Batibot

(excerpt from my blog entry dated July 19, 2012, a Thursday)

I woke up this morning to Tatay’s rather loud calling of Tina’s name. He was somewhere near the kitchen. I thought he was in the bathroom and needed someone to wash him and take care of his business with the bowl early this morning.

As I just woke up, I didn’t feel like getting up already and attending to him. Besides, he was calling Tina’s name. But then I thought I didn’t want him to keep on shouting like that because he’s been down with the cold these past few days and I didn’t want him to strain himself.

And so, as much as I didn’t want to get wet this cold morning, I got up anyway and went out, and it turned out he was in the kitchen and just needed someone to give him his dose of cough syrup. I gave him his meds and was thinking of going back to sleep, but then, what for? I might as well start the day anyway.

Let’s see. I slept around 3 a.m. last night, and woke up at 8 a.m. Five hours of sleep. That’s okay already, I guess. I had my customary four glasses of drinking water and am now writing here with a song in my mind playing over and over again since I woke up. “Sino ang Pilipino?” from Batibot.

I was fortunate to find a video of it on Youtube and I downloaded it. I’ve always liked that song and even sing along to it, never mind that I was already in college when I first heard it. Pambata kasi ‘yung kanta.

Right now, I’m thinking about that idea that came to me a few months ago, which is about coming up with a cable channel dedicated solely to Filipino kids. All the shows will be in Filipino: cartoons dubbed in Filipino, educational shows in Filipino, etc.

Kawawa naman kasi ang mga batang Pinoy ngayon. Puro foreign influences. ‘Di gaano ang memories nila tinged with Filipino life and culture. Kami noon, kahit paano, may Batibot. E ang mga bata ngayon, kundi babad sa computer games, babad naman sa Disney Channel at Cartoon network.

Bihira pa sila lumabas ng bahay. Baka daw kasi madapa o magalusan. Samantalang kami noon, nangongolekta ng bakokang at tibatib. Ahehe. ‘Tong mga nanay na ‘to.

But then, I’m thinking of catering not just to the more affluent kids. Nakakaawa kasi lalo na ‘yung mga bata na salat na nga sa buhay, wala pang redeeming values na napapanood sa TV ayon sa kultura at buhay nila bilang batang Pinoy.

Filipino children need reinforcement from their own life and environment. They need to be exposed to concepts that make them better people. They need learning that would make them self-learners, not just colonial copycats or clones. Most importantly, I think they need a sense of the self, with dignity and nobility of spirit. That’s one project that I’d really, really like to realize soon.

Click on the link for the "Sino ang Pilipino?" Youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKRhnhwWQxc

the art of concealing art

(excerpt from my journal entry dated June 14, 2012, a Thursday)

I’ve been meaning to write about acquiring a confident hand. The concept or idea of it came to me a long long time ago, and I didn’t know how to go about it then. But when I vacationed in Davao and, as a way of pakikisama, helped out Mommy Marlene (Marj’s mom) in kitchen work (i.e. slicing up vegetables and prepping other ingredients), that’s when the idea became clearer to me.

You see, while there, I had learned to chop and cut vegetables alla Chef Boy Logro (albeit not even half as fast as the good chef) by emulating Mommy Marlene’s way of doing it. You place your left hand on the vegetable in a certain way while your right hand handles the knife, making it go through a systematic motion of slicing up the vegetable. If you’re left-handed, you just re-assign the two tasks to the…err…whichever hand is up to the task. (Not that I think my readers are dumb—I just don’t want to be biased against left-handed people.)

Anyway, by following this system, I noticed that my cutting “prowess” grew faster by 70 percent. Not that I had a measuring device to gauge the difference. I just thought I had to assign a figure to be more clear about what I’m talking about—although, of course, that would probably confuse you further since you don’t have the slightest clue as to how slow I was to begin with.

The fun part about this is that I even tried my new-found knife skills with my eyes closed and—lo and behold!—I did it. You can just imagine how wonderfully pleasurable this has caused me. It’s like riding your bike without holding on to the manibela:  “Look, ma, no hands!” Except I didn’t lose my hands.

It’s like you can perform in a circus already. It’s like…oh enough of this “it’s like”! In short, I gained a confident hand. Or hands, if you like. That’s what I’ve been meaning to talk about.

There are skills in life that you acquire and they become so much part of your system, it becomes remarkably uncanny whenever you put them to use.

Like me giving Tatay a bath, for example. I’ve been doing the routine everyday for years already, it seems Tatay and I can go through the routine with our eyes closed already. Whoa! That’s pushing it too far.

But why bother about gaining a confident hand?

I do so, because I’ve always been interested in the concept of “the art of concealing art.” Gets? The art of the true masters: they have so mastered the art, not the slightest effort to be artsy can be gleaned. Hindi trying hard.

I think having the confidence is the first step to the art of concealing art. Oh, okay. So maybe, it’s the SECOND step. The first step is, of course, acquiring the knowledge/skills to do the task. Knowing the steps thereof. Like musicians gaining basic knowledge of the finger work that produces the sounds from their instruments. Or like chefs who have familiarized themselves with different types of knives for different cutting purposes.

You bring them to the kitchen, the true masters are like ninjas brandishing about their swords with stealth efforts. Ninjas, by the way, don’t chop up vegetables with shuriken. I don’t know why I even wrote that, it just came to mind.

You see, it would really help also if, besides a confident hand, the right tools are also used. Really sharp trusty knives for master chefs. Really great-sounding guitars with excellent workmanship for “feel” and handling for guitar godz. Even the greatest masters would suffer the quality of the desired results if the appropriate tools (in the right condition) are not used.

Next step would be lots of practice. Practice nang practice para ma-reinforce ‘yung confidence na na-acquire mo, hanggang sa maging parte ito ng sistema mo.

Parang ‘yung self-portrait ni Rembrandt. May hawak siyang brushes, maulstick and a palette, but it’s not clear in the painting where his hands end and where his tools begin. In the painting, the tools have become part of his limbs!

Or ‘yung acting ni Jim Carrey sa “Man on the Moon”; ni Meryl Streep sa “The Iron Lady”; or ni Marion Cotillard sa “La Vie en Rose.” Critics say they weren’t actors acting; they were actually possessed! The artistry has been so well concealed because THE ARTIST AND HIS ART HAVE BECOME ONE.

Sa writing yata, ganun din: when readers don’t remember you—the author—but have come to relish instead the experience of the work you have written. “Invisible writing” ‘ata ang tawag dun. Dapat maging invisible ka, makalimutan ka bilang author. Instead, ‘yung writing mo ang dapat maalala ng mga readers mo—HINDI IKAW!

Wow. I’ve got a long way to go. Parang na-frustrate ako bigla sa realization na ‘yun a. Anyway, tsaka na lang ako magsi-sintir dito. Waste of space.

So, what’s the next step after a confident hand becomes a master of his craft? I think it would be expanding your horizons. Not necessarily breaking the rules.

Learn some more. Learn how other masters see it and do it. Fuse what you know with the techniques and methods that other masters employ. Huwag lang basta sumunod sa uso o makipagsabayan sa uso. Naging master ka na nga ng craft mo, tapos magpapadikta ka pa sa formula ng mainstream.

Lastly, for lack of an ender, happy birthday, everyone!

Jim Carrey as the Environmental Guy

MY rules for productivity

(based on my journal entries dated December 

I’m writing this in retrospect. This is based on a couple of journal entries that I wrote when I was so dissatisfied with my productivity that I took the time out to analyze my day-to-day activities, and this is what I came up with.

My day-to-day activities fall under two MAIN categories: (1) things I do for myself, and (2) things I do for others. But then, these categories are somewhat too simplistic. So, I re-classified them further, and I came up with five categories (the fifth one I shall not discuss here as it is, at any cost, NOT an option).

‘Yung apat na categories na lang bale ang idi-discuss ko. They are: chores, errands, markers and diversions.

CHORES

Chores are things we do everyday in fulfillment of who we are and what we are for our families.

They’re basic: you don’t do them, they get back at you. Like eating and sleeping. Or taking a bath. Or brushing your teeth. You don’t do those things, you fall sick.

I should know, it’s happened to me a couple of times already. I mean, I didn’t take a bath for two days, and on the third day, parang lalagnatin na ako. I wonder how people living on the streets could take it.

It’s the same thing with brushing the teeth. I didn’t brush for two days, and the night of the second day, ‘yung mga ngipin at bagang ko naman ang parang lalagnatin, what with those bacteria feasting on my tinga, building colonies, and electing their barangay officials in my mouth. Yep, the heat was on.

But chores are not just limited to personal hygiene. Like I said, chores are things we do in definition of who we are to our families. In my case, as a son to my father, taking care of my aging father is a chore. It’s the same thing if you’re a husband or a wife or an older brother or sister or what. You abandon these “chores,” somehow you lessen your role in the family.

Of course, there are some who are so itching to be independent and live all by themselves that they think it’s okay to be away from their families. But then, the ties remain. You still have chores to do to keep the ties intact.

Sure, you can have a maid come in and do some of the chores. But of course, you realize the essential part of being that person in the family is somewhat compromised.

ERRANDS

Errands are basically things we do for someone else.

Your job is a chore. Your business (if you’re self-employed, that is) is also a chore.

With errands, you CAN choose to get paid. Somehow, merong blur.

Pag nagpatulong ba sa ‘yo para sa school project nila ang bunso mong kapatid, chore ba ‘yun o errand? Depende. Pag siningilan mo siya ng bayad, then errand na ‘yun. ‘Yun nga lang, anong klaseng kapatid ka naman nun, right?

So, it’s really all a matter of perspective. In my case, my sister asks me to do something for her, minsan naniningil ako, madalas hindi. Depende sa bigat ng trabaho; depende rin kung dumadalas na yung masyadong reliance sa ‘yo.

May mga tao kasi na hindi marunong magpahalaga sa relationship. Pagbigyan mo minsan, gagawing madalas ang pagpapatulong sa ‘yo. Gagawin kang doormat. Hindi naman tama ‘yun. Kung may chores kang dapat gawin para sa kanila, may chores din naman silang dapat gawin para sa ‘yo.

But this is not just for the sake of being “ma-kwenta.” I’d gladly do chores for people for a noble cause, for example. Or people in dire straits. Huwag lang aabuso. Ang habol ko dito: matuto kaming lahat sa tamang pakikipag-kapwa. ‘Yun lang yun.

MARKERS

Eto ‘yung mga ginagawa mo para sa sarili mo. Or para sa ego mo? Pakialam ko ba sa mga id at ego na ‘yan.

Markers are things we do in fulfillment of our being. Mga bagay na ginagawa natin para i-assert ang kabuluhan natin sa mundo. Parang ‘yung Mona Lisa at Last Supper ni Leonardo da Vinci. Or yung E=mc² at Theory of Relativitiy ni Einstein. Mga bagay na nag-a-assert na special ang buhay natin, na hindi tayo aksidente lang, na tayo ay narito ngayon kasi mayroon tayong special na purpose sa mundo.

Syempre, there are people who take it differently. Si Adolf Hitler, halimbawa. Or yung mga religious fanatics na nag-iisip na ‘di bale nang magpakamatay, basta maisakatuparan lang ang misyon nila sa buhay. Talaga naman…tsk tsk tsk.

Right now, I’m thinking: ang mga markers ba, trip-trip lang? As in, kunwari trip mong maging sikat, so gumawa ka ng video na parang tanga lang, tapos in-upload mo sa Youtube? Hahaha. Wala lang.

Depende ata ang markers mo sa kung anong naiisip mong kaya mong gawin sa buhay. Dati kasi, hindi ako marunong magsulat, pero dahil andun yung interes at drive ko, natuto rin ako. Pero ngayong marunong na ako magsulat (kahit paano), iniisip ko naman ngayon: para saan naman kaya itong pagsusulat ko? Para pagkakitaan?

Kung para sa pagkita lang pala ng pera ang pagsusulat ko, e wala palang special sa pagsusulat ko—kasi halos wala rin akong ipinagkaiba sa mga milyon-milyong empleyado sa buong mundo na pumapasok sa trabaho para kumita lang ng pera. Besides, magiging “errands” lang ang pagsusulat ko.

Not that I’m undermining people who work here. From the way I see things, I am actually undermining myself: Nakakahiya ka, Mok, kasi binigyan ka ng special gift, and yet nagpapaka-“regular” ka lang.

DIVERSIONS

Eto yung mga sinasabi ng mga matatanda sa probinsya kapag pinagsasabihan sila ng mga anak nila ng, “Inang naman, bakit naman nagbabad na naman kayo sa Bingo?” “Anak naman, dibersyon lang naman ‘yun….” O di kaya, “Tatay, iinom na naman kayo?” “Dibersyon lang ‘to, anak. Minsan lang naman….”

Diversions are important. Basically, they are “the much-needed break” we need to get our minds off the day-to-day preoccupations that wear our minds out. For example, si Archimedes, isang Greek philosopher/mathematician. Binigyan siya ng challenge: alamin daw niya kung gaano kadami ang alloy na kasama ng ginto sa korona ng Hari ng Syracuse.

Syempre, tipikal sa mga scientists ang grabeng konsentrasyon nila. Sa sobrang focus niya, si Archimedes, nakalimutan niyang kumain, maligo, etc. Sabi ng asawa niya, “Ambaho mo na; maligo ka kaya?”

‘Yung pagligo bale ang naging diversion ni Archimedes. Nang isinawsaw na niya yung paa niya sa bathtub na puno ng tubig, napansin niya na tumaas ang lebel ng tubig pagkalublob ng paa niya. Ayun, nadisubre niya ang prinsipyo ng volume displacement, at napasigaw siya ng “Eureka! (I have found [it])!”

Sa diversion kasi nangyayari yung pagre-relax ng utak natin. Nakakapagkunekta ang mga neurons natin ng bagong kuneksyon, enabling us to think “outside of the box.”

Ang problema, andaming Pinoy na puro dibersyon lang ang ginagawa sa araw-araw. Nakababad sa computer, naglalaro ng DOTA maghapon at magdamag. Nakababad sa sugalan at inuman. Nakatuon lagi ang isip sa chismis at pakikipag-date, Facebook at Twitter. Talaga naman….

RULES

Iniisip ko, kapag namatay na tayo at binigyan tayo ng pagkakataon na lingunin ang naging buhay natin, gaano kaya ka-kumportableng sabihin: “Ang buhay ko ay ISANG MALAKING DIBERSYON.” Ahehe. O di kaya, “Naging ISANGMALAKING ERRAND lang pala ang buhay ko….” Etc.

Nota bene: The four categories I enumerated here are NOT clear-cut definitions. Often, they meld into each other.

Pwede kasi na ‘yung trabaho mo pala (“errand”) ay nagpo-provide din pala sa ‘yo ng avenue para magamit mo ang special talent mo sa pagtulong mo sa kapwa (“marker”). Or yung pagbababad mo pala sa Facebook (“diversion”) ay para makatulong sa pagpo-promote mo ng negosyo mo (“errand”) o di kaya, para regular mong makausap ang mga mahal mo sa buhay na nasa ibang bansa (“chore”), or better yet, ginagamit mo para sa advocacies mo bilang isang internet activist (“marker”).

Nagkakatalo ‘yan sa mismong perspective mo, or kung ano ba talaga ng sitwasyon mo ngayon sa buhay.

Sa kaso ko, dahil ako ay part-time bum at part-time self-employed, kailangan kong bantayan yang mga categories na ‘yan para maging productive ako.

Here’s the fun part.

After classifying your day-to-day activities into the said categories, you now make up your OWN rules about it. Sa sitwasyon ko, anlaki ng temptation na malulong ako sa dibersyon: nood ng TV, kain ng chichirya, etc., to the point na nakakalimutan ko na ang mga dapat kong gawin. So, here are the basic three of MY rules:

(1)    All CHORES and ERRANDS should follow a definite schedule;
(2)    Because I have plenty of time in my hands left after chores and errands, I MUST take the time to work on my MARKERS: writing, painting, etc.;
(3)    DIVERSIONs are my reward to myself. I will engage in DIVERSIONS only if a substantial amount of ERRANDS or MARKERS have been accomplished.

Yeah, right. Ahehe.

I do break the rules from time to time. But then, after a week has passed, I look back on the things I’ve accomplished so far and I’m quite content. At least, masasabi ko na isang linggo man ang dumaan, naging productive naman ako. Na hindi ako basta nilipasan lang ng mga araw, na meron akong naging accomplishment kahit paano.

Now that I've written this ("marker"), I suppose it's time to pamper myself with a little "diversion"…. Yehehehey!