On Holidays and Greetings

A short note to clarify why I do not usually return holiday greetings. . I mean no offense and take no offense to those who have greeted me.

Hi friends,

Thank you for your greetings and well wishes. While I am thankful for another year filled with possibilities, I do not subscribe to any of the traditions and practices commonly associated with ushering in the New Year.

I want to make it clear that it is my personal decision to not celebrate or participate in holidays,traditions and practices that:

1) Have dubious, mysterious or pagan origins (Isaiah 52:11)

and/or

2) Are not Bible-based and have not been practiced by early true Christians and Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 4:6)

and/or

3) Result in excessive spending, revelry and drunkenness (1 Pet 4:3)

and/or

4) May result in discouragement, stumbling, and weakening of others in the physical, emotional, mental and especially in the spiritual sense.

I do attend and like attending parties, bonding activities, get-togethers etc. I respect everyone's decisions and beliefs and I do thank you for respecting mine as well.Hope this clears up everything Hoping we stay in touch one way or anothe

On Slander and Gossip

Never talk about others in a negative manner. Any information you spread that could tarnish reputations or diminish one's worth must never be a subject of conversation. Sadly, malicious gossip spreads like wildfire because of its sinfully delicious nature (like triple chocolate cake). We often engage in it consciously or otherwise without realizing the repercussions.

Yes. Gossip hurts people. Negativity hurts people. (Thanks Captain Obvious!)

How about those who spread rumors or information with the intent to "destroy"? Why do they do this? Is it because of a past wrongdoing? Is it because of jealousy? Is it because of the twisted happiness they get from thinking that they are much better than their target (e.g. I must be happy. Well at least happier than this guy who is such a miserable dishonest-maniac-ugly-freak!)?

Pathetic. I have witnessed how this kind of behavior destroys everything valuable- friendship, belief, self-esteem, faith and trust. There are no winners. Your target gets hurt. You eventually self-destruct when you realize you destroyed that minuscule ounce of goodness you had just for the taste of dark pleasure you derived from crushing others.

I for one have made a conscious choice to avoid any negative talk. It may be hard to do but I'd rather build someone up than tear someone down.

One important resolve: Do not say anything about someone that you can't say to his/her face

Ode to the taxi driver

To you Kuya Pong. I praise you and your remaining kind. Isa kang huwarang taxi driver.

Instead of waiving me off when I told you I was going to UP (from Robinsons Manila), you smiled and told me to come in.

Instead of swerving and driving in erratic speeds, you maintained a comfortably smooth pace.

Instead of engaging in this dangerous race of beating the traffic light, you slowed down and stopped accordingly.

Instead of cursing, tsking, or complaining about the traffic, other drivers and the government, you remained calm and gave me the silence my jet-lagged senses needed.

Instead of asking for additional money because of the distance and traffic, you even attempted to give me the exact change.

When I thanked you profusely for your marvelous driving and for not charging me extra, you just said "pare-pareho po tayong nagtratrabaho at nagsusumikap."

I do not regret giving you double the meter bill. I especially appreciated how you took the money without counting it in front of me. I sincerely hope that you continue to be the way you are in this city wrought with  greed and disobedience.

On their 31st Anniversary

A tribute to my loving parents on their Anniversary 

I love both of you. More than my words and actions could convey. 
I could go on about how much you have sacrificed just to give us children the best things in life you could afford..
Aside from the love you have for us, itis your love for each other that is most inspiring.

The friendship you share is to be envied by most married couples
Your love has weathered every challenge thrown at it
The small things that you do for one another show how you care
Your relationship has definitely set a high standard for us children

Ma..
You are the ultimate mother and wife
Your yummy cooking has spoiled Pa (and us kids)
Your OCness towards cleanliness made the house always clean and orderly
Your knack for gardening surrounded our home with flowers and plants
And your home management made Papa’s life much easier
Instead of using your brilliance in practicing professionally (the world was deprived a great civil engineer), you dedicated yourself to your husband and us
You are who I want to be for my husband (if I ever have one in the future)
And I think, you set the high standard for my brothers’ prospective wives (maybe that’s why they aren’t married up to now)

Pa..
You have proven yourself to be the best provider for your family
Materially, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually
While most kids grew up scared of or distant from their dads, we grew up with the wackiest, funniest (sometimes corny) dad.
You manage to make my mom smile and annoyed at the same time (with your “kiss nak pay ngarud” requirement before doing what mama says)
You steal some cuddles and kisses from mama (sometimes making us groan)
You buy special treats for mama (chocolate cakes, pancit etc.) no matter what day it is.
You hold her hand when you walk together.
I can clearly see how my kuyas got your lambing characteristic (much to my discomfort since these are usually directed towards me)
And you have definitely set the bar for my prospective husband (if any)

Both of you have a love that epitomizes what is said in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. And I am confident that your 31st anniversary would be followed by many more.
You have love, fun and laughter. I hope that you would continue strengthening your inspiring marriage bond with the help of Jehovah God.

We love you mama and papa

Do then Die

Death. Something seemingly profound, mysterious and feared. No one wants to die. There is something inherent in human nature that refuses to acknowledge the possibility of death even if years of our species' mortality testify its inevitability. The Bible describes the state of the dead as “conscious of nothing at all,…their love, hate, jealousy also perished” (Ecc 9:5,6), a state of nothingness.

So when I was told to answer the question “If I die soon, what would I do?" I got overwhelmed with all the dark emotions associated with death. It took me a while to focus on the “..what would I do” part of the question. Do I go all carpe diem? Do I do what I love? Be with whom I love?

As I thought harder, more concrete answers materialized. Being a Christian, I strive to abide by Biblical principles. One of the most basic principles that has shaped my priorities is noted in Matt 6:33-“Keep on seeking first the kingdom and all these things will be added to you”. Although I had lapses, I had prioritized spiritual activities over other pursuits and have felt the blessing and satisfaction of following God's commandment. Furthermore, my somewhat different view on death is influenced by my firm faith in the resurrection hope stated in John 5:28,29. This may be why I have had no real fear of nothingness. But that doesn’t mean I am happy about my mortality.

Why do I choose to quote Bible scriptures for this particular reflection? For something as unknown as death, and as finite as life, the only wisdom I could rely on when it comes to how I should lead my short life and what happens after life is God’s wisdom stated in the Bible. I could easily provide a bucket list.

1) Go on a culture and food trip to Rome and Japan.
2) Visit world class museums
3) Teach a preschool class
4) Go to HQ
5) Record all the tracks in my music Album
6) Do 50 random acts of kindness
7) Build my dream house 
8) Spend the night under the stars in the middle of the rice field
9) Hug my parents and brothers and tell them I love them (cliché)
10) Meditate and pray all day on the day before I die

But reflecting on what I have done in life so far, made me realize that it doesn't matter whether I accomplish my bucket list in this lifetime or not. The feeling of happiness and satisfaction before you die comes from whether you feel you were successful. It is important to define what you consider a success.

For me, I have done the best I could. My gauge of success is the spiritual treasure I have stored up in heaven. Hopefully, I have enough stored up to earn my way to everlasting life where I have indefinite time to do infinite things. (Rev 21:4-5)