In Search of the Light

I woke with a start. I put utmost importance to prayer as part of my daily routine, so grabbed my notebook and Bible and launched the Youversion app on my phone as a guide for my devotion. I started a 5-day devotional plan called What is God Doing? available on the Youversion app. Day 1 discussed on listening to God. It mentioned that truly there are a number of instances in the Bible where God revealed Himself to people through supernatural ways—burning bush, earthquake ang lightning, voice coming from heaven, among others. We don't always get to see events like these; instead, God usually presents Himself in a much softer voice, subtly, unknowingly even. But how do we hear a soft voice? We shut the noise of our surroundings. How do we hear God when we're spending more time on movies? How do we hear God when it's our deadlines that consume us? Or it's our tight finances that take place in our minds? I do not intend to invalidate these concerns. I do realize life...

University of the Philippines Los Baños. View from the Physical Sciences Building, my workplace. It’s been more than a month since I last updated this blog. I had just entered a new season in my life: I recently moved to Los Baños to work as a researcher at the University of the Philippines! That was not all though as I also submitted an application to be part of the Physics faculty starting next semester. There were seven applicants vying for two slots. This week, the decision on my application finally came: I was not considered to be part of the institute’s faculty. To me, this particular job application isn’t an ordinary one. It was not just some job posting that I came across online and decided to submit an application to. It was not simply a suggestion by anyone just to keep me going in my career. I prayed and waited for this. I wrestled with God for this. God knows how much I desire learning and helping other people learn through teaching. There was peace in my hea...

Hello! I'm back with my *supposedly* weekly reflection on my online course What Future For Education offered by the University of London through Coursera. Every week, we are tasked to answer some guide questions for our reflection, so here it goes. Week 3 Journal Entry: Reflect back on the teachers you considered in the first reflection task at the start of this week. (The task we had at the start of the week is to reflect on our memory about a teacher that stood out as a “good teacher”) Reconsider what it was about them that made you consider them to be so good. Would others that were taught by them have the same conclusions? I studied Physics when I was in college in the University of the Philippines Los Baños and there are few professors that come to mind when I think of what a good teacher is. They include Dr. Anthony Villanueva (modern physics and mathematical physics), Dr. Eduardo Cuansing (electromagnetic theory and molecular dynamics), and Dr. Allan Padama (qua...

30th South East Asian Games skating events' workforce, volunteers, and coaches SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City, Philippines Photo credit: Lyndel Novencido There’s always a profound feeling of joy when I say I enjoyed my SEA Games experience. Just a little backstory, I haven’t taken a job since I graduated from my masters in June 2019, so come SEA Games season (which is December), I had been unemployed for 6 months already. I sure applied for different jobs but unfortunately there wasn’t any door that opened for me. I was in a constant wrestle with God during those times and I am sure that He is telling me to rest so I took a rest while waiting. Little did I know that something exciting is going my way during my waiting season!  I stood as a workforce volunteer at the 30th SEA Games, particularly for the skating events (figure and short track). I initially planned to sign up for the obstacles event at Filinvest Alabang since it’s nearer where I live, but the list’s appar...

Hi! I am writing this as part of my requirements for my online course entitled "What Future for Education?" offered by the University of London in Coursera. For the 2nd week, we are asked to reflect on how we are assessed academically and how we assess ourselves as learners. We should answer the following questions: During your own education, how has your "intelligence" been assessed? How has this affected the educational opportunities you have been given? What judgments have people made about you that have been affected by an assessment of your "intelligence"? Do you consider yourself to be a "learner"? Why? I have spent the last 19 years of my life in continuous education. For the most part, intelligence was measured through quizzes, exams, and projects. During elementary, I had been an outstanding student, always one of the top performers in the class. I was often a placer in our math, science, and spelling bee. In high school, my mo...

Hello! I'm writing this as part of my requirement for an online course entitled "What future for education?" offered by the University of London in Coursera. From the description, it aims to examine one's own thoughts about education, teaching, and learning. If you want to know more of the course, you may proceed here . Every week we are tasked to write on a blog/journal of our reflection on the videos and readings that were assigned to us. For week 1, the particular question that we need to answer is this: Based on your experience as a learner, what do you think you will be able to get out of this course? And what ideas do you already have about the future of education? Well, I expect to have an in-depth understanding of how one’s improved way of learning can grow and have an impact in the society. By “improved way of learning” I mean being able to discover tools of learning for oneself and reflect which works best. More important than how the teacher deliv...