CreActive

2013-06-27T18:03:00.001-07:00

MARRIAGE EQUALITY FOR ALL!!!

The recent decision ending the so-called Defense Of Marriage Act was welcomed by so many happy people in California and all over the world I'd like to think. Sometimes I hesitate to say gay, or lesbian, or refer to the LGBT community because I just see them just as people, as friends, acquaintances, or what not. This was a big forward step for all, no matter what your personal preferences are. I know that some are still against it, but this is human progress.

As early as grade school and high school, I already knew that some of my friends and classmates were gay. They were open about it but nobody really declared that they were. There was still a strong social stigma against it back then. Coming from an all boys school, I imagine that there may have been some real identity challenges. But one distinct thing I remember is that we never really isolated nor ostracized them. Sure, everybody formed their own cliques, but our gay classmates were right there with us. We went to the same parties, hung out in the same places, studied together, competed against each other, heck some of them were quite the athletes. In college, where it became co-ed, exposure broadened. I met new people and made more friends. I also noticed that the social stigma was weakening; the fancy term was "alternative lifestyle." Society in general was opening up despite what the church preached and what other detractors said. As far as I'm concerned, my gay and lesbian friends are some of the most creative, happy, funny people that I know; they are generous, talented, and as human as any of us.

I used to teach in an all girls catholic school. The nuns who ran the school were sort of on the progressive side of things. I was given academic freedom and had control of the things that were to be discussed in classroom debates. When I first thought about tackling same sex marriage, I was again hesitant. I was not sure how my students would handle it or if they could give it justice at all. Mind you, I had some of the best debaters come out of that hallowed hall. The other thing I had in mind was that some of my students were lesbians, I just did not want to put anybody on the spot, even though it was just an academic process. And yes, despite being progressive nuns, we teachers were told by administration to uphold the church's stand on certain issues. Even the debate format was worrisome for me because it called for "witnesses" to speak for and against the topic. My students invited priests, nuns, lawyers, proponents of gay and lesbian rights, and others. To my surprise, all the debates that semester were quite enlightening. Some of course had more to say than the time they were given but it all turned out well. There are too many details to write the entire discussions here, but I knew then that I had begun to open minds. I had imbibed in me what my teachers had always said and I hope they won't call me out for this; we were always told, "Let each become what s/he is capable of being." I can only hope to have done just that.

Now we get to this point where it is real. No more class discussions, no more academic shield, we're all at the forefront. Is there room to moralize? Why are people still resistant. One set of moral values is no better than another. I mean who cares anymore, or should we at all. I say LET THEM. Two women, two men, it does not matter as long as they truly love each other and do no harm to anyone. If they affect your sensibilities, DON'T LOOK. We are all just people, boy, girl, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender. There should be no such thing as gay rights or lesbian rights at all... JUST HUMAN RIGHTS, that's all, for crying out loud. There can never be and should never be a law for or against love. Love is love, truth is one.

CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!. Now let's move on.

2013-06-27T00:50:00.003-07:00

Just a repost. Good read...

2013-06-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

MANILA TRAFFIC, SOMETHING'S GOT TO CHANGE

One of the first things that struck me when I moved to the U.S. was the traffic. I'm not talking about traffic as in the adjective that we Filipinos use in reference to gridlock hell (i.e. Ang trapik!), rather traffic, the noun, as in the movement of vehicles. We all know this. We've all gotten stuck in the quagmire of cars, jeeps, buses, trucks, tricycles and pedicabs even. Unless you're on a small motorbike or scooter, chances are, you get stuck at somewhere on a daily basis. That was the primary reason why I got a sport scooter. On the first day that I rode it to work. I reduced my travel time by one hour. But even motorcycle riders get into traffic jams.

This is not a quick fix article. I won't even go into deep analyses of the situation. Maybe all I'm doing is to invite introspection in the way that has been shown to me by my host country. I am not comparing anything nor saying that one is better than the other. But being away from it all has allowed for a reflective view of things.

I arrived in LAX, evening of August 2012. It was already past 11 p.m. when I got out of immigration. My parents told my brother to look for a place where we could have a late meal. My brother, having been here almost ten years, knew exactly where to go. We made our way out of the airport, nothing out of the ordinary. It was like Subic with the stops at every corner and look both ways etc. But the moment we hit the freeway, I thought I was on a roller coaster. I hate roller coasters! I found myself stepping on imaginary brakes in the back seat of the van. The speed took a bit of getting used to. After all, I am admittedly a slow driver. Besides, how can you drive fast in and around Metro Manila anyway?

In the past, drive time was anywhere between one to two hours, inclusive of "traffic." But the recent gridlocks lasting three to four hours is alarming. I thought two hours on EDSA was already horrendous. I've always described traffic in Manila as hell on earth; Dan Brown got it right. Many factors come into play, insufficient roads, inefficient infrastructure and flood control, vehicle overpopulation, inutile traffic rules and enforcement, and GENERALLY the GRAVE LACK OF DISCIPLINE.

In recent studies, the economic impact of traffic congestion has been calculated between P100 to P140 billion annually (http://pinoy-business.com/money-and-finance/financial-losses-from-metro-manila-traffic). The way things have been going lately, the figure has most likely increased. However, knowing this doesn't do any good to improve traffic. I mean the average Filipino doesn't really know what a hundred billion is and how that impacts the country. The most they would probably worry about is losing a few hundred bucks due to tardiness at work or the gas wasted on the road. I won't get into actual calculations; the point is that the effect of traffic has reached sever levels. How much loss will we be able to take?

Unfortunately, there is little that we can do. The roads and infrastructure are in the hands of the government agencies concerned. The alleged corruption and kickbacks definitely affect the projects but what can we do. Most of the time, the officials concerned just turn a blind eye, much worse, are even part of the corrupt practices. Worst of all, it's hard to prove anything. The thing is, we know that the roads are simply not enough. The vehicle population has reached critical mass. According to the MMDA, there are 565 vehicles per one kilometer stretch on EDSA alone. On a rainy day or during a flash flood, that condenses even more. And we know how that affects everyone. Can the government build more roads? Metro Manila certainly doesn't have the space anymore. Is it possible to build higher fly overs? Yes but that also affects the current dismal conditions. The solution seems to be, to stay home, but not all of us have that luxury. Other than that,there seems to be no hope in sight.

One of the biggest misfortunes in all this is the weakness of traffic rules and even weaker enforcers. At the same time, we contribute to this mess. I don't exclude myself from the discipline aspect. If there's one person on the road who's undisciplined, everyone is affected, much more if there's only one disciplined person. That's the saddest part I think, would it really solve the problem if we were al disciplined, if we all followed the rules?

That is the big difference between us and the developed nations; the rule of law prevails. People follow rules simply because they're there. Drivers follow the lines on the road because they know it's for their own safety and it makes movement more efficient. There is no need for traffic enforcers because people do the right thing. Almost everyone here went through driver's education. But those who did not, still follow rules. You've heard t before, if we can be disciplined in other countries, why can't we be so in our own.

There is no quick fix obviously. The only thing we can do something about is ourselves. Something's got to change, and it has to be us.

2013-06-04T19:42:00.001-07:00

GUN LAWS

In relation to my last post about guns, I am reposting this verbatim, from http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/311038/news/nation/aquino-signs-comprehensive-firearms-law.

Be glad where you are folks. To a certain extent this new "comprehensive" gun law good in that it attempts to prevent loose guns. The thing is, they are blanketing the responsible gun owners with red tape. They might as well just give the citizens fly swatters, while the criminals roam wild with their firearms.

I WOULD RATHER HAVE A GUN AND NOT NEED IT, THAN NEED A GUN AND NOT HAVE IT.

Be glad where you are folks, be glad. Tell me what you think.

AQUINO SIGNS COMPREHENSIVE FIREARMS LAW

President Benigno Aquino III signed last Wednesday the comprehensive law regulating the ownership of firearms and ammunition, Malacañang said Saturday.

Republic Act 10591 lists down the standards and prerequisites for a license to own and possess a firearm, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

"The new law also requires gun owners to renew their licenses every two years on or before the date of expiration. If they fail to renew their licenses, the PNP will revoke them and this also entails confiscation of the firearm," a Presidential Communications and Operations Office (PCOO) article quoted Valte as saying.

Under the law, one must be a Filipino citizen at least 21 years old to apply for a gun license.

An applicant must also have full work occupation or business or has filed an income tax return for the preceding year as proof of income, profession, business or occupation.

"The applicant has not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude, has passed the psychiatric test administered by a Philippine National Police-accredited psychologist or psychiatrist," it said.

An applicant must also pass a drug test by an accredited and authorized drug testing laboratory or clinic.

Other requirements include:

- passing the gun safety seminar administered by the PNP or a registered or authorized gun club;
- filing in writing the application to possess a registered firearm, indicating the personal circumstances why he or she needs to own a firearm;
- a police clearance to prove the applicant was not convicted or accused in a pending criminal case punishable with a penalty of more than two years; and
- reasonable gun licensing fees.

Those who want to carry a firearm outside their residence or place of business may apply for a Permit To Carry (PTC) if he or she "is under actual threat or is in imminent danger due to the nature of his or her profession, occupation or business."

Under the law, these may include professionals considered in imminent danger due to the nature of their profession, such as members of the Philippine Bar, certified public accountants (CPA), accredited media practitioners, cashiers, bank tellers, priests, ministers, rabbis and imams, physicians, nurses, and engineers.

Businessmen exposed to the high risk of being targets of criminal elements are also allowed to apply for PTC.

On the other hand, only small firearms may be registered by licensed citizens or licensed juridical entities for ownership, possession and concealed carrying.

"A light weapon shall be lawfully acquired or possessed exclusively by the AFP, the PNP and other law enforcement agencies authorized by the President in the performance of their duties. All firearms must be registered at the PNP," the PCOO said.

It added firearms for use in sports and competitions also should be licensed.

On the other hand, Valte said firearms and ammunition manufacturers must also apply for licenses, while both locally manufactured and imported firearms must be registered.

Meanwhile, gun stores should have a "license to deal" based on the new law for the purchase and sale of guns, as well as general business in handling firearms and ammunition.

Gunsmiths must also apply for a license for them to repair registered firearms. — LBG, GMA News

SOURCE:
GMA News Online, http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/311038/news/nation/aquino-signs-comprehensive-firearms-law, lifted on June 4, 2013.

2013-06-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

A GUN, A GUN, MY HOUSEHOLD FOR A GUN!

Apologies to Shakespeare; I parodied the title from Richard III, where the king is slain and conquered because his horse had fallen. Indeed, what does a man lose by not having a gun? In converse, what does he gain from having one? Or perhaps he loses a part of himself by owning one. I've been thinking about getting a gun. And sometimes I think too much, that I know.

I've always liked guns. I played with toy guns in my childhood, I even made a couple of them out of wood. I always went to the BB gun booth at school fairs and in college, I joined the rifle pistol team and had the chance to fire real weapons. I "like" photos of guns posted by a gun group in facebook. My phone has a gun app which allows me to "fire" and learn about a wide variety of digitized toy guns. The thing is, where I come from, it is difficult to get a gun, and guns are very expensive and heavily regulated by the government. This may stem from the time our colonizers disarmed the original citizens of the land. They were sword and knife wielding gentlemen and royalty who practiced the ancient martial art of Kali/Arnis; incredible warriors who fought hand to hand, blade against blade in tribal wars and later on against the first colonizers. Legend has it, the .45cal was developed specifically to stop enraged tribesmen from hacking people to death. http://kaligear.com/2008/03/legend-of-philippines-colt-45.html
However, there are numerous gun clubs as well and a good handful of my countrymen are recognized as some of the best shooters in the world. There is gun trade in its early stages but they operate as backyard industries and I know only of one gun maker that employs modern industrial equipment. But that's another story.

I don't need a reason to own a gun. If pushed for a reason then I say, for sport. I've practiced martial arts, and a guns are just another martial art. One reason I'm writing this is because of a video I saw on facebook of this 13 year old girl in a gun range. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZE-EDGw2vo

There were mixed reactions. Some said she was fantastic and some called her a menace. Menace? yes there are many gun toting idiots out there who are a menace but this girl is a prime example of discipline and responsibility. Obviously, she has received excellent training. That's all there is to it really, discipline and responsibility; just like any martial art.

Why do I want one now? Well, because I can. The second amendment says so, simple as that. Americans feel and think that gun ownership is a right. I'm no expert in American history, but maybe it's their history of strife and conflict, both internal and external that triggered that; a need to protect life and property, so to speak. No judgement there, I understand why. We are bombarded by media. There are reality shows about guns, police drama series, gun forums on social the internet. Almost on a daily basis we see police chases in the news, crime everywhere, random shootings, and even the occasional helicopter hovering over the neighborhood. There is no blaming people for wanting guns and standing up for that right. Like I said earlier, there are a lot of idiots with guns out there and you can't bring a knife to a gun fight, right. Technically you can, but you know what I mean.

This raises my point which I now posit to my readers. Is there still credence in holding on to the second amendment or has the right to bear arms gotten out of hand? Crime sure has in many parts of the country. How do you disarm criminals without taking away guns "from our dead, cold, hands"? Do we really want guns or is it perhaps a media-conditioned need? Have people fallen victim to media's magic bullet? "The media (magic gun) fired the message directly into audience head without their own knowledge. The message cause the instant reaction from the audience mind without any hesitation is called Magic Bullet Theory'. The media (needle) injects the message into audience mind and it cause changes in audience behavior and psyche towards the message. Audience are passive and they can’t resist the media message is called 'Hypodermic Needle Theory'. Both theories are deals with impact of media messages in audience mind and how audience react towards the message without any hesitation."(http://communicationtheory.org/magic-bullet-or-hypodermic-needle-theory-of-communication/)

In America, this is somewhat a touchy issue. Most I believe act and react with calm and educated opinion. Should I get a gun?

Simplest is Best

2011-12-06T22:40:00.000-08:00

Simplify, simplify, that is the key to happiness.

We have become a society so utterly bound by gadgets and material possessions that consumerism is no longer just an idea but a way of life. Maybe not all, but certainly there are people have to have the latest cellular phone, music or game gadget, computer or laptop, or what not that’s available in the market. Following this logic, no one will ever be happy. At the rate technological obsolescence is running, people will only be happy for a maximum of six months, even less.

I think life back then was much simpler. It was easier to please friends with little gift ideas. There were times when I actually cultured my own little bonsai plants to give away. Nowadays, appreciation for such niceties has waned. There were times when people communicated with each other by writing beautifully composed letters reminiscent of Robert and Elizabeth Browning; sent through a brother of a friend of a classmate or some other sordid connection. The simplicity of it all was bliss.

We needn’t look too far. I mean, where were we before the mass proliferation of email, online chatting, cell phones, and text. That was only about ten or fifteen years ago. A bit before that, there were pagers which of course were not as practical, nor fashionable. I remember when all we had were landlines and pay phones. All you needed to do was to make sure that you had coins in your pocket if you needed to make a call at some point of the day. When we had plans, my friends and I would call each other via phone brigade and agree on a date, time, and place. We only called each other once to plan things, and a second call to confirm. AND WE ALL SHOWED UP. Communication was a lot more personal. Cell phones I believe, paved the way for making last minute excuses so convenient. Back then, one phone call, make a commitment, and keep it. Now we have to have a slew of text messages in the most horrendous abbreviations flying through the microwave before an agreement could be made, only to be misinterpreted by one party. I recall the first time we had a reunion when everyone came toting a cell phone. We initially exchanged high fives and hellos, but the usually rambunctious gathering fell quiet. Each cocooned into his own world silently twiddling with a cell phone. We put a stop to it immediately. Now we have an unwritten rule, no phones in our get-togethers. Anyone who touches his cell phone will pay for everything that we consume for that night!

Computers were just business machines of big companies back then. Before that there were just typewriters. Remember those clunky old things? Okay, this point is debatable. Even I will attest to the ease that computers have provided in these modern times. But has it ever happened that you were working on a computer and it crashes on you, or the power fails or something, remember what a happy feeling that was, losing your data and all? Of course now there are failsafe systems that prevent these, however I like looking at the typewriter as the only crash-free word processor in the world. Yes we may be happier with the computer but how many times have we cursed slow internet? How many angry emails have we regretted clicking the send button to? Do you know the anguish of lost data, a corrupted file, or a virus gone mad in the CPU? Back then, you make a mistake, you either live with it and change the entire paper or use correction fluid or correction tape. It made you really think before you start typing or writing away words and ideas. Snail mail made you think before acting. You could actually read the emotion from the penmanship of the sender. It was so strange one time when I sent an ALL CAPS text message to a friend. I wondered why it took her some time to reply. When she finally did, she was asking if I was angry at her. Duh, stupid me, my phone’s default setting was all caps. I didn’t know that big letters meant I was angry. What’s with all these emoticons? Technology has to provide such inanely varied smileys to try and lend feeling to email or text.

I guess even the camera has fallen into the technology trap. Film until now is expensive and so is having them developed, so camera enthusiasts really put thought behind their pictures. Now what do you have; “cam-whores!” Those who proudly declare themselves as such in their web pages probably do not realize the connotation of that bastardized word. I have seen many indiscriminate photos in various websites, ill-composed and even worse poses of the subjects. All such photos are like this: everyone is scrunched into a tight frame, usually an extreme close-up, there’s always a wacky face, a tongue extended, pouting lips, sultry eyes, or a peace sign, with someone’s arm extended to hold the camera or the camera phone for that matter. Some see the convenience of the combination. I see a muddling of function. I’m happy with my simple cell phone and my simple digital camera; each complete and distinct from the other, each thing with its clear, unitary purpose. In these times, multi-tasking is almost a need. But then again, how much more are you really able to achieve with all the multi-tasking gadgets going around. I still say, one thing, one at a time, that’s commitment to quality.

So is there merit in wanting to go back to the days when we were techno-idiots? Can we ever leave home without a cell phone and not feel naked? Are students really learning more and doing better now when they have virtually all the information that they need at the click of a mouse? Or are they less attentive? With the speed of technology, are we also advancing as a society or have we merely managed to encase ourselves in the form of binary data? Are we getting things done faster or are we undoing what we’ve learned. Are we happier in this modern and advanced state of living? Or do we constantly find ourselves wanting more, looking for the latest innovation, always keeping up with the market trend and the Jones’? Is it possible to be happy with what we have?

I’d like to think that we are capable of happiness sans technology. Cell phones and computers have allowed us to be in touch with friends otherwise incommunicado. When we get together with them, set aside cell phones and really be with them. It's time we purposively do things again. When you walk; just walk for crying out loud. Don't walk and text, trip all over a stone, and suddenly turn around looking for someone to blame. Happiness is a decision in life, not a condition of being determined by materialism and consumerism.

In the old TV series Star Trek, Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) said, “The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play.” Remember those days when life was easy and mellow, when there was predictable traffic on the roads, when toys actually allowed kids to play together, when games were called by its barest essentials patintero, taguan, habulan, tumbang preso and the like. The non-presence of the internet and virtual, online, computer games taught us to interact and adjust to social situations. We need to go back to the simple pleasures. There we often find happiness, or at least we say. Whether we really do find happiness or not, at least we realize that simplicity is bliss

Simplify, simplify.

Entry #6 on Some Kind Of Wonderful

2011-03-06T20:31:00.000-08:00

So I'm Kinda Wondering

Sometimes I wish I had kept pictures of the 80s. I was an avid photographer back then using a Pentax Asahi film camera – the very same camera my dad used to take my baby pictures. That explains a bit why there weren't many pictures; until now film photography is expensive especially with the advent of digital technology. The other reason why I don't have those pictures is Ondoy (Typhoon Ketsana), so there.

When I reminisce the 80s with friends and even students, I can't help but let out a laugh or a very happy smile. I always say that those were the best of times. But I guess no generation or decade can ever really lay claim to being the best of times because all those eras were the best of whatever the people could make of those years, be it the 50s, 60, 70s, even the 90s, and now the 2Ks.

I find it even funnier when an office or a retro party uses the 80s as a theme. Yes, like Mr. Escaler said in class, the theme becomes a caricature of what we were. When I arrive at the party with my contemporaries, we almost always exclaim,”We DID NOT look like that.” Sometimes I forgive the music and the décor but I certainly did not look like Flock of Seagull or Robert Smith. What I find is that the younger generation have this hollywoodic impression, at the very least a western perception of the 80s. What they see or may have seen of Madonna, or Cindy Lauper, or the Bangles, or Bananarama are their impressions of the 80s, thus coming out with funny imitations. I tend to refer to women because more often than not, it's the women who seem to enjoy playing 80s dress up.

In some sense I may have played into the 80s fashion. When I was in HS, many of us experimented with fashion because Ateneo HS back then did not have a prescribed uniform. We ran the entire gamut from preppy to new wave to punk, which now I see were the predominant contents of films and music. Even the Bagets was a mere – or downright – baduy imitation of what was seen in 80s films and early MTVs. At one point I was confused between preppy and new wave. Good thing I got a hand on Birnbach's Preppie Handbook. Of course I didn't necessarily obey it like the Ten Commandments – not that I obey all ten – but at least it redirected my 80s fashion sense to a tamer avenue. I stuck with long sleeve Polos in pastels, khakis, maybe a cardigan, and Topsiders. The other items were just too expensive. In a way, economics played into it as well. People tend to dress according to what they could afford or save up for. Besides, The Preppie Handbook and its sort of sequel, The Yuppie Handbook were more of satires than anything else.

Watching Some Kind of Wonderful still makes me wonder about the title, but it rekindles my early notions of attraction for the opposite sex. I never really found Lea Thompson attractive or Molly Ringwor, uh wald, Ringwald. I thought Mary Stuart Masterson was so cute and that helped establish my kind of girl, petite with a cute smile, a slight, slight overbite, and a slight desire to convert tomboys (insert smiley). Despite being some sort of a chick flick, it was interesting to watch now and even back then because it may touched some part of identity that we all look for as teenagers. As american as the film may have been, it allowed us to explore our perceptions of self and others. Never has the underdog or the nerd and the pop kids been so celebrated. So iconic they have become that those roles are reprised and poked fun at in recent teen films. I can't help but wonder why it seems that no new teen identities have cropped up as iconic as those created by Hughes. Maybe it's because he hit so close to home and reality in identifying and creating such characters. I John Hughes were with us today, I wonder how the portrait of the teen would look like in this day and age. I wonder if teens today would cringe and scoff like we do in retro parties. I wonder if attraction would still be physical or guided by electronics and social networks. I wonder if Sting's predictions may come true that, “a scientific means to bliss, will supersede the human kiss... a biochemic trance will eliminate romance...” I wonder not really because growing up is all some kinda wonderful.

2011-03-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it's actually quite intriguing to know how some people see themselves. You can tell so much about a person by the way he or she describes himself or herself. That way, you can actually confirm opinions about them or learn something entirely new. It's interesting to see how Hollywood views itself. Those years of transition between silent and sound were perhaps the most "colorful" and creative times the American film industry has ever experienced. Some tried to keep a grip on tradition while most moved with the tides. But all in all, classics will always endure.

I was quite pleased watching the last two films, "City Lights" and "Sunset Boulevard." Seeing those two films in black and white took me back to my childhood when all we had a gray television. There was already colored TV technology available then but my parents prioritized other essentials. I couldn't care less. When I think about it, black and white TV left so much more to imagination; same way that silent films make you imagine what the characters must be feeling or thinking. It's interesting to note that contemporary actors and actresses and modern production outfits still somehow emulate actors of the past and even still reflect formula scenes of old movies. I recall characters played by the likes of Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope, and Jim Carey and even local actors such as Dolphy and an older older one who called himself Canuplin. In one way or another they emulated Charlie Chaplin. Reading about them in the handouts makes them all the more interesting. The title "Sunset Boulevard" made it seem so apt. I never thought the line "I'm ready for my close up Mr. De Mille." was so filled with pain and darkness. I always thought it was a something so glamorous for an actress to say. I guess the same feeling came over me when in an interview, Sting said that the song "Every Breath You Take" was not a love song, rather quite a vicious one. What things you can discover when you view things and films from different perspectives.

Let me just say that I don't think I'll see movies the way I used to.

3rd entry for AMCINEMA "Roman Holiday"

2010-12-12T16:23:00.000-08:00

KISSING AUDREY

If movie stars are constructed images or identities, the Audrey Hepburn approaches perfection if not perfection itself. She was the quintessential "girl of my dreams." Her whole presentation in terms of looks and style, her carriage and the way she moved and spoke was pure spectacle, so full of visual flavor, so to speak. And from the quintet of senses, the only ones I could not possibly have absorbed from her movies were smell and taste. All I know with what I have seen from her films is that Audrey was simply divine.

It was said that stars rise and fall and are determined by a particular era's definition of beauty and desirability. If so, then Audrey perhaps will always shine bright. She represented the girl next door, the modern, non-fairy tale princess, the cosmopolitan sophisticate, a graceful dancer, and possibly everything in between. Even in her latter years, having aged graciously, she still represented an angel (from the movie "Always") - and quite well at that. Perhaps that was the best way to have ended her career. If I recall correctly, she passed away shortly after that movie.

"Roman Holiday" was quite an interesting study for many reasons. Firstly it was some sort of a "Prince and the Pauper" reversal where of course there was no pauper to replace her in the palace. Her adventures and misadventures in the outside world as an ordinary citizen taught her many things that royalty should know in order not to be stuck in the proverbial gilded cage and perhaps make so-called royal decisions from a better perspective. In a more recent movie, Anne Hathaway reprised a reverse of Audrey's princess character where we witnessed a "peasant" become a princess. Watching those movies made me think of the existing royal families of these times. What lurks in the minds of kings and queens? What do princes and princesses dream of in the deepest recesses of their hearts (or limbic system for that matter). Behind the pomp and pageantry Audrey's princess character masked her true emotions and a longing to just be a woman in the world. I wonder if Prince William and soon to be Princess Kate have the same thoughts and feelings.

Having read some articles about Audrey Hepburn, I can't help but think that the sincerity of the characters that she played in her movies must have only come from the sincerity of her person. I think sometimes that I must have been born too late. I fell in love with Sabrina which I think was the first Hepburn movie I ever saw. I fell even deeper when I saw her as Holly. I guess in that sense we all fall in love with created identities and for the characters but for the quintessence of the women and men behind them. Even the Deep Blue Something song means something to me; if a girl likes the song "Breakfast at Tiffany's or the movie itself, she is instantly cool to me. For me, Audrey can only be a forever dream girl. And each time I see the spectacle that she is, it's the closest I get to kissing Audrey.

Reflections On The Pixar Experience

2010-09-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

THE DUNCE CAP NEVER SHOWED TRUE COLORS
by Allan Roi Rono

How can school or work concretely encourage creativity? I think the question is more like DOES IT? It's a complicated question to answer I think and it might take an entire term paper with a brief study of educational history just to scratch the proverbial surface. So once again I turn to good old Occam's Razor - "Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem." The popular interpretation of this principle is that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. Okay, okay, so I got that from Wikipedia, but hey oftentimes even Wikipedia is correct. And wasn't it mentioned early this semester that "It's not where you take things from. It's where you take them to."(Godard). Let's venture on.

In the section of the article The Roots of Our Culture, Catmull mentions that, "it's OK to hire people who are smarter than you are." Now that struck a chord that somewhat answers my question, does school or work concretely encourage creativity? Initially I say no. Our culture is rooted in authority rather than meritocracy. Ken Robinson recognizes that fact in TED Talks when he mentioned that university professors are often seen as the epitome of knowledge and that schools are unwittingly designed to produce teachers; thus creating somewhat of a vicious cycle of non-creativity. In most educational institutions, teachers are regarded as the end-all and be-all of correctness. Many students until now think this way such that they no longer even try to be creative and just take their teacher's word as prophetic truth. I guess the same thing happens at the workplace where bosses and managers are expected to know everything. However, in some workplaces - that I have been in, know of, or have spoken to people therein - the reverse is the truth. At least in the Philippines, there seems to be this avoidance of consulting experts for fear of looking dumb. And then when experts are consulted, either the wrong ones are consulted or the expert advice is ignored. This is why I say it's a complicated question to answer.

I guess the simplest approach for schools or the workplace to encourage creativity is to loosen the reigns of authority and let creativity reign, pun intended. Gone are the days of the dunce cap. Row Four is no longer for the so-called poor performers in class. For all we know, those people may be fairing better than we are right now.

In the past, when I was teaching high school debate, I tried to do everything for my students in class. I did the lectures, groupings, consultations for all the debate topics for all teams, and finally adjudicating the competitive debates themselves. It was "mind-taxing" to say the least. I was dismayed at many of the debates and judged them as falling below expectations. After all, I was the moderator and coach of the famed Delta Chi debate club; high standards came with the territory I guess. It took a brave team to say no to me. They said that they had everything covered; and what a revelation it was. Seeing them debate on their own made me slap myself. I was not dismayed at how poorly some of my students had performed. I was dismayed at myself! I taught them, I coached them, I judged them! I forced a style on them. I realized that I was looking at my reflection. How true it is that it's hard to face a problem, when the problem is your face. I found myself in some sort of a demented "Pygmalionic" predicament.

It was then that I began creating a peer culture among my students. I still taught them the basics, but then I began harnessing those with a natural talent for debate. Some of them knew more than I did and I ended up with fresh approaches. They began coaching each other. Instead of doing all the judging, I taught them the criteria and what to look for in a debate, thus adding a peer adjudication component to the grading system. What I discovered here was that some of them are actually stricter than I was in scoring debates. Heck, some of them were better than I was at debating. They ended up learning from each other by judging one another. Consultations became a student-driven discussion of what ideas they had to attack whatever topics they were given to debate on. The coaching huddle just became a happy pep rally for them and myself. Even for seemingly stiff subjects like debate, I found that creativity could be unleashed. In the end, teaching life just got lighter and more fun. Modesty aside, Delta Chi, the high school debate team that I "coached" won eight championships in seven seasons and I didn't even do anything. It's amazing sometimes what students are capable of when left to their own devices.

I think many companies, even non-creative industries (e.g. banks, manufacturing, etc.) can learn from the Pixar experience. Whenever I get a chance to conduct seminars, I always say that it's important to foster creativity and create an atmosphere of equality. I tell the participants that I like to think that the reason they were hired and why they are in the seminar is because they're smart. I guess in the simplest sense, that is what Pixar did, thus their success. When you open up to equality and creativity, no one then is only as good as their last best idea. In what Catmull calls the post mortems, even the wrong things that happened are given credence even if just to stimulate discussion. The negative stigma on mistakes are removed so that no one is afraid to make them. The wrong mistakes (as we like to say) can then be turned to good ideas.

Let me end by quoting Ed Catmull once again, "If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up; if you give a mediocre idea to great team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something that works." So there. "So don't be afraid to let them show; your true colors..."(Steinberg B., Kelly T.,1986). Most of the time there is brightness under that dunce cap. And yes, that is the Cyndi Lauper song.

Snoop Dog

2010-08-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

OFFICESCAPES

A school is always an interesting place to observe. In my line of work, I get to visit different schools and each has a distinct "personality." Even more interesting apart from students and classrooms are the different offices and faculty rooms. I decided not to go far and just made observations of two rooms in my current place of work; specifically, two faculty rooms. My snoopological observations are of course one sided but it does reveal a few things about the people and the institution itself.

The pictures above are of the General Education Faculty Room. At first glance, it looks nothing out of the ordinary; in fact it's just ordinary. In this room is a mishmash of teachers from all sorts of departments, teaching all sorts of subjects. It's a new school that is still experiencing growing pains. Everyone is still waiting for the rest of the buildings to be built so that the departments can somehow be more properly compartmentalized. So in this room you will find the PE teachers, the Language Department, the Philosophy and History teachers, and even the Humanities teachers. So weird right? What we are used to with the bigger, more established educational institutions is that each subject area is departmentalized and compartmentalized into their own offices and nooks and crannies.

The following images are of another faculty room:

Notice anything different? (of course I'm being sarcastic) If this was a "Spot the Difference" game, only sight impaired person wouldn't get it... or an idiot.

The identity claims are not obvious however. Many things have been replaced by cell phones and computers which are capable of storing pictures of loved ones, or a personal music playlist and the like. A lot of the personal stuff have been replaced by the internet via social networking sites; take your pick. Some teachers however still keep those little mementos of whatever and whomever they consider close to their lives. One teacher has a her family Christmas calendar. I have a picture of my two nieces tacked on somewhere under my neckties (go look for my desk). A few teachers have personalized tumblers with pictures of family members and such. In a way, people still do hold on to those traditional and/or customary mementos that tell about who we are as person and as a culture. But from my observations both past and present, the thing that has dominated the regulation of feelings is how well their computer is working. Oftentimes I have noticed that a person's mood and performance has been and is almost directly proportional to how well his or her computer is working; I also notice a correlation with the speed of the internet. The computer, I find, is both self and other-directed. Most have social networking sites which is both self and other directed, while other functions of the computer are used for work which may be considered other-directed.

As to behavioral residue, in the first faculty room, you find books, papers and other trappings of educational life. What does that say? Teachers still like the tactile nature of ink and paper.

Notice however that some desks are less cluttered than others. There are two interesting observations here. First, some if not most subjects require a lot of paperwork, thus the seeming clutter. Second, some skills-based subjects have minimal to no paperwork thus the absence of clutter. The way some desks and rooms appear also tell of self or other-directedness. The seemingly emptier desks are either occupied by part-timers; some of them PE teachers and other subject teachers. The almost immaculate-looking room are used by teachers of hotel subjects thus the neatness. The subjects taught by teacher tell of the nature of their work, some are of more intellectual pursuits while others are more practical. I'll leave it at that.

In terms of personality, I guess it's safe to assume that most teachers are extroverts. In this electronic age, teachers have to be multimedia personalities, so to speak. To be truthful, the clean room is empty most of the time. It looks so open yet students don't go there, probably for lack of people to talk to. More often, the cluttered room is where you students gravitate, asking all sorts of questions simply because there are people to talk to. If I were to personify the rooms, I'd say that both are open, and agreeable people; one might be a bit more extroverted, the other might be a bit more obsessive compulsive.

Now what birthday gift would I give the occupants of these rooms? For the "messy" room, I'll simply give them a bigger room! I wouldn't readily separate them into their own subjects and departments because they work better that way. Separate offices will just be divisive. The cooperation and collaboration that goes on in that small space full of different teachers with their own specializations works perfectly for an upstart school with its growing pains. The other occupant of the "clean" room, I'll give them warmth of personality if I can only package it into a gift.

There's an old and totally senseless saying that goes, "Cluttered desk, cluttered mind." Hahahahaha... following that logic, "Empty desk..."

Design Observation YUCK

2010-07-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

THOSE DAMN PACKERS

No it’s not the Energizer mini charger. It’s not the Husky flashlight or the Defiant doorknob set that I hate; it’s not the product, it’s those damn plastic packaging that they come in. I hate those sealed, almost airtight, hard plastic packs that are being used to wrap some products. It seems as if they don’t want the buyers to use whatever it is that they're selling. I don’t really know who came up with that packaging design and I don’t care at all. I just wish that they change it. Sometimes it’s close to impossible to open them. Even with a good, sharp pair of scissors it’s still difficult to cut the plastic with its odd shapes and curves. It sometimes snags the scissors and snaps back on your hands. If you're not careful, you can even get wounded by the plastic while you’re trying to pry the damn thing open. It’s not a task; it’s an ordeal, for crying out loud! Opening something has never been so difficult. A friend of mine once used a soldering pen to melt open the plastic but he ended up ruining the soldering pen. Admittedly, sometimes I really want to try burning the damn thing just to get what's inside.

Okay maybe it’s for security purposes that they decided to package products in this way. It is certainly more difficult to conceal for would-be shoplifters. Maybe it was one way for manufacturers to ensure that all the small parts, screws and keys of a doorknob set, for example, to stay intact with the entire set. But for the love of god, can they please make it easier to open. I mean, it's like breaking into a small plastic safe. I almost celebrate whenever I succeed opening that kind of pack. It’s maddening, I kid you not. And it’s not like there’s just one technique to open them with. Each is unique depending on the product that’s inside. With the Energizer mini charger, I first had to cut across the seal, then cut around the product and pry it open. The Husky mini LED flashlight actually came in a “value pack” of three, batteries included. I had already thrown away the other two parts of the pack. It was an entirely different technique getting to the flashlights; I cut in between the flashlights to provide an opening for each set. A cousin of mine once bought a cell phone charger and earphones that came in the same type of packaging. He ended up cutting the delicate wires rendering his purchases useless. My dad sent me three sets of Defiant doorknobs to replace the ones that got flooded. When I saw the packaging, I let out a sigh and just decided to oil and loosen up the old ones that were still on my doors. At least I only had to uncap a WD-40 oil can, I thought to myself. It’s easier to replace a doorknob and deadbolt than to wrestle it free from the crocodilian grip of those plastic packs. I tell you, it's going to be an event getting those doorknobs out of those plastic cages. I have seen toys that are packed this way and I think opening those toys should require adult supervision. I haven’t even mentioned that they are non-biodegradable. You can’t even reuse them… well maybe to cut yourself free in case you find yourself hogtied somewhere. Other than that, you can't even crumple them neatly to put in a trash bag; in fact they tend to tear the trash bags.

I seriously think that this type of packaging needs rethinking. It may be a matter of changing the material or even just changing the way it is sealed. Too bad I don't have the power to make those changes. I just hope this blog gets read by the one who designed those packs or it gets to IDEO (and they hire me!) It may be easier in terms of manufacturing and the production line, but it becomes so inconvenient for the end user, no matter what product was purchased. The function of the package gets outweighed by the inconvenience of opening it. And for me, the function of something is what matters, even if it's just packaging. I know, it doesn’t really affect the products but there must be an easier way to secure them and still be easy enough for the consumer to free it from bondage without fear of bloodshed or damage to the item. Oh those goddamn packers!

And that motorcycle at the very top of my blog by the way, is the new Honda DN-01 Scooter! It's going to be mine! =)

Mapping My Mind Map

2010-07-18T20:22:00.001-07:00

Cognitive Fitness

2010-07-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

Put Fita In the Fighter

The title of this entry might remind some of us of and old TV commercial for Fita biscuits or biskwet to some of us. It’s based on the psychologist Jean Piaget’s theories of development, that a when children play, they believe that that they are seriously at work. So far in the readings and discussions that we have had in class, we have found that play diminishes as people get older for many reasons; they forget how to play, they’re not allowed, it becomes deemed inappropriate or unprofessional, or simply because we take on roles where play just seems to become useless or is not needed. Of course now we are rediscovering that the opposite is the truth and not the common adult notion.

Somehow, somewhere along the way of growing up, we have been led to believe that play is only for children. Funny thing is according to Neil Postman in “The Disappearance of Childhood,” there was no such thing as the concept of childhood up until the Renaissance. In essence the idea of childhood and recognizing the differences between adults and children came about because of the groundbreaking technology of that time; printing. When books became widespread, people began to recognize differences in big people and little people, and one of those was reading. Reading is not a natural act. It had to be taught and learned. And when they started teaching little people how to read and assumedly how to write as well, there came the differentiations between adults and children, again according to Postman, perhaps the greatest, most humane inventions during the Renaissance.

I guess this is where it began and ended. While childlike behavior and creativity began to be recognized by society, it also categorized and limited that behavior and creativity only up to a certain extent of time. After a while, when a child becomes educated, he or she must also stop being a child and take on adult roles. Creativity stopped where productivity began to be expected out of the person. Now we revisit this and say that creativity and productivity are in fact so interspersed, so meshed in each of us. The buzzwords intersections, convergence, interactive and the like come to fore, Gilkey and Kilts (2007) call it Cognitive Fitness. I sum it up as mental circuit training. Much like in physical fitness, we train different muscle groups to achieve maximum growth and strength of our bodies; similarly we must train the two hemispheres and different aspects of our cognate.

I like the premise of Cognitive Fitness: “experiences grow your brain.” In other words, all that you do enables you fresh perspectives from or with which to view things. This is essential when we face the specter of old solutions that don’t work for the new problems we face nowadays. One problem I face as a teacher is that I teach a subject that most freshmen take for granted just because it’s required, especially in the hotel and culinary field. But I sell it to them as a tool or a method for success in their respective fields. So I find creative ways of teaching essay and debate such that they will be interested in it. In turn, I am pleased to have read in the article that teachers who constantly immerse themselves in “vigorous intellectual stimulation can be protected from mental decline that comes with age.” (Gilkey and Kilts 2007). In debate class, I tell my students that becoming a better public speaker is just really a matter of talking to yourself. We all did that as children when we played. We acted out conversations and sometimes even won and lost arguments with ourselves as Waterson’s character Calvin often did with his stuffed tiger and alter ego, Hobbes. So one way of practicing debate and public speaking is simply talking to yourself. Exercise your mind. Think of what arguments your opponents can possible bring up. Keep in mind that whatever you can think of, so can they, in vice versa. So like chess players, think two to three moves ahead or as many as you can; think outside the squares or box depending on your preferred euphemism.

In page nine of the article Gilkey and Kilts say, “People who are receptive to novelty and innovation also tend to be good in a crisis, because they are open to seeing opportunity in even the direst situation.” (2007). I am reminded of several things about war, the first is a joke on the epitome of positive thinking:

SOLDIER: Captain! The enemy is all over! They have us completely surrounded!

CAPTAIN: Perfect! We have them right where they want us!

The other story is about one of the best field commanders in the history of war, The Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel who fought in the desert. His tactic was simple. How do you engage in conventional warfare in a wide open desert? His strategy, imagine the desert as one big chessboard and play chess. He earned the respects of the likes of Patton and Churchill.

The last story is from a movie starring Gene Hackman. His character was also this military tactician. He was behind enemy lines and as any soldier would, his duty was to evade capture and survive. He had communication with his base but they also knew that the enemy was listening in. He then figured out how to communicate in simple code that would get him out and fast. They began speaking in golf terms. The extraction strategy then was to simply superimpose a golf course which he had mastered, over a map of the enemy terrain. He then simply moved from hole to hole to the extraction zone. I found this so interesting as a training tool when I trained high school cadets. I made them march all around campus, literally counting steps between locations. When we went on bivouac, they were broken up into smaller squads. I simply told them to imagine the campus, superimpose it on the campsite and secure the perimeter. The codes were the names of the buildings and the other nooks and tambayans around campus. They got it immediately. The unfamiliar campsite suddenly became easy to navigate. I like to think of teaching as a way of making things make sense. Charles F. Kettering said, "Inventing is a combination of brains and materials. The more brains you use, the less materials you need." – makes sense 'no? The next step in cognitive fitness I guess is to reinvent yourself and the way you see things. Time to put (cognitive) Fita in the fighter.

Design Observation WOW

2010-07-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

THE KYMCO SUPER 8 125

The Kymco Super 8 is an under bone sport scooter with a spunky 125cc continuously variable transmission (CVT) automatic engine. It's stylish and at the same time built a bit more ruggedly, compared to most under bone motorcycles you see on the road nowadays. The tires are bigger and fatter giving the scoot a sporty, big bike feel making it sturdy for the road conditions around the metro. The scooter's fairings are sleek and streamlined making it look hefty for big riders like me. It also has quick release pillion steps for a passenger. It comes in a wide variety of color combinations which you can see for yourself in the manufacturer’s website, www.kymco.com.ph. The one I own looks a bit like the Transformer robot Bumblebee, it has the blue and yellow color scheme making it bright and a bit more visible on the road; which is an important safety factor. Two big headlamps have three settings; park lights for early evening or morning rides, regular headlights for night rides and a bright setting for dark, unlit roads. Similar to the headlights, the brake and signal lights use strong halogen bulbs with crystal reflector configuration for high visibility even during daytime. As rugged as it is, the S8 is agile and positive in maneuverability allowing the rider to weave around tight lanes and traffic. The engine is simple in construct, easy to maintain, a lot quieter and less messy than chain driven motorcycles. It features both electric and kick start that functions as a failsafe in case of battery failure. The throttle is quite responsive and quick to accelerate. I've pushed that tiny engine to around 110 kph on a long, clear stretch. Like a point and shoot camera, the S8 is a gas and go sport scooter; no cumbersome hand clutch, no foot gear shifter, a light twist of the throttle and it moves. The learning curve is not steep at all, if you know how to ride a bicycle, you can easily learn to drive this scoot. The hand-activated front disc brakes can stop on a dime but the rear drum brakes can stand a bit of improvement. The compartment under the seat is small, but utility boxes are available. In normal riding conditions, the scoot gets around 36 kilometers to the liter. On average I spend only Php250 a week on fuel.

Form and function, efficiency and convenience of use, practicality and value for money; these are the factors that make the Kymco Super 8 a great product. In the final analysis, but not necessarily in that order, these are the factors that I look for in the things I place in my environment. It is quite affordable for those undergoing what I call a middle class midlife crisis (hahaha, so there, stop giggling now Cams, Grace, and Anne), and it doesn’t look like a motorcycle that you would attach a sidecar to. Since I started using it, I have rarely gotten stuck in traffic. My average travel time to anywhere has been reduced by around 30 minutes or more. For example without traffic, from where I live along Marcos Highway Antipolo to The Fort, via C5 is only an 18 minute easy ride. During rush hours, just add around 15 minutes to the ride time. Rain is one inconvenience but it’s part of the Zen of motorcycle riding; it’s a lifestyle. In the other entry, we talk about Cognitive Fitness and how we should be constantly learning something new. I used to ride motorcycles in my early college days, but because of stupidity and two nasty spills, I stopped. Now that I’m back in the saddle so to speak, it feels like a fresh learning experience. It’s fun and contrary to common notion, it is safe if you ride smart. Of course it doesn’t offer the protection of being caged in a car, but that’s why awareness and sensible riding take premium. When I ride, I’m focused. When I’m bored, I ride. When I want to have some freedom, I ride. When I’m free, I’m alive.

And these are the new generation scooters from Yamaha and Honda.

Reflection on the Five Minds

2010-06-26T02:01:00.000-07:00

Significant Human Education
by Allan Roi Rono

I think it was Thomas Jefferson who once said, ”Every generation needs a revolution.” As to what sort of revolution that might be, I guess it's up to whomever the revolutionaries are. In light of the Com 207.3 classes, I like to think that we are the revolutionaries and that Sir Ken Robinson and Howard Gardner are in the forefront of the war. We need a revolution in education; that is perhaps the only way for any of the ideas Gardner and Robinson and for any of its proponents to effect any change at all. In the video “Five Minds For the Future,” Gardner admits that his ideas are rather grandiose. Making any sort of change will be a steep uphill climb because as he says, school reform is complex and not quite for the faint-hearted. We are stuck in a system of numbers, letters, and grades as I mentioned in my previous entry. It is so deeply embedded in the system that an individual is virtually non-schooled without numbers or some sort of grading. I think this is where all the trouble began. Who determined that 75 is good enough to pass and 80 is just about average? Why was I labeled as an underachiever yet am now achieving. Was it because I was up to par or not performing to full potential? What if I was just reserving potential so that I may use it when absolutely needed? How do we change this system? I borrow Occam's Razor loosely: a complex problem in equally complex situations, the best solution must be the simplest one.

How do we concretize the five minds? I was privileged enough to have been under the late, great Fr. Joseph Galdon. He said that teaching is a subversive act. That became my driving force as a teacher. He said that more than anything else, a teacher is an agent of change. If he was still alive, I am quite sure that he will be right there beside Robinson and Gardner. He was a proponent of SHE; significant human experience. In all his lessons, the important thing was for his students to have or to come out with and create significant human experiences. That's where he believed real learning began. I think that is the basic tenet of Gardner. In teachers is where the revolution begins. In the video, he mentions that while it is important to have a grasp of the basics, what's more important is what we do after school. Yes, for the moment and for a long time still, we will be stuck with this notion of school that we currently have (i.e. grades, linear learning etc.). I doubt if anything dramatic will happen any time soon – even with Bro. Armin Luistro (good luck!) coming in to head Dep. Ed. Yes we learn math, we master grammar, we memorize the periodic table, we learn dates, and facts and figures, and this and that; but the question is what do we do with all that information? Gardner asks, do we learn to think mathematically, do we think historically, do we think scientifically? What do we do with the knowledge when no one is looking or testing us? Do we join contests such as Jeopardy, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, or Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader to show how much we memorized and how “smart” we are? As he says, that is not it; subject matter has nothing to do knowledge. The Five Minds Gardner says are both descriptive and prescriptive: disciplined, synthesizing, creating, respectful, and ethical. It means thinking in those ways. For example we learn math or science and master all of its branches. What then? The obvious and common thing is to become a math or science teacher or find a job involving numbers and chemicals or something so that we may use all that we know of those subjects. But real knowledge according to Gardner is not merely divulging what is in our brain. It is a matter of thinking in the discipline that we gained. In other words, what do math and science, or history and english and all those other subjects really teach us?

I defer once again to Fr. Galdon; what significant human experience do we gain from studying all those subjects? That I believe is how we concretize Gardner's Five Minds. Math for example taught me precision and accuracy. I'm still a self-proclaimed math idiot but I try to be precise when dealing with important data. Science and its branches taught me almost the same things as math plus keen observation and the fascination for discovery. English gave me a love for words, they are the colors and my pen, voice, and laptop are my brushes. History makes me civil and civic. Teachers learn to teach I could go on but I hope my drift has been gotten, so to speak.

As a teacher, I tell my students to look for the SHE in the subjects that they take. In that way, they will never say, “I don't need math, I have computers and calculators anyway. I don't need to learn business communications, I'll hire a secretary anyway,” and so on and so forth. To concretize the Five Minds, Galdon says, teach a method, not an end result. The facts will be forgotten, but the tool of thought - the discipline remains. As teachers we learn all about the educative process but what we should do is to inspire. We study to become doctors and nurses and swear to "first do no harm" but do we really care for people. I think teachers should also take that same oath of first doing no harm. We take higher studies but to what avail; higher salaries, a promotion, or a a step up the social ladder? In the war versus convention what is the best weapon? Do we stop measuring and giving grades altogether and just hope that students learn? After all, we are not our grades. This seems to have been going on anyway; if grades are so important, then why do colleges and universities give honorary degrees?

I don't think there's and end to this so I just quote Gardner one last time, he said that creative people are ones that are not afraid to make mistakes. He says further that they go off into the unknown making new mistakes. I like to say creative people GOOF into the unknown to learn from new mistakes. I say let them. LET US! It's significant.

2010-06-19T03:32:00.000-07:00

Did Ateneo Kill Me?
By Allan Roi Rono

Strange it seems that I have been showing this same video to my essay writing students for the past so many years, but I never really took time to answer it myself and put it down in writing. The opportunity finally crossed me and now is no better time than any other. Do schools kill creativity? In the present educational system in the Philippines, my answer is an unequivocal yes. Although some small schools have cropped up claiming a cutting edge curriculum, the system that governs them is still in a quagmire of non-progression and bureaucracy; stuck in a backswing so to speak. Local pedagogy is still based on the traditional three “Rs” – Reading, wRiting , and aRithmetic, as some old teachers fondly refer to it. It is still largely based on the system that the first American teachers brought to the Philippines when they introduced public education in the early 1900s. The Thomasites as they were known, essentially transplanted a system that was used in the United States which revolved around agriculture and industry. As Robinson discusses, education then and even now merely instructed a student to qualify for certain positions in industry. And much like in the Philippines back then, agriculture (i.e. planting and harvest seasons) was where the the scheduled moved around in. Not much room for creativity there really. The world was still reeling from recent wars and development meant that certain standards had to be met and education was the best way to go about it. Can't blame them I guess.

Sadly, we have moved on very little from there. Since the Marcos era, past administrations seem to think that placing businessmen and politicians – who may not necessarily be educators – at the helm of CHED and Dep Ed is a step forward. Quite the opposite has been the result so far. Teachers are still overworked and underpaid both in the private school and even worse in the public sector. Diploma mills churn out ill-trained teachers year in and year out. The products; students equally ill-prepared to face the demands and challenges of a continuously globalizing community. And having been fed a non-progressive curriculum taught by teachers with less than satisfactory communication skills, tens of thousands of graduates get caught between a Scylla and Charybdis, the proverbial rock and hard place. What to do, what to do? They can't simply repeat school, and even if they can, it costs money. How do they get employed when they are not equipped well. The common recourse now is to get a job that requires the barest minimum of qualifications. More often than not, it's also a dead end. Even if they move up a rank or so, soon they reach their Peter Principle.

What I think we need is a drastic revamp. Revamp the governing bodies, delete as much of the bureaucracy as possible. Revamp the subjects as Robinson discusses in Fora.tv by revising the tracks that students can follow. Let education cater to the needs of people, not to the needs of industry. Creativity is best honed and nurtured in the young. Teach them the basics but allow them to discover their talents and other passions. And when they reach a certain age, let them choose their own path. This way, nobody fails essentially.

The world is hell-bent on numbers and grades, yet more often than not, grades only reflect how much we have memorized rather than what we really know. Looking back at my own grades and performance in school, I realize that I was quite mediocre. Let me say however that I was the best at mediocrity. My guidance counsellors conveniently labelled me “underachiever” and I always felt that they reveled in the fact that they were able to diagnose me early in my high school years. I don't recall any of them doing anything to “improve” the situation. Throughout grade school, I thought I was one of the dumbest in my batch because I did poorly in math. My grade three math teacher made me stand in a trash can because I couldn't solve the problem on the board; a lot of help that trash can was. In grade six, I wanted to become a pilot, but my eyesight began to deteriorate. Pilots had to have 20-20 vision. Later on I found out that becoming a pilot involved higher algebra, trigonometry, and calculus. All I wanted to fly, for crying out loud! I also wanted to be a chef but my mom almost scornfully reduced it to just being a kusinero. Of course I got a prompt little slap when I told her, “Mom, aren't you a kusinera?” Then late in high school, I wanted to be a musician, but my dad readily smashed my guitar when my grades went down. Sad as it may seem, I grew up thinking I was a stupid because I was a math idiot. Little did I realize that where numbers worked like quicksand in my brain, words flowed like quicksilver. In college I wanted to take Communication but my parents insisted I take Economics that I may become a businessman. I did, but I also secretly shifted when I saw how much math was involved in Eco. I shifted to I.S. thinking that was the way to the other best thing I could do, to teach. To this day, my mom thinks I graduated with a degree in AB Economics.

Can I blame them? Certainly not, simply because they also grew up that way. They were educated in a system that did not really foster creativity. My grandfather was violinist and pianist who became a civil engineer and was once the head of the La Mesa Dam and Balara Filtration Plant. My other grandfather was a great orator who became a doctor to the Hukbalahap and later on congressman of Batangas. Both lolas were great cooks who could easily create dishes from scratch, rivaling the Iron Chefs. My mom was a poet who became a nurse and one of the first Filipina nurses in the U.S. My dad was a basketball player and guitarist of a band called the Crackerjacks who became a division manager in Colgate-Palmolive Phils. Inc.

And me, I am a teacher living a pseudo la vie boheme.

2010-06-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

PAANO AKO TUMINO? Nung unang panahon, nung maliit pa ko (oo, maliit ako dati) at saksakan ng kulit (makulit pa rin ngayon pero konti na lang) hilig na hilig ko magpaputok ng labintador at kung ano pa mang samu't saring paputok pag bagong taon.

One day, isang araw nagpapaputok ako ng 5star. Pero may isang lecheng triangulo na hindi pumutok, ampota. Ako naman itong tanga, pinulot ko. Biglang pumasok sa utak ko HUUUWAAAG!!!

Kaso likas na masmabilis ang utak ko kesa sa 'king kamay, kaya hindi kagad ako naka-react. Aba, akalain mo ba naman nakasindi pa pala yung lintik na 5star na hindi pumutok! Ay pucha! (kaaway ng acho)

Aba eh bigla ba naman sumagitsit yung mitsa. Buti na lamang kamo dahil sa aking psychomotor reflexes ay nabitiwan ko ang dambuhalang paputok split second bago ito sumabog. KABOOM!!!

Ayun, naputukan ako. Hindi ko mawaring manhid na makirot ang kanang kamay ko. Magmula noon, tumino na ang buhay ko. Nabawasan ang kalokohan sa katawan, pero konti lang. Hindi na ako muli bumili ng paputok, bukod sa mahal eh mausok at nakakaitim ng kulangot.

Pero pinapalipad ko pa rin ang bisikleta ko o kaya yung aking skateboard... habang lulan ako nito... sumemplang makailang beses hanggang muntik na matuhog sa bakal na nakausli sa bakod ng kapitbahay, kaya't tuluyan nang tumino.

Lumaki. Grumadweyt. Naging guro. But not necessarily in that order.

Ako ngayon ay isang watusi expert. Siguruhing maghugas ng kamay matapos humawak ng watusi (pati na rin pagkatapos jumebs) because watusi is almost pure phosphorous... Ingesting phosphorous residue may cause comatose to your health hehehe.

Breastmilk is still best for babies up to old age.

Ang hindi matawa, mauutot.

Translation available upon request.