Thailand: Wai Kru or Teachers' Day

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Also known as "Teachers' Appreciation Day" in Thailand, students take this day to honor and pay respect to their teachers. I am fortunate to experience this celebration with my lovely Grade - 5 students, for a long time since I came to Thailand.

The Wai Kru Muay Thai ceremony consists of the ‘wai’, a friendly greeting and traditional display of respect in Thai culture to people of seniority and higher status. The ‘wai’ is expressed by placing one’s hands in a prayer-like position between the chest and head, and gently bowing. Recipient of this ceremony is the ‘kru’, meaning teacher, a figure of high respect and status in Thai society.

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Hottest Male Teacher in the World

Blog update is a bit slow this time. School stuff occupied all my space and free time. I'm just new in the school - the adjusting process takes place till now.
Lately, I kept on posting about Vegetarian foodies that I have both tried in Cambodia and here in Thailand. This timed, I would go on differently but sharing this viral talks in the blogosphere about the Hottest Male Teacher in the World.
He's a bit intimidating yet, giving to boost to all males out there to try venturing into the field of teaching. This Italian dude, a PhD in Mechanical Engineering by profession but enjoying his work as Math teacher.
With that physique and good looks, would the students properly manage to pay attention to Maths? I doubt for that. He's been the talk of the town and sure enough becoming a public consumptions for females and gays alike. The pictures that he posted on his instagram account did all the talking how his good looks attracts the human kind.
He's not a threat nor a challenge for male teacher like me but indeed an inspiration that I should be look good always and taking care of myself.

Young Pinoy Computer Programmer is Champ in 1st Google Mapmaker Global Competition

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV
Wow another Pinoy proud made his name internationally acclaimed as the champion among 700 other contestants....Imagine a big company like Google?
Can't imagine how talented and brillian the Pinoys are....

"MANILA, Philippines – A 23-year-old “citizen cartographer” from the University of the Philippines bested 700 other contestants to become the winner of the first Google Map Maker Global Competition. Wayne Dell Manuel won a US$50,000 donation from UNICEF for the Philippines after adding more than 1,500 qualifying map features and made hundreds of moderations in Google Map Maker. His edits, which were primarily of local public schools, were judged to be the most numerous and accurate entries in the contest. “I’m so excited to have won this global competition because it represents a win not just for me, but also for the Philippines,” said Manuel. “To be frank, I entered the competition to win the US$50,000 for our country, and I hope that my win encourages more Filipinos to contribute to making the online map of our country even better. We Filipinos are known for our spirit of bayanihan, and this is a great way for us to come together in the Internet era to make life better for our fellow kababayans by literally putting their communities on the digital map.” The competition was launched to encourage the use of technology for community development by asking users to map universities, schools, hospitals and medical clinics in their home countries. The goal was to help humanitarian organizations better deliver services, respond to crises, and adapt to change in the countries they operate by enabling access to accurate digital maps. Manuel, a software developer at the UP National Telehealth Center, started using Google Map Maker in 2008 and initially edited streets, establishments, and municipalities in his hometowns of Tuguegarao and Baguio City. Later, he added most of the roads in Tarlac City, Tarlac; Angeles City, Pampanga and Tacloban City, Leyte. He has been recognized globally as one of the top 10 all-time mappers with nearly 35,000 map edits under his belt. “Maps have always interested me because they help me get acquainted with places I’ve never seen before. As soon as I heard about Google Map Maker, I immediately joined and found that its interface is very intuitive and user-friendly. I love the feeling of putting together something that would be useful to many people,” he said. Jennifer Mazzon, Community Organizer for Google Maps, said Manuel’s contributions are invaluable for people who rely on geographic information, which is import during times of natural disaster. “Even though the contest period is over, the mapping effort for the Philippines is only beginning. There are still many places that are in need of accurate details and we hope that even more Filipinos will use Google Map Maker to share their knowledge about their hometowns with the world,” Mazzon said. Manuel said he will continue editing in Google Map Maker even after the competition because there are still many unmapped areas in the Philippines. He also recalled how his contributions helped many people when Typhoon Ondoy hit the country last September. “After Ondoy, a volunteer group used Google Maps to map distress calls and facilitate rescue operations. I was so happy to see that the roads I helped place on Google Map Make, later pushed to Google Maps, were used to locate fellow Filipinos who needed help, he said."(Source:http://filipinoachievers.wordpress.com/)

FILIPINA WINS TOP AWARD AT LONDON FASHION WEEK

Another latest info from the cyber world..a Filipina by the name Mich Dulce brought honor to the country.

"MANILA, Philippines—Young Filipina fashion designer Mich Dulce is this year’s winner of the International Young Creative Entrepreneur (IYCE) award for fashion at the London Fashion Week.
Dulce, who was a Pinoy Big Brother participant a few years back, faced stiff competition from among young forerunners in the fashion industry but her unique creativity and international outlook gave her an edge over the other short-listed candidates.
A permanent fixture in the fashion scene since 2001, Dulce has studied extensively in the best fashion schools around the world like Central St. Martins and London School of Fashion in the United Kingdom and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She has also had the opportunity to intern for such big names in fashion like Marjan Pejoski, Jessica Ogden, and Susan Cianciolo.
Since studying the art of hat making in 2005, she has unleashed a flurry of delightful headpieces onto Manila’s runways, as well as for theater and various individuals, eccentric or not. All her hats are handmade, exquisitely molded, and always with a whimsical touch that makes it distinctly her own, whether it’s her geometric experimentation, her unusually sculpted fabric, or her unconventional use of materials.
In 2009, Dulce expanded her skill set by studying the art of period corsetry to complement her entry into the bridal market in the same year.
The IYCE win is just one of the many accomplishments Dulce has tucked under her belt. In 2002, she was a finalist for the Paris Young Designer’s Competition and 1st runner-up in the Mega Young Designer’s Competition. In 2004 she was nominated for Revolutionary Designer of the Year at the MTV Style Awards, and in 2007 she won the Fashion Designer of the Year Award for Street Wear at the Mega Fashion Awards.
As the official Philippine entry, Dulce was sent on a 10-day all expenses paid trip to the UK where she met industry professionals and toured leading organizations in the fashion industry. The UK trip culminated with her attending London Fashion Week, together with fellow contestants from Bangladesh, India, Libya, Lithuania, Russia, Sri Lanka, Syria, and Turkey. It was there that she was announced the winner.
Dulce will receive grant money of 5,000 pounds to be used on a collaborative project with the British Council."
(Source:http://globalnation.inquirer.net/ofwspotlight/ofwspotlight/view/20100224-255103/Filipina-wins-top-award-at-London-Fashion-Week

FILIPINO TEACHER - CNN HERO OF THE YEAR

Pushcart educator named CNN Hero of the YearMANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 2) For his innovative “Kariton Klasrum” (pushcart classroom) Filipino educator Efren Peñaflorida has been awarded by CNN as “2009 Hero of the Year.”
Peñaflorida was awarded during the CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. He received his award from American actress Eva Mendes. He bested nine other nominees from different countries for the Hero of the Year award. The nominees were initially selected by a panel of 14 “Blue Panel” luminaries but the Hero of the Year award was given to the one with the most number of online votes in the CNN Heroes’ website.
Peñaflorida will have been the first Filipino to become a nominee of the annual CNN Heroes’ awards and the first Filipino to win the top prize.
The project, already on its third year, is a tribute by the international news organization to selfless humanitarian acts of individuals from different countries.
In his acceptance speech, quoted by CNN, Peñaflorida said: “Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, rich and poor, man, woman of different colors, shapes and sizes. We are one great tapestry. Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need.”
"So to each and every person inside in this theater and for those who are watching at home, the hero in you is waiting to be unleashed. Serve, serve well, serve others above yourself and be happy to serve. As I always tell to my co-volunteers ... you are the change that you dream as I am the change that I dream and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be."
Peñaflorida will receive $100,000, which will be used to fund his work in the Dynamic Teen Company (DTC), a volunteer organization that he put up to conduct his “Kariton Klasrum” program.
Peñaflorida’s program conducts weekly visits to poor and underserved areas in Cavite, north of Luzon, to teach young people basic lessons in Mathematics, English, and Science using only a specially designed pushcart.
In a previous interview, Peñaflorida said he would continue holding weekly lessons and hoped that it would encourage other people to lend time to help others in need.
When they learned that Peñaflorida was chosen as CNN's “Hero of the Year” on Sunday, his members were busy training new volunteers for the "pushcart classrooms," the same work that gave him worldwide recognition.
Peñaflorida's 20-year-old sister Glenis Mae was at the group's office in Cavite City, attending the training and learned about the good news after checking CNN's website Sunday afternoon.(Source:Inquirer Global Nation)

Just like to share this touching story which I got from Global Nation Inquirer website when a (certain) Filipino teacher won as "Hero of the Year" by CNN news just this November 22,2009.
I know that I'm already late on posting this one but better late than never. I never knew anything about the latest buzz about my country since I left last October 26th.
When I checked the site and viewed it on youtube I cried a tear but immediately wiped it dry 'coz there were some students playing computers seated on both sides.
The info above gives you a definite birds eye view about the whole story..so just read them.Check this video to view the whole thing about Efren Penaflorida
Lastly, I am proud to be a Filipino Christian teacher........