To Close a Book

To close a book

Separates one world from another.

The first is lovely at the first look;

The other is too broken to be together.

As the cover sticks to the rest of the pages,

A barrier is fixed as I make a sigh.

As one journey stops through the ages,

Another goes on and dreams fly high.

To close a book

Is leaving all fantasies behind.

Though you have to let go of the things you once get hooked,

Memories remain and are available for rewind.

The empathy that brought back a love that's lost

The words that inspired a soul in darkness

A resolved conflict priced at a worthless cost

A lesson that's worthy to be witnessed.

To close a book

Separates the ideal from real.

The former may line smooth as the latter has a crook.

There's a reason why real can't remain still:

It rests on the hands.

11282010

We are not for sale!

11252010. I joined the strike.

It was my first time to attend a rally. This is indeed a memorable day for me, for this is also my first time in my UP life to say my stand against the 1.39B budget cut through a protest. We had a snake rally along the UP Manila campus. I did this voluntarily, and this is not a requirement of any "leftist" professor. I DID THIS TO BE HEARD.

Sad to say, not all understands why we are doing this. Or maybe the majority of all the Filipinos. Some will say "Puro na lang kayo rally... Wala na kayong magandang sinabi sa gobyerno." (see comments here: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/11/25/10/students-walk-out-over-budget-cuts?page=1) The question is: have you ever seen the whole picture of this issue? Maybe it is easy for these people to tell these words and make judgments; but they do not know the situation of an Iskolar ng Bayan. In UP, a Bracket B student (with an annual family income of Php 1M and below) pays Php 1000 per unit in tuition fees alone, excluding the miscellaneous fees -- an amount which is almost similar in private schools. We still belong to the state universities and colleges (SUCs). In this mere situation alone, it is already hard to tell that we are still subsidized by the government. Do they know that most of our classrooms are not conducive for learning? Try to visit a state university in the Philippines once. You'll see malfunctioning air conditioners, improvised laboratory facilities, last-century desktop computers, broken windows and many more. Is this what they call QUALITY EDUCATION? After that, ask a UP professor on how much do they earn in teaching these students. And I hate these close-minded people. Be informed. Think twice or maybe even thrice before giving words. As my classmate said, "Unless you're from UP, it will somehow be hard for you to understand..." All the facts are laid. I do hope you all have the mind to understand our situation.

The budget of UP gets smaller every year. The worst thing is, for the 2011 budget, Php 1.39B was slashed from the proposed budget -- the largest in UP history. The majority of the students are below the poverty line. And there are many deserving students who loses hope each year because they do not have enough money for a higher education. Aside from that, UP also shoulders the budget of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), an institution giving healthcare services to more than 600,000 patients.

On the other hand, the military sector had a budget increase of more than Php 100B. I am not saying that the military does not need a budget fee increase; but does all the money go to where it should go? I hope I am wrong that this huge amount, together with the pork barrels, goes to the hands of the greedy.

And what will be the solution? Another tuition fee increase? Privatization of SUCs? NO. As long as the word STATE is still there, it is an obligation of the Philippine government to provide education for all. We are simply asking for our fair share. We have done everything to be heard: signature campaigns, letters, protests; but none of them was heard. And I hope that this time, this strike will break down all the barriers that keep the government from listening to our cry.

I may not have all the time to join the whole strike, but I have my full support to oppose the 1.39B University of the Philippines budget cut.

Education is a right. UP NOT FOR SALE!

11182010

2nd year, 2nd sem. New life... and hopefully, a better class standing.

I can't believe that I am still alive for more than a year since I entered college. Miracles happen.

So why did I end up posting a blog again in this site (after a long time)? Hhmm... I simply miss posting anything here. Since no one reads this (and I do hope that someone will do, someday), I think I should post more blogs here. >:)

...

I love writing. My campus journalism experience molded this interest of mine since when I was in elementary. In fact, I was a news editor before. It is hard to believe that this blogger, who seemed nothing in the real world, was an editor of her school paper.

What I love the most in writing is poetry. Unlike news articles, essays and commentaries, it is in poetry where I can fully express myself. I write poems way back when I was in high school. They may be not as great as the ones written by famous poets, but I can assure that my poems are expressive. However, none of those poems were existing. You might probably find me crazy, but I burned all of them, deleted in my previous blogs; thus making them all extinct. I made them for certain reasons; and I have no regrets in doing that. It sets me free.

Last month, I made a promise with myself that I will make poems again. I have been busy in the last several months (for more than a year, in fact) doing academic stuffs. College made me a boring person. I simply want to revive this dying passion of mine. This is my way to tell the world that I already moved on from the darkness of the past and constantly changing... No one can put boundaries around and keep me from expressing myself through and between the lines.