#who tells you fate/provides a mate/it’s all bananas

[obstinaterixatrix]

my memory’s pretty spotty but surprisingly I remember a fair amount of lyrics from a song I haven’t listened to since… at minimum 7 years

[pabilipongi5awss-blog]

DI ASS-OLUTE WAY OF LEARNING (pun intended)

by Kristina Valera of 12-Generosity 

      For the first semester of the school year 2017-2018, my classmates and I were introduced to this class called “Disciplines and Ideas in Applied Social Sciences”, which we, alongside our teacher, rather referred to as ‘DIASS’ in order to 1) shorten its lengthy name and 2) poke fun at how it sounded like the slang word which many use as an alternate term for the human  posterior.  Considering that we took the prerequisite class ‘Disciplines and Ideas’ during the previous school year, to be honest I was not expecting much for this year’s class, thinking that it would probably end up being similar to the one we had before, where in we were not actually able to apply what we had learned in real life and just stuck with the knowledge that our text book had provided us with. Surprisingly enough, this year’s class was far different from what we had. Living up to its name, the Disciplines and Ideas in Applied Social Sciences class was really able to give us the opportunity to incorporate into our everyday lives and mindsets whatever we had learned in the classroom. For both quarters, I hardly remember taking any quiz nor reading, let alone receiving any handout, but I did remember writing loads of papers, going on interviews with lots of intellectuals and editing their videos taken for documentation. Most importantly, I remember not only realizing but also experiencing what it is to actually learn without the requirements of quizzes, handouts or a course outline, but with the requirements of openness and bravery to immerse oneself in an environment that he or she is not familiar nor comfortable with in order to see the other sides of life and society that he or she does not usually get to see nor experience on a regular basis. The first semester was quite a wild ride, so here’s a little break down of what we’ve done and what happened:

1.     COUNSELLING: the demonstration, the practitioner and the clientele.

       The first quarter mostly comprised of the class reporting about Counselling—which was what I was assigned to—as well as Communication, and Social work. The reporting done in this was not the typical stand in the front, read your part, sit down, finish the report type; it was divided into three parts, firstly, the demonstration, in which our group made a little skit mirroring how business, government and mental health counselling works, which kind of gave us a surface level idea of how they do. We delved deeper from that surface when we reached the second part—the interview. Our group interviewed a psychotherapist, Dr. Angelo Subida at a Starbucks branch; yes, a Starbucks branch, and not in his office. Apparently, he meets with his other patients elsewhere instead of his office as well. But why is that, though? Isn’t that quite unprofessional of him? Not really; true enough, his way of counselling and meeting with patients is not the traditional type, but that does not mean he does not take what he does seriously. As a matter of fact, he meets with his patients outside his office to make the session seem more natural to the patient and to make them feel more comfortable. Through this interview, we realized that counselling is more than just telling others what to do, rather, it is about being open and respectful, given that this person who does not even have the slightest idea about you is going to be telling everything she knows about herself to you. It is about committing oneself to be of help to others, since counselling is not a one-time, easy, “just think positive and pray!” kind of thing. To add to that, it requires the counsellor to recognize the thin as or even thinner than thread, yet crucial barrier between personal and professional life in order to perform his duty effectively. Through this activity, we too were able to catch a glimpse of how the Filipino people viewed mental issues, in which we were downhearted upon finding out about the situation.  Unfortunately, a lot of Filipino people only think of mental health issues as “phases” in one’s life. They fail to recognize that a person may be suffering from mental health issues because they immediately dismiss it and tell them that they’re just being overly dramatic. Also, a lot of people still have the mindset that telling others to smile more often and to think of happy thoughts will immediately help get rid of depressing thoughts. It is unfortunate to learn that the society we are living in does not give that much focus or help to those who really need it, and stereotypes people with mental health issues to be dangerous and scary and ends up isolating them from the majority. To add to that, we realized that telling someone to just “see a therapist/counsellor” should not be an immediate option, nor may it always be a good piece of advice. Going for counselling, as helpful as it is, still should be given a lot of thought. Like the counsellor, the clientele too, requires commitment. Counselling and therapy is being done regularly and it cannot be concluded easily with just one session. It may take a lot from one’s finances and time too, and the person may not even be that comfortable to open up and seek for help just yet. Having said those, telling someone to see a counsellor or a therapist must be given a lot of thought too, as much as the amount of thought that a person must give before committing to oneself to attend counselling regularly.

           Besides those, I personally enjoyed learning about communication and social work through the other groups. I saw, through the social work group’s interviewee, how a lot of people view social work negatively and discourage it, and how social workers still stick with what they do amidst the misconceptions, stereotypes and negative opinions people hold over them and what they do. I realized that social work is a matter of helping and bringing others up whilst helping ourselves. It helps us realize that just because we are fortunate enough does not mean that everyone is in the same situation and place as us, and thus we must not use that privilege in thinking that we secure a higher place in the social hierarchy, rather use that privilege to be of service to those who do not have as much privilege as we do. Most importantly, seeing how dedicated social workers are to what they do made me realize that working is not all about the salary; the money we get in return should not always be the ends that we focus on. We should focus on giving and not receiving. I also enjoyed the communication group’s ice breaker in which we were asked to approach our classmates one by one and tell them what we feel and vice versa, which showed how important it is to constantly tell others the not-so-small things such as the ‘I love you’s’ and the ‘I appreciate everything you do for us-es’.

2) CASE STUDY

           The second quarter was opened with two performance tasks: the case study and the term paper. For the case study, I partnered up with two other classmates, where in we studied the comedy of the two most famous Filipino gag shows Bubble Gang and Banana Sundae, and how they, despite their disrespectful, sexist and racist skits, still manage to appeal to a wide audience. We watched numerous skits from both shows and critiqued them, making use of a rubric we made in order to see which of its factors—including the delivery, content, harmlessness and setting—are reasons as to why people still continue to watch them. Through the activity, we realized how unfortunate it is to have sexism and racism viewed to be comedic as well as how ignorant the majority of the Filipinos are towards these issues. One skit made use of blackface to portray a black man, and most skits have story lines with women being objectified and being portrayed to be ‘easy’, which teaches society just the wrong things and outlooks, and promotes being racist and sexist. Moreover, we realized that perhaps the reasons why these gag shows still continue to be enjoyed are because 1) they make people feel better about themselves, seeing how foolish and dim-witted the characters of the skits are, and 2) they stroke the egos of men and feed their pride, showing them skits of women being easily attracted to them in a whim. The shows create an image in the heads of their male audiences of them being the ultimate Hokage™, which again is unfortunate. Finally, we realized that there are more means to appeal to others and be comedic without being racist, sexist or homophobic—I mean, if wholesome memes exist, why can’t wholesome skits too? Moving on:

3) TERM PAPER

           In this performance task on the other hand, we were tasked to look for an organization for the youth, know about them and what they do, and propose suggestions and recommendations for them to be able to extend their services better, and my group mates and I decided to choose an organization founded by Ateneo called “Tulong Dunong”. It was originally just an outreach program for the Atenistas of the high school department, but it evolved into a program that funds its scholars’ miscellaneous fees, helping them greatly with their education.

It is enlightening to find out that such organizations exist with the objective of helping in the providing of education for others. Education is a basic necessity and everyone deserves to learn and go to school, and although a lot of people cannot provide for their education, organizations like these can, and they extend whatever they can to help these people experience the optimal education they deserve. However,  also came the ill-fated realization that at present, education is being controlled by one’s grades. The students are being defined by the numerical value they receive in a subject, discouraging them, when it should do the exact opposite and encourage them to learn. Nowadays, there also exist such types of teachers who repeat the exact same thing written in their subject’s text books when discussing, driving their class on a memorization basis. The value of being able to learn substantial knowledge in school is being defeated, and as many say, “school nowadays is just about passing and not learning anymore”. This term paper and the organization further emphasized the point that education is in fact important and vital--i mean, it’s a given,-- yet if that is the case, why is education not being given the proper approaches for it to be effective? Why do we let education be a mere label, dictating whether or not we are smart instead of letting it be a healthy environment for us to further our knowledge? This type of learning environment we have now could not get any unhealthier, and it is saddening; but then again, there still are some teachers and aspiring teachers who change and wish to change the game of education at present. There are still those who do not rely on tangible materials such as books, but instead rely on sole experience and immersion. The students, instead of getting their necks stiff from looking down at their notes get to go outside the four walls of the classroom and explore, learning the essentials from what they witness and not from what is being planted in their minds. This type of approach to education is what should be promoted, as it gives the students the opportunity to create insights for themselves and to not have old insights made by others planted into their minds unnaturally. For two months of my life, I was able to experience such, and I could not be more thankful.

Going through a class such as DIASS made me more open about the conditions of society and strengthened how I view my relations with fellow human beings. It was one factor that made me truly grasp the meaning of what life is all about, and despite the requirements and the hassle of going from place to place meeting with people and interviewing them constantly, I could tell that it was all more than worth it. An experience such as this made me feel even better about choosing my strand, and as a HUMSS student, I could tell that a class like DIASS, to quote what our teacher said to describe how she feels about the subject acronym being DIASS: “it’s like it was made just for me!” (well, in this case, me and my classmates.)

[cupcakelord69]

I’m bored, so why not?

200: My crush’s name is: My girlfriend’s name 199: I was born in: Irvine, CA 198: I am really: empathetic 197: My cellphone company is: Verizon 196: My eye color is: Green 195: My shoe size is: 9? 194: My ring size is: Hell if I know 193: My height is: 5′9 192: I am allergic to: Nuts, cats 191: My 1st car was: Nissan Altima 190: My 1st job was: Blaze Pizza 189: Last book you read: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 188: My bed is: Super comfy 187: My pet: I have two betta fish 186: My best friend: My girlfriend and my other best friend 185: My favorite shampoo is: Whatever gets the job done 184: Xbox or ps3: Gameboy 183: Piggy banks are: Somewhat useful 182: In my pockets: I carry everything I own, when I’m wearing my EMT pants, which have 9 pockets! 181: On my calendar: Is all my homework 180: Marriage is: Cool if you find the right person and have realistic expectations 179: Spongebob can: Disappear 178: My mom: The reason I have PTSD 177: The last three songs I bought were? Ricochet, Dark on Me, Air Force Song 176: Last YouTube video watched: Marijuana by John Oliver 175: How many cousins do you have? Hell if I know 174: Do you have any siblings? Yes, one step sister and two younger siblings 173: Are your parents divorced? Yes 172: Are you taller than your mom? Yes 171: Do you play an instrument? Yes, guitar 170: What did you do yesterday? I took a trip to the city to buy a new uniform [ I Believe In ] 169: Love at first sight: No, but I believe that your souls can recognize each other on first sight, which is a breeding ground for love 168: Luck: Yes 167: Fate: Somewhat 166: Yourself: Hell yeah, even when no one else does 165: Aliens: It’s possible with the size of our universe 164: Heaven: I believe we go some place nice when we die, but I don’t believe it is segregated into heaven and hell; we all deserve to find peace if we did good things in life 163: Hell: I don’t believe in hell either, but I believe there will be some type of temporary punishment for genuinely bad people; I have no power to tell who a bad person is though 162: God: No, we have morality born inside us and the power to do amazing things; we don’t need a God for that 161: Horoscopes: No 160: Soul mates: Yes; I believe that souls can know one another and be meant for each other 159: Ghosts: Maybe? 158: Gay Marriage: Fuck yeah 157: War: It is useless and a waste of life and resources 156: Orbs: No 155: Magic: I wish I could [ This or That ] 154: Hugs or Kisses: Kisses 153: Drunk or High: High 152: Phone or Online: Online 151: Red heads or Black haired: Black 150: Blondes or Brunettes: Brunettes 149: Hot or cold: Cold 148: Summer or winter: Winter 147: Autumn or Spring: Autumn 146: Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla 145: Night or Day: Night 144: Oranges or Apples: Apples 143: Curly or Straight hair: No preference 142: McDonalds or Burger King: McDonalds 141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: White 140: Mac or PC: PC 139: Flip flops or high heals: Flip flops 138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor: Sweet and poor, like I am already 137: Coke or Pepsi: Coke 136: Hillary or Obama: Obama 135: Burried or cremated: Cremated 134: Singing or Dancing: Singing 133: Coach or Chanel: No preference 132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: No preference 131: Small town or Big city: Small town  130: Wal-Mart or Target: Target 129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: Adam Sandler 128: Manicure or Pedicure: Manicure 127: East Coast or West Coast: East Coast 126: Your Birthday or Christmas: Christmas 125: Chocolate or Flowers: Neither, bring me fucking normal food and I’ll be happy 124: Disney or Six Flags: Disney 123: Yankees or Red Sox: No preference [ Here’s What I Think About ] 122: War: It is ridiculous that we kill to make peace 121: George Bush: Dumbass but better than our current president 120: Gay Marriage: It should be no different than other types of marraige 119: The presidential election: *Drinks an entire bottle of whiskey before I’m able to answer this question*  118: Abortion: It is a woman’s right to decide her future, including whether or not she will have a child 117: MySpace: Forgot it existed 116: Reality TV: Idiotic and slightly entertaining 115: Parents: I have mixed feelings on this one because my parents are polar opposites 114: Back stabbers: Petty 113: Ebay: A more expensive and competitive version of Amazon 112: Facebook: The thing that everyone has and no one really wanted in the first place, but its there anyways 111: Work: Can be nice if you do something productive and that you are passionate about 110: My Neighbors: I never really see them 109: Gas Prices: WAY too high 108: Designer Clothes: Too expensive but I can appreciate that they look good sometimes 107: College: The most expensive thing on this list; Great concept; Shitty exectution 106: Sports: Receives way too much of my college tuition 105: My family: Most of them are great people 104: The future: Hoping for the best, preparing for anything, loving every minute of it [ Last time I ] 103: Hugged someone: A few minutes ago 102: Last time you ate: A few hours ago 101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile: A few days ago 100: Cried in front of someone: A few weeks ago 99: Went to a movie theater: Last Tuesday to see PowerRangers 98: Took a vacation: November 2016, Pennslyvania 97: Swam in a pool: A month ago 96: Changed a diaper: October, 2016 95: Got my nails done: Two years ago? 94: Went to a wedding: 2012 93: Broke a bone: Collarbone(2005); Finger(2016) 92: Got a peircing: Never 91: Broke the law: Never 90: Texted: A few minutes ago [ MISC ] 89: Who makes you laugh the most: My girlfriend 88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: My dogs 87: The last movie I saw: Power Rangers 86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: Having a cool job and helping people 85: The thing im not looking forward to: Paying more bills 84: People call me: Pretzel 83: The most difficult thing to do is: Feel what someone else is feeling and love them all the same  82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: Nope 81: My zodiac sign is: Virgo 80: The first person i talked to today was: My best friend 79: First time you had a crush: In the 4th grade, I had a crush on my childhood best friend 78: The one person who i can’t hide things from: My girlfriend 77: Last time someone said something you were thinking: A few minutes ago 76: Right now I am talking to: No one 75: What are you going to do when you grow up: Work for the EPA (if it still exists by the time I graduate college) 74: I have/will get a job: In environmental sustainability or healthcare 73: Tomorrow: I have class 72: Today: I had class 71: Next Summer: I will still have fucking class 70: Next Weekend: Is Easter...and I’m doing nothing for it 69: I have these pets: 2 Boston terriers; 1 Betta Fish 68: The worst sound in the world: High pitched drilling 67: The person that makes me cry the most is: My mom 66: People that make you happy: I have already listed them many times 65: Last time I cried: Last night 64: My friends are: The best 63: My computer is: One of my friends 62: My School: Somewhere in Utah 61: My Car: A crappy 90′s car that still works better than the American government right now 60: I lose all respect for people who: Lie 59: The movie I cried at was: I can’t remember 58: Your hair color is: Brown 57: TV shows you watch: Parks and Rec 56: Favorite web site: No preference 55: Your dream vacation: Anywhere were there is not a lot of people, a cool culture to explore, and good food 54: The worst pain I was ever in was: When my spleen exploded 53: How do you like your steak cooked: Medium 52: My room is: Clean? 51: My favorite celebrity is: Emma Watson 50: Where would you like to be: In someone’s arms 49: Do you want children: Yeah, eventually 48: Ever been in love: Of course 47: Who’s your best friend: I feel like I already answered this question 46: More guy friends or girl friends: Guy friends 45: One thing that makes you feel great is: Love 44: One person that you wish you could see right now: My grandma 43: Do you have a 5 year plan: Sort of 42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: Nope 41: Have you pre-named your children: No... 40: Last person I got mad at: My mom 39: I would like to move to: Washington 38: I wish I was a professional: Doctor [ My Favorites ] 37: Candy: Pixie Stix 36: Vehicle: Audi 35: President: Obama 34: State visited: Utah 33: Cellphone provider: Verizon 32: Athlete: No preference 31: Actor: Tom Hiddlestone 30: Actress: Aubrey Plaza 29: Singer: Pentatonix 28: Band: Too many to pick one 27: Clothing store: Banana Republic 26: Grocery store: Smiths 25: TV show: Parks and Rec 24: Movie: Krampus 23: Website: Netflix 22: Animal: Dogs, dolphins 21: Theme park: Seaworld 20: Holiday: Halloween 19: Sport to watch: Volleyball 18: Sport to play: Rock climbing 17: Magazine: I don’t read magazines 16: Book: All Quiet on the Western Front, The Bell Jar; I love books, so this is a difficult one to pick a favorite in 15: Day of the week: Not Monday 14: Beach: Black sand beach in Costa Rica 13: Concert attended: Black Label Society 12: Thing to cook: Vegetable Dishes with Pasta or Rice 11: Food: Ramen 10: Restaurant: Any place that serves amazing ramen 9: Radio station: 91.X 8: Yankee candle scent: Apple Pie 7: Perfume: None, I fucking hate perfume 6: Flower: Sunflower 5: Color: Indigo 4: Talk show host: John Oliver 3: Comedian: Trevor Noah 2: Dog breed: Boston Terrier 1: Did you answer all these truthfully? Yes, I wouldn’t go through all this trouble just to lie