u/chocolatemeringue

Akala ko joke lang ito nung una kong na-encounter, pero apparently nasa website mismo nila: para maging considered na na-complete mo ang kurso mo sa Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), kailangan marunong kang lumangoy. As in, palalanguyin ka sa swimming pool (for 100 yards) and kailangan ma-meet mo yung standards nila. This is regardless of whether or not may PE class ka na swimming or wala.

Source:

https://preview.redd.it/fjh5su5408uh1.png?width=982&format=png&auto=webp&s=fb64c1247cd9f6a283b4ce31e634b64b5caed533

Yung reason daw nito ay related sa World War II. May nakapansin daw noon na ang daming namatay sa gyera hindi dahil sa combat, kundi dahil hindi pala sila marunong lumangoy. So someone in the US government asked a number of universities (especially Ivy League universities like Harvard) na magturo ng swimming sa mga students nila and i-require sila na patunayang marunong talaga silang lumangoy. Ginawa itong hard requirement ng mga schools before graduation para masigurong well-equipped ang mga estudyante nila na maka-survive sa outside world. Including in the unlikely scenario that they end up on a sinking boat.

Eventually, dinrop ng ibang universities ang swimming requirement pero hindi ito inalis ng MIT dahil naniniwala silang essential skill ito na dapat matutunan ng lahat. Besides MIT, Cornell, Dartmouth and Columbia universities yung iba pang schools na may ganito ring requirement.

Now...imagine kung may ganito ring klase ng swimming education sa Pilipinas, lalo na't marami sa atin ay nakatira malapit sa isang body of water... 😅

On behalf of my fellow moderators here and other subreddits:

As moderators, we strive to make our respective subreddits nonpartisan. However, in light of the recent developments for the past few days, we refuse to remain silent.

We are aware of the CICC's demands for Reddit (and Discord) to open a local office within the 24 hours, of which failure will result in the complete disruption of these services in the Philippines. This deadline has been extended for another 24 hours for Reddit after it reached out to the CICC to discuss their plans to comply with the order. Yet, at the same time, Globe Telecoms and DITO Telecommunications have decided to block Reddit and Discord on their own, even while these negotiations are going on, and even in the absence of a court order authorizing them to take this action.

Reddit is the virtual home of many online communities that cater to different interests, whether it's about local or national affairs, educational and academic matters, hobbies and crafts, or just being a digital. As a platform, Reddit aims to bridge people, open conversations, and connect people to what makes them human. More importantly, it is one of the very few social media networks where content is still moderated by humanss, doing it in the spirit of volunteerism, to ensure that each individual community (subreddit) remains a place where real human conversations happen.

Yet, our government's actions show that it is keen to crack down on social media websites, spaces where Filipinos are free to express themselves as guaranteed by our Constitution, spaces where Filipinos are free to discuss how to hold government accountable. Even according to last year's Transparency Report, Reddit has noticed that a number of takedown requests from our local authorities "involved criticism of public figures, claims of their involvement in corruption, and general commentary on newsworthy events." At the rate things are going, it will be only a matter of time before the Philippines will have its own version of the Great Firewall of China.

The recent incidents of school violence, as well as other pressing issues often blamed on social media websites, is a complex issue that cannot be solved by a mere website block. It ignores other factors that may have more impact on how these problems can be resolved. Solving these issues will need the collaboration of several stakeholders like parents, teachers, law enforcement officers, social workers and other institutions. It may be more productive for the government to work with these stakeholders, instead of treating a total ban or regulation of social media as a silver bullet.

We are non-partisan, yes. But we refuse to be silent. We refuse to be neutral.

We demand better from our government.

We deserve better.

-- Reddit Advocates and Moderators of the Philippines Alliance

https://preview.redd.it/dzp2xxcjz2rh1.png?width=692&format=png&auto=webp&s=8f84007dc5ee81aa53b348e5c4627e3f95406145

Democracy.Net.PH Statement on CICC demand that Reddit and Discord establish PH presence within 24 hours

https://democracy.net.ph/.../2026.09.22.Statement_CICC...

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Last Friday, another school shooting occurred. Today, the government piled onto that tragedy by demanding that Reddit and Discord establish a Philippine presence within 24 hours or face access blocks.

The demand is absurdly impossible to meet given the arduous process it takes to establish an office in the Philippines.

The CICC, a unit under the DICT, has no mandate to ban social media platforms. Under our democratic system, only courts can restrict freedoms. The direction that CICC is taking is heading towards the Great Firewall of China model.

In these trying times, the Philippine government must stop its performative theater and turn to rights-bound, legal solutions that will truly address these problems.

https://preview.redd.it/afftpu4yqqlh1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=f8aaf3fa25324768d93e947914c2908bb7927ccb

Sa tinagal-tagal kong narinig yung kantang ito, ngayon ko lang nalaman kung bakit ganun yung pagkakasulat ni Dolly Parton sa "I Will Always Love You".

Na-discover sya ng isang country singer tas inaya syang maging ka-duet sa isang local TV show sa Tennessee. Nagustuhan ng host (Porter Wagoner) si Dolly Parton so inaya nya sya na maging regular singer sa TV show nya.

After so many years, gusto nang mag-solo ni Dolly para umangat ang career nya. Pero hindi pumayag si Porter dun sa gusto nya. So paano nya sasabihin na buo na talaga yung loob nya na mag-resign?

"I thought, well, what do you do best? You write songs. So I sat down and I wrote this song."

Na ang ibinunga ay "I Will Always Love You". (According to other accounts say, the same session also resulted to other signature song "Jolene".)

Pinerform ni Dolly kinabukasan yung kanta sa opisina ni Porter Wagoner. Naiyak sya at sinabi nyang yun daw yung pinakamagandang kantang narinig nya kay Dolly. Eventually, pumayag na sya at pinakawalan na si Dolly sa kanyang kontrata sa TV show.

The rest, as they say, is history.

RIP Dolly Parton (1946-2026)

Sources:

• https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68543777
• https://www.cleveland.com/news/2026/08/fans-know-the-song-heres-why-dolly-parton-wrote-it.html
• https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/dolly-parton-i-will-always-love-you_uk_6a8e99a7e4b02b26136dbfd9
• https://pagesix.com/2026/08/25/entertainment/dolly-partons-i-will-always-love-you-has-a-surprising-true-story/

Description ng Annual Program nila

Of course, they're proud of Alex ;-)

(sources are linked in my post)

Probably common knowledge na sa mga fans ng tennis pero ako kasi hindi ko talaga alam ito (sorrna hahaha). Hindi lang pala puro tennis courses/trainings ang ino-offer ng Rafa Nadal Academy kung saan nag-train si Alex Eala, isa rin syang full-fledged boarding school. Based sa mga nabasa ko sa website nila, comparable ito sa sistema ng Philippine High School for the Arts sa Los Banos, Laguna and sa National Sports Academy sa New Clark City sa Tarlac, kung saan half ng oras mo e puro acads and then half naman e puro training. So by the time na natapos na si Alex Eala dito, meron na syang high school diploma.

And as expected, kumpleto sila sa facilities. Based dun sa info (and photos) na nasa brochure nila, yung mga estudyante nila e meron ding access sa medical facilities (and personalized health care), spa, gym and 44 tennis courts (22 hard, 22 clay). Meron din silang full-time nutritionist na syang nagpeprepare ng menu ng cafeteria. Limited lang ang capacity nila (parang 70-something lang yata ang boarding rooms nila), so I guess baka competitive din ang admission process nila.

EDIT: nakalimutan kong idagdag hehehe. Bukod sa full-time tennis trainings, they will also arrange tournaments for their students. That's why before sya nag-pro, ang dalas magcompete ni Alex sa mga junior competitions because hinahanapan talaga nila ng laban si Alex. Yung current coach nya, by the way, is one of the head coaches of the RNA (and one of her teachers).

One other thing: hindi unique ang Rafa Nadal Academy kasi meron ding ibang tennis academies sa Europe. They all don't come cheap though, pero sa nakita natin ke Alex (who was a scholar) it paid off naman.

Inspired by a quote na nabasa ko sa isang book about songwriting: "The best love songs are those that talk about love without saying it." (from Songwriting: A Guide to the Craft by Stephen Citron)

Per the title. Pwede ring break-up song or hugot song. Basta pasok sa category ng "love song" in any form. Ang condition e dapat wala yung mga salitang "love", "mahal/pagmamahal", "pag-ibig" and similar words sa lyrics or sa title.

Harder version kung gusto nyong pahirapan sarili nyong mag-isip: dapat wala ring terms gaya ng"heart/puso", "feelings/damdamin" etc. sa lyrics. And wala ring terms of endearment gaya ng "my love", "darling", "sweetheart", "sinta", "irog ko" etc.

I'll start (songwriters yung ni-credit ko dito btw, not the singers):

• Fill Her (Ely Buendia) and Kailan (Eraserheads + Carina Evangelista + Aureus Solito +Vincent de Jesus)
• Araw-Gabi (Ryan Cayabyab)
• Wichita Lineman; By the Time I Get to Phoenix -- (Jimmy Webb)
• You Raise Me Up
• Against All Odds (Phil Collins)
• Without You (Pete Ham, Tom Finger) --> yung kinanta ni Mariah
• Mandy (Richard Kerr / Scott David English)

From the official announcement on the FDCP's FB page:

>𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘊𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 2020.

Rediscover the rich history of Philippine cinema through Canon Decampment by film critic Joel David — an encyclopedic exploration of the country’s film landscape that offers fresh insights while challenging traditional notions of the Philippine cinematic canon.

The book re-evaluates 350 films spanning the 1930s to 2020 and highlights the works of 144 filmmakers, including FDCP Chairman & CEO Jose Javier Reyes and his films May Minamahal, Minsan May Isang Puso, and Kung Ako Na Lang Sana.

Online website version: https://amauteurish.com/2023/11/14/canon-decampment/

PDF direct download: https://amauteurish.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/david-j-canon-decampment-2026-06-24.pdf

---

Nabasa ko na ito nang buo a few weeks ago. Basically, a good survey/collection of reviews of Filipino films from...the very, very beginning? Na-realize ko na wala pa pala sa kalingkingan ng mga nakalista dito yung mga napanood ko na, lalo na sa mga old/classic movies. Ang dami ko pang kakaining bigas 😅

I mean...nasa mismong website nya yun. Eto yung link ng CV nya:

https://alanpetercayetano.asc-nest.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Alan-Peter-Cayetano-CV-.pdf

• councilor sa Taguig - note na 1992 sya nahalal, pero graduating student pa lang sya noon
• vice mayor ng Taguig
• congressman
• senator
• political appointee ni Duterte as DFA secretary
• nanalo ulit na congressman
• tapos naging senator ulit (present)

Version na merong konting PR - https://alanpetercayetano.com/positions-held/

Ibig sabihin, buong buhay nya e pera ng taumbayan ang bumubuhay sa kanya. Tindi rin, ano.

Dahil uso na naman lately si Michael Jackson...fun fact, he created and performed the demos of some of his own songs. Halos buo na sa isip nya yung kanta, konting linis na lang sa arrangement yung ginawa nung magrerecord na sila sa studio.

Marami pang iba, here are some of my personal picks:

Billie Jean demo: https://youtu.be/2Hp3P4XOT\_U?si=EENxYftthamXzq1y

Don't Stop Til You Get Enough demo: https://youtu.be/gJvX3guUOFs?si=Qam6\_Zb3YqUWpBg8

Working Day and Night demo (eto me kasama pang away sa umpisa lol): https://youtu.be/4z-5KMoQ5wU?si=K-_90Bh0j0pghNhe