Callused Many versus the Moisturized Few.

              For the past few weeks, i've been exposed to the world of hardworking people, to the world of construction workers. It is very evident how hard that job is, however, it'll get even harder when you think of how small they are getting from it.

            They start working at 8 am, pagbuhat, pagpala, pagtibag, paghalo, pagpukpok, paghukay, pagakyat, pagbaba. These  are the things they do to earn 290 pesos a day. A bit surprising again, i thought the minimum wage in NCR is about 400 pesos, and i thought that when you say minimum, that's the least you can have. However, i was wrong.

            Seeing these people work, not minding the sweat flowing anywhere around their face and body, not minding the dirt and insects around them, not minding the heat of the sun, or the droplets of rain, and even both at the same time, not minding the risk they're taking, and not minding the amount of money they're getting, as long as they would have something to give to their wives back home. I definitely salute them.

        
           Now, to talk about the world of few rich people is a bit easy. And to speak specifically, let's have the oh-so-great-politicians. I don't know how much a senator, or a vice-president or a president is having every month in a legal manner(state below if you know), however, i know, we know, how big they can get if they go on the under the table process. I don't want to generalize them, for i still, somewhere, somehow trust few of them, however, i would like to point out the majority. It's very dismaying and agitating how these few people is using the money of filipino people in a selfish and luxurious manner.
      
          I know this is a very old issue, but see, this very old issue is still very rampant today. Why? Same names in politics, same names we vote. And with that, what do you expect for the days to come?
      
           Someday i hope, Filipino people would realize what is really the problem in the Philippines. And consequently, take the right actions to solve it. And i hope, that that someday i am hoping... is soon.


#NoMatterWhatI'mStillAFilipino,PartOfTheFilipinoPeople

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Little things aren't little

               We have this documentary project on my class, Philippine Political Conditions, and my group had decided to focus on street children. Last sunday, August 14, we had our first official shooting day. We started walking along UST to FEU to Recto and to Quiapo, however, we didn't have the luck to find street children. We actually thought, we can't make it that day. But we continued walking. When all of us got a little tired, thirsty and hungry, we've decided to take our lunch. We went to Mcdonald's, and surprisingly, there was a little boy, singing (rapping, actually) infront of it. With just one look, we knew, he is what we're looking for.
               His name is Daniel, he's mother is at Moriones, his father is at Baseco, and his grandparents were at Valenzuela, and that's where he came from. Just so you know, i am from Valenzuela, and the place he was referring to is just few blocks away from my school before. For four years, i can say, that i've always been there, but i never saw him. He was thirteen years old, and his height is obviously not proportional to his age.
               He has been there wandering around Sta. Cruz for a long time now. He said he will just go back to Valenzuela when he finally have money, which i find quite impossible. Yes he's having money yet he has never been able to save a few.
              There are things i still wanted to share, however, i'll save it for now.

             T'was a great experience. I've been to a new world, i can say. And somehow, they've touched my heart, our hearts. One heartbreaking thing i heard, was "mamimiss namin kayo, kayo lng kasi yung mabait samin e.." The feeling was superb when i heard those lines, coming from a child whose longing for care and good life. Those many "salamat po a, salamat ate ha" was another thing. It made me feel like i've done such a big good thing. Even for a short period of time, we were able to make someone happy. And somewhere, somehow, they've also made us reflect and value all the things we have. Material things, and most of all, family.
          I can say that this would be one of the few things i would always cherish and reflect with.
          Little things aren't really little. Sometimes, it's the biggest and best things to have, to feel and to give.


Desh,
whose life was touched
and whose mind setting was changed.



*Pictures are to be followed

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"You really do have worth"

      
          I found this poem from the blog of an intelligent person i know. He is my professor. As i read his introduction for this poem, i thought that the poem is somehow puzzling or even enigmatic. But i was wrong. It was written in a very simple way yet it is a  meaningful and awakening one.

Plant Your Own Garden

After a while you learn the difference,
Subtle difference,
Between holding a hand and
Chaining a soul.

You learn that love
Doesn’t mean leaning and
Company doesn’t mean security.

You begin to learn
That kisses aren’t contracts and
Presents aren’t promises.

You begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open,
With the grace of an adult,
Not the grief of a child.

You learn to build
All your roads on today
Because tomorrow’s ground
Is too uncertain for plans.

After a while you learn
That even sunshine burns
If you get too much.

So you plant your own garden and
Decorate your own soul
Instead of waiting
For someone to bring you flowers.

You learn
That you really can endure.
That you really are strong.
You really do have worth.

Author Unknown

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Plato

Plato is one of the well-known philosophers. He is a student of Socrates and the founder of the first college, the Academy. He is known for his writings such as the Statesman, the Laws and a number of dialogues including the most famous the Republic.

            The Republic is a book about politics and deals with the central problem of how to live a good life. It answered the questions such as what is justice in the State, what is an ideal State and what is a just individual.

            The “Allegory of the Cave” represents the human condition. It gives the view that most human beings are ignorant of the truth or reality, but still, people will have the ability to discover this universal truth through proper teaching. A State needs good men, and what makes up a good and proper life is the learning of the truth of reality. A person that is covered with darkness and fallacious teachings of reality is a prisoner of the world, a person living in unhappy life. But when this person interacts with the truth and understand what the good is, he or she will become good as well. It is very evident that people of today can be influenced so easily with the extravagance of life in the same way that Plato believed how easy a man can be good. And this I find not so true, because, if things are as easy as that, then the world today shouldn’t be how it is. But at some point, he believed that most people remain in darkness, or in the state of ignorance. Then maybe, people of today are still in that state. And all we have to do is wake up and try to take off that darkness that surrounds us.

            It is said that the one to rule the state must be the best. Then, Plato’s ideal State is an aristocracy. He believed that the best and brightest people are very few and rarefied group. At some point, this must be true, for the best and the brightest really know what to do, but at some extent, the word brightest might not include the sense of wisdom. These best and brightest might not know what is right from wrong, and so, we still can’t achive that Just State. He believed that an individual is courageous if his or her spirit is courageous and an individual is wise if his or her intellect is wise. In this I know, most people would agree.

            Theory of Forms identifies the levels of reality and metaphysical functions that Plato believed must exist. And these notion of levels of reality and human faculties is actually considered as a strength of the theory. He was able to explain the difference between the mind’s eye and the body’s eye in such a way that readers will understand how world of forms is so much different from the world of appearances which is merely just an artificial view of the world. However, in this theory, Plato gives the notion “the reason”, that the reason is a higher faculty than intellect. But the Theory of Forms itself is just a hypothesis which is conceptualize through his intellect. This notion was considered crucial in understanding Plato, for he showed contradicting ideas.

            Plato was accountable for a number of philosophies, with own strengths and own weaknesses, however it remains to the people what and what not to believe, for each of us have our own set of principles and beliefs.

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Aristotle

         Aristotle is known as the brilliant student of Plato and tutor of Alexander the Great.  He is also known for establishing his own school named Lyceum. And he is also accountable for the saying “Man by nature is a political animal”.

             He is said to have embraced Plato’s position, however, his Telos differ or somehow contrasted Plato’s Telos. Aristotle’s telos is immanent, internal and inherent. He believed that everything is teleological, everything has their own purpose. For example, a paper, its purpose is for writing or for wrapping. At some point, I thought of opposing Aristotle’s philosophy, because before I have always asked my mom why God created things of no use, like ants, flies, mosquitoes, and cockroaches. But when I knew that there’s this one person who believed that everything has a purpose, I tried to think again. However, I still don’t know the specific purpose of those four I mentioned, but I have this theory that maybe, their purpose is not associable to humans, and maybe their purpose is simply just within themselves. This relates me to the next philosophy of Aristotle, the nature of man.

Aristotle believed that there are three types of soul, vegetative soul, sensitive soul and human soul. He believed that what distinguishes man from plants and animals is our capacity to reason out and that man by nature is a political animal. Every man really can reason things out, however, I believe that not all man can reason out well.

         He also believed that the ergon of man is to use his reason to have a happy life. However, there is also such thing as truly happy life which can only be attain if one uses his reason well.

Aristotle also believed that women should follow what men dictates and women must be submissive to men. As a person, or should I say as a woman, its more on I must disagree. Well at first, yes, I thought of opposing his statement, for I believe in gender equality. Nevertheless, I could not ignore the fact that men really are stronger than women, both physically and emotionally. However again, I personally believe that women are nicer than men, women are less cruel than men and that women are careful than men. In reality, we can easily notice how men dominate the highest positions in the government, from the president, to the vice president to the senators and even up to the congressmen.

            He believed that a household consists of a man, a woman a child and a slave. Maybe he is coming from a general perspective, for in reality, not all household has a slave. However, even a slave is not present, there will still be one in the household that will rule and be ruled.

He believed that ethics can be link to politics and that there is a relationship between man and state. He believed that men can only live a truly happy life in the context of polity, and this I also support. For I believe that there is always a need of peace and order, and to achieve peace and order there is a need for someone who can rule.

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Bothered.

Yes. I am damn tired.

Mostly because of school things. 

News report every week. Reading sets every week. Quizzes every week. Recitations every week. 

No week has passed without me exhausted.

Well, that's how really a student should be.

But i am doing this, not because i just have to.

I am studying this hard, because i am looking forward for a favorable outcome.

Because this is what i want for myself.

But the sadder part is, i am not seeing myself into that "favorable outcome". 

I am depriving myself even from sleeping just to study my lessons, yet, i am not getting the results that i want. It's not that i'm failing. But this is really not the result i am expecting to have.

Exam results are fine. Just fine.

But what i want is not just fine.

Well i guess, i have to strive more. Study more. Listen more. Read more. Learn more.

I never thought things would be this hard. 

You might think i am overreacting. But this is really how i feel.

Maybe because, i am not prepared enough, i am not intelligent enough. 

But i am not taking that negatively. 

For that's the truth.

And i am very much willing to improve myself. 

Through these hardships i am facing.

And through my strict, demanding but intelligent Professors.

I will use this time i have with them. 

By learning all things they could share.

I believe i am being non-sense if not sentimental.

I just really have to express how i feel and help myself feel better.

By looking and accepting not-so-good things positively with full spirit and enthusiasm. 

#ICANDOTHIS.

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