Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The Top Ten People I'm Most Grateful To In 2008!
.:The Top Ten People I'm Most Grateful To For 2008...:.
It's that time of the year again, and I definitely can't help but enumerate all the people who I would like to thank right now. Through them, my year became brighter and more colorful, and it wouldn't be complete without being able to thank any of them...
10. The people I've had tiffs with this year: I'm serious. I've learned a lot from you people, and I've especially learned what it means to let go and move on beyond the things that have happened. I've learned to forgive, but never to forget, and I've learned what it means to swallow my pride, and ignore who was right or wrong, if only to set right what is wrong. I thank you all, and though you may not see it the same way, I refuse to carry a grudge into the next year.
9. My Reedley family: I may not be teaching in Reedley anymore, but from the faculty to the students to everyone else, I am extremely grateful to all of you for having been a wonderful place where I felt I belonged. I have nothing but good things to say about my experience with Reedley, and I am very grateful for all the things I learned from them this past year.
8. Balloon Creations and Sir Freddie: thanks for giving me quite a huge break in my magic career. I can safely say that without you guys, I wouldn't be finding myself on a steadily improving course, career-wise. Things have definitely been good, they can only get better.
7. Jay Mata, Bing Lim-It, Wanlu, and Ms. Giselle Sanchez: 2008 was a huge opportunity for me to have worked with three of these four wonderful people, and all of them have definitely helped me up my game, and slowly shift into comedy magic, while still fully capable of keeping people glued to their seats when performing mentalism. Tito Bing has been my mentor for two years already, and I know it's hard to find anyone better to learn from. Jay Mata is the Teller to my Penn, and we've made good on planting the seeds to really break out by 2009. Wanlu is an excellent performer who knows how to make everyone laugh, and of course, Ms. Giselle Sanchez is plain phenomenal. I'd also have to mention here my special thanks to Cakit and the rest of TSC for their support.
6. My Plurk Friends: This pretty much covers a ton or two of friends I've had over the entire year, including the likes of Crissey, Meggy, Christa, and Louanne from the cosplayers, or Mimai, Lia, Vlaire, and Eman from the Brewsters. If you and I have shared more time over Plurk than anywhere else, consider yourself part of this group. I have to admit my life has been far more interesting and never a boring moment passes me by when I'm on Plurk, whatever time of day, whatever day of the week. From the sabaw moments to the emo segments, it's been a great time spent with you all. Thanks for the karma, all the same. =)
5. Francis, Elbert, Estelle, Abby, Sacha, Diane, Clair, Charo, and Mark: It's hard to not be grateful to the people who've known me for so long and have stuck with me through thick and thin. They've been there for me no matter what, and even at my worst, they still chose to see the best in me. One simply cannot ask for truer friends than that. These are the friends who won't tell you what you want to hear, but what you *need* to hear, and won't hesitate to tell the truth even if it may feel rather inconvenient to do so. I'd especially like to thank my brother, Francis, for sticking by me far more than anyone should humanly have to. Blood truly is thicker than water.
4. My Campus 99.5 Family: From the jocks to the Aircheckers to even the office people, the time I spent in 99.5 as an unofficial member of the Campus Air Force has been nothing short of memorable. Just when I thought I was out of radio, they pulled me back in, and I can't even begin to enumerate the memories I've had with all of you. I have to especially thank Joe Spinner, aka Koji Morales, for having taken me under his wing and ensuring I learned to improve myself as an on-air personality, and of course, Neil, for his biting insights that opened my eyes to a lot of things. I'd also like to thank Jimmy Jam for his anecdotes that I can't help but learn from, and John Hendrix for believing in me and giving me a shot. To Jaybee, thanks for being an awesome friend, period. To Gracey, Vanessa, TJ, Cherry, Tabel, and Sabs, thanks for keeping me company during the 'yard. To MM, thanks for the handcuff laughs. To Iza, thanks for just being there. To Cat, thanks for being my unofficial tambalang Barumbado at Maldita. Though Campus ain't around at the moment, we formed a bond to last us a lifetime, with or without Campus.
3. The Blogosphere: This year proved to be one of the most hectic years for me when I ended up joining multiple blogger events, including of course, hosting the Philippine Blog Awards in September, and winning a bluetooth headset then a Verzio cellphone in raffles for some of these events. It's been awesome, definitely, especially considering the friendships I developed within the blogosphere this year. I'd want to mention all of you by name, but I'd feel really really bad if I missed out on anyone, although I have to give special mention to the people who directly helped me during Laughs And Gasps... Azrael, Janette Toral, Juned, and Coy. Whether you're the ineffable MLQ3, or the uber-bubbly Aileen, or anyone else in between, you know I'm thankful for the awesome moments this past year.
2. Rick Astley: Umm... yes. What with the concert, the picture with the man, and of course, the general musicality of my year thanks to him, how can I not be extremely grateful for the master of the rickroll? There's little else I can say about him beyond that... heh.
1. My Beloved: I don't think this should come as a surprise. My Beloved has given meaning to my life, and has been the catalyst for numerous changes I've made this past year for the better... she's the person who means everything to me, and I wouldn't dream replacing her with anyone in a million years. Here's hoping for another year with her. I can't thank her enough for everything she's done for us, but I know for sure that she's simply the best thing that happened to my life, making me a better human being, helping me learn what it means to love someone completely, without holding anything back. My Beloved is my love, my life, my whole world. From the highest moments to the lowest moments, she stood by me and gave me a kind of love I never thought I deserved. For that, and for everything more, this year is simply marked by how much brighter, how much more worth it has been by virtue of her being there for it. It's been two years, and that hasn't changed one bit.
It's that time of the year again, and I definitely can't help but enumerate all the people who I would like to thank right now. Through them, my year became brighter and more colorful, and it wouldn't be complete without being able to thank any of them...
10. The people I've had tiffs with this year: I'm serious. I've learned a lot from you people, and I've especially learned what it means to let go and move on beyond the things that have happened. I've learned to forgive, but never to forget, and I've learned what it means to swallow my pride, and ignore who was right or wrong, if only to set right what is wrong. I thank you all, and though you may not see it the same way, I refuse to carry a grudge into the next year.
9. My Reedley family: I may not be teaching in Reedley anymore, but from the faculty to the students to everyone else, I am extremely grateful to all of you for having been a wonderful place where I felt I belonged. I have nothing but good things to say about my experience with Reedley, and I am very grateful for all the things I learned from them this past year.
8. Balloon Creations and Sir Freddie: thanks for giving me quite a huge break in my magic career. I can safely say that without you guys, I wouldn't be finding myself on a steadily improving course, career-wise. Things have definitely been good, they can only get better.
7. Jay Mata, Bing Lim-It, Wanlu, and Ms. Giselle Sanchez: 2008 was a huge opportunity for me to have worked with three of these four wonderful people, and all of them have definitely helped me up my game, and slowly shift into comedy magic, while still fully capable of keeping people glued to their seats when performing mentalism. Tito Bing has been my mentor for two years already, and I know it's hard to find anyone better to learn from. Jay Mata is the Teller to my Penn, and we've made good on planting the seeds to really break out by 2009. Wanlu is an excellent performer who knows how to make everyone laugh, and of course, Ms. Giselle Sanchez is plain phenomenal. I'd also have to mention here my special thanks to Cakit and the rest of TSC for their support.
6. My Plurk Friends: This pretty much covers a ton or two of friends I've had over the entire year, including the likes of Crissey, Meggy, Christa, and Louanne from the cosplayers, or Mimai, Lia, Vlaire, and Eman from the Brewsters. If you and I have shared more time over Plurk than anywhere else, consider yourself part of this group. I have to admit my life has been far more interesting and never a boring moment passes me by when I'm on Plurk, whatever time of day, whatever day of the week. From the sabaw moments to the emo segments, it's been a great time spent with you all. Thanks for the karma, all the same. =)
5. Francis, Elbert, Estelle, Abby, Sacha, Diane, Clair, Charo, and Mark: It's hard to not be grateful to the people who've known me for so long and have stuck with me through thick and thin. They've been there for me no matter what, and even at my worst, they still chose to see the best in me. One simply cannot ask for truer friends than that. These are the friends who won't tell you what you want to hear, but what you *need* to hear, and won't hesitate to tell the truth even if it may feel rather inconvenient to do so. I'd especially like to thank my brother, Francis, for sticking by me far more than anyone should humanly have to. Blood truly is thicker than water.
4. My Campus 99.5 Family: From the jocks to the Aircheckers to even the office people, the time I spent in 99.5 as an unofficial member of the Campus Air Force has been nothing short of memorable. Just when I thought I was out of radio, they pulled me back in, and I can't even begin to enumerate the memories I've had with all of you. I have to especially thank Joe Spinner, aka Koji Morales, for having taken me under his wing and ensuring I learned to improve myself as an on-air personality, and of course, Neil, for his biting insights that opened my eyes to a lot of things. I'd also like to thank Jimmy Jam for his anecdotes that I can't help but learn from, and John Hendrix for believing in me and giving me a shot. To Jaybee, thanks for being an awesome friend, period. To Gracey, Vanessa, TJ, Cherry, Tabel, and Sabs, thanks for keeping me company during the 'yard. To MM, thanks for the handcuff laughs. To Iza, thanks for just being there. To Cat, thanks for being my unofficial tambalang Barumbado at Maldita. Though Campus ain't around at the moment, we formed a bond to last us a lifetime, with or without Campus.
3. The Blogosphere: This year proved to be one of the most hectic years for me when I ended up joining multiple blogger events, including of course, hosting the Philippine Blog Awards in September, and winning a bluetooth headset then a Verzio cellphone in raffles for some of these events. It's been awesome, definitely, especially considering the friendships I developed within the blogosphere this year. I'd want to mention all of you by name, but I'd feel really really bad if I missed out on anyone, although I have to give special mention to the people who directly helped me during Laughs And Gasps... Azrael, Janette Toral, Juned, and Coy. Whether you're the ineffable MLQ3, or the uber-bubbly Aileen, or anyone else in between, you know I'm thankful for the awesome moments this past year.
2. Rick Astley: Umm... yes. What with the concert, the picture with the man, and of course, the general musicality of my year thanks to him, how can I not be extremely grateful for the master of the rickroll? There's little else I can say about him beyond that... heh.
1. My Beloved: I don't think this should come as a surprise. My Beloved has given meaning to my life, and has been the catalyst for numerous changes I've made this past year for the better... she's the person who means everything to me, and I wouldn't dream replacing her with anyone in a million years. Here's hoping for another year with her. I can't thank her enough for everything she's done for us, but I know for sure that she's simply the best thing that happened to my life, making me a better human being, helping me learn what it means to love someone completely, without holding anything back. My Beloved is my love, my life, my whole world. From the highest moments to the lowest moments, she stood by me and gave me a kind of love I never thought I deserved. For that, and for everything more, this year is simply marked by how much brighter, how much more worth it has been by virtue of her being there for it. It's been two years, and that hasn't changed one bit.
Philosophy 118: 12 December, 2008
These notes were taken from my class with Dr. Reyes for Philosophy 118 last 12 December
.:In The Beginning...:.
… the bourgeois were the avatars of freedom. As a social mode of production evolved during the industrial age, though, this word took on a new meaning.
Because the social mode of production (the assembly line) exists, the fact that the factory owner gets the lion's share of profit is what has resulted in what Marx believes to be the peril of capitalism. That they have full ownership of products made in the assembly line would appear to be absurd. Marx labels this as the phenomenon of exploitation. We see a scenario where personal ownership is in clear conflict with surplus value.
Though the capitalist era produced great wealth, it also produced a new kind of poverty never before seen: the kind of poverty where people have absolutely nothing, yet still work their tails off. We see a slew of workers driven from the farmlands where they are already poor to be even poorer while doing cheap labor.
This class of people became known as the proletariat: a class of men who are no longer treated as human beings but merely a sa commodity. The man is, as such, reified, and dehumanized. This class is important because they suffer, which for Marx, purifies them of false consciousness, and they catch the vision of what has to be done. This is when the revolution emerges, but not a revolution where the oppressed subsequently becomes the oppressor, but a revolution towards a classless society.
This classless society is one where everybody works to their individual capabilities, and everyone shares. There is no need for ownership because all of one's needs will be provided for.
Marx's theory of humanity is very narrow. There is no transcendence, no metaphysics. Marx accounts for the masses, thus, in contrast to Nietzsche, he ignores individual issues and problems. The issues of suffering be it psychological or personal or even one's own death is ignored because of the many. Furthermore, “immortality” comes only in one's contributions to society.
.:Quotable Quotes:.
“Jesuits don't own anything. Not even their own toothbrushes. They also share everything... wait.”
- Dr. Reyes
“This class is more serious than my class last year. Last year, only 5 students showed up.”
- Dr. Reyes
.:In The Beginning...:.
… the bourgeois were the avatars of freedom. As a social mode of production evolved during the industrial age, though, this word took on a new meaning.
Because the social mode of production (the assembly line) exists, the fact that the factory owner gets the lion's share of profit is what has resulted in what Marx believes to be the peril of capitalism. That they have full ownership of products made in the assembly line would appear to be absurd. Marx labels this as the phenomenon of exploitation. We see a scenario where personal ownership is in clear conflict with surplus value.
Though the capitalist era produced great wealth, it also produced a new kind of poverty never before seen: the kind of poverty where people have absolutely nothing, yet still work their tails off. We see a slew of workers driven from the farmlands where they are already poor to be even poorer while doing cheap labor.
This class of people became known as the proletariat: a class of men who are no longer treated as human beings but merely a sa commodity. The man is, as such, reified, and dehumanized. This class is important because they suffer, which for Marx, purifies them of false consciousness, and they catch the vision of what has to be done. This is when the revolution emerges, but not a revolution where the oppressed subsequently becomes the oppressor, but a revolution towards a classless society.
This classless society is one where everybody works to their individual capabilities, and everyone shares. There is no need for ownership because all of one's needs will be provided for.
Marx's theory of humanity is very narrow. There is no transcendence, no metaphysics. Marx accounts for the masses, thus, in contrast to Nietzsche, he ignores individual issues and problems. The issues of suffering be it psychological or personal or even one's own death is ignored because of the many. Furthermore, “immortality” comes only in one's contributions to society.
.:Quotable Quotes:.
“Jesuits don't own anything. Not even their own toothbrushes. They also share everything... wait.”
- Dr. Reyes
“This class is more serious than my class last year. Last year, only 5 students showed up.”
- Dr. Reyes
The Stritz Event: 27 September, 2008
.:The Stritz Event, At Long Last...:.
Taking the action to the Stritz...
It's been a long time coming, but the first true-blue Kel and Jay performance happened just last September 27 for the UP Circle of Entrepreneurs. While Jay and I have been performing with each other for the longest time, this was the first time we had a full-fledged show based on our interactions, rather than just one of us performing onstage at a time. Seeing as how this event happened so close to the conclusion of the UAAP Basketball Finals, it was natural that much of our ribbing would involve how ADMU beat DLSU in the finals. After all, I'm from ADMU, and Jay's from La Salle... heh.
The night was a perfect stage for Jay and I, as we performed for them amid amazingly great gourmet food that are actually outgrowths of various kinds of street food. Hence, the term st+ritz. The pictures do more justice to what I mean than anything else...
Yummeh.
In any case, we had this event scheduled for a long while already, and we really wanted to floor the audiences with a lineup of magic, mentalism, and of course, comedy. Naturally, the stark contrast between my presentation style and Jay's yielded a lot of good moments as well, seeing how serious Jay was amid my insistence on poking fun at him throughout his act. Nonetheless, the audiences were definitely impressed with Jay's daredevil routines, including the infamous game of Russian Roulette which had members of the audience screaming.
Do not try this at home!
I naturally did my favorite routine of shackles and rope, and for the most part, the audience really got into it, and I managed to pick the perfect volunteers for my routines. It was also cool that we didn't particularly need a microphone as the sound carried over well enough for us to perform without too many hitches...
The rope of doom!
The audience received us very warmly, and it was really fun, as I personally love having an excuse to perform in my white suit and all that... at the same time, it got me to thinking that while Jay and I are admittedly not the most skilled magicians in the country, we make up for it by our ability to connect to our audience in a very unique and interesting way. I'm sure some purists disagree with this approach, but Jay and I build a rapport with our audience to the point that they're less likely to remember the things we did that night, and more likely to simply remember the two of us as performers who amused and entertained them.
Furthermore, the Kel and Jay dynamic is really something that hasn't been quite explored by most other performers. Normally, it's easy to do magic or even mentalism when in a group, assuming you don't have to really interact with the other performers with you. The minute you have to do something as a tandem, the whole dynamic changes, and you have to find a way to reshape your approach at performing, and you have to ensure you don't overshadow each other. It's a delicate balance you have to strike out, but Jay and I have been working on it, and we'd like to think that it's quite a unique selling point, especially since our performance styles, while obviously an outgrowth of our influences (Bing Lim-It, Derren Brown, Richard Osterlind, Penn and Teller, etc...), has taken on a life of its own.
The boys are back!
After our onstage performance punctuated by a mind-boggling display of mind reading, we moved onto doing some good old table-hopping, as Jay treated them with mentalism and card shark techniques, and I took things in the traditional magic direction. It was really cool having the audiences interact with us, because they were very appreciative of our show. It does the heart good when your audience is all smiles and is clearly grateful for seeing your show... =)
In any case, thanks to Brenda, Annelle, and the rest of UPCE for having Kel and Jay over last September! Here's hoping we can entertain you again soon!
For the coming year, you can expect bigger and better things from Kel and Jay. We have a lot of things cooking, and after Laughs And Gasps, Stritz, and countless other endeavors, things can only get more exciting. In fact, the next things we have lined up might void our insurances altogether... heh.
P.S. Yep. That shirt was pink. Or was it purple? =P
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Yehey's Double Yehey
.:A Double Celebration:.
Yehey Christmas Party!
Yehey Christmas Party!
Image courtesy of Azrael.
Yehey.com has had a lot of reason to celebrate this past year, considering how successful their year has been. Yehey was gracious enough to invite us bloggers to the festivities, as we went to their Christmas Party last December 15, where we were treated to an awesome helping of food and fun, not to mention several really good bands, including the ineffable Roots Of Nature, who just brought the house down with their amazing classic medley, and of course, Rick Astley. I personally thanked the band for that quite profusely, actually... =P
This was a great party, to say the least, and Yehey outdid themselves, considering how everyone really enjoyed the pop culture references galore. At the same time, I met some old batchmates, including my partner from Ateneo Debate Society some of the time, Rachel Syfargo. I was in great company, with bloggers like Azrael, Sire, RG, and of course, Louanne from FC.
While it was definitely fun times for everyone, I had quite an experience that night, particularly after Roots Of Nature performed. Not only was I asked to rickroll everyone by the host, as he asked me to sing “Never Gonna Give You Up”, I was also the very fortunate winner of the raffle grand prize, as I scored a brand new Verzio cellphone... to think I was joking about it at the time when Fatima drew the winner and said the name starts with an “N”. I told Louanne maybe it's “Narcelle Fabie”. Turns out, yes, it was my name, merely misread.
This was a great party, to say the least, and Yehey outdid themselves, considering how everyone really enjoyed the pop culture references galore. At the same time, I met some old batchmates, including my partner from Ateneo Debate Society some of the time, Rachel Syfargo. I was in great company, with bloggers like Azrael, Sire, RG, and of course, Louanne from FC.
While it was definitely fun times for everyone, I had quite an experience that night, particularly after Roots Of Nature performed. Not only was I asked to rickroll everyone by the host, as he asked me to sing “Never Gonna Give You Up”, I was also the very fortunate winner of the raffle grand prize, as I scored a brand new Verzio cellphone... to think I was joking about it at the time when Fatima drew the winner and said the name starts with an “N”. I told Louanne maybe it's “Narcelle Fabie”. Turns out, yes, it was my name, merely misread.
Victory couldn't be any sweeter... heh. People were joking that it was one heck of a “talent fee” for me, since not only did I sing, I also performed magic that night. Lol.
MTV And DOT: A Perfect Combination?
Image courtesy of Laszlo
Well, a mere two days later, on 17 December, Yehey again graciously invited us bloggers over to be a part of a teaser for the upcoming stuff the Department Of Tourism has lined up... and this includes a tie-up with MTV, and even some amazing collaboration with none other than Happy Slip herself, whom I got to meet personally for the very first time. At hand during the night as well as Secretary Ace Durano, who looked so hip you wouldn't think he works for the government. =P
Anyways, at some point, I did perform for them. The fork is sort of a giveaway when it comes to that... =P
Image courtesy of Noemi Dado
Image courtesy of Azrael
In any case, there were lots of exciting plans underway, including a huge concert we can only dub as “Rockapelago”. More details will turn up as they are made available, but this celebration is touted as the “biggest concert the Philippines has ever had”. Given how the Oktoberfest launch was indeed the biggest this year, it leads one to wonder how they're going to top that one, and which artists we'd expect to be in tow for the event, but thankfully, we're not going to expect Batista as one of the performers.
Aside from the DOT people and Happy Slip, here are two of the marketing people from MTV Asia, all the way from Singapore...
Image courtesy of Monique
I don't know about you guys, but I'm rather stoked about this event. If there's any hope that Kel and Jay could collaborate on a national level all the same, we'd be more than willing to pull our share as well... heh. This is big, and as a guy who does want to see the rest of the Philippines before setting foot abroad again, methinks this should be a really great project I hope I can take part in, even just by blogging about things as they come. =)
Monday, December 29, 2008
Philosophy 118: 10 December, 2008
These notes were taken from my class with Dr. Reyes for Philosophy 118 last 10 December.
.:Economics Is The Driving Force Of History:.
Marx believes that history moves with economic movements in the world. Historical actions affect all of us, but these actions are determined by various economic forces at work. Marx is rather single-minded in this regard, mainly because he focuses solely on economic factors as that which defines our history.
.:The History Of Work, Part II:.
After feudalism, where agriculture was the main mode of production, and where each feudal unit was self-sufficient, a small anomaly arose, known as the roving merchants. Certain industrious people who do not wish to become beholden to a land owner by exchanging goods from feudal unit to feudal unit. The forces of production became the horse, particularly using the carriage. Now, you have another set of skills needed by the merchants who need to travel by horse, such as that of the artisan and the blacksmith.
Eventually, the measure of travel became not just in terms of feudal unit to feudal unit, but instead travel by sea. Thus, there was a need to produce boats and ships.
Eventually, these people come together and become the townsmen. As they are not dependent on the landlords, they were the free men. They were the bourgeois.
At this point, the form of production became individual ownership.
For Marx, not everything is possible except at a precise historic point.
Eventually, the shift went into industrialism and capitalism. The factory became one of the forces of production. This meant that in place of individual ownership, it has become a social mode of production.
.:Quotable Quotes:.
“All the 'burgs. Hamburg, Freiburg... although 'Hamburger' is a different story.”
“The caricature is one factory worker performs only one motion! So that even in your sleep, you still go 'uhhkkk, uhhkkk...'”
- Dr. Reyes
.:Economics Is The Driving Force Of History:.
Marx believes that history moves with economic movements in the world. Historical actions affect all of us, but these actions are determined by various economic forces at work. Marx is rather single-minded in this regard, mainly because he focuses solely on economic factors as that which defines our history.
.:The History Of Work, Part II:.
After feudalism, where agriculture was the main mode of production, and where each feudal unit was self-sufficient, a small anomaly arose, known as the roving merchants. Certain industrious people who do not wish to become beholden to a land owner by exchanging goods from feudal unit to feudal unit. The forces of production became the horse, particularly using the carriage. Now, you have another set of skills needed by the merchants who need to travel by horse, such as that of the artisan and the blacksmith.
Eventually, the measure of travel became not just in terms of feudal unit to feudal unit, but instead travel by sea. Thus, there was a need to produce boats and ships.
Eventually, these people come together and become the townsmen. As they are not dependent on the landlords, they were the free men. They were the bourgeois.
At this point, the form of production became individual ownership.
For Marx, not everything is possible except at a precise historic point.
Eventually, the shift went into industrialism and capitalism. The factory became one of the forces of production. This meant that in place of individual ownership, it has become a social mode of production.
.:Quotable Quotes:.
“All the 'burgs. Hamburg, Freiburg... although 'Hamburger' is a different story.”
“The caricature is one factory worker performs only one motion! So that even in your sleep, you still go 'uhhkkk, uhhkkk...'”
- Dr. Reyes
Philosophy 118: 08 December, 2008
These notes were taken from my class with Dr. Reyes for Philosophy 118 last December 08...
.:Marx: Man Is Work:.
Marx rails against the ascetic tendencies of people who insist that the ideal life involves no work. Be it the Grecian point of view where the slaves do the work, or the Judeo-Christian concept where in paradise or in heaven, there is no work, these are all points of contention for Marx.
.:Man Raising Himself Above Nature:.
Muscles: man performs manual labor. Carrying something by himself, pushing something by himself, and so on and so forth.
Available Forces Of Nature: Man would use the winds for a sailboat to move. Man is still obviously at the mercy of nature in this regard.
Processing Nature: Refining crude oil into gasoline, processing wind into electricity, and so forth, making use of a particular force of nature and then processing it into a different form.
Automation: Man, using technology, imposes upon the rhythm of nature, be it having automated lamps, or a thermostat.
Through work, man achieves himself. For instance, an artist not doing art is not completely a man. A merchant who is not selling is a diminished human being. Marx looks down upon the people who do not work, regardless of one's reasons.
Furthermore, work is social. It is a matter of collaboration. Man working in solitude will be fighting a losing battle against nature. Man, society, and nature come together through work.
For Marx, work is the humanization of nature, and the naturalization of man.
While humanizing nature is almost self-explanatory, Marx's turn of phrase in the second segment is a clever twist on nature insofar as nature, given its Latin etymology, nature is a self-generation, or a self-birth to an extent.
Currently, the work we do does not lead to the renewal of man, but rather the death of people in society. As we have yet to master our work, we strive towards a society that can regenerate itself. Contrast this with our present situation where our society cannot sustain itself. This is the idea of naturalization of humanity: to make it sustainable and self-sufficient.
.:The History Of Work:.
The Form Of Production: at any point in history, the form of production hinges on what human relations exist based upon the force of production.
The Force Of Production: at any point in history, there area always certain forces of production at work, be it manual labor, horsepower, electrical power, or nuclear power.
Man as a hunter and a gatherer. The force of production would be the bow and arrow, perhaps an axe or a spear. The form of production would be a diffused communal ownership. Nobody could claim exclusive ownership of anything. As nomads, it was absurd to think that anyone could own any particular piece of land.
Man in the age of settled agriculture. The force of production would be the plow, or the beast of burden, or irrigation techniques. The form of production became a family ownership. If a family works on a piece of land, this land may now be claimed by a particular family.
For the first time, we see a certain measure of disparity between families with varying amounts of arable land. At some point, the anomaly arises that has a group of people who do not have any land they may claim, and in turn become dependent on the land owner. They become the serfs and tenants, ushering in the age of feudalism. Here you have the potential for a class struggle.
.:Quotable Quotes:.
“What do you do in heaven? I don't know... maybe pushing clouds around, and polishing your own halo?”
- Dr. Reyes
“Before the age of the horse, there was no chance to have an empire.”
- Fr. Dela Costa
.:Marx: Man Is Work:.
Marx rails against the ascetic tendencies of people who insist that the ideal life involves no work. Be it the Grecian point of view where the slaves do the work, or the Judeo-Christian concept where in paradise or in heaven, there is no work, these are all points of contention for Marx.
.:Man Raising Himself Above Nature:.
Muscles: man performs manual labor. Carrying something by himself, pushing something by himself, and so on and so forth.
Available Forces Of Nature: Man would use the winds for a sailboat to move. Man is still obviously at the mercy of nature in this regard.
Processing Nature: Refining crude oil into gasoline, processing wind into electricity, and so forth, making use of a particular force of nature and then processing it into a different form.
Automation: Man, using technology, imposes upon the rhythm of nature, be it having automated lamps, or a thermostat.
Through work, man achieves himself. For instance, an artist not doing art is not completely a man. A merchant who is not selling is a diminished human being. Marx looks down upon the people who do not work, regardless of one's reasons.
Furthermore, work is social. It is a matter of collaboration. Man working in solitude will be fighting a losing battle against nature. Man, society, and nature come together through work.
For Marx, work is the humanization of nature, and the naturalization of man.
While humanizing nature is almost self-explanatory, Marx's turn of phrase in the second segment is a clever twist on nature insofar as nature, given its Latin etymology, nature is a self-generation, or a self-birth to an extent.
Currently, the work we do does not lead to the renewal of man, but rather the death of people in society. As we have yet to master our work, we strive towards a society that can regenerate itself. Contrast this with our present situation where our society cannot sustain itself. This is the idea of naturalization of humanity: to make it sustainable and self-sufficient.
.:The History Of Work:.
The Form Of Production: at any point in history, the form of production hinges on what human relations exist based upon the force of production.
The Force Of Production: at any point in history, there area always certain forces of production at work, be it manual labor, horsepower, electrical power, or nuclear power.
Man as a hunter and a gatherer. The force of production would be the bow and arrow, perhaps an axe or a spear. The form of production would be a diffused communal ownership. Nobody could claim exclusive ownership of anything. As nomads, it was absurd to think that anyone could own any particular piece of land.
Man in the age of settled agriculture. The force of production would be the plow, or the beast of burden, or irrigation techniques. The form of production became a family ownership. If a family works on a piece of land, this land may now be claimed by a particular family.
For the first time, we see a certain measure of disparity between families with varying amounts of arable land. At some point, the anomaly arises that has a group of people who do not have any land they may claim, and in turn become dependent on the land owner. They become the serfs and tenants, ushering in the age of feudalism. Here you have the potential for a class struggle.
.:Quotable Quotes:.
“What do you do in heaven? I don't know... maybe pushing clouds around, and polishing your own halo?”
- Dr. Reyes
“Before the age of the horse, there was no chance to have an empire.”
- Fr. Dela Costa
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Happy Second Anniversary, My Beloved!
.:Two Years With You... Two Years I Couldn't Be More Grateful For...:.
Through thick or thin, you know I love you so much. As we celebrate our second anniversary, here's to more years with you, My Beloved. I love you so much, and I can't wait to see you again.
I hope you're enjoying yourself in Japan, but not too much.
I LOVE YOU!!! I can't say it enough today. I'm just overflowing with love for you, and you know you're the first and last thought in my mind each day, My Beloved...
Through thick or thin, you know I love you so much. As we celebrate our second anniversary, here's to more years with you, My Beloved. I love you so much, and I can't wait to see you again.
I hope you're enjoying yourself in Japan, but not too much.
I LOVE YOU!!! I can't say it enough today. I'm just overflowing with love for you, and you know you're the first and last thought in my mind each day, My Beloved...
You're Not Getting Away With This.
.:Let Us Prove That Justice Exists In This World...:.
I don't even know where to begin, but it is my civic duty to spread the news of this gross injustice to two human beings who did not deserve this kind of treatment. Hades, nobody does.
Last December 26, just a day after Christmas, Blogger Bambee dela Paz was with her family playing golf at the Valley Golf and country club when this travesty ocurred. A silly misunderstanding allegedly escalated into a violent but one-sided confrontation as Bambee ended up seeing her own 56-year old father and 14-year old brother beaten up by a group of people who turned out to be a group led by Lanao del Sur Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. At the same time, his father, the secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform and all-around muckup as far as the Sumilao Farmers are concerned, Nasser Pangandaman Sr., merely looked on as the violent mauling ensued, and even shouted invectives against the other group as they were being manhandled and beaten up.
I don't think I have to explain how lopsided a fight would be if it involved two full-grown adults and five armed and capable bodyguards against a 56-year old man and a 14-year old boy. I don't even think the latter side would want to get into a fight with odds like that, let alone instigate one, as reports indicate Mayor Pangandaman insists to be the case as he files a countersuit.
I can't believe the gall of these people. I don't care if you're powerful, or influential, and I don't care how much clout you have. When you commit something this atrocious, you deserve more than just a slap in the wrist for it.
It's high time we stopped allowing people like these from getting away with their shenanigans, acting as if they are above the law. I have nothing but vile words to spare for them, and I have no sympathy for them whatsoever. They stopped being human in my book the minute they started taking out their frustrations over some stupid game of golf by mauling an elderly man and a kid. That way, I don't have to feel ashamed for humanity.
Jabronis, you only get what you give. I really hope justice is served and these people learn that their being public figures is not an excuse to act like assholes. It's actually a reason to act like decent human beings worthy of the position and responsibility that comes with it.
I'd curse you to Hades right now, but I think you're beyond cursing. Your seared consciences will be your downfall. Remember this day, and remember how you battered a 56-year old man and a 14-year old kid over some fucking golf game, pulled guns on them (In a golf club where it should be obvious that NO FIREARMS OUGHT TO BE ALLOWED.), then claim that these same two people instigated a fight, and you were so threatened that you had to beat them up so badly and send at least one of them to the hospital.
If you can still sleep well at night, I sincerely don't know what's wrong with you.
I don't even know where to begin, but it is my civic duty to spread the news of this gross injustice to two human beings who did not deserve this kind of treatment. Hades, nobody does.
Last December 26, just a day after Christmas, Blogger Bambee dela Paz was with her family playing golf at the Valley Golf and country club when this travesty ocurred. A silly misunderstanding allegedly escalated into a violent but one-sided confrontation as Bambee ended up seeing her own 56-year old father and 14-year old brother beaten up by a group of people who turned out to be a group led by Lanao del Sur Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. At the same time, his father, the secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform and all-around muckup as far as the Sumilao Farmers are concerned, Nasser Pangandaman Sr., merely looked on as the violent mauling ensued, and even shouted invectives against the other group as they were being manhandled and beaten up.
I don't think I have to explain how lopsided a fight would be if it involved two full-grown adults and five armed and capable bodyguards against a 56-year old man and a 14-year old boy. I don't even think the latter side would want to get into a fight with odds like that, let alone instigate one, as reports indicate Mayor Pangandaman insists to be the case as he files a countersuit.
I can't believe the gall of these people. I don't care if you're powerful, or influential, and I don't care how much clout you have. When you commit something this atrocious, you deserve more than just a slap in the wrist for it.
It's high time we stopped allowing people like these from getting away with their shenanigans, acting as if they are above the law. I have nothing but vile words to spare for them, and I have no sympathy for them whatsoever. They stopped being human in my book the minute they started taking out their frustrations over some stupid game of golf by mauling an elderly man and a kid. That way, I don't have to feel ashamed for humanity.
Jabronis, you only get what you give. I really hope justice is served and these people learn that their being public figures is not an excuse to act like assholes. It's actually a reason to act like decent human beings worthy of the position and responsibility that comes with it.
I'd curse you to Hades right now, but I think you're beyond cursing. Your seared consciences will be your downfall. Remember this day, and remember how you battered a 56-year old man and a 14-year old kid over some fucking golf game, pulled guns on them (In a golf club where it should be obvious that NO FIREARMS OUGHT TO BE ALLOWED.), then claim that these same two people instigated a fight, and you were so threatened that you had to beat them up so badly and send at least one of them to the hospital.
If you can still sleep well at night, I sincerely don't know what's wrong with you.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Posting On Monday, Most Likely...
.:Too Bushed!:.
Had two shows today. Both went extremely well, but admittedly, I was rather exhausted since two shows in one day would definitely be no mean feat.
In any case, I'll write more about what happened to me next time. I know, I'm so delinquent, but cut me some slack. It's the holidays, and I'm missing my Beloved terribly...
Still, I can't help but think of her lately... I've been staring at our dolls for the past hour, thinking of her. I hope she's enjoying herself, wherever she is right now. I hope she knows I love her, and I wish that next Christmas, she and I would have a chance to be with each other...
Had two shows today. Both went extremely well, but admittedly, I was rather exhausted since two shows in one day would definitely be no mean feat.
In any case, I'll write more about what happened to me next time. I know, I'm so delinquent, but cut me some slack. It's the holidays, and I'm missing my Beloved terribly...
Still, I can't help but think of her lately... I've been staring at our dolls for the past hour, thinking of her. I hope she's enjoying herself, wherever she is right now. I hope she knows I love her, and I wish that next Christmas, she and I would have a chance to be with each other...
Thursday, December 25, 2008
I Miss You...
.:Though You're Far Away Right Now...:.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY BELOVED!!! Thinkin' about you always!
Taking The Good With The Bad...
.:Umm... Whut?:.
Lemme talk about my show last Friday, which was simply one of the craziest shows I ever had. I took a show for a friend, and needless to say, I was genuinely surprised with how things turned out... heh.
So anyways... my initial evaluation of the event was that it was my worst show ever. Then again, when I thought about it a bit, it was one of my most awesome shows ever, if only for the sheer bizarreness of the whole night.
It opened a bit annoyingly, truth be told. The company's owner was a veritable heckler, and he didn't like that he couldn't figure out how the magic was done. Needless to say, his antagonism of all things magical but undecodable would set the mood for the rest of the night, as I was wowing the audience with my hybrid stage/table hopping show, and he was loudly complaining that he doesn't like that I'm using “small props”.
Let's back up a moment here, because I have to point out something... I was booked to do table magic, not stage magic. Despite that, when I was asked to improvise, I still managed to do so, because really, that's what professionals do. All the while, he was complaining loudly, and it was obvious everyone else did not share his opinion.
So anyways, despite the infuriating turn of events, I still did my show well, and the appreciative audiences made it clear that night. Soon enough, the owner was asked to make a speech, and it was a doozy! Every forty-five seconds, he practically demanded applause! Here are some snippets from his amazing 30-minute long (drunken) monologue...
It's going to be Christmas, and you'd get a bonus soon. Pero yun lang ba yon? Bonus lang? Palakpakan niyo naman ako!
You eat my food, drink my drinks, as I welcome you to this... merrymaking. Yun lang ba yon? Merrymaking lang? Palakpakan niyo naman ako!
It's so hard to speak here in front of you. Sana naman, lend me your hears. At palakpakan niyo naman ang inyong leader.
I am the great (NAME OMITTED)! I have the blood of martyrs. Martyrs like Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio. Isang letter lang baguhin mo sa pangalan ko, martir na ako! What about you? Do you have the blood of a martyr? Please do.
What word can you form from “Merry”? Diba, you can form my name? What about “Christmas”? Hiram ka lang ng “N” sa “New Year”, pwede mo na rin gawin ang family name ko! Therefore, I AM MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Can anyone here replace me? Of course not! Bakit pa? Para saan pa? Eh I am the best president this company ever had! Palakpakan naman yang best na iyan!!!
Did I mention that he was the guy who started the company? It's easy to be the best president of the company when you've been its only president...
This was bizarre and hilarious, but I certainly would hope to never have to go through it again... heh.
.:In Contrast...:.
… I had an awesome show last Tuesday for a very intimate gathering of family and friends somewhere in Quezon City.
While I guaranteed a performance of about an hour, the very receptive crowd ended up getting treated to a full extra hour of non-stop magic, comedy, and even mentalism. It was, without a doubt, one of my best close-up shows to date, and it definitely got great reactions all around. Needless to say, the people got more than their money's worth because I was just hitting my stride and all.
Ah, well. Here's hoping for more of these awesome close-up shows in the near future. :)
Lemme talk about my show last Friday, which was simply one of the craziest shows I ever had. I took a show for a friend, and needless to say, I was genuinely surprised with how things turned out... heh.
So anyways... my initial evaluation of the event was that it was my worst show ever. Then again, when I thought about it a bit, it was one of my most awesome shows ever, if only for the sheer bizarreness of the whole night.
It opened a bit annoyingly, truth be told. The company's owner was a veritable heckler, and he didn't like that he couldn't figure out how the magic was done. Needless to say, his antagonism of all things magical but undecodable would set the mood for the rest of the night, as I was wowing the audience with my hybrid stage/table hopping show, and he was loudly complaining that he doesn't like that I'm using “small props”.
Let's back up a moment here, because I have to point out something... I was booked to do table magic, not stage magic. Despite that, when I was asked to improvise, I still managed to do so, because really, that's what professionals do. All the while, he was complaining loudly, and it was obvious everyone else did not share his opinion.
So anyways, despite the infuriating turn of events, I still did my show well, and the appreciative audiences made it clear that night. Soon enough, the owner was asked to make a speech, and it was a doozy! Every forty-five seconds, he practically demanded applause! Here are some snippets from his amazing 30-minute long (drunken) monologue...
It's going to be Christmas, and you'd get a bonus soon. Pero yun lang ba yon? Bonus lang? Palakpakan niyo naman ako!
You eat my food, drink my drinks, as I welcome you to this... merrymaking. Yun lang ba yon? Merrymaking lang? Palakpakan niyo naman ako!
It's so hard to speak here in front of you. Sana naman, lend me your hears. At palakpakan niyo naman ang inyong leader.
I am the great (NAME OMITTED)! I have the blood of martyrs. Martyrs like Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio. Isang letter lang baguhin mo sa pangalan ko, martir na ako! What about you? Do you have the blood of a martyr? Please do.
What word can you form from “Merry”? Diba, you can form my name? What about “Christmas”? Hiram ka lang ng “N” sa “New Year”, pwede mo na rin gawin ang family name ko! Therefore, I AM MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Can anyone here replace me? Of course not! Bakit pa? Para saan pa? Eh I am the best president this company ever had! Palakpakan naman yang best na iyan!!!
Did I mention that he was the guy who started the company? It's easy to be the best president of the company when you've been its only president...
This was bizarre and hilarious, but I certainly would hope to never have to go through it again... heh.
.:In Contrast...:.
… I had an awesome show last Tuesday for a very intimate gathering of family and friends somewhere in Quezon City.
While I guaranteed a performance of about an hour, the very receptive crowd ended up getting treated to a full extra hour of non-stop magic, comedy, and even mentalism. It was, without a doubt, one of my best close-up shows to date, and it definitely got great reactions all around. Needless to say, the people got more than their money's worth because I was just hitting my stride and all.
Ah, well. Here's hoping for more of these awesome close-up shows in the near future. :)
Monday, December 22, 2008
The Christmas Toycon, In Brief...
.:The Christmas Toycon, In Brief...:.
It's all in the mind...
I didn't get to stick around too long for the Christmas Toycon, but I definitely had a lot of fun there, to say the least.
As usual, I cosplayed as a wandering street magician, and I met up with Peppy, who provided me with a relatively new audience that I had my best bit of walkaround magic with...
I ganked the pictures from Pia. Mucho thanks!
Amusingly enough, one of the cosplayers, Nicole, is an employee of SM Mall Of Asia...
Oh, noez! Our forks are defective!
And naturally, I just had to perform some rope stuff, as well...
Just a regular piece of rope. Like the one you had in your room last night!
Having said that, thanks to Peppy and his friends for being an awesome audience. Heh. :)
You guys rock!
Hopefully, next year, I'll be back at ToyCon for more street magic goodness. It was definitely quite an experience!
The Magikel Experience: Now With Illusions!
.:Quite A Step Up:.
For the longest time, ever since I turned pro, I've generally been known for being a street magician, and people have come to expect that even if they booked me onstage, I would not be the type who would saw women in half or something of the sort. Whether in the realm of magic or mentalism, I was capable of cornering the close-up department, and held my own quite well in the parlor-for-stage setting, what with routines like the Shackles and Fiber Optics.
This is not to say I can't do stage at all. In fact, mentalism plays fairly well onstage, despite a clear lack of gigantic props and stuff. The recently concluded "Laughs And Gasps" featured myself and Jay Mata performing a full stage act, so we certainly knew our way around the stage, and we would work with it on a level we knew we were excellent at. We played to our strengths, after all.
Furthermore, I've had several shows for kids and/or adults that involved me performing onstage. I never had a problem with this as long as I knew that I was going to go onstage from the get-go. I've had people tell me how much they like my unique approach to performing, since I've really taken the raconteur bit of the business to heart, and it allowed me to spin a yarn about the most seemingly banal of routines, making it become significantly stronger than it normally has any business being. I'm sure any other magician worth their salt would know how to do something like that, but I inject a certain kind of flavor into my act, that, for better or worse, is unique to myself.
Having said that, I'm the kind of performer who wouldn't add something to my repertoire if it didn't fit into who I am and what I do. Having said that, this naturally means that I wouldn't go into illusions if it didn't make sense for the illusion to be something I would do, no matter how impressive it is.
This is why last December 13, my performances came quite as a surprise to those who have seen me before. You see, I had two shows that day, and while the first one was great, the second one, which I did for Filcosplay, was arguably even better.
My first show for a big client went really well, truth be told. The client loved the show, but of course, I had to perform with certain limitations in mind, particularly since I was going to be performing mainly for kids. My assistant for the day was helpful, especially with getting some great reactions from the Dream Bag joke. Sadly, a teary-eyed kid looked at us while we were performing and said, "Ganun pala yun?" Killing the fairy never felt *this* guilt-inducing...
By the time I got to the FC Christmas party, though, I was carrying my illusion by myself and didn't have my assistant with me anymore. Despite that, I knew that with a crowd like the FC people, the show I had in mind for them was going to go over pretty well.
Last year, I did a pure mentalism show for them. This year, I did a comedy magic show for them, and boy, did they enjoy it. Whether it be Lady And The Rope or Over The Head or some other routine, things just went marvelously that day. Of course, I traumatized Liz, but all in all, it was awesome. :)
Much thanks to the FC people for allowing me to have them as my guinea pigs, and of course, for being one of the first few people to witness the full-scale illusions I now use for my shows. It's taken me a while, but as I keep on striving for more in my performances, these new additions are definitely amazing, to say the least. Soon enough, you can expect to see more and more of these in my performances. :P
.:Afterwards...:.
... Awesome conversations, with terrifying revelations, were shared all around. An after-party dinner at McDonald's with some FC members really made for quite a night, what with them looking at me in shock as I unveiled the truth about... well, that's for us to know...
For the longest time, ever since I turned pro, I've generally been known for being a street magician, and people have come to expect that even if they booked me onstage, I would not be the type who would saw women in half or something of the sort. Whether in the realm of magic or mentalism, I was capable of cornering the close-up department, and held my own quite well in the parlor-for-stage setting, what with routines like the Shackles and Fiber Optics.
This is not to say I can't do stage at all. In fact, mentalism plays fairly well onstage, despite a clear lack of gigantic props and stuff. The recently concluded "Laughs And Gasps" featured myself and Jay Mata performing a full stage act, so we certainly knew our way around the stage, and we would work with it on a level we knew we were excellent at. We played to our strengths, after all.
Furthermore, I've had several shows for kids and/or adults that involved me performing onstage. I never had a problem with this as long as I knew that I was going to go onstage from the get-go. I've had people tell me how much they like my unique approach to performing, since I've really taken the raconteur bit of the business to heart, and it allowed me to spin a yarn about the most seemingly banal of routines, making it become significantly stronger than it normally has any business being. I'm sure any other magician worth their salt would know how to do something like that, but I inject a certain kind of flavor into my act, that, for better or worse, is unique to myself.
Having said that, I'm the kind of performer who wouldn't add something to my repertoire if it didn't fit into who I am and what I do. Having said that, this naturally means that I wouldn't go into illusions if it didn't make sense for the illusion to be something I would do, no matter how impressive it is.
This is why last December 13, my performances came quite as a surprise to those who have seen me before. You see, I had two shows that day, and while the first one was great, the second one, which I did for Filcosplay, was arguably even better.
My first show for a big client went really well, truth be told. The client loved the show, but of course, I had to perform with certain limitations in mind, particularly since I was going to be performing mainly for kids. My assistant for the day was helpful, especially with getting some great reactions from the Dream Bag joke. Sadly, a teary-eyed kid looked at us while we were performing and said, "Ganun pala yun?" Killing the fairy never felt *this* guilt-inducing...
By the time I got to the FC Christmas party, though, I was carrying my illusion by myself and didn't have my assistant with me anymore. Despite that, I knew that with a crowd like the FC people, the show I had in mind for them was going to go over pretty well.
Last year, I did a pure mentalism show for them. This year, I did a comedy magic show for them, and boy, did they enjoy it. Whether it be Lady And The Rope or Over The Head or some other routine, things just went marvelously that day. Of course, I traumatized Liz, but all in all, it was awesome. :)
Much thanks to the FC people for allowing me to have them as my guinea pigs, and of course, for being one of the first few people to witness the full-scale illusions I now use for my shows. It's taken me a while, but as I keep on striving for more in my performances, these new additions are definitely amazing, to say the least. Soon enough, you can expect to see more and more of these in my performances. :P
.:Afterwards...:.
... Awesome conversations, with terrifying revelations, were shared all around. An after-party dinner at McDonald's with some FC members really made for quite a night, what with them looking at me in shock as I unveiled the truth about... well, that's for us to know...
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Backblogging Lineup...
I think I'll accomplish this stuff tomorrow and Monday...
1. My show last night
2. Meeting Happy Slip
3. Yehey Christmas Party
4. My double show for FC and a client
5. My Beloved, as always
6. DENR
Sounds about right. Dunno if I missed anything else...
1. My show last night
2. Meeting Happy Slip
3. Yehey Christmas Party
4. My double show for FC and a client
5. My Beloved, as always
6. DENR
Sounds about right. Dunno if I missed anything else...
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Mahiya Naman Kayo Sa Balat Ninyo!
For this post, I just feel like writing in Filipino. So sue me. =P
.:Sino'ng Niloko Mo?!?:.
Hindi ko maintindihan kung ano ang nakain ni DENR secretary Jose Atienza Jr. at tingin niya, magkasing-importante ang laban ni Manny Pacquiao at ang budget ng DENR. Nakakahiya na apat na araw siyang hindi nagtrabaho para lang mapanood ang laban ni Pacquiao.
Ang kapal din naman ng mukha niya para sabihing "magkasinghalaga" ang laban ni Pacquiao sa kanyang mga tungkulin bilang secretary ng DENR.
Ginoong Atienza, kung hindi niyo po naiisip, mas malaki ang inyong tungkulin sa inyong trabaho sa DENR kaysa sa inyong "tungkulin" kay Manny Pacquiao. Hindi naman niya ikakatalo kung wala ka doon para manood.
Mahiya ka naman sa balat mo! Mangangatwiran ka na lang, baluktot pa.
.:Sino'ng Niloko Mo?!?:.
Hindi ko maintindihan kung ano ang nakain ni DENR secretary Jose Atienza Jr. at tingin niya, magkasing-importante ang laban ni Manny Pacquiao at ang budget ng DENR. Nakakahiya na apat na araw siyang hindi nagtrabaho para lang mapanood ang laban ni Pacquiao.
Ang kapal din naman ng mukha niya para sabihing "magkasinghalaga" ang laban ni Pacquiao sa kanyang mga tungkulin bilang secretary ng DENR.
Ginoong Atienza, kung hindi niyo po naiisip, mas malaki ang inyong tungkulin sa inyong trabaho sa DENR kaysa sa inyong "tungkulin" kay Manny Pacquiao. Hindi naman niya ikakatalo kung wala ka doon para manood.
Mahiya ka naman sa balat mo! Mangangatwiran ka na lang, baluktot pa.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Oh, Happy Day...
.:Take That, Thesis!:.
Finally, finished writing my thesis. About bloody time!
Up next... revisions? Defense? Urkk...
.:After Two Months...:.
Except for a quick but absolutely sweet drive-by for a hug by My Beloved, yesterday was the first time in two months we've seen each other.
I'm just so happy, and I can't tell you enough how glad I am I managed to give her my present already. I gave her a BDJ Planner, and a pair of crochet dolls courtesy of Nissie. Fortunately, she wanted me to keep one of the other dolls, so...
Finally, finished writing my thesis. About bloody time!
Up next... revisions? Defense? Urkk...
.:After Two Months...:.
Except for a quick but absolutely sweet drive-by for a hug by My Beloved, yesterday was the first time in two months we've seen each other.
I'm just so happy, and I can't tell you enough how glad I am I managed to give her my present already. I gave her a BDJ Planner, and a pair of crochet dolls courtesy of Nissie. Fortunately, she wanted me to keep one of the other dolls, so...
Isn't that just the cutest thing ever? I love this doll. Of course, if we ever get into arguments with each other, I think I know what she's going to do with the crochet doll made to look like me... urk. Hehe.
Thanks, My Beloved! I'm glad we made it through, despite all the problems and complications. You know there's nothing I wouldn't do to be with you... ::gushes::
.:As An Aside...:.
My brother and I are both straight edge, but his party at our house today yielded a guy who drank so much, then stood on his head.
Soon enough, he started puking while he was sleeping on the floor. They tried to revive him, but he was really only semi-conscious at best. Eventually, they had to rush him to the hospital, putting a stop to the festivities.
I'm sorry, but after seeing that, I really don't see the appeal of alcohol... ah, well.
Monday, December 15, 2008
My Grown Up Christmas Wishlist...
.:But First...:.
Don't forget our TV guesting tomorrow on unTV! Kel and Jay will be doing magic at 7AM on "Good Morning Kuya" with Daniel Razon! :P
.:My Christmas Wishlist:.
Truth be told, I'm not expecting a single one of these being fulfilled, except maybe the last one. I was never the king of Christmas spirit, to begin with, but you never know, right?
In a year where helping out people has bit me in the @$$ more times than I'd care to count, only to have myself completely forgotten and even ignored afterwards, well I guess you can say that this is one of those few times where I do feel entitled to be a tad selfish...
Don't forget our TV guesting tomorrow on unTV! Kel and Jay will be doing magic at 7AM on "Good Morning Kuya" with Daniel Razon! :P
.:My Christmas Wishlist:.
Truth be told, I'm not expecting a single one of these being fulfilled, except maybe the last one. I was never the king of Christmas spirit, to begin with, but you never know, right?
In a year where helping out people has bit me in the @$$ more times than I'd care to count, only to have myself completely forgotten and even ignored afterwards, well I guess you can say that this is one of those few times where I do feel entitled to be a tad selfish...
1. Contact Juggling Balls: I heard they're replete in Quiapo, but I just don't have the chance to look around. These awesome acrylic spheres are going to be part of my repertoire by next year, so I need a lot of contact juggling balls to practice with...
2. A Trolley: I need one I can fit into a taxi cab, so I can roll my illusions around with ease. Admittedly, ever since I went into full-blown stage magic, the illusions are getting heavier and heavier for me. Hades, I'd take a second-hand trolley if anyone has any lying around. I just need one for me to push close to 200 pounds worth of illusions around for my shows.
3. Monkey Fist Fire Poi And/Or LED Poi: The set I used for Laughs And Gasps weren't actually mine, but Kathy Chua's. I'd really want my own set of Monkey Fist Poi because I really still enjoy doing poi. It's high time I actually got back into it because it's excellent exercise.
4. Black Snake Fireworks: I can't find any of these in the country at all! Despite being ridiculously cheap, I just can't get my hands on any Black Snakes, and it's frustrating me because I really need a stock of these things. Smuggling seems to be the only option lately.
5. Battle Royale: I still don't have a copy of the novel, and I could use a new copy of the movie as well. I'm short by a lot of chapters in the manga, all the same. This is arguably my favorite movie of all time...
6. More Bookings: This can't hurt at all. Whether magic shows or hosting gigs, more bookings for me would mean I can get stuff on this list myself, not to mention some other stage illusions I want to add to my repertoire.
7. LETTERS! I'm a sentimental old fool, so if you could just spare me a word or two in writing, I'd cherish it forever. E-mails are cool, but nothing beats the handwritten touch. :)
That actually felt good to write...
Friday, December 12, 2008
Kel And Jay On unTV This Tuesday, December 16!
.:Oh, Yes...:.
Kel And Jay, the incorrigible magician and mentalist duo, are at it again! Catch them LIVE this coming Tuesday, 16 December, 2008, on unTV on Cable for "Good Morning Kuya!" with Kuya Daniel Razon at 7AM.
This promises to be a pretty fun episode, to be sure. :)
Kel And Jay, the incorrigible magician and mentalist duo, are at it again! Catch them LIVE this coming Tuesday, 16 December, 2008, on unTV on Cable for "Good Morning Kuya!" with Kuya Daniel Razon at 7AM.
This promises to be a pretty fun episode, to be sure. :)
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Colossally Cool Cakes! And Also Alliterations!
.:Thank You, Red Ribbon!:.
"Be captivated and enamoured by Red Ribbon’s first ever creation in its line of Premium Selections -- the New Coffee Walnut Bavarian. No less than a symphony of extraordinary flavours, combining exquisitely smooth coffee and Kahlua cream in decadently moist chiffon, adorned with walnuts, cocoa powder and dark chocolate bars. No doubt, it makes for the perfect gift."
In a nutshell, this tasty description of the Coffee Walnut Bavarian cake certainly does the actual cake justice. With quite a few bloggers over at Red Ribbon Libis last night, the cake was certainly quite a sight to behold and a marvelous treat for all who were there.
I can't say much else other than it was a great event with awesome company all around, from the Fudistas to Juned to Sire to Animetric to Jane to pretty much everyone else, and of course, you should try the cake for yourself. You don't have to take my word for it... the cake will convince you. The cake is not a lie... heh.
In any case, thanks to Red Ribbon for having us over! It was a load of fun, and it was really amusing to find out exactly how many slices of the Coffee Walnut Bavarian cake it would take to get somebody buzzed... I'd tell you who found out firsthand, but I think I'd rather not be the source of this "news"... =D
"Be captivated and enamoured by Red Ribbon’s first ever creation in its line of Premium Selections -- the New Coffee Walnut Bavarian. No less than a symphony of extraordinary flavours, combining exquisitely smooth coffee and Kahlua cream in decadently moist chiffon, adorned with walnuts, cocoa powder and dark chocolate bars. No doubt, it makes for the perfect gift."
In a nutshell, this tasty description of the Coffee Walnut Bavarian cake certainly does the actual cake justice. With quite a few bloggers over at Red Ribbon Libis last night, the cake was certainly quite a sight to behold and a marvelous treat for all who were there.
I can't say much else other than it was a great event with awesome company all around, from the Fudistas to Juned to Sire to Animetric to Jane to pretty much everyone else, and of course, you should try the cake for yourself. You don't have to take my word for it... the cake will convince you. The cake is not a lie... heh.
In any case, thanks to Red Ribbon for having us over! It was a load of fun, and it was really amusing to find out exactly how many slices of the Coffee Walnut Bavarian cake it would take to get somebody buzzed... I'd tell you who found out firsthand, but I think I'd rather not be the source of this "news"... =D
Oh, Yes. I Conquered The Baconator...
.:Bring Home The Bacon...ator!:.
Yesterday, I was at Wendy's Park Avenue for the unveiling of their latest delectably sinful offering... the Baconator! Nothing quite like two quarter-pound beef patties with cheese, and six strips of bacon to just really drive home the point that this burger is for the people who really want to eat something heavy.
Of course, the event was quite an amazing launch as members of the press were all at hand for the Baconator, and they even had the Baconator challenge for us... which meant I had to go there and consume an entire Baconator and a Biggie serving of Coke Zero in the fastest time I could muster, going ahead of the eventual winner overall by finishing my Coke before he did, although he finished his burger first...
Nonetheless, it was a great event, and the Baconator, at a mere 199 pesos, is definitely going to whet anyone's appetite for a great burger with one of the most sinfully delectable toppings ever conceived by man. Six strips of bacon?!?
With a few awesome encounters, including the Coca-Cola Tigers team, an old, old friend of my mom's, and so forth, the event was really quite a success on all counts, as everyone present really enjoyed their time there, and the food was just awesome all-around.
I definitely enjoyed this launch, and you can be sure I'll be back for more Baconator goodness in Wendy's soon... admittedly, eating the burger and drinking my softdrink in under three minutes meant I hardly got to appreciate how good the burger really was. But it sure left me full all the way 'til the evening.
Yesterday, I was at Wendy's Park Avenue for the unveiling of their latest delectably sinful offering... the Baconator! Nothing quite like two quarter-pound beef patties with cheese, and six strips of bacon to just really drive home the point that this burger is for the people who really want to eat something heavy.
Of course, the event was quite an amazing launch as members of the press were all at hand for the Baconator, and they even had the Baconator challenge for us... which meant I had to go there and consume an entire Baconator and a Biggie serving of Coke Zero in the fastest time I could muster, going ahead of the eventual winner overall by finishing my Coke before he did, although he finished his burger first...
Nonetheless, it was a great event, and the Baconator, at a mere 199 pesos, is definitely going to whet anyone's appetite for a great burger with one of the most sinfully delectable toppings ever conceived by man. Six strips of bacon?!?
With a few awesome encounters, including the Coca-Cola Tigers team, an old, old friend of my mom's, and so forth, the event was really quite a success on all counts, as everyone present really enjoyed their time there, and the food was just awesome all-around.
I definitely enjoyed this launch, and you can be sure I'll be back for more Baconator goodness in Wendy's soon... admittedly, eating the burger and drinking my softdrink in under three minutes meant I hardly got to appreciate how good the burger really was. But it sure left me full all the way 'til the evening.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Philosophy 118: 05 December, 2008
These notes were taken from my class with Dr. Reyes for Philosophy 118 this Friday... since I might be absent from class today, I must apologize in advance that I might be unable to take notes today.
.:Additional Thoughts On The Aesthetic Phenomenon:.
Due to Nietzsche's criticisms of language and morality, what is true and what is good is put into question. However, what is beautiful would appear to merely be something that is subjective.
Yet when we take note of our liturgy, a lot of it is aesthetic. The burning candle, the scent of the incense, the soothing music of the choir, the vaunted architecture of a Gothic church, and so forth. It would seem that the experience of the beautiful would be the saving grace for the artist
He believes that God, if He existed, would be a dancing God. He thinks upon God as an innocent child at play. At this point, Dr. Reyes talks about his experiences of innocence with his two sons.
Nietzsche believes that we should make our life a work of art. For him, the highest form of art is music because it is so direct and visceral. As such, the real ubermensch is the artist.
.:Karl Marx:.
Karl Marx was born in 1818 and he died in 1883. Ironically, he came from a rich family, and believe he was a failure near his death since nobody seemed to pick up on his writings. Only after his work has been translated into Russian did he truly begin to make his mark in the world.
We study Karl Marx despite the steady decline of communism because Marxism is not necessarily the same as Communism. Communism, in fact steps beyond Marxism, as a lot of it materialized out of improvisation for when the Bolshevik revolution unexpectedly succeeded.
In 1824, Marx was christened. His parents were Jewish of heritage, yet converted to Protestantism in order to expedite their way of life in Germany. He was born in the city of Treve/Trier, a city that sometimes fell into French or German territory, depending on the situation.
In 1835, he was sent to Bonn University to study law. Unfortunately, Marx didn't do too well in school, going on drinking binges, and even getting wounded due to a duel. He also had a girlfriend.
In 1836, he was transferred by his father to Berlin University so that he could stay out of trouble.
In 1841, he graduated with a Doctorate in Philosophy. He thought he could teach in the university, but the people in the university thought he was too radical.
In May 1842, he tried journalism. He was sending articles to Rheinische Zeitung, “The Rhine Times”. He sent so many articles, that by October, he became the editor-in-chief of the newspaper.
In 1843, the Prussian censorship closed down the paper because it was deemed as too radical. Shortly after this, he married his childhood sweetheart and then went to Paris and start a new paper there, called “Deutsch Franzoschiche Jahrbuchen”.
In February 1844, the first issue of the Jahrbuchen came out, and again, even the generally neutral Parisian authorities found it too radical, which meant this was also the last issue of the Jahrbuchen. At this point, he encountered members of the communist and socialist movement, and at this point, from a Hegelian (An idealist.) way of thinking, he shifted into a more down-to-earth mode of thinking. This was the year he wrote “Oekonomisch-philosophische Manuskripte”. This was arguably his best work that he wrote on his own, whereas his other more popular works were actually co-written with Engels.
In 1845, he was expelled from Paris and he went to Brussels from Belgium, a city that was even more liberal than Paris was.
.:Quotable Quotes:.
Vincent Van Gogh didn't lose his ear in a fit of rage. The true story was that he had a mistress who asked him if he truly loved her.
To prove it to him, he cut off his own ear, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and gave it to her.
“Oh, Vincent. Now I truly know how much you love me!” cooed the mistress.
Tragically, Vincent responds, “Huh? What was that? I can't hear you.”
- Dr. Reyes, telling a joke
“I was appointed as in charge of torture for our prisoners by the French Foreign Legion in Algeria. I initially enjoyed it, but shortly after, I felt I was losing my humanity.”
- Karl Marx
.:Additional Thoughts On The Aesthetic Phenomenon:.
Due to Nietzsche's criticisms of language and morality, what is true and what is good is put into question. However, what is beautiful would appear to merely be something that is subjective.
Yet when we take note of our liturgy, a lot of it is aesthetic. The burning candle, the scent of the incense, the soothing music of the choir, the vaunted architecture of a Gothic church, and so forth. It would seem that the experience of the beautiful would be the saving grace for the artist
He believes that God, if He existed, would be a dancing God. He thinks upon God as an innocent child at play. At this point, Dr. Reyes talks about his experiences of innocence with his two sons.
Nietzsche believes that we should make our life a work of art. For him, the highest form of art is music because it is so direct and visceral. As such, the real ubermensch is the artist.
.:Karl Marx:.
Karl Marx was born in 1818 and he died in 1883. Ironically, he came from a rich family, and believe he was a failure near his death since nobody seemed to pick up on his writings. Only after his work has been translated into Russian did he truly begin to make his mark in the world.
We study Karl Marx despite the steady decline of communism because Marxism is not necessarily the same as Communism. Communism, in fact steps beyond Marxism, as a lot of it materialized out of improvisation for when the Bolshevik revolution unexpectedly succeeded.
In 1824, Marx was christened. His parents were Jewish of heritage, yet converted to Protestantism in order to expedite their way of life in Germany. He was born in the city of Treve/Trier, a city that sometimes fell into French or German territory, depending on the situation.
In 1835, he was sent to Bonn University to study law. Unfortunately, Marx didn't do too well in school, going on drinking binges, and even getting wounded due to a duel. He also had a girlfriend.
In 1836, he was transferred by his father to Berlin University so that he could stay out of trouble.
In 1841, he graduated with a Doctorate in Philosophy. He thought he could teach in the university, but the people in the university thought he was too radical.
In May 1842, he tried journalism. He was sending articles to Rheinische Zeitung, “The Rhine Times”. He sent so many articles, that by October, he became the editor-in-chief of the newspaper.
In 1843, the Prussian censorship closed down the paper because it was deemed as too radical. Shortly after this, he married his childhood sweetheart and then went to Paris and start a new paper there, called “Deutsch Franzoschiche Jahrbuchen”.
In February 1844, the first issue of the Jahrbuchen came out, and again, even the generally neutral Parisian authorities found it too radical, which meant this was also the last issue of the Jahrbuchen. At this point, he encountered members of the communist and socialist movement, and at this point, from a Hegelian (An idealist.) way of thinking, he shifted into a more down-to-earth mode of thinking. This was the year he wrote “Oekonomisch-philosophische Manuskripte”. This was arguably his best work that he wrote on his own, whereas his other more popular works were actually co-written with Engels.
In 1845, he was expelled from Paris and he went to Brussels from Belgium, a city that was even more liberal than Paris was.
.:Quotable Quotes:.
Vincent Van Gogh didn't lose his ear in a fit of rage. The true story was that he had a mistress who asked him if he truly loved her.
To prove it to him, he cut off his own ear, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and gave it to her.
“Oh, Vincent. Now I truly know how much you love me!” cooed the mistress.
Tragically, Vincent responds, “Huh? What was that? I can't hear you.”
- Dr. Reyes, telling a joke
“I was appointed as in charge of torture for our prisoners by the French Foreign Legion in Algeria. I initially enjoyed it, but shortly after, I felt I was losing my humanity.”
- Karl Marx
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Small Laughs And Gasps Over The Weekend....
.:Still Showing Up On Myx Almost Daily...:.
Well, I'm still gonna be on reruns of their show, “Wer U At?” all the way 'til Thursday, so hooray for that. Check my earlier blog post about it for the schedule...
.:Laughs And Gasps On A Saturday Night...:.
Saturday night was spent with good company, most definitely.
Since I was invited by a good friend of mine, Stanley Chi, to a special night of comedy in Conspiracy Bar, with the rest of the so-called 700 Club: Uni and Mike Unson, who were definitely all hilarious the whole night.
From the sheer inanity of Sesame Street and how a 10-foot canary would be easier to believe than a frigging elephant, to how bad it feels to be the middle child in a brood of three, to other choice bits, Mike was firing on all cylinders that night. Stanley and Uni were funny as well, but the longest set of the night was Mike's, and he definitely made everyone laugh... I'd love to share that bit where he played out an imaginary scenario of how his parents would deal with his being kidnapped, but I don't want to parrot his material without asking his permission first. Having said that, you should just be there to see these guys at work for yourselves. They're performing on December 15 around 9PM at Spicy Fingers in Greenbelt.
That night, I also encountered Mr. Jess Santiago, and ended up buying an album for the first time in ten years. “Puso At Isip” is definitely an amazing album, and I'm glad I managed to get my hands on copy. I especially love his song entitled “Laging Ikaw”. I'd share it with you guys, but I think it's better you just look for a copy of his album... he's an independent artist, though. And of course, I had him sign my copy. Heh.
Well, I'm still gonna be on reruns of their show, “Wer U At?” all the way 'til Thursday, so hooray for that. Check my earlier blog post about it for the schedule...
.:Laughs And Gasps On A Saturday Night...:.
Saturday night was spent with good company, most definitely.
Since I was invited by a good friend of mine, Stanley Chi, to a special night of comedy in Conspiracy Bar, with the rest of the so-called 700 Club: Uni and Mike Unson, who were definitely all hilarious the whole night.
From the sheer inanity of Sesame Street and how a 10-foot canary would be easier to believe than a frigging elephant, to how bad it feels to be the middle child in a brood of three, to other choice bits, Mike was firing on all cylinders that night. Stanley and Uni were funny as well, but the longest set of the night was Mike's, and he definitely made everyone laugh... I'd love to share that bit where he played out an imaginary scenario of how his parents would deal with his being kidnapped, but I don't want to parrot his material without asking his permission first. Having said that, you should just be there to see these guys at work for yourselves. They're performing on December 15 around 9PM at Spicy Fingers in Greenbelt.
That night, I also encountered Mr. Jess Santiago, and ended up buying an album for the first time in ten years. “Puso At Isip” is definitely an amazing album, and I'm glad I managed to get my hands on copy. I especially love his song entitled “Laging Ikaw”. I'd share it with you guys, but I think it's better you just look for a copy of his album... he's an independent artist, though. And of course, I had him sign my copy. Heh.
Love the art!
That night, I hung out with Bessie Moo Estelle, Sire, and even Jojo Alejar of “Jojo A. All The Way” fame, who was really fun to talk to...
Afterwards, we had some gasps, as Sire and I ended up hanging out with The Story Circle, who were all too happy to do some really awesome magic for Sire. Sam was especially generous with his creepy effects... heh. All in all, it was a great night for everyone involved...
Having said that, it was a fun night, and here's hoping that a future collaboration with the Cartel, Mr. Jojo A, and even perhaps a few other people would be in the books!
Beef Jerky: The Unsent Series, Volume 2, Part VI...
.:Beef Jerky: The Unsent Series, Volume 2, Part VI:.
These letters are way too explosive for public consumption. As such, I think I'll keep them out of the public eye. For now.
Firebrand, Black Angel, Musketeers... consider yourselves lucky. Very lucky.
I've kept mum and saved your reputations from even more disrepair, despite the fact that everyone who would talk to me has been telling me you jabronis deserve to be exposed as the petulant, ungrateful, and immature people you respectively are.
For now, in the spirit of the holidays, I'll can it and let sleeping dogs lie.
These letters are way too explosive for public consumption. As such, I think I'll keep them out of the public eye. For now.
Firebrand, Black Angel, Musketeers... consider yourselves lucky. Very lucky.
I've kept mum and saved your reputations from even more disrepair, despite the fact that everyone who would talk to me has been telling me you jabronis deserve to be exposed as the petulant, ungrateful, and immature people you respectively are.
For now, in the spirit of the holidays, I'll can it and let sleeping dogs lie.
Oh, Japan! Never Change!!!
.:It Can Only Come From Japan!:.
Don't you just love how Japan seems to come up with the craziest, most f%$#^d up ideas?
Well, they're at it again.
Welcome to the next-gen "experience"! the appropriately named game developer company "Overflow" has not only come up with another Ero-game for the PC, they have even come up with an *ahem* attachment that will "simulate" for you.
Those parts look pretty fragile, though. And for the life of me, the logistics of this "machine" boggles me.
And... is that a fist? Good heavens.
I'd like to have these goggles exchanged, please. They do nothing.
Don't you just love how Japan seems to come up with the craziest, most f%$#^d up ideas?
Well, they're at it again.
Welcome to the next-gen "experience"! the appropriately named game developer company "Overflow" has not only come up with another Ero-game for the PC, they have even come up with an *ahem* attachment that will "simulate" for you.
Those parts look pretty fragile, though. And for the life of me, the logistics of this "machine" boggles me.
And... is that a fist? Good heavens.
I'd like to have these goggles exchanged, please. They do nothing.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Myopia...
.:Not Immersed Deeply Enough:.
My, oh, my. What is becoming known as the “Ateneo Immersion Scandal” is rearing its ugly head on the Internetz lately, and don't worry, it's not the “Scandal” we've come to expect online...
Apparently, a particular student who went on immersion with the Aetas ended up completely reviling the whole experience, and wrote one of the most eyebrow-raising posts I've ever seen.
My dear, I know the immersion was no bed of roses. Of course it wasn't, nor should it be. The point of the immersion is for you to widen your horizons, to understand that society has its glaring examples of inequality, and those of us too cooped up in our ivory towers don't see the whole picture when we speak while bereft of the opportunity to interact and to commune with people who may, on the surface, not be as fortunate as we are.
I don't think it's fair to judge you as a person for your one post, but I think it's fair to say that this post is a poor reflection on how you took this experience. I only hope that in time, you'd come to understand that there is more to life than your immediate environs. You've successfully gone through it firsthand and understood now what these people go through day in, and day out.
I don't wish you ill at all. I only wish that this whole experience you had in your immersion would help you change for the better somehow. I know how it is for people to judge you all too quickly without knowing the other side of the story, so I'd best just wish you the best, and hope that you'd truly learn something from your experience, and perhaps, when you become successful in the future, you can do something to help alleviate the “ills” you perceived in your short stay with the Aetas. Now, you may no longer claim ignorance. Now, you are called to action.
Godspeed to you.
.:No, No. That's Not “Sourgrapping” At All...:.
A recent article from the UST Publication, “The Varsitarian”, took a shot at Ateneo, seeing the writer asking the burning question, “how could an institution that’s barely an expanded liberal arts college and with only a smattering of degree programs tested by state licensure exams become the top Philippine university?”
Now, pardon me for pointing out the elephant in the room, but isn't this writer just reeking of bitterness? With no disrespect to UST whatsoever, I find the tone of this writer incredibly condescending towards Ateneo, as if to say that Ateneo didn't deserve the ranking, but UST did. Just because it was couched in the disclaimer that the writer wasn't “sourgrapping” does not mean we ignore the massive snarkfest that ensued in the whole “article”.
I was especially tickled pink by the whole decrying of “student to teacher ratio”, because let's face it, that ratio is a factor. It doesn't matter if only fewer students can afford the tuition or not, because if that were the issue, there would be no waitlisting in Ateneo, but there is. What this means is that each year, more than enough students go to Ateneo, from all those who applied, and a lot of other students who could actually afford to go to the school simply don't make the cut. Just because you cite a reason for this ratio does not discount its importance in the factors.
After this article and the other one that lambasted the Ateneo professors who supported the RH and used it as an opportunity to slag Ateneo as a whole, I am not entirely surprised why some Ateneas are a tad angry at UST, albeit again, that's misdirected anger, to say the least.
This was sloppy writing with a clear-cut agenda to malign a particular institution. As much as I'd want to write a point by point rebuttal of the article, I think it speaks for itself already. I don't have to cite statistics to prove my point. Neither do I have to ingratiate myself to my UST friends by comparing their school to mine. All I have to do is stick to the main point: here's a writer who, because he refuses to agree with what a particularly study has shown, undermines the credibility of the study instead of truly substantiate his claims. The throwaway paragraphs extolling the virtues of UST are practically negligible in the face of the sheer disdain oozing out from the article against Ateneo.
Don't get me wrong, though... if Ateneo wrote an article like this, I'd probably slam it, too.
My, oh, my. What is becoming known as the “Ateneo Immersion Scandal” is rearing its ugly head on the Internetz lately, and don't worry, it's not the “Scandal” we've come to expect online...
Apparently, a particular student who went on immersion with the Aetas ended up completely reviling the whole experience, and wrote one of the most eyebrow-raising posts I've ever seen.
My dear, I know the immersion was no bed of roses. Of course it wasn't, nor should it be. The point of the immersion is for you to widen your horizons, to understand that society has its glaring examples of inequality, and those of us too cooped up in our ivory towers don't see the whole picture when we speak while bereft of the opportunity to interact and to commune with people who may, on the surface, not be as fortunate as we are.
I don't think it's fair to judge you as a person for your one post, but I think it's fair to say that this post is a poor reflection on how you took this experience. I only hope that in time, you'd come to understand that there is more to life than your immediate environs. You've successfully gone through it firsthand and understood now what these people go through day in, and day out.
I don't wish you ill at all. I only wish that this whole experience you had in your immersion would help you change for the better somehow. I know how it is for people to judge you all too quickly without knowing the other side of the story, so I'd best just wish you the best, and hope that you'd truly learn something from your experience, and perhaps, when you become successful in the future, you can do something to help alleviate the “ills” you perceived in your short stay with the Aetas. Now, you may no longer claim ignorance. Now, you are called to action.
Godspeed to you.
.:No, No. That's Not “Sourgrapping” At All...:.
A recent article from the UST Publication, “The Varsitarian”, took a shot at Ateneo, seeing the writer asking the burning question, “how could an institution that’s barely an expanded liberal arts college and with only a smattering of degree programs tested by state licensure exams become the top Philippine university?”
Now, pardon me for pointing out the elephant in the room, but isn't this writer just reeking of bitterness? With no disrespect to UST whatsoever, I find the tone of this writer incredibly condescending towards Ateneo, as if to say that Ateneo didn't deserve the ranking, but UST did. Just because it was couched in the disclaimer that the writer wasn't “sourgrapping” does not mean we ignore the massive snarkfest that ensued in the whole “article”.
I was especially tickled pink by the whole decrying of “student to teacher ratio”, because let's face it, that ratio is a factor. It doesn't matter if only fewer students can afford the tuition or not, because if that were the issue, there would be no waitlisting in Ateneo, but there is. What this means is that each year, more than enough students go to Ateneo, from all those who applied, and a lot of other students who could actually afford to go to the school simply don't make the cut. Just because you cite a reason for this ratio does not discount its importance in the factors.
After this article and the other one that lambasted the Ateneo professors who supported the RH and used it as an opportunity to slag Ateneo as a whole, I am not entirely surprised why some Ateneas are a tad angry at UST, albeit again, that's misdirected anger, to say the least.
This was sloppy writing with a clear-cut agenda to malign a particular institution. As much as I'd want to write a point by point rebuttal of the article, I think it speaks for itself already. I don't have to cite statistics to prove my point. Neither do I have to ingratiate myself to my UST friends by comparing their school to mine. All I have to do is stick to the main point: here's a writer who, because he refuses to agree with what a particularly study has shown, undermines the credibility of the study instead of truly substantiate his claims. The throwaway paragraphs extolling the virtues of UST are practically negligible in the face of the sheer disdain oozing out from the article against Ateneo.
Don't get me wrong, though... if Ateneo wrote an article like this, I'd probably slam it, too.
If It Weren't For Marky Cielo, Well... Color Me Ambivalent...
.:You Will Be Missed:.
I am by no means a big fan of Marky Cielo, having really only seen him from his stint on Zaido, and never having followed Starstruck 3. Despite that, he seemed to be one of those guys who was really down-to-earth, and it really radiated in the way he would speak or think whenever I'd see him on TV.
Here's to one of those few shining beacons on Philippine TV who gave me a glimmer of hope that we'd be slowly heading back to that golden age of show business we had decades ago.
Marky Cielo will be missed. Fan or no fan, here was a kid who did everything he can to be the best that he can be. Whenever we lose a truly decent human being, I believe it's cause for mourning. We have so few of those in this world, sadly...
.:Oh. Manny Pacquiao Won Again...:.
Color me ambivalent, then.
He's a boxer, he wins. Good for him. To have to attribute the "uplifting of the Filipino people" through his win just rubs me the wrong way, y'know?
He is *not* the be-all and the end-all of Philippine civilization. I find it insulting to us as a people to believe that our dignity hinges on one man, when it should hinge on the entire nation instead.
If he wins, good for him. If he loses, too bad. Just don't expect every single person to worship his every move, to want to find out every single meal he had prior to his fight, to ogle his training regimen, or in short, to put their lives on hold just for him.
If you're wondering what brought this annoyance on, lemme give you a hint...
I am by no means a big fan of Marky Cielo, having really only seen him from his stint on Zaido, and never having followed Starstruck 3. Despite that, he seemed to be one of those guys who was really down-to-earth, and it really radiated in the way he would speak or think whenever I'd see him on TV.
Here's to one of those few shining beacons on Philippine TV who gave me a glimmer of hope that we'd be slowly heading back to that golden age of show business we had decades ago.
Marky Cielo will be missed. Fan or no fan, here was a kid who did everything he can to be the best that he can be. Whenever we lose a truly decent human being, I believe it's cause for mourning. We have so few of those in this world, sadly...
.:Oh. Manny Pacquiao Won Again...:.
Color me ambivalent, then.
He's a boxer, he wins. Good for him. To have to attribute the "uplifting of the Filipino people" through his win just rubs me the wrong way, y'know?
He is *not* the be-all and the end-all of Philippine civilization. I find it insulting to us as a people to believe that our dignity hinges on one man, when it should hinge on the entire nation instead.
If he wins, good for him. If he loses, too bad. Just don't expect every single person to worship his every move, to want to find out every single meal he had prior to his fight, to ogle his training regimen, or in short, to put their lives on hold just for him.
If you're wondering what brought this annoyance on, lemme give you a hint...
Gentlemen, welcome to idiocy-ville. Here, we have someone taking some prediction from Nostradamus and turning it into a fluff piece to make it seem like Pacquiao's win was written in the stars. The link between the two is tenuous at best, and they're proclaiming it as some sort of second coming.
The last item was especially annoying, considering how it's racism, quite frankly. Why would the "white people" not be pleased that Manny Pacquiao won? Hades, if even Oscar Dela Hoya himself was a good sport about it, I don't see why a country with a black president-elect would have a problem with a Filipino winning.
Manny Pacquiao did not magically keep street kids off rugby, or heal the economy, or resurrect dead journalists. I'm sure he'll do his part if he can, when he can, but everyone else has to pull their share. He won, congratulations, now, can we all get on with our lives instead of speculating who his next opponent will be?
Seriously, guys. He may turn out to be God's gift to boxing, but he's just one man. Stop making spectator sides of your lives, and make something out of it. Manny's doing just that. Why can't we?
I am so tired of people trying to make such a big deal over someone just because they're famous. So what if they are world champion? So what if they are followed by legions of fans? What does this mean to you? Surely, someone else's "success" isn't an excuse for someone to just sideline themselves for keeps, right?
And that, my friends, is true.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
The Rest Of The Week, In Brief...
.:The Samsung Pixon Launch: Wednesday:.
… was nothing short of memorable.
I can't say much else about the event other than the fact that it was a really great night, featuring the debut of a phone that has an 8 Megapixel camera, and a host of other remarkable features. A few people even won a Pixon apiece.
That, and Billy Crawford performed! Yeba. :P
Thanks, Samsung, for a great night!
.:Videoke Night: Thursday:.
Since December 4 was the last day for our Red Box GC's (Yep. The ones I got for cosplaying... heh.), so I had another video night with “cousins” Sire and Ed, Carlo, Mica, Martin, and Jonas. All in all, it was a pretty awesome night, even if I was admittedly a bit late, since I accidentally left my gift certificates at home, so I had to rush back home to get 'em.
In any case, with blind-item laden songs, comedy gold, and a craving for even more videoke after midnight, I think this was an awesome bonding time for all of us. Been a while since I've seen Martin, given that he met me more or less just when I've been starting off on my magic career and all that, so all in all, this has been a great night to hang out, sing, and connect with friends.
.:Makiling's Third Album Launch At Cubao X: Friday:.
It was awesome! You should've been there... it was great hanging out with Sire and Ed, but of course, the star of the night was the band, and of course our good friend, Master Diwa.
Congratulations, my good man!
… was nothing short of memorable.
I can't say much else about the event other than the fact that it was a really great night, featuring the debut of a phone that has an 8 Megapixel camera, and a host of other remarkable features. A few people even won a Pixon apiece.
That, and Billy Crawford performed! Yeba. :P
Thanks, Samsung, for a great night!
.:Videoke Night: Thursday:.
Since December 4 was the last day for our Red Box GC's (Yep. The ones I got for cosplaying... heh.), so I had another video night with “cousins” Sire and Ed, Carlo, Mica, Martin, and Jonas. All in all, it was a pretty awesome night, even if I was admittedly a bit late, since I accidentally left my gift certificates at home, so I had to rush back home to get 'em.
In any case, with blind-item laden songs, comedy gold, and a craving for even more videoke after midnight, I think this was an awesome bonding time for all of us. Been a while since I've seen Martin, given that he met me more or less just when I've been starting off on my magic career and all that, so all in all, this has been a great night to hang out, sing, and connect with friends.
.:Makiling's Third Album Launch At Cubao X: Friday:.
It was awesome! You should've been there... it was great hanging out with Sire and Ed, but of course, the star of the night was the band, and of course our good friend, Master Diwa.
Congratulations, my good man!
Friday, December 05, 2008
Magikel On MYX: Success!
.:It Was Cool!!!:.
I had my fifteen seconds of fame again, as I found myself featured in MYX as part of my street magic teach-in for The Hilt last November 23. It was pretty good, and I was happy to know that I wasn't wrong to trust MYX that they wouldn't depict me exposing any magic secrets onscreen. This was, for all intents and purposes, a private event, and I wouldn't be the guy to expose magic secrets wholesale in a public setting.
In any case, "Wer U At?" will be re-aired all the way 'til Thursday next week on the following dates...
Saturday - 11AM
Sunday - 5:30PM
Monday - 12:30 PM
Wednesday - 12:30 AM and 4PM
Thursday - 9AM
I had my fifteen seconds of fame again, as I found myself featured in MYX as part of my street magic teach-in for The Hilt last November 23. It was pretty good, and I was happy to know that I wasn't wrong to trust MYX that they wouldn't depict me exposing any magic secrets onscreen. This was, for all intents and purposes, a private event, and I wouldn't be the guy to expose magic secrets wholesale in a public setting.
In any case, "Wer U At?" will be re-aired all the way 'til Thursday next week on the following dates...
Saturday - 11AM
Sunday - 5:30PM
Monday - 12:30 PM
Wednesday - 12:30 AM and 4PM
Thursday - 9AM
Totally Tuesday...
.:Events, Meetings, Guestings, Oh, My!:.
Tuesday must've been one of the fullest non-work-related days I've ever experienced in my life, what with finding myself completely swamped with stuff that just really made for an overall awesome experience...
.:Unang Hirit, Part 2!:.
I didn't sleep anymore because I knew Jay and I were going to guest for a second straight time on Unang Hirit pretty early in the morning. I had to meet up with Carl from TSC just so I can learn the levitation routine, and I didn't catch a wink when the service fetched me at 2:30 in the morning.
When Jay and I got to GMA, we found ourselves surrounded by other magicians, one of them who happened to look suspiciously like Manny Pacquiao. At the same time, it was my first time to meet Mr. Rannie Raymundo in person, so admittedly, it was quite an honor for me and Jay, to be highlighted the way Mr. Raymundo was in the throng of other amazing and skilled performers that day, mostly members from Magfi.
We had the chance to perform our Gypsy Mystery escape routine, and it was quite a hit with the live audience. It was also quite hectic backstage, as since it was an anniversary show, Lyn Ching's birthday, and a live show in their new studio, we had to squeeze in time to actually rehearse Lyn Ching for the levitation since she might panic and break her trance.
This was of course a perfect opportunity to carry Ms. Ching in my arms, hehehe. She was rather light, actually.
Unfortunately for us, we didn't have the time to perform the levitation. Too many elements in the show were going on all at the same time, so we ended up having to parlaying into a third appearance for Unang Hirit in the near future...
I personally can't complain, truth be told. That's yet another opportunity for us to strut our stuff at the show, and they've been nothing but gracious to us. The hosts even remembered us as the mentalists from the previous week!
I was going to be late for a meeting with a client due to the guesting, but thankfully, contact person caught me on TV, so they understood why I was late...
Much thanks and love to Unang Hirit for having us over again!
.:The Superbowl Of China Experience:.
The same night, I went to the Yehey event for Superbowl in Trinoma, where we discovered just how amazingly cool this restaurant really is.
I mean, granted, the food is a given, from the awesome Lemon Chicken to their Dimsum to their Yang Chow, but what really rocked about the event was the kitchen tour. We met the head chefs of Superbowl, and they graciously explained to us why the kitchen was set up the way it was. Everything from the way things were set up in the entire kitchen, to the high flame, to the “squash wall” for frying rice, was just amazing to witness.
The Marketing Manager, Bob, was really gracious and fielded our questions about the restaurant, including a really nice anecdote involving Greenbelt 3 and their other brand, Big Buddha. Nonetheless, it was definitely a really cool night, and we can't thank Yehey and Superbowl enough for giving all of us a great night of food and information.
.:Route 196's Rick Astley Night: Not So Rick Astley...:.
Immediately after the Superbowl event, I headed off to Route 196 for the Rick Astley night, with Halik Ni Hudas, Project 2, Roots Of Nature, and Ciudad.
Admittedly, with only one Rick Astley song per band, this was really not much of a Rick Astley night, to begin with. Despite that, it was still fun, considering how much the four bands performing that night had to offer.
I mean, a lot of people pretty much know how great Ciudad is. One of the bands that performed at Elbert's surprise birthday party a couple of years ago, they're a really good band, and tonight was no exception. Plus, they sang “Cry For Help”! How can I not love those guys?
Roots Of Nature was just awesome melodically. They played music that really brought the crowd to quite a frenzy, and their remake of “Shout” by Tears For Fears was really stupendous. If you ever get a chance to run into these guys perform, don't miss out. They are such a treat, to say the least.
Halik Ni Hudas was a tad amusing, but they got the lyrics to “Never Gonna Give You Up” wrong. Booo! Hisss! Lol. Seriously, they're cool, though.
Well, having said all that, I must say that the band of the night, in my humble opinion, was Project 2. The lead singer called themselves “Ang pinagsanib na pwersa ng mga bandang hindi sumikat.” and they were funny throughout the night. Wearing really short shorts and poking fun at themselves especially with their song that they made for Acebedo Optical and their rock version of “Sexy Back”, everyone was rolling in the aisles.
I dunno about you, but I wanna see more of these guys. They're funny, they're witty, and they don't take themselves too seriously at all.
Tuesday must've been one of the fullest non-work-related days I've ever experienced in my life, what with finding myself completely swamped with stuff that just really made for an overall awesome experience...
.:Unang Hirit, Part 2!:.
I didn't sleep anymore because I knew Jay and I were going to guest for a second straight time on Unang Hirit pretty early in the morning. I had to meet up with Carl from TSC just so I can learn the levitation routine, and I didn't catch a wink when the service fetched me at 2:30 in the morning.
When Jay and I got to GMA, we found ourselves surrounded by other magicians, one of them who happened to look suspiciously like Manny Pacquiao. At the same time, it was my first time to meet Mr. Rannie Raymundo in person, so admittedly, it was quite an honor for me and Jay, to be highlighted the way Mr. Raymundo was in the throng of other amazing and skilled performers that day, mostly members from Magfi.
We had the chance to perform our Gypsy Mystery escape routine, and it was quite a hit with the live audience. It was also quite hectic backstage, as since it was an anniversary show, Lyn Ching's birthday, and a live show in their new studio, we had to squeeze in time to actually rehearse Lyn Ching for the levitation since she might panic and break her trance.
This was of course a perfect opportunity to carry Ms. Ching in my arms, hehehe. She was rather light, actually.
Unfortunately for us, we didn't have the time to perform the levitation. Too many elements in the show were going on all at the same time, so we ended up having to parlaying into a third appearance for Unang Hirit in the near future...
I personally can't complain, truth be told. That's yet another opportunity for us to strut our stuff at the show, and they've been nothing but gracious to us. The hosts even remembered us as the mentalists from the previous week!
I was going to be late for a meeting with a client due to the guesting, but thankfully, contact person caught me on TV, so they understood why I was late...
Much thanks and love to Unang Hirit for having us over again!
.:The Superbowl Of China Experience:.
The same night, I went to the Yehey event for Superbowl in Trinoma, where we discovered just how amazingly cool this restaurant really is.
I mean, granted, the food is a given, from the awesome Lemon Chicken to their Dimsum to their Yang Chow, but what really rocked about the event was the kitchen tour. We met the head chefs of Superbowl, and they graciously explained to us why the kitchen was set up the way it was. Everything from the way things were set up in the entire kitchen, to the high flame, to the “squash wall” for frying rice, was just amazing to witness.
The Marketing Manager, Bob, was really gracious and fielded our questions about the restaurant, including a really nice anecdote involving Greenbelt 3 and their other brand, Big Buddha. Nonetheless, it was definitely a really cool night, and we can't thank Yehey and Superbowl enough for giving all of us a great night of food and information.
.:Route 196's Rick Astley Night: Not So Rick Astley...:.
Immediately after the Superbowl event, I headed off to Route 196 for the Rick Astley night, with Halik Ni Hudas, Project 2, Roots Of Nature, and Ciudad.
Admittedly, with only one Rick Astley song per band, this was really not much of a Rick Astley night, to begin with. Despite that, it was still fun, considering how much the four bands performing that night had to offer.
I mean, a lot of people pretty much know how great Ciudad is. One of the bands that performed at Elbert's surprise birthday party a couple of years ago, they're a really good band, and tonight was no exception. Plus, they sang “Cry For Help”! How can I not love those guys?
Roots Of Nature was just awesome melodically. They played music that really brought the crowd to quite a frenzy, and their remake of “Shout” by Tears For Fears was really stupendous. If you ever get a chance to run into these guys perform, don't miss out. They are such a treat, to say the least.
Halik Ni Hudas was a tad amusing, but they got the lyrics to “Never Gonna Give You Up” wrong. Booo! Hisss! Lol. Seriously, they're cool, though.
Well, having said all that, I must say that the band of the night, in my humble opinion, was Project 2. The lead singer called themselves “Ang pinagsanib na pwersa ng mga bandang hindi sumikat.” and they were funny throughout the night. Wearing really short shorts and poking fun at themselves especially with their song that they made for Acebedo Optical and their rock version of “Sexy Back”, everyone was rolling in the aisles.
I dunno about you, but I wanna see more of these guys. They're funny, they're witty, and they don't take themselves too seriously at all.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Philosophy 118: 03 December, 2008
These notes were taken from my class with Dr. Reyes for Philosophy 118 this Wednesday...
.:The Will To Power (Der Wille zur Macht):.
The will to power as the will to dominate, as the will to nothingness, and the will to self-overcoming.
The Will To Dominate
The book is a compilation of Nietzsche's notes for this book from 1882 to 1887. He was never able to complete this project because he went insane before he was able to publish this work. From his insanity to his death, his sister, Elizabeth took care of him, and she took it upon herself to edit, polish and publish her brother's work. Unfortunately, it would seem that she was influenced by her husband, a member of the National Socialist Party. Thus, “The Will To Power” had a pronounced Nazi slant, which we are unable to determine whether or not was Nietzsche's intent.
For Nietzsche, it is clear that there is truly a will to dominate others that occurs in nature, from the plant kingdom to the animal kingdom, and it most certainly is present among humans in society. Whether you say “I love you” to someone, or whether a beggar asks you for money, there is an implicit attempt of domination upon another. Authority figures are notorious for this, but the common man himself certainly has the will to dominate the other.
What happened at this point was that Elizabeth used this to justify Nazism, which allowed them to insist that the German race was meant to dominate, to the point that they would even breed offspring from the most handsome men and most beautiful women in Germany at the time. The irony of this is that Nietzsche was a harsh critic of any totalitarian regime and prioritizes the individual over it, so a proposition like this would seem rather counterintuitive. After the death of Elizabeth, philosophical experts and commentators who came upon Nietzsche's material realized the slant that was not originally a part of Nietzsche's work.
The Will To Nothingness
There seem to be people whose preoccupation with destruction not for the sake of dominance, but destruction for its own sake. Freud would term this as a “death wish”. There seem to be some people who just don't seem to care about anything but destruction per se. Whether it is destruction of the self, of property, or of others, they are just preoccupied with destruction.
The Will To Self-Overcoming
If you read through his notes carefully, Nietzsche underscores that though the will to dominate is common, and thought the will to nothingness can be so consuming, the power lies not in either of these, but in the will to self-overcoming. Self-mastery, self-control allows you to liberate yourself from your self-slavery.
It would appear that the will to dominate is merely a way to compensate for one who cannot overcome himself. There is true strength and true power in the will to self-overcoming. The will to dominate is a sign of weakness, not of strength.
.:The Aesthetic Phenomenon:.
Nietzsche did not cover this idea as much, but there was clearly an intent from Nietzsche to compile his ideas under this banner.
“Only as an aesthetic phenomenon is the world and the existence of man eternally justified.”
In the traditional scholastic tradition, there are three attributes to being: it is what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful. Imelda Marcos and her abuse of this notion to the point of cliché immediately comes to mind.
Paul Cladell is a French intellectual who was attracted to Catholicism because of the beautiful music he heard from the church one day. There are those who would give their lives for what is beautiful.
For something to be truly valid, be it morality, religion, or an object, perhaps the “saving grace” is the aspect of beauty. That which is beautiful must be embodied. Despite the religious emphasis on the ugliness of the human body as imperfect and finite, Nietzsche emphasizes that beauty is nothing as an abstraction. It must be incarnated. For him, the human body is the greatest vehicle of beauty.
.:Quotable Quotes:.
“Rawr! Rawr! Rawr!”
- Dr. Reyes, doing an impression of a catfight
“Sir, you seem to be very good at everything. You're good in philosophy. You're good in poetry. You're good in theology? I was just, thinking about killing other people? Come sir, sige, magpatayan na tayo. Let's just see if you're also good at that.”
- One of Dr. Reyes' students when he was teaching with Belgian missionaries shortly after his graduation
“And so my obsessive-compulsive brother took my artistic brother's prized guitar, and smashed it into a thousand pieces.”
- Dr. Reyes, relating a story about his woes as the eldest of nine
By the way, you ought to see Dr. Reyes dancing. Quite a sight. ;)
.:The Will To Power (Der Wille zur Macht):.
The will to power as the will to dominate, as the will to nothingness, and the will to self-overcoming.
The Will To Dominate
The book is a compilation of Nietzsche's notes for this book from 1882 to 1887. He was never able to complete this project because he went insane before he was able to publish this work. From his insanity to his death, his sister, Elizabeth took care of him, and she took it upon herself to edit, polish and publish her brother's work. Unfortunately, it would seem that she was influenced by her husband, a member of the National Socialist Party. Thus, “The Will To Power” had a pronounced Nazi slant, which we are unable to determine whether or not was Nietzsche's intent.
For Nietzsche, it is clear that there is truly a will to dominate others that occurs in nature, from the plant kingdom to the animal kingdom, and it most certainly is present among humans in society. Whether you say “I love you” to someone, or whether a beggar asks you for money, there is an implicit attempt of domination upon another. Authority figures are notorious for this, but the common man himself certainly has the will to dominate the other.
What happened at this point was that Elizabeth used this to justify Nazism, which allowed them to insist that the German race was meant to dominate, to the point that they would even breed offspring from the most handsome men and most beautiful women in Germany at the time. The irony of this is that Nietzsche was a harsh critic of any totalitarian regime and prioritizes the individual over it, so a proposition like this would seem rather counterintuitive. After the death of Elizabeth, philosophical experts and commentators who came upon Nietzsche's material realized the slant that was not originally a part of Nietzsche's work.
The Will To Nothingness
There seem to be people whose preoccupation with destruction not for the sake of dominance, but destruction for its own sake. Freud would term this as a “death wish”. There seem to be some people who just don't seem to care about anything but destruction per se. Whether it is destruction of the self, of property, or of others, they are just preoccupied with destruction.
The Will To Self-Overcoming
If you read through his notes carefully, Nietzsche underscores that though the will to dominate is common, and thought the will to nothingness can be so consuming, the power lies not in either of these, but in the will to self-overcoming. Self-mastery, self-control allows you to liberate yourself from your self-slavery.
It would appear that the will to dominate is merely a way to compensate for one who cannot overcome himself. There is true strength and true power in the will to self-overcoming. The will to dominate is a sign of weakness, not of strength.
.:The Aesthetic Phenomenon:.
Nietzsche did not cover this idea as much, but there was clearly an intent from Nietzsche to compile his ideas under this banner.
“Only as an aesthetic phenomenon is the world and the existence of man eternally justified.”
In the traditional scholastic tradition, there are three attributes to being: it is what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful. Imelda Marcos and her abuse of this notion to the point of cliché immediately comes to mind.
Paul Cladell is a French intellectual who was attracted to Catholicism because of the beautiful music he heard from the church one day. There are those who would give their lives for what is beautiful.
For something to be truly valid, be it morality, religion, or an object, perhaps the “saving grace” is the aspect of beauty. That which is beautiful must be embodied. Despite the religious emphasis on the ugliness of the human body as imperfect and finite, Nietzsche emphasizes that beauty is nothing as an abstraction. It must be incarnated. For him, the human body is the greatest vehicle of beauty.
.:Quotable Quotes:.
“Rawr! Rawr! Rawr!”
- Dr. Reyes, doing an impression of a catfight
“Sir, you seem to be very good at everything. You're good in philosophy. You're good in poetry. You're good in theology? I was just, thinking about killing other people? Come sir, sige, magpatayan na tayo. Let's just see if you're also good at that.”
- One of Dr. Reyes' students when he was teaching with Belgian missionaries shortly after his graduation
“And so my obsessive-compulsive brother took my artistic brother's prized guitar, and smashed it into a thousand pieces.”
- Dr. Reyes, relating a story about his woes as the eldest of nine
By the way, you ought to see Dr. Reyes dancing. Quite a sight. ;)
Philosophy 118: 03 December, 2008
These notes were taken from my class with Dr. Reyes for Philosophy 118 this Wednesday...
.:The Will To Power (Der Wille zur Macht):.
The will to power as the will to dominate, as the will to nothingness, and the will to self-overcoming.
The Will To Dominate
The book is a compilation of Nietzsche's notes for this book from 1882 to 1887. He was never able to complete this project because he went insane before he was able to publish this work. From his insanity to his death, his sister, Elizabeth took care of him, and she took it upon herself to edit, polish and publish her brother's work. Unfortunately, it would seem that she was influenced by her husband, a member of the National Socialist Party. Thus, “The Will To Power” had a pronounced Nazi slant, which we are unable to determine whether or not was Nietzsche's intent.
For Nietzsche, it is clear that there is truly a will to dominate others that occurs in nature, from the plant kingdom to the animal kingdom, and it most certainly is present among humans in society. Whether you say “I love you” to someone, or whether a beggar asks you for money, there is an implicit attempt of domination upon another. Authority figures are notorious for this, but the common man himself certainly has the will to dominate the other.
What happened at this point was that Elizabeth used this to justify Nazism, which allowed them to insist that the German race was meant to dominate, to the point that they would even breed offspring from the most handsome men and most beautiful women in Germany at the time. The irony of this is that Nietzsche was a harsh critic of any totalitarian regime and prioritizes the individual over it, so a proposition like this would seem rather counterintuitive. After the death of Elizabeth, philosophical experts and commentators who came upon Nietzsche's material realized the slant that was not originally a part of Nietzsche's work.
The Will To Nothingness
There seem to be people whose preoccupation with destruction not for the sake of dominance, but destruction for its own sake. Freud would term this as a “death wish”. There seem to be some people who just don't seem to care about anything but destruction per se. Whether it is destruction of the self, of property, or of others, they are just preoccupied with destruction.
The Will To Self-Overcoming
If you read through his notes carefully, Nietzsche underscores that though the will to dominate is common, and thought the will to nothingness can be so consuming, the power lies not in either of these, but in the will to self-overcoming. Self-mastery, self-control allows you to liberate yourself from your self-slavery.
It would appear that the will to dominate is merely a way to compensate for one who cannot overcome himself. There is true strength and true power in the will to self-overcoming. The will to dominate is a sign of weakness, not of strength.
.:The Aesthetic Phenomenon:.
Nietzsche did not cover this idea as much, but there was clearly an intent from Nietzsche to compile his ideas under this banner.
“Only as an aesthetic phenomenon is the world and the existence of man eternally justified.”
In the traditional scholastic tradition, there are three attributes to being: it is what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful. Imelda Marcos and her abuse of this notion to the point of cliché immediately comes to mind.
Paul Cladell is a French intellectual who was attracted to Catholicism because of the beautiful music he heard from the church one day. There are those who would give their lives for what is beautiful.
For something to be truly valid, be it morality, religion, or an object, perhaps the “saving grace” is the aspect of beauty. That which is beautiful must be embodied. Despite the religious emphasis on the ugliness of the human body as imperfect and finite, Nietzsche emphasizes that beauty is nothing as an abstraction. It must be incarnated. For him, the human body is the greatest vehicle of beauty.
.:Quotable Quotes:.
“Rawr! Rawr! Rawr!”
- Dr. Reyes, doing an impression of a catfight
“Sir, you seem to be very good at everything. You're good in philosophy. You're good in poetry. You're good in theology? I was just, thinking about killing other people? Come sir, sige, magpatayan na tayo. Let's just see if you're also good at that.”
- One of Dr. Reyes' students when he was teaching with Belgian missionaries shortly after his graduation
“And so my obsessive-compulsive brother took my artistic brother's prized guitar, and smashed it into a thousand pieces.”
- Dr. Reyes, relating a story about his woes as the eldest of nine
By the way, you ought to see Dr. Reyes dancing. Quite a sight. ;)
.:The Will To Power (Der Wille zur Macht):.
The will to power as the will to dominate, as the will to nothingness, and the will to self-overcoming.
The Will To Dominate
The book is a compilation of Nietzsche's notes for this book from 1882 to 1887. He was never able to complete this project because he went insane before he was able to publish this work. From his insanity to his death, his sister, Elizabeth took care of him, and she took it upon herself to edit, polish and publish her brother's work. Unfortunately, it would seem that she was influenced by her husband, a member of the National Socialist Party. Thus, “The Will To Power” had a pronounced Nazi slant, which we are unable to determine whether or not was Nietzsche's intent.
For Nietzsche, it is clear that there is truly a will to dominate others that occurs in nature, from the plant kingdom to the animal kingdom, and it most certainly is present among humans in society. Whether you say “I love you” to someone, or whether a beggar asks you for money, there is an implicit attempt of domination upon another. Authority figures are notorious for this, but the common man himself certainly has the will to dominate the other.
What happened at this point was that Elizabeth used this to justify Nazism, which allowed them to insist that the German race was meant to dominate, to the point that they would even breed offspring from the most handsome men and most beautiful women in Germany at the time. The irony of this is that Nietzsche was a harsh critic of any totalitarian regime and prioritizes the individual over it, so a proposition like this would seem rather counterintuitive. After the death of Elizabeth, philosophical experts and commentators who came upon Nietzsche's material realized the slant that was not originally a part of Nietzsche's work.
The Will To Nothingness
There seem to be people whose preoccupation with destruction not for the sake of dominance, but destruction for its own sake. Freud would term this as a “death wish”. There seem to be some people who just don't seem to care about anything but destruction per se. Whether it is destruction of the self, of property, or of others, they are just preoccupied with destruction.
The Will To Self-Overcoming
If you read through his notes carefully, Nietzsche underscores that though the will to dominate is common, and thought the will to nothingness can be so consuming, the power lies not in either of these, but in the will to self-overcoming. Self-mastery, self-control allows you to liberate yourself from your self-slavery.
It would appear that the will to dominate is merely a way to compensate for one who cannot overcome himself. There is true strength and true power in the will to self-overcoming. The will to dominate is a sign of weakness, not of strength.
.:The Aesthetic Phenomenon:.
Nietzsche did not cover this idea as much, but there was clearly an intent from Nietzsche to compile his ideas under this banner.
“Only as an aesthetic phenomenon is the world and the existence of man eternally justified.”
In the traditional scholastic tradition, there are three attributes to being: it is what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful. Imelda Marcos and her abuse of this notion to the point of cliché immediately comes to mind.
Paul Cladell is a French intellectual who was attracted to Catholicism because of the beautiful music he heard from the church one day. There are those who would give their lives for what is beautiful.
For something to be truly valid, be it morality, religion, or an object, perhaps the “saving grace” is the aspect of beauty. That which is beautiful must be embodied. Despite the religious emphasis on the ugliness of the human body as imperfect and finite, Nietzsche emphasizes that beauty is nothing as an abstraction. It must be incarnated. For him, the human body is the greatest vehicle of beauty.
.:Quotable Quotes:.
“Rawr! Rawr! Rawr!”
- Dr. Reyes, doing an impression of a catfight
“Sir, you seem to be very good at everything. You're good in philosophy. You're good in poetry. You're good in theology? I was just, thinking about killing other people? Come sir, sige, magpatayan na tayo. Let's just see if you're also good at that.”
- One of Dr. Reyes' students when he was teaching with Belgian missionaries shortly after his graduation
“And so my obsessive-compulsive brother took my artistic brother's prized guitar, and smashed it into a thousand pieces.”
- Dr. Reyes, relating a story about his woes as the eldest of nine
By the way, you ought to see Dr. Reyes dancing. Quite a sight. ;)
Philosophy 118: 28 November, 2008
These notes were taken from my class with Dr. Reyes for Philosophy 118 last Friday...
.:An Explanation On The Critique Of Language...:.
Most thinkers prior to Nietzsche assume that there is a natural connection between the language and the reality. In truth, it is more likely an accident, rather than an actual inherent connection between language and being. This connection is established arbitrarily, and over time, becomes the convention. There is a value judgment presented in language, and as such, the connection is not natural, per se.
As an example, you encounter a certain kind of food with a strong odor. You present it to a Filipino, his initial reaction is “sniff, sniff, hmm...” an American would probably say, “sniff, sniff, hmm...” yet when a Filipino finally eats this food, they'll say, “masarap”, while an American would say “rotten”. This food, we understand is bagoong.
What Nietzsche underscores here is that due to the arbitrary nature of language, there is nothing that prevents one from naming an object as they please, save that the judgment is going to become consistent with one's initial judgment upon initial contact. This of course presupposes some measure of relativity between the one who says something and the one who is understanding what is being said. It is not a correspondence between language and reality, but a correspondence between the initial judgment one comes up with, and the subsequent linguistic pronouncement.
Truth or falsity is not the important thing in language. What is important is whether or not your language is creative.
Recall the “pain” example, where is the creativity in language? Suppose you say that “life is all pain and all suffering.” Suppose you say “no pain, no glory.” We see that language is allowed to elaborate on something beyond a direct experience. Both instances are creative ways of looking at the same thing, albeit the latter is “creative” in a more literal sense, vis-a-vis how “destructive” the former exhortation actually is.
After a while, this creative language one fashions becomes worn out. The metaphor is exhausted. This is why it has to be destroyed at a certain point, much with how a coin is melted after some time to be reshaped into a new coin after its design is worn out over the years. The language has to be able to catch the uniqueness of each moment, and this leads to the wearing out of language over time, and hence, the call for what Derrida ends up calling a “deconstruction”.
Each language, as we see, represents a certain worldview, complete with a certain matrix of values. This is why we can say that a language cannot easily be translated from one language to another, such as the verse or harmony of a poem, when translated to another language, insofar as the rhyme, meter, even the imagery of one cannot be transposed to another.
Try translating this into Filipino: her scarlet dress stood out in contrast to her maroon blush and her auburn hair. The crimson trail of her blood followed her as she struggled to open the vermillion curtains.
.:The Limits Of Language:.
We say that through language, we can penetrate all of reality. As we see in a rather extensive discussion of language, we understand that this is simply not as true as we wish to believe it to be. Each language precisely limits you to a certain worldview and a certain context that is not a simple matter of correspondence or transposition, much like the “ka-” phenomenon that seems very unique to Filipinos in most of its interpersonal vocabulary.
It is the rules of the language which determines what is real and unreal to it. These rules are not necessarily going to correspond with the actual reality, much like the rules of football prohibit a player from holding the ball with their hand, but this is an artificial imposition that does not stand in every single situation in life, particularly for those outside the context of a football game.
Language stands as a filter, a barrier of signs that we have to undertake in order to communicate from one subjectivity to another. It is not a soul-to-soul communication, but a mediated communication through a system of signs, that is, language.
Each language is composed of elements or signs, and these elements form a certain system, mostly a correspondence of opposition, such as true-false, right-wrong, good-evil. The way to communicate between subjectivities is to pick certain signs among a myriad of them, and you cannot directly open yourself without any mediation. That you cannot open yourself to each other without this mediation means that there is room for misinterpretation, miscommunication, and distortion in our attempt to string together signs to convey what we intend to convey.
As a philosophy student, you don't just jump into philosophizing. You have to mediate through specific thinkers, be it Plato or Aristotle or Aquinas or Descartes or whoever else. Each thinker couches language in a certain way, and eventually, we find ourselves falling within the same limitations that they found themselves in. As such, things become a matter of interpretation, as these discussions are not entrenched in reality, but within a specific context.
For instance, if you've never read a comic book, exactly what is the real identity of Robin? More often than not, the answer would be Dick Grayson, despite the fact that he has not been Robin since 1970 or so. Only people who take the time out to know about comic books would be able to know it's Tim Drake at this point, and it has been this way for two decades already. We only know what presents itself to us, and this knowledge, much like the useless trivia we read about daily, simply does not present itself to us, and the same can be said of language: there are things that will never present themselves to us because we cannot truly encounter them in our linguistic world.
.:Quotable Quotes:.
“Mr. President, what is your favorite color?”
“Fuchsia.”
“Sir? How do you spell that?”
“F-u-c... -s-... anak ng fuchsia! My favorite color is red. R-e-d. Red!”
- Classic Erap joke, as told by Dr. Reyes
.:An Explanation On The Critique Of Language...:.
Most thinkers prior to Nietzsche assume that there is a natural connection between the language and the reality. In truth, it is more likely an accident, rather than an actual inherent connection between language and being. This connection is established arbitrarily, and over time, becomes the convention. There is a value judgment presented in language, and as such, the connection is not natural, per se.
As an example, you encounter a certain kind of food with a strong odor. You present it to a Filipino, his initial reaction is “sniff, sniff, hmm...” an American would probably say, “sniff, sniff, hmm...” yet when a Filipino finally eats this food, they'll say, “masarap”, while an American would say “rotten”. This food, we understand is bagoong.
What Nietzsche underscores here is that due to the arbitrary nature of language, there is nothing that prevents one from naming an object as they please, save that the judgment is going to become consistent with one's initial judgment upon initial contact. This of course presupposes some measure of relativity between the one who says something and the one who is understanding what is being said. It is not a correspondence between language and reality, but a correspondence between the initial judgment one comes up with, and the subsequent linguistic pronouncement.
Truth or falsity is not the important thing in language. What is important is whether or not your language is creative.
Recall the “pain” example, where is the creativity in language? Suppose you say that “life is all pain and all suffering.” Suppose you say “no pain, no glory.” We see that language is allowed to elaborate on something beyond a direct experience. Both instances are creative ways of looking at the same thing, albeit the latter is “creative” in a more literal sense, vis-a-vis how “destructive” the former exhortation actually is.
After a while, this creative language one fashions becomes worn out. The metaphor is exhausted. This is why it has to be destroyed at a certain point, much with how a coin is melted after some time to be reshaped into a new coin after its design is worn out over the years. The language has to be able to catch the uniqueness of each moment, and this leads to the wearing out of language over time, and hence, the call for what Derrida ends up calling a “deconstruction”.
Each language, as we see, represents a certain worldview, complete with a certain matrix of values. This is why we can say that a language cannot easily be translated from one language to another, such as the verse or harmony of a poem, when translated to another language, insofar as the rhyme, meter, even the imagery of one cannot be transposed to another.
Try translating this into Filipino: her scarlet dress stood out in contrast to her maroon blush and her auburn hair. The crimson trail of her blood followed her as she struggled to open the vermillion curtains.
.:The Limits Of Language:.
We say that through language, we can penetrate all of reality. As we see in a rather extensive discussion of language, we understand that this is simply not as true as we wish to believe it to be. Each language precisely limits you to a certain worldview and a certain context that is not a simple matter of correspondence or transposition, much like the “ka-” phenomenon that seems very unique to Filipinos in most of its interpersonal vocabulary.
It is the rules of the language which determines what is real and unreal to it. These rules are not necessarily going to correspond with the actual reality, much like the rules of football prohibit a player from holding the ball with their hand, but this is an artificial imposition that does not stand in every single situation in life, particularly for those outside the context of a football game.
Language stands as a filter, a barrier of signs that we have to undertake in order to communicate from one subjectivity to another. It is not a soul-to-soul communication, but a mediated communication through a system of signs, that is, language.
Each language is composed of elements or signs, and these elements form a certain system, mostly a correspondence of opposition, such as true-false, right-wrong, good-evil. The way to communicate between subjectivities is to pick certain signs among a myriad of them, and you cannot directly open yourself without any mediation. That you cannot open yourself to each other without this mediation means that there is room for misinterpretation, miscommunication, and distortion in our attempt to string together signs to convey what we intend to convey.
As a philosophy student, you don't just jump into philosophizing. You have to mediate through specific thinkers, be it Plato or Aristotle or Aquinas or Descartes or whoever else. Each thinker couches language in a certain way, and eventually, we find ourselves falling within the same limitations that they found themselves in. As such, things become a matter of interpretation, as these discussions are not entrenched in reality, but within a specific context.
For instance, if you've never read a comic book, exactly what is the real identity of Robin? More often than not, the answer would be Dick Grayson, despite the fact that he has not been Robin since 1970 or so. Only people who take the time out to know about comic books would be able to know it's Tim Drake at this point, and it has been this way for two decades already. We only know what presents itself to us, and this knowledge, much like the useless trivia we read about daily, simply does not present itself to us, and the same can be said of language: there are things that will never present themselves to us because we cannot truly encounter them in our linguistic world.
.:Quotable Quotes:.
“Mr. President, what is your favorite color?”
“Fuchsia.”
“Sir? How do you spell that?”
“F-u-c... -s-... anak ng fuchsia! My favorite color is red. R-e-d. Red!”
- Classic Erap joke, as told by Dr. Reyes
Monday, December 01, 2008
Levinas: The Absolute Other
.:The Compelling Ground:.
In contemporary times, we find ourselves riddled with a crisis of the conscience.
You see, as we attempt to secularize ourselves, we find it more and more difficult to establish what is truly ethical, what is truly moral. We may refer to the laws, but we know that the law is merely punitive and a lot of legal actions are not necessarily ethical actions. We may refer to what our church teaches us, but we know all too well that religious differences would prevent us from saying that what our church teaches is the right way to acting as ethically upright human persons.
What we need now is an ethical foundation that is universalizable, and at the same time, compelling. Human nature may seem to be the answer, but if we look at man's inhumanity to man, is not the primordial state of human nature one of impulse and caprice? Thus, we need an ethical foundation that is metaphysical, but secular.
Ironically, this is where Levinas comes into play, despite being a pronounced Jewish thinker. In his book, "Totality And Infinity", he uses phenomena we take for granted, such as nausea, unease, and the like, and uses these to form a metaphysics with a pronounced ethical turn.
You see, when I encounter the Other, I am met with unease, even fear and trepidation. This is why I attempt to objectify the Other, to subsume him or her in my own categories, to integrate them as part of my world, to totalize the Other. What Levinas is saying is it cannot be done, and this is not the appropriate response to the questioning gaze of the Other. The responsible course of action is an act of generosity, of unilaterally opening myself up to the Other that we may enter into a relationship with each other, that by no means exhausts me or leaves me bereft of my dignity, but rather partakes in the infinity of the relation.
We do this act without asking for anything in return, not because we are completely selfless beings, but the infinitizing relationship itself is already a boon in and by itself. When we encounter the Other, what is primordial is not the fear or trepidation that is inculcated into us by society and our family, but in reality, the forgotten state of jouissance, of joy and happiness. It is, after all, a sur-prise, as we do not know what the Other holds for us, not only in the dictionary sense of the word, but also etymologically, as sur-prise means it is "beyond our grasp". Is it not a grand coincidence then, that something we often regard with joy and excitement is something that we recognize we cannot control?
As a Kantian for the longest time, I believe that this mode of thinking is radically different, but not something I am objectionable to, since I am also a pluralist. While we could have the Other kicking me while I'm down, lashing out at me, accusing me, or even demeaning me, if I open myself to the Other in spite of this, I allow myself to be infinitized and become better for it. I cannot control the Other. I cannot throw him or her under my feet to be subsumed into my world. The Other is of their world, and as such, I seek to respect that and answer their questioning gaze responsibly with an act of generosity.
Or, I could just be letting sleeping dogs lie.
In contemporary times, we find ourselves riddled with a crisis of the conscience.
You see, as we attempt to secularize ourselves, we find it more and more difficult to establish what is truly ethical, what is truly moral. We may refer to the laws, but we know that the law is merely punitive and a lot of legal actions are not necessarily ethical actions. We may refer to what our church teaches us, but we know all too well that religious differences would prevent us from saying that what our church teaches is the right way to acting as ethically upright human persons.
What we need now is an ethical foundation that is universalizable, and at the same time, compelling. Human nature may seem to be the answer, but if we look at man's inhumanity to man, is not the primordial state of human nature one of impulse and caprice? Thus, we need an ethical foundation that is metaphysical, but secular.
Ironically, this is where Levinas comes into play, despite being a pronounced Jewish thinker. In his book, "Totality And Infinity", he uses phenomena we take for granted, such as nausea, unease, and the like, and uses these to form a metaphysics with a pronounced ethical turn.
You see, when I encounter the Other, I am met with unease, even fear and trepidation. This is why I attempt to objectify the Other, to subsume him or her in my own categories, to integrate them as part of my world, to totalize the Other. What Levinas is saying is it cannot be done, and this is not the appropriate response to the questioning gaze of the Other. The responsible course of action is an act of generosity, of unilaterally opening myself up to the Other that we may enter into a relationship with each other, that by no means exhausts me or leaves me bereft of my dignity, but rather partakes in the infinity of the relation.
We do this act without asking for anything in return, not because we are completely selfless beings, but the infinitizing relationship itself is already a boon in and by itself. When we encounter the Other, what is primordial is not the fear or trepidation that is inculcated into us by society and our family, but in reality, the forgotten state of jouissance, of joy and happiness. It is, after all, a sur-prise, as we do not know what the Other holds for us, not only in the dictionary sense of the word, but also etymologically, as sur-prise means it is "beyond our grasp". Is it not a grand coincidence then, that something we often regard with joy and excitement is something that we recognize we cannot control?
As a Kantian for the longest time, I believe that this mode of thinking is radically different, but not something I am objectionable to, since I am also a pluralist. While we could have the Other kicking me while I'm down, lashing out at me, accusing me, or even demeaning me, if I open myself to the Other in spite of this, I allow myself to be infinitized and become better for it. I cannot control the Other. I cannot throw him or her under my feet to be subsumed into my world. The Other is of their world, and as such, I seek to respect that and answer their questioning gaze responsibly with an act of generosity.
Or, I could just be letting sleeping dogs lie.
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