UPLB Forestry Society's Birthday!!!

Today is the 26th anniversary!!!

THE BEST ENVIRONMENTAL-ACADEMIC ORGANIZATION OF UPLB!!!

obviously still and forever will be the best society in its mother college, the College of Forestry and Natural Resources, and all over the university...

the unique thing in this society is that we're not just merely brothers and sisters... rather we are a family sharing diverse and adverse history, cultures, opinions, interests, and personalities but are committed in unity and never-ending intimacy for each other... exact differences, contradicting manners, contrasting lifestyles, different views... we don't deny differences... instead, we celebrate those!

this society initiated me in a new world of reality... being in this university, it is mandatory to live on your own, based on what you want... i'm just so grateful that i've chosen the right one... the one that, i know, i will never regret instead be proud of...

just want to thank UPLB Forestry Society for honing my personality for development and betterment... no words can exactly express what excellence this society possesses... because excellence is such an understatement...

LONG LIVE UPLB FORESTRY SOCIETY!!!

Oedipus Rex: Innocent or Guilty?

For a very long time, a case of some crime must be studied and analyzed before a decision must be finalized. Many notorious people are recognized guilty even though they are not. Some crime-doers who truly did the act were excused. Unfair though, we have to accept that circumstances and external factors affect the decision regarding the crimes that we are experiencing these days.

In the recent reading we had in our Hum1 class, Oedipus maybe considered innocent or guilty depending on the context and view that we will be using. Based on my long reflection and assessment of Oedipus’ situation regarding the crimes he was blamed, I personally believe that he is innocent. He was accused of patricide and incest for killing his own father and being his mother’s husband respectively. He, himself, has done the crimes actually that is why he really may be responsible of the acts. But we can think of the possibility that he really don’t want to render such. He was just affected by the so-called destiny, prophecy, and faith. It was not denied in the drama that a prophecy will be occurring. He just doesn’t know his true identity that he had contributed o the success of the prophecy. If only he knew his real identity, many things might have changed. In fact, there will be no crimes must have been committed. He is of just innocence because he really doesn’t want to let the prophecy materialize yet it happened because he didn’t knew he was relating with his true parents.

Oedipus situation maybe considered one of the most abused and misused of justice. His acts may be really unethical and must be punished. But, in these certain cases, we have to soundly consider circumstances and reasons. If his lack of knowledge had really put him on this, we have to consider the fact that he sincerely didn’t really want to commit such crimes. In every rule, there are exceptions. This case must be considered as an exception in the guilty criminal activities because of a very valid reason.

He is innocent because he doesn’t even know that he’s already doing the act itself. Even though he had committed such crime unknowingly, he didn’t mean to do it so. It was stated in the situation that he wanted to overcome the prophecy. Such act means that he didn’t want to commit the crime. For that sincerest fact that he didn’t want to let the prophecy get on its way, I think therefore, he can be excused for the mistakes he had done for he really didn’t want it to happen. I also believe that punishments must be rendered to those who intended to directly offer crimes to others because of their bad virtues.

He may have not done it if he had the full knowledge of his identity. Regarding the flow of the story, he, himself, thinks hat he was guilty of what he have done. But while deepening on the drama’s context, how everyone including himself can blame and accused him of crimes that he didn’t even know he was doing already. Aside from that, it is already said in the prophecy that it will happen. They may have the power to overcome it but, likewise, they may also not have such power to escape in he said prophecy. Meaning, instead of accusing and blaming, the most right thing they could have done is preparing their selves whenever it will take part in their lives and accepting that they may not have the secret act that could overpower the prophecy.

My stand regarding Oedipus’ case can be concluded with the realization that not all who commit mistakes really mean it. We have to really reflect and consider many factors before giving a final generalization.

the tale of dormates...

"...people who will read this unfinished will die after 3 days..."

It was not horrifying when i read it. After i had seen some part of it, i abruptly deleted the message from my cellphone... i know, this is just one of the most common SMS one might received each day. Some, in fact, demands you to forward the message to all the people you know. How pathetic?

...MESSAGE DELETED...

"michael!..." ooops... i heard someone's calling me. but i can't find them. them? yeah... i think 'their' not just one. Maybe, that's her with her friends. i am waiting here alone in this park waiting for her because we really need to talk according to her. Yeah... she's odessa. She had sent me an SMS stating that she has a terrible problem and wanted my opinion regarding it. I've been waiting for about an hour now. I hope the one yelling my precious name is odessa now.

"michael!..." Now, I saw them. Them, without odessa. it's kind of annoying now. i think odessa is a real talk-shit. or she's just facing another problem now... whatever?!

"michael!..." the group that was calling me for a bit long time was my dormates. as usual, i think i need to prepare myself for an enjoying talk. we always do that. we're always happy together. we're almost brothers and sisters and not just mere dormates. we love each other like a family. not only because we're living in one roof, but also because we feel mutual exchanges that only families do. and now their coming right to the bench i am sitting. leizel, beth, jimma, migs, edwin, whilz and macky. i think they have already had their snacks. they seemed so full. we're always a little bit silent when we're full and super wacky when super hungry. contradicting right? that's how unique we are. okay, and now they're on my front - jimma, migs, macky, beth, and whilz - and on my side - edwin and leizel.

"michael..." oooohhh... some kind of a fishy secret revelation huh... they're low toned now. they don't seemed to fit in a low toned personality... a little bit funny. anyways, they continue...

"michael..." creepy... "odessa is dead..."

"michael... don't get with the plot... they're just joking... the usual practical jokes they do... don't believe! of course it's a joke." i told myself. they can't fool me. i'm a veteran when it comes to that.

"michael... she was found dead lying on her bead..."
"michael... with her cellphone beside her..."
"michael... we suspect an SMS killed her..."
"michael... the message states that whomever will read that message unfinished will be dead 3 days after..."
"michael... odessa received it last tuesday..."
"michael... and now she's dead!"

my cellphone suddenly vibrated destroying the creepy silence that seemed to surround the whole park... i received an SMS.

"michael... prepare!" damn horror move all over my collective spine. get off me! i want to shout. but, it's over now. the sender was odessa...

another message came... from odessa again...

"michael... prepare..." the messages that followed it made me want to kill them all... and die as soon as possible... made me wish they're all dead - my dormates.

the message continue... "prepare... to laugh... everything's a joke!..."

Death's Second Self

I've been searching for a good dream that night...

I failed to do so... Still, I'm awake.

The usual night I had for days... Morning came...

Thank God. My friends visited me a while ago. A past classmate celebrated his birthday, Michael Zafra.

We went there for some smoke and drinks... as always "gran ma"... I actually had fun.

Ironically, after so, we went to church. Yeah, it's Sunday! I think it's a good thing. After a sin, ask for forgiveness...

I was kind of disturbed with the priest's homily this time. (Necessary digression, last week, we went to UP Church, I had concluded that the priest's sermon was very shallow.) Tonight's homily was very moving...

I love the quote that he had stated at the middle part of his sermon, "...ang kamatayan at pagtanda ay hindi dapat maging sanhi ng takot bagkus ng paglagok... hindi dapat ituring na isang daan na dapat tahakin bagkus dapat yakapin..." He said that he quoted it from a book called "Aging".

Quite true right?! I had learned from my highschool years a saying, "...paano mo maiintindihan ang kamatayan kung hindi mo pa naiintindihan ang buhay..." I think I really don't need to think about death and aging and all the things related to it. Although I believe I need to be futuristic somehow, I wanted to live each day as the very sole moment I have. I wanted to cherish every minute of my life. Living my life to the fullest will be my goal this time. I realized that it is not that bad to cope with the changes around you (whether good or bad). You'll be more intellectual if you will experience everything that can be experienced! Remember, experience is the best teacher. That's why I wanted to, at least, have a little knowledge of everything (even if it's wrong).

At least, if I'll die, I will never regret anything for I have done all the things I wanted to do even if I'll be miserable in a way.

I was really struck by the priest's homily. I was really happy that I went to church this night! Not a wrong choice.

Death's Second Self: It is, according to Prof. Yapo, is the phase of life that you reminisce all the moments you have gone through... I wanted my death's second life to be of pure happiness... only happiness... although I'll be reminiscing sad moments and mistakes, at least, I have done what I really wanted. I'll be satisfied!

Death... certainty of its coming, but uncertainty of its occurrence...