It is now 2 am and my suggested youtube videos are filled with these Korean mukbangers. I could stare in amusement for hours as they talk and cook and chew all at the same time and then scarf down a crunchy piece of steaming-hot grilled kimchi. It's like watching Mr. Copperfield making a yacht disappear.
I hated Korean food when I was younger. I can't stand the pungent smell that emanates from the petri dish of fermented chinese cabbages and dried capsicums. I never understood then that it was a culmination of Korean cuisine tradition and culture for centuries and that it actually tasted good -if done right.
See, I tried to buy kimchi from someone near my place months ago. I bought 2 kilograms of the stuff since it was a lot cheaper compared to
the original place that I buy it from (which was authentically Korean
made).
Anyway, they were proud of their product, the container even had fancy stickers with Hangul texts to make it look legitimate. I was so excited when I arrived home, grabbed a fork and tasted the motherfucker. I spat some of it out because it was sweet! Why was it sweet? It wasn't supposed to taste like candy! It was an abomination, a Filipinized, bastardized version of the kimchi that I love (we should've stopped at spaghetti.) The seller even messaged me asking for a nice review or feedback and I did not respond back because I was seething with anger for she wasted my money and time. A few weeks ago, she messaged me if I wanted to buy some more.
"sir, bili po kau uli? gbu po :)"
I let her know that I've seen her message through that small "seen" text on Facebook chat. I let it steep for a day or two, then I blocked her altogether from messaging me completely. I hope she got the message.
Today, all-you-can eat Samgyeopsal restaurants have started sprouting left and right like your typical fastfood joints. This was how I acquired my liking towards Korean food (others acquire it through k-pop and k-drama lol) Some would say this is usual but I'd like to let you know that I'm interested to recreate and learn more about their food and cuisine in general. With the help of Youtube videos, I have began cooking the easier types of Korean food at home if the ingredients are accessible. That's how I ended up watching and salivating to Koreans eating their traditional food at 2 in the morning.
I just bought an electric grill a week ago, maybe chopsticks should be next.
Intertwined Thoughts of a Daydreamer
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Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Last Day
“Ang panget ng drawing ni Precious eh, mukhang
tsong-go!” I tried not to laugh, I really did but I can’t help asking myself
how a child this young can say something so unpleasant. I mean, if it was an
adult who said it, meh, big deal. You’re an adult, act like one, you immature
prick. But it was a kid, and kids aren’t supposed to say such things. I
was obedient as a child but if my memory serves me correct, I do recall some
of my pre-school classmates to be restive and difficult to control. Either way, I found the situation hilarious
so I went on and just laughed about it.
I was getting comfortable with the
kids, but unfortunately, today would be my last time to teach them art. Today, it was all about
“Dioramas” and even without Kath, I was able to give the kids the instructions
about what they needed to do. I got Bob to help; he was there to assist, same
as with Vincent and Ed (thank you guys for dropping by!)
I could tell how much they enjoyed making the
diorama. From a flat piece of paper, we were able to make their drawings stand
up and make a somewhat close impression of their little community inside a
shoebox with some cutouts of houses, the GK School, trees, some really big
flowers, a sleeping dog, and something that’s supposed to resemble a tricycle.
From my experience, I learned that like adults,
children have their own personalities. Mix those personalities to the
environment that they are growing up in, as well as their upbringing, and you get yourself an interesting
character. Some of their actions may seem senseless to us adults but to them,
it makes perfect sense and it is the right thing to do. Like I have said, they
are just kids being kids.
I like kids now, and I would like to think that I
understand them a bit better.
It will be their graduation the following week, I
wish them all the best, and may all of them have a bright future ahead.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Little People
Today, I am going to teach the kids about “Cities”…
or the concept of communities. I asked the kids to try and recall what they see
around them on their way to school and to draw it on paper.
Marwell, the
rowdiest of the bunch, was trying to remember his neighbor’s name, and for some
reason, had the urge to shout the name out loud after he remembered it. Teacher
Grace shushed him but he won’t stop talking, even purposely forgetting to say
“po”. Ramsey, another kid (who I think is the brightest) shouted at Marwell “Hoy, ang bastos mo, wala kang galang!” Marwell, feeling humiliated, smirked and
quieted down to continue with his artwork. I can only guess what other
interesting things happen inside the classroom during the days when I’m not
there.
Moving on, it was a fun activity for most of the
kids. But for JM, he doesn’t quite feel like doing the task. He seemed bored; as if his thoughts were wandering away to some fantasy land where kids
can do anything they want and eat all the sweets to their heart’s content--that or according to teacher Grace, maybe JM wasn’t feeling too well.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
So it begins
I have to admit I never really liked children.
They’re noisy, whiny and most of the time, annoying. That’s why I was quite
nervous when the dreaded day to teach art to a small class of eight children
finally came.
It was “Foam Art Day.” Before the session started,
all I can think about was “I did not sign up for this, I was supposed to be
planting trees somewhere or having a fierce gunfight against illegal loggers or
animal poachers or something something whatever.”
I was lucky to have Kath as my teaching partner. She
brought pre-made styrofoam cutouts of all shapes and sizes for the kids to use.
The problem was, the poster paint won’t stick to its smooth surface, so we
tried thinking of something that would work. Luckily, we were able to find
scrubbing sponges in one of the many sari-sari stores near GK (Gawad Kalinga).
We used that and we’re finally ready to begin.
I was anxious to meet the children. But, of course,
silly thoughts kept running through my head. “What if they won’t listen to us?
Oh yeah, I’ll just let Kath do all the talking. But, what if they become too
disorderly for us to handle? Hmm, about that… Teacher Grace, the class adviser
would be there to guide us.” Okay, great, let’s start!
It wasn’t so bad after all! Although the kids can
get a bit unruly at times, it was expected. I mean, they’re just kids being
kids. Right from the beginning, I can tell that each of them has a different
personality. Rico, another classmate who taught the same class a week earlier,
told me to remember the name “Marwell” and boy, was he right.
Friday, December 13, 2013
Of Mediums and Perspectives
I started drawing at an early age and I still vividly
remember doodling my very first concept of a house on a piece of paper. It was
an amazing feeling to see a simple sketch of lines and shapes turn into
something detailed right before my very eyes which my mind has perceived beforehand. I even remember
being one of the few in my elementary school to get chosen and join drawing
competitions.
I never really understood then why we have to portray the
Filipino concept of bayanihan--saving Mother Nature, recycling, or doing acts of goodwill towards others in our
drawings instead of fighting robots, funny cartoon characters, or carnage and
gore (I was a kid). I enjoyed the challenge, though, because it made me ponder and
look at the things that really matter in the world. Never would I have thought
that what I was doing was a form of social artistry.
According to Pauline Salvana-Bautista, a professor at the UP college of music, she defined the term
social artistry as “the process of becoming aware of one’s goals and
potentials, expressing these in ways that can be experienced by the senses, and
defining values and habits to animate these experienced goals and potentials,
in the context of improving self, community and environment.” In short, art can be used as a medium that
can convey an idea that is both relative
and subjective. It can be easily and openly interpreted making it the perfect
language to capture the curiosity of a person for whatever purpose. In
our case, this means opening self-awareness towards the improvement of society.
But then again, before one can start using art to help the society,
one must learn first its 7 key concepts to pinpoint its problems.
(1) Society
(2) Values
(3) Poverty
(4) Human Rights
(5) Good Leadership
(6) Contribution
of Teachers and Parents to Nation Building
(7) and Sustainable Human Development.
Source:
Ayala, Joey et al. SINING-BAYAN: ART OF NATION BUILDING: Social Artistry Fieldbook
to Promote Good Citizenship Values for Prosperity and Integrity. (2009). "SOCIAL ARTISTRY IN CIVIC WELFARE TRAINING SERVICE, Building the Self to Extend to Others (p 189-196).
Sunday, November 03, 2013
Seven Months Ago Today
I was sitting alone on a bus that
gloomy Monday morning. I tried my best to sleep but the chilly atmosphere kept
me awake. The air con was humming full blast mercilessly. I figured the
driver wasn’t too sympathetic towards his passengers either. Peering outside,
looking at the endless road made me forget the cold atmosphere and it was even enough
to put me in a daze to make my mind wander.
Seven months ago today, was a life-changing
moment of realization. I wasn’t happy with my everyday routine of sitting my
ass off for a six-hour travel just to sit for another eight, doing a
mind-numbing job behind a desk. Don’t get me wrong though, despite a highly competitive
job market, I was thankful to even have one. I remembered myself ecstatic at
first. I thought I could easily get used to the pressure, the competition, the
long commutes, conflict among colleagues, the racist boss, the drunkenly wasted
Friday (or Monday) nights; not to mention the impossible goals and quotas we
need to achieve. Reaching the end, it eventually burned me down. Working for
the man has its toll. Sooner or later, I was bound to realize that I was the
cog running the capitalist machine. I suddenly pictured myself as a mule,
pulling a cart that won’t budge because it’s loaded with heavy stones. It’s
just pointless, impossible, and never-ending--and I didn’t like it one bit. The
futility and idea itself made me lose my significance and question my
fulfillment. “There must be something more to life, there should be.” I mumbled
to myself.
Seven months ago today, was a moment
of pure clarity. I’m back and full of purpose, studying in the country’s top University,
no less. I am trying to set my priorities straight because someday, it is my
duty and obligation as a citizen to give back to my country no matter how big
or small.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
The Communitarian Model of Citizenship
The trustor-trustee relationship in a social contract gives
us an idea why societies need a form of government. The social contract is put
in place to ensure the society’s stability, order, and progress. Looking at the
other side of the coin, the individuals in a society has an equal role to
perform alongside its chosen system of rule to fulfill the success of a social contract.
By definition, the communitarian model of citizenship argues that “society is made up
of groups and communities and only works effectively when individuals feel part
of such communities.” (Leydet
2011, Zalta 2011) It is in Man’s innate nature to seek for the meaning of his
existence which he may validate through self-fulfillment. The communitarian
view gives an individual a sense of purpose as a citizen with duties and
obligations for the good of his community. This also gives him the satisfaction
and feeling of giving something in return in exchange for his rights as a
citizen. Under these
circumstances, the aim of an individual in the communitarian perspective to validate
his self- fulfillment is to do his duties and obligations as a citizen for the good
and success of his group or community.
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