MARNIEandFRIENDS!theOriginal!

Browsing the internet, one formal definition of a museum is: a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, for the purposes of education, study, and enjoyment", as defined by the International Council of Museums.

There are a few points from the definition above that I would like to relate with my museum visit last July 2, 2008.

1. Revisiting the National Museum and the Rizal Museum is a like a stopover to a fairy tale museum. The objects and narratives give me an awkward feeling of amusement without a 100% belief—the same feeling whenever I read a fiction novel. But as I learned the intricacy of the relationship of museums to nation building, I came to realize the importance of knowing and ‘loving your own’. And part of embracing the realities of the past is the onset of education. According to My Pedagogic Creed, all education proceeds by the participation of the individual in the social consciousness of the race. By this definition, I would say that the early Filipinos during the time of colonialism are educated; whether they be illustrados (like JPRizal) or katipuneros (like ABonifacio) or indios (the Filipino masses as generalized by friars). These people are considered to be contributors of who Filipinos are right now; illustrados represent pursuit of excellence, katipuneros represent the love for country, the masses represent the power of unity. We are what we are right now because of our past.

2. The Rizal Museum is not just a showcase of how brilliant Rizal is in terms of almost everything. One thing I see during the visit is that while Rizal tried so much to use his gifts to uplift our nation his efforts seem in vain as our present situation worsens. He was fighting for the freedom of the many. Quoting from Liberalism and Social Action, “Freedom is not something that can be handed to men as a gift from outside, whether by old fashioned dynastic benevolent despotism or by new-fashioned dictatorship, whether of the proletarian or of the fascist order. It is something which can be had only as individuals participate in winning it…” For me, he was the best example of a free man during his time. Up until now, his works may be a source of inspiration for students like me to be better Filipinos.


*Picture Credits: Lino Almuenda (flickr)

I'll update later a preview of the introduction and methodology part :) BRB

Here I am Lord and I'm drowning
In your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I don't want to end up where you found me
And it echoes in my mind
Keeps me awake tonight

I know you've cast my sins as far
As the East is from the West
And I stand before you now
As though I've never sinned but today
I feel like I'm just one mistake away
From you leaving me this way

Jesus can you show me
Just how far the East is from the West
Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been
Come rising up in me again
In the arms of your mercy I find rest
Cause you know just how far the East is from the West
From one scar[r]ed hand to the other

I start the day the war begins
Endless reminding of my sin
Time and time again
Your [T]ruth is drowned out by the storm I'm in
Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away
From you leaving me this way

Jesus can you show me
Just how far the East is from the West
Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been
Come rising up in me again
In the arms of your mercy I find rest
Cause you know just how far the East is from the West
From one scar[r]ed hand to the other

I know you've washed me white
Turned my darkness into light
I need your peace to get me through
To get me through this night
I can't live by what I feel
But by the truth your word reveals
I'm not holding on to you
But your holding on to me
Your holding on to me

Jesus, you know just how far
The East is from the West
I don't have to see the man I've been
Come rising up in me again
In the arms of your mercy I find rest
(The arms of your mercy I find rest)
Cause you know just how far the East is from the West
From one scar[r]ed hand to the other

*Picture above taken at Kalbaryo (Banahaw, Quezon)

I was posting "My unpublished love story" last week and i left it as draft. When I checked it today to finish it I got completely lost! Here's the copy of the draft:


"The frog never really knew that there is a pond nearby. He went anyway as if some external force caused him so. The pond was alright, it was quite unclear, not too shallow and not too deep; but to the frog it was a bit mysterious and yet funny coz it's not green like those in movies or cartoons. The frog met his new friends from around. He was so amused at them that he thought deep inside that he was meant to be there. They played around and they really got along well. One is an alligator, a swan, and a monkey. The frog got really close with the alligator. Aside from the fact they are both reptiles, the frog saw that the alligator was someone to look up and someone he could confide to. The alligator was strong, he looks guile sometimes, wild and too dangerous but deep inside he has a tender heart; and he got confuse at times if he'd show his reality-- deep, sensitive, struggling. He was known to be the other way around. "


I read it for several times and refreshed my mind a bit but I was not able to recall who the frog was! Or the swan? the monkey? the alligator? So there, I partially aborted to complete the story until I remember the exact meanings and relationships of my characters. Funny, it was supposed to be my love story but I completely (or just for now) forgot everything in just a week! But I will be back with it. I somehow conceive that I am experiencing a reboot right at this very moment! Every thing back to zero. Every thing in its basic format; without any added software or applications, no antivirus, or frostwire. But I shall be back :)