My Socially Constructed Reality

[From a forwarded e-mail]

[This is from a forwarded e-mail.]

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change . --- CHARLES DARWIN " We are social animals. We derive pleasure from positive social interaction. It's part of our brain chemistry. And far from being inherently violent, humans demonstrate a natural abhorrence of violence and conflict. We have to train soldiers to kill. It's not instinctive. " --- Robert Sussman professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis Charles Darwin and Professor Robert Sussman may both be right. While humans attempt to adapt in order to survive, these ways of survival may just be the expression of the inherent goodness in human beings. In short, unselfish altruisms may just be a way of survival -- nothing more than that. Every single day, we encounter challenges that compel us to make decisions -- to choose what is good for us and eliminate what is harmful for us. The good thing is, our ...

1. Thou shall always come to class prepared with the lessons, questions, and presentation. Students know who among their teachers are just "killing time" in class, so beware! 2. Thou shall not just be "a chapter away" from the students. Update your lessons, don't stop reading! 3. Thou shall encourage students to ask questions and analyze answers. This is the foundation of critical thinking. 4. Thou shall not demand respect but earn it. Remember garbage in, garbage out! 5. Thou shall not come to class in strange clothes and with heavy makeup. This isn't the way to get students' attention! 6. Thou shall not speak evil of their students and their profession. 7. Thou shall make boring things appear interesting. It's an art you need to practice. 8. Thou shall not be afraid of exploiting technology in teaching. Stop filling the blackboard with your hard-to-read handwriting. Use Power Point presentation, slides, video clips, Movie Maker, Internet, etc. 9. ...

I am a believer when I say “NOTHING HAPPENS BY COINCIDENCE.” I am sure that it is not by coincidence that there were some students who hated me, even considering me as their “greatest nightmare.” Yeah, a few years back, I heard one of my male students said that right in front of my face. I couldn’t blame him because I knew I didn’t show him enough trust and care. But I didn’t have regrets hearing those words from him because I learned to face the truth: that the teacher ought to see students as mirrors that can give an exact reflection of what teachers are like. Also, it is not coincidence’s fault if there are also students who considered me as an “ultimate guru” (that’s the term used by what I call the ISPEL SEX docu group). My philosophy in teaching is simple: GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT. What you put in is exactly what you will get. It happens all the time in the classroom. If a teacher exerts no effort in doing his job as a mentor, then, the studen...

“Never underestimate the power of the teacher to make a difference in the lives of others.” By Joseph V. Landy Author, LETTER TO A YOUNG TEACHER I can’t deny that the most noble job in this world is still TEACHING . Of course, not everybody will agree with this statement but remember what the movie THE DA VINCI CODE emphasized: WHAT MATTERS IS WHAT YOU BELIEVE. A teacher can touch the heart, the mind and the soul of a person. In fact, teachers can make or break this country. Without teachers, who will force primary students to read and write well? Without teachers, who will instill discipline among teenagers whose parents have no time for them? Without teachers, who will challenge young people’s mind and soul? Without teachers, how can doctors be doctors, or nurses be nurses? If all nurses, for example, will leave the country to earn dollars abroad, then, who else will teach future nurses? I bet you know the answer: NO ONE. Indeed, being a teacher is a way of doing things for the other...

“It matters not how straight the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul." From “THE INVICTUS” By William Ernest Henley 1875 A humanistic approach to life – that is what EXISTENCE is all about. As a man, we don’t wait for a God to control our lives. We don’t expect a God to unveil secrets that will mold who we are. Only the man knows himself. The man as existence makes choices. He takes advantage of freedom, and most of all, he takes full responsibility of what he does. As a person in this world, I never had any doubt that no one else, but myself has the power to drive my own life. I am who I chose to be and that isn’t about to change. There are times when I still ask myself why I am in the academe. As a college student, I never dreamed of becoming a teacher. But look where I am now and see what I could do now which I never thought I could. I now get a YES answer when I look at the...

When blessings pour, they come without a person even noticing them. I must be lucky these days. When I knew I will soon have a baby [my third :-) ], I also found out that I was promoted to being the Chair of the Mass Com department. The following day, I was told by my Dean that I was appointed by the Chancellor as the Assistant Director for the Institute for Communication Arts. Few days after, I got many words of recognition for my daughter's great performance during the play CATS at AUF. Of course, I have to agree that my daughter did great. In fact, even the Director - General told me that he liked the way Steffi performed onstage. He said that he found the right girl to portray ANNIE in the next play he might produce. The choreographer also told Mr. Mabesa that "Steffi perfectly fits his standards." He said that Steffi was able to do exactly as he wanted the actors to do in the play. Even the University chancellor and his spouse approached Steffi after the last play to...

Now here's the big truth: the screen version of THE DA VINCI CODE was not as good as I expected it to be. The book by Dan Brown was certainly phenomenal. But the movie wasn't. First, I asked myself, "what happened to Robert Langdon's personality? " I felt that there was no connection between RL and Sophie Neveu. The way RL looked at SN in the book was ignored in the film. I wonder what happen to RL in the movie who was a "sought-after bachelor" in the book. He didn't look like such in the movie. He looked like a boring professor who wanted to do nothing but to solve puzzles. He did it so quickly-- he did it in the absence of emotion. There is a danger that those who haven't read the novel won't be able to follow the story well. The movie was like a long documentary with few dramatic insertions. Ron Howard (the director) used a lot of flashbacks and documentary insertions to explain the controversy. There were more dialogues than there was act...

We had a family reunion last Sunday (May 21) in Cavite, in my Tita’s house. After so many years, I’ve seen and I’ve talked to my relatives. For the first time, I saw the members of the new generation in our family. I recognized the old ones, our grannies, and I still remember our aunts and uncles who were there. But I no longer know the young generation. Of course, we were introduced to each other. Ang dami pala namin. Some of them came from Batangas, some from Pasig, and some came from Valenzuela. We’re the only ones who came from Angeles. I actually don’t know exactly what prompted the family reunion. My mom just told us that they wanted to be together because one of them is really sick, although it wasn’t obvious that she is. And I hope she’ll get better soon. Anyway, of course, it felt good to see my aunts who took care of us in Potrero, Malabon when we were kids. It also felt good to see my cousins who have grown and changed a lot. Mike was one of my cousins who, physically, have ...

If there is one thing that could hurt a person so badly, that is losing a parent. I felt that when I saw Ninang Tessa last Sunday. Her dad died of a complicated disease. Worse, while her dad had given up, her mom is currently undergoing chemotherapy for her diagnosed cancer. Ninang Tessa was actually advised to be ready for any moment, she might also lose her mom. It is really painful for her because she is the only child of her parents. I wish she could be as strong as she has to be. She needs a lot of support from her own family now that she is experiencing such a lonely and painful struggle. Perhaps, a rainbow should give her hope and bring her happiness back... I hope it is going to happen so soon.

A stupid dance contest. That is what I think about SHALL WE DANCE(?). I have watched several episodes of this dance contest on local channel. And I realized that the host is irritating me. She shouldn't be a host for a dance competition. She speaks as if she lost all her energy practicing for her opening number. She doesn't even dance well. I think she has to attend a series of workshops for hosting and interviewing contestants and most of all, she has to develop her speech. She's the only one I heard who says "GIV IT AP." (Give it up!) She lacks proper blending in her English pronunciation and she sounds so scripted and so weak as a host. Unfortunately, she's not the only reason that makes me so irritated with the show. There is another thing that I noticed. The judges are really biased. I couldn't imagine how, on last night's episode, Melanie Marquez and her partner got a perfect score of 10! I am not a good dancer -- I don't really dance. But it...

Guimo (the very active officer at CAS!), Angela, Eunice, Aileen, Megan (the SAMASKOM president last year), Cabz, Nola and Ghia Luisa, Ghia, Sam, Nola, Charmaine, Chester, Aileen, Mark, Guimo, Cabz, Rain and Mike CONGRATULATIONS! More graduates: Eunice, Erica, Hachell, Paul, Kristel, etc. GHIA, CATHY, NOLA & AILEEN

I am definitely looking forward to watching THE DA VINCI CODE movie, which is based on Dan Brown's novel that says that everything the Catholic church has said is a lie. The novel, which is an anti-Christ thing in disguise, captured my attention. This is the only fiction (anchored on facts?) that I read twice from cover to cover. Then, a couple of days ago, my co-faculty gave me a copy of THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE by Rick Warren. It is only this afternoon that I attempted to read some passages from the book. This wasn't the first time that I read this book. In fact, I once borrowed the same book from the same colleague a few years ago. This book just made me feel bad about my faith. The book, as I have always observed, reveals a self-centered GOD. In the first place, I couldn't find any description or clarification of who GOD is. My God may not be the god being referred to in this book. Or the book's god may be a stranger to me. Here are some passages from the book that m...

Few days left and I would see THE DA VINCI CODE on wide screen. I don't really care what the MTRCB say about the movie. My only fear is that I might get disappointed with the movie because of too much anticipation... My students have to see the film. How would they watch it if some of them aren't 18 yet? They surely would find a way to satisfy their curiosity about the film. Watch out MTRCB! Video pirates would be happy again because of this R18 rating!

Mahalaga ba ang EDUKASYON? Importante ba sa buhay ng tao ang masabing "may pinag-aralan?" Kung ang sagot dito ay "oo," bakit ang daming taong nakapag-aral nga subalit marami din namang problema? Kung "hindi" ang sagot dito, bakit ang daming naghihirap sa buhay dahil sa kawalan ng pinag-aralan? Hindi nakapag-aral si Estela dahil sa hirap ng buhay, ni hindi siya marunong magbasa at magsulat. At tulad ng inaasahan, ang kawalan niya ng pinag-aralan ay naging ugat ng pagkakaroon niya ng maraming problema. Nag-aaral ang mga anak niya pero hindi niya maturuan sa mga "homework" dahil nga wala siyang alam sa pagbasa. Ni hindi niya mabasa ang labels ng mga gamot, kaya nga may isang pagkakataon na nagkamali siya ng pinainom na gamot sa anak niya na may allergy sa ibang gamot. Iyon ang pinag-awayan nila nang husto ng asawa niya. Natural, importante ang kalusugan. Ang probleman naman kay Estela, hindi siya nagtatanong sa mga kasama niya na marunong bumasa. N...

DAN VIJ and JAMES

FOXY vs KEILA

What would you do if your loved one has only a day left to live? Would you do the same thing if you knew that you are the one who has a day left to live? Ian Wyndham (Paul Nicholls -- a British actor who made me cry while I was watching the movie) was given a chance to relive the day in order for him to "save the life" of his girlfriend, Samantha Andrews ( Jennifer Love Hewitt). Ian had a bad dream. In his dream, his girlfriend died shortly after they had a fight on the day of her graduation. He could not accept that Samantha was gone. The following morning, he woke up with Samantha on her side. He was amazed to realize that her "death" was all just a dream- - a bad dream. But the details in his dream started to happen, in different order and few changes on instances. For example, in his dream, Samantha showed him a "surprise" that morning. that "surprise" was shown to him in reality. His watch cracked in his dream. And it also happene...