How To Read a Letter Properly

According to Ligaw Liham, the perfect way to read a letter when you’re terribly happy and if you’re living in the rural 70’s is when you’re rolling in the grasses or balancing on a moving train. To achieve perfect results, make sure that your hair is long so that when it’s windy, it will be in motion.

Not Another Plot Twist … But I love it

It’s worth it. Eventhough I have mistakenly traversed the paths from UP Diliman to LRT2 Katipunan station, then transferring to LRT Doroteo Jose to LRT Vito Cruz fronting De La Salle University, whereas the travel can be simplified by riding one FX from Philcoa to Vito Cruz, it’s worth it after seeing Katski Flores’ Still Life. I originally planned to see all of this year’s Cinemalaya entries when it goes to UP but Still Life is scheduled on a Wednesday, and I don’t want to miss any of Mr. Bing Lao’s Scriptwriting classes, so long for the rough ride.

When did my hype with Still Life begun? It’s all in its trailer:

The trailer definitely is misleading. I’m expecting something different and this film has exceeded my expectations. There are mixed reviews with its cinematography (some hate washed out colors, I love washed outs), the minimalistic scoring is great, Glaiza de Castro and Ron Capinding both deserve acting trophies and the story is breathtakingly written.

I’ll be seeing the other Cinemalaya entries at UPFI this week. Here’s my take to Still Life:
Warning: Contains Spoilers

Why I Write

I write primarily for two reasons: to remember and to attempt to forget. I write to replenish things, that when I immortalize my feelings through conjoined letters, when I put down important points on a lecture, everytime I want a title of a film, a recording, a book to be remembered, when I jot down something that reminds me that I am still existing.

I write to attempt to forget things and experiences that hurt, to release emotions that’s blocking my memory from thinking of things that I really want to ponder upon, to let go of myself from frustrations, to trash out residues in my mind which has been bothering me and keeping me from walking forward. This time, I’m writing to remember and forget.

When I say that I forget, I have to let go. I have to move on. But it’s easier written than done. If I check at it in a literal sense, I don’t actually forget unless I chose to be inflicted by amnesia. There will always be a remnant which makes me remember a thing that caused hurt on me. Probably it’s safer, and more appropriate, to say that I write to remember and to attempt to move on, hoping that I will eventually forget.

The idea of selective amnesia could be an enticing option. I can’t count on my fingers how many times have I seen Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but I can’t help but ask myself the question the film attempts to whisper to its viewers. If you will be given the chance to erase a memory that wounded you badly, that a million attempts of moving on with your life won’t just actualize, will you erase it? It’s easy to say that you will not do it and contest that your present life is directed by your past, but I believe that every single person has this sense of aspiration to bring with them just the happy memories, to collect just the positive thoughts that has seemed to make life worth living for. Who wouldn’t want to live a happy life, anyway?

It’s not that I’m bitter. I think that everyone of us share the same sentiments about being happy and sad. We all share our ups and downs and my vision of eternal happiness may mean that I’m thinking of a non-human way to live. Probably I’m aspiring not to be human at all. It may occur that I’m raising a point that appears hopeless, duly indicated of what I’m doing.

I write because I attempt to forget, I said. Probably the actual “forgetting” may not actualize at all. However, all this time I’m trying to move on from all the travesties and frustrations that occurred to me. I love my brain as an intellectual, as a scholar, as an artist, but sometimes I can’t help but curse it as a person.

Protected: SRC

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=89752&d=8&m=12&y=2006

http://www.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/subicrapecase/archive.php

http://subicrapecase.wordpress.com/

Internet Readings for Media Literacy

Media Awareness Network;  

Wikiversity: Media Literacy 

Wikipedia

VLCFF

More sites on media literacy

PCIJ

CCJ

Center for Media Literacy

Hangad

I don’t usually listen to inspirational/religious music but what made me fall in love with Ateneo-based vocal ensemble, Hangad, are their beautifully-made music videos. They only have three music videos as of this time but all of them are considered in my top twenty most favorite Filipino music videos. I note the videos for their simplicity, but their impact are so tremendous, I found myself veering away from the television to stare at the ceiling after watching the video, reviving the images that flashed into me while chanting the songs’ lyrics. I’d also like to point out how each videos stand out from one to another, each having distinct narrative styles and visual techniques employed.

PANANATILI (1998)

The lyrics were utilized as the content of a wife’s letter to his husband who is working in the city. It’s delightful how the act of writing and sending a letter showcased what the song really wants to say. The video’s storytelling is superb.

 

MAGNIFICAT (2002)

 

A group of men and women in white are running around the streets and railways with images of moving trains, airplanes and cars cutting in between. The cinematography and editing are big contributors to what the final product has become: a piece of art that energizes and uplifts the audience every single viewing.

 

SIMEON’S CANTICLE (2005)

 

 

Hands down, my most favorite video in this list, but is the simplest visually. Here, art is shown in the most minimal way possible, to surface up the voice, the essence of what it really wants to tell with each single brief image doesn’t fail to make an imprint in my mind. Viewing this means that understanding what the montage of faces is telling us could be inefficient to tell what they actually do to the things that they fight or work hard for, but one can’t help but be enlightened and be inspired. This video is a tearjerker, and its amazing how this video so simple, can produce such well of emotions.

Virgin or Vamp

I’ll be reporting Helen Benedict’s book, Virgin or Vamp in three weeks time (July 12). Aside from securing the book from the UP College of Law Library, I gather up links that will help me in the formulation of my report:

Writing About Rape

Beyond the Pale

Naming Rape Victims

Viewpoint: Wording in Sexual …

Kobe Bryant’s nameless …

Debate on Naming Rape Accusers

Debating Whether ‘Yes’ Means ‘No’

Unravel by BJORK

My current favorite song and video:

UNRAVEL by Bjork (1998)

The Seemingly Never Ending Road

I finally saw Mes De Guzman’s “Ang Daan Patungong Kalimugtong” last Friday at the Videotheque at the back of UP Cine Adarna. With Jed and two other people, we endure the cool air-conditioned room while witnessing Jinky (Analyn Bangsi-il) and Potpot’s (Rhenuel Ordonio) journey in the fifteen kilometer trail of rivers and muddy roads and rocky mountains of Bondoc in order to go to school. Even the heavy downpour wouldn’t dampen their spirit for the value of education.

This film so simply made has stricken a tremendous impact on me. No plot twists, no excessive exhange of dialogues, no superficial camera tricks or movements. It’s shot in documentary style, showing the depressing nature of the Philippine public school system, without being preachy. It’s very heartwarming how the whole story was told in the point of view of the innocent children. Analyn Bangsi-il althroughout the film is superb. Every word, every action, comes out so naturally that you have to question if she’s even acting. If I have the power, I’ll hand her the Gawad Urian trophy.

What’s more magnificent is that I really feel the difficult situations that the filmmakersc had encountered during its production, and I just cant help but be inspired on their passion, their drive to make it.

Then it hit me that Ang Daan Patunong Kalimugtong should have been the Best Filipino Film of 2005. Of course, the much awarded and praised Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros is nonetheless very good, my both hands down. However, if I’m going to pick something that has satisfied my cravings for story, visuals and music, then I’m going to say that Kalimugtong scored on me more. I have to congratulate Mes De Guzman for a well-deserved URIAN Best Director trophy.

What Happened

Last week was a very hectic week, or to most appropriately put it, I made mine hectic. I constantly visited CMC to visit some of m undergrad friends whom sadly, I’ll never be classmates anymore, at least for this semester, because I decided to enroll as a regular MA student. I will definitely miss the people whom I worked with during productions and chatted with on class discussion. Good luck to Thesa, Cheska, Gerry, Joy, Neka, Jesse, Micmic and others who made my first semesrer a very enjoyable experience. Well, at least we have promised to one another that we’ll still be helping on each others’ production works. I’m also going to miss Jules and Jeiel who picked a non-CMC elective instead because of their jobs. Jules enrolled Philippine Literary Relations while Jeiel took Art Criticism. Good Luck guys!

My enrollment wasn’t smooth sailing as it was the past semester. Two days of enrollment. DAMN! That was a bad record from my last semester’s half day enrollment. Hahaha! I even had an argumentation with my acting adviser  because she won’t allow me to take Film 290 because she thought that it is too early for me to take it and she’s just concerned that I might fail. My friend, Kat, encountered the same problem. She wans to enroll a Journalism subject but wasn’t allowed to. So we’ve decided to take Media 260 (Media, Gender and Sexuality) instead. Well, it just turned out that the shift of plans turned good anyway, because we have learned that Nancy and Jed enrolled the same subject. This is my first course which is pure gender studies so I’m quite excited in a way.