thank you Lord for friends

In our lifetime, we meet people who will always be there for you whenever you need them (or when they're there but you don't want them near you) . As another year comes to an end and as an individual I have come to experience a lot of things in this world, I also got to know and met a lot of personalities.

Nothing beats having a great day with one's great friends. Thank you.

what's with the dragon's tail?

Aha! So this is what those volunteers have been doing all along! Hehehe! Oh come on. They're just having so much fun with their party. Thank you LC Volunteers! Padayon! Merry Christmas!

parties, parties, parties!

The high school had put up a hat party in the quadrangle. A fedora hat would just be right for the occasion.

Glam was the word everybody had to be during the university party. I had to manage the stage during the entire show. Never really had the chance to eat.

we're all in this together - xu through the years

I was not able to see the full show, I wish the backstage had a monitor. Nonetheless, the show was something worth remembering. I cannot remember the number of nights the production had to stay late which started from the auditions, practices, meetings, threading, final rehearsals and of the performance night.

Sir H, thank you very much for the trust and the opportunity. Jake, your songs are so marvelous! Sir Marlowe, your the best technical man! Ivanell, thank you for having me in your office for a day or two. Hehehe! It was definitely a pleasure and honor working with you guys.

fingerfire stop roundup!

Fingerfire Stop at SM for the 9th It's all in the Band contest!

Tada! Presenting to you... Excellence Campaign

This is what the Promotion Team has been very busy with. This is a dream come true to come up with the Excellence Campaign for XUHS as the university celebrates its 75th year. This is the project of Lera for the Promotions for XUHS. Christie did a whole lot of work for this campaign. I completely trust her creative processes and indeed she has never failed to impress us.

was it out of the blue?

Lyrics | Chris Rice lyrics - When Did You Fall lyrics

I just ended a very manic week...

 

...and then you listen to this kid, and you say to yourself "Darn! This kid can melt all your problems away with his talent!" I think I have to really be working so hard because I don't have this kind of virtuoso-ness at a very young age (Mine was eating a plateful of spaghetti and that was just it!). 

Sungha Jung made me wake up after a tiring work week. Play more beautiful music to inspire!

stress levels are high - time to dig in!

Had late dinner at Vienna Kauffehaus with music tandem Cheryl and Jake.

Lolay had her Hungarian Sausage, Jake his lasagna and I had to try their Neptune Platter.

When all was done, we had to have cakes blueberry cheesecake, brazo and chocolate mud cake.

finger firestop startup!

Lera and I met with her friends who will create the music video for Finger Firestop's song Bagong Umaga. 

These guys had to share with the concept-making of the music video. Well, Im not so sure if the video guys got a lot from them. More goofing! Talk about working with teens.

I hope we could make it through this. 

banda ni papet!

I had to make a rush to the main campus for the auditions for the Xavier Day's program on the 3rd of December. Jake and Jo were very much of great help to bring their club members with them to the audition location. I spotted... (ok so they spotted me first)

It was Banda ni Papet!

It was very refreshing to see these guys perform. They really wanted to be a part of the whole program for the opening. I haven't seen these guys in years. When they were still with us they had the passion and the drive (did I forget talent?) to perform. I was able to provide them a venue during the HS show in the main (oh yeah, that was still during XU Days) and during their grad ball, we distributed their songs in CD as memento for their batch (there were during bands during their year. I remember coming up with a jingle writing activity for these kids for SV Agreement just to get them to appreciate grammar!) 

I guess all the bands wanted to be there since I also saw John Ganzan and Paolo Ang's band and they now call themselves Random. 

And Soundtable was there too. This is all getting weird. I had three students in the band. Joshua and Raffy now are with that band. 

And also spotted...

Hey, why is John Paul here? He said his band was auditioning too! Small world!

We ended the whole thing at around 11pm. Not so good. I think my body is failing me. 

the brewing starts here... excellence campaign

Lera and I have been all in the talks in making something diffrent this year for the promotions. We did one last year but I considered risking more this year but offering my assistance to her office. I think we could so much with all of her ideas and mine for this year. 

We couldnt help but get excited for what will happen this week. 

Christie and Nessa were very much appreciated for their participation for this work. I coudn't be more proud of these very talented students to rise up to the challenge to help us make this dream into a reality. I have already challenged Christie about the project and she was very much willing to work with us. I believe her talent, she has what it takes to make it, and she couldnt refuse me telling her this is something big (and I couldnt just

 let this be handled by someone I couldnt trust)!

Last week we have already chosen those who we will make to appear for the campaign. It wasnt a very easy job, considering the whole thing must well represent the school and they should also photograph well. 

We started early since we only have the whole morning to work this all out. We started in the kiosks and later in the concrete benches. We then proceeded to the chapel and then in the main building lobby. After there we took more in the LRC and the laboratories. We called it a wrap after we got the final shots in the new canteen. 

Phase one is done. I hope things get only better after this. I could sense my stress levels rise. 

you might find it hard to choose...

The cakes in Candy's are considered to be the best in the city, I got myself the tiramisu (above) and Jake got the very sinful chocolate cake (below). He already had a taste of what I had and it wasn't a favorite of his. I had enough of chocolate. We enjoyed our own cakes, no crossing of forks transpired.

get together everyone!

Got an invite to celebrate Kaye' s birthday at Skypark. Since Kaye was with me for two years, I met both Gonzales and Mayer students in the celebration.













Time to goof around, enjoy the food and the great company. You cant help it, it was a Friday night.
















Happy Birthday Kaye!

praliné! praliné! praliné!

Chocolate lovers! Hear me!

You have got to try Leonidas!

"drew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy"

This statement was taken from the transcript of Sen. Barack Obama's speech at the Grant Park rally after he won the race for the White House. He attributes his victory particularly to the youth where his campaign had put its efforts significantly.

The workload may weary any teacher's body but the ideals they bear (please say yes if the students really have this) can always shake your spine.

uhm... i have questions that need answers

I was so stressed out before the start of classes since I had to be in a meeting that took a whole day to finish! (Whew! Argh! Grrr!) And so what better way to de-stress than to sit on a comfortable seat and exercise one's suspension of disbelief and watch James Bond do his spy vs spy work.

The film was not the usual Bond film, for me it was more serious (like Bourne) which made it more appealing for me.

James Bond... check.
A Bond Girl ... check
Villain ... check
M... check

wait, what happened to Q? and Money Penny? What happened to these two characters that give so much spice to this franchise. Did they do this on purpose?

fallen

I had my first encounter of Richard Poon's music thanks to Anili (she met him personally) and I think I need a break from the usual music i fill my ipod with. His rendition of Fallen is a breather. I also like Let's Call the Whole Thing Off.

I miss playing the piano. As Richard sings his song, I can hear the instrument calling me back to play.

am i allowed to smile?

Some say yes, others say no. This is confusing. Just wish me the best of luck.

how did you look when you were four?

Haha! Well this is my answer. This was taken after hearing mass for my 4th birthday. You should thank my nanay for the very crisp polo (I could still visually remember that shirt) and the short shorts (please dont laugh, I was still a kid then).

we're back!

Haha! Who would have thought its coming back after two years?
Thank you very much yammiedoo for the brilliant design!

swim, laugh and live

Thanks to the very adventurous then-students-now-friends mayer pips, a getaway came to reality. The guys just had a ym conference and decided to meet again since it was already their semestral break. 

Everybody had fun in the sand. I just couldn't think of any place to regain the energy loss within the semester. 

There were only a handful of people in the beach and the weather was just perfect. 

a story i have to perk up

Very fortunate of me to have attended an ACELT Bi-Annual Conference. They had invited all female writers since the conference was dedicated to young women writers in the Philippines.

i cu talk

I was invited by a college classmate then (now an instructor in CU) to give a talk in a symposium they brewed for their students. Although I had to be in another place(far away) the next day, I gladly accepted the invitation.

It was something scary and exciting since I was going to be talking in another insitution.

I got there and did my part. I was very nervous. I had to work it out (I did I good presentation for that event).

I had to do well because my talk was giving them steps on how to overcome the fear of speaking! Hahaha!

The organizers said I created an impression to the audience. Whew!

kagay-an and kadayawan: a perspective

To juxtapose two festivities in the Philippines in an effort to provide an apparent comparison may well end up with bringing out not only the best attributes of each but also appreciating the essence of what celebrations truly are. In this literary endeavor where the focus is on two feasts in the southern part of the country, particularly in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Davao, it is hard to figure that this essay is representational in scale since all year round a barrio, municipality or a city has its celebration of sorts backed up by a religious-historical foundation and sustained by obvious commercialism and tourism.

From Kalambagohan to Kagay-haan to the present Kagay-an as a festival title, this is an indicator of the constant change in direction and objectives of the government’s initiative to promote the city fiesta of Cagayan de Oro City. Presently, with the assistance of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Promote CDO Foundation, Inc., a more streamlined and educated promotion of the festivities is hoped to be achieved by once and for all nailing the appropriate title for a city fiesta that was erroneously once thought of the be a place of shame. On the other hand, Kadayawan as a term is derived from “dayaw” which basically means what is good. Similarly, the title also was a change from “Apo Duwaling” - a mix of the three best features of the city; the magnificent Mt. Apo, the intoxicatingly delightful durian fruit and the exotic waling-waling orchid. With a transformation of its name, Kadayawan has evolved as a festival title, true to its aim of showcasing everything excellent the city of Davao has to offer to its people and guests.

Both the Kagay-an and the Kadayawan owe their core to religious-spiritual and historical grounds. Although both are celebrated annually during the month of August, it is good to note that Kagay-an as a festivity is anchored on the feast of St. Augustine of Hippo of whom is the patron saint of the City of Cagayan de Oro. A religious fiesta starts with a nine day novena ending on the feast day itself. Kagay-an can then be equated with that of the Sinulog of Cebu, which is different from Bacolod’s Masskara Festival as the latter is more similar to Kadayawan. Institutionalized after the Martial Law era as a response to a challenge to unify Davao, Kadayawan has acknowledge the diverse cultures and heritage of Davao as a melting pot in southern Mindanao and provides the venue for the promotion and appreciation evident in their Indigenous Peoples Festival (Lumadnong Kasaulogan).

For anyone to say that the Filipino is for the flamboyant and the exaggerated is indeed an understatement. Both Kagay-an and Kadayawan have the streets filled with hip-gyrating beat and vibrant color. Whether you are in the People’s Park watching the different tribes in Davao meet and showcase their dance and rituals or you are in Kiosko Kagawasan along Velez Street in Cagayan de Oro as you are awed by the Golden Float Parade and the Higaonon Dance Festival, one can’t simply let one’s eyes off the pretty sight of performers dancing their way to appeal the audience and to grab the coveted prize.

Amidst all the merriment and vibe festivities like what Kagay-an and Kadyawan have to offer, the incongruity lies in the idea that a lot of these bank much on commercialism. Bringing a native dance or festivities from its source to the city streets are two very different environs that do not share the same weight in the cultural dimension. There are very minute nuances that are lost when cultural dances, for example are performed in the concrete streets. The great proliferation of commercialism also poses a threat to the essence of these celebrations wherein the objectives are gradually blurred from the people as merchandises of all sorts spring prominent all around the city. It has become a sad plight of any city where commerce dictates how a celebration like a city fiesta should run. It is very important to note that we should be able to make up for what we have as a community to make sure that the preservation of culture should be maintained rather than that of gaining monetary merit from all of these festivities. In the attempt to make a community thrive, the education of both the young and the old and exposing them to our heritage comes primary in the quest to cultural identity and that of national survival in this fast changing world. Culture is something that is lived, not something that is just watched from afar, as seen with colorful buntings high above the azure sky, scattered food peelings and scraps in lane corners and a fetid air of urine-laced city walls.

the great debaters

Thanks Fr. Pen (again!) for giving me a copy of this film. As I was watching it, I cant help but think already of guide questions (the teacher in me) I will ask my fourth year students (I will use this material to supplement their Of Mice and Men reading experience.

Once again, Daghang Salamat!

ok , so its my birthday...

I would want to say my congratulations to the OSASI team for actually coming up with the best prank yet for my birthday this year.

I was trying to get some sleep (after work hours, of course) then they woke me up and told them Fr. Pen and Mr. Gomez wanted to see me at the AP Conference. I went to check since I think I missed something I need to report to them... and then...

SURPRISE!

(Pop went the party poppers. But yes we had to clean it all up, every piece of it or else, we might not be able utilize the room again.

They also gave me this decorate-your-coordinator's-cake-to-represent-all-your-frustrations (that's why it looks like that) Haha! Thanks Alice and Gerlie!

cam you all!

Just got this. I love the elegance it exudes. OK, so I will try to get an digital SLR if I can. If I can. When Kodak started their campaign to capture memories, they thought cameras are just there to grab the photo. Well, in one of the proms I attended, it felt weird when the students all went to the dance floor taking pictures of themselves. Most of them weren't even dancing! So, I asked myself what memories are they capturing? Where they capturing the ball or the picture-taking scene.

I'll try to stick to the former.

the games that made us one

I think this promotional campaign of BBC Sports on the Olympics is one of those I really like. It has the works of Jamie Hewlett. If you think the animation looks familiar, let me know about it. Hahaha! Olympic Spirit has embraced Pop Culture!

worse

If we love someone so much,

how will we be able to handle the day when we are separated?

And, if being separated is a part of life, and you know about separation well,

Is it possible that we can love someone and never be afraid of losing them?

At the same time, I am also wondering Is it possible that,

we can live our entire life without loving anyone at all?

That’s my loneliness. I fear it will continue to get worse.

who am i?

What Anito Means

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

thou shall speak

One task that we have required the students in fourth year was for them to create a poster slogan to use the English language in school. I always find it amazing when students encounter any English task we give to them. You see, the term task is given a different light in our subject. Its an activity that we give our students that make them use the language in real-life situations.

students activities rally 08

the last lecture

I never got to finish Alboom's Tuesdays with Morrie. I don't know, there is something about dying in that read that didn't just feel right. I guess we all have some irk when we are confronted with death.

Oprah introduced this professor in her show. He talked about how he is surviving pancreatic cancer and how he is making preparations for his end. There is something about him that was inspiring. Never really felt sorry for the guy.

And now I am reading his book. I'm still in the first few parts of the book and something he had experienced when he was young made me think about my being a teacher.

"When you're screwing up and and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you."

That made me think about a student who just recently texted me. He was asking if I was still going to be teaching senior students. I said I only have one for this year. And I jokingly asked him if he also wanted this class to "suffer" the way they did when I handled them. He laughed and said that even if they had a hard time with me, he really had a memorable year.

I'm not so sure about my being with them is "memorable", but I must say I have been very hard with my students. I have always been. I think this is something that I can say to them. Its not really about making them miserable, I think its about making them feel that they have more to show, to give, to be...

I don't want to give up just yet... I don't want to come to that point that I will give up on someone, especially a student.

I can't wait to read more... the pages are calling me to read further.

twisted 8

I got myself a copy of Jessica Zafra's latest book. I told myself I haven't had a good read. I might as well get to read more books for summer.

good company + good food

I got a chance to meet two good friends and got to this Grecian-inspired restaurant Cyma in Greenbelt. I had a busy week (its work, not play) but they were cool enough to wait for me to be free from all the work and we talked all night long.

jslc

All eight Jesuit high schools in the Philippines come together