Pissed

Movietime with cousin Pebi did not go as planned.

I am so f*cking pissed with what happened.

Last night I checked out the scheduled screening of Wanted:Border at clickthecity.com. There I saw that the schedule listed a 1:40 PM, 3:30 PM, and 5:20 PM screening of the film. Knowing that Pebi would be fresh out of her shift (her shift BTW ends at 6 am) at her call center/trading consultancy work, and that she normally spends Thursday morning asleep at home, we agreed on an early afternoon screening since she should be back in Cavite before 4 or 5 PM.

And so we met at the SC around 10 AM. Natawa ako sa kanya kasi yung get-up nya was "yuppieng gala" -- top part was "yuppie" while the lower half was "gala" (shorts and sandals). A quick stop at Maroons turned her into a "UPing gala" (a UP shirt now replaced her blouse). After spending a moment to check out the DVDs at the usual place, we made our way to Robinson's Galleria for lunch.

Of course libre ni Pebi. (Thank you!) Mealtime chitchat was the most meaningful I had in a looong time. Discussion went from movies: Sophia Copolla's Marie Antoinette and the sad fate of M. Night Shyamalan (Pebi expressed admiration for Lady in the Water; I, on the other hand, expressed skepticism on The Last Airbender; we both agreed The Happening sucked); to books: George Orwell's works (Animal Farm, 1984) to Paulo Coelho's I Sat by the River Piedra and Wept (pareho ang reaction namin sa book -- isang malutong na WTF?!)The food at The Old Spaghetti House was also good - the spareribs were soft and tender but needed more sauce and marinade IMO.

Things took a turn for the worse after lunch.

We hurried to the ticket booth around 1:15 PM to get in line for Wanted:Border only to find that Robinson's Movieworld had changed the schedule. There were to be two screenings of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON at Cinema 8 prior to the screening of Wanted: Border. The earliest we could watch was 5:20 PM and, knowing Pebi's situation, it was impossible for us to watch the movie as a "critical tandem" (naks) if that's the case.

F*ck.

After profuse apologies to Pebi, we decided to watch Paranormal Activity instead. Nilibre ko si Pebi as a token of gratitude for lunch and also for the fact that the sudden change of plans made us watch a movie that we both weren't planning on viewing. Nahiya talaga ako kay Pebi. And I was so irate at what happened that I just had to kick Edward's big-ass face displayed in the Movieworld lobby.

Honestly, that felt good. ha.

Halos walang tao sa cinema when we went in. Aside from Pebi and myself, I counted around 6 more people in the cinema. So much for the hype surrounding this film -- another addition to the "found/recovered footage genre" like The Blairwitch Project, Cloverfield, Rec, Quarantine (based on Rec), and The Hayden Kho Scandal (kidding)

Again, so much for hype. I considered the film as an indictment of the materialistic and self-centered American culture whose only response to the forces of the supernatural was to point a videocamera at it. The scenario presented in the film would unfold quite differently here in our country, where our culture is steeped in lore regarding the supernatural. This would explain why both Pebi and I viewed the film with a degree of incredulity and amusement -- but not horror.

Kung si Pebi pa: "Naku, na-engkanto lang yan. Tawas lang ang katapat nyan..."

but to be fair to the film, a few scenes did make me jump. The most interesting was the one where the woman, while sound asleep, was dragged by her foot from her bed by an invisible presence, and hearing her terrified screams as she was being dragged away from view... now, that was creepy.

And another question kept nagging me: Why don't they just shut the damn door?

And so our tandem shared disappointment instead of an enjoyable film experience. This afternoon just made me realize how much I hated the Twilight series, and now I could hate it with a vengeance. Nang dahil sa New Moon na 'yan nadiskaril ang plano namin ni Pebi, punyeta!


Note: checked the clickthecity website again, and lo and behold! the f*cking schedule has indeed been changed!Isaksak nyo yang p*t********g New Moon na 'yan sa baga nyo!

Ano Ba Yan?!

The Filipiniana Section of the UP Main Lbrary is still closed! Hindi pa bayad ang utang na six million sa Meralco!

F*ck!

Pa'no na 'to? Diskaril ang reading natin for thesis obviously. Though there are other alternatives but most of them involve long commutes (National Library) and daily library access fees (Ateneo, hello!)Andito na nga ang pinakamalapit wala pa. Tang 'ina naman o...

And I am sure hindi ako nag-iisa na naaapektuhan nito. There are countless students who are suffering as I am. To be fair naman sa staff, they were offering to browse through the shelves but they could only release one book at a time. And considering that the atmosphere of the Filipiniana section is like that of medieval times (parang dungeon), entertaining my requests for multiple books seem like an exercise in futility.

Ngayon ko lang naramdaman ang matagal nang reklamo ng mga tibak: na pinapabayaan ng gobyerno ang edukasyon sa Pilipinas. Putik!

Hypochondria by proxy

Other people continually worrying about your state of health...doctors should come up with a term for a condition wherein the worrying becomes an obssession...ano ba yan?!

Goodbye...Solzhenitsyn

bwisit na cashier's office, di tumatanggap ng payments for enrolment. Next week pa raw. E di wala na akong pambayad nyan! Joke! hehehe

Off I went to Orange to blow of some steam. Blasted oversized scorpions in The Forgotten Ruin, displacing my ire at the accounting office of UP. Naka-level up na, nakapagrelease pa ng kinikimkim na asar. Win-win scenario 'di ba?

Next stop was the budget bookstore at Trinoma to snatch Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago from their shelves. This book I found last Monday while sifting through their stacks. Since I did not have my budget ready that time, I discretely placed the book at the back of the display shelves, hiding it behind some obscure titles.

It seems my tactic failed. Solzhenitsyn was nowhere to be found when I came back to the shelves.

Nyeta.

OK lang...bawi naman ako sa binili kong comic book. Julius Villanueva's Life in Progress. I can relate to the general nerdiness. Plus na feature ang Wilco, Sonic Youth at Nine Inch Nails sa mga T-shirts ng mga characters, especially Zeke. haha. Maraming references to comic books such as John Constantine, Spiderman, Green Lantern, The Hulk, Batman, Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, Archie, atbp. There was even mention of Soylent Green. Rakenrol!

O Siya, gawa pa ako paper. Babasahin ko pa si Mitrokhin, baka ipagpatuloy ko ulit si Dostoevsky, next time na lang yan si Solzhenitsyn. Whew!

I Just Realized...

...after chatting with the Kas kids at SC a while ago...

Hindi ka matatawag na totoong estudyante ng UP hangga't hindi ka nakakaiskor ng INC...

Pero kung ikaw ay isang masugid na estudyante na kahit minsan ay hindi nakatikim na maging isang "kapanalig" ng INC - hehe - isa lang ang masasabi ko...

HINDI KA TAO! HALIMAW KA! HALIMAAAAAAAAAAAW!

hahahahahahaha

Page One

Well, after a few days of just being plain LAZY, I finally started tapping on my laptop and squeezing out a few words for my Kas 208 paper.

Just finished ONE page.

Yep, ONE FRAKKING PAGE.

That's where all the trouble started.

I'm not too happy with the way I started my Introduction. Placing a quote without any context to it resulted to a very loooong explanation on the first paragraph providing said context. Better revise this one tomorrow. But I'm happy with using the headline as the centerpiece of my Introduction. Emulating Leon Wolff, I guess...hehehe

Writing the second paragraph...

Sh*t. Where did I get this? [scans notes] must be from Welch...wait a minute...yeah, I read it from Welch but I didn't put it in my notes....huh?!...WTF?!

Third paragraph...

Should I read Foucault? [scans notes] Yep, I think I need to. Him or the other structuralist/postmodern guys...

[ditch scratches head, remembers something, winces]

Oh, Sh*t...Reading E. San Juan, Jr. almost gave me a headache and now I have to tackle postmodernity? F*ck!

Page One is done.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The GOOD: a firefighter turns into a superhero in Thailand


read about it here

The BAD: ako yung bad. A bad Enya fan. I wandered into Astroplus at The Block SM North and saw a new album by the Goddess...


Please don't look at me like that...

Huwat?! May album na pala siya? Syet, ba't wala akong kaalam-alam?

It was a Christmas album that was released 2008. WTF?

Di bale, next week bilhin ko yan to atone for my transgressions...Forgive me!

The UGLY: eto...si Bayani nagwawala...



Hay naku, sana na setel - este - settle na ang problema...

Confessional Blues

Ditch: Bless me Father for I have sinned. it has been nnnn since my last confession

Padre Salvi: Si hijo, tell me your sins...

Ditch: Father I made an oath that I cannot uphold

Padre Salvi: And what is that oath?

Ditch: Manonood po ako ng The Dark Knight this Sunday

Padre Salvi: at ano naman ang rason kung bakit hindi mo matutupad ang iyong panata?

Ditch: Lawig nga isturya Father matak-an ka lang...but if you want a one-word summary - ECONOMICS.

Padre Salvi: Sige, wala kaso. Here is your penance...

*Ditch awaits with bated breath the penance to be imposed*

Padre Salvi: Your penance will be to read 400 pages of Pearl Harbor as History, edited by Dorothy Borg and Shumpei Okamoto.

Ditch: QUE?! esta no hay derecho Padre! No tienes razon!

Padre Salvi: No, tengo razon. leed cuatro cientos pahinas del libro...

Ditch: Por que, Padre? POR QUEEEEEE?! huhuhu

Padre Salvi: Pramis pramis ka dasun indi mo man gale mahimo...gago ka pala eh...

Ditch: Ari na gani Father ginasuguran na basa...hay naku!

Wala akong pakialam

Kahit may hinahabol akong dalawang report next week kay Sir Jose

Kahit wala pa akong nababasa para sa research paper kay Spiderman

This weekend...



Panonoorin kita! Shet...ilang linggo din akong hindi nakapanood ng sine. Phew! I deserve a break no...or else baka mapraning na 'ko dito. wahahahahaha

Dear Mr. Sungit

You've been a strange presence in our class in Kas 226. The first person who took notice of you - and named you 'Mr. Sungit' - was Regina. A few more meetings allowed for a closer scrutiny of your behavior (hindi maiiwasan, since you're sitting right across me and Regina), and gave me reason to believe that your monicker was well-deserved.

You had this air of "what the f*ck am I doing in this class?" about you. You never participate in discussions, and while our prof lectures you often stare straight up, seemingly concentrating on a single spot on the ceiling.

This is a democratic society after all. And UP na nga 'to, kung saan lahat na ng ka-weirduhan and idiosyncracies pinapabayaan lang. And wala naman akong right to ridicule you or ostracize you for your behavior. Hindi naman kita ka anu-ano...

Until...

You gave your reaction to the documentary we viewed during our class. My first reaction was "Aba, nagsalita ka!". Your comment gave rise to a lengthy discussion about the discourse on power, imperialism, and US expansionism. Here are just a few things I want to add to our discourse (given the lack of time and also, baka na-away na kita if we were to continue hehe).

First, bilib ako sa 'yo. You were the only one in the class who called attention to that perspective. In fairness, napa-isip mo kami ng malalim, and I believe that the ensuing discussion gave a much deeper look into what indeed is "imperialism" in the context of the actions of the American nation throughout its history.

You were right to say that if we look at imperialism along the lines of territorial expansion, then it would be faulty to say that it was in 1898 was the turning point in US history in which the Americans decided to engage in "imperialistic" ventures. I also agree with you on your point regarding the American Indians, who should be considered as the first victims of American "expansion".

Second, it would be a bit of a long stretch if we were to take your perspective and adapt it into our over-all discourse. Remember that our course is "AMERICAN policies in Asia" so don't decry that what we're reading and discussing conforms mostly to the American perspective. American nga ang perspective, but I do believe that so far the discussions among us are well-balanced. Wala naman sa atin ang nagwawagayway ng bandila ng Estados Unidos, na nagsasabing sa pangkalahatan, maganda ang imperyalismo at ekspansyonismo ng Amerika. I think that we have pointed out the good points and the bad points of US policy, and we have even teased out some of the underlying notions and perspectives that gave rise to such policies and actions. We can consider the other perspective, expecially the Filipino point of view, from time to time pero stick tayo sa syllabus pare pwede?...hehe

Third, and I really have to say this, I feel offended by some of your statements. Baka hindi ka aware pero may mga pasaring ka na medyo nakaka-insulto. Statements like "we have to think critically about this.." or "Let's be more imaginative", etc. It's not the words eh, it's how you said it and given that your Mr. Sungit, nagmukha ka nang asshole. Ibig mong sabihin hindi na kami nag-iisip ng malalim? na wala kaming imagination?

Ang hirap sa orientation ninyo is that you stick to your structuralist views eh. That's why I pointed out that the "American Imperialist Project" is not a monolith, that there were, and still are, forces of resistance to the imperialist impetus. I am not too convinced by your thesis that American society is built upon a structure of expansion and imperialism - ergo, exploitation (?). That's why I asked if based on your thesis the US will remain imperialist forever? That the US was, is , and forever will be, imperialist? Wala nang pag-asa for a change in outlook and viewpoint ang mga Amerikano? I have evidence to prove you wrong! (parang attorney na 'ko ah...hahahaha) Seriously, boxing in America into the label of "imperialist" would be an oversimplification and a denial of the complex forces at work shaping US policy through the years. Try mo kaya ang diachronic approach, kung gusto mo la lounge duree pa. text mo si Braudel. hehehe

You have opened the box of the imperialist discourse,my friend. If you're going to keep at it, I will gladly take up the challenge and become anti-thesis personified. Mas sasaya ang discussion natin kung ganon...hehe.

On one hand medyo nadagdagan ang pagka-irita ko sa'yo. On the other hand, I'm looking forward to the intellectual discussion. Humanda ka!

Geopolitics, Diplomacy, History....Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!

this is me in the UP Main Lib upon seeing the readings that I would have to go through for my Kas 226 report

Sir Jose wasn't joking when he remarked that my report topic had a lot written about it. As in, a LOT...

These are books that you read IF you want to die!

F*CK

TANGINA

LINTI

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Timeout muna! Ano ba yan?! Damn the Japanese…why did they have to attack Pearl Harbor and bring the Second World War into the Pacific? Why did they have to engage in imperialistic ventures in the Southeast Asian region in the 1930s? Why invade China and establish the puppet republic of Manchukuo in 1931? Why are diplomats such erudites that they quote the Aeneid with such ease? Why can’t backdoor diplomatic negotiations be based on screenplays of Bond Movies? Or Robert Ludlum novels? Or Tom Clancy novels (only with less talking and exposition)?

I have to take a break just for tonight. I just finished Feis' The Road to Pearl Harbor para akong na-overdose sa historical facts...

In fairness, bilib ako sa diplomat na nag-quote ng Aeneid -- the way to hell is easy...in Latin pa yan. Take that, Virgil! hehehe

I'm seeing Red

Kung si Pebi nagkakanosebleed sa mga binabasa niya. Ako parang namumula na ang mga mata ko. hehe Finished reading James Allen's The Radical Left on the Eve of War and I'm currently going through Communism in the Philippines: The PKP (Book 1). Coincidentally (or not), both books have red covers. Yung PKP book may hammer and sickle pa sa likod. hahaha

Nakigulo na rin si Dancing Prof. For about 15 minutes, he was quizzing us on our readings for the research paper. It's a good thing I've read Bankoff a few weeks ago so I was confident in my reply: "Sir binasa ko po si Bankoff...Greg Bankoff po...Crime, State and Society in the 19th Century Philippines po..."

Now I'll be forced to start reading for Kas 110. Bluffing can only take me so far...hanggang August na kalbaryo 'to! Ginapa-utwas lang sa blog! hahahaha

The Fast and the Furious...Reader

Been on the fast track since thursday. I have to prepare for a class report on Kas 205 and 226. Haven't heard from Dancing Prof about our research outline so I'm putting it at the back of my mind for now. What I am focusing on is my report on the Communist Party of the Philippines for Kas 205.

I've read Saulo. Kerkvliet I'm currently reading. I've read these guys before on Kas 112 so medyo na-memorize ko na ang ilang mga chapters nila hehe...

Next on the line is another Kerkvliet. that THICK thesis by a guy named Hoeksema (this one I'm dreading to read AGAIN). Simbulan (as per recommendation by a friend). Abaya (love this guy -- you can almost feel the anger rising from the pages). Then the biographies of the PKP and Huk personalities -- Crisanto Evangelista, the Lava brothers, Luis Taruc, Joma Sison (maybe,I'm thinking only Philippine Society and Revolution), I'm still trying to get a copy of Pedro Abad Santos' biography (nasa Pampanga raw?) and the PKP history written by one of the Lavas, Jesus I think...

It's a good thing I have sources here who can help me with tracking down elusive books on Philippine Communism (mga galamay, in short hehe). I don't expect to get (and read) them all. I'm giving myself this week for 205, then next week will be devoted to 226 -- this time the topic will be on preWW2 American policy in Asia.

Meron pang book review for my two MA courses...I haven't continued my initial readings for my Kas 205 term paper...wala pa akong maisip na topic for Kas 226...may research pa kay Dancing Prof...

At least I still have time to blog...hahahaha

Sandali...Sandaleeee! Mahina Ang Kalaban!

Summary of required work for courses currently being taken crazy commentary included

Kas 205 - book review (Face of Empire by Frank Golay: makapal na libro pero sabi ni Prof Jose yung part lang relating to the Commonwealth), class report (PKP: Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas, may readings na ako nung 1st sem kay Prof Ambrosio, magbasa ulit!), term paper (eto yung medyo tricky --plano ko yung Libel Laws of 1936 and the reactions of media-- archival research na naman ito!)

Kas 110 - research paper - bigla lang naman kaming tinanong ni Prof Llanes kung anong gusto naming topic sa research...hello! kauna-unahang meeting, research topic agad? ni wala pa ngang syllabus eh...thus all the topics came off the top of my head...Prof Llanes went around and asked each of us what our prospective topics were. The first I gave about the Audiencia was not to his liking. The next one -- about crime and punishment during the Spanish colonial times -- was the topic Prof Llanes approved of. A few moments of reflection made me realize I picked a VERY difficult topic. To think that Spanish colonial period spanned 3 centuries...ubuson ko ang tatlo ka siglo? haha buti na lang may sources maski konti...

I'm planning to concentrate on the 19th century...tentative title: Law and Order: 19th Century Manila. Or pwede ring Crime and Punishment in 19th Century Philippines. The latter title inspired by a book by a Russian writer, the former inspired by a TV series) Kung crappy ang paper, bumawi sa title! hahahaha

Meron pang additional instructions si Sir sa paper:

should have at least 20 sources...(P*t**ng*n*! Tinalo pa ang Kas 199.2...kasali ba primary sources? No leo y intiendo mucho español! Mierda!will my sources even reach the prerequisite number? Grabe ka naman sir...talo pa namin ang gumagawa ng Master's thesis)

dapat isulat sa wikang Filipino (Tangina parang Kas 112!writing in Filipino has never been my forte daw kabalik-awot para sakon hehe) Prof Llanes! Magaling po akong mag-Ingliiiiiis! wahahahaha!

Pero in fairness...may fieldtrip raw ang class sabi ni Sir hehehe

Kas 226 - wala pa. bukas pa kami magkikita (ulit) ni Prof Jose

Wala na 'kong sex life nito! wahahahahahaha!

Yahooooo!

Thank you, Lord!

Thank you, Sir Teodoro!

Thank you, Father Arcilla!

wahahahahahahahahaha!

yahoooooooo!

Mierda! Que Se Joda!

por que no puedo entrar una clase en español? POR QUE?! unas clases estan cerrados. esas clases abiertos no puedo porque hay muchos conflictos con mis otros cursos. Que horror!

Mierda! Leche! Puñeta! Que se joda!

no quiero tomar una clase en español para este semestre! Bahala na. I'll make do with my fractured Spanish for now. I'll have a talk with the department chair about this travesty very soon...Grrrrrrrr

I'll miss Ma'am Luna...huhuhu

The End is Nigh...

Say goodbye to the old jeepney rates...in less than an hour, the jeepney fare increase takes effect...

It's like New Year is approaching but the feeling is more of dread than anticipation...fireworks, anyone?

Can anybody still remember the time when jeepney fare for students in Bacolod used to be P 1.25? I can. I'm old. hehe

Miss the good old times...leche.

Bring It On!

I'm psyching myself up for my presentation on Arcilla in my Kas 297 class. The presentation is set for tomorrow but since there's an announced transport strike on that day, the chances of me presenting my mini magnum opus on schedule are slim

However, no official announcement regarding the suspension of classes has been given as of this moment, thus I'm assuming that tomorrow is D-Day hehe

But be it tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after next, or whenever...

I

AM

READEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!!!

I may not be perfect, but my work is! bwahahahaha! kapaaaal!

Humanda ka Arcilla! Ikaw rin Sir Teodoro! Kayo rin mga kaklase -- mula Batanes hanggang Iligan...hehehehe

Prepare to be astounded --or mortified -- whichever way it goes...basta, humanda kayo!

NO, You Sick Motherf*cker! Don't Throw that Puppy off the Cliff! NOOOOOOOOOO!

Go to Lenard's blog. Read. Watch the Vid. Cry out in indignation. 'nuff said.

I Love OFWs...

Just read Cito Beltran's column in today's issue of The Philippine Star and I was going: "Correct! COREEEEEEEEEEECT!" (not out loud, or else mabulabog ang UP Main Library hehe)

I agree with Cito's Points 100%. He talked about the lip service the f*cking government pays to OFWs -- regaling them as "modern-day heroes" and whatnot, then contrasted these sweeet, EMPTY words with the way our OFWs are being treated in our very own NAIA. It seems that airline companies hire "baggage interceptors" (meron palang trabahong ganyan?) to apprehend departing travelers who have excess luggage. The hapless traveler then is required to stay within the limits of the allowable baggage and/or luggage.

and suspicion is enough to get you accosted. From what I've read of Beltran's account, the "interceptors" would approach you and have your luggaged weighed to see if you've violated the luggage limit. That's after you have already gone through the check-in counter at the terminal...

What Cito sees as a problem is the brusque (read: BASTOS) manner in which these "interceptors" accost the travelers. Beltran even observed that the ones mostly being targeted by these "interceptors" are often the OFWs -- the luggage of which I am sure are filled to capacity (and excess in most cases) with pasalubongs and every "illegal" (in the Western view) sort of Filipino dish that they could get their hands on, cram into their luggage, and hopefully share with friends back to whatever foreign land they work in. Beltran made the sarcastic observation that well-dressed, "professional", "powerful looking" travelers -- and foreigners, I'm sure of it -- are rarely targeted for violating the luggage limits.

Masama na nga na binabastos tayong mga Pilipino sa mga airport sa ibang bansa, dito pa sa sariling bansa natin -- sa mismong international airport dito sa Pilipinas? Leche!

As someone who owes his life, upbringing, and continuing education to OFWs, let me say this:

MGA LINTE KAMO NGA MGA HIJO DE PUTA KAMO NGA AIRPORT PERSONNEL! MAHUYA KAMO SA GINAHIMO NIYO SA PAREHO NIYO PILIPINO! BISAN DYUTAY LANG NGA RESPETO SA MGA OBRERO NGA GINAHINGADLAN SANG LINTE NGA GOBYERNO NGA MGA "BAYANI" WALA GID? HUYA-HUYA MAN SA KALAG NIYO! LIHOG LANG AH!