culture – BRYOLOGUE

I don’t mean to be offensive, but…

December 10, 2014bryologue Leave a Comment

Oops… a feather headdress

Last week, Faye told me about her discussion with some of our office friends on statements opening with “I don’t mean to be (racist/offensive/whatever)”, which ironically sets the tone for whatever sentiment you did not want to come across. With our recently concluded year-end party (a.k.a. Christmas party), our lovely colleagues had chosen bohemian as this year’s theme. A year ago, it was supposedly The Roaring Twenties, which I thought was offensive and tacky in the midst of Yolanda’s destruction in Central Visayas. Good thing it did not push through, which was a good call. We also had a fashion ball (where I wore a T-shirt LOL), a masquerade, a Filipiniana and some other themes I already forgot.

I already had an ominous feeling for this Saturday’s event. Given that its bohemian, people will most likely wear festival clothing for the event, and it won’t be complete without the presence of a headdress. I have read an article written by ‘Outstanding Warbonnet’ from The Prague Review last September on ‘How not to wear a warbonnet‘ after the annual cheerleading competition that I had watched. Just as we thought that the event would conclude without any headdress in sight, ‘lo and behold, several of these popped from thin air just in time for the obligatory fashion show.

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Mindanao Mission – Day 4: Maguindanao and the Tedurays

July 4, 2013bryologue Leave a Comment

Leaving Estosan Hotel at around 7:30 PM, we went to our office in Cotabato City for a briefing of the activities of the day ahead. Seeing the situation in Cotabato City and Maguindanao during the daylight made the situation clear: it was not a surprise to see checkpoints and armed soldiers in every kilometer of the road. It was no good pretending that it did not make me feel uneasy. And as we were going to Maguindanao, it made me more worried. It was no secret that the mere mention of “Maguindanao” in mainstream media invokes images of the infamous Maguindanao Massacre. But as we have seen, Maguindanao is more than just a place that should be associated with such a heinous incident.

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Mindanao Mission – Day 3: Not so slow day

July 3, 2013bryologue Leave a Comment

Housemates Dormitel was just a hop, skip and a pirouette away from our Sub-Office in Davao, so it was a surprise that we had to drive that short distance. =P We conducted two interviews with our colleagues, but the most tiring one was the short clips of everyone working in Davao. Rob and I had an idea of splicing several shots of our colleagues, but I can only imagine how bloody the editing job could be. Anyway, I will definitely be up for it, and I am still thankful that I get to do these things and have a creative outlet on a paying job. =D

I brought two pair of Red Wing boots with me, but I did not have a chance to use the brown 8875s. It was a pity but I guess it would have been severely abused from all the terrain mishaps that has been happening to us. I was trying to get B rolls from every place as I can, with my humble camera and I was hoping that my shaky hand would not make these clips unusable. I know that I should have bought a portable, mini-tripod to make my life easier, but alas, I was too stingy at that inconvenient time.

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Preparing for a week in Mindanao!

June 28, 2013bryologue Leave a Comment

Say hello to a new day! I have brought along almost all shortsleeves polo with me but I don’t remember wearing one since bringing them. As it is almost raining the whole week, the prospect of sweating profusely has significantly reduced. Another colorblind moment, though, as I thought this was a white polo with gray stripes, but apparently, it was pink in some other color. Oh well. I would never know about it not until I commented that Mon and I were both wearing white polos and looked like high school students. I was evidently wrong.

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A morning with Cheche

June 11, 2013bryologue Leave a Comment

Waking up at 6:00 AM was very worth it! On my second day of work, we were informed that we will be having a meeting/consultation with Ms. Cheche Lazaro on Tuesday the following week.

Honestly, it was a task to conceal my excitement upon hearing the news because I am a BIG fan of Ms. Lazaro. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of our NGO, and she is also the Public Relations Officer and Chairman of the Communications Committee — which was not a surprise at all.

Growing up in the Philippines, television plays a big part of our lives; but it was also quite difficult to find programs that bring quality content. And this is where Ms. Cheche came in, along with other esteemed journalists — to pioneer investigative journalism in the country through Probe and expose several issues in the society, which are often misrepresented or even overlooked by mainstream media.

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Interior design fantasy: a framed silk scarf

May 14, 2013bryologue 2 Comments

As I’ve realized last week, I was never adept with interior design or anything similar to that, but it did not prevent me from having an ultimate design fantasy if ever I get to have my own place — I wanted a framed Hermès scarf. A boy can always dream, right? So when I have acquired a Philippe Ledoux in early 2009 from Ebay, and quickly accepted that it was impractical and ridiculous to use a silk scarf in my everyday life (though I actually used it once), I have safely kept it in my closet for the prospect of framing and hanging it in my future living room or bedroom. But again, it was ruined and damaged beyond repair because of the flood and I no longer have any scarf to frame.

I’ve been always enthralled by the artwork and effort put on silk scarves and I was so amazed to read a post from another blogsite, chronicling how an Hermès scarf is made. It awakened my curiosity over framed silk scarves and Google-ing brought me to Griffin Trading‘s website where I saw a framed La Promenade de Longchamps in the exact colorway I have (albeit undamaged).

This foray into another design project territory pulled me again into searching local auction sites to see if maybe, just maybe, it would be my lucky day. And fortunately, it was. I was very quick to jump the gun on a red and orange silk scarf for sale by a man from Alabang, that I pleaded if I can meet up with him in Makati just to get the item. I think he had no idea that he just sold a brand new scarf, with unflattened hems, at a significantly low price that he practically gave it away.

I normally do not put watermark on my photos but I just don’t want these stolen by crooks and use them to sell a non-existent scarf to potential victims. Anyway, it was an ‘Astres et Soleils‘ scarf by Annie Faivre in red and orange, and according to an online scarf catalogue, this particular colorway was produced in 1994. Imagine, it still looks immaculate even after almost two decades! Well, what do I expect, it has been kept inside its envelope all these years and only the tattered paper showed wear and tear.

It’s interesting that I got to end up with this scarf, whose name translates to ‘Stars and Suns‘. I love astronomy, mythology and world history a lot, and I was just watching documentaries yesterday on YouTube about the Mayan and Aztec civilizations. The former, most especially, is most (in)famous for the December 21, 2012 Doomsday prediction, due to their extensive knowledge of the movements of celestial bodies. In this whimsical artwork, Annie Faivre was inspired by the Mayan civilization before its collapse, with the people engaging in burial, agricultural and other religious rites. Among its various colorways, I’m very pleased to get this red and orange one that highlights the vibrancy of the Mayan life in a tropical rainforest climate.

More than the “where to have it framed?” question, I think I should be focusing more on “how” because I’ve read that they need special UV/museum glass to preserve the color and prevent fading, as well as sewing the scarf on a fabric covered matte. I don’t even know if I can find that special glass here, and who knows how much they will cost! Maybe I can scour vintage and thrift shops to see if I can find an existing frame large enough to hold the scarf, then I will do the framing myself! =)

UP Diliman University Graduation v2.0

April 28, 2013bryologue 2 Comments

Yesterday afternoon was foreboding. After the sunny day during the early morning college graduation, it rained really hard that it made me worried about the fate of today’s weather. There was even a report of tornado and hail stones and somebody also sent me a message that there was a Low Pressure Area forming in Luzon.

As the University-wide graduation would happen in an open area, the prospect of a bad weather will literally dampen our spirits. Looking back at my first University Graduation, I remember that it was so hot that I had been sweating a lot both from the influence of the direct sunlight and the uncomfortable barong that I was wearing.

But for today, leaving our house at exactly 2:00 PM, the sky was gray and I was eagerly praying for another chance with the sun. LOL

The sunflowers were not-so-perky that I had to hold a couple of them upright

Our first itinerary upon reaching UP was to take pictures with the sunflowers along the University Avenue. My family was particularly excited about this as they kept on seeing news feature this entire week about the graduation in UP Diliman, and how the sunflowers were finally in full bloom just in time for the event.

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The earliest graduation ceremony of my life

April 27, 2013bryologue 2 Comments

I was on half-day leave the day before because today’s recognition rites (a.k.a. college graduation) took place very early in the morning. The assembly time was at 7:00 AM, even if the ceremony itself would not take place until 8:00 AM. I had a hard time sleeping because at 12:00 AM, I am normally on my way home, so sleep was difficult to come by. Perhaps I was a bit excited as well? =)

The earliest graduation ceremony I have ever attended

I was very happy to graduate with these guys

Fresh-faced graduates

We arrived five minutes after 7:00 AM and there were already a lot of people outside the University Theater. The weather was good but I think the ladies were not particularly keen with the sun shining brightly over their freshly made up faces.

However, there was a collective sense of anticipation in the air, and everyone was busy taking photos with their families and friends, and congratulating each other over finally making it. Around 8:00 AM, the first group (i.e. that was ‘us’) made our way inside the theater amidst the cheering crowd of graduates who were so delighted with the processional.

CSSP@30 displayed prominently on the stage

I needed to have a solo picture LOL

We were seated two rows behind former UP President Nemenzo and my Anthro prof two years ago, Dean Nestor Castro

We were given a copy of the program, and I was delighted to see the name of former UP President Nemenzo as the guest speaker. He was the UP President when I entered UP Diliman in 2003, when he was eventually replaced by the President Roman in 2005. I was quite shocked, however, how elderly President Nemenzo was.

I remember him being extremely energetic in an event in the Faculty Center before, but then that was almost a decade ago. Of course a lot of things has changed by 2013. I particularly loved his more than twenty minute-speech, because it has a lot of facts on realities of life in the Philippines (and also being Filipino in the impending economic integration of ASEAN in 2013), which would, honestly, not make sense years ago if I did not take International Studies. =D

From what I recall from his speech, he gave three pieces of advice to the graduates. First, he pointed out the importance of remaining a student forever, and how graduation is not the end of one’s education and it is a new beginning.

His second advice was over the importance of the liberal arts and how it was wrong to question its relevance, given that it humanizes the impacts of technology because the latter has social implications.

Lastly, he gave a very candor caveat “hope for the best and prepare for the worst”, warning on both the benefits and consequences of the neoliberal order, and the possibility of exploitation, especially on the Philippines if it will be furthermore integrated into the capitalist model of development. Marx, Engels and Wallerstein suddenly began speaking to me again.

What struck me the most in his speech was the importance of having a critical mind, which gives the burden and challenge for the knowing to do something for others:

“With a critical mind, you can distinguish good from evil, right from wrong, wisdom from non-sense. It allows us into fits of outrage at corruption and the abuse of power; but it also obliges us to support, what is just, reasonable and progressive.” – former UP President Francisco Nemenzo Jr.

With Mon during my recognition rites

Mama and me, with the token (medal) gievn to the graduates of master’s degree

There was almost a mishap with Mama. When it was time for the graduates to go on stage and receive the diploma and medals (for some), we were just informed right there and then that our parents should be going on stage with us.

I had to make a quick phone call to Mon, so that he can let Mama know and she can sprint all the way to the stage. She just made it in time when my name was called and in the process, she has almost slipped and has already lost her Php 100 corsage.

It was a surreal moment for me, and I could not imagine how more surreal it was for her. She has never done this in any of my graduation and I could not believe it was finally happening. We walked hand in hand and she was almost teary-eyed while putting the medal on me. After more than two decades, I have a parent on stage with me. =D

We were the first bunch to have our pictures taken here

Mama, Mon and I

It was a long ceremony and good thing Mon went outside to buy some snack from vendors selling street food. The two pieces of toasted bread I have eaten for breakfast seemed ages ago.

At around 12 noon, the whole event was already over and that our group were so delighted that we did not bother finishing the recessional and headed straight to the stage to have our pictures taken with the big “CSSP@30″ on stage!

After taking my photos with my classmates, I went looking for Mon and Mama, but turned out, they were already outside the theater. LOL I had to call them back inside because I needed my photos with them on stage. Yep, I am really that traditional with this sort of photos.

UP Pep Squad drummers outside the University Theater

And of course, the sound of the bass and snare drums followed. It is usually customary that UP Pep Squad drummers and/or dancers go to the recognition rites of whatever college/institute/school inside the campus, as long as it has a graduating member.

In 2007, I even had a short stunt with some of my teammates when my name was called. LOL That was quite a scene. This time, though, I was just a mere expectator and I was delighted over the support of the drummers to their CSSP graduates. I heard familiar beats and it sent shivers down my spine. I can still ‘mentally’ do the routine on some of the things they have played, but alas, the mind was willing but the body was not yielding! =P

Nothing special when we went home after, because I was saving the dinner outside with my family and friends after the University Graduation tomorrow. I then thought of digging out the token I got from my college graduation and even if I was decimal-murdered, the Dean of the College of Arts and Letters that time, National Artist Virgilio S. Almario, was gracious enough to provide everybody with a medal.

No one went home empty-handed, fair enough. Looking at these two, it was really amazing to think over how far I have come along. Few minutes after taking the photo above, I posted in on Facebook and made an official announcement about the leap from working in the corporate enviroment to an NGO/the humanitarian sector.

Well, I will still be technically working in my old company but I am really excited to start working for the NGO. Meanwhile, I have to wash the barong tagalog and the camisa de chino, which I will be both using again tomorrow for the University Graduation!

A day before graduation

April 26, 2013bryologue 3 Comments

It’s my third consecutive day of waking up around 8:00 AM because of important tasks that needed to be done. We went back to UPLB the other day for Lot’s enrollment, and I had my 10:00 AM appointment with the NGO yesterday because I finally signed the contract for the new position I will assume starting June 3. For today, I had to pick up the tickets for both the college and university graduation happening this weekend, and that meant dropping by AS before lunchtime.

When I first called AS 101 for information about the recognition rites, I had a hard time understanding the person who was in charge of information to answer those who are inquiring. Let’s just say that I finally met him in person, and he was not as pleasant as he sounded on the phone. In my first encounter with him in that telephone call, we had a small misunderstanding over the nomenclature of AS and Palma Hall. I kept on saying AS and he kept on correcting me with Palma Hall, so imagine the irony when you see a giant “AS 101” plastered by the College Secretary’s entrance — his office. Anyway, I have never been inside AS 101 during my whole stay in graduate school because I dealt with my academic matters in the Office of the Graduate Program. So when I asked about the tickets for both ceremonies, I knew right away that I was dealing with the same person because he was honestly snarky and it did not help that he was incomprehensible (i.e. he eats his words). I normally got no problem with that, but it’s just plain wrong to put people who are not eloquent in answering questions, without a hint of condescension, in the front desk or whatever. Somebody needs a crash course in communicating effectively.

The Academic Oval - UP Diliman

Anyway, I got my tickets in no time from the extremely busy BUT gracious person who was in charge of giving out the tickets. I was so happy to leave the same room with that staff with the bad attitude. Mind you, he changed his tune when he found out in that telephone call that I was a graduate student and not an undegrad. Maybe I should feel good that he was cranky with me because I looked like an undergrad. So after AS, I realized that I still have a lot of time to go to the University Registrar and FINALLY claim my clearance. It was due for collection since January, but I did not know why it took me so long to claim it. It was a clear and sunny day, and even if the sun was way up high, I finally decided on walking to Quezon Hall and take a couple of pictures of the Sablay-clad Oble and the sunflowers in full bloom along University Avenue.

Interestingly, since entering UP Diliman exactly a decade ago, I have never once taken a picture of me with the sunflowers, or even stood near them within 10 feet! What have I been doing all those nine summers, I do not know, and I even did not bother going approaching them in my university graduation in 2007. Well, the sun was no joke and I was debating whether I should really take pictures given I was all by myself. I eventually crossed the road going to the sidewalk of University Avenue, walked the length going to the checkpoint, while sneakily looked for the perfect spot where the exiting vehicles would not see me. LOL It was strategically placed between two large bushes and the flowers in the area were not bad either.

I had tried two batches of “self-portrait”. The first one was hilarious that I won’t bother posting the best shot because there was none, while the other yielded accepted results, only that I forgot to zoom it out after the macro shots before it. Hello sweat and pores! I was a tourist in my own university, and it gave me a good laugh as I internally ridiculed how pathetic I was. I then waited for the jeepney going to MRT in the checkpoint, and the students who were inside were quizzically looking at me because I was drenched with sweat. They saw me walking the length of the sidewalk and I’ll bet my graduate degree that they might have suspected that I had a field day with the sunflowers. LOL

Arriving an hour after in Glorietta, I had to wait for Mon to arrive so that he can accompany me in looking for a barong tagalog to use for two days. The last barong I bought was from 2007 and I remember buying it around Php 1000 and it was not the best one out there. So I swore to myself that the next barong for my graduation will be far from the other one. A six-year interval, then, might be a long time because my jaw dropped upon seeing the prices of the barong tagalog for sale in Landmark Makati. The cheapest was at Php 3,000, while I almost fainted when I saw the Php 18,000 one. But anyway, the fabrics used in the production of these are produced locally, and the embroidery was so painstakingly done, that you won’t even notice the difference the difference in beauty between the low-end to high-end.

Of course, I chose one of the cheaper ones! =D It was made from jusi as piña-made ones commanded a higher price. I had my eyes on one with the elaborately-detailed collar, but unfortunately, the smallest size available for that style (i.e. medium) did not fit me properly. I’m happy to hear, though, that I need a small-sized barong tagalog. =D However, it meant that my choices were few and good luck tomorrow as I expect a minimum of two to three people wearing the same barong tagalog as mine! I’m just praying that they should be seated at least a row away from me!

Tomorrow, our college graduation will be at 8:00 AM but we should be there by 7:00 AM for the assembly. It was really early but I would not be surprised if another college/institute booked the University Theater ahead of us, thus ending up with the earliest schedule. My female classmates were really worried because salons and beauty parlors do not normally open that early in the morning. I laughed at first, then realized that I also needed a haircut. What goes around, comes around, and the strict schedule of the last three days prevented me from having one. Well, at least I’m finally graduating! =D

A day of learning

February 28, 2013bryologue Leave a Comment

Last day of the month and February literally passed by with only twenty eight days. I was on half-day leave because I attended a conference/workshop regarding aging and migration in UP, with guest speakers from different countries, especially in Asia.

The venue was at the University Hotel and it was then that I realized that I have never entered that area of UP before. Finishing both my undergrad and graduate degree, I still haven’t visited a lot of places inside the campus and the University Hotel was no exception. I thought I arrived late, but good thing that the event did not start until 1:30 PM. I overlooked the schedule of activities, wherein 1:00 PM was just the registration proper.

The theme of the workshop centers on aging and migration in 21st century Asia. The primary organizer, Prof. Yoneno-Reyes, sent an invitation/announcement to everybody last Sunday. She was also my professor in aging and migration three years ago, and I still find the topic interesting and compelling. The moderator of the event, Prof. Sevilla, was also my professor in a West Asia course. For the whole afternoon, three speakers from Japan, China and South Korea presented their papers. Two of them were from Kyoto University, while the other one was from SungKongHoe University.

One by one, the three guests presented their topics: from the concepts of intimate work, ‘housewifization’, to ‘a new woman’; as well as marriage migration chains in East Asia to South Korea’s changing policy on multiculturalism and migration. But if I were to be frank with my observations, it was quite frustrating having to follow and grapple with the discussion. Aside from the looming presence of the language barrier between the speakers and their audience, the faulty sound system made matters worse. I felt really embarrassed for the guests, especially when another discussion from the next-door’s conference got transmitted and broadcasted in our room in the middle of the speaker’s discussion, due to mixing up of wireless microphones’ signal. I wanted to hide under the table.

I looked at the list of guests and saw that Gabriele Vogt was present. I was really eager to see her because she wrote one of our required readings in class before. I even cited her in one of my essays for comprehensive exams.

If there is one thing I have learned about myself from the event, it was my tendency not to socialize with people I do not know. There were only two people in the room who I knew, and they were my previous professors who were busy with the workshop. I just sat at the end of room, next to the refreshments (coffee within an arm’s reach, yay!) beside two formidable-looking ladies. I did not start a conversation with them, until I decided against the awkwardness of the situation. I was stunned to know that I was seated next to the dean of the College of Nursing of UP Manila. O_O Good thing she was very approachable and even started asking questions about me. There will be another session tomorrow, but I’m not too sure if I would be able to attend. I really need to seriously start reviewing for another exam two Sundays from now.

P.S.
Just as the day turned 28, I found out that our grandmother (my father’s auntie) passed away due to stroke. She was in a nursing home in Alberta, Canada and I haven’t seen her since the late 90s. She died at the age of 88. May you rest in peace, Lola Soling and we love you so much.