Namaste Readers,
I'm glad I'm vacationing/interning in the Philippines (PI), but at the moment I find it weird/strange because I was here only 7 months ago. Albeit that was a trip with a different meaning ( as always with every trip ), this trip is unprecedented ( compared to the pattern of visiting at least every 3-4 years ). The consistency is reassuring, yet the ( minute ) changes are shocking.
It's a given that a tropical island along the equator (PI) during the summer season will be hot regardless of any type of preparation. I had limited space in my luggage ( didn't want to carry all that baggage ), but I still had to retain versatility in style ( diba? ): clothing that can adapt both in cold and hot weather. So I wore an off white/light gray cotton and breatheable pants ( looks like pin-stripe up-close ) and navy blue collared t-shirt with an asymmetrical Calligraphic design.
Contrast is important ( not just in color but also in texture/layer ). I wore a dark gray sweater/blazer. I'm also a fan of juxtaposing cherry brown with any shades of gray so I accessorized with a cherry brown belt and sandals ( which some have joked as Jesus shoes ). I was so ready to face the heat when I arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
After taking off my blazer, rolling up my pants, and removing my tan-colored socks, I started fanning myself with my straw Fedora, and then with my handkerchief. I unbuttoned my shirt all the way ( not a J-Lo deep "V", just 3 buttons ). No matter what I did, my shirt started sticking to my back and a bit above my stomach. I smelled cigarette smoke ( and hoped I wouldn't start coughing wildly ). People with Balikbayan Boxes taller than themselves zigzagged towards their rides.
I moved towards the safety and shades of the phone stalls. Even a hint of a breeze was a blessing as cold air sinks and presses, while hot air rises and pushes. I wasn't going to be riding in an air-conditioned taxi anytime soon, so I sat on my luggage, took out my mp3 music player, and listened to voices both soothing and cool ( malamig ). I'm melting, why fight it? Why not go with the flow: a downward flow?
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Manila Internship: taking flight
Kamusta Readers,
Diba sinulat ni Shakespeare na ang buong mundo ay "stage"? Pues, puedo kong sabihin na sa buhay ko sinundan ko yung "script" ( yung script sabi nila ay tama ). Pwede mong sabihin na parang akong isang laroan nilaro nang mga "Fates." Pero ang buhay ay puno nang sopresa, diba? "Nonetheless" meron ako natutunan ( parang akong naging "enlightened" ); kung gusto mo yung buhay na napaginipan mo, kaylangan mo maging "author" nang buhay mo, isulat mo ang script para sa sarili mo. Por eso pupunta ako sa Pilipinas at "take my chances."
*Didn't Shakespeare write that all the world's a stage? Well, I can say that I've been following a script throughout my life ( the "right" script according to Society ). You can say that the Fates played me like a toy. But life is full of surprises, right? Nonetheless, I learned something ( like I was enlightened ); if you want the life you've dreamed of, you need to be the author of your life: write your own script. That's why I'm going to the Philippines and take my chances.
I can be really bored in Philadelphia with a limited funding, OR I can be productive completing an intership(s), networking in the Philippines, and getting more bang for my hard earn income ( of 3 months ). Time with family and SPACE to focus ( drama-free ) and finish projects are great bonuses. The latter is the obvious choice.
Tasks to complete:
-internship(s)
-research (18 journal articles exploring fear and play in composition and rhetoric)
-GRE Lit Review (Greek Myths, "Ang Munting Prinsipe," "Beowulf on the Beach" & GRE LIT)
-blog updates (the whole process)
-fun reading ("Cave and Shadows," "Haiku Guy," "Playing the Game," & a silly World History)
-PhD applications/ essays
-Peace Corps application
-Urban exploration (Quezon City)
Follow along and enjoy the process vicariously! Thanks in advance!
Diba sinulat ni Shakespeare na ang buong mundo ay "stage"? Pues, puedo kong sabihin na sa buhay ko sinundan ko yung "script" ( yung script sabi nila ay tama ). Pwede mong sabihin na parang akong isang laroan nilaro nang mga "Fates." Pero ang buhay ay puno nang sopresa, diba? "Nonetheless" meron ako natutunan ( parang akong naging "enlightened" ); kung gusto mo yung buhay na napaginipan mo, kaylangan mo maging "author" nang buhay mo, isulat mo ang script para sa sarili mo. Por eso pupunta ako sa Pilipinas at "take my chances."
*Didn't Shakespeare write that all the world's a stage? Well, I can say that I've been following a script throughout my life ( the "right" script according to Society ). You can say that the Fates played me like a toy. But life is full of surprises, right? Nonetheless, I learned something ( like I was enlightened ); if you want the life you've dreamed of, you need to be the author of your life: write your own script. That's why I'm going to the Philippines and take my chances.
I can be really bored in Philadelphia with a limited funding, OR I can be productive completing an intership(s), networking in the Philippines, and getting more bang for my hard earn income ( of 3 months ). Time with family and SPACE to focus ( drama-free ) and finish projects are great bonuses. The latter is the obvious choice.
Tasks to complete:
-internship(s)
-research (18 journal articles exploring fear and play in composition and rhetoric)
-GRE Lit Review (Greek Myths, "Ang Munting Prinsipe," "Beowulf on the Beach" & GRE LIT)
-blog updates (the whole process)
-fun reading ("Cave and Shadows," "Haiku Guy," "Playing the Game," & a silly World History)
-PhD applications/ essays
-Peace Corps application
-Urban exploration (Quezon City)
Follow along and enjoy the process vicariously! Thanks in advance!
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