A project and thesis output of the botokulasa2010 group:
Baybayan, Dimalanta, Dioneo, Montero and Pangilinan.

From hell to cool

Cheezel Pangilinan

Hell is what I can say as I struggled to keep myself busy for the first few days of my ojt BUT soon, COOL is the best remark I can give if I am to describe my whole ojt experience in gma.

HELL

I am a busy person and I hate doing nothing. I am an individual who enjoys doing anything productive just to make myself busy. The first few days of my OJT were really boring and I hated it which gave me the urge to look for another OJT site where I can free myself from the mind-numbing experience I was detained into. Being inside the four walls of the Ka-Blog (the program which I was assigned to) cubicle gave me a humdrum feeling--from answering phone calls to filing of scratch papers, stapling scripts and all those office works. I sadly realized how uninteresting my OJT would be if I would allow myself to be confined with activities I should not really be doing. Just when I am about to feel hopeless, the following days become hectic for me which made me really busy.

I BELONG

The Ka-Blog staff, with the way I observed it, was as an all-for-one, one for all team and what made me really enjoyed my stay was the fact that in that team, I belonged. Soon, I realized that without me, they were nothing because yes, while I was with them, we all carry the value of teamwork and I was a part of that what they so-called, team. I tried to replay the feeling of saying that I am a part of the Ka-Blog production team and I just love how it felt.

Trusted

The Ka-blog team became my family. Despite the feeling of being a newbie, they made me feel like I am an expert. They assigned me tasks as if I knew them before, sent me to places as if I’ve been there before and gave me responsibilities as if I am used to doing before—not just I was given the ability to be adaptable but I was, on the spot, given the opportunity to be trusted, which I believe, is the most important.

I’m a star

Extra—this was just my role when I agreed to go on-camera but things became different when the camera began rolling—I felt that I was a star in my own ways. I only started as a byahera dressed in fucia pink and classy coat while pulling a traveling rolling bag coming from an airport then suddenly jumped into the role of the ‘another woman’ of the Ka-Blog’s host Mico Aytona with only limited lines presented. To my surprise, I was amazed when I had my last TV appearance as again, Mico Aytona’s girlfriend this time with dialogues enough to forget some of my lines. I was happy for the feedback I received but what I was happier about was the experience I had with the people who are on-camera conveying the message of the people behind the camera. I realized that they are personalities who have big hearts. Mico, Lucky, Mon and Ada are the hosts of Ka-blog who made me feel that they are no different from us, people unseen on the camera.

COOL

So for the next few days up until my very last day, I felt extremely happy when I found myself busy with assisting to Ka-Blog tapings not knowing how time flied so fast for every taping we had. I learned how an actual shooting and taping took place and how each staff of the production team contributed much to make every shoot successful. I have learned the value of team-work. For years that I have been in St. Scholastica, my professors have always imbued on us the value of the teamwork and cooperation in every production—big or small—that we are to put into being.  I am very much privileged for every opportunity I had with GMA-7. They made my OJT worth remembering and they made me enjoyed my stay which I will forever be thankful for. Hell is what I can say as I struggled to keep myself busy for the first few days of my OJT but soon, cool is the best remark I can give if I am to describe my whole OJT experience in GMA.


*cheezel pangilinan*

Most memorable moments as a freshman

Did you say memorable? Well, I have a lot to say. Starting from the SRA which I missed doing in high school up to the research I did called the News and Broadcasting in Radio and Television which included the journal logs and note cards will always be my Communication Arts memorable moments plus my favorite professor, Ms. Bethel Batallones. Who could ever forget those extreme paraphrasing moments because of fear that we might commit plagiarism which Ms. Bethel never failed in reminding us? What else? The making of our first-ever MTV in our Theology subject which we all considered our basics for editing videos will make my list too. Together with my group mates, we made an MTV of the song One Way Jesus—our first scriptwriting, shooting and editing which became useful as we went along. Dance Apparatus and Balle Latina for our PE classes also dominated our freshman years which we consider very memorable—not to mention that my block won as Champions for both categories. NSTP moments will also make it to my list as I remember how we walked into the mud with bare foot under the heat of the sun in the province of Pampanga where I actually come from. Pamumuhay is what we called our so-called journey where we fish and planted rice with the Kapampangan people and when we fed children and gave them school supplies during the Christmas day. Lastly, my memorable moments will never be complete without my College Algebra which really tested my skills and challenged my capabilities. This is self-explanatory, I guess. But wait; do I even have Algebra skills and capabilities to begin with? Haha.

What were the adjustments that you had to do when you entered college?

            First of all, I had to live away from home. Since I come from Pampanga, I had to stay in a dormitory where I did things independently such as washing and ironing of clothes, travelling from one place to the other, budgeting money and time. Along with this, living with roommates and making friends with them was also something I had to deal with which included the negotiation of respect of personal property, personal space, sleep and relaxation needs. In college, there are more reading assignments and the exams and papers cover a greater amount of material which means that I have to follow the course outlines and keep up with the readings. Sense of responsibility of my actions and effective communication with roommates, peers, block mates and professors helped me deal with the adjustments in a better way.  

 If I can redo college all over again, I will         

do a lot better this time—not just in terms of academics but also in terms of peers, family and matters of the heart. Sure, we sometimes feel that we could have done things the other way around when things did not turn out well or not the way we expected and planned them to be. At times, somewhere along the way, even if we really are so much driven and focused about everything, if something bad will happen, it will—that’s a fact. However, it’s our choice to make things work after a failure and my choice? I made things worse after I failed. So, if I am to say that again, “If I can redo college all over again, I will definitely make things right even after a failure because I know in my heart that I have learned”.

*cheezel pangilinan*

FIRST DAY BLUES

What usually happens on a first day in St Scho? Scholasticans laugh out loud as they remember the first few moments they went through as they entered the gates of college here in St. Scholastica’s College, Manila. Let’s hear from these Kulasas…
                                                                                                                                                                          Franzelle Pangilinan

“It was orientation week when I first heard of the term OSB. I wanted to ask my seatmate back then but like me, she was to tally clueless too. Most of the officials handling our school have this term at the end of their names so I was very intrigued. If I remember it right, it was the usherette who told me that OSB stands for Order of St. Benedict”. -Ericka Castro, ABPOL4

“Sa registration form makikita kung saan yung rooms for your classes and so you are also not familiar with M, B and H Bldg. Nung first day namin with my classmates, talagang nililibot namin yung campus just to find the rooms for our classes. Kapag hindi na namin mahanap magtatanong kay kuya guard na nakakalat sa grounds. So here's the story, the second room was NR (yun ang nakalagay sa Reg form). Hanap kami ng hanap, halos inikot ang buong campus, nagtanong na kami kay kuya guard (di din niya daw alam). At the end we found out that NR means NO ROOM. Ang sakit sa heart!” *laughs* -Claire Tagle, 4MCDC

“We had this Euthenics subject during first year. Me together with my other classmates are confused on what room we’re going to head after our first class then suddenly we find ourselves inquiring. As we were inquiring, I saw a paper posted in the bulletin “Euthenics classroom TBA”. Then a classmate of mine saw it too, suddenly, she was saying, let’s go, we got no room yet. I understand that fact that but what it amaze is for the first time, I didn’t understand what TBA stands for. I didn’t stand my curiosity so I asked what does TBA stands for and everyone else is laughing. Haha”. -Jana Patricia Lim, 4MCBJ

“I was so excited to use my 2 ½ inches heels during the first day to feel very ‘dalaga’ (that’s what most of us feel when we’re already in college, right? For the first few hours, I was was able to walk with grace in confidence. But before the day ended, my feet were already screaming for help. Guess what? I ended up having blisters. I had to cover my toes with a bunch of band-aids for a week. So much for my feeling dalaga moment”. –Rubie Grace Garcia, 4MCADV

KULASAS SPEAK UP

SUMMER 2009

Summer is known to be the warmest season of the year that will probably cause extreme laziness to some people, most especially the students. Summer will also mean a vacation for them or maybe another time for tons of school work? We’ll see. For some, summer may be a little boring and unexciting but definitely not for us, Scholasticans! Yes you heard it right. Despite the heat of the summer, Scholasticans always have their own ways to enjoy their summer by making their selves very productive. While some went for a vacation or getaways, what were the Scholasticans up to? They seemed to be very busy with other things. Let’s hear from these Kulasas...
                                                                                                                                                Franzelle Pangilinan

“This year’s summer vacation was a great experience that will remain with me throughout the rest of my accomplishments in the field of music. The opportunity to work with our parish priest, pastoral members, and other music coordinators was an honor. Also, handling Youth Choir and Children’s Choir in our parish and teaching children from “Excess Lot” was a great privilege.
…I never imagined how great it was. It really feels good when you help other people especially when you’re doing it for the Lord.”  -Elsa A. Visaya, BMME-Piano, Music 3

“Student Council activities and summer trainings in volleyball are the things that made my summer busy. For the past thirteen years of stay in St. Scho., I can say that this is my busiest summer I ever had. In fact, the following day after the class card distribution, we had our first Student Council meeting with the COLs and even at home, I still have some SC stuff to do. Another is our summer training in volleyball that started just a month ago. So I guess those are the things that made my last summer very busy”. –Bianca Regudo, 216 A BS-HRM

‘It was a very hectic summer for me, spent working as a 2D artist intern at a game development company, and also as a batch representative in our Student Council.  I had to madly wrestle a lot of school and work responsibilities, making this the busiest summer yet”. –Janette Ramos, BFA4VC

“Two months of my summer vacation was a bunch of bliss. Had an enjoyable summer vacation experiencing banana boat ride with relatives and friends at the Canyon Cove, Nasugbu, Batangas where we are a Prestige member.  For some cool summer, we  stayed in a log house in Baguio from April 30 to May 3 again with the whole family. Soon after this, grabbed the chance for a one week early morning driving lesson with my elder sister.   To top it all, I together with my co-Danz Edge members, Addie and Ate Isay, Wella, and Chryssta joined the dance workshop with the G-Force at the AFP Theater.  Presently busy rehearsing for the Ora Et Labora for SSC presentation”. –Kookie Ablaza, 206A BSC

“Music dominated my summer. I had the privilege of practicing and performing with the PREDIS Orchestra which was just one great learning experience from start to finish. On the other end of the spectrum, it was an exciting summer for my band. We were able to
write, polish, and perform new songs and had a great run of gigs! The rest of the time that music didn't take up was spent with friends, reading old books, watching the new Star Trek movie, and joining in the fight against the Book Blockade”. –Marc Edward Inting, 3BBMME

“There were three most memorable moments during my OJT. The first once was going to the National Bilibid Prison and meeting political prisoners. It was a first for me. And the higlight of that event was meeting a real life member of the MILF and a member of a brigade who "liquidates corrupt officials". Also, joining a rallygoing to the House of Representatives. In addition to, being able to publish my very own byline in the Manila Bulletin (Students and Campuses section) for the article that I did for Greenpeace Philippines”. -Zipporah C. Antonio, 4MCDC

“Being an intern of a production house, I was luckily asked to participate in some commercial shoots. For my second experience there, we were asked to laugh out loud as hard as we could. It wasn’t that hard for the first few scenes because I was with my co-interns who are actually my friends. The next scene came with the same instruction but just with me and a guy from the advertising agency that we were working with. Whoa!!! Yes, I was definitely nervous, not prepared about it and worse, I didn’t know what to ask him to create laughter during our conversation. Good thing he was the first one to ask me but it was a serious question “How long will it take for you to finish your training here?” Still very nervous, I answered back, “Ahmm. 200 years po. Hahaha”. I was unconsciously making it for our scene. That was meant to be 200 hours! So there, we had a great shot together, I guess”. –Mary Kaye Chang, 4MCADV

1. What are the joys of college life?

            The achievements and compliments we receive every time we get to accomplish something is part of the joys in college life but the feeling of the accomplishment itself is what makes college life more joyful. In college, everything we do is worth it—every failure and every success counts which makes every effort valuable. It is in this stage when we become more goal-oriented and self-motivated in achieving things and making things, even the impossible ones, possible. It is here where we learn to put our thoughts, dreams and purposes into action and where we see ourselves developing from an unripe individual into a more established person.

So, why do I know all these things? Well, it’s because I am a college student who would like to share with you the joys of my college life and this goes my story. I am just an ordinary person from a province who dreamt of pursuing mass communication as my course but because of its low job opportunities as said by many, I included studying in the big city as part of my dream which eventually happened in God’s grace. With the past three years of my college life, I can say that it is here when I felt the ultimate happiness in my life. I studied well and gave my best in almost everything I did. I became an achiever and I believe I was partly, successful. I was proud of myself, proud of my own accomplishments and proud of what I established myself to be. I had goals, dreams and aspirations which I used to make all things possible. I tried to excel in almost everything I did and gave extra effort to whatever I did.

I was included in the dean’s list, I was one of the top, and I know I did great. I became feature writer of the The Scholastican college publication. I became the class representative and I ran for the third year batch representative.

            Looking at the other side of the story, I became independent. I had to live away from my family and I have to learn to sacrifice to not see them for a number of days. I saw myself shifted from a family-dependent person into a responsible individual who did things on her very own. I was amazed how beautifully I had grown up into a person who can stand on her own. I learned how to ride a bus, wash and iron clothes, budget money and the like and all these things, I did on my own which I consider a part of the joys of my college life. I also had friends and dorm mates who became my family during my college life. They were my source of strength while we are all away from our families. In them, I found the true meaning of friendship and the true value of helping each other. We were there for each other even in the hardest times and leaving was never an option for us. All these things, I’m proud to say, are the joys of my college life.

2. What are the challenges of college life?

            If only challenges in college life are what we’ll talk about, then probably, I would have a lot to say. Challenges, in one way or the other, are both unexpected and expected. These are challenges from basic to the utmost level that are sometimes easy or difficult to handle.

            Upon entering college, challenges will always be evident especially for me who came from a province who is not used to the ways of the big city. The very first challenge that set me off was the issue on travelling from my hometown to Manila and vice-versa. I was always in a school service ever since until high school and I was never an expert when it comes to travelling from a place to the other. Another thing was that I wasn’t that used to household chores such that staying in a dormitory requires much of that. In short, I was always dependent to my parents and family, I was treated like a princess which became a very big challenge for my part. Independence and responsibility was a very big issue. Another challenge was the issue of me being away from my family which again covers the issue of independence. I was never away from my family especially from my mom, she was with me during my growing up years and it was a challenge to be away from her. I am not a mommy’s girl but it was really difficult to make myself believe that I have to temporarily be separated from her and even from my younger brother. I love my younger brother more than anyone else and it just breaks my heart whenever I am absent in things I know I should be there, it was a challenge of me being a far away sister who at times can’t perform my duties well because of the distance.

            There was also fear—fear that I might not be able to easily cope with the ways of how the big city works, fear that I might not be able to easily deal with the difference of people from my hometown and in the big city, fear that an all-girls school might be a very new environment for me considering that I came from an institution that is coeducation. There might be an issue of rejection and the need of acceptance. Stress and depression are also part of the challenges I had to bear because really, they will forever be a part of college life. I had to sacrifice much of my love and social life because of things that I had to prioritize. I had a long-distance relationship which suffered much that led to a break up which caused me a heartbreak that led to an intense depression. I had to sacrifice to not see my high school friends and it was such a great pain in my heart when I can’t attend to get-togethers and parties with them.

            During the course of my college life, there came a huge challenge which I consider the most difficult to deal with. I just don’t want to go into detail what really happened but one thing I can say is that I know in my heart that I didn’t deserve what they did to me. Yes, I may have committed a mistake but I already apologized for it and already suffered more than enough. What they did to me was truly degrading but I won’t let that happen to me again, not again, not anymore.  

3. How did I cope with this/ how did I manage my college life?

Well, the motivation I had to surpass everything is what made me and is still making me strong despite everything. The willingness and drive also count as the things I should possess in order to survive college life. The determination and perseverance is what make me stand despite every failure and pain. I had to learn things and I had to make myself used to things that are uncommon to me. College life required me to think outside the box and made me believe that everything is possible through hard work and God’s grace.

 Each failure that I had encountered all this time actually became my strength to go on for I am an individual who does not give up that easily. I strive hard and I really aim high. I just don’t do things for the sake of doing but for the sake of aiming. I want to be successful, who would not to anyway? But I have my own ways in doing so.

            In college, there are these people who will always try to put you down no matter how good you are, people who condemn you in one way or the other and I wasn’t deprived of that, in fact, I had much of these heartless individuals who tried almost everything just to put me down. But this is what makes me firm all throughout…

 I just don’t keep quiet; I always say what I have to say especially when I am right. Looking out for number one is often my motto and yes, I always want to get even. I am often misunderstood and I have no problem with that. I make sure that I say what these people deserve to hear and I enjoy being straightforward defending what is right and I esteem being able to speak the truth. While many condemnatory people hate me, I am anyway loved by a tested few who for sure, never failed in seeing me beyond my worth. I am not perfect and I am not in any way, faultless and I may even have loads of shortcomings and weaknesses too but that doesn’t stop me from being myself who is incessantly learning from every downfall and failure I have lived through all my life. I may have failed countless of times along the way concerning family issues, academics and most of all, matters of the heart—but I always have my own ways in repossessing what was lost from me and in bringing back the broken pieces of my once, shattered life.

Windang

Mga Tauhan:

mula sa panulat at direksyon ni Sheila Lopez Gamo

Orihinal na  musika ni Norrie Lopez

Desayn ng set at ilaw ni Don Lopez

Teknikal na direksyon ni Mike Gamo

Masining na direksyon ni Annie Lopez

Narrator - Charles Nazario
Jepoy - Ver Espina
Neneng - Jessica Velasco
Elsa - Annalea Surio
Lira - Joanna Miguel
Eron - Johnlloyd Ribay
Dencio - Robert Lachicaa
Loida - Elizabeth Molina
Maya - Gianne De Peralta
Customer - Adrian Juaneza
Kaaway - Rain Picar
Dancers - Bien Guevarra, Luisa de Veyra, Mac Domdom

Teoryang Pampanitikan

·         Realismo- ito ang umigting sa buong kuwento. Ipinakita ang realidad ng Pilipinas lalo na sa henerasyon ngayon. Droga, kahirapan at pagbebenta ng laman.

·         Naturalismo- nagkaroon ng pagkanatural ang mga diyalogong ginamit na natural na nagiging diyalogo ng isang naghihirap na pamilya, nagaaway na magasawa, usapan sa kalye at kalsada at iba pa.

·         Simbolismo- naging simbolo ang bar para sa mga babaeng nagbebenta ng laman, ang tindahan na nagpapautang na may inuman sa labas ay simbolo ng isang lugar na kung saan matindi ang kahirapan.

Suliraning Panlipunan

Makikita sa kuwento ang kahirapan ng iilang pamilya, pagsusgal, pamamalimos, droga at pagbebenta ng laman. Ang mga ito ay ang mga suliraning panlipunan na kinakaharap ng ating bansa hindi lamang ngayon kundi noon pa. Sinasabi sa pelikula ang mga problemang madalas ay nagiging pintas ng ating bansa na siya naman pinaintindi sa atin.

Aral o Mensahe

Pinaigting sa kwento ang katotohanan ukol sa sitwasyon ng ating bansa. Mamumulat ang mga kabataan sa mga maling paraan upang maresolba ang isang problema. Sa kabilang banda'y mauunawaan din ng magulang ang kanilang papel para sa kanilang mga anak upang huwag silang mapabayaan at mapariwara. Ang problema ay hindi nasosolusyunan ng isa pang problema, iyan ang ibig iparating ng kuwento.

 *cheezel pangilinan*

Si Amanda Bartolome ay isang babaeng nagsisikap matunton at maunawaan ang tunay na kahulugan ng pagiging isang babae sa gitna ng masalimuot na kalagayan ng bansa noong dekada '70 sa ilalim ng Batas Militar. Siya ay kumikilos bilang isang ina (sa limang anak na pulos lalaki) at asawa ayon sa dikta ng lipunan at ng asawa niyang si Julian. Bagama't tradisyonal, umiiral sa pamilyang Bartolome ang kalayaan sa pagpapahayag ng damdamin kung kaya't lumaki ang kanilang mga anak na mulat ang kamalayan sa nangyayari sa lipunan. Dahil dito'y sumali sa kilusang makakaliwa ang kanilang panganay na si Jules, naging makata at manunulat naman si Emman, at nahilig sa musikang rock n roll si Jason. Si Gani naman ay malayang pinasok ang pagiging US Navy bagama't taliwas ito sa paniniwala ng mga kapatid. Nanatiling matatag ang pamilya Bartolome sa kabila ng napakaraming pagsubok ng panahon. Dito rin nasubok ang katatagan ng pagsasama nina Amanda at Julian, kung saan si Amanda ay nagnais na matunton ang sarili bilang isang babae, malayo sa dikta ng lipunan at ng asawa.

Tunggalian:

            Nagsimula ang tunggalian ng buong storya sa mga naging kapalaran ng mga anak ni Amanda at Julio. Nung una’y, nakabuntis at nagasawa ng maaga si Isagani at naging US Navy, nang maging aktibista at nakulong si Jules, nang mamatay si Jason, nang maging manunulat si Emmanuel. Ang lahat ng ito ay kailangan harapin isa-isa ni Amanda at Julio bilang mga magulang ng mga bata. Isa pang tunggalian ay nang gusto ng makipaghiwalay ni Amanda kay Julian sa kadahilanang gusto niyang makakamit ng kasiyahan hindi lamang bilang isang ina kundi pati na rin maging isang tao. Gusto niyang hanapin ang kanyang sarili.

Kapanapanabik na Pangyayari:

            Nakalaya si Jules sa kulungan at nagkaroon ng pagkakaintindihan si Amanda at Julio bilang magasaw at magulang. Si Jules ay bumalik sa lugar kung saan niya nakilala ang asawa kasama ang anak, si Isagani at ang asawang si Evelyn ay nanatiling magkaibigan dahil sa tunay na bata pa sila noong sila’y naging mapusok, si Emmanuel ay nanatiling manunulat at aktibo sa teatro at si Benjamin ay natuto sa mga napagdaanan ng kanyang mga kuya.

Teoryang Pampanitikan

·         Realismo- ito ang umigting sa buong kuwento. Ipinakita ang realidad ng Pilipinas lalo na sa panahon ng Martial Law. Patayan, pagpapahirap, demokrasya, politico, gobyerno at iba pang masasaklap na pangyayari sa mga panong iyon umikot ang kwento.

·         Naturalismo- dahil sa babae ang manunulay na si Lualhati Bautista, nagkaroon ng pagkanatural ang mga diyalogong ginamit na natural na nagiging diyalogo ng isang pamilya gaya ng pamilya Bartolome pati na rin ang ama at ina nung panahon na iyon ay natural na mas dominante ang lalaki sa babae

·         Simbolismo- sa pagsulat ni Lualhati Bautista ay naging simbolo ang feminism, isa pa ay ang simbolo ng rangko ng lalaki sa babae—na ang lalaki ay nagtatrabaho habang ang babae ay isa lamang ina sa mga anak sa bahay

Aral o Mensahe:

Pinaigting sa kwento ang kahalagan ng papel na ginagampanan ng isang ina sa pamilya. Mamumulat ang mga magulang sa tunay na papel na kanilang ginagamapanan sa mga anak. Sa kabilang banda'y mas mauunawaan ng mga anak ang kanilang mga magulang na nagsusumikap na maging gabay sa anumang kanilang naisin sa buhay. Walang perpektong magulang o anak sa anumang panahon, ngunit mananatiling matatag ang isang pamilyang may tunay na pagmamahal at pagmamalasakit hindi lamang sa kanilang sarili kundi maging sa ibang tao at sa bayan.

*cheezel pangilinan*

It was on the 15^th of January that my planner reminded me of our museum tour and I really can’t wait for it. Our first destination was at the GSIS museum where I first noticed the structure of the whole building. Though I know, it was a little distant to talk about the edges and ends of the whole structure of the building, I want to give comment that the edges were too rough enough to say that the architect maybe rendered some masculinity because of the hard edges. Going further though, the first thing that caught my attention was the big sculpture of Dr. Jose Rizal which was amazingly done by our professor. It was really a huge one, bigger than any human being. With this, I can truly say that our professor has a gift of making sculptures enough to be admired by many. Moving on, just near Dr. Jose Rizal’ sculpture was a wall painting accommodating almost the whole walls with different perspectives presented in each wall, of course by different painters. The wall painting was also exceptional.

            Going farther at the museum, I found myself really enthralled by the paintings I found at the very first hall I entered. They were all paintings using a different approach in art which made all the paintings as if real. They were Mr. Fernando Amorsolo’s works being the best painter I have ever considered all my life. I really love his style making the paintings come alive by the lights effects he establishes in every painting which then makes him very unique from all the painters I know. But what really interested me the most that came to the point of being too curious about the story was the painting of Mr. Juan Luna which is called the Parisian Life. It had a story that I never thought could have been expressed in such a painting. It was a painting full of mystery but full of realities which existed during Mr. Luna’s time. Every detail of the painting has a meaning to share to everyone that it captured almost every aspect of the existing truths—whether good or bad, in the Philippines during those early times. If I am to choose which painting I will buy when I have millions of money, I will definitely buy the Parisian life for it’s not just a painting, there’s more to it and that I want to share to the future generations. 

            What I like best at the Metropolitan Museum was that of replicas of Filipino food which I found unique among all the others. They were food such as rice made to be like replicas that meant to symbolize the food of the Filipino people. There were even rice cakes, grains and the like that are made to be appreciated. I also enjoyed the rocking table with chairs plus the sungka tables around. I felt very kid at heart when I sat on the rocking things and I really loved the feeling. Indeed, I enjoyed the tour and given the chance, I’ll have a part two of the whole tour and this time, with much longer time and with special people, my family. 

1.       Ang tunay na kabanala’y ang pag-ibig sa kaaway.

-          Tunay na hindi madali ang magpatawad ng ating mga kaaway ngunit sabi nga ng Diyos, mas matatawag na banal ang isang tao kapag nagawa niyang mahalin ang kanyang kaaway. Nakayang magpatawad at magmahal ng Diyos kahit ang mga taong nagpako sa kanya sa krus, ganon din sa tao, dapat tayong matutong magmahal at magpatawad kahit sa mga taong lubos na nakasakit  sa atin dahil yon talaga ang magpapalaya sa puot at galit na mayroon sa ating mga puso.

2.       Walang umaani ng tuwa na hindi naghihirap.

-          Sino bang nagsabi na madaling magtagumpay? At maging masaya sa isang bagay na nakamit? Hindi nga ba’t sinasabi na lahat ng bagay na nakakamit ay pinaghihirapan? Gayon din ang sinasabi ng kasabihang ito, na kailangan munang dumanas ng paghihirap upang magtagumpay at maging masaya na sa bagay na iyon.

3.       Kapag nakabukas ang kahon, natutukso kahit ang banal.

-          Nais kong magbigay ng dalawang halimbawa sa kasabihang ito. Una ay ukol sa mga kagamitan—kung ang bag ay nakabukas o ang gamit ay hindi nakaligpit ng maayos, matutukso ang tao na magnakaw kahit pa hindi niya iyon pinlano. Isang pang halimbawa ay ukol sa babae—kung ang babae ay nagpapakita ng motibo sa isang lalaki, papatol ang lalaki kahit na hindi niya pinlano ang bagay na iyon. Ang ibig sabihin ay kung nariyan na ang pagkakataon para sa isang bagay, kahit sino ay matutuksong gumawa ng isang bagay kahit pa wala iyon sa ating plano.

4.       Ang pag-aanak ay walang kabuluhan kung ang bunga’y palalabuyin lamang.

-           Lahat ng tao, lalo ang kabataan ay may karapatan na mabuhay at lumaki ng matiwasay. Kung ang isang sanggol ay ipinanganak at hindi mabigyan ng magandang buhay, wala rin namang saysay kung siya pa ay iniluwal sa mundo. Ang sinasabi rito ay dapat maging responsable ang mga magulang at kung para sa kabataan, hindi dapat sila maging mapusok at huwag magmadali sa buhay pagaasawa.

5.       Iwasto ang kamalian sa halip na tawanan.

-          Marahil na totoo nga ang sinasabi nila na tawanan na lamang ang problema ngunit iba na ang usapan kapag ang mga pagkakamali na ang tinutukoy.  Ang mga pagkakamali ng tao ay kadalasan na isinasantabi na lamang matapos itong  tawanan kung kaya’t hindi nagkakaroon ng pagkakataon na maging tama ang mga ito. Mainam na bigyan ng pagkakataon ang kamalian na maiwasto imbes na tawanan.

6.       Ang gawa sa pagkabata ay dala hanggang sa tumanda.

-          Madalas na kung ano ang mga nakasanayan mula sa pagkabata ay siya pa rin mga ginagawa natin hanggang sa tayo’y tumanda. Kung halimbawa ay simula sa pagkabata ay nais niyang katabing natutulog ang manika niyang si Hello Kitty ay siya rin ang gusto niyang katabi sa paglaki. Ngunit, hindi naman ito para sa lahat, dahil sabi nga natin, tayo ay dinamiko. Ang mga tao ay nagbabago. Maaaring totoo ito para iba ngunit hindi naman sa lahat.

7.       Kung ano ang pinagkamulatan, siyang pagkakatandaan.

-          Ang kasabihan na ito ay may pagkatulad sa nauna ngunit nais ko pa rin magbigay ng iba pang halimbawa. Kung ang bata ay iminulat sa paggamit ng “po” at “opo” sa tuwing kausap ang magulang at lahat ng nakakatanda, lalaki ang bata na gumagamit pa rin ng mga ganoong salita kahit na sila ay matanda na rin. Kung doon siya iminulat ng kaniyang mga magulang ay siya rin kadalasan ang kaniyang pagkakatandaan. Ngunit, gaya ng ng sabi ko, hindi ito para sa lahat. Nagbabago ang tao, maaaring totoo ito para sa iba ngunit hindi naman sa lahat.

8.       Ang lahat ng pinagdadaana’y tandaan at ang gayo’y gawing gintong aral.

-          Bawat isa sa atin ay may kanya-kanyang daan na tinatahak at sa bawat pinagdadaana’y mayroon lungkot o saya, mahirap at madali, may poot at pagmamahal. Ngunit kahit ano pa ang mga ito, ang importante ay bigyang importansiya at isapuso ang bawat karanasan at higit sa lahat ay gawing aral ang mga ito na siyang magiging gabay sa pagtahak  sa buhay. 

9.       May matandang kulang sa isip, may batang husto ang bait.

-          Hindi lahat ng may edad na ay may pagiisip na angkop sa kanilang edad. Minsan, kung sino pa ang mga matatanda ay siyang hirap umintindi sa mga bagay-bagay at ang mas nakakabata ang siyang mas kayang umintindi. Ngunit, hindi ito para sabihin na sa lahat ng pagkakataon ay ganito ang pangyayari. Isang dahilan ay mayroon lamang na mga matatandang hindi nahubog ng husto nang sila’y mga bata kung kaya’t hanggang sa paglaki ay isip bata pa rin sila. 

10.   Anak ay nalulunod man sa laot ng kamalian, hindi sasagipin ng magulang sa laki ng pagmamahal.

-          Tunay na may pagmamahal ang magulang sa anak kapag hindi nila kinukunsinte ang kanilang mga anak sa tuwing sila ay nagkakamali keysa sa mga magulang na ipinagtatakpan pa ang mga anak kapag sila’y nakagawa ng kasalanan. Nais ng mga magulang na matuto ang kanilang mga anak kung kaya’t hindi nila kinukunsinte ang mga ito ay iyon ang tunay na pagmamahal.

11.   Mabuti pa ang magisa kaysa sa may kasamang masama.

-          Kadalasan ay totoo ito sa mga magkakaibigan. Para lamang masabi na may kaibigan ang isang tao ay hahanap ito ng kasama kahit na masama pa ang ugali, hindi siya namimili. Ngunit, higit na mainam na matawag na walang kaibigan keysa naman sa kaibigan na kunwaring kaibigan lamang.

12.   Ang taksil na kaibigan ay higit pa sa masamang kaaway.

-          Sa mga kaibigan natin sinasabi ang ating mga problema, saloobin, opinion o hindi kaya’y mga sikreto. Alam nila ang lahat ang kwento ng ating buhay, minsan pati na ang kasiraan natin ay sinasabi natin sa kanila. Kaya nga kung magtataksil man ang isang kaibigan ay mas malubha dahil sa alam niya ang lahat lahat at maaari niyang gamitin laban sa atin.

13.   Kung ano ang bukang bibig ay siyang laman ng dibdib. 

-          Kadalasan, hindi natin maamin sa ating sarili ang tunay na nilalaman ng ating puso. Ngunit mapapatunayan mo iyon sa kung ano ang inilalabas ng ating bibig dahil iyon talaga ang tunay na nakatago sa ating mga puso.

14.   Ang masamang salita pagtama sa tao ay nagsisilbing pasa.

-          Mas masakit kapag ang tao’y pinagsalitaan ng masasamang salita. Mas tagos ang mga masasamang salita keysa sa mga pisikal na sakit dahil ang mga iyon ay maaring gamutin ngunit ang mga pusong nabugbog ng mga masasakit na salita ay mahirap gamutin dahil sa walang nabibiling gamot para rito. Pagpapatawad at panahon ang kailangan at ang mga iyon ay hindi nabibili kung saan.

15.   Kung saan nadapa ay doon babangon.

-          Madaming tao ang sumusubok na tumatakas sa isang pagkadapa ngunit hindi ba’t mas magiging maganda ang bunga kung tayo’y babangon kung saan tayo mismong nadapa? Dapat muna na iwasto natin ang kamalian na iyon dahil doon lamang natin masasabi na tayo’y lumaban at nakabangon sa isang matinding paghihirap at pagkadapa.

16.   Matitiis ang hapdi, ang kati ay hindi.

-          Ang kasabihan na ito ay maaaring maging angkop sa mga taong kumakayod sa trabaho sa ibang bansa. Kahit na tunay na mahapdi at mapait ang karanasan nila bilang mga empleyado sa kamay ng mga ibang tao sa ibang bansa ay mas isinasaisip pa rin nila ang kagustuhan nilang makatulong sa pamilya.

17.   Hindi makikilala ang bayani sa salita, kundi sa kaniyang kilos at gawa.

-          Ang basehan ng pagkabayani ay hindi nasusukat sa kakayahan niyang magsalita o sa pagbitiw ng kung ano-anong mga pangako, sa halip ay sa kakayahan niyang ilagay sa kilos at gawa ang kaniyang mga sinasabi.

18.   Kung walang katahimikan ay walang pagsulong sa bayan.

-          Kadalasan ay nagiging magulo pa ang isang bayan sa tuwing nagsisiraan at nagbabatuhan ng masasamang salita ang mga mamayanan. Kaya kung nais na sumulong at umunlad ang bayan, kailangan na magsimula ang katahimikan sa mga sarili nila dahil doon na magsisimula lahat.

19.   Walang ligaya sa lupa na hindi dinilig ng luha.

-          Bawat indibidwal ay nakaranas ng sakit, pait at hapdi sa paggulong ng buhay at sa mga pinagdadaanan nating mga ito ay siyang nagbibigay sa atin ng pagkakataon na maging matapang at malakas upang tayo’ y maging matibay sa mga darating pa. At sa ating pagtagumpay, doon pa lamang natin nakakamit ang tunay na kaligayahan. Samakatuwid, mas magiging masaya ang buhay kapag tayo’y nakaranas ng sakit dahil doon tayo mas natututo at mas nagiging tunay na tao.

20.   Papuri sa harap, sa likod ay palibak.

-          Maaari itong maging totoo sa mga taong nagbabalat-kayo. Kunwari sa harap mo ay mabuti at maganda ang pakikitungo niya sa iyo ngunit kapag talikod mo ay iba na ang sinasabi. Ito ang mga taong plastic o hindi kaya’ y mapagpanggap.

*cheezel pangilinan*

It was Edward Said who argued that Western colonial and imperialist writings about the colonies and neolocolonies are suspect, as Western Orientalists romanticize the so-called white man’s burden and exoticize alien societies as “the others” (as quoted from the lecture). Othering, as defined, is a subject and or a thing defined or constituted as a non-self that is different. And this othering was manifested in the film “The Gods must be Crazy”.

            In the film, the bushmen, specifically Xixo (N!xau in real life and a real bushmen) is the one being othered. The bushmen were the subject defined as a non-self that is different—different in a sense that they were friendly creatures and without any knowledge about the world not far from Kalahari desert (the place where they live) as how the narrative began. Until one day a pilot throws a glass bottle out of his plane and that thing was founded by the Bushmen. They have never seen anything that is as smooth and at the same time hard as the coke bottle object and they even found it very useful. The Coke bottle symbolizes the entrance of civilization in that "virgin" culture (if I may use the term), and we see the chaos the new concepts cause the bushmen. They even think it is a gift from the gods; however, the problem is that the gods have given only one object (the coke bottle) and for the very first time they have to share something that is very hard to share. For the first time they feel emotions such as anger and jealousy. So, it was decided that the thing is an evil thing that must be thrown out of the earth and Xixo is the one tasked to do that. The narrative goes on with a man who does field research not far from the Bushman and a woman who was tired of her job and now wants to do something with children in Botswana whose scenes were really hilarious following little traces of their love story plus the man’s clumsiness which added to the comical part of the film. And the narrative follows with a man who wants to do a coup but fails and he is now running for the police.

            The film shows the differences between people with the progression of the three stories in the narrative which make the subversions of the other come to existence. The film wants us to look at where we stand as a civilization and reassess it—an especially poignant message coming from South Africa.

            A prototype of childhood propaganda, poor nutrition, inadequate exercise, and skyrocketing obesity rates, that's far-reaching America like a pestilence is the movie Super Size me upholds. The Super Size Me movie has a number of objectives to prove—one is why most of the Americans are so fat with many cases of obesity and Morgan Spurlock (the filmmaker and who did the documentary) is also out to prove the physical and mental effects of consuming fast food and while doing this, Spurlock also provides a look at the food culture in America through its schools, corporations, and politics as seen through the eyes of regular people and health advocates. The movie is to unmask the evil of fast food and its impact on an increasingly obese America which it has successfully done. Super Size Me is a movie that sheds a new light on what has become one of America’s biggest health problems: obesity.

             We can see that Supersize Me as an introduction to this most serious threat to America’s health, especially as it affects children. Morgan Spurlock is to be commended for bringing the reality of the epidemic to the attention of the general public. He attempts to draw a parallel between the fast food culture we live in and the rampant rate of obesity in America. His research on our fast food culture definitely yields some interesting information, especially when he interviews a group of 1st-graders, and more of them can identify Ronald McDonald than Jesus or George Washington—which made me sad than ever.

            Super Size me, like all movies has positive and negative sides and that I am to discuss one by one. To begin with, the movie with without bad intentions has truly offended McDonald’s corporation making them debunk their supersize from the menu list. The movie also has personally attacked, again with or without bad intentions obese people—making them feel like they are disgusting to the society. Lastly, the film also gives a negative effect to all fast food owners making their business at stake after the showing of the documentary.  However, the film also has positive effects and more positive than negative is what the movie offers—enlightening and informative, the narrative uncovers the fast food industry's conspiracy, that it's not about the people they serve, but about the money we give them. Supersize Me provides scientific information on the nature of fast food and its impact on an America that eats out more than it dines at home. Nutritionists decry the change in our culture and educators point out the impact of fast food in school cafeterias on kids' health. The best part of the movie is the well-presented information on schools and fast foods and how a few are resisting the commercial tide that aims junk at kids from kindergarten through high school. Indeed, the movie has done its part in imparting both of its negative and positive side which leaves the conclusion with us.  We should know what we are doing—if we choose to chow down at a place that loves to super size and under nourish us, perhaps we ourselves should be held responsible for the consequences.

ALBERT CAMUS (1913-1960)

            Albert Camus (1913-1960) was a representative of non-metropolitan French literature. His origin in Algeria and his experiences there in the thirties were dominating influences in his thought and work. Of semi-proletarian parents, early attached to intellectual circles of strongly revolutionary tendencies, with a deep interest in philosophy (only chance prevented him from pursuing a university career in that field), he came to France at the age of twenty-five. The man and the times met: Camus joined the resistance movement during the occupation and after the liberation was a columnist for the newspaper Combat. But his journalistic activities had been chiefly a response to the demands of the time; in 1947 Camus retired from political journalism and, besides writing his fiction and essays, was very active in the theatre as producer and playwright (e.g., Caligula, 1944). He also adapted plays by Calderon, Lope de Vega, Dino Buzzati, and Faulkner's Requiem for a Nun. His love for the theatre may be traced back to his membership in L'Equipe, an Algerian theatre group, whose "collective creation" Révolte dans les Asturies (1934) was banned for political reasons.

The essay Le Mythe de Sisyphe (The Myth of Sisyphus), 1942, expounds Camus's notion of the absurd and of its acceptance with "the total absence of hope, which has nothing to do with despair, a continual refusal, which must not be confused with renouncement - and a conscious dissatisfaction". Meursault, central character of L'Étranger (The Stranger), 1942, illustrates much of this essay: man as the nauseated victim of the absurd orthodoxy of habit, later - when the young killer faces execution - tempted by despair, hope, and salvation. Dr. Rieux of La Peste (The Plague), 1947, who tirelessly attends the plague-stricken citizens of Oran, enacts the revolt against a world of the absurd and of injustice, and confirms Camus's words: "We refuse to despair of mankind. Without having the unreasonable ambition to save men, we still want to serve them". Other well-known works of Camus are La Chute (The Fall), 1956, and L'Exile et le royaume (Exile and the Kingdom), 1957. His austere search for moral order found its aesthetic correlative in the classicism of his art. He was a stylist of great purity and intense concentration and rationality.

From Nobel Lectures, Literature 1901-1967, Editor Horst Frenz, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1969 .This autobiography/biography was first published in the book series Les Prix Nobel. It was later edited and republished in Nobel Lectures. To cite this document, always state the source as shown above.

 Albert Camus died on January 4, 1960. Copyright © The Nobel Foundation 1957

Source: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1957/camus-bio.html

            As what was always pointed out from the readings about him, Albert Camus considered himself, first and foremost as a writer (un ecrivain) and also accepted being labeled as a journalist, humanist, novelist and even moralist; however, he never really felt comfortable being branded as a philosopher—a term that seems to him that have to be correlated with academic training, systematic thinking and logical consistency and a defined doctrine of ideas. This explains that he was not a systematic or disciplined thinker who showed very little interest in metaphysics and ontology—he was not too driven to speculative philosophy or any forms of abstract reasoning. Camus’ thoughts were always related to current events and he is consistently grounded to in straight-thinking moral and political truth. Upon knowing his story about his victory in the Nobel Prize, my response to it was really shocking. Imagine his reaction that he could not even believe that he won, when he received his award with gratitude, humility and amazement.  And let me share his line as he address the people that his career will still traverse more progression and that he has yet much to accomplish greater writings ahead…”Every person, and assuredly every artist, wants to be recognized. So do I. But I have been unable to comprehend your decision without comparing its resounding impact with my own actual status. A man almost young, rich only in his doubts, and with his work still in progress. . . how could such a man not feel a kind of panic at hearing the decree that transports him all of a sudden. . . to the center of a glaring spotlight? And with what feelings could he accept this honor at a time when other writers in Europe, among them the very greatest, are condemned to silence, and even at a time when the country of his birth is going through unending misery?” A primary theme (which had become pervasive and omnipresent by the time Camus was establishing his literary reputation) of early twentieth-century European literature and critical thought is the rise of modern mass civilization plus its overpowering effects of alienation and dehumanization which became evident to his works. There existed anxiety over the fate of Western culture which was already intense during that time and eventually rocketed to some apocalyptic levels and with that, fascism, totalitarianism, and new technologies of coercion and death also emerged suddenly. In Camus’ reflections on this theme, Camus was really considered different from most other European writers in viewing mass reform and revolutionary movements, especially Marxism—characterizing as a threat to individual freedom as industrial capitalism. All the way through Camus’ career, old-fashioned virtues like personal courage and honor that other intellectuals tended to view as reactionary were continuously cherished and shielded—which is why he is considered as a Post-Colonialism theorist. “Camus’ writings remain the primary reason for his continuing importance and the chief source of his cultural legacy. He truly lived his philosophy. And thus it is in his personal political stands and public statements as well as in his books that we can find his views clearly articulated. In short, he bequeathed not just his words but also his actions. Taken together, those words and actions embody a core set of liberal democratic values – including tolerance, justice, liberty, open-mindedness, respect for personhood, condemnation of violence, and resistance to tyranny – that can be fully approved and acted upon by the modern intellectual engage”.

JEAN PAUL SARTRE (1905-1980)

            Sartre (1905-1980) is arguably the best known philosopher of the twentieth century. His indefatigable pursuit of philosophical reflection, literary creativity and, in the second half of his life, active political commitment gained him worldwide renown, if not an admiration. He is commonly considered the father of Existentialist philosophy, whose writings set the tone for intellectual life in the decade immediately following the Second World War. Among the many ironies that permeate his life, not the least is the immense popularity of his scandalous public lecture "Existentialism and Humanism," delivered to an enthusiastic Parisian crowd October 28, 1945. Though taken as a quasi manifesto for the Existentialist movement, the transcript of this lecture was the only publication that Sartre openly regretted seeing in print. And yet it continues to be the major introduction to his philosophy for the general public. One of the reasons both for its popularity and for his discomfort is the clarity with which it exhibits the major tenets of existentialist thought while revealing Sartre's attempt to broaden its social application in response to his Communist and Catholic critics. In other words, it offers us a glimpse of Sartre's thought "on the wing."

Sartre was born in Paris where he spent most of his life. After a traditional philosophical education in prestigious Parisian schools that introduced him to the history of Western philosophy with a bias toward Cartesianism and neoKantianism, not to mention a strong strain of Bergsonism, Sartre succeeded his former school friend, Raymond Aron, at the French Institute in Berlin (1933-1934)where he read the leading phenomenologists of the day, Husserl, Heidegger and Scheler. He prized Husserl's restatement of the principle of intentionality (all consciousness aims at or "intends" an other-then-consciousness) that seemed to free the thinker from the inside/outside epistemology inherited from Descartes while retaining the immediacy and certainty that Cartesians prized so highly. What he read of Heidegger at that time and how much is unclear, but he deals with the influential German ontologist explicitly after his return and especially in his masterwork, Being and Nothingness (1943). He exploits the latter's version of Husserlian intentionality by insisting that human reality (Heidegger's Dasein or human way of being) is "in the world" primarily via its practical concerns and not its epistemic relationships. This lends both Heidegger's and Sartre's early philosophies a kind of "pragmatist" character that Sartre, at least, will never abandon. It has been remarked that many of the Heideggerian concepts in Sartre's existentialist writings also occur in those of Bergson, whose "Les Données immediates de la conscience" (Time and Free Will) Sartre once credited with drawing him toward philosophy. But it is clear that Sartre devoted much of his early philosophical attention to combating the then influential Bergsonism and that mention of Bergson's name decreases as that of Heidegger grows in Sartre's writings of the "vintage" existentialist years. Sartre seems to have read the phenomenological ethicist Max Scheler, whose concept of the intuitive grasp of paradigm cases is echoed in Sartre's reference to the "image" of the kind of person one should be that both guides and is fashioned by our moral choices. But where Scheler in the best Husserlian fashion argues for the "discovery" of such value images, Sartre insists on their creation. The properly "existentialist" version of phenomenology is already in play.

Though Sartre was not a serious reader of Hegel or Marx until during and after the war, like so many of his generation, he came under the influence of Kojève's Marxist and protoexistentialist interpretation of Hegel, though he never attended his famous lectures in the 1930s as did Lacan and Merleau-Ponty. It was Jean Hyppolite's translation of and commentary on Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit that marked Sartre's closer study of the seminal German philosopher. This is especially evident in his posthumously published Notebooks for an Ethics written in 1947-48 to fulfill the promise of an "ethics of authenticity"made in Being and Nothingness. That project was subsequently abandoned but the Hegelian and Marxist presence became dominant in Sartre's next major philosophical text, the Critique of Dialectical Reason (1960) and in an essay that came to serve as its Introduction, Search for a Method (1957). Dilthey had dreamt of completing Kant's famous triad with a fourth Kritik, namely, a critique of historical reason. Sartre pursued this project by combining a Hegelian-Marxist dialectic with an Existentialist "psychoanalysis" that incorporates individual responsibility into class relationships, thereby adding a properly Existentialist dimension of moral responsibility to a Marxist emphasis on collective and structural causality-what Raymond Aron would later criticize as an impossible union of Kierkegaard and Marx. In the final analysis, Kierkegaard wins out; Sartre's "Marxism" remains adjectival to his existentialism and not the reverse. This becomes apparent in the last phase of his work.

In his last years, Sartre, who had lost the use of one eye in childhood, became almost totally blind. Yet he continued to work with the help of a tape recorder, producing with Benny Lévy portions of a "co-authored" ethics, the published parts of which indicate that its value is more biographical than philosophical.

After his death, thousands spontaneously joined his funeral cortège in a memorable tribute to his respect and esteem among the public at large. As the headline of one Parisian newspaper lamented: "France has lost its conscience."

Source: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/sartre/

            Sartre seemed to personify everything that structuralists and poststructuralists opposed with his emphasis on consciousness, subjectivity, freedom, responsibility and the self, his commitment to Marxist categories and dialectical thinking, especially in the second part of his career, and his quasi Enlightenment humanism. While Sartre was familiar with structural linguistics—to which he was occasionally referred, he admitted that he had never articulated a precise philosophy of language but insisted that one could be reconstructed from elements utilized throughout his work; however, at least three features of his thought appear outstandingly relevant to current discussions among philosophers both Anglo-American and Continental as what was mentioned in the article about Sartre. His first concept was of the human agent as not a self, nevertheless, a presence to self—this concept supports broad variation of many alternative theories of the self having been preserved with the features of freedom and responsibility—which according to the article where the main ideologies of Western philosophy and law since the Greek’s time. As what we have discussed earlier in our Philosophy class where we talked about responsibility, Emmanuel Levinas came to the picture. Emphasis on an ethics of responsibility in contrast to one of rules, principles or values in recent years that led to a wide-spread interest in the work of Levinas as a necessary complement to so-called "postmodern" ethics; however, Sartrean authenticity is equally relevant in this regard, as Charles Taylor and its setting within a tedious ontology may reverberate well with philosophers of a more wordly bent. It is now common to distinguish three distinct ethical positions in Sartre's writings. His first and best known existentialist ethics is one of disalienation—primary and authenticity—personal. This states that we live in a society of oppression and exploitation. While Sartre enters into extended polemics in various essays and journal articles about the systematic explanation of people in capitalist and colonialist institutions, Sartre always sought a way to bring the responsibility home to individuals who could in principle be named.

“Sartre stressed oppression over exploitation, individual moral responsibility over structural causation but without denying the importance of the latter”—which is why he is considered a post-colonial theorist.

Sartre's concept of authenticity, occasionally cited as the only existentialist "virtue," is often criticized as denoting more a style than content. Admittedly, it does seem compatible with a wide variety of life choices. Its foundation, again, is ontological-the basic ambiguity of human reality that "is what it is not" and "is not what it is". We could say that authenticity is fundamentally living this ontological truth of one's situation, namely, that one is never identical with one's current state but remains responsible sustaining it. Sartre sometimes talks as if any choice could be authentic so long as it is lived with a clear awareness of its contingency and responsibility. But his considered opinion excludes choices that oppress or consciously exploit others. In other words, authenticity is not entirely style; there is a general content and that content is freedom.

GEORGE HARRISON (1943-2001)

            George Harrison was known as the quiet Beatle, and he was also the quietest ex-Beatle. His was not the way of the rock star, as he neither courted nor relished fame. Yet his seeming diffidence was deceptive, as he left behind an impressive legacy as a solo artist. Harrison’s 11 solo albums (not counting best-of’s) include the masterful All Things Must Pass (1970) and a memorable late-career milestone, Cloud Nine (1987). He was the first Beatle to tour as a solo artist and the only one to start his own label (Dark Horse Records). Most important, Harrison wrote and sang about spirituality and transcendence. He immersed himself in Indian music at Beatlemania’s height and became a lifelong devotee of Hindu religion, Krishna consciousness and Vedic philosophy. In hindsight, Harrison’s albums lay bare his conflicted sensibilities: real-world engagement vs. spiritual retreat and popular artist vs. private recluse. He titled one of his best-selling albums Living in the Material World, and that summed up his quandary. Harrison forthrightly addressed weighty matters on record and made his ruminations appealing as popular music, too. Incorporating spirituality into popular music was not an easy thing to do, and it won him the respect of fans and colleagues. Derek Taylor, the Beatles’ publicist and a longtime friend, called him “the boldest man I ever met.” Born in Liverpool in 1943, Harrison joined the Quarry Men - which included John Lennon and Paul McCartney - as lead guitarist at age 15. When they changed their name to the Beatles in 1960, he was still only 17. His retooled rockabilly licks were key to the Beatles’ early sound, while his sharp, innovative lead guitar was essential to later recordings. During the Beatles’ tenure he introduced Western ears to Indian music. Harrison first played the sitar on “Norwegian Wood” (1965) and then unleashed a full-blown sitar showcase, “Within You Without You,” on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). When Delaney Bramlett (of Delaney & Bonnie) introduced Harrison to slide guitar in 1968, he became a leading exponent of that style. Harrison wrote some of the Beatles’ best-loved songs, including “If I Needed Someone,” “Taxman,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Something,” “Here Comes the Sun” and “I Me Mine.” He also figured prominently in the group’s decision to abandon live performances, where they were routinely drowned out by screams, and instead devote their time to the recording studio. Of life with the Beatles, he pithily remarked, “We met everyone in the world and never had a moment’s peace.” Harrison stormed out of sessions for Let It Be in 1969. Though he would return, he regarded the glare of fame as a Beatle with wary disdain. “They used us as an excuse to go mad, the world did,” he said in The Beatles Anthology, “and then blamed it on us.” Soon after the Beatles’ breakup in 1970, Harrison released All Things Must Pass. It was his first true solo album (not counting Wonderwall Music and Electronic Sound, experimental releases from the Beatles era). Harrison’s songwriting talent, largely kept under wraps in the Beatles, poured forth on the three-disc set, which contained two albums of songs and one of jams. Harrison’s spiritually slanted tunes were given the full “Wall of Sound” treatment by producer Phil Spector. Both All Things Must Pass and “My Sweet Lord” went to #1. (Noting the resemblance of “My Sweet Lord” to “He’s So Fine,” by the Chiffons, the latter’s publisher sued Harrison, who was ultimately found guilty of “unconscious plagiarism.”) Re-released in 2002 on CD with bonus tracks and a new version of “My Sweet Lord,” All Things Must Pass remains among the most esteemed of all Beatles solo works. Living in the Material World (1973), a single album, topped the album chart for five weeks and contained the #1 single ”Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth),” as well as Harrison’s biting commentary on the Beatles’ ongoing legal travails, “Sue Me, Sue You Blues.” The next year Harrison launched Dark Horse, a record label (distributed by A&M) that would release albums by himself and others, including Ravi Shankar and Splinter. His ambitions were modest: “I want it to be reasonably small,” he said. By calling his new album and label Dark Horse, Harrison was implicitly stating that the Beatles’ dark horse - “The one that nobody’s bothered to put any money on,” said Harrison’s - was coming in a winner. Dark Horse charted highly, reaching #4, yet received lukewarm reviews. The North American tour that followed - the first stateside concerts by an ex-Beatle - proved problematic because Harrison had strained his voice in rehearsals. Another unremarkable album, Extra Texture (Read All About It), appeared in 1975. The last ten years of Harrison’s life were largely lived out of the limelight. In I Me Mine, a book of lyrics with autobiographical notes, Harrison wrote, “I’m really quite simple. I don’t want to be in the business full time because I’m a gardener. I plant flowers and watch them grow. I don’t go out to clubs and partying. I stay at home and watch the river flow.” In 2000, All Things Must Pass was reissued in a two-CD box under Harrison’s auspices. He re-recorded its most famous track as “My Sweet Lord (2000)” and added several bonus tracks, as well as candid notes: “It’s been 30 years since All Things Must Pass was recorded…. All these years later I would like to liberate some of the songs from the big production that seemed appropriate at the time, but now seem a bit over the top with the reverb in the wall of sound. Still, it was an important album for me and a timely vehicle for all the songs I’d been writing during the last period with the Beatles.” He also worked on his final solo album, Brainwashed, up until his death. Brainwashed, coproduced by son Dhani Harrison and Jeff Lynne, was released posthumously in 2002. He wrote one last song, a philosophical summing-up entitled “Horse to the Water,” that appeared on British keyboardist Jools Holland’s Small World Big Band. It’s somehow fitting that the quiet Beatle got in a final word before departing the material world. George Harrison died of brain cancer on November 29, 2001, at a friend’s home in Los Angeles. He was 58 years old. Exactly a year later, Eric Clapton and Olivia Harrison organized The Concert for George - a tribute performance that involved the remaining ex-Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as concert supervisor Clapton, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and Ravi Shankar. Proceeds went to Harrison’s Material World Charitable Foundation, which he’d founded back in 1973.

Source: www.rockhall.com/inductee/george-harrison

            What Harrison possessed was something more unexpected in a rock star: the air of a man in search of mature understandings. He may have been the youngest Beatle, but from early on he struggled toward the melancholy wisdom of later life—there was gravity even in his love songs.

            The stately tempos in Something, the plangent guitar in I Need You are not the musical indicators of a lighthearted romantic. George turned the people on to Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, which opened the door to music from other lands. He also turned the people on to meditation. The exploits of the Beatles learning Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi while in India were well documented (according to research), and a many of were affected. The Beatles were trying something exotic to the Westerners, but also something profoundly interesting and introspective.

            Harrison was different from his ex-groupies because he was the type whose response when the Beatles disintegrated in the year 1970 while the air was surrounded with moist-eyed tributes was a resolute detachment ha had learned from Eastern Religion “All things must pass, all things must pass away”—something that people at that time have to accept willingly when it comes the band the Beatles. With all these things said, Harrison is truly a post colonial theorist.

*cheezel pangilinan*

Red (emergency or an urgent call) and Gold (monetary color) or moderately Yellow (sensational-yellow journalism) are the signature colors of 24-Oras.There was also a big clock which gives meaning to how they entitled the program as 24-Oras. The program starts with an authoritative and forceful voice of a man narrating the headlines with visuals presented as well after which he will be introducing Mel Tiangco and Mike Enriquez. The authoritative and forceful voice conveys that we the audience are invited that we should now listen and the voice’s seriousness make us aware that this is the news we have for today and it is something serious. Dated September 11, 2008, Mel Tiangco was wearing a black long-sleeved top and a black knee length skirt and Mike Enriquez wears a black coat and tie which simply says that the news program is something formal—it sets the mood of the audience that 24-Oras is different from Showbiz Central or Sis whose hosts wear stylish clothes because certainly, stars and entertainment are the central theme of those programs. Mike and Mel’s formal or corporate attire conveys that they are broadcasters for news not for entertainment or anything. Field reporters also wear something decent if I may say that, simple tops and jeans—comfortable attire. Because as field reporters, they are looking for news outside the studio and they even run after interviewees and try to look for the latest scoop, they can’t of course wear house clothes because they are to face some delegates or senators at times or they can’t also wear stylish clothes because they establish the image that they are news reporters and or anchors, not entertainment program hosts. Mel Tiangco and Mike Enriquez look serious; they smile at times when it has something to do with the news. Their facial expressions go with how they also present news—if the news is about people dying, their faces would tell that they feel sorry for those people; if the news is about an achievement of a Filipino, their faces will say that they are proud, victorious and triumphant even with a smile on their faces. The music used for the program is also authoritative and has a hard rhythm that denotes that 24-Oras is a news program and the contents of it are news. The music should not be so soft or playful except for a certain news report that needs it. The news anchors were standing as they were narrating with television sets on their sides at times or there is this little box at their right or left sides that will be zoomed out with the news anchor’s cue—and that is how we all know news programs have in common. There were no chairs on the set because it’s definitely not a talk show where there will be guests or anything, news anchors are only the people who are on the set (on-cam) and people behind of course (off-cam). Their visual effects set the locale and setting bringing their audiences on the same scenario where actual events happened. Footages for each news report are of course presented—for instance, the news about the oil price roll back where the reporter first interviewed the president of the Shell Company after which he interviewed a PUJ driver, from an opinion leader down to the general public. For each news report, footage is first presented where there is the reporter’s voice over and then the footage itself following the video clip of the interview of the people then will be ending with the reporter’s synthesis with a shot where he/she is holding a microphone and the background is at times where the incident happened or where there are people behind the reporter—that is how people understand that there is a certain news coverage happening. Charts and tables are also used to present comparisons of prices, population or whatever is needed for comparisons for the news report.  On the latter part of the screen, there will appear the headline, then if an interviewee appear on the screen, his/her name and his/her position will be appearing as well and of course, once the field reporter appeared on the screen, his/her name plus the location where he/she is will also be appearing. Live and exclusive labels are also found on the screens at times. On the lower part of the screen, there is the 24-Oras logo at the left and there are scrolling texts about the news for that specific day plus the information where and how they can get news through texting and surfing the net. Upon opening of the program, there is a short introduction of the news program where tall buildings are shown with a fast pacing with a voice over of an authoritative man speaking saying dahil hindi natutulog ang balita…narito si Mel Tiangco at Mike Enriquez with the screen now with the two anchors with the date on that certain day  Upon closing of the program, lines such as Ito po ang GMA News and Public Affairs, walang kinikilingan, walang pinoprotektahan,serbisyong totoo lamang. Ako po si Mike Enriquez at Mel Tiangco para sa 24-Oras dahil hindi natutulog ang balita with Pia Guanio joining the group. There is also the countdown before Christmas. After the line, a certain light will be turned off leaving dim lights on the studio with Mike and Mel still talking to each other.  

Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is a irrational accounts manager who works in a small cubical filling out billing reports day in and day out. He allows his boss, his girlfriend, and his best friend to walk all over him which simply implies the Freudianism theory. Freudianism, as what was discussed earlier is the notion of Freud that human behavior is the product of the conflict between the individuals’ Id, Ego and Superego. His Ego pertains to Wesley’s rational mind, his Id to the product of his another, darker side of the self and his Superego, his internalized set of cultural rules. In Wesley’s case, his Superego became acts as the dominant rule while his Id is completely suppressed. Therefore, Wesley turns into emotional, depressed social automations who simply do what others demand. To cope with his life, he takes anti-anxiety pills by the bottle full. Wesley has no desire to change his humdrum life which implies the Behaviorism theory. Behaviorism is the notion that all human action is a conditioned response to external, environmental stimuli.  Wesley has an isolated kind of human behavior—the only purpose served by consciousness was to rationalize behaviors after they are triggered by external stimuli. However, one day while getting more pills at the drug store, he meets a beautiful woman, Fox (Angelina Jolie), who changes his life forever, which in turn implies the Magic Bullet Theory—a theory in which there is a penetration of people’s minds and instantly creates effects. The aforementioned theory assumed what behaviorism was never able to adequately demonstrate: External stimuli, like those conveyed through mass media can condition anyone to behave in whatever propagandist wanted.  In line with this, Wesley is viewed as powerless to consciously resist manipulation—Fox’ manipulation. Moreover, Fox was sent to protect Wesley from the man who had just killed his father. Fox tells Wesley that his father died yesterday on the rooftop of the Metropolitan Building and that he will be next. Wesley is recruited into the "Fraternity," a secret society of assassins that his father was a member. Fox must train Wesley to bring out his special powers that he was born with in order to avenge his father’s death. The Fraternity's leader, Sloan (Morgan Freeman), also teaches Wesley the ways of the group, and Wesley soon becomes an assassin just like his father. In line with all of these, Lasswell’s Propaganda Theory may seem evident—Wesley need to be slowly prepared to accept radically different ideas and action. Of course, from just an ordinary man, he still can’t believe that he is now an assassin. We saw in the movie that it was really hard for him to believe what he was destined for and took so much time for him to really accept who he really is. In addition, Lippman’s Theory also became evident for the ability of an average people (Wesley) to make sense of their social world and make rational decisions about their actions applying the world outside and the pictures in our heads. But at the end, he realized that he was simply fooled and that man who the fraternity is claiming as the murderer is really Wesley’s father and that they used Wesley to kill his own father because he will only be the man who the father won’t kill considering that he is his son. 

I really get too emotional over things like family matters. I can always be tough when it comes to other things and I can bare anything painful except for my family—I started with that kind of introduction for you to know where I come from. Having watched the movie “Anak” again and for a number of times already made me feel like watching it the first time I did. I remember how and when exactly I watched the movie for the very first time. It was during my rebellion days back in my first year in high school when I did nothing but gave my mom too much problems to worry about. She was hopeless in shaping me into a better individual and got tired in understanding me for my stubbornness until she took me to watch a movie with her and after that, the closing stages of our gap ended—at least, that’s what I thought.

The movie, as always touched my heart and for a countless of times, made my tears rolled down again my cheeks. It has always been my favorite dramatic movie which never failed me to let my heart cry out. Obviously, the story is about the mother and daughter struggling to understand each other for the longest time that the mother had been away to work for the welfare of her children which of course, the daughter did not understand. I will be a liar if I say that I am totally with the mother’s side and say that the daughter is truly mean that she chose not to understand her mother. To be honest, I understand both of their sides—there is just a need for understanding. The mother has her shortcomings same as with the daughter. However, looking at the brighter side of the narrative, Vilma Santos’ character was truly an understanding mom that despite her daughter’s imprudence and stubbornness, she tried to recognize what her daughter precisely need. Overall, the movie never fell short to convey its message as it is always shown to its audience. The movie may be too dramatic for some and a few may find it a little corny and boring but for me, it definitely is one of a kind—not just because a part of it may be related to my life but simply because the movie has been consistent in making a difference from all the other movies—it catches everyone’s weaknesses and that is to cry pails and pails of tears even after watching it for a million of times already.