♪♫ Thursday, September 23, 2004 ♫♪
© meredith's soul got squeezed at 20:43 ©

1st semester extended...


haaay, dapat hanggang october 02 lang ang klase... but no, may zoo lec exam pa sa october 04 at hahabol pa ang physics. naku naman, ta's ang dami pang requirements, lalo na ung kabilang hum 2 class. ngayon ay gumagawa ako ng hum 2 paper on "who is the filipino? is our culture still filipino?", at dahil wala akong maisulat ngayon dahil patay na lahat ng brain cells ko dahil sa 3 consecutive days na pagkain ng yakisoba, ilalagay ko siya dito. iniisip ko nga, may sense ba ipinagsusulat ko dito? tsaka baka hindi na naman makita ng aming prof kung ano man ung hinahanap niya. whatever...

Just one look at the busy streets of Metro Manila and one can immediately discern how much Western influence has entered the Filipino way of life. Up from the towering buildings and colorful billboards down to the assorted shops and swift cars, tangible bits and pieces of foreign colonialism and imperialism are evident. But looking at the intangible aspect, is our culture still Filipino? Moreover, who is the Filipino?

Through the years, the Filipino culture has grown to become a rich, eclectic mixture of native, Asian, and Western ways. It is undeniable that much foreign influence has already penetrated our culture, but I believe that it is still essentially Filipino. Our nation must continuously keep its pace with this ever-changing world, and in this process, it is true that we are constantly gaining new ways and losing old ones. However, the core of our culture remains Filipino, as can be seen in our persisting values and traditions.

One can start by taking a look at the average Filipino home. Strong family ties still exist, and the use of “po” and “opo” to express courtesy towards one’s elders or superiors is still prominent. Even the “pagmamano” is still put into practice.

Going out into the streets, food sold by peddlers typify the diverse Filipino taste. Novelties such as balut, sorbetes, kakanin, taho, gulaman, adobong mani, puto, and other merienda food line the busy sidewalks. Carinderias which cater to the common people sell native dishes such as kare-kare, sinigang, laing, Bicol express, pinakbet, and adobo.

Even with the entry of many foreign artists into the local entertainment scene, our music, television, and movie industries are still struggling to produce entertainment which appeals to the nature of Filipinos. Love songs, both in English and in Tagalog, are common favorites because Filipinos are naturally romantic people. Recently, novelty songs composed by Lito Camo, such as “Otso-Otso”, “Atras-abante”, “Bulaklak”, “Sayaw, Kikay”, and “Spageti Song”, have been flooding the airwaves. With their jovial tunes, the appeal of these kinds of songs to Filipinos reflects their jolly nature, and the last three songs show the Filipino “kapilyuhan”. On television, soap operas which display our dramatic side abound, and stations continue to innovate by making new shows such as the “kwelanovela” (e.g., “Marinara”) and the “fantaserye” or “telefantasia” (e.g., “Marina”, “Kristala”, “Mulawin”) which show the creativity and vivid imagination of Filipinos. The silver screen industry also continues to produce movies which cater to the Filipino taste.

Another striking fact is that the Philippines has been tagged the “texting capital of the world”. I think it is because of the strong inclination of Filipinos to stay in touch with their friends and loved ones. Text messaging is a very appealing way to them to do so because it is cheap, and the Filipino is known to be a practical person. Also, Filipino quotes on love and friendship, as well as jokes, are being forwarded from person to person. Even religious chain messages find their way through text messaging. Such is the affinity of Filipinos for interpersonal communication.

And of course, let us not forget the existing traditions of Filipinos, particularly the fiesta which is the most prominent one and is still being held even in the city. Although of Spanish influence, the holding of fiestas nonetheless exhibits the penchant of Filipinos for merrymaking, as well as for sharing and bringing back their blessings. Other existing traditions include the pamamanhikan, pamahiin or superstitions, and folk medicine such as the practice of the albularyo and panghihilot.

In a nutshell, the modern Filipino may have evolved much on the outside but inside still lives the Filipino spirit. Colonial mentality may have made its way through our consciousness, but once a Filipino, always a Filipino. Change is inevitable, yet, we Filipinos have done a great job in adapting to the changing world while keeping our identity. Such is the Filipino.


haha, puro filipino yata sinabi ko dito. 26 times! hehe. =) parang bitin pa at walang coherence. wala na akong utak!!! jm, palibre na k'se ng pizza! pizza party!!! =) baywalk and intramuros day bukas. i hope it doesn't rain tomorrow...


leave an orange... ::


♪♫ Tuesday, September 21, 2004 ♫♪
© meredith's soul got squeezed at 18:09 ©

homemade fishballs (wala akong maisip na title :D)


waaah! oh my god, ang hirap nung chem quiz kanina! tama ba naman un?! i fell asleep while studying last night. so ayan, wala akong alam at sobrang hirap pa nung quiz, puro hula yata sagot ko eh. himala na lang kung pumasa ako doon. hahaha... ewan ko ba, the sembreak spirit has already gotten over me. tuloy, sobrang tamad na ako ngayon. malapit na!!! woohoo!!! =)

we went to intramuros this (rainy yet sunny) afternoon to visit the "bahay tsinoy" for our humanidades class. we got a 50% discount because it's tourism week daw or something. it was nice, with all those lifelike human figures & artifacts. natuwa ako doon sa hologram at shells, lalo na ung "earthworm shape shell worm" ang kulit ng pangalan. hehe. sayang, ndi ko nadala ung digicam ko ang dami pa namang magandang kuhanan ng picture. biglaan k'se ung pagpunta namin today, dapat thursday eh. pero buti na lang, babalik kami ng aking blockmates on friday night doon sa intramuros after watching the manila bay sunset. wala lang, trip lang na activities. hehe. kumain pala kami ng homemade fishballs doon, ang sarap. i think gusto bumalik doon ni reci for those fishballs. hehe.

ang haba ng pila sa go nuts halos hanggang labas na, kaya no donuts for today. bukas na lang. 'di bale, may selecta sundae naman ako na nabili sa supermarket. wala akong pasok bukas! yippee!!! =)


leave an orange... ::


♪♫ Monday, September 20, 2004 ♫♪
© meredith's soul got squeezed at 19:06 ©

friendster message


haha. got this message in my friendster inbox. wala lang, natatawa ako eh! hehe. =)

Date: September 19, 2004 10:27 AM
Subject: Alex_204@hotmail.com

Message: hai there,
Az u know im alex....d:>
1na b fren or more than that if yez can i
hav ur email or anything
n wat a smile u got there
N GOD UR ........how 2 said ah........im
speechlezzzzzz!!!!!

That's come from my heart to:

My dear GOD ur not being fare with me....
Why must all the attractive one are
far...far...away
If only u are near i wil come to u and ask u
out for
a date then take u to a private dinner only the
two of us with all the romantic scene.......
Wish, i just wish.......

bye muah2

wit luv
Alex


o 'di ba, benta? hahaha! :D


(1) orange received... ::


♪♫ Sunday, September 19, 2004 ♫♪
© meredith's soul got squeezed at 15:28 ©

i went to market and blew some flour...


yes, i went to market and blew some flour. haha, ndi. PE finals kanina sa diliman. i joined those games ("maria went to market" and "sisiran sa harina") which don't require much effort. i'm not a PE person eh haha baka matalo lang ung team 'pag sumali ako doon sa mga cadang-cadang, tulayan, and luksong-baka. in fairness, naka-2nd place kami in both games (i think). haha i answered the riddle. yippee! pero madumi na paa namin k'se maputik sa sunken. ah ewan. tapos pinagdamutan pa ng tubig ung mga ibang gustong maghugas ng paa. nagtitipid daw ng tubig ang UP. nagbayad naman kami for today eh. ta's tumawid ako nang naka-socks ta's sila dianne nakapaa papunta sa vinzons hall. oh well... okay naman kahit nakakapagod. ang cute ng chow chow ni tony mabesa! ipinapasyal niya ang kanyang dog kanina sa sunken. nakakatuwa, parang bear! hehe. =)

nakakita ako ng train in action! as in, for real. hahahahaha. ang tagal ko na dumadaan-daan sa antipolo street sa espana pero ngayon lang ako na-stop ng train. hehehe. =)

i watched (half of) "tuck everlasting" last night on disney channel. sayang, ndi ko nasimulan. i think it's nice. it's about the natural cycle of life. maaabutan ko din un uli some other time... un lang for today. =)

got this from jm (thanks uli, jm :D). this is peter -- imed's notorious bother bear!!!


peter went to market, too!


leave an orange... ::


♪♫ Saturday, September 18, 2004 ♫♪
© meredith's soul got squeezed at 18:51 ©

unlucky donutty day


we watched "asl please" at sm centerpoint today. jeffrey was the lead actor! haha ang galing! =) it was funny, especially the lead actress. it was okay naman, medyo nakaka-bad trip lang ung mga taong nasa paligid namin k'se react ng react ta's ang lakas pa ng boses parang nakikipag-compete sa mga actors sa stage. oh well... natuwa naman ako. =)

unlucky day k'se nasira ung taxi na sinakyan namin. kami ang group ng losers (aidz, dianne, jose, & me) sa bato-bato-pik hahaha. ta's mali pa ung jeep na sinakyan namin after so nag-end up din kami sa isa pang taxi. hehe. ye'y may go nuts donuts na ako. yummy. wala na akong maisulat. hay, maghahanap na lang ako ng dapat gawin...


leave an orange... ::

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