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I can't believe it was the last day of our ARTAPRE class today. It was indeed short-lived but I'd be lying if I said I didn't pick up at thing or two from this class. It's changed a lot in me especially about the way I view the world, along with certain other things.
For one thing, I've started staying behind to see the credits in movies. I realized that the people working behind the scenes deserve an audience too.
I've started drawing again. I took Art classes as a child and just didn't do very well sketching and all. But I enjoy drawing abstract designs. My friends come up to me sometimes asking me to decorate their stuff, the way I do with most of mine. I've pretty much learned to appreciate the kind of art that I am able to come up with.
I can say that I am able to look at paintings with a different eye after this class. I used to visit museums with my friends and my mom without too much enthusiasm. Now I feel like I've been given new eyes to see beyond the paintings before me. After finals, I plan to do just that. I am eager to put these new eyes to use.
Lastly, I'd like to say that I feel like the most important thing I have learned from this class, to me, is that anyone can become an artist. I wrote that on my light bulb sheet... I guess sometimes it takes a little more effort to find the artist in one's self-or in anyone. Maybe it just takes a little push, or an Art Appreciation class to really get in touch with it.
This class has changed a lot more about the way I see things now but it would take too much time to put these all up; but all the same, I am very thankful for having been a part of it.
10:59 AM
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Who would have thought that this morning's attendance check would get me thinking the rest of the day?
Sometimes, I feel like my parents don't really take me seriously anymore when I tell them I want to learn how to do a certain thing.
Through the years, I've wanted to do lots of things..
Here's a "brief" list of what I wish I'd done in past and haven't gotten around to doing just yet:
I wish I had taken my piano lessons seriously.
I wish I never let my parents stop me from learning how to play the drums (according to them, it's because I'm a girl... My brother was allowed to learn).
I wish I'd started playing guitar and taking it seriously at an earlier age (I started playing when I was 10 or 11... I'm still not as good as I have always wanted to be).
I wish I'd started learning French when I was younger.
I wish I'd never let my dad stop me from taking Hockey lessons.
I wish I'd never stopped playing football.
I wish I'd never told my mom that I bought a skateboard.
I wish I'd gotten good at skateboarding before telling my mom.
I wish I'd (with my bandmates) jumped at every invitation to jam at parties or wherever.
The list goes on... and on... and on.
It just got me thinking a lot about who I am and the things I've wanted to do but never got around to doing. Learning a new instrument requires patience, determination and perseverance; which I might not be able to give. It was motivating though, when Miss Castro talked about what we all wish we'd done in the past...
I think there always IS a way... Sometimes it's not so visible and takes a little effort to look around. I've decided that I'm not going to let school become an impediment to the things and hobbies that I am passionate about.
I started practicing the piano again today.:) I'm quite proud, with the help of some Youtube vids and a background in note-reading, I'm on my way!
I'm not saying I'll be pushing my guitar playing aside... I could never do that. It's become too much a part of me and it will stay that way. However, it's nice to be able to express oneself in various ways.
I'm not even halfway done with "Blackbird" (by the Beatles) but this process is also teaching me about patience... It's just nice to be reminded that it's never too late.:)
9:19 PM
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The discussion we had about the malls has really been interesting so far. It sort of helped me get into a more reflective mood about how I view life and everyone around me.
I used to be really active in social work but it's bee a while since I last ventured out into the world and done something really worthwhile.
In a way, I'm just like most of the what the upper class has become. I have "Disneyfied" my own life and forced myself to ignore what the rest of the world is experiencing. I have to admit, although some things are being done to help make the world a better place, it's just not enough. I really do believe there will always be room for somebody who wants to do his or her share.
It really just got me thinking about how even architecture can contribute to the way society is shaped and formed. The "disneyfication" we are experiencing can cause a lot of negativity because a greater differentiation is formed between those who can afford and those who cannot afford at all. In this way, the marginalized end up even more marginalized. It shuts them out of society completely.
This was a sort of awakening for me, in a way. I realized that I've been living in my own "micro-city" for a while now. I actually do have the potential to make a difference and with everyone else pitching in, bigger changes can be made. I think people just have to realize how much power they have to change lives.
1:27 PM
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It never actually occurred to me before that the structures of various malls can actually say a lot about the crowd that it targets. This was amazing for me because up to this time, I never gave the idea much thought.
I particularly found the comparison of SM malls to Ayala Malls interesting because of the fact that it's close to home, something I can really relate to and because I know that I myself have seen the very same concepts at work in my daily life, or at least when I go to a mall.
Since it was mentioned, I've started to pay attention to the kinds of people in the malls that I go to.
I went to SM to buy a few things from National bookstore last week and decided to look around... True enough, there were people loitering or "making tambay" all over the place. People would look down at the people in the skating rink, none of the nearby benches were empty because there were always people sitting on them, a great majority just staring out into space. People really were coming here just to hang out since not everyone could afford and maybe the major motive for most was to window-shop.
On the other hand, I spent the day with a few friends over the weekend and we decided to have lunch in Greenbelt 3. Again, I decided to look around and "crowd-watch". Although the stores in Greenbelt 3 are actually more expensive than the ones in SM malls, you'll find people inside buying anyway. The benches in the middle of the mall are hardly ever full, which shows that people who to Greenbelt 3 are there to shop and not loiter. If ever they do plan to hang out, of course, they go to the restaurants and coffee shops and this requires money as well.
All in all, it was a fun experience for me even if I mostly did the processing in my mind and I wasn't really able to discuss my thoughts with my friends since they were busy discussing various other things. It was fun to see topics discussed in class come to life as I went about doing something very usual.
Since then, I have not really looked at malls the same way again.
10:03 PM
