Reflection: Of Historical Films and Hot Actors

My Heneral Luna meme that has surprisingly gained a lot of shares

and has even made it to an ABS-CBN News article.

(This is yet another write up about the immensely popular Heneral Luna. But perhaps it might be worth reading.)

If you have experienced watching Heneral Luna in the cinemas after it got more attention, chances are you would have heard some squealing Gregorio Del Pilar fangirls for the 10 minutes of screen time he had. Admittedly, Paulo Avelino, the actor who plays Del Pilar in the film, is hot. That fact I cannot deny especially with that military outfit and to think that he plays the role of my Philippine Hero crush since Elementary. How Goyong is actually a ladies' man and how Avelino appeals to girls because of his role actually amuses me because it's a wonderful coincidence. Goyong was known as a "Romeo with a Juliet in every town" and was indeed a fashionista. His appeal constitutes a bit of his character's real life persona. Although this is a good thing for the producers, directors and the actors, perhaps it is not for the field of History.

The attention the film has received gave birth to various social media followings such as a tumblr fandom and the Heneral Luna Memes page. People have been sharing fan arts related to the heroes in the movie, making their own memes from the screencaps in the film and even from its' behind the scenes and even to the extent of writing some fan fiction about the heroes. (there are more fanfics that are more specific other than that linked one) As someone who studies History, I am more than thankful to the Mr. Jerrold Tarog and his team for being able to create such a film that has brought Philippine History under the limelight. But then again, somehow the message of the film has been undermined by the fame of the actors and how it is now contrived by some.

There is the constant fear made by the Filipino in me that rather than creating a better sense of Nationalism in each person who watches the film, it might only be overlooked by the superficial things people tend to notice more. To those who are in the fandoms; I am in no way against your forms of enjoyment but I do solemnly hope you all see beyond what pleases you. May the simple pleasures you take be a tool for you to spread the words on Philippine History. (Kudos to the Heneral Luna Memes pages for also sharing facts on History!)

There is constant fear made by the History major in me that the portrayal of the characters in the films might be the ones that will be instilled in the minds of the people. In my humble opinion, in terms of Historiographic accuracy, Heneral Luna's source materials seems to have failed. Vivencio Jose's The Rise and Fall of Antonio Luna was the only book which they used to create the film. The book's author has been in a bit of a controversy according to an article by Ambeth Ocampo. If it was a biopic, it would have been more acceptable to use only one point of view. This resulted to some viewing the film as 'too pro-Luna'. Albeit there is no such thing as objective History, the film seemed quite unfair to Emilio Aguinaldo. This comes from someone who has Aguinaldo as her least favorite Philippine Hero. He had his time to shine in his own El Presidente (which did not fare well as much as Heneral Luna did) but the more popular film seems to make people forget the great deeds of Aguinaldo that made the Katipunan rise to power with his war tactics. As per Aguinaldo actor Mon Confiado who says that there is no antagonist in the film, this does not seem to be seen by the viewers. A few viewers have expressed their hatred for Aguinaldo on social media after watching the film. Some posts even go as far as wanting to remove Aguinaldo's face from the five-peso coin and replacing it with Antonio Luna's.

I may appear to contradict myself but perhaps such 'failure' to be Historiographically accurate is not the fault of the creators but the medium used to project History. Film is a different discipline from History as both use different means to represent -- the latter writing and text then the former acting, visuals and sound. Some consider reading text to be 'boring' compared to Film which is more interactive in way for most people because it is as if they are there lurking behind as things happen. You cannot show every single intricate detail in Film the way it can be written in text. Perhaps I can only wish that those who grow fond of the movies move forth to read the History books as well. If accomplished, this would be a wonderful step forward in trying to create a sense of Nationalism in each one who watches the films. Call it wishful thinking but then, I can only hope.

And lastly, there is constant fear for me once again that the creators might take advantage of the huge following Avelino has as Goyong and have this overshadow the real purpose of the film. The Gregorio Del Pilar movie might turn into a Paulo Avelino movie. I sincerely hope that this does not happen. I trust in the Iskolar ng Bayan roots of the director to not be blinded by the amount of fan requests for eye candy such as having Avelino say "Punyeta" without a shirt on. As much as I would also love to see that as well, not in this one. It would not be bad to showcase some of Avelino's hotness in the film but as the saying goes, too much of one thing is a bad thing.

To you reading this, I hope you do not just jump in the hype of Heneral Luna like a trend that will soon be out of fashion. Our History as a Filipino people is not something that's a bandwagon we can join in. It's our identity. It's our sense of knowing who we really are. It's knowing the past so we may not imitate it again. If we keep having such a mindset that majority ignore our History, the Emilio Aguinaldo you all scorned in the film will be seated in power again and again until we all wake up to realize our mistakes and learn from them.

PS. Made this during the wee hours of the morning. Excuse any typos or grammatical errors.

Don't Date a Man Born in May

It was getting dark and Stella was still outside their house, waiting for someone to come and open the gate for her. Two hours had passed since she arrived home from school. No one told her everyone was out and will not be home early. For this, she would curse under her breath from time to time saying 'Why won't mom just give me keys too?' Her sailor-like cape on her back attached to the white long-sleeve top of her uniform and that lengthy navy blue skirt did not make things better for her as it made her feel hot. Well, like it wasn't hot enough. But lucky for her, someone was kind enough to let her sit on one of the chairs near that snack stall owned by the kind lady who lived next door. She sat and kept silent, counting the letter As in every page of her English book. It was a distraction but it did not exactly keep her mind away from where could her parents and even her brother be.

After counting 58 As on three pages, a man stood near her and tried to peer on her book. Stella did not mind since she was too caught up in cursing and counting. "What's that?" The strange voice standing behind her asked.

"It's my English book." She responded before looking at the person who own the voice. It was a man with black hair and eyes who looked like he was in his late 30s. 

A part of herself wondered why it was there but she did not bother to ask since it was the first time she has seen the man. "What is your name?" She blinked and quickly wondered why the man wanted to know her name. Before responding, she glanced at their neighbor like to ask if the man were to be trusted. Mrs. Cruz nodded in approval, much to her peace of mind.

"Ste...phanie." Her small smile quickly covered the last six letters of a lie. Mrs. Cruz did not say anything as to what she said but seemed to be listening closely to their conversation.

"You don't have to remember my name. But I want you to remember something." The man sat on the other chair not too far from Stella. He looked at her for a while before speaking his mind. "You are a young and beautiful kid so I would like to tell you this so you don't get harmed."

Stella only listened to the man and looked at him while she ate her favorite Palabok drizzled with some Calamansi. Having a random stranger talk to you was the most interesting thing in the past two hours of waiting for her mom. He continued talking to her with the same serious manner after his abrupt pause. "Do not date a man born in May no matter what."

"Why, sir? Is your birthday May?" Stella thought she made a clever remark until she realized how awkward it was. She slowly averted her gaze to the food she was eating instead. 'Well, awkwardness is better than boredom after all.' Stella told herself as she ate a twirl of the noodles.

"No." The man shrugged off her awkward comment as if it was not even said. "My grandfather was a pain on the neck to my grandmother. He left her when my father and his siblings were young. When he got sick and did not have money anymore, he went back to my grandmother." Again, he paused upon receiving the same plate of Palabok and a bottle full of RC Cola. Mrs. Cruz handed him a straw for him to take a small sip. Afterwards, he looked at Stella again and talked. "My father was a womanizer who did not work for our family at all. He only used the money to gamble as he pleased."

The man sat down and looked at Stella who was too busy eating the last twirl of Palabok on her fork. Still, she did not look at him. "Do you know what they had in common?"

Stella remained silent but looked at the man and asked. "What, sir?"

"They were all born in May."

The sound of a tricycle motor halting interrupted the man talking. Inside was Stella's mom witha bag of groceries. Quickly she got up to help her mother bring the bags up their house. Afterwards, she returned to the snack stall for her school bag. It was too late to listen to more of the man's story to her as he was gone.

Stella went back in their house with thoughts about what the man had said and wondered why on earth would someone randomly tell her not to date a man born in May.

Perhaps, Stella will never know.


...for now.


#

Her Colorful Touch: Blue

It was the usual room of a young little girl - a room painted with pastel shades of pink. Dolls of various shapes and sizes filled every corner of the room. The bed was decorated with more pink but with shades a bit darker than those of the walls. Only the table at the center of the room was different -- it was white. This table was where Dany would read her books.

Although her room was "usual", Dany perhaps wasn't. At the age of seven, she has developed her love for literature. Her soft hands loved to feel the embossed dots over the pages of her book as she uttered every word she read. Each day, she learned new words her Grandma taught her. Bicycle was the thing that the mailman would ride and it made a tingling sound each time it would come close to her. Dress was the name of the soft fabric always hugging her body. Wind was the invisible pressure she felt on her face when her father would carry her near the seashore in the afternoon. When she would hear the waves crashing against the sandy shores, her father would put her down gently on what seemed to be very rough soil that would sometimes get in between her toes and fingers.

When she was not alone by the shore, she would hear other kids scream and feel that they were running through the vibrations on the ground. But Dany didn't run and scream, she was content with feeling the rough soil against her skin and the water rolling gently on her legs while the waves pushed and pulled back.

"Ah, what a lovely day! The sky is so blue." Her Aunt Grace said while looking up to the sky. Dany was busy with the ball of rough soil on her little palm when her Aunt spoke. Upon hearing that, she dropped her rough soil and looked to the direction where she heard her Aunt speak.

"Aunt Grace, what is the blue?" Dany looked at her like she was staring into oblivion. Her big brown eyes were covered with a bit of opaque layer that made it seem like she was wearing weird-looking contact lenses.

Grace sat beside her niece and clasped their hands together. She held the child's chin gently and looked into her blank eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"I have never heard or read about this blue. I want to know what it is." Dany said with determination.

"Blue." Grace sighed with exasperation. Not that she was mad at the child for asking but she felt like teaching an Elephant to jump or a fish to run. "Do you really wish to know, dear Dany?

"Yes, Aunt Grace! So I can tell mother that I have learned something new today. I can also ask Teacher Lily to write it for me so I can remember!" Hesitance was replace with respect for the child. Grace has always admired her young niece's thirst for knowledge and she ought to quench it.

"Alright..." She made Dany sit on her lap and hugged her close. "Blue is the pillow on your bed, soft and tender. It's soothing like your mother's lullaby. Blue is usually peaceful and relaxing."

Dany was smiling while Grace told her about blue. She touched the water after Grace finished speaking. Her hands tried to grasp the water like it was the rough soil. With this, Grace quietly wondered what Dany was trying to do.

"I like the water from the Ocean, Aunt Grace." Waves started to massage their legs as water found its way to the shores once again. Dany smiled even more at the feeling of the gentle water against her skin. "Can I call it blue?"

"Yes, you can!" Grace gently pat her niece's head. "But Blue is sometimes sad and lonely. It is like not having anyone beside you and feeling hopeless"

"So I am color blue..." Dany whispered to herself and quickly stopped playing with the water the way her smile faded away.

Throwback Saturday: My Random Kpop Essay

Today, I ventured into an unexpected trip down memory lane for scrolling through my old pieces of writing. Take note that I did not edit this and I just copy pasted this so pardon the errors, this was written by me back in High School.

Ten Things I Miss About UP Manila

Classes haven't even started yet and I just got accepted to transfer to UP Diliman but heck I am already missing my "mother" campus! I was on a Leave of Absence for the past SY 2014-2015 for reasons I'd like to keep confidential but anyway...

During my midyear classes as a cross registrant, I was able to get a grasp of what Diliman life was like. It was definitely awesome. The environment was relaxing as compared to the stuffy air in Manila. Manila is such a small campus and considering how our whole College of Arts and Sciences building is smaller than AS, I often got lost on my way to different places. I learned the difference of Geology and Geography the hard way when I went to National Institute of Geological Sciences to enlist for Geography...which is almost as far as the Math building from AS. Yeah, so dumb of me right? When I got there, the guard told me to go back to AS, the exact place where I was before going to NIGS! I wanted to strangle the guard but then, I just walked back to AS. Luckily I got a Geography 1 class so my Death March from AS to NIGS and back was worth it. (Special thanks to the awesome and handsome Mr. Johnson Damian.)

That, my dear friends, is only one of the things that make me miss Manila. Here is the full list as to what exactly are they!

1. Wednesday as the "rest day"

In Diliman and...Los Banos (please correct me if I am wrong) Monday is the 'rest' day. It's the day where there are no classes. One of my former professors has discussed the reason why Manila does not follow that scheme. If students goes through Monday and Tuesday with Wednesday in between Thursday and Friday, they get a chance to rest properly and not get 'burned out' the whole week. But if students do get long weekends every week but go to school Tuesday to Friday straight with no rest, there is no balance. This actually worked for me because on Mondays, it was the day before Sunday so I had rest. On Tuesday, I will think that it's Wednesday tomorrow so I will go to school and have that "Thank God It's Friday" mindset". Thursday, I was able to rest on Wednesday so that's good. Then finally, TGIF!

2. ALL Airconditioned classrooms

Yes, not all classrooms in Diliman are Airconditioned especially those in AS. When I took Mid-Year classes, I was lucky both my classrooms were Airconditioned. Even with the GAB classrooms look like they're straight out of a horror movie (Shout out to my Math 1 classroom that screamed hell to me, subject aside) they all have Aircons!

3. Less walk to get to classes and anywhere else.

Refer to my story above on how I got my Geography 1 class and learned NIGS the hard way. That's so far my worst walking experience in Diliman, EVER. Manila's College of Arts and Science is smaller than AS. Even the other Colleges are smaller than AS!

4. GAB Lobby's GAB Caf and Kuya X

GAB Caf is like CASAA and Shopping Center to you, Diliman people. During my first year, this small area under the GAB building was the light of our lives. People bought food there for cheap prices. There was Rodic's, Binalot and that Chicken Teriyaki my friend liked a lot. Imagine life without CASAA AND SC. Life without CASAA has been hard. What about taking away the SC? There's also other small canteens in Diliman, take them away too! Leave UP Town Center and the Ayala Technohub to serve you all. That has how it's been for people in Manila without the GAB Caf. It was due to admin issues which caused them to move out. Now the area where they used to stay is now being constructed into a Student Center building thing. There has been a small canteen near the general tambayan but it seems that it's not enough to support the population of CAS alone.

Kuya X is our in-campus "Photox" (The term we use for photocopying which I believe is a portmanteau of Photocopy and Xerox) man who has sadly been ousted as well along with the GAB Caf vendors. He was a very nice guy who knew almost all the readings you needed. Just say the prof's name plus the subject and he'll know what you're looking for. He's the one-stop shop for all your readings!

5. Little Theater and the CAS Lobby

Diliman has Ampitheaters and the Film Institute but Manila's very own Little Theater still holds a close place in my heart...no matter how cheesy it sounds! It's where Maralitang Inamorato (Or InaMo for short) would hold their small shows and I loved their performances because they always made me laugh. InaMo is the CAS-based theater group of Manila and is handled by my PA 120 prof, Ryan "Atong" Redillas. They also did some performances in the CAS Lobby during one Org Week to invite people to join them. The CAS Lobby has also been a place where UP Manila's dance troupe, Indayog, would practice. Like InaMo, they also did perform there. Perhaps these two Manila Orgs are my favorites since InaMo consists mostly of Philippine Arts students and our batch became Indayog's helping hands in the 10th Sayaw Manila.

6. Less competition in getting subjects

The population of each campus alone is a giveaway. The College of Engineering's population is probably bigger than that of all students UP Manila has. Our only problem in getting subjects is getting the best schedule. Although sometimes, petitions are needed for profs to open up new classes, I have never seen or heard of having to line up for so long just to get Philo 1! Sure, even UP has its' own hunger games for subjects but I must say Manila has it less worse than Diliman.

7. Lord Chancy and his fellow cats

Watch out for your food! These cats were our foes when GAB Caf was still existing. They would always jump up on the table and try to steal your food. But no matter how annoying that was, it was nice to have a furry little friend to cuddle with when you're alone at the CAS Lobby. Diliman also has some cats at the AS Lobby but still, as a cat lover I believe every cat is special.

8. The fast UPMNet WiFi compared to DilNet

Yes, Eng'g Lib has fast WiFi...but only Eng'g Lib! UPMNet is quite fast compared to DilNet so no need to enroll in data promos to kill boredom during enrollments! Again, due to the small population, it can support the students trying to connect to the WiFi. You can even go on the internet while at class in selected classrooms. Shoutout to RH 300!

9. Rob Manila

Our very own UP Town Center and UP Technohub which has cheaper prices and is more accessible! Rob is only a few meters away from our Colleges, even if you're from Pedro Gil! When we surprisingly have no classes because the prof is a no-show or if we have long breaks, Rob is on the list of our places to go.

10. The Manila Collegian

Even if I never knew if they accepted me or not...still I will miss my dose of Lola Patola's "Fulung Vhulunghan" and those hugot articles at the back of every release! From the Kule issues I have read, I can so far say that MKule speaks at a different level to me compared to Kule. I cannot put my finger on it but perhaps it's Lola Patola....maybe?

But even if the list is done, don't think I won't miss YOU if you're someone from UP Manila who knows me! The course-mates, the profs "toxic" or not...actually everyone! Like the Little Theater, UP Manila will always have a special place in my heart. Even if I always hated passing through PGH to get to places and the stuffy air, I will always love it for the memories and how it nursed me during first years as an Iska. 

Sa Kabila ng Pait...

Laganap ang mga taong kung tawagin ay "bitter". Mga pangunahing nagsusulong ng kilusang walang forever. Ang mga unang nag-cocomment ng "Mag-bebreak din kayo!" pag may nakitang post sa kung saan na may mag-syotang sweet. Yung mga feeling "forever alone" kapag Valentines, Close Up Summer Solstice o kung ano pa mang kaganapan na kaugnay ng pagkakaroon ng date. Yung mga nanood ng That Thing Called Tadhana at ng The Break Up Playlist nang mag-isa. Mga palaging ka-date ang sarili. Mga "hand some" ang madalas na peg......


Katulad ko.. Well, bukod sa pagiging "hand some" eh swak na.


Oo, hindi ako kaaway. Isa akong parte ng ‪#‎TeamAmpalaya‬. Pawang opinyon ko lamang ang lahat. Maaring sumang-ayon ka sakin at maari namang hindi. Kung hindi, ayos lang. Iba iba naman tayong lahat ng pananaw. Kung oo, salamat sa Diyos at hindi ako nag-iisa. At least sa parteng ito ng buhay ko, hindi ako nag-iisa.... ‪#‎hugot1‬


Bakit nga ba nagiging bitter ang ibang tao? Ito ang mga posibleng rason na nakikita ko.


1. Masamang break-up na kamakailan lang nangyari.

2. Iniwan.

3. Nasaktan.

4. Iniwan na nga at nasaktan, nagpakatanga pa ulit.

5. Mga di nadadala at paulit ulit sa #4.

6. Walang love life dahil sa iba't ibang kadahilanan. (Ex. Panget.)

7. Takot magmahal....dahil nasaktan o hindi handang masaktan

8. Friendzoned...at kung anu-ano pang zoned.

9. Pinaasa.

10. At higit sa lahat....UMASA. ‪#‎hugot2‬


Pwedeng may gusto kang idagdag diyan pero basta ang punto ko ay ang pagiging bitter ay hindi lang basta basta nangyayari. May hugot yan! May pinagdaanan. May pinagmumulan. Kumbaga sa Movie series, may prequel. Kanya kanya tayo ng share ng storya. Pero iisa lang ang nangyari sa atin pagkatapos -- napunta sa #TeamAmpalaya!


Aminin mo. Sa kaibuturan at kalalim-laliman ng puso mo....gusto mong mahalin ka. Mahalin ka ng mas tunay pa sa mga alahas ni Imelda Marcos at ng mas tapat pa sa tanghali. Gusto mo ng kasama magpatunay kung may forever. Gusto mo magkaron ng love life na katulad ng mga nakakakilig na napapanood mo sa TV. Gusto mo ng magiging Xander sa Agnes mo, ng Angelina sa Brad mo, ng Kathryn sa Daniel mo, ng Jack sa Rose mo, ng Romeo sa Juliet mo at ng b3b3 q0h sa bH0zXh MhApGmHaL mo.


Baka applicable lang ang exaggeration ko sa mga hopeless romantic. Pero ayun nga, basta may parte mo na kahit katiting lang ay gusto mong mahalin ka ng mahal mo ng tunay at tapat...magpakailanman. Kahit mas konti pa yan sa space ng upuan mo sa siksikan na jeep na ayon kay manong driver eh sampuan daw....at least meron.


Ang isa sa mga pangunahing dahilan ng pagka-bitter ay inggit. Oo, bilang isang taong bitter, inaamin kong isa to sa mga dahilan. Wag mo na i-deny kung relate ka din! Sana ako din ganun mahalin. Sana may gwapo rin akong syota. Sana sana sana... Hay. Isa pang dahilan yung alaalang bumabalik kapag nakakakita ka ng mga taong tulad niyo dati. Parang kinukurot puso mo. Parang sinusundot yung sugat mong sariwa tapos nilagyan ng alcohol. (Pasensya na medyo morbid) At sinasabi mong magbebreak din sila kase been there, done that na ang peg mo. Nasabi na niya yun sayo na "forever" daw kayo. Nasabi na niya yun sayong ikaw lang daw. Kumbaga papunta palang sila eh pabalik ka na...


Ano ngayon magagawa natin kung bitter tayo? Edi maging bitter. Pake ba nila. Basta tandaang ilagay sa tamang lugar, oras at panahon ang pagka-bitter. Wag naman yung nakakabastos na. Wag kang panira ng moment ng mga tao lalo na kung di mo ka-close. Ikaw kaya ganunin balang araw? (Kung may magkakamaling pumatol, that is). Kase sila ang pabebe couples. Wala kayong pake kung pabebe silang magsyota. Kung gusto ninyo, humanap din kayo ng pwede syotain at gawa din kayo ng bidjo niyo! Pero realtalk. Wala kase silang pake kung bitter ka. Parang "Tangina ka inggit ka lang la ka syota" ang peg. Kase all that matters eh yung relasyon nila atbpng bagay na hindi konektado sa pagiging Ampalaya mo. Ewan ko kung totoo ba para sa lahat ng mga mag-syotang nakaka-encounter ng mga taong bitter pero....bahala na. Basta ayun. Walang makakapigil sakanila! Sana lang sa mga mag syota kung maglalampungan kayo wag naman sa bus, jeep o kahit saang public place. Maraming branch ang Sogo. Di kayo mauubusan ng kwarto.


Ano nga ba talaga punto ko?


Ang ampalaya pag niluluto para gawing ulam, kailangan din ng magpapawala ng pait niya. Masustanya ang Ampalaya pero ayaw kainin ng iba kase nga mapait. Try mo pumapak ng Ampalaya tingnan natin kung di ka mag-mukhasim jan. Pero try mo haluan ng San Marino Corned Tuna (no advertisment intended, totoong nagluluto ng ganyan ang nanay ko), bawang, sibuyas at itlog. Sarap diba? Di mo na malalasahan yung pait.


Sabi nga ni Kris Aquino, "I found my true love in San Marino Corned Tuna!". Edi tayo din, malay natin. Makahanap din tayo ng ating San Marino Corned Tuna na makakapagpawala ng pait natin! Kung teenager ka pa rin lang o nasa 20s, ok lang yan. May mahabang oras pa. Kung wala na sa kalendaryo ang edad mo at hindi mo man mahanap ang taong para sayo, blessing din naman ang pagiging single. Maari mong ibahagi ang buhay mo sa ibang tao sa maraming pamamaraan at hindi naman laging kailangan sa isang taong mamahalin mo in a romantic way. Isipin mo ang pamilya at mga kaibigan mong nagmamahal sayo. Mahal ka nila hindi nga lang tulad ng hinahanap mong uri ng pagmamahal kundi bilang isang anak, kapatid, tito/tita, apo, kaibigan atbp. Sa akin, naiibsan yung pagiging bitter ko sa tuwing naiisip ko yan. Mahal ako ng mga kaibigan ko, ng magulang ko, ng mga kapatid ko, ng mga pinsan, tito/tita, ninong/ninang, lolo/lola, aso/pusa/isda at butiki ko. Higit sa lahat ng Diyos.


Kung bitter, single, halaman, pinaasa, iniwan, umasa, tanga o ano ka pa man, ok lang yan! Wag mo nga lang sana dibdibin dahil there is more to life...at may likod ka ba. Mabubuhay kang wala siya. Hindi mo siya kakambal. Pinanganak ka ng wala siya. Hindi sakanya umiikot ang mundo mo, sa araw ito umiikot...at hindi siya ang araw. So far, na-survive mo ang naman lahat ng kamalasan sa buhay mo. Kaya mo nga nababasa to diba?

Padayon. smile emotico
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Disclaimer

Hi! It's Marga, bitch!

I'm Margarette Reyes, someone in the borderline of being a teenager and a adult. Former student of the University of the Philippines - Manila studying BA Philippine Arts, now a student of BA History at the University of the Philppines - Diliman. Yet to know what I am gonna do with life after College. Wants to travel to the outer space and find Atlantis.

This blog is called "My 25 centavos" because of my failed attempt into trying to Filipinze the term "My two cents" which is a sort of an idiom use to say when you are giving your opinion.

Before posting anything else, here is a friendly guide on what you might be able to see here.

1. My own personal opinions on certain stuff....which do not beg you to agree with me but rather with hopes of just plain expressing myself. If you are gonna bash me for this, let me tell you that I may consider your opinion...but if you want someone to actually care...it just won't be me.

2. Some cursing. Yeah. It's me. I will be myself here as much as I can since this is my personal space...yes dear family and relatives, I will say what I want to.

3. Randomness in both Filipino and English.

So, whatever. Let the posting commence!