My Korean Students

One of the discoveries to my job as a teacher is getting to know a lot of Koreans. From first to fourth year high school, I have known a lot of Koreans and I might say they have changed my perception about them.

This is because my first impression about Koreans is kind of like connected to the arrival of Vietnamese back then; where they got our education (especially about planting rice) from us and then they returned home and developed their rice industry – which is now more developed compared to our own country’s rice industry. And this might happen to Koreans as well. They learn English and other stuff from us and then maybe use it on the development of their country.

Learning from other countries is not bad at all, and our system of government is mostly to blame if we do not properly maximize our own advantages. And if Koreans and other tourists want to learn from us especially knowledge that is valuable to them then we have to teach them about it.

So what has changed about my perceptions about Koreans? Well first of all, because I am not really that good at speaking the English language, I find the Koreans students easy to talk to. They also have a good sense of humour so a lot of jokes get passed around when I talk to my Korean students. So it makes it a lot easier when I talk to them.

Then second, most of my Korean students (mostly the girls) are very good in drawing. So they are very attentive in my class and usually do not create disturbances. However, I do find it weird that the Korean girls are very good at drawing while the Korean boys are not. It must be something about the culture.

The plus factor about the Korean boys is that they play football, and that is one thing we can agree about.

So in a way, for now, I like my Korean students for the reasons I have stated above. Now, the question is, will Koreans be a threat to our country one day especially in terms of being another option for the Western world to market or outsource their products? Yes, that is a sure possibility.

But, even with that thought, I am a teacher today and I cannot worry or live in the future. I am a teacher right now and I cannot choose to have favourites when I teach. Korean, Japanese, American or Filipino, as long as they willing to learn, then I have to teach them even if they become future competitors to our country.

And if it does come to that, that Koreans will be compete against Filipinos especially in the field of outsourcing then it is not their fault. It is the fault of the system of the Philippine government for not making sustainable developments in our country and just relying on other countries to boost our development.

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The Comic Book Film Genre

The comic book movie genre in 2012 will flood us with a lot of films. As for now the films that are planned to go out in 2012 has this great line up. Such films and their schedule of release are as follows:

February 17, 2012 – GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE

May 4, 2012 – THE AVENGERS

June 29, 2012 – STAR TREK 2

July 3, 2012 – SPIDER-MAN

July 20, 2012 – BATMAN 3

December 2012 – SUPERMAN

Aside from that, there are also news that The Flash, a new Fantastic Four, Wolverine 2 and Judge Dredd starring Karl Urban will also be on their way.

So with all the comic book movies coming out, will there be a time that this fad, will bore us? If that will happen, what could be the next move for the comic book movie genre?

What is great about the comic book movie genre is that it has its foundation of fans, stories and characters already established way back then, in the comic world. So this means that fans and different storylines have already been planned out. So if boredom thus sets in and ends the fad, the comic book movie genre has still a lot to offer us.

Think about it, we are still at the first part of the possibilities of the comic book genre .Most films right now are at the stage of introducing new superheroes. And with the Avengers, we are somewhat going to the second stage, superheroes teaming up in one film. But superheroes going against each other, storylines like Batman Vs. Superman or Wolverine vs. The Hulk still has not come out on the big screen yet. So in the future, this could ultimately happen. Imagine that possibility. Then if all the comic hero versus another comic hero has been exhausted, there is still the next step, Marvel and Dc Comics teaming up for a film. Their team up would mean movies such as Batman vs. The Wolverine or Superman vs. The Hulk. So again, imagine that possibility.

This is what is great about the comic book movie genre, it already has a lot of storylines reserved for us that can be done in movies. This is what is great about the comic book movie genre , it is not tied down to one or two star like action films. So if action film stars such as Stallone or Bruce Willis (of the Rocky and Rambo or Die Hard franchises, respectively) are fading, the film genre also fades with it. With the comic book movie genre, the characters like Spider-man or Wonder Woman are the stars, so all you need to do is just supply the genre with the correct young stars to don the costumes and off we go, another franchise getting a revival.

So if you feel that the comic book movie genre is about to get boring, just be patient because we all know what’s coming up- team ups and the superhero vs. superhero storyline.

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson vs. Vin Diesel

The new addition to the stars for the Fast and Furious franchise is now Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. And for fans of the action film genre, such a move is big.

Big, because as I have said before in one of my previous articles, Vin Diesel is the next Sylvester Stallone and The Rock is the next Arnold Schwarzenegger. And because the action film genre has been experiencing an all time low these days because of the influx of the comic book movie genre, the action film genre has adjusted by bringing their action stars together in one film.

This has already happened with the The Expendables, and now two of the top stars of the genre will meet on the big screen by way of Fast Five, the fifth film to the Fast and Furious franchise.

Yeah, I know The Expendables was not much of a great film with all its macho clichés and all, but who cares? We just watch the film for its all-star cast and old school action. So the film was a great boost to the action film genre.

We can also include here the team up of Jet Li and Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom as well as Jason Statham and Jet Li in War.

Now, with The Rock and Vin Diesel meeting on the big screen we also would not care about the story, we just want to see some action.

How I wish this happened before with Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Just imagine at the peak of their careers these two battled it out in the big screen. Just imagine the possibilities, Rambo vs. Commando, Judge Dredd vs. The Terminator or The Demolition Man vs. The Terminator. We could even have another Rocky with Schwarzenegger. But of course, because of all the big money these stars could make they did not need to team up in one film. So for the young fans of the action film genre, they are lucky to see Vin Diesel and The Rock meeting early in their careers.

Young fans now are getting what most of us in the past were just dreaming about. So know the significance of this team-up because this is going to be big.

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Fastfood Chicken can make you Gay

I have heard a lot of old conservative people complaining that there are a lot of homosexuals roaming around these days. It kind of irks them that there are lot of gays and lesbians now and kind of makes them proud that there were few from their generation.

These old conservative people have tried hard to understand such changing of the times, and one of their explanations and I find very weird is this – eating chicken from fast foods can make you gay. Yes, you are reading it right, so if you are reading this with a KFC, McDonalds or Jollibee chicken in your hand, you better stop doing both at the same time.

The explanation about this is that because a lot of fast food chickens are injected of growth hormones (particularly estrogen), the side effects on human beings is that it can make us gay. Now true or not, for this to be the accepted reason is way absurd.

Absurd because, the more realistic explanation why there are more gays now than before because more and more homosexuals are becoming brave and admitting out in the open of their true nature. In the past generation, gays and lesbians were afraid to be known so they would hide their true sexuality. It is different now. Times have changed.

More gays are coming out, more gays are becoming successful at different fields and more gays are fighting for their rights to be respected.

If this is hard to accept for the old generation and they start making up such absurd reasons then by doing this they will never understand the third sex.

Now, I am not writing this because I am pro growth hormones to be injected to chicken. I am not. That is just gross; and unnatural.

I am just writing this because that the more conservative people close their minds to change, the more they will not understand it and it will have the effect of escaping it instead of solving it. That is if homosexuality is indeed a problem for them.

So if they really believe that they need to solve the problem of homosexuality. Start learning to understand it and spare the chicken.

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Pinoy Rock Will Survive

So Bamboo has disbanded. Nu107 is out. And Rico Blanco is an actor. These must be tough times for Philippine rock music. But still it will not be enough to kill it. Yes, I believe such bad news is not enough to kill it. And there are a lot of reasons why I say that.

For one, Rock music, as a form of expression that is the most rebellious, will always find a way to survive. As long as there are kids and grown-ups out there with angst, those who want to rebel at something, Rock music will survive.

Rock music has always been the music of choice of rebels because it is a music that shows the bad side of a lot of things. It talks about depression, anger, insecurities, confusion that the youth need to let out. Rock music has never been radio-friendly. Pop music can never give this to the young, that is why Rock will be there to let it all out for us.

Then another reason why rock music will continue is that for some, it may be bad news to no longer have a Rico Blanco or a Bamboo for the music scene but it also is an opportunity for other rock musicians to fill out the void these bands and rock gods have left. So it is all not bad for us because it is a chance for other bands coming from different places and regions to step up. The old will always be replaced by the new. And now is the time to do it.

Such change has been experienced before when bands such as Eraserheads, Wolfgang, Yano and Razorback disbanded. Their end was a beginning to a lot of bands to get their limelight. Bands such as Urbandub, Itchyworms, Parokya ni Edgar and Slapshock filled that void.

So it can be bad news, yes, but there is always a light at the end of the Pinoy rock tunnel, and that light means opportunity for a lot of aspiring rock bands out there.

Then another way that may insure the survivality of Rock music is through old timers forming new bands. Examples of these are Bamboo Manalac forming Bamboo and Ely Buendia forming Pupil. Other bands similar to these are Sandwich and 6 Cycle Mind. So again, death nay come but there is also birth. So there really is no need to worry.

Rock music survived Martial Law, it survived the 80s, a time when The Dawn was the only popular band. It survived the break-up of the Eraserheads, Yano, Wolfgang, Razorback and many more 90s bands. Rest assured it can survive this.

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How to be Insensitive

There was a time while I was riding a taxi that I had this realization. I am not making this up to shock you. This was weird but this is true. This is how the story goes.

So as I said, there was a time while I was riding a taxi going to work that I experienced such a realization. With its radio and air conditioner on full blast, the taxi stopped on the highway and beside the highway were shanties with dogs and people going their way. I did not mean to do it but I was just looking outside and I just stopped and started to look at dog poo. Yes, I was looking at dog poo, staring through the glass at it about two to three minutes and I really did not know why.

Then it hit me, because my whole senses did not experience the whole thing because of the radio and air conditioning blocking the other senses, dog poo seemed “un-yucky”…I perceived it akin to the blue colored gooey toys kids now like to play with. Dog poo was just like that, with only the eyes having to experience it, dog poo was just like that – normal like a gooey toy. It was not ugly and you just accepted it, not wanting to clean it or what.

It was weird but it was true.

Then if you think about it more, riding cars or taxis, going to the malls with their radio, glass walls and air conditioner is a nice way to distance yourself from what is outside, to block you from feeling, to make you insensitive to the dog poo, to the issues and problems going on outside.

It is an effective and enjoyable way to learn how to be insensitive, because you do not feel guilt over it because you are having fun. Cool, huh?

Thinking about it more, it reminded me of my good friend Maumau Galinato’s winning artwork for the Joya Awards way back. Sorry that I forgot the title of the artwork but the painting depicted a rainy night with kids begging on the street to people in their air conditioned cars. Maumau Galinato’s message on this artwork was to let us see the differences between the haves and the have-nots. It was a sensitive painting from a sensitive man. Cool artwork.

So back to my topic, so again if you want to be insensitive, have fun doing it, and feel no guilt, ride a taxi and go straight to the mall. Cool.

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The Sto. Nino and Cebu

I heard an explanation once during typhoon Ondoy, the explanation was about why the other regions like Manila or Leyte experience great floods or great typhoons while Cebu did not.

It goes that Cebu is blessed to have all the good weather because our province and city is protected by the Senyor Sto. Nino. We are the ones who worship Sto. Nino and celebrate Sinulog, and this is why we are blessed with the fine weather.

As much as it sounds real awesome to be protected by the Sto. Nino, it also sounds pretty bad because it would appear that other people suffer because they do not have the Sto. Nino. And secondly, it would appear as if other saints are lame because their devotees get the ire of a super typhoon?

If the explanation or the whole story is true, then the best way then would be to get the entire nation to celebrate Sinulog (instead of just Cebu alone); so every region can get protection from Sto. Nino, right? Other regions celebrating fiestas or other devotions no longer need to have the Black Nazarene or the Ati-atihan, the whole country can all have the Sinulog! If we do that, we would all have good weather, no more typhoons, right?

So why are the other regions not doing this then? Don’t they want protection from the bad weather?
There are lot of questions and possibilities if this explanation is really true to all of us. Would we as Cebuanos share the Sinulog to other regions thus the celebration would no longer be exclusive to us? This would mean that tourists would no longer have a reason to come visit us during third Sundays of January, are we alright with that? If this happens, Cebu will no longer be unique. No more bragging about the mother of all festivals that is the Sinulog.

Do we want to share the Sinulog (thus giving up the rights to its exclusivity) so everyone would have the protection that the Sto. Nino gives? Or are we not ready for this?

And if we are not ready to give up the Sinulog then, is it fine, then, that we stop spreading such kind of explanation and give a more rational, realistic explanation instead? I mean no disrespect to the power of a festival like Sinulog and certainly, I mean no disrespect to the Sto. Nino and of its devotees. I chose this particular topic because I want to point out how people can sometimes come up with the craziest explanations for events and certain phenomena; how people seemingly omit rationality.

We can begin with grounded explanations such as: “typhoons and bad weather now are caused by Global warming and bad sewage planning”. Or the explanation that “Cebu is at the middle of Leyte, Bohol and Negros which means that we are do not feel the whole power of typhoons coming from the Pacific and other oceans”. Can we do this instead, so we won’t sound selfish to other regions? So we, as Cebuanos, will not be put in a bad light.

So as we celebrate the Sinulog, think about it.

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Only Yes and No Questions Please

There is a conversational skill that everyone needs to learn especially if you need to relate to people and avoid irritating them. This is the skill of asking only yes and no questions.

Yes and no questions involve you asking someone questions that are only to be answered with, you guessed it: yes and no. This means that you do not ask questions that involve long answers. This means no why, what, where, when, who and how questions.

If you need to ask this type of questions, you need to pattern your questions by making it long. For example, if someone is in pain, you ask her or him a question like, “Are you in pain?” (yes or no), “Is your pain in the shoulders?” (yes or no), “Is your pain in the hands?” (yes or no).

Now, as you can see, because someone is in pain, it would be unrealistic for her or him to be answering long answers and giving explanations to you, so you need to adjust make it easy for someone in pain to communicate to you so you need to ask yes and no questions. Another thing that makes yes and no questions easy is that they can be simply answered with a nod. So if someone is really in pain, he or she is unable to speak then by a simple nod to your yes and no questions you can already communicate.

So what are other situations we can use the yes and no questions? Other than talking to people in pain, other situations would involve if someone is sleeping or already asleep and you need to ask that person a question. Use the yes and no question here. Have you ever experienced someone letting you explain something while you are already sleeping or about to sleep? It was irritating wasn’t it? Now if that person was just asking the yes and no question, it would have been easy.

Another situation is when you are talking to an angry or irritated person like most love quarrels situations are about. To people who are in this kind of special relationships, yes and no questions are very important because most angry and irritated people do not want to talk so yes and no questions would be ideal because it only involves again nods and short answers.

An example for this situation would be like, “Did I offend you?” (yes or no) or “Was it because I was doing something while you were talking?” (yes or no) or “ Was it during while I was texting?” (yes or no) .
So as you see, things are easy for an angry, irritated, sleepy person or someone in pain to communicate with you if you present your questions like this.

Now, what is the very important trait you need to have if you are to be very successful with using yes and no questions? The most important trait is that you need to be sensitive to people’s feelings and be aware of things like body languages and facial expressions to know if someone is sleepy, in pain, irritated or angry.

If you are sensitive and be able to read people even without them talking to you, this would make you very effective with the yes and no questions. But if you are not sensitive and aware of even basic body languages then a lot of people will easily get irritated at you.

So next time be sensitive, stop irritating people and only ask yes and no questions if the situation calls for it.

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Going to the Dentist

I’m planning to go the dentist one of these days to get my teeth cleaned. I think it has been a long time since I went to the dentist, so I should take this seriously before my teeth start dropping off on me.
So while I was thinking about it which dentist to go to I had also found out in the process that I know a lot of dentist friends. There is my high school batch mate Gunther Seroy. There is also a sister of one of my players from U.P. Cebu before, Pam Fernandez. There is also a grade school batch mate of mine from USJ-R, Jill Sarvida and lastly a teammate of mine from the Fine Arts team that after graduating the Fine Arts course proceeded to take dentistry, this would be Ian Pehzman.

So with all the dentist friends that I have, which one should I go to? To be frank about it, I wouldn’t go to any of their clinics. You wonder why? Well, let me explain it to you.

The thing is I find it weird to open my mouth and have my teeth poked around by someone I know. I compare such a situation to confessing my sins to a friend that has become a priest now. Or to let my wife go to an OB-gyne doctor who is also a friend of mine. It is just weird.

Two reasons why it makes it weird, one is that it is just uncomfortable to have someone know something about you and you don’t know something about him or her, especially when it involves secrets like having bad and dirty teeth.

Having bad or dirty teeth is something personal, it’s like letting people in to your personal space. And showing it to friends just makes me uncomfortable.

But of course, since I have a lot of dentist friends I also would like to be one of their customers and support them in way at their jobs. So in the future, when I have kids I would let my friends be their dentists. That would be fine by me as it involves no invasion of my personal space. Yeah I know I’m sensitive but that is just me.

By the way, it was last year that I had thought of this topic while I was talking to my batch mate Gerald Ortiz in one of our reunions. We both agreed that we won’t let our friend dentists to check our teeth.

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Learning How to See Art

Aside from teaching my students the skill of drawing, there is also another thing I
want them to learn. And this is the skill of learning how to appreciate and see art.

Such skill is important especially when they grow up and their social lives force them to start visiting art exhibits and buying art. So when that time comes they will not be ignorant when it comes to art.

Appreciating art, teaching them what is beautiful and all–can be taught. They don’t need to master it, they don’t need to become very serious art critics about it but at least they learn the basics to use later on. And if they want to pursue such studies, they can read books about it and also take humanities courses in college.

To be very simple about it, appreciating art is just easy. It is all about describing what you see, interpreting it and judging if you like the piece of art work in front of you or not.

Describing art would involve obviously the giving of a description of the art work. Stating what colour it is, what shape and texture as well the medium used. In appreciating art this is the first thing to do.

Then next to describing art is interpreting the work. Interpreting usually involves learning how to look at the symbols used. Though the artist has its own interpretation of its work, critics and audience can also see something in the art work that the artist might not see or planned to show.

To be really good at interpreting, audiences also need to know the history of the artwork and the artists. That, though, may take time and we can just let the critic do that type of work. Knowing the history of the artist and the work is essential to truly understanding and knowing the language of art.

Describing an artwork and interpreting it are connected so much so that if the description is lacking, the interpretation will also be lacking. I had one student who did this to me, it was as if she was trying to escape the lesson. The lesson was about learning how to draw their hands and she did not do it well. I gave her a small grade because it lacked effort on her part.

She tried to defend herself by interpreting that she was drawing a farmer’s hands that is why her drawing looked dirty and hard.

Aside from not following instructions because she was supposed to draw her own hands, she also drew a smiley tattoo on the drawing, which, if I’m not mistaken, was supposed to make her work cute. But the thing is, farmer’s hands do not look cute, their hands have the wrinkles and creases borne out of struggle. So her interpretation was wrong because the description of the drawing and the interpretation did not connect. She was just trying to make excuses.

Then the last part of appreciating art is judging it. This usually depends on the audience tolerance on a lot of topics. That is why learning how to see art is also learning about yourself. If you examine an artwork and decide that you do not like it, this will reflect on your own views about life and all. If the message of the work offends you then the audience will have to ask themselves why they are offended.

So in a way the most important thing about appreciating art is that you get to know something about yourself in the process.

Well, that’s it for now.

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Learning How to Draw and Becoming an Artist

It was while I was just sitting around school, that a fourth year student (her name is Irina Gabasa, I think she is a junior champion golfer) approached me this question, “Sir, because all of us are learning how to draw, do you want us all to be artists?”

So far, this was one of the good questions that I got from a high school student. So good that I have given it a name in tribute to the student who asked it, I named it the “Irina Gabasa question”. It is a very challenging question and I am very glad a student asked me this. Again it is a very challenging question which I also have a good answer to.

Though I gave my student an answer, it was very short at that time so I like to share to you my answer and explain it much further.

This was my answer, I answered my student with a “no”. This is because learning how to draw and becoming an artist are two different things.

Learning how to draw, is just that, a skill or a talent. You can master it, you can even make it a hobby but you would not be called an artist for it. You are just good at drawing.

Learning how to draw is important to being an artist but it is just the first step to being an artist.
And this is what I want to teach my students, the skill of drawing. Because learning a new skill especially like drawing is very important. With your drawing skill, you can use it to make other projects for your class.

Then it is also can be another admirable characteristic for you. A lot of people admire people who can draw, so in a way it is plus points.

Teaching them how to draw is also good for them because they don’t need to go and spend more money to join art workshops during summer or weekends. They can just learn it in high school, so this is good for them. It saves them money and time.

So, that’s it. I just want to teach students how to draw, and because they are fourth years I do not even expect them to take courses related to art like architecture, advertising or interior designing. Especially since they come from rich families, usually their parents want them to take business courses. That is fine by me as long as they learn something from my art classes. All is well and good.

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Another Kris Aquino article

History repeats itself.

Is it not strange that in order for an Aquino to win the presidency, one family member has to die?
This is what happened with Cory Aquino back then. She had no plans to run for the presidency because it was suppose to be Ninoy Aquino doing that. But when Ninoy was assassinated, Cory had to replace Ninoy. And as they say, the rest is history. This was the year 1984.

Now –the year 2010– the same scenario unfolds. Cory Aquino died, and thus propelled the people to clamour for her son Noynoy Aquino to run for president. Noynoy won and, again as they say, the rest is history.

So what does this all mean to all of us? Here’s a theory:

In the future, history will repeat itself again.

I believe in the future, Kris Aquino and James Yap’s son Baby James will run for the presidency. This is why in the first stages of their divorce, Kris Aquino demanded Baby James’ family name to be changed. In all the issues about their relationships, it was the changing of the family name that Kris Aquino was after.

True or not, somewhere over the horizon, Kris Aquino is already planning for her son’s presidency; something Kris Aquino could not do, that is why her son has the burden to do it for her.

And you know how this will happen? If history will repeat itself again, if we follow the same script, this is what is going to happen.

In order for Bay James Aquino to win the presidency in the future, one family member from the Aquino’s has to die. And you know who will die? Yes, as sad as it is to hear to all of us, in order for Baby James Aquino to be president, her mother Kris Aquino has to die.

This is Kris Aquino’s ultimate sacrifice, that for her son to be successful she has to die. She has to die so that the Filipino people will clamour for another Aquino to run for presidency. The same script has to be acted upon again. History has to repeat itself again.

But of course we all know that Kris Aquino is not Cory nor is she Ninoy, so this can all be wrong. It is Noynoy that may equal Cory and Ninoy in political weight.

So in order for this to be correct, it is Noynoy Aquino future’s son that has the assurance that if Noynoy dies, it will be his name that people will clamour for the presidency. But as long as Noynoy Aquino does not produce an heir, it will be Kris Aquino’s son Baby James to follow the script.

Kris Aquino will die. The masses will clamour for Baby James Aquino to run for the presidency and Baby James Aquino will win.

If this all true, in a way we are all safe, because most of us will probably be dead by that time. Our children, and our children’s children will not be that lucky though. So start preparing your kids for what is coming. They need to know.

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The Pinoy Azkals

I am very proud of what the Philippine football team has achieved in this year’s AFF Suzuki cup. I am that proud that I wanted to buy their official uniform which is sold at the Mizuno shop at SM. But because of financial constraints, I had to cancel that plan. The uniform is expensive as it costs around 2,000 pesos. And that is only one uniform as they have two sets for it, the blue and white. And it also does not include shorts, only the upper jersey. But still, buying the uniform would be a good remembrance of this historic moment of Philippine football. Hope it gets cheaper after the Christmas season.

The success of the Philippine Azkals has brought again to the center of our attention the discouraging state of football in our country. The success has also renewed talks that Philippine football might rise after this one. I do hope it’s true but I also have my worries.

I am worried because I have heard such talk before but still to no avail, still no Philippine football program to be proud of. I hear such talk all the time during every Fifa World Cup season.

Everyone wants to support football during the Fifa World Cup, everyone wants to play and understand the game. Everyone wants to wear and buy the jerseys. Everyone loves the game, that is so good, but it is just a fad. And when the World Cup ends, we are back to loving basketball or boxing again.

And this is what I am worried about the success of the Philippine Azkals, that it will all just end up again to being a fad, to be forgotten again once another sport success comes in.

So what can we do to not make it a fad? I really do not know. After watching the Azkals with their Fil-foreignerss, I have come to the idea that in order for football to succeed in this country, it is the rich and the immigrants will have to do the work in order to save the beautiful game in this country. So if you are not rich or not an immigrant there is not much you can do about it.

This is because, if football continues to have no budget, then rich kids will not have a problem about this because they can support themselves. Rich players can continue to play the game, finance themselves on leagues and represent the country. Same goes with immigrants.

And with immigrants they can expose their children early to the game and be future football players that represent our country.

If all football programs this country has will fail then the rich and the immigrants would have to shoulder the burden of saving the game. They are our last resort. Football as bad as it sounds will be a game of the elite. The rich will be on the spotlight, the poor will be on the sidelines.

And with a Philippine team composed of rich and immigrant players consistent success in winning games abroad, the game will continue to get our attention and will no longer just be fad .There will be change of culture, there will be an awakening, a realization that as Filipinos with even just an average height of 5’4”, we can be good at this game.

So it is up to the rich and the immigrants now. Start saving football for us.

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The Truth about Recognition pt. 2

It is advised that if you have just stumbled on this article to read the first part so as to understand what the topic is about. Thanks

So I say, there are two important recognitions that a teacher needs to have in order to feel that he or she is fulfilled. One, is the recognition that a teacher gets from his/her employers. This is the salary he or she is given, a salary that is equal to his/ her effort. A salary that makes a teacher not feel cheated.

Second, is the recognition from his/her students. In fact, students who express their gratitude to their teacher is the highest recognition not financial a teacher will always value for. To know that their students came out to express their thanks for teaching them, is one of the best feelings a teacher can have. This is way better than plaques or awards because students thanking teachers is something that is real and it really feels good.

Gratitude does not even mean popularity. Because teachers can be popular because they gave way to the wishes of their students and may result to popular teachers afraid to teach young kids difficult lessons or not reprimanding them for being foolish. Even if there are just two or three students thanking their teachers, that is already enough.

Even if a teacher is strict, as long as students learn something from him/her, then well and good. Of course, students do not value discipline when they are young. It takes time for students to value strict teachers.

I used to hate my college teacher Prof. Karl Roque for his strictness. But as I grew up, I thank Sir Karl Roque for trying to implement discipline especially in a course such as the Fine arts where every young artist thinks that freedom without discipline is the rule. Sir Karl Roque brought balance to our course. He did a good job about it. And he did this to a college where academic freedom is highly valued. Sir Karl did a good job and I thank him for that.

So to conclude, the only recognition that a teacher will feel is real is when her/ his superiors give a salary, benefits and all that is truly equivalent to his value, a salary where a teacher does not feel that he or she is being cheated.

And second, the recognition from his or her students. We cannot expect students to give money to their teachers to express their gratitude. That is just weird in a way. A simple thank you from a student will do.
The fact that a teacher sees a student developing and becoming a good person is already something fulfilling to watch for teachers, whether or not that student expresses gratitude.

Plaques and rewards are good, but without these two real expressions of recognition, plaques and rewards are all just fancy chiseled wood and pretty paper…and nothing more than that.

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The Truth About Recognition pt. 1

As people, teachers also need to be recognized for their contributions in society because they play a major and significant part in developing the young.

Without our teachers we would not have learned anything in school. Even if a school has the most sophisticated facilities around, a very remarkable teaching program or curriculum, all of these would still be nothing without the teachers who teach and implement the plan of the school. I think it is safe to conclude that, without qualified teachers, a school’s reputation would go down.

Parents who enroll their kids in school do look at the facilities of the school, but they also ask the educational attainments of its teachers and their turnover rate.

That is why, school administrations and even a lot of companies do continue to give credit to teachers or their employees by giving them awards or plaques to know that they are important. Recognition also makes teachers or employees feel good thus discouraging them to look for another job.

The bad thing about this, a lot of this recognition is empty soundbites.

What do I mean about this? The thing is, though I know how good it feels it to be recognized, by accepting awards or plaques, at the end of the day it is still the financial rewards and benefits that a company gives to its employers that will be the final say if an employer or a teacher feels recognized or decides to go and look for another job.

I remember something like this was done during President Fidel V. Ramos term where he started to recognize OFW’s as the “Bagong Bayani”, the new heroes of our country for the revenues they give to the country that keeps our Philippine economy afloat. Of course that sounded good, to be called a hero is very prestigious. We even do this with our war veterans.

But the bottom line, our country still has not solved the issues OFWs face when they go abroad. There are already many stories coming out about the cruelty their foreign masters do to them, still these injustices have not been resolved.

Same as war veterans, they do are respected as heroes, but they don’t have the financial benefits, that they need in order to keep on living.

So what is the use of getting recognized if at the bottom line, we all know it is just talk? So what is the use of all of these recognition when at the end of the day, we cannot eat it. We do get recognized but without the financial salaries and bonuses, 13 month pays, medical benefits, insurances and whatever, talk still feels empty.

Let us be realistic here. Have you heard of someone wanting to go to work so to be given plaques and awards? We work to get paid, and that is the bottom line.

(Just a clarification, if I do say the term, “Bottom line,” I am not trying to follow Boy Abunda here. That quote was made famous by the iconic wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin. So I got it from him. Am I defensive? You betcha. Hehe)

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To complain or to protest pt. 2

One other characteristic about complaining is that it is personal; it is something you do by yourself. That is why it is different from protesting.

The first similar thing about complaining and protesting is that you are talking against something; it could be an authority figure or whatever. The other similar thing about complaining and protesting is that people who do this look tough and intelligent. They look tough because they are brave enough to talk against something; even when it is done in secret. They look intelligent because they are able to analyze the things we normally would not see and say that it is a problem. But the similarities end there.

If complaining is done in secret, protesting is the opposite. Protesting is done out in the open. People know and see that you are standing up against the authority figure you have concerns about. Protesting is addressing your concerns to the “man” himself and letting him know about it.

Protesting is solving the problems by hitting the core – the root cause. You want these authority figures to change their assumed evil ways. And if it comes to that, you even want to change the system. You want change.

If you do not like your religions stand on society’s issues, then you protest about it, you let them know. If you do not like the corruption in government then you stand up against it, you let them know.

Then because protesting is trying to solve the problem at its cause, it will take time and it will not take a mere single individual to do it. This means that if you protest you will need patience and determination. You will not expect for the thing to be solved in a day. Change such as that is impossible.

Protesting needs the help of other people. This can only mean making an organization that will give your support so you can stand up against a common concern. This is where organizations like unions, associations or non-government organizations come out.

By making an organization, complications like leadership, dealing with other people, fear of getting kicked out of a job or humiliated or whatever connotations we all have about protesters also come into the picture.
So these are the difference about complaining and protesting. When people do this, they look tough and intelligent. The only difference about them is if they are brave enough to stand up against the authority figure they have concerns about. This is what separates the cowards and the courageous among us.

But even though, complaining seems cowardly or in secret, we still need to do it in order to achieve the emotional release we need. We just want to talk about our problems without caring if it gets solved or not.

And though complaining seems cowardly or in secret, it still needs to be done because it is the first step to protesting. Complaining is a requirement for protesting, because by complaining, other people know that you have felt the same problems as well and it is up to you if you want to act on it or not.

So what am I doing right now? I am just complaining. If I see something bad done on television, in the government, in religion or in our barangay, I just want to talk about it without caring if it gets solved or not.
I am not here trying to spark something.

Am I a coward? Sure and who cares, being brave is for heroes and I am no hero. This is me, I just want to survive and see where this life of mine goes.

No idealism, no religion, no principles here, just talk. This is all you are going to get.

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To complain or to protest pt. 1

Complaining and protesting are two different things. They may sound the same but they are different.

Complaining about something or someone is the thing people do in secret. When people complain they dare not do it in front of the people they are talking about. Complaining is in a way backbiting, complaining is in a way a form of talking against something but because it is not confrontational it really does not solve or change anything. Complaining, in a way, is a cowardly act because we are afraid to bring that concern to the people involved in fear of the consequences. Then complaining can also mean you just do not care. You just want to talk about it, but do not care enough to solve it.
So why do people complain?

People complain sometimes for the emotional release it can give. It is always a good thing to talk about your problems or worries to your friends or loved ones. A lot of these worries or problems we have are brought about from people who are in authority. Examples of these people in authority are our parents, teachers, bosses, priests and people in government like the police and politicians.

Because we cannot stand up against people in authority, we cannot tell them our problems or complains to them, we need to talk our problems about them to other people or those who are close to us to get the emotional release. That is the purpose of complaining.

Complaining does not solve the problems you are affected about because the authority figures do not know that you bear concerns about them. That is the problem about complaining: it is backbiting. We dare not bring that concern to these authority figures or we might have terrible consequences. Such consequences could lead to being kicked out of your job, excommunication when it comes to religion, or being scolded when it comes to teachers or parents.

Though complaining does not solve or change your problems, the problem being spoken here only covers the problem you have with your authority figures. Which means that because you are not telling these authority figures your concerns, they will not change for the better. So your problems about them will not change. However, you can still solve this problem by looking for another job, moving to another religion or rebelling against your parents.

Rebelling against your parents is already a form of standing up against them. You can still rebel against them even if they do not know what your problems are. You just want to express your anger in a form of your fashion, by going home late or by getting a boyfriend. Talking to them or raising your voice against them is not part of the option.

By complaining and solving your problems in another way, you are not solving the cause, you are only solving the effect of it. What bad deed these authority figures may be doing will continue to happen to other people, it will just be no longer your concern because you have already moved away from it.

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New Motto for Life

When I was young, I used to hear this positive notion that I should give my best all the time. It was really good advice, especially when you are young because at that time it was easy, I was full of hope and nothing could discourage you. Also, when you are young, you think that all people are good. So it was easy trying to give your best all the time.

But as one grows up, there comes a time that giving your best becomes tiring. This is because you learn that no one can consistently give their best all the time. You can’t put your best foot forward all the time because you also need to rest. You just want to relax sometimes.

The question also comes to mind that if you do your best all the time, the people surrounding you like you for your best. So what if you fail, will they still like you?

The thought also comes to mind that if you do your best all the time, people will always expect that from you and nothing less. So there is pressure, there is stress to always fulfil their expectations. You need to exceed your past achievements to do that. That is not a very relaxed life.

There is also the possibility, that when you do your best all the time, people will always depend on you and let you do all the work.

There is also the possibility, that because you are dependable, always giving your best all the time, you might get exploited for it.

What seems a good intention for you, people may use it for their personal selfish advantages.

With all of this being said, I have decided to not give my best foot every time. This means that I will choose when I will do my best and when to just sit back.

I am doing this in order to lessen the pressures in my life. I just want to relax and take it easy. If I do give my best, it means I truly want to do it and enjoy doing it. I must be properly motivated and very happy if I do decide to give my best to something.

People can give all their best if they want to, that is their decision and it is admirable that they can do that. I applaud them for that.

But for me, here is my new motto: I will not give my best every time. I will choose when and where I will give my best.

I just want to relax. Watch a movie.

I used to be a Leader

I used to be a leader; “used to be” because I am not leading anything these days and I have no plans to lead anything in the future. I have said this before; I really got my chance at leading when I was in college. It was a great fun, learning experience for me; but it also had its bad side.

One of the bad sides about leading is that people expect you to lead every time, which is just impossible. That is why when, even when there were times we had groups in my minor subjects, my classmates expected me to be a leader still. This was tiring because there was no rest. People expect their leaders to be at their best every time. And at that time, I just wanted to rest. Be a normal person.

This is one of the things I hate about leading, people expect you to be the best, and people expect you to succeed. That kind of pressure is just nerve-wracking. Leading is good, people recognize your efforts but it also sucks up a lot of your spirit. That is not good.

Then another bad thing about leading is that people expect their leaders to do all the work. Yes, I know about delegation and all, but some people when they know that their leader is good, they don’t do anything anymore and just expect for things to be given to them by their leaders. Some members just want the dregs of the work to be given to them, no more hard work.

I have seen a lot of people in my day just arriving only during the good times and are the ones gone during the bad times. Then this kind of people, the ones who do nothing are the noisy ones, the ones who always complain but are doing nothing. This kind of experience makes one think that he or she is just being used by people. This kind of experience results in the leaders getting tired and being discouraged.

People or members of organizations need to understand that for a group to succeed, it needs the effort of both leaders and it members.

That is why right now, because of this understanding that even if I don’t want to lead organizations anymore, I understand and respect people who want to lead. So in this light, I want to try to be a good member.

Because again, it takes a lot of a person’s time, patience, and sacrifice to be a good leader. The job is stressful, and knowing that, I do not want to add any more stress to what these leaders already have.
But being a good member does not mean that I will blindly follow my leaders now. Though some people think that to follow blindly is the right thing for a member to do, I don’t think that is a characteristic of being a good member.

Being a good member means you move, you follow because you understand. Being a good member means not being used.

If I see that my leaders somehow do not give credit where credit is due, then that is not acceptable. If I see that my leaders only do things for their own good; that they all get the spotlight and forget their members, then that is not acceptable.

I will only be a good member to a good leader. If my leaders are mediocre, then you get a mediocre member out of me.

Growing up and Long hair

Though I am not sure about this, I think every new presidential term the Philippine army always brings back to the open the topic of reinstating the ROTC. Though I am not talking about the ROTC topic here, my topic today about growing up and long hair came out because of the ROTC issue.

It was funny, because when I was going to work and listening to the radio. The radio station I was listening to was accepting callers to air out their ideas about the return of ROTC.

One caller wanted ROTC to return because a lot of male kids were already sporting long hair. What a reason! What is so wrong with long hair?

I know, I know a lot of people especially those who live under rocks among us still see men with long hair as bad apples just like the villains in movies. But of course, that is stupid. It’s all been said before: judging a book by its cover is a no-no. So I do not need to explain the topic further. Men with long hair are not all bad, as well as men with short hair are not all that good.

The way I see it, having long hair for male teenagers is part of growing up. As teenagers they are in their exploration stage. Some kids want to try playing sports, some want to try being in a band. Some want to court the opposite sex, and some just want to try long hair.

And college is a stage for this exploration because in college you can try new stuff and change yourself along the way. Growing your hair long is just another experience boys need to go through, and it does not matter if they look good with it or not. The thought that they experienced it is the important thing here. It is just growing up. Relax.

In high school, boys were always told to have a proper haircut. Then we go to the corporate world, men again will also be told to have a proper haircut. So college is the only time for males to grow their hair long. That is why; it was sad news for me when many colleges started banning their students form sporting long hair. But then again it was also good news for call center companies to allow their employers to sport long hair.

So parents, or old people, relax. There is nothing to fear. Long hair is just part of growing up and that is all there is to it.

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