CONFUSED
about your sexuality?
CURIOUS
about the broad spectrum of different genders there actually are between male and female? We've got just the thing for you! ATENEO PSYCHE PRESENTS the 3rd installment of the PsychED Workshop Series... LET'S TALK ABOUT SEXuality! 
This Valentine's season, get a little closer to the most important person in your life...YOU. Attend a workshop to be given by accomplished gender Psychologist Dr. Mira Ofreneo. Get to know the many different sexualities and become more aware of who you are.
Be at the Ching Tan Room on Wednesday, February 11, from 4:30-6pm! Contact Geoff (09063209538) or Pat (09178503748) for any inquiries! This workshop is open to everyone! 1) Cargoes
John Masefield The first time I read the poem—or should I say breezed through it—I had difficulty feeling the words. My eyes covered each word swiftly without getting sucked into the poem itself. Since it was an assignment, I wanted to make sure I got something out of the poem. (thinks about Colins’ Introduction to Poetry) It suddenly strike me that the poem itself was a puzzle. I knew most words, but there were some I did not recognize, or simply didn’t fit the modern meaning I knew. Those blank words kept me from completing the picture. That was why while I was reading the poem I felt detached. I searched for the meaning of the words and read the poem again. This time I pronounced the words out loud, starting slowly at first, imaging the war ship, rowing, carrying precious goods. Then I saw the Spanish galleon, reminding me of my Philippine History; then came the “Dirty British coaster” (which was a ferry) and with the word “mad”. I imagined the loud and mad sounds trains and machines made. I paused, then grinned, remembering my World History. “Ah!” Industrial revolution! History allowed me to piece the stanzas of the poem together and finally see the story. It wasn’t just a picture. It was a story; it was history. From the ancient times where I saw white robes, to the Age of Exploration (or discovery, depending on which side you looked at it) when Spain and Portugal were the first world countries, competing against each other, colonizing lands such as the Philippines and exploiting its resources, to English factories puffing out black smoke. Our discussion in class only furthered my understanding of the poem. I learned later that “Cargoes” is a commentary, a criticism on the things we value now, on the change that has occurred throughout the years, specifically the “diminishment.” And it all fits. 2) Tonight I can write
Pablo Neruda The first time I heard this poem I was still in grade school. My oldest brother was in college and he told my mom about Il Postino. The very next day they were looking for an original copy of the OST. I never was able to watch the movie, but I often listened to the tracks. Numerous times I found myself just listening to the instrumentals then losing myself; sometimes using them as background music in some plays during high school and be moved by just listening to it. I have never experience being romantically involved, that’s why whenever something unfortunate happens to my friends and they seek me, I can just lend them an ear and offer advice. I can never come to feel with them. As Dexter said, “I see their pain. Even understand it. I just can’t feel it.” (Ironic as this line my sound) That’s exactly what I feel. But surprise surprise I easily find myself crying while reading or watching dramatic books or movies. Tonight I can write is one of those that has always brought tears to my eyes. “Tonight I can write the saddest lines.“ True enough that I actually cry even just thinking about the poem. Don’t feel anything with the English translation? Try the Filipino version. See if you don’t feel anything. When I was reading the poem, I could somehow feel how much the persona loved the woman. The repetition of lines, the use of fragments as if broken thoughts with periods. “To think that I do not have her. To feel...” “What does it matter that my love could not keep her.” What does it matter that his love could not keep her? But it does, because he writes this poem filled with the saddest lines. I felt the dedication he had and I feel for him because he wasn’t given rewarded with the same kind of love he gave. “Sometimes she loved me too.” “Another’s.” I can just see him sitting there remembering her, their shared memories, and the present that they no are together. There’s the confusion—humanity in the lines—the sincerity, the vulnerability, “I no longer love her, that’s certain, but maybe I love her.” Right now, I’m forced to think about love itself. Is it possible to love again in such a degree once you’ve been burnt? How can you give yourself fully to someone else knowing how much it can hurt? Or why is it that even in love, despite giving everything, you can end up with nothing, lose everything? Is it even worth to risk it? What’s the point of giving your whole self knowing you might come back in pieces, some missing, some too damaged to be put back? 3) Sonnet 134
Petrarch I found myself nostalgic after reading the first stanza. It depicted exactly what I was feeling at that time—the confusion, the “lostness”, the contradiction. I was caught in between of something I couldn’t really decipher. I find no peace, and I am not at war. Where was he then? Somewhere in between, obviously. Shades of grey, the middle ground—that’s what I thought while reading the first stanza. Unfortunately, for me, this wasn’t a reflection on life but on love. Petrarch here was talking about his own love for someone, and while I could appreciate him pouring his sentiments, I kept going back to my current state, being drawn to the lines that I thought I could personally relate to. I yearn to perish and I beg for help;
I hate myself
I thrive on pain and laugh with all my tears;
I dislike death as much as I do life:
because of you, lady, I am this way. It was my first time to force a poem to apply to myself. In a way, I personalized the way I read it, when usually I would put myself in the author’s shoe. Read his words, feel them as if I were him, and ask the question why. What had happened? What had motivated him to write such a thing. Even until now, as I write this entry, I do the same thing as I did before--I read it as myself, chopping up lines that restrict me from applying the poem to myself. Thinking about what I’ve done, a small childish part of me is terrified that someone might find what I did sacrilegious and punish me. Even I, myself, can’t believe I did something like that. There’s just something about the poem. Why this poem exactly when not every line applied to me, I do not know. It just is. 4) Ithaka
G.P. Cavafy We read this poem after we finished with the Odyssey. Ithaka stands for Odysseus’ home. As a college student who is living at home with her parents, what is my Ithaka? I thought about that the first time I read it and my Ithaka would probably be my ultimate state of happiness, if it’s possible to attain such a thing, that is. I remembered cliché lines that ultimately had one message: after every hardship is joy. It’s true that life is a journey—“full of adventure, full of discovery.” “Laistrygonians, Cyclops, angry Poseidon” are just some of the things that I will meet in the way. I may have difficulty overcoming such “obstacles” but ultimately I am led to believe that after each and every encounter I will pick up something I will carry for the rest of my life. “As long as you keep your thoughts raised high, as long as a...” But in order to benefit from them, I must stay positive and believe in myself, confident that I can triumph over a particular event. As I read those lines and the implication they made, I thought about how difficult it was to always believe, to always hope, that things will turn out well. “Keep Ithaka always in your mind.” What was I thinking when I read this? A happy family? A successful career? Love and peace? I tried to curb down my cynicism when I read the poem especially the line “Arriving there is what you’re destined for”. I saw the sun, felt the wind. White clouds dimpling over the sky. It’s a positive poem, a feel-good poem, and all I could was supply an answer that darkened the mood. And then I came to the last stanza, which made me smile. “You’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.” At this point, I have yet so many things to understand, to experience and feel. Whatever they may be, they are my future—whether good or bad, they’ll be part of my life. I don’t have to prepare myself for each encounter. There are some I will win against, and some to which I will lose. And I’ll only understand everything that has happened when the time for me to understand everything has arrived. C’est la vie. 5) The hymn of a fat woman
Joyce Huff I found it a very witty poem. The play of words such as “deity” and “diet” coming from the same Latin root. I immediately noticed the reference to Christianity—the use of “saints”, “Latin”, “stained glass”, “Christ”, “pew seats”, etc. I counted nine words in total, and by then I was so sure that there was some bashing on Christianity going on. I was glad to be corrected on my first misinterpretation. I’m saying first because there’s a second. I actually thought that the persona was just saying all these things to convince herself she’s better of “outside”. Again, there’s no convincing going on. The persona was not in the very least nursing any negative emotion that’s she outside. I knew I wouldn’t. “Brittle” and “hard” weren’t exactly words that exuded positive ideas. This poem reminds me of how society is today. In magazines and television, we see actresses, models who are so damn thin that sometimes we’re forced to ask if they even have the words “eat” and “food” in their vocabulary. The sad thing is, even if it’s not normal anymore there are so many girls/women who starve themselves just to be as thin as their “idols”. Slimming down to be healthy is good; but slimming down to a degree where you can feel their ribs and just for the sake of fashion is definitely not good. 6) We Real Cool
Gwendolyn Brooks This is one of the shortest poems I’ve read in class. At first glance, one would puzzle over why each line ends with the word “We”. How come it doesn’t start the next line instead? Whenever I mentally recite the poem, I cannot recite it in any other way than how Ms. Brooks did it. It might be simple (structure-wise), true, but it’s because of its simplicity why it’s effective. When you really think about it, it’s not that simple at all. The words she use can mean so many things. So much possibility, and again, it fits with the personas. I’m a stickler for rules (having two strict parents, who wouldn’t be?). I’ve never left school, never lurked late, never cut a class, never smoked, never knew what it feels like to be drunk. And yet, I like the poem, especially the “Jazz June” part. 7) The Summer I was Sixteen
Geraldine Connolly The summer I was sixteen happened two year ago, and it was the summer before my junior year. It wasn’t anything liked Geraldine’s carefree and languorous summer. In the mornings, I worked as a junior crew at Teriyaki Boy; in the evenings I was a musical theatre student preparing for Wicked. I enjoyed that summer of mine, but I still felt envious of Geraldine’s summer. “turquoise”, “silver”, “plunged”, “bubbles”... Her life was so simple; she “did not exist beyond the gaze of a boy”. She didn’t have to worry about responsibility and obligations, the “improbable world”. Because of the feelings Connolly was able to bring out from me, I think she was effective in capturing her memories as a teenage girl. 8) The Unknown Citizen
W.H. Auden I remember this poem from class. I remember people asking questions—whether the man truly did existed or was he just a creation of the government? Was he supposed to serve as a role model? He was a very ordinary man, a very normal man. And while he did everything that was proper, I think he never experienced what it is to have a life. The government treated him as if he were just another number, another head, another data point in a statistics. To JS/O7/M/378. Reminds me as if the unknown citizen is a prisoner—a prisoner of the state, perhaps? To ask the state of happiness of a person, is it such an absurd act? “Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd” is the persona’s response. “Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.” Maybe he didn’t know thT he was already missing life, that he was already being oppressed. 9) What Happens
W.H. Auden “It has happened
and it goes on happening
and will happen again
if nothing happens to stop it” I’ve always thought that this poem speaks the truth on why things happen. I mean, it does, doesn’t it? I get every stanza except the second one. “The poor do not notice because” they’re too busy with their difficult lives, and “the rich don’t notice because” they’re too busy with their extravagant lives. “The stupid shrug their shoulders because they are too stupid”, not knowing anything, and “the clever shrug their shoulders because they” think they are too clever. It’s the same with the young and old—if we’re too narrow-minded that we’re only qualified as poor or rich or stupid or clever or young or old. I’d like to believe that these are all excuses the innocent, the guilty, the poor, the rich, the stupid, the clever, the young, the old use because they don’t want to anything—be it because of fear, of laziness, of lack of purpose.
10) Introduction to Poetry
Billy Collins I actually thought it was a fitting to start the semester with this poem. Collins uses simile and metaphor all throughout the poem—comparing a poem to a color slide, to a hive, to a maze, etc. You can experience so many things by reading a poem, but most of us just want to know what it mean. And it’s a fact. We violently shred its layers of clothing, ignoring and dismissing the lace and sequins stitched and embedded, as if we are barbarians. “They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means.” 11) On the Eve of Execution Jaime An Lim It’s one of those poems that you must read again in order to understand—or at least I did. It was only when I read the last line that I was shed light. Go, Andres. Let the healing begin. On the eve of whose execution? Andres Bonifacio’s. Using my knowledge on the two factions of Katipunan, I read the poem again and thought of Aguinaldo as the persona, but there were some lines that didn’t coincide with what I knew about him. And because it’s also my group’s report, I had to know exactly who the persona is. I typed into Google three words: Andres, Bonifacio, execution. During my research, I encountered four names who could be the persona of the poem: Emilio Aguinaldo, Pio del Pilar, Mariano Noriel, and Lazaro Makapagal. It took me a while before I came up with the events behind Bonifacio’s execution, and because I find history interesting I considered proving who the persona was a challenge. It’s probably the poem I have read the most number of times—both out loud and silently. Yes, I tried reading it with feelings, altering my voice modulation, pausing at times, while quickly reading some lines in one breath. I loved it, and I’m thankful for being given this piece, because I paid more attention to it than I would normally would to a poem. Lim didn’t say what he wanted to say in plain words—after all what was the fun in that? The first line was proof that the persona had a high position. Have not asked for this burden... I love our country more. The persona was torn between duty and his love for his country. I have not wished to alter the lay and order... Bonifacio was being executed to solve the divisions in the leadership of Katipunan, and the persona would be responsible for his death. ...The house divided... the two factions of Katipunan. ...my brother told me the persona was Makapagal, reading that he was referred to as brother by Bonifacio himself. It seems as if everthing fits, except that this happens “on the eve of the execution”. Makapagal only learned about Bonifacio’s execution when he opened the letter when they were nearing the mountains—he was not given time to actually think about the decision of execution at all. Unlike Aguinaldo, Makapagal is more like to “remain a footnote in history”. **Edit: the persona is Aguinaldo after all. Again, I am reminded by the saying, “The end justifies the means.” It’s a remarkable poem—one that gives perspective to how much (possibly) Aguinaldo had believed that Bonifacio’s execution would resolve the conflict. (How possibly) It was nothing personal, nor was it decided upon because Aguinaldo wanted power, but because it was needed to be done for the country. 12) Sailing to Byzantium
William Butler Yeats “That is no country for old men.” I read the first line and glanced back at the title. He was leaving “that country”, which is not “for old men.” The persona was an old man. The second line of the second stanza “A tattered coat upon a stick” actually made me smile. I I’m not sure if it was because I saw the image clearly, or because he actually admitted that “an aged man is a paltry thing” and didn’t have illusions of looking good but says it bluntly—“a tattered coat upon a stick”. Most old people I know are in denial; and those who are aware of their aging seek plastic surgery or what is the equivalent of The Fountain of Youth or potions at that time. And yet he, admiringly, goes to Byzantium not to be young again but be part of “the artifice of eternity.” He gives up his natural body to becoming something artificial—a golden bird that “keep a drowsy Emperor awake” or sing “of what is past, or passing, or to come.” Ironic, isn’t it when at this time we hate things that are artificial? 13) Archaic Torso of Apollo
Rilke The statue of Apollo didn’t have a head. I wonder, then, how did they know he was Apollo? He had no arms, and no legs and yet this statue can still be called beautiful. For “his torso still glows like a gas lamp dimmed”, and his breast could blind you. He uses the word “otherwise” twice to emphasize that the statue is indeed beautiful, despite being “deformed”. While I was reading the poem, I thought it was something about seeing beauty even in deformed works. The poem serves as a reminder to look beyond the completeness of a matter and turn it as a basis of beauty. Then I came to the last two lines: “for there is no place that does not see you. You must change your life.” I blinked, having clearly lost my way. It’s talking about how amazing the deformed statue is, and it actually is. You can feel it through the words, but suddenly you are addressed by the poem. It’s eerie, when you think about it because as the author describes the poem, saying how magnificent the statue is, you imagine it in your head, following every curve, only to find yourself being the one scrutinized. An inanimate object, scrutinizing you? How about an ancient statue of Apollo challenging you—no, ordering you? That really surprised me. 14) To His Coy Mistress
Marvell “Oh, so this is where sir got the title for our compilation,” I told myself. I always wondered what that meant, “Had we but world, and time”, and in what context was it used. In the poem, you learn that a man is persuading a woman to have sex with him. It’s actually quite amusing when you think about it. He even prepared an argument for the girl. The “if” we had time, “but” we don’t have time, “therefore” we must do it now. How often does it happen that a guy who wants to have sex right then and there use poetry to set his point across? In the process, however, if you’re a girl—which I am—you’d only want to kick the guy. In the first stanza, he said the woman deserves this state, this patience, this ceremony, only to contradict it with a “but” in the next stanza. Which only means that the girl isn’t deserving of such patience! Idiot. Still, it’s cool how he ended the peom. “Make the sun run faster” and it’s true once it dawns on you. After all, if you’re enjoying something you no longer realize how much time has passed. And I’m sure the guy wasn’t after just a quickie or a one-shot. 15) Preludes
T.S. Elliot “The winter evening settles down with smell of steak in passageways.” I thought it was going to be a nice relaxing poem from the first two lines. The fourth line of the first stanza didn’t really sustain that atmosphere as the words “burnt-out” and “smoky” appeared, followed by “gusty” and “grimy”. Heh. I was just at the first stanza and it was already so depressing. There was no spark; it was lonely. The picture I had in my head turned black and white from a homey warm tint. The atmosphere becomes consistent through the next stanzas. Only body parts are shown—feet, hands, hair, soles of feet, soiled hands—and not complete persons. They were all different people, since the perspective changed from male to female but despite being different the state of their lives remained the same. They were no different from the other. Every stanza, there’s the theme of waiting—the lonely cab-horse probably waiting for a client, the people who wake up early waiting in line along the coffee stands; the word “waited” on the third stanza. In the fourth stanza, you feel as if some hope would come, only to realize that there was none. Everything was routinary and mechanical and there was nothing to change that—from evening to early morning to middle of the night and the next evening every situations described lacked vitality, lacked color. 16) Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink.
Edna St. Vincent Millay
From the title, you’d think the author believe love is worthless. The first line confirms that thought, so does the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth and even the sixth. Millay presents us that “love is not all” because it cannot provide us our basic necessities. How can it then be all if on its own it will not allow us to survive? And yet come seventh line, she says, many people commit exchange their life for lack of love alone. They may have everything they needs to survive except love, and yet they commit suicide for such a “worthless” thing. By saying this, she cleverly states that love is not worthless and is in fact needed in life. It’s actually has worth because it can be traded away for peace which is something not tangible, or for food a basic requirement. She could, but she does not exchange it, even under great pain. For she believes that love is all. 17) somewhere i have never travelled,glady beyond
E.E. Cummings This is one very unique poem. One first notices the lack of capitalization, and then a space after the comma in the title. Let your eyes skim through the words of the poem and you see that indeed there’s no capitalization—not even for “I”. Oh wait, something is capitalized: Spring. (Why is that, you think?) There’s no period, as well. At all. (Your attention was drawn to this page by the previous poem in Just—, which is just as queer as this one). The word “eyes” in the second line gives the identity of the poem as a love poem. And the mystery of “somewhere” the persona has never travelled but will gladly do so for the woman he loves is also the same mystery that he sees in the woman’s eyes. And all throughout the poem you are amazed by how much power the woman has over the persona. Her “slightest look” will unclose him despite having shut himself, or his defences up. And you wonder until the end, what is it in the woman besides her “instense fragility” that holds this man? Even the persona himself does not know. To be likened to natural elements and continually praised? Love is so irrational. 18) What Mr. Cogito thinks about hell
Zbigniew Herbert I’ve always used the quote “cogito ergo sum” as my stat in YM and even used it in my AP portfolios , but I had no idea that Mr. Cogito here is derived from Descartes’ famous line. It didn’t even hit me that it was the same “cogito” when I would always reflect on how the line would mean when you alter the position of the comma. In this poem, however, Mr. Cogito (Mr. Think!) thinks about hell. And contrary to popular belief, the lowest circle of hell is not the place where serial killers are tortured. In fact, no torture even occurs in the lowest circle of hell! No fire, no torture, no tar. Instead of killers are artists, and it is there where they paint, they compose, they sing or do whatever artists do to create masterpieces. Arts, he believes, is the basis of a good governance, and between the two worlds it is at the Festival where the decision is made. Ironic isn’t it? So as long as your cause is championed by something, you’ll make exemptions for something; as long as something bids in your favour it’s all good. 19) The Ordinance
Luis Cabalquinto I found this poem really cute, especially as I imagined the dog-slash-poem. All the while I was reading it, I saw simple animated stick-figures (read: flash). The persona just stepped out of his apartments building and met a poem and his dog. Perhaps he doesn’t have anything else to do and decides to follow them. Suddenly, the dog stops and it’s the “Oh no!” moment because you know he’s doing his thing. But instead of the brown smelly thing that drops to the pavement, something else comes out: a poem. (A poem? Yes, a poem!) I was really amused by this poem since the “poem master” had a “poem scooper”, and the “poem master” wipes the pavement clean! The persona later finds out what this was all about. There was this new ordinance that was passed banning dog-slash-poems from littering the streets to promote hygiene and better relations among citizens. Ohkay! I had a good laugh here. 20) Barbie Doll
Marge Piercy I want to punch the classmate who said, “You have a great big nose and fat legs.” The poem actually addresses the pressure on women to look not only beautiful and slim but as beautiful and thin-rod slim as those women you see on TV, or a Barbie Doll! It doesn’t matter whether you’re healthy, strong or intelligent. What matters the most is how you physically look, and that’s how you are judged. Expectations of society ultimately wear women out at some point in their lives; they can no longer continue living in such a regulated and fake way. Today, women are expected to put all their effort and resources into how they look. The persona in the poem cuts her nose and legs and dies in a casket, to be accepted. Of course, this causes her death. Either way, you die. If you don’t wear yourself to death—trying out different slimming regiments, exercising, and dieting—then you die a social death, not being accepted in society.
MEMO TO: The Loyola Schools Community
FROM : Ma. Assunta C. Cuyegkeng
Vice President for the Loyola Schools
SUBJECT: 31st University Service Awards 2008
The University Service Awards are held each year to honor the personnel who have rendered service to the University for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years. There will be 316 awardees this year --- 147 of them from the Loyola Schools.
The Awards will be held on Thursday, 20 November 2008, from 3:00 ? 5:00 p.m. at the High School Covered Courts. Light refreshments will be served after the program.
To enable the Loyola Schools faculty, administrators, professionals, and staff
to attend the program and reception, offices will be closed and ALL classes (graduate and undergraduate) will be suspended from 1:30 PM. Classes will resume at 6:00 PM.
The ACIL bus will be available for shuttle service at the administration building starting at 2:00 PM.
Thank you very much.
 I'm helping my cuz Dar in selling her planners. (Yep! I'm an accredited dealer!) I'm sure you've heard of them, seen them from your friends, or in fact is personally using one. :) No need to fret for your next year, since you'll be covered with the Belle de Jour 2009 Power Planner. Give it to your sisters, girlfriends, cousins, aunties, colleagues as gifts-- just in time for Christmas, don't you think? Anyway, the SRP is P598.
If you buy one from me, you can get it for P595.
Buy 5 for the price of P575 each.
Buy 10 for the price of P550 each.
**Get your whole kada to buy! :)) It includes 60 coupons from various lifestyle brands, with freebies worth Php 1000, and discounts worth Php 10,000! More features, more tools to help you live the IT girl lifestyle! The BDJ Power Planner equips you with time management-based tools, pages, lists to help you manage your priorities. To guide your to living out a fabulous year, it comes complete with affirmations, articles on beauty, health, beauty, travel, career tips and more! Of course, for the inner shopaholic and fashionista in all of us, discount coupons from various lifestyle brands to allow you to live the BDJ lifestyle An addition to last year's. That, of course, and many more. :) Tell your friends about this! :) Thanks! For those interested comment here, IM, PM, or text me. :) stolen from Jake. After all, when you just wake up after a long sleep from being so so so tired ( AS IN INAANTOK BUONG ARAW KAHAPON, MULA PAGKAGIGISNG) and you have a headache still, you're easily convinced by most things. Rationalizaing is no longer something you do. Haha! What each kiss means: --Kiss on the upper chest: "I'm ready" --Kiss on the forehead: "We're cute together" --Kiss on the cheek: "We're friends" --Kiss on the hand: "I adore you" --Kiss on the neck: "I want you, know" --Kiss on the shoulder: "You're perfect!" --Kiss on the lips: "I think i like you..." What each gesture means: --Holding hands: "We definitely like each other" --Touching on the butt: "You're fun" --Holding you tight pressed against each other: "I want you" --Looking into each other's eyes: "I like you for who you are" --Playing with hair: "Let's fool around" --Arms around waist: "I like you too much to let go" --Laughing while kissing: "I am completely comfortable with you" Advice: --If you were thinking of someone while reading this, you're definitely in love! Requirements: --Post this after reading! Or...you'll have a year of bad relationships. IF YOU LIKE, LOVE OR MISS SOMEONE RIGHT NOW.... ...and can't get them out of your head, then re-post this within one (1) minute and whoever you are missing will surprise you! Re-post this as: "What each kiss means" STOLEN FROM STEPH SY. XD
S e v e n t e e n :
You look at their profiles constanly.
S i x t e e n :
When you're on the phone/text with them late at night and they hang up/stop replying, you still miss them even when it was just two minutes ago.
F i f t e e n :
You read their texts and IMs over and over again
F o u r t e e n :
You walk reaaally slow when you're with them.
T h i r t e e n :
You feel shy feel great whenever they're around.
E l e v e n :
When you think about them, your heart beats faster but slower at the same time.
T e n :
You smile when you hear their voice.
N i n e :
When you look at them, you can't see the other people around you; you just see him/her.
E i g h t :
You start listening to slow songs while thinking about them.
S e v e n :
They're all you think about.
S i x :
You get high just from their scent.
F i v e :
You realize you're always smiling when you're looking at them.
F o u r :
You would do anything for them, just to see them.
T h r e e :
While reading this, there was one person on your mind this whole time.
T w o :
You were so busy thinking about that person, you didn't notice number twelve was missing.
O n e :
You just scrolled up to check & are now silently laughing at yourself.:))
Ayeeee...NATATAMAAN ka noh? ;) BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! XD 20 OUT OF 20. 1) Smaller and Smaller Circles My stat in YM is “F. H. Batacan is a genius. Smaller and Smaller Circles is so damn amazing.” It’s my first book since since school started. During the summer, I would read three books a day, but come opening of classes... nada. In fact, when I started it this afternoon I didn’t think I would be able to finish because...of deadlines. I was wrong. First page: I was hooked. It was a done deal. Who would have thought two Jesuit priests—both hot and cool—were tracking down a serial killer because no one else in the country had the skill, had the talent to do it? I still can’t shake away the goosebumps I’m feeling right now. How many scenes did I shake my head in terror? Or how close I was to shedding a tear when I read the scenes, the background of the boys’s families before each mother learned her son was dead—the difficulty of bringing him in to the world, of hating the father, of despising the him, and knowing he died without knowing his real mother. What I loved about the book was how human it was—how the little scenes and details mattered. I wanted to flip and flip and flip the pages, so I could get to the ending! And the humor, man, the humor. I appreciated them. The witty dialogues between Jeremy and Saenz. “Reprobate.” *laughs* The dentist scene! *falls of the chair, laughing, gasping for breath* “Ngo.” They were always a reprieve, allowing me to catch my breath and steady my heart beat. Each time allowing my adrenaline to drop a pitch before building it up again with the next. Damn, I’m thrumming with something I can’t really explain. I can’t believe the book was this good. Or maybe it’s because I’ve went without reading a book for so long now. Now I find it weird I’m laughing, because... there were so many deaths, blood, fear, trauma. *deep breathe* I’ve calmed down, I think. This is probably the second English book written by a Filipino I have read, and while I thought Eating Fire Drinking Water was also plain hands down amazing... Smaller and Smaller Circles is on a pedestal with rockets underneath it, flying towards heaven. On the other hand, it wasn’t perfect, because I wasn’t entirely satisfied. Some things were left unexplained, and while in some books it works it doesn’t here. I felt somehow cheated that I didn’t get to learn more about Jeremy’s past—his nightmares and what not—and Joana! Really, it was unfair. Still, for something as short as SSC? Bravo for producing something worth one’s time. 2) Casablanca My first attempt to watch the movie was with my friends in Macci on my laptop. Unfortunately, while I was enjoying myself, I was conscious that my friends weren’t. (Oh, the agony! The kind of friends I have! *laughs* Joke. XD) So you can actually visualize me closing Windows Media Player and opening and as my friends suggested typing “youtube.com”. Inside, I was panicking. When would I be able to watch Casablanca? It wouldn’t be fun to watch it alone! Again, I was wrong. It wasn’t a matter of forcing myself to watch it, because once I clicked on the play button I couldn’t be moved. In fact, I grumbled when I had to do some house chores like doing my laundry, washing the dishes, and changing my bed sheets. Ahem. Back to Casablanca, which is also where the story takes place. The scene opens and a man is shot for running after not being able to produce his legal papers. The next scene is taken to Rick’s Cafe American which is owned by Richard Blaine (I love his last name. *grins*), and while he’s known for never putting his neck on the line for anyone, in truth he’s a sentimentalist. Rick allows a guy to win in his own casino, so that this man and his wife would have enough money for exit visas, so that his wife—without his knowledge, of course—would no longer have to sacrifice a night with Capt. Ranault, so that finally they can raise their family in a peaceful place. There’s Sam, the pianist who is a witness to Rick’s past, which involves a woman. (Doesn’t it always?) He was a jilted lover, or at least that’s what he thought. And of course the story unfolds and gets complicated as events in the past are explained. The movie ended with Rick not only being described as a “sentimentalist” but also a “patriot” by Capt. Renault, and him not having the “happily ever after” with his true love, because he chose what was, in the end, a better choice for everyone despite it hurting. The ending wasn’t as depressing despite the turn of events, because Capt. Renault instead of reporting him after *cough* became his companion instead. Ah, the things one does for love. 3) Weight Yes, the main character of the story is someone who can’t stop eating (hence is...) and that’s my most polite way of putting it. “The glacing was smooth and hard, of a brown so deep, it was virtually black, and as she ate the candy blossom...” (Mens Read 1998, 155) One can’t ignore the sensual tone that is used in describing how she finishes the cake. She’s a workaholic, who probably has a planner to keep track of everything. Her personality and attitude screams, “I’m independent and in control of my life.” Nonsense isn’t a word that exists in her vocabulary. And her character makes it easy for readers such as me to sympathize with her, especially since I take my responsibilities as importantly as she does therefore worry a lot because of my parents, because of my future, because of so many things that at times I forget to enjoy. And so, it moves me so that despite everything, she was able to experience a liberating moment. She was able to just let go and, for once, forget about everything. In a way, it makes me envious, because I can’t do something like that for fear that my mom would probably kill me afterwards. Despite being realistic, practical, pessimistic and cynical, I didn’t dismiss the story as silly nor as something that can never happen in reality. Because despite not seeing the point in engaging a relationship when one is still in college (read: useless), despite believing that love between two people—husband and wife—doesn’t really last “until death do us apart” except for a few select (about 0.0000000001%) married couples, there’s this part of me that wants to believe in something... good. That it can happen, despite the small probability, it can happen. And as I sighed along with the other girls, I later felt disturbed, because the ending of the story wasn’t “happily ever after” forever, but everybody else is treating it as if it’s exactly that. This nice thing can happen, and then something else will happen afterwards—something crushing and heartbreaking and painful. That is if it follows after reality. The one scene that keeps playing again and again in my mind is when she couldn’t tell Jaime when to turn. The hesitation she was feeling, the heavy pounding of her heart, the debate going inside her mind. Even my heart rate was forced to speed up with hers. “They were going ever so fast and she felt nothing, no guilt, no tiredness, none of that terrible hunger, just a strange light sensation as he took one hand from the wheel and laid his fingers gently against her cheek.” 4) Generations After I read it, I’m quite ashamed to admit that I didn’t quite get why it had the Generations as its title. It took me a while (read: in class) to figure out exactly why. Heh. I’m blaming the fact that I was too stunned, perhaps, to analyze why. Because I just didn’t see the girl—the daughter!—killing her own father, after she allowed her body just to be used like that. I was done reading, and yet my mind kept the thought that she just killed him. And I felt sorry for the father, because before she killed him I saw some regret, wariness and awareness of what he had been doing, what had happened to his daughter. For a moment there, I thought he would change. Hah. In the story, you could read the characters’ desperation to survive, the bitterness from life, and the inability to escape. They’re just going in circles. The grandfather suffered, and so did the parents, and so will the children. Oh, wait, the children already had suffered. And from this suffering, they become hardened and wicked and cruel, living under the wrong set of values and beliefs. And as I’m writing this, I remember a question that was unanswered. Why was the grandfather the only character that was named? I’m thinking that maybe because everything started with him—and the others, in the larger scheme of life, are just these nameless people who’ll go on suffering. Because they’re all suffering, anyway, there’s no difference if they’re given names. There’s no need to distinguish them from each other. 5) Raise the Red Lantern Okay, let me just say that I really really really thought something was going to happen between Songlian and the first wife’s son. But nooo, nothing does happen between them. And infidelity is seen through the third wife’s affair with the doctor. At first, I didn’t like her, the third wife, I mean. Turns out, though, she wasn’t the snake. Who else could it be but the nice, friendly, second wife who even gives Songlian silk! She wasn’t the only who was a... bitch, though. There’s Songlian’s vengeful, ungrateful, and jealous maid, who in the end dies. I’m supposed to be happy she froze to death, but I’m not. As I was watching the film, I didn’t feel good about her death. And I only hated the second wife more (if that’s possible) when the third wife died. Songlian—I feel bad for her. She was an educated girl, but because her dad died, leaving them with debts she could no longer continue her studies. I think she had it worse among the four, because she was educated, damn it! She was learned, but did she ever show the impression that she was such? In the entire movie, was she able to use her education? They had a boring boring boring life, I swear. *sigh* I still can’t believe the oppression they experienced. Were they ever aware they were being oppressed. At that time perhaps the word oppressed didn’t even exist in their vocabulary. In that time what happened was normal, and now that I think about how the beliefs of a certain society can dictate what is right or wrong at a given time is very frightening. Something I learned: drinking can cause death. *nods solemnly* 6) The Things They Carried Love can be so damn distracting. Jimmy Cross’s (note: unrequited) love for Martha distracted him from his real purpose: to lead his platoon. In his lack of focus one of his men dies, and he blames himself for it. The short story that we’ve read not only talks about the usual military things they carry, but as well as the intangible things. We learn not only about the impossible weight they carry, but as well as diseases, ghosts, fear, memories, and so many more. It wasn’t the usual war story where-in there was actual war action. In fact you don’t see any action—even Lavender’s death wasn’t that packed. You’re even prepared for it. Second paragraph, it’s already mentioned that he’s dead. And it wasn’t even told in an “OMG-he’s-dead!” way. It’s just somehow inserted in the paragraph, mentioned casually again and again. But it’s how it’s mentioned over and over again that builds the suspense as to how he really died. 7) Manananggrrrl Manananggrrrl wasn’t at all what I expected. I was so surprised when it was set in a contemporary period, when I found myself laughing as oppose to just... reading it for the sake of reading it. I was expecting a horror story set in the Philippines, but what I got instead was a Wiccan talk show in America! I like reading Wiccan-themed stories, but it never entered my mind that a story involving the Filipino culture and Wicca could actually work! The mananaggal facts were cleverly inserted in the story; the dialogue and writing style was very modern, making the story more interesting to read. The italicized paragraphs made the story more authentic, and laid down the theme of media manipulation more clearly. *Sighs* Vanity over death. Woah, right? Estrella was “killed” by a woman who was looking for revenge. In the show of Avida, she was the winning audience with whatever she was saying—when in fact, she did something “bad” like “kill” a person. Makes you think, huh? 8) Shatterday This is my group’s report, and, well, we had a difficult time because we weren’t at all too confident with what we had to say in front of class. Hopefully, we managed to pull it off. What’s the story about? Imagine accidentally calling your apartment number, and *dundundundun* hearing your own voice answer back, how would you feel? How about if suddenly the other voice you hear is actually a better version of you? What would you do? Would you graciously submit to him, especially when he starts enumerating why you’re a miserable bastard? When you’re a hyprocite, when you can’t even have a decent relationship, when you lie to your mother about going back home in order to escape visiting her? I also got to apply here what I learned during the Gods and Goddesses talk. Brownie points for me for being part of Psyche Acads, then. It could also be he was having a breakdown from everything that was happening to his life. And Peter’s thought of it Jay being a blessing meant his resigned acceptance that his life really sucked. Thank God Jay was there, right? But who was Jay? What was he? 9) Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot There were passages in the story when you can’t help but feel for the husband. This made me say, “Aww. “ then *sniff*. “Bad bird,” I say. I’m sorry. “Up,” I say, meaning, Is there no place for me in this world where I can be free of this terrible sense of others? Then I realized again how suspicious he was. How he was the cause of his own undoing. Even in parrot form, he’s still suspicious when he no longer has the right to be because his wife is already a widow. I read the story again and looked for evidences to support his belief that his wife was cheating. I went back again and again, but I couldn’t find any. Even in the first POV I couldn’t find any substantial proof to his claims. And on his wife’s part, what if she was really loyal? All the husband’s suspicions and finally death was for naught. In real life, I’ve seen this ugly face in many couples and what brings this on? Is there really justification for thinking that the person you married can actually do such a thing? It’s scary because we realized we don’t really know the person we thought we loved. 10) The Nine Billion Names of God Again, I must say I was surprised with how the story turned out. That you’d get a realization on how our life is today if you actually reflect on it. It might start out funnily with the way things are presented: a Tibetan head monk goes to Manhattan and hire two engineers and a special computer designed to print out all the possible names of God. While reading this, you’d first side with the scientific unbelieving people who treated the assignment as just one of those other “jobs.” Occupied with the thought of being pummelled to death by monks rather than entertaining the possibility of the world simply ending because the goal has been achieved. I knew the monks would achieve their goal, but I was hard-pressed on believing it would be the ending until I read it with my two eyes. I remember laughing at the engineers dialogue until I realized I was staring on the page, with my eyes a little wide, and my mouth hanging a bit, then I blinked and shook my head. The world did end. “Overhead, without any fuss, the starts were going out.” 11) Clockwork Orange The main character is Alex, and he’s a gang leader. He loves ultraviolet, and surprisingly has taste in music— as he swears by classical music. The first part of the book presents the violence they actually do—to the old man they beat up in the street, to wife of the writer they rape, to the ramble they had with the other gang, to the little girls he abuses. The movie was more... blunt with how things were—the bright colors, the naked bodies, the futuristic designs. So, in the first part we get to see Alex in action, how he has a warden and what he thinks of him. We realize that Alex does the ultraviolet because he likes it. It’s as simple as that. Now, the government just can’t accept something as “simple” as that. They’re puzzled as to why people do bad, why Alex who has parents, who is fed (etc.) does bad. And finally, they get a chance to try something when Alex makes a mistake. When someone actually dies—the woman they rape—he is brought to custody. There he plays it nice with the authorities, until finally he was given the chance for “change.” A “change” that meant being brainwashed—mentally and psychologically tortured. After the whole process he goes through, he simply ceases to be human, because the decision to choose is taken away from him. The mere though of violence, of hurting a fly, disgusts him, weakens him, gives him pain that the people he had hurt in the past takes revenge. I’m glad I’m not in the position to make choice what to do with Alex. Punish him and leave him with no choice, allowing him to a be a victim to other’s oppression. Isn’t that cruelty as well? Doing “bad” as well? You’re subjecting him to... violence, and he can’t fight back. On another note, in terms of the ending? Removing the last chapter had a cool effect because Alex was returned to normal—his bad ass normal self. But I liked the one with the final chapter better because it gives hope, that people can change, can grow tired, can mature and realize something about themselves. The question is, can we wait for that to happen? For people to change, to realize? How long will that take? 12) The Stranded Star Upon reading the story, one could see the Filipino influences. It’s a nice feeling because it’s written by a Filipino writer, and it has a happy ending. It’s a familiar story, close to home. There’s Nova, a half-star, and her parents while together in the same house doesn’t really exude the relationship one would like to have. There’s no love, we realize later, because we find out there was no honesty in the first place They were husband and wife, yes, but there was no basis for the relationship. It was the husband who hid his wife’s wings, hence she was unable to go back home and ended up getting stuck on earth. Now, when Nova was faced with the same situation her parents experienced, she acted differently. She talked to the guy, and was honest with him. I actually admired for having the guts to express whatever she wanted to express. “But even if I were, you know, I might be lazy, or bad-tempered, or just wicked—and you would never know that unless you tried speaking to me, instead of hiding my wings. You could start by introducing yourself.” The girl taking charge, wow. And with that statement of hers, she goes beyond the physical surface—the need for something more in a relationship, a basis that could ground them together. And she gets it. I especially like this line: “the two of them lived mostly happily, and always honestly ever after.” 13) Harrison Bergeron Heh. Not a good world to live in again. I mean, you’re a genius, yes, but you’re handicapped. What does that mean? Oh, you’re refrained from using your talent or “gift.” For George, he has a transmitter in his ear that would send out sharp noises so that he would be unable to continue his thought, thus “keep people liking George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.” Heh. Then there’s Hazel, his wife, who had a perfectly average intelligence—meaning, in that world, she couldn’t think about anything except in short bursts. In a world such as that, what’s the point of living when you’re no longer given the chance to develop yourself and improve? There’s no inspiration for change, for excitement because everyone should be equal. Then their son comes along and tries to put himself as the new emperor, only he dies. And it makes you think: a dictator who allows social classes to exist again under his reign of course or a government who... dictates as well but forces equality? Which would you choose? 14) A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings So, the first question that enters your mind as you read the story is that “Is this really an angel?” And you’re given reasons why not to believe he’s an angel. After all, he’s an old man dressed as a ragpicker. Angels should be garbed in white that cannot be tainted, right? Ooh, and that they have this yellow thing around them, right? And and, there’s more! He couldn’t understand the language of God, or how to greet His ministers. *gasp* He’s not an angel. At all. But here’s the thing: how do we know what an angel truly is? And is it really important that he’s an angel? Angel or not, he’s described as an old man. Before anything else, he’s helpless and he needs help. Instead, what is given to him? How is he treated? He become as source of incomes, for Pete’s sake. What’s worse, he gets nothing in return! Here comes a girl-turned-spider who has a story to tell. And because she communicates, the people are able to understand, are able to empathize. And that’s how it is in real life. People want something, want someone they can relate with because we’re social creatures. We need this link that proves we can feel, hence we are human. Back to the old man, what happens to him? He flies away. 15) The Rocking Horse Winner We are first introduced to a woman, who was a mother and wife. But things are not well. She’s not lucky, and she’s not a good mother to her kids. The son, a boy, becomes the central character, because he is the most affected by the problem that they had: lack of money. One could hear whispers, and whispers, and whispers. And it’s creepy. You hear something that bothers you, so you try to solve, just like what the little boy does. He actually starts earning money by placing bets on horse races. And he gets the name of the horse who wins by rocking his horse madly. In end, he dies. He never solves the problem. I pity the kid. He stepped up and tried to be the father figure. Poor kid. 16) Happy Endings This reminded me of Ghoosebumps: choose your own adventure. The only difference was that each choice you had ended with a happy ending. Well, duh, right? Just look at the title. In end, it gets boring, because you know what the ending will be anyway, right? All right, I admit I was amused with the satirical way he came up with this and that to somehow lengthen the story. But in the end, after all is done it’s a happy ending. Those choices were just plots. And that’s right. As a writer, we get glimpses of events and scenes and we try to put them together. We get stuck, somehow on some detail. And it becomes a problem because it’s a why and a how. We can’t seem to move past this certain scene to get to the next scene. It’s true. Oh my God. I laughed in this line: “You’ll have to face it.... they’re all fake...John and Mary die.” He is such a funny writer, swear. It’s the tone I am very familiar with. 17) Getting Better Ooh, it’s chic-lit! I wanted to read this since I first saw the book. I told myself, I’d read that eventually. Then the other books came out, and I told myself, “One day. Swear. I’d buy and read them all.” But it never happen. Thank God this was assigned. It’s funny: the language, the attitude on sex—in short, it’s very contemporary. It’s the lives that we know happen in Makati City. The sophisticated business people, who thinks they rock. I’m concerned with the main character. Who isn’t? As a female, I feel for her. She doesn’t deserve Miko, the bastard. And you could see her killing herself just to be with the guy who doesn’t deserve her!!! She ends up demeaning herself because she wants MIko to stay, and yet Miko isn’t even reacting the she way really wants him to. The way a leading man would, because obviously Miko wasn’t the leading man. One scene I will never forget: “Karen was so hungry, but Miko wanted to have sex. So she faked it. Ouch. Then he proproses. SO UNROMANTIC, pucha. Then she faints.” Bert Reynolds. Oh, wow. The way he was introduced, and how his character somewhat develops was funny. He wasn’t gay, OMG! And when she realized it *laughs as she falls of the chair* so funny. I liked the ending. It’s not them yet, but it’s a happy one. It’s a light read, something you’ll pick up when you just want to laugh. I agree with Hidalgo. I read romance and chic-lit, and the writers are brave people. 18) Tiger’s Bride This was supposed to be the “Beauty and Beast” only it’s not really for kids, because it has a more mature theme. It’s not also a “happily ever after” story, although yes the main character realizes something in the end... It’s up to the reader. How does the story start? The main character is gambled off in a card game. So her father loses her to a game of cards. It’s how she states it. She tells us, "My father lost me to The Beast at cards." *whistles* The beast is a tiger and he wears masks and clothes to disguise himself. As he acts human, you notice awkwardness—that’s something not just right. And the main character, the girl, is afraid to be married to such a “person” known as the best. The girl is an innocent; in their world, women exist for the pleasure of men. That was it. There’s the mannequin who looks exactly like her. And vanity in the world is explained. There’s the theme on sex, on feminism, on vanity, on primal instinct of man, on disguises and deception. Clearly, it’s not a Disney fairy tale. 19) Einstein’s Dreams Einstein’s Dreams really has no plot, but it’s thought-provoking, nonetheless. I can’t remember all the different worlds, but then each world you read about you imagine what your life would be like. How you would live? In the different worlds that were shown, the people living in each world made decisions based on how they perceive time. What I remember still is the disconnected world. Because of the slight hesitation, two people who love each other so much walk away. Damn. I don’t remember all the worlds, but if you want a book that makes you think about life then Einstein’s Dream is a book that you must read. Reading it once isn’t enough, well at least for it isn’t, because while I was struck by the different world while I was reading it, I can’t remember each world, or the scenes that moved me. Amidst the presentation of the different world, there’s Einstein. His life wasn’t something you’d envy. “He feels empty.” *shakes head* He married because he hoped that his wife would do house chores, and she wasn’t even doing house chores... Not my kind of life. 20) The Use of Force (Same ne posted on MO3 Multiply) Ever since that phrase was discussed in one of my high school classes, I have pondered whether to answer a positive or a negative to its question form. Until this very moment, I cannot make a decision.
Is it right to use force to attain one's goal even if a person has already been hurt in the process? One might argue, "It's for the greater good." One life has no weight against many. So, it will not matter if two people get hurt? Three? Four? Seven? Ten? When will it matter? When half of the population has been terrorized? After all, it is the goal.
In order to have peace, we must kill every evil person. Or stupid people deserve to die, so we can live a peaceful life.
Some people, like my oldest brother perhaps, would agree with this statement, and some would call it plain insane. Who sets who is right? How do we know which one is the right side? How do we know whether a certain goal is truly worth the lives and sufferings of many people? Who decides it when we can all be influenced easily. (Think of the Media... Why we have Media Ed.)
So... back to Sir Abola's previous question. Who do you sympathize with?
The stupid little girl who prolonged and complicated matters because she hid her sickness? Remember, she's a little girl. As some of us were talking a while ago, the little girl might have been afraid of being hospitalized. After all, if you remember correctly, as children, we hated hospitals-- hated it as it housed strangers who would stick up a needle in our arms to get our blood.
And spoiled little brat, anyone? Let us remember her parents who were... weak characters. All this time, throughout the girl's life she might have been really spoiled. Her parents may have been powerless to say no to her, to always way to what she wanted.. making everything the parents' fault. Because if it weren't for them, the girl wouldn't have been spoiled; hence, she wouldn't have given the doctor a difficult time.
Speaking of the doctor, was he correct in what he did? What else could he have done?
***stolen from Steph Sy. XD
THE TEN CONYO-MANDMENTS
otherwise known as THE DEADLY JEANS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Thou shall make gamit "make+pandiwa".
"Let's make pasok na to our class!"
"Wait lang! I'm making kain pa!"
"Come on na, we can't make hintay anymore!"
2. Thou shall make kalat "noh", "di ba" and "eh" in your pangungusap.
"I don't like to make lakad in the baha nga, noh? Eh di ba it's like, so ewww, di ba?
"What ba? Stop nga being maarte noh!"
"Eh as if you want naman also, di ba?
3. When making describe a whatever, always say "It's ‘SO’ + pang–uri!"
"It's so malaki, you know, and so mainit!"
"I know right? So sarap nga eh!"
"You're making me inggit naman, I'll make bili nga my own burger."
4. When you are lalaki, make parang punctuation "dude", "tsong" or "pare".
"Dude, Accounting is so hirap, pare."
"I know, tsong, I got bagsak nga in Long Test 2, eh."
5. Thou shall know “you know?” “I know right!”
"My bag is so bigat today, you know."
"I know, right! We have to make dala pa kase the jumbo Physics book eh!"
6. Make gawa the plural of pangngalans like in English or Spanish
"I have so many tigyawats, oh!"
7. Like, when you can make kaya, always like. Like, I know right?
"Like it's so init naman!"
"Yeah! The air–con, it's like sira kase eh!"
8. Make yourself feel so galing by translating the last word of your sentence, you know, your pangungusap?
"Kakainis naman in the LRT! How plenty tao, you know, people?"
"It's so tight nga there, eh, you know, masikip?"
9. Make gamit of plenty of abbreviations, you know, daglat?
"Like OMG! It's like traffic sa EDSA."
"I know, right? It's so kaka!"
"Kaka?"
"Kakaasar!"
10. Make gamit the pinakamarte voice and pronunciation you have para full effect!
"I'm like, making aral at the Arrhneow!"
"Me naman, I'm from Lazzahl!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ < Note: If you haven’t watched the movie, then don’t read this. Warning: SPOILERS. --
This first paragraph won't be about it yet. Let me rant first about driving again! An hour and so! I practiced two and three-point turning, parking (parallel and reverse) and drove to Rockwell and Greenhills. *grins*
--
Seth Alexander Villaraza. *wistful smile* Just the name... Seth. There’s just something about it—combined with Alexander (think Alexander the Great and my dihya!) and Villaraza, a very famous law firm in our country is just damn... right. ---
With regards to the movie, medyo tinamaan lang ako. Medyo lang naman. It’s something I don’t want to think about. Disappointment, love, biases, beliefs, workaholic, responsibilities... Ouch, shemay. ---
During the scene that Seth said with tears in his eyes, “Uuwi ka at iiwan mo ako dito...” and then leaving Pia, I couldn’t decipher exactly what would have elicited more “aww”: The guy trying to fight for the relationship, or the guy knowing you so well and loving you so much that he was willing to leave for your sake—because he knew how important your family was to you. *sighs* ---
Paraphrased lines from the movie: **In Seth begging Pia to give him another chance in Galileo Seth: “Love takes too much from a person, that in the end there’s nothing left of you. Okay lang sana yun eh kung mahal ka din ng minamahal mo.” --- Seth: “I can’t be Mr. Perfect.” Pia: “I’m not looking for Mr. Perfect! You said I’m human, didn’t you? That I’m imperfect? Knowing that why would I look for Mr. Perfect? Didn’t you think that maybe just maybe I’m looking for Mr. Right!”
Seth: “Di ko din kaya maging Mr. Right!” **Pia’s “speech” in the end. “Hello po, I’m Sophia (C something) Sandoval and I’m Seth’s ex. I’m just here to say that I love Seth. I love your son, your brother, and your tito, at hindi ko siya iiwan. [marami pa siyang sinabi] *bows* I thank you.” ---
I want to buy the VCD/DVD. The first Filipino movie that I actually want to own a copy. Sapul talaga eh. And umiyak na naman ako. Hai. Here’s to hoping that each one of us can get a happy ending—no matter what. Kahit gaano kahirap ang pagdaanan kung happy ending ede okay. The thing is happy endings don’t really exist. Even if we find the right person for us, life will still have its ups and downs. Tough, right? But life wouldn’t be life without being tough. It’ll be boring, and then what’s the point to it? --- I was moved by how human Seth was, too, in the movie. He was scared, and I think that fear was something everyone could relate to. It’s everyone else’s fear, and it simply doesn’t go away. It’s the risk we take when we fall in love. *sighs* Ganun talaga eh. And yes! Si Seth talaga, playboy! I couldn’t help but laugh when he was flirting with Pia, and Pia was so annoyed with him. Grabe! Now, all I can say about the acting is okay naman. Baka nadala lang ako sa plot kasi I liked the plot very much. Haha! Anyway, I have to stop here, Drey is nagging me to play Garena with him now. -- Ooh. I want to download the song! Lyrics of For the First Time: Are those your eyes, is that your smile
I've been lookin at you forever
But I never saw you before
Are these your hands holdin' mine
Now I wonder how I could of been so blind
For the first time I am looking in your eyes
For the first time I'm seein' who you are
I can't believe how much I see
When you're lookin back at me
Now I understand why love is...
Love is... for the first time...
Can this be real, can this be true
Am I the person I was this morning
And are you the same you
It's all so strange how can it be
All along this love was right in front of me
For the first time I am looking in your eyes
For the first time I'm seein who you are
I can't believe how much I see
When you're lookin back at me
Now I understand why love is...
Love is... for the first time...
Such a long time ago
I had given up on findin' this emotion... ever again
But you live with me now
Yes I've found you some how
And I've never been so sure
And for the first time I am looking in your eyes
For the first time I'm seein' who you are
Can't believe how much I see
When you're lookin back at me
Now I understand why love is...
Love is... for the first time... nabbed from tikoy. Thanks! :) A normal guy would say: “I love you Baby!”
Edward Cullen would say: “You are my life now.” Normal Guy would say: “I think I am falling for you.”
Edward Cullen would say: “The Lion fell in Love with the Lamb” Normal Guy would say: “You hair looks like a haystack; go brush it!”
Edward Cullen would say: "Your hair looks like a haystack but I like it.” A normal guy would pick a random song from a random artist and dedicate it to you.
Edward Cullen would sing you a song he wrote for you while playing the piano. If you died, a normal guy would find another.
If you died, Edward would kill himself cause life without you isn’t worth living. "Well, I wasn't going to live without you.." He rolled his eyes as if that fact were childishly obvious. "..but I wasn't sure how to do it. I knew Emmet and Jasper would never help so I was thinking maybe I would go to Italy and do something to provoke the Volt uri." As you leave the house, a normal guy would say: “Bye, see ya!”
As you leave the house Edward Cullen would say: “Come back to me, love.” He smiled my favorite smile. "Hurry back to me."
"Always." As you come back to the house, a normal guy would be watching TV and wouldn’t even notice.
As you come back to the house, Edward Cullen would be welcoming you by playing the piano with a song just for you. "I heard the music before I was out of the car. Edward hadn't touched his piano since the night Alice left. Now, as I shut the door, I heard the song morph through a bridge and change into my lullaby. Edward was welcoming me home.' A normal guy would wait for you to make him breakfast.
Edward Cullen would make you breakfast everyday. While you are both out for dinner, a normal guy wouldn’t keep his eyes off the sexy waitress.
Edward Cullen wouldn’t even notice the waitress was a female. A normal guy, while driving, would keep one hand on the wheel and one hand on the radio.
Edward Cullen, while driving, would keep one hand on the wheel and the other attached to yours. While far apart in different places, a normal guy would say: “I miss you.”
While far apart in different places, Edward Cullen would say: “It’s like you've taken half myself with you.” A normal guy wouldn’t care or notice if you had nightmares.
Edward Cullen would sing until your nightmares went away.
"Do you want me to sing to you? I'll sing all night if it will keep the bad dreams away." A normal guy does it with everyone.
Edward Cullen only does it with one. A normal guy buys you flowers and chocolates.
Edward Cullen buys you a car. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. Edward Cullen. <3 :) :x SOOOOOOOO CANNOT WAIT FOR NOV. 20TH! :D STILL, IAN is my new Edward. Gawd, he knows how Wanda thinks and feels sa The Host! Amazing. AWWW... Nakakainggit. I want my own Ian. *sighs* Someday. Disclaimer: Some words may be inapproaite or used incorrectly. This is due to my imbibing a Cosmopolitan and an Absolute Black Currant mixed with Sprite, and the fact that my family (based on my ahya’s experience) gets sleepy when one drinks. Another thing, I woke up at 6 am, so really, I’m sleepy. I’m thinking that's the reason why I’m sleepy. Hopefully, that’s the reason. Morning’s Learnings It’s been such a long day filled with surprises. Early in the morning I heard about MTR W/O MTR UR MTR. (Guess what that means!) Carl—or is it Carlo—swears that this is the most effective method for others to learn, because they learn something without the prior knowledge that they’re actually learning something. An example he gave was ALICE. A software designed for kids that allowed them to create stories, only they just don’t create stories, they also learn Visual Basics and the like. Imagine, little girls and boys learning Visual Basic.Galing noh?
Head fake is another term he introduced to the lot of us, taking it from its American football context. *grins* Eyeshield 21 rocks. I knew what it meant in the football lingo.
Seriously, something sticks more to our minds when we get amazed or surprised by something. Think. All in all, I had fun. I got a lot of white-paper feedbacks, and met a lot of people. Thank God Jackie Kawsek and Dana were there to ease the process. So, there was Jauro, Julianne, Anton, Bea and Steph for the upperclass men who facilitated the whole event. So, for anyone who’s interested in formation activities, who aspires to be the change, to be the start of change, or simply wants to discover what he can contribute to soceity by being a leader in his/her own way, then tell me because I’ll drag your arse to the next GA.
Batman I watched Batman. Again. And guess what? I found it as amazing as the first time I watched it. I gasped, still, at the same moments I did back then. I laughed at the same scenes. But more importantly, noticed the foreshadowing that was used for the traitor. I just feel bad for the P180 my mom paid. HUSH, please. Shopping=Anti-Stress You read that right. Since Friday night was a big stress night for me (good thing I was too numb and tired to react already and get emotional about it) where-in there were two different parts, I thought to de-stress myself by rewarding myself with spending my allowance. I bought a pink off-shoulder, and a maong skirt. Both were on sale, but I still spent about P1058 for both articles. *sniff* That made a dent, seriously. I am so poor. Pre-Party I got to spend an hour or two at home after buying dinner at McDo (mcFlurry, fries, taro pie) and Lumpia from DEC before proceeding to Metrowalk (sp? Is it one word or two word?) to check out the place for September. Not what I expected, but, hey, who am I to talk? My ahya had a successful and a fun birthday there. I have no experience whatsoever with actually drinking with friends (except those two instances *sheepish smile*) hence I am quite at a loss on what to do and expect. Guitar Hero anyone? Sure ball na yun. I only wish Ahya buys Rockband. Asa pa ako. *shrugs* But he said so... he might. *laughs* Right. 30-50 guests? Buffet? Whatever. Not all mine, after all Andre has to invite five, but it would me mainly my party. Ahya and Achie Cel would have to invite their friends and stay outside the VIP room. In the process, my ahya took it as his responsiblity to start doing something about my alchohol tolerance. As my first pre-party drink with him, he ordered a Cosmo. I didn’t liked it. Why? Because mine, they finally realized when they had a sip, was too strong. We ordered three, one for us each, and mine was the bottom part of the shaker. Diagnosis: It was poorly mixed. Uneven! Not consistent!. When we got home, we went straight to their unit, and they mixed Absolute Black Currant (40% alchohol) with Sprite and made me finish the glass. Ooh, I was able to finally taste Frostings. Yumm. Still, I liked Sonia’s Elvis better. p.s. I was supposed to write something about relationships this week. Unfortunately, because of lack of time and my schedule being filled to the brim... Eck. Seriously. I’m not done with my Filipino paper for Tarong and my critical paper for English. In fact, I have yet to choose whether I shall write about cotraceptives (which I am for) or argue against “Scholarship in Ateneo being founded on Elitism”. Remember a post I did for the latter just this summer? Yes, that. p.s.s Who can manage to get 2 upperbox A (or better) tickets for next Sunday’s game? UST/ADMU? XD This is Granger logging off. *laughs* Paano kasi Harry Potter was brought up in one of our classes, and I suddenly remembered Awi/Monty. To Awi: Miss you, dear. Mickey: Ikaw rin. Hay. I swear my body clock has gone haywire. Since yesterday, I automatically wake up at 3:30 am, with a little allowance of three minutes a while ago, making it a triple three.
Anyhow, that’s not part of the Orsem. What’s part of the Orsem, however, is meeting our TNTs (which I don’t what it stands for but they are our facis) and block mates! Cheers, Y1! We won’t get separated, until the end magkasama tayo. *laughs*
I’ll list some things that I promised Ela I would post about.
A) My weirdness for the day. I was hyper, and I’m only hyper when I’m with people I already know. Usually, I’m reserved.
I cried twice today with one failed attempt during the Blue Rep presentation (thank God!) when Ela asked me, “Ano iiyak ka/ Umiiyak ka?” Or something like that.
Strike One: During the mass. I remembered something family-and-God
related. Strike Two: When I got home, I was so damn tired and my younger brother, who was just playing with his friends online, couldn’t even bother to go down and get the car registrations and LTO receipts. I asked him oh so nicely. Seriously. My voice was so soft that I was even surprised. When he said he didn’t want to, I told my mom all about it, my voice cracking while doing so, until I just ended up crying. I was exhausted, just like after staffing. B) The whole number one, number two, number three, and number four. Guess what these are? *laughs* o Number One – No more… hmm, how do I say it? There’s just no more OMG feeling to it. Ordinary. Safe. Nothing special. o Number Two – Has what ela and I call dating. Another word is impact. Though the physical attribute isn’t that really pretty, it’s not bad either. What gives it an advantage is its presence— it has presence. o Number Three – There is just something pretty about it. *shrugs* Like, I want that! o Number Four – Is the cutest puppy I have ever seen in my life. Whenever I look at its way, I can’t help but smile. It just looks so gentle, so innocent. And the good thing, the puppy doesn’t bark loud. It’s so quiet; perfect for a kid. Like there’s nothing to fear. **I was surprised to know something about this thing. *shakes head* Makes me feel connected to it. *laughs*
C) Ela and I have unearthed a new technique to converse. Thanks to the preparation ICA has given us and our solid friendship of four to five years help us understand each other despite, ah, certain grammar technicalities. I say, all the better, since then no one would be able to understand whatever we’re trying to say. And yes, we’re doing it on purpose.
D) Everyone, meet JP. Obviously, a code name. For who? Well, you’ll never know. XD He is official jerk number one. Thank God he’s not our (Ela and I) blockmate. There’s no jerk in our block, so far. Happy pa kami. On the other hand, JP… parating umeextra! *laughs* Ela and I would just share a look when he’s near us. I even told Ela that I’ve permanently blocked/tuned out his voice waves, so I will never be so unfortunate to hear his voice again. As if. It’s not that simple, especially when he’s hovering all the time. I wish it was, really, so at least I would have an excuse on ignoring him by saying, “Is he talking to me?” then blinking innocently. Him waving and saying hi to me made me cringe. Too mean, well, when you see someone like him... you'll be mean too. XD Besides, we're not doing anything to him. It's just between Ela and me. My thoughts on the Orsem specifically will be posted, perhaps, on Saturday or Sunday depending on my ability to do so. XD
How do you tell that a guy is a jerk? I’ve just witnessed a dramatic scene from a Korean series I’m watching entitled Bad Love. I haven’t finished the first episode yet; in fact, I’m not even half-way through, but the scene was a confrontation between a lovers’ break up. Why did I use such a term, lovers, and not girlfriend/boyfriend? Because lovers seem to be more appropriate. They were a perfect couple, happy and seemingly problem-free. It was paradise for the girl. Until the guy broke it off, because he finally told her he was married. “Why did you lie?” the girl screamed at him, as her fists continuously pounded on his chest. “Because I love you,” the man replied brokenly. “Because I was afraid that if I told you, you would leave, and then—“ he breathed heavily “—leave me.” I told myself I would tell you tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. But as each day passed, I couldn’t. I am a sinner because I love you.” The dialogue went something like that. I had to edit a bit since the subtitle of this DVD isn’t that good. Things like this happen in real life. Affairs and what not. It’s wrong, of course, but when I was watching I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy with the guy. After all, her wife was a bloody cold rich bitch. But I couldn’t resign myself to the fact that despite loving someone whole-heartedly, it was still wrong. After everything said and done, he’s still a jerk. Because despite loving the woman, he hurt her. From the very moment the relationship started, he had already hurt her, because he was married. Jerk, huh. There are different kinds of jerks, of varying degrees of… jerkness. There are those who are so obvious that your hand would twitch every time he opens his mouth because you badly want to hit him hard. (Obvious jerks, but shallow jerks.) There are those who pretend to be nice, earn your trust, then later double-cross you. The latter can be expanded into two more categories: a) The I-didn’t-want-to-hurt you—I-even-love-you type; b) The one-who-has no-conscience-whatsoever type. Which one is worse? The obvious-but-shallow jerks whose pronounced jerkness screams out loud in a very shrill and annoying voice, “Stay away! I am a JERK!” Or those who deceive you? In the end of the day, I can’t make a decision yet. What brought this on, you might ask? Well, it’s a combination of my mom’s advices *coughwarningscough* and ela’s responses to them. (Hello, I'm not a kid. I'm well aware of what's happening. In fact, I'm a cynic, a realist, a pessimist, remember? It seems the only one who doesn't know that is my mom.)
After all, many have been victims to cruelty and abuse. It’s reality. I’m just wondering how you can know that a guy is, well, bad. (What a pathetic term, I’m sorry. *sighs*) When do you finally say that a guy is trust worthy? Ah, questions. They never do stop, do they? I woke up at 5:15 am, having God-knows only how many h ours of sleep. I'm not even guessing. It's just that I was so damn annoyed last night. Why? I was already sleepy by 7:10 in the evening, so I made sure I was lying on my bed before 8:30 with the lights close, and (finally after sleeping without airconditio ning for so long) turned my Condura unit on. Well, guess what, 9:50 I was still awake, nursing a headache. I seriously tried counting sheeps which jumped non-stop over the fence. The only consolation I got was, I think, I finally got to sleep before 12:50 when Ela texted me. *shrugs* My morning wasn't bad. We brought my OB-GYN sister-in-law to Medical City first before proceeding to Ateneo. The first familiar face I saw was Abi Uy's, which should have told me something was wrong. Good thing, she told me what it was. *sheepish grin* I was at SOM, stupid me. It wasn't long before I found myself in front of the right building. I figured that out since I was Lexi and Ai. Hehe. Step 1 was getting one's reg form which was pretty quick, actually. Jen See was beside me, yey! The next step took a while though-- the waiting in the classroom. I met Mikey from Wood Rose. Really really really cool girl. (It's unfair though that she's an AB Psych, which means her summer classes doesn't start until soph year! *pout*) It was finally over, and we had to go upstairs for our enlistment. I was assigned to number 4. I swear, the people there were so friendly and nice. *grins* Unfortunately, my grin didn't last. There was a glitch in the system. It seems like I wasn't exempted from ENG11 after all, so I had to go to Escaler Hall in SOM and ask someone to override the system. Thank God I saw Mic and Kimli there, or else... *grips the table hard* I just arrived and was just asked to seat. It turned out that I needed to fall in line with the people in front, and not sitting down with the people who had complications with their Math subject. There I saw Abi Uy again. *laughs* Strike two. I went back to the Classroom Lab and had to re-enlist again. I got number 4 again. Sweet people. Then the tuition fee assesment where Claudio saw me. My first thought: "Walang hiya! Naabutan pa ako ng mockong ito eh second batch siya, ako first batch!" *laughs* Seriously. His friends came, and we waited for them, until the regcom guy annoucned that those who are done should leave the room, which left me, Claudio, and Bert to leave the same time and proceed to paying. On the line, I saw Abi Uy again. *grins* Checks, Abi? Hehe. Anyway, paying was a breeze for me and Bert, but it wasn't so for Claudio. See, we had different amounts to pay, which confused us... It turned out he was given the 2 installment amount, so we had to go back to the tuition enlistment which took a while. Longer. Finally, he got his new tuition assesment and we returned to the paying hall. (I forgot what it was called.) On the way, we saw George and KL who gave us a tip for the ID's. Claudio went in and I waited outside, until I felt my phone vibrating! It was Kat! I just passed her by. After that, bad luck didn't touch us anymore. We got our IDs smoothly, checked our venue for tomorrow, and went home. What a day! *** My schedule: There was no more ballroom slot by the time I was went up, and I was number 93, part of the first batch. Click on it to see the image clearly. XD   | [none] | Apr 6, '08 12:18 AM
for everyone |
Title: Moving Past the Fear
Author's Name: ![[info]](file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/MYRNAT%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image001.gif) chaste_aeon
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing or Character: Draco/Hermione
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance/Drama
Summary:
She answered back, the epitome of calmness and reason. “How do you know he’s not coming back?”
Before I could answer, she asked again. "How do you know he doesn't love you? How would you know when you didn't even give him a chance!
Hermione is afraid and in denial.
Status: Complete Title: The Fear of Failing
Author's Name: ![[info]](file:///C:/DOCUME~1/MYRNAT~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image001.gif) chaste_aeon
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance/Drama
Synopsis: "We are at war, Draco. People get killed. Everyday. You didn’t fail, so don’t start. Don’t give up." Draco has failed in so many things. Will he fail and give up on love, as well? Or will someone affirm him instead?
DHR Post-Hogwarts. AU One-shot Complete
Date Written and Finished: April 3, 2008 11:45 PM—April 4, 2008 12:38 PM
Words: 2735
For: 100situations.
Prompt 66. Fail.
001. | Tired |
002. | Back Alley |
003. | Sunrise |
004. | Late |
005. | Son |
006. | Hot |
007. | Friend |
008. | Floor |
009. | Cheat |
010. | Think |
011. | Disgust |
012. | Shelter |
013. | Borrow |
014. | Chair |
015. | Alter |
016. | Peace |
017. | Beach |
018. | True |
019. | Crazy |
020. | Love |
021. | New |
022. | Beggar |
023. | False |
024. | Happy |
025. | Cancer |
026. | Pickpocket |
027. | Reverse |
028. | Deliver |
029. | Arrival |
030. | Fall |
031. | Knife |
032. | Torn |
033. | Danger |
034. | Neutral |
035. | Mate |
036. | Fly |
037. | Loud |
038. | Touch |
039. | Seek |
040. | Argue |
041. | Work |
042. | Sink |
043. | Nut |
044. | Stuck |
045. | Animal |
046. | Pray |
047. | Kill |
048. | Light |
049. | Cold |
050. | Affair |
051. | Restaurant |
052. | Movie |
053. | Wait |
054. | Patient |
055. | Crime |
056. | Choke |
057. | Fever |
058. | Summer |
059. | Eat |
060. | Thirst |
061. | Chance |
062. | Appear |
063. | Whisper |
064. | Day |
065. | Scream |
066. | Fail |
067. | Confused |
068. | Smile |
069. | Come |
070. | Alone |
071. | Fast |
072. | Slow |
073. | Return |
074. | Fire |
075. | Positive |
076. | Baby |
077. | Upset |
078. | Kitchen |
079. | Winter |
080. | Ignorant |
081. | Fool |
082. | Afraid |
083. | Prison |
084. | Sex |
085. | Hate |
086. | Alarm |
087. | Genius |
088. | Negative |
089. | Flood |
090. | Bomb |
091. | Hospital |
092. | Trap |
093. | Celebrate |
094. | Old |
095. | Disappear |
096. | Writer‘s Choice. |
097. | Writer‘s Choice. |
098. | Writer‘s Choice. |
099. | Writer‘s Choice. |
100. | Writer‘s Choice. |
Anyone may strike Boston Legal as full of sexual innuendo, here and there, and constantly everywhere, every minute, and almost every second. While I cannot deny that I would no longer need to work if I'm given a Peso every time someone makes a a sexual comment in the series, it doesn't mean that the show is shallow and sordid. In fact, it is far from one. The sexual banter and dialogues allow relief from the seriousness of the cases lawyers handle. The tv series deals on a lot of issues--ignorance, abortion, death, friendship, apathy-- and I have witnessed numerous closings where I was so moved I could have cried. One thing the series offers is a perspective on reality. It doesn't balk out, nor does it fear telling the truth, as it happens, as it occurs in the real world. **I doubt anyone will read this whole entry of mine for the main reason that it's long. I may be long, but it's not trivial. If you do have time, I'd urge you to read it. One topic per day, I suppose. And if you're moved, even by just a little, to comment, then please do. I'd like to pursue a topic (the first one) that affects all of us, because it's happening now. Maybe I'm one of those people. After all, when I heard him say it, I related easily. TOPICS: (Scroll down if you don't like the topic. It's as simple as that.) ON FRIENDSHIP TODAYON BROMANCE-- NOT GAY LOVE, NO, BUT BROMANCE
ON WAR, HONOR, AND DEATHSON MASS DESTRUCTION AND APATHY
ON DEATH PENALTY
ON FRIENDSHIP TODAYAlan Shore said in one episode, "People walk around today calling everyone their best friend. The term doesn't have any real meaning anymore. Mere acquaintances are lavished with hugs and kisses upon a second or at most third meeting, birthday cards get passed around offices so everybody can scribble a snippet of sentimentality for a colleague they barely met, and everyone just loves everyone. As a result when you tell somebody you love them today, it isn't much heard. I love you Denny, you are my best friend. I can't imagine going through life without you as my best friend. I'm not going to kiss you however." I wanted a line-per-line of that exact dialogue, so I ran keywords of it in google. I found it, together with an entry entitled "T his is why I love Boston Legal" done by a fan. Jacelyn said, "The gist of Alan’s speech: Relationships are less meaningful today because of how easily people throw around “You’re my best friend!” and “I love you!” Acquaintances who have only met two or three times, tops, greet one another with a hug and a kiss when they couldn’t even tell you one another’s favorite foods. Birthday cards are passed around places of employment for everyone to write fake sentiments for the co-worker he or she knows nothing about. When so much fake affection is shooting off everywhere, it can become difficult to figure out who means what. When “I love you” is said on the drop of a dime, it’s impossible to know if the friendship is sincere. Truly, it is an odd phenomenon. A study released this summer told us that we’re lonelier than ever and have fewer friends than ever, so what’s up with the “best friends forever” mantra? I suspect it’s just a coping mechanism. We’re lonely, but maybe we can trick our brains that our acquaintances are closer than they really are by confessing undying love and friendship. Now tell me, which television shows have ever touched on such a topic without 1) gay jokes or 2) a laugh track?" Tell me what you think? Doesn't it ring true? Maybe that's why I'm a cynic, somewhat jaded...
A Fine Bro-mance Guy Davies Since the dawn of time there has been friendships between men. Close friendships. But not too close – we don't want anyone getting the wrong idea, after all. Lately, however, the man-man bond has taken a leap or two forward. It's evolved. Don't be mistaken, it's not about to start shacking up and buying matching towels or anything, but it's not quite as stand-offish as it once was. In fact, compared to the relationships shared by the emotionally closed-off chaps of years gone by, these modern friendships are downright demonstrative. The media, always quick to slap a label on a budding phenomenon, has taken to using terms like "man-love" or "male-ationship" to identify such associations. Me, I'm partial to the term "bromance". And while the bromance is starting to make its presence felt in the real world, it's on television that it's really rearing its far-from-ugly head. Of course, there have been bonds between blokes on the small screen since the first TV flickered on some 50 years ago. From Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie (now there were two guys who were devoted to each other) to Starsky and Hutch, viewers have been privy to heterosexual fellas who dug each other's company, watched each other's backs and – to a certain extent – shared each other's feelings. When it comes to a love affair between two straight men, though, there are examples popping up all over the place. On House, Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard play longtime friends who know just which buttons to push to get a rise out of each other. On the dearly departed O.C., Ryan (Ben McKenzie) and Seth (Adam Brody) forged a brotherly bond almost immediately. On Scrubs, J.D. (Zach Braff) affectionately refers to his friend Turk (Donald Faison) as "Brown Bear" – c'mon, you don't assign a pet name to someone who's just a mate! (And don't even get me started on Carl and Lenny from The Simpsons!) But the premier example of TV bromance can be found on Prime's Boston Legal, and the truly sweet bond shared by legal eagles Alan Shore (James Spader) and Denny Crane (William Shatner). The sight of the two men enjoying a scotch, a cigar and a conversation at the end of the day has become a regular fixture on the show. And while both men are unashamedly heterosexual – promiscuously, in fact – in their orientation, it's clear that each has found their soulmate in the other. Heck, the two have even shared a bed ... in a purely platonic way, mind you. "If you're searching for a certain subliminal homoeroticism, I think it's looking a little deep," Spader told an interviewer who asked about the Shore-Crane connection. "It's just a TV show that's trying to be funny." It is funny. No doubt about that. But it's also candid, intelligent (the to and fro between left-leaning Shore and far-right Crane is wonderfully smart) and frequently touching. It's not always limited to Spader and Shatner either. The constant biffo between Brad Chase (Mark Valley) and Jeffrey Coho (Craig Bierko) has to represent something deeper, right? And the sweet friendship that's developed between Shore and socially awkward Jerry Espenson (Christian Clemenson) is awfully moving, especially as Shore's unwavering loyalty and support has seen Espenson gradually find his footing in the world. Make no mistake, it's Alan and Denny all the way on Boston Legal. And this was beautifully illustrated when the usually unflappable Crane took umbrage at Shore sharing a whiskey with Espenson on the balcony traditionally reserved for an afterhours Crane-Shore conversation. When Denny haltingly explained that he felt betrayed, Alan's response cut right to the heart of the matter: "I love you, Denny. You're my best friend." Truly, theirs is a bromance for the ages. Boston Legal Prime/7 Mondays at 10.30pm Source: Rural Press Network Article Source: http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=lifestyle%20news&subclass=relax&story_id=582157&category=tv
ON WAR, HONOR, AND DEATHSFrom the episode, Witches of Mass Destruction Alan Shore's closing argument in Judge Clark Brown’s courtroom. In U.S. Attorney Chris Randolf: In war, any war, there are casualties. For the family of a victim to sue the army for such a casualty is not only patently ridiculous its an insult. First it offends the memory of the soldier who gave his life to defend his country. Worst, it’s an attack on patriotism and the US Army itself. He enlisted. He was trained in combat. He assumed the risks of combat. This lawsuit merely represents a flamboyant attempt to showcase anti-war sentiment. It is wrong, it is baseless and it’s an affront to every soldier, to every veteran who has put himself on the line to defend the United States of America. Especially, primarily the ones who have given their lives to do so. Alan Shore: First. This is hardly about anti-war sentiments. Private Elliot was for the war. Personally I was against it, then I was for it then I was against it again, but that’s just me, I’m a flip flopper. But whether one is for or against the occupation and let’s assume judging from your tie one is, that does not exempt the military from a duty to be honest with its soldiers. Private Elliot was told he’d serve a year. He was told he wouldn’t see combat! Okay! Unexpected stuff happens he did see combat. Fine! But, he was sent into combat with insufficient backup, he was sent in to perform duties for which he was never ever trained! He wasn’t given the most basic of equipment. And then after his tour of duty was up they wouldn’t let him leave. He never assumed those risks by enlisting. Over extended, under equipped, non-trained. He never signed up for that. And now he’s dead. An aside from his sister, nobody seems to care. We talk about honoring the troops. How about we honor them by giving a damn when they’re killed. Our kids are dying over there. In this country, the people, the media, we all just chug along like nothing is wrong. We’ll spend a month obsessing about Terri Shivo. But dare we show the body of a fallen soldier? The most watched cable news station will spend an hour a night on a missing girl in Aruba, but God forbid we pay any attention when kids like Private Elliot killed in action… Judge Clark Brown: You’re off the point. Alan Shore: I’m not off the point. We’ve had two thousand American trees fall in that forest over there and we don’t even know it. Not really. But, maybe we don’t wanna know about our children dying. So lucky for us this war isn’t really being televised. We’re not seeing images of soldiers dying in the arms of their comrades, being blown apart on the streets of Baghdad. But they are! By the thousands! And all the American public wants to concern itself with is whether Brad and Angelina really are a couple. At least with Vietnam we all watched and we all go angry! Judge Clark Brown: What does this have to do with the death of Private Elliot? Alan Shore: Private Elliot is dead in part because we have a people and a government in denial. We currently have no strategy to fight this war. We have no timetable for getting out. Some of these troops could be extended twenty plus years! Their mothers and fathers have to spring for body armor because the army doesn’t. And they’re getting killed! And we as a nation in denial are letting them. We simply don’t seem to care. Well she does. She’s in this courtroom honoring one dead soldier. That’s a start.
Alan Shore’s closing argument in his secretary’s tax evasion case from last week’s Boston Legal is available on line, along with the video: Alan Shore: When the weapons of mass destruction thing turned out to be not true, I expected the American people to rise up. Ha! They didn’t. Then, when the Abu Ghraib torture thing surfaced and it was revealed that our government participated in rendition, a practice where we kidnap people and turn them over to regimes who specialize in torture, I was sure then the American people would be heard from. We stood mute. Then came the news that we jailed thousands of so-called terrorists suspects, locked them up without the right to a trial or even the right to confront their accusers. Certainly, we would never stand for that. We did. And now, it’s been discovered the executive branch has been conducting massive, illegal, domestic surveillance on its own citizens. You and me. And I at least consoled myself that finally, finally the American people will have had enough. Evidentially, we haven’t. In fact, if the people of this country have spoken, the message is we’re okay with it all. Torture, warrantless search and seizure, illegal wiretappings, prison without a fair trial - or any trial, war on false pretenses. We, as a citizenry, are apparently not offended. There are no demonstrations on college campuses. In fact, there’s no clear indication that young people seem to notice. Well, Melissa Hughes noticed. Now, you might think, instead of withholding her taxes, she could have protested the old fashioned way. Made a placard and demonstrated at a Presidential or Vice-Presidential appearance, but we’ve lost the right to that as well. The Secret Service can now declare free speech zones to contain, control and, in effect, criminalize protest. Stop for a second and try to fathom that. At a presidential rally, parade or appearance, if you have on a supportive t-shirt, you can be there. If you are wearing or carrying something in protest, you can be removed. This, in the United States of America. This in the United States of America. Is Melissa Hughes the only one embarrassed? *Alan sits down abruptly in the witness chair next to the judge* Judge Robert Sanders: Mr. Shore. That’s a chair for witnesses only. Really long speeches make me so tired sometimes. Judge Sanders: Please get out of the chair. Alan: Actually, I’m sick and tired. Judge Sanders: Get out of the chair! Alan: And what I’m most sick and tired of is how every time somebody disagrees with how the government is running things, he or she is labeled unAmerican. U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shapiro: Evidentally, it’s speech time. Alan: And speech in this country is free, you hack! Free for me, free for you. Free for Melissa Hughes to stand up to her government and say “Stick it”! U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shapiro: Objection! Alan: I object to government abusing its power to squash the constitutional freedoms of its citizenry. And, God forbid, anybody challenge it. They’re smeared as being a heretic. Melissa Hughes is an American. Melissa Hughes is an American. Melissa Hughes is an American! Judge Sanders: Mr. Shore. Unless you have anything new and fresh to say, please sit down. You’ve breached the decorum of my courtroom with all this hooting. Alan: Last night, I went to bed with a book. Not as much fun as a 29 year old, but the book contained a speech by Adlai Stevenson. The year was 1952. He said, “The tragedy of our day is the climate of fear in which we live and fear breeds repression. Too often, sinister threats to the Bill of Rights, to freedom of the mind are concealed under the patriotic cloak of anti-Communism.” Today, it’s the cloak of anti-terrorism. Stevenson also remarked, “It’s far easier to fight for principles than to live up to them.” I know we are all afraid, but the Bill of Rights - we have to live up to that. We simply must. That’s all Melissa Hughes was trying to say. She was speaking for you. I would ask you now to go back to that room and speak for her.
Despite the amusement present, I have learned a lot. There's medical care even. If I could simply have a copy of all Alan's closing, I'd keep it forever. If I could memorize them by heart, I would. Then there's this one episode on Death Penalty in Texas. God. *blows a breath*ON DEATH PENALTY
Transcript sourceAlan Shore: Good afternoon. My name is Alan Shore. Judge Christopher Serra: Mr Shore! What are new issues being raised here? Alan Shore: The first issue before the court concerns the absence of any African-American jurors. Judge Lance Abrams: That was previously argued and ruled on, Counsel. Alan Shore: Yes. Before the lower courts. This bench has never considered… Judge Christopher Serra: We’re not persuaded that the absence of a black juror is in violation of due process. What’s your next issue? Alan Shore: I would turn the court’s attention to the fact that the Grand Jury which indicted Mr Borns, similarly, was all white. This raises equal protection laws that… Judge Christopher Serra: That issue was never raised and is therefore waived. Alan Shore: Your Honor, Texas Law requires that the jury recommend death only in cases where they find that the defendant poses a threat of future dangerousness to society. We maintain this is unconstitutional. Juries are supposed to find on elements of guilt and innocence based on facts beyond a reasonable doubt. Not on the basis of perceived probabilities. Moreover, as a practical matter, since Ezekial Borns will remain in prison for life, he couldn’t possibly constitute a future threat to society, unless the law assumes prison breaks. Judge Christopher Serra: That’s an interesting issue, Counsel, but uh, that also was never raised and therefore it is deemed waived. Next? Alan Shore: May it please the court. Mr Borns’ trial lawyer has recently admitted he was ineffective counsel. He was abusing cocaine and alcohol during the trial, and... Judge Martha Brenford: Not legally inadequate . Alan Shore: I believe if you examine the transcripts… Judge Lance Abrams: Mr Shore. Representation can always be better. Especially when we play Monday morning quarterback. Alan Shore: With all due respect, this lawyer never gave an opening statement, he never questioned several of the prosecution’s witnesses, he failed to pursue a number of leads and important sentencing issues. This court right here today has recognized that many valid grounds for appeal were never raised. Judge Christopher Serra: This court is satisfied that the representation was adequate. Is there anything else? Alan Shore: A beat. Yes. Mr Borns may be innocent. Judge Christopher Serra: The jury disagreed. And legally that issue has been settled. Alan Shore: The DNA evidence shows somebody else was there. Judge Christopher Serra: But it does not disprove that your client was also there. And, your guy confessed by the way. Alan Shore: My client has an IQ of eighty; he was interrogated for sixteen hours. Judge Lance Abrams: Coercion was never raised. Alan Shore: It was never raised because his lawyer was an inadequate hack! Though the nine of you seem quite satisfied with his performance. With all due respect. Judge Christopher Serra: Mr Shore? You came down here from Massachusetts? Alan Shore: Yes. Sir. Judge Christopher Serra: We in Texas have been living with this case for eight years. Alan Shore: You’ve been living with it personally? May it please the court. Judge Christopher Serra: You first met Mr Borns, when? Alan Shore: Yesterday. Judge Christopher Serra: And you are proposing to us, that you know him. You know what I’d like to propose? I’d like to propose that you got a problem with the death penalty in general. Now, is that why you came here, Sir? Alan Shore: I am here. With all due respect, may it please the court, because I have a problem with the State executing a man with diminished capacity. Who may very well be innocent! I’m particularly troubled, may it please the court, with all due respect, that you don’t have a problem with it. You may not want to regard my client’s innocence, but you cannot possibly disregard the fact that 117 wrongfully convicted people have been saved from execution in this country. 117! The system is hardly foolproof. And Texas! This State is responsible for a full third of all executions in America. How can that be? The criminals are just somehow worse here? Last year you accounted for fully half of the nation’s executions. Fifty percent from one State! You cannot disregard the possibility, the possibility, that something’s up in Texas. Judge Lance Abrams: I would urge you to confine your remarks to your client, and not the good state of Texas. Alan Shore: Zeke Borns never had a chance. He was rounded up as a teenager, thrown in a cell while he was still doped up on drugs, brow-beaten and interrogated, until his IQ of eighty was overcome, he confessed to a crime he had no memory of, still has no memory of, for which there is no evidence, other than two witnesses who saw him pumping gas around the time of the murder. He was given a coked-up lawyer, who admittedly did nothing. I’m now before nine presumably intelligent people in the justice business, who have the benefit of knowing all of this. Add to that, you know DNA places somebody else at the scene, and you’re indifferent! You don’t care! Whether you believe in my client’s innocence, and I’ll assume, with all due respect, may it please the court, that you don’t! You cannot be sure of his guilt! You simply cannot! And failing that, how can you kill him? How can you kill him? He turns away from the
podium and walks back behind the table. And I would sincerely, sincerely, sincerely, hope that you don’t penalize my client, simply because his lawyers happen to be from Massachusetts. He moves to sit
down, then rises. The home of the New England Patriots, who could kick ass over any football team you’ve got in the good state of Texas. May it please the court. - Currently spaced at:Master's Bedroom
- Be warned for I am:
 pensive - Jammin to:Whirring of the computer fan since Boston Legal is at paused at the moment
Disclaimer: Typos would be evident. Please pardon me since I no longer have enough energy to beta it. I don’t know how person was able to come up with these notions. All right, I’ll give him that since everyone is entitled to his opinion. Just like how he is to his, I have mine. This journal is a response to an article my dihya asked me to read a while ago, hoping that I would reply. The thesis statement of the article is that the scholarship system of Ateneo is founded on Elitism. *purses lips* The original article can be read from http://images.kytabs.multiply.com/attachment/0/R@jfcAoKCCQAAEpj3uA1/scholar%20kuno.pdf?nmid=8794893
or download the attatched file at the bottom of the page
Here’s a reply of a person who works in the Office of Admission in Ateneo de Manila University: http://kytabs.multiply.com/journal/item/156/Ito_ba_talaga_ang_pakiramdam_nating_mga_scholar_at_naging_scholar “Tulong-pinansiyal bagaman mataas ang kinikita ng kanilang magulang.” Before I say anything else, are you sure they’re financial-aid grantee and not merit scholars, because there is a distinction between the two. How can you be sure? Do they parade around the campus and say, “Hi. I’m a financial-aid grantee.” Or, “I’m a merit scholar!” Financial aids are given to those students who are really in need of some sort of monetary support. Merit scholarships, on the other hand, are given to those students who, based on concrete evidences such as exams, would show very promising results during their university life. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor—as long as you’re good good, you would receive a scholarship. Athletic scholarships also exist; in fact, other kinds of scholarships exist. Sure, there may be glitches in the system. In fact, I’m not surprised if there are truly students with parents capable of paying their tuition fees and yet apply for financial aids, and—get this—are granted aids, because in real life people get away crime. Does it mean though that if a certain crime exists the system condones it? Quite the opposite, even. It’s the same thing with those rare and select cases you’ve seen. “Isang representasyona ng pagiging minorya at pagiging iba ng mga iskolar.”// naisasantabi ang katunayang magkaiba naman talaga ang kaugalian at halagahan ng mga iskolar sa mga may-kayang Atenista It is a fact that scholars do not make up the majority of the population of any university. (Exept of course in UP where everyone is a scholar. Still, despite being scholars, one still needs to pay a certain amount. There are special awards granted, though, to those who would no longer need to pay any cent.) Not everyone is granted a scholarship, hence the existence of the minority. There’s nothing wrong in being a minority, unless someone pushes it as something that is offensive because that person believes their needs, as a minority, are inadequately addressed. I just don’t get it. How can scholars be different from non-scholars? Do they require special attention, special classes? Personality-wise we’re all different, but if so then that’s not the case here, because it wouldn’t be scholars v.s. non-scholars. It would have to be a person against every person. I’ve read testimonies that scholars are not treated differently from other students. In fact, there is no discrimination among the student body. Oh wait, maybe I get it now. Maybe the writer of the article is looking for special treatments. The fact that they’re scholars, maybe, he thinks, gives them the right to be given certain more privileges. What do you think? Hmm? “Sapagkat, sa tingin ko, nakasandig ang proyekto ng iskolarsip sa mga elitistang pag-iisip - mga pag-iisip na nagpapalagay na isang pribilehiyo ng mga karapat-dapat na mahirap ang iskolarsip, at kung gayon, may nalilikhang bagong anyo ng kultura ng utang na loob” Elitism? See, that’s where every argument of yours dies. Scholarship is founded on the system of elitism? Correct me if I’m wrong, but do not universities share basic principle of scholarships? How they should be awarded? Who is fit to receive such awards? Every university offers scholarships, aids, so does that mean every university’s system on scholarship is founded on elitism? UST? UP? FEU? “Utang ng loob.” Why don’t you, oh, I don’t know elaborate further on the new concept of “utang ng loob.” If you’re a Catholic then you have this “utang ng loob” to God. It’s a lesson that is taught in Catholic schools. We also have this “utang ng loob” to our parents. Is it wrong? Parents who gave birth to you, who gave you your basic needs, who taught you the value of education. Is it so wrong to have this “utang na loob?” The university granted you aid, a scholarship, is it so so wrong to feel this “utang na loob” towards the university—any university for that matter? Dahil pribilehiyong ipinagkawanggawa ng mayayamang may pagkapilantropo, nakahihiyang bumagsak; sa katunayan, ipinagbabawal pa nga. Dapat lubos naming pahalagahan ang pag-aaral, higit sa pagpapahalagan g isang karaniwang Atenista. Kailangang tanawin namin ang utang na loob at patunayang karapatdapat talaga kaming mag-aral dito. Please. Is someone’s, anyone’s, behaviour to worry about the reaction of your benefactor if you failed something? Don’t you feel an ounce of regret, of sadness, of shame the you failed something? Or no, simply, “Oh my God! This is so embarrassing! What would my benefactor say?” You know what? I agree that a scholar should make his studies a priority, make it important in his life, make education a priority, an importance. Why? Because, my God, there are so many people who would kill just to be allowed to study. I’m sorry to say but if you haven’t notice all of us aren’t drowning in money, hence there are poor people asking for alms, for food. Universities have limited funds; they can’t just give away scholarships and aid to anyone. There must be a criteria set, to allow those deserving to be able to study. Hard work, perseverance are results of one’s passion in something he believes in. If one continuously fails, over and over and over again, is there passion? Scholarships are granted to those who have the passion to learn, to study, to explore. If one doesn’t have this passion, then why shouldn’t the scholarship be given to someone else who would give more for the sake of education? Elitista ang pag-iisip na ito sapagkat wala namang ganitong pagdiin sa mga karaniwang mag-aaral dito dahil may pera sila at kaya nilang kunin ulit ang naibagsak nila. I will admit that I come from a family who can sustain my education in Ateneo. THAT does not mean, however, that I am willing to splurge my parents’ hard-earned cash. There may be people who do not have an ounce of care for money. They don’t even care that a child dies every minute because of malnutrition. Not everyone who can afford to retake a course again fails a subject with careless abandon just because he can. Besides, think of the time a person would waste, a time that can never be taken back. Higit dito, masakit para sa amin (o baka para sa akin lang) ang pagkakaroon ng ganito sapagkat tila ginagamit ng ilang mayaman ang aming kalagayan para sa kanilang makasariling interes. Personal interest? How about you start naming the interests?
Itigil na ang kaisipang pribilehiyo namin ang maging iskolar. Sapagkat sa bayang itong napakalaki ng guwang sa pagitan ng mayayaman at mahihirap, ang iskolarsip ay hindi pribilehryo ng karapat-dapat na mahihirap, bagkus isang tungkulin ng mayayamang labis-labis ang salaping iniipon at ipinagkakait sa lipunang nangangailangan. I’m sorry to burst your little bubble, but not all poor people want to be self-sufficient, just how not everyone has values. There may be poor people who are lazy, rich people who are greedy— it’s THE reality. Another reality is scarcity, that’s why we have Economics. You can’t just start giving everything to the poor people, because, if so, when will they learn? They need to fight, they need to show they desire it, and that they will work for it. Some poor people have become too dependent to the help others give them. In the end, will that help them? If you’re planning on taking up such a belief then how about if I become a poor person. I mean, my education would be free, and since there’s no requirement that I keep my grades up, then I could party every night. I just need to pass, right? I don’t have to excel. I don’t have to try. Later in life, I’ll just do the same thing. After all, it worked during college, why wouldn’t it work during post-college? NOT. In a narrative study, people who write about being indebted to others reports higher levels of anger and lower levels of appreciation, happiness, and love relative to people who write about being grateful to others (Gray & Emmons, 2000). The experience of indebtedness is less likely to lead to a desire to approach or make contact with thers relative to an experience of gratefulness. Thus, indebtedness tends to be an aversive psychological state that is distinct from gratitude. If we were to consider the above findings, then the article may be a result of a feeling of indebtedness. The next question we must pursue then is why. Why does he feel indebted—why not gratitude? I’m not exactly sure why he wrote it. Is it because he does not want to be an Atenean, but, perhaps, because of pressure from parents (because, oh, I don’t know, they believe Ateneo is a good school). Or maybe Ateneo was the only school that granted him a scholarship.
That’s it. I no longer want to be mean, it’s just that… it’s so disappointing. I didn’t react to this just because it concerns Ateneo, because it doesn’t just concern Ateneo, but rather concerns all other universities. Buddha said, “A noble person is mindful and thankful of the favors he receives from others.” You want another one? It was said by Kant that “Ingratitude is the essence of vileness.”
P.S. He experienced culture shock? Don’t we all? We just experience it in various degrees. In UP, it happens a lot, but you don’t hear the students complaining, no do you? P.S.S. It would have been better if Maki actually presented his own insights after reading the article.
Attachment: scholar%20kuno.pdf | |
