i was rummaging through my old school bag, which weighed more in trash than actual school stuff (believe it or not, some stuff in there dated back to second year high school. just think of how much paper was in there. haha), when i stumbled upon some english papers i wrote during my senior year in highschool. i was pretty proud of those papers and their corresponding results and i want to show you all why i am.
both of these were crammed in BlueSkies, a computer shop in front of ateneo, in the morning prior to submition so imagine the stress and the pressure while i was doing these. all the while marlon bugging me and enticing me to duel him on quake 3 arena. LOL (marlon is the oldest employee of blueskies. i've known him since i was grade 6.)
this was under the legendary Mrs. Cheekee (yes, that's how you spell her last name), one of the longest running employees of the Ateneo de Manila Highschool. she's also highly respected.
this first one was an assignment. we were to write a movie review and compose it to the writing style of J. D. Salinger, the author, and personality of the main character Holden Caulfield. that explains the profanity and the lack of some grammatical details. read the book and you'll understand why. i hope you enjoy.
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(this one dates back to February 18, 2004. i got a B+, i wasn't the highest scorer for this one, but my style for this captured Salinger's writing style for the character Holden in the book the best according to our teacher.)
It is seldom that I go to the movie theaters or any theater for that matter. Whenever I sit through a movie, however great or disgusting it may be, I always end up regretting it. You never run out of things to talk about in a movie.
I watched this movie called, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." The story was about this group of people of different races. There was a normal man, a dwarf, four guys called hobbits, a wizard, and an elf. An elf for chrissake. They made those child sized hobbits look like stuffed toys. And i thought elves were no taller than knee height. This movie was full of different races and creatures that it made me puke. One thing I did like was that giant spider. It sure was a lot better than all of those phony actors with all of those really nice costumes. The costumes were all done in great detail, mind you, but they were all too well crafted. One thing about that spider, I think Shelob was the name, is that wasn't acting at all. It was moving according to instinct. It wanted to feed his hunger for meat and it was good that hte little hobbit, Frodo, was there. All was well until that sonuvabich Sam Gangee ruined Shelob's meal. Imagine, a man half my size would beat the crap out of a giant spider that was thrice my size. That killed me. If little men could beat up giant spiders, then I could get an "A" grade for my English class. There was this part at the end when they all meet up again. Because being the third movie in a series, the group was separated from each other and led different adventures by themselves. At the end of the movie was a reunion of the "Fellowship of the Ring" as they called it. Frodo was in his bed, resting, when suddenly the fellowship comes in the room one by one and they looked all so happy. A little too happy if you ask me. They should be sorry for Frodo instead because his goddam finger got bitten off by that sonuvabich Gollum. And to add to that, he was stabbed by Shelob on the freaking chest. And they were all jumping around the bed and laughing like they had no tomorrow. What a bunch of phonies. They entertained the hell out of me though.
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(this one dates back to February 17, 2004 but in actuality, i did both the previous one and this one on the same morning. LOL. this one is a formal composition, a big chunk of my class standing, and i got an A+. it's my only A+ in a composition so i'm gonna brag a bit. LOL. the topic was something like convincing someone that i should graduate, being the last few weeks of school and all, it was very apt.)
To graduate means to receive a diploma or a degree. To receive a degree means a mastery of the skills required at the end of this level of education. Though mastery of academic subjects is not what i have, i firmly believe that i should still be permitted to graduate because my job preference calls for a different kind of mastery, a mastery of the system and to top it all off, a knowledge of how to surpass it.
Why should i spend five years of my high school life intensely studying mathematics, science, Filipino novels, and morality when all I want is to become a musician? How the heck is the Pythagorean theorem going to help me tune a guitar? Will knowledge of electron affinity help me in predicting chord progressions? Will hte crazy words of Jose Rizal written as he was waiting for his death be of any assistance when performing in front of an audience? How would morality lend me a hand at signing a contract with a bar owner? Again I reiterate, what use is academics to my future?
Okay, so we need order in our daily activities. I admit that I can be a slob sometimes. That is where science and mathematics come into play. Math is the study of achieving order through numbers and science is the process of systematical discovery. This is all true and i attest to that but, being a musician calls for spontaneity. Imagine a musician playing the same thing over and over and saying the same things every night. Performers are not supposed to be like that. Performers cater to the impulsive requests of the people. We adapt to them, and that cannot be learned in a classroom.
Filipino and English classes are designed to train students in using correct grammar and structure and all that. That's good if you plan to write for some publication or something but really, do i need structure to please the ears when short blurbs would do better in a song? Do i need to master Shakespearean literature to make the masses swoon over my lyrics? I have been writing songs since way back and as far as self-expression is concerned, I need no classroom lectures.
The most important of all things that i learned in school is hte way to work with the system. It is like maintaining speed in a car. Step on the gas too much and you will over speed, release it too much and you will lag behind. You have to know when to work with it and when to go against it. Therefore, you should not be a slave to the system.
Classical musicians all wanted to showcase their talents through grandeur compositions and all they wanted was to outdo the other. Wolgang Amadeus Mozart, in my opinion, was the greatest musician of his time. So great was he that he created some of the most timeless pieces that were ever created. He also died a poor man, not being able to afford medicine to cure him from a fatal disease. He purely surfed with the waves of hte system, giving people what they wanted: music, entertainment, and satisfaction. That is what he died doing, giving what people want, riding solely on and with the system.
I, on the other hand, have mastered the system. i play with it like a balloon. it wants to float away but i have it firmly in my grasp. i stand before you a broken man, bruised and wounded, a testament of my resilience to the system, a master of adaptation. Don't you ever tell me that i cannot graduate because I lack the mastery of my lessons for I have mastered the greatest lesson of all, adaptation.
On that fateful March afternoon when it is my turn to receive my diploma, i will wave that certificate before the audience with trembling hands. After all these years that the school has demanded something from me, I will finally take home a part of the system with me.
