A Compelling Play of Intellectual Sophistication

Last July 24, 2012, at the MSU-IIT Mini-theatre, I was able to see the phenomenal play of the creative director, Mr. Steven Patrick Fernandez and the astounding Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG) entitled Ming-ming.  The story was all about three generations of a powerful political family which was dodging the controversies that threatened their survival.  And in order to ensure political and personal survival, her family was pushed to make painful decisions that determine the lives Ming-ming (the main protagonist), her mother, her grandmother and her uncle took. 

The story was focused more on flashbacks with regards to the events that took place which led to Ming-ming’s death. It begun with the tonongs (spirits) and how they witnessed the family’s drama unfold.  Ming-ming’s mother, R, have already failed in two marriages and the last one being an indispensable excuse to hide the truth of Ming-ming’s birth, the offspring of her affair with an Economics teacher. R’s first marriage to an older man, however, was arranged in order to prop their family’s declining political fortunes. The husband, an ambitious politician, was more enthusiastic with being in the company of young boys who patronize his mahjong sessions.  R’s pregnancy of Ming-ming, was hidden in order to preserve family honor or maratabat, which is a traditionally upheld and dictated virtue which shame is a transgression greater than death. And so, R was kept in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, so she could give birth to Ming-ming. A marriage was then arranged with a distant relative who was unaware of Ming-ming’s circumstances; he only knew that the baby was adopted. MingMing was born seven months before R’s second marriage. However, this distant relative-turned-husband turned out to be callous and a chauvinist.

Conversely, I, Ming-ming’s grandmother have lied all about Ming-ming’s story to save maratabat and her only daughter’s life. She knew that even a small offense of dishonor will provoke death, which was to be sentenced and carried out by the family’s own strict codes. The penalty was essential in order to uphold honor to the family and restore the loss of its face. When she was just 14 years old, I had already sacrificed her love to respect her family’s obligation to marry the elder brother of her secret love and the uncle of Ming-ming, P. This was needed in order to end a family feud or rido and consolidate political power between the two antagonistic families. I’s decision however, devastated P who in turn, laments his life after losing I to his brother, the heir apparent of his family. He trains as a guerilla and cultivates a revolutionary attitude dictating traditional views to his family. Caught in this chain of events, Ming-ming tries to untangle herself, culminating in the occurrence of the inevitable.

The portrayal of the characters was definitely amazing. They did it so well that it was easy to understand the context of the play. Though it was not my first time to see the IPAG perform, it has been more than two years since I last saw one of their plays. And so, I am fortunate enough to have seen Ming-ming.  I am definitely looking forward in seeing another one of their spectacular plays in the near future. 

A Journey to a New Horizon

Change is constant in life. Yet, many of us are still reluctant to embrace it. Though change is never predictable, it will always be inevitable. And because of change, there will always be an opportunity to unravel new chapters that are yet to unfold.

It was the first day of school. The day that I began studying as a college student. I could feel the cold breeze of air in the morning touching my skin. I already took my bath, ate my breakfast, brushed my teeth and fixed myself. Everything was prepared...except for me. I was a bit nervous that day. But that didn't stop me from going to school. 

It was a most prestigious school. A state university renowned for its excellence in both fields of science and technology. It was the Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology. It was also the only university in the city. And as I began to enter its gates, I remembered past memories for I studied two years in high school there. 

When I reached the building where our classroom was supposed to be located, I was a bit distressed. The name of our section was not posted on any of the rooms. I had to look for it for quite some time. Luckily, I was able to ask one of the faculties there and he was able to point me to where my classroom was. 

I arrived there ten minutes before the class was supposed to start. My first subject was Humanities. As I entered the classroom, I saw various drawings. Some were of people, others were of nature, and a few were about  fantasies. They were made by the  students in the higher years. I was also shocked to learn that there were only few of my classmates sitting in the classroom. I was expecting that the room would nearly be full since it was the first day of school and the class was supposed to begin soon. A few minutes later, my friend came and finally I had someone to talk to. Soon, I was able to meet new people and found new friends. I learned a lot about them. Most of them were from different places. And although they had different personalities and different backgrounds, we were still able to talk with one another and feel comfortable with each other. 

Before long, we found ourselves wandering to different places inside the campus. We visited different canteens, libraries and College Departments. We also spent a lot of time eating together. But because not a single teacher was able to meet us, we went our separate ways. Today, we've made a lot more of new friends and our small group has become quite big. We still bond together and have fun together. And I'm still journeying in life.

Though there were a lot of things that have already happened, the experience I had on the first day of my College life would never be forgotten. After all, it was my new journey towards a new horizon. 

The Mystery of Believing

            Every person has their own set of unique beliefs. These things affect the way they think, say and do. Basically a belief is the acceptance of something as being truthful. But by definition, belief is a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing. They give things purpose and motivation.

As our discussion in my English 1 subject progressed, we’ve encountered this interesting story called the "Sweet Unforgettable Day" by Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc. The story was all about the supernatural experience by the writer on the wedding day of their family's cook and her father's long-time houseboy. On that day, she and her family felt the presence of their deceased mother. And though they tried to forget remembering their mother for that day, the experience they had would always linger on their mind.

Nowadays, many stories like this are circulating in the society. In fact, they are being narrated as ghost stories to scare or entertain people. However, that doesn't mean that they believe what they have heard or read. Others even say that unless they experience it, they will not believe. This is because we question the validity of these stories. We need proofs. However, I for one do not believe that everything requires absolute proof just to say that it is valid. There are things that exist but cannot be experienced. Example, the brain, it cannot be sensed by our common senses. But we know it's there. This is because we believe. Therefore, we cannot say that story aforementioned is true or false. We just believe what we think. 

But usually before people believe something, they require a lot of proofs. But without proof, doubt will always shadow the belief because no one can tell their certainties. But we cannot judge quickly. Because in my opinion, when it comes to beliefs, people only believe what they want to believe.

Myself

           Going to an unfamiliar place with a lot of new different people usually includes introducing oneself a lot of times. But as respectable men and women readily talk about themselves, so too shall I introduce myself. But this time, I will do it in the form of this writing.

My name is Denmichael Neil Estillore and I am from Iligan City, the lone district of Iligan City in Mindanao, Philippines. Here, I devoted the past 12 years of my life learning mostly at school. But before that, I've spent my life's early 4 years usually on leisure. So if one adds all the aforementioned numbers, they will amount to 16, which is my current age. When I was born on July 21, 1996, I was originally named Dennis Michael Neil by my parents. But they eventually shortened the "Dennis" to "Den" and combined it to the name "Michael" in order to shorten my name. I have only one sibling and he is currently studying in high school. Even though there are only four of us in our family, we are pretty much contented and happy in each other's company.

As a chess player and a computer enthusiast, I was able to excel both in and out of the school premises. Though I am not the best in these fields, I am still thankful to God for giving me the opportunity of sharing my talents. I can also play badminton to a degree. Learning these abilities was quite a challenge especially since I   had low self-confidence. But because of both my mentors and my peers, I was able to show my skills to the world.

A lot of people say that I am a melancholic person. And yes, that is true. However, when I get attached to someone, I am usually loyal and self-sacrificing. Even with the passing of time, these characteristics of mine haven’t changed though. I remain to be the melancholic person that I am.

Helping my family and reaching my goals are the things I am definitely looking forward to in the near future. I'm also hoping that the Lord will shower me with a lot of blessings so I can live my life fully and with few regrets.

I stopped saying "Thank you, Bro"

The relationship between siblings is a very important relationship. It is a prevailing relationship that transcends even time. However, it is common for brothers and sisters to fight. Still, the bond formed between them will always be unyielding.

Ever since we were young, my brother and I have always been close. Oftentimes, we laugh, we play and we have some fun. Sometimes, we quarrel. But we were always on the same team whenever a predicament rises. Though this past few months, whenever I ask something of him, I tend to forget to thank him for it.

A friend maybe someone who is compatible with you just because of being in the same social circles or being identical in likes and dislikes but a sibling will always bear more similarities with you. Because of the genetic relationship, a sibling can have from a similar perspective, a similar voice to similar appraisals with you. Besides, since a sibling is brought up by the same parents, in the same home with you while a friend can have a totally different background from yours, a sibling is likely to act and think more similarly to you. In this way, a sibling is likely to understand you more than a friend.

So I couldn't feel more blessed than having my brother with me. And though we've had a lot of conflicts before, I couldn't be happier than to say "Thank you, bro".