Pandemic Kids
Tag Archives: pandemic
The Pandemic
It’s been a year and a half
Of a topsy turvy life.
Wishing for a miracle
And blessings that others would sprinkle
Some take it as a gamble
Praying that they would not stumble
Hoping for a smooth journey
To provide well for their family
Some gained weight and others lose
Some are in misery while others rejoice
A few wonder about what life really is
Children are clueless about the world that they miss
Most of us dream of an end to all of these
And return to the days of fun and bliss
While we are not there yet
Let’s hold on to our faith
Be good to everyone
Play fair in the best way you can
Life is uncertain
No one knows our final curtain
Always be a good person
With love and smile memories to leave on
Tagalog Version
Ang Pandemya
Isa’t kalahating taon
Ng paurong-sulong
Umaasa sa himala
Ang iba’y sa pagpapala
May mga sumusugal
Tanging baon ay dasal
Sa pakikipagsapalaran
Upang pamilya’y matustusan
May nanaba, may namayat
May namighati, may nagalak
May nagkabati, may naghiwalay
May napapaisip sa buhay kung ano ang saysay
Mga sanggol kailan lang
Natigil ang mundo sa tahanan
Kinalakhan ang bagong normal
Napakaraming ibinabawal
May nangangarap ng katapusan
Ng pandemya’t karamdaman
Umaasang makakabalik
Sa mga panahong sa pasyal ay hitik
Habang tayo’y wala pa doon
Kumapit lang sa Panginoon
Maging mabuti sa kapwa
Wag magsamantala’t mangawawa
Dahil buhay nati’y walang katiyakan
Sabi nga’y una-una lang
Maging mabuting tao lagi
Mag-iwan ng pagmamahal at ngiti
Online Schooling, Ready Ka Na Ba?
Mainit na topic ngayon ang class opening sa August 24, 2020. Ito ay sa kabila ng banta ng covid-19. Dahil dito, inihahanda na ng mga paaralan ang online class para sa mga mag-aaral. Ang tanong, ready ka na ba sa online class? Pero bago mo sagutin yan, ipaliwanag muna natin kung ano nga ba ang online class.
Sa regular class, ang mga mag-aaral ay inaasahang pumasok sa paaralan para turuan ng mga guro. Dahil sa kakulangan ng pasilidad, kahit ang mga pribadong paaralan ay napipilitang hatiin ang bilang ng mga mag-aaral kaya mayroong pumapasok ng pang-umaga at meron ding panghapon. May mga paaralang dikit-dikit ang upuan para mapagkasya ang mga bata. Bago nangyari ang covid-19 na ito, ang tanging magagawa ng magulang para hindi makahawa ang anak nilang sinisipon o inuubo ay ang huwag ng papasukin muna. Pero may mga magulang at bata na sadyang competitive at talaga namang papasok pa din kahit masama ang pakiramdam huwag lang mapag-iwanan sa lessons. Dahil sa mga limitasyong ito at dahil na din sa hindi pa napupuksa ang pandemya, dalawang bagay ang mainit na pinagdedebatehan ngayon ng mga magulang: online class ba o ipagpaliban ang pasukan hanggang hindi pa available ang vaccine.
Taliwas sa regular class, ang online class ay maaring mahati sa dalawang kategorya ayon sa aking mga nababasa at karanasan na din:
1. 100% Online Class– sa 100% online class, tuloy lang ang buhay. Maglo-log in ang mga bata sa online class website para ma-monitor pa din ang attendance. Dahil online na, kaya nang guro na pagsabay-sabayin ang klase nya; wala ng pang-umaga at wala ng panghapon. Ang graded recitation ay posibleng gawin sa Google Meet kung hindi kaya ng Zoom. Mainam ang ganitong klase ng online class sa mga batang 10 taon gulang pataas dahil hindi na sila intimidated sa teknolohiya kumpara sa mga mas maliliit na bata. Maganda ang set up ng 100% online class kung ang bata ay may kanya-kanyang laptop dahil interactive ang klase. Maganda ang set up na ito kung sapat ang luwag ng bahay ng mga bata para hindi maabala ang bawat isa. At maganda sana ito kung ang internet speed ng bata ay 5Mbps man lang. Ang tanong, ready ka na ba sa ganitong set up?
2. Home Schooling Set Up– online education pa din ito pero very minimal ang interface sa mga teacher; sabihin na nating nasa 25% lang. Sa home schooling set up, may mga guro pa din kada subject pero ang lessons ay ida-download sa online schooling website. Sa home schooling set up, hindi kinakailangan lagi ng internet. Basta may printer ka, ipi-print mo lang ang lessons sabay paturo sa magulang o kung kaya nyo, sa tutor. Ang kagandahan ng home schooling set up, flexible ang oras basta sa loob ng isang linggo, naipasa mo na ang kinakailangang lessons. Ang problema dito ay kung 5 ang anak mo na may 8 subject. Pagtyatyagaan mong aralin ang 40 subjects para sa kanila. Ang mas masakit nito para sa bata ay kung walang tyaga o walang oras ang mga magulang na turuan sila. Ready ka na ba sa home schooling set up?
Elementarya pa lang yang sinasabi ko dahil na din sa may mga anak akong nasa elementarya pa lang. Ibang kaso kapag nasa mataas na paaralan na (high school) at kolehiyo. Halimbawa, sa Home Economics (meron pa ba nun?) na subject, paano masasabi ni Ma’am at Sir na pasado ang pananahi ko o pagkakarpintero kung hindi naman nya aktwal na nakita? Paano masasabi ni Sir sa isang dentistry student na tama ang pagkakabunot nya ng ngipin?
Sa madaling salita, hindi lahat ng subjects ay pwede o kayang pag-aralan sa online lang. So, anong mga subjects ang ire-retain at ano ang hindi muna ipapakuha? Hindi ba dapat sa ngayon ay napag-uusapan na kung ano ang magiging guideline sa August 24 na pasukan? Mababawasan ba ang bayarin o baka hindi na maningil ng miscellaneous fee? Ano ang mangyayari sa mga guro sakaling hindi matuloy ang pasukan?
Talagang mabangis ang covid-19. Hindi lamang kabuhayan ang inabala kung hindi pati pangarap ng ating mga kabataan.
The Christine Reyes in Me
In the middle of the supporters and detractors of media giant ABS-CBN is a bold woman unmindful about the turn of events in her current network. No, she is not being ungrateful because she owes a lot to her employers whatever she is today. Nevertheless, she does not forget her humble and sometimes controversial beginnings in GMA-7, the rival network.
So, what exactly did Christine Reyes say to earn the praise of people?
“Ang bilis lumipas ng panahon. Minsan nasa taas. Minsan nasa ilalim. May kanya-kanya tayong oras. Walang permanente sa mundo. Lahat sa takdang oras may pagbabago na kahit sino sa atin ay hindi mapipigilan,” she wrote.
“Lahat tayo may kanya kanyang pag-subok sa buhay. Tatag ng damdamin at taimtim na tiwala sa itaas. Lahat ng bagay ay lilipas, sa takdang panahon. Maraming salamat ABS-CBN sa 12 taon na tiwala,” she added.
Christine acknowledges that we all go through the ups and downs in life and that nothing is permanent in the world, be it good or bad. We all go through a phase of plenty and scarcity and when the latter happens, we need to be strong and have faith in the Lord. She is grateful to ABS CBN for all the 12 years of trust.
I love how this once bratty teenager turned out to be one of the most open-minded people about the issue. No, I don’t think she is playing safe; she is being neutral and hopeful that things will turn out to be fine later.
I’d like to have her calmness and patience in these days when all we could see are sickness, death, hunger, unemployment—-all because of covid-19. It’s good to be reminded that there is God who we can always count to. We’ve become too focused on earthly affairs: earning money, attending parties, vices, focusing on our career and neglecting our loved ones. If there’s one good thing that the pandemic taught us, it is about realizing that no matter how high and might we are, no one is spared. This too shall pass.
The Good Old Sari-Sari Store
“Sari-sari” is a Tagalog word for “variety.” Hence, you can see a variety of goods from toiletries to food to drinks to laundry products to cleaning materials to e-load station to bills payment and etc. Sari-sari store represents the “masa” because we can buy “tingi” or little quantities of goods. So, instead of buying a pack of cigarettes, you can get a stick or two or any amount that fits your budget.
I grew up being Mama Dely’s (my grandmother’s sister) occasional tindera (saleslady) in her sari-sari store in Mabini Street. For Mama Dely, her sari-sari store was just her diversion and her means to socialize with the neighbors; it was not her bread and butter so it was easy for her to close the store during her siesta. Well, that would have been one of my excuses not to sleep in the afternoon so I would volunteer to take care of the store while my grandmothers were busy napping.
Admittedly, I was painfully shy when I was younger. I easily get intimidated and I had no social skills back then. But breaking free from a boring afternoon was more important to me than acknowledging my insecurities. As a saleslady, I got to know our neighbors by their first name, not bad for a shy girl. By 4 PM, Mama Dely or Nanay Bebe (my grandmother) would call me for a snack.
When Mama Dely gave up her sari-sari store for a much needed medical work up, my grandmother, Nanay Bebe took over. I was already a teenager when that happened— still painfully shy. Nanay Bebe allowed me to eat any food that I fancied but my business-mindedness prevailed—I would not let to lose our profit and capital because of voracity.
Fast forward to before the pandemic, we seldom bought at the sari-sari store. We got our stocks in the grocery store to save on time. That was aside from the diversity of brands that the supermarket could offer versus the sari-sari store. As fate would have it, we lost our normalcy since the pandemic started in March. Since then, we have been getting most of our stocks from the sari-sari store. For some brands that we prefer to maintain, we get them from a nearby convenience store like Alfamart.
The good old sari-sari store is alive and kicking during the pandemic minus the istambay (bum). As long as the owner has kapwa-tao (camaraderie), his sari-sari store will be here to stay with or without the pandemic.
The World of Second Chances 