Of all the subjects that I'm taking this semester, I like Geography best. At first, I actually didn't thought that I would like this subject because I thought it will be boring and more about talking and familiarizing the different places all over the world, teaching how to tell directions and giving other information about the physical landscapes of the Earth. I was wrong. My geography class proved to me that what I was expecting was far beyond what geography is about and what more it can offer. This subject is so cool and mind-puzzling. Taking up my sociology course, I saw how sociology and geography as disciplines of social sciences are interconnected. I love how my geography class suppress my bad notion for this subject and filled my mind with broad knowledge and understanding on looking on spaces. 

             In the latter part of the class, I got interested how we discussed in the class the different perspectives of the future Geography. I gathered the following pictures below to expand my words on how geography taught a lot of things to me.

Photo grabbed from http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/tejas/fundamentals/images/nelson-1.jpg

  

Photo grabbed from https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSh6yYN2Bd09kFBllMlsqQM_fUQPYjW66r_YB_wYuxgoqU4NICzwg

   Photo grabbed from http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/a0a92334ef11145ff45c3cf233468e871de5d21a/c=216-0-2880-2004&r=x513&c=680x510/local/-/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2014/03/28//1396038490000-ETAB-hotel-Las-Vegas.jpg

Photo grabbed from http://bigbangjrproductions.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/future-city1.jpg

                 

                  This subject showed the transitions of the society from the era of hunting and gathering to our current society where in cities is getting bigger where more “pseudoplaces” are present that are products of capitalism and globalization which greatly influenced the changes on our culture and landscapes. We can see how our society changed from the pictures above. The picture shows the kind of society that we have in the beginning that transforms and developed until we reached the kind of society we have now that can be viewed on the third picture. And looking at our present society today reminds me to of my favorite poetry by His Holiness the Dalai Lama titled "The Paradox of our Times"

 THE PARADOX OF OUR TIMES

Is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers

Wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints

We spend more, but we have less.

We have bigger houses, but smaller families

More conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees, but less sense

More knowledge, but less judgement

More experts, but more problems

More medicines, but less wellness.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often

We have learnt how to make a living, but not a life.

We have added years to life, but not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back

But have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbour.

We have conquered outer space, but not inner space.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted our soul.

We've split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We've higher incomes, but lower morals.

We've become long on quantity but short on quality.

These are the times of tall men, and short character;

Steep profits, and shallow relationships.

These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare,

More leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are the days of two incomes, but more divorces;

Of fancier houses, but broken homes.

It is a time when there is much in the show window, and nothing in the stockroom.

A time when technology can bring this letter to you,

And a time when you can choose,

Either to make a difference .... or just hit, delete.

                 This will lead me to discussing my point of view on the future of geography related to the fourth picture above. I have this pessimistic perspective on what our world would be in the future. Because of the rampant discoveries and innovations of technology, our way of living have really changed and back when I was younger, I often think about of what will the world would look in the future. Technology has been making our life faster and more efficient but we cannot hide its negative effect to our environment and health. I believe that if we will not open our mind to what is really happening to our world, our days are leading an end. Because of the rapid increase of population, politics, economic and cultural ideology which is in the wrong tract, our geography will change and will end and so our lives which so sad to think about. And the fourth picture that I've posted above is quite close to the imagery in my mind about our future geography. 

               This subject showed me that it is quite mix of sociology and geology that gives keys to understanding the world.Geography have given me a lot of information about our landscapes and society and also realizations about life as well. I am so glad that my geography class surpass my expectations to this subject. On the other hand, I don't think that I will appreciate Geog1 this much if my professor was not sir Joseph. I believe that my professors way of handling the class, his teaching instructions and activities and him being very knowledgeable and passionate lectures motivated my performance and appreciation towards the subject. 

PHOTOESSAY #2

RANDOM THOUGHTS AT RANDOM PLACES

Hospital

   This picture was taken at the Quirino Mermorial Medical Center outside of an operating room, last April 8,2015. I was there because my mother undergone a surgery for her breast cancer. Being at the hospital for almost every day last week, I observed a lot of things happening inside the hospital especially within the surgery ward. There is a very strange ambiance, work-culture and emotional atmosphere.

       It is a place where personal relationship and communication is very important. Within any workplace, there are different kinds of work-culture and I observed that the doctors, nurses and other staffs within the hospital practice good interpersonal relation to each other because they are sharing a common goal for treatment, care and help for the patients. On the other hand, I observed how the lack of sympathy and unfrienliness of some doctors sullying their reputation.

        When I was outside the operating room waiting for updates on my mother's surgery, I can feel the tension of the other people that also had relatives inside the room. I am also worried while I was there with my father who is groggy and sleepy by that time.The emotional atmosphere is direful. Gloomy hallways filed with people cries for their loved ones.

          

     
   On the other hand, while I was walking on one of the hallways in the hospital, I saw this tarpulin showing the brief history of expansion of the place. It made me realized for once again how fast time flies and how fast our population increased. By examining how the hospital grew and how the building looks through time, we are really in the modern world now.Being this landscape is in the city or a central place it is  understandable that the services can meet the demands of the consumers. The hospital grew because the population in this urban settlement grew. Knowing that there are now a lot of machines and drugs for the cure diseases and  of people it shows innovation.

      Though there are still some that believes with the traditional healing like the 'albolaryo' it is agreeable that it fades because of the discoveries and technologies that outcast them.

Malls

    Whenever we needed a little time to relax, entertain and buy things that we want and need, we often go to malls. Personally, I findbit relaxing going to malls that's why most of the time when a so called "hell week" in UP is over, I go to malls neary place like Trinoma, SM North, Gateway and SM Cubao.

   I found it very interesting when we discussed malls in my geography class and why malls are called "pseudo place" or a place that encourage people for consumption or spending money by giving us an illusion that other activities occur here. It is because in malls, we watch movies, play in arcade centers and purchase services in salons to pamper ourselves.

       I was suprised when I went to Alimall and saw these people doing zumba. It was amazing how these kind of activities is also posible to be held at the malls. They were at the mall to be fit  unlike most of us do what is called 'pigging out'. 

   In addition, in malls we also enjoy bonding with our friends, family and some couples even date here. Malls are giving us these activities which requires consumption because when people go to mall, it's like an unwritten mandate that you should have money and spend it because it's embedded in the landscape of malls.

Cyberspace

   Last holy week, before I go to our province, I spent several days in our home with my sisters. I thought we might have a good time being together and might do a lot of chatting to each other which is really fun. :) But then, this is how the supposed bonding time together turned out. 

        This is what globalization has brought us, the growth of internet use that significantly affect our culture. Most of the people in our current time especially teens find life as incompletely without the internet.These digital devices changed the traditional life of people where in their personal communication is very essential but now, even in our little house, my sister even sends me messages through chat instead of just it right in my face.

       Talking about the cyberspace what greatly interest me here is the growth of online shopping. Because we are in a generation that is techmologically savvy that even shopping can be made through online which is very different to our traditional way of shopping which requires effort to go to malls or supermarket and effort to walk around in order to find the things we need and want. Today, we can can shop anytime, anywhere which only requires choosing and clicking. 

     It is observable that Internet has greatly caused cultural change that harness the spread of English language, material consumption and leisure.

Rice Fields

           

         Last holy week, while we were heading towards our province at Pangasinan, I saw this beautiful and refreshing view somewhere at Bulacan so I took the chance to capture such a perfect image. 

    Whenever we have a chance to travel towards the province whether towards my mother's place at Quezon or at my father's place at Pangasinan, this kind of views are what I  am longing for. I am so glad that I had a break being in the city for I had the chance to breathe fresh air aand relax my eyes looking at green lands rather than being at the smokey and warm roads and looking at the high rise buildings.

       This reminds me of what I knew in my geography class on how the places changes because of urbanization. I'm a city girl and I believe that behind the fact that in the city, there are high rise buildings in its contrast, people have higher tempers.There are wider roads but narrower understandings. Globalization and modernity has this promise to us that it will over us nicer, faster and efficient living but because these also, we one by one leave the thoughts of living simply and happy. For me, it is because the thought of contentment slowly fades because of the we urbanization has caused people to want the trend. 

PHOTOESSAY #1 : HOME SWEET HOME

                 It’s a cliché to say that “Home is where my heart is” but it is true. We all have a special place which makes us feel that we are in our “safe haven” and mine is here in Quezon City. 

             This is the map of Barangay Pansol, Balara, Quezon City provided by the google map. Our house can be found somewhere in the red spot I marked.(https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?oe=UTF8&ie=UTF8&msa=0&mid=zjEu73F_26AM.kIAOpG4MQ9WU)

Kaingin 1, Barangay Pansol, Quezon City

                

     This is Kaingin 1, Brgy. Pansol , Quezon City. My family lived here for almost 25 years now. We can see in the picture that there are a lot of houses in our place and more like of a hill area. They say that it is called “Kaingin” derived by its meaning of illegal cutting/burning of trees in a forest. I guess it is very appropriate because my parents says that back then, this place only have few small houses and a lot of trees around. Yet as time passed by and our population increase, the place changed a lot. Like on what I’ve learned in my geography class, a landscape is a comprehensive product of human activities. This simply means that because this place is lived by a society changes is more likely to occur. My parents chose to settle here because it’s a hill area that is less likely to experience floods, an area easy to access and with fine temperature during summer (Thanks to the trees beside our house that gives us shade, fresh air and mango during hot season :) ) On the other hand, our place is near to commerce, university and park.

Katipunan Avenue 
Photo grabbed from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katipunan_Avenue

                 Whenever we hear places that are located in Manila, what pictures to our mind are places that has large buildings, center of commerce and people. Considering that I am living near Katipunan, a place that is so lively because of the society's culture that involves college life, I know how life works in a city. A life that is sustained by malls, restaurants, bars, and other places best to hang out with friends and look after necessities. Honestly, I am not really fond of some places in Katipunan because I think the market it targets is not for regular people like me but for those who are in upper-class since Ateneo De Manila University and Mirriam College, two known affluent schools, is found here. Katipunan is not the only place that I well-known but also the place where I currently studying, U.P Diliman, Quezon City.

UP Diliman
Photo grabbed from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quezon_City

             More or less five minutes ride from home and whoala hello school. I am so familiar of my university because since I was young, I go here almost every week. I go here to accompany my father to have a jog or to attend a mass at the Holy Sacrifice Church. Now that I study here, I am here almost every day. UP Campus has been my vernacular landscape since then that I shared a lot of memories with. For some, it may be a place for geeks but for me it’s not just a place to learn but a place for friendship, family, fresh air and recreation.

               However, UP Campus and Katipunan is not the only place where we live nearby that I am always keen on. We are also near Balara Filters, an option of escape for normal folks living in a city.

Playground

Picnic Grove

              These are just some of the beautiful landscapes I see almost every day. I find these places so refreshing and environmental. I am so glad that we live near a beautiful sanctuary that I can go into whenever I need to take a break in our fast-going and stressful life or whenever I want some time to be alone. Most people take a walk in these places in morning or twilight to have some fresh air, some even have picnics in the “Picnic grove” with their family and friends, children play in the playground and students often held their practices for their performances for school like what we always do when I was in high school. 

MWSS Fountain

Filtration Plant

Balara Swimming Pool
Photo grabbed from:

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/70492348

               Here is also where most of the water in metropolis is being filtered and which travels into pipes that are thousand kilometers long. The landscapes that symbolize the area of Balara are filtration plant, fountain and swimming pools that involve the flow of water.

              It is amazing how I really feel my belonging to my environment by talking and giving identity to it. I guess this is what home really means, home is a place. A place where you belong that makes up your identity defined by the kind of environment and people that lives in it. A home has no exact address it is defined by the emotions that we expressed towards a certain place.