I had a great time wandering along the shore in Guimaras last Saturday… sort of unwinding myself from the pressures of work. My friends told me ahead that the place (Guisi Resort) is good… and when I saw it laid before my very eyes, ‘good’ is an understatement.
At least for me….
I loved the place because it made me free up my mind. As far as I can remember, it was only last Saturday when I got so excited to take a dip in the sea (by the way, I dunno how to swim so we might as well call it “dippin’”). You’ll enjoy the beach’s clear and blue water, save for its stony bottom. It was painful sometimes…I mean being hurt by the stones. But given the fact that you are there to enjoy with friends, pain can be ignored.
But the real fun experience was when we went to the hill where the lighthouse is located. I thought it was just an ordinary place, but when I was there, it changed. There’s this 18th century ruined house. I dunno why but I liked it for the feeling it gave me after. To some it might be just a piece of crap… but to me and my friends, that was something worth telling about in the future. (I just knew that my co-teacher and her grandparents used to live there.) The house has a traditional design, with very thick brick walls and a hallway that leads to the old lighthouse. From the house you can see the blue seascape, a sight so good and so refreshing.
I said to myself that if there’s one place I’d ever go to, even alone, it would be that place because I can do whatever (maybe except doing Facebook or downloading films from torrent sites). The night that we were there was a very memorable night for us friends. We made noise and enjoyed over some drinks… although it was quite unexpected that we slept before midnight struck knowing that most of us were nocturnal. Nonetheless, that was still great because the day after, the fun continued.
The trip was damn great. How I wish I could go back there this year… I just so love the beach… and the place…
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Getting an 'F' in the effin' subject called liFe
From a personal standpoint, our life, whether it is well-lived or not, is measured by how complicated it is. A simple one might be good as it gives you no worries, no stress. But a complicated one might be too burdensome to carry yet presents you with more opportunities for learning and growth. With that said, I think it’s clear that life being complicated is a good thing.
Yes. That’s what I have thought of after watching the film It’s Complicated. This movie starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Carrel chronicles the story of a divorced couple who have been leading separate lives for 10 years. The guy is married to a woman 25 years younger than he is while the woman stays single and happy with their 3 children.
But things change when their son graduates from the university. They are trapped in a situation where their love – physical…later emotional – for each other is rekindled. The whole thing is kept as a secret to their children, except for their son-in-law who has seen them checking at a hotel and kissing in the elevator. It gets complicated when the woman finds another man who happens to be her architect and when the man left his second wife for his first.
In the end, nobody ends up with anybody. The woman refuses to get back with her ex-husband while the man she has met also refuses to give his relationship with her a go because he thinks her marital affair with her husband is not really over.
Enough with the story… what I personally love about this film is its realistic attack. I mean it’s more possible for a couple to end up not being together. They may enjoy each other’s company for some time, but time will come that they say it’s quite impossible to bring back the old times. Most films would tackle this kind of story with a much happier ending like they start to be together again or something. For that, I love it because it deviates from what’s common.
Another thing that I want to commend is the fact that older actors such as the three main characters are able to pull off a good production about a theme that is so young and teeny in nature. I watch, though not often, romantic films, but when I saw this film this afternoon, I had the same feeling as when I watch a love story.
Going back to life’s complicated-ness. I always admire those who have the most intricate situations but still come out happy and content. They are the manifestations of faith and strength, to the very sense of these words. They might have given up, but they choose to continue and learn from the marks of their hardship.
At times, I can’t help but think whether I should be thankful or not for having a simple life. I always tell my friends and my students how boring my life is. Yes! If complications are to be our gauge, then I’m surely getting an F in the effin’ subject called LIFE…
Friday, January 8, 2010
Inglourious Basterds
Ever since I watched the Hilary Swank starrer ‘Freedom Writers,’ I have started to like Holocaust movies. This was followed by ‘Life is Beautiful,’ ‘The Boy in Striped Pajamas,’ and other related films. Two days ago, I happened to watch a 2009 independent film ‘Inglourious Basterds.’ It’s not a Holocaust film, but I must say that the film hit me for because its like a reversed Holocaust.
This movie chronicles the story of Shosanna Dreyfus, a Jewish refugee who escaped death after she saw her family brutally killed by a Colonel. Years go by after her family’s demise, she appears as the owner of a theater where she meets a war hero whose life story is soon to come out in a movie. The young soldier becomes smitten by her beauty that he decides to show the premiere of his film at her cinema. Shosanna agrees to use her place as the venue not for the sake of the war hero but for the fatal plan she has conceived.
In the course of the story, the existence of a group of Jewish-American soldiers in the Nazi-occupied France who were notoriously feared for scalping and brutally killing Nazis is revealed. This group, led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), connives with Shosanna in plotting their massive attack against the Nazis. The plot is to wait for the Nazis to gather at the movie and lock them up at the latter part of the film showing. Then, burn them alive – a replica of what they have done to the Jews.
In the end, Shosanna dies with the Nazis in her cinema, but knowing that her plan of vengeance is carried out, she’s a victor.
The film is well-crafted; it’s divided into five chapters showing different but related scenes. The war scenes are not many, yet it appears awful when the scalping done by the Basterds is shown.
What I like about it is the development of the story… it is shown in an orderly fashion yet with a good twist… something that keeps you thinking what’s gonna happen next. And of course, knowing that this is a Quentin Tarantino film, who would never like it?
This movie chronicles the story of Shosanna Dreyfus, a Jewish refugee who escaped death after she saw her family brutally killed by a Colonel. Years go by after her family’s demise, she appears as the owner of a theater where she meets a war hero whose life story is soon to come out in a movie. The young soldier becomes smitten by her beauty that he decides to show the premiere of his film at her cinema. Shosanna agrees to use her place as the venue not for the sake of the war hero but for the fatal plan she has conceived.
In the course of the story, the existence of a group of Jewish-American soldiers in the Nazi-occupied France who were notoriously feared for scalping and brutally killing Nazis is revealed. This group, led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), connives with Shosanna in plotting their massive attack against the Nazis. The plot is to wait for the Nazis to gather at the movie and lock them up at the latter part of the film showing. Then, burn them alive – a replica of what they have done to the Jews.
In the end, Shosanna dies with the Nazis in her cinema, but knowing that her plan of vengeance is carried out, she’s a victor.
The film is well-crafted; it’s divided into five chapters showing different but related scenes. The war scenes are not many, yet it appears awful when the scalping done by the Basterds is shown.
What I like about it is the development of the story… it is shown in an orderly fashion yet with a good twist… something that keeps you thinking what’s gonna happen next. And of course, knowing that this is a Quentin Tarantino film, who would never like it?
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
11.24.2009
I had a chance to talk with Craig in the last two hours of my shift today. Basically, the conversation was done to discuss his feedback on the first blog post (proposed, I must say) I made with Hyzent’s help (and thanks to Theresa who is the source of the article).
The conversation was long, but what we have covered in the article was too short. Bottom line: it is a ‘must’ for one to devote plenty of quality time to whatever he is doing.
Here’s a rundown of what I have learned from Craig tonight:
Make sure you always connect the thought of the entire article to the title and the lead-in paragraph. Unity of idea is needed in any writing activity. And it is more needed in the kind of writing that I am supposed to do. So I guess I have to see to it that the whole write-up is unified.
Every word used in writing should be meaningful. I guess it is related to number 1. You have to make sure that you express what you want in just as few words as possible.
Read what you write ‘aloud.’ This is helpful for you to know whether what you write is right. It also tells you whether your writing sounds natural and passes the ‘conversational’ standard.
All these little lessons were learned after more than an hour of discussing two paragraphs only. That means I still have a lot of things to learn. And a lot of chances to improve, I hope.
The conversation was long, but what we have covered in the article was too short. Bottom line: it is a ‘must’ for one to devote plenty of quality time to whatever he is doing.
Here’s a rundown of what I have learned from Craig tonight:
Be specific. Words you use in writing must ALWAYS be specific, that is, measurable, descriptive, not general. Why say ‘good’ when you can say ‘productive’?
Make sure you always connect the thought of the entire article to the title and the lead-in paragraph. Unity of idea is needed in any writing activity. And it is more needed in the kind of writing that I am supposed to do. So I guess I have to see to it that the whole write-up is unified.
EMPHASIZE! It is necessary that you put strength in the words you say in the article. It doesn’t mean it should be present all the time, though. Once the situation asks for it, don’t hesitate to express those simple words in a SPECIAL WAY (like this).
Every word used in writing should be meaningful. I guess it is related to number 1. You have to make sure that you express what you want in just as few words as possible.
Observe parallelism. This makes your writing not only grammatically correct. It also makes your article rhythmical.
Read what you write ‘aloud.’ This is helpful for you to know whether what you write is right. It also tells you whether your writing sounds natural and passes the ‘conversational’ standard.
Go over what you are writing again and again and again… I think this is what I learned the most for tonight. Spending much time on writing your article is important so you can create a much better output. If you need to read it a million times just to perfect it, do so.
All these little lessons were learned after more than an hour of discussing two paragraphs only. That means I still have a lot of things to learn. And a lot of chances to improve, I hope.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Wanting to be a hero
I had a big realization two weeks ago. I have grown wanting to be a hero.
When I was 7, I wanted to be a doctor to save the lives of people, of the poor ones especially. Unfortunately, I, too, was poor (I still am), so I stopped dreaming.
When I was 12, I wanted to be a lawyer to defend those who are deprived of justice. But, I found out most lawyers lie in doing their job. Hence, my dream to become a lawyer died from a natural death.
When I was 16, I wanted to be a teacher to educate young people. But I noticed young people like me then didn’t want to be educated. So, again, I stopped wanting to be a teacher.
But, here I am… a teacher. For four years, I have entered classrooms filled with noisy kids, talked about things they don’t really care about, and assigned tasks they absolutely hate doing.
Funny, isn’t it? I’ve had three dreams all my life, all with a heroic goal – that is, for the sake of others – but I ended up like a villain to my students. I wanted to be a hero, and yet, I seem too little to be recognized. Sigh.
I have wanted to be a hero. Should I quit doing so? Well, I guess ‘NO’ is the answer, for maybe it’s not my time to be one yet. Maybe one day, someday. After all, this world doesn’t need a hero if a hero is born and not made through a lifetime of successes and failures...
When I was 7, I wanted to be a doctor to save the lives of people, of the poor ones especially. Unfortunately, I, too, was poor (I still am), so I stopped dreaming.
When I was 12, I wanted to be a lawyer to defend those who are deprived of justice. But, I found out most lawyers lie in doing their job. Hence, my dream to become a lawyer died from a natural death.
When I was 16, I wanted to be a teacher to educate young people. But I noticed young people like me then didn’t want to be educated. So, again, I stopped wanting to be a teacher.
But, here I am… a teacher. For four years, I have entered classrooms filled with noisy kids, talked about things they don’t really care about, and assigned tasks they absolutely hate doing.
Funny, isn’t it? I’ve had three dreams all my life, all with a heroic goal – that is, for the sake of others – but I ended up like a villain to my students. I wanted to be a hero, and yet, I seem too little to be recognized. Sigh.
I have wanted to be a hero. Should I quit doing so? Well, I guess ‘NO’ is the answer, for maybe it’s not my time to be one yet. Maybe one day, someday. After all, this world doesn’t need a hero if a hero is born and not made through a lifetime of successes and failures...
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