We beg to differ.
A lot of Filipinos have an identity crisis. You can spot these sorts a mile away. They are the ones who shout out “I am proud to be Filipino!” as if they hold a monopoly over harbouring such a sentiment. It is usually in the way it is expressed and in the context and timing…
If I lower my guard and take the comfy view that I am fundamentally defined by where I was schooled, I’d call myself an “Atenean”. When you are an Ateneo alumnus (and specially when you remain on as a faculty member), you usually come equipped with a lot of connections and the frame of mind…
Read More “Tulong Dunong, ACIL, ICTUS, and other memories from up the Hill” »
Pi is still, theoretically, an endless number and yet it ends when the minds that can conceive or perceive it ends. Computers can calculate the last number of Pi only as far as the formula used and the capacity of the computer to calculate. Beyond which, I suppose, Pi goes on and on. But in…
Fallen Angel wrote a great, thought provoking post on the Filipino attitude towards competition and you can find it here. One part of the post that I’d like to try to elaborate on is this: Filipino society is basically one big survival of the fittest jungle. Individual Filipinos will step on each other to get that shiny…
Read More “Pinoy Game Of Thrones: More On The Filipino Attitude Towards Competition” »
Equity. It is that ethereal quality of an entity — be it a person, a business, or an entire society — that spells the difference between the authentic and the pretentious, the sustainable and the fleeting, the substantial and the shallow. When you think “America” what comes to mind? Most likely it will be names…
At first glance, competition seems like a dirty word if you’re a Filipino. But what formal definition/s exists/exist of the word “competition”? 1. The act of competing; rivalry for supremacy, a prize, etc.; 2. A contest for some prize, honor, or advantage; 3. The rivalry offered by a competitor; 4. A competitor or competitors, and;…
Read More “An attempt at understanding the Filipino attitude towards competition” »
I found something in my mailbox this morning that I thought might help provide a few folks who are in the business of noisily proclaiming what amounts to no more than a hollow pride in “Being Filipino” with a bit of perspective. Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At…
We need to exercise a bit of that non-Filipino trait of lateral thinking when we regard this whole issue of “credentials”. I find that the best way to induce this rare form of thought is to ask a child-like question: What are credentials? Any schmoe can Google the term or look it up in Wikipedia…