PABLIHASA LALAKE
Video recording of my one-act play “Pablihasa Lalake,” one of the 3 plays PUP Sta. Mesa ‘s Bachelor of Performing Arts (Theater) students chose to present on February 8, 2024, in celebration of the “love month.”
Director: Larra Nicavera
Cast: Collins Catubig as Alfred
Jethro Tarang as Nick
Cass Deguinion as Jojo
Aeron Sayno as Rudy
Kimberly Gianan and Janine Palma as Myles
Kelly Burcia as Joey
Stage Managers: Amanda Canlas and Axl Fernandez
Set, Props, Costume, Hair, and Make-up Head: Kimberly Gianan
Assistant Make-up Head: Mia Gail Malaya and Shaina Adrias
Lights Designer: Thricia Arancillo
Sounds Designer: Axl Fernandez
Production Manager: Agustin Jose Taban-ud
A performance by PUP Sta. Mesa’s Bachelor of Performing Arts (Theater)
The Playwright In Me
When Mr. Agustin Jose Taban-ud, a 4th-year student of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines’ Bachelor of Performing Arts (Theater Arts), asked for permission to feature my one-act play “Pablihasa Lalake,” I was thrilled and immediately gave my “Why not?”.
I don’t know if it was Mr. Taban-ud’s description of my play as a “befitting presentation of love” that convinced me to grant them my permission or if it was the honor that the play I have written is being considered for their production. But whatever it was, I could not find any reason to withhold my nod.
Mr. Taban-ud confirmed during the first week of February that, indeed, they were featuring my play (and two other plays), and I was invited to watch, be given a seat in front, and be called onstage for a bow with their actors.
So, on February 8th, I traveled all the way from Bulacan and braved the heat and horrendous “traffic” to watch how the Theater Arts students of PUP breathe life into the characters of Nick, Alfred, Jojo, Rudy, Myles, and Joey.
The performance of the actors was magnificent. The director did a splendid job steering the cast into that magnificent performance. Congratulations!
Kudos to those in charge of the lighting, costumes, and set design.
Every line the characters delivered was like melodies in a song… they were music to my ears. I felt squeezing my two legs with my hands each time the characters moved as they delivered those lines. It was wonderful seeing the characters I created come alive.
The experience was exhilarating. It brought back memories of my stint as a theater moderator when I was a high school teacher at Sta. Teresa College in Batangas many years ago. Yes, I have been into theater since way back. I wrote and directed plays in the past.
Seeing that students of the night session students of Sta. Teresa College had not much extra-curricular activities, I proposed the creation of “Teatrong Panggabi.” Fortunately, it was approved, and the first major project we did then was “Ang Paglilitis Kay Juan Obrero.” Eventually, our Principal then, Mrs. Carolina Javier, allowed me to hold concurrently the school’s main theater group – “Teatro Teresiana.” Putting together the members of “Teatrong Panggabi” and “Teatro Teresiana”, we produced “Sa Gitna Ng Digmaan.”
When I worked at a school in Bulacan, I also wanted to scratch my playwright itch. But I held my horses, for I did not like to steal someone’s thunder at that time. Besides, my hands were already full with my administrative functions then.
Honestly, when I was called for the curtain call for “Pablihasa Lalake”, I held back my emotions. It reminded me of the curtain call I did for “Sa Gitna Ng Digmaan.” When I was staring at my name… the last item on the list, I refused to read it. I just felt that reading my own name was like tooting my own horn. So… I just said, “Thank you all for watching!” to end the curtain call.
To my surprise and delight, our principal stood, grabbed a microphone, and said, “This play was written and directed by Massuline Antonio D. Ligaya.”
Watching my play being featured was one of the important highlights of my vacation in the Philippines. It makes me feel rejuvenated as I head back to South Korea to resume teaching. It inspired me to finish my next one-act play – “Eavesdrop.”
“Only In The Philippines” Nga Lang Ba?
Ang “Only In The Philippines” ay isang expression na maaring mangahulugan ng dalawang bagay.
Ang una ay maganda. Ginagamit ito upang tukuyin ang mga bagay na tanging sa Pilipinas lamang matatagpuan o mga katangian o kaugalian na tanging ang Pilipino lamang ang may angkin. Maaring sabihin ang expression na iyan kapalit ng “uniquely Filipino.”
Ang pangalawa ay hindi kaiga-igaya. “Only In The Philippine” ang madalas natin sabihin kapag may isang bagay na negatibo tayong nakikita sa paligid o may nangyayari sa ating isang hindi magandang karanasan. Kapag buhol-buhol ang traffic… kapag may insidente ng “road rage”… kapag nasisingitan tayo sa pila… kapag may mga taong gobyerno na humihingi ng lagay… kapag may pulitikong nangunglimbat… kapag may insidente ng pagnanakaw at patayan… at kung ano-ano pa. Sasabihin nating kagyat – “Only in the Philippines.”
Bakit? Bakit lagi nating ibubulas ang “Only in the Philippines” kung may mga ganyang pangyayari? Totoo ba na sa Pilipinas lang nangyayari ang mga ganyang bagay? Bakit parang bale-wala lang na ikinakabit natin ang pangalang ng ating bansa sa mga negatibong bagay. Bakit tayo mismong mga isinilang sa bayang ito ang nagbibigay dungis sa pangalan ng bansa natin… ang nagpapaba sa uri ng ating pagka-Pilipino?
Ang “overloading” ng mga pampasaherong sasakyan (katulad ng makikita sa larawan), sa Pilipinas lang ba nangyayari. Mali ka kung “yes” ang sagot mo.
Totoong matindi ang traffic sa Metro Manila. Pero para sabihing “Only in the Philippines” ay masyadong “exaggerated.” Kahit saang parte ng mundo… sa mga siyudad na malalaki… ay may traffic. Ang “road rage” ay isang “worldwide phenomenon.” May mga driver na masyadong mainitin ang ulo kahit saang parte ng mundo. Ang singitan sa pila ay hindi rin “endemic” sa Pilipinas. Sa ibang bansa man ay may mga makakapal din ang mukha na kahit may pila ay pilit silang sisingit. Kaya’t pakiusap… tigilan na natin ang pagsasabi ng “Only in the Philippines.”
Tandaan nating ang lagayan at kotongan ay hindi lamang sa Pilipinas nangyayari. Hindi lamang sa Pilipinas na may mga pulitikong pulpol at ganid na nagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan. Katulad lang din dito sa atin na ang iba’y nahuhuli, at ang iba naman nakakalusot. Maging sa ibang bansa man ay may mga buwaya sa gobyerno… may mga pulis rin na halang ang kaluluwa – mga bantay-salakay.
Ang bilihan ng boto ay uso din sa ibang bansa. It’s not only in the Philippines! At hindi lang mga Pinoy ang hindi marunong bumoto ng tamang kandidato. Aakalain mo bang si Donald Trump ay nanalo bilang presidente ng America. At heto pa… may pag-asang muli siyang manirahan sa White House. Pero hindi nila sinasabi ang “Only in America.”
Isang malaking kabobohan kung iisipin nating walang nakawan at patayan sa ibang bansa. “It’s not only in the Philippines” na may mga ganyang nangyayari. Hindi lamang sa ilang parte ng Mindanao na may mga “terrorists” at “extremists.” Kung tutuusin ay ang mga bansa na ang “extremism” at “terrorism” ay higit pa sa doble na mas malala kung ikukumpara sa atin.
Ang kahirapan ay isang bagay na hindi lamang sa Pilipinas nakikita. Sa totoo lang ay mga bansang mas labis ang paghihikahos na nararanasan ng kanilang mga mamayan. Hindi lang sa Pilipinas na may mga taong kumakain ng “pagpag.” Kahit sa mga mayayamang bansa ay may mga “scavengers” na para mabuhay ay namumulot ng kung ano ang puwede nilang mapapakinabangan sa mga basurahan… kasama na ang pagkain. Kung tutuusin nga maswerte pa ang may napupulot o nahihinging “leftover foods.” Sa ibang bansa ay mga taong sa sobrang kahirapan ay wala talagang makain.
Minsan may kaybigan akong sinabi ang “Only in the Philippines” ng madaan kami sa isang “squatters’ area.” Sa totoo lang ay mas maswerte pa nga ang mga “slumdwellers” dito sa Pilipinas dahil may mga bahay silang tinitirahan. May mga bansa, kahit pa gaano kayaman, na may mga taong natutulog sa sidewalk o ilalim ng mga tulay gamit ay karton lang bilang banig.
Naala-ala ko tuloy ang enkwentro namin ng isang kasamahan kong guro na Canadian na nagtuturo rin sa South Korea. Hindi ko pinalampas ang ginawa niyang pambabatikos sa mga Pinoy na nakilala niya sa Canada. Muntik nang nauwi sa pisikalan ang diskusyon naming iyon. Bitbit ko ang bandilang Pinoy at hindi ko hahayaang yurakan ng isang dayuhan ang pagkatao ng mga kababayan ko. Hindi perpekto ang lahi nating kayumanggi. Marami tayong mga kapintasan. Ang tanong – may lahi ba na makakapagsabi na sila ay perpekto’t walang kapintasan?
At minsan ay may nabasa akong isang blog tungkol sa “crab mentality among Filipinos” na sinulat ng isang Italyano. Nagkomento ako sa blog na iyon at nilinaw ko na ang “crab mentality” ay laganap hindi lamang sa Pilipinas kundi maging sa kanyang bansa at sa ibang bahagi pa ng mundo. May mga taong “utak talangka” kahit saan mang bahagi ng mundo.
Kaya mali na sabihin ang expression na “Only in the Philippines” kapag may mga negatibong bagay tayong nakikita o may hindi kanais-nais na experience tayong nararanasan. Ang mga negatibong bagay at karanasan ay makikita mo’t mararanasan kahit saang bahagi ng mundo. Baka nga mas malala pa ang mga ito sa ibang bansa kung ikukumpara sa Pilipinas.
At kapag nale-late ang isang kausap natin o may programang hindi nasisimulan sa oras bakit natin ginagamit ang expression na “Filipino Time.” Ang punctuality ay isang personal virtue at mali na sabihing lahat ng Pilipino ay wala nito. Ang pag-gamit ng expression na “Filipino Time” ay pagsasabi na lahat ng Pilipino ay laging late sa usapan at hindi sinisimulan ang dapat gawin sa takdang oras ay maituturing ng “hasty generalization.” Iyan ay isang “fallacy.” FYI, hindi lamang mga Pinoy ang nale-late sa mga appointment paminsan-minsan. It’s not only in the Philippines na may mga nale-late sa usapan. It’s not only in the Philppines na paminsan-minsan ay hindi nasisimulang ang mga programa sa takdang oras.
Sana lang eh matutuhan nating gamitin nang tama ang expression na “Only In The Philippines.” Gamitin sana natin ito upang ipagmalaki ang ating pagka-Pilipino at hindi upang ito’y yurakan. Hindi ko sinasabi na perpekto tayo bilang isang lahi. Pero teka, meron bang lahi ang makakapagsabing sila’y walang bahid-dungis? Bawat lahi, saan mang panig ng mundo, eh mayroong taglay na magaganda at pangit na mga katangian.
On Evaluating Teachers’ Performance
Evaluating teacher’s performance is part and parcel of the educational process. Teaching and learning are the two major interdependent operations of that process that also involve two interdependent players – the teacher and the student. The evaluation of the performance of teachers is intended to ensure that teaching is performed effectively, resulting in the achievement of the goals of learning.
Evaluation of teacher’s performance can either be formative or summative. While both are performed for the purpose of improving the teaching-learning process, they are different in terms of objectives.
Formative evaluations are intended to give teachers information or feedback to help them improve their pedagogical skills. It can be done at any time throughout a school term to monitor what teachers do in the classroom in order to identify where they are good at and where they need improvement.
Conversely, summative evaluations are done to appraise teacher’s performance, not for the purpose of giving them feedback to improve their delivery of instruction but for measuring the effectiveness of their teaching methods and strategies. The main objective is to determine if the teacher’s pedagogical skills measure up with the institution’s standards.
While formative evaluation is used by academic institutions to monitor (and promote) the progress or growth of the teacher, summative evaluation is carried out by school administrators in order to have a basis for employment-related decisions like promotion and continuation of employment.
Results of the summative evaluation of the performance of teachers determine whether they get promoted, given tenure, or allowed to continue to work in the academic institutions that employ them.
In the university where I am currently working, topnotchers in teachers’ evaluations are even given cash incentives. Unfortunately, failure to get the required passing scores in the annual evaluation of teachers’ performance would mean not being given a contract extension for the following school year. That is for non-tenure foreign professors like me.
Because the results of summative evaluation affect the employment status of teachers, it is important that heads of schools ensure that this analysis of teachers’ performance is valid and reliable. The evaluation instruments created should be able to measure what they intend to measure. The items/criteria included in the instrument need to be authentic measures of the pedagogical skills of teachers and their professionalism.
The appraisal of the performance of teachers is usually done through actual class observation. Additionally, checklists are used to determine teachers’ compliance with administrative requirements.
It is important that people designated to carry out the evaluation should be competent and trained to appraise teachers’ performance. This assertion brings to the fore the question of including results of students’ appraisal of their teachers’ performance in summative evaluation.
I think including the scores of students’ evaluations makes the results of summative evaluations less valid and reliable. Why? Students are not expected to be as objective as they ought to be when appraising the performance of their teachers. Even if teachers are pedagogically sound and professional in handling their jobs, if students don’t like their styles, they will get low scores. There exists a possibility that some students, when they perceive their teachers to be strict and unfriendly, they will use teachers’ evaluation as a means to get even. It is even likely that students won’t take seriously the evaluation not bothering to carefully read the items in the instrument.
Students have no training in pedagogy for them to understand what things to consider when evaluating the performance of their teachers. Therefore, their performance appraisal should be treated only as a formative evaluation intended to give teachers feedback or information that will guide them in improving their craft. Excluding their scores from the summative evaluation eliminates any bias that could potentially impact the employment-related decisions that school administrators make at the end of a school term.
In a tertiary institution where I used to teach, class observations are done 5 times in a semester. Three of those are called pop-in visits (unannounced), where the evaluator stays for a few minutes, targeting only a specific area of the lesson plan. The other two are formal visits where the one doing the appraisal of the teacher’s performance stays from the beginning up to the end of the class. One of those formal visits is “announced,” and the other is “unannounced.” The teachers are informed at the beginning of a school term that those pop-in visits and formal class observations will be done at any time.
I believe that the results of class observations are more valid and reliable if they are done “unannounced.” School administrators get to see the “real performance” of teachers when the latter have no inkling as to when they are going to be observed in their classes.
When Students Don’t Learn
One morning, I witnessed how an English teacher masterfully discussed the intricacies of the English language. It would take me a paragraph or two to explain in detail the things he talked about. Let me just say that he is every inch a native English speaker. His knowledge of the phonemes, morphemes, lexemes, syntax, and context is impeccable. He dissected the language so skillfully, and the way he did it almost made me envious. I was reduced to being a listener, uncertain whether I just wanted to make sure not to miss anything new (something I don’t know yet) from what he was saying or I had nothing more to share because he had everything covered about what he was discussing. I wasn’t really sure what prevented me from saying anything. Maybe I was intimidated by his mastery of grammar, semantics, and pragmatics, or I did not like to gatecrash into his moment to showcase his brilliance. Stealing someone’s thunder is not my cup of tea.
That teacher held court in his impromptu lecture. He had the attention of everybody present. It was difficult to judge the intentions of my colleagues whenever they (unsolicitedly) shared their expertise like that. Was it to impress upon us (their co-teachers) that they know that much, or they simply would (good-naturedly) like to help us learn more about the subject (English) we’re teaching.
Later that day, I changed upon a student who had attended my English class in a previous semester. That student was one of the best in my class. Like me, he was heading out of the campus. After the exchange of greetings, I asked, “Who’s your English teacher this semester?” The student had already started responding before I recalled that I had previously made a promise to myself never to ask any of my former students that question for the reason that a few of my previous attempts led to the opening of “a can of worms.”
But it already happened – I asked that stupid question again.
The student named the teacher – he was the one I heard deliver an impromptu lecture about the English language earlier that day. After that, the student heaved a sigh and said, “We could hardly understand what he was teaching.”
I looked at him seriously, and all I could say was, “Really!?”.
He nodded and said, “He is also very serious.”
Before he could open that “can of worms,” I told my former student to give that teacher more time to adjust since the semester is still a long way to go. Then, I quickly redirected our conversation to another topic after that.
What’s amazing is the occurrence – of one day hearing a colleague deliver a brilliant impromptu lecture, but later that same day (or within the week), I would meet one of his students (who used to be my student also) claiming that they, in the class, could hardly understand what he is teaching – did not happen only once. If my memory serves me right, that’s the fourth time.
It finally made me reflect. That’s the reason I wrote something about it.
It made me wonder (again) how my former students rate my performance as a teacher. What do they think (and how they feel) about me as their teacher? What would they say to a colleague or fellow students when asked about me?
Students evaluate the performance of their teachers every semester. It’s hard to tell how reliable and valid the results of such evaluation are. Whether or not the results are a reflection of the true professional and personal qualities of the teachers is a matter of debate.
But valid or not, reliable or otherwise, it’s hard to ignore what students say about the performance and behavior of their teachers. Teachers get to read what students write in their evaluations. They could either agree or disagree with the results of their evaluation. But what the teachers would not know is what students say about them in informal discussions. Only the most naïve among teachers don’t know that students talk about their teachers.
In gatherings, teachers talk (or should I say gossip) about their students – their performance and behavior in the class. Conversely, students do the same. They talk (or gossip) about their teachers. There are only two possibilities – they either praise or curse their teachers.
One of the most unacceptable things that students could say about a teacher is that they do not (or they could hardly understand) what he/she is teaching.
Witnessing firsthand an English teacher discuss with ease the complexities of the English language and hearing a student claim that he and his classmates could hardly understand what that teacher was teaching is quite paradoxical.
So I asked myself this question that night – Which is true… my impressions about that English teacher or that of his students?
What could have gone wrong?
My former student said that their current English teacher is very serious. Is that the problem – good rapport does not exist between him and the students? It is no secret that a teacher’s personality is correlated to students’ academic performance.
I tried to think of other reasons.
Then I recalled my teaching demonstration when I was applying for a job right after my graduation. When the high school principal called me to her office to discuss the results, she told me I did great. But she said there was a problem – I explained things in a way that only students enrolled in a graduate program could understand.
Could that be the reason?
If that teacher carried out discussions in the class in the same way he explained the grammar topic to us in that gathering earlier that day then that exactly is the problem. You cannot discuss a grammar point with students trying to learn the language the way you would with teachers teaching that language. I think that is not rocket science.
There are two things I learned before I officially began my teaching career – adapt my strategies and materials to students’ levels and simplify my language.
The problem is there are teachers who have a “one-size-fits-all” mentality, thinking that educational processes and approaches to teaching and learning are standard and cannot be tailored to meet individual needs. They wouldn’t buy into the idea of differentiated learning and teaching.
They will never accept responsibility when their students don’t learn.
Their standards are as immovable and high as Mt. Everest. The students have no choice but to climb that “Mt. Everest.”
For them, it’s the fault of the students when they fail.
K-DREAM
Korean motifs are slowly replacing American imprints in our culture as Filipinos. More and more of my compatriots say annyeonghaseyo instead of hello and gamsahamnida instead of thank you. Oppa has become a popular endearment for women calling their boyfriends or husbands and telling them saranghaeyo instead of “I love you.” We Filipinos are so enamored of K-pop and K-drama, which have greatly influenced our lives. The youngsters, in particular, embrace the music of their K-pop idols and dress the way they do.
In my country, especially in urban areas, restaurants offer samgyeopsal, bibimbap, Korean ramen, and other famous Korean dishes. Products made in South Korea are flooding our supermarkets and grocery stores. It is no longer surprising to find soju sold in sari-sari stores and shared by Filipinos when they dine and wine.
Should we be concerned? Are we losing our Filipino identity? We’re not. Our culture is just entering a new phase of development. Remember that culture is dynamic, never static. It evolves continuously.
It is common knowledge that the ongoing assimilation of Korean influences into our culture was engendered by Hallyu. This phenomenon depicts the popularity of South Korean pop culture, not only in our country but globally. Yes, we’re not the only ones obsessed with Korean cultural content. It was reported that by 2022, there were more or less 177 million Hallyu fans worldwide.
Hallyu is one of the 26 Korean words added to the Oxford English Dictionary. When translated to English, the word literally means Korean Wave. With the way that this cultural phenomenon struck the world, tsunami, instead of the word wave, would have been a better term. But tsunami is a Japanese word, and given the history of these countries, the word may not rhyme politically.
The gigantic waves of music, TV shows, and movies from the southern portion of the Korean peninsula reached our shores at the turn of the 21st century. Since then, our TV stations have regularly aired many Korean dramas dubbed in Filipino. Korean movies with English or Filipino subtitles are shown in Philippine movie theatres. Magazines and the entertainment sections of newspapers regularly featured K-pop artists and other Korean TV and movie personalities. Before we knew it, the Korean brand had already profoundly penetrated the Filipino consciousness.
Admittedly, I knew little about South Korea before the Korean Wave came. I remember checking the encyclopedia for information about the Korean War when I took World History in college. At that time, I was researching wars America fought for an article I wrote for our school paper, and the Korean War from 1950 to 1953 was one of them. Then, I discovered that our country sent troops to help South Koreans ward off the Communist invasion from north of its borders.
Without the help of the United Nations’ international forces, the Korean peninsula might have fallen under Communist rule. The thought that soldiers from my country helped in not allowing that to happen made me feel proud. Imagine this – had it been Kim Jong-un ruling the whole of Korea now (and his father and grandfather in the past), there would have been no Hallyu to talk about. Instead of K-pop and K-drama, the hot topics could have been K-missile and K-nuke.
Just imagine how dreadful a picture of the war-torn Korean peninsula the things I read about it created in my mind. It was horrible, to say the least. The narrative of the death and destruction was a clear indictment of the futility of war. Those three years were perhaps one of the darkest chapters in the history of South Korea. It was comparable to the three years that my country was under Japanese occupation during the Second World War as well as the period between 1898 and 1901 when the Filipino revolutionaries helplessly fought a war against the much superior American forces who grabbed the Philippine archipelago from the Spaniards.
But before completing my university education, I had another chance to read more about South Korea. That was when the country hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics. The sporting event put the land south of the 38th parallel line all over the news. It triggered my curiosity, prompting me to check not anymore the pages in the encyclopedia about the Korean War but also books written about the country, magazine articles featuring it, and the newspapers covering the Olympics at that time.
I saw a country different from what those pages about the Korean War created in my mind. I discovered that the nation called the “Land of the Morning Calm” rebounded from the horrors of the Korean War and eventually became very progressive. Then I wondered at that time and asked – “What did the South Koreans do that enabled them to, like the legendary Phoenix, rise from the ashes of a horrendous war and even become only the second country in Asia to host the world’s biggest summer sporting event?” Why could they afford to host such an event that would cost them millions and millions (if not billions) of dollars?
My perception of South Korea changed overnight from a country impoverished, war-stricken, and divided into modern and progressive. The pity I felt for the Koreans when they were ravaged by the war during the early 1950s was replaced by amazement and… envy.
As the years passed, I learned more and more about South Korea through traditional media and the Internet, which eventually became more accessible than when I was a university student. I got to hear more and more Korean music and see more and more Korean dramas.
I will never forget how in 2006, the Korean drama Jewel in The Palace would make me stop whatever I do at night to ensure I see all of it. I was so glued to it. Is it because of the story or the pretty face of Lee Young-ae, the actress who played the role of Jang Geum (the drama’s lead character)? I really don’t know. It may be the setting. I am a student of World History, and the story provides a glimpse of how life was in the Korean peninsula during the Chosun dynasty. The Koreanovelas “Stairway to Heaven,” “Lovers in Paris,” “Winter Sonata,” and “Baker King” were the ones that introduced me to contemporary life and society in South Korea. The first Korean movie I watched was “Please Teach Me English.” The supervisor of the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate program, which I attended in 2009, recommended it.
These cultural imports from South Korea made me want to visit the country like many Filipinos. I wanted to visit the places in the country that I could only see on TV programs and movies. I wanted to visit Seoul and go to Gangnam and Myeongdong. I wanted to have a summer vacation on the island of Jeju. I wanted to try soju and maekju, and the combination of the two – somaek. I wanted to taste kimchi and eat Korean dishes prepared and served by Korean chefs. I wanted to try tteokbokki, pyo haejangguk, and kalguksu, together with plenty of banchan (side dishes) in a restaurant in South Korea, not in Korean restaurants or the mall’s food courts in my native land. I wanted to meet actual Korean people and mingle with them. Once, I even jokingly told a friend I wanted to have a Korean girlfriend. In short, I desired to have an authentic Korean experience. My K-dream – “Korean dream” – is taking shape and getting embedded in my consciousness.
That urge strengthened when I decided to take the TESOL certificate program. That was when I watched my first Korean movie, the one I previously mentioned – “Please Teach Me English.” South Korea was mentioned by the program coordinator as one of the countries considered the premiere destination for ESL teachers. The said movie gave me a glimpse of the state of English education in that country. There’s a scene in that movie where Young-ju, the lead character played by the actress Lee Na-young, could be seen eating a page of an English dictionary, believing that it would improve her vocabulary. That part of the movie embodies how much of a big deal it is to learn English for South Koreans.
Thus, since teaching abroad is an option in the career path I set for myself, should I have the opportunity to teach overseas, why not in South Korea? My K-dream suddenly evolved, and I no longer just wanted to have an authentic Korean cultural experience but to work there as an English teacher.
Then I did what I had to do for that dream to come true. I completed my training in TESOL, and I left no stone unturned. I searched the Internet for job openings for ESL teachers in South Korea. At that time, I was also suffering from job burnout. I got physically and emotionally exhausted from my job as a school administrator, and I wanted to return to being a plain teacher.
M.A.D. LIGAYA
M.A.D. L I G A Y A 
Lebron and That Game Against GSW
Feb 1
Posted by M.A.D. LIGAYA
It’s really difficult not to take notice and appreciate the greatness of Lebron James as a basketeer… unless you are a certified Lebron hater or your concept of being a basketball fan is such that you can embrace only one great player and everybody else is a pretender.
Only the Skip Baylesses of the world would find it insulting to heap praises on Lebron James for what he has accomplished in the NBA. And bad news for the LBJ haters…he’s not done yet. Much to the chagrin of those who hate to see King James succeed, at the age of 39 and in his 21st season, he keeps stuffing the stat line. In their latest game against the Golden State Warriors, the Akron Hammer hammered his way to a triple-double with 36 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists.
Those numbers are not the most impressive parts of Lebron’s stat line in that game against the Warriors. Despite being 39 years old, he played for 48 minutes, making Father Time scratch his head in exasperation. Of course, we know that Father Time is undefeated. But in the case of LBJ, he has to wait a little longer. As to how long, we don’t really know. For now, let’s continue to marvel at the way Bron makes his haters wonder how, in the world, he managed to stay competitive.
In that game against the Stephen Curry-led team, he proved that he could still compete at the highest level and lead his Lakers’ team and contend for a possible championship if he gets to have a competitive supporting cast.
What was on display in that game is how “The King” has seemingly created a blueprint for players’ longevity. Longevity as in playing competitively beyond NBA players’ typical retirement age (35 to 37). He is the only remaining active player from the 2003 draft class. He is currently the oldest active player.
He is the NBA’s scoring king, surpassing Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s record almost a year ago. After scoring 36 against the Warriors, he is less than 300 points away from becoming the first NBA player to score 40,000 regular season points. With the Los Angeles Lakers playing more than 30 more games and currently averaging 25 points per game, he is expected to reach the milestone way before the playoffs start. It is a record that, according to basketball pundits, will be hard to surpass. That record is expected to get even higher, given that he could still play for 2 or more years. He also holds the record for playoff points at exactly 8,023.
He also belongs to the NBA top 10 in assists (fourth). No one else among the top 10 NBA all-time scorers is on that list. This is a testament to his being an unselfish player not looking to just score points but getting his teammates involved.
Undoubtedly, he is one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game.
Forget about the GOAT debate. Unless a completely objective and statistically sound rubric can be created to determine the greatest to have played the game of basketball, the GOAT discussion will remain tainted with bias, prejudice, and subjectivity. We can always appreciate the greatness of our favorite player without putting down another player.
Hopefully, when Lebron decides to hang his jerseys, he could write a book about how he managed to stay strong and competitive. What is remarkable is not just his longevity but also his durability. He has not sustained a major career-threatening injury that would have kept him sidelined for a long time. There may be times that he played through injury… and that is a testament to how much he loves and respects the game.
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