Day 1: Ugnayan ng Sining

I am currently resting my bottom on a plastic chair just at the corner of the amphitheater which really isn't an amphitheater. And in a matter of thirty minutes, both my ears and my eyes and basically most of my senses would be temporarily owned by these writers who only came for this seminar-workshop in Creative Writing. It saddens me that I might not be able to be here for the whole experience as I might be running errands in between lectures. Being part of the committee has cons as much as it has advantages. -.- I will be, however, be given the privilege to "entertain" these guests and tour them around Iligan. Which is a pain in the hair fringe, I remember. Where am I supposed to take them? The only decent place to bring guests, I recall, is Ma. Cristina Falls, and I even doubt the water isn't dammed up. Based on my research, they only allow the majestic waters to completely pour down the cliff during weekends. It's only Tuesday.


I still have to get Iligan's famous peanuts for them later, though. I might even deliver it to the hostel the writers are staying. Haha. It could've been a bad thing if not for my favorite teachers/artists calling me "Kathy" today. It's just that I find this little nickname rather affectionate and motivating. I don't know. I feel better having been called with a special nickname by these giants in literature. I couldn't wait to hearing from the rest of the group of giants, too. (squeals)

We're starting in a few. Bye. I'll post an update later, perhaps, if something much more worthy of writing pops up. (wink)


_____________________________________________________________________________



A LOT of things did pop up that were worthy of posting. Believe it or not, Dr. Ortega instructed me to be the emcee for the afternoon as urgent replacement for Sir Polito (who didn't know he was supposed to be there). So there I was, rambling on spontaneously, hoping the guests would not notice the annoying, shaky feeling.

Despite the nerves though, I have learned a lot from Sir Kristian Cordero, the first speaker. He talked about poetry, mainly on Filipino and on his own tongue, Bicolano. He actually reminds me of Sir Erik Sala, our Comp Sci instructor who had the same long, wavy hair tied into a low ponytail. They coincidentally have the same mannerisms and enthusiasm too, and it had seemed like a friend was lecturing and not a complete stranger, thanks to the way he was. It had been an engaging talk, and funny, too. Let me share to you a few tanagas he had shared during the lecture.


"Nang ako'y nag-aabang
ng tala't bulalakaw
Bigla kang napadaan
at ako'y natamaan"


"Ako'y si Juan, irog
Bayabas kang matayog.
Hihintaying mahinog
hanggang sa 'ki'y mahulog."


"Nag-almusal mag-isa
kaning-lamig, tinapa;
nahulog ang kutsara
ikaw na sana, sinta."


It is true. He said this is what makes poetry special: it connects you to the things of the universe. Nakikibagay tayo sa mundo, he had said. It makes one thing and another entirely different thing joined into oneness, as if one were the other. It is true.

The funny thing here is that every time he flashes a poem such as these, on screen, only one person pops in my head. I do not even know if that dosage of thoughtfulness has made things better for my writing quest. It made the examples more meaningful, so why not? I had even stitched a Sebuano poem (balak) because of the random episodes of my being thoughtful of that one person. I had been planning on posting it on a separate blog post, but I thought, nah, if it fits, it goes right in. So after painful deliberation with my ego and id, I have decided to squeeze it in this post (that's getting even longer).



Sa pagbuka sa mata sa adlaw
Dakpa kining pagtutok kong hagbay rang sinalom sa imong tunguran.
Dakpa kining pahiyom kong pinatam-is  sa gugmang walay apan-apan. 
Dakpa ang pag-dula-dula sa buhok.
Dakpa ang pag-taghoy sa galagubo na dughan.
Dakpa ang maulawong pulong na sinulat sa papel na tinagu-an.
Dakpa kining gakiti-kiti kong kasingkasing
sama sa alibangbang sa bulakan na nagpa-uyon sa hangin.



Makamatikod man ako o wala,
dakpa kining tanan.


Dakpa unya tanan
sa pagbuka sa mata sa adlaw.



I am a modernist when it comes to fiction so I rarely follow conventions. Come on. Literature comes not only from the mind. It's rooted in your heart. And the heart, my friends, is an irrational chunk of muscle tissues. Irrational. Although the rules are important, I believe they should only serve as guides. Poetry is barely solid. There is fluidity in its beauty; it flows like the gushing spring on midsummer.



Going back to how the day went, I had to run a few errands as part of its working committee, unfortunately. I had to run to the department to have Sir Kristian's file printed, be his unofficial guide at the mall (for his document mailing and book-shopping at our measly Booksale, yes), and pick up a few packs of peanuts, candies, and biscuits for the guests. I was also supposed to stay with them for dinner at Sunburst, but I had to refuse. I have just remembered I HAVE to work on my untouched thesis paper. :( I barely even had time to listen to the second speaker of the day who gave a lecture on Writing for Children.

Full day, it had been, I know. And even though my back hurts like crazy, I insisted on uploading this blog post before heading on to my thesis paper. Tomorrow would be an even heavier day, I do not know when to squeeze in my supposed administering of tests to that one student in North I Central School I had been assigned to.


I feel myself being slowly pushed into a black hole; the feeling of disintegration is slowly seeping through my bones. Of course, this has, so far, been the semester where I had the most exposure to being a real Literary freak. My grades, however, seem to disagree with me, I find everything ironic. Boohoo. The exposure I had turns out to be not even academic-related. But what could I do? The subjects I am currently enrolled in are major subjects in Language Teaching. That was what they offered to a senior in the English program. And I love fiction, if you haven't noticed it yet.





This is a tough world. It shoves to your throat the things you barely even need. So if you love writing literary pieces, they teach you everything but Creative Writing. Who invented this kind of educational system? Please remind me to thank that one person when I die. :) Seriously though. It COULD HAVE BEEN fine, had they only tried including teaching what you actually signed up for, and what you're actually going to do in the real world. I appreciate their mental effort of choosing which subjects to include in the curriculum, but no, thanks.


Again. Does it even matter that I care? No. Because changing this system seems to be out of the question. It had always been this way for centuries, and it will always be this way, until the Lord Jesus Christ returns. Even if we refuse to be puppets of civilization, we would still be tied up to it, unless we decide to live in the hinterlands, isolated, and plant vegetables for the rest of our lives.


I could go on ranting about the messed-up society of education freaks (in which I also sadly belong), but I really have to start with my thesis paper, being an education freak. Until the next blog update, my awesome readers. ;)


xoxo, A


P.S.
I have just googled Sir Kristian and GAH! He really is a giant in his field. -_- And to think we shopped for books together a while ago. I do not know which link to share, so I'm sharing all these.

This is a photo of him:

Yes, he's still young.

Some of his works include:

A wiki page on his profile: http://bcl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristian_Cordero
A recent news update on him. Spoiler alert: he's working on a film with Cinema One! http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/476687/from-bikol-poetry-to-filmmaking
This is his old blog. Check it out if you know Bicolano: http://santigwar.blogspot.com/
Follow him on Twitter.
Like him on Facebook.

If only I had the time to listen to listen to our second speaker, I could have written about her as much as I had written about Sir Kristian. Maybe, as I get to know them better, a future post would include Mrs. Billantes. :)