Holen

I honestly think
of all the things I become
When I'm with you
I become a marble

You know, the blue kind
With swirly things in it
Because when you look through it
You say you see the ocean

But you know it's just a marble

Goodbye February

You, my butterfly
I caught for myself to love
Lie dead in a jar

The Joy of Christianity

Believing in God does not mean you're weak-minded. You can always know what atheists know. But you can believe on what they don't. 


Believing in Jesus proves you have the guts to give up what you don't know, and what you will never know to a belief that this limited, pain-ridden, unfair earthly existence is not the end of it. 


That there's something more. 


Something better. 


Something PERFECT.

Don't ever tell ANYONE--and I mean ANYONE--what I'm about to say to you

Ok, so here's the thing. I really, really, REALLY wanna tell you something. I just don't want to say it bluntly. That would be stupid and boring. And I know how you hate that.

No, really. I wanna say it NOW, I just don't wanna come off as cheap. I mean, who would want to know something like that in such an unprofessional, impulsive, uncreative way? I want to say it at the right time, at the right moment and with all the right feelings. Just to make sure I do it right.

I don't know when will that be, and neither will you. I'm planning it to be a surprise. You know, like how the time we flipped your car off the street? Yeah, THAT surprising. Like, AMAZEBALLS surprising. 

And I want you to not think about what I said and just relax and let yourself be surprised. I seriously want to see that cute face you make when you feel like you just shat bricks. Not that I want you to actually DO that. But well, you know, you get my point.

But seriously, I really hope you would be surprised. I mean, you totally deserve to be. I'm your best friend and I want the best for you. And I believe what I'm going to say would be best for you.

Well, I don't know. I mean I WANT to say it to you, but I'm not really sure you'd react and stuff. I mean, it's all mushy and stuff...

Ok, so I'm talking too much again. And there might be that off-chance of you already finding out what this "thing" I'm going to say is. But I don't care. We say things when we feel the rush of our emotions. Ugh. Gross.

Sooo yeah, I gotta go. I'll see you later? Maybe around 5? Whatever. Just text me.

Oh, and yeah, I think we should be together. Bye. 

(I had written this well over 2 years ago for someone. Haha. Youth, so stupid-inducing)

The Filipino Worth Writing For

When asked to characterize literature in the Philippine context, the most conventional way to do so would be to gather them thematically and just describe them by the topics they are about. And because of that, A lot of people would hold no regard for the correlation between the time these literary works were written and their themes. If they had looked more closely at how certain times bring about certain issues, then they would have found that it was more sensible to categorize literary works of art, whether here or abroad, by the time they were written. I did so myself, although not as in-depth as most historians, and I found out that not only were these works time of composition and subject matter correlated, but also the way they were written.

Let’s take for example, the pre-colonial era. Where datus and barangays were all over the place. Their main concern was NOT how they had to live under the oppression of the Spanish friars---simply because these issues were non-existent and more certainly, not their business. They wrote about their biggest issues at that time, their day-to-day lives. They had songs about fishing, poems about childbirth and stories about activities that you might consider today as “extremely mundane”.

 "Where's the bloodshed? There's no bloodshed?"

They had little problems, or more appropriately, problems that had a smaller range of influence. They were concerned with their own villages and so, had a very limited variation of topics they could write about. This constrained environment also affected HOW they wrote these works. Since they had their own villages to mind, they never found it feasible to interact with distant villages and share customs with them (except when their fighting against each other). Which lead to them enjoying their own little ways of expressing their creativity in their most conventional method---which, unfortunately for us, tended to be in ORAL form.

That, and a whole lot of booty shaking.

And so, the Spaniards came. They came and colonized our country, took over our government, mistreated our people, and engaged in constant war with us. Along with this came 333 years of angst-y writing, despising the Spanish rule and vowing that one day, we shall indeed be free from the “fell clutch of circumstance” (well that was from a Victorian poem, but you get my point). This actually was good for us Filipinos. We were introduced to new forms of literature, new ways to write things, and new things to write about. So, in a way, that Spanish colonization became beneficial for us---although in aspects not many Filipinos have learned to appreciate.

Well, depends on your definition of "Appreciate".

After the Spaniards, came the Americans. And they gave us English and the works that come with it. And that was mainly their biggest contribution in terms of literature in the Philippine context. We were taught how to speak and write in English and in return, we gave them works of art written in English  And aside from that, we also got to write about the many American exploits our people witnessed. Such as:

...well, I think it'd best if we move on.

And so, here we are, post-colonial Philippines. We have our government back, we finally have been recognized as an independent country and have gotten rid of our colonial roots, or have we? We have gone up from having such a limited variety of topics to talk about to having history records worthy of an Oscar for “Best Screenplay”.  We can endlessly talk about our country and still catch some attention. We cannot bear to leave our colonial roots behind as it was what opened our eyes and our imaginary brain-doors to what the world wants to read about. These bloody invasions MADE us who we are. And I believe THAT is something worth writing about. 

2013 FTW

This year will be the best year of my life so far. I don't know why or how, but it will.

This year, I will be happier than I have ever been. I will dream happy dreams and I will achieve them.

This year, I will be at my best.

This year, I will smile my biggest smile, I will laugh my heartiest laugh, and I will hug my warmest hug. I will enjoy this year, because it was made to make me happy. 

This year, my friends will say I look awesome. My parents will say they've never been prouder. And my girlfriend will say she loves me even more. 

This year, I am going to conquer my fears. I am going to be victorious. I will win. Even when I'd lose, I'd still win. 

This year, I will be the best man I have ever been. I will be completely different, yet very much unchanged. I will be filled to the brim, and I will overflow. I will be invincible yet fragile. Independently dependent. Chaotically serene.

This year, I will begin my journey of getting better and better. I will finally start growing, developing. I will finally start. This year. 

And I will be the best that I have ever been.

Will this year be the best year of my life? 

No, it won't. 

This year will be the best year of my life---so far.

Happy New Year, Everyone!

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.