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Fine, I said no more personal blogs but this one is a public issue because it concerns the loss not only of a friend but of a public figure. I did blog about this earlier. So yeah, whatever:

When I was a little boy, I danced to Mga Kababayan Ko. I was singing Kaleidoscope World all the time during my childhood. These were songs that had meaning, beauty and most importantly a sense of value. They signified an artist's honest expression of love for country and his fellow men.

I met Francis M during an event last October. By that time, he was already fighting with leukemia for several months. Despite his sickness, he chose to go to the forum because it was being organized by Don Bosco school. We were both alumni of the Don Bosco system and we came from the same campus in Kalentong. I would like to share some of the things we talked about to give you an idea about the kind of person he truly was.

He first said that we are all advocates in one way or another and when you go down to the basics, its the choice of what you advocate that is important. Meaning, we have to search for what we are passionate about. For him, its his love of country and of his fellow men that he advocates through everything he does.

He talked about his art and how it is a medium to convey the important message that he wants people to hear about. After the forum we talked a lot about my advocacy on trafficking and he said he felt strongly about this issue. He said that bad governance and poor systems has created an environment where people are forced to leave the country.

Then he spoke about his sickness and I can remember that vividly. He said:

"If indeed God wills this sickness to take my life, I will live through my music. Every time a person hears my voice on the radio, I will be alive through them. I will live through my message of love of country above all else."

He started a multiply account detailing his "happy battle" against cancer. He said that while cancer means death, to him it allowed him to celebrate his life. So while this is a terrible tragedy to Philippine music, we know that he died without regret and for as long as his music lives on, he will always be here with us.

RIP, Francis M. You are a true legend.

This is my last PERSONAL blog entry. I have chosen to make this blog a professional one. I have opened a private blog for only a handful of people. 

In the meantime (since uso naman ang mga random blog na surveys), take this test and post your result here :D

http://www.quizyourfriends.com/take-quiz.php?id=0903020045507842&a=1&

Having conversed with three of my old friends last night, I feel better. When I went back to work today, I felt like all the glum has gone away.

So this blog is really about my suggestions for the next WSDC team. NOTE: I am making a comprehensive report that I will give to the future coaches and teams so that they know what they are getting into. In the meantime, this is a summary of what I believe should be done in order for us to have a stronger Philippine Team.

1. A PERMANENT COACH (look for one). In WSDC, it seems to me that ONLY THE PHILIPPINES has a revolving coaching system. Singapore’s coach for instance has been there for eleven years. She has organized a WSDC tournament before and is a member of major committees. Singapore had 4 speakers in the top 10 and made it to semis. Some coaches have been there for as long as 20 years. Why? The WSDC system is fundamentally different from anything we know. It takes a while to master. A lot of our success was attributed to guesswork and last minute preparation (the night before was crucial). Coaches gain experience over time and are able to share the style better to their team. Our revolving coaching system is not serving us well at all
2. Cooperation from the other  top schools. Since they are representing Team Philippines, it is ideal that they get exposed to the various debating philosophies in our country. I don’t think that all these philosophies are equal, but you see, in WSDC, the adjes are so diverse that you need to have a certain universality in the way you argue. A broad spectrum of people watching you speak will certainly help. To illustrate this. One of our speakers got a 78.5 and a 69 IN THE SAME ROUND.
3. Strengthen the WSDC, Inc. which Jimmy Soriano, Myself, Miko and several other parents established. Right now the WSDC, Inc. seems to be inactive during the rest of the year prior to the selection of the team. This is weird because WSDC, Inc. is the internationally recognized body that represents the Philippines to WSDC. Batch 2009 plans to change this. We will start with an activity during the summer. A different kind of debate camp which teaches people the WSDC style. Please do come. This is will definitely help you as a debater. This is also a fundraising activity for the next team! WSDC is expensive @_@
4. We need to teach WSDC style to our kids. I have decided from now on, XDT will be coached like a WSDC team. I realize that this means they will have a problem in terms of local perception and that we might not win anything. I have spoken to some of the kids about it and they are fine with it. There are greater goals than winning.
5. I think my adjing style will change a little bit as a result. So will my comments for improvement.
6. To all those who will be involved in the next team… please keep an open mind and let go of your preconceived notions of what a good speech is, what a good debate is and what we are debating for. Just absorb everything and apply it. The people who emphasize this style are not morons, they know what they are doing. For instance, the coach of team Mexico and Argentina is Darragh Grant, 2 time worlds finalist. One of adjes from the UK is Will Jones, current world champion. This is how they train their kids.
7. BASICS!!!
8. Intangible qualities of the team also count. How sociable they are for instance. Even how they stand and look at people, that counts greatly in the perception of individuals
9. Overall, just remember that speaking is persuasion. Everything from your pose, your entrance and your demeanor aids greatly in the way you convince people. AND YES, I did tell the kids this year how they will sit, how they will behave and how they will move during the rounds. Seems to have paid off when adjes give their comment to us.

A Gloomy Sunday indeed.

I really should have no reason to be a bit glum. In fact, there are plenty of reasons to be happy. First of all, I think collectively the WSDC team 2009 had some of the highest scores ever seen by Filipino teams. Basically four of the kids had 76.5 and one of them got as high as 78.5. To put that in the right context, the best speaker two years ago averaged 74. That's because 70 is average and 71 is already high. Therefore, 78.5 is near, if not, god-like.

Like any team, there were problems along the way but they were resolved quite maturely.

I am very happy about what we have accomplished given that we had only 3 months to train and the fact that everything worked as planned. There were good lessons learned and friendships created. I am proud of what the team has done in the debates. YEY team Athens 2009. It was an honor to be your coach.

Now that I am back to the real world, a part of me is really missing the Athens experience and an equally big part is glad that it is over. WSDC was draining.

I am very confused about how to proceed with my life now. Don’t worry, I know what I HAVE to do but not what I WANT to do.

At the rooftop in Athens, I told some of the kids that it has been ten years since I was in Cyprus and Hawaii and I had an important rooftop conversation with my friends during those times. We talked about life and friendship, our futures and the dreams we will not let go of. That group of friends eventually imploded and disappeared. That said, I realized how fleeting life is and how the relationships we have may vanish over time.

I still have one big problem now. It’s that I know I should be forgiving or let go of any bad feelings but it seems rather impossible at this point. Now people say that time heals all wounds. Not really. There are things I just can’t let slide. I know it’s wrong!!! I just can’t lie to myself. Hopefully it will pass. I think my Sunday is gloomy because I know what I have to do but I seem incapable of doing it. I might not be doing justice to the efforts of some people... but damn! I can't control what I feel.

Three weeks from now, I will be with my friends in Trafalgar Square. We will have coffee, bum around and I will tell them about my current state which is a mixture of joy, pride, nostalgia, regret and anger. Then I will be happy knowing that I do have true friends (really smart ones too). How I wish I was going there now.

Haven't blogged about debate in ages. This is a collection of random lessons, observations and experiences I had in WSDC 2009:

1. Hindi kami kailanman nadaya ng mga puting judge. Bago kami dumating dito inakala namin na magiging biktima ng rasismo. Hindi ito nangyari kahit minsan. Napagtanto ko na kami pala ang mga rasista sapagkat kami ay ganap na naniwala na sila ay masasamang tao. Hindi ito totoo. Napakabait ng karamihan sa kanila.

2. Inibig kami ng mga tao dito. Nung umabot kami sa breaks, maliban sa host country, kami ang may pinakamalakas na palakpak. Nung kami ay natanggal sa Octos, lungkot na lungkot ang mga huwes at sinabi nila sa kanilang oral adj na ikinalulungkot nila ang disisyon na ginawa nila ngunit patas ang paliwanag. Ibig sabihin, maari pala na ang isang bansang kagaya ng Pilipinas na hindi native speaker ng Ingles ay maging malapit sa lahat ng tao dito. Kahit ang mga matatandang guro na puti ay aming mga kaibigan at alam ko na matagal na nilang pinapatalo ang Pilipinas. Pinapapapanalo nila kami. At binigyan nila ang mga bata ng 74-76. Mataas iyan dahil mga 74 ang score ng best speaker sa lahat ng taon na nakalipas at ang "good" speech ay 70.

3. If you reach out to everyone and you are genuinely interested in people, you will be welcomed by everyone. A lot of humor and intelligent or emphatic conversations really help. They are loveable people :D

4. You win some... you lose some. I lost some friends but gained a lot more. This is heartbreaking still because you don't quantify friends now do you?

5. Obedient kids who obey the right person will do well.

6. I now agree that Style of speaking can win debates.

7. We JUSTIFIABLY lost a debate because we didn't offer enough POIs.

8. Rules are rules! Follow them,

9. I will miss the debaters, coaches and adjes from New Zealand special metion to "mudang", Australia, Canada special mention to "BFF", Israel special mention to "mahal ni Je," India, Pakistan, England, Scotland the thundercats, Wales, Singapore, Thailand (Jeanina Fans Club, yeah we have pics of their poster... creepy), Japan lol Masako, Korea esp CL, Mexico, Ireland esp MS, Netherlands "sumusunod sa galaw mo...", Qatar, Kuwait and we love their parting gift, the Peru... KIDS, Germany and their cool coach, Sweden, Bangladesh, Slovenia, Slovakia and the lalaking di nagbibihis, Namibia... sama ni mudang sa inyo, Indonesia, South Africa. And of course the people of Amazing Greece! Your food rocks! And ang dami!!! Its going to be really hard to database you all but it's worth it.

10. A Style rule we invented: Mind the gap.

11. Unfortunately some people overdid the gap.

12. Owen in Ireland is not spelled that way... but I was able to guess it.

13. Gumana ang taktika ko na gamitin ang mga halimbawa mula sa mga bansa nila laban sa kanila. Hindi nila nirerebutt kung tama. *grin*

14. Sinamba ang mga bata ng mga puti pero *(!^@$(*!@^$*(@ pinapatalo ng mga Asyano at di puti!!! Adik. Hello, puting adj - 73, 72, 74, hindi puting adj na banban 60.5 (.5 away from bottom), 63.5, 63... Nakadrugs ba sya?! Buti nga hindi na sya nag aadj the round after.

15. Aalis ako dito na kilala ako ng lahat ... waahh I will miss them.

16. Masaya pala magdebate kung ang Oracle sa Temple ni Apollo ay nasa ilalim lang ng slope.

17. Contrary to what it seems HINDI MADALI ANG DRAW NAMIN. PAMATAY!!!

18. Don't walk alone into a dark alley where people sniff white powder. IF you do, pretend to be high for your own survival.

19. I would probably go back one day to adj. Not for any other reason apart from the fact that I will really really really miss my many friends. Sad.

21. Minsan gusto kong tumalon sa tulay o magpakain sa hydra.

22. Dan is the best alternate in the history of WSDC. lol

23. If the ambassador gives you a drink and tells you to trust him coz its good... DON'T~!!! It might be 80% alcohol and you might end up doing stuff that you wouldn't normally want to do.

24. If the glass is full... it will not hold water.

25.Worldschools changed everything. And I mean Everything. :D

As vague as these things are, they make all the difference now in the way I see things. I definitely know now what works and what doesn't. More importantly, I know what to do, what steps to take and what decisions I have to make. Time to snap back to reality. Reckoning at hand.

This movie absolutely kicks ass. It is bordering on horror, action and suspense. What’s not to love about this film?

Battle Royale is set in a dystopic Japan where older people have begun hating and distrusting the youth. Every year, random high school students are forced into a competition via the Battle Royale law. Which means they kill each other.

This premise was horribly rehashed in The Condemned. Ugh. Anyway, the film has excellent humor, fine acting, cool looking stars, great action and social commentary. These elements make the film a true masterpiece. Now, the idea of high school students may not appeal to everyone and that is understandable. However, if you look at the core of Battle Royale, it is really an exposition of our primal instincts. Think Lord of the Flies but on a murderous rampage. It shows what happens when the gloves are off, when the rules are gone and what man will do if pushed to the limits. The director of this film is one person I will fondly remember this Halloween. He should have had more time in this world to create another masterpiece because Battle Royale 2 sucked.

Wow… 31 films… I can’t believe I did it. Lol That over 65 hours this month :D

This is a Filipino film that explores the legend of the Aswang, a monster that can transform easily into animals. This is not like Animorphs or Transformers because they have an appetite for eating human innards as was graphically shown in the first few minutes of the film. A boy's intestines dragged out of his body. Beyond the gore, there are unique elements in the film that are commendable such as use of creepy atmosphere rather than cheap jump scenes. The exploration of the Aswang legend in itself seems to be a noble endeavor for the film-makers.

The portrayal of the Aswang is also interesting because they are given very human elements. They form and protect their own communities, they care for one another and respect others who respect them too. We can sympathize with the Aswangs in the film because their kind and gentle nature is highlighted. The only real problem is that they eat people really. Other than that, they are nice enough.

The descent involves six girls who get trapped in a cave. As they go deeper and deeper into the caverns, they are attacked by a group of monsters who resemble Gollum in the Lord of the Rings. They are called crawlers.

The primal instincts of the girls are released as they battle for survival and see each other fall. Their only real weapon is their pick ax. Towards the end of the film, we see a massive transformation in some of the characters.

The acting could have been improved. Some characters were barely developed before they were dispatch. The film makes up for these weaknesses through fast pacing, non-stop action, great editing and a cool atmosphere. It is a good film all in all but I think it could have benefited from better character development so that we really feel sympathetic about everyone’s survival.