God and Facebook

It is saddening to know that a lot of Christians have a misconstrued perspective of Christ’s love. And because of this, they end up tackling the idea of spreading it in a very backwards way. They refuse to engage the notion of using the internet in sharing His word—all the more using Social media to connect with unbelievers.

This, my friends, should not be the case. The internet may be an increasing source of Church-deriding content, but it still remains to be one of the best ways to forward and share the joy and beauty of God’s love. And to further my point, here are three good reasons as to why:

• It increases its scope

Allowing Christianity to thrive in the internet would mean opening its doors to a bigger audience. It cannot be denied that the internet is one, if not the biggest, source of information today. Making an effort to increase your presence in the cyberworld would increase your chances of penetrating into almost every household computer. Not only will this mean more lives can be helped out, but this would also assure you that because of the Internet’s nature of preferential viewing, those who end up subscribing to your feeds made the organic and conscious choice to do so. Their attention was caught, they liked what they read, and they chose to share it to others. You no longer bear the stigma of “shoving” your faith down their throats. They now willingly accept it and by God’s grace, are continuously moved by it.

So put some time in making sure your posts are interesting, captivating and compelling. Because who knows, someone a million miles away may just know Christ through you.

• It gains relevance

Despite the fact that God’s perspective does not waver with the clamor of the worldly, it does not mean that we should be very backwards about presenting it to others. Allowing ourselves to be actively involved with technology and social media does not necessarily mean that we are compromising God’s principles and teachings. Rather, we are finding ways to better present it to those who might not have the chance to see it or gain interest in it. What would be the use of publishing ideas and notions, when your target audience wouldn't even be interested in reading it in the first place? Christians nowadays need to exude the image that they are not backwards and irrelevant, and that Christ’s love is not something that is only for the 19th century.

Proving to people that Christ’s presence in your lives does not hinder you from enjoying life—and in fact, makes it all the more enjoyable—would send a genuine message to them that they too can experience the relevant love of Jesus Christ.

• It allows it to grow

One of the biggest things to remember when it comes to sharing the Word is that we can learn from the process as well. It’s not just a one-way street. And in this case, focusing your evangelism efforts on the internet and social media would allow you to have a firm grasp on what clicks with today’s youth nowadays (considering how a huge majority of netizens are 30 years old and below). By observing how they interact, what they are interested in, and where they are most comfortable opening up, you can then channel your efforts in the most effective means possible. You not only gain relevance, but you also get to understand it.

It should be remembered that when Jesus Christ came to earth, he did not mingle with the powerful politicians and the rich tycoons. He chose to be with the tax collectors, fishermen and gentiles. He chose to be more human and relatable. And we ought to follow his footsteps. Yes, we may have a few rough patches along the way, but that’s a given. The satisfaction of knowing that at the end of the day, more people get to read about Christ, more people get to see how relatable Christ is, and more people get to touch YOU with their lives, grossly outweighs whatever hardships that come your way.  

Starting my Journey with Christ

All my life, I have been living in a Christian home. My dad happens to be a pastor, and my mom, a youth minister. I grew up to Sunday School, DVBC, Don Moen and Psalty. I followed rules, was rarely in trouble, and had been, in the most conventional way, a good kid. I was pretty much an "average christian boy". And along with that image of being a Christian, people would often think that I grew up with a contented heart, with a strong spirit and a steadfast faith in Jesus Christ.

But that wasn't the case. I WASN'T content. I WASN'T strong. And I most certainly WASN'T a steadfast, faithful christian boy. 

I had grown up feeling very empty and purpose-less with life---and I had NO clue as to why. I had a great family, I studied in a great school, my friends weren’t bad influences, and I had no vices at all.  I had no idea why I felt so meaningless. And so I tried to reflect on the decisions I’ve made throughout the years. My choice of friends, the way I dress, the shows I watch, everything, but still no use. There was not one decision in my life that I made that had an impact so great that it apparently sucked out all sense of "purpose-ness" and from my life.

Then, around 5 years ago, it hit me. All these feelings of emptiness didn't stem from a badly made decision, but rather from a necessary decision I NEVER ACTUALLY MADE. I had grown up in a home where Jesus Christ was the focal point of day-to-day life. I was living a life where almost ALL my decisions were based on what God would most probably say. But I forgot the most essential part of having a Christ-centered life: the choice to RECEIVE Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. 

It never occurred to me that I had been living a “boring” life because I treated all my decisions and all my actions as obligations which need to be complied and not taken to heart. I was living in a Christ-filled home, but I never had Christ as my life’s foundation. All my actions, all my choices were wobbling on the fact that I did them half-heartedly. I brushed them off like they were things that didn’t need reflection and personal input. I decided THEN and THERE that I would put Christ not just in the center of my DECISIONS, but also in the center of MY LIFE. There is that huge difference. And I felt that difference after I finally went beyond just superficially babbling the “acceptance prayer” and finally delving into having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

It felt AWESOME. It felt like that void in my heart was just right of Jesus to fill. I finally had found my life’s meaning---and I had a family to back me up for that. They prayed with me and held my hand as I started on this very-familiar-but-unbelievably-new journey with my personal Lord and Savior. For the first time in my life, I felt like I had made a decision on my own and without any household stigma pressuring me to pick a choice. Actually, I chose to get rid of that stigma and chose for myself a brand new life, and a brand new path to take.

‎As I look back on the first few years of my brand-new life with Jesus Christ, I see how much things have changed. I have been a counselor and Program staff for numerous YoungLife camps, I started to lead bible study groups, I began to reach out to kids through tutorials, and I have taken part in volunteer missions for several youth organizations. I no longer felt useless, purpose-less and meaningless. I now have a new take on life. I can finally see, feel, hear, smell, and taste the glory, the honor and the love God has given me. 

Yes, the beauty and wonder of His love may have always been there. But the difference is just that this time, I finally chose to experience them.

I WILL REGRET THIS

Yes, this IS a Recording. Of me. Singing.
But while I'm still stupid enough to not take it down, go listen to it and have fun. :D

"Good" without God is not "Good"

(This stemmed from a conversation I had with a friend last night)

As Christians, being “good” is not as broad as how the world sees “good”. You can do the exact same thing non-Christians would believe to be “good”, but not really be doing good. Even if it was done with sincerity. 

We, with our flawed nature, innately do NOT have goodness in us. Goodness springs from God’s love for us. It’s not in doing things we merely believe to be right, but rather a manifestation of God’s love and glory overflowing from our hearts. 

We might save a baby from a burning house, but unless we do it for God’s glory, we are not really doing “good”. We act on our own "logical" belief that the baby should be saved, and not by our belief that God would want us to save the child. There is no God in the former. And without God in it, it cannot be considered "good". 

Universal ethics do not constitute what God considers “good”. Rather, Christ-centered ethicality is the main and ONLY foundation of goodness. God IS good. And He is the ONLY good. ALL THE TIME.

Open Letter to Ayala Center Cebu

Hello, my name is William Yasi and I'm becoming quite disgusted with your employees. You ought to allot at least A PART of your budget to train your workers on how to POLITELY and PROPERLY handle customers.

Here are some instances wherein I could hardly even see the "high quality" you boast of regarding customer service:

1.       Your supermarket staff would not allow me to return a leaking body wash bottle I bought minutes before because it's imported. Which means it's not part of your "return damaged goods" policy. And to top that off, they weren't at the very least courteous about it. They even made snide remarks at how picky I am about what I buy.

2.       The staff at National Bookstore preferred to chat about their love-lives rather than ask me what I wanted to buy. I stood there, trying to catch their attention, for half an hour before giving up.

3.       A security guard screamed at me for flagging down a taxi near the Krispy Kreme branch. I could've let that slide because I later found out it wasn't a loading zone, but what irritated me was the fact that he let half a dozen koreans ride taxis there before singling me, a filipino, out. How twistedly racist is THAT?

4.       Again, your wonderful supermarket staff rudely answered my mother's queries about fruit prices. She simply asked them how much the grapes were and the employee replied:

"Aw, awa ra diha maam. Di ba na klaro diha? (Why don't you try and take a look, maam? It's pretty obvious.)"

Is that the kind of manners you instill in your employees? I hope not.

I have had a few other blood-boiling encounters with your very unprofessional staff, but I'm thinking this would be enough for you to, at the very least, take action in trying to fix this.

It would be very disappointing to see one of the most sought-after establishments in Cebu fall short of what is expected of them simply because your administration FAILED to cultivate proper work ethics into your employees.

I hope and pray that you do take this seriously and do something about it. Thank you and God bless.

William Robert Yasi

Pacifying the Dinner War

Ladies and gentlemen, good day. I am here to talk to you about a very serious topic. Veggies. No, really. I'm here to address a growing problem about that stick of celery caught between your teeth. 

Well actually it's a problem on how to SOLVE a problem  about that stick of celery caught between your teeth .

It cannot be denied that one of the main issues that need to be addressed by the government should be that of the environment and its degradation. Not only is addressing these issues necessary, but the measures that need to be taken in order to achieve a sustainable environment should be done to cater to short-term and long-term effects on the key players of this debacle: the Environment (this includes those that breathe and those that don’t) and Mankind. Which is exactly why I personally think that vegetarianism is NOT the most necessary, most beneficial and most practicable solution to this problem. 

You see, eco-activists are now trying to bash the non-vegan population into destruction. They say that the BEST way to save the world is to go veggie. And go veggie 100%.

oh yes. Yes, indeed.

Okay, conceding to that fact that yes, Vegetarianism may have a one-two hit on the meat production industry (which is also now one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases), but it just doesn’t solve the problem. It only sweeps it under the rug. 

See, the problem here is NOT that a lot of us patronize meat products---as that is natural for us, omnivores---but rather, the problem is that we patronize meat producers that utilize methods that are contributing to the destruction of the environment. We need to fix THAT and NOT the dietary preferences of the population. In other words, the more viable universal solution is not VEGETARIANISM, but rather RESPONSIBLE CONSUMERISM.

Why should we then tackle the mentality of the consumers and not the producers directly? Simple. Because even if we successfully topple down these companies, the patronage of the consumers towards their products will not die. They will still clamor for similarly-manufactured products. We don’t destroy the mentality, rather we worsen it as it will make these consumers realize that they WANT the product and they will fight tooth and nail to get it back. 

And we all know that for most companies, “the customer is always right.”

And they are darn serious about it.

Which is why, what the government should focus on is to change the product preference of these consumers to more environmentally-responsible companies, as this avoids drastic (and often disadvantageous) paradigm shifts for the people AND at the same time, indirectly making them more responsible and contributive to the improvement of the environment. 

Furthermore, if the government successfully channels the priority of its citizens towards the more eco-friendliness of the products they are buying, whether it may be through information drives, massive forums and extensive promotion, this then gives an implicative incentive for the non-eco-friendly companies to become more responsible with their processes. For when they see that the market becomes more inclined to buying beef that’s not produced by mass breeding (which causes massive methane production); they then see that the most practical thing to do on their part is to be more eco-friendly. The “villains” then try to level the market field by treating the earth better. In short, since for these companies, the customer is always right, the government should make the customer buy right because from that, the companies then do right.

On another note, VEGETARIANISM is frankly NOT the most practicable thing to do. Extending from the previous point wherein channeling the dietary preferences of the people to a more eco-responsible aspect is easier than having them change their diet totally, we focus then on the fact that vegetarianism is something that cannot be done overnight. 

Especially when the average human eats like a baby whale

Humans, by nature, are omnivores. Meaning we are built to take in both meat and greens. Vegetarians however, choose to eat only vegetables. And coming from a nature that dictates you to have some sort of meat in your diet, it would take a large amount of dedication and perseverance to have your diet isolated to vegetables. That’s why going vegan is NOT for everyone. We cannot demand the same amount of effort from everyone because the decision to eat ONLY greens is an organic choice. It has to come from the heart of the individual. Yes, vegans and their dedication to their advocacy deserve a resounding applause, but that doesn't mean we can take away someone’s right to choose what he wants to eat and what he DOESN’T want to eat.

We do not want to force our people to give up their love for meat. Let them eat meat all they want. From my previous argument, It has been established that it is INDEED possible to let them continue eating their beef steaks and save the earth at the same time.

Finally, the whole idea of having the whole of mankind eat only vegetables does more harm than good. Nature has remained sustainable because of a balance created by the food chain. First-order consumers eat the producers, second-order consumers eat the first-order consumers, and so on. All organisms have something to contribute in this chain, and an imbalance in this causes the endangerment of the massively consumed entity. Which then leads us to the idea that if we have everyone completely exclude the consumption of meat in their diet, we endanger the crops that get over-consumed and also face the problem of having these livestock, which are no longer eaten, become additional consumers to these already endangered crops. We soon are left with no crops at all. And the balance would then disappear. 

Also, be reminded that these crops are contributors to the consumption of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. If we lose them to over-consumption, we lose our carbon sinks. We then have bigger problems at hand: we force ourselves to eat the meat again, which is what the government is trying to avoid with their proposition, and we become slowly suffocated by the increase of CO2 in our air. From that analogy, it can clearly be seen that the idea of having Veganism (as the main solution to global warming and the like) as counter-intuitive, impractical and non-doable at the very least.

So with that, Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope that I have proven enough to you that in order for us to really solve this problem we have with Mother Earth, we need to solve it at the very source of it all: Mankind’s abuse. We abuse the environment by processing these products in methods that are negligent of its consequences so we need to fix THAT---and not our diet.

We were built to eat vegetable AND meat. So let’s embrace that. Improve our consumer mindset and NOT our food choices. So at the end of the day, we say YES to the vegans, YES to the Omnivorous and YES to the meat-eaters. Why fight when we can all harmoniously live together?

Bazinga.

I Can NEVER Experience LOVE

This was written well over 3 years ago by an unnecessarily angst-y me. 

"Today, I tried to write about love. About how love can change my life, how it can take me to places I've never been before, how it can make me feel like I'm someone else...

But sadly, I can't. I just can't get myself to write about something I don't know.

Honestly speaking, I've never had butterflies in my stomach. And I've never seen stars twinkle in someone's eyes.

I have never been in love. EVER.

Love must be something for someone else. It must be something reserved for people chosen by fate. It must be destined for those who deserve it. It must be for the lovers, the sweethearts, and the narcissistic.

 
I have no indulgence. And I have no aspirations. I have no love in me to give away.

And with that realization in mind, I won't even try to think that I'd ever be capable of writing about love----much more experience it."

Oh, the difference a few years can make. 

Why I Write

A lot of things come rushing through my mind when I start to write----well, when I THINK about starting to write. When I get my pen and paper, laptop, whatever, there’s just this onslaught of ideas, suggestions that come flowing through and out of my head.

And it’s hard. Well it’s confusing. It’s debilitating.

Whatever. I just said that word because it’s sounds nice. Debilitating. Haha. I like it. Like bears. And ponies. J

But not writing. I don’t like writing. It’s a burden. It’s tiring. It’s just painful to even THINK about what to write.

But here I am. Writing.

Weird. In that influx of ideas, I am in pain, in the middle of confusion-land and I AM IN PAIN. But my heart starts to pump faster. It just builds up this sort of tension, this excitement that I’m going to write again. I’m finally going to have that new article. That new blog post I’ve been dying to post. The adrenaline’s just… there. I may not like the product, I might even cry over how horrible it is, but the excitement over writing is there. And I can’t change that.

Well I basically write, not because I like it, but because it is something I can get myself to dream of. I can dream when I write. I can see a future where people will read my posts. Where they would be FINALLY able to understand what I’ve been trying to say to them. Not like when I’m talking where I can’t edit what comes out of my mouth. I get to take time to choose my words and say them the way I want to in real life. It authenticates me.

My voice is loudest with the words I write. I am me when I write. That whole curated structure of mumbo jumbo is …me. Staged. Curated. Planned out. Me. The very essence of making sure that everything meshes together in the paragraphs just puts it all in a nutshell. All of me. In a fabricated representation of me. MEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Yeah. Just soak it all in. :)

Then it begins to go downhill. The whole article crumbles down because I’ve had my fill. Things start to lose sense. I start rambling on about whatever.

I become bored. Then all of a sudden I become uninterested altogether to carry on writing. To finish whatever is on my head.

But the rush of wanting to be heard is STILL there. I think it’s always going to be there. I think.  

But yeah, I’m down to my last few words. And I’m going to stop writing. But not before I tell you to write when you can. Be heard. Be read. Ride a pony. Hug a bear. Whatever. Just write it down.

Overcoming Fear

I like being scared.
It brings me back to my humanity.
It causes me to tremble and pray.
It humbles me and refreshes me of my vulnerability.

I like being scared.
Because I remember Jesus when I'm scared.
I remember why He died
And I remember that He rose again.

I like being scared.
Because by being scared, I remember why I shouldn't be.

Strangers in a Restaurant

Last night, while I was eating dinner, I saw a guy pacing back and forth outside the restaurant. From the looks of it, he was waiting for someone. A girlfriend maybe. Or a mistress. I don't know. But it must've been someone dear to him.

I looked at him while I was eating my tender pork grills, wondering how his life has been up to that point. Was he a successful business man? Did he have children? Was he happy?

I guess I'll never know.

I left the restaurant right after I finished finished my meal, rushing past the waiting man. Culminating our meeting with a small nod.

I might never see him again. Which made me wonder of the many things that could've happened if I tried to talk to him. He could've been a good friend. He could've needed my help. He could've helped me with MY personal problems.

Could've, but no.

We were confined to the fact that we were two complete strangers. Bound to meet on opposite walls of a fastfood joint in Cebu on a cold Sunday night. That and nothing else.

Which made me think of everyone else in the restaurant that night. Will I be able to see them again? Will I know them once I see them? 

And then I thought of everyone I've known. Were we, at some point in time, unknowing strangers in a restaurant? Did we order our meals right beside each other? Did we even have an inkling that we were to become acquaintances? Friends? Lovers?

I guess not. But now, we were.

I didn't chat them up. I never offered to buy them food. And yet, here we are. Acquaintances. Friends. Lovers. All because we were bound to be.

And if that man were to be my friend, then he will be. But I'll never know until then.

So as I got into my taxi, I looked at the man for what might be the last time. I wondered if he had a dog. Or if he liked the color blue. Or if he was in love with whoever he was going to meet up with.

I guess I'll never know.

This House Believes That You Make Me Love You

Madam Chair, I would like to preempt all arguments from the opposing houses by saying that I personally DON'T CARE about whatever arguments they have. They are all MOOT. So sit down, Opp Whip. It's not even past the first minute yet.

Thank you.

So first of all, we set this debate up in my heart. Where all my love is stored. It's not about you. It's about me. So yes, in my heart. :) And the standard of this debate is whether or not this is really love. But we all know it is.  

POINT! What if it's just puppy love?

Shut up. It's not puppy love. And I never took your point. Sit down and be touched.

First argument: 

"You MOVE me"

Yes, I am the Paula Abdul to whatever you do. I'm that much of a fan. You touch that tender part of me whenever you tell me about your day. How you helped your friend staple her testpapers together. How you found an injured kitten and nursed it back to health. How you single-handedly lifted a tractor off a three-day old baby rhino. YOU. TOTALLY. MOVE. ME. 

And the best part is, I'm not white-knuckling throughout the entire story. I ACTUALLY enjoy listening and being touched by you. Promise. Cross my heart. I don't pretend I'm interested, like I do when I'm in my Filipino class. I'm honestly, and sincerely interested in listening to you doing stuff that'd normally cause me to slap the bejeezus out people if they start at it again.

With my other friends: 

Shut up! I don't want to hear about that time you didn't "know" about the long exam your teacher was to give you so you had no idea about the lessons but you topped the exam anyway.    

But with you it's like this:

WHAT?! YOU TOPPED THE EXAMS??!! WITHOUT STUDYING?!! NO FRIGGIN' WAY?!! THAT'S AWESOME!!!

And personally, I think that's a pretty good sign that I'm like, you know, TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH YOU AND STUFF. :D

So yeah, teehee, moving on...

Second Argument:

"You UNDERSTAND me"

That in itself would make ANYBODY fall in love with ANYBODY. Understanding someone, despite everything they've done, and being cool with it means they're willing to accept them and reciprocate their feelings WHATEVER their past may have been. 

POINT! That's not mutually exclusive on your part. 

She can be understanding to everyone. 

Does that mean they deserve her, too?

May I remind you, Mr. Smarty Pants, that the debate here is whether or not SHE'S MAKING ME LOVE HER and not whether or not SHE SHOULD BE WITH ME, or SHE'LL END UP WITH ME or any other inevitable situation. So regardless of how applicable it is to any other human being, what matters in this debate is whether or not what she does contributes to my feelings towards her. 

But---

  

Third Argument:

"I simply LOVE you"

This should've been my main argument. But for drama's sake I've put it last. 

And it's all the argument I need.

It's simple as that.

I love you and that's all that matters. The fact that it's true means that you do make me fall in love with you. And the motion stands. It doesn't really need to be pointed by extensive prongs. And you CAN'T, actually. Because if you CAN, then it'd be either of two things:

a.) It'll take forever. If you're love were true, then that list would never end. 

b.) It's not TRUE love. If you've actually quantified your love for someone, you've limited it to your mere human logic. It's not infinite anymore. There are boundaries to your affections. And I don't think that's love. Well, true love that is. 

And the only way to en-capsulize all your feelings is to merely state the truth of its existence. To say that I love you and I love you NO MATTER WHAT. The next argument would merely support it, and so will the next and the next and so on. 

So, yeah.

I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT.

End of story. Gov wins.

The Demise of Modern Man

Considering how we live in an ecosystem bursting with interdependence, it cannot be avoided that along with interdependent sociological processes, the development of social issues and problems become intertwined and causal. Some issues may be often the cause while some maybe the manifestation of the effects of the former. 

In some paradigms, man can be seen as the main perpetrator of all these social issues. While some say that although mankind has indeed given considerable contribution to the development of such social conflicts, the main reason why these issues progress into more tangible effects is the reaction (and the magnification of these reactions) of the environment and the receiving end of mankind to such instigations.

Let me put it this way, multinational corporations may keep on abusing the environment, but the fact still remains that as long as the international community patronizes the products of these companies, they still remain capable and still have the “need” to abuse the environment.

So with that, the rise of capitalistic mindsets bring forth an age wherein the need to help the status of our environment takes the backseat over the need for more profit and economic progress. With increased usage and marketing of natural resources, the influx of money increases. Such negative correlation is brought forth by the functionalist perspective.

And so, with the lessening of the environment, more and more people experience a decrease in nutrition and increase in poverty. With the loss of pure natural resources (which we all know, are the best sources of healthy living), the nutritional status of those affected become worse. They no longer have clean water to drink, nor do they have fresh air to breathe. They soon develop typhoid fever, tuberculosis, e. coli or whatever new epidemic we are having nowadays. What’s worse is that they no longer can afford proper medicine for their illnesses because they have no more resources to generate income on. They fall faster towards the depths of poverty. They lose the resources that give them good health and sufficient earnings.

And soon, after the grassroots become impoverished, the government soon experience setbacks. Their people are sick, poor and in need of their help. And they have little money to use, because the people that pay their taxes (which is apparently the lifeblood of the nation), can no longer pay as much as they used to, because they simply aren’t earning as much as they used to. The government then becomes lame and immobile.

And with the inability of the government to fix the basic problems of society, collateral damage is inflicted on other vital sectors of society. Gender and overpopulation issues are by far the sectors that receive the most damage. Overpopulation becomes affected in this because numerous legislations that bring about laws that uphold the rights of the family to choose their size and dynamics depend on how the government executes their passing and regulation. If we have a government that fails to function at its core, the implementation of these rights to a well-planned out family slowly descends into obscurity.

Same goes for gender issues. Numerous activist groups fight for more laws that enable women to live equally among men. But when the mindset of the populace is fixed on merely surviving on a day-to-day basis, these advocacies fall short of being heard and acted on. In fact, there may come a point in time wherein the public would see these groups as unnecessary extremists rather than much-needed advocates.

And so comes an inevitable option for some sectors in society: wade in water of blurred development or fight the system and make drastic change. Although most political analysts prefer to not do both choices and instead find a more proactive approach in changing society, this is rarely the case of today’s problematic societies. They would choose to become one of two things: terrorists or the terrorized. They either become the passive victims of shootings or the active shooters themselves.

It cannot be ignored that more and more separatist groups form under the premise that they are for change and development. And although one can see the nobility in their means, their Machiavellian approach to achieving change cannot quench the thirst for peaceful and harmonized progress. It will only lead to further destruction (to the environment, even) and ultimately perpetuate the cycle of regression our world is experiencing.

One problem clearly leads to another and another and another. And it’s very distressing. But what bothers me most is that mankind----despite numerous failures to base on----continually fails to tackle and defeat the issues at hand. They fight fire with fire. A problem with another problem. The highly-developed mind of modern man sadly cannot see that the fire they are fighting is the same fire that when controlled and handled correctly, can bring us the warmth and comfort of communal development.

Salute to the Brown Man

-found this somewhere in my computer. I'm not sure who wrote it. I hope it was me. If it wasn't, I'd wish it were.
*UPDATE* My friend said I wrote it. (Sorry, I have REALLY bad memory). So YEY! :) 

He was not so tall. And he was brown. And he lived on the mountainside about 2000 years ago.

He needed to eat. And so barehanded, with no complicated tools, he built some terraces. He irrigated them, and they stood the test of time.

He built a steadfast government of 7107 islands, he made a language unique than anything else in the world. He built monuments, painted murals, wrote epics and sang anthems.

The mind of the brown man is golden, and his skin is a testament to his perseverance.

And so today we honor the skilled inventive race of the brown man.

Today we honor the skillfulness of the small but ingenious band of pygmies and the morenos.

Today we give accolades to the Imagineering, the ingenuity and the creativeness of the brown man.

The Principles of Incarnational Witness (Poster)

Here's something I did for the 2012 YoungLife Asia-Pacific New Staff Training. 

This list is missing something, though. "Friendship" is supposed to be on it. 

Sorry about that. :(

SIKAT (A Short Story)

Mama took me to an audition today. I’m not sure kung anong role ang ipapa-audition niya, but I’m thinking it’s for a tween show. Ewan ko sa kanya. Personally ha, I’m really not into those I’m-cute-and-innocent-pero-I’m-totally-capable-of-making-out-type of roles. It’s kinda cheap, eh. I’m thinking more of some hot asian chick in Glee. Yaaan, yan ang role na bagay sakin.

But mama never listens. All she wants me to do is where these god-awful dresses tita Joseph makes in his spare time (I mean, no offense ha, I know he’s bakla and all, but that doesn’t mean he’s automatically fashionable). I keep on asking Mama why she insists on having me audition for these “roles”, but she NEVER gives me an answer aside from, “Basta anak, Just trust me. Bagay na bagay sa ‘yo to”.

And I always do. Mama ko siya, eh.

Kaya ayun, we went to ABS-CBN---which took us like, forever because mama had to fix her hair a million times (which is weird because she only spends 5 minutes on MY hair). Pero in fairness ha, she takes care of my skin ala Vicky Belo. May pa-takip-takip pa sa mukha ko everywhere we go. Para raw mas magiging maputi at flawless ang skin ko. Like Sarah Geronimo. Yuck. Anyway, when we arrived dun sa ABS Compound, we went straight to the auditioning room sa 3^rd floor.

I always love going there. It smells great and sosyal. Also, the hallways have these numerous shiny tarpaulin posters of the studio’s biggest stars covering the walls. And as mama scurried her way to meet up with her “fixer” Kuya Jepoy, I took that “alone time” as an opportunity to saunter down the hall, softy gliding my fingers along the flawless, lineless faces of the country’s most beautiful people.

Sharon. Kris. Gary V. Ang dami. Everyone who’s someone had their faces put up dun. Lahat sila sikat. Lahat sila minamahal. Shet, naiinggit na naman ako.

“Be the next Sharon.” It said under Ate Shawie’s poster. I’ve seen a poster of her doing the exact same smile. Well, her smile is the same naman sa lahat.

After reading the tagline again, I thought to myself, Why would anyone want to be the next Sharon? Yeah, she’s got the looks and voice for fame, pero you know, she’s had her super gwapo ex-husband leave her, her husband right now has a jillion kabits and her daughters can’t act. And what’s worse, she’s getting fatter and fatter everyday. As in. Siya na nga ang host ng The Biggest Loser.

And as I went on, I found myself staring at their faces one by one. Paano sila naging sikat? Did they really have to put out to get a role? I found myself questioning the credibility of each of the actors and actresses I looked at. But not long after I reached Vice Ganda’s tarp (which was sobrang Phinotoshop, by the way), I heard mama running down the hall calling out my name.

“Joraida! Jo! Joraiiiidddaaaaa!” Her voice echoed down to where I was. People started looking around, obviously irritated by my mama’s nasal voice. My gahd, nakakahiya!

“Hay nako. San ka ba galing?” She asked when she found me. “Hinihintay na tayo ni Kuya Jepoy mo.” She looked excited. I wasn’t at the very least. This was not how I wanted my showbiz career to start. Gusto ko yung may ‘a talent scout found me in a sea of common faces’ na drama. Charos.  

I still followed her, though. But as we entered the door of the auditioning room, I looked at her and she knew right away what I was about to ask her.

“Basta anak, Just trust me. Bagay na bagay sa ‘yo to.”

I sighed. Of course, yan naman talaga ang sagot nya eh. Although ngayon, parang mas confident siyang pakinggan. Ewan.

“Remember anak, yung itinuro ko sa’yo ha? Mouth closed, chin up and act natural lang. Gayahin mo lang tatay mo.”

I nodded and approached the tall, bald bakla with the scarf around his neck. I’ve met Kuya Jepoy before when mama brought my cousin Joemar to audition for Goin Bulilit. I can still remember how he kept asking my mom about me. Good thing di pinayagan ni mama si Kuya Jepoy na kunin yung pantakip ng face ko. Masisira na talaga yung skin ko.  

“Ay, Inday. I’ve been waiting to see you. Your mama has kept on bragging about you when we have mahjong.” Kuya Jepoy blurted out when I approached him.

I couldn’t help but smile when I heard that. Naks naman. That was the first time I heard someone say that my mama was proud of me. I know she loves me pero I can’t think of a reason why she should be proud of me. I mean, di naman ako nag-eeskwela. I rarely get out of the house, I’m not part of ANY dance crew, di rin ako sumasali sa mga pageant-pageant sa barangay. Wala talaga. Kaya ayun, na-touch talaga ako dun.

“So Inday, why don’t you just stand diyan sa may naka-ekis sa sahig?”

I went to where he told me to stand and as soon as I got there the lights were suddenly turned on. I looked around and saw that there more than ten people in the room. Mama was still by the door smiling nervously and Kuya Jepoy was by the large camera waving to his other crew members. Na-conscious agad ako. Di kasi ako sanay na tinititigan ng maraming tao.

“Ok, Inday. Tanggalin mo na yang takip sa mukha mo.” Kuya Jepoy said with a smile.

“Sige po.”

I took the long black scarf off and let it drop on the floor beside me. When I did so, soft gasps travelled across the room. Parang echo.

“Homaygad…” Kuya Jepoy said with sheer surprise in his eyes. I looked around and saw the same expression on everyone’s faces. Maliban nalang sa kay mama. Sanay na sanay na sa kagandahan ng fez ko.

“What’s y..your name nga, I…Inday?” Kuya Jepoy finally managed to say after what seemed like hours of dead silence.

I looked at my mom. Pano ko mame-maintain ang “Closed mouth, chin up, act natural” rule niya eh, may tinanong si Kuya Jepoy?

She nodded reassuringly. Pwede kong sagutin yun.

“Joraida po.”

Another wave of gasps echoed throughout the room. I heard comments like “Grabe, pati ang boses!” and “San ba nakuha ni Jepoy yan?” follow the gasps.

“P…pakisabi nga u..ulit ng name mo.”

“Joraida Adelfa Macatangay Elumba po. Joraida tawag sakin ni mama.”

Shet. Ano ba to? Parang may mali sa atmosphere. Why does everyone look scared? Di ba enough ang beauty ko?

I looked at my mother with tears in my eyes. I knew I wasn’t getting the role. Another one down the drain. Palagi na lang. I felt sorry talaga for my mom. All her bragging was for nothing. Pero at least, naka-harap talaga ako sa camera. All those other auditions, eh hanggang linya lang ako. They always pick the girl they want before they even got to me.

But still. My mama would be doubly disappointed.

“Excuse me, Jorraida? Jorraida?”

I snapped out of my pagkatulala and saw that Kuya Jepoy was trying to catch my attention.

“Po?” I replied immediately.

“Pwede ka bang sumama sa amin?”

“Ho? Ano po yon?” Kinabahan na ako ng konte. A million thoughts ran through my mind. Did I do something wrong? Are they kicking me out of the building?

“Sabi ko, pwede ka bang sumama sa amin? We’re giving you the role and we want you to sign the contracts now.”

I was stunned. My knees felt weak and my heart started racing. Did I hear that right? Are they really giving me the role? Is this really it? Ito naba ang simula ng career ko sa industriya? Isasama na ba ako sa mga mukhang makalagay dun sa hallway? Hindi talaga ako makakapaniwala. Nawawalan na ako ng hininga.

“So, what’s your decision? Sasama ka ba?”

“Oo po. Sasama talaga ako!” I beamed and turned to look at mama. She wasn’t by the door. I looked around and she wasn’t in the studio room also. Baka nag-CR. Nerbyosa kasi yun.

“Halika na, punta na tayo.” Kuya Jepoy motioned his other members to come with him. One of them took my scarf and covered my face with it. I had chills run down my spine. May PA na ako agad. Sosyal!

I suddenly remembered mama and how she hasn’t come back yet. She might wonder as to where I went.

“Kuya Jepoy, si mama? Di po ba natin siya aantayin?”

“Ay Inday, don’t worry. Ok lang yung mama mo. She’ll catch up with us later”

I nodded. And slowly walked after Kuya Jepoy with my head down. Di pwede ang paparazzi ngayon.

We passed by the row of posters I paraded through kanina. I couldn’t help but imagine my face plastered on one of them in the future. Photoshopped, yes. But famous pa rin.

Pero my gash, di talaga ako makakapaniwala na nangyayari talaga to. People walked by us waving to other employees who were with us, and occasionally squinting their eyes to see kung sino tong nakatakip ang mukha. Ngingiti lang ako sa ilalim ng scarf ko. Sooner or later, they’d realize na ako na pala ang susunod na hot item ng showbiz.

And that they had passed by me. (And even passed me over some girl who can simply cry on cue.)

Ha. Karma talaga. Bitch kung bitch.

My thoughts were interrupted by two employees chattering loudly as they passed by us. Parang si mama pag-nagmamajhong.

“Hoy, mare. May nagsabi sakin na may babaeng tikbalang raw na nadiscover dito sa building.” Said one of the women.

“Oo nga e. Totoo kaya yun?” the other replied.

I heard Kuya Jepoy scoff at the last girl’s comment. Ako din, napangiti. Mga chismosa talaga tong mga to. Why would anyone even think of a finding a tikbalang in the station?

But I didn’t give it much care. Petty thoughts lang yun. At saka, dumating na kasi kami sa kung saan mag-cocontract signing.

“News and Current Affairs Department”ang sabi ng door sign.

Weird.

Press conference agad? Bilis naman.

“Wag kang likot, ok Jorraida?” Kuya Jepoy whispered to me as we went in the conference hall, “Let me do all the talking.”

I looked around. Wala pa rin si mama. But I know she’ll come soon. I mean, siya pa? Tamang-tama nga siya eh. Bagay na bagay pala sakin to.