The 2019 Roundup

Apparently, I overshare on social media so I'm just going to be posting stuff on my blog instead since nobody visits this anyway :D Also, most people on soc med have been talking about how shitty their 2019 has been while I've had one of my most amazing years ever so here we go.

Fitness and Running

This one's a bit tricky this year because I was finally able to achieve my target weight of 65 kg this year (around March - May) but then I slowly gained back the weight that I lost because I slacked off on my kickboxing and running routines. I'm at 71 kg at the end of the year, a whole kilo heavier than when I started this year. I had more 10 kilometer runs this year, though, and I think if I just stick to a more regular running and gym schedule, plus keeping my rice intake to just during lunchtime, I'd be able to go back and maintain my ideal weight this year.

(Follow me on Strava! Hahaha!)

Advocacies

Wow, I've been really busy this year, and everybody seems to know it. Haha! (So I guess I really do overshare on soc med, huh?)

But then if it means getting more media mileage for the causes that I support, and also getting more people supporting them, then I'm fine with the oversharing.

(The redtagging and profiling are not fun, though.)

Creative Work

I guess this year was the year I was able to professionally *earn* from my writing? Haha! I'm really glad they were both for advocacies, though. My first time to write a song, too! Oh, and international publication isn't half bad either.


Denden

Ah, my one constant source of happiness in this world of unpredictability. Denden and I shared so many special things this year, from running her first 3 km and 5 km races, to celebrating her 7th birthday, to joining me in Acad Union meetings, to reading my children's story with her in front of a hall filled with more than 2,000 people! Of course, the little things are just as special: reading with her in bookshops, drinking our favorite java chip frap, and plain goofing around with her. I think she's growing up tooo fast so I'm trying to make the most out of the little time I get to spend with her.


Career

I thought I've taken it easy on the overworking but the certificates of participation in my drawers beg to differ. On more pleasant thoughts, though, all five of my TEAM ESG members have finally graduated I AM SO HAPPY!!! Oh, and that big promotion at the end of the year wasn't half bad.


Family

I FINALLY CAME OUT TO NANAY PULIS SO I DON'T GIVE A RAT'S ASS ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF ME. :P


Love

Like they said, it's good to save the best for last. And *sigh* I'm at a loss for words at just how awesome this year has been because I've finally found the Love I've been praying for.

Anyway, it's almost always around this time of the year when I promise to post more in this blog but seeing I never fulfill this promise, let's just see how this one goes, yes?

Cheers to all the joy of 2019, and kampay to more wonderful things to come in 2020!

Ang Hirap ng Babae

Obvious ito, pero kailangan pa rin palang sabihin.

Lahat nang babae, oras na mamulat sa pagkababae, ay makararanas ng panghahalay/pananamantala/pangmamanyak. LAHAT.

(Sa mga lalaking ayaw maniwala / hindi makapaniwala, tanungin niyo ang misis/girlfriend/lahat nang babaeng kakilala.) 

Karga-karga namin ito -- itong pagkamuhi sa sarili, itong takot sa mga lalaki, itong pagkainis sa kapwa babaeng hindi rin makapagsalita dahil kagaya namin ay namumuhi sa sarili o natatakot din sa lalaki -- buong buhay namin.

Kung sa puntong ito'y ang nasasabi mo sa sarili ay "Bakit hindi magreklamo sa kinauukulan kung talagang namanyak o nagahasa?", isa sa dalawang bagay ang totoo sa iyo: lalaki ka o babaeng pilit na kinalimutan ang kinamulatang danas ng pananamantala (sa kung ano mang lebel).

Kapag babae ka kasi, patutunayan mo munang hindi mo ginustong pagsamantalahan. Hindi ba't kay Eba sinisisi ang pag-akit kay Adan? 

Bakit ka kasi nakipag-inuman?

Bakit sa madilim ka dumaan?

Ano ba kasi ang suot mo?

Nagpakita ka ba ng motibo?

Bakit ka sumama?

Bakit hindi ka sumigaw o nagpumiglas?

Sigurado ka ba, e di ba't lasing ka?

Bakit ngayon ka lang nagreklamo?

At sa bawat balitang ganito ang nangyayari at naririnig, ito ang tanong ko sa mga babae: Ilang beses mo nang nasabi sa sariling, "Mabuti na lang at hindi ako nagreklamo."

Dahil mas madaling isipin ito, mas magaan sa konsensya kaysa, "Kung nagreklamo sana ako'y wala na siyang nabiktimang iba."

Lalo pa't kung ang panghuhusga ay sa kapwa babae pa nanggagaling.

Paalala sa mga ama, ina, tito, tita, lolo, lola, mam, at ser, hindi solusyon na marunong lang lumaban ang kababaihan.

Turuan din nating lumaking maayos ang mga anak nating lalaki. Turuan natin silang umintindi at tumanggap ng pagtanggi.

Dahil ito lang ang totoo: WALANG REYP KUNG WALANG REYPIST.

Matagal din akong naniwalang mapalad ako at sa panahong ito ako ipinanganak na babae. Hindi rin pala. Ngayon, naiintindihan ko na kung bakit mas madaling sabihing "wala akong maalala." Ang sakit-sakit palang mahalay nang paulit-ulit kapag mulat ka.

End of July

July has been unbelievably taxing, with everything that's happening in government, when threats to our security come from the very institutions that are mandated to protect us.

I'm not going to lie. I'm scared. Very. It would be foolish not to be. But one look at this little perzen and  I'm reminded why the voices that tell us to be scared are the very same ones that tell us not to be silenced or paralyzed by this fear.

Years from now, when events of this period are reduced to stories and pages in history books with questionable veracity, what do we tell our children / grandchildren when they ask us what we roles we took on during this time? How do we tell them that our silence fueled the existing oppressive forces? That we were too busy with work, research outputs, chalking up points for promotion? That the form of 'activism' that we chose was the one most convenient for us?

Or are we already drawing up our own version of historical revisionism in our minds?

"But how will she know if you won't even be around anymore to tell her about it?" asks the equally scared supposed-dissenter who is just being practical.

Oh, she will know. She will know.

Ang Kwaderno

"Indi matakos ang paghigugma"
Ini ang ginsulat mo sa panid sang akon kwaderno
Sa wala mo pa ini ginpilas agod butangan
Sang imo ginsugudan nga binalaybay,
Sugilanon, o kon basi panaysayon man.

Apang sala ka, palangga.

Tungod nahibaluan ko nga mas dako nga paghigugma
Ang akon ginahatag subong sa kwaderno
Nga ginpasugtan ta ka gision, bisan pa
Wala ka nangayo sang pahanugot,
Kag ginapatawad ko man ikaw
Bisan pa wala ka nangayo sang
Pasaylo. Sala ka.

Matakos ang paghigugma tungod kahibalo ako,
Mas dako ang akon paghigugma
Subong, palangga, sa kwaderno
Nga ginhukasan mo sang pahina
Sang sa sadtong bilog pa ini.

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Author's note:
Please ask for permission before reposting/copying. Thank you!

Power UP! stint

Prof. Early Sol A. Gadong of UP High School in Iloilo (UPHSI) and graduate faculty of the Division of Professional Education emphasized the need to understand the nature of 21st century learners in the classroom to ultimately make these learners learn during her session in Contextualizing Learning and Instruction for the 2019 In-Service Training for Teachers, dubbbed as POWER UP, of Cawayan National High School, Carles, Iloilo, May 28 - 30, 2019.

POWER UP is the public service program of the Division of Professional Education, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas.

Sa Ibabaw sang Akon Lamesa

Nakaandan ko na nga daw gin-agyan sang bagyo ang linapta sa ibabaw sang akon lamesa -- bolpen papel libro laragway sensilyo resibo.

"Paano ka sini makapanumdom sang tadlong," sunlog mo sa akon sang nagbisita ka.  Naurungan ako sa kumpas sang imo mga kamot nga daw mga sanga sang puno sang niyog nga tupad sang inyo balay sa Maloco -- nagasaot sa hangin samtang ginahimos mo ang mga ramò, isa-isa, tubtob daw nangin masinaw nga tubi sang baybay ang kristal nga hapin sang akon lamesa. Dayon, gintawag mo ako kag ginpakita ang hunoshunos nga katig-a na itulod-butungon tungod diri nimo ginpangtago ang mga pagkabutang nga nagpagarot sa akon hunahuna sang nagalinapta sila sa ibabaw sang akon lamesa.

"Ari lang diri ang tanan," siling mo. "Ikaw na lang sini bahala maghaboy sang mga indi na nimo kinahanglan."

May pila man ka adlaw sang kahipid ang ibabaw sang akon lamesa. Apang laye sang kalibutan ang pagbalik sa duha ka butang: gamo kag kinaandan.

Ang mga halimbawa sining laye: ikaw, sa imo kahigugma, kag ang ibabaw sang akon lamesa, sa nagagirinual nga papel bolpen libro laragway sensilyo resibo nga indi na mag-igo sa nagaburusasa ko nga hunoshunos.

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Please ask permission and credit appropriately before reposting.

Kalipay

Some joys cannot be contained. My heart is happy.

Ang Lagô

Kon kaisa,
Daw kanami lang
Kuhaon ang lagô
Nga kasingkasing

Kag

Huluman
Kusuan
Kuskusan
Bunlawan
Pugaon
Ihalay
Painitan
Piluon

Isulod sa aparador

Agod kon liwat ini nga usaron,
Matinlo na sya kag mahumot
Tubtob nga malagô sya liwat.

---
Author's note:
Please ask for permission before reposting/copying. Thank you!

Ang Sabi Ko Sa 'Yo

Huwag ka nang magtampo,
Palangga, sa aking pagkawala.
Kung minsa'y pagbitiw
Pananahimik pang-iiwan
Ang wika ng paghigugma.
Ngunit hinding-hindi
Ang paglimot.

---
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Please ask permission before using/copying. Thank you!

Isa Ka Pulong

May mga ambahanon ako
Kag binalaybay nga makasaysay
Sang tanan nga akon luyag
Maangkon. Apang sa matuod-
Tuod, isa lang man ka pulong
Ang unod sining panambiton:
Ang imo ngalan, ang imo ngalan.

--
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Please ask permission before using/copying. Thanks!

Making New Year's Goals

One thing I've learned about making New Year's resolutions is to focus on things that I actually have control over, and be more specific about them.

For example, I say,
"Write one journal article every 3 months"
instead of
"Publish a journal article" ⬅️ Publication is not up to you!

"Run a total of 600km, continue kickboxing once a week, and eat two servings of fruits and vegetables everyday"
instead of
"Lose weight" ⬅️ How?

"Join two Palanca categories"
instead of
"Win the Palanca" ⬅️ Again, not up to you.

I'm on my third year of doing my resolutions this way, and I find myself being more focused throughout the year, more accountable, and less frustrated when I don't complete some of them.

(Oh, I also refer to them as goals instead of resolutions!)

Happy New Year, everyone!

Trying again

Always, at the start of every year, I try to go back to blogging and resolving to write more. This year, I only made 4 entries on my blog 😂

So, as part of being more specific with my goals, and making them more accomplish-able, this is me committing to making at least 12 blog posts this year, and I know I'll be able to accomplish that because I will be programming one poem to be posted automatically during the 3rd day of each month.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post more. I'd really love to talk about my research projects, and ideas that I think people in the academe may benefit from.

Anyways, happy new year, everyone! May we all be more productive this 2019!