... na hudyat ng mga bagong pakikipagsapalaran & mga bagong simula.
... na magiging bagong pagkakataon para mabuhay, magmahal & matuto.
To happiness & beyond!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Thank You (12282009)
I kept on saying that I would definitely do my best to make this year's Christmas fun & happy. And thank You making it happen. So, thanks for
1. a happy, albeit simple Christmas celebration. And thanks that, surprisingly, my sister's family decided to spend Noche Buena w/ us. I, yes I, prepped a hearty Christmas meal for us. Good that they liked it! *Wink* Ahaha... Kids are just fun to be with. I love my pamangkins!
2. making me have money to buy gifts this year. This is actually the first time I bought gifts for friends & family, 'cause I normally I'm penny-less. Ahaha... It really made me feel good that they liked what they got from me, especially because I really thought of what I'll give out to them. Now, I'm back to being penny-less. Ahaha...
3. friends, for real friends. <3
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Yes, there's a Santa Claus. 'Cause I believe so.
I said to myself that I would try to complete the Simbang Gabi this year. But yeah, I wasn't able to do it. Anyway, I saw this from Facebook, reposted by a friend from someone else's page. This is the Simbang Gabi homily at the Church of Gesu in the Ateneo last December 23rd. This one's by Fr. Johnny Go, SJ. Something we can all think about for the season...
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Just one more day to go before the day we celebrate the birth of our Lord!
But not so fast! The past couple of evenings, we have been invited first to think about another birth—the birth of our Lord’s cousin, John the Baptist. Amidst all the excitement and rejoicing in that household that day, one person was strangely silent: the father of the newborn baby, Zechariah. In the gospel story today, he more than makes up for it by breaking his silence and breaking into song, giving us one of the loveliest songs in the New Testament.
Lately I’ve been thinking about Zechariah. I have a suspicion that this silent character has something to say to us—a message that God wants us to hear loud and clear as we rush about in our last-minute preparations for Christmas.
Many of us already know his story. For many years Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth had prayed for a son—but to their growing dismay, their prayers were unanswered. In fact, when the angel Gabriel visited Mary at the Annunciation, he referred to Elizabeth as she “who is called barren,” hinting at the suffering that this old couple must have borne all those years. You see, for the Jews, being barren was a sure sign of God’s curse, and surely Zechariah and Elizabeth had to endure an endless series of embarrassing questions until people finally “got it” and stopped bringing it up in conversation.
Many of us know the feeling. We each have perhaps one area or aspect in our lives that doesn’t quite conform to people’s expectations—or our own: Maybe the pressure to perform or accomplish something in our studies, at work, or in sports; our own longing to belong; or our desire—or our parents’ desire or our spouse’s desire—for us to measure up in some way. Unfortunately, whatever it is, it’s nothappening; and we just keep falling short. At first, well-meaning people express their concern by asking about it, unaware of the discomfort or pain their questions may cause. Then they begin to tiptoe around the topic, while others who are less kind cup their hand over their mouths and murmur behind our backs. The interrogations may have stopped, but the judgment remains there in people’s eyes—not to mention the pity.
I think this is how we ought to imagine Zechariah when the angel Gabriel appeared to him in the temple to announce the good news about Elizabeth’s long-awaited pregnancy. “Do not be afraid, Zechariah,“ the angel began, “for your prayer has been heard, and your wife will bear you a son.”
How many years Zechariah had longed to hear these words! So can we blame him if after the angel finishes his speech, Zechariah asks, “How will I know this?” If we read between the lines, I guess what he was thinking was: “Yeah, right! Now, how can I be sure?”
Well, the angel Gabriel must have read his mind. It’s too bad, I think, that the angel decided to strike him mute. Maybe he was having a particularly bad hair day, having a long list of chores and errands he had to run in preparation for this first Christmas.
I don’t know about you, but don’t you think Zechariah had a perfectly valid question? I mean, can we honestly blame the old man for asking the angel for some kind of proof? After all, I think Zechariah exemplifies the classic case of someone who has experienced the hazards of prolonged waiting. I mean, the guy is practically a victimof Advent!
Think about it: All his life, he and his wife waited—and were kept waiting—for years!
Unfortunately, something happens to us when we wait too long. Our hopes can be dashed only so much. Our hearts can be broken only so often. Our breath can be held only for so long. After a while, we get blue in the face. Worst of all, our hearts too can turn blue: We grow weary with waiting. We tire of hoping. And we eventually give up on praying for that one thing we’ve so long longed for.
Again we know the feeling, don’t we? We know what it feels like to be let down by life too often. We can only take so much! After a while, after getting beaten down too much, after watching our dreams not take flight too often, we end up getting disillusioned. We grow skeptical. We become jaded. We give up, we stop believing, and we stop hoping. We lose the capacity to imagine that what’s impossible can actually happen. But isn’t that what Christmas is all about when we think about it? The impossible happening. The unexpected unfolding. The unimaginable exploding in the very manger of our jaded, dream-weary world.
What was it again that the angel said to Mary? “Nothing is impossible with God.” We have to be willing to believe in the impossible. We have to be capable of stretching our imagination. And we have to be willing to hold our breath for as long as we can in anticipation of the surprises God has in store for us.
We can't blame him, but the problem with Zechariah was that after waiting too long and being let down too often, he simply stopped believing in the impossible. He got sick of trying to stretch his imagination and eventually just refused to be surprised. I think Zechariah was the original guy who stopped believing in Santa Claus—so that when Santa finally slipped down their old chimney in the guise of an angel, all Zechariah could manage was raise a question and an eyebrow.
Whoever said we shouldn’t replace Christ with Santa Claus is of course right in criticizing the commercialization of Christmas. Santa Claus should never take the place of our Lord at the center of Christmas. But tonight I’d like to propose that we still need to believe in Santa. I’d like to suggest that weird or scandalous as it may sound, this jolly character deserves a place right there in the belen along with the Holy Family and the angels, huddled with the shepherds and the wise men, and surrounded by the ox and donkey.
Over a hundred years ago, in 1897, an 8-year old girl named Virginia wrote the editor of the New York Sun a letter that led to an editorial that became the most reprinted editorial to run in any newspaper in the English language.
The letter said:
“Dear editor, I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Sun, it is so’. Please tell me the truth: Is there a Santa Claus?” Signed, Virginia O’Hanlon.
Here’s a portion of the editor’s response—as timely today as it was over a hundred years ago:
“Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see.
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.”
And so, here’s what I think is God’s message to us through the story and character of Zechariah, addressed especially to the Zechariah's in us: “Yes, there is a Santa Claus!” Not the literal old jolly bearded man in a red suit, of course, but all the good things that he stands for: Joy, generosity, goodness, even magic…
If we can’t bring ourselves to believe in what Santa stands for, how can we even begin to believe in this wonderful mystery of the Infinite God Himself climbing down our chimneys to become a baby in our manger, to be one of us and one like us?
For me, our old friend Zechariah is the unsung hero of Advent. He is the poster boy of waiting because in the end God made sure that despite all those years of disappointments, he could once again hold his breath for the impossible.
This evening, just a couple of nights away from Christmas day, the day we’ve all been waiting for, the Lord invites us to gather our faded dreams, to resuscitate our tired imagination, and hold all the hopes and dreams of this world in our jaded hearts—and retrieve our faith in miracles: Let us remember what it means to dream. Let us believe once again in the impossible. And let us wait and hold our breath for Him Who, after all those centuries, will no longer keep us waiting.
Tonight we tell ourselves as in a prayer: “Yes, Virginia, and yes, Zechariah: There is a Santa Claus!” If we can’t believe in Santa, how can we believe in that surprise of surprises and that miracle of miracles we call Christmas?
Lord, tonight we thank you for the gift of Christmas.
Just one more day to go before the day we celebrate the birth of our Lord!
But not so fast! The past couple of evenings, we have been invited first to think about another birth—the birth of our Lord’s cousin, John the Baptist. Amidst all the excitement and rejoicing in that household that day, one person was strangely silent: the father of the newborn baby, Zechariah. In the gospel story today, he more than makes up for it by breaking his silence and breaking into song, giving us one of the loveliest songs in the New Testament.
Lately I’ve been thinking about Zechariah. I have a suspicion that this silent character has something to say to us—a message that God wants us to hear loud and clear as we rush about in our last-minute preparations for Christmas.
Many of us already know his story. For many years Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth had prayed for a son—but to their growing dismay, their prayers were unanswered. In fact, when the angel Gabriel visited Mary at the Annunciation, he referred to Elizabeth as she “who is called barren,” hinting at the suffering that this old couple must have borne all those years. You see, for the Jews, being barren was a sure sign of God’s curse, and surely Zechariah and Elizabeth had to endure an endless series of embarrassing questions until people finally “got it” and stopped bringing it up in conversation.
Many of us know the feeling. We each have perhaps one area or aspect in our lives that doesn’t quite conform to people’s expectations—or our own: Maybe the pressure to perform or accomplish something in our studies, at work, or in sports; our own longing to belong; or our desire—or our parents’ desire or our spouse’s desire—for us to measure up in some way. Unfortunately, whatever it is, it’s nothappening; and we just keep falling short. At first, well-meaning people express their concern by asking about it, unaware of the discomfort or pain their questions may cause. Then they begin to tiptoe around the topic, while others who are less kind cup their hand over their mouths and murmur behind our backs. The interrogations may have stopped, but the judgment remains there in people’s eyes—not to mention the pity.
I think this is how we ought to imagine Zechariah when the angel Gabriel appeared to him in the temple to announce the good news about Elizabeth’s long-awaited pregnancy. “Do not be afraid, Zechariah,“ the angel began, “for your prayer has been heard, and your wife will bear you a son.”
How many years Zechariah had longed to hear these words! So can we blame him if after the angel finishes his speech, Zechariah asks, “How will I know this?” If we read between the lines, I guess what he was thinking was: “Yeah, right! Now, how can I be sure?”
Well, the angel Gabriel must have read his mind. It’s too bad, I think, that the angel decided to strike him mute. Maybe he was having a particularly bad hair day, having a long list of chores and errands he had to run in preparation for this first Christmas.
I don’t know about you, but don’t you think Zechariah had a perfectly valid question? I mean, can we honestly blame the old man for asking the angel for some kind of proof? After all, I think Zechariah exemplifies the classic case of someone who has experienced the hazards of prolonged waiting. I mean, the guy is practically a victimof Advent!
Think about it: All his life, he and his wife waited—and were kept waiting—for years!
Unfortunately, something happens to us when we wait too long. Our hopes can be dashed only so much. Our hearts can be broken only so often. Our breath can be held only for so long. After a while, we get blue in the face. Worst of all, our hearts too can turn blue: We grow weary with waiting. We tire of hoping. And we eventually give up on praying for that one thing we’ve so long longed for.
Again we know the feeling, don’t we? We know what it feels like to be let down by life too often. We can only take so much! After a while, after getting beaten down too much, after watching our dreams not take flight too often, we end up getting disillusioned. We grow skeptical. We become jaded. We give up, we stop believing, and we stop hoping. We lose the capacity to imagine that what’s impossible can actually happen. But isn’t that what Christmas is all about when we think about it? The impossible happening. The unexpected unfolding. The unimaginable exploding in the very manger of our jaded, dream-weary world.
What was it again that the angel said to Mary? “Nothing is impossible with God.” We have to be willing to believe in the impossible. We have to be capable of stretching our imagination. And we have to be willing to hold our breath for as long as we can in anticipation of the surprises God has in store for us.
We can't blame him, but the problem with Zechariah was that after waiting too long and being let down too often, he simply stopped believing in the impossible. He got sick of trying to stretch his imagination and eventually just refused to be surprised. I think Zechariah was the original guy who stopped believing in Santa Claus—so that when Santa finally slipped down their old chimney in the guise of an angel, all Zechariah could manage was raise a question and an eyebrow.
Whoever said we shouldn’t replace Christ with Santa Claus is of course right in criticizing the commercialization of Christmas. Santa Claus should never take the place of our Lord at the center of Christmas. But tonight I’d like to propose that we still need to believe in Santa. I’d like to suggest that weird or scandalous as it may sound, this jolly character deserves a place right there in the belen along with the Holy Family and the angels, huddled with the shepherds and the wise men, and surrounded by the ox and donkey.
Over a hundred years ago, in 1897, an 8-year old girl named Virginia wrote the editor of the New York Sun a letter that led to an editorial that became the most reprinted editorial to run in any newspaper in the English language.
The letter said:
“Dear editor, I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Sun, it is so’. Please tell me the truth: Is there a Santa Claus?” Signed, Virginia O’Hanlon.
Here’s a portion of the editor’s response—as timely today as it was over a hundred years ago:
“Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see.
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.”
And so, here’s what I think is God’s message to us through the story and character of Zechariah, addressed especially to the Zechariah's in us: “Yes, there is a Santa Claus!” Not the literal old jolly bearded man in a red suit, of course, but all the good things that he stands for: Joy, generosity, goodness, even magic…
If we can’t bring ourselves to believe in what Santa stands for, how can we even begin to believe in this wonderful mystery of the Infinite God Himself climbing down our chimneys to become a baby in our manger, to be one of us and one like us?
For me, our old friend Zechariah is the unsung hero of Advent. He is the poster boy of waiting because in the end God made sure that despite all those years of disappointments, he could once again hold his breath for the impossible.
This evening, just a couple of nights away from Christmas day, the day we’ve all been waiting for, the Lord invites us to gather our faded dreams, to resuscitate our tired imagination, and hold all the hopes and dreams of this world in our jaded hearts—and retrieve our faith in miracles: Let us remember what it means to dream. Let us believe once again in the impossible. And let us wait and hold our breath for Him Who, after all those centuries, will no longer keep us waiting.
Tonight we tell ourselves as in a prayer: “Yes, Virginia, and yes, Zechariah: There is a Santa Claus!” If we can’t believe in Santa, how can we believe in that surprise of surprises and that miracle of miracles we call Christmas?
Lord, tonight we thank you for the gift of Christmas.
From: courier-journal.com
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HAPPY CHRISTMAS to all! :)
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
I Love You, Goodbye
Why does 'I love you' sometimes means 'Goodbye?'
This is one of the questions in the promo video of the movie I Love You, Goodbye.
And here's my answer -
Because when you love, you'd always want the best for that person... whether it includes you or not.
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Shocks, I think I'll watch this movie on Christmas day. Ahaha...
Sunday, December 20, 2009
COD Christmas Display
Sigurado akong alam ito ng mga lumaki sa 80's o 90's, lalo na 'yung mga nakitira malapit sa Kamaynilaan.
Naisip ko lang, nakaka-miss pala talaga 'yung Christmas display na 'yon. Bigla ko lang naalala. At, ngayong binabalikan ko ang lumang alaala na 'yon, sobrang saya pala.
Minsan, napag-usapan namin 'to ng isang grupo ng mga kaibigan. Pare-pareho naming nasabi na nakaka-miss nga. Tapos naisip nu'ng isa sa amin, paano kaya kung nagkasabay-sabay na pala kaming nanood noon, noong bata pa kami at malamang eh hindi pa namin kilala ang isa't-isa? Oo nga noh? Dahil sikat na pasyalan iyon dati, dahil Cubao ang 'the place to be' noon, hindi malayo na kasabay pala nating nanonood noon ang ilan sa mga taong kalaunan na lang natin nakilala. Baka 'yung batang katabi mo sa gilid ng kalsada na kumakain ng chichirya eh matalik mo nang kaibigan ngayon. O 'yung batang umapak sa 'yo dahil sobrang likot eh magiging kabarkada mo pala. O baka 'yung umiiyak na bata sa harap mo dahil nagpapabuhat sa nanay eh ang crush mo ngayon. Masarap lang isipin ang mga ganitong posibilidad.
Pero wala ng COD eh. Mga limang taon na rin siguro. 'Yung display, nilipat na sa Greenhills. Napanood ko siya nu'ng isang taon. Pero hindi na siya kasing-saya. Baka dahil hindi na ako bata kaya hindi na ako natutuwa. O iba lang talaga 'yung noon. Ewan. Basta, nakaka-miss siya.
Taken by Dennis Villegas
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Randomness #3
I'm here at a coffee shop, taking advantage of the free wi-fi. Ahaha... I haven't had any sensible posts lately, though I thought, by now, I should have already written a lot since a lot as well has happened in the past weeks. But I can't seem to organize my thoughts. So here I go again w/ some random things in my head.
1. I kinda enjoyed shoping. I was out yesterday buying gifts for friends & family. I find it really challenging to think of stuff that they will like. I tried to be creative as well. And hopefully, they'll appreciate what they'll be getting from me.
And oh, I made a Christmas card to go w/ the gifts I will be giving out. Yes, I think it's cute! Ahaha... Kinda narcissistic though, w/ my picture & name. Oh well, it's MY card anyway! *Bleh*.
2. Oh, my laptop's been resurrected from the dead. And I've been spending a couple of nights already browsing through some old pictures & watching videos from way back. One thing I particularly have been playing over and over again is the video of my pseudo-debut party (organized by Pat & Vir). It brings so much fond memories. And I can definitely say that it will always be one of my favorite-est moments... ever. Kahit mukha akong tanga du'n, nakakatawa at nakakakilig pa rin siya.
3. Because of the memories brought back by old videos & pix, I am reminded again of how much I miss the old times. I miss studying, going to school. I miss cutting classes too. I miss cafeteria food. I miss doing plays. I miss being nervous because you still haven't fully memorized the script when it's supposed to be 'drop scripts' already. I miss using jade & amber foundations. I miss the kaba before getting on-stage. I miss the lamig of the theater. I miss that tired-but-contented-and-happy feeling after a good show. I miss going to meetings. I miss speaking in front of people. I miss being the person everyone talks to. I miss being that Leinard-of-two-years-or-a-year-ago. I miss my old friends.
During ENTA's 2008 BORLOG
4. Talking about the things I miss... I miss my long hair. I really love the waves & it's not-so-shiny shine. Plus, it was very easy to maintain and I can do a lot of dos w/ it. But I don't think I can grow my hair as long as that anymore. Sad, but Oh well...
5. Oh, oh, oh! I dreamt of my first 'love' the other night. Nang medyo lasing, sinabi niya, nahihirapan na raw siya sa relasyon nila ng jowa niya. Tapos inamin niya na alam niya noon pa na gusto ko siya. Aattt, 'inamin' din niyang gusto niya ako dati pa pero takot siyang sabihin dahil pareho pa kaming nasa Ateneo nu'n. Medyo tumahimik nang sandali. Pagkatapos, sa 'di ko maalalang dahilan, nag-kiss kami. Tapos, humiga ako sa balikat niya. Ang intindi ko du'n, naging kami. :)
6. He (someone else, not the same as the guy in #6) talked to me again. And it's weird 'cause I don't know how to feel. Hmm... I guess that's how I would always describe every interaction I'll have w/ him, weird.
7. I'm having a shirt printed w/ this, for me -
Sana maganda kalabasan! I also got someone a shirt that has the same print. Sana cute!
8. I am still determined to make this a happy Christmas. Really!
9. I'll be leaving this place in 20 minutes. I've been here for almost 5 hours already. Ahaha...
10. I want to drink & get drunk! Ahaha... :)
10. I want to drink & get drunk! Ahaha... :)
Friday, December 11, 2009
Thank You (12112009)
Manong Driver & his playlist made me smile this morning. Thank You for that. :)
Sunday, December 6, 2009
The Seven Wonders of the World
This one's really cute. Nakakapagpa-smile talaga. Got it from here.
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The Seven Wonders of the World
Author Unknown
Junior high school students in Chicago were studying the Seven Wonders of the World. At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following received the most votes:
1. Egypt’s Great Pyramids
2. The Taj Mahal in India
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona
4. The Panama Canal
5. The Empire State Building
6. St. Peter’s Basilica
7. China’s Great Wall
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn’t turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, “Yes, a little. I couldn’t quite make up my mind because there were so many.” The teacher said, “Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help.”
The girl hesitated, then read, “I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
1. to touch…
2. to taste…
3. to see…
4. to hear… (She hesitated a little, and then added…)
5. to feel…
6. to laugh…
7. and to love.
The room was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.
May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we don’t have to travel anywhere special to experience them.
Enjoy your gifts!
1. Egypt’s Great Pyramids
2. The Taj Mahal in India
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona
4. The Panama Canal
5. The Empire State Building
6. St. Peter’s Basilica
7. China’s Great Wall
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn’t turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, “Yes, a little. I couldn’t quite make up my mind because there were so many.” The teacher said, “Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help.”
The girl hesitated, then read, “I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
1. to touch…
2. to taste…
3. to see…
4. to hear… (She hesitated a little, and then added…)
5. to feel…
6. to laugh…
7. and to love.
The room was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.
May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we don’t have to travel anywhere special to experience them.
Enjoy your gifts!
From: wordpress.com
Thank You (12052009)
Salamat Po-
1. para sa aking WYA hoodie at lumang sumbrero na hindi ko naman talaga isinusuot 'pag lumalabas. Sila ang nagpabuti (kahit kaunti) ng pakiramdam ko kahapon.
2. at, sa aking naging sagot ko na, 'Hindi. Gusto ko lang talagang maging ayos siya.'
Salamat!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Color Me Happy
Wala lang. I thought this is funny. I saw this from the English book (Reading Wonders) of one of my students. :)
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Sad purple... Bwahaha!!!
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Color Me Happy
If I were the color blue,
I'd sing a sad song for you.
If I were the color yelllow,
I'd be a happy fellow.
If I were the color red,
I'd look like me when I bled.
If I were the color green,
I'd grow like a big string bean.
If I were the color brown,
I'd be a chololate town.
If I were the colod pink,
I'd be a lemony frink.
If I were the color purple,
Nothing would rhyme with me.
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Sad purple... Bwahaha!!!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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