During World War 2, Gen. Douglas MacArthur kept his promise to the war-torn Filipinos: I shall return.
This perhaps is just a replay of what happened years ago when a 33-year old carpenter once told His apostles that He will soon leave them and His followers by dying. The Twelve were aghast, but He told them that in dying He will actually be conquering death and in three day’s time, resurrect. Such tale was impossible to believe though, after all the horrors of the crucifixion were really serious. But exactly after three days’ time, the Carpenter kept his promise. Not only to His apostles and followers, but to every human being on Earth.
Today we commemorate how Jesus kept His promise of salvation through the remembrance of His Paschal Mystery. In His Resurrection, Christ gave us new life. Areas of grey were given vibrant colors once again.
For reflection, and as last post for the Holy Week, here’s a repost of a simply amazing video from YouTube. It really made me teary.
Jesus entered our lives to transform us. His Words added meaning to the joy of living. While we sometimes fail to see this reality, the very air we breathe is enough to be proof.
This Lent 2011, I heard around three to four Sunday Masses at the Santa Maria della Strada Church near La Vista Village in Pansol, Quezon City. I was expecting to hear Alay Kapwa or Salamat sa Diyos as Gospel Antiphons, yet I heard this amazing song instead. The excellent message of its lyrics sent chills to my spine in a positive way — I felt loved by God. While Lent and Holy Week are already over, I think this song is a perfect hymn nonetheless in the celebration of Easter.
Wonderful Words of Life
by Philip P. Bliss
1. Sing them over again to me,
wonderful words of life;
let me more of their beauty see,
wonderful words of life;
words of life and beauty
teach me faith and duty.
Refrain:
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
wonderful words of life.
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
wonderful words of life.
2. Christ, the blessed one, gives to all
wonderful words of life;
sinner, list to the loving call,
wonderful words of life;
all so freely given,
wooing us to heaven.
(Refrain)
3. Sweetly echo the gospel call,
wonderful words of life;
offer pardon and peace to all,
wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Savior,
sanctify forever.
(Refrain)
My Chi-niece Angel asked me last month, “Ninong kailan ang summer vacation n’yo?” She’ll be a fifth grader this June. I told her that the industry doesn’t offer such perks anymore (which made me miss school more) and that the lengthiest breaks employed people get would be long weekends (which thanks to our present administration are reduced to zero now — I still believe that the government and industry must invest on long weekends, so that workers can rest and in turn be more productive, but anyway). The Easter Triduum would be the longest (not counting Christmas shutdowns for select companies) break — from Maundy Thursday extending to Easter Sunday. Some even get it started on Spy Wednesday, but moving on.
It’s no wonder then that people would choose to schedule most of their out-of-towns and vacations during this four-day stretch. Being in a very traditionally Catholic country however (which has good and bad points, presently the balance tips to the bad side), the Church is always vocal on remarking how secular its faithful have become. Religious authorities are making a fuss of it. They’ve always looked through a particular set of lens for a long time.
My point is, no one can blame us employed people for booking flights to Bora or Galera this Holy Week as it’s OUR ONLY CHANCE. For the whole twenty other days of each month, eight or more hours are spent in search of money. Weekends are actually short — shorter even for those who have to go back and forth to their home provinces. (Try going back to Metro Manila every Sunday afternoon and anticipate the workweek ahead. You’re going to drain all your energy.) The Holy Week is actually a “bonus” for employees so as they don’t have to worry about maxing out their limited precious leaves. In fact for 2011 which UNFORTUNATELY has MOST holidays on weekends (and again with our current administration here in the Philippines), Holy Week is one of the few long weekends an employee can get (except June 24 and August 19 for Manila and Quezon Cities employees, but still they’re shorter).
Besides in His Paschal Mystery, Jesus Christ destroyed death through dying and restored life by rising up again? Shouldn’t we somehow celebrate this fact? In Catholic Masses, isn’t this the Mystery of Faith part? Then going to the beach and actually enjoying can be considered a commemoration of the life Jesus breathed into us during the first ever Holy Week. It may at first seem secular at one point, but if you think of it, that’s a better way of using your faith-renewed life than wasting it on sinful acts, like human trafficking and drug abuse perhaps?
Probably we can meet with what the Church wants us to do by just pausing for moments of silence on Good Friday 3:00 PM. Whether you are sun-bathing or snorkeling by that time, stop whatever you are doing and praise Jesus Christ for His unconditional love.
So this Easter Triduum, go ahead and hit the beach. Go ahead and celebrate the beauty of life God has bestowed on us.
Bagong taon, bagong mga gimik. Para sa akin, ito ang unang tangka kong mag-blog sa wikang Tagalog. Or at least, dito sa WordPress.
Kasabay ng bagong taon, nadadagdagan din ng isa ang aking edad. Malapit ang kaarawan ko sa Pasko eh. Wow, twenty-two years na pala ako rito sa planet Earth. Hindi ko nga gaanong namalayang dalaginding na pala si Angel Chee, ang pinaka-una kong inaanak (well, not strictly pamangkin sa pinsan, may mas nauna pa sa kanya) na itinuturing ko ring anak ko. Mantakin mo ‘yon, nakatapos na pala ako ng elementarya at hayskul.
Nitong nakaraang dekada, ang daming artistang Pinoy na namatay (si Redford White na ba ‘yong pinaka-latest?). Karamihan ‘yong mga popular noon sa TV, lalo na no’ng ‘di pa uso ang cable. Mula la’ang sa Home Along da Riles dati, ang dami nang kasama ni Lord ngayon. Grabe, tumatanda na sila. And guess what, ako rin pala. Mahusay la’ng talaga ang mga angkan ko sa mother side (Gatmaitan at Cervantes) at kahit anong tanda namin ‘di kami nagkakaputing buhok (Hi, Lola Ninay!).
Pero kalimutan na ang buhay telebisyon. Sa hayskul, kung saan sabi nila pinakamataas ang hormonal rage ng isang tao, doon din niya nakikita ang mga pinakamatatapat niyang kaibigan, at kasabay nila ang mga pinakamasasayang alaala. Nang panahong iyon masarap mag-rebelde at sumuway sa batas (lalo na ng paaralan at ng magulang haha!) — hayamo sila, narito kaming barkada mo para sa iyo pare!
So, mula sa entry na ito, aking babalikan ang yaong mga masasarap na alaala ng kahapon na hindi na kayang ibalik. Simulan natin sa mga lumang tugtugin — literally.
Napakapangit naman ng salubong ng 2011 sa Philippine music industry. Well fine, siguro, nakalulungkot na la’ng ang kataga. Si Ebe Dancel, aalis na sa Sugarfree. Si Champ aalis na sa Hale. Naalala ko tuloy, dati ‘yong mga kanta nila gaya ng Hari ng Sablay at The Day You Said Good Night kinukumpasan namin ng gitara, sabay birit ng mga gustong kumanta. Tuwing recess at lunch break. Masaya na kami roon (syempre, may Counter-Strike at Ragnarok pa kasi sa hapon, at masaya na rin kami sa dial-up).
At ang humabol pang balita, nitong January 9 la’ng: disbanded na ang Bamboo. Medyo late ko na nalaman, kaya nalulungkot talaga ako. Para sa amin dati (syempre iba pa rin sina Ely Buendia ng Eraserheads/Mongol/Pupil, Chito Miranda ng Parokya Ni Edgar, at Raimund Marasigan ng Sandwich), si Bamboo Mañalac ay isa sa mga diyos ng Pinoy alternative rock. Napariwara man siya dati sa ipinagbabawal na gamot, at least bumalik siya nang taas noo with a matching “HOY PINOY AKO!” Sa kanya ko maiuutang ang unang spark ng sense of nationalism sa aking kaluluwa. Saludo ako sa iyo pare!
Pati ang Barbie’s Cradle, Eraserheads, at Mojofly (Delara na sila ngayon, pero still most are not the original members) wala na rin pala. And so the list goes on.
Wala la’ng. Parang sa pagkaka-disband, a large chunk of my self was taken away from me. There goes another part of my childhood, isip ko nga sa sarili ko. Sa kabilang dako naman ng Kanluran, ang dami na ring mga gusto kong banda ang nagsi-hiatus na. Nariyan ang The Calling, The Corrs, at Matchbox Twenty (though this 2011, gagawa raw ng bagong album ang MB20). Matanda na nga talaga ako.
Naiisip ko na la’ng, ano kaya ang pakiramdam ni Mommy no’ng nag-disband din ang Asin, Beatles, The Carpenters, at iba pa? E’di ganoon din, tulad siguro ng nararamdaman ko lately. Pero life must go on, kasi sabi nga ng After Image, we are the ones who are next in line.
Pero parang ayaw ko pa eh. Parang gusto ko palaging hayskul na lang, suma-soundtrip la’ng kapag recess, nagpapakopya ng homework kapalit ng isang CD ng porn,etc. ‘Yon ang tumatakbo sa utak ko until I got to read this tweet from Chito Miranda:
Na actually ay ini-RT niya mula kay Gary V. It hit me. Tama nga. Matapos nga naman ng hayskul, ‘di ko naman dinala ‘yong pink radio na iyon ni Bespren Deu (ay, sa Ate niya pala iyon hehe) sa kolehiyo. Sa halip, nag-aral ako. Oo at nabuhay pa rin ang musikang Pilipino noong panahong iyon, pero habang nagpapaka-dalubhasa ako sa dalubhasaan (orihinal na Tagalog for “college”), ini-e-explore din ng mga artistang yaon ang kanilang future life. Sabihin na la’ng nating may mas maganda silang nakitang options. At gaya ng mga naunang mag-disband sa kanila, ganoon din ang nangyari. Cycle of life baga.
Tumatanda na tayo. So far, ‘di pa disbanded ang top two favorite Pinoy bands ko — Parokya Ni Edgar at Sandwich. Balang araw (pero sana hindi muna ngayon, huhuhu) maghihiwa-hiwalay rin sina Chito at ang Parokya, si Raimund at ang kanyang bandmates. Pero hindi ibig sabihin noon ay mawawala na rin ang musika nila. Ibig sabihin la’ng noon, may mas magandang plano sa kanila ang Panginoon.
Pero let’s face it – darating din ang panahon na magiging baduy na ang tugtugin natin sa ating mga anak. Oh, well papel.
Tatapusin ko ang entry na ito sa kantang Awit ng Kabataan ng Rivermaya. Haaay, vocalist pa nila noon si Bamboo M.
Next Tumatanda na Tayo entry: Hala, tumataba ka na! At dati lampayatot ka! Abangan!
I’m starting the most wonderful month of the year with a reposted blog entry (Jan. 26, 2009) from my Multiply account. Enjoy!
Apparently some Filipino words as we know them today were not what they used to be during 17th century Spanish colonization. I learned that from Asian History (Hi16) today. For example:
gahasain = to hurry, bilisan, madaliin
ex: Anak, gahasain mo na ‘yan! Ano ba!
sayaw = sexual intercourse, pakikipagtalik, pakikipagsiping
ex: Aking irog, tayo nang magsayaw buong gabi.
bakla = afraid, takot, duwag
ex: Nabakla ako sa muscles mo, pare.
Moral: Next time, be careful with your words and who you are talking to. Hahahaha!
Lottery in the Philippines has gone from intense to super intense as the jackpot prize hits the PhP 400 million-mark, the highest so far in history. While this is really just a small amount compared to American lottery, such amount is enough to make someone retire already. As for me, I just graduated (for the second time yeah alright) from college and I am enjoying my first job. I am not yet really picturing myself retired (as I also plan to get a doctorate degree soon) but suddenly I felt the urge to join the craze.
So, if I alone win that whooping PhP 400++ million jackpot, here’s a partial list of the things I’ll do:
Buy an island. I want to tour my country and my planet but it sure feels great to have an extra place where I can stretch out my legs if I, by some weird reason, forget to purchase a plane ticket.
Buy a house and lot (and of course all the necessary appliances. No, make that a mansion and a hacienda. Everyone’s dream is to settle with his/her partner in a place away from mom and dad, so there.
Get a townhouse per specific province across the Philippines. Probably eight would do.
Start a business and make it big. However, I’m a chemist and I don’t really know how to, so probably I’ll get a business team to help me. After that I might…
Attempt to buy stocks/shares of some huge company, in the hopes to dominate them someday. Okay, management majors, correct me for misuse of technical terms. I seriously am clueless.
Buy a helicopter and a yacht. And probably a submarine.
Go to Antarctica and back. My childhood dream at long last! Wait, not just Antarctica, I want to…
Visit the prime countries of each continent. No, I’m not referring to just the first-worlds here — I want to go to countries whose cultures are unique or are at least very notable in history.
Buy five to ten cars. Of course, I’ll have all the best models.
Buy all the latest tech-gadgets as well as lots of clothes.
Probe on possibilities of how I (and/or some of my money winnings) can help in scientific research endeavors here in our country). The Philippines has lots of great people, great scientists even (like me, haha joke!). The problem however lies in funding and budget allocation.
Give to some friends and to my family. To those who I promised.
Give to my favorite churches and chosen charities.
Start a foundation/orphanage for taong grasas. And have some hospital for their treatment and recovery. To those who know me well, taong grasas are the reason why I chose a career in chemistry in the first place.
Save some money in the bank. For my future family! Probably around PhP 200 million? I can’t use it up after all, I’m still single and ready to mingle!
Disclaimer: I am just 21 going on 22, so these things might still change. Well probably just a few only. But still there will be some changes.
That’s all I can think of so far. There’s another way actually — to be a boxer like Manny Pacquiao. I might actually consider that haha. Yet even if I get filthy rich, whether through a win the lottery or with the aid of eight boxing belts, I think I’ll still pursue graduate studies. Only when my true priceless dreams are realized shall I call it quits already.
