I felt so financially drained this month. Bills keep coming, Insulin expenses on my medication continue to grow, business ventures dropped to its low, and so forth and so on. In fact, I had all my valuables either sold or put into pawnshops just to recover my losses only to find out that I was getting deeper into the limbo. My wife's, financial resources likewise dwindled due to massive assistance she'd extending me. Damn!
I was asked, "What was the heaviest thing that you carried?" I replied without out a blink that the heaviest thing that I carried is an empty wallet. Up to this day, I've been experiencing that and to add grains of salt to my already wounded ego, I am now literally naked wearing only a sweet smelling scent.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Politically Correct Terms
psychotic socially misaligned
intoxicated sobriety-deprived
misbehavior negative
lazy motivationally dispossessed
boring charm-free
janitor environmental hygienist
dishonest ethically disoriented
wild free-roaming
extra-large generously cut
failure incomplete success
worst least best
balding in follicle regression
short vertically challenged
nagger verbally repetitive
screamer vocally appreciative
Source: Unknown (not mentioned in the hard copy)
intoxicated sobriety-deprived
misbehavior negative
lazy motivationally dispossessed
boring charm-free
janitor environmental hygienist
dishonest ethically disoriented
wild free-roaming
extra-large generously cut
failure incomplete success
worst least best
balding in follicle regression
short vertically challenged
nagger verbally repetitive
screamer vocally appreciative
Source: Unknown (not mentioned in the hard copy)
Monday, May 30, 2016
Magtiwala sa Ating Kakayahan
Dapat lamang na magtiwala tayo sa ating kakayahan. Hihina ang isang tao kapag alam niya na siya ay may masasandalan dahil ibubuhos niya ang buong tiwala sa kaniya. Subalit kung wala tayong inaasahan lalabas ang tunay nating kakanyahan at iigting ang pagtitiwala natin sa ating sarili.
Friday, April 8, 2016
Ingatan ang Gamit
Ingatan natin ating mga gamit
Bag, cellphone, at pati na ang wallet
Mga magnanakaw kaygaling maniktik
Lahat ng bagay kanilang pinipitik!
Bag, cellphone, at pati na ang wallet
Mga magnanakaw kaygaling maniktik
Lahat ng bagay kanilang pinipitik!
Friday, January 1, 2016
Best Chess Game I Had
I will share with you one of the best games I had in 2015 and you can find it here in this article, Amateur Playing Like a Pro. Click the link and enjoy.
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Internet Society Online Course
I am finally done with my Internet Society online course. I would like to thank my moderator Biljana Gilsovic Milic and the Internet Society for giving me this 2015 Shaping the Internet - History and Futures Asia Mini-Course (Delta). I learned a lot from this course especially interoperability, internet governance, invariants, and many more. Hopefully, I will be given opportunity to study more.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Guess Who I Found Last Christmas?
🎄From Holiday Cheer to Hardwood Legend — A Surprise in Navotas!
We were simply on a family visit to our relatives in Tanza, Navotas—a classic Filipino weekend: good food, loud laughter, and catching up with titas, titos, and cousins you only see once in a blue moon.
The vibe felt a bit like Christmas, even if Santa wasn’t anywhere in sight.
But guess what?
I didn’t find Santa Claus... I found someone taller. 😄
Standing head and shoulders above the rest—literally—was none other than Marlou Aquino, one of the Philippines’ greatest basketball players of all time!
Yes, The Skyscraper himself.
That moment felt unreal—like seeing your childhood basketball card walk right past you in flesh and blood!
From barangay court legends to PBA icons, Marlou Aquino’s name is etched in hoops history. And there he was—casual, unassuming, and still a towering presence in every sense of the word.
Proof that sometimes, the best surprises don’t come wrapped in red and gold—they stand 6’9”, wear slippers, and have a smile that could light up a whole barangay..
Monday, September 7, 2015
Wrong Prayer!
Before November 8, 2013, Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) struck and heavily hit the Philippines. Prior to that date I deeply prayed that the above-mentioned typhoon would rather hit China and not my beloved country. You must know for a fact that China had been bullying the Philippines for a long period of time so I asked the indulgence of the Almighty to instead strike forcefully China and not my country. Wrong prayer! What happened to my country? Parts of the country had been heavily devastated by the typhoon.
------------------------
Days ago, the driver of the van (Pasig-Quiapo) I been riding did not give the change (sukli) that rightfully belongs to me and I totally forgot about it until I left the vehicle. While walking, I remembered about the change. Oh that bitch... I immediately whispered a silent prayer that this driver suffered an accident and worst stumbled upon the biggest structure. Wrong prayer! While walking, I was bumped by this wide-bodied man along Ortigas Avenue and minutes after that I stumbled upon the smallest stone and almost suffered head contusions. Whew...
Moral of the story: Always pray for the good of others.
------------------------
------------------------
Days ago, the driver of the van (Pasig-Quiapo) I been riding did not give the change (sukli) that rightfully belongs to me and I totally forgot about it until I left the vehicle. While walking, I remembered about the change. Oh that bitch... I immediately whispered a silent prayer that this driver suffered an accident and worst stumbled upon the biggest structure. Wrong prayer! While walking, I was bumped by this wide-bodied man along Ortigas Avenue and minutes after that I stumbled upon the smallest stone and almost suffered head contusions. Whew...
Moral of the story: Always pray for the good of others.
------------------------
At the office, I learned a very important lesson from the story shared by my colleague...
BOY: When do we pray?
OLD MAN: Pray as if it is your last day in this world.
BOY: How do you know it is your last day?
OLD MAN: No one knows.
Moral of the story: Always pray.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
The Department of Education is Mourning!
The Department of Education (DepEd) deeply mourns on the sudden and unexpected death of Undersecretary for Finance and Administration Francisco Varela who, many believe, was one of the greatest officials of the department. He died last August 29, 2015 in an accident at Pililia, Rizal.
In my long years of stay at DepEd, I have noticed his advocacy on anti-graft and corruption and his relentless efforts on instituting educational reforms in the biggest public organization in the country. Not only that he possessed good looks envied by many, he was also a smart guy -- he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Mathematics at Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan and finished Master of Science in Industrial Economics at the Center for Research and Communication now known to be the University of Asia and the Pacific.
He is definitely a big loss to the department but a huge gain to heaven.
In my long years of stay at DepEd, I have noticed his advocacy on anti-graft and corruption and his relentless efforts on instituting educational reforms in the biggest public organization in the country. Not only that he possessed good looks envied by many, he was also a smart guy -- he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Mathematics at Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan and finished Master of Science in Industrial Economics at the Center for Research and Communication now known to be the University of Asia and the Pacific.
He is definitely a big loss to the department but a huge gain to heaven.
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| Flowers everywhere - DepEd September 3, 2015 (Photo Credit: Beth Soriao-Urbano) |
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| Farewell to Usec. Varela at Deped, September 3, 2015 (Photo by the author) |
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| DepEd employees and friends prior to releasing the white balloons September 3, 2015 (Photo by the author) |
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| DepEd officials September 3, 2015 (Photo by the author) |
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
My Interview Experience!
Whew! How fast time flies.
As part of the Department of Education’s Rationalization Program, employees were encouraged to apply for various positions across multiple strands — and being the largest public organization in the country, the choices were as abundant as budget insertions in Congress. (Oops.)
As a mid-career professional, I wanted to make sure I aligned my next move with my strengths. So I scanned the vacancy list with laser precision and ended up applying for not one, not two... but six plantilla positions. Yep, six.
“Why not just 2 or 3?” you might ask — and honestly, I asked myself the same thing. Was it confidence? Was it desperation? Maybe a bit of both. But to be fair, there were no limits to the number of submissions. I even heard one guy applied for 32 positions — imagine the deforestation that required. Sarcastic chuckle.
The Terrible Turn of Events
Fast forward to July. I overheard one of my superiors mention that no one applied for a Senior Education Program Specialist (SEPS) position in the Instructional Materials Council Secretariat (IMCS) — which was being reorganized under the Bureau of Learning Resources (BLR).
That struck me.
I was sure I applied for that very position. So I did what any rational, slightly panicked employee would do — I rummaged through my receiving copies like a madman.
Lo and behold — there it was.
My IMCS application, filed and received properly. So why wasn’t I on the shortlist for interview?
I marched to the Personnel Division (PD), evidence in hand. "How did you know there’s a list? That’s confidential!" one staff whispered. I smiled awkwardly, guilty as charged. But Sir Albert, ever the gracious gentleman, took my document, checked the records, and told me to come back on Monday. Hope flickered.
Monday Blues... and a Miracle
That Monday (let’s skip the exact date — suspense is good for the soul), I stopped by the DepEd chapel to pray for a little miracle. Afterwards, I headed back to PD, holding on to faith... and caffeine.
There I found Ate Meling, who helped me go Sherlock Holmes on my folder. As we combed through it, I noticed two documents with my name — but one was incorrectly labeled. Aha! We found the glitch in the matrix.
She called Sir Albert, who confirmed the mix-up and assured me my name would now be included in the interview list.
YES! VICTORY!
But wait…
At 8 PM that same night — ding! — I got a text:
“You’re scheduled for interview tomorrow morning.”
WHAT?!
I had barely 6 hours to prep. No time for a new haircut, let alone a new soul.
The Interview: A Comedy of Nerves
Tuesday morning came. I walked in, head held high, heart pounding like a drumline.
The panel didn’t hold back. They grilled me on policies, past outputs, and my performance as Education Program Specialist II. It was a behavioral interrogation — the kind where you summon all your “what did I do with my life” memories and try to fit them into the STAR framework (thank you, University of Sheffield online course).
Despite my preparation, I stumbled. My nerves got the best of me. I stuttered. I second-guessed. I could feel my confidence slipping out the door — maybe to join the applicant with 32 submissions.
Honestly, I left the room disappointed with myself.
A Question I Won’t Forget
Then came the most haunting question of all, from the Union President:
“You’re an IMCS staff applying for SEPS, right? There are 9 available positions. What if everyone gets it — except you?”
Oof.
I breathed in, and answered honestly:
“That would be disheartening, especially since I’m from the inside. But maybe that just means I still have to grow and develop myself further.”
Reflection
Looking back, the experience taught me more than any seminar could. It reminded me that mistakes happen, that even a misplaced document can change the course of someone's path — and that you can lose a battle and still win the war.
So yes, I may have faltered. But I showed up. I asked. I followed up. And when things went wrong, I did everything I could to set them right. That, for me, is already a small victory.
As part of the Department of Education’s Rationalization Program, employees were encouraged to apply for various positions across multiple strands — and being the largest public organization in the country, the choices were as abundant as budget insertions in Congress. (Oops.)
As a mid-career professional, I wanted to make sure I aligned my next move with my strengths. So I scanned the vacancy list with laser precision and ended up applying for not one, not two... but six plantilla positions. Yep, six.
“Why not just 2 or 3?” you might ask — and honestly, I asked myself the same thing. Was it confidence? Was it desperation? Maybe a bit of both. But to be fair, there were no limits to the number of submissions. I even heard one guy applied for 32 positions — imagine the deforestation that required. Sarcastic chuckle.
The Terrible Turn of Events
Fast forward to July. I overheard one of my superiors mention that no one applied for a Senior Education Program Specialist (SEPS) position in the Instructional Materials Council Secretariat (IMCS) — which was being reorganized under the Bureau of Learning Resources (BLR).
That struck me.
I was sure I applied for that very position. So I did what any rational, slightly panicked employee would do — I rummaged through my receiving copies like a madman.
Lo and behold — there it was.
My IMCS application, filed and received properly. So why wasn’t I on the shortlist for interview?
I marched to the Personnel Division (PD), evidence in hand. "How did you know there’s a list? That’s confidential!" one staff whispered. I smiled awkwardly, guilty as charged. But Sir Albert, ever the gracious gentleman, took my document, checked the records, and told me to come back on Monday. Hope flickered.
Monday Blues... and a Miracle
That Monday (let’s skip the exact date — suspense is good for the soul), I stopped by the DepEd chapel to pray for a little miracle. Afterwards, I headed back to PD, holding on to faith... and caffeine.
There I found Ate Meling, who helped me go Sherlock Holmes on my folder. As we combed through it, I noticed two documents with my name — but one was incorrectly labeled. Aha! We found the glitch in the matrix.
She called Sir Albert, who confirmed the mix-up and assured me my name would now be included in the interview list.
YES! VICTORY!
But wait…
At 8 PM that same night — ding! — I got a text:
“You’re scheduled for interview tomorrow morning.”
WHAT?!
I had barely 6 hours to prep. No time for a new haircut, let alone a new soul.
The Interview: A Comedy of Nerves
Tuesday morning came. I walked in, head held high, heart pounding like a drumline.
The panel didn’t hold back. They grilled me on policies, past outputs, and my performance as Education Program Specialist II. It was a behavioral interrogation — the kind where you summon all your “what did I do with my life” memories and try to fit them into the STAR framework (thank you, University of Sheffield online course).
Despite my preparation, I stumbled. My nerves got the best of me. I stuttered. I second-guessed. I could feel my confidence slipping out the door — maybe to join the applicant with 32 submissions.
Honestly, I left the room disappointed with myself.
A Question I Won’t Forget
Then came the most haunting question of all, from the Union President:
“You’re an IMCS staff applying for SEPS, right? There are 9 available positions. What if everyone gets it — except you?”
Oof.
I breathed in, and answered honestly:
“That would be disheartening, especially since I’m from the inside. But maybe that just means I still have to grow and develop myself further.”
Reflection
Looking back, the experience taught me more than any seminar could. It reminded me that mistakes happen, that even a misplaced document can change the course of someone's path — and that you can lose a battle and still win the war.
So yes, I may have faltered. But I showed up. I asked. I followed up. And when things went wrong, I did everything I could to set them right. That, for me, is already a small victory.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
No Chess, No Life
Once a chess player, always a chess player. After almost 2 years of hiatus here I am returning to the sports I love most and shouting to the whole world these phrases "No Chess, No Life."
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Scholarship Application Deferred
OMG, I was told that my scholarship application had been deferred to 2016. Hayyy.
Dear Joselito Asi,
Thank you for your mail. Please be informed that we deferred your application to 2016. You do not need to submit new documents to XXX.
But you do have to submit new documents for the XXX-scholarship! We are expecting the next XXX-scholarship round for this program beginning next year. By that time, we will send you a link for applying for the XXX-scholarship. As soon as you receive this link, start to collect all the necessary documents and stamps.
Dear Joselito Asi,
Thank you for your mail. Please be informed that we deferred your application to 2016. You do not need to submit new documents to XXX.
But you do have to submit new documents for the XXX-scholarship! We are expecting the next XXX-scholarship round for this program beginning next year. By that time, we will send you a link for applying for the XXX-scholarship. As soon as you receive this link, start to collect all the necessary documents and stamps.
Monday, April 13, 2015
Latest Saga of Super GM Wesley So
I'm glad that the 2015 US Chess Championship was finally over. The never ending controversies on Wesley So created worldwide attention and his stories have been the talk in the social networks lately. I have had numerous responses defending his actions at chess.com, facebook, and other internet sites.
Despite family's turmoil, Wesley So proved that he was a tough nut to crack. Needing 2 points in the remaining 2 games after an unexpected forfeiture in Round 9 he won them all by beating defending champion Gata Kamsky and chess whiz Kayden Troff in that order. He scored 6.5/11 and earned a decent 3rd place finish - a surprised achievement since most chess pundits have been expecting a better finish than that.
The chess world had been shocked in round 9 after IA Tony Rich decided to forfeit the game of Wesley So for taking down notes and awarded the point to his opponent GM Varuzhan Akobian due to what Rich say's a FIDE Laws violation. An infraction that created varied opinions amongst chess players worldwide due to severity of penalty given to So for a technical issue and not for the game of chess itself. The conflict started there and it created helluva of conflicting opinions among players, the most vocal was GM Jun Ludwig Hammer from Norway and other notable GMs from Europe.
Allow me to share my opinion and comments on the latest saga of GM Wesley So.
On GM Wesley So
I know you have family issues, but as a professional player you are bound to follow rules regardless of what is going on in the real world. You are still my idol.
On Tony Rich
When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. I know you have to make a decision but make it a reasonable one. Next time, please have members of the Appeals Committee be represented by international arbiters coming from various states in the US and not only those coming from St. Louis and or those with close ties with it.
On Varuzhan Akobian
To my disbelief you were distracted by the scribbling of Wesley So whom you claimed to be your friend. You are professional chess player who fought with the elite and the best in the world for many years yet you have been distracted by a simple thing is beyond comprehension. You have had a personal issue, in my opinion, and Wesley is right, you just wanted a free point. Now, every time I will see you in the tournament arena I will call you a free man. I think If indeed you were his friend you should have told Wesley, face to face, to stop whatever he is writing for you were not able to concentrate. Was that hard?
I wish that every challenges in the US chess team will be toppled and that your team will become as competitive as possible!
Despite family's turmoil, Wesley So proved that he was a tough nut to crack. Needing 2 points in the remaining 2 games after an unexpected forfeiture in Round 9 he won them all by beating defending champion Gata Kamsky and chess whiz Kayden Troff in that order. He scored 6.5/11 and earned a decent 3rd place finish - a surprised achievement since most chess pundits have been expecting a better finish than that.
The chess world had been shocked in round 9 after IA Tony Rich decided to forfeit the game of Wesley So for taking down notes and awarded the point to his opponent GM Varuzhan Akobian due to what Rich say's a FIDE Laws violation. An infraction that created varied opinions amongst chess players worldwide due to severity of penalty given to So for a technical issue and not for the game of chess itself. The conflict started there and it created helluva of conflicting opinions among players, the most vocal was GM Jun Ludwig Hammer from Norway and other notable GMs from Europe.
Allow me to share my opinion and comments on the latest saga of GM Wesley So.
On GM Wesley So
I know you have family issues, but as a professional player you are bound to follow rules regardless of what is going on in the real world. You are still my idol.
On Tony Rich
When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. I know you have to make a decision but make it a reasonable one. Next time, please have members of the Appeals Committee be represented by international arbiters coming from various states in the US and not only those coming from St. Louis and or those with close ties with it.
On Varuzhan Akobian
To my disbelief you were distracted by the scribbling of Wesley So whom you claimed to be your friend. You are professional chess player who fought with the elite and the best in the world for many years yet you have been distracted by a simple thing is beyond comprehension. You have had a personal issue, in my opinion, and Wesley is right, you just wanted a free point. Now, every time I will see you in the tournament arena I will call you a free man. I think If indeed you were his friend you should have told Wesley, face to face, to stop whatever he is writing for you were not able to concentrate. Was that hard?
I wish that every challenges in the US chess team will be toppled and that your team will become as competitive as possible!
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