Random Thoughts 4

"The difference between your generation and mine is..."

I often hear myself say this when I would like my students to realize how blessed or more privileged they are living a generation from mine. I also use this to take pride in my own generation which I regard as more brilliant despite the lack of technological advances we now have.

1. The Library- I have used the top three school libraries in the land: The UP Main Lib, The DLSU, Lib and ADMU's Rizal Lib. I have fond memories trying to look learned and in pursuit of further knowledge within the said edifices. Nowadays, my library is the world wide web which I share with my students. The difference is I use it really extensively while many students take it for granted that knowledge and information are at the click of their mouse and that they should be infinitely more informed than I am.
2. It was a good thing to have experienced both worlds: immediately before the PC and now. I get to appreciate better the wisdom behind many changes that have taken place in the world of information.
3. Admittedly, I talk a lot maybe too much for my own good. Twitter is the perfect venue for the opinionated me and I feel frustrated when I see it being wasted on nonsense talk and trending. Twitter is a discussion forum. Yet many tweeps don't bother to use even half of the 140 chars to drive home a point or join the convo on pressing issues and sensible concerns.
4. This past week was rather stressful with many of my OL friends taking sides on issues of two kinds: showbiz and politics. I must admit I could instigate some really vocal upheavals and for a while there, I thought I have offended enough tweeps with my tirades. I was frustrated and luckily, the tweeps that I care about understood.
5. I really don't care about how some sectors take to my tweets. There are two kinds of twitter people for me: those who are usually in agreement with me and those who I will never be on the same page with. I have some tweeps who I continue to follow despite differences in opinions and they're very few. Others, I immediately unfollow, block or mute. The difference between pizza and their opinion (as one tweet goes) is that I asked for pizza.
6. If you want to piss me right away, question my integrity as a teacher and connect it with something I said that you did not like. "Teacher ka pa naman". We don't say this to lawyers or doctors. We do hear this said of priests or nuns. "Pari ka pa naman." Madre ka pa naman."
7. There are many things I actually restrain my self from tweeting about lest I offend people. I am glad that I seem to have established some reputation online that my twitter friends do not anymore get surprised at the things I say OL. As another tweet says "If I do not react or say anything anymore, it means I have stopped caring."
8. There are two things I am quite passionate about as I tweet on them on a regularly basis: this government and the teleserye I watch every night. I cannot keep quiet on these two, I don't know why.
9. I may have said things I regret but I will never regret having the courage to speak my mind. I regret this about Pinoys in general. We are a passive, restrained lot. Students do not ask questions in class and even if I can talk and talk for hours, I'd appreciate it when someone interrupts me to contribute to the discussion or simply ask a question. Many of our problems as a nation could have been avoided if we were an inquisitive people from the start. I see the passivity not as politeness but a weakness.
10. To speak one's mind is not to be loud or nonsensical. Many comments OL are baseless, illogical and pure nonesense. Go to Instagram and get frustrated with how strangers dare comment on the lives of others as if they know their victims first hand. That's the worst of the opinionated kind. Socmed is so abused and wasted by these people.

The Idiot Box

Wiktionary has this entry for the phrase "idiot box" - "An allusion to the supposed mind-reducing nature of television programming or its lack of educational value." Television has also been referred to as the "boob tube". Both slang terms are pejorative in that they see TV as a device catering to idiots or fools. The two terms were first used in the 1950s, television's first decade.  Though no longer popularly used, the terms may be as relevant and truthful today as they are then. Unfortunately.

When asked if I have cable subscription, I usually reply " Do I look like I can afford cable?" Therefore it's still "free TV" for me and my family. Free TV in the Philippines means roughly nine channels to choose from. Free TV also means we only get to actually choose from three networks. Our weekday TV schedule starts at 7:00 pm when my youngest son is done using the monitor for computing (Yes, we use the same monitor for TV and PC)  or when his dad could convince him to let us watch the news. I do not care so much for primetime news as I get my news feed from Twitter. Primetime news in this country is tabloid reporting anyway with the anchors eternally confused about their job description- are they to just read the news or do their public expect them to opine on events and persons? This is a problem especially when anchors are also radio commentators, former politicians or simply personalities who are so full of themselves. Teleserye fare is what the two big networks offer after the tabloid newscasts. I skipped the 8:00 pm slot this past season because I am not into mermaids/men who spoke with a twang. So I wait patiently for 8:30 or 8:45 depending on the commercial load of the preceding programs.

Twitter and this blog have been my fora for how I feel towards Ikaw Lamang and so I do not need to repeat myself on this post. The last slot for teleserye, I rarely watch. I do support Bea Alonzo et al. in Sana Bukas Pa Ang Kahapon but I can't stay up late every night because my son will have to go back to his homework with the PC. I remember that the only time, I religiously watched the 9:15 timeslot was also for Bea and John Lloyd's A Beautiful Affair, which I stopped watching at one point because of script gone awry with kultos and lotto winnings. I think that was the time the leading man had problems with reporting to work or so I heard.

Anyway, PBB and A&A , I really don't care about. I just don't like them. Obviously, I don't bother to check the other channels. The other big network has had problems with creative ideas lately while the fledgling one is yet to make an impact on me. Rarely on weekdays though it was a happy discovery that  every now and then News Cafe over at Channel 9 could provide an intelligent alternative at 7 pm. Perhaps it is obvious at this point that only I watch TV in the family. The other members are pretty preoccupied and hypnotized by their respective smart phones and tablet. So to the rest of the brood, TV can disappear but not wi-fi.

On weekends, we enjoy watching but wouldn't suffer if we don't get to watch the likes of ASAP, MMK, The Voice, GGV. All again on Channel 2. My son has a cartoon fare on weekends and holidays and the shows are usually on Channels 5 or 7. Still to him, TV plays second only to PC.

I read somewhere that only the classes C, D and E watch TV regularly with the A and B crowd very much into the Internet. Is this the reason TV programming has not improved much judging from the stories and formats they offer day in day out? Is this also the reason why despite efforts to call attention to the many lapses TV programming is manifesting, the producers don't seem to budge?

I try to discuss plotlines and characters and I get mistaken for a hater. I try to express my opinion on a show or a personality and I risk getting blocked. It seems that people aren't ready to hear dissenting opinion on anything much less on their favorite show, character, story or personality. That is why I truly appreciate the ones who join in the conversation by RTing or favoriting or better yet by sharing their own take on the matter. As viewers who happen to watch and tweet about the same show, we owe it to ourselves that we keep the level up in terms of our definition of entertainment (free or subscribed to) and appreciation of the efforts and artistry( if any) involved in the making of the shows we follow.

There is a reason why the phrases "idiot box" and "boob tube" are no longer in popular use. TV has improved. I really hope so here, in our corner of the earth.

What a waste of Internet access

The digital divide tells us that many people around the world do not have access to technology's greatest brainchild (IMO), the Internet. Yet in this country the ones who have access to www waste it by displaying a sheer lack of common sense and logic in their tweets, updates or simple comments to write-ups or news. It doesn't take a lot to spot the nincompoops. I don't have an FB account but I heard it's a showcase of many things I don't want to be a witness of. On Twitter though, I have been very active for two years now.

1. Fantards- they spend the whole day and night forcing their equally nonsense hashtags to trend. For what reason? To stump a perceived competition or threat to their favorite loveteams. Fantards also troll into accounts they think are haters of their idols, retweet the latter when they perceive an anti-idol message in the tweets, invite fellow trolls and fantards into the latter's timeline. Some bother to comment but don't even bother to show up their real faces in their DPs.
2. Political "analysts" daw- These fencesitters always have something to say against the current administration. They believe the president has not done anything right since destiny (much to their chagrin) caused him to be the one to effect the arrest of the most prominent of thieves in the land. These "pol anals" (haha my term!) won't stop at overreading what PNoy says, they will call everyone who tries to express agreement with him as yellowtards. Many of these critics of PNoy have their own agenda against if not an axe to grind with the present leadership.
3. On IG, we have those who post irrelevant comments in celebrity accounts taking advantage of the following said accounts enjoy. It doesn't matter if the post is rather sad, these "paningits" will still sell anything they wish you to buy- using the celeb's timeline.


The internet is one of humankind's best creations and I am so happy I have experienced it during my lifetime. Yet the internet is so wasted on internet users themselves and many do not deserve the access that they have to it. I can only imagine how many great potentials are out there who should get the chance at this technology but don't.

As a teacher, I feel frustrated when students do not make full and effective use of the Internet. If I had this technology when I was just in my undergraduate, I would have graduated with honors because I could have studied harder and more efficiently with Google around. But no, many young Internet users don't even bother to check the veracity of forwarded messages and posts before they repost or retweet them. Result? Chaos, confusion, conflict and furthering of ignorance.

The fear that the Internet is wasted on many of its users escalate upon realizing that not a few are actually seated before their PCs or are holding in perpetuity their 4G gadgets but remain detached from real and useful info, knowledge and skills.

If I were the god of the Internet, I would punish those who waste the opportunity to dabble in my creation and take from them their access to give it to those more worthy of it, the other side of the digital divide.

Random Thoughts 3

1. Yesterday was the 54th birth anniversary of Leandro Alejandro, student leader and activist who was killed in an ambush in 1987. Lean was UP Student Council chairman in 1983-84. I was among his councilors. In my mind, two historical events stand out: the Ninoy Aquino assasination in aug 1983 and the first Lakbayan in Feb 1984. These two events kept us busy and visible on and off campus duing our term in office. My stint with Lean and the USC remains one of the most influential period in my youth.

2. I owe my being opinionated not only to UP but to my father who discussed social and political issues with us during the martial law years. I carry that interest in our country's plight and experiences to this day. I say my mind not just in writing but also in the classroom when I teach. My socio-political beliefs are obvious on the first day of classes. I joke about politicians and events hoping that my students will be curious enough to dig up the background on them or at the least read up in between doing their status updates or playing games. I take extra care in influencing young minds. I tell them that they need not believe or follow everything that I stand for. They are old enough to form their own opinions. Bottomline is they SHOULD have opinions.

3. I teach English because I was told I could teach it given my good enough proficiency in the language. The first subjects I handled were actually Filipino and Araling Panlipunan. English to me is just a language that allows us opportunities . It is prestigious due to our continuing colonial mindset but I tell my students they should also try learning other foreign languages.

4. The headlines and the personalities that make the headlines nowadays are very familiar names and faces. Many of them also came from the State University. Juan Ponce-Enrile. Gigi Reyes. The UP really produces all sorts of graduates. From the extreme right to the extreme left. It also produces the most caring of citizens as well as the most detached; the most generous to Motherland as well as the most abusive of her.

5. Proud to be from this University. The freedom of mind and attitude within its perimeter allows its wards to achieve growth in whatever quality and quantity they choose. Really up to the graduate if conscience stays or is totally given up. I am glad I have a son who is also a graduate of UP. I consider it one great achievement as a parent.

Samuel?

I am obviously continually frustrated with the weak lines and scenes my formerly favorite character Samuel has been made to mouth and do lately. This dismal characterization started when he decided he should marry Mona because he got her pregnant. Okay. This was in Negros in the 1970s and yes, men actually married the women they impregnated then. It was an easy decision for Samuel. Isabelle is already married and Mona anyway is his childhood buddy. I was hoping though that as it was clear with Isabelle that she would never fall in love with Franco even if he showed so much persistence and dedication to her, it should have been clear to Samuel that he was just obligated to marry Mona because it was the decent thing to do.

I faulted Samuel for being too happy in his wedding to Mona when he was just obviously "napikot". Too eager and too pleased. I was told he was in denial and thought that he could move on from there. Anyway, Mona is not very hard to love. They grew up together. Okay fine.

As the encounters between the two couples heat up the screen after the forced unions, Mona displayed very irritating behavior that would be enough for Samuel to realize he married for the wrong reasons. In one jealous fit, Mona blurted out "Niloko mo ako!" Samuel could have answered "Ikaw ang nanloko. Lasing ako at bigo sa pag-ibig. sinamantala mo iyon. Buti nga pinakasalan kita!". But Samuel will never be caught mouthing such a line. He is a saint. He would shout at his enemies pounce on them if they were men like him but he would not do the same to his best buddy now his wife. Several jealous fits and scandalous assaults later courtesy of Mona, Samuel stil did not give his wife a piece of his mind or knock some sense into her head. That was when he began disappointing his viewers. That was when he lost his lead role status. He was too kind. Too stupidly kind.

I suspect he enjoyed the requisite landian, lambingan, domesticated scenes between him and his wife. He forgot he had a very promising love story that he should continue pining for even in silence. I did not see any of this. If ever there were moments, they were extremely fleeting moments too short to make an impact. Samuel never had a memorable scene since I don;t remember when was his last one now. The character is lost. Swallowed whole by his boring scenes with Mona which only their fans will appreciate, by Isabelle's resigned but still powerful words, by Franco's psychotic outbursts, by Maximo's consistently evil presence. Rebecca's lines in defense of her daughter will be remembered more. I began to look forward to scenes by this able support cast and didn't care anymore if Samuel showed up at all.

I thought I was the only one feeling this way about the story and about Samuel. My timeline showed insightful intelligent discussions on the merits and demerits of the tele. Samuel's weakened character seemed top on the demerits list. Nevertheless, rest assured the list of demerits is shorter than the merits list, reason why I continue to watch.

But this fan has changed. From MLKI to WH to JDC, I would not take my eyes off the screen especially when Coco Martin is on. I would look forward to his scenes night after night. In Ikaw Lamang, sadly, I have come to ignore his character in several episodes. The tele still amazes me with its camera works, its direction, its prod design, its excellent support cast. I have come to respect Kim and Jake as actors who know their craft. I have not missed Coco. He is just not there. This tele is not his anymore. All because his character did not dare say the lines that would have clarified and assured that the tele is still true to its title.

Random Thoughts 2

Slow day because I choose it to be one. I have many things to do but I choose not to act on them. Lazy is my middle name. I also answer to "amotivated" every now and then. What's bugging me today? These, below, among other things:

1. Binay's ratings are up. He is the only one among public officials to have positive results from the efforts for media mileage every chance he could get. Damn it! We are really hopeless at this. No critical thinking at all but mere recall of prominent names, oft-mentioned names. What did he actually do to deserve our recall?
2. The Marcoses threatening a Malacanang comeback. #NeverAgain. I repeat #NeverAgain. If you do not understand my stand, you are either a member of a family that lived through martial law years virtually undisturbed or you did not take your history classes seriously or you did not have very good history teachers. In any of these cases, shame on you!
3. Media and media exposure-hungry personlaities who are making the news for rushing to file impeachment raps against PNoy and Abad. I hope you are as rabid with GMA and her ilk, with Pogi, Tanda and Sexy and with the Marcoses. If not, you are paid hacks and I have a good guess who is financing you.
4. Educators kuno who do not understand Kto12 and who belittle the Dep-Ed's efforts at it: you do not know your field or profession. You do not understand why we have to go thru this curriculum shift. Worse, you regard education as a business enterprise and that's all.
5. Those who support the English Only Policy in schools: Shame on you! I may be an English teacher but I teach English so we can be better at defending ourselves as Filipinos especially in international settings. I do not allow the language to enslave my thoughts. English is a language . It is just one of the many prominent languages we can opt to study and be competent in. If you still penalize students for speaking in their mother tongue in school, you should be the one punished for violating the constitution.
6. TV was called an idiot box or a boob tube because in its early years it was regarded as something that makes people stupid. Please, PH TV, let us not continue to make this a sad reality in local TV. From the news to the teleseryes, let us have material and content that regard viewers as thinking individuals and not just captive market for poorly written stuff.
7. Haters and bashers who troll into celebs accounts to do their thing: you ought to realize that technology is oh so wasted on you. A poor child with many potentials could have achieved greater things given your access to the Internet. The awful digital divide . Many who have access to the www shouldn't even have been entrusted with a PC or gadget at all. This includes all those pushers of senseless trending HTs when many other important advocacies should be in our minds.
8. Grammar gurus who pounce on a celeb for committing an error or two. They are not media entities that need to proofread everything before they publish. Only in the PH, slaves to the English language, most of us are, that we are so mean on each other over errors that native speakers do not even care about. Yan tayo e.

Rant, rant, rant. If I could lose weight doing this, I'd be as slim as Isabelle Miravelez in a day or two.
Not everybody is given a chance to speak or say what's on her mind OL. This is my forum. Thanks for reading through. I feel better now.

Random Thoughts

I have so many things in my mind these past few days and Twitter is not enough to record them. Might as well list some of them down.

1. Tried to save three pups from parvo this past weekend. Trip to the Vet (which was too late, I must admit) and several injections later, two have died already. I hope the family favorite Fluffy survives. I was able to save two dogs before from Parvo by giving them hydrating fluids and TLC. My formula seems not enough for this latest batch. Basically, it's not anymore money problem but transpo. The Vet I trust is 4 kms away and we do not have a car. Sasadyain talaga via bus or taxi.
2. I have to be honest that I am not happy that the Mona character is given equal exposure now when I remember it was just a support role in the beginning. I know teleserye scripts are malleable but I still believe Ikaw Lamang is a CoKim project with Jake as the villain. See, they're the three who figured in the Yahoo Awards nominees. No Mona there.
3. I am not comfortable with tweets that go for trends only. If we are to trend, can we at least tweet something sensible and worth retweeting? No offense. I know we have different reasons why we are on Twitter. Nanghihinayang lang ako sa socmed access.
4. I noticed that Quen was not with his happy smile yesterday in that pic with new LT Liza. Well, two possibilities, they are yet to adjust to each other or he is in his best element with Julia B. Parang may something kasi talaga ang QuenLia. Sayang the LT has to be set aside (I hope temporarily) bec of this new project. Okay naman si Liza, like JB, she's pretty and with potentials. I just think QuenLia has magic. Nope, I am not a fan in the same way that I am a fan of Coco. I just have positive thoughts for them.
5.I hate the issues that are in my TL nowadays, Ateneo scholars posing with Imelda, tweeps implying GMA was better than PNoy, Enrile getting his VIP eye treatment trips now that he is supposed to have been arrested, national artist issue being supported by fiercely anti-PNoys, PDAF hate being overtaken by DAP hate.
6. Last time I tweeted negatively about Kris, I got blocked by a friend who loves her. I like Kris as a very influential media personality. I like her as a mover in society as she gets people to donate more, gets to make people act faster. I just don't like her talking about her love life on national TV.
7. I am happy that Dyesebel was consistent at the ratings during its relatively short run. I am not a fan though of this Dreamscape project. Sorry, guys. I look forward to its successor, #HawakKamay, featuring Piolo Pascual and ABSCBN wonder kids Zaijan, Xyriel et al.
8. Why am I still on Twitter and IG? These two socmed sites have wasted so much of my time. What do I really benefit from my accounts OL?
9. News and information are the best these two socmed venues have to offer. New like-minded acquaintances are another. Opporunity to think aloud and practice my arguments , still another. I have 1160+ followers on Twitter to date. I am amazed that I have gotten these people interested in my thoughst and opinions.
10. I miss the classroom. I am glad school is finally starting on July 14th. It has been the longest no-teaching period for me since I became a college teacher.

Let's cut the list to 10 and get back to work.