Random Excerpts from my 2011 Journal
04 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
Some kind of a year-end report, so to speak.
- Unfortunately, writing has made a fugitive out of itself, and is far long gone for almost a year now. (Feb 12, 2011)
- I’m starting to think that Digos was made for leaving. Everyone just passed me by. (Feb 24, 2011)
- Sometimes I have this urge to pull off a Jay Gatsby and just go away to find myself. (Mar 01, 2011)
- In two year’s time I should be changing careers. I don’t want to stay like this in the long run. It’s true, I want to More
Mythmaking Today?
11 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
Mythology has always incited to its readers a sense of wonder and freedom to explore their own imagination. Myths are widely interpreted as reflections of the ideas and beliefs of a particular culture. Interesting details about such “indigenous lore” have fueled folklorists, anthropologists and researchers to continuously collect, classify and analyze these materials. If we were to consider that myths and other folklore materials are included in the rich oral tradition predating the colonization period, then we might as well safely assumed that the subject concerned are likely to be More
Linguistic Competence and Literary Competence
11 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
If we were to consider that literature can only be appreciated only if one understood it, then linguistic competence becomes a prerequisite for literary competence. The student’s ability to infer is greatly influenced by his or her proficiency in the language. Language is the premier medium in literature and if one lacked the proficiency in the former, then the latter might appear almost inaccessible to the reader.
There are many reasons as to why linguistic competence becomes significant in gaining literary competence. The most obvious one is the fact that language is a medium of understanding. Some works of literature require a certain level of proficiency that limits only a number of audiences. If you have successfully More
Thoughts on Revision
04 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
The first drafts I wrote were really terrible, pretty rough works that reeked of grammatical errors and loose ends that needed cleaning up, some gaping holes left unexplored, and a couple of flat characters. The very act of writing the stories was less daunting than revising them; confronting the stories for revision carries a much conscious responsibility – in steering the plot or fine-tuning the characters to create a certain kind of depth. Yet amidst all these editing woes, revising the stories can be as pleasurable as writing them. The American short story writer and novelist Bernard Malamud once said in his lecture delivered in Bennington College entitled Reflections of a Writer that “Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing.” True enough, sometimes it gets me excited when I come across symbols and metaphors, and I’d tell myself, “Hmmm, I didn’t notice this before,” and then it makes me enthusiastic to develop a certain angle from which the readers can latch upon based on that guiding light, that consciousness.
To fine-tune a certain character is also an exciting activity – I get to know a lot more of this character as if he/she were a former friend, slowly revealed to me in full recognition through revision.
Sometimes my characters had their own ways of escaping the capricious plans I laid out for them, and so they set out a new story for me. This is a good thing that can happen to a writer, surprisingly so, when I realized that a story can engender another story.
A Car Noob’s Ideal Car
29 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
I don’t own a car nor do I know how to ride one but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have my own notions for an ideal car. I don’t know if the point of view of someone like me (someone clueless about cars, More
Leaving Kanchanaburi
07 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in poetry Tags: kanchanaburi
Kanchanaburi, province bearing a lovely name I have not forgotten you, not that easily I have your map tucked inside my mind for I have imagined you waiting for me countless times. You remember me leaving, boarding that train the third-class clickety-clack train snaking its way out from the depths of your fragile province. Raindrops helplessly clinging on the train window Lotuses frantically moving upon the rain's coming, and as the train pulls into a halt, station after station, ominous sounds of wheels brushing past the railway called me back in a strange language and I had no voice on my own no hasty, curt reply to say goodbye. Kanchanaburi, I watched you with love as I left you in the gray hours to meet Bangkok's setting sun yellow and attenuated.
Short Book Review: I Me Mine by George Harrison
04 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in current waves Tags: autobiography, george harrison, i me mine
Book Cover of "I Me Mine"
To an inveterate George Harrison fan, this book is precious.
The “autobiography” part does not tell much about the highlights of George Harrison’s life (why there’s not much exploration on his relationships with Pattie Boyd, Eric Clapton, Dhani Harrison, Olivia Harrison and even the rest of the Beatles!) but there are interesting brief accounts on band tours and Harrison’s quest on spiritual enlightenment.
The bulk of the book is primarily due to the inclusion of George Harrison’s handwritten song lyrics and photos. Gotta love the rough drafts of lyric sheets filled with notes and illustrations!
Favorite Writers
04 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
I am not a voracious reader, I am picky when it comes to books. Usually I read books if they are highly recommended but I don’t go around reading all kinds of books anytime of the day. When I was in grade school I was encouraged to read books, but when I got hooked into reading (being able to use my school library card and all) my parents would be worried of what I’ve been reading. Even though they didn’t bluntly say “Don’t read that kind of book!” young as I was, I knew back then that there was more in those “You know, you should read the encyclopedia rather than these books” (by these I mean, romance novels and pocketbooks), or my sisters would say, “You should read the classics.” My father would leaf through the pages of the books I borrowed from the library, as if trying to dissect what’s the story’s all about just by flipping the pages. Then he would say, “Tell me about that book after you read it.”
If writers assert that writing often improves with age, I think so does reading. I didn’t appreciate More
From Davao to Bangkok: Day 02
24 May 2011 Leave a Comment
in it's my thing, outside there Tags: david lean, pierre boulle, thailand, the bridge on the river kwai, the bridge over the river kwai, travel diary
I have broken the sanctity of my entire trip, which was originally planned to be a “Thoreauvian escape”, by constantly checking my online accounts. I had just traveled an appromixately 2,300 miles from Davao City to Bangkok, with an intermediate noon flight stop in Manila in between.
The intention was to ultimately free myself from the stress of work but the internet has become so indispensable that by the time I arrived in my destination all I ever had in my mind was to come in contact with my boss and still continue working on some of the tasks.
So in the next few days I would have to oscillate between having fun touring around the place and working under pressure at the same time.
For as long as in the end I’d get to cross the River Kwai, I wouldn’t have to make such a great deal out of this. Two years ago, I have read Pierre Boulle’s novel The Bridge Over the River Kwai and subsequently watched its 1957 film adaptation (“The Bridge On The River Kwai”) directed by the infamous David Lean, and felt that the grandeur of the story, as shown both in the novel and film, was both overwhelming and transcendent.
From then on, I promised myself that the only thing left to do is to visit that historical railway.
There are times when suddenly you realize you’re nearer the end than the beginning. And you wonder, you ask yourself, what the sum total of your life represents.
- The Bridge on The River Kwai (1957)
Living in the Material World: George Harrison
05 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
in current waves Tags: cannes, documentary, george harrison, john lennon, living in the material world, living in the material world: george harrison, martin scorsese, paul mccartney, ringo starr, the beatles
George Harrison. rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and the lead guitarist of The Beatles
I just found out that Martin Scorsese, my most favorite film director, is set to release his 2011 documentary entitled “Living in the Material World: George Harrison”, a film account that tackles the life of George Harrison.
Harrison
As you may know, George Harrison is a rock guitarist and one of the well-acclaimed singer-songwriters the music industry ever had. But George Harrison is reputably more popular as the leading guitarist of the English rock band, The Beatles. He is known as “the quiet Beatle.” Some of the popular Beatles songs that he composed included Within You Without You, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, I Me Mine, Blue Jay Way, Something, and my personal favorite (and the ultimate cheer-up song) Here Comes the Sun. His songs are heavily imbued with mysticism (as influenced by Hindu practices).
Scorsese
Martin Scorsese, on the other hand, is a celebrated film director, actor, producer, screen writer and film historian. Scorsese is infamous for his dark-themed films like “Taxi Driver”, “Goodfellas”, “Raging Bull”, “The Departed” and many more. He’s also well recognized for his documentaries which include “No Direction Home” that recounted the life of the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Actually, he’s my most favorite film director – I’m on a Scorsese binge right now, trying to watch all his films.
As I am a fan of both Scorsese and The Beatles, this upcoming film documentary is something to look forward to this year. I heard it’s slated to be released in the illustrious Cannes Film Festival. Fast forward to May please!
The title of the documentary is obviously taken from George Harrison’s solo album entitled “Living in the Material World” released in 1973.
Here's George Harrison winking at you
From left: Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Star and John Lennon
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