DLSC LITFILI - Final Creative Output #2

Juan Suarez ABCA 3 LITFILI - Finals: Short story Filipino youth can relate to #2 titled “No Class”

“So, what’s it smell like there?” I asked. Val looked around, obviously sniffing the air around her. “Smells like cheese.” answered Val. I smirked. She continued, “And well, the floor’s wooden and they have mostly wooden furniture so it smells like…wood?” she said with a quizzical smile.

I looked at my laptop’s clock then at the live-streaming video call of Val. “Okay then, I gotta go to class. Have fun, eat well, and Valerie, I swear, if you try to have your picture taken with any random Swiss dudes just like those jewelry salesmen in Venice, I will go all the way there and shoot their heads off with a shotgun.” She rolled her eyes, “Ha-ha, sure you will. Ooh, do I smell breakfast? Bye-bye.” With a quick teasing wave at the webcam, she ended the call.

I closed the lid of my laptop and sighed. The sigh wasn’t because the video call with my cousin just ended or that I had to sit through another tedious economics class. It was because I was getting all those warm feelings you get when nostalgia creeps up from the back of your mind. I had asked Val about what it smelled like in Switzerland because I wanted to remember my visit there. Ever since I was a child, scent has been a good memory indicator for me. Switzerland had a scent like cold, high-end marble, the woods, and clean, natural water; Australia, like sunbaked pavement, ocean sand, and mute citrus; Canada, like cold woods, a pack of smoked salmon, and a hint of Febreeze; etc.

I was also a tiny bit envious that Val was spending her summer at her friend’s house in Geneva, Switzerland. Geneva! Switzerland! Ha!--One of the richest countries in Europe and one of the four seats of the United Nations, lowest crime rate in the world too. While I was stuck in the same turtle-paced developing country I’d been in for most of my life. Well, it is on a top list too; most corrupt countries in Southeast Asia—one could make an intelligent guess on corruption’s horrible effects on the nation’s poverty and pollution. If I wasn’t serious about getting a real college diploma quickly, I would have gone with her. I was taking summer classes to speed up my transition through college—there’s always an advantage with finishing anything early, you have more time to do whatever you want after.

My thinking was stalling me again. I stuffed the laptop into my bag and rushed to the front of my house and hopped into the backseat of a sedan. The family driver shut the door and started the fifteen-minute drive to my school, as usual.

I was too tense to take a micro-nap in the car so I just looked out the window. Tree, lamppost, tree, lamppost, fallen tree, broken lamppost; there had been a typhoon recently. A typhoon in early summer, yeah we get that here. Weather’s been “more irregular than usual” for some time now; must be related to global warming.

As the car followed a curve, the afternoon sun nestled itself into my point of view. The glare was too much so I shifted to face the opposite window. This side had rolling hills as eye candy, but not to me. All they had were palm trees, patches of farmland, and the occasional shanty; things I had been seeing all too often. They weren’t sugar coated like the snowy peaks of the great mountains of the Swiss Alps or British Columbia.

I remembered one road trip in Canada; it was in three parts; a long drive in the mainland, a car and passenger ferry, then another long drive in a small, rather well-developed island. All to see a large group of gardens, “Butchart”, I remember it was called. It was nice and all but during the garden tour I was mentally beating myself up over sleeping during the road trip. I should have been watching the cars I didn’t get to see every day pass by with scenery I didn’t get to see every day either as their backdrop. I slept not because I was sleepy, but because during the whole trip I had no choice but to sit beside a local girl, the daughter of our gracious Canadian hosts; they owned the minivan my family was using, the house we were staying in, and toured us around their country while paying for, well, mostly everything. Their daughter’s name escapes me but I’ll never forget her dark brown hair…her piercing hazel eyes…the light spray of freckles across her perfect nose...the feint floral smell that would wisp around her. I found her remarkably intriguing.

I sighed softly. I was younger then, less intelligent--stupid, if you will--. Every time she leaned towards me and tried to start a conversation, I’d get little panic attacks and would end the conversation quickly by giving short, blunt answers. My boyish shyness, stemmed from being shielded too much from the real world by my protective family and one-sided education, ultimately forced me to tilt my car seat backwards, put my baseball cap over my face, cross my arms, and feign sleeping. The smooth feel of the roads and “shampooey” scent of my hair--which stuck to my cap— eventually lulled me to sleep.

Someone nudged my arm. “(Sir, we’re nearing your school.)” my driver announced in the local tongue. I had dozed off. My driver regularly wakes me up when nearing a destination because he knows that waking me up at the destination would result in me frantically putting on my socks, shoes, I.D., and whatever-else, usually making me forget something in the car and messing up its interior, which he keeps spiffy clean.

We had reached my school. He opened the car door; I jumped out and started brisk walking towards my classroom. “(Did you forget anything?)” he asked. I checked my belongings. “(Nothing. Thank you.)” I shouted in reply.

Peeping into my economics classroom, I saw that only half the class was present and the teacher missing. I wiped the sweat off my brow, swung the doors wide open, marched over to my table, and took a seat. Ten minutes passed. “Hrm, waiting for the teacher to arrive again, as usual. What’s new? Maybe it’s not traffic this time, or her sickly son, maybe a giant angry walrus landed on her car.” I jokingly whispered to myself. I closed my eyes and escaped into my memories again.

Ah, airports. Shiny metal chairs occupied by different kinds of people, tiled or carpeted floors, free Wi-Fi and rows of restaurant stalls with exorbitant tourist prices, a Duty-Free, banners advertising tourist spots, ridiculously high ceilings, the sound of roller bags and announcements over the PA system repeated in multiple languages, the scent of burnt jet fuel, carpet, and deodorizers. Airports are one of the few places where I don’t mind waiting, where my mind is at peace. Maybe it’s because I know I’m going somewhere, I have a fixed destination. No doubts or second thoughts. Everything is planned, fixed, in its place.

A familiar, unwelcome, voice pulled me back into my classroom. “Hey buddy, the teacher’s not coming today. She announced it through text message.” It was he whom I named “Stinko” for obvious reasons. The guy always smelled like sweaty armpit. He was in summer class because he had failed a whole lot of classes and was trying to catch up by taking them during the summer. He was assigned as my seatmate, which did marvels for keeping me awake in class.

“(Is it true that class is cancelled?)” I asked another, more credible classmate. “(Yes.)” she replied. “(Thank you.)” I said. She turned away, trying to hide her blushing. I rolled my eyes.

“Cancelled class again, what a wonderful use of time and resources.” I thought sarcastically to myself. Standing up I gathered my belongings and whisked out the door. Stinko skulked out too, trying to follow me. “Hey buddy!” he shouted as I neared the exit. “I need to hitch with you; I’m giving flowers and a concert ticket to Madeline, maybe she’ll finally start appreciating everything I do for her!” As usual, I was disgusted by the guy’s requests. Madeline was way too underage for him both legally and obviously. She never responded to his advances but he couldn’t take a hint. Thinking quickly, I shouted back, “Dude, there’s a test tomorrow in calculus and I have to study so I’m going straight home. Sorry.” He shouted back some curse words, turned towards the elevator and pressed the down button while cussing loudly. Even though there really wasn’t a test in calculus the next day, Stinko wouldn’t remember me telling him there was one because he was oblivious to serious things. He would always brag about how he leeches money off his parents’ company. When I asked him about what he thinks would happen when his parents were gone and he would have to take the reins of the company he would stay silent.

It was a windy late afternoon and I was at the school exit waiting for my driver to show up. You could already see the moon even though the sky was still bright. I breathed deeply. Nothing. No scent. This country never had a characterizing scent for me. Maybe I was so used to it that I never really noticed it. Kind of like how one has a hard time smelling one’s own body odor.

There were a few people at the exit with me. The girl who blushed was there, taking self pictures and loudly talking to her friend about her newly bought expensive phone, detailing its features, exclaiming which celebrities endorsed it, and enumerating all the lunches in school she skipped to save money to buy the phone. I moved farther away from them to lessen the volume of their excited screeches. To my relief they finally hailed a cab and left.

My phone rang. It was outdated but it served its purpose. My driver was on the line telling me that he was near. He arrived after five minutes. I lazily got into the sedan and shut the door myself. “(News from your parents abroad.)” he said. “(The house has finally been built and they mailed several checks for the village dues, mine and the maids’ salaries, and your tuition again. They say you know what to do with the checks.)” “Cheap, decent education” I thought. “The only reason I’m still here.” “(Let’s go.)” I instructed the driver. I just wanted to go home and sleep. I had the rest of my life to look forward to.

Explanation:

Point of View: First Person

Themes: Awareness of others, Forward thinking, Practicality, Importance of knowledge, Take advantage of opportunities, Appreciating the small things, Impulse control, Value of Patience

Symbolisms: Protagonist – Upper-Middle class Filipinos, Sedan/Car – Life/Progress, Valerie – Temptation/Envy, "Grass is greener on the other side" belief, Driver – Knowledge of one's limits, Car door – Life/Choices, Memories – Optimism/Aspirations/Learning from mistakes/Appreciating the small things/ Inability to move on, Sun glare – Time/Deadlines, Economics class – State of nation, Economics teacher – Poor leadership/ Insufficient governance of nation, Stinko – Brash thinking/ Illogical decisions/ Lack of foresight/ Illusion of security, Blushing girl – Media’s effect on youth/Misled youth, Youth's lack of initiative, Moon – Uncertainty, Expensive Phone – Lack of impulse control/Lack of foresight/Pride over logic, Old Phone – Reliability/Practicality/Foresight/ Patience, Rolling of eyes - Selfishness, Presumptuous thinking, Refusal to help, Calculus bluff- People in power complicating things that were originally simple/ Covering tracks

Counter-Historical Data is Hardcoded in us from childhood

No Man’s Land Film Summary

Two wounded soldiers, a Bosniak and a Bosnian Serb, are caught between their lines in the no man's land, in a struggle for survival. The two soldiers confront each other in a trench, where they wait for dark. They trade insults and even find some common ground. Confounding the situation is another wounded Bosniak soldier who wakes from unconsciousness. A land mine had been buried beneath him by the Bosnian Serbs; should he make any move, it would be fatal. A French sergeant of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), gets involved in an effort to help the three trapped soldiers, despite initial orders to the contrary by high command. UNPROFOR's mission in Bosnia was to guard the humanitarian aid convoys, to remain neutral and act as a mere bystander. Luckily, an English reporter arrives on scene, bringing media pressure to bear that moves the United Nations high command to swing in to action to try to save the soldiers. A row between the stressed out and fatigued soldiers gradually escalates even after being rescued. Eventually, the Bosniak shoots the Bosnian Serb and is in turn shot by a U.N. Peacekeeper. After this confrontation, it is found that the mine cannot be defused. The UNPROFOR high command tries to save face: they lie, saying that the Bosniak w/ the mine under him has been saved and they leave the area, along with the reporters and everyone else. In reality, the Bosniak w/ the mine under him is left alone and desolate in the trenches, still immobilized by the mine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides. The main belligerents were the attacking forces of the self-proclaimed Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Croat entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska and Herzeg-Bosnia, who were led and supplied by Serbia and Croatia respectively, and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After watching the film “No Man’s Land”, I thought about how vital communication is to society. Communication between characters in the film caused all the significant events, from the death of the first soldier to the abandonment of the last one. This relates to the real world as miscommunication may cause minor mistakes like burning a steak to major ones, like starting a war.

--Communication also shapes how we see reality, especially with the youth. Take the country's history lessons for example; ever since I was a child history teachers taught me that Filipinos descended from the various mixing of races of people from boats. But my current college lessons teach me that there might have been cavemen living in some local caves way before those boat people arrived.--

The main characters in the film spoke the same language, could sometimes relate to each other, showed minor concern for each other, yet fought on opposing sides. I’m assuming it’s the fault of the way the main characters were raised as children and onwards. They were probably exposed to a society which believed what their leaders said, with little doubts. They ended up as willing subservient people who would even fight and give their lives for a cause they did not truly understand. In the end they ultimately caused each other’s death. This is also like the real world as there are millions of people who are raised improperly to truly benefit from their cognitive abilities. A little coercing, which would reason itself out as the right thing to do and claim to reap generous benefits in the end, can cause these types of people to blindly do what the coercers want them to do.

There were other characters in the film that wanted to help solve the main character’s problems but succeeded in only providing little or no help, or even worsening the situation. These other characters seemed strongly opinionated, trying to achieve what society perceives as the morally good thing to do. They failed in saving the main character’s lives, even causing the death of one. Again, people like these really exist in the world. People trying to do what they can to help others/ the world, but hindered by countless factors things they have no control over.

All this real world relating may seem discomforting for some, but it is the truth and we have to live with it and adapt to it.

Further reading:
1. Bosnian War Chronology: http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/21/idUSL2164446
2. IMDB Film Info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283509/

Everyone's History is Online

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Based on the reading/s of the stories and on the insights you have generated from the discussions in class, write a well-composed essay on the following topics:

1) The major difference/s between past and modern/contemporary life. (ie., in the PH or in Asia)

2) The advantages & disadvantages or the good & the bad of modern life over the ways of the past generation (compared to the first questions, this time you have to place value judgements. (ie., in the PH or in Asia)

3) Based on the stories, and on your experience, how big is the role of technology in our modern lives? What role does it play? What attitude do you have towards it? (i.e., in the PH or in Asia)

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Remember when your parents would tell you how they used to use typewriters or old school whatnot's which required actual work and said you had it easy? Well a good response to that would be saying, "Hey Dad/Mom it's not easy, it's normal."

To all modern Filipinos of my generation, imagine if you had to do a thesis and all you had was a typewriter and a library borrower's card. That would be ridiculously impractical--not to offend--and really stupid. You'd probably end up pissed off, with bruised fingers, a new title as "murderer of paper or Whiteout"(do they still sell that?), and your thesis would probably have somewhat outdated research--to top that off, your Professor(who might've grown up with that stuff) would probably ridicule you.

Society is constantly changing and modernizing. People who fail to follow modernization are usually scorned, left out and tend to form their own groups, ex. hippies, the Amish, poor folk.

The cliche of old (and poor) people having a hard time adapting to or rejecting new tech is sadly true. It has in fact, caused a lot of old, stable businesses to collapse or lose money. Usually at the helm of these businesses are those who have rejected or haven't taken advantage of the wonders of the information age.

With what we have now we can create a virtually limitless number of documents of various formats which can be corrected at any time and shared with people all over the world--all with just a few button presses. This may seem easy, but every other modern person is doing it so it becomes the norm and a sort of "information competition". It is human nature to adapt to survive so why do people burden themselves by sticking to old, less-productive techniques?

A lot of people fear change. Change makes things uncertain, and being the natural control freaks people are, a lot hate change. Take religion for example, notice how a lot of modern countries like Germany and Canada have catholic mass celebrations mostly attended by old folks. Where are the youth? Their access to the world via internet or satellite TV and it's numerous belief systems have probably opened their minds to be more liberal with what they can and don't have to believe in. This effect is slowly happening in Asia--but not as fast mostly due to poverty.

Technology in the information age has really changed how modern people think and react; a small online video of a dictator pointing a gun to a prisoner's head could start a rebellion in weeks, as opposed to the months needed for leaked fliers or hidden radio stations to spread the same info; the same counts for a video of a government official accepting bribe money, he could be deposed(or resign) in days; victims of an earthquake in China, who are usually revealed by it's government a few weeks after the earthquake happening, could receive cash donations within the day they posted an online picture about their ordeal.

History then, was written by a small number of historians and often changed by their prejudices or orders. Today, history is written by everyone.--Asia, a part of the world that isn't truly understood, is opening up.

Sure, new tech may make some people lazy, disconnected with reality, cost them their jobs and reputation but that usually only happens when they misunderstand and abuse modern tech. But these are just a few cons compared to the limitless benefits of modern technology to improve people's lives.

Further Reading:
1. Opinion on adapting to modern tech:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304392704576375473021288898.html
2. Guide to stay in touch with modern tech/society:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/business/retirementspecial/03Tech.html?_r=1
3. Business problems and the information age:
http://www.thesaleslion.com/technology-age-old-excuse-internet-marketing/
5. BBC article with some numbers on old and poor folk not relating to new tech:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4540595.stm
4. Good TED talk about modern tech(new media) making history:
http://www.ted.com/talks/clay_shirky_how_cellphones_twitter_facebook_can_make_history.html

DLSC LITFILI - Two short stories' takes on marriage

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From DLSC Litfili Edu2.0 site:

Critical analyses, i.e comparisons and contrasts between Nick Joaquin's "Summer Solstice" and Aida Rivera-Ford's "Love in the Cornhusks" have reaped rich material for cultural, gender, and class studies. For your fourth blog requirement, compose an essay on cultural or political issues, occurences, problems, etc. related to relationships, sex and marriage.

Use the insights you have gained from our discussions of the above-mentioned stories as take-off points or writing prompts. You may focus on one or more characters, the conflict/s of each story, the theme/s, symbolism, etc. embedded in the stories. You may do a comparison and contrast between the social conditions then and now, or you may talk about cultural differences between regions, countries, religions, etc.

Whatever you choose to do, do some research on your topic. Cite concrete situations, practices, events, etc. and support these with sources.

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An issue seen in both short stories is the question of the purpose of marriage.

In "Summer Solstice", the couple seemed to be followers of the catholic faith. Following the popular generalization and behavior of catholics during the time of the story, the couple were conservative and somewhat good examples of well-mannered catholics. But during the course of the story, the catholic behavior of the married couple was slowly forgotten(temporarily?) due to their exposure to more liberal beliefs which eventually awakened their natural carnal desires. Marriage in this story was like some sort of handicapping rule which gives the couples gender-biased roles and dictates how they should think, speak, and behave.

Is that what marriage is for? To implement a certain way of life on couples? Why did people allow themselves to follow this seemingly inhibiting marriage trend? Perhaps to fit in with the norms of their society? Or maybe they believed the rule to be just a guideline for their faith?

In modern times, with the wane of the church's hold on nation governing, marriage isn't that restricting anymore, with gender-biased roles becoming less prominent and couples free to show all the affection they want. Some people have even forgone traditional religious marriage rites altogether and have just opted to be called "partners" and/or usually get marriage licenses.
In "Love in the Cornhusks" with the main character choosing to stick to her marriage partner to ensure a more secure future for herself and her child, marriage is seen as a fallback or support for those that need what marriage is popularly known to supply, love, belonging, and material possessions.

Since the story was about a woman who might have conceived a child without the forethought of its implications then having to marry as a solution for material(and possible psychological) problems, marriage was definitely portrayed as a fallback.

These days, when unintentional pregnancies happen the woman usually looks to the man for support and the man may give it or just disappear; resulting in the woman looking for other means of support(i.e. marrying someone else) or having an abortion.

In both stories marriage is an official unity of man and woman; but for what other--real-- reasons they marry is up to the author and reader to decide.

More information:
1. Christian marriage - Encyclopedia
2. Christian gender-based duties of a husband and wife - From a holy book, I think
3. Church's wants on sex after marriage - Mixture of news and opinion
4. What is a marriage license? - Encyclopedia
5. Regarding single-parenting - Casual info
6. Specific on single-motherhood - Lots of research
7. More on live-in partners - Simple, short, understandable

LITFILI blog #3 - Collective to Individualistic

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from DLSC Litfili edu20 site:

LITFILI blog #3

One of the shared characteristics of the first few stories we have taken up in class is the prevailing sense of community among the characters. The emphasis placed on relationships within the family and close ties with the immediate
community are themes we focused on in analyzing "My Father Goes to Court," "How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife" and "The Mats."

On the other hand, the last two stories (both post-war) have elements that seem to signal, a shift from a collective mindset to a more individualistic one. In your blog entry:

1) Identify and explain thoroughly what aspects or elements in both "Divide by Two" and "The Bread of Salt" demonstrate this seeming shift from collective culture to a more individualistic one.

2) Analyze whether the modern Philippine society (or Asian, Korean, etc., i.e. your native culture) is collective or individualistic. Cite concrete situations, practices, events, etc. and support these with sources. What do you think are the causes of this? Is it a necessary change?
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In "Divide by Two", the main couple don't seem to have a strong relationship due to individual differences in interests and personality. Also, the woman is very aggressive with her opinions, imposing them on the man nonstop until he settles her demands. This is different from the first three stories which had couples with few differences and were usually harmonious. The women were also a little blank, and at a lesser rank with little influence compared to the men.

In the Bread of Salt the boy seemed to be thinking (for himself) a little more than kids his age. He also might have transitioned from "the boy who unquestionably obeys his guardians" to the "boy who unquestionably obeys himself"; independence and individualism--The strong point here is when the boy makes money on his own by working, then buying something for himself. Unlike the first three stories which had kids who didn't display much thinking for themselves, just doing what their parents wanted them to do.

Majority of the inhabitants of the "modern" Philippines may be collective. Since majority of the inhabitants of the Philippines are in poverty and have poor education, they probably have a limited ability to really think for themselves.

"Modern" because poverty and poor education is already embedded into Philippine culture that giving a cellphone to a poor kid who will keep it and learn how to use it, will make him, and others like him, classify himself as "modern" Filipino--they probably won't start using green technology, blogging, or getting worldly jobs any time soon so that's as modern as they can get for now. I suppose I could call the middle-to-upper-class youth who use the internet a lot, prefer new media, are aware of their individual rights, aren't easily swayed by religious things etc., "modern" Filipinos, but they are a minority and cannot be used to represent the Philippines' real populous.

Collective, since most of their behavior and how they see reality is dictated to them through media, usually television. Things like fiestas (with lots of the locals--usually kids--dancing traditional dances in sync), protests (with MOST of the protesters joining in for money, free food, a chance to be seen on TV, because their peers are there(crowd mentality), because of a belief/cause they didn't have the ability to analyze well (most Philippine public schools have poor ratings) or because their religious leaders said so (Philippine politics isn't that separated from the Church, unlike other modern political structures).

A change is needed because with individuality comes intelligence. The ability to think for oneself, knowing one's talents and limits, seeing the truth. This has the potential to decrease the number of unemployed, unmotivated, "unmindful of their actions(long-term)", people. Which in turn might help elevate the Philippines.

Supporting Info:
1. Philippine education poor ratings (ABS-CBN News): http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/06/14/11/philippine-education-ranked-poor
2. Possible solutions for education's poor ratings met with more problems, related to "unmindful of their actions(long-term)", people due to mention of more births: http://www.fnf.org.ph/liberalopinion/crisis-public-education-philippines.htm
3. About Mob/Crowd Mentality: http://pcij.org/stories/mob-mentality/
4. Philippine politics and the Church (Inquirer News): http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20080725-150482/Separating-Church-and-State-fact-from-fiction
5. More opinions about #4: http://filipinofreethinkers.org/2009/11/11/philippine-politics-and-the-church/

DLSC LITFILI: 2nd Blog Post: How My Brother Leon/Mats

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From DLSC Litfili edu20 site:

The last two short stories, Manuel Arguilla's How My Brother Leon Brought Home A Wife and Francisco Arcellana's The Mats involve what one might term "traditional" Filipino families. Both were also written before World War II.

Choose at least one of the following writing guidelines for your blog post:

1. Pick out one or more common themes or elements from both stories. Discuss what interests you about this/these themes or elements. Do they still occur/exist in the context of the modern family?

2. Compare and contrast the dynamics or relations between families then and now, or between families of different cultures.

For either topic, you will need to draw on relevant materials, such as news articles, blog entries, online videos, advertising, trends, threads and conversations, etc. to prove your point.

Your opinions and insights are important in the grading of this assignment, but don't forget to cite or link to your sources/references.

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One of the common themes almost always included in Filipino stories just like How My Brother Leon Brought Home A Wife by Manuel Arguilla and The Mats by Francisco Arcellana is the closeness of the Filipino family.

The stories feature families whose members are usually in good or understanding terms with each other. The families usually live under one roof. The parents usually support each other and their children, even when the children are old enough to be independent but are not due to their upbringing. The whole "family first" mentality is a result of the over-reliance of the members of the family with each other.

These things have been happening for such a long time that it has become a part of Philippine culture and has shaped the Philippines; for better or for worse; into what it is now.

Modern Filipino families still practice such behavior, mostly because it is hard-coded into their brains because it is most likely how the leaders of the family, the parents, were raised.

It has a lot of good and bad effects. The obvious good effects being learning to respect and realize the value one's family, and teamwork values. The bad effects are less obvious; the lack of independence of a child resulting in submissiveness, lack of identity, over-reliance, and possible single-mindedness and subservience to the parents, and an ill-journeyed or delayed transition into real adulthood. The "Family first" mentality may even contribute to the Philippines' rampant corruption due to the creation of political dynasties (appointing family members, even if ill-qualified, to political positions) and prioritizing family over the proper and effective governing of an entire country.

I doubt the Filipino mentality regarding family will change anytime soon, so if left unchecked, the Philippines won't change either, for quite some time.

Supporting articles regarding Filipino family values:
1.http://www.eastwestcenter.org/sites/default/files/private/POPwp10808.pdf -Formal study
2.http://antipinoy.com/failed-family-values/ -A tad extreme but has good points
3.http://countrystudies.us/philippines/41.htm -Includes religion

Supporting articles regarding Philippine political dynasties and corruption:
1.http://carlosconde.com/2007/05/12/family-dynasties-bind-politics-in-philippines/ -New York Times Article
2.http://globalbalita.com/2011/political-dynasties-still-dominate-congress/ -Philippine Star Article
3.http://kuro-kuro.org/archives/5201 -A Filipino blogger's opinions, good insight

DLSC LITFILI - My Father Goes to Court by Carlos Bulosan

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From DLSC LITFILI edu20 site:

"Harsh living conditions and racial discrimination might be the motivations behind Bulosan's (re)imagination or reconstruction of "Filipino" in his fiction. Cite similar but more contemporary events/trends of image building among Filipinos (filmmakers, artists, writers, celebrities, politicians and other key figures, or ordinary citizens via social media). What are the popular images being created to represent national identity?

Draw on relevant materials, such as news articles, blog entries, online videos, advertising, trends, threads and conversations, etc. to prove your point.

Your opinions and insights is important in the grading of this assignment, but don't forget to cite or link to your sources/references."

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My answer:

I think that popular images being created by Filipinos to represent their national identity can mostly be seen in Filipino media, especially in broadcast, film, and electronic media.

The forever-popular-to-the-masses television game and talent shows are the closest I can (and prefer to) get to being in touch with the real Filipino people. These shows do not hide the fact that majority of Filipinos are not educated well. Heck, the shows seemingly take advantage of this. It DOES help draw an audience I suppose.

Example: The answer is "Astronaut".

Several clues were given, such as:

-Starts with the letter "A"

-People who have this job work in space

-People who have this job wear space suits

The only answer out of 8(!) real Filipino adults

-A...(stuttering)...Atlantic!!

Okay, I was reeeeaaalllyy trying not to watch, but I just had to yell "#&$^!" at the television.

Talent shows typically have dancers and singers, groups or individuals, nothing special, for me anyway, typically typical. But there was this one contestant sometime ago on "Pilipinas Got Talent", an official policeman in full uniform was dancing some kind of robot dance. He was really working for it;sweating like crazy, and the crowd loved it; laughing and cheering. But I don't think it helped the image of Philippine law enforcement and discipline much. Since he was in uniform, he represented Philippine law enforcement, and the law is supposed to be feared and respected for proper order, not smiled and laughed at for dancing.

Popular televised Philippine dramas are usually dreamy, sugar-coated, full-of-heartthrobs-for-the-typical-young-Filipino, often campy, feature fictitious lives of social classes above the masses and when-some-characters-get-mad-or-serious-they-suddenly-speak-in-English(?).

Yeah, understood, it's a drama, this sells to most, what's new? But still, it has the tendency to strengthen the beliefs of the masses that English is the language of the rich, lowering national pride somewhat and widening the gap of rich and poor.

Even Filipino stars don't help much with national pride with certain hosts of game shows exclaiming "Sosyal!" when someone speaks in English or the topic has something to do with anything of higher standards than the masses. "Sosyal" means high class or "Ooh, rich." in modern Fil lingo.

Regarding electronic media, the popular Mikey Bustos videos are received rather well by Filipinos. He makes fun of Philippine behavior by reenacting it with some exaggerations, recording it, and uploading it on Youtube. Based on my observations, something is usually made fun of due to it being different from the norm (abnormal, defective).

In conclusion, (and, well, to summarize the little mess up there)

Popular images being created to represent modern Filipino national identity are, if broken down to basics, are those of happy, dancing Filipinos who laugh at their shortcomings.

Philippines, one of the happiest countries in the world: SITE

Sample of Mikey Bustos Video: LINK

DLSC VIDPROD - Bonus Points: Cinemalaya 2011 "Isda" Reaction/Review

So I watched the 2011 Cinemalaya Film "Isda (Fable of the Fish)" in Ayala Greenbelt last July and well, do you see that picture up there? That was my expression after seeing the film. Before I entered the cinema my expression was "Mildly Angry". So I suppose that pic of me with a "Loathing Self-pity" expression is somewhat of an improvement.

Anyway, here's my summary of the film (Didn't remember the names of the characters, wanted to forget them anyway. I could search the net, but I want to keep this review as honest as possible):

In a poor shanty town located near a huge dump site: A Young Man escorts his Female Cousin and her Bald Husband towards their new home. They encounter a father holding his son hostage with a knife, the police subdue him. They reach their new home and discuss the rent with the Landlady.

The Bald Husband gets a job at as an "Shaved Ice Dispensing Machine Operator". He finds a Stray Cat on his way home and keeps it as a pet. He makes some friends and drinks with them. The father who held his son hostage was released and is also his friend. The father taunts the Bald Husband that he might be incapable of making his wife pregnant, causing the Bald Husband to lose his temper.

The Female Cousin tidies up their home, goes around town and makes friends, plays bingo with her new friends (through their conversation and facial expressions, this is where we learn that she really wants to have a child), then goes home and cooks some fish soup for herself and her Bald Husband. She also likes inviting someone else's child over for lunch (implying that she really wants a kid). She finds out that the Landlady is pregnant and a hint of jealousy is seen.

The Bald Husband gets sick, misses work, and gets fired. His Wife has to salvage things in the dump site and sell them to barely pay for their rent. They really lack money because they bought an electric fan. The Landlady and the Wife's Cousin lend them money for the Bald Husband's medicine.

The Bald Husband gets well and seemingly cannot find another job so both of them are forced to find things in the dump site which are good enough to sell.

The Wife suddenly gets pregnant.

During a strong typhoon the wife gives birth to a male Fish. (This is where the cinema crowd laughed and I gagged)

The Bald Husband gets angry and stops speaking to his Wife. The Wife and Fish become a phenomena in the town. A TV newswoman visits the town to interview the Wife. The Bald Husband Threatens them with a machete. They get the interview anyway.

The Husband starts drinking more often. The Wife stops cooking Fish soup. She catches her Bald Husband eating fried fish with his friends and scolds him about showing respect to their "son". He scolds her back saying that if he ate pork all the time he'd get hypertension. The wife gets angry and turns over the table of the Bald Husband.

The pet cat attacks the Fish, but the Wife arrives in time and rushes the Fish to the Hospital begging the staff to treat her "son" (This is again, where the cinema crowd laughed and I gagged). The Wife then rushes the Fish to a vet and the vet stitches the Fish. When the Wife gets home she beats the cat and throws it out of the house.

The Wife invites the vet, the newswoman, Landlady, and some other people over for the Fish's baptism but the priest would not allow it (this part made me think though, aren't you supposed to get the approval for a baptism before inviting people over?). The Bald Husband does not want his wife to feel too much shame so he puts some holy water in a bottle and gives it to his Wife. That night, the Wife, the vet, the newswoman, and some other people hold their own baptism for the Fish in the Wife and Bald Husband s home.

One day while the Bald Husband is scavenging in the dump site, he finds a dead body. He gets the body's shoes. The Wife comes along and tells the Bald Husband to tell the police, but the Bald Husband says not yet because he is still searching the dead guy for valuable things. They find a bag full of money nearby.

The couple become a bit wealthier; they have better clothes, the Bald Husband gets a nice watch, they open a meat shop, they get a better house. Their new house has a nursery with a big aquarium for the Fish.

The vet inspects the Fish and says it needs to get out of the house more. The Wife and Landlady then take the Fish, put it in an aquarium in a stroller and give it a tour around Rizal Park. (again the cinema crowd laughs but I just give a sigh or resignation)

The Husband still does not accept the Fish as his child. He still drinks a lot. One day he gets the Fish in a plastic bag and is about to throw it in a river but has a change of heart. He goes home and the Wife grabs the Fish from him and returns it in the aquarium.

It is early morning, the Wife leaves early to prepare for the Fish's birthday party. The Bald Husband is asleep. A fire starts in the house. The Bald Husband wakes up and runs into the heart of the burning inferno of their home to save the Fish.

The wife gets back to her burned down home and finds both the Bald Husband and Fish dead.

The End.

No. I did not like the film. Not my type. Honestly, I have never wanted to use the words "WTF" before, but I had to struggle to stop myself from yelling it the whole time after the show. "WTF" was practically dangling from my tongue, prodding my gullet with hot irons, and demanding that I allow it to leap out of my mouth whenever I tried to speak that night.

The film reminded me of a comment an old friend of mine jokingly told me some time ago, "Brokeback Mountain is a great film, a touching love story, just imagine one of the gay dudes is a girl and you'll see how good the movie is."

--Ugh. I didn't see Brokeback Mountain by the way, and hopefully never will.--Unless it's assigned as homework well then, yippee....*gunshot*

So, following that formula, even if I replaced the Fish in "Isda" with a child with some sort of defect that makes him unacceptable in society and the rest of the story is about his struggles, I still would not like it. Maybe it's because I don't like films about people giving birth to animals. Or maybe it's because I never really enjoyed local films, especially local films about the problems of less-fortunate people. Although, I do like international films about the struggles of less-fortunate people like Hotel Rwanda and City of God. Hmm, so...yeah, Isda's absurdity and local shanty scene just put me off.

...

To give some positive notes, I'm going to have to look at "Isda" fom the point of view of someone who doesn't mind studying poetry, hanging out at art museums, and watching metaphorical art films, oh right, and someone who needs to relate video production lessons with it.

Okay, so it wasn't a bad film. It had a setting that fit, alright characters, the plot and theme fitted in alright with the rest, and the cinematography was good.

The characters fit their roles. They acted well and looked the part.

The Wife was serious that the Fish was her son the whole time. Even though the cinema crowd laughed, the film was dead serious, no intentional comedic moments. I suppose the Wife brought the Fish to the hospital because she didn't know about vets yet.

The film's message is about being happy with what you have and accepting yourself and others.

Set design was good, but sometimes, parts of the shanty looked too clean.

Cinematography was good; scenes were established well, you always knew where and when something was happening. The 180 degree rule was followed, a normal viewer would not get lost visually.

Numerous times though, an indoor dark scene would quickly transition into an overly bright outdoor scene and vice-versa; this would daze my eyes and cause me to squint until my eyes adjusted to the lighting.

All in all, a good art film.

It won an award, right? Good for it.

...

*Gag, choke, choke.