Monday, January 26, 2009

something about the chinese new year

being at home with nothing else to do (more of nothing else that i could do) except to sleep and watch tv left me with tons of chinese new year stuff from gems to feng shui and dragon dance and lucky food.

out of boredom, i netstalked (if there is such a term) and read a lot of blog entries today. and here's something i found about chinese horoscope and how my luck is gonna unfold this year.

ROOSTER
Zodiac’s Nature:
Courageous, generous, entertaining, popular, protective, resourceful, unrealistic, capable and confident with good communication skills. Prone to boast and exaggerate. Dramatic but reputable people who work systematically but does not like routine. Takes good care of their family & can always succeed in the end.

Roosters are compatible with the Oxen, so their luck is pretty good. They will have more confidence in handling their daily work. Money luck is pretty good; it comes from all sources and prosperity in business. Working employees will have the chance to get a promotion. In love affairs, it is time for the single Roosters who have been dating to get married. Married Roosters should spend more time with family. Health-wise, they should keep away from sharp objects, be careful on the road, and avoid all dangerous water activities. They should try to avoid eating too much grilled or deep-fried food.

the descriptions are kinda cute because some are true. hehe kaya lang didnt like that line in the prediction part about avoding dangerous water activities. argh...pano na rafting ko?

being sick (not with the eheads fever)

im sick. i woke up with a 38.3 temp and with a lungs-full-of-sticky-phlegm-kind-of-cough. usually, a feverish day would be ok for me because it means an extended day of rest but today, argh, its so frustrating because one, im rushing some things at work and two, im also rushing some things for school with 2 reports to deliver in my 2 classes this week. and when youre at home down with fever, you cant do both.

buti na lang meron na ko nito. ahhh heaven

Friday, January 23, 2009

yada yada yada

im so overwhelmed with the things that have been happening at work laterly that i cant even write a decent entry about it. emotions are high. people are annoyed. some are mad. a lot are enraged and they are showing it. im sad. and frustrated. argh!

with all this brouhaha, food and laughter among friends are the best coping mechanisms.

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i miss people.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Who's Afraid of Sarah Raymundo

I read this article in the newest issue of Peyups. Sarah was my prof in Socio 142 back in college.

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Who’s Afraid of Sarah Raymundo

By Katrina Macapagal

They say that this university is a free zone, a liberated space that promotes academic freedom, political tolerance, and liberal education, among other grand claims. Here in UP, students and teachers have nothing to fear – radical positions are welcome, democratic rights are respected, political persecution is a thing of the past.

But when the case of sociology professor Sarah Raymundo came to fore amidst centennial festivities in the past months, the old myth surrounding the institution quickly unraveled.

In November, Sarah was told by the sociology department chair herself that the tenured professors from the same department have decided not to recommend her tenure. She was then instructed not to meet her classes until further notice. When Sarah asked for reasons behind such instructions, she was told that these cannot be disclosed. The last that was heard from the department chair, in a letter addressed to the dean of the College, is that the department is waiting for recommendations from the UP legal office, which means, perhaps that a formal administrative case against Sarah is now in the works. Now, almost three months later, there is still no written explanation from those concerned, despite Sarah’s formal inquiries.

What then, is her crime? Sarah has satisfied the requirements for tenure: she holds a masters degree in sociology and boasts a number of academic publications. Still, the powers-that-be have refused to grant what is due her, like members of a secret society who have sworn not to give her the key that unlocks the mystery.

The shroud of mystery surrounding Sarah’s case is lifted upon further reading. Reason suggests that the only crime she is guilty of is that of putting theory into practice – she is being singled-out because of her progressive leanings and political affiliations, as she continues to serve as secretary general of the Congress of Teachers and Educators for Nationalism and Democracy and is an active member of the All UP Academic Employees Union and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers.

That such undemocratic actions were carried out by a department hosted by no less than the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy is all the more alarming . Not long ago, the chair of the same department pointed an accusing finger at Sarah for her alleged involvement in the disappearance of a former student-activist, an accusation that had absolutely no basis and was later disproved. Today, it appears that this issue is being resurrected by those who are working overtime to kick Sarah out of the academe – those who seem to be deathly afraid of the activist-professor whose advocacies and interests are different from their own political positions.

Because of her convictions, Sarah has become the easy target of the beast that hides behind the university’s liberal posturing; narrow-minded conservatism has reared its ugly head in the midst of proclamations of one hundred years of service and excellence. Contrary to popular perception, what Sarah’s case reveals is that UP is a site of fierce ideological struggle, where those who advocate radical convictions are isolated and marginalized, even terminated, for unjust reasons.

Yet, in such repressive conditions, Sarah remains unflinching and steadfast. Despite the verbal order earlier imposed, Sarah continues to attend her classes, and her students can attest that she is an excellent teacher who raises issues that invoke critical thinking and political inquiry. She remains active in her political organizations and continues to engage in various activities, from fora to mass demonstrations.

So who is afraid of Sarah Raymundo? Certainly not her current and former students, her colleagues in political organizations, or her fellow intellectuals, among others, who immediately expressed indignation and support upon learning about the issue.

At this point, the question posed above is enough to answer.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

back from the holidays!

after two weeks of eating and sleeping and just bumming around, im back in the metro and back in multiply. so many photos to post and blogs to write. hay...