Christmas party preparations

Preparations were up early on the week of the Christmas. We were getting prepped up for at least 2,000 children, the most number we'll ever since we started. Last year, we had about 1,800 children and turned down a few hundreds more. Here is a video that will show what kind of preparations do take place for our Christmas party. To see is to believe!

acceptance in a dance

In So You Think You Can Dance Canada, notable choreographer Mia Michaels created a dance for one of season three's opening number. She used the song "Will I" from the Broadway musical Rent. Songwriter Roger Davis performed this song expressing his fears of dying from AIDS.

What I love about this choreography is how it expressed discrimination in the midst of desiring acceptance. It reminds me so much of man's search for love where each one of us tries to be part of something when in the first place, God had been waiting all this time to embrace us for the person that we are.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Romans 5:8

thought of you

Last May 10, Google Doodle featured an interesting dance animation in commemoration of Martha Graham's birthday. A choreographer, Graham was considered as the "Picasso of dance" and was noted for the language she has translated through dance.

The Google Doodle was created by Ryan Woodward, whose works include Iron Man 2, Spiderman 2 & 3, and Space Jam.

In his Conte Animated, a project that combines different forms of art, I fell in love with Thought of You. Actually, I became a sucker for The Weepies since I saw this video and been wanting to post it here but did not really took the time to do so. Anyway, here is the video:

Ang Guryon

I came in the church and found the teachers in search for a poem to present during the school's Linggo ng Wika. As I sat down on one of the chairs at the round table and was thinking of what poem to suggest, I was reminded of Pahina, an local educational show which discussed Filipino literary classics through the point of view of a teenager.

Probably the only episode I could remember was when Balt (Carlo Aquino) was running for vice president of the student council and was up against a classmate who whacked up gimmicks but had really no concrete platforms. As Balt was accepting his defeat, he was given a copy of the poem Ang Guryon.

Ang Guryon was written by Ildefenso Santos, a writer of the American colonial period. Santos saw the kite as an image of weakness against the strong breeze, stating that life may knock us down and hit us hard but this should not stop us from pursuing our dreams and seeing ourselves fly.

"Ang Guryon"

ni Ildefonso Santos

Tanggapin mo, anak, itong munting guryon

na yari sa patpat at papel de Hapon;

magandang laruang pula, puti, asul,

na may pangalan mong sa gitna naroon.

Ang hiling ko lamang, bago paliparin

ang guryon mong ito ay pakatimbangin;

ang solo't paulo'y sukating magaling

nang hindi mag-ikit o kaya'y magkiling.

Saka pag sumimoy ang hangin , ilabas

at sa papawiri'y bayaang lumipad;

datapwa't ang pisi'y tibayan mo, anak,

at baka lagutin ng hanging malakas.

Ibigin mo't hindi, balang araw ikaw

ay mapapabuyong makipagdagitan;

makipaglaban ka, subali't tandaan

na ang nagwawagi'y ang pusong marangal.

At kung ang guryon mo'y sakaling madaig,

matangay ng iba o kaya'y mapatid;

kung saka-sakaling di na mapabalik,

maawaing kamay nawa ang magkamit!

Ang buhay ay guryon: marupok, malikot,

dagiti't dumagit, saanman sumuot...

O, paliparin mo't ihalik sa Diyos,

 bago pa tuluyang sa lupa'y sumubsob.

selfish decisions

A friend asked me recently, "What if I save some money to visit her and tell her how I feel?" I answered, "What's the point? She has a boyfriend and they have been together for quite some time now."

Call me a dream killer but allow me to defend myself on the argument. I do feel his need to express his feelings or he will forever have his "what ifs". But freedom of expression is not absolute, as my mass media law professor used to say. My friend had all the right to say what he feels, that I agree. But is this enough reason for him to actually do something? There is just a part of me that cannot find justice to the consequence his actions may be to the girl (who is a friend and a sister in faith), much more to her boyfriend.

ministry video

Thought of sharing a little something I did for the church when my mom requested for a presentation on the church ministries.

Music: Grace Flows Down - Passion: One Day Live (2000)
Photo credits: dad and Angela
Dance: Tina

asking God why

"Di ba sabi sayo ni God kayo? Bakit nangyari sayo 'to?"
(Didn't God tell you, you were going to be together? Why did this happen to you?)

I remember my best friend telling me that a few months ago. She, who recently declared that she no longer believes in religion or God, cares so much for me that I'm sure she did not state those words to offend God or my religion. It was an honest observation. Too honest in fact that I dreaded the day she will be saying this to my face.

But she did anyway. She had to. It was her being my friend. And this is also why I have always doubted telling her that the only reason I held on to him despite our complicated and seemingly unfair situation was that God wanted me to. She always had doubts with religion but she never questioned me for what I believed in.

Reepicheep and parables of treasures

Will You visit us in our world?

I shall be watching you always.

How?

In your world, I have another name. You must learn to know me by it. That was the very reason you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing Me here for little, you may know Me better there.

-Lucy to Aslan, Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I was reading my Bible last Sunday and came across two particular parables. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44) and Parable of the Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:45-46) both talked about men finding great treasures. In order to possess these treasures, they had to make the sacrifice of selling all they have just to purchase these treasures.

Evan dances with God

My brother wanted to borrow my Lord of the Rings DVD a few days ago. As I was looking through my closet, I came across a long-forgotten movie I had enjoyed a few years ago.

Sequel to the 2003 film Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty  is a comedy film released in 2007. Newly elected to the Congress, Evan Baxter (played by Steve Carell) on the eve of his first day in the job prayed that God will help him "change the world". He eventually found himself being tasked by God (played by Morgan Freeman) to build an ark as flood will come on Sept. 22. Mocked by others, Baxter eventually found himself saving animals and residents of his village from a flood when the dam broke because of its poor design and construction.

The script here is simply great. There were jokes that showed analogies from the Bible. Only a man with great understanding of Christ and the Bible could pull off such lines!

As I was watching the film again, I found myself teary-eyed towards the end of the movie. Everything turned out well for Evan. He may have looked stupid and weird but he still did it. As he was on a hiking trip with his family, God showed Himself to him:

marriages, babies and census

I was reading news from Yahoo! Philippines and I came across an article fed by wires agency Agence France Presse. The report, "Marriage going out of fashion in Philippines", used the recently released 2008 census from the National Statistics Office to point out that getting married is no longer as big of a deal as it was years ago.

According to the census, 1,784,316 live births were registered in the country in 2008, of which 37.5 percent were born out of wedlock. Meanwhile, a total of 486,514 marriages were registered the same year (press release here). Of the cases, 41 percent were celebrated through civil rites and 36.3 percent were commenced in Catholic churches (press release here).

A growing number of Filipinos now treat marriage as an option, rather than a requirement, for starting families, said Nene Baligad, a member of a unit of the National Statistics Office that licenses people who officiate weddings.

"Nowadays, some couples just live in and only get married after having four or five children," she told AFP.

"You can't really say it's for practical reasons, since you can be married on the cheap. It's more like, we Filipinos tend to follow what is in fashion."

What the article failed to argue however, is that a decrease in registered marriages does not necessarily mean couples more often opted to living together instead of actually getting married.

NSO's release on live births also included statistics on teenage mothers. A total of 186,527 babies were born to teenage mothers, a 7.64 percent increase from 2007. This figure side by side the number of illegitimate babies born in 2008 may also show the lack of knowledge and the problem with education.

If NSO has provided the trend by age, we may be able to provide more analysis.

Allow me to say, I am proud that we may be the only country who does not allow divorce. Of course, there are biblical perspectives as to why divorce should not be an option but I am more concerned with the mindset divorce policies encourage. But I am for the inclusion of sex education in classroom discussion. And the way the article has made the connection between marriage statistics and the divorce bill was not clearly woven out.

The Redeemer

from the album Pieces of a Real Heart
performed by Sanctus Real

Sometimes I just want to start over
Cause everything looks like a wreck
And I need the courage to carry on
Cause I can't see what's ahead

And there are places I've wished I could be
Battles I've wanted to win
Dreams that have slipped through my hands
I may never get back again

But I'm still a dreamer, a believer
I've lost my faith in so many things
But I still believe in You
Cause You can make anything new

Sometimes I just wish we could say
All the things that are easy to hear
Ignore the injustice we see
And explain every unanswered prayer

But I'd rather speak honestly
And wear a tattered heart on my sleeve
Cause in the middle of my broken dreams
Redemption is here

I don't have every answer in life
But I'm trusting You one day at a time
Cause You can make a weak heart stay alive forever
This is where Heaven and Earth collide

I lift my hands and give my life
This is how my weary heart stays alive

The Difference

by Grace Naessens

I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish, I didn't have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me and grew heavier with each task;
Why doesn't God help me, I wondered; He answered, "You didn't ask."

I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn't show me - He said, "But you didn't seek."

I tried to come into God's presence; I used all my keys at the lock;
God gently and lovingly chided, "My child, you didn't knock."

I woke up early this morning and paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray.

Rizal, God and my country

In one unusual occasion, President Benigno Aquino III declared June 20 a national holiday in commemoration with the 150th birthday of the one of the country's most acclaimed heroes, Jose Rizal.

Rizal, the Philippines' National Hero, was born on June 19, 1861. He was highly recognized for being a reformist during the rule of the Spaniards in the 19th century. He, together with the Propaganda Movement whose members composed of Filipino expatriates in Europe, fought for the recognition of human rights in the Philippines and pushed for the legalization of Spanish and Filipino equality, among others.

Readings on Rizal also noted his notion of national identity similar to the anti-colonial sentiment. Filipinos are who they were before the Spaniards came in 1521. In his Annotations to Morga's Succesos de las Islas Filipinas, he documented Filipino native languages and the re-establishment of national identity based on trade, industry and craftsmanship.

But up until now, citizens of the Philippines ask themselves, who are we as a nation? Filipinos easily adapts to the changes in environment that it somehow compromises the idea of identity.

I believe

Just a few weeks ago, the Tony Awards for Best Musical for 2011 was awarded to The Book of Mormon, a religious satire which tells the tale of two Mormon missionaries bound to Uganda to share their scriptures.

During the Tony Awards, Andrew Rannells, who played the role of missionary Kevin Price, performed "I believe". In this song, Price reconfirms his mission, commits to God what he needs to achieve and confronts the General, a local warlord and talks him into converting to the religion.

While at one point, the musical somehow ridicules the religion, it also serves a perspective on faith and doubt that even non-Mormons could appreciate. "I believe" in itself already has a lot to offer.

Here's part of the lyrics that really touched me: (Access full lyrics here)

I must trust that my Lord is mightier

And always has my back.

Now I must be completely devout

I can't have even one shred of doubt...

You cannot just believe part way,

You have to believe in it all.

The problem is doubting the Lord's will

Instead of standing tall.

I believe that God has a plan for all of us.

I believe that plan involves me getting my own planet.

The Scriptures say that if you ask anything,

If you ask God Himself he'll know.

But you must ask Him without any doubt

And let your spirit grow...

At a time when God asks you to just believe in Him and in His plans for you, this is somehow a good song to contemplate with.

Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

walang natira (no one left)

A few months ago, while I was doing my report on the media coverage of the Middle East and North African protests, I stumbled upon one of Gloc9's music videos titled Walang Natira, a social criticism packaged as a rap song.

The song talks about labor migration in the Philippines. About 1.5 million Filipinos left in 2009 alone to work abroad. Remittances from overseas Filipino workers have been the driving force of the Philippine economy for years. But it has always been a question if the government can actually take care of every Filipino they send abroad.

More than the OFW's welfare abroad, the song also pointed out the very important outcome of this labor migration.

Napakaraming guro dito sa amin ngunit
Bakit tila walang natira
Napakaraming nurse dito sa amin
Ngunit bakit tila walang natira
Nagaabroad sila
(Gusto kong yumaman)

Brain drain, which refers to the large-scale emigration of technically skilled people from one country to another. As more nurses, doctors, teachers and engineers from the Philippines move to other countries in pursuit of greener pastures, the more incompetent ones are left here, allowing the deterioration of knowledge of the field in this country.

As the last line of the song goes, "Napakaraming tama dito sa atin ngunit bakit tila walang natira."

movie week

I've had a pretty good share of movies this week. Last Sunday, I saw Kung Fu Panda 2 with my family. I went to the movie house alone Monday to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Friday for X-Men First Class. What was even more interesting was how God had talked to me in these two latest movies.

After watching On Stranger Tides, there was a storyline I could not get out of my head. The story of Philip, a missionary, and Syrena, a mermaid, really struck me.

Philip was introduced in the movie as a captive and kept alive from one of Blackbeard's raid in a remote island. Blackbeard's daughter, Angelica, tried her best to keep him alive as Philip always believed that there is redemption for everyone. Since Blackbeard has been prophesied to be killed in a few days, he has embarked in a journey to find the fountain of youth to evade his death.

In order for the fountain of youth to work, they must collect a tear from a mermaid and this is where Syrena comes in. As Blackbeard's crew were being attacked by mermaids, a mermaid seemingly tried to grab Philip's foot. As he fell down, he was somehow saved from the boulders that fell from an exploding light tower. A boulder fell onto this mermaid's fins and this led to her capture.

The mermaid was placed in a glass casket. Philip had tried to keep her alive as long as they can and Blackbeard usually gave in as he has a need of her. Note that he was the only one kind enough to treat her with dignity and even gave her the name Syrena.

"Such beauty. Surely you are one of God's own creations...and not a descendant of those dark creatures who found no refuge on the Ark. Such beauty and yet deadly."
"Deadly. No."
"You attacked me."
"No. You are different."
"Different?"
"Are you not? You protect."

When First Class opened last Thursday, I could not get it off my mind. I have been waiting for the movie to come out ever since James McAvoy was announced to play Charles Xavier. (And besides, I am a Marvel aficionado). When it was already showing, I know I just had to see it no matter what.

First Class focused much on the tagline "Mutant and proud" to describe the early life of Raven Darkholme and Hank McCoy (Mystique and Beast). Both, as everyone knows, have had the most difficult time accepting their being different as their mutation has affected their physical being.

Raven had the talent to imitate anybody she desires and this has given her the chance to fit in. With the help of her surrogate brother, Charles Xavier, she had her own taste of the society. But when Erik Lensherr (Magneto) became friends with Charles, Erik kept pointing out that she should be appreciated for who she is.

"If you're using half your concentration to look normal, then you're only half paying attention to whatever else you're doing. Just pointing out something that could save your life."

Just a little background here. About two weeks ago, a Canadian lady joined in one of the teams that came to the Philippines. She mostly taught about inner beauty and how to appreciate yourself for who you are rather than looking at beauty through the world's eyes. While I'd have to admit that this has been a constant topic between me and God, it seemed like a very wide area of discussion which usually makes me feel like there is always something new to learn.

Since last year's turn of events, I've been having questions about myself and how I knew God had called me to be different. Different does not always mean being great. Sometimes, in fact more often, I can't seem to fit the standards of excellence the world has for everyone else. If I am different, how is it that even the man God chose me couldn't even see that beauty God has set upon me for being "different".

But I know God tells me not to fear for being "different" was never my insult. Rather, God is showing me that this will one of my strongest assets. The same way that Philip was thought to be different by the world (as a very religious man) and by the mermaid (as someone worthy to be loved), God is telling me to be proud of how He has called me for this will be seen by others. My service to God is what will make me worthy to be loved.

Moses and the burning bush

I was listening to my soundtrack playlist on ITunes at the office and my Prince of Egypt album reminded me how much I enjoy reading about Moses in Exodus.

Moses, though prominent, is usually unappreciated for his short temper which actually led to not being able to step foot on the Promise Land. What I do appreciate in his story is how, despite attempts of denying his purpose, actually left his royal status and came back to Egypt only to obey what God had commanded him to do. He was not perfect, but God's ways in his life were undeniable and he stood up to be a man of God.

One of favorite stories about Moses is when he tried to outsmart God to send someone else to deliver the Israelites from Egypt which is found in Exodus 3. Of course, no one could outsmart God but I do not think less of him for even trying. And the movie Prince of Egypt actually illustrated God in this as fierce and firm yet also very loving and understanding of our doubts in this situation.

I always believed God wants us to be honest with Him, to argue with Him of our thoughts and opinion. By reasoning out, we would fully understand His ways to the point that we will never doubt. It is not a form of disrespect, but rather an appreciation of His willingness amid His greatness to have a relationship with us despite our imperfections.

jump shots

Here's a few photos I took while we were at Laiya, Batangas for the youth camp. My sister and a few friends really enjoyed jumping for a photo. Love my camera. Hehe.

 

Puerto Galera

Coco Beach Resort
Puerto Galera, Mindoro
May 14 to 15

funny witty speeches

Seth Meyers, head writer of Saturday Night Live, gives a speech during the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama cranks some jokes during the same event.