Teacher's teacher

BukidnonOnLine/Mindanaoan accompanied Malaybalayan and Teacher's teacher to Davao City to begin their Christmas "spotting" shopping. Gaisano Bajada was their first stop but sad to say, not a thing was spotted enough to merit a second and  last visit for a "final buy".  So they proceeded to Unitop San Pedro and voila! choices were made: they bought christmas lights not more than 200 pesos and decors below 20 pesos. Definitely there would be another visit before Christmas Day for more christmas "buys".
 The customers today are very choosy because of the financial crisis. It is not enough for them to see nice things as it used to be. Now, they think and re-think such that they already justify why they finally bought such things.
 
 Many still believe that  the best gift is one that comes from the heart and anything that comes with it is just "icing on the cake." This perspective is so Filipino that Teacher's teacher encourages this to be the  criterion in giving a gift.

Why is there need to clarify where the massacre actually happened is really not the issue knowing that 57 people have lost their lives even before their time, but for the sake of sanity, let it be known  that Ampatuan is not the whole of Maguindanao, Philippines. Certainly there are still good and moral people. Even those who massacred the 57 helpless victims may not represent the greater number of Ampatuan, Maguindanao. Lord, will you save us if there are 100 good people?

Teacher'steacher is still not herself even when Mayor Andal Ampatuan allegedly came out not out of hiding but out of showing to the people he was not really hiding. How can such an outrageous scenario like many vehicles filled with people, be strafed causing all its riders to die and then a backhoe was on hand to hide the "deed" just happened to be there with no one knowing is beyond anybody's capacity to fathom. Lord, will you ave us if there are 50 good people?

Let us for a moment - ponder on what the government is doing if they are doing something substantial at all .  Our officials wear black  dress or black bands - as though it is enough. Words uttered that the perpetrators will not escape the hands of justice and a promise was specified, the case will be resolved within 36 hours. Lord, will you save us if there are 10 good people?

Malaybalayan joins Teacherallherlife in praying that all the aforementioned will take its course with the 57 victims uppermost in their minds before the wrath  of God will haunt them till their consciences gnaw on them every moment of their remaining lives. Lord, will you save us if there at least 5 people? four?three?two?one?

If in an earlier blog we made mention of the Maguindanao massacre where around 47 became the victims of such heinous, ungodly  acts, now the number has risen to 57! Also, the number of mediamen who were there to cover the event and were also murdered reached 13. God, have mercy, what is happening to our country especially Mindanao?

ABS-CBN news covereage, TV Patrol today, Wednesday, shows horrible pictures - of buried vehicles together with the dead bodies of the victims - of a pregnant woman mercilessly killed. I am sure the heavens are dumbfounded what men can do to their fellowmen all because of power or just plain money or blind obedience. If the heavens were to strike and punish these people, would they  understand- if at all - why they were punished?

Father God, please forgive us for the desecration of the image and likeness you have accorded man.

Day in and day out we go about our activities nary a glance what the weather has to say. Then, rain comes or extreme heat disturbs our comfort, still we do not allow ourselves to be sidetracked by weather. Finally, typhoons announce the gravity of its destruction and finally too it got your attention.

Indeed, the weather teaches us things we take for granted. For one, man, the steward has not been very good in his job at taking care of the environment. This negligence accrues and manifests itself in the weather which does not function as scheduled. Experts charge it to climate change.

Secondly, the weather makes man grateful. After all, weather can refer to good days which go our way. There is "manna from heaven" so to speak.

Thirdly and lastly, the weather announces ahead of time what good or bad tiding is to come. It advises us to be ready before it is too late.

Thus, let us give more attention to the weather.  Find out what it wants to say. Acknowledge it and pray it will make your day.

Education 108 is a subject in the College of Teacher Education, Bukidnon State University where sign language is taught to students. In this seminar-workshop 10 hearing- impaired pupils became the mentors of the college students. After the crash training, the students presented  their sign language learning.Teacher's teacher is sure the Education 108 students emerged more aware of the differently-abled after the semester.

In the United Kingdom ,  floods greeted them as the morning came and unwanted rain is still falling; in Australia, bushfire ate their forest and fire is still burning and expanding its extent of destruction; in Sumatra, Indonesia, a ferry boat sank. CNN reports, of the 225 passengers, around 200 are rescued but 25 died. For more details, see CNN.com.

Just when we cannot help but be so saddened, we begin asking: what is happening to our world? good news crop up: Efren Penaflorida, our very own kababayan, was declared hero of the year 2009-not because he did something light but he spent more than 12 years of his life, with the help of his fellow workers of the same calling to teach children while they stay in their pushcarts (kariton). Nine other finalists in CNN Heroes all spent much time serving the less fortunate.

So, once again, what is happening to our world? We can say, it is telling us the world is bound to become even worse if we do not "clean our act" by taking care of our environment, making it more green. It will also become better if all persons work together to make a difference in the lives of others.As always we should remember, we have only one world and we affect each other more than we realize.

It is not long time ago when Manny Pacquiao made the Philippines, land of brave boxers - Champion - and now, an Efren Penaflorida made our country a land of heroes as well. Teacher's teacher is teary eyed at the thought of these young people telling the whole world what and who Filipinos are!

Was it not long ago when we admitted voting for Efren and was not sure if her vote was counted. It is now water under the bridge but am really thrilled for Efren - imagine, a hero among us.

For us, ordinary mortals, don't worry we are heroes too everytime we do our household chores, study our lessons, accept the everyday challenges that come our way. But for now let us just be happy for Efren, a fellow Filipino.Thank you CNN! May I link with CNN heroes.com?

Allow Teacher's teacher to pay tribute to peace through a reflection . . .

For a long time the common notion of peace is "absence of conflict", quiet surrounding. It may still be today but there has to be more to this description. After all, one can be going through a conflict and in the middle of the turmoil realize that the other side of it is peace.

Problems that beset man and society are so complex yet deep into its basic cause is man's selfishness which we prefer to be the more apt explanation why peace never seems to happen easily.

So my dear Students, look deep into your hearts just as we do too. Peace comes when our hearts are ready to minimize our selfishness.

Oprah Network is now the "baby" that wil be the focus of Oprah's time. This will have to be if the plan of Oprah to finally put to an end her Oprah show at CBS will really push through on September 2011.TV commentators are busy giving their forecasts but in the meantime, the show will become more watched than ever as the countdown begins.Oprah will then become richer than ever too.
 
How Teacher's teacher wishes that before Oprah goes to better and bigger things, she will by accident come across Malaybalayan.blogspot.com where two blogs: Blogs at Fifty and Teacher's teacher.blogspot.com are just raring to meet her. We can dream, can't we?

Oprah, Teacher's teacher is from Malaybalay and Malaybalay is the niche of Malaybalayan. We dare you, you have been anywhere or everywhere but unless and until you see Malaybalay, you haven't seen it all. How  about it? May we give you a timetable to grace us with your presence on or before September 2011?

November 16, 2009, Monday, Malaybalay City, the birthplace of Malaybalayan received its visitor from Rome: His Excellency, Most Reverend Edward Joseph Adams, D.D. His visit was in line with the 40th  anniversary of the Local Church of Malaybalay, from April 22, 2009 to April 22, 2010. 

This visit reminds Malaybalayan of her experience of seeing in person a Pope! All catechists received, Malaybalayan included, the Apostolic Blessing. Without undermining the significance of the blessing, the momentous opportunity to be in the presence of the Pope, the Vicar of Christ, is like being in the presence of  the Most Holy One, you feel unworthy yet honored and humbled for being chosen to be there.

This visit of the Nuncio is also, in spirit, the visit of Pope Benedict XVI and this is very comforting to all the catholics all over Malaybalay - all over Bukidnon - all over the Philippines. Viva il Papa!