CALL ME MAYBE (A FOOL), BUT HERE'S WHY I THINK OKC STILL HAS A CHANCE TO BEAT MIAMI IN THE NBA FINALS DESPITE TRAILING 1-3

1. They've already tasted every kind of defeat (trailing big and falling short, leading big and eventually losing, close margin); enough for them to know how to handle every situation by now. 

2. Harden has yet to show up in the series. The beard man can play, just out of focus with big defensive assignments thrown at him. But he is expected to explode soon.

3. Durant and Westbrook can score at will. The other guys should just do their part with less errors. 

4. OKC will have last two home games. A win in Game 5 will re-energize them going back home. 

5. OKC will be giving it all every game henceforth being on edge of  Series defeat.

6. And finally... remember that OKC defeated the Spurs four-straight to get into the Finals. They just need to win three-straight this time.

Pagtatapos

Ang mga guro at administrador ng eskwelahan ay tumatayong pangalawang magulang ng mga estudyante. Kinikilala ito ng batas na nagbigay ng karapatan sa mga guro at administrador na magabayan ang kanilang mga estudyante. Kaakibat din nito ang responsibilidad bilang kahaliling magulang o "substitute parent." Subalit ang tungkulin pong ito ay epektibo lamang sa loob ng eskwelahan o sa anumang gawain na may kinalaman sa pag-aaral dito. Sa labas ng eskwelahan o pag-i-iskwela ay ang mga magulang na po ang tanging may responsibilidad sa anumang gawin ng kanilang mga anak.  

Kamakailan ay naging laman ng balita ang ginawang pagbabawal ng isang paaralan sa Cebu City na makadalo sa graduation ang ilang mga estudyante sa kadahilanang nagpakita ang mga ito ng larawan sa social network site na Facebook nang nakasuot diumano ng bikini, na itinuturing na paglabag sa patakaran ng paaralan. Ano po bang masama sa pagsusuot ng bikini? Ginawa po ba ito sa malaswang paraan o pakay? May pangalan po ba o tatak ng eskwelahan sa bikining sinuot? Ito po ba ay isinuot habang nasa klase o gawaing pampaaralan?

Nag-bikini lang naman sila. Nung linuwal sila sa mundo ay wala ngang suot na damit ang mga batang yan. Wala pong nakakahiya doon. Kayo pong namamahala ng eskwelahan ang nagbigay ng kahihiyan sa mga bata sa pagpapalaki ng isyung ito. At kung mayroon mang masamang naidulot ang mga larawang ito, hayaan ninyong ang kanilang mga magulang na mismo ang magbigay ng kaukulang parusa sa kanila.

Sa aking palagay ay pagmamalabis sa kanilang katungkulan ang ginawa ng mga namumuno ng Saint Theresa's College. Hindi katanggap-tanggap ang naging pasya ng paaralan, lalo pa't sinaway nito ang utos ng hukuman na padaluhin ang mga estudyante sa graduation. Nalabag ang karapatan ng mga estudyante na maging bahagi ng graduation na kanila namang nakamit dahil sa pagtitiyagang mag-aral. Ito po ay hindi pribileheyo na maaring bawiin ng paraalan sapagkat ang kapalit nito ay ang pagbabayad ng taon-taong tuition sa pag-aaral. 

Mahalaga sa buhay ng estudyante ang graduation. Ngunit hindi sa dahilang ito ay para sa kanila. Ayon sa aking propesor sa School of Law, ang graduation ay handog ng mga estudyante sa mga taong naging susi sa tagumpay nila sa pag-aaral. Ito ay ang mga magulang, kapatid, kamag-anak, kaibigan, maging mga guro na nag-alay ng yaman, pawis, at mga pagsasakripisyo para lamang makatapos sa pag-aaral ang isang estuyante. Ang graduation ay simbolo ng natatanging pagkilala ng mga estudyante sa kanila.

Nararapat bang ipagkait ito sa mga estudyante nang dahil lamang sa isang simpleng paglabag sa patakaran ng paaralan kung paglabag man itong maituturing? OA nyo mga teh!  

 -- 

*photo from http://lake.k12.fl.us/erh/lib/erh/Images/graduation1.jpg

Jakarta at First Sight

So much has been said online about Jakarta being very much similar to the Manila landscape – the traffic, the pollution, the crowded streets, the dangers lurking everywhere. A day spent in the heart of Jakarta, however, can change all that negative perceptions and leave you wanting to discover more about this fascinating city.

Soekarno-Hatta Airport

Jakarta visitors arrive at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport. It is a sprawling complex with various terminals servicing domestic and international flights. The airport is not as fancy as in Singapore or in Hong Kong but it is well-maintained and it projects the culture of Indonesia as can be gleaned from its interior designs.

After passing through immigration, bags are no longer checked unless you have something to declare at the Customs Section so you should immediately secure your checked-in baggage. What will greet you after passing through the Customs Section is a line of money changer booths. The value of the Rupiah is very low that you become a millionaire in Indonesia with just PhP5,000 in hand. The exchange rate in the airport, of course, is a bit low so exchange only what you will spend for the taxi or the bus going to your city destination.

At the end of the arrival area, you will be greeted by transport services offering exclusive transfer to the city. Their rate, of course, is quite steep so just head straight out and look for a standard taxi if you want to save on thousands of Rupiah. As you may have been advised, ride only in a Bluebird Taxi to be safe. But if there is no such taxi, you can try other taxi services. Just make sure that you agree with the driver about the fare before boarding the taxi. My destination was Central Jakarta and I was charged 150,000 Indonesian Rupiah (IDR), that’s roughly PhP750, for the taxi. You can also try the bus which charges around 20,000 IDR if you are in no rush.    

Heading to the City

I arrived in Jakarta on a Saturday afternoon in July 2010 and weather was warm as it usually is. A long stretch of highway separates the Soekarno-Hatta airport and the heart of the city. Right-hand traffic is observed and the roads are wide enough to keep vehicles moving. The driver of the taxi I hired spoke very little English but what’s important was he knew the location of my hotel and I arrived there safely in less than 30 minutes. It helps that you know the exact address of your hotel. 

                                                  The Grand Indonesia Mall can be seen from the window of
                                                  my hotel room

Accommodation

Central Jakarta is quite similar to Makati City where tall buildings and posh establishments are located. Hotel rooms are expensive in the area but I managed to find a relatively small but decent accommodation at a very good price of 250,000 IDR or roughly PhP1,200 per night. (see http://www.studio-one.co.id/) But if budget is not your concern (lucky you), check out the hotels along Jalan M.H. Thamrin such as Mandarin Oriental, Hotel Nikko, Pan Pacific, etc. as they are located near the shopping and entertainment hubs.  

As a tip, make sure to book your accommodation in advance through online facilities such as www.booking.com because it is sometimes much cheaper than paying as you walk in to the hotel. Also, check the reviews of the hotels online at www. tripadvisor.com to be sure that you and your hotel will be “compatible.”

Sights and Scenes

As Central Jakarta is foremost a business district, there are not so many tourist attractions in the area. But it has enough interesting places worthy of a visit. What you can’t miss is the National Monument, known locally as Monas, which is a central park where people have picnic, fly kites, play football, jog, ride a bike, and hold food and entertainment festival. At the core of the Monas is an obelisk that stands several hundreds of feet tall. For the culturally-inclined, there are several Museums to be found near Monas. But for those who want shopping and all the modern stuff, Jakarta will not disappoint. Grand Indonesia, for one, is a haven for mall rats with its multi-level and multi-section shopping complex. The stores range from the very high-end to those which offer affordable buys. Just beside it is Plaza Indonesia, another luxury mall offering great shopping experience.

Food

I never got to really try Indonesian food in Jakarta. But I have seen interesting street food that resemble the “kwek-kwek” and “isaw” that we buy in Manila – fried and colorful. For dinner, I went to Kenny Rogers at Grand Indonesia and ordered soup and pasta. I actually looked around, not to find a particular food, but to find a restaurant with free wifi access and it turned out to be that place. After dinner, I headed to a nearby 7-11 outlet to buy local beer and junk food for my night cap. 

Transportation

The malls and commercial establishments were just within walking-distance from my hotel, so I did not have to use public transport. I have seen people offering backrides on motorcycles for a fee. I don’t know how much they charge though. There are also small, old vans/buses plying the street. There are taxis, of course, and big air-conditioned buses that take passengers from stations at the center island of the avenue. The train, meanwhile, is ground-level and does not pass through the main avenue of Central Jakarta.

People

(to be continued...)