Whatever Happened to CSA Forever?

A man enters an exclusive school then points a gun at a student right inside the faculty room.

Wow, that is headline material! Surely, anyone who has heard the news would have been outraged. If you are a parent or a student who considers school as a second home, you are probably seething with rage. For me, it was an act of TERRORISM. It is deplorable and sad.

It’s sad because it happened in my Alma Mater. It’s sad because it cast a shadow of distrust, scepticism and cynicism. It’s sad because it is dividing the Augustinian community. It has transformed many of us into an angry mob – some threatening to pull out their kids from school; some changing their minds about sending their future kids there; and some just throwing out inappropriate vexations and hurtful generalizations against authorities and priests. Sadder still that some of these are coming from people I know.

Terrorism is defined by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary as follows:

Systematic use of violence 

to create a general climate of fear 

in a population and thereby 

to bring about a particular political objective.

Ok, let’s see…

Systematic use of violence: Check!
Create a general climate of fear: Check!
Political objective:
perhaps avenge his son and punish the other? Check! 

Indeed it was an act of terrorism, nothing less. Grr!

Then I remember the CSA Mission-Vision that I had memorized all my life:

The formation of true Christian leaders who are committed to the building up of the City of God.

And then I realize who I am. I am and always will be an Augustinian. Wherever I am, whatever I have become, I am a Christian… a leader… and I am committed to build up the City of God. Hence, I will respond to this matter the way a true Augustinian should – through VIRTUE and SCIENCE. I choose to let peace reign, but at the same time allow the search for truth and justice to commence. I will not let this senseless act of terrorism by one man tarnish what I believe and cherish about my Alma Mater.

Onward and fight with our men of might, and show them that the very best of all is CSA!

Remembering Cory

Unbelievable Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao never ceases to amaze me. Just when I lost all faith in him -- thinking he's way too busy over politics and showbusiness -- KABOOM!

After Typhoon Ondoy -- Contemplating Disaster Preparedness

One of my favorite bits of information is this...
The human brain is not wired to react in times of disasters.

In a plane crash, most victims are found still seated and strapped in their seats. Survivors are staring open-mouthed and clueless. Nobody will move to the exit unless someone shouts, "This way!"

Observing the events of Typhoon Ondoy, I can’t help but wonder how human nature would have helped or doomed me.

QUANDARY. We live in Parañaque - a mountainous area. Floods are not commonplace. We even have water shortage problems! But even this highland was not spared. Friends in a neighboring subdivision had their cars completely submerged. Creeks overflowed. A lot of houses were flooded.

For these flood newbies, evacuation would have never crossed their mind. After all, one would assume that the flood waters would soon subside.

In Marikina where floods are ordinary, why were many people trapped on the roof of their homes? Didn’t they even consider evacuating? What about those living in the posh villages? These families spent riches fortifying their homes. Human naivety (or pride?) would have led them to assume that their second floors, third floors or attics would protect them from the flood.

DELIBERATION. So if flood started pouring into our home last Saturday, this is what a newbie like me would have done…

• Wow, this is the first time flood has entered our house! Cool! I’ll take pictures and probably post them online.
• Call or text my housemates/relatives to say that our house is being flooded.
• Move what we can to a higher place.
• Take more pictures.
• Wait for the flood to subside.

But then again, I have no idea the waters are rising fast! Some victims said the water rose to 2-storeys high in just an hour. An hour? Come to think of it, I would have been doomed.

I heard government officials ranting that the residents did not evacuate. But no one is really to blame. We’re all but humans and again…The human brain is not wired to react in times of disasters.

EYE-OPENER. Without being overly paranoid, how can we protect ourselves next time? Think about this...The human brain is programmable. They say to prepare yourself for a plane crash, you should read all the safety instructions, listen to the demonstration and make a mental note of all the exits. Everywhere we go, huge exit signs are being installed for us to make a mental picture of them. This will be useful information when disaster strikes.

Similarly, we should not rely on anyone else to save us. When flood victims were asked if they had ropes to tie themselves with in case the flood grows, they had none. Even the Marikina flood veterans had nothing on them.

Make a disaster preparedness plan at home. Set your evacuation options. Create your own disaster kit. Don't count on instinct or adrenalin rush to save you. Beating human nature can be the key for you to survive.

The King of Pop is Out of Our Lives

Michael Jackson passed away early this morning. I read the news over the internet. In the haste of my morning routine, my mind quickly set the information aside. However as the morning passed and more media coverage was being shown, my mind started to process it. Michael Jackson is dead. Indifference turned into disbelief. Disbelief turned into a sense of loss.

On my drive to work, the radio station played "She's Out of My Life." Instantly, my sense of loss turned into sadness. I started to cry and I don't even know why. I guess in some way, he is a part of my life... and also of all those who belong to this generation. He is the King of Pop, afterall. Goodbye MJ!

Bye, Michael Crichton!

Michael Crichton, the author behind thriller Jurassic Park, as well as books such as Congo and Disclosure, died today after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 66.

He was my favorite author of all time. I love the readability of his text. I also admire how much information (wether fiction or not) is put into all his stories. I read a tribute to him which goes, "Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand. The world knew him as a great story teller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us - and entertained us all while doing so." I couldn't agree more.

Michael Crichton's books really helped fuel my love for reading. He was a blessing to literature indeed.

Emotion.Explosion

Yesterday a bomb exploded in Glorietta 2. The explosion occurred around 1:20pm. We immediately learned about it because the mom and sister of my co-teacher were in the same mall. I gathered my students and told them about what happened. I explained that the affected area was near the activity area where many kids usually stayed. Most of the kids eyes grew bigger realizing that kids like them could have been hurt. We said a little prayer (Blue cried a little, hoping that none of our relatives were there) After that the kids went back to playing -- as if nothing happened.

At that moment, I wish I had the innocence of a child -- I mean, to be able to filter out fear and sadness, and all other bad emotions. The rest of the afternoon was chaos -- everyone were tuned in to the news, every now and then a text message would arrive to warn people away from malls. Haay! What a sad, sad day. I wish I can just go back to playing...like the kids...I wish.

It was the worst incident of its kind in Philippine history. Last night before I slept, the official count was 10 dead, 103 wounded and 10 missing. Today is another day. Another day of political mud slinging. Another day of search and rescue. Another day of shopping as the mall reopened again. In some grim way, I guess we are all like little children. Life will surely go on... sans the paranoia, horror and disgust. Another day...as if nothing happened.

I love Pacman!

A few hours ago, television once again managed to freeze time for the Filipinos. The feature - Manny Paqcuiao's rematch against Marco Barrera. If it weren't for the broadcast lag time, I swear, a resounding yell would have been heard when Pacman proved his might once again.

Wow! You've got to love this guy. Who wouldn't? At the time of the controversial ZTE deal, the insulting medical school comment of Teri Hatcher in Desperate Housewives, and another show calling former president Cory Aquino a slut; his victory is just so rejuvenating! He has united the Filipinos over and over, more than any bumbling politician ever did or ever could! As Eric Morales put it in their beer commercial, "Wala kang katulad, Manny!"

Pavarotti Passed Away

Heard (and read) on the news:

"Luciano Pavarotti, the Italian singer whose ringing, pristine sound set a standard for operatic tenors of the postwar era, died Thursday at his home near Modena, in northern Italy. He was 71."

For me, Pavarotti is (for lack of a better phrase) the poster boy of being a male operatic singer. Name any commercial where a tenor appears, and he will surely look like him and mimic how he sings. I do hope geniuses like him will continue to be born as our civilizations gets older.

From History to History

Just read this a few minutes ago...

MOSCOW - Former President Boris Yeltsin, who engineered the final collapse of the Soviet Union and pushed Russia to embrace democracy and a market economy, has died, a Kremlin official said Monday. He was 76.

I don't really have any personal convictions about him. He's someone I remember studying in our History classes many years back. I know his passing is no ordinary thing -- a momentous event which deserves a space in my blog. Goodbye Mr. Yeltsin!

Opposites

I’m still in shock over the Virginia Tech Killings. I simply cannot fathom how lives, some as young as 18, can be lost so quickly and senselessly. Grabe! I’m on the other side of the globe, yet I am significantly affected. I’ve spent the last few days (and nights) reading about it in sheer disbelief. At first, I didn’t understand why God would allow that to happen. But you know God – He always has a reason for everything. In the end, it wasn’t just a school that was awakened. The whole world realized that despite our differences, we need each other to survive. Life is beautiful and life goes on.

Meanwhile, here in the Philippines, a 16 year-old girl genius graduated from UP Diliman today. No, she’s not just an ordinary graduate. Mikaela Irene D. Fudolig is Summa Cum Laude in BS Physics with an average of 1.099. Wow! Galing niya! There should be more students like her (as opposed to the gun-wielding kind.) She entered College when she was just 11 years old. Read more about her here:

http://www.upd.edu.ph/%7Eupdinfo/Pagtatapos07/summa07.html