Dream Theater

First Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards Photos

2006-08-06T05:25:00.000-07:00

Alright, here are some pics I took. I've been meaning to upload Neil's videos as well but I still have to fix my gprs settings.=P

sayang, wala akong group pic ng volunteers. pangit ng resolution ko. :(

UP Students Abducted

2006-07-05T02:16:00.000-07:00

please click the link below.

UP Students Abducted

Para Sa Lahat ng Political Prisoners

2006-07-05T02:09:00.000-07:00

Mangayari lamang basahin ang nasa ibaba. Paki-post na rin sa mga blogs nyo, friendster bulletins o di kaya'y ipasa sa mga kakilala. Maraming salamat.

--athame

Magandang araw po.

Ako ay sumusulat para sa kapatirang Beta Lambda Kappa o BLK.

Ang BLK po ay isang university-based sorority sa UP Diliman na may feminist na pananaw at adhikain. Kami ay isang grupo ng kababaihan na nagnanais isulong ang karapatang pantao, partikular ang karapatan ng mga babae, simula sa pagbukas ng isipan namin at ng ibang tao.

Sa labas ng kapatiran, may kanya kanya kaming mga paraan at mga desisyon kung papaano namin ipagpapatuloy ang adhikain na ito. May ilan sa amin na pinili ang maging volunteer sa mga community-based na organisasyon.

Isa sa kanila ay ang kapatid naming si Sherlyn Cadapan na kasama sa tatlong dinukot ng militar mula sa isang bahay sa Hagonoy, Bulacan, nito lang ika 26 ng Hunyo, dakong alas dos ng umaga. Ang isa sa dinukot ay estudyante din sa UP Diliman at ang isa naman ay magsasaka.

Kahit maraming testigo, matigas na itinatanggi ng militar na sila ang kumuha kay Sherlyn at sa dalawa pa niyang kasama.

Puwede po ninyo kaming tulungan na mapalaya si Sherlyn at ang mga kasama niya sa pagkalat ng e-mail na ito sa inyong mga kaibigan, lalo na kung sila ay taga-media, o may kakilalang puwedeng tumulong sa amin. Ang amin pong e-group ay up_betalambdakappa@yahoogroups.com

Sa mga e-group, sorry for cross posting pero umaasa kami sa inyong pag-intindi. Nagbabakasakali kami na kung mas maraming magtatanong kung nasaan na sila Sherlyn, lalabas din ang katotohanan at hindi na ito mangyayari kahit kanino.

Maraming salamat at mabuhay po kayo.

June Lozano
BLK Batch 95A

BLK Statement:

Minsan, nababasag ang katahimikan ng ating buhay. Napipilitan tayong
mag-isip. Napipilitan tayong mag-salita. Napipilitan tayong umaksyon.

Isang linggo nang nawawala ang aking kapatid na si Sherlyn. Sherlyn
Cadapan. Volunteer siya ng isang organisasyon ng magsasaka at
nakikipamuhay siya noon sa Bulacan. Dinakip sya ng anim na armadong
kalalakihan na nakabonnet. Alas dos ng madaling araw. Walang nagsabi
kung bakit sya hinuli. Walang magsabi kung saan sya dinala.

Tatlong buwang buntis si Sherlyn. Ilang buwan pa lang siyang kasal.
Ilang beses lang kaming nakapag-text, at sabi niya'y uuwi siya sa
Setyembre. Setyembre, dalawang buwan mula ngayon.

Ilang taon na ba siyang wala sa amin? Di na niya natapos ang kanyang
undergrad. Lagi nyang sinasabi na may mas kagyat na pangangailangan.
Bayang magiliw, perlas ng silanganan. Umalab na ang kanyang puso at
humayo na sa dibdib ng Inang Bayan. Hinanap nya ang mga mahihirap at
sinikap tulungan. Ilang taon na siyang wala sa amin. At ngayon siya
ay nawawala.

Mapapaisip ka talaga.

Napakaraming bayani ng ating bansa ngayon. Meron yung OFWs, sila raw
ang mga bagong bayani. Palibhasa'y maraming datung. Meron yung mga
pulitikong nagpapahiram ng mga pangalan para ibinyag sa mga kalsada at
tulay. Meron yung mga kinukuhang kumanta sa Broadway. Meron yung mga
nananalo sa contest na anak ng dating Pilipino na itinatwa na ang
kanilang pagka-Pilipino ay bayani pa rin. Meron mga magaling
mag-boksing, bayani ng ilang taon, ilang dekada, tapos kakalimutan na.
Pilipinong pang-World Class, mga bayani ng bayan. Magaling.

Paano na iyong mga nanatili dito sa Pilipinas? Paano na iyong mga
taus-pusong naglilingkod sa masang Pilipino at tinutulungan silang
ipaglaban ang kanilang mga karapatan? Paano na iyong mga tumutulong
sa ating mga magsasaka at manggagawa na mag-organisa upang magkaroon
ng nagkakaisang lakas na hindi basta-basta mapapawalang-bahala? Hindi
sila bayani. Hindi sila nati-TV. Hindi sila sikat. May ibang tawag
sa kanila.

Subersibo. Terorista. Naghahasik ng lagim. May programa rin para sa
kanila: Oplan Bantay-Laya. Dito sumasailalim ang linggo-linggong
pagpaslang at paghuli sa mga aktibista, mamamahayag, propesor ng
pamantasan, at ordinaryong mamamayan.

Sa ngayon, kasama si Sherlyn sa 174 na mga sapilitang nawawala sa
ilalim ng Oplan Bantay-Laya. Si Sherlyn, na sinuntok sa sikmura
habang sumisigaw ng Tulong! sa mga kapitbahay, si Karen Empeño,
graduating sa BA Sociology, na hinubaran ng blusa upang gawing piring
sa kanyang mga mata, at si Manuel Merino, isang magsasaka ng San
Miguel, Hagonoy, Bulacan.

Di ko alam kung bakit sila sinaktan, dinampot, at kung saan sila
itinago. Kung tulad sila ng mga bagong bayani, inilabas na sila sa
media at phinoto-ops na. Kung tulad sila ng mga tanyag na terorista
na may reward-reward pa, mabilis pa sa alas-singko ang pagtawag nila
sa international press syndicates. Pero hindi superstar si Sherlyn.
Hindi terorista si Karen. Hindi mountaineer si Manuel. Sino pa
ang magsusumigaw upang palayain sila?

Kung hindi tayo, sino? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan?

Madilim ang gabi. Ngunit sisikat din ang araw.

Para sa atin ang labang ito.

ASOIAF

2006-04-06T07:24:00.000-07:00

I just adore George Martin. A Song of Ice And Fire is a lot better than Jordan's Wheel of Time.

Get A Life

2005-11-30T05:33:00.000-08:00

GET A LIFE
Jose Dalisay Jr., PhD
Address to the Graduating Class
UP Baguio, 23 April 2005

Former UP President (Francisco) Nemenzo - whom I was privileged to serve - was frankly not too fond of the phrase "iskolar ng bayan" to describe the UP student. We are all, of course, scholars of the people in this university, in the technical sense that our studies are subsidized by the sweat of the poor, whose hopes we bear upon our shoulders.

But the President's point was that scholarship remains a distinction to be earned not merely by scoring well in an entrance examination, but by adopting a lifelong attitude of critical inquiry and rational judgment.

This, sadly, is something that many of us lose upon our entry into the University and our immersion in its life - not only its intellectual and academic life, but also its social and professional life. The curiosity ends, the magic fades, the writing dries up, and we retreat to a cocoon - to a dimly lit room marked "Me & Myself" - there to spend the rest of our career sulking over the next fellow's promotion and so-and-so's research grant.

"Get a life" has been one of my lifelong mantras. I have always believed that while a formal education is a wonderful thing, what I call an active life - with all its serendipitous detours and little accidents - is even better. It is a cliché by now to say that there are many things we can never learn in school - but for those of us who are in school, it is even more important to remember this.

Some of the best things happen when we step outside of our own lives and begin to be engaged in those of others. Often, the answers to our own problems lie in others, and in their larger predicaments. While involvement in a great cause can also create its own kind of blindness to everything else, I believe that, at least once in our lives, we should embrace a passion larger than ourselves; even the disillusionment that often follows can be very instructive, and will bring us one step closer to wisdom.

One of the best ideas I ever heard came from a friend whom I used to play billiards with until the wee hours of the morning: "Everyone," he said while cleaning up the balls on the table, "should be entitled to make at least one big mistake."
I would not have been the writer I became if I had chosen the safe path and stayed where I was supposed to be. It took me two years to finish my MFA, and only three to finish my PhD. But before that, it took me 14 years to get my AB.

At 12 - like your chancellor - I entered the Philippine Science High School. As my parents never tired of telling anyone who cared to listen (and even those who didn't), I was the entrance-exam topnotcher of my batch, No. 1 of about 6,000 examinees. However, what my parents didn't say was that after my first year in Science High, I was going to be kicked out - with a 1.0 in English and a 5.0 in Math.

What happened? Well, you might say that I got a life. From the grade-school nerd who read two books a day in our all-boys Catholic school, I suddenly discovered girls, parties, and fun. What did I do? I used my 1.0 in English to save my 5.0 in Math, by writing a letter of appeal that began with "At the outset, let me say that I bear malice toward none." I guess it worked, because they put me on probation for a year, and I survived PSHS by the skin of my teeth.

At 16, I entered UP as an industrial engineering major - and promptly got a 5.0 in Math 17, for too many absences - the bane of the arrogant Science High graduate, even the perennial flunker like me who thought he already knew more Math than he needed to know.

At 17, still a freshman, I quit college - over the tears of my mother, whose fondest hope was for me to graduate from UP just like she did. I wanted to join the revolution, like many of my comrades; at the same time I was impatient to get a job.

At 18, I was working as a newspaper reporter covering hospital fires, US embassy rallies, suicide cases, factory strikes, and typhoon relief operations.

I spent most of my 19th year in martial-law prison.

At 20, I was a husband and father.

At 26, I took my first foreign trip.

At 27, I learned how to drive - and went back to school.

At 30, I got my AB, and decided that what I wanted to do was to write and teach for the rest of my life, so here I am.

I have been shot at, imprisoned, and worst of all, rejected by more crushes than I care to remember. Aside from my abortive career in journalism, I once worked as a cook-waiter-cashier-busboy-janitor, cutting 40 pounds of pork and chicken every day before turning them into someone's dinner.

Much earlier, I worked as a municipal employee, checking the attendance of Metro Aides at seven in the morning, and then I studied printmaking and sold my etchings cheaply by the dozen in Ermita. Incidentally, it was at that printmaking shop that I met my wife June, who's here with me today, and for whose patience with my colorful moods I am forever grateful.

Some of these events have found their way to my writing; most of them have not and never will. I believe that creative writing should generate its own excitement, beyond whatever may have happened to the author in his or her own life. But neither can I deny that my outlook has been influenced by what I have seen out there, as bright, as indelible, and as disturbing as fresh blood.

If we are to abide by the Phi Kappa Phi motto to "let the love of learning rule humanity," we should first ourselves be ruled by the love of learning - learning from books, and learning beyond them.

On the other side of the equation, let me observe that there is, today, a nascent but disturbing strain of anti-intellectualism in Philippine politics and society. The vulgar _______expression of this sentiment has taken the form of the suggestion that we can dispense with brains and education when it comes to our national leadership, because they have done us no good, anyway.

It is easy to see how this perception came about, and how its attractiveness derives from its being at least partially true. Many of our people feel betrayed by their best and brightest - the edukado, as we are called in our barangays - because we are too easily bought out by the powers that be. Marcos and Estrada had probably the best Cabinets in our political history, well-stocked with prestigious PhDs from places like Oxford and Stanford; but in the end, even they could do nothing against their President and his excesses.

For us UP graduates, the seductions of power will always be there. Power and wealth are also very interesting games to play, and few play them better than UP grads - the power side more than the wealth, as I suspect that Ateneans and La Sallites are better at making money than we are.

But even these can put you out of touch. I have friends in Malacañang and Makati who seem to have lost all sense of life, thought, and feeling on the street, beyond what their own commissioned surveys tell them. Worse, they seem to have lost touch with their old, honest, self-critical selves. They forgot all about Sophocles and poetry and mystery and music you can't buy at the record store.

To be a UP student, faculty member, and alumnus is to be burdened but also ennobled by a unique mission - not just the mission of serving the people, which is in itself not unique, and which is also reflected, for example, in the Atenean concept of being a "man for others." Rather, to my mind, our mission is to lead and to be led by reason - by independent, scientific, and secular reason, rather than by politicians, priests, shamans, bankers, or generals.

You are UP because you can think and speak for yourselves, by your own wits and on your own two feet, and you can do so no matter what the rest of the people in the room may be thinking. You are UP because no one can tell you to shut up, if you have something sensible and vital to say. You are UP because you dread not the poverty of material comforts but the poverty of the mind. And you are UP because you care about something as abstract and sometimes as treacherous as the idea of "nation", even if it kills you.

Sometimes, long after UP, we forget these things and become just like everybody else; I certainly have. Even so, I suspect that that forgetfulness is laced with guilt - the guilt of knowing that you were, and could yet become, somebody better. And you cannot even argue that you did not know, because today, I just told you so.

People and Friends

2005-09-28T06:24:00.000-07:00

My PSYSC Family

Conferencia ng mga Multo, Gap Farm, Davao

AS 170 "special" class at Viewpoint, Banaue
(hangkyut ni ma'am res! hehe)

Opticles at Hardin ng mga Diwata, UPDiliman

Power Color

2005-09-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

Your Power Color Is Lime Green

At Your Highest:

You are adventurous, witty, and a visionary.

At Your Lowest:

You feel misunderstood, like you don't fit in.

In Love:

You have a tough exterior, but can be very dedicated.

How You're Attractive:

Your self-awareness and confidence lights up a room.

Your Eternal Question:

"What else do I need in my life?"

What's Your Power Color?

Portraits of a Woman

2005-08-21T23:49:00.000-07:00

The UP Adelfe Enu Crea Sorority
in cooperation with
UP Photography Society
and
Universal Robina Corporation, levelup, yehey.com
present

PORTRAITS OF A WOMAN COMPETITION
( A Photo Competition open to all UP Diliman
College and Graduate Students)

It will run from August 30 to September 7.
The top five photographs to be chosen must
portray the participants views on what a modern
woman.

CASH PRIZES:
1ST- php 5,000
2nd- Php 3,000
3rd- Php 2,000

PHOTO
Size: 8r
Color: Colored and/or Black and White
Camera: Manual
Note: Photos must include a title and a 1
paragraph caption or write-up of the photo (not
more than 100 words)

Criteria for judging:
30% theme/relevance
30% creativity
40% composition
total: 100%

Other details:
Php 50 fee per entry
Submission of Entries: September 2, 2005
Judging dates: September 5 and 6, 2005
Announcement of Winners (Sept. 9, 2005- Hale
Concert)

Negatives and Photographs together with the entry
fee and contact information of the participant
(name, college, degree, cellphone number,
landline, email address, camera used) must be
submitted on or before September 2, 2005 to the
Lady Governor of AEC (always at the AEC
tambayan, 4th Floor of the College of Business
Administration Thursdays, 1130-1 and Tuesdays,
11:30-12) in a short brown envelope.

FOR INQUIRIES
TEXT JOEY- 09276275554
NHEY- 09209106059

Just For Laughs

2005-07-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

read me

Peyups Grand EB

2005-06-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

from peyups.com

Join the Grand Online Consortium EB this coming Saturday, July 2!

Also, take a sneak peak at UAAP Live 2005, the game which everyone will definitely be crazed about, as it unveils this coming July 2 at the Blast 4! University Online Consortium kick-off event, namely www.peyups.com, www.atenista.net, www.greenarcher.net, www.ustexchange.com and in cooperation with http://www.pinoyexchange.com, the Philippines' largest online community, at the Club 650 in Libis.

Go head-to-head with your friends, your ka-forum member or people from your rival school as we will be installing monitors and computers in Club 650 for you to be the first ones to experience UAAP Live 2005, the most realistic collegiate basketball game on PC in town, complete with this year’s UAAP rookies!

Control “the Ninja” Joseph Yeo or catquick LA Tenorio as they battle it out against the rest of the teams in the league.

Also, have a nice shootaround and break into a good sweat as Gillette, the popular razor brand, will be having its training ground booth where members can get the chance to win prizes and more.

Gillette will be inviting people to participate in the 1st-ever 2005 Gillette Metro Basketball League (MBL) Vector Cup in line with its search for the 6th man.

Those joining the MBL Vector Cup will automatically qualify for the 6th man promotion. The one lucky and deserving guy to be Gillette’s Sixth Man will receive an endorsement contract from Gillette!

To join, check out www.mblvectorcup.com.

As the Gillette Vector Sixth Man, he will join the illustrious First Five comprising of Enrico Villanueva, Wesley Gonzales, James Yap, Paul Artadi and Rich Alvarez.

Also, get the chance to meet and mingle with new people! During the UAAP games, you might have seen people whom you have a crush on or admire from afar but don’t get the chance to talk to them or mingle with them.

This is then your perfect opportunity!

During the grand eyeball to be held late in the afternoon and early evening, the members of the four schools, aside from those from the other schools as well, can freely interact with one another through various activities that we will be creating. Unmask the personalities behind their alternicks!

The grand EB will be for the different forums' loyal members, many of whom have been posting for years and some who have recently enjoyed the alluring conversations and camaraderie with fellow members in recent months.

To top it off, we will be having performances from bands originating from the four schools come nighttime, namely Tagu Indios, Out of Body Special, Splitcide, 13 Needles, Riptide and more!

The popular band Six-Cycle Mind will make its grand entry and performance after the school bands as they simultaneously usher in a fashion show sponsored by the Chocolate Clothing Company, Morellato jewelry and Gold’s Gym Body Shop featuring the student models, both male and female, coming from the four schools.

And from there, DJs Marco Santos and Paolo Toledo will be spinning during the trance party that will last until the wee hours of the morning.

Also hosted by several courtside reporters, the first-ever Blast 4! event is made possible by Gillette, Greenwich, Morellato jewelry, Technomarine, Nokia, MU Online Gaming, Mag Monitors, Villman Computer Systems, GBX Harbour Footwear, Lipovitan, Speedo, Polaroid, Chikka, E-PLDT Parlance, MPIO MP3 players, the Chocolate Clothing Company and Gold's Gym Body Shop.

Also supported by our media partners, Solar Entertainment, Music Television (MTV), Chalk Magazine, Pulp Magazine, Fudge Magazine, Magic 89.9, K-Lite 103.5 and www.tsikot.com.

Admission is Free.

Arroyo admits election phone call

2005-06-29T02:50:00.000-07:00

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo addressing the nation, 27 June
Mrs Arroyo said she was sorry, but added she would not resign
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has admitted phoning an election official during last year's poll.

In a televised speech on Monday, she apologised for her "lapse of judgement" but denied trying to influence the vote and insisted she would not resign.

Critics said a tape recording of a phone call between a woman sounding like her and an election commissioner was proof she tried to rig the vote.

The political crisis comes as her support has hit an all-time low.

In her national address, Mrs Arroyo did not directly refer to the tape recording, which was released to the media three weeks ago.

But she did say she had spoken to an election commissioner about her share of the vote in the May 2004 poll.

"I was anxious to protect my votes and during that time had conversations with many people, including a Comelec (commission on elections) official," she said.

"My intent was not to influence the outcome of the election and it did not."

The president rejected calls to step down, saying the "outcome had been predicted by every major public opinion poll" and judged to be fair by international observers.

Critics' ammunition

Telephoning an election official during the vote is not illegal in the Philippines, but the opposition is still likely to see it as a clear breach of conduct.

Critics have been calling for Mrs Arroyo's resignation ever since the tape recording surfaced, citing the phone conversation as evidence she tried to rig the election.

Riot police use their shields to push protesters away from Manila's Mendiola bridge near Malacanang Palace as they attempt to hold a rally Monday June 27, 2005
Mrs Arroyo's critics have held protests calling for her resignation

The tape itself has received very close media scrutiny, and part of it has become a hugely popular ring tone on mobile phones.

As the furore rumbled on, a spokesman for Mrs Arroyo suggested the tapes had been doctored but the president herself chose to say nothing until Monday's statement.

In the recording, a woman sounding like the president allegedly asks an election official whether her lead could fall below one million votes.

The official replies that her lead has fallen, but that some wards have still to be counted. The official then says: "We will do our best".

In the event, Mrs Arroyo beat the now-deceased film star Fernando Poe by more than a million votes.

In her address on Monday, the president said she wanted "to close this chapter and move on with the business of governing."

"I want to assure you that I have redoubled my efforts to serve the nation and earn your trust," she told Filipinos.

But that trust may be difficult to regain easily.

In addition to the tape recording controversy, the president also faces separate allegations that members of her family took pay-offs from illegal gambling syndicates.

She is also losing popularity due to the poorly performing Philippine economy, and proposed budget reforms.

link

Unsung Prayer

2005-06-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

A long corridor looms in the dark..
The stench coming from its walls
Smells like dead rotting flesh.

There she stands in the middle,
With arms stretched like open fire
Asking for silver songs to be cast
In poetic opprobrium and cheer.

Vainglorious as she is,
Hers is the yearning of trapped gods
In bodies of drunk men on earth..

Gmail Invites

2005-03-09T04:40:00.000-08:00

i have 50 gmail invites for free. just leave your email addy if you're interested. :)