Still Asleep, Eh?

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Aside from getting busy with my Multiply account, our internet connection hasn’t been too friendly – in fact, not friendly at all – for the last few days. Blame global warming! Hahaha. Seriously.

So here I am, about to share one of my write-ups last semester. And just a random thought: Why are English classes - not the subject - so boring?! Well, at least for me. (:

A LESSON FOR THE UNAWAKE

 I cannot begin to express how saddened I am with the story of Mariannet Amper’s struggle with life’s harsh realities – a story that clearly had no trace of happy endings. To have concluded a life of twelve painful years without as much as a dream come true nor hopes for a better tomorrow is tragedy in its ugliest form.

Surely enough, Mariannet’s self-inflicted death has caught the attention of this country’s blind, deaf and mute citizens. Yes, it took that much just to make us realize the severity of our country’s poverty situation. And the truth is, the now lifeless Mariannet isn’t the only picture painted for us. I mean, how many homeless individuals sleep on the streets? How many out-of-school youth have chosen to beg for a living? How many crimes have been desperately committed on account of kahirapan? Indeed, Mariannet is but one of the many who have been screaming for our attention all along. It just so happened that her tragic story was made public.

And along with this publicizing goes the people, especially the government, who now rush to provide for the family that Mariannet left behind. Irony? A cruel joke? Or is this the way we have chosen to apologize for the suicide that we have unconsciously taken part of? 

Maybe 12 year-old Mariannet Amper’s decision of giving up life was set for a reason – to remind us to be grateful about the blessings we have. And if in this sudden state of gratitude we find ourselves determined to help make life better for others, who knows how many Mariannets we could save?

This was a reaction-slash-journal entry on Conrado De Quiros’s Philippine Daily Inquirer column that I had to make for my Basic Communication 12 (Essay Writing) class last sem. It obviously talks about Mariannet Amper. Remember? The 12 year-old girl who committed (Lord, I hate to say this next word) suicide because of poverty?

Oh, yes. We’ve talked about Mariannet for days, weeks even. The thought of an elementary-level child’s self-inflicted death shocked us so much that I bet some of us had trouble sleeping the first night we heard the news (I know I did). Didn’t we go running to shower her family with cash, grants, promises, and all sorts of abuloy? Didn’t we say, explicitly or not, that we would be doing our best to wake up from a stupor that got so used to poverty?

And why am I talking about her now after n months? (May her soul rest in peace.) Because the very people who felt that they learned something out of her story are also the very ones trying to get ahead of each other in this new crisis we’re facing. For the last couple of days, I’ve seen and heard people complain of how their "mas may kayang" fellowmen hog all the NFA rice for their own. Some rice dealers cheat customers by overpricing and “renaming” NFA rice as commercial. Why, around here I know of a store that sells a kilo of NFA rice for 29 pesos. 29 pesos for a kilo of rice that you as a dealer buy for only 18.50! Everyone’s getting desperate, I can tell. But cheating and taking advantage of such a crisis is another story. We have woken up, alright. With our inner greed.

I’m not one to say or know a lot about the issues that this country is facing. But I know for certain that in these times of despair, we should be humbling ourselves more and think of the one time we got inspired to move forward without pushing others back or selfishly racing ahead on our own. We owe Mariannet that promise fulfilled. Let’s not take away another child’s life because of hopelessness, hunger, and poverty. Cooperation, equality, respect, a voice for means rather than complaints, a hand for helping rather than pushing, a mind that works for the benefit of many, a heart that trusts in the Omnipotent – we’ll not save only one child, we’ll save a nation.

P.S. Sinumbong na namin ni Daddy sa NFA yung overpricing dealer. Dun rin naman kasi nagtatrabaho erpats ko eh. (:

Tag #1.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Tagged by Herah. =)

10 things that start with the letter T.

 

Television. Oh c’mon. We’re living in 2008. There’s a 0.005 chance that you won’t put this on top of your list. Aminin. =P

Tea. My mom made me drink ginger tea the other day. Gag. But I remember a health article I read in Newsweek Asia a long time ago about this effective (and fast!) diet. You simply have to drink ginger tea instead of taking a heavy meal, say, dinner. Research niyo na lang for more info. Hehe. =)

Teddy Bear. From now on, I’ll be sleeping with my anak, Bear the teddy alone. No more other stuffed toys in my bed. Awww. =(

Toothbrush. The sked for changing my toothbrush was last month. It’s already May and I still haven’t bought a new one. Haha. Sus, toothbrush lang yan. Relaaaks, bunganga ko naman eh, di senyo. Hahaha. =DD

Tissue. Ever since I stepped onto college, I’ve lost my habit of bringing hankies and settled for pocket tissue packs instead. Come to think of it, maybe that’s one of the reasons why I finally got rid of pimples. Makes sense?

Tumblers. I was one of those kids who were made to bring packed lunches at school (of which I am thankful for. Thank you, Mama and Daddy!). And along with that, I also bring my trusty pink tumbler. I actually have a lot of those in different sizes and colors which I "match with the occasion" (e.g. My ultra cool turbo tumbler is only used when hiking). Haha. I miss those kid stuff.

Test Papers. Wait! Did I just think of school in the middle of my summer vacation? I am such a nerd.

Tennis Shoes. I remember wearing tennis shoes in one of our basketball games last intrams just because it looked good with our jerseys. I got to realize how stupid that was when I was already playing on court, at the same time praying that I wouldn’t trip while running. And I didn’t trip, thank GOD. But I promise not to use those shoes for basketball ever again. Teehee. =)

Thermometer. One of the reasons why I "enjoy" being sick is having to check my temperature. I love thermometers on me! Hahaha. And while I’m being checked, I secretly "command" my body to increase its temperature just so I could declare "Fever!". (Disturbing, eh?) It never worked. But it will someday. =P

Tickets. I have ticket obsession. Seriously. I collect all sorts of tickets and passes — entrance, concert, plane, bus, boat, even non-winning raffle tickets! Even comfort room tickets! It’s official, I’ll grow old and die alone. Hahaha. =))

 

P.S. I’m tagging anyone who wants to be tagged. Name 10 things that start with, uh, F. =)

P.P.S. More tag stuff soon. =)

I Tried Being Honest…

Friday, May 2, 2008

You stay up past midnight in front of your computer, doing your “project”. Then Michelle Branch’s One of These Days starts to play. It’s not really the song of your life, but there is something about it that you find sad. No, you refuse to use the word “sad” on this one. There are thousands of adjectives out there, you say. So you think of a better, much accurate term. You couldn’t find any so you settle for “weird” instead. The song sounds weird. Yes, that’s it.

You go back to searching, clicking, copying, pasting, and saving. In the middle of the job, you begin to snicker and shake your head. Something’s terribly funny. You are now laughing uncontrollably, still clicking on instinct, still shaking your head. The words “pathetic”, “stupid”, and “sorry” endlessly run through your brain, making you laugh all the more. You are so occupied with this that you fail to notice the first teardrop rolling down your cheek. In fact, you also fail to notice the ones after that.

Laughing and crying at the same time is hard, so you stop working. You are now talking to yourself and to some other person who’s not even there. The three words in your head roll off your tongue in sentences that begin with “Wow, I’m…” It’s so brutally funny, you decide, so you go and laugh some more.

Your first attempt to wipe your already wet face shocks you. Suddenly, it’s no longer as humorous as it seems. The floor… you have to sit on the floor. And there you are now, hugging your knees. You utter incomprehensible things in mixed languages. It’s difficult to breathe with all that crying, your chest aches so much that you begin to get scared. You just shrug the thought off. The worst has already happened anyway.

You stay locked in that position for a long time. Oh, yes, you’ve tried, but discovered that each movement of your muscles hurts you more. You surrender; your hands no longer have their usual strength and warmth. No longer sobbing, you have resolved back to silent tears. That’s when you pay attention to every detail of pain, longing, and love in your system. You begin to form this narrative in your head because you realized you want to share this moment with someone – anyone – even if they wouldn’t really care or understand. It’s the next best thing, you think.

Before you know it, you’re on your feet and back in front of the computer. You’re typing your story, hoping that he would or wouldn’t come across it. Then you take a pause. You realize that the whole process is starting all over again. So you just stop here.