Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Kanina lang ang exam ko sa math 11. Eh kagabi 2 pm na ako natulog para mag-aral kuno. Kaya lang pakiramdam ko bagsak ako kasi lahat ko nasimulan wala akong natapos ng test item. Galing ano. (kunyari masaya pero may poot sa loob ng chest) Yun.
Pero ang istorya ay hindi tungkol doon! Tungkol ito sa nangyari pagkatapos ng exam... nang medyo pauwi ako. Yung nangyari eh naglakadlakad ako sa may AS papuntang Vinzons. Medyo cloudy. Medyo may hangin... Medyo nililipad ang mgay tuyong dahon. Medyo may mood. Makulimlim ang paligid... Mabagal ang mga taong nagjojogging. Medyo may naririnig akong kanta parang sentimental pero para sa mga broke na tao.... Nasa music video ako... well feeling lang... parang feeling ko kinukunan ako ng 35-mm film motion picture camera. nagsesentimental kasi babagsak ako sa math 11... parang may emosyon sa mukha ko kanina... nagpagkamalan ata akong baliw na mabagal na naglalakad sa may harap ng educ habang ng slowslow-s--ll--o-o-o-ww motion ang mga galaw at ang mga lingon. Medyo tingin sa malapit... yuyuko... tingin sa malayo.... titingala sa mga sanga ng mga puno sa acad oval... baliw.
Sa madaling salita para akong tanga kanina.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
I am a Bit Down
Maybe it is just bad luck or maybe something else. I was frustrated to know that I didn’t get uno for Socio 10. Well I admit I am a bit conceited and I had a very ambitious expectation. I just thought that I had invested much on this subject. I am desperate not to pull my GWA down because of my failing Math 11. I do not really aspire for a 1.0 if I think I have done wrong. I have no problem with such issue. It was just, the pressure gets to me: that I am a sociology major and I could not get an 1.0 for a socio GE.
I am failing Math 11 and I am not sure if I will pass. I might not go home for the semester break this year because there is no power in my province. The power restoration will take months. And my vacation is already ruined.
I feel that my efforts weren’t awarded the way I expected. I am regressing. My writing had already started to wear out. I am becoming more stupid everyday. I feel that I am losing hope to be in good standing. I could not write good essays and papers. I could not manage my time because of my complicated class schedule. I waste a lot of time. I am decaying.
I would get through this soon. It is just that I haven’t slept last night for a paper. I am really tired. But never bother this entry. I am very far from suicidal. Ha-ha.
Monday, September 25, 2006
I had this final rites from a provincial org just last Saturday. The days before the event, I really never understood its purpose. I kept deconstructing it. I always question it. I thought that the certain stage of membership could not really attend total loyalty to the organization.
But after the final rites, it really made sense to me. Now I beleive that agalma could explain this--that someone outside something--a ritual, a belief or anything similar-- is always not percieving thing with the right eyes, so prejudices arise.
I have these co-applicats who really were not very tempered when it comes in expressing their dissenting opinions. One--whom irritated me much--talked about liberalism and other Marxist stuff--that actually did not make sense in that very situation.
The fact there was, me myself, did not feel the right to practice freedom of expression and democracy. I had to play by their rules because I took the choice to participate in that activity. So basically it is my prerogative to quit if I don't like the things that were expected to happen.
I realised that there is better to understand things when once you are inside it. It is an agalma thing...
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Wasting their Chances
I, myself, am sometimes guilty of this, depending on the object of reference.
Sometimes, or most of the times I get resentful with those students who really have the resources, capital and all the means. They are fortunate that their parents provide them with this and with that. They have laptops, computers, super-fast DSLs and all the conveniences that help them to move a lot more easy with things at school. At least their efforts are maximized and not compromised with the hassles that these conveniences counter. If they really want to get down on their academics, they can easily deal with things that are needed to be taken care of.
On some instances, I feel the grudge on people who really have the means, all the resources and the convenience but sadly do not envision their acts towards academics. Also those who do not provide the rationality of their choice in failing to adhere from the expectations on them, as students, to get involved in the production of knowledge or at least acquisition of it as a minimum (at least to puppet knowledge). This is very irritating if you would find out that many of these people are in state-subsidized universities.
These people pass state university exams, for example UP. This university is known for having the exams quite tough pass, too tough to admit all who aspire. However, I know of some people who passed the exams are just wasting, spoiling their privilege. Just because they passed the exams, they have the right to bullshit everything, then consider themselves as people of high intellectual capital, and do nothing. They just pass the exam. They just got high with the single damned exam.
Evan the title ‘Iskolar ng Bayan’ is not entitled to everybody. Not everybody who passed the exams deserves it. It should be constantly earned.
What is sad about this is that: there, outside, there are more people, who I think, deserve more of our positions here in the university, especially those apathetic students. Some people outside should have been in the place of some of us because of the exam. Some of them needed the access to our educational system more than the apathetic students maybe because it is relatively low-cost and the academic excellence and freedom, which seem to be hard to be found all in the same school.
The people whom I referred to as apathetic are wasting a lot of advantages, which are entitled to them. Subtly, there is the need that these advantages are to be paid back with their expectations as students, or, at least a little modest will of it.
What more irritates me is that some of these students reason out of such dispositions towards academics with the freedom of choice, celebration of autonomy or maybe they would say: “I have the right and the means, why should you care?” That has got to hurt.
Please DO NOT get me wrong about this. I do not hold grudge against these people whom I criticize. This is not a hate letter and I do not curse people and resort to a class damnation. I just want to raise a query to scrutinize thing that fail to reach out stigma because we blur our vision towards freedom. Freedom is good. However, the question is, do we really deserve it? I myself do not want to give a damn on others choices and dispositions but I criticize on the rationality or the logic of these choices. Do their freedoms parallel their duties and expectations?
What I want to point out here, as I was saying a while ago, that we need to take a look out of own milieu—that our actions are still subject to a bigger social structure. Some people use golden toothpicks however a large chuck of population try to endure uncertainties and high levels of danger just to be fed for a single meal.
Think about it!
*Healthy and responsible antithetical comments are accepted. I want to hear from your perspective.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
I just thought
I admit I was a little carried away on what I had discussed about the marginalised workers in UP Diliman. I was writing without really being eclectic--or even considering about the word 'balance.'
I was thinking if we are going to fight for the rehiring of those janitors, what happens to the current janitors who where hired by carebest? I think they will be laid-off also... So I thought to solve the problem will still end up another problem. If they will be rehired there will be still workers that will be displaced off their jobs. The thing there is that, pursuing their interest will still employ actions, that will affect to the current workers, the problems that they themselves had also suffered.
But I have nothing against those displaced workers because they actually were working in this institution for more than decade--some more that that.
I am not withdrawing anything from the previuos blog entry but somehow I think of these...
Things are just not that simple.
7 am class gets sentimental
Today's Sociology 10 class was one of the mushiest experience I have ever... had... in a good way ha...
The class was really fun... having Neeks as the intrsuctor thoughout the semester... We felt sad though because she will be taking her graducate studies outside the country and she will be leaving before the end of this sem.
Well I got admit I really learned a lot from the class. Though I am a Sociology major, my high sociology subjects could not foster such a very interesting manner of handling the discussion... because sometimes higher sociology subjects can be pure pain... I thought a while ago the the class was a live talk show having the stage audience giving their testimonials and all those mushy things... I understood what they really felt.
I appreciated that people really are invited to be imparted with sociological thoughts and try to take it inside thier ... because I know of some that really are very resistant to such issues.
The class a while ago would be the last meeting for this sem... Sad... But we, the students, will be still doing our think piece and other req. activities and will be sending them thru email...
Anyway, I wish that my classmate would think that Sociology10 is worth taking... And also good luck to Neeks for her graduate studies... See you around na lang sa mga susunod na taon... Kukunin ko si neeks na prof pag magoffer ng higher socio.
That's all! Tuloy ang buhay!
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
a BMI on the marginalized workers
The Immersion
I attended the ACLE titled Side Trip: A Basic Masses Integration facilitated by Anakbayan UPD. I with people from the vast universe of UP students went to Quezon Hall. We spotted there the janitors who were having a demonstration against the UP administration. We first had an introduction of the facts and figures and general issues concerning the activity. After that we had the chance to talk with the people, the workers there.
I, together with few students, had a chat with Rey Dayag and few of his former co-workers. He said that there were a lot of displace janitors summing up more than a hundred. Now there are ousted from their jobs replaced and no where to go.
What really happened is that the agency handles the workers. The UP administration pays the agency and the agency gives the salary to the janitors. Every year the agency is being replaced but still use the same workers. The agencies undergo bidding to which is the process in choosing the agency to handle the workers for that year. It was just this year that the agency which was allegedly appointed did not hire or really did not intend to hire the original set of workers but instead they brought a new mob of workers. Now the displaced janitors who served the institution for a long time, for a man in the venue pointed to us to a woman in her 60’s, I presumed, has been or she worked for UP for 20 years – people who have served generations of ‘mga Iskolar ng Bayan.’
Manong Rey told us about the hassles that the agencies were brining to them. One is that every year they changeover into another agency they were required to comply numerous documents, uniforms and other things—which is so taxing on their salaries.
He also shared to us the wisdom beneath these decision of the admin and the agency is to gain more profit from these new workers which are just starting—meaning less offered benefits, lower starting payments, etc.
The Implications
If we could look at it. It is not only about the pity, compassion for the workers and being mushy about the dispersal of the workers in Quezon Hall. What is important also to look at is the text the is waiting to be read in the said events.
Six in the morning on the 11th of August, the workers were said to violently shooed off the said building. I was informed that it was the SSB who took on the process which is said to have some of its members working for the military. It was said by the workers there that the reason why they were dispersed was that they did not provide a permit to conduct such activity. Huh? Then I came to realize, when was the time people in UP had to comply with a legal permit in conducting demonstration? Based on what I know and what common UP student know, military entities, NBI, Police or any other similar institutions and their operations are not permitted within the campus. But how come rumors say we are being watched by spies from these groups. We are being watched on our activity particularly related to the dissent from the government. These manifestations of irregularity defy of what UP has to be.
Personally, I always feel that many or some of the population of UP students avert these issues. They say that ‘Ah, practically I am not concerned with such and why should I care.’ Often when they see dispersals induce the image of ‘garbage that is needed to be wept of the sights’.
We might not relate or not really obliged to know all the stories of these workers but what happened has to do with all of us, residents and parts of the UPD Comminity. We can not simple be isolated to the things that happen within. How can we make sure these SSBs could still be serving for the welfare of us, the students. How can we make sure our liberties and rights as UP students be not repressed and violated?
The administration has a way to slaughter the dissenting entities. Symbolically, the dispersal of the people in Quezon Hall proved only that external military forces have already won to infiltrate this very institution. They have been are already with us everyday. What is not very acceptable in the dispersal is that the sense of democracy and liberty for expression is suppressed and displaced. The integrity of this institution to foster relatively higher degree of emancipation and freedom for the people is greatly challenged in this event—read as a text.
A Query of Curiosity
Of my previous knowledge, I am aware that UP is suffering from the ‘budget cut’ (shortage of subsidy from the government) and the consequences—deficits. The challenge is how to compensate for these deficits—the sources and strategy. The Janitorial Service Association had submitted a proposal for the UP administration to take the janitors as their employees. The janitors will work directly to UP and will not make use of an agency. They say for a year the strategy could save more or less P13 M of the budget compared when that have worked to an agency.
My question here would be: if the janitors made a proposal to save more money, why did the administration did not consider the proposal in the first place? If it was too desperate to compensate for the deficits and to precarious of its resources that it already proposed a tuition fee rise from P 300 per unit to P1000 per unit or more. Why was the proposal ignored? It was still a lot of money to be saved. Are there other parties the admin is serving for its interest aside solely from the good of the university and its parts.
Politicizing corporate cronies? Let us not speculate – but why not?
Sunday, August 13, 2006
On Probe: Political Killings
Contrary to the repressive state apparatus it counterpart called ideological state apparatus which instructions like that family, educational system and the media which shape how we think and what we should think. For me, sometimes, in some cases, it is this kind of state apparatus could critically harm us because it attacks stealthily, without us knowing that we commit ourselves to an ideology without our rational consent.
The P 1B-funded anti-insurgency campaign GMA (OPLAN BANTAY-LAYA) was allegedly targeting affiliations of legal organizations which give critique to the current. It includes student activists, peasant unions, workers unions, religious organizations, urban-poor organizations, and other which empower the mass. The government rages a war against it’s political destabilizers—to be put down and to keep the others silent—not to engage in the same act to those who had shed blood. What is wrong here it that these entities are legal organizations and mistakenly or intentionally attacked by the military with the approval of the administration.
There raised the issue of the universality of human rights. Several political entities strive to protect people from abuse and other forms of violation of the human rights. I was astonished on how the authors and the essays deconstructed human rights. It was said that human rights are only for the whites and should be universalized.
Human rights is something arbitrary. In anthropology, anthropologists’ greatest challenge in their practice of field work is their critical predicament on how to react on the violence they observe on their respondents in their ethnologies. One specific case is in studying Islamic culture, when FGM is seen, in a perspective of an American eye, as something inhumane and irrational. The question goes like this, do we really have the right to intervene and change it? What make us right and what makes us wrong? Is it funny to think that changing a ‘violation’ of human rights a form of violation?
Cultural patterns are not as simple as counting
If this would be the core rationality of the urge to universalize human rights—though crushing insurgent entities, democratization of Islamic countries, etc.—something is not right. Why do we have to universalize? I believe that the whole concept is not humanitarian in nature but economic and political. It is to subtly dissolve the walls that divide the different states from being open markets. For me, a political economy does not always work well in all perspectives. They want to globalize the world into a single economic ‘nation’ which only benefit few. If someone’s got to win and someone has got to suffer. Thus it heightens the polarity of the economic classes.
We fill the 2nd notch, next to
Democracy as Questioned
Democracy! Is it really democracy that we practice? I really agreed on the cohesive antagonistic approaches of the essays to our country’s repressive state criticizing democracy.
Democracy in our context, in globalised 3rd World Country, our civic liberty as a citizen of the estate is just something floating in the air—just a name we do not really practice. This freedom we mistakenly identify as civic liberty is just freedom to consume goods, but still we are being deprived for the rights that we are legally and legitimately entitled to.
It is said that anybody can run for presidency but how come only those who have possession of capital (may they be economic, cultural or social) are the only ones qualified to be legitimate for candidacy.
Democracy, when we could shift TV channels anytime but does not give us the right to redefine the nature of media.
Democracy, when we have leader incapable of proving that she really was voted by the people. She might lie about fact that she is legit (technically) but what a matter is that he is sadly unwanted.
Democracy, when journalists can bring the hottest gossips about celebrities; however, news that talks about ‘their lives at stake’ does not reach the newsprint.
Democracy, when the government does not practice it and does not even provide social confidence to its people who practice the so-called democracy.
Democracy, when the government turn its back on the economic interest and rights for resources of the populace while serving the interest of transnational corporations, its political allies, including ‘Uncle Sam,’ which helped the leader to be put into office.
If democracy really reins, how do we explain the government’s defiance of public welfare and the irrelevance of its actions to the country’s vision of progress and betterment?
Life surely is paradoxical—an oxymoron.
I could not hide the fact the people turn back on me when I pursue that idea that there is still hope to the current political conditions and trends in our country.
Though being aware, not only about the ‘facts & figures’, but also knowing the implications, the meaning, of such we can help. I believe that the self had never been apart from the society, the reality, which he/she is living in. I know that there are many aversions towards mass demonstrations because on how they are portrayed by the media, family or may be educational institutions. They are always associated to violence, with riots, with irrational societal disturbance, which should be corrected.
I knowledge also that all of us have different levels of capacities and it should not be the gap that should segregate us into groups but instead unite us because we belong into a nation (though our nationhood is arguably questioned). Having these invitations presented, we should not consider these present conditions as totally beyond of our control. They seem to be beyond of our control because we are afraid to try to take control—to suspend those people who are in power, who do not embody the vision of our country but instead push for a totalitarian power. All we need is a unified revolution which would withstand the pressures of public stigmatization of the mass, economic constrains and threats that kept us hiding in the dark to urge for a nationalistic unified goal.
It is not important that we know if we belong to the left, the right or the center, but that rationality of the choice that makes a difference.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Donsol is one of the entries in Cinemalaya, an independent film festival held in CCP annualy. Donsol actually is a municipality in Sorsogon, a province in Bicol region just South of Albay (the province of the Mayon Volcano). Sorsogon is my province. Well let us go back to the movie. The movie 'Donsol' was starred by Angel Aquino, who plays a widowed breast cancer patient; Sid Lucero, a tour attendant in Donsol. Did I mention that one of the main feature of the film is the whale sharks (locally known as 'butanding') which annually visit the town's coasts? Ok the answer is no. Donsol have became a tourist spot for people from in and outside of the country to witness the bigest fish in the world, the whale shark.
Location
I can say the locations were generally authentic (as it was really shot there).
Mood
The movie was a sort of 'a-walk-to-remember' type of movie which portrayed a environment isolated to industrial and commercial cities in the country
The Townsfolks
Well they made a great job on portraying the townfolk. You know, I lived with the townsfolks in my father's place during my summer vaction when I was 7 or 8. The feeling the film ellicited was authentic about the people in the community.
Depth
I found it not so very sociological. Well I may not have the license to actually judge the film because I am not a Film maor, I am a Sociology major. Maybe few that could be pointed out there which may be sociological is maybe the tourism & commoditisation of the whale sharks which pratically benefits the locals for the income but somehow raises some environmental issues. Another, social classes could be identified and stressed in the film. Another also, is it is like it was having a propaganda of actually inviting people to pack up and go for a vacation in the province of Sorsogon to witness the sights.
to be continued...
Monday, July 10, 2006
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
To Go or to Stay?
Monday, May 22, 2006
The Da Vinci Code Issue is ‘So Yesterday’
When it comes to the motion picture adaptation of the movie (self-titled), banning it on the mainstream cinemas is I think a bit of an over-reaction. Even in the first place rating it unfairly as R18 is I think an action of a desperate hypocrite. In most countries populated by almost Roman Catholic, like France, US,
What I want to pursue here is that the issue of the Da Vinci Code film is a outdated and not timely to discuss encourage strict censorship. It is because more people have already read the book for a few years from the present. If it really takes offense on the religion, why not ban the book. This is not the time to talk about this and be strict about it. It is really a very OA, Over-reacting (or whatever we may call it) issue to debate about on this time. People are aware of the Novel. They are not stupid to believe everything they see. The issue had already gone a long way and it is not right for the Filipinos to be divided because some hate it. The novel was praised because of its art to weave events together to form a clever story rather to attack religion. People did not want it to be read or to be viewed on screens just because they hate the Christians or the church. It is the talent and courage of the writer or filmmakers, which is taken significance here, not religion. Some people are just too shallow-minded. Come on. Banning films is so desperate… cheap. Anyway, banning it will cause the film to be over-talked-about and will heighten curiosity among people who actually never did plan to watch the film. Weird. Lame.
I understand that it might bring a negative icon to the church for the populace and young viewers of the country. Why is the church afraid? Would Filipino Christians sell their faith for two and a half hours? What happened to their job to ensure their people have good faith of the religion they are proclaiming? Did they fail to do the job? If only they assure that people will not turn back on the faith after the film, the church and devout Christians would not be acting crazy on the issue. It just proves that we have many hypocrite brothers. People do not allow themselves to see daemons can never distinguish one from the not. Being good and holy doesn’t mean you avert doubt or having reservations on the faith. Come on! Faith is faith. Religion is religion. Should religion and the church always come our way? I suggest instead of banning anti-Christ films or media, why not focus on doing their job effectively so that wherever their people can be, a film same as the Da Vinci Code will not bother them so bad.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Since I have got hove for the semestral break, I have been stuck at home. The only thing that I could do is to watch TV, eat, play PC games, browse the web and sleep and nothing more. I don't believe that anyone can be happy without money. It a real pain when you don't have cash honestly. You are stuck to the things that are in your routine. No excitement, no adventure. Well at least I am lucky enough to go home for this break instead of staying in Baguio for the whole vacation. Otherwise money would be my problem. I might not have the cash to spend for so that I would have something to do before I go crazy staring at wall. My point is, you can not deny the fact the humans are natural to be materialistic. Am I making sense?
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Friday, January 21, 2005
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
"I'm Alert, Alive, Awake... ...Enthuastic"
"Aduduy" "I did it My Way"