Dust and Cobwebs

It has been seven months since I last posted here and I don't even know if anybody even attempts to check this blog. Much has happened in my personal life, in the chess world, in Philippine politics and quite recently, the announcement of Senator Miriam Santiago about her stage 4 lung cancer.

I've taken on basketball coaching since January of 2013. I have had the chance of attending the Alaska-Jr NBA/WNBA Coaches Clinic, helped out with a High School Girls Basketball team as a volunteer coach. I was lucky enough to be part of the Coaching Staff of the Men's Basketball Team of a University somewhere in Mandaluyong.

Every Sunday since May, I've been giving basketball training to my daughter and a couple of other kids. This basketball coaching has motivated me to be physically fit and healthy.

Although my chess activities decreased, I still managed to find time to play online chess on a regular basis. The Scholastic Chess Camp 2014 was a success too with Michael Concio Jr giving a simultaneous chess exhibition to eleven kids last June 26, 2014.

GM Wesley So switches federation because he wants to and I couldn't agree more. If I'll be given an opportunity to leave the country, I will definitely do so and bring along my entire clan. I'm frustrated at how the government has handled the PDAF Scandal and the erring senators getting the VIP treatment in jail. The worst part of it all is that we have been shown how bad these leaders are and yet corruption goes on in every corner of Philippine Society.

I've read Gerry Alanguilan's Rodski Patotski "Ang Dalagang Baby" and I liked it, get one too. Please say a little prayer to Gerry and his family for the passing of mom last May 28.

My summer break is almost over and I'll be back in school to do what I love doing best, learn with my students.

For now, let me go to bed and sleep. I'm not even sure when I'll come back to write.

Quo Vadis Pugad Baboy?

After a week of waiting and no news as where Pol Medina Jr. will bring his "baboys" in the Pugad that he created and nourished for a good 25 years, I ask the question now, Quo vadis Pugad Baboy?

The events leading to PM's resignation has been publicized and almost everyone on the Internet has something to say about it, I thought I should refrain from riding the wave of hits for my blog traffic. But here I am, writing about Pugad at almost 12 midnight.

I should.

I should because Philippine Komiks is back and in the mainstream with all the publication coming out every month and the recent turn out of Summer Komikon, Pinoy Komiks is back and I really hope its for good.

PM never wavered in following his passion and perfecting his craft. Pugad Baboy has become part of Pinoy consciousness. During the lean years, PM stayed and worked on his Pugad. He has inspired thousands of Filipino artists and one of them is Arnold Arre,

Arre created the video Pugad Baboy Shuffle as a simple thank you to PM. Let's watch it now:





Pol Medina Jr.'s comic strip that caused a sensation and which led him to resign over at Philippine Daily Inquirer:

And the now-collectible resignation letter from Pol to his boss, Ms. Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc:

I envy the guy holding this copy, seriously!

Win with a Crazy Opening

Here is an easy win for me using a crazy opening, 6-Pawn plank:

 

Champion with a Perfect Score @ ChessCube

Whenever I use my wife's FB account for my chess activities over at ChessCube, I always score a high percentage. And tonight I did something I've never done before and that is winning a tournament with a perfect score.

Here are the screenshots:

Time control is 2 minutes and we had 31 players for the tourney. At the start of the tournament, I asked my son, M, to sit beside me because he was my lucky charm. I wasn't expecting this result.

Lucky, lucky lucky!

Coursera: ADHD Materials Week 1

The ADHD online course by Coursera is up and the materials for the first week is now available. You may download and share away all of these.


Learn and share the light. God only knows how you can affect eternity by teaching and helping people.

ADHD_booklet.pdf by buenaventura_f_a

Coursera: ADHD Through the Lifespan

This just in: "Pay Attention" ADHD Through the Lifespan by Anthony L. Rostain of University of Pennsylvania. This is one of the Coursera course I'll be participating in and I hope to finish the course.  The course reviews current scientific knowledge and clinical approaches to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and examines its impact on development, functioning and health outcomes.

An intro to the course:

RP's Academic Journals Online

I found two links that will lead you to a collection of Academic Journals, one is the PhilJOL and the other is Public Knowledge Project:

1. Philippine Journals Online
2. Public Knowledge Project   

Read, read and read some more. There is no excuse for not reading.

R.I.P. Aaron Swartz

I don't know you and the only time I learned about your existence is when you ceased to live. The news of your suicide paved the way for me to find out about your life and works. With everything written about you, almost all in the light of a genius, I feel sorry that the world lost another man like you.

Thank you for everything. Thank you for fighting for a free access to the sum of all human knowledge.

Your death is just the beginning of another round of fight between good and evil.

To pay tribute, I am posting your Guerilla Open Access Manifesto.

Guerilla Open Access Manifesto

 Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves. The world's entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries in books and journals, is increasingly being digitized and locked up by a handful of private corporations. Want to read the papers featuring the most famous results of the sciences? You'll need to send enormous amounts to publishers like Reed Elsevier.

There are those struggling to change this. The Open Access Movement has fought valiantly to ensure that scientists do not sign their copyrights away but instead ensure their work is published on the Internet, under terms that allow anyone to access it. But even under the best scenarios, their work will only apply to things published in the future. 

Everything up until now will have been lost.

That is too high a price to pay. Forcing academics to pay money to read the work of their colleagues? Scanning entire libraries but only allowing the folks at Google to read them?

Providing scientific articles to those at elite universities in the First World, but not to children in the Global South? It's outrageous and unacceptable. "I agree," many say, "but what can we do? The companies hold the copyrights, they make enormous amounts of money by charging for access, and it's perfectly legal — there's nothing we can do to stop them."

But there is something we can, something that's already being done: we can fight back.

Those with access to these resources — students, librarians, scientists — you have been given a privilege. You get to feed at this banquet of knowledge while the rest of the world is locked out. But you need not — indeed, morally, you cannot — keep this privilege for yourselves. You have a duty to share it with the world. 

And you have: trading passwords with colleagues, filling download requests for friends.

Meanwhile, those who have been locked out are not standing idly by. You have been sneaking through holes and climbing over fences, liberating the information locked up by the publishers and sharing them with your friends. But all of this action goes on in the dark, hidden underground. It's called stealing or piracy, as if sharing a wealth of knowledge were the moral equivalent of plundering a ship and murdering its crew. But sharing isn't immoral — it's a moral imperative. Only those blinded by greed would refuse to let a friend make a copy.

Large corporations, of course, are blinded by greed. The laws under which they operate require it — their shareholders would revolt at anything less. And the politicians they have bought off back them, passing laws giving them the exclusive power to decide who can make copies.

There is no justice in following unjust laws. It's time to come into the light and, in the grand tradition of civil disobedience, declare our opposition to this private theft of public culture.

We need to take information, wherever it is stored, make our copies and share them with the world. We need to take stuff that's out of copyright and add it to the archive. We need to buy secret databases and put them on the Web. We need to download scientific journals and upload them to file sharing networks.

We need to fight for Guerilla Open Access.

With enough of us, around the world, we'll not just send a strong message opposing the privatization of knowledge — we'll make it a thing of the past. Will you join us? 

Aaron Swartz
July 2008, Eremo, Italy

Today's Date: 10-11-12

Coach Leo reminded me about today's date, ten-eleven-twelve! And in celebration of the "iskalera" allow me to share this video from the band Down under, Frente:

Desiderata 2012

I discovered this poem way back in grade school, in grade two to be exact. Nobody introduced me to it but I stumbled upon it through the school-issued student's diary which St. Mary's Academy of Pasay City was doing.

I never really know what part of the poem that attracted me to it, but I guess it was the use of words that did it. The first line I guess did it, Go placidly amidst the nose and haste...

I was an eight-year old hyper-active boy that loved reading, running, playing and wrecking havoc inside the house.

This poem is my comfort read in times of sad times. I never intended it to be so and in fact I do not have a copy of it anywhere in my house or in my notes.

Why do I like reading this in times of sadness and life-changing events? 

Let me share it:

"Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

 

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy"

King's Gambit Win

Here is a 30/g I played over at Chesscube. There were at least two obvious mistakes made by my opponent. He resigned when my passed pawn can no longer be prevented from promoting into a Queen.

It has been a long while since I last played chess online although we've had so many NO CLASSES this schoolyear, I never really took time to log in and play at Chesscube.

I guess my love for Teaching Filipino and working as a Learning Support plus my Coursera hours are really taking much of my free time and I like it that way.

Chess can be so time consuming, very time consuming.

So here is the game:

Coursera Courses

What a great way to actually walk one's talk.

I've been a believer and preacher of education in the 21st century, interactive, online and flexible. In case you guys have been wondering where I've been in the last four weeks, it's Coursera.

I've enrolled in three online courses and all these courses are recognized by Ivy League Schools.

Go to Coursera.com and look for the topic you would like to enroll in.

Good luck!

Alikabok at Agiw

Matagal-tagal na din ang di ko pagsusulat dito sa blog natin, meron na ring mahigit dalawang linggo. Kung sisilipin pa nga natin eh noong ika-labingdalawa pa ng Hunyo o ang Araw ng Kalayaan ng mahal nating Pilipinas.

Bakasyun ko ngayon at inasahan ko na mas marami akong maisusulat at maibabahagi dito pero kabaligtaran ang nangyari.

Nag-enroll ako sa Action Research class sa De La Salle-Manila kaya't tuwing Huwebes ng gabi hayun, nakaupo ako ng tatlong oras mula alas-sais ng gabi hanggang alas-nuwebe. Syempre research class yon, sandamakmak na reading tasks ang gagawin ko duon. Ika nga ng propesor ko na madre, ang dami ng babasahin mo eh sya rin ang dami ng maisusulat mo sa iyong concept paper.

Okey na okey sana kung binata ako at sarili ko lang ang iniisip ko at responsibilidad ko. Pero hindi nga eh, ang dalawa kong anak na lalaki naka-homeschool kaya syempre hand-on ako pati na misis ko.

Hindi rin ako tumigil sa binibigay kong chess lessons kay Shawn na paalis na rin ng Pilipinas.

Ang dami nang nangyari nitong bakasyun kong ito pero hindi ko rin naisulat sa blog na ito.

Nabawasan nga ng husto ang chess time ko online: chesscube at chessDOTcom.

Alikabok na nga ang pinagpag ko nung binuksan ko ang blog na ito. Yung mga agiw kinailangan ko na ring walisin.

Ano-ano nga ba ang mga nangyari sa akin ngayon?

Nag-recital si Freedom para sa piano lessons nya, nag-basketball lessons sina Miguel at Freedom. Ang daming field trips at ang daming household chores. Kinasal ang isa sa pinakamatalik kong kaibigan at si misis inanyayahang umawit ng ilang kanta. Syempre ihahatid at susunduin ko sa mga praktis nya kasama ang mga ka-banda nya. Malayu-layu din yung praktisan nila. Tapos host pa kami ng 1st Kids Art group dito sa lugar namin. Ang dami.

Lahat ng ito buhay ng isang ama.

Pero hindi rin kailanman mawawala ang pagmamahal ko sa pagsusulat. Mapa-Ingles o Filipino   kailangan kong mailabas ito.

114th Philippine Independence Day

O sya sige makikisakay ako sa keyword trending online, Philippines celebrates its 114th Independence Day!

Malaya nga ba tayo talaga?

Eh sa istorya pa lang ng ating bansa ang gulo na di ba? Pati ang mga kung sino ang naunang presidente at kung pang-ilang presidente na si PNoy magulo din. Isama mo na rin ang tisoy na Philippine National Anthem natin, ang gulo.

Hindi rin naman lihim ang katotohanan na pinatira ni Emilio Aguinaldo si Andres Bonifacio di ba? At ang magiting na pintor na si Juan Luna ay binaril at pinatay ang kanyang asawa at ang kanyang biyenang babae sa Pranses.

Malupit na istorya ng ating bayan at ang mas malupit nito, pilit na ibinabaluktot ang katotohanan at itinatago sa mga Pilipino.

Nariyan pa ang mga kwentong kutsero at balasubas na sinasabi na ang Pilipinas eh isang malaking breeding ground ng ibat-ibang lahi.

Halo-halo ka'mo!

Natyempuhan ko isang dapit-hapon si Carlos Celdran sa Simbahan ng San Agustin dyan sa Intramuros habang dumidiskarte sya ng negosyo yang Intramuros Walk. Magaling si Celdran. Nasa kanya ang mga kakayahan na kailangan upang maging isang gabay para sa mga turista. At di basta gabay lang ha, may kasamang acting ito syempre. Magaling si Celdran.

At ang nakahuli sa akin ng kanyang matinding speech eh ang kanyang halo-halo speech kung saan sinasabi nya na ang disenyo ng San Agustin Church ay hindi kung ano man ang iniisip ng mga turistang iyon. Sinabi din nya na lumingon-lingon lang ang mga ito sa paligid at makikita na ang mga Pilipino ay halo-halong lahi.

Walang ipinagiba ito sa lumabas na patalastas o advertisement ng isang kumpanya na gumagawa at nagdidisenyo ng mga damit. Sinabi sa patalastas na iyon na para makasigurado kang world-class o global ang gilas o galing, eh paghaluin mo ang lahing Pinoy sa ibang lahi at hayun, Azkal ang lalabas dito. Yun nga lang, sexual harrasment cases eh baka maikaso.

Pero bilib ako sa mga tweets ni Manuel L. Quezon III o mas kilala sa kanayang online name na MLQ3. Ganda ng mga links na ibinahagi nya sa mga followers nya ngayong araw na ito. Salamat sa 'yo MLQ3. Hindi man ako sang-ayon sa pagiging miyembro mo sa diskarte ni PNoy, hanga ako sa iyong talino at galing.

Isa-isahin natin ang mga links na ipinamahagi nya:

• Official Gazette: Timeline of Philippine Revolution
• Storify: Mapping the Revolution 
• Multimedia: Philippine Revolution 
• Philippine Flag Unfurled? 
• Re-constructing colonial Philippines
• Phl National Anthem: Lost in Translation

Pero syempre marami pang dapat mailabas tungkol sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas at ng mga Pilipino. Hanggat may nagmamahal sa bayan natin, ang katotohanan ay lalabas din. At bago ko tapusin ang post na ito, heto ang isang Animation ng Philippine National Anthem:

Drawn Game Against Caro-Kann

Heto ang isang laro ko sa ChessCube habang naghihintay ng oras kung tawagin ay after lunch. Nai-draw ko yung laro pagkatapos ko mapakain yung Rook ko, kasi naman nakikipag-chat ako sa Esmi ko habang naglalaro.

Medyo nagustuhan ko yung laro namin sa opening stage ng laro, pakiramdam ko bentahe ako, 15/g itong laro na ito, ibig sabihin labin-limang minuto ang kada player. Susumahin mo isang oras tatagal ang larong ito kung magkakaubusan ng oras.

Buti na lang nakaligtas ako ng Draw sa kalaban ko. Sayang lang kasi tingin ko kakayanin ko yung mga maneobra ng kalaban ko kung hindi ko naipamigay yung Rook ko, hinayaan ko kasing mai-fork ako ng Queen nya.

Anyways, heto na yung laro:

Filipino Language for my Blog

With the introduction of DepEd K-12 curriculum this year and the proliferation of reading materials in Filipino like Bob Ong's books and Lourd de Veyra's seminal thoughts, works and words, I am forced (inspired na lang!) to write in Filipino after this post.

Can I do it? Will I have the vocabulary fund (word bank) to sustain this task?

I tried to go Filipino last time when I started my Pinoy sa Morocco Blog but somehow I went back to posting in English.

What if I go Taglish? Englog?

Whatever it is, I feel I should answer one basic question and that is "How will I express myself better using this blog, should I write in English or in Filipino?

Maybe I'll use both. I'll try.

With my one year experience as an MYP Language B Filipino Teacher tucked in under my belly, I thinkI should really move forward and use Filipino.

I'll really try.

Until then!


  

Mother's Day 2012

This year's mother's day is celebrated on May 14, Sunday. All over the world, Mother's day is celebrated every second Saturday of May. Every year, the whole world recognizes and celebrates the important role mothers have.

If you want a historical background of the beginnings of Mother's day celebration, you may want to Google the Anna Jarvis and Grafton, West Virginia. Two years after her mother's death in May 1907, Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother in her church. The service took the form of an appreciation of her mother and those of all the attendees. In 1909, this idea or practice became a common thing statewide. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson Established Mother's Day as a National Holiday.

Ironically, Anna Jarvis and her sister Ellsinore, campaigned against the what the holiday celebration had become. The person who did so much to promote the remembrance of every mother on Earth died of poverty fighting against the commercialization of the holiday.

Every mother would love a visit or phone call from their children on this day so whatever gift you may have for them, make sure you deliver it personally.

Anna Jarvis said:

A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy! You take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself. A pretty sentiment.

Read more about it.

Happy Mothers day to all the mothers in the world!

Thanks and happy mothers day to my mom,  Cora Buenaventura and to my mother-in-law, Emy Dandan! Above all, I'd like to say thank you to the Blessed Virgin Mary for her unending maternal love to me and the rest of her followers!

I'd like to share this book about her, The Glories of Mary.

The NAIA Incident: Tulfo vs Mr. and Mrs. Santiago

Le'me piggy back ride on the recent internet surge and show you the NAIA incident involving Mon Tulfo and Raymart Santiago and the rest of his homies (while his children were watching on the sidelines).

 

Whoever started the fight never thought of anything like this big. It is the talk of the town, in primetime news, blogs, websites and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Mon Tulfo was at the receiving end this time and in one of the interviews he said "Masakit pala madehado" (It is painful to be in a losing situation). Mon Tulfo's siblings, Raffy, Erwin and Ben, in their TV 5 show called T3 reminded Raymart that its not yet over.

And while netizens like you and me are feasting on this celebrity death match, the airline called Cebu Pacific is inching away from it.

But what is the reason for this?

The luggage of the Santiago family was off-loaded and this caused Claudine Barretto complain to the ground stewardess of the Cebu Pacific. Mon Tulfo claims he heard Claudine verbally abuse the stewardess which witnesses and Cebu Pacific employees present confirm to be true but Claudine denies this.

And the rest they say... is now showing!

Easter Sunday 2012

Today is another beginning for everyone who believes in God Almighty! Today is Easter Sunday and it is the feast of feasts, the gladness of Christians. It is today, more than two thousand years ago, when Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and gained the crown of victory.

This is the centerpiece of God's plan for salvation. What Adam and Eve lost, Jesus Christ and Mary redeemed. Let this day be  the beginning of our new life, purge the old and live according to God's ways.

I'd like to share this video which features the Byrds' cover of Turn, Turn, Turn from the 60's by Pete Seeger. The lyrics was taken verbatim from the Book of Ecclesiastes, as found in the King James Version of the Bible 1611. Although the sequence of the words was rearranged for the song, Pete Seeger added only six words in it. The Byrds cover is the most successful recorded version easily recahin No.1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1965.

57th Birthday of Steve Jobs

Happy Birthday !

February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011