As Good As I Can Be

Story #2 On one of my vacations (college days) in Mindoro, dumiretso ako sa maliit na tindahan namin sa Barcenaga (my hometown) para makatulong sa Nanay ko.  Ang setting, may maliit kaming tindahan then iyong kalahati naman ay bakery.  Oo may pugon kami (gawaan ng tinapay) pero hindi naman functional kaya umaangkat kami ng mga tinapay sa isa ring malayong kamag-anak sa Dose (KM 12).  To cut the story short, our family has had a bakery but does not bake our own bread.   Isang araw (hapon na nga e) naubos iyong inangkat na tinapay namin sa Dose and there was a need to buy more bread for stock purposes for the next day and reserba na rin sa current day (surtidos, atbp) basta iyong matitigas na tinapay na isinasawsaw sa kape.  My sister, Ate Margie, rushed to KM 12 to buy goods. After 30 minutes, I received a message from Ate Margie that she was near the crossing na.  So I immediately went to the designated waiting area to wait for her.  There she was...

Mga jokes na napulot sa kung saan... xxxxxxxxx #1  Dahil sikat na sikat ang mga dancers and performers may scenario ako sa iyo. Male 1:  Use K-Pop in a sentence Male 2:  Ano? Male 1: Ang galing-galing naman ng mga anak mo.  K-Pop the good work. xxxxxxxxx #2   Male 1: Sa kadahilanang matagal ka ng nakatira dito sa National Capital Region may tanong ako sa iyo.  Ano ang mas malaki sa city? Male 2:  Ano? Male 1:  E di otso! xxxxxxxxx

Hello Friends, I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Michelle Leong (Singapore) and Wang Da (Malaysia) at the SEAMEO Council Conference in Manila on February 7, 2023. They shared important information with me about Making HEADway - Handbook for Educators. I am excited to inform you that they are now offering a new innovation under Making HEADway. The first offering is Making HEADway Book 6 "Becoming Leaders in Sustainability Education" which is available in e-copies here . The second offering is a launch webinar on August 24-25 from 2:00-4:30 p.m. on Zoom (GMT+8). Please register here . This latest offering is of great value to teachers as the theme is relevant to current trends and the resources are made by educators. Please feel free to forward this information to your colleagues.  Best regards.

 Dear Friends, After series of attempts to breach the 2100 ranking at lichess , I finally got what I wanted this morning.  I have been streaming my games every now and then to surpass, this seemingly, insurmountable task in the past only to fail. I was trying to involve the audience to cheer me up during the games but it didn't help. I got some stars but not my solid performance.  I always blame the poor internet connection for not achieving success and this time I got it and I was so happy. Though I could say, I came very close to achieving this dream of mine in many times that I played, this time I felt this inner satisfaction and I could say that nothing is impossible. My constant practice with my teammates at the UNASAF group consisting of top players from the UAAP, NCAA, and carefully selected friends proved to be essential in my victories.   Here I am now savoring this moment.  Cheers to all chess players!

 Dear Friends, I have been playing chess for three decades but I really cannot quantify my strength. With the absence of an over-the-board (OTB) title, I really cannot back up any claim as regards my toughness. Basing on my previous games, I could say that my level must be around 2100 to 2200 rating points.  I have beaten a bunch of strong players in the past ranging from GMs, WGMs, IMs, WIMs, FMs, NMs, CMs, and other highly rated opponents.  If you are not familiar with the abbreviations I made please google it but I'll give you a clue - GM stands for a chess Grand Master and the list goes on and on.  Yes, you are correct.  During this time of the pandemic, I got accustomed to playing online and there I got my share of victories.  I am proud to say that I never and would ever use an engine to beat my opponents because I play fair and square.  So, if you are a titled player and were able to beat you it was because I did my best.   Of course, ...

 Dear readers, Our team, Mindoro Tamaraws won a quarterfinals berth at the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines by beating Palawan Queens Gambit team and faced Camarines Chessers earlier this evening.  I was paired with its top 2 players GM Mark Paragua and Ellan Asuela both topnotch players in the Philippines.  I suffered 4 consecutive losses and would you believe it, I lost the black pieces with the same line of opening.  My positions were wrecked already in the opening stage.  I think I have to change my opening repertoire as black. I visited my teammates' games through chess.com , and I found out that most of them were losing and in  disadvantage positions. Incidentally, our team lost the first match, we were massacred.    The second match was equally devastating. After scoring low on blitz games we were then wiped out on rapid games, our team just scored a draw against Ellan Asuela courtesy of AGM Nezil Arj Merilles and lost ever...