Another on the spot

Another on the spot write up. I made this one for my Philippine Literature class last Wednesday as a seat work asked by our professor. Too bad the one I submitted to my professor was a short one, since I ran out of time. I did it first in my draft in my notebook and when I was done, I didn't have enough time to transfer them all. Well, here goes the seatwork.

January 11, 2005

To my dearest brother Joel,

It has been a decade since we parted ways. I just miss everything we do together. All the laughs and the petty fights we have up to the point that we were acting like deranged lunatics mobbing the whole house. Well, enough about the sentimental feelings. I am just writing to you to update you with what is going on about me, and to let out the sudden rage I am feeling over my Philippine literature class.

Well, its not that I hate it as much I do for the government. But it is just that I was surprised to have this seatwork right away on my first day of attending the class. Our professor asked us to do writing about our understanding and relevance of the said class in our lives. So pardon me, my dear brother for letting out this angst to you.

What is literature? I always ask that question to myself. From the time, I started to write poems in July of 2005 and making my first article last December of the same year. That question never leaves my head. It stayed on me like glue. I think about this as often as I exhale. Just now, I defined literature, in my own words, to be a work of art by someone in an abstract manner, showing emotions and even the logical concepts most people overlook. As you know, I try research more in what I do, for honing my skills and broaden my experience. Like photography, literature is an art. And it is truly relevant to me in some ways.

You may find it odd for a marketing management major student find literature to be relevant. Well in its simplest context, literature, the way I see it, develops one skill in writing. It makes me write down my thoughts rather than say it most of the time. You know that my course requires a lot writing for research and reports. So I find this subject to be helpful.

But what about Philippine literature? What significance will it give me? Will it change an aspect of my life? I just realized that it is significant to me. And this will help me to see more of my artistic side and to develop my skill in writing further. I need to learn more about this to know more about the style of writing of most Filipino writers. As long as its literature, I’ll read it and make that as one of my inspirations to write more. Just like Miyamoto Mushashi’s Book of the Five Rings and Bob Ong’s Ang Libro ni Judas, though I haven’t read the later book. I want to read and help me understand more about Philippine literature before and now. Sun Tzu’s Art of War is really a classic. I learned a lot from that book.

A lot of things have changed my brother. As I said, I practice my writing skills further. I even got interested in photography last March and some basic photo editing last October all in the same year. So imagine what I’m doing for the whole year and all of them sprung out like mushrooms in just one year. Now, I love them and it is a part of my life, like a daily routine to me. I even go to SM Megamall not to do some shopping or hit the arcades. I will go straight to the fourth floor to the art galleries there to see and observe some paintings, sculptures and photos. I’m so inspired with what I’m doing right now. The feeling is just overwhelming. I really love what I’m doing right now. This class will help me more in loving what I do. Right now, the angst fades away; I’m beginning to like this class now.

I’ll see you in the afterlife. I love you.

Joseph Brian E. Calimon