11.29.2007

exciting

Trillanes and company did it again. For whatever reasons, the government neither had the foresight nor the skill to stop them.

I was third year in college when Trillanes and company stormed Oakwood and laid bombs all over the place to make a plea against corruption in government. It was a weekend and I spent the entire day following the developments (like a true-blue journ geek).

Four years later, I am now on my third year in law school, Trillanes and company walked out of a court hearing, marched their way to the Manila Peninsula, held their ground armed with high-powered rifles, until the military came, rammed a tank into the hotel lobby and fired tear gas on everyone.

How did it happen again? That’s just one of the questions. How, in the first place, could the rebel soldiers walk out of a hearing just like that? Didn’t they have security personnel with them? Were they not supposed to be on tight security, knowing fully well what they’re capable of? Where did they get the firearms? And the red armbands? It must have certainly been well-planned. How else to explain the presence of Guingona and other civil society figures?

Now, the Magdalo group is back in custody. Surprisingly, even members of the media have been arrested (I heard my college prof criticizing treatment of the media). There’s a curfew and a gun ban. What’s next?

If I’m malicious-minded, I’ll probably think this is all just a play. You think Trillanes hates GMA so much? I don’t think so. They’re probably lovers. You know, Trillanes plays bad guy so GMA would have reasons to impose Martial Law and they could rule the Philippines forever (insert evil laugh).

But I’m too goody-goody to think of that. Nah, it’s too impossible. Trillanes must really be a well-principled guy who happened to express his views in the wrong venue (then again, who am I say what’s the right venue?). GMA must really be this kapit-tuko president who has weathered several coup attempts and who has managed to stay in power because she’s brilliant (see, the economy?).

Frankly, I don’t know what to think anymore. Call me jaded, but how else should I react? Something tells me though that when history repeats itself, that means you haven’t learned the lesson.

Four years after Magdalo sieged Oakwood, they’re at it again, making the same pleas. Nothing much has changed since then. And you wonder why.

Sadly, people don’t seem to care. At all.

I don’t know what Trillanes was thinking this morning. Nothing happened the first time, why do it again? Did he really think people’s minds have changed?

Perhaps Trillanes was sending another message. He’s already in prison, yet he still managed to restage what he did four years ago, sans the help of grenades and bombs. What else could he possibly do? What could he not do? Matakot ka na Gloria!

Or maybe he was just trying to make our lives exciting. It was quite a spectacle, don’t you think? Another political turmoil and we’re back in the map of the world. We’re on cnn, bbc and al jazeera (never mind fox)! Ooo, how exciting.


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Was glad to see some familiar faces among the media people covering the Manila Pen standoff. Saw Julie, a college blockmate who’s a reporter for the Inquirer, running after Trillanes (what an exercise it must have been). Also saw DJ, a classmate in college who also works for the Inquirer, just outside the bus which brought reporters to Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan (I wonder if he was hauled off to Bicutan, too). I could imagine Kate and Cy doing last minute research at the PDI office in Makati, and Hannah must really be busy at the GMA newsroom. Iris most likely will have a long night tonight at Saksi. Glenn would have his story for Kyodo of course. I’m sure Paul and Nherz will have the showbiz angle over at PEP. Many other brave souls are working hard to keep us, the public, informed, mabasa man ng ulan, matapunan man ng tear gas, makulong man sa Camp Bagong Diwa. Great job guys, I am proud of you. What a noble job indeed.

Times like these I regret having gone to law school. I could’ve been there, right where the action is, telling everyone the story. I don’t even need to see my name on print, or be seen on tv; it’s enough to be there and to be able to tell my grandchildren later on that on this date, at this time, I was there, I saw history unfold right before my own eyes. walter cronkite over justice brandeis, any time.

Where was I today? I was at home trying to finish my readings for a subject on local government. Then I left for school only to find out an hour later that our prof isn’t coming. How very exciting.

On second thought, law school is exciting. You’ve got profs giving 5’s like no one’s studying (uy, bitter), good guys getting booted out of law school just because they’re too good to forum shop (jump from one class to another to choose profs) while others are making a career out of it, and of course, professors bickering over the deanship issue—perfect stuff for campus chismis.

Hmmm, why not put up a tabloid in law? Everyone’s talking about chismis anyway. Why not set the record straight in a tabloid? That way, professors and students alike will have a forum to express their views on who should be dean, or on whatever issue, so they need not post them on the walls of Malcolm or on their blogs. That way, both sides of the issue will be presented—front, left, right, back and center included. That way, information will be double-checked and inaccuracies corrected. And of course, I’ll have something exciting to do. Hmmm…why not?

Now, if only I could think of a fitting name for my tabloid. Suggestions, anyone?


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cross-posted at: driven 2

11.21.2007

life after 5.0

i flunked a 3 unit course last sem. i found out about it when i checked my mail last week. it read: your average is 3.25, the final grade that will be recorded is 5.0.

i refreshed the page hoping to see another grade, but the page showed the same figure. so 5.0 it is.

i stood up, ate supper, and went up to my room. i was ok, i thought. so he did give me a 5.0. so what? the phone rang.

i don't know how she noticed but my tita called to check on me. i didn't look well, she said. she asked if i have a problem. i said no at first. but after some prodding, i burst. i.flunked.nego. suddenly, the world fell apart.

how did i fail? i studied so hard for that subject, more than any other subject perhaps. i read two books. i attended his classes. i studied the entire sem. where did i go wrong?

then i thought about all the efforts i've exerted since first year. the agony of keeping yourself awake to finish your readings, of waking up with swollen eyes, of facing the professor's wrath just to earn yourself decent grades. heck, i wasn't even aiming for laude; i was just hoping to keep those grades decent. now it's all gone, just like that.

my parents called the moment i texted them about it. how do you explain to your parents, who are working abroad to send you to law school, that you flunked a subject? well, i didn't have to explain. they were more worried about me feeling so bad about it that i might not be able to accept it. they knew 90 for me was low in high school and elem. and 2.0 is the only lowest grade i got in college. but 5.0? it's a first. (lang ya, di man lang dumaan ng 3.0 o 4.0)

in fact, they were so worried they called 3 times and texted countless other times just to make sure i'm ok. my tita checked on me twice, suggesting that i go out, but i preferred to stay inside my room. they were perhaps alarmed that i might get depressed. i assured them i'm ok. hell, i'm not going to kill myself over this.

so instead, i took the pieces charivari will sing the next day, and rehearsed until my head hurt. i tried sleeping and when i couldn't, i got up, took a shower and went to mass at 6am. the priest just said it right: despite all things that's happening, good things will come. i felt incredibly light on my walk home. everything will be better, i thought. omnia in bonum.

so off i went to the charivari gig that friday morning for up law's alumni homecoming. afterwards, i invited my friends to watch beowulf. around 15 of us went on a field trip to trinoma.

the next day i watched one more chance with rhea at eastwood.

on sunday, i put down my books and joined a 2-on-2 basketball match with my cousins and my brother. i've been ignoring their invitations for weeks because i had to study. this time around, i had nothing to lose, so i played, sank my first free throw and three point shot in a decade. that's what you call tsamba hehe.

on monday, it was back to school again, the start of the second sem.

if there's anything to be gained from this experience, as my friend/spiritual guide would say, it's that things will never be in your hands all the time. it's also a good way to learn humility and to reexamine what your intentions are. what am i in law school for?

i went to law school because i want to be a lawyer. but i would've wanted to work first, as a journalist, my other passion. i went to law school immediately after college because i passed LAE, and sayang naman if i didn't push through. i studied hard because i was off to a good start, sayang naman if i slacked off. i joined an internship program last summer not because i'm excited to work for a firm but because they only invited the top ten in the batch, sayang naman if i didn't grab the opportunity. and had this not happened, i would probably end up working in a big firm, never mind what i really want to do, because sayang naman if i don't take the job. now i've got nothing to lose. maybe i could finally start doing things i really really want to do, and not because sayang naman.

perhaps i should thank the prof?

well, so many negative things have been said about him. he flunked 30 of us and we never saw our bluebooks and our recit cards. he never showed up to those who wished to talk to him. i honestly don't think talking to him would do any good. and there's so much more i shall not bother to listen to. what for? no matter how bad he is, he is still the prof, who, in up law, is god. and there's nothing we can do about it.

prof. leonen once said, a prof may give you a 5.0 but that should not define you. that may be his impression of you at that particular moment but that doesn't make you a bad or good person that you are.

can't agree more.

i flunked nego, but 5.0 shall not define me. the world did not change and those i love still love me. and yes, avena gave me a 1.75. for me, that's all that matters. (humility is a work in progress hehe.)



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cross-posted at: driven 2

11.13.2007

goofy daw ako?






Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego?
created with QuizFarm.com
You scored as Goofy

Your alter ego is Goofy! You are fun and great to be around, and you are always willing to help others. You arn't worried about embarrassing yourself, so you are one who is more willing to try new things.


Goofy


69%

Pinocchio


56%

Peter Pan


56%

Sleeping Beauty


56%

The Beast


44%

Snow White


25%

Cinderella


19%

Cruella De Ville


13%

Ariel


13%

Donald Duck


6%


11.05.2007

tragic

she had the perfect life: she was young, intelligent, beautiful, talented and successful. but at age 29, charmaine dragun, an australian news anchor, jumped to her death off a cliff in sydney. she left a childhood sweetheart, her family and friends, and strangers like me asking, why?

from wikipedia:

Charmaine Dragun (21 March 1978 – 2 November 2007) was the regular co-anchor of Ten News Perth, Western Australia, 5pm News bulletin. Dragun had also filled in on Ten's nationally broadcast Morning News, Weekend News and presented Ten Late News on Fridays.

Shortly before 4:00pm on Friday, 2 November 2007, Dragun took her own life by jumping from The Gap in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. A Channel Seven news report the following day stated that Dragun was undergoing treatment for depression and had recently changed medication. Police have described the death as not suspicious. Police have confirmed that several witnesses spotted a woman sitting on the cliff before finding her body. Dragun was due to present the 5pm news for Perth and Ten Late News on the day she died. Staff in Perth and Sydney were only informed of her death 15 minutes before the programme was due to air.

Commenting on her death, Network Ten's CEO Grant Blackley said: "Charmaine was a highly intelligent, vibrant and caring person, universally liked and admired by her colleagues. Our deepest sympathies go to her partner, Simon, and her family."






11.04.2007

back on track

i gained something back today. all it took was 3 days of no tv, no internet, no radio.

it feels great to be looking at the bright side again. and to believe once more.