Worried?

I wonder what world I would be facing after college. One month left and be leaving the portals of my university, Bicol University College of Engineering wherein we were trained to a lot more true to life experiences. College days will be over then. No more examinations, board works, projects, research papers, and the many more school requirements. No more allowance from your parents or from scholarships. But of course there's a lot more life can offfer us after college.

After college I'm planning to take the review in Manila where my friends reached their dreams of being a licensed civil engineer. I'll be putting enough courage and knowledge to myself to take the board examination on November, very much hopeful to get that license. Find a good job, maybe in the land where the Merlion stands, Singapore. Well that's what they want for me. Save money to finance my studies for master's degree, maybe in the environmental engineering field. See that's all I'm planning of.

But what is really life after graduation? I am not a student anymore. I have to face the situation same as with my office mates working to have themselves bread and butter on plate. I have to be independent now. Life will be a far more different from what I have now. I work but I still got my allowance.

I can never really say what life would be or either you can't say that to me. Its always like knowing when it would rain or shine. Neither it would rain or shine, we should always have the umbrella to protect us. God is always an umbrella for us to watch over and protect us. What we can do is prepare for the rain rather than just stand and wait till it comes.

My life as a student had prepared me much in a wider scope of my world. In the next few months, I will now belong to the thousands who are licensed or to the graduates, to the thousands employed or under jobs, or maybe to the thousand unemployed, or maybe a parent. Whatever life will bring me, I know I've been into fire to mold me into gold. And there will be more lessons to come.

I maybe worried of what life would be bring me soon. But I believe I have my umbrella to protect me whether it rains or it will shine. I'll be missing this point of my life, I swear I do.

Life

(I can't think of a better title. Feel free to suggest. Thanks)


They say life is short so its better do things in right way and enjoy every moment of your life. This is what they always say on how to celebrate life so that by the time that you will be leaving your earthen being, you have done everything that you wished to do and that will make the whole world remember you.

My life I can say is the life I have celebrated with twists and turns on the story. Every short stories behind it maybe happy or sad ending. But what matters most is the learning experience and renewal in every ending of every story. I was never afraid of leaving life on Earth. In fact what I am afraid most of is me having no value in this world. Its worst than dying I believe. Anyway, life can never be perfect but its on how you deal with it. Its been almost 22 years of me living, and I'm thankful of it. I may fail but I try to strive back on my track.

Going back to the life God gave me, I never fear of going back to Him. Because it is where I know I can find the peace I've been looking for. But maybe God still wants me to be the maker of peace here (Well I don't know if that what he wants me to). Almost all of my life I have been in the church, serving and doing the best that I can for the greater glory of God. But sometimes when I loss out of track I tend to forget His presence to me.

During rough roads of my journey I always wish that God will call me to return to his kingdom, but it never happened. I always say, "I'm ready to die anyway". But there's always certain moments that God would show me that I should not die. There were only two instances that I can point out. First was during the interment of my tita Wilma. During the burial mass, I saw my father in the corner of the church crying with his face towel wetted with tears. And second was on the early morning of February 17 of this year.

Let me share the story. When I saw my father crying that day it was the day that I thought I should not leave my loved ones because I don't want my father or any other to cry that hard for my loss. The Feb.17 incident happened at around 5 in the morning.I haven't slept that night. It was a sleepless night for me, but when I finally slept, I felt that my whole body is not moving even if I try to do actions. I wish to call my friend beside me sleeping but I can't open my mouth. I can't shout. I can't even breathe. What was on my mind is I was wearing a white dress and running and laughing as if I am very happy while running. When I felt that my whole body was numb I tried to do actions but I can't. I remember that I was dreaming and that I tried to think on what to do to remove numbness on me. I remembered my friend saying that during those times I should try to move my toes. Then I tried it, successfully I'm back. After that I've been very afraid that I might or I was dying at that moment. I am scared, really scared. And that was the time I realized I'm losing track and I have to come back.

Life really is tricky for us. Sometimes we think life is playing on us, but reality is that we are the one playing with life. Sometimes we play seriously, sometimes just enjoying it, sometimes we fake it. Its up to us on how we manage the cards we have.

I never changed my motto which is very simple, "Live, laugh and be merry for tomorrow you will die". This doesn't mean that we always have to play jokes on it. We have to live it properly with love and respect to each other. And be thankful to the life that we have here on Earth.

Its never too late to thank the God for your life. And its never too late to learn from the happy and sad stories of everyone's life.

Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag

If I will be asking you what is the greatest film you have seen maybe you would answer me "The Notebook" or "Titanic". Others might answer me "Saving Private Ryan" or "Apocalypto." Well, not to deny these are really great films. But going back to the 70's I would say that would be Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag.

The film stars Rafael Roco, popularly known as Bembol Roco as Julio Madiaga, and Hilda Koronel. as Ligaya Paraiso. Including Tommy Abuel, Lou Salvador, Spanky Manikan, and many others.

The story was based from Edgardo M. Reyes' novel serialized in Liwayway Magazine from 1966 to 1967. The movie shows injustice to the poor and uneducated people. Julio Madiaga is a poor fishermen who went to Manila to look for his love one, Ligaya. The search brought him to changes in his character. The originally poor boy naive boy from the province changed to an angry man quenching for justice. Julio experienced unfair labor practice in the construction site, and this resorted in becoming a prostitute. When Julio finally met Ligaya after the long search, he learned that Ligaya was a victim of an illegal recruiter who set her to white slavery. Ligaya became a slave of a Chinese businessman, and soon turned to be his husband. Knowing Ligaya's situation Julio persisted to escape with Ligaya. The escape turned the story to its bloody ending.

This film directed by one of the known greatest film directors, Lino Brocka, who was born (I would say proudly a product of Bicol Region) in Pilar, Sorsogon. Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag is considered to the greatest Philippine film ever made. Also the greatness of the film can be traced to the excellent cinematography of Mike de Leon.

Brocka and de Leon's excellence, including the casts brought the movie to won six major awards in the 1976 FAMAS Awards (Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences): Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Bembol Roco), Best Cinematography (Mike de Leon), Best Director (Lino Brocka), and Best Supporting Actor. Manila in the Claws of Brightness (English name of the film) consistently placed in the world's top 100 film of all time. It is the only Filipino film included in the 1001 Movies You Should See Before You Die list.

After almost three decades Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag portraits the real situation that we experience in our daily lives. Practices of injustice, prostitution, illegal recruiting, unfair labor practice, and worst thing is discrimination. Marginalized people are being discriminated in their own home.

Going back to the story, it ended up Ligaya failed to meet Julio during their escape, Julio killing Ah Tek (Ligaya's Chinese husband), and Julio being attacked by by-standers in Misericordia. This eye opening film for us intended to show the bitterness of life for the marginalized. But the question is, to whom does this film intends to be delivered? It is for you and for me, for every body.

There are times that we see ourselves as Julio or Ligaya, or sometimes we forgot that we become Mrs. Cruz (illegal recruiter) and Mr. Balajadia (foreman in the construction site), or Ah Tek maybe. Julio and Ligaya have no chances of finishing studies because of financial constraints. Mrs. Cruz, Mr. Balajadia, and Ah Tek are well educated that they used their education to hoodwink others. Or sometimes we think that being marginalized will bring pity to us. Or we think that power is an edge. But thinking it again and again, whether we are Julio, Ligaya, Ah Tek, Mrs. Cruz, Mr.Balajadia, each of us has a role in our community, to practice what is right and just and to extend the joy of justice and fair.

Greed and injustice can never make you happy. We all might end up like Ligaya mar to death by her husband and Julio putting justice in his own hands. You and I has a role to perform. The movie is there to continue make us realize that life is always unfair but we have to do something for us to be happy just like Julio's patience in searching for Ligaya.

Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, greatest film of all times, and would still be great for its story never dies. I just finished the film Monday last week, but I took me a lot of time of putting words in this blog. For those who haven't watched the film, try it, and you'll love it too, just be patient with the color and the sound. Let us all practice justice in our land. We are Filipinos, we are brothers and sisters.

I'd like to thank the following sites for this review:

First of all, youtube for the videos.
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maynila:_Sa_mga_Kuko_ng_Liwanag
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lino_Brocka
geocities: http://www.geocities.com/philmovies/films/maynilasakuko/maynilasakuko.html


Next in line: Bangkang Papel sa Dagat na Apoy (1984) starring former President Joseph Estrada. The story written by Edgardo M. Reyes who was also the director of this.


Justice is everybody's privilege.