19 February 2007

zen and the art of teaching--or--teaching the art of zen

award na naman ako sa stars. swakers.

this was last thursday:

An unexpected bolt of awareness can awaken you from your sleepy consciousness today, thrusting you into a strange and uncertain orbit of thought. Although the Aquarian Moon doesn't make you feel very comfortable, it can sound a wakeup call to remind you of the possibilities you previously set aside. Don't shut out any ideas now, however crazy they might seem

and friday:

Don't be too surprised if you encounter someone's eccentricities today, for this is nothing to be embarrassed about. It's all too easy for you to get stuck in your preconceived judgments and to resist unfamiliar ideas or people just to keep yourself comfortable. Instead, get yourself out of the rut you are in by taking a chance and voluntarily seeking alternative ways of thinking and living.

 and this was last saturday:

 You could be stressed by the pull of your family obligations as they conflict with your social plans. Unfortunately, you cannot easily choose one over the other, so it's important to schedule time for both. Don't make promises you cannot keep just because you feel guilty about what you want to do outside your home.

and sunday:

Applying the brakes to any out-of-control fantasies can help you be more realistic at work, especially if you feel like you've run into a roadblock. With your key planet Venus now receiving creative support from restrictive Saturn, you can accomplish more by moving slowly. Find a pace that makes you comfortable and settle in for the long haul.

ayuz. eto ngayon:

Your ruling planet Venus can feel the domineering presence of Pluto today, heightening your senses and activating your desires. You don't feel so easygoing and may be willing to fight someone else on your quest for satisfaction. Think again if you are ready to take a big risk. Consider temporarily pulling back until you can regain your perspective, especially if your sense of urgency is great.

 

and there we go. almost a week of mapping out of psyches courtesy of the stars. bow.

*

dami kasing nangyayari lately pero minsan hirap i-sort out. exciting yun iba pero yung iba e hindi. tulad ngayon, sa turo ko.

ewan ko ba what's with the students lately. parang wala silang gana, tapos hindi nagre-recite. at least yung directing class ko e may effort naman, but most of them, since they are already late juniors or seniors, have this "taas kilay" mode when they listen to me. para bang "sige nga, show us what you know about this subject" ba. that's what their faces are telling me. matter of fact, may ganyang kaakibat na kayabangan talaga ang henerasyon nila e. kokonti lang ang hindi ganyan.

kaya nung naisalang na yung iba dun sa on-the-spot directing workshop last week, ayan, e di nakita nila ang hinahanap nila. ayan, itinuturo ko ang basics sa filmmaking 101 sa labas ng eskuwelahan at raket arena nila. matuto sila. some of them ate humble pie that afternoon. lots of it. at sila-sila, natuto kung paano magtrabaho ang kapwa nila. ayan, matuto na kayo ngayon pa lang. sabi nga ni queen latifah sa SET IT OFF, "you not all that!" word.

sa script class naman, ewan ko kung ano ang gagawin ko sa karamihan sa kanila. para bang nagkakatamaran mag-submit, o kaya e walang nagsa-submit on time, kung may magsa-submit man. tangina pasaway e. tapos ewan ko kung bakit pero hindi rin sila nagre-recite. e i've been doing the same spiels in class for the past 3 sems now, and the classes before that were just way more talkative than this here batch. i don't know why.

kaya pala nawawala ang pasensiya ng mga guro minsan at kahit ayaw kong gawing dictatorial e doon din nauuwi. kasalanan nila to e. introduce innovative ways of teaching e what do you get? nothing. these kids, palibhasa information and lots of things are already within their easy and lazy (internet) reach, take things for granted. this sums up this generation so far. grabe lang. at take note: hindi lang ako ang may obserbasyong ganyan. marami kami, from different colleges in the campus and from different schools in the metro. yes, marami akong friends na guro baket may reklamo?

*

ewan. minsan gusto mo ring magturo ng adept with the times pero sablay din naman sa mga totality of life nila.

par example, we are about to teach some kids a basic acting workshop chenes, pero balak kong dagdagan ng gender sensitivity training. pero i decided hindi ko na kakaririn this way dahil wala rin namang effect kung ang karamihan sa mga katrabaho nila, pamilya at kinagagalawan e hopeless case scenarios. nagpapatulong nga ako sa mga ka-adbokasiya ko e, dahil talagang effort lang sa akin itong chenes na to, believe me. haay. kaya nga naghahanda na rin nga ako sa inevitable, e, just in case maungusan na tayo officially and underhandedly. yes, i am expecting that to happen. i can feel it in the air, chong. ang kapal lang. super.hmp.

kaya nga tama na itinatwa ko na ang bahaging iyon ng buhay ko. mabuhey! no regrets, chong.

*

sa larangan naman ng aking pag-aaral, kakaririn kong muli ang pag-aaral ng pranses. simimulan kong muli sa level one ang extramurals sa EL this next two months. bet ko na to. mabagal lang though ang titser namin, pero sabagay, beginner level kasi kaya minsan nabu-bore din ako. pero kelangang karirin ito ng diretso sa simula para mas maging dalubhasa at masanay ako sa istilo nila. so far, so good naman. kaya happy ang sabado afternoons. n'est-ce pas?

*

isa pang na-engganyo akong karirin ay ang pagpapatuloy ng aking pagtuklas sa larangan ng palakasan. may manaka-naka na namang training akong nakukuha at sinusubukan ko ulit balikan yung mga dating chenelyn ko, pero gusto kong karirin ang isang pormal na set-up. kaya pinatos ko ang isang announcement sa isang email group about this capoeira thingie chenes sa isang dance and fitness studio malapit sa eskwela. simula kasi nang na-feature ito sa LOVELY DAY last year e na-engganyo akong subukan kasi martial arts siya pero may sayaw at ritmong braziliano na gustong-gusto ko. at saka parang ang saya saya niya.

pero lo and behold, nang nakita ko kung sino ang magtuturo, gusto ko nang layasan agad. si mister chk  "any kind of stretching before any activity is already an outmoded way of thinking" yabang boi pala ang magtuturo. siya rin ang nagturo sa mga kids sa network last year. and i really hated his style. que horror! unang-unang, walang konsiderasyon sa genders. pag-sparring-in ba naman ang isang pre-puberty gel at isang puberty boy! tangina! and we are talking about body to body kiskisan contact ha! mahabagiiiiiiiiin! buti na lang wala ang nanay ni gelay kundi... tangina.

tapos puro ampaw naman nung sabado. a couple of my friends and i checked out their capoeira teaching style and obviously, raket lang ito. sabi kasi nila nung una, "we are teaching the fitness side of capoeira, not the full martial arts" tapos mamaya, yung second style na tinuturo na e combative stance! complete with the hands hurting the eyes mode going upwards. tangina. ano ba talaga????? tapos parang nangloloko pa sila nang sabihin niyang "this is a spiritual chenes chenes chenes..." tangina halatang nagpapa-impress ang mga mokong.

kaya ano ang kinalabasan? eto, baldado pa rin ako, dami pa ring sumasakit sa upper thighs dahil sa maling pagturo ng NO STRETCHING exercises nila. tangina. anong ka-hunghang-an yung "di na uso ang stretching before any activity" ka dyan? helllooooooooo. chk ka ba talaga? e itong two friends ko, mga dating varsity ito, at yung isa ay nag-taekwondo at yung isa ay nag-kung fu???? hello. at kahit ako, sa mga lessons ko sa dance dati (be it sa hiphop /streetjazz class sa powerdance ni douglas nierras at sa tap dance diyan sa PE ko) e may nalalaman silang stretching po! tangina. ano kayang katuturan nun? hanggagoh. hay nakoh.

saka i did a fast search sa internet kung saan ba talaga may legit na capoeira sa pinas, at wala sila doon sa list. why am i not surprised? raketeros.

so to warn you guys: yung dance studio ay located sa commonwealth kung nasaan yung convergys, at ang pangalan ng dude ay rhymes with ethan. or more appropriately, satan.
 

caveat emptor. chenelyn eklavu. chos.

*

reminds me of another pair of raketeroth (pronounce like the spanish) na ethpanyoles na pinuntahan namin ng friend ko last month yata. her friend called her up dahil may magtuturo daw ng latin beats sa percussions. so go naman ang lola niyo (dahil frustrated percussionist ako, a hobby i started in college but dropped when acads got heavy). tapos sa escuola de flamenco chenelyn pala ito gaganapin ni madame ramona chenes sa makati, as we found out. so ayos. new experience! we welcome that all the time.

there were two pa-dapper looking na twentysomethings spanish dudes who taught us 3 kinds of latin beats/rhythms na may-i-palo-palo clapping ka sa hands while stomping your feet during several counts chenes. pasodoble-ish pala ang background ng dalawang raketeroth. tapos later on, nagsasasayaw na lang yung isa, mamaya silang dalawa, nag-show bagah. as in, pasodoble galore lang, complete with the heeled shoeses and the taas-taas ng shirt para makita ang chest pagwapo effect. aysus. nahilo baga ako sa kakataktaktaktaktaktaktak ng shoeses nilah. end result: migraine.

tapos may mga kahones doon na yun pala ang percs side. when we followed this one dude's pounding style, ati, mali-mali ang counting niya. iniiba niya ang palo, tapos pag susundan mo, iibahin ulit. anoba talagaaaaaaah. ilang beses kaming nagtitigan dahil kinukuha ko ang ritmo niya, na iniiba-iba naman niyah ever! pa-iling iling pa siy complete with turo-turo my hands kung saan dapat papalo, to no avail. nalokah na byuti ko after a while, not to mention namula na palms ko sa kakapalo ng kahon, so i finally gave up and just did the clapping thingie na turo ng kasama niya (na nung una ay snobbish sa akin at ang mga richina sosyaleras lang ang pinapansin niya, pero when i pronounced the spanish uno-diyes count correctly--meaning like he does--e instant friendship na siya sa akin. hay sus ang babaw niya. eth verdhadh.)

kakatawa lang tong mga experiences na ito hane. hay. bilang guro at estudyante, talagang naloloka akesh e. well, sana naman makahanap na ko ng swak sa aking sa mga pagtuturo... at sana biyayaan din ako ng mga estudyanteng magana mag-aral para ganahan din kaming magturo.

two-way street kasi yun e. 

intiendes?

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