Kapihan sa Kanto

Rehearsals for the cantata at church were very distracted. There was a TV on the set for the video playback, but mostly it was tuned to the live telecast of the much-awaited Pacquiao-Morales fight. Our hero vs. Mexico's.

We were on the edge of our seats from the very first round. We even prayed by the third round. We were still there when we saw Pacquiao's eye bleed. Finally, I had to leave the church and attend my new inaanak Arjhane's dedication at Kamayan. Later, Micah gave me an SMS report: Pacquiao lost, but lost victoriously. "The Philippines should be proud," Micah added with a sympathetic smiley, because he probably knew how crestfallen I was despite my general disinterest in sports like these.

And you know, I am proud. I'm proud of Pacquiao and how he valiantly fought to the 12th round, half for himself and half for the rest of us in this country who badly needed to win at something, anything, just to regain a little bit of the hope we once had.

Here is the report from News24.com:

Las Vegas - Manny Pacquiao fought desperately with blood flowing down his face from a bad cut over his right eye. Against another fighter it may have been enough, but Erik Morales was not just another fighter.

Morales, fighting with the cool precision of a champion who has been there many times before, got the better of Pacquiao with jabs and big right hands on Saturday night to win a close but unanimous decision in their super featherweight showdown.

No title was at stake, but there was plenty of national pride. Pacquiao is a national hero in the Philippines while Morales is revered in Mexico, and between the two they drew a sell-out crowd of 14 623 to the MGM Grand hotel to see them brawl.

They didn't disappoint, going after each other from the opening bell in a fight that grew in intensity after Pacquiao was cut in the fifth round when he was hit with a right hand and the two boxers clashed heads.

Though blood flowed in his eye, Pacquiao fought gallantly and the two fighters went toe-to-toe in a frenetic 12th round that had the crowd standing and cheering.

All three judges had Morales the winner, but not by much. He won 115-113 on the ringside scorecards, while The Associated Press had Morales ahead 116-112.

To celebrate with the women of the world, I'd like to make a tribute to the women in my life:

Nanay. She prayed for me on her knees through the toughest phase of my life, never stopped till God pulled me out, and years later is still praying. I will never know the agony that a mother endures in the moments of solitary prayer for an offspring's redemption; Nanay does it with joy.

Sistor. I have never talked much about my sister, Erika, but I have always known that even though I'm older and noisier, she is stronger. There is no bond more precious to me than the one I share with my sister.

Ethel. Some of you have heard the story that Ethel is my cousin, through the Bungkayaw family tree; if you believe that, then I will not rob you of your innocence. Some of you know that Ethel has been my classmate since Kinder 2, and has been my best friend all these years. Dati ang baon niya para sa meryenda ay Tupperware na puno ng kanin. She is in every way my opposite, but in many ways my sister. She treats me with a mixture of kid gloves and kind brutality, she understand where I am weak, she shares my joys. Recently, we have become older, and closer.

Ida. I will never forget that Ida gave me stickers of fish after I introduced myself and my quaint fish to UP Christmass. She is also one of the precious few who witnessed my special talent in the early days, and encouraged me to pursue a career in this area. That is why I am now a professional butt-shaker to the random public. Ida has held my hand and my heart through many struggles and joys. She is one of the kindest people I know, tireless in dispensing grace, kahit na minsan ay nauubos na din. Kaya kung may mananakit pa sa kanya, di na 'ko makakapanatiling tahimik. :P

Ate Jones. Lahat ng lalaki sa buhay ko, dumaan sa masusing kilatis ni Ate Jones. Si Micah lang ang pumasa with flying colors. She knows me so well that she can second-guess my next step; she even knows how to make my kind of coffee. She has endured much harrassment from my stressed out moments, as well as many hugs from my I'm-in-the-mood-for-a-bear-hug days. Call my house one day para marinig mo kung pano siya mag "Hello..." sa telephone. Hindi siya nauubusan ng ngiti sa bawat sulok ng pagkatao niya. Pag ikaw din dumaan sa stress at pagsubok, maa-appreciate mo ang ngiting 'yon.

I suppose if you dedicated your life entirely to the building of bridges your eye would be attune to notice things like rivers and canyons. This is the unique place that we find ourselves again. We have been here many times before, whether it was in the world of art, social justice, radio, or film. And I suppose after ten years you could say this is where we feel most at home. It feels like our place. In keeping with this sense of place, this new collection of music is again a kind of bridge. You have in your hands a collection of very old words set to almost completely modern music. The music comes from a place of true reverence and appreciation for the richness of our past and an attempt to leap across years and articulate that past in a language that could be embraced by us as 21st century people of faith. These are songs that carve out what we hope is a new tradition of church music. It is our sincere hope that in reaching back and listening to the words of these hymn writers we might find a renewed and refreshed perspective on who we are as a church today, where we have been going all along, and who we might be in the future. We hope you are as challenged as we are by the unbridled praises that sprung out of lives that were so deeply bruised with sorrow and struggle. We hope that you are blessed by them as well. Lastly we hope you find a fresh orientation as you are immersed in the rich grace that soaks these songs and that your heart is astonished as they so boldly and eloquently make that which has become old to us, new again.

Jars of Clay

Wow, pare! Asteeg!

That’s all I can say. Two weeks after the Manila leg of the Jars of Clay Show You Love tour, that’s still all I can say. Asteeg talaga! Ten years of dreaming about this along with other fans, at ngayon di ako makapaniwalang nakahagilap ako ng pambili ng tickets on the day itself. Siyempre kasama ko ang mga kabanda ko sa Fishboys. Nagbagsakan kasi ang presyo nung last minute, kaya nakakuha pa kami ng front seats.

Click here to read the rest

The night sky is heavy with orange and purple, and there are no stars.

At my deathbed, sing me my favorite songs.
Sing even those that I don't like;
Sing plenty.

At my deathbed, forget this and that
Forgive what I did and didn't do
And all the things I didn't say enough.

And hum into my ear, something, anything

At my deathbed, remember the essentials:
Use the picture with a big smile,
Choose jogging pants.

Then sing as you do.

Say something to pass the time,
Tell me about your day
Tell me about your childhood
Tell me about the old age I will never reach with you

And if you can, sing some more.

At my deathbed, I want to hear a lone trumpet
In the orange and purple night sky
Wailing goodbye.

Click for a larger view.

Ang post na ito ay para kay Ka Hermie na ka-church namin at ngayon ay nasa ICU ng Fatima Hospital; na-stroke siya kahapon, kasama niya si Henry no'n, dinala siya ni Henry sa ospital, 0/0 ang blood pressure at sinabihan ng doktor na wala na; ngayon nasa coma siya, binibisita nang tuloy-tuloy ng mga ka-church namin.

Ang post na ito ay para kay Ka Hermie na tatay ng isa sa mga pamilyang kilalang-kilala namin sa CBC; anim ang anak niya, sampu ang apo, karamihan sa kanila nakikita ko sa church tuwing linggo, magkakatabi sa pew, halos napupuno ang isang buo, palaging nandoon, tahimik pero nakangiti.

Ang post na ito ay para kay Ka Hermie na tatay ng marami, lolo ng marami, mahal ng marami.

Bukas na magdedesisyon ang pamilya nila. Pakisamahan naman kami sa panalangin.

As you can see, I've put up a little gif of the soon to be released Redemption Songs. You really should check it out, it promises to be yet another meaningful compilation: remade oldies, the classics that spell out our faith so beautifully. I've especially taken to "God Will Lift Up Your Head" and "Nothing But the Blood."

1. New tagboard, because the other one just went zonk.
   
2. Went to LTO this morning, still no license. Their standard response to the query, "Mga ilang oras po ito ip-process?" is "Buong araw." I had to get out of there.
   
3. Tomorrow morning, breakfast will find us in Payatas, meeting the high school kids of the ministry there for the first time. It'll be two months of tutorial (March is helping them review for Math and English for their exams) and sports (April is the sportsfest we'll organize). Excited, happy, and scared out of my wits.
   
4. Meeting Sarah from Engineers Without Borders tomorrow, taking her to Full Cup with the rest of the jengers at church for some rock and roll. See you there for the last time this sem.
   
5. Micah has just informed me that he is currently jogging: it's 12 noon on a summer day. Apparently he does this a lot where he came from, except that their 12 noon is not exactly the same as ours.

Dear N____,

I think he should be someone who, by his very person, will spur you on in the life of faith you have chosen to live. Kasi madali masyado kung sasama lang sa 'yo sa church, o susunod sa 'yo pag magdadasal kayo bago kumain, o magbibigay ng barya sa pulubi. But accountability -- now, accountability cannot be just acts of kindness.

I think he should be someone whom you can trust to present you holy before God, as Christ presents His bride. That, to me, is accountability. It is giving someone the burden of being witness to your life (have you seen Shall We Dance?), and the invitation to not be nice, not be polite, because accountability means truth beyond the niceties, but always with grace. Always. What is submission, after all, if not a response to his love for you, just as Christ loves the church?

But I think I'm writing too much in one letter. As I told you, I'm not one of those lucid counselor types, those are the ones you really should talk to. And it's late, and I have to finish my story for class and consultation tomorrow.

Love,
M_____

Happy Monday!

March is Caloocan Bible Church's anniversary month.

Right now, I'm re-editing some pictures I put together for a video presentation of our church's history. Turns out I made it when CBC was 42 years old! So it's a four-year old video now -- talk about standing the test of time.

Anyway, I'm fixing it a little to make way for new pictures, etc.

Greet our church a happy birthday!

Wala bang gising nang ganitong oras?

Friday na. Parang di pa rin ako nakakabawi sa pagod ng over-adrenaline outpouring nung Wednesday ng gabi.

Etong batang babae na 'to, nasa grade one. Single mom ang nanay niya. Madalas ko siyang nakikita. Sinasama siya ng nanay niya dito. Magkaiba ang bati ko sa kanila, siyempre. 'Yung nanay niya, kaya kong kausapin at batiin kasi bumabati din, etc. 'Yung bata, tumatakbo-takbo lang sa paligid, pero alam mo alert sa pinag-uusapan niyo at laging nakatingin.

Hindi siya pumapasok sa school. Ayaw niya kasi, eh. Basta ayaw niya. Ano kayang reaction don ng nanay niya? Hindi ko alam. Ang alam ko lang, nakikita ko siya ngayon kahit dapat nasa school siya.

Pero gusto niyang nanonood ng Shrek sa DVD dito. Kelan-kelan ko lang nakuha ang teknik ng pakikipag-usap sa batang 'to. Kasi mailap siya, eh. Tinatarayan ako ng konti, pero konti lang. Pag ino-offeran kong manood siya ng DVD, ayaw niya (buti nalang kasi anong ipapanood ko sa kanya? Ang meron lang dito CSI, Taxi, There's Something About Mary, Stuck On You, Caligula... Buti nalang lately pinahiram ako ng Shrek at hindi ko pa nababalik). Pag pinapahiram ko ng comics, ayaw niya (ang comics ko lang dito Dilbert, I'm not sure kung maa-appreciate niya).

Pero natunton ko na dapat pala, iabot ko na rin 'yung comic book kahit sinabi niyang ayaw niya. Nilalabas ko palang sa shelf, nakatitig na siya dun sa comics. She mutters half to herself na di niya naman 'yung maiintindihan. Sabi ko, basahin lang niya, tignan niya 'yung pictures. So ayun nga. Maya-maya tinanong niya sa nanay niya kung ano 'yung "comment." Di alam ng nanay niya. Eh hindi ko na din sinagot, I figured it was a mother-daughter thing.

So ayun, sinet up ko na rin ang DVD kahit sinabi niyang hinde. OK lang naman sa nanay niya. 'Yung bata, kunwari walang pakialam, pero she hovers around me while I do my thing. Naghahanap ng sasabihin, naghihintay tanungin. Kahit na ang sagot niya palaging maikli at di masyadong ma-kwento, nage-gets mo pa rin na gusto ka niyang kausap. Siguro kahit sino gusto niyang kausap, para lang ba may kausap.

Sabi niya, Mommy gusto mo manood?

Tinurn on ko na ang DVD. Pinlay ko na ang Shrek.

Sabi niya, Mommy ayan na, o.

Nilaksan ko ng konti kasi mahina daw.

Sabi niya, Mommy, nood ka.

Iniwan ko na sila, may kailangan pa 'kong gawin, eh. Tsaka napanood ko na 'yan (di naman ako masyadong naaliw in the first place).

Mahirap siguro maging bata sa panahon ngayon. Mahirap din siguro maging nanay.

Mahirap siguro 'yung di ka naiintindihan kasi bata ka. Mahirap din siguro 'yung di ka naiintindihan kasi nanay ka.

I know in a few hours, all my blogfriends will have an account of the Jars of Clay concert... so uunahan ko na sila.

Ayan, nauna na ko! Except wala pa kong masyadong masabi kasi I'm still so speechless about the whole event. God has truly worked behind the scenes to make this a memorable experience for me, and it wasn't just the concert, or the press con. It was everything in between, as well.

I can't seem to stop praising God and thanking Him. This God, He's the real thing.

P.S. Pictures to follow ;)

By some weird twist of fate, nakasama ako sa Jars of Clay press con!

Wala na akong masabi pa na pwedeng isunod sa sentence na yon. Parang every other sentence after that one is anti-climactic. So I better stop here.

Pictures to follow nalang :) (Siyempre may pictures!)