Shot this photograph on a sunny morning in September 2011. All thanks to the Canon camera that I borrowed from Ate Anni, which later on got broken from my clumsiness.
I was 15, President of the Science Club in my high school alma mater, HCPSII. Raised a tree planting activity under the Tulay and conducted clean-up drives by the river and at the Isabel shoreline. I had no idea how brave I was at 15. I'm just lucky that adults listen to my environmental protest. Little did I know how huge an impact it was on kids my age. I guess it's all because I spent so much time with nature than hanging out with friends and classmates.
The way I fell in love with Earth was like looking at the pink sunset, or staring at the school of fish at the seashore--- just at the back of our house, or studying the metamorphosis of the butterflies at my grandma's garden, or the way I observed the flowers bloom in daylight and how sound they slept at night, or the feeling when I saw it all after I climbed that Mansanitas tree, or just hanging out and staring at the blue sky with my cousin Paul Eliaquim, at the backyard, and imagining stories from the clouds, or listening to the drops of rain, or gazing at the eyes of an innocent kitten, or rescuing a wounded sparrow, or seeing how my mother watered her plants. I can recall how my grandma (Mama Azon) giggled at how I catch caterpillars, spiders and lizards fearlessly in her garden. I had no intentions to do any harm on these creatures though. Just the curiosity of a child. The world is beautiful, until I grow up.... I realized how we fucked it all up.
That's why at 15, I became passionate in raising awareness through tree-planting and clean-up drives. It will never be enough, until we act.
I hope now that I am already in my 20s, I can still inspire myself, and possibly other people, with how I view nature the way I viewed it when I was 15. Let's save our planet before it is too late.
This will be my last political post. I just want to give my full support to the candidate whom I think is deserving of the presidential seat. A person who doesn't depend on her fame and last name to make an impact, but someone who has shown resilience amidst misogyny and fake news. Someone who is qualified due to her credentials, achievements, platforms, integrity, and humility. Someone who is a woman. A woman who leads by example.
I am not here to pick a fight with anyone, because just like you, I just want what's best for our nation, regardless if we have different political perspectives and even if we choose a different candidate. (As long as you are not a fake news peddler or an enabler of online harassment and bullying, or a promoter of criminals, then we're good.) Hindi po ako ang kalaban mo, kakampi mo ako, at kung di kita kaya ma-convince sa stand ko, okay lang, ipaglaban pa rin kita.
If our goal is to โwin,โ then we naturally think of others as our opponents. Pero hindi ako ganun. You are not my opponents. If so, our tools of choice are blame and shame. Ganito kasi thinking natin minsan: We think the world will be better only if THEY change. We are willing to put them down and make them feel bad in the service of being right.
However, politics shouldnโt be just about winning. Politics doesnโt end when your favorite candidate or party is in power. The prevailing politics determines our nationโs way of life. It determines the kinds of laws and policies we enact.
On a more personal level, our politics influence how we choose to interact with others. In a way, your politics affect my politics and vice versa. This makes the problems of politics a shared problem that needs to be solved together. I gained this insight from an article on Inquirer.net, and I share the same sentiments. I hope that as you are reading this, I can give a little light on a very heavy and uncomfortable topic. โก
We are different because we have different perspectives. But when we try to listen to each other, learn from our experiences, validate each other's emotions instead of fighting, take responsibility for our actions, and also unlearn false systems that were taught and presented before us, that's where we can meet unity.
๐๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ. Unity is a result. It must be achieved with concrete plans and willingness to change. Change for the better.
Let me tell you a story from a post by Sir Sambo Yaokasin:
"Centuries ago, people believed that the earth was flat and at the center of our solar system. As time went by and scientific proofs were presented, people eventually changed their beliefs."
Examine the facts of the matter. Do not be obstinate in your ways. Be open-minded. See possibilities. Do not resist change.
Because one thing is sure in this world: PROGRESS IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT CHANGE.
In this political time, our mental health is always sacrificed due to stress from social media wars.
False information, prejudice, and pride to prove who's right and who's wrong are damaging our brains, our health, and our relationships. How can we, young people, help lessen mental stress?
Letting go of our ego and learning facts through art can help. Again, examine the facts of the matter. Do not be obstinate in your ways. Be open-minded. See possibilities. Do not resist change. When faced with facts, practice letting down your ego and unlearn the old ways. This is growth, and growth is good.
As Salvador Dali quoted, art can influence faster than any religion or politics. This is what we, young people, are trying to do. Break the ice! Throw a pebble in the water! In this way, we can see each other again, eye to eye.
๐ท Wilboy Abiul Desabille Jr.
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unraveling your inner desires yet menacing your present situation. For the first time in several months, I came back to painting. Unfortunately after, I got into a car accident. The middle finger on my right hand is severely injured from the smashing of the car door, and now, I cannot get back to painting again. This is supposed to be my comeback season for having been depressed and experiencing art block, and yet, the universe is telling me to halt. Have you ever got mad and frustrated with God and yet somehow felt guilty for how you feel, and now you have no idea what else to do with your feelings and current situation? Same.
As much as I wanted to perfectly portray the details and strokes of the watercolors to tell a narrative, truth is I wasn't able to produce what I initially had in mind. This was not I expected, but I am not ashamed of it either. Guess art block is a real thing. I only had one day to finish my messed-up work because of my tight office job, hectic schedules and deadlines, mental health issues and other adulting problems--- which led me to incorporate the unfinished disarray with pen and ink, hoping it will turn out good.
This work is a journey of cramming and anxiety, of frustrations and failures, of disappointment and hopelessness in my creativity--- yet holding on to this thin thread called "faith", praying for stars to align and the universe to reveal its wisdom why catharsis needed to happen. ||
~Of art block and restarting creativity, Anthony John.
When I was little I never understood what an architect does,ย
but I always knew that I want to make someoneโs life better, specifically ours. I admire people who are good at inventing and innovating things. I enjoy making something out of nothing, and loves to find solutions to problems. It was only when I was about ten years old when my parents saw me sketching floor plans of my dream house that I heard the term โarchitectureโ, and asked me if I wanted to become an architect or take up fine arts. I thought architecture is interesting, drawing and designing homes, but the information that I got from them was lacking, so I wasnโt convinced--- yet.ย
I grew up living in a one-storey provincial residence, above a three meter high cliff near the shore, prone to rain, high tide, earthquake, flood and storm, without electricity, under a tumble-down roof, having five siblings, a sickly mother, and a father that quit his job that I had no idea why. The spaces in the house were a huge clutter and very limited, knowing that there were eight occupants living inside. It was at that point when I realized, โWe deserve more than this. I want our lives be better.โย
Just by observing my mother, I have learned the art of organizing and decorating spaces, and how it directly affect oneโs mood. I was in awe by just seeing a messy table in the living room filled with my fatherโs books and used cigars can make me feel uncomfortable and angry; and by how seeing the living room arranged by my mother during Saturdays can make me happy; how indoor plants can make me calm; and how windows are important for the flow of air and natural light.ย
I also sensed that we probably need another storey, so I convinced my father, and he asked for his friendsโ help to build another storey for us. I enjoyed every day by just observing the construction process--- how the cement was mixed with water and aggregates, the beauty of pouring concrete, and the splendor of massing. When it was finished, I was disappointed how it did not turn out the way my parents wanted. I realized that we were in a financial crisis, thatโs why the materials that they used were in low quality, and the standards were not met because we could not hire an architect.ย ย
Every riser in our staircase has a height of more than 200 millimetres, which is so high from the design standard, that my little sister and my cousin got an accident. They fell off and injured their legs. The foundation is not strong, too. After years, the ceiling on our ground floor had cracks and some of them would fell off the ground. Our floor is eventually sloping down from the movements of the sea waves during typhoons. During a stormy weather, raindrops would fall from our roof. It was a nightmare. Although I appreciate that finally, we have our separated bedrooms for girls and boys, I still feel that our house must be renovated one day.ย ย
The last semester of high school came, and unexpectedly I was called to leave the class, because my father was in the hospital, due to bone cancer. Before he died, I made a promise that one day I will make his dream house come to life. It is his legacy that he wanted to pass on me. So after high school I took the architecture entrance exam in EVSU and passed.ย ย
College made me fall in love with architecture even more, and it helped me expand my views from my instructors, peers, travels, and researching. It keeps me desire more in renovating our house one day. Architecture is such a broad subject. It has different meanings, as much as we have different architects that changed our world. But more than anything, architecture for me, is a tool to make our lives better.ย ย
Super-typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) came and we lost our roof. Our house is ruined. I have to become an architect as soon as possible. ย
Now that we are in a pandemic, I believe that architecture is the solution, or if not, is one of the solutions, to help us live comfortably, safe and sound in the new normal. Architects are constantly finding ways.ย
I admit, I failed the pass board exam, and it still kills me to the bone. Itโs embarrassing and frustrating. But as my mentor had always told me, โfailure is never final.โ He, too failed his first board exam. He is a top-notcher the following board exam he took. Because of him, I still have this vision to help my family and other people. Being an architect is the way, and I want to become like him one day.ย
Why do I want to become an architect? The answer is simple: To make peopleโs lives better.ย
I have a passion for people, as much as buildings and environment. Itโs a topic where you can ask: How are people different? How do they live differently? How are people affected by geography and climate? How do religion, economics and personal beliefs change how people interact with their surroundings? Architecture is a never ending topic of fascination.ย
How humans interact with the buildings and the spaces around them is what makes it so exciting. My hunger for this idea has encouraged me to explore as much as I can. I have learned that architecture is principally about design. And design is about making decisions. Architects actively enjoy the decision making process in all areas of their lives. Moreover, their decisions are always for the people and the environment.ย
In conclusion, all these personal experiences, all the things I learned in college, from the wisdom that I got from my mentor during my internship, and the variety of ideas and information that I got from different people and places, have proven that our lives can be better through design, planning and rational ways of making a home and building a safe environment. ย
Anthonyย
(Entry for UAP Cebu Essay Competition 2020 | Winner)
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