hiligaynon blues

Kahimtangan

By: Dalisay

Naga-dulum na,

Nagapalapit na ang gab-i...

Nagasakay ako upod sa akon tiyo,

Sa iya salakyan papuli.

Mahipos sa sulod sang salakyan,

May problema, makapoy.

Samtang nagalantaw ako sa bintana,

Nakita ko ang isa ka salakyan nga pribado

Nga gulpi lang nag liko

Kag dutayan lang nabunggu-an

Ang isa ka traysikad.

Naghibi ako kag na-akig.

Nasubu-an ako

Sa kahimtangan sang traysikad drayber.

Na-akig ako

Sa mga tawo nga ara sa poder.

Nagyuhum ako...

Magabato ako,

Magabato kita!

p.s.

Pasensya, sang high school ko pa ni gin sulat. Una nga testing sa Ilonggo nga Literatura. Proud gid ako sa tula nga ni, amu na nga nag desisyon ako nga una sya nga ibutang sa akon nga blog. Para abi sa akon mabudlay mag sulat sa Ilonggo, sang naka ubra ako isa ka tula, nalipay gid takun! Hahaha! :D

Naka base sa tuod nga kabuhi. :) Natabo ini isa ka hapon sang gapa puli kami sang tiyo ko halin sa Rm9.

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Long Live Ka Tingting.

September is just around the corner. :) September has always been an important month for me, on the 11th is my birthday and LFS' anniversary, on the 17th is KL's birthday, on the 21st is Martial Law's anniversary which usually means a big mobilization and lastly on the 30th my aunt's death anniversary.

As tribute, I will post one of her poems here. Later, I will tell her story. For now, I hope you guys will like this.

Language of Reality

By: Mary Gene Dumaplin

They speak of distance

In hours to walk

Or in the length

Of bamboo poles.

Not in units of measurement.

They talk of space

In units of how many chupas

Or gantas of palay seeds

Can fill the land.

Not in acres.

They talk of red-letter days

In terms of full moons and

Harvest seasons.

Not calendars.

They talk of time

By the angles of shadows.

Not by wall clocks

Or wristwatches.

They name places after objects

And events easy for them

To describe, and close for them

To remember.

They tell of colors

In association with flowers

And butterflies.

Not by established names

Artists have known.

They talk of love

In the silence of emotion.

Not through love letters,

Chocolates and roses.

They talk of peace

In the midst of a raging war:

That there can't be one

Without a protracted

People's war.

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A bitch slap to male chauvinism.

Last week was absolutely hectic. I was so busy I was not able to join the Blog Action Day which was hosted by Anakbayan. I felt really bad. However, if I find some time, I'll make a late entry. I promise.

Anyway, I noticed that a lot of bloggers are posting poetry in their blogs lately. I thought that I should join in the trend. I've always loved poetry and I'll try and whip some of my old poems and post it here in blogger. As of now though, due to limited time, I'll just take some of the poems that I made as notes in Facebook and post it here.

Copy-paste, easy peasy. Hahaha!! :D So here's one that I found from panitikan.com, I absolutely love the writer's sarcasm. I think it's refreshing and out of the box. Satire in its most glorious form.

A Prayer of Great Expectations

By: Fanny H. Ba. Llego

There’s no doubt about it I need to get hitched:

I need someone to scratch me whenever I itch

Or give me a backrub whenever I want it

(Who’ll pout only a little when someone else does it);

Someone on whom I can vent all my frustrations

And who is supportive in trying situations;

Who’ll extol all my virtues, forget all my faults

And would always submit to my sexual assaults;

Who’ll bring up my children the way they should be

Yet still be entirely devoted to me,

Who’ll always obey me, my word being law,

My logic perfect, my thinking, without flaw,

My sexy cheerleader, housekeeper, accountant,

Secretary, nursemaid, unflagging assistant;

Brought up and moulded to think that success

Is found in the home: nothing more, nothing else.

O, Mother Goddess, I need in my life

A man willing to be the perfect little wife!

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On to the lighter side...

This entry was especially made for some announcements. Hehehe... :)

First in the list is that my mom read some of my entries a few days back. She told me that I was using words like stupid and dumb way too much. Naturally, I did a double take. I re-read all my entries (thank god I'm a baby blogger!) and came to the conclusion that my mom was overreacting. Of course, I am biased, it is my work after all.

Anyway, I have decided to refrain or lessen my use of such terms. From now on, I'll try and write about things on the lighter side. I am turning over a new leaf. Hahaha! :D

Second, despite my decision on writing lighter topics, I will not compromise articles about activism, social issues and the revolution. I'll write about them just the same. :) I know, most who stumble upon my blog will not easily appreciate such entries but I stand firm on grounds that these entries are important and necessary. So I ask readers to read with an open mind. I am open for discussions if some of you have questions on certain topics. (epal! as if marami akong readers! hehehe...)

Third, there is a Blog Action Protest this coming Wednesday, August 18, 2010. The issue is about Hacienda Luisita and a recent agreement formed by the Aquino-Cojuangco family. Anyway, click here for more information. Bloggers unite! ^_^

Lastly, I am currently tweaking my gallery tab. I'll be adding more pictures very soon and I'll be adding two or more pages for additional pictures not related to the dump site motif. I'm no photographer but what the heck, if you've got nothing to do, time to spare, and bandwidth to burn, do try and check them out. ;)

Comments on my pictures can be posted here on this entry. (again, epal!!) Hahaha! :D

That'll be all for now. Happy Monday to all! ^_^

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konek konek

Warning: If you haven't seen National Geographic's Live Curious commercial, you will not appreciate this entry. :)

If you are, you feel. If you feel, you hurt. If you hurt, you know pain.

If you know pain, you know discrimination. If you know discrimination, you know oppression.

If you know oppression, you know poverty. If you know poverty, you know hunger.

If you know hunger, you will start to question society.

If you question, you learn about activism. If you learn, you see the need to fight.

If you start fighting, you will understand the people's struggle.

If you understand, you become a revolutionary. And if you become, so shall others.

If others become, the enemy will know fear. If the enemy is afraid, they will strike us hard.

If they strike, WE ARE READY.

Living Curious is not enough.

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popcorn, mahjong and beer

I had a great weekend so, I wanted to brag este... blog about it. :)

Friday

Henden didn't have school last Friday so my weekend started early. :) Now, since we're both flat broke we spent most of the day at home watching two and a half men episodes and just hanging out. No biggie, nothing special but perfect nonetheless. [awwwwwww. barf.]

Anyway despite our perfect afternoon we got bored and later decided to watch a movie despite our financial set-up. I know, boredom makes you do insane things. I'm sorry mom! :p hehe...

However, I needed to check on my little sister first. So, before going to the mall we decided to stop by my aunt's place. It was drizzling but its been drizzling for days so, we didn't pay any attention to the rain. While walking I decided to take a short cut, one I am not familiar with. Well, big surprise - we got lost and since we're not known in that area the dogs weren't exactly friendly. This was a problem because, in order to figure out where we are, we needed to circle the place. The dogs won't let us. [bad dog!] To top it off, it rained BIG TIME. :D We got drenched, we got lost and we had fun.

We found my aunt's place, dried off, made sure my little sister is all set for the weekend and then we went to the mall.

We decided to watch The Sorcerer's Apprentice. We wanted to catch the last full show (lfs). Henden and I are fond of last full shows mainly because we usually watch movies on an impulse. Like last Friday.

Anyway, since we are short on cash we settled on buying popcorn for snacks instead of our usual, which is: pizzas + chocolates + donuts + chips and drinks. Pigging out while watching a movie is an absolute delight. Hahaha! :D

The movie was good and we both enjoyed it. We had fun and it felt good. We stopped by UP and bought chicken skin barbecues. We talked about the movie and walked for a little while, we discussed dinner, talked about the movie some more and, with popcorn cheese stained hands, we went home. That was the beginning of a great weekend.

Saturday

A small family get together was decided on Saturday. My aunt bought lechon (roasted pig) and my other aunt cooked ginata-an nga lukon (big shrimps with coconut milk). We all had lunch, we talked, we gossiped and we played mahjong! :D

Mahjong is a Chinese game and I don't know the English translation for it. Anyway, mahjong is always present during our family gatherings. Ask anyone, it's a guilty pleasure. We used to play until the wee hours. Some drink lots of coffee just to stay awake and play. You can say we are addicted. :)

We burned the afternoon playing mahjong. We ate snacks, drank coffee, talked about issues, gossiped about people and their lives, laughed and then laughed some more. They bought ice cold beer, perfect for early afternoon gossip. However, it started to rain really hard around 5 and we were forced to stop playing. Our garage roof was leaking and we were all starting to get wet. We watched the kids play under the rain and by 6:30 everyone was preparing to leave for home.

Nanay cooked home made lechon paksiw (from the leftover lechon) and after everyone had gone home we ate dinner. We tidied up the house, chatted about the day's events then went to sleep.

I won exactly 3 pesos and 75 centavos from playing mahjong. :) Not bad eh? Hahaha!

Sunday

We had visitors last Sunday - family that were not able to join last Saturday.

My day started out normal. I went about my day like I always do. Chores, Ilaya responsibilities, dog responsibilities and host (since we have visitors) responsibilities. Later more family arrived and they bought snacks. We pigged out on arroz caldo, siomai, siopao and ice cold coke.

It might sound boring to others but I like such weekends. It was relaxing. However, two things screwed up my Sunday, there was a black out (from 6am-5pm) and Henden went home to Miami. :(

We hung out at our backyard and as usual chatted about mundane things that amuse us. It was pretty laid back until the beer came.

We started drinking after dinner. The initial plan was to drink a bottle or two, catch up and then home for our visitors, sleep for us. Several empty beer bottles later we decided to drink some more because it was so much fun. Hehehe! :)

Nothing beats beer, family and good conversation. We talked about love, life, sex, the revolution, our hung ups and bitterness, our happiness. We discussed the need for psych sessions and which Psychiatrist is the cheapest in town. We talked about how we hated and love each other at the same time. We gossiped about comrades whom we secretly hate. [smirk] We talked about art, photography and our dreams. It was a night worth getting pissed drunk for.

At midnight we all decided to stop and get some sleep. Class starts early Monday morning and we all have parent-ish duties. Before going to bed, I made Henden a note saying how the night could have been perfect with him in it. I told him to wake me up before going to school because I want to kiss him good morning. I slept. :)

It rained that night. It rained hard.

Monday

I woke up, saw Henden at our room's door. I saw him read the note. I saw him smile, saw him galloped (yep, like a horse) to our bed. I was horrified, he was gleeful. He kissed me good morning, morning breath and all.

Weekends. Weekdays. Perfect. Sigh. ;p

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yellow butterflies

I am listening to Glee's album. They are singing U2's One.

There's a dead wasp on my floor.

Carpenters are building a new house on the lot next to ours.

My dogs are barking like crazy. They are both white and furry. Their names are Spice and Lucifer.

I will have a job interview tonight at 7pm. I will also take an online exam for another freelance writer job.

I hate my Barangay, the Videoke Bar next door is driving me nuts.

I want to eat cake, donuts, kamote cue, kalamayhati or anything with lots of sugar.

I hate and love our house at the same time. We have lots of rats and cockroaches at night.

My laptop's name is em-em. My laptop is gay and he/she hates me. I think my SMART Bro is high. My connection's been very erratic.

There's a pink alarm clock on my table.

I sleep with a jungle knife under my pillow. It was made by a Tumanduk (an indigenous group found here in Panay). It was a gift from my late aunt Toto Mary Gene. She gave it to me when I was in second grade. She said I will use it someday when I join ranks with the revolutionaries. I never did, life happened.

Jump, jump, jump!

I am scared of blood. I get dizzy and puke my ass out every time I see it. I can't swallow tablets or capsules (medicine). I know, I am odd.

I do not own furniture, not one. I will build a house someday.

I like to believe I'm smart and most of the time I feel as if I am.

I hate wet weather. My whole body itches if it rains, I think it's an allergy.

I love golden afternoons. I think it is the perfect time of the day. I love to read books during golden afternoons. I've been reading Marxism after Marx. It is not a fun book. I want to buy a Kiko Machine Komix, the red one.

I am craving for cheese popcorn. I suddenly remembered Pure, a friend from UP. Hahaha!! :D UP's bird is a parrot. I love UP.

I really should stop blogging and clean our trash can. Our helper is sick, she went out to get a massage. I want to get a massage too.

I dream't about songs last night. When I woke up I thought it's going to be a great day. I was right. Music is a mood lifter.

There's dog poop outside my window. Chores are piling up. Sigh.

I love my sister. She's gonna graduate valedictorian, at least I hope she will.

I miss Henden. Horror. I should sweep my room's floor.

I have 5 new underwears. Might not mean much to others but I'm happy.

I don't buy gadgets, I buy appliances. I don't buy clothes, I buy groceries. I don't go out on dates, I buy kitchen needs.

My dog Spice is not white anymore, he's brown.

Love, love, love. Henden and I have two necklaces with wooden clenched fists as pendants. It was a gift from Tita Angie and Tita Naty when they went to Baguio.

My corkboard is filled with Ilaya's drawings and bills.

I miss yellow butterflies. They used to be so common. Now, I haven't seen a single one for years. I will use yellow butterflies on my wedding.

Henden has a yellow screw driver too. Yellow, yellow, yellow, Kris Aquino. Pfffft. My aunt likes her. I think I do too. [angal?]

I should really buy a brush for em-em and those thingiemagigs to clean him/her. I should buy flea powder for my dogs. Crisis. Sigh.

Are you not entertained? Shark's Tale.

Blog. End. Random.

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God is a revolutionary.

Yes dear reader, I will talk about God and a theory I just came up with. Hehehe... :) Now, I have no intention to step on people's toes, this is merely a theory and, mind you, a possible one. So please read with an open mind. :)

Remember when religious people used to say that life is a challenge, that God is testing our faith, that God is checking out which people are worthy to be accepted to his kingdom/paradise. Let's say that they're right, life is indeed God's test. However, they failed to see the instructions. [I was trying to sound clever by making a metaphor, I guess I failed. :( ]

Anyway, imagine that Religion is actually part of the test and that the correct answer is to not follow it. Yep, you got it. What if God wants us to defy Religion, to be a better person and stand up against it. God is all-knowing, he knew Religion would commit a lot of screw-ups and he was hoping we'll read between the lines and realize our mistake (to follow Religion).

If God is real he wouldn't be an anti-feminist. God will not tolerate discrimination against women. He would want equal rights because he knows this is the right thing to do. Religion has a different point of view. All throughout history we know of the exploits of the church and we know how they treated women. Even now, discrimination of women is still present.

When I was in high school, I told my Christian Living teacher that the Catholic Church is not open to change. She said I was wrong so, I challenged her. I asked her what would be the church's reaction if I suggested that it is high time for the world to have a woman priest/priestess/babaylan. She said it is not possible because only men have the right to serve God as a priest. The reason? Because man is created in God's image despite the fact that God has no gender or sexuality. We are not given the same right because we have vaginas instead of penises.

If God is real he wouldn't be anti-gay. He would recognize the right of all people to love and be loved. He would know that everyone should be given a chance to build a family with whomever they choose. If God is real, he would believe that love is love no matter the sexual preference.

We all know that most Religion is against homosexuality. They believe that it is immoral. It is against God's will because it is not natural. Hell, that bloody argument is as stupid as it is wrong. Several years back the church declared that the Earth is flat and the center of the universe - was this natural? They burned scientists alive - was this natural? They burned and hanged "witches" - was this natural? Now that you think of it, is there anything about the church that's natural? And who has the right to declare what’s natural and what’s not? The church?

If God is real he wouldn't be anti-science. He would recognize the legitimacy of the existence of dinosaurs because it was his creation. [Duh!] Did it ever occur to you that he made such amazing creatures as proof of his awesomeness? Hehehe.. :D

If God is real, he would have made sure that Science would progress because it will help people see the beauty and vastness of the world, the universe, and of life down to the smallest detail. You don't believe me? Buy a microscope and see for yourself. :)

Religion on the other hand has repeatedly brushed Science aside all throughout our history. If burning scientists alive is not enough proof then let us add censorship of practically everything scientific, judgmental statements against scientific findings, and outright attacks to the scientific community.

If God is real he would not let his name be used to colonize and enslave a country for 333 years. He would not go against the people’s struggle for freedom. If God is here he will join ranks with the oppressed and fight for true democracy. He will clench his fist, raised it up high and demand for greater state subsidy. If God is real he is a revolutionary.

He will not stand idly by and preach bullshit like: blessed are the poor, it’s okay to be poor, it is God’s will, or it is okay to suffer for you will someday be rewarded in heaven. If God is real he does not want his people to suffer, he does not want his people to die of hunger and he does not want his people chained.

Religion does not represent God for it does not represent the people.

Let us pray…

God if you are real, help your people see the truth,

Give them courage, give them strength.

God if you are real, help them understand,

For war is fast approaching.

God if you are real, hear my prayer through battle cries and bullets.

For I shall fight alongside your people.

God if you are real, help us paint the horizons red.

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one social stigma at a time

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss is a liar. No one can really be who they are. No one can truly be themselves. We are all part of a society and we all follow a social contract. We follow social norms, social rules that make our lives miserable but convenient. We fear the different and we judge outcasts.

If you try and base it on Science there’s actually a logical explanation for it. According to Genetics, if you maintain a nice/civil/helpful relationship with people within your community, chances are people will help you in times of need. This will ensure the safety and survival of your genes/bloodline. So, our genes are telling us to be good to thy neighbor. :) Hahaha!

I hate social stigmas and I hate feigning care towards people whom I'd rather see dead. However, like all people in the world I am forced to do so. We all do it, at home, at school, in the office, at the market even at church (it happens). But just for fun, let’s say we can truly break free from social stigmas, that we have enough courage to alienate ourselves, here are a few suggestions to help you make a head start.

1.People are not wines. Not all people get better with age. We should totally get over the idea that old people are always wiser than the young. Most of us respect our elders out of fear and convenience because if we don’t, a gruesome sermon will follow. We are more than capable of thinking and we should be able to make decisions on our own. Remember just because they think its best doesn’t necessarily mean it’s best for us.

2.Being kind to nosy neighbors. In Philippine society, gossip is very popular. If you live in a small Barangay (it’s a Filipino term for village), gossip is very hard to ignore or get away from. No matter how hard you try to keep a low profile, people will eventually talk about you. Most of us hate nosy neighbors but do we give them a piece of our mind? No, we maintain a polite and civil relationship with them. We pretend that we are not affected and we say to ourselves that by being civil we are better than them, educated. This of course is a facade. We care and we’re angry as hell and we would like nothing more but to scream expletives to them.

3.Feigning stupidity for your boss or supervisor. Most of us have experienced this. We have all worked for dumb bosses one way or the other and most of the time, when they give out criticisms you know they’re only doing it because they can. They like to do it, it promotes superiority. So to be a good employee you pretend that their criticisms are valid. You bow down your head and say: “I’m sorry. I’ll work harder.” You pretend that you are indeed incapable of doing a good job and that you need their superior guidance and intellect to guide you. Deep down, you just want to kick their asses.

4.Giving stuff to leeches – most of which are family. :) Come on, this is true. We all love our family but let’s face it, some of them are leeches. Picture this: your sister just arrived from Hong Kong; she’s been working there for 4 years as a domestic helper. Before she arrived aunts and uncles (who live in the same Barangay) never visit your house. However, when your sister arrived they start visiting everyday. They always have excuses to come and visit. Like, they want to give you mangoes, they suddenly miss you, they need to borrow some books etc. Some are very talented actors, upon entering the house they’ll suddenly exclaim: “Oh! You’re here? When did you get back? What a surprise! I missed you!” [insert rolling eyes here] Leeches don’t deserve charity, they don’t!

5.Pretense for friends. I believe all of us are guilty of such crime. All of us went through puberty. [smirk] We’ll pretend we like a particular type of music, a fashion statement, a book, anything as long as it helps us blend in the crowd. When a friend is in trouble we tell them we care and we understand. We’ll give out fake apologies. We’ll put on fake plastic smiles and establish fake camaraderie. Admittedly some are sincere but honestly most are lying.

At the end, I still maintain my belief that none can truly show who they are unless society is changed. So, let us change society by breaking one social stigma at a time. :)

We have made laws, laws of conventional behavior, built walls around ourselves, and we can’t see them, because they’re part of our thinking. –Shevek, "The Dispossessed"

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