The necessity of backing off

To stoop when a bullet passes by is not cowardice. It is worse to defy it, only to fall and never to rise again. ---Pilosopo Tasio.

If you don't know Pilosopo Tasio, go read one of Rizal's novels, Noli Me Tangere.

The benefits of reading bad writing

"Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons," wrote Stephen King in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, "and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones."

Indeed, reading bad prose is sometimes better than reading a good one---it boosts your confidence and also makes you feel superior. That's what I felt when some months back I was reading the school paper of a nursing college in Davao City.

I've really made the right choice when I picked up that paper. I know now how not to write well.

The law of success according to Blas Ople

The nearest thing to a law of success is that if you are committed, you will succeed. The strength of commitment can even be quantified---in terms of the time and effort you allocate to your goals, not in sporadic burst, but in a steady state. ---Blas Ople, The Work Ethic and the Law of Success

My 15 minutes of fame

Ok, allow me to make one more post before I'll go.

Retreat

Starting today until Saturday, I'll be leaving the blogosphere to attend the annual Student Assistant Scholars Organization (SASO) retreat at the Benedictine Retreat House, Ulas, Davao City.

The objectives of this retreat are (1) "to strengthen our relationship with God and with one another, and (2) to recharge for us to become more effective in our workplace."

To me, however, there is one more objective: To catch up some sleep and live like a señorito even just for three days.

Anagram

When I read Dan Brown's novels, I thought that the man was so intelligent that he could fashion out anagrams. But Dan Brown is actually no genius, and everyone can do what Dan Brown did. Anagram Genius makes that possible. I tried entering it with names whose anagrams I want to see. See the results:

Arvin Antonio Villarosa Ortiz - "Razor as innovational vitriol"

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo - "I am a crap or a loyal aggro." (How genius is this Anagram Genius!)

Joseph Ejercito Estrada - "Reject hot jeopardise as." (You got it right.)

Bayani Fernando - "Annoy deaf brain."

Mikey Arroyo - "Okay! Oi! Merry."

Loren Legarda - "Old, rare angel."

Richard Gordon - "Grr! Rancid hood."

Noynoy Aquino - "Annoy IQ on you."

Mar Roxas - "Marx or as."

Update: Merceditas Gutierrez - "Cauterize direst germ." (That's too harsh.)

How to instill values among the students?

Are you a Values Education teacher? Are you a Values Education teacher whose overarching concern is to instill values among the students? Are you a Values Education teacher whose overarching concern is to instill values among the students, but is hard put to do so?

If you're all of the above, don't worry. Take heart. There are many teaching strategies you can use that could aid you in accomplishing your task. Why not use film viewing? Not only will it save your time, it will also help your students absorb values without them knowing it.

The upside of it is that films, especially animated films, teach lessons so graphically, entertainingly, beautifully that they don't appear like lessons at all. Which is what students like because, in truth, they prefer watching entertaining films to listening to a nagging teacher. Which is also what teachers like because, in truth, teachers will go hammer and tongs to avoid making lesson plans and visual aids.

As for what kind of films you will use, pick among these tried and tested ones:

• The Lion King


• A Bug's Life


• Ice Age


• Spirit


• Mulan


• Prince of Egypt


• Joseph, King of Dreams

After showing each film, be sure to pose the following guide questions:

1. Which among the scenes has caught your attention? Why?


2. What particular dialogue you find most meaningful for you? Why?


3. Who among the characters you like most? Why?


4. What values/lessons can you gain from the story?

'The Grand Complication'

The corner behind the Circulation section of the HCDC-H.S. Library is one place that's frequented by students. Their reason, I guess, is not so much to look for some good reads as it is to hide from the watchful eyes of the librarian and the student assistants.

One dull afternoon, I went there not to scold some noisy students, but to look for a book that could while my time away.

Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities" is there as well as such literary gems as Gertrude Stein's "Lucy Church Amiably," Albert Camus' "La Peste" (The Plague), and Graham Greene's "The Captain and the Enemy."

After going over one book after another, I settled for "The Grand Complication" by Allen Kurzweil.

Is my taste so bad that I bypassed Camus or Greene or Stein for Kurzweil?

What a semester!

The semester is over, and I can say that this semester is by far the most productive semester that I've ever had. Not that I was slumbering the previous semesters or, as the Bisaya would put it, nagpadako ra ko'g itlog. It's just that this semester alone, I've done things I never did before:

Finally...

Is Rene Saguisag back?

[caption id="attachment_1262" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Rene Saguisag. Photo by pcij.org"][/caption]

I mean, is he back to writing his column in the Manila Times?

I'm a fan of Rene Saguisag. That does not mean, however, I support each and every cause that he espoused. Remember his defense of Erap?

Still, it doesn't deter me from admiring the man. He is admirable in his own right. Go read a profile of Saguisag, "Quibbling Quixote," writ by Sheila Coronel, and you will find yourself asking, why today's public officials can't be like him: poor, honest, brilliant, and principled.

Most of all, I admire the way he expressed his opinion although, as Coronel noted, his "point is often lost in the lavish gloss of his words." This way with words had served Saguisag well in the past. In another profile, author Lorna Kalaw-Tirol wrote that Saguisag realized the power of the pen when he got accepted at Harvard by writing "one simple short letter that sounded like if you don't accept meyou will be committing a terrible mistake."

Like a stalker who stalks his stalkee, I read his column every Friday. His column, by the way, is called T.G.I.F. For the uninitiated, it's short for "Thank God it's Friday." So don't ask me why, if I'm truly a Saguisagite, I read his column only on Friday. Understand?

But Saguisag had stopped writing----paused might be apt a word----after he and his wife met a road mishap, which killed his wife, Dulce.

Surprisingly, on October 11, Sunday, Saguisag came back with an op-ed piece as biting as ever. I thought that Saguisag's permanently back to writing. But an editor's note dispelled my assumption: "Rene Saguisag has promised to resume writing his regular column one of these days. But this piece is not yet it, although we have placed his photo and column logo."

Yet I have a feeling that he'll be writing regularly now. It's not a wishful thinking. If you want an evidence, read his column today, though there's still this editor's note: "Rene Saguisag promised his tocayo Rene Bas to continue writing his column as often as he can. Let’s pray we get another one for next Friday."

Yeah, let's pray we get another T.G.I.F. for next Friday.

The essence of writing is rewriting

A manuscript page of John Updike's novel "Couples." From The Paris Review

Top of the world

Philippine Academy of Sakya, Davao: I wonder what it's like to be here.

Why Life with Ria?

I don't know what is life like with Ria, but I'll vote for Life with Ria anyway in the 2009 PBA Blogger's Choice Special Award (Mindanao).

I've been meaning to vote for Ria in the national category, but I didn't, thinking, mistakenly I found out, that it would enhance her chance of winning the 2009 PBA Best Personal Blog, of which I am one of the finalists.

Chos! Meganon?

But seriously, now that the first PBA awarding is over and neither one of us won, I might as well give my vote rather than withhold it. After all, I have precious little to lose anymore.

But of all the finalists, why would I vote for her? I want to know, so I e-mailed her and her reply was as short as it was frank.

"You must vote for me," she said, " 'coz I deserve to win.  I share insights, stories, and experiences with my own unique point of view."

Which is which

I am no poet. But I don’t hate poetry at all. Though I shun the way poets obscure their message, I still like the way they weave the words to produce so beautiful a sound like only a poem can.

I’m just a tepid fan of poetry. That perhaps explains my short list of favorite poems. One such favorite of mine is “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost—partly because it’s easy to read and decipher its meaning, but mainly because it resonates with me:

People respond to incentives---or comments

Nothing inspires me more than to receive a comment from a reader. It keeps me going. As economists would put it, it's a great incentive.

The comment below I received sometime in June 2008 when my essay was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer's Youngblood section:

Please send my feedback to the author of the Youngblood article 'Why teach?', but I want to remain anonymous. Please tell him that teachers are the people I look up to. Teachers are very important to me because a part of who I am right now is because of them. I owe them a lot for the knowledge and wisdom i have right now. They continue to make good citizens. I hope he won't feel belittled anymore.

Whenever someone comments on my writeup, I can't help but be delighted because it means three things:

1. Someone reads you,


2. He/she understands you,


3. He/she takes the trouble to write you.

How did my blog fare at the 2009 PBA?

There are just few things you need to know how did this blog fare at the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards:

1. The Free Lancer didn't win as the Flippish Viewer's Choice Award. RALPHGUZMAN.ORG won. But that's all right---there were 19 of us who didn't win anyway. To those who voted for my blog, campaigned for it, promoted it, thank you.


2. The Free Lancer didn't win as the Best Personal Blog. Writing On Air---which is owned by Jim Paredes of the APO fame---won. Still, that's all right---there were 19 of us who didn't win.


3. Isn't it nice to see your blog have that proverbial 15 minutes of fame?

'Cory is beautiful'

(The following essay was written by Mrs. Lourdes "Ma'am Gee" Gamutan, an
English and Literature professor at the Holy Cross of Davao College.)



Cory!

by Ma'am Gee

She held my hand in a warm clasp. I looked into her kind, lit-up face. While it was not yet my turn for her attention, I sized her up. Creamy skin. The kind that speaks of Chinese genes. Open, smiling face. The one that welcomes you without built-in reservation. Simple. Sans make up. In a person who hold number one authority in this land, it's a pleasant absurdity. There is no inclination to arrogance or meanness or claims to power in her aura. This is a wife of a hero. She herself a heroine to democracy in this corner of the earth.

1st Alternative Blog Awards unveiled

The Philippine Blog Awards (PBA) gives out over a dozen of awards at its annual show: Best in Personal, Best in Commentary, Best in News & Media, etc. Yet there are countless blogs that also deserve recognition. But unfortunately those blogs do not make it to the PBA simply because they do not fall under any of the PBA’s category. It’s difficult to determine whether they belong to the Personal Category, News & Media, or Gaming.

I propose, then, the following categories in the interest of giving recognition to other deserving blogs. These awards will be given at the 1st Alternative Blog Awards (ABA).

DWG-NCCA Bisaya Fiction Contest Winners

The long wait is over. Out of the 21 who joined the first ever Davao Writers Guild-NCCA Bisaya Fiction Contest, the three winners are:

1st Prize Winner: Ug Mingiob ang Kalibotan by Raul Moldez
2nd Prize Winner: Kadula by Brian Ang
3rd Prize Winner: Mga Dalan sa Downtown by Javin Jet Tevar

(I cannot say they're the three lucky winners because it wasn't by sheer luck that they won.)

Meanwhile, the awarding ceremony is tentatively at Bagobo House Hotel, Gov. Duterte St., October 17, 5:00 PM (tentatively).

Congratulations to the winners---and to the non-winners as well.

Yes, I am one of the 21 contestants. The bad news is, I am one of the non-winners. But the good news is, I am one of the non-winners.

A night with Cathy

[caption id="attachment_1198" align="aligncenter" width="540" caption="Tionko Ave.---one of the places in Davao City where prostitution is thriving."][/caption]

“While nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer, nothing is more difficult than to understand him.”— Fyodor Dostoevsky

“Why not child prostitution?” my research professor asked me and my two group mates, Adam and Mark.

There was a silence. I didn’t know what to say. Adam and Mark didn’t say a word either. They just looked at me, as though they were telling me not to accept our professor’s suggestion. I knew then what they meant, so I told our professor, “We’ll think about it, Sir.”

My group mates handed over me, being the leader of our group, the decision to choose a subject for our research. Early on we decided that we would be doing a research on street children. After all, they are easy to find. They are everywhere. But our professor told us that it’s very common. “Choose something that’s least studied,” he said, “a subject that’s novel.”

When we couldn’t think of a subject aside from what we proposed before, I asked our professor what he could suggest. He suggested child prostitution. “But Sir," I protested, "it would be very difficult for us to do it."

'Bata sa garapon' (Child in the canister)

A spark of insight can happen anywhere, anytime. It can happen while you're in the comfort room. It can happen while you're standing in the waiting shed. Heck, it can even happen in the middle of fornication.

It happened to Paul while he was on his way to Damascus. It happened Archimedes while he's in the bath tub.

Mine was during our Cooperative Learning Strategy Seminar. Our invited resource speaker, Mr. Ritchie Sermon, gave us an activity---the second of the three activities---called "Community Circle."

Imitation (San Pedro's haute couture)

[caption id="attachment_1174" align="aligncenter" width="405" caption="San Pedro at night (Photo by Joji Alcantara)"][/caption]

(Below is my first ever published article in The Mindanao Times. I've been searching for the soft copy of this piece, and yesterday I finally found it. How things have changed! --- Arvin Ortiz.)

San Pedro Street offers a wide variety of amusements and attractions. You have the Rizal Park which occasionally stages cultural shows, musical concerts, and dance programs. In front of San Pedro Cathedral, you have Osmeña Park which is most visited by old folks not because it offers a refreshing place to relax, but because of the speech brawl and whimsical joust frequently conducted in the park, discussing diverse issues in politics, religion, and societal ills.

Meters away, you have a line of shopping malls—Unitop, Lachmi, Fabrica, etc.—with several items inside, offering latest products of high-end handbags, foot wears, and other such luxury goods as Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton with its famous “LV” monogram, Lacoste, Havaianas, Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Marithe Francois Girbaud, and the list keeps going.

Surprisingly, though, they are sold at hugely reduced prices, which made them suspect.

Thank you, Ma'am, Sir

As my tribute to some of my memorable teachers, I wrote two essays, honoring their contribution to my upbringing. The first essay, "Ma'am G, how could I thank thee?" was published in the Learning section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The second, "Mr. Zombie," was published in The Mindanao Times.

The first essay is my tribute to Mrs. Lourdes Gamutan, my Lit 1 and English college teacher, whom we fondly called Ma'am G. The second one is my tribute to Mr. Felipe Zombilon, my 3rd year English high school teacher, who prefers to be called Mr. Zombie.

Of course, there are more teachers I would like to thank, most notably:

Ms. Lorna Castañares, my 2nd year English teacher. Thank you, Ma'am, for teaching me that books are to be read, not dreaded. You were the first teacher who forced me to read books. From you, I also learned that sobriquet is the other word for nickname, that a camel is also called dromedary, that a beggar can be called mendicant, and many other words. In your class, Ma'am, I experienced for the first time "The Sophies' Social" where you taught us how to sip the soup and eat the food with grace and finesse.

Mr. Romeo Rosales, my 4th year Math teacher and adviser. Thank you, Sir, for telling me that I'm good at Math even though I almost flunked it while I was in 3rd year. I know you wanted me to major in Math, but I've taken up Social Studies. Still, I haven't forgotten what you told us: That whatever we do, we must always give our best.

Mrs. Cabel, my Grade 3 adviser. Thank you, Ma'am, for accepting me in your class. I was from a private school then. Since the school did no longer accept me (I don't know why), I had to transfer to another school. My mother decided to enroll me in Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Central Elementary School. All the sections, however, were already full. Yet my mother insisited and she approached and pleaded you to accept me. You did. It's been many years, Ma'am, that we haven't seen each other. But when we do, you still remember not only my face, but also my name.

And to all my teachers---past and present, dead and alive, strict and its opposite, rich and wretched, cold and senile---thank you Ma'am, Sir.

Quality teachers = quality education

Aside from the "No Prostitution Day," today, October 5, is also the "World Teachers' Day." This year's theme is "Build the Future: Invest in Teachers Now."

I think this year's celebration is well-themed. We should really invest in the teachers. We should give as much focus to improving their lot as we do to students. For what makes schools tick is neither air-conditioned classrooms nor nice textbooks. It's the quality of teachers.

A 2007 research done by McKinsey & Company argued that the reasons why some schools perform better than the others are that these schools: (1) get the right people to become teachers, (2) develop them into effective instructors, and (3) ensure that they are able to deliver the best possible instruction for every child.

The 21st century slavery

[caption id="attachment_1148" align="aligncenter" width="405" caption="On Tionko Avenue near the Central Bank, street-level prostitution is thriving."][/caption]

Among the places in Mindanao, Davao City is lucky enough to have been spared from the wars that continue to ravage its neighbors. But it has not been spared from what Nicholas Kristof, a Pulitzer prize-winning columnist in The New York Times, dubbed as the 21st century slavery—prostitution.

Today, October 5, Davao City is celebrating the “No Prostitution Day.” This is the fifth time that the city is celebrating it.

Does the celebration mark the end of prostitution?

The 10 Most Annoying English Grammar Errors by Jose Carillo (A Book Review)

If you approach a snake-oil vendor, he will tell you, without a moment's hesitation, that something's wrong with you, and that you better take his medicine. A medical doctor, by contrast, after performing a battery of tests, not only will tell what ails you, but also explains what causes your ailment. Then he will recommend the best cure possible.

Jose Carillo, the English-usage columnist of The Manila Times, is like the latter---he does not only point out the flaw(s) in a sentence, or in a paragraph, or in an entire composition, he explains as well how come it's wrong, and prescribes an antidote to avoid committing the same mistake again.

With a clinical eye of a doctor, Carillo diagnosed the recurrent---so recurrent that the author finds them annoying---grammar errors in his second English-usage book, "The 10 Most Annoying English Grammar Errors." (The first being "English Plain and Simple: No-Nonsense To Learn Today's Global Language"---which was given by the Manila Critics Circle a National Book Award.)

'When writers speak'

I admire Paul Krugman. Which is why I read his columns in New York Times and his blog, although some of them are hardly understandable, as far as my unlettered economic mind is concerned.

I admire Krugman's eloquence and the richness and power of his prose. But when I listen to him, I wonder if he's the same Krugman who writes the columns. When he talks, he stammers. Sometimes it takes him a long time to get his message across.



Still, Krugman has my admiration. After all, "writers don’t have to be brilliant conversationalists; it’s not their job to be smart except, of course, when they write," argues Arthur Krystal in his essay, "When Writers Speak."

Thanks for Sir Jose Carillo for the pointer.

Absurd

After insinuating the last time that the CHR 's public inquiry into the vigilante-style killings in Davao City is but politically motivated, a demolition job, a political harassment, 2nd District Councilor Danny Dayanghirang has now an absurd theory why the killings continue until today.

"The number of law violators in our city has not dwindled down, in fact, it is only increasing," said Dayanghirang in his Mindanao Times Op-Ed piece, "Davao residents in the losing end," which appeared on October 01, 2009. "This could be attributed to the never-ending investigation of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on the crimes in our city. The investigation of the CHR has made publicity to our city. Although we welcome the investigation of the CHR in order to purge the city from any misconception and to clear the name of the city, the slow paced investigation has only made the crime rate in the city grow. The criminal elements have shown its ugly head again, knowing that the investigation of the CHR would weaken the efficency of our police force."