He ni zai yi qi

Yesterday morning, I was just bombing around, sitting in front of the tv and constantly changing channels since I woke up at 3 am, I got to see the beginning of what seemed to be an interesting Chinese film. Interesting turns out to be an understatement. To my surprise, I got to finish the entire film without falling asleep.

It is about a peasant father who took his son, who he believes is a genius for having won a lot of violin competitions since the age of five, to Beijing, the heart of China. What follows is a complicated web of plots within the plot. I found the ending heartwarming as the boy gives up his international competition stint to look for his father at the train station, together with the people that really mattered to his life, his friend Lily, his violin teacher and, his dad whose sacrifices were truly altruistic just so he can make something of himself. Teary-eyed, he gave his best performance at the train station as his competition, a young girl protege, took over his stint at the theater.

Ah, I don't think I've given the movie justice with my ineptitude to give a review. But I caught it at Star Movies and the title is Together. Now, there are two Chinese movies that I really like. This one and Not One Less, the story of a young substitute teacher who went through all the pain and the trouble looking for a stray student who braved the city.

Is there a God?

When was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror. I don't mean the
fix-yourself-comb-your-hair look but a real eye-probing-look-that-would-last-a-minute kind. I have done that as a young boy and, maybe I'm weird, but it seems that I begin to feel myself detach from within and see myself as somebody else. It's a little scary, actually. However, it is during these times of neurosis, if that is what it is, that I begin to ponder who and what I am, why am I here, and what will I going to be in the future. These questions always lead me to the ultimate question, "Is there a God?"

An objective, rational answer to the question of God's existence has always eluded man. Many have offered an explanation but always, their answer fall short to the skeptics. This is because as man, we are limited to our senses and our logic.
As a result to our inadequacy to find the "true" answer to God's identity lead us to confusion thus ending in a struggle on who is right. Lately, the cotroversy of teaching intelligent design versus Darwin's theory of evolution has resurfaced in the States. There are people who would not accept that life on earth happened because of a Divine intervention. Ironically, even believers of God's existence do not see eye to eye. History is replete with stories of religions waging war on another with a different belief. The struggle between the Christians and the protestants during come to mind. Believers of Islam are continuously trying to find their place in a world dominated by Christian thought. Somewhere in your barangay, debates in barber shops or whereever people congregate sometimes become heated to the point of fisticuffs, if cooler heads could not prevail.

In my times of profound thinking, which happens very seldomly I might add, I have learned to view religion as something very personal. That what is important to me is what I think and what I believe in. Never mind what others think. I shall respect their thoughts as long as they respect mine. I have come to this conclusion a long time ago only to find out that this is not original. I now refer you to a Danish philosopher,Soren Kierkegaard.

Kierkegaard is an existentialist who believed that finding the "Truth" is not important but that finding what is true to the individual's life is more substantial. Hence, "what is true for me" should be the question asked. In Jostein Gaardner's Sophie's World, the main character, Alberto Knox, teaching the fourteen year old Sophie about Kierkegaard's philosophy said:

...we must therefore distinguish between the philosophical question of whether God exists and the individual's relationship to the same question, a situation in which each and every person is utterly alone. Fundamental questions such as these can only be approached through faith. Things we can know through reason, or knowledge, are totally important

Hey, what do you know? I have been thinking along the lines of a famous philosopher!

Now, let me see if I got this right. This so called leap of faith"leap of faith", according to Kierkegaard is to happen only if somewhere in your mind, there is "doubt" in the existence of God. He says that this is different from saying categorically that you are seeing and touching a table. There is no "leap of faith" that a table is present for it cannot be denied that there is one. This also reminded me of the apostle Doubting Thomas. He could not believe that Jesus has resurrected from the dead unless he has seen and touched Jesus. There is no leap of faith there. This led Jesus to say, "you believe because you see, lucky are those who do not see, and yet they believe."


Since I am already at it, I would like to say that I also believe in Kant's "practical postulates". It is essential for morality to presuppose that man has an immortal soul, that God exists and that man has free will

I should believe this for otherwise, I cannot find meaning to my existence.

The little girl is now a lady!

There shall be two posts for today. I have been busy with a lot of things not related to work since last Saturday, the highlight of which is my youngest daughter's 18th birthday.

When my eldest had hers, she opted to have a party for her friends. It is not that we can afford such luxury but once in a while, we want our children get something big out of life. And so, since a debut is a one time thing, we gave her what she wanted and contacted a hotel for her birthday bash. And since I have former students who play professionally in a band, I also got their services to provide reggae music during the occasion. Well, it turned out cool and we all enjoyed the night away.

Now comes my youngest daughter. She does not want a party like her Ate's. She wants a trip to any part of the world. Guess what. She's in luck! We do have some spare cash. So, we decided she and her "Ate" can go sometime in December,probably. Now, that would have gotten that settled. However,
my wife figured it would be too lonely if she did not even gave her friends a treat on her birthday. So, we gave her (with her Ate in-charge of the preparations) some dough for a quiet celebration.

One thing I love about my children is that they are very close. Sure they have some "tampuhan" once in a while but that rarely happens, especially with the two sisters who are very very close.

Come MOnday, Ate Kraiganne got very busy, in spite of her busy schedule at work, preparing for the birthday bash. She was in cahoots with one of my daughter's friends, who in turn, passed on the word that they will be celebrating Kim's birthday. You should've seen how her Ate slept late in the night, preparing a
personalized invitaion. Soon, her Kuya MIckey joined in and helped with the design.

Saturday night, my wife gave Kraiganne the dough, let the four siblings go on their own to a place in Greenbelt where they were to meet with her friends. Since these guys studied in the same school, everybody practicall knew everyone. After the simple dinner and the friends had all bade goodbye,

Kraiganne thought they still had some cash and took them to a bar where they danced the night away. Me and my wife were at home all this time to give the sibling some bonding on their own. They came home in a cab at around 1 am as we instructed. Not bad!

The following day, her real birth date, the wife and I handed her our gift. Then, we invited a few relatives into the house for a little lunch and merienda. Then, we all went to Serendra last night for a simple family dinner. Now, who can complain after that, eh? Life is good!

At any rate, I would like to greet my lovely daughter a happy 18th birthday.

Of cars and mechanics

Last Saturday, I decided to have my problem with my car's wheel alignment fixed. This had been a problem which had been going for years as having it fixed would be expensive for I knew there's something wrong with the steering system.

So, since I did not have any schedule for lab tests that day (thank God - a respite from lab test!) I geared up very early in the morning and went to the mechanic. After the initial check-up, it turns out there are a lot that needed fixing. BAll joints, tie-rod ends, bearings, etc. etc... And all because I wanted to have my front wheels aligned! (Is there any kind soul out there who is willing to donate a
brand new van to this poor being?) The piece that took the toll was the steering shaft! I was told that a brand new one would cost me Php44 K big ones! Now, where will I get that much cash, right? So, I told them to look for a surplus and they did which cost about Php13K. Still stiff but what can I do?

So, finally, after a long wait for the piece, the final tally, as shown in y receipt, is as follows:


Steering bushing

520.00

Ball Joint

2600.00

Tie rod end

1430.00

Rack end

2340.00

Petrogrease MP 3 (0.5 kilo)

92.00

Oil seal

480.00

Gear oil SAE 90 (18L)

133.00

Steering rack assembly

12350.00

Replace steering

450.00

Replace ball joint

560.00

Replace tie rod end

440.00

Replace rack end

520.00

Replace oil seal

480.00


and finally, what I really wanted:

Wheel alignment (Toe In/Toe out)

450.00

Camber adjustment

750.00


Isn't life ironic?

I could not consider myself a movie buff. Sure, I watch the movies but that would probably be one in three months at best. I would have to be swayed by friends to see a film before I go to a movie theater. I'd rather watch a play or a concert but since these shows do not come cheap, I hardly ever go, too. And yet, during the previous summers after last, my friend, Rolly Valmonte, one time Vice Principal in our school, during the height of his career, and I, would frequent the movie theaters practically every afternoon, after lunch. We do not have to report for work during summers, you see, but we do come to do some chores nevertheless. So, that gave us a lot of time to enjoy the summer and at the same time, work on a few odds and ends. And so we have ample time going to the movies. What is even odder was that we did not care whether the movie was good or not. Why? We only wanted to escape the summer heat. So, you'd see us snoring away at the middle of the show.

Too bad, my friend has already retired and I was all alone last summer. I would not dare go to the movie theater alone. What if a thug sits beside me and gets my wallet? So, those summer fiascos are over for good.

Anyway, talking about movies. Because I seldom see one, I only have about a nandful that I can say I really like. And yet, some of these films I either got to see on DVD and/or on cable tv. Now, if there's anything that can best describe myself, it would be that I am a couch potato! But I digress. What is odd about me is that no matter how I like a film, I grow tired of the lull moments and just wait for my favorite parts. Hence, you can just imagine how many tv remote controls I have broken because of abuse changing the channels to and fro. I already mentioned I have ADD in one post, didn't I? :-)

I just chanced upon one of these movies at the HBO yesterday. I'm talking about Hearts and Souls starring Robert Downey, Jr., Tom Sizemore, Charles Grodin, Alfre Woodard and Kyra Sedgwick. It is about four people who suddenly died when the bus they were riding tumbled, which was simultaneous with the birth of Downey's character. The four became imaginary friends of the child who is the only person who can only see them. After several years, the four decided to sever their relationship with the child as people are beginning to doubt the boy's sanity. They stayed with him, alright albeit him not being able to see them anymore. Thirty years later, the four guys were picked up by no less than the driver that caused their untimely death. It was by this time that they realized their purpose for staying on earth that long was to do their unfinished business with the help of the boy, their conduit to the material world.

Now, since I know all these and have seen it more than once already, I change channels everytime (I have chanced upon it several times already) and time it to the part that I really like. I am talking about the cameo role played by blues guitarist BB King! One of the dead people's, (I don't have his name, sorry. I told you I'm not a movie buff) unfinished business is to sing onstage. The matter was resolved in a BB King concert where he took over Downey's body and sang, what else, "The Star Spangled Banner". At the middle of the song, BB King heard him singing and decided to jam. The first shriek of the guitar just blows my mind... everytime, without fail! I don't know why but that scene always gives me goose pimples. I can feel angst, pleasure and whatever the blues is all about in that one note! Well, I may not be a movie buff but I am always a sucker for the blues!

The end!

My indiscriminate, carefree ways during my teens are now taking their toll on my body. I can tell. I am not as healthy as I was and I feel so fragile that everything in my body seem to hurt at the first sign of irritation or discomfort. Stand up for a long time and my leg will want to give in.

For several months now, my Saturdays have always been trips to the clinic for lab tests to monitor my sugar. When I got back from Thailand, my sugar level shot up which caused my doctor to increase the dosage of my meds and add some more. Thank God it has normalized already. I got the scare of my life when my creatinine and microalbumin yielded a high level. This meant my kidneys are starting to lose protein and my doctor told me if this does not improve, I might have to undergo dialysis if my kidney fails.

I was forbidden to eat red meat anymore. No pork or beef which has always been my staple eversince I was born. I followed and guess what, last Saturday's result was very promising. All my tests yielded normal. FBS, 2HPPBS, creatinine, uric acid etc. - Normal!

The bad news is that I am down with the flu! I cannot go to work today since I have not been feeling well since Saturday night. How can I keep this old body of mine work as if I am only 18?

I am not an atheist!

Last Friday, I attended an overnight team building cum workshop and was dead tired when I got home afternoon of the following day. As usual, the first thing I did as soon as I have thrown my dirty clothes away was to turn on the computer and open my email. I was surprised to receive a comment waiting for my approval from an unknown source, probably from a foreigner as he/she spelled Filipinos as Philipinos. The comment was on my post Free Will and Spinoza.

As much as I would like to thank the commenter for putting in a comment, I am sorry but I cannot publish it for it will eat too much space. The comment was two kilometers long and honestly, I could not make heads or tails about it. If you are reading this, can you please collapse your comments into one single thesis? And in something that I can understand. I am sorry to say that I have a very short attention span that if you do not get me hooked on the first sentence, you will completely lose me. Hence, babbling about whatever was your point is totally wasted on me. What are you anyway? An atheist, a prophet of doom? A Christian fundamentalist? An anti-Christ? A war-monger? What? I really don't know.

What I do know however, which everyone should have gotten by now, is that I am not an atheist. I may have a few disagreements with some of the practices of the Catholic church (but I will have to add that that is probably my fault); I may not hear mass regularly like a true Catholic should; and I may not have gone to confession for a very long time, but in spite of all these, never have I wavered on my belief that there is a God. I have been educated in a Catholic school, been bred by nuns, and now teach in a Catholic school that it is impossible for my faith to be shaken by whatever fad or philosophical dogma there is. Sure, I post something about philosophy and in the process may hint at theology from time to time, but that is because I want to know if my understanding is correct based on the commnents I get. I study philosophy in the hope that I can understand it and find ways to increase my faith not decrease it. Never mind what the skeptics might say. Never mind what incongruence intelligent people find. Never mind about being impractical and unfeasible the Bible is to them. What I have is a strong faith and this is something they cannot get out from me.

What it was like to be 18!

I have been tagged again this time by no less than Ipanema a blogger, whom I got to know thru Doc Emer. This tag is another one of those music thingies going around blogs. I am supposed to remember the songs when I was 18 years old and turn nostalgic over them. The rules can be seen here. I am a bit hesitant doing this tag at first as the young people reading this blog may not be able to relate. But then, I do have readers who may be able to and even kind of reminisce after seeing the songs that I included here. So, what the heck? Here goes.

I have grown to a family of music lovers. I have been exposed to different types of music early in my life that the music library in my head spans several generations. Should I say circa 1920's to the present. From my father, I learned to listen to classical music, be fascinated with the guitar as an instrument; from my mother, I inherited my love for the kundiman which she sang in radio programs with her sister when they were younger; my brothers and sisters who influenced me to listen to rock and roll; and now, my children who keeps me abreast with the latest tunes.

But of course, the most memorable music for me would be the music of my teens, the 70's. As I read the rules in Ipanema's blog, I got confused what songs were the hits during that time when I turned 18. I googled it and some of the songs that I remember that made it to the charts were the following as listed here

That's the Way of the World

Shining Star - Earth, Wind and Fire

The Way We Were/Try to Remember - Gladys Knight and the Pips

Black Water - Doobie Brothers

They Just Can't Stop It (Games People Play) - The Spinners

Some Kind of Wonderful - Grandfunk Railroad

At Seventeen - Janis Ian

Lonely People - America

Poetry Man - Phoebe Snow

You are so Beautiful - Joe Cocker

Laughter in the Rain - Neil Sedaka

ONe of these Nights - The Eagles

Lady Marmalade - Labelle

How Sweet It Is - James Taylor

Midnight Blue - Melissa Manchester

Love will Keep Us Together - Captain and Tennille

Okay, I admit, these are not the songs that I want to talk about, though. The songs I'd rather talk about are the ones that inspired me the most. The problem is that I am not sure if they aired when I turned 18. The sure thing about it is that they were heard in the airwaves during the 70's. Anyway, first off in the list is Les Crane's rendition of Max Ehrmann's "The Desiderata". Just the first note of the lady singer singing gives me goosebumps. I think the fact that it has been rumored that authorship of this poem was unknown and that it was just found in St. Paul's Cathedral made it very popular. I have been so moved by the poem that I would make a
translation of it when I began blogging which my friend Batjay did a voice over and another friend, award winning blogger toni featured anew.

Next ones are kind of oxymorons,if there is such a thing, in music.

The first is Tom Clay's - "What the World Needs Now & Abraham, Martin and John". No, this is not really a song but a montage of songs and news items. It starts with Tom Clay asking his daughter about hatred, bigotry, prejudice, which the child, innocent as she is, answers "I do not know..." Then enters Burt Bacharach's "What the World Needs Now" amid sounds of soldiers preparing for Vietnam, a coverage of the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and his brother Bobby, MArtin Luther King and another Kennedy , tearfully giving a eulogy for his brother. The montage ends from where it started. HOw I wish I can share with you the MP3 my new found online friend Gilbert sent me.

The next one is Simon and Garfunke's "Silent NIght/7:00 o'clock new". This song starts softly with Silent NIght with an overdub of the 7:00 o'clock news. As the song gets louder, the news gets even louder and it suddenly hits the listener that the news. You can guess what the news is about.

The last one is not from the 70's. It came out during the Woodstock era so that would be about 1969. However, I first heard it during the 70's ergo, I'm including it to the list. I'm talking about Country Joe and the Fish's I-feel-like-I'm-fixin'-To-Die". This is a protest song, as was the whole rap Woodstock is all about, about the US sending its young men to Vietnam. In this song I saw how to make a protest without the flair of a hothead but as pompous just the same.

So, there. Hope these songs brought back memories to you, too.

Free-will and Spinoza

On one of those very rare occasions that I could bloghop around, I chanced upon one of auee's posts Bag a wife,literally which narrates a report that women in Krygyztan are being kidnapped by strangers to be their bride. I was thinking that this is just like the cartoon character of a man from the stoneage holding a club on one hand while dragging a woman by the hair to show the world his prize catch. Sure, we outsiders think that this is barbaric. And yet, can we really say that? Do we have the right to judge? As we all know, a culture's ways have been developed over time and is the accepted norm in such a society. Besides, what makes us sure that we don't have something similar?

Then, I read that the Sassy lawyer has her own take on the issue. The entry reiterated my premise that this is culture bound and that we don't have the right to judge. As a matter of fact, she goes on deeper to say that this happens to us also citing rape as an example. I will not go into the details anymore as you can read it from the source here. What I am interested, though, is that she has related the phenomenon to free-will. Free-will is the exercise of control over one's decisions and actions. This concept has been with the Christians for a very long time. In Christian dogma, everyone is given free-will in the belief that God has no control over our actions and that we shall be judged according to our choices in life. Hence, man has complete dominion of his/her own being. If said subject chooses good, then paradise awaits him/her in the after life as a reward. If the choice was to live in sin, then the consequence is eternal damnation.

This talk on free-will reminded me of Spinoza. Spinoza has been excommunicated not only by the Jews to which he belonged but even by his family for his radical ideas. One of these ideas is his counter stand to Descartes' dualism - "that reality consisted of two completely separate substances - thought and extension." To Spinoza, there is only one substance ergo, God is nature and nature is God.

Free-will does not exist to Spinoza. Man is governed by nature, which to him is equivalent to God and vice-versa. Although God does not govern our lives like a puppeteer, His control over our actions is exercised by limiting them by outside forces. As an example, we can decide to wiggle our toes, make circles with it but we can never ask it to detach itself from us and make it jump on its own for this is not within the nature of a foot or our toes. Likewise, an apple tree may choose to bear the sweetest fruit but only if the conditions are right, viz., proper sunlight, water, etc. and moreso, it will never bear pears or mangoes. It is in the same manner that "we can be hindered in our development and our personal growth by political conditions."

This is very interesting in that I can relate our fate as a people amid the turbulence of economic and political upheavals. How can we ascertain whether or not we are making the right choices, right being objectively correct, when most of our people are living in dire straits? Where is free-will when the choices are down to the lesser evil?

A Thousand Words

Here are some pictures taken during my trip to Thailand. Emjoy!







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To group or not to group - Part II

Once again, the question of group work has come up in a parents' orientation that the school has given yesterday. As usual, it is a question of how the kids are graded and the fairness of the grading. "What if the members are lazy and only the leader or one of the members did the work alone?"

As the question was addressed to the administration and I am no longer a part of it, I deemed it prudent not to answer the query and leave it to my superiors. After all, it was a question addressed to the whole congregation and not to me. I, too, had given group work and the question could have been thrown at me. Thank God I didn't have to answer that one for my response would not have been approved by the questioning parent. But that is getting ahead of the story.

Anyway, it is so easy to say that in the case where only one person did the work, that person should be given the full credit and flunking the others. That would have appeased a fuming parent who thinks it is unfair that his/her child is the only person who did the work. But I had been thinking about it and realized something in the process which might not be a ery popular stnce especially to parents of aspiring honor students. However, as a teacher, that is not the best response for me. Allow me to explain.

A group work is given to meet certain objectives. If the only objective was to expedite the completion of the project, then, giving the person who did all the work the grade might be okay. Afterall, the only objective is getting the work done at all costs. However, this is not the case. For me, it is more of the process than the output. The reasons why we give group work is for the students to learn team work and achieve camaraderie and a have a sense of belonging. Together with this, the students learn to decide based on their options, either by circumstance or their own creation (which plan to follow, what kind of technique or whatever to use), division of labor, delegation of duties and learn how to agree to disagree.

Based on these goals, I say, the failure of one in a group is the failure of all. They have failed to do the task because they failed to meet the objectives. It is the leader's role to assign tasks to his group, delegate responsibilities and see to it that everybody does his/her job. It is the role of the members to contribute, cooperate and respond to the leader's orders.

Come checking time, it is imperative for the teacher to see what transpired during the creation process. I talk to the entire group and question them. First the leader to find out if everybody contributed. This is not as hard in my case as most of the works have been done inside the classroom. This I do, sometimes, alone with the leader to assess if he/she is telling the truth. It may be that the leader either is covering up for the members or that he/she is intimidated into submitting the truth. Next, I talk to the members and assess how the work was done. By questioning them, I tend to feel how honest they have been and if my gut feeling tells me there's something awry, I probe in deeper until I am satisfied I get the entire picture.

So, what grade do I give in case only one person worked on the project? It depends on the outcome. If the work is good, the person who worked gets the highest grade in the group and give the others a passing mark. However, they do not get the highest mark possible and I make sure that they understand why such grade was what they deserved.

I am aware that this is not foolproof, though. Hence, at best, I do not give a very high per centage on group work vis a vis individual work. Nevertheless, I have to give them the experience of working together.

It must be in the blood!

Let me talk about my nephew (actually he is my apo already as he is the son of my niece but who would like to be called lolo, eh?)

I don't recall anymore when I've seen the boy last. Must have been two or three years ago. Anyway, when I first saw him much earlier, he was a little toddler learning to play the recorder. They were still living in Czechoslovakia then as my niece was finishing her dissertation. I never heard him play, though, as he did not bring his recorder with him.

The second time they came to visit, my niece,(her mom - now I have to explain that part,hehehe), who incidentally sponsored my son's violin which he still uses today, told me he was trying to play the guitar. So, when I saw them in my sister's house, I brought my guitar to listen to him play. However, I did not really get to see what his potential was (naks, like as if I can spot it right away, huh? "Will he be my protege?" hahaha) either because 1. my guitar was so big for him; 2. he was still too shy to really be at it; 3. his mind was too preoccupied with the computer game her mom brought with them; or 4. all of the above. Not that I doubt his capability to learn how to play the instrument. All he has to do, like any other human being, is to put his heart into it and practice a lot. After all, I knew at the time that he was into the arts. I have seen his paintings before. Yes, he also paints. Now, that is not surprising as his namesake is a very famous impressionist - Cezanne. We fondly call him Ces.

I got an email from my niece who now resides in the States with her husband, that her child, a grade 5 pupil, now plays the cello. As if I was asking for a proof, she sent me this picture.




Now, there are two people in the family who plays in the orchestra! Well, never mind that he gets his good looks from moi! He is a talent to be honed and discovered. Mstislav Rostropovich, move on.

My little girl is now a grown-up!

I had to attend a seminar on Labor Management today in one of the buildings at T. M. Kalaw. As it was just the start of a two-day seminar, the topic was a bit light and a little old. We've learned about the rudiments of communication before. But I must admit, the speaker was very lively and contagious that if I was to rate the seminar, I'd say it's an 8 with 10 as the highest.

This blog is not about the seminar, though, as the title suggests. It's about my eldest daughter. She's a marketing major and is now employed in one of the offices in Makati. Since they are having a show of their product starting tomorrow, she had told me and my wife that she'll be coming home late tonight. Thinking that I can get a ride from Kalaw to Makati, I decided to fetch her and be at ease that she'll go home safe. I called her up to tell her that I am coming so that we can go home together. At first, she said what was I to do there? She would be late and I might get impatient as it was only 6 pm. I told her not to worry and assured her that I would not be in her way. She wouldn't even notice I was there, so to speak.

When I got to the place, she sat me on the sofa and left. I read my book prepared for the long wait. As I sat there, I can see her busily doing her chores and I just thought, "my girl is no longer the child I carried in my arms, fed and took to school." Somehow, I felt a strong feeling of accomplishment as I watched her trying to earn a living. I may terribly miss my baby girl but she has grown to be a responsible woman. We are simple folks with simple dreams and seeing her in a workplace is something me and my wife can truly be proud of.

The test of time!

Ask anyone how long thirty years is and surely, they'll say it's a very long time. However, ask the same question to someone who has spent it wisely and undoubtedly, he/she will say it is quite short. I have spent twenty three years in the same school where I teach and believe me, it seems like it was just yesterday when I first stepped into its grounds. Sure, a lot of people have come and gone. Hundreds of students have graduated and yet, endless as they come, each one is unique that I will never tire of teaching. Twenty two years is not different from thirty, forty or even fifty years spent in a school setting. Each year poses a new challenge and as I put a conclusion on each challenge, I breathe openly and thank God I have survived.

Last Saturday, my wife received a plaque of appreciation for her thirty years of service. She also serves in the same university system I work in albeit in a different campus. She had served five presidents, worked in about four departments and had seen the whole campus grow. She had befriended a lot of people who still continues to be her friends. "Thirty years in service and yet it seems like a very short time," she said.

When she announced that she will be given a recognition in the Staff Awards, she requested that MIckey and I give an intermission number. I had other plans. Since my son had been playing with the symphony orchestra, I opted to surprise her by asking my son to request some of his friends to play with him instead. His friends acceded and one even arranged her favorite "Ang Tangi Kong Pag-ibig" piece for violin, viola and a clarinet. Suffice to say that my wife was ecstatic and felt very proud as she watched her son play like a pro.

As I went up the stage to pin her medal, I was proud that my wife has shown dedication to service which rings true to the way she has shown dedication to our marriage, our children and the entire household. It was like showing the world that we are a family to be trusted because we are always committed to our cause and every purpose or goal we set our minds to. I am very proud of my wife who, in spite of my eccentricities, has learned to put up with me, given me more than enough encouragement in every endeavor that I undertake. As the years progress, I have learned how dedicated she is with her mother, her children and more importantly, to me. As a lover, she is a hopeless romantic. Read this to see my point. You'll love the story. No medal or any award would have been sufficient accolade to this woman I love and will love for ever until kingdom come and beyond.

God bless her soul

I was on the computer last night when the news about the death of one Nelly Banaag, a public school teacher serving as a member of the Board of Elections Inspectors in Taysan, Batangas was aired. She, together with Leticia Ramos, a poll watcher, died when the school they were in was allegedly burned by two men.

Six others were wounded during the fire, including Banaag's daughter Ritchel and the chair of the BEI, teacher Sally Villena. Villena is currently confined at Our Lady of Mediatrix Hospital and is reportedly in good condition.

DepEd secretary Jesli A. Lapus condemned the dastardly act and announced that he has ordered the immediate processing of teacher benefits for Banaag and Villena.

We will exhaust all measures to provide all the benefits due to the
family of the deceased... It's the least we can do for her and those she had left behind.

Taachers are looked at with respect and high esteem in other cultures and yet, here in our country, they are being disparaged for being miserable, unprofessional, selling tocino concurrently with teaching, often looked down to by rich folks when they cross paths like when their child received a low grade or being suspended for a wrong deed, etc.

The teacher's fate is even more degraded during elections when arrogant politicos or their goons accuse them of cheating. And to think they are ready to risk life and limb just to protect the sanctity of the ballot. Never mind that they can barely make both ends on the paltry sum they receive. Never mind that they have to work late just to make sure they have done their job. But at least show them respect. They are heroes worthy of the highest accolade.

I know the DepEd has promised support to the families but in my opinion, that is not enough. It should use all its resources to find the perpetrators and give justice to their death.

Vox Populi Vox Dei

How many times have we heard the argument Vox populi vox Dei? "The voice of the people is the voice of God" referring to the majority as having to be God saying His piece. The multitude cannot be wrong it can be regarded as God has spoken through them. This is the very foundation of democracy. After all arguments have been said and after all informed citizens have heard and understood, they vote and whoever has the most number of votes win.

That is what I did today. Vote who I think will be fit to be our leaders. And yet, why is it that I do not think I have exercised my right fully?

I had a hard time picking twelve candidates to fill the senatorial slots. I feel the list of choices was lacking. Lacking of people who I believe can really play the role. I look at the list and think "I have heard their promises before and nothing happened." This led me to think about the phrase: vox populi vox Dei. This could have been true during Socrates' time. When the world was not complicated with too much materialism, pork barrels, technology, population explosion, cheating, election related violence, etc... When, I suppose, people knew and understood the issues for they were not that complicated (well, I'm not talking about philosophy) and voting was probably done by raising of hands. We know very well this is not so today. Today, the rule of the majority sometimes translate to the rule of the mob! Besides, how sure am I that those triumphant in their bids are truly winners? We've heard of massive cheating too often that the act becomes associated with every elections. It is in this light that I tend to agree in the saying: Nec audiendi qui solent dicere, Vox populi, vox Dei, quum tumultuositas vulgi semper insaniae proxima sit. Translated it reads:

"And those people should not be listened to who keep saying the voice of the people is the voice of God, since the riotousness of the crowd is always very close to madness."

Elections and democracy!

In my humble opinion, there is no other system of government for a state better than democracy. Democracy in its literal sense means "run by the people". Simple and yet, each one of us has a say in how our government, our affairs, has to be run. Fair enough! And yet, there is one crux we have to contend with. Education!

Democracy, in order for it to be successful, should rest on a highly educated populace. This is important for democracy is founded on the free flow of ideas. One has to learn how to listen and discern what is right. One has to know how to analyze what he/she is being fed before making a decision.

In a democracy, one has the right to be heard as the next guy! It should not be a case of whoever shouts the loudest wins. In our case, the proverbial "whoever has the guns, gold and goons" enjoying the top slots in government leadership.

We cannot blame our leaders forever. We put them there. Unless, of course, they cheated! But that is another story. Let me get back on track. A well-informed society is needed to have the country run on its own feet. Now, what do we have? We have an electorate, more than half of which, have not had good education. Why? They are busy trying to earn food for the table. The very basest of all human necessity. We see street children helping their parents eke out a living. No make that earn scraps for the next meal. How, pray tell, do we expect them to be informed or be educated properly? They just won't care, would they? But that is not entirely wrong. In any society, we will find the poorest of the poor. It is part of life.

What gets my goat is you find some (or many to be blunt about it) lazily sitting at the neighborhood store, guffawing at another's joke or probably giving out his own, with drink in hand in the morning! Oftentimes, we hear them complain about the government and its leaders, critical of everything and yet do nothing to elevate their stature in life. These are the very people who would wish for instant wealth and so would line up to buy lotto tickets praying that that will be the ticket he/she has been waiting for. These are the very people who would elect a candidate who can give him/her cash right on his/her doorstep at the moment. These are the people who would elect someone because said candidate is a popular movie star or basketball player. They do not grasp the issues anyway. What matters is here and now. Sadly, these are the people who compose the largest chunk of the voters. The masses.

These are long overdue!

My Malaysian friend, who happens to be my very first online friend, Chet, tagged me to write 6 things I find weird about myself. There is a slight problem here on my end. I suspect I have more than 10 but I have grown accustomed to them, I might not recognize them as weird. Anyway, I think I can come up with six. So, Chet, here they are:

6 odd things about me:

1. I like to cook but of all cooks, I am one that eats my cooking a lot! Many people find it weird that I can get to eat big portions of my own cooking. Most of them would say they grow tired after having tasted their own meals while cooking. Well, I don't know with them but the reason for cooking is so that I can eat. Ergo...

Another thing friends find weird with me is that I eat noodles with rice! They would always sound surprised and exclaim, "What is that? Carbo on carbo!" And we have been told to limit our carbo intake. Not good!

2. I am interested in anything and everything. The problem is that once I get to know the rudiments, I lose interest. While the interest is still there, I seldom advance. Take the guitar, for example. Once I learned how to read notes, I rarely practice reading them anymore. This is the reason why I cannot sight read. I have to memorize each bar. Also, I never learned how to use the time signature causing my playing dependent on hearing the piece before I get to play it correctly. That is the reason why I can play a tune correctly only if I have heard it before. Otherwise, my son MIckey will have to patiently correct my tempo. What can I do? I have learned playing the instrument "oido" first! You should see how many long playing albums and cassette tapes I have broken during my heyday.

3. I have attention deficit disorder - I think! Why do I say that? Well, I start reading a book and after a few pages, either grow tired or fall asleep. The same thing with movies at HBO or any channels that feature movies. Oftentimes, there would be a movie I want to watch and while waiting for its airtime, I would patiently watch the program before it. I fall asleep and guess what. By the time I wake up, I will be staring at the credits of the show I wanted to watch. I even miss the sign that says, "The End." Darn!!!! This is the reason why I like sitcoms the best - and cooking shows. They only go for thirty minutes, tops.

4. I paint naked. Well, naked as in from the waist up. I'm not that sleazy, you know. I have grown accustomed to painting amid the summer heat when I have plenty of time on my hands. And boy is it hot! And I use only three brushes at the most. Sometimes only one for one whole painting.

5. I have finished all the requirements for at least two masteral programs but did not get to take the comprehensive exams, much more the thesis writing that go with them. This is the reason why you don't get to see any letters after my name. Maybe that is related to number two. What do I know, eh?

6. I like to flirt with women but would be the first to chicken out if I sense the woman was beginning to like it and start to come on to me. I love my wife and my kids a lot. That is read, "fear" my wife a lot! Now, who said I am henpecked? Well, not that that happened before. Women falling for me, that is. I guess I don't have the x factor women are looking for LOL!!!!

Now, the fun part. I have to tag 6 other people. Hence, I am tagging my good friends Batjay, Bugsy,Ipanema, Doc Emer, Gilbert and The C at. Their responses should be very interesting.

_____________________________

When I got back from Thailand, I got a message from Diogenes that my good friend, Philippine Blogs Awards winner Toni referred me to him. He requested me to answer a few questions. He has a project called The Fine Art of Blogging and is soliciting from bloggers around the world (I presume) what they think a blog is, its importance, why do they blog and several other things. Seeing that it is a worthwhile project, I succumbed and sent him my reply. You can find my response here

Anybody who's interested can email me and I will gladly give him the message.

The KIngdom of Thailand

I have been away for six days for a tour of Thailand. Here is a summary of the places I went to and my impressions:

April 27 - We were first billeted at Bangkok Palace Hotel, about a mile walk from the famous Bayioke Hotel, the tallest in the coutry. We sampled the food in street stalls and while I could not call it a true "orgasmic" treat for the palate, it was good and clean (I hope) for dinner. Then we took a walk towards Bayioke just to have a feel walking the streets feeling the pulse of the city.

April 28 - Temples!!! I am impressed with the temples. Who would not be? The huge reclining Buddha in Wat Pho is awesome. The altar where the monks pray is laden with gold. No, make that the whole temple! Suffice it to say that the architecture with all the stupas (bell-like edifices to glorify a king or probably a god) is so uniquely Thailand. We crossed a river by boat and while the water was not immaculately clean, it was not filthy. About twenty or so boats ply it to cross tourists to and fro.

Next stop was the Sriracha Tiger Zoo. Here, I found Bengal tigers bred and cared for by pigs! What else? I do not know why but you will find a cage with odd mixtures of dogs, tigers and pigs. The sign says "happy family". I guess that sums it up. We also saw a pig who can do arithmetic (that is just my best guess as they do not translate what was happening) and a race of pigs. No betting taking place though. We also saw a crocodile show. Some tourists even took crocodile barbecue to the show. (That was a little insensitive, don't you think?)

Then, we proceded to the Pattaya Century Hotel. Curious, we went out after checking in to see a freak show. Anybody who has been to Thailand would know what I am talking about. What a waste of time and money!

April 29 - We were headed to the beach to go to Coral Island, a twenty or so minutes ride by speedboat from the city. But before going there, we were taken for a stopover on a huge barge where one can go parasailing. While some of my friends went, I, short for cash, as always, had to stay and cheer them on.

The island was very nice. The crystal clear turquoise water was inviting that I had to go and sample it. I swam for a few minutes by my lonesome until two or three of them joined me. Oh well, I am a sucker for beaches.

After lunch, we were taken to the Gems Gallery. We were led by receptionists to a train ride (I prayed it would not be some sort of a roller coaster or I would not have taken it) which was actually a historical tour of how gems are created by volcanoes until how they are cut into what we know as jewelry. Needless to say that after the ride, I did not even dare look at the prices of the jewelry in the store.

After dinner, our tour guide took us to the Alcaraz, a Las Vegas type of show showcasing transvestite. Unlike the ones you see in clubs, this was a theater which is dedicated to this kind of show. Since there were only four of us, the tour company sent a coaster to ferry us to and from the hotel. The transvestites were adorable in the sense that they were picture perfect. The well-sculpted body and boobs tell you the plastic surgeon made a killing out these people. After the show, the main cast would line-up outside for photo-ops for 40 baht. Again, I did not bite.

April 30 - We checked out to the hotel and were on our way after breakfast. We were taken to the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens. We also watched a cultural show that had an array of cast with wonderful costumes and an amazing stage design. It also had elephants, a lampooned thai boxing, a historical overview (non of which I understood as I do not speak the language). After that, we went to the adjacent arena for an elephant show. The elephants did a lot of tricks one of which was a set of three elephants who painted a floral arrangement on a tshirt which they sold for 300 baht. Again... you know the deal.

Thereafter, we went to Safari World. While we missed the orang utan and seal show, we managed to see the stunt show, which was a western type of show at Universal Studios; the dolphin show which also had three beluga whales; spy show, which I surmise is the same as the Waterworld; and the bird show, something similar to what the wife and I saw in Hong Kong's Ocean Park.

We checked in again at the Bangkok Palace Hotel and my roommate, Chito Ortega and I, decided to experience the Thai massage. No, we did not go to those barbershop-like massages lined-up in the streets, but went to a spa where you are massaged in a cubicle (o hanky panky, of course) with aromatic flavors just like here in Manila. It was 600 baht for two hours. Not bad as I was already snoring during the right foot.

May 1 - Shopping - shopping - shopping!!! We went to Prattunam beside the Bayioke Hotel. Amazingly, practicallly all stores carried one size only. For slim women! I did not go with the women when they went to MBK as I did not plan to buy that much.

We were back in Manila on May 2. INcidentally, I just realized that this was the same day I came home from Canada last year.

Thailand should have been no better than the Philippines. It has the same narrow streets, the ubiquitous traffic jams, the markets, etc. What is amazing is that it has managed to preserve its culture while adapting those at the west. Street food is safe and clean unlike what you find in the streets of Manila. The fruits being pedelled are always sweet. The public toilets are by far always clean. The tourist buses are magnificent, spacious and very relaxing.

The food may be exotic but if you have been eating it for a number of days, you also grow tired of it. Imagine having Tom Yam every meal, for example.

The people are interesting. Several times, I had been cut-off in the buffet table. Whiule I was lined up, say for rice, someone will cut in and just get food ahead of you. But then again, these are asian tourists I figure. Several times I would have wanted to say "Excuse me but the end of the line is always there!" But I thought about it and figured I am here to have a holiday and a good time. Why waste my breath?

Okay, I hope I did not bore you to death. Well, if you're reading this...

22 and counting

There is a saying that goes like this: "Forget your wife's birthday once and you will never forget it the rest of your life." Thank God I am spared of a woman's wrath simply because I forgot to greet my wife a happy birthday.

I can never forget her birthday. She made sure I did not in a very subtle way. She chose the same date to be our wedding day. Hence, last Friday, we did not only celebrate her birthday but our 22nd wedding anniversary, too. Twenty two years and still going strong. As has been the family practice, we went on an overnight stay in a different place to bond. Originally, we planned to stay in a hotel in Tagaytay but we all agreed we wanted something different. We remembered how much we enjoyed Balay sa Indang and decided it was worth a second time. And have fun we did.

We arrived there at around 11, in time for lunch which was made up of fresh vegetable salad you laced with oranges, sweet corn and eggs and a choice of two dressings. For the main course, we were served Java rice and white rice, chicken barbecue, pesto spaghetti and steamed fish. After lunch, the guys played billiards while the girls helped their mom fix our things inside the room. We jammed and sang a few songs and went swimming afterwards. At dinnertime, we pigged out on bagoong rice, crab stick wrapped in fried lumpia wrapper dipped in a wasabi sauce, onion soup, shrimps with mushrooms, vegetable garnished with bacon and t-bone steak.

The weather was so good you would never think it was summer. The terrible heat we experience here in Manila has not touched that part of the country. If only I can stay there everyday the whole summer season.