Current System Configuration: Tactical Coordinator
BGM: The Midnight Carnival by Daisuke Ishiwatari. Final battle theme of the 2d fighting game Guilty Gear XX #Reload. Hard, fast and heavy with soaring lead guitars.
Breakfast: Sourdough toast and corned beef
Lunch: Fettucine ala Pesto with garlic bread (homemade...mmm...) on the side and a beef quesadilla.
Dinner: Mushroom and spinach pizza and garlic bread (again) from Sbarro.
The culprit behind the thefts in my class did not confess, as expected. Whoever you are, I'll find you. That is not an empty threat. I can no longer show you any mercy, as you did not choose the honorable way out. When I find you, it's a dishonorable dismissal for you.
Here is another class caricature (this was actually made first) of one of the other sections I handle, I-Topaz. This image was drawn by Anna. Unfortunately, their appearances don't seem to vary much (except for Anna, of course. <_<>_< ...for some reason I have nothing else to say for today. Maybe it's because I'm tired, maybe I'm just...yeah, tired. Hopefully something worth commenting on will happen over the weekend---something good. さらばだ。
Friday, October 28, 2005
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
The Crackdown
Current System Configuration: Criminal Investigator
BGM: Sarani Tatakau Mono Tachi（更 に戦う者たち）Advent Children Version by Nobuo Uematsu. A hard rocking remix of the Final Fantasy VII boss theme used in the Advent Children movie when Avalanche fights the bug-like Bahamut. Edgy, hardcore and heart rate stimulating.
Breakfast: Muesli with pineapple-flavored yoghurt
Lunch: Beef shawarma and nachos
Dinner: None yet, most likely foccacia bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. (If you've noticed, this is the food I eat when I'm too lazy for a full meal)---Actually, I had Yellow Cab Pizza. For the win.
With grades finally submitted and the scholarship committe meetings done, I'm pretty much going to coast along for the last three days before the long vacation we'll be having from October 29 to November 6. Teachers and students alike are stressed to their limits and are barely clinging on to the threads of sanity. (Though some students had no sanity to begin with. You know who you are. <_<) style="font-style: italic;">Non sequitur. Gundam: The 8th MS Team is a great anime. It came out in 1995 (around the same time as Gundam Wing, which might explain why it's not so popular, being overshadowed by the winning formula of bishounen-and-angst) and is pretty much considered a side story. It has no direct relation to the plot of the original Mobile Suit Gundam (0079), which is supposed to happen at the same time.
The 8th MS Team is a well-executed departure from the Gundam many of us are used to: massively-souped up robots piloted by incredibly talented (and often good-looking) young men who easily annihilate all opposition with a serving of angst and reluctance on the side. In the 8th MS Team you instead have an idealistic and oft careless (but incredibly resourceful) team leader, Shiro Amada; a hot-blooded and tomboyish red-headed lady, Karen Joshua; Sanders, a dreadlocked soldier who believes himself to be a jinx; Eledore, a wannabe musician who has a weakness for a particular blonde centerfold; and Michel, a boy who is perpetually found writing to his girlfriend. Their Mobile Suits are still Gundams---but generic, grunt-issue units that can barely fly and never pose flashily (unlike practically everything in Gundam SEED -_-). The 8th MS team does not soar through the blue skies or starry heavens blowing up enemy units---no, they fight in hot, steamy jungles infested with leeches. They get bored while stalking enemy units in the desert to the point of bickering pettily. Their units get trashed, after which they have to actually pull that ejection lever and end up forsaken on some mountain peak in the middle of nowhere, and use their wits to survive the bitter cold.
The 8th MS Team is grittily realistic but nonetheless entertaining. Some people may complain about the lack of continuity when it comes to technology, but really, that's completely fine with me. 4.5 stars out of 5.
Back to reality. Here is a nauseatingly cute caricature of my advisory class, I-Sapphire. (Drawn by Yana)
First Row, starting from upper left: Neon, who appeared in a TV ad for a milk formula for "gifted children"; Mike, who is sleeping with his I-Pod; John; MJ, whose fascination with cattle I still do not understand; Gabby, who loves chess; Zaldy, who is drawing in the grass; Jocel; and Francis, who cannot be seen very clearly. He is standing on the globe and is known for his aptitude in math and Earth sciences.
Second Row: King, who claims to be some sort of universal monarch; Jut, whose soul appears to be trapped in a cellular phone; Kit, who seems to be enjoying himself here; Vince, who was somehow transmuted into a goat; Patti(Cor), who is blooming here; Dianne and Belsha, who are holding hands and flashing creepy grins; and Darrwin, who is erasing the board.
Third Row: The Inseparable Trio/Tres Marias/The Tiger Girls: Inna (the Genie), Trish (the Fairy) and Marga (the Angel); Cesar; Paolo, who seems to have more than adequate funding and an obsession with fish; Manuel and JM, whose souls seem to be trapped inside a Gameboy Advance; Prince, who seems to be more regally-clad than King; Paul, who believes silence is a virtue; Ingrid, who for some unknown reason here is reading a "men's interests" magazine (ahem); Patti (yes, two Pattis), said to be our resident genius; and Kate, who lost her sanity a loooooooooong time ago.
In the lower right corner is Yana, the artist behind this wonderful work of art, and the Syaoran lookalike in the middle is myself. Why she drew me as a Syaoran lookalike I have no idea.
What deeply saddens me is that one of these students is behind the sequence of thefts that has occured since the start of the schoolyear. We have narrowed down the suspects to the 20 boys, as the most recent theft occured in the absence of the girls. (During swimming class---the girls have theirs separate from the boys, for obvious reasons) I'm normally a very merciful person, but I have to say that I will not tolerate thefts in class. Whoever is responsible will have to pay dearly and most likely be dismissed dishonorably from our school. The crackdown itself will happen soon enough. It will be sad to see one of these guys go, but it would be even sadder if he gets all the way through high school, college and professional life without kicking this habit.
May God grant me the wisdom to discern who it is.
さらばだ。
BGM: Sarani Tatakau Mono Tachi（更 に戦う者たち）Advent Children Version by Nobuo Uematsu. A hard rocking remix of the Final Fantasy VII boss theme used in the Advent Children movie when Avalanche fights the bug-like Bahamut. Edgy, hardcore and heart rate stimulating.
Breakfast: Muesli with pineapple-flavored yoghurt
Lunch: Beef shawarma and nachos
Dinner: None yet, most likely foccacia bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. (If you've noticed, this is the food I eat when I'm too lazy for a full meal)---Actually, I had Yellow Cab Pizza. For the win.
With grades finally submitted and the scholarship committe meetings done, I'm pretty much going to coast along for the last three days before the long vacation we'll be having from October 29 to November 6. Teachers and students alike are stressed to their limits and are barely clinging on to the threads of sanity. (Though some students had no sanity to begin with. You know who you are. <_<) style="font-style: italic;">Non sequitur. Gundam: The 8th MS Team is a great anime. It came out in 1995 (around the same time as Gundam Wing, which might explain why it's not so popular, being overshadowed by the winning formula of bishounen-and-angst) and is pretty much considered a side story. It has no direct relation to the plot of the original Mobile Suit Gundam (0079), which is supposed to happen at the same time.
The 8th MS Team is a well-executed departure from the Gundam many of us are used to: massively-souped up robots piloted by incredibly talented (and often good-looking) young men who easily annihilate all opposition with a serving of angst and reluctance on the side. In the 8th MS Team you instead have an idealistic and oft careless (but incredibly resourceful) team leader, Shiro Amada; a hot-blooded and tomboyish red-headed lady, Karen Joshua; Sanders, a dreadlocked soldier who believes himself to be a jinx; Eledore, a wannabe musician who has a weakness for a particular blonde centerfold; and Michel, a boy who is perpetually found writing to his girlfriend. Their Mobile Suits are still Gundams---but generic, grunt-issue units that can barely fly and never pose flashily (unlike practically everything in Gundam SEED -_-). The 8th MS team does not soar through the blue skies or starry heavens blowing up enemy units---no, they fight in hot, steamy jungles infested with leeches. They get bored while stalking enemy units in the desert to the point of bickering pettily. Their units get trashed, after which they have to actually pull that ejection lever and end up forsaken on some mountain peak in the middle of nowhere, and use their wits to survive the bitter cold.
The 8th MS Team is grittily realistic but nonetheless entertaining. Some people may complain about the lack of continuity when it comes to technology, but really, that's completely fine with me. 4.5 stars out of 5.
Back to reality. Here is a nauseatingly cute caricature of my advisory class, I-Sapphire. (Drawn by Yana)
First Row, starting from upper left: Neon, who appeared in a TV ad for a milk formula for "gifted children"; Mike, who is sleeping with his I-Pod; John; MJ, whose fascination with cattle I still do not understand; Gabby, who loves chess; Zaldy, who is drawing in the grass; Jocel; and Francis, who cannot be seen very clearly. He is standing on the globe and is known for his aptitude in math and Earth sciences.
Second Row: King, who claims to be some sort of universal monarch; Jut, whose soul appears to be trapped in a cellular phone; Kit, who seems to be enjoying himself here; Vince, who was somehow transmuted into a goat; Patti(Cor), who is blooming here; Dianne and Belsha, who are holding hands and flashing creepy grins; and Darrwin, who is erasing the board.
Third Row: The Inseparable Trio/Tres Marias/The Tiger Girls: Inna (the Genie), Trish (the Fairy) and Marga (the Angel); Cesar; Paolo, who seems to have more than adequate funding and an obsession with fish; Manuel and JM, whose souls seem to be trapped inside a Gameboy Advance; Prince, who seems to be more regally-clad than King; Paul, who believes silence is a virtue; Ingrid, who for some unknown reason here is reading a "men's interests" magazine (ahem); Patti (yes, two Pattis), said to be our resident genius; and Kate, who lost her sanity a loooooooooong time ago.
In the lower right corner is Yana, the artist behind this wonderful work of art, and the Syaoran lookalike in the middle is myself. Why she drew me as a Syaoran lookalike I have no idea.
What deeply saddens me is that one of these students is behind the sequence of thefts that has occured since the start of the schoolyear. We have narrowed down the suspects to the 20 boys, as the most recent theft occured in the absence of the girls. (During swimming class---the girls have theirs separate from the boys, for obvious reasons) I'm normally a very merciful person, but I have to say that I will not tolerate thefts in class. Whoever is responsible will have to pay dearly and most likely be dismissed dishonorably from our school. The crackdown itself will happen soon enough. It will be sad to see one of these guys go, but it would be even sadder if he gets all the way through high school, college and professional life without kicking this habit.
May God grant me the wisdom to discern who it is.
さらばだ。
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Postmodern Idolatry
Current System Configuration: Pan-Dimensional Reality Synthesizer (Applying decals onto my 1/100-scale Temjin 747 type A8 "White Knight," which is a very tedious task.)
BGM: "Cry for the Earth" by JAM Project. Somber and angsty, which is atypical for JAM Project songs. JAM Project usually sounds like Queen or Aerosmith, but in this particular song they sound like Linkin Park. Lyrics: http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/alinda_sue/songs/cry_for_the_earth_romaji_.htm
Breakfast: Merced Bakehouse's raisin bread + hot chocolate
Lunch: It's 8:02 in the morning, so none yet.
DInner: Ditto
Just finished computing my grades the other night (well, they're not completely finished; I still have to transmute them). Treated myself to a game of Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram (Wow, I finished the game with one token! A considerable feat, since I suck at the game.) at the local arcade and a Chicago deep dish pizza at Sbarro. Also played GunZ last night, finally got to Level 36. The Minic revolvers I purchased for myself weren't much better than the pair of Phantom Cruise Ns that I'd been using for a while---I guess I really have to wait till Lv 50 to get a good firepower boost. Oh well.
Now you might be wondering why my BGM is an angsty tune when I've been experiencing quite an amount of success in the past 24 hours. It's because of an article that my mother pointed out in today's paper--"Babies--bought--sold and traded" by James B. Reuter, S.J. My stand is still that being created in God's image, man---including embryos---should not be slaughtered on whim as if they were problems (as in the case of abortion) or cultured and destroyed like bacteria in a petri dish to come up with a cure for cancer (stem cell research.)
The article talked about how "unborn children are treated like consumer products." Apparently, baby parts are being sold in Kharkov, Ukraine. The parts were said to have been taken from "fetuses aborted at an early stage of life." The thing is, Kharkov's maternity wards have been missing some newborn babies as of late. According to Ukrainian law, "babies born before 27 weeks or weighing less than 1 kg/2.2 lbs are automatically considered abortions."
The article went on to say that "Ukrainian women were being paid to sell their fetuses to clinics. The tissues are then used for beauty treatments that are supposed to rejuvenate the skin and cure diseases." Another scientist, Ian Wilnut, says that human embryonic stem cells should be used in order to save animals from being used in tests.
When I saw this I was just disgusted. I have nothing against scientific breakthroughs, but somehow it seems that people are going back to being pagan. (Of course one can argue that society at large never really truly let go of paganism.) This is not a dig at any contemporary religion, but more of an expression of just how bad we can get.
Children were once sacrificed to "gods" to appease them for the sake of guaranteeing fertility, health or protection of their livestock. Children being sacrificed to the "god" called Sha-Iyyense (figure that out) for the sake of beauty treatments, the cure for cancer or for the protection of animals from use in experiments sounds creepily similar.
I believe that there is just no situation in which abortion is justified except for times when both the mother and child are in danger and it boils down to choosing which one survives.. If you don't want children (especially if you are a teenage girl who's still in school), then don't have sex! Procreation is after all, one of the major reasons why we have such organs built into our fearfully and wonderfully made bodies. A woman may have a right to her own body, but so does an unborn child.
Children being aborted as if they were a disease is bad enough---it's not like it's their fault that they were conceived. Sacrificing children for some obscure "good thing," however is just abominable. What's even more disturbing is that I'm pretty sure that people won't stop there. As a race we are good at one thing: coming up with new ways of being evil.
憎しみが REFRAIN あふれている
絶望が REFRAIN
押し寄せる DESPAIR 耐えられない
降り止まぬ COLD RAIN CRYING FOR THE EARTH！
#1022AD20050847
BGM: "Cry for the Earth" by JAM Project. Somber and angsty, which is atypical for JAM Project songs. JAM Project usually sounds like Queen or Aerosmith, but in this particular song they sound like Linkin Park. Lyrics: http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/alinda_sue/songs/cry_for_the_earth_romaji_.htm
Breakfast: Merced Bakehouse's raisin bread + hot chocolate
Lunch: It's 8:02 in the morning, so none yet.
DInner: Ditto
Just finished computing my grades the other night (well, they're not completely finished; I still have to transmute them). Treated myself to a game of Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram (Wow, I finished the game with one token! A considerable feat, since I suck at the game.) at the local arcade and a Chicago deep dish pizza at Sbarro. Also played GunZ last night, finally got to Level 36. The Minic revolvers I purchased for myself weren't much better than the pair of Phantom Cruise Ns that I'd been using for a while---I guess I really have to wait till Lv 50 to get a good firepower boost. Oh well.
Now you might be wondering why my BGM is an angsty tune when I've been experiencing quite an amount of success in the past 24 hours. It's because of an article that my mother pointed out in today's paper--"Babies--bought--sold and traded" by James B. Reuter, S.J. My stand is still that being created in God's image, man---including embryos---should not be slaughtered on whim as if they were problems (as in the case of abortion) or cultured and destroyed like bacteria in a petri dish to come up with a cure for cancer (stem cell research.)
The article talked about how "unborn children are treated like consumer products." Apparently, baby parts are being sold in Kharkov, Ukraine. The parts were said to have been taken from "fetuses aborted at an early stage of life." The thing is, Kharkov's maternity wards have been missing some newborn babies as of late. According to Ukrainian law, "babies born before 27 weeks or weighing less than 1 kg/2.2 lbs are automatically considered abortions."
The article went on to say that "Ukrainian women were being paid to sell their fetuses to clinics. The tissues are then used for beauty treatments that are supposed to rejuvenate the skin and cure diseases." Another scientist, Ian Wilnut, says that human embryonic stem cells should be used in order to save animals from being used in tests.
When I saw this I was just disgusted. I have nothing against scientific breakthroughs, but somehow it seems that people are going back to being pagan. (Of course one can argue that society at large never really truly let go of paganism.) This is not a dig at any contemporary religion, but more of an expression of just how bad we can get.
Children were once sacrificed to "gods" to appease them for the sake of guaranteeing fertility, health or protection of their livestock. Children being sacrificed to the "god" called Sha-Iyyense (figure that out) for the sake of beauty treatments, the cure for cancer or for the protection of animals from use in experiments sounds creepily similar.
I believe that there is just no situation in which abortion is justified except for times when both the mother and child are in danger and it boils down to choosing which one survives.. If you don't want children (especially if you are a teenage girl who's still in school), then don't have sex! Procreation is after all, one of the major reasons why we have such organs built into our fearfully and wonderfully made bodies. A woman may have a right to her own body, but so does an unborn child.
Children being aborted as if they were a disease is bad enough---it's not like it's their fault that they were conceived. Sacrificing children for some obscure "good thing," however is just abominable. What's even more disturbing is that I'm pretty sure that people won't stop there. As a race we are good at one thing: coming up with new ways of being evil.
憎しみが REFRAIN あふれている
絶望が REFRAIN
押し寄せる DESPAIR 耐えられない
降り止まぬ COLD RAIN CRYING FOR THE EARTH！
#1022AD20050847
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Of One I'll Come Many
Current System Configuration: Time Management/Chronology and Reality -Adaptative Manipulation (CRAM) Device with Plagiarism Search-and-Destroy Module.Background Music: To the End of the Galaxy by Salamander Factory (from SRW Alpha 3: To the End of the Galaxy) Maleficient, grandiose and apocalyptic. "To the End of the Galaxy" (Shuuen no Ginga he/終焉の銀河へ）is the said game's final boss theme. It's a dramatic march that has the effect of bringing down the entire galaxy on your head. Listen to when stressed or angry, or during periods of catharsis.
Breakfast: Pancakes and Cheez Whiz
Lunch: Salami sandwich and beef taco-stuffed breadsticks
Dinner: None yet--probably foccacia bread and olive oil again
Today I had to postpone my introductory lecture for this quarter because of a student I caught plagiarizing. Students may think that their teachers are killjoy slave drivers who exist to torment them with endless requirements. While some teachers may be sadists, I'd like to think that I'm not one. I can't stand failing students, but of course, it's my duty to give these guys and girls the grades they deserve. Failing students because of laziness is one thing---failing them because of plagiarism is another thing altogether.
Of course, we all know what makes plagiarism bad---it's basically denying your teacher his or her responsibility---making students think. This is in addition to the fact that plagiarisim is lying, cheating and stealing all at once. What's bad is when your students actually think they can get away with it---I've proven to them more than once that with my broadband connection and Google I can easily detect and expose plagiarism. Nevertheless, I still found one student's paper to be 50% plagiarized---which is no better than 100%. Student Z jumped from his/her distinctive rancorous "I'll kill you because you're disgusting" writing to clipped and precise journalism language. Of course I was easily able to spot the plagiarized article online, taken from the Philippine Daily Inquirer. I had to harangue them the entire period to hopefully help them kick the habit, because I didn't want them to suffer from stricter teachers later on. The sermon eventually segued from plagiarism to how our individual actions contribute to the entire country's condition.
Now, for those not familiar with the condition of the Philippines: We are a highly social race, very clannish (read: nepotistic), loyal (fiercely so, which is often not a good thing) and hospitable (sometimes falsely) people. Being the way we are, I tend to think that our individual actions tend to affect others more than in generally individualistic societies found in the West. Sadly, many of these actions are selfish and inconsiderate.
I went to the nearby Starbucks today to resume my daily paper checking routine (which is daily this week only because grades are due on Monday and my boss wants to see the grades by Friday) with the usual drink (tall mocha frappuccino with a single shot of espresso) to stimulate my protesting neurons and lower my core body temperature (because my ailing car's air conditioning unit seems to have passed away, emitting a hot, toxic-smelling gas whenever I turn it on). Now usually there aren't that many cars parked there at 2:00 pm. Usually.
Today the parking lot was full, and one car---a cherry-red lowered Hyundai coupe---was parked diagonally across two parking slots. When I inquired with the guard, he said that it was parked that way because if the car was parked straight, it would've hit the pavement. (Which I really don't buy---the car was able to park easily later on) Because of this I had to park a good distance away along West Avenue. Not really a problem, but I wanted to smack the car's driver.
Now I have nothing against lowered cars, apart from the fact that by some unfortunate coincidence, their drivers do not seem to have very good manners. I prefer to get rid of stereotypes, but this time I could not. The driver was a rather attractive lady who did not seem to care that she was inconveniencing the other paying customers of the coffee shop. The hot-blooded warrior in me wanted to flick out my Swiss knife blade and give that gleaming paint job a nice long racing stripe down the side. The Christian in me was grinning and bearing it. Of course I didn't want to be a jerk, so the Holy Spirit won this time and I sat down to enjoy my drink and get distressed by my students' papers.
Now, what on earth is my point? We're social beings. Even the most antisocial humans tend to stick together, as seen in this rather disturbing picture:
This is the infamous Otaku Slumber Party image, which has been edited at least one time to carry a very vulgar and offensive message. Anyway, even individuals who are labeled as outcasts (as otaku usually are) are capable of forming groups. And whenever individuals form a group, there is always an intricate web of cause/effect relationships. If students never get caught plagiarizing and continue to do throughout the rest of their lives, they affect they families, friends and co-workers in one way or another. The same is true for people who do not park responsibly (the effect is of course, making other patrons of whatever establishment they may be in to become irate). Whether we live in an individualistic society or otherwise, forgetting that one's actions affect others is a very good way to grow a hate group.Enough has been said for the day. さらばだ。
#1019AD20051737
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Saa, hajimaru da ze. ~So it begins.~
Current System Configuration: Number-Crunching Grade Machine with built in Grammar Corrector and Logical Fallacy Disposal Unit. (Checking information reports.)
Background Music: GONG by JAM Project from Super Robot Wars Alpha 3: To the End of the Galaxy. Heroic, hot-blooded and valiant. (which would make an awesome description of coffee flavor if Starbucks used it)
Breakfast: Muesli and yogurt
Lunch: Salami sandwich, Twister fries and cake
Dinner: Foccacia bread and olive oil
Greetings, dear readers, flamers and stalkers. Since this is my first post, I'd just like to make sure that it's clear what I want this blog to be. If ever I deviate from this "mission-vision", feel free to let me know so I can get back on track. Now since I have a lot to say, telling you what I don't want to say is the best way to narrow the scope of what you should expect in this blog.
The last thing I want this blog to be is an adolescent angst-o-matic through which I pour out my disgust at how weak Starbucks' espresso is or how little I'm paid for the work that I do. I'm no longer a teenager, so I guess that strikes out the "adolescent" part. However, the combination of being single and professional tends to brew a particularly nasty form of bitterness. I'd like to avoid this. Oh, the world is dark and evil, I'll give you that. But as early as now I'd like to hold onto my hope that there is something better at the end of it all, except for the purpose of sharing this hope with others.
Another thing I don't want this blog to be is a mushy collection of poetry meant to unburden myself of pleasant yet unspeakable sentinments regarding a member of the opposite sex. Don't get me wrong---catharsis is good, and so is falling in love. Nevertheless, you see enough of this online. I'd like to spare you from any more of that dangerously infectious substance called . I may mention the object of my affection once in a while, but if I begin waxing mushily poetic, please feel free to smite me with the Sword of Flame. I'd greatly appreciate it.
One more thing I don't want to anyone to catch me writing: religious condemnation. I want to eradicate the stereotype of practicing Christians as judgmental, oppressive/repressive and generally nasty people. I may be much more conservative than most of the souls who lurk on the Intercontinental Information Cluster, but I shouldn't force that on others. Of course I will become preachy from time to time, but anyone who reads such an article is free to accept or reject what I say. No hard feelings. If I go too far and seem to attack a particular school of thought, please apply slashing and burn damage by using the Sword of Flame.
Apart from these three taboos that I set for myself, you can expect pretty much anything from personal theological reflections to giant robot diagrams to anime reviews to silly anecdotes about my experience as a teacher.
Now, you might be asking yourself "what kind of freak is this guy, anyway?"
I go by the net nick "Aslan J. Cross," which is actually the name of the protagonist of a story I'm writing, Sackcloth Sun. Now please don't ask me to publish the story yet. In its current form it's decidedly horrible and cliche, and I don't want to embarrass myself by displaying it online. Nevertheless, Aslan is Turkish for "lion," and was taken from C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. (a marvelous piece of literature). Neither my real life person nor my character are anything close to the original Narnian Aslan, a divine Lion possessing perfect strength, compassion, love and beauty. I'm nothing like that, though that's what I'd like to be.
The same is true for my character, who has been recently recharacterized to be a dark yet hopeful figure, a man of blood seeking redemption in a time of great distress. This is to make him radically different from my real life self. I learned from my Creative Writing classes more than once that writing oneself into one's literary characters is not a good way to start. Hence the saying "Kill your babies." The "J" stands for "Josiah," the name of a righteous king of ancient Judah. He was instrumental in the revival of the nation and remembered as one of their greatest kings ever, though unfortunately the end of that era was not so rosy. But I'm digressing here.
I am one of the 80 or so million inhabitants of a marvelous group of 7,107 islands in Southeast Asia known as the Philippines. A great country, if you'll ask me---though we admittedly suffer from Chronic Government Incompetency (CGI) and Social Bi-Polar Disorder (SBPD, which is characterized by either complete apathy toward the system or total militant activism). We are a country with great potential but little unity. That's one of the things I'd like to help change within my lifetime.
Of course, I shouldn't go knocking on the government as much as I'd like to, since I'm on their payroll. I teach English in a reputable government-run High School. It's my first year to teach, and though at first it was quite overwhelming, I've been getting the hang of it by the grace of Elyon. I tell everyone that it's a hard job, but ultimately fun and rewarding. Hopefully this will give you an insight as to why your childhood nemesis (your English teacher) acted the way he or she did.
I'd like to go on, but I have papers to check and grades to compute. Before I end, I'd like to leave a few quotes from the information reports my students have been writing. Thankfully the problem isn't so much grammatical as it is logical. Wait, that can't be good.
Student X says, in a report about illegal logging (a rampant environmetal problem plaguing my beloved country):
"So next time we log illegally, think of the consequence [sic] that might be given to you..."
Okay, first off: I am not an illegal logger, neither do I own an illegal logging operation. To my knowledge, none of my family owns any logging ventures, legal or otherwise.
Second: My dear student, I sincerely hope that you aren't involved in illegal logging yourself.
Third: It's highly unlikely that any illegal loggers will be reading your paper anytime soon---which is unfortunate. They really need to get a clue.
Student Y says, in a "report" about littering within our campus (also a rampant problem, much to my chagrin. In a science school no less.):
"These litters [sic] also cause acid or dirty rains. When these litters still have fluids inside them (examples are the koolee cups and Coke cans) these fluids evaporate and cause dirty rains, and some students like bathing in the rain. Imagine the germs they might get, and these germs can cause some serious diseases."
My comments: "Only the water evaporates. The sugary concentrate is left behind as sticky residue....ACID RAIN IS CAUSED BY SULFUR DIOXIDE, NOT CARBONIC ACID FOUND IN COKE!" What's sad is that I'm not a science teacher and yet I have to correct "facts" like this. Student Y goes on to say...
"Even the toilets in the dormitory, which you expect to find clean are also dirty. This causes some people to prevent the urge to urinate, and not urinating causes the build-up of kidney stones in the body, which is again dangerous to your health."
At this I was aghast. Okay, Y has some logic to what he/she was saying, but there are just so many factors contributing to the development of kidney stones that you can't simply blame their formation on stinky toilets. I for one still use the toilets, as icky as they sometimes are. My comment: "You're really laying it on thick, Student Y. -_-;"
Students X and Y, my apologies for writing about your papers. I'm sure you're embarrassed--it's up to you whether or not you want to let your friends know that I was talking about you. I just think that letting the rest of the world know what NOT to write in their papers is beneficial to you, to other students and to teachers alike. To the two of you, so that you learn from your mistakes; to other students, to keep them from making bad papers; and to teachers, to spare them the agony of having to contend with papers like this.
Aaaanywaaaaay, I've gone on long enough. Expect another entry within the week, if I manage to defeat the beast called Dead Line by Friday. Saraba da. さらばだ。
＃1018AD20051808
-Aslan+J+Cross-
Background Music: GONG by JAM Project from Super Robot Wars Alpha 3: To the End of the Galaxy. Heroic, hot-blooded and valiant. (which would make an awesome description of coffee flavor if Starbucks used it)
Breakfast: Muesli and yogurt
Lunch: Salami sandwich, Twister fries and cake
Dinner: Foccacia bread and olive oil
Greetings, dear readers, flamers and stalkers. Since this is my first post, I'd just like to make sure that it's clear what I want this blog to be. If ever I deviate from this "mission-vision", feel free to let me know so I can get back on track. Now since I have a lot to say, telling you what I don't want to say is the best way to narrow the scope of what you should expect in this blog.
The last thing I want this blog to be is an adolescent angst-o-matic through which I pour out my disgust at how weak Starbucks' espresso is or how little I'm paid for the work that I do. I'm no longer a teenager, so I guess that strikes out the "adolescent" part. However, the combination of being single and professional tends to brew a particularly nasty form of bitterness. I'd like to avoid this. Oh, the world is dark and evil, I'll give you that. But as early as now I'd like to hold onto my hope that there is something better at the end of it all, except for the purpose of sharing this hope with others.
Another thing I don't want this blog to be is a mushy collection of poetry meant to unburden myself of pleasant yet unspeakable sentinments regarding a member of the opposite sex. Don't get me wrong---catharsis is good, and so is falling in love. Nevertheless, you see enough of this online. I'd like to spare you from any more of that dangerously infectious substance called . I may mention the object of my affection once in a while, but if I begin waxing mushily poetic, please feel free to smite me with the Sword of Flame. I'd greatly appreciate it.
One more thing I don't want to anyone to catch me writing: religious condemnation. I want to eradicate the stereotype of practicing Christians as judgmental, oppressive/repressive and generally nasty people. I may be much more conservative than most of the souls who lurk on the Intercontinental Information Cluster, but I shouldn't force that on others. Of course I will become preachy from time to time, but anyone who reads such an article is free to accept or reject what I say. No hard feelings. If I go too far and seem to attack a particular school of thought, please apply slashing and burn damage by using the Sword of Flame.
Apart from these three taboos that I set for myself, you can expect pretty much anything from personal theological reflections to giant robot diagrams to anime reviews to silly anecdotes about my experience as a teacher.
Now, you might be asking yourself "what kind of freak is this guy, anyway?"
I go by the net nick "Aslan J. Cross," which is actually the name of the protagonist of a story I'm writing, Sackcloth Sun. Now please don't ask me to publish the story yet. In its current form it's decidedly horrible and cliche, and I don't want to embarrass myself by displaying it online. Nevertheless, Aslan is Turkish for "lion," and was taken from C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. (a marvelous piece of literature). Neither my real life person nor my character are anything close to the original Narnian Aslan, a divine Lion possessing perfect strength, compassion, love and beauty. I'm nothing like that, though that's what I'd like to be.
The same is true for my character, who has been recently recharacterized to be a dark yet hopeful figure, a man of blood seeking redemption in a time of great distress. This is to make him radically different from my real life self. I learned from my Creative Writing classes more than once that writing oneself into one's literary characters is not a good way to start. Hence the saying "Kill your babies." The "J" stands for "Josiah," the name of a righteous king of ancient Judah. He was instrumental in the revival of the nation and remembered as one of their greatest kings ever, though unfortunately the end of that era was not so rosy. But I'm digressing here.
I am one of the 80 or so million inhabitants of a marvelous group of 7,107 islands in Southeast Asia known as the Philippines. A great country, if you'll ask me---though we admittedly suffer from Chronic Government Incompetency (CGI) and Social Bi-Polar Disorder (SBPD, which is characterized by either complete apathy toward the system or total militant activism). We are a country with great potential but little unity. That's one of the things I'd like to help change within my lifetime.
Of course, I shouldn't go knocking on the government as much as I'd like to, since I'm on their payroll. I teach English in a reputable government-run High School. It's my first year to teach, and though at first it was quite overwhelming, I've been getting the hang of it by the grace of Elyon. I tell everyone that it's a hard job, but ultimately fun and rewarding. Hopefully this will give you an insight as to why your childhood nemesis (your English teacher) acted the way he or she did.
I'd like to go on, but I have papers to check and grades to compute. Before I end, I'd like to leave a few quotes from the information reports my students have been writing. Thankfully the problem isn't so much grammatical as it is logical. Wait, that can't be good.
Student X says, in a report about illegal logging (a rampant environmetal problem plaguing my beloved country):
"So next time we log illegally, think of the consequence [sic] that might be given to you..."
Okay, first off: I am not an illegal logger, neither do I own an illegal logging operation. To my knowledge, none of my family owns any logging ventures, legal or otherwise.
Second: My dear student, I sincerely hope that you aren't involved in illegal logging yourself.
Third: It's highly unlikely that any illegal loggers will be reading your paper anytime soon---which is unfortunate. They really need to get a clue.
Student Y says, in a "report" about littering within our campus (also a rampant problem, much to my chagrin. In a science school no less.):
"These litters [sic] also cause acid or dirty rains. When these litters still have fluids inside them (examples are the koolee cups and Coke cans) these fluids evaporate and cause dirty rains, and some students like bathing in the rain. Imagine the germs they might get, and these germs can cause some serious diseases."
My comments: "Only the water evaporates. The sugary concentrate is left behind as sticky residue....ACID RAIN IS CAUSED BY SULFUR DIOXIDE, NOT CARBONIC ACID FOUND IN COKE!" What's sad is that I'm not a science teacher and yet I have to correct "facts" like this. Student Y goes on to say...
"Even the toilets in the dormitory, which you expect to find clean are also dirty. This causes some people to prevent the urge to urinate, and not urinating causes the build-up of kidney stones in the body, which is again dangerous to your health."
At this I was aghast. Okay, Y has some logic to what he/she was saying, but there are just so many factors contributing to the development of kidney stones that you can't simply blame their formation on stinky toilets. I for one still use the toilets, as icky as they sometimes are. My comment: "You're really laying it on thick, Student Y. -_-;"
Students X and Y, my apologies for writing about your papers. I'm sure you're embarrassed--it's up to you whether or not you want to let your friends know that I was talking about you. I just think that letting the rest of the world know what NOT to write in their papers is beneficial to you, to other students and to teachers alike. To the two of you, so that you learn from your mistakes; to other students, to keep them from making bad papers; and to teachers, to spare them the agony of having to contend with papers like this.
Aaaanywaaaaay, I've gone on long enough. Expect another entry within the week, if I manage to defeat the beast called Dead Line by Friday. Saraba da. さらばだ。
＃1018AD20051808
-Aslan+J+Cross-
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