Terrorist

I read from the paper last Sunday that the verdict was given to the three suspects of the Rizal Day Bombing last 2000. All three were convicted guilty of multiple murder, multiple frustrated murder, and multiple attempted murder. They were sentenced with life imprisonment. That bombing killed 22 people and wounded many. It happened about 12 noon of December 30, 2000, it's also the death anniversary of our national hero, Jose Rizal. Thus, they called it Rizal Day bombing.

I have my own story about that gruesome day. I was in another city that time. I was supposed to go back to the university where I was studying after the Christmas break. My bus is scheduled to leave at 5:00 PM. I boarded 15 minutes earlier, showed my ticket, placed my big black backpack on my seat and left to buy something to eat.

When I head back to the bus, all the passengers who boarded earlier were outside and they were looking at my direction. Well, they were actually looking at me with careworn expressions in their faces. I wondered but didn't ask and just proceeded to the door and went to my seat. Then a man approached me, he was quite pissed, and told me, "You frightened the passengers. They thought you planted a bomb because you left your bag and left right away. They went out of the bus as soon as you left. Didn't you know that there was a bombing earlier in Manila?"

I felt both funny and ashamed. I have just been mistaken as a terrorist! I said sorry and I didn't look at any passenger in the eye during the whole trip.


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Story-Telling

These pictures came in a bit late but I wrote about this wonderful experience earlier in this blog. This was the day after Christmas and my first time to do story-telling to kids. It was awesome! I'm glad I decided to spend it with them instead of going to the beach with some friends.




Story-telling time at school was my favorite when I was a kid. One of the stories I won't forget was about Daedalus and his son Icarus. They were prisoners of King Minos of Crete and Daedalus planned their escape. He made them a pair of wings out of feathers sewn together and and molded in wax. He warned Icarus to beware of rash adventures among the stars. But the kid was so enticed by his new-found freedom and flew up high to the highest heavens until the sun melted the wax off his wings and he fell. This story has been a constant reminder to me until now that freedom comes with responsibility.

Others that are included in my list of favorites are Aesop's fables and Jose Rizal's story about the monkey and the turtle.




*Thanks Ate Vida for the pictures. You can find more here.

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Kids

Yesterday, I had a wonderful opportunity together with four other kins in faith, in celebrating Christmas with kids from one of our church's community outreaches. More and more I understand why they say that Christmas is for children.

The "little party" was in an improvised basketball court in one of the impoverished areas of the town. The court is about 30 square meters, surrounded by tiny houses inhabited by, I guess a family of five to six. It's on flat part of the hill so we needed to climb a good 100m of 30-40 degrees sloping terrain. We were also carrying the food and drinks that we prepared as we went up. It was a bit difficult and we had to catch our breaths as we trudge. When we got there, the kids were waiting and they were excited. I think there were about 60 of them, with age ranging from 2 to 14, who came.

My part of the program (I was actually forced to do it) was to tell the Christmas story. I refused to do it at first because I am terrible at telling stories. More than that, it's hard to tell stories to kids (I realized later that you just have to keep it simple. That's one thing grown-ups forget -- to keep things simple). But then, off I went. Thanks to the big book with pictures. I just have to nail down one point. That Christmas is about Jesus.

The kids had games after that then they ate. The ladies in our group prepared the food. They had spaghetti, sandwich and cake. The challenge is to have everyone fed, including some parents who were on the side watching. The food was just enough and I think the kids were most delighted with the cake.

It was such a joy watching the the big smiles from the kids when they got their little presents, which is not so much actually. The girls in our group put biscuits, curls and candies in tiny little white pouches sealed by a red ribbon. In all honesty, when I was on their age, I wouldn't really appreciate that, I mean the content of those pouches. But those kids, oh... I saw the kids beamed in joy as soon as they opened it. It was golden. Very heartwarming in my part.

The experience just reminded me to be thankful. Sometimes I have much, sometimes I have little or have nothing at all, but just the same be thankful. It's an issue for me because I'm a whiner. Those kids, they were happy. I was playing one of the kid's toy gun and another kid approached me. He's a bald little 3-year old boy wearing a red shirt and a red shorts. He wanted to play with the toy gun and I let him. He was very happy. It broke my heart when I need to get the toy and return it to the other kid who owned it. But the little kid was still all smiles. He may have been delighted to just being able to play with the it for a few minutes because he haven't got a toy gun ever. I don't know but he was still happy.

It's an afternoon well-spent...
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Movie Overload

So basically, for four days now, I am doing nothing but watch movies all day. It's Christmas day and I woke up late because I slept late. And I slept late because... you guessed it right, I was watching a movie (I didn't finish it actually because I got sleepy... it was almost 1:00 AM).

Eating is at irregular time (which reminds me that I ran out of food in the fridge) and taking a bath is in the late afternoon. So basically, my break from watching movies is eating and taking a bath. Yesterday I had eight movies. As I'm writing this blog, I finished four. The other day I also had four I guess, and three the other day before that.

I just noticed that of the most of the movies I watched were memoirs or based on true stories (Into the Wild, The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, And When Did You Last See Your Father, Luther) and that was not intentional. I also got some romcom (Amor, Knocked Up and The Ex) and a musical (Hairspray... I'm ashamed that one is included in the list. Haha!), I'm doing The Godfather but while I'm in the middle of part II, the DVD just froze on me. So I'm thinking of watching part III tonight without finishing part II. I liked the movie. It is well crafted and I'm no longer curious why everybody who has watched it are all praises to it. It's truly a classic.

I also watched some weird ones like Charlie Bartlett, Hanna Takes the Stairs, La Mala Education and Kubrador. They are all indie movies and you shouldn't take them at face value. The best that I watched so far is The Shawshank Redemption. There's a lot in that movie. I remember one line of that talks about hope. That hope is a good thing and that "good things never die." It's very inspiring and you don't have to experience prison or be a convicted felon to be able to relate to it. It am thinking if the storyline of Prison Break (which is my favorite TV series) is based on it.

So there you go and there are more on queue. I just realized how potent this kind of media is in sending message to this generation and how this generation should be cautious on what messages to take. To look beyond art and to hold fast to our values. Yeah, they maybe showing the reality... and our present reality is a sad one -- with all the perversions and dangerous philosophies and how loose our morals have gone and how God is easily dismissed and His Name blashphemed.

I better take a bath and have a decent dinner. Merry Christmas everyone!
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My Sabbatical

This year, I decided that I'll be spending Christmas alone. It's not a new thing to me. In fact this is going to be my second all-by-myself-Christmas. The first one was during my call center days. No, I'm not happy about it but I'm not sad either. Solitude has been a good friend lately. I think I need it.

I was alone in the house since Saturday with my housemates all went home to their respective families for the Christmas break. Me, I sent my gifts to my parents and my sister in the province through my cousins. I have personal reasons for not going home and I explained it to them. I promised to spend time with them sometime next year.

I already bought foodies for my long sabbatical. I got myself some pork which I marinated (one thing that I do best) so I'll just fry them when I get hungry. I don't plan to follow the breakfast-lunch-dinner routine. I'll eat when I need to. I also bought chocolates (I consumed a 250g pack of kisses for just a night!), junk foods, fruits (canned and fresh) and biscuits. Most importantly, I bought DVDs to keep me sane (I will be blogging about them in a few days). I just hope the wifi connection near our place will be OK in time so that I' will not have to go out for my blogging.

I plan to shut myself for a few days from people. I'll turn off my cellphone for two days and I'll keep myself locked up in my room. I'll also try sleeping for 24 hours straight since this is one of the things that I was deprived with this year, looong sleep. A friend jokingly told me that I'm scripting my life. Scripted it is. Just for the holidays. Hehe.

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- - - - - - mas Season

In four days it's gonna be Christmas Day. Malls are the most crowded place on earth. Christmas parties are everywhere. Then there's Christmas bonus, exchange gifts, caroling and Santa Claus. Everyone is thrilled about the long Christmas break.

So what's with all the merry-making? What's with Christmas anyways? Many are missing the first six letters of the word Christmas. Many are missing the Person behind Christmas. Where's Christ in Christmas?

I was offended when I heard someone said that Christmas is a pagan practice because as far as I know, pagan is someone who doesn't acknowledge God. Another definition takes it further by saying that a pagan is a hedonist. One who is motivated by desires for sensual pleasures. Sadly, how Christmas is celebrated nowadays has become like it. A pagan practice. It has become a mere economic stimulus.

Though December 25 is not the exact date when Christ was born, it has become the date when we remember that sometime in the history of mankind there came a Messiah. A Savior promised by God and this is the very essence of Christmas. Christ.

I read about the story about a a kid who asked a pastor why Jesus was born in a stable in the company of farm animals. "Because animals will welcome Jesus, but people, generally like the innkeeper, will reject Him," the pastor replied.

"God must be very sad," the boy said.

"Then," said the pastor, "if you want to celebrate Christmas, cast aside the meaningless trinkets and trimmings you see around, and just say a little prayer in your heart, thanking and praising the Father for giving us His beloved Son to restore our broken relationship with Him, and to regain the paradise that we lost. I'm sure you'll brighten up God's face and there'll be shouts of joy in the heaven -- that out of the millions who have forgotten, there are still a few people like you who remember the real and only reason for the season."

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

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