job hunting

This morning, I attended my first job fair. No matter how hard I try to avoid, I got to witness spunky PR members from various call center companies luring the innocent young minds of soon-to-be graduates. Oh, the nowhere accents of the sent agents just filled the waiting area. I did not particularly know why but my hands got clammy. It must be the summer heat that challenged everybody’s deodorant. Or something that I ate hours ago. Or it must be something else; something like the very first day I reported the different types of hog in front of a class back in elementary.

Fast forward to 9o’clock this morning, I suddenly found myself staring at a tarpaulin, a bunch of résumés at hand, and said to my companion: “it was really fast, noh?” All I got was a nod from him. Indeed, time went by in lightning speed that I was already reading one of the qualifications printed in the tarpaulin if I am willing to be assigned in different places across the country. Wow, when was the last time I stared or read at such notice? I cannot even remember.

At the same spot where I was sitting, I felt sad that I wouldn’t be reporting about the different types of hog any longer but would be facing a lot of its kind in a workplace someday. And I meant “sad” in the truest sense of the word. Work? Me, work? Jumping bullfrogs, I imagined I would be lounging by the beach, a glass of four seasons beside me, trying to get a tan while reading a book that’s not endorsed by Oprah!

It just dawned upon me that school ended—well, officially for us graduating students—but what’s next? Why was I attending this fair when I had already decided to rest, completely rest, for a month that would hopefully not become into five months? I do not know. I submitted two résumés to two hungry job employers and left.

As of the moment, what really matters to me is that on Sunday, March 22, I will be walking down the lane with something Latin called out with my name. Thank goodness, I made it.

words. ink. paint.

Yesterday, March 15, I opened my first solo exhibit.

But why is it called Lines Verses Lines? It is a simple play of words on how to describe my works; lines on the canvas and lines on the paper. Lines could also mean the singular unit of structure that make up a stanza, make up a poem. Of course, the verse refers to the poems while some of my poems refer to a visual artwork. I just have the urge to infuse two fields of art, visual and literary, to present in one show and Lines Verses Lines is the result.

What I really want to say right now is “thanks.” Thanks because the exhibit opened very fine (although I didn’t see some expected people), thanks because both familiar and unfamiliar faces appeared, and thanks because it happened. It was one great birthday and graduation gift for me (the exhibit ends on my birthday, March 29).

To everyone who is involved in this first major undertaking, I’d humbly say that though the stars can never be reached at all times, there is the moon that will always sympathize and share light. And I believe all of you are the closest moons around. To Moses Atega, Budjai Dollente, Phillippe Credo, Ms. Carmen Cabrera, Bambi Yap, and many others, daghang salamat.

More pictures of the event here.

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call for submission of manuscripts to the 1st j. elizalde navarro workshop for criticism on the arts

The University of Santo Tomas Varsitarian is now accepting applications to the 1st J. Elizalde Navarro Workshop for Criticism on the Arts to be held April 19-25, 2009 in Baguio City.

This National Workshop in honor of Nationalist Artist for the Visual Arts and art critic J. Elizalde Navarro is offering ten fellowships to promising young critics who would like to enhance their analytical skills. Fellows will be provided free board and lodging for the duration of the workshop, and transportation cost from Manila to Baguio and vice versa.

To be considered for the fellowship, applicants should submit a scholarly, properly documented critical essay (seven- to twelve-pages, double-spaced, 12-point font) on any of the art forms (literature, painting, sculpture, architecture, dance, drama or music) on or before March 31, 2009.

Manuscripts should be submitted in hard copy and on CD, preferably in MS Word, together with a resumé, a recommendation letter from an academic mentor or a literary/art critic, a certification that the works are original, and two 2X2 ID pictures.

Address all applications to Ferdinand M. Lopez and Ralph Semino Galán, Faculty of Arts and Letters, University of Santo Tomas, España Street, Sampaloc , Manila.

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salamin

Ang tingin niya sa akin, tingin ko rin sa kanya.
Hinahanap sa lahat ng okasyon kahit kaarawan man ni Lola.
Kinahihiligan ang paggaya-gaya,
Wari’y walang iniisip na problema.

Kung ano ang tinatangkilik, hindi niya pinapansin,
At kung tinatawag naman, hindi siya umaamin.
Mabuti pa siya, walang masasakit na damdamin,
Pero huwag kalimutang siya’y mababasag din.

* * *

This was written seven years ago by a gangly first year high school student—me. If not for Lawrence, a hoarder to anything literary, I shouldn’t have known this poem is published in Home Life magazine (August 2008) whose poetry editor is Outstanding Sillimanian Awardee for Creative Writing and Palanca Hall of Famer Mr. Leoncio Deriada. I didn't even have a copy of this if not for Lawrence's initiative to send me a photo of my poem in the mag. I am still in shock but, at least, it makes me smile tonight.

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workshop changes

Now on its 48th year, the oldest creative writing in Asia is in for a major overhaul. The original three-week fellowship stay of the Dumaguete (or Silliman) National Writers Workshop is cut down into two weeks. Is this another indication of the global economic crisis or just plain human lethargy? You decide. At least I was lucky to be included in last year's batch.

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a shameless plug

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call for submission of manuscripts to the 48th silliman national writers workshop

The Dumaguete National Writers Workshop is now accepting applications for the 48th National Writers’ Workshop to be held May 4-15, 2009 in Dumaguete City. This Writers Workshop is offering fifteen fellowships to promising young writers who would like a chance to hone their craft and refine their style. Fellows will be provided housing, a modest stipend, and a subsidy to partially defray costs of their transportation. To be considered, applicants should submit manuscripts in English on or before March 27, 2009 (seven to ten poems; or three to five short stories; or three to five creative non-fiction essays). Manuscripts should be submitted in hard copy and on CD, preferably in MS Word, together with a resume, a recommendation letter from a literature professor or a writer of national standing, a certification that the works are original, and two 2X2 ID pictures.

Send all applications or requests for information to Department of English and Literature, attention Prof. A.G. Soluta, Chair, Silliman University, 6200 Dumaguete City.For information, please email english@su.edu.ph. Or go to the workshop website.

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parentless

March 13, before Valentine’s Day, was honors day. Luckily, on my fourth year, I still made it to the roster of nanings. You know what a naming is? This is a kind of breed who works very hard to achieve what’s supposed to be achieved for our parents and significant others to be proud of their spent hard-earned monthly salaries. This sounds too negative but positive nevertheless.

But wait. Yesterday, I was lonely. My parents didn’t arrive. Due to weather conditions that troubled daring sea fastcrafts to be slow, my mother and sister went back to their homes in Tagbilaran and called me that they can’t come see me do the walk in the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium. Their trip was cancelled. Okay, I still have my acquaintances to cheer me up. Well, so much for my anticipation to see mum’s face, complaining about my new hairdo.

And yes, my hairdo. This is a blatant projection of narcissism but I just adore the way people stare at it. I may have a few minutes to show it off on stage (and pat SU President Ben S. Malayang at the back for an inside joke) but the cameras, whispers, cheers, and hollers love me. Eat that you boring people!

Next stop: Graduation day.

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tress adieu

The Bullfrog says goodbye. Not to anyone in particular that you know but to his long dark locks. I bid farewell to my hair. It has been four months, trying out style after style until it is tamed by the splendor of cheap headbands. Yes, the red, black, and white ones. The classics. Though some literally cringe at its sight, I have all the pride in the world to flaunt it, parade it for all the people to see every day. Of course, the hair is everyone’s crowning glory and mine is just as precious. But why cut it? I guess it has its fifteen minutes of fame by now. And I need something new to pull off this February. Yes, something extraordinary, something bizarre. Oh, just wait and see.

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2009 maningning miclat poetry award

RULES OF THE CONTEST

1. The contest is open to all poets of all nationalities, age 28 and below.
2. There are three divisions in the awards:
a) Filipino b) English c) Chinese

3. An entry must consist of at least eight (8) but not more than fifteen (15) poems.
4. Authors may join all the divisions but can submit only one (1) entry in every division.
5. All entries should be original in every language and not a translation of another entry.
6. A work which has been awarded a prize in another contest is not qualified for the awards.
Published or unpublished works may be entered in the contest. If published, the date of publication should be within 2008-2009.

7. All entries should be submitted in four (4) copies, double spaced on 8 ½ x 11 inches bond paper with one inch margin on all sides and the page number typed consecutively, e.g., 1 of 10, 2 of 10, and so on.

8. Font should be ARIAL or TIMES NEW ROMAN, and the font size should be 12.

9. Entry should be submitted with pen name only and not real name. Real name and pen name should be submitted in a separate sealed envelope together with a biodata, copy of birth certificate and a notarized declaration of originality and authenticity of authorship of the entry.

10. Entries must be addressed to the Maningning Miclat Art Foundation, Inc. (MMAFI) , 2/F, Mile long Building, Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village, Makati City not later than April 15, 2009. Entries sent by mail or courier should be postmarked/invoiced not later than April 1, 2009.

11. Entries submitted via e-mail should be an RTF (Rich Text Format) or a Word Document file and should be sent as an attachment together with the author’s biodata and copy of birth certificate and notarized certification of originality or authenticity of authorship of entry. The original copy of the notarized certification should then be sent to MMAFI thru mail. Entries submitted via e-mail should be transmitted not later than April 15, 2009.

12. Submitted copies of winning entries shall remain with and become the property of MMAFI. Copyright of the works remains with the author but the latter grants, assigns and transfers into MMAFI the right without necessity of any payment other than the prize which may have been awarded to publish any winning entry or selection or portion thereof as it may at its discretion determine; to make the work available for downloading on the Internet or other electronic medium; and /or to allow students to make copies for research or in connection with their school requirements.

13. Plagiarism is anathema to the contest and MMAFI has the right of action against the author, if it may be later on discovered that said person is not the creator or owner of the copyright to the winning work. The Foundation shall not be liable to any court action if a third party files a case against the winner who plagiarized the work of the said third party.

14. There will only be one Grand Prize winner for each division and the prize is
PhP 28,000.00 and a Julie Lluch sculpture trophy per winning entry.

15. The Board of Judges shall have the discretion not to award any prize if in its judgment no meritorious entry had been submitted.

16. MMAFI has the sole right to designate the persons who shall constitute the Board of Judges in each division of the contest. The decision of the majority of the Board of Judges in all divisions shall be final.

The names of the winners and the members of the Board of Judges shall be announced on September 12, 2009.

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i agree

Carnivale

(September 2003 - March 2005)

This beautiful period drama, set during the great Depression, sank deep into the never-ending battle between good and evil, all against the backdrop of a traveling carnival. It boasted the most unique set of characters we'd seen since "Twin Peaks," and some of the most confusing storytelling we'd seen since that show as well. But just because we were sometimes baffled doesn't mean it wasn't compelling TV. This ambitious, artistic series set out to unfold its complete drama over six seasons but was cut short after only two, leaving us scratching our heads even more.

- By Angel Cohn, The Best Brilliant But Cancelled Dramas of the Decade

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out of site

When was the last time I posted something here? Ages. Yes, ages. I don’t know what to say anymore. My brain is deep-fried! Papers here, university registrar failure there, and plans here, graduation there, I am mentally and physically exhausted that putting in a short blog is one glorious achievement. And the result of such strenuous activities? I am officially an asthmatic after knowing that wheezing sounds in the chest and heavy dark bags under my eyes don’t go well together. This is inaugurated last February 23 in the midst of a commissioned painting exhibit, an upcoming literary folio launching, a responsibility in the forthcoming Arts Month celebration and a tiresome thesis workout. Well, good luck to me. I just wish I could get through this all well and above average.*

*sounding a bit like Darth Vader.

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16th iligan national writers workshop call for submission

The National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), the Mindanao Creative Writers Group, Inc., and the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension (OVCRE) are accepting applications from writers to the 16th Iligan National Writers Workshop (INWW) to be held on May 25-29, 2009 in Iligan City.

Sixteen (16) slots, five each from Luzon and Visayas and six from Mindanao are available for writing fellowships to the INWW. Of the slots for Mindanao, one (1) is for the Manuel T. Buenafe Writing Fellowship for Muslim or Lumad applicants.

Applicants are required to submit five poems; or, one short story; or, for the novel, a summary and 2 chapters for the work-in-progress; and, a one-act play in Filipino, English or in Cebuano.

For entries in Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, Waray and Chavacano, translations in English are required. Please submit along with the application form two, 2X2 photos. The application form may be downloaded from this site. Please submit a hard copy and a CD with the manuscripts encoded in MS Word97. Unpublished works are preferred. Applicants must have attended at least one regional/local writers workshop, no exceptions.*

Writing fellows will be given free board and lodging and a travel allowance. Applications must be postmarked on or before February 15, 2009. No applications or manuscripts will be accepted if sent after postmarked dates or by fax or e-mail.

Applicants are also advised to keep copies of their manuscripts since these will not be returned. Send all applications to the 16th INWW Director, Christine F. Godinez-Ortega c/o OVCRE, MSU-IIT, Iligan City. For more information contact Pat Cruz or Alice Bartolome or Cherly Adlawan, tels. (063) 3516131; or e-mail: patcruz@yahoo.com /

cherlyadlawan@yahoo.com /

aliciabartolome@yahoo.com.

*now this is something new. I wonder why they have changed the rules.

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9th iyas creative writing workshop

(Click on the image to enlarge.)

guilt-free

Pit Señor! Viva Pit Señor!

This line has droned into my ears for a couple of hours. I even think I still have that jovial electricity running in my bones right now. Last weekend, I and Marianne have finally attended a Sinulog festival. The experience is worth it. It’s not because my eyes have been served with sights of actors, politicians, and heavily decorated Cebuanos parading the streets on a semi-hot Sunday morning (miraculously, it’s not that hot). It is the people I am with and have met that make the whole festival unforgettable. What more, they make libre and make us buhi for two days! The only times we pull our wallets out from their comfort zones: ibog-ibog moments.

From malling, resto-hopping, window-shopping, to pure lounging and lazing around, we have separated ourselves from the academic routine that has plagued our minds for months. We scream, “We need a break!” (Actually, I did have a reason to visit the province. I needed something not found in Dumdum).

We’ve met familiar faces from the university publication, have seen new faces from different crowds, and have met people who we least expected to meet. Some have even made for themselves “effective” tour guides, persuading us to walk for kilometers just to reach a drinking pub that is crowded with yuppies and the not-so yuppies. Relatively, every single step in that trip is fine. The bottom line for this experience is that we truly love employed “friends.” Till next time!

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2009 golden globe winners

I’ve seen this movie just last month and it's more than "good." Stripped off the usual Hollywood fare, it makes me question why can’t Filipinos create a film as good as this? And to underline that it’s really great, it wins all four major nominations in the 2009 Golden Globe Awards. The movie is “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Amazingly, Kate Winslet wins both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for “Revolutionary Road” and “The Reader” respectively. Mickey Rourke, Colin Farrell, Sally Hawkins and Heath Ledger receive the other film acting honors and "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan delivers a speech on the late Ledger’s behalf.

The positive early buzz for the movie “Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a dud though. It didn’t receive any awards.

Best Motion Picture - Drama

Slumdog Millionaire *WINNER

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

The Reader

Revolutionary Road

Best Motion Picture - Comedy

Vicky Cristina Barcelona *WINNER

Burn After Reading

Happy-Go-LuckyIn Bruges

Mamma Mia!

Best Performance By An Actress
In a Motion Picture – Drama

Kate Winslet ("Revolutionary Road") *WINNER

Anne Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married")

Angelina Jolie ("Changeling")

Meryl Streep ("Doubt")

Kristin Scott Thomas ("I've Loved You So Long")

Best Performance By An Actor
In a Motion Picture – Drama

Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler") *WINNER

Leonardo DiCaprio ("Revolutionary Road")

Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon")

Sean Penn ("Milk")

Brad Pitt ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button")

Best Performance By An Actress
In a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical

Sally Hawkins ("Happy-Go-Lucky") *WINNER

Rebecca Hall ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona")

Frances McDormand ("Burn After Reading")

Meryl Streep ("Mamma Mia!")

Emma Thompson ("Last Chance Harvey")

Best Performance By An Actor
In a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical

Colin Farrell ("In Bruges") *WINNER

Javier Bardem ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona")

James Franco ("Pineapple Express")

Brendan Gleeson ("In Bruges")

Dustin Hoffman ("Last Chance Harvey")

Best Performance By An Actress
In a Supporting Role In a Motion Picture

Kate Winslet ("The Reader") *WINNER

Amy Adams ("Doubt")

Penelope Cruz ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona")

Viola Davis ("Doubt")

Marisa Tomei ("The Wrestler")

Best Performance By An Actor
In a Supporting Role In a Motion Picture

Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight") *WINNER

Tom Cruise ("Tropic Thunder")

Robert Downey Jr. ("Tropic Thunder")

Ralph Fiennes ("The Duchess")

Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Doubt")

Best Director - Motion Picture

Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire") *WINNER

Stephen Daldry ("The Reader")

David Fincher ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button")

Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon")

Sam Mendes ("Revolutionary Road")

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire") *WINNER

David Hare ("The Reader")

Peter Morgan ("Frost/Nixon")

Eric Roth ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button")

John Patrick Shanley ("Doubt")

Best Animated Feature Film

Wall-E *WINNER

Bolt

Kung Fu Panda

Best Foreign Language Film

Waltz with Bashir (Israel) *WINNER

The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany

)Everlasting Moments (Sweden)

Gomorra (Italy)

I've Loved You So Long (France)

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

R. Rahman ("Slumdog Millionaire") *WINNER

Alexandre Desplat ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button")

Clint Eastwood ("Changeling")

James Newton Howard ("Defiance")

Hans Zimmer ("Frost/Nixon")

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

"The Wrestler" from "The Wrestler" *WINNER

"Down to Earth" from "Wall-E"

"Gran Torino" from "Gran Torino"

"I Thought I Lost You" from "Bolt"

"Once in a Lifetime" from "Cadillac Records"

Best Television Series - Drama

Mad Men *WINNER

Dexter

House

In Treatment

True Blood

Best Performance By An Actress
in a Television Series – Drama

Anna Paquin ("True Blood") *WINNER

Sally Field ("Brothers and Sisters")

Mariska Hargitay ("Law and Order: SVU")

January Jones ("Mad Men")

Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer")

Best Performance By An Actor
in a Television Series – Drama

Gabriel Byrne ("In Treatment") *WINNER

Michael Hall ("Dexter")

Jon Hamm ("Mad Men")

Hugh Laurie ("House")

Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("The Tudors")

Best Television Series – Comedy/Musical

30 Rock *WINNER

Californication

Entourage

The Office

Weeds

Best Performance By An Actress
in a Television Series –Comedy/Musical

Tina Fey ("30 Rock") *WINNER

Christina Applegate ("Samantha Who?")

America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty")

Debra Messing ("The Starter Wife")

Mary-Louise Parker ("Weeds")

Best Performance By An Actor
in a Television Series – Comedy/Musical

Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock") *WINNER

Steve Carell ("The Office")

Kevin Connolly ("Entourage")

David Duchovny ("Californication")

Tony Shalhoub ("Monk")

Best Mini-Series or TV Movie

John Adams (HBO) *WINNER

A Raisin in the Sun (ABC)

Bernard and Doris (HBO)

Cranford (PBS)

Recount (HBO)

Best Performance By An Actress In a Mini-Series/TV Movie

Laura Linney ("John Adams") *WINNER

Judi Dench ("Cranford")

Catherine Keener ("An American Crime")

Shirley Maclaine ("Coco Chanel")

Susan Sarandon ("Bernard and Doris")

Best Performance By An Actor In a Mini-Series/TV Movie

Paul Giamatti ("John Adams") *WINNER

Ralph Fiennes ("Bernard and Doris")

Kevin Spacey ("Recount")

Kiefer Sutherland ("24: Redemption")

Tom Wilkinson ("Recount")

Best Performance By An Actress In a Supporting Role
In a Series/Mini-Series/TV Movie

Laura Dern ("Recount") *WINNER

Eileen Atkins ("Cranford")

Melissa George ("In Treatment")

Rachel Griffiths ("Brothers and Sisters")

Dianne Wiest ("In Treatment")

Best Performance By An Actor In a Supporting Role
In a Series/Mini-Series/TV Movie

Tom Wilkinson ("John Adams") *WINNER

Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother")

Denis Leary ("Recount")

Jeremy Piven ("Entourage")

Blair Underwood ("In Treatment")

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getting better

I am two places behind from my classmates. But I know my work will have a mind of its own (soon) and from then on everything will be a piece of cake. And I want it a Cashew Caramel Crunch! Well, here’s a list of what I’ve sent to my teacher.

Attached in this email are drafts:
1. Outline
2. Abstract
3. Preface
4. Statement, Purpose, and Scope
5. Related Literature
6. Revised Interview Questions

When things are getting better, I’ve just received responses from poets Marjorie Evasco and Christine Godinez-Ortega! What great things to ponder on when some other variables in life start to get a little bit perplexing. Anyhow, let’s just hope that other writers would respond to my questions.

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not just a post to update this blog

"Tire yourself with the bounty of other people's love

and not by the absence of once-held affections."

Jan 11 / 09 (01:14am)

I didn’t really know the drill. The dog followed you and you stopped. It took for a while before you found your senses back and tried to talk with the dog. It barked. It was not a daunting bark but something pleasant. Maybe even polite. This dog is worth keeping, you said to yourself. But you left the dog and continued towards your destination knowing that someone else owned it. But it ran after you, chased you. You stopped again and asked why: Something wrong? Master’s gone? No one to shelter you? You gave the dog a hug. And that was all. But the dog must be so down and dejected it licked your face. How cute. But still, I believed you were thinking that you had no right to own the dog so you left. As you arrived in your place, the dog ran away outside, its padded feet leaving a series of thuds in your heart.

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skeletal

This is not how I look for this brand new year. Actually, it’s the opposite. What is skeletal right now is this paper that I have been trying to work on for the past months. In a few hours, I’ll be back in Dumaguete to face three more months of sharpening and head-knocking before plunging into doom, I mean, plunging into the oh-so “liberating” world of employment. If my paper remains to look like this, I’d probably escape the fate that I might fall in. Good thing? No.

While Rico Blanco is busily screaming about crabs and mechanical rabbits from hell which is then followed by Gnarls Barkley suggesting everyone to run away, I just can’t seem to pull everything in and make a coherent thought out of the chaos floating in my mind. And wait. Never blame Rico and Gnarls for the malnutrition of my project, a project that I must finish before the month of Valentines, because I work more efficiently with noise. For a sole creative writing major in a big university, whose classmates never go beyond the number of seven, it is seriously what I need.

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last post for oh-eight

As I look back, I just can’t believe that the year 2008 is really that tedious. It is tedious but exciting. It even challenged my sanity. Good and bad things have happened, and honestly most of them are, you know, the latter of the two. But I guess this is a good thing. The way things fall has made me delineate what’s supposed to carry and what’s not to carry as we move on. Sheesh, enough of this melodrama year-ender crap. Let’s just continue hopping ‘til the end of days. Merry bullfrogish new year everyone!

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warning: dangerous content

I know this is going to be tough for you guys so grab your bags fast. An involuntary retching might take place. One, two, three, and… Fine. I've just grabbed these from someone's blogsite and the Rayver Cruz-Shaina Magdayao tandem, in my honest opinion, looks cute but this one? This is plain ridiculous! All this hype is making me nauseate.

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gifted

Because my gifts were somehow “still adequate” when put side by side to my nephews’ and nieces’, I enjoyed the night until twelve o’clock strike. While doing so, I sat under the Christmas tree and got myself surrounded with presents from everybody else’s just to internalize the feeling that I am, you know, gifted. Ishamyl!

P.S. The 25th is also my mother's birthday.
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not so wise to be wise

Fred Jordan Mikhail T. Carnice

The Weekly Sillimanian

December 17, 2008

I remember my mother telling me one night not to turn on the Christmas lights I had put up in our garden. I obeyed. When asked why, she just explained that it keeps the carolers away. “So as not to attract them… we are in crisis,” she added in our bisaya language.

Whether it was a stupid joke or not, her words had a relatively beneficial underlying point. We can actually save up energy by doing so. I am not an environmentalist, really. Though I pick up what’s lying on the floor, I do not go the extra mile of cleaning the university grounds of rubbish whenever I pass by them. It’s not being silly—it’s just the right thing that I can do within my mentality’s thinking range. Ironically, I was attending a skill-share program in Boracay while writing this, trying to increase my knowledge on all things green by listening to Greenpeace advocates and fellow SolarGeneration groups from across the country.

The aforementioned training, aside from its focus on saving the planet, suddenly got me into thinking about my mother’s stipulation. It was dumb but clever. I know that energy efficiency was not her main intention but, theoretically considering other possibilities, it might be. She had just campaigned without even knowing. Campaigning for the environment is for a good cause but the question on how it should work and be applied to the general public is the next concern. As for me following my mother’s request of not turning the lights on is one example that her inner persuading ability is in good shape. Influence is the key.

Chris Rose, a British writer who is effectively campaigning strategies on environmental preservation said that “The simplest thing you can do to help [channel] your message is to be direct and straightforward. Forget being clever.” One good example is the movement towards combating climate change. It’s fast influencing a lot of people and I’m sure a portion of them is not involved in direct actions such as rallying in the streets, putting up banners at building walls, and shouting at public areas. Sometimes, these just bring more confusion or, to the last degree, chaos instead of order. At times, there’s definitely no need to be completely radical. And being subtle and silent doesn’t help either.

For instance, there’s Silliman. This coming Christmas break, the university has made a good decision of shutting down its power but what about the students leaving the halls, going back to their homes? Have they heard about this? I’m pretty sure many have disregarded the news and its tremendous benefit on electric power savings. Without the Green Issue of the Weekly Sillimanian last week, many wouldn’t even know that the administration is initiating this plan. I know Christmas is a time of merrymaking and not a lecture session with sweet-talking speakers but I just do pray that in upcoming undertakings, the “higher beings” would at least give us the hint they’re making a move. There’s no need to be totally intellectual or formal to be understood, and depend every time on people with a nose for publicity. All that’s needed is an operation strongly supported and known by a tiny part of the population. Word of mouth, as always, is a potent means of sustaining and, at the most, achieving a goal.

It’s obvious that campaigning in my mother’s yuletide gospel is way out of context. It just so happened that by doing so she sparked a realization that there is a need to, you know, change. Sounds familiar? Well, it has always been used and its degree of believability these days is doubtful but in my case there are so many happenings around us to believe in it. And that didn’t cost me the time of my life to recognize the call at all. It was that simple.

Fine. Now burn this writer at the stake for his sudden departure of the literary and the issues of homosexuality but it’s never too late to clear up one’s consciousness concerning our dear Earth. Dark and glum future Christmases, I guess, are not part of anyone’s December wish list. I may not be an environmentalist but I am concerned. This way, I could probably light up our Christmas lights earlier than usual next time.

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brilliance in boracay

After a day of listening to each other’s evaluation, enumerating possible superpowers to save the world, and knowing the background of Greenpeace and SolarGeneration, we listened to more discussions by Francis dela Cruz, Beng Reyes Ong, and Amalie Conchele Jamoy-Obusan. From shocking facts concerning the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, policy work to celebrity star power, the skillshare event got more interesting than expected. Especially for an occasion held in Boracay, it was difficult for one’s attention not to float away.

Later on, plan of actions from the different regional SolarGeneration sectors were presented. Joan Meris guided the group planning before the presentations. The suggested activities for 2009 looked more like a feat, a tasking job no one could ever possibly do. But upon closer look, with cooperation from interested people, anything is actually “do-able.” What’s SolarGen if not for the talk about solar panels? No, it’s not like we knew nothing about them but Jeffrey Lazaro and Albert Lozada enlightened us more about the technicalities and their efficient usage. The latter also expounded on green campuses and its implementation all over the country. And an interesting insert: Ever wondered where the satellites that were released by NASA got their energy to keep on working even in space? Well, the sun of course!

The hours continued to move on like the waves of the beach but just like the waves too, we got more persistent into this movement for renewable and efficient energy. In the afternoon, there was no mistaking the tightness and solidarity towards each other. Though jokingly touted as “Destroy the Team Building Exercise,” the activity showed what it meant to work hand in hand to achieve a goal. By night time, after enjoying a sumptuous dinner, we got ready for the planned exhibit at Café Del Mar Resort the following day.

Morning came and we set off to the resort, shared what we learned during the skillshare sessions to people who stick their nose into the exhibit proper. We were not letting them go away with just a fruit shake produced by a solar-powered blender in their hands. We made sure that they knew something beneficial before leaving the beach.

When everything and everyone seemed prepared for next day’s itinerary, we agreed that we needed to distress for a while. We hit the beach and enjoyed countless picture-taking sessions even at night. After all, a bit of moonlight won’t hurt anyone who takes advantage of the sun.

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sunny

Call me a silly caveman now but I am in Boracay, happy and spreading grains of sand in an internet café. I am not here for a vacation but for a good cause, especially that I left Dumaguete in time of prelim examinations and supposedly nonstop thesis workout. But I'm still glad. For the next few days, I'll be staying in a retreat center with the Greenpeace people and Solargen delegates from different regions to discuss on climate change and the need for renewable energy. More news to come, I have to leave kay mahal ang internet!

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small voices no more

About three years ago, I attended my cousin’s wedding. My mother was one of the principal sponsors and I the regular, ever-persistent companion. Held inside a school chapel, voices filled the place that reminded me of old classical movies and an aging church for the aging devout. Typical wedding accessories, I mumbled. Come picture taking time and everything I imagined about the voices proved me wrong. Up above us, I realized that the people singing were children, not adults. I was deeply in awe. After rounds of tugging my mother’s gown, I discovered they were the Loboc Children’s Choir.

Beginnings
Ignored in the past in favor of its neighbors with their urban but highly embellished setting, Bohol lies at the center of the Philippines with its local colors of the past still present in every nook, cranny, and sensibility. One can see it evident in colorful parades or even its firm religious grounding that tricycles got to have a Bible verse painted on each of them. So basically, its interest for history is not depreciating.

Though the potato-shaped province is now rightfully considered one of the top tourist destinations around, there’s more to Bohol than white sand beaches with breathtaking diving sites, wide-eyed tarsiers, colonial churches, Chocolate Hills and calamay. Because twenty-four kilometers from Bohol’s capital city of Tagbilaran, is the town of Loboc that humbly awaits those who seek brilliance. What’s in it? Aside from the fact that it is a home to a generation of singers and composers, it has the Loboc Children’s Choir (LCC).

A simple school choir for town affairs and school activities, the LCC is now among the exceptional singing groups in the country. Now 28 years old since it was founded in 1980 at the Loboc Central Elementary School, the choir, composed of children aged nine to thirteen, has already established for itself a reputation that usually takes a much longer time to achieve. Well, for a town that sustains its vibrancy with rondallas, music bands, a brass symphonic ensemble, and many more choirs, it’s hard not to embrace the youth in its creative culture. Currently, the choir’s music consultant is Mrs. Enriquita Butalid while the conductor is Alma Fernando-Taldo (or better known as “Ma’am Taldo”), teaching and handling English and Character Education for fifth-grade pupils at the Loboc Central Elementary School—the school where it all began.

Glory and Fame
It’s definitely not only the childhood charm and title of being from Loboc that brought the LCC into the national and international limelight. It is, of course, the talent. Their utmost dedication to music, singing local folks songs to upbeat Filipino classics, is the driving force that has made them a three-time National Champion of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) in the Children’s Category. Being in a prestigious competition in the Philippines, the LCC has proven that they are no mere small voices after championing the years of 2001, 1995 and 1993.

Singing with and for well-known people is a common occurrence for them. In 2000, the group represented the country in the International Children's Culture and Arts Festival in Tianjin, China, and held concerts in Beijing and Hong Kong. By 2003 LCC bagged the gold medal in the 6th International Folksongs Festival in Barcelona, Spain for the Youth Category, surpassing the scores of twelve other international choirs. In the local scene, they sung in various major business establishments in Makati and Ayala Alabang with the help of Metropolitan Museum of Manila. Subsequently, this got the attention of Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain that they sang for her with the University of the Philippines Singing Ambassadors during a cultural exchange visit. And just recently, the choir won this year’s ALIW Best Group Concert in the Philippines.

But what is poignant is that their gift is not only shared to the affluent, the award-cognizant elites, the ones who could afford a costly ticket. Because aside from guilded concert halls and auditoriums, they sing for many people who need more love and joy through music and they are found in homes for the aged, hospitals, orphanages, and even prisons. That’s talent for a good cause.

Lasting Birthright
Even if the children right now are not the original batch that has graced the audiences back in 1980, since a child has to “graduate” when he or she reaches the age of fourteen, all of the members leave a legacy that no one could replicate except for the children who got themselves into the choir. If there’s one thing the choir would be proud of, it’s not the bright lights they are in but their passion to uphold musical artistry.

Loboc, where an almost 300-year old Church of St. Peter the Apostle looms over a serene river winding through its heart, is indeed a town as equally remarkable as the feats of the young boys and girls.

Back to my cousin’s wedding, there was no doubt I was entirely in awe. If ever I’d witness them singing again, I am sure they’d still astound me not the way they did three years ago when I discovered that they were children but because, as young as they are, they’ve brought the rich cultural heritage and talents from one of the nation’s rare treasures onto center stage. When a child’s heart sings, anyone would be humbled, especially a fellow Boholano like me.

Writer’s note: The Loboc Children’s Choir is having a concert at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium, Silliman University on December 6, 2008 (Saturday). The matinee show starts at 3 o’clock in the afternoon while the gala starts at 8 o’clock in the evening.

is adam for eve?

Fred Jordan Mikhail T. Carnice

The Weekly Sillimanian

November 26, 2008

Values and ethics are highly esteemed in the Filipino family setting. When a child is born the tradition of goodness and integrity is immediately instilled, nurtured with the ways of what is proper. If the child shows signs of difference, a light spanking on the bottom is enough. But let us get this straight to the point: gays, lesbians, and everyone in between have gotten more than just a spanking for their supposedly “abnormal” nature.

I totally find it dumb that in the eyes of many people nowadays homosexuality is immediately attached to AIDS, a notion that must have taken from European urban legends. Or rather, it’s subjugated to the idea of immorality, related to sin as if all the evils of the world are rolled up into one and resulted either to an Ellen Degeneres or an Arnel Ignacio. Gender roles are now tightly twisted that same sex marriage is seen as a condemnation to mankind. Since it’s copiously deemed as something new to Filipinos, the Bible and one’s conviction are immediately placed at the forefront. “Wala na sa bala-ud” or “Adam is only for Eve and not for Steve!” These are what some of the people with Styrofoam for a brain would say. But wait, aren’t there heavier matters that need more problem solving than cancelling out two people’s plan of marital bond because of their sexual orientation? Well, how about this, aren’t there more straight couples whose lives ended in the drain compared to queer relationships?

The world is going crazy. Even global warming, take note, has already been linked to the roles of women. In Rina Jimenez-David’s column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer written a month ago, it is stated that a forum for climate change mentioned that “the negotiation process tends to be driven by a masculine view of the problem and its solutions. Participation of women in the whole process… is very low…” I am not really sure if this is a good thing, but there are obviously too many demarcations created for a woman to do this and for a man to do that. Specifics are good but when pushed to the limit they can be absurd. It’s just like going to the nearest bookstore and asking a saleslady, “Can I buy a manly magazine here, the glossy one that has large pictures of scantily-clad women, has one free pack of condom usually found at the center page, and costs about a hundred pesos?” Maybe in the coming days, it would no longer be surprising to hear news that reveals being queer will lead to the end of the world. To repeat Jimenez-David’s words, “What does gender have to do with it?”

That’s that. What has homosexuality got to do with the world’s destruction? Is it a deadly disease for the terminally ill? Or is it toxic that a person must be burned at the stakes when they’re found guilty of lack of machismo or daintiness? The church says a lot of contradictory things. If the Bible be followed word for word, doesn’t it say that God loves everyone who accepts his Son? And in Proverbs 8:17, it mentioned “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” So, are gays and lesbians incapable of such emotion and does their belonging to this particular stratum make him or her already a pagan? Heck, no. Pardon the lineup of interrogations but this is only one small step towards a more elaborate debate.

Religion, or one’s faulty grasp of it, has become a tool for sexism, a weapon to arouse phobia. To further underline this word, this is an irrational belief, a disorder that excessively desires to avoid a feared subject. The upshot here is that it’s purely unreasonable. In these dismal circumstances wherein errors have been intentionally blown up for selfish but idiotic reasons, wherein it subsequently brainwashed many people, it’s hard not to keep anyone from closing their eyes, stay blind and deaf from what is true because there’s plenty of badmouthing about the “issue” and only a little is done on clarification. And the media have their fair share of spreading the bad news, too. Most of the time, they sensationalize even the smallest things. Compare two kissing male celebrities for an upcoming art film to the recent natural disaster that has devastated a nearby province and it’s easy to point which has generated the more party poppers and attention.

As the world ages, its inhabitants are ironically getting more stubborn, keeping digression as a replacement for progression like it’s a paradox for sustaining life. I am not saying that by marrying the same sex we effectively catapult our country’s third world standing to the top. Sincerely, it’s just that a lot of people have already been hurt and shunned. And to be listened to and to be understood are the least things we could ask for. To end this, I’d like to add that Adam is not only for Eve. He’s for everyone.