AN INTEGRATED BLENDED ASSISTANCE FOR OVERSEAS PINAY DOMESTIC HELPERS

In my previous threads, I had stressed out that the Internet nowadays is a powerful tool in bridging gaps regardless of distance, cost and time. Everything under the sun whether full of sense or nonsense stuff is certainly a piece of cake to look for. With its limitless technological advancement, with Internet: all things are possible.

Current issues faced by our Pinay domestic helpers undeniably can’t go unnoticed. These alarming issues involve committed crimes, abuse and worst, increased cases of Pinay DH insanity. What could possibly be the reasons behind these? Many would say it’s in the workplace. They commit crimes for trying to defend themselves from the unjust and abusive treatment of their employees. Being away from home, they have no one to turn to and thus making them emotionally weak and distressed. Some would also say that it’s in their natural ability to cope with stress and traumas. That is why DFA proposes a mandatory psychiatric testing as one of the requirements for OFWs.

By being subjective, intercommunication is the fundamental key to these issues. Intercommunication (defined as to communicate mutually as between individual or organizations by Webster Comprehensive Dictionary) plays a vital role in our life. It is our simple way of information dissemination. It helps unload our emotional baggage and this even helps us in times of incoming danger.

Looking within the present scenario, the Internet provides intercommunicative tools that are sufficient and available at hand. Therefore this research is expected to include the utilization of Internet applications as part of online assistance.

However, online assistance will not be enough as there are still some factors that web-based applications cannot suffice. That is when blended assistance comes. This idea is derived from blended learning wherein approaches to learning include web-based techniques and non-technology based techniques. Applying to this research, blended assistance will make use of virtual resources and physical resources.
To illustrate this study:

Objectives:

1. to determine the essential factors in putting up a blended assistance for Pinay DH
2. to identify those internet applications under the virtual resources
3. to identify those non-technology based methods under the physical resources
4. to develop an integrated blended assistance model for Pinay overseas DH
5. to examine the advantages as well as the disadvantages upon the implementation of this model

Scarrrrrrryyyy..

My first online quiz scared me to death. It was not the same feeling that I usually had in classrooms. hehe

I made history! whehehe

MICROSOFT vs FOSS

It was in my sixth grade that I got totally aware of how computers work. When I stepped high school, our first lesson in entrepreneurship for that first school year was typing lesson. I remembered, it was then I heard the word “Microsoft”. From then on, whenever I saw a computer, I could relate it to “Microsoft”. At that age of consciousness, I was really brainwashed by the idea that nothing else existed aside from Microsoft when it comes to computer technology. It was because people around me were using it whether in school, business establishments, and banks or even at home. It was until my first college year that I knew OpenOffice. When I got to use it, without further thinking, I blurted out that this was nothing compared to Microsoft Word. It was difficult to operate and explore. Obviously, what happened next, I stick with MS. I was not even shocked upon realizing that I felt the same way with my classmates and friends.

By setting the issue in our locality, I can say that MS has excavated a very deep foundation proven by its widely accepted and used applications such as MS Word. People in my generation grew up with Microsoft.

Placing popularity into the rivalry makes proprietary format (Microsoft) the victor by landslide. I know I am being biased with my opinion but I am just taking the matter of what influences me much and what I have known first. Microsoft came first and so obviously I have much to say about it. Perhaps, by reversing the events, let’s say OSS (Open Source Software) happens to come first then I would be saying all these in favor of it.

Hahay!

I am so damned frustrated. It seems that things are turning bad for me. I do not know what's going on? Is it just purely fate or is it the way i take things? Hell.. I really am clueless. I'm really really thinking hard.

I'm being left behind by classmates. The way I see them, they are really busy getting through with their requirements at school. I'm getting really jealous here. I also want to busy myself running for the deadlines exactly just like them. The end of the semester is approaching. AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I feel so helpless at this very moment. Could someone help me??

I don't want to bring frustrations and disappointments to my family. With the unconditional support they are giving me, I can't help but be shameful for what I am achieving right now. Yesterday, I was a nobody! Now, I'm still a nobody.

The wonders of blogging

I only have five minutes left to do this.. hehehe I am about to be evicted at this internet cafe..HEHE

I just want to share this:

Just two hours ago, I accidentally visited a certain NICELY'S blog. I found one great essay written by her entitled "The Internet: A Powerful Tool in Reviving the Positive Image of the Filipina". This piece was really great that I even arrived to the idea of using this to inspire myself in finding a research topic. As apparently, I am still struggling in looking for a research topic for my Research Methods subject.

As i was scanning Nicely's blog I found KC Concepcion's and Bianca Gonzalez' links. In KC's page, I found out that she still longs for freedom in spite of the the beautiful things she is achieving presently. And in Bianca's page, I found this one great great article which i already have posted.

See? The wonders of blogging! It's really amazing!!

Under my fingertips, I was able to catch a glimpse of the perspectives of two famous celebrities. I was able to discover the poem!

You better read this:

TAGUBILIN AT HABILIN
Ni Jose F. Lacaba

Mabuhay ka, kaibigan!
Mabuhay ka!
Iyan ang una't huli kong
Tagubilin at habilin:
Mabuhay ka!

Sa edad kong ito, marami akong maibibigay na payo.
Mayaman ako sa payo.

Maghugas ka ng kamay bago kumain.
Maghugas ka ng kamay pagkatapos kumain.
Pero huwag kang maghuhugas ng kamay para lang makaiwas sa sisi.
Huwag kang maghuhugas ng kamay kung may inaapi
Na kaya mong tulungan.

Paupuin sa bus ang matatanda at ang mga may kalong na sanggol.
Magpasalamat sa nagmamagandang-loob.
Matuto sa karanasan ng matatanda
Pero huwag magpatali sa kaisipang makaluma.

Huwag piliting matulog kung ayaw kang dalawin ng antok.
Huwag pag-aksayahan ng panahon ang walang utang na loob.
Huwag makipagtalo sa bobo at baka ka mapagkamalang bobo.
Huwag bubulong-bulong sa mga panahong kailangang sumigaw.

Huwag kang manalig sa bulung-bulungan.
Huwag kang papatay-patay sa ilalim ng pabitin.
Huwag kang tutulog-tulog sa pansitan.

Umawit ka kung nag-iisa sa banyo.
Umawit ka sa piling ng barkada.
Umawit ka kung nalulungkot.
Umawit ka kung masaya.

Ingat lang.

Huwag kang aawit ng “My Way” sa videoke bar at baka ka mabaril.
Huwag kang magsindi ng sigarilyo sa gasolinahan.
Dahan-dahan sa matatarik na landas.
Dahan-dahan sa malulubak na daan.

Higit sa lahat, inuulit ko:

Mabuhay ka, kaibigan!
Mabuhay ka!
Iyan ang una't huli kong
Tagubilin at habilin:
Mabuhay ka!

Maraming bagay sa mundo na nakakadismaya.
Mabuhay ka.
Maraming problema ang mundo na wala na yatang lunas.
Mabuhay ka.

Sa hirap ng panahon, sa harap ng kabiguan,
Kung minsan ay gusto mo nang mamatay.
Gusto mong maglaslas ng pulso kung sawi sa pag-ibig.
Gusto mong uminom ng lason kung wala nang makain.
Gusto mong magbigti kung napakabigat ng mga pasanin.
Gusto mong pasabugin ang bungo mo kung maraming gumugulo sa utak.

Huwag kang patatalo. Huwag kang susuko.

Narinig mo ang sinasabi ng awitin:
“Gising at magbangon sa pagkagupiling,
Sa pagkakatulog na lubhang mahimbing.”
Gumising ka kung hinaharana ka ng pag-ibig.
Bumangon ka kung nananawagan ang kapuspalad.

Ang sabi ng iba: “Ang matapang ay walang-takot lumaban.”
Ang sabi ko naman: Ang tunay na matapang ay lumalaban
Kahit natatakot.

Lumaban ka kung inginungodngod ang nguso mo sa putik.
Bumalikwas ka kung tinatapak-tapakan ka.
Buong-tapang mong ipaglaban ang iyong mga prinsipyo
Kahit hindi ka sigurado na agad-agad kang mananalo.

Mabuhay ka, kaibigan!
Mabuhay ka!
Iyan ang una't huli kong
Tagubilin at habilin:
Mabuhay ka!

Some Important Open Standards

HTML, HTTP and TCP IP are interconnected in the sense that they are responsible for bringing the web’s accessibility to the users. HTTP is a method used to access the World Wide Web. TCP/IP provides the transport mechanism for sending data across the Internet and HTML specifies the structure and presentation of the web content.

Some important open standards are:

• Transmission Control/Internet Protocol
• Hypertext Transfer Protocol
• Hypertext Markup Language
• Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
• Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions
• Extensible Markup Language
• Portable Network Graphics
• X Window
• Ogg Vorbis
• Open Document

In the Internet, interoperability is very crucial for the reason that end-users are now widely dependent on it (Internet). A part of their daily activities involves accessing the Internet. Take for example in the field of education, students are now using electronic references for research, reports and even assignments. Professors also are presently applying online learning and sometimes acquire their lessons through the web. This and all are resulting from the implementation of open standards.

However, due to the state that there are still dominant vendors setting the standards, some open standards have only achieved the least acceptance from the users. Examples of these are Window System, Ogg Vorbis and Open Document.

Open Standards

Standard as the word suggests could mean that it is mostly accepted and widely used by the industry. Standards are technical specifications that indicate interfaces to facilitate interoperability between different products and services. Interoperability means the ability of two or more systems or components to exchange information that has been exchanged. Interoperability is only among the benefits of having standards. The others lie in creating infrastructure, simplifying development and business development opportunities.

Standards that are publicly accessible are open standards. This is not to be confused with open source. While open standards are technical specifications approved by a concensus-based process, open source software is software that is distributed under an OSS license. Under the research paper of Ken Krechmer, there are ten rights leading to open standards. These are:
1. open meeting
2. consensus
3. due process
4. open IPR
5. one world
6. open change
7. open documents
8. open interface
9. open use
10. on-going support
What I have understood from this is that failure to acquire at least one of these ten rights would defeat the real meaning of open standards. In line with this, six principles form B. Perens are as follows:
1. availability
2. maximum end-user choice
3. no royalty
4. no discrimination
5. ability to create extension
6. ability to prevent predatory prices

According to the author of these principles, these make standards open. In my point view, it creates a lot of sense. In open standards, customers are not locked into a specific vendor. Unlike other technologies or vendors which are demanding for patent licensing fees, open standards do not require implementers of royalty.

Benefits of Open Standards

In this chapter, the benefits of open standards were indicated in various ways with respect to the sectors using it. Its importance in comparison to the proprietary formats was as clear as blue waters. The prevention of vendor lock-in is one of the better results from the usage of open standards. Unlike proprietary standards wherein implementers will soon be tied up with a specific standard, open standards guarantee that a user has the freedom of choosing other specification which they think is best to satisfy their requirements. Considering interoperability, it will be easier for communicating systems with different technologies to communicate since standards are open and known.

Open standards can also be exploited by some vendors who at first claim embracing the usage of these specifications. This doing has EEE as the means. EEE stands for Embrace, Extend, and Extinguish. In the embrace stage, a certain vendor publicly declares of their open standards usage. Subsequently, they make enhancements in the acquired standards. Since claiming that these modifications are done by them, they make it proprietary. This now makes the extend part. In the extinguish stage, due to the popularity achievement of the modified open standard, it now becomes de facto. For the reason that they have made it proprietary, the principles of open standards have been defeated.

Creation of Standards

In the creation of technical standards there are processes that can be followed:
• De jure
• De facto
• Industry-driven

In the process of de jure, a proposal of a new standard is laid by a representative coming from a committee. After this, a draft will be created with the unity of a small group. This draft will then undergo a series of deliberation and modifications until it will be forwarded to the higher body in the organization for examination. Within the examination, if there will be a need for changes in the draft then it will be sent back to the committee for further development. It will undergo the same process until it becomes published as a formal standard as voted by the participating national bodies. Its advantage lies in the fact that since standards are created through a consensus and legal process, its reliability is unquestionable. However, its disadvantageous side would be that it takes two to three years of waiting before publishing the standards. Another is that, to what degree that the user and industry accept the standards with ease.

Second is the de facto process. In here, due to the reason that a certain technology or product is widely embraced by users and the industry this product becomes now a standard. Modifications of the standards are much faster than that of the de jure process for it does not have to wait over long procedures of debates under a consensus body. However, a possible vendor lock-in would arise.

The third one is the industry-driven process. There are organizations formed to develop standards for a specific industry. Example of this is the OASIS, dedicated to set standards in e-commerce. These standards become legitimate international standards when submitted to the international standard setting bodies like the ISO.
Based on my readings, these are some organizations which support open standardization:

• Internet Engineering Task Force
• World Wide Web Consortium
• Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards
• Free Standards Group
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Let Bygones Be Bygones

The days from June went blazingly hot and cold towards September. What?! Needless to say, the end of the semester is now approaching. In this thought, every nerve in my brain was jumping as if ready for an adrenalin rush. Somehow, they were sensitive enough to detect that their master was facing an incoming danger. I started recalling the things that undeniably needed my attention. First of all firsts were my requirements. I began counting numbers and realized I had missed too much. Delayed postings, hanging journals, undecided projects and the elusive research topic made me feel helpless for a moment. I was blaming no one but myself. The culprit, it’s laziness all over again.

Well, I couldn’t think of any person responsible for this. Not even my professors, for they had not let a time slipped in reminding us our obligations. I, for a fact, was a witness on how they encouraged students to participate actively and to always have a close pace with time. Behind this truth, I once accused them of bringing misery into my life. Why, they brought red marks in my passbook when in fact, ever since I took my first steps in learning I never had gotten this shameful blood. Since elementary, I was consistent of having high grades. I may never had experienced being on top but I was recognized for my academic competency. Then I knew how it felt to be a failure. Failure as it was, despite of hard work. I was like an asteroid falling towards the Earth, suddenly crushed by the atmosphere. All that was left were the broken pieces – hard to find and mend. I took it very seriously. Stupid of me! I had almost been dragged by the pressure they were giving us in terms of requirements. They were demanding this and that at specific times. Sometimes, they just couldn’t appreciate efforts. Sometimes, they would only make a fool out of us. This I couldn’t bear. Lastly, it hurt me when it was obvious that they could not avoid comparing students from the other sides of the world. Non-nocturnal versus nocturnal. The one is superior over the other, respectively. I hated them so much that I never wanted to see their faces again.

Whew! That was too much already. The rest was history. But then, history teaches me everything. Much has been said and now it’s time for me to think why I am still here. Despite the struggles, I still consider IC as my second home. I have my professors whom I considered my mentors. Hate turns into admiration, appreciation and respect. I am still at IC because I HAVE PROVEN MYSELF WRONG AND THAT SOMETHING IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR, SOMETHING AS SUCCESS. What is success without failures? What is success without hardships? I have realized that at first, I was just too proud of myself that I became blind from the things ahead. PAMATI! Hehehe For that, I have learned the value of humility.

I have blamed others for my misfortunes when the truth is; I make my own decisions and my own destiny. I am my own enemy.

One very significant lesson that I got from RSG: LAZINESS IS NOT ONLY DEFINED AS DOING NOTHING BUT IT IS ALSO NOT DOING THINGS ON TIME.

September is here, I have to keep moving and get things done before October says hello.