Bo Files: On Love (na naman)

A small part of my shelf is reserved for books that are meant for light-reading. These are my favorite grabs when am already running out of wits. Mostly, they're inspirational though not necessarily religious. Well yea, religious literature is also part of the collection but since I intend to be enlightened than confused, I avoid exegetic materials. Part of my collection are:

Galdon, Joseph SJ. The Mustard Seed - Reflections for Daily Living -- a collection of reflections published at the PDI and Manila Standard (if i am not mistaken).

Gonzales, Enrico OP. Love Letters from the Seminary -- it's not what you think! They are his "memos" (errhm, pastoral letters) addressed to the Dominican Coristas.

The Bob Ong Collection. ABNKKBSNPLAko, BAKIT BALIKTAD MAGBASA ANG MGA PILIPINO, STAINLESS LONGGANISA. -- still have to read Ang Paboritong Libro ni Hudas and Alamat ng Gubat though.

Sanchez, Bo. You Can Make Your Life Beautiful -- another anthology of essays that will ensure cheerfulness in life. I learned a lot from this material which i willfully passed around so that others may also learn. Un/fortunately, my copy's not in my custody and it has not been returned for three years. Am still hoping to have it back since the book is kinda special, it has a dedication from Bo which is addressed to Eleanor. (Eleanor was a classmate who borrowed the book. When she returned it, she wrote me a thank you note on a post-it that i forgot to remove when I sent it to him for dedication. Bo must have read Len's note, and so he assumed that Len is the owner. Hehehe.) Despite that, the guy will always be my favorite.

Here's one of his essays, it's not a part of the aforementioned material. Thanks to Mark for the forward:

When You FALL IN LOVE
(Debunking the Myths That Are Driving You Crazy)
By: Bo Sanchez

This article isn't for teenagers only.

Falling in love happens to the young and the not-so-young. (Did you see
42-year-old Tom Cruise jump up and down Oprah's couch because of Katie?)
I t happens to everyone. Fat, thin, tall, short, intelligent, uneducated,
holy, not so holy, dark, white, yellow, green... it doesn't really matter.

All of us fall in love.
And we get stuck in myths that drive us absolutely crazy.
My goal is to debunk these myths and convince you not to believe in them.
Let's begin....... ...


MYTH 1: LOVE WILL CONQUER ALL

Let me qualify.
This is such a tricky myth. Because love ----- as defined by the Bible
------ will conquer all. But love ------ as defined by glazed-eyed lovers
----- will not.

If you believe in this myth, you might do the following:

You overlook major obstacles in your relationship.

Everyone you know is wondering why you chose that creature from outer
space as your boyfriend. Your bestfriends are telling you to get rid of
him. Your family is telling you to throw him out of a running vehicle.
Aling Rosa of the sari-sari store across the street is telling you to lace
his drink with poison.
But you won't --------- because you're in love. That's why there are songs
entitled, "you and me against the world"
Your bestbuds comment, 'but he's been jobless for the past three years!"
And you say, "He's free-spirited. He feels boxed in when he's in the
office. '(in other words, he's undisciplined, lazy bum.)
Your officemates say, 'He flirts with other women constantly!' and you
say, 'No, he's just friendly.' (in other words, he's a pervert)
Your cousins say, 'He's taking drugs, He's got needle marks all over his arm. And you say, 'No, he's into cross stitching.'

You overstay in toxic relationships, believing that your love will change
him.

The wedding doesn't transform anyone.
Even if three Popes officiate the wedding.
The person you'll march with into the church will be the same person
you'll march with out of the church. He doesn't change one bit.
In fact, the marriage makes the hidden more obvious.
If he was selfish before he got married, he will be even more selfish
after the wedding. If he was hypercritical before he got married, he'll
even be more vile and prolific with his criticisms after wedding.
Here's the truth : You need more than feelings of love to make a
relationship work. You need mature character, total commitment and a minimum level of compatibility.
Especially compatibility in the area of values and mission in life. I hear
people say, 'We're compatible. Our names begin with the same letter J. My
name is Julie and his name is Julio. We're both born in July."
Wow. That's so deep, I want to cry.

MYTH 2 : WHEN IT"S TRUE LOVE YOU WILL KNOW THE MOMENT YOU MEET THE
OTHER PERSON

I'm sure you've had this experience before.
You are in a crowded room. You're surrounded by boring, noisy chatter
when, suddenly, this gorgeous guy enters the door.
Your eyes meet.
Instantly, time stands still. The universe grinds to a halt. Except for
this attractive man in front of you, everything in your vision becomes a
giant blur. The hubbub of the crowd becomes a soft muffle and, from out of
nowhere, you here gentle violin music from the background.
One week later, he's your boyfriend.
A few weeks later, you discover that your boyfriend's a pathological liar,
buried in credit card debt, borrows money from all his girlfriends (you're
his eight in six months).
Your mind says, 'Dump him'
Your heart says, 'But it was love at first sight!'
Here are the consequences ...

You become so focused on the magical first moment, you become blind to the
dark side of the relationship.
Six out of seven days, you're fighting with your boyfriend.
But you can't give him up because you met each other in such a magical
moment. Your car keys fell and he picked it up, and then your eyes met,
you smelled his deodorant, and you dropped your keys again ......How can
you not be meant for each other?

You become a love-at-first- sight junkie that you could miss out on the
'real thing'.
One intelligent woman told me, 'Bo, there's this guy who's courting me.
He's okay. He's kind, he's responsible, he has a good job.......'
"I could hear a 'but' coming ," I said.
'but there are no sparks!" she bit her lip.
"No violin music playing in the background huh"
"none. When I see him, the background music I hear is
lululalu-lalulalula lei..."
"listen. You don't need a magical first moment to meet our potential husband. The important things are mature character, financial responsibility, ability for commitment, compatible mission and values..."
I actually met this girl again on her wedding, and before she marched down
the aisle, she whispered to me, "Do you hear the violin music, Bo? It's
loud and clear."
It doesn't have to be love at first sight.
In fact, marriages with the least adjustments are those between friends
who've known each other for years before they realize that they're good
marriage material.
What is love at first sight?
Many times, it's lust at first sight. Or infatuation at first sight.
Don't give it too much weight.
Here's the truth: it takes a moment to experience infatuation but true
love takes a lifetime.

MYTH 3 : IF IT IS TRUE LOVE YOU WILL FEEL THIS WAY FOR EACH OTHER FOREVER

No, you won't. Here are the consequences for believing this myth :

You panic when the feelings wane, and wonder whether the marriage is over and whether you really loved one another in the first place.
Imagine the night of your honeymoon.
Your new bride is sleeping. The cotton curtains are gently swaying in the
cool breeze. You gaze at her lovely face. You study her soft cheeks. Her
long eyelashes. Her beautiful nose, her parted red lips.
And all of a sudden, she snores.
"Ngggggggooork"
How do you react? Because it's your honeymoon, you say, 'How cute.'
Six months down the road, the same scene transpires. Your wife is
sleeping. And the same cotton curtains are gently swaying in the cool
breeze.
And you hear her snore.
"Ngggggoork. "
What do you say?
"Ssssssheeeesh, Honey! You sound like a boat!'
What has happened? The feelings have gone. Let me say this: 'That's
normal. It happens to everyone. But it doesn't mean your love is gone so
don't panic!
You can make a decision to love the snoring boat.

You start blaming your partner for the loss of love
This is nutty.
But many people do it: when we don't feel in love, we think it's the fault
of the other person. And so we fight him.
Again, we fall out of love because we're human beings.
It's nobody's fault.
The moment you fall out of love , the real work begins .
Let me explain.
This is the most important point I'm going to make. (I got this from Scott
Peck in his bestseller book, The Road Less traveled)

Falling in love isn't love
Here's why. When you fall in love.....
a. No decision is required. Falling in love just happens.
b. No effort is required. Falling in love is like.... Well, falling.
c. No hard work is required. Falling in love is being bitten by the
love bug.

On the other hand, true love requires all three : Decision, effort and
lots of hard work. In the Bible, love is a command. You make it happen.
Sure true love can only happen after you've fallen out of love.
When you begin choosing to love, even if you don't feel like doing it ----
that's true love. And that's the foundation of a lasting marriage.


MYTH 4: YOUR PARTNER WILL FULFILL YOU COMPLETELY

Again because falling in love satisfied you completely ----- you want the
same satisfaction to last. No it won't.
Consequence? You might fail to recognize a good relationship because your
partner isn't fulfilling the needs you should be fulfilling yourself.
Here's the truth: the right partner will fulfill many of your needs but not all of them . There are just some things your husband can't give you:you're self-worth. Your spirituality. Your inner happiness. These are things you have to work on your own.
I've met lots of people who think they're dissatisfied with their
marriage. In reality, they're dissatisfied with themselves.
I've met lots of people who think they're bored with their marriages. And
they complain to the high heavens how boring their husband or wife is ----
when in truth, they're really bored with life.
Meet your own needs. Find your happiness in God. Find your niche, your
calling, your destiny. And then share your joy with your spouse.

MYTH 5 : IF IT'S TRUE LOVE YOU WON"T BE ATTRACTED TO ANYONE ELSE

If you believe in this myth, you panic when you get attracted to someone
else, questioning the authenticity of your love for your spouse.
One man told me, 'Bo, I love my wife. Or I thought I did. But then I met
this woman at work. She has nice make-up. She smells nice. She wears a
pencil-cut skirt. When I go home, my wife is wearing a drab rag. Her hair
is undone. She smells of vinegar. Gosh I am attracted to this girl at
work."
Being attracted to someone is normal ----- even if you have a happy
marriage. But being attracted doesn't mean falling into adultery.
Every time you think of the other woman, discipline your heart and say,
'Home, boy, Home!' and escort your heart back to your wife. Because if you
feed your attraction with fantasies and constantly think about the other
woman, it grows. But if you starve your attraction, it dies a natural
death.

sa biyaya ng buhay

sa loob ng isang taon:

* marami kang pinaranas sa aking ang ilan ay di ko pa nga maintindinhan. matamis man o masaklap, itinuturing ko itong biyaya. salamat. wag kang mag-alala, walang humpay akong maninindigan.
* may mga responsibilidad kang pinapasan sa aking balikat. bagaman mahirap gampanan, salamat pa rin -- naniniwala ka sa aking kakayanan.
* binigyan mo ako ng mga pagkakataong ipagsabay ang isip at pandama. salamat sa mga taong dapat panindigan, at para na rin sa mga pinagpasyahan kong bitawan pansamantala -- dahil sa kanila'y naging dalisay ang pagpapakahulugan ko sa katapatan, katotohanan at kabutihan.
* sa mga munting anghel na bumubuo ng aking araw. salamat sa mga estudyanteng bukal sa loob ang kagustuhang matuto.
* itinuro mo sa akin ang tunay na kahulugan ng pag-ibig. inilabas mo ako sa magaang konsepto't binalibag sa katotohanang ito'y pinaghihirapan at hinihila sapagkat naka-angkla ito sa mabigat na batong kung tawagi'y "kabutihan". salamat sa pagpapa-alalang iiral ito sa kabila ng lahat ng hirap ngunit sa ngalan ng lamang kabutihan at walang humpay na paglago. salamat sa mga buhay na guro ng pag-ibig, sa mga buhay na biyaya, sa dahilan ng bawat tawa at pagpatak ng luha.

ang lahat ng ito'y nagpatanto na ako pala'y isang tao -- na sa kabila ng kahinaa'y lumalaban, sumusugal, nakikipagsapalaran, lumalago, nagmamahal. pinagdaanan ko ang lahat ng iyon para sa iyo, dahil sinabi mo.

salamat po sa walang sawang pag-alala sa iyong lingkod. salamat sa mga alaala at sa mga bubuuin pang alaala.

bagaman di naging madali ang buhay, salamat salamat salamat.

amen.

p.s. pero kung may paraang mapagaan, di rin naman po ako magrereklamo *hehehe (humirit pa eh)

Cross-post: Aplayang Munti Med Mission

Now in my vox blog, under the entry entitled, "disembodied minds no more".

Photos are available in one of my photo albums in friendster.

Of Shrinking Patience and Music Videos Part5

Before I continue, credits to You Tube users asusthek and kheno for all of these videos.



How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place by Himig Heswita (featuring Fr RB Hizon, SJ)
From the CD Something More and Your Dwelling Place



*video taken in my most favorite place in the world, the LHS Titanic (Rooftop)
Humayo't Ihayag by Bukas Palad
From the CD The Best of Bukas Palad vol. 1



I Will Sing Forever by Bukas Palad
From the CD The Best of Bukas Palad vol. 2

Of Shrinking Patience and Music Videos Part4

meron pa...



Pauwi Na by Noel Cabangon

the next is an MTV based from the JMM-produced telemovie that i love to watch over and over



Maging Akin Muli by Sr. Bubbles Bandojo, RC
From the CD Prayers from the Upper Room, OST of Telemovie "Maging Akin Muli"

Of Shrinking Patience and Music Videos Part3

but wait, here's more...



Let Your Praises be Heard by Bukas Palad Music Ministry.
From the CD Let Your Praises be Heard



and another...

Paghahandog by Noel Cabangon, Cookie Chua and Bukas Palad
From the CD Huwag Mangamba

Of Shrinking Patience and Music Videos Part2

Here's another. And expect some cross-posting, i am sooo excited about my new finds.



Magnificat by Hangad.
From the CD Hangad Acapella.

and another... this time, look for rina ;-)



O Bayan ng Diyos by Himig Heswita.
From the CD O Bayan ng Diyos

Of Shrinking Patience and Music Videos

Here's what God has to say for a trying-hard maldita:

"Child, do not be like those you do not want. Hindi bagay sa iyo. Here are some videos to keep you up."

Haaay Lord...



Simeon's Canticle by the Hangad.

More to come...

Of cleanliness and Garfield's brethren

In my mom's book, working in a clean place would beget any self-directed person his/her most desired output. While not being as spic and span as my mom, I am the usual recipient of her "homilies". And well, I just realized that she's not just being an OC. True enough, it is indeed difficult to work in the midst of a "forest" (i.e., of papers, clips, markers, and pc-related gadgets), cleaning and clearing is a MUST. Papers should be filed properly since they are to be kept for two sems max, and the study table shouldn't accumulate dust (yea, i work in a very dust-prone room). Cleaning then should be done regularly, instead of having a monthly general cleanup usually causing cough flaring to asthma (well, we may add backpains along)

While I am not that religious in regular cleaning, I can deservingly brag about being the best general cleaner of the bedroom. But y'see that cannot be so amazing (especially for my mom -- it never impressed her, hahah) since most of the stuff inside the room are mine. So we could just say that by virtue of duty, i am (and should be) the only one who could make the bedroom reallllyyy clean. While I take care of the room, it is mama who takes care of the entire "white" house. You could regularly see her scrubbing floors, and even walls when she's bored (hehehe, love you ma); then complaining about her back thereafter. Well, it was her will to make the house like that (she loves white) so it is her prime responsibility to keep it pristine. And while nobody else is around to back her up on that ordeal, I become her deputy by default (am also a white-fanatic anyway, while not being as OC as she is).

Chuck Norris (yea, that's mama) taught me that a general cleaning, either of a house, an office or just a study/working area requires the total elimination of filth. It is practically done to make the setting a good place for work/any purposeful activity. Being spic and span is not just an after-effect of being an OC, most of the time it is needed in order to have clear thoughts.

Clarity is a must in thinking, and I must say in purposeful thinking. Am having a full-taste of that thought whenever I check essay questions. There are many instances when a perfect score is compromised by lots of "filth" -- the thought is there but is made obscure by a maze of wrong contextualizations (which they oftentimes assume as streaks of creativity; but you see class, there is a difference between "doing art" and "creatively putting in trash"). The same goes for research, a paper could last for like fifteen to twenty pages while failing to answer the posed problem. The same thing goes for recitations, and moreso when people talk -- lots of "airtime" are being wasted because of mere blabber.

There is filth everywhere and we can't just limit it to cleaning a house or checking of papers. Most of the time, we deal with filth; and what makes it worse is we do not know that it's already filth. (Advertising, anyone?) Some are into material and intellectual (and moral) recycling though -- well, we could take it as resourceful but then again, it is already a modification and is still a lower-class option.

People are bestowed with clean, clear and pristine stuff -- yet we make it dirty. As God (who looks like George Burns) said to Jerry Landers, "I've made enough trees" -- we are the ones who are causing the lack. We're supposed to deal with this world by virtue of maintenance, and augmentation. Troubleshooting shows that we are rational, creative and resourceful but it could just mean cleaning the filth that we've made. Redeeming something is positive and is definitely progressive but it is not at all an authentic augmentation -- it is just meant to "bring us back". Although it is the initial step, it is not a kind of moving forward that truly makes us go beyond.

Transcendence is another issue. We fix things and clean up because we ourselves cause up mess.

(Well, it could also be as unfair as cleaning up the mess that others made. Hehehe ask me, that always happen.)

People troubleshoot for the things that they cause, they clean up (that is when they choose to) for the dirt they neglect. There are some whom I call as part of Garfield's brethren. While everything's okay they splurge, eat lasagna, stay sleepy in the box, complain about the harshness of life (as if they've been so exposed to it, and as if they know what life is all about) while choosing not to do anything about it. They talk profoundly of poverty, while not even lifting a finger to help out. They hate to exercise, because they do not want to move even if they're bored. But much like the aesthetes, they battle against boredom. When given the harshest problems in life, they are like the most helpless beings in the world.

It's like more of making oneself a "filth" than of "being filthy". Analogy-wise and bluntly, a person like that is not the dirty room to be cleaned, s/he is the filth that should be removed from the room.

Well, to clarify, I am not making a primal prejudice. After all, we become filth on our own doing.

Am I being harsh? I don't think so.

Marshmallows

Mood: Marshmallowy
- listening to waveback wednesday while am supposed to be asleep, thinking that it's already october.

Prolly because of the mood... or of my persistence (which I hope wont turn into another frustration) to make one within the sembreak, i keep on thinking about marshmallows.

This is the sweet and soft confection that the Americans char/roast during campings, and we Pinoys mix in our buco/fruit salad. Well, it is also a realiable topping to cakes, brownies and even cookies; inasmuch as it goes well with ice cream (talk about rocky road). But what I like best are marshmallow sandwiches --- be it from Gandour, Schwartz or Fibisco.

Chancing upon a show in the Food Network last August, I discovered that making a marshmallow sandwich is just a matter of putting it on top of a meringue (or perhaps even a thin cookie), and dipping it in chocolate after it has gone firm. But I would like to do some modifications.

Hmmm, I miss my hand mixer.

p.s. happy birthday papa. (mama and i will be cooking for you later)

from mr. calasanz: a post-FAM lecture

Thanks to Mark for a very useful forward. Sender said that it was an excerpt from an essay by Mr. Eduardo Calasanz, a philosophy teacher at the Ateneo.

Sinabi naman kasing love comes with sensibility eh. Hehehe.

Oh well, from an essay entitled "Partners and Marriage", here goes,

The truly lucky people are the ones who manage to become long-time friends before they realize they are attracted to each other. They get to know each other's laughs, passions, sadness, and fears. They see each other at their worst and at their best. They share time together before they get swept into the entangling intimacy of their sexuality.

This is the ideal, but not often possible. If you fall under the spell of your sexual attraction immediately, you need to look beyond it for other keys to compatibility. One of these is laughter. Laughter tells you how much you will enjoy each other's company over the long term.

If your laughter together is good and healthy, and not at the expense of others, then you have a healthy relationship to the world. Laughter is the child of surprise. If you can make each other laugh, you can always surprise each other. And if you can always surprise each other, you can always keep the world around you new.

Beware of a relationship in which there is no laughter. Even the most intimate relationships based only on seriousness have a tendency to turn sour. Over time, sharing a common serious viewpoint on the world tends to turn you against those who do not share the same viewpoint, and your relationship can become based on being critical together.

After laughter, look for a partner who deals with the world in a way you respect. When two people first get together, they tend to see their relationship as existing only in the space between the two of them. They find each other endlessly fascinating, and the overwhelming power of the emotions they are sharing obscures the outside world. As the relationship ages and grows, the outside world becomes important again.

If your partner treats people or circumstances in a way you can't accept, you will inevitably come to grief. Look at the way she cares for others and deals with the daily affairs of life. If that makes you love her more, your love will grow. If it does not, be careful. If you do not respect the way you each deal with the world around you, eventually the two of you will not respect each other.

Look also at how your partner confronts the mysteries of life. We live on the cusp of poetry and practicality, and the real life of the heart resides in the poetic. If one of you is deeply affected by the mystery of the unseen in life and relationships, while the other is drawn only to the literal and the practical, you must take care that the distance doesn't become an unbridgeable gap that leaves you each feeling isolated and misunderstood.

There are many other keys, but you must find them by yourself. We all have unchangeable parts of our hearts that we will not betray and private commitments to a vision of life that we will not deny. (1) If you fall in love with someone who cannot nourish those inviolable parts of you, or if you cannot nourish them in her, you will find yourselves growing further apart until you live in separate worlds where you share the business of life, but never touch each other where the heart lives and dreams. From there it is only a small leap to the cataloging of petty hurts and daily failures that leaves so many couples bitter and unsatisfied with their mates.

Annotation:

(1) Things that appeal to the most inviolable part of man are principles, and by that we mean ideals that we hold stable and dear - those we can even die for. (This essay does not at all talk of cheesy stuff.)

Sermon at the Blog

to my beloved thesis writers,

1. Research is not just a matter of dumping what you've gathered from the library. it is a discipline, and not even an artwork. This means that you really have to succumb to some given standards. If there is anything sovereign when you are working on a paper, that is your mind -- but take note, that mind has to be geared towards a meaningful discovery.
2. A mind map could help organize your thoughts. Again, your thesis is not a venue for an exercise on "stream-of-consciousness". Should you wait for satori, it'll take aeons and even light years for you to obtain your degree.
3. Your thesis proposal is not all about the "statement of the problem". You ought to give equal attention to other details.
4. Scope and limitation speaks of the breadth and depth of the topic, textual source and significance. Limitations stated must go with probable solutions.
5. Definition of terms should better go with citations, to ensure the readers that you are working on the proper context.
6. Review of Related Literature should be organized into books, articles and related studies (this is a recorded message).
7. Footnotes should be indented at the first line, bibliographical entries on the other hand are indented on the second line and thereafter. (playback)
8. Your readers are not around to solve your problems, you are the one playing 'round the data... we are just here to guide you.
9. While cramming is a personal prerogative, do not compromise your readers. Remember, You are dealing with busy people.
10. Undergrad theses specimens are objects of critique, 60% of them can't be emulated. If you would like to have REAL models, go to the graduate section of the library.

** p.s. and please, avoid using approximative and slang words. This is technical writing. Avoid using "pretty much" and "like" -- we cannot talk about ontology, epistemology and axiology as if we're just talking about the latest buzz on fashion, music and kris aquino. What you write speaks of your maturity.

okay now, think these over and chill. in three weeks, we will be getting into business once more.

post-sem reminders

Guess I have to reiterate some stuff to my beloved students before we put this sem to a close:

To my students in FAM:
- there is a big difference between UNCONDITIONAL LOVE and UNREQUITED LOVE.
- happiness is not all about comfort and convenience. hardships in pursuit of a higher good can serve as catalysts to transcendence (get what i mean?)
- there is a difference between utility of energy and wasting energy
- transcendence is not just a simple movement, it is a progressive movement -- and well, it is also time-bound.
- what we may be thinking of life could just be a lifestyle.
- culture is always progressive, if it reminds us of our brutish past better forget it.

To my students in Intro to Philo:
- there is a difference between certainty and opinion. quality opinion could lead to certainty.
- an impulsive comment is still an opinion, therefore some opinions could be wrong.
- even if we are all uncertain of whether we will be meeting again in class, please proceed with your journals. better yet, begin putting your blogs to good use.
- in philosophy, the main keys are sincerity and certainty
- keep your consciousness intact when answering an exam. =P

To my philosophy majors:
- strive hard not to be become disembodied thinkers.
- to 4phl: next sem, we shall think of ideas together with ourselves, and goodnews -- am also beating the deadline for my own proposal.

After you've seen your grades, you can breathe and have a happy sembreak.

Enjoy, make it productive. =)

No Frontiers Part 3

Since i already know how to put in videos, i suppose it is high time to put this in.

Here goes...



p.s. Ainz, i owe you one. ;-)

UdD: OO

I've heard so many people liking and being able to relate to the song.

Hmmmm...
OO
by Up Dharma Down

hindi mo lang alam naiisip kita
baka sakali nga maisip mo ako
hindi mo lang alam hanggang sa gabi
inaasam makita kang muli

nagtapos ang lahat sa di inaahasahang
panahon at ngayon akoy iyong iniwan
luhaan, sugatan, d mapakinabangan
sana'y nagtanong ka lang kung d mo lang alam
sana'y nagtanong ka lang kung d mo lang alam

ako'y iyong nasakatan
baka sakaling lang maisip mo naman
hindi mo lang alam kay tagal na panahon
ako'y nandrito parin hanggang ngayon para sayo

lumipas man ang araw na ubod ng saya
hindi parin nagbabago ang aking pagsinta
kung ako'y nagkasala patawd na sana
ang puso kong hangal ngayon lang nagmahal

wooh, hindi mo lang alm akoy iyong nasaktan
o baka sakaling ngang maisip mo naman
puro siya na lang... sana'y ako naman
hindi mo lang alam ikay minamasdan
sna'y iyong mamalayan
hindi mo lang alam hindi mo alam

kahit tayoy mgkaibigan lang
bumabalik lhat sa tuwing nakukulitan
bka sakali lng maisip mo naman
akoy nandito lng hnd mo lng alm
matalino ka naman

kung ikaw at ako ay tunay na bigo
sa laro na ito ay dpat bang sumuko
sana'y d ka na lang pala aking nakilala
kung alam ko lng ako'y iyong mssktan
narito, sana'y nakinig na lang ako sa nanay ko

hindi mo lang alam akoy iyong nasaktan
o baka sakaling ngang maisip mo naman
puro siya na lang.. sana'y ako naman
hindi mo lang alam ika'y minamasdan
sana'y iyong mamalayan
hindi mo lang alam ohhh

malas mo
ikaw ang natipuhan ko
hindi mo lang alam ako'y iyong nasaktan

La Naval de Manila 2006

Talk about too much of "claritas", it's quite bad to capture Inay in such a "faceless" manner. Am hoping to do better next year. But all in all, I must say that it was a very prayerful experience. And I believe that it is all that matters for her.

Here are some captured glimpes of her while being ceremoniously and solemnly brought back to the altar after procession (N.B. i was literally chasing her when i had these taken). The event culminates with a serenade to the Virgin and the traditional singing of Despedida a la Virgen. Sabi ni Sir Bong, batang lalaki yung akala nating soprano na kumakanta nun.

I so love this event, not just for its magnificence but for the bliss that it gives everytime I go there. It reminds me of my Dominican roots, of the truth that i defend, the ideals that i uphold and the people i love.

You could prolly take this as a photo story of some sort.


DESPEDIDA A LA VIRGEN

Soloist:
Adios, Reina del Cielo,
Madre, Madre del salvador

Choir:
Adios, Adios!

Soloist:
Adios, Dulce Prenda adorada!

Choir:
Dulce prenda adorada,
de mi sincero amor

Adios, Reina del Cielo,
Adios Adios,

Madre Del Salvador,
Madre del Salvador!



De tu divino rostro, la belleza al dejar
permiteme que vuelva,
tus plantas, a besar

He quedado Maria,
abrazado en tu amor
Que da te adios Señora,
Adios, adios.

(Dame tu bendicion, Madre Del Salvador)2x

Madre Amoroza, prenda de amor, adios, adios!

When Lune shone her brightest

06 October 2006
UST Quadricentennial Park

blackout files

just when everyone's dying for alkaline battery...

and just when everybody's dying for a UAAP Finals Game 3 ticket...

sorry, blur... it's not a fancy pic after all.

... i had one, but did not use it.

CHOICES, CHOICES.

emergency poster

worked on this an evening before the accreditation -- when philo needed to brag about the "brightest of the thomasian minds". this shouldve been better if done with corel (layout thru powerpoint eh) but it's totally fine, emergency poster lang naman.