Body parts, math and science in the kitchen

math-science-kitchen4

In the previous post, the recipe for sticky rice congee with chicken, lemongrass and quail eggs, reader Candice commented: i just read the recipe for lugaw with premature eggs and saw the picture of the innards… i’ve never even seen those parts of a chicken in my whole life! forgive my ignorance but did all ... (more)

Help children discover books, help them think for themselves and help change the world

I got an email from a fellow U.P. Law alumnus asking if I would share this project with my readers. You know how allergic I am to people asking for free advertising but this is something I would have gladly and voluntarily advertised if I had come across it before anyone contacted me about it. ... (more)

The Supreme Court, law schools and intellectual dishonesty

If you haven’t heard yet, a Supreme Court justice is in hot waters for publishing a decision where portions were lifted verbatim from three different sources. From the column of former Supreme Court Justice Artemio Panganiban. Short backgrounder. On April 28, 2010, the Supreme Court en banc, in “Vinuya vs Romulo,” dismissed the petition of ... (more)

Quality, not lengthy, education

When what’s-his-name congressman came up with the suggestion a couple of weeks ago to extend education by two years, I posted an update on Twitter that what we need is better quality education and not an additional two years. I thought a short comment like that was all that the suggestion deserved — I so ... (more)

My babies have moved out

Posting has been light for the past week because my family reached another milestone — our youngest, Alex, is now in college. A.B. Theater. It’s been hectic as hell, complicated by a virus that brought us down with colds accompanied by fever. We managed though. We found a bigger condo that’s within a five-minute walking ... (more)

Where a PTA does not exist

Does the school that your child attend have a duly organized Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)? I have a daughter in fourth year high school, she has been studying in the same school since the sixth grade and, in all those years, no PTA existed or was organized. Contrary to what some people think, organizing a PTA ... (more)

Artists rock

Based on the feedback from readers, it appears that out of the 939 words in last Tuesday’s column, Depression and suicide, one short paragraph with no more than 74 words, stood out: “I see it everyday. Parents who push their children to do nothing but study, believing that outstanding academic performance is the only way ... (more)

So where does bacon come from?

If you’re a Filipino and none of the names in the next two paragraphs is familiar to you, don’t worry about it. The names won’t matter after the first two paragraphs. A few days ago, there was this article in The Atlantic entitled “Cultivating Failure.” It was written by Caitlin Flannagan and it is a ... (more)

Dear Teacher Blah

When I was a student, Home Economics was exclusively for girls. We cooked and sewed while the boys had their Automotive class. That was then. Cooking is now part of TLE (technology and livelihood education), a subject that boys and girls alike are required to take and complete. Our conservative society is finally embracing modern ... (more)

The art of letter writing

A couple of days ago, my younger daughter, Alex, a high school senior, came home with the news that the mandatory seniors’ team building growth sessions, a three-day live-in affair, would push through from October 21 t0 23. My first reaction was why such late notice? When her older sister attended a similar thing last ... (more)

Respecting our children

[Today's column] When you buy a book at Powerbooks bookstore, your purchase often comes with a free magazine. Sometimes, it’s the in-house publication which contains a list and reviews of new book titles. Last Sunday, it was a parenting magazine with Lea Salonga on the cover and a snippet from the article she wrote that ... (more)

She’s off to college

She was the sweetest baby a mother could ask for. She talked before she walked but she never went through the “baby talk” stage. A part of me wishes that she can always be my baby but that would be selfish. Sam is 16, she’s going to college and, in less than two weeks, I’ll ... (more)