Rage On

Another perk that we enjoy in UP is the freedom to choose our own PE class, and when I say freedom, I mean that we actually get to choose from a wide array of interesting classes. These range from the common sports like basketball, volleyball, and tennis, to the lesser known ones like aikido, kendo, and pétanque.  I know, they sound outlandish. I don’t know them either! But there are also classes that are not necessarily sports such as walking, yoga,  camping, and even dancing of all sorts, or if you’re really not into physical activities at all, you can opt for the physical fitness class, the unpopular PE 1. God knows when was the last time I played a sport — so I kept distance from the rigorous and dynamic PEs, which is why I chose bowling for my first semester.  Aside from the fact that it was a popular choice among freshmen, turns out that bowling was such a breeze as it required perhaps the least amount of effort among other sports, at least physically.  Our professor had always stressed that it was a mental game. True enough, in every game it had challenged my balance and concentration: the perfect formula for a strike. Easier said than done, though!

We found joy in the simplest of things. We would take snapshots of each other and die laughing at the absurd faces that our phone cameras caught. I would impersonate someone, a classmate or an instructor, and it would spark guffaws from them.  Even in the flash of walking from one class to another, we never ran out of jokes. That helped a lot to make things lighter. And oh, Tay Tung was actually just the name of Johna’s high school. It sounded unique for a school, so might as well call our group as such. Our minds, really! 

Perhaps a common worry among us freshmen was between the lines of “having a social life.” Luckily for me, I got enlisted to a block, similar to those sections in high school but smaller in size, as there were those “blockless” ones which in essence meant that they were by themselves and that they had different set of classmates in every class. Luckier even, I instantly found myself enjoying the company of these particular and crazy blockmates, which up until now are a huge part of my great support system. We call our circle “Tay Tung.”  

Since I feel like my second semester can no longer end, at least formally, and that the day that I left the dormitory last March turned out to be my last day in the campus as a freshman, I just want to relive some moments that made my first year as an Isko the best that I could ever ask for. Before that, I would just like to share (and celebrate!) that I have just turned in the last requirement of my most dreaded subject thus far — Engineering Drawing.

Interestingly, this is only a miniature of a bottle of cognac that was captured by my iPad. My iPad case served as the background(which provided a glossy, black touch) and a home flashlight illuminating from above.

At Christmas, cousins are the presents under the tree 🌲-Karen Decourcey :-)

I believe that I have already learned the true essence of being smart as a student. One would probably say that a student is doing good in school if he could easily pass a subject, all the more so if he could snatch a significantly higher grade than the rest of the class. Another thing, some would also brag that the more amigos they have, they are actually "doing it right." And lastly, the seemingly sounding smart yet cringeworthy move of devoting one's time solely on studies. These are just not smart at all. Being an achiever myself, earning high grades, sometimes near-perfect, does not even come close to being smart. The real thing is, these numbers are just a result of the usual and predictable standardized assessment of your teachers. What is smart is if you are not running after these numbers too much, but rather on the skills, wisdom, and knowledge that are actually the very reason to why you are sent to school. Another attribute that a smart student possesses is being secure of his own identity and social circle You do not have to be one of those talk-of-the-towns, nor do you have to please everybody, as cliché as it may sound, but you do not really have to. The truth is, nobody actually cares if you look like a potato, or say, if you think you seem like a creep for being fond of animé. Fulfill your interests and embrace your true colors. At the end of the day, satisfaction within yourself is what matters the most. Finally, there is no more smarter than someone who can juggle very well his time for studies, family, friends, and hobbies. Time inevitably moves forward. You must use your time wisely. Although it sounds like a smart move, you should never devote all of your time in school. Your life encompasses a lot than this. Do not forget to live the very moment with your family, friends, and enjoying things that you love to do. That is just my perfect kind of smart. Unconventional. Modern. Wise. I believe that when someone has these attributes, he could be guaranteed already of happiness, contentment, and success throughout his journey of being a student.

Symbol vs Ritual In connection to my recent post about media convention, we may also relate it to the concept of symbol and ritual. Symbol refers to anything that is made significant through constant occurrences, while one must stress that ritual on the other hand is a practice that has become habitual, making it socially and culturally acceptable. In my previous example, the western features of the model symbolize the customary beauty in our society, while the habitual practice of opting for such models to endorse the cosmetics is the ritual which the audience are incognizant about. Logically, symbol is a subset of ritual. What is ritually constructed includes the symbol in a certain context. As a result of focusing too much on symbols, we become mindless and often overlook the consequences of us ritually accepting these symbols. One such consequence, taking from the cosmetics advertisements, is the superiority of the western standards over its counterparts.

Media Conventions Since we are constantly exposed to media, there are combinations of form and content that have become customary and widely accepted by almost all individuals in our society. Such combinations are referred to as media conventions. For a case in point, consider the advertisements of beauty products or cosmetics like lipsticks, mascara, and moisturizers. Advertisers would usually settle for models which are fair-skinned(even if the product being advertised is non-whitening), skinny, and whose facial features conform to the western standards of beauty. What if the model is flabby? Or has freckles and red-haired? Dark-skinned? How would the audience respond? Would the product garner more sales, or not? As a result of it being conventional, that is, being perceived as natural even if it is definitely not at all, we tend to adhere to that standard of beauty, even if there are far more types of beauty to celebrate about and to be proud of.

Form and Content are Inseparable In media, form pertains to the means of delivering the message to the audience, while content refers to the message itself that is being delivered. To elaborate, consider some TV advertisements of potato chips or other crackers of its kind. One thing they have in common is that their advertisers accentuate the "good nutritional value" of the products, and the actors(who are noticeably in good shape) enjoy carelessly what they eat. Who would not be encouraged, if your favorite bag of Jack 'n Jill contains Vitamin C and is made of whole grains as advertised, and is patronized by physically fit personalities whom you admire? I bet even you would not hesitate to buy one from the nearest sari-sari store in your neighborhood. But digging into the facts, the aforementioned nutritious contents are relatively, still, outweighed by "junks" especially excessive calories and sodium, hence known as junk foods, which are detrimental in the long run. Is form and content inseparable? Yes, it is, but to a little extent, I disagree. I believe that when someone is media literate and wise enough to distinguish the very, very content from its form, thus, it becomes somehow separable at least in our minds.

...will always be a proud member of CTAG(Colegian's Theater Arts Group) 🙂

Hear me out, Philippines. The meaning of your democracy has indeed changed since then. And it slaps you right on your face, real hard. You have to fight this curse back! Please, wake your children up to eradicate this curse that has devoured your system. This curse...deadly but your plethora of forces is even greater compared to those who constitute it. Deadly, for they would always find ways of pushing you to the pit of fraudulence, as it were a wolf in a sheep's clothing. And as such, once the trick has done, they would then bathe themselves to the luster of gold and sounds of friction between paper bills. Hear me out, Philippines. Do not succumb yet to the curse. You are yet to welcome a better tomorrow. Free yourself from these rubbish that unpolishes your coruscant shade of truth. Prepare the right tools and defense for another day's clash against the lost track of your democracy. Namely, they are intellect, solicitude, and transparency. These are the perfect lineup of defense, but are seemed to be buried beneath the world's deepest trenches. Or is it not? Hear me out, Philippines. Hear me out, my fellow Filipinos. Together we will bring back once again the true meaning of democracy. We will, because we can.

So lately, I've been browsing my past works on Google Keep. And because I am freshly off quarterly examinations, here is a throwback...of my flirty side then. Cringe! When I was in 10th grade of Junior High School, I had an ultimate crush on someone from our class. Here it goes. Haha! "Friday, August 26, 2016 10:39 pm I have something to tell you: like ensuring a VIP seat in a box office hit in New York, I do not mind facing the crowd and savouring their pungent sweat just to keep my dreamy eyes on your perfectly carved face. From what I can see, you are sort of underrated in our class, but their appreciation is just a pieceful of cherry on top of the cake, and it means no more than my fantasy as my heart reverberates from shouting every single time that our eyes momentarily touch amidst the hasting time. I honestly wasn't a big fan of yours from the start, but you are a witch; a witchcraft of yours slowly cursed me to reach for you, to have myself in the middle of anarchy for liking you, and to get insane for trying my best to approach you, but the world is indeed cruel, and I guess I cannot elucidate anymore the resentment that is inside me, that our story is about to end in the first week of April." P.S. My feelings have ceased already, and it has always been quite funny to reminisce such fopperies :-)

Life has no guarantees. Move!

If I were to turn back time, I'd wear off my shyness at an early age. Growing up, being a shy person has been a challenge which I still cannot win over. I wish I could tell you that it could be easily stripped down like a lingerie, but I could not. It is not as facile as dealing with an algebra problem, but rather a curse I should say. It is a serious trouble. I feel deprived from effectively communicating and interacting with my peers and everyone in general. At most times, I stutter and mispronounce words, perhaps a compelling force is somewhere behind my throat down to my vocal cords, or even deeper than that... Some would even crack that besides roaches and ants, no one else could hear me speak clearly. Wearing off my shyness has ever been so urgent. I've wasted a lot of opportunities - opportunities to grow, to shine, and to enjoy life to the fullest. I have grown too complacent in life, grounded at the comfort of my home so long as the absence of dealing with people. But day by day, I somewhat realize: I could not afford this anymore. It is a already a choice between going that extra mile...or residing with nonchalance, blind from the spotlight that life may have given me. Photo from: http://blog.selfarcheology.com/2013/09/nathaniel-branden-emotions-and_9.html

Close your eyes. Have a trip to our world a thousand years from now. The sky is dominated by filthy clouds of smoke and harmful particles that are suspended in the air, so it is a must to have yourself a facemask. Drinkable water is scarce, too; one bottle of it costs a hundred bucks. The birds that used to harmonize your morning are nowhere to be found but in History textbooks. And because of extreme heat conditions, your dearest mother breathed her last due to heat stroke complications. Now, think of it. Who are you going to blame?

Let me first share a striking scenario. While I was walking down the lane after school, I overheard a conversation between two wise people. The first one, a sentimental and prosperous man, vented to the other one his desolation, probably due to personal matters, that money cannot buy happiness. The other one then chuckled in despair. Nearly in tears, he replied, "Pal, your trash is a long-lost treasure to my family." A realization has just crossed my mind. It is an unhypocritical fact that the basic necessities in our lives can be shouldered only by money. Unfortunately, not everyone of us are luckily born to have sufficient one. The scarcity of money and other material needs, or the state of poverty, has been emerging as a global emergency for years, and national governments from different parts of the world continue to combat this, yet they still cannot find the proper antidote for the said crisis. With respect to the Philippines, I have witnessed the efforts of the government and other NGOs to solve the said problem, but not quite from the population below the poverty line. Instead, these people just make it more and more laborious to provide them help and to help themselves by their major contribution on the birth rate of our country. Do not get me wrong, but I also consider the complexity of the reasons behind poverty in our country. To name a few are government corruption, natural calamities, and unpredictable economic trends. These factors show that we just cannot simply pinpoint and blame this or that for causing the problem, however, I strongly stand for my belief that we are all held responsible to eradicate this curse from our country. The problem is not the problem itself; the problem is the lack of coordination of Filipinos as one. Begin by good communication, then there comes the cooperation of each and every one and of course, the heartfelt solicitude to our fellow countrymen.