Correction: “A Christmas Carol” Opens November 18

Don’t you just hate it when local cinemas don’t follow international screening dates? All around the world, cinemas have already shown the 3D animated interpretation (by Disney) of the Christmas classic novella. I was counting on seeing it yesterday, but I was just disappointed. When I checked other cinemas in other Philippine cities, I found out that they too were not screening the 3D movie! So, what’s going on? Is it because of the recent calamities and the devastation they caused?

"A Christmas Carol" is delayed!

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

I’ve finally been able to finish Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol yesterday. I’ve meant to finish it Sunday afternoon (the day before yesterday) but haven’t been able to since I was preoccupied with a mini family reunion (on All Saint’s Day). I bought this paperback almost three months before and reserved it for reading at an appropriate atmosphere (Christmastime). I know it’s still November, at a time just after Halloween and within the days when we revere our dearly departed, but Disney’s releasing their 3D movie adaptation of this novel on November 6, 2009 (Friday). Which, obviously, justifies my reading it now. I was blown away by the trailer (which was shown when I watched Battle for Terra) and have decided to watch it on the first day of showing.

Will the 3D animated movie live up to expectations?

Now, on to the book (I rant a lot, don’t I?). It’s my first time to read a classic novel, or any standard novel, being told in the first person. Most of the novels that I have read so far in the past were in the third person, impersonal. This one, however, makes use of a lot of “I’s” and puts in a lot of Dickens’ opinion. Despite that, I was able to visualize the story, thus understanding it. But frankly, almost majority of its parts that I’ve read were vague due to Dickens personal interjections. Maybe it’s just that I’m not used to reading classics, but really, I experienced some instances of being detached from the flow of the story, which subsequently interrupted by visualization.

After some research, I found out that A Christmas Carol is not a novel, but a novella—that is, a fictional prose that is longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. An in-between! It is also divided into staves, not chapters. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t a stave a stanza of poetry? So, was A Christmas Carol a poetry piece before becoming a novella?

Anyway, this novella was influenced by Dickens’ experiences in his childhood. At 12 years old, he was forced to work in a shoe polish factory after the imprisonment of his father. He had to get out of school and pawn his book collection (ouch!). Three months after being imprisoned, his father was released, but he was still forced to continue his work (second ouch!). See, he considers himself as superior in intellect and having a touch of class, so his new circumstances caused him to be uneasy. He wanted to get back to his old, comfortable life. However, in his experience, he was able to see the hardships that people endure, even at Christmas. He also saw instances of child labor and how child laborers waste away their opportunities for play and enjoyment. This ignited Dickens to write petitions and literary pieces soliciting aid for the poor. He went through a lot of writings and publishing before finally coming up with A Christmas Carol, which at its initial release in Christmas of 1843, was instantly sold out that a second and third printing had to be done. And those printings were made even before the arrival of 1844!

Wallpaper for the upcoming 3D animated movie from the Disney mini-site.

So after all, I did enjoy A Christmas Carol. I have heard of it before, being a staple piece of literature at Christmas, but never really got to read it. Despite its long and less sensible sentences (see quote below), I still got the gist. I find it suitable for people of all ages, although youngsters might have a difficult time understanding it. It’s a good thing the paperback that I bought had a glossary of the idioms used all throughout the book. It also contains a short biography of Charles Dickens and the initial reaction of his novella. Now, I can’t wait for the movie adaptation to compare my visualizations with those of Disney. I’ll fill you in once I’ve seen the movie.

There were pears and apples, clustered high in blooming pyramids; there were bunches of grapes made, in the shopkeepers’ benevolence, to dangle from conspicuous hooks, that people’s mouths might water gratis as they passed; there were piles of filberts, mossy and brown, recalling, in their fragrance, ancient walks among the woods, and pleasant shuffling ankle-deep through withered leaves; there were Norfolk biffins, squab and swarthy, setting off the yellow of the oranges and lemons, and, in the great compactness of their juicy persons, urgently entreating and beseeching to be carried home in paper bags and eaten after dinner.

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Published in 1966
by Washington Square Press Publication
of POCKET BOOKS
pages 113-114

Note: That’s just a sentence of a paragraph!

 

I’m Back in the Gym!

At long last, I was able to get back to working out in the gym. I stopped lifting weights almost seven months ago. Before getting back to the gym, I felt like my skin was beginning to accumulate again with fat. This is despite the fact that I have never gained any pounds since halting my workout routine. Every time I look in the mirror, I see a combination of hard-to-get-rid-of fat and some loose skin. I feel like a cow.

You know those lose patches of skin and fat on cows? That's what I see in my body. I know, I'm exaggerating, but (I think!) I've got Body Dismorphic Disorder (BDD).

See, in my college years, I weighed over 100 kilograms! In my last year, I realized the health implications of my obesity (and that I couldn’t really enjoy my youth). So I started to get rid of all the pounds. I initiated “Operation Pagpapapayat (Getting Thin)” in June 2007 by restricting taking anything by mouth eight hours before my hour of sleep. In my first month, I lost 10 kg. As my dieting went on, I lost only five kilograms. I then went into a gym in November of the same year. Five months of working out brought me to 80 kg. Then, I stopped to give my body a break and for my skin to tighten.

I returned to lifting weights in November 2008 and kept at it until May of this year. I was able to reach 69 kg. as my weight. I am now 70 kg. For my height (5′7″) and large frame size, my ideal weight would be 65 kg. I hope I reach that goal before summer of next year.

Curtain by Agatha Christie

I settled not to work this weekend—I needed to get my entire body out of work to reboot itself. So, while my system is on auto-defragmentation, I decided to go over one of the novels I bought before but never really got to read right away. I chose Curtain by Agatha Christie.

It's my new favorite Agatha Christie-Hercule Poirot murder mystery novel!

At first, I felt something peculiar about this novel. It’s like I read something significant about it before but all together, it looked like any normal Christie novel. When I researched on Wikipedia, that was when all my assumptions were justified: Curtain chronicles the last murder mystery case of Christie’s main protagonist, Hercule Poirot. “Oh great!,” I thought. I’ve read just two Hercule Poirot murder mystery novels and now, I’m about to read his last case! And from what I gathered, he dies in this novel.

And he did. It was such a shock that he had to die while seemingly leaving a case unsolved. But in the final chapter, it turns out that he still emerges successful.

Curtain takes our Poirot and his Watson, Captain Arthur Hastings, back to the setting of the first novel (The Mysterious Affair at Styles) of the Poirot mystery series—Styles Court. Our hero perceives that a murder would happen once again in this revered place—a case that has some relation to five earlier executed, but unrelated, murders. Poirot knows the identity of the murderer and labels him “X,” apparently closing his identity to Hastings (and the reader). Now “X” is described as the most cunning and most intelligent of the murderers that Poirot has encountered all throughout his sleuthing career.

Poirot reports that this murderer is able to enjoy the satisfaction of killing without ever having to do the actual act. At first, I didn’t get what he meant, but as I read on, it dawned on me that this murderer urges a would-be victim to commit murder. He will identity a person who would likely have a motive to kill—a daughter being maltreated by an uncle, a wife with a womanizer husband, a father who wants to protect his daughter from a cunning suitor, etc. He closes in to these victims and enlarges their angst against the objects of their rage. Their desire to kill will be awakened that they will go about with the deed, not realizing the wrongfulness of their actions. “X”—like any enraged and sadistic criminal—would have had the satisfaction without being convicted.

Poirot explains that all of us have the tendency to commit murder. There are people whom we would rather see out of this life. I suppose this is true for most people. Some would say “I’m so angry I could kill him!” or “I wish he were dead!” Personally, if you have a solid grounding on the importance and beauty of life and GOD’s law, you wouldn’t say these things. I think I’m getting personal with this novel—it’s just an entertainment story.

I understand that Christie made this novel before some other novels and intended it to be published as the last in her Poirot series. She even had the original manuscript to this novel locked away in a vault for 30 years, before being released. This was so the last novel of her series would continue to be published should she die in World War II. Although she did survive the London bombings, she still had Curtain released, as she no longer had the ability to write any new novels.

I am impressed by the dedication placed by Christie to her creation, Hercule Poirot. She really wanted her protagonist to have a grand, fitting ending. The fact that she came up with this murder mystery plot before other formulae added to my amazement. With that, Curtain is my new favorite Agatha Christie-Hercule Poirot murder mystery novel. It was just unfortunate that Poirot’s career had to end in such a final act. Never would I think that an angel of justice and captor of murderers would do that thing. But he died a little while after doing it, anyway. I have been thinking, what if Poirot succumbed to the manipulation of “X?” Would that mean that at the end of his career, Poirot lost his supposedly biggest case?

 

Mga Kababayan, Let’s Move Forward

I’ve been going over the Philippine blogosphere today, and majority of the posts that I’ve read tackle the recent calamities that hit our country. As a blogger, I’ve never really thought of coming up with similar blog post topics. And I live within one of the areas heavily affected by the typhoons (notably, typhoon Pepeng)!

I reside in La Trinidad, Benguet—the town where Puguis (Little Kibungan) is located. As you know, the landslides in this area have been one of the most deadly. Another landslide in my hometown occurred at Buyagan, another barrio in La Trinidad. Fatalities were also recorded there. Total deaths from landslides have amounted to 75. Our local paper published photos of all the landslides in our area. Aside from numerous photos, their pages were also filled with various obituaries. Claims like “Victim of the landslide that occurred at Buyagan, La Trinidad, Benguet” took up print space. I saw a picture of both parents and one of two children lost in an instant—the other child is alive and is now facing life, parent- and sibling-less. I’ve also had a former schoolmate who lost his parents and sisters in a landslide. He’s now moving on without his home and immediate family. Loved ones were lost, survivors were left all alone.

This is in Coroz, Tublay--another typhoon-ravaged area near my hometown. The parallel tracks form a pathway for vehicles carrying relief goods to pass through.

I’ve been thinking, why didn’t talk about all these tragedies on my blog? Why didn’t I take photos of the landslides, retrieval operations, and relief operations? I never expressed concern for all of the fatalities. Two United Nations (UN) helicopters openly landed at my university’s open field for two weeks and I never bothered to note them. Although I donated a small amount to victims, I never found time to take part in any relief operations. Is there something wrong with me?

The one on the right is actually a road going to Coroz, Tublay.

I’ve done a self-evaluation and it seems I was shocked by the calamities, but I never really acknowledged this shock. See, it was on October 8 (Thursday) when we really experienced the strongest rains and winds brought about by Ramil. It was also on this day when all landslides occurred in my hometown. I didn’t go to work on that day ‘cause I really couldn’t make it through all the wind and rain. There was no electricity so I couldn’t email my boss—I just sent him a text message and hoped for the best. Now that I realize it, not going to work on that day was actually a good idea. Apparently, a landslide happened on an area of the highway going to the commercial city. It happened at a time when I would usually be on that part of the highway! Almost 15 vehicles were all covered with mud. If I actually proceeded to work, I might have been a casualty (or fatality) in that instance.

Still another snapshot of Coroz, Tublay.

Another reason I could think of why I don’t really talk about the recent calamities is because I find it kind of improper. I can’t get myself to talk about calamity-related deaths, commercial loses, the impact of the devastation, etc. Maybe it will be more constructive to release all pain through poems, illustrations, volunteer work, and others. An alternative would be to talk about these devastations after a period of time has passed. By then, people will have started moving on, smiling, and getting things back to normal. This is why I talk about everything just now.

This road leads to the affected area in Tublay.

Philippine skies have been very favorable for the past two days: No overcast, no rains, and no strong winds. It would seem that typhoons and all other weather disturbances have come to pass in order to give us time to prepare for Christmas. For almost a month, our country has gone through a unique phenomenon—three consecutive super typhoons. It started with typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) which ravaged Metro Manila. Then along came typhoon Pepeng (international name: Melor) which affected much of Northern Luzon. To make things worse, a third typhoon Ramil (international name: Lupit) threatened to enter the Philippine area of responsibility. Thankfully, typhoon Ramil grew weaker and never hit Philippine grounds.

Most people are claiming that this is nature’s revenge for their wrongdoings to the environment. Maybe… But really, if we did take care of the environment, would these tragedies cease to exist? Remember, we are on the route frequently traveled by typhoons—a typhoon belt. Sure, landslides would have been prevented if there were more trees around; floods wouldn’t have occurred if trash didn’t clogged up drainage systems—but why erect a house in hazardous surroundings? Why refuse to evacuate when you have been warned of impending doom? I believe that should the three typhoons had not hit us, we wouldn’t open our minds to the real state of our country. Here are points, ignited by the recent calamities, that should be considered:

Point 1: We have no housing and building regulations.

Or, we have but we are just not properly informed. And if there really are, these aren’t actually or fully implemented. With the dynamic geographical structure of our country, local governments should form rules and regulations that cover building and housing. For instance, a local law that prohibits housing projects above and under identified dangerous sloping land formations. This will decrease the number of deaths caused by landslides. Another would be the regulation of factories and residences being built near bodies of water. This will prevent water contamination and/or pollution that can clog water systems and eventually cause floods. By having strictly implemented building laws, Philippine society would be protected from Acts of GOD, Acts of Nature, environmental tragedies, whatever you call it.

This was taken from Itogon, Benguet. A school once stood here. Faulty implementation of building regulations?

I think building and housing laws (if they exist) are not being practiced to give a chance for our growing population to secure shelter. Which brings me to…

Point 2: Our land is overpopulated.

I swear on it. I have seen pictures of Baguio City from the past and in the present. Before, Baguio mountains were full of trees and no houses were in sight. It was simply beautiful! But now, everything is filled with residential structures. Trees are slowly being cut down to give way to housing. If ever you visit Baguio City for the first time, you might be disheartened by what you will see. There are just too much people now! It’s not that I’m against life and reproduction, but we should be responsible reproducers! (I’m not trying to be funny here…) If all people do is fool around with everyone and give off continuous offspring, I shudder to think what will become of our ecology.

Think about it—a large population also indicates larger amount of trash. Why, for the past days, Baguio City is unable to solve its trash problem. While I walk to my office, I have noticed piles of garbage accumulating in all corners of the city. Sure, there are some trucks picking up the trash, but not all of the garbage is taken. I’ve been thinking, “Where do these garbage trucks keep the trash (since, as far as I know, there is no new identified landfill yet)?

Point 3: Most of Philippine society is not properly behaved.

This is not to put down Filipino self-esteem. I used “not properly behaved” because if I used any other more offensive term, I would be insulting my countrymen. But can you deny it? Filipinos throw trash everywhere, instead of in trash bins. Philippine organizations (mostly the business sector) putting up establishments that destroy natural ecology. Pinoys having no regard for where they build their homes. Hard-headed Filipinos who insist in staying or returning to their homes when they are located in high-risk areas.

Another ruined site in Luneta, Itogon, Benguet.

Of course, the government should be addressing the needs of Philippine society, like housing, waste management, and rehabilitation, but society shouldn’t rely entirely on the government. In the first place, it was society’s decision that brought them to where they are. Why should the government take the blame for their constituents’ actions?

Every time I hear the people wail on national television, “Sana tulungan kami ng gobyerno!” (We’re hoping the government will help us!) or “Nananawagan po kami kay presidente (name of Philippine president)!” [We are appealing to President (name of Philippine President)!], I can’t help but frown in disgust. Typical Pinoy behavior. These people should be taught that when they encounter problems, they must utilize their resources to face these. And when I say resources, I mean, their minds! Poverty should not be a reason to allow yourself to experience difficulties. “But it’s not their choice to be poor,” you might say. Well, it’s not their choice but they have the option to change their circumstances.

Another thing, most Pinoys don’ really learn from their mistakes. Sure, before the arrival of typhoon Ramil, people got themselves ready. But keep in mind that even before these current typhoons, other typhoons have hit our country. Didn’t we learn from these past typhoons? *sigh!*

Point 4: There is still hope.

Despite all the negativity, the typhoons have brought out something good in us Pinoys. We stick together and help all those in need. After the first typhoon hit, people started organizing relief operations for Metro Manila. Donations from all over came pouring in. Even my hometown donated in cash and in kind for their kababayans (countrymen) in the lowlands. When we were the ones who to be affected in the second typhoon, donations came up here in the highlands. Truly, we still possess that bayanihan (heroism) and pagkaka-isa (unity) spirit.

 

And that’s my take on everything that has happened in the past few weeks. Tragedies can actually be avoided, if people only thought things out well. If you’ll notice, the tragedies aren’t actually effects of environmental or climate change; they’re actually repercussions of our decisions. If you erect a house anywhere without thinking, that might bring on a painful experience to you. If you decide to throw your garbage anywhere, that will solicit a later effect. If you cut down a tree, that’ll have a later effect. Don’t blame the environment; don’t blame GOD. No one is responsible, but us. The environment is not pushing us; we are just punishing ourselves for our mistakes.

 

Keep moving forward, everyone!

 

 

Credit is due to ate Dene Anne for the snapshots, which were found on her Friendster profile page. Congratulations to their team on their successful relief operations!