Second Semester Starts

Whew!!! Classes resume tomorrow as I say my goodbye to this very long and refreshing break. Second semester will finally start together with all the new challenges and plates I have to face. I'm just very excited and I feel the enthusiasm flooding all over me!

I’ve been reading weekend newspapers in search for the latest trend and going-about in the world of interior and architectural design. I'm so in to this! It's like I'm hungry and I want some more!

Well, anyway, the photo above was a quick flick taken in front of our church after the mass where my mom has finally and officially become a lector/commentator. I'm very happy for her. And I'm sure she is too after that first nerve-wrecking experience in front of so many people.

I wonder when it will be my turn to serve in our church. I pray that my wait won’t be that long.

Artwork

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"In life, we end up having to empty ourselves to achieve that which is beautiful. 

If you don't, you never really get made beautiful. It's a weird dichotomy, especially in the world we live in because there's so much focus on beauty. The whole idea of having to empty one's self to achieve beauty is completely counter cultural, but that's what happens --- marriage, service of the poor, sharing the beauty of the gospel. That's what Christ calls us to do... help inspire people to follow Jesus in that way." Matt Maher

Shutterbug - Wannabe #007

Plans for this sem break? Well, aside from fooling around with the digicam all week and cleaning our clutter-infested home, I was kinda planning to finish my online classes at St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, read more conversion stories at Catholic-convert.com, and start archiving all the article reviews of different interior styles I've collected for months. Phew! And I thought my break is actually boring! I can't believe I've got loads of stuffs to do. Oh well, I better get going.

And yeah, by the way, above are some of the latest flicks I took yesterday. Bye! ;p

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“In the Catholic Church, there are many other things which most justly keep me in her bosom. The consent of peoples and nations keeps me in the Church; so does her authority, inaugurated by miracles, nourished by hope, enlarged by love, established by age. The succession of priests keeps me, beginning from the very seat of the Apostle Peter, to whom the Lord, after His resurrection, gave it in charge to feed His sheep (John 21:15-19), down to the present episcopate.

“And so, lastly, does the very name of Catholic, which, not without reason, amid so many heresies, the Church has thus retained; so that, though all heretics wish to be called Catholics, yet when a stranger asks where the Catholic Church meets, no heretic will venture to point to his own chapel or house.

“Such then in number and importance are the precious ties belonging to the Christian name which keep a believer in the Catholic Church, as it is right they should...With you, where there is none of these things to attract or keep me... No one shall move me from the faith which binds my mind with ties so many and so strong to the Christian religion...For my part, I should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church.”

St. Augustine (AD 354-430 )
Against the Epistle of Manichaeus AD 397
[Contra Epistolam Manichaei Quam Vacant Fundamenti]

MadMusic#007: Crush - David Archuleta

I have to be honest I was never into David Archuleta or with the other American Idol finalist. I mean sure they have some great voices and music, but it just didn't hit me the first time I've heard of them, same with the time when the world and almost all I know talks about their bets in the said show, until I heard this song. The moment I first saw the MTV of David Archuleta's Crush, I was like, "Whoa!!! Who was that?!" Maybe I was caught by the piano, but this only shows how music can reach different people of different strokes. Surely, this goes somewhere in my top 20!

Site Review: Face Your Manga!

I'm really getting the hang of my virtual alter-ego with this one. It's the perfect avatar generator I've been looking for so long! Check out this cool mangatars my friends and I did with our faces. Try making yours at faceyourmanga.com!!!

Rainy Days

Bummer! It's been raining for two consecutive days and the skies seemed not to hurry at all. The rain is really taking it's time pouring and washing everything down. The weather's cold and it's really nice to stay indoors, you know, doing stuffs and fooling around but lately, I've made a note to myself to get a life!!! Yeah, I've been stuck at home watching television all day and frankly, that's not what I had really planned spending my sem break with. I'm getting really bored in here...

So again, note to self, GET A LIFE!!!

Portrait of Poverty

Poverty? Hmmm...

The subject isn't really new to me since I live in a third-world country. Though I consider my family as those belonging in the average middle class, my parents never really spoiled us of anything and imbibed in us as they brought us the value of every single cent they earn to make a living and the value of every single piece of rice on the plates from which we eat. And though my parents didn't really made us feel that sometimes they're having a hard time, I grew up as someone who sees and recognizes poverty as an element bounded in my country for so long.

Globalization, modernization and different sorts of industries has brought lots of opportunities for Filipinos yet along all the technological developments and advancements the flow of modern world boasts, somewhere in our society this we call poverty still continues to live on. And I bet we all see the picture of it. I bet we all have different personal pictures of it, whether based form personal experience or was something we've seen in the news and television. I bet all of us, regardless of our convictions, the culture that has brought us up or the environment where we grew has a picture of poverty somewhere in our heads. And over time, most of us have learned to live with it... and ignore it.

Once on my way to school, I saw a thin little boy crying and sobbing hard. Barefoot, on dirty ragged clothing with blood stains all over it and has several bruises on his face. I almost cried from what I saw. My heart was crushed, I sat frozen from where I was and I just don't know what to do. I felt really sorry as I look closely at him and at the same time bad for myself for not being able to do anything.

It was the first time I saw such a scene. The image of him kept on haunting me whenever I think of poverty. I thought it will be the last that I'll ever saw one. But I was wrong because I realize I've seen nothing yet.

I prayed. I opened my eyes and I see. The boy in the ragged clothes is just one. What about the family living on the street?; the old lady begging for alms on the foot bridge?; the young boys inhaling rugby to counter off the feeling of hunger?; the desperate sidewalk vendors that'll almost sell anything to make ends meet?; the underage prostitutes who'd rather sell their purity and dignity just for a couple hundred peso?; the eco-aides roaming the streets every morning searching the garbage bins for wastes they can sell for a couple of peso?; and the small children selling sampaguita, rugs, and cigarette sticks outside churches and parking lots?

Apathy is what we all imply whenever we are haunted by these everyday pictures. Most of us would probably say they’d rather worry over their own problems rather than give a damn over something or someone they don’t even know. A very sad philosophy most of us follows but not me. In here I would like to share the Church’s teaching about the Preferential Love for the Poor which I adhere to.

These pictures I see everyday is the same picture that fuels me up to someday be a big help to those who truly is in need. Something I consider my calling and mission to fulfill as long as I live. And I pray this will be the same as with you.

Now that the world is experiencing a global financial crisis as known developed country’s economy and market plunge, the fang of poverty is starting to become obvious and anxiety and fear started to well up from everyone. But fear not (and honestly, this is all I can say), for our God is the same God who was with us during the darkest and scariest part of our history. The dilemma the world is facing right now is no greater than the God we have. All we have to do is just trust and believe in His divine providence and in his plans.

Photo credit from chinapost.com

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End Poverty 2015

Blog Action Day 2008

Shutterbug - Wannabe #006

Random shots from my collection of flicks.

All are Invited

Jesus began to speak to them in parables once again, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son’s wedding. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come. Next he sent some more servants. “Tell those who have been invited” he said “that I have my banquet all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding.” But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them. The king was furious. He despatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town. Then he said to his servants, “The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the wedding.” So these servants went out on to the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests. When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment, and said to him, “How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?” And the man was silent. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’

Matthew 22:1 - 14

God is so generous. It is one thing I personally like about the gospel today. All are invited and all are given the chance in His wedding banquet. It doesn't matter whether you are good or bad. What matters most is how will you respond to this very special invitation.

Two Huge Pimples

I woke up early at 7 this morning to see two huge pimples on my right cheek.

See, my partner and I stayed up late and deprived ourselves of sleep the other night to finish our final Design plate and a scale model of a proposed beach resort we'd been working on the whole week. It was fun occasionally having snacks to stay awake, and a torture but all at the same time fulfilling after finishing right on time and seeing our names on it.

We drag ourselves to the university after lunch to submit our work, received a whopping grade from our scale model of the beach resort, and went straight to our respective homes (with no more than bumps and bruises for dozing off a hundred times inside the public jeepneys) to get the sleep we deserve.

Whew!!! I'd definitely consider it as one of my experiences I could never forget! Too bad it didn't come to me to take snapshots of the beach resort as a souvenir of our hard work. It surely is a great finale to our first semester and a relief start to welcome our sembreak!!! Yipee!!!

Photo credit from zmescience.com