Friday, June 12, 2009

What does it mean to be Filipino?



It could all begin with the fact that we are an archipelago, a collection of islands—some big, some small, some gone when the tide is up—separated from one another, and bound together only by legal fiction.
Similarly, as a people, we are more like a collection of tribes or regions or provinces. It is easier to talk about the traits, quirkiness, and stereotypes (fair and unfair) of Batanguenos or Ilocanos or Ilonggos or Muslims or the people from Imperial Manila, than it is to define what exactly it is to be a Filipino.
So ask the ordinary man or woman on the street what binds all these disparate folks together beyond an arguably common shared history, and we will get various, even conflicting, responses.
There are our traits. Are we condemned by crab mentality? Or are we uplifted by our sense of bayanihan?
Are we famously resilient because we can laugh at ourselves and our problems? Or are we hopelessly hampered by an inability to take things seriously, laughing even when there is nothing to laugh about?
Is our faith—and the Church—our saving grace, or our ironic cross?
Who is Juan? Who is Juana? Or maybe it is the name itself? Juan is a Spanish name, one that did not exist in these Islands before we were conquered. Do we reject “Juan” as a non-Filipino name? Or do we embrace it as an undeniable part of who we are today given our history?
It is easy to stereotype the OFW as a prototypical Filipino today. Counting OFWs and their friends and loved ones left behind, they comprise a huge majority of our population who share common experiences—the displaced sense of family, the heroic notion of sacrifice, the pasalubongs when one returns, the jeepney loads of relatives that accompany them to the airport when they leave, and of course, the remittances that collectively keep this country afloat.
And yet, we all know the Filipino is more than just the OFW. There are millions of farmers and fisherfolk, thousands of youthful call center agents and ICT workers, and dwindling numbers of indigenous peoples. They, too, are Filipinos.
So, what does it mean to be Filipino? What does it matter? Why does it matter?
The answer to this question is important, not least because the lack of a common and shared sense of identity could be one major reason why we cannot seem to get our acts together, and live up to our full potential as a nation.
This is a basic theme that we should explore and discuss, and most importantly, pose to anyone (especially the young) who might listen—if only so that they will not take their identity for granted.
Unfortunately, the question also often sounds hackneyed (gasgas na gasgas na) and, indeed, corny. Worse, many times even, the people calling for unity (many of them in government, the church, and the media) are only self-interested, and are those we would really rather ignore.
We need to ask the question, and to propose some answers—but in a manner that is not off-putting or intimidating, and in a way that allows people to seek and find the answers just for themselves without feeling awkward or forced.
The Center for Art, New Ventures and Sustainable Development’s (Canvas) Looking for Juan Outdoor Banner Project—opening at the University of the Philippines’ Academic Oval on Independence Day (June 12, 2009)—is an attempt to provide that venue, that opportunity.
We asked dozens of artists, writers, musicians, and poets to provide—through their art, words and music—their answers to the question, What does it mean to be Filipino? Their responses were then transformed into art banners and will be displayed so that people can enjoy them as they walk, bike, or drive around a 2.2 kilometer oval under the magnificent acacia trees of the University of the People.
It is an engaging, and completely relaxed environment, especially on Sundays when the whole place is closed to traffic, and joggers jog, children play, and families come out to relax and just be with one another. It will be fun, and we hope to see you there.
And best of all, the answers (and sometimes even more questions) are given almost subliminally by artists, writers, poets and musicians who, by definition, are engaged in work and lifestyles that force them to think and express thoughts and things bigger than they are.
We also like to think that this show is even more special in that, collectively, it gives a snapshot of what some of the best young creative talents think when asked about what it means to be Filipino, at this particular point in our nation’s history.
In the end, of course, there is no single correct answer to the question, What does it mean to be Filipino?
Which is as it should be, because for many of the important issues confronting us today—as individuals and as a nation—understanding the questions is often more important than providing the answers.
By Gigo Alampay

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Kagat Sa Mansanas


bumagsak ang mansanas sa ulo ni Newton,
kumatok sa daigdig ang lamog na dunong.
mga dalubhasa't pantas inalipin ng agham,
nagmarka ang katas sa aklat ng kasaysayan

hindi iilan ang naghangad,
kumagat sa mabunying prutas.
at hindi rin iilan ang nakisawsaw,
sa eksena nina Juno,Hera at Venus.
walang nakinig sa mga babala,
ng mga isinugo at mga propeta...
sa loob ng mansanas,
may nananahang ahas...

hindi magtatagal mabubulok ang mansanas,
tuluyang lalaya ang demonyong ahas.
ang Tore ni Babel ay muling itatatag,
at magsisilbing tungtungan ng mga mapaghangad,
at muling pipitas ng panibagong prutas...

...at duon sa dakong di-abot ng tanaw,
lumuluha si Adan habang nakadungaw.
pinagsisisihan ang kanyang sinimulan.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

TAKIPSILIM


Sa pagsapit ng dilim ako’y naghihintay pa din umaasa sa iyong maagang pagdating sa aking piling, Ngunit ako’y nababalisa sa paghihintay ko na ika’y makapiling, sapagkat eto na nmn ang takipsilim ngunit ika’y wala pa din umaasa sa darating na araw ikaw ay darating at makakapiling,,,,, Ilang takipsilim pa ba ang aking palalagpasin upang ikaw ay makapiling sana ay malapit na sana ……….ay ngayun na upang ang pagdating ng TAKIPSILIM ko ay maging masaya at maligaya pagkat kasama ka na.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

ALIKABOK ng IRAQ







Ito nga ba ay masama o maganda sa tao alikabok n dumi kung ating tingnan ayaw langhapin ayaw matikman,,masakit sa lalamunan.
San ba talaga ito galing? san ba nagsimula ang pinanggagalingan?,pero sa tingin ko ang ALIKABOK ng IRAQ ang kakaiba sa lahat, kapag ito ay dumating halos ayaw mo ng lumabas ng iyong mga tirahan, dahil halos wala ka ng Makita sa dilim at kapal nito halos hindi mo matanaw ang kalangitan at maging ang kalapit mo, wala ka ng ibang gagawin kundi tumigil sa loob ng iyong kwarto, ganyan ako nun bago palang ako ditto sa Iraq pero nung masanay na sa Alikabaok ng Iraq wala na halos hindi na pinapansin para na lang itong isang palamuti sa kalangitan na pinagmamasdan at pinaglalaruan isang pangkaraniwang panahon na lang na dumadaan at pinalalagpas ng walang anuman,,,,,,,,,,,

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Unang Kaarawan




Sa isang OFW dami mong na mis sa life sa pamilya mo gaya nitong 1st B-day di ba mahalaga sa lahat ng tao ang una nilang kaarawan lalo na sa mahal mo sa buhay ang Unang Kaarawan ng iyong chikiting, baby, sanggol, anak, sila yun oo sarap sana kung kasama mo sila nag celebrate diba,,pero masayang masaya ka na nakikita mo sila sa mga pictures na masaya sila Ok n yun masarap na pakiramdam mo nun....hay dami mo ng namis sa buhay nila diba ano pa ikaw meron ba share mo na ,,,,,,,

Sa Iraq







Dito sa Lugar na ito madami kang natutunan madami kang nakasama ibat-ibang lahi, kulay, amoy,,,,pero masarap diba kasi bukod sa mga pangyayari n yan eh may mga bagay na mas mahalagang naganap sa atin ang matupad ang mga pangarap natin sa buhay,,di ba dami nakamit ang pangarap nila sa buhay dahil dito sa Iraq,,,dito nagkaroon ng magagandang oportunidad sa buhay bukod pa dyan eh nakakilala ka madaming tropa ,,,,,ganito kami sa IRAQ

Thursday, June 4, 2009

The Love Of Your Life







O sino nmn ang mga natatangi sa buhay nyo di ba lahat tayo merong mga bagay na gusto mo na tao na Mahal mo na itinatangi mo yun bang The Love Of Your Life

O yan ang dalawang babae sa Buhay ko The Love Of My Life
O sino nmn sa inyo post nyo na ?

My Honey


Ang Isang makulit at malikot sa buhay natin ayan sya ang ating chikiting


cute nila di ba