of coming together and falling apart~

Spending two straight days of my afternoon reading about the origin of the cosmos made me discover an interesting common phenomena of things falling apart - coming together - falling apart then coming together again. It describes a cyclical process whereby it would have no end, and where one can't trace the beginning.

First is the Earth. I remembered my Geology class professor told that the Earth has undergone, undergoing and would undergo many years of land coming together and breaking down again. These are caused by volcanic eruptions at the sea floor, in the middle of plates going against each other and of plates moving away from each other. Observe how the 7 continents are formed from years of these phenomena here:

..and time will come when those continents would again form one huge mass of land but not named as "Pangea" and then fall apart again and form another and so on.

Second is Water. Water also has the cyclical tendency of coming together by virtue of  draining off to rivers, seas and oceans. With the help of heat, water fly to heaven through becoming a vapor and sticks with other water elements until they clutter into clouds and get heavy. They fall apart through rain and then come together again through the same process.

Third is human cells. By conception, cells come together and form tissues into organs into systems into a human. And through the life of the human, they work together in sustaining its life by breaking down food, circulating blood and oxygen, fighting against foreign attackers of the body such as virus, bacteria, etc.. It breaks up at death of the human and die also. Then comes decomposers which take care of  their remnants and who helps them come together with other nutrients and be used as fertilizers bringing up new life in a different form.

Fourth is society. As Karl Marx said, "the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles". The theory of coming together and falling apart comes in a different level in society where coming together means peace and consensus while falling apart is war and conflict. Society could not have developed and sustained its life until now if there were no conflicting forces and later on agree on a consensus - if this is absent, then development of knowledge through criticism, debate then agreement could not have taken place.

Of coming together and falling apart, I fear the future of people organizations built. The work of social workers is to bring people together to help each other and resolve issues on their own. But will it also come a time when the empowered people's organization face the difficulties of conflict and falling apart? Then maybe, if it so it happens, I wish there would also be a natural or self-induced process of them coming together again. ~.~

my nook in the office~

When Alvin asked me to describe how the office looks like, I simply told him that "hmmm, like a home". The office isn't like the ordinary air-conditioned, white-colored office yet it fits me and I like staying in my nook editing the newsletter. I feel like home, where I could sneak into the kitchen when I feel hungry or just want to take a break by drinking cold water or coffee. In the right is a cabinet for my books though I haven't inserted any since I'm a newbie. The office is even better when my other co-staff are there, laughing around jokes and then in a while, back to their serious paperwork.

My work in ACCE is very different from my fieldwork in my senior year and I still haven't figured out why. The first time I stepped into the office and met the executive sec and finance officer, I felt easy and comfortable with them and the thought of working in ACCE seemed like an unexpected wish come true and I definitely said to myself  "yes, it's social work". Here is the agency's VMG. (from the Operation's Manual)

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a day with Rose Ann

Sometimes friends are the most effective stress-relievers.
Friendship never gets old and lives through years when deeply treasured~ :)

Rose Ann stick up with me the whole day.. even in the extra task in accomplishing my university clearance since mine was pending as I was underassessed in a General Education course in my first year in the university. She was also there when the lady told me that they are not prioritizing any papers since it is not just me that wants the university clearance immediately. I was only asking her if it could be processed immediately since because of days that it was stucked in the processing, my TOR needed for the application for licensure examination was also pending. ~.~ 
 

*Pictures were taken on our way to the Office of the University Registrar. Pictures from UP are a beauty.

After seeing the looongggg line in NSO for request of birth certificate copy-issuance, Rose Ann, Alvin and I decided to request online which only took us about 5 minutes and the travel to BDO where we paid about 20 minutes. Then, Rose Ann and I went back to UP for my clearance and headed to SM North where we paid for a photographer to make us a passport size picture exclusive for the license exam application. It was already late in the afternoon that we finished and so we decided to roam around SM North and try on some good dresses. We definitely enjoyed it after a bunch of munching over fries, coke and 39ers meal of Jollibee. :) If our feets were not hurting, we could have stayed longer but it was and we both feel very tired. Today was a day to cherish since Rose Ann promised to treat me the day she gets her first salary. Weee! =)
 

This is a view from the footbridge where I walked for 10 minutes before getting to the train station that would take me home. It's much more beautiful in the picture, yet it's not... coz you can't touch, smell and feel pollution. ~.~

Habagat and Bagwis~

 

The two dogs above are named Habagat and Bagwis (Habagat - name of wind, Bagwis - wings). They are two stray dogs trained to show an act by the streets. My blockmates and I happened to pass by them on our way to PRC, along Morayta. They look cute, yes they are but actually they look pitiful IRL. The two baskets their mouths hold errr bite are for money given by passerby.
 

Yet, they are more attention grabbers than ordinary beggars one may see in the streets of the Philippines but they also symbolize the situation of some people here: no money, no food, no shelter and in addition, living in the streets. :(
 

editorial comic about new graduates~

This is where I've spent my afternoon, while watching the movie "The International" with Papa. The editorial comic is for ACCE's newsletter which will be published by the end of the month.

The meaning of the comic is easy to figure yet maybe only some few people would understand minute details. The hand is the government headed by Gloria, such a beautiful hand who stayed most in air-conditioned rooms and travels all around the world in pursuit of international relations. The hand holds a few candies symbolizing the government's control over the economy and how little it has done to promote and give job opportunities in the past years. The hand gives candies little by little which are only labeled contractual workers, overseas workers, and call center agents; which are the common job openings here in the Philippines. The rest, I supposed is shown clearly. :)

Credits to enabruha?(that'show I read his sign in an editorial s/he made in 3/31/07, newspaper unknown) where I learned how to draw graduates comically and star-portraits.com where I learned how to draw the hand. So basically, this editorial is a copy-paste from some others' drawings put together to help me portray what I want to express through comic. I'm not very good in drawing by myself. Thanks. :)
 

the first sahod. :)

What an exciting day for getting your first payment from job. Though, I wouldn't take hold of the money for long as I would send it immediately to my brother and Mama at Bicol. badly needed. But even if they don't badly need it this time, I would share a great part of the money earned with my family than spend it all by myself.

Working is fun. Work makes me relearn what my professor thought me in the university and the renumeration, ahhhhh.. the so good money due to hard work, makes it even better. This is the start of paying back the hardships my parents undergone to help me finish college. :)

wish I could be a child again~

When I was a child I slept at afternoons and some other times, I sneak out of the house to play with children of my age. When I was a child, I didn't care what food I ate, if there were nutrients or not and I was given the privilege to eat sweets limitlessly. When I was a child, I care about the world less as I was contented in my own little world of play, of TV and of thinking of shallow things, of spending time with Papa and of messing with my brother. As I grow old, I had become so inclined in knowing about the world, its systems and why things got the way it is.. and now I feel tired just thinking about these things. Somehow, I wish I had little knowledge about it then I would have an excuse not to think of solution to these ill-gotten problems. But it's not the way I want it to be, humans have lifelines and mine has gotten into its middle, as I believe it to be. I feel like I will never feel the same innocence, contentment and happiness in simplicity back when I was young. When I was a child, I looked forward on what my future would be and now that I've grown, I regret having gone to the present.

because i miss you so much

Pika looks really cute in this picture that's why I love it yet he told me that he doesn't like it since he looks like gay. I think otherwise. ~.~

This is a back post so I can't pretty much say what happened on this day but what I can remember is that I've had so many moody moments on that day yet Pika never walked away from me. He just walked beside me, held my hand and kept quiet while we were walking and I was pissed-off. After we claimed the pictures from a photo shop, I smiled a little and then got moody again. That's when we passed by a pet shop and he suggested that we look around the shop, "i haven't took you here, have i?". My mood suddenly changed after seeing fishes, the lazy siamese cat which I would love to have as a pet and the golden retriever whom Jeric proposed to buy in exchange of his Flyff character. I refused. ~.~ But I'll never forget how he managed to think of a way to lighten me up and kept patient amidst my mood swings. <3

This is the picture I keep in my wallet and in moments with nothing to do or when I'm tired, I look at it and remember how patient Pika is with me in our relationship. I miss you. ILY. <3

career dilemma~

I got sad on the news that Chuck would not have Season 3 while I've now grown fond of Sarah and her cuteness. And Chuck some kinda resembles Jeric and his personality yet a little less talkative. What I love with Chuck is the gadgets, that I would like to also have one and the idea of being a spy, oh so cool. In the Philippines though, there are no spies or CIA or so I think.

On my way home, I again thought of my future, of what I'm going to be or what job I would stay in. I learned that my friend who was a batch a year older than I, is now a medical social worker which I was planning and wanting to be since my freshmen year in Social Work. And I looked back on my dream *an impossible dream* of me being a doctor. If I would like to be a doctor, a pedia specifically, I better start medschool this school year yyyeeetttt I errr we don't have money for med education. So then, if I was a medical social worker, I'll be working in a hospital which is still close to the profession I dream of, or so I believe. Pondering on that, I better then continue on the path of being a development worker, CO, macro social work though I still am uncomfortable of the thought. I wish I could have been like Sarah who was good in martial arts and be recruited in CIA, but then again, impppoosssible.~

What I'll be in five years? Still have no idea.
But most definitely,  I'll still rest my shoulder in social work.

For today, I enjoyed translating to Syohe what he hears from the gathering of workers, farmers, women and youth in this not-so-holiday May 1st. I guess I'll have to concentrate on the present and let the future by itself.