My holy week was a week of recollection and reflection. Although, it was also a week of work, I took time to reflect on my own life. The reflection was brought about by the song BUKSAN, as it goes: ang basong may tubig, lagyan mong muli, aapaw dahil wala ng silid.

All the while, I was looking for anger in my heart. I thought it was anger that is consuming me… draining meFEAR.

I had so many fears in my life: fear of dying, fear of heights, fear of being rejected, fear of losing something, fear of losing someone close to me, fear of losing the person I love most, and many more. I was so engulfed with it that in most cases it has blurred my rationality. I cannot even think well out of fear.

The worst thing about fear is that not only does it hampers my thinking, it also occupies ample of space in my heart. It has deprived me of loving to the fullest. It had occupied my emotion and thus making me less loving. My heart had become almost filled with it. It almost left no room for love.

As I look back, nothing of my being afraid had actually helped me in stopping anything from happening. On the contrary, It helped  in making what I fear come true.  In the fear of losing somebody, I had chosen to hold them tighter. But the tighter I hold on, the more they struggle to get out of my hold. In the fear of getting rejected, I tried hard to please everyone. In the end, I displeased more people than I could even imagine.

Today, after all the reflections, I realized there is nothing I can do to change anything by simply allowing fear to engulf me. So, I let go and let God.

It is only then that I have finally over come my greatest fear — the fear of losing the person I love most.

I will vote for whoever said this:

I am basically prolife. I think the teaching of proper values of how to nurture children and parents’ responsibilities to them should be hammered constantly.

Those (artificial family planning methods) are personal choices and should remain as such. I do respect the people’s independence, freedom of choice with regard to family matters.

It (sex education in all schools) might result in more serious problems if we expose children to the matter of sex at the Grade 5 level.

Our current population should be viewed as an asset and ways should be discovered on how economic growth can be helped by population size. India and China are growing fast and they are the most populated countries in the world.

I’m against it (the RH bill). We should let parents decide. The government should just guide them.

Election is just a few weeks away. I have not listed my own sets of candidates for the national. Of course, I have my own choices for the local now.  I am still to pick my president but I am sure to use the standard set by the Catholic Church in its A CATECHISM ON FAMILY AND LIFE FOR THE 2010 ELECTIONS.

If you have not read this, I believe you need to take a few minutes of your life for the benefit of your children and your children’s children. Again the site is catelect.org

The hopelessly romantics have something to look forward to come February 2010. The Parish of Sts. Peter and Paul, in cooperation with E Travel and Tours, Haciendas de Naga and LCC, will sponsor the “Maestro of Love” (A Valentine Concert). The valentine concert will be on February 13, 2010 at 7PM in the Sorsogon Provincial Gymnasium.

The concert will feature Nonoy Zuniga – the Philippine’s “Maestro of Love”.  Nonoy will be joined by Niño Perez, Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Choir and The Cathedral Choir. Part of the proceeds goes to the continuous repair of the cathedral. Tickets are sold at 250, 500, and 750 pesos. You can purchase it from the Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Pastoral Council Officers/Members and the Parish Office.

Aside from enjoying a night of love songs, ticket buyers also have the chance to win a trip for two to Hong Kong. The concert ticket includes a raffle tab which should be filled and dropped in drop boxes placed in strategic locations at the concert venue. Winners will be drawn during the concert intermissions.

“It is better to move while the dust has not settled to position yourself to a better place when the smoke clears… whenever you see problems, you should see opportunities.” this I told one of my office mates.

People will always think that the best time to start a new project or to invest their money and time is when everything is clear. They believe that it is better to wait until financial atmosphere is at its best.

I have read a couple of success stories and have been through my own as well.  Most of which never started when the financial atmosphere is at its best. In fact, most of the success stories are stories of people who made their move when everything was chaotic. Robinsons & Mercury Drugstore to name a few local establishments.

Most people will always wait for the “air to clear”….and it will not come because you have to make it happen. It may be a rough road but it is the only way to clear the smoke or we will be forever teary eyed.

i shared to my friends that my summer ends with volunteering to help a public school teacher in Sorsogon to clean up her classroom and make it ready for the school year.

I could not help by feel bad about what i saw during my 3 days of cleaning – repainting the rooms.  And that 3 days was not even enough to make the room appear like a classroom. We tried to use lively colors but everything here could not be hidden.

The current state of our public education stinks. I do not know if the congressman from that place who has a lot to say about how evil this administration is, has a word to say on where his pork barrel has come to.

My dear president what is happening to our promise to bring a better future?  I thought we all understand that the education is the best way to combat poverty.

The pictures below will tell us how impoverish are our schools in the province.

These are the classrooms used by the upper grade.

This is one of the chairs that i tried to drag near the door to get some light. The room is poorly lighted. So all my pictures inside are dark.

The ceiling is dilapidated and the ceiling fan is something that comes from the pocket of the already underpaid teachers.

From the inside, we tried to paint the walls to make it look worth staying and conducive to learning. But one could never deny that this is only a little better than the average pig pen in the area.

The doors and the lock! And the windows that you could not close.

These are the books of the grade four pupils. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY! As soon as you lift it up, it will disintegrate!

This one is the class room of the K1 & K2. I could only imagine how the kids will react as soon the rain pours.

The school looks good from afar. Yes, ONLY from AFAR!

Every year, the government takes taxes from all of us. As for me, they get at least 50K. Where did all the taxes go? Quo vadis?

Another email that i laughed the whole time while i was reading. Thanks to Fe… but i still do not know the author for this one. Have a good laugh my friends.

NICKNAMES If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and  Sarah.
If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla and Four-eyes.

EATING OUT When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it’s only for $32.50.  None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.
When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

MONEY A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she  doesn’t need but it’s on sale.

BATHROOMS A man has six items in his bathroom:  toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a  towel .
The average number of items in the typical woman’s bathroom is 337.  A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these  items.

ARGUMENTS A woman has the last word in  any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

FUTURE A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

SUCCESS A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

MARRIAGE A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn’t.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won’t change, but she does.

DRESSING UP A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a  book, and get the mail.
A man will dress up for weddings and  funerals.

NATURAL Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

OFFSPRING Ah, children.  A woman knows all about her children.  She knows about  dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house..

THOUGHT FOR THE  DAY
A married man should forget his mistakes.  There’s no use in two people remembering the same thing!

SO, send this to the women who have a sense  of humor and who can handle it … and to the men who will enjoy reading it.

I got this email from a friend. I do not know the author. I am posting it here anyway.

An Atheist Professor of Philosophy speaks to his Class on the Problem Science has with GOD, the ALMIGHTY.
He asks one of his New Christian Students to stand and . . .

Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son ?
Student    : Yes, sir.
Professor : So you Believe in GOD ?
Student    : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD Good ?
Student    : Sure.
Professor : Is GOD ALL – POWERFUL ?
Student    : Yes.
Professor : My Brother died of Cancer even though he Prayed to GOD to Heal him.
Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill.
But GOD didn’t.
How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

( Student is silent )

Professor : You can’t answer, can you ?
Let’s start again, Young Fella.
Is GOD Good?
Student    : Yes.
Professor : Is Satan good ?
Student    : No.
Professor : Where does Satan come from ?
Student    : From . . . GOD . . .
Professor : That’s right.
Tell me son, is there evil in this World?
Student    : Yes.
Professor : Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ?
And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student    : Yes.
Professor : So who created evil ?

(Student does not answer)

Professor : Is there Sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness?
All these terrible things exist in the World, don’t they?
Student    : Yes, sir.
Professor : So, who Created them ?

( Student has no answer )

Professor : Science says you have 5 Senses you use to Identify and Observe the World around you.
Tell me, son . . .. Have you ever Seen GOD?
Student    : No, sir.
Professor : Tell us if you have ever Heard your GOD?
Student    : No , sir.
Professor : Have you ever Felt your GOD, Tasted your GOD, Smelt your GOD?
Have you ever had any Sensory Perception of GOD for that matter?
Student    : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t..
Professor : Yet you still Believe in HIM?
Student    : Yes.
Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist.
What do you say to that, son?
Student    : Nothing. I only have my Faith.
Professor : Yes, Faith. And that is the Problem Science has.
Student    : Professor, is there such a thing as Heat?
Professor : Yes.
Student    : And is there such a thing as Cold?
Professor : Yes.
Student    : No sir. There isn’t.

( The Lecture Theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events )

Student    : Sir, you can have Lots of Heat, even More Heat, Superheat, Mega Heat, White Heat,
a Little Heat or No Heat.
But we don’t have anything called Cold.
We can hit 458 Degrees below Zero which is No Heat, but we can’t go any further after that.
There is no such thing as Cold.
Cold is only a Word we use to describe the Absence of Heat.
We cannot Measure Cold.
Heat is Energy.
Cold is Not the Opposite of Heat, sir, just the Absence of it.

( There is Pin – Drop Silence in the Lecture Theatre )

Student    : What about Darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as Darkness?
Professor : Yes. What is Night if there isn’t Darkness?
Student    : You’re wrong again, sir.
Darkness is the Absence of Something…
You can have Low Light,  Normal Light, Bright Light, Flashing Light . . .
But if you have No Light constantly, you have nothing and its called Darkness, isn’t it?
In reality, Darkness isn’t.
If it is, were you would be able to make Darkness Darker, wouldn’t you?
Professor : So what is the point you are making, Young Man ?
Student    : Sir, my point is your Philosophical Premise is flawed.
Professor : Flawed ? Can you explain how?
Student    : Sir, you are working on the Premise of Duality.
You argue there is Life and then there is Death, a Good GOD and a Bad GOD.
You are viewing the Concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure.
Sir, Science can’t even explain a Thought.
It uses Electricity and Magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.
To view Death as the Opposite of Life is to be ignorant of the fact that
Death cannot exist as a Substantive Thing.
Death is Not the Opposite of Life: just the Absence of it.
Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your Students that they evolved from a Monkey?
Professor : If you are referring to the Natural Evolutionary Process, yes, of course, I do.
Student    : Have you ever observed Evolution with your own eyes, sir?

( The Professor shakes his head with a Smile, beginning to realize where the Argument is going )

Student    : Since no one has ever observed the Process of Evolution at work and
Cannot even prove that this Process is an On – Going Endeavor,
Are you not teaching your Opinion, sir?
Are you not a Scientist but a Preacher?

( The Class is in Uproar )

Student    : Is there anyone in the Class who has ever seen the Professor’s Brain?

( The Class breaks out into Laughter )

Student    : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s Brain, Felt it, touched or Smelt it? . . .
No one appears to have done so.
So, according to the Established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that
You have No Brain, sir.
With all due respect, sir, how do we then Trust your Lectures, sir?

(The Room is Silent. The Professor stares at the Student, his face unfathomable)

Professor : I guess you’ll have to take them on Faith, son.
Student    : That is it sir . . .
The Link between Man & GOD is FAITH.
That is all that Keeps Things Moving & Alive.

NB:
I believe you have enjoyed the Conversation . . . and if so . . .
You’ll probably want your Friends / Colleagues to enjoy the same . . . won’t you?
Forward them to Increase their Knowledge . . . or FAITH.

“Life is ironic. I have to let go of my reserved seat besides you so I could share a seat with you – then get to know you.”

A new found friend asked me, “What should I do? I am confused. I have a rekindled feeling for my high school sweetheart and a relationship with a boyfriend for three years.”

I am NO joe the mango. In fact I have many failed relationships than an average joe could possibly have. I decided to tell her a story instead and let her reflect about it.

The first story was about the man & the corn field. I told her that there was once a man who was told by the landlord of the sweet corn’s field:  “You can pick and keep the biggest corn from my cornfield but with one condition: as you pick the biggest sweet corn, you have to keep on running without stopping until you reach the end of the cornfield. There is no turning back and no going back as well. To top all these, you can only pick one corn.”

The man said: “Well, that is easy!” and off he goes to run in the cornfield. Then he saw a sizable corn a few meters away, he said to himself: “this is one big corn.” BUT when he reach the corn stack he decided that he might find a bigger one in the middle of the field so he did not pick the corn. This goes on with the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and an almost countless big corns he just did not pick thinking that farther on the field there will be a much bigger corn.

Then the man reached the point that he could already see the end of the cornfield. He fanicked then he pick the biggest corn he could see in sight. He ended with a mediocre size corn.

She asked me, “so, what is the moral of the story”. I told her, do not delay your decision; you might end with a mediocre corn. You have to decide now. Then, she said, hmmm… you make my problem a lot difficult this time.

Then I told her: The human heart capable of loving more than one person. So, you should not worry about “being still in love” with your highschool sweet heart.  It is humanly possible and normal. Likewise, do NOT confuse Love with that exciting feeling. In fact, love is not even close to that feeling. BUT when it comes to that “Matrimonial Love,” you will have to see that it is more than that exciting feeling.

It is all about commitment.  It is the commitment to stay in love even when the other has started to become unlovable since he/she has grown old; or you found out that there are characteristic that he/she have that you DO NOT LIKE; or that he/she is low in cash but high in maintenance; or you have simply outgrown him/her.

Maybe I can make your decision a little lighter with this quote: “You can NEVER step on the same river twice.” She said, what do you mean by that?

I said, remember that when you step on the river your second chance to step in would be with a different river, the first one is already down stream. If you are thinking that the person you have met in your high school days is the same person, you are wrong. You might be nostalgic, but that person you might be looking for is already downstream – not the same person you meet now.  There will be a lot of catching up to do.

In the end, you will have to choose your big corn!