Beauty is relative.
So Lord, open the eyes of my heart.
That i may be able to look beyond what my eyes can see,
and be able to be holy as You are holy,
and to love with the purest love that You have given us. :)
Amen.

Bakoko

Reel Time: Bakoko

URGENT: Create, not destroy

"Cultivation of the arts is an education of the sensibilities, and if we are not given an education of this kind, if our hands remain empty and our perception of form is unexercised, then in idleness and vacancy we revert to violence and crime. When there is no will to creation the death instinct takes over and wills endless, gratuitous destruction.” —Sir Herbert Read
[Therapy through the arts] 

A lot of people hunger for something important to do. Lots of them seek to find meaning. Many, however, are not aware of this need. So what is so important that needs to be done? The answer stems back to the Story of Creation. It is unsurprising, therefore, that by nature man was designed to create and not to destroy. And without a sense for creation, man would revert to destruction. So, in a way, the solution to crime and all the chaos there are, is for man to be reminded that he must create, be inspired by beauty and all that is holy and sacred.

A self-portrait by Australian death-row prisoner Myuran Sukumaran

"The creativity of these paintings is the creativity of life itself: a glimpse of the richness and unpredictability of every human life. To extinguish the life that made these paintings is to cut short someone capable of beauty, passion – all the things we are all capable of. That is not “justice”. It is murder."             [Photo & quote from The Guardian]

P.S. Suggested books by our humanities teacher, sir Jun.

Igo na Day by Max Urban

Papa was requesting this song to be played before he went to sleep.. 

He was recapturing to and with us his "drunken days" with his buddies in Salvacion.. and this was the song they've been singing back then..

Cheers to OPM! ;)

#HappyThoughtsniPapa
Drink just moderately

for July 22

i said to myself, "Today is a good day to be more like Jesus... and to fall in-love."
Hahaha!!

i was feeling so inspired and so positive i was smiling for the first half of my jeepney ride to work.. When suddenly i realized i forgot to put money inside my purse. but i didn't panic right away.. i had many pockets with me. There's still hope. i planned to inspect these pockets and my bags the moment the seats would become less occupied. 10 minutes nearer to my destination, the most unfortunate truth became clear to me - i only had a total of 100 cents with me. In other words, i only had one peso with me and i needed nine more. Thank God i had an idea. i was praying this would work. Reaching my destination where an ATM machine was near, i pleaded the driver to wait for me while i withdraw money to pay him for my fare. At first he didn't get what the fuss is going on.. When i told him about my request again, he just smiled and said that it's ok and i could go without paying. But i insisted. i hurriedly went to the ATM machine. i was there for about 2 minutes.. and when i turned back, the orange jeep - my jeep!!!! -  was already gone!!! Oh my gosh!!!!! i was awkwardly happy that the driver was so considerate to me.. But at the same time i was scolding myself!!! Aaaaaarghh!!! i had been so careless, huh!! But don't you worry, i'll pay his kindness forward and i'll find him too!!!!!

Reaching my workplace and settling down, i played the guitar. Suddenly, two little visitors surprised me - Butoy and Christopher, 5 and 7 y/o respectively. They were playing outside and i think they came in upon hearing the sound of the guitar.. They played the tambourine and the beatbox with me. We all needed more practice, but i think we sounded good enough as of the moment, hehe. :)

Blue guitar. Blue shirt. On an orange wall.

Our friendly neighbor visiting the CYA Center with his little guitar..

Ola, Butoy!! :D

Paul, came to the CYA center because he is my workmate. Reg also visited to study and bond with us. :) Ate Krish also dropped by to fetch her phone. And she gave me a match pick!!! i so, so love it!!! It is mainly made of rubber and i really hope i won't lose it for no good reason! hehe

Travelling back home, i rode the jeepney again. This time i made sure i had money for my fare. We passed by my college school and guess whut!!! i saw my architect-graduate ex-crush together with his two former classmates. He was wearing a gray shirt and he was laughing with them so naturally and genuinely that i realized he was not my ex-crush after all!! Bec i still had a crush on him up to now!! Wow! Hahahaha!!

At home, i was so blessed to be able to bond with my parents and my siblings. i joked around with Lyn & Kar while they were busy with their school works, and i watched Bisaya videos with Ma and Pa.. It was a simple but special night. i just think we need to pray more.. :)

The day to be more like Jesus and to fall in-love will not be cut short to just a day. :)
Salamat, Lord! Mabuhay! :)

Epilogue
The day after July 22, i again planned to ride the jeepney in going to work. i was late. Nonetheless, i was on time to ride the same jeepney with the same driver who gave me a free ride for July 22. That time, i was fortunately able to bring enough money to pay for my fare for that ride and for the ride the day before. Thank God for allowing me to give what is due the driver.. hahaha! :D oyea..

What can you see?

i can see a method of letting small children sound the chime! :)

Early morning adventure

Off to the last day of Mindanao PTI 2015. The morning light radiates about the Chinatown arch as i stand on the side way waiting for a ride.

Overhead lights.

the view from down here

May mga tao talagang sadyang busilak ang mga puso.. And when you meet them, it will just show. :)
i hope i could also be like them. :)

God bless you!

i remember my ex-crush, my humanities and arts teacher, telling us that the museum is a very good place to meet your one true love. 

Sari is an artist. Josh is a musician. 

It's true what they say, the film is adorable.. :) It makes you want to fall in-love.. And it encapsulates the ups and downs and the roller-coasters in-between of love - in this case, young love. :)

Nonetheless, as M. Scott Peck said, love is different from just falling in-love.

Because love is more than all the feels.. It is more than all the sparks that fly, nor the butterflies in our tummies. ;) [See 1 Corinthians 13]

A must-read film review
PBB teens kaayo oii.. hehe.. pero cute. ;)
#Bluemoon

Silang Wala sa Mapa

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” (Mark 5: 21-30)

This documentary shows the reality of life. There really are people who are, in lots of ways, not reached by civilization. It's like they're stuck in the dark ages.. They mainly depend on farming and other simple methods of livelihood. They don't have a proper bathroom, not much healthy food to eat - they basically eat root crops (kamoteng kahoy) everyday and every meal. They're even more of a vegetarian than i am! They have no schools, no hospital, no movie houses, no internet connection. Even if i had to scrap out all wants, they don't even have everything they need.

But the story doesn't stop there. Servanthood saves the day! Dr. Roel Cagape, a volunteer doctor for 25 years in a remote area in Sarangani, together with his team of volunteers, are frequently visiting some of the remote areas and they give medicines and medical assistance for free. And just so you know, it's not the typical medical mission activities that are seen in cities. Because included in their mission are to climb steep mountains and cross lots of rivers to get to these remote areas. And they've been doing these lots of times already.

The sight of these people were heartbreaking. They may have been the "overlooked" part of the society, and i doubt if they could even vote during elections. They cannot taste the luxury of a steady house and the beauty of going to a credible school. But more than that sadness, it didn't quite strike me as much as hope. i was specially touched by how volunteers would even be willing to leave a life of luxury just to reach out to them. Many doctors may choose to serve in comfortable areas, maybe lots may even desire to work abroad. But doctor Roel chose the harder path to serve people whom he could practically not benefit anything from.

Lots of us have ideas, but only very few of us do something. i salute you doctor Roel and the other volunteers. May God protect you in all your missions. And may you touch more and more people to leave lives of comfort. i hope we can all be more like Jesus as we seek not a life of comfort but a life of love, compassion and generosity. :)

i wake a little earlier each morning

By Erin Belieu

to find the trees
are taking prisoners again.

You’re certain that they’re
harmless, benign as a flock
of founding fathers, the same
dignified postures, dropping

gnomish blossoms from
their black palms—

but the missing must go
somewhere when they leave
you. There’s a flicker in
the atmosphere like a second-rate

spy with a pocket mirror,
and the trees,

the trees aren’t talking,
they’ve got nothing to say.

You should get up early.
You should force them

to admit
what could be gone like that.

Thanks to Shannon Fox

Kairos (one of the most wonderful five days of my life - May 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 2015)

These are some of the very hardworking and accommodating staff of CCT. :)

MAKAHIYA PLAAAnt!! :)
a.k.a. Mimosa pudica :)

cutie Ms. CI

Karen and Mae, two inspiring teachers, my sisters.. :)

leaving Manila for the second time :(