Mendoza, Samantha Claire C.

GELITPH Y04

Ano ang sinasabi ng apat na essays sa character ng narrator?

After reading all four essays that were assigned to us, I’ve observed how

personal and sentimental each piece is for each author. They’ve shared in writing their

personal experiences and even their feelings that to some degree, makes you

understand what it was like to be in their shoes and in their minds at that moment. The

first two essays that were discussed were Jerry Gracio’s “Kwento” and “Pitbull. Written

from the author’s point of view, it centered around the author’s relationship with their

lover whom they call Pitbull. Reading the two essays, the sentiments and recounted

memories shared by the author about their relationship felt very personal and real.

Although their relationship wasn’t all smooth sailing and perfect, all the sentiments

shared by the author about their relationship such as their arguments and experiences

together is what made the essay feel more human. Although I can’t completely relate to

what the author has expressed and written, I couldn’t help but still feel every moment

and still feel connected to their story of love. As for the next essay that was discussed,

Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo’s “Once Upon a Time” was about her crush and how she had

made a wish in their wishing well back when she was a sophomore in college. Reading

the essay made me feel very warm and fuzzy and reminded me of how it also felt to

have a crush on someone. However, this was only a memory of the author as she was

reminiscing about her college days as she passed by her university that was lit up and

decorated for “Paskuhan”. Much like the first two essays, reading this made you feel

what it had felt like to be in the author's shoes. As sweet and warm the story of her old
crush was, her last line “The spell was broken. The magic didn’t last” made it feel so

bittersweet and reminded me of how eventually all good things eventually fade away as

we grow older. As for the second essay of Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo that was discussed,

“Para Akong Namatayan”, it was more heart-wrenching to read as compared to her

other essay “Once Upon a Time”. In this essay, she narrates her memory of when the

UP Faculty Center was destroyed by a disastrous fire back in 2016. She had lost so

much due to the fire and it was though a part of her was lost together with the fire as

well. Reading through the essay made me sympathize with the author and her loss. At

the same time, we get to see how the author really valued the personal belongings she

lost in the fire and as well as the memories she had made in that building. As for the last

two essays that we discussed, it was Rene Villanueva’s "Radyo” and "Idol". In “Radyo”, the

author shared about how people viewed them as “mataray”, however, the author is so

much more than that and we see through this piece of writing the experiences and

struggles the author has gone through as the eldest child of their family. In this essay, the

author reminisces their memory of a certain radio that their family once owned but had to

let go of due to their financial situation. It was quite heart wrenching to read about but we

see how the author had to make a few sacrifices for the sake of their family. As for “Idol”,

the author reminisces his memory of their idol, Nonoy, and how their perception of Nonoy

slowly changed over time because of an incident. In this essay, we see how the author has

put their idol on a pedestal but as time progressed and they got to know more about their

idol, their perception of them eventually changed leading to them no longer idolizing this

person.
 In hindsight, these experiences not only say a lot about the character of each

author, but these essays also very well deliver the real thoughts and emotions of each

author after the experiences they have gone through.

Ano ang sinasabi ng kanilang karanasan sa karanasan natin bilang mga Pilipino?

Each essay tells a different story and different aspects of our experiences as

Filipinos. In the first two essays, it made me realize how quick to judge people often are

especially when it comes to how people look and present themselves. More so

especially when it comes to romantic partners, people are very critical over how they

look and their background as well. But at the same time, it reminded me of how real and

genuine we can love other people despite their flaws and despite the obstacles we may

face in our relationships. As for the second essay, it reminded me of how common it is

for us to catch crushes and make hopeful wishes, be it through wishing wells, through

prayer or other tiny little rituals that we believe will help us grant wishes. As for the third

essay, we often take things for granted and before we even realize it, it’s gone. Not a lot

know how to appreciate the little things in life and it is only when we lose these things

do we realize the value they hold. Despite the disaster brought about by the fire, I

couldn’t help but think how fortunate it was that casualties and no one was hurt. This led

me to realizing how we should really appreciate the fact that we are still alive right now

and be grateful for it. As for the last two essays, it reminded me of how often we have to

make sacrifices for our families and this is quite common among the Filipino people. At

the same time, I was also reminded of how common it is for us to idolize people
especially the celebrities we see on screen and put them on a pedestal even if we do

not personally know these people.

Ano ang sinasabi ng essay sa iyo bilang indibidwal?

As an individual, each essay resonated with me in different ways because of the

unique experiences I’ve had in my life. The first two essays by Jerry Gracio reminded

me of how quick people were to judge when it came to the men I’ve dated in my life.

Although they weren’t as harsh and rude in comparison to the story, the quick and rash

judgment I’d often received reminded me so much of how people are so quick to make

comments about your life as if it's theirs. As for the essays by Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo, I

truly resonated with making these little wishes on wishing wells when it came to my

crushes. Reading through that essay made me feel so validated, but at the end, it did

feel bittersweet knowing these moments come and go. In her second essay, it honestly

was very eye-opening and reminded me of how easily things could just disappear from

your life, be it personal belongings or even people. It reminded me of how important it is

to not take things for granted and to truly value and appreciate the people and the

blessings I have right now. As for the last two essays, what resonated with me the most

was the essay entitled “Idol”. As someone who idolizes a lot of celebrities, actors and

singers, it made me take a step back and realize that these are real people and not the

perfect versions they project to us on screens.