Food, Glorious Food

Throughout most of my childhood, instant noodles would be regular merienda fare. Even in college and my first year of grad school, pancit canton would be my quick go-to meal. But based on the bad reputation that this food item has gained over the years, with or without empirical support (e.g. IQ-lowering MSG and indigestible ingredients), I decided to stop eating it and opt for healthier food choices. Today, I started craving for instant mami because of the cool weather, so I decided to indulge for a bit and cook some up for myself. I went to the kitchen, put water in a pan and grabbed a pack. While waiting for the water to boil, I checked out the nutritional information out of curiosity. Lo and behold, one serving contained about 93% of my daily sodium needs. Back in the food basket it went.

Instead, I opted for some soft-boiled eggs Kopi Roti style. It didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to, so I began searching for copycat recipes. I found none, but ended up reading this awesome food blog instead (which incidentally also had interesting instant noodle recipe suggestions, and a run-in with a company producing such products) and found myself drooling over their recipes. It made me want to cook, become a food blogger, and explore new flavors. All this as a result of my desire to eat healthy and lose weight. It doesn't help too that I belong to this food-loving family, and my own love affair with food will probably never end. Still, I'd like to believe that good food and good health can go together, but I've yet to discover how. There's so much information on the internet that it tends to overwhelm. Any suggestions?

The Ochoa Love Affair with Food

On a totally unrelated note, writing seems to be coming back to me. I can't quite tell whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, since the time I spent writing this was supposed to be spent working on my thesis. Speaking of my thesis, an entry should be in the works for some interesting findings I've uncovered.

{Aaron} In line with this, I have been bitten by the health bug. It all started with a shoot with a magazine for a portrait session with a yoga instructor. And then all of a sudden, I'm doing yoga, eating my veggies and enjoying my new found flexibility. But it all came together recently when I had a food shoot bonanza with an up and coming book series about healthy food that can be easily be done at home. Like this smoked salmon covered scrambled eggs on top of wheat pandesal.

Schooled

It's been five months since the last entry. I think it's time to try to return to this habit (again). My life now revolves around teaching and my thesis, and these two new experiences have broadened my horizons in ways that I didn't expect.

I have wanted to teach since I graduated from high school, though the subjects and students have changed throughout the years. But with my love for psychology, which has intensified over the years, I decided to take concrete steps to share this amazing knowledge with students. With the unexpected opportunities that were given to me, I am now teaching in two institutions close to my heart, and have begun to realize that my romantic notions need some adjustment. This reality check was largely due to my students' performance in their first exam. I had high expectations which most did not meet. These results led me to reflect on what went wrong, and I realized that my experience as a student is probably very far from that of the average student.

Extrinsic Motivation at Its Finest

I went through most of college with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge - learning something new was a source of excitement, I listened to my professors intently, read and highlighted my books and recited like the nerd that I am. Now that I have changed roles in the classroom, it dawned on me that most students do not share this enthusiasm for learning. It may partly be due to the excessively extrinsic focus of many students, i.e., the need to fulfill class requirements to meet a certain grade (high honors for some, just passing for others). But blaming it on them will get me nowhere. Teachers also have a responsibility to instill this love for learning when it is not yet present in their students. Now the challenge lies in figuring this out. Step one probably involves remembering that students have different interests. Integrating all these in the class and going beyond my own interests would be essential. I'm going to have to let go of the things that I consider important and try to focus on what THEY consider important. An exercise in empathy and role-taking is probably in order so that what I teach will be relevant to my students' experiences too.

May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor

As I was working on my related literature on divergent thinking across the life-span, I had stumbled into the heart of my desires as a researcher: to go against the odds that may hinder optimal development. My studies so far in developmental psychology have shown how certain people are a disadvantage in particular domains. Two such groups have been of interest to me in my research this semester: children in poverty and older adults.

You don't need to consult psychological research to know that children growing up poor are at a disadvantage in all developmental domains. They are more likely to be malnourished, have delayed cognitive development, have behavioral problems, and so on. It seems all too easy to conclude that being poor almost makes you doomed. But then we hear of all these rags to riches stories. There are people who manage to overcome their circumstances. As a psychologist, I would like to understand how that happened. I want to look at the elements of their lives, be it parenting practices, education, chance opportunities or what have you. With this discovery, I would also like to maximize these elements so that more people will have a way out.

A similar line of thought comes with research (and daily observations) on aging. We blame age for our forgetfulness and slowing of thought, among others. And yes, it has been found that our neurological structures do experience some degradation as we age. But the beauty of the brain is its plasticity. New connections are formed with novel and complex experiences. And so with research, I would also like to understand what kinds of experiences can help enhance cognition even as we get older. I refuse to believe that old age solely predicts the downward trajectory of human development, and I will not allow that to be an excuse for neglect.

I recognize that these circumstances do present a disadvantage for people. But understanding how exactly these circumstances operate to bring about such outcomes can help turn them around. Recognizing this possibility just makes me want to pursue psychological research even more. I suppose this entry after a relatively long hiatus will serve as a reminder when the task becomes too daunting.

2012

http://xkcd.com/998/

Midway through the past year, I said I'd start writing again, and I did. Unfortunately, I also stopped soon after. Well, not completely. I did write a whole bunch of market research reports and Psych papers, but that wasn't really what I had in mind, since they don't quite fall under the category of writing just because. It's highly likely that this renewed interest in writing is brought about by the new year. Twenty-four (fine, almost 25) years later and I'm still attempting to make resolutions that are likely to be broken soon enough. But part of me believes that things will be different this year. A lot of maturing did take place in 2011. I hope it continues this year. A lot of things are in store, after all.

I said that this blog wouldn't be an excessively personal account. So I'd like to focus on what I started with, the new year. Yes, it's a few days late, but this will have to do. This new year, I seemed to become hyperaware of everyone's zest for facing the new year. On the one hand, I may have become more observant with increased Psych experience. On the other hand, it just might be an actual spike in people's declarations about the past year and the year ahead. You have to wonder why so many people are making such a big deal about it. January 1, 2012 pretty much just felt like any other tomorrow to December 31, 2011. Nothing drastic happened with the addition of one to 2011. But I think as people, we're all suckers for new beginnings, with the chance to start over. It's highly likely that it's all just in our heads. The number of unfulfilled resolutions can probably attest to that.

But then you also have data (I use the term loosely as I have no specific sources cited) on the spike in breakups and resignations in January. So yes, some people really do start over at the start of the new year. And yes, even if many of our resolutions remain as resolutions for the following year (and n number of years after that), the fact that we are making resolutions means that we are stopping to examine ourselves. But really, this ought to take place more frequently than just a yearly basis. Each day, after all, is a new beginning. If every new day were treated like a new year, maybe we can see more good changes happening.

http://thingsweforget.blogspot.com/2011/12/782-happy-new-year.html

Just Press Pause

Today I learned how to press life's proverbial pause button. Believe me, this is no easy feat for someone addicted to productivity. The decision to rest and do non-required, non-social things like reading a book or blogging as I do now is often accompanied by guilt. To make matters worse, it is now the last stretch of the semester, and I have loads of requirements to accomplish. It seemed like the worst time to rest. Or so I have gotten used to to believing.

My tasks for the next three weeks had already been laid out on my calendar. And I realized that I could keep my work (at least the independent, academic kind) out of my Sundays. As a living, breathing human being, rest is necessary, and doing enjoyable things once in a while is actually healthy.

Ah yes, enjoyable activities. This brings to mind our class discussion last year on Positive Psychology. There is a distinction between pleasurable and enjoyable activities. More often than not, the former brings about instant rewards that have no lasting impact on the person. The latter involves growth and learning, and actually contribute to one's well-being. Put that way, I guess doing enjoyable activities while resting isn't as bad as I make it out to be. It's definitely a lot better than the (too many) hours I've wasted on Facebook and Twitter, and playing (the ridiculously addictive) Bejeweled.

Since I've been talking about rest and slowing down, here's a nice read on starting your day slowly (just pardon the typos, grammar Nazis).

Now I shift my topic completely to something that often bothers me about our country: our lack of collective self-esteem. I ended my last entry (which was much too long ago) mentioning this in passing, but a recent class discussion has made me reflect on it further. Interestingly, that discussion was triggered by a classmate's mention of talangka mentality. My professor, being an active advocate of Sikolohiyang Pilipino was quick to denounce the use of such a term. According to her, this stereotype is damaging to the Filipino psyche (as most stereotypes are) and is in fact a misnomer. If you look at a basket of crabs, they will appear to be pushing others down in order to get up. But in reality, they are helping each other up, as eventually none of the crabs will be left behind. The analogy was a great way to shatter that stereotype. But there are many more Filipino stereotypes that need to be shattered. The sad thing is that we are the ones responsible our own culture's propagation of such negative attitudes and behaviors. With this, we fail to realize the greatness that we are capable of, and settle for what we think we deserve.

Perhaps that last sentence goes for your pursuit of your own dreams too, whatever they may be. (I just might be speaking to myself, more than anyone else. I think it's time to work on that application.)

Schadenfreude

Observations from the past two days have spurned my interest in the idea of schadenfreude. First, I had attended a workshop with elementary public school kids yesterday, and I noticed that they were very quick to laugh at and point out others' mistakes. Then today, I woke up to several videos and a Facebook page lambasting an individual for driving his car into a flood. Of course, these two events have different underlying mechanisms involving different sets of individuals, but both involve reveling in the misfortune of others, aka schadenfreude.

So I did a quick search on schadenfreude, and it seems that research on this focuses a lot on the disgrace of people of a higher status, and in terms of in-group vs. out-group. This gives some light to the second issue that I had mentioned. The person involved is a UP Law student, and allegedly graduated summa cum laude. I also remember seeing him campaigning for different USC positions during my undergrad years, but I did not personally know him. Given this background, it seems his status as a person of high academic achievement actually did him more harm than good. People are feasting on the idea that someone who should be so smart did something so ridiculous. Admittedly, driving one's car into a flood and blaming the MMDA for not giving a warning does not seem to make much sense. But to a certain extent, the latter action seems to be self-preservation at work. It's a very human reaction to one's own mistakes. As to the reaction to another's mistakes, this incident had been taken to a whole different level.

I am not absolving myself of schadenfreude. Sure, I snicker once in a while or judge someone under my breath over some error or another. And yes, I may also discuss such events with my friends and have a good laugh over them. But this is not what took place in the past two days. This person's mistake was made a much too public matter, possibly damaging the person's reputation and psyche in the process. I'm trying to avoid blame these days, but I think that GMA should have also been more responsible in their decision to air that interview. That, paired with the lack of controls on the internet was a sure recipe for disaster.

The case of the public school children I observed calls for a different perspective on schadenfreude. These children not only belong to a lower socioeconomic class, but were also handpicked by their teachers as problematic students. They belong to very large families, and go to a school with similarly populous classes. Perhaps their wrongdoings are much too frequently pointed out by their parents and teachers, and their accomplishments rarely noticed. With that kind of modeling, combined with the desire for attention within the environments that make them almost invisible, they too have become quick to point out others' wrongdoings. I know, it's an oversimplified statement of things. Maybe more local research has to be done on this to clearly lay out the variables that come into play.

On a final note, it's saddening that such a tendency to highlight others' mistakes is stereotyped as a Filipino characteristic, calling it talangka mentality. But in fact, it is humanity that is afflicted by this condition in varying degrees. What a contradiction we make as we are so quick to point out our own weaknesses as a people, including the one that puts the spotlight on the frailties of others. Why not try to pay more attention to the positive instead?

One of the Boys

Contrary to initial expectation, school didn't make me do any more (non-required) writing. But today's discussion on gender in my Social, Emotional and Personality Development class prompted me to do some reflection and writing.

I was reminded of the important distinction among gender identity (identifying yourself as male or female), gender expression (the extent of your masculinity or femininity) and sexual orientation (your preference for a partner of the opposite or same sex). It's fairly easy to answer where one stands on the first and the third, but lines are extremely blurred for the second concept. It depends both on your understanding of yourself, combined with your standards and society's expectations of masculinity and femininity.

Taking these into account, I would classify myself as androgynous. I believe that I display both feminine and masculine characteristics, but I find it more interesting to examine how that happened. Family influences are most obvious - after all, it's a running joke that there are five Ochoa boys in this family (when, as you might know, there are three biological females). The basketball hoop that we have at home wasn't set up for my brothers. It was initially installed for my sister and me. We're also extremely competitive and achievement-oriented. At a personal level, I never owned a Barbie doll, asked Santa for remote control cars, and was (and sometimes still is) fondly considered by my dad as his little boy. Until now, dressing like a girl requires conscious effort, and I am still incapable of putting on (full) make-up. I'm starting to suspect that we were prenatally exposed to high normal levels of testosterone.

Now on a totally unrelated note, you have to watch Discovery Channel's octopus documentary. Apparently, this under appreciated species (save for Paul the Octopus) is capable of observational learning. Who knew that Bandura's modeling extends even to such a seemingly simplistic species? Even cooler is the octopus' neural structure. Apparently, they have a master brain and eight sort of mini-brains on each tentacle, with each acting as a hub of neurons. Anyway, my descriptions don't do justice to the documentary. Watch it for yourself and be amazed!

PS The video isn't from the documentary, but shows some of what I'm talking about.

1 + 1

This blog was created to maintain a habit of writing and reflection. Unfortunately, it's been more of the latter than the former for me. But I have a feeling there will be more output soon since classes have begun, and I have loads and loads of new information to process everyday. I had a moment of insanity and decided to take 14 units of graduate classes this sem, so three hours of every weeknight will be spent in a classroom. Exciting! Anyhoo.

Today was my assessment class, and our topic was about establishing rapport with the child you're assessing. What was particularly striking for me was this: you have to know yourself well, and become aware of your perceptions and biases towards children to assess them effectively. And as we discussed last week, assessment must go beyond diagnosing, and should have a higher purpose of bringing about improvements to achieve one's optimal development. With such an undertaking, it's also important that one remember and understand developmental psych concepts. This brings me to today's focus on synergy.

Crazy workload aside, this semester seems to be an emphasis on synergy. I realize that all the things that I have learned so far, and everything that I will learn this coming semester can actually come together and paint a bigger picture. I'm actually excited to refine my knowledge of research and assessment methods this sem. The practical value of the things that they teach at the graduate level is something that I appreciate immensely. Yes, this sem will be crazy, but probably the most exciting one yet.

Stop, look and listen.

Shooting Blind from UWE Bristol Media Practice on Vimeo.

A few days ago I chanced upon a documentary about the Paralympics. How the English athletes were preparing for their moment of glory and triumph. Thing is, for me they are winning everyday. One of these athletes is Elizabeth Johnson. Seen here in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic games.

 Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images AsiaPac)

Looking at her, she's a happy kid. Flashing her smile and her gold medal. See her swim and you would see that she doesn't have the usual stroke. Thing is, she has Cerebral Palsy. Our friend wiki defines CP as: Cerebral palsy (CP) is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive,^[1][2] non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement


In one of the scenes in the documentary we see her trying so hard to pick up a pen. For most of the population, picking up a pen requires no thought at all and its just a matter of seeing it and taking it. 
But for her, it requires an intense amount of focus and determination. In the same documentary, there's a part of it about the England Blind Football team that competed in the 2010 cup. I never knew there was even such a team much less a league. 


What I learned from these athletes is that getting up is winning. I learned to value what I can do even more. I learned that trying things is a victory in itself. I read that Nietzsche had this term "Self mastery". He says that we owe it to ourselves to know every bit of ourselves.  

More Please

Today was supposed to be Day 1 as a full time student, but my class didn't push through. Because I had to wait for color coding to pass, I decided to watch the few TED Talks that I had in my iPod. The talk that struck me was called Addicted to Risk by Naomi Klein, which you can watch here.

While watching this, I felt somewhat ashamed of being part of the human species. Yes, I am guilty of exploiting the world's resources with the illusion that there's more than enough to go around anyway. When it comes to my personal resources, I often worry that I do not have enough for me to survive on. I can't quite maintain the same attitude towards shared resources. Of course, it wouldn't be very healthy to worry endlessly about anything. But we would be doing our planet a favor by at least keeping in mind that the day will come when it can no longer give us more when we demand too much of it. I have no right to be preachy about this, of course. I've yet to give up eating beef or start commuting everyday. But a more conscious effort has to be made. I know I want my kids to live long and still see the beauty that this world has to offer. Hopefully, their generation can also take better care of their home.