February Special - The First Love Story

The Dear Kuya Program of PAC-YM is nearly up in a week. Everyone is truly excited about it, including me. I was actually allowed to meddle with its creation. I was given the task of writing the script and helping "kuya" in planning the program. I just finished the first run of the program and somehow while searching through various sources, I stumbled upon a very unique and probably the first love story. So I adapted it.

He woke up from a very deep slumber. His eyes were still getting accustomed to the light of the morning. He stretched his arms with a yawn. It was a nice and refreshing sleep especially under the tree. He loved sleeping under that tree. It overlooked the whole forest with all its verdant beauty.

As he was about to rise, he was immediately taken aback at what stood in front of him. Two limbs firm and strong was standing in front of him. Were these the limbs of the horse he was riding yesterday? No this couldn't be it. It's not even a quadruped. It has no hind limbs.

He had to shade his eyes from the sun as he tried to gaze at the creature in front of him. It was a creature of majestic standards. Yes, its long flowing hair almost like the river Euphrates seemed to enamour him.

He finally stood up and gazed at the most beautiful creature his eyes has ever dawned upon. From what he is seeing, he already knows that this is one of the Master's doing. And this was for him!

So, the man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man."

And so man and woman, Adam and Eve became one.
______
Based on Genesis 2: 21-24

It is February once more and for most people, the thought that would most likely fall on their heads is the question of who would be my date this Valentine's Day? It is a very timely question that for some may seem to have a very disappointing answer.

True enough, those emo questions of who is the destined one for me? Or how would I find that elusive Mr. or Ms. Right? seemed to be the craze during these months. Moreover, flowers, chocolates, cards and love stories seemed to take their toll at around these months. Films and TV programs seemed to overly expound on these daring exploits of men trying to woo their women or some other tragic twist of romance that it has become the fad.

But of all the love stories that I have seen or read, which could be summed up by the number of fingers on one of your hands, I seem to favor the first love story the most. Sorry for those who prefer that vampire and his beloved or any other classic or modern fiction you love that had that same plot as the novel next to it have.

So what was the first love story? You may not believe me but that's the one I have written on top. But if you much prefer the original text, it can be found in Genesis 2: 18-25 (I wanted to put it here or link it to an online Bible site, but you have to open your Bible sometimes right?)

So what's good about it? It's the story it self. The story answers all the WH about love.

Why do we need love?

This is the first and most important question that we need to answer. The first verse answered that question. God was the first to realize it. He knew that man need not be alone. Man should always have a companion. Because God is a God of Love we need to have a companion for us.

Imagine Adam's work in the second verse (v.19). God sent all the animals to him. Think about all of those animals. And if you think of elephants and lions, think again. Those animals that you're thinking of are only 2% of the entire animal kingdom. That lot alone, if it came to Adam, would be very overwhelming. So most naturally, he needed help doing it.

In the same way, we need help do things that we were set to do. We need a companion that would help us bring glory to God and his creations.

Who to love?

The first verse (v.18) tells us what God thought about the prospect of marriage or finding your love. He was the first one aware of the idea even before it entered the mind of Adam. And God even proposed the solution. It clearly tells us that God is the first one who loved us that He even bothered to think of creating a partner for man. The great Psalmist was right when he said "Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD!" (Psalms 139:4)

Indeed, we need to love God first before everything will fall into place. He is the source of all the love in the world. So seek him first.

What to do to find love?

The second verse plainly answers the question. What was Adam doing before he met Eve? He was working. He set out what God wanted him to do. Even though it was as simple as naming all the animals, he still went out to do it. He never clamoured or sulked at God when God did not give him Eve yet. He just obeyed without actually expecting anything to happen. He did not know what were God's plans so he just worked for God.

That is the same thing that we need to do. Instead of wallowing in pain of being alone or falling into that deep abyss of nothingness because of a failed love, we need to realize that its not the falling in love that matters. What matters is that you work for God and obey his commands even though it seems as simple as reading the Bible or identifying the poor.

Where do we find love?

Be you man or woman, what God did to Adam after putting him to sleep was the answer. He pulled out a rib. While this may interest doctors more as the first operation, we see that it also signifies where to find love. It tells us that with God's help we need to look a little deeper into ourselves. God dug deep into Adam's ribs to fashion out Eve.

In the same way, we need to know God and ourselves deeper to see what we really need and when do we really need it. You may laugh at the thought of self realization and stuff but it seems that it is the thing that we keep on forgetting, that is including me. We tend to rush into relationships hoping that somehow this next one would be the real One. Only to find that in the end, we made a wrong decision and we get not only disappointment but heartbreak because of it. 

When do we find love?

God was the one who fashioned Eve. He was the one who made Adam sleep a "deep slumber" and did his operation. He took the rib from Adam, He sealed the wound. He made Eve from the rib. He brought her to Adam. What I am pointing out here is that God did all of these in succession. He did all of these in his own time and process.

Guys and gals alike tend to take it on their own. When our hormones were still raging to discover the world around us, we seem to think that we are up to do adult stuff. But we don't realize that those adults that we find as models have undergone the process of submitting their lives to God and waiting it out in God's time (of course those are the ideal adults). So in the end, we tend to rush. We tend to follow our deceptive feelings and juvenile decision making skills that as we grow older we seem to be making the same mistakes over and over again. We need to stop and trust God's timing for everything.

The first love story may be the simplest love story. But it is also the most enjoyable and the most informative. It lacks the average plot of vampires, werewolves, magic, sorcery, mysterious deaths, poisons, family feuds and a whole lot of other twists and turns that media has to offer. It lacks the titillating romantic scenes or the adrenaline pumping rescue scenes but it never lacked the God scene.

Four Days Worth

There are those rare moments when words would endlessly flow out of my mind. Most times those rare moments are never put on paper.

It was one of those days.

I was really eager to write a new post last Monday. A thought just struck me and my fingers are eager to scratch it on the keyboard or on paper. I knew that the moment I scrambled for paper, the thought would eventually pass away. So that leaves the keyboard.

Maybe, just maybe, I'm choosy when it comes to setting down my thoughts on the keyboard. I wanted it posted immediately. I wanted the world to see it even in its early stages. So what would you do at such a moment? Of course, open your blog.

I did.

But I just got pissed off that the thought suddenly burst. The same thing happened the next day, and the day after the next until now. I really don't know what happened but I cannot log in on my multiply for four days.

Now I completely forgot what I set out to write plus I had four days worth of ranting.

Attack of the Nothing

It's one of those days once again where the most important thing to do is be alive.

Haay.. My mind is blank at the moment come back next time....

The Series Dilemma

The world right now is following, yet, another series. The Twilight Series. What I thought at first was the movie version of the ancient TV show The Twilight Zone, I twitched at learning that it is actually another series of books. And before I knew it, it has already affected the whole world.

I was never really fond of romance novels. I slept through the works Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and even Romeo and Juliet. I have avoided these books among others, so my aversion towards the Twilight Series is nothing new. Convince me if you will but don't treat me with scorn.

However, the truth is, romance novels are not the only one on my avoid list. In fact, I also try to avoid any books that come in a series for that matter even though it interests me a lot. Don't get me wrong, I have trilogies and more in my book collection. But why do I hate them?

Since I started collecting books, I have completed the Warriors of Virtue Series, completed the Lord of the Rings Series, almost completed the Moby Book Classics, nearly completed the Harry Potter Series, and Almost completed the Redwall Saga.

Throughout the collecting process, I have been struck by a frenzy akin to addiction. I remember vividly how I have saved months for the Warriors of Virtue Series (for those who don't know its the follow up on the movie of the same title) out of my 20 pesos per day allowance. I collected the series with a friend. Supposedly, we would have 3 or 2 of the 5 books each and then borrow the ones I don't have from my friend. However, I insisted on buying the whole series even to the point of losing all the money I saved for several months within a day.

I avoided the Animorphs. It was one of the series of books that would have been a worthwhile read and own. But it was an ongoing series at that time and its costs were too much for a student can bear. None the less, I was able to finish the whole series and nearly cried at the bitter ending. It was one of those stories that should have been promoted more in the Philippines because of the subtle metaphors and real life situations amidst the fiction that it presents.

So that was the reason. Those books have to be collected and sometimes you have to wait for the next book. Sometimes it's long enough that you get engrossed with some other title and lost the fervor of collecting the former series.

Another reason is that it was too sensationalized. I remember, that in my zeal to introduce leisurely reading to my classmates as a hobby, I let them borrow my still being collected Harry Potter series. I enjoyed seeing them engrossed at such endeavor without looking forward to any grades. I said to myself "At long last! I have someone to talk about the books I read!"

Eventually, my face turned sour as little by little, they only became engrossed with that one series of books. It became a cult like following in that they try to remember even the minutest details of the book. Even until college, they would ask me if I have the latest book in the series and wouldn't want to talk to me about anything other than Harry Potter. It was too much to bear and I felt like I introduced to them something that has poisoned their hearts and minds. I would have completed it had it not been for the my friends who have become fanatics of the book.

It's really ironic. No, actually it's a paradox. Because for the past years I have been engrossed with the Redwall Saga. It's a kid's story I know and it's author is something like John Grisham or Dan Brown. The styles in each book are similar and yet, I still collect them. I don't know but there's something in the characters that made me feel that they were real people masked by their animal characters in the books.

As of now, I have 11 out of the 20 novels in its saga. And I plan to complete them all because as I said before, It is an addiction.

____
also read related post:
http://teilwng.blog.friendster.com/2009/01/reading-list-aka-kagilagilalas-na-pakikipagsapalaran-sa-mundong-gawa-sa-papel/

Kwentong Salagubang

Sa puntong ito, marami akong nais matapos na mga isusulat na mas importante pero hindi ko talaga mapigilan ang sarili na isiwalat ang pangyayaring ito na naganap kamakailan lang. Sa katunayan ilang minuto lang ang nakalipas nang maganap ito.

Ilang buwan na ang lumipas nang nagulo ang aming pananahimik sa bahay nang may marinig kaming biglang humampas sa florescent lamp ng aming bahay. Hindi ko na maalala kung ano ang ginagawa ko ng mga oras na iyon pero nabulahaw ako sa munting tunog na iyon.

Tonk.

Maya maya ay naghiyawan ang mga kapatid ko at nagtatakbo papunta sa kanilang kwarto. Nagulat ako nang makita ko sa kisame ang isang lilipad-lipad na salagubang na naligaw sa aming tahanan. Habang kumakaripas sa pagtakbo ang aking mga kapatid, lumiwanag naman ang aking mga mata sa galak. Minsan ka lang makakakita ng salagubang sa kalagitnaan ng Makati.

Naalala ko, dati rati ay nanghuhuli kami nito ng aking mga pinsan sa Bulacan. Nilalagyan ng sinulid sa katawan at pinapalipad na tila mga itim na saranggola na mababa ang lipat. Kaya namangha ako nang makita ang salagubang na iyon.

Sa puntong iyon, ako na lamang ang naiwan sa silid. Lahat ng kasamahan ko ay nasa kabilang silid, nakasilip sa pinto at nagmamakaawa na paalisin ko ang munting insekto. Imbes na paalisin ay hinuli ko ito at inilagay sa garapon at pinangarap na alagaan. Nagpupumiglas ito nang aking hawakan ng dalawang daliri.

Ilang linggo ang nakalipas ay napasin kong nanghihina ang kulisap na gustong alagaan. Hindi siya kumakain ng mga dahon na sa isip ko ay kanyang kinakain upang mabuhay dito sa lungsod. Ngunit napansin ko ang kanyang matamlay na pangagatawan. Kaya naisipan kong pakawalan na lamang ito. Ayokong mamatay dahil sa aking kalayawan ang isang kakaibang kulisap na minsan mo lamang makikita sa lungsod. Kaya kahit nanghihna ay pilit ko siyang pinakapit sa puno ng duhat na matatagpuan sa likod ng aming bahay.

Matapos nun ay hindi ko na naisip pa ang munting salagubang. Kung nabuhay man siya o hindi ay hindi ko na alam. Ngunit bumalik siya sa aking isipan dahil sa mga nangyari kanina.

Ipinagpaliban ko saglit ang pagsusulat para usisain ang batang umakyat sa amin. Anak yun ng aming kapitbahay na madalas magpalipas ng oras sa bahay upang makipaglaro sa amin. Dalawang taon pa lang siya.

Ikinukwento (Take note, ikinukwento in full detail! Ngayon lang ako nakakita ng ganito ka normal na bata! ) niya sa mga kapatid ko ang nangyari sa kanya kanina. Naroon ako para manggulo sa kanya.

Nasa kalagitnaan siya ng pag-iisip (ang gulo ko kasi talaga), nang biglang sumigaw (actually, tumili) ang kapatid kong si Barry.

"Eeeek! Salagubang!" Sabay damba sa akin. Sumunod naman ang dalawa kong kapatid na babae. Sa kaguluhan, nakatunganga lang kami ni Angel (yung bata). Pero kita sa mata ng bata na nagulat siya. Sinubukan kong hampasin ng librong malapit lang ang salagubang upang mapunta ito sa kabilang dako ng kwarto. Kung hindi ko ginawa yun baka nadaganan ng tatlong kapatid ko ang batang nakatulala. Biglang naglabasan ang tatlo kong kapatid sabay dala sa batang hindi malaman kung anong nangyayari.

Tinamaan ko siguro yung salagubang pero hindi ko na napansin kung saan. Muntik na kasi ako mahulog sa pagkakaupo nang dumaan palabas yung tatlo.

Habang hinahanap yung salagubang, narinig ko yung bata. "Si tuya bill (barry), duwag! Ako nadulat lang!" (Takte, bakit ang dami mong kayang sabihin?)

Nahuli ko yung insekto. Tinamaan ko nga. Mukhang tuliro eh. Kinausap ko pero hindi sumasagot.

Ipinakita ko sa bata. "Hulihin mo." Sabi ko. Iniabot ko sa kanya ang plastic na garapon. Pero ayaw niyang hawakan yung salagubang. So ako ang dumampot at inilagay sa garapon.

"Gusto mo ipakita kay kuya AJ?" Tanong ko. Nabatid ko kasing umiiyak ang nakatatanda niyang pinsan sa kanila bahay.

"Sige!" Ang kanyang tugon. "Takutin muna natin si tuya billy!" Sabay abot ng bote sa kapatid ko na mukhang hiyang hiya sa kanyang pagtili.

Dinala ko yung salagubang kasama ng bata sa kanilang bahay. Ipinakita niya sa kanyang mga magulang tapos ay kay kuya AJ niya. Maya maya ay dalawang bata na ang nasa bahay namin.

Nilagyan ko ng sinulid yung kulisap katulad ng ginagawa namin dati. Tapos ay ipinalipad. Lumipad naman ang kumag. Hindi niya batid ang kahibangan ng higanteng tao na may hawak sa kanyang sinulid. Konting hila ko lang ay baka katapusan na ng kanyang miserableng buhay.

Natuwa ang mga bata. Pero ako lang ang humahawak ng sinulid. Ayaw nila. Natatakot. Kaya naisipan kong pakawalan na lamang ang salagubang. Naawa nanaman ako. Hindi sapat na kabayaran sa kanyang buhay ang katuwaan ng dalawang paslit na may kakayahang durugin ang kanyang munting katawan anu mang oras nila gustuhin.

Kaya muli ay pinakawalan ko ang salagubang. Ngunit bilang tanda, iniwan ko ang kapirasong sinulid sa kanyang katawan. Naisip ko, baka sakaling iisa ang salagubang na natagpuan namin ngayon sa salagubang na pinakawalan ko limang buwan na ang nakalilipas.

Kung maaalis niya ang markang iyon, bahala na siya. Basta wag na siyang babalik, baka sa susunod ay hindi na ako ang makahuli sa kanya. Kawawang salagubang ka!

WAKAS

Shoulda, Woulda, budda budda budda...

I don't feel creative right now. I have no poems or stories running in my head. And if I did, I find no words that would make it look awesome so here's what I really feel. I'll put it on a list.

WHAT I SHOULD BE DOING NOW:

1. Writing my message for the midweek or at least researching for it.
2. Doing evaluation reports for my patients (there are two actually)
3. Read and finish books (I have currently 4 books on my reading list)
4. Start thinking about YM's Feb program.
5. Assemble WAB Kit for future adult patients.
6. Think about my sermon for the commitment service on Feb 14.
7. Run some important errands
8. Finish the blog I started in friendster.
9. Write some literary project bubbling in my mind.
10. Arranging my bookshelf
    

See how busy I am?

WHAT I AM DOING RIGHT NOW:

1. Writing this blog entry.
2. Reading other people's blog entries
3. Watching online video strems
4. Downloading movies and cartoon series
   
5. Playing a computer game (guess what game!)
6. Waiting for someone to text me.
7. Texting someone hoping that someone would text me
   
8. Sleeping.
9. Eating.
10. Daydreaming
    

I repeat see how busy I am?

Ambiguity

I keep racking my head
To find meaning in what you said
Are they messages of pure whim,
Or are the skies beginning to dim?

I follow the clues you leave behind,
And keep on guessing and dying to find,
Leaping with faith at every smile,
But scratching my head at every mile.

I tried to read between the lines,
And try to listen to your whines,
Are your messages more than one,
But, alas, you can call me dumb.

I try my best, the real you to find,
And put a rest upon my mind,
To know what you mean is true,
And no other message to see through.

Why not just try to shout what’s true,
With no need to decipher a hint or a clue,
Give it straight without much further ado,
Without a thought if it hurts black and blue.

Floating Away*

My tears, again, I give to thee,
Snatched with utmost pity,
To see life go waste away
As thou nearest the end of day.


Nay, ‘tis ne’er the end of day,
I sorely tremble at the thought,
But rather the ebbing away
Of thy will and of thy lot.


Thy sturdy hands that held me
Rocked me, carried me gently,
Brought me to the great wonders
Of steeds grazing on the fodder.


Thy sinews whose matchless strength
Carried the towers of ceaseless length
Bored through immense boulders
And hammered past countless borders.


I marveled at the sight of thy might,
Though right now, I see its blight,
Wizened, aged and bent thou be,
Strength of the years be with thee.


As thy once sturdy limbs fail thee now,
Take my hand, I’ll show thee how
And together great places we shall see
Only this time, let me carry thee.

___
*This poem is dedicated to Daddy and to all those whose current condition seem to be ebbing away beyond their years.

When You're In Here

Funny what you can think of when you're alone
When the uncanny silence is deafening
And the house seems to be breathing
When you feel that eyes are constantly watching

Funny what you can do when there's nothing to do
Lounging on the couch when it's really a monoblock
Changing the TV channel when all you have is a TV stand
Texting your heart away when there's only zero balance

Funny what you can say when you're by yourself
The unimaginable curses you shout at your face
When you never actually open your mouth
And your parched throat cannot make voices.

Funny what you can hear when there's no one there
Now that's really creepy and I wouldn't dare listen
So cover your ears and get away from here
Sit down and write, don't mind the noises in your head.

The Day before "It"

I dropped my Monday schedule. So now, instead of joining the teeming millions of students and employees who are starting to return to work, I stayed behind and blogged.

I found out that it's not really hey day. It's more like hell day. I'm supposed to be somewhere else but circumstances forbid me to get out and get going.

So what am I doing now that my Mondays are free? Simple.

Sleep and Write. And probably read.

Now that I think about it. Man! I missed reading books for fun.

But I sure am gonna sleep more.

STRANGER THAN FICTION, STRAIGHTER THAN FACT

Imagine yourself living a routine. You wake up each day with the same yawn greeting the first light of morning. You brush your teeth and taking a bath at exactly the same way each day before going to work. You enter the same office cubicle each day. You earn the adequate wage you needed to survive each day and still enjoy the simple pleasures that it could offer.

Suddenly, out of the nowhere you discover that someone is dictating your every move. Someone else is controlling you. Someone else is moving you against your will. Someone else is writing down the whole course that your life would take. The exact routine, the precise events, down to the very minute detail has been written down. You learn that your whole life has been like a puppet on strings. Worse yet, that someone have already plotted your imminent death.

Scary isn’t it?

This same scenario is the basic plot of the film “Stranger than Fiction.” Starring Will Farrel as Harold Crick an IRS agent who finds himself in a tragic novel by sadistic writer Karen Eiffel (portrayed by Emma Thompson).

The movie is far from what we could call a blockbuster film. It has neither grand special effects nor special setting. It has no car chases, gun fights or any adrenaline-pounding scenes. It is the film’s subtle and crafty (not to mention funny) way of injecting such philosophical thoughts and ideas that make it a worth watch.

Watching the film allowed me to reflect on how these ideas could be possible. I found out that the film sought to explore and play with several concepts:

 

WHAT IS REAL?

The film plays with the reality issue: is this world real? Similar to the concepts toyed by the film “The Matrix,” “Stranger than Fiction” doesn’t show reality as planes and dimensions as showed by the former. In the film, as Eiffel meets the character she created, she was surprised when Crick whom she is about to kill in the novel was a real living person. She sees a fictional character come to life. This leads to another question: what would happen if she killed him in the novel?

As Christians, we believe in a different reality issue. We see this world as temporary compared to the real world awaiting us when Jesus returns. It is a simple concept that wouldn’t be surprising even to our Author. In fact, the Author of each of our stories would even be more than happy to meet and talk with us.

 

WHO IS IN CONTROL?

Emma Thompson in the film portrays a writer with a flair for the tragic and sadistic end of the characters in her novels. In the film, she tried to conjure several scenarios on how the protagonist (Will Farrel/Harold Crick) would die. However, she found each scenario either boring or impractical. How she decided to end the man’s life became too tragic and important at the same time.

In addition to this, all throughout the film, certain scenes of men, women and a kid who seemed to be not related to the story were being flashed. In the end, however, it appeared that these people’s lives were also interwoven by Eiffel to give justice to the death of Harold Crick. In the process, it showed the extent of the author’s grip was not only exclusive to that of the protagonist but to others as well. Furthermore, even the steps that the protagonist took to meet the author seemed to be a part of the story itself. It is control beyond measure. It’s like playing God.

So who is in control? True enough, in the world of fiction, any writer would have complete control of the world they create. They have complete power over every character. Everything is in the hands of the author. And whatever twist he or she might conjure could be possible.

Consider us blessed. The real fact stands that we have only one Author and that Author would never be so twisted as to lead us into harm. Although He may have the entire power to control each one of us, He still opted to give us the reigns to choose for ourselves. He gives us the option to be controlled or be left alone. He allowed us to choose for ourselves but would still receive us with arms wide open whenever we come back crying.

Well, enough making you guess. Of course I’m talking about God. He is the Author and Creator of this world we are walking in. He knew us from the very start and loved us.

 

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE IN LIFE?

Perhaps one of the most evident concepts in the whole film is on a person’s real purpose in life. In the case of the obsessive compulsive Harold Crick, his whole purpose as weaved by Karen Eiffel surprisingly became significant in the lives of other people, particularly to a young boy’s life. But to see your life being controlled by a single person would entail a purpose and a rationale you cannot entirely see.

The whole film shows how blindly the hero works through his way to find the voice that dictates his life not knowing that every move he makes is written by that same voice. It shows craftily how a person’s purpose is being entirely controlled by someone else. Even though he thinks he is completely free, his way of thinking, his mannerisms, his daily routine, even his love-life is under the control of someone else.

I shudder at the thought that such a thing could be possible. What if you’re entirely a character in a novel being read or written by someone else? What if all this time, you were unaware that your whole life is being dictated by an entity?

Weird isn’t it?

But let us be rest assured that a Maker such as our God isn’t that way. He doesn’t enforce His will on us. Instead he gives us full reigns to let us be in control of our lives. He has a purpose for each one of us but it is for us to accept it. And if God was in control of our lives, in charge of our purpose, we really don’t have to worry.

 

As Christians we really should not fear that something like “Stranger than Fiction” could happen. Consider that if we really look at it and if we really wanted it, someone else is already in control of our lives. And that someone else is more powerful than anyone of us. That someone else is a mightier and craftier than any writer or filmmaker we know. Best of all, that same someone else loves us more than we could ever know and that is the truest fact you could ever know.

New Year's Celebration

Amidst the cacophony of sounds,
Of boisterous laughter, and worthless banter,
Of loud blasters and firecrackers,
He bore witness to this chaotic world.

And yet the sounds and sights that be,
Of the frenzied lights that dazzle the deuce,
Of the skies bright with confusing hues,
Shunned away all interest to the glee.

Fly away, Fly away, O restless soul,
From the numbing noise that feigns music
From the flares lighted by unruly misfits
Break off from their adamant world.