Down the Rabbit Hole

Just before I migrated to the USA, I attended a migration seminar (a requirement for emigrants) where I was given a chance to register as an overseas voter. Naturally, I signed up; but I didn't give it much thought. So when the election day approached, I felt sad that I wouldn't vote this time around. But a few weeks before the election day, I received my own ballot in the mail. This was interesting: I had always voted in my barangay precinct back in the Philippines (and I treated my indelibly inked finger as a badge of honour). But now that I'm permanently residing in the USA, I mailed my ballot to the Philippine Consulate. Initially, I wanted to drive all the way to San Francisco (with Val and the wee one in tow) but the driving distance and the cost of parking discouraged me from going). But the USPS staff told me that my mail would arrive in time, so I felt that a drive to San Francisco was not needed. This national election is certainly heated. I have been invited to p

This is a question I had in mind because one of my friends mentioned that she is no longer supporting Taking Cara Babies, a company that provides sleep training support and guidance for parents. The wee one did not sleep train as I believe that his frequent wake-ups during the night when he was younger were developmentally normal. Instead, I read Pamela Douglas'  The Discontented Little Baby Book  (which, I believe, focuses on holistically supporting mothers enjoy their babies during the most difficult stages of infancy; not just with maternal sleep deprivation). The woman behind Taking Cara Babies, Cara Dumaplin, is known for devising a very effective sleep training program that has been lauded by a lot of people (including Biboy and Barbara). My friend used to follow Cara's account on Instagram and probably has purchased one of Cara's programs, though I'm not sure. Her issue began when Cara's donations to former US President Donald Trump's campaign fund becam

Disclaimer: I am neither a professional educator nor an expert in child psychology. I am only writing my opinion about schools reopening while the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. TL;DR: I am suggesting a few alternatives to conventional classroom delivery while the pandemic isn't under control because remote learning may not be the appropriate approach for certain grade levels and school situations:  (1) move classes outdoors if there is ample space on campus; (2) assign grade levels to morning or to afternoon/evening shifts to limit the number of students plying the hallways; (3) use public television as an alternative to video conferencing, particularly for children with limited access to the internet and to computers. --- In the USA, there is political pressure forcing states to reopen schools despite the established uptick in cases of COVID-19 and the potential that kids can contribute to the spread of the virus. The idea of sending children to school is definitely attractive despi

After watching Lincoln , I wondered what were the other movies considered in the Top 10 by the National Constitution Centre . All the President's Men  happens to be the first, the top-ranked film about presidents. So I decided to watch this film when I saw it on Netflix. At first, I thought that this Alan Pakula film was just a different version of The Post . After all, Ben Bradlee was there and Katharine Graham was mentioned because All the President's Men  is also about the Washington Post. However, Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman portrayed journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, respectively. These were characters I haven't heard before. And then I realised that this movie was really about their coverage of the Watergate Scandal! It began small enough; Woodward, a relatively new journalist in the Post , was covering the trial of the burglars who broke into the Democrat office in the Watergate Complex. However, things escalated really quickly. When Bernstein,

Meryl Streep starred as Katharine Graham who helmed the family-owned Washington Post  and Tom Hanks portrayed the newspaper's executive editor, Ben Bradlee in The Post , a movie about the efforts of the Washington Post in publishing the Pentagon Papers (confidential government documents about the Vietnam War ) in 1971. The movie obviously had political and historical themes in it. But aside from these, it can also be said that The Post  is also about women empowerment. Graham was the first woman publisher of a major daily newspaper. The movie showed how she struggled to keep the newspaper afloat despite being seen as a typical member of the "women-who-lunch". Yes, she was portrayed to have flinched a whole lot during the movie, but who wouldn't? Her family legacy and her friendships were at stake if she chose to publish the controversial news painstakingly gathered by her staff. Graham was the woman with all the power but not in the spotlight. That spotlight

I'm going to echo what many have been saying about this year's Presidential elections in the Philippines: it is the most polarising one that my generation and the next (yeah, the ones who's first adopted the internet and social media) has had the privilege to participate in so far. It has also yielded a lot of unexpected results . My favourite is this: people came out in droves to vote. The Commission on Elections has reported that 81% of the voting population exercised their right to suffrage; this is the highest turnout in the history of the use of those Precinct Count Optical Scanner (PCOS) machines.  My experience.   Weeks leading up to the election, I chose not to take an active part in heated arguments and debates about the merits and weaknesses of candidates seeking to serve the people for the next six years. Several reasons. One, I didn't want my relationships with my relatives and my friends be damaged by this elections. Two, I wanted my vote to be base

So, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago visited IRRI for the International Women's Day 2014 celebration to talk about women as agents of change. As always, she was feisty and witty all throughout her talk. She brought the house down with her spunky introduction (though some of her spiels were at the expense of some of her colleagues in the Senate). And if the politician's visit wasn't enough, the audience were also treated to a performance by the head of communications, Tony Lambino. Imagine, we were bumping elbows with celebrities! But wait, there's more... A friend of mine works for the Senator. So, when I asked if he were with the entourage, he confirmed it. He also included a photo from his vantage point (he has the better angle, I admit). :) When I thought that things had quieted down after the seminar, lo and behold, Senator Miriam sent out a tweet! Thank you @peteytommy and @rochiecuevas for this pic of Tony Lambino serenading me. pic.twitter.com/g

Finally, I got to watch this movie on cable.  Admittedly Frost/Nixon (2008) is one of the more gripping movies I've seen. No, there were no gun fights, car chases, hostage situations, nor weather and geographical disturbances. There wasn't even a cat fight! What made the movie compelling to see then?  They just talked. Yes, they did. I could remember only two movies where the characters mainly discussed issues stopped me from doing anything else: Lions for Lambs (2007) and Phone Booth (2002). In both movies, the characters were all fictional. However, Frost/Nixon was based on the series of interviews between famous reporter David Frost and the former US President Richard Nixon during the aftermath of the Watergate scandal. The movie showed what happened in the background: Nixon's staff and family around him, and the drama occurring within Frost's production team as the interviews progressed. More importantly, the movie showed the verbal sparring betw

Rep. Tieng has filed House Bill 2136, also known as "An act to prohibit and penalise reading, composing, and sending electronic messages while driving, and for other purposes", on August 3, 2010. Philippine lawmakers have finally recognised the road safety risks arising from drivers being distracted behind the wheel.  In the US, Oprah Winfrey has launched the "No Phone Zone" campaign this year (and has famous people supporting it). Several states have already passed laws banning texting, using the phone, and using headsets to handle calls while driving. Other countries in Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa also have laws in effect.  I'm glad that the Philippine Congress is taking steps to curb the dangers of having distracted drivers on the road, following the footsteps of other nations. The Metro Manila Development Authority has expressed its support for this bill, while Makati and Quezon City have already passed ordinances totally banning the use of

Anna and I went to Sta Cruz to see how Tito Boy's standing at the councilor race was doing.

Congratulations, Tito Boy!!  Tito Boy is vying for a councilor's seat in Sta. Cruz, Laguna. As of 2 AM, which was when I had finished collecting the data from the Commission on Elections' website of election results, he's in the No. 2 spot. The raw and partial data is in: http://electionresults.comelec.gov.ph/res_reg3426000.html Some precincts did not have information yet. Partial results (top eight candidates and sum of votes from precincts with available data): Tan, Ramon                         (12, 530) Odejar, Florencio                 (10, 942) Kalaw, Rizaldy                    (10, 317) Malibiran, Laarni                  (8, 601) Obligacion, Laura                 (8, 321) Acapulco, Rolando Moises   (7, 920) Asinas, Jun                            (7, 888) Elca, Romulo                        (7, 322) Now we wait for the proclamation, if it's not done yet.

Barangay Paciano Rizal, Calamba, Laguna This year's general elections is history-in-the-making because aside from electing the next president and vice president, votes would be counted automatically FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME using the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines (SmartMatic). 1 PM, May 10.  Election day is peaceful (so far), thankfully. The day was really hot, but many people stayed to vote. In fact, when we joined the queue at 10 AM, the voters who came at 7 AM were just finishing up. Anna and I just took 2-1/2 hours to cast our votes because by the time we got there, the queues have become more organised. Five hundred twenty-nine votes were cast in Cluster Precinct 173,  where I voted. 1 AM, May 11. Twelve hours after voting, here are the top results (in percent) from Cluster 173 (Precincts 479A, 479B, 480A, 480B, 480C): President:                                  Aquino, Benigno Simeon III (45.82%) Vice-President:                        

( photo from: http://jayseeblabs.blogspot.com/2010/01/why-vote-for-gibo.html ) Gibo Teodoro, the pilot, focuses on the future if seated as President in May 2010. Another advocate of positive campaigning, his advertisements also have catchy tunes, thanks to Rivermaya and Rico Blanco. "Sulong Gibo" and "Posible" attract the attention of the younger voters. Plus, he outlines his deliverables: food security, college education, free medicine. He does not have the rags to riches story of Manny Villar that the masses have a penchant for; but he seems to have the chops to lead, based on his experiences in his youth and his achievements in public office. He promises to use galing at talino  to bring progress to Filipinos. His ratings in the surveys are now on their way up, being behind Aquino and Villar; if he plays his cards right, he just might have a chance to win the presidency. I don't think he will have trouble in getting the votes of the youth; rounds a

(Photo from  http://alingiska.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/manny-villar-bakit/ ) Play. If there is a competition for the best campaign jingle for this year's elections, the people behind the  Naging Mahirap  campaign would be the obvious winners. Easy on the ears; easy on the throat; easy on the brain. That's the way a campaign jingle should sound like. There is no need for professional singers and celebrities to grace the plug; unknown children sang (although a few of my friends have noticed that the song the kids mouthed has different lyrics from that which is heard on the television).  A catchy tune nonetheless. Senator Villar certainly knows which buttons to press. It's so obvious, with his improved popularity based on the nightly surveys news broadcasts highlight on the television. This song tugged at the hearts of the masses. The song portrays that this candidate is one of them. He wants them to believe that he is the man to emulate because he got himself a

( Photo source:  http://opinionstoday.blogspot.com/2010/01/techonological-art.html )  Noynoy Aquino is the leading candidate in the 2010 Presidential elections; that's according to the latest surveys which nightly news broadcasts never fail to feature. His popularity peaked in part due to circumstances that surround his family: the martyrdom of his father, the Presidency and the death of his mother, the celebrity status (and the lack of privacy in the life) of one of his sisters, and the dramatic events centred upon his bid for the highest position in the country.  The death of former President Cory Aquino stirred once more the hearts of Filipinos born during the time of former President Ferdinand Marcos, and gave the younger generation an opportunity to get a glimpse of what her fight was all about. Her death is serendipitous for Noynoy's campaign: to win, he needs the votes of the new generation and of those of his parents' supporters. As expected, he was th

A lot of surveys on the popularity of presidential wannabes are being shown on television nowadays as the 2010 elections approach. Plus, polls conducted via SMS seems to be popular in talk shows. In the spirit of the election season, and of the popularity of polls, please feel free to check out this comic strip by Jorge Cham (2010).

The countdown to the 2010 Philippine elections has begun (last month, officially)! People eyeing various posts in government have started making themselves more visible, with campaign ads in different shapes and forms, and increased appearances in televised debates and talk shows.  The question is, with all these candidates vying for the Presidential seat, would the winner really gain a convincing majority vote?

The princess came with an entourage of journalists and government officials. My supervisor, Dr Melissa Fitzgerald, gave her and Dr Robert Zeigler (IRRI's Director General) the tour of the lab. We, on the other hand, were nearby in case Melissa needed assistance with pulling up figures and data from the instruments. Plus, we were there to answer questions from the rest of the entourage. She's got to be the highest-profile visitor we entertained to date!!

August 4, 2009. A lot of people showed up at the public viewing of the former president. She will be truly missed. Since cameras and mobile phones were ordered to be stowed in our bags, I didn't take photos inside the cathedral. But I did get pictures of the growing crowd... Later that evening, it was reported that the queue had reached the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (Manila City College), and waiting time was five hours!!! That is how well-loved Cory Aquino is. People braved the rain to see her one last time...

The Philippines has lost another defender of democracy, former President Corazon Aquino, on August 1, 2009. The country mourns her passing, and flags are at half-mast. President Gloria Macaagal-Arroyo has declared August 5, as a holiday, so that more people can participate in her funeral.  She has been touted as one of the country's finest leaders in one of its darkest hours; her unwavering faith a model for the millions of people who have put their trust in her. The brand of leadership she used is an inspiration for the world. True, her administration has been marked with challenges: natural, economic, and political. However, her presidency was at the time of the country's transition; the emotions of the times are reflected in songs that never fail to remind Filipinos to be proud of themselves and their freedom. She was a mother, first and foremost, to this country, a figure that it needed the most at that time.  Hers is not a state funeral, as is the fashion for for