Who am I?

As my eyes open up in the morning, the first thing I do is to say a little prayer to God on how thankful I am for having another day and another chance to put the puzzle pieces of my life on its proper place. Every morning for me is great as I believe that God had already made His wonderful plan for me and He knows my purpose. God’s purpose, this is what I look at and tries to figure out now – Who am I? Where am I? and Why am I here? All these questions will merely fall on the category of “Knowing One’s Purpose”.

I look at the mirror and saw myself smiling, feeling happy and contented with what I am seeing. Even if I do not wear any make up or jewelries, I still see myself as beautiful for I am an artwork and a unique creation made by the All Mighty. This might sound hilarious for some of the people living their lives on the new era but I live my life for God. We are made by Him and His blood was shed for us so we should do good in return.

HAPPINESS is a CHOICE

I am not the type of person who will always go for what other people think is right, instead I go for what I think is the best for me. Even in my choice of music, I want the oldies but goodies. I do not care if others look at it as timeworn or out of the trend, as long as it makes me happy I will grab it. Listening to music is one of the things that we can enjoy for free, the same with happiness which people often see as impossible to have. Others think it is impossible to attain happiness because they are afraid – afraid of making a choice. Happiness is a choice and it can never be found on material things or in other people. Pursuit of happiness starts from within and that is by ourselves. There is no such thing as perfect place, perfect job, perfect boyfriend/girlfriend, perfect parents and perfect everything. It is just a matter of choice on how we will look at them and appreciate them. Everyone can be happy if they want to, it’s just a matter of accepting one’s imperfection.

How do other people see me? I actually do not care about their perception about me because it will only make me confused of who I really am that will result to difficulty of finding my purpose. But since I have allotted a space for this paragraph, I will cite some characteristics or traits that other people see me as. Others see me as responsible, serious and intelligent when it comes to studying but I am not. Some of my friends say that I am a confident person maybe because I do not care about what other people will say, and most of the time they call me an adviser. I give free advice to anyone but I am not forcing them to take it, it is still up to them on weighing their options. When there is a conversation going on between my friends and I look at them earnestly, they will laugh and think that something bad is running in my head. My friends look at me as a green-minded person, again, I’m not. Green minded is a lot different from being an open-minded, I guess they are just confused. Lastly, there is one person that sees me as annoying. In my entire life, this is the first time that I got such comment but it doesn’t matter and I will never change myself for anyone just to please them, it is a waste of time and might lead to losing my own identity.

Thinking of my ideal self makes me feel quite uncomfortable. Ideal Self is an idealized version of ourself created out of what we have learned from our life experiences, the demands of society, and what we admire in our role models. If our Real Self is far from this idealized image, then we might feel dissatisfied with our life and consider ourself a failure. Therefore, my Ideal Self is who I am today for this is what I planned to achieve from my yesterday.

Let Our Principles be PRICELESS: Paco Larrañaga is innocent

I have watched lots of documentaries before about the different social issues in my country. Mostly, they are about poverty and other things related to it such as prostitution, lack of education, premarital sex, etc. Those films just usually helped me to realize things about what, why and how they are happening but after that, it always leaves me clueless on what should I do next to contribute any help for the good of my country. But “Give Up Tomorrow” is different. It is not just a documentary portraying injustice but a movement for change, and in particular to change the course of one man's horrible destiny and to continue supporting his family and friends — those who never stopped believing in his innocence for all the past, long fifteen years.

I was too shocked to react after seeing the documentary, which have crushed my faith in the justice system of the Philippines. I was filled with sadness and hopelessness especially when I think of the countless names and faces who are victims of injustice, most especially of the bureaucratic kind. The film makes a steady and reasonable case for the defense. Interviews from Paco's family were as tempered as they could possibly be at one point. I saw how the father's lips were trembling in an attempt to control his emotions; I thought it was the most heartbreaking moment in the film. On the other end, Mrs. Chiong, mother of the murdered victims and her actions ground me. I can't tell for sure if her interviews were taken out of context but I find it difficult to criticize her as I can only imagine the pain of what she had gone through. Her words about their plan of killing Paco really disturbed me as if there’s really something wrong with the whole context.

It’s not the royal incompetence of the justice system that dismayed me but my realization that the media could have turned things around, especially when the case hearings were going downhill. There was an angle about a drug lord connection which any of the journalists could have pursued but didn't. Skipping the preceding step, they could have cited the irregularities in the courtroom which had turned into a circus. They could have simply been fair, accurate and reasonable in their news reports. I thought the Larrañagas were too nice, naive, and sensible not to have tried to win public sympathy through press interviews. It could be better if the media had done their part and approached the family for their story.

CHANGE is never too late

Social injustice is the biggest curse to humanity as a whole. Man has a sociable nature that is the origin and basis of society. It is social justice that brings about social unity, stability and progress. It is social injustice that offends human dignity, undermines public harmony and ascertains social deterioration. There has never been and there will never be a nation on earth that is built, promoted and developed by social injustice. Social discrimination leads to violation of human rights and the waste of human lives all over the land. Due to social injustice, the socio-political instability in the Philippines primarily on account of intense conflict and discontent that promote bitter anti-government rallies.

It is social injustice that is the root cause of all the basic ills of this country but as a Christian nation with families of strong Filipino values, Philippines could surpass this challenge. We can do something to change what has the past generation have committed wrongly, it’s never too late to change, and that change should start from modifying our principles — principle that is priceless and can never be bought by anything.

Divorce is a SIN: We can do something to STOP DIVORCE

People seem to want to do everything to avoid divorce from the very beginning so they choose their partners themselves instead of letting their parents do that; they wait until they are mature enough to handle a marriage; and most of the time thinks that the addition of a child will help heal all the differences. But we all know that the problem doesn’t lie in, as to whether they have children or not. In fact children who are born in such a setup are exposed to all kinds of ills, ruining their lives forever. All such problems arise because people forget to take a hard look at the situation from the very beginning, much before the priest reads out the sacred verses. 

Though the bill of divorce has not yet been legalized in the Philippines, there are lots of ways to prevent divorce from happening if ever the Senate approved it. As an individual, a family and the whole Filipino nation; we can do better to avoid divorce. Someday, most of us will get married; will want a happy and a lifelong relationship with our spouse. All of our desires are possible if we know how to follow the simple rules of being married.

YOU against Divorce

Confession of problems in your marriage is one. Ask yourselves why your relationship has failed at that point, and then openly discuss what you can do to solve your problems. Early intervention is one of the most effective strategies to preserve a marriage. It is imperative for the spouses to deal with their problems before negative attitudes become rooted in the relationship and anger builds.

Say what you really mean in order to prevent misunderstandings. This is often the problem on most women, they tend to make the other spouse guess what they want; and when the other took it wrongly, fight will start. Poor communication frequently leads to misinformation. If one of you is not sure on what the other is saying, don't be afraid to ask for clarification. Do your best to avoid anger and stress and then deal with things calmly.

Family versus Divorce

Together with your family, you can do something to prevent the possibilities of divorce between your parents and/or your spouse. You need to define the leader of your family, and that is God. The spouses must be ready to obey His leadership and live according to His principles. The family also need to establish the word of God as their guide. Working according to and living by the word of God makes it easier to know what is required of every member of the family; and it will also let everyone know God’s position on divorce.

Truthfulness and transparency is another thing that would help the family to prevent divorce. When you are honest to your spouse, he/she learns to trust you. Your spouse gets to understand that whatever you tell him/her is correct. This helps to keep the relationship intact, healthy and stronger. It is also important that each person’s role should be clearly defined from the beginning. This helps to prevent constant friction or disagreements. The lesser the frictions, the lesser the threat or possibility of separation.

Mutual respect is as important as oxygen that we breathe in. The marriage should be founded on the principle of mutual respect for each other. Each partner should make sure the rights of the next person are not intentionally violated. This also helps to reduce the incidence of grumbling and complaints. The mutual understanding among the spouses will also contribute for the preservation of marriage. Individual likes and dislikes should be made known to each other right from the beginning; these must be respected by one another to prevent conflicts from breaking out from time to time.

Communication will serve as the body’s vein where blood can pass through. The line of communication must be kept open and each person should be accessible by the other. Communication makes it easier to know when one is hurt and what to do to pacify the offended spouse. It helps to prevent little things from escalating to major problems that would eventually threaten the relationship.

The number of children too has must also be defined early enough. No partner would mount pressure when the number is reached, irrespective of the sexes of the children. This issue is easily handled if the couple decide from the beginning what they want, without anyone feeling cheated or robbed. The couple should be willing to accept whatever God gives out to them in good fate.

When these decisions are collectively made and respected, the problem of divorce would be prevented right from the beginning of the marriage. The couples would be able to live together happily and peacefully.

Christian Nation as opposed to Divorce

Aside from the Vatican City, Philippines is the last nation that does not legalize divorce. The number one reason for not allowing divorce to be passed is that, Philippines is a Christian nation that is composed of 93% Christians.

The first thing that should be done by the Filipinos to preserve marriage is to continue their sacred and Christian belief that marriage is a gift from God. The confusion about marriage that it is made on Earth rather than on heaven should not be entertained as it results to the great weakening of Christian values. The sacrament of marriage remains an institution God himself created and not subject to the notions of people. God created marriage to bless the world.

The proper understanding of marriage helps the world to have the proper understanding of God’s love. Marriage serves as a picture of God’s love. God arranged the marriage between his son, Jesus and Jesus’ bride, the church. Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her; died for the sins of his bride; and cleansed the guilt of his bride with the power of baptism. As a gratitude to what God had done for us, divorce should not prevail in our country.

The marriage covenant between husband and wife images the covenant between Christ and His church. Therefore, husbands and wives should love each other as Christ loves the church.

To Believe is To See: A Reflection on Les Miserables

The movie Les Misérables meaning “The Miserable Ones” is a musical portrayal of the French Revolution that happened more than 200 years ago. The musical film is an epic tale showing the different faces of the poorest of the poor and their sufferings throughout their lives. There are four main characters in the story namely Fantine, a factory worker that later on became a prostitute; Jean Valjean who is a convict but given another chance by a priest to change his life; Javert, Valjean’s arch enemy and Cosette, the naïve daughter of Fantine. The story focuses on one man’s conversion and how an experience of God’s mercy can change a person’s life.

Few days have passed but I’m still unpacking the impact of this movie to me. There are lots of remarkable scenes in the film but what I love the most is the scene where a priest found the protagonist Jean Valjean sleeping outside in the cold. He then invites Valjean into his rectory and treats him as an honored guest. Jean Valjean stayed for the night and while the priest sleeps, he makes off with all the silver he can carry. The police catch him and was brought before the priest. At this point, the priest does something extraordinary, he called Jean Valjean his friend and gave him the candlesticks along with the stolen silverware as a gift. He blessed Jean Valjean and commended his soul to God; this encounter is a turning point for Jean Valjean. The clarity to truly see the person before him and not just a convict required the eyes that are well-acquainted with the biblical view of things. I believe that the key lies in the priest’s gaze—a gaze which showed generosity, mercy and forgiveness. This gaze helped Jean Valjean to see himself in a new way.

Cosette

I didn’t expect that this epic musical film would also affect my prayer life. After seeing the movie, every time that I pray or talk to God I always include the people who need mercy and justice just like the characters in Les Misérables. Both the characters of Jean Valjean and Javert believe that they are serving God in their own way: Valjean’s actions are motivated out of love and Javert’s are motivated out of justice and obligation. This resulted to a question that wouldn’t leave my mind, “Do I do good things, avoid committing sin and practice Catholic virtues because I’m obliged to? Or am I doing these things because of my love for God?” I’m not sure of my answer so I talked to God and asked Him to help me to know the answer for my question and then I realized that God loves me from the beginning and is steadfast and unfailing even when I am at my worst.

God’s love for us is unconditional and unfailing—we do not have to perform or live up to certain expectations to receive His love.  In our personal lives, we may always strive to be good enough, interesting enough or attractive enough to be accepted and liked by others, but with God all we need to do is to trust and have faith in Him. God says, “When you call Me, I will answer.” This is a strong affirmation; there are no limitations, no strings attached, just a simple and pure promise. This is what unconditional love is about—it is all about God being there for us, day and night, year after year, during the highs and the lows of our life.  Will we always get the answer we want? Probably not, but then God, like a good parent, knows what is best for us; His answers are the right ones and He will always provide us the love we need.

We live in a world where a proof is needed first before we believe in something. People want to make sure that they are not fooled just like what magicians do to them. Unlike God’s unfailing love, we must believe in it first before we could feel and experience His love. Jesus once said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Church as Hospital for the Broken

MY PERSONAL REALIZATIONS & FEELINGS UPON RENDERING SERVICE TO MY PARISH

Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish

The Youth Group I volunteer for is very diverse – both economically and racially. However, the young teens in the group have similar needs – they need consistent and attentive adults in their lives.  Interacting with them and being present for them gives me an opportunity to check in and listen to how things are going for them.  Being able to be there for them, and doing even simple things like giving the teens a ride home or talking about their experiences at school can help them deal with their struggles.

Being around other people who are struggling and don’t have easy answers can change one in a profound way – and that has been my experience with the community service I rendered.  Working as a volunteer has taught me to be more present and is an important reminder that everyone has unique set of struggles in life and their own ways to cope.  At times, volunteering does seem a bit constraining; as volunteer, I cannot take on interventions in families as a social worker can.  My role is not to intervene but just to be there for the youth  and help them shape their reality in some ways.  It is a very humbling experience, as well as a role that is both nourishing and make me feel a part of the community.  As a volunteer my goal is to create a supportive and friendly environment – the urge to be a social worker and a responsible adult and to try to fix of the situation is always there but we have to look at solutions in which we are empowering the teenagers while being active listeners.

MY PARISH SHOW ME WHAT A TRUE CHURCH IS

My Parish exemplifies what a true church is by showing love to our local area and community.

They participate in community events as a congregation, especially in service and clean-up projects. They are also beginning to host Emergency preparedness days for the local community, combining with other congregations as well as local fire, police, and charity organizations.

My parish collects money and food to be given to those less fortunate. There are many groups active within the church and the wider community that visit and help those in need - both our own parishoners and those who are not necessary catholic but could do with a helping hand.

My parish has a great youth program, that seriously provided a home for the less fortunates. They hold a soup kitchen every month which appearantly brings in close to a 100 needy people in Putatan. Also they have clothing and food drives. A blood drive every once in a while. They operate a catholic school (Our Lady of the Abandoned Catholic School). It is a great church and I hope this becomes better after few more years.

SUGGESTIONS & COMMENTS ON WHAT I CAN DO TO IMPROVE MY PARISH AS A COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS

Our Lady of the Abandoned Catholic School

I would talk to our Parish Priest and make some suggestions, I would suggest to get people involved from all levels and from all aspects of commitment. I will try to address ways on how I can reach youth, young adults, families and the elderly or seniors. It may take a targeted approach to each as they have different desires and needs at different times in their lives.

Next, I will try to reach everyone on two different levels of committment. Some people may have free time to commit an hour or more a week or even a committment to daily Mass or some weekday volunteer opportunity. On another level, I need to have something available where someone could attend or participate infrequently or even just through some donation or prayer on their own schedule. This sort of thing could be a prayer chain or membership in a society for adoration.

Setting up adoration weekly or around the clock 24/7 can be great to inspire a renewed vigor and spirituality in my church. It really depends on the realities of my parish. A country parish where most live twenty plus miles away might be difficult to pull off and coordinate. An inner city parish with a lot of members is perfect for this sort of thing in many cases.

Tungkulin ng Wika sa mga Filipino at sa Bansang Pilipinas

Isang Wika tungo sa Pagkakaisa

Sa pagmulat ng ating mga mata sa umaga ay mababanaag natin ang sikat ng araw, mahinahong dumadaloy sa ating kabuuan at nagsisilbing tulong upang magkaroon tayo ng lakas na magpatuloy sa buhay. Sa mga Pilipinong gaya mo at gaya ko ay nakasanayan na natin ang magsambit ng isang maikling panalangin. Magwiwika tayo sa Poong Maykapal ng isang pasasalamat na alam nating makakarating sa langit. Sa pagsisimula pa lamang ng ating araw ay gumagamit na tayo ng wika, ngunit ano nga ba talaga ang wika?

Sa aking sariling pag-aanalisa, ang wika ang nagsisilbing pundasyon ng pagkakaisa ng mga taong gumagamit nito, tayong mga Pilipino. Ang wika rin ang nagbibigkis sa matibay na ugnayan ng bawat isa at malaki ang naiaambag nito sa natatanging pagkakakilanlan ng mga Pilipino. Tanging ang bansang Pilipinas lamang ang gumagamit ng mga salitang "Po" at "Opo". Ang mga nabanggit ay isang malaking patunay sa mayamang tradisyon at wika ng Pilipinas. Napakalaki ng tulong na naibibigay ng ating pambansang wika sa bawat isa sa atin. May mga tungkulin ang wika at talagang nakikita natin na nagagampanan niya ito.

     

Tulay sa iisang Diwa at Saloobin

Ang wika ay nagmimistulang tulay sa pagitan ng magkakalayong lugar, magakakalayong loob at minsan para na rin sa mga taong naghahanap ng tunay na sarili. Tulay na nag-uugnay tungo sa pagkakaisa ng diwa at saloobin.
        
Wika, maikli at napakasimpleng salita ngunit kumakatawan sa mga napakaraming salik ng isang pagiging tunay na tao at tunay na Pilipino.

Bisyo ng Isang Maliit na Babae

Noong bata pa lang ako ay mahilig na 'kong mangalikot ng kung ano-anong mga bagay. Isa sa mga madalas 'kong paglaruan noon ay yung mga libro na inaalikabok sa bodega ng bahay namin, nakakatuwaan ko silang tingnan kase namamangha ako sa mga picture na nakikita ko. Di pa ko marunong magbasa noon kaya kinukulit ko ‘yung mga tao sa bahay para basahan ako at ipaintindi sa’ken  iyong mga bagay na nasa litrato kahit na minsan di ko naman talaga maintindihan at tango lang ako ng tango, at iniiyakan ko sila kapag ayaw nila. Naalala ko pa nga ‘yung araw na inaway ko yung kaklase ko dahil pinakialaman niya ‘yung dala kong story book at dahil sa pangyayaring ‘yon ay medyo natakot sila sa’ken. Simula ng matuto akong magbasa ay wala na kong ibang ginawa kundi magbasa ng magbasa lalo na ‘pag sapit ng bakasyon.

Noong high school na ako ay di ko inakala na mas titindi pa pala ang pagkahilig ko sa libro. Tinitipid ko ‘yung baon ko at di kumakaen pag recess para sa bisyo ko, OO bisyo! Nakakatawang pakinggan pero ‘yan talaga ang tawag ng nanay ko diyan at madalas pa nga kameng mag-away dahil sa bisyo ko, pero ano magagawa ko? First Love ko ang pagbabasa. Pagsapit ng Sabado at Linggo ay di mo ako matatagpuan sa bahay, nasa mall ako pero di para mag-gala at kumaen, sinusuyod ko ang mga bookstore na nagbebenta ng second hand books at doon ako bumubile ng libro, minsan window shopping para mapag-ipunan ko 'yung susunod na libro. Ayos na sa’ken kahit second hand, di naman ganoon kaimportante 'yung cover at itsura ng libro, mas importante pa rin 'yung laman. Dahil pangalawang gamit na yung mga librong binibili ko ay kailangan ko pang bumili ng plastic cover para ibalot sa mga binili ko. Uuwi ako ng mayroong ngiti sa labi dahil marami akong naiuwing kayamanan. Kung ang nanay ko tinatawag silang bisyo, itinuturing ko naman silang KAYAMANAN ng buhay ko dahil sa pagbabagong naidulot nila sa akin at ang karunungang taglay nito.

Unti-unti ko na ring inaalis ang pagbabasa ng mga babasahin na may litrato. Gusto ko kasi magkaroon ng kapangyarihan na sinasabi ng nakararaming mambabasa, oo, kapangyarihan ang tawag nila. Ang kapangyarihan na tinutukoy ko ay ang kakayahang bumuo ng sariling mga imahe, litrato at senaryo sa isip. Sa palagay ko ay mas maganda ito dahil bukod sa lalawak ang imahinasyon mo ay pwede ka pang pumunta sa mga lugar na gusto mong bisitahin, libre pamasahe!

Kakaibang tuwa at galak ang nararamdaman ko tuwing nakikita ang mga libro sa kabinet ko, na dugo’t pawis ang puhunan, sigaw ng nanay ko, oras at effort. Tuwing makakatapos ako ng isang libro ay malaking achievement na iyon para sa akin at feeling ko ay napakataba ng utak ko. Nangangarap nga ako na balang-araw ay magkaroon ako ng mini library sa bahay ko at alam kong isa iyon sa mga pinakamasayang bahagi ng buhay ko. Maaaring sa tingin ng iba, ang pagbabasa ay corny, boring at sayang sa oras, pero doon sila nagkakamali, ang pagbabasa ay isang simpleng gawain lamang ngunit talaga namang maaaring magdulot ng napakalaking pagbabago sa buhay ng isang indibidwal. Pagbabago na maaaring magdala sa iyo at sa nakararami sa rurok ng tagumpay.

Anxiety Disorder and My Realizations

Watching movies, indie films and short clips containing some psycho matters (psychopathic or neurotic person) is not new to me, but seeing a short documentary showing the complete view of a specific disorder caught my attention. It is a documentay aiming to inform and entertain at the same time. It is entertaining because while learning some new facts about the topic it also helps you to understand some familiar words better. Like for example the term “anxiety”, before I just look at this word as a description for those people who are emotionally disturbed, but while watching it I fully understand what was the complete and exact definition of that single word. Anxiety is a state of intense apprehension, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the anticipation of a threatening event or situation, often to a degree that normal physical and psychological functioning is disrupted. It is a generalized mood condition that can often occur without an identifiable triggering stimulus. As such, it is distinguished from fear, which is an emotional response to a perceived threat. Additionally, fear is related to the specific behaviors of escape and avoidance, whereas anxiety is related to situations perceived as uncontrollable or unavoidable. Anxiety disorder is a blanket term covering several different forms of abnormal and pathological fear and anxiety which only came under the aegis of psychiatry.

The first example of anxiety discussed is about the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). It is a pattern of mental and physical defects that can develop in a fetus in association with high levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Alcohol crosses the placental barrier and can stunt fetal growth or weight, create distinctive facial stigmata, damage neurons and brain structures, which can result in psychological or behavioral problems, and cause other physical damage. The main effect of FAS is permanent central nervous system damage, especially to the brain. Developing brain cells and structures can be malformed or have development interrupted by prenatal alcohol exposure. This can create an array of primary cognitive and functional disabilities including poor memory, attention deficits, impulsive behavior, and poor cause-effect reasoning as well as secondary disabilities like predispositions to mental health problems and drug addiction. Signs and symptoms of this are Pre or post-natal growth deficiency, central nervous system disfunction and abnormal facial features like thin upper lip, smooth philtrum and small eye width. People having Fetal Alcohol Syndrome appears to be normal but never reach their potential. They are also clinically suspect but appears normal. Another type of anxiety disorder is the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or commonly known as OCD. This one really got my attention because I remember Emma Pillsbury of Glee, she also have OCD and currently taking up some medications. OCD is not new to me because of Glee series. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing the associated anxiety, or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions. Symptoms of this disorder include excessive washing or cleaning, repeated checking, extreme hoarding, preoccupation with sexual, violent or religious thoughts, aversion to particular numbers and nervous rituals, such as opening and closing a door a certain number of times before entering or leaving a room. These symptoms can be alienating and time-consuming, and often cause severe emotional and financial distress. However, OCD sufferers generally recognize their obsessions and compulsions as irrational, and may become further distressed by this realization. The last anxiety disorder discussed was the Panic Disorder. It is characterized by recurring severe panic attacks. It may also include significant behavioral change lasting at least a month and of ongoing worry about the implications or concern about having other attacks. People having this usually have a series of intense episodes of extreme anxiety during panic attacks. There is no single cause for panic disorder, however, panic disorder has been found to run in families, and suggests that inheritance plays a strong role in determining who will get it. Panic disorder is common among mid-teens to adulthood and according to what have said, women are three times more likely to have panic disorder than men. 

Being able to watch that short documentary is a good experience for me, because aside from the knowlege that it gave, it also shows me how to deal with people having anxiety disorders. I like the film because of its content even though its quite short because of the limited time that we have and I am looking forward on watching the other half of the movie. 

Wikang Filipino: Mahalagang salik sa pagpapahayag ng Karapatang Pantao

Ang panahon ng Amerikano ang nagbigay-daan upang sumilang ang mga dulang tuwiran at di-tuwirang tumutuligsa sa pamahalaan. Nariyan ang Walang Sugat ni Severino Reyes, ang Tanikalang Ginto ni Juan K. Abad at Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas ng katipunerong si Aurelio Tolentino. Bawat isa ay tumalakay sa mapagbalatkayong pakikitungo sa atin ng mga Amerikano. Sa panahon ding ito, ipinahiwatig ng mga Pilipino ang epekto ng kulturang Amerikano sa buhay ng mga Pilipino. Ang paksa ng ekonomiyang kapitalista ay tinuligsa sa Banaag at Sikat ni Lope K. Santos, ang pang-aapi ng mga panginoong maylupa ay nabasa sa Walang Panginoon ni Deogracias Rosario, at sa lahat ng ito, nakarating hanggang sa kasalukuyan ang hapdi ng pananakop sa mga titik ng tula na naging awit na Bayan Ko ni Jose Corazon De Jesus.

Sa panahong kasalukuyan, kalabisan na marahil kung uulitin pa natin ang malinaw na katotohanang walang ibang wikang ginamit ang Dalawang EDSA upang makahikayat ng libu-libong Pilipino kundi ang wikang Filipino. Mula sa Magkaisa hanggang sa Gloria Labandera ay wikang sarili ang laging nagsasalamin sa hinaing ng mga Pilipino. Pagdating ng eleksyon, wala ni isang kandidato ang nagpilit na magpa-Ingles-Ingles sa harap ng madla. Sa buong proseso ng pagpapatalsik sa dating Pangulo, di miminsang nagtalo pa ang mga senador sa kung anong uri ng varayti ng Filipino ang gagamitin. Hindi nga ba’t kahit yaong matataas ang kalibre sa pagsasalita ng Ingles at maging yaong hindi Tagalog ay nagsalita ng Filipino upang maiparating lamang ang kanilang mga pananaw sa milyun-milyong Pilipinong nanonood at sumusubaybay? At masasabi kong higit sa lahat, pagkat siyang pinakamaimpluwensya, pagmasdan at pakinggan ang wika ng mass media. Ang dati-rating mga wikang Ingles ang gamit sa pagbabalita at paglilingkod ay mabilis na nagbago patungo sa paggamit ng wikang Filipino. Maging ang mga telenobela at cartoon na kinahihiligan sa araw-araw ay kinailangang isa-Filipino upang subaybayan. At sa lahat ng ito, natutuhan na ng mga bata ang mga batayang konsepto sa matematika, agham at teknolohiya sa sarili nating wika.

        
Sa kabuuan, bagamat dalawa ang madalas na ginagamit na wika ng ating bansa, Filipino at Ingles, hindi maikakaila na kung ang nais natin ay tapat at tuwirang pagkakaunawaan, Filipino ang DAPAT UPANG MAIPAHAYAG ANG KARAPATAN NG BAWAT MAMAMAYAN! ANG WIKANG ITO AY SUBOK NA NG KASAYSAYAN! ANG WIKA RING ITO ANG MAGBUBUKLOD SA SAMBAYANAN!

Extreme Night 2011: Next in Line

The volunteers of New Life Christian Center conducted a musical play directed by Ms. Arlene Faraon entitled “Extreme Night” last September 24, 2011 at the 3rd Floor of the New Life Christian Center building at exactly 7:00 in the evening. More than 600 attended the said event and most of them came from different colleges such as Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Malayan Colleges, Letran Calamba, Perpetual Help College, De La Salle Santiago Zobel and San Beda College Alabang.

Next in Line casts

The event started with an ice breaker lead by the two hosts of the event: Bianca and Jesse by means of shouting “EXTRME” and a talent portion. The winner was given a 1000 worth of gift certificate from starbucks and/or Timezone. After warming up the spirit of the audience, a special guest was then introduced by the hosts-DJ Danny. DJ Danny is a 20 year old guy and according to him, he has been serving at New Life Christian Center since 9 years old. He shows his extreme talent which is human beat boxing. Human Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. DJ Danny’s extreme talent caught the attention of the crowd and make everybody excited on what is going to happen next. Then, the hosts introduced the 10 students sponsored by John Curtis together with their sketchpads containing their artworks. World without art is boring, so we should be thankful to God for being a great artist in our life. The main event of the night was then showed, casts appear on the stage, singing Next in Line. From that scene it changes to a scenario inside the MRT. The first to stand up is a girl telling her story about her dark past. She was molested by her stepfather, got pregnant and left by her boyfriend. Second, a straight-haired young lady complaining about her parents. She is always being compared to others on whatever she does, for this reason she was stressed thinking on how to become perfect in her parents’ eyes. Third, a confused lady appears on the stage. She is asking, how, what, when and where is her place here on earth. She tries everything to fit in the society where she belongs, she is totally confused. Last, a sporty guy looking for a perfect love from a perfect girl, but then a guy appears on the stage saying that God gave us the perfect love we are looking for in our whole life. Lights out, and the guy who always appears every after each cast’s drama was gone.

A closing remarks was given by Pastor Heidi through a simple prayer while the other volunteers are giving some leaflets to be fill up. Pastor Heidi also said that “Awareness is the first step to change.” The casts of musical play appear again on the stage singing Next in Line. Kuya Rean introduced a special guest, Kara Teñoso of Protègè (singing contest in GMA 7) together with her mentor, Ms. Claire Dela Fuente.

The event ended well and properly by the help of the New Life and Christian Center volunteers.

Myth of the Human Body Exhibit

The Educational Field Trip which was organized by the EUREKA last July 25, 2011 at Taguig City was extremely amazing and so knowledgeable. We have gone first to a mini-theater and watch a short movie on how a life was form. There’s no introduction was given to the film, nor explanation after on what was the movie is all about, maybe because they want the viewers to reflect on their own.

Our tour guide, Kuya Richard who was like a talking doll said that the bodies were donated and most of them came from China. It features real human corpses that have undergone the process of plastination. The specimens are arranged in seven halls. At the first hall, introductions are made. A video of Gunther von Hagens, who invented and patented the plastination technique is looped. We saw there the plastination process in which samples are dried, and then processed in a vacuum.

Von Hagens, wearing a black hat, is shown demonstrating the process using a horse. One is posed as a basketball player, another as an archer - but it's confusing because the archer is shooting himself in the arm.

The guide asks us to refrain from asking why the archer is shooting himself in the arm, because he says it is impossible to position the body properly.

The halls are named after Greek deities, hence the exhibit title "Myth of the Human Body." The first hall is Heracles, and the focus is on the muscular and skeletal system. Spread out beneath glass are different plastinated body parts, in various states of health, dissected to different degrees.

Here it becomes clear that the exhibit is an anatomy lesson more than anything else. The guide rattles off facts about the human body, indicating the parts on display. After a few minutes, the guide ushers the group to the next hall and bids us to take care of our muscular and skeletal system. The advice is both friendly and ominous, given that we had just spent a few minutes staring at what our insides look like, or could look like.

The rest of the tour went the same way. Groups were guided through Poseidon (the respiratory system), Dionysus (the digestive system), Hades (the circulatory system), Eros (the reproductive system), Zeus (the brain and the nervous system), and Artemis (the fetal system). Some of the plastinated bodies were positioned innocently enough, simply upright, or maybe like a wrestler, like "The Strong Man." But some positions were a bit disconcerting, like the woman "holding" her organs, or the skinless man with his skin draped over his arm. I was amazed when I saw the skinless man because I found out that his tattoo was still there, it only means that tattoo lasts forever or even after death. Others, like the "Monterey Man" - literally chopped from head to toe were really disturbing. Disturbing and fascinating at the same time. The body parts were, after all, the real thing.

Myth of the Human Body Building Facade

I must say, it’s the most sulit I have ever paid for an exhibit.

The building itself is beautiful. The huge statues of gods and goddesses outside were beyond amazing. It is like the whole structure is alive. I was not able to take a good photo though, because there were posts blocking the view. Anyway, the corpses were awesome. I’d like to take a few home, especially those with internal organs. Myth of the Human Body is definitely not for the faint of heart but for everyone who wants to gain extra knowledge.

Unang Paglalakbay sa Riles ng Buhay

Sa labing-anim na taon na ipinagkaloob sa akin ng Diyos ay noong Biyernes ko lamang nasubukan at naranasan ang pagsakay sa LRT (Light Rail Transit). Nakakatuwang isipin ngunit iyon ang katotohanang bumabalot sa musmos kong pagkatao. Ang unang naging hakbang ng aming grupo ay ang pagsakay ng bus mula Alabang Town Center hanggang Buendia, bumaba kami doon at umakyat sa hagdanan na alam kong ihahatid ako sa ibang mundo. Nakakapanibago ang lugar sapagkat bukod sa napaka-usok ay makikita mo rin doon ang iba’t-ibang uri ng tao sa lipunan. Nagkakahalaga ng Php15.00 ang pamasahe sa LRT kaya naman maraming estudyante ang sumasakay dito. Sa palagay ko ay makatarungan naman ang singil nila dahil sulit ang byahe. Naghintay ang grupo namen sa pinakunang istasyon, ang Baclaran station. Dumating ang isang tren na walang sakay kaya naman nagsigawan sila na parang may artista, at sa totoo lang ay nahiya ako ‘nun sa sarili ko kaya medyo lumayo kame ng mga taong kapareho sa nararamdaman ko. Pagsakay namin ay pagkadismaya agad ang sumalubong sa’men sapagkat walang “Berso sa Metro” ang nakapaskil sa paligid kaya kinailangan naming bumaba at hintayin ang susunod na tren. Dumating na ang hinihintay namin ngunit sobra ang tulakan kaya naman napahiwalay kaming tatlo nila wood at soap, napasama kami sa tren na puro lalake ang sakay. Habang nasa loob ng tren ay di kami tumitigil sa pagtawa dahil sa kakaibang karanasan na iyon, nakatingin ang karamihan sa amin dahil sa ingay na dulot namin. Sobra ang sikip sa tren ngunit unti-unti rin namang lumuluwag habang papalapit sa huling istasyon. Pahirapan din ang pagkuha ng litrato ng mga “Berso sa Metro” sapagkat mauga ang tren. Gaya ng nabanggit ko kanina ay matatagpuan doon ang iba’t-ibang klase ng tao, mayroong mga estudyante, simpleng manlalakbay, mga taong may mga dalang bagahe na sa palagay ko ay naglalaman ng kanilang panghanap buhay at mayroon ding mga foreigner. Bumaba kami sa pinakahuling istasyon na may baong mga ngiti sa labi sapagkat tagumpay ang misyon namin. Sa unang pagkakataon na nakasakay ako sa LRT ay masasabi ko na napakasaya nito. Masaya dahil maraming bagay na doon ko lang naranasan. Maituturing ko rin ito na isa sa mga di ko malilimutang karanasan. Mainit, mahirap makipagsiksikan at sumakay ngunit marami naman akong natutuhan.
          
Ang pagsakay sa LRT ay maihahalintulad sa buhay ng isang simpleng tao. Maraming dadaan at magiging parte ng buhay mo, may makakaalis sa kinalalagyan niya ngayon at may maiiwan. Kinakailangan ring panatilihin ang balanse habang ika’y nakasakay sa agos ng buhay nang hindi ka matumba at magkaroon ng matibay na paninidigan. Sa bandang huli ay tayo pa rin ang magpapasya kung bababa na ba tayo o mananatiling nakikipagsapalaran sa gulong ng buhay.

Peace Retreat: The Sound of Silence

         

It was Monday when I saw my classmate crying in one corner. I ask her why, and she told me the news about the retreat. She's crying because the retreat accidentally hit her birthday, which will surely ruin her party. That day also, it made me think of what is a retreat and what can it do to me? Honestly, I don't know what retreat is, I came from a public high school and we are unable to have a peace retreat. I am so thankful that God had gave me the opportunity to study in San Beda College Alabang and experienced what peace retreat really is. Before, I think peace retreat as an activity where lots of crying will happen as what my friends and peers say. I also imagine that peace retreat will be a boring activity and a waste of time, but I’m wrong. Thursday night, I’m busy preparing my clothes, toiletries and other things that will be put on my luggage. Friday, I woke up early and found myself so excited for the retreat, well, it will be my first retreat ever. I hop on the car and make a stop at the gate of Alabang Hills Village to fetch my friends. We arrived at San Beda’s chapel and listen for a short instruction given by Fr. Dunstan. Fr. Dunstan gave us the chance to have a confession, honestly, that was only my second confession since my third grade and my last confession was seven years ago.
         
For 3 days and 2 nights stay at the Monseratt Center, I know that I had a wonderful experience and achievement as well. The first activity that we had was the washing of the feet. From that activity I learned how good really God is. He humble Himself even though He know who He was and what was His purpose. The most memorable activity for me was the distribution of letters from the parents. I was really surprised for that, because I did not expect to receive any, and it made me cry when I got one. I read the letter of my father, and it hurts me when I read the line in which my Daddy is saying sorry for not being able to send me on a private school because of the family crisis that we have undergone. Many memories-good and bad slowly flooded to my mind and that time, I want to burst out my feeling and shout. I want to shout to release the anger for myself. My Dad’s message for me teared off my heart. Another memorable activity for me was the writing of letters in return for our parents, it made me cry again one more time. My letter contains the three-most important element of a love letter, Thank You, Sorry, and I Love you.

         
The peace retreat was so good that it made me realize so many things in my life. Realizations which will helped me to transform from nothing to something. I realize that as of now in our life, we should learn to prioritize our parents. They are always on our side-in bad times and good times, and most of the time we just ignore them. I felt like that a cold water was pouring into my soul. I know it's God, touching my soul and asking me to come closer to Him. I love my parents but I cannot utter it in front of them because I’m shy and afraid. Shy because I’m not into that thing and afraid because my parents might take it as a joke.
         
There are so many material things here on Earth that we think that will make us happy and satisfied, but that was our biggest mistake. Youths of today should realize how important are parents are. We should give them the love they deserve because we don’t know until when we can enjoy the day with them. We should enjoy and treasure every moments that we have with them and show them how their hardworks developed and mold us into a better person they want to see.

Premarital Sex and its Plague

Premarital sex is a huge problem in society today. People everywhere are not waiting until they get married to have sex. People doing this are not aware of the consequences that may come with having a sex before marriage. They just think it’s fun and there is nothing other than fun comes with having sex.

Some people tend to have a lot of sex and they do it for the satisfaction. They believe sex is fun. It is perceived to be a great thing from the time one is young. Going to elementary school kids, they always talked about the day they were going to have sex and they looked forward to it. Where do they got the idea that sex was such a great thing? Well, it’s a question that one must answer. The movies, maybe or the magazines that one sees when digging through the drawers of an older brother, uncle or ones father. Sex is all over the society. You cannot watch cable television without seeing people kissing intimately, or even having sex. Just because cable does not show full nudity does not make it any better to let an eight year old child watch a television show full of sex.

In today’s society women are not held to that same standard as men are when it comes to having sex.

Now that the reasons of people having sex before marriage has been somewhat discussed and is out of the way, let us now tackle the consequences that come with having sex. First in my list is AIDS. This is a deadly virus that kills ones immune system. A person never dies from the actual virus. They die from the diseases that they can get due to a weak immune system. The immune system doesn't die slowly either it takes at least five years for the immune system to eventually give out. A person can die from a simple cold if they have contracted the AIDS virus. The cold starts of as a normal one does but it just keeps getting worse and worse. People suffer before they die from this disease. People having AIDS die slowly in pain. This disease has been responsible for killing millions of people. The way this virus is contracted is through exchange of bodily fluids. Sex is the number one way this virus is spread. What people are not realizing is that this disease is deadly and by having premarital sex and not being monogamous they too can get this disease. People are very aware that this disease is just out there but they do not understand that it can affect them.

There are many other diseases out there other than AIDS that are caused by having sex. Most other sexually transmitted diseases are deadly but they are curable if found before they cause your body a damage. Let's not forget how painful these diseases are. All I can say when I think of contracting something as painful as a disease is “OUCH”, and keep on pumping! Why would someone even want to take the chance of contracting one of these horrible diseases? Because sex is fun? There is a very simple solution if one would want to avoid contracting one of these horrible diseases. It's just as easy as having sex and not worrying about it.

Let's not forget how bad a reputation could a people have if others found out that they have a sexually transmitted disease. They would be laughed at and ridiculed. People would think that a person was dirty if they knew they had disease. What kind of feeling would a person have knowing that they have a disease that they have contracted through sexual intercourse.

The major religious belief in the Philippines is Christianity. It teaches that having sex before getting married is wrong. Having sex before marriage is a sin and when people commit sin they go to hell. Many people do sex as a past time activity. They don't think for the feelings of others. Christianity teaches people to treat others as they would like to be treated. I'm sure no person likes getting his or her feelings hurt. People should think about others before they do such things such as use others for sex. Christianity also teaches that lust is a sin. It is one of the seven deadly sins and it should not be taken lightly according to religious teachings. Lust leads to sex, and if sex is taken lightly, more and more people will begin to have children out of wedlock.

Pregnancy is also a result of sex. Those who are not married and have children doesn’t only make their own lives harder by burdening themselves financially but they also make it harder for their children to live without both of their parents. In some cases, children are left with just one parent and have to grow up the rest of their lives feeling unwanted because their biological father did not stick around. It is hard for a child to understand why he/she only have one parent knowing that the real reason was Premarital Sex. How would you explain this to a child? You couldn’t and if you did there would definitely be something wrong with you. An even worse case is a child who is put up for adoption and wanting to have sex with adults. He/she knows nothing about his/her real parents and is never given the opportunity to be given the love that every child deserves from his/her parents. I believe it would be hard not to know who your parents were. It would kill me to think that I could have a mother and father like most normal people but does not want to accept me.

Sex is not entirely bad. In my opinion, sex should be treated like everything else and be done in moderation. People should learn to understand each other and understand that sex is a big step in relationships and could only be done by those couple who are legally married. If it were not a big step there would be no point in getting married. Why would a person want to buy a used car when they could buy a new car? Sorry that it has to be put this way but this is the harsh reality of it. People who have slept around are not going to have an easy time finding a life mate. Nobody wants somebody who had slept with all of their friends. Why would you? How could you? It would be really awkward having all of my friends standing in my wedding knowing that I had sex with somebody before.

Hopefully people will begin to look at everything they can lose from having sex before marriage. The same goes for those who can not be monogamous. People should hold themselves to a higher standard. If people had more confidence I believe that they would feel they needed to have sex to impress people or to make people happy. Sex should be a result of love and should have more meaning than it does to some people.

The entire point is sex before marriage have consequences. There are many and I have only touched based on a few. If I were to go over every reason that sex was wrong, the list would never end.

My Teacher, My Hero

Teachers are significant part and have an influencing role in the life of every student. Teachers mold their students in the process and to shape their future. They show us the right path and groom us to become a better citizen and a better person. They teach us to face the most difficult challenges of life and get through them. What we learn from our teachers will remain with us, and throughout our life. However, very often, we fail to show our appreciation and gratitude for their altruistic devotion. Teachers do need encourage and support from the community to feel that their efforts are being recognized. To serve the purpose, Teacher’s day is celebrated to pay tribute to teachers, who have dedicated a considerable part of their life to impart moral and academic knowledge to their students. By having a celebration for Teacher’s day, students convey the message that they care for their teachers, just as they do and thanked them for providing their invaluable guidance. Through celebrating occasions like this, it gives them an opportunity to come closer to each other and have a strong bonding – a healthy interaction between students and teachers.