The Original Post

In Aning’s place, five women, in separate rooms and living separate lives, used to converge at one post that stands in the middle of this old house.

Here, they literally posted poems, essays, new year’s resolutions, photos, news clippings, postcards, etc. until blogs, multiply or friendster took over and until updates on their lives became too complicated to be posted just like one of the bills.

Room No. 1 has given birth to a beautiful baby boy whose father is still unkown but who cares. Room No. 2 has just split up with her liar of a boyfriend who occupied Room No. 3 when former occupant, a timid call center agent, left unnoticed. Room No. 4 has fallen in love with another woman who now co-occupies the room. And Room No. 5, which has seen turnovers - from an accountant in love with a gay man to an indie actress in love with a priest - is now being occupied by shoes and bags, and the owner who can barely enter the room.

It's time to update the post.

Ms. World

I learned English like how I learned how to cook – out of sheer enjoyment of it and out of necessity – both reasons however would soon negate each other. I have always had fascination with languages – the elegance of French, precision of German and simplicity of Mandarin, the different kinds of sounds, to be able to create them, and be understood. But I have also been forced, like the rest of the Filipino people, to learn English to survive in the globalized economy. During my time, all subject areas including Philippine history had to be taught and learned in English, Grade 2 students would be fined 25 centavos if heard speaking in the vernacular, and students were considered dumb if they had their grammar wrong.

Things have changed – or so I thought. History is taught in Filipino now, but for a shorter time and not in all regions of the country. Students are no longer fined when speaking Filipino although continue to be punished and beaten for their misconduct. And still, finally, despite the recent scientific discovery of the seven domains of intelligence (and linguistics is just one domain), Filipinos still deride and demean wrong grammar and even wrong pronunciation for an archipelago with numerous ethno-linguistic tribes, and judge the speaker altogether as dumb.

Things have not really changed. There have been revisions in the curriculum but only in so far as there have been generations of nationalist and progressive thinkers (students and teachers alike) who would time and again push for some sanity in the Philippine educational system. Things have turned for the worse in fact – no less than the Philippine President is pushing through an executive order to make English the medium of instruction and shape education to serve the outsourcing needs of foreign corporations. Economic development in this country, according to the medium-term development plan, shall be propelled by call centers and tourism.

Watching 2008 Bb. Pilipinas-World winner Janina San Miguel answer in the Q&A portion of the pageant and after hearing all the half-time analyses and derisive comments on her bloopers, I can only lament how far we have been thrown back by this forced English. It is not only that we no longer enjoy learning new skills and exotic things, we have actually stopped learning. No, it is not Janina’s English that is crooked, it is the Philippine educational system that has produced robots for the world economy. She is not the nation’s embarrassment – it is the Philippine government that has disgraced all of us for all its wrong priorities. In the end, the ‘irregularity’ made by the pageant’s panel of judges in letting Janina win is nothing compared to President Arroyo’s cling to power while her legitimacy as President remains in question.

Oh, well, didn’t Janina say, “Oh, I’m so sorry!” in the Q&A? Guess that is the winning line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKwmseoKFCo

Eureka

Si Archimedes, isang scientist noong 300 B.C., nakadiskubre sa buoyancy sa pagkuha ng density ay mas makikilala sa kanyang pagtatakbo (balita ko hubo’t hubad pa at nagkakandirit pa siguro) habang sumisigaw ng “Eureka! Eureka!” Well, at least, ganyan sya kinuwento ng teacher ko nung first year high school ako.

Ako, baliktad. Tumatakbo muna bago ako makadiskubre ng mga bagay-bagay, na hindi naman of Eureka magnitude, ay sagot pa rin sa mga nakabara.


“Running can solve problems,” sabi ng mga runners. Totoo pala yun. Ilan lang sa mga eureka ko habang tumatakbo noong sabado sa academic oval.




1. Kaya pala malakas ang loob ni Arroyo na mag-Super-Regions ay awash with Chinese ODA ang gubyerno. Ang cheap kasi pala talaga ng pautang ng mga Intsik, wala pang social standards.

2. Kaya pala kahit walang tubig na lumalabas sa gripo ay sumasabak pa rin ang Maynilad sa negosyong ito kasi sa pagbubungkal pa lang ng mga kalsada kumikita na sya. “We do not only lay pipes, we build lives." Totoo pala yun. Hindi ba? Wala naman syang binanggit about providing water.


3. Hanggat may Balikatan ang US, hindi mapapatalsik si Arroyo sa EDSA. Bumabaha pa ng pera sa AFP.


4. Parang bampira rin ang CBCP - hayaan mo lang silang i-expose ang sarili nila sa liwanag, malulusaw din.

5. Si Bunye, mapatalsik si Arroyo o hindi, may career. Gusto ko syang kuning finance officer ng opisina namin, para kapag walang funds at hindi susweldo (na madalas mangyari), kaya nya itong ipaliwanag na para bang may salary increase na may bonus pa.


Sumunod na araw, linggo, may takbo na sponsored ng Bayan, "Exercise your Rights" - di ako nakasama, bukod sa nagkatrangkaso ako, e... iba na 'yun!