Monday, September 1, 2008

Taking the Ukay Thing SERIOUSLY


Usually, old places and buildings here in Baguio will mean a scary scene in a Filipino horror movie. Their dull, dark, and creepy appearance will push people away from these structures. But then, when you come closer and get inside, you’ll find that buildings like those will not scare you at all, rather, some sort of excitement and agitation will come rushing through your senses when you see hundreds of thousands of clothes, bags, and foot wears displayed right in front of you. They’re just there, waiting for a patient individual to pick them from where they have been placed. Yes, patience. When one goes to places like these, which we call Ukay-Ukay, patience is really a virtue.

Baguio City is not just the Summer Capital of the Philippines but also the Ukay-Ukay Capital since this trend originated here sometime in the 1990’s. Ukay-Ukay in Baguio, Wagwagan as it was called before, is the ukay of all ukays. If you think that finding a 50-peso original Bayo top is a jackpot, well think again. Ukays in Baguio can even offer you apparels for as low as P5! If you want a “shopping galore,” as shopaholics call it, while spending not too much, you’ll be needing your 500-peso bill and just like what I’ve mentioned earlier, patience. Of course, you’ll need some extra strength for some extra arm and leg workout when you start rummaging through stacks of clothes and going up and down the stairs and hills of famous Wagwagans in the city.

When I was just a newbie here in Baguio, going to Ukay-Ukay meant getting itchy and enduring the odd smell of the old and rubbish clothes that were stocked in a bodega for a very long time. After more than three years of stay here, just a few months ago, a friend invited me to go with him on a Saturday afternoon in Kayang St. just at the back of the City Market. There, I enjoyed my first Ukay adventure. For only P400, I already have two black tops, one hot pink maong jacket, one white cotton jacket, a gray cotton trench coat-looking dress, and two other tops of different styles. Since then, whenever I have time and money of course, shopping in Ukay-Ukays would be my pastime. As of now, with only a few months of going to the Ukayans almost every other week, my closet is half-filled with Ukay apparels.

I was christened in the Ukay stuff in Hilltop, where the cheapest of the cheapest could be found, right there at Kayang St. Along the busy street at the back of the Public Market are hawkers spreading their goods when the clock strikes 6 o’clock in the morning, 12 o’clock noon, and 6 o’clock in the evening. Their goods sell from as low as P5 up to P40 for ordinary shirts and pants will not exceed P200. Bags and shoes are also available. Aside from the street peddlers, there are also a few wide stalls alongside the same street. The items from these stalls are a bit more expensive than the ones in the street.

Another huge Ukayan in the city is located right at its heart, at Session Road, corner Calderon St.—the Skyworld. This three-storey building used to be taller than it is right now before it fell down during the 1990 earthquake. Stalls here sell the premium items and designer brands which makes it a Wagwagan for the rich and most of the time, the tourists. Since it actually offers branded and newer items, prices are highest at Skyworld compared to that of the other Ukayans.

Of course, Harrison Road has a few Ukayans along which are almost the same as that of the Skyworld. Most often than not, hawkers also spread their goods from 7 until 10 in the evening and early morning along Session Road and in front of the Prime Hotel.

No matter where and when you plan to do some Ukay shopping, it is always advisable that you wear your most comfortable outfit. It is actually better if you wear the simplest clothes that you have. The rationale? The vendor should see you as poor and almost hopeless that you have come to their place as the last resort for buying some clothes. This will make it easier for you to haggle later on and get the items you want at even more lower prices.

The main concern here is to buy the best ones in their lowest possible prices. So when you go to Ukayans, it is best that you have lower amount of bills with you so that you would not appear to be rich. Having smaller bills will also be to your advantage because you’ll not be a target of snatchers or hold-uppers.

It is important that you do not speak English as much as possible if you really intend to get those items in their lowest prices. If you know how to speak their dialect, for example, Iloco here in Baguio, it would be better if you talk in Iloco to the vendors. Though sometimes, some tourists try to converse in Iloco that they sound trying hard and funny. The main thing to keep in mind here is that if you want to spend minimum amount, then act like you only have minimal cash with you.

Unlike in the shopping malls, items in the Ukays have no other stock. So when you spot something that you like, grab it immediately and don’t let it go until you reach the cashier to pay for it. Chances are, when you put it back, someone might be waiting for you to do so for her to get a hold of it. When that happens, you have no choice but to let it go totally. You cannot go into a fight with the other costumer because even informal shopping areas like Ukayans have some sort of shopping etiquette too. In addition to this, when you found something that you very much like and you can still have money left to buy it, buy it on the spot because if you decide to just go back for it, somebody might have already bought it.

And of course, the first thing that I have mentioned—patience. As much as possible, see to it that you have seen everything along the rack. Among the hundreds that are there, there will always be that one great item that you will find. Believe me, you’ll regret when you see your friend wearing that P50-original-Guess top that she got from the same rack that you refused to scan properly. It is also important that you scan the ones you will buy properly for damages. Buying a P25-blouse with an ugly and unfashionable rip it its sleeve is just like buying yourself a rug. When you get home, the first thing to do is to bring those that you have bought to the laundry shop to be cleaned off the dust and other unwanted and awkward smell from other costumers who once tried them on their selves.

“Ukay-Ukay is the answer to a bargain-hunter-slash-fashionista’s prayer. With the onset of the deflation of the economy, this whole Ukay-Ukay mania is not just a solution to the coinless purse, it also keeps the average Filipino in practical style, literally.”

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Piracy in the Philippines: What a Shame

With the entry of the Philippines to globalization, the problem in piracy emerged. This kind of piracy has become a threat to the copyrighted industry locally and internationally. It caused a lot of losses and disadvantages.

The problem of piracy is not limited to the Philippines; it is everywhere. The difference is that, in our country, piracy is somewhat tolerated while in other countries, piracy is a very serious issue. As a proof, about 400,000 to 600,000 copies of films are produced illegally in the Philippines alone.

In our society, the practice of piracy has already been an accepted norm. People who are involved with it are simply acting according to the norms. In the Philippines, being a culture-dominated country, it is seen that Filipinos do whatever that they do based on the actions accepted by the society, whether it be legal or not. Thus, supporting piracy, although illegal, is considered a norm nowadays.

The problem of optical media piracy has caused a lot of harm to the different industries involved—the movie industry, music industry, and the computer and video game software industry. The same kind of harm has been caused by the piracy industry to the Philippines, specifically to the Philippine movie and music industry.

Such harms have made the Philippines famous all over the world for being one of the piracy capitals. This recognition, however, does not do anything good to our country; instead, it is currently giving all Filipinos a hard time to clean up its name after so many disgraces it acquired.

Piracy here in our country has always been an illegal act. It is considered a form of stealing in a way that when you use, which includes producing and selling, or buy pirated materials, you are already using one’s product without the owner or producer’s consent.

Although piracy is considered an illegal act, its rampancy is obvious nowadays. Filipinos are known to be movie and music lovers, and with the emergence of newer forms of technology, Filipinos are already into the use of computers for playing games and doing other things related to the use of these newer forms of technology, like mixing and editing sounds and making movies, which require installation of computer softwares.

These pirated materials became widespread during the late 1990’s. The existence of these gave the masses a chance to own CDs and DVDs that contain their favorite songs and movies and computer softwares that they needed without spending too much money.

By 2001, the Philippines was among the top three producers and sellers of pirated materials among the countries here in Asia and ranked number seven as worst Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) violator.

The Philippines was recommended by the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), “a private sector coalition formed in 1984 to represent the U.S. copyright-based industries in bilateral and multilateral efforts to improve international protection of copyrighted materials,” to be on the Priority Watch List in 2002. On February 2006, the Philippines’ standing went down to just “Watch List.”

The inclusion of the Philippines in the Priority Watch List was due to the rampant production and existence of pirated materials throughout the country. An estimated loss of US$ 120.1 million on United States copyright industries was due to piracy in the Philippines during 2001.

The continuing existence of these pirated materials will surely cause the Philippine and international movie and music industry and the computer software industry to fall. The Philippine film industry used to produce around 240 films each year but in 2004, the number crashed down to 40 films per year. If piracy in our country will still go on, it would not be surprising anymore if the number will fall to only maybe 20 films per year. The Philippine movie industry loses around three billion pesos in income every year. Producers and owners of original materials will lose profits and eventually, they might just be part of the growing piracy industry.

We have many talented and great singers here in the Philippines yet they still cannot go higher than just a national singer or artist. Most of our singers want to make a name in the international scene but piracy is a huge hindrance for the achievement of these dreams. Piracy is sure to be one of the factors that limit the ability of our musicians and composers to gain international acceptance.

More materials will be pirated and with the continuing rise of poverty here in our country, more Filipinos will engage in the piracy industry—more Filipinos will produce and buy such products.

Stressing the Stress Out

Whatever reason one may have, every human being will go through some stress in his life. Be it from work, school, family, illness, or social issues, stress will be stress. Some stress can motivate an individual like for example, it can help you finish a task and beat the deadline. Some, on the other hand, are dangerous to the health and to the mind. Usually, stress means an extreme feeling of anxiety that gives a person an uncomfortable feeling that may last for long or otherwise. Stress can be short-term, which one can experience when you are taking your exam, or it can also be long-term, the kind that one gets when doing his thesis for the entire semester.

Stress, specifically the long-term ones, can lead to illness as severe as heart diseases that may start with sleeping and eating disorders and depression. People who are stressed will experience loss of appetite, sleeplessness or even too much sleep, crying out of nowhere, and headaches. Most of the time, they will feel alarmed, frustrated, and hopeless. Sometimes, one will try to escape stress through prohibited drugs and alcohol which is a bad thing.

It is important that you manage your stress and you do not allow stress to manage you. Everything starts with a positive mindset. You should realize that not everything is under your control and that it is natural that you commit mistakes. But then, even though you cannot control everything, you can still control your reaction to every situation that may stress you. For instance, the results of your exams were not acceptable, instead of crying over it at night, just post it anywhere you can always see it so that you will always be reminded to study better for the next exam.

Managing stress includes having a healthy lifestyle also. This means that you should have enough sleep—not over and most probably not “undersleep.” Most of the time, lack of rest only intensifies stress. Exercise is also an effective stress-reliever. Just some jogging, or weight lifting or just dancing off your butt can help release a hormone called endorphin which makes a person happy. Exercising regularly helps you obtain a fit body and a fit body helps fight stress better than an unfit one. And, of course, eating a well-balanced diet is included.

It is also helpful if you know how to set limits and realistic goals for yourself. This will include setting your priorities and determining which to accomplish first. This way, you will be able to finish one thing at a time and you will also be able to focus on each of the things that you need to accomplish. For instance, you have an exam coming and your organization will be having a huge event the same day. Being a student, it is more important that you concentrate on your exam first and maybe later, after the exam, you can go and help your fellow members on your organization’s event.

You should know when to say “no.” If your plate gets full and you can’t take anything more, just let go and refuse. It is not your obligation to do everything at once. Do not commit to something when you cannot really give your time to it. Aside from stressing yourself out because of it, you will also just disappoint those who have expectations from you.

Learning relaxation and proper breathing techniques can also be a great help in managing stress. Meditation has been proven to be very effective in controlling stress. One should know how to clear his mind with disturbing thoughts.

Again, managing stress starts with one thing—be positive. Not all stress is risky to the health after all. Stress, the short-term one specifically, is actually helpful for our memory. Stress causes more glucose to be delivered to the brain, which makes more energy available to neurons. This will then help enhancement of memory formation and recovery. On the other hand, if stress is prolonged, it can delay the glucose delivery and disrupt memory.

When stress becomes unbearable, it is advisable that you seek for medical attention already. You may choose to see a psychologist or a guidance counselor in your school.

Review: Wag the Dog (Robert de Niro)


Why does a dog wag its tail? Because the dog is smarter than its tail. If the tail were smarter, the tail would wag the dog.

The American populace, being the larger body in the movie, is represented by the dog while the media and the government are considered as the tail. With the combined intelligence of all the American citizens, they should be the ones dictating what the “tail” should be doing considering that they are in a democratic society. But what happened in the movie is that the tail was the one who manipulated the dog. It was too easy for the government and the media to manipulate the facts that were presented to the people—from the staged war of the President against Albania, to the hero (Sgt. William “Old Shoe” Schumann), to the theme song for this hero. Despite all odds, the spin doctor, Conrad Bream (Robert De Niro), with the help of a movie producer, Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman), managed to get away with everything until the bogus hero was killed accidentally during their “trip back home.”

On another perspective, the dog can be the media, being a very powerful sector in a country, and still, the government is the tail. The government has been manipulating the media and the media was too dumb to believe whatever the government said.

The Government and the Media as presented in the movie

The government and the media are presented in the movie as real as they are in real life. The government was very manipulative. To cover up for the President’s scandalous deed, two weeks before the election, those in-charge of keeping the President’s name clean did even the most impossible thing—staging a war with a country living peacefully.

The media, on the other hand, was very passive of the issues that came up. They would report whatever it was that would sell. Not one was critical enough to question the statements of the President about the war.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Unang Nobela - Chapter 2

Bagong salta sa bayan namin si Lemuel. Lem na lang daw for short. Isang buwan pa lang siya dito sa bayan kung hindi ako nagkakamali. Apo siya ni Ka Simon, 'yung may-ari ng isa sa pinaka-malaking tindahan na nasa bayan. Nasa gilid lang ng munisipyo ang tindahan ni Ka Simon. Kilala si Ka Simon sa bayan. Lahat yata mula sa mga ka-edad ng mga magulang niya na nabubuhay pa hanggang sa mga paslit na pumapasok sa Day Care sa looban ay kilala siya. Isa na nga yatang pagkakakilanlan ng bayan namin ang tindahan niya.

Mabait si Ka Simon. Minsan nga lang, masungit siya sa mga tambay sa tapat ng tindahan niya lalo na kapag sobrang ingay ng mga ito at inaabot ng alas-diyes ng gabi kung kelan nakasara na sana ang tindahan niya. Pero iginagalang siya ng lahat. Pati ng mga tambay na madalas niyang nakakagalitan. Sa maniwala kayo't sa hindi, ni minsan, walang nagtangkang pagnakawan ang tindahan niya. Matulungin din kasi si Ka Simon. Kapag may nangangailangan, basta't mayroon siya ay magbibigay ito ng tulong. Kunsiyensya na lang ng taong maisipan siyang gulangan. Madalas ay sinusulsulan siya ng mga tao na tumakbo sa eleksyon para sa kahit anong posisyon sa bayan namin pero ni minsan ay hindi siya napilit. Ang sabi niya, hindi naman daw kailangang may pwesto ka para makatulong sa mga kababayan. Hindi siya mayaman, pero hindi siya nawawalan ng kahit anong maibibigay para itulong sa mga nangangailangan.

Naaalala ko pa noong nag-aaral pa lang ako sa elementarya, nahulog 'yung pencil case ko sa creek na malapit sa looban. Laman ng case na 'yon ang lahat ng lapis at pambura ko. Pati 'yung paborito kong ballpen na may mabangong amoy ay andoon. Inanod ito ng tubig at hindi ko na alam kung paano ko pa makikita ulit. Hindi ko na muna sinabi sa mga magulang ko dahil sigurado naman ako na pagagalitan nila ako. Sasabihin na naman nila na hindi ako marunong mag-alaga ng mga ibinibigay sa akin. Pinapahalagahan ko naman lahat ng ibinibigay sa akin. May mga pagkakataon lang talaga na may mawawala o masisira. Ganun talaga eh.

Pumasok ako sa eskwela na walang dalang kahit anong panulat. Naisipan ko na lang na manghiram sa mga kaklase ko. May nagpahiram naman sa akin pero kukunin din daw niya pagkatapos ng klase. Nang mag-recess, pumunta ako sa tindahan ni Ka Simon kung saan ako madalas bumibili ng pagkain ko. Madaldal ako talaga. Ma-kwento. Kaya noong pumunta ako noong umagang 'yon sa tindahan niya, nahalata niya agad na malungkot ako. Nang malaman niya ang nangyari sa pencil case ko, walang sabi-sabi, kumuha siya ng paninda niyang pencil case sa tokador niya, nilagyan niya ito ng dalawang lapis, isang pambura, at isang kulay itim na ballpen at saka ibinigay sa akin. Siyempre natuwa ako. Kahit hindi mabango 'yung ballpen na binigay ni Ka Simon, masaya pa rin ako siyempre dahil may kapalit na 'yung inanod kong pencil case at hindi na ako mapapagalitan ng mga magulang ko.

Kung gaanong kabait si Ka Simon, siya namang sungit ni Lem. Antipatiko, maangas pero hindi naman hambog. Suplado pero magalang naman sa mga nakakatanda. Madalas nga ay siya na ang nagbubukas at nagsasara ng tindahan ng lolo niya para naman maka-pagpahinga naman ito ng maaga. Noong una kaming nagkakilala ni Lem, nanananghalian siya at sobrang tagal niya bago lumabas kaya nainis ako. Masungit siyang bumungad sa harapan ko kaya lalong uminit ang ulo ko. Napagkamalan ko pa siyang katulong ni lolo dahil wala namang asawa ni Ka Simon para pag-isipan ko na mayroon siyang apo. Si Lem, apo pala ng ate ni Ka Simon.

Si Lem.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Unang Nobela - CHAPTER 1


Bukas magkikita kami. Sa tapat ng malaking orasan sa bayan—doon kung saan sa kabila ng walang tigil na paggalaw ng oras ay ang pagtigil ng bawat sandali habang magkasama kami. Sa bayan. Maraming tao. Maingay. Masaya. Sa bayan.


Hindi mahirap mamuhay sa bayan namin. Simpleng pamumuhay ng mga simpleng tao. Halos magkakakilala lahat ng tao dito. Ang bayan ng El Dionisio. Dito ako ipinanganak, nagkamulat, natuto. Andito ang pamilya ko, mga kaibigan ko, ang buhay ko.


Sa bayan. Maraming sasakyan. Kung ang mismong bayan lang ang pagbabasehan, maaari ko ng sabihing maunlad na ang aming bayan. Maraming establisimiyento, maraming hindi naman matataas pero magagandang gusali. Halos magkakatabi lang ang simbahan naming malaki at lumang-luma na, ang munisipyo, at ang plaza. Sa gitna ng parisukat na plaza ay ang isang matayog at matabang poste. Sa itaas nito ay ang orasan. Ang orasang ito ang basehan ng bawat kilos at gawain sa aming bayan. Mula sa paggising, hanggang sa pagpasok sa eskwela ng mga kabataang nag-aaral, hanggang sa pagsisimula ng pagsisilbi ng mga opisyal ng bayan sa munisipyo, hanggang sa pagsisimula ng maingay na kalakalan sa palengke, hanggang sa oras ng paghahain ng tanghalian, ng hapunan, sa pagsasara ng tindahan ni Ka Simon, hanggang sa pagtulog ng bawat mamamayan ng El Dionisio.

Sa palibot ng bayan ay ang mga kabahayan kung saan naninirahan ang bawat mamamayan. Taliwas sa itsura ng bayan, sa tinatawag naming “looban” (lahat ng parte ng El Dionisio na nasa labas ng mismong bayan ay ang looban). Magkakalapit lang ang mga bahay sa lahat ng looban. Walang bahay ang makikitang nag-iisa lamang sa isang parte at malayo sa ibang kabahayan. Kung gaano kadami ang mga bahay sa looban, ganoon din kadami ang mga puno sa paligid ng mga kabahayan kaya kahit gaano kataas ang sikat ng araw, hindi sumasakit ang balat ko sa init. Dahil sa lahat ng parte ng looban, may masisilungan ka. Hindi tatama ang sikat ng araw sa balat mo nang ganoon katagal dahil tatakpan ito agad ng mga dahon ng mga nagtatayugang puno.
Payapa sa bayan ng El Dionisio. Lahat masaya, lahat kuntento.


Bukas magkikita kami sa bayan. Sa dati naming tagpuan. Sa tapat ng orasan. Ang orasan na palihim na kumukontrol sa bawat buhay ng mga taga-El Dionisio. Sa buong El Dionisio. Ang orasang siyang magtatakda ng buhay ko. . . ng kapalaran ko.

Bukas magkikita kami sa tapat ng orasan. Bukas, dapit-hapon, alas-singko y media ng hapon. Bukas, magkikita kami ni Lemuel.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

CRASH (2005)

The story of the movie Crash started when two black men were walking along the streets of a white people-dominated area. One of them (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) was complaining about the white waitress who was not able to serve them with coffee. He believed that the waitress intentionally did that because they were black and that it was established that black people do not give tips. While the two were talking, they see Sandra Bullock, with his Los Angeles district attorney husband (Brendan Fraser), who obviously made a gesture that offended the two black men. So the two decided to carjack the couple’s Navigator.
The carjacking was reported to the LAPD so a racist cop (Matt Dillon), with his newbie partner (Ryan Phillippe), saw a Navigator being driven by a black TV director (Terrence Howard). Dillon still went on with “arresting” the couple, even sexually harassing the wife (Thandie Newton) in front of Howard.
Meanwhile, Bullock got paranoid with what happened to them so when a Hispanic locksmith (Michael Pena) came to fix their door locks; she discriminated him and has mistaken him for a black. Pena had another costumer, this time a Persian man with a daughter who works for the government.

The Persian, who was discriminated to be a terrorist by an American in an ammunition shop earlier in the movie, owned a store which was robbed after Pena tried to warn him that it should be the door that he needs fixing and not the lock. The Persian blamed the locksmith and thought that he was the one who did the robbing. The Persian hunted for the locksmith and tried to kill him with his gun. As soon as the trigger was pulled, Pena’s little daughter came to catch the bullet meant for her father. Surprisingly, not even a scratch was visible in the girl’s body. The girl was alive.
Fraser was dealing with a black detective (Don Cheadle) who was the brother of one of the black guys from the beginning of the movie, Larenz Tate. In the end, Tate got shot at by Phillippe just because he thought he was just the same as every bad black guy there were.
The story ended every character realizing their differences and dealing with them rationally.

Each character from the movie had their reasons for their prejudices but somehow, those prejudices that they have did not stay for long within them. One good example was a scene where Newton was trapped in her car which turned up-side-down during a traffic accident and Dillon arrived just in time to rescue her. Just when the car was about to explode and other cops have already pulled Dillon out of the car, he still went back to save the black lady whom he harassed and discriminated earlier.
As my own understanding of the character of Dillon, he did not hate the black people just because he wanted to hate them but because of some personal reason. He had this bad view about black people because they were the reason why his father lost his wife and company. Now Dillon’s father is suffering from an unknown urinary tract disease which they can’t afford to be identified. A black lady from an insurance company, which could give help for the medications of Dillon’s father’s illness, even added to how Dillon looked at their kind because she refused to help them because she and Dillon had some arguments.

Crash is totally a sad movie. The actors have been very effective in portraying their respective roles. In addition, the writers provided lines that stayed on my mind and kept a mark on the movie. In entirety, the movie was touching and every scene sank to the deepest part of my heart. There is no doubt at all, it deserved its 2006 Oscar Awards Best Picture and Best Screenplay.
Its musical scoring, specifically its official soundtrack, In the Deep by Mark Isham, added to the already heavy emotions within the film. As a matter of fact, just by listening to this song alone makes me feel the sadness I felt while watching the movie.
Watching this movie made me realize that no matter how much we hate other people, there will still come a point wherein you would be thankful that you’ve met each other. Somehow, there will always be this connection that will link the both of you, may it be in a good or bad situation; everything happens for a reason—that’s what we call destiny.

Generally, the movie spoke of racial differences, the reasons behind these differences, the arguments and reasons within these. Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco were able to capture and show the right emotions from the right person during every scene. They have carefully given a life for every character no matter how little and short his/her parts and lines were.
Somehow, Crash could be some kind of a tool for people to be enlightened about the issues of racial prejudices that we have in the world. If all mankind would be able to watch this movie then it might just change the way one looks at the other, like a white to a black or vice versa, and learn to accept each one’s differences so we would be able to live in harmony and peace.



Moving at the speed of light, we are bound to
collide with each other.

It's the sense of touch. I think we miss that touch
so much, that we crash into each other, just
so we can feel something.

You think you know who you are,
you have no idea.

vigan get-away


may 3, 2008, Saturday, i left Baguio early in the morning 'cause i wanted to reach vigan before lunch time. sitting in the partas bus for more than four hours did not feel good but as i approached this small city in the north, every single part of my body got excited. i forgot the tiring trip and just enjoyed the sceneries--the beaches, mountains, fields, trees. finally, after more than two years, i'll be seeing mama and some relatives...and of course, newton 05 with fradejohema.=D

i arrived a few minutes before ten in the morning. i went straight to mama to her meat stall at the public market. i stayed for a few minutes and saw some people whom i knew. they still knew me..(giggles). they were all glad to see me. =D
then i went to our house just somewhere within the poblacion. without even resting, i went immediately to one of my sisses, debbie's, house just a few houses away form ours. we waited for our three other sisses, jp, herann, and ces (who was soooo late..hehe..peace sis!) and then we had lunch right there.
we went to plaza maestro after and some newtonians started popping out. there was irvin, gae...
we rode a calesa and joined the parade (it was vigan's festival of the arts and that day was scheduled for the calesa festival).
the five of us did not stop eating from mcdo to jollibee to anywhere there was to eat. later in the afternoon, jp had to leave 'cause she was scheduled to have her internships at abra. so the four of us were left and later at 5pm, we decided to go home already. it did not stop there.

later at night, i was shocked when ces came to our house with irvin and christian with their own motorcycles. so from there, we went fetching james from their church and even having him get their owner type jeep used for the night out (thank God pastor, james' father, let us use the jeep..=D). so we went to fetch gae, then che.
we went to the Mayonnaise gig at the plaza, then later on back at out barangay where jeudi, debbie's boyfie, joined the battle of the bands with his bandmates.
after the Mayonnaise and battle stuff, some decided to go home (it was 2 am already). some, including me, vin, tian, che, and ces, went strolling then later on taking ces, che, and me home.

the next day, we went to celebrate the mass, where we saw shera, in the afternoon. i was with ces, vin, and tian. after the mass we went to have halo-halo. then we went strolling for a while then we went home. later at night, debbie, jeudi, and i decided to go to plaza burgos to watch some show. later on we went to solid west to watch a gay pageant where irvin came to join us later on. then we went strolling for a while, then went home again.

the next day, i had to leave.

those two and a half days that i spent in vigan were sooooooooo fun and memorable. thanks to those people whom i had the chance to see and be with even for just some time. eight years of fun, true, and unconditional friendship. that's what it was all about.
until now i still can't get over it. how i wish UP is just a few minutes away from vigan so that i would be able to see them netime i would want to. i love them. i miss them. NEWTON05 peeps are the people whom i would want to share an island with. those moments we had back in high school were just awesome!=D

i am proud that i have friends, sisters, brothers like them...always there to cheer me up, to give me strength even if we're like 2 provinces away from each other. thanks guys! photos are in my vigan get-away album. soon we'll see each other again. much love. much respect. one for all, all for one mga bok!

-kacie-

Monday, April 7, 2008

GIRL POWER


Alessandra de Rossi shows us what a real girl power is all about as she cites the ten most empowering moments in her life.

(From the Advertising Feature segment of the Cosmopolitan Magazine (Philippines), May 2007 issue)

  1. Ending a bad relationship. I woke up from a fantasy and accepted that the break was meant to be. After the crying and self-pity, I felt stronger and more secure about myself. I knew it was only the beginning of better things to come.
  2. Landing my first job. I believe that one of the most compelling moments in a person’s life is having more powerful or influential believe in you. I considered my first job a big honor and a great challenge. I took full advantage and gave it my all. I charged it all to experience and had a great time.
  3. Buying big-ticket items like a car or a house. I worked so hard and it felt like every tear I cried just to earn a paycheck finally paid off. Buying big-ticket items was like giving myself a reward. I felt very content but I also knew that it was not my end-all-be-all goal in life.
  4. Managing my own finances. Saving for the future while paying my bills is always a daily challenge especially when it’s so tempting to go shopping. I felt very proud of myself when I saw a beautiful pair of shoes worth P45K (45, 000 Php). I knew I could afford it but I didn’t buy it. Instead, I let my boyfriend buy it for me. Yeah!
  5. Speaking up for what I think is right. In my craft, this means saying “no” to bold roles or lewd pictorials. I say “no” when I can’t put my heart and soul in a task I’m not convicted to do. I don’t think it makes me a bad person when I stand up for what I think is right. In fact, it makes me stronger.
  6. Becoming a good negotiator. Closing a deal and coming to an agreement is thrilling. It makes me feel good that I have the ability to make the result favorable both for me and for others as well.
  7. Taking risks. It’s the most exciting part of our existence! I’m never afraid to take risks as long as I know I’m not going to hurt anyone. I try to study the consequences before I dive into it.
  8. Winning my first award among a group of veteran and established nominees. I gained more respect for myself after achieving something that I thought was impossible. Winning an award serves as my motivation to work even harder.
  9. Being 100% independent and away from the family. This is the hardest part of being me. It’s good sometimes because I get to do whatever I like; but it’s also hard waking up in the morning and not having anyone ask you if you’ve had breakfast. Living alone teaches me a lot of responsibility and forces me to look after myself better. If not me, then who else will do?
  10. Empowering other women. We all have our bad days and we each have to admit that we can’t handle it all on our own. It’s nice to know I can be a shoulder to cry on for my girl friends.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

kill me just once

They killed me.
My heart stopped beating. My sweat glands poured outrageous liquids. My body quivered. And then, everything turned blurry. Right then and there, at the corner of our small place, I’m dead.
I became a good daughter, a good sister, and an outstanding student but what did I get out of it? I can’t feel satisfaction in my life and I think that I can never be contented with my life. How can I prove myself? How can I face the world well in fact its turning its back on me? I just can’t figure it out. I know I’m lost. And I don’t want to be lost forever.
My tears dropped down to my cheeks until it fell down to my cold trembling knees. I’m not sobbing. I’m standing still with my fist closed pressuring its bones to release enough strength. My mind was confused. It can’t focus on what my parents were saying. I can’t open my mouth and every time I tried to, there’s no sound coming out. I’m so helpless. I whish I could just disappear because life is so cruel.
My mistakes are such a big deal. The people around me can’t get over with it. They wanted to inculcate it in my mind until I feel the pain of the reality of living. What about my good deeds? Where is it? Am I that bad? I’m so tired of crying. I’m so tired feeling pity for myself.
I’m always praying for a perfect family but I think that with me, present in a family, they can never attain it. It’s what I feel. It’s how they make me feel. They push me out of their circle. They want me leaving them in peace. Those are the times when I’m hardheaded. They want me out of the house whenever I did something bad for them like going home late
(12mn at most), breaking a vase because I’m clumsy, scolding my younger sister for a valid reason of course, and answering them back when needed. Is it a mortal sin? Nah, I don’t think so.
But that moment, when I was in the corner, trembling, that was for a different reason. They want my boyfriend out of my life. From two years and eight months, I’m used to having him beside me, but now, they want us to stop our relationship. For two years and eight months, we’re illegal. We have a rule in our family, that is, to finish studying first and find a stable job before entering a relationship. Imagine, we lasted that long without my parents knowing it. My sisters don’t know it either because I know that they won’t tolerate me. That very moment, they killed me. Now, I’m suffering for a double reason. First, I can’t have my boyfriend back because I just can’t assert my feelings because I do love my parents and I don’t want to hurt their feelings. Second, I can’t have their trust again. That’s the hardest reality that I can’t accept.
I’m struggling to make them happy. I’m studying hard to prove to them that I’m worthy. I need to prove something big not for my family but for myself. I ant to stand up again and say that I’m strong enough to face the challenges the world is giving me.
How I wish my life starts from being old then I’m going to die as a baby, happy, innocent, and carefree. That’s my biggest wish and also one thing that I can’t achieve! Could you imagine life like that? For me, it’s pretty cool. You’re going to enjoy living till your last breathe. You’re going to die happy having no problems at all.
They killed me once. Now, I’m not going to allow anyone to kill me once again. I have my feet standing still on the ground and yet to know where path I’m going to go through. I love my family. I want them to be happy and I want them at my side, nothing more, and nothing less. I want to be the real me. How I wish I could stop pretending that I’m happy even though I’m not. People often see my carrying a smile without noticing what my eyes are really saying. I remember the saying that, “ Please listen to what I am not saying.” Yes, I want that to happen to me.
They killed my heart. I killed their trust for me. Now, I’m still lost.

-may

Friday, February 1, 2008

diversity in filipino ethnicity


Ethnicity, also called as ethnic identity, in the Philippines used to be determined basically just by the language a person speaks. Go to any province in the Northern Luzon and you will hear the Ilocano dialect. Go a little lower to the Central Luzon and the Kapampangan dialect is used by the Kapampangans. Go down a little bit more and the national language, the Tagalog, is spoken. Go to the Visayas and in some Mindanao areas and the Visayan dialect is spoken. Filipinos were set to identify themselves as one from a certain ethnic group with their “mother tounge” as their basis. Currently, our country has over 80 ethnolinguistic groups.
Others determine their ethnic identity through their ancestry. Someone who was born in Cebu but spent her or his entire life in Baguio will still call himself or herself a Cebuano or Cebuana.
Another way of determining someone’s ethnicity is through his or her religion which is a very minor basis in our country. Usually, Filipinos are divided into two major ethnic religion—Christian and Islam.
However, ethnic identity is sometimes determined through one’s traditions, culture, and beliefs. That is why we have those we call tribes or indigenous and non-indigenous ethnic groups. Some of these ethnic groups are the Ibanags of the Cagayan Valley Region, the Igorots of the Cordillera, the Mangyans of Mindoro in Region IV, and the Tagbanwas of the Palawan Islands.
These bases of ethnic identification are becoming less noticeable as migration and inter-marriage comes to the scene. Filipinos, the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) for instance, have been having affairs or intimate relationship with the natives of the countries where they are working. Due to this, the Filipino and the foreign half produce a child who will then have dual ethnic identities.
The discussion above is a proof that the Filipino race is a very diverse one. Most of the time, diversity results to misunderstandings and lack of unity which is a bad thing.
The Filipino race is already one big ethnic group with one big identity—being a Filipino. Ethnicity, as defined, is “a term which represents social groups with a shared history, sense of identity, geography and cultural roots which may occur despite racial difference.”
The Filipino race is indeed a single “tribe” in itself. Filipinos represent a social group and has a shared rich and colorful history. Filipinos, just by being Filipinos, have a single unified identity. They may vary in some geographical roots, but they share almost the same cultural roots for sure.
However, almost all ethnic tribes have this tendency to have superiority complex within their group. They think that their identity and culture entails dominance and that they outstand the other groups while on the outsider’s point of view, their group is actually just a minority. This happens because of some disparity in their beliefs and practices due to different orientations and traditions.
The existence of superiority complex may sometimes result to feud among different ethnicities within one ethnicity which is not a good thing.
The concept of ethnicity, as mentioned earlier, should be a bridge to patch the gaps between quarrelling groups. Each ethnic group should realize that we are one ethnic entity—that we are all Filipinos.
-kacie-