Book Review
Reish Lee Malicdem
R45?
Finally! My semester has just ended. I'm getting about two weeks off from the university before another one starts. I'm going to catch up on my reading list, I've fallen way behind schedule. Haha! Anyway, one of my courses this semester was PI 100 or the "Rizal" course. As one of our final requirements, we were required to submit an essay on Ambeth Ocampo's renowned book Rizal Without the Overcoat. Here's what I wrote (crammed might be a better word choice) Heh heh:
My Perception of Jose Rizal and Ambeth Ocampo’s Rizal Without the Overcoat
Of all the things I have learned in our humble university, none of it I treasure more than the ability to see things objectively and contextually. I used to be a brash and outspoken young man always quick to make assumptions and always fiery with passion for what I deemed was right; even when all I had was a premature conclusion. I brought this attitude here in our university and was quickly humbled by men and women that maintained their calm and adhered to logic, not sudden whims and misguided passion. This, I said to myself is what I wish to become. I resolutely set to change my ways and actions. To some degree I think I have succeeded. But improving oneself is a continuous and endless process that every individual must aim for. Even our venerated national hero was not the product of biological perfection and natural wisdom. He slowly, meticulously improved himself with every mistake he made, with every book he read. Like you and me, he is a human being that achieved what he did, not because he is special or was destined by some great prophecy, but because he worked for it. A good example would be in the field of language. He did not become a polyglot naturally; language did not come easy to him. It was the product of a diligent and willful learning process. In his letters to his sister, he expostulated that while in Germany, he had a hard time learning the native tongue. He didn’t
R45?
Finally! My semester has just ended. I'm getting about two weeks off from the university before another one starts. I'm going to catch up on my reading list, I've fallen way behind schedule. Haha! Anyway, one of my courses this semester was PI 100 or the "Rizal" course. As one of our final requirements, we were required to submit an essay on Ambeth Ocampo's renowned book Rizal Without the Overcoat. Here's what I wrote (crammed might be a better word choice) Heh heh:
My Perception of Jose Rizal and Ambeth Ocampo’s Rizal Without the Overcoat
Of all the things I have learned in our humble university, none of it I treasure more than the ability to see things objectively and contextually. I used to be a brash and outspoken young man always quick to make assumptions and always fiery with passion for what I deemed was right; even when all I had was a premature conclusion. I brought this attitude here in our university and was quickly humbled by men and women that maintained their calm and adhered to logic, not sudden whims and misguided passion. This, I said to myself is what I wish to become. I resolutely set to change my ways and actions. To some degree I think I have succeeded. But improving oneself is a continuous and endless process that every individual must aim for. Even our venerated national hero was not the product of biological perfection and natural wisdom. He slowly, meticulously improved himself with every mistake he made, with every book he read. Like you and me, he is a human being that achieved what he did, not because he is special or was destined by some great prophecy, but because he worked for it. A good example would be in the field of language. He did not become a polyglot naturally; language did not come easy to him. It was the product of a diligent and willful learning process. In his letters to his sister, he expostulated that while in Germany, he had a hard time learning the native tongue. He didn’t