the life of saint francis of assisi in a nutshell

Born in Assisi , Italy in 1182, Francis was friendly and pleasure-seeking as a young boy. Once, when a beggar asked for alms from him, he realized life’s poverty and misery. While he gave all his money to the beggar, his friends and own father rebuked him for his charitable act. After sometime, he became very ill for several months until his prayer and vow to serve other people gave way to his miraculous recovery. Notwithstanding his parents’ disapproval and friends’ mockery, he determined to surrender his old ways for God’s service. He became a recluse by living in the hills and meditated for all of two years. While he sometimes received food from sympathizers, he often went hungry. However, he was undaunted since he wanted his body to be under strict discipline and control despite the frequent deprivation of food and water. Francis loved not only the outcasts and the depressed, but also the birds and the beasts, which he treated as he would treat humans. He preached, taught, cured and distributed wealth in all of Italy and encouraged people to follow his example. Soon, the good news of Francis’ love and kindness became renowned in Europe . Before dying in 1228, he was able to organize the Order of Mendicant Friars or Franciscans, who promised a life of poverty, chastity, love and obedience.

a look into guiseppe tornatore’s cinema paradiso and malena

Cinema Paradiso’s theme, “Life is not like in the movies,” may be integrated into the following symbolisms: the rusty anchors by the sea which are Toto’s collective force pinning him down in his non-progressing town and the deep blue sea beyond which is an opportunity-rich place that is always farther away sum up Toto’s boring, tragic life, so unlike hopeful, happy-ending movies. Meanwhile, the unwinding yarn knitted by Toto’s mother which is Toto’s untangling opportunity to destroy the past he visited and his gained recovery when he left Giancaldo synthesizes Toto’s life’s unbraided yet flawed self-return and self-rediscovery, so unlike the neatly-wrapped up, crafted movies. Lastly, the demolition of Cinema Paradiso which is a signal for moving on to reality is an anti-thesis for life as a fairy tale, so unlike the fantastic, perpetually ideal movies.
Sensing that the projectionist is a frustrated man, I think Alfredo was not right in breaking up Salvatore and Elena’s relationship just because he did not want Salvatore to tread the same fate as he did. Salvatore might have been successful in his career when he left Giancaldo and his girlfriend; nonetheless, his success was bittersweet because his love life was compromised and his jagged, insecure relationships were eventually put at expense. Alfredo had no right to impose on Salvatore the destiny he should fulfill, and for this, I assess that Alfredo is a miserable man desperate for a company in the embodiment of the love-disappointed Salvatore.
Teary-eyed Salvatore’s lingering look while watching the collection of kissing scenes is one of longing for a love that never was. There flashed movie scenes of passion that might well have been consummated in his own life, but his life is different from the movies—he was deprived of all romantic opportunities by trading these to the professional victory he savored at the moment. All he could do now was envy the kissing couples because he could have had a girl to exchange kisses with, yet he could not.
Compared to Salvatore’s character, Renato’s is, for me, the more sympathetic because he has seen his love Malena at her best and worst, and yet his passion for her did not diminish. While the successful Salvatore still came out a lonely man due to his dejections on love affairs, Renato evolved into a mature man for the love of Malena, despite all those liaisons with other girls. Whereas Salvatore was stuck in the past, Renato moved on by learning lessons on love.
I spotted the following symbolisms in Malena: The burning of the ant under the magnifying glass is the personification of Malena and her suffering under the scrutiny of the town. The people made Malena their subject, enslaved by the words people say against her. Eventually just like the ant, she got burned out too. Another is the hair that was Malena’s pride, beauty and life. It was the pride that rendered her formidable against the townsfolk’s scrutiny, the beauty the women of her town envied, and the colorful life she led as a mysterious wife, a reluctant prostitute and a battered victim of women’s wrath. Lastly, Renato’s throwing out into the sea of the record of Malena’s theme song for her husband is indicative of Renato’s letting go of Malena, who left her town in order to save face after her castigation by the women.
I think that Malena’s becoming a prostitute is well motivated because her basic need for food is at stake. While it is understood that she has to keep her dignity and morality intact, it was not beyond her to use her charm, albeit reluctantly, in order to feed her stomach and save herself in the process. For women like her who can see no brighter prospects in acquiring daily bread but through selling body, Malena does not meet any reason why she would not go to the proportions of surrendering herself to male objectification in exchange of something to eat. Her character is realistic enough for anyone of us to meet Malena in actual life: she is a human who is willing to shed her dignity and morality if her physical satisfaction is endangered.
Of the two movies, Malena touched me more because of the disturbing happenings in Malena’s prostitute life which is somewhat of a contrast with the relative lightness of Salvatore’s twisted love life in Cinema Paradiso. Malena taught me to be humble because I am blessed to have more than what I need while some people like Malena would go as far as be reduced to whoring in order to fill her stomach. Also, it taught me to love unconditionally, like Renato whose love for Malena did not expect to be returned as when the movie ended with his note, “The one I’ll remember is the only one who never asked.”

ang tula at nobela ng panahong kolonyal: isang pasada

Hinugis ng patakarang kolonyal ang tula bilang anyong pampanitikan sa pamamagitan ng relihiyosong ideyolohiya na pinapairal ng mga prayle upang papaniwalain ang mga katutubo. Dahil sa aroganteng perspektibo ng mga kolonyal na mga Kastila na ang mga indio ay ‘di-sibilisado at, parang “lost sheep,” naging sintomas ng kamalayang ito ang mga relihiyosong tula na nagsasaad ng pagkakatagpo at kaligtasan sa pamamagitan ng pagsamba kay Kristo. May anyo ang tula na nagpapakita ng pagkaapi at sakripisyo ng Panginoong Hesu Kristo kaya dapat, ang mga indio rin ay sumailalim sa mga sakripisyo na isang dahilan sa pagiging kolonisado ng Espanya. Naging predominante ang pagtuturong Kristiyano sa tulang kolonyal kung itatambis sa pagtuturong “paganism” sa tulang tradisyunal, at sa bisa ng mga tulang kolonyal, ipinagmalaki ng mga taga-Kanluran ang kanyang ilusyong kagalingan at kabihasnan kumpara sa mga Oryental.
Nahugis ang nobelang El Filibusterismo ni Jose Rizal ng mga subersibong kondisyon na unti-unti nang naiipon at pagkatapos ay nagbunga ng pambansang himagsikan noong 1896. Itinuturing na pulitikal ang anyo ng nobela dahil sumipot ito sa panahong ang mga pagpapahirap, pagkawawa at pang-aabuso sa mga katutubo ay hindi na kasugutang pantao sa mga sakripisyo ng Panginoon kundi ay nagsisimula nang manggising ng damdaming makabansa sa mga indio sapat para isiping makalaya sa mga represibong gawa ng kolonyal na pamamahala ng Espanya. Sa Kabanata 7, kinuwestiyon ni Simoun ang implikasyon ng panukalang Academia Hispanica nina Basilio at kapwa mag-aaral dahil sa paghingi ng mga katutubo ng “assimilation” sa Espanya, pinapatay umano ang pagkakataong magkaroon ng pambansang identidad. Kung gayon, subersibo ang kondisyong ito dahil inaayawan ni Rizal ang pagdagdag pa ng Espanyol bilang wika sa napakarami nang wika sa Pilipinas at dahil may suhestiyon ng paghulagpos mula sa kolonisasyon upang sa kalayaan ay magbuo ng sariling identidad.

musings on marriage

Marriage is a term that is not really common to daily conversations. There are just lots of other subjects under the sun to be tackled at length and marriage is perhaps the last to cross the chatters’ minds. Often, this topic is brought up only when two people in love feel that it is already time for them to be joined by their faith with each other. Before this gut feeling occurs, love usually passes by the couple. Hence, my definition of marriage is the occurrence of that certain gut feeling when love passes by.
Marriage is compared to many things. Some people compare marriage to a tree that makes the impression of bearing a lot of fruits. Other times, marriage is compared to freshly cooked rice which can be easily spewed out when its hotness scalds the mouth. Sometimes, marriage is compared to Cupid’s arrow hitting two persons at the same time in such a way that they feel mutually bound for each other. For me, marriage is the time and place wherein the best of two families meet in front of God and promise to make this world a better place for each other to live in.
Marriage really is a very controversial topic. The few who take it lightly joke that instead of the customary settling for good, the settling turns for bad. More often, people change their mood set when talking about marriage. Usually, they become more serious because marriage is a life-changing phase in the first place. The conversation becomes intense since the life changes involve not one but at least two persons’ lives, not to mention their respective families’ lives. People who get that marrying impression try either to think about their personal virtues and ideals which will be acquainted to the partner way into the married life. Marriage often reveals to the partner the true character of a person he or she swears to stay united to, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health.
Early marriages are the paths some young loves eventually lead to. Youthful couples who are barely legal fall insanely to intimate passion that they swear to trade anything in the universe for the union of their livers to one another. These days, early trigger of Cupid’s arrow amongst the young ones initiates a decision regarding marriage even if they are not yet ready physically, materially, psychologically, and spiritually. In the heart of young people, they sense that they can really have a fulfilling life already with someone else. They argue that with love in their hearts, their married life heads the direction of bliss, till death do they part.
Will love alone lead to a successful marriage?

epikong kolonyal: isang pagsusuri sa florante at laura

Halaw sa panahon ng pananakop ng mga Kastila noong 1521 hanggang 1898 ang Florante at Laura, isang mahabang pasalaysay na tula ng katutubong si Francisco Balagtas. Dahil sa pamamalakad ng mga dayuhan, nagkaroon ng maraming pagbabago at karagdagan sa katutubong panitikan lalo na sa uri at paksa. Sa kaso ng Florante at Laura, isa itong karagdagang uri sa katutubong panulaan sapagkat isa itong awit (na binabalatkayuan ang totoong katutubong porma nitong epiko). Makikita rin sa awit na ito ang mga pagbabago sa paksang panrelihiyon, pangmoralidad, at pangromansa na mga katangiang palasak na sa Europa noong panahong iyon.
Samantala, awit man ang Florante at Laura, nasa nakalimbag na porma na rin ito sapagkat inangkat dito sa Pilipinas ang sistema ng imprenta. Sa pananalasa ng mga hiram na panitikang Europeo, masasalamin sa akda ang mga dayuhang kaharian at tauhan sa halip na katutubong kalikasan.
Samantala, dahil sa kolonyal na kaligirang bumabalot sa pagkakaakda sa Florante at Laura, masasalamin dito ang dayuhang tradisyon ng pulitika, pamamalakad ng kaharian, pagtrato sa mga di-Kristiyanong lipi, pag-aaral, kaisipan ng katarungan, Kanluraning kaisipan ng kagandahan, Kristiyanong pananampalataya at pagpapahalagang naiimpluwensiyahan ng mananakop.
Tungkol naman sa diwang sinasambit ng Florante at Laura hinggil sa indibidwal, mahalagang isakilos ng bawat mamamayan ang paggawa ng kapalarang nasa awa ng Diyos. Sa kaso ni Florante na bida sa awit, mahusay siyang mandirigma ngunit nang sakupin ng traydor na si Adolfo ang kahariang ipinagtatanggol ni Florante, nadakip ang huli at iginapos sa kagubatan. Kahit patraydor ang pagkatalo ni Florante kay Adolfo, hindi nito naisip na paghigantian ang taksil bagkus ay nanawagan ito sa Diyos sa malaking bahagi ng kanyang hinagpis sa gubat.
Tungkol naman sa diwang sinasambit ng Florante at Laura hinggil sa kolektibong mamamayan, ipinapakita na kinakatawan ng bayani ang pagpapanatili ng sarili sa kabila ng pananakop. Sa kaso ni Florante, nananatili siya sa kahinahunan kahit dapat niyang paghimagsikan ang pananakop ni Adolfo sa kaharian ng Albanya. May paghihimagsik man, hindi dahas ang kinasangkapan ni Florante para labanan si Adolfo bagkus ay ipinagkatiwala na niya sa Poong Maykapal ang kapalaran. Dahil dito, masakop man ang bansa ng kung sinu-sino, mananatili ang sarili alinmang pagkakakilanlan ang kinamulatan.
Nanggagaling naman ang Florante at Laura sa konteksto ng Panahon ng Pananakop kung kailan naipapamalakaya na ang mga buto ng himagsikan. Dahil hindi na eksklusibo sa mga imprentang pansimbahan ang mga palimbagan, nakapaglimbag na rin ng mga akdang hindi nauukol lamang sa mga Kristiyanong ritwal at panalangin. Nag-umpisa na ring makapaglimbag ang mga katutubo ng mga akdang panromansa, anti-Kristiyanismo at anti-Hispanikong imperiyalismo at isa na sa mga iyon si Balagtas sa pamamagitan ng kanyang obrang Florante at Laura. Gumamit man si Balagtas ng mga dayuhang tauhan at tagpuan, ginawa lamang niya ito para pagtakpan ang paghihimagsik sa pananakop ng mga traydor na Kastila sa kahariang walang iba kundi Pilipinas. Sa adaptasyong ito rin ni Balagtas ng maraming dayuhang sangkap pampanitikan, ipinapamukha rin niya na kaya rin ng mga indio ang gumawa ng obara-maestrang nahahawig o nalalagpasan pa ang mga Europeong akda.
Sa kaso ng Florante at Laura, para sa mga indio ito na nagsisimula nang magising ang kamalayang makabansa. Ginawa ni Balagtas ang kanyang subersibong awit upang ipakita ang pagkakagapos ng mga mamamayan habang nasa pananakop ng mga Kastila ang kanilang bayan. Naghahari sa bayan ang kasamaan ngunit sa pagpapakitang ito ng kahima-himagsik na kalagayan ng bansa, ipinagpapasa-Diyos ang kapalaran dahil darating din ang panahong matatapos ang pananakop, gaya ng pagtapos ng armada nina Florante at Aladin sa pananakop sa Albanya, dahil magtatagumpay ang mabuti para sa Pilipinas.
Sa ngayon, matutunghayan pa sa kasalukuyang panitikan, lipunan at kasaysayan ang natirang impluwensiya ni Florante. Sapagkat maraming aspeto pa ng lipunang Filipino ang hindi nakakalaya matapos ang apat na dantaon ng pananakop, lumilitaw pa rin sa panitikan ang mga bayaning rebolusyunaryo na kinokondena ang pananalasa ng kapitalismo, neokolonyalismo at imperyalismo. Halimbawa ng mga akdang ganito ang Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah kung saan nagiging superheroine ang baklang bida upang kalabanin ang mga dayuhang Ingleserang pseudo-peminista. Sa lipunan naman, lumilitaw pa rin ang mga kabayanihang nagpapakita ng taglay na katapatan, kalakasan at pagkabansa sa pamamagitan ng mga Filipinong manggagawa sa ibang bansa na napagkakatiwalaan ng kanilang mga amo, ng mga taong nagsasauli ng kagamitang hindi sa kanila, lakas ng ‘di-matinag-tinag na ispiritu ng mga mahihirap na nananatiling may pag-asa sa kabila ng karukhaan at mga mamamayang nagsisilbi pa rin sa loob ng bansa kahit maraming oportunidad ng pag-unlad sa ibayong-dagat. Nasa dugo pa rin nila ang mga katangian ni Florante. Sa kasaysayan naman, makikita pa rin ang impluwensiya ng mga akda sa bisa ng mga Rebolusyong EDSA na nagtaboy sa mga abusadong Presidente upang panaigin ang demokrasya sa bansa. Tulad ni Florante, bayani ng bayan ang mga bayani ng EDSA.

the good, the bad, and the ambiguous: americanization and the thomasites-sponsored philippine education

Before the turn of the twentieth century, shortly right after the military loss of Spain to the United States of America over the colony known before as the Philippine Islands, the U.S. Army established the first public school in the historic Corregidor Island off Bataan Peninsula. Without formal training in teaching, the soldiers nonetheless could be credited for having laid the bricks of the Philippine public school system via teaching English to the natives less than one month after their designation in the archipelago. The first batch of real teachers arrived—all 48 of them—aboard the “Sheridan” to teach not only English but also basic education to the Filipinos.
These were the precursors of the teachers called “Thomasites,” who were in turn the forerunners of the present-day U.S. Peace Corps. What these American mentors and those that followed them became known for was the vessel that transported them to the Western end of the Pacific—it was a former cattle ship called USS “Thomas.” Numbering 530 of whom 365 were male and 165 were female, the Thomasites docked at Manila Bay on August 21, 1901 and after two days of quarantine, were permitted to disembark the ship. They were subsequently deployed in provinces as far off as Cagayan, Zambales, Batangas, Masbate, Negros, Cebu and Sulu. Thus began the education that reached beyond the privileged classes in post-Hispanic Philippines.
Establishing public schools that attracted the Filipino masses, the Thomasites taught basic education using English as the medium of instruction. The attraction factor was mainly due to the opportunity seen by the underprivileged to become part of the elite once educated. Centuries before, the Spanish priests taught the natives no more than religious prayers and rituals and, rather belatedly, the Spanish language in mid-19th century. The teaching of English was a revolution away from the Spanish-sponsored teaching which was primarily done in the indigenous languages. With the American-sponsored public education, the average Filipino was now capable of attending school and had an equal academic footing with the elite. Effective education of the masses, however, did not come as easily since the pupils tended to attend classes at random and be absent during, say, town and other such festivities. The elementary schools were followed by vocational schools which the American teachers deemed as preparatory institutions for Filipinos pursuing their respective careers. The founding of the country’s only national university, the University of the Philippines, opened to Filipinos further American-sponsored primary courses in the tertiary level.
Aside from the more pronounced basic education on English, grammar, reading, mathematics, geography, practical arts and athletics, the American teachers also taught their culture, values and their homegrown style of democracy to the natives. The pioneering batch of the Thomasites was succeeded by other Thomasite missionaries that educated the Filipino people. Those taught by the Thomasites with brilliant academic showing were further honed by being sent to the mainland US as pensionado students. These predecessors of the Fulbright scholars studied in the mother country and then returned to the Philippines to apply what they learned there.
The American-sponsored education in the colonial Philippines is an amalgamation of the good, the bad, and the ambiguous. It is good in that the Filipinos were given the chance to study, a fact that was denied to the natives by the Spaniards. It is an accepted truth that education liberates people by the acquisition of empowering knowledge, and with the teaching of the Thomasites, the masses’ dream of upward mobility was closer in reality. Hence, this explains why most Filipinos treat education as a significant element in their lives. Furthermore, the establishment of the public school system in the Philippines was also good since education was not any longer limited to the wealthy or elite classes; rather, it catered to the masses which case advanced the literacy movement in the Philippines. In this light, the American sponsors of this institution brought social change in the Philippine landscape.
This very alteration in the Philippine society spawned the bad side of the colonial education under the Americans. The manner in which the Americans taught their homegrown education was such that it planted seeds of Americanization in the minds of the Filipinos. By imbuing American values and culture to the locals, the Thomasites displaced Filipinization that the youth needed to identify themselves with their motherland and, worse, made any other culture as inferior compared to the Americans. This accounts for the lingering “Stateside” mentality among Filipinos whether they actually set foot in the US or they were further corrupted by the imperializing powers of Hollywoodization, McDonaldization and other such neocolonialisms.
The ambiguous comes in the form of the Philippines being the third largest English-speaking nation in the whole planet as a result of the American-sponsored education. On the one hand, the proficiency in English comes handy in landing professional positions here and abroad, especially in consideration of the increasingly globalizing world. With English as the dominant language of business and information, how can an Anglophilic Filipino lose? On the other hand, it is this love for the English language that contaminates the Filipinos’ sense of identity, for in the process of placing status symbol in English, the Filipino language languishes in its derision as a mother tongue associated with the bakya or the jologs. This ambiguity places the American-sponsored education in the middle of a tightrope wherein the question of the boon or the bane of this colonial legacy remains a debate among the colonialists and the nativists.

seizing the moment

There are many ways through which I may seize the day. I may do now the things I have been postponing to do or have not been able to do in the past for one reason or another. I want to seize the day by visiting the Philippine countryside. I want to travel to Baguio to experience the cold again without having to go to wintry countries. I also want to go to Boracay to experience the sugar-white beach that bewitches local and foreign tourists. I want to see the amazing rice terraces to feel proud of a world-class Filipino heritage. I likewise want to visit Bohol to marvel at the chocolate hills and the tiny yet adorable tarsier. Seizing the day by seeing the best of the islands is something I have been raring to do, given the chance to pursue my plans. I may also spend quality time with people I rarely keep company to or I want to meet. I want to spend recreation time with my family in any part of the countyside. I also want to spend leisure time with my inang in amusement centers, the way we used to be together years ago. I want to be with my friends for some bonding time at the mall, the way we used to when semestral breaks allow us. I want to meet any national leader and gather tips on how to run country affairs effectively. I likewise want to be with my literary idols in order to learn a thing or two about becoming top-caliber artists. Seizing the day by spending quality time socially is something I ought to do, given the free time for everyone involved. Finally, I may savor the time I have now as if these are the last hours I have on earth. I want to finish my plans of action as is expected of a leader fulfilling his duty. I likewise want to do charity work outside the academe's mission so I may share my personal blesings to the less fortunate. I want to make more friends in order to learn more lives before earth time expires. Lastly, I want to experience playing nonstop, dancing in the rain, or perhaps hiking the mountaintop just to get some baptism of fire. Seizing the day by doing what I intend to do before the world ends is something I look forward to, given the opportunity. Not everyone is lucky to maximize the miracle that's time.

negative ethical, social and environmental effects of genetic counseling

While there are positive implications that may be drawn from genetic counseling, there are also negative ones which consist of the foregoing:
Genetic counseling is not advisable since the tests that frequently accompany it is found by consensual researchers to be inaccurate in diagnosing illnesses. For example, genetic counselors may tell a patient that he has a certain disease which gets him the label “at risk” due to a tested gene factor. This will make the patient anxious since uncertainty will loom in the picture. He may not be even told that it is one factor to have an “at risk” gene and another to have the environment to aggravate the prognosis of diseases.
Genetic counseling also creates a leeway of false hopes for patients. It does not give any comfort for a patient to know that he will acquire an incurable disease. It does not help in making one live a normal life devoid of pain and suffering. For instance, genetic counselors may tell a patient that they are at risk of getting ill, but not when the disease strikes, how severe the symptoms are, whether the disorder will progress over time or if treatment can still be made. It becomes harder then to have that patient have his children tested if they inherited his illness and will die a young death as he will. Genetic counseling provides a backdrop for a difficulty of having the patient's children know or not know whether they will suffer from a potentially inherited disease. This places excessive accountability on the patient, who may feel his anxiety, anger, frustration, depression, tension and guilt increasing all because of a counseling aftermath. The same feelings may be felt toward family members when information coming from the genetic counseling need to be revealed to them.
Whereas an unknowing patient may live long enough to survive a potential disease, a patient who gets advised that he is at risk of acquiring a diease may become psychologically assailed that he will inevitably develop such a disease. When a patient notices this illness, he may eventually heighten the risk. A patient may have a genetic trait that leads to a disease, but this is not a guarantee that the patient will get it. The patient may only have a higher risk if not counseled, but the very act of counseling may put the patient in a psychologically-torturing decision whether to pursue the advise to reduce the risk.
Also, genetic counseling can push nature to the limits by rendering science into messing with nature, especially when done the wrong way. To illustrate: parents can be advised by geneticists to abort an unborn fetus if it is discovered to have undesirable features like deformation, disease or maternal threats. Genetic counseling, then, reduces conception down to selective breeding. This may also result to prenatal anxiety that runs the risk of miscarriage because of psychological consequences.
In relation to the aforementioned, pregnant women advised by geneticists to have undesirable fetuses may run the risk of being blamed and guilt-ridden for their pregnancy result. The counseling made on them may create a negative impact in such a way that these women will suffer disrupted ties with their family members and community. Also, if they risk to bear their children, the counseling may pose an interference in the bonding of the mothers and children, who may be diagnosed to have disabilities. Meanwhile, genetic counseling may also discover false paternity, which will possibly tear apart marital ties.
Likewise, genetic counseling can be disadvantageous to job seekers, as they may suffer employment discrimination. If advised to have the potential of acquiring hereditary diseases which case appears as medical information, the potential employee may not be hired because the company does not want to invest time and money training the person who is predetermined for an illness.
Genetic information can also be used by insurance companies against a person. The result of genetic counseling may be used by paying insurance companies to deny coverage to high risk clients. In order to avoid paying for expensive treatments and hospitalizations, insurance companies may use genetic counseling outcome to declare that the client's high risk status is a pre-existing condition.
The same information gathered from genetic counseling can create privacy, social stigma and confidentiality issues. There is the question of who may access the information. Many people would not want anyone to see what their genetic makeup looks like. People themselves would be concerned about being counseled on their genetic status. Without intending to, their privacy may be intruded as well as their family's.

rapunzel: a feminist revisionist tale

Once upon a time, there was a couple who did not have a child. They longed to have one, but the heavens have yet to hear their prayers. One day, while praying for a child to grow in her womb, the wife saw from her window a clump of plants with the most mouth-watering appearance. She longed for it but the husband did not dare ask or steal it from its owner, who was a witch living in the neighboring house. The wife grew so sick that the husband had no choice but to sneak into the neighborhood to pick up the plants, only to be caught by the witch. The witch allowed him to get away with the plant on the condition that he would give her his child, the very reason why the wife was sick. When the wife gave birth, the witch appeared from out of the blue and fetched the child. She took her in the middle of the forest and imprisoned her in a tall tower. She was named Rapunzel; she was beautiful, fair, and gifted with a long, lustrous golden hair. The years passed by and Rapunzel grew hair more than 15 meters long. The witch could get to Rapunzel's tower to deliver food by climbing onto the window using Rapunzel's hair as scaffolding.
The lonely Rapunzel longed to see the world beyond her tower, and while she was afraid of her jailguard of a witch, she was curious as to what could be waiting for her out there. One day, a prince happened to pass by and fell bewitched by her beauty. The prince became obsessed about rescuing Rapunzel, and collected his guts in order to ask her to throw her hair down to allow him to see her the way the witch regularly did. Rapunzel saw this a rare opportunity, but let it pass unclaimed, for this Rapunzel was a different woman altogether. It occurred to her that she could do the escape herself, so one night right after the prince pined away for her, she tied her hair in her bedpost and climbed down using the rest of her hair volume. With the pair of scissors she uses to trim her hair to splendid beauty, she cut her hair to shoulder's length and ran away, leaving her golden burden behind to a promise of a future without bondage, either from evil witches or obsessed men.

ilang kaugaliang pilipino

Maasikaso, may utang na loob, nakikisama, magalang at makapamilya ay ilang mga katangian na makapag-aangat ng antas ng kultura sa Pilipinas. Kabilang ang mga ito sa mga litaw na kaugaliang Pilipino na madaling mapansin ng mga banyaga. Mahalaga ang mga kaugaliang ito sapagkat mas matanda pa sa panahon ng pananakop ang pag-iral ng ganitong mga katangian. Dahil sa katandaan ng mga kaugaliang ito, malalim na ang ugat ng mga ito sa sensibilidad ng mga Pilipino kaya hindi basta-basta maaaring bunutin kahit pa man mahaba ang panahon ng pagkakasakop sa bansa ng mga dayuhan. Buhay na buhay pa ang ganitong mga kaugalian dahil nga malalim ang ugat ng kinalaglagyan ng mga katangiang ito sa katauhan ng mga Pilipino. Samakatuwid, mahihinuhang naisasagawa pa rin ng mga mamamayan ang mga kaugaliang ito sapagkat hindi ito madaling burahin ng impluwensiya ng pananakop.
Nagsimula ang pagkamaasikaso noon pa mang Panahong Prekolonyal. Dahil sa pakikipagbarter ng mga katutubong Pilipino sa mga karatig-bansa gaya ng Tsina, India at Malaya, naipakita ng mga katutubo ang pagiging maasikaso. Isinasabuhay nila ito noon sa pamamagitan ng pagsalubong sa mga kapalitan ng kalakal, palakaibigang pakikitungo sa kanila, magiliw na pakikipagtalastasan at pag-aasikaso sa mga bagong dating. Noong papadaong ang mga Kastila sa isa sa mga islang kalaunan ay bubuo sa kapuluan ng Pilipinas, kagila-gilalas na sinalubong sila ng mga katutubo hindi ng pagkasindak sa mapuputing dayuhan kundi ng mga ngiti at pag-aturga. Dahil gutom na gutom ang mga dayuhan, inasikaso sila, pinakain at pinatuloy sa kanilang pamayanan. Sa pag-aasikaso sa mga bisita, makikitang nakangiti sila, magiliw sa pakikipag-usap, palakaibigan, masayahin, at mapag-alok ng anumang pag-aari nila. Naipagkamali pa ng ito ng mga mananakop bilang kahinaan at pagkaalipin. Mahalaga ang ganitong kaugalian sapagkat mas pinahahalagahan ng mga katutubo noon ang kapayapaan at pakikipagkaibigan kaysa pakikipagdigmaan. Sanhi lamang ng gulo at kamatayan ang digmaan samantalang nagpaparami ng kaibigan ang pagiging maasikaso. Samakatuwid, mapagmahal sa kapayapaan at kapwa-tao ang mga taong kabilang sa lipunan noong Panahong Prekolonyal.
Panahong Prekolonyal din ang pinaghuhugutan ng katangiang may utang na loob. Dahil noon pa mang Matandang Panahon ay may umiiral nang sistemang panlipunan sa kapuluan, naipapakita na rin ang katangiang ito. Sa mga pagkakataong may naililigtas ang buhay, nabibigyan ng trabaho o nakapag-aral, nagkakaroon ng ugnayan ang natulungan at nagbigay ng tulong. Mistulang regalo ng tumulong ang ibinigay niya sa natulungan, na nakadarama naman ng pangangailangang ibalik ang tulong dahil utang na loob niya ito. Maaaring tumakbo ng maraming henerasyon ang pagbabayad-utang na ito at maaring humingi pa ng ibang porma ng bayad-utang ang nagbigay ng tulong. Makikita rito na hindi lubusang matutumbasan ang naiabot na tulong dahil sa pambihirang pagkakataong nangailangan ng tulong ang isang tao, ang nagbigay ng tulong ang tutuusing nagdugtong ng buhay ng nangailangan.
Mula pa rin sa sistemang panlipunan ng Matandang Panahon ang katangiang nakikisama. Dahil sa maliliit na pamayanan ng panahong iyon, magkakakilala ang lahat, kung hindi man magkakamag-anak. Sa lapit ng ugnayan ng mga tao sa bawat isa, hindi na sila nagkakahiyaang magbigayan ng tulong. Nakaugnay dito ang bayanihan, batares, at iba pang porma ng pagtutulungan. Mula sa magkakabahay hanggang sa magkakapitbahay, nagpapakisamahan ang bawat isa upang maisaayos at maisulong ang kanilang komunidad.
Mula pa rin sa panahon bago masakop ng mga dayuhan ang pagiging magalang ng mga Pilipino. Samantalang produkto na lamang ng pananakop ang respetong maiuugnay sa relihiyong Katoliko, likas naman ang paggamit ng “po” at “opo” sa pakikipag-usap ng mga batang Pilipino sa matatanda. Bukod sa “po” at “opo,” gumagamit pa ng mga magagalang na pantawag gaya ng “kuya,” “ate,” “manong,” “manang,” “lola,” “lolo” at iba pa.
Dahil nga sa mumunting pamayanan ng Panahong Prekolonyal, magkakalapit ang bawat tao. Karamihan sa kanila ang magkakamag-anak na may maganda at malapit na ugnayan. Pangunahin ang kanilang katapatan sa pamilya higit sa anupaman. Kung nasaan ang isa, naroon ang lahat. Inaalaagaan nila ang isa’t isa.
Makabago man ang kabataan at lipunan ngayon at madalas man kaysa hindi na may malaking impluwensiya ang pagkakasakop at pagdating ng modernismo mula sa dominanteng mga bansa ng Kanluran, may ilang bagay na konserbatibo ang mga Pilipino at ilan na rito ang mga naturang katangian na may natatanging katutubong istilo. Makikitang buhay na buhay pa rin ang mga katangiang ito ng mga Pilipino kaya nga malaki ang pag-asang maiangat ng mga ito ang antas ng kultura ng Pilipinas.

ang pagbigkas sa meron bilang galaw ng katauhan

Bumibigkas ang tao ng meron upang ipakitang buhay siya na siyang pagpapagalaw niya ng kanyang katauhan. Sa pagbigkas ng meron, maaaring gumamit ng salita upang ipaliwanag ang material na mundong ginagalawan niya, ngunit may pagmemeron na sa kilos ibinabatay ang pagbibigkas, at ito ang mas nagbibigay ng katauhan dahil galaw itong mas may lapit sa meron. Lamang, dapat maging maingat na huwag makihalubilo sa konsepto lamang dahil ang mga ito ang mga bagay na naiisip lamang, may hangganan, kung gayon ay nagiging kulungan at sagabal sa pagmamatayog ng ating pag-abot sa meron. Sa pakikihalubilo sa konsepto, nakikipagtalaban lamang sa isip samantalang hindi lahat ng bagay ay masasakop o makukulong ng isip. Oo nga, makapagbibigay-liwanag ang konsepto para makadaan patungo sa meron, magagamit bilang alaala ng mga bagay na binibigyang-pangalan, makabubuo ng tanong tungo sa mas malalim na pagtingin sa mga bagay na maaaring paguhuin ang hangganan at makakatalab ng buong isip. Ngunit hindi meron ang konsepto kaya lagi na itong nasasakop ng hangganan. Hindi umaangat sa mas mataas na taas tungo sa meron ang konsepto dahil nakakapit sa mundong inilalarawan n gating mga pandama.
Kaya nga sa meron tayo dapat makihalubilo dahil daigdig itong labas sa hangganang pumipigil sa isip na tumalab nang higit pa sa pandama. Sa meron, napaguguho ang mga hangganan, ang kulungang sagabal sa paglapit sa meron nang pinakamalapit na lapit. Samakatuwid, nakasusubok na maabot ang maganda, totoo at mabuti habang lumalagpas sa hangganan ng isip tungo sa daigdig ng meron. Hindi na mahalaga rito ang konsepto dahil higit pa sa madarama ang magpapaliwanag sa isip kundi ang liwanag ng meron. Higit pa sa maiisip ng konsepto ang kayamanan ng kahulugan ng meron dahil hindi na madaragdagan pa ang katotohanan ng meron. Sa pakikihalubilo sa meron, hindi tayo nakakahon sa mga hangganan. May matatakbo pa ang isip nang higit pa sa maiisip natin at ito ay ang meron.
Gusto kong makita ang aking sarili na hindi bilanggo ng konsepto kundi nakahalubilo sa meron, dahil gusto kong makaalam, maliwanagan at maging buong tao sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigkas ng meron. Gusto kong malagpasan ang pagtingin sa kulay pula bilang isang kulay na nakikita ko. Gusto kong lagpasan ang maiisip ko rito bilang kulay ng dugo, ng bolpeng pantsek ng papel, ng bilog sa gitna ng watawat ng Hapon. Gusto kong maiugnay ito sa kulay ng galit, o di kaya ng pag-ibig. Ngunit ayoko ring ikahon ang aking sarili sa pag-iisip na ganito lang ang maaaring itakbo ng kulay pula sa aking isip. Gusto kong makarating sa mundong hindi materyal na bagay ang pula kundi isang pulang meron sa daigdig ng meron nang higit pa sa maaaring isipin ko hinggil sa kulay na iyon. Gusto kong magkaroon ito ng laman at kahulugan ayon sa pagbigkas ko ng pagkameron ng kulay na pula.
Sa pagitan ng daigdig ng isip at lagpas sa isip, hindi ko maipagpapalit ang sistema ng meron na walang hanggan sa paglarawan at pagpapaliwanag sa mga bagay na binibigyang-pangalan sa dagidig ng isip ayon lamang sa kung ano ang maikakahon ng pandama rito. Sa sistema ng meron, makakahalubilo ko na ang mga bagay na may tunay na ganda, katotohanan at kabutihan higit pa sa maaaring bigyang-hangganan dito ng konsepto ng isipan.

ang konsepto bilang labi ng meron

Ang pagbigkas sa meron ay binibigyang-daan ng paggamit ng isip, na bumubuo naman ng konsepto. Higit pa sa maaabot ng isip ang meron, ngunit sinusubok na lapitan ang merong ito sa pamamagitan ng konsepto. May kakulangan man ang konsepto sa paglarawan, pagpapakahulugan at pagpapaliwanag ng totoong meron, mabuti nang may maiiwang mapagsisimulan pa ng ibang magmemeron kung tapos na sa pagbigkas ang iba. Kaya nga hindi malayo sa representasyon ng labi ang konsepto, dahil ito na lamang ang naiiwan sa isip bilang alaala at hindi ang tunay na nakapagpaliwanag sa nagmeron. Sa ganitong kalagayan, maaaring maging sagabal pa sa pagbibigkas ang labing ito ng konsepto dahil baka mapagkamalang ito na ang totoong meron. Bukod pa rito, ang mga labing ito ay may hangganan kaya nga hindi makalalagpas sa isip hanggang subuking makihalubilo sa labas ng kahon ng madarama tungo sa daigdig ng meron. Sa pagpapakitang ito ng pagkakaiba ng konsepto at meron, makikitang mas sinauna ang meron dahil ito ang sinisikap talabin ng isip. Ang meron ang binibigyang-pangalan ng konsepto kaya nauna muna ang pagkameron bago ang pagbibinyag ng pangalan bilang konsepto. At gaya nga ng katuruan ni Tsuang Tzu, higit pa sa labi ang maaaring mahita mula sa meron kaya balewala ang konsepto kung mas mahalaga ang maipapaliwanag ng meron. Salita nga nang salita kung kulang naman sa gawa, hindi rin tunay na makahulugan. Lahat tayo, upang matawag na tunay na dakila, dapat magsumikap na gumawa ng gulong at hindi lang basta bumasa nang bumasa kung paano makagagawa ng gulong.
Sa pag-aaral ko ng pilosopiya, nasisimulan ng konsepto ang pagbibigkas ko ngunit dapat kong tandaan na makasasagabal ito kung papag-isahin ko ang tingin sa konsepto at meron. Dapat kong malaman na labi na lamang ng mga pinagmeronan ang lahat ng inaaral ko sa pilosopiya at hindi ang tunay na meron. Wala itong pinagkaiba sa pinagbalatan ng kendi: hindi ito ang tunay na matamis at nakaaangat ng damdamin kundi ang merong binabalot nito. Maaari ko namang gamitin ang konsepto para makapagmeron dahil sa isip naman magsisimula ang pagbibigkas. Kaya nga lamang, tatandaan kong mas una ang meron dito; pangalawa na lamang ang konsepto dito na nagbigay-kaisipan (at nagbigay din ng hangganan) sa meron. Gusto kong gayahin sa Tsuang Tzu na hindi minahalaga ang pinagkataman ng umano’y dakilang taong hindi dakila para sa kanya. Totoo namang dapat isagawa kung ano ang alam dahil ang mga gulong ay walang pinagkaiba sa natututunan sa pilosopiya: hindi magiging makahulugan kung sa salita lamang at hindi sa pagsasagawa. Gusto kong ilapat ang natutunan ko sa pilosopiya sa gawa nang hindi nakakahon sa salita lamang. Anumang pagbibigkas ko ng meron ng pilosopiya, higit dapat sa hangganan ng salita upang sa kaliwanagan ko ay mabuo ang aking pagkatao.

ang pag-uulit bilang pag-unawa sa tunay na pag-iisip

Para kay Heidegger, para makaunawa sa tunay na pag-iisip, kailangan ang seisvergessenheit (pagkalimot sa meron) at balikan ang pag-unawa sa kasabay nitong nagpapahayag ngunit nagkukubli. Dapat pakilusin ang isip dahil meron ang nagpapahayag ng aletheia, na totoo at aktong nangyayari kaya hindi mapasusubaliang isang kilos na tuluy-tuloy lamang ang pangyayari kaya hindi mahuhuli. Hindi bale dahil may gelasseinheit naman na para siyang gamiting pagpapahayag at pagpapaubaya sa pagpapakita ng meron. Dapat na isinusuko ang sariling magbigay ng rason dahil anunman ang mangyari, ito ay meron na, hindi na kailangang itakda ang dahilan, ipinapaubaya sa meron ang lahat, nagpapaubaya at nagpapalaya ng puwedeng ipakitang meron nawawala ang hawak sa akin. Aaminin na hindi hawak ang lahat. Nawawala ang lahat sa akin.
Halimbawa nito ang kahulugan ng kaligayahan, dapat kong limutin ang salitang kaligayahan dahil salita lang siya na kumakatawan sa isang estado ng isip na meron naman talaga kahit hindi pa naimbento ang salitang pantawag sa kanya noon. Kailangang makalimutan dahil kung may okupasyon akong isipin iyon buong maghapon magdamag, mawawalan siya ng tunay na kahulugan sa akin bagkus ay magiging salita na lamang ito. Sa panahong sabihin kong masaya ako, mauunawaan kong hindi ako tunay na masaya dahil kung napakasaya ko, bakit hindi ko hayaang ipakita nito ang kanyang sarili sa gawa at hindi sa salita? Totoo namang may kaligayahan gaya kapag pumasa ako sa mga pagsusulit o sama-sama ang buong pamilya o nagpaparamdam ng lambing ang minamahal. Ang kaligayahang ito, hindi ipinagsisigawan ang kanyang sarili bagkus ay nagkukubli sa kaisipang alam na ang kanyang katangian noon pa mang wala itong pangalan. Hindi na kailangang umapuhap ng rason para sa pag-iral nito dahil ang kaligayahan, meron na sa iba't ibang panahon at lugar kaya dapat nang ipaubaya sa pagkameron niya ang kanyang kahulugan. Anumang pangalan ang ibigay sa kanya, hindi pa rin ito lubos na mahahawakan o maikukulong ang kahulugan. Meron nang kaligayahang lampas pa sa pangalan at iyan ang dapat na maunawaan.

game of love and other notes on dead stars

The game of love in which the three characters of the Paz Marquez-Benitez' story "Dead Stars" figured in did not make any one win. Alfredo was a loser because he could not choose to marry Julia, the person he loved more than Esperanza. He had to follow what the society expected of him: to be a man and marry the woman he was engaged to. Julia was also a loser because she was not chosen by Alfredo although she was more loved by Alfredo than Esperanza was. Esperanza was the last loser because she was married only out of convenience. She was not married by Alfredo out of love. No one among the three win the game of love because they were all victims of a love in a wrong place and time.
This story was written during the American period, a time when Filipinos are struggling to create their own identity. As such, the setting appears as if entirely devoid of anything American (except of course the language). The setting, therefore, was Filipino. The space setting is in the Philippines, the time setting was the 1920's, a period of relative tranquility because it was in the middle of American Occupation. The best visualization of this is perhaps Alfredo's world, because this world seemed to give him everything--social respect, material wealth, among other things--except the one thing that will give him fulfillment: marrying the one he really loved, Julia.

food paradigm shift

In the last forty years, the relative availability of staple foods like cereals, pulses and starchy roots has declined in almost all geographic regions of the earth. There are partial shifts from staple foods toward vegetable oils and sugar in low- and lower-middle income countries; towards vegetable oils, sugar and meat in upper-middle income countries; and towards vegetable oils and meat in higher-income countries. The relative availability of fruits and vegetables has only slightly climbed in most countries and still far from the recommended level in both developed and developing countries. The food availability changes on nutritional standards of the diet has created the following impacts: there are likely impacts of increase in total fat content and decrease in total content across the globe, increase in energy density in both developed and developing countries, decrease in fiber content throughout the world and decrease in protein content in developing countries. Meanwhile, there are possible impacts of increased saturated fats, decreased vitamins and minerals, increased glycaemic index and decreased bioactive compounds like flavonoids, among others. Since this is the case, the food availability changes in the last forty years are parallel with the changes in human diets specifically in association to the prevalence of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, particular types of cancer, and other nutrition-related non-communicable diseases. This deterioration is aggravated by the lower replacement of staple foods by fruit and vegetables in place of meats, fats and sugar. The low availability and consumption of fruits and vegetables and the consequent excess in the availability and consumption of meats, fats and sugar causes the deterioration of human nutritional diet anywhere in the world.

pagtatambis ng pampamilyang istruktura sa litisang bilog ng caucasus at labaw donggon

Magkaiba ang istruktura ng pamilya sa Litisang Bilog ng Caucasus at ng sa Labaw Donggon.
Sa Labaw Donggon, machong-macho ang bayaning si Labaw Donggon dahil tatlo ang naging asawa niya mula sa lahat ng antas panlipunan, isang basehan ng pagkakakilanlan ng kapangyarihan. Napangasawa niya sina Gintibitinan na galing sa bunga ng ilog, Doronoon na mula sa ilalim ng lupa at Nagmalitong Yawa na galing sa langit. Samantala, sa umpisa’y biktima ng Madonna/whore binary si Grusha dahil naeeskandalo siya sa pagkakaroon ng “anak” na si Michael gayong wala naman siyang asawa. Tuloy, inaakalang disgrasyada siya. Kaya nga, upang makaiwas sa pag-aalipusta ng lipunan, nabiktima naman siya ng patriyarka nang mapilitan siyang magpakasal sa isang nagsasakit-sakitang lalaki para may maging padre de pamilya. Habang tatlo ang asawa ni Labaw Donggon, isa lang ang kay Grusha, dahil nadiborsiyo muna siya bago nagging karapat-dapat ipakasal sa sundalong kasintahang si Simon.
Bukod sa nabanggit, hinamon sa Labaw Donggon ang institusyon ng kasal upang makapagpakasal ang isang nakatataas sa antas panlipunan sa isang nakabababang antas. Nahirapang maghanap ng asawa sa langit si Labaw Donggon dahil sa kaibahan niya ng antas, ngunit nang mapangasawa si Nagmalitong Yawa na mayaman, hinamon niya ang sagabal sa pagpapakasal nito. Samantala, kasal-pangginhawa o marriage of convenience ang nangyari kay Grusha sa Litisan. Katulong lamang siya sa bahay ng gobernador at mahirap kaya walang pambuhay at pambahay kay Michael. Kinailangan niyang magpakasal sa isang nakatataas ng antas sa lipunan upang miasalba ang naging pamilya niyang anak ng kanyang amo.
Panghuli, nakasalalay sa pamilya ang pagiging bayani ni Labaw Donggon. Sa impluwensiya ng pamilyang sina Alunsina at bunsong anak, nakatulong na maipanalo ni Labaw Donggon ang pakikipaglaban niya sa lipunan. Samantala, likas na kabutihan ang pinanggagalingan ng kabayanihan ni Grusha. Sarili niya at hindi kinakailangang pamilya niyang si Michael ang nakatulong para mapatunayang siya ang ina nito. Dagdag pa, hindi niya inasahan ang alok ng pagkaama ni Simon para maipanalo ang asunto laban sa tunay na ina ni Michael. Sa taliwas na istrukturang ito ng pamilya ni Labaw Donggon at ng kay Grusha, mapapatunayan na magkaiba ang dalawa.

double burden of malnutrition

Double burden of malnutrition means that underweight and stunted children outnumber the overweight children in both 0-5- and 6-10- year-old age brackets. In a hundred 0-5-year-old children scale, 27 are underweight and 30 are stunted whereas only two are overweight. Meanwhile, in a hundred 6-10-year-old children scale, 26 are underweight and 36 are stunted whereas only one is overweight. Also, there is also anemia and vitamin A deficiency problems affecting the various population groups in public health proprotions. There are two out of three infants 6m-less than one year old who are anemic. This means that they are in the risk of suffering from long-term mental deficiency. 46% of pregnant women may be affected by vitamin A deficiency. Among income class children, there is a double burden of malnutrition because only children benefiting from the high-income class have the least risk of malnutrition. The four classes below the highest class, meaning the levels at which income becomes less and less, have children who suffer malnutrition increasingly. The lower the level, the greater the suffering in malnutrition. Children from the lowest-income class suffer the biggest in manutrition. Meanwhile, children benefiting from the high-income class are found to have the highest risk of being overweight. This becomes less of a possibility as the case descends through the lower income classes. This means that the lower the income class of children, the greter that they are not overweight. Among children and adult of both sexes, the double burden of malnutrition is seen with the persistent undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies maong children and vulnerable groups along with rising overweight, obesity and diet- and lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases in adults. There is a 20.9% coexistence of underweight child and overweight adult in same household. This means one out of five housholds with an underwieght child is a coexisting overweight adult. The double burden of malnutrition becomes riskier since poor growth is perpetuated through the cycle of persistent undernutrition, high incidence of newborn children with low birth weight, high incidence of poor child growth and deplorable infant and children feeding practices, low rate of milk intake and of consumption of fortified foods resulting in abnormal dietary patterns, negative changes in dietary patterns like declining fruit intake, tubers and other traditional staples and increasing consumption of sugars and low level of physical activity.

ang litisang bilog ng caucasus: isang pagbabalik-tanaw

Sa pagtatanghal ng Ang Litisang Bilog ng Caucasus ni Bertolt Brecht sa bersiyong katutubo, angkop ang paggamit ng sayaw na igal, isang masining at maindayog na galaw ng mga Sama ng baybaying Timog-Silangang Asya, halimbawa ay ang Sama Dilaut (o Sama ng Karagatan) at Sama Badjao ng mga isla ng Sitangkai at Sibutu sa Lalawigan ng Tawi-Tawi. Masasabi kong angkop ang paggamit ng sayaw na ito sa nasabing Kanluraning dula dahil mas nakakaugnay ang mga Filipino sa pagsasakatutubo ng alinmang bagay na dayuhan, dahil nakakapagpayaman ng dulaang Pilipino at pandaigdig ang paghahalo sa Kanluraning klasikong dula ng mga katutubong motif, at dahil nagbibigay-buhay sa teatro ang paghahabi-habi ng dula, musika at sayaw sa bawat eksena ng Litisan.
Dahil sa paggamit ng sayaw na igal sa pagtatanghal, mas nakakaugnay ang mga manonood dahil hindi na dayuhan ang pagtrato dito. Nakatulong ang indihenisasyon sa pamamagitan ng katutubong kumpas ng mga kamay at galaw ng mga paa para mas mapalapit sa katutubong sensibilidad ng manonood ang banyagang dula. Kahit sabihin pang orihinal na Kanluranin ang dula, nakikilala ng mga manonood ang Pilipinong elemento nito sa mga kilos na tangi sa sining pangkatawan ng kababayang mga Badjao.
Dahil pa rin sa paggamit ng sayaw na igal sa Litisan, napapayaman ang dulaang Pilipino at pandaigdig. Sa paglitaw ng mga katutubong motif sa Kanluraning dula sa anyo ng sayaw-Badjao, naipapakita ang unibersalidad ng dula at nabibihisan naman ito ng ibang kultura. Matalinong naipapakita ng igal na mayaman ang kultura ng bansa at mababahiran nito ng katutubong kulay kahit pa banyagang dula.
Panghuli, mas buhay na buhay ang pagtatanghal dahil bukod sa dramang naibubunyag sa bawat eksena, sinasabayan ito ng musika, kanta at ng sayaw ngang igal. Nakaeengganyong panoorin na habang nagsasalita o kumakanta ang mga tauhan o tagapagsalaysay, kumukumpas ang kanilang mga kamay at umiindak ang mga paa.
Ang mga nabanggit ang nagbibigay-kaangkupan ng sayaw na igal sa hinalaw na dula ni Brecht. Sa pamamagitan nito, nakita ang Pilipinisasyon sa Litisan.

pag-uulit bilang pagbabalik at pagkilala sa tunay na sarili

Nang mahiwalay si Kierkegaard kay Regina dahil ayaw nitong mapakasal sa nobya, inakala niyang magiging sakuna lamang siya kapag sila ay napakasal. Ayaw niyang ipilit ang kanyang sarili dahil ito na ang sakunang tinutukoy niya: ang mawalan ng pagkabuo ang isa't isa kapag may iba nang maghahawak ng kanilang sarili maliban sa kanilang sarili sa bisa ng nagpapaisang kasal. Hindi akalain ni Kierkegaard na mas malaking sakuna pala ang mahiwalay kay Regina dahil nawasak siya. Samakatuwid, si Regina ang nagpapabuo sa kanya dahil natututunan niya ang pagka-siya dahil sa pagbibigayan nila at pagtupad sa obligasyon. Sa pagsubok na makabalik siya sa piling ni Regina, natagpuan niyang sa nobya siya nagkakaroon ng pagkabuo kaya sa pag-uulit na ito ng kanilang pag-iibigan, mababago at mananariwa ang kanyang pagkatao. Dahil mabubuo siya sa piling ng nobya, ang buhay niyang nawasak ay magiging buhay na buhay pa rin ngayon at ang potensyal niya dati ay potensyal pa rin niya ngayon dulot ng pagkakataong mabuo sa pag-uulit. Lamang, hindi na siya makaulit sa panahong kasama niya si Regina kaya nga nanatili siyang wasak at naiwang prinoprotektahan ang kanyang sarili. Inakala niyang makabubuti silang magsipag-isa sa buhay ngunit mas nangailangan ng pag-uulit na magkasama.
Gusto kong makita ang sarili kong ganito rin ang pagkabuo gaya ng gusto ni Kierkegaard: na para mabuo, kailangan ng pag-uulit na natigil dahil sa isang pagkawasak. Nang ang dati kong kasintahan at ako ay naghiwalay, naramdaman kong tila isang bahagi ng sarili ko ang namatay, partikular na rito ang damdaming makatao na maging masaya dahil sa pagmamahal. Dahil sa pagbibigayan namin kaya kami nagkaroon ng kabuuan. Ngunit sa paghihiwalay namin, tila nabawasan ang ganoong kabuuan: wala nang kasiyahan, bagkus ay lungkot na lamang. Dahil hindi naman namin maaaring ipilit sa isa't isa ang aming mga sari-sarili, nanatili kaming hindi buo, nangangapa sa kaligayahan, hindi buong tao dahil hindi hinahayaan ang pag-uulit.
Ngunit hindi lahat ng pag-uulit ay kinakailangang sa parehong tao, dahil kung ganoon, malaking sakuna ang ipilit ko ang sarili ko sa kanya o ipilit ng sinuman ang sarili niya sa iba pa. Sa nauunawaan ko, ang pag-uulit na ito ay kinakatawan ng pag-uulit na magmahal muli, dahil kung ito ang pag-uulit na maaaring makabuo ng sarili ko, bakit hindi? Walang taong gustong mawasak ang kanyang sarili, lalo na ako na mas nakadarama ng kahulugan ng buhay kung buo ako. Kaya nga umulit ako ng pag-ibig, upang mas makita kong wala palang pinagkaiba ang buhay ko noong nagmahal ako noon at nagmamahal ngayon, na ang potensyal ko noon sa nakaraang relasyon ay umiiral ngayon sa bago kong relasyon. Sa bago kong pag-ibig ngayon, sariwa ang pag-uulit na maging buo dahil sa pag-uulit na ito nadama kong bago akong tao.

the lotus in the lagoon

you pay homage to my lake world
all wise warnings you have ignored
these ripples sought by men before you
are collected tears impossible to hold
each dew-kissed satin petal
is as much a venom as ecstasy
to mortals who came of their own accord.
away with your hands--
your obsession stands no chance.
i allow you not to pluck me
much less touch my fragility.
i belong to this fluid sanctity--
be content in living twice removed
because beggars like you
never have the luxury of choice.