Nakalimutan ko pala toh.
My mom was watching Miss Earth - Philippines and during the final round, the five remaining candidates were asked this question:
"How will you explain global warming to a little earth angel?"
And their answers were just frustrating. They're supposed to be the protectors of the environment and they didn't even know what they were talking about. Any EnviSci student of Ma'am Andaya would have laughed at their answers. hahaha. Not everyone are Pisay graduates, but hey, you're joining a pageant about the environment, so you should do your homework.
I am not really sure what significance a beauty pageant has in the cause to save the Earth. People look at them not for the cause they fight for but for their looks and charm. The pageant itself and the candidates do not seem to live up to the advocacy of Earth protection - given the resources spent to make such an event happen. I'm only judging from my limited exposure to the activities of Miss Earth. I guess it helps the cause but there's a lot more they can do.
Monday, April 30, 2007
The Day After Tomorrow
I was browsing through the PDI website when I found this article:
(http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view_article.php?article_id=63180)
Here is the part that got my attention:
"Rean Tirol, WWF-Philippines’ climate change manager, said at a news conference on Thursday that a rise in local sea levels could inundate half of Metro Manila’s coastal town of Navotas and submerge entire islands in the archipelago."
Can the future just get any grimmer? Corrupted politics, widespread poverty, immorality and my hometown becoming the Atlantis of the Philippines. I'm a young 17-year old working and studying really hard to earn for myself a brighter future and all I will be getting is this.
I recently watched "An Inconvinient Truth" and it made me realize that the things we are doing to our planet is not going to haunt my great grandchilren or my 10th generation descendants - it's going to haunt me and my children. Al Gore claims the effects of global warming will be felt in less than 50 years and I believe him. The effects he's talking about is Manhattan under the sea and millions of people becoming refugees because their homes will be submerged. We are actually starting to feel the effects - subtle climate changes, stronger and more frequent typhoons. The list goes on.
It also made me realize that well, from how nature works, we're going to be the only species who'll feel the pain and suffering because we're the only ones how know what's about the come and we're the ones who made it happen. Humanity will take the highest toll simply because although we're great at adapting (we've inhabited virtually every corner of the planet possible), we've gone to great lengths to transform the world to our liking and we've succeeded. I guess global warming is nature's way of saying that no, that shouldn't be so. God made us stewards not masters of this world. Our habitats are supposed to be part of the environment, much like an ant can live in a tree that termites and birds can also inhabit, not separate from it. We've turned the tables around - making the environment a part of our habitat. And in the process, we are gradually shattering the fragile conditions that allows the Earth to sustain life.
And the last thing I've realized is how powerless individuals, families or even nations are to avert this threat. Unless we get a superhero to suck two degrees celsius worth of heat out of the planet and most of the carbon dioxide we've emitted, we're bound to have cities becoming marine parks in the future. Even if we implement drastic changes, the damage has already been done and the worst part is apparently we - Filipinos living in a low-lying archipelagic country - will be the first to feel it.
Whenever I watch those apocalyptic-type movies which involves water rushing in to submerge whole nations, I wonder how we Filipinos will cope up. For instance, in "Deep Impact", the government builds this huge facility to safeguard the prominent people who will lead the survivors of the disaster. What will our government do? We can't even modernize our weather prediction equipment.
The painful thing about this predicament is that we are made to suffer for the mistakes we did very little to commit. The major polluters are the ones most likely to survive the coming catastrophes. A big chunk of the third-world is simply going to be wiped away from existence. My generation will be forced to carry a burden getting heavier by the day.
Minsan lang ako magrant pero this is something worth ranting about. Bakit kelangang kami ang magdusa?
The fact is we can't solve this problem fast enough to save our future from being ruined. But we can hope that this burden will no longer be carried by the next generation if we act on it now. In the movie, the success of the world to protect the ozone layer was mentioned. I believe humans are the most adept at surviving and I guess the problem lies in that humanity is not taking the problem too seriously. So that's what needs to be done. Heed the warning and starting doing our part.
It was revealed that very few of the countries that signed the Kyoto protocol are going to succeed in reaching the goals set regarding the reduction of carbon emmissions and I doubt the Philippines is going to be one of them. We can all do our part, yes, in our own little way - walking instead of driving, conserving energy etc. But the drastic measures that need to be done to prevent the disasters coming our way like half of Navotas becoming part of Manila Bay are just too expensive and well, inconvinient for any one individual to commit to. This battle is a hard one because it will be a costly one. And that is the most frustrating part about this whole global warming issue.
But at least the wheels of change are starting to move to this direction. Green technologies are gaining popularity and much needed financial support. Political will is being exercised to support them. And people are one by one waking to the idea of a different world if the path we are traversing is not changed. I still hope it will move fast enough to keep Navotas on the map.
Sometimes I envision Pisay to be the hope in this struggle - that one day a group of Pisay graduates would find a revolutionary solution to end global warming. My hopes are never higher with so much more at stake.
Soon enough, the mantle of leadership will fall on our shoulders. It will be soon up to us to face this crisis. In LOTR:FOTR, Frodo tells Gandalf he wishes the ring had not come to him, that none of the things they had experienced had happened. The wise wizard replies: "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." Shall we also ignore this problem just as they have or shall we decide to carry this ring to its end?
(http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view_article.php?article_id=63180)
Here is the part that got my attention:
"Rean Tirol, WWF-Philippines’ climate change manager, said at a news conference on Thursday that a rise in local sea levels could inundate half of Metro Manila’s coastal town of Navotas and submerge entire islands in the archipelago."
Can the future just get any grimmer? Corrupted politics, widespread poverty, immorality and my hometown becoming the Atlantis of the Philippines. I'm a young 17-year old working and studying really hard to earn for myself a brighter future and all I will be getting is this.
I recently watched "An Inconvinient Truth" and it made me realize that the things we are doing to our planet is not going to haunt my great grandchilren or my 10th generation descendants - it's going to haunt me and my children. Al Gore claims the effects of global warming will be felt in less than 50 years and I believe him. The effects he's talking about is Manhattan under the sea and millions of people becoming refugees because their homes will be submerged. We are actually starting to feel the effects - subtle climate changes, stronger and more frequent typhoons. The list goes on.
It also made me realize that well, from how nature works, we're going to be the only species who'll feel the pain and suffering because we're the only ones how know what's about the come and we're the ones who made it happen. Humanity will take the highest toll simply because although we're great at adapting (we've inhabited virtually every corner of the planet possible), we've gone to great lengths to transform the world to our liking and we've succeeded. I guess global warming is nature's way of saying that no, that shouldn't be so. God made us stewards not masters of this world. Our habitats are supposed to be part of the environment, much like an ant can live in a tree that termites and birds can also inhabit, not separate from it. We've turned the tables around - making the environment a part of our habitat. And in the process, we are gradually shattering the fragile conditions that allows the Earth to sustain life.
And the last thing I've realized is how powerless individuals, families or even nations are to avert this threat. Unless we get a superhero to suck two degrees celsius worth of heat out of the planet and most of the carbon dioxide we've emitted, we're bound to have cities becoming marine parks in the future. Even if we implement drastic changes, the damage has already been done and the worst part is apparently we - Filipinos living in a low-lying archipelagic country - will be the first to feel it.
Whenever I watch those apocalyptic-type movies which involves water rushing in to submerge whole nations, I wonder how we Filipinos will cope up. For instance, in "Deep Impact", the government builds this huge facility to safeguard the prominent people who will lead the survivors of the disaster. What will our government do? We can't even modernize our weather prediction equipment.
The painful thing about this predicament is that we are made to suffer for the mistakes we did very little to commit. The major polluters are the ones most likely to survive the coming catastrophes. A big chunk of the third-world is simply going to be wiped away from existence. My generation will be forced to carry a burden getting heavier by the day.
Minsan lang ako magrant pero this is something worth ranting about. Bakit kelangang kami ang magdusa?
The fact is we can't solve this problem fast enough to save our future from being ruined. But we can hope that this burden will no longer be carried by the next generation if we act on it now. In the movie, the success of the world to protect the ozone layer was mentioned. I believe humans are the most adept at surviving and I guess the problem lies in that humanity is not taking the problem too seriously. So that's what needs to be done. Heed the warning and starting doing our part.
It was revealed that very few of the countries that signed the Kyoto protocol are going to succeed in reaching the goals set regarding the reduction of carbon emmissions and I doubt the Philippines is going to be one of them. We can all do our part, yes, in our own little way - walking instead of driving, conserving energy etc. But the drastic measures that need to be done to prevent the disasters coming our way like half of Navotas becoming part of Manila Bay are just too expensive and well, inconvinient for any one individual to commit to. This battle is a hard one because it will be a costly one. And that is the most frustrating part about this whole global warming issue.
But at least the wheels of change are starting to move to this direction. Green technologies are gaining popularity and much needed financial support. Political will is being exercised to support them. And people are one by one waking to the idea of a different world if the path we are traversing is not changed. I still hope it will move fast enough to keep Navotas on the map.
Sometimes I envision Pisay to be the hope in this struggle - that one day a group of Pisay graduates would find a revolutionary solution to end global warming. My hopes are never higher with so much more at stake.
Soon enough, the mantle of leadership will fall on our shoulders. It will be soon up to us to face this crisis. In LOTR:FOTR, Frodo tells Gandalf he wishes the ring had not come to him, that none of the things they had experienced had happened. The wise wizard replies: "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." Shall we also ignore this problem just as they have or shall we decide to carry this ring to its end?
Friday, April 27, 2007
Summer Job
I've been working for this '94 Pisay graduate this past few days (thanks Cheska for bringing me on board :D). Other than the fact na we're being paid, the type of work I'm doing is something I really like. Haha. Essays, research papers. saya! Plus the topics are very interesting. Siguro the worst part of everything is the deadline (which I've actually broken twice).
The first paper I was asked to write was about Illegal Immigration in the US. Siguro the best thing I realized is that buti na lang the Philippines is an archipelago surrounded by large bodies of water and that we're an ocean away from the US or else we might see millions of Filipinos crossing the border to the US. As it is, (one option lang pede, visa overstaying) the Philippines is one of the top countries wtih visa holders who become illegal immigrants because they stay in the US indefinitely beyond the terms of their visa. Grabe pala. Thousands of Mexians cross the border everyday and hundreds die because of the harsh conditions they have to face to get across. Nakakaawa pero it's a fact of life there. Hindi pa nga yung mga super duper poor ung lumilipat e, un pang mga may trabaho naman at may pamilya. Sad na we see the same thing here in the Philippines. It's the middle class that's leaving this country. And a country without a vibrant middle class is a country doomed to economic collapse.
The second paper I got was about the diseases of famous rulers. Ang saya gawin nito! hahaha. Grabe pala. Sickness can really shape the fate of a nation. The third Roman Emperor, Caligula, had either epilepsy, encephalitis or meningitis seven months from the beginning of his rule and it turned him from a benevolent and compassionate leader to a cruel, egoistic and insane tyrannt who thought himself to be a living god! Ivan the Terrible was one of the greatest rulers of Russia who brought expansion and reform to the empire but his reign came crashing down because he caught syphilis and took mercury as the "treatment" aggravating his mental instability. Queen Victoria holds the record as the British monarch with the longest reign. It was in her era that the Industrial Revolution came to its zenith and the British Empire included India, South Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand making it the foremost Global Power. But her grim legacy was the hemophilia gene she passed on to her children who later on married several members of other royal families in Europe. The defective gene penetrated the Spanish, German and Russian imperial families. Astig na the gene could have entered the British royal family if Alix, a granddaugther of Victoria, had chosen to marry a prince fo Britain instead of the Czar of Russia. Hemophilia was expressed in the only son and heir to the throne of Russia, Alexis. His parents focused so much on his ailment that they lost touch of their subjects, allowed a healer to gain influence in the Kremlin and caused the deterioration and final collapse of the centuries-old Russian Empire because of the Russian Revolution. Galing talaga nito. One single mutated gene transformed Russia from an ancient empire to the communist super power it later became! Ano kaya nangyari kung sa Britain pumasok ang gene at hindi sa Russia? Magkakarevolution pa kaya? Ang galing di ba?
So yun. We're currently working on another project. Hopefully, we don't break the deadline again. hehehe.
The first paper I was asked to write was about Illegal Immigration in the US. Siguro the best thing I realized is that buti na lang the Philippines is an archipelago surrounded by large bodies of water and that we're an ocean away from the US or else we might see millions of Filipinos crossing the border to the US. As it is, (one option lang pede, visa overstaying) the Philippines is one of the top countries wtih visa holders who become illegal immigrants because they stay in the US indefinitely beyond the terms of their visa. Grabe pala. Thousands of Mexians cross the border everyday and hundreds die because of the harsh conditions they have to face to get across. Nakakaawa pero it's a fact of life there. Hindi pa nga yung mga super duper poor ung lumilipat e, un pang mga may trabaho naman at may pamilya. Sad na we see the same thing here in the Philippines. It's the middle class that's leaving this country. And a country without a vibrant middle class is a country doomed to economic collapse.
The second paper I got was about the diseases of famous rulers. Ang saya gawin nito! hahaha. Grabe pala. Sickness can really shape the fate of a nation. The third Roman Emperor, Caligula, had either epilepsy, encephalitis or meningitis seven months from the beginning of his rule and it turned him from a benevolent and compassionate leader to a cruel, egoistic and insane tyrannt who thought himself to be a living god! Ivan the Terrible was one of the greatest rulers of Russia who brought expansion and reform to the empire but his reign came crashing down because he caught syphilis and took mercury as the "treatment" aggravating his mental instability. Queen Victoria holds the record as the British monarch with the longest reign. It was in her era that the Industrial Revolution came to its zenith and the British Empire included India, South Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand making it the foremost Global Power. But her grim legacy was the hemophilia gene she passed on to her children who later on married several members of other royal families in Europe. The defective gene penetrated the Spanish, German and Russian imperial families. Astig na the gene could have entered the British royal family if Alix, a granddaugther of Victoria, had chosen to marry a prince fo Britain instead of the Czar of Russia. Hemophilia was expressed in the only son and heir to the throne of Russia, Alexis. His parents focused so much on his ailment that they lost touch of their subjects, allowed a healer to gain influence in the Kremlin and caused the deterioration and final collapse of the centuries-old Russian Empire because of the Russian Revolution. Galing talaga nito. One single mutated gene transformed Russia from an ancient empire to the communist super power it later became! Ano kaya nangyari kung sa Britain pumasok ang gene at hindi sa Russia? Magkakarevolution pa kaya? Ang galing di ba?
So yun. We're currently working on another project. Hopefully, we don't break the deadline again. hehehe.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is the condition wherein alveoli are inflammed and filled with fluid. It may be caused be a variety of pathogens including viruses, fungi, parasites and bacteria. Complications include septic shock resulting from spreading of the pathogens from the infected lung through the bloodstream to virtually anywhere in the body.
Astig ng wikipedia noh. All you need to know. hahaha.
My brother (Kevin) has had this illness for about 3-4 days now and he's been admitted to the hospital in the hopes of expediting his recovery. It all started with a boil (indicating his weakened resistance) and now this.
When they discovered that he had it (with a chest X-ray), I was a bit surprised. I haven't heard anyone I know with this condition. I suppose a normal body resistance is sufficient to fight the many pathogens that cause this disease. We're still trying to figure out why his immune system weakened.
I'm posting this here because I know he needs all the prayers he can get. I am confident God the super-healer will cure Him in His own time. Maganda din na kinakatok Siya often para dun. hehe.
UPDATE:
My brother is out of the hospital and back here sa bahay. Thank God! Ambilis! Compared to the two weeks of Ate Frances' Dad, my brother only had to stay for 3 days.
Buti na lang his condition was detected early on. Only less than 1/4 of the lung cavity was affected and filled up with fluid. I pressume the cause of the pneumonia was bacterial since well, the medication prescribed were extremely powerful (and expensive) antibiotics. Imagine you could buy a pocketbook with every capsule he took. hahaha.
So he's back and he's feeling a lot better. There is still some fluid in his lungs which causes him to cough a lot. But my parents say continuous medication would clear the fluid out.
Thank you for all the prayers. :D My parents forbid my brother to tell his friends that he was in the hospital so as to keep them from visiting him since his disease was infectious. Haha. Pero siyempre ako pinost ko pa sa blog. hahaha.
Ayun. Thank God ambilis Niya magpagaling. :D
Astig ng wikipedia noh. All you need to know. hahaha.
My brother (Kevin) has had this illness for about 3-4 days now and he's been admitted to the hospital in the hopes of expediting his recovery. It all started with a boil (indicating his weakened resistance) and now this.
When they discovered that he had it (with a chest X-ray), I was a bit surprised. I haven't heard anyone I know with this condition. I suppose a normal body resistance is sufficient to fight the many pathogens that cause this disease. We're still trying to figure out why his immune system weakened.
I'm posting this here because I know he needs all the prayers he can get. I am confident God the super-healer will cure Him in His own time. Maganda din na kinakatok Siya often para dun. hehe.
UPDATE:
My brother is out of the hospital and back here sa bahay. Thank God! Ambilis! Compared to the two weeks of Ate Frances' Dad, my brother only had to stay for 3 days.
Buti na lang his condition was detected early on. Only less than 1/4 of the lung cavity was affected and filled up with fluid. I pressume the cause of the pneumonia was bacterial since well, the medication prescribed were extremely powerful (and expensive) antibiotics. Imagine you could buy a pocketbook with every capsule he took. hahaha.
So he's back and he's feeling a lot better. There is still some fluid in his lungs which causes him to cough a lot. But my parents say continuous medication would clear the fluid out.
Thank you for all the prayers. :D My parents forbid my brother to tell his friends that he was in the hospital so as to keep them from visiting him since his disease was infectious. Haha. Pero siyempre ako pinost ko pa sa blog. hahaha.
Ayun. Thank God ambilis Niya magpagaling. :D
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Rebolusyon ng Pag-asa!
I have so much to say about my first ever ILC, I don't know if anyone would stand reading the whole entry. Pero what the heck, I made the blog to keep my thoughts so I'll try to stick as much of them here.
The 14th International Leaders' Conference of the CFC- Youth for Christ was really a blast! God told me a lot of things through this event so it has earned the distinction of being among my most unforgettable experiences.
My being there was really a miracle for me. The first time I asked permission from my parents, I got a resounding no with the “pag tanda mo maiintindihan mo na” argument to match. It would have come to no surprise if it was some other activity but I had hoped that the nature of this event would elicit a different response. I was really shocked and hurt. I was serious about my commitment to God through YFC and coming there was a part of it. So I prayed and asked that He enlighten my parents to allow me to go there OR that He enlighten me that I may understand why I wasn't allowed to go. God is just so great He gave me both. OR na nga ginawa pang AND. Hahaha.
With the bleak hope of ever coming to Naga, I tried to think why God wasn’t going to bring me there. I knew for sure that if I was doing His will, nothing can stop me from making it happen. So either this statement wasn’t true or I wasn’t doing His will. And He made me realize that my intentions for coming to the event weren’t exactly as pure as I claimed they were. That time, I was excited at the thought of spending three days away to a place I’ve never been before. Dream ko talaga to travel and this was one chance I couldn’t pass plus the fact that I’ll be with my friends. Now if I really had His will in mind, I wouldn’t have these thoughts. If I really wanted to do service to Him, Naga wasn’t the only place I could do that. So in the end, I accepted the fact that maybe He didn’t really want me there and that if He did, He’d just carry me and bring me there (not in the literal sense of course :p). I didn’t lose hope so I tried to make my case on the safety of the trip etc. (imagine in over 5 years, two incidents pa lang! Mas marami pa sa EDSA ata e) but I knew if I still wasn’t allowed in the end I knew it was just God’s will.
And buti na lang He let me through that “purification stage”, so I was ready for what happened next. Hahaha. I can’t exactly attribute it to any one thing I did or circumstance that came to pass but it was God working to bring me to my very first ILC. One day they told me to drop the subject, the next they told me ok we’ll let you go. Iba talaga magwork si God. Hahaha. So that’s how this whole thing started.
So we rode a bus to Naga with the best company. haha. Clar, Fatima, Greggy, Dani, Nico, Karizz, Ben, Reynard, Ed, Dane, Ate Arielle, Kuya Joseph, Christmas and Ivy and later on Jef (who came from Bataan). Check out how vain everyone was (http://robroque.multiply.com/) 11 hour long drive. Hot Bicol Sun. Wonderful site – Metro Naga Sports Complex. House 300 m away from the site. Tricycle. Jeep to Downtown Naga. Pili shopping spree. Andami-dami-dami-daming nangyari. :D (Too many to recount accurately! :P)
The session I found most interesting was the second one where we were divided by gender. I found it surprising and a bit shocking. I’ve been in co-ed schools all my life so I’ve grown used to the idea that women can be leaders and even take over traditionally male roles. The point of the session was to remind us of our roles as men and future fathers and heads of families and communities. Three problems were pointed out to be the fault of men: (1) corruption (2) poverty (3) crime. Most politicians are men and most of them are corrupt. Most men as fathers provide for their families. Most criminals are men. The roots of these problems are that men take too many shortcuts (corruption is a very short route to prosperity), men are too timid to seize opportunities (poverty at the microscopic level is due to individuals being unable to earn) and men fail to dream (when all dreams fail, they resort to crime to solve the problem). And of course the solution to these is that men must learn to take the long, hard road to success, to seize all opportunities and dream big. I was really surprised when the speaker said, “matakot na kayo kapag mga babae na ang namumuno”. Sounds sexist if you take it as is, but if it’s in context, it has sense. The role of men is to provide and care for women which is why leadership must be placed on the shoulders of men (this is the case in YFC and other CFC organizations). Though it really sounds sexist, it’s NOT because the point of it all is that women are to be taken care of and not stripped of purpose and work. It may seem odd that women empowerment movement is the trend in the world today but when you look back, history says most women were oppressed and their best interests were not pursued.
Andami-dami-dami ding worship! It’s just amazing that at one moment everyone is minding their own business even while people are speaking in front but when worship starts, everyone is focused on praising God. It’s even more amazing that 8,500 youth would come together to praise God!!! Check out videos by Dani (http://chudawi.multiply.com)
The open-field mass was also great. The way the gospel was read was so clear that one could imagine the scene unfolding as it is read (story of Thomas and how Jesus erased his doubts). A bishop gave the homily and the point was a revolution of hope is incomplete if it is not founded on a revolution of faith and that a revolution of love will happen soon after. You can hope for nothing if you do not put faith in God and love is hope in action. Amazing din yung communion part. Ganun pala siguro noong feeding of the five thousand. Hahaha.
Grabe. May concerts pa at the end of the two nights. Spongecola sponsored by Globe and Rocksteddy sponsored by Smart. These two companies were major sponsors of the event. I don’t have anything against having sponsors for an event like this. The venue looked great and the sounds and lights were even better and these couldn’t have been possible without their support. Ganda nga tignan na these two rival corporations are working together in a cause like this. But I think these concerts were distractions and a waste of money. Hehe. The funds could have been used to build around eight houses at their respective GK sites (both companies have sponsored GK villages).
I learned a lot (practical and spiritual) because of this trip. But perhaps the most important thing He made me realize was that service to Him begins now and not when you’re financially stable. I remember my interview for the Star Scholarship, they asked me what I will be doing 10 years from now. I answered I imagine myself working and earning enough to satisfy my family and serve others. In choosing between UP and Ateneo, service was a criterion. There is no question that I want to serve. However, I realized I wanted it to be convenient for myself and service is not about convenience. That is why I hope before this summer ends, I’ll finally be able to serve in a GK community. (Clar ayusin mo ha. :p) Working full-time for YFC has also crossed my mind. Hahaha.
The revolution of hope is about showing the world why we are the “pag-asa ng bayan” NOW and working so that passing this torch of being the hope of the nation to the next “kabataan” would no longer be a necessity. God has given our generation so many tools, so many gifts, the only thing that we need is our resolve to join this glorious revolution – for the glory of our country and God.
The ILC, this year, I think was giving the message that all youth can be heroes, that we can make a difference not tomorrow but today. (Nakakatawa na ung videos sa simula nung sessions tried to mimic “Heroes” parehong-pareho pa ng font! :D) God is raising an army of heroes not slaves for He has made us to be great.
There were a lot of interesting paintings around the site but the most engaging was the one which shows REVOLUTION with EVOL inverted to LOVE. (ung picture ko ngayon sa ym) Any true and noble revolution must have love at the center – love for the cause you are fighting for. In our revolution, it is our love for our nation and our God that unites us, that keeps us noble and true to our cause.
I know I have this love. I am ready for the revolution. Are you?
The 14th International Leaders' Conference of the CFC- Youth for Christ was really a blast! God told me a lot of things through this event so it has earned the distinction of being among my most unforgettable experiences.
My being there was really a miracle for me. The first time I asked permission from my parents, I got a resounding no with the “pag tanda mo maiintindihan mo na” argument to match. It would have come to no surprise if it was some other activity but I had hoped that the nature of this event would elicit a different response. I was really shocked and hurt. I was serious about my commitment to God through YFC and coming there was a part of it. So I prayed and asked that He enlighten my parents to allow me to go there OR that He enlighten me that I may understand why I wasn't allowed to go. God is just so great He gave me both. OR na nga ginawa pang AND. Hahaha.
With the bleak hope of ever coming to Naga, I tried to think why God wasn’t going to bring me there. I knew for sure that if I was doing His will, nothing can stop me from making it happen. So either this statement wasn’t true or I wasn’t doing His will. And He made me realize that my intentions for coming to the event weren’t exactly as pure as I claimed they were. That time, I was excited at the thought of spending three days away to a place I’ve never been before. Dream ko talaga to travel and this was one chance I couldn’t pass plus the fact that I’ll be with my friends. Now if I really had His will in mind, I wouldn’t have these thoughts. If I really wanted to do service to Him, Naga wasn’t the only place I could do that. So in the end, I accepted the fact that maybe He didn’t really want me there and that if He did, He’d just carry me and bring me there (not in the literal sense of course :p). I didn’t lose hope so I tried to make my case on the safety of the trip etc. (imagine in over 5 years, two incidents pa lang! Mas marami pa sa EDSA ata e) but I knew if I still wasn’t allowed in the end I knew it was just God’s will.
And buti na lang He let me through that “purification stage”, so I was ready for what happened next. Hahaha. I can’t exactly attribute it to any one thing I did or circumstance that came to pass but it was God working to bring me to my very first ILC. One day they told me to drop the subject, the next they told me ok we’ll let you go. Iba talaga magwork si God. Hahaha. So that’s how this whole thing started.
So we rode a bus to Naga with the best company. haha. Clar, Fatima, Greggy, Dani, Nico, Karizz, Ben, Reynard, Ed, Dane, Ate Arielle, Kuya Joseph, Christmas and Ivy and later on Jef (who came from Bataan). Check out how vain everyone was (http://robroque.multiply.com/) 11 hour long drive. Hot Bicol Sun. Wonderful site – Metro Naga Sports Complex. House 300 m away from the site. Tricycle. Jeep to Downtown Naga. Pili shopping spree. Andami-dami-dami-daming nangyari. :D (Too many to recount accurately! :P)
The session I found most interesting was the second one where we were divided by gender. I found it surprising and a bit shocking. I’ve been in co-ed schools all my life so I’ve grown used to the idea that women can be leaders and even take over traditionally male roles. The point of the session was to remind us of our roles as men and future fathers and heads of families and communities. Three problems were pointed out to be the fault of men: (1) corruption (2) poverty (3) crime. Most politicians are men and most of them are corrupt. Most men as fathers provide for their families. Most criminals are men. The roots of these problems are that men take too many shortcuts (corruption is a very short route to prosperity), men are too timid to seize opportunities (poverty at the microscopic level is due to individuals being unable to earn) and men fail to dream (when all dreams fail, they resort to crime to solve the problem). And of course the solution to these is that men must learn to take the long, hard road to success, to seize all opportunities and dream big. I was really surprised when the speaker said, “matakot na kayo kapag mga babae na ang namumuno”. Sounds sexist if you take it as is, but if it’s in context, it has sense. The role of men is to provide and care for women which is why leadership must be placed on the shoulders of men (this is the case in YFC and other CFC organizations). Though it really sounds sexist, it’s NOT because the point of it all is that women are to be taken care of and not stripped of purpose and work. It may seem odd that women empowerment movement is the trend in the world today but when you look back, history says most women were oppressed and their best interests were not pursued.
Andami-dami-dami ding worship! It’s just amazing that at one moment everyone is minding their own business even while people are speaking in front but when worship starts, everyone is focused on praising God. It’s even more amazing that 8,500 youth would come together to praise God!!! Check out videos by Dani (http://chudawi.multiply.com)
The open-field mass was also great. The way the gospel was read was so clear that one could imagine the scene unfolding as it is read (story of Thomas and how Jesus erased his doubts). A bishop gave the homily and the point was a revolution of hope is incomplete if it is not founded on a revolution of faith and that a revolution of love will happen soon after. You can hope for nothing if you do not put faith in God and love is hope in action. Amazing din yung communion part. Ganun pala siguro noong feeding of the five thousand. Hahaha.
Grabe. May concerts pa at the end of the two nights. Spongecola sponsored by Globe and Rocksteddy sponsored by Smart. These two companies were major sponsors of the event. I don’t have anything against having sponsors for an event like this. The venue looked great and the sounds and lights were even better and these couldn’t have been possible without their support. Ganda nga tignan na these two rival corporations are working together in a cause like this. But I think these concerts were distractions and a waste of money. Hehe. The funds could have been used to build around eight houses at their respective GK sites (both companies have sponsored GK villages).
I learned a lot (practical and spiritual) because of this trip. But perhaps the most important thing He made me realize was that service to Him begins now and not when you’re financially stable. I remember my interview for the Star Scholarship, they asked me what I will be doing 10 years from now. I answered I imagine myself working and earning enough to satisfy my family and serve others. In choosing between UP and Ateneo, service was a criterion. There is no question that I want to serve. However, I realized I wanted it to be convenient for myself and service is not about convenience. That is why I hope before this summer ends, I’ll finally be able to serve in a GK community. (Clar ayusin mo ha. :p) Working full-time for YFC has also crossed my mind. Hahaha.
The revolution of hope is about showing the world why we are the “pag-asa ng bayan” NOW and working so that passing this torch of being the hope of the nation to the next “kabataan” would no longer be a necessity. God has given our generation so many tools, so many gifts, the only thing that we need is our resolve to join this glorious revolution – for the glory of our country and God.
The ILC, this year, I think was giving the message that all youth can be heroes, that we can make a difference not tomorrow but today. (Nakakatawa na ung videos sa simula nung sessions tried to mimic “Heroes” parehong-pareho pa ng font! :D) God is raising an army of heroes not slaves for He has made us to be great.
There were a lot of interesting paintings around the site but the most engaging was the one which shows REVOLUTION with EVOL inverted to LOVE. (ung picture ko ngayon sa ym) Any true and noble revolution must have love at the center – love for the cause you are fighting for. In our revolution, it is our love for our nation and our God that unites us, that keeps us noble and true to our cause.
I know I have this love. I am ready for the revolution. Are you?
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Congratulations!
Almost forgot to post this.
Congrats kay Dane for making it into Intarmed. :D
I know how much she wants to get in and God really loves Dane and His plan for Him seems to be for her to become a doctor so yehey, nothing can stop it. :D
I am looking forward to discounted medical care from you and my many other friends that will become doctors in 7 years (last count ko 17). hahaha. Sana naman iba-iba kayo ng specialization para you can start a hospital. hahaha. Hmmmmm. Pede rin palang Batch Hospital noh. Chemists can provide the drugs, engineers sa construction, compsci sa database and networking stuff and me at amf sa finances at marami pang iba. Galing! hahaha.
Congrats to you and to everyone who made it to Intarmed. :D
Congrats kay Dane for making it into Intarmed. :D
I know how much she wants to get in and God really loves Dane and His plan for Him seems to be for her to become a doctor so yehey, nothing can stop it. :D
I am looking forward to discounted medical care from you and my many other friends that will become doctors in 7 years (last count ko 17). hahaha. Sana naman iba-iba kayo ng specialization para you can start a hospital. hahaha. Hmmmmm. Pede rin palang Batch Hospital noh. Chemists can provide the drugs, engineers sa construction, compsci sa database and networking stuff and me at amf sa finances at marami pang iba. Galing! hahaha.
Congrats to you and to everyone who made it to Intarmed. :D
The Struggle
Wahoo. I just finished working on the organization list for the whole batch. Grabe. I never imagined typing this much would be hard! VERY VERY HARD! Harder than studying for an Econ Test!
I am fully aware that this is part of my job as documentation committee member for the yearbook and I do not really regret being a member of that committee but I tried to analyze what brought me to this very difficult situation of having to cram (yes, cramming for a deadline I set myself in the middle of the summer vacation!) whereas I could have easily divided the work the past few weeks where all I did was sleep and read and play (Holy Week not included :p)
I realized it would be more beneficial for me if I looked back beyond the past weeks of summer and focus on the whole 4-year Pisay experience. I know that Pisay has changed me a lot but I haven't really given thought to what exactly it has changed in me. This will take a long time to finish but it's an endeavor worth taking. I need to know myself well before I enter the confusing realities of college life.
So far, I have admitted to myself that I've become someone who works well under pressure to someone who works ONLY under pressure; that I've turned from someone who plans and sticks to that plan to someone who is flexible with its implementation or sometimes outright reactionary; that I've changed from being a great preparation person who makes sure nothing will go wrong to being a great on-the-spot problem solver. Extreme changes don't you think?
Back in grade school, cramming was not even part of my vocabulary. The teacher gives us a project one day, I finish it the next day with a perfect score and a lot of bonus points. But when we were exposed to the battery of homeworks, long tests and projects with greater levels of difficulty, time was transformed from being a luxury to a scarce commodity. I could still try to submit early but only at the expense of losing time for some other requirement. I feel relieved that I somehow struck the balance the whole four-years since I submitted every work on time (except the Science Scholar!). I couldn't have done so if cramming was still not part of my tools. Time management and prioritization really didn't suffice when time was just insufficient and everything was on the same level. The tactic was to be reactionary - getting ahead was just too costly. I study only what is necessary and indulge my intellectual curiousity when nothing is at stake any more.
The constant weight of academic and extra-curricular life in Pisay trained me how to deal with stress - not to fear it but use it as a weapon. I've always been proud of the fact that I work better under pressure. Sometimes, I deliberately constrict time allotment for a project so that it would end up better in the end (and would actually be more fulfilling)- which usually happens. The problem is I got so used to it, sometimes, unconsciously, I seek that pressure to motivate me to work. For example, there's a lab report due on a Monday and it's just a Friday. The grade-school me would react by working on the lab report on a Friday and hope that I finish it early so it won't consume my whole weekend (which sometimes happens). The high-school me would do the opposite. Relax and unwind Friday night to Saturday afternoon, preview the work ahead Saturday night and actually work on it Sunday. Without the pressure of "wow, one day na lang pala", I wouldn't push myself to work.
Before I came to Pisay, I would take every step to make sure everything is ready for an activity (this usually applies with my extra-curricular stuff like the school paper or student council). But because of the scarcity of time in Pisay, elaborate preparation turned from necessity to luxury. And near the end of my stay in Pisay, I find myself struggling to push myself to invest more time in preparing. The good side is combined with my propensity to work better under pressure, any problem encountered was just easier to solve. Fortunately, this has never happened but I'm sure there will come a moment where there is a problem that's just impossible to addrees except if I had prepared for it.
So, my struggle now is to be able to control these new "abilities". Sure, these gave me an edge in Pisay but will it be a liability in the next stages of my life? I feel that this summer I must learn to establish a switch so that I could revert from one attitude to the other.
I also believe that setting-up that conscious switch ability would be important if I will survive the totally different environment of college life. I am confident God will guide me closely in this next stage and I trust He will help me fix this problem.
Amazing what typing for almost a week can make you realize.
ILC entry next na talaga. hahaha.
I am fully aware that this is part of my job as documentation committee member for the yearbook and I do not really regret being a member of that committee but I tried to analyze what brought me to this very difficult situation of having to cram (yes, cramming for a deadline I set myself in the middle of the summer vacation!) whereas I could have easily divided the work the past few weeks where all I did was sleep and read and play (Holy Week not included :p)
I realized it would be more beneficial for me if I looked back beyond the past weeks of summer and focus on the whole 4-year Pisay experience. I know that Pisay has changed me a lot but I haven't really given thought to what exactly it has changed in me. This will take a long time to finish but it's an endeavor worth taking. I need to know myself well before I enter the confusing realities of college life.
So far, I have admitted to myself that I've become someone who works well under pressure to someone who works ONLY under pressure; that I've turned from someone who plans and sticks to that plan to someone who is flexible with its implementation or sometimes outright reactionary; that I've changed from being a great preparation person who makes sure nothing will go wrong to being a great on-the-spot problem solver. Extreme changes don't you think?
Back in grade school, cramming was not even part of my vocabulary. The teacher gives us a project one day, I finish it the next day with a perfect score and a lot of bonus points. But when we were exposed to the battery of homeworks, long tests and projects with greater levels of difficulty, time was transformed from being a luxury to a scarce commodity. I could still try to submit early but only at the expense of losing time for some other requirement. I feel relieved that I somehow struck the balance the whole four-years since I submitted every work on time (except the Science Scholar!). I couldn't have done so if cramming was still not part of my tools. Time management and prioritization really didn't suffice when time was just insufficient and everything was on the same level. The tactic was to be reactionary - getting ahead was just too costly. I study only what is necessary and indulge my intellectual curiousity when nothing is at stake any more.
The constant weight of academic and extra-curricular life in Pisay trained me how to deal with stress - not to fear it but use it as a weapon. I've always been proud of the fact that I work better under pressure. Sometimes, I deliberately constrict time allotment for a project so that it would end up better in the end (and would actually be more fulfilling)- which usually happens. The problem is I got so used to it, sometimes, unconsciously, I seek that pressure to motivate me to work. For example, there's a lab report due on a Monday and it's just a Friday. The grade-school me would react by working on the lab report on a Friday and hope that I finish it early so it won't consume my whole weekend (which sometimes happens). The high-school me would do the opposite. Relax and unwind Friday night to Saturday afternoon, preview the work ahead Saturday night and actually work on it Sunday. Without the pressure of "wow, one day na lang pala", I wouldn't push myself to work.
Before I came to Pisay, I would take every step to make sure everything is ready for an activity (this usually applies with my extra-curricular stuff like the school paper or student council). But because of the scarcity of time in Pisay, elaborate preparation turned from necessity to luxury. And near the end of my stay in Pisay, I find myself struggling to push myself to invest more time in preparing. The good side is combined with my propensity to work better under pressure, any problem encountered was just easier to solve. Fortunately, this has never happened but I'm sure there will come a moment where there is a problem that's just impossible to addrees except if I had prepared for it.
So, my struggle now is to be able to control these new "abilities". Sure, these gave me an edge in Pisay but will it be a liability in the next stages of my life? I feel that this summer I must learn to establish a switch so that I could revert from one attitude to the other.
I also believe that setting-up that conscious switch ability would be important if I will survive the totally different environment of college life. I am confident God will guide me closely in this next stage and I trust He will help me fix this problem.
Amazing what typing for almost a week can make you realize.
ILC entry next na talaga. hahaha.
Monday, April 16, 2007
The Beginning
Finally! A blog of my own. :D
The reason I want to blog is because these days, I've become so forgetful, especially of my thoughts or ideas regarding anything. haha. I've developed a memory bank capable of storing trivia like who created Middle-Earth or which countries fell to the German blitzkrieg but not phone numbers, names of acquiantances and everyday events. But these things are not for the blog but for my phonebook. :p
The things I will write about will be those of significance to me - things that have attracted my attention or have sent a lot of nerve impluses across my nervous system especially in the cerebrum. I will write about my thoughts on stuff happening in my life and others happening around me.
When I hear about something interesting, I really think about it and sometimes when the right person asks, I can refine my ideas. Unfortunately, after that moment of enlightenment, I usually forget the essential parts. And I feel it's such a loss because I think some of those thoughts I've lost to the immense burden of Pisay life include important lessons - not about LDMU or Redox reactions - but real life lessons - stuff you don't learn in the classroom and don't come to everybody.
So I hope this blog will help me remember those lessons.
Thanks to Ray-ray for the helping me with the title. :D
Clouds are my favorite subjects when I take pictures. Believe it or not, when looking at pictures, I remember the events usually not by the personalities but the setting - building, trees, cars, roads, clouds. The great thing about clouds is that it provides great contrast so it's very easy to get a good picture. But the best thing I like about them is that you can never capture the same moment twice. You can do that with architecture or people but never with clouds. Clouds just drift away so fast you are only given one fleeting moment to seize the memory of it. Parang yung thoughts ko noh? :p
Many people have been pushing me to blog and I've really wanted too. I used to have one but it didn't turn out the way I wanted it so I just stopped blogging afterwards. So why start now?
I'm really a sucker for grand stuff. My obsession for fireworks, Lord of the Rings and other stuff that are just so big, epic and grand just proves this. I've been waiting for the perfect moment to start one and this is it. I just came from the 14th YFC - International Leaders' Conference and I would say it is the one of the best events of my life. And there is no grander timing than this. haha.
So yun na lang. haha. Quite a long first post noh? Thank God I finally have a blog. :D
The reason I want to blog is because these days, I've become so forgetful, especially of my thoughts or ideas regarding anything. haha. I've developed a memory bank capable of storing trivia like who created Middle-Earth or which countries fell to the German blitzkrieg but not phone numbers, names of acquiantances and everyday events. But these things are not for the blog but for my phonebook. :p
The things I will write about will be those of significance to me - things that have attracted my attention or have sent a lot of nerve impluses across my nervous system especially in the cerebrum. I will write about my thoughts on stuff happening in my life and others happening around me.
When I hear about something interesting, I really think about it and sometimes when the right person asks, I can refine my ideas. Unfortunately, after that moment of enlightenment, I usually forget the essential parts. And I feel it's such a loss because I think some of those thoughts I've lost to the immense burden of Pisay life include important lessons - not about LDMU or Redox reactions - but real life lessons - stuff you don't learn in the classroom and don't come to everybody.
So I hope this blog will help me remember those lessons.
Thanks to Ray-ray for the helping me with the title. :D
Clouds are my favorite subjects when I take pictures. Believe it or not, when looking at pictures, I remember the events usually not by the personalities but the setting - building, trees, cars, roads, clouds. The great thing about clouds is that it provides great contrast so it's very easy to get a good picture. But the best thing I like about them is that you can never capture the same moment twice. You can do that with architecture or people but never with clouds. Clouds just drift away so fast you are only given one fleeting moment to seize the memory of it. Parang yung thoughts ko noh? :p
Many people have been pushing me to blog and I've really wanted too. I used to have one but it didn't turn out the way I wanted it so I just stopped blogging afterwards. So why start now?
I'm really a sucker for grand stuff. My obsession for fireworks, Lord of the Rings and other stuff that are just so big, epic and grand just proves this. I've been waiting for the perfect moment to start one and this is it. I just came from the 14th YFC - International Leaders' Conference and I would say it is the one of the best events of my life. And there is no grander timing than this. haha.
So yun na lang. haha. Quite a long first post noh? Thank God I finally have a blog. :D
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