Men's visit to Daet .... and some random thoughts

Hi, everyone!

It's Sunday morning here in the Philippines. It's been two weeks now since the last blog update. I've been trying to make the updates since Friday. Unfortunately, I've been having problems, I don't know whether it's with the Google Blogger or with my own service provider, Globe Visibility. I can not upload pictures. I visited the Help Forum and tried to follow the suggestions. I downloaded CCleaner, and emptied the cookies and cache. I rebooted the computer but the problem remains. I'll try to do the uploads tomorrow using the PLDT DSL in the office. If it works, then it's really Globe which is the problem. I'm really p..s..d off with the services of G (only with the internet, though, I've got no problem with the mobile phone), but I'm locked in for two years.

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Among the pictures that I would have posted were the pictures taken in the get-together of the Daet group during Men's visit last December. Members of our e-group have already seen them. (I'll post them in this blog as soon as the uploading problem is resolved.)

What I find amusing in those pictures (Ed Canela has already made a similar observation when he saw the February reunion pictures) is the ...... gender segregation. Didn't you notice, the boys (just as the family and lawyers of the accused drug pushers still call them the Alabang "boys".... dpsclass67 boys!) had a group picture separate from the "girls", and no group picture of the "boys" and "girls" together.

This segregation seems to come automatically, without anybody making an order. This also happened during the welcome dinner in Bagasbas during the 40th class reunion. (I wasn't able to attend last year's 41st reunion). The boys occupied one long table while the girls occupied the other table. During the socials, the "boys" with their bottles of beer were on one side of the music hall, while the "girls" were on the other side separated by the big dance floor. There were a few exceptions. Bert stayed with Marie on the "girls" section, and Fechie socialized with the "boys".

At the dinner tendered by Baby Banaria-Trinidad and her husband Caloy for our foreign-based classmates, the same thing happened. After eating, the girls went to the sala, while the guys stayed in the dining table. The girls had their 'girls talk' and the boys, had their own. But there was nothing in the conversations that should be kept secret from the other group. If I recall it right, the topics ranged from politics to life abroad... and nothing about say, Rudy's .....S...excapades (even if Ineng won't be able to hear it).

Is this part of DPS-acquired culture? or a product of the culture of our times? Any socio-anthropologist from the group?

There's one college in Metro Manila that also practiced this during the 90s. It's Danny's beloved alma 'mother',Hi, everyone!<br /><br />It's Sunday morning here in the Philippines. It's been two weeks now since the last blog update. I've been trying to make the updates since Friday. Unfortunately, I've been having problems, I don't know whether it's with the Google Blogger or with my own service provider, Globe Visibility. I can not upload pictures. I visited the Help Forum and tried to follow the suggestions. I downloaded CCleaner, and emptied the cookies and cache. I rebooted the computer but the problem remains. I'll try to do the uploads tomorrow using the PLDT DSL in the office. If it works, then it's really Globe which is the problem. I'm really p..s..d off with the services of G (only with the internet, though, I've got no problem with the mobile phone), but I'm locked in for two years.<br /><br />---------<br /><br />Among the pictures that I would have posted were the pictures taken in the get-together of the Daet group during Men's visit last December. Members of our e-group have already seen them. (I'll post them in this blog as soon as the uploading problem is resolved.)<br /><br />What I find amusing in those pictures (Ed Canela has already made a similar observation when he saw the February reunion pictures) is the ...... gender segregation. Didn't you notice, the boys (just as the family and lawyers of the accused drug pushers still call them the Alabang "boys".... dpsclass67 boys!) had a group picture separate from the "girls", and no group picture of the "boys" and "girls" together.<br /><br />This segregation seems to come automatically, without anybody making an order. This also happened during the welcome dinner in Bagasbas during the 40th class reunion. (I wasn't able to attend last year's 41st reunion). The boys occupied one long table while the girls occupied the other table. During the socials, the "boys" with their bottles of beer were on one side of the music hall, while the "girls" were on the other side separated by the big dance floor. There were a few exceptions. Bert stayed with Marie on the "girls" section, and Fechie socialized with the "boys".<br /><br />At the dinner tendered by Baby Banaria-Trinidad and her husband Caloy for our foreign-based classmates, the same thing happened. After eating, the girls went to the sala, while the guys stayed in the dining table. The girls had their 'girls talk' and the boys, had their own. But there was nothing in the conversations that should be kept secret from the other group. If I recall it right, the topics ranged from politics to life abroad... and nothing about say, Rudy's .....S...excapades (even if Ineng won't be able to hear it). <br /><br />Is this part of DPS-acquired culture? or a product of the culture of our times? Any socio-anthropologist from the group?<br /><br />There's one college in Metro Manila that also practiced this during the 90s. It's Danny's beloved alma 'mother', San Beda College. In the college department, there are two faculty rooms adjacent to each other. One for the male faculty, and another for the female faculty. I did some teaching jobs in several other schools like UST, St. Joseph's College, PSBA, Lyceum and Ateneo de Naga, but it was only in San Beda that I encountered that kind of set up. I thought the Dominican fathers of UST would be more conservative, but it turned out the San Beda brothers were more archaic. (By the way, that was in 1990 to 1992, when I taught there, baka dai naman ngonyan).<br /><br />By the way, San Beda has remained an all boys college (except for the college of law), unlike most of the other former exclusive boys schools like Ateneo and De La Salle. Miriam's College (the former Maryknoll college is also co-ed now). And another amusing fact - the Philippine Women's University already admits men in some courses. So, how's it like having a son who is an alumnus of PWU?<br /><br />I'm sure Rey Rafer wouldn't agree to this segregation during our 2010 Class Reunion. di ba Rey?<br /><br /><br />SORRY! I STILL CAN'T POST PICTURES IN THE BLOG.