Ika Mo, Wika?

Ano ang gagawin mo kung biglang sinabi sa harapan mo na sa kasalukuyan, mayroon kang katangiang 'di kanais-nais? Malaki ang posibilidad na ikaw ay magtataka, magtatanong, o 'di kaya'y magagalit. Masakit malamang mayroon kang katangiang 'di kanais-nais. (Isipin mo kung sinabi sa harapan mong wala kang nagawang matino sa buong buhay mo.) Sa aking palagay, ang una mong gagawin ay itanggi ang pagkakaroon nito. Kasunod nito, maaaring tirahin mo rin ang pagkatao ng taong nagsabi nito, sapagkat may isinawalat nga naman siyang 'di sana nalaman nang ibang tao. Magtatanong ka rin kung bakit nga naman sinabi pa iyon sa iyo, gayong 'di nga namang kailangan.

Eh paano kung may katotohanan dito? Paano kung karapatan ng taong ito na isiwalat ito? Paano kung, masama man ang paraan nang pagkakagawa, ay kailangan din naman pala talaga itong sabihin, dahil kapag nalaman mo na ito'y may magagawa ka pa upang ayusin ito?

Sa usaping mga naganap sa wika noong nakaraang buwan, nasabihan nga ba lamang tayo nang ayaw nating marinig, nang isang personang ninais na rin nating gantihan?

Nagbunga rin ang pangyayari ng napakaraming sulating bumatikos sa taong ninais nga lang naman ay umpisahan muli ang diskurso ukol sa wikang Pilipino; nakapagpapabagabag sapagkat ginamit ang pagkakataon ng ilan upang iangat lamang ang estadong sosyal at ipagmukhang maalam ang sarili hinggil sa usapin. Maihahambing ito sa isang pulitikong sasakyan ang isang isyu, at sisigaw nang "Karapatan: adbokasiya ko ang karapatang pantao, pambabae, at panghayop."

Sa usaping ito, ang pagganti sa akusasyong "Ang pangit mo," nang "Ang panget mo rin, at ng nanay mo, at wala kang pinag-aralan," ay mukhang maraming sinasabi 'di lamang sa pagkatao nang nagsabi, kundi roon sa nasabihan din. Nababagabag ako sa ating komunidad.

BLAG

Hi! I have been really busy for the past few months. This semester is my Accounting semester, and it has been taking time away from blogging. I've been a really inconsistent blogger, mostly because I only insist to write about things I feel strongly about. I know our country has a lot to offer in terms of controversial and disturbing stories, but sometimes trying to process these things can feel tiring, especially when you get them all the time.

Pero! Here's some good news! I'm gonna take this chance to thank Candy Magazine for making me one of the judges for their Candy Blog Awards this year. This is my second time judging, and I have been losing sleep over trying to choose the best blog for each category. They are all so good! In all honesty, all the time and effort these bloggers put into their own blogs makes me want to write regularly again. But as it is, I'm still a semi-regular blogger, and I hope that the quality of my posts can make up for their meager number.

One great thing I realized about blogging is that it cannot only be a simple diary. I was talking to my good friend yesterday, and she told me how keeping a blog with all your feelings and sentiments about the day that was, no matter how useless it was, can be looked upon by some as online trash that nobody really cares about. That is one extreme opinion, but it also has a point. Bloggers can sometimes be too self-centered, and the quality of their posts can be ruined. They might as well write their thoughts in their own private journals, to protect the public identity of their blog (if there ever existed such a protection).

Blogs are for everyone, and the most celebrated blogs are reader-centered. Just like commercial websites, magazines, and other forms of media, blogs are also sought for because they offer good entertainment, new knowledge, and brilliant ideas which readers find useful in their own lives. Looking through these finalists' blogs lets me see the varying degrees of this 'reader-centered-ness.' Some blogs try to convey their messages through pictures, while some do through their witty writing. Funny blogs seem to have many visitors too, and have earned their own following. If you're an Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles fan, you might want to take a look at nonoyforpresident.blogspot.com.(That's Nonoy Baclao. Don't mistake him for the Noynoy who's really running for president.) It's funny, especially if you're into the UAAP! tunaynalalake.blogspot.com has earned its own share of readers too. These blogs know what message they want to deliver. Magaling eh.

So I challenge you to blog in your own time too. Your other-centered brilliance is in demand. You can be a man for others through blogging too.

Happy Independence Day Boxing Country

Today, I was able to watch a Manny Pacquiao documentary on ANC. It was fairly short, and in the short time it was aired, Manny Pacquiao's beginnings as a boxer was given attention, along with his latter wins, and intention to enter politics. The docu was supplemented by boxing analysis and an interview from Pacquiao himself. The video was simply made, and the facts were laid out with no other purpose but to inform viewers about our most successful sports champion to date, perhaps as part of the Independence Day Celebrations of the news channel.

Documentaries like these are normal to the Filipino eye, but what may be real eye candy for some is watching the HBO 24/7 pre-fight documentaries about Pacquiao and his upcoming opponents. This well-produced series covers Pacquiao's training process (along with his opponent), with the purpose of hyping up the upcoming competition. With this purpose, it is ordinary to see thousands of boxing and training clips, backed up by string music from an orchestra, and brave statements from each of the boxing camps. For anyone enthusiastic about boxing (or for anyone into making film), these documentaries are truly well-made, and have beautifully combined information with excitement.

My attention was caught by the beginning of each 24/7 documentary, wherein the each of the boxers' lands of origin are given attention. For Manny Pacquiao's homeland, our beloved Philippines, beautiful shots of General Santos City and Manila were made, pretty much composed of farmland, kids, and slums beneath the urban jungle. I felt pity (mostly because that was how the viewers were supposed to respond to the treatment of that segment) as it was implied by the voice-over narration that Pacquiao came from a really poor family, and that he had to struggle his way to success, and that there little chance of even entertaining the thought of international success as an ordinary Filipino, but Pacquiao was able to reach his present status; today, Pacquiao is worshipped like a god.

Lennox Lewis said the same thing in Pacquiao's Time 100 feature this year (http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894410_1894289_1894356,00.html). "Manny has connected with the people of his home... where he's almost like a god." Truly, Manny Pacquiao's victories have brought national pride and happiness, but as a Filipino, I don't think I ever came to think about imagining him the way Lewis thinks Pacquiao has connected with us.

I understand that these may be statements made to glorify Manny Pacquiao's success through the years. However, when we read write-ups about him and watch different videos concerning his notable career, the 3rd world state of the Philippines, and how it is hard to succeed here, always seems to be the literary and artistic choice for emphasizing this success. It feels like comparing white against a dark shade, just to see how bright white can be. When reading these things from outside the Philippines, I just feel that somehow, these want to make me think that Manny Pacquiao is bigger than his own country.

There's nothing wrong with what's happening. It is perfectly alright for Manny Pacquiao to be where he is. I just feel we have to be aware that for this ebony-ivory device to work in the write-ups abroad, Manny Pacquiao's status has to remain larger than his country. It is important for us to be aware of this in order to note that Manny Pacquiao's success needs to be acknowledged not as the point of real salvation for our country, but only as a big step towards it. The reason most probably that Muhammad Ali's success before as a boxer was never glorified in a Pacquiao sort of way was that America already had so many other famous successes to speak of, and that Ali's was not entirely new, despite his numerous attempts at calling himself "The Greatest."

We have to thank Manny Pacquiao for giving us so much recognition abroad. But we have to be real and true and accept that while his success is also our success, he has every right to claim it, and people outside the Philippines are still free to think that the country is Pacquiao's ebony. Pacquiao's success is an open call to Filipinos to do what we never knew before was possible. With a good outlook for the Filipino future, these literary devices of contrasting great Filipinos against a pitiful Philippines may eventually be ineffective.

Nagkakaroon na ng Bagong Identidad ang Pilipinas

Alec Baldwin. Tama ba ang ispeling? Alam niyo ba, sa ngayon, hanggang picture na lang ang makikita natin sa kaniya, kasi, blacklisted siya dito sa ating mahal na Pilipinas? Nagbiro kasi siya nang masama ukol sa mga Filipina mail-order wives, na bawal daw. Nabawasan siya ng mapupuntahan sa mundo, ang Pilipinas. Kawawa naman siya, hindi niya mapupuntahan ang napakagandang bayan natin.

Sa sobrang kagandahan ng ating bansa, at ng mga nilalang dito, nang magkaroon dati ng isang linya sa palabas na Desperate Housewives na “Can I just check those diplomas because I just want to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines,”  hiningi na naman ng maraming Pilipino (at siyempre, hindi nawala ang political grandstanding) na humingi ng paumanhin ang produksyon ng palabas na ito.  Nakasasakit kasi eh.

Sa totoo lang, ang pinakanakagawa ng ingay na may kinalaman sa pagkakakilala sa mga Pilipino sa mundo ay ang ginawa ni Chip Tsao, isang Tsino, na pagsusulat ukol sa pagiging land of servants ng Pilipinas. Natural, maraming diskusyon muli ang naganap, sa napakarilag na Pilipinas.  

Hindi lang iyan, sa Baguio mismo, persona non grata na raw si Candy Pangilinan, isang Pilipina rin, sa kaniyang pagsabi na tao siya at hindi Igorot (at mukhang nagkamali lang naman siya sa pagsasabi ng gusto niya talagang sabihing 'di naman gaano kasakit). 

Nakikita ko na mula sa libel ng mga rehiyon hanggang sa pakikitungo sa ibang bansa (basta may kinalaman sa media), parang napaka-kritikal ng mga mamamayan sa ating bansa, lalo na ang mga may boses sa lipunan. Kaunting 'di umano'y pagyurak sa pagkatao ng Pilipino, umaaray na, nag-iingay, at humihingi ng paumanhin.

Pagkatapos mapanood ng mundo ang Slumdog Millionaire, siguradong mas maraming nasabing kababuyan na ikagagalit ng India ang nakararaming mamamayan ng mundo. Marami rin namang mail-order wives na hindi Pilipiino. Marami rin namang doktor na hindi magaling na hindi Pilipino. Sa mga servant o katulong, marami ring Espanyol, Amerikano, o hindi kaya'y mga Aprikano.  Totoo rin namang may istatwang Igorot.

Ang pipikon ng mga Pilipino. Iyan marahil ang sunod na maipipintas sa atin, at siguradong susulat na naman tayo para humingi sila ng paumanhin.

Relaks lang kasi. National identity is nourished INSIDE the nation.

Ang Panitikan, Jologs at Sosyal

Kagabi, nagbasa ako ng isang bahagi ng librong Katha ni Soledad Reyes ukol sa panitikang Filipino. May binanggit doon na may ilang uri ng kulturang popular na hindi agad tinanggap bilang bahagi ng sinasabing "panitikan." Kabilang sa mga nabanggit ang pelikula, ang komiks, mga dulang pangtelebisyon, at mga programa sa radyo. Isa sa mga unang nabanggit na dahilan ng hindi agarang pagtanggap sa mga ito bilang panitikan ay "walang puwang sa kurikulum ang pag-aaral ng kulturang popular." Kulang ang mga batayan para sa masusing pag-aaral noong mga panahong ito, kaya hindi natanggap ang mga ito bilang bahagi ng panitikang Filipino. Nabanggit din na sa elitistang pananaw ng marami, mababa ang tingin sa mga komiks at pelikula. Subalit hindi raw malinaw ang mga batayang "high-brow" at "low-brow" na ito, at napaka-subhetibo. May mga binanggit na ilang akda at likhang dati'y itinuring na pang-masa (sa negatibong konotasyon), na ngayon ay bahagi na ng "mas matalinong" kamalayang Pilipino.

Kahit ano naman ang mangyari, sapagkat ang panitikan ay maituturing na salamin ng buhay, gaano man ito ka-panget o ka-ganda sa ating paningin, ito ay may tunay na halagang magaggamit. Nakaiirita man o nakaaaliw na pakinggan para sa iba ang pagbirit ni Manny Pacquiao sa radyo ng "Filipino ang lahi ko!" sumasalamin ito sa kaniyang kasalukuyang kasikatan, at kung anu-ano pang maituturing na mapa ng panitikan at kulturang Pinoy sa kasalukuyan. Iba-iba ang pagtrato sa panitikan sa bawat panahon, at sa aking palagay, nagbibigay ang mga pagtratong ito ng magandang kulay sa ating lipunan.

Subalit, makulay man ang iba-ibang pananaw ukol sa kulturang popular, ang subhetibong elitistang pananaw ay nakakukulong. Karaniwan, iniisip ng elitista na kapag may taong mahilig sa Pinoy shobis, jologs siya, at hindi marunong tumingin ng tunay na art. May ilang taong matatawag na music snobs, sapagkat pinipilit nilang tanggalin sa kanilang mga buhay ang anumang musikang popular, at pinipiling makinig sa musikang tingin nila ay hindi kilala, mas trip ng kritiko, at mas aral. Sa kahit anong panahon, ang ganitong klaseng pag-iisip ay naging batayan ng katayuan sa lipunan. Kung jologs ka, Wowowee at mga mall show ng paboritong artista ang hilig mo. Kung sosyal ka, Gossip Girl ang hilig mo, Art Gallery ang lakaran mo, at Makati ang first or second home mo. Bawal maging sosyal ang taong walang alam sa tunay na 'culture.' Nakakukulong 'di ba? Upang makilala mo kung ano ka sa lipunan, parang may mga nakalathala nang mga dapat mong kahiligan at ayawan? Mahirap.

Pero siguro, puwede rin namang mamili mula sa dalawang mundo. Best of both worlds, ika nga. Hindi naman yata mahalaga ang iniisip ng iba, basta wala kang sinasaktan, at nananatili kang masaya. Minsan lang siguro talaga, sa ating pakikipagkapwa-tao, sunod lang tayo nang sunod sa daloy. Gaya ng isang likhang pampanitikan, kung trip mo ang 'jologs' ngayon at kamumuhian ka ng mga mayayaman na iyan, huwag mag-alala. Uunlad din ang pag-iisip ng marami balang araw, at magiging katanggap-tanggap ka rin. Iyon ay kung mahalaga pa iyon. 

Pulis Patola

Yes, the incident involving Ted Failon's family has reached epic proportions. But the policemen are as lamentable.

Recently, police representatives have been defending themselves against their bad, "pulis patola" image. They requested media practitioners to give more exposure to "good" policemen, with the hopes of improving their image, and hopefully, public trust.  They requested writers of teleseryes to avoid including pulis patolas (or even funny, or bad policemen) in their shows. I personally hated this, for I believe that these policemen have NEVER (or very rarely) done their part to improve their own images, aside from the fact that artistic expression is prevented from flourishing. Most are still bundat (or big-bellied, despite the existence of a "slimming down" project a few years back). Most are still kotong cops. Makati police wait at night for motorists to terrorize (they run in front of your car to block your path, then try to accuse you of a traffic violation. It happened to us. Good thing we evaded them. Balony.). I never felt they respected the good portrayal by media.

Today, as I watch the news, I see policemen arresting Ted Failon's housemates and his wife's family members. I see a lawyer shrieking for justice, as the househelpers' rights to a lawyer before anything happens should have happened. I see police officers in their desks more eloquent than usual, explaining crime progress. I see a policeman in glasses screaming at Ted Failon's brother in law, ordering arrest, for apparently "obstructing justice' by exerting force to stop the police from arresting his siblings. No warrants.  "Obstruction of Justice" has never sounded more like an excuse to go on an arresting spree. I heard a speculation that Ted Failon was a critic of that certain police branch (or maybe the police in general).

The pulis patolas are on live TV. The teleseryes did not have to do their part. 

Only in The Philippines?

On the way home from Ateneo, I was listening to the evening news through the car radio. The news that caught my attention involved that of a certain former government official who is now being called to testify in front of the senate regarding his alleged anomalous release of funds to government officials not necessarily involved with the goals of that fund. What really got me wondering was not the fact that there was news about possible committed corruption (What's new?), but the statement of a well-known senator (known to be corrupt, but bluntly proven) for the former government official;on TV, he advised the former government official to stop "prolonging the agony," and to start testifying already, as if he, the well-known senator, himself was a righteous man (He may actually be.).

That piece of news just got my attention, but I am not condemning that certain senator for saying that. It is his job to say that, since he is also tasked to do investigations. However, what keeps me bothered is the fact that politicians we usually carelessly brand as corrupt seem to investigate each other on a regular basis already. I wonder what comes to the minds of political investigators when they interview anomalous people. I mean, if they were corrupt too, then they would probably be laughing at the anomalous person they were interviewing for being stupid enough to be caught. We rarely end up proving that a lot of governement officials in the Philippines are corrupt, or have stolen a tremendous amount of money, but we always seem to know, based on rumors, and news of this and that person "allegedly" stealing this and that amount for this or that invalid project. Sometimes, we do not have to prove that someone is bad to know if a system is bad, or dangerous. 

But how the heck did our country end up to be like this? The government functions very much like a company, and we can think of it as the central company that takes care of all major transactions that will benefit the Filipino citizen, its customer and major shareholder. If this company alone is known to be corrupt in itself, then all other companies, or systems attached to it (like the different sectors), are bound to be corrupt in a degree equal to, or less than that of the central government. Therefore, we can say that in our own different work places, like show business or the simple common corporate set-up, different forms of corruption are already present, and they are not limited to stealing money by way of bent transactions. If you noticed, in the Philippines, only the powerful elite help their own kind, and most of the developing kind (those striving to improve their lives immensely) have to struggle against crab mentality, and having to meet the right people at the right time to help them out. Don't we all just wish that our own workplaces felt like school, wherein working hard almost usually meant getting the better grade, and hopefully the better future? PR was not the make or break skill then, but now, the motto seems to be "Who you know will best help you and your company."

As a student nearing the end of my student life, I keep praying not to be eaten up by the damaged culture in my own future workplace, if ever that damaged culture shows up. When we all end up having to decide against our own integrity for what may seem to look better for our own careers, do we succumb to temptation? Seeing that the damaged Filipino culture is an open secret, is being part and king of that system the only way to succeed? When the good people we see are limited to the "heroes" and those who are killed for fighting for what they believe in, can we still be courageous enough to do what's right, and what we love?

We may be afraid to pay the price of doing good, but if we do not do good now, whatever bad we do will eventually contribute to a system that will kill us in the end. I hope more people take the risk. 

A Life on Display

Note: The following article is the 2nd draft of my feature article in my English class. This is my first ever attempt to write something that simply just features somebody. In class, we ended up not having to write the final article because of lack of time. The 2nd draft was checked as if it was the final feature article. 

Museums are a fad because of the variety of items that reveal shadowed parts of the past and glimpses of the future. These items are the stars of the show, and most people would rather observe only them all throughout their visit, instead of the numerous other seemingly boring fixtures in the museum.

One such fixture is George Antolino, a security guard in the famous gold exhibit of the museum. He was tall, dark, but ignored by a lot of visitors. To those who noticed him, he looked like a normal Filipino corporate security guard.  He wore a gray barong and black pants, sported a 3x4 military haircut, and almost-always held a walkie-talkie to his ear. With his pensive expression, you’d think he had a problem with being where he is. But by being a guard for Ayala Museum for four years, he is able to share peculiar insight on his job, on the people going there, and on the stars of the show, the artifacts.

His pensive expression revealed nothing about how he initially desired to work for the Ayala Museum. He found its ambiance refreshing to the senses, after his stint as an SM security guard. According to him, he trusted Ayala’s reputation too. After four years, he has not left, which leads us to ask if he loves his job. “Oo naman,” was his response. His family depends on what he earns from the place, and that is enough to make him happy there.

With around two-hundred visitors a day, it seems like George is not the only one drawn to the museum. From his observation, schools would normally schedule field trips, and foreigners mostly consisted of Koreans and Japanese. When asked if he had problems with any of the foreigners, he responded with, “Sa totoo lang, mas madali pa ngang kasundo ang mga foreigner na iyan eh. Kaunting sabi mo lang sa kanila na huwag gawin ang ganito o ganiyan, susunod na.” Foreigners were used to being disciplined, while Filipinos who visited the Ayala Museum would only pretend to follow the rules. He could not understand Balikbayans insisting to pay the more expensive foreigner fee, and only shrugged his shoulders at the thought that they might have just been bragging.

George’s daily task is to protect golden artifacts he speculates as simple pieces of metal the revealed history. He thinks they simply look like junk aluminum foil painted gold. Despite this, he eagerly pointed to one particular piece of junk encased in a glass box. Inside the container was a human torso wearing George’s favorite piece, a 24-karat halter with an intricately knitted design, resembling a rope with fine threads.

“Sinuot ‘yan ni Cheche Lazaro sa T.V. Sa Probe. Ako nagbabantay noon eh,” he shared, with pride evident from his eyes, as they intently looked at the halter. He then went back to his duty.

Museums showcase items like the halter that certainly reveal a lot about history by just being on display, and not making any sound. However, certain unnoticed members of the Ayala Museum, like George, when asked to share, can also teach us about our own selves. Sometimes, we may even learn things that no priceless gold artifact can spell out. We just have to get to know them, to maybe get to know ourselves a little better.

I'm Back!

Hi! I'm finally back to writing again! Sorry for the really long break. I was just so busy with my first semester in college, and everytime I'd have a little free time to write for the blog, I'd end up not having the inspiration nor a good topic i felt I should write about.

So here I am now, welcoming you back to my blog. I hope that you can appreciate my next posts like you have my previous ones. God bless you.

Strangebrew at ang Halaga ng Saya

Pasensiya na medyo matagal na rin akong hindi sumusulat dito ah. Nakakain kasi ang oras ko nga mga kung anu-ano sa eskuwela. Ang maganda naman doon, marami akong nakakalap na bagong pagkatuto na puwedeng pag-isipan. Kaya ito, mag-Filipino muna tayo.

Napanood niyo na ba iyong Strangebrew nina Tado at Erning, iyong pinalabas dati sa UNTV, tapos sa Studio 23? Sa nakaraan linggo kasi, nagkaroon ako ng pagkakataon na balikan iyong mga lumang episode nito. Natutuwa naman ako, kasi ang sasaya ng mga episode noon, at kakaiba rin talaga ang lapit nila sa pagkalap ng impormasyon sa pamamagitan ng mga panayam, at pag-arte nang nakakatawa. Kung ako sa inyo, papanoorin ko ngayon iyong mga lumang episode noon sa Youtube. May naglagay.

Kaya bigla naman akong nahumaling muli sa Strangebrew ay sa klaseng Filipino kasi namin, naisip namin ng kaklase kong si Jico na iyon ay gawing presentasyon sa isang sagala sa loob ng paaralan. Subalit, bago namin ito magawa, kailangan namin makumbinsi ang kagawaran na may kahalagahan ang napili naming tema para sa manoonood na Pilipino. Naisip namin na baka naman may matututunan ang manonood sa kung anu-anong pinag-uusapan sa Strangebrew. Totoo naman, na sa dinami-raming nironda nina Tado, marami nga namang matututunan ang mga manonood hinggil sa Maynila at iba pang lugar, sa nakakatawang paraan pa. Matutuwa na nga sila, matututo pa ng bago. O 'di ba? Puwedeng puwede?

Kaso, naisip ko rin na sa kahit anong bagay naman may matututunan ka 'di ba? Kahit na yata sa simpleng pagkain ng tsokolateng Magic Flakes, may matututunan kang bago 'di ba, kahit gaano kaliit? 'Di ba? TAMA! Kaya ito, kailangan pa naming isipin kung ano ang iba pang kahalagahan ng Strangebrew.

Bakit nga ba pinapanood ang Strangebrew? Dahil kay Tado 'di ba? Dahil kay Erning 'di ba? Dahil kay Jun Sabayton at Ramon Bautista 'di ba? TAMA! Natutuwa talaga tayo sa kakaibang lapit ng Strangebrew sa mga pinakakaraniwang bagay. Nakakatuwa siya. Papanoorin ba natin ang palabas na iyon kung gusto lang natin matuto ng tungkol sa Tubero, Barko, at MRT? Malayo yatang magkaganoon. Sobrang astig ng pagkakagawa ng Strangebrew kaya tayo na-hook. Iilan lang ang kagaya ng Strangebrew kaya natin siya pinanood. Bago ang konseptong iyon noong panahong iyon, at natuwa tayo. Masaya lang tayong panoorin iyon.

Ba't nga ba ako naghahanap pa ng ibang kahalagahan? Napakahalaga nga pala ng kasiyahan, lalo na kung kakaiba ito. 'Di ba nga ang karamihan ng tao, naghahanap lang ng kasiyahan sa buhay? Iyong iba nga, kapag masaya na, wala nang ibang hinahanap eh.

Minsan, natatandaan ko, parang natanong ni Tado sa Strangebrew sa isang taong mahilig makipag-gagambahan (o larong pinaglalaban ang mga gagamba) kung ano ang maitutulong ng ginagawa niya sa bayan. Siguro, naisip ng taong iyon, kahit hindi niya marahil nasabi, na "Masaya ito eh." Iyon na iyon.

Kaya kapag oras mo nang matanong ukol sa ginagawa mo, huwag kang mag-alinlanngang sabihing, "Masaya eh," lalo na kung ito ang totoo.

I'm Sure You Can Relate

This Thursday was a special day for my high school classmate and very good friend, James Soriano. He was a champion debater back in high school, an honor student, and now a real writer for no less than Manila Bulletin. Thursday was when his very first article on his very first column, iThink, became available for the public to reflect on. Congrats pare!

Speaking of writing, I have recently been struggling with academic writing myself. I just really find it ironic that after two years of writing in a blog full of reflections, I find myself stumped about what to write for a simple, personal essay in English class. I even find it 'lame' (as my teacher called it earlier) that I missed my one and only chance of consulting with the teacher about what to write, and how to write it well (in her own, supposedly expert view; I have an almost completely different idea of what's good, so good luck to me).

For the past few days, attending English class has not personally felt very fruitful. We've been going through a lot of things about the essay that we already repeatedly learned in high school (like the thesis statement and topic and sentence outlines), from the best English teachers. The worst part was, we've been 'learning' at a much slower pace, since the class is supposed to focus on the writing process. I'm sorry if I sound like a kid, but I feel bored with what we are taking up in English. To add to that, I even seem to resent a lot of the new writing styles and tips our new teacher imparts to us. Bluntly, I cannot stand all of it.

I am pretty sure that if my teacher reads this post, she will end up thinking about how full of pride I am, despite me being a real beginner in writing compared to her. To clarify, I have nothing against my teacher and her style of teaching. I just do not find it useful enough for me, after learning so much for the past 4 years with a different style. I always feel that I have to protect whatever I learned from high school about writing, which makes me resent learning new things about the old things.

I feel stumped not only because I cannot find something to write about in a simple, personal essay, but also because I feel like I cannot learn anything new because of whatever pride I have.

We've all felt the same way. We've all felt like we were wasting time doing something in the place of whatever we feel we should be doing. The problem is, how can we learn if we keep resenting and resenting whatever comes our way? Even if it's really hard to see at this point, I guess there's always something new to learn from everything. There may presently be no clear manifestations of what we learn, but I guess they are bound to show themselves someday.

In all this uncertainty about learning, I just really hope I am not wasting my time.



By the way, whatever I wrote today is not a simple, personal essay, by choice. It only shows how I have to listen and re-learn things in class.

What Ba Talaga Language Mo? Going Back to Basics

Today is the day I can say debate taught me more than what 'Matter, Manner, and Method' could.

When I was a high school debater debating for Ateneo, I knew damn well that I was not the best. I was your average Ateneo debater (Ateneo debaters were supposedly some of the best in the country, but I would not count myself in.), and while there were notable moments (like a very memorable competition in Los Banos) of debate glory towards the end of my adolescent debating career, I was not completely sure if it was what I really wanted to do for the rest of my schooling. Early in my debating life, I resented reading up on world political and economic views, news, and anything else debaters would call 'Matter,' since I thought that the best way to enjoy teenage life was to stay away from grown-up stuff as much as possible.

When I would have a bad debating day, I would blame it on British Parliamentary Debating in the Philippines being in English, and not Filipino, my primary speaking language. I thought that given the chance to have Filipino debates, more Filipinos would be able express the important thoughts easily. Language would not be a barrier for good thoughts.

Earlier today, I was able to see my dream of experiencing Filipino debates, on a national scale. Two credible schools, not necessarily for teaching English, were competing in a debate broadcast on the radio, with Filipino as the primary language. They were arguing about the policies behind Ces Drilon's release, if I heard them right. However, my happiness for the Filipino debates was short-lived since listening to these debaters was a struggle, since they themselves struggled in finding the right Filipino words to support their points, switching to English more frequently than than the conyos a good number of 'real' Filipinos hate.

I ended up rethinking my previous thoughts (which have been lingering in my head for years) concerning debate. What if I was given the chance to debate formally in Filipino? Would I be able to deliver my points better than before, or would I stutter just like the students I listened to earlier? Was I even good enough a debater, to even demand a Language shift early in my career, or to even want to skip researching and rely on my own intelligence in debates?

In any field, I think that we have to master the basics first, before we can move on to the more challenging, and more glorifying things. In sports, basketball players cannot let go of basic dribbling, passing, or the like, if they want to achieve greater things in their career. For God's sake they'd injure themselves if they tried to dunk without the basics. The same goes for debate, and any other kind of thing that needs practice, determination, concentration, and most of all, commitment. I do not think that without reading about what's happening around us, I can give good views in a debate or even in a blog. I do not think that I will have the guts to talk about mentally intimidating things without mastering the medium, or language, that my audience can find useful.

I am sure that even you have got your own activites that need a little refresher. Let us all strengthen the foundations of our work, so we can reach farther things. Who was that scientist who commented that he would not have seen very far without standing on the shoulders of giants?

I need a refresher myself.

2 Days After Independence Day

I am writing today as a week-old college freshman. I was able to experience college firsthand, and I was really struck by all the freedom I have recently acquired. The haircut rule is already a thing of the past. 6am mornings are lessened. I was also really surprised by all the free time I had.

Yes, these privileges and a lot more existed, but I have also observed that most of my classmates now are the brightest in the country. Some have even come from the farthest places to study in the Ateneo, eager to show the best they have got. After my first week in college, after all the talks from upperclassmen and school officials regarding how hard it is to stay in the Ateneo, more so stay in my course of study, I have come to realize that all the freedom of college in the Ateneo (or in any school, for that matter), comes with a price, just like anything in this world.

And so I found myself studying during the lightest week of the year, like it was mid-year.

Once again, I felt like a high school freshman being drilled with words of wisdom by Mr. Pagsanghan, the most memorable (and appropriate) being "Everything has a price tag."

Yes, there may be lots of fun times in college, like parties, victories, and chances to meet people, but these fun moments may have to be earned by hard work. Because when you are partying with your 'free' time, someone else may be studying like hell for the next big test, and that night only may already spell the difference between your pasang-awa mark, and that person's summa cum laude QPI or GPA.

So, as college freshmen, do we abuse free time the wrong way, or the right way?

Happy Independence Day should have been the title of my post two days ago, had I decided to write one. Two days ago, we should have celebrated our freedom as a nation. We should have celebrated our freedom from abusive foreign rule.

However, after more than one hundred years, still one abuse, we can observe, is prevalent:

Negative abuse of so much freedom.

And I thought college was supposed to teach you how to manage freedom.

Congrats Pare

Robi, dahil M-boy ka, tatagalugin ko ito nang maayos.
Napanood ko kahapon ang Big Night, at sigurado akong maraming tao ang nasiyahan at hindi nasiyahan sa desisyon ng kapanalunan, pero alam kong hindi na iyon mahalaga para sa iyo.

Bilang kapwa mong housemate, batchmate at Atenista, gusto kong malaman mo na lubos akong nasiyahan sa mga nagawa mo sa loob ng bahay. Mapagkumbaba ka, may talino, at naghahangad ka ng mabuti para sa iba. Kahit huhusgahan ng maraming tao ang mga nagawa mo sa negatibong paraan, tandaan mo na hindi ka pumasok diyan para magpaka-alipin sa prinsipyo ng iba.

Mapagmamalaki ka. Maraming Atenista, at hindi naman lahat mabubuting tao, pero patunay ka na kaya ng Ateneo magpalaki ng tulad mo, na natatanyag ang kalooban. Hindi pa tapos ang lahat, pareho pareho pang hilaw ang ating mga pagkatao, at marami pa tayong pagdadaanan dahil bata pa tayo, subalit pinakita mo na hindi siguro kailangan alalahanin kung ika'y mapapariwara. Ang hamon sa iyo ngayon ay kung paano pa natin magagamit ang mga mararanasan natin para lalong malayo ang marating. Hindi dahil may marami tayong pribilehiyo, gugustuhin na lang natin tumulong nang tumulong. Dapat, lalo rin nating pinalalago ang ating mga pangarap.

Maraming salamat sa iyo. Dahil sa iyo, naranasan ko kung paano ang pakiramdam bilang manonood, at dahil dito, marami rin akong natutunan sa sarili ko. Kahit hindi mo alam noong nasa loob ka, marami kang buhay na naapektuhan sa mabuting paraan.

Ngayong nasa labas ka na, masayang ingay ang mararanasan mo, pero ang payo ko sa iyo, alamin mo kung saan nanggagaling ang mga sinasabi sa iyo, para malaman mo kung ano talaga ang mahalaga. Sobrang saya ng buhay sa labas ng bahay, pero kailangan buo ngayon ang loob mo, dahil kakaibang laban ngayon ang iyong mararanasan.

Congrats pare. Tandaan mo na nandito lang ako para sa iyo. One Big Fight.

Hey guys our orientation seminar in school just started, and I've been busy after school doing different things, so I haven't really had time to make a real entry. By the end of this weekend though, expect a new post, and expect your links to be put up already. If I forget to link your blog, please remind me. Please look into the comments section for replies on your relevant comments. Thanks so much! I'm so happy school's starting! College na! Any tips from those who have gone through it?

Malungkot at Masakit na Kasiyahan

image source: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/n_jenkem.htm

Before we proceed, let me invite you to visit this Wikipedia page, and to read at least the first sentence, since I am very surprised that such a thing exists:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenkem

Well, the article pretty much discusses a 'recreational drug' similar to cocaine, among other harmful drugs, that people can get addicted to. It's called Jenkem, and from the name itself, you just feel that it does not sound pleasant. It induces hallucinations and the feeling of being 'high,' just like any other drug, but it's made from whatever your system never wants to have back: fermented feces and urine. Kadiri pare.

You know what, I can't really understand (or accept) the psychology behind wanting to achieve artificial moments of euphoria, when it can practically be achieved naturally through different real-life situations, although not instantly. We can say people use them as escape routes from their own lives, but don't these drugs end up making lives worse eventually? Even more disturbing today is the fact that people may already be using their own excretions to achieve a high. If this Jenkem substance really exists and is being used, I just don't know what other bad thing I should expect from life. I think that the message is clear: those excretions were rejected by your body in the first place, so why force it in again? It's bound to cause you harm, as rumors and stories tell us that inhaling this substance gives the bad taste brought about by feces for about a week.

What do you think? Are some people already that sad, that they already look for happiness in the worst place to find it?

Wow, Robi's ligtas yo.

I'm sure you've had the chance to meet the kind of Filipino you would call coño. He's the type of person who usually speaks fluent, or almost-fluent English most of the time, but struggles with Filipino. Whenever he would speak Filipino, it would almost always sound like "Can you pass me th...the...lapis! There! lapis right?" Normally, they are associated with the upper class, or upper middle class. They're elitista to most of us, and to some, annoying. "Ba't naman kasi nag-Iingles pa 'yan eh Pinoy naman siya?!"would be normal comments from people who have recently met one of the coño type. That comment is pretty mild, considering the fact that they are even accused as not being in touch with Filipino sensibilities, despite living in the Philippines for most of their lives. A stigma exists that puts the 'richer' ones in a negative light, when there may be even more to these 'richer' people.

It's really easy to accuse the coño person as someone who does not want to embrace his own Filipino culture, but one recent conversation from a really close, supposedly coño friend of mine revealed otherwise:

"You know, [most] Filipinos don't really like elitists or rich people but they want to be rich, they want to go abroad for better jobs, they want to be more Americanized, they want showbiz and when they hit it, they want to fit in that crowd - and yet they look down on rich people and put value on the "real world" values on the street [so much]."

That was the first thought that went through his mind, based on his own observations. It was bothering him that coño people were less listened to by the supposedly purer Filipinos, for the simple reason that they did not know how to commute, nor were they familiar with balut and isaw. It bothers him that accusations about them are made just for being who they are. We may not know it but while there are really coño people to be loathed for their actions, we have to be able to separate hating from action from hating because we cannot relate. In the same way that the 'poor' want some understanding, I think that the rich also deserve some too.

It really is disturbing that there are lots of people who hate the rich so much, but when they end up getting rich themselves by some twist of fate, they end up embracing it. Why cannot we just accept the fact that even within the Philippines, different kinds of people exist? Sure, there are people who cannot even ride the MRT or jeepney to save their own lives, but they are Filipino too. Lots of these kinds of people actually try to embrace the Filipino culture, within their reach. On the other hand, why do some richer people embrace being rich so much that they look down on the poor? Why can't we all just accept that yes, were born in different settings, but we all struggle with life almost equally? God never gave us things we can't handle right? We just have to accept our differences and learn to live unbothered by these little differences in lifestyle. Kahit anong mangyari, Pilipino ka, basta gustuhin mo.

Comic Relief

Guys, subukan niyo lang ito. Kung matagal ka nang nagbabasa ng blog na ito, sigurado ako medyo pagod ka na rin sa kakabasa ng mga entry na kailangan ng kalaliman ng pag-iisip. Pinapanood ito sa akin ng mga kaklase kong si James and Hansky, at nagustuhan ko talaga. Wala siyang sense masyado, pero nakakaaliw. Nakakatulong din naman ang pahinga 'di ba? Punta ka sa left-hand side ng blog na ito, tapos look under comic relief, and click on one of the videos. Wala talagang sense masyado 'yan pero try mo lang. Game? Game!

Answer no. 1

Well, I think it's about time I really share my insights on the previous post I really left hanging. Thank you for those who commented. Whatever you shared contributed immensely to this post.

So why do people, though supposedly innately good, find it easier to do bad things?

I think it's really a matter of patience and work ethic. Normally, the really bad choices, even if we do not recognize them as bad immediately, are the ones that can get us what we want quicker. If we're looking for huge amounts of money for whatever use (hopefully good), it's easier to get the money by stealing (minus the trouble, which is not normally foreseen), compared to actually saving up (Just don't take this whole situation literally.). When we want pleasure, some people find it easier to take drugs, instead of looking for a natural high which will make you look for a situation that induces that kind of natural high. If you're considering the pretty woman-politician example, I'm guessing that impatient human nature will make it easier for the eyes to listen to the pretty woman (who is not bad, but the politician has more right to be listened to regarding political issues). I'm not telling you not to listen to the beauty queen speaking about ecological issues; but if there's already an ecological expert speaking out, why do we find it easier to listen to the beauty queen, when the expert may have lots to say too? If it's easier on the eyes, why do we need our eyes to listen?

I'll stop there, with the three examples. That's just my take on it. Trying to answer this question will probably take a long time, but it helps to think about it from time to time.

Support Robi! Big Brother is NOT Primarily a Charity Show

Before I start ranting about what I feel is the wrong way to see Pinoy Big Brother, let me first appeal to you to vote for my friend and schoolmate Robi Domingo to save him from eviction this week by texting BB ROBI to 2331 for Globe networks and to 231 for Smart networks, or by voting online through http://teensplus.pinoybigbrother.com/Vote/tabid/139/Default.aspx. Robi has been nothing but an exceptional housemate during his stay, and in my opinion, the good rankings in this competition of values and attitudes give us a good picture of what characteristics Filipinos see as important.

Pinoy Big Brother was supposedly tagged as the "teleserye ng totoong buhay." For the past 3 years, it showed different batches of people living inside a house, trying to show whatever good or bad they have, with the hopes of winning a prize that amounts to at least a million pesos, among other reasons (like inspiring others and trying to jump-start a show business career). However, whoever wins or loses in the contest is ultimately left to the discretion of the viewers, who vote for the housemate they want to stay, and in most cases, eventually win. However, whoever is presented to the public as 'nominees' for eviction depends on the housemates themselves, and the way the housemates tackle this obstacle really bothers me.

I have seen countless instances when housemates (and even guardians) were nominated for eviction for the simple reason that they did not need the money involved with winning the contest. Being a housemate myself, I admit that it really is hard to say that you want a friend to leave the house because of whatever reason, but I believe that each housemate (or guardian) also has the mental capacity to discern that being well-off is not enough ground for trying to dismiss a person from a contest that measures character, more than anything. Nominating someone because of financial capability, in my opinion, cannot be used as an escape route to avoid saying negative things about others. It has often been said that Filipinos are maawain, and that they want those least blessed to be victorious, but this certain Filipino trait of seemingly wanting the less-privileged to win should not be the reason for the more-privileged to suffer. We cannot let crab-mentality take over!

Big Brother is not primarily a charity show. While it tries to help the needy in some way, it is first and foremost a contest of character. I would never like to think that the sole reason that Nene, Keanna, Kim, Bea, and Reuben won was because they needed so much money. I would like to think that while yes, it was a factor, they were persons that really reflected what the Filipino stood up for. They were Filipinos with good character. It is alright to want the less-privileged to win, but please, do not bring people down for the same reason.

PBB is primarily a contest of character, and the best way to choose who to nominate (after assessing my own stay inside the house), is by assessing what each housemate has done for the past week. Nominations happen weekly for a reason, and I think each nomination weekend is a time to think about how each housemate has interacted with the others, or how each has done his part as a member of a team. If financial status is considered a good reason to nominate someone, then we can assume that PBB is a charity show. Housemates should know better.

Robi's nominations for the whole season are dumb, if he's nominated for the reason that he does not demonstrate immense financial need. If he's nominated by others as part of a strategy to win (that we'll probably never find out), since Robi has a good chance of ranking high, then things can be more acceptable. In that case, Teen Edition Plus would be full of devious housemates, which is pretty unlikely, considering our age.