Friends… Romans… Countrymen…

Friends Are There To Turn You Around, Get Your Feet On The Ground For A Brand New Day.

They’ll Pick You Up When You’re Down.

Help You Swallow Your Pride When Something Inside’s Got To Break On Through To The Other Side.

Friends Are Someone You Can Open Up To When You Feel Like You’re Ready To Flip.

When You Got The World On Your Shoulders, Friends Are There To Give You A Tip.

Friends Are There When You Need Them.  They’re Even There When You Don’t.

For A Walk In The Park, For A Shot In The Dark, Friends Are There.

But Friends Will Care For You!

Sounds familiar?  If you’re thinking of a song… you’re right!  This is the theme of the cartoon “Garfield and Friends“.  Although the cartoon is about a fat cat that does nothing but eat lasagna, sleep all day and push Odie of the table.. the message of the song clearly describes what friends really are.

OK.  This brings me to my topic about my friends.  A group of kids way back from high school.  The group was officially formed during our third year.  Although some of us have been friends already since first year.  The bond strengthened when majority of us joined the Cadet Officers Candidate Course (COCC) in summer of ’99.

Just like in any other group, we are composed of people with different personalities but share common values and interests.  Let me introduce them to you one by one:

Ulysses – ironic to the meaning of his name, “the one who is wrathful / hated”,  Uly is the most loved and the most cheerful of the group.  To the beautiful ladies out there… you should beware of this guy or else, you will fall prey to his charms and “pambobola.” The official “chickboy” of the group who compares himself to Odysseus.. the clever and resourceful hero of Homer’s Odyssey.  When you play cards with him… never take your eyes off his cards and always double check the cards he draw… baka nadadaya na kayo!!! But Uly as I have observed and as he claimed… is a changed man.  A man with new perspective in life an with new found wisdom in the quest for truth and salvation…

Jo-Anne - the “highest ranking officer” of the group for she was our Corps Commander during the Cadet Army Training (CAT) days.  Strong willed, determined… a born leader, a good friend that never run out of advices… whether solicited or unsolicited =)  A self-confessed X-Files addict… a generous person who always offers her home as an official hideout whenever the group needs a place to meet… tsaka sya lang ang nagpapakain pag birthday hehe! however, it is no longer possible since she is already in Australia.  We hope to see you again Anne-Jo!  Hooroo Mate!

Eric – “ang lalaking may personal na galit sa mga gwardia.” He is officially the “bumbay” of the group… that’s why he had no difficulty adjusting when he went to the middle east.  He used to be a businessman (bumbay nga kasi) a couple of years back, he opened up a poultry business together with… you know who…hehehe!  Everything went great except that he was bankrupt… the reason?  He infected all the chickens with bird flu… they say it all started with his sinusitis (Joke!).  But  Eric is a person with  a kind heart… who would give everything and do everything for the person he loves.  “Teka… may utang pa nga pala sakin to ah… hehe” By the way… He is the official time keeper of the group… He is always late!

Ema – can be included in the commercials of Del Monte fit ‘n right, Slenda, or even Vicky Belo for the dramatic loss of her weight.  She has proven that losing weight can be achieved through sacrifice and sheer determination!  She used to work as a manager of a fast food chain and always gives us freebies everytime we go to the chain where she was working! =)  She is also one in the group that gives sound advices.. again.. whether solicited or unsolicited =) A person whom you could learn a lot from… and a person that I admire… especially when it comes to lessons on forgiveness…

Jhun - have you ever had difficulty pronouncing a word? or a letter?  If you want to play a game with Jhun, try asking him to say the following words… RuRal, aRmoR and ReaRRangeR… expect him to say RRRuRRRal, aRRRmoRRR and RRReaRRRangeRRR.. =)  He is a guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboardist, singer, a rapper, videoke king and dancer… Oh, not a dancer… definitely not a dancer!  all rolled into one.  Jhun is a person who would give his all… sacrifice for the sake of his loved ones… sometimes having nothing left for himself.  A great father to his daughter… and a good friend…

Jenny – small but terrible in terms of playing volleyball.  “Laki ba naman ng braso nito dati kahit maliit…” Hehehe!  Joke lang Jenny!  The most talkative, outgoing, the craziest, pinakamakulit… all of these qualities… are the exact opposite of Jenny.  She is a shy and quiet little girl who doesn’t want to be the center of attention… Para bagang si Liz Uy when ask about Noynoy Aquino… hehe!  Sobrang bait sa lahat ng mabait… One of the things I admire about Jenny is… her love and dedication for her family.

Lex 1 - Sir Lex… not Xerex… as we call him during our COCC days.  Lex, is one of two Lexs’ of the group.  This Lex is the notorious one! (Joke!) hahaha!  He was the original lead vocalist of the band Panacea.  However, we decided to replace him with Don Doylie because Doylie is the president of the cultural club which hosts the Battle of the Bands Contest…(hahaha… genius!!!).  Lexter has changed a lot over the years.  He went from being stingy… to being generous (nanlilibre na kasi yan ‘di tulad dati hehehe!). On the positive side… ah… positive… hmm… … … Lex… is a responsible person and someone you can depend on.  Laging on-time… di tulad ng isa dyan… Hehe!

Den-Den – is the oldest among the group! (hehe “peace tayo!”) She’s not the youngest but  definitely the prettiest! (naks!  Bawi nako ah…) and becomes even prettier if you see her smile =)  (ayan ah… bawing bawi nako). When I was just starting to know her… I describe her as the girl who is always in the “fighting mode” =).  Sobrang mataray! But everything changed… because of love… hehehe!  When you get to know her well… you will realize that she really is a nice person.  I remember during our 2nd year i think.. we were group mates for a science project.  I didn’t know what is it about her that somehow I knew then… that she will become a science teacher someday…

Jay-R – or Julits is the official artist of the group.  This guy has a talent for paintings.  He has shown us a lot of his works… which only he appreciates (hahaha!).  He is also a very good singer.  He usually sing songs of Fred Panopio, Yoyoy Villame and Diomedes Maturan… Hahaha!  However, he still hold grudges about what happened to the program during my wedding day =) (patawarin mo na ko pare…). His house used to be our bat cave every Sunday after our ROTC.  We go to his house to watch kiddie movies like batibot, sesame street and ATBP.  There was an instance that the VHS Player broke down… hehe!  We also play games that Uly is an expert =)

Lex 2 – the other Lex of the group.  The guy who discovered the missing link of Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution… He found it inside the campus of Sacred Heart Academy of Novaliches… a Java man named… (Bahala na kayo manghula kung sino hehe!).  Lex, I think is the youngest among the group… but looks like the oldest!  Joke lang pareng Lex! =)  Lex is a big but a gentle guy… soft spoken… and kind hearted.  You may not think of it… but he is a funny guy.  One experience I had with him that I will never forget is when we had a fight with a group of street kids… masama daw kasi syang makatingin kaya napagtripan kami…  Buti na lang nagsialisan agad…  natakot ata samin… kung hindi bugbog kami hehe!

 

John 15:13 (KJV): Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

A Virtuous Woman

This morning, my mom  got into an accident.  She slipped and fell on the floor while taking a bath.  She hit the floor with her side first before hitting her head.  I quickly called her up and asked how she was doing as soon as I heard the news from my sister.  Thank God she only suffered minor injuries.  Her side is feeling a little hurt and a slight headache… but she will be OK in a few days.

As she told me what happened, she can’t help but think about my 6 months old son Lance who was the only one with her in the house.  She threw out questions like, “What if I suffered a severe injury and I wasn’t able to stand… Who will feed Lance?  Who will take care of him? Who will change his diapers?, etc.”  This is typical of my mother… selfless, caring, always thinking about her family first before thinking about herself.

Raising 6 children, taking care of her husband, cleaning the house, doing the laundry and cooking are not easy tasks.  Being a full-time mom is a very tasking job.  How difficult it may be, she managed to do all of these things.  She displayed her love as a wife to our father, as a mother to her children and as a grandmother to her grandchildren.

On November 10 (Wednesday), my mom will celebrate her 61st birthday.  One of the most memorable passage in the Bible that reminds me of my mother is Proverbs 31:10-31.  Let me share with you these verses..

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.  She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.  She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.  She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.  She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.  She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. Her candle goeth not out by night.  She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.  She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.  She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.  She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.  Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.  She maketh fine linen, and selleth [it]; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour [are] her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue [is] the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.  Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman thatfeareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.”

Comforting Songs

Last year, Mae and I went through a trial, first as a married couple.  Mae was pregnant during that time and we were both very excited to have a baby.  However, during the 8th week of her pregnancy, Mae had a miscarriage.  We were heart-broken… It was painful.. especially for Mae.  However, during those times of despair, we knew we were not alone.  We had support from our families, friends and loved ones.  And most especially, we felt the loving comfort from our Lord.

Sometimes, listening to music helps ease the pain especially when the lyrics of the song really relate to what you’ve been going through.  One song that really helped us through is the song, “When I Cry” by the Gaither Vocal Band.  Hope the message of this song will serve as comfort and encouragement in the trying times of your life.

No Busy Signal

I had my first cellphone when I was in my fourth year in college.  It was a Bosch phone that looks pretty much like a pencil case that has a screen that looks like the screen of a calculator.  The only network back then that has text messaging service was Globe… then Smart followed.  I think about only 20% of the class had phones during that time… about 11 years ago

At present, almost everyone has his or her own cellphone.  Jeepney drivers, sidewalk vendors… even gradeschoolers have cellphones.  Some even have more that 2 phones, one for business and one for pleasure .  It’s amazing how technology quickly changes and how it makes life easier for us.  Before, you have to bring a camera, a phone, a video camera and an organizer separately.  But now, all you need to have is a cellphone.  Before, when you are on the road, you have to search for a phone booth so you could call your family at home.  But now, anywhere you go, as long as you have your phone with you, you can contact anyone and you may be contacted by anyone anywhere.  Cellphone is our line of communication with our loved ones when we are not with them physically.

However, you still might experience problems with your phone when you go to a secluded place that has a poor signal… or the other line has a busy signal… or when you forgot to charge the batteries of your phone.  In those cases, your phone is useless.

Being able to get in touch with our loved ones, our families and friends is a very important thing.  But getting in touch with God on a regular basis is the more important thing.  We should always have a good line of communication with our Father.  We don’t need to have a fancy phone, with 12 megapixel camera, or a touchscreen phone, or a wifi ready phone… All we need is a quite moment in the privacy of our room with the Lord in prayer.

God longs for our prayers… and he always listens to our requests and petitions… unlike cellphones, God’s line never gets a poor signal, it never gets busy…  His line is always open for you and for me.

This is another picture taken from a photo exhibit in shangri-la mall. I wonder... who are they texting

Do You Have Hidden Talents?

One day while I was driving home with my wife Mae, we had a conversation about how kids today are becoming more and more intelligent compared to the kids before.  I remember, it was during my first year in college that I learned how to use the internet.   Now, a 5th grader already knows how to surf the internet and download games he/she wanted to play and even download pirated music and movies!

Mae told me that the 2 year old son of one of her officemates already knows how to play chess!  Imagine… a 2 year old boy playing chess!  Wow!  Is not that a gifted child!

Anywhere, you will hear news of a wiz kid who could solve any mathematical equation, a grade schooler who could play a Mozart or Tchaikovsky, or a Doogie Howser, MD. in the making.  There’s just a lot of kids today who are amazing!

That made me think about our 5 month old son, Lance.  Will he also be like these “wiz” kids with amazing talents and gifts?  Its too early to tell… but I do know that his smile… just his cute smile refreshens our tired bodies and spirit.  Is that considered a talent?

A parable in the Bible tells a story of a master before going on a journey gave “talents” to his three servants.  To the first he gave 5 talents, to the second he gave 3, and to the last he gave 1.  The servant with 5 talents invested and gained 5 more.  The servant with 2 talents also invested and gained 2 more.  But the last servant was afraid that the talent might get lost so he hid it under the ground.  When the master came back, he commended the first 2 servants but condemned the last.  He took the talent of the last servant and give it to the first.

I don’t know yet what talents God has given to my son but I am quite sure that he has given at least one.  As a father, I believe my job is to recognize that talent, encourage him to hone it, develop it, and most of all use it for the Lord’s glory.

All of us were gifted by God with talents.  I believe that there is not a single person who doesn’t have any talent.  Maybe he/she hasn’t discovered it yet or maybe just gave up and ignored it.  One may have 5 and the other may have 3… number is not the important thing.  The most important thing is how do we use the talents that were given to us.

This is not the son of Mae's officemate. I took this picture from a digital photography exhibit in Shangri-La Mall. I don't own this picture.

Peace In The Midst of The Storm

Last Monday, the Philippines was hit by a super typhoon named “Juan”, the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year.  The eye of the storm landed in the province of Isabela destroying P1.5 Billion worth of agricultural products and leaving about 10 people dead.

As I watch the news on television, I had the strangest feeling of de ja vu.  Its like “Pepeng” and “Ondoy” again!  But wait… something is different… what was it?  Yes!  The government came out prepared!

The PAGASA made an accurate timely prediction.   The other government agencies such as NDCC, DSWD, LGUs, etc. utilized the information and prepared for the coming disaster.  Everyone did their part.

In our lives, they say storms represent problems, trials, disappointments, failures… a loss of a loved one.  Each and everyone of us has to face his or her personal storms in life and whether we like it or not, storms are inevitable.

I remember a famous story from the Bible wherein Jesus was with His disciples in a ship to cross the other side of the sea of Galilee.  Jesus was sleeping inside the ship.  As they cross the sea, suddenly, a storm came.  The wind was furious and the boat was about to sink.  All the disciples were scared and didn’t know what to do.  They woke Jesus and said, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’  Jesus woke and said “Quiet! Be Still!”  Suddenly, the storm was gone.  However, the disciples displayed their lack of faith in Jesus…

Peace in the midst of the storm… this what Jesus wants us to have.  The inward peace that can only be found in Jesus.  Here are few instructions on how to overcome storms in our lives and have that peace despite of the storms of trials in our lives:  1) Ask help from someone who is strong enough to lift your burden – Remember that we have an omnipotent Father in heaven that is just waiting for our prayers.  All we have to do is pray and have faith in Him.  2)Fix your eyes upon God and not on the strong winds of the storm – Remember that there is nothing impossible with God.  There is no problem too big that He cannot solve.  3)Always remember how strong a storm may be… it always has an end – We must be patient.  Problems doesn’t always get solved in a short period of time.  Some may be years to crack… but never give up on praying because storms will definitely end.

I hope this would enable us soar above the storms of life and have that peace through a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone…

About 2 weeks ago, I was invited by Corinne, one of my colleagues at CHED, to attend a seminar on how to earn money through blogging.  My quick answer was “No!”  I said to myself… “I would like to earn some money on the side but I don’t think people will be interested on what I have to say…  I’m a boring person… which I guess.. No!  Not guess.. I really KNOW that my blog would be as boring as I am and would probably contain mundane topics, stories that have been told for over a hundred times before, irrelevant issues… if you sum it all up, the proper term would be… LIFELESS.”

But then I realized as I pondered on these ideas revolving around my mind..  “Hey, what if that’s not true… what if there are people who really are interested… about what I have to share… what’s in my mind… in my heart.”  Then another thought came into my mind,  “No, you can’t do it.  You’re not a writer.  You hate it remember!  Even from the time you learned how to write, at school, until now.. that’s your Waterloo.  They will just pick on the wrong grammars and count the number of times you used a singular verb to a plural noun!  You like to read don’t you?  Just stick on what you are good at!  Just stay comfortable holding books and we won’t have any problem!”

I remember a conversation I had with with Kuya Joel, a former colleague, who encouraged me to write even though I know positively well that I don’t have the talent.  “How will you learn if you will not try?”, what he told me.

Furthermore, I remembered a sermon from our pastor years back.  He said, “We should not be contented sitting, doing nothing, letting the pastors and church workers do all the work for the ministry.  We should all take an active participation in building up the church and the kingdom of God.  We should get out in the comfort of our seats and be involved!  WE SHOULD GET OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONES!”

The message is addressed to the members of our church to participate in church activities such as bible studies, prayer meetings, etc.  However, I believe this message is not only applicable to the spiritual world but also in the secular world.

If we feel too comfortable with our current situation and decides to stay there permanently, we must reflect for a minute and think.  If you say to yourself, “Okay na sa akin itong kinalalagyan ko, hindi ko naman kailangang matuto ng mga bagong bagay.  Masaya na’ko dito, komportable, di na kailangang mag-isip, bakit pahihirapan ko sarili ko?…,” you are closing your doors to opportunities that are waiting ahead,  you are limiting your potentials and creativity, you are hindering the blessings that should have already been showered upon you.

That led to the creation of this blog.  I know that this blog won’t earn financial gains on my part.  In fact, it would even consume most of my time!  But I decided to take the challenge, see what I can do and until when I will be able to do this.

In conclusion, I realized that I should not give up unless I tried.  I will not allow myself again to remain stagnant…   I know I will commit a lot of mistakes but as the saying goes… Practice Makes Perfect!

God Bless Everyone!

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