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On Descartes Highlands.

The novel cover photo above this text is one of the most recent works of local author, Eric Gamalinda. I was actually pretty lucky to be able to have given the opportunity to read this book a) because I was one of those who could barely get through one short story in Filipino, what more an entire novel? and b) the way the book was written catered to the style of writing I like in an author. So, yeah. 

As a journal entry, I'm tasked to pick 3 out of 5 questions to answer. So here are my 3 questions and the answers that correspond with them:

2.In the age of visual literacy, social media, and e-books, it would be interesting to note your reading habit/s. Record your reading progress. Include the time/s of the day, the place/s, and even your reading position/s. You can render a visualization of your high and low peaks in the duration of your reading. 

- I don't think I can really make a visualization of my high and low peaks, but I can at least help you understand my reading pattern through words.

There is always this part of the day (or rather in my case, night) where your body is at a standstill and you just feel like time is going by so slow - well, at for me at least, I experience this. This happens to me when the clock strikes near to midnight until the wee hours of the morning of any day. When this does happen, and I have a good book near me (as well as no school work to cram or do. hehe), I sit up on my bed, lean my back by my dashboard, open the night lamp that is attached to my cabinet's ridge (which is directly and literally connected to my bed.), and I get my eyeglasses, and I read 'til I fall asleep. Sometimes, if I want to finish the book, I put on some extremely mellow music to help me keep awake. Mellow music for me are songs sung by the likes of Michael Bublé, Norah Jones, and Ella Fitzgerald. I have a thing for the classics. Hahaha. 

3. To whom you can relate most in the novel? Why?

- The novel is told through 3 different perspectives. It is told through the eyes of Jordan Yeats and how he handles his life with Yuki and his mother, Matthieu Aubert and his lover, Janya, and Andrew Brezsky with Eddie and Nick. 

If I were to choose who I can relate with the most, I think it would be with Jordan. Being able to go through all of his problems and issues surrounding him and still having a somewhat positive outlook on life is something that I can relate to. I guess having (at least) one positive thing in your life can outshine any darkness that tries to envelop you. 

4. Reading is an experience in language. Share your encounter with the language of the novel: joy, difficulty maybe, and the strategies you employed to finish the novel.

- The language used in the story definitely help me visualize the setting and the mood/tone of the story as it progresses. The detail of the descriptions of the scenes and the country, even of the mood of each character helps you understand and, if with enough imagination, could possibly help the reader be one with the story and see the character through their eyes. 

It wasn't really difficult to read through the story especially with such an encapsulating storyline. I say encapsulating because I always enjoyed reading stories and watching movies that show different storylines and perspectives wherein at the end of the novel, are all interwoven together.

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Tanaga at Bugtong.

We were tasked a few meetings back to create a Tanaga and a Bugtong.

Before I share my (poorly made) Tanaga and my (kind of okay) Bugtong, let me help clarify what they mean officially. 

The Tanaga is a type of Filipino poem, consisting of four lines with seven syllables each with the same rhyme at the end of each line --- that is to say a 7-7-7-7 syllabic verse, with an AABB rhyme scheme (Wikipedia, 2014).

The Bugtong is basically the Filipino version of a riddle.

Alright? All clear? Nice. Here we go. Let's not judge now. Haha.

Tanaga:

Internet, ang bagal mo

Globe kasi, nagloloko

Mac, bagal magproseso

Ang sarap nang ibato

Bugtong:

Kanan o Kaliwa,

Lagi mong kasama

Kaibigan mong pipi,

Isa lang ang sinasabi

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Told you I'm no good at this. Haha.

P.S. Oh, the answer to the riddle is watch.

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A Little About Lucille Clifton.

Thelma Lucille Sayles.

Born on June 27, 1936 in Depew, New York, United States and died on February 13, 2010 to her ever long battle with cancer.

Truly a sad day for the literary world. 

Lucille Clifton was an american poet, writer, and educator from New York. She is a well-known poet who writes with the themes of African-American heritage, and feminist themes, with particular emphasis on the female body. 

Lucille Clifton was the first person in her family to finish high school and attend college. She started studying at Howard University on scholarship as a drama major, but lost the scholarship after two years. 

Due to this, she started trying out in the literary world -- thus, the beginnings of her writing career. 

  This post is supposed to talk about why I chose Lucille Clifton as the poet for my recital sometime in November. Before I mentioned which poem I chose from her vast collection, here's my top 5 reasons why I chose her:

1. Her Themes

Lucille Clifton is of West African roots (more specifically in the Kingdom of Dahomey, now the Republic of Benin). Her "ghost fingers" and their activities became a theme in her poetry and other writings. She also discussed other themes related to African-american dialects and social problems. 

During her time, writing about these topics were very dangerous. I admire her bravery, ferocity, and courageous when she tackles and discusses these themes through her literary works.

2. Addressed Social Issues 

She was able to mention (either) subtly or loudly many social issues through her works, which is really difficult due to the many enemies she could make by doing this. She was able to tackle many issues such as marriage, motherhood, sisterhood, continuity, and blackness through her poems in An Ordinary Woman (published in 1974). In 1976, she published her work called Generations, which revolved around the survival of the African-American family. 

She was also able to focus on women in general. In 1980, she was able to published her work, The Two-Headed Woman. Several issues such as blackness, celebrations of women in general and black women in particular, and testimonies to familial love. 

Overall, I admire her not only being able to bring into the public (in a beautiful way) social issues that are prevalent ignored and shunned by the media and authorities to protect the dignity of their country or important VIPs. She is able to bring into light so many issues that she is actually a contributor of change in her own society and in her own special way. 

3. Perseverance, Determination, and Authenticity

Lucille Clifton isn't the type of author that writes a novel or a poem with a specific theme and then shifts to another type of literary adventure. She sticks to certain themes that for her, must be reiterated through the public through literature. Her virtues are very strong that there are actually three out of many virtues that she embodies that I admire. These are perseverance (to stand through the hardship and criticism of everyone who reads her work and are against her), determination (to stand up and continue her work through all of the criticisms), and authenticity (she speaks the truth and does not go around or beat around the bushes). Qualities that MUST be in every single individual of this world. 

4. Admirable Achievements

Everyone looks up to someone who is successful. Lucille Clifton has received countless awards for her literary works. Here are a few of them:

a) Creative Writing Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1970 and 1973 and a grant from the Academy of American Poets

b) Charity Randall Prize, the Jerome J. Shestack Prize from the American Poetry Review, and an Emmy Award

c) Her Children's book, Everett Anderson's Goodbye, won the 1984 Coretta Scott King Award

d) She was awarded the Shelley Memorial Award in 1991/1992

e) Received the Lannan Literary Award in 1996

f) From 1995 to 2005, she served on the Board of Chancellors of the Academy of American Poets

g) In 2007, she won the Ruth Lily Poetry Prize; the $100,000 prize honours a living U.S. poet whose "lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordinary recognition."

Need I give more? Maybe one more. 

5. She is a woman during her time

It was very difficult to be a woman during her time. The society had frown upon women as people who are capable of doing things more than household hobbies and work. For her to be able to achieve so much even under such a societal culture is very difficult. This is why I admire her. This is why I chose her, because of this. She is able to fight for what she wants no matter what the obstacle. Her strong personality towards going through life while fending off anyone who would try to stop or drag her down is very inspirational. 

Enough reasons on why I chose her. Let's get right to the point of this poetry recital.

I chose the poem Seeker of Visions from her book, The Book of Light: 

Seeker of Visions.

by: Lucille Clifton

What does this mean?

To see walking men

Wrapped in the colour of death?

To hear from their tongue

Such difficult syllables?

Are they the spirits

Of our hope,

Or the pale ghosts of our future?

Who will believe the red road

Will not run on forever?

Who will believe

A tribe of ice might live

And we might not?

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Rest in Peace, Lucille Clifton. 

"Things don't fall apart. Things hold. Lines connect in thin ways that last and last and lives become generations made out of pictures and words just kept." - Lucille Clifton

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Lucille_Clifton.aspx

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Opted to make a playlist for the journal blog entry for Araby and Dead Stars. 

Playlist is around an hour long composed of 19 songs. Playlist is in a certain sequence for a reason, so go figure. Hahaha. 

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Ang Pahimakas ng Isang Ahente

10-12-14.

Ang Pahimakas ng Isang Ahente (Death of a Salesman) written by Arthur Miller. Translated by Rolando Tinio. Directed by Chris Millado.

We decided to watch the play that was held on Sunday instead of Saturday , because we (group of friends) would be more free, therefore complete on that day.

I parked my car at the allotted parking space across CCP. It was about to rain, so we crossed quickly and rushed towards the entrance. There was this smoking hole for the actors and actresses at the side of the entrance and I swore I recognized one of the actresses as Ms. Gina Pareño. If there was any Philippine actress I looked up to in terms of drama, it would be her. With that in my mind, I was kind of (even more) motivated and excited to watch the play knowing that she would be in it.

As we entered the theatre, I was kind of surprised and disappointed a bit, because the play was held in the small theatre. I was expecting (or maybe assuming) the entire time that we would watch in the actual theatre. Guess that teaches you to never assume or have high expectations of something. 

We found our seats and realized that we were a bit too early for the play that we had time to chat and take a "few" photos inside before the play started (as you can see in the photo below). 

(From Left to Right: Reina Sagnip, Rei Marcelo, Carlo Lao, Christina Lahoz, Alexis Sarmiento, and Angelo Marcelo) 

Our "photo-shoot" ended abruptly after the prompter asked the audience to stand and sing the National Anthem. I wasn't paying attention much on the singing, but more on the stage set during singing. During this moment where I spaced out towards the set, I noticed a few things:

a) Since the theatre was small and cramped, they chose the setting of Willy's (the protagonist of the play) house. I honestly, think that the play could have been better if they used the bigger stage, but I guess it was the most reasonable setting to use with that amount of space. 

b) The house setting was actually pretty complete for an average family's house. It was a two-story house. The bedroom of the children were on the upper floor while Willy's room was along the same floor as the sala and the kitchen. There were even able to place a backyard area and a porch area. 

I would have noticed more, but then the prompter told us to seat down, 'cause apparently the singing of the anthem had finished.The lights started to have dimmed down and the cue of the background music had started playing and the show had begun.

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After around an hour, the 15-minute intermission period happened and well, let's just say a "couple" more photos were taken. Here's two of them:

(From Left to Right: Reina Sagnip, Rei Marcelo, Christina Lahoz, and Carlo Lao)

(From Left to Right: Rei Marcelo, Carlo Lao, Christina Lahoz)

During the intermission (and after the photo-shoot) majority of my friends went to the comfort room so I had time to, well, reflect on the questions that I had to answer in this blog entry. Hahaha. Again, from the start of the play until the intermission, I noticed a few things:

a) I had not noticed Ms. Gina Pareño come out yet, which made me feel sad. (Spoiler: Apparently, the casts have shifts every other show (referring to the 2nd poster up there), so she was in the next show. Oh the disappointment.) Then again, I was always hoping that she'd come out on the second half of the show as a new character or extra. 

b) The setting was the same as I mentioned it previously. The scenes only revolved around the house, which just contained the actual scenes of the play plus certain flashbacks. One needs to pay attention really well to be able to follow the story or else you will get lost really fast in a really short amount of time. 

c) The acting was mediocre so far in the first half of the play. The dad is an exception, of course. His acting was exemplary as if he was actually the character in the play. 

d) I like the fact that they were able to add a comedic or a humorous aspect to the play (as seen in the card game scene). It plays with the mood of the play not making it too dark or serious. 

My friends came back, which ended my "reflection period". Shortly after, the play resumed.

As the cast exits from the backstage for their just recognition and applause, we were discussing among ourselves that we should take a "selfie" with our favourite characters outside. I, with the dad, since apparently I look like him in about 40 years (thanks, Angelo. Zzz.).

We decided that we would so we exited the theatre and we waited quite (im)patiently for everyone to disperse so that we could approach the cast who was waiting outside. When the opportunity came for us to approach them, we sort of bailed (to no surprise though) 'cause we were shy. So instead of taking a photo with the cast, we took a photo with the poster of the play instead as seen in the following photo:

(From Left to Right: Alexis Sarmiento, Christina Lahoz, Rei Marcelo, Carlo Lao, and Reina Sagnip)

After the photo was taken, we all parted ways. 

Upon reaching home, well, I am now currently typing this down. So presently speaking, I will further complete my "reflection" or rather review of the play. So once again,

a) The acting definitely improved in the latter half. I guess most of the dramatic sequences and the climatic scene was in the latter half, therefore forcing their characters to go into "overdrive" for the lack of a better term. The tone of their voices during the fight scene, the crash, and definitely the last scene were all very heartbreaking. The tone was definitely a great help to bring to the audience the feeling that they wanted to get out of us.

b) The props were okay. Some of the props were a little bit rushed, I guess? Or was carelessly made that they miss certain spots, for example, in painting the tombstone, since a certain part of the tombstone was still white (obviously from the styrofoam used). Some of the props used also were very irrelevant to the setting. A good example of this would be during the card scene where they would be gambling (in the setting of the U.S.), but the coins that they were using to gamble were Filipino coins and not pennies. 

c) I already know the story of the Death of a Salesman prior to watching it since it really did have a very interesting storyline. The transitioning of scenes were a bit messy, but forgivable, I guess. 

d) The lights and sounds were okay. The lights were synchronized when the characters would flip a switch in the house and such. The red light also helped show certain dramatic and dangerous scenes. The white light on the second to the last scene showed a certain metaphor that could have been "the light" in many movies and novels. The sounds were the same, it helped bring to life certain scenes and they were all also synchronized with the scenes.

e) No comment on the make-up since I have no background or wisdom on make-up. I do not want to criticize on something I know zero things about.

Overall, the play was good. The story, the actors/actresses, the lights and the sounds, and the setting were all presented in a way that, when combined, make a beautiful play. The only thing that I could comment on would be that, as I mentioned previously, focus is a MUST. If you fall asleep, go to the comfort room, or decide to text or play on your smart phone for even just a second, you will probably get lost due to the constant flashbacks (yet same setting). 

Also, of course, I really was looking forward to Ms. Gina Pareño, but hey. What can I do?

Photo of the ticket as proof of the attendance:

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First order of business.

2 meetings ago, the class was tasked to read this short story about the God and Goddess Tungkung Langit and Alunsina. The class discussed several elements, similarities and differences with the Gods and Goddesses that we chose, and other opinions and comments about the story. Sadly, class time was too short for us to have finished the last part of the class activity, which was to write a short story or a flash fiction. 

Instead of rushing the class to finish the flash fiction in a span of 5 minutes, miss decided to give it as homework (yay). We were told to think of a creative flash fiction that would explain Alunsina's disappearance and either write it down on the journal or blog about it. 

...Which brings me here now. To share to you my take on where Alunsina went after banishment. 

--- If you want to read the story yourselves, I'll post a link of a website you can go to at the bottom of this post later. ---

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Bound

Tunkung Langit lost his temper. In his rage, he divested his wife of powers and drove her away. He did not know where Alunsina went; she merely disappeared. 

Alunsina, not knowing where to go or what to do without her powers, travelled the boundless sea of mist below. Days and weeks have passed by and yet, all she could see was an unlimited amount of mist and space. Alunsina was at the point of breaking until she felt a slight cold breeze. She followed the faint sound of the wind until she reached this abyssal fissure where the faint sound became a vacuum - inhaling whatever mist would try to overlay the fissure. Curious, she laid down and jutted her head out to see what lay below. She found smoke-grey shadow-like figures hovering in the darkness. 

Fear struck the young goddess as she noticed, with her peripheral vision, a large silhouette encompassing her. With whatever ounce of courage she had left, Alunsina introduced herself and threatened the mysterious figure not to come near or she’d use her powers on it, with hopes that her bluff would work. The stick-like figure revealed itself from the thick fog and introduced himself gallantly as Greymond, the arbiter of the lost. Greymond was wearing what seemed to be a charcoal black cloak and relied on this staff-like cane to walk. The thickness of the fog denied Alunsina Greymond’s facial features. Greymond, was one of Tunkung Langit’s trusted advisers, and was tasked to bring all lost shadows to this fissure as to avoid any chaotic event. 

With only Greymond to converse with, Alunsina told him everything. Crestfallen by the story, Greymond offered Alunsina an option where she could feel purpose once more. Greymond offered his job to Alunsina, which was to pave way for the lost beings of this formless void and bring them to this fissure. Without further thought, she interrupted Greymond and accepted his offer. 

Just like that, with a tap of Greymond’s staff-like cane, his cloak opened a rift that brought upon raging dark clouds that shrouded both of them. With what little vision Alunsina had, she could see Greymond slowly combusting and turning into ash as the cloak surrounded her. The cloak stuck to her skin like a leech that would not come off. Alunsina felt a burning sensation that made her feel both weightless and numb. 

As the black shroud of clouds started to disperse, she stood up bewildered and in panic. The once beautiful Alunsina with her flawless skin and long jet-black hair had now become skinless and hairless. A skeleton. 

Hysterical about everything, Alunsina walked towards the staff-like cane slowly and cautiously and noticed a scroll under it. Alunsina opened it and after reading it, dropped it immediately and walked away laughing as if she’d lost her mind, as she disappeared into the thick mist. 

“To Whom It May Concern,

Take care of my lambs. They get restless sometimes and wander off. You must guide them back to the fissure when this happens. Also, thank you. You have released me from this eternal curse that Tungkung Langit had set upon me. Immortality is not as rewarding if attached with a responsibility like this. Not being able to be identified as a friend or as a living God can be tiresome and depressing at times. Being bound here for eternity doesn’t help either. I leave everything to you. If the shadows, or “souls” as I like to call them, get restless, the cane may be of use. It turns into a scythe when needed. Use it wisely. 

Thank you and good luck,

Arbiter of the Lost, Grim” 

Months and years have passed by as oceans, islands, trees, stars, the moon, and other beautiful landscapes emerged, yet Tungkung Langit could not find Alunsina as she was bound in the depths of the formless void. 

END.

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And there you have it. Hopefully that was interesting enough for a flash fiction. I know the word limit was only until 300, and I obviously went passed it, but hey. If it's worth a good story, why not, right?

Cheers!

[ As promised, here's the link to the story: http://tl.answers.com/Q/Tungkung_langit_at_alunsina_story ] 

Photo taken from: http://munsonmissions.org/tag/tungkung-langit-and-alunsina/

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I honestly wouldn't have thought that I'd open this account once again for another class, but here I am. 

Since I am resurrecting whatever's left of this blog, I guess proper introductions are needed.

I'm Carlo Miguel Lao. Twenty-One Years of Age. Currently studying in De La Salle University - Manila and a High School Graduate from Xavier Schools, Greenhills. 

This blog was revived for my Human Literature (A56) class under Ma'am Genevieve Asenjo. What you'll be seeing here, or rather the content of this blog, will be composed of possible various reviews of literary work and/or personal literary compositions as well. 

Cheers! 

Disclaimer: This blog has been used for my former Introduction to Psychology class 2 years back. Any other post previous to this one will be all related to Psychology and NOT Human Literature. Also, if possible, please do also excuse my possible lack of writing and/or critique skills. I am just a student and a human being after all.  

Photo: © Ara Vegara

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So, anyway, that's that. All frameworks has been discussed and submitted (hopefully)

Thank you, Miss for the wonderful time in your class! Happy Summer to all of us! :D hahaha! 

P.S. Also, if possible, and if you're starting to read from this point, I suggest you start with the second page from the bottom 'cause that is my first post. :) Thanks!

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The last characteristic I will be talking about would be Bowlby's Secure Attachment. This talks about how the baby is able to separate from the parent without feeling upset, but seeks comfort to only the parents when feeling threatened or frightened. 

In this case, I chose this photo because the baby was separated from the parent and was playing around with one of my blockmates. She didn't show any signs of distress or upset, on the contrary, she was actually really playful and happy with the actions and games they were playing with each other. 

Sources used for this Framework:

-http://psychology.about.com/od/loveandattraction/a/attachment01.htm

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Ainsworth and Bowlby also talks about an attachment called Ambivalent Attachment, which talks about how a child, when detached with the parent, becomes very distressed and upset. 

I saw this child in high street (same time as the previous post) crying because he was taken away from his parents because the parents (I think) were going to go do the stations of the cross. So, I related this photo to that attachment because the child felt distresses when separated from the parent.

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The last framework was made by two different people who somewhat supported each other's frameworks. This is the Ainsworth-Bowlby Pair. They talk about the attachment theory, and this theory talks about how early bonds are formed by children with their caregivers and parents and how these bonds will have a tremendous impact in these children's lives at their lives continue.

I will start of by saying the 4 Components of Attachment: There is Safe Haven, Secure Base, Proximity Maintenance, and Separation Distress. From these 4 concepts, I chose 3 to discuss with the photographs that I chose above. 

The first photo relates to the concept of Safe Haven. Safe Haven talks about how a child feels threatened by something, and how that child can find security in the care of either a caregiver and/or the parents. In this case, the child in the picture (which is me, I just scanned this photo from my past albums 'cause I couldn't find another photo that could best relate this) is threatened or terrified by the dragon on the background, so I, being the scared child that I was, went to my mom for "security" or "safety".

The second photo in this photoset can be related to the concept of Proximity Maintenance. Proximity maintenance talks about how the child strives or wants to stay near the caregiver and/or the parents, making him/her feel safe and secure. In this case, I took this photo last week during holy week during the stations of the cross, where the child is clearly attached to his dad, as to be kept safe from all the people doing the stations of the cross, and the dogs that are being walked along high street.

Lastly, the third photo in the photoset can be related to the concept of Secure Base. Secure Base talks about how the caregiver provides a secure and dependable base for the child to feel safe and secure as well for the child to be able to explore the environment and surroundings. I chose this photo because as we can see the parents of the baby were able to give a secure base for the baby (which is the stroller) to travel his surroundings at the same time to be secure.

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This photo relates to Piaget's last stage - the Formal Operational Stage. This stage talks about how individuals develop the ability to think about abstract concepts. How they are finally about to adapt the deductive thinking and logic that the past stages did not have. Besides deductive thinking and logic, other skills emerge from this stage. Skills such as systematic planning and the like. 

I chose this picture because Rafa (my cousin in the picture) has already learned to make sure that his hands stay far away from the sparklers. Also, he knows that the blow horn, when, well, blown, makes this loud noise signifying the changing of years during new year. We can also say that systematic planning is starting to emerge, because he knows when the sparkler is near the end that he needs to put it out right away or it will burn him.

Sources used for this Framework:

- http://children.webmd.com/piaget-stages-of-development

- http://psychology.about.com/b/2008/04/21/key-concepts-in-cognitive-development.htm

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This next photo talks about the Piaget's Concrete Operational Stage. This stage talks about how children this age gain a better understanding of mental operations and how they are able to think logically about different corner events. Although they have difficulty still in understanding different abstract concepts (which will later develop in the formal operational stage), they already know here that their thoughts and feelings are unique and may not be shared with other people. Also, the concept of Reversibility should be learned by the child during this time.

I took this photo of an Italian kid (yes, I know, stalker-ish, but it was cute!) when I was on a trip last summer who kept insisting that the pigeon in this picture drink water from the bottle that he was holding. He kept offering the bottle and the pigeon kept either walking faster away from the kid of flying away. I chose this photo for this concept because he shows an understanding of mental operations. Also, we can see that the child had a difficult time using deductive logic, which involves using a general principle to determine the outcome of this event. In this case, we can see that the kid does not know that the pigeon will never take or drink water from the bottle. 

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This photoset talks about the Pre-Operational Stage of Piaget. This stage focuses on the language development of the child. They are also extremely aware of external events as well as able to think about things symbolically. This stage also allows the child to develop memory and imagination, which allows them to understand the difference between past and future, and engage in make-believe actions. 

I chose this photo because we can see the language development and the reading and memory development of a child during his recital. Even though being assisted with the teacher, he is still able to recite some by memory as well as practice his imagination by "being in character" which is a lizard/dinosaur.

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Now to discuss some of the stages of Piaget. The Sensorimotor Stage talks about the behaviours that are limited to simple motor responses caused by a certain stimuli. Also, says that the infant's knowledge is limited to his or her sensory perceptions and motor activities. The Sensorimotor Stage contains 6 substages - the reflexes, the primary and the secondary circular reactions, the coordination of reactions, tertiary circularly reactions, and the early representation of thoughts.

Now, this cute little ball of smiles is named Sophi, and she is one out of two twins. In this picture she is currently sucking her, well, fingers. We can relate this photo, well, rather action, to the substage of reflexes and primary circular reactions because this is usually the stage where inborn reflexes are made by the baby for the first time and then repeated afterwards as somewhat a stimuli or for pleasure. In this case, the thumb-sucking. 

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Now that we've finished with Erikson's frameworks, we can now move on to the next individual Jean Piaget. Jean Piaget's framework is called the Four Stages of Cognitive Development. This basically gives an explanation or a blueprint of how the stages of normal intellectual development develop from the infant stages of an individual's life to adulthood.

To begin, there are 4 important concepts that we need to know that follows this framework. These are the concepts of Schema, Assimilation, Accommodation & Equilibrium. 

The photo's I chose can best be related to the concepts of Assimilation and Accommodation. These concepts talks about how someone can learn a new skill and how they can change their skills (on the way the hold the billiard stick, how they should shoot, angling and the like) based on their past experiences, in this case, gameplay. 

So, as we can see, these girls here have no idea how to play billiards. (Kinda harsh. haha!) I just taught them how to play that day, and they battled each other as to who can wins amongst the amateurs. As the game progressed, you can see that some of them were able to hit the ball properly, and even used the bridge already. They were able to adapt to the game, therefore being able to play the game properly. Assimilation and Accommodation are seen here. 

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This would be the last stage that Erikson discusses in his Framework. This is the Ego Integrity Versus Despair caters to people aged 65 Years and above.

This stage talks about how an individual is proud of their achievements in life and how they will feel a sense of integrity because of it. According to Erikson, success in this stage means looking back onto their lives without or very few regrets and a general feeling of satisfaction. These are the people who are already usually retired from their works and just contemplates on their accomplishments in life. 

As you can see, in majority of the photos I chose in this photoset, my grandfather is in every one of them except for the photo with the world map. If there was someone I know(and a person that I have a picture of) that is one successful sob, then it would be him. Not finishing college at UP Siliman, he was able to raise a big family, able to establish connections all over the world (not to mention travel most of the world - check the world map. All that are pinned he has been with either the entire family or just his wife), he was able to establish many businesses locally and internationally, and recently a bed and breakfast business in Tagaytay. He is also an aspired golfer - wherein he has won a dozen trophies throughout his years of playing. He is one of the most successful, hardworking, and smart men that I have ever met - and I'm pretty sure he knows that himself.

Sources for this Framework: 

- McLeod, S. A. (2008). Erik Erikson | Psychosocial Stages. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html

-http://psychology.about.com/od/psychosocialtheories/a/psychosocial.htm