Philosophical Journey: Heidegger

Among the first philosophers I met was Martin Heidegger. I can immediately say that my encounter with his philosophy was very unpleasant. Sure, I learned a lot of life's truths from him. Like how we are alone, how we are thrown into this world, how dependent we are on time and how we are given life only to lose it in the end. I became more aware about these inescapable facts. Unfortunately, these truths were so depressing that it awakened the emo in me.

Heidegger's discussions on death made me realize how limited my time is on this planet. What's worse is that all the things I do here would amount to nothing since I'm going to die in the end with a hundred percent certainty. If that is the case, then what is the point of living? What is there to hope for? It is so tempting to sit in a corner and wallow in depression since death is going to waste us all anyway.

Death is the ultimate mystery and I can't deny that Heidegger came up with many good points about it. First is about how one's death really shows the individuality of a being. He argued that each person's end is really their own experience because they cannot share it with someone in anyway. This pointed out to the fact that we really are alone.

Second is about how people try to make the most out of what they can in life. They pursue happiness whether it may be earning material wealth, gaining knowledge or deepening their faiths in an almighty Being. He said that people engage in these activities only because they want to distract themselves from the anxiety brought about by the fact of death. This was the point that got me thinking about my faith. What if Heidegger is right all along? What if people are simply engaging in religious activities because they want salvation? Doesn't that self-serving drive degrade the value of faith? And that's not all. What if religion was merely another creation of mankind (Dasein) to distract themselves from death. After all most, if not all, religious teachings preach about an eternal afterlife. There is no empirical proof about an afterlife. All we hold on to is our faith.

It's no wonder I got depressed after every PH 101 class. Heidegger created a big dent in my faith and almost made me throw it away. His discussion of individuality and death made me feel very alone. It made me lose all purpose in life and extinguished all hope I had. Life became a curse because all people are forced to face the great unknown of death.

Damn you Heidegger.

Philosophical Journey: The Introduction

Philosophy was a subject that used to be so alien to me. I never understood its purpose and objectives. I used to think that it's another academic hurdle that I need to overcome since unfortunately, my school was one of the few, if not the only university in the country, that made the subject compulsory. Whenever I entered Ms. Jacinto's class, I had this feeling of isolation from everything else as if I'm encased inside a shell. It felt like the lessons are disagreeing with me and that my brain is refusing to process the lectures. I felt no progress and spent most of the class time staring blankly into space since I could not keep up with the pace. I kept trying my best to review the lessons on my own but to no avail. Everything seemed absolute gibberish.

Every session, I kept wondering if there was something wrong with me. I just found it so difficult to understand why those philosophers could not construct formal paragraphs and sentences to express what they want to say. Why do they invent their own words and add "ness" to those nouns and adjectives? Why do they keep on asking questions and leaving them unanswered? What made things worse was the feeling that I'm alone in this struggle. The rest of my peers seemed to have no trouble absorbing the lectures. I still remember my classmates who kept looking down at their notebooks and writing feverishly as if they are taking down every single word the teacher was saying. Nobody had any questions and if they did, it would be so advanced and insightful that I could not grasp it.

I hated philosophy at that time. Like all of my other minor subjects, I never saw its importance in my life after graduation. I really felt that this subject was going to be my downfall. Philosophy felt like a ticking time bomb since the semester was half way done and I still could not understand anything. Fortunately, Ms. Jacinto was lenient enough with my performance and my grades. I can say that I was just really lucky for surpassing that ordeal but it will take two whole semesters before I really learned to appreciate the discipline.

Right to Education: An Unconstitutional Ateneo Policy?

Last week I went to the ADAA office and inquired about the procedures on how a bachelors graduate like me can enroll again for a second degree. To my surprise the Ateneo's policy forbids their graduates to take a degree of the same level. They can only pursue a degree higher than the ones they already earned. But isn't that policy unconstitutional? All Filipino citizens are protected by the constitution by granting them a right to quality education. I know for a fact that there should be no restrictions in getting a second degree. The ADAA itself recognized that other universities are allowing this policy but the Ateneo DOES NOT. What gives them the power to deny education to their alumni? They said that if a student wants to get a second degree, he/she should have gone through the necessary procedures during his/her junior or senior year. But what about the alumni who just decided to take further studies a few years after graduating? Or an alumni who wants to take a new degree, which wasn't there yet during his/her time? Don't they realize that the additional applicants (alumni or not) translates to more revenues that they can use for projects and services? The university feverishly asks for sponsorships and donations for their projects and yet they turn down people who are willing to pay their expensive tuition fees. It's kind of like sailing in the direction away from a port during a storm.

I understand if the university needs to prioritize applicants who are high school graduates or if they want to place higher academic standards on to the alumni. But to completely restrict them from getting a second degree is something I find difficult to accept. This policy looks like, sounds like and smells like a complete and total violation of my right as a citizen of this Republic to quality education. I have already sent complaint letters to the office of the university president and the LS VP asking for an explanation but I doubt if I'll ever get a reply.

If I cannot exercise my right to education, then I will exercise my right to choose. From this moment on, I am withdrawing all my support from all the fund-raising and sponsorship projects of the Ateneo

Graduation 2009

Congratulations to BS MAC batch 2009! All our hard work has paid off. Even though we had to wake up very early and our patience was pushed to the limit, this day was soooo worth it. I hope all of us will still keep in touch beyond graduation. QQ 2009, thanks for the best 5 years of my life!

PS: Does anyone know where I can find a xerox machine big enough to photocopy my diploma in case I need it for documentation? That blasted thing is like a blanket compared to other regular diplomas. Also, does anyone know how to decipher the Latin inscriptions? The only writing I can understand is my name :D

Dave Batista in Ateneo!

Last week, Thursday at around 2pm, a Nissan Urvan pulled over the Moro sports center drive way and then suddenly I saw all the people flock to the entrance. The next thing I knew, I was the only person left in the gym. It turns out, Batista paid an unannounced visit to the Moro Lorenzo Gym. He was there to have a pictorial for Solar Sports with the Talk n Text basketball team practicing on the upstairs court. Unfortunately he only stayed for around 15 minutes and when I met him in the hall way, he was already about to leave. I wasn't able to take any good photos of Batista because my camera was too slow and his bodyguards were in the way (with those muscles, I think the last thing he needs is a bodyguard :D ). This photo was taken by one of the staff and it's one of the only clear shots of the celebrity. It is posted on the front desk as proof that Batista was there... who's the aryan woman, you ask? Got no idea.

What to do next... ?

I have to admit that graduating from college is one of the frightening things I'm going to encounter. What's worrying is not what's going to happen during graduation but what I'm about to face afterwards. I still consider myself very fortunate though because I have friends from high school and college who went ahead of me into the real world and I had the opportunity to ask advice from them. I'm not totally clueless as to what I would do though. I have a short list of possibilities although most of them are far-fetched...

1. Further studies: get another degree - to be honest, my supersenior year didn't end with a bang... more of a sad, silent fizz. I didn't get much of a chance to try out my business idea due to bad decisions (a lot on my part) and acting too slow on opportunities. I also didn't learn anything from my LS class since we were bombarded with lots of extra activities that didn't help in the learning process at all (estrat and company audit). Most of all, our prof decided to cancel our regular class sessions to make way for more field work and consultation periods - BIG MISTAKE! So I'm thinking of getting another degree in another school where they specialize in business... but that means taking off 2-3 years off my future.

2. Starting my own business.. immediately - Fat chance of this happening! But I'm not closed to this idea. Heck no! This is what I really want! Since getting a job is difficult at these times because of the economic recession, I might be forced to start a small (and I do mean small) business. But obviously, the risks are higher.

3. Find a job - this is self-explanatory. nuff said

4. Migrate abroad - Yes I have considered studying abroad and being a permanent resident. Of course it's nice to work instead but again, the recession is so bad that jobs are being lost instead. But being a student first and working my way to become a permanent resident is a more "systematic" and gradual way of earning a citizenship. I don't want to throw away my Filipino citizenship so I might go to a country that offers dual citizenship... But since I have such a strong attachment to home, thinking about migrating alone is already difficult enough. But I feel that I'm not doing much with my life. My friends are right. I don't have much "adventure" carved out in my personal history. Maybe it's time to take chances. Maybe it's time to step out of my comfort zone.

So many choices... so little time. Sometimes I'm tempted not to do a anything at all. But just like what the communications officer said in Valkyrie, "We can't be neutral anymore. We have to make a decision!"

Finals Aftermath

Words alone can't describe how good it feels to click the "send" button on my email to submit the last requirements for school. The finals week I had this semester probably was the most rattling one I ever had. Probably becasue the subjects were all rushed since we seniors had to finish early. I'm just glad that most of my final papers could be sent through email. It saved me the trouble of going back and forth to school. But despite the difficulties, it finally comes to an end. But there are things I still need to accomplish. My ordeal is far from over.

1. I still need to finish the clearance process

2. Attend the Pabaon

3. Have my post-semester clean up

4. Find a job

The post-semester clean up is the one I hate the most because it does not only involve cleaning up clutter like papers and books but it also includes cleaning up my hard drive, burning files into DVDs and organizing everything left behind from last semester. This is one major obstacle standing between me and my summer vacation.

The Smartest Investment Ever

During the sem break, the library administration closed the computer labs but they closed it down longer than usual. They didn't renovate the place. They did something better...

They replaced the old computers with flat-screen lcd monitors, brand new CPU's and installed the latest softwares! It's unbelievable. The desks became more spacious without the bulky CRT monitor. Every single key in the keyboard is functioning. They got rid of the non-responsive ball-mouse units. Best of all, the computers are running on a 2.33GHz Intel Core Duo processor with 2GB of RAM and they have a mind-blowing 80GB of disk space. Insane! Installed are the latest version of MS Office 2007 and an Antivirus (If I remember correctly, it's not Norton this time). It was a rare sight to see every computer in an entire lab working properly.

I wonder how long will it take for the students to wreck these new computer units?

First of the last

    

Today wasn't the usual scorching and irritating sunny weather. It was cloudy, gloomy and the temperature dropped to a comfortable 28C. A perfect way to start the first day of the last semester... My schedule is great and I think the professors are terrific. I finally got the T-TH schedule I've been wanting for so long. I've always wanted to experience going to class for only 2 times a week. I can sleep through Monday and celebrate my long weekend on Thursday. As for the remaining classes, it seems that my workload for my Philo minor course will be relatively lighter than last time. However, this will balanced out by my LS class, which will bombard us with tons of papers, reports and field work.... CRAP. It's the final stretch to the finish line... I hope I don't f*ck this one up.

[I got left behind by one year, yet it feels like I lost five]

It was an experiment after all...

Remember that Honesty Store I mentioned in the past? My question was answered. It doesn't work after all. After one month of operations, the store lost nearly 20% of its expected earnings. That's Php12K+! Now the store is forced to close in a few weeks.

Here's something new in school...

Situated in a corner on the ground floor of the MVP is a curious cabinet called the Honesty Store. The name alone should give away its purpose for existence. The cabinet is filled with all sorts of snacks labeled with corresponding prices and there is also a small tin box where you place your payment. Whoever owns the Honesty Store trusts that its customers will pay the exact amount, will not steal any inventory and especially will not take the cash box (I think the box is not even chained to the cabinet). Its purpose is to cultivate and instill the said value on the customers. But I wonder if it actually works?











I must say the store is quite popular to the students. Some of them get a kick out of the fact that there is no salesperson guarding the store. So far there are no known incidents occurring yet... and for good reasons. The store is located on one of the most populated and high-traffic areas of the University. If you have any evil intentions on the defenseless store, you'll certainly consider theft a suicide because you have this many people who can testify against you.

(The picture may show only a few people but when I was there, there were really a lot more than that)

If you really have an evil bone in your body or a kleptomania disorder, the Honesty store seems more and more of a trap, don't you think? =P

Fire? Where?

An unexpected incident suddenly disturbed the silence of the Rizal Library just this afternoon. A deep, loud and piercing alarm was heard throughout the building. The sound wasn't the kind you'd usually hear when school bells ring. It was more of like the sound of an alarm when a reactor is having a meltdown. You get the picture. At first I thought it was the fire drill. But then two things popped out of my mind. First, the drills were scheduled on a Wednesday. Today's a Thursday. Second, it's already 5:30pm. The drills were only supposed to happen from 8am to 5pm! After I saw some of the library officials frantically searching the nearby rooms and corridors of the library, it daunted on me. Holy crap this is for real!

We evacuated the building but fortunately, nobody panicked. In fact, nobody knew what the alarm was for and what exactly is going on. A lot of people even ignored it. If it weren't for the librarians who told them to evacuate, they would still be in their seats minding their own business.

I really don't know what happened back there. Maybe it was a malfunctioning alarm. Maybe it was a real fire. As far as I know, they didn't find anything there. Not even traces of smoke. After the alarm was disabled everyone returned inside. But I didn't want to go back in. I didn't want to take any chances.

Are the JGSOM lessons outdated?

We just completed our first full 3-hour class with Mr. Rico Gonzalez today. It was about business ethics but in his class, we got more out of it than we expected. For nearly the entire duration of the period, sir Rico told a lot of stories about himself and his adventurous friends who went abroad to work for investment firms. I personally don't know what exactly happens in those firms but people who work there sure make a lot of money. And by that, we are talking about dollars in the billions! Then he goes on talking about the experiences of other people who worked in the same industry. He told us how three people saved a company during an economic crisis and because of their intuition, they were given a bonus of more than $15 billion each. So what's the point of all this?

Need... sleep...

It's been more than a week since school ended. And for the past few months, I've been sleeping late... like around 3am everyday since December. This is thanks to the countless school work, papers, reports and assigned readings. You can tell that my body got used to this kind of unhealthy schedule - sleeping late and waking up late. Now that it's summer time, it's important that I get to sleep as early as possible for two reasons:

Suffering from thermal shock

It's summer again and with the continuous problem of global warming the temperature reaches abnormally high levels. The heat from the midday sun is so extreme that I can feel the radiation piercing through my skin like thousands of hot needles. This is the reason why I don't go out much and if I need to, I plan my trip well as to avoid as much sun as I can. I'm thankful I don't have any summer classes this time.

Shot down

Its only been a week since the final exams ended. I feel the summer heat but not the break. It seems that my work spills over the months of April and May since I need to finish my OJT. I was supposed to apply for the laboratory inside our school, PIPAC (Philippine Insitute of Pure and Applied Chemistry), along with some friends but it seems the job descripion didn't fit the standards of JG-SOM. They shot down our application and

Minor degree in Philo? Why not?

If everything goes well (and I hope it does), I'm expected to only have a few subjects during my super senior (5th) year. And by "few" I mean 6 units each semester, which is equivalent to 2 subjects per sem. So I decided to make good use of the time I'll have. Now, why Philosophy? Well, one of the shallow reasons is that it's one of the minor degrees that doesn't involve group works. The only thing that hinders me from earning this degree is laziness. Next, the prerequisites are not that high. There are no QPI requirements and the only condition is that you didn't get a grade below C during for your PH101-104 classes.

Deceleration

The last laboratory report has been submitted and the presentation is finally over. Thanks to the coming Holy Week break, we'll be getting some well deserved rest. It's not over yet though. We still have to face our final exams after this. Yes, that's right. We still have to go back after Holy Week. I think it's the first time this has ever happened to me. The Lent Season really started early this year. Oh well... At least it gives us time to rest. But I shouldn't dedicate my entire break on video games and blogging. I must set aside time to review even if I don't want to. The finals on both my chemistry subjects seem brutal. With such long coverages, who knows what questions will pop out of the exam? Just thinking about it is enough to drive me up the wall. I just hope the exams are not going to be as ugly as I expect it to be.

OJT! Holy Crap!

This coming summer, I have the option of either taking a Business Tour of China or an OJT. Both options look attractive but I must only choose one. If I take the Business Tour, I can still take an OJT, in theory. However, it'll be difficult applying for a GOOD company in the middle of summer! If I choose to look for an OJT, I'll lose the chance of going to China and the opportunity of bonding with some of my block mates. It'll also be a risk because it's still not 100% sure if a reputable company will hire me. They say that I shouldn't rely

Slowing down

Last week was a real hell week. I had a long test in physical chem, I stayed up the entire night to finish a lab report, I made an outline for Theology class and I even had to negotiate with the Chemistry department stock room for our supplies for next week. Fortunately I passed the long test *whew* and our group was able to submit the lab report in time. What really wore me out was the research we had to do for our next lab experiment. In just a single day I had to run back and forth from the library, to the stock room and to the faculty room just to get our prelab approved. Luckily I was able to secure the reagents and equipment with the technician before the week was over. After that day, I was surprised that there were very few assignments left to do. The amount of school work flowing towards me suddenly slowed down. This coming Monday is even a holiday for our school, which means a long weekend. This long break is just what the doctor ordered for us students who are stressed out.