My Socially Constructed Reality

The main plot hasn't changed. Jigsaw struck again. This time, he had eight youngsters locked in a room. Not knowing what to do and why they were locked in, they started doing things that cost their lives. Only two survived. But the real victim wasn't them, but the police investigator who never believed Jigsaw. Jigsaw promised the investigator that he would see his son, who was one of the teenagers who were locked in, if he would just sit and listen to Jigsaw. But of course, Dad has to do what he has to do, and that is saving his son -- that was the trap. In the end, the police realized that the video showing the teenagers in a room, was just a replay. But it was too late. The police investigator was locked in the same room where the two main characters in Saw I died. A sad ending. I was speechless after the movie. The writer must have used an extraordinary imagination to complete the story. The lesson: still the same as what part one suggested: PEOPLE WHO ARE AL...

1. I still have no Internet connection at my office. (a new office? not really -- just redesigned to make it look like an office, but at least I no longer stay at the faculty room). 2. I might just regret what I would blog about. (I wanted so much to blog about what is happening with my being a part of AUF community but I realized someone somewhere might do something out of her/his mind upon reading my blog -- so never mind). 3. I got tons of works to do and blogging is last on my list (but I know it should not be the last on my list. I should be free to do what i love doing, and one of them is blogging).

Every night, a local network airs a frustrating game show -- DEAL OR NO DEAL. It's a game show created by a Dutch-based company, Endemol, the same company that created the concept of Big Brother game show. I've tried watching several episodes of DEAL OR NO DEAL. And every time I watch, I feel that the station doesn't want any player to win. The station doesn't want to make the contestants happy. Imagine, for two consecutive nights, players have been so desperate that they got low amounts -- P30 and P250 respectively for the last two contestants. Oh well, I can't blame the station, nor the so-called "banker." -- some players are so eager or maybe hopeful to bring home a large amount -- a million or so. But not accepting the deal makes the players feel so disappointed because they end up with few centavos to bring to their families. Last night, Kris Aquino, the host, had to apologize to the celebrity-player for being so disappointed for getting P250...

No PB; no increase; nothing; tons of works to do. Sometimes I feel like quitting. It's so surprising why nobody around seems to ask why . . . I'm not used to this kind of environment. It's difficult to shut up when you know you don't get what you deserve. I know I'm not a mediocre worker, and I don't just sit and do nothing the whole day. Should I not be given a chance to ask WHY? On the other hand, SPIRAL OF SILENCE is working. I couldn't voice out my opinion since nobody else does. How pathetic. Work like you're blind and deaf. Work like losing this job means losing your life. NO WAY! Maybe there's a right time and right venue. I am searching for a clue from the immediate boss but she's totally clueless. Well...

Classes were suspended for a couple of days due to continuous rains caused by typhoon Glenda. Until now, elementary and high school students still have no classes. For college students, particularly here at AUF, today (supposedly last Monday) is the start of the three-day preliminary exams.

I couldn't believe it. My ABMC III students couldn't spell simple words like OCCASION, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, Alzheimer's disease, surveillance, ACCOMMODATION, vogue, GRAFFITI, epitome, argument, ALLOTTED, etc. I had Comm10a (EDITING) class yesterday, 5-6:30 p.m. We were talking about ACCURACY in Newswriting -- ACCURACY in terms of spelling, of story details like people's names, of dealing with trademarks when writing, etc. Then I thought of testing how good they are in spelling. I asked them to spell 25 commonly misspelled words. (Right minus wrong answers) And I was surprised because most of them got a score of less than 1 (negative). I actually was supposed to skip spelling test because I thought that kind of test would just be a waste of time. I was assuming they knew how to spell simple words correctly. I was surprised with the result. Really. I realized I have to do something about their spelling weakness... They need a spelling booklet if they want to survive ...

Teacher: Why is communication important? (A student raised his hand) Student: Ma'am, communication is important because we always interact with people. We are very communicable. :-)

A FORWARDED E-MAIL WORTH PUBLISHING: When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her. -Sacha Guitry By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. -Socrates The great question... which I have not been able to answer... is, "What does a woman want? -Sigmund Freud Two secrets to keep your marriage perfect 1. Whenever you're wrong, admit it, 2. Whenever you're right, shut up. -Nash A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong. -Milton Berle First Guy (proudly): "My wife's an angel!" Second Guy "You're lucky, mine's still alive."

Prelim exam starts on Monday and ends on Wednesday -- that's the sked for the GE subjects. For the first time, I am not busy preparing test papers for English 1 or English 4. Finally, I don't have to teach English subjects. This sem, I don't have any English subject to teach to students from other colleges. But I got five professional subjects -- five subjects, four preparations. Okay lang. I still think that is better than having two or three preparations but dealing with non-Mass Comm. students. ********************************************************** I wanted so much to attend the Cinemalaya Film Congress but I couldn't just leave my class. I even wanted my third year MC students to attend the conference but the university has a policy that no seminar or affair should be conducted before and after the exam week. Besides, I didn't have enough time to process the papers needed prior to attending conferences/ seminars. Sayang. **************************...

Things have never been so good lately. First, my daughter has to be brought to the pediatrician because of minor skin problem. Then, my son had to be brought to a doctor for suturing of a three-cm cut on his head. Then last weekend, I had cough and flu. All those health problems made me realize that the best thing we could have is good health. Everything suffers at the absence of good health. Pag may sakit, sira ang quality time with family, sira ang budget, sira ang plans for the week. Plus, I couldn't hug and kiss my kids when I am sick. Mahirap talaga. Mas mahirap naman pag ang mga bata ang may sakit. It hurts me so much to see the kids cry of pain. But one thing is sure: these health problems made me think that God is just waiting for me to call on him. I realized that only my faith can save me at the end of the day. I must thank God my family and I are all healthy now. Well, I expect to experience more pain --- labor pain when I give birth. Iyon na naman ang kin...

1. Wicked Web just closed last month. Everything happened so fast. My aunt felt bad about spending so much and not earning from Dennis' management of the Internet Cafe. The computers were now sold. Beth expects a goodwill of P300,000 or more since Vien didn't finish the 7-year contract. Wicked Web existed only for about 18 months. Well... that's destiny-- it's life. 2. ISPEL SEX and KITIL, the documentary productions of my ABMC students batch 2006, won in the National Filmmaking Contest sponsored by Pro-Life and National Commission for Culture and the Arts. We attended the awarding ceremony at St. Paul University in Quezon City on June 30. 3. I didn't enroll this trimester. I want to focus on finishing the MOdule ENGLISH WITH NEWSPAPER which I am doing with Sir Umaly. (I want to finish it this sem!) 4. Another reason for not enrolling: I got tired of professors who don't really care. They just get our class cards, give us research works, give us ...

I haven't blogged for quite a while. I miss blogging. I truly miss writing. I couldn't find time to blog because of tons of works to do.

Jellicle CATS! STEF: "I'm proud to be a part of this workshop at AUF!" The cast of CATS with the University Chancellor and his spouse Stef as VICTORIA and family Stef as VICTORIA with her brother, CHARLES Stef with her favorite tita, Vei

[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...