Samuel Ildefonso R. Raya IV
hi!!!
Thursday, February 01, 2007
The much talked about subject these days is the tuition fee increase that is poised to take effect next school year. It is quite bothersome for the incoming students of UP (perhaps “bothersome” is an understatement). Even current students will feel the sting of the tuition fee hikes in the semesters to come. Parents know how much of an added sacrifice this will be. But isn’t it a bit peculiar that the people who did approve this tuition fee increase are the alumni and the administration of UP? People whose alma mater is the same UP we are studying in. So why is this happening? Don’t they want our generation to experience the same inexpensive but quality education UP is known for?
Student organizations fighting for greater state subsidy may seem to be fighting for a right cause. But try to look a little deeper and you will find that these so-called freedom fighters are part of the problem they are fighting right now, namely increased tuition fees.
You see, while we as a state university, are entitled to funds from the government, we do not realize that UP has been given the capacity to provide for itself in the event the government cannot do so sufficiently. This is also why UP has been granted its own charter so it can exercise this grant. If you haven’t noticed, UP has so much land. Real property from the other side of Philcoa stretching all the way to Katipunan belongs to UP. Given the fact that land does not depreciate, UP can self-sustain by developing the land it owns into commercial ventures.
The thing is, whenever the administration considers UP property for investment, certain student organizations raise so much “bru-ha-ha” claiming it to be commercialization of education. Consequently, development plans for the property are abandoned, thus losing money which could have been used to improve facilities and keep the 300 peso/unit rate intact. A good example is the Ayala Techno Park. It would have been a nice environment for both parties if the whole project was completed since there is the marriage of academe and industry. But during its construction and development, it got delayed and certain parts of the project never came to be due to bad press generated by these organizations.
Now, try to put yourselves in the position of the administration, whom we have unconsciously labeled as the enemy. State subsidy is low, investors are wary with their interests in UP and the student population is steadily increasing. Where are you going to get the money to maintain facilities, pay utilities and employees, restock supplies and maintain, even improve the quality of education UP is known for? With such organizations making it difficult to use land idly lying around, how would you exploit your inexhaustible commodity? Options quickly run out and you find yourself pushed back against the wall. You are then left with an unpopular but logical option of raising tuition fees.
Can we still judge the administration as harshly as before? Can we still blame them given this little peek from another point of view? Yes, it is the state’s responsibility to support the UP. But the government has equipped UP to support itself and all that it has to do is exercise that ability to stand on its own. Similarly, we students are equipped and trained to be critical thinkers, yet we are swayed by one point of view all because it’s hammered into our heads with all these protests and rallies. Is that exercising critical thinking? You’ve been given another point of view and now have more facts to consider. Perhaps it is time to stake our claim as true “Iskolar ng Bayan” and truly think and not simply echo an idea just because it is the only one heard.
Monday, January 29, 2007
...we will be reborn.
april 2005 was the date of my last post. after almost two years of waiting, it s time once more to kick the gears into action, shake the dust of my back and... and... and...try to write again.
i have to write real words anyway because so far, all i've been scribbling down on paper are variables and chemical blah blah blah and all that crap. should the need arise, i shall write to, say, blow off some steam. translate into relieve stress.
i just hope this is not a "ningas-kugon" for me since i'm not really a "write-y" person. hehe.. ok then, 'till the next post, adieu! hope it doesn't take another 2 years!
Friday, April 29, 2005
we sleep one-third of our lives, sleeping an average of 8 hours a day. that is a known fact and is undisputed.
so i, spend my time staying up every night to the wee hours of the morning to make up for it. doing the things that i like most. either spending it with things that gives me contentment (i.e. guitar, computer etc.) or with pleasurable company.
ahh.. but i'd choose company over material things anytime. some would say its a waste of time. some would say, "you'd be more productive if you'd sleep, so in the morning you'd be alive and robust to do the day's work!" i'll manage, mind you, but thanks for the thought. i know my limits. besides, its this company i spend my time with that gives me the fuel for the day's workout! i lose sleep, but i gain something else. something of more value.
its amazing how today's communication has turned the world so small. cellphones, wireless equipment, the World-Wide-Web! sky's the limit! have a friend in the arctics? e-mail him! heck, why dont you go talk to him through the internet. i hear its possible.
anyways, getting to my point. even if a person is just about four, maybe five blocks away from you. you can have his/her company as if they were just right beside you. even through an old machine called the telephone. amazing.. it just, catches my fancy. thank you Sir Graham Bell! God bless your soul.. =D
i set a record today. no, actually i broke the record. here... in the "Sam's Book of World Records", i broke my personal best of staying on the phone, *ahem*, the telephone longest with the same person throughout the whole period. i repeat, "the record of staying on the telephone longest with the same person throughout the whole period."
with whom and how long? i'll answer the latter question. give or take, around 8 hours. (sorry, no official timer, see?) with whom...? you might ask. the question is insignificant. what matters is the record! ha-ha!=)
but the person itself is infact, very significant... mmm-hmmm... =p
moving on...
there is a risk to everthing we do. imagine, there's a risk to breathing in a dangerous element that might result in a serious respiratory ailment, that may possibly lead to death, everytime we breathe. but that's the worst-case scenario and... that may be a little too extreme. the probability of that incident might be one-in-a-gazillion trillion!
but it delivers my point. to something so natural as breathing, there it carries a risk we all take. though we can do almost nothing to eliminate this risk, there are some risks that we can do something about. for example, if you dont want the risk of losing a tooth...don't get in a fight!
as there are risks that cannot be avoided...
risks that can be avoided...
...there are some, that can be avoided but are worth taking.
...risks worth taking...
ponder on that thought.
when the stakes are high, nerves on the edge, racing heartbeat, shallow breathing. everything as it seems is in discord.
but then, when it's all over, when the cloud clears revealing the glory of the warm sunlight hitting your face... wasn't it all worth it?
ponder on that image.
"im not trying to tilt the balance to my favor."
"im just putting things in a better light."
"for my own good, for your own good. and to whoever finds these words...enlightening."
haaaaaiii....
"i rest my case, the defense... rests."
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
*sometimes i think i am responsible for things that i really am not.
but there are times that i just can't put it out of my mind. even if i'm not the one to blame. or am i?
whenever things like these happen, i always tend to assume things to be my doing. especially when i don't know the cause.
although sometimes, my assumption makes everything worse. because i really wasn't part of the problem, but then i involved myself in it, making things more complicated.
am i more of a convoluting factor to the people i want to help? to the people i love?
there is this feeling inside of me. an emotion that needs to be quelled. that needs to be... ignored. but i can't, actually, i don't want to. especially to someone. i feel warmth in my cold island everytime i think... of her. a warmth so welcome, you wouldn't want to let go. it feels so nice, a bliss hard to express in words.
*sigh*
then tears... tears run down her cheeks. and i feel responsible. but should i?
"sometimes i think i am responsible for things that i really am not.
but there are times that i just can't put it out of my mind. even if i'm not the one to blame. or am i?"
am i? is it my doing? am i the one to blame?
dammit sam! ang bobo mo talaga! pumasok ka sa isang sitwasyon na hindi dapat. hindi lang isang tao ang masasaktan... marami. mag-isip ka nga! kaibigan mo sila! shit! wag mo papairalin katangahan mo!
yes.. i am a fool. and i will remain foolish... sorry.
...i made a promise to never leave her side...
...and i don't have any intentions of breaking it...
sana lang hindi umabot sa lagay na kailangan kong baliin ang pangakong ito. ngunit, kung para sa ikabubuti... magpaparaya ako... at ipapako ko ang pangakong ito.
...ang saya ng buhay...
Friday, April 15, 2005
pinaiyak mo na naman ako...
parang nasisiyahan ka pa tuwing nangyayari to. pero di mo naman alam na ginagawa ko to eh. di mo alam na mahina ako. di mo alam lumuluha rin ang bato. kasi yun lang naman ang tingin mo sa akin eh, isang batong hindi na dapat pag-aksayahan ng oras.
minsan may ikinwento sa akin ang magulang ko. may isang minero, minimina niya ang isang bundok na pinaniniwalaan na naglalaman ng mga mamahaling bato. ang minero, hukay lang ng hukay, at baka ngitian ng kapalaran at makakita ng kayamanan. isang araw, may tinamaan siyang kakaibang bato. hinukay niya ito at nilabas sa lupa. isang bato na may taglay na kakaibang tigas ang kanyang nabungkal. kasing laki ng pakwan.
ang minero, kahit hindi sigurado kung ano ang kanyang nakuha ay alam na may nakuha siyang kayamanan. dali-dalian siyang bumalik ng bayan at ipinagmalaki ang kanyang nakuha. pumunta siya sa gitna ng plasa at isinigaw niya sa lahat, "tingnan niyo ang kayamanan na nakuha ko sa bundok!" at itinaas niya ang bato lampas ng kanyang ulo para makita ng lahat. ang mga taong naroon ay tumingin saglit sa hawak ng minero at nagpatuloy sa kanilang paglakad. may lumapit sa minero at tingnan ng maiigi ang bato. "isa ka talagang bobo, ginoong minero! yan ay isang maduming bato! wala ng iba. sige, at ibenta mo, tingnan natin kung may makuha kang piso sa batong iyan."
nagtaka ang minero at umuwi na lang sa bahay. may halaga nga ba talaga itong batong ito?
paglipas ng isang taon, bumalik siya ng bayan at pumunta muli sa gitna ng plasa, itinaas ang bato lampas ng ulo at sumigaw, "tingnan niyo ngayon ang kayamanan na nakuha ko sa bundok!" at ang mga taong naroon ay napahinto at nung pagtingin sa bato, ay nasilaw sa kinang nito. nagkumpulan sila sa harap ng minero at hinangaan ang tagpo ng minero. "yan ang kayamanan, bobong minero! yan ang kayamanan!" sa mga salitang yaon, napasalita ang minero. "ginoo, ikaw ang bobo. dahil ito ang parehong bato na idinala ko isang taon na ang nakalilipas." "ikaw ang bobo dahil hindi mo nakita ang tunay na ganda ng batong ito. ngayon, tingnan natin kung may makukuha kang piso sa talino mong iyan."
may mga bagay na sa unang tingin ay hindi mo makikita ang halaga. lalong-lalo na kapag nakinig ka na lang basta-basta sa mga sinasabi ng mga tao-tao, baka masayang mo lang ang binigay sa iyo ng tadhana. ngunit, kung aalagaan mo ito at bibigyang atensyon, hindi lang ikaw ang makakakita ng tunay niyang halaga, pati na rin ang iba makikita ito. may mga bagay na kailangan ng kaunting trabaho, pag-aksayahan ng oras bago makuha mo ang tunay niyang halaga. kung itatapon mo lang at ibabaliwala, sayang. hindi mo na nakita ang kanyang kinang.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
ten-tenenen!
my golly! talo kami sa laban sa basketball ngayon! becquerel... talo na naman kami sa kanila.. basketball at volleyball, haha, pati ping-pong! anu ba to.. di ko maispelling... haha! kakaiba.. talo. olats.
ang tagal ng half-time break namin!! dalawa't kalahating oras! haha.. yung mga 3rd year kasi may food fest... kaya naging lunch break na rin! yesss!! kaso di ako nakatikim masyado.. yung sooper anghang food ni yeye lang natikman ko.. grabe. ang anghang! ANGHAAAANG!! la pa namang tubig. hehe.. saraaap!
pag-resume ng laban. si carlo cruz... sobrang galing sa basketball! takte, ambilis tapos pasok lagi mga tira. sina james at jacob... nai-steal lang ng bola. my gash! anong kagalingan ito?? hindi pa napapagod... pero, ermm.. ayus lang, nice game naman eh.. tsaka ok! walang samaan ng loob.
"do or die" na talaga kami ngayon...
kapag natalo na naman kami sa susunod naming laban, laglag na kami sa laban. haaay... pleeease!!! joseph! awa! haha.. oo nga pala.. joseph! maraming salamat sa malalaki mong rebound sa 1st half ng laban! malaking tulong! haha! salamat!
isa pa! for the first time... my gulay! natalo ang einstein. kakaiba, nakakagulat, di ko.. hmmm... maisip. para kasing hindi binuo ang team nila para matalo eh. siggy! marny! charlie! gee! atbp. not made for losing.. ewan ko ba.. pero nice game din! ang higpit ng laban... sayang! 6-0 sana.. anyway.. goooo!! kaya to.. kita-kita na lang sa finals! haha.. asa kami, at least semis! yeah!
Monday, March 28, 2005
whoa!
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