tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70029617422262904012024-03-14T03:54:10.533+08:00The Early IncentiveGiving that slight advantage necessary.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-63009194022657846392014-04-17T22:21:00.001+08:002014-04-17T22:21:25.049+08:00Ponder Points: The Gift of the Washing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is true that the washing of the feet is very significant in the moments that lead to the Passion and Death of Christ, for it foreshadows what it truly means for Jesus to hang and die on the Cross, for the sake of humankind. And perhaps one can see this by concentrating on three important passages that are worth reflecting on for the next three days.<br />
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<i><b>“What I am doing, you do not understand now, </b><b>but you will understand later.”</b></i><br />
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To put it simply, what Jesus wants his apostles to do is to <i>receive his self-giving</i>, manifested and symbolized by washing the feet, which is the part of the body that gets soiled and dirty the most (especially for a Jew who walks on the dusty roads filled with all kinds of garbage). Jesus appeals and calls to our will to receive what has been given to us, and what he says here is that the point of what He does is not to merely understand what it is. Rather, understanding can only happen once one receives Jesus' own self.<br />
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But what Jesus gives is not something that is for one's own benefit. In receiving Jesus, one also receives the difficulty of loving and giving oneself, especially in the times when it is most difficult to love and give ourselves. There will be points in one's own life that things seem to not make sense at all, and one leads to search what is clear and certain for one, retreating within the confines of sufficient reasons. What Jesus points out here is that in these moments, what must be done is to receive him, <i>which means giving one's own self in the same way that Jesus gave His</i>. Only then, in hindsight, can one truly understand. In other words, what is necessary for one to understand is not the intellect, but the will. And for the Holy Week, Pascal says it truly: <i>to believe is to not multiply proofs of God's existence </i>(or perhaps to search merely for reasons that comfort us) <i>but to diminish our passions</i>, to lead ourselves to love God and others.<br />
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<b><i>“Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”</i></b><br />
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The washing of the feet is also a symbol of the relationship of love that exists between Jesus and His disciples. Jesus took the initiative to wash the feet of his apostles, and therefore his decision to love. When one accepts Jesus' love, then one is bound and committed to Jesus, sharing in His identity and mission.<br />
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And perhaps this is a call that reverberates most strongly in the present. In the present times, we live a life wherein the individual is highly praised, and self-actualization becomes an absolute must (expressed in the use of social media and the proliferation of a "culture of "<i>celebritizing</i>"<i> </i>ourselves). And at times, it leads to a "king-of-the-hill" mentality which leads one to forsake the Other in order to glorify ourselves. In fact, it reaches to a point wherein we become afraid of committing ourselves to others and forming genuine relationships with them because we fear that we sacrifice our precious individuality in doing so. In the washing of the feet, Jesus binds Himself to us, and we are called to bind ourselves to Him by binding ourselves as well with the people whom He loves.<br />
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<b><i>“Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all.”</i></b><br />
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I have chosen this over the concluding lines of the Gospel because it is one that doesn't immediately make sense. However, I think what Jesus seems to say at this point is that what He does is not a mere cleansing ritual, but a sharing in the mission of "cleaning" every mess brought about by sin, done by loving in the same way that He does. And when he says that we are clean, but not all, he speaks of the challenge to love even when one among our brothers and sisters cannot and would not.<br />
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In the end, what the washing tells us is to <b>love as the master has loved</b>, and as Jesus says, "<i>as I have done for you, you should also do."</i><br />
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<i>The only way that one can receive a gift is to do it as it is, which means re-giving it in the light of its givenness.</i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-16571640044033932352014-04-14T23:15:00.002+08:002014-04-14T23:23:53.741+08:00Pascal: Mathematician and Philosopher<br />
<i>Going To The Darker Side: An Introduction</i><br />
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In the course of revising my M.A. thesis, I came across one possible way of once again going back and enriching Pascal's philosophical thought and insight. This not-so-small endeavor is something that I thought of when I was doing two important things.<br />
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1. I was in the middle of reading Simon Singh's <i>Fermat's Enigma</i>, which gave sufficient background knowledge regarding the famous Last Theorem of Pierre de Fermat, which remained as a mystery in the mathematical world until Andrew Wiles found a proof for it (or at least where the book is leading me to). I was drawn by the many crucial moments in the history of mathematics that Singh presented, especially with Pythagoras, Euclid, and Diophantus, and how their problems influenced the development of mathematics, especially in the 17th century. But more than that, what I find appealing with Fermat is not exactly his last theorem but his relationship with Pascal, with whom he shares a correspondence that soon became the foundation of modern probability theory.<br />
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2. One of the concerns raised during my Masters' Thesis defense was the integration of the different orders by way of raising the value of self-love from the point of view of charity. I answered the question by saying that self-love is by no means against charity if it is in view of loving the personal and the absolute Other as such. But what this question really awakened me to is the fact that it is possible that despite the distance between the three orders of the flesh, the mind, and charity, one can still speak of Pascal's point as a philosopher by the mathematics and the sciences that he is so passionate about. Basically, my thesis is an articulation that comes from the perspective of the third order. <i>But is it possible that this way of articulating the primacy of charity is hinted at, if not foreshadowed, by Pascal's mathematical and scientific works?</i><br />
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This is the question that I would like to explore and wrestle with. My objective is to basically find out how Pascal's way of doing mathematics and science influence and even lead to his insight regarding the charity of primacy as the highest foundation among three orders of possible living, thinking, and acting. It traces the different proofs and arguments used by Pascal regarding mathematical and scientific truths and see how they are also applicable to the things that he points out in the <i>Pensees</i>. Given these, some reminders:<br />
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A. I hope that this develops into a journal article or two. As of now, I set my sights below expectations: publish marginal notes in this blog and attempt to draw connections between Pascal's mathematical/scientific and philosophical/Catholic arguments.<br />
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B. I am going to publish bits and pieces every now and then, and I hope that those who can read this project can at least comment and raise very significant points (yes, Math experts, I'm calling on you to help me on this one). The knowledge of expert mathematicians are needed here, and it would be helpful if these mathematicians would share the little knowledge that they have.<br />
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C. Some texts of Pascal will be considered, which include but are not limited to the following:<br />
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-<i>Essai pour les coniques </i>(Treatise on Cones)<br />
-<i>Traite du vide </i>(Treatise on Vacuums)<br />
-<i>Traite du triangles arithmetics </i>(Treatise on arithmetic triangles)<br />
-Correspondences with Pierre de Fermat<br />
-Some notes and comments regarding Descartes and his <i>mathesis universalis </i>(from various sources)<br />
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As for his philosophical insight, we still remain within the bounds of the <i>Pensees </i>and his various <i>lettres</i>, and perhaps a few passages from his famous <i>Lettres Provinciales</i>.<br />
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1. Pascal's mathematical proofs are going to be analyzed as they are. If necessary, historical references are going to be drawn out in order to see more clearly how Pascal proceeds.<br />
2. Draw any associations with the way Pascal argues for the primacy of charity, especially in the Pensees, taking into mind the different themes that he discussed.<br />
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I admit that I am not well-versed enough in mathematics to figure things out, and I believe that friends and readers who know more maths than I do may be able to contribute in this endeavor. Hopefully, this is a project wherein minds mathematical and philosophical can work together to bring out perhaps the things that were left unsaid for over hundreds of years ago.<br />
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Moreover, I am not saying that I am definitely arriving at some new knowledge regarding Pascal and his philosophical thought. In fact, there is a huge possibility that I am going to end up with what he exactly said regarding the infinite distance between knowing and loving. However, I think that this endeavor is of significance because we can see possible connections within one Blaise Pascal, namely the connections between his mathematical mind and his religious and philosophical mind. I hope that in one way or another, this endeavor could have shed light regarding this matter.<br />
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<i>Up Next: The orders as the "frame" of the Pensees</i><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-86721587729727148452013-07-07T11:18:00.001+08:002013-07-07T11:18:24.346+08:00Ponder Points: Seeing The Light of Faith<i>A Quick Look at Lumen Fidei</i><br />
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Members of the Roman Catholic Church have been impressed with their new pontiff Francis starting from day one, and so it would not be surprising if these same Catholics would also respect and revere him all the more as he gets his first encyclical published for all the faithful to read. Entitled <i>Lumen Fidei</i>, the encyclical is Francis' own effort to complete what has been started by his predecessor, the Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI, as a draft. Eventually, he ended up with a relatively short work composed of four chapters which tackles faith itself, completing the trilogy of the theological virtues. In here, Francis has somehow presented a grand synthesis of the faith that the Church hangs on to and lives with, linking it with the two other theological virtues of hope and love, and bringing to light all the figures and ideas of the Church as part of the faith that it lives.<br />
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And regarding this synthetic approach, three things can be said:<br />
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1. In its content and form, the whole encyclical seems to be a return to the basics of the Church, touching on the very foundations of the life that it lives. A Catholic might not be able to find something new in the same way that a non-believer desiring to know about the nature of the Church's faith would, but I think both would be filled with wonder as to how the two popes dealt with faith, coming from various points of view within and outside the Church. This can be seen in the various references that both popes used, ranging from Nietzsche, to William of Saint-Thierry, to T. S. Eliot, in which they presented different ways of seeing the faith that Christianity regards as a foundation. All of these perhaps serves a single purpose that, for Benedict and Francis, is very clear: to provide a response to the view of faith in a secular world that has lost an appreciation of it, to let its light shine bright again.<br />
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2. Connected to the first, one could see how interesting it is that Benedict and Francis tied everything around faith, which stands alongside hope and love. They were able to talk about not only the crisis of faith in a secular world, but also other issues that have to be dealt with, including the question of other faiths and ecumenism and environmentalism among others. What seems to be emphasized at this point is that faith is not just a matter of private and subjectively held truths, but a commitment that is at the same time a perspective of the whole, which in turn leads the human being to act in a certain manner. But what sets the difference is that it does not come from the initiative of the human being, but is granted as a gift by that whom faith enables the human being to see.<br />
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3. I think it is apt for the encyclical to end with the model of faith, the Blessed Virgin herself, who, through his unconditional 'yes' to Christ and to the salvation of humanity, led a life of faith. It started with light and ended with light, the light we receive from the beacon reflecting Christ's life and love herself. And perhaps what Francis would want to point here is not just the fact that the Church as a whole is invited to walk the path of her Blessed Mother, but also and more importantly, to seek her motherly love in the times when we cannot see the light.<br />
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Indeed, <i>Lumen Fidei </i>has allowed us to receive once again the light of faith that penetrates our whole existence.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-54121587223104913982013-05-14T00:28:00.001+08:002013-05-14T00:28:16.602+08:00Random Thoughts: Post-Election 2013There are a lot of ways to comment, critique, and talk about the recent elections that we've had, but allow me to start with something that's not-so-obvious: liberal democracy.<br />
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Our history has shown that we are a nation who values our identity as a liberal and democratic one (think of EDSA and you will get what I mean). Liberal democracy indeed granted us the right to vote, to choose whom we want to be in the crucial positions that dictate our country's future. It granted us the right even to talk about it, especially through the social media. It allowed us to talk about our choices, discuss our opinions regarding them, and evaluate how the whole process has been so far. Heck, it even granted us the privilege of laughing about the whole process, to the point that we have created hashtags that are so funny because of their sexual undertones.<br />
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But it is also in being a liberal democracy where everything gets nasty. We are granted the privilege to choose anyone to be in those privileged positions, and even the right to privilege our choices over others, even pointing out that others have chosen wrongly. We have the right to recant and refute our neighbor and judge him to be irrational and uneducated. We even have the privilege to say that we could have wanted people to think, act, and be like us because we think that our view of things are the true and good ones. In fact, it is this liberal democracy which runs in our blood that enables us to put our own selves in our own intellectual and pragmatic pedestals and shun and demean all those who have not seen and understood the way we do.<br />
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Despite the bleak situation, I still believe that hope still lies because we are a liberal democratic nation, and I believe it to be so because it also grants us the right to change our view and see things differently. It grants us the right to see others differently and not to condemn or demean them but instead listen to them. It grants us the right to ask why the poor have chosen to vote this and not that. It grants us the right to formulate our strategies and procedures in such a way that they will neither eradicate nor absorb those others who are completely other to us, but instead listen to their concerns and understand their view of things and motivations for action. You see, the liberal and democratic setting of this country allows us to see what politics really is about: negotiation and consensus-building. Liberal democracy allows us to understand that the concern of politics is not the imposition of our own musts, but the effort to respond to the question "what CAN be done?" It allows us to see differences encountering and trying to understand each other, in view of formulating actions and responses that will be for everyone. It allows us to strategize and work our own way as a people. It grants us the right (and responsibility, which I think is more important) to negotiate with each other, to explain and discuss our stand, and hopefully to understand and work with others as well. Indeed, liberal democracy makes us free, and yet it bears the challenge of using this freedom to what suits ourselves and others most, without leaving someone behind unperturbed and "un-understood" (and yes I'm inventing because it's different from being misunderstood. In the end, it does grant us the right to be a nation composed of individuals bound by their differences and similarities alike).<br />
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This freedom, then, leaves us two paths. On one hand, you can just leave this country and not care for it. After all, this nation does not need the good yet unmotivated ones, so by all means, they should pursue their greater ambitions and work towards what they believe as the highest good for them. Go on, no one is forcing you to help your country. Liberal democracy, right? So by all means, then relax and sip on some gin and juice in some other country's beach.<br />
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But for those who believe that this archipelago of 76 or more million people has a bright future ahead, then this is where the challenge lies. It would definitely take more than distinguishing what counts as a reasonable vote or not. It would definitely take more understanding, seeing, and most importantly responding to what this country and its people demand from us. It would definitely take more than just thinking, for it involves both our reason and will.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-2304829522074851192013-02-14T08:54:00.001+08:002013-02-14T08:54:36.960+08:00It Is Love Which Shatters Us<br />
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<i>Love, and do what you will</i>. </div>
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- St. Augustine</div>
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Love promises happiness for those who wait and work for it.<br />
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The promise that love brings is precisely that which propels each and every human being to look for it. It is what drives us to search for those whom we will pledge our whole life to, knowing that only in determining who "the one" is can we actually be fulfilled. And because we find this to be an important part of our life, we look forward to it, anticipate it, plan it, and tie it up with other areas of human living. Furthermore, there is this tendency to look at love as if it is something that "adds over," that is, granting an even greater happiness to our once satisfied lives as if it is a fairy tale waiting to happen.<br />
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What happens, then, is that love becomes a part of a system defined by categories. One erects standards and preferences, the qualities that the beloved should possess in order to be loved. One creates an image of how love will occur, perhaps the best possible condition and situation where love will happen. One already looks forward to finding and being in love as if what lives in fantasy would exactly happen to reality. All of these seem that love, in its entirety, can be controlled, anticipated, expected, designed for one's own comfort.<br />
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But isn't this all empty fantasizing, which drifts us away from what we are supposed to be open to? Isn't love supposed to be something which happens, in the purest sense of the word? Isn't it the case that the most genuine expression and experience of love comes in the ways that we least expect it to be?<br />
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Indeed, it is true that in one way or another, love involves a sort of planning and anticipating, and that is perfectly normal, for love remains to be an important part of our lives. Who or what we choose to love would be an important part of our lives, and we wouldn't want to decide on it haphazardly. However, no amount of planning and determining could prepare or even pave us the way for love to happen. Unfortunately, love, despite all our ways to steer it, comes when it does. Moreover, it does not place itself as a mere supplement or accessory; rather, <b>it is that which takes over and lies at the center, capturing our very own selves</b>. It rampages and tramples us down, brings us to our knees, as if it is something that completely surpasses our control. Such is love, so violent that drastically shatters our whole being and leaves our own destiny to itself.<br />
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<i>Love can only be measured by love .</i></div>
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-Hans Urs Von Balthasar</div>
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Violence occurs in the different instances in the life of one who seeks for love. The cracks and crevices of a human being's existence is exposed once he realizes that he cannot live in this world in solitude, understanding the world on his own terms, proceeding with life on his own will, being once and for all the captain of his destiny. He might have everything that the world offers, and yet, it seems that none of these would finally grant him rest and consolation. Such emptiness leaves him wounded in the furthest recesses of his own being, as he realizes that there is nothing he owns and determines that would fill him and close his wound.<br />
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In his search, he comes to find the beloved who captivates him. The beloved appears to the lover as if she is someone he did not expect or anticipate, and could never look the same again. She comes at a surprise to him, and he begins to see something in the beloved that he did not see before. For him, she becomes the beautiful, the attractive, the desirable, and the incomparable. Perhaps, it happens that the beloved becomes captivated by the lover's own being, and he also comes out as a surprise to her, in such a way that he ceases to be someone she has used to know. He becomes different for her, and such difference captivates her so much that she cannot do anything but to be open to the whatever he might be in the times that they are together.<br />
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At such event, the walls and the barriers of both the lover and the beloved crash down, allowing both of them to recognize each other as distinct, precisely as a complete "you" to each other. The expectations and conditions that they have determined suddenly disappear, as if they do not matter and would have to be dealt with a later time. The past, the present, and the future that both the lover and the beloved has for themselves have now been redefined. And at that moment in their life, they learn to embrace each one's own possibility, including a possibility of being together for each other, a possibility that has not been considered in their solitude and that each of them does not expect or anticipate to happen.<br />
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Love has already broken down their barriers, but it would go further as to break down their whole selves in the process. In choosing to remain for each other, the own selves of the lover and the beloved break apart, especially when they experience the joys and the pains of remaining with each other. Both the lover and the beloved lose control of their own selves, for they live not just in terms of their individual choices, as if they will everything to happen in their own way; rather, they are being led, not of another force but of their own will, to make choices for both of them. The lover cannot just act as if he is the only one who matters in this world, instead his love for the beloved draws him, in a quite involuntary yet unforced way to do something for her, to think of and do something for her always. In the same way, the beloved can let herself go and be free from the demands that come with being with the lover, yet her happiness and fulfillment that she finds in him stops him from doing so. In the end, the beloved stays with the lover in the same way that he chooses to stay with her.<br />
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And in such decision to stay, the thorns of love spring out and bring forth another wave of destruction. Not only are their past, present and future as beings in solitude destroyed, love has tied the lover and the beloved together in a quite cunning and deceiving way: <i>love gives space for one to make a decision, but love ties such freedom with that which makes us happy</i>, with that which we cannot resist, and leaves us in such a way that we can only choose what makes us happy, or to be more precise, what makes us ourselves.<br />
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This is how love violates us and leaves the lover nothing but be with the beloved, not in a hopeless and desperate way but in such a way that both of them fully choose to be with each other even though they need not be. Both of them, as wholes, as beings who can live in themselves, who have their own determinations, plans, and definitions, are destroyed and one is thrown into each other: confined to pasts that cannot be changed, to a present that can only be embraced, and a future that would always remain unknown. And such experience of a kind of determination into the unknown makes it more difficult to love, for love breaks all forms of assurances and promises of happiness and leaves the lover and the beloved nothing except the assurance of being one with the other.<br />
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Such is the violence of love, which moves into its own space, determines everything in its own time, and lets things happen according to its own flow, its own will, its own plans, that both the lover and the beloved can only freely respond.<br />
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<i>Where the danger is, there lies the saving power.</i></div>
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-Friedrich Holderlin</div>
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The pursuit of the lover to move toward the beloved leaves him impoverished, with nothing to hang on to except his fate with the beloved, as two persons left alone to themselves in the world. However, it is only in love that both the lover and the beloved is drawn into a path towards finding what they look for: the happiness that springs forth from the greater possibilities that are presented, definitely excessive and overflowing, more than both of them can handle or understand. In being thrown into mystery, both the lover and the beloved find themselves thrown into infinity as well.<br />
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That is why in the end, love liberates. Love sets us free from the walls and the barriers that cover us, from our own expectations and anticipations that will only lead to misery and despair. It crushes our very foundations only to build a new one, that which is based on the dynamism of our very own being, filled with uncertainty yet overflowing possibility. Indeed, such destruction comes at the expense of losing our own conception of ourselves, with all the pain and disappointment comes at it, but it reforms us because it takes away those that prevent us from seeing us as ourselves, as to <i>who we actually are</i>.<br />
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But this liberation will not be possible as long as we let ourselves be freely taken by love. And in this regard, freedom is given space to operate and let one be taken by love. In fact, it is only in freedom which lets love do its work. But how does one decide in this regard? Simply, it is to be taken by love, to decide according to love, and such involves not only deciding to respond to love by loving back, but also and more importantly, affirming the meaning of one's responses, wagering that things in fact would be make sense and bear fruit through my free action. Such decisions would involve a movement, whether it be in the form of letting go, where love ends to pave way for it to happen differently, or in committing to love another, in which one fully embraces the surprise and mystery of what is to happen after deciding. This affirms that indeed, the meaning and work of love can be understood and pursued only in freely and continuously deciding to love.<br />
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Such is the violence of love, which shatters us and builds us anew, but only if we are willing to be so.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-57791020885722228112013-02-10T18:14:00.000+08:002013-02-10T18:14:53.272+08:00Tracks: #TheReturn<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgQzvgCDXSI8i3-8tu3YW4fmdaIUtS2IH0qvkmEOmytj1-sPvOfzrctSsuZoTg4E9WxX61u-lyvJk6hw8iuGT-syL-RRDhj3GedEffkt5okCiZ2Z6F1JBXxPoWuxB_HNStiwYE09SqHI/s1600/fob2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgQzvgCDXSI8i3-8tu3YW4fmdaIUtS2IH0qvkmEOmytj1-sPvOfzrctSsuZoTg4E9WxX61u-lyvJk6hw8iuGT-syL-RRDhj3GedEffkt5okCiZ2Z6F1JBXxPoWuxB_HNStiwYE09SqHI/s320/fob2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>The second of two parts on the music of Fall Out Boy and the much-awaited return.</i><br />
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After 2009, the punk-rock/ pop-rock phenomenon that was Fall Out Boy slowly receded into the background, with no trace at all and no indication of an immanent return. A few months after, each one of them had their own solo projects quite apart and different from the project that was Fall Out Boy. Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley joined some of the guys from Anthrax to form a new band called The Damned Things. Patrick Stump, on the other hand, put a lot of effort to trim his body down and craft a new music and therefore a new image, starting by releasing a solo track with Lupe Fiasco, eventually coming up with a new album called <i><a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-stream-patrick-stump-embraces-club-pop-on-soul-punk-20111013" target="_blank">Soul Punk</a>.</i> Pete Wentz, at that time married to Ashlee Simpson with a son they peculiarly named Bronx Mowgli, formed electro-pop band The Black Cards.<br />
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With all of these lined up to emerge as distinct figures that are extracted from Fall Out Boy without a single trace of it, it seems that there would be no chance of returning. And for most, it seems to be the most bitter ending for the band that has mostly been the part of the life of a teenager of the early 21st century. For them to end like that would be tragic, unfortunate even, to the point that there was no even farewell show or "one last reunion" for them to formally say goodbye to their fans. This has been the general sentiment of those who have stuck it to Fall Out Boy, who at one point have already moved on with their lives.<br />
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Well, this was the case... until the news struck the Internet no less than a week ago.<br />
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There were those who already had an idea that the four-piece pop-punk/pop-rock band would return, but it was made final when they posted new material over <a href="http://falloutboyrock.com/">falloutboyrock.com</a>. First, this was what they said:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>when we were kids the only thing that got us through most days was music. its why we started fall out boy in the first place. this isn't a reunion because we never broke up. we needed to plug back in and make some music that matters to us.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>the future of fall out boy starts now.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>save rock and roll...</i></blockquote>
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Second, together with such announcement is a new music video entitled "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up)." The video features a group of people (led by rapper 2Chainz) starting a fire and burning everything which reminds us of Fall Out Boy past, and it ended by featuring four people, presumably Fall Out Boy, tied up with their heads covered. What was portrayed in the video was exactly the same thing the band signaled its return <a href="http://b96.cbslocal.com/2013/02/04/fall-out-boy-reunites-with-new-single-my-songs-know-what-you-did-in-the-dark-light-em-up-show-in-chicago-tonight/" target="_blank">in a bonfire at Comiskey Park</a>, announcing to everyone that they are indeed back and are working on an album to be entitled "Save Rock and Roll."<br />
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Many speculations again arose in the release of the video, inquiring whether there is anything symbolic at all from the video itself, or to the particular version of the song that the band uploaded in the Fall Out Boy YouTube channel, or even the presence of 2Chainz and what could be expected on "Save Rock and Roll." But amidst all this, one thing is clear: Fall Out Boy is already back on track.<br />
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But perhaps the more relevant question would be: <i>Why? </i>It would only be a few months, years perhaps, before their individual projects could have a claim to fame. Stump's <i>Soul Punk</i> went out pretty decently, while The Black Cards have been working on remixing songs after the departure of their female vocalist Bebe Rexha. What could have possibly gone wrong (or right) that Fall Out Boy decided that it's about damn time that they get themselves together. One could perhaps attribute it to <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/279108/ashlee-simpson-and-pete-wentz-officially-divorced" target="_blank">Wentz's divorce with Ashlee Simpson</a>, or Stump's failure to "return" to music after "<a href="http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/fall_out_boy_frontman_quits_music.html" target="_blank">quitting</a>" as a response to all his bodybuilding habits and its relationship with the kind of music he makes. Or perhaps to the failure of all their solo projects, leaving it necessary to rebuild. Or anything that could have happened with all of them. Then again, one thing is important now: they're all set to release their album come May, and for those who have anything to say for or against them have to wait a few more months before they pass their judgment.<br />
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While the world waits, it can only think about this whole decade-long run of the band and realize that there are only two things that stay the same with Pete, Patrick, Joe, and Andy: the incredibly long song titles and the ability to surprise the world with their own ways of twisting their own style, most of the time drastic and even productive. Looking back at it, one can definitely say that this capacity to insert surprising elements into their music is what keeps Fall Out Boy alive and kicking after more than ten years, as the dynamic combination of its four members have always brought something new to the industry more than their usual selves. What they have made for themselves, especially the music more than anything, exceeded expectations, and the results as well as the reception of all their efforts have been nothing but phenomenal, but in such a way that they would never be forgotten. And perhaps it is because of that element of surprise that despite this long, long break, the world still welcomes and embraces Fall Out Boy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GS0hWVtbgLdBtxURDOyA7DOGhWAki2B79zWUFu64CiossUTW3_WcnFNjV-pPK_T0NeCenVzLJNWxiO0Ycd_YMCdmWkfeP9AGhyw8WeTMYZJhrnolYUZTejwfn9wXvm8Y97aYVQ5eAk8/s1600/srnr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GS0hWVtbgLdBtxURDOyA7DOGhWAki2B79zWUFu64CiossUTW3_WcnFNjV-pPK_T0NeCenVzLJNWxiO0Ycd_YMCdmWkfeP9AGhyw8WeTMYZJhrnolYUZTejwfn9wXvm8Y97aYVQ5eAk8/s320/srnr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Their return, however, would come clashing not just with the pressure of getting back on track as they were before but also with the situation of the music scene. A few years ago, one of Fall Out Boy's friends and one of the most beloved icons in the punk rock scene, Blink 182, returned, and they did not disappoint with the music that they have come up with, being a perfect mix between the old Blink and their own individual projects, namely Angels & Airwaves and +44. And maybe this could be the same thing that could happen with Fall Out Boy. They have burned the past, yes, but what they were would always be part of who they are, it's just that there could be some sprinkles and scoops of what they have been doing for the past few years in their hiatus. Moreover, they would enter the music scene that is way way different compared to what they left behind two years ago. Besides the pressures brought to returning bands, they also have to come to terms about the rise of the indie scene, dubstep, and The Voice, new things that they could take a hit on and even sing about.<br />
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All of these boils down to one thing: the way they can surprise everyone means that there will be something in store for all of the lovers and haters of Fall Out Boy. At this point, it really now sank in:<br />
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#FOBisbackUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-53726072878732059622013-02-10T14:18:00.003+08:002013-02-10T14:18:44.587+08:00Tracks: Saving The Scene<i>The first of two parts on the music of Fall Out Boy and the much-awaited return.</i><br />
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About the year 2005, one of my friends showed me over YouTube a music video about a lonely young boy with deer antlers, saying that it's from a band called Fall Out Boy, about to break out in the music scene with their brand new single, "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhG-vLZrb-g" target="_blank">Sugar We're Going Down</a>." The band, as I thought, was really nothing new to me, as I have remembered watching "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEzhlFqtAJk" target="_blank">Saturday</a>," their second music video (as far as I can remember, "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZb_mqH2zJY" target="_blank">Grand Theft Autumn</a>" was the first one) that was all about card-wielding and set-wrecking as solid punk rock music was playing in the background. However, I have not paid much attention nor raved about it, primarily because there are a lot more served at the plate during that time: My Chemical Romance has just released <i>Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge</i>, Finch is still caught up with the craze of "What it is to Burn" and is about to release their second major album, and New Found Glory still has everyone singing to old songs in their new tunes, with the more "mainstream" bands The Ataris and Dashboard Confessional having just contributed a few songs to the <i>Spider-Man </i>soundtrack. At that time, Fall Out Boy was nothing more than a band that waits for an opportunity to emerge and accommodate a wider audience, and with "Sugar," I've had that feeling that they are going to be big.<br />
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And grew big they did. A few months after, "Sugar" rose to the charts, and they immediately had to follow it up with "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6MOKXm8x50" target="_blank">Dance, Dance</a>." Their third full-length album <i>From Under The Cork Tree </i>rose the charts and Fall Out Boy eventually made some noise not just within the punk-rock kids, but even in the major music channels and websites like Yahoo! Music and MTV.com, beating out . Slowly, the rag-tag punk-rock band that Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, Joe Trohman, and Andy Hurley gained the fame and glory that many punk-rock fans think they deserved. Simply put, Fall Out Boy became the thing of the scene, singing about teenage romance and maturity problems coupled with hard guitars and occasional Wentz screams.<br />
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The band made the most of their success as they succeeded in releasing another music video while promoting their old material, both from <i>Fall Out Boy's Evening With Your Girlfriend </i>(their least mentioned mini-LP) and <i>Take This To Your Grave</i>. With the chain of tours, promotions, and performances, the followers of Fall Out Boy, whose numbers, looked forward to their promised third full length album.<br />
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As with all punk rock bands, many were actually hoping that the band would go with the flow and continue making those rough, punk rock songs that has gained the attention of the world. Will it be a better version of <i>Cork Tree</i>, as if it wasn't good enough? Would they return to their Chicago-style indie/garage look but with a touch of that catchy riffs and melodies that made them popular?<br />
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Indeed, there were a lot of speculations, but when <i>Infinity on High </i>came out, all of them were ruled out, much to the dismay of the majority. Come year 2007, Fall Out Boy brought out new music that has not been expected of them, starting out <i>Infinity </i>with an "under new management" message, as <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s73j4KrWSg" target="_blank">a few lines from Jay-Z started "Thriller,"</a> the first track of the album. They <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNm5drtAQXs" target="_blank">fired shots off the emo scene</a> with their first music video, "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race," which was somehow read as a lack of gratuity for the scene that made them famous in the first place. From these, the message is clear enough: take it or leave it, Fall Out Boy is going to take things to a different direction. It's not that they are going to pull the plug on the past, but it's just that their creative energies took them to a different level.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNWMfBn_FPiVg2ok-TpiH8NXF-tg6dTvRQN1baTpslzitNCwrjXeYECJs9JDzkaPCIBoky13cuW6aOfyhFlx9yMYe5ac_nx0kFm-kfxCRJRtEaHK8cRWQa9OMbi0QrdrvKZB_13i9g1g/s1600/fall-out-boy-infinity-on-high_422_23464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNWMfBn_FPiVg2ok-TpiH8NXF-tg6dTvRQN1baTpslzitNCwrjXeYECJs9JDzkaPCIBoky13cuW6aOfyhFlx9yMYe5ac_nx0kFm-kfxCRJRtEaHK8cRWQa9OMbi0QrdrvKZB_13i9g1g/s320/fall-out-boy-infinity-on-high_422_23464.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Surprisingly, such shift in direction did not even lead to the decline of the band. In fact, they continued to rise with the new music, eventually reaching their highest point. Fall Out Boy eventually became a household name, thanks to endorsements and promotional tours here and there. The band also paved way for the rise of other acts signed under their previous label <a href="https://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fueledbyramen.com%2F&ei=lzgXUeKgCq6UiQfgvICIAw&usg=AFQjCNEvu_cNy2SHjIIM1tuNYNG7hnXkFA&sig2=tO8Fuy2GhO5_zi-iHrfApQ&bvm=bv.42080656,d.aGc" target="_blank">Fueled by Ramen</a>, as well as Wentz's own <a href="http://decaydance.com/" target="_blank">Decaydance Records</a>, such as Cobra Starship, the now-disbanded The Academy Is..., The Cab, and Paramore. Wentz later on established Clandestine Industries, his own clothing company, which basically highlights and makes available on the market the band's own fashion preferences. Advertisements, cameo appearances, and TV performances filled their schedules. Sure, punk rock kids bashed and labeled them "Sell Out Kids," but this did not stop the band's rise to fame, even dedicating their third video for <i>Infinity</i>, this time for "The Take Over, The Break's Over" for their fans of the past and present, with a message from Wentz's dog <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVbPvf2aYH4" target="_blank">Hemingway telling everyone to give the boys a break</a>, for, like all things, they do change.<br />
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The band waited and worked for more or less two years before releasing their fourth studio album <i>Folie A Deux </i>(just in case you missed, it's French for "a madness shared by two"), anticipated by an election-inspired demo album available for download. They pretty much continued from where <i>Infinity </i>ended, but one could notice attempts of going back to their old music in some of their songs,.as well as jabs about the showbiz culture that they have immersed themselves in. In fact, two of the music videos from <i>Folie</i>, the first single "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alh6iIvVN9o" target="_blank">I Don't Care</a>" and "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzddyeXvbSE" target="_blank">America's Suitehearts</a>," were both subtle comments on the tabloid- and gossip-driven showbiz industry. Besides working on Fall Out Boy's music, Pete Wentz also promoted the song "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKTo4odRsMM" target="_blank">Tiffany Blews</a>" by publishing a six-series comic book loosely based on the song called <i>Fall Out Toy Works</i>. It seems that with the steady popularity of the band, springing forth from both their supporters and haters, Fall Out Boy still remained to be big, still steady despite all those changes as well as the individual affairs that they have to deal with.<br />
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However, despite all of these, the band announced that they were going on an indefinite hiatus in November 2009, just a few months after they have released a compilation album entitled <i>Believers Never Die: Greatest Hits </i>(that includes a new single, "Alpha Dog"), a separation that fans speculated to have been hinted by Stump and Wentz in the symbolism of their last music video for <i>Folie</i>, "What A Catch, Donnie." At that time, such announcement caught fans and supporters by surprise. How can this successful band, who continues to conquer the airwaves decided to just take a break and, in a sense, move on from what they have gone through? But at that time, the final word has been said. Indeed, it was an indefinite hiatus, meaning that the band does not give a definite date when they are set to return, or if they would return at all.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-53946178833561831042012-12-08T15:32:00.000+08:002012-12-08T15:32:24.598+08:00Flick Pick: Rurouni Kenshin Live Action Film<i>or </i><b>"When There's Really Not Much To Expect At All From A Scarred Swordsman"</b><br />
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When it comes to adapting a famous literary piece or a classic film or TV series, the products of such efforts can only be divided into three: those who are faithful, those who are awful, and, in rare cases, those who create a different movie altogether that merely borrows names, settings, and perhaps some events from the original.<br />
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But are in-betweens allowed? Sure, and this live action adaptation of <i>Rurouni Kenshin </i>is, but unfortunately, such way of standing in between "awful" and "different" made the movie more terrible that it should be.<br />
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But one should note that as an adaptation of a long series, in fact long enough to generate a number of fans that would certainly have high expectations once any live-action movie of their favorite is out, can be seen in two different perspectives.<br />
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One can see the movie as a hardcore fan of the <i>Rurouni Kenshin </i>manga and anime, looking for the different details from start to finish, from the largest to the smallest detail, and seeing if it really is a near-perfect copy of what you have watched for more than a season or two (in this case, the live action movie covered the first 15 or so episodes of the anime. Apparently, this movie failed to do so, transforming Kenshin the man of many words and principles into a non-killing killing machine (yep) with foils coming out of nowhere, without any regard to the history that shaped them. While Kaoru and Megumi would be the closest to the anime version, Sano and Yahiko were empty personalities that seemed to be there for comic reasons, and Saito became nothing more than a police officer that has got all means to be cruel and relentless without that grit found in the anime.<br />
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Moreover, the antagonists of the film (which could perhaps been made by drawing lots or putting Kenshin's first villains in a blender) were the major disappointments, actually causing confusion about the storylines and plot elements that were derived from the manga & anime. Fine, it is clear that Kanryu the merchant is the villain of the movie, but in place of Aoshi's awesome gang, we have Jinei/Kurosaga, the former Shinsengumi, who impersonates the Battousai (which, of course, such event happens in the first episode of the series). And with Jinei, there are random henchmen, with one of those looking like Aoshi's gun-toting rip off of some sorts. Much of Saito's issues on Kenshin were reduced to nothing save for a swordfight in the rain, and we didn't really get to see much of what he can do (but wait, isn't Saito supposed to be not there in the first place yet?)<br />
<br />
If anything at all, the live action movie's adaptation fails, and if taken as an original story <i>loosely </i>derived from the series, it wouldn't be that good at all. Characters have popped out of nowhere and lacked development, save for everything concerned with the Kanryu arc (in fact, just Megumi and Kanryu). The plot was messy and there were a few scenes that distorted the continuity of everything (the flashbacks didn't help). And in fact, without the association with the movie, everything is just like a bad kung-fu Hong Kong movie (no disrespect meant to martial arts greats Bruce Lee, (the early) Jackie Chan, and the great Chow Yun-Fat) that only featured a scarred samurai with a random adventure.<br />
<br />
There are bright points, though, and the most important of all of them is the pure fulfillment of the fantasy of <i>Rurouni Kenshin </i>in live action, something that has become a reality in the most recent films and series that we have not just in the West but also in the East (think <i>Great Teacher Onizuka </i>or <i>Hana Yori Dango</i>). The fight scenes from the War to Kenshin and Kurosaga's confrontation are fantastic, and one can just be amazed by seeing how the Hitern Mitsurugi style works in the flesh (actually, I can go so far to say that what made this film are the very fight scenes themselves and not anything else). A bit of the comedy is preserved, with Munetaka Aoki's character Sanosuke taking much of the load. If there's something that has been kept by this live action movie that had moviegoers screaming for more (I heard that it will have a sequel which will feature all the other story arcs of the anime), those were these two very bright spots in a not-so-fantastic adaptation.<br />
<br />
But then, I'd rather have Beat Takeshi's <i>Zatoichi </i>or Akira Kurosawa's <i>Seven Samurai </i>if I want good Samurai movies. I am not saying, however, that I'm eager to see whatever improvement they will have for <i>Rurouni Kenshin 2</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>Grade:</b> C-Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-12938725084903646292012-12-02T14:59:00.003+08:002012-12-02T14:59:30.571+08:00Tracks: Playlist For Jogging/RunningThis morning, after jogging, I thought of making 100 good songs suitable for running. This playlist is a mix of various genres, mostly rock, with a dose of Rap/R&B, power pop, J-Rock, and some old songs. I picked up a significant few from my Rock playlist and got the rest from top selections in jog.fm. Most of these have pretty good intros that are consistent throughout, running at 16-175 bpm.<br />
<br />
1.Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal<br />
2.Angels & Airwaves - Everything's Magic<br />
3.Avenged Sevenfold - Almost Easy<br />
4.Avenged Sevenfold - Brompton Cocktail<br />
5.Avenged Sevenfold - Girl I Know<br />
6.B.o.B ft. Rivers Cuomo - Magic<br />
7.The Black Keys - Lonely Boy<br />
8.Blink 182 - All The Small Things<br />
9.Blink 182 - Ghost On The Dance Floor<br />
10.Blink 182 - Up All Night<br />
11.Bloc Party - Helicopter<br />
12.Blur - Song #2<br />
13.Bowling For Soup - 1985<br />
14.Breaking Benjamin - Unknown Soldier<br />
15.Bring Me The Horizon - Suicide Season<br />
16.Coheed & Cambria - Goodnight, Lady<br />
17.Coheed & Cambria - Ten Speed (Of God's Blood And Burial)<br />
18.Coheed & Cambria - A Favor House Atlantic<br />
19.Counting Crows - Mr. Jones<br />
20.The Darkness - I Believe In A Thing Called Love<br />
21.A Day To Remember - I'm Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?<br />
22.A Day To Remember - Another Song For The Weekend<br />
23.A Day To Remember - Out Of Time<br />
24.Disturbed - Down With The Sickness<br />
25.Do As Infinity - Meramera<br />
26.The Donnas - Dancing With Myself<br />
27.Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed<br />
28.Fall Out Boy - Dance, Dance<br />
29.Fall Out Boy - Sophomore Slump or Comeback Of The Year<br />
30.Foo Fighters - Everlong<br />
31.Foo Fighters - Learn To Fly<br />
32.Foo Fighters - 2 Rope<br />
33.Foo Fighters - A Matter Of Time<br />
34.Foxboro Hot Tubs - The Pedestrian<br />
35.Good Charlotte - Dance Floor Anthem<br />
36.Gorillaz - Feel Good, Inc.<br />
37.Incubus - Pardon Me<br />
38.Incubus - Anna Molly<br />
39.Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills<br />
40.Jay-z & Linkin Park - Numb/Encore<br />
41.Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl<br />
42.Jimmy Eat World - The Middle<br />
43.Judas Priest - Breaking The Law<br />
44.Judy & Mary - Sobakasu<br />
45.The Juliana Theory - We're At The Top of the World<br />
46.Kanye West - Power<br />
47.L'Arc-En-Ciel - READY STEADY GO<br />
48.La Roux - In For The Kill<br />
49.Led Zeppelin - Kashmir<br />
50.Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away<br />
51.Limp Bizkit - My Generation<br />
52.Limp Bizkit - Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)<br />
53.Limp Bizkit - Shotgun<br />
54.Linkin Park - Papercut<br />
55.Linkin Park - A Place For My Head<br />
56.Linkin Park - Faint<br />
57.Maroon Five - One More Night<br />
58.Maroon Five - Harder To Breathe<br />
59.Matchbox Twenty - She's So Mean<br />
60.Matchbox Twenty - How Far We've Come<br />
61.Metallica - Enter Sandman<br />
62.Mew - Apocalypso<br />
63.Michael Jackson - They Don't Care About Us<br />
64.Motion City Soundtrack - This Is For Real<br />
65.My Chemical Romance - Na Na NA<br />
66.My Chemical Romance - I'm Not Okay (I Promise)<br />
67.Neon Trees - Animal<br />
68.Neon Trees - Everybody Talks<br />
69.Of Monsters and Men - Mountain Sound<br />
70.Paramore - Playing God<br />
71.Rage Against The Machine - Guerilla Radio<br />
72.Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name Of<br />
73.Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can't Stop<br />
74.Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Face Down<br />
75.Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - You Better Pray<br />
76.Rev Theory - Hell Yeah<br />
77.Rise Against - Help Is On The Way<br />
78.Rise Against - Prayer Of The Refugee<br />
79.Rob Zombie - Dragula<br />
80.SCANDAL - Shunkan Sentimental<br />
81.The Rocket Summer - Break It Out<br />
82.Shinedown - Heroes<br />
83.Skillet - Monster<br />
84.Skillet - Hero<br />
85.Slipknot - Before I Forget<br />
86.The Strokes - Alone, Together<br />
87.Switchfoot - Redemption<br />
88.Switchfoot - We Are One Tonight<br />
89.Switchfoot - Dark Horses<br />
90.Sum 41 - Underclass Hero<br />
91.System Of A Down - Chop Suey<br />
92.t.A.T.u. - All The Things She Said<br />
93.Tenacious D - Master Exploder<br />
94.The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name<br />
95.Tokio Hotel - Ready Set Go!<br />
96.Veruca Salt - Seether<br />
97.The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army<br />
98.Motorhead - The Game<br />
99.Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll<br />
100.Yellowcard - Breathing<br />
<br />
<i>Arranged alphabetically by artist</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-2985917678527738772012-12-02T13:52:00.001+08:002012-12-02T13:54:06.817+08:00Ponder Points: The God of Surprises<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mwcEqLihLAPYKeplJPduTHnkX7U9bEGhrZU47tuJYBbBwCsU4UBLG3P-8j21bldoGb_ddy0yXDkQV6HWHPJGCfWdLITWy0TGN4x9v1x8XJL5V63psQBqlHcKi_ro5k01PSUhAmi_v_U/s1600/advent-concept.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mwcEqLihLAPYKeplJPduTHnkX7U9bEGhrZU47tuJYBbBwCsU4UBLG3P-8j21bldoGb_ddy0yXDkQV6HWHPJGCfWdLITWy0TGN4x9v1x8XJL5V63psQBqlHcKi_ro5k01PSUhAmi_v_U/s320/advent-concept.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">from carousing and drunkenness</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">and the anxieties of daily life,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.</span></i><br />
<br />
Setting aside the apocalyptic tone, another way of reading the Gospel is the way the coming of the Lord will shatter our common perceptions and judgments about this world, as well as our "ordinary way" of living where everything is patterned, organized, and calculated according to the natural order that we know of. He is telling us that his very coming is that which does not figure into this world. The Almighty will come to save and not to judge, to serve and not to be served, and to live instead of distance himself among us. He is, after all, the King with no Crown, the Lord with no Land, the God who walks as a human being.And what do we do while we wait? We are called to prepare, to let ourselves be filled with the grace of His eventual coming, to be ready as to how He will make Himself lovingly present among us. Simply put, this preparation is characterized by a radical openness to the God who makes Himself known and revealed.<br />
<br />
Let ourselves be surprised. After all, our God is a God of surprises.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-45791658558423218182012-12-02T12:20:00.002+08:002012-12-02T12:20:14.776+08:00Pages: Trese 5 (Midnight Tribunal)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUP1Sb6XqGbvhEsS6qWToCdWaAl4vpU4ShFnp-lTiXS9G40qyb_t6ZJdvUHE5YXd2-2lEpZ7MWdwzVYdsF7ajlcfPs6uqPZ1_JWB3MCrpmAgPNExjV7kw42NCbeyzR6fgzgJ9Tclp_wzY/s1600/trese5int_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUP1Sb6XqGbvhEsS6qWToCdWaAl4vpU4ShFnp-lTiXS9G40qyb_t6ZJdvUHE5YXd2-2lEpZ7MWdwzVYdsF7ajlcfPs6uqPZ1_JWB3MCrpmAgPNExjV7kw42NCbeyzR6fgzgJ9Tclp_wzY/s320/trese5int_s.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
After a long long wait, Alexandra Trese is back roaming the streets of Metro Manila and making sure that the city runs as it should, making sure that the magical beasts and creatures that dwell in it are kept in check and is not bothering the normal course of human existence in harmful ways more than one. The first four books have been a success, and this fifth book indeed did not disappoint as it takes off from what has been started, but added something more that will keep Trese fans eager for another installment.<br />
<br />
So what's new in the fifth installment? This somehow deviated from the format that the first four books thrived and became famous for, as it did away with showing brief episodes in the life of Trese for each chapter and instead sewing them along a bigger plot, making Trese 5 one big storyline that carries on from one chapter to the next. And in this issue, we see how Manila became the site of the clash between the <i>Tikbalang</i> and the <i>Higante</i>, with all-too familiar figures and a favorite item in the world of Pinoy Komiks. Plus, we'll get to see a lot of storylines that could emerge in the near future, like the growing working relationship between Trese and Maliksi, as well as the way the Madame will change the course of the whole city and its creatures, and eventually Trese's game.<br />
<br />
Of course, everything that has been instrumental to the success of the first four books had been there: the Metro Manila of Trese, the different creatures of Filipino mythology as well as the re-imagined everyday things and brands that have become part of Filipino life which, in the Trese universe, are actually enchanged. And of course, the various pop culture and political references used to drive the point with much exclamation: the former first lady, celebrity politicians, and the most horrible massacre of our time which has been given a different "true" story, and of course, the mighty scales of Captain Barbell as a tribute to the great Mars Ravelo. All of these are meant to expose the realities of Philippine society that demands to be responded to, magic or no magic: the desire to take justice on one's own hands,<br />
<br />
With all of these packed into the new edition of Trese, is there any more reason not to head to the stands and get a copy for yourself?<br />
<br />
*Image from rocketkapre.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-9713636785904474152012-11-11T16:10:00.001+08:002012-11-11T16:10:55.303+08:00Ponder Points: Overflowing<i><br /></i>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-urBROBBNqOKXYCn_5wxmbpUdc5ioo6Z0GxzGv3wvyhoCbqLUbtM1T_chxWadIxz3ooWVAJ9DfR7ctzh5EUKJAuBAaMflIc1-zElz3KPsNukg37WALLouFmaIWLqc1ZR3SSqSU-chhk/s1600/overflow-block-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-urBROBBNqOKXYCn_5wxmbpUdc5ioo6Z0GxzGv3wvyhoCbqLUbtM1T_chxWadIxz3ooWVAJ9DfR7ctzh5EUKJAuBAaMflIc1-zElz3KPsNukg37WALLouFmaIWLqc1ZR3SSqSU-chhk/s320/overflow-block-copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more</i><br />
<i>than all the other contributors to the treasury.</i><br />
<i>For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,</i><br />
<i>but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,</i><br />
<i>her whole livelihood.</i><br />
<br />
The kind of giving that one is called to do goes outside of the economy of exchange, which considers giving as acceptable only if one can receive in exchange or what is given is in excess. Instead, one is asked to give wholly, without any reservation, without any expectation. Through the example of the old, poor widow, the Lord wants us to see that everything in one's life is not for one's own sake only, for everything is meant to be directed in the service of the Other, for one has been given not to keep it, but to let it radiate outside, beyond the self.<br />
<br />
The Lord invites us here to enter the order of love, which goes over and outside the economy of exchange and equal worth. Because we have been given more than we ask for, we are called to give more than we can. And it is only when we empty ourselves of anything that we become ultimately ourselves.<br />
<br />
To be, as given, is to give as well.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-27298451785428347782012-11-04T15:19:00.001+08:002012-11-04T15:19:48.119+08:00Ponder Points: Love As That Of Oneself<i><br /></i>
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<i><br /></i>
<i>You shall love your neighbor as yourself</i>.<br />
<br />
We sometimes treat the duty to love as a form of obligatory exchange, in which we love others on the basis of how much we love ourselves. And working within that frame, it seems that there is the tendency to impose a kind of limit or maximum on self-giving, making sure that they don't go outside or beyond the way we give ourselves. There is also the tendency for us to appropriate our own form of self-giving, that we expect others to act in the same way as we do, or to live in the way that we expect them to be.<br />
<br />
But that, unfortunately, is not what the Lord meant when he said that we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves.<br />
<br />
In saying this, the Lord points out two important things. First, he calls for a recognition of our own selves' being. He is called to recognize the mystery that we <i>are</i>, that our whole selves are full of meaning, that there is more to it than the particulars that we have used to define ourselves. In saying that we ought to love ourselves, the Lord calls us to view our whole selves with a new set of eyes, with a perspective that accounts for the richness of our being as created. We are called to see the "beyond" that is in us, that we cannot be pinned down to anything we can say about ourselves: our identities, our past, our problems, our crises.<br />
<br />
And with this view of our own selves as a mystery is the very basis of our own self-giving. Because we cannot box ourselves, all the more are we called towards an openness and acceptance of another who is radically different, and in that difference, radically the same as we are. To love the other is precisely to recognize the <i>mystery </i>of the other, to know and respect that she is different from us. To love is to respond to the call to recognize and cherish the other that we cannot reduce to our own way of understanding or to our own selves, and always be unconditionally open to her as she <i>is</i>, in the same way that we are called to open to who we <i>are. </i>Simply put, the second thing that the Lord calls us is to approach the other simply and precisely as <i>another</i>, standing outside the self yet as rich and as meaningful as the self. Only in the recognition of such difference can one respond towards the call to love, a recognition which the Lord has first and foremost recognized and shown to humanity.<br />
<br />
And that is why we are called to love with all our soul, mind, and heart, because it takes great effort to genuinely love. We have the tendency to love what is pleasing to us, to what conforms to our standards, our categories, and our notions of other people; however, in these circumstances, we somehow forgot what we are actually called to do, which is precisely to transcend our own self-defined notions and let the mystery and meaning of the other captivate us by being open and patient to the other which shows herself. This mystery is precisely what will draw us towards giving more than what is expected economically, more than we can actually bear. It is then that we put our lives at risk for the sake of the other, precisely because we have allowed ourselves to be captivated by her.<br />
<br />
Thus, it is only in recognizing our own <i>being</i> that we become aware of our called to do regarding the <i>being </i>of others.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>It consists in the very fact that, in God and with God, I love even the person whom I do not like or even know. This can only take place on the basis of an intimate encounter with God, an encounter which has become a communion of will, even affecting my feelings. Then I learn to look on this other person not simply with my eyes and my feelings, but from the perspective of Jesus Christ. His friend is my friend. Going beyond exterior appearances, I perceive in others an interior desire for a sign of love, of concern.</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;">
-Benedict XVI, <i>Deus Caritas Est </i>18</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-81567308551630672152012-10-29T15:19:00.001+08:002012-10-29T15:19:24.492+08:00Pages: Ligo Na U, Lapit Na Me<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnOHm2CNh013no5vF5gi8wYvtE-zyYDFlUmevW9wv_2RkUH4r-BC6iPZCRJjnQQL7Lj3Jr87mcZMA8LiAHQpwRY8oGTUORPFISWyO2RkjH17wVr7Eyukc-SH62lcak7Hli8QSh2eJvfY/s1600/971926747x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnOHm2CNh013no5vF5gi8wYvtE-zyYDFlUmevW9wv_2RkUH4r-BC6iPZCRJjnQQL7Lj3Jr87mcZMA8LiAHQpwRY8oGTUORPFISWyO2RkjH17wVr7Eyukc-SH62lcak7Hli8QSh2eJvfY/s1600/971926747x.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Kung hindi lang dahil sa isa sa mga <i>mentor </i>ko ang pumuri nang wagas sa pagsasapelikula nito, hindi ko talaga ito babasahin. Bago lumabas ang pelikula, hindi naman siya naging patok. Bukod pa rito, tunog <i>jejemon </i>ang mismong pamagat ng aklat, at para sa isang taong nagnanais magkaroon ng koleksyon ng mga mahuhusay na akda sa Filipino, parang aksaya lamang ito ng pera at panahon.<br />
<br />
Sa pagbuklat ko ng nobelang ito, natuklasan kong tama pala talaga ako. Walang pa-<i>deep</i>, walang pilosopikal, walang pampakilig. Isa lamang itong karaniwang nobelang "coming of age," tungkol sa isang lalakeng ayaw umamin na siya'y <i>in love</i>, isang babaeng walang talagang pakialam sa <i>love</i>, at sa isang tila pag-iibigang walang pinangakong kasiyahan kundi ang pagtambay sa <i>coffee shop </i>at pagkakama ng isa't isa. Sa huli, isa itong nobela ng wagas na pag-ibig na nauwi sa kasawian, subalit isang kasawiang mananatili bilang isang bahagi ng buhay na kailangang magpatuloy at ipagpatuloy.<br />
<br />
Subalit higit na mahalaga ba ang tanong ng pagiging kayo, kung ang pagmamahal ay nakikita sa bawat maliit na sandali?<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
Ito pala ang trailer ng pelikula:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="253" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/urYF3HeYWMk" width="450"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-39525303407848826062012-10-22T00:10:00.000+08:002012-10-22T00:10:57.970+08:00Ponder Points: Servire, Dare, Amare<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrfrIVu6BmJcjG2yrJ3cAWMGNvcsjpjDaFgpas9N-99UgWuJ_zCJw4tzOHDkQfr-8CW2PCRZUm1WY4f-0cOr7U3bwfqNci9z-WejECJfXigoQYBV5PwKzZnrn7FaWZTUeroKVpXGSK1Y/s1600/Tree-of-help-community-service-23891711-300-442.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrfrIVu6BmJcjG2yrJ3cAWMGNvcsjpjDaFgpas9N-99UgWuJ_zCJw4tzOHDkQfr-8CW2PCRZUm1WY4f-0cOr7U3bwfqNci9z-WejECJfXigoQYBV5PwKzZnrn7FaWZTUeroKVpXGSK1Y/s320/Tree-of-help-community-service-23891711-300-442.gif" width="217" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."</i></blockquote>
Authentic service breaks out of the economy of exchange. To serve is not in view of gaining power or opportunity to stand above everyone else. It is to wholly give yourself wholly and willfully to everyone whom your presence will be of great help, to the tasks and responsibilities you are called to accomplish, to the community who expects from you because they trust you and you know that you can do great things. To serve is to actually do justice to your own existence, to bring it to its supposed fullness, a fullness that goes inward and not outward. To serve, ultimately, is to provide opportunities to love, to actually <i>be </i>without counting the rewards, the benefits, and the cost. To actually be taken aback by those people whom you are called to live and die for.<br />
<br />
Thus, we are called to disrupt the economy, to show that life is not all about doing in view of something received. To orient ourselves towards service, towards giving ourselves in a thoughtful manner, even in times we are perceived to be villains trying to push others to do better or to exist for a greater purpose, is to say that happiness lies not in the things that we expect to get, but in the things we expect ourselves to give.<br />
<br />
Indeed, service makes us a gift for others, a gift that the One who Fully Served to everyone whom He calls to be gifts as well.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-25669857059880469952012-03-25T11:38:00.002+08:002012-03-25T11:38:54.049+08:00Pages: The Filipino Heroes League<br />
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<br />
Like Trese creator Budjette Tan has mentioned in the foreword, this book had me at the pedicab. <br />
<br />
Paolo Fabregas' rookie effort depicts a Manila that is all too tired of its masked crusaders, who rose to prominence in its glorious 70s past. And so far, these lower class superheroes are, in the midst of saving the city from its little worries, got caught up in a huge set up that will have them not only run for their lives and honor, but also rethink what it means to be underclass heroes.<br />
<br />
This graphic novel somehow reminds us of the old komiks that shaped Darna, Lastikman, and Captain Barbell, combining fantasy with reality, adding a few pieces of social commentary on politics and poverty, which I believe is something necessary to discuss outside the screen and the mainstream newspapers. This first of three parts is already a good read, as it already gives us a good dose of what the heroes are about to face not only in the society but within their own selves as Filipino heroes.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-35834279406663147232012-03-01T18:11:00.000+08:002012-03-01T18:11:29.532+08:00Ad<a href="http://ph.churpchurp.com/itsearlthepearl/share/churpchurp-invite?utm_source=social_btn&utm_medium=sharing">Join #phchurpchurp today and bring more friends to the community!</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-35750263172018112832012-02-14T18:54:00.002+08:002012-02-14T19:08:18.954+08:00Ponder Points: Love and the Unknown "You"<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>"Is love the love of someone or the love of some thing?"</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
-<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj1BuNmhjAY">Jacques Derrida on Love and Being</a></div>
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I love you, for you are <i>you</i>.<br />
<br />
What brings people together are the qualities that they possess. What makes one fall in love with another is the fact that there are things that are attractive in the other, something that is so pleasing that one is drawn to approach and become intimate with the other. In whatever form and aspect of the other which we consider as attractive, the very moment that one encounters the other, carrying all that is attractive and pleasing, is an aesthetic encounter, which leaves us amazed, enamored, captivated. It makes us wonder: could this be the one that I am searching for my whole life, that which brings me to eternal bliss?<br />
<br />
There is no precise answer as to why human beings develop these feelings of attraction to what is considered pleasing. Men and women of faith say that it is a form of awakening to the Divine, who is the Beautiful and the Good, while those who believe in the grand design of life as described by science insist that it is associated with the desire to propagate better offspring. But whatever one believes in, it cannot be denied that one is led to love the other because there is something in the other that one finds attractive, and without it, perhaps the bringing together of these two beings would not take place. They would remain to be enclosed in themselves, without anything that could draw them to each other.<br />
<br />
But that which is pleasing, and the will to be pleased with the other, cannot be the bedrock of love, because if such, love betrays itself by being reductive. When love is taken as a love of the attractive, the appealing, then it ceases to be a love for the other, to be an utmost movement of the heart and of one's being. The love of the attractive serves as a prison that prevents a lover from appreciating the beloved, and in fact hinders the passage of the lover to the beloved. At the most, this kind of the love is the most self-conceited, self-gratifying and narcissistic form of love that fails to reach its fullness, its very actuality.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>"somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond any experience, your eyes have their silence"</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
-e.e. cummings </div>
<br />
Love, in its fullness, is an act of a radical movement of the heart, from one's own to that which is absolutely and irreducibly other. It does not rest on the attractive, the comfortable, the stable, and the systematic. This movement is always towards the other constantly, and does not rest with the satisfaction of the self. The lover is that who constantly searches for the beloved, knowing that even in the intimacy with the other, there is still this distance, this insurmountable gap, that keeps them apart, for the beloved is a complete other. It is the very yearning to see, to know, and to recognize the other, to attempt to bridge this gap, which cannot be really brought together.<br />
<br />
And who is the beloved as other, whom love cannot ultimately grasp? The beloved as the other i cannot be reduced, a <i>who</i> that cannot be defined as a <i>what</i> which is a part of her. In her very being, the beloved is a revelation and a mystery, a revelation because something is being left in the open to be known, appreciated, and loved, but is also a mystery, for there is something more that is still to emerge, an <i>aletheia</i> that love patiently waits for and excites the lover. In the same way, love is both the greatest affirmation and the greatest refusal, an affirmation of the being of the beloved, but at the same time, a refusal to reduce her to what makes her attractive, likeable, or worth loving. Love does not capture and grasp the other; rather, love lets the beloved be.<br />
<br />
That is why love, as a movement, displaces the lover's very own being in a radical way. Love shakes the very foundation of one's existence and gives him a different view not only of the beloved's existence, but his own as well. But in this displacement, it is up to the lover to do something about it: will he curl back to his own self, to his own comforts, or will he let himself be displaced and move into a new direction, to advance to the beloved, the absolute other, which beckons him to responsibility in the same way that she is beckoned by the lover's alterity? <br />
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This brings us to the most difficult question that lovers have to answer in every moment of their lives as they live in love (or at least they think they do): when things about the beloved change, and they fade away, and transforms the beloved in an unexpected way, in ways that we don't think are not worth it, do we still love the person? Do we still maintain the lively exchange of meanings, significations, of personhood, the play of all of these which constantly reminds us that not all things go the way we want them to be? And we are brought back to Derrida's question: do we love someone or something?
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<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>"Even if eros is at first mainly covetous and ascending, a fascination for the great promise of happiness, in drawing near to the other, it is less and less concerned with itself, increasingly seeks the happiness of the other, is concerned more and more with the beloved, bestows itself and wants to “be there for” the other. The element of agape thus enters into this love, for otherwise eros is impoverished and even loses its own nature. On the other hand, man cannot live by oblative, descending love alone. He cannot always give, he must also receive. Anyone who wishes to give love must also receive love as a gift."</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
-Benedict XVI, "Deus Caritas Est"</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<br />
If love is that which brings together what is irreducible, then the lover must keep on loving, constantly moving from the self to other, to attempt to constantly be attracted and amazed not by the things that the beloved possesses but by who one really is.<br />
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And perhaps that is the purpose of commitment, of the lover affirming to himself and to the beloved that he will always love her. It is in commitment that he is reminded that love is being always in motion, in constant attraction and amazement in the very being of the beloved. It is that which reminds the lover that when he approaches the beloved, he does so with wonder, seeing, appreciating, and loving her as if she had never been sought, appreciated, and loved in each and every moment.<br />
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That is why Paul speaks of love as being patient, kind, not envy, not boastful, not proud, not self-seeking, not easily angered, not keeping any record of wrongs, and does not delight in evil. These categories speak of love being fixated, attached in a certain image of the beloved. Rather, true love rejoices in the truth, the very truth of the being of the beloved. Her being that cannot be grasped, conceptualized, defined completely.<br />
<br />
That is why to love you for you are "you," would be inadequate.<br />
<br />
Rather, it is to love you because you <i>are</i>.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>Always.</i></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-65544644825204495162012-01-29T13:22:00.000+08:002012-01-29T13:22:02.819+08:00Chuck: The Nerd in Five Seasons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrK8mgn42K2MHx-fkl1fVmK-Gp1xDBLlpqsBs3tHj1BwMSsrHOptkAdXTz9dwwrudcJVcpTLqIIWLDKWcaXHC8GjBL-DFuWhmChEdG-4c7xnaKUybqEsw0Tb0t1_lhDDwykVcfztSNZpY/s1600/Season-5-Cast-Promotional-Poster-HQ-chuck-25049238-2560-1669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrK8mgn42K2MHx-fkl1fVmK-Gp1xDBLlpqsBs3tHj1BwMSsrHOptkAdXTz9dwwrudcJVcpTLqIIWLDKWcaXHC8GjBL-DFuWhmChEdG-4c7xnaKUybqEsw0Tb0t1_lhDDwykVcfztSNZpY/s320/Season-5-Cast-Promotional-Poster-HQ-chuck-25049238-2560-1669.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Like everybody, I thought that <i>Chuck </i>would end with a fairy tale ending: Nerdherder and CIA spy Chuck Bartowski living a happy family with the love of his life, Sarah Walker, with everybody being there to celebrate what they had after all those years.<br />
<br />
However, it turned out to be otherwise. With Season 5 going back to the show's roots, the whole series ended with a radical turn, that which leaves an ending that rebuilds and reminisces all the events that have transpired in the past four seasons. Chuck and Sarah, with the aim of recovering the memories that have been wiped out of her memories due to the faulty Intersect, went back to their most significant moments in the dying seconds of the series, and I think that there could be no better ending than that. This just affirms that the show's peak (and focal point) does not rest on a single ending, but more importantly, on the small events that transpired in each episode that brought Chuck, Sarah, the team and their friends, and significantly, the viewers, closer together.<br />
<br />
And just like that, Schwartz and Fedak put a close to Chuck. Thanks for the five awesome seasons!<br />
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Credits to <a href="http://www.fanpop.com/spots/chuck/images/25049238/title/season-5-cast-promotional-poster-hq-photo">Fanpop</a> for the image.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-37434002412525178962012-01-15T10:11:00.000+08:002012-01-15T10:11:15.791+08:00Pages: The Best of Chico and Delamar's The Morning Rush Top 10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWwZuY1ERu8deVnm0I3Iz4kgsNXqPZXIqrPMVXmJT88HDcSgG5yja6blZwHa9CQ7rtSHBKTPelPiVKVYcwo0FR88PXJ_ylZYrJOFXJEKTeYP3ZRzC-NhukaD71mJWeu4h8Vc0UfDglGU/s1600/wpid-2011-12-04-07-59-45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWwZuY1ERu8deVnm0I3Iz4kgsNXqPZXIqrPMVXmJT88HDcSgG5yja6blZwHa9CQ7rtSHBKTPelPiVKVYcwo0FR88PXJ_ylZYrJOFXJEKTeYP3ZRzC-NhukaD71mJWeu4h8Vc0UfDglGU/s320/wpid-2011-12-04-07-59-45.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>1.The Best of Chico and Delamar's The Morning Rush Top 10 </b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
I'm not a fan of RX 93.1, and not even "The Morning Rush." When I drive to work every weekday, my radio is always tuned in to Jam 88.3's "<a href="http://www.facebook.com/therebelcircus">The Rebel Circus</a>" (previously "The Scotty and Hillary Show") and listen to Scotty, Sasha, and Suzuki play requests and have their own rants and misgivings about the things happening in the society.<br />
<br />
But then, I still find the "Top 10" interesting, primarily because it is a book of lists. From the infamous pick up lines to creepy ghost stories, the many lists that this book has makes it legendary. It's an amalgam of the funny, creepy, sad, horny, and cheesy, all in catchphrases and anecdotes that made it into the list.<br />
<br />
And did I say that there's a list of those celebrity adjectives? Yup, one more reason to check them out and read.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-24942765813666239332011-12-12T12:39:00.001+08:002011-12-12T13:17:38.259+08:00Ponder Points: On The New Archbishop of Manila<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNc8KkgiQMp8cyLHLaM4U9W5Jo8RXUW8Av2R6afu1kH6NC3q1btVzOODy-KirBsTgdGsgjX2WNKkHYwH3wCesTVbqbPLyKsR9traDVXRH-cjMTtAmqUEZhlBYAoqz0dF1zHJUTKyg-Y4/s1600/tagle_001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNc8KkgiQMp8cyLHLaM4U9W5Jo8RXUW8Av2R6afu1kH6NC3q1btVzOODy-KirBsTgdGsgjX2WNKkHYwH3wCesTVbqbPLyKsR9traDVXRH-cjMTtAmqUEZhlBYAoqz0dF1zHJUTKyg-Y4/s320/tagle_001.JPG" width="248" /></a></div>
<br />
I have this bias for leaders who know their philosophy, especially those who received philosophical education during their formation years. And this is such because, as a student of philosophy myself until now, I know that philosophy still has an important place in everyday life, in all its domains. It something has to offer on the table where intentions, goals, and plans meet to come up with decision. It serves as a reminder that what is important in the ends is that the dignity and welfare of the human being is preserved and promoted, towards building a just society where<br />
<br />
As an undergraduate, I have looked upon Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle as an ideal figure. He did really well as a philosophy student. As a seminarian, he graduated <i>summa cum laude </i>in a prestigious institution which, at that time, is technical and is far from its present existential phenomenological tradition. He went on to study theology and did even better in it, eventually becoming one of the rising theologians of our time.<br />
<br />
But more than that, Archbishop Tagle has been hailed as a servant of and for the poor and the common. Apart from his duties as an educator of theology, he took what he learned to the streets and encountered their lives, problems, and concerns. And I believe that after his success in Cavite, it is time for him to lead in Manila, considered as the center of almost everything in the Philippines, and it is a different flock. It is here where different groups clash with each other, where their decisions affect not only the city itself but other places in the nation that are linked to it. It is here that different ways of thinking encounter each other.<br />
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And I believe, without any trace of doubt, that the new shepherd will do well. Cardinal Rosales has already laid the foundations in the exercise of Christian charity despite some limitations, and I believe that Archbishop Tagle can continue and even go beyond what has been started. It is indeed a good time for him to lead the faithful of this city, in a time where the Church faces the pressure of standing its own ground and opening itself up for dialogue regarding the concern of the nation and the government, especially on matters regarding reproductive health, in a time where political and economic turmoil presents a threat to the well-being of the Filipino citizen, in a time where poverty and unequal opportunities bring societies and communities down, with nothing to hold on, and in a time where people of the margins would want to be heard and spoken in behalf of. I believe that he is aware of these challenges, and he will do something about them, in the light of the Gospel of Love and Social Justice.<br />
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And perhaps, it is in here where we see how he will use his philosophy and theology, taking them not only in the streets, but also in dialogue, consensus-building, as well as in the rebuilding of the Church and the nation in general.<br />
<br />
Congratulations and welcome, Archbishop Tagle!<br />
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Credits to the <a href="http://www.rcam.org/">official site </a>of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila for the pic.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-3749307650301439552011-12-06T14:20:00.001+08:002011-12-06T14:54:27.712+08:00Tracks: "Torches" (Foster The People)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6L1_5uvs7lqwIAQMVeLAyznm2k5c8CjWZrGak0hNKGvKlI3OG3f8i7NynW1uoyljGGcxeKJruGyxRq8DByNF3RhB2Z5uVRPlsc8xeJYZTqcQbK6RsOVSPBTJ6_gO6f-w-eVh5zARHK5w/s1600/ftp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6L1_5uvs7lqwIAQMVeLAyznm2k5c8CjWZrGak0hNKGvKlI3OG3f8i7NynW1uoyljGGcxeKJruGyxRq8DByNF3RhB2Z5uVRPlsc8xeJYZTqcQbK6RsOVSPBTJ6_gO6f-w-eVh5zARHK5w/s320/ftp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Before this album, no one knew Mark Foster (especially those who do not want anything <i>hipster </i>become associated with them), being a composer of jingles and later on, <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/05/album-review-foster-the-peoples-torches.html">according to L.A. Times</a>, an "underling of Dr.Dre." But more than a year ago, the band that he formed (originally named "Foster and the People") released the anti-hipster for hipsters single "Pumped Up Kicks," he became an instant star and a household name among those indie-pop-electronic lovers. They later on released a three-song EP that eventually became this album. And the big question behind this gradual progression from zero to hipster hero is, <i>Is it actually that legendary?</i><br />
<br />
<b>The Foster Falsetto</b>. Setting the music aside for the moment (we'll get to that later), what makes and breaks Foster the People is Mark Foster's high-pitch vocals and his remarkable falsetto that mixes well with the synths, eventually losing distinction between the two. But definitely he is more than the falsetto, for his voice suits well FTP's chimera of chill-out, 90's disco pop, and indie rock. If there's an indie and hipster version of Adam Levine, then Foster is a likely candidate to be named as such.<br />
<br />
<b>Variety</b>. As with all other indie bands in the scene today, FTP boasts of a music that is ambiguous. On one hand, the use of the guitars and the piano are so soft and static, while the synthesizer screams party all around, coupled with Foster's voice. This not-so-unlikely mix, which can be compared to that of another indie-pop band MGMT, eventually makes "Torches" light and catchy to the point that one would listen to it before sleeping or partying. In either situation, FTP would work well, anyway.<br />
<br />
<b>Songs To Listen To? </b>One can appreciate FTP by starting with the three songs in the EP: "Pumped Up Kicks," the all-too-catchy "Helena Beat," and pop upbeat "Houdini." Afterwards, you can move on to "Colour on the Walls," "Miss You," and "Call It What You Want.". And if you can't dance and relax at the same time, you're not too hipster to listen to it.<br />
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Here's the official music video for "Helena Beat."<br />
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<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="246" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ABzh6hTYpb8" width="425"></iframe></center><br />
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Credits to <a href="http://prettymuchamazing.com/reviews/albumreviews/torches">Pretty Much Amazing</a> for the image and the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/fosterthepeopleVEVO?feature=watch">FTP VEVO Channel</a> in YouTube for the video.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-74848702785154193362011-12-05T17:01:00.001+08:002011-12-05T17:03:22.665+08:00Ponder Points: An Acting Faith, A Moving Faith (On Christian Social Action)<i><br /></i><br />
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<i><br /></i><br />
<i>More than a months ago, I presented a paper in the Philosophical Association of the Philippines' midyear conference, with the theme "Religion and the Public Sphere." Using Paul Ricoeur's Political and Social Essays (which I believe one of the overlooked works since a lot of scholars today focus on Ricoeur's narrative identity and hermeneutics), I came up with a guide towards a Christian response to the condition of humanity today, and emphasized how one can participate in social action and decision-making starting from one's own belief. And perhaps in this time where believers are most needed to respond to the signs of the times, I have come up with a few things to think about, with regard to the importance of the intermingling of faith and social activism.</i><br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Real Faith Is An Active Faith.</b> A faith that does not work for change is as good as having no conviction at all. Faith, if it is to be genuine and related to hope and charity, should be directed to social reforms, the goal of which is the actualization of the Kingdom of God, wherein humanity is preserved and the society is in a state of peace and harmony. A real believer, therefore, is that which seeks to bring about social change, and is not merely a set of feel-good rituals and gatherings that brings one into a spiritual high. A true Christian is one who takes up the role of Christ as a social reformer, one who protects humanity and strives for everyone's unity.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><b>The Scriptures as Tradition and the Tradition of Scriptures.</b> Paul Ricoeur highlighted the important role of the Scriptures, serving as the foundation for Christian social action. And perhaps it will be helpful for the Christian to go back to the very roots of Scriptures. However, he should interpret the Scripture as part of the Christian tradition, a piece of work that has been influenced and weaved by social contexts and events, as well as how it can help in social reform today, and thus the importance of an "analogizing transfer" from the word of the Scripture to a response in the society.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><b>Discontinuous Reflection.</b> For Christian social action to be effective, the believer should learn to once in a while step back and reflect on his beliefs and actions. He should learn how to critically doubt and question his convictions in order to determine not only things need to be improved and revised, but also the things that need to be responded to in the best possible way. Perhaps this is what the Church, as an institution concerned with social justice and human rights should do every now and then, especially in times where She faces the danger (and the accusation) of becoming too dogmatic and not really concerned with the present condition that the world is facing and how it would achieve its goals.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><b>The Task of Unity.</b> Ricoeur asserts that unity is achieved when everyone has been united under the drama of the Cross of Christ, in Him who taught about love, compassion, and mutual understanding. However, he still holds the importance of the differences that reside within every human being, community, group, or culture. And that should be the Church's goal as well, as a significant part of the realization of the Kingdom of God.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><b>The Role of Religion and the Secular Society.</b> In the end, we can say that religion holds a significant place in the society, inasmuch as other voices hold a special place in the consensus building and dialogue. Religion presents an important viewpoint that should be considered in dialogue, as long as it asserts itself in a reasonable and rational way. Thus, the secular society should learn to open itself up to the voice and reason of religion and not approach it in a biased, negative manner. Likewise, religion should also listen to the voice and reason of the secular society, because, as those standing outside of it, they also have something valuable and important to say, provided that it be expressed in a rational and reasonable manner.</li>
</ul>
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I hope that the following things raised here and in my paper would be helpful for those who are engaging in a meaningful dialogue with religion and believers, as well as in their endeavors to become active members of the society who also aspire for a better society.<br />
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Credits to <a href="http://www.passionistjpic.org/2010/08/1520/">Passionistjpc.org</a> for the image.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-70937077321822629072011-11-26T20:34:00.001+08:002011-11-26T20:50:45.459+08:00Flick Pick: "James Dean"<br />
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I agree with most of those who say that the movie is a blown version of real life, much more dramatic than it actually is and backed up with some things questionable but were held as "facts" in the movie. But then, the shining point that this movie has is the performance of James Franco, who not only resembled Dean by appearance but also by performance. And although I do not see it as a must-watch, it's worth spending time on for those who deeply appreciate mid-90's cinema.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="335" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fqosam94RJ0" width="450"></iframe><br />
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Credits to <a href="http://www.moviepostershop.com/james-dean-movie-poster-2001">Movie Poster Shop</a> for the poster, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/keekyz">keekyz</a> in YouTube for the trailer.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002961742226290401.post-59424867453000342442011-11-07T15:22:00.001+08:002011-11-07T15:22:43.878+08:00Pages: The Manila of "Trese"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I came across "Trese" when I had the urge to visit National Bookstore in Robinson's Galleria, tempted by my curiosity to grab a copy of my own. Eventually, I did not think twice of buying the fourth edition, entitled "Last Seen After Midnight," hoping that every page of this <i>komiks</i> would be worth it.<br />
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Eventually, a week later, I found the time and money to buy the first three editions, knowing that in every case tackled by protagonist Alexandra Trese would be interesting, especially that it involves Philippine mythology that was last spoken by our<i> lolos</i> and <i>lolas</i> to keep us in bed not only at night but also after lunch during vacations. After all, who wouldn't be curious with weird phenomena caused by <i>aswang</i> and <i>engkanto</i>, investigated by someone who belongs to a rich, powerful, Tagalog family (a traditionally large family, I should say. Take note that one of Anton Trese's brothers became a priest and a teacher respectively, holding important and prominent positions in a typical <i>barrio</i> or<i> bayan</i>) who has connections in the underworld and knows how to deal with them? Working alongside industrious and honest police officers (which we hope exist in real life), we see how Alexandra, together with her <i>kambal</i> bodyguards, uncover the mystery that shrouds each case of theft, murder, or kidnapping, finding them not to be of some opportunistic crook but of these mythical creatures who believes that they can get what they want from human beings.<br />
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Perhaps it's the way Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo approached the mysterious and macabre had my head and hands on every edition of "Trese," which I think deserves praises, not only because it is original and creative, but also and more importantly, native.<br />
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<b>*The perfect amalgamation</b>. I have seen four things perfectly blended in "Trese," making it a genuine Filipino fictional work that is never ashamed of its Western influence while at the same time scream of its being Pinoy.<br />
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First, there is the <i>mitong probinsya</i> that speaks of the different creatures that coexist with the human society, something that a lot of the youth of this generation have never heard of except in lame MMFF films that I believe don't give them much credit. Trese is a work that keeps alive the stories that most of us have heard in the province: the <i>nuno sa punso</i> who wants its home respected, the white lady who roams the night, or the <i>kapre</i> and the <i>tikbalang</i> living their own lives and pose themselves as frightening figures for the common tao, and this is what makes "Trese" a significant work apart from the rest.<br />
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But this element was made more alive when these creatures were brought into the streets of Manila, not only in the places that the <i>alta ciudad</i> prefer to go to and describe as places-to-be, but also in the common streets, poverty-stricken zones, and antique places in Manila. "Trese" takes us to the stores of Binondo, the streets of Bonifacio Global City, and student dormitories of Katipunan Avenue, and these are streets in Manila where the creatures which we believed to be mythical and dwelt in the province lived and coexisted with the people. Who has ever thought of the <i>nuno</i> living in the manhole? Or the half man, half snake entity that lived in the underground basement of a mall along Ortigas that spends its life surfing the net and getting to know girls who try on clothes in the mall's dressing room (and not killing it, contrary to what rumors say)? Or the <i>tikbalang </i>that dwells in the highest tower and a lightning entity that dwells in the highest tower and the richest village of Makati? <br />
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"Trese" becomes interesting simply because of one thing: it melds the old with the new, part of the traditional and part of the modern. It creatively wove Filipino mythology with the modern Filipino way of life, which had me looking at Metro Manila with a renewed wonder and enthusiasm, with an air of mystery created by these <i>aswang</i>, <i>engkanto</i>, and <i>diwata</i> living with us. Alexandra Trese's way of handling cases and his encounters with the supernatural tribes connected to his family invites us to take another look at thi s old and overpopulated city. In the same way, it draws us to re-imagine the creatures we used to shun and be afraid of, letting us view them as important and interesting figures that shape and are shaped the way we want them to be, action-packed beings that are part of the life of the Manileno.<br />
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<b>*Komiks or Graphic Novel?</b> The combination of the Filipino myth and the urban Manila lifestyle is only one half of the combination that is "Trese," poured over into a concoction of two distinct literary styles from the opposite sides of the globe.<br />
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I do not claim to be any expert of contemporary literary styles, particularly of the graphic novel (except when we talk about critical theory), but despite its being modern, I still see "Trese" as one who belongs to the komiks tradition. Despite its being written in English and its manga-like art style, it still is Filipino <i>komiks</i>. It's in the line of the works we commonly see in "Liwayway" and, perhaps more recently, "Culture Crash," during the high points of the Pinoy comic book era. It still speaks of the characters, elements, and the themes that baffle us, which occur in typical settings in particular Filipino areas. While Alex Trese is no "Darna" or "Captain Barbell," we see in the underworld investigator-slash-proprietress of a Malate bar that serves the best barako in the morning the aura of a Filipino hero, always wanting to get the job done with all the powers bestowed upon her and providing an insight about life after vanquishing the foe and restoring peace and order in the city. Now isn't that Filipino enough?<br />
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On the other hand, I see traces of Western influence in it, not to mention that the works are largely in English, inserted with various familiar Tagalog phrases. I have read that the creators are true blue Neil Gaiman fans, and I see his influence in the story lines. "Trese" contains the Gaiman way of leaving an aura of mystery and continuity in the stories' endings, leaving interpretations and further events to the imagination of the reader. Also, I also seem to find a bit of Alan Moore in it in a sense that it also leaves big moral and existential questions that seem to distort our conceptions of things that we take for granted. These traces of Western graphic novel thought and style leaves us something to ponder on, imagine, recreate, and talk about after we finish each section of "Trese" that actually gives us a snapshot of Manila seen through the lens of someone who has gained insight about it, and this makes "Trese" a thing of beauty not only for the sight but also for the mind.<br />
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<b>*Pinoy creativity</b>. "Trese" is nothing like any of the works of Filipino literature and media that we have seen for countless years already. What makes it new is that it gives Philippine mythology a new package, intending it to be more action-packed instead of being horror-filled. The mystery that it intends to have is that which does draws us not to fear of it but instead to be question it and explore more of it. It does not only give us a new view of the city but also that of the diverse Filipino literary tradition that we learned to love or hate over time. They express these themes through things and places that are very common to us and shape our beliefs and lives (and believe me, they are not being too obvious when they refer to places like Livewell village in Makati and persons like Manuel the boxer from Gen. Santos City). "Trese" is like chucking in Manila and the whole gamut of Philippine mythology in a blender and serving it to the common Filipino to easily comprehend and become curious about.<br />
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<b>*Social commentary?</b> I don't know if the creators of "Trese" would agree with this, but I think it is valid to have another perspective on this literary work (and furthermore, Roland Barthes talked about the death of the author). I think that "Trese," beyond the pages of mystery and fantasy, contains fragments of Filipino life and society that needs to be noticed and addressed, especially when it comes to peace, justice, and the current condition of the society. <br />
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I think that the stories of "Trese" still belong to a symbolic order, reflecting those things in the society that cry for evaluation, critique, and eventually reform. "Trese" is a hit on the way life has become more difficult for the common Filipino when it should not be such. It is a commentary on the rich and the filthy who find ways to sacrifice the poor and the lowly for the sake of their comfort and advantage. It is a picture of the sectors in the society that we take for granted and fail to notice that these very structures that swear to protect the society end up to be its corruptors. Heck, it even has a slight comment on abortion (which I do not prefer to interpret as a nudge on the issue of reproductive health) and the support of the society on athletes and prominent figures it brands as its heroes. And beware, the <i>aswang</i> and <i>engkanto</i> might not be mythical creatures in the society, but rather, are persons that you greet in every single day or see on television and campaign adds. They might just be the ones causing your misfortunes and all. <br />
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"Trese," in fact, invites us to see something that goes beyond its fantastic aspect, perhaps to a view of society that maybe not everyone is aware of (especially you, comic book reader who has not touched a page of the newspaper and never cared about what you see in Manila).<br />
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<b>*Further fantasy.</b> It's only now that I have tried to regain interest in the Filipino <i>komiks</i> (or graphic novel) after Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah and I might have not seen everything, but I think "Trese" can be big if it will be given opportunities to rise. I really hope that the "Trese" franchise can expand and go beyond these graphic novels-slash-komiks and become more interesting as the times go by. I also recently discovered through the "Trese" blog that there is a <a href="http://diabolical13.blogspot.com/">separate blog</a> that talks about the different stories from Alexandra's bar "The Diabolical," most of them going beyond what is narrated in these four books. Also, how about a TV series or a movie stint for Trese? ABS-CBN's "Okatokat" (featuring Agot Isidro and company) became such a huge Tuesday evening hit a few years ago, and "Trese," which is definitely better and more awesome, could be, too. So I'm fervently praying that it will have its own timeslot in the local TV or in the theaters.<br />
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After all, a "Trese" cosplay in Komikon gave us someone who can play the part, cutting the time and expenses that should be allocated for auditions.<br />
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Credits to the <a href="http://tresekomix.blogspot.com/">Trese blog</a> for the pictures, save for the last one, which belongs to<a href="http://jaytablante.deviantart.com/art/Alexandra-Trese-Poster-205608963"> Jay Tablante's DeviantArt</a> album (good job, sir!).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9