been a bit delayed in updating this blog because of a LOT of readings. I can now officially count the UP Main Library as my second home as I spend almost the same time there that I spend in the boarding house.
The title of this post refers to a term we learned about time as an important concept in history. Seems there are more than one kind of time that historians are concerned about...this one refers to a person's own time - especially his or her frame of reference when making an entry in journals, diaries, or in the case of the "techie" generation - uploading a post in a blog. So subong private time ko!
I'll be dividing this post into sub-posts highlighting some of the happenings these few days. Enjoy! ~ ditch
Rolling...Rolling...
The above post title (PRIVATE TIME) I learned from my Historiography Professor. Si Prof Diokno. Nakakatuwa si prof because the instant she walked into the room the first thing that popped into my mind was...Tina Turner? hahaha
Actually she's a mestiza fusion of Tina Turner and Queen Latifah. And boy Prof Diokno can be intimidating when it comes to her demeanor, but behind that lies a wellspring of knowledge and historical expertise. Feeling ko ma-alam gid ko ni kay Prof, but as she put it, we will have to go through a LOT of suffering (sangkatutak na readings for instance...). My subject load this sem has two subjects that she's teaching. So every Monday and Thursday, from 8:30 until 11:30 we will have to "suffer" through Prof Diokno. But it seems that I will be a willing masochist to her Marquis de Sade. God help us all...
And we are also in a roll in our Kas 112 with Prof Dante. The easy-going professor also proved to be formidable in his knowledge of history, detailing historical facts without the aid of notes. His manner is not severe (unlike Prof Diokno) and he is quite liberal in his attitude in class. As one upperclassman put it' "Kahit matulog ka diyan kay Sir, OK lang sa kanya." But then you still have to read and study and fulfill all the requirements or else patay ka. Like for the MAP EXAM for instance, which will be tomorrow. God help us all...
The Outsiders (sort of...)
Sooner or later I'll be having a few acquiantances in this world of UP...and so I did. Here's a brief survey of each of them detailing the bits of info I have acquired so far. Some of them may be prospective "friends" and I hope as the months pass by we'll get past the acquiantance phase and really get to know each other. The commonality that we all have is that we are outsiders in a sense - most of us are outsiders to UP (non-UP grads) or to the program (most are non-BA History) or to Manila (most are from the provinces, like me). Ok, here they are...the OUTSIDERS (sort of)
Kathy - tukayo sang akon sister but this one is quick to correct that her name (Catherine) is spelled with a "C" not a "K". From the province of Bulacan. Quite chatty, which I like since we're often seatmates. A college teacher from PLM (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila) and my source of materials from the National Library.
Bert - if I'm Dexter, then Bert is Mandark. hehe. A native of Rizal. A BA History graduate from UE and works parttime at McDonalds. My partner in the main library and sometime co-conspirator in photocopying the copious readings in our Kas 10 and 199 courses.
Jet - Tall, mestiza and sexy. hehe. now sporting a new haircut with a Jedi padawan hair braid hanging from one side. Kaprobinsya ni Kathy. UP Journalism graduate but has professed interest in teaching History. Like someone I know back home...
Lovely - from my Kas 112 class. An Education student majoring in Filipino. Bonded kay pareho nga teacher and she's half-Ilonggo. Had given her a copy of the regions and the provinces with their respective capitals in preparation for our map test - actually she copied my kodigo when we met by chance in the main library. Hails from Mindoro. Plans to get a perfect score in the Map Exam. hehehe
So that's it. The few others will have to wait until I gather sufficient info (what am I? the CIA?). Hopefully this ragtag band of strangers will become more than outsiders to each other and become a group of friends. Hopefully...
Ilonggo Envy
sometimes in this big place one feels lost and empty...nakakadepress yung mga readings ko about the 3rd Philippine Republic combined with the hustle and bustle of everyday student life (boarding house stuff, school stuff, library stuff, Manila-life stuff) that it's often a relief to be able to hear some aspect of home...it always makes me smile to hear Ilonggos engaging in conversation, and to meet my fellow Ilonggos in the corridors (some of them former students of mine). Bisan mag hi or hello lang or mangamusta basta kabati lang tono kag tingog sang Ilonggo. I saw an announcement posted in the Shopping Center inviting all Ilonggos to a basketball game of all things...ma-ano ko 'to, matanga? haha : )
so oftentimes I find myself texting my former co-teachers para makahagilap tsismis just to be able to communicate in my native dialect. hay, the simple pleasures para pamatay mingaw...
Stand Alone 1.05
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Poetic Justice!!!!
and so classes were in full swing starting Thursday. Absent si Prof (the other one) but her assigned readings were more than enough to make her presence felt. Imagine...we have to read TEN books in preparation for next week's discussion. waaaaah....
and so the next few days were spent inside the Library poring over books on Philosophy of History and Historiography...galingin ulo ko...
but the readings were very informative...finally I had a glimpse of the development of history through the centuries and why history is necessary (or not...) I also had the chance to reacquiant myself with my old friends G.W.F. Hegel and Arnold Toynbee. Like my teacher in La Salle used to ask us, "You know Hegel?" (now I know).
And also I got to know the other great minds behind the development of the philosophy of history like Giambattista Vico, Leopold Von Ranke, Voltaire and of course si lolo Karl Marx; and then there's this other group...the so-called Annales (daw may pagkabastos ang ngalan pro French ni sila hehe).
this is exactly what I wanted, I am feeling once again this great desire to learn because I feel that I still have to learn so much. I am definitely looking forward to the lectures of Prof Diokno next week.
And then there's Kas 112. Prof finally appeared and he seemed to be a nice, easy-going fellow. But the requirements were also killer: a LOT of readings, an interview with matching paper and supporting documents, and finally a research paper. Hay naku, mapapalaban tayo!
But one thing popped out of the requirements...MAP TEST! Yes, ladies and gents, Prof Dante will give a Map Exam to test our knowledge of Philippine Geography.
And to think that I was doing this to all the Freshmen students I am teaching during the First Grading! I was laughing when I heard that Prof Dante will be giving this to us. Now it's my turn to suffer having to memorize and fill out the items in the Map Exam! Now the teacher becomes the student! POETIC JUSTICE! hahahaha!
To all my former students that I harassed and who suffered the dreary task of memorizing the Philippine Map, wish me luck! hehehe ; )
Stand Alone 1.04
and so the next few days were spent inside the Library poring over books on Philosophy of History and Historiography...galingin ulo ko...
but the readings were very informative...finally I had a glimpse of the development of history through the centuries and why history is necessary (or not...) I also had the chance to reacquiant myself with my old friends G.W.F. Hegel and Arnold Toynbee. Like my teacher in La Salle used to ask us, "You know Hegel?" (now I know).
And also I got to know the other great minds behind the development of the philosophy of history like Giambattista Vico, Leopold Von Ranke, Voltaire and of course si lolo Karl Marx; and then there's this other group...the so-called Annales (daw may pagkabastos ang ngalan pro French ni sila hehe).
this is exactly what I wanted, I am feeling once again this great desire to learn because I feel that I still have to learn so much. I am definitely looking forward to the lectures of Prof Diokno next week.
And then there's Kas 112. Prof finally appeared and he seemed to be a nice, easy-going fellow. But the requirements were also killer: a LOT of readings, an interview with matching paper and supporting documents, and finally a research paper. Hay naku, mapapalaban tayo!
But one thing popped out of the requirements...MAP TEST! Yes, ladies and gents, Prof Dante will give a Map Exam to test our knowledge of Philippine Geography.
And to think that I was doing this to all the Freshmen students I am teaching during the First Grading! I was laughing when I heard that Prof Dante will be giving this to us. Now it's my turn to suffer having to memorize and fill out the items in the Map Exam! Now the teacher becomes the student! POETIC JUSTICE! hahahaha!
To all my former students that I harassed and who suffered the dreary task of memorizing the Philippine Map, wish me luck! hehehe ; )
Stand Alone 1.04
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
ABSENT SI PROF...
this statement summarizes my first day of school. There I was amongst my classmates eagerly awaiting the start of an enlightening day. The course was Kasaysayan 112 or Contemporary Philippine History...the minutes went by...10 minutes...15 minutes...
Good thing I had my MP3 player with me...and so Massive Attack's "Inertia Creeps" was the soundtrack to this period of waiting...20 minutes...
daw absent si Prof haw...bathroom break ta anay...
and so off i went in search for a bathroom. I was on the heels of a young lady who's my classmate as she declared she had to go "freshen up" a minute before I felt the familiar urgings of my hyperactive bladder
OK, so here it is the CR marked "MEN", and in I went...
The first person I saw inside was the young lady from my class...
Wait a minute...oh...oooookay...it turns out the CR was indeed for men...
Returning to the confines of the classroom, the masses were stirring for an uprising...gapanghagad na sila gwa kay absent gid si Prof...
sounds good to me...
and so my first day of class was spent not in the classroom eagerly absorbing knowledge but at Greenhills Shopping Center searching for DVD's and PC accessories...
Damn, I was looking forward to a day of learning, not another episode of lakwatsa in Manila. Hope that my next two subjects on Thursday would provide a challenge for me so that I wouldn't be wasting my time going around searching for another mall to raid.
Pero at least I had DVD's of Ghost in the Shell: Innocence and Shadowskill...hehehe
I am so looking forward to learning and researching and burying myself in books, books, books. I certainly hope Thursday will be the real start of my student life...
By the way, hope you all had a meaningful Independence Day...
Stand Alone 1.03
Good thing I had my MP3 player with me...and so Massive Attack's "Inertia Creeps" was the soundtrack to this period of waiting...20 minutes...
daw absent si Prof haw...bathroom break ta anay...
and so off i went in search for a bathroom. I was on the heels of a young lady who's my classmate as she declared she had to go "freshen up" a minute before I felt the familiar urgings of my hyperactive bladder
OK, so here it is the CR marked "MEN", and in I went...
The first person I saw inside was the young lady from my class...
Wait a minute...oh...oooookay...it turns out the CR was indeed for men...
Returning to the confines of the classroom, the masses were stirring for an uprising...gapanghagad na sila gwa kay absent gid si Prof...
sounds good to me...
and so my first day of class was spent not in the classroom eagerly absorbing knowledge but at Greenhills Shopping Center searching for DVD's and PC accessories...
Damn, I was looking forward to a day of learning, not another episode of lakwatsa in Manila. Hope that my next two subjects on Thursday would provide a challenge for me so that I wouldn't be wasting my time going around searching for another mall to raid.
Pero at least I had DVD's of Ghost in the Shell: Innocence and Shadowskill...hehehe
I am so looking forward to learning and researching and burying myself in books, books, books. I certainly hope Thursday will be the real start of my student life...
By the way, hope you all had a meaningful Independence Day...
Stand Alone 1.03
Sunday, June 10, 2007
PINCH ME...NOW!!!!
last saturday was weird...
I was invited by my cousin "pebi" to go DVD hunting and she suggested Quiapo as a suitable "hunting ground" for pirated DVDs. And so we set out in search of our respective targets: Pebi is a film afficionado and was on the prowl for European/Spanish films, while I on the other hand was looking for anime and my favorite series (Heroes, Battlestar Galactica).
Being lost within the maze of streets and buildings around Quiapo gave me a rare opportunity to visit some of the sites that I only get to see on TV or read about in books. But this was no 5 cent tour...we were just skimming through the different places (our primary objective after all was DVD hunting - priorities, priorities...). I was getting a feel of the place in anticipation of a return visit...
passing by Quiapo church I got a glimpse of the marketplace around the vicinity of the church with all the pito-pito and the pamparegla (note: abortion formula) being peddled by old ladies. The mass of people going to and fro was huge and you have to be extra careful because among the masses are the usual mandurukots prowling around searching for their prey (the hunter becomes the hunted...)
and so we got into the business of purchasing our DVDs. Unfortunately for pebi, it seems that the films she was searching for were eluding her. I, on the other hand, can't seem to decide which among the countless anime I should purchase. I could've reduced myself to abject poverty but fortunately I was able to rein in my desire to indulge in a buying frenzy. So I was just content with a few purchases, consoling myself that there will always be another day to prowl the DVD stalls in Quiapo.
Now, since Intramuros is just around the corner...hehehe
This was the part of the trip I was looking forward to more than the DVDs. To get a chance to go around the old sections of Manila and hopefully see some of the sites that I had read about in the history books. Pinch me...I must be dreaming...
Just imagine, we were walking along the old kalyes, surrounded by the classic bahay-na-batos...when suddenly we were approached by the guardia civil...
They were just men dressed up as guardia civil, more tour guide than police force. And unlike the original guardias...these men were, well...civil. One of them answered our queries when we were asking for directions to Fort Santiago.
BUT BEFORE THAT...pebi and I had the chance to visit San Agustin Church. Although we didn't enter the museum itself (kamahal sang entrance fee) we had the chance to admire the architecture of the facade of the church. And my search for a comfort room finally came to an end...
Pinch me...I must be dreaming...I am surrounded by the landmarks of the Spanish Period in the Philippines, one of the most interesting periods in Philippine History...that, and a kalesa just happened to pass by...
We finally arrived at the entrance to Fort Santiago but we had to cut our little tour short because it was already too hot for comfort and entering Fort Santiago one had to walk a looong way (I'm not that excited. Not yet anyway...). Just a glimpse of these places was more than enough to give me goosebumps...and I look forward to the second trip to Quiapo and Intramuros. Promise...masulod na gid ko ah, supot-supot anay for the entrance fee...hehehe
Stand Alone v 1.02
I was invited by my cousin "pebi" to go DVD hunting and she suggested Quiapo as a suitable "hunting ground" for pirated DVDs. And so we set out in search of our respective targets: Pebi is a film afficionado and was on the prowl for European/Spanish films, while I on the other hand was looking for anime and my favorite series (Heroes, Battlestar Galactica).
Being lost within the maze of streets and buildings around Quiapo gave me a rare opportunity to visit some of the sites that I only get to see on TV or read about in books. But this was no 5 cent tour...we were just skimming through the different places (our primary objective after all was DVD hunting - priorities, priorities...). I was getting a feel of the place in anticipation of a return visit...
passing by Quiapo church I got a glimpse of the marketplace around the vicinity of the church with all the pito-pito and the pamparegla (note: abortion formula) being peddled by old ladies. The mass of people going to and fro was huge and you have to be extra careful because among the masses are the usual mandurukots prowling around searching for their prey (the hunter becomes the hunted...)
and so we got into the business of purchasing our DVDs. Unfortunately for pebi, it seems that the films she was searching for were eluding her. I, on the other hand, can't seem to decide which among the countless anime I should purchase. I could've reduced myself to abject poverty but fortunately I was able to rein in my desire to indulge in a buying frenzy. So I was just content with a few purchases, consoling myself that there will always be another day to prowl the DVD stalls in Quiapo.
Now, since Intramuros is just around the corner...hehehe
This was the part of the trip I was looking forward to more than the DVDs. To get a chance to go around the old sections of Manila and hopefully see some of the sites that I had read about in the history books. Pinch me...I must be dreaming...
Just imagine, we were walking along the old kalyes, surrounded by the classic bahay-na-batos...when suddenly we were approached by the guardia civil...
They were just men dressed up as guardia civil, more tour guide than police force. And unlike the original guardias...these men were, well...civil. One of them answered our queries when we were asking for directions to Fort Santiago.
BUT BEFORE THAT...pebi and I had the chance to visit San Agustin Church. Although we didn't enter the museum itself (kamahal sang entrance fee) we had the chance to admire the architecture of the facade of the church. And my search for a comfort room finally came to an end...
Pinch me...I must be dreaming...I am surrounded by the landmarks of the Spanish Period in the Philippines, one of the most interesting periods in Philippine History...that, and a kalesa just happened to pass by...
We finally arrived at the entrance to Fort Santiago but we had to cut our little tour short because it was already too hot for comfort and entering Fort Santiago one had to walk a looong way (I'm not that excited. Not yet anyway...). Just a glimpse of these places was more than enough to give me goosebumps...and I look forward to the second trip to Quiapo and Intramuros. Promise...masulod na gid ko ah, supot-supot anay for the entrance fee...hehehe
Stand Alone v 1.02
this was the first post for the Stand Alone Complex blog but this was on another site. I'm just moving it here to integrate it into the SAC continuity. ditch
This will be the start of a whole new chapter in my life...gone are the safety and comfort of home...in place of the big house in Bacolod is a room barely enough to fit a double-deck bed with a few square feet to move around...
I console myself with the fact that this sacrifice would all turn out well in the end. Getting an education from a top-notch institution will be no easy task, however. As I am getting a feel of the academic environment here at UP, I often feel helpless and lost in the wide expanse of the campus and in the maze of offices...ah, to be a freshman again...tinanga all over again, hehehe. Good thing I have this map of UP Campus I printed out from my PC before we left and now I have it handy in my backpack just in case. I feel like Dora the Explorer...backpack!...map!
So, arriving about a week before classes start, what does one do? well, aside from the preparations with the boarding house (or in my case, room) there's the pre-registration and the enrollment. This is where most of the tinanga happens but one thing I've learned when in a strange place is that it never hurts to ask (directions, assistance, clarification, etc.). Ignorance is itself the beginning of knowledge, and kung tanga ka at magtatanong ka, mawawala 'yang pagkatanga mo pero kung tanga ka na nga at hindi ka pa nagtatanong, magiging tanga ka forever (uy, tagalog yun ah!)
So this will be the time that all the creature comforts are abandoned and I will be bracing myself for a semester of "blood" (as one upperclassman remarked upon seeing the name of my would-be professor in two courses: "Naku...madugo yan si Prof___________...alam mo yung dugo?"). I just nodded my head without actually getting what the hell she meant with the last remark. (dugo? hello!!!)
So far, how's my "stand alone complex" holding up? To tell you the truth I rather enjoy this time of solitude. I am not really alone mind you, there's my "neighbors" in the boarding house, the books that I have stashed inside my room, the DVDs and VCDs that I purchased, and all my loved ones are just a call or text away. Plus the whole of Manila awaits to be explored, and that is one pasttime that I'm looking forward to...
Stand Alone 1.01
This will be the start of a whole new chapter in my life...gone are the safety and comfort of home...in place of the big house in Bacolod is a room barely enough to fit a double-deck bed with a few square feet to move around...
I console myself with the fact that this sacrifice would all turn out well in the end. Getting an education from a top-notch institution will be no easy task, however. As I am getting a feel of the academic environment here at UP, I often feel helpless and lost in the wide expanse of the campus and in the maze of offices...ah, to be a freshman again...tinanga all over again, hehehe. Good thing I have this map of UP Campus I printed out from my PC before we left and now I have it handy in my backpack just in case. I feel like Dora the Explorer...backpack!...map!
So, arriving about a week before classes start, what does one do? well, aside from the preparations with the boarding house (or in my case, room) there's the pre-registration and the enrollment. This is where most of the tinanga happens but one thing I've learned when in a strange place is that it never hurts to ask (directions, assistance, clarification, etc.). Ignorance is itself the beginning of knowledge, and kung tanga ka at magtatanong ka, mawawala 'yang pagkatanga mo pero kung tanga ka na nga at hindi ka pa nagtatanong, magiging tanga ka forever (uy, tagalog yun ah!)
So this will be the time that all the creature comforts are abandoned and I will be bracing myself for a semester of "blood" (as one upperclassman remarked upon seeing the name of my would-be professor in two courses: "Naku...madugo yan si Prof___________...alam mo yung dugo?"). I just nodded my head without actually getting what the hell she meant with the last remark. (dugo? hello!!!)
So far, how's my "stand alone complex" holding up? To tell you the truth I rather enjoy this time of solitude. I am not really alone mind you, there's my "neighbors" in the boarding house, the books that I have stashed inside my room, the DVDs and VCDs that I purchased, and all my loved ones are just a call or text away. Plus the whole of Manila awaits to be explored, and that is one pasttime that I'm looking forward to...
Stand Alone 1.01
MY STAND ALONE COMPLEX
welcome to my blog!
got the inspirationto start this blog to chronicle a whole new chapter in my life.
now I have to admit that "Stand Alone Complex" is not an original title ( i hope the makers of Ghost in the Shell won't sue me for this, anyway...). But i think this title is most apt in describing the current situation i am in.
"Stand Alone Complex" in my case refers to the independence i am currently enjoying right now - with all it's benefits and challenges. All the excitement, the joys, and the pains of living - of "standing alone" in this strange new world I hope I could share with you in the coming months...
so this will be my soapbox in cyberspace for a while, and hope all those who visit (or stray into) will enjoy or come out enlightened or informed at the very least...
Hope to hear from y'all!
welcome to my blog!
got the inspirationto start this blog to chronicle a whole new chapter in my life.
now I have to admit that "Stand Alone Complex" is not an original title ( i hope the makers of Ghost in the Shell won't sue me for this, anyway...). But i think this title is most apt in describing the current situation i am in.
"Stand Alone Complex" in my case refers to the independence i am currently enjoying right now - with all it's benefits and challenges. All the excitement, the joys, and the pains of living - of "standing alone" in this strange new world I hope I could share with you in the coming months...
so this will be my soapbox in cyberspace for a while, and hope all those who visit (or stray into) will enjoy or come out enlightened or informed at the very least...
Hope to hear from y'all!
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