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One cannot deny the wisdom in that!
I remember how unsure I was as to whether I will continue with Law School and just plain stop and do the things I want to do with my life. I spent the last four years of college just doing things I never imagined to be remotely possible. I played basketball, I studied philosophy, I took up creative writing (as my minor), I auditioned and became culture editor of Sinag, I auditioned and became a staff writer of the Philippine Collegian, I went to rallies, I wrote a column to seek redress of my personal grievances against Arroyo, I voted for Roco, I climbed a mountain, I changed the tires of my car, I became an "assistant coach," I befriended strangers, I went into business, I will hopefully graduate cum laude, I passed UP Law, etc.
The thing is, when you've experienced the world, you find it rather difficult to go back inside, shut the doors, sit down and keep your nose inside the books. That was what I felt before I took the UP LAE three months ago and that's the way I feel now.
Sure, with my passing UP LAE and with just one interview in between me and Law school, I should probably be more excited. I would be if I had anything happy to look forward to there. I know there will be something good waiting for me at the end of my four-year stay in law school but I'm pretty sure that it will be a rough four years before I get there.
I know I want to become a lawyer. I want to go to the province and work for farmers and then buy a farm of my own. It's just that I'm pretty sure that in the next four years, I wouldn't have the chance to let go of myself and wear a sombrero to school.
posted by The Lonely Joker who stares too deeply & too much at 4:39 AM
0 Comments:
Monday, March 27, 2006
Finally, I am stepping out of college.Sure, I still don't have my diploma and sure it is not yet in the bag, so to speak. But its barely a step away now, and I'm ready for it.
I can hear Aud Lang Syne ringing in my head. I'm marching off to...
pfft...
LAW SCHOOL.
It sucks, I know. but still. At least I have one diploma to add to my name.
RAKENROL
posted by The Lonely Joker who stares too deeply & too much at 2:10 AM
The Lonely Joker who stares too deeply & too much at 2:10 AM0 Comments:
Friday, March 17, 2006
First it was Randy David who was arrested. Then it was Ka Beltran who had been arrested with his family, in what one may call a kidnapping done by government officials. And then five party list members, guilty of seeking redress of their grievances through peacable assemblies, remain holed-up inside Batasan, under house arrest. I thought the blatant disrespect for civil liberties will end there but then in less than a week after the lifting of 1017, Rep. Risa Baraquel Hontiveros was taken, against her will, the Camp Caringal. Vidal Querol called it protection, but I don't care. I think that Hontiveros was much willing to die in the streets than submit to the unconstitutional powers that the Police continue to invoke.Today, Friday, March 17, Former DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman was arrested. Whatever happened to "innocent until proven guilty?" Whatever happened to investigations? Whatever happened to their rights? What will happen to my rights.
Today, Friday, March 17 2006, I vow to protect the civil liberties my ancestors died for.
The constitution has become a mere language-game to the unduly elected government. They call it rebellion, I call it my rights. They call it inciting to sedition, I call it freedom of speech. They call it whatever they should, I call it this way: GMA must resign else, I will be in the streets until she does.
GMA RESIGN.
If it is in fact God's Plan that you are in our country, it must be for nothing but punishment. Our punishment is over, its your turn, MS President.
It's over for you.
Time to bow down to the power of the people.
Time to lay down to be slapped with your punishment.
posted by The Lonely Joker who stares too deeply & too much at 3:24 AM
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Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Editors Note: This was published in The Philippine Collegian on March 13, 2006Defiance
by Sophia San Luis
"I would be happy if you could show them your solidarity and support," Cardinal Sin said of the rebel soldiers who had defected from then strongman Ferdinand Marcos at the onset of People Power I. "They have shown their idealism."
Less than an hour after the late Cadinal Sin called the people to support Enrile and Ramos who had gone to Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo with other rebel soldiers, multitudes of people had flocked to Edsa bringing with them food and whatever else they can afford to show their support for the rebel soldiers.
Fifteen years later, Filipinos once again rushed to the streets, this time of Ortigas, to protest the 11-10 vote of the Senate which thwarted the opening of an envelope that may have concluded the impeachment trial of President Estrada. Thousands of people had already gathered in front of Edsa Shrine by day light and, to Estrada's dismay, the number swelled to over a hundred thousand. A Philippine Collegian headline briefly summarized to prevailing sentiments of the students who bolstered the rally to success: "No Classes Until Erap Resigns."
Half a decade more, we find ourselves still adamantly protesting. This time around, we demonstrated our objection over proclamation 1017 which, according to Secretary Michael Defensor, allows warrantless arrests, takeover of public utilities and media outfits, and violent dispersals of peaceful assemblies.
Some would say that we Filipinos never learn. That history only repeats itself in our country and, time and again, we take to streets to oust a president whom we voted. They say that people Power has become an avenue for political scanvengers to grab power and ntohing more. That if only we learn to vote for leaders who will not corrupt their office then perhaps we wouldn't have to rally repeatedly.
I am not going to argue that the incumbent president still has to answer questions of legitimacy that have been thrown at her since the Hello Garci tapes were discovered. What I am going to argue is that the reason why we Filipinos take to streets time and again is not because we never learn. It is because while millions of us vote in good faith, the elected leaders still continue to blatantly misuse their office for their own personal benefits. We take to streets not to rally agains or behind a person but behind a principle that we, as Filipinos, collectively believe.
Despite the lack of honest leaders, we refuse to believe that we are helpless. We remain vigilant because, while those who hold power want us to remain powerless, our history has shown us that the democracy we enjoy lends us a power that no office can match-- the power of our people to drive away, in defiancy, anyone who would dare take it away from us.
posted by The Lonely Joker who stares too deeply & too much at 7:11 PM
The Lonely Joker who stares too deeply & too much at 7:11 PM0 Comments:
Saturday, March 04, 2006
I never thought I'd ever feel this depressed over what has become of our country. One of my professor's actually made sense when he told me that, well, "wala rin naman tayo magagawa, so why bother?"I figured if he were right, then why should I even bother pulling myself together? It can't be for myself. It used to be that I refused to believe that there is no "bigger picture" but after I heard my professor say it so matter of fact, I thought, maybe I'm wrong and everyone else (who doesn't care) is right. Maybe there is no bigger picture. Maybe I am wrong.
I'm still depressed.
I'm supposed to write a column for kule..
Why should I bother if every moment is just that.. one moment.
Gahd.
posted by The Lonely Joker who stares too deeply & too much at 2:53 AM
The Lonely Joker who stares too deeply & too much at 2:53 AM0 Comments: