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Does one's favorite Pokémon say a lot about a person?

Mine is Feraligatr. No technical or objective reasons, purely personal. She's always been my starter in the Gold-Silver-Crystal-Heartgold-Soulsilver editions. Favorite legendary has to be Ho-oh. I think one can infer only the player's age from their favorite. Had I been four years older it would've been Dragonite or Lapras or whatever. Six years younger, it would've been Gardevoir or Altaria. :))

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Meditations

There will always be things that you will dread, that will make you anxious and pray that they never come. But they will, sooner than later. And anticipating the worst that will come will only make the experience 3x worse than it already is. You have to learn to talk to yourself. Some things will surely come and you can only accept them.

Never measure yourself according to your job/career/position and your physical appearance (and how well you fit into the current beauty standards). Easier said than done, but judging yourself by your position and how much you earn and comparing yourself with your circle will only

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Going into 2nd Year

Another sem is done. I am another year closer to graduating. I feel like I did well--I worked smart... I would NOT want to expound on that. I wish next sem I'd do better in terms of reading the materials. I'd learn a lot from actually reading literature (not just the abstract and conclusion then skimming through the rest, lol).

On a different note, I have been stressing over a dental appointment for over five days now. Lord, don't let the damage be deep, or my trauma will be even deeper.

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This is 100% personal :) These are the albums that changed the landscape, in my opinion--as a rock-oriented female millennial from Manila who loves to play the guitar.

I am missing some albums because the limit is thirty. Worth mentioning are:

Colour and Shape - Foo Fighters

Inuman Sessions - Parokya ni Edgar

White Pony - Deftones

Scenes From A Memory - Dream Theater

Rhythm, Chord, and Melody - The Reign of Kindo

Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd

Jar of Flies - Alice in Chains

Purple - Stone Temple Pilots

Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 - Guns N Roses

SCIENCE - Incubus

Didn't prioritize these albums because I don't LOVE all the songs in them. I do think they're still revolutionary and disruptive. Again, as I said, these are based on my taste alone.

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Non-travel foods. Just foods at home

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Vietnam trip drinks

Sapa and Hanoi Vietnam - May 16-20, 2025

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This is my greatest album of all time.

Appetite for Destruction is, to me, the epitome of 80's Rock and Roll. It has some mean, blues-rock guitar solos by the iconic Slash--and do we even need to talk about Axl Rose's vocals and frontman-ship? The songs in the album are all fun, groovy, relatable (I guess, during that time, or in the rock scene at least), and angry, all at the same time. Literally every song in this album makes me [snake] dance.

But let's admit it. This album is not the most technical. It is not the most exceptional in terms of musicality. It is not lyrically superior.

It is, however, a genius of its own.

Hear me out: Appetite for Destruction elates me when I am down. It boosts my energy when I am burnt out. It hypes me up on a Friday post-work afternoon. It cheers me up on a Monday morning--I mean, what other thing is capable of this? It allows me to release my anger and frustration. It isn't bad s*xy time music either, if you ask me (well, this depends on your date, but why would you date someone who doesn't like GNR, right?)

What other album has that power, that versatility? You tell me.

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Random Acts of Kindness

Been trying to do small but regular acts of kindness--they say these small actions go a long way. Contrary to popular belief, they, in fact, do change the world.

For 3 months now I have been regularly donating P400 to different stray rescue/feeding organizations. Aside from this, I've regularly been buying dog/cat food for our office adopted strays. These should help with my anxiety of seeing poor stray dogs and cats. One stray at a time.

I have yet to work on what I can regularly do for other people.

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I want to be a better person

I always want to be a better person. What does better mean--better as in more well-integrated into society, more economically stable, unbothered and mentally sound, or better as in kinder, like Jesus' definition of better?

The latter, definitely. Because of who I am as a person and what I believe in. But yeah, I need to find some balance. I will die of empathy, heartache, and frustration if I don't.

I am quite tired today. We have an ongoing online class and here I am blogging.

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Pope Francis dies today 4/21

A day after 4/20 Easter Sunday

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My first reblog

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Dreams

Not all dreams are created equally.

A month ago, I dreamt of Mateo, and the dream was so simple. We were just seated altogether and Tito Paul was getting annoyed--he was getting angry, raising his voice and saying mean things, towards someone who wasn't there--I don't remember who, it's not important. And Mateo would stop him by saying "Pa, tama na, wag ka na magalit." And I was there at the scene and I knew then that Mateo is gone now, but he was there and it didn't feel odd at all. I asked him whether time spent there was any different than here (I meant like if the duration is the same; I asked this because I was thinking if he would be waiting for a long time before his family here joined him on the other side). He said "depende sa ginagawa mo."

That was the whole dream, probably a five-to-ten-minute scene. I woke up with a weird sense that we actually had that interaction seconds ago. My cheeks felt moist from tears, but I'm not exactly sure if I did have tears on my face. In any case, all of this made me think--no, believe--that the afterlife is something. It is tangible. And in there, my spirit gets to review everything I have seen and done and become in this world.

Moving on... Two nights ago, I had another dream. It was action-packed, I was the main character (obviously), I was instructed--by whom, who knows--to kill a roomful of people in a mall department store, or be killed trying. These people, as far as I know, are my acquaintances (I just can't identify who they are now). I had until 5PM to do so. I had a plan, which was to let myself die. For some reason death didn't seem so bad in this dream. Maybe because a part of me knows this is a dream. Anyway, my Mom was in the mall with me and we shopped for weapons, knives, the usual (lol). By the time I was going in the "arena," that was about 3PM, two hours before the deadline, there was a lady selling newspapers by the entrance, and the headline said something like a thirty-something woman committed homicide--pertaining to me. I haven't done a thing. That gave me a hint that this was a set-up, kind of like a test. They printed that headline thinking that by this time I would have killed someone in an attempt to save my life. It's very "The Dark Knight"-esque, the unshakable belief that humanity is rotten. Of course as a main character I proved otherwise, hahaha.

Side note on that dream, my friend Coleen was put in the same situation, she got stabbed by her friend haha but yeah that's a stupid side plot c/o my subconscious.

A while ago I had a dream, it's still very vague. Something about driving a car out of a tight parking that is somehow set at the other house. As I was taking out the car, it became a cage, I was driving a cage. Come to think of it, I've had a few dreams in the past where I was driving a car out of a parking lot.

This concludes my boring essay about my random dreams. It feels liberating to not be writing for an audience.

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Holy Week 2025

Holy week means one can draw, read, write (or blog, rather; not to be mistaken with the other, which is write a research paper), and play guitar.

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Retirement and Stuff

Thinking about retirement--the time I'll finally be able to claim my provident funds and separation benefits. I cannot imagine that that time will come. Someday when I get there, I'd still be like, "wow, I can't believe this is my NOW." All of this, me as a thirty-two year old, working and studying, living with my Mom and Yaya, looking forward to the weekends, trips, staycations, movie nights with Tita Louise and the others, exercising daily, chatting with friends... These will one by one become a thing of the past. I have to learn to make peace with this reality as early as now, so I don't get crushed come the time that I have my retirement benefits and none of the things I just mentioned.

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Busking

I want to play guitar and sing on the street and get some money out of it and everything goes to donations for people who need help. Let's do this 2025.

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Urban Design at the Margins: A Marxist Analysis of Socio-Spatial Inequalities in Metro Manila's Rural-Urban Edges

Urbanization as a Product of Capitalism:

Marx viewed urbanization as a direct consequence of capitalist production, driven by the need for industrial expansion and the commodification of land. In your research, you could explore how urban expansion in Metro Manila reflects the interests of the dominant class (corporations, developers, elites), often at the expense of marginalized rural communities.

Alienation and Displacement:

Marx’s concept of alienation applies to rural-urban transition zones, where farmers and rural dwellers lose their connection to land and livelihood as these spaces are absorbed into urban sprawl. Analyze how urban design might exacerbate this alienation by prioritizing profit over human needs.

Class Struggle in Urban Spaces:

The conflict between urban elites and marginalized rural-urban dwellers is a microcosm of class struggle. Investigate how urban planning decisions reinforce socio-economic inequalities, such as through unequal access to infrastructure, housing, and public services.

The Commodification of Space:

From a Marxist perspective, land and urban spaces in these transitional zones are increasingly commodified, treated as assets for speculation rather than communal resources. Examine how this commodification influences urban design and whether it serves capitalist interests over public welfare.

Uneven Development:

Marx highlighted the tendency of capitalism to create uneven development, with wealth concentrated in certain areas while others are left behind. Apply this lens to study disparities in urban design across different rural-urban edges in Metro Manila.

Research Questions Inspired by Marx’s Philosophy Exploitation: How does urban design in the rural-urban fringes of Metro Manila reflect the economic exploitation of marginalized communities?

Displacement and Alienation: What are the socio-economic impacts of urban expansion on rural populations in these edges?

Space as Power: Who controls urban design decisions in these areas, and whose interests are prioritized?

Resistance: How are affected communities responding to these changes, and what role can participatory design play in empowering them?

Approach and Methods

Historical Analysis:

Study the historical patterns of land use and urban expansion in Metro Manila to understand the influence of capitalist forces.

Spatial Mapping:

Use spatial mapping tools to visualize inequalities in infrastructure, housing, and public spaces in the rural-urban edges.

Community Engagement:

Conduct interviews and focus groups with residents to gather qualitative insights into their experiences of displacement, exclusion, or alienation.

Critical Policy Review:

Analyze urban planning policies through a Marxist lens to identify mechanisms that reinforce inequality and commodification.

Concluding Idea

Marx’s philosophical framework allows you to critically interrogate urban design not just as a technical practice but as a reflection of socio-economic power structures. This research could uncover how these rural-urban fringes are shaped by broader capitalist dynamics, offering insights into creating more equitable and human-centered designs.

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Bertrand Russell was outspoken about the plight of Palestinians, describing their displacement and suffering as a profound injustice. In his final public statement in 1970, he condemned Israeli aggression and the denial of Palestinian rights.