Post-election 2013: My 2 Cents

Who are you to say that one person voted unwisely just because he voted differently than you? Is it not premature to judge the wisdom of a vote when the elected are yet to perform?

We are supposed to be supporting whosoever shall sit in office and participate in the  development of our nation even if these officers-elect were not those whom we voted for. But instead, some of us opted to divide ourselves into factions of supporters and bashers, forgetting that we ought to be united. Some even resort to unnecessary sexist, and perhaps even almost racist criticisms of those who won, insulting not only the elect but the electorate as well. What's worse is we hide this misdemeanor in the guise of liberty... of freedom of speech... of right.

I am not saying we have to silence ourselves in all instances, good or bad. What I am saying is that we cannot retreat from our obligations as citizens just because we do not like our new officials... and should we speak, this we must do for a noble purpose and not for the sake of it.

I admit, most of those whom I've voted for in the recent elections have lost. But even so, I refuse to say that those who voted differently than I were stupid, idiotic, --- or unwise. After all, it is wrong for me to regard my brain (or any other brain in that matter) as the standard of wisdom and intelligence. Otherwise, they should have just let me vote in behalf of everybody else.

The problem is that most, if not all, of us pledge our allegiance to a certain candidate instead of pledging our allegiance to the community we belong.  Our non-participation and/or sour graping after elections due to the loss of those we voted for against the victory of the other contributes to the failure of our very own progress. We shouldn't regard our officials as superheroes who will come to save us from all evil while we play the nonchalant citizens of Gotham nor should we think of them as society's menaces like avid readers of the Daily Bugle do. We must not only take an active role but one which is also significant... necessary... meaningful.

We have to realize that once there are winners, there ought to be no more opponents. No more parties. Just a community who have spoken. A community which requires respect.

We pride ourselves for our democracy, but democracy without respect is chaos.

We can either help each other towards peace, order and development as an undivided whole... OR--- bring this community into ruins by writing the names of our officials in our imaginary death notes as though they are criminals while we lie in our own graves awaiting resurrection but doing nothing. Our call.

December 27, 2011

Three (3) of my girl classmates from highschool already have children, Two(2) are awaiting delivery, One (1) has babies and is living with her partner, One(1) is married without a child, One (1) is married and is expecting a baby, and One(1) has a baby and is awaiting marriage.

Sound like a math problem, huh? (Well, i’m not asking questions.)

It excites me to know my mates are already mothers and wives. It wasn’t long ago when we used to play patintero (gatekeeper) at the gym or sit at the kiosk eating the sandwich one of my classmates sold.

If they could turn back time, knowing they could change their past, some of them would have lived their lives differently.

Their lives now are a few phases ahead. And some of them proceeded unprepared.

We’re only twenty one at present (Some of us younger).  An unconventional age to have a family.Young at the eyes of most people. Maybe so.

But Seeing those girls and how they have managed to build their homes, how they have worked hard to sustain it and how they have committed themselves to it, I have to say, made me have a new found respect for young wives and mothers. 

I am not saying that they had it easy as though it were a mere walk in the park. They had it hard and it was tough for them to get through every day. They were already pressed to figure their lives and their children’s lives out while others their age were, on the other hand, worrying about what profession to pursue, what classes to take, what schedule to avail, etc.

It was a challenge they had to face, carrying only whatever weaponry they have.

They fought with faith.

My mates might not be travelling on the main road. But, at least, they’re moving forward…They’re bettering their lives a step at a time.

Bisaya Alert: Kaanyag

(Cebuano poem I've written when I was 17. Sketch made the other day.)

Sa samin, ang kaugalingon, nahikaplagan

Sa mata, ang panagway, nahibatyagan

Kon ugaling isulti, kini ba dautan?

Sa kasayuran, aduna ba gayoy utlanan?

Mga babayeng nagkanda-iya ug hitsura,

aron madawat nga gwapa,

kinahanglan ba magsubay ug usa ra ka porma?

Apan di ba kana imposible sanglit lain-lain kita’g mata?

Tambok- niwang, puti-itom

Tawag ba kini sa katahom?

Taas- mubo, intsik-budlat

Sa kaugalingon, kini ba nagbatbat?

Ang dakong pangutana

Sa akong hunahuna nagdagan.

Ang kaanyag, naa ba gayoy sukdanan

Ngano man sa pangdaut way pugong ang uban?

Angayan ba gayud

aron ang taw malipay,

sa isig-kaingon

kinahanglan mangtamay?

Busa kining sunod nga mga linya

Para kini kanimo…

Ikaw nga puro maot ang nakita

Imbes na ang maayo.

Kung ikaw tambukikay,

Sa mga niwang ayaw panghinaway.

Ug imong lawas bitaw mugamay,

Sa kamera di muundang magpahulagway.

Ikaw pud niwang, ayaw palabi.

Pagbiay-biay sa supang intawn undangi.

Dili tanan gustong maparehas kanimo

Ang uban, sa tinuod, nangandoy mudako.

Kung imong tupad nagmake-up,

Ayaw pagbu-ot.

Nganong masuko man ka?

Wala man siya manghilabot.

Bantay bitaw kung ikaw kaslon,

Make-up sa dagway, imong gamiton.

Ing-lakaw sa altar, ayaw nalang katingala

Imong dagway ug pamiste, mao rang kolora.

Kung imong gaway pirteng taasa

Unya imong li-og hastang habuga

Pagyubit sa mga hamubo ayaw pud anara

Wala sa kahitas-on ang pag-abot sa himaya.

Magpabuwad man ka sa adlaw

o mangnudnod ug chin chun su

Sige lang, padayon.

Kinabuhi man na nimo.

Apan kung ang panit nimo

imo nang nabayluan,

Ikalipay nalang na.

Ayaw na hilabti ang panit sa uban.

Taas- mubo, intsik-budlat, tambok- niwang, puti-itom.

Kinsa man gud gauna-una ug ingon

Nga niining gipares-pares nga pulong,

Ang usa bati, ang usa matahom?

Sama sa akong pag-ila

nga akong dagway “lapad”

Dili kana pagpangdaut

samut dili pagpangandak.

Sa akong pagsaysay niini,

wala akoy gustong ipadayag

Kundi ang yanong kamatuoran

nga akong nawng murag basak: patag.

Dili tanan nga naghulagway sa kaugalingon, nagbagutbot.

Ang uban kamatuoran lang ang gustong ipa-sabot

Nga sa ilang mata aduna silay natataw

Dili kana pagpakaluoy, o pagpakagarbo, o pagpakaulaw.

Tuod ikaw walay korona

O titulo nga ikaw gwapa

Ayaw kana ikabalaka

Kay ikaw, inday, walay susama.

Mahimo nga ikaw wala nanumbaling niining akong gipangsulti

Mahimo usab nga ikaw nahimuot.

Apan sa akong gipangyawyaw, kini’y importante:

“Nga ang sukdanan sa kaanyag ikaw ang magbuot.”

Less than three

< 3

I know... I know... The nerve right? Well, I have long lost all my sense of inhibition ever since I fell down the steps of my school years back... and I thought to myself, nothing could be worse than that (Not even me playing the guitar, singing the song and posting it online. HAHA!) Ok, here goes. Let your ears bleed and I'll enjoy. :) Unless you enjoy bleeding too, then---you ENJOY! ^_^ It's an old video but it makes me proud I got the rhythm with the guitar right. Spare me the criticism. I already know. :)

Pinoy Folklore

Aswang, Manananggal, Tiyanak, Duwende, Kapre, Agta, Mangkukulam, Maligno, Tikbalang, Sigbin, White Lady/Kaperosa, Bampira, Pugot, Nuno sa Punso, Siyokoy, Wak-wak, Bungisngis, Santelmo... the list goes on.

I do not know about today's generation, but when I was young, stories of these folklore creatures were among the most popular. My auntie used to tell us varied true-to-life (or so she says) stories about them before we go to bed and they were the best I have ever heard. I would lie in bed thinking about them before sleeping and I'd dream about them whilst asleep. Don't get me wrong, I am no Elias Paniki. Truth be told, I'm chickensh**. But I love a good story...scary or otherwise. I once even wanted to be like the Brothers Grimm and swore to myself that when I grow old enough to drive, I'd travel far and wide in search of never-before known stories. I thought maybe that would make me a legend of some sort.

Of course, time passed... I grew up... Stories of the folklore creatures were reduced to half-assed films with over-the-top editing and effects... and I never learned how to drive. But every now and then I am still reminded of those creatures of the night especially this time of the year when halloween's just around the corner. Still scares the crap out of me. But I love it still. I think that's he whole point of the story after all: to be scary. Not that it had to be necessary told through illustrations, overrated cinematography, or whathaveyous. They're cool and all. But more often than not, they tend to overshadow the whole story and the story gets lost in translation. It's sad. I think a good story is that which lets the mind work. Let the mind imagine things... let it speculate,  let it doubt, let it suspect,  --- to let it be it's own evil so to speak. That's when you get the experience.

To everybody who knows a good folklore or two, I would encourage you to pass it on. Tell it to a friend, a niece, a nephew, a young neighbor who pisses you off... tell it. Be a storyteller and tell it.

Let the stories of the night and the dead live. Happy Halloween.

THESIS TALK #2 PROBLEMS

When we were making our undergrad thesis, I was suffering from chronic vertigo and a sprained ankle; 2 of my members were working students; the other one was only allowed by her guardian to meet us on specifically limited times; and our original statistician died in the middle of our work. Not to mention, we were all graduating students complying with other projects and requirements with barely a peso on our individual bank accounts (as if we even had one). BUT we finished nonetheless. So did the rest of our mates who were dealing with their own personal dilemmas... So did the rest of our batchmates... So did every graduating student who preceded us.

So, you see.  I basically do not believe in excuses.

Ika nga: "kung gusto, laging may paraan; kung ayaw, laging may dahilan."

So much so that if we did not get what we strove for, it is maybe because we didn't want  it enough... or that we didn't work for it hard enough. What we get is what we deserve... and we determine what we deserve based on how willing we are to endeavour for success and how we actually endeavour for it.

If you are faced with a problem, think about this: everybody who came before you also underwent the same problem--- probably even worse.

They too cried in front of the computer screen while editing their rationale and/or theoretical background. They too sighed a gazillion times while scanning through the corners of their brain , if not the corners of the web, looking for the appropriate term and/or synonym. They too, after having finished encoding the draft, experienced losing all the files saved in their flashdrives, prompting them to redo the work. They too tried to take "POWER NAPS" as advised by one of their teachers but to no avail because their groupmates kept on asking for thesis updates. They too rummaged their closets (and their friends' closets) looking for the proper outfit to wear for the thesis proposal, trying to avoid being questioned by their panel on their 'costumes' than on their thesis. They too suffered  anxiety, mental anguish, sleepless nights, and wounded feelings, among others, which would have been enough to file an action for damages in civil courts (and would've won). Above all, they too spent hours staring at the face of their professor in class, if not at the door of one of the comfort room cubicles, while thinking about where to get the money to pay for their panel's snacks. 

We all have our fair share of problems BUT it is not without a solution. 

Do not rely on excuses. Never ---ever--- justify failure.

Remember, every student who got up on stage and received their degree had, in one way or another, struggled to be where they were. You? Where do you want to be? How far will you go to get there? It is all up to you. Prove yourself worthy.


THESIS TALK #1  

THESIS ADVICE: PAANO MAGHANAP NG TOPIC?

:)

HAHA! ODD POST ALERT! :)

2 years ago,  I asked somebody what he'd do if I'd one day go blind. He said, he'll give me one of his eyes. I kid, "just one?"

"Well, yeah," He answered. "I won't give you both. Imagine if I gave you both my eyes? You will then have the burden of looking after a blind guy. If I give you just one, at least both of us have one eye each. We'd be quite a pair." :)

When you hear the music, you dance. There will be cheers, jeers, nonchalance and whatnot. But don't fret; don't even stop. When the dance is through, you can take on whatever music life gives you.

THESIS ADVICE: PAANO MAGHANAP NG TOPIC?

Hindi naman talaga mahirap gumawa ng thesis. 

Wow! Bonggang intro noh? haha! But seriously, it really isn't hard provided, ofcourse, that you're workng with

1)matitinong ka-groupmates,

2)masipag na adviser/s, at

3)espiritong determinadong maka-gradweyt!

If you fall short in any of these, d'yan mo masasabing "Gosh! This is so mahirap!"

Otherwise, you'll do just fine. :)

Granting that you have met the 3 requisites already (a group, an adviser, and yourself), WHAT NEXT?

As the title suggests, FIND A TOPIC?

There are many ways to find a topic. I have known a lot who were able to come up with a topic through different means: years and years of thorough thinking, suggestion, checking the web, by chance, or being-pressured-to-study-suggested-topics-by-their-over-zealous-parents-who-wish-their-children-were-in-harvard-but-had-to-settle-with-highly-accredited-schools-in-the-locality...among others. So you see? There are many ways. To each his own, so to speak.

But before you say, "walang kwentang write-up naman to! So paano nga kami makakapili?!"

Calm your you-know-whats! Relax ka lang d'yan. I will help you.:) 

Here goes:

In finding a topic, what you ought to do (as you've always done in all other academic undertakings) is THINK! Yes, think. Gather your groupmates and brainstorm. Payo ko lang, kapag nagbi-brainstorm na, h'wag naman puro chika lang ng chika. Kung pupwede, mag-assign ng Sgt. at Arms sa grupo para s'yang taga-saway!

On a sheet of paper, write ALL possible topics that come to mind. Write it all down regardless of how ridiculous you think it is (who knows? The craziest idea could win you the "Grand Thesis Award". Kung mangangambisyon ka rin lang naman, lubos -lubosin mo na!). BUT limit yourself to the things that is OF INTEREST to you personally. 

So by now, may listahan na kayo (ala listahan ng mga pangalan ng mga kaklase mong umuutang sayo na di pa nagbabayad.*ehem-parinig-ehem*)

When you've written down all of the suggestions, run through them and, as a group, put them in order according to the most interesting. Remember, this time, you order them according to interest AS A GROUP. H'wag makipag-away para lang masunod ang gusto. Kaya nga GROUP THESIS diba?! Kung di mo carry ang mag-accede sa desisyon ng grupo, nag-solo ka nalang sana!

After which, you eliminate those which you think are not feasible for study or have already been studied before (unless you think a restudy of the topic could be had due to significant developments). This then will require you to do research to see if materials for your prospective topic is available or if your prospective topic would duplicate an already existing one. Better yet, humingi ka ng advice sa adviser mo! Para ano pa't naging adviser n'yo yan kung wala siyang ikaka-advise sa inyo.

Sa stage na ito, elimination nalang ang gawin nyo. Tanggalin na ang mga di n'yo trip, may sabit, or walang kakwenta2(kasali na dito yung ridiculous na idea na nanatiling riduculous til the end---di nag-evolve into brilliancy). Kung ano yung natira, yun ang WAGI! 

Basta, maging open kayo sa mga mungkahi. H'wag selfish! Dahil pagdating sa Panel Defense, kelangan mo ng matibay na hukbo ng sandatahang lakas. HAHA! Sa battlefield, pare, di pupwedeng ikaw lang ang may alam kasi ikaw lang ang gumawa ng thesis kasi ikaw lang ang interesado! HAHA Dahil kung ganun, goodluck nalang kung di ka bigyan ng award with matching background music na "all by myself" by mariah carey... dahil, pare... Oo na! ikaw na! Ikaw na ang bida! hahahaha!

Para sa mga katanungan, mag-message lang.

Dressed to the nines. Dressed to thine eynes. :)

I am not into clothes. Not that I have anything against anyone who is; I think that's perfectly fine. Clothes are after all among the basic physiological needs of man based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

What I am trying to say is that I am not into the whole 'trending' thing.  I am not as conscious with choosing designs of clothes that fit the era as much as I am conscious with the minutes left before the microwave dings.  Don't hate me just yet... there are types of clothes, I admit, I like and  there are types of clothes I'd derisively crunch my nose at for being horrific. BUT if someone is going to ask me about fashion advice, I would shirk away because I do not think I have the authority to solicit one.

I have been told by a couple of people, however, that I have a good collection of clothes, which I would have to say I personally think is true. But I do not arrogantly pride myself of them because I did not choose them myself. In fact, I did not even buy them for I don't have the money (real talk). The truth is, most of it are just gifts to me from my sister Anne. My sister runs this online shop and whenever she tasks me to reship the items, she gives me clothes as a reward for a job well done. The perk of having a sister who sells  good quality chic clothes, I have to say.

Then whenever I have to go out or go to school, my other sister, Joyce, picks out the clothes, matches them up and lets me wear them. She is basically my wardrobe consultant (if I may call her that).

So there goes the truth. I am no better than the mannequin behind the glass window, who awaits for the personnel to dress her up. My sisters are the ones with the sense of fashion; not me (this is without prejudice to those who think otherwise---I respect your opinion over the matter).  I even always recommend my sister's shop to my friends who would ask me about where I got my clothes.  She's been my--- how do I call her--- sponsor since I could remember. Here are a few of the many clothes she sells on her shop and the year I got them: 

Honoring of New lawyers 2011

2012

Graduates' Convocation Ball 2011

College of Arts and Sciences Retro-themed Big Day 2011

Mass Communication Tribute to Graduates 2009

2009

So for the years of wardrobe support *teehee*, Thank you, Sis! Mwah! Mwah! Keep it coming. hahaha!

Click on the next photo if you wish to check her items out. :) Don't forget to subscribe.