Category: Odds and Ends

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Pilipinas Kong Mahal

Phil Flag

One needs to LEAVE this country and LIVE elsewhere to realize just how much we love it. Never in my whole life did hearing “Lupang Hinirang” stir me to tears than when I was away. I have lived in the U.S. and over the years had the chance to visit several Asian and European cities. Still, I opt to stay here precisely because despite everything negative we see in this country, the positives far outweigh them.

Sure, there have been many, many times when I felt hopeless seeing the political tragedies, moral decay and corruption happening all around — but always, after giving it a few days and really thinking about it, I reaffirm my love for this country.

So as Independence Day approaches, I pray that in His Divine Time, this country will be renewed spiritually and economically. I also call on our youth NOT to give up and turn their backs on our native land. There are so many of us who can collectively and individually do good for this nation.

(Thanks to Anton of Our Awesome Planet for the flag.)

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My Take on May 14 and Mikaela Irene Fudolig

In a week’s time, elections will be upon us. I normally do not talk about (least of all, blog about) politics. The dirt that is continually stirred up is enough to give me an asthmatic attack just reading the newspapers.

A sample ballot is plastered right in front of my computer. And so far, it is still almost all blank.

For the senatorial slate, I am sure to vote straight for the 3 Kapatiran candidates (Adrian Sison, Zosimo Paredes and Martin Bautista). No question about it! I can see the sincerity in their faces and being non-politicians, they are even more credible. They have a platform that does not only talk of the social and economic dimensions but more so, the MORAL and SPIRITUAL dimensions that I found lacking in the platforms of old political candidates. I came across an article where Kapatiran had supposedly accepted the possibility of NOT making it — but what the heck. I want to make a personal statement through my vote. I am sick and tired of all the empty promises and the stench of corruption surrounding the elections. It is high time that decency is brought back not just to the polls but to the nation in general. Moral decay is all around us. Only we can clean our backyards.

I have 9 more senatorial candidates to go! Nope, 8. I am voting for Chiz Escudero pala. Over the next few days, I will try to complete my magic 12. Ang hirap!

Now, the bright and hopeful side of all this is a 16-year old lady by the name of Mikaela Irene Fudolig. She is the 16-year old Summa graduate of UP for 2007. Her valedictory message intrigued me no end because I always imagined that it was the road less traveled that would take our nation out of its misery. In fact, “The Road Less Traveled” by M.Scott Peck, M.D. is on my to-read booklist for this summer. Continue reading “My Take on May 14 and Mikaela Irene Fudolig”

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A Golden Jesuit Anniversary

50 years of anything is a golden achievement.

Reaching 50 years of age is more than half a lifetime for most.

Reaching 50 years of marriage is sheer Divine Grace. (I know someone who will jokingly quip, “You mean…sheer misery!!!”)

Tonight, we just came from a dinner that celebrated 50 years of service to the Lord and to the Jesuit community. One of the original elders of our community, Fr. Herb Schneider, S. J. has been a Jesuit priest for that long. Continue reading “A Golden Jesuit Anniversary”

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Pastoral Letter re Elections 2007

I just came from the website of the Archdiocese of Manila. They posted there the pastoral letter that was supposed to have been read in all parishes last April 22. I am pasting it below for those of you who missed it (or like me, must have had my mind somewhere else and don’t remember hearing it. Come to think of it, we had a homily rather than a reading of the letter!).

After reading the suggested criteria for choosing who to vote for, I have to go back and review the candidates, pay more attention to their podcasts, check their legislative history of making good on their promises, etc. In all past elections, we have heard countless promises but still have to see many of them fulfilled. Corruption is at an all-time high in this country. Transparency and good governance seem to have flown the coop. I wonder if I will ever get to fill my short list (hmmmmmmm…..). Continue reading “Pastoral Letter re Elections 2007”

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Julia, adopted Pinay

Julia from her blog profile

The death of Julia Campbell in the hands of a Pinoy made me shudder. After all, here was a foreigner who left the comfort of her First World country to become a Peace Corps volunteer in our own land and made it her own. She learned how to speak Tagalog and Bicolano (in fact in a recent TV video clip of her in the aftermath of Typhoon Reming last year, she chose to speak in Filipino rather than in English). She was well-loved by the people of Bicol as well as her foster family and many more whose lives she touched over the last 2 years. For such a young life to end this way is not just a tragedy for her family but for our whole nation as well. Continue reading “Julia, adopted Pinay”

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What Is a Type A Personality?

My dear friend and yoga mate, Lala, was intrigued by my previous post on Vinyasa Yoga attracting Type A’s. In the car one night as she drove me home, she popped the question, “Exactly what is a Type A?”

Well, I found this website called Blogthings where you can take quizzes on different subjects and at the end of it, an analysis of your answers is given out. I took the personality test and indeed, the result was a definite — TYPE A — for me!

If you want to take the personality test, look it up at:

http://www.blogthings.com/doyouhaveatypeapersonalityquiz/

Below are my computerized test results. Does it fit me to a T?

 

You Have A Type A Personality

You are hyper, energetic, and always in the mood

You tend to succeed at everything you attempt

And if you don’t succeed at first, you quickly climb your way to the top!

You could be called a workaholic, but you also make time for fun

As long as it’s high energy and competitive, you’re interested

You have the perfect personality for business and athletic success