Eighteen Units of Nationalism

If we want to be technical about it, this course I'm enrolled in should really be called Araling Pilipino. That's the official name of the course, as all courses offered by the Filipino Department have Filipino names. This language difference is significant as it differentiates B.A. Creative Writing from B.A. Malikhaing Pagsulat. In practice, however, people, especially those outside our department, more often use the English translation to refer to A.P.  This usually doesn't pose much confusion in the undergrad level since KAL is the only college that offers it for undergrads. The confusion arises in the masteral and doctoral programs which are offered in both KAL and the Asian Center. But more often than not, people don't really care.

Personally, I find it more practical to use the English translation with those who may not be familiar with AP. But as I have written earlier, I still think AP and Philippine Studies (as it is known in other countries and maybe in Asian Center but I wouldn't really know) are different. This difference is one of the things I keep pondering on along with the things my professors teach. In fact, I seem to enjoy analyzing the course itself more so than studying what it actually teaches.

There is a total of only six AP subjects with the course title AP in the entire AP undergrad curriculum-- two of which I am currently taking. The ones I'm taking are the introduction to AP and a course on research methods. The ones I shall no longer bother taking are the seminar on Philippine culture, society and economy, another research methods course which doesn't seem to be included in the revised curriculum, the thesis proposal class, and the thesis class. The other required major subjects have the course title Fil and Pan Pil, the rest are the panloob and panlabas na disiplina. The AP-titled-subjects hold the degree program together with its nationalistic paradigm. This nationalistic paradigm is the difference between a non-AP student taking a cognate elective and an AP student taking the same elective as panlabas na disiplina. The elective taken by the AP student is supposed to simply be a means to the nationalist end.

I'm not certain whether it is just an effect of having activist professors-- I hope it is-- but the nature of this nationalism seems to be predominantly Marxist. They claim, though, that Marxism is just one perspective from which to study Philippine culture and society. They teach Gramsci, Althusser, and more local ones like Sison, and Constantino but those are only variations which are essentially Marxist in nature rather than entirely different perspectives. In fact, one of the first things they teach is the preference for Marx's materialism over Hegel's idealism.

While I do admit that Marx's materialism is a perfectly valid, if not a necessary, assumption for the study of culture, history and society, I am uncomfortable with the political and economic Marxist ideas on which my professors base AP. This discomfort, I guess, lies in the idea that the human condition is much more complicated than class struggles and Marxism is not the only framework for nationalism. Moreover, the AP student manual (yes, we have a student manual) does not specify this particular framework  but instead emphasizes the use of different perspectives so long as they are nationalistic, scientific and makamasang kulturang pambansa. Perhaps the other aspects of the human condition  and other nationalistic frameworks are meant to be supplied by the panlabas na disiplina but since there isn't another discipline that emiphasizes Marxism (well I couldn't think of any), they teach it in AP. But... I don't know.

The point is: AP is nationalistic Philippine Studies.

Magmula, Giliw, Nang Ikaw ay Pumanaw ni Gregoria de Jesus

Hindi ako mahilig sa tula pero ilang araw ding binagabag nito ang aking kalooban; paborito ko na. At oo, siya ang pangalawang asawa ni Andres Bonifacio.

Sa Kaharian ng Araw

Transcription attempt from memory. Yata. Verbatim mula sa aking sinaunang notebook.

Marami na ang nangangarap na marating ang Kaharian ng Araw. Ito ay sapagkat sinasabi na sa kapirasong langit-lupang ito ng walang hanggang liwanag ay namumukadkad raw ang pangako ng walang patid na kaligayahan, kasaganahan at tagumpay. Ang pangakong ito ang umudyok sa karamihan na lumisan at maglakbay tungo sa malayong kabundukan at karagatan upang doon ay hanapin ang mailap na kaharian ng pinakamimithing tagumpay ano pa man ang maging kapalit nito.


At ito ang pangarap na naging matimbang para kay Ponce nang iwanan niya ang kanyang mga magulang at iba pang mahal sa buhay upang hanapin ang Kaharian ng Araw. Kasama niya sa paglalakbay ang kaibigan niyang si Paolo. Para kay Paolo kahibangan ang ginawang pag-iwan ni Ponce sa mga magulang at kaibigan upang habulin ang kanyang pangarap sapagkat wala namnag nakakatyak kung saan at kung ano ang kanilang sasapitin sa Kaharian ng Araw. Ang nakikitang niyang pinakamahalaga sa kanilang buhay ay ang kwintas ni Ponce na matagal na pinag-ipunan ng kanyang ina: ang gitara na pamana kay Paolo ng kanyang yumaong magulang: at ang kanilang pagkakaibigan na siyang dahilan ni Paolo kung bakit patuloy niyang sinasamahan ang kaibigan sa kabila ng pagtutol.


Apparently, hindi pa ako marunong gumamit ng colon at comma nung grade 2.

1 at 2

G: Hi.
J: SA ka rin?
G: Oo.
J: Anong name mo?
G: Gen.
J: G?
G: Oo.

G: Ano nga palang name mo?
J: Jenn.
G: J?
J: Oo.

Bye, Kitty

The closest I had to a pet was a plant... if I don't count my two pet sisters. My mother thinks it's too much of a bother to take care of animals of a different species-- which is perfectly legitimate since she already has four people to care for. Pets have, therefore, been discouraged in the household.

Like most children though, I had that stage in my life wherein I wanted a pet. My sister and I wanted at least to have a pet fish when we were in elementary. They seem to be relatively easy to take care of and you keep them in a container. You aren't even supposed to hold them in your hands. We were and are both squeamish at the idea of touching creatures that wiggle.

There have been cats in our backyard for as long as I remember. We don't own them. They come and go as they please, sometimes living their litter around. My mother hates them because of that. When my grandparents were alive, they'd leave scraps of food in some container in the backyard for these felines. My sister and I would watch them eat from a distance. Sometimes there were kittens. We would watch them too. Sometimes a cat gets in the house and it will be chased out with a broom. It was exciting and we'd watch that too.

The documentary Earthlings influenced what I now think is my opinion on the matter of keeping pets. Another documentary we were made to watch for MS1 changed how I see fishes. But after dissecting cats in Bio 102, I think I have grown fond of cats. But not enough fondness to make me buy my own pet.

In the past few days there has been a kitten in our backyard trying to get in the house by climbing the screen window. Its pleading meows break my heart. I have played with it once using my foot and some twigs. It was obviously hungry. But I wasn't allowed to feed it because it won't leave if I did. I don't mind if it stayed. If I wasn't too afraid to touch it, I'd think of keeping it. But it's now gone and I sort of miss it.

Opabinia

Habang naghihintay ng Form 5.

"Excuse me. Where did you buy your shirt?"
"It's homemade."
"Oh, wow. I like it."
"Thank you."
"It's Opabinia?"
"Yeah."
"Where are you from? Marine Science?"
"Uh.. no."

Hindi ako yung gumawa nung shirt pero flattered ako. It felt nice. :)

Kahit hindi talaga ganyang ka-smooth ang conversation dahil masyado na namang mahina ang boses ko at maingay.