ang edsa, bow!

in emile durkheim's elementary forms of the religious life, he mentioned about the importance of religious rites and symbols. these rites are regularly done to reaffirm collective morals and beliefs in the minds of all members of society. This is important because people, if left to their own for a long amount of time, the beliefs and convictions of individuals will weaken in strength, and require reinforcement.

this makes me think, if there's one good thing brought about by our crazy political situation now, its the fact that people remember edsa 1. imagine 2 or 3 years earlier, when everything was relatively peaceful, no one gives a damn about edsa. aside from the usual flag raising ceremony done by government officials and the activitists' commemoration of edsa 1 through protest actions for a current issue at that moment, edsa 1 anniversary would just be an ordinary day. walang pasok kaya ang mga tao nasa bakasyon.

but look at the edsa anniversary now. yes, there are a lot of people who are still oblivious to what has happened 22 years ago and are still clueless as to why the people power monument was erected near white plains (or was that corinthians), but at least now, there are more people who either went out of their comfortable homes or cut short their out of town trips just to be with other people who are calling for a change in the present government. at least there are more people who are realizing the power that lies in their hands and are willing to take accountability/responsibility in the future of this country.

i was watching mornings in anc earlier and the hosts were talking about their personal experiences in edsa 1. 2 of the hosts didnt really have personal participation in the event since they were too young to participate. tj manotoc on the other hand was so young and was in the states during that time but remembers his mother being very active in all the anti-marcos rallies due to very personal reasons. it was just ricky carandang who was physically in edsa.

back in edsa 1, i was 4 so obviously, i was oblivious to what was happening in our country. but in edsa 2, i braved the long walk from the university avenue to ortigas because i felt that thats what i have to do at that time. i remember that going there was caused by a mixture of a sense of idealism and adventure. but the feeling of uncertainty about the future was also there. imagine walking out of class for 2 days just to be in edsa and learning from the university's bulletin boards that you could continue doing that until erap resigns. what if he didnt step down? what would have happened?

i guess feelings of uncertainty are always there to test our character once in a while. there are always situations when youre put on a crossroad and while you may dread being in that situation at that particular moment, sticking to our principles and values would always lead us to the right direction. if we would allow ourselves to be on the safe side, to be hindered by our cowardice, nothing will happen. if people were frightened of the tanks in edsa 1 or if us, the youth, were frightened by the uncertain future facing us in 2001, we might still have erap in the office. and while im not very happy with what his successor is doing in malacanang now, im still glad that i was one of those who forced him to step down. now, we as a nation are still faced with another crossroad. and im hoping that soon, i could muster enough courage to make a choice and stand for it.

a mighty heart

i dont cry in movies as much as i used to. but a mighty heart proved that i dont have a strong heart when it comes to movies with a lot of heart. (hindi naman hearts day ngayon)

the movie focused on marianne pearl's struggle when her husband was kidnapped in pakistan where both of them were doing interviews after 9/11. both were journalists.

the movie itself was not excellent. but i was just so moved by how marianne handled the situation. upon learning that her husband was beheaded by his kidnappers, of course she got mad. but during her interview with cnn, her courage was admirable. despite her grief about her husband's loss, she was still objective about the situation. no remorse against the pakistani people because like her, they also lost their loved ones to terrorists. and terrorists are not exclusive to pakistan. wherever there are poor, there would be potential recruits.

most of the time, emotion clouds our judgment. its perfectly understandble. but people who are able to think rightfully despite their personal struggles are just admirable.

still on juno

diablo cody just won the oscars for best original screenplay. ellen page didnt get the best actress trophy.

last night, i saw this korean movie (jenny and juno) which was so similar with juno. also saw the screenwriter's blog and was supposed to ask if juno was based on this korean movie. too bad, her comment section was only limited to team members. tsk tsk

how cheesy can one get

i went to see juno with two of my classmates last saturday and it was great. didnt really had an interest on this movie until i read one of its reviews in inquirer. im glad curiosity didnt kill the cat (ok, stop rolling your eyes now)

the plot is actually simple. its about this teenage girl who got pregnant. at first, she thought of having it aborted but eventually opted to continue the pregnancy and just give the baby for adoption. but with the nicely written and well thought of script, the refreshing humor, the interesting characters and the great soundtrack, the movie was an awesome watch.

its not one of those movies about teenage girls getting pregnant who would want their boyfriends to marry them once they get to know their condition, or cry buckets of tears when their boyfriends wouldnt want to marry them, or who would get physical, verbal and emotional beatings from berserk parents when told about their kid's pregnancy and that her boyfriend wouldnt want to marry her.

juno experienced neither of those. well, for one, the guy who got her pregnant is not her boyfriend but her best friend Bleeker (although they eventually became boyfriend-girlfriend at the end of the film). two, she's no ordinary teenager. at least in the most ordinary sense of the word. she's a tomboy, likes grungy music, a smartass and has an interesting family - a dad who's a former military man but whose real purpose in life is to fix airconditioners, stepmom who works as a 'nail technician' and is obsessed with dogs but cant have one since juno's allergic to them, and a half sister who didnt deliver a even a single line.

one of my favorite scenes was the talk with the parents. it was really interesting watching their reaction. they were so damn casual! it was as if they were just talking about somebody else's condition and not their kid. no shouting-match, no hysterical mom, no violent dad, no tears. just plain, casual (yet serious) conversation about juno's plans. after the talk, yes they were bewildered about the news of juno's pregnancy because they were expecting that juno would tell them something else like maybe an expulsion from school or drug problems. but at least, they knew that juno initiated the sex part. these are parents who really know their kid. hehe

another favorite was when vanessa was asking mark (the adoptive parents) on which paint color to use for their baby's room. its a classy joke but having a big dilemma on choosing among the two colors (cheesecake or mustard) which didnt really have a big difference was just so funny for me.

it was quite touching when juno had an outburst when she learned that mark (the adoptive parents) was planning on leaving vanessa. it was then that she cried buckets of tears. and it was then that she became just an ordinary teenager asking her dad why people cant stay together forever. shows how painful it is facing the fact that your some of your childhood fantasies do not really become adult realities.

anyway, i think that everyone who has a thing for great non-pop movies should go and see this.

the lines are really smart and the delivery was perfect that when juno told bleeker "you're the cheese to my macaroni", i didnt barf.

p.s. this is the film's opening song.

All i want is you by Barry Louis Polisar

If I was a flower growing wild and free

All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee.

And if I was a tree growing tall and greeen

All I'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves

If I was a flower growing wild and free

All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee.

And if I was a tree growing tall and greeen

All I'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves

All I want is you, will you be my bride

Take me by the hand and stand by my side

All I want is you, will you stay with me?

Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea.

If you were a river in the mountains tall,

The rumble of your water would be my call.

If you were the winter, I know I'd be the snow

Just as long as you were with me, let the cold winds blow

All I want is you, will you be my bride

Take me by the hand and stand by my side

All I want is you, will you stay with me?

Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea.

If you were a wink, I'd be a nod

If you were a seed, well I'd be a pod.

If you were the floor, I'd wanna be the rug

And if you were a kiss, I know I'd be a hug

All I want is you, will you be my bride

Take me by the hand and stand by my side

All I want is you, will you stay with me?

Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea.

If you were the wood, I'd be the fire.

If you were the love, I'd be the desire.

If you were a castle, I'd be your moat,

And if you were an ocean, I'd learn to float.

All I want is you, will you be my bride

Take me by the hand and stand by my side

All I want is you, will you stay with me?

Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea

random notes...na naman

i have a report on wednesday, a paper to submit on that same day and a report on saturday. and what am i doing at this very minute? updating my blog. sweet!
but im doing my slides on the side =) yep, procastination is my guiding philosophy.

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while i was on my way to work last saturday, i heard this song from the radio.

Goodbye, my almost lover
Goodbye, my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be?
So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do

syempre natawa na lang ako no. how timely.

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im so excited...about my slr. *wide grin*

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gusto kong manood ng "across the universe".

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excited na din akong mag fair. at kunin ang centennial planner. at magsaya. at makibalita sa mga college friends. at kumain. at uminom. at matulog. hay....