A Loophole of the 1983-84 Philippine National College Entrance Examination (NCEE)

Being doubtful that I could continue my studies up to college, I wasn't so attentive anymore with my studies during my last year in high school. And the environment where I lived too didn't evoke much desire for higher studies. Though I always wanted to become a professional (an engineer), but the longing at that time wasn't strong enough to fan the fire. So, that was it; I was living a kind of care-free life.

Whe I was told about the coming College Entrance Examination, no need to say, I wasn't excited or worried about it. For me, whatever the result, doesn't matter to me.

Preparations were made for that said examination. And it took them some weeks, even a month perhaps before the annoying review sessions finally ended. I knew it wasn't so easy attending the rewiew classes, since I attended one time just to know how to fill up the forms, but I skipped the rest. Well, I had a plan already. Would I be successful? Let us see.

Rumors had spread of the kind of machine that was going to be used for the checking of the test papers. Various ideas came out on how to deceive it; like creating a slight dent with a pointed instrument on all the unchosen items. In this examination, we are required to blacken our choices with a pencil, once in each question. Choosing more than one answer would eventually lead to a disqualification or a negative rating, we were told.

Because I was into experimentation, I didn't heed the warning -- I wasn't really intimidated. So what if I got a negative marking, I reasoned.

Then, the examination came. I had a pretty bright idea: the first and the last 20 or so items I selected them just once, as the rule dictated. The rest (aside from those easy ones, which I selected also just once -- and there were lots of them), mostly, I would blacken three out of the five choices. For those difficult and time consuming questions, I completely blackened them all; so wherever the answer would happen to fall into I would still got it.

Before the classes ended that year, we had the results. And miracolously, I passed. I got 83% rating instead of a good for nothing negative.

In my school days, customarily, I was so honest that I would even prefer to submit my paper unanswered in times when I wasn't able to study my lessons. Though, it occurred really rare. Back then and until now, it was my first time to cheat. If I was caught then, I could never have travelled farther than the close neigbooring towns in my province; for it turned out that I would be going to have a scholarship loan from the government during the time of the late President, Corazon C. Aquino; and passing the NCEE was one of the requirements. That NCEE result had propelled me to travel and study college even just to witness the horrors of my life: a nightmare that once I didn't want to recall. I am only fortunate that now I already understand what my life is all about.

Though I don't think the possibility of such a machine to be existing today, but if it is, the Department of Education should look into its flaws. The said machine is vulnerable to praud.

Home but not a house

Home but not a house
Originally uploaded by anselmo B. malugao

The painting on the right shows my home during my stay on the streets. My story in this place fascinates me; because here, an occurrence few have experienced in a lifetime (my experience of that Extreme Peace of Mind), had taken place -. A waiting shade is just a shade to all, but for me - it's a home. And inside it's darkened and dusty corners I found that kind of peace where I can't absolutely find anywhere I go. I journeyed to its depth scared to death of what was happening. Others may perhaps scorn of such story, though whether people will believe or not, still, the same thing is true - Genuine Peace of Mind is just within us all.

At present, the waiting shade is no more. The only way to bring the past is to recapture it, and I did it through this painting.

True to anything that is uncertain, I was nervous upon the thought that I will fail to bring the old scenery back to life. In the end, contrary to my doubts, an image pleasing to my eyes began to form. By the time I said, it's complete; I humbled myself down to whatever it is that made me paint such a painting that I can't perceive I am capable of.

My painting above is a reconstruction of the landscape in front of Manila City Hall on the year 1992 to 1995. I stayed in this park for, more or less, 5 years up inside the attic of the waiting shade seen in the painting. As you can notice, I put numbers on several places; these are the description of the numbered items:
1 - this points to a part of the ceiling where a trapdoor is located giving me entry to the inside of the attic.
2 - A huge garbage can is located here just opposite the City Hall and which is beside the wall that enclosed the Philippine Normal University's campus. For me and to almost all homeless, it means food for us. This is where I survived for the rest of my stay in the streets.
3 - this is the specific bench where in the middle of the night I was awakened by an ugly, haggard, and dirty old man who shared his home with me - the waiting shade. A detailed account of this mysterious event can be found in my soon to be publish book.

An old beggar, and a curious boy

For months, I have always seen him squatting along the circular pathway in the outsckirt of a park where I used to pass by. His head bowed and rested on his slightly bent arm supported by his left knee. With palm partially open he stayed there for hours hoping for some good hearted ones to drop some alms into his partially open palm. He is not thin, only haggard looking, accentuated by deep wrinkles over his face and greying hair. Since I am too poor in reckoning ages by simply looking at the face, I just can't tell how old is he; so, I would just roughly say, more than 80 years old. If I were him, I wouldn't do what he was doing -- it was too tiresome for me; of course not for him, because he did it.

Once, I saw a young boy bending over to talk to him; and as I was nearing them, the boy was about to leave.

The next day, I was again threading the same way. By coincidence, the old man was still on that very spot where I saw him before talking to that same boy. The boy was now sitting with his bottocks directly on the bare ground and legs stretched out. His hands were strategically placed on both sides to give him support and balance. Every now and then, he bent his right knee so he could clasp it with his hands for comfort. The boy's attention to their conversation was so intense. Sometimes inclining very close to the old man in order to hear or make his point clear perhaps.

The boy's behavior is common to a lot of us. It even reminded me of my own curiosity with the stories of matured people that I really wished back then that days woud speed up so very soon I would already become like them. And now that I am -- I found that I am indeed right of what I believed it would be.

I Am Thankful

Like in the painting below, we should be thankful and give praise to the maker of this world rather than complain all the time, for He knows what’s good for us.

Give Praise Originally uploaded by anselmo B. malugao

(Dedicated to all peace loving people) 

There were times in my life wherein my sufferings was great that I once believed life wasn't good to me. This kind of sentiment, however, is a pretty normal reaction from someone caught unprepared to face Nature's unwelcomed forces. Indeed, it was a shock after finding out that I lost what I had been working on. But as my eyes began to open up, little by little, I saw the things I had not seen before. Seeing things this way has developed in me the art of appreciating things and circumstances that are happening everyday, whatever they are. For this reason, I am very thankful. Normally, it sounds silly for such concept of reality to be felt since it is known to be confined to the realm of fairy tales and the world of the saints. But wait! You have to remember that our behavior is caused by the mind; and by changing the way we think, we are also changing the way we behave. The mind is a fleeting thing, but it doesn't mean that we can't do anything about it. In times of hardships and loneliness, don't despair, because we have the comfort we ever need. If you only dare to see and understand the minute details of everyday affairs, then you are about to recognize the helping hand of Nature is just around you. Personally, I am always seeing it these days. And I am so glad that I do. In times of turbulence, there's a haven inside the mind: a place where you can run and take shelter. This environment in which I used to take refuge is refreshing and invigorating. For this, I am equally thankful. There are plenty of things to be thankful to and, in fact, you should be thankful every minute of the day; if you do, your heart will be filled with happiness, ushering in opportunities and abundance in life. Writing my first book had led me into a hermetic-like way of living. This experience created in me the desire to communicate. So, I proceeded to speak to things I would never have spoken to. The act sounds absurd; but, it turned out that a language creates a corresponding emotion understandable to all living things -- a universal language. And, without doubt, my voice went out not in vain, for I was understood -- this too, I am thankful. And most of all, I am thankful, for now, I can always find the peace of mind that eluded me for a long time; and, once again, my life has found new direction. This is very important, because knowing what to do in one's life is LIFE itself. The above composition is a revision to the one I had written somewhere on the month of May 2009, which I eagerly called a little book, that was typed using a manual typewriter. This was intended as display for my art exhibit. The drawing I sketched on the book's cover page (of which, if I find the means, I will post it here) shows a bird in flight casting rays of light to the field down below. This carries the same thought with the painting I have just posted entitled "Peace Around the World"; only, this time, the bird doesn't emit rays of light but appeared now in a white color instead, which means the same thing -- PEACE.

What I saw in Singapore

In my life, I have never been in a city so Clean and Green as Singapore. Everywhere you go, you can't almost see a litter even in the remotest corner of the city. In some parts, the drainage is visible and very impressive -- dug so deep into the ground and left uncovered; in this way, overflow of water is minimized, and the monitoring of any blockages is optimized.

Without doubt, what I had witnesed is a sign of harwork, good management and harmony of the people within the country, considering that Singapore is composed of diverse races of people. Infact, there are four official languages in Singapore: These are Chinese, Malay, Tami, and English.

I was transported through various places via a network of trains that connect the whole Singapore together. One guy who I met there thought that Filipino's language is English, which I said "no" and proceeded to explain it to him.

My stay in Singapore was brief but very imformative. How I hope, I can see the same thing in our country, The Philippines, in the future.

Flashes of Lightning

Rain was pouring gently on the early night of October 20, 2009 making a rasping noise on the corrugated iron roof of the little space where I was lying down waiting to be lulled to sleep. Unlike other nights, the old venetian-like blind that was secured on the topmost part of the door of my room was still on its place. I should have rolled it down had I not forgotten. In bed, I saw it well, only I didn’t feel like standing up to cover the door with it. Anyway, the gate is closed and locked, so it’s all right, I thought.

From my position, I kept on looking at the door, as if I was intrigued to find something out there, but there was really nothing there – just darkness, and the continuous sound of the rain.

Minutes passed, still, I kept on looking. Out from nowhere I then heard a deafening ramble of thunder seldom to occur. It seemed things where going to split into pieces. Almost simultaneously with it, I saw framed by the door, a splash of pure white light – really super white light – with no streaks of any kind, just entirely white all over. It was not a blinding light, because I was able to look at it intently. Outside, everything was covered with that light – no trees nor structures or whatever – just the light itself. It didn’t stay long, but just died away in a few seconds. The sight didn’t cause me to tremble; I remained calm – though I was wondering about it.

My short Bio

I am a Filipino. I was born in the island of Bohol, Philippines, but I grew up in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Mindanao. I sufferd a lot of failures in my life; then, I took it quite seriously; making me  a living-dead roaming around the streets of Manila for more than five years.

Now, it seemed that I understand why it happened to me when I found the much coveted Peace of Mind that I won't surely encounter had I succeeded with my plans before.

I studied Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communication Engineering. While I was living as a tramp, I passed a college entrance examination and found myself pursuing music study.  Years later, at the same time, I would be learning how to write computer programs, being a student of International Correspondence School ( ICS), and doing baking -- rolling and shaping those delicious and nutritious French bread, under the roof of Virlanie Foundation, an orphanage. All of these endeavors I didn't succeed -- it didn't lead me anywhere. Even though that was the case, my experiences, however, gave me so much lessons to learn from.

Now, I am very happy that at last! I am able to start life anew equipped with my new knowledge, new insights, and vast experiences to help me push through life and succeed. But not only that, what is most rewarding is sharing my experiences and knowledge to the world, and that's exactly the reason why I have created this blogging site. I only hope that you too will find my blogs heart-warming and, hopefully, they will give you encouragement to pursue your own dreams too.

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Related topic: A quick look into my past

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