JM's Arsenal of Thoughts

New Blog

2006-07-19T19:34:00.000+08:00

Beginning today, my new blog is: http://juandimarco.wordpress.com Ciao!

His plan for me...

2006-07-09T19:31:00.000+08:00

I don't know if it's appropriate for me to post this here. But currently, I'm having mixed emotions. Knowing that there's already someone that I look forward to seeing since this started... but part of me casts doubts if this is worth pursuing or not...if this is the right time or not... if I am the right person for her or not... but what I don't doubt is that I feel genuinely for the right person. Believe me, this is not easy looking how complicated the situation is for me. Considering that I did not intend to notice that person when I knew her and this is bothering me so much that I'm writing it down at this very moment and I'm tired the whole day. Never did I imagine that this will happen candidly. I never even thought that this time, I'm now contemplating of a firm plan in response to the obviously potential threat. I could not really imagine why this is happening and people who know me well know that I rarely talk about issues like this. There may be risks involved but I'm leaving it all up to Him that I make a bold resolve. I ought to pray harder for answers and courage. Whatever it is that He tells me, my next actions will just speak about it... He won't make me feel this if it ain't part of His plan. Whatever it is that will happen, it's all part of His best laid plan for me. This seems weird but oh yes, I'm OK.

June 06 Events

2006-06-30T22:18:00.000+08:00

6.11.06 Lord’s Day Celebration
It was the Lord's Day Celebration and finally the CLP is over! It was very memorable moment in my life as a member of SFC knowing that it's the first time that I led the service team in the Christian Life Program (and hoping that the next one will be in CFC, hehe). God tested me by giving me challenges in all aspects of my life and my only response was my submission to Him. I might have been weak in some occasions but it was on those moments that God allowed me to see His strength and power over me. As this experience gave me a lot of discoveries, I led the worship in the Lord's day with too much vigor and really felt God moving me that moment. The CLP experience gave our chapter 7 wonderful harvests. I thank God for this and I thank everyone from my chapter for teaching me to be strong for Him.

6.18.06 Cherifer Tour
The weekend after the CLP, service was still intense. We were required to attend the GK Congress last Saturday and more than the fun, I was in awe realizing how this work of nation building that I am involved with has ultimately transformed the lives of many. After that, TA, JB, and I went to Vista Verde because I was invited by the Karangalan Chapter to give the talk on Life in the Holy Spirit in their CLP. I was thankful because God entrusted that topic to me and what motivated me is that the Cheriboys were in full force to support me. The best part was after the talk, we had quite a long walk since there were few trikes passing by. We used that moment to talk about so many crazy stuff, including our formation and our special powers. Hahaha! After that, we went to the Lord's Day Celebration of the Brookside chapter and then went to the session proper at PA's new home in Monte Vista. The issues we discussed were really sensitive and all the more that I'm appreciating this group for everyone's truthfulness to each other.

6.19.06 Father’s Day 2006
Celebrating Father's Day when Papa was still with us was so consistently crazy. He would usually buy cake for himself in the morning but in the dedication part, it's mentioned that it came from all of us (I guess it was safe to include himself, hehe). For the past 6 years, I visit him at the cemetery on Father's day but this time I was alone. It was fine, though and to me, it was a father and son session. I truly miss him and the way we celebrate Father's Day and I guess my siblings feel the same.

6.30.06 2nd SFC Global Leaders’ Forum
I recently attended the 2nd SFC Global Leaders' Forum that was held at the Tagaytay International Convention Center (same venue as the Tobit's weekend, the frist venue though, was at DAP Tagaytay). We were there in the afternoon of Friday, June 30 - and for me, it was a very well-deserved break to take precisely because of too much work in the office lately.

Its target participants are household heads and up across the globe. Now, this was the best conference I have been to. All talks were empowering and served as my wake up call as God's servant leader. The talks had a good manner of convincing everyone how to live a life as a genuine SFC leader. Here, I was able to evaluate my purpose of being here and realized how God can become successul in His mission on earth through this ministry I am in. I really felt His presence in me, His love, His mercy, and the happiness that can only come from Him through this conference. until now, I still feel high for the feeling and empowerment that the conference gave me.

Third's Birthday

2006-06-03T23:08:00.000+08:00

Let this post be my tribute to my one and only brother...

Just today, my family celebrated the 16th birthday of my younger brother, Third. It was a simple celebration yet a lot of his friends were here and surely made my brother happy. We prepared some food and Ate Jhett and Kokoy came to the house. Third is so dependent to me for a lot of things, together with my older sisters, I'm one of his guardiands and by default, acting as his father. Despite my father's death for almost 7 years now, I still can't forget Papa because of Third... for he is my dad's living replica!

I remember him being a naughty fat kid before who just played along the street the whole afternoon and can't sleep without me beside him in bed. I remember that before we usually go to sleep, we would talk about a lot of crazy things and we will only sleep until we get tired of laughing.

Now, he's a teenager, taller than me, excels in school (he's in the student council and a consistent academic topnotcher), dances like a pro, an athlete, plays the guitar really well, and oh, as handsome as his kuya. Haha! As he grows old, I can see a bright future ahead of him for he achieves independently. Oh well, this brother of mine inspires me so much and I do thank him for a lot of reasons...There are a lot of things I learned in life because my sisters and I are taking care of him.

Third has shown strength of character, humility, and starting to grow up as an obedient young man. I laud him for his resilience as he was exposed to the odds of life at a very young age but did not submit himself to vulnerability. All of these make me proud as his kuya.

Third, I have so many things to thank you for that you might not know of and I can only reciprocate this by continuously standing by your side. And even though you're taller than me, kuya will still protect you.

Tobit's Weekend

2006-05-31T18:40:00.000+08:00

The pics will follow, Blogger is having issues with uploading images.

Last May 27 & 28, I attended the Tobit's Weekend participated in by household heads of SFC and CFC East A sector and its main intention is to empower the leaders of both ministries. Its objective basically served its purpose and indeed, it was an eye-opening event. I realized that the challenges I encounter in service aren't just happening to me but to other people as well and moreso that it's more complicated in other ministries. Overall, it was fun, inspiring, and ultimately moving.

Oh well, I couldn't just recall everything in detail because a lot of things happened in a span of two days. The key events are as follows:

Powerslam
Hell yeah, embarassing as it may seem, but I danced during the conference. I did so out of sheer obedience since I don't dance to perform coz I know I'm not good at it, I just dance when I go on gimmicks coz many people can cover my dance steps in a large crowd. Hehe... Powerslam was about worshipping God through dancing and this is why I said yes despite my apprehensions. Anyway, we devoted almost two weeks for the practices and we danced to the tune of "God Is Enough". The practices were so fun and I was able to establish new friendships with other people from our sector. Good thing 4 of my chaptermates were with me (Ria, Kenneth, Ate Dothy, and Jacque)and two cherifermates (Ryan and TA). Indeed, the practices were not just fun, but paved the way to "new discoveries" as well (enough said). Come Saturday morning, we were the 1st group to perform and it was obvious that our group just had fun. Looking at the performances of the titos and titas in CFC, they really spent a lot on their costumes. Finally, we managed to do it and we're done! It was another memorable event in my life as an SFC member coz this service was really done out of obedience (and I said it again, haha).

Super-Empowering Talks
The talks in this conference primarily gave a reality check to the participants. The talks were focused on the sacrifices that servant leaders face as they offer their lives to the Lord. What made it empowering is that despite the differences in the discussions of each of the talks, everything was geared towards convincing the participants to gain confidence in service since the Lord is the one who has called us into this mission. That we just have to constantly heed His call for His sake as it's tantamount to finding light.

Some conversations
Few months have passed since JB and I had a long conversation. We usually do this when we were new in the community. Due to our busy scheds lately, our conversations were limited to just giving the gist of the stories. On Saturday night, we finally had a really long conversation and told so many stories to each other about the new things in our lives. Yes, a lot of things have happened in our lives which we just knew that night. We finished when everybody was already asleep. The next day, I had a chance to talk to Tita Lulu, the mom of PA(he wasn't in the conference since he had training in the office. She told me how extremely thankful she is to us (Cherifer Boys), being her son's close friends. That I never thought would be something that would have an impact to her knowing that in the group, we just all accepted the uniqueness of each other, be our natural selves but as brothers in Christ,we constantly remind each other of the basic things we ought to do as His servants. Maybe the last one was something that Tita Lulu really liked about the group. I told JB, TA, and Ryan about the conversation and after they heard about the exact words of Tita Lulu from me, we all literally said "awwww" and patted each other at the back. Until the next day, we were still in awe for what we heard. But it just didn't make us feel good, it inspired us to hold on to our responsibilities for each other.

Brother Beteng
Beteng has been in the community for more than 10 years already but I attended more conferences than he did. Oh, in fact, the Tobit's weekend was the first conference he attended. He was the chapter's life during the conference...the big brother...the game master....the stand-up comedian! What else can I say? I just hope that Beteng will always be in the conferences.

Graveyard Shift

2006-05-25T19:24:00.000+08:00

Everybody knows that I’m working in a call center. But contrary to the norms of this industry, I report on day shifts simply because I’m part of the HR Department. In working for Sykes for almost three years now, I had an initial feel on how it’s like doing a graveyard shift when I was required to attend a meeting with the accounts that will start at 12 midnight! I can actually go home after the meeting but after realizing that I’m not entitled to overtime pay, I decided to work after the meeting and take an 11 PM to 8 AM shift instead (I have reports that don’t require me to talk to different people anyway).

Upon plotting my schedule, I decided that I have to leave the office at exactly 4 PM so I can sleep before attending the meeting come midnight. I was home by 5 PM and I was so damn pissed for I was so unsuccessful in my attempt to sleep for a few hours.

I arrived in our Burgundy Site by 10:30 PM so I had a chance to respond to my emails before going to the meeting. While doing that, I was chatting with Corinne and she sought my help in searching for the resume of one of her applicants in Jobstreet and I was able to assist her in what she needed. After which, she told me a very shocking news…that Chichi (my team member) is pregnant! I was surprised to find out that what started as a joke actually happened! I never thought that I’ll be approving a maternity leave application sometime soon! Hehe, I’m happy for her but I was just shocked since I have to do some adjustments with my staffing needs while she’s taking her ML.

And so the meeting with some of the account managers, Gracie, and Chichi already started. Surprisingly, I was very active in the meeting and never felt sleepiness. It actually ended earlier than expected. But oh, come 2 AM, I was already feeling sleepy and I kept on going back to the pantry to get some coffee to fight the sleepiness and that time, I was literally wishing that caffeine was intravenously injected into my system. To keep me up, I decided to chat with my friends from Ops but it was only of subliminal help. The sole advantage it gave is that I was able to finish the reports I needed to submit really fast! So by 8 AM, I finally left the office and was home by 9 AM then slept immediately but woke up by 12 noon. I didn’t decide to sleep again to easily get a sleep by 10 PM.

Now I began to appreciate more the employees in the call center industry because the schedule alone is difficult, not to mention the other attributes by which they are evaluated. And oh BTW, I just heard that I might do this shift again in two week’s time….Err!

Baptism Talk

2006-05-21T17:21:00.001+08:00

Awhile ago, we just had our Baptism Talk in our CLP. This is one of the most important events in the CLP because it is here when we dedicate the participants to the Lord and have them receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Just a note, this is different from the sacrament of Baptism since the latter is when the person being baptized officially becomes a Christian, what happens in the Baptism in CLP is what I mentioned in the 2nd sentence.

I remember what I felt when I had my Baptism during my CLP and it felt really moving.

So there I was, so conscious and anxious about the things that might happen during the day. Calltime was at 1 PM and members of the service team were early. It was agreed a week ago that we must have a full worship before the actual event but then it was nearly 2 PM and Alfred wasn't there yet, when I gave him a call, he told me he just woke up since his duty was on a night shift. So I decided that we sing 2 songs (Sure Foundation and Holy, Oh Holy in acapella) so I'll get a feeling of assurance and remove my doubts during the day.

It was cute to see that everyone was wearing white, all members of the service team and the participants alike - it just suits the occasion. After which, I prayed over Tito Raffy since he's the talk giver and JB prayed over me since I'll be giving the minitalk.

And so it began and before the actual talk, I gave the mini talk to prepare the participants for the praisefest that will happen after the talk. It was the 2nd time for me to give this talk since I delivered this when I was a facilitator 3 CLP's ago. Right after that, Tito Raffy delivered the Baptism Talk and the dedication ceremony took place. I felt the solemnity of the atmosphere and God's presence during the dedication ceremony. What was funny though was that when we were all singing our line-up of praise songs, Alfred's nose was so itchy and gave him difficulty playing the guitar (good thing Ate Dothy was beside him to scratch his nose). The praisefest followed and I can say that it was so lively - thanks to Alfred for pulling it off despite the fact that he was so sleepy. And oh, the food was so awesome courtesy of Ate Evelyn - she prepared a seemingly gourmet sandwich that ultimately satisfied my taste buds.

The dedication of the service team inspired me so much because I felt how everyone in our Chapter is so supportive of each other and I don't know how to thank them for this. Thanks to Tito Raffy, too.

What Kind of Soul Am I?

2006-05-15T21:58:00.000+08:00

You Are a Visionary Soul

You are a curious person, always in a state of awareness.
Connected to all things spiritual, you are very connected to your soul.
You are wise and bright: able to reason and be reasonable.
Occasionally, you get quite depressed and have dark feelings.

You have great vision and can be very insightful.
In fact, you are often profound in a way that surprises yourself.
Visionary souls like you can be the best type of friend.
You are intuitive, understanding, sympathetic, and a good healer.

Souls you are most compatible with: Old Soul and Peacemaker Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Mother's Day 2006

2006-05-14T22:48:00.000+08:00

This year's Mother's Day is so special to my family. It's because we never expected that Mama will be staying with us for two days on this occasion. While Third and I were to the grocery yesterday, I received a text message from Mama that she'll be home in the afternoon and will be here until tomorrow morning. She cooked a sumptuous macaroni soup for dinner and we attended the anticipated mass as a family yesterday before leaving for Ryan's birthday celebration.

While I'm writing this, Third and Trian are both giving my mom a massage - very wonderful sight.

Nothing so grandiose about how we celebrated it but her choice to be home on this day makes it so special for me and my siblings.

Ryan's Birthday Celebration

2006-05-14T21:06:00.000+08:00

Yesterday marked the Cherifer Boys' advanced celebration of Ryan's birthday. What happened proved that rain or shine, we will explore all the possibilities just so we can do something for someone's birthday - and we're not that close (hehe). Why am I saying this? Because there were hindrances like:

1) It was signal # 1, most people opted to stay home.
2) JB texted just to inform us that their car won't be available until 10:30. It was more advisable yesterday to have a transpo than take a cab.
3) TA and Ryan lacked sleep for they came from their chapter outing.
4) After finding out that JB's car will be available by 8 PM and after meeting Ryan, PA, and TA at New Ever, I received a call from JB that their car won't start.

But then again, our bondage endured and the celebration continued. We decided to get Ryan's car at their house and fetched JB. We went to Gerry's Grill at the Promenade in Greenhills and had our usual way of conversation (go figure out what I mean by this, hehe)over a few bottles. After which, we went to the Fort to check the Embassy and Jaipur but the entrance fee was just demotivating. So we decided to go to Eastwood instead and went to the Basement.

And to you our brother, the 4 of us will continue praying for everything that's best for you and all the happiness (yup, including our common hope - to have a GG) from our good Lord who made us cute! Just continue clinging to Him.

Jitters in Service

2006-05-07T21:14:00.000+08:00

For the past two weeks, I have been doing an evaluation of myself when it comes to my service for the Lord. I'm afraid to admit that despite the encouragement I receive from my elders in the SFC community, I still am a bit asking myself why some of my goals as a servant-leader in this ministry have not yet materialized. I'd rather not mention here what these specifically are since I'm not blaming anyone why these are happening. Of course I have my shortcomings and there are also external factors why such are happening. The bottomline is, being in a situation where your enthusiasm in service is not reciprocated by actual events sometimes saddens me. I guess I am not alone in this situation and those who have been in the community longer than I did have been in more frustrating experiences than mine.

At the end of the day, things like this still do not and will never hinder me from serving the good Lord who gave me a mission in this community. By God's grace, this too shall pass...

Sykes HR Teambuilding 2006

2006-05-06T21:45:00.000+08:00

Awhile ago, the Sykes HR Team just had our teambuilding for this year. I've been to this session for three consecutive years already and I can say that this year was the most different. Honestly, last year's was more enjoyable for me but it doesn't mean that this year's sucks. It was just different. The differences are these: I didn't go overnight (for the reason that I have a CLP to serve in the day after), some friends are not with us anymore (last year, it was Joseph who left and now it's Archie), and I didn't even swim. See the differences? I'm just the biggest KJ this year.

So, it started after meeting Ebbie, Sunshine, and April in Mercury Junction to hitch with Ebbie going to our Robinson's Summit Site since the bus picked us up there. And the trip going to Tara Farm in Laguna lasted for two hours from Makati. I was part of the red team (just found this out last Thursday)and obviously, I wore red. Upon arrival, Shine, Ebbie, Ellaine, Cyrel , and I decided to have this year's version of Bioman pic. Hehehe...

So the games began and good thing that the pipeline was the first challenge we were in. Here, you had 31 pipes and through this, you have to pour 1 liter of water into one bottle (but you have to do this to 2 bottles). All teams were performing different challenges at the same time with a max of 30 minutes each. The way to determine the winner is which team finished all the tasks the fastest. Afterwards, they declared that the blue team won and we processed the challenges. After that, we had ultra power lunch (tons of food were served) and since I decided not to swim, we decided to go to the farm's patio beside its pond and had some chitchat. By that time, I received a text message from Archie that he's gonna go to the venue but then, I didn't get to see my good friend since come 5 PM, we decided to leave after having snacks.

On the way back home, we asked Dennise about her recent breakup and the girls can't help but ask me of my previous experiences with the women I was involved with, especially the most recent one. And everybody told their stories. Eww, I just hate conversations like this but I enjoyed listening to each of them. I guess this was the most enjoyable part of the day not because of the kind of conversation but because of the realization I had today of my friends' depth of thinking. I was the only thorn among the roses and I can say that these girls are different from the other female friends I have.

It was a tiring day but I had fun. But still, there was just something different about this team building.

Bioman 2006

Bioman 2004 (and I'm consistently Red One, hehe)

Red Team

Chickboy, hehe

Pipeline Challenge

Serious at the Helium Challenge

Crawl Baby Crawl!

Wazzup Wazzup, My Team?

Only Thorn Among the Roses

Mano Po 4

Going back home

Looking Back...

2006-04-22T22:13:00.001+08:00

Pls play the video before reading, the lyrics match this entry :)

The other day, I chanced upon the journal I kept when I was in college. As you may have read my previous posts, that was a very challenging yet very colorful part of my life. What made it challenging is that it was the time of my life when untoward and unexpexcted changes have happened to my family. What made it colorful is that I've experienced a lot of things for the first time during that period.

I don't see the necessity of narrating here the entirety of its content as these are highly sensitive matters (you may talk to me about it though). But just to give you an idea, it was a journal where I wrote all my fears, frustrations, good memories, and oh, most of the things that I hoped for. As I looked back and went through the old journal, I realized that I've already conquered some of those fears and that those difficult times were needed for me to be stronger and know Him better, that I abandoned those frustrations, that there are a lot of what I hoped for that are actually happening now...and that made me smile at those good memories. I also noticed that in my entries where I mentioned some unlikely events, I normally ended up saying things like, "I know that God will help me with all of these someday", "I know we have a God who protects me", and things like, "the Lord will never abandon me...". In my upper household last Thursday, my household head made us pick bible passages where a certain theme was indicated. What I picked came from the book of Job (a book I'm trying to finish now)and the theme of the passage was, "trust in God". Aside from this,

I narrated these experiences

to PA & Ryan (the story isn't new to JB while TA had a bit of idea) the other day when we had a quasi-sleep over.

Looking back and looking at where I am now, I can say that my life is a testimony of trusting in God.

Visita Iglesia 2006

2006-04-15T19:33:00.000+08:00

Last Maundy Thursday, my chapter from SFC had its second Visita Iglesia, our annual Holy Week fellowship activity. As usual, we rented a passenger jeep to make our travel more adventuruous and as to make it befit the season, humble. Ate Jhett asked me to fetch the kids and let them join us since we were fewer than last year. Those who were present were Ate Jeng, Ate Jhett, Kokoy, me, Ate Dothy, Kuya Henry, Graciel, Ate Luz, Jacque, Ria, Anna E, Kenneth, and Ate Evelyn plus Third & Trian. Alfred was there at the meeting place and have we have left at exactly 6 AM, he could have joined but since he had a duty at the hospital by 2 PM, he couldn't manage joining us anymore. The calltime was 6 AM at the Cainta Church and as expected, we left by 7 AM. We all agreed to have two stations per church and that we will go to the different churches in Rizal.

We visited the churches in Taytay, Binangonan (where we met TA, Ryan, and their chapter), Cardona, Morong, Baras, and finally, Tanay.

On the way to Taytay Church

Meeting two Cherifer Boys by accident

Our chapter with Tita Ole

Cainta and Village East Chapters

On the way to another destination

So cute

My siblings and I in Baras Church

With Trian

With Third

My fave altar - Baras Church's

Nice view from there...

Fewer peeps this time at the same spot as last year's

While waiting at the Cardona Church

Kenneth's gettin' jiggy at the Tanay Church

After all of those, we were excited to have our lunch at the restaurant we visited in last year's Visita Iglesia which is Silangan Restaurant in Pililia. When we were finally there, we were disappointed to see that the restaurant was foreclosed. And so we went to Kainan sa Hardin, a restaurant in Tanay instead. We ordered for a meat-free lunch such as inihaw na tilapia, ginisang amplaya, pinakbet, stuffed squid, and sinigang na maya-maya. Our disappointment was aggravated by the fact that the food we ordered came too late but when they were all served, it was worth the wait, after all.

Starving to death

We were not hungry :P

Bite Me!

Going back home, I must say that the climate was humid but I managed to sleep at the jeep because it was an unholy hour and my stomach was full. We were home by 3:30. When I came back I immediately slept and woke up by 7 PM. And I wasn't tired :p, hehe.

Thoughts on the Gnostic Gospels

2006-04-14T18:32:00.000+08:00

My Lenten post will mainly focus on the very controversial Gnostic gospels. These documents were books that were rejected by the early Christian scholars due to their heretic content and inconsistency with the Christian dogma. There are a lot of Gnostic gospels that sprung and received intense notoriety among experts even until this era that in turn, solicited the curiosity of many. And oh, pardon me for the lengthy post but I encourage you to be patient in reading my humble ideas.

The discussion on the Gnostic gospels was revived due to the recent discovery of the gospel of Judas, a book written many years after the disciple-traitor committed suicide. What seems to be paradoxical is that the release of the gospel came during the Holy Week, a season that's very important to the Christian world. The gospel of Judas gives Christ's betrayer a different identity -- that he was the one closest to Jesus and the most favored among the apostles. That his betrayal of Christ was a mere act of obedience to his Master and that the latter asked Judas to do so, so that He can do the will of the Father. The gospel also illustrated that Judas knew beforehand that the consequence of such obedience will make him despised by many for generations but that the Master has a special place for him due to this kind of "martyrdom". Other controversial Gnostic gospels include the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, and many others.

I'm not claiming to be a pundit in scriptures or Church History but instead, I'll view this by taking the perception of an average reasonable educated person. By this I mean, that in order for me to find out whether these documents possess such preponderance or not, the way to objectively view it is by looking at the Gnostic gospels' characteristics to assess the rationale behind the rejection of the said manuscripts.

Please take note that I don't want to argue against the authenticity of these documents (in fact, I agree that these documents were not forged as evidence of the historians' findings) but what matters more is the impact of the content of these documents to Christianity and the potential good it can offer to the faithful. Are there any? Let's carefully examine them...

Three factors must be taken into consideration to know whether there really is a logical explanation to the exclusion of these Gnostic gospels:

(a) consistency with the other gospels and with Christian dogma
(b) values that the scriptures would like to inculcate into the readers
(c) the intention behind the writing of the scriptures

Consistency with the other gospels and with Christian dogma
As we all know, the Bible is used as the Christians' guide as they practice their faith and all the books in the Bible are mostly, interrelated. Take for example that most Old Testament scriptures have spoken on the prophesy of the coming of the Son of Man and the New Testament scriptures on the other hand, have all made mention of the idea that Christ is the fulfillment of the traditional scriptures and the constant claims for His divinity.

Look, the gospels in the Bible have told the same story on how Judas betrayed Jesus. The gospel of Thomas spoke about the child Jesus turning his playmates into a different being but the mainstream gospels, all talked about Jesus using His powers to heal the sick and perform other miracles for the common good. The current gospels consistently told the nativity story presenting the divine conception of Jesus while the gospel of Mary questions such a concept. On the other hand, you have the gospel of Philip presenting Jesus only as a human being and negating the concept of him being a God.

The innate consistency of the 4 gospels is not coincidental. Why? It's because each has different authors and not written at the same period. It is indeed a mystery that albeit the different backgrounds on how these gospels were written, each manifests the same claims and has a common stand on vital dogmas concerning the Christian faith. If this is so, then such consistency just claims an unprecedented truth regarding the story of Judas' betrayal, the purpose that Christ's powers served, the nativity story, and Christ's divine identity. Imagine, what could be the consequence of including these Gnostic gospels into the Bible along with the current four? Such will result in massive disbelief of individuals in Christianity and will greatly weaken one of the main foundations of the faith arising from its content that is inconsistent with the other scriptures and not being in total agreement with the true practice of Christianity.

Values that the scriptures would like to inculcate into the readers
This element is primarily correlated to and at the same time, a bypoduct of the one mentioned above. The Bible only exalts the Almighty and honors those who have humbled themselves for God's pursuits. The Gnostic gospels, particularly the gospels of Judas and Mary Magdalene, on the other hand, both are claiming favored status on the part of the persons by which the said gospels were named after. The gospel of Judas portrays Judas as the closest disciple to Jesus and that he told Judas that the other disciples are worshipping a lesser god. This is not what Jesus preached because from the start of his messianic career, He has claimed that everyone must submit to the same God whom He worships. More importantly that Christ preached the existence of only one God. Secondly, as illustrated in the Bible, that although Christ has treated the disciples uniquely, He did not give a most-favored status to any apostle. In fact, he regarded all of the apostles as friends and with high due consideration to their distinct personalities. Looking at the gospel of Mary, this one showed that Mary Magdalene is the one closest to Christ than all of the apostles. Again, like my stand on the viewpoint taken by the author of the gospel of Judas, this also negates the value of humility that all scriptures in the Bible are preaching. Did the 4 gospels each claimed the superiority of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? The last time I checked, it did not. Thirdly, never did any of the Christian teachings did betrayal was condoned as this is against the values propagated in any scriptures. The scriptures still, have to show the importance of important Christian values and since the Gnostic gospels lack such, I am convinced that its exclusion was justified.

The intention behind the writing of the scriptures
What is the use then of having two scriptures in the Bible wherein its authors have both claimed that either Judas or Mary Magdalene is the one closest to Jesus? Who's who? This just gives confusion to Christians. In fairness to Judas, I can see very well how remorseful he was after betraying Christ but I don't condone the act of committing suicide. And also, I see Mary Magdalene as a very significant Bible character who is a great example of sincere repentance. What I find extremely repugnant about these gospels is that they were not presented under the intention of giving a better understanding on the divinity of Christ.

An article I read regarding this has effectively debunked the intention of Gnostic writing:

You see, Gnosticism was a parasite theology. It latched onto whatever religion was available and rewrote the host's scriptures and doctrines to fit its own unique beliefs. Often, the villains of the original religion were turned into the heroes of the Gnostic variation (and so we often see Cain lionized in Gnostic texts). Furthermore, Christianity was not its only victim... there were also Gnostic forms of Judaism and paganism as well.

Given this, the historical validity written in the Gnostic texts are extremely and constantly under question that's why it doesn't play a great significance to Christianity.

The plead for public acceptance of these gospels is nothing but baloney as its manner of presenting its content does not in any way, have the capacity to make Christians better believers of the faith. With all its inconsistencies and misleading assertions, I then believe that Ireneus (the bishop who rejected the inclusion of the Gnostic gospels) was a reliable anointed person in terms of which scripture Christians should be reading.

I am not convinced by these Gnostic gospels as the current content of the Bible supplements my faith very well...

The (Big) Kids Are Back!

2006-04-10T21:30:00.000+08:00

Oh yeah, my young siblings are finally back for their summer vacation and I'm so excited to see them again. They came home last Saturday afternoon. After a quarter of not being with them, they're here again to spend the vacation with us.

Third gained a little weight but doesn't look bad though and Trian's a bit taller now. Having them around is really fun & gives me a good reason to laugh every minute. Oh well, this is really what you'll feel when you don't get to be with your siblings for a long time...

Third/Trian: Kuya's looking forward to a fun-filled summer! (And a lot of spending too, hehehe)

Moments of Love

2006-04-09T23:28:00.000+08:00

Yes indeed, I watched the movie of Iza Calzado, Dingdong Dantes, and Karylle. After the CLP, Ate Jeng, Trian (my youngest sister who came with us for the CLP), Ate Jhett & Kokoy, Ate Dothy, Graciel, Mariel, Alfred, and I went to Sta Lucia to watch this movie. The plot was kinda complicated because it narrated how two individuals from a different era met as they have agreed in a phone conversation (yup, talking to one another in the cross line yet 5 decades apart from each other), weird yet yeah, that's the plot! To be fair about it, I must say that it's a good film. Each aspect of the film was well-crafted from the cinematography, the story, and the performers were able to portray their characters impressively! As the title suggests, it is a love story, cheesy so to speak, but the plot was extraordinary. What's weird about it is that Alfred was so starstruck with the film and was so giggly even after the movie. Hehe, it's just funny for a man that big to act that way after watching such film.

1st Full Body Massage!

2006-04-08T23:06:00.000+08:00

Remember the other post, when I was ranting about everything? I finally found a remedy to the stressful week that was! TA, Ryan, and I were able to get a massage at the Home Spa. TA & I were talking about work-related stress for the past two weeks and found out from Ryan yesterday that with all the activities at work, in service (we're both team leaders in our chapter's CLP), and social life, we hardly had enough rest. And we just talked about it and to our surprise, the plan did materialize! I met the two at Jollibee Cainta since the spa is just walking distance from the fastfood.

This event showed as if we were playmates who didn't wanna be apart from one another. The massage room can only occupy two customers but we insisted that the three of us be together. At first, the staff were hesitant to accommodate our request but because of our persistence, they eventually gave in. Since it was the first time for the three of us, a lot of funny moments happened. We were wondering if there was a pole inside the massage room only to find out that it was a curtain bar, the idea that we had to wear the parlor's boxer shorts which were a bit skimpy, Ryan's habitual picture taking for his blog posts, the way the masseur (damn it, the one who massaged me was kinda fag) has been hitting on spots where I get easily tickled, TA's masseuse who had nasal speech, and the weird questions we asked to the attendants. The massage was so relaxing and rewarding after all. The three of us had glow in our faces afterwards and forgot how it felt to get stressed. After the massage, we ate at Tapsi ni Mamsi and felt so rejuvenated. How I wish PA & JB were there too. It has to happen next time time with all 5 of us together.

After the massage...

Me

Ryan

TA

PA's Birthday

2006-04-08T13:14:00.000+08:00

Yesterday marked the post-birthday celebration of PA, the youngest (yet who is arguably, the oldest in a certain aspect) among the Cherifer Boys. This birthday celebration of his was simple yet I know how happy he was. Of course, Gian (his GG) was there, and also, the perfect attendance of the Cherifer Boys!

I left the office around 4:30 PM and decided to get a haircut before going home. After which, I took a nap and woke up by 7 PM and left the house by 8:30 PM. I bought liempo before going to PA's place. As I arrived, I found out that I was PA's third visitor to arrive, next to Gian and her brother, Yao. So I had dinner with PA's mom, Gian, PA, and Yao. When I was about to have my desert, TA, and Ryan came along with Chin, a sister from their chapter. Over dinner, PA's mom shared with us her experiences during the Marcos era. A conversation I really enjoyed because I absolutely missed discussions like this (back in college, I discussed politics everyday with my fellow debaters and Papa, being a former student activist, had a lot of stories about Marcos) and that somehow gave me an intellectual orgasm.

Then PA's chaptermates came from their chapter assembly (tsk tsk tsk... PA, why didn't you attend your chapter assembly? hehe). Then came JB and after he had his dinner, we had a few shots of gin and realized that the Cherifer Boys are complete! Ergo, an opportunity for a photoshoot! How many shots were there? I barely can remember...

Our brothers from the Brookside Chapter were wondering (Mike in particular) if our group had a name, and they laughed after finding out there's one! Haha! Talk about subtle exposure. The 5 of us were happy with the quality of our pics coz now, the images are clear. And TA will not give bitter statements against me this time... Anyway, no matter how clear or blurred the images are, we'll all get the same positive comments, it's just that I was the first to receive such a feedback (just kidding, hehe)! Ryan and TA left early for a good cause... Chin had to be brought home early. That leaves PA, Gian, Yao, and I at the celebrant's place. We had a very serious conversation from then on and I was amazed with the way Gian thinks. No wonder, she and PA are both managing a good relationship. After a few hours, we all left.

To you our dear brother, you know how well the Cherifer Boys are praying for everything that's important to you. May the good Lord continue watching over you and may He bring you closer to Him. Ayt! Cheers! :)

Tired! Tired! Tired!

2006-04-04T22:21:00.000+08:00

I wanna get some rest... Pamper myself... Know that there will be more people around to help me on these... My invincibility is just a mere facade... In dire need to breathe more... Have people around to hear me rant... Currently feeling physically weak and exhausted... So many questions bugging me... Wandering thoughts... Wanting to eradicate irritating people... Just want to see my significance on some aspects I handle... Contemplating on what lies ahead... Don't know why these have to happen all at the same time... Lost... Thinking of a temporary escape that won't hurt... Yeah whatever...Hoping for a very relaxing massage... Wanna know how it feels to depend on others again... Wanting to run along a vast football field and jump as high as I could near the goal post...Wanna scream on a hilltop... Thinking of reading a good book while sitting on a beach chair in front of the seashore... Desiring to stop people from asking questions from me everyday... Freakin tired...'Til when? Argh!

Give me a break!

...pardon me, just have to do this....

Birthday & Name

2006-04-02T18:33:00.000+08:00

Here's something I got from Ate Jeng's blog... I tried it for myself too and most of its content speak much about me (although I don't personally believe in these kinds of stuff)...

My Birthday

Click here to know similar details about your birthday

You entered: 11/5/1981

Your date of conception was on or about 12 February 1981 which was a Thursday. (and my suspicion served me right, I'm a Valentine's day baby, my parents just celebrated it in advance, hehe)
You were born on a Thursday
under the astrological sign Scorpio.
Your Life path number is 8.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 8, 11 & 22.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path number 6.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 1 & 5.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 3, 7 & 9.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2444913.5.
The golden number for 1981 is 6.
The epact number for 1981 is 24.
The year 1981 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/5/1981 and ending 1/24/1982.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Rooster.

As of 4/2/2006 6:55:14 AM EDT
You are 24 years old.
You are 293 months old.
You are 1,274 weeks old.
You are 8,914 days old.
You are 213,942 hours old.
You are 12,836,575 minutes old.
You are 770,194,514 seconds old.

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 3.48884540117417 years old. (Life's just a big chewy bone for you!)

Your birthstone is Citrine

The Mystical properties of Citrine

Citrine is said to help one connect with Spirit.
Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Yellow Topaz, Pearl, Diamond

Your birth tree is

Walnut Tree, the Passion (this kinda freaked me out coz this is really true)
Unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egoistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromises. (I can say that this really speaks about me)

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was waxing gibbous.

What's in my name? .Click here to know similar details about your name
Name: John Mark Junio
There are 13 letters in your name.
Those 13 letters total to 60
There are 5 vowels and 8 consonants in your name.

Your number is: 6

The characteristics of #6 are: Responsibility, protection, nurturing, community, balance, sympathy.

The expression or destiny for #6:
The number 6 Expression provides you a truly outstanding sense of responsibility, love, and balance. The 6 is helpful and ever conscientious, making you quite capable of rectifying and balancing any sort of inharmonious situation. You are a person very much inclined to give help and comfort to those in need. You have a natural penchant for working with the old, the young, the sick, or the underprivileged. Although you may have considerable creative and artistic talents, the chances are that you will devote yourself to an occupation that shows concern for the betterment of the community.

The positive side of the number 6 suggests that you are very loving, friendly, and appreciative of others. You have a depth of understanding that produces much sympathetic, kindness, and generosity. The qualities of the 6 make the finest and most concerned parent and one often deeply involved in domestic activities. Openness and honesty is apparent in your approach to all relationships.

If there is an excess of the number 6 in your makeup, you may exhibit some of the negative traits associated with this number. There may be a tendency for you to be too exacting and demanding of yourself. In this regard, you may at times sacrifice yourself (or your loved ones) for the welfare of others. In some cases, the over zealous 6 has difficulty distinguishing helping from interfering. You may have difficulty expressing your own individuality, because of involvement with responsibilities and causes. Like all with the Expression of the number 6, it's quite likely that you worry much too much.

Your Soul Urge number is: 7

A Soul Urge number of 7 means:
With a number 7 Soul Urge you are very fond of reading, and retreating to periods of being alone and away from the disruptions of the outer world. You like to dream and develop you idealistic understandings, to study and analyze, to gain knowledge and wisdom. You may be too laid back and withdrawn to really succeed in the business world, and you will be much more comfortable in circumstances that are tolerant of your reserve, your analytical approach, and your desire to use your mind rather than your physical being.

You are very timid around people that you don't know very well, so much so at times that casual conversation and social situations can be strained. You tend to repress your emotions to the extend that some people have a good bit of difficult understanding you. You tend to be very selective with friends and you don't easily adapt to new environments or to new people very quickly. ---> Again, this is true!

The negative traits of the 7 include becoming too much the introvert and isolated from others.

Your Inner Dream number is: 8

An Inner Dream number of 8 means:
You dream of success in the business or political world, of power and control of large material endeavors. You crave authority and recognition of executive skills. Your secret self may have very strong desire to become an entrepreneur>

My Team's Triumph

2006-03-31T19:35:00.000+08:00

The team I'm currently handling has been stressed for almost two years since all HR units were forced to be very compliant in audit requirements. With only two team members directly reporting to me and having a lot of requirements to comply with, my team's bandwidth could not anymore, sufficiently address the increasing demands for compliance -- but we're forced to do so. This made my team so burned out and since both Ellaine & Chichi have been with the company for 2 years already, they've acquired skills that need them to be given more challenging responsibilities.

I thought of submitting a staffing proposal 2 months ago and part of it is the promotion of my team members and an additional staff member. After such contemplation, I finally decided mid of this month to submit the staffing proposal and integrated any reason I can think of to justify such radical move (including preparing a new job description for their new job title and a calculation of my team's work allocation).

Just last week, I was informed by my boss that we've easily won the approval of our HR Director regarding my proposal! Yup, promoting my team members from HR Assistant to HR Associate and for the additional headcount, we're hiring for an OJT for the time being until we see tangible improvements in the reduction of working hours for my team (and eventually, might hire for a full-time clerk). Last Tuesday, I made my announcement to both of my team members, they were anticipating the approval of the additional staff but they were so surprised to know about their promotion! I just believe that setting a clear career ladder for individuals is a big factor to increase employee retention. This is because employees do not only desire to ean but to learn new things as well. Ellaine & Chi just made my work easy for me considering their stringent workload.

Kudos team, to your well-deserved promotion!

March 18 & 19, 2006 (can't think of a title 'coz of the many events)

2006-03-22T23:57:00.000+08:00

The weekend was fun and fulfilling again. 3 activities last Saturday and 2 activities last Sunday made my body really tired but my morale was boosted.

I felt the need to rest last Saturday morning as I was so busy during the weekdays - with a lot of projects to handle in the office and the requirements needed, my mind was just so damn tired. Good thing that it's Ate Jeng who does all the household chores during weekends as I'm the one doing everything almost everyday.

Anyway, here's a recap of all my activities during the weekend:

BEFORE THAT, MARCH 15 FIRST...
Belated Happy Birthday, Ate Jhett! After my lower household, I went to my sister's place to personally give her my birthday greetings. It was the first time she celebrated her birthday as a married person. Oh well, I'm just wishing a baby for her and Kokoy...and world peace! (hehe)

MARCH 18...

SIBOL MOVING UP DAY
Sibol is the educational program of Gawad Kalinga for toddlers and last Saturday marked their Moving Up Day or graduation day. Some of them have moved up to a higher kindergarten level while the older ones will move to the Sagip program. The Sibol kids looked cuter in their graduation attire. Chin-chin, one of the Sibol kids whom I'm so fond of was so pretty that time and Ervin looked so smart with his well-combed hair. What's so funny was that during the homily, the priest asked, "Kids, when you grow up, where would you spend your money on?", and Ervin responded with a loud voice, "For women!", and the whole crowd bursted into laughter for that kind of response came from a 6-year old boy! JB was swarmed by kids and his bodypain was equivalent to the joy he felt playing with them. Haha, kids these days!

The family of John Concepcion was in the event as well along with the other partners of the GK Selecta San Andres Village. Visiting the GK site never fails to remind me that there's hope for this country!

MMLA MARCH 06
After the event I mentioned above, Ate Jeng, Ate Dothy, Ate Evelyn, and I took a cab to meet our other chaptermates in Tiendesitas. The cab driver shared his love story of himself and his better half on the way there and I never knew that it was a prequel to the MMLA...

The talk was about finding the right GG (God's Gift, this is the term we use in the CFC community for girlfriends or boyfriends) and the talkgiver mentioned that our community is not limiting the concept of GG's to the sacrament of marriage but to other vocations as well like single blessedness and religious life. The sharer was pretty, simple, yet so stunning and I knew that the principles she strongly holds based on her sharing are the values most SFC brothers are looking for in women...take into consideration her colegiala demeanor that turned me on (hehe). She mentioned that if single blessedness is the vocation that God will ask her to embark into, she's gonna be moving in to Handmaids at the age of 30. And when she was about to end her sharing, she mentioned that, "Come next year, I'll crossover to a different ministry... (and paused for a few seconds) Not to Handmaids but to Couples for Christ because the sacrament of matrimony is the vocation that the Lord wants me to enter". JB & I expected that this is how she'll end her sharing with...hehe!

I don't know what God is planning for me right now but I see myself more as married man someday and by that time, serving God with my future family. I know the Lord will reveal to me His plans, in His perfect time.

TA's BIRTHDAY / CHERIFER BOYS' QUORUM
After the MMLA, JB & I hitched with Ate Rosalyn and got off at Junction and headed for TA's place. We came there around 11 PM and the honoring messages for our dear friend were already being said. And when we came there, someone mentioned that the Cherifer Boys are complete already! Finally, we're damn complete! This time, we have JB with us. So all of us had our chance to honor TA and Kuya Nat (he too, celebrated his birthday the same week). We had a sumptuous Kapampangan dinner. After dinner, that's where all the fun began since everybody already left leaving the Cherifer Boys, Kuya Nat, and Anton (not Anto).

I just had a few shots of Tequila and only 2 bottles of beer because of something while the rest enjoyed the overflowing supply. The conversation was so fun! As usual, we had a lot of stories to each other be it serious or crazy...of course there were more crazy ones! After a few hours, Kuya Nat and Anton slept and thus commenced the Cherifer Boys' Quorum! Ryan still gives the best one-liners, PA was the listener this time because JB had a lot of catching up to do since he missed the first overnight and told a lot of his stories the dudes haven't heard of yet, having all these said, that made TA so happy during his birthday. Regarding what we talked about, of course it's exclusive to the Cherifer Boys only. When we all got tired telling all those stories and the seemingly unending laughter, we decided to have a picture taking. Anton woke up and we all left TA's place. I was home by 6 AM and slept.

MARCH 19...

ETHAN'S CHRISTENING
After the worship in MMLA, I saw a missed call from Ate Grace (an officemate of mine) and she then texted me asking for directions going to Brookside Church. She told me that Ebbie's son, Ethan has to be christened ASAP before he undergoes an operation. I was deeply saddened by the fate of Ebbie's angel for he had to undergo a heart operation this early.

So upon waking up at 10 AM (with barely 4 hours of sleep from TA's party), I hurried towards Brookside Church to attend the said christening. Almost all Berks Club (the name of my barkada in Sykes) members were there and good thing I came for I never knew that I'm Ethan's godfather. After the baptism rites, I had to leave so that I can make it at exactly 1PM for the service meeting before the CLP. Too bad I wasn't able to be with my friends at the reception (esp the chance to talk to Archie and Jojie for a longer time since they're not with Sykes anymore).
Ebbie and Joseph's decision to have their son baptized before the operation is an indication of their trust in the Lord. I'll pray hard for Ethan's successful operation next week and I know that God will do what's best for him...

CLP DAY 2
Again, the Lord was so good to us and Talk 1 ran smoothly (no problems with the venue this time). We had 12 attendees and most of them are new. I'm still hoping that those who didn't attend but were in the Orientation talk will come back this Sunday. All praises to our merciful God!

Favorite Bible Verse

2006-03-14T23:26:00.000+08:00

Here's the Bible passage I love the most. It's all encompassing, talks about proper behavior, humility, patience, and trust in the Lord. It's taken from the book of Sirach, one of the Wisdom books.

Sirach 2:

My son, when you come to serve the LORD, prepare yourself for trials.
Be sincere of heart and steadfast, undisturbed in time of adversity
Cling to him, forsake him not; thus will your future be great.
Accept whatever befalls you, in crushing misfortune be patient;
For in fire gold is tested, and worthy men in the crucible of humiliation.
Trust God and he will help you; make straight your ways and hope in him.
You who fear the LORD, wait for his mercy, turn not away lest you fall.
You who fear the LORD, trust him, and your reward will not be lost.
You who fear the LORD, hope for good things, for lasting joy and mercy.
Study the generations long past and understand; has anyone hoped in the LORD and been disappointed? Has anyone persevered in his fear and been forsaken? has anyone called upon him and been rebuffed?
Compassionate and merciful is the LORD; he forgives sins, he saves in time of trouble.
Woe to craven hearts and drooping hands, to the sinner who treads a double path!
Woe to the faint of heart who trust not, who therefore will have no shelter!
Woe to you who have lost hope! what will you do at the visitation of the LORD?
Those who fear the LORD disobey not his words; those who love him keep his ways.
Those who fear the LORD seek to please him, those who love him are filled with his law.
Those who fear the LORD prepare their hearts and humble themselves before him.
Let us fall into the hands of the LORD and not into the hands of men, For equal to his majesty is the mercy that he shows.

CSB IV's and CLP Day 1

2006-03-12T21:54:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I went to CSB to adjudicate debates in the NCR league of the College Intervarsities, a tournament we're hosting after the All-Asians last 2001. The dynamism and passion for the art of debating is more intense with this generation of CSB debaters. It just felt good to see my school once again, remembering key events of my college life as I walk along its corridors. And how funny, each room has the official college poster framed and hanging on its wall and surprisingly, my ex-girlfriend is one of the models in the picure. So I saw her face every room I went to - and she still looks like Kristine Hermosa although she looks more matured this time. Hehe, I wasn't affected though, that issue has been closed already. The debates were fun and once again, the debater in me was resurrected. I still miss the 30-minute prep time, delivering debate speeches, and most especially, badgering my opponents as I raise POI's (points of information). Judging the debates is my way of giving back what I learned from the debating community. Debate is still, the ultimate brain sport, everything else is just a game...

Just this afternoon, the Orientation talk of the CLP was held. Everything was prepared, the songs, song lyrics in the cartolinas, info sheets, nametags, and guess what, members of the service team were early (they were there almost an hour before the calltime), the speaker was early too! And do you know what the only problem was? The reservation of the room was not confirmed! We even found out that not a single room in the lay formation was vacant! And the sole problem was one thing that was freakin hard to solve. Good thing, Jay initiated to negotiate with one of the persons using the room in the 3rd floor. We had our CLP at the corridor of the lay formation and yet, everything ran smoothly as it was planned. Even if looking for an alternative venue was difficult, the CLP was delayed for 30 minutes only, considering the gravity of the problem that was at hand! We had 11 participants this afternoon and I guess I just have to trust God more through prayers so that the number will increase. Thanks to the service team for the support and professionalism they've shown and the encouragement from Kuya Henry, our chapter head. Praise God for making us pull it off! I can say that I'm so inspired to do this task for the Christian Life Program...inspired to go the extra mile for my Lord and Savior!

This I can say, is a very fulfilling weekend!

On Mentorship

2006-03-12T20:33:00.000+08:00

All of us look up to different people. They may be popular individuals who have done so much contribution to the society or someone who has direct interaction with us either at home, at work, or any other group in the pursuit of influencing our formation of value systems and proper way of approaching matters. We call these people mentors - they who have wisdom to be our trusted guides and advisors.

On this premise, I just feel that mentors have great responsibilities over their apprentices. Thus, mentors should not just expect their apprentices to follow...they must foster and understand servantship more than just simply letting people do something. I have mentors who have proven themselves but there are a few who are abandoning the principles they have once made me imbibe. That is deeply disappointing. TA gave me a good idea on how this should be treated: continue embracing the idea but abandon the person (since they lost their moral ascendancy over their apprentices in the first place). Radical as it may seem, but it's the most objective way of looking at it.

For some strange reasons, I am a mentor to some and at the same time, an apprentice of so many people. And living in these two identities at the same time, I just got ideas on the basic expectations of apprentices on their mentors. But pls, I don't say that I'm a perfect mentor myself but I guess these can be reminders we must tell ourselves being mentors to some. Let me share some of these:

*Don't lead for the sake of prestige.
*Earn your mentorship.
*Always explain why something should be done.
*Be subtle in treating affirmations from your apprentices - they might be invisible ammunitions.
*It's normal to have favorites BUT it must be limited to appreciation of the individual. NEVER show favoritism as you might be unaware you're already enslaved.
*Never justify your inconsistencies.
*Be faithful to the practices and values that you advocate for. This is how you maintain your moral ascendancy. If a paradigm shift may seem necessary, show how choices were weighed.
*A simple form of encouragement or a few words of appreciation for a job well done won't hurt. Keep it simple. Yet, don't forget that simple as it may seem, they may matter a lot and will make your apprentice go the extra mile.
*Maintain your composure and objectivity in giving criticisms.

Since childhood, I was convinced that there are only 3 men who will be my best mentors in my entire lifetime: Papa and my two grandfathers (Lolo and Tatay). These men have unquestionable strength and integrity of character. Aside from these uncanny traits, they served their families with so much affection, not to mention how faithful they are to the Lord above. Let these statements serve as my humble way of honoring them. Papa, Lolo, and Tatay, I just can't find any reason for me to stop looking up to the 3 of you.

College Friends...

2006-03-09T21:08:00.000+08:00

I truly miss my college days. Having to spend college in DLSU-CSB is a part of my life I do cherish so much. You'll appreciate people from different backgrounds and personalities. Not all people in CSB are conio contrary to the sterotypes against my school and oh yeah, there are a lot of smart people as well (that's why I studied there in the first place). Those were the times when my idealism was so hyped and when my social circle was so huge and had a lot of barkadas. I'm telling you, I have sets of friends every corner of the campus. Maybe that's the consolation you'll get from being deblocked after shifting to another course and being a very active person in extra-curricular activities.

I had 3 main groups, my 1st barkada in my original block (from my 1st course), my debate family, and the Ohh Soo Boys - my thesis mates.

In my 1st barkada, we were known to be the group of bratty dudes who did nothing but do harsh comments on people we don't like. We were a bunch of people who go on gimmicks even on weeknights and stay in a condo or go to Tagaytay for drinking sessions during our long breaks. Despite our penchant for fun,those guys have never ceased giving me good pieces of advice. They were with me when I mourned for Papa's death. The last time I met them was Oliver's birthday party last year and Paolo was there. But then, there were only 3 of us and missed Roel and Jun.

Oh, how can I forget the CSB Debate Society? This is the org I focused on and served twice as president and team captain. More than an org, it has been my family. I had mentors and eventually after a year or two, had people under my tutelage. It is here where I realized that one must learn to respect in order to beget respect in the future because of the buddy system. It is here where I discovered my potentials as I have been triumphant in some tournaments. A few of my fondest memories were our trips to Canada and Thailand (I still can recall that the latter was more fun although I experienced my 1st winter in the former). The bonding was so strong and the CSB and La Salle Debate Societies have shared with me my joys and they have seen me at the time I was so depressed. Shoulders to lean on were left and right and had no nonsense conversations with those guys around. I still can remember what we usually do after training: go to Starbucks Taft, sleep over at Bombit's condo at Providence and have some drinking sessions, do some hakaw hunting at Wai Ying, our fave Chinese resto in Ongpin, or go to CCP and talk about the usual stuff . Being in the Debate Society is more than just an intellectual pursuit but behind it is an incomparable bondage. I still miss the CSB All Stars... Christian and Luigi, my partners who kicked a lot of asses with me in Thailand! That historical 5-2 win-loss record and the best rookie team award we almost have gotten! After beating "the" Ateneo the first time we went up against them in Thailand and the next day, all teams were approaching us thinking how a rookie team has managed such victory! How can I forget those events? Sigh, those days...Now that I'm in the corporate world, I feel that there are some things that I once ascribed to that have already been corrupted by capitalism (that of course, I had little control over and it's another story). This is why I feel the need of supporting the Debsoc this Saturday to adjudicate in the tournament we are hosting. Seeing how strong the Society is today just makes me proud of the sweat and tears we have shed before. Let me recall all of them... Bombit, our pure-blooded Lasallian coach who usually says that if he slashes his wrist, green blood will drip, the most respected Filipino debater of all time; Clem, my long-lost cousin (we have the same surname and just knew each other in the Debsoc) who established the Junio dynasty in the Society, was an SFC member and is now in CFC with his wife; Rino, the person who has the same wavelength as mine in terms of giving descriptions to people; Russell, he's so everything (according to him); James, our #1 asshole; Sarika (I call her babae while she calls me lalaki, our terms of endearment)- the walking megaphone in CSB; Luigi, my partner who chased Thai sisters with me in the hotel; Christian, my first debating partner who also was my first partner in crime; Moppet, you just had a good career in adjudicating and the coolest gal in the Society; Joel, the sloth of all sloths; Lee, my sweetest daughter in the Debsoc; TL- my 1st mentor who taught me the principles of communism while at the same time showed me the benefits of being a capitalist in all occassions (how old is my blackmail, TL?hehehe); Duffie, you're weird but you're cool!; Lem, the barbero of all time; Migs, I miss the bell at your house and your preppy tone (hahaha)!

And of course, my dearest thesismates...the Ohh Soo Boys! For some people, their thesis days were hell but for Toch, Paul, EJ, and myself, it was just so fun! These friends of mine have never ceased to amuse me. How our group was formed was so bizarre. Toch and Paul are blockmates and they became close to me when I took most of my major subjects from their block. So I asked the two if it's fine if they become my thesismates and they did not show any hesitation of accepting me. Also, Toch and I were usually together during the meetings of student leaders. When I was looking for potential groupmates, EJ haphazardly mentioned that he's interested in getting me as one of his groupmates. I knew him because he was a legislative rep of our batch in our Student Council when Rino was president. There can be a max of 4 people in a group so we were in search for another one. We targetted getting this chick to be our thesismate in the intention of being in her company until late evenings or even for sleepover, hehe. But then, she flunked the subject that was a prerequisite to the thesis. When I came back from Toronto, there was a note from EJ in our org's cubicle asking me if I'm still interested in doing thesis with him. I asked Toch and Paul if they're fine to have EJ as the fourth member but Paul was kinda hesitant since he and EJ had negative impressions on each other because their high school friends were enemies. And so the group was formed. We almost lived in Tochi's house for two terms and had the happiest bonding moment there. Reading documents out loud (with a suggestive tone), EJ's monthly subscriptions of FHM, Tochi's archive of visuals, and Paul's funny excuses which we all just accepted. And of course, our logbook - I'm thinking that the writer of Mean Girls got the idea of the burnbook from us. That logbook is what we keep up until this very moment for a lot of people will hate us for its content. I remember safely guarding it when Tochi accidentally brought it to school. And oh, enjoying Novellino's while doing research and encoding the content of the thesis. We never fought when we were working on our thesis - an occurrence that happened to most groups. These guys have just uttered the most perverted statements of all time yet have shown me what brotherhood really is. These guys were around when things in my family were becoming shaky. We still find time to be with one another although I don't get to see Paul & EJ that often. Toch is an officemate so I don't miss him, hehehe!

That was the peak of my youth and the people around me were just plain awesome!

New Stuff for the 1st 2 Months of 2006

2006-03-01T18:59:00.000+08:00

Since my recent posts have been about how I felt, let me share some significant events that transpired lately:

SFC - ILC 2006

I just attended my 1st Internaltional Leaders' Conference as a member of Singles for Christ. This is actually the 3rd conference that I've been to - the first two were regional conferences called the Metro Manila Leaders' Conference. The venue was great, I came back to Baguio after almost 7 years and I remember that I was with Papa when we passed through Baguio on the way to Banaue Rice Terraces.

The temperature reminded me of Toronto when I just got out of the city's airport. The one in Baguio is basically similar to the highest temperature I experienced in Canada. I never imagined that the same coldness can be experienced here in the Philippines. And I'm telling you, I wore a thick jacket and the scarf I used in Canada was do damn useful! My chinito features plus the jacket and the scarf justified my household head's statement that I look like a member of F4 (hehehe).

Enough of the place and the temperature and let me just talk about my experiences in the conference. Well I came there along with my chaptermates, our attendance was higher this time compared to the last conference in Subic. The downside was, we were only 5 boys who were there, the consolation that I have is that Jon, a member of my lower household, was there - he's someone I'm closely watching right now due to his intense need of emotional & spiritual healing. The bonding moments of the whole chapter was awesome - I began to appreciate the distinct personalities of the other members who I rarely had the chance of talking to. JB (my best buddy in SFC) and I haven't had bonding moments prior to the ILC and so the conference gave us chance to share thoughts and go to places in Baguio with Jon. The trips were fun, having the opportunity to shop in the ukay-ukay capital of the country was incomparable! It was also the first time for me to go to a non-airconditioned mall (of course, the temperature in the area can justify it)!

I came to the conference bearing so much guilt and felt the need to cleanse my thoughts and my spirit. I was so happy to see a confession booth and at that time, decided to reconcile with the Lord. The sacrament of penance(whose sanctity I once doubted for years), was very healing!

Believe me, I remember the 1st talk very well when we were asked to approach the people who brought us to SFC and made us stay in the community as an act of affirming them. And gracious coolness, the warmth of embraces I received from the people around me just fought the cold and gave me goosebumps that night! Add up the exchange of text messages between me and Ate Jhett (she and my brother-in-law just moved in to Couples for Christ after getting married that's why she wasn't there)when I told her words for the first time. What made me happier was my conversation with Jon on the way back home when he told me that he realized that the Lord loves him so much and that it's in Him where he can only find strength and security. I was so amazed hearing those words from him...hehe, just a proud household head!The conference, I must say, was a memorable destination in the long spiritual journey I decided to start almost 2 years ago. Not only that the talks made me more convicted as an SFC member, it also taught me how to love the Christian way.

Career
I was promoted last November and was given a role with higher authority. Normally, promoted employees in our company would have to be evaluated for 6 months and upon confirmation, will have their salary adjusted to the rate commensurate to the position. I was recently informed by my boss that she will grant me early confirmation. Thus, blessings have been overflowing and I'll be receiving my increase soon! I never knew what extraordinary thing I did when I honestly thought I only did what was expected of me. I just have a very appreciative boss and truly, the team members I'm handling are smart and hardworking. Ellaine and Chichi just inspire me to hold on!

Project: CLP
It is a tradition in SFC that someone has to attend the Christian Life Program (a 13-week seminar held once a week designed for aspiring members) as a prerequisite to membership. In the first CLP that our chapter will be hosting this year, I was discerned to be the Team Leader. Such task is not an easy one, not because I have to please my elders, but I have to allow God to use me for Him to be successful in bringing more people back to Him. I opt not to mention what effort I've done but I'm just taking confidence for the Lord to help me what I intend to do for Him. I don't even know what's gonna happen here but I know that since this is His work, the only definite outcome is His success!

Here's the banner that we hung at our parish's fence:

Codename: Cherifer (Hehehe)
Thanks to the GK News Bureau, I have recently established strong friendships with interesting people from the sector. Now, my service is not just limited within the confines of my chapter. In the bureau, it's TA and I who initiated this new form of service in our sector and corollary to this is that we just usually talk about service. One time, we decided to have a one on one session in Sidebar Cafe and shared so many things about ourselves. We were amazed with what each shared and TA's philosophies (might not necessarily the same as mine) are worth listening to. The bonding moments were followed, I attended the birthday party of someone from his chapter, and the day after, had dinner with him, PA, and Gian, the next day right after the speakers' workshop. Prior to the dinner, TA texted his mom where we're going and who he's gonna be with and his mom replied, "ok, make sure you buy Cherifer" and that message gave us a good laugh. (Cherifer, by the way, is a growth-boosting vitamin for kids these days)

The week after, all advocates and beneficiaries of Gawad Kalinga, celebrated the program's 3rd anniversary. An activity was held in each GK site and in the afternoon, was the concert at the QC Circle. During the concert, TA, PA, Ryan, JB, and I were together and sharing some stories and some people from our sector just noticed a common factor among the 5 us: we're all cute in terms of height, not to discount the face value (haha, gotcha!)!!!

Anyway, in the middle of the concert, we went to TA's place (except JB but Ryan followed after a few hours). The four of us had serious and crazy conversations and come 12 midnight, called up JB to greet him on his birthday. After a few minutes, the session resumed and we were laughing up until we got asleep. After breakfast, we played bluff using "cherifer cards" - these are small playing cards and please respect my decision to conceal the funny accusation against the loser... Hahaha! Those were two days of fun and sharing unique convictions... a company you'll really treasure! Long Live the Cherifer Boys!

Abhorring Solitude

2006-02-20T22:41:00.000+08:00

Just like what my friend, Teki mentioned, things have to be interpreted on your own terms. The idea of being alone is not an exemption as it may have different meanings and contexts. Although one's initial perception of this concept would be "not being with somebody for a certain moment", certain terms must be used to be able to know the exact thought that one wants to convey. For example, independence is different from exclusiveness as the latter implies undividedness while the former pertains to liberation or not being reliant of others.

Others might view it as an opportunity to do whatever they wish to - a usual undertaking being done by people who are so obsessed with independence. For they take advantage of this situation by doing things that will make them "enjoy life" - an act that is associated to extreme stupidity.

As I grow up, I never thought that I'll gradually realize that there are things that I can do that made me less dependent of others. But apparently, other circumstances have influenced my being in this situation and sometimes, made me feel empty.

I sometimes feel that there are 2 factors that make me in a solitary state right now. One would be the fact that my young siblings are away from us while there's school and my mom not staying home (although we have reconciled with her, she's not yet staying with us but I know that one day, she'll be back). To add up to this, Ate Jhett (my eldest sister) just got married and thus, having only Ate Jeng and I at home and I'm always looking forward to the kids' vacation from school. Another reason would be the fact that it's been years since I was in a relationship...darn, as much as I don't want to admit it, but I guess it's still different when you're intimate with someone. I believe it's normal for a man at this age to feel like this and that playing around isn't in my vocabulary anymore...there's a level of depth and a bit of humor that we ought to look for in a person more than just receiving companionship. For if I'm satisfied in both, then the companionship would be worthwhile. But of course, I still enjoy the sight of pretty women I get to see around and hang out with...and those are just the times when I forget about depth! Hehehe!

I never knew that independence might result in occasional feelings of solitude. Solitary moments when you think of your burdens and can't resist comparing your life with that of others and thinking about a hassle-free life when you were younger. But I have accepted that things have to happen like that and despite this, I still have the capacity to battle such feelings that occasionally haunt me.

Anwyay, I hope no one would get me wrong. I might feel lonely sometimes but it doesn't mean I'm having self-pity. Hey, I'm happy with my life, the people around me, and I'm blessed in so many ways. I just felt that sometimes, I have to acknowledge moments and emotions like these as they remind me that I can't solely rely on myself to satisfy my other needs.

Sometimes, it is in solitude that I become the person that I am not and entertain thoughts that make me pessimistic about my perception of life. Oh well, I'm just thankful that whatever happens, a lot of people have been so supportive of me.

I'm just fortunate enough that I have never been imprisoned by this thought that I abhor...

Burning Desire

2006-01-30T23:13:00.000+08:00

Right now, I can't explain the sudden rush of thoughts running into my fingertips for I feel an affection that lifts my spirit up.

Yes indeed, it is the Lord who gives me this feeling right now. Just today, I had two one-on-one sessions with two of my members in my household (a group of individuals I handle in SFC). I didn't know what impact it will have on the souls that God entrusted to me but after the sessions, I immediately acquired a feeling that made me feel so intimate with my Creator. For those who knew me for a very long time, you might think that it's not so me to say this but it's true. What's certain is that He wants me to do something for Him that might be difficult but His success will endure no matter what the cost will be. He died for me and the only thing I can do is to never cease heeding His call and to constantly thank Him for everything He gave me and for everything that He is in my life. Certainly, I've never been perfect and so is my life; but the only possession that I can be proud of is His love for me...the most valuable possession that I own that is never difficult to share.

God has made me surpass all my trials and He is helping me with my struggles. The Lord has expressed His great love for me through inviting me to Singles For Christ, my Catholic prayer community that has brought so many souls back into God's midst. I pray for His continuous presence in my life. But I'm more hopdeful that He would bring back all His people into His arms.

If this feeling makes me happy right now, I'm wishing that it never leaves me... for this elation gives me a sense of security. And I do hope that everyone feels the same...

A Different Christmas Eve 122405

2005-12-31T16:29:00.000+08:00

Here's something I wrote last Christmas Eve. Just posted this today since I didn't have Internet connection that time.

Here you go:

It’s exactly 8:42 PM and it’s the 24th of December in the year of the Lord 2005 and yes, it’s a Christmas Eve as the title suggests.

Indeed, there’s always something new every Christmas Eve. 6 years ago, I remember celebrating the 1st Christmas Eve without Papa- the year of his death. 4 years ago, I was busy packing up for my 1st trip abroad (for an international debating tournament in Canada) on a Christmas Eve. On the same year, it was my first Christmas having a lover. A year after, we celebrated Christmas without Mama due to the drift we had. The succeeding year, it was a Christmas Eve when sparks of forgiveness have shown; yes, it meant celebrating Christmas again with my mom. Last year, I celebrated Christmas in our new home for we sold our big house after living there for 21 years. This year, it’s Christmas without my eldest sister as she just got married last week.

Truly, the universal truth about life is that change is the only constant thing in this world. Not to mention that it usually happens when you least expected it.

What happened in the past Christmas Eves are merely a depiction of whatever has transpired in my life over the years. These were moments that I never thought of happening. These were moments that have given me different reflections of life and its mysteries. It is also during the past Christmas Eves that I had different chances of knowing how I can touch the lives of the people who are important to me. So much so, that these moments gave me an opportunity to know myself better.

The one thing that I love the most about having these realizations every Christmas Eve is that it’s the time of the year that shows me the icon of hope – the Child in the manger. It just basically means that the Lord keeps on reminding me that no matter how difficult life may seem, He will always be beside me to engage these changes. That no matter how triumphant I can become, the same Child in the manger is giving me a message that humility is still the most striking virtue there is – for he was not born in a comfortable situation like most of us and yet the whole world has rejoiced for His birth.

There’s just something about Christmas Eves and the major changes in our lives. Maybe because the Lord was born to give us hope and He just gives us a brand new hope each year – that’s why every year, we embark into something different.

I wouldn’t know how I’ll be spending the next Christmas Eve. But it’s gonna be a great one coz it’s the Lord who planned it for me.

1st Post

2005-12-31T16:17:00.000+08:00

Damn! After all these years, now I knew what blogs are for. Hoping that you enjoy this blog but I just wanna make it clear, that I don't even care if you find some of these disinteresting (hehehe).

Have a good one!