The SOFIA Joins UNESCO

There are a thousand and one way to unite a country, promote and preserve its identity but one of the best  and effective way of doing it is the SOFIA way. Read on if you want to be a part of the silent revolution.

The Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (SOFIA) joins the film archiving community in commemorating the

UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

October 27 has been adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, with this year's theme "Audiovisual Heritage: See, Hear, and Learn." Thus, the Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (SOFIA) is one with the world in commemorating this important occasion and in bringing to the fore the importance of nurturing and preserving our rich audiovisual heritage.

SOFIA believes that as Filipinos and as a nation, we can learn more about ourselves – our identity and our culture – through the numerous films, documentaries, television programs and the like that our country has produced. The sad reality though is that a lot of these works are already lost with more in imminent danger of suffering the same fate. In face of this and other hurdles, SOFIA takes on the responsibility of building awareness to this advocacy by bringing these issues into the public consciousness through the Internet, on television, in print, and through various activities including a monthly free film screening series that has helped develop film appreciation and a renewed interest in Filipino cinema. On behalf of UNESCO and audiovisual archive organizations the world over, SOFIA encourages the Filipino people to share in this cause before it's too late. The Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (Samahan ng mga Filipinong Arkivista para sa Pelukula, Inc.) is a non-stock, non-profit volunteer organization registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission that is composed of individuals from different backgrounds – from trained archivists to film enthusiasts – that share a common cause for the preservation of our country’s cinematic treasures. SOFIA is an active member of the Southeast Asia-Pacific Audiovisual Archives Association or SEAPAAVA.

For more information, please visit www.arkivista.org. We're also on Facebook and you can follow us on twitter at @sofiaphils.

Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (SOFIA)
Samahan ng mga Filipinong Arkivista Para sa Pelikula, Inc. Manila, Philippines.
www.arkivista.org
twitter.com/sofiaphils

Adulterated Basic Chess Lessons

Learning chess the way the film creators see it:

Alamat ni Mariang Makiling

Hello there!

It has been weeks since our last post and I think the trending for our blog will stay that way for awhile. One post in two weeks or a bi-monthly notes from me. So far my existence have been filled by thoughts of Teaching Filipino among middle school students who share one commonality, they happen to live here in the Philippines but has English as their mother tongue.

I teach Filipino within the framework of Humanities curriculum with emphasis on language learning. So far I have had the chance of breaking-through the complexities of teaching a whole class of teenagers who'd rather not learn the language if given the chance not to. Sorry guys but he who doesn't know of foreign languages doesn't know their own, that according to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

We used three reading materials for this term and the latest one is about the mysterious diwata named Mariang Makiling:

ANG ALAMAT NG BUNDOK MAKILING

Sa isang mataas na bundok ay may mag-asawang Bathalang naninirahan. Sila ay may isang anak, si Maria. Si Maria ay kaisa-isang anak ng mga bathalang sina Dayang Makiling at Gat Panahon. Ang kagandahan ni Maria ay sadyang kahali-halina, lalo na sa paningin ng kanyang mga magulang. Siya ang tanging ligaya’t kayamanan nina Dayang makiliing at Gat Panahon.

Kahit na isang diyos, malayang nakakahalubilo ni Maria ang mga ordinaryong tao. Noong panahong iyon, ang mga bathala’t diyosa ay malayang nakikipagkuwentuhan at nakikisama sa mga taong mortal. Ang mga tao ay nakakahingi ng tulong sa mga bathala. Sila ay tinutulungan naman ng mga bathala.

Nakaugalian na ni Maria na mamili sa Talipapa. Ang kanyang kasuotan ay naaayon sa moda nang mga panahong iyon. Ang kanyang mahabang buhok ay napapalamutian ng bulaklak. Bawa’t makasalubong niya ay bumabati sa kanya dahil sa mapang-akit niyang mga mata. Ang mga kalalakihan ay yumuyuko sa harap niya tanda ng paggalang. 

Kasama ng dalawang alalay, ipinagpapalit ni Maria ang mga dala-dalang luya tulad  ng mga tela at iba pang gamit sa bahay. Hindi pa kilala noon ang pera. Sa araw ng palengke, hindi lamang mamimili ang nasa Talipapa. Naroon din ang mga mangangalakal na taga-ibang lugar. Dumarayo din sila sa Talipapa uang makipagpalitan ng mga kalakal. 

Isang araw ay napasyal sa Talipapa ang mga pinuno ng kahariang Bay. Si Gat Dula. Isa siyang maharlikang tao. Hindi siya namimili sa Talipapa. Siya ay si Gat Dula at ay nagpapalipas lamang ng oras. Nagkataon naman na si Maria ay namimili din ng araw na iyon. Nagkabanggaan ang kani-kanilang balikat nang kapwa nila kikilatisin ang isang pirasong mabalahibong balat ng hayop.Nagkatinginan silang dalawa. Yumuko si Gat Dula bilang tanda ng paggalang at paghingi ng paumanhin kay Maria. Waring nahihiyang ngiti lamang ang itinugon ni Maria. 

Simula ng araw na iyon ay hindi na mapakali si Gat Dula. Nabighani siya sa kagandahan ni Maria. Bumabalik-balik siya sa Talipapa sa pagbabakasakaling magkita pa sila ni Maria. Maraming araw din ang lumipas pero siya ay nabigong makita ang magandang dyosa. Hanggang isang araw, ang kanyang pananabik ay napawing lahat nang masilayan niyang muli ang kagandahan ni Maria. Wala siyang inaksayang sandali. Dahan-dahan siyang lumapit kay Maria at binati ito. Tinugon naman siya ni Maria ng isang napakatamis na ngiti. 

Magmula noon ay naging magkaibigan na ang dalawa hanggang sa maramdaman nilang sila ay umiibig sa isa’t-isa. Nakalimutan ni Maria na isa siyang diyosa na hindi nararapat na umibig sa tao. 

Nagpatuloy ang matamis na pag-iibigan nina Maria at Gat Dula hanggang sa ito ay makarating sa kaalaman ni Gat Panahon, ang ama ni Maria. At siyempre pa, nagalit si Gat Panahon gayundin si Dayang Makiling. Labis na nalungkot ang ina ni Maria sa pakikipag-ibigan ng anak sa isang tao at hindi sa kapwa nila bathala.

Magmula noon ay pinagbawalan na si Maria na bumaba sa daigdig ng tao. Inalisan din siya ng kapangyarihang mag-anyong tao. Sabihin pa, labis itong ikinalulungkot ni Maria sapagka’t iisa lang ang kanyang puso at ito ay walang iba kundi si Gat Dula.Sa daigdig nama’y gayundin ang nangyayari kay Gat Dula. Tapat at busilak ang pag-ibig niya Maria. Madalas ay nakikita niya si Maria sa kanyang mga pangitain ngunit ito’y biglang naglalahong parang bula.

Biglaang nagkaroon ng digmaan sa kaharian ni Gat Dula. Nilusob sila ng mga kalapit na kaharian sa pamumuno ni Lakan Bunto. Buong giting na pinamunuan ni Gat Dula ang kanyang mga tauhan sa pakikipaglaban. Nagapi nila ang mga kalaban at ni hindi lamang nagalusan si Gat Dula. Ang dahilan nito marahil ay sa kanyang inspirasyon, ang kanyang marubdob na pag-ibig kay Maria. Marami pang digmaan ang nakasagupa ni Gat Dula at lahat ng iyon ay kanyang pinagwagihan. Nagtatagumpay siya sa mga kalaban maliban sa kanyang pag-ibig kay Maria. 

Sa labis na kalungkutan, si Gat Dula ay nagkasakit na naging sanhi ng kanyang kamatayan. Lahat ng ito ay nasaksihan ni Maria ngunit wala siyang magawa. Hiningi nya sa mga bathala na ibigay sa kanya ang kaluluwa ni Gat Dula at siya nama’y pinagbigyan din ng mga bathala. 

Nang mamatay sina Gat Panahon at Dayang Makiling, minana nina Maria at Gat Dula ang lahat ng kayaman at kapangyarihan ng kanayang mga magulang. Bilang pinuno, ipinagpatuloy ni Maria ang pagbibigay ng tulong sa kanyang nasasakupan. Tulad ng Gawain ng ina, ikinakalat ni Maria ang mga luya sa bakuran ng bawa’t bahay ng kanyang kaharian. Ang lahat ng ikinasal ay kanyang binibiyayaan ng mga kagamitan. 

Ngunit dumating ang panahon na ang kaharian ni Maria ay inabuso ng kanyang mamamayan. Ang iba sa kanila ay hindi na marunong tumanaw ng utang na-loob. Ang mga gamit na kanilang hiniram ay hindi na naibabalik kay Maria. Dahil dito, nagalit si Maria. Nagpasiya siyang baguhin ang lahat.Nagbigay siya ng ng mga bagong kautusan at batas. Ipinagbawal niya ang pamimitas ng prutas sa gubat. Dahil sa kalupitan sa hayop, ipinagbawal din niya ang pagpatay at pagbihag ng mga hayop. Ang sinumang sumuway sa kanyang batas ay kanyang parurusahan. At bawa’t pagsuway sa kanyang mg autos. Pinaiitim niya ang kalangitan at ibinubuhos ang malakas na ulan. Pagkatapos ay hahagupitin niya ng malakas ang kalabaw upang kumidlat. 

Ngayon ang bundok ng Makiling ay simbulo ang kapangyarihan at kagandahan ni Maria.    


For our class' jump-off activity, we watched the YouTube video of Alamat ng Mariang Makiling which I downloaded on my desktop:

RIP Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs died yesterday, October 5, 2011 at the age of 56 and left behind patents and inventions the world has used, continue to use and hopefully will be able to use in the future. To Steve, thank you for your creative ideas and risk-taking behaviors. Because of your courage to fail, you triumphed and gave us all these gizmos and gadgets that made the popular culture what it is now, funky, trendy but purposeful.

My post last August about his resignation as the CEO for Apple showed the full script of the commencement speech and video  he gave in 2005 at the Stanford University. 

Goodbye Steve Jobs!

International World Teachers Day 2011

I spent my World Teachers Day celebration at work, and that means I was doing the thing I love doing -- teach children, shape the future and touch lives. In the afternoon, we had our monthly professional development for teachers from one in the afternoon until four.

Our topic was bullying and our facilitators were the school guidance counselors. We started the afternoon with the Make A Difference Movie, the Teddy Stallard Story. Everything about the afternoon was clearly based on the platform of the story.

Watch it and believe that everyone and anyone can make a difference in someone's life.

Teachers all over the world, thank you for touching lives and not just teaching math, science, languages and all the academic inventions that could hamper the true development of our students if not used or taught correctly.

Learning Support Teacher

I miss working as a learning support teacher, I really do. After working as a learning support teacher from year 2000-2010, I thought I thought I had it, I thought I wanted to teach in the regular classroom and have the experience. I thought I would love it, I thought I would enjoy it.

It is tiring! It is exhausting!

As a regular ed teacher, I have to prepare so much for so little time. Prepare for lectures, activities, handouts, videos, worksheets and tests I don't usually make as a learning support teacher. Yes, it is killing me. My kids have been complaining, my wife and the little kid in me. I'm hanging on until I get a slot in my school as a learning support teacher. Will I ever get one? I don't really know. The gods of Mt. Olympus must be conferring with each other whether they'll grant my request or not.

So what does a learning support teacher really do?

• Teach skills not content
• Study with the students and not teach the content
• Do pull-outs and individual sessions
• Join classes and learn with the students
• Assess skills not content
• And a lot more

As always, you can base your writings from your experience or from the studies made by scholars and accidental academicians. Here's one called Attributes of a Learning Support Teacher in Australian Inclusive Classrooms.

Endgame by Frank Brady

The life story of the great and insane Robert "Bobby" Fischer as seen by Frank Brady. The book about the great American hero who defeated the Soviet Union during the cold war over the 64-squared chess board which meant so much to the American people then but now spat on by everyone in the land of milk and honey.

I never thought I'll find one copy online but here it is for everyone to read and enjoy!

Endgame - Frank Brady

A Study on Chess by Gerdes, Gransmark and Rosholm

Here is a document I stumbled upon at ChessBase which you guys might like to read. As always, if you envision chess to be a good learning tool for everyone, it is important that we read academic papers dealing with the game.

Chess has been studied greatly by psychologists, developmental theorists and learning process scholars. Computer scientists had their "field day" in the 80's leading up to the great Kasparov-Deep Blue battles where the longest reigning world chess champion had won in 1996 but lost in 1997 rematch. Of course, Garry is Kasparov and Kasparov accused IBM for cheating and demanded but never got one.

Anyways, here is the study called Chicken or Checkin'? Rational Learning on Repeated Chess Games:

Chicken or Checkin'?

Chess Resources from whychess.org

A new chess website that has the looks and content of a winner for everyone. WhyChess.Org quietly put up it's website and slowly filled it with content everyone would love to have on their blogs and websites. Check it out at whychess.org

Before I go, here are some of the videos that can be found there:



Continued:



 The next video might cause some stir in the chess world:

 

For more of the videos, please visit whychess.org.

Queen Swings and a Checkmate

I played 1 minute games this afternoon right after recording my student's grade for their podcast and instructional videos. It has been a very busy two weeks for me, not to mention the two typhoons we have had (and currently have) Pedring and Quiel. Adding stress to my existence is the fact that I am substitute teaching for a subject I really thought would be peanuts but turns out to be a tough nut to crack.

Before I share the game which I won with a checkmate, I'd like to congratulate the Smart Gilas Basketball Team for showing a very improved level of playing and placing 4th in the FIBA Asia Championships. It was a sorry 2-point loss for us against the South Koreans which reminds all of us the Racela-missed free throws some years ago.

And lastly, I thought of sharing the one song performance we've had during the Filipino week where I played the guitar for the PE and Friends Band but I couldn't find it anywhere on the web yet. We played the song Jeepney by Kala and I thought we played it well enough. So, here is the game I won against a higher rated opponent over at ChessCube:

 

Ateneo wins UAAP Basketball Championship 2011

Ateneo de Manila wins their 4th straight basketball championship in the 74th University Athletic Association of the Philippines with a dominating second half play from Monfort, Ravena, Salva and Slaughter. It was a finals sweep by the Ateneans against the Morayta-based Far Eastern University Tamarraws.

The scores were 82-64 for the first game and 82-69 for the second game. Clearly, this shows us the consistency of Ateneo Blue Eagles domination against the FEU Tamarraws who were played for the gold in last year's basketball championship.

Congratulations to the Ateneo Blue Eagles!