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Showing posts with label About Filipino Librarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label About Filipino Librarian. Show all posts

Filipino Librarian is Ten Years Old!

This blog is 10 years old, with 946 posts published over the past 10 years, and only 51 over the last 5. I have obviously not been blogging much recently, but I suppose it's still worth celebrating this milestone because I still get encouraged to "revive" this blog by librarians (as recently as yesterday) and non-librarians (i.e., a journalist, a few weeks ago). And so, yes, I've decided to blog more actively. I plan to blog every Sunday, starting this coming Sunday.

For now, let me just review what this blog is about, and where it has taken me, by quoting a few sentences from my first-ever post 10 years ago, as well as the succeeding anniversary posts. Comments are welcome on my Facebook account =)

Mabuhay! — 2005

This blog is for all Filipino librarians--whether working in the Philippines or elsewhere.

I am not really a blogger but I thought of setting up this blog as a way of establishing a presence for Filipino librarians on the Internet.

This blog will not be about me. Initially, I see it as a means to share information that I think will benefit Filipino librarians. And once I gain enough blogging experience, maybe we (yes, you and I) can think of other things that we can do with this blog.

Finally, just to make things clear, I do not claim to be the Filipino Librarian.
1st anniversary — 2006
One of the most amazing things that has happened over the past year is that this blog, which some would probably deem "boring" just by looking at its name, is now among the top 30 Pinoy Top Blogs. It's also in the top 40 of Technorati’s Philippine Top 100 Blogs. And then there's the fact that even Spanish and German blogs have linked to this blog. What this means is that it's not just Filipinos or librarians who are reading this blog. ... In any case, I guess this blog's initial objective of "establishing a presence for Filipino librarians on the Internet" has been achieved.
2nd anniversary — 2007
Popular pages: Undoubtedly, the Talumpati posts, followed by the ones about—sshhh—"Sex in the Library," which is not really about sex. The average number of visitors, not to mention pageloads, doubled from June to August 2006 after I began translating speeches into Tagalog. Sex doesn't really get mentioned on this blog very often, but the few posts that do usually get a lot of visits. Knowing that most of this blog's traffic comes from students doing "research," and perverts looking for I-don't-know-what, should I just take the easy way out and cater to their "needs"? =)
3rd anniversary — 2008
Three years ago, I wrote that, "I am not really a blogger..." Well, I've since become a real blogger (one symptom: feeling guilty if I don't blog) that now I always identify myself as the owner of the blog Filipino Librarian whenever I am asked for a short bio—in addition to saying that I am a Filipino librarian.

During past anniversaries, I have reviewed the "accomplishments" of this blog, but this time I will just take comfort in the fact that many more librarians and libraries are blogging than when I first started...
4th anniversary — 2009
The most remarkable thing about having blogged for so long is that sometimes Googling a keyword takes me to my own blog and I don't even recall anymore that I had actually written the post.
5th anniversary — 2010
After five years of blogging about my profession, I am not entirely sure that there is really much that has changed. It seems to me that there is more that can be done in terms of leadership training, marketing libraries and promoting the profession. But frankly, if it's not obvious yet from the way my posts on this blog have dwindled over the past years, I'm getting a little tired of pushing things that I'm not really sure anyone else cares about. So thanks for visiting on my blog's fifth anniversary—and reading all the way to the end—but to be perfectly honest, I don't know if there's going to be a sixth anniversary. Ciao!

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Closed... Again

This blog is closed—in case you haven't noticed—indefinitely.

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Closed

It's been a month since my fifth anniversary post, when I hinted that there may not be a sixth anniversary for this blog. Well, I'm still not sure what the future holds, but I've decided that I really need to shut down this blog and concentrate on writing my dissertation. True, I haven't been blogging much anyway, but there's always that nagging feeling that I should be blogging more or that there are certain things that I just have to blog about. And of course, there's also the occasional comment that just requires a reply. Not anymore. Unless and until I feel that I've written enough chapters to ensure that I can submit my dissertation by December 2010, this blog will remain the way it is now. If you really need to get in touch with me, send me an email at vondottotanesatgmaildotcom (you should know what to do with this, of course). Ciao!

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Five Years of Filipino Librarian

From "Mabuhay!," 18 February 2005:

This blog is for all Filipino librarians--whether working in the Philippines or elsewhere.

I am not really a blogger but I thought of setting up this blog as a way of establishing a presence for Filipino librarians on the Internet.

This blog will not be about me. Initially, I see it as a means to share information that I think will benefit Filipino librarians. And once I gain enough blogging experience, maybe we (yes, you and I) can think of other things that we can do with this blog.

Finally, just to make things clear, I do not claim to be the Filipino Librarian.
That was my first post as a blogger. I have written about this post many times (see Six Months, One Year, Two Years, Three Years, and Four Years), so take a look at those posts if you'd like to read about my thoughts on what this blog has accomplished since that first post. For this anniversary, I'd like to reflect on how my profession has changed in the last five years in the context of my own posts. Thus, I have selected a few posts—and more than just a few series of posts—that reveal my own interests and even biases:
"Librarians as Leaders" was one of my very first serious posts on the state of libraries in the Philippines—and it wasn't even written specifically for this blog! Since then, I've written so much more about the topic that it now has its own label: "Leadership."

"Sex in the Library" grew out of a discussion I had with another librarian on how and why it's important to market libraries, and not just wait for people to accidentally wander into the library. And no, it's not about sex, but the post kept getting so many hits, I eventually blogged about other sex-related stuff, too, and labeled them—what else?—"Sex" =)

"Licensed Librarians" was the fourth post on this blog partly because I wanted to emphasize that Filipino librarians are also required to pass board exams. Since then I've shared tips about passing the board exam, as well as annual results, but I'd like to think that people have been paying attention to my posts about who can take the exam (1 2 3 4 5), trends in the passing rate and, most recently, "The Best and the Worst LIS Schools." Label: "Licensed Librarians."

I'd also like to think that my tribute to the "Outstanding Librarians of the Year" has helped the profession. But I still wonder why the identities of these awardees were not known to more people before I blogged about them. To see who they are, check out "Librarians: Awardees."

And then there's the label "Talumpati," which is where you can find the most viewed and commented posts on this blog. Like some of my other posts, I started reproducing talumpati (speeches) because I noticed that one post that had the word "talumpati" kept getting a lot of hits. The same is true of the label "Buwan ng Wika" (Language Month). Sometimes I wonder if I've helped more students with their homework than the librarians who were my initial target readers.

"Filipiniana Online," my seventh post ever, was no accident. I can only hope that I've helped more than just students or librarians find these posts about websites that are not always easy to find. Label: "Filipiniana Online."
After five years of blogging about my profession, I am not entirely sure that there is really much that has changed. It seems to me that there is more that can be done in terms of leadership training, marketing libraries and promoting the profession. But frankly, if it's not obvious yet from the way my posts on this blog have dwindled over the past years, I'm getting a little tired of pushing things that I'm not really sure anyone else cares about. So thanks for visiting on my blog's fifth anniversary—and reading all the way to the end—but to be perfectly honest, I don't know if there's going to be a sixth anniversary. Ciao!

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Coming Soon: 5 Years of Filipino Librarian

On 18 February 2010, this blog will be five years old. My very first post was "Mabuhay!" I plan to revisit some old posts and perhaps make good on some promises that I never fulfilled. I'm thinking of holding a contest for the readers of this blog with a prize of US$100, but I can't think of an appropriate contest. Any ideas?

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Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving is known as an American holiday, and is still a few weeks away, but Canadians have their own day for thanksgiving, today. I'd be celebrating this holiday with Canadians in their own country, except I'm now on a bus on my way to Chicago to do even more research... and meet a friend =)

I'd like to thank my loyal and occasional readers for inspiring me to keep this blog going. What do I get out of it? Well, I do earn some money from those who click on the ads, but more importantly, blogging forces me to keep up with what's going on in Philippine librarianship. There's also the added satisfaction of seeing a comment every now and then thanking me for a post that I wrote... or even having a post cited on GMA News!

And then there are Filipino librarians like Jay dela Cruz, who surprised me recently by sending a new header for my blog out of the blue. Yes, it's the one up right now. Thanks, Jay!

Update as of 14 October 2009:

In case some of you are interested in seeing the evolution of this blog's header, here are all of them:

February 2005

March 2009

October 2009

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Vote for Filipino Librarian
at the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards

This blog is a finalist at the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards. It's up for a special award for "Best Filipiniana Blog," as well as a sponsor award for "Chikka Media and PBA Readers’ Choice – Luzon." The former recognizes "the blog that has focused and consistently blogged about the Philippines whether it be social, political, historical and cultural. Everything Filipino: Everything Filipiniana," which is pretty much what this blog has been all about from the beginning, especially the posts on Filipiniana Online. The reason for this blog's inclusion in the latter category, however, is not so clear. In any case, it would be nice—and perhaps appropriate?—if the blog Filipino Librarian emerged as the reader's choice =)

And so, assuming that you'll be voting for this blog because you're reading this now, you have three options:

  1. Vote online by selecting the blog of your choice (hint: its initials are FL), providing your name and email address on or before 3 October 2009, 10 am. It's not clear if the deadline is tied to Manila time, but I would recommend that my friends in North America vote NOW or before 2 October, 10 pm =)
  2. Send "CHIKKARC L3" as a text message to 2929 (presumably only for those with Philippine prepaid or postpaid plans). You can vote until 7 October 2009. Note that each text message will cost P2.50 and is equivalent to TWO votes.
  3. Do both.
I have no idea whether any cash prizes will be given away, but if this blog wins in either category, I promise to donate any cash award in full to one of the funds set up for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy. And don't worry, I have a track record when it comes to keeping my promise to give money away (see "Katas ng 'Kapamilya Deal or No Deal'").

By the way, the following are the other finalists for the categories for which this blog has been nominated:
Best Filipiniana Blog
pamatay homesik
pilipinokomiks.blogspot.com
Simbahan – Philippine Heritage Churches and Related Structures
The Philippines and Beyond

Chikka Media and PBA Readers’ Choice – Luzon
Bikoy.net
BYAHILO: Ito ang Trip Ko!
Funny is the New Sexy
Good Times Manila
Hay!Men!
Komikero BIDJO
Let’s Go Sago!
magnetic-rose.net: Japanese Pop Culture for Filipino Fans
MisterHeuge
Pinoy Mountaineer
Ready To Be Rich
SHOWBIZCHISMAX
Table for Three, Please
The Marocharim Experiment
The Mike Abundo Effect
The Professional Heckler
The other finalists in the rest of the categories are:
Best Technology Blog
JaypeeOnline // Blogging News & Reviews
MMO GrindHouse- fueling your daily grind on MMO Games
My Asus Eee PC
Orangeinks
sasa java
Software Critics
TechPinas : The Philippine Technology Blog
The Mike Abundo Effect
The Rookie Blogger
trashman

Best Travel Blog
A Pinay in Europe
BYAHILO: Ito ang Trip Ko!
eskapo
Explore Iloilo
Just Wandering
lagal[og]
Langyaw – Sojourns and Off-the-Beaten Path Travels
Making Things Happen
Nomadic Experiences
sagada tourism guide

Best Entertainment Blog
CONUNDRUM
Film-Otaku
Lessons From the School of Inattention
Music Picks
PH Stars
Pop Reviews Now
Reel Advice Movie Reviews
SHELU89
SHOWBIZCHISMAX
Starmometer
SUGARFREE

Best Personal Blog
ai’s cracker
Baddieverse
bikoy.net
Brief Stories
Cerebral Insights
citybuoy
Excuse My French
fritzified.com
Funny is the New Sexy
Life with Ria
Nursecissism
Platonic Trip
RALPHGUZMAN.ORG
room for squares
Succulence Unleashed
The Casual Observer
The Digitizer
The Free Lancer
writing on air
xtnpl.blog.friendster.com

Best Food & Beverage Blog
A Scientist in the Kitchen
Cebu Restaurants
Flipflopping my way around Town
hungrynez
Kitchen Cow
Our Daily Blog
Overseas Pinoy Cooking
Table for Three, Please
The Thirsty Blogger
Yedylicious: In Between Bites

Best Family & Living Blog
Absolute Cousins
Animetric’s World
BEYOND TOXICITY
Make or Break
MommyCow
occupation: SAHM
Viva La Vida Mama
What is a Progressive School?

Best News & Media Blog
Cagayan de Oro News Online
Daily Contributor
iNews Philippines
Paulnatic
PINOYWORLD
RePress
Virtual Journals

Best Business Blog
BusinessAccent.com
Millionaire Acts
MisOrJobs
Negosyo Ideas
Owning a Café
Pinoy Money Talk
Ready To Be Rich
The Sagada Lemon Pie House

Best Sports Blog
Buhay Basketball
Fire Quinito
i2runner
Lakers Today
Philippine Basketball Blog
Philippine Boxing
Sports and Tech sa Pilipinas
The Duffer

Best Hobby & Recreation Blog
Bearbrick Love
Bored & Crafty
Comicgasm
Comicology: The Study of Awesome
Dance Manila
Flying in Crosswinds
Mad Labs and Hug Dogs
Pinoy Experience Mountain Biking and Outdoor Philippines
Pinoy Mountaineer
The Singing Blogger

Best Fashion Blog
I LVOE LV
My Fashion Juice
Runway2Reality
Style and Relax
StyleAnywhere
THE UKAY QUEEN:Ukayshopping101
Ukay-ukay Escapades
who is elyoo?

Best Photo Blog
Asin at Paminta
dennisvillegas.blogspot.com
Didang Alvarez
Distilling Thoughts
I Am a Documentary Photographer
Lantaw
lawstude.blogspot.com
Lino Photography
My Manila
www.derpinsel.com/noone

Best Culture & Arts Blog
Art in Action
Bookmarked!
Coffeespoons
magnetic-rose.net: Japanese Pop Culture for Filipino Fans
Perlas Design Studio
PinoyTattoos.com – Filipino Tattoo Source
SA GUBAT NG NAMIMINTOG NA PATALIM
Sari-Saring Sineng Pinoy
The Spy in the Sandwich
Views from the Pampang

Best Commentary Blog
ad maiorem Dei gloriam
Alleba Politics
J. R. Ramos Go
Matinong Ehemplo Ng Youth Ehemplo ng Kabataan
Me and My Big Mouth
myepinOy’s bLOG
Pencil Pusher/Number Cruncher
pinoybuzz
riknakem
Splice and Dice
Staedtler
The Marocharim Experiment
Third Wave
Zzaragoza’s Weblog

Best Videocast
Digiputz.com
DoctorDude – Fun Vlogs on Health and Wellness
Entrepbuff.com
Komikero BIDJO

Best Podcast
Brink Notes Entertainment Daily
PINOY POPCAST PODCAST
World 3

Best Humor Blog
Basta…
Chiksilog
Good Times Manila
Hay!Men!
Indolent Indio
Kwentong Barbero
manik makina
Noisy, Noisy Man
Oi! Greenpinoy!
The Professional Heckler
tuyong tinta ng bolpen

Best Gaming Blog
ExcEsc
gameshogun
Mike Got Game!
Pinoy Gaming Network

Best Advocacy Blog
Autism Society Philippines
CyberRon
discourses of a free mind
Fide Quarens Intellectum
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Person
Filipino Freethinkers
Foreclosure Philippines
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo RESIGN!
Greenpeace Southeast Asia
Nurses Notes

Best Beauty Blog
Candy Blush Beauty Blog
Shen’s Addiction
The Doctor Is vaIN

Special Award: Best Blog Design
Design was here
DigDesignz: Blog of a young Filipino Web and Graphic Designer
GraphiCult
Loy Meets World
Pink is Fab!
Pink Notes Diary
Simon Ong | Personal Blog and Portfolio
The Rookie Blogger
The Site Guy
The Vignette

Special Award: Best Foreign Blog
BakitWhy.com | Filipino American Lifestyle
koji ryan
My Sarisari Store

Special Award: Best Filipino Abroad Blog
AS IS
Baul ni Noel
Digifotoblog
Funny Side Up
IsladeNebz
Lilypad
myepinoy’s blog
Palipasan
PinoyBro
THE MONOLOGUES OF A DESERT DUDE
The Warped Zone

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Too Busy to Blog 2009


No need to worry. This has happened before. See "Too Busy to Blog" and "Too Busy to Blog... Again."

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Contest Winner: "The Blograrians"

Zarah has named the "SLIA Essay Writing Contest Winner." Congratulations to Jayson Balaqui!

Here's a quote from his essay, entitled "The Blograrians," which makes me think that perhaps my blog's motto has created more of an impact than I realized:

"I can’t change Filipino librarians, but I can change the way you look at us." This is one great quote that I have read most especially when I was browsing the internet and landed into the blog site of Mr. Vernon Totanes of the filipinolibrarian.blogspot.com last January.

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Dear Reader, Thank You!

I just learned about Blog Reader Appreciation Day via KyusiReader. The objective is to "thank and celebrate readers with special tributes, posts, contests, and give-aways."

I don't really have time to think of the mechanics for a contest, so let's just say that the first five commenters (make sure you input your correct email address in the proper box) will get a book from me. I'll figure out what book to give you based on what you say in your comment—fiction or nonfiction? library-related or not? heavy or light reading?

You may also wish to leave a comment regarding what you like or don't like about this blog. Good or bad, feedback is always good (for me, anyway), so don't be afraid to write what you think. If your comment is really fantastic, I may just decide to give you a special prize. You can also email me at vondottotanesatgmaildotcom if you don't want other people to see your comment.

No promises on when I can give you the book, but I'll get them to you as soon as I can. By the first week of May if you're in Metro Manila, before the end of May if you're elsewhere in the Philippines or Southeast Asia, July if you're in North America, and August if you're somewhere else around the world.

And thank YOU for reading my blog.

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Blog Bells and Whistles

This blog has a new look. Comments and suggestions are welcome. But if you're also a blogger (using Blogger.com) and are wondering how I did certain things, take a look at the following:

Three Column Minima (Layout Version)

I always thought 3-column layouts were not possible on Blogger. This blog offers clear instructions for doing so for just about all the free themes offered on Blogger.
Blogger hack: Expandable posts with Peekaboo view
If you've seen "Read More..." at the end of some of my posts, you can read more about how it's done in this post.
Code for New Blogger Tag Cloud / Label Cloud
Blogger.com allows the listing of labels, but not in a way that makes it clear which labels are used more often. But now I have a tag cloud in my sidebar!
Diigo's Enhanced Linkrolls
Furl's merger with Diigo made it easier to add quotes from the sites listed under "In the News & Blogs" in the sidebar.
CoLT 2.4.3
This Firefox Add-on has made one-click copying of link texts and URLs possible (as opposed to copying the text first, pasting it, then doing the same for the URL, which can get tedious if you link to as many sites as I do).

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PageRank 6

This isn't going to matter to many of this blog's readers, but I just thought I'd note that this blog's PageRank went up from 5 to 6 while I wasn't looking. All this means, of course, is that Google thinks this blog is more credible—according to its algorithm—than others with lower PageRanks, and not that it has more readers. It's also worth noting that though this blog began only in February 2005, its PageRank was already at 5 within six months (23 August 2005, to be exact).

Just to put all this in perspective, Inquirer.net and librarian.net—two of the sites visited most by Filipinos and librarians, respectively—each has a PageRank of 7, and most blogs will be lucky to have a PageRank of 5 after several years. If you'd like to know more about PageRank, see "How Google's PageRank Works."

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Filipino Librarian is Four Years Old!

I can't quite believe this blog is four years old. The most remarkable thing about having blogged for so long is that sometimes Googling a keyword takes me to my own blog and I don't even recall anymore that I had actually written the post. And since I've pretty much said everything I could possibly say in past anniversary posts (see Six Months, One Year, Two Years, and Three Years), let me just quote now from my first anniversary post. After all, it's still all true:

A lot has happened to me in the past year. I would say that most, if not all, of the things that occurred in connection with my profession as a librarian would not have happened if I had not started this blog. I've learned a lot just by blogging. I've also met quite a few people—online and offline—because of this blog. And I've also felt good about comments posted here and elsewhere that let me know how the small change that I hoped would add up has, in fact, helped quite a few people.
Whether you're a new reader or a loyal one, it would be nice to know how you got here, and if you've been around for a while, why you stayed =)

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O Blograrian, Where Art Thou?


The photos above show me with the two blograrians I had lunch with last Saturday: Zarah Gagatiga (left) and Peachy Limpin (center). Zarah has already written about what we discussed in "The Quest," so allow me to just comment on changes that have occurred since all three of us began blogging about our profession in 2005:

1 The photos were taken not with a camera, but Zarah's MacBook and Photo Booth. It's not easy lugging around a laptop to take pictures, but the fact that there was no need to download the photo from the camera to the laptop or to Photoshop the photos together, tells me that the time when uploading a photo to a blog right after taking the picture (with an iPhone that takes better photos than most phones with cameras, perhaps?) is coming soon.

2 None of us are blogging as much as we used to. Zarah blogged quite consistently from 2005 to 2007 (about twice a week), but was down to about one and a half posts per week in 2008. Peachy averaged about a post a week when she started blogging, but was down to a little over one post a month in 2008. And then there's this blog, which went from a high of almost one post a day in 2006 to last year's one post a week. Other blograrians have even stopped blogging altogether. True, more librarians are blogging now, but it does not seem to be the case that there are more librarians who are blogging consistently about our profession. And no, posting announcements and job openings doesn't really count =)

3 I will not deny that I have lost some enthusiasm for blogging, but I think much of the decline in number of all our posts may be traced to lifestyle changes. Zarah took on more responsibility as an administrator, Peachy immigrated to Australia with her family, and I crossed an ocean to do my PhD in Toronto. The fact that two of us are now based outside the Philippines is significant. It's not just nurses and domestic helpers who are leaving our country in large numbers. Even the relatively small number of librarians in the Philippines is dwindling further. Is it because there's a high demand for Filipino librarians abroad or could there be some other reason for the accelerating exodus of librarians? But that's another story altogether.
So what's wrong? Take a look at what an Indian says about the LIS blogs in his country: Indian Library and Information Science Blog(s) are not able to catch sufficient number of user base. His English can be distracting, but what he says could also be applied to LIS in the Philippines. And not just to blogs, but also to research and publications.

At one point, I thought that blogging could perhaps be the solution to the problem of lack of visibility of our profession. Even the difficulty of disseminating information to Filipino librarians can be—and has been—addressed by blogs. Not all librarians have access to the Internet, of course, but I'm beginning to think that even if all Filipinos were online, our profession would still encounter the same problems.

This post has gotten much longer and more serious than I intended it to be. I'm going to get into trouble with the powers-that-be if I continue what I'm thinking of writing. So I'll just stop here and hope that someone else takes up the cause =)

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In the News & Blogs

In case you haven't noticed—or you've been reading posts via email or RSS—this blog's sidebar has a new feature called "In the News & Blogs." I'm using Furl to bookmark and share news stories and blog posts that I find interesting, but for which I have no time to write separate posts. It looks like some readers have already seen them and started clicking through. I hope this new feature will encourage readers to visit the blog even though I haven't been updating—and probably won't—as frequently as before.

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2008: Year in Review

Happy new year!

This is the third time I'm doing this (see 2006 and 2007), but this is the first time I'm posting my annual review in Manila, instead of Toronto. In case you don't know it yet, I'm back in the Philippines for a few months to do research and write the first draft of my dissertation—wish me luck!—while I'm here.

In 2007, I wrote that:

What follows is not exactly the "first paragraph/sentence" of each post... but it's probably better this way. Interestingly, the posts seem to be fairly representative of what this blog is all about.

January: Filipino Librarian : WikiPinoy of the Year?
Recognition is always good, but the reason it has taken me this long to write about it, aside from the fact that I've had a lot to do, is that I have mixed feelings about the "award."
February: FO: Plays
Thanks to a comment left by Aurelio, I thought of looking for plays that are available online.
March: Of Budgets, Leadership and the National Library
Public libraries don't get enough funding. From "Public library gets budget for repair, new books" (Cebu Daily News, 20 February 2008): For the first time, the Mandaue City Public Library is getting a budget to buy new reading materials and repair the building.
April: Deadline for Nominations for 2008 National Book Awards
The deadline for submission of nominations for the 2008 National Book Awards is 30 April 2008. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, this information has not been widely disseminated.
May: Get Hooked on TV... on Your Computer
Before you continue reading, you should know that clicking on any of the links in this particular post may lead to difficulties finishing whatever you need to do.
June: Bloggers on Mga Ibong Mandaragit
If a student raises her hand in a class on Philippine literature and says, "Hindi ko maintindihan ang Tagalog" (I can't understand the Tagalog), should the teacher say, "Eh kasi tanga ka" (That's because you're stupid)?
July: Filipino Librarians in Vancouver
In "Proudly Filipino in Vancouver," I promised to write about Filipino librarians in Vancouver. Well, three weeks later, I'm finally getting around to it.
August: Buwan ng Wika 2008
August is Buwan ng Wika (Language Month). This year, the theme is "Wika Mo, Wikang Filipino, Wika ng Mundo, Mahalaga!"
September: Too Busy to Blog... Again
Just in case you've been wondering what happened to this blog, here's the official announcement: This blog has not been updated in the past two weeks and will not be updated for at least another two weeks because its owner is too busy to blog... again.
October: Redefining the Dictionary
"Love makes things real." Erin McKean, a lexicographer, wasn't referring to toys, but to words that people love that aren't found in dictionaries. We have many such words in the Philippines =)
November: Troy Lacsamana — Library Leader
It is not enough that you have big dreams and plans. I should be able to communicate with my co-staff and co-volunteers the essence of why are we doing such activities and the importance of their contribution to our end goals.
December: Christmas 2008
I wouldn't dream of trading Christmas in the Philippines for a white Christmas. And that's why I made sure I'd be home this Christmas.

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75 Comments on One Post

It looks like there is so little information available on "Buwan ng Wika" that students, teachers, and parents go online and look for answers on blogs like mine. My post on "Buwan ng Wika 2008" wasn't even the type that I expected to attract 75 comments, which has never happened to any of my posts in such a short time. I don't think any post of mine has actually gotten that many comments. Even "Buwan ng Wika 2006" merited 17 comments, all of them written two years after the post went up. (For some reason, it's not possible to leave comments on "Buwan ng Wika 2007.") True, some comments are repeated and some are spam, but that still leaves a lot of comments.

So what do they say? It's really just a lot of students asking—or rather, demanding—that I email more information or a talumpati about Buwan ng Wika "ngayon????????." I've never really thought it worth my time to reply to any of them, but if any of them are still waiting for an answer, here it is: I will not do your homework for you. But you may want to take up the offer of one of the commenters:

AKO AY ISANG INSTRUKTOR SA KOLEHIYO NG KOLEHIYO NG EMILIO ZAGUINALDO SA DASMARINAS, CAVITE.
MASASABI KONG BILANG GURO SA FILIPINO SA LOOB NG 5 TAON AY MALAKI ANG PAGPAPAHALAGA KO SA ATING WIKA KUNG KAYA'T AKO'Y NATUTUWA KAPAG AKO AY NAKABABASA NG MGA MENSAHE UKOL SA PAG-ALAM SA ATING WIKA.
KUNG MAYROON AKONG MAITUTULONG MAAARI NYO PO AKONG TXT SA 09216684454.
SAMA-SAMA NATING PAUNLARIN AT IPAGMALAKI SA ATING SIMPLENG PAMAMARAAN ANG ATING WIKA - ANG WIKANG FILIPINO!
And then there's the parent who's doing her kid's homework and asking if I can do it for her:
This is not a comment about what you have written, rather I would like to ask you if you could translate the theme "Wika mo, Wika ng mundo, mahalaga" in six different dialects of the Philippines? It's my kid's homework and we need it today... Thanks a lot
Is it the lack of face-to-face contact that makes most of my commenters think that their requests are reasonable? Would they actually ask such things of a librarian standing in front of them? I hope not.

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Too Busy to Blog... Again


Just in case you've been wondering what happened to this blog, here's the official announcement: This blog has not been updated in the past two weeks and will not be updated for at least another two weeks because its owner is too busy to blog... again.

In the meantime, you may want to check out the following:

The Manila International Book Fair still has a few days to go. Read what's been written about it in newspapers and blogs.

Issues of Philippine Studies from 1975 onward are now freely available online, according to a comment left by its editor on "FO: Philippine Studies." The editor also writes that more issues are forthcoming. Let's hope their example galvanizes other publications into action.

Finally, Filipino "blogger and Internet librarian" Arnold Zafra was interviewed on "24 Oras" recently about "What? A social networking sites for pets?" There's a photo of a TV set with Arnold's face on his blog, but you'll want to watch the video, which Arnold himself doesn't seem to be aware of, on "Social networking sites for pets gaining popularity" =)

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"Rey Ileto and the Filipino Librarian
visit Filipiniana.net"

Alfred Ursua, Von Totanes, Rocky Gocuyo, Rey Ileto, Tin Mandigma, Richard GrimaldoFrom left: Alfred Ursua, me, Rocky Gocuyo,
Rey Ileto, Tin Mandigma, Richard Grimaldo.

The title of this post and the photo above were taken from the Vibal Foundation Blog. What is not mentioned in the post is that I had been invited to look at the Vibal Foundation's collection of rare books only, and that I accepted because it was also my chance to spend more time with Reynaldo Ileto, author of Pasyon and Revolution, which will be an important part of the dissertation I'm working on.

And so, the invitation to talk to the staff about blogging—the day before the scheduled visit!—caused me some anxiety. It's a good thing that I remembered a previous paper on "What I Learned Through Blogging" that I could adapt easily. But what was more significant, in my opinion, was the desire to learn more about blogging that the invitation implied, and the revitalization of Filipiniana.net that I sensed from my interaction with the people afterward.

I still have reservations about being referred to as the Filipino Librarian—I prefer "owner of the blog Filipino Librarian"—but I guess I just have to live with it. While it's flattering to think that the post title implies that I am worth mentioning in the same breath as Rey Ileto, it also places a heavy responsibility on me to think that I represent all Filipino librarians. Then again, I did make the decision to use "Filipino Librarian" as the title of my blog, and so have only myself to blame =)

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American Disses Filipinos

It feels good that I'm not "Too Busy to Blog" anymore, but I do have one more deadline to meet. So instead of replying to this blog's first troll, who appeared on the same day I started posting again, I decided that I would just let my readers judge his far-out opinions for themselves. It is ironic, though, that this American expat actually left his comments on "What Do Foreigners See That We Don't?" It just goes to show that not all foreigners staying in the Philippines see our country the same way.

I will address the issue that got him started in another post, but here are his comments, with the one comment I bothered to make in bold:

[In case you miss it, here's his most hilarious comment: "you got students with 4 year bachelor degrees... that can't even spell!" The pot called the kettle black.]

What??? You said Americans invaded Philippines? What history book did you read that in? Who told you such nonsense? In the 1940's Americans came here to SAVE your country and your people from Japanese invasion. We lost thousands of Americans to save your land and your people (many of our kids have no father, no brother, no uncle, no grandfater... and imagine how they feel when they read your comments about Americans "invading" Philips). It wasn't the first time Americans came here to save your people and your country and it may not be the last time, so do not ever insult the Americans.Your present and past government has taken advantage of your people, but it's not our fault. Your people wanted "independence" - and America gave you independence. Now look at you. Your culture is the way it is for a reason: Your crooked government can take advance of you because they brainwashed you for centuries and you were suckers for it. Change some of yr culture beliefs and maybe you'll have a better life. Start with changing the belief that a kid (girls) must go work for her family to support them. That's a foolish belief; only a lazy person can excuse that as a culture belief! Yr government snickers at you for that belief because it means less people yr government must worry about, so they brainwashed yr people (like the spaniards did). The spanish brainwashed yr mountain folks to believe there's monsters in the mountains. To this day, people in samar and other parts of the philips believe in asawang! Hey!!! ... there's no boogie man! It was the Spaniards way of fooling your people to get them out of the mountains, just as yr government has been fooling you stupid people for centuries to believe you MUST support yr family. Go get a job, support yrself! Tell yr family that; tell yr brothers, sisters and father get a job support yrself. In a short time, you'll see changes made by yr government to improve things here. Yr people are going to America because we have a decent govnmnt, good jobs and good pay. Why do you think we have all that? We're not stupid, that's why! So .. next time an American gives you some advice, why not listen? After all, we did save yr people and your country... twice! We're clever people. Pay attention. Change some of yr "culture beliefs" and you'll have a better life in yr own country.
joe | 04.26.08 - 11:22 pm | #


Your people (Filipinos) are lazy. Thats the main reason for poverty and the horrible, crooked government you have in Philips. Yr people are too lazy to get a job, so they stand on street corners duriing election to accept the small bribes politicians hand out for yr votes! Stop that foolish tradition and vote for changes! Show yr govrnment yr not going to tolerate their illegal conduct, even if you have to go hungry, and God knows NONE of you will go hungry if you refuse a small bribe once a year! Next, you need to start WALKINNG instead of getting on the jeepneys and trikes. This will eliminate a whole lot of pollution and clear up some of the traffic. It also means less money for yr government from the small business owners operating those trike and jeepney services. I see filipinos get on a jeepney or trike to go a few blocks. Yr spending money for this. Save yr money, walk the few blocks! Find ways to improve yr society. Listen to foreigners - we're not stupid. Instead of spending all day at the internet cafe chatting guys to scam them for money, utilize yr time and money to educate yrself and yr people about the many ways to remove crooked politicans. Start by REFUSING to accept their bribes. Refuse to attend their beer parties and dance parties. Refuse their offerings of any kind. When you see the politicians blasting into town with 6 police escorts, new cars, buses blowing horns and sirens... refuse to look at them, refuse to acknowledge them... turn yr heads (and yr hands) away. Refuse to vote for them and refuse to do busiiness with business owners who use their store fronts to advertise for these crooked politicians. AND STOP WATCHING WOW WOW WEE AND DEAL OR NO DEAL!!! or any other program backed by yr politicans. STOP DRINKING SAM MIG BEER AND STOP BUYINIG SAM MIG PRODUCTS!!! These shows are put on yr tv to "passify" yr people, esp those without jobs! It's yr govrnment brainwashing yr people. Dont you get it??? OMG! Rally and unite and speak out... make it clear to yr govrnment that yr not going to tolerate this crap from them. and show them by turning off yr tv, refusiing bribes, and any other way yr govrnment makes money... eliminate it. Yr people hold the key to fixing the problem - the key is in the number of people u have in this country. Unite. You might have to work a little harder and eat a little less for a short time, but you'll get changes if you unite and stand up for yr rights. And stop blaming foreigners for yr problems!
expat | 04.26.08 - 11:49 pm | #


hey joe and expat, i can see your IP address so don't think you can pretend to be different people.

but to answer your first question, yes, the americans invaded our country in 1898. just like vietnam. just like iraq.

the rest of your "points" do not merit a reply.
vonjobi | Homepage | 04.27.08 - 12:56 am | #



yes, i'm well aware you can "see" my ip address and note I am one in the same, and i surely did not "pretend" to be 2 different people, its clear form my posts i'm the same person, but came back to make more points because i wasn't sure your cheaply designed (free) blog could handle the entire text i wrote.

i really dont care whether you respond to anything i said. it wasn't put there for you to respond. its the truth, as i see it and as thousands (perhaps millions) of other foreingers see it.

as for american-filipino war, please go back and research this a bit more ok? the philips was american territory. the war was yr dictators and a handful of crusaders trying to gain complete indpendence. you lost, and americans continued to occupy this country BECAUSE YOU STUPID MORONS AND YR GOVERNMENT CANNOT DO A VERY GOOD JOB RUNNING THIS COUNTRY, AS EVIDENCED BY YOUR CURRENT STATE ... A PROBLEM YOU'VE HAD FOR HOW MANY DECADES? I would not refer to that 1898 war as an "invasion" - the americans already occupied this land... it was american territory! I thought you said yr a lib science student or something? dont insult me with yr 2-bit comments representing yr total ignorance of history of yr own country!

anyway... to this day.. america protects yr people and yr land. right now in oceans offshore of mindano waits american battle ships. thousands of our troops are in mindano helping your soliders protect people from muslim groups and terrorists. most of it is to "train" yr soliders... but more of it has to do with yr country being so far behind in technology. in 98 percent of the philips, yr about 20 years behind the US in technology. in other places, yr 30 to 50 years behind us. even in bigger cites, omg i went to a girl's house and the new telephone they just had installed is something we used in 1965!!! YR INTERNET SPEED IS SO DAMN SLOW I'M AFRAID THIS MSG WONT SEND, IT WILL TIME OUT BEFORE IT POSTS!! and this is "HIGH" Speed internet, from yr major ISP ("SMARTbro"). wow. hey i'm not attacking you personally. if you can't admit yr country is screwed because yr people are stupid and lazy, then hey that's up to you. any american coming to this country sees and agrees with what i've said. i know this because i speak to americans every day, many lives in philips 20 to 30 years. we know the difference; we lived in america, and we lived here. yr country is screwed dude. only good thing here is some cute chicks and a few nice beaches, bbut even the nice beaches are going downhill fast. yr country is so dambn polluted its discusting. everywhere. pollution, garbarge. yr people are too damn lazy to use a trash can, just throw garbage on the street, in the water, it's pure stupidity, lazy, and incompetence. you got students with 4 year bachelor degrees working at mcdo and jollybe that can't even spell! americans complain about yr HORRIBLE serivce in nearly every restro we visit. kids with bachelor degree can't ev
expat | 04.27.08 - 3:27 am | #


U NEED A DIFFERENT IP ADDRESS? IF I WAS TRYING TO "PRETEND" TO BE 2 DIFFERENT PEOPLE I'D CHANGE MY IP ADDRESS. AMERICANS ARENT SO STUPID! I CANT REMEMBER WALKING INTO ANY AMERICAN'S HOUSE AND NOT FINDING A COMPUTER AND INTERNET.. AND HIGH TECH SERVICES. HERE, MOST PEOPLE DONT EVEN HAVE A COMPUTER, AND WHAT YOU FIND IN THE INTERNET CAFE IS FROM THE 1980s, at least! All filipino studies is how to scam people. changing an ip address or scamming someone is simple. omg yr so retarded dude.
expat | 04.27.08 - 3:31 am | #


what you see is not MY ip, fool. omg. i'm not here to educate you ok?
expat | 04.27.08 - 3:31 am | #


lol, and dont 4get, not only are americans smart, we have money. lots of it! most americans have more than 1 computer (I have 6, and im not even at my home in america!!!). thats because i have money... because im smart. if you were smart, you would have 6 laptops, too. so if i was trying to fool anyone, i'd just use another computer, or change my ip address. right? you want different ip address? here's 6 different ips. count em.... here's 1
expat | 04.27.08 - 3:38 am | #


I order and command:
1. That peace and friendly relations with the Americans be broken and that the latter be treated as enemies, within the limits prescribed by the laws of war.

2. That the Americans captured be held as prisoners of war.

3. That this proclamation be communicated to the consuls and that congress order and accord a suspension of the constitutional guarantee, resulting from the declaration of war.

Thats what your government pronounced in a declaration. the "war" you mention was actually started by a drunken filipino who refused to "halt" when an american solider shouted at him to stop. the filipino was armed and refused to halt. he was shot. he was drunk, and so were the 3 filipinos he was with (according to yr own government reports). americans never came to philips to "invade" as you put it. omg yr so soooooo stupid.
expat | 04.27.08 - 3:49 am | #

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