The celebration of Halloween is very much popular in the west. The infamous Jack O’ Lantern, the Dracula, the Witches and other symbolisms of this genre are popular symbols of this holiday. The celebration of Halloween began from the North America and was later on embraced by the western countries. You can read the history of Halloween at Wikipedia or click here.

Here in the Philippines, Halloween is not very popular until lately. Filipinos celebrate this season religiously in cemeteries to commemorate the death of their loved ones and to pray for their eternal salvation. The All Saints Day and the All Souls Day are two holidays that are more celebrated in the country. Since it is a religious tradition, Filipinos from the Metropolis go to their provinces to light a candle at the cemetery for their departed loved ones. Traffic build up in the streets of the metro is very evident during these times and bus reservations are always full with lots of chance passengers hoping to get a seat. For some, this is also the time when families gather which turn out to be a family reunion. Of course this was also the case before.

As time pass by and Filipinos are getting more and more westernized coupled with financial crisis, this religious tradition is fading and Filipinos are contented staying at home and praying for their loved ones instead of going all the way to the province and light a candle. Also, Halloween parties are very popular these days in the country and that costume parties are celebrated everywhere. Even the salesladies and salesmen are wearing Halloween costumes during the Halloween season to attract customers. There is nothing wrong with this adaptation of the west but I just hope that the traditions of the Filipinos, traditions that are ours should not be exchanged for the western ones and those they should be remain in every Filipinos’ hearts and celebrated, commemorated. For these traditions mark a Filipino. Let’s not forget who we are…

The whole activity was fun. The group left the campus at around 11 in the evening with 5 buses full of excited Humanities 2 students. The group arrived at Vigan 12 in the afternoon the next day and proceeded with the trip after some hours of rest. Most of the sites were part of the Philippine history. The stay at Vigan, particularly at Cordillera Inn gave the students an idea of how the Philippines looked a century ago. For two nights, the students get to experience how it was like living in the streets of the Philippines more than a hundred years before. It also gave the students time to mingle with other people.

Although the whole trip was quite tiring with several itineraries lined up, everything is worth it for the beautiful artworks and structures that were visited by the group, not to mention the beautiful sceneries that can be seen in places that were visited during the trip. What made the trip more fun is the absence of rain. It never rained during the course of the trip. The group only experienced rain when it was time to go back home. We visited churches, pottery, weaving place, the windmills, museums and other places where art and history can be seen.

The churches we visited were those that were built during the Spanish colonization. The church bell tower of Bantay Church which stood several meters away from the church itself and the very large church at Ilocos Sur. The churches were decorated with several saints and sculptures and images of saints and the Holy Family. The edifice of the church is characterized by the presence of various arcs and curves made of bricks stacked up together to form somewhat an altar of saints and the Holy Family. The statues that were installed are statues made together with the church. The interior was wide and even the altar was full of saints. The Baroque art is very distinct in this church as can be seen in the configurations of the inside with many arcs and curves and is inspired by religion. The church altar appeared to be lit in a very peaceful and calming way to create an aura of peace and holiness inside the church. The poles stood high supporting the well decorated ceiling of the whole church. The influence of the Baroque art in this church and the rest of the churches being visited is because these structures were built during the Baroque period. The Augustinian church at Paoay stood marvellously and was included as one the World Heritage sites. It is so huge that I think even a whole barangay can gather and fit in there. Unfortunately, I was not able to visit the inside due to the limited time and because I was so tired already. The whole structure was made up of brick and beside the church stood a bell tower which is already closed I think. This bell tower-church tandem is typical during the Spanish colonization since people are called during mass and this is done by ringing the bells or when there are important religious services, the bells are also rung. My personal favourite though was the windmills we visited. They are lined near a sea where there are strong wind currents capable of moving the windmill’s propeller-like structure. These propeller-like structures face the sea to catch wind so that in every movement of these “propellers”, electricity is generated for the energy and power supply of their region. I was amazed at this structure because it is so beautiful even under the searing rays of the sun and that not only is it is beautiful but also because of the use the people can have for it. I always imagined windmills very different from what I have seen and that was cool.

Most of the itineraries visited were focused on the life Filipinos lived during the colonial period. From the structures of the churches to the houses lined up in Vigan. Filipinos lived as Christians under the influence of the Spanish friars when they introduced it to the Filipinos. It was the Christianization of the Filipinos that were being depicted in the structures left by history and made it to the history of the country and its people. Filipinos would have been very religious during the Spanish colonization period since huge churches and architectural structures were built during the period. Monuments of some saints can also be seen along the roads. Art therefore in this period were focused mainly on building religious structures and artworks were inspired by religion specifically by Catholicism. Filipinos also lived in fear of the Spanish colonizers since most of the houses that were visited during the trip had firearms kept in it and that there were also secret places possible to be hideouts or meeting places for Filipinos plotting for the revolution. They used their art to conceal such places to make them appear as nothing more than a common room and the firearms were carefully concealed in some areas of the town. The dress of the Filipino women was also affected by the influence of the Spanish colonials. The typical Maria Clara is a Spanish inspired costume for the Filipino women. But still it did not lose the Filipino touch. The beautiful dresses that Filipino women wore were works of art and these were used in social gatherings and during special occasions when people meet to celebrate something special. At present the artistic skills of the Filipinos are often used as a means of survival. Filipinos use their art for livelihood activities such as weaving and pottery. They sell their finished products and earn money from it. The materials used for their production are abundant in the area so access to production materials is never difficult for them. For several years, there are Filipinos who focused and gave dedication to their art and are still practicing their art at present. This has harnessed their skill resulting to better if not best products of their trade. We even met a Filipino National Folk Artist for pottery and he even gave a free demonstration on how pottery can be a very fun endeavor though we never tried in on hand. The weaving place that we visited also was already there for more than thirty years. I never imagined how difficult it was to weave. They sell their finished materials as handkerchiefs, table cloths and even beddings and curtains. These products, a result of Filipino art are of high quality and aesthetic value. Filipinos are very artistic and they make a lot from it too. The place where we stayed was also beautiful especially during at night when the streetlights are lit. We stayed at Cordillera Inn in Vigan and we witnessed how it was beautiful and pleasing to the eyes to be living in such area. Vigan itself is a World Heritage Site. The infrastructures were still there although some were converted to souvenir shops and to hotels like the Cordillera Inn but the “historic ambiance” was never lost. I also enjoyed the tour in their town riding the “kalesa”. The “kalesa” was decorated with artistic designs form paint to artificial flowers to give it a picture of elegance similar to Cinderella’s ride to the party at the prince’s castle. This was the primary transport during the colonial period and only a few rich Filipinos can afford this ride. Later on cars were also used since there were some vintage cars in the houses at Vigan that we visited. A P50 tour around the whole town riding a “kalesa” is cheap. Aside from the “kalesa”, most people there used motorcycle as a means of transportation since most of the roads there cannot accommodate two cars going in opposite direction. This gave us a hard time the first time we arrived at the place. And we had to walk around the city under the heat of the sun. But it’s okay since we get to see the village anyway.

The whole trip was a very enjoyable one and culminated in an activity at the Pagudpod Beach in Ilocos which is a white sand beach and very clear water where everyone will surely enjoy swimming there. Though it was tiring, everything paid off as happy faces and wonderful smiles is reflected among the students who joined the trip. I even made friends during the course of the trip. I really enjoyed the whole trip.

The high prices of vegetables sold in the market seem to be very alarming especially in an agricultural country like the Philippines. It is an irony to think that Filipinos are buying expensive vegetables in their markets and that imported vegetables are even sold at a lesser price. With the high prices of pesticides and fertilizers, using them on small scale would be more expensive and that is why vegetable products imported are sold at a lower price here in the country is because these vegetables products are cheaper to produce outside the country. What shocked me today is when our professor told us how vegetables are sold at high prices but a Filipino farmer is at the borders of the poverty line.

Organically produced farm products are sold in the market 30-40% higher than the normal selling price of these vegetables. Why? The reason might be the law of supply and demand. There is a great demand for organically produced vegetables but there are only few producers which explains the its high selling market price. For organic farmers who previously employ inorganic practices, they are expected to have a 40% reduce in their farm input. This means that even if a 20% decrease in output may be observed after the transition from inorganic to organic, still, there will be a positive net income. So if this is the scenario, we should be expecting our organic farmers to be wealthy now. Imagine buying organic malunggay (Moringa oleifera) sold at P60 per kilo, Sweet potato tops sold at P40 per kilo and so on. The point is that, organically produced vegetables are high value and it should follow that the farmers should be earning a lot from it.

The question now is, why is it that this scenario cannot be seen in the local farmers? Our professor accounted that when they visited a certain part of the Philippines, he was able to interview an organic farmer that plants carrots. The farmer told our professor how his carrot farming proceeds after harvest. He told that he has to walk at least 2hours to his farm in located in an upland area and comes down to from his farm carrying 40 kilos of carrots on his back. This is how his life is. This did not shock me but what made me stop for a while is upon hearing that they are selling their carrots to the middle men at P5 per kilo. That’s right! they are selling them at 5 pesos per kilo. Even a one day’s worth of unlimited text is more expensive than the organically produced carrots. Then our professor tracked the carrots and found out that these are being sold at Greenbelt during the “Green Day” when organically produced vegetables are sold in markets. The sad thing is that, those carrots bought at P5 per kilo as farm gate price are now being sold at P60 per kilo. And this is very ironic and sad for the part of the farmers. Who gets the benefits? The middle men do.

I read this article from a friend of mine who’s gay. It is about a guy who is confused of his sexuality and seeks help from the experts. This article is from Paul. This is taken from here: Gay Is Natural - “Gay Is Good.”

Gay Is Natural - “Gay Is Good.” Franklin Kameny

Having walked the walk, I help gay men thrive and sustain relationship in a sometimes insensitive world. I approach gayness as something that’s positive, natural and healthy. Much of our suffering comes from experiencing other people’s negative reactions to us being gay, not from being gay by nature. I think almost all gay men experience psychological / social trauma because of prejudicial gay stigma, discrimination and oppression. We are significantly stressed and unfairly challenged by the toxic homophobic atmosphere of our heterosexist culture, and negatively impacted by the dysfunctional responses of others.

For men both closeted and out, internalized homophobia levels have been found to be the largest impediment to mental health for gay men. The experience of societal oppression (gay stigma) makes gay men view their sexual identity in a negative way. This results in low esteem, emotional distress, physical dis-ease and increased suicide risk. Further, maladaptive coping responses like drugs, alcohol, unsafe sex, sex, porn, food, over-exercise, over-work, etc., mitigate the stress of living in a heterosexist culture, but are self-destructive. Symptoms like overemphasizing masculinity, isolation, disconnection and loneliness emerge. I work to free us all from horrible fear, humiliation and shame, to recognize the negative impact of homophobia on us and the importance of developing a positive sexual identity.

It’s my goal to help change damaging experiences for gay men by: improving the poisonous homophobic atmosphere of our culture, alleviating symptoms or problems arising from these sensitive issues, fostering self-acceptance and self-love, affirming non-shameful authentic sexual identity, encouraging personal growth and improving relationships. Thus, all of my work is in the context of being gay affirmative.

It’s perfectly natural for most men to have a “gay tendency” to some degree. Reuters reported that the project leader of an exhibition documenting homosexual behavior among animals at the Oslo Natural History Museum stated that “homosexuality has been observed for more than 1,500 animal species and is well documented for 500 of them.” Based on these findings, the museum concludes that “human homosexuality cannot be viewed as ‘unnatural’ ” or a “crime against nature” since it’s found across the animal kingdom.

Even in the relatively conservtive times of the 1950’s, Dr. Kinsey concluded from his research on human sexuality that most men aren’t all straight or all gay. He said most men fall somewhere between the two. In the 1930’s, Freud said humans were bisexual. And homosexuality has been practiced in all cultures throughout history. These points don’t mean everyone’s bisexual, but everyone isn’t as polarized or fixed in their sexual orientation as we like to think. Most men have a range of sexual potential toward both women and men.

If it were more socially acceptable to be with the same sex, then we would see more men openly exploring the full range of their sexuality. It’s the cultural gay stigma, discriminatrion and oppression that prevents men from doing so openly. Consequently, we have only about 5-10% of people openly identifying as gay. Studies have shown that many more people have same sex thoughts, fantasies or experiences - they just may not feel safe enough in our heterosexist society to acknowledge it openly.

Having a “gay” experience means you’re a normal human being with a range of sexual capacity. Moreover, while exhibiting gay behavior is normal, it isn’t the same as forging a gay identity.

A gay identity — well take this Ask Angelo letter.

Dear Angelo,

How does one really know they’re gay?

Signed, The Quest

Dear Quest,

While it is true that gay men are attracted to and have sex with other men, this is not sufficient to define being gay.

Being gay is not just about sex. For example, a gay person can be celibate for life and still be gay. A gay youth can know he is gay years before his first sexual experience. Alternatively, a man can have man to man sex in prison for life but not be gay.

Being gay is not just about attraction either. There are many men who are attracted to other men, but they never act on it. They identify as straight. Having same sex fantasies doesn’t mean you’re gay. Fantasy is normal, especially while masturbating. Dr. Alfred Kinsey published Sexual Behavior In The Human Male in 1948. Even in those conservative times, Dr. Kinsey found that many men he surveyed acknowledged having a same sex experience. Almost half said they experimented with another male at least once in their lifetime, and over a third said they had reached orgasm with another guy by age 45. Dr. Kinsey believed that male sexuality is fluid. Freud himself thought everyone was bisexual. Men are not simply gay or straight. Same sex behavior is common. It’s having a gay identity that’s so taboo.

So what makes you gay? The essence of being gay is about feelings. The key is more how you feel, not so much what you do or who you do it with.

A gay identity is forged when you are predominately attracted to the same sex AND when you feel that you want to romantically love and share your life with a member of the same sex. When you desire to truly love another man. When you dream of waking up next to a man and creating the moments of your life with a man. When you wish to create a union and perhaps a family with another man. These feelings are at the core of being gay. It’s also political. Being gay is a mind, body, spiritual and political orientation, not just a sexual one.

You may have trouble identifying you’re gay because the powerful stigma around it can make you “confused” about your feelings. To get more clarity, give yourself permission to explore what you already know about yourself. Following what you know will lead you to what you don’t know. Gay Affirmative Counseling and coming out peer groups like PFLAG can also provide very helpful support.

All The Best, Angelo.

Dear Angelo,

Is it wrong to be gay?

Signed, Questioning Metrosexual

No.

And movies like Brokeback Mountain, based on E. Annie Proulx’s story, have helped change people’s minds. All our lives we are taught that “real men” aren’t gay. But by contrasting American culture’s most celebrated man’s man — two Marlboro men — with a gay love story, Brokeback Mountain makes us question the very foundation of our concept of manhood. That’s what makes it uncomfortable for many. It dares us to deny the men their love, their manliness or their humanity. What keeps the gay lovers apart is the fear of what other men will do to them if they find out.

In the part when Jack Twist asks Ennis Del Mar to live with him, the terror of homophobia comes to life. Ennis says “no.” He’s terrified. He says he can’t because he doesn’t want to end up dead. He tells Jack about two old guys he remembers that ranched together. When he was nine years old his dad made sure he took him to see one them dead in a ditch. His body was mangled, haven been beaten and dragged by a horse from his penis until it pulled off. This is what “real” men can do to queers. Ennis says he wouldn’t have put it past his dad to kill the rancher, and he wouldn’t put it past him (his dad) to kill him now if he found out. If you think this is out of America’s rural past think again. Hate crimes, including murder, still happen today - even in our cities.

It isn’t wrong to be gay. What’s wrong is the sick social stigma gay men face. The powerful movie Brokeback Mountain brings the consequences of homophobia for gay men and their relationships into broad daylight. If it weren’t for the potentially dangerous consequences of coming out - being seen as not “all man” - nothing would be wrong at all.

Brokeback Mountain also portrays that being gay is being about love, not sex. It’s a love story between two men. Their gayness is portrayed as a natural expression of who they are, rather than a lustful “immoral perversion.” Ennis and Jack respectably try to squelch their “compulsion,” attempting to live the “right lifestyle,” and do the “the right thing.” They act straight and stay closeted. But being gay is part of their essential nature, so they suffer. Unfortunately, innocent woman get hurt too.

We have to challenge homophobia everyday by redefining manhood and being the gay men we are so homophobia stops. Otherwise, shame, anxiety, fear and harmful coping responses can cloud our entire lives. A central theme in gay men’s lives is reconciling their gayness (which they learned is “feminine”) with their manhood.

Like lefthandedness, being gay is not a choice. More and more research points to biology – a gay gene. The only choice is to live courageously and authentically as we are.

All The Best, Angelo.

Problems never cease to come to everybody’s lives. They come every now and then, one after the other or sometimes one problem can generate another one. Sometimes, people even treat things as problems even if they are not, so it can be concluded that even people make their own problems. So what seems to be problem?

Nothing, if you wouldn’t treat things as such. Let’s say for example, you wake up early in the morning and then you realize that you are very late to the extent that you can already be considered as absent in your class and what’s worse is that you have already exceeded the maximum allowed absences. Is this a big or a small problem? It really depend on the person on how he/she will look at it and how he/she would react on it. But becoming sad, won’t do anything about it anymore since it has happened. Putting a smile  or a frown won’t do anything about it so why choose to frown when you can always smile. But if the problem is something like a man will be told by his girlfriend of an unwanted pregnancy,  now that can be a problem but then again, crying won’t get the baby out of the stomach, neither will solve the problem at all. So, why not smile, think and analyze the possible solutions, either to abort or to give the child a chance to live. Again, this is a decision making process and that tears won’t contribute anything, so why not just smile.

It doesn’t matter how big or small a problem really is, what matters is that one can handle them perfectly, with decisions made and solutions well thought of, one can never find a problem unsolved. As long as one can live by the decision he/she made, then there can never be wrong decision and thet everything has its own right place and a right time. So make big things small, just like measuring a windmill by your fingers.

Funny how people rally on the streets screaming to oust their government officials for an unwanted governance of poor performance, funny how people scream at the top of their lungs because of hunger and poverty just because the government cannot give them what they asked and funny how people scrutinize corruption when they themselves do it even on a daily basis.

But then, why is still corruption prevalent? Why is it that these government officials are corrupt? Has anyone thought about this before he/she marched to the government offices? One concrete reason is that, they had to since the people pushed them too. During election campaigns, people expect from their candidates to give them something, people expect from their officials to make their roads concrete, to install basketball courts for their barangay, to give them medicine and even relief goods even if they are not yet in office. And where do we expect them to get the funds to support these people’s pleas? They are not yet in position but they are already compelled to do it, win or lose, they already spent much. So, when they are already in office, what do they do? They get very busy just to regain what they spent during the campaign period.

It is even ironic that people expect their congressmen to build roads, public services, medical missions, feeding programs and the like when their sole purpose in the office is to formulate laws that will safeguard their constituents. But officials who do their duty are not recognized by the people, lest they are only labeled as corrupt since no projects are visible for the people to see.

Why did I mention that even those who are not government officials still are corrupt? Easy, for a child with younger siblings, exercise of “maturity rule” can be a very corrupt way, or how about bringing office supplies for household consumptions like writing papers, ballpoint pens and the like for those who are already working? Or how about asking more from your parents what you really need or what is required for school projects?
So, if I ask you now, aren’t you corrupt too? Do you have the right to march up to the gates of the government offices just to scream that corrupt officials should resign? Think again. I myself is guilty of such.

How many of us have these things in our homes? Computers, laptops, cellular phones, iPods, digital cameras, PSPs, vacuum cleaners, air conditioners, microwave ovens and the like? These and a lot more have made people live a very comfortable life nowadays. School papers and research works can be done overnight, cleaning is so fast and easy, communicating with others is a lot better, cooking is hassle free and more conveniences that make us too lazy to do hard work and labor.

When our teacher asked us to do two scientific papers handwritten, I was thinking how on earth can I do that? I was always complaining to her asking for some consideration because I think it was not possible but I had no choice, and fortunately, I was still able to make the lab scientific papers. Then I realized how technology was making me a lot lazier than before. Way back then, I used to do manual laundry but now, I use the washing machine. Before, I have to cut, slice and season whenever I cook food, now, I can serve dinner in an instant without the cutting and slicing. Even calling someone required me to look for a phone booth and make sure that the person I need to contact is at standby waiting for my call, now, I just have to dial the number and I am directly connected. Boredom is not a problem anymore since there are a lot of electronic games that will surely entertain me not unlike before that boredom can only be solved through sleep.

With the technology the world today have, people are getting lazier than ever, if not, more busy since efficiency has gone up, people now are expected to finish more paper works with the help of the computers. They have to finish additional jobs now since machines have done a part of what people are supposed to do. This is true especially if you are in a working environment. Maybe I was partly wrong that technology makes people more lazy. Technology rather change peoples’ ways of life, it can make you lazy, or it can make you very much stressed.