1. What I dislike about myself? Very long patience, very cool temper, very sharp memory
2. What I’m good at? Dancing
3. Favorite room at home? Bedroom. I love to sleep.
4. Worst thing parents can do to their children? Blame the children for their personal hardships!!!
5. Favorite time of the day? Dismissal or sleep time. Haha!
6. Describe a dull evening: No good music on the radio, no textmate, no cellphone load
7. How to treat meddlesome people? Ignore. Deadma.
8. What am i optimistic about? I can do what i’m supposed to do.
9. What am i pessimistic about? I might not have a boyfriend.
10. Indispensable object for me: Radio/MP4 and cellphone
11. Best birthday present: Surprise attendance of someone special in a dance concert where I was part of.
12. Best birthday present I could receive? True love
13. What makes me angry? People meddling with my life as if they know everything about me and people who don’t respect my personal decisions. Grrrr....
14. Best advice: “The worst person in the world is a quitter.” –Tyra Banks
15. Favorite day: Sunday
16. What makes your best friend your best friend? He is not fake. He’s real.
17. What makes you feel safe? Home.
18. What makes you laugh? Shallow jokes. Ahahahahaha!
19. Invention i would make if i can: Instant money bank for everyone
20. What can you give as a gift for your family? I’ll do them favors at home for a day.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Simile Chronicles
1. "Pampakulay ka ng paligid! Tila may bulaklak na namumukadkad sa tuwing tatawa ka. :)" --Jesus Jake Estadilla, my bff
2. "I love you like a fat boy loves vegetables and Krispy Kreme." --Robin Sanchez, my hoodie
3. "Can you be my umbrella?" --Joseph Anderson Dayao, ex-crush
Hahaha! From an umbrella, I became a vegetable, a donut, and a flower.
But what better simile can be attributed to me than the simile of the turtle? Oh yeah!
2. "I love you like a fat boy loves vegetables and Krispy Kreme." --Robin Sanchez, my hoodie
3. "Can you be my umbrella?" --Joseph Anderson Dayao, ex-crush
Hahaha! From an umbrella, I became a vegetable, a donut, and a flower.
But what better simile can be attributed to me than the simile of the turtle? Oh yeah!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Standing Up, Watching “Up,” Going Up
I was with my mother when I watched Up at SM Marikina last Monday September 7, 2009. It was the first time that my mother and I went to see a movie all by ourselves. Well, she could have let me watch the movie alone but she still went with me. Mother stood up for me again at that time. She stood up for me when we watched “Up.”
Months before Up was shown in cinemas here in the country, I have seen its clips from an appliance store in Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall. I was delighted with the little kid (Russell) because he looked like one of my friends. Among all the clips that were shown on every television display, it was the television that showed Up which I could not take my eyes of. Now I know why it was sticky to my eyes.
There was mother and I with our 3D glasses on waiting for the movie and we sat beside an old couple, I think. When the movie was showing and mother and I would react, I noticed the old woman beside mother looking at us as if delighted with our reactions. After the movie, mother told me she noticed that too. Well, maybe they were really delighted with us just like how Carl felt delighted with Russel in the latter part of the movie or Russel getting delighted with the talking dog and Kevin, the bird.
I thought the movie was just one of the animated movies I saw. But instead of more laughter, the movie moved me and mother into more tears. The life story of Carl and Ellie when they got married, they spent time together in the house and with the kids in the village, they gazed at the clouds with the special formation of the turtle that I love, they found out that they could not have children, until when Ellie died, all these made the rain come out of my eyes. Good thing the tears did not cloud my 3D glasses.
Carl and Ellie’s story was tragic but it also portrays a lot of happiness. Most of the time, when a husband finds out that his wife is sick of some sort and won’t have children, he tends to leave the wife. But to Ellie’s dying days and beyond, Carl remained faithful to her and even succeeded in fulfilling her long time adventure plan and that is to situate their house in the Paradise Falls in South America. But in fulfilling this dream, he realized that going there could not have been his only journey all along and that it would not have been what Ellie wanted him to do for himself. As an old man, Carl took away the stinginess in him and realized another adventure he could endeavour into and that is with this kid Russell who wishes for the “helping the elderly” badge and has accidentally been stowed away when Carl set his house up in the sky with balloons.
Russell’s story touched me as well. He may look like some kind of wacky kid who insists on something he likes from an elderly. But when he camped out with Carl, Kevin, and the talking dog on their way to Paradise Falls, his story was revealed. Just like me, Russell’s father does not come home to them. Fulfilling that last badge would mean something to him because his father could pin the badge for him. This situation is similar to that of For One More Day. A child tries to be someone to please his father. But reality bites. Sometimes, what we wish for would not come true but other people are sent to us as alternatives or even more instead of those we wish for. We just have to be contented and thankful. Russell might not want the last badge anymore because Carl has let Kevin be abducted by the supposed to be role model icon that Carl and Ellie idolized but in the end he still gets it even without his father pinning it to him. Nonetheless, there was the old Carl who stood up like a father for him and gave him even more what he expected. If I would be Russell, I think I would be very fulfilled with all the achievements and adventures I’ve been through with this old man. The badges would mean nothing in the first place. Having saved Kevin and all the dogs from cruelty would already suffice his being a true wilderness explorer.
How I wish I could find the Carl in my life. The first Carl would take care of me as a daughter more than what my true father has done and the second Carl would love me and remain faithful to me until death separates us. How I wish those kinds of people still exist. Maybe that is the adventure I’m yet to go through. Why not? I’m life’s wilderness explorer!
So what have I learned with all the connections this movie has revealed to me? Well, I have learned that in achieving something, there would really be sacrifices. You wouldn’t get hold of something when you don’t know how to let go. Carl wouldn’t have saved more lives if he stuck into pulling his house with him. It was his letting go that made him achieve something bigger. Life is an adventure and we do it for people and for ourselves. Just like what Ms. Annabella Santos-Wisniewski of the Discovery Suites said, “It’s always an uphill battle. Keep on climbing.” Indeed, if we never stop trying and doing the things we do, our only way is up.
Mother stood up for me and the omens were realized. I could relate so much with the movie and I pray that the old couple sitting beside us would be just like Carl and Ellie. It might have been another animated 3D movie but why have I filled three pages of review, reflection, and reaction if it meant nothing? Let us all climb our skies and we’ll see each other up there!
--September 8, 2009
Months before Up was shown in cinemas here in the country, I have seen its clips from an appliance store in Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall. I was delighted with the little kid (Russell) because he looked like one of my friends. Among all the clips that were shown on every television display, it was the television that showed Up which I could not take my eyes of. Now I know why it was sticky to my eyes.
There was mother and I with our 3D glasses on waiting for the movie and we sat beside an old couple, I think. When the movie was showing and mother and I would react, I noticed the old woman beside mother looking at us as if delighted with our reactions. After the movie, mother told me she noticed that too. Well, maybe they were really delighted with us just like how Carl felt delighted with Russel in the latter part of the movie or Russel getting delighted with the talking dog and Kevin, the bird.
I thought the movie was just one of the animated movies I saw. But instead of more laughter, the movie moved me and mother into more tears. The life story of Carl and Ellie when they got married, they spent time together in the house and with the kids in the village, they gazed at the clouds with the special formation of the turtle that I love, they found out that they could not have children, until when Ellie died, all these made the rain come out of my eyes. Good thing the tears did not cloud my 3D glasses.
Carl and Ellie’s story was tragic but it also portrays a lot of happiness. Most of the time, when a husband finds out that his wife is sick of some sort and won’t have children, he tends to leave the wife. But to Ellie’s dying days and beyond, Carl remained faithful to her and even succeeded in fulfilling her long time adventure plan and that is to situate their house in the Paradise Falls in South America. But in fulfilling this dream, he realized that going there could not have been his only journey all along and that it would not have been what Ellie wanted him to do for himself. As an old man, Carl took away the stinginess in him and realized another adventure he could endeavour into and that is with this kid Russell who wishes for the “helping the elderly” badge and has accidentally been stowed away when Carl set his house up in the sky with balloons.
Russell’s story touched me as well. He may look like some kind of wacky kid who insists on something he likes from an elderly. But when he camped out with Carl, Kevin, and the talking dog on their way to Paradise Falls, his story was revealed. Just like me, Russell’s father does not come home to them. Fulfilling that last badge would mean something to him because his father could pin the badge for him. This situation is similar to that of For One More Day. A child tries to be someone to please his father. But reality bites. Sometimes, what we wish for would not come true but other people are sent to us as alternatives or even more instead of those we wish for. We just have to be contented and thankful. Russell might not want the last badge anymore because Carl has let Kevin be abducted by the supposed to be role model icon that Carl and Ellie idolized but in the end he still gets it even without his father pinning it to him. Nonetheless, there was the old Carl who stood up like a father for him and gave him even more what he expected. If I would be Russell, I think I would be very fulfilled with all the achievements and adventures I’ve been through with this old man. The badges would mean nothing in the first place. Having saved Kevin and all the dogs from cruelty would already suffice his being a true wilderness explorer.
How I wish I could find the Carl in my life. The first Carl would take care of me as a daughter more than what my true father has done and the second Carl would love me and remain faithful to me until death separates us. How I wish those kinds of people still exist. Maybe that is the adventure I’m yet to go through. Why not? I’m life’s wilderness explorer!
So what have I learned with all the connections this movie has revealed to me? Well, I have learned that in achieving something, there would really be sacrifices. You wouldn’t get hold of something when you don’t know how to let go. Carl wouldn’t have saved more lives if he stuck into pulling his house with him. It was his letting go that made him achieve something bigger. Life is an adventure and we do it for people and for ourselves. Just like what Ms. Annabella Santos-Wisniewski of the Discovery Suites said, “It’s always an uphill battle. Keep on climbing.” Indeed, if we never stop trying and doing the things we do, our only way is up.
Mother stood up for me and the omens were realized. I could relate so much with the movie and I pray that the old couple sitting beside us would be just like Carl and Ellie. It might have been another animated 3D movie but why have I filled three pages of review, reflection, and reaction if it meant nothing? Let us all climb our skies and we’ll see each other up there!
--September 8, 2009
The Simple Manifestation of Faith: Ms. Anna Encila
♥I believe in God♥ (without God life makes no sense)
Above is one of this young lady’s entries in the “About Me” column in her Friendster profile. More than the obvious excessive interest in the Twilight saga reflected by the layout and contents of that profile, this was the statement that struck me most. She simply put it in one statement. It had no explanations or whatsoever. That’s just it. She believes in God. Without God, her life makes no sense. Her Friendster layout might prove her interest in Twilight, but her kindness and simplicity prove her faith. That’s Ms. Anna Chiara Eliza D. Encila, a project staff in the Special Projects office.
Ms. Anna was born on March 10, 1986. Her mother worked as a clerk in the city hall of Quezon City and her father was the one taking care of her and her elder sister. Her father died when she was 18 due to emphysema and she shared to me in the interview that she and her father were really close. Her elder sister now has a family of her own and her mother is her only companion at home.
A graduate of Management in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Ms. Anna landed her first job as an office secretary in the Ateneo de Manila University. It was during the time when new faces started to arise in the College of Education office of Miriam College where I work as a scholar when Ms. Anna set foot on Miriam College. Ms. Myra David, the secretary, had a maternity leave and it was Ms. Anna who took over temporarily. She started working in the College of Ed office last December 2008. When Ms. Myra came back, she was transferred to Special Projects. A big part of my second semester work was under Ms. Anna’s supervision and I can say that she really is a very good person.
My interview with her explained it all. It was last year when she became a member of Singles for Christ in their parish and this has been her endeavour during Saturdays and Sundays when she’s not working. She said that being in the organization made her establish a relationship with God and she admitted that it was a life-changing experience. From just a person who just prays, she was now transformed into someone who can control doing bad things and be responsible of her actions. I believe that this is the best thing about her faith. It is reflected through her actions and I myself have witnessed it.
She described the Miriam College students as OK and that they have discipline. Her message for the Miriam students is for them to study hard and be responsible. Among the spots in Miriam, it is the Mini Forest which she loves the most. And from her not so long stay in Miriam, it was the Christmas party of 2008 that is the most unforgettable to her because President Patricia Licuanan came to party with them.
Other than blue as her favourite color and spaghetti as her favourite food, Ms. Anna likes pop music and adores David Archuleta. I remember giggling with her in the College of Ed office while we talk about stars like Robert Pattinson, the band Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, etc.
Ms. Fides San Buenaventura, Ms. Anna’s fellow project staff in the Special Projects office, was also there during the interview and from her I found out that Ms. Anna dreams of going abroad. She would always spot Ms. Anna checking out job opportunities abroad online. She said that Ms. Anna is a kind, jolly, and friendly person. She also said that Ms. Ann comes the earliest among the people in the office. She advises Ms. Anna that if going abroad is really for her, the right time will come. I wish luck for Ms. Anna as well.
Ms. Anna is still single and she admits that she has NBSB or no boyfriend since birth. But still, among her future plans is to have a family of her own in five to six years.
Ms. Anna, in her simplicity, is truly extraordinary. Her perseverance in her work and relationship with other people and God radiate through people. I believe that a kind of person like her will truly receive graces from God more than the luck that Bella enjoys in her Twilight world. Ms. Anna’s father may be gone but there is a Father more than Edward that looks after her and will look after her for eternity. ###
---August 20, 2009
Above is one of this young lady’s entries in the “About Me” column in her Friendster profile. More than the obvious excessive interest in the Twilight saga reflected by the layout and contents of that profile, this was the statement that struck me most. She simply put it in one statement. It had no explanations or whatsoever. That’s just it. She believes in God. Without God, her life makes no sense. Her Friendster layout might prove her interest in Twilight, but her kindness and simplicity prove her faith. That’s Ms. Anna Chiara Eliza D. Encila, a project staff in the Special Projects office.
Ms. Anna was born on March 10, 1986. Her mother worked as a clerk in the city hall of Quezon City and her father was the one taking care of her and her elder sister. Her father died when she was 18 due to emphysema and she shared to me in the interview that she and her father were really close. Her elder sister now has a family of her own and her mother is her only companion at home.
A graduate of Management in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Ms. Anna landed her first job as an office secretary in the Ateneo de Manila University. It was during the time when new faces started to arise in the College of Education office of Miriam College where I work as a scholar when Ms. Anna set foot on Miriam College. Ms. Myra David, the secretary, had a maternity leave and it was Ms. Anna who took over temporarily. She started working in the College of Ed office last December 2008. When Ms. Myra came back, she was transferred to Special Projects. A big part of my second semester work was under Ms. Anna’s supervision and I can say that she really is a very good person.
My interview with her explained it all. It was last year when she became a member of Singles for Christ in their parish and this has been her endeavour during Saturdays and Sundays when she’s not working. She said that being in the organization made her establish a relationship with God and she admitted that it was a life-changing experience. From just a person who just prays, she was now transformed into someone who can control doing bad things and be responsible of her actions. I believe that this is the best thing about her faith. It is reflected through her actions and I myself have witnessed it.
She described the Miriam College students as OK and that they have discipline. Her message for the Miriam students is for them to study hard and be responsible. Among the spots in Miriam, it is the Mini Forest which she loves the most. And from her not so long stay in Miriam, it was the Christmas party of 2008 that is the most unforgettable to her because President Patricia Licuanan came to party with them.
Other than blue as her favourite color and spaghetti as her favourite food, Ms. Anna likes pop music and adores David Archuleta. I remember giggling with her in the College of Ed office while we talk about stars like Robert Pattinson, the band Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, etc.
Ms. Fides San Buenaventura, Ms. Anna’s fellow project staff in the Special Projects office, was also there during the interview and from her I found out that Ms. Anna dreams of going abroad. She would always spot Ms. Anna checking out job opportunities abroad online. She said that Ms. Anna is a kind, jolly, and friendly person. She also said that Ms. Ann comes the earliest among the people in the office. She advises Ms. Anna that if going abroad is really for her, the right time will come. I wish luck for Ms. Anna as well.
Ms. Anna is still single and she admits that she has NBSB or no boyfriend since birth. But still, among her future plans is to have a family of her own in five to six years.
Ms. Anna, in her simplicity, is truly extraordinary. Her perseverance in her work and relationship with other people and God radiate through people. I believe that a kind of person like her will truly receive graces from God more than the luck that Bella enjoys in her Twilight world. Ms. Anna’s father may be gone but there is a Father more than Edward that looks after her and will look after her for eternity. ###
---August 20, 2009
Chick and I Wishes FOMD
A book report on Mitch Albom’s For One More Day
“But behind all you stories is always your mother’s story, because hers is where yours begins.”
--Chick Benetto
I am very Chick Benetto, the main character in the book “For One More Day” (FOMD) by Mitch Albom. I finished reading the book on the night of June 21, 2009 which was a Sunday. After that, I immediately journaled the similarities in Chick’s life and my life. Let me give you the list:
1. He attempted to commit suicide just like what I did when I was in second year high school. His method was more creative though. Chick and Kring tried to end it all.
2. Chick was born in November. He was the first born just like my Ate May who was born on November as well.
3. Chick has divorced parents. Mine were separated. Those are different things I believe. He himself was divorced with this wife Catherine. I pray it would not happen to me.
4. Chick spent his growing years without his father at home. It was only his mother Posey who stood up for him. I’m living my life right now without Papa at home. Mama is the only one standing up for me and my sisters.
5. Chick’s mom encouraged him to focus more on his studies than baseball. Mama encourages me to focus more on my studies than dancing for C*CATT Street.
6. Chick got a college scholarship. I’m enjoying mine right now.
7. Chick collected the times his mother stood up for him and the times he didn’t stand up for her. I’m in the process of collecting mine. Oh, my! Guilt kills!
8. Chick’s mom worked as a hairdresser and a nurse. She reminds me of my grandmother. She’s a hairdresser too and she’s in the States working as a caregiver.
9. Chick was a salesman. Mama is a real estate agent. Similar enough.
10. Chick’s mom would put red lipstick just like Mama who can’t live without it.
11. Chick met his future wife Catherine in a bar. I met my only crush now in a bar too. Haha!
12. Chick’s daughter Maria writes and I write too. This time, I see myself in Maria. Oh, and my ex-crush is Joseph. Joseph and Maria. Very nice.
13. Chick and I lied to our mothers. “I lied. It was the worst lie I ever told... it wasn’t [school work]. I went to [training and rehearsals]... I was desperate to please [myself].”
14. Chick’s father drank a lot and he himself became a drunkard. Papa’s like that too. But I don’t think I’ll be a drunkard as well. Haha.
15. Chick’s mom was ridiculed by the stupid neighbours. I hate our neighbours for looking down on Mama and us. God bless them all!
I’ve learned a lot from Chick Benetto’s life especially with his relationship with his family. If I were Chick in his age as mine. I would definitely stand up for mother. I am the first born and the only guy left in the family and I must stand up for my family no matter what. It was never my parents’ fault that they could not be together. They were just victims of their wrong decisions. Suicide and drinking would not be my option, for God’s sake! I tried it once and I will never do it again. My life now would always reflect what will happen in the future and I don’t want my kids to live the negative side of the life I had.
This is the most important lesson I got from FOMD: if there is an opportunity for you to express love, don’t wait for tomorrow; do it now or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. My present status with mother really made the tears come out of me as I read through the book. I’ve been very selfish for the past years and now, I really am trying to make it up to my mother. It’s time I stand up for her because she’s my only inspiration for everything.
“But behind all you stories is always your mother’s story, because hers is where yours begins.”
--Chick Benetto
I am very Chick Benetto, the main character in the book “For One More Day” (FOMD) by Mitch Albom. I finished reading the book on the night of June 21, 2009 which was a Sunday. After that, I immediately journaled the similarities in Chick’s life and my life. Let me give you the list:
1. He attempted to commit suicide just like what I did when I was in second year high school. His method was more creative though. Chick and Kring tried to end it all.
2. Chick was born in November. He was the first born just like my Ate May who was born on November as well.
3. Chick has divorced parents. Mine were separated. Those are different things I believe. He himself was divorced with this wife Catherine. I pray it would not happen to me.
4. Chick spent his growing years without his father at home. It was only his mother Posey who stood up for him. I’m living my life right now without Papa at home. Mama is the only one standing up for me and my sisters.
5. Chick’s mom encouraged him to focus more on his studies than baseball. Mama encourages me to focus more on my studies than dancing for C*CATT Street.
6. Chick got a college scholarship. I’m enjoying mine right now.
7. Chick collected the times his mother stood up for him and the times he didn’t stand up for her. I’m in the process of collecting mine. Oh, my! Guilt kills!
8. Chick’s mom worked as a hairdresser and a nurse. She reminds me of my grandmother. She’s a hairdresser too and she’s in the States working as a caregiver.
9. Chick was a salesman. Mama is a real estate agent. Similar enough.
10. Chick’s mom would put red lipstick just like Mama who can’t live without it.
11. Chick met his future wife Catherine in a bar. I met my only crush now in a bar too. Haha!
12. Chick’s daughter Maria writes and I write too. This time, I see myself in Maria. Oh, and my ex-crush is Joseph. Joseph and Maria. Very nice.
13. Chick and I lied to our mothers. “I lied. It was the worst lie I ever told... it wasn’t [school work]. I went to [training and rehearsals]... I was desperate to please [myself].”
14. Chick’s father drank a lot and he himself became a drunkard. Papa’s like that too. But I don’t think I’ll be a drunkard as well. Haha.
15. Chick’s mom was ridiculed by the stupid neighbours. I hate our neighbours for looking down on Mama and us. God bless them all!
I’ve learned a lot from Chick Benetto’s life especially with his relationship with his family. If I were Chick in his age as mine. I would definitely stand up for mother. I am the first born and the only guy left in the family and I must stand up for my family no matter what. It was never my parents’ fault that they could not be together. They were just victims of their wrong decisions. Suicide and drinking would not be my option, for God’s sake! I tried it once and I will never do it again. My life now would always reflect what will happen in the future and I don’t want my kids to live the negative side of the life I had.
This is the most important lesson I got from FOMD: if there is an opportunity for you to express love, don’t wait for tomorrow; do it now or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. My present status with mother really made the tears come out of me as I read through the book. I’ve been very selfish for the past years and now, I really am trying to make it up to my mother. It’s time I stand up for her because she’s my only inspiration for everything.
Friday, August 7, 2009
The Pahale's Strike
Boxed in loneliness from the carnival outside
Standing alone in the middle of the cold
The pleading cries of deprived pieces
A Rapunzel on the rescue
To a grassland no one knows
The phlogistonic tone
Addicting to the eyes
When frost shells my heart
I see you!
This is a poem I wrote way back in third year high school for an activity in English class. Mrs. Catherine Cedo-Patrocinio gave me a 5 over 5 and a V.Good mark for this. :)
Standing alone in the middle of the cold
The pleading cries of deprived pieces
A Rapunzel on the rescue
To a grassland no one knows
The phlogistonic tone
Addicting to the eyes
When frost shells my heart
I see you!
This is a poem I wrote way back in third year high school for an activity in English class. Mrs. Catherine Cedo-Patrocinio gave me a 5 over 5 and a V.Good mark for this. :)
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Smaller and Smaller Justice
“You’ve been watching too many foreign movies, Father Saenz; there are no serial killers in the Philippines, and if there were, they would be white males in their thirties.”
I used to read Nancy Drew in high school. I was very amazed by how this teenage girl could solve millions of cases from its first publishing up to the present. Then I became addicted to Medical Investigation, Crime Scene Investigation, Jake 2.0, Without a Trace, Blind Justice, and almost every sleuthing show on television. I enjoyed all those and dreamt of becoming a detective as well. But that was long ago. Seeing all these in my present perspective, I realized how well the United States solve small to big time crimes. Of course, they have intelligent people, high-class equipment and facilities and comprehensive FBI database making justice easy to achieve. Then I wonder, why is it not like that in the Philippines? Why is justice so hard to achieve in this country of ours?
A detective story in Philippine literature? For sure?
This was my reaction when I started reading “Smaller and Smaller Circles” by F.H. Batacan for our preliminary exam in Philippine Literature class. Reading the book made me remember my excitement when reading Nancy Drew way before. But this time, the book gave me more than fancy excitement. I was amazed by how this Filipina author (yes, F.H. Batacan is a female) could craft this detective story (Mary Higgins Clark, eh?) set in the Philippines, with Filipino characters, and within Philippine circumstances. This novel even made more impact to me compared to Nancy Drew and CSI. It made me realize that the Americans are not the only ones who could create such thrill in readers or viewers. Filipinos can do it, too, after all. When everyone was going crazy over Stephenie Meyer, I was, on the other hand, going gaga over F.H. Batacan. Sorry, I’m not a Twilight fan.
The novel is about the argument whether there are serial killers in the Philippines or if there are not. The one I quoted in the lead is what the PNP has said to Father Augusto Saenz, the protagonist in the story. He is a Jesuit priest and a forensic anthropologist who believes otherwise. He is helped by another Jesuit priest, Father Jerome Lucero, who is a clinical psychologist and a former student of Saenz. I also believed before that the stories of psycho killers spreading around were not true, that they have just been made up. The quote above was the same claim of my History professor when the news about a psycho killer slashing off breasts of virgin women was at its peak. She said that psycho killing is Western by nature. But with a lot of unsolved murder stories just around the metro, body parts scattered around the streets, news about journalists found dead everywhere, who knows if there really is one?
The story revolves around a series of killings happening in Payatas wherein people would find dead bodies of little boys around eight to ten years of age among the garbage. They were naked, the heart and stomach taken out, genitals removed and faces skinned off. I remember reading these descriptions in the book while eating at McDonalds. Very horrible!
Father Saenz is given the task to solve the mystery behind it with the struggle against the arrogant Atty. Benjamin Arcinas of the NBI who thinks of the priest’s theory as invalid. But in the course of the events in the story, Saenz proves his theory correct. His serial killer is a psychologically-disturbed dentist in the barangay mobile clinic. Of all people, my Lord! This dentist, Alex Carlos, has a tragic childhood. He was sexually abused by his P.E. teacher when he was still in elementary and this experience made him attack innocent kids every first Saturday of the month. It somewhat gives him the chance to revenge indirectly. In the end, however, Saenz and Lucero succeeded the ordeal. Alex died in the course of the chase which also put Saenz’s life at risk. If the old NBI Director had not given this case to this learned forensic anthropologist with a brand new different belief other than the majority of the police, a dead body of a child would still be mourned for amidst the garbage pile every first Saturday of the month.
Are our own police force, detectives and lawyers slow and incapable that’s why most cases we hear about are not solved? Or is it because there are possibilities that these authorities are afraid to consider? Possible suspects of crimes are shown on television but, usually, it just ends there. Oh, justice, why are you so hard to find?
Maybe that’s why there are brilliant writers and TV producers. They extend messages to people. I’m not even sure if justice is really easy to attain in the States. I don’t know if what they write about Nancy Drew and how on CSI refer to close reality. But since I am a Filipino, I know that what Batacan wrote is based on the real scenario.
Sometimes, all we got to do it read, observe, listen, and watch not only what foreign fad dictates but also what the brilliant mind of our fellow Filipinos could offer. That is simply giving justice to our identity as Filipinos.
I used to read Nancy Drew in high school. I was very amazed by how this teenage girl could solve millions of cases from its first publishing up to the present. Then I became addicted to Medical Investigation, Crime Scene Investigation, Jake 2.0, Without a Trace, Blind Justice, and almost every sleuthing show on television. I enjoyed all those and dreamt of becoming a detective as well. But that was long ago. Seeing all these in my present perspective, I realized how well the United States solve small to big time crimes. Of course, they have intelligent people, high-class equipment and facilities and comprehensive FBI database making justice easy to achieve. Then I wonder, why is it not like that in the Philippines? Why is justice so hard to achieve in this country of ours?
A detective story in Philippine literature? For sure?
This was my reaction when I started reading “Smaller and Smaller Circles” by F.H. Batacan for our preliminary exam in Philippine Literature class. Reading the book made me remember my excitement when reading Nancy Drew way before. But this time, the book gave me more than fancy excitement. I was amazed by how this Filipina author (yes, F.H. Batacan is a female) could craft this detective story (Mary Higgins Clark, eh?) set in the Philippines, with Filipino characters, and within Philippine circumstances. This novel even made more impact to me compared to Nancy Drew and CSI. It made me realize that the Americans are not the only ones who could create such thrill in readers or viewers. Filipinos can do it, too, after all. When everyone was going crazy over Stephenie Meyer, I was, on the other hand, going gaga over F.H. Batacan. Sorry, I’m not a Twilight fan.
The novel is about the argument whether there are serial killers in the Philippines or if there are not. The one I quoted in the lead is what the PNP has said to Father Augusto Saenz, the protagonist in the story. He is a Jesuit priest and a forensic anthropologist who believes otherwise. He is helped by another Jesuit priest, Father Jerome Lucero, who is a clinical psychologist and a former student of Saenz. I also believed before that the stories of psycho killers spreading around were not true, that they have just been made up. The quote above was the same claim of my History professor when the news about a psycho killer slashing off breasts of virgin women was at its peak. She said that psycho killing is Western by nature. But with a lot of unsolved murder stories just around the metro, body parts scattered around the streets, news about journalists found dead everywhere, who knows if there really is one?
The story revolves around a series of killings happening in Payatas wherein people would find dead bodies of little boys around eight to ten years of age among the garbage. They were naked, the heart and stomach taken out, genitals removed and faces skinned off. I remember reading these descriptions in the book while eating at McDonalds. Very horrible!
Father Saenz is given the task to solve the mystery behind it with the struggle against the arrogant Atty. Benjamin Arcinas of the NBI who thinks of the priest’s theory as invalid. But in the course of the events in the story, Saenz proves his theory correct. His serial killer is a psychologically-disturbed dentist in the barangay mobile clinic. Of all people, my Lord! This dentist, Alex Carlos, has a tragic childhood. He was sexually abused by his P.E. teacher when he was still in elementary and this experience made him attack innocent kids every first Saturday of the month. It somewhat gives him the chance to revenge indirectly. In the end, however, Saenz and Lucero succeeded the ordeal. Alex died in the course of the chase which also put Saenz’s life at risk. If the old NBI Director had not given this case to this learned forensic anthropologist with a brand new different belief other than the majority of the police, a dead body of a child would still be mourned for amidst the garbage pile every first Saturday of the month.
Are our own police force, detectives and lawyers slow and incapable that’s why most cases we hear about are not solved? Or is it because there are possibilities that these authorities are afraid to consider? Possible suspects of crimes are shown on television but, usually, it just ends there. Oh, justice, why are you so hard to find?
Maybe that’s why there are brilliant writers and TV producers. They extend messages to people. I’m not even sure if justice is really easy to attain in the States. I don’t know if what they write about Nancy Drew and how on CSI refer to close reality. But since I am a Filipino, I know that what Batacan wrote is based on the real scenario.
Sometimes, all we got to do it read, observe, listen, and watch not only what foreign fad dictates but also what the brilliant mind of our fellow Filipinos could offer. That is simply giving justice to our identity as Filipinos.
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