The Ghost of Tom Joad

Para sa akong mga amigo nga Bisaya, gikan sa storya ni Dr. Macario Tiu nga taga-Davao:

Konduktor: “Irog, irog gamay kay mosakay si Nanay ug si Tatay. Naa ra bay dalang duha ka batang gamay. Sama ninyo gusto sab nilang makalingkod. Palihog tagaig lugar. Dili lang ulo ang ilihok, kondili hasta ang inyong sampot.”

Pasahero 1: “Guot na man diri, Dong.”

Konduktor: “Sakto pa na, Mader. Upat pay kulang.”

Pasahero 2: “Katunga lang sa akong lubot ang makalingkod. Katunga sab akong bayad, ha?”

Konduktor: “Siaw ka lagi, Gwapa. O, irog ta gamay. Ipakita ang atong panag-igsuonay.”

Pasahero 1: “Intawon, Dong. Dili na kaginhawa ang akong kigol.”

Konduktor: “Wa nay kaso, Mader, basta dili lang maipit ang imong kalimutaw. O, Matina, Bangkal, Ulas, Puan, Dumoy! Toril! Isbogi, isbogi, bogi, bogi! Napulo-napulo na. O, kanang wala, irog gamay.”

Pasahero 2: “Aray, ang akong tiil.”

Pasahero 3: “Oops! Sorry, Miss.”

Konduktor: “Miss, sakay ka, Miss? Dili? Tekstay na lang ta, ha? Larga! Kinsa ning baynte? Asa ni gikan? Pila ni?”

Pasahero 4: “Gikan Roxas. Usa ra. Estudyante.”

Konduktor: “O, kadtong baynte.”

Pasahero 4: “Kulang piso, Nong.”

Konduktor: “Roxas man kaha ka gikan?”

Pasahero 4: “Estudyante.”

Konduktor: “Aw, tigwang ka na man god tan-awon. Jok jok lang, ha? Ayaw itok, ha? Kaila kang Jok-Jok? Tua, nangayog asaylum sa Amerika.”

Pasahero 1: “Drayber, hinaya imong sawnds. Mabugto ang akong bra!”

Pasahero 1, 2, 3, 8: “Aray!”

Pasahero 8: “Drayber, ayaw ligsi ang batsi, mataktak akong IUD!”

Konduktor: “Ga-IUD ka pa, Lola?”

Pasahero 8: “Ayawg kompiyansa.”

Konduktor: “Bangkal, Ulas, Puan, Bago, Toril! Naa pay lima! Kanang tuo, isbog na lang mo. Palingkora si Misis, naay daghang dala. O, isbog na lang mo didto para madali ta. Paagia! Upat pa. Upat pa!”

Pasahero 5: “Bayad. Duha. Usa Matina, usa Bangkal.”

Pasahero 6: “Bayad Ulas.”

Konduktor:  “Bangkal, Ulas, Puan, Dumoy, Toril! Toril!”

Pasahero 5:  “Larga na ta, Dong. Gihimo naman nimo ning terminal.”

Konduktor:  “Hulat sa ta, Manang, kay lugi sa biyahe. Wa na koy bugas sa balay. Pait na gyod ang kinabuhi ron.”

Pasahero 2: “Pait mo lang. Ang akong anak napugos pag-uli gikan sa Lebanon.”

Konduktor: “Pasalamat na lang ta, Mader, kay luwas na siya. Daghan pay OFW nga natanggong didto sa Lebanon. Wa na kunoy pondo para pamasahe.”

Pasahero 4: “Basig gidala ni Jok-Jok. Jok-jok lang, ha?”

Konduktor: “Sulod! Kanang nagkabit, sulod ang ulo! Naay LTO! Makamulta unya ta! Taas na ra ba ang gasolina. Matag litro, 45 pisos na! Gera sa Iraq, gera sa Gaza, gera sa Lebanon!”

Pasahero 5: “Para!”

Konduktor: “Bangkal, Ulas, Calinan, Buda, Cagayan, Cebu, Manila!”

Pasahero 3: “Ayaw tawon mi dad-a sa Luzon, Dong, kay baha pa hangtod karon.”

Konduktor: “Gibagyo sila dala sa SONA ni GMA. Nasuko pa gyod ang Mt. Mayon. Jok-Jok lang, walay maitok, ha? Toril! Toril!”

You can read my review of Ataul for Rent here. Even if you haven’t seen the film, do tell me what you think of Philippine independent cinema in general.

I wonder if Hans Christian Andersen had racist tendencies. Was the ugly duckling ugly because it was black? And it became beautiful when it became white? At any rate, in the age of Obama, Oprah, and Usain Bolt, black certainly is no longer ugly.

Last time, I spotted two black swans wading in the lake across my dorm tower. Yesterday I brought bread with me to the lake to make the swans come closer. And it worked! Up close, they were definitely no “ugly ducks”.

THES-QS, which has been ranking the world’s top universities for 5 years now, has released its 2008 rankings. Apparently, Ateneo has overtaken UP as the Philippines’ best university. Both schools have actually moved up the rankings. Ateneo is now the world’s 254th best university, while UP is at 276.

I am affiliated with both universities. I took my bachelor at UP and my masters at Ateneo. I also taught at both.  When people ask me which is better, I always say that both are great institutions with their own strengths and weaknesses. There are brilliant students in both and there are also students that, let’s just say, don’t deserve to be studying there.

I think these rankings will do Philippine schools good because it will make them more competitive. Of course there will always be excuses if you’re behind. Two years ago, when La Salle was ranked higher than Ateneo, Ateneo officials said the criteria for the rankings do not really reflect what Ateneo stands for, which is both quality education AND service to others. But they also realized that they have to start supporting more faculty research in order for the school to be recognized more by the international academic community. And they’re doing that at the moment.

Now it’s UP’s time to serve up excuses. It dismisses the results because it believes THES-QS’s methodology is problematic. But I suspect that the UP administration will be more fired up in modernizing the university, especially now that the UP Charter has been approved. It will be interesting how the rankings will turn out next year.

Dahil jungle tong campus ng La Trobe, andaming klase ng ibon. Siguro mga nasa 50 species na yung nakita ko. Sa lake sa tapat ng dorm may nakita akong black swan. I always thought all swans are white. (Sabi sa Google endemic pala sa Southeast Australia ang black swans.) Kaya umupo muna ako at tiningnan ang dalawang swans na nandun. Ang kyut nila tignan. Tuwing sumisisid sila for food, yung pwet at paa nila ang makikita sa tubig. Tapos sabay pa silang tumutuwad. Parang synchronized swimmers. Sayang di ko na-picturan yung pagsisid nila kasi naubusan ako ng batt.

 

 

You can see my dorm tower up ahead. Nasa 3rd floor ang room ko.

Hidie said this list is from The Big Read. But there’s no list in there. I suspect a Pinoy made the list up since Mitch Albom is in it and C.S. Lewis is mentioned twice. And there are a lot more that are better than most in the list. But for what it’s worth, i’m reposting it.

—

Your mission, if you choose to accept it is to: 

Several students inside the library this morning were startled when a man shouted “WHAT?!” in front of a computer. That man was me. I immediately said sorry and sheepishly returned to reading the Yahoo news that caused that yelp: “Author David Foster Wallace found dead. He hanged himself. He was 46.”

Wallace is one of my favorite writers. Probably the funniest book I’ve ever read is his collection of essays titled A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again. In the book he talks about such varied topics as television watching, mathematics, tennis, David Lynch, state fairs, and cruise ships. I read it during a summer break in college and to this day I couldn’t forget the images that formed in my head while I was reading the book. I’d like to think he was one of the influences in my own writing.

In 2005, he delivered a brilliant commencement address to the graduating class of Kenyon College. David, thanks for the advice. “This is water.”

The first time I got published was for an essay in Youngblood. I was a young and carefree 20-year old then…

Now I’m a young and carefree 29-year old and I’ve just learned that my film review of Ataul for Rent will be published by Social Science Diliman.

Here’s a preview of my article:

“Most artists believe that their work is a reflection of the times. Indeed, artistic work can only mean something if it speaks of or comments on the world that the artists inhabit. Artists who depict poverty and squalor and corruption and dirty politics are often praised for having “neorealistic” sensitivities. Filmmakers who are not afraid to show the “stark reality” are lauded, as they should be. But in the age of globalization, even distorted versions of “the stark reality” can now claim a stake in the global cinema, appreciated by film enthusiasts who don’t know any better, thereby fueling the misunderstanding of cultures and sociopolitical realities in the world…”

Many people have asked me why I don’t blog in a site that’s not as suck-y as Friendster blogs. Okay, not many people. Two people. Well, it’s because I’m not really a serious blogger.  I’m content with my readership of two. Three if you count my mother. Now that Friendster has upgraded its blogs feature, I don’t think I’m moving anytime soon.

By the way, this blog has a new url. If you have linked my blog before, that link will direct you to the old one.

I thought I’d share this vid of my favorite “folk parody duo” from New Zealand.

Flight of the Conchords - Jenny