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Saturday, June 30, 2012

Final Fantasy

C'est la fin de la fantaisie, la fin d'un rêve...

It used to be tranquil
The serenade under the moonlight on a cool breezy night
The moon, perfect in her nudity,
smiled in her usual demure manner
The sound of the
Cicadas and the occasional sweet
music played on a bamboo flute.

While dreams were woven
and entered
never to be forsaken
never to be traded for reality
A fantastic sphere of
phantasmagoria,
fractally chaotic and yet
beautiful.

Inside the chamber she lies asleep
Her sweet lips unfamiliar with the bitterness
of the world.

And then the boom of thunder
A flash of lightning
The sound of trumpets heralding
the coming of the apocalypse.
Man's fall from man's own doing.

She opens her eyes
lazily, hesitantly,
unwilling to face the harsh, crude reality
Where she was thrown by the fates
like Heaven's judgement
to punish her for dreaming
such wonderful dreams.

She looks out of the window
sees a world of no mercy
a world devoid of colors and of
pleasant scents
scintillating scenes.

She sheds a tear
embraces herself.
They pay the price for her fantasies.

Her bow and arrow she takes up
flees to the darkness,
leaves everything to chance,
guided only by sheer will
and by the ardent flame that resides
deep in her heart.


Friday, June 29, 2012

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It's funny how people seems to be not happy with their current situation. Back in college, we wanted to graduate fast to find a job and earn money. Now, having finished school and having a job, we complain of the humdrum existence and wished we could go back to school.

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More often than not, we are forced to eat our words. Way back, we told ourselves never to work for money, never to be a corporate slave. But now as we grow older we see how hollow those words that came out of our innocent lips, for we realize that without money, we cannot survive in this heavily materialistic world.

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Most people would stop opening books after graduation. But the wise consult his books every now and then as he sees something new in the same exact words he has read before.

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When a person fails or commits mistakes, he learns and levels up more quickly than when he achieves success. And a man who gets up after a fall is a true warrior.

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As a kid, I thought of changing the world. Now an adult, I dream of doing so, but without holding to any hope. For it is a far-fetched project and we can only contribute a small change within a small scope in a given lifetime. Instead of struggling, I have learned to accept the world as it is with a resolve not to add to the burdens of the world.

Monday, June 25, 2012

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I'm currently reading Jude Morgan's historical fiction "Passion" which tells the story of the three great romantic poets Keats, Byron, and Shelley. The book though does not focus on these three infamous men whose lives can be described as tragic. Rather, Morgan wove a story from the eyes of the women with whom they had affairs.

In one part of the novel, Mary Shelley and Lord Byron conversed on the dire circumstances P. B. Shelley was in. And then the conversation suddenly shifted to reflections on love and memory, with Byron saying,

   "To make life bearable, I'm training myself to forget each day by the time the next dawns. Every morning you wipe the memory clean like a window-pane and gaze into the clear future. I think to found this as a new school of philosophy. After all, love would never stale, because each day there would be that first rapture again." (p.350)

How I wish I have complete control over my memory! Then it wouldn't be so difficult to love again. Then it wouldn't be too hard to love a person without the fear that one day you would lose the feelings for that person.

"Bum"

So I have been out of job for a little over a month now and I have been job-hunting ever since I left the city to join archaeological excavations last April. Sometimes I feel that doing so has been one of the worst decisions I have made in my life. Or rather, my having enrolled in the discipline.

Being more of the optimistic type who prefers to see the good rather than the bad, I took time to reflect on what I had gotten out of archaeology. For one, I do know that I have levelled up in terms of dealing with people. I became more understanding, tolerant, and patient especially when dealing with self-centered, egoistic, selfish, manipulative--- difficult people in short. Second, I was introduced to many theories which do not cease to fascinate me as I see more of their applications not limited to the study of archaeology. Third, I found new reasons to love myself and the importance of saying NO most especially to people who deserve it. In short I have grown wiser, more confident, more thoughtful, and more responsible.

I almost gave in to depression after listening to my family talk about archaeology being a useless course because I myself see it even before that one cannot make a lucrative career out of it Though the stubborn rebel inside of me was of so idealistic and passionate about learning and finding answers to questions that bothered her since her childhood days. Yes I knew that money is hard to come by in the discipline, and that creating a niche for one's self is doubly difficult as it requires various experiences and of course, a thoroughly diligent effort to be expended unto research, excavations, and publications. And now that I am having a great difficulty in finding a job, I can hear them tell me in my head, "We told you so!"


Then again, I really shouldn't blame it on my choice of course, but rather to my highly idealistic view of everything. I just couldn't settle for less. I wanted to have a job that has it all--- great benefits, great people, a progressive learning opportunity, great working environment, the likes. Don't get me wrong. I do not ask for huge monetary benefits. It's just that I want just enough salary to cover my everyday living expenses AND something that will allow me to save a lot for future use, i.e. travels. The most important thing is that I land a job where I get to be introduced to new things as this will keep me challenged and therefore happy.

As of the present, I am having no luck in finding a job. Maybe I am too idealistic. Then again from the many interviews I have been to, I have realized I should get myself grounded to reality. It feels like I have flying on the realms of fantasy for too long and it's bad. I admit I hate going to malls nowadays because there's just a lot of things that I want to buy and yet I have to scrimp and save at the moment due to  my unemployed status. For instance, everytime I walk into a bookstore and see a really cool book with a hefty price tag, I just can't help but feel depressed. If only I had an income...


Then again, at least I have time (well, too much time actually) to go to events and do things I like. For example, I was able to watch two films during the French Film Festival in Shangrila Mall this month. I was also able to visit museums and exhibit galleries. I was able to attend El dia de espanol, an event I have yet to experience before. I have picked up some of my books and have begun reading my own books again instead of having them collect dust. I have turned to my DVD collection when in need of cinematographic inspiration. I also resumed my Japanese Language self-study program and am rekindling a passion for their beautiful script combined with kanji characters. Most days I just stay at home to read, watch films, and study.

Then again, I don't consider myself a bum. Having graduated from college with honors, I expect myself to be at least sensible. Since I stay at home most of the time, I help wash clothes, clean the room, wash dishes, cook, and do other house chores. Sometimes I go to our office and help my mom do some office work. The idea is to be of help to whomever needs it since I practically have the time and the means to do so anyway, instead of just staring at the computer monitor for hours trying to find a decent job on Jobstreet. And I must say that I am duly rewarded for my efforts. I have levelled up a lot in cooking. Let it be known that I rarely cook because I am a disaster in the kitchen. But since I don't want to feel like a useless bum at home, I would volunteer to cook and to show them that hey, this girl is no longer afraid to saute garlic and onions. The best times are when they tell me I did a good job and of course, them knowing that I can be relied upon when it comes to preparing food. Being appreciated is a reward in itself.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Coraline (2009)

The moment I laid eyes on this film, I knew I'm going to like it. Part of the reason why I chose to watch this film is because it has the same name as my baby doll who still sleeps beside me. I called her thus because that's the name I found sewed on one of her pockets. And it just so happens that there is also a doll in this movie.

Coraline though is not a doll in this 3D animated film. Instead she is a spunky, brave, resourceful, and yes, overly curious little girl whose parents were too busy to pay any real attention to her. She was given a doll who looks exactly like her by a boy who lives in the same neighborhood. This doll was used by an evil entity residing in another world to spy on Coraline as she wants the girl to be with her. When she woke up one night and saw a mouse, she followed it and discovered a passageway leading to the Other World where she met her Other Mother and Other Father who paid her attention unlike her real parents.

Coraline would go back every night until she was warned of the evil of the Other World. She then learned of other children who disappeared into the Other World and never came back. Judging the Other Mother to be evil, she decided never to go back again. But then she learned that her parents were kidnapped and only she could save them. With the aid of a seeing stone given to her by two odd female neighbors, a cat, and Other Wybie, Coraline succeeded (of course) in freeing her parents from Other Mother.

The animation in this movie is quite different from Shrek or Kung Fu Panda. I must say that this is the first time I have seen such an animation and doing a bit of research, I found out that it is Stop Motion animation.

The plot is good, as expected from a work based on Neil Gaiman's work. It somehow reminds me of Roald Dahl whose stories for children are full of moral lessons. In this case, it's that no other family can replace your real family.

Tribute to MDO

If there's one boy band that I have chanced upon and never let go since, it would have to be the Puerto Rican boy band  MDO. In the 90s, almost all girls my age were big fans of boy bands like Westlife, A1, etc. Before reaching the year 2000 though I converted to being a rock music fan, mainly due to Linkin Park and Aerosmith. Since then I seem to find boy band music shallow and too sugary cute.

But then I cam across "Me huele a soledad" on youtube one day while searching for some rock ballads in Spanish. I immediately liked the song, though to be honest, I find the video repulsive.


But anyway never mind the video, I told myself. I can always opt to just listen to the song anyway. And then I found myself searching MDO's other songs. My search bore good fruits. I found catchy emo songs by MDO:

"Te quise olvidar" (catchy and full of angst)



"Sin Ti" (the song that can easily put me to emo mode)


"Mi amor tu vas a extranar" (a song that I can relate to very well)

 

"Donde esta tu amor"



Thursday, June 21, 2012

Lani Maestro at the Met Museum

June 23, 2012 - 3:00pm





Venue: Tall Gallery IV

Lani Maestro (Canadian, b in Manila, Philippines, 1957)
Lani Maestro’s art works have consistently pursued links between the concerns of Minimalist art and philosophic traditions associated with silence, emptiness or absence. She received a BFA from the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts in 1977 and pursued graduate studies in Fine Arts at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, Canada in 1988.

Maestro’s recent exhibitions include site-specific projects in Canada; her rain at Centre A, Vancouver International Center for Contemporary Asian Art, Plug In ICA, Winnipeg, and The Forgetting of Air at the Darling Foundry in Montreal, Canada (2010-2011). Her work has been shown internationally and has been represented in the 9thSharjah Biennale (2009), Tempo au tempo at the MARCO, Vigo, Spain (2007) Shanghai Biennial in China (2000), 11th Biennale of Sydney, Australia (1998), 5th International Istanbul Biennial, Turkey (1997), Asia Pacific Triennial in Brisbane, Australia (1997) and Crossings at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa (1998).

Maestro’s expanded art practice also includes engagement in art publishing, teaching and running an exhibition space in Montreal. In 1990, she began a collaborative project with artist-writer Stephen Horne and together, they founded Harbour Magazine of Art and Everyday Life, a journal of artworks and writings by artists, critics and theorists. This project expanded intoGalerie Burning, an itinerant exhibition space in Montreal and later initiated Burning Editions, which continues to publish artist’s books. For ten years, she conducted graduate seminars in the MFA program at Concordia University in Montreal and taught studio courses at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax and The University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada.

Lani Maestro has been a recipient of numerous art awards including the CCP Thirteen Awards in 1977 and the SegundaBienaldela Habana Prize in Cuba in 1985. She lives and works in France and Canada.

This forum received support from the Embassy of France to the Philippines in cooperation with MO_Space.

For more details, please call the Marketing Department at 708-7829 / 0922.8769533. 


This is a repost from www.metmuseum.ph.

Mind over Heart

I have always followed my heart. And it made me a cynic.

There is a reality that is fantasy. And there is a fantasy that is reality.

There is also "the calling". If you listen carefully, that is. But it is shrouded by mists of uncertainty and clouds of doubts. Only the brave and the courageous dare create a new path where angels fear to tread.

And an angel I am not.

Or so I thought.

A fallen angel though.

And they say I live in fantasy. I say it is my reality.

Until now.

The sage is mistaken.
The prophet is ignored.
The warrior is fallen.
The archer is troubled.
And the arrows of fire released from a once mighty bow miss their mark.

Photo Credit: sushreepanda.blogspot.com

"Things fall apart, the center cannot hold" (To quote Yeats)

Only pure nothingness swirling and churning and swallowing
everything---
hopes, dreams, fears, ambitions, pride, envy

When the heart cannot feel anything anymore, the mind
takes over.

Rizal, Cinema and the Filipino Nation: A Film Lecture by Nick Deocampo

This is a repost from http://myrizal150.com/2012/04/rizal-cinema-and-the-filipino-nation-a-film-lecture-by-nick-deocampo/
 
Rizal, Cinema and the Filipino Nation
A Film Lecture/Presentation by Nick Deocampo
In cooperation with Anvil Publishing
June 30, Saturday, 2-4 pm
Php300.00 (includes a copy of book SineGabay)
Contact Person/s: Ms Fanny San Pedro/Ms Iday Marpa
Contact details: 6312417/info@lopez-museum.org.ph

To commemorate Dr Jose Rizal’s birth month, the Lopez Memorial Museum, in cooperation with Anvil Publishing, will hold the talk of Nick Deocampo, director of the Center for New Cinema. Rizal, Cinema and the Filipino Nation touches on the beginnings of Philippine cinema signaled by the first feature film on Jose Rizal and how the history of local cinema has been further enriched by films about him and his works. It also asks viewers of these films (and other future films on Jose Rizal) to compare and contrast the sense of nation and identity sought to be established by Rizal’s works and the films, with that of today’s views on these. The film lecture will be on June 30, Saturday, 2-4 pm. Fee of Php300.00 includes the book SineGabay by Dr Deocampo.


Sinegabay Cover Anvil Version

Dr Deocampo is a prize-winning filmmaker, author, film teacher, film historian and director of the Center for New Cinema. Three of his groundbreaking books in cinema received the National Book Awards. As an international scholar and writer, his articles have been published in various important publications including: Encyclopedia of Early Cinema edited by Richard Abel (Routledge Press: London and New York); Vestiges of War (The Philippine-American War and the Aftermath of an Imperial Dream, 1899-1999) edited by Angel Shaw and Luis Francia (New York University Press, USA); Queer Looks edited by Martha Gever, John Greyson and Pratibha Parmar (Routledge Press, London and New York); and Documentary Box published by the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (Japan). With a teaching experience in various universities like the De La Salle University and the Ateneo de Manila University, Deocampo presently teaches at the University of the Philippines. Anvil Publishing, Inc. is a nine-time Publisher of the Year as cited by the Manila Critics Circle. To date, it is the biggest and most progressive tradebook publisher in the Philippines. Founded and operationalized in 1990, it publishes and occasionally imports a wide range of books, including Cine: Spanish Influences on Early Cinema in the Philippines and Film: American Influence on Philippine Cinema of Dr Deocampo.

                                                     Nick Deocampo

The Lopez Memorial Museum is at the ground floor of the Benpres Building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Pasig City. The Lopez Memorial Museum is at the ground floor, Benpres Building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Pasig City. Museum days and hours are Mondays to Saturdays, 8am-5pm, except holidays. For more information, call 6312417 or 6359545

Sunday, June 17, 2012

How to Do Well in School

Schools are once again brimming with students. After two months of blissful summer vacation with no homework to do, students are once again thrust into the busy world of the academe. Suddenly with lots of things to do, some find themselves lost and thrown into confusion.

While I do not really consider myself a model student because I hardly study for exams, I am proud to say that I have always done well in my studies. Here are my personal tips on how to do well in school:

1. READ. Students should read the required readings before going to class so that they will be ready for discussions and fruitful sharing of ideas inside the classroom. In college I was often guilty of not doing this. Believe me, it feels like being out of place when your classmates are talking about something you don't have the slightest idea about. Sometimes financial problems are part of the reason (i.e. my being extra stingy and reluctant to buy the required readings to save money) but instead of complaining, I look for other books of the same topic. This not only equips me with additional and/or complementary knowledge but also offers new perspectives which may not have been covered in the required readings--- which is great during class discussions.

2. EAT SNACKS. It may sound trivial but snacks are a good way to lessen the distraction while in class. Who can give his complete attention to his teacher when his stomach is grumbling? Make sure you always have biscuits or crackers with you since mental efforts cause one to go hungry quickly.

3. BEFRIEND. It is always helpful to have at least a friend in class whom you can rely on when you suddenly have to be absent due to sickness or emergency. Make sure to get his number and ask him to update you about the happenings in the class. Ask if there are homeworks, quizzes, or projects to be submitted the next meeting. Be discreet though and never ever become a friendly user. (What's a friendly user? Well, someone who acts friendly towards another person ONLY because he can get something from that "friendship".)

4. HAVE ENOUGH SLEEP. One of the many things I regretted during my college years is that I easily fall asleep in class which of course translates to being mentally absent and therefore, getting zero new knowledge as I step out of the classroom. No, class was SELDOM boring and uninteresting. It's just that I was used to staying up late at night, watching anime...

5. TAKE GOOD NOTES. Sometimes, giving your full attention to a lecture simply is not enough. You have to have good note-taking skills. One requirement is the ability to write fast. Another major thing to consider is the ability to listen, understand, AND write all at the same time. Having good notes come in handy when you forget something important in a lecture. And it sure does become helpful during exam week.

6. HAVE FUN. I guess in whatever we do, the most important thing to achieve success is to have fun. Develop a love for learning and learning will reward you handsomely. Do not just do it for the grades, learn and study to gain knowledge and wisdom. Remember that whatever you learn may be useful in the future. It always pays to be knowledgeable and skilled at many things. And looking back, the reason why I landed in the honor roll was because I enjoyed , and still enjoy, learning new things.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Memories of San Juan, Batangas (2012)

 Because pictures paint a thousand words (and well, because words fail to describe the beauty of San Juan, Batangas), I am posting here some of the photos I took during our archaeological excavation this year in the region. 
The historical marker that says that the site was where a church once stood. This photo was taken before we cleared the site of vegetation.

dead jellyfish we saw at the beach
Yna Briton doing an artwork in the sand

Sand artwork made by my best friend in Pinagbayanan, Yna Briton


Clear blue skies and clear blue waters


a boat on the beach of Pinagbayanan

Trees reflected in the waters

under this tree we lie down and nap

Pinagbayanan Elementary School where we stayed for 5 weeks
Bridge at the Bird Sanctuary

A girl and a bicycle (She's actually a friend of mine lol)

Painting-like photo of dusk
The Municipal Hall at San Juan

Ten Commandments of Drinking

Pinagbayanan's main road

A normal day at the excavation site






bright full moon on a dark night

An eeny weeny tiny little coconut
awesome sight of dusk that was about to come





unfinished (yet) permatrace of the pavers

having a drawing break in the middle of doing a permatrace







Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Unanswered Questions... and then Some More

Back when I was a kid, a lot of questions popped inside my head the answers off which I thought I would be able to come across as I expose myself to more literature. Those questions troubled me deeply as a child, I felt I could not be at peace if I couldn't find the answers to them. Now that I have finished my post-graduate studies in Archaeology (though really, I need to immerse myself more in the discipline), I am disappointed to find that there really is no way of finding answers to those questions that baffled my childhood and adolescent years.

Looking back, I wonder how I could come up with the idea of origins. I would always wonder what life was before the present. Way way back in time. I think it must have sprung from my love for reading historical fiction where I am introduced to a time when girls wore long dresses, swords were THE weapon, and theatrical performances and folksy songs were THE entertainment. That question led me to ask many other questions, for instance, why do we need a government? How can man stomach the idea of being governed? (I obviously have been an anarchist ever since my childhood days.) Why are there rich and poor men? (I didn't buy the idea that some men are poor because they do not work hard, because as I have seen throughout the years, those men who work hard the most are those who are poor.) If nations do not agree with something, who do we turn to as authority? Is it possible to have a WORLD GOVERNMENT while respecting each individual culture as unique?

I have read so many books, though most of them fall under fiction since that is my sole escape from this mad mad world of trivialities and superficiality. As I read through each narrative and get inside the psyche of some of the characters, I begin to understand more about human nature. Why does man covet power? Why does man want to be put on a pedestal and be worshiped by his fellow men? Why does man seek after that which is not permanent? Why do man bother with so many things and cannot seem to like living simply and peacefully?

When you come to the point of not understanding why people behave the way they do because you have seen the vicissitudes of life and everything seems to be nothing in this tragic life of all humankind, you get depressed and disillusioned which then causes you to be on a seemingly perennial stump. Mankind has not learned from history. Mankind has not heeded the calls of a past which were marred with so much misery and tainted with too much blood. Mankind has ceased to converse with nature as in the olden days when shamans and priestesses conduct rituals and spend days on meditation as they listen to the voice of in the wilderness.

Having all these questions swirling inside your head makes you sick in the stomach, as you cannot fathom anymore the excesses and vices of the present. You cannot be at peace thinking why on earth you have been born in this kind of world where common sense, said to be common, is not so common at all? And because you cannot accept the fact that you ARE part of this society, that you part of the NOW, you feel like you are forever in bondage to the follies of man. It is that or you pack up your things, leave this world of nonsense, and live a solitary but simple life somewhere in the mountains.


Fue su cumpleaños y…


El 10 de junio (domingo)

Tal vez celebra su cumpleaños con su familia. Tal vez incluye su novia.

Toda la tarde me quedo en la casa, leyendo algunas noticias en la Red mientras bajando algunas canciones cuyas cantantes me han captado la atención. Por ejemplo, a estos días escucho a la música de Andrés de León, MDO, y Sin Bandera. Sobre todo me gustan las que reflejan los fracasos de amor, con temas de separación y amor ignorado.

Toda la tarde mientras escuchando a las canciones siguientes, yo pienso en él. Él que ha roto mi corazón muchas veces ya. Él que es capaz de hacerme daño sin hacer nada. Él que me ha dado un fragmento de inspiración que me ha acompañado en los cuatro años en la universidad. Él que me ha dado un fragmento de esperanza sin saberlo, una esperanza de tener un novio después mis estudios universitarios.

Él sabe por cierto que aún le quiero. Tal vez… por cierto. No sé. Le he querido desde el año en el que trasladé en su escuela y era una nueva estudiante allí. Le he querido toda vez más después de graduarnos en la escuela secundaria. Y a veces me encontraba con él en la universidad. Él comportaba como si fuera un sueño la confesión de amor que había hecho yo antes. Algunas veces hablábamos de la vida universitaria, nos reíamos de nuestra estupidez, hablábamos de nuestros sueños y planos en la vida. Para mi significaba algo. Me sentía feliz cuando estaba con él.

En mi año final en la universidad, todo cambió. De repente no me prestaba atención. De repente su propio perfil en Multiply y vi allí que tal vez ya haya tenido una novia. Era un sospecho que no había prestado ninguna atención porque pensaba que compréndase a él perfectamente.

Este año, tres meses antes,  mientras escribiendo un ensayo académico para una clase, recibí la noticia de él mismo, que ya tiene una vida amorosa.  Me sentía como si un golpe de aguas frías me haya atacado. Me sentía como si los cielos chocan de repente con mi corazón. No sabía cómo expresar los sentimientos mezclados que estaban dentro de mí en aquellos momentos.

Y este día pienso en él. No se ha curado todavía el corazón…

Las letras de “Sin ti” (MDO) reflejan los sentimientos en mi ser al recibir las malas noticias:

“Dime que hice mal 
para merecer tu desprecio cariño
tanta soledad
me tiene al borde de un profundo abismo
me quiero morir”

Y mi cuerpo de verdad se debilita…

“Sin ti amor
todo es un desastre 
me siento vacío
la vida no es vida ya nada es lo mismo
Sin ti
salir a la calle no tiene sentido
hay tanto recuerdos que le dan muy duro
a mi corazón”


El tiempo había parado de andar. Sólo quería ir a donde estaba para saber lo que pasó. Quería saber la verdad, si en los años que le he querido, también sentía él algo para mí. Y las letras de “A puro dolor” (Sin Bandera) se quedan en la mente:

Estoy muriendo, muriendo por verte
Agonizando muy lento y muy fuerte”

Hasta estos días esta canción de Sin Bandera siempre juega en mi mente, como un himno de alguien cuya corazón solo sabe el dolor de amar a alguien tan profundamente. Hasta ahora no he ganado el entusiasmo para la vida, perdí la gana de hacer cosas como de costumbre. Los días grises han llegado a ser mis amigos. Ni siquiera la luna me puede hacer sonreír.

El coro de “A puro dolor” repite sin cesar:

“Vida, devuélveme mis fantasías
Mis ganas de vivir la vida
Devuélveme el aire...

Cariño mio, sin ti yo me siento vació
Las tardes son un laberinto
Y las noches me saben
A puro dolor...”

Gradualmente me doy cuenta de que la vida sin él en mi futuro no debe ser un problema. En primer lugar, jamás he tenido su corazón, jamás me percibe interesante. Y estas últimas letras de “Mi amor tú vas a extrañar” (MDO) casi rompen todo mi ser:

Sé que no te importa hacerme daño
Que te da igual saber que aun te amo
Para ti, nunca existí”

Para ti, nunca existí”--- no se ha escapado estas palabras del corazón y de la mente. Y cada vez que escucho estas palabras, peleo contra el impulso de llorar.

¡Feliz cumpleaños!
Sé feliz con ella.


La inconsolable,
Diosa de la Luna

Sunday, June 10, 2012

The Truly Educated Person

I have recently read Randy David's "The case for 'deschooling' society" a few days back. It was an article that focuses on the problems in education, centering on how schools teach the students WHAT to learn instead of HOW to lean for themselves. 

Everytime I meet up with one of my best guy friends, who share the same regard for education as me, we start off our conversations with querying the other's life in general. Since we both are cinephiles and bibliophiles, we tend to talk more about the books we are reading and the movies we have recently watched. Then our conversation turns more serious as the topic shifts from literature and film to politics, poverty, and education.

We seem to share the same views, that education has become commoditized, that schools have turned into profit-oriented institutions, that students nowadays are in blind pursuit of certificates and diplomas. Worse, society place more importance on papers and certificates than the actual capabilities and skills of a person. A person with a PhD is more likely to be held in high regard, regardless of where he finished his PhD. (Because schools abound which impart not true knowledge nor skills but confer indiscriminately honors even to unqualified students.) Methinks people pay those costly tuition and miscellaneous fess just to get diplomas--- papers that they need to show to companies for employment. Studying is confined only within the duration of time one is enrolled in school. Just how many people continue to study and learn new things just because of their love for learning?

A truly educated person is someone who takes the initiative to study even when outside the classroom. He sees a learning opportunity is every situation. He sees every difficult situation as a challenge to test his capacities and skills. He knows how to think for himself and is thoughtful of how his actions affect other people. He understands the interrelatedness of everything and takes responsibility for his actions. He sees the value of cooperative effort in every undertaking but sees his own individual effort of utmost importance, thus he makes sure that he does his share with a cheerful and willing heart. He does not step on other people, does not manipulate nor threaten other people for his own self-aggrandizement. Instead he offers a ready hand to one in need.

All these are not reflected in diplomas nor do they appear in certificates. All these are qualities of a person one can only see when one has interacted with him. It is sad to see how nowadays people look at the superficial and the trivial with no regards to the real person himself. It is just as sad that many people have taken to accumulating tangible papers instead of becoming a truly educated person. We cannot blame them though, for life is hard and jobs are hard to come by.