Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Dual Booting Ubuntu

Last week I installed Ubuntu in my laptop. It's a Linux distro. It's open source, so I can combat capitalism even in the bits and bytes! I wanted to try it out to see if it fairs well against XP and OS X. Test running the OS was easy, all I had to do was to download the LiveCD and I can already test-drive the OS through the CD. I like how it has packaged drivers for my old laptop. It has a nice look and feel so I decided to install it. Installation was a breeze and quicker than installing XP.

One of the main hurdles that I had was the learning curve. Last night, I wanted to try-out my WLAN, to see whether Ubuntu supports it. I was in Cheenee's house and it they have a wifi router, perfect for my setup. At first, I cannot connect to the internet. I thought that I had no driver for my WLAN. After an hour of tinkering and surfing through Cheenee's MacBook, we found out that I was using the wrong password (Chenen!!!). After the correction, my WLAN easily connected with the router - instant WiFi! So, I began upgrading my system.

Switching to Ubuntu is easy once you get used to the system. One thing I had to get used to is using the Terminal. It's like the command prompt of Ubuntu. A plus side of Ubuntu is that there's a whole lot of free applications that can be installed and they are available in the OS itself. The only problem that I have is that I can't make an intelligent choice since most of them are new to me. Thus, I have to frequently consult the internet for reviews of the programs. My other problem with Ubuntu is that some programs that I use are not usable in flash (e.g. Photoshop, VBA). So, I had to maintain my XP. But it would be for the sole purpose of using proprietary (pirated) programs.



I found my name in The Guidon (w00t! w00t!). Well, it didn't exactly have my real name but it had my pseudonym - Milkolate. My only qualm about it is that my statement was in Taglish. But I wouldn't blame myself, it was just a comment on their tagboard and I don't expect myself to talk in straight Tagalog/English in such an informal setting.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Kalakbay

This afternoon, we had our Seniors' Pabaon. It was an effort by the Ateneo administrators and offices to synthesize, what they/we call the Ateneo formation. The event was host by Sir Ariel Diccion and the two speakers were Mark Lawrence Cruz of the Philo/Theo Department and Cecilio Pedro, owner and CEO of Lamoiyan.

The talk was basically centered on what an Atenean should be - Lux in Domino, heroic leader, nurturing person, lifelong leader, professionals for others, etc. As seniors, as they say, we should have been formed to be all those.

I think it's good to have a venue for the administrators to synthesize the formation program of the Ateneo. But I think, they are trying to hard to make a last push for the unformed, uninformed, untransformed. I do believe that such intense hammering of the brain with ideas of magis and lux in domino, is a product of poor execution of some of the formation programs. If the programs were as good as they should have, the administrators wouldn't have to spend so much time talking and re-iterating what an Atenean is and isn't.




The most striking part of the program for me was the talk of Sir Cruz. I'm not referring to the whole talk but his reference to a new painting by Joey Velasco, entitled Kalakbay. If the painting Hapag ng Pag-asa depicted children of the poor, this painting depicts older people who themselves are subject to the hardships of life. Just like the preceding work, this new painting is again based on real people.

Just as the last stroke of this painting was being completed this morning, two of my subjects in this latest obra were being riddled with bullets while cultivating their own land in La Castellana Negros Occidental.. Mang Alejandro (fourth from right) and Mang Eli (second from right) were both dead on arrival as their bodies were brought at a nearby barrio hospital.

As I look at the skull at the lower right corner of my painting, I smell the smell of death. It fills my studio this evening. I carry this smell for hours already that I can't sleep. I remember their faces last March when we were attending mass under their worn out tent. They sighed and as if said, Lord thank you for journeying with us even through the valley of darkness.Even til death. Kalakbay.

Last March 22, 2007, we were so jubilant as the farmer-beneficiaries of Hacienda Velez Malaga were finally installed in the disputed land. It was just a mock installation.Only 57 farmes were installed instead of the 102. And those who were installed were never issued orders by DAR. Two weeks ago the military pulled out from the hacienda. Kaya disgrasya lalo. Tiyay Lindy is requesting for your prayers.

So much blood and pain of the best human beings.

- Joey Velasco via [DBPAA]

Poverty not only deprives. It also kills. Ateneo have produced thousands after thousands of so-called "men-and-women-for-others" yet the darkness persists. Why?

Friday, June 22, 2007

Blessed are the Poor

For some time now, I've been seeing this painting on a billboard along EDSA. I always feel a certain guilt whenever I see this picture. It also reminds me of a commercial wherein a beggar was transformed into Jesus Christ.

What re-sparked my interest on this painting entitled Hapag ng Pag-asa is this article that I read about it - Read with caution. It featured how the artist, Joselito Velasco, scoured the metropolis to find his subjects. He actually looked for street children who are willing to be the subjects of his painting. For me, this is remarkable on several levels. Firstly, was it that difficult to find a willing street child? Here in Katipunan, you'll see a lot of them and some Ateneans do be-friend them. Whenever I see Hapag ng Pag-asa, I feel guilty since whenever these children approach me to ask for food or coins, I'd automatically say that I don't have any. Most of the time, I do have coins, but I always think I don't have coins to spare. I console myself by saying that I will not offer them short-term comfort now but something lasting later. Anyhow, back to the painting. On another level, I think the difficulty in finding the perfect subjects for the art piece may reflect that maybe even these children do not trust other people outside their spheres. It may even reflect how busy these children are, unwilling to spare some time with Velasco for it may mean less coins to earn for the day.

Another thing that added dimension to the painting is the fact that each of these "12 apostles" have their own stories to tell - a girl who was abused by a drug-addicted father, a daughter of a strip dancer, and a daughter of an insane mother who is currently missing, to name a few. Oftentimes, we forget that these people are people with stories to tell. They are not just animals who beg for our "hard-earned food". But these are people who are immersed in poverty.


In DS112, we talk about how poverty is ultimately a deprivation of capabilities. Those who are poor are those who cannot. Poverty is not necessarily about not having. I think that this difference between being and having is very important. I mean that poverty is a deprivation of capabilities not only in the economic sense but in other aspects such as the capability to participate in a political system. Yes, the poor can vote and their vote is the same as the vote of the rich, but is the government striving to make its programs respond to the needs of these people? If there is true participation in democracy, why do politicians create and perpetuate poverty to serve their interests rather than eradicating it? Poverty is not just about lack of money, it is disempowerment.


On the milk code

I do believe that the temporary restraining order on the revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Milk Code was brought about by presidential intervention. I'm referring to the letter from US Chamber of Commerce to President Arroyo saying that the implementation of the RIRR would have “negative consequences for investors’ confidence in the predictability of business law in the Philippines". I believe that this is bullocks. Tuta talaga!

Breast milk substitutes are getting more expensive every week. I know this since my father owns a sari-sari store. It's not rare to hear mothers complain how expensive milk is. But they buy any way since they know that their children needs it. My father tells me that we only have a few stocks of breast milk substitutes since we don't have enough capital for it and that the price he puts on them is low with almost no profit. Our store is situated near a squatters' area and he believes that putting the prices as low as he can is service to these people.

Statistics show that there is a decline in the number of mothers who breast feed their infants. Thus, the DOH favor E.O. 51 for a more stringent enforcement of the milk code. I agree with DOH. We do need to be more aggressive in promoting breast feeding. But we must take into consideration that even these mothers are malnourished. Most of them have to work. Would this ensure that they would have enough breast milk to feed their babies? Economic reasons may well be a factor why breast feeding is on an all-time low.


Blessed are the poor, for as the painting depicts, God is with them. But as I always say, God's presence will never be felt if His stewards do nothing. We are the hands of God. Christ should be seen in us. It is not only Christ who should be breaking bread with them, but also us, His stewards. Or maybe we are the bread that Christ blesses, breaks, and share. He blesses us with out graces and breaks us from our comfort zones so that we may ultimately share our lives to the people who are in darkness.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

A Comic Series About a Famous Atenean

Gerry Alanguilan will launch a comic series entitled The Marvelous Adventures of the Amazing Dr. Rizal. It's a series that will be published in FUDGE magazine on August. It's about the fictional adventures of our national hero. I like the art so far. It has clean yet romantic look to it. According to the creator, the tales will be fictional but it seems like the characters are derived from reality. Here's an explanation of the poster above:

The man with the covered face is Paciano. His face will never be shown in the series. He will either have his back to us, or his face is covered with something. Paciano is notorious for having avoided getting his photo taken (except for one stolen shot and another when he died), so I thought it would be nice to play that up in the series.

The man in the top hat is actually Juan Luna. The young woman is Leonor Rivera, and the older woman is Rizal’s mother.

If one looks closely at the poster, it seems as if Rizal has a halo. Would this mean that Rizal will be portrayed as a quasi-divine hero in a modern-traditional ("Time Machine" and capiz) Philippines? Must-see!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Numb-ers

For our first lesson in DS112 last week, we talked about the poverty line and the poverty statistics of the Philippines. Here are some of the note-worthy figures.

30.4% of Filipinos live on PhP33.60 a day.

Zamboanga del Norte is the poorest province with a 64.6% poverty incidence.

The richest 10% of the population owns 36.7% of the country's income while the poorest 10% owns only 1.8%.

The richest 20% owns more than half of the country's riches, therefore, they are richer that the rest of the population combined.

The numbers paint a dismal picture of what is happening around us. But statistics is meaningless to many people. They are just numbers, trivialities of our society. Many are jaded by the poverty and the lack of action (or lack of changes) to combat it. Many are numbed by the evils and injustice that have become part of our reality. Many are blinded by the darkness of our times. Nagbubulag-bulagan na lang ang mga tao dahil ayaw akuin ang reponsibilidad. Kung makita man, mabilis magkikibit balikat at magtuturo ng daliri sa kawalan. Wala raw sa abot ng kanyang kapangyarihan na baguhin ang sitwasyon. KATARANTADUHAN!

According to Theology141, in Sir Tatot's class, this numbness, amnesia, blindness, can be fought with beauty. Beauty illuminates. Those who are numb to the social evils fail to see the beauty that could be, therefore hope is lost. But he who sees beauty and points others to it agitates the world of those who are comfortable with their numbness and blindness.

This morning, we watched an Imbestigador documentary for Philosophy104 (Moral Philo). It was entitled "Pobreng Pinoy". It featured the country's poorest of the poor. It showed how squatters beside railroads live dangerous lives. It depicted how families survive on a measly meal of a little rice and chicharon bits. According to a management friend of mine, nowadays, the best-selling viand (ulam) is Boy Bawang. It's cheap and salty, enough to add flavor to the blandness of rice. But for the unfortunate, a meal is composed of either rats or worms. These are what they eat in provinces during a bad harvest. The documentary also featured those who sell pleasure and those who sell body parts - an eye, kidneys, daily blood-donors, and a man who sold all his teeth for 20 pesos each. When asked whether they were ashamed of what they did, they defended themselves by saying that they weren't doing anything wrong. Selling ones body parts is better that stealing.

As I watched the documentary, I can't help but cringe. These people are part of the numbers we talk about in DS112. But a lot of things have made us blind to their hardships. Our personal desires and comfort have become our numb-ers. We may be jaded but a lot of people are suffering because of our inaction. It's difficult to be numb when you can see with your very eyes how these people are living. While watching, I had my hands clenched. I knew I had to do something. I knew I can do something. I have the power to change lives.

I hope and pray that more people are moved to go beyond their comfort zones. I pray that all be jolted out of their numbness, forego the numb-ers, so that we may change the numbers.

Monday, June 18, 2007

V
People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.

Yesterday, I was delighted to watch on cable TV one of my all-time favorite movies, V for Vendetta. The story of V, the lone survivor of Larkhail, continues to mesmerize me. His Guy Fawkes mask adds much enigma to his character. But I think what makes the movie memorable is its strong political theme. I see V as a strong character that embodies idealism. But my hero-worship for him is incomplete since I see his thirst for revenge as something unwarranted. Nonetheless, he is a certified gadfly, one that is much needed of his time. Beneath the mask I do not see a vengeance-hungry madman but a revolutionary for liberty. He sees himself as an instrument of liberation. He agitates a society comfortable with deceit and coercion. Fear has become the staple diet of his day and age.

I believe our country needs a V. I do not advocate violence nor vengeance. Rather, I advocate leadership from below who is able to rally the people, not through bloodshed but through more creative, symbolic means reminiscent of V's ploy of sending Guy Fawkes costumes to the whole of England. I see it as empowerment. Our country needs people who can empower others to rise to the call of the times, who see themselves as instruments of liberation. We need those who can comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable. I do not speak of just a charismatic leader, rather I speak of one that is principled, fearless, and just.

A new age must dawn, before it's too late. Philippines prevails!

Saturday, June 16, 2007

What is Development?
Thesis#1: Defining development is an exercise of the imagination.

Development has to be more concerned with enhancing the lives we lead and the freedoms we enjoy. Wealth is merely useful for the sake of something else.

"Third World" is not a derogatory label. Rather, it asserts the nations' distinction from the Capitalist First World and the (now defunct) Communist Second World. The Third World is the Third Wave. Be proud of your Third World citizenship.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

15 Units

I'm currently taking only 15 units for the first semester of my senior year. It's a very light load and I want more. 15 units is nothing compared to the 21, 24 units of my friends. I really want to have more subjects this semester. Unfortunately, the regular load for senior DS majors is only 15 units, since it is expected that by this time, a senior DS major would be starting his or her thesis. Since I am a shiftee, I would have to start my thesis next semester. I am a financial aid scholar and the scholarship only covers the regular load of the course. With Ateneo putting a 7,000-peso price tag on a 3-unit subject, I am stuck with my 15 units. Back when I was a physics major, this was unthinkable. MWFs with only one subject was an improbability. Now, it's a reality.

I envy friends who can afford to take extra subjects. I envy them because they have the opportunity that I do not have. I envy those who can afford to take a minor. I cannot. I can't afford it. The Office of Admission and Aid doesn't want to grant my request for a double major or even minor since according to them, the money that would fund my extra units is money that could well be used to grant a scholarship to another student. Thus, insisting on financial support would only be selfishness on my part. But with 7,000 pesos per subject, how in the world can I afford to squeeze some extra units into this semester?

I can't help but feel saddened by the fact that to many Ateneans 7,000 pesos is a sum that can be taken for granted. A clear example would be students who deliberately exceed the number of allowable cuts on a subject whose teacher they do not like. 7,000 pesos is taken for granted when Ateneans have the potential to spend that much money on a shopping spree for clothes they don't even need. 7,000 pesos is taken for granted when the total money spent for playing LAN games amount to that much. Why is it so easy for many Ateneans to spend 7,000 pesos on such things while I on the other hand, can't afford to get into a class that I want to be in?

The Philippine poverty line set by the government is at around 33.60 pesos a day per person and 30.4% of our population cannot afford that much. That translates to 24.7 million Filipinos living in destitution. I want that 7,000 pesos, that extra subject, so that I can learn more, for it is in learning that I find out how I can change the face of this world for the better. Millions and millions of Filipinos live on less than 50 pesos a day yet there are many who splurge their money as if there's no tomorrow. I hope and pray that people would learn to put their money to good use. I know I would.