Happy Birthday to Me

I turned 27 yesterday, two years late for a What's Up by the 4 Non-blondes moment and two years post quarter-life crisis.    I forgot what I wanted to be at 27, but I was pretty sure it involved earning big bucks and sleeping with lots of women.  So here I was, on my birthday, contemplating where I am now and where I was headed.  I'm still broke, immature, taking life too easy and drinking too much.  Nonetheless,  I have developed a sense of pride in myself.  Despite having lots of crap in my bag,  I have gone a long way in my chosen career.  Little by little,  I am earning the trust and respect of my peers and the reverence of the kids under me.  Nevermind that I am still broke and drink too much, at least I am the happy and contented kind.  But sheer happiness and contentment don't pay the bills, so even without wanting to,  I uttered a short thanksgiving prayer for my birthday, dragged myself out of bed and went to work.

I was late again, as usual.  I exercise Filipino time in everything I do, which will fearfully soon become a liability as I endeavor to work outside of the Lupain ng Ginto't Bulaklak.  I arrived at the school to the kids' smiles and well-wishes.  They then hurried in to prepare for the quiz I was about to give.  The mood inside the office was a more festive one with greetings and pats on the back for my birthday.  I guess it becomes reflexive to smile back and thank people who greet you on your birthday when you've done the exercise for more than a quarter century.

Lunch came, and we were in agreement to eat at Nora's, a small eatery near the post-office which serves seafood at a fairly reasonable price.  I was hesitant at first, thinking the place didn't fit the likes of Dr. G, my boss.  Surprisingly, he appeared intrigued to try the place as many of his acquaintances have recommended the place.  When we got there, the place was already packed full though thankfully we were able to squeeze ourselves into a small table.  Now, I can honestly say I am rubbing elbows with my boss but of course, I mean literally rubbing elbows with one another, savoring the food we ordered and enjoyed everybody's company.

The afternoon was somehow eventful but that's another story.  I wrapped my classes up and waited for 7 o'clock to meet up with the kids for a small celebration.  And then bam! Small celebration it isn't :

  The kids, I learned later on, planned on giving me a surprise party.  They weren't very subtle that night, as many of them left the table allegedly to buy something, to pee, change clothes or whatever.  I started getting suspicious even before they started leaving because there were several "anti-social" kids who were there but let it go.  And then the few remaining kids gave away a little bit more, they were fidgety and though they tried to feign normalcy, there was a twinkle in their eyes that made me think something was coming up.  Something really did come up.  The kids took to where we were with food, booze, cameras, gifts and songs.  For that I was genuinely touched.  I expected them to give me something but I didn't expect it would be this grand.  I learned that they even sold siomai to people at school to help pay for this party.  They even troubled me with their gift, wrapped in a neverending fold of old newspapers.  I did guess correctly what they were about to give me though:  


I demanded from Maui she gave me her Zippo for my birthday.  She did more than that.  Together with her classmates, she bought a new one for me, original and expensive.  I wasn't only surprised by the kids' action, I was moved.  I was moved because this birthday is special.  It is a turning point in my life.  A few days after this I will be a husband.  A month after this I will be working in an alien world, alone, no friends, no relatives, no nothing.  I have conditioned myself never to cry when I get there.  I don't think that notion is even remotely possible.  I will most probably weep by myself when I get there, maybe out of frustration or out of loneliness or pressure or whatever.  This birthday marks the end of my childhood.  This day I become a man, on my own, for my own, my ownself.

The booze flowed, yes, it did.  And we danced and laughed and made fools of ourselves and danced and laughed and drank the night away.  What the kids don't realize is that they will never know the impact of this night to me.  They will never know how much more meaningful they made my special day.  They will never know that by staging this surprise party, the first one I ever had outside of my family, they made me whole.  This is the last birthday I will spend in my comfort zone.  The last birthday in a place of inexpensive booze, easy talks, abundant comfort food, people and places.  These are faces I will not forget and experience that I will forever take with me wherever I go.

Today God manifested Himself and made me understand why He made me a teacher.  I understand now what it takes to push yourself and the people you shepherd so hard we break, inorder to build bridges strong enough to withstand the test of time.  I understand now that truly, when one loves what he does, it shows.  Passion comes naturally from someone who knows love.  It saddens me a little bit that only now have I reached the pinnacle of my teaching career when I am already about to end my journey at St Paul. Without sounding too self-absorbed, I have always regarded myself a good teacher.  However, I didn't think I was that good to have an entire class go out of their way, sacrifice, maybe even lie to their parents to pull off a surprise party for me.  A party given to a mentor which wasn't political in nature and without expecting favors . A party reserved for the closest of friends and loved ones.  Perhaps I have become one of them.  If I did and if I am, then as an educator, my friends, I have had my mission accomplished ahead of me.  Thank you for this night.  Thank you for the regard.  Thank you for the friendship.  For all of these, thank you....

RED

I was most certainly entertained.  Red stars some of the biggest names in Hollywood: Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich.  Red tells of a group of retired undercover agents who are ordered killed by the CIA.  They are tagged RED (Retired, Extremely Dangerous) and one by one they reconnect and decided to get back at the system, searching for the truth behind their attempted assassinations.  The movie was  very enticing, the action was great, the storyline believable.  The cherry on top is John Malkovich's performance playing a paranoid nut who is an expert on weapons.  I so enjoyed his performance in this film which was very comical, I almost forgot he played   Cyrus the Virus in ConAir.

My only concern is that these retired operatives can defeat younger agents in hand to hand combat.  That is not possible, or if it is, then luck should favor you all the time.  When two agents, both exceptional in self-defense and both with superhuman agility, intelligence and tactical strategies, the younger agent almost always wins.  Aging makes you a little bit slower due to slower nerve conduction.  That split second difference could spell life or death.  At least that was how I remembered it in David Morrell's book.  David Morrell is the creator of Rambo is one of my favorite authors.  If you get the chance, read the Brotherhood of the Rose.  That is one hell of a good book.

Nevertheless, if I were to rate RED I would give it a nine out of ten.  It has everything I'm looking for in an action film and the comedic timing of the actors were just perfect.  Go and watch it too :-)

Titser

I actually was supposed to write a different entry today but I had to help out a friend on a favor.  She asked if I could write her an essay on what makes a good teacher.  I'm gonna copy paste the essay below, pardon me I wasn't able to really make a lot time for it but I hope it comes out right. Here y'go:

According to the Chinese, only teachers remain as themselves after they die.  Everyone else will transform into someone or something else but not the teacher.  They continue to instruct even in the afterlife until they are reborn again, instructing, philosophizing and opening minds as they have done in their past life.  In effect, the teacher may be of more social significance than a king or a general.  That, being a king or a general is temporal and being a teacher, eternal.

Defining a good teacher is relative to a learner, student or apprentice.  We all have ideas on what would make a good teacher and that though some of these ideas may contradict each other, most of them actually concur. 

A good teacher is someone who doesn’t just enter a classroom, he sweeps into it.  Like a larger than life figure standing in front of the students, he immediately catches their eye, instilling in them a sense of want, a thirst for learning that only the teacher can give.  They know they’re in for a ride and an adventure, and when he opens his mouth to speak before the class, they know the adventure has begun.  This trait could be loosely attributed to what some would call charisma or x-factor, something that cannot be defined but draws people to you.  They listen, they are mesmerized. 

However, no matter how interesting a topic or a subject is, an ordinary student has the potential to fully concentrate on the lesson for a maximum of twenty minutes, after which attention may not be complete.  This is why I believe that aside from charisma, a good teacher has a good sense of humor.  Having a good sense of humor helps relax the students and a chorus of the laughter automatically changes the monochromatic mood of class.  Even for a brief time, at least they are able to detach themselves from the academic and engage in some form of release.

A good teacher has mastery of his subject matter and knows how to deliver them well.  Delivery is influenced by tone, mannerisms, voice quality, gestures and type of media used.  As expected, a teacher should be more prepared, enthusiastic and learned as compared to his students.  In the event, however, wherein a student appears to be more knowledgeable or that the teacher fails to answer correctly queries from his students, isn’t it always admirable if the teacher accepts that he is at fault and corrects himself in the future?  Therefore, a good teacher is one not only of esteemed knowledge but also of exemplary humility.

Having a teacher that is intimidating and difficult to approach is definitely an unpleasant experience to any student.  Approachability is key to developing open communication between student and mentor.  A good teacher makes it a point that he is approachable while maintaining professional distance from his students.  That way, professional boundaries are established but an open line of communication is also formed.

There are many more attributes of a good teacher that may be discussed here but they will be taking too much space.  Among them, perhaps sacrifice is what I most admire.  Like a doctor, a missionary or a soldier, a good teacher contributes, works, gives himself out a little more beyond the call of duty and responsibility.  It is as if he feels accountable for the future successes or failures of his students.  He gives more than what he is paid for, empowers by motivation and inspires through his actions.  And for me, the highest point of being a good teacher is when you get to realize that you have transcended from being just a teacher to that of a true educator.  You do not just teach, you educate thereby changing your students’ frame of mind and ways of thinking.  The mark of a true teacher, hence, is a total transformation of student, disciple or apprentice.  It is something that is seldom seen by the naked eye.  It is something not immediate and may only manifest in the years to come.  That is when a teacher and a student long gone see each other once more and the students thanks the teacher for all he’s done.  That simple token of appreciation empowers the thousands of teachers around the world, all tired, weary and fed up to go on, to push a little harder, to make learning worthwhile.  For though learning may come from anywhere, a good teacher always leaves an indelible mark in your person, inerasable and eternal.

Open

I tried to open my mind to the issues that both videos posted by the same person presented.  But argh, everything was screaming propaganda.  Both of the videos don't educate, they confuse. They don't enlighten, they muddle.  In fact, I think I wasted twenty something minutes of my life trying to make sense of it all.

Hacienda Luisita and the Cojuangcos
Hacienda Luisita is about 6500 hectares contrary to what the videos posted.  It was larger before some parts of the Haciendas were hacked up and given to farmers.  6500 hectares is very wide.  Correct me if I'm wrong but that would be about from zero point in Iloilo to about halfway going to Roxas City and square it.  Imagine if you own that much arable land, how much wealth and affluence that would bring.  All claims by the poster that the Conjuanco's matriarch seized lands from farmers to make the Hacienda that sizable is highly suspect.  The Hacienda did not belong to the Conjuangcos then although they already own other lands outside of the Hacienda.  The Hacienda was awarded by the late Ramon Magsaysay during the Huk rebellion to the Conjuancos fearing that if the extremely rich Lopezes got hold of the Hacienda, their political and financial influence will rise to epic proportions.  The Cojuangcos made a sizable profit out of the Hacienda and if you read the history books, the farmers of the land were actually very happy and contented.  They were subject to way better working conditions, health benefits, educational benefits for the children and even burial benefits.  The Hacienda earned a lot but the owners and the heads (which at that time Ninoy was) shared everything to the farmers and everyone was happy.

When Martial Law came, Ninoy was arrested and Marcos wanted the Hacienda divided to farmers, inciting rebellion, to pressure the Conjuangcos to force Ninoy's mouth shut.  Ninoy refused to budge, he got imprisoned, eventually killed and the rest is history.

The Marcoses
The Marcoses are the epitome of greed and corruption.  True, if you ask people who lived then which quality of life was better, then or now, they would say then.  They would say prices were modest, food was plentiful gas was cheap.  True, culture and arts peaked and new specialty hospitals were built.  True, 2 pesos were equal to a dollar.  Let me remind you then how the Marcoses caused the sinking of this country.  You really wanna know why? They borrowed so f*king much from foreign lenders to give the illusion that the economy was well while indiscriminately enriching themselves and their cronies .  Under his tyranny, the Philippines' debt in dollars rose more than a 1000 percent, something that you and I are paying for now and our children's children will be paying for later.  Half of our GDP goes to debt servicing if you should know.  That explains why within 10 years after his rule, the Philippine peso became Mickey Mouse money 1$=25Php.  Ramos' term ended with many more white elephant projects and borrowing. Hello, Erap as president 1$=45php and rising.  20 years after his rule, 1$=56 Php. Now tell me what happened there? Hello, Philippines welcome to the third world.

The Marcos campaign against oligarchy was largely a front for his, his wife and cronies' own desires to control corporations and launder  money under their names thereby instilling a new oligarchy--their own.  Lucio Tan and Danding Conjuanco allied themselves with Marcos that is why both of them are one of the richest Filipinos now.  That explains why the Hacienda was left unblemished during the regime.  During that time, the demons Marcos and his wife have already embezzled hundreds of millions from our coffers into US and Swiss banks in forms of gold bullion, cash and jewelry.  No one spoke against them.  Those who did were found murdered, killed in broad daylight, arrested for no reason or simply winked out of existence.  That the videos posted above claim that worse human rights abuses happened during the elder Aquino's term as president, is  a grossly overblown figment of schizophrenic delusions.  That Ninoy Aquino was the primary choice of Marcos to be his eventual replacement is a dream.  The primary choice of Marcos to be his replacement is: NOBODY.  He didn't want to be replaced after all.  He and Imelda even wanted to turn this country like what North Korea is now, blind love and loyalty to the leaders.  He silenced all media, took over TV, radio and newsprint so that only good news will be read by people.  Never mind that crimes committed by the military and high ranking civilians go unresolved everyday.  So long as they have their dough, everything's fine.  ABS-CBN was taken from the Lopezes (restored by Cory to its rightful owners when she was in power) which explains why until now refer to Marcos as a dictator and not a president. It is mostly, 'the dictator Marcos' not 'former president Marcos'.  The Philippine Daily Inquirer was founded just before Marcos' collapse and was pivotal to Cory's campaign as while Marcos' tried to censure everything, the Inquirer highlighted Cory's campaign for the presidency.  The PDI is always criticized for being anti-Marcos but personally, I think the PDI is anti-corrupt in general which was why Erap fumed mad when he was targeted by Inquirer lashing out and pulling every string to have ads by major corporations pulled out of the newsprint. Therefore, the poster's thought that The Inquirer and ABSCBN choose to intentionally demonize the Marcoses and canonize Ninoy and Cory to change an entire nation's perspective is rather flawed.  The Marcoses are placed into a bad light particularly because they did some crazy shit. You cannot just expect a country you did so bad to just forgive that easily, although with BongBong Marcos' win I am starting to doubt that.

Cory Cojuangco-Aquino, Kris Aquino
Corazon Aquino, reluctant housewife of martyred  Ninoy Aquino became president by virtue of People Power.  Calling the more than 2 million people at EDSA a mere 2% of the Philippine population and not a democratic exercise by the poster is one of the stupidest remarks ever. 2 million people in rebellion against a very powerful autocratic government is no modest feat; to succeed in doing so almost bloodlessly at that is at par with the miraculous.  Cory became president, a weak almost powerless figurehead leading a bankrupt nation with empty coffers  and sky high debts.  The result was many protests from all sides of society, farmers, workers and the military, most of them incited by Marcos cronies who want their power back.  She survived many coup attempts and controversies.  For what it's worth, Cory was but symbolic, a tangible model for the adage, 'Good guys finish last'.  I still believe that she was naive, easily swayed, always seeing the good in everyone.  It tarnished her legacy in a way when she sided with Abalos in the NBN-ZTE deal which Abalos brokered for GMA.  She still believed Abalos was innocent not realizing that Abalos the saint when he was still under her presidency had turned to Abalos the betrayer.  Cory I still believe is a Conjuangco who isn't greedy and ambitious like her cousins.  She is pious, benevolent and lived to and for her God.  She died I would liek to think, still hoping for the best in her country, a vision she shares with Ninoy.

The poster should not have commented about Kris Aquino.  She is being shown on TV not because of her roots.  She is seen on TV regularly because she sells.  It's a simple corporate move, she sells so she's on TV.  Nevermind that, like the Kardashians, nothing of importance comes out from her regular fill of verbal diarrhea, Kris knows how to sell and so producers like her.  Simple as that.

I will no longer write about Ninoy and incumbent president Noynoy as this entry is taking too long. Let me leave you with something:

The Conjuangcos and the Conjuangco-Aquinos are not one and the same.  The former are controversial, somehow of questionable repute while the latter try to exemplify how Filipinos should live under Ninoy's vision (of course Kris regularly does something stupid to undermine this). But if other people would want to paint them as something from the dark side of the moon, let them be.  In psychology, if there is doubt between what you see and what you hear, you would believe what you see.  I am seeing now things that people at EDSA saw.  It was true love of country and in my own little way, even just through this amateurish blog entry, I am showing you how.

Perceptions

I went home last Monday night somehow tipsy after several bottles of beer.  I took a cab, and after I dropped my friend off, I struck a conversation with the taxi driver, as I usually do.  Ever since, I enjoy conversing with taxi drivers.  I always do, and in the short span of the fifteen or twenty minute drive home, every once in awhile I learn something I will never know from people in the upper echelons of society.

I am a teacher, so why you wonder, do I bother to talk to taxi drivers?  I talk to them because they are people you don't notice everyday but more often than not they probably notice you.  Nevermind that you will never remember them, their faces, their demeanors.  It is meant to be that way.  It's the same way you don't remember cleaning ladies/gentlemen in restaurants or malls.  They keep their heads low so you never notice them.  But hell do they know many things about people around them all the time.  You don't heed them listening (eavesdropping) or glancing over (spying) and like oysters under murky, nutrient or waste-rich waters they sift and filter through everything.  They know some things you don't expect them to mostly mundane daily activities, mannerisms and gossips.  In the workplace, it is always helpful to befriend low-levelled blue-collared workers as they are mostly loyal and helpful with things around.  They can be your eyes and ears to help you tread carefully within the halls of politics and personal agenda.

It is from a taxi driver that I learned how local fishermen in coastal communities know when a tsunami or storm surge is impending without direct information from authorities.  It is from a taxi driver that I learned that sardine and "tuloy" or Pacific herring are two different fish despite looking similar to my untrained eyes. This time around, I was schooled on the corruption in the LTFRB, how new taxi franchises are still being given despite the cut-off limit and how corruption cannot be curbed because with the bribe changing hands many times before eventually reaching the boss, and with everyone involved getting to wet their beaks, it is extremely difficult to trace the money.  But hey, this isn't the only thing I learned that night.  Here is a taxi driver, explaining to a university instructor, how a taxi running on LPG runs.  He mentioned about chemicals and safety nets to prevent leakage of LPG and subsequent conversion of toxic gases back into the taxi endangering drivers from overexposure to this potentially harmful gas.  He also explained to me how the initial run of the coal-fired power plant failed.  He told me it is highly likely that the dumbasses of corporate investors of that powerplant attempted to use a cheaper ,less refined and more toxic fuel which thankfully failed to function as well as the conventional although still environmentally harmful fuel.  The danger this powerplant and those taxis running on LPG, he said, is their ability to exhaust hydrogen sulfine which is very harmful both the environment and to living organisms. It was only then did he tell me he used to be a chemical engineer in the middle east who squandered everything he had on gambling and vices.  He was very optimistic that eventually things will get better and his financial state will improve. 

As he dropped me off, I gave him an extra tip (I usually do for taxi drivers who entertain me).  Yes, there are many taxi drivers who are of questionable character especially when I take the cab drunk or they think I'm drunk.  They try to weasel more from what I truly owe them using a variety of tactics to confuse me.  In that case, I never give them a single centavo more of what I owe them.  It's crap and though I believe most of them do it only because the operator's demand for boundary is really high, I believe it is always wrong to exploit people monetary-wise if you know deep inside that you don't really deserve their money. 

This lovely exchange served as a lesson of humility for me.  I was privileged to take that faceless man's cab and enjoyed a truly meaningful conversation with him.  I uttered a silent prayer for him as he sped away from my drop off point, eager to share what he knows to those who ask and eager to learn more.