Sana Dati

"The movie that paved it's way straight through my heart."

                A woman marrying a man who doesn’t her past - Expect the unexpected, you meet the most significant person in your life in the oddest places, and some things aren’t meant to last forever; these are the quotes that lingers through my mind all throughout the screening of the movie titled “Sana Dati” by Jerold Tarog.

                Right from the moment the film started, my curiosity hit me, and I was already intrigued. I'm not usually “IN” to oh-so-romantic films, but this film, it was an exception. At first it was really obscure, I wasn’t able to clearly visualize what the film was about. Moreover, I was able to see the whole picture when the film gradually showed Andrea’s flashbacks. By the way, the characters were:  Lovi Poe as Andrea, Benjamin Alves as Andrew, TJ Trinidad as Robert, and Paulo Avelino as Dennis – Andrew’s brother.

                Moving on to my insights and reactions, I was really emotional. Like what I’ve said earlier in the second paragraph, I'm not usually “In” to some oh-so-romantic films. I don’t get too emotional often; I mean come on, I’m a man; don’t expect me to be as cheesy as girls do.  But hey! Everyone needs drama in their lives once in a while. This movie is a romantic-drama film, given that this movie is certainly about break-ups and stuffs; this movie replicates a rare to be seen scenario in real life. When everything falls in to the right place then suddenly, BOOM!!! Everything goes black. Everything goes to oblivion; like the world fell down and burst into pieces.

                There’s no denying, every movie we watch, there’s a specific character we are rooting for and the character I am rooting for is in this movie is, Andrew. He’s the root and cause, the top most reason why this movie is so vital. He was the reason behind all these hazy and unclear scenes I’ve had trouble puzzling out.

                This movie is magnificent. If I were to compare this movie to an object, I would say this movie is an arrow, shot right through my heart. It pierced right through my feelings, and that is enough; enough to say that this movie is really magnificent. Not just magnificent; honestly, this movie is the most interesting Filipino movie I’ve watched so far. It’s out of the blue because modern Filipino movies are cliché, too mainstream, always sticking to what’s “Uso” and this film, this is a stunner. Well that’s all I got to say, this film is the only film that made me feel like crying, and the only film that made me question myself, how does it feel like to have someone who’s really meant for you but you lost it.

The Man of our Culture: Isagani Cruz

            We have been colonized by how many countries, two? Three? It doesn’t matter. The fact that we have been influenced by so many country, some of us still don’t know how to appreciate and embrace our own culture. Despite the rich culture we have here in our country, others still search for more, unsatisfied with what our country have, or maybe ashamed of our local product. I think it’s time to appreciate the highly recognized and, one of the most prominent contributors of our country, Mr. Isagani Cruz.

            One of the most recognized contributors to our Philippine Literature; Isagani Cruz has received so many recognitions and awards. He had written more than thirty books, I mean, who would imagine that he can write so many books. It makes me wonder, what if I pursued the course I really liked back then, Literature. Would I become like him? or would I be better than him? *dreams too much*

            Moving on, the websites I’ve looked through says one thing, “HE IS A MASTER.” I can’t take it, my self esteem hid from me. the websites states that he is a member of of the Palanca Hall of Fame, SEAWRITE awardee in 1991,  former professor of De La Salle University, and many more. Actually there are lots of recognitions, innumerable indeed. I can’t help but say this but he is that kind of person whom you can’t avoid being jealous of.

            This kind of person is someone we all should idolize and acknowledge. “As an advocate of Philippine culture, Cruz was a member of groups and institutions that promote Philippine literature and art.” – this sentence was the most remarkable sentence for me. Just like him, I want to be an advocate of Philippine literature and art.

As a Filipino, I am proud of Isagani Cruz’s works and legacy.

As for myself, I will find his books and read it.

You don’t have to light that stick

            As I start to consume every pint of my cigarette, my body starts to loosen up; pleasure sinks in, my mind goes neutral, unscrewing every tight bolts and screws in my body. The coldness, the chill, the icy blast that runs through my respiratory system whenever I smoke, it’s fascinating. Every inhale, and exhale, oh man, it kills me. But what kills me more, is the fact that this stick, this cigarette I’m smoking might be the cause of my death in the near future. *whispers* (hopefully not)

            I refrain myself from smoking every now and then. Although I still smoke, but not that much unlike my other friends who smoke regularly. Our community is built up with different types of people, different culture and whatsoever, some smoke and some don’t. My goal here is not to influence my friends, my classmates, or the people around me. I don’t want to see them smoking. I already know that smoking can cause a person to have cancer, plus, every cigarette a person smoke reduces the expected lifespan by eleven minutes; isn’t that enough to scare a person to stop or don’t try to smoke?

            

            A single cigarette contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to 
cause cancer. Every day, nearly four thousand teens in the U.S. smoke their first cigarette while one thousand start smoking on a daily basis; these are the facts everyone should know. Every day, the population grows; along with it is the growth of percentage of people smoking. I mean what benefits will they get in smoking, the tendency of having cancer, destruction of digestive and oral systems, or failure of respiratory system?   We have to save our fellows lives.

            If we can’t stop it, why don’t we find another way? I'm pretty sure that to change something big, we can’t do it in just one glance, we can’t do it with just one poof, and we don’t have magic. Bit by bit we can do this.

This is me saying 

If you want to make a change, start with yourself.

reference: http://www.factslides.com/s-Smoking#

                 http://www.healthline.com/health/smoking/effects-on-body

The legendary impersonator visits the campus

            2 – 11 – 2016. I don’t have a planner, I don’t mark my calendar, I  don’t even put reminders in my cell phone. But this one is one of those days that I’ve waited for; the day that our very own Filipino legendary impersonator pays our school a visit

            I’ve watched several movies about real passion, like Fast and Furious star Paul Walker a.k.a. Brian O’Connor, leaving his job as a cop for racing; the rat from the ratatouille, leaving his life from the sewers for being a chef; farhan of the three idiots, pursued engineering but never gave up his dream in wildlife photography. All those movies inspired me, gave a spark on pursuing my dreams but this time it’s different. Let’s put it this way, the day Jon Santos gave the APC community his words, my determination ignited. “Follow Your Passion… I did.”

            As we grow older year by year, our necessities also increase, our needs become more complicated. To supply those things, we need a living to be able to obtain those things. That’s when profession comes in. We all know that without a professional career, the possibility of getting poor is high. Basically, profession is something essential to us.

            What if…. What if you are not enjoying what you are doing? What if your profession doesn’t make you feel who you are? What if your profession doesn’t make you happy? The point is you can’t just work, work, and work. You have to be passionate on what you are doing. In that way, you’d be able to achieve your dreams. To sum it up, the things you do is worthless if you are not passionate on doing it.

The RamPage staff with Jon Santos

            I was lucky enough to get all his tips and life lessons and experiences he had as a performer in the Philippine show business:

1. You Listen.

2. All Learning Will Enrich You.

3. Learning What You Love Will Make you The Richest Person in the World.

4. Knowledge is everything.

5. Win the War Before You Fight It.

6. Adjust, Adapt, Evolve

7. Always leave room for the divine.

8. Always be Grateful.

9. You are never alone in your journey.

10. Love yourself, and then Let Go of Yourself.

            Santos’ journey has been nothing but inspiration to us Filipinos. He finished AB Economics at the University of the Philippines but ended up as a very talented comedian. You see, it’s not about what you had or what you finished; the important thing is what you will do next. Let your passion be your profession. Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.