Notably the oldest university in Asia (even older than Harvard), although it is disputed by the University of San Carlos in Cebu, which was founded in 1595 but became a university only in 1948.

The foundation of the University of Santo Tomas is attributed to Miguel de Benavides, third Archbishop of Manila. He arrived in the Philippines in 1587 along with the first Dominican mission and was promoted archbishop of Manila in 1601. Upon his death in 1605, he bequeathed his library and personal fortune worth 1,500 pesos to be used as seed money for establishing a school of higher learning to prepare young men for the priesthood.

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I was so immersed in my own ‘little world’ that my aunt once thought that I had lost my sanity since I was frequently talking to my self while her son, my cousin a year older than me, was all quite playing with his GameBoy (the original model). Years later we would grow up and go to school together, to our family, and my aunt’s amazement, I, who spent my childhood days playing with plastic and wooden blocks and talking to my self in a corner did better and excelled over my cousin who spent his growing up years honing his cut-throat skill of button mashing and a mastery of the GameBoy and other electronic devices like the VHS player and the SEGA console. Don’t forget though that I was the weird one.

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We shall not drop English, because English can be of great help to us in so far as democratic ideas and practices are concerned. Thence we must continue Spanish and English. But I am going further; I tell you that I want neither Spanish nor English as the language of our Government. More…

Well, that’s in the United Kingdom, I wonder what are the figures are here in the Philippines? Then again more questions pop in my mind like, “How many Filipino kids have access to computers?” “How young are those Filipino kids?” “What do they do with the computer or have they experienced the internet already?” “Do they use Windows or Mac? Have they ever seen nor used Linux before?” “Do they become smarter or perform better than others?” These are just some questions racing in my mind regarding the subject of children and computers.

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I’m in some kind of a blogger’s block. Too many ideas, not much enthusiasm. Too busy doing stuffs but accomplishing nothing much. You know the drill.

So, let me just comment on some books that I’ve read/encountered recently.

Bob Ong’s Alamat ng Gubat, Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World, and Steve Alten’s Meg Primal Waters.

see my reviews

Here’s a column I wrote for the last issue of SHInet, a technical newsletter on social insurance collaborated on by PhilHealth and GTZ-SHI.

Thought I’d post it in case someone (not likely) finds it interesting.

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Still, despite the harsh economic realities, you’d still find a great number of young Filipinos, students especially, running around with the latest gadget technology can offer. The most visible representation would be the mobile phone; Nokia, SonyEricsson, Motorolla are just among the top brands whose latest models graze the hands, necks, bags and belt pouches of today’s students and young professionals. Add to this, the mp3 players from Creative, Sony and the much coveted iPod accompanying the newest models of mobile phones owned by the Filipino students today, one could easily assume that things are not so bad here in the Philippines. Or the Philippines is truly modernizing into the future or something else similar.Read more

If you ever get caught in a situation, and pray to your God that you don’t, where you are stuck outside a door and you have tried all possible means devisable to get it to open, skim along the texts and pictures on this post and make sure you have your subconsious running on auto pilot for the taking-down-notes-for-future-reference bit.

1. Hold the pliers firmly with both hands from each of its handles. Pull the handles at the same time on opposite directions such that its tip opens at its widest.

[...]

6. On the left side of the exposed hole in your door, a metal ring (nearly a centimeter wide) protects the “tongue” portion of the door knob that you would want to take out in order to ultimately open your door (see pointing hand in the photo as reference for the side where the “tongue” I’m referring to is lodged). You would want to bend that ring in order to access the “tongue.” Use your pliers. Should there be jagged metal edges in the opening where the “tongue” should come out of, use your pliers to bend the edges outward.

[Read more thorugh here]

While watching Korina’s talk show , the topic of the Philippine state of annulment caught my interest. In my husband’s family, 3 out of 6 siblings’ marriage are either annulled, divorced or separated. Take your pick. I won’t go through the reasons for their separation but I believed they gave it their best shot before resorting to legal action or no legal action. Once upon a time, I also considered separation but thank God for this second chance at love and a more meaningful marriage. Now I am just wondering how the Supreme Court junked Amy Perez’ annulment petition.

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“High tide or low tide?” was the reply given by Charlene Gonzales to a question asked at the finals of the Miss Universe pageant held in Manila in 1994. More…

and we’re at it again, experimenting new stuffs…

i got the link from one of the photography forums on how to produce an effective lighting of products, a.k.a product photography. instead of buying expensive equipment, this do-it-yourself (diy) tutorial can help ease your financial restraints and enjoy with the same quality.

visit the dubai chronicles for more…

The Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao (AFRIM) is currently coordinating with the Department of Education in piloting the integration of peace building in the curricula of six high schools in Davao City.

The program involved the training of an initial batch of 15 teachers who are now incorporating peace building in their daily teachings.

Please continue reading …

Sooner or later, you may need to buy a car. Depending on where you live, this is either a convenience or a necessity. Buying a car in Canada is a little different than buying it in other countries. There’s basically 3 ways to get a car in Canada.
1. Buy it outright.

2. Finance it with a loan.

3. Lease it.

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Frenchguy was again in turmoil. He was with 2 french couples and the subject of conversation was focused on how to teach a child two languages at a very young age. 5 french people who learned but french at home and school, who had collections of VHS of disney movies in french, who watched everything on TV in french, who listened to the radio in french… of course, the topic was quite disturbing. Too big a deal.

My conversation with my 8-month old doesn’t really progress. First, because I don’t even know if she understands me, second, because I don’t understand the response that I get. Here’s one of our one-on-one conversation.

Me: Repeat after me, Louna. I – LOVE – YOU.
Louna: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! (high-pitched, of course).
Me: No Louna. Let’s do it again. I – LOVE – YOU.
Louna: BOOOOOOOOO! (with a mischievous smile).
Me: I – LOVE – YOU.
Louna: KKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! (with e pronounced in french).
Me: Naman si Louna e. Serious na. I – LOVE – YOU.
Louna: Pft.

End of conversation.

Optimistic me thinks I’m on the right track.

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One of us mused that we should instead support GMA because everything she has been doing is right and correct. Like Arroyo, we should be happy that the Filipino family is being torn apart thanks to the flight of our workers to find employment abroad, leaving behind their families. It’s okay, it’s alright, they do send in billions worth of dollar remittances every year that keeps our economy from taking its last breath. Never mind again, the fact that the Filipino family is being destroyed and its concept diluted and corrupted by imperialist, globalised economic policies.

However, the most relevant and heart-felt point we shared yesterday was the realisation that in order for anyone to get their desires, needs and wishes granted by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration, they have to break free and rebel, even revolt against her. Hasn’t anyone noticed that ever since the Oakwood mutiny up to the threat of a coup, the Armed forces has been constantly showered with gifts, bonuses, budget increases, excuses from Senatorial hearings even the license to kill everyone they consider to be Left of Center.

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Along the way, I also remembered that I still haven’t secured my examination permit so with my accelerated walking speed, I rushed to the University registrar to get that piece of oppressive paper that will serve as my ticket to get seats in the examination room. Yes, that piece of paper would prove that I’ve already paid my tuition fees and so I’m cleared to take my major exams. Just like the ‘No ID NO Entry’ sign posted at the campus gates the exam permits pronounce ‘No Permit, No Exam’ this in turn ultimately says, ‘Pay First, Study Later.’ So much for education being a right for every Filipino.

But I remembered another important thing; I signed up as a volunteer teacher for the Lasallian Community Development Center’s (LCDC) “Alternative Learning System – Literacy Project.” A program to help the inmates of the BJMP-Dasmariñas (Municipal Jail)-which was just next door from the university campus, with their educational development despite being behind bars. Now this is ‘education as a right; not a privelege.’

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Have you ever wondered whether the school you’re sending your children to is accredited by the Department of Education (DepEd) or the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)? Well, you can always check the lists available online. More…

The word “mayabang”—which most Tagalog speakers would probably translate into English as “arrogant”—has “yabang” as its root word. So why is a campaign that aims to “unite the Filipino people in believing in themselves and in fellow Filipinos” called Yabang Pinoy? More…

“WTF?! I thought there was a storm, a typhoon? It was what classes have been suspended for. Where’s the dark clouds, the howling winds and the pouding rain? I don’t believe it!” I smacked my palm against my now sweaty and oily forehead. “Just like an old woman, a very old woman…” I muttered about the weather as I got out bed for the second time but without the haste and determination I had earlier. I went on with most of my morning routine; breakfast, hot cup of tea, tai chi, and right now, my 6-hour plus session of being online. I asked my mother at what time did it stopped raining, she said it was around 7am that the rains stopped and the sky cleared up a bit. Even as I write….err type this post just after having lunch, there is sunshine, moderate cloud cover with moderate cool winds outside. There are occasional rainfalls but very very light, ambon lang, with strong gusts of wind but that is pretty much it.

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Do you remember the good teachers you had? The ones who were truly inspiring and helped you achieve more than you thought you could? Perhaps your teacher has even been one of those recognized in the Metrobank Foundation’s annual Search for Outstanding Teachers. More…