On Tigbao: my personal take on the film

I had the opportunity to catch the screening of a local indie film named Tigbao.

When my Fil 101 teacher was talking about it, she mentioned that its theme was Martial Law and the desparacidos. And immediately, I was interested to watch the film.

The movie wasn’t what I had in mind exactly. I was thinking it was more of the city scene type of movie, involving a family who lost one of their members and experiencing it in the 80s.

It turned out the setting was in the province of Tigbao, Zamboanga Del Sur and it was about a dad who lost his son 20 years ago. Then a forensic team unearthed some bodies that were found within a school ground. The father then headed over there to find out that his son’s body wasn’t one of those that were found. Of course, disappointment and confusion coursed through his body.

The movie’s dialogues were very minimal therefore, creating confusion in the viewers' mind, that includes me.

The symbol that the movie kept showing were the chicks. I think it was because chicks symbolize life and justice (in superstitious belief.)


In my overall opinion of the movie, I would say that they did a really good job confusing me. Of course, I don’t mean it in a hateful way. It’s just that even after the movie, I was so confused and unsure about a lot of things regarding the film.

But the cinematography was great. The main actor, Lou Veloso, in my opinion did a really good job in giving us the emotion that the father must’ve felt during those days. And I think that’s a hard thing to do, portraying emotions successfully, because he made me feel like I was actually in the scene with him, feeling the same way the father felt and it was amazing.

I would watch more local movies if they made sense and had a deeper meaning like this film.

If you decide to catch this film and you get bored or confused in the beginning, I suggest just going on with it. It’s really something interesting.

It may not be the movie I was expecting but it didn’t disappoint me so much. Okay, maybe just a tad bit. But hey, I think it was worth the hundred bucks.

COLLEGE

I’m currently on the last leg of my first term in college and everything is just dandy.

This week/weekend feels like portfolio week. Catching up with final projects (outputs) and answering finals (Quarterly Test) and it feels good knowing that I got through this term.

There have been some ups and downs but I would consider this entire term a success.

I had fun, made lots of new friends plus, I got to really enjoy my course right away.

Pitch week is approaching and I’m going to do my very first pitch and I’m so ecstatic about it! I have no idea if I should feel nervous but I am so excited.

 Pitch day would be crazy. I mean, I have two final exams to take then I have a pitch on that day. So much things are going to happen but I’m super excited for that day.

College has been amazing for me. I would say I love learning or studying. I mean, enjoy school. Maybe not the waking-early-part or the fact that I’ve turned into a grandma (I feel really sleepy early in the night) but I am always excited to go to school.

I’m looking forward to start next term because I would have a class elective that’s related to music production and film scoring and I can’t wait to get started. WOOO.

 BUT FIRST, I need to pass this term with flying colors. <3

 Anyway, good luck with your college lives, readers. ☺

A Perfect World In My Eyes

A utopian society in the dictionary is described as something that’s idealistic, a state in which everything is perfect, or a model society.

My definition of a utopian society is a society where everyone is kind to one another and each citizen respects the individuality of another person.

Being kind to someone isn’t really a hard thing to do so it really shocks me that a lot of people still have a hard time doing it. In the utopian society I envision everyone is used to being kind to one another. Being kind in this society is not out of the norm but is still valued.

With people being kind to one another, I think the place will be nice too, because then the government will be kinder to the public. They won’t be thinking of stealing because they will feel bad for the masses.

I’m already trying to do the first part by actively joining the One Random Act of Kindness a Day movement. The name speaks for itself, it is doing one act of kindness a day to anyone. Whether that be a stranger or someone you know, you have to perform an act of kindness.

I think, respecting one’s individuality goes hand in hand with being kind to someone. In this society, everyone is different and has the confidence to show who they really are because then the fear that someone is going to judge them is eliminated.

Although, with the rate our world is going now, I know that this utopian society is kind of an impossible thing to happen. But I really hope that one day my ideal kind society that I’m dreaming of will someday come true.

Life Lessons Learned

Thoughts become things.

This is just one of the few things I learned in life.

It is important to always think positively a.k.a. “looking at the good side.”

Believe it or not, there is ALWAYS a good side to things. Sure you may not notice it right away but there is always a good one.

Even if you feel that  there are more bad sides than good sides, trust me, it’s always better to be on the good side - sunnier, brighter, and all around light.

Having a positive outlook in life is the best way to go.

Building relationships are very important.

I cannot stress this “lesson” enough. I think this is one of the most important things because no one can be alone.

Family relationships are personally my priority because my family is my support group. They’re my boosters and they really help me a lot with my day-to-day life.

Especially now that I’m in college, I am so thankful that I built that relationship with them from my childhood until during high school because college is a whole new experience. By sharing with them my college struggles, they help me overcome them and move on.

Always look up to God.

I always make it a point to pray before sleeping or whenever my mind is drifting.

God is my strength and my anchor.

Praying helps me calm down, especially in times when I feel really frustrated.

Be kind.

to quote Plato, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

This is one of my favorite quotes of all times. I like it so much because it reminds me that my problems are possibly aren’t as big as someone else’s.

It also reminds me not to be harsh and to be more understanding towards other people because they have a reason why they act the way they act. I'm not saying that they have the right to act horribly, though, but it helps me understand better.

Life goes on.

It may sound cheesy, I know, but it is true.

Life doesn’t stop for anyone, really. It just goes on.

It doesn’t matter if there are problems or setbacks so it’s best if you move on and go with the flow armed with your set of values and beliefs.

I think it’s really up to the person to look at the setback as either a lesson or a hurdle.

I personally think of setbacks as lessons, things that will make me a better person.

I’m just 17 and life has been really good to me. I know that these “life lessons” has been helping me all along.

Now, I'm positive that the future has something awesome for me.

I’m excited to know and embrace what it holds.

But today and everyday, I will live it as if it were my last.

Drum It Out

Last May 9, I had my first ever drum recital.

When Teacher JP (my awesome drums mentor) told me that he would include me in the upcoming recital, i freaked out!

I'm not an expert on the drums yet because I'm in the just-starting-out phase.

Literally.

I had about two practices before the drum recital and I needed to pick a song.

The first complete song I learned was too fast and too tiring. I can’t finish playing the song without taking a short break, which obviously wouldn't be good during the performance.

So I settled with a song that I sort of learned on my own. It just needed guidance from my teacher and I was happy with it.

Turned out, the bridge of the piece was real fast so it's really a challenge, but it's still easier than my first choice so I decided to stick with it.

I worked so hard on the first day of practice and went home feeling like I nailed it.

During the next practice, I was struggling with the bridge AGAIN. But towards the end of that day, I perfected the song twice. I felt a little bit more confident.

The day of the recital came. Surprisingly, I wasn’t that nervous.

The show started past 1. But we arrived at the venue around 11:30 (they were still setting up the drum kit, that’s how early we arrived. lol) for soundcheck.

Soundcheck was fun because I got to practice my piece for the last time and I got to correct my mistakes with my teacher’s guidance.

By the time the show began, my nerves disappeared.

I played after my sister, Veda (who has her own interesting experience to share.)

Playing in front of a crowd really gave me a great feeling; And I even found myself smiling while playing.

Although it was a nerve-wrecking feeling in the beginning, it turned out to be one of the best things I have ever done and I’m glad it happened.

One of the best parts of the whole experience was drumming it out with my sister. 

30 Things To Keep You Entertained

“Smart people don’t get bored.” -my dad

Admit it, there are days when you don’t know what to do.

Sometimes, you think you are bored.

Well, newsflash, you’re not exactly bored,  just uninspired. It’s okay.

Read this list and hopefully it helps.

1.     Read books that feature artworks.

2.     Listen to some funky jams. (your type of funky jam, of course)

3.     Go to the local/national museum. (The National Museum here in the Philippines is free on Sundays! Yay!!)

4.     Drive around at night and notice the things you don’t normally see during daytime because of the traffic.

5.     Read articles online.

6.     Watch TED videos.

7.     Read a novel.

8.     Stand up and dance to some house music. Even if you’re a horrible dancer.

9.     Have a cupcake party with a few people because who doesn’t like cupcake parties?!

10. Experiment with Garage Band.

11. Write down weird ideas that get into your head, things that seem like they don’t make sense but they actually do.

12. Watch DIY videos on YouTube.

13. Research random educational topics on Google.

14. Revisit the pages you bookmarked.

15. Visit a bookstore

16.  Eat at a new restaurant that looks artsy.

17. Take photos of buildings, plants, people, streets, the sky, food and the list goes on. (Don’t feel the need to post it on Instagram)

18. Create your own flag.

19. Scrapbook!!!

20. If you play an instrument, learn how to play a pop song.

21. Listen to that album you swore you’d listen to but never found the time to.

22. Watch music videos.

23. Have a mini fashion show on your own. Mix and match pieces from your wardrobe.

24. Leave nice notes for people at your house.

25. Try talking in a different accent for at least an hour.

26. Learn a new language.

27. Search up the lyrics of a rap/hip-hop song and sing along to it.

28. Watch beauty videos on YouTube even if you’re not good at putting on makeup.

29. Create your own album cover for your favorite album.

30. Make a playlist.