lynne whereever you are, thank you for the memories. One of these days, we will be jamming again!

So much in love..part 2

For those of you who missed the previous blog, my wife told me to keep the 20th and the 21st free. That being her nth birthday and our 20th wedding anniversary, she promised it will be a familybonding day. So, I did. She wouldn't tell anyone what the surprise was until the last moment when we were inside the car. It was only then that she whispered to my ear, "EDSA Shagri-la Plaza hotel" I was dumbstruck! "whoa!" Then she was laughed her usual hearty laugh and said, "Don't worry, you're paying for it!" HAHAHA

So, we went! Just right after we checked in, we told the kids to go to the pool. They were already raring to go, when suddenly, Kraiganne said, "What about the two of you? Where will you be?" "Oh we will just stay here in the room and sleep!" Angrily, she said, "Ahhh you two better behave!" (I don't know what's with these guys but they would flinch everytime me and my wife would kiss. "Not in front of us, please!" ) It was then that Nitz said,"I'm having my period." Only then did Kraiganne was appeased and went with her siblings. Here is the funny part. SHE DID HAVE HER PERIOD! So you see, she didn't get lucky on her birthday. HAHAHA

Another funny thing was when the guys were looking outside of the window and saw a chimney emiting black smoke. (We were at the new wing) Mickey said, "Look, we still don't have a Pope!" The girls had an idea to go to a studio and have a family picture and I played along. Now, we have three shots of a family picture which I can use for a calendar should I prefer to file a candidacy for Pasig mayor hahahaha. Then we went out to a restaurant and had a sumptuous dinner. Funny, but Nitz insisted that we sing her a happy birthday song, and we did, albeit silently! We were laughing all the way. After dinner, us boys played billiards while the girls went shopping. The two guys never won a game of 8 ball hehe.

The following morning, we asked the two boys to use the complimentary buffet breakfast while me and Kim went to McDonald's for ours. Nitz and Kraiganne ate left-overs from last night and a recipe we brought to the hotel. Then, Kraiganne went to the hotel's gym to workout while the others and I went swimming. When we were to go home, I asked for the valet to get the car. HAHA, Yes, I brought my dilapidated and unwashed car. The poor valet, who is probably used to fetching very expensive, air-conditioned, automatic cars, was all sweat when he got to us. The kids quickly got inside the car, slammed the doors and didn't open the windows lest they be seen inside by someone they knew. The ingrates were laughing out loud as we rushed away from the hotel.

The kids enjoyed it so much, I think we will do it again. Nice idea, huh? Maybe on our 25th.

So much in love

Today is a very special day. Not only is it my wife's birthday, but it also marks a very important event in my life for on this day in 1985, I got married to the most loving person there is on earth!

I have known my wife for almost twenty-three years! We used to be office mates till I moved out of the campus for a stabler position in the organization we work in. You see, We belong to the same University system. Our love story blossomed from friendship to love amid music we made together with some 18 or so individuals as we were both members of the Staff Chorale where we met.

I have never known a person who is so dedicated and so very willing to abandon her self-interests than my wife. I have just started blogging when I narrated how strong my wife's character is. It's a funny story so you won't be disappointed you read it. You can find it here.

In spite of the very simple living I can offer, she learned manages to find happiness in the very little things we do. She's the person who will say delicious to the simplest dish, the person who will find beauty in the mundane inspite of the fact that she's seen the best, and would give the same hearty laugh at the corniest joke I make. She's a dedicated mother, ready to sacrifice everything just so her children can live comfortably. She has a great foresight and has always been a good manager of the household. Obviously, in our family, she holds the master plan. She used to always have a project lined up for each year. Case in point, just a year after our marriage, she proposed that we bought a house. We did! Simple as it may be, in few more years, we would have finished paying for the amortizations and it's going to be ours completely.

She's the sweetest person I have ever known. When we got together as a couple, we used to go home together until I transferred to Alabang. What I did was pick her up from the office and took her home practically everyday. However, during my 27th birthday, I had a friend who was being picked up by her brother from the office with whom I can hitch a ride and be dropped off at a place near my home in Marikina. I never considered my birthday as significant. So, not really a birhtday person, I called her and told her that I may have to cancel picking her up. Luckily for me, I changed my mind at the last moment. As we reached Alabang proper, I asked my friend to drop me off. I went to her and she was so relieved to have seen me. It turned out that she had prepared something for me in her house. She even whispered in my ear that she told everyone it was my treat! What an asshole I would have been had i missed that, right? Another time was when she woke me up in the middle of the night only to surprise me with her birthday gift. Another surprise she did can be found here

Twenty years after and she's still at it. She's told me to have today and tomorrow free. She told me she's taking the whole family somewhere for an overnight bonding. As of this time, I still have the faintest idea what she's talking about. But knowing her, I know I and the kids are in for a real treat!

So, to my wife, I say, happy birthday and happy anniversary, sweetheart! My love for you has never dwindled but on the contrary, has grown even much stronger through the years.

taking care of an angel

Our main email system in school is being re-decorated, so to speak. Not wanting to lose everything in my mailbox, I opened everything in it and re-sent the same to my new addy. I was amused about an article I wrote for a friend. Actually, it was Zharro, my friend, who asked me to write this for our former co-teacher. I'm putting it here now for safekeeping. Here goes:

Shane did not care about the sumptuous buffet dinner being enjoyed in her honor that peaceful night of July 21, 2003. As a matter of fact, she was unaware of the reason for such gathering. Shane had no idea that Virgie, her mom, had gone to the trouble of inviting all these happy people to celebrate her thirteenth birthday.

The little girl ignored the fact that it was done at posh Bellevue Hotel. The girl didn’t care that the guests were impressed with her hair, which had been styled by a famous and expensive hairstylist. Nor did she take cognizance of the fact that she looked beautiful in her new dress. Most of all, she couldn’t care less that what really caught everybody’s attention was the absence of her usual blank stare. Oh, yes, that familiar stoic stare and detached smile that she usually displayed when she was among strangers.

All Shane knew was that she was deliriously happy because she was with her mother and the rest of the family and close friends. Puberty was knocking on her door and she shined like a princess entertaining guests who rendered homage to their next queen. That night, nobody seemed to notice that Shane was autistic.

We can only admire and marvel at how parents of autistic children, like Virgie, can live through the hassles and bustles of everyday life with that extra burden on their shoulder. Taking care of a normal child is in itself a tedious, sometimes nerve wracking, round-the-clock job. People who have normal children, can only wonder, what it must be like to have to take care of a physically or mentally challenged child. How do they teach them to survive in this hostile world? How do they make them happy?

Simply by showeing them with lots of love and understanding. She was special all right, but not because she is different from everyone else. She is special because she can make people smile with her “little” achievements. She can amaze you with her song and dance numbers. She can melt your heart with her seldom, yet very precious, unrehearsed greetings and words of kindness. She can soften even the hardest of hearts with her genuine laughter. She can make you appreciate life more because she
represents eternal innocence and joy.

The heartache and emotional tests the family faced when they first found out about Shane’s condition were understandable because like everyone else, the family was not well-informed. Through time though they realized that God has chosen them for a reason. Not all families may be able to deal with a young lady as unique as Shane. God indeed does not give a cross one can not bear. He knew that because Virgie had an available source of tremendous support from Mom Bernandina and Dad Merolo, blessing her with a daughter is the greatest gift Virgie will ever receive in her life.

As most families would have viewed it, Shane could be, at times, difficult. However, the challenges they had to face as a family was well worth it. God, in His infinite wisdom, endlessly show them the way to happiness. A lot of times, they do not recognize the signs for He works in very strange ways. Not only did He send His only Son to die on the cross to free the world from sin, but He sends angels like Shane to show the way.

Whoever thought of the politically-correct term “special” for people like Shane is wise for we can not think of any other word that best describes her.

So looking back at this wonderful young lady dancing and laughing, one realizes that she did not need an expensive party in her honor to be happy. Shane has no need for empty praises and promises. She does not need sympathy or apathy and has no use for self-pity. All Shane wants and needs is a warm embrace, acceptance, love, and
understanding. What she needs is to be left alone to be herself in her own world, innocent but perfect for her needs. Respect her private space and she's happy.

Shane and her ilk is God sent. Virgie is one lucky mother, for her job on earth, is not just taking care of an ordinary child, but that of taking care of an angel.

why are there rules?

As expected, the comments in my previous entry about our policy on long hair are two sided. Svelte, transcience, and my co-teacher Joyce, while not admitting that such a policy should be regarded as sound, agree impliedly that it should be followed. On the other hand, the more radical ones, or should I say the "liberals" like Renan, Cerridwen who intimated to me
her feelings on the subject via email as she couldn't post a comment (like i do with most of the sites these days) and the ever outspoken Sassy are totally questioning the validity of the policy. To paraphrase my online and real time friend,Sassy, such a policy runs contrary to the freedom of expression of students. A valid argument, of course.

"So, why do we have such a policy?" you may ask? Many teachers, me included, when asked without warning would probably answer, (and that is because they were caught off guard) "for good grooming purposes!" But then, thinking about it, that is not a valid answer. Hmmm, I can just hear the "pilosopos" beaming with pride and arguing heatedly, "so was Jesus Christ unkempt, then?"

Again, before I proceed, I'd like to start with a disclaimer lest students reading my blog would use this against me. What I am about to say is my own personal opinion and as such, could be at best, a source of a lively discussion, but never to be taken as gospel truth. I have no power to speak in ex-cathedra, hahaha.

Nevertheless, what is clear to me is that inspite of what I believe in, I have been given the duty of custodian of discipline in a school setting, of discipline standards set by the student handbook which I cannot alter and do anything but to observe, enforce and keep. That said, I shall proceed.

My Malaysian friend, Bayi, who is well-known to Filipino bloggers said it best when he commented,

There is a place and a time for everything. At school the students learn discipline and keeping to the rules. Being able to discipline oneself puts the
person in good stead when the need arises and gives him a cutting edge if the other competing parties are not.

Keeping long hair for the sake of doing it is not creativity. If there is no valid reason (what could the reasons be when one is a student?), they are merely rebels without a cause. And when one's a student in high school, it is not the time to be such.

I tend to agree a hundred percent. Freedom is not without boundaries. As we all live side by side, belonging to a social structure dictated by social norms, culture and mores, there are certain rules we have to follow. Freedom should not be used wantonly and at everyone's whims and caprices. Together with freedom is responsibility.

Imagine a world where everybody is free to do anything at will. Chaotic right? It will be a world where one can do as he/she pleases. Where one can park his/her car at any spot, where one can throw his/her garbage anywhere, where one can steal another person's belonging, and worst, where one is free to kill another. That cannot be. Of course, one might argue that this is not what is meant by freedom. But why not? Total freedom, right? Ergo, free for all.

Fortunately, that is not the case. We have set a standard behavior based on our experiences and traditions. Are they all sound? Maybe not, but still, they are accepted standard behavior. Okay, maybe not a good example as non-conformists will always argue that cultural traditions and beliefs are passe. But must we forget that these are the keystones to more organized laws such as those enacted by congress? There you go! Try to disobey the law and surely, there will be repercussions.

How do we learn to follow these rules then? First, by learning how to follow simple ones! The haircut policy may sound trivial and irrational to some, but nevertheless, a standard has been set and such has to be obeyed. Otherwise, we will always find ways and means to go about evading the rules, finding justifications for our actions no matter how wrong they may be. That's what every rude drivers are good at. That's how every ill-mannered, ill-bred persons live.

Don't get me wrong. I am all for academic freedom! I have grown my hair to shoulder length before as it was the fad at the time. And yes, i felt free. But that was in college when I can already distinguish right from wrong and that I was ready to face the consequences of every course of action I take. High school is different. AS teachers in high school, we are supposed to dig a deep foundation for the individual to build his/her character on so that he/she can be ready to face the harsh realities of a very violent world as a result of the ways of "undisciplined" men and women who give in to their weaknesses because they did not know any better.

Rules are meant to be followed

Classes have ended two weeks ago and the school has never felt so quiet and not as nerve wracking as when the students were there. Ironical as it may seem, though,
I had been very busy lately with a lot of things that I have to be remiss with writing and bloghopping. That explains why I had been absent for sometime.

Every end of the schoolyear, students are required to have a clearance signed. This is to ensure that they have completed their requirements for the year. I am one of the signatories to this clearance. Now is the time for me to really make the hard headed ones miserable. You see, there are quite a number of students who just wouldn't follow the prescribed haircut. The standards are very clear. It should neither touch the ears or the collar. This is a more relaxed version since formerly, the haircut should yield a clearing of three inches on the sides and four at the back. The bangs should not touch the eyebrows but that's very easy. One can just apply gel and have it combed up so that it didn't.

Some of these students are just plain hard headed. They wouldn't have a haircut no matter how much I told them to. There came a point that I just have to give up on the warnings knowing full well that payback time is upcoming. What they failed to consider was that had they had a haircut early on, say, three weeks before classes end, then their hair would have grown to a good length during the summer. Now, it would really be a piss off when they have to have a haircut otherwise, they wouldn't be able to get their report cards.

But this is not the real reason why I'm writing this. You see, there are parents who really condone their children's every whim. There was this guy who came to my office this week who was asking me to sign for a kid's clearance. I asked him where the boy was and he said he was busy! Hmmm, something fishy. Thinking that he was the father, I told him that I should see the child first to make sure that he followed the rules. He said, the parents said they wanted him to have his hair long because they're taking him to the States where the weather is cold. "Sir, you see, I have told these kids to have a haircut months before and they wouldn't budge. It is my duty to ensure that they learn how to follow rules and regulations," I said. Showing his impatience, the man said, "And I have been telling you that the parents are the ones asking him to grow his hair because he's going to need it to shield him from the cold weather." I could've argued but since I thought he was the father and that his statements are rhetoric, that he was speaking in the third person to prove a point. I was not in the mood to argue so I told him that "okay, I'll sign it but please make sure that he understands that there are consequences to every action." He said, "Okay, I'll tell his parents!" Then I realized he was just an errand boy!
Obviously, I've been had! Lesson learned.