Iridescent.

The Mall of Asia Arena is one of the latest and biggest architectural “eyecon” that began construction in 2010 and opened last June 16, 2012. It was constructed to promote local talents, but continued to grow and become a destination for sporting events and local and international concerts. The distinctive eye-shaped facade of the arena seeks to imply the message that all the events held inside will surely be a “feast for the eye”.

Quick facts:

Lady Gaga held the first concerts at the arena with her two night sold-out concert for her Born This Way Ball tour on May 21–22, 2012. 

Madonna's Rebel Heart Tour concert last February 24–25, 2016 had the highest ticket prices of any concert in the Philippines with an average cost of ₱34,913. Regine Velasquez was the first local artist to perform at the arena, while Darren Espanto was the youngest artist to hold a solo show at the arena at age 14. One Ok Rock is the first Japanese artist to headline a show in the arena, while EXO was the first Korean artist to perform in the arena for two nights.

The UAAP's 2012 opening game between the NU Bulldogs and UE Red Warriors on July 14, 2012 was the arena's first college basketball game. The first game of the 2012 UAAP basketball finals was played at the arena in front of 20,686 people.

On March 6, 2013, the DLSU Lady Spikers became the first team in any Philippine sports to celebrate the first ever championship in the arena in front of 18,779 cheering crowd, when they won the UAAP women's volleyball championship.

On April 10, 2015, Hillsong No Other Name Tour Live In Manila Praise & Worship Concert was held at MOA Arena will more than 20,000 Filipino worshipers who watched and attended the Christian concert event.

On November 18, 2015, the Mall of Asia Arena served as the venue for the welcome dinner hosted by President Benigno Aquino III for the visiting economic leaders participating at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.

I chose to use the Marxist theory to analyze the Mall of Asia Arena. In my opinion, class structures can really be examined here. There are different floor levels in the arena. The farthest floor level is reserved for the general admission—which is always the cheapest among all the others. The 1st floor is reserved for the Patron & VIP—which is always the most expensive when it comes to any event. In my point of view, there is a clear distinction between those who can afford less and those who can afford more. There is a different level of enjoyment that each floor brings. 

I’d like to think of it this way, if there’s a concert, everyone in the arena gets to enjoy the music—but only some can really see their favorite artists. Moreover, the closer you are to the stage—the more elite you are. Because let’s face it, not everyone can afford around P10k above just for a concert ticket. Additionally, once tickets are available (especially for a grand event or concert), it only takes a small amount of time before all the tickets are sold. So basically, if you have the money now, you can instantly buy your ticket. But if you don’t, then you’ll have to compete with the others waiting to have the right amount of money to buy a ticket. Just like in reality, everyone is entitled to the country’s resources but the ones with money (elite) are usually the first people who can access or use it. And because our resources are scarce, those who cannot afford to instantly buy what they need compete with the others in the same situation too.

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Theoretical approach: Marxist theory

Album: Talking Dreams

Artist: Echosmith

Released: May 31, 2013

Genre: Indie pop, pop rock

Label: Warner Bros.

Writer:  Echosmith, Jeffery David, Jesiah Dzwonek

Producer: Mike Elizondo, Rob Cavallo

Awards:

The song subsequently became a sleeper hit, peaking at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and receiving airplay on US modern rock, hot adult contemporary, and contemporary hit radio stations.

 ..for me yan muna bye God bless

I was looking for a song that would really describe how there is a clear distinction between the class structures. The song wasn’t really meant to be something political, but I’m interpreting the song the way I see it. In my point of view, the cool kids in the song are the elite and the un-cool kids refer to the masses. The song is basically talking about how we all crave to be the ‘cool kids’ in school, which is like in real life where everyone wants to become an elite. The song also depicts the elite as people who don’t really know what the masses are going through—and that they don’t have heavy problems like what the masses have. The song also considers the elite as the ‘untouchables’ and that the elites don’t treat the masses the same way they treat other elites—basically leaving the non-elites at the background of everything. I will discuss the impact of the song’s content more on the deconstruction of the lyrics found below. :)

Echosmith is an indie-pop band from South California that is comprised of the Sierota siblings: Sydney (Vocalist), Jamie (lead singer and guitarist), Noah (bassist), and Graham (drummer). The group was originally formed in February 2009 and they released their first studio album that impressively got them a co-writer credit on all their songs.

Lead singer Jamie says that they wrote the song because they can relate to it and they feel that everybody, at some point in their lives, have felt the need to be somebody else. Although Cool Kids was actually far from an instant hit because it was released around 2012, but it gained more attention around 2013-2014 not only in the United States, but worldwide as well. The success of this song was largely due to the impact of its lyrics to people and its simple yet fantastic production and music video.

“ Nothing in this world could ever bring them down.

 Yeah, they’re invincible, and she’s just in the background.”

"He sees them talking with a big smile, but they haven’t got a clue.

 Yeah, they’re living the good life, can’t see what he is going through.

 They’re driving fast cars, but they don’t know where they’re going.

 In the fast lane, living life without knowing."

-          The lyrics describe the elite as people who are untouchable and that the non-elite are just in the background. Just like in old times, it was a disgrace if the elite would marry or be friends with maids or employees. Basically the elite are the ones who marry each other just to continue their “line”.

-          The second set of lyrics sort of says that the elite (cool kids) don’t understand what the non-elite (uncool kids) go through, they don’t have real problems to deal with, and they don’t know where they are going. Although I somehow agree with this, I can definitely see that it makes the elite look terrible—but in reality they have problems too. It may not be as heavy as the problems other people have, but problems are still problems.

-          Overall there is a clear distinction between the class structures here because the song partially explains that the elite are too high up in the social ladder that they don’t look down to see and realize the real problems of other people. While the non-elite looks up so high while wishing to be like the “cool kids” or the elite. It’s just like the movie Wreck It Ralph, the elites live in the building while the non-elite live in a dumpster—and the non-elite wishes to be fully accepted in the society. But let’s face it, the elite world is totally different from the non-elite where different problems actually arise.

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[All photos are mine]

Boracay

One dominant thing I discovered during our exposure trip is that there are a lot of different opinions regarding their perspective about the westernizers. We were tasked to see the evolution of culture in Boracay and additionally we were tasked to interview people there to gather data for our research. We interviewed people who work there; and for them, the more tourists, the better for their business. Especially for the “beach vendors” because that’s their means of livelihood. Although some Filipinos think otherwise because most of the stalls we saw around the beach were owned by either Americans, Koreans, or other nationalities and Filipinos rarely own part of the business. It did not use to be like this; according to our other interviewees, the stalls used to be Filipino based and Filipino owned. But as time passed by, and from what I saw, a lot of the stalls and restaurants are technically from the states—some even had Korean letters as their signage.

Moreover, we interviewed people who live there, and for them, they think quite negatively about the matter in hand. Some of the children think that the tourists damage the ‘peaceful’ outlook of Boracay since it’s always loud due to all the parties that surround the beach. In addition, they think that Boracay is now unclean due to the tourists (even some Filipinos) that throw garbage around like confetti. It’s sad to think that children see the situation this way—but they have a point.

We also went Island hopping and the island that struck me the most was the Puka beach. We interviewed a Filipino who’s been living there for 15 years. His job is to create sand signage’s (like sand castles) but he doesn’t ask for money in return—he just asks for donation of any amount. He was sitting under a tree, then he told us that he would take multiple pictures for us and that any amount will do. I was literally shocked because as he moved off the shade, we found out that his legs were deformed and that he glides to walk. Long story short, we interviewed him and we found out that a lot of Filipinos selling in Puka beach are scared that the westernizers will soon buy the island and the vendors will have to leave. Once the island is sold and privatized, Filipino beach vendors will no longer be able to sell their products. It’s truly devastating news because as we asked around, some vendors there have nowhere else to go and some of them only have their current job as their means of livelihood. They even had to leave their families behind just to work in Boracay or in Puka beach since they came from different places. Furthermore, it’s ironic that the beaches in our own country will be owned by Westernizers and that we as Filipinos will not be able to work there or visit there without payment.

In my opinion, I also have conflicting perspectives regarding this topic. I see a good industrialized and progressing Boracay because of the hardworking Filipinos and the influence of the Westernizers. Without the tourists, some Filipinos that live there will not have jobs or will not succeed in their line of business. Additionally, this is good exposure for the Philippines because we will create a friendly environment for both Filipinos and Westernizers. We also interviewed foreigners and asked them what they think about Boracay and the Filipino culture there (if the western culture really dominated the island). Surprisingly, they said that the Filipinos still keep their own culture intact and although there are a lot of tourists from different countries, Filipinos still remain to be loyal to their culture. On the other hand, I agree that our beautiful islands are being abused—but not only by Westernizers, but also by Filipinos. The more we seek to catch the attention of tourists, the more we do everything to beautify Boracay without thinking about the condition of the island and the people that live there. Finally, I think that there isn’t really one unified perspective regarding the matter in hand because we all understand things differently.

Intramuros 

A place of great antiquity that both foreigners and locals go to perceive our great history. The walls and gates of Intramurous surely had a lot to offer since it is known as Manila’s “historic core”. It was a sudden yet amazing adventure for me. I had to go to this historical landmark despite my busy schedule—and it was worth every single minute. It’s nice to try and relive the past, or at least see how we’ve grown from it. The place is filled with tourists and locals wandering around and capturing memories. The interview that struck me the most was my discussion with Manang, a 50+ year old woman who has been there for more than 20 years. Throughout our conversation, she told me that she has indeed seen the development of Intramuros and that she believes the tourists have a lot to do with this improvement. She has been selling bracelets and other commodities for quite a long time now, and her everyday adventure around Intramuros gave her an everyday sight to the place’s progression as well.

Nothing much can compare the cultural politics in Boracay and Intramuros— except the fact that they are both swarming with tourists. The two places are both a feast for anyone’s eyes, but Intramuros possesses a more historical backstory than Boracay. A great number of commodities are offered in both places as well. With regards to my interviews, I found it remarkable that people who have been there for more than 10 years actually saw the progression of one place. Overall, both trips made me realize that we Filipinos are not the only ones to see the richness of our country’s culture and that the crowd of tourists will have a different impact depending on who you ask.

Here are some of the pictures I took while roaming around Intramuros.

A picture of Manang (left). :)

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GIF: mine

Since the time of elite nationalism, the notion of “pang-kami” is still intact. Moreover, this creates the great cultural divide which hinders the power of “pantayo”. The division continues to lead the nation to different directions. The weight of the western influence has been slowly eating up our core beliefs and values.

According to Yacat (2013), Sikolohiyang Pilipino focused on identity and national consciousness, social awareness and involvement, national and ethnic cultures and languages, and bases and application of indigenous psychology. In addition, the movement has areas of protest like the psychology of re-awakening (sikolohiya ng pagbabagong-isip) which is against the psychology that sustains colonial mentality. This area further supports the decolonization of the Filipino mind for the promotion of national consciousness which will then lead to our identity. Basically, it explains the interrelationship between decolonization and our identity. Through lessening the weight of influence from our colonizers, we can slowly be conscious of what truly makes us Filipinos.

Another area of protest is the liberated psychology (sikolohiyang Malaya) which is in opposition to the importation of western psychology more appropriate to industrialized countries. In contrast to this, Virgilio Enriquez, the father of Sikolohiyang Pilipino, does not advocate the complete eradication or abandonment of western theories—he is just against the western theories being used as a ground for our “hopes and dreams”. To put it simply, we have been blindly accepting and following what western knowledge impart on us that we seem to forget what it really means to be a Filipino.

I’ve noticed that what we Filipinos know is largely influenced by western knowledge. We are losing our sense of national consciousness because we tend to cling to the psychology developed by western colonization. Additionally, I realized that up until now, my blogs are still about identity. Throughout all the discussions, I’ve discovered that there are numerous reasons to why we continue to adapt western theories and why we seem to reject what is more important. Therefore, we should start with Philippine education. It should be more independent—hence it should not attach itself to western conceptualization. Finally, we should prioritize the reconstruction of our identity and create the framework making sense of the link between the past and the present. This will further help our nation to advance and not get stuck in the past filled with the impact of western influence.

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Photo: mine

We live in a world where we become faceless and nameless representatives of other dominating and influencing powers because our identity has been scarred, broken, and stolen. Colonizers have forced people before to be more like their colonizers image—and history may be repeating itself.

On one hand, we talked about Franz Fanon and his belief that colonizers attempted to shape people to be like them and eliminate what those people were before. This brings up cultural assimilation and the struggle against colonialism. According to Macat Multimedia Series (2015), “citizens of colonized countries were forced to identify themselves with colonist culture.” The colonizers basically deprived the citizens of their choice to create their own identity.

The video our professor showed us in POLTHE2 really brought some sense into me. Whenever Mark (the Filipino New-Yorker) visits the Philippines, he feels like an alien when he compares himself to other Filipinos because not everything he eats or sees is common for him since he grew up in the states. He feels like an alien in his own country. It’s basically the same in today’s world. We lose our identity due to numerous influences and we try too hard to become someone we’re not. We cling on to the images of other people—desperately seeking approval from the society. When we return to what used to be our identity, we feel like aliens running around in an unknown world.

Additionally, we tackled the three key areas of post-colonial theory—hybridity, ethnicity, and location.

First, our professor clearly discussed that hybridity is in-line with Fanon’s work where colonizers eradicate the true identity of the citizens of the country they are colonizing and they forcibly shape them to new social patterns and cultures. Second, the post-colonial theory basically changed the concept of ethnicity being equal to race. In this theory, race leans more to something physical but ethnicity includes social, cultural, and religious processes. Additionally, the theory emphasizes that ethnicity tends to homogenize the meaning or concept of being black and it privileges racism solely to black people. Moreover, it generalizes the meaning of being black wherein when you’re black, you have these general characteristics. Lastly, the theory emphasizes that the location is more concerned with the analysis of the social, cultural, religious and linguistic processes that create one’s identity wherever these processes occur.

We also discussed Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism where he concluded that biased conceptions masked the ability to truly understand the Middle Eastern and East Asian culture. He conducted a research where he basically found out that a western perspective is way different from the middle-eastern culture. In my opinion, it’s hard to understand something you don’t have that much knowledge about and there’s a difference between truly knowing about it. You may have knowledge about a certain culture by your numerous research, but it is different from actually seeing or being part of that same culture. Basically, that’s what Edward Said was trying to point out. He also pointed out that being biased on one thing makes you think you are correct or superior because you don’t clearly understand the point of the other side. In addition, we tend to rush into senseless wars just because we either don’t understand the other side’s point of view or we both think that we are superior. A lot of misunderstandings have caused serious wars that could have been solved by just talking and agreeing to settle. There are different sides to every story or research—that’s why we should refrain from judging a culture without understanding it first.

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Photo: mine

Within the last few weeks, we have been able to cover a lot about critical theories from the West.

In a nutshell, we’re the sand on the beach and the Western left their footprints. No matter how much the sea tries to wash off the prints, we continue to create more footprints following the ones left by the Western.

From Marx’s take on revolution, the tandem of Gramsci and Lukacs, the discussion of Habermas on developing people’s communicative action, to the Post-modern theory, Baudrillard’s perspective on postmodernity (which he considered to be beyond Marx’s mode of production), to Faucault’s discourse analysis (which he also considers a study beyond Marx’s ideology), Lyotard’s role and totality of narratives, metanarratives, to the various cultural studies, and lastly—feminism and ecology. It seems that the contribution of the West established more valuable ideas towards cultural studies and development.

In relation to Feminism, let me just say that we are more than the labels people give us. If people say that you can’t do it just because you’re a girl, turn around and say “watch me.” What we need is the motivation to continue to be a strong and independent woman in a world full of hypocrites that don’t understand. You can’t change people’s minds without giving them something to think about. Basically, we need to prove something to them. If they still won’t budge, then that should not stop us from being who we truly are.

Nowadays woman tend to let society objectify them—especially when it comes to the division of labor. It’s disappointing—but true. That’s why we should stop hiding from the male shadow and make ourselves vocal and visible because no one else will do that for us.

In today’s world, I notice that we quickly absorb different cultures and we are forgetting to take a great deal of pride in our own. Even today, we continue to teach and learn Western culture and theories more than any other colonizer. Even though it has been such a long time, their ideas have remained to influence our daily lives. Although given the fact that they did have a lot of valuable knowledge to impart on us, we should probably be more proud of our own culture. We are slowly losing what it is like to actually be a Filipino. Basically we’re just blindly mirroring the Western culture and at the same time we think that what we see is our true identity.

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GIF: mine

Nowadays, pop culture or trends tend to overpower us. Some people blindly follow what’s popular just to fit-in. This is where we question who we are, and this is where we obsess over the new in thing. This society we crave so much to be a part of carves out the only genuine thing about us—our identity.

If I connect this to anything politically related, my example would be ideologies and elections. I’ve done tons of research for some of my classes and one of the conclusions I always make is that people tend to go with the flow. To keep the long story short, we are basically politically ignorant animals. One huge example would be voting for celebrities or famous (as harsh as this may sound—it’s true) ignorant people.

See, we live in a world where following the latest trend means that you’re socially accepted. But here’s the naked truth that not everyone can see: You can’t please everyone, even if you follow the trend—even if you become the trend. Someone will always hate you or your guts. People will always have something to say. Just be yourself. Don’t let anyone; the media, an icon, a trend, tell you who you truly are. Tell them who you are. Be anyone you want to be, not because society tells you to be like this or that. Not everyone will like you. But who cares? The only person who should like you—IS YOU. Your life, your story. Don’t let anyone else write it for you.

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GIF: mine

What happened to those old sappy handwritten letters? Every stroke on the paper had effort. Every phone call was remembered, since calling abroad back then was really expensive. Every picture was developed for future memories to show your children and grandchildren. People exchanged laughter, not emojis. Kids got bruises but still manages to laugh it off because they love playing outside, not with their gadgets.

Don’t get me wrong, I love how our technology advanced. Growing up, my dad would rarely have time to talk to us since he was working in the U.S and we had different time zones. But we make it a point to talk to each other at least once a week. I would share stories and he would share his and that one day of talking with him meant the world to us. I don’t know if you get me but there’s something about that span of time where we don’t talk that gives me the urge to wait for the time that we will. It makes it more special.

Basically, technology has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, one of the advantages is that we use technology as an outlet, may it be of our feelings or our thoughts. We use it to instantly connect to people from different parts of the world. In just one click, a lot of our answers can be answered. But then again, it removes the specialty of working hard for something, of learning something not through a computer screen but through a hard bound book, and of meeting someone through talking not through typing.

Also, one of the disadvantages is that since we live in a very modernized world, it is so easy for someone to get to know everything about us. With just one click, you can know where someone lives. This is actually a national security matter. Cyberwarfare has been an issue since the 9-11 attack. This means that our country can easily be attacked from the inside.

In my opinion, we’re living in a fast-paced world and I hope that everything would just slow down. Technology becomes a negative thing when we use it in a bad way—or when we overuse it. Just a little reminder: technology is not our holy grail.

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1. As of today, are you conscious of your political ideology? If so, what is it? If not, why not?

Source: https://ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/ideology.png

I actually have different views on different topics. Meaning, in some issues; I am either under the left-wing politics or the right-wing politics (liberalism/conservatism). My views would depend on three things (either one, two, or all): the issue, the research (about the issue), and the facts. If I see that the issue suppresses freedom and equality—I take a stand against it and I become a liberalist. With that being said, I am still aware of what my views are which means that I am conscious of my own political ideology.

2. Is there any politically marginalized group that elicits your sympathy? If so which is/ are this/ these?

Gays and lesbians (the ones who are still inside their “closet” because they are too afraid to come out), abused women and children, and the poor and homeless.

Photo: mine

The best way I can interpret my answer is through the pictures I took at the Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo. These pictures depict what they all have in common: they have so much inside of them yet they can’t let it out because they are too afraid. They keep screaming, asking our society for sympathy and help, but we can’t seem to hear them.

No one should ever be treated different just because they choose who they want to love and who they truly want to be. Gays and lesbians should still receive the respect that we give to each other. They should be able to express themselves however they please. Despite the progress of our society to accept the LGBT community, the “closet” gays and lesbians are still frightened that they are not going to be accepted—thus, this leads to them not accepting themselves as well.

Same goes for the poor and homeless, and the abused women and children. No one deserves to be abused or battered—especially by their own family. In general, your family should always be the one to support and protect you—not the other way around. As for the poor and homeless; what I see in our country is that there (and it seems that there will always be) a division of the poor and the rich. It seems that the poor becomes poorer and the rich becomes richer. This division, even though it is unlikely to happen, must be abolished. What we really need is for everyone to have a change of heart, and for the poor to do something about their status. It’s all about working together, not for the benefit of one, but for the benefit of all.

Source: http://s1302.photobucket.com/user/nelsonmonty/media/wereallinthistogether_zpsfe029b7a.gif.html

3. Are you conscious of other people exercising power over you? If so, who are these? Is this something you accept or resist?

4.  Are you conscious of other people whom you are exercising power over? If so, who are these? Is this something that you force on them without their consent? Do they resist?

Although there are a lot of people who exercise power over me and vice versa (like people older than me but not related to me, professors, government officials, etc.), I will have one main focus. For both questions 3 and 4, here’s a picture to summarize the people who exercise power over me and the people I exercise power over.

Photo: mine

I guess basically everything starts with your family. The moment you are born, your parents already exercise power over you. They influence how you think, they teach you how to do this and that, and since you’re still young and mainly ignorant—they tell you what to do. In addition, since I’m the youngest in our family, my siblings also exercise power over me. They influenced and taught me numerous things and they took care of me when my parents were gone. Additionally, I’m aware of how they exercise power over me and it is something I accept.

So in our family, we are very open to suggestions and discussions. I chose them to be the main people who exercise power over me and vice versa because I also influence their decisions and views on different things. My power over them is something that I don’t force on them without their consent because it just comes naturally. Since we are a family, we value the opinions of one another. They exercise power over me, and I can exercise power over them.

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As shown, my father has overall control over both our productive and reproductive resources. It can also be seen that my mom helps my dad control both resources. This is because they both want to keep the family intact and they share almost all responsibilities together and basically they work as a team. On the other hand, there are some materials that my sister and I have control of, like laptops, cellphones, and books since we all have them in our possession and we control what we do with it without consulting our parents first.

When it comes to deciding about issues related to productive activities, both my parents control the decisions and most of the time my eldest sister has a say about the issue since she is already working. Most of the time my mom would handle budgeting almost everything, my dad will provide new avenues for profit and he also provides the largest income, and my eldest sister will help anyway she can. My second sister and I also help (sometimes—like trying to budget what we buy) any way we can when it comes to budgeting. Moving on to the issues related to reproductive activity, as you can see, it’s a mixture of my dad alone and us kids. This is basically because we got to choose our courses for college and we also got to choose which school we want to go to. Lastly, regarding community management issues, you can see that most of the time we individually get to decide what we will do or follow.                                                            

When it comes to both benefits and burdens, my dad has total control of almost everything. That’s because the benefits usually cost money, and he’s the one who gives us our allowance and he’s the one with a lot of connections that can help us get to anywhere. When it comes to controlling household chores, paying the bills, expenses and others, my parents are still in control since they budget the money and they decide how to allocate it. We, their children, are just here to enjoy benefits… and endure burdens.

Surprisingly, it seems that I am in control of my life. At first I thought the outcome would be different but I thought of my answers very carefully and I found out that even if I follow what my parents want, I’m still in control. Although my parents and I have differences when we decide, I know that they are just helping me shape myself to be a better person as I grow up and it feels very satisfying to know that I am still in charge of my own identity. This made me have a better view of who I am as a person.

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