AESTETA: Finals Exam (page 4)

Main Idea:

In terms of Aesthetics and search for beauty, I'd disregard any factors that would affect my belief and my perspective of my own life. I'd even disregard my religion, but it's not about that I hate religion; It's just in this world alone, I am only me. I'm the only one who can be myself, so if I let something affect me, it's not me anymore. It's not from my own justification and reasoning, because as an individual, I should take control of my own life belief.

Just like the famous Filipino quote "Nasa Diyos ang gawa, nasa tao ang gawa."

Yes, it should be like that. Whatever I'm going to do in this world, it is going to be my decision. Faith is just there, but I should not let that justify who I am.

Everyone should search for their own identity because that's by far the best thing to do for a living. When you find the 'prime' you, the peak of yourself, your life couldn't get any better.


Influences on why they thought this way, historical, family background, religious?


As a young man, as I encounter countless problems in life, sometimes even unbearable problems; step by step, I'm slowly diminishing myself away from my faith.

I can't spill all my hardships here because some are very confidential, but a little hint is that, it's all about family problems.

It's true that the one that you love, can make you strong and weak at the same time. Family, someone that's been with you since you were born inspires you, but at the same time, when everything fails, you feel like you too also fail.


Definitions of Beauty and/or Art in your terms Aesthetics in architecture


For me, beauty in architecture, as long as you're inspired and fueled to design a certain structure, it is beautiful. When we work with inspiration, that's beauty for me. Because everyone have different perspective on what's beautiful, so its really up to the designer and his philosophies.

Design makes structures look good, but philosophies makes it more stronger and invulnerable.

Let's say for example the Holocaust Museum, some people might consider it ugly and too complicated, but what makes it interesting is the story behind the design, which is really more important for me.

One thing I wrote in my Manifesto: "If a building is beautiful, but doesn't have any explanation about it, it's pointless."


Effects of your way of thinking to society (art, politics, etc.) when you become an architect

In art, I might be able to express some of my emotions and feelings, and maybe even others experiences. Arts that would lead them to find themselves. Arts to move them, arts to inspire them, arts to push them and make them open their eyes to reality and become the real them.

As long as I breathe, I would think of endless possibilities to aim more, to reach more and to become more.

AESTETA: Seatwork #1

CORONADO, Philippe Jiro L.                         AESTETA                                 January 18, 2011                   

Is our perception of beauty socially/culturally dictated or something innate/inborn/inherent?

A persons perception of beauty is based through a persons way of living. Some people live within themselves the beauty that their culture holds. Some people feel that self-expression is beauty, wherein they do not look at a certain object the way people normally look at it. They have their own standards for a thing to be beautiful. Everyone has their own definition of beautiful. For some, the more ugly a thing is, the more it is beautiful.

            Personally, I am a more self-expressive person. When I see a beautiful thing, I stand by it because I believe that judging an objects beauty is against a person’s free will. No one should tell others what is beautiful because it denies their self-expression on what is beauty. I also think that our perception must be inborn/innate/inherent because I saw a phrase at one slide at the presentation that says “Forced to be fat.” I just thought a while ago that, what if that person has her own standards to be beautiful? What if she finds being a fat girl ugly? Another though that I had was what if the Chinese women didn’t want to have a tiny feet? They are forced to have those because others told them that is beautiful.

            Everyone should be treated equally. Everyone has to be beautiful in their own expressive way. Everyone was born with self thinking; we should let themselves use it.

            I’m usually not fascinated by barong tagalongs and Filipinianas though it’s part of my culture as a Filipino. I’m usually not a fan of Piko, Tumbang Preso and other Filipino games though I played a lot of it during my childhood. I am more fascinated by coats and ties because I find it very universal, neat and can make you very good-looking. Culture will always be there but at the end of the day, you, yourself should know what is beautiful for you.

                To conclude; For me, as long as a person expresses him/herself freely, that is beautiful. As long as you have a certain passion on that certain beauty regardless if it is beautiful or not, then heck that is beautiful.

AESTETA: Work of Art

TITLE: The Weeping Woman
ARTIST: Pablo Picasso


I searched Google for Pablo Picasso-inspired paintings, and this painting was probably the catchiest one, at least for me.

It bears an enigmatic aura which portrays a lot of meaning behind its mysteriousness

In this painting, I see a woman. She is terrified, she is afraid, she is scared, she is trembling, and she is suffering.

With my own explanation to this painting, I think she is on a spotlight, the use of the color yellow, makes me feel that she is somewhere in a public place. Another thing that comes in to my mind when I see the color yellow are explosions.

I assume that this girl is crying because she's in the middle of a war. She is alone and she is being manhandled by groups of soldiers.

During Picasso's days, there were a lot of wars from different countries, and women those days were really discriminated. They were often associated with weakness, uselessness, cast-away from the society. Women were simply overlooked by everyone. Even up to now, women bears the burden of simply being a woman. In many aspects, women are still at the bottom of the society. They really never had a role.

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In pregnancy and bearing a family; they are the ones who have to carry a developing child for 9 whole months sacrifices such as giving time for children instead of time oneself.

In natures of being a woman; they are the ones who have monthly red flags, and have no choice but to do minimal things. They often get hated because of the mood-swings that cause them.

In man-made hardships; perhaps the most common one here in the Philippines is, women experience violence and loss of self-dignity. This include human-trafficking, getting raped, getting battered

In fashion; whenever we see girls who wear revealing clothes, we often refer to them as sluts and bitches, but the reality is that, they just want to express. While I was watching TMZ, there's this one media guy who asked this model. He said that "When girls dress up, do they want to be noticed by men?" And the model answered in a modest way, she said "We dress to express ourselves."

In teenage years; These days, it is very common when you get to hear 15-18 year old girls getting pregnant. Exploring the unconsciousness of sexual activities, with the little knowledge about producing, tends to lead to early pregnancy.
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In general, Picasso symbolized women as suffering in this painting. They are the softest and most fragile living beings. The always-battered woman was clearly shown in the painting but it expresses deeper meaning that that. I can say that this picture possess the phrase "Picture with a thousand words". It expresses a lot of emotions but only in minimal detail.

I think Picasso used this art as a wakeup call for women. The inequality of man and women must be shrugged off. It is a moving painting that inspires women to take a stand for themselves, to prove to everyone that they are as tough as any man in this world. Literally, it showcases the sadness of woman's life.

"...because women are suffering machines."

- Pablo Picasso

AESTETA: Communism | Capitalism

REFLECTION:
With all honesty, I had a hard time understanding the topic that was discussed last week. I also thought that the topic last week was the hardest one. So, I just searched on the internet the most notable things that I've heard last week.

There are so many things that I would like to discuss in here and let me start it with Capitalism. From what I have understood, Capitalism is an economic system wherein a certain company is all about gaining money or profit. They do not care if they are not giving you your right amount of salary. All they care about their gain. At one point of the discussion, I had a thought in my mind where I said that "Damn, these people are so greedy."

In the classical eras before Capitalism began, there was no private ownership on anything. People didn't need the government, they worked altogether to survive. However, as time goes by, people became greedy of power. People was so greedy, they held their own private ownership in lands which led to development of class system (Greed was so viral, that other people were also blinded by power). Well, I can not blame because this was during the Industrial Revolution where everything became fast, and everything was controlled by money. No wonder why everyone became greedy.

During this Capitalism era, the society was divided into two, the proletarian and the bourgeoisie (really having a hard time spelling that). The proletarian, these are the people who can be normally seen at the bottom of the 'triangle'. These are the people who work really hard but do not get back the things that they deserve. They are also called slaves. (I really pity everyone who became slaves. I'd like to tell them how much life is important, and they're the only one who can control themselves and not others.). They are the people who sell their labor for the wealthy classes. On the other hand is the bourgeoisie, they are called the "social class". They are the ones who own properties, they are the ruler of everything because they have money. They do not care if millions will die, they were really after just for the gain of money! They are also the one who compete amongst their kind.

After the topic was discussed, I never really found anything good at that certain era, but after watching videos from YouTube, I later on found out that the working class would take over states and would not need any more governments. It would now lead on to the fading away of class divisions.

Here now comes Communism. I watched videos in YouTube about Communism and it made it much more clear to me.

The word 'exploitation' was really more appropriate during this time rather than 'utilization', because the owners were not paying the workers the amount of money that they deserve. The worker was paid much less than what he produces. The owner/employer, even though he is not part of the production process, he is still the one getting paid more. Meanwhile, the workers who have worked 25 hours a day, the worker who is the crucial part of the production of that certain product/service, gets paid very little. Exploitation over utilization is the main stream of Capitalism. More exploitation = more profit.

Now, capitalists have their own strategy of keeping their workers to them. At first, they'd tell their workers all the benefit that they could get, but at the same time, they'd include taxes, wages, and additional working hours.

Then here is Karl Marx, a German Philosopher which whom I thought, hated democracies at Capitalism. In this video that I watched, it showed the Communist's Manifesto, and it said that, the workers have to rebel to their masters and to become masters of themselves.

"Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workingmen of all countries, unite!"

- Karl Marx

Marx was representing chains as the proletarians hard ships and being under controlled by the wealthy class.

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RELATION TO ARCHITECTURE:

To relate everything into Architecture, it is kind of a bit sad. When we pass by on construction sites, we see a lot workers, working hard, enduring the burning rays of the sun, lifting hallowed blocks, and endlessly working 15-20 hours a day and yet these Engineers, Architects and Contractors are the one getting paid high. I thought of that maybe because those 3 are getting paid with their mentality skills more than physical skills.

Here in the Philippines, I somehow pity some of our workers here because I see a lot of mediocre type of buildings here. Buildings that doesn’t have any sense, buildings that was designed through "bahala na" mentality. The Engineers and Architects were paid high with those mediocre works, but on the other hand, the workers were paid much less than what they have made on that building.

I really do not know where to weigh in, and I can not really tell which of the two is harder, because yes, it is hard to design (with all exceptions to the mediocre building I am referring to), but at the same time, I thought that working 15-20 hours a day is also something I would struggle to do + they get paid much less than what they give. It is kind of an unfair situation for the workers, as of now, for me. I will know when I am already there.

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PERSONAL FEEDBACKS:

It is very sad that even up to now, we can still see the 'triangle'. People even became more greedy. More than half of the Philippines population is drowning in poverty because of corruption and yet the high class, they have all the power to get what they want. Even justice these days can already be bought. Since I do not have enough knowledge about salaries of construction workers here, I still think that they should be given more salary, or at least be fair to them because they sacrifice their own sweat and blood. (I think I'm gonna have to do a research about this more.)

The worst thing is that there's nothing we can do about it, since we're already manhandled by their power, there is nothing we can do anymore.

I just want to share what happened last week at my ORDEV-B class. Farmers from the Hacienda Luisita had a campus-to-campus advertisement. The farmer talked about the current issue against our President Noynoy Aquino about their claim to the farmers land. But then, the farmer told us the whole story on what happened about the land.

The land was said to be bought by the Cojuanco-Aquino clan, using money from the SSS. It was during Marcos' time, and Marcos declared that the land is owned by the farmers. And until now, after 5 decades, the Aquino are still claiming it as their own. The farmer also said that they were just eating one meal a day. I could just imagine what would happen to us if the farmers would quit working and just start feeding themselves only because farmers are the ones who work to feed us. (rice, potatoes, corns) It is like they are working to feed the many, but get little beneficiaries.

If only I was rich and wealthy just like any other rich people here in the Philippines, I'd hold a lot of charities to those in need, seriously. Because I want them to feel that somebody is still there for them, helping them despite of their hardships that they're going through. I don't want them to feel helpless. I want them to realize that someone is thankful to have them, I want them to feel that they are even more worthy of every rice, goods that I'd give.

I am still waiting for that one day, where everyone starts thinking about those who are in need. And start forgetting power and wealth. Everyone today is becoming more and more selfish to the point that they are thinking that they are the only ones left in the world. But after all, after this rant; There is this question in my mind that I will keep on asking myself "What can we do?" because for me, it seems that everything is controlled by power (Media, military, justice, police, high-positions). What about the people at the bottom? Are they just to be stuck at the bottom and just die in poverty? Will they ever get a chance to live a life that they want? Can they do something about it? Will it ever end?

AESTETA: Sublime Assignment

In accomplishment to the assignment that was given to us last week, we were asked to cite experiences in our life where we felt the sublime.

Sublime for me is something that pleasures me spiritually, something that overwhelms me, something that fills me with emotions (may it be in awe [an emotion comparable to wonder but less joyous, and more fearful or respectful], in wonder and an amazed feeling), something that makes me feel not to blink my eyes so that I wouldn't miss a single vision from it and something that simply amazes me.

I just want to share some of my sublime experiences.

1. Can't measure love

 From January to May of the year 2010, me and Aly was in a long distance relationship. She's living in Texas, and I'm here in Manila, but despite the distance, we really felt that we were just beside each other. All those months, we were planning on how we're going to meet for the first time because every June of the year, she comes back home, here in the Philippines to have her summer vacation to spend some time with her aunts and cousins. 

Sbarro, Glorietta 5

Since that, she and her family always go straight to the mall after they drop their bags at their house; we just decided to meet up on that mall. Unfortunately, that wasn't our plan, but that didn't ruin it. She's already at the mall with her aunts and cousin, and while I was on my way to that mall, I felt mixed emotions such as: anxiety (I was unease because I'm afraid that I might look ugly in front of her, I kept on looking at every mirror that I get to pass by to see how I look.), excitement, and what we call kilig-feeling. But then I thought that, there's no turning back. Time is not ticking backwards, and there's nothing I can do but to face her. 

Then I called her and asked where she was, I asked her if she could just go down because I was shy of her cousin. And yeah, she went down. 

While I was waiting at the near-by food court, I was on the phone with her. She was in front of a pizza parlor on that food court, facing the food court, and I was at the rails (leaning on to a rail, where you can see the 1st floor. The boundary, so that you wouldn’t fall. Hahaha, I don't know what it is called.) Which was in front of that pizza parlor on where she was. So basically, she was just right behind me. 10 feet away from me.

She was saying "Nandito na ako sa may pizza parlor"

Then I said "E katapat ko lang yung pizza parlor". 

Then I turned my back, and I saw her. She ran to me and I hugged her so tight. On that moment, after 5 months being away from each other, the first time I hugged her, I was really feeling every second of it because it was my first time to hug her. And it was really really overwhelming.

It's really a moment for me to remember. And now, every time I pass through that exact place, I always remember that scenario in my head + background music. (Hahaha.) I always feel the same exact feeling that I felt when every time I pass that place.

2. Empire State of Mind

Timesquare, New York, USA

My second sublime experience that I'd like to share is when me and my family spent our summer at USA. We spent the first two weeks at California (for theme parks: Universal Studio, Disneyland, SeaWorld), Las Vegas and Arizona (Grand Canyon). I thought I already had a blast on those states. But later on, I realized that the phrase "Save the best for last" is true

We then on, went to New York to spend the last 2 weeks of our summer vacation. At first, I thought it would be a boring way to end our summer vacation because it really had no theme parks in it. I feel like everything was all sky scrapers and roads and streets. But then, as the day goes by, I was enjoying my stay there unexpectedly. I suddenly felt the comfort just by walking into the city, knowing it's a tiny part of its history, spend time with my relatives there, and staying at the park (Central Park: where I can find almost every kind of people. There are lovers sitting under the trees, couples who sit by the river, teenagers playing Frisbees, a group of random people dancing, blind men singing etc.). For me, I felt like, in that place, everyone can be free, no one would judge you on whatever you're doing unlike here, everyone would judge you in every simplest thing you do.

I feel like that there's no way for me to end my summer but to live it to the fullest. From the trips to the Liberty Island, to the American National Museum to late nights at Timesquare to even just condo units, I felt satisfied. I felt that, I want to have a life like this somewhere in the near future.

I can't even make you feel the things that I felt, because it's an experience where you have to experience it yourself, where you have to see it unfold right in front of your eyes. It's really one of the places where I would never reject to go to.

In the song Empire State of Mind by Jay Z and Alicia Keys, there was this part in the chorus that says "These streets will make you feel brand new". It is really indeed true.

AESTETA: Midterms Presentation

AESTETA: Manifesto (Platonic and Aristotelean inspired)

"All good poets compose their beautiful poems not by art, but because they are inspired or possessed...there is no invention in him unless he has been inspired and is out of his senses and the mind is no longer with him...these beautiful poems are not human, or the work of man, but divine and the work of god."

- Plato, Ion and Phaedrus

Architecture is the output of our work and the input of our imaginations.


On one paragraph that I wrote on my Manifesto was:


"Architecture for me is all about what we see in our respected surroundings. From the measurements of each object, from the design concepts, from the philosophy, from the life experiences, from acoustics and music and how we interpret every detail on our imagination and creativity to our output work and how we think critically on what we see."

- Coronado, Philippe Jiro L.

The Philosophy of Aristotle, mainly the Theory of Causation, supported that paragraph of mine because, the Theory of Causation was all about the input and the output of a certain material. In relation to Architecture, a building must be well designed inside and out. You must know what is the purpose of that certain structure and what does it express. Does it express emotions of the designer? Does it symbolize a certain country? and such. Because as architects, you must know the means and purpose of your building.

In Platonic term, Plato discussed the Theory of Forms. Which means anything that imitate the real forms (according to Plato are ideas), are fake, imperfect. He also stated that there is only one pure form, and it only exists in our mind. Plato was more of an Idealist which means that for him, ideas are more real than the objects that manifest them. He gives more credit to the thought behind a certain object, and not the object itself.

 Just like what I have remembered in my notes: Beauty is an essence not appearance. I find that phrase very catchy and strong at the same time, because, a lot of people might take it the wrong way, but what they don't realize, is that, an object is beautiful because of its substance that gives meaning to an object. In an easier way, the essence or the purpose of the object is what make the object beautiful.

(*Plato and Aristotle, for me was really the opposite of one another. That is why, I am having a little contradicting argument with myself here)

In Aristotlean term, he denied Plato's Theory of Forms, wherein he said that Forms exists in the real world. He said that, a substance is in the form itself. May it be its purpose, its shape, its esthetics. Aristotle defined forms as the manifestos of a certain object. (I am trying hard not to mess up and not to tangle words. Haha.). In much more easier term, Aristotle, defined forms as the inside soul of an object. Just like the example, last week, a chair becomes a chair, because of its means and purpose, because of the substance that is in the form itself.

He described that you will find beauty after tragedy. That is why the movie Pleasantville was a good appetizer for us to start the discussion, because how will you find beauty if everything is happy, if everything is perfect. It would be such a boring world if you do have a world like that. Someone in that world really has to make a mistake, for them to find beauty in themselves (colors).

In relation to Architecture, I just want to share again a part on my Adesprn Manifesto during the 1st term:


"It requires critical thinking. We must look beyond and ordinary object, to make it an extra ordinary object. We need to exceed our own expectation. We need to think outside of the box. We must look for possibilities, and when we say possibilities, it’s made up of imaginations, and imaginations are limitless. It’s more than what we see outside, but it’s more on what we see inside."

-Coronado, Philippe Jiro L.

As Architects, we must design with inspiration, we must design not only to make a structure beautiful outside, but also the inside.
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People often over look a certain beauty of a structure, where in the people miss the best part of it. The concept of each building is what makes the building meaningful and beautiful. The concept is the most basic foundation of the structure, it’s the main character, then the materials and the design are just the supporting characters.

Here is an example of Cesar Pelli's masterpiece: The Petronas Tower.

The tower looks so good, elegant and is really one of my favorite. People may find this tower universally beautiful, but what people miss in this building is mainly, maybe the most important part of it.

Architect Cesar Pelli designed this building through a Rub el Hizb, which today is oftenly called as the Star of David. Cesar Pelli, used that Rub el Hizb, to symbolize Malaysia's Muslim religion.

Having that kind of concept through a building just makes that building even more meaningful. (The design was the icing, and the concept was the cherry on top)



We as Architects, should be driven or to be possessed by something to create/ or to have an inspiration to have a one of a kind building (I guess, One of a Kind is just the perfect word, because inspiration comes from our mind and soul. According to Plato, what we have in our mind is the real deal, the real thing, the legitimate thing, therefore, our ideas can't be copied by any other of our kind.)

For me, I personally think that the concept is in the output itself. In the first place, there would not be an output without a concept. But they only differ on one thing: and that is limitations. Concepts are synthesis of ideas supported by a human philosophy which makes it eternal and universal. In today's world, we see extremist architects who exceed their own expectations to perfections. We see extremist architects who make the imagination, a mere reality. Just like what Plato implied, forms (ideas) manifests its physical object.

At the same time, the concept is much more important than the output because, the concept is the one who drives and inspires you to exceed your limits to have a quality output. With having a mediocre concept, you will also have a mediocre output. In simple analogy, the concept can be the engine, and the output is the driver. The engine is the driving force, who gives support and energy to the driver (output). The driver could lead us to different places with a good engine.

A landscape drawing would look like much real with shadows on it.



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"That architectural tracings are apparitions, outlines, figments
They are not diagrams but ghosts"

-John Hejduk

This phrase from Hejduk, was similar to Plato's Theory of Forms. It was stated that the purest form of things only existed in our mind. They are only imitations or possibly illusions.

Architect John Hejduk was also a symbolic architect.


'The architect starts with the abstract world, and 
due to the nature of his work, works toward the real world."

-John Hejduk, The Mask of Medusa

I understood this quote as, an Architect should start thinking beyond what is possible, he/she must defy his/her own standards. Once he's/she's finished with all the concepts, all he/she has to do is to apply that concept to the real world. No matter how impossible our concepts are, we must still pursue and continue with that because that we must defy the impossible. Just like what Frank Gehry did, no one thought that the Walt Disney Concert Hall would be looked at as a beautiful structure. I guess, when you go on to the extreme, it gives more beauty to a certain structure.



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In conclusion, Architecture is not all about creating buildings. Constructing is already given as our forte, but we must excel more on the philosophical side, which gives life to the structure. We as architects, must compromise to each of our clients, we must adopt their philosophy, so we would be driven to create a unique design only for them. For us to be good architects, we must take advantage of Plato and Aristotle's philosophy. Ideas are limitless, universal, never-ending, infinite. It's impossible for us to have a mediocre output, because each and every one of us has an inner "form", and that form consists of our emotions, experiences, sufferings, happiness. We should always remember that our inner selves are always represented by our designs and constructions.

As individuals, we have our own self realizations, we have our own inspirations, we have our own set of goals. We must learn how to mash up our inner selves to our philosophy for us to have boosts inside us, we must let our creative philosophical side, to have a bulletproof concept that would make our output, even better that what we expected.

AESTETA: Pleasantville

The movie Pleasantville was really impressive.

Actually, there's a lot for me to say about this movie and it's so many that I don't even know where to start.

First off, figuratively, the colors Black and White for me is just like answering a "Yes and No" question. While the different colors answers question with a lot of details in it. The colors black and white are dull, because it doesn't emphasize the detail of a certain object. (Well, Black and White are sometimes cool alone, like in gadgets and other techy stuffs, but when you put Black and White to a colorful area, it simply looks out of place.)

In a place where I thought everyone was perfect, In a place where there’s only one place to be, In a place where everything seems to be at the right place and at the right time, In a place where you don’t miss a basketball shot, In a place where you don’t know anything bad, something was still incomplete.

For me, at the movie Pleasantville, they were Black and White because everyone in that movie didn’t have an identity. I mean, they don’t know who they really are and they didn’t what’s their purpose in their world. They don’t even have an idea on where they are. It’s like their stuck in a world where they only know. (They don’t even know what’s outside Pleasantville, and assume there’s nothing outside Pleasantville.) They live in a mediocre life where they’re satisfied with what they already have and don’t even bother to explore more things and to know the meaning of life.

Here are just some of the scenes that I remembered prior to the change that began:

1. 1.       When Bud was at the basketball gym, and when Skip Martin(captain of the basketball team) knew that Jennifer didn’t want to go out with him, he was kind of depressed so he just tossed the ball at the ring, and as we expected, the ball should’ve went into the hoop, but it didn’t.

- It was really an interesting scene, because finally a basketball shot was missed, and I assume that the ball missed the hoop, because the perfect man in the perfect world got his heart broken. (An experience he never experienced.)

1. 2.       When Skip had sex at the Lover’s Lane with Mary Sue

-          For me, this was another interesting scene because it was showcased that Skip doesn’t know anything about sex, to the point that he didn’t know the substance that’s coming out inside him. It just gives another example of how a person in the world Pleasantville was really mediocre. And then, when Skip drove back home, it was the first time he saw a colored rose. He saw colors because that moment in his life, he started learning what his purpose is and that was to love Mary Sue.

1. 3.       When the fire sparked out at the tree and no one else in that place seemed to care.

-          In that part, again. It was the first time encountered a fire. And no one exactly didn’t know the meaning of fire. In that perfect place, they even cared more about kittens stuck on a tree. That changed the movie when Bud, hurriedly went to the “fire” station to ask for help on firemen. But unfortunately, they only could care less about the fire and didn’t even know how to use the water. It became the turning point of the movie when Bud used the water hose to put away the fire. And after that event, everyone thinks that Bud was a hero. (Well, I also considered him a hero for putting out the fire. But not a hero, like a hero. Whatever.)

The rest of the characters bloomed to colors after that event. The clock now had its neon green light colors. The jukebox now had colors and giving life to the diner.

In short description, the people in Pleasantville blossoms to color because event by event, they get to know themselves more, they get to know their worth, they get to be who they really want to be. They are free to do something different things, things that they’ve never done before, may it be missing a basketball shot. The important thing is that they get to be themselves freely. Just like the couples at the Lover’s Lane, everyone has their color, because they find themselves in that significant other and they feel free when they love each one another. It’s like loving the other is their purpose in their world. (What a cliché/cheesy statement. Haha.)

Meanwhile, when all things are starting to get beautiful, authorities of men started a movement to remove all the colors because they feel that having colors is not safe in their world. They tended to trash and burn all the paintings and books, to the point where they even proposed a law that having color is a prohibited law. They see their world with a mediocre perspective. They’re satisfied with what they have, and they don’t want to change it any further. They want things to be exactly the same. They prefer to be somebody else than to be themselves, because that’s how they view it and that’s their own perspective on life.

In the movie, arts were represented in two ways; either the people would love it, or the people will hate and be disgusted by it. Books were empty that time; it represents the lives of the people who lived there. Now, when Bud found this that he was familiar about, it was empty, and he started telling stories on what happened there. By that simple event, every people inside that bar are starting to get out and sprout from themselves. Each and every time they learn, the world comes to be colorful with them.

In relation to my personal experience, there was this point in my life where I didn’t know where my life would be. When I was at my 4^th Year at highschool, I didn’t know what to write on college application forms, I didn’t know what I want to do 5 years from that time. So, I was really confused about myself that time. I didn’t have an identity that time; I didn’t know what I was born to be that time. So, I just placed random courses (courses which I’m not sure about) at the application forms, and failed to pass on them. When I spent my first year at UST, I took up a last-resort course, a course which I’m really not interested to. I wasn’t happy with that 1 year and as time goes, something just went into my mind that, I wanted to take Architecture. I knew in myself that I was creative enough to do things an architect student can do. So I stopped at UST; and later on found out that SDA was having an Architecture course. So I took it and here I am now, full of colors, I feel like I do belong in this course. I know I’m still not as good as other students, but I do know that I can still learn and improve any aspect in it. I just feel comfortable doing the stuffs I really love.


For me, a person sees the world based on what is beauty to him/her. And we define beauty based on our interests, and we define interests based on our environment. Each and everyone of us has an identity. Everyone of us has different surroundings and environment. Everyone of us has different experiences.

AESTETA: Homework #1

Personally, I find this picture beautiful. I find this beautiful because it expresses a lot of emotions in it. What behind in this picture is what we do not know, it may be a celebration/ a party, it may be someone who encountering a lot of troubles and tribulations in life, or simply it may be from a group of friends who simply just wanna have fun.

For me, I find this both innate and traditional because most Filipinos (may it be an urban person, a worker, a business person, a stand-byer, and every aspect a person has), we tend to celebrate success and victories with a bucket of beer. We tend to frown our emotions after an heartbreak, a demoted day, a not-so-good day with a glass of beer with a bunch of friends. It became our habits as Filipinos to leave it that way.



This picture was taken at Timesquare at New York City, May 21st of 2010. I find this picture beautiful not only because of it's light-blooming buildings, not because of the billboards of famous Broadway performers, not because of it's city lights. I find this picture beautiful because, underneath it's busy roads, the human traffics, the hectic cab rides, people still find it as one of the most beautiful cities to go to. At some song, I heard the lyrics "These streets will make you feel brand new" And yes, it totally did made me feel brand new. I feel like in that busy city, in that hectic surrounding, this is where people all over the world would love to go to. This is the place where they can be themselves. When I was at New York, it gave me a taste on how I want my life to be. I was interested more on subways rather than automobiles. I appreciated Bagels and cream cheese rather than fried rice and meat. In that busy city, in that populated city, that is where I wanna be.

This picture was taken May 6th, 2010 (my 18th birthday), at some street at Las Vegas Boulevard at Las Vegas, Nevada.

At a farther view, you may just see cross lines at the floor but if you'll look at it closely, it's floor has a shimmering texture, it's like you're walking on a street of diamonds, embedded diamonds. But there's another thing that I find through the floor. I can see a nebula, it is an interstellar cloud of dust, diamond dusts. When we were asked to give three examples on things I find beautiful, a Nebula first came to my mind. And I really had a hard time to look for picture because we were not allowed to get pictures from Google, instead, I just browsed through my vacation photos and I saw a nebula right away in this picture. I find nebulas beautiful because even though there are mixed colors, they still appear to be beautiful work of art. The stars play well with our eyes and it is so beautiful we will just be strucked in awe.