#nekonoob

Last Tuesday, 13th of January 2015, an initial discussion was held on our Political Theory 2 class regarding what this particular course has to offer for us for the entirety of the term. From what I remember, we did two activities: first of which was an interactive quiz, and the second one was the main lecture itself.

As previously mentioned, our professor decided to conduct an interactive activity to capture our interest, considering that our schedule begins as early as quarter past nine in the morning. It was pretty interesting, to say the least (see "Left or Right" post)

Another activity which I have mentioned was the main lecture. To provide more details regarding this lecture, it was mostly about an individual's subjectivity or positionality - on which one is more dominant than the other. Now, as hinted by the title of this entry, I would like to make this post revolve around the said topic.

During our primary (and in some cases, secondary) education, we knew what subjects and objects were through the grammar lessons taught in our respective English classes. To provide a brief review, a subject is the main focus of a sentence, while an object is the receiver of an action committed by the subject. Now, if I am not entirely mistaken, a part of our current lesson in POLTHE2 (or political theory 2) tackles two ideas similar to subject and object, albeit on a different context. 

From what I understood, subjectivity is the case when you are the one who is making the decisions for yourself. If we are to link the aforementioned subject with this, we can say that you, as an individual, are the subject, meaning that you are the doer of the actions. On the other hand, we also have what is referred to as positionality. Being the opposite of the other, this is the case when others have more control or influence over yourself regarding handling decisions. To make it sound less complicated, positionality works whenever you act solely because you are compelled to do so, and not because of your own will. In terms of connecting this with the said English lessons, we can say that the person in this is the object, meaning that s/he can only receive what the subject does, and not the other way around.

With all of that being said, I think it would now be fair to proceed and contemplate on whether I am truly a subject, or just a mere object. 

Sexuality

While it is true that our sex is predetermined by our very own genetics, our gender obviously is not. It remains to us whether we would like to adopt our gender based from our biological sex or not. In my case, I have decided to live up to my biological sex. 

To be fair, I was raised on becoming a man myself. I was taught how to dress like a man, how to walk like a man, how to eat like a man, and the like. But, as I have mentioned, the choice of whether we would like to keep this always remains to our own self. Seeing that being the person that I was trained to be offers a handful of perks which I think I would enjoy to the fullest, I decided on keeping my gender unchanged (no offense to feminists and other movements that dislike masculinity/patriarchy). 

This should clear the doubts of those who think that I am hiding in a closet (if there are any)

Answer: Subject

Emotions

Unlike the previous category, I personally believe that this one is tricky. Yes, it is true that we can control most of our own emotions. In fact, it is one of the many reasons why deceiving is not a lost art. People project happiness when in fact, they are feeling lonely on the inside. People can smile in front of you even when what they really wanted to do is stick a knife into your skull the moment you turn your back against them. Hell, people can even project nothing to leave you off guard.

Unfortunately, this is not the case when it comes to me. I believe that I am terrible in faking reactions. When someone cracks a hilarious joke, I cannot help but to laugh even if I am not supposed to. Whenever I see something disturbing right in front of me, my body flinches in all of a sudden. When I feel immense pain or anger, I voluntarily clench my fists. Point is, I rarely am in control of my emotions; rather, I (in)voluntarily give out reactions based on the actions given to me by other people (or so I think.)

Answer: Object

Interests

Like most people, I have tons of interests. Hence, I shall try to enumerate as many as I could; all while stating where it stands between subjectivity and positionality.

Rock music - Honestly, rock music was not always my first choice in picking music. Growing up, I was exposed to plenty of pop and mainstream music thanks to radio and television. This led me to think that perhaps these songs are what I should listen to, given how much time is being spent by the media in playing these. However, when I entered high school, some sort of shift happened. Even though the media is still giving us plenty of pop, hip-hop, rap, and other mainstream music through their various programs, I was lucky enough to find rock through some classmates who shared it with me. Then and there, I was captivated by the guitar riffs, vocals, and lyricism. Needless to say, I discovered what kind of music really does the job of attracting me simply through its identity, and not through its number of exposure.  I guess one could say that the rest is history thereafter. Answer: Subject

WWE (and modern professional wrestling) - I know that just the sight of something that has become highly popular in our country from 2004 - 2007 then quietly declined is peculiar, but please do hear me out on this. Nowadays, there seems to be a surplus of things which captures the interests of the people of my age. From what I observe, these things include Avatar, Sherlock, Star Wars, and Doctor Who, among others. This is not to say that that this abundance (in entertainment) is wrong or anything, but (unfortunately) the great "fanbase" of these programs became very much packed to the point that attempting to give one of these a try will make it seem like I am merely joining a bandwagon, and not actually investing in it (although I have seen Star Wars I-III when I was little...). Just like my problem with music, I think that when the time comes wherein I finally watch one of these shows, it would be just the effect of its exposure rather than its identity. I fear that maybe if I watch these shows, it would be the "peer pressure" that drives me to do so, and not my own will. As a result, I decided to stick with the program which I have tuned to ever since I was in the first grade of elementary - WWE. By this time, I know that most of the things they project is scripted just like any other television show. However, it has not lost its touch in terms of making me want to support it. It still has that mix of sports and storytelling which only a few has. It still hires great talents capable of entertaining the audience to the fullest. But more importantly, it has become something which only a smaller crowd could relate to. Much unlike the previous shows which I have mentioned, WWE (and modern pro-wrestling) has declined significantly in terms of popularity in our country; thus removing the idea that it is peer pressure which drives me to watch the show, but rather injecting the thought that it is my own interest which pushes me to do so. Answer: Subject

Fiction - I may not read as often as I used to, but whenever I do, I always go for something that is either a crime/mystery novel, or a tragic drama. As much as romantic novels are common, and as much as I enjoyed reading some (The Fault in our Stars and Love, Rosie are worth mentioning, in my opinion), nothing can "glue" me to a book better than those two genres. You might ask what could be the reason behind this. My answer is simple: because I chose to. Answer: Subject

Fashion Sense - First and foremost, let me get this straight: I dislike this label. Now that that is out of the way, allow me to get to my point. For men, there seems to be a trend wherein an individual would have the sides of his hair almost entirely shaven, while leaving the top part of his hart untouched or slightly trimmed. They call this hairstyle as "undercut". In terms of clothing, I spot plenty of men (hypothetically the same age as mine) who favors the combination of polo shirts, colored pants or shorts, and a pair of sportswear shoes or topsiders. Whatever this trend is, I am not buying into it. They can keep their waxed hairstyles, fitted (and often brightly colored) clothing, and expensive footwear. I would gladly stick with my long, "emo" hair, (mostly) dark printed shirts, semi-fitting pants, and some trusty pairs of Vans any time of the day. I simply do not care if my "style" is outdated. This is not high school anymore wherein a prescribed "2x3" or clean cut is a must, or a uniform must be worn on a daily basis.This is my preference, and none shall dictate what hair should I have nor what clothes should I wear. Answer: Subject

Relationships

When I was younger, I had this misconception that popularity equates to greatness. This led me to think that the popular kids in school have it all - looks, brains, and attitude. To that point, i thought that they would make excellent acquaintances, given their "greatness". While it may be true in some cases, it proved to be wrong for the better part. Granted, I became "friends" with some of the "popular" kids then. Little did I know that I was being used. Whenever I am with the popular ones instead of the nerdy ones, I tend to become the laughing stock. The jokes would be more focused on poking fun at me. If the jokes do not occur, then I become the answer key. Knowing that I was one of the "smart ones" of our class then, they would literally milk my answers directly from my work... and I was too stupid to notice.

Gladly, all changed as I grew up. I started to side with the people who share the same interests with me rather than those who do not, regardless of the popularity. I decided to move away from the "famous" kids, and I began to know the others better. i get to talk about video games and other cool mid 2000's things on a daily basis, eat lunch with a group, discuss school works properly, and the like. Needless to say, I have finally stuck with the people whom I wanted to spend (or waste) my time with. I have never been happier. (this remains true to this day)

I guess this is also true for seeking romance. Approaching high school, I thought that the one deemed as the prettiest is the best girl that may ever exist. I thought that a girl like such is what us guys should chase after. Now, i am laughing at that thought. Upon entering junior high school, I just began to care less about looks. I started to not mind almost anything, to be honest. I just minded my own business. Before I knew it, I met this woman (same age, of course). As I get to know her, my earlier idea started to fade away; replaced with the image of this girl being the most wonderful woman whom I can ever meet. The pretty ones may not necessarily be the best after all. Perhaps all this time, all I needed to do was to disregard what many are saying, and just follow what my mind says. Same with my issue regarding friendship, I have never been happier (and I think i never have been THAT happy again)

Point is, once I started to decide on what is best for me instead of following the social constructs that my environment has set up, I felt a lot better.

Answer: Subject

Spirituality

I think that it is no secret that I was educated in a Catholic school for the better part of my life. I was taught how I should act, saying that I should follow the footsteps of Jesus. I was taught how to think, being exposed to the many forms of morals and values and its counterparts. Each and every possible move that I could think of was taught to me by this institution. Of course, growing up into the said community, I always thought that what I was doing was purely correct, meaning that any alternative (or conflicting) was sinfully wrong.

Thankfully, the scenario has not been the same in recent memory. DLSU, despite being a religious institution like my high school, is significantly more "open". For starters, I have observed that religion classes are relatively more liberal. Unlike before, students are not persecuted (for the lack of a better term) for deviating from the "average Christian" way of thinking (which was kind of exclusive for non-Christians in my high school). Here, we can actually support the Reproductive Health Bill without having to worry about being lectured by (some of the) faculty and admin. Heck, we can even believe in non-existence if we want to without it drastically pulling our grades.

Being exposed to an more open community, I was able to reflect. I was able to see that some of the things that I used to believe in were not really my own, but rather was some other else's. Hence, I began to change my ways. I began to follow what I wanted to believe more that what was enforced in me. 

...I have never felt more true to my own self.

Answer: Subject

...

If this ridiculously lengthy reflection tells anyone anything, it is that I am an object turned subject. I get to choose most of what would define me, and those who dare to treat me as an object (decision making-wise) can do nothing but deal with it.

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Let me know if I should add more categories :)

Last Tuesday, 13th of January 2015, our POLTHE2 professor conducted his first lecture for the current term. To signal the beginning of a new focus in studying politics, he gave us ten questions which was answerable by either a "yes" or a "no", to which we actively participated. Even if it was not graded, the questions still served a highly relevant purpose - to remind us what our respective political standpoints are.

In my case, the "mini test" resulted with a total of seven yes's and three no's; thus giving me the label of having liberal ideologies. I said yes to the rise in tax (for the wealthiest of the state), divorce, same sex marriage, and contraceptives, to name a few. Now, as much as this should surprise me, considering that i have been living and studying in a somewhat conservative community, it did not. 

Do not get me wrong. I acknowledge what the conservatives among our class stand for. I really do. I certainly do not hold anything against them. Like me, they are also humans who are entitled to their opinions. However, if my sentiments would be asked, my side would be to that which pertains to liberals. The reason behind this is that I think that our country, at this point, is in (dire) need of changes. This is not to say that Philippines has been afraid of taking chances and risks, but I think that our tendency to stick with tradition is restraining our nation from living up into its potential. Granted, tradition is highly regarded as important by many nations other than our own; but we do have to consider that the world where we live in and how its inhabitants live in it constantly shifts as time progresses. Hence, there is a need for us to make necessary adjustments (or in other terms, evolve) rather than keeping it "old school", because what was suitable before may not be suitable in the present. With today's technological demands, a typewriter clearly could not match the functionality of a laptop, just like how an outdated policy may not necessarily meet the current population's needs.

To put it simply, the things that I continuously observe pushed me to become (or be labeled as) a liberal. I am more inclined towards dealing with things in a more "logical" approach rather than the other, seeing that it would benefit the present (and hopefully, the future) better.

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Warning: What you are about to read may perhaps be a very boring entry from a teenager. It may contain some impulsive thoughts, redundant statements, and perhaps a few grammatical errors. Read at your own will…

From the title itself, we can say that this entry would be written in a language other than English. So…may I suggest that you just move along if you didn’t understand the title (and no, google translate wouldn’t do the trick) Thank you :)

I rarely blog in Filipino. I think I only do such whenever I cannot think clearly or whenever I just feel like doing it (Though in this case, it’s because I think I can express my feelings more thoroughly when I do so. Well, that and because my professor has somehow influenced me to embrace our mother tongue more by means of using it). But enough. I’ll just start on “blogging” before this gets out of hand…

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Putang ina.

Hindi magandang pambungad ang pagmumura sa kahit na anong uri ng pakikipagkomunikasyon. Maging sa pang araw-araw na paguusap, pangkaraniwan na pagtatalakay sa klase, o kahit na sa kasalukuyan kong ginagawa (blogging), masagwa pakinggan ang pagmumura, at dapat ito iwasan.. Ngunit, kung magmura ba ang isang tao, masisisi niyo ba siya?

May mga pagkakataon na kung saan talaga’y hindi natin maiwasan ang pagmumura hindi dahil sa wala tayong pinag-aralan, kapiranggot ang ating kaalaman sa ating bokabularyo, o dahil wala lang talaga tayong maisip na salita, kung hindi ay dahil sa wala na tayong iba pang mapaglabasan ng ating hinanakit maliban na nga lang sa magmura. Ayaw nating manakit (pisikal) ng kahit sa sino, at ayaw din nating sumira ng ating mga kagamitan (sapagkat mahal ang bilihin). Bagkus, idinadaan na lang sa mura (at least libre pa. at aminin man o hindi, masarap sa pakiramdam. parang may nailabas ka na masamang hangin o ano..). Ika nga ni Grohol (2009) “Swearing is beneficial in ways that people may underestimate or take for granted. Swearing is often cathartic — it often frees us of the feelings of anger or frustration we hold and allows expression for them. It can also be a useful substitute to physical violence”.

Gayunpaman, hindi ko sinasabi na dapat tayong magmura. Mas lalo akong hindi nanghihikayat na magmura tayo (dahil masagwa. magiging skwating ang dating kapag ganun.. o lasing. whatever). Ang pinupunto ko lang ay kung minsan, ayos lang na gumamit ng mga mura.

(Gulo ng blog ko no? Ayos lang. Informal naman eh. Wag nang magreklamo. Nakikibasa ka lang. loljk)

Pero teka, ano bang punto ng pagsusulat ko tungkol sa mura? Simple lang naman. Nagsusulat ako ng isang sanaysay na impormal ukol sa mura dahil.. gusto kong ipahayag ang aking mga nararamdaman; and what better way para gawin yun kung hindi ko gagamitan ng mura (kasi mas intense pag may mura. ewan ko. parang mas dama ng isang mambabasa ang tunay na emosyon ng manunulat kapag may mura) So.. tara, simulan na natin.

Putangina, ang saya din pala mag happy thursday! Biruin mo, yung dating hinuhusgahan ko na gawain eh magugustuhan ko rin pala (well, sabihin nating bibigyan ko ito ng 7.5, kung based sa 1 - 10 rating.. so hindi ko fully enjoyed.). May kakaibang pakiramdam pala pag uminom ka ng mga alcoholic beverages. Parang magaan na pakiramdam, tapos nagiging hyper… sasakit nga lang ulo mo ng kaunti. Ha! Anyway… hindi ko na huhusgahan ang mga nagawa nito.. provided na hindi mapapasobra’t mapapadalas ang paggawa nila nito. Tama na yung kahit dalawang beses lang sa isang buwan. At, ang saya talaga ng beer pong. (kahit talo kami)

Pero puta, sinong niloko ko? Ako, masaya? HA! Nice joke. Siguro nga na lumigaya ako ng panandalian (kasi kasama mga kaibigan ko since high school), pero wala pa rin. Una sa lahat, bitin. Dahil nga “menor de edad” pa ako (17. I know.. mukhang mas bata pa ako kesa 17), may curfew pa rin. At dahil mahal ko ang aking ina (naks naman), nirerespeto ko ang patakaran na yun. Pangalawa.. hmm… sa susunod na mga talata ko na lang tatalakayin.

Tulad ng nasabi ko, may ikalawang dahilan. Putang ina naman kasi.. akala ko tapos na. Akala ko makalipas ang ilang taon (dalawa ata, to be exact), wala na akong kahit na anong mararamdaman. Sa ibang salita, kala ko move on na. Marahil naka-move on na nga ako, pero putang ina talaga eh. Madali bang kalimutan yung kino-consider mong “first love” lalo na’t kung teenager ka pa lang? Oo, aminado ako na matapos akong mafriendzone noon (oo, di naging kami. ang saya diba? HAHA!), kung kani-kanino na ako sumubok pumorma. Lucky enough, may napala din naman ako. (Isa nga lang.. tapos etong college lang yun.. tapos di pa official.. tapos fail din.. ayos diba? pero, iba pang usapin yun). At oo, alam kong marami pa akong kelangan malaman tungkol sa mga ganito. Pero, katulad nga ng sinabi ko, first love eh! Tangina. Yung tao na parang nagustuhan mo hindi dahil sa nagandahan ka sa kanya sa unang tingin, o hindi dahil sa sobrang benta niya magpatawa o sobrang kwela niya. Rather, siya yung tao na parang.. hmm.. comfortable ang pakiramdam mo pagdating sa kanya. Tama. Yung parang kahit ano pag-usapan niyo, ayos lang. Kahit anong gawin, sige lang. Things like that. Ewan ko sa inyo, pero ganun perspective ko (partly..).

So.. anong connect? “Happy Thursday” at magkakasama ang iilang magkakabatchmates. Siyempre, nandun siya, minsan lang din naman eh. At nandun din kami. Yun ang napagkasunduan eh. Pero, sa buong gabi na yun, parang may isa siyang laging kasama (kahit “grupo” kami). At kung minsan minsan, bigla na lang nawawala tapos babalik maya-maya.. ng sabay. Hindi dapat ako apektado eh, pero.. (haayy. hmm.. tangina pano ba eexplain to?) wala eh. Siguro nadisappoint ako? Kasi grupo nga, tapos parang humihiwalay pa. Or, though I hate to admit it, baka nga nagseselos lang ako. I don’t know.. the fact siguro na matagal nang napagkasunduan yung happy thursday kahit dalawa pa lang kami, tapos yung dahil sa kadramahan ko nga na first love blah blah siguro, only to end up to a point wherein I can barely feel her presence sa maliit na gathering na yun.

Disappointment, jealousy, blah. Whatever that feeling was, one thing was for sure: that maybe, just maybe, some things that happened during that gathering somehow tampered with my mind, brought back old feelings. and later lead to me being hurt (or whatever you call that feeling. I forgot the term for it).

(Wait, bakit naging english..) Ngunit, kahit na ganun, wala akong dapat sisihin (or in this case, murahin) kung hindi ang sarili ko. Bakit? Simple lang: masyadong nagover analyze, over react, at kung anu ano pang kalubusan... sa ibang sabi, masyado akong nagpaapekto sa isang bagay na kung saan ay dapat wala na akong maramdaman pa

Aking wawakasan ang impormal na sanaysay na ito sa paalala na ang pagmumura, tulad ng nasabi sa unang bahagi nito, ay hindi mainam gamitin sa kahit na anong uri ng komunikasyon. Bukod sa ito’y hindi angkop, hindi rin hamak na ito ay nakakabastos. Kung minsan, magkakaroon talaga ng panahon na kung saan ang isang indibidwal ay mapapamura. Gayunpaman, dapat laging isaisip ang paggamit nito sa tamang lugar o kung maaari, ang hindi paggamit nito. Isa pa… putangina ng entry na to kasi parang walang pinatunguhan. tsk!

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Warning: What you are about to read may perhaps be a very unusual entry from a teenager. It may contain some impulsive thoughts, redundant statements, and perhaps a few grammatical errors. Unaccredited works included in this text that are not of my composition are purely coincidental. If so, immediate revisions shall be done with proper acknowledgement. Read at your own will…

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The case remains unsolved: Is the government a solution or a problem? Isn’t it quite ridiculous how a single objective type of question can get tremendously profound? As simple as it may seem to be, such is not a subject that is to be toyed with. Instead, it’s something that needs an awful lot of thinking and analysis; a matter that should continuously keep on begging for answers even if it means being vigilant to construct new ones.  

Is the government a solution or a problem? Before one can arrive with an answer, one must first know the difference between a solution and a problem.

According to Merriam – Webster definitions, a solution is an answer to a problem; and a problem, on the other hand, is a question raised for inquiry. From the definitions alone, one could clearly infer that the two terms can coexist, but one of which will definitely contradict the other.

The government is a solution. The people elect their leaders who hopefully share the same ideals and aspirations with them and are willing to take these humble thoughts into actions. These selected public servants, on the other hand, are the ones who control the society based on the power that they possess. The essential decisions for the good of the state are theirs to make. They are the answer to an unhinged nation’s discontinuity.

The government is a problem. Facing reality, a large demography of government officials are skilled, educated, and has enough wealth to suffice what the people needs. Looking at it, these characteristics aren’t bad at all. In fact, it is what a public servant should have. Now, despite having these three features, these figures of the public, the ones whom the masses look up and rely to, lack something quite important. They are short when it comes to understanding. Without understanding, tons of problems may arise. Being composed of people who have a small sense of understanding, the government cannot see through the current state of their country. They’re having difficulties with making the right calls whenever options were thrown at them. They do not know how to properly allocate their skills, knowledge, or even wealth to help whom they embody.

By the looks of it, as ironic as it sounds, the government cannot be either of the two options. There is an endless cycle of problem creation and problem solving. Given a social issue, the government will find ways on how to solve it. Let a few months pass, and the same issue arises. Take the RH Bill as an instance. It has been passed and approves about half a year ago to fix the problems of ignorance, conception, and poverty, in general. It was not long when they’ve decided to put this law on hold for bringing up to much controversy and heat against the government, since the Philippines is majorly a Christian country. Then, a few days ago, it was said that the restrain may be over, putting the bill on act once again. See how the “cycle” repeats itself?

To whom it may concern,

Greetings! Let me be the first one to introduce you, dearest visitor, to my blog. Please be guided that this is a place where I upload my deepest yet most random compositions together with some other ‘gems’ which I quite fancy; things such as picturesque artworks, clever (or ‘punny’) writings, images of anything that I find cute, and more peculiar interests.

Now, I am fully aware of the fact that not all may find the contents that I put up in here as quite interesting as I do, but please be reminded that this is my blog; hence, I am entitled to post anything that I please to regardless of what the people may say about me. In a way, this is a reflection of my mind, and my personal escape from the silliness of the people, places, and community that surrounds me. And on that note, I say you have every right to feel whatever you wanted to feel about the things that you are seeing. After all, our minds differ from one another.

I guess I will have to end this letter from here, before it gets out of hand. Once again, I welcome you into my blog. Feel free to browse the many contents of this page... and do not forget to have fun while doing so.

Sleep, as defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is the natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored. Basically, anyone would enjoy the idea of getting a shuteye.  The truth is, it is deep within the human nature to snooze for every once in a while. Daan, Barnes and Strijkstra (1991) once even claimed that mammals require sleep even in a hypometabolic state. Moreover, t provides a person with a feeling of satisfaction, a highly imaginative world of dreams, and a fully revitalized physicality.

As pleasing as this activity sounds, there is actually an occurrence that exists wherein a slumber becomes the least important matter for an individual. This incidence is commonly referred to as sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation, as to what most scholars suggest, is palpably the condition of not acquiring enough sleep. Through this, the brain’s cognitive function is altered; thus resulting in not to a person’s behavioral instability, poor intellectual performance, and profoundly dulled senses. Although it sounds completely negative at this point, lacking some sleep is far from going downhill from here. In terms of its benefits, being denied from torpidity can grant a person with a sudden gush of competence and a momentarily improvement in their mood.

To begin with, being unable to obtain the prescribed eight hours of sleep may not actually be as bad as it was said to be. Unconsciously, when a person crams and loses ample sleeping time, he or she gains a surge of ability. This is made possible by a kind of endocrine glands known as the suprarenal glands, or simply “adrenals”.  Going back to the given instance, cramming usually stresses out a person; and when tension builds up due to fear or excitement (in this case, a combination of both), it releases hormones known as epinephrine and norepinephrine, which are the ones responsible for boosting an individual’s senses. Aside from this, our mind also has some tricks of its own. A study made by the University of Liege in the year 2008 suggests that the brain is more active during the REM phase of our sleep (when our dreams prevail) rather than its non-REM phase (the early night sleep). This research somewhat gives an idea that the brain is more active at night than it was during the day, thus providing an explanation to how a person becomes more intellectually competent whenever he or she crams.

On the other side of the coin, sleep deprivation renders a handful of problems. The first of these said ailments is the weakening of the senses and the poor mentality. As aforementioned, not being able to sleep enough renders a great negative effect regarding our cognitive processes. In line with this statement, one’s attention span, alertness, and rationality are being impaired as the individual stays awake longer, so to speak.  Also, sleep is essential in consolidating memories; and being denied from such affects the capacity of the mind to remember and acquire knowledge throughout the day (Peri, n.d.). To further elaborate, let us consider an experiment conducted by two scholars. According to Harrison and Home (1999), their simulated marketing game which preceded a sleepless night resulted with its participants being less appreciative of an increasingly complex situation and responded by applying more effort to pointless areas of their decision making, which had little or no effective outcome.  In this scenario, the participants showed one of the side effects of their lack of shuteye (which is rationality) by deciding to focus on the less important aspects of the simulation game rather than its more important sections.

Next to the sensory and mental effects, we have the behavioural instability. When a person is deprived of his or her sleep, it is most likely that the same person will show signs of crankiness, clumsiness, sleepiness, undue fatigue, and other negative symptoms the following day. Bonnet and Arrand (2003) had a study which says that sleep loss affects psychomotor activities that are long, monotonous, without feedback, externally paced, newly learned, or have a short term memory component; and one of these few tasks is driving, which demonstrated plenty of decrements according to several studies.

In summary, sleep deprivation is not actually a bad thing if we are going to analyze it. At some point, it gives us side effects which may give us a few benefits. It does not hurt to not sleep at times, most especially if life gives an awful lot of stress to deal with given a short time period to accomplish. But, if my opinion was to be considered, I would have to say that sleep deprivation should be avoided as much as possible. Provided the case studies, the damages outweigh the benefits that “SD” brings to a person. Cramming may enhance our abilities for a little while, but losing sleep gives ailments that usually last longer. We should not get accustomed into not taking some rest. Remember that we are not machines; that we are just humans who can be bound by our very own limits.

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References:

Bonnet, M., & Arand, D. (2003). Clinical effects of sleep fragmentation versus sleep deprivation. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 7(4), 297 - 310. doi: doi:10.1053/smrv.2001.0245

Harrison , Y., & Horne, J. (2000). The impact of sleep deprivation on decision making: A review. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 6(3), 236 - 249. doi: 1076-898X/00/$5.00 DOI: 10.I037//1076-8O8X.6.3.236

Peri, C. (n.d.) 10 Things To Hate About Sleep Loss. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/10-results-sleep-loss

Have you ever created an illustration of your most favourite cartoon character when you were a child? How about keeping a diary as you grow older into your teenage years? Did you perhaps sing and dance along to your most beloved songs? Believe it or not, these aforementioned examples are more than just your average past time activities. These are the things that we refer to as art.

Art, as defined in the Merriam – Webster dictionary, is the conscious use of skill and creative imagination in the production of aesthetic objects. To quote a Japanese cartoon character Deidara from the ongoing series Naruto, “Art is an explosion”. It can also be a decorative element in a printed manner. A concept like such is complex, and therefore yields several interpretations. It may be perceived as a representation of beauty, an egress of emotions, and perhaps an expression of one’s individuality.

Art represents beauty. Through art, humans are able to give their varying renditions to the aforementioned idea. According to Herbert Read (n.d.) “All artists have this same intention, the desire to please; and art is most simply and most usually defined as an attempt to create pleasing forms” (pp. 17-48). We are able to utilize our respective imaginations to project something that would satiate our eyes’ hunger for picturesque images, thus creating masterpieces which reflect the already written concepts and definitions of what beauty looks like. An example of which is the best known painting called the “Mona Lisa” by the acclaimed Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It was believed to have been painted to portray the image of a woman Lisa Gherardini, an acquaintance of Leonardo.

Aside from illustrating exquisiteness, art can also be an egress of emotions. Philosophers Benedetto Croce and R.G. Collingwood once advanced the idea that art expresses emotions, thus fundamentally existing in its creator’s mind (Wollheim, 1980, pp. 36-43). Art gives in products based on what an artist experiences. It creates a connection in a way that it enables people to communicate through a single masterpiece – with the artist crafting his innermost sentiment and the audience depicting the message behind the work. A good example for this case is “Irises” by the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. He called the artwork as “the lightning conductor for his illness” believing that painting will keep him from losing his sanity, thus hinting a little anxiety on his part.

Lastly, art is the expression of individuality – the reflection of oneself. Basically, an artist would never create something if he did not take interest in it in the first place. Martin Heidegger, a German philosopher, keyed in that art is the means for a community to develop its way of self-expression (Perennial, 2001). Art reveals a person’s identity in a way that it lets anyone do whatever they please to passionately given the freedom granted to them. The infamous “The Scream” by Norwegian impressionist painter Edvard Munch is a great incarnation of expressiveness in art. From his diary, Munch described where his inspiration came from:

One evening I was walking along a path, the city was on one side and the fjord below. I felt tired and ill. I stopped and looked out over the fjord—the sun was setting, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The color shrieked. This became The Scream. (“Quick Facts: Munch’s The Scream,” 2012)

Technically, art can be often evident on our everyday lives as long as we remain true to ourselves. Whether it is participating in your favourite sport, eating a delicious brand of ice cream, or simply walking from a single point to another, it could turn into an expressive art provided that we include both our hearts and souls into it

Again, art exists in different perspectives. It can be a representation of beauty, an egress of emotion, or even an expression of one’s individuality. But, regardless of which is the most accurate between the three, arts will forever remain covered in inscrutability without a precise definition. There is a saying which states that “A picture paints a thousand words.” Be that as it may, but these thousand words could never be spoken if there would be no beholder who would converse. What we can only be sure of for now is for as long as a person makes his imagination work, art will never cease to exist. 

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References:

Heidegger, M. (1971). Poetry, language, thought (1st ed.). New York: Harper & Row.

Read, H. (1951) The meaning of art (3d ed.). London: Faber & Faber.

ENGLCOM has been quite a journey.

Before ENGLCOM, I did not really know how important the citations are. Through my years of experience in academic writing, I had a very minimal knowledge concerning this matter. I seldomly gave proper credits to the respective authors of the literary pieces wherein I have drawn references from; thus, getting accustomed to this faulty style of writing. Luckily, De La Salle University offers a writing course; and through this particular program, I was able to hone the skills that I lacked. I now am aware of proper citations. I can finally use the works of others to make a finer point in my work without commiting plagiarism, hence becoming a much better writer.

Speaking of problems with citations, this was and still is my greatest problem whenever I am tasked to create an essay. When compelled to write an extended definition and an argumentative essay, I cannot doubt the fact that I almost gave up in strenghtening the contents of my work through the use of premade contents (which, in this case, are the researches of scholars). Though it seemed like a strenuous activity, I did not let such difficulty hinder me from overcoming this weakness of mine. So, what I did was I used technology to my advantage, like how it was supposed to be used. Through the help of search engines such as Google and Wikipedia, I was able to find tons of researches which could be inserted in my essay to make a much clearer and more logical point. But of course, I applied my knowledge with citations this time around.

Moving on another concern, I guess I could say that nothing much has changed in my style of composing written outputs, judging from the entrance and the exit essay that I have made in more or less than an hour and a half. The rational side of me was very evident in both of the two essays in a way that I seem to look at every perspective that there is, disregarding my bias. Also, I must say that my passion for being artistic is still there, considering that I consistently used metaphors and images to add flavor to my text. Lastly, the preference of deeper terminations was never absent as well, since the essays looked like as if it was not a reading material for the younger audiences due to the extensive use of unusual words just for the sake of avoiding redundancy.

Talking about achievements, I honestly think that the joys of writing is the sole achievement that I was able to receive in this subject. It is not much, but I think it is enough. Since the course was about improving our skills in writing, I see nothing wrong with having this single benefit alone; for I believe that whenever an individual enjoys a task, the excellence will follow him (or her) eventually.