4 - "Ang Tatay Mong Kalbo"

   As a part of our EEPENG class, we watched the theatrical play entitled "Ang Tatay Mong Kalbo"

AC152 was scheduled to watch the play last October 10 at around 1pm.

   The play was absurd. It is because the characters just talk about something repeatedly. I cant even connect each scene together.

   What I admired the most is Mrs. Santos. The actress who played this role caught my attention until the end. Even Maria, the maid, made the play funny. While Hepe made the other girls from the audience giggle because of his charming look. Well he's charming but I don't see him attractive. Please don't hate me because of this.

   Before the play starts, the director said to us that this play is really hard to understand but there is an underlying lesson which I can't find until now. So I can't give any reaction about the play. That's why I am just going to give some comments on the set.

   The set was simple. Lights are incredible. At first, I thought that the three hanging at center of the set was just part of the decorations. But when I saw that the cast doesn't have any microphone attached to their body, and it is impossible for them to retain their voices loud and clear for the whole time, that was the time that I realized it was a microphone. The two men who are with the musical instruments helped the play to be somehow lively.

   After the play was finished the audience have a picture taking with the casts. I asked some of my blockmates if they understand the story of the theatrical play. But like me, they are also clueless which I really don't know how are they going to make a blog about it. HAHAH! Well at least most of us are clueless

   I really wanted to know the underlying lesson in this theatrical play. Maybe if I get to talk with one of the cast I could ask them and go back with this  blog and edit it. If I get the chance to meet and talk with them.

5 - " We don't meet people by accident, they are meant to cross our path for a reason" - Rubyaanne

     Heung joh chow heung yau chow, in English Turn Left, Turn Right, is a Chinese movie. The story is about the two artistic opposite sex who are lonely and seems like their life is so plain. They already met thirteen years ago. Their love story is always postponed because of some circumstances that make them not to see each other. It is funny how they end up seeing with each other. It is because the earthquake that breaks the wall between their flats. I think what the author is trying to say that it doesn't matter how long it will take before they find each other if they are meant to be, it will happen.

     What is Destiny? Is there really such thing?

     In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary App, destiny is defined as a power that is believed to control what happens in the future. Most of the people, including me, believes in destiny. Is experiencing sadness due to the people we met or the event that happen to us is part of what we call destiny? I think it is kinda true. Why did I say so?

     For me we are destined to meet all the people we knew. Even the people who bring us sadness. We met them because there's a reason. They bring experiences to us that will somehow teach us a lesson. Lessons that are significant in life. Destiny is not just about love, it covers life. Some of us have friends that cheat on our backs. They teach us not to trust easily but the others tend to forgive them and forget what they did. We met people who we will love then will leave us. They brought sadness to us but we  learn how to cope with it and move on.

     Everything was destined. But it is our choice if we are going to let people stay on our lives. It is our choice whether we learn and remember what we experienced. Or we are just going to stay the same and let the same thing happen to us. Maybe destiny is destined to teach us.

3 - "May mas malaki tayong kalaban sa mga Amerikano - ang ating mga sarili" - General Antonio Luna

  During our elementary days, we learned about our national heroes. Their biography and most especially their contributions for attaining our freedom that we are experiencing now.

   Antonio Luna was primarily known by being a hot-tempered general who fought the Americans for our independence. He is just not  an ordinary soldier but also he is a Filipino scientist who had a great contributions in pharmaceutical and environmental science. He studied in Madrid with his brother Juan Luna, who is a well-known painter.

   When Antonio Luna knew about the Katipuneros, he thought that Filipinos are not yet ready for the revolution. When the Katipunan was already discovered by the Spaniards, he was arrested because his name was linked with the anti-Spanish revolutionary society. Because of this the rebellion side of Antonio Luna arise. After he was freed, he study military science and strategy in European cities and went back to the Philippines.

   During this era, Filipinos are in a kabayan system. Filipinos tend to believe and stay on the side of their townsman even though it is obvious enough that they are not in the right side. Like what Aguinaldo and Buencamino does. They are both from Cavite. So what? Aguinaldo was also blinded of Mascardo's story telling that Luna wanted to be the president of the Philippines which is not true. Luna doesn't have any intention to be in politics. 

   Crab mentality. What's the problem with the Filipinos, until now actually. When we knew someone is above us, we tend to pull them down. We will not be successful if that's what we're doing. 

   The movie is also good for the upcoming election. Voters must not think of their selves first. Each one of us must think and always remember to do the right long-term common good. As General Luna said, "Bayan o sarili?"  

1 - Frustrated AEr, CPA on the making.

   Did you wish once that you could turn back time? You wish that you can undo the mistakes you did. That you want to have one more chance to do everything right?

   Everything was almost perfect. But there came a time that turned my whole world down.

(The Borromeo Field, C.I.L)

   Philippine Military Academy is my ultimate dream. When I got a letter from PMA stating that I passed the exams, my happiness that time is so unforgettable. Being a cadet is not easy, but it is where my heart really belongs. I love being a cadet. But in just one snap, it is gone.

   Alessa Joy Otiong, ex-cadet. It hurts. Really. A lot. I see my dreams shattering. FAILURE. HOPELESS. Upon leaving the portals of my beloved second home, I was so out out of mind. I don't know what to do. I am thinking not to go home and just work in companies of some successful ex-bugo-bugos (ex-PMAer). But my father insisted that I will go home and continue my studies. After stressful months of trying to move on and to forget with what happened I am now currently a student of APC taking up Accountancy.

(AIRFORCE)

(NAVY)

(ARMY)

   An upperclass said, There's a life outside PMA. Your life doesn't stop here".

   I am still coping. Straightening my path once again. Looking for reasons why it happened to me. I already surpassed a lot of challenges there. I know my limitations. I learned a lot of things about myself, my weaknesses and strengths. I am not the old me anymore that doesn't have self-confidence. I learned a lot of things in life. One of these is having a Positive Mental Attitude. So now that I am a college student again, I am still applying all the things I learned. As of last term, grades and school related things are beyond fine. I can still meet the deadlines of our non-ending compliance and passing all the quizzes and exams. For now I am focusing on my studies because I am a CPA on the making and this time I will not be a failure. My parents gave me another chance and been supporting me from the start, I don't want them to be disappointed again.

   Now my goal is to finish my degree with flying colors ( I hope so), pass the board exams and try to enter the AFP once more. 

2 - "What you see depends on how you view the world. To MOST PEOPLE, this is just DIRT. To A FARMER, it's POTENTIAL." - Doe Zantamata

     My dad always tells us that once you have a farm, you could already live a simple life. Why did he say so? Most of the simple needs of people are come from the farm. The rice, vegetables and the food for the cows and carabaos to make them healthy and reproduce more of their own kind.

     Every other week my dad always goes to Pangasinan, which is my dad's hometown, and it makes my mom angry 'cause dad is not with us every weekends. Unfortunately, a relative died and we all went to a super short vacation. My grandma's place is not that civilized yet. Signals are low and roads are not cemented which made the place looks urbanized, well it really is. After we spent the night in my grandpa's wake (my grandma's older brother) we rest for a while and prepare to go home. Then my father said why don't we visit our farm so that we, mom, me & Allyn, can see it. 

( Those mountains are not ours)

     My dad wants us to see our not that spacious piece of land and start to learn how to manage it. We grew in Manila, unlike my parent, that’s why we don't have any knowledge about crops and stuffs about farms. I can't even identify the difference between a palay and a corn crop. Before going home, we went first to our land. My dad plant Mahoganies already to serve as a border. Mahoganies grow slow, it takes about five years before we could make use of it and the return is good. There are lots of squash there and for me it's so fun because its my first time to harvest a vegetable. Well during our JFTX (Joint Field Training Exercise) when I was a cadet (OUCHHH!), we spend almost two weeks in the mountains for us to apply all the tactical lessons that we learned. Yes, we are so close to the nature but the food is not earned hard because we have supplies and we even have a portable gas stove which makes our life there some-how easier than the real thing that each of the soldiers experience.

 (Sorry for my HEALTHINESS :))

     So back to the story, my dad explained to us his plans in that piece of land, and of course I am the first born I had to listen and grasp all his plans so that when the time comes that I will be the one who will manage it, I can do all my dad's plans and even better ( I wanted to build a pool there, HAHA!). 

     We are not rich, honestly speaking. My sister and I are just lucky that we have parents like them that use the money for long term purposes. They just want to be sure that when the time comes that they are not with us anymore we will not experience the hardship they've been through.

Land doesn't have any accumulated depreciation, actually most of the time it appreciates. As the time goes by and I know that place will be civilize soon, maybe that small piece of land will be five times more than its worth now. But no matter what happen, even worse comes to worst we will not sell it. Because that piece of land symbolizes our parents’ long service in AFP, their sacrifices, hard work and efforts. It is the fruit of their labor.