Captivating ART...

 Recently I was asked in my English 114

class to find a Cultural Prodution produced

by a filipino; they could be amatuer or not; it

was said that my finding could be either

visual, textual, just anything produced by a

filipino. So immediately artwork that was

made by a filipino because if know me it would be natural for me to

choose something like this because I'm also an artists but I'm not sure

what category my arts falls in just yet. Soo BOOOMMM my web

search started and I found an interesting artist named Nemo Aguile from Manila. He is well known for his

bizarre yet captivating art work. Through his work he manages to tell a story going back to his roots yet is

acculturated by characters that he grew up with as a child. With these characters he transforms/deforms,

exaggerating their facial expressions and or just the overall character. Basically his art gives him his own

identity instead using the commonly known filipino flag. He likes to think that his art bridges time lines in his

life of innocence and the realization that he grew older, more so its on the humor and lighter side of life. I read

more on and found that his art was described as being urban in better terms was seen as contempory self

expression that thrives in a new direaction of art. As I said earlier Aguile uses his art to give him his own

identity, I do so too use my art to give me my own identity as a self expression of the society surrounded by

me. I use my art as an extension of my voice, a way of expressing feelings that cannot be explained through

words but by sight and what sense of feeling you retain from the visual. I do most of the time try to take my

art to the next level but this artist is on a whole anoter level that I found is an inspiration and would most

definitly follow his art up. Maybe I can learn a thing or two.  

    your Bayan Buddy,

                        Patricia 8D  

             p.s. the drawing to the left is something I drew a while back

                          Hope you guys like it   ^_^

Reminiscing on Past Generations

On a drizzling morning on October 4th, my Bayan class went to go see/hear an author named Judy Patacsil a

counsilor at Mira Mar Mesa College talked about her book "Filipinos In San Diego". To be honest I was

really excited to go because I've never gone to a book reading ever in my life, so as you can tell by

now this was on a whole new adventure of for me to explore. So as

I was sitting there listening to this powerful Filipina woman talk

about a book she and other authors wrote about the history

of Filipinos in San Diego and the way their people struggled to keep

their culture, familes, and letting people know just how magnificent

and as important as any other. She talked about the stories behind

each picture; she talked about the actions the people did and what

they went through at that very moment; the struggles they went

through, the protesters that took action in the community, and the

families that tried to keep one another together at difficult times. She pointed out something interesting that

caught my interest; it was about how her family and so many others that were deeply involved in the

community movement and I found that very appealing because my elders lived in that generation and worked

along side the filipinos but were also in the chicano movement. I was told stoiries about this time period over

and over again by my family and how everything changed the whole aspect of the community. And

how this put my generation onto a path where we can say that we're proud of you and ourselves from where

we come from; yes each generation is acculturated by many aspects of the change of time but as well, it is

our heritage that keeps of fruitful of knowledge that will never be lost as long as we are reminded from where

we come from. Towards the end of the book reading I was thrilled to know that I could talk to the authors

and share to them what I enjoyed from the whole experience and share to them a bit of my family history. I

was also thrilled to know that our familes had gone through similar experiences and that they could relate. I

would post up pictures from when my family lived in that sourt of era but I haven't got the chance to ask for

them. When I got to talking to these authors i notice immediatly that they were really down to earth and really

easy to talk to. What I enjoyed the most from all of this was getting to know the history of all these familes

and honestly got me thinking deeply about my family that put a big smile on my face.  

                           Your Bayan Buddy signing out at a ridiculous time,

                                                                                  Patricia 8D

            

"Sticking out like a Sore Thumb"

       My first day of school in my first class I noticed immediatly that I was one of the few mexicans in class


and right away I felt like minority which was unusual for me because the school I came from was mostly


composed of mexicans, not so much of filipinos and any other ethnic group. When the professors said that

we were going to learn about filipinos I thought "why and for what

reason" and then they said that the community does not have much

knowledge and or learn about them as such about other ethnic

groups. And then just like that "DINGG DINGGGG!!!" a light bulb of

realization came; I thought to myself " I honestly didn't know much about

filipinos" and that frustrated me because I started to think of what little bit

I do know. I didn't know about the history, about the generations and waves, their customs, the cultural

values, and so on and so forth, you get the idea. But as each day I came to class I knew a bit more and

it was being absorbed and it kept me wanting to know more. I like that feeling ^_^  Being able to recognize

what I never been able to before. Knowing what I know now about filipinos led me to think that they are

very similar to me but not; there are so many ways I can relate and start to feel comfortable talking about my

family background because they are just like me going through everyday life with everyday situations. I

honestly like the idea that I get to learn about filipinos almost everyday and I'm thinking now at ten o'clock at

night why the hell hasn't the school systems been teaching this; it's just as important as mexican history, just as

important as african american history, overall just as important as any ethnic group in the states REALLY

COME ON EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. I feel now in terms of what my professors were talking about, we

are a BAYAN and will eventually become a family that some might not understand, that we come to each

other when one is need of advice, help, or just someone to talk to; I've come to a conclusion that I can call

my classmates another family that I didn't have. 

               

                signing out, your BAYAN BUDDY, 

                                                               Patricia Arce 8D

  

      

SKIN DEEP

"Chameleon Brown"

A poem by Lou Syquia 

(change change

like a chameleon do

from white to black

from brown to blue

just as to say;

that clothes are not the skin of the man

just as

skin is not the essence

shed that skin

 it ain't a part of you

change change 

like a chameleon do 

from brown to blue...)

  

 As I read this poem I began to take recognition of how I see myself not so much as externally but more

so internally. Even though I put some thinking into what I wear everyday and the way I like to look as well,

it's because it makes feel pretty and gives that extra confidence that I never used to have but that perceisily is

not the main factor that made me the person I am today. On the other hand, I haven't put much thought into

myself: the way I act around others, the way I perceive others, the way I kick myself in the butt for not trying

hard enough and the list can just go on. This americanized society has had a partial influence on me but never

enough to let loose to my true values, my culture, the way I am influenced by my family/customs but most

importantly make me loose my way. When I came to reading the poem a couple more times I realized that

the true you that you want others to see is not labeled by the way you dress and the way you coat yourself

with objects that are either permanent or temperory; it doesn't change who you are...yea the influences might

change your mind on the way you dress or look extrenally but internally you have kept your customs with

you, celebrated it and share it with others. There are those days that you wish you could belong to

something if only you had this or that but that's not what makes you YOU . The actions and the way you let

others get to know you on a certain personal level is what makes your identity and how you build from

it.         

The starting of my journey...

Hi my name is Patricia M. Arce, a newby here at SWC, fresh out of high school that is eager and ready to

soak up all what I can get my thinking noodles wrapped around. At first meeting me u can tell that I'm shy

and reserved but the reason is that I sometimes have a hard time opening up to others; I've always been that

way since I was little but over the years I've opened up more and put myself out into the world but still had

those certain family circumstances that held a chain to my ankle preventing me from going places, trying

new things and expressing my true self to others. But throughout the years as I have grown and matured

and have been noticing how much the world is changing, the people, and most importantly the differences I

see in the society. My eyes and ears are wide open now more than ever before, I'm learning about things that

I only knew basics of and growing from it and that keeps me wanting to learn more and curious about whats

really going on behind the curtains of life. The last couple of years I've been through situations that put me

into an emotionally distressed hardships and also drama that just never seems to go away but I always had

the head strong mentality to just keep going on and never letting it come between me and my

education because as you haven't noticed yet (hopefully you did) the world never stops for you, it just keeps

moving along with it's day like no other. My life experiences has led me to be mature about the views of

different communities all around me and not be a kid about it all. Learning how others view cultures can be

seen through many ways but some are wrong and misinterpreted as something entirely different but that's

how I don't want to view other cultures, I want to learn the correct way, I want to know what's

the behind story of how they became themselves and why they are the way that they are. I've always been

the type to be curious of another and wonder what they're about and mostly all the time I always get into

those conversations even some at random places/times, to know somewhat person they are but I'm just the

pesron that's likes meeting new peopleand making new friends. So if you wanna get to know more about

what kind of person I am just hit me up, call me out, get my number, i don't care how just go ahead and ask

anyways.

Your BAYAN buddy, Patricia 8D