Buwan ng Wika: Buwan ng Pinoy?

As you all know, I suck at writing in Filipino but I will try my best to use our native tongue so please bear with me. >.<

Pinoy ako. Kahit na sabihin pa ng mga kaibigan ko na mukha akong Koreano o Intsik, PINOY ako! Kahit na sabihin nilang baluktot ang tagalog ko at kapos sa bokabularyong tagalog, Pilipino ako. Hinding hindi ko ipagkakaila ang aking kultura at pagkakakilanlan kahit na pilit ibinabaon tayo sa lupa ng mga taong hindi tunay na nakakaunawa sa atin.

Nakakalungkot lang isipin na kung kailan natin ginugunita ang ating pambansang wika ay nataon naman ang magkasunod na pagbatikos sa ating kredibilidad, katalinuhan, at moralidad. Bago matapos ang buwan, "napahiya" tayo sa buong mundo dahil sa "palpak" daw na sagot ni Bb. Venus Raj sa Ms. Universe Pageant. Lalong nayurakan ang ating pagkatao nang mailathala sa buong mundo ang madugong eksena sa Quirino Grandstand. Hindi ko na ipagtatanggol ang nakakapanglumong insidente sa Quirino Grandstand dahil nasabi ko na ang gusto kong sabihin sa naunang blog post ko. Ngunit gusto ko lang sabihin na hindi ako isa sa mga taong nagmamarunong na "bobo" and sagot ng pambato natin sa patimpalak ng Ms. Universe. Ang sagot ni Bb. Venus Raj ay naiintindihan ko. kaya mo bang sabihin sa buong mundo kung ano ang pagkakamali mo? Kung tutuusin, "unethical" ang tanong na iyon. Huwag niyo na sanang tapakan ang ating kababayan, dahil sa huli tayo rin ang masasaktan.

Nakakapanghina lang na sa mga nakaraang insidente, ang daming pilipino ang yumuyurak sa ating kapwa. Sa totoo lang, gusto kong umiyak at pagtatadyakan ang mga taong walang pakundangang nilalait ang ating kapwa Pilipino. Kung ayaw niyong maging mababa ang tingin sa atin ng mga dayuhan, huwag niyo sanang siraan ang ating sarili. Siraan niyo ang isang pinoy sa internet, buong mundo ang magbabasa nito at malamang ay maniniwala sila dito. Hindi ko sinasabi na pagtakpan mo ang problema ng bansa natin, ngunit sana huwag naman tayong dumagdag sa mga mapanira. mahirap bang magsabi ng magagandang bagay tungkol sa ating bansa? Kung tutuusin, maraming magaganda tungkol sa Pilipinas. Pero binibigyang pansin ba ito ng mga tao? Hindi. Dahil mas naniniwala sila sa pananaw ng mga mapanirang banyaga na hindi kilala ang tunay na Pilipinas. Buksan niyo ang mga mata niyo sa ganda ng Pilipinas, huwag puro sa pangit. Mas madaling makita ang kagandahan ng ating bansa at ng mga tao dito kaysa suyurin ang mga kapangitan.

Manila Hostage Crisis: A Pinay's Reaction

Last Monday, a very ghastly crime occurred in one of the most historic locations in Manila. The Quirino grandstand where a lot of Presidents took their oath, where Filipinos commemorate the heroism of Dr. Jose Rizal (Rizal Park), was the site of what every Filipino would consider one of the biggest shame of the country. The hostage crisis took a grueling 11hours only to end in a bloodbath.

As much as I take pride in being a Filipino and no matter how much I try to sympathize and understand the Police force of the city of Manila, I still cannot disregard the fact that their response was reeking of inexperience and ill-preparation. It showed the glaring inability and lack of training of our police force to solve problematic situations such as this. I know that our country lacks the necessary equipment to solve many cases, but we should have compensated with better and more rigorous training.

At first, I was under the impression that the hostages were pretty calm; looking out the window without a sign of terror or pain. That was until the shooting began. It made me think that the hostage taker was calm and was talking to the hostages peacefully, explaining the situation (given the circumstances). Heck! He was waving at the crowd after he released some hostages.

This leads me to another point: he didn't seem hostile at first. He released the children and the elderly early perhaps to lessen the trauma. What triggered his anger, and perhaps made him snap, was the image of his brother being taken into custody after talking to him. I wish they just let the brother slip for the mean time then arrest him after the incident was resolved. if he was compromising the negotiation, then do not allow contact between him and the hostage taker.

There are many things that the police, government, and media could have done better. They should have worked together in solving the issue. I wish the media put aside their drive for increasing their ratings and filtered their video feeds. Those footage could've been shown to the public after the incident was solved. As much as President Aquino stresses that he stayed away to "unintervene" (is there even such a word?), he is the PRESIDENT of the Philippines and this is beyond local issues. This is a matter of foreign relations because tourists were involved. Matters of this magnitude should be of high priority. Giving 300,000 Pesos worth of caskets is unnecessary and trivial. They could have saved lives and face if he didn't insist on his "unintervetion." Don't even let me start on what the police should've done...there is not enough space and time.

It is understandable that the Chinese and Hong Kong nationals are livid but please do not cast stones on the normal citizens of this country. We are also in pain and shamed because of this matter. Do not make this a racial issue because we see those tourists as PEOPLE not just Chinese. We were raised as Catholics almost to a fault. We value life more than anything in this world.

It is a very unfortunate and tragic incident. Do not make it worse that it already is.

P.S.

Shame on the people who posed in front of the bus as if it were part of a movie set! You have no tact and common sense of decency. You were even wearing your uniforms. I hope you shrivel in shame.

Movie Bum

My dad has been watching movies day in and day out ever since the citibank promo began. While he has watched every single film released I, on the other hand, have not watched a single one. The last film that I watched in the movie house was Alice in Wonderland. Yes, you read it correctly. it has been MONTHS since I last watched a movie. Prior to that I watched Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Needless to say, I am not a fan of watching movies in the cinema house. I just think that it's too much of a hassle to go out of the house and spend hundreds of pesos for a film that I won't be able to appreciate because of noisy people. My number one pet peeve when it comes to watching movies is when a person tries to act like s/he is part of the movie. The people who seems to feel like they are the narrator of the film as if their companion was blind and he has to relate every single detail to his companion and everyone near him. FYI we did not pay approximately 200pesos to hear you talk! I am a talkative person myself, but I do know when to shut up.

This is why I prefer downloading movies and watching it on my laptop. Not only do I have to luxury of silence, but I also control whether or not I fast track through boring scenes. LOL

Dear Heart

Dear Heart,

I know that I only refer to you as an organ that pumps blood throughout my body, but I need your help with something. Remember your mythical function that everybody raves and blabbers about all the time? Yeah, that one. Well, I've never been an emotional and I've never been big on the whole "love" concept therefore I don't subscribe to the notion of "romance." However, lately a couple of friends of mine have been "cheering" for me and a nonexistent love life.

Here's the thing, a guy I met at a party supposedly pestered our common friend for my number (but I think he just asked once, and my friend being the romantic, gave in). He started texting me, and under the orders to "be nice" I reply to his messages. I don't have anything against the guy but I also have no idea if we have anything in common for me to say that I like him. A friend of mine said that I was being too guarded, I should just go with my emotions. This is where you HAVE to meddle if what they say is true. It has been almost 4years since I last tried to use your supposed other function, and since then I haven't attempted to use it again. It was just too much of an effort to be worth it. I reckon it was because I was still "thinking" and not "feeling." This gives me the impression that you are not doing your end of the deal.

So, don't slack off! If you really have two functions, then perform your duties well! The heartburn and palpitation is also getting a bit annoying.

Sincerely,

Me (NBSB)

Where are All the Nice Guys?

A male cousin of mine posted a craigslist article with the title "Where are all the Nice Guys" on his wall on Facebook and "dedicated" it to "teases" and aptly tagged a couple of female friends.

The title of the article was quite catchy so I read it. Obviously the writer was male...and quite angry at women. He answered the question in a matter-of-fact manner as if it was as clear as a summer's day. What happened to the nice guys? Well WOMEN happened to them.

He pointed out that the guy who would spend time with us as a FRIEND and come over to watch a movie when we are lonely and too lazy to go out WAS the nice guy. The guy who would listen to us rant about how much of an asshole the guy we are dating was, WAS the nice guy that we were looking for. However since we were too busy dating assholes and bastards, we didn't have time to pay attention to the nice guy who provides us emotional support. In the end, that nice guy got fed up and decided to become one of those assholes who get laid.

In the end, it's still about one thing for this "recovering nice guy." It's still about getting the girl AND getting LAID. In the first place, if you were really interested in the girl, then why not tell her directly? Why not say "Hey, will you be interested in going out with me?" Being nice is great, but even if you act that way, if you do not make your intentions clear then there is nothing we can do about it. We might say "he's so sweet. I think I like him...but he only sees me as a friend. we're JUST friends." Another thing, when men act nice to women and the girl suddenly thinks that "he likes me" some people would see the woman as "assuming" and label her as "desperate."

So, if you are really one of those nice guys and you want to date or get in a relationship with a girl, be NICE and tell her your intentions. Do not keep us guessing then blame us for turning you into an asshole or for letting the "chance" of snatching a nice guy pass us by. There is no use in telling us you LIKED us but we just didn't catch on to your nice guy game.

Troubleshooting: Changing a Flat Tire

I don't know how to drive but I do know the principle of changing a flat tire. My dad has always been angry with my siblings for not knowing how to change a flat tire or even how to take care of their cars. He always says "takbo kayo ng takbo, hindi naman kayo marunong gumamit." He also adds that he is already tired of fixing their mess. This made me think about the past problems that my siblings and I faced that my father had to fix. Even if we were in the middle of the express way or back in school, he would rush to the site and fix the problem...he's not even a mechanic.

Not only in changing a flat tire, but also in our personal problems. He was always there to guide us and even battle "evil" school nurses who want to cut my nails. My father taught me how to
choose my battles, fight it on my own if I can, and ask for help when I can no longer handle it. He just doesn't want us to keep on running with flat tires.

In life and in changing a flat tire, you just have to remember that there are necessary tools to help us get by. What matters most is that we know how to use them. The jack is there to lift the tires from the dirty ground, the wrench to remove unwanted attachments, and the spare to help us to keep moving forward to our destination.