Filipino Community in Bangkok

like: The Philippine Embassy invited the new President of the Teachers' Council of Thailand, Dr. Derek Pornsima as guest of honor of the Teachers' Orientation held on October 9, 2010 at the Philippine Embassy Hall. In his short speech, President Derek recognized the efforts of the Filipino teachers.

dislike: Poor President Derek. He didn't see what was coming. He was grilled by a bunch of aggressive teachers! The organizers forgot to give the proper courtesy to an important officer in the teaching industry. The Philippine Embassy staff should take the Thai Culture training course immediately to avoid further embarrassment.

like: Ms. Hedda Tan, one of the speakers during the Teachers' Orientation, provided a list of the agencies, organisations and schools that offer professional development opportunities for teachers in Thailand and around the East Asia region.

dislike: Public and private schools rarely send their foreign teachers to any of these professional development opportunities.

like: A proposal was sent to the Philippine Embassy to regulate existing "illegal" Filipino associations under its wing to avoid misrepresentation and illegal acts.

dislike: It appears that the consulate officer has turned a deaf ear to the proposal.

like: A group of Filipino adventurers is retracing the migration of early Filipinos across the oceans using the traditional "balangay" (raft) and the ancient method of navigation. One of its goals is to prove that the Filipinos had long been civilized even before the Spaniards regime set foot in the Philippine soils.

dislike: The Department of Education in the Philippines is still half-hearted in recalling all history textbooks taught in schools. I guess the group needs more than an "ancient" raft to persuade the government and historians.

like: Friends told me that thousands of Filipinos attended the David Foster and Friends concert on October 25, 2010 at the Impact Muang Thong Thani. Charice, the newest international singing sensation from the Philippines perfectly belted out the songs of Celine Dion and Whitney Houston.

dislike: I didn't get the chance to watch the performances! I watched the show on youtube.

like: There will be an exclusive all-Filipino musicians' reunion on November 30, 2010 at the Mall Inn and Hotel, Bangkapi hosted by JR and Helen.

dislike: The party will start at dawn from 1 to 5 AM.

Nonthaburi teaching projects

like: Less than 300 Filipinos are employed by Chula and Ramkhamhaeng Universities for the government's special Nonthaburi projects. It is rumored that the screening process of the universities is tough.

dislike: No salary in October and only less than half of their salaries is given in April. Administrators at Ramkhamhaeng Language Institute are criticized of their "no training - no hiring" policy. The training costs 2,000+ baht with no 100% assurance of employment! Something's fishy!!!

Thai Culture training

like: It was considered a mission-accomplished when a group of Filipino teachers remedied the problem of the expensive Thai Culture training course two years ago. Since then, training agencies can no longer exaggerate the training fee.

dislike: During the Teachers' Orientation on October 9, I was informed that a president of a Filipino organization had a delusion, egoistically claiming herself as the "agent of change" in helping the Filipino teaching community in resolving the questionable Thai Culture cost. Oh well, kudos to her and her minions!

like: PSTAT training is on December 4-6, 2010. It has the best speaker so far compared to other training agencies.

dislike: PSTAT runs its training for two and a half days, and it still costs 3,500.00 Baht. Unfortunately, more affordable training fee is over.

My short stories

like: I took the plunge on writing short stories using "Indigenized" English. I completed one story and now I'm finishing up my second narrative.

dislike: The short stories are getting "likes" but I honestly need someone to polish the stories. Anyone?

In Chiang Rai

like: No devastating flood recorded and the temperature is gradually dropping.

dislike: Waking up early morning on school days.

like: The city will celebrate its 750th Anniversary on December 3rd and 4th featuring the first Chiang Rai Music Festival!

dislike: It costs 500 baht a ticket but that's not bad!