Coups d'etat and the Filipino Culture

The commotion over the supposed 'Trillanes revolt' yesterday is very telling of the Filipino culture. You've got to love the whole 'Bayanihan' thing we Filipino's got going, which is the basis of all the dynamics of coups and revolutions here in our country. 'People Power' anyone?

Yesterday was basically a repeat of the Oakwood Mutiny, with the call for support to the masses with the whole 'this is the Time' speech while the posse of the Senator took residence in a hotel while waiting for its supporters to arrive. See, the whole thing hinges on the arrival of supporters, aka 'the bayan'. Filipino's don't go shooting political opponents unless they'll remain anonymous about it. No sir, when it comes to high-profile revolts we prefer to do it bloodlessly if possible. After all popular support is the name of the game.

Trillianes whoever was thinking the right way, though on the wrong time. It's Christmas season, and no Filipino wants a tense affair that will blow away the Christmas spirit. Wrong time for a revolution - we like to enjoy our holidays.

When I said thinking the right way, what I meant was the takeover of the Manila Peninsula Hotel. Forget strategic defensible position - if your expecting a large group of people to show in support, you've got to show them hospitality Filipino style.

Of course the press was there in force. A news station must catch the blow by blow of the event. To do otherwise is unthinkable. Tsismis- er, the news must reach the masses. If there is no media coverage, then how can the revolters call for support or give statements?

You gotta give kudos to the level of dedication our reporters have.
The army kept telling them to leave the area but they wouldn't. Though the Filipino tendency to be 'usiseros' does get in the way sometimes (or maybe all the time?). If they weren't there, it probably degenerated into firefight, which I think at least one side wanted to happen. Tired of telling them to go the army tear gassed them anyway and even arrested a whole lot of them.

It was kinda entertaining to hear about the APC crashing into entrance of the Manila Pen. Like any good jeepney driver, they sure can fit any vehicle into any space they'd like.

And telling of what Filipino culture is indoctrinated into my generation, the fuss I hear around is not of the youth discussing the implications of this act, or if the country is in the throes of destabilization, or debating on who is in right in this affair. No, all I hear is the outcry of the teenagers who can't party into the wee hours of the morning and can't buy their usual midnight coffee from Starbucks anymore because of the imposed curfew.

How to be cool in school

I'm cool. And here's what I did today to be cool. On a already cold and rainy Christmas season day like this, I sat in an air conditioned class for one and half hour before taking a dive in the LS pool. I then showed off my coolness by walking around the pool in my revealing swimming gear, making sure to wait for a slight breeze to make that dramatic blowing-wet-hair look and shiverin- err, flexing my muscles, before changing back. Then I went to my next class, drying my hair for the next hour and a half with the aircon turned on high. I was so cool my feet were already numb. So cool in fact, all the while my professor was talking I was thinking "I'm cold I'm cold I'm cold I'm cold I'm cold I'm cold I'm cold".

Now that's the way to be cool in school

Now it feels like college.

1 year and a sem after starting college, only now do I feel like a college student. Only now, after going to our major subjects ( DS 101, DS 122), non-traditional subjects ( polsci or psych is not a traditional subject, compared to science, math, English) and meeting professors where our first impressions match their reputations, having a computer lab as a classroom, several tiered rooms, and going to a class with 60 plus students with seniors and juniors. To me the last 3 semesters felt a little like high school in terms of academic effort needed. I coasted on a carefree cloud of unstress day after day, just like in high school. After today I know that won't work anymore. I can already see the running the stressful road ahead paved with reading, readings and more readings with my professors behind chasing me like dogs from hell. And you know what, I'm not even stressing-ahead about it, not the least bit scared. I'm actually excited about it. We're finally Development Studies students! Yeah! Good thing it's Christmas season. Not that it's all jolly and such, but because Christmas season always puts me in a somber, almost serious mood. I think it's the thought of visitations and all that. Or maybe it's the cold.

By the way, after 3 something years with me, my cellphone number has been terminated already. Now I have a new globe number (just ask for it, the hell I'll put my contact number here). Kinda sad though cuz I'm sentimental about that number. it's weird, it feels like it was a pet or something, cuz I had it for such a long time. Got me through the best and worst of times ( High school). But, in a metaphorical sort of way, since I am "starting college" now , it maybe a symbol of discarding my high school attitudes. Heh. I'm over thinking it now. Better get back to my readings.

November, for Nostalgia's sake

Halloween is over, people are returning from their visits to the cemeteries and it's starting to get cold. Yup, it's November already and only so far to go before the year ends once more.

Yesterday I went to my High school friend's birthday - debut actually, which I only realized when I got there and felt horribly undressed and lacking a gift. It was a minor detail anyway(I hope). There a few of my HS friends got together to eat and catch up. It was fun to see them again, but more importantly, I was feeling nostalgic all night. One of them even said to me that I gained weight. All the weight I lost during college came back this sembreak. Now I'm back to my HS build, and they noticed it. Yup, nostalgic indeed. Anyway, I forgot how fun it was to hang out with them. I didn't even mind becoming a model for a moment. Who knew I was pretty if I became a girl. Hehe...ehemmm... moving on...

Before I started to write this post I looked back at all the posts I made in this blog of mine, just for the heck of it. I forgot how witty I can be, hehe. I must be losing practice. While reading back there are things that suddenly came back to me, like thoughts that are funny in hindsight, past events that I already forgot about and old forgotten musings about random things, like my first days in college. Eh, time flies..sigh*

Walking to church my mom just had to remind me about something I really like to forget about now and move on from. And she had to do it on this date, November 4, where what I'm desperately trying to forget started two years ago today. Now that, my friends, is being nostalgic.

Well, for the sake of nostalgia, I'll repost something I wrote a year ago that amuses me that went like this:
"its not like anybody comes here and reads what I post,meaning to whom I'm writing this now can only be cybernetic thin air, or even if say you a person is reading this, it was written not for you but only to satisfy the ravings of a madman who has found a better alternative than talking to himself, which is to just keep writing in his blog with knowledge that nobody is reading it so therefore assumes that he is in a way talking to himself, which is me. So therefore this elaborate explanation is only to entertain me, thinking that somebody will be reading this but knowing that nobody will, and so therefore have succeeded in accomplishing...what? To kill alot of time and get the satisfaction of expressing his notions of absurdity to a void that is the blog which neither listens or reads, and could therefore just be an abyss where one tosses one's thoughts to be lost forever."