Eh Kung Maglaro Nalang Tayo

Disclaimer: Hindi po ako ang nagsulat nito. Si Leo Sirios po at opo. pangalan nya po yan haha. This article was made for Budyong, the official student publication of Bicol University College of Arts and Letters. Enjoy!!


Trivia: Pilipino ang unang naglaro ng basketball sa Asya. Maniwala ka rin sa hindi, Pilipinas ang may pinakamagandang record sa Asya pagdating sa international basketball competitions– Olympics at FIBA World. Best Asian record tayo sa Olympics, fifth place noong 1936 sa Berlin, Germany. Astigin rin ang record natin sa FIBA world, third place noong 1954. Kahit halos kasing- tanda na ng mga lolo o tatay natin ang mga records na yan, at least Pinoy records yan! Kahit ang mga higanteng Iranian, Chinese at Korean teams ay hindi nagawang basagin yon. Kaya ba yan gawin ng team China kasama si Yao Ming? Pupusta ka ba na mabubura yun ni Jeremy Lin kung sakaling makapaglaro siya sa Taiwanese basketball team? Ako pupusta! Nakapaglaro na uli ang Pilipinas sa Olympics wala pang Asian team ang nakakatalo sa mga records natin. Pustakobente!

            Syempre di namawawala diyan ang mga alamat ng Philippine Basketball. Nariyan si Carlos Loyzaga na susi sa makasaysayang third place finish sa FIBA World Championship noong 1954; Allan Caidic na tinaguriang deadliest shooter in Asia at si Robert Jaworski na binansagang “Living Legend” dahil na rin siguro sa tagal ng paglalaro niya sa PBA na umabot ng 25 years at dahil rin kabilang siya sa last Olympic basketball team ng Pilipinas noong 1972 Munich Olympics. Marami pa sila sa totoo lang. Kasamana diyan si Governor, Congressman at Mayo…r. (Rewind effect) Uy teka lang, ba’t kasama sila?!!!Balik tayong Pilipinas! (Star Trek phaser effect) 

               Siguro naman hindi na trivia kung sabihin ko na lahat ng baranggay sa Pilipinas may sariling basketball court. Hindi pa dun kasama yung mga homemade basketball court na makikita sa mga bahay. Kung bibilangin lahat ng basketball court sa isang barangay baka abutin ka ng maghapon. May mga malalaki at maliit na court, may half-court at full-court, may covered-court at open-court, may mga court na ang rim ay nakapako lang sa punong-niyog. Basta maraming klaseng basketball court. Minsan nga ‘di mo aakalain na basketball court pala ‘yun. Hindi lang palaruan ang silbi ng mga iyan, multi-purpose ang mga court sa Pilipinas. Basketball. It’s More Fun In The Philippines!

                Hindi lang pang-basketball ang gamit ng mga basketball courts. Ginagamit din ito bilang venue kung sakaling may mga programa sa barangay o sa munisipalidad, tulad ng graduation ceremonies, medical mission, JS Prom, boxing match,singing contest at gay pageant. Pwede ring evacuation center, temporary classroom at venue ni governor, mayor o ni congressman pagmangangampanya sila para sa darating na eleksyon. Paulit-ulit mong matirinig ang mga katagang: “Pinatayoko kayo ng basketball court para sa ating mga kabataan!”  Paminsan, mababasa mo nalang ito sa isang sulok ng basketball court, “Barangay Dos Por Dos Basketball court– A Project of Governor (or mayor) Juan De La Cruz”.

            Hindi na rin siguro trivia kung sabihin kong kulang na kulang tayo sa mga pasilidad at serbisyo na kailangan ng mga mamamayan.Kulang ang bansa natin ng mga health centers na tutulong sa mga mahihirap may sakit at walang pera nating mga kababayan. Alam rin natin na halos magsiksikan na ang mga estudyante sa mga pampublikong eskwelahan dahil sa kakulangan ng mga classrooms. Kung may kakulangan sa mga classrooms at iba pang pangangailangan ng mga mag-aaral, may kakulangan din tayo sa mga guro na magiging coach ng mga estudyante para ihanda sila sa mga laban na kanilang kakaharapin. Sa kabilang banda, may mga oportunistang politiko ang nakikipag-basketball sa mga mamamayan na hindi tapat para sa mga mamayan at mas iniisip  ang pansariling interes.Marami-rami na ring steals ang nakuha nila saatin. Kelan kaya tayo makaka-rebound?

            Ayon sa ilang politiko,ang pagpapatayo daw ng mga basketball courts ay isang “worthy investment”. Nailalayo raw sa droga at nagiging disiplinado ang mga kabataan. Nagkakaroon din ng healthy lifestyle ang mga kabataan sa paglalarong basketball. Kabaliktaran ata ito sa mga nakalaro ko noon: payatot na mukhang adik, mura ng mura at hindi marunong mag-bayad ng pusta. Worthy investment nga! Mura lang naman kasi ang mga basketball court kumpara sa ibang mga pwedeng proyekto. Hindi ito katulad ng kalinisan ng komunidad at ng mga kalsada na mumurahin mo sa mahal ng maintenance. Mas mura rin ito kaysa magpatayo ng ospital o ng paaralan. Minsan nga mas state-of-the-art pa ang basketball court kaysa sa mga health centers at classrooms: Covered court na may ilaw, rubberized na sahig, spring-loaded ang rims at fiberglass na backboard. Kadalasan,  kabaliktaran na man ang makikita mo paglabas sa napakagandang basketball court: Mga taong walang sariling tirahan; Nakakabwisit na lubak-lubak na kalsada; Nabubulok na ding-ding at kisame ng mga classrooms sa mga paaralan at mga saradong health centers dahil walang gamot at doktor.

                 Hindi maiinom ang mga fiberglass na board.Hindi makakain ang mga rubberized na sahig. Imbes na murang gamot at mga serbisyo na kailangan ng komunidad, basketball ang nai-aabot sa atin ng mga oportunistang politiko na ikinatutuwa naman natin. Hindi na nakapagtataka na basketball country nga ang Pilipinas. Worthy investment! Worthy rin ang kanilang mabubulsa. Ginagamit ng mga tiwali at korap na politiko ang basketball para sila ay maging tanyag sakanyang mga nasasakupan. Dinadaan nila ito minsan sa mga basketball tournament kung saan tuwang- tuwa tayo. Minsan, kahit meron pa namang maayos na court ay nagpapatayo pa ng isang basketball court naanimo’y walang ibang gamit ang pondo. Hindi natin alam na minamanipula na pala tayo ng mga politikong ito. Mas natutuwa sila kapag tayo ay masayang naglalaro o nanunuod ng bastketball dahil sa bawat kasiyahan natin ay malaking bahaging kaban ng bayan ang nasamsam, nasasamsam o masasamsam nila.

                 Minsan makikita mo silang nakaplaster sa mga poster or tarpaulin ang mga mukha nila at pangalan o ‘di kaya naman may mga kanta sila na paulit-ulit na pinapatugtog   sa radyo. Nakaka-LSS ang mga kanta nila minsan dahil catchy at madaling matandaan ang lyrics.Pero kung gusto mo ng mas entertaining, meron ding iba na gumagawa ng mga music video. Kasama sakanilang tarpaulin, theme song o ang mga pang-Hit Chart nilang mga music video ay ang mala-MVP nilang mga achievements. Kilo-kilometro na kalsada na raw ang kanilang naipagawa, mga bagong classrooms na naipatayo, libu-libong scholarships para sa mga mahihirap na estudyante, mga malalaking ospital at marami pang iba pang ka-epalan. Teka, kailangan ba dapat ay buong bayan ang nakakaalam? Syempre, sino ba naman ang hindi matutuwa sa mga pa-basketball sa barangay. Kahit papaano nakakalimutan natin ang mga problema habang tayo ay nanunuod ng mga takbuhan at mainit na laban sa hardcourt. Nakakalimutan rin natin ang mga atraso ng mga buwayang ito.

               Malalaki-laki na rin ang lamang nila saatin. Kung sa isang laro, natambakan na tayo. Natambakan na tayo ng sandamakmak na problema dahil sakanilang pagiging buwaya. Mas lalo tayong nalulugmok sa kahirapan.

                 Ang paggamit ng mga politiko sa basketball upang manipulahin ang taumbayan ay isa lamang sa mga ‘di mabilang na taktika nila kung paano sila mananalo ng kapangyarihan at kayamanan. Sila rin ang mga best player sa pagtapal at pagharang sa ating mga lay- up para sa kaunlaran. Kahit ilang beses tayo magthree-points, andyan sila para supalpalin lahat ng tira natin. Sila na, sila na ang Most Valuable Player! Mga buwaya rin sila na hindi marunong tumingin sakanilang paligid at sila lang ang gustong umiskor para sa katanyagan. Kailangan natin ng ala-Kobe Bryant na spin move at crossover para lusutan at matalo sila ng sagayon ay matapos ang kanilang winning streak na nagpapalubog saatin sa kahirapan. Eyes to the ball! Kailangan natin silang bantayan at huwag hayaang makalusot pang muli. Kailangan natin silang harapin at umiskor para sa kaunlaran gaano man sila katangkad at kalakas. Dahil sa mga MVP na mga politikong ito ay best record na naman tayo sa Asya. Wow, another Asian record! Kabilang tayo sa mga pinakatiwaling bansa saAsya at sa buong mundo.

Maglaro na lang tayo!Pero dapat manalo na tayo ngayon kasi bansa natin ang nakapusta dito.Hindi na pwede ang maging lampa. Hindi na pwedeng magbulag- bulagan pa.Bantayan ang kanilang mga galaw at baka nandadaya nanaman sila.
Wag matakot umiskor para sa kaunlaran!
Kung magpapatalo pa tayo, lalo tayo malulugmok sa kahirapan.
Mahirap kung magre-rematch nanaman, pagod ng manuod ang karamihan.O ano, game?
Leo P. SiriosJr

FOLLOW THAT BLOGGER: David Guison

After foreverafter, I’m able to follow up my ‘Follow that Blogger’ section on this ‘very’ active blog. J *slow claps*

So last Saturday, I attended an event sponsored by Canon dubbed as “Canon PhotoSkwela”. It was attended by some photography enthusiasts and bloggers. Since I knew who the speaker was, I decided to wear something inspired from his personal fashion.

Sometimes, my friends laugh at me when I say that David Guison is one of my fashion inspirations because of the mere fact that he’s a he and I’m a she. I don’t see hindrances in gender variation because in fashion, everything is possible. You only have to be playful and creative.

I can see that it has been a trend that girls wear men’s clothing. Some of the fashion bloggers I know, who are girls are fund of using men’s clothing in their outfits because they think that they feel at ease when wearing it.

Just like me, I’m not that girly-ish kind of lass. So, I usually wear jeans and my hiking shoes.

Here’s the outfit I tried to copy. 

Here’s the result. 

These pictures were taken at Bicol University College of Arts and Letters rooftop. Sorry for the messy background and all. The truth is, Camille Regala (the one took these photographs) and I shared a thought this outfit suit this kind of setting. J We find shooting spot on the most invaluable places.

Art is everywhere J

PhotoSkwela Weekend

Last Saturday, September 22, my friends, Ate Jyrevi Fernandez, Noriel Joey Alejandre and I attended the Canon PhotoSkwela at SM Naga. Knowing that Naga is a two-hour ride from Legazpi City, we ate lunch at 10:30am just to arrive early at the event. Sadly the van that we were riding left at 11:45 am. We arrived at SM Naga late and caught the first speaker who already started his talk.

The first speaker was David John Guison who talked about Basic Photography and Blogging. He is the resident blogger of DGMNL, endorser of Canon Ixus, SM Accessories among others. And is one of my fashion inspirations. J We personally met last May 5, when I attended his seminar workshop with Lissa Kahayon at Tomas Morato. 

Since we’re late, we were at the far end of the venue and we’re left standing. While he was talking, he caught my glance and then he stop talking for a second and waved at me. Well, that was a relief, at least he still recognizes me J *faints* (Then my friend jerked at me and said, "some of the audience looked at you". HAHAHA. )

He talked about how to take and edit pictures to make it more presentable when you post it on your blog, what angle should you use to highlight your assets, how to style yourself and most importantly how to earn from your blog. :) 

After his talk, we had a group shot with David.

Photo credits: David Guison

NJ is fangirling over David. HAHA

Yes, we're both wearing denim :)

Ate Jev and David

We were one of the lucky blog readers who shared lunch/snacks with David that afternoon J He also introduced us to Kim, one of the Canon Team.

Photo credits: David Guison

Next speaker was Troy Monsod who talked about Basic Photography and Techniques. Sadly we weren't able to end his talk because its getting late and we will run out of vehicle which we will ride for us to go home. 

When we were on our way home,  I realized that in every medium, CONTENT IS VERY IMPORTANT. Pictures and design will not suffice if your aiming for successful blog, without a substantial content, your blog will be just like the others.

Content separates you from the norm. Since almost everyone in the globe has a blog, think of something that will make you stand out. Blog is also a personal space where you can advertise yourself. It is also your online resume.

Having a blog also has its drawbacks. When you are famous enough, you get bad feedbacks from some haters. But all you have to do is just to be yourself stay grounded and don’t forget those people whom you inspired. In that way, the haters won’t be able to hurt you. J

Awesome friends are awesome. Thanks for sharing an day with me :) 

Thank you Canon Philippines    and SM Naga for this opportunity to meet such fine speakers. J

Camera used: Canon 1100D 

Rebolusyon ng mga Salita

"Oh my Gosh. It's so mainit today. I'll make paypay my face nalang because I don't have a fan eh."

Hindi lingid saating kaalaman na nagagawi na ang mga Pilipino sa pagsambit ng mga ganitong mga kataga, mas kilala ito sa terminong 'Conyo'. Ito ang pagbigkas ng mga salita sa mga lingwaheng English at Filipino sa isang pangungusap.

Noon pa ma'y ang mga Pilipino ay madali nang kumupkop ng lingwahe ng ibang bansa kalakip na rito ang pagaya sa  'accent' ng linggwahe. Kumakailan lang, nauuso na ang pagsalita ng ganito, dati nakakatuwa pa itong pakinggan kaso paminsan nakakairita na rin.

Noong isang araw, nagtrending sa social networking site na Twitter ang #HappyConyoDay. Wala naming mali dito, nakakalungkot lang na naitaon ang selebrasyon nito sa Buwan ng Wika. Hindi ba naisip ng karamihan na isa itong malaking insulto sa ating pambansang wika?

Wala namang masama sa pagsasalita ng ganito, pero hindi ba't mas maayos kung sinasabi natin ang nais nating sabihin sa iisang wika lamang? Upang maging mas konkreto ang ibig nating sabihin?

Hindi rin ako sanay na diretsong magtagalog pero sinubukan ko upang matulungan rin akong lumawak ang bokabyulayo ko. Wala akong galit o sama ng loob sa mga nagsasalita ng ganito, kasi paminsan ito na rin ang nakagawian nila.

Sigurado akong konti lang ang nakakaalam ng tagalong ng ‘nosebleed’, nababatid kong konti lang rin ang may alam ng tagalong ng ‘toothpaste’. Marahil ito ang ilan sa mga eksepsyon sa paggamit ng mga salitang ingles sa mga pangungusap, kapag ito’y hindi na maipaliwanag o maisalin sa Tagalog.  

Bakit hindi natin subukang magsalita ng diretsong Tagalog at diretsong Ingles upang maging kapuri-puri naman tayo sa mga ninuno natin. Upang maging sila’y matuwa dahil itinaguyod natin ang lingwaheng pinaghirapan nilang buohin.

PS. Sa mga nagtataka kung ano ang tagalog ng NOSEBLEED, "balinguyngoy" po ang termino nito sa tagalog.
PSS. Hindi ko alam ang tagalog ng toothpaste. haha

PSS. At bilang pagpugay sa Buwan ng Wika ngayong Agosto, ako'y maghahayag ng mga tulang aking nagawa. Tungkol to sa kahit na anong paksa na aking maibigan. Kung gusto ninyo ay ibahagi niyo rin saakin ang gusto niyong makitang paksa. Salamat!

Magandang umaga. 

Follow that blogger: Kristine Obcena

For my first ‘Follow that Blogger’ post, I would like to give tribute to the proprietor of this idea, my soul mate, Kristine Obcena (follow her here  ).

I first met this Cheese last May 5 on Lissa Kahayon and David Guison’s  Blogging, Photography and Power dressing workshop in Manila. She was my groupmate in an activity. Here’s our group picture.

 Say CHEESE.

That’s me in red and that’s her, the girl beside me wearing black.

(Photo from: Benedict Bigalbal)

Here’s the actual outfit. J  Photo from: kristineobcena.blogspot.com

What I like about Kristine’s style is, it’s very simple and versatile. I was very inspired by one of her latest blogs, Fashion Cycle. Last Wednesday or better known in our school as WashDay, I decided to somehow copy the style yet I chose a different color palette- BLUE. Yay!

My turn J

I’ve surpassed my comfort zones when I wore this outfit. It is what fashion supposed to be, breaking barriers in you comfort zones and thinking outside the box. Just by wearing this attire, I’ve accepted the fact that I will be criticized by the people around me. 

I became a scene stealer that day. Because what I’m wearing is unusual and distant from the norm, maybe it’s also one definition of fashion- STANDING OUT.

So, what do you think?

Photocredits: Camille Regala

FOLLOW THAT BLOGGER

After weeks of pondering what to blog next, I stumbled upon this section at my soulmate’s blog, kristineobcena.blogspot.com.  (Follow her!)

"Follow That Blogger is a collection of my outfit posts that are inspired bu my favorite vbloggers, interational or local," this is how Kristine describes it to be. So its main objective is to mimic other bloggers outfit posts and add a personal touch to it.

Don't worry, beore I posted it here, I ask permission from her first :)

I know this is supposed to be an Arts and Cultures blog, but hey, isn’t fashion a part of our culture too? Haha. Palusotdotcom!!!

What do you think?

Please insert SPICE

When everybody claims to have a sweet tooth, Bicolanos claim to have better. What could be better than sweets, you ask? One that sizzles!

Known for an opulent culture, the Bicol region has been especially noted to have that special taste for food. We are noted for our abundance of seafood, coconut milk and pilinuts; but what really catapulted us into the world of food lovers would be our original trademark– thesili.

Sili or ‘chili pepper’ is a popular spice which originated from Americas.  The term ‘pepper’ was coined by European explorer Christopher Columbus. He based it from the Piper genus, a famous flavor in Europe for having a spicy hot taste unlike other foods.

We (Bicolano’s)  simply adore how sili spices up our food: we love it with gata or coconut milk, we love it with vinegar,we love it sautéed, and with pretty much everything. Oh – and did I mention that we love spicy food? Don’t get me wrong, we eat from a wide menu of different international flavors, but we simply favor those with that special flavor.

It has been such a known trait that even old people say that if you can’t stand spicy food, then you’re not a true-blue Bicolano.

Can you imagine all those mouthwatering delicacies? Here’s a list of dishes that pinned our region to a visible place on the country’s food map.  Make sure you try them when you visit Bicol.

Pinangat, popularly known as laing, is an original Bicolano specialty. This dish is a blend of taro leaves, chili, meat and coconut milk. It is usually served wrapped in gabi leaves and tied securely with coconut leaf.  A festival is also named after this dish. Pinangat Festival originated in Camalig, Albay and the festival is celebrated during summer. (Wikipedia.com)

Bicol Express is another palate teaser. It is a stew made from long chilies (silingmahaba in Tagalog, ladapanjang in Malay/Indonesian), coconut milk,shrimp paste or stockfish, onion, pork, and garlic. It is said to have evolved from gulayna may lada, another Bicolano dish which is nowadays presented as one of the many variants of Bicol Express.  (Wikipedia.com)

Sili Ice cream.This is the first of its kind. Have you ever imagined tasting spicy dessert? Well, your search ends here. The 1st Colonial Grill is the only restaurant in Bicol that offers this one of a kind creation. Confusion of taste will attack when you scrape sample off the surface. Will it taste sweet or chili? Its creamy goodness would give you a hint of what to taste first. 
When the its tenderness reach your taste bud, the sweetness of vanilla will automatically capture your pallet. Then as you carefully savor it, the spice will burst out. It will surely supply your cravings for sweet and spicy dessert. 

Want some? J

Photocredits: rasagrafikamanila.blogspot.com