10.20.2010

You are my Atlantis

your lovely voice, i long to hear
oh that faint voice

heaven hath blinded my sight
and now, no reason exists.

the scent of the flower's bud lingers
and i desire and desire not
for my olfatory to sense them.

you are bermuda triangle and atlantis
for the boundaries that divide us
no bridge can ever connect them.

10.19.2010

service is what Filipinos need

Here is an excerpt of a commentary that I replied to:

No, Winnie, Filipinos who go overseas are not traitors
By JOY ANTONELLE DE MARCAIDA M.D.
Share I am a Filipino. I live and work in the United States. I have established myself as a physician of some stature in my community. American physicians acknowledge me as an esteemed colleague, students look up to me as their mentor, patients respect me as their doctor. They do not question the color of my skin. They do not treat me any differently from any other respected member of their community. I have been integrated into their lifestyle and have adapted to their culture. I speak as they speak. But I am Filipino. And I am proud of it.
Read more...
Here is my commentary:


There is a difference between a ManileƱo choosing to work in another part of the country and a Filipino choosing to work in another country. I guess I don't have to explain the surface difference.
 
Transgressing the obvious, it is clear that serving other nationalities differs immensely from serving our countrymen. This is especially true for those who studied in SCUs. Part of our tuition fees comes from the taxes that our countrymen pay without question to the government. But more than the money they have given, it is the trust that students of SCUs will serve Filipinos directly. It is true that the remittances of OFWs and immigrants had made the economy survive. But let us take a look at the fact that the so-called economic growth does not properly translate to economic development. Economic growth and sustainability do not translate to a better served Filipino citizenry.
 
One doctor less in a hospital would create a change in the working hours of other doctors in that hospital. One teacher less in a school would mean teachers handling more classes that he/she should normally handle. And the same goes for the rest of the other professions. And the timeline does not end there. If these doctors, teachers, and other professionals become overworked, at a certain point in time, the delivery of services to the Filipino people will not be as earnest as the service they could deliver if they are working under normal conditions.
 
So there is a difference. And it is not just the distance nor the location.
 
More than money and a stable economy, service to a fast growing Filipino nation is what is needed by this country.

10.16.2010

first writing assignment

My first writing assignment with Forbes In Touch was pretty easy to cover yet very enjoyable.

Looking forward to having my work published.

*keeping my fingers crossed.

10.13.2010

WISHLIST NO. 2

In four more days, I'll be 25. And I am excited to celebrate it. Hopefully, I'd get to have some wishes come true. I posted a previous wishlist, but below is another one. LOL

1. State U hoodie available in Stall 35 at the UP Shopping Center





















2. State U Running Shirt also available in Stall 35.

























3. New running shorts
4. Starbucks Tumbler
5. Journal notebook
6. Drawing materials

Daming hiling. Well, dreaming is free.

10.12.2010

25 everyday random stuff that make me giddy

1. ice candy fresh from Manang Sari-Sari Store
2. ice cream fresh from Manong Sorbetero
3. isaw in UP
4. my three dogs who welcome me home
5. buko juice
6. peanut butter spread over banana
7. Oreos
8. coco jam spread over banana
9. pan de sal dipped in Coke or Sarsi
10. Spanish bread
11. Hany or Chocnut
12. Flat tops or Curly tops
13. strawberry sundae from McDo
14. good hair day that comes once in a blue moon
15. light, cold breeze
16. the rustling of leaves
17. the scent of the Ilang-Ilang tree which I get to smell every morning from the neighbor's front yard
18. Crepeman Kisses
19. students' smiles and greetings
20. hot taho placed inside my tumbler
21. corny jokes from students and the one that I come up with during lessons
22. a 45-minute run around the village (not done on a daily basis)
23. a witty remark or thought from a friend
24. smell of my moisturizer on my face
25. a promise that every day is going to be better (emo \m/)

10.08.2010

my soul cries

the stillness of the night comes

but the rage inside continues to hum
like a subway train runnning along crooked metal tracks
at 100 miles per hour.

the body wants to rest
but its soul is keeping it alive.

the wheels unceasingly run along the tracks,
never stopping for a breath's time.

the body struggles to hurdle the cries of the soul.
the body pains. the body cries. the body responds.

it looks for a way to cork and silence the whines of the hurting soul.

the body looked for sharpness around.
and it saw. yes, it saw. and it felt;
and let the soul feel that sharpness.
the taste of metal against skin.
the taste of blood against metal.

the speeding train halts
but the impact follows through
in a resounding screech of metal against metal,
a defeaning cry of wheels scratching against a stronger surface.

the body wins as it slowly fell.

the soul loses as it cries.

the soul cried.

10.07.2010

You ought to watch this

Whether or not you are a graduate of UP Diliman, you have got to watch this lecture of Prof. Solita Monsod. Kudos to you Ma'am.


taking a step back


A co-teacher a few hours ago told me that PNoy received a failing mark of 70% as 7 out of 10 Filipinos are satisfied with the first 100 days of the new administration.

Hearing that after seeing online different protesters from the various sectors of society condemning the outcome of the first 100 days of the Noynoy Aquino administration, I can't help but ask myself (and I did ask several co-faculty), well it's more of an imperative statement, will the Filipinos be ever satisfied?

Let us ask ourselves that question one more time: WILL WE EVER BE SATISFIED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PRESIDENT OF OUR COUNTRY?

But before we can answer this question with ardor and with all honesty, let us ask ourselves as well: HAVE WE EVER TRIED MANAGING A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE?

If your answer is yes, then answer this question with all honesty: HOW MANY OF THIS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN 100-PERCENT SATISFIED WITH YOUR PERFORMANCE AS A LEADER OR MANAGER?

I am confident to say that at a certain point, a certain percentage of these people who you manage or lead would feel a certain amount of dissatisfaction. And I am sure as well that this does not mean that our leadership skill is ineffective.

Now, let us magnify that small group into a community, then into a country. Imagine if we were given 100 days to become the president, what shall we do? What shall we prioritize? What shall we eradicate? What shall we keep?

As I said previously in another blog entry, many of our country's youth, professionals, and middle-class have been good at doing either of the two things: 1) remaining mum and uninterested or 2) criticizing all negative outcomes, no matter how minute they are.

We need therefore to look into ourselves, introspect. What have we done to ourselves that all we see is the tiny dot on the clean and crisp white sheet of paper? What has happened to our minds that we have failed to find out the whole story first before we choose a side on any issue?

Have we become so immersed in our sector's principles and advocacies that we have forgotten about the concerns of other sectors of society? Has the plurality of voices emanating from the various sectors of society only made us more individualistic and exclusive? Are we becoming more selfish by just simply fighting for our sectors' rights without looking at the bigger picture?

I wish not to mean that airing our concerns is deplorable for ours is a democratic society. But let us contemplate on those questions and answer them with all honesty and sincerity.

I remember a story related to love one friend of mine shared with me.

When we are in love, it feels and looks like writing words on the blackboard. You only get to see immediately what your eye can span. But when you step back, you will realize that there are so many other things and words that have drawn or written on the board.

Let us take a step back, or two. Let us contemplate.

my Idol

The PNoy administration and the Catholic Church are in tight row because of the overwhelming support of the current administration of the Reproductive Health Bill, which the latter so openly dismisses.

I can't say anything about it yet but let us read what my idol, my former professor Luis Teodoro has to say about the issue.

Better than nothing

Question: What do you call people who use the rhythm method?
Answer: Parents.

IT’s an old joke that in the context of the country’s many problems wasn’t funny even when first heard decades ago. Thanks to a reproductive health program that for all practical purposes doesn’t exist, and Catholic Church encouragement of so-called “natural methods,” the Philippine population is growing at the rate of 2.2 percent per year, which compares to Thailand’s and Singapore’s .8 percent and Malaysia’s 1.9 percent.

Read more here.

25 Random Things About Me

1. I am one of the students who experienced the many changes in the DepEd curriculum: I became valedictorian even though I was a transferee from a private school; our batch did not take the NSAT, and; my batch in UP was the first to experience the RGEP.

2. I had lived in 22 different houses and apartments.

3. I used to be really addicted to Math.

4. I love the smell of rugby and muriatic acid. But I despise the smell of chlorine and alcohol.

5. I don't like hospitals. In fact throughout my life, I have only been in hospitals 10 times.

6. I have a very short attention span which explains why I sometimes have difficulty maintaining a character or an emotion.

7. I love Snickers and any thing sweet.

8. I also love the smell of pen markers, especially the Pilot Whiteboard marker.

9. Travelling is a luxury and a hobby I would want to afford.

10. I have performed in front of hundreds of people for 6 consecutive shows at the Meralco Theater.

11. I am vain. No explanations needed.

12. I have a low level of spatial intelligence. Up until this day, I still get lost in SM Megamall.

13. I loathe Ateneo because they refused my application to transfer when I was in Grade 4, though I passed the exams with flying colors, because I was financially incapacitated.

14. I am the first Decano in our side of the clan to become a UP graduate.... I know.

15. I used to weigh 220 pounds and used to have a 40-inch waistline.

16. I hate my hair. I don't know what to do with it. And now it's slowly hating me back.

17. I love photography. And I am saving money so I can buy a DSLR this year.

18. When I was in grade school, I ate paper when I get bored.

19. I used to believe that Storm of X-Men was in control of weather.

20. When I was a kid, I thought that the sun needed to rest whenever it would suddenly become dark.

21. I want to know who composed the following game songs: Langit, Lupa; Monkey, Monkey; Shake Shake Shampoo and Si Nena. I think they are very creative.

22. I used to be a goth.

23. I get satisfaction out of picking my nose even when in public.

24. I don't like watching movies in movie houses.

25. I still dream of becoming a ramp model.

10.06.2010

25 songs

Here is the list of the Top 25 Most Played Songs in my iTunes. This statistics is inaccurate because I have not transferred all my songs from Happy to Apollo.


Tadhana 3:42 Up Dharma Down Tadhana OPM 100 122
Miss You Love 3:10 Maria Mena Apparently Unaffected Folk 100 26
Your Guardian Angel 3:49 The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Don't You Fake It Screamo 100 25
Sorry 2:55 Maria Mena Mellow 100 22
I Am In Love 2:59 Maria Mena Mellow 100 21
Just Hold Me 4:26 Maria Mena Mellow Pop 100 18
Why Georgia 4:29 John Mayer Room for Squares Pop 15
Love At First Sight 4:00 Kylie Minogue Fever Pop 15
Im With You 3:44 Avril Lavigne Let Go Pop Rock 12
Hands 3:55 Jewel Spirit Blues 11
My Stupid Mouth 3:45 John Mayer Room for Squares Pop 100 11
Fantasy (remix) 4:42 Mariah Carey Butterfly 11
You Were Meant For Me 4:14 Jewel Spirit Blues 10
Oo 3:59 Up Dharma Down Fragmented OPM 100 10
Fall To Pieces 3:29 Avril Lavigne under my skin Pop Rock 9

Again 3:47 Janet Jackson Classics Slow Jam 9
It's Over 4:09 Jesse McCartney Departure Pop 9
Right Where You Want Me 3:06 Jesse McCartney Right Where You Want Me Pop 9
Freeze 4:09 Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks Pop 9
I Will Remember You (Acoustic) 4:54 Sarah Mclachlan 9
The Girl You Lost To Cocaine (Stonebridge radio edit) 3:07 Sia The Girl You Lost To Cocaine House 9
Silent All These Years 4:11 Tori Amos Tales of a Librarian: A Tori Amos Collection Classical 9
Head Over Feet 4:27 Alanis Morrisette Jagged Little Pill Alanis 100 8
One Hand In My Pocket 3:41 Alanis Morrisette Jagged Little Pill 100 8
Innocence 3:52 Avril Lavigne The Best Damn Thing Pop/Rock 8



Enhancing Basic Education thru K + 12

To celebrate World Teachers' Day, the Department of Education bared its plan to enhance basic education.

Before I post my opinion on this issue, read the clipping first below:

On World Teachers Day, DepEd bares K+12 by 2012
CANDICE MONTENEGRO, GMANews.TV
10/05/2010
06:13 PM

On World Teachers' Day, October 5, Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro presented the 12-year "Enhanced Kindergarten-Grade 12 (K+12)" basic education program that the government hopes to implement by school year 2012 to 2013.


DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro (second from left) said in a press briefing that the K+12 program will make high school graduates globally competitive. Candice MontenegroTo implement the program, the Department of Education (DepEd) has to work with Congress to amend the existing law, Batas Pambansa 232 or the "Education Act of 1982," which states that the basic formal education is a 10-year program.

To amend the law and peg the basic education program at 12 years, DepEd has to conduct consultations until the first quarter of next year.

"After consultation, the law can be passed by 2013, before the next elections," Luistro said, adding that political will is needed to make this program possible. Read more here.

10.05.2010

Never do we

The last few days have been a great mixture of all human emotions.

The rainy days have brought me sickness.
My tonsils are swollen. I have cough and colds. My lower back aches. So much for sugar n' spice and everythin nice.

I saw how good I am in diverting my attention towards "happier" things to forget the pains the past week has brought me.
But I cannot deny that whenver I stop thinking, talking, doing whatever I am doing, I will feel the pain again.

I reminisce of old, happier, sweeter times and I can't help but realize that things could have turn out better if I had been more vocal of my feelings.But to regret is to waste time. And to waste time is to lose in touch of reality. And to lose in touch of reality will rid me of being human.

Time would never heal wounds, mind you. We have control of everything.The heart never really heals. The wounds never become scars. But because it wants to be happy, the heart would ignore the wounds that the past has given it. But still, we never really forget.

10.02.2010

I owe You an apology

Now I am convinced: CO2 emissions warm up the globe.

For the last three years, I convinced myself that natural occurrences and changes in the planet are causing this global warming and climate change phenomenon.

But after watching this video from Rob Dunbar, I cannot help but feel really bad about myself: how I allowed myself to be blinded by the incomplete facts that I have looked at, how I have become so fool to believe that human activities have very minimal effect on the environment compared to natural activities and phenomena such as Sun spots and cloud formation.

More than ever, there is a need from all of us to demand government and the private sector to do something about climate change and how this is causing ocean acidification.

Learn more about all these things that I am saying by watching this clip:

Rob Dunbar looks deeply at ancient corals and sediments to study how the climate and the oceans have shifted over the past 50 to 12,000 years -- and how the Antarctic ecosystem is changing right now. 




There are many negatives comment about RUb Dunbar's treatment of the data but what we need to focus on are the last few slides of his presentation where he talks about Ocean Acidification. Let us not forget that Earth is 70% water. It means, therefore, that we are highly dependent on what happens to the surrounding waters of our islands.

Lots of theories and researches have been presented and all those concerned have their own vested interests.

True or not, failed analysis or what not, one thing remains true: Man may be able to control certain aspects of Nature. But when Nature strikes back, there's no more reckoning.

10.01.2010

wishlist

17 days from now I shall turn 25. I will start writing and sharing the 25 stuff in my life which I could share with people.

First one is my 25 wishes for my birthday. Hopefully, I would be able to get some.

1. new Aldo watch
2. big, fluffy pillow where I could bury my face so I could sleep better
3. "new" Jansport bag (I think Tony Battung promised me something, lol)
4. black hard shell case for Apollo
5. statement shirts
6. G-Tec pens that can double as a defense tool
7. Superman lunch box
8. gray beanie
9. 2nd hand iPhone 3GS
10. Supra shoes
11. time away from stress
12. Adidas running shoes
13. Bench Richard Gomez perfume
14. pair of sunglasses
15. Nivea cell repair lotion for men
16. sleep time
17. peace of mind
18. Starbucks Dark Cherry Mocha
19. more time with friends
20. any Stitch item
21. one set of My Gel pens
22. A box of Snickers
23. Lays
24. Soft Batch
25. Nike or Adidas jacket

Yikes. Thanks in advance. LOL