Saturday, January 30, 2010

Pangaral Ng Isang Cool Na Magulang

This was sent to me by one of my buddies. I find it funny at the same time true. That's why I’d like to share it with you - BlogusVox

Anak, sa maniwala ka o sa hindi, ikaw ang pinakamagandang nangyari sa buhay ko.. Kahit hindi kami naging mag-asawa ng nanay mo, sana huwag kang magtatampo kung ikasal kami sa iba at magkaroon ka ng mga bagong kapatid. Magmahalan kayo bilang magkakapatid, at huwag ninyong gawing telenobela ang buhay ninyo dahil sa walang kakwenta-kwentang bagay.

Mahalin mo ang nanay mo. Wala siyang ibang inisip kundi kapakanan Mo. Kung paluin ka man niya o sigawan, ito ay dahil may nagawa kang hindi sang-ayon sa mga prinsipyo niya. Itanong mo kung bakit ka niya pinapagalitan. Kung mali naman talaga, huwag mo nang ulitin. Piliin mong mabuti ang mga kaibigan mo. Huwag sumali sa barkada na may iisang stereotype. Huwag sumali sa barkada na puro jologs, puro conio, puro bakla, puro nerd, puro manginginom, puro manyak, puro leadtech, puro equipment tech, puro Process engr, puro equipment engr, puro visor, puro manager, puro HR, puro IE o puro nasa taas lang ang kaya mong batiin! Siguraduhin mong nakikita mo ang lahat ng klase ng tao sa barkada mo. Mas marami kang matututunan sa kanila kesa sa TV o sa bahay mo. Marami silang maituturo sa yo na hindi namin kaya, o hindi appropriate na kami ang magturo.

Maging fluent ka sa written and spoken English. Pag-aralan mong mabuti ang subject-verb agreement. Huwag kang matakot mag-consult sa dictionary o thesaurus kapag may hindi ka naiintindihan. Kasi anak,darating ang araw, makakaapak ka sa ibang bansa, at sigurado akong marami kang makakausap na hindi makakaintindi ng Tagalog. Kahit saang sulok sa mundo, makakahanap ka ng nagsasalita ng English. Kung wala ka namang makuhang trabaho eh pwede kang pumasok sa call center at dun mo gamitin ang english mo! Gawin mo ang lahat para matuto kang mag-gitara. Pag-aralan mo ding kumanta ng nasa tono. Kahit saan mo kasi dalhin ang gitara, maaaliw ka e. Isipin mo yung mga bulag. Hindi sila nakakapag-PSP. Hindi sila nakakapag-Internet. Hindi sila nanonood ng TV, at hindi sila nakakapag-enjoy sa mall. Pero bigyan mo sila ng gitara at pakantahin mo, matutuwa sila. May kuryente man o wala, mapapasaya ka ng gitara. Makinig ka sa mga kanta ng Beatles. Kapag naging aware ka na sa pag-develop ng musical style ng Beatles, kahit anong genre kaya mong i-appreciate. Sa kanila ka matututong magsulat ng poetry, at sa kanila mo rin matututunan kung paano lagyan ng music ang poetry na ito. Saan ka nakakita ng banda na lampas 30 years nang naghiwalay, patay na ang ilan sa mga miyembro, pero sikat at ginagaya pa rin? Beatles lang ang makakagawa nun, anak. Kung di mo naman trip ang Beatles eh pwede kang makinig ng EMO, grunge rock, heavy metal, indie, punk o alternative! Basta wag ka makikinig sa Cueshe at kay April Boy!

Pagdating mo ng college, huwag mong kakalimutang subukan lahat ng kalokohan sa mundo. Bakit college? Kasi kung high school ka magiging sira ulo, mawawalan ka ng options sa college. Baka sa walang kwentang money-centric computer institute ka bumagsak. Mag-aral ka ng mabuti sa elementary at high school. Dapat makapasok ka sa UP, Ateneo, La Salle , o UST, AdU, Mapua or PUP. Dapat maganda yung course mo. Mas maganda kung engineering ang course mo! Pero kung gusto mong yumaman, Nursing na lang kunin mo! Matatagalan kasi pagyaman mo kung engineer ka! Sa college, balansehin mo yung academics mo tsaka kalokohan.

Gumimik ka pero pasukan mo lahat ng klase mo kinbukasan. Huwag magpakalasing kung wala kang siguradong uuwian at kung walang aalalay sa yo pag sumusuka ka na. Wag maadik sa droga. Sumubok kang mag-marijuana pero subok lang. Kung dadating yung panahong hindi mo na mapigilang makipag-sex, siguraduhin mo lang na gaganda ang lahi natin kung sakaling mabuntis mo yung makaka-sex mo. Siguraduhin mo rin na babae ang partner mo! Marami kasi sa Bora at Puerto eh mga bakla! Practice safe sex. Wag mong kakalimutang mag-survey ng lugar kung may camera o wala. Kawawa naman ang nanay mo kung malalaman niyang may scandal ka. Kung gagawa ka naman ng scandal, make sure na nasa separate na Memory Card sya, iwasan mo na ma-corrupt para mai-blutooth mo sakin!

Huwag mong gawing trial and error ang pagkakaroon ng girlfriend. Alamin mo muna kung ano ang kaya mong ibigay sa isang relationship, at kapag nalaman mo na, doon ka maghanap ng isang babaeng magiging masaya sa mga maibibigay mo. Pakinggan mong mabuti ang mga kuwento ng girlfriend mo. Alamin mo kung ano ang mga gusto niya at mga ayaw niya. Huwag mong sisigawan. Dahil ang babae, kapag pinakinggan mo siya at alam niyang nirerespeto mo siya, mamahalin ka nun habambuhay.

Pagka-graduate mo, iwanan mo na ang mga araw na umaasa ka pa sa Ibang tao para mabuhay. Pumasok ka sa Sunpower para malaman mo ang value ng pera! Mahirap ata kitain ang 9300 sa isang buwan! Dose oras na Load Unload yun! Matuto kang mag-ipon. Alamin mo kung tama yung kinakaltas sa sweldo mo. Pinaghirapan mo yang pera na yan. Huwag mong hayaang kunin na lang ng kung sinu-sino. Bago ka gumastos, lagi mong itanong sa sarili mo kung ang bibilhin mo ay isang NEED , isa lamang WANT, isa lamang YABANG, o isa lamang SUNOD SA USO! Sana maging accountable sa lahat ng ginagawa mo. Oo, hindi maganda ang sitwasyon nung dumating ka sa mundo. Pero sana sa paglaki mo, huwag mong sisisihin ang mga pangyayaring ito kaya ka nagrerebelde o nalulugar sa masamang landas. Ang buhay mo ngayon ay dahil sa desisyon namin na mabuhay ka. Pero tandaan mo to: lahat ng mangyayari sa buhay mo e dahil sa mga desisyon mo.

Anak, marami pa akong gustong sabihin sa iyo. Buti na lang naitanong ko sa isang kaibigan ko kung ano ang kaisa-isang advice na maibibigay niya sa anak nya, at eto yung nasabi niya sa kin. Sa lahat ng maibibigay kong advice, eto ang pinakamahalaga:

LEARN.Huwag kang matakot matuto. Matuto ka sa Discovery at National Geographic channels. Matuto ka sa library. Matuto ka sa Internet. Matuto ka sa news. Matuto ka sa Bible, Koran, at teachings ni Buddha. Matuto ka sa mga pagkakamali namin ng nanay mo. Matuto ka sa mga kaibigan mo. Higit sa lahat Matuto ka sa mga pagkakamali mo.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Being In a Wrong Place at a Wrong Time

Fortune, it seems, remains a stranger to some people whose only deed was to seek a better life and a place under the sun. Take the case of Jason Aguilar who is unfortunate to have a namesake with an allege killer and an entry date in Qatar on the same day the crime happened in the Philippines. That is just too much a coincidence and bad luck to a poor guy.

Another case is that of Jakatia Pawa, a domestic helper in Kuwait, who is accused of stabbing her employer’s daughter to death. But this time, not only her employment but also her life is at stake.

A lot of speculation surrounds this case. But if we take into consideration the evidence reported here and what an embassy official said (aired on TFC) about the daughter having an affair with a neighbor, I can also speculate that this maybe a case of “honor killing”, and framed an innocent helper for the misdeed. The sad thing is we have to beg for their mercy and ask for their forgiveness on something we didn’t do. It is unfair, but if you’re an expatriate in these parts of the world, your rights are limited, your freedom is restricted and your safety depends on how you obey the laws of the land.

I have no sympathy for our incarcerated kababayans caught gambling, womanizing and drinking alcohol. They know it’s against the law, still they did it. I have no pity to those couriers of illegal substance, and then admit their stupidity and ignorance when caught. The same feeling I have to those caned for throwing chewing gums on the streets of Singapore. But my compassion goes to those who are innocent yet languishing in some foreign jails and in some cases forgotten by our government.

For those of us who are “lucky” enough, be wary of your surroundings and people around you. Remember “trust” and “confidence” are expensive commodities. Don’t give it totally.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Monday, January 11, 2010

Educating Bea (Part III)

As a kindergarten, I’m impressed to see Bea (now 4 years old) and her classmates already know how to read three-letter words up to one syllable five-letter words in English. Bea can also add numbers as long as the sum does not exceed ten. If it’s more than that, she needs her toes as additional reference.

But it’s not only Bea learning. We, as parents, were also given extra task of tutoring her at home. Her school made it a point to include parents in the process by assigning “homework” to kids which, in some cases, the parents did it themselves. My wife does the cutting and pasting of objects on her notebook. I do a little bit of drawing but don’t interfere unless it concerns “reading” or “counting”.

At first I thought “yakang-yaka yan”. But my mistake was to assume too much in my capability and not looking at things from the point of view of a child. I realize that with all the education I got, books I’ve read, I’m still ignorant when it comes to the art of teaching. Cases in point:

Right of Left
When she was in nursery, they were taught “directions” (far, near, up, down, right, left etc). But in an exercise in one of their books, an illustration of a boy pointing to the right with a question “where is the boy pointing?”, Bea encircled the word “left” and the teacher marked it “X”. When I asked Bea where her right is, she raised her right arm. But when I showed her the “X” mark, she insisted - “Look Daddy oh”, and began mimicking the boy in the drawing. And she was right, I mean, correct. The boy was pointing to the left! Bea just demonstrated one of Einstein’s famous theories (the one about a bouncing ball inside a moving train). It all depends on the observer! To the reader, the boy is pointing right. But with respect to the boy, he is pointing left. How can I argue with that?

Small, Medium, Large
Bea is good with numbers too. She can count up to a hundred and knows the sequential order of each numeral. She knows there are four “fingers” in 4 and five “fingers” in 5. That is how she learns to add them together to become 9 “fingers”. What she can’t still grasp is the abstract quantity associated behind each symbol. Do I make sense? Let me illustrate. If you ask her what is between 6 and 8, she’ll tell you its 7. If you ask her what is before 3 and after 4, she’ll answer 2 and 5. But if you ask her which is bigger, 8 or 9? You get a blank stare. Her question – “Why is 9 bigger than 8 when they all have the same size”? How can I explain this to a 4 year old? Tell me, because I don’t know how.

Watch Did You Say?
Her diction is also good. Better compared to mine or to my wife whose speech sometimes has a British accent with a Visayan twang. Pixar and Walt Disney taught her that including the alphabet before she entered school. It was further enhanced when they were taught first to “vocalize” the alphabet. Reading is much faster to learn when they know the sound of each letter like “rrr” + “oo” + “www” for “row”. But since the sounds were patterned to the English vocalization, there is a drawback when she read Pilipino words. She sounds like those Fil-Ams in TFC learning how to speak Pilipino when she reads, for example, “papaya” (pe-pey-yah). She gets confused when we tried to correct it, so we leave it at that, hoping she’ll grow out of it.

Watch Did You Say, Agin?
Dictation is also an exercise they have in school. It helps hone pupils’ skill in writing and spelling. For her to get a better result, we practice it at home where we read to her simple sentences from her books like “He puts on his hat”, “She gets her bag”, “They look at the map”. But sometimes our Visayan tongue gets on the way and what she hears, she wrote down. To our embarrassment, the results are “He puts on his hut”, “She gets her bug”, “They look at the mop”.

Teaching my child is a whole new experience for parents like me. Its one way of bonding with her. It’s also challenging, funny and drives me crazy. You’ll get a mix feeling of amusement and frustration at the same time.

Thursday, January 07, 2010