Just a small thank you...

To my new classes I wish you a very happy welcome!

It's been long since I have enjoyed myself doing what I do best and I am telling you, I am truly grateful to have met you all.

It' like going back to my old university days, really. All that time cooped out without anything else to do can drive one nuts.

But with divine grace, a little prayer and making a lot of annoying, inquisitive phone calls had led me now to my fated place.

I'm glad I am back home.

But mind you, being a father of two angelic ruckus-makers makes life worthwhile, so this means being a teacher is my second best vocation.

Okay, so... enough with the chit-chat and let's get to what we love to do: WORK.

On the left side of this blog you will see some of the latest downloads you can have for our subjects. For those enrolled in Philippine Literatures, you can immediately find it under its namesake heading.

As for Art, Man and Society, you got two places to visit: your downloads and some virtual museums. I've been trying to find a virtual museum of the Philippine National Museum but it seems that the IT there is lacking some inspiration. Well, anyway, you can still visit their site. I will be giving you some research work using their website sometime soon, so please do visit them. They feel a bit lonely there.

Well, time's up for me and I'm off to prepare your powerpoints

(I still got to get used to using that since I know you love looking at funny pictures.)

Right. Be seeing you next week! Have fun. Byte me!

"Sapagkat Lalake Ka" by Michael Coroza

Welcome welcome welcome...

So here you are now, my new students, though I shouldn't call you that since the word "student" seems to be quite political. No, no, no... I'd rather call you ...

My young professionals.. Now that's better.

Right. As requested by many of you, I will be placing our very first lesson for this semester.

And oh, but how fun it is to tackle the subject of literature with such zest. Imagine having to argue about sex and gender, about economic politics, about race... quite a deep ocean, really.

Anyway... here, as promised, the Michael Coroza's poem "Pagkat Lalaki Ka."
(Just a warning: if you find any difficult words, just encircle them and look for their meaning in a dictionary, or look it up in the interenet. Trust me. You'll thank me for the advice.)

The poem is about Man and his image, wherein Coroza is giving him an advice on change. Well, enjoy...

I.
Pagkat lalaki ka, Anak,
Matuto kang umiyak.
Mapait langgasin ng luha ang gunita
O ang bagong sugat ng huling pagkadapa
Subalit malinis at subok ang bisa
Ng luha sa pagtanggal ng mga mikrobyo
Sa isip, puso at buong pagkatao.

Pagkat ikaw ay lalaki,
Matuto kang magsisi,
Dagok sa danal ang pag-amin sa kasalanan
Ngunit sadyang walang may monopolyo ng katwiran
Hayaan mo na ikaw ay usigin, husgahan,
Sa ganyan mo mahahanap ang angkop na sangkap
Upang ang iyong pagkatao’y maganap.
II.
Minana mo, Anak,
Ang laksang pribilehiyo
Na pinagpasasaan
Ng mga nagtindig ng torre ng Babel,
Piramide, Koliseo,
Ziggurat, Templo,
Ang mga imperyo.

Iyo rin ang luwalhating
Tinatamasa nila
Sa mga maskuladong
Pahina ng istorya.

Ngunit, Anak, dumadaloy rin
Sa iyong katauhan
Ang mapagmalupit
Nilang lohika’t pangalan
Na nandarahas, gumagahis,
Nagpipiit sa iyong ina’t
Sa lahat ng ina’t babae sa daigdig.

Iluha mo, Anak,
Ang kanilang nakaraan.
Pagsisihan mo, Anak,
Ang kanilang kamalian.

III
Ang babaeng kakambal
At altar ng lupang
Nagluwal, kumandili’t
Nagpalaki sa lahat
At siya ring hantungan,
Aangkin sa labi
Ng lahat sa wakas
Ay bina-bahagi,
Inari, inararo,
Ginawang pundasyon
Ng lahat ng edipisyo
Subalit nasadlak
Sa mantsa ng dugo
Sa kumot ng halaga,
Ang silbi sa kasaysaya’y
Winalang-saysay at binura.

Tayo ngayo’y nabubuhay
Na may huwad na malay
Na moral, lohikal, at legal
Na napapairal ng lisyang katarungan:
Sa pedestal ng ating
Mga pagpapahalaga,
Walang gantimpala
Sa sakit ng panganganak,
Wala ring pabuya
Sa pagod ng pagmumulat
Ang babaeng matapos
Magbigay ng sarili
Sa anak ay naiiwang
Basyong walang silbi.

IV
Pagkat ikaw ay lalaki,
Matutuo kang pumatay.
Kitlin mo sa iyong sugat
Ang huwad na malay.

Sa akademya mo na lang
Ipatistis ang laman
At dugo ng huwad
Na malay mong pinaslang.

Durugin mo’t ilibing
Ang mga kalansay
Pagkat lalaki kang
Magbabago ng kulay.

If you wish to find out what he looks like, here's a simple picture of the man.
click "byte me."



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Today is the D-Day!

Today is the day!
From now on, I will be known as a new faculty of CTHM. Quite a family, I can say. Lots of fun and vibrant people.

And for a guy like me who's a bit timid, it's kind of a new environment.
Of course, I regret nothing.

In fact I am looking forward to this sudden change.
Jumping into a deep pool seems exciting so I'm taking this chance.

Right now, we're waiting for the official mass to start the school year off and I get to borrow some time to write here.

Thanks for staying with me!
May you all be blessed like I am now...

TYPE YOUR POST HERE
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Pasukan na naman (Enrollment Blues)

So today's the day I go back to school. It's enrollment once again and I am up to my underarm of different scents. A blend of male and female perfumes reeking and swathing within an airconditioned room.

Good thing the computer hub is open so I can rant a little right now. But it is also a good thing that, unlike the previous years, the procedure is clearer and much orderly now.

God hopes that I can finish this thesis on time before the end of the year so wish me luck.

I intend to stay as a new faculty of the University of Santo Tomas and have no plans of transferring anywhere.

This is just a short blog so...

Anyway, wish me luck...



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UP: Above and Beyond

While continuously looking for new journals to read for my thesis, I came across this old student video that was, to many people's belief, the one ripped off my Pixar's "UP."

Well things like that usually happens, most especially here in our country. Trust me. I know a lot of... writers... who usually do this and half of them are from the film industry.

Anyway, since Pixar's "UP" is soon to show on cable in Disney Channel, might as well share this video. I'm telling you, there's nothing kiddie and funny about this one.


Above then beyond
Uploaded by ftroncal.

If you like this, check some other video here...

Oh, it's just some lame Spider-Man, Hulk and Iron Man team up...

Nothing to rave about.




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The Last Airbender

So the latest Shyamalan is coming. Bad news is, I just heard from Jerry Alanguilan the very sad and very offensive controversy surrounding its cast.

Well, read this comic if you will, made by from Gene Luen Yang, an American Chinese:



Okay... So it means that homogenically, Asians are not good actors. This of course reminds me of what happened to Bruce Lee when he was not given the title role in "Kung Fu" because the producers say he is "too Asian looking."

Here's Carradine...



And here's Brucie..
























As for the Airbender/Racebender Cast... well, let's see...
Let's play spot the difference then!

Shall we?


Who among these are Asians?



Oh, here's one! But wait! This is just an extra... What the...?!

Tch... Hollywood...

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My Nemesis

Having a hard time today.
As of now, I still feel like a night owl, waking up in the wee hours of the morning just to finish writing my thesis.

Still, I haven't lost hope. Now, in case you are wondering just what the heck is so important about my thesis (that is besides IT being my ticket to a permanent faculty career) it's all about comics, really.

Specifically, about the collection of Arnold Arre.

Currently, my biggest hurdle is on my discussion about the political economics affecting komiks. Yes, it is spelled that way since I am talking about that Filipino version of a comic book magazine. That unlike its foreign counterpart, each komiks contain a collection of short stories coming from different authors, nearly similar to the now defunct "Tales from the Crypt" series of William Gaines. But our Filipino Komiks is much different.


Anyway, komiks has been dead for years. What I am more interested in is on how some of its elements are fused into our current Filipino artists, most especially on Arre's graphic novels.


So here is my nemesis, my long time opponent, my thesis.
Once I am able to finish this and finally graduate, I promise myself I'll collaborate with an artist and write my own graphic novels. I already have a lot of ideas in my head.

And maybe I might make one just for the Real Life Superhero Project, I am not sure. I feel I like those guys. Just makes me wish there are some like them here in our country, though. But that won't happen in a million years.

Well, just informing you about my status and all.

Now, back to research...

Here's Arre...


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