The worst type of student is the one who thinks he only has to show up in class, crack a few jokes, flash a sly smile every now and then and that's it. He will pass.
This type of students are the ones nearest the "beyond help" category :)
I had a number of them over the past 10 years of facilitating tertiary and graduate education. I could only offer a prayer to them that they see the error of their ways sooner rather than later.
I have a number of them this term. Some are in the same class for a number of times already. I hope they have changed their ways or I will see them again next term.
Not that I am complaining, I just feel bad for those who pay their tuition.
Realization is indeed a very expensive, super sagad painful and sadsad humbling friend :)
"... why think like mere men?"
Friday
Sunday
The Filipinos: The Earth Benders
From the movie "The Last Airbender"
There was a poignant scene in the movie that spoke to me. Crushed my heart. It was the scene when the Avatar was talking to the "imprisoned" Earth Benders. He was imploring them, reminding them that they were a great people. That they ARE a great people. He was questioning them why are they living like this? In poverty.
My eyes got teary.
It sounded like he was talking to me, a Filipino.
You see, I have always believe that the real treasure of the Philippines is her land. Science and statistics has proven this. In the list of mineral deposits and metals, of any kind and of the world, the Philippines always belongs to the top 10. And the fact that we are sitting on top of the ring of fire, also suggests that our geo-thermal energy potential is second to none.
I am hopeful that 'this' way of living, as the Avatar in the movie described, will end for the real and truthful answer to the question of "Why we are not 'bending' our God-given treasure and living like 'this'?" is slowly being answered today.
You see, if we can 'bend' earth, there is no need to import food. There is no need to see people starve. If we can 'bend' earth, our electricity bills goes down to only a tenth of what we pay for today.
But why are we not studying and 'bending' earth? Why do we choose to be the second class, worst, the third class citizen in foreign soil?
The answer lies in the fact that those who hunger for wealth and power in the past did an effective and efficient job in making us forget who we truly are. We forgot that we were a great people. That we have something worth going to battle for.
Remember Lapu-Lapu? Why did he fought Magellan?
Why do we have gold works that rivals the best in ancient times and pre-date colonial Philippines? You see, gold is a metal that needs to be mined. In order to acquire gold, you must know where to find, how to find and how to get it. That needs sophisticated intelligence. So, why did the Spanish called us indios when we knew how to mine gold before they came?
The answer lies in the fact that no colonizer will build a nation out of its own colony because that very act defeats the very purpose of being a colonizer :)
Divide and conquer is a pain behind our anatomy :)
You see, our forefathers knew how to 'bend' earth. And this knowledge is the reason why we never built fortress or castles of any kind. For fortresses and castles are built to protect something. A fortress and a castle is built by the "haves" to protect themselves from the "have nots". If everyone are "haves", why do you need to build a fortress or a castle in the first place?
Another proof of this "earth bending" prowess is the Banawe Rice Terraces. If only all the Filipinos can see its beauty and majesty, maybe, the blood that runs through us that ran through our forefathers gets awakened and then we start to truly see :)
To God be all the glory.
"... why think like mere men?"
"It is in the hearts that the true battles are fought and won..."
"You have to know the reason why you were born..."
There was a poignant scene in the movie that spoke to me. Crushed my heart. It was the scene when the Avatar was talking to the "imprisoned" Earth Benders. He was imploring them, reminding them that they were a great people. That they ARE a great people. He was questioning them why are they living like this? In poverty.
My eyes got teary.
It sounded like he was talking to me, a Filipino.
You see, I have always believe that the real treasure of the Philippines is her land. Science and statistics has proven this. In the list of mineral deposits and metals, of any kind and of the world, the Philippines always belongs to the top 10. And the fact that we are sitting on top of the ring of fire, also suggests that our geo-thermal energy potential is second to none.
I am hopeful that 'this' way of living, as the Avatar in the movie described, will end for the real and truthful answer to the question of "Why we are not 'bending' our God-given treasure and living like 'this'?" is slowly being answered today.
You see, if we can 'bend' earth, there is no need to import food. There is no need to see people starve. If we can 'bend' earth, our electricity bills goes down to only a tenth of what we pay for today.
But why are we not studying and 'bending' earth? Why do we choose to be the second class, worst, the third class citizen in foreign soil?
The answer lies in the fact that those who hunger for wealth and power in the past did an effective and efficient job in making us forget who we truly are. We forgot that we were a great people. That we have something worth going to battle for.
Remember Lapu-Lapu? Why did he fought Magellan?
Why do we have gold works that rivals the best in ancient times and pre-date colonial Philippines? You see, gold is a metal that needs to be mined. In order to acquire gold, you must know where to find, how to find and how to get it. That needs sophisticated intelligence. So, why did the Spanish called us indios when we knew how to mine gold before they came?
The answer lies in the fact that no colonizer will build a nation out of its own colony because that very act defeats the very purpose of being a colonizer :)
Divide and conquer is a pain behind our anatomy :)
You see, our forefathers knew how to 'bend' earth. And this knowledge is the reason why we never built fortress or castles of any kind. For fortresses and castles are built to protect something. A fortress and a castle is built by the "haves" to protect themselves from the "have nots". If everyone are "haves", why do you need to build a fortress or a castle in the first place?
Another proof of this "earth bending" prowess is the Banawe Rice Terraces. If only all the Filipinos can see its beauty and majesty, maybe, the blood that runs through us that ran through our forefathers gets awakened and then we start to truly see :)
To God be all the glory.
"... why think like mere men?"
Saturday
stepping out in faith
I have been talking since 8:15AM. It is now 7:54PM on my laptop computer. I never thought I made it through. That I can still be a blessing for my 6PM class.
I stepped out and You were there to lift me. To carry this fumbling and inconsistent fool :)
Thank you Lord for honoring my faith. Thank you for reminding me that You honor exercised faith. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for answering prayers. For reminding me that You answer prayers.
Lord, You know the prayer of the heart of my heart. I can only say indecipherable murmurings. But You understand me completely, Lord... Help. You are my ever present help. There's no one...only You and this soul You saved.
I pray in Jesus name.
Amen!
"... why think like mere men?"
I stepped out and You were there to lift me. To carry this fumbling and inconsistent fool :)
Thank you Lord for honoring my faith. Thank you for reminding me that You honor exercised faith. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for answering prayers. For reminding me that You answer prayers.
Lord, You know the prayer of the heart of my heart. I can only say indecipherable murmurings. But You understand me completely, Lord... Help. You are my ever present help. There's no one...only You and this soul You saved.
I pray in Jesus name.
Amen!
"... why think like mere men?"
Thursday
on how small bigness is for Filipinos :- )
When I was in my early 20s, I was given the privilege to perform a role of an Area Manager for a network of computer schools.
This role had given me the chance to go around the Philippines for free. And see her with my very eyes and not only as a tourist but as a Filipino.
My job entailed that I understand the economic system of a particular place. How the place supports the life of people and what do people do to support their lives. I had to understand how money flows, test the sustainability of its flow and make a call if it will improve.
Had to do this because we were task to put up branches all over the Philippines :)
And in these travels, Philippines introduced herself to me. I saw how beautiful she is. How inequitable wealth is spread across her lands. That the farther one is from the city, education gets diluted. I realize that taxis only exist in Baguio, Iloilo, Cebu, Davao and Cagayan de Oro. The rest, tricycle is the choice of transportation for short distances. I hope, by now, it changed already :)
And from these travels I realize how weird it is to see a giant statue of Lapu-Lapu in Luneta :)
Serious. It is weird. Peculiar. Actually, for me, it is actually a loud, never ceasing and screaming statement of sorts.
You see, across the Philippines we have erected statues of our heroes. That's nothing new but it usually not in the scale and in the imposition of that Lapu-Lapu giant. Our heroes are physically depicted in statues as life size or a bit bigger than life size. But not done in gigantic scale like Luneta's Lapu-Lapu. Come to think of it, Rizal's monument on the other side is dwarfed by this:)
What makes this even interesting is, what made a Filipino create such a huge statue when in the past he never did?
So, I drew closer to find out : )
Lo and behold, it's confirmed! The Filipinos still does not do gigantic statues. Lapu-Lapu's statue was commissioned and given to us by our South Korean brothers:)
Which, to me, makes it even more interesting:) Why would our South Korean brothers give us such a monument and why in that scale?
What are they trying to say to us?
Are they trying to wake us up and so that we can see who truly we are? That this smallness we carry, this misplaced inferiority we have towards foreigners, is actually a malaise we carry in our hearts and minds? A malaise imposed upon us by our colonizers?
Are they saying that we have to go further than the history of indio bravos to know and understand who we are? Truly? Further to the time of Lapu-Lapu?
Are they reminding us that the true Filipinos had this identity, this life worth killing for? Fighting for? That we have a past? A proud one at that. That we have a heritage?
I can only ask. Get curious. But it is enough :)
That giant Lapu-Lapu is enough for me not to settle and to accept the imposed smallness to my soul:)
"... why think like mere men?"
This role had given me the chance to go around the Philippines for free. And see her with my very eyes and not only as a tourist but as a Filipino.
My job entailed that I understand the economic system of a particular place. How the place supports the life of people and what do people do to support their lives. I had to understand how money flows, test the sustainability of its flow and make a call if it will improve.
Had to do this because we were task to put up branches all over the Philippines :)
And in these travels, Philippines introduced herself to me. I saw how beautiful she is. How inequitable wealth is spread across her lands. That the farther one is from the city, education gets diluted. I realize that taxis only exist in Baguio, Iloilo, Cebu, Davao and Cagayan de Oro. The rest, tricycle is the choice of transportation for short distances. I hope, by now, it changed already :)
And from these travels I realize how weird it is to see a giant statue of Lapu-Lapu in Luneta :)
Serious. It is weird. Peculiar. Actually, for me, it is actually a loud, never ceasing and screaming statement of sorts.
You see, across the Philippines we have erected statues of our heroes. That's nothing new but it usually not in the scale and in the imposition of that Lapu-Lapu giant. Our heroes are physically depicted in statues as life size or a bit bigger than life size. But not done in gigantic scale like Luneta's Lapu-Lapu. Come to think of it, Rizal's monument on the other side is dwarfed by this:)
What makes this even interesting is, what made a Filipino create such a huge statue when in the past he never did?
So, I drew closer to find out : )
Lo and behold, it's confirmed! The Filipinos still does not do gigantic statues. Lapu-Lapu's statue was commissioned and given to us by our South Korean brothers:)
Which, to me, makes it even more interesting:) Why would our South Korean brothers give us such a monument and why in that scale?
What are they trying to say to us?
Are they trying to wake us up and so that we can see who truly we are? That this smallness we carry, this misplaced inferiority we have towards foreigners, is actually a malaise we carry in our hearts and minds? A malaise imposed upon us by our colonizers?
Are they saying that we have to go further than the history of indio bravos to know and understand who we are? Truly? Further to the time of Lapu-Lapu?
Are they reminding us that the true Filipinos had this identity, this life worth killing for? Fighting for? That we have a past? A proud one at that. That we have a heritage?
I can only ask. Get curious. But it is enough :)
That giant Lapu-Lapu is enough for me not to settle and to accept the imposed smallness to my soul:)
"... why think like mere men?"
Tuesday
My World Cup entry
Maybe it is because the Americans did a wonderful job in selling themselves to us, Filipinos, that I felt more involved in the recent, and annual, NBA Finals rather than the "every 4-year" event called - the World Cup.
But I did manage to watch one game in its entirety, Germany versus Argentina. I watched because I wanted to see if Diego Maradonna was able to bring his magic from being a player to being the one who calls the shots. And if anybody watched that game, Argentina got blown away.
But this is not about that :)
This is about a simple curiosity. It is about football and, well, Filipino's amor with basketball :)
Maybe it is better to frame it as something about an irony :)
You see, in playing basketball you definitely need height. Why? Because in order to score, you need to put the ball through a hoop that's 10-feet tall. And Filipino's, on average, measure around 5'6" for male and 5'1" for female.
And in the game of football, height becomes an issue only for the goalkeeper. But for the rest of the team, speed, and grace, always trumps height. Why? One does not need height to control the ball and to score a goal. And the fact that the ball is on the ground, helps :)
Here's the thing, you see some Filipino street children was recently invited to a street children version of the World Cup in Brazil and guess who won? The Filipino Team.
Let's put this in perspective. Brazil produced Pele. Brazil is Football Country. And yet, our "boy palaboys" defeated them? That tells you something, right?
Maybe it is time to rethink this whole thing :-)
"... why think like mere men?"
But I did manage to watch one game in its entirety, Germany versus Argentina. I watched because I wanted to see if Diego Maradonna was able to bring his magic from being a player to being the one who calls the shots. And if anybody watched that game, Argentina got blown away.
But this is not about that :)
This is about a simple curiosity. It is about football and, well, Filipino's amor with basketball :)
Maybe it is better to frame it as something about an irony :)
You see, in playing basketball you definitely need height. Why? Because in order to score, you need to put the ball through a hoop that's 10-feet tall. And Filipino's, on average, measure around 5'6" for male and 5'1" for female.
And in the game of football, height becomes an issue only for the goalkeeper. But for the rest of the team, speed, and grace, always trumps height. Why? One does not need height to control the ball and to score a goal. And the fact that the ball is on the ground, helps :)
Here's the thing, you see some Filipino street children was recently invited to a street children version of the World Cup in Brazil and guess who won? The Filipino Team.
Let's put this in perspective. Brazil produced Pele. Brazil is Football Country. And yet, our "boy palaboys" defeated them? That tells you something, right?
Maybe it is time to rethink this whole thing :-)
"... why think like mere men?"
the odyssey that is singapore
As I write this, 14 senior IE-EMG students from Mapua are currently in Singapore for their one year OJT.
It started badly.
The housing was not up to the taste of some of the students. Apparently, the beds where these students slept house bed bugs too. In other words, may surot :- )
Let the games begin :)
This is not about who did not do their jobs. Nor is it about "less than virtuous" businessmen who are out there to make money from unsuspecting customers. This is after all, for their customers, is not yet the "real world". This less than perfect situation happened while being enrolled in a school-supported On-the-Job Training Program :- )
This not about that.
This is, however, about how our Asian counterparts see us, Filipinos.
For students reading this, this might come as a surprise to you but, I think, it is better for you to know it now rather than later. You see, Singaporeans signal their arrival to the world and that they have made it BIG by having a Filipino as their house help. Period. Don't blink. You read it right :-)
Of course, they appreciate Filipinos for other and many things too but we, as a people, play THAT peculiar role in their society.
Let me be clear on this. I am not demeaning the role of being a house help. I lived and grew up in a home where we have house help, a kasam-bahay. I respect all the manangs that made our home their home too. I truly believe that our country will be worse if we did not have the manangs who faithfully and dutifully serve in our respective homes.
Ok?
Now, this is my itch to scratch. Singaporeans actually could not believe why we, the Philippines, allow and sends her best, college graduates, to their shores to become a house help. This "exodus" of sort have been going on now for years. And because of this, there are sectors in the Singaporean society that have started to treat us, Filipinos, as a whole, as a people to look down on.
So, for the 14 students who are out there in the country that's probably 20 times bigger than our per capita GDP at PPP but pales in comparison to our natural resources, if the situation is not as comfy as home, you can blame those who came before you. For they have done a job that made our Singaporean brothers treat us the way they are treating you now - housing you, the Philippines' next generation, in houses where you have to share your bed with surots :- )
Or you can get angry and do a superb and excellent job worthy of Lee Kuan Yew and of Jose Rizal that you make our Singaporean brothers feel embarrassed and ashamed for housing you in such conditions because they have misread and underestimated Filipino version 2010!!!
I hope and pray you choose and decide to do the later.
You are all in my prayers.
"... why think like mere men!"
It started badly.
The housing was not up to the taste of some of the students. Apparently, the beds where these students slept house bed bugs too. In other words, may surot :- )
Let the games begin :)
This is not about who did not do their jobs. Nor is it about "less than virtuous" businessmen who are out there to make money from unsuspecting customers. This is after all, for their customers, is not yet the "real world". This less than perfect situation happened while being enrolled in a school-supported On-the-Job Training Program :- )
This not about that.
This is, however, about how our Asian counterparts see us, Filipinos.
For students reading this, this might come as a surprise to you but, I think, it is better for you to know it now rather than later. You see, Singaporeans signal their arrival to the world and that they have made it BIG by having a Filipino as their house help. Period. Don't blink. You read it right :-)
Of course, they appreciate Filipinos for other and many things too but we, as a people, play THAT peculiar role in their society.
Let me be clear on this. I am not demeaning the role of being a house help. I lived and grew up in a home where we have house help, a kasam-bahay. I respect all the manangs that made our home their home too. I truly believe that our country will be worse if we did not have the manangs who faithfully and dutifully serve in our respective homes.
Ok?
Now, this is my itch to scratch. Singaporeans actually could not believe why we, the Philippines, allow and sends her best, college graduates, to their shores to become a house help. This "exodus" of sort have been going on now for years. And because of this, there are sectors in the Singaporean society that have started to treat us, Filipinos, as a whole, as a people to look down on.
So, for the 14 students who are out there in the country that's probably 20 times bigger than our per capita GDP at PPP but pales in comparison to our natural resources, if the situation is not as comfy as home, you can blame those who came before you. For they have done a job that made our Singaporean brothers treat us the way they are treating you now - housing you, the Philippines' next generation, in houses where you have to share your bed with surots :- )
Or you can get angry and do a superb and excellent job worthy of Lee Kuan Yew and of Jose Rizal that you make our Singaporean brothers feel embarrassed and ashamed for housing you in such conditions because they have misread and underestimated Filipino version 2010!!!
I hope and pray you choose and decide to do the later.
You are all in my prayers.
"... why think like mere men!"
Saturday
the term that was
In the end, it ends :-)
I just signed off the FINAL grades at the Registrar's Office. Though parents, students and soon-to-be-employers will see numbers, professors, like me, saw the story behind the numbers. A story that the qualitative equivalent of the quantitative number could never tell.
First, the "Boy Wonders" - Alvin Ariola and Christian Zablan from my Strategic Planning and Management class (IE302).
Both were multiple takers in this class. But in the past 11 weeks of their lives, something happened. They blossomed. Something switched on. And I hope it never gets switched off :) The results of their multiple choice answers and their style in expressing their thougths and insights in essays suggest a new found confidence. And what's fascinating about them is that they got better as the term rolled on. And this is fascinating because they have classmates who were in the same situation such as theirs but never found the courage and determination to own up like they did. Classmates who reported to class every blue moon. By that, I meant they had an absence every week.
I do not know what is the logic bubble of these "blue moon" students but I hope that that bubble gets burts sooner than later. Because sooner than later, they will no longer be young men but men. And by then, the adjective that might be used to described them is weak. I pray they see how limited their thinking is and will finally see the light.
My hats off to Alvin and Chris. You found something this term that all students must find. And it does not matter that it took you this long to find it. The important thing is that you found it. Be brave. Stay determined. And your dreams will become real. Stay the course.
Second, my Engineering Management Practices(EMG130) Class. In this class, I glimpsed how the young of our Asian counterparts see their future and how ours do. (A South Korean was enrolled in my class.) Their visions are continents apart. But our young, has hope. For in this class, I saw worldclass thinking. But sadly, it was far and between. Maybe the South Korean understand what it takes to be of service in this new world economy. And our Filipino youth, are still trying to figure things out - his identity and his place in this world. But that day will come. It is sooner now. One can sense it. I can. :-)
And then their is the EMG111 classes. My two Multimedia Arts and Science class. We ate the food called Principles of Marketing. They fed me with a different kind of energy. Their thoughts and wavelengths, I considered, are tangential. It reacquainted me to a past role I once enjoyed. A role I once thrived in, an Area Manager. And this class also bridged the taste of victories in this past role with the current blessing of being seen on TV :) Somehow, things aligned. Molded. It clicked. It was a joy to facilitate this class even if it started at 7:30 AM :-) I just hope the class sensed the joy I had.
To the students who have been given another chance to be in the same class, I pray you have become better persons. I pray that you see and realize the logic bubble that hinders your progress. I pray that you discover your strength and your courage in this trying time. I pray for your well-being. And I trust God will speak to you in a very special and personal way this next few days. Be still. Listen.
To the students who will move on, life is the hardest of all the teachers. It gives the test before the lesson :) Know that we are all journeying. That that the achievement we have now is simply a step towards the next lesson. And the lessons are arranged according to the dreams you keep between the shadows and the soul:) I pray that He gives you the dream you are suppose to dream.
Father, thank you for this term. I am humbled by what You gave. I am simply an insignificant man, who up to now still asks, why did You choose me?
Thank you Father for choosing me :)
"... why think like mere men?"
I just signed off the FINAL grades at the Registrar's Office. Though parents, students and soon-to-be-employers will see numbers, professors, like me, saw the story behind the numbers. A story that the qualitative equivalent of the quantitative number could never tell.
First, the "Boy Wonders" - Alvin Ariola and Christian Zablan from my Strategic Planning and Management class (IE302).
Both were multiple takers in this class. But in the past 11 weeks of their lives, something happened. They blossomed. Something switched on. And I hope it never gets switched off :) The results of their multiple choice answers and their style in expressing their thougths and insights in essays suggest a new found confidence. And what's fascinating about them is that they got better as the term rolled on. And this is fascinating because they have classmates who were in the same situation such as theirs but never found the courage and determination to own up like they did. Classmates who reported to class every blue moon. By that, I meant they had an absence every week.
I do not know what is the logic bubble of these "blue moon" students but I hope that that bubble gets burts sooner than later. Because sooner than later, they will no longer be young men but men. And by then, the adjective that might be used to described them is weak. I pray they see how limited their thinking is and will finally see the light.
My hats off to Alvin and Chris. You found something this term that all students must find. And it does not matter that it took you this long to find it. The important thing is that you found it. Be brave. Stay determined. And your dreams will become real. Stay the course.
Second, my Engineering Management Practices(EMG130) Class. In this class, I glimpsed how the young of our Asian counterparts see their future and how ours do. (A South Korean was enrolled in my class.) Their visions are continents apart. But our young, has hope. For in this class, I saw worldclass thinking. But sadly, it was far and between. Maybe the South Korean understand what it takes to be of service in this new world economy. And our Filipino youth, are still trying to figure things out - his identity and his place in this world. But that day will come. It is sooner now. One can sense it. I can. :-)
And then their is the EMG111 classes. My two Multimedia Arts and Science class. We ate the food called Principles of Marketing. They fed me with a different kind of energy. Their thoughts and wavelengths, I considered, are tangential. It reacquainted me to a past role I once enjoyed. A role I once thrived in, an Area Manager. And this class also bridged the taste of victories in this past role with the current blessing of being seen on TV :) Somehow, things aligned. Molded. It clicked. It was a joy to facilitate this class even if it started at 7:30 AM :-) I just hope the class sensed the joy I had.
To the students who have been given another chance to be in the same class, I pray you have become better persons. I pray that you see and realize the logic bubble that hinders your progress. I pray that you discover your strength and your courage in this trying time. I pray for your well-being. And I trust God will speak to you in a very special and personal way this next few days. Be still. Listen.
To the students who will move on, life is the hardest of all the teachers. It gives the test before the lesson :) Know that we are all journeying. That that the achievement we have now is simply a step towards the next lesson. And the lessons are arranged according to the dreams you keep between the shadows and the soul:) I pray that He gives you the dream you are suppose to dream.
Father, thank you for this term. I am humbled by what You gave. I am simply an insignificant man, who up to now still asks, why did You choose me?
Thank you Father for choosing me :)
"... why think like mere men?"
Thursday
the hardest teacher
Overheard...
:- )
"... why think like mere men?"
"Life is the hardest of all the teachers. It gives the test before the lesson!"
:- )
"... why think like mere men?"
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