Dahil sa aking ka-badtripan sa bagyong glenda nuong nakaraang araw at hindi pagreply sa akin ng aking minamahal dahil sa Sun siya (connection => bagyo, walang araw, so walang signal..wahehe corny!!!) eh nagawa kong magikot-ikot sa National Bookstore. Habang ako'y nagiikot eh nasulyapan ko ang libro ni Bob Ong. Siya ang may likha ng Bakit Baliktad Magbasa ng Libro ang mga Pilipino? Naaliw naman ako kaya binili ko na. Nakakatuwa ang librong yon, satirical ang dating niya. May kompilasyon duon ng mga essay ng mga dayuhan and pilipino kung ano ang tingin nila sa bansa. Sa aking pagbabasa ay medyo natamaan ako sa mga entry nila. Masakit mang isipin na ganun ang tingin nila sa tin pero ganun naman talaga tayo, kaya tanggapin na lang. Pero hindi naman ibig sabihin non na tanggapin na lang at ipagpatuloy ang mga ganung gawain, kundi wag na tayong magmagaling pa at ipagtanggol ang sarili at gumawa na lamang tayo ng paraan upang mabago ang ganung tingin sa atin.
Isa lang naman talaga ang paraan sa pagunlad eh, kundi DISIPLINA. Katulad sa nakasaad sa libro, baliktad ang utak ng mga pilipino. Kapag sinabing tumawid sa footbridge, ang mga tao eh tatawid sa kalsada, 1.) wala kasing pulis, at minsan kahit na may pulis, 2.) nakakatamad umakyat sa footbridge. Ewan ko ba, tapos lahat isinisisi sa gobyerno!
Ang isang bansa ay binubuo ng gobyerno at mamamayan. Meron tayong kanya-kanyang responsibilidad sa bansang ito. Hindi naman pwedeng magtrabaho lang ang gobyerno para sa atin, kelangan din nating gawin ang ating share kumbaga. Wala nga namang mangongotong kung walang magpapakotong, at wala silang kokotongin kung walang lumalabag sa batas. Lahat tayo ay may mga sariling pangangailangan at may mga temtasyon, kaya hindi rin natin sila masisisi. Simula ng pinanganak ako, may utang na ang Pilipinas, bakit hindi na lang tayo magtulungan upang mabayaran itong mga utang na to.
Imbes nga naman na mabayaran ang mga utang, kahit na napakataas ng buwis ko na binabayaran ko ng tama, eh nadadagdagan pa. Kasi nga naman ang mga langis na kinukuha natin sa ibang bansa eh nauubos kaya nagtataas at kelangan din nating sumunod sa teknolohiya. Kung gusto naman nating magtipid ang bansa at wag nang bigyang daan ang teknolohiya, kawawa naman ang mga Pilipino kapag ihaharap sa dayuhan. O kaya wag na tayong magangkat ng langis, magkalesa at bike na lang tayo, kaso nga naman mabubulok ang gulay galing Baguio. Kaya gustuhin man natin o hindi, mangungutang talaga ang Pilipinas.
Ang hirap kasi ang gusto ng mga tao, pagkaupo ng isang presidente ay uunlad na kaagad ang bansa. Aba, mahirap nga naman yon. Ang gusto ng mga tao eh walang kapintasan ang magiging presidente kahit konti at mayroong tinatawag na karisma. Eh bakit nanalo si PGMA? Kasi nandaya raw siya sa eleksyon. Eh kung nanalo ba si Fernando Poe, Jr. ay hindi rin ba siya ii-impeach? Kung masisigurado na hindi rin mapapatalsik sa pwesto si FPJ kung nanalo siya, siguro nga dapat talagang tanggalin sa pwesto si PGMA. Bakit hindi na lang pagbotohan ang mga dapat tumakbo sa eleksyon, tapos kapag napagbotohan na kung sino dapat ang isali sa eleksyon i-dry run muna, pagkatapos nun saka magbotohan ng permanenteng presidente. Kapag kaya ng presidente na disiplinahin ang bansa, tatanggalin siya. Kapag ang presidente naman makarisma, tatanggalin siya kasi karisma lang ang meron siya. Kapag "strategic" naman at minamarket ang bansa natin, tuta naman daw siya ng dayuhang bansa. Ano ba talaga ang gusto ng mga Pilipino. Siyempre lahat naman eh gusto yung "ideal," ideal boyfriend, ideal parents, ideal house. Siguro may "soul mate" din ang Pilipinas, at mahirap makahanap nun!!! At karamihan ng mga taong pilit na hinihintay ang soul mate niya, tumatandang dalaga at binata. Baka maging tumatandang bansa na rin tayo, kasi hindi natin mahintay na dumating ang "soul government" natin.
Kaya kesa naman na tumandang bansa na lang tayo ng basta basta, eh tayo na lang ang dumisiplina sa ating mga sarili, para kahit papano, kahit hindi na natin makita ang soul government natin eh mayroon pa rin tayong marating. Madaling isulat pero mahirap gawin.
Lahat ng nakasulat dito eh opinyon lamang ng isang empleyadong walang magawa sa opisina na nagawa na lahat ng pwede niyang gawin bilang empleyado, isama mo na rin na hindi ako masyadong nakakapagbasa ng dyaryo at nakakapanuod ng news. Balak ko na ring basahin ang nilalaman ng saligang batas.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Kwentong Barbero
Dahil sa aking ka-badtripan sa bagyong glenda nuong nakaraang araw at hindi pagreply sa akin ng aking minamahal dahil sa Sun siya (connection => bagyo, walang araw, so walang signal..wahehe corny!!!) eh nagawa kong magikot-ikot sa National Bookstore. Habang ako'y nagiikot eh nasulyapan ko ang libro ni Bob Ong. Siya ang may likha ng Bakit Baliktad Magbasa ng Libro ang mga Pilipino? Naaliw naman ako kaya binili ko na. Nakakatuwa ang librong yon, satirical ang dating niya. May kompilasyon duon ng mga essay ng mga dayuhan and pilipino kung ano ang tingin nila sa bansa. Sa aking pagbabasa ay medyo natamaan ako sa mga entry nila. Masakit mang isipin na ganun ang tingin nila sa tin pero ganun naman talaga tayo, kaya tanggapin na lang. Pero hindi naman ibig sabihin non na tanggapin na lang at ipagpatuloy ang mga ganung gawain, kundi wag na tayong magmagaling pa at ipagtanggol ang sarili at gumawa na lamang tayo ng paraan upang mabago ang ganung tingin sa atin.
Isa lang naman talaga ang paraan sa pagunlad eh, kundi DISIPLINA. Katulad sa nakasaad sa libro, baliktad ang utak ng mga pilipino. Kapag sinabing tumawid sa footbridge, ang mga tao eh tatawid sa kalsada, 1.) wala kasing pulis, at minsan kahit na may pulis, 2.) nakakatamad umakyat sa footbridge. Ewan ko ba, tapos lahat isinisisi sa gobyerno!
Ang isang bansa ay binubuo ng gobyerno at mamamayan. Meron tayong kanya-kanyang responsibilidad sa bansang ito. Hindi naman pwedeng magtrabaho lang ang gobyerno para sa atin, kelangan din nating gawin ang ating share kumbaga. Wala nga namang mangongotong kung walang magpapakotong, at wala silang kokotongin kung walang lumalabag sa batas. Lahat tayo ay may mga sariling pangangailangan at may mga temtasyon, kaya hindi rin natin sila masisisi. Simula ng pinanganak ako, may utang na ang Pilipinas, bakit hindi na lang tayo magtulungan upang mabayaran itong mga utang na to.
Imbes nga naman na mabayaran ang mga utang, kahit na napakataas ng buwis ko na binabayaran ko ng tama, eh nadadagdagan pa. Kasi nga naman ang mga langis na kinukuha natin sa ibang bansa eh nauubos kaya nagtataas at kelangan din nating sumunod sa teknolohiya. Kung gusto naman nating magtipid ang bansa at wag nang bigyang daan ang teknolohiya, kawawa naman ang mga Pilipino kapag ihaharap sa dayuhan. O kaya wag na tayong magangkat ng langis, magkalesa at bike na lang tayo, kaso nga naman mabubulok ang gulay galing Baguio. Kaya gustuhin man natin o hindi, mangungutang talaga ang Pilipinas.
Ang hirap kasi ang gusto ng mga tao, pagkaupo ng isang presidente ay uunlad na kaagad ang bansa. Aba, mahirap nga naman yon. Ang gusto ng mga tao eh walang kapintasan ang magiging presidente kahit konti at mayroong tinatawag na karisma. Eh bakit nanalo si PGMA? Kasi nandaya raw siya sa eleksyon. Eh kung nanalo ba si Fernando Poe, Jr. ay hindi rin ba siya ii-impeach? Kung masisigurado na hindi rin mapapatalsik sa pwesto si FPJ kung nanalo siya, siguro nga dapat talagang tanggalin sa pwesto si PGMA. Bakit hindi na lang pagbotohan ang mga dapat tumakbo sa eleksyon, tapos kapag napagbotohan na kung sino dapat ang isali sa eleksyon i-dry run muna, pagkatapos nun saka magbotohan ng permanenteng presidente. Kapag kaya ng presidente na disiplinahin ang bansa, tatanggalin siya. Kapag ang presidente naman makarisma, tatanggalin siya kasi karisma lang ang meron siya. Kapag "strategic" naman at minamarket ang bansa natin, tuta naman daw siya ng dayuhang bansa. Ano ba talaga ang gusto ng mga Pilipino. Siyempre lahat naman eh gusto yung "ideal," ideal boyfriend, ideal parents, ideal house. Siguro may "soul mate" din ang Pilipinas, at mahirap makahanap nun!!! At karamihan ng mga taong pilit na hinihintay ang soul mate niya, tumatandang dalaga at binata. Baka maging tumatandang bansa na rin tayo, kasi hindi natin mahintay na dumating ang "soul government" natin.
Kaya kesa naman na tumandang bansa na lang tayo ng basta basta, eh tayo na lang ang dumisiplina sa ating mga sarili, para kahit papano, kahit hindi na natin makita ang soul government natin eh mayroon pa rin tayong marating. Madaling isulat pero mahirap gawin.
Lahat ng nakasulat dito eh opinyon lamang ng isang empleyadong walang magawa sa opisina na nagawa na lahat ng pwede niyang gawin bilang empleyado, isama mo na rin na hindi ako masyadong nakakapagbasa ng dyaryo at nakakapanuod ng news. Balak ko na ring basahin ang nilalaman ng saligang batas.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
The simplest way to development (this is a nice read)
Michael Tan
I'M HERE in Cebu where, earlier this morning, I metGov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo of Aurora province, whomentioned that they needed to produce health educationmaterials in different local languages. I wassurprised and asked, "But isn't Aurora a Tagalogprovince?" The governor had to explain that theprovince now has numerous migrants, mainly Ilocano,but now also including people from as far as theVisayas. That conversation highlighted just one of the manyproblems that come from our lack of a nationallanguage. Even worse, we seem to be moving backwards,what with the recent Department of Education findings that high school seniors' proficiency in Filipino drastically dropped over the last few years.
Last Wednesday, I looked into our long history ofneglecting the development of a national language. We seem to associate Filipino and our other languageswith poverty and backwardness. Accompanying thislinguistic inferiority complex is an over-valuation ofEnglish, which we think provides the key to nationaldevelopment, mainly to export more Filipino workers.I'd question that assumption, and argue that our neglect of Filipino and our unrealistic expectations of English decrease our competitiveness in the globalmarket.
Nationalism
Our more economically developed neighbors rightlyrecognize the need to balance nationalism with globalism, and this is reflected in their languagepolicies. In the post-colonial period after World WarII, many developing countries pushed hard to craft anational language. Some countries, like Thailand, were more fortunatebecause they already had a common language spoken bymost of its citizens. Others, like Indonesia and thePhilippines, had a more daunting task because of greatlinguistic diversity. Indonesia was, however, able todevelop Bahasa Indonesia while we lagged behind in ourdevelopment of Filipino. Some of the reasons for a national language were quitepractical: you needed a common language for education,public health, agriculture, industry. But the most important reason for developing anational language was that of developing a nationalidentity that transcended class, caste, ethnicity,religion. It was important to have a common languageto tell the story of a nation, and pass this from onegeneration to another. And, with time, our neighborsbegan as well to develop fine literature, written inthe national language, capturing the dynamism, theexuberance, as well as the anguish and angst, ofnational life.
Globalism
A nationalistic policy toward language did not meanxenophobia. Japanese, for example, is peppered withborrowed English words, from home furnishings tohigh-tech jargon. The Chinese, on the other hand, drewon existing words to describe the wonders of the newtechnologies: the train is a "fire horse," a computer an "electric brain."Gradually, our neighbors began to use their nationallanguage to open the world to their citizens. Visitbookstores in China, Indonesia or Thailand, and you'llfind hundreds of books-the world's finest literature,as well as computer manuals, self-improvement books,textbooks in the social and naturalsciences-translated into the local national language.These countries have come to accept the importance ofEnglish and other languages of the world and encouragecitizens to learn these languages, through theirnational language. In a Thai bookstore, you'll findThai-English, Thai-Japanese, Thai-Chinese, Thai-Frenchdictionaries, to name a few, both in book andelectronic forms, the latter with speech synthesizers so you hear the proper pronunciation of foreign words. Again, the reasons for doing this are very utilitarian: you learn a foreign language not because it's required but because it serves a purpose, often related to national development. So when the Chinese learn English, it's to be able to read the original technical books, or to communicate with visiting technicians. Their goal is to plug into the world to reap its benefits for the home country.
No wonder the West is running scared-the Japanese did it, the Chinese are doing it now, using just enoughEnglish (or German, or French) to learn new skills and technologies, which they then copy, often with great improvements.
Talking back, What's happening in the Philippines? We've neglected Filipino and our other languages. Only recently did we recognize that maybe the way to go in schools is tohave the local language (e.g., Cebuano) used in thefirst years of primary school to teach Filipino and other basic subjects, including, for older kids,English. And even as we laughed at our neighbors for their resistance to English, our own proficiency in that language has stagnated. I often suspect we're notactually seeing a deterioration of English in thePhilippines. What's happened is that for most Filipinos, the level of English has remained pretty much the same from the colonial period, just enough tounderstand the instructions of the boss. This is whywe had such a perfect fit for a particular segment ofthe overseas labor market. Now that new opportunities are emerging, such as in the call centers, we're realizing we don't have enoughFilipinos who can speak English in a more interactiveway, offering information and advice. And when it comes to the most lucrative high-paying jobs andconsultancies, we have only a handful of Filipinos whohave the ability to analyze problems in English, andto propose and explain solutions.To capture that market, it won't be enough to justlearn English. Filipinos have to be able to use thelanguage spoken at home and bring this to tackle the complexities of the outside world. But since we neglected both Filipino and English in our schools, we have many young Filipinos who just can't communicate.
I despair over the way students in the University ofthe Philippines grope for words: "Kasi, sir, you know,the ano of the ano is, well, you know it's all very complex." Alas, at the rate we're going, we won't need English or Tagalog. We'll need to teach mind readingin schools. Proficient neither in Filipino nor English, our worlds will remain limited. We will continue to export Filipinos, but mainly in low-pay service occupations.At home, we suffer too from not being able to develop science and technology, so we end up buying othercountries' consumer products.As we search for solutions to our national aphasia, wemight heed the advice of Mahatma Gandhi, who once saidIndians have to learn Hindi to speak with each other,and English to speak to the world. I would say weshould go for as many languages as possible so we candiscover the world, but meantime, let's develop our own languages, too, and our sense of identity, so we can indeed speak with the world, and not just bespoken to. It all boils down to a simple matter ofrespecting ourselves, so that when the world talks tous, we can talk back.
I'M HERE in Cebu where, earlier this morning, I metGov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo of Aurora province, whomentioned that they needed to produce health educationmaterials in different local languages. I wassurprised and asked, "But isn't Aurora a Tagalogprovince?" The governor had to explain that theprovince now has numerous migrants, mainly Ilocano,but now also including people from as far as theVisayas. That conversation highlighted just one of the manyproblems that come from our lack of a nationallanguage. Even worse, we seem to be moving backwards,what with the recent Department of Education findings that high school seniors' proficiency in Filipino drastically dropped over the last few years.
Last Wednesday, I looked into our long history ofneglecting the development of a national language. We seem to associate Filipino and our other languageswith poverty and backwardness. Accompanying thislinguistic inferiority complex is an over-valuation ofEnglish, which we think provides the key to nationaldevelopment, mainly to export more Filipino workers.I'd question that assumption, and argue that our neglect of Filipino and our unrealistic expectations of English decrease our competitiveness in the globalmarket.
Nationalism
Our more economically developed neighbors rightlyrecognize the need to balance nationalism with globalism, and this is reflected in their languagepolicies. In the post-colonial period after World WarII, many developing countries pushed hard to craft anational language. Some countries, like Thailand, were more fortunatebecause they already had a common language spoken bymost of its citizens. Others, like Indonesia and thePhilippines, had a more daunting task because of greatlinguistic diversity. Indonesia was, however, able todevelop Bahasa Indonesia while we lagged behind in ourdevelopment of Filipino. Some of the reasons for a national language were quitepractical: you needed a common language for education,public health, agriculture, industry. But the most important reason for developing anational language was that of developing a nationalidentity that transcended class, caste, ethnicity,religion. It was important to have a common languageto tell the story of a nation, and pass this from onegeneration to another. And, with time, our neighborsbegan as well to develop fine literature, written inthe national language, capturing the dynamism, theexuberance, as well as the anguish and angst, ofnational life.
Globalism
A nationalistic policy toward language did not meanxenophobia. Japanese, for example, is peppered withborrowed English words, from home furnishings tohigh-tech jargon. The Chinese, on the other hand, drewon existing words to describe the wonders of the newtechnologies: the train is a "fire horse," a computer an "electric brain."Gradually, our neighbors began to use their nationallanguage to open the world to their citizens. Visitbookstores in China, Indonesia or Thailand, and you'llfind hundreds of books-the world's finest literature,as well as computer manuals, self-improvement books,textbooks in the social and naturalsciences-translated into the local national language.These countries have come to accept the importance ofEnglish and other languages of the world and encouragecitizens to learn these languages, through theirnational language. In a Thai bookstore, you'll findThai-English, Thai-Japanese, Thai-Chinese, Thai-Frenchdictionaries, to name a few, both in book andelectronic forms, the latter with speech synthesizers so you hear the proper pronunciation of foreign words. Again, the reasons for doing this are very utilitarian: you learn a foreign language not because it's required but because it serves a purpose, often related to national development. So when the Chinese learn English, it's to be able to read the original technical books, or to communicate with visiting technicians. Their goal is to plug into the world to reap its benefits for the home country.
No wonder the West is running scared-the Japanese did it, the Chinese are doing it now, using just enoughEnglish (or German, or French) to learn new skills and technologies, which they then copy, often with great improvements.
Talking back, What's happening in the Philippines? We've neglected Filipino and our other languages. Only recently did we recognize that maybe the way to go in schools is tohave the local language (e.g., Cebuano) used in thefirst years of primary school to teach Filipino and other basic subjects, including, for older kids,English. And even as we laughed at our neighbors for their resistance to English, our own proficiency in that language has stagnated. I often suspect we're notactually seeing a deterioration of English in thePhilippines. What's happened is that for most Filipinos, the level of English has remained pretty much the same from the colonial period, just enough tounderstand the instructions of the boss. This is whywe had such a perfect fit for a particular segment ofthe overseas labor market. Now that new opportunities are emerging, such as in the call centers, we're realizing we don't have enoughFilipinos who can speak English in a more interactiveway, offering information and advice. And when it comes to the most lucrative high-paying jobs andconsultancies, we have only a handful of Filipinos whohave the ability to analyze problems in English, andto propose and explain solutions.To capture that market, it won't be enough to justlearn English. Filipinos have to be able to use thelanguage spoken at home and bring this to tackle the complexities of the outside world. But since we neglected both Filipino and English in our schools, we have many young Filipinos who just can't communicate.
I despair over the way students in the University ofthe Philippines grope for words: "Kasi, sir, you know,the ano of the ano is, well, you know it's all very complex." Alas, at the rate we're going, we won't need English or Tagalog. We'll need to teach mind readingin schools. Proficient neither in Filipino nor English, our worlds will remain limited. We will continue to export Filipinos, but mainly in low-pay service occupations.At home, we suffer too from not being able to develop science and technology, so we end up buying othercountries' consumer products.As we search for solutions to our national aphasia, wemight heed the advice of Mahatma Gandhi, who once saidIndians have to learn Hindi to speak with each other,and English to speak to the world. I would say weshould go for as many languages as possible so we candiscover the world, but meantime, let's develop our own languages, too, and our sense of identity, so we can indeed speak with the world, and not just bespoken to. It all boils down to a simple matter ofrespecting ourselves, so that when the world talks tous, we can talk back.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Falling...falling...fell...star...stare...and wish
Seeing a falling star is so rare. I have seen one when I was a child, I think I was in grade 6 then, and I asked for an increase in allowance :). They say when you see one you should make a wish and the god of the skies will grant it to you. Walking under the skies after 15 years, I saw a green one. It seems so near. Then I stare to the person right next to me, excited, only one thought occupies my mind; having that person holding my hand to be with me for the rest of my life.
I am happy with what I am feeling right now. The fascination of seeing a falling star and wishing. And yes, I am falling for him, falling for everything that he do, falling everytime I see him. I dont want this feeling to end. I want to keep on falling and falling, ad infinitum. Just like how the stars keep on falling from the sky but never seem to have reached the ground. The excitement everytime I fall, and the fear of reaching the ground. I do not want to fall on the ground, I still do not know what he might do, Im scared, I just want to keep on falling.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Quizzes...quizzes..quizzes
| Your Five Variable Love Profile |
 |
Call me an addict but yes I take tests everyday, whether its a personality test, IQ test (in which by the way I got 98%, almost a genius huh), and etc., I even take funny name generators. Maybe it is one of my ways to battle boredom. I used to play games online, but I started to get bored of that also, I think I have visited several arcadenet but they offer the same games. So I found blogthings through lots of net surfing and got hooked! hehehe
How true are those quizzes. Well, in fact, I dont take them seriously, am not sure if they have clinical basis (but duh?!), it is just for the mere fun of it. This test (the one I posted) is almost, somehow, true, maybe a little. I will discuss each one of it.
Propensity for monogamy: Medium. Ok, i will not defend myself from this. As I said, I get easily bored. I only love one person as of this moment and hoping that he is forever, he's the main course, but sometimes I crave for desserts.
Experience level: High. Not that high as others might think. I did have several relationships in my life. I had been heartbroken once. Some are just summer flings and some are "almost" serious. Maybe I may call a relationship serious when I am ready to commit myself to one person.
Dominance: Low. In other words, I just don't care whatever he does whenever I am not around, if he has other women don't let me catch them. Whether they have a poker night or a night at the bar, I don't really care much, just don't give me STDs. I dont demand too much, I will give him the freedom that he needs and so give mine.
Cynicism: Medium. I do not believe in love at first sight. One may have lust at first sight, or attraction at first sight but definitely not love. Love is something to workout between the two parties. It takes time and ability to adapt to whatever situation "together" as a couple. I believe in love and the good in men, but it should be proven and the chemistry should be there.
Independence: High. I think it's too much, I also need love. Love is pleasurable and the highs of it, I just think that love is in every form, not just by a man and his penis. I also want to love a man, again a man not a boy, of course someone to have a family with and to grow old with, and all that jazz. It is just that I can survive without it, or have a heartbreak and then have a new relationship. I am just wise enough to believe that loving is not an excuse to stupidity, and know when to love and when not to love. I love my life and I am quite selfish with my life.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Pieces of a Puzzle
For the people who knows me from RDSi, it will be easy to complete this puzzle. Just drag and drop the pieces of it, and you will be able to finish it.
Different individuals with different personalities and different backgrounds are once were friends. They once shared thoughts, ideas, stories, and outlooks about life. They may have different ways of dealing with life but each of them became a part, a big part, of each lives. There became a delicate frame of one great friendship. But the wind doesn't always blow on the same direction. There will always be a clash that will not be resolved unless one gives way, as the bamboo bows when a strong wind passes by. But who will be that one? I guess none. And this wind pushed this frame on the floor that caused it to be broken into pieces. Pieces that were scattered in different directions. Can this still be glued back together to be as good as new? Will somebody be able to glue it back? Will the wind of time be able to bring them together? As of now, we'll never know....
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)