of an old mans big time rubbish

For the information of everyone, especially the worst justice secretary the Philippines has ever had, the "Ritual Dance of the Brave" or the "Oblation Run" is not a mere exhibition of the human flesh dictated by some culture nor is it an insignia of gasconade within the system.

The Chancellor of Alpha Phi Omega says, "When we run, we’re upholding academic freedom. This is not about UP having lost its values and morals. It’s about the students fighting for what they believe in. The Oblation Run has become almost like a tradition at UP. It’s an event in which we make a stand about issues involving not just the students, but the Filipino people."

I do not know where Gonzalez got the absurd idea that UP mainly produces 'destabilizers' and 'naked runners', nor do I know why he denied attacking the whole of UP because “there are many students there who are bright and good.” As to his main statement I have three objections, to wit;

First of all, only an outright idiot would ignore the fact that UP mainly produces topnotchers -as we all know, not in every field- (majority do not participate in activist movements).

Second is fact that one does not use the term 'mainly' when referring to a miniscule part of a population. Only UP Diliman holds the annual Oblation Run, and in the event only a FEW men run naked (e.g. Last 082806's Oblation Run had only 15!). Gonzalez, I assume, is perfectly aware that the UP System does not only consist of UP Diliman. Heck. I study in Manila, and I'd sprain my neck looking for naked men running within the campus. In vain.

Third. The fact that he denied assailing UP because 'many students there are bright and good' accords that he IS in fact, assaulting the university because of the above - mentioned reason. He acknowledges the truth that we do think. We do open our minds to the possibility of change, we think of solutions and we critically analyze present phenomenon, all for the common good of OUR COUTRY. We do not stop there. We ACT. To our own risk (another little known fact is the abduction and disappearance of 2 student activists in Diliman this year, who, up to this moment, have not been found). We have started a progression of the youth(rich or poor) fighting for the benefit of their countrymen. Now tell me, what's wrong with that?

Tell me about a significant contribution Gonzalez has accomplished for this country and I'll tell you about of flying guinea pigs and giant pandaka pygmaeas.

"He noted that UP had always been known as a 'cradle of leadership' but he was worried that with the way some students there were acting, some serious questions would be raised about the 'kind of leaders we will have in the future.'" (Inq7.net)

The way I see it, our future leaders will be far better than him and his kind, in every aspect.

He criticized the university, saying, “In every storm that takes place, UP students are in the forefront. As a matter of fact, our history will show that since the martial law years, students from UP were the ones who went underground and fought the government." -SO?

I have friends and relatives hailing from UST, they do not claim to be well-behaved, they simply are. One doesn't need to proclaim to the whole country that he is 'well - behaved', thanks to the university he came from. One only needs to practice the right behaviour, and everyone will appreciate her/him, no questions asked. They say for every rule there is/are (an) exception/s, in this case I claim to have spotted the old big-bellied desperately-clinging stain. He's an elderly man who criticizes systems that actually work for the country's progress while he hasn't REALLY done anything for it. It's a mystery how he got to the appointment to such high office.

Shame on him.

If you don't have an idea of what I'm typing about, click.
Quotations were taken from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

A MUST-READ: UP students stage 'special edition' of Oblation Run.

greenpeace

We walked to Pier 13, Manila Bay last thursday from the College of Arts and Sciences (Just imagine how my feet ached. That port is opposite Intramuros.), and went aboard the ship MV Esperanza. It's currently in the Philippines to restore some of our rivers and seas and to solicit support (it's in Guimaras right now, I think the ship will be leaving the country this September/October).


I was there.
It's one of the Greenpeace ships. Greenpeace. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? It's an international organization taking steps to defend our oceans (including the wildlife in it). You might have watched its ad/saw its logo while watching MTV, they're endorsing the organization.

(sigh)Being in that ship brought back memories of first and only time I saw dolphins. No, not in Subic or in any dolphin show. I saw them in the wild, freely jumping and gliding a few inches beneath the water parallel to the direction of the ship I rode back from our Puerto Galera vacation. They were one of the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen. You, too, will think that way when/after you've seen them the way I did.

****

I wear my all-white blouse & slacks uniform and nameplate every thursday. Some of the photos taken last thursday:


jeanne and willi(ang paborito naming shadow). scary.


huwaw!! hann 05-06, c rikki!


papa vince nila.

Endorsements: *pwede outsiders dito*

Tau Omega Mu Frat and it's Ladies Circle, YFC, Adhere, UP Musicians Org, University Student Council presents One Through Music Campus Tour, Sept. 5, OUR Parking Lot, 5 pm onwards: Kala, Urbandub, Up Dharma Down, Kapatid, Jacob, Slapshock, Shimmer, Pop Filter, Spoon, Pards, Soul Collage Ishlavoo, Kastigo, Join the Club, Kjwan, and many more... tickets @ 120Php, free Globe sim pack!

Sigma Kappa Pi Frat and Sigma Delta Pi Soro in coop. with Ideal Events present ISKO OF ROCK: A JUAN 4 D ROAD CAMPUS TOUR: Mojofly, Dicta License, Slapshock, Greyhoundz, Chicosci, Sugarfree, Sponge Cola, many more surprise guest bands on Sept.8 at Paz Mendoza Parking Lot, UPM. Tickets @ 120Php. Lots of freebies and a Jag Fashion Show await!

sweet and pungent

currently endorsing: www.sweetandpungent.tk

pending books: My Favorite Bride, Smaller And Smaller Circles, Documents on the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines, Botany, Pugad Baboy, Dadufalza

Why am I even waiting for people to comment on my previous post...? No one even knows what that song really means..

Bade, isn't it ironic? ... xp

*****

Yesterday we (I, Karen, Rikki, Tomas, Marod) did our respective interviews with veterans in the Veterans compound near Park 'n Ride. We asked about their experiences during the World War II. Ask Karen about her interviewee. Goodness.

My interviewee is Ms. Luz, a pretty 83-year old lady currently living in Makati. She said the Japs brought about so much fear and terror, forcing her and her family to move from one place to another every so often. She temporarily stopped schooling at age 18 because of the Jap invasion in the Philippines. She also got married that year with an Engineer. Unfortunately he died because of a sickness he acquired during the war while fighting with the army. In the 1950s she remarried, this time with a Doctor. (trivia: her husbands were UP graduates)

We had a brief encounter with Jenay and Kathrine, before going to Veterans, in the ped xing. [Goodness, nakakaloka, sobrang namiss ko sila. huhu.. =(, kaya un, nagyakapan kami sa gilid ng ped xing, buti hindi nasagasaan. luka tlga no..?!]

*****

Earlier today. Ground Floor of Wynsum Towers, in front of the ear-crushing super-elevators. Almost all of Block 24, one teacher.

Stranger(somewhere bet. 18-23 yrs old): Katrice, anong ginagawa mo dito?
Katrice: May gagawin kami sa 32nd floor...
Block 24(kami): uuuuuuuuyyyyyyyyy!!! (w/ teasing smiles)
Stranger(thinking we're weird): Tito nya ko.
Katrice: (ano nga ba reaksyon nya...?)
Block 24: (napahiya sa tito na natatawa, pumasok sa elevators)

whew. Buti na lang marami kami.

warning sign

by Coldplay

A warning sign
I missed the good part then I realized
I started looking and the bubble burst
I started looking for excuses

Come on in
I've gotta tell you what a state I'm in
I've gotta tell you in my loudest tones
I started looking for a warning sign

When the truth is, I miss you
Yeah the truth is, that I miss you, so

A warning sign
You came back to haunt me and I realized
That you were an island and I passed you by
And you were an island to discover

Come on in
I've gotta tell you what a state I'm in
I've gotta tell you in my loudest tones
That I started looking for a warning sign

When the truth is, I miss you
Yeah the truth is, that I miss you so
And I'm tired I should not have let you go

So I crawl back into your open arms
Yes I crawl back into your open arms
And I crawl back into your open arms
Yes I crawl back into your open arms

-----

You're free to think whatever you want to.