the ultimate theme song of my life.. or at least, until I'm done with school.
haaay.. I am getting that sinking feeling of being sooo out of place. Again.
Is this really for me?
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Imelda
Except for the shoes and her alleged psychological problems, what do we really know about her?
My curiosity was piqued after I came across an article about her thirty- something philanthropist and youngest daughter Aimee. I was amazed by the fact that, despite her family's history with this country, she still stayed and opted to study here. She got her high school diploma in one of private schools in Manila (Poveda, I think). She also got her college degree here (Ateneo). I kept thinking how brave she must be. Given the propensity of most people for cruelty, I could only imagine the things that she had to endure. Along with those diploma, she must have also graduated with an iron-clad strength and amazing resilience. I would hazzard a guess that Philippines history was not among her favorite subjects. And here I was thinking my high school was traumatic! I really admire her for her courage. If I were in her place, I would have chickened out, dug in my heels, and demanded that be allowed to study abroad. And I wouldn't have cared less if I never set foot on this country again. But of course, thats just me. Plus, I could be wrong about my assumptions. For all I know, she had a blast in all the years that she spent in those private schools. (note to self: take the cynicism down a notch)
What I really want to know is how she managed to keep way below the radar all these years. She is so low profile that if one googles her, only a handful of relevant articles will come up. When she does appear on broadsheets, it is always in association with her band (she plays the drums) or her foundation (Princess Bato). In the interview, she defended her parents with a passion that I could not help imagine what its like to grow up alongside such powerful figures.
Imelda. Shoes. Extravagance. Corruption. Psycho. These are just a few of the things that comes to mind when one hears the name. Personally, after once seeing her at Bonifacio High street having dinner with friends, I have come to think of her as regal and beautiful. I expected the film to explore the many sides of Imelda. It was, after all, titled after her. I certainly did not expect it to be another documentary about the injustices and corruption during the martial law years. I expected to learn how Imelda is as a mother, a wife, a friend, a boss. I expected the film to explore an interesting phenomenon: how she managed to convince herself of her innocence. It amazes me that she could utter the words 'we-were-the-victims' with such conviction and straight face, its hard to believe she is lying. I keep thinking maybe in her mind she isn't lying. That she has really come to a point where she really believes she and her husband are innocent victims of a conspiracy gone awry. It would have been interesting to outline this phenomeonon. Instead, the film immediately took the theme of the imelda-is-psycho hypothesis by interviewing the victims of martial law and her 'confidant' Fr. Reuters. There is really nothing new with this story. I guess my point is, if you title your film after a person, it is only fair that you let that person's side be heard. I guess the horrors of martial law is indeed too raw for our generation to view it objectively and be able to make a fair and balance documentary of the people involved. But hey, again, what do I know right? This is just my two cents worth.
What I really want to know is how she managed to keep way below the radar all these years. She is so low profile that if one googles her, only a handful of relevant articles will come up. When she does appear on broadsheets, it is always in association with her band (she plays the drums) or her foundation (Princess Bato). In the interview, she defended her parents with a passion that I could not help imagine what its like to grow up alongside such powerful figures.
Imelda. Shoes. Extravagance. Corruption. Psycho. These are just a few of the things that comes to mind when one hears the name. Personally, after once seeing her at Bonifacio High street having dinner with friends, I have come to think of her as regal and beautiful. I expected the film to explore the many sides of Imelda. It was, after all, titled after her. I certainly did not expect it to be another documentary about the injustices and corruption during the martial law years. I expected to learn how Imelda is as a mother, a wife, a friend, a boss. I expected the film to explore an interesting phenomenon: how she managed to convince herself of her innocence. It amazes me that she could utter the words 'we-were-the-victims' with such conviction and straight face, its hard to believe she is lying. I keep thinking maybe in her mind she isn't lying. That she has really come to a point where she really believes she and her husband are innocent victims of a conspiracy gone awry. It would have been interesting to outline this phenomeonon. Instead, the film immediately took the theme of the imelda-is-psycho hypothesis by interviewing the victims of martial law and her 'confidant' Fr. Reuters. There is really nothing new with this story. I guess my point is, if you title your film after a person, it is only fair that you let that person's side be heard. I guess the horrors of martial law is indeed too raw for our generation to view it objectively and be able to make a fair and balance documentary of the people involved. But hey, again, what do I know right? This is just my two cents worth.
Cheers!!!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
first day
on my first day back to class, i learned that there is no such thing as first day high. kidding. first day was not bad except for the fact that we ended at around 6pm. even my weight-conscious-superego buried deep deep deeeep inside of me had to agree that one pack of skyflakes for lunch was not enough for any brain to remain functional for that long.
my first day had me face to face with regrets, disappointments, weary faces, and battered dreams. during these times, would it be so bad to think along the lines of 'we-only-reap-what-we-sow'? really. with all the grace and blessings from above, i think we owe it to the Giver to make the most of what we've got. lets save mourning for those which cannot be helped. for all others, we need to pick ourselves up, not look back, remain steadfast, and forged on towards the realization of His plan for us. this much we owe to ourselves, our family, and to Him.
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