Monday, February 7, 2011

Akon Eskuwelahan, Akon Bugal

Rafe Bartholomew on his book Pacific Rims (Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippine's Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball) had an interesting description of UP that I believe is worth repeating: 

"UP Diliman is known for being not only the most prestigious, but also the most grueling academic institution in the country, and much of this reputation comes from its professors, who are infamous for writing tests with the expectation that half of their students will fail. UP diliman's approach to higher education sounded like the complete opposite of the way American universities prepared students. Most of my college professors seemed primarily concerned with transferring knowledge to students, and I imagine they felt a sense of achievement when their students aced exams. UP professors appeared to treat their relationship with students in a more adversarial manner. They were like gatekeepers of intellectual achievement, presenting students with ever more difficult academic trials to ensure that whoever passed the class truly earned it."  

morning glory

I am not a morning person but the rush of endorphins provided by running on an early Sunday morning changes that every once in a while. I am already up and about at around 430 am usually on race day.


And the smell, sight and sound of a city that is asleep is worth all this body ache on a Monday morning.

sunrise as seen from Buendia flyover

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Reality Check

Everytime I go home I see an old man sleeping on one of the sidewalks. He seems to be living on the streets for quite a long time. Ever since I moved to Makati six years ago, he has been a fixture on the sidewalk beside our building. This has been a reality check for me. 

Most of our countrymen are living on the streets.

The magic of Patricia Evangelista's pen captured the sad plight of our hapless countrymen in this article which brought tears to my eyes.


Amazing writer this girl is.