Still Taking It Further.

I'm so thankful to God for the past year. I got most of what I wanted. Out of the 7 things that I listed for my extended wish list last year, I got 4 of them without noticing it. 

I wanted to write another list for this year but I can't seem to figure out what I really wanted. It's hard to when you already feel satisfied with what I have - or am I? 

After posting my testimony on what God did this year, I tried to think hard. What do I want? I thought of a girlfriend but is that something money can buy? I don't think so. How about world peace? Nah, tried that last year but it didn't count for a wishlist. 

After weeks of patiently thinking and soul searching that even led me to the streets of Manila, I found out what I wanted. So after wiping the drool off my face, I wrote down some things that I wanted. Here they are:

1. Book Collection. I was able to exhaust all available books written by Robert Fughum in Booksale. I was also able to collect the current Looking Back series by Ambeth Ocampo and the TRESE comics by Budjette Tan and KaJO Baldisimo. I'm still waiting for the latest installments from these books. In the mean time, I hope to buy all books by Bob Ong. I started collecting this year and with the price of the books, I hope I could obtain them all before march. Yet this year, the real goal is the ever elusive, Pacific Rims by Rafe Bartholomew. A friend recommended it and since then, I have been in pursuit of the volume. My friend told me to buy it last May. It's December and it's almost January and I still haven't gotten a copy.

update: I already bought a copy of Pacific Rims. Now, I want a Filipiniana collection.

2. Ipad or Ipod. Whichever I could afford. This almost seemed like a joke. The moment I was able to save enough for an Ipod Touch this year, I ended up buying a notebook PC instead. The next time I saved enough, I bought a PSP. Still the next time, I booked a flight to CDO and Camiguin. Which also led to me being broke today. Still, it's good to have one. Especially the Ipad which has lots of therapy apps.

3. Portable DVD player or External DVD Drive. I wanted to watch DVDs. I still have to catch up on House, MD. and Man Vs. Wild. I also have lots of TV series on DVD that I want to watch. Friends recommend this and that but I can't watch it yet since the Gatey the laptop needs to be fixed. It's still wishful thinking and this one's purely on a whim.

4. DSLR Camera. I already have my trusty point and shoot digicam. I like it (but I still haven't paid for it in full), but there's something in me that wanted to take it on a higher level. I used to marvel at the G11 but now, I wanted to skip it and go higher with a Canon DSLR. I wanted to learn how to capture those great shots by my photographer friends. Maybe it could also be a good hobby for me. Better yet, it could be a good vocation for me. You'd never know, right?

5. House and lot. This time I'm serious after seeing the house a friend bought. It's not a mansion, it was actually humbling. I like the concept. A bungalow or a two story house would do. I also wanted a condo unit that I could put out for rent. Some plans for a passive income wouldn't hurt right? Maybe this house would be enough for me. Anything short of this is unacceptable. Kidding of course.

6. Car. I wanted wheels for myself but I wished for the house first because it's so unpractical to have  a car here in our neighborhood unless you have your own parking space. Any model would do as long as it can run and can reach Baguio or Ilocos Norte intact. Something like this wouldn't hurt though. If this is already available in the market. All I could think of if I see this is HOT WHEELS. Yep the toy. That I could get today.

7. Touch Screen Phone. This is just in case I couldn't get me an Iphone. I'm eyeing the my|phone or cherry mobile touch phone. Yep the one with the television. It has poor reviews I know but those reviews are from tech freaks who wanted more from the phone. Still, an android or a galaxy would still be good.

I sure hope God would still read my post and make this a fruitful year just like this year. I am not hoping to get all of this, but these are the things that I wish for this year. It's still wishful thinking.

How I wish.

TRESE

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Comics & Graphic Novels
Author:	Budjette Tan and KaJO Baldisimo

Don't get me wrong. It's 3 1/2 because I want more. Other than that, it deserves 5 stars. I received the first two TRESE books as a gift. The next week, I bought the third and most recent installment. Now I can't wait to get the fourth when it comes out.

The story is not your cliche mystery whoddunit although some of the stories have that kind of ring to it. The story revolves around Alexandria Trese a vigilante type of heroine whose specialty is supernatural crimes. It sounds funny at first but the moment you opened the book, you'd be amazed at how cool it is. The places are real Manila locations and with almost accurate portrayals (almost because some names had to be changed by the authors). The criminals and the victims come from our very own Filipino supernatural - aswangs, kapres, tikbalangs and the like. What amazes me is how it also has some supernatural creatures that I have heard just now - Santelmo among others. It also adds a touch of creativity with regards to how they portray these creatures as clannish and exists among us - not that I believe it though.

Of the three volumes released, the third book has the highest excitement.The story revolves around Trese and the Kambal's origins. It differs from the other two in style in that the first two were divided into stories that seem to have no or little connection with each other. Whereas the third one is like a great graphic novel with one story.

I surely hope though that the authors would continue writing more. I can't wait for the 4th installment.

Taking It Further Post Script

A friend showed me a scrap of paper with things listed on it. There were also tick marks beside each item. She said it was a list of things she wanted to buy last year. Those were the things she asked God to give her. Included in her list were petty things like a G11 Camera to big things like the renovation of their house. She was ecstatic to tell me that all those tick marks meant that those items were given by God this year. 

I nearly fell on my seat as she related these to me. 

Flashback. I made a similar list here on my multiply. You can view it here. I never intended to give it to God. I thought it was too materialistic of me to give it to Him. After all the kindness and protection that He has given me all these time, I still had the nerve to ask for petty things. Instead, I just listed it and posted it on this site just for fun.

I actually forgot about that list.

God seemed to have read my post. I found out after hearing my friends story that God gave me 4 out of the 7 items I listed. I got all within the year. This time I really fell of my seat. Maybe if I did pray for it and handed the list in God's hands I might have received everything on that list. Nothing's impossible for Him so I guess it could have happened. 

So maybe this is a practice in the making. Maybe I'll post another wish list here. This time I'll really leave it in God's hands.

Looking Back Series

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	History
Author:	Ambeth Ocampo

Browsing through the Filipiniana section of some bookstore in ortigas, I found this seemingly thin book with a curious cover. It was by Ambeth Ocampo so most likely it was history. I was previously taken aback by his "Rizal Without the Overcoat" so this should be as compelling. I was glad that I was right. This mentally stimulating book allows us to look back at the trivial and obscured facts from our history books. The second book in the series "Dirty Dancing" and the third, "Death by Garrote" were bought consecutively. These three books are compilations of his columns with the same name.

The three books bring us back to the land of heroes whose names have become almost legendary if not mythical. Ocampo managed to pull those men and women down to the human realm. Imagine learning that McArthur (yes, the "I shall return" guy) had a Filipina mistress and that Gen. Gregoryo del Pilar could be lined up among the ranks of Rizal for being a playboy. Know who has a greater mastery over the English language: Rizal or Mabini. Learn the histories of our surnames, first names and middle names. The only down side with the book is that you'd want to read more after you've read all three books.

This is a history book that differs from most as the humor and wit of Ocampo has been laid out. It offers a conversational presentation of articles that doesn't bore readers and still produce vital information on our history.

Why do I have a lot of books? Now, I ran out of shelves.

How do you give out when your hands are empty?

Blank Sabbath Afternoon

Complaining about this may seem weird. Ever since I joined and became active in church activities, I must admit that I have never experienced such a calm and blessed Sabbath afternoon. On most Sabbaths, I kept running to and fro with tasks for the Church Youth Program, the Deaf Ministry and many other ministries that I had the great privilege of immersing my self in.

The routine was always worrying about the afternoon program and looking after the needs of the deaf ministry. It has always been my after lunch tasks. At times, I would also join the praise team in their practices. Sometimes, there are lunch meetings and after-lunch-meetings and other things in between. During retreats, I was one of the people behind the preparations. Just imaging the busy sabbath days I have.

November 27, 2010, will always be remembered. The Deaf ministry visited the Philippine Publishing House Church in Caloocan. We had a great Sabbath. We handled some parts of their program and the whole afternoon program. It just seemed that I was already used to the morning program duties that I expected something like that in the afternoon. 

I couldn't believe that this Sabbath was different among the others. I had nothing to do. Most of the deaf were lounging on their beds having a great time, some of us sat down outside talking and mingling with each other. I had nothing to do. 

No big tasks.

No running back and forth.

No meetings.

No programs to take care of.

Just me with the wonderful garden, the gentle breeze and the warm sun. It was really amazing. At that moment, I knew what I had to do. I took a walk around the garden and the memorial park, took some pictures and talked to God. 

I hope to have more of those wonderful experiences.

Moldy

Every person needs to pause once in a while from all the regular work he or she has been doing. With the week long Halloween break for me, I found it rather depressing.

Every working person would get a hard time cleaning up the house or the room especially if you work 6 days a week and on your days off, you catch up on sleep. That has already been a routine for me. Whatever short one or two hour breaks I get, I spend buffering all the other outside noises to enjoy a little personal space. Thus, you could easily picture out my room, our house to be in complete disarray. (Ok, disarray IS an understatement.) 

So today, a Thursday and the official start of my week-long Halloween break (I did mention week-long right?), I took the task of cleaning up my room (partially cleaning, that is). I have been pushing this task a long time only to regret it later.

Of all parts of the room I was meticulous about, I highly try to keep my books as clean and safe as possible. So, I couldn't forget the horror when I tried to take all the books out of my closet shelf (You couldn't imagine where else I have been putting all my books). Half of the books were wet and moldy. Ants apparently loved the place and the shelf was smelling of fresh mold.

In a sudden rush of mad panic, I immediately took out ALL the books from the shelves and started examining each one. A lot were still soaking wet, several started to have white squishy molds, but over all, the books were still salvageable if I can keep them dry.

That put all the cleaning effort to a halt and the salvaging of books to a start. I began perusing the web for potential book cleaning efforts only to find some really helpful but difficult to do ways to salvage moldy books or paper.

Here are some ways from museum SOS:

1. Find what is causing the mold growth. In my case it's a broken downspout. The water found its way behind my bookshelf. It caused the wood to warp and the books got wet as well
2. Modify the environment so that is no longer conducive to mold growth. The repair of the downspout would have to wait though. In the mean time, I tried keeping the closet open to let the air circulate. I also tried to blast the area with cold air.
3. Implement safety precautions for all the people working on moldy items. The page suggested things that are alien for me. I didn't follow it so I'll suffer the repercussions later. Great job, Worthy!!
4. Isolate the affected items. I immediately separated the bad books from the good ones.
5. Begin to dry the materials. The step suggested putting the books in an airconditioned space. Since I can't go to the nearest convenience store or fast food, to aircondition the books, I placed them outside in the sun where there's enough air circulation. (screw the sun though, it's a cloudy day today). Oh! and the guide also suggested putting the books out of humid places, but this is the Philippines for crying out loud. Humidity is best here.
6. If drying is not possible, freeze them. I had the idea of stuffing all the books inside our refrigerator but I knew someone would kill me when I do that.
7. Clean the affected items. Do not try to clean the active mold (soft and fuzzy) yourself. This got me really surprised. I just tried to remove all the molds by hand before reading this article. So good bye cruel world.
8. Dry and thoroughly clean the room where the mold outbreak occurred. Have I mentioned that cleaning the room went into a halt? Well, it's still on halt.
9. Return the materials to the affected area. I said everything went on HALT! Seriously though, I still couldn't return the books back since the closet and the downspout still is broken.
10. Continue to monitor conditions to prevent mold growth. Whatever.

Hope this really help. Just follow the instructions to avoid being like me.

Water: The Two Whites

October 10, 2010. The famed 10.10.10.

I awoke to the sound of my alarm. It was still dark outside but most of us were already up. I got up with quite a struggle. My body still bore the muscle pains of hiking the other day. It was hard to move my knees and my ankles. They were still tender. However, had I not dipped my body in the Hot springs, I might not be able to move at all. It was still a struggle moving from the bed to the bathroom and back. I had lean onto something, but it would be too embarrassing. Read more.

Earth: The Mountain Trial

Most planned trips have this rule: Expect the unexpected no matter how precise the trip was planned. A slight delay with the flight could mean the cancellation or postponement of an important business meeting. Several minutes delay could destroy the day altogether.

Our itinerary for the Sabbath of our trip was a short hike up Mt. Hibok-Hibok, one of the mountains in the island of Camiguin. Next was a trip to either the sunken cemetery or the famed White Island. We would cap the day by another dip in the hot springs of Ardent Springs.

We never got the chance to go the last two in our itinerary.

Though, dismayed and exhausted, the experience we had with Mt. Hibok-hibok could never be exchanged for anything else. Read more

Air: The Wind Rush

October 8, 2010. Dawn came. I was awake the moment my alarm went off at 4:30 in the morning. People were still singing so I figured my companions might still be struggling from lack of sleep. I plugged my ears again and set my clock at 5:00 AM. By the time the alarm started, I was drowned by the sudden silence.  The singing stopped and the drunken revelers had packed and gone. It was still dark outside though so I went back to snooze.

I was suddenly awakened by someone grabbing my foot. Read more.

First Flight: Prelude to Adventure

Flight to Cagayan De Oro on this plane

I have been cooped up in the city all my life. So if there are times when an escape from the city life is possible, I instantly grab the opportunity without question. I welcome that change of environment with open arms. Yet for all those times I have travelled, I take shame to admit that I haven’t tried riding in an airplane before.

That is, until today... Read More

Walking Home

They say that the best way to save is not to buy anything at all! Yeah right! But if there was one thing I really couldn’t resist, it’s a good book.

At a mall one day, I found myself browsing books at a bargain bookstore. It was one of those bookstands offering old and new books for more than half the price. I was adamant not to buy any books that day. I already have a lengthy reading list starting with some books I acquired a week ago. To prove to myself that I could resist the temptation, I only brought enough money for my fare.

Apparently, the planets must have aligned together that day or I must have trampled a fallen star or something.

I found this book. It was old, thin and worn. Pages are still intact. Other than its age, it was still in good form. I struggled within myself if I should buy it. Prior to that, I have read the reviews online, talked to people who have read the book and even read about a person who read the book. All angles showed positive feedback. Yet I only have 50 pesos on my pocket. The book costs 45 pesos and my fare costs 7 pesos. If I didn’t buy that book, I wouldn’t see it again. It always happens in a bargain bookstore.

I tried to move to another bookstore. I saw a newer and updated edition of the book. It costs 850 pesos. Now I really need to buy that book. It was one of those spur of the moment decisions. I went back to the bargain bookstore and bought the 45 peso book. Then, I walked home – more than 3 kilometers walk.

That decision was a good one. I even collected the entire books by the same author (from the bargain stores of course!). It helped me refresh my perspective on the things I do. “All I Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten” really refreshes your perspective on things.

But that’s just one book. I have many others that have similar stories which end with me taking the long hike back home. Come to think of it, I have been spending all of my daily allowance for a book since grade school.

I remember once when a high school classmate found me in a bargain bookstore. I guess I was so engrossed with a certain book that I didn’t notice him. He suddenly slapped my shoulders and blurted out “Worthy! Hanggang ngayon nagbabasa ka pa rin?” (“until now, you’re still reading?”) I was taken by surprise by the slap, but I really wanted to slap him back after that remark. Eventually, I figured that he probably lost his ability to read hence the remark. Poor soul!

Another friend also told me to try and reinvent myself and do away with reading. Apparently, our definition of reinventing our selves is like north and south. She stuffed herself with fashion and fads, I stuffed myself with information, inspiration and innovations.

If you still don’t get my drift here are some of the reasons I read books. (it’s in any order)

·         

You can travel places without leaving home. Whether real places like France, Italy, Ancient Israel, just down south of the Philippines or somewhere inside our minds like Narnia, or the Hundred-Acre Wood, reading books makes you travel to these places and still stay inside your bedroom. Since grade school, I have used books to visit places real and not so real. It helps you learn the culture of various places if you planned to go in any of those real places. With the imaginary, you get to figure out what made it imaginary.

·         You can get a guide in life. For the record, only one book has been able to guide me through though situations in life. So far, it hasn’t failed me, so I would still recommend the Bible when it comes to guidance. It has helped me through social studies, science and even history when I was still studying. It also helped me learn grammar, syntax and semantics when I write. It’s practically an all-around book. Well, it’s not called the Book of all books for nothing, right? But that’s what reading gives me, it guides me with my life and has given me the most sound advices I could ever get from anyone else.

·         

You get tons of information and ideas. Since books offer doorways to various places, you’d be surprised at how much information it could give you. It would offer you knowledge valuable especially if you deal with different kinds of people. El FIlibusterismo and Noli Me Tanger gives you the things that people do and have during the Spanish era. Without Seeing The Dawn, tells you a lot about the Japanese occupation in the Philippines and the Philippine liberation during the second World War. Sickeningly Sweet tells of the dangers of too much sugar intake. These and more give you valuable information that you could use in life one way or another.

·         You get entertained. Ever tried talking to a friend all night until the next morning? It’s the same thing with books. As you read, you laugh along the quips of the author. You smile over those witty things he has noticed in everyday life. Try reading Fulghum’s works and you’ll find the entertainment that would make you laugh and ponder upon the quirks of life.

·        

You get a fresh perspective. Most of the things that I write about are influenced largely by books. The style with which I form words, the topics that I write about, and the ideas and stand that I propose are mostly influenced by books. For me, continuously reading books offers you new perspective that could influence any output.

Those are the general things that came into my head. As you would notice there’s more, feel free to comment on these if there are things you think I have forgotten. Meanwhile, it’s time to go bargain book hunting.

 

 

By One Man’s Error and One Man’s Triumph

The sound of the trumpets and shouts broke the silence of the horizon. Suddenly, another sound louder than the trumpets shook the whole land. It was the sound of crashing. The famed walls of Jericho went crashing down. Once deemed impenetrable by it’s surrounding cities, the city went down after a curious band of men and women marched outside the city walls.

Thus, ended the existence of the city of Jericho by the hand of God through the people of Israel. <Read More>

Finding Joy part 3

The Real Secret of Happiness.

All our lives we thought that life should be fun. Although it is true that we serve a God who wants us to be happy, fun was never written on the Bible in the context of something that God wants us to have in life. In fact, Pastor David Assherick says that the word fun never occurred in the Bible, but the word joy occurs more than 200 times. This tells a lot about the difference between fun and joy. Read more.

Finding Joy part 2

On reasons to be joyful in Christ.

True happiness could not be found in money, possessions or power. Yet in order to find real joy in one’s life, we need to know why do we need joy. Why do we have to be really happy?

Every Monday evening, our group dug deep into the study of finding Christ. A certain book called “The Steps to Christ” by E.G. White has become our guide throughout our quest with discussion material provided by... Read more.

Finding Joy part 1

Misconceptions on things that make us happy and things that bring joy.

What makes you happy? Is it wealth? Is it power? Is it possessions? In this God forgotten world, we have gone through depths to find one thing few people could ever find. Some think it’s money, or power or possessions. But more often than not, we could not find joy.

I am not referring to any individual. Read more.

Salt

1:30 AM. I arrived home after a really blessed Sabbath. A lot of things happened from morning till late night. Sabbath truly is the busiest yet the most blessed day ever. 

The morning greeted me with the old paintbrush. Once again, Joey Velasco (whom I recently discovered died three or four weeks ago) touched the innermost sanctum of my thoughts with his gripping take on the prodigal son. Who would envision that the prodigal son could be an old man? Besides, the Father in the famous parable represented God, isn't it then possible to have an old man come back to his Father? After all his aimless wanderings in the world, and after tasting all the temporal things the world has to offer, he has decided to return to his Father even when he was at the sunset of his life. My eyes were further opened with the testimonies of two former inmates in New Bilibid prison (now active members of the church) who were given an nth chance, and was finally able to return home to their Father.

Afterwards, I was bombarded by the naked truth that though the ideal is to be responsible as a Christian, a lot of people fall short of doing so. A lot of people seem to try to take the fast and easy lane even if it takes them to bend a lot of rules. In the same manner, we should also be responsible Filipinos and not take the easy way out of the country just because the president did everything from increasing the prices of gas to combs. After all, we ourselves should take the lead in the country and not the president. We should live responsibly not just as Christians, but as Filipino Christians. 

The bulk of the hustle and bustle came from the Deaf Ministry. Once more, I could only stand in awe at the Lord for blessing this struggling ministry to be accepted in the world. Not many Christian denominations are fully aware or fully up to the challenge of meeting the needs of the deaf, not to mention the disabled. Likewise, not many Seventh-Day Adventist Churches would be up to the big responsibility of answering the call to minister unto the deaf brethren, even though the Bible tells "Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation,tribe, language and people." - Revelation 14:6

Yet the Deaf Ministry has developed once again as a caring group for people with hearing impaired.They have been constantly developing into an organized ministry, something that we, the hearing members could not even think of doing. New rules were set as we went along, at the same time, the ministry had a shot in leading the Youth Ministries program. It was a stand-out program with the whole congregation participating in the simple songs and lessons that we taught!

The culmination of the day was by far the best. Right now, my mind still could not rest. It has had its refill of information, emotion, and action. It's one thing to enjoy a Sabbath of service, but it is entirely another thing to strike up a balance between serving and being served. 

Though the day had already expired, the mind seemed to be ready for input and that's just what I got. This was just one of the few moments I really appreciate with people in church. They'd be more than willing to listen to your burdens in all aspects of your life and at the same time offer you timely advise or offer you a listening ear. While those advises and topics that we have talked about simmer in my head, some of which could never be uttered out of the circle, one thought really stuck to my mind. While talking at Wendy's tonight, our pastor who was with us told us that as the youth of the church, we have to stand up and have a say in some of the matters regarding the directions of the church. It's the way we should be salts who would season the church with the way that it should go. How ironic that I was holding a bag of salt at that time. 

I'm still holding it right now. It's true. We should be salts. 

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses itssaltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." Matthew 5:13

Let us all continue in our respective ministries and keep all the corners of the church with fresh ideas to improve our spirituality.

Basketball Fever

I once quipped during the height of the World Cup 2010 in South Africa, that if Filipinos embraced football, we could have been contenders for the World Cup. We could be twice as fast as any World cup players. There's no need to measure height since the height isn't a real big deal in football. If we ever decided to join the World Cup, we could probably be at par with the best teams in the World. We're better off playing football.

Yet a few months after, here I am watching old clips from old PBA games particularly the Toyota-Crispa Reunion in 2003 where most of the old guys sweat it out like they were in their mid-20s. It was a fun match full of heart and passion. Those were times when most of the players wore short shorts and could really fly (yes, guys could wear short shorts and get cheered at by beautiful girls). I don't know about now since I never get to watch any of the games.

Moreover, I bought a PSP three weeks ago. I loaded some games. If you'd look at it, you'd definitely laugh. I have two different versions of an NBA game and I get to play those two more than the other games on my device. I just caught myself today, and had a good laugh out of it.

In another note, the book by Rafe Bartholomew is now out in the Philippines. It's called "Pacific Rims." (The author didn't pay me to promote this. I haven't even read the book yet.) As the author put it, this is about the Philippines where basketball is ingrained in every street in each of the 7,107 islands of our country. In an interview, the author even says that the most basic aspects of our society revolves around basketball, politics for one, is also affected by the hard court.

True enough, this country may not boast of tall players, but watching the game of old guys bumping and bruising each other to get an orange ball inside a hoop is exhilarating. Sure, catching the one point lead of one team in football gives you the thrills as well, but the action of basketball seemed to be more appealing to the hearts of every Filipino.

Sure, anyone could enumerate wonderful reasons why Filipinos should take up football instead. Yet once you hear the "swooop" of the ball hitting the net, the reasons fade and the game begins.

Mis mo!

Zeroes

Shaq was one of the best centers of the NBA. He was a great player. Yet now he finds himself seeking a team to play with. It seems that no one wants him. Clearly life doesn't always offer you diamonds and gold, sometimes you have to accept the bricks and mud. 

Same goes for most of the blog sites, social networking seemed to have taken the upper hand. I once had a lot of visitors to my site and multiply was once buzzing with people. Now, it's already busy if you get two or three people posting a week on their multiply accounts.

We all get zero moments. One time we see ourselves at the top of our game only to find out that we're at the lowest the next day. Think about it, Bible heroes, rich moguls, famous celebrities, they've all gone from the brightest to the darkest.

One amazing thing about zeroes is that the more zero you add after a number, it's value increases. The same way with life, the more zeroes you get after a feeling of high, the greater the experience you get. In some ancient cultures, a zero is called zefiro which means "west wind" or, simply,  "wind." We all know what winds do to boats, it gives it power and direction. Same goes with zeroes. When we reach the lowest and darkest moments in our lives, take the easiest and most practical direction: straight up! 

Recently, the  Praise Team was selected to lead the singing to a video recorded crusade. It would happen in a two weeks - ten nights event. We practiced for weeks on end even sacrificing our personal time. Yet as the event rolled on, morale became low somewhere along the way. Things like the schedule, miscommunication and lack of appreciation seemed to have taken its toll on the group. Most of us, including me, became discouraged and opted out of the event and give it to another group. Yet I realized that it would be a big embarrassment to God if we left Him hanging. It's not about taking the spotlight or the center stage, it's about doing what God has sent you to do and doing it with joy.

As people get all the ups and downs, God never fails. Throughout the Bible, the rise and fall of the people always reveals a high God behind it. It's not about the rising and falling but about the high God who cares and shows that all would go well when you abide in Him.

Would you abide in him? 

The Real Never Ending Story

I remember the movie as a kid. A boy named Bastian acquired a book with a story that claims to have no ending. It turns out that Fantasia, the land in the book needs a savior and the only person capable of saving the day was none other than Bastian himself. Thus he was transported in the book, saved the book world and lived happily ever. That is, after Bastian sends the mystical dragon that looks a lot like a dog to literally trash the neighborhood bullies.

Thus was the story within a story called the neverending story. It never does end since the story in the book was connected to Bastian’s story. The story really is never ending.

Read More

TV Appearance for a Price.

Cameras and lots of wiring were the main attractions of Pasay Adventist Church (PAC) from the 17th to the 30th of July.

 

The Central Luzon Conference (CLC) of SDA decided to conduct their More Abundant Life In Jesus Crusade and TV program in cooperation with PAC. What seemed like a simple task of conducting a program became an overwhelming project. Cameras were set up, the sound system was given an upgrade, various wiring and contraptions were set up on the pulpit, and the worst part was that the internet connection was given up for them to upload a live stream of the production. It was all for the production.

As part of the program, PAC was given the charge of arranging the praise team for the program. Since the only praise team available (and the only one at PAC) was the Youth Ministries Praise Team, we were the ones tapped to do it. With the help of some import singers and musicians from MAMC College Church, we were set to learn the songs including the theme song "How Great Is Our God" of Chris Tomlin. We had two weeks of practice with some inconveniences when it came to the musicians. We had trouble getting musicians, but we were able to settle for a guitarist from the neighboring college church.  

The first night was a night of revelations. Television wasn't as glitzy or glamorous as I thought it to be. Rather it was more like a toxic time bound environment where people could easily snap if you just pulled the wrong strings. The deadlines were by the minute and things like professionalism and ethics were either taken very highly or taken for granted by most of the people. 

We were able to sing, although I leave it up to you to judge if we did well. None the less, for the next few nights, I expect to get home later than usual. It's a sacrifice we had to do to serve God in our own little ways. But that wasn't the price I had to pay for my first international TV appearance, it was the virus I couldn't get out (yet) on my notebook. I had the honor of arranging the powerpoint slides for the praise team. Apparently, in my haste to set up the slides, I plugged my USB to a virus infested computer and then to my notebook without scanning. Now, I can feel the presence of this virus whatever it maybe, but I have to let it stay there for now, until I could get time to scan the whole system.

If you're interested to look at what happened from the first night of the crusade until tonight, visit http://www.adventist.ph

Lessons from the Dead

A sad moment comes to any family when death knocks at their doors. For our family, it happened a day after my birthday. Our uncle who was battling against a lung disease succumbed to the disease on a Sabbath morning. It came as swift as it went. We buried him three days later.

All throughout those nights, I was there often taking part in the service for the comfort of the living. I haven’t been to many funerals so there are things that I don’t know. Of those that I have attended only two had great significance to me the others, I merely came as an observer. However, in those two times, I have learned a lot of lessons. This last one probably opened up my eyes the most... [READ MORE]

24

24 is the name of a famous television action drama series.

It is also the number of hours in a day 

the number of books in the Hebrew Tanakh

the atomic number of chromium.

the number of ribs in the human body

the number of hours needed by a hen to produce an egg

the number of hours needed for the green algae to reproduce

the number of furlongs in one league

the number of carats that make up pure gold

the number of cycles in a Chinese solar year

Talking about this number and years, it also my age this July 9th. There wasn't any grand celebration as these days are just meant to pass for me. I never even received that much greetings since I never bothered to put it up on facebook or any other social networks. I figured it would have been better to just let the day pass peacefully with only the ones who really could remember it would remember to greet me. I thought of it also as a test if you really value me. (Don't worry though, it's not a grave offense and it is not offensive at all to forget my birthday) 

24 years of existence is too few for a person. It is still considered young by modern standards, Though in my 24 years of existence, I have seen people younger than me die of disease, accidents and many other thing and I have seen people taking a wife or husband at an age younger than 24. In some cultures, this age could mean a person is at his peak or a person is already near maturity. 

For me though, it doesn't seem to mean a thing. I still remain as one goofy guy with lots of things on his mind including a nice meal at World Chicken or a nice glass of blended fruits (these aren't my favorite food). I still remain as a guy dreaming of owning a lot of gadgets and a solitary cottage on the edge of a cliff facing the vast ocean with me enjoying the view while writing reflections of each kind.

Looking back at my 24 years of existence, I find it reassuring that God trusted me to live this long to learn a lot of things and to overcome a lot of obstacles. I am still limited I know and I still fail a lot of times (hey, my birthday sermon in church turned out to be an epic fail because I prepared a longer sermon than necessary).But I am willing to accept the defeat if it's the only way God could teach me things in life those are the biggest blessings. If there's anything I could wish for right now, it's for me to enjoy a meaningful life of fellowship and devotion to God. 

If you're thinking when I celebrated my birthday, I wouldn't tell you here. One thing is for sure, it's not today.

Ode to Light

I'm experiencing a inevitable setback for a few weeks now.

I bought a few books this week to replenish my already dwindling reading list. I was about to start reading one of these books when suddenly someone took my picture. I knew someone did, there was a flash of light. One thought hit me: I HAVE STALKERS IN MY ROOM!!!

Then, it happened again, a flash of light. Then again, and again. Now I felt like my room turned into a dance floor with the flashing lights. These couldn't be stalkers unless they have ultra super fast but super small SLR cameras, which would be very impossible.

The culprit was none other than my reading light. I closed my book and went to sleep. Tomorrow I'll try to find out what's wrong with my light.

That was two weeks ago. My bedroom light had a busted florescent lamp - a 15 Watt lamp. It's still broken. 

When I asked my brother to buy a replacement lamp, he found out that they didn't sell any of those any more. They never ordered one of those for a long time. How convenient! Did I also mention that he tried all of the hardware stores in our vicinity (J.P. Rizal Street in Makati has more or less 10 hardware stores).

What's frustrating is that I could understand why. I received this bedroom reading lamp when I was still in high school. My parents discovered that I was slowly occupying the whole bookshelf with my own books and I was about to exhaust all the books in our school library, so they gave me a reading lamp they won from some promo. I couldn't remember the details. It was that long ago. All I know was that my complaint then was that staying on the lower deck of a double decker, you don't get enough light to read anything.

For the record, the lamp has been replaced less than 5 times in span of almost 9 years. It's that economical. I have used it to read more than a hundred books and has been a great help when I was writing those long articles we used to submit before our journalist teacher. It has seen a lot of action. In fact, it has the battle scars to prove it. It has a busted outlet where I used to plug in my charger. How it got busted was long forgotten.

I like that lamp. I hope to find a replacement lamp or I won't be able to read any book, which is really scary.