Classroom Science Initiatives

Do I really need to say what the reason was why there was no post for the last three days?

It was like the biggest bit of news spreading around campus then died down just as quickly when I showed up again.

Let me just say this much: damn all those TV doctor shows for not showing everything between scenes.

It’s boring, such as having to give your personal information THREE FRICKING TIMES to different people.

Can’t they just take it down once, encode it, give the patient a bar code bracelet, then scan and upload it every time they go to a new office?

Besides that, there’s all this waiting for the doctor to show up to study the results of whatever test was given.

Sure technology is such that the results are already there minutes after the procedure, but there’s still the human factor.

It also seems that everything now is infused with the suspicion of “Is this really necessary or is this person recommending this to me aware that he will get a commission if the patient agrees to this?”

Maybe it’s part of the newfound respect for hard-earned money these days that’s behind this attitude.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson July 26: The secret of achievement is to hold a picture of a successful outcome in mind. - Henry David Thoreau

My take on this: the easiest example of this is architects. If they don’t have a concrete vision of what they want to build, it would not materialize. It’s just all about planning, as it was said in the movie “Under Siege 2”: “chance favors the prepared mind.” If you’re ready to roll out Plan B, you will meet success because you thought of everything that could happen that could hinder you and how to go around it.

@@ July 27: If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain. - Maya Angelou

My take on this: I guess that’s part of the problem with the people of this country. Just because a couple of times you were heard because you took to the streets doesn’t mean it will always be that way.

That’s why we have the “Fatigue syndrome”. Besides, there’s also the brothers’ “let the change start with me” (paraphrased). And that means don’t expect to cry out and other people will change for you.

@@ July 30: Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones. And when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake. - Victor Hugo

My take on this: Maybe this is connected to that famous song from the Bible “Cast your burdens upon me, those who are heavily laden. Come to me all of you who are tired of carrying heavy loads. For the yoke I will give you is easy and my burden is light. Come to me, and I will give you rest.”

Don’t sweat the little things and think too much of the big things, but offer it all to the Creator as he commands.

The community lunch and start of the faculty-staff sports fest yesterday was a lot of fun.

First of all, another board passer of ours who is now a teacher (albeit part time) was honored, as well as the former president of the student council who won an individual trivia contest. Honestly, I was joking when I told him that he was supposed to have an acceptance speech, so I was surprised when he was called to the microphone to talk. But I’m glad that he acknowledged his fellow contestants the past years, Sandy and Patrick.

The timing of the items in the program was weird though. We had the prayer before meals first, then the lunch.

After that, it was the program, where the first thing to do was the prayer service, not for after meals.

The only thing I could say about the college faculty performance is that whatever impact the lyrics of their song was supposed to have was lost by the fact that none of them were close enough to any of the three microphones for whole sentences to be recognizable.

I would also like to congratulate my fellow “batch” mates who also received their “longevity” recognition, Ms. Cielo and Sir Ronnie, as well as Miss Jenny, Ms. Patt, Bobet and Ms. Marileth.

The games were a lot of fun, if maybe incorrectly ordered. Of course there’s the ever popular tug of war.

I’m not surprised that the light green team won. After all, Brother Kenneth and Richie are there, as well as the Integrated School Principal, the Dean, and the Controller (I guess the most aggressive among the staff bosses, at least when it comes to games).

Next was the Caterpillar/Catch the Tail game. I didn’t want to be like those other team captains that get all red in that face when they see a violation of the rules that the officials don’t see, but I guess my team didn’t really have the right spirit going in either.

Next was the obstacle course and mystery eating contest. This was where the most fun was had. I would like to thank Ms. Lissa and Brother Richie for being such good sports and joining.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson July 25: … But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:13-14 NIV

My take on this: well looking behind should be selective. One must not dwell too much on the past, especially if it’s negative, and also if it’s all positive because that would be the equivalent of resting on one’s laurels and not striving to move forward anymore.

One must also not forget the past, because, just like in a video game where your character (plumber?) will die if you “eat” a certain mushroom, of course you’re supposed to avoid that the succeeding times! Otherwise, you’ll use up all your lives on that stage.

Here’s a bit of trivia. 1081 is the proclamation number that the former dictator of the Philippines used to declare martial law.

It was recently in memory because Br. Rolly showed us a short video of the heroism of Ninoy Aquino at the end of his talk on moral transformation last Tuesday. He says, and I believe him, that it only takes one person sacrificing his life for the country to inspire others to do likewise and stand before tanks.

@@ I had an outdoor class yesterday. My science elective class tested their sundials in the Founder’s Park.

Then we had to wait an hour for the next testing at 11am (the first one was at 10am) so we had our lecture on the phases of the moon there, where I challenged them to use their imaginations because we had no chalkboard.

The pictures are already online, along with those of the eclipse. For those who want to know where, please leave your e-mail addresses - cryptogram style - in the comments so that I can send the link.

@@ [http://tiny.cc/opXze] Chat has a very interesting post today. Or was it yesterday? Anyway, in it she questions something in her life (that an article on the internet was generalizing in the first place) and then goes on to form a conclusion that is all-encompassing yet carefree.

@@ Speaking of which - and I’m NOT talking about Chat here: why is it that there are some people whose manner of writing comes off in the voice in my head as a clueless ditzy blonde who has absolutely nothing insightful to say, but doesn’t prevent her from typing her mind anyway.

@@ Earlier was the blessing of the new E-Lab, which is half of what used to be the new lab on the fourth floor central lobby.

Does that mean that the new lab is now only the Half New Lab? Drum cymbals, please. But seriously (really, that’s my segue?) the lab is interesting in that it uses flat screen monitors attached to the table top, so that they could be pulled down like a laptop cover for writing. What a design.

And finally we have a room where the LCD projector is a permanent fixture hanging from the ceiling.

@@ I got hooked on domino effect web page news article reading on MSNBC earlier. It started with a biologist defending giant squids against alarmist claims that they are man eaters, to new robots that perform surgery and dispense medicines, to terrifying real life robots to animals that help humans.

That is one example of where this electronic portal with potential for information overload can lead us.

The whole world is at our fingertips, but is anything but our eyes and brain (and sometimes our loins) stimulated? Is the world of overweight couch potatoes shown in “Wall-E” so far behind?

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson July 24: The man who has done his best has done everything. - Charles Schwab

My take on this: again there has to be a thin line to toe in applying this to one’s life. It could very well be easily used by someone to justify their lack of achievements because “they have done everything” even when it’s clear to other people that they have not. Then again it’s very easy to regret things that one didn’t do.

To continue with my discussion yesterday, so slowly the clouds were dissipating over our stargazing.

After showing them Alpha Centauri through the telescope, and its binary starriness, then the Southern Cross was visible, then the zodiac constellation equivalent of Scorpio, then the Teapot which is the most recognizable feature of Sagittarius.

The same goes for Virgo and Libra, and the constellation of the Herdsman or Bear Driver.

And finally, Saturn showed up. The only part of the sky we couldn’t see was where the Big Dipper was.

Before that there was the talk of my former co-teacher and Office of Student Affairs Dean of the main campus on the Founder’s teaching philosophy and how it’s still applicable.

That was for the whole day, but I was only able to attend the afternoon session, for a reason that I will reveal later due to the reverse chronological nature of this and yesterday’s post.

It was attended my around thirty plus members of the faculty, staff and administration.

One aspect that I would like to adapt for our next team building sessions is the affirmation cards.

Anyway, what were the legitimate reasons that I told the facilitator and the brother president why I couldn’t go to the morning session of the teaching philosophy seminar?

It was because of the partial solar eclipse of course, that could not be postponed even if I wanted it to.

I was up on the roof deck for almost three hours (making it twice that day) waiting to get pictures of the sun and moon while working around the glare adjustment of the digital camera.

I’m just looking for a good place to upload the pictures that doesn’t have any legal fine print that they own the pictures afterwards, or at least still claim ownership on the originals.

Thanks also to everyone who dropped by yesterday and last night, including Roy and the IS principal.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson July 23: There are many brave and strong-minded people whom one wouldn’t follow on any account because one doesn’t know what they stand for, or where they are going.

My take on this: that’s good. Being brave and strong minded isn’t the be-all and end-all of being leader.

It’s also whether they have conviction, are actually setting their sights on the right things and long term planning.

Stargazing session for the Integrated School Science Club just finished, my first such activity in about two years.

It was good in several aspects. First of all, I liked it that a lot of the kids were coming from a position of being well informed on basic astronomy principles and that I didn’t have to correct their misconceptions. Well, except for the one who was heard to go, “I don’t want to see Saturn; I want to see a planet.” That flew under the radar.

Second was that I brought my science elective class there to help with the lecture on the constellations.

The only problems with that were that first, the lecturing style was uneven (there were good ones and there were bad ones) and that there was a lot of time wasted on switching between laptops connected to the projector, or connecting one’s phone to the computer.

The kids were also very lucky because it was generally non-overcast today, starting from the eclipse.

I have pictures of those by the way taken from school, which I don’t know where to post yet.

So when we got up to the roof deck after the lecture, two thirds of the sky was cloudy.

And it was at the western portion of the sky, which means where the planet we were supposed to look at was already very close to setting if we didn’t catch it soon.

We also had to move from the west part of the roof deck to the east and back, just to take advantage of the parts where the clouds were gone. So first I showed them the Summer Triangle.

A while later, the south part of the sky cleared up and I was able to show them Alpha Centauri through the telescope.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson July 22: You are the most important person in the world. Treat yourself with the respect you deserve. If you don’t others may infinitely be pressing your buttons. - Darren Roberts

My take on this: there are two sides or extremes that are to be avoided here. The first is not letting others step all over you. Be strong enough to stand up for yourself that others can see that you are worth respecting because you have self-respect.

The second side is not to think of your self as being too important that you disregard criticisms from other people.

There might be a good reason why others are telling you what you are doing is wrong.

Maybe you should apply the golden rule here and see how it looks like being confronted by someone as self-important acting as you are, and if you like it if someone did that to you.

Before I go into today’s main topic, first I’d like to acknowledge Google for reminding me that yesterday was the fortieth anniversary of when man first walked on the moon.

Or, as some skeptics would say it, two score years ago when the United States of Actors fooled the world into believing that they had been beaten the Russians in landing on the moon.

It depends on whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist, if you would rather believe that man was able to achieve something that has never been done before, or you could doubt in the integrity of your fellow man and of the governments to tell you the truth.

@@ Now let’s go to the events of the day. I know the urban dancing with Brother Ray was well attended.

Same goes for Brother Dennis’ ultimate Frisbee. These were easy enough to look into.

I’m not sure about the photography and the karate sessions because they were indoors.

Personally, I was at Brother Rolly’s talk on Moral Transformation. Despite the fact that he did not have a slide presentation (he called the CD he was supposed to bring as a “tape” he forgot, showing that old habits die hard, which may not be a bad thing.

He had a simple acronym for what could turn this country around: PIE. Now the student leaders may look at this as part of their leadership training: Planning, Implementation and Evaluation.

But for Brother Rolly, it was Patriotism, Integrity and Excellence. The first one has to do with always having the good of the country at the back of one’s mind in whatever one does.

This means following the laws (also part of Integrity) and not giving in to the culture of corruption and bribery.

Integrity, he also said, includes Justice, which means, giving the example of the teacher, not playing favorites in the classroom and being fair to all the students equally, if that isn’t redundant (my words, though, not exactly Brother Rolly verbatim).

Last is having a sense of meritocracy, or receiving recognition for your achievements, and not mediocrity.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson July 21: We need to learn how to forgive ourselves for our failures, so that we can approach new goals with clarity of mind and conscience. - Bob Gordon

My take on this: this is what is called charging anything negative that happens to you to experience.

Again I go back to the analogy of using manure dumped on the seed as fertilizer to grow taller.

Opening Eucharistic celebration and exhibit for the Foundation week earlier. And it still rained, but not that much.

@@ It’s very difficult to try to defend one’s self against what turns out to be perceived offenses by other people.

By this I mean when you do or say one thing, but someone else thinks that it was meant to offend them, so they act all indignant.

Add to that when it’s actually a third person that that someone else told who confronts you about it.

What I would do in that situation is not talk to that go-between and talk directly to the person about clearing the misconception.

But if it happens several times in the course of our knowing one another, then I will have to rethink whether it is better for my mental and emotional health not to hang around with that person anymore. It would get very tiring very easily to always have to defend your actions against someone’s misconceptions.

@@ I purposely put this here instead of at the start of this post again, but there was no post last Saturday because of being too busy.

I know it would probably be easier to just decide not to post on Saturdays anymore given the trend, but I don’t want to do that.

I really would like to strive more to get back to posting on the sixth day of the week again, but no promises.

@@ Going back to Foundation Week, it’s the Brothers’ Day tomorrow, or what is also called “The Other Side of the Brothers”.

There will be two talks, one by the former president of the district (who now has an international position) and another by another former president of the main campus, plus other non-“serious” activities.

There is a third talk, on business, for the nearby industrial park administrators.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson July 18: In each of us are places where we have never gone. Only by pressing the limits do you ever find them. - Dr. Joyce Brothers

My take on this: it’s very true, and not just in an X-Men kind of way of discovering what your mutant power is.

Was the old saying “only by going through the fire does one make great pizza or ceramics” or “only by being heaped on by manure does the seed grow into a large sycamore”? Either way, the analogy is apt.

@@ July 19: Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work. - Bette Davis

My take on this: well, it’s just one more way of saying the one from the previous day. Pacing around the familiar grounds of our comfort zone, soon we wear out a path where not only does the grass not grow near you, making the earth hard and compact, but it could get deeper as well, such that you can’t get out.

@@ July 20: Clear your mind of can’t.

My take on this: well, as it turns out there is a third way to express this. Not that I said it CAN’T be done.

Dan’s Guardian for some reason is blocking csi2.journalspace.com; as in no reason is given. Good thing there’s tiny.cc/newcsi that I have set up as an alternative – or “mirror”.

Hmmm, maybe it my mention of a prohibited substance while describing organized religion.

@@ Bro. Armin is going to talk on Tuesday, the Day of the Brothers, during University Break.

College faculty will be asked to make it as their alternative classes to ensure maximum attendance. Yes, I know how that may be interpreted to sound, but it’s what we’re doing.

@@ The students from a Taiwanese university are also arriving today for their weeklong volunteer program at one of the nearby public schools. But they will have two full weekends of touring as well.

They ought to have been picked up from the airport already, in the capital where colleges and universities have had classes suspended for the day, so flights have to have an extra prayer.

@@ [http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/16/teen.sails.around.world/] From Sir Joel, preceding was a link for one American teenager who showed the passion his parents were looking for.

Now there’s one good thing coming out of having parents with a lot of money. I wonder when I’ll be able to see our students who come from the same background exhibiting the same.

Well, there are exceptions, such as our achievers Dennis who recently had a birthday and Roberta. Just that I wish they were the majority instead of the minority.

@@ Pet peeve of the week, or month: commuters who, despite riding on the bus or the jeep for most of the trip, prefer to sit near the exit and have their enormous carry on at the aisle beside them, presenting a problem for the other passengers getting on or alighting.

These people think only of themselves and their own short-term convenience, not even mindful of how many kicks or stomps their parcels might be getting from the irate passersby.

@@ It’s funny how some people think of the progress report to be submitted in the laboratory journals in some classes can be just like a diary entry, when it means that if you don’t have progress in your project for that day, you don’t have a grade!

You are supposed to write about what you did beyond what you did last meeting.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson July 17: Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies in my tenacity. - Loius Pasteur

My take on this: again vague. Courage or strong will isn’t enough. One must be clear that one is doing the right thing.

Now I see one advantage to being an academic adviser to a specific batch, and not only for particular year levels.

Today I received the folders of those that I am going to give academic advising to. For ID 2004, there are only seven left.

For ID 2003, none; I complete overlooked the fact that all my ID 2003 students graduated last term already. Well, that’s some sense of achievement to own. Too bad there’s no folder burning ceremony or something.

@@ Listverse.com is very entertaining. With all these movies coming out on DVD that you don’t know where to start looking in the video shops anymore, it’s nice to know that there is at least two sources of information for recommendation of good – or to be more specific, interesting – movies.

The first source, that I’ve mentioned here before, is Stephen King’s yearly last at the Entertainment Weekly website.

The second, I just returned to today. Before, I used to spend a lot of time going through all their lists.

Then I forgot all about it, with this revolving door or assembly line of new sites to check out (heck, I don’t even go to the sites I used to during the early years of the web here in the country – Riddler.com anyone?).

Thankfully, if a site is really great, it will be linked back into your attention sooner or later, as the case is here.

There’s a list there right now of the top 15 horror movies of the decade, mostly from Hollywood of course, although to be ethnically proud there are some entries from Japan and Hong Kong. Note the sarcasm here, after the related story in the entry written on the subject two days ago.

I’m glad that I have the same taste as the list writer, “Ginger Snaps” and “28 Days Later” being on the list, which for me are not in the same A list of popularity as “Frailty” and “Final Destination”.

But there are a lot in the top parts of the list that I have no idea about, which makes them part of the acquisition list that I will bring with me when I go back to the mall next time. Fun viewing times ahead.

@@ So much for the traffic this morning. I guess there weren’t many people who would brave the rain just for some healing.

Probably only the hardcore cases went out to that mass in this weather. Maybe next time they should invite a sunny day praying priest as well; do priests believe in that egg-offering tradition?

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson July 16: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

My take on this: nothing. I don’t know if there’s anything else here that needs to be said, except that a lot of people who take on the whole world on their shoulders (those who have what is known as the Messiah complex?) often forget that there is another source of strength, the opium of the masses.

Well, I’m just coming up with unconventional ways of referring to things. No sneering here.

Having been reading a website where reader submissions are welcome, I read something about someone’s pet having to be put to sleep. I’ve had a lot of dogs and cats die on me all my life, but only one left a hole in my heart. It was a female dog who looked like Batman.

She was black and white patched, especially the upper part of her face, including her ears. Only her nose and mouth were white.

Sometimes kids on the street would say that she had no eyes, because they weren’t visible that far.

We had her since birth, having been the pup of another dog of ours. I was still in school when she got really sick, but I had to leave our house early so as not to be late. I even went to the chapel to pray that she would live longer.

Sometime during the day my brother, who left the house later than I did, told me that my dog had died before he left.

I never had a dog after that. My youngest brother had one, but that had to be put down after biting him and testing positive for rabies.

Our family never had a dog after THAT. But we’ve had cats. We have had several generations, and always the one who has been closest to me has been the alpha male of the pride.

This means that sooner or later, they get too mangled up and wounded to be cuddled. But I’ve come to accept that.

Several have died on me, but since the episode with my dog I’ve learned to believe that my caring for them has caused them to hasten their evolution, and that by dying, it really is helping them further along.

What’s strange is we’re now down to one female cat that hasn’t let a tom put a paw on her all her life.

She’s now old enough to have a cataract in one eye, so we thought that’s the end of our having pets.

By some quirk of fate, three times now stray kittens have wandered into our backyard asking for food.

The first has become my cat, the alpha male of this generation. The second one died, having gotten too close to one of the senior cats.

The third one, who looks like my dog used to in terms of markings on the head and face, has been accepted by the last two cats and has been seen playing around with them and sleeping where they are for extra warmth.

And it’s female. Hope abounds. We’ll have a new batch of enlightened felines yet again under our roof.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson July 15: Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope or confidence. - Hellen Keller

My take on this: again, even the Nazis, child molesters and serial killers had/have optimism, and are just oozing with self confidence.

Just because someone is thinking positive about something doesn’t mean it’s right even if it succeeds.