My Socially Constructed Reality

My stay in the academe has been so fruitful, and many times, hurtful, but let me thank all those who made my life in the academe worth it. 1.  First on my list would be my students .  I honestly gained more friends from among my students, than from my colleagues.  The reason is simple:  I have spent more time with them, than with my co-faculty/ colleagues.  Well, all the teachers, all the staff, from the library, to the different offices -- everyone in AUF --  is always busy, that they have no time to really mingle with each other.  Most of my conversations were with students, and many of my concerns dealt with students.  Sa lahat ng AB Comm. and ABMC students, mami-miss ko ang ingay n'yo at talino, siyempre... :-) 2.  Ma'am Elvie.   She's the one who first trusted me in AUF.  Ma'am Elvie was the chair of the English department when I first came to AUF.  I respected her so much, I valued every opinion she had, and looked up to her as a mentor.  She's very brilli

11 years, 3 months, 16 days. It's  long overdue.  That's the truth.  I've long wanted to resign.  Believe me, my heart knows it. Don't get me wrong.  I love my work as member of the faculty.  Well, I learned to love teaching, as I develop relationships with my students. But along the way, I had to convince myself to believe and make other people believe that there was nothing wrong.  In this world, everything could go wrong, but not everyone is willing to challenge what's wrong to make it right. Many times, people change their belief s, or at least pretend to have changed it,  so they could accept what's wrong, instead of challenging what's wrong to make it right. In this world,  sometimes, when you try to make things right, you become wrong. It's been 11 years, 3 months, and 16 days. I decided I don't want more of these things which I find wrong. Please, let me let myself go.

Background Sometime in July, Jobstreet.com sent me list of job vacancies which are aligned with my degree and experiences.  Well, I have been subscribing to Jobstreet for years and I already have tried applying to some companies in the past, but for some reasons, I didn't get any response.  For some, I got replies and even had interview but I didn't have the courage to leave my full-time teaching job.   So that day, while checking on the list, I saw an interesting position, social media research analyst.  When I read the qualifications and job description, I told myself, "Wow, this must be an interesting job. Something I love doing, and no doubt, I'm qualified. I can do this." So, because I was fascinated with the job description and qualifications, I updated my CV and attached it to an e-mail, then sent to the address given. I can still remember, after clicking on the "send" button, I whispered to myself, "I hope I'll get it." But da

Leaving the academe after 11 years, 3 months, and 16 days is seen by many as "a big risk."  In fact, when I was processing my resignation form, people asked me "Why?"  Well, of course, it must be an instinct to ask that question, but for them to ask "Saan ang punta mo, Ma'am?" gave me a different picture.  It turned out most employees, if not all, who have left the university went abroad.  So when I answered, "I'm not going abroad.  I'm just staying home," they did not believe me even for a second. For one, I was technically telling the truth when I said I'm staying home cause I was just hired by a company that provides home-based jobs.  Yes, I'll be doing work at the comfort of my own home :-) My colleagues and the VP for Academic Affairs asked me if I was sure about this decision.  And I said, " Yes, I'm happy about it, and I'm excited about finding a new job."  That answer was enough for them to be assur

I love this virtual office designed by my 9-year-old son using Paint :-)

Dumb-founded. This was how one of my classma tes said he was like while listening to my report in our Strategic Management Philosophies class this day. "Wow!"  I didn't expect that comment.  I actually thought I was the least educated in class, considering most of them are DBA students. My topic was Strategic Management Process , and when I studied for my presentation, I thought, everything was new to me (because my major is Public Administration, and my focus is on Communication)--  the terms, the jargon, etc.  So before my report, I thought, what right do I have to present a topic which most of them already know for sure? Well, what I did was to contextualize all the concepts I discussed.  I used the company where I belong (AUF) to talk about positioning, for example.  I saw a new poster on the bulletin board near the campus main gate just yesterday, and it gave me an idea how to explain the message in the poster -- in explaining POSITIONING as one important concept

Two of my former students e-mailed me last night.  They were telling me they're happy with their current jobs. Some quotes from their emails: "I can't think of anyone else to express my joy to but you. I believe, I am here because I was handled properly, if not by my school, at least by one of my professors who believes in me, in us (ABMC 2009). You are one of my inspirations and it shall continue. To be in media, to be in practice is a dream and it arrived. :) God bless you po!" - Jayvie M. Dizon. ABMC Batch 2009 "I'm very happy Ma'am. I have a new career na. Sa Makati as a Copy Editor...:) Feel so blessed. Salamat Ma'am. Kayo po ang nagsimulang nag-inspire sa akin that I can do it..." -from Al Christopher Mendoza, batch 2009 ------------------------------------ I guess, in the kind of career that I have, nothing can give more fulfillment than hearing from former students who are happy with their jobs...

Public’s right to information - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

The corrupt - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos Is the end of Arroyo Administration also the end of corruption or too much corruption in the Philippines?

The right to know - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Hang in there. Basta dyan ka lang. I have been thinking about this for a few days now. There are times I wake up not wanting to be a teacher anymore. It's the start of the semester and I honestly feel like 'Ayoko na' or "Ayoko na muna." There are many times I really want to give up being vice chair of the department. For sooooooo many times I wanted to give up that position. Pero naiisip ko ang sinabi ng dati kong professor: Just hang in there. He said that a doctor who has clinic hours, despite lack of patients coming to the clinic in the day, must stay till the end of clinic hours. He may never know how many lives he could save by "just being there" until the final minute. He may never know the turning point of his career or life could depend on the final ten minutes of his clinic hours. He may never know what could happen, so it's always best to "just stay there." "Just hang in there." So here I am, feeling so confused

My dear Stef, I'd like to write you a letter now because I noticed you've grown a lot. . . Let me tell you why you make me happier every day. Remember the first time you woke up early and prepared breakfast then packed my baon for school? That day, on my way to school, I thanked God because I felt so lucky for having a now almost grown-up daughter. Ang sarap pala ng feeling kapag may anak na nag-aasikaso. Really. I never felt that in my whole life. When I take care of you and Cha and Danie, masarap din pakiramdam ko kahit pagod, pero ibang happiness kapag anak na ang nagpapakita ng pagmamahal. Thanks for your care. I appreciate it a lot. I feel your love every day, every night, every minute, even when I'm at work. Tuwing ititimpla mo ako ng kape, it's not just coffee that you give me, but your love, and the coffee becomes sweeter and more special. Thanks. Kahit sa coffee na pinapadala mo sa YM, ok na rin sa kin -- lol -- basta galing sa inyong mga anak ko. For

This morning was the interview for the Search for Model Faculty of the Year. The members of the panel include Dr. Archimedes David, VP for Academic Affairs, Dr. Nicanor Austriaco, former VP for AA, and Ms Lorie Canlas, VP for Finance. Well, what can I say? I actually enjoyed the interview but there's a doubt somewhere in my mind, that it was a good shot. I'm competing against two doctors. One with Ph. D. degree and one a real doctor who teaches at the School of Medicine. Then Ma'am Lorie kept telling me to finish my Ph. D. degree. I have no idea what it meant, or if it has meaning at all. Among the things that they asked was how my research, Charles' thesis, I mean, contributed to my growth and to the improvement of my teaching. I already forgot my answer... ha ha. She asked me how I return to AUF community the benefits that I get from attending the seminars. I gave her three answers, and I thought she was satisfied with my answers. Sir Archie didn't ask much. Bu

Life in the academe is like a canvas. When one enters the academe as a faculty member, the canvas is just a plain surface waiting to be painted on. It is then up to the faculty to paint on the canvas, to create a design, and to choose what color to use. It is only through painting that the canvas comes alive. In conquering the white space, colors can do the trick. The color purple symbolizes royalty and good judgment. It is a combination of red, the warmest color, and blue, the coolest color. My personal preference for the color purple is a statement that may be effectively conveyed even in the absence of words. Just like preference for a color, in my case purple, a teacher needs to advocate something. This advocacy radiates and can eventually have impact on the people outside oneself. Ideally, the teacher’s advocacy must be aligned with his or her expertise. Student empowerment . Freedom with responsibility . Media Literacy . Originali

The urge to resign as vice chair is here again. This time, I am more serious to become regular faculty, instead of handling administrative tasks. What prompted me to think about resigning again? Well, for the record, I have long wanted to leave admin. task but knowing that there's no one to take the place, I am staying here. This feeling of resigning just popped out of my mind when I talked to Tonette Orejas the other day. I was trying to convince her to teach part-time. And fortunately, seems like she agreed. Actually, a few years back, I also talked to her, with the same pitch -- asking her if she would consider teaching. And I got a yes back then. And now, I still got a yes. We just have to settle scheduling problem. She said she's only available to teach on Saturdays. But when I asked our dean about considering her to teach though she's got no Master's degree, the dean reiterates the "policy" that says, "No MA, no way." I

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I was invited as guest on May 5 in the program "Work Ko 'to!" at 104.1 DWAU. We talked about my jobs as faculty member, writer and ESL instructor. Edmar del Mundo was the host. Guest co-host is Marife Velasco. Smile! My AB Comm. 3 students: Kaori, Kelly, Daniel and Marife