Dress Rehearsals ABC

Impressive!

The three sections that make up the High 4 Advanced Class Filipino had their dress rehearsals today and that was my general reaction to their performances.  Chess pieces, a vision of hell, and the imaginings of a disturbed student came to life in our classroom which newspapers taped on the windows transformed into a badly lit cramped theater.

My fear of snafus happening left and right proved to be unfounded.  The plays have finally taken on forms and meanings which the mind (at least mine!) can perceive and grapple with.

There are a few more things to improve on and the groups have a day to fix them.  So good luck to my students in the final group presentations tomorrow.  A larger group, and presumably a more objective audience will be assessing their creations.

Raphael Xanti Ricafort-Hernando

My bro and sis in law's firstborn, my first nephew, and my parents' first male grandchild.

The following text messages announced his birth:

From the grandad: Alam mo na ba na manganak na si RHODA. Kahapon. Lalake.

From the granny: Alam m nb na nangnak n c Rhoda nuong 17th boy Rafael Santi ang name

From the daddy: salamat naman at medyo naayos ko na yung bahay kala ko kasi sa 27 pa labas ng baby ko pero last monday at 10 am siya pinanganak. rafael xanti, 2. 8 kg, cs, good looking parang ako syempre.

All my prayers and love to Anaya, Aysha and Raphael.

I'm an Uncle (Thrice Over)

Our family welcomes the birth of our newest member: the son of my brother Jason and his beloved, Rhoda. As of now, I still do not know the name they have chosen for the child.  But he is my first nephew, my mom and dad's first male grandchild.


He is born in Dubai, UAE, where my brother and sis in law have been working for several years now.  I really am not worried about them since they have a very strong and well-knit community of Filipinos there.

I am happy that my mother is able to witness this day.  Now my wish is that my nephew grows up guided physically by my mom since she is sick and in pain almost everyday now.

Text Messages that Made My Day Part 2

Muli.  Galing lahat kay Boom.

Pero kakaunti (pa) lang!

1. (waiting shed, 11:30 pm)

Lalaki: Miss wag ka kikilos ng masama

Miss; Ba.. Ba.. Bakit po?!

Lalaki: Bad 'yun!

 

2. Mag jowa, magkatxt...

Girl: iv experienced so mch happiness since you came... No one can ever replace u hir in my hart!  tho many things r running thru ur head, and ur thinking dt u nin nothing 2 me! jz kip n mind dt im stl d same girl hu loved u. n naothing can ever top that.

Boy: ah ok. Nu gwa mo?

_ _ _ _ no?  Hahahaha!

 

3. Flash report: jollibi chicken joy Gravy napatunayang positibo sa melamine.  Please pass... please...

- Ronald Mcdonald

 

4. Tatay: Anak bakla ka b?

Anak: opo.

Sabay lubog ng mukha ng anak sa harina.

-- Tatay: ano?  ngayon lalaki ka na ba?

Anak: Geisha na po.

-- Nagalit ang tatay, n ilubog ang mukha ng anak sa baldeng puno ng tubig.

Tatay: ngayon, ano ka na?

Sagot: dyesebel na po.

-- Nagalit lalo ang tatay kaya binilad nya ito sa araw maghapon hanggang mangitim.

Tatay: di lang yan aabutin mo.  Cno ka ngayon?

Anak: ako na po c BEYONCE. to the left, to the left!

 

Good morning!

5. Hindi ko pa nararansan ang magmahal kahit minsan...

                                                                 - fishball na P0.50 pa rin.

6. In a gay beauty contest question and answer portion:

juror: BAKLA, here's ur question... F u r going 2 die tomorrow

WHY NOT NOW?!

7. Everytime I feel that nobody seems to understand me, it helps a little better thinking of you cause I know no one understands y0u either.

Apir!!! :-P

Gandang umaga!

8. Teacher: Ok class, our lesson 4 2day is abt d planets.  Earth s d 3rd planet frm d sun.  Now pedro, what s next 2 mercury?

Pedro: Prang 7eleven yta mam! Dko lang sure ha? U

 

Halata bang wala nang pressure ng PAASCU?

 

 

 

A Poem

Kumpisal
ni Stanly Sy, H4B

Sa isang confessional box sa Mary the Queen Parish.

Fader,

Magandang araw ho.
Bibilisan ko na lang ho,
Baka kasi masyado Kayong
Abala't may
gagawin pa Kayo.

Ito po ang aking mga kasalanan:

Patawad po't ganito lang
Ang ayos ko.
Na alikabok lamang ang
Maipampupulbos
Sa mukha ko.
Na di man lang Green Cross
Ang magamit para
Matanggal ang alingasaw
Ng katawan ko.
Na kuto, at hindi
Gel o pomada,
Ang nagpapatayo
Sa buhok ko.
Na mas nakikinabang pa
Ang nabubusog na surot
Kaysa sa akin dito
Sa suot ko.

Ipagpaumanhin po Ninyo
Ang ayos ko.

Patawad po't hindi ko po
Naipalaglag
Ang ikaanim kong anak.
Papunta na po kasi
Kami sa doktor
Kaso natrapik po kami't
Bumigay na sa dyip
Ang misis ko.
Pananatilihin ko na
Lang po siyang payat
Para naman ho
Hindi kami lalong
Padagdag sa pagkakasikip
Dito.

Ipagpaumanhin Ninyo
Ang anak ko.

Patawad po't iisang santo
Na lang ang
Natatandaan ko.
Si San Miguel ho.
Siya lang naman kasi
Ang nakakapansin
Sa katulad ko.
Patawad rin po kung
Kara y krus
O tong-its lamang
ang maipamamana ko
Sa 'king mga anak
Dahil ito lamang
Ang aking tanging yaman.

Ipagpaumanhin po Ninyo
Ang bisyo ko.

Patawad po't di ko pa
Ipinapahuli
Si Big Boy
Siya lang ho kasi
Ang nakapagbibigay
ng trabaho kay Magdalena.
Wala na kasi siyang
Mapasukang trabaho
Kaya kama na lang ang
Kanyang opisina't
Siya ang pinapasukan.

Ipagpaumanhin Ninyo
Ang asawa ko.

Patawad po at nasibak
Ako sa trabaho
Hindi raw po kasi
Magagamit ang mga
Di nakapag-aral tulad ko.
Kaya binebentahan ko
Na lang ng pampalipas
Iyung kapitbahay kong
Laging tuliro't tulala
Para may makain man lang
Ang pamilya ko.

Ipagpaumanhin po Ninyo
Ang trabaho ko.

Patawad po at kailangan
Ko lang talagang makita
kayo nang harap-harapan

Mabilis lang po talaga...
Mabilis lang po.

Fader,

Ipagpaumanhin ninyo
ang gagawin Ko.


Stanly created this poem for our advanced class in Filipino last year: 2007-2008.  My colleagues at the Filipino Department deemed it worthy to be part of the PAASCU exhibit of the department. In my eyes, it is a good poem.  I am proud of it and thankful for the appreciation given by the likes of G. Cuepo.  I hope the reader would also appreciate at the very least the effort behind it.

As part of the requirement, Stanly further wrote:

Bagaman walang kasintahang tao, parang pag-ibig at pag-irog sa nobya ang pagturing ni Stanly sa kanyang pagmamahal sa panitikan.  Kung hindi abala sa trabaho sa paaralan o Mary the Queen Parish, mahilig si Stanly sa pagbasa ng libro at sumulat ng tula.  Ang paboritong aklat niya sa kasalukuyan ay For One More Day ni Mitch Albom at ang paboritong tula niya sa kasalukuyan ay Tonight I Can Write the Saddest Lines ni Pablo Neruda.

May Stanly and my other students continue their love affair with literature while finding the true love of their lives.

Transcript of Obama's Victory Speech

I want to save this speech not for its aesthetic value but for its historical significance.   Unlike a certain friend, it did not move me to shed tears nor did the fact that Obama-an African-american is elected president of the US made me say "wooot." 

I am too realistic or pessimistic for those for I see that this may be the worst time in history for a black person to become the president of the US. 

It is not that I doubt the capabalities of Barack because he is partly African descent.  It is of people blaming this fact if ever either the situation in the Middle East or the financial crisis get worse that I am wary of.  Then what will happen next if Barack is to been as a failure?  How hard would the backlash be. 
 
Let me take now the stance I always take when faced with situations beyond me: wait and see.

Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama-as prepared for delivery
Election Night
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008
Chicago, Illinois
 
 
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
 
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.  
 
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
 
It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
 
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America. 
 
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain.  He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves.  He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.  I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
 
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden. 
 
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama.  Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House.  And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am.  I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
 
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
 
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.
 
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements.  Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. 
 
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause.  It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth.  This is your victory.  
 
I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me.  You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead.  For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.  Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.  There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
 
The road ahead will be long.  Our climb will be steep.  We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.  I promise you - we as a people will get there. 
 
There will be setbacks and false starts.  There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem.  But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face.  I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.  And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand. 
 
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change.  And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.  It cannot happen without you.
 
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.  Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
 
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.  Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.  As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too. 
 
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.  To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you.  To those who seek peace and security - we support you.  And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.  
 
For that is the true genius of America - that America can change.  Our union can be perfected.  And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow. 
 
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations.  But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta.  She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. 
 
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
 
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed:  Yes we can. 
 
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot.  Yes we can. 
 
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose.  Yes we can. 
 
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved.  Yes we can. 
 
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome."  Yes we can. 
 
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.  And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.  Yes we can. 
 
America, we have come so far.  We have seen so much.  But there is so much more to do.  So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see?  What progress will we have made? 
 
This is our chance to answer that call.  This is our moment.  This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
 
Yes We Can.  Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Obama as President

His first words:

"Hello, Chicago."

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."