Announcement

I just deleted a couple of messages from my shoutbox. Apparently not all people like the person that I am. I do not want to make explanations but then the truth is I do not see how people can be so happy at doing things to another person's blog. I will not react on the truthfulness of any of the comments mad, may be they are correct or maybe they are wrong, what I'll be doing is to keep on writing. I may not be the best person in the world but I also know that I can not please everybody. With this I would like to temporarily disable the shoutbox so as not to to further add injury to the person that I am.

To those who do not like the kind of person that I am just do not patronize me, I'm happy with the way I am and its definitely not my loss if you hate my guts...

For those who read what I write, keep on reading, I appreciate that...

The place where we are one

It's been a while since I had an enjoyable conversation. There have been several times that I just want to talk to people beyond my life as a cadet. I want to talk to them about areas other than the military, I wanted to talk about life as we live it.

I was talking earlier with some of our instructors and it was a rejuvenation of some sort. I was both excited and curious of their lives.

A typical day of a cadet consists mostly of routine activities that we do day in and day out. Life becomes so monotonous that at some point it undermines our very personality. We wake up in the same room, do the same things for the whole day, so definitely we do not talk about what happened to us during the day. The thing there is that we really have nothing to talk about because we share the same life.

This afternoon, I found myself in a company of my civilian instructors, telling me different things that are not in any way related to my existence as a cadet. At one point we were talking about career choices, about plans for the future. One wants to live a luxurious life, another a career in law. The conversation includes the ins and outs of the choices one is going to make in getting there, the implications of such decisions and of course, the fulfillment one get afterwards. In the almost an hour that we were sharing ideas, it was as if I was transported to a different world. It was a world where everyone is living their own life trying their best to reach their goal. In that world, I wasn't some cadet. I was a cadet and they were teachers; all of us want to have the life that we dream of.

I always say that dreams make the people that we are. Our ability to dream determines our courage to face each day believing in those dreams. In the group of people I was with, I did not have to worry whether or not I am going to Mindanao after graduation. I did not have to worry whether the things that I know are good enough to become a lieutenant. In that gathering, we were all dreamers, figuring out how to live our lives, thinking about ourselves and BEING OURSELVES.

The way a cadet spends his life are full of expectations that at some point just drains the very essence of the person that we are. Sometimes we are fed up with being cadets and longs to be treated just like any other human being with all the goals and aspirations that define the person that we are. Once in a while, we get those chances and we become whole again, we become rejuvenated.

Thinking about it now, I find myself back to my real world. I am inside a room full of people wearing the same clothes as I do. All of us are subjected to the same regulation, the same rules, the same everything. But being here and talking to my instructors earlier, I have come to a realization of the very essence of why I am here. As I live my life, enduring it's boredom and monotony, being envious of people who have more freedom, I realize that I am in fact in my place. I am at a place where the sacrifices that I make matter more than my individual dreams and aspiration. I am at a place that even though there are times that I just hate it here, somewhere out there people also have the same worries as I do, they too worry what to do with their life.

After this, I will go back to my room and sleep on my bunks. Tomorrow, I will wake up among the same group of pe0ple. I will then go on with my life and see the familiar faces that I had a conversation with the night before. And then I will realize, just like me we are all the same people. We are in fact all dreamers, living this life and hoping that we'll be good at it.

Pictures Galore

I was looking at the pictures that I had been keeping in the hard disk and got a little nostalgic about the memories I had as a cadet so I am posting those pictures now to share a few of those memories.

This was taken at summer camp 2004, hanapin nyo ako, ang payat ko nyan and so are all the plebes
Behind me are lots and lots of instant pancit canton. Believe it or not, a feast inside the cadet barracks consist mainly of pancit canton, news paper and hungry cadets. In this picture it was our turn to cook the evening's "boodlefight"

This picture was taken a few days before the graduation of Class 2006. With me are now Air Force Lieutenant Ramayan and Navy Ensign Robles. The other one is my squadmate. All four of us were members of the same squad which is actually the "family" of cadets being the smallest unit This picture was taken after Ranks Inspection. I was a yearling then. The year after this we were all realigned to another company.

With me in this picture is Hanna taken during last year's Alumni Homecoming. She's a dear friend married to an upperclass.I really was an extra at the Maalaala mo Kaya episode about the life of the late 2LT Toledo and here's the picture to prove it. I was one of those who kept on passing in most of the scenes... palakad lakad lang

San Carlos City and Body Painting

About two years ago, I spent my break at my father's hometown in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental. That was to be the last time I will be there until now. What made that vacation fun was that it concided with the annual City Fiesta and to my delight, I practically spent my whole vacation partying.

But this entry is not about partying, this is actually a follow to the last entry that I have about my tito's Body Painting Competition which he holds annually since 200o and of course my daddy's hometown.

At first glance, one would think that San Carlos City is a sleepy place living away from the fast paced life of modern society. To this day, the city prides itself with pedicabs as a mode of transportation to go around it. The pedicab is really a pedicab in the real sense of the word, it is bicycle powered. Believe it or not, in this part of the country this is still what is used. But again, I must say that to form an impression on the city in general based on these seemingly backward practices will deny you of the many things one can experience in this place. To put it simply, San Carlos City is home to a vibrant culture that has cultivated itself on its own, truly a unique sight in all of Negros Island (to an extent in all of the Philippine Islands).

The City prides itself with the Pintaflores Festival. The festival simply means "We paint flowers." In this spectacle, the main motiff are flowers in all its vibrant colors painted on the bodies of those who perform the street dance. It is basically an explosion of flowers that sets the very festive mood associated with the fiesta celebration. It is a sight that amazes everyone with the vastness of colors that appears all in one place. As people would put it, it is an "explosion of colors."

Well, other events highlight the celebration but what comes close to heart is my tito's BodyPainting Competition. I personally think that this is the perfect evidence of culture in this part of the country. The provocativeness of topless models being painted on their bodies which has been accepted as part of the festivities is truly something that is worth the look of any tourist. I can say that not many has actually seen how these work of art is done, truly there is beauty in the human body. One will discover the perfect combination of shapes, wonderful colors and, of course, the human anatomy. More amazing is that these creations are mostly locally bred with their raw talents unhindered by expectations set by popular culture. Truly, it is a reflection of a society that has defined itself over time through the heritage that it has developed detached from modern society.

I dare people to witness these events and see for themselves a differnt kind of experience that is promised to be a wonderful memory. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures.

The Making of a Body Painting

This model and artist tandem won in the 2005 edition of the Body Painting Competition

Did I not say it was fun???

Other pictures

Note: The Pintaflores Festival is slated every first week of November. The NUI Pintaflores Bodypainting Competition is a major activity during the week-long celebration. All pictures that depict the bodypainting competition was taken by this writer. I just realized that the pictures I took was never "released" to the public. Sorry but the lay-out can be terrible because of the limited options blogger provides.

My Tito's brush

I was browsing through websites a couple of days back when I found pictures of painted bodies and remembered how my tito creates such wonderful masterpiece with his brush.

I wasn't close to him as an uncle. I barely knew him and there was just no opportunity for us to know each other. Our lives were separated by our chaotic family situation and though I knew him as my father's brother, that was just it.

As a young boy, I often saw his paintings on our walls and knew then that he had this talent for the arts but again that was it. Unknown to him, I marveled at the huge mural he have on his wall. My interactions with him were mere casual small talks that had to be done because we were in the same house.

Fast forward to 2003, I was "exiled" at the province and spent the best days of that exile with my tito and marveled at the talent he has. The picture in the side is a body painting created by my tito. That is what people will expect on his yearly body painting competition that is now on it's 7th installment. I was on the fifth and I am hoping to be there again when this one is staged. For more information about the event go to 7th NUI Pintaflores Body Painting Competition. Or you can use the tags nui and bodypainting at Flickr