Xn3cTs

Dug this up in my files. In 2000, I was still teaching in Adamson University. I taught mostly “Logic” and “Philosophy of Man.” From time to time, I’d be given subjects like “Art Appreciation” and “Rizal.” One day, I was approached by a co-teacher from the English Department. She was coaching a student who was about to enter a speech contest of sorts (a declamation contest?). Either the topic was about Rizal or the new millenium. (Remember, this was the year 2000.) She asked me to write a piece for this student. I sort of liked the topic and so came up with this piece. The repetition of one sentence in the last paragraphs was done precisely because this was written as a kind of “speech.” Hahaha. I even picked up Fidel Ramos’s “pole-vaulting into the new millenium” crap.

best regards,
ian

————

THE PHILIPPINES WITHIN A THOUSAND YEARS
by Michael Ian Lomongo, January 31, 2000

More than a hundred years ago, Dr. Jose Rizal wrote an essay in which he asked what would become of the Philippines within a century. In this particular essay, he argued for the urgent necessity of basic reforms such as the institution of a free press in the Philippines and its representation in the Spanish Cortes, that is, if Spain wanted to preserve the Philippines as a loyal colony. Still, with the penetrating insight of a social analyst, Rizal more than just hinted at the independence that the Filipinos would eventually seek. It was just a matter of time — and a question of whether the separation between Spain and the Philippines would be marked with gratitude and love, or hatred and resentment.

That question, of course, would be answered less than a decade after the essay “Filipinas dentro de cien años” was published in “La Solidaridad.” Now, with our freedom having been finally won and our friendly relations with Spain having been restored, we ask – as Rizal once did, if not with the same insight, at least with the same urgency: what have we, as a nation, gained and learned in the past century, and what can we look forward to in the coming years, in the advent of the new millenium?

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Tags: Education, Filipinos, Jose Rizal
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A TEACHER’S PRAYER

by Michael Ian Lomongo, January 2003

Dearest Lord, you are the true teacher that leads us from the darkness of ignorance into the light of wisdom. You have deigned to call us to follow your footsteps and become like you in this respect: a guru, a sensei… a teacher. Inspired by the teachers we’ve had, and loving the wisdom that we desire to have and share with others, we heeded your call.

And so, we became teachers. And in the process of sharing whatever knowledge, skill, or wisdom we had, we happily found our joy, passion, and compassion growing.

But there are times when teaching seems to be mere drudgery, a drag, a dreary, thankless job. There are moments when our responsibilities seem so huge and overwhelming, we cannot but feel small and puny. Moments come too, when we even question the meaning and value of what we do.

During these moments, help us remember the joy we felt in our initial discovery of something new and amazing, and in the realization that we had the power to share this with others. Help us keep our hearts and minds open, ever-ready to receive and learn from our experiences, mistakes, our colleagues, students, and the people around us. For even as teachers, we know that we never cease from being students.

Help us remember, Lord. Inspire us, that we may keep inspiring others.

Help us remember, Lord. That remembering, we may become true teachers.

Amen.

Tags: Learning, Prayer, Teaching
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Paghihintay sa Chuvatienes…
ni Michael Ian Lomongo, August 18, 2006

Hindi maikakailang malaki na rin ang naging impluensya ng salitang bading o gay lingo sa pang-araw-araw na pananalita ng madla. Sa pinoy gay lingo, kapansin-pansin ang mala-chopsuey na paghahalo ng iba’t-ibang wika (Tagalog, Japanese, Spanish, English, atbp.) at sari-saring alusyon sa pop culture (gaya ng mga pangalan ng mga artista). Kadalasan, dahil na rin sa dami ng variations at pagpapalamuti ng mga salita, halos ‘di mo na makilala at malaman kung saan hinango ang mga ito.

Halimbawa, san kaya nagmula ang katagang “chuvatienes”? Maaaring ang “chuva” ay variation ng “chever/cheber,” na maaari namang pinaikling “whatever/whichever” (o posible rin sigurong updated version ng salitang Tagalog na “keber,” na mula naman sa Spanish “que ver” ); ang “tienes” naman (kung saan hinango ang “chenelyn”) ay Spanish ng “you have.” Kaya, kung tutuusin, ang “chuvatienes” ay Spanglish ng “what-have-you.” Sa madaling salita, “anuman”… “whatever.”

Nitong nakaraang Hunyo, napanood ko ang produksyon ng Tanghalang Pilipino ng “Waiting for Godot” ni Samuel Beckett. Bilang pagdiriwang sa ika-isandaang taon ng kapanganakan ni Beckett, nakipagtulungan ang CCP, Alliance Francaise, Embahada ng Pransya at NCCA para imbitahan ang isang direktor mula Avignon, si Alain Timar, na idirihe ang isang adaptasyon ng nasabing dula (sa panibagong salin ni George de Jesus III).

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Tags: Art, Filipinos, Gender Issues, Philosophy, Samuel Beckett, spirituality, Theater, Translation
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Will keep posting old articles until they are all archived here. Will post something new every now and then.

best regards,

ian

Writing in Tongues

By Michael Ian Lomongo, April 29, 2001

(Thoughts on Actors’ Actors Inc.’s production of Paul Stephen Lim’s “Mother Tongue” — with Bart Guingona, Nieves Campa, Miren Alvarez, Ed Feist, Richard Cunanan, Bobbie Greenwood, Kate Fernandez; directed by Chris Millado)

The day I watched AAI’s production of Stephen Paul Lim’s “Mother Tongue,” I had just finished reading Amy Tan’s “The Joy Luck Club.” I’ve long wanted to read the novel after seeing the movie years ago. Some of the people I’ve talked with, who have both read the novel and seen the movie, preferred the novel. As they say, much is lost in any translation (whether it be from one medium to another or from one language to another). For me though, much of the narrative’s visceral impact in the watching wasn’t there in the reading (probably because I was no longer encountering it for the first time).

Anyway, I mentioned “The Joy Luck Club,” because like it, “Mother Tongue” is about finding and defining one’s identity and home in the Land of Promise. The former is about immigrant Chinese mothers and their American-born daughters, and how they try to bridge the breach in understanding caused by two disparate cultures; the latter, about a Chinese mother who’s an immigrant to the Philippines and her writer-son who migrates to America, and how this son seeks her mother’s understanding in his freely causing (and embracing) the breach.

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Tags: Desire, Filipinos, Gender Issues, identities, Languages, Power, Writing
Posted in Art, Filipinos, Gender Issues, Movies, Philosophy, Theater, Writing | 1 Comment »

Reflections on my limitations as an actor/artist, 2003.

best regards,

ian

—-

Going with the Rhythm

By Michael Ian Lomongo, 2003

Ah! If it were only possible to begin a task with the very lessons that one has gained in the process of doing it… one perhaps might be better equipped to meet the challenges posed by that task.

When I first read the script of “Rhythm Method” (in its English translation), I immediately liked it because it was both light/funny and weighty/serious. It was about Dr. Ogino Kyusaku, the doctor who first correctly determined the ovulation period of women and how he made that discovery. It had dramatic and comedic scenes, and even raised philosophical/ethical and gender issues. I thought it would be nice to take on the role of this doctor who was so consumed by his work that he didn’t know how to go about doing other things. I thought I fit the role and so told Herbie Go (the director) that I would like to audition for the role or even be the understudy for it. Herbie did give me the part.

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Tags: Acting, Art, Love, Passion, Theater
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My rough Tagalog translation of Jose Rizal’s “Song of Maria Clara,” inspired by my inability to recall Bienvenido Lumbera’s translation (“Matimyas mabuhay sa sariling bayan, mapagmahal dito ang sikat ng araw.”) in his libretto for Ryan Cayabyab’s Noli musical as well as my inability to get a copy of Rio Alma’s:

Ang Awit ni Maria Clara

Matimyas mabuhay sa tinubuang bayan

Kung saan kaibigan ang lahat sa ilalim ng araw

Buhay ang hanging umiihip sa kanyang bukirin

Kamataya’y di saklot ng hinagpis at higit na malambing ang pag-ibig.

Malalamyos na halik ang naglalaro sa mga labi ng isang ina sa paggising

Ng sanggol sa kanyang dibdibm, habang inaapuhap naman ng mga bisig

Ng sanggol ang leeg ng ina upang doon ito mangunyapit;

At sa pagtatama ng mapagmahal na pagtingin, sumisilay sa mga mata ang ngiti.

Matimyas mamatay para sa tinubuang bayan

Kung saan kaibigan ang lahat sa ilalim ng araw

Kamatayan ang ihip ng hangin sa kanyang kawawang

Walang bayan, walang ina, walang pagmamahal.

December 30, 2007

Rizal Day

Angono, Rizal

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Tags: Love, Mother, Native Land, Patriotism
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The sequel to my article on “Acting as a Path to a Spirituality of Compassion.”

best regards,

ian

—

On Teachers, Teaching, and Learning

by Michael Ian Lomongo, May 31, 2002

“When the student is ready, the teacher will come.”

In a previous essay that I wrote, I reflected on the spirituality of acting (and of any art for that matter) and the question of a possible incongruity between the excellence of one’s art (craft/skill/talent/competence) and one’s life (the great Art of one’s life). A friend commented that my question comes from the tendency to confuse two different realms, which may fortunately coincide, but need not do so. The level of a person’s artistic maturity is not necessarily an indication of personal (integral) maturity. Simply put, quite a number of Great artists can be real MAJOR-assholes.

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Tags: Acting, Art, Learning, Love, spirituality, Teaching
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My review of the Matrix Trilogy.

best regards,

ian

P.S. By the way, saw a portion of “Dark City” last Saturday on Studio 23. Years ago, I received a forwarded email which compared several scene shots from “Dark City” with “The Matrix.” Homage or (unconscious) plagiarism?

—

Within the Matrix of Love
by Michael Ian Lomongo, December 12, 2003

I know. Many are disappointed with the Matrix Revolutions and the trilogy as a whole. The last two installments didn’t live up to the promise of the original Matrix. And of course, pundits would always say that the whole thing was just a veritable chopsuey: “love story“-cum-”sci-fi”-cum-”martial arts”-cum-”watered-down pop-philosophy.”

Watered-down pop-philosophy? Maybe. But the trilogy can really serve as a stimulating introduction to philosophy for the general public.

Among the major themes we find in the films are questions regarding illusion and reality, freedom and determinism, power and love.

The first installment focuses on the metaphysical and epistemological questions. What is the Matrix? What is the nature of reality? How do we know for sure whether “our reality” is “really real”?

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Tags: Determinism, Epistemology, Ethics, Freedom, Illusion, Love, Matrix, Metaphysics, Power, Reality
Posted in Love, Movies, Philosophy | 1 Comment »

Posting my review of the first two installations of “The Matrix Trilogy.”

best regards,

ian

—

The Matrix, Overloaded
by Michael Ian Lomongo, May 26, 2003

I

Why isn’t “The Matrix: Reloaded” as captivating as “The Matrix”?

I don’t think it’s because the novelty of the original movie’s winning combination of stunning visual effects and intriguing philosophical premise has faded. (We know now what “the Matrix” is. We no longer are as curious when we first watched “The Matrix.”) Neither is it simply because most sequels really do fail to come up to expectations. (Consider the “X-men 2″ which is, to me, infinitely better than the first “X-men” movie.)

I loved “The Matrix” mainly because I thought it was pop-philosophy (metaphysics) in film. The only other sci-fi/superhero film that approximates this achievement in recent times was “Spiderman,” a sort of pop-ethics with Kantian/Dostoyevskian/Nietzschean overtones. (Intrigued by a friend’s blurb that “Existenz” was the thinking man’s “Matrix,” I went out of my way to see it. I didn’t like it.)

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Tags: Ethics, Gender Issues, Illusion, Love, Maternity, Matrix, Metaphysics, Power, Reality
Posted in Art, Love, Movies, Philosophy, Theater | 2 Comments »

Had dinner last night (and later, beer) with Emman de la Cruz, Angeli Bayani, Vanni Liwanag, Tara Illenberger, and Fiona (didn’t catch her last name). We talked about, naturally, films, Lav Diaz, “Death in the Land of Encantos,” Angeli’s baby boy (whom she named after the character named Marik (Marat) of Alexei Arbusov’s wonderful romantic play, “The Promise” (translated into Tagalog by the late Rolando Tinio as “Kawawang Marat.”)

Since Emman, Tara, and Fiona were not familiar with the play, I said it was like the counter, the opposite, play of the very post-modern “Closer.” Both work best if you have good actors playing the characters. After watching or reading “The Promise,” you’d feel like “Ah, it’s worth it. Every tear, every heartache. Love prevails.” After watching “Closer,” you’d end up questioning your notions and ways of loving.

Am posting my thoughts on “Closer” here. 2005.

best regards,
ian

—

A Closer Look at Closer

[Or, Concerning Close(r) Encounters of the "Strange(r)" Kind]

by Michael Ian Lomongo, April 13, 2005

“The truth shall set you free.”

- Jesus Bar-Joseph

“What if truth were a woman?”

- Friedrich Nietzsche

Hello, stranger!

If you really (and I mean, REALLY) knew the person you loved, would you still love him/her? (And, mind you, I’m not talking about knowing the “truth ” about the person you loved for we can very well ask with Pilate, “What is the truth, anyway?”)

The film/play “Closer” (written by Patrick Marber) raises a lot of tough questions about many of our notions about truth, truth-telling, lies, deception, and the relationship between knowing and loving (either the person or the truth).

Is loving ultimately based on the unflinching look on the “truth” or “reality” of the person (no matter how harsh it may be)? Or is it inevitably tied up with the blurred and prettifying (Should I say “lying”?) vision which makes lovers overlook glaring flaws and imperfections in the beloved and perhaps for our own sake, perhaps makes the very movement of loving possible?

What is our relation to “truth” and truth-telling? As individuals? As lovers?

What do we really know about the “truth”? (Pilate: “Quid est veritas?”) What do we really know about the people we love (or think we love)? (“Hello, stranger!”) What do we really know about our own peculiar ways of loving? For that matter, what do we really know about loving?

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Tags: identities, Love, truth
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