04- Heneral Luna: Bayan o Sarili?

“Mga kapatid mayroon tayong mas malaking kaaway kaysa mga Amerikano- Ang Ating sarili” – Heneral Luna

This quote is one of my favourite quotes in the movie that made its way into my heart. In English, it can be translated as “My brothers it is not the Americans that is our greatest enemy but our kin itself”.

Heneral Luna is a historical movie made on the year of 2015 that shows the leadership of General Antonio Luna of the Philippine Revolution Army during the Philippine-American War. The movie was directed by a Filipino movie director, Jerrold Tarog and partnered with an ending song named “Hanggang Wala ng Bukas” by Ebe Dancel. 

As I was watching, Heneral Luna I could not help but gasp in amazement with each and every scene.  And I was very sure that even if it was a historical movie it is not boring as I thought since the movie is a bit modernized and they added some funny scene which would make people laugh. Also as I was watching the movie I could feel the irony at some scene especially when General Luna was killed by some Filipinos and those Filipinos where the ones who had given General Luna honours as he was being buried.  The movie was really great because it shows that even if Luna is a bit superior he was still a human who makes mistakes and has flaws and to be honest I cried when General Luna was killed mercilessly by his own kin nonetheless.

To those who did not know Antonio Luna or General Luna. He was a Filipino general who fought during the Philippine Army Revolution. He was also the brother of the famous painter, Juan Luna. And from what I heard from a Mr. Xiao Chua, a historian, Antonio Luna’s profession was Chemistry and his hobby was to play the guitar. 

03- Anti-Smoking Campaign Seminar

Last October 21, 2015, at Multi-purpose hall number of Asia Pacific College (APC) the school had launched the Anti- Smoking Campaign seminar for the APC students to know and understand the risks and dangers of smoking to their health. The APC invited two guest speakers for the said event. One of them was a former chain smoker and the latter is a doctor that came from a prestigious hospital.

The first speaker, whose name will not be mention, was wearing a robotic device near his throat that allows him to speak. He told the APC students about his unhealthy smoking habits until he got his vocal cords remove due to his continuous smoking that caused him to get a tumour. As, he end his speech he advised the students not to smoke anymore because it will not only damage their lungs, throat, or heart  but it may also be the cause of their early death.

The second speaker, whose name will also not be mention, told the APC students the dangers of smoking. He told the APC students that a cigarette contains dangerous chemicals especially Carbon Monoxide and Nicotine that causes a lot of harm to a person’s body.  He also said that continuous smoking can cause a person to become irritable, impatient, hostile, anxious, depressed, and restless. It may also be the reason why they have difficulty in concentrating, decreased heart rate, and weight loss. He also said that he takes part in a project where they would post pictures of lung cancer or gross images at a cigarette boxes like Marlboro so that people who buys them would know what will happen if they continue smoking. As he ends, he also advised the students to stop smoking so that they can have a healthy lifestyle and to lower the chance of dying at a very young age.

The seminar ended with APC students knowing the risks and dangers of smoking. They have learned their lesson which is to avoid or stop smoking so that they would not have complications with their health and for them not to die at a very young age.  

02- Theatrical Play: "Ang Tatay Mong Kalbo"

 Last October 10, 2015, my friends and I watched a theatrical play called "Ang Tatay mong Kalbo" at Asia Pacific College (APC), MPH1, 1:00 p.m. The first thing that you would probably say as you watch this play would be “What?" or “Does anyone even understand this?". But that is the gist of the play since “Ang Tatay mong Kalbo” is classified as an Absurd play. Absurd in a way that some words or sentences repeat over and over again or some of them are quite ironic that may confuse the audience on what they are really talking about and what message are they trying to express through.

My friends and I waiting in line

The play tells a story about a couple named Mr. Santos and Mrs. Santos who were conversing with each other at their house. During the conversation, Mr. Santos and Mrs. Santos would often argue at some point until their maid, Maria, announce that their friends Mr. Reyes and Mrs. Reyes have come to visit them. A truce happened between the two as they invited Mr. Reyes and Mrs. Reyes. The two couples would share random stories until General Hepe, a local fireman and Maria's love interest, arrived at the scene and asked if there was a fire at the place. The two couples gave a resounding "No" which made General Hepe cry hysterically and tells a story about fires and firemen. As the story goes deeper, the characters would often share stories until General Hepe announce that he should go home and the play ended with General Hepe asking “Nasaan ang tatay mong Kalbo?” in which Mr. Santos replied that he is still there combing his hair repeatedly.

An aftershow photo with General Hepe

After watching it, I couldn’t help but feel happy at myself for understanding some parts of the play since the play talks about Life. And I was also amazed by the actors since acting is a very difficult thing to do.

To those who still haven’t watch this play I recommend watching this since it is a great play although a bit confusing but if you squint hard enough you will definitely understand the message of the play. 

01-The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: The Murder at the Road Hill House

 

(The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher or the Murder at Road Hill House 

by Kate Summerscale)

The very first time I held this book I couldn't help but feel awe for finding such a treasure. One would have thought that this book is only an old mystery fiction novel but imagine my surprise when it was actually based on a true event that happened on 1860 at a house on an English country. The title "Murder at the Road Hill House"is actually an obvious hint. 

The book tells a story about a disturbing murder of Saville Kent, the 3-year old son of Samuel and Mary Kent, who was found dead at the servants' outdoor privy with his throat cut. The murder can be considered as mysterious since there were no witnesses (the murder happened at an early morning), no motive (who could have murdered such an innocent child?) and clues were lost. Due to the seriousness and mysteriousness of the case Detective Jonathan Whicher is called to aid and to solve the death of an innocent child. And as the story goes deeper, long-buried family secrets are slowly being unveil and the unexpected event that happened to all the great Victorian age detectives will make you relive the past.

 

(Detective Inspector Jonathan "Jack" Whicher)

For those who did not know Detective Whicher I added a brief biography about him.

 According to my research, Detective Inspector Jonathan "Jack Whicher" was one of the original eight members of the Detective Branch in Scotland Yard in 1842. Due to his accomplishment, he was used as inspiration for the character of the famous authors such as: Charles Dickens (Inspector Bucket), Colin Dexter (Inspector Morse), Wilkie Collins (Sergeant Cuff), R.D. Wingfield (Jack Frost), and many more. 

He was regarded as "The prince of detectives" by a colleague and was famous for solving difficult cases until the Road Hill Case. He was born on October 1, 1814 and died on June 29 1881.

Source: Wikipedia

The reason why I love this book is because Kate Summerscale, the author of this book, has written it in a way that when the readers read the story it makes you feel like a real detective. She also added some illustrations like the Road Hill house floor plan not just to add pictures in the book but for the readers to imagine the what the house look like and where the crime scene took place. Though for a book based on true event it feels like your reading a very famous mystery novel that hooks your hidden detective senses and makes you want to solve the case.

(Road Hill House Floor Plan)

To all avid fans of reading mystery novels I recommend you to read this book because it is as amazing as Sherlock Holmes and an interesting book to read during past time. You may like it or not but hey there is no harm in trying.