ANG NAKARAAN...ang pagtatagpo sa Faculty Center...masungit na propesora...ang paghihintay ng grupo kay LQS...matagal na paghihintay...matagal na matagal...na paghihintay...matagaaaaaaaaal na matagal na paghihintay............ :)
and so the five of us were hanging at the FC like a bunch of bums waiting for LQS to arrive. We were early -- we agreed as a group that we'll have to take the chance that LQS might be in her room that morning and we could start our interview earlier. There were concerns from my groupmates regarding traffic conditions because of the expected mass action against GMA's SONA. So on stakeout kami outside -- parang mga "groupies" or "stalkers". and the minutes went by...during the course of our "stakeout" we had some meaningful conversations...there's nothing like sitting around waiting for God-knows-what to get a conversation started among strangers. And so we were passing the time with trivial banter and as usual, Carlo was being himself -- standing apart, minding his own business (as I stated in part 2, may pagka-autistic ni si Carlo). Lovely was monopolizing most of the chatter (madaldal, see Part 2) which was fine with us, for she played the catalyst to start the friendly banter among the group...the minutes turned to an hour...
when the clock read 11:45 am we had to concede that LQS won't be arriving in the morning therefore we should head out to have lunch and return around 1:00 PM. So the four of us (Krisdel, Maricris, Lovely, and yours truly) went to the cafeteria right beside Palma Hall. (CASAA, what the acronym means I don't have the faintest idea) Carlo disappeared -- just in case you were wondering where the hell he went, but he promised to meet us back at the FC 1:00 PM...and so over greasy pork teriyaki our conversations continued -- as usual si Lovely and ga-bangka suryahanay hehehe
we came back at 1:00 PM and the gang's all assembled. Siesta time at the FC for some for we were already sleepy and waiting has already become a drag. Everytime we heard footsteps approaching we would be turning our heads, peering expectantly for LQS to appear -- only to see that it was a teacher, a student, or the janitor...patience, patience...
2:30 PM...the appointed time...no LQS. we were beginning to wonder if she had forgotten or she had gone to the Batasan and was marching against the SONA...who knows? we agreed to wait a few more minutes and if no LQS comes, we would leave a note on the door...this does not look good...
the tapping of shoes on the floor...an approaching person...five weary faces perk up, expectant...and we beheld the familiar face which we have been contemplating on the different books we were carrying...it was LQS...finally!
LQS asked us if we had been waiting long...we told her our wait wasn't that long ( obviously a lie)...she herded us into the room and we thanked God Prof. Masungit is gone. She made us sit behind her desk and she sat across from us. So we were there crammed in the small room(at least aircon ang room). Before the interview could commence, she made one request: "'wag niyong ibigay ang videotape sa ISAFP ha?" she joked. we laughed. the tension was broken...
and so we commenced with our interview. LQS relayed her thoughts regarding radical literature and the role of feminist writers during the period where radical writing reached its height. For LQS, literature was a product of the times, and radical literature was a way to call attention to the social ills that was plaguing our country that time. To her, the Martial Law period was both a negative and positive thing for Philippine literature. Negative -- there was suppression of free thinking, and the times were hard, even dangerous, for those who would dare oppose the repressive regime. A lot of people died during the struggle: writers, activists, ordinary people -- some were taken and "disappeared" for the slightest of suspicions; many were forced to hide "underground" in order to carry on the fight. The positive thing about Martial Law, according to LQS, was in literature, the people found their voice again; this was a time that Tagalog literature became rampant and found a place beside English as the language of poets and writers.
LQS commented that the radical struggle during the Martial Law period eventually gave way to the rise of feminist writing -- both the literature and the discourse on feminism broke out right after EDSA One, but the seeds were sown during the turbulent times of the Martial Law Period.
She related that even among the radical movements, women were still considered as "second-class citizens" compared to men, and only a few women were able to break away from that stereotype. She described her experiences during that period and a few incidents related to her by her acquaintances and how these have shaped her outlook.
When asked to comment regarding the current situation of our country, LQS assented that her generation may have failed somewhat in their mission for the same conditions still afflict the Philippines -- and it would seem that the government is taking on a semblance of the government during the Marcos regime. But still LQS asserted that her generation of writers were unique for their writing was shaped by the unique experiences that they faced during the 70's and 80's.
LQS was optimistic about radical literature at present times. She says that radicalism is now more evident through songs -- she cites Bamboo's "Tatsulok" as an example; she also said that the technology nowadays provides more opportunities for the youth the make their voices heard...a variety of choices face today's generation, and the ball is now in our hands...
An hour passed by...the interview is finished. We thanked LQS for sharing her experiences with us. We walked out of the FC feeling a sense of pride in our achievement, and a bit wiser from our conversation with a literary luminary...
Sa muli...maraming salamat LQS
~ now comes the hard part...consolidating the info from the interview with other data gathered from research...but that is another story...
~ soon to come...The (Almost) Forgotten Tales...LQS wasn't the only happening during these past few weeks...a few interesting anecdotes will be coming your way NEXT TIME...for now babay anay kay mapalibrary ko dugay2....haaaaay buhay...
Stand Alone 1.11
and so the five of us were hanging at the FC like a bunch of bums waiting for LQS to arrive. We were early -- we agreed as a group that we'll have to take the chance that LQS might be in her room that morning and we could start our interview earlier. There were concerns from my groupmates regarding traffic conditions because of the expected mass action against GMA's SONA. So on stakeout kami outside -- parang mga "groupies" or "stalkers". and the minutes went by...during the course of our "stakeout" we had some meaningful conversations...there's nothing like sitting around waiting for God-knows-what to get a conversation started among strangers. And so we were passing the time with trivial banter and as usual, Carlo was being himself -- standing apart, minding his own business (as I stated in part 2, may pagka-autistic ni si Carlo). Lovely was monopolizing most of the chatter (madaldal, see Part 2) which was fine with us, for she played the catalyst to start the friendly banter among the group...the minutes turned to an hour...
when the clock read 11:45 am we had to concede that LQS won't be arriving in the morning therefore we should head out to have lunch and return around 1:00 PM. So the four of us (Krisdel, Maricris, Lovely, and yours truly) went to the cafeteria right beside Palma Hall. (CASAA, what the acronym means I don't have the faintest idea) Carlo disappeared -- just in case you were wondering where the hell he went, but he promised to meet us back at the FC 1:00 PM...and so over greasy pork teriyaki our conversations continued -- as usual si Lovely and ga-bangka suryahanay hehehe
we came back at 1:00 PM and the gang's all assembled. Siesta time at the FC for some for we were already sleepy and waiting has already become a drag. Everytime we heard footsteps approaching we would be turning our heads, peering expectantly for LQS to appear -- only to see that it was a teacher, a student, or the janitor...patience, patience...
2:30 PM...the appointed time...no LQS. we were beginning to wonder if she had forgotten or she had gone to the Batasan and was marching against the SONA...who knows? we agreed to wait a few more minutes and if no LQS comes, we would leave a note on the door...this does not look good...
the tapping of shoes on the floor...an approaching person...five weary faces perk up, expectant...and we beheld the familiar face which we have been contemplating on the different books we were carrying...it was LQS...finally!
LQS asked us if we had been waiting long...we told her our wait wasn't that long ( obviously a lie)...she herded us into the room and we thanked God Prof. Masungit is gone. She made us sit behind her desk and she sat across from us. So we were there crammed in the small room(at least aircon ang room). Before the interview could commence, she made one request: "'wag niyong ibigay ang videotape sa ISAFP ha?" she joked. we laughed. the tension was broken...
and so we commenced with our interview. LQS relayed her thoughts regarding radical literature and the role of feminist writers during the period where radical writing reached its height. For LQS, literature was a product of the times, and radical literature was a way to call attention to the social ills that was plaguing our country that time. To her, the Martial Law period was both a negative and positive thing for Philippine literature. Negative -- there was suppression of free thinking, and the times were hard, even dangerous, for those who would dare oppose the repressive regime. A lot of people died during the struggle: writers, activists, ordinary people -- some were taken and "disappeared" for the slightest of suspicions; many were forced to hide "underground" in order to carry on the fight. The positive thing about Martial Law, according to LQS, was in literature, the people found their voice again; this was a time that Tagalog literature became rampant and found a place beside English as the language of poets and writers.
LQS commented that the radical struggle during the Martial Law period eventually gave way to the rise of feminist writing -- both the literature and the discourse on feminism broke out right after EDSA One, but the seeds were sown during the turbulent times of the Martial Law Period.
She related that even among the radical movements, women were still considered as "second-class citizens" compared to men, and only a few women were able to break away from that stereotype. She described her experiences during that period and a few incidents related to her by her acquaintances and how these have shaped her outlook.
When asked to comment regarding the current situation of our country, LQS assented that her generation may have failed somewhat in their mission for the same conditions still afflict the Philippines -- and it would seem that the government is taking on a semblance of the government during the Marcos regime. But still LQS asserted that her generation of writers were unique for their writing was shaped by the unique experiences that they faced during the 70's and 80's.
LQS was optimistic about radical literature at present times. She says that radicalism is now more evident through songs -- she cites Bamboo's "Tatsulok" as an example; she also said that the technology nowadays provides more opportunities for the youth the make their voices heard...a variety of choices face today's generation, and the ball is now in our hands...
An hour passed by...the interview is finished. We thanked LQS for sharing her experiences with us. We walked out of the FC feeling a sense of pride in our achievement, and a bit wiser from our conversation with a literary luminary...
Sa muli...maraming salamat LQS
~ now comes the hard part...consolidating the info from the interview with other data gathered from research...but that is another story...
~ soon to come...The (Almost) Forgotten Tales...LQS wasn't the only happening during these past few weeks...a few interesting anecdotes will be coming your way NEXT TIME...for now babay anay kay mapalibrary ko dugay2....haaaaay buhay...
Stand Alone 1.11
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