No Cheating,Please!

                    By Vic Odarve

His head seems to turn at 360 degrees, eyes wandering a mile from his own paper, and scribbled mnemonics/writings on his hands or crib sheets hidden somewhere on the body before entering the examination rooms. This is truly an act of cheating during quizzes and examinations … a headache to all college and university professors! No cheating, please!

Examination Period-African University

Like a player on the basketball court, the student turns his head looking for an opening where he could copy for any answers for the exam. When the watcher/proctor attention is on the other students he quickly twisted his head for the opportunity. With a sort of connivance /understanding from his neighbors, he can receive a piece of papers containing exam answers/information. But when caught by the watchers, he had plenty of alibis/allegations for why he does so despite that there can be serious consequences to cheating if caught.

But there are students do not twist their heads; instead, keep their eyes staring at the other sheets from their neighbors. Like a hovering eagle, their eyes are sharp and moving like a drone. When the teacher came, the students are looking at the wall or eyes on the ceiling appearing to recall something. Because students have nothing to write they are doing these maneuvers. By all indications, these are cheating.

 

Math Professor

Majority of the students employed the old methods of cheating. Scribbled mnemonics/writings on her hands or crib sheets hidden somewhere on the body before entering the examination rooms are prevalent. These hand writings appear to contain a cryptic message that they themselves could only decipher and understand. Moreover, these writings are somewhat invisible unless you look them closely.

Lately, we found that some students are ‘extremely inventive’, with the use of their mobile /smartphones devices, and different types of electronics to help them prosper. These devices have memory cards that can store formulas, charts, and solutions. But, at any rate, these can be easily checked and usually not allowed during the exams.

Almost all schools do not relax and always remind their students that there can be serious consequences to cheating if caught during examinations. Some universities even took an extra measure to ensure that no cheating would occur during the exam. They used a drone to supervise the students during the exam; while others employed various cameras placed inside the exam hall to capture every movement of the students even when they whispered to each other.

Old generations did not do cheating during exams

Whether cheating is resorted to because of the pressure to pass the exams and too much to memorize for the coverage to study, it still a venture not pleasing to our Creator. The first chapter of Malachi says God was disappointed in the priests because they were cheating on their job. God goes on to tell the cheating priests, “My name shall be great among the nations. But you dishonor it, saying that my altar is not important, and encouraging people to bring cheap, sick animals to offer to me on it.” Malachi 1:6-14

Whatever the forms of cheating that one may be involved, be it in the classroom or in the government offices, it is not pleasing to the eyes of the Creator.

This practice — along with our country’s all-pervasive culture of corruption — have been largely blamed for the cheating practices unchecked during their college days. As a result, this country is poor and more of its women working as OFW's are slaves in the foreign lands. Lately, the ABS CBN, the country’s largest network and the epicenter of the Lopez empire, did manipulative tax evasion scheme that is more than a picture that my students' cheating have done. Even some of the congressmen and senators, supposed to be the guardians against corruptions, did an insidious action to cover up and support the corrupt network.

For my students, no cheating, please!

Flor and her Abusive Husband

                                       By Vic Odarve

Flor thought that she wore the best dress going to a Christmas party but to her dismay when her husband saw her, she was devastated. “If you go out dressed like that, I will not go to the party anymore. Go by yourself”, her husband warned her in an angry voice.   There was also a time that while she and the children were watching television late and it was a little loud because the volume button was not working well, her husband came out from his room and stared to the children and snapped his belt. The children ran to their room for they knew what it meant. Afterward, he leaned over Flor and said, “Don’t do that loud again or else…!?” Flor also revealed that when Max was drunk, he pushed her to the wall, and punched her in the face due to argument “A few years back, he nearly broke my arm and I suffered an excruciating pain over my body”, recalled Flor. 

Pulp and Paper Mill

Flor was a typical village girl born from a conservative and religious family. She met Max from one of the universities in Cebu through her cousin. The encounter blossomed into a romantic affair during her visit in their Max province of Bohol. Ultimately, they got married in 1978. She believed that Boholanos are always romantic, loving, and caring. She did not experience any abuse until she got wedded to Max. At the start, she thought that every marriage couple was having the same problem and can be resolved later in their relationship. But later, she experienced something unpleasant feeling against Max. She developed a feeling of hatred and scared while sleeping together in a bed.

 One day while working in a paper company as an office secretary, she felt having a heart problem. But after medical check -up, the doctor informed her a negative result. Thinking that it might be his working environment in a pulp and paper company as the culprit, she urged her husband to settle in the province at their parents’ house and left the company for good. Fortunately, her husband got a job in Saudi Arabia as an engineer, and she was left with her three sons at Max’s parent’s house

Flor - A Picture of Loneliness

 While Max was away, her traumatic experience constantly haunting her memory. Then one day in the year 1995 she met and confided everything to her lifelong friend Judith about her married life. It was then she learned that she has been verbally abuse by her husband. She also learned that she could file a case to her husband which carry a penalty of prison up to 10 years. It was then that she informed Max on everything about her action to live separately from that time on; otherwise, he would file a case and put him in prison. But because her youngest daughter still in schooling, she decided not to push through the case. The dreamy blue eyes of Max she loved to stare before now becomes a cold and sending daggers. 

Since then, every time her husband made a vacation, and until his retirement after 28 years working in Saudi Arabia, she had tried to avoid close meeting with each other. At present, Max lived in an extension room of their house managing their electrical hardware store and Flor at their main building together with their children. There was a time that he forced himself to enter the room, but Flor turned hysterical such that her youngest daughter came to her immediately. Max thought that she got lost her mind and did not do it again or else will be imprisoned.

Flor did not experience benefit dance

Almost ten years from now, both are avoiding seeing each other. Their children knew already. Although they remain in the same house, living under the same roof as husband and wife, even though both know that they do not feel as happy or loved as the couple must be. Now both are already seniors. Today, Max concentrates on his electrical business and staying at the stores (house extension) while Flor at their main house. With the help from her friend Gloria, Flor was able to work as one of the professional singers of the music bar in one of the establishments in the city and hope to enjoy the concluding remaining years of her life with her children. 

Likened to a world as one big prison yard, victims of marital abuse may suffer the long-term effects psychologically and sometimes physically. Because of traumatic experience, the relationship lost its original splendor while they were still a sweetheart and replaced by hurt and despair like the slings and arrows being hurled by each other. Obsessive, sadistic, abusive husbands have no place in our society, and whoever is doing it may end up in jail. 

Flor was one of the many women who stay married to unhappy husbands, abusive partners, indifferent men, and unloving spouses! It is painful and difficult. The Bible clearly described that the picture of the proper marital relationship is mutual, reciprocal, and all happiness involved are freely entered into by both partners.

Aircon Wastewater Twofold the Squash Production

          By Vic Odarve

By accident, the dripping wastewater from an air conditioner produced a twofold squash production. The flowering plant grew robust with no specific need of fertilizers. With little attention to care or cultivation, it bore more fruits as compared to the conventional method of cultivation. Because of its phenomenal fruit bearing production, it always gave delight to our longtime neighbors and distinguished visitors. Unknown to many, it was just a wastewater from the air conditioner that boosted the production to double.

Wastewater dripping from aircons

 The squash grew strong, robust, and healthy that its stems unusually produced plenty of branches like an enormous web that stretched out in all directions. Since it belongs to a vine family, the branches climbed to a nearby plant overcrowding other ornamental exotic decorative vegetation. The dark green coloring leaves differed significantly from the cultivated squash nearby which were being mostly yellowish in color. It undoubtedly appeared that the dripping wastewater from the air conditioner was rich in key nutrients and adequately supported its growth. 

Because of its rapid growth and robust development, there was little attention for extensive cultivation or care as to weeding or controlling grass growth. Its numerous stems and established branches dominated the lush landscape such that it produced plenty of fruits during the harvest season resulting in a doubled production.

The plant was impressive to look at. Notwithstanding neighbors and visitors in our neighboring community who once visited the back side of my room quarter could not believe in what they were witnessing. Squash, the exotic fruit of flowering vines of the genus Cucurbita, grew amazingly right beside in our room window where water droplets from our air conditioner were carefully disposed.

Dear mother nature convincingly demonstrated that wastage from an air conditioner was not a considerable waste at all. It was just enough to water the flowering plant and adequately support the required nutrients. It was just a mere accident that we discovered the secrets of doubling the squash production! From an incredible waste of our air conditioner, a squash production was twofold!