Current System Configuration: Vacation Mode
BGM: Beautiful by Round Table feat. NINO. A song from .hack//Dusk. I never really watched it, but I found this song and it's pretty cute. Jazzy, mellow and sweet.
Breakfast: Ham and mozzarella sandwich from Upper Crust at Changi airport
Lunch: Manhattan Meatlovers pizza from Yellow Cab.
Dinner: Nothing, still full of pizza
I'm home!
Dad gave me and my younger brother each a digital camera for Christmas. :D Thus I was able to take lots of pics after Christmas Day. There are too many of them to upload them all, so I'll be posting a few here.
I decided to make today's entry a photo essay instead of my regular sermons. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, but I'll put in some commentary.
Flamingo Valley
The following are pics of my dad's place in Singapore and the surrounding area at Flamingo Valley Condominiums.
This is the view taken from our balcony. Flamingo Valley is a pretty old place, but well maintained, as you can see.
The view from my room. The area where Flamingo Valley is could be likened to Ayala Alabang in the Philippines---that is, classy suburbs.
Houses across the street.
What Flamingo Valley looks like from outside.
Sentosa, Part I
The day after Christmas, we went to Sentosa. That wasn't a very good idea, as it was a public holiday. Thus, everyone and his mother and grandmother was there. And that's not even counting the tourists. The place was full, and it was hot, but we managed to enjoy it anyway. Here are some pics.
Sentosa is an island off the coast of the main Singapore island. It's part resort and part theme park. One can either take a bus to cross the causeway, or take the more fun and more scenic cable car.
To get to the cable car from the train, one has to get to the Harbor Front station.
This is the Christmas tree at the Harbor Front station.
Me, my brothers and my dad. Look closely at the Christmas balls on the tree.
...they're Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Fight the cravings: This sign defends them.
...people seem to ignore the sign, though, which is uncommon in Singapore. There were a lot of missing pieces, and even torn scraps scattered on the base of the tree. It was a pretty out-of-place sight in Singapore, where people mostly obey the rules. I'm betting this was the doing of ang mo (foreigners), most likely tourists who don't know how to read English.
The view from the cable car to Sentosa.
Speaking of Cable Cars, here's the world's only Lego cable car.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/AslanCross/Singapore%20Pics/SentosaPt1_005.jpg
The cable car to Sentosa actually moves away from Sentosa on its leg, toward the Jewel Box, a resort on the peak of Mt Faber. It then turns back toward the Harbor Front, then on to Sentosa.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/AslanCross/Singapore%20Pics/SentosaPt1_006.jpg
The view (2) from the Jewel Box. The Keppel Building can be seen in the background. Its 15th floor is the central cable car station. It's located between the Jewel Box and the Sentosa station.
First stop on Sentosa: Underwater World.
The resemblance is uncanny. This fish actually hangs out a lot in that spot, as my cousin has a similar pic to this one. I don't know if it's the same fish, but there's always a fish of that type that floats around that spot. I think this type of fish is called a sweetlips.
A jellyfish. Underwater world is pretty small, but there's a lot of interesting stuff. More pics on it later (from my second trip)
This peahen was begging for food. We paused for a snack at the Roti Mama outside Underwater World. Roti Mama (and its son/competitor Roti Boy) sell a bun that's roughly the shape and size of a large hamburger bun, except it's a lot softer. The buns are just plain bread with butter baked inside (so it melts deliciously inside) and a coffee-based paste spread on the top. The paste is spread before baking, so it hardens into a crunchy crust afterward. Delicious. Anyway, back to the bird. She was walking around, pecking at popcorn and other crumbs that the visitors dropped. Other peahens were there too. The male fowl, the peacock, was some distance away gorging itself on popcorn fed to him by Japanese tourists (which is against the rules in pretty much any park involving animals).
Next stop was Cinemania, which is just a virtual coaster ride like the Rialto in the Philippines' Enchanted Kingdom. It's one of the older attractions at the park and is scheduled to be torn down soon. The newer virtual theater, 4D Magix, opened just this year if I'm correct. No pictures from there, of course.
The last leg of our tour was a trip 131 meters up into the air at the Carlsberg (yes, the beer) Sky Tower. "Probably the Best View in Singapore." If you ask me, I'd say it is.
This is one of the many views of Singapore you can see from the tower. In the foreground (the bridge) is the causeway that crosses the strait to Sentosa. The middle of the picture is Tanjong Pagar, the port. In the background you see the Central Business District. The tall, pale-colored cylindrical building on the right is Temasek Tower, where the government corporation Temasek holds office. (The Singapore government owns a lot of businesses, such as the Development Bank of Singapore. My dad works for DBS. All of these corporations are under the umbrella of Temasek.) Temasek, by the way, is the old name of Singapore. It's Malay for "Water Town."
Another view from the tower, this is part of Siloso beach if I'm not mistaken. Siloso is the western point of Sentosa, where Fort Siloso stands. There's also a hotel there.
The view to Sentosa's north. Visible here are the cable cars and the Keppel Building station, and a cruise ship.
The chairlift that brings people who just went down the Sentosa Luge back up. More on the Luge later.
My brother Vinci trying to be an Indian snake charmer. I swear, the snake charmer who owns the albino python must be Dhalsim from Street Fighter, or at least knows his teleportation skills. We've seen him all over Singapore and he seems to appear wherever we go. o_O We've seen him in Merlion Park, near Raffles Place, and twice in Sentosa.
My brother Xavi with a feathered friend.
The Sentosa Luge, or the end thereof. It's a long concrete track down which people coast down on gravity-powered carts. Pretty fun ride, if a bit short. A chairlift takes people back to the upper parts of Sentosa after the Luge. These people are lining up to return their luge carts.
The view of the Luge from the chairlift.
That's it for today. There's too many pics to upload all at once, so I'm saving the rest of the pics for later. Until then.
~Be Just Or Be Dead~
#3012AD20052106
ー黒獅子アスラン
Friday, December 30, 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
The City of Lions
Current System Configuration: Vacation Mode
BGM: Groovin' Magic by Round Table feat. NINO. The opening theme of Aim for the Top! 2: Diebuster. Cute, funky and retro.
Breakfast: Toast, scrambled eggs and ham
Lunch: Homemade beef stew and rice
Dinner: Mos Cheeseburger for the win!
Singapura, the City of Lions. Singapore.
It's my sixth day here, and I can defintely say that I like it here. I'm staying at my dad's condominium in the Siglap area (which is Singapore's equivalent to Ayala Alabang). It's a neat low-rise condo, with a pool and a gym and the like. It's very close to East Coast Road, where there are a lot of great places to eat.
The first thing that struck me when I got off the plane is the multicultural nature of this place. You can't look in a single direction without seeing people of several ethnic origins at a time. Chinese, Malays, Indians, and Caucasians. My dad says there's a growing Filipino population too.
Thus far, Singapore has been really easy to adapt to. I'm the kind of person who can easily appreciate foreign cultures. Thankfully, most of the people here can speak English (albeit sometimes hard-to-understand Singlish), so communication isn't much of a problem.
Singapore's a great place to go shopping. We just came from the Orchard Road area today, which is rather like Makati's Ayala Center, except a lot bigger. We ate at Mos Burger (a Japanese fast food chain) at Ngee Ann City Takashimaya. There's a bunch of malls packed closely together along Orchard Road. There's even a mall that has signs in Tagalog! (Lucky Plaza, which my dad says is a hangout for Filipina domestic helpers. Lots of pinoys there, indeed.) There were so many Tagalog signs that it looked like Greenhills.
It's really easy to go around the city. Walking is safe. People respect traffic lights and as far as I've seen the streets don't have any sinister-looking elements. The MRT system is cheap and fast, although it tends to get packed at certain times of the day. The MRT system also shares the same fare card with the bus system, so there's no need to carry several fare cards at a time. You can even use the fare card to pay at McDonald's!
I just walked to the nearby Starbucks along East Coast Road. The baristas there were a lot more friendly than they are in Manila. They really attempt to strike up a conversation. I've only met one barista in the Philippines who has done that. I got a bit confused, though, as the menu was a bit different. Instead of my regular single mocha frappuccino, I got an espresso frappuccino. The taste wasn't as strong as I'd expected, but it was fine.
I've yet to go to the regular tourist spots (Sentosa), since we're still waiting for my brother to arrive from the US. I expect things to become even more fun once he gets here. I look forward to my mom's arrival too. Expect an update from me soon.
~Where the Lions tread~
#19122AD20052025
ー黒獅子アスラン
BGM: Groovin' Magic by Round Table feat. NINO. The opening theme of Aim for the Top! 2: Diebuster. Cute, funky and retro.
Breakfast: Toast, scrambled eggs and ham
Lunch: Homemade beef stew and rice
Dinner: Mos Cheeseburger for the win!
Singapura, the City of Lions. Singapore.
It's my sixth day here, and I can defintely say that I like it here. I'm staying at my dad's condominium in the Siglap area (which is Singapore's equivalent to Ayala Alabang). It's a neat low-rise condo, with a pool and a gym and the like. It's very close to East Coast Road, where there are a lot of great places to eat.
The first thing that struck me when I got off the plane is the multicultural nature of this place. You can't look in a single direction without seeing people of several ethnic origins at a time. Chinese, Malays, Indians, and Caucasians. My dad says there's a growing Filipino population too.
Thus far, Singapore has been really easy to adapt to. I'm the kind of person who can easily appreciate foreign cultures. Thankfully, most of the people here can speak English (albeit sometimes hard-to-understand Singlish), so communication isn't much of a problem.
Singapore's a great place to go shopping. We just came from the Orchard Road area today, which is rather like Makati's Ayala Center, except a lot bigger. We ate at Mos Burger (a Japanese fast food chain) at Ngee Ann City Takashimaya. There's a bunch of malls packed closely together along Orchard Road. There's even a mall that has signs in Tagalog! (Lucky Plaza, which my dad says is a hangout for Filipina domestic helpers. Lots of pinoys there, indeed.) There were so many Tagalog signs that it looked like Greenhills.
It's really easy to go around the city. Walking is safe. People respect traffic lights and as far as I've seen the streets don't have any sinister-looking elements. The MRT system is cheap and fast, although it tends to get packed at certain times of the day. The MRT system also shares the same fare card with the bus system, so there's no need to carry several fare cards at a time. You can even use the fare card to pay at McDonald's!
I just walked to the nearby Starbucks along East Coast Road. The baristas there were a lot more friendly than they are in Manila. They really attempt to strike up a conversation. I've only met one barista in the Philippines who has done that. I got a bit confused, though, as the menu was a bit different. Instead of my regular single mocha frappuccino, I got an espresso frappuccino. The taste wasn't as strong as I'd expected, but it was fine.
I've yet to go to the regular tourist spots (Sentosa), since we're still waiting for my brother to arrive from the US. I expect things to become even more fun once he gets here. I look forward to my mom's arrival too. Expect an update from me soon.
~Where the Lions tread~
#19122AD20052025
ー黒獅子アスラン
Saturday, December 10, 2005
The Measure of a Man
Current System Configuration: Vacation Mode, but still waiting for late script submissions -_-
BGM: Holy Orders ~Be Just or Be Dead~ by Daisuke Ishiwatari. Ky Kiske's theme from Guilty Gear. Soaring neo-baroque piece with awesome guitars.
Breakfast: Corned beef with pandesal
Lunch: Greasy Shakey's pizza (Forced to good since I was in a hurry. Blarg. :P)
Dinner: None, had late merienda at a cousin's birthday party.
Really tired today. I had to endure an hour-long drive from Antipolo to our house in Loyola Heights. Good thing I volunteered to drive, because my grandpa was revving the engine a bit too hard, which caused it to heat up real quickly. The drive was thankfully uneventful, but I had to be a cruel master to my poor ankles.
This entry was sparked by a little talk I had with one of my students. This student was experiencing a common type of adolescent angst that needed a remedy---an anecdote of a similar (usually more grave) experience from an older person.
I told this student about a time (quite a while back, two years ago if I'm not mistaken) when I had to take the place of our regular Youth Worship song leader since he was away on a retreat. I had arrived early on that day in order to rehearse with the band. The girl I liked was one of the relief musicians on that day, and she had also arrived early. She left for a while then came back talking to someone on her cell phone.
All of a sudden she started crying. And I don't mean little sniffles. I mean loud, pained wailing. I asked her what had happened and she said her grandmother had passed away.
Now I can't bear the sight of people crying, especially not people dear to me. So I went up to her when she put the phone down and asked her what had happened. She told me, and I wanted so badly to put my hand on her shoulder to comfort her, pray for her, reassure her.
But I could not.
Instead of doing anything to make her feel better, all I did was stare and say "...oh." I was so concerned about "being proper" (As if a friend comforting a friend was improper) and about my own comfort zone that I could not lend strength to the girl I cared for in a moment of great weakness and pain. It was horrible. Looking back, I can say that I did not feel like a man at all. I had no guts. No balls. I failed that test badly. I was a coward.
~~~~~~~~~
Courage is an oft-romanticized quality that ends up being so cliche that many men resort to other ways of manifesting it. They climb mountains, throw themselves off mountains, drive cars at insane speeds and otherwise boast about their machismo---a rather crude way of showing what they're made of.
While self-endangerment does show one's strength of will, I think that ultimately the test of one's courage is not physical danger. Many guys would sooner crash themselves into a wall than sit down beside a grieving lady and comfort her. And I have fallen short in this area.
I'm of the opinion that showing another human being kindness often takes a kind of courage that's a lot deeper than mere "guts." And yet I find myself lacking.
There are so many times when I could have talked to a person about the Good News I believe in. When I could've made their day easier by pointing them to my Lord. But what do I do? I just clam up and refuse to tell them anything. Of course, most of the time it's best to just listen to the heartaches of a person in pain, but there are times when a response is merited, demanded, begged for. And it's those times when a man just has to stop thinking about himself and start thinking about others.
I found my actions so abominable that day. Yes, abominable. Not just depressing, not just disgusting, but abominable. Here was the girl who I claimed to have feelings for, and yet I could not do a single thing to comfort her. It sucked so much. I'm a coward.
Aye, there's the rub, but does it end there? Whining about something I did in the past won't help. Something has to be done about this, and thus I keep asking my Lord to strengthen me. There's still things that need to be sacrificed. Things that need to be dealt with. I'm a long way from what I want to be, from what God wants me to be, but what's the use in giving up? There is no rest. I may be a coward, but the first step to learning how to be courageous is that---admitting that I am a coward.
~Be Just or Be Dead~
#10122AD20052122
ー黒獅子アスラン
BGM: Holy Orders ~Be Just or Be Dead~ by Daisuke Ishiwatari. Ky Kiske's theme from Guilty Gear. Soaring neo-baroque piece with awesome guitars.
Breakfast: Corned beef with pandesal
Lunch: Greasy Shakey's pizza (Forced to good since I was in a hurry. Blarg. :P)
Dinner: None, had late merienda at a cousin's birthday party.
Really tired today. I had to endure an hour-long drive from Antipolo to our house in Loyola Heights. Good thing I volunteered to drive, because my grandpa was revving the engine a bit too hard, which caused it to heat up real quickly. The drive was thankfully uneventful, but I had to be a cruel master to my poor ankles.
This entry was sparked by a little talk I had with one of my students. This student was experiencing a common type of adolescent angst that needed a remedy---an anecdote of a similar (usually more grave) experience from an older person.
I told this student about a time (quite a while back, two years ago if I'm not mistaken) when I had to take the place of our regular Youth Worship song leader since he was away on a retreat. I had arrived early on that day in order to rehearse with the band. The girl I liked was one of the relief musicians on that day, and she had also arrived early. She left for a while then came back talking to someone on her cell phone.
All of a sudden she started crying. And I don't mean little sniffles. I mean loud, pained wailing. I asked her what had happened and she said her grandmother had passed away.
Now I can't bear the sight of people crying, especially not people dear to me. So I went up to her when she put the phone down and asked her what had happened. She told me, and I wanted so badly to put my hand on her shoulder to comfort her, pray for her, reassure her.
But I could not.
Instead of doing anything to make her feel better, all I did was stare and say "...oh." I was so concerned about "being proper" (As if a friend comforting a friend was improper) and about my own comfort zone that I could not lend strength to the girl I cared for in a moment of great weakness and pain. It was horrible. Looking back, I can say that I did not feel like a man at all. I had no guts. No balls. I failed that test badly. I was a coward.
~~~~~~~~~
Courage is an oft-romanticized quality that ends up being so cliche that many men resort to other ways of manifesting it. They climb mountains, throw themselves off mountains, drive cars at insane speeds and otherwise boast about their machismo---a rather crude way of showing what they're made of.
While self-endangerment does show one's strength of will, I think that ultimately the test of one's courage is not physical danger. Many guys would sooner crash themselves into a wall than sit down beside a grieving lady and comfort her. And I have fallen short in this area.
I'm of the opinion that showing another human being kindness often takes a kind of courage that's a lot deeper than mere "guts." And yet I find myself lacking.
There are so many times when I could have talked to a person about the Good News I believe in. When I could've made their day easier by pointing them to my Lord. But what do I do? I just clam up and refuse to tell them anything. Of course, most of the time it's best to just listen to the heartaches of a person in pain, but there are times when a response is merited, demanded, begged for. And it's those times when a man just has to stop thinking about himself and start thinking about others.
I found my actions so abominable that day. Yes, abominable. Not just depressing, not just disgusting, but abominable. Here was the girl who I claimed to have feelings for, and yet I could not do a single thing to comfort her. It sucked so much. I'm a coward.
Aye, there's the rub, but does it end there? Whining about something I did in the past won't help. Something has to be done about this, and thus I keep asking my Lord to strengthen me. There's still things that need to be sacrificed. Things that need to be dealt with. I'm a long way from what I want to be, from what God wants me to be, but what's the use in giving up? There is no rest. I may be a coward, but the first step to learning how to be courageous is that---admitting that I am a coward.
~Be Just or Be Dead~
#10122AD20052122
ー黒獅子アスラン
Monday, November 28, 2005
もはや時がない
Current System Configuration: Back to work. Work work work~
BGM: For My Pride by Spirit Level. The second ending theme of the Shadow Skill anime series. Soaring, epic and mighty.
Breakfast: Sausages, scrambled eggs and rice.
Lunch: Beef with bellpeppers, fish fillet and rice.
Dinner: Jollibee Double TLC Yum and Jolly Hotdog. (was hungry on the way home from Subic.)
"Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion...And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "THERE WILL BE NO MORE DELAY!""
BGM: For My Pride by Spirit Level. The second ending theme of the Shadow Skill anime series. Soaring, epic and mighty.
Breakfast: Sausages, scrambled eggs and rice.
Lunch: Beef with bellpeppers, fish fillet and rice.
Dinner: Jollibee Double TLC Yum and Jolly Hotdog. (was hungry on the way home from Subic.)
"Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion...And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "THERE WILL BE NO MORE DELAY!""
-Revelation 10:1-3,6
It's been quite a while since I last updated, and I apologize for that. Lots of deadlines at work, but that's all done. I just came back from a rather large singles' retreat at Subic, and I learned a lot of stuff. The crux of what I'm writing today is mostly based on the message that I felt had the most impact on me.
I've been a Christian for quite a while. I met the Lord in the summer of 1997, so that makes it about 8 years already. I was quite active for a while, but recently, an unholy alliance of certain bad elements has been plaguing me. Of course, I'm ultimately to blame because I let it overtake me. But now, I think it's about time I returned to what I used to be.
The last talk in our retreat was given by Pastor Nathan Leigh, who (like all of CCF's pastors) is an incredibly cool guy---generally funny, but serious when it counts. He spoke on the topic of one's life mission, and while a large bulk of this blog's readers are young adolescents, I think it might be a good idea for them to start thinking about this too.
A lot of people go through life thinking they have faith when in truth all they have is religion. What's the difference? Religion is simply a set of rules that you follow, a bunch of rituals that you perform, which is more often than not separate from one's daily lifestyle. It's a cultural, official thing (what you have written on paper) and is so separate from your life that often calling yourself by your religion's name is hypocritical. Many people, especially in the Philippines, have this. But what I see that many people unfortunately lack is faith.
Faith is something else altogether. It's something you actually live for, something that affects the way you walk and talk and deal with people--especially in adverse circumstances. For the longest time, the faith that I have took the back seat to a farce that I put up with just for the sake of feeling good. The Christ who I loved and served simply became a distant, impersonal watcher who I only turned to when I felt bad. This was not His fault, but mine. I was too caught up in my little "harmless" habits, in my computer gaming and everything else that I spent too much time with. I tried to justify this by saying "I deserved it" and that I needed the rest after all the stress of my job, among others. But it was a lie. I was trying to restore my strength with something that ultimately just sapped it even more. I slipped and fell so many times within the past few years because of this. It's only by God's grace that I've actually been able to keep standing up and running forward. You could say that I was running but not looking at the path---hence my constant stumbling.
Pastor Nathan only gave a few simple points about a purposeful life:
-It gives you a sense of power when you surrender your life to Christ. Amazing things happen when you boldly do what he wants you to do. It's been a while since I really saw this happening in my life because of my blindness. But I know that as I recommit, I'm going to see this again.
-It gives you a sense of urgency when you surrender in love to Christ's mission. When you're really intent on showing the love of Christ to others, then you'll feel that this command is urgent. It isn't something that comes and goes---it's the actual purpose of your life. I have to admit I'm weakest in this part. I've had great difficulty talking about the Gospel in public, which is why I'm resorting to online mediums for now. Of course the most meaningful way to share it is in a face-to-face encounter, and while I haven't been very keen on that, I know God's working on me.
-It gives you a sense of responsibility---a surrender of rights. I'm also pretty weak in this area. I often find myself scheming how to tear some thug's guts out should I encounter one on the way home from school. (Car broke down, so I have to walk. Good exercise if not for the pollution) I often feel that I have the right to kill someone because he threatens my own right to life. But with this sense of responsibility---realization that I call myself a Christian and should act like one---I have to overhaul this automatic defense mechanism that seems to work every time I'm in a dark and freakish place. But I can see that God's working---as I walked home from the bus stop today, I managed to get rid of the "I'll use my duffel bag to deflect the knife when he lunges, then I'll throttle him with it and stab him" mentality and instead let God's presence comfort me and His bodyguards do the protection. I managed to walk home safely. Of course this doesn't mean I'm suddenly a pansy pushover---it simply means that I'm more secure in the way I act and sure of how I should move in times of trouble.
-Lastly, it gives you a sense of enlightenment---a surrender of ego. Knowing the truth doesn't mean you can laugh at other people and mock them. A lot of times I come off as a know-it-all, but does all that matter? How can I do all the above if I'm showing people how much of a jerk I am? I don't often think "I'm a Christian and you're not, so you SUCK," but I often think that others are really quite dense. I guess it's a subliminal part of my training as an Ateneo student, to see others as intellectually inferior. It's probably one of the worst things to teach students to think, but it happens anyway. Nevertheless, giving up the ego is something practically all men struggle with, whether they admit it or not.
And so I've got a whole lot of things to work on in my life---rather, God has a whole lot of things to work on in my life. It's easy to think that the more bad things that I have in my life, the harder God will have to work on me. But I think a better way of thinking would be "I have so much trash in my life, I look forward to how God will make it all useful for Him. I look forward to seeing how he'll actually pull it off."
Easier said than done. The Christian life has often been seen as a very complicated and unwieldy mess of theology and rules and regulations, but it's actually a very, very, simple thing. Show Christ's love by obeying Him.
Simple, yes. I didn't say it wasn't hard. Jesus never said it was easy either. We often complicate things so that we can give more excuses, as Pastor Nathan said in a previous talk. When it's simple, it's a lot harder to do because we have no excuses, no way of weaseling out.
And so it boils down to a certain decision I've made, which I believe will be the first of several decisions that I'll be making within the next few months. I've decided to step down as Administrator of the SimChamber.
It's not because I can't stand the nagging, not because of some fight. I just think that I've been clinging onto this position for the wrong reasons, and that it compromises the time that I SHOULD be spending with my God. There are disciplines I want to develop, and I know that God won't help me if I don't give Him the time that He's due. If I spend my time arguing about rules and mechanics, then what good will I get from that? I'm done with that administrator position.
I want that sense of Your presence back, O God. I don't want to live this farce anymore. There's a lot that has to be done in my life, and so a lot of sacrifices have to be made. But Abraham only truly saw the extent of Your love when he went out in faith to sacrifice his own son. The blessing comes after the sacrifices are made. This is the first one, and I know that You are pleased.
There will be no more delay. I can't let my weakness keep me from shirking this responsibility.
I've been a Christian for quite a while. I met the Lord in the summer of 1997, so that makes it about 8 years already. I was quite active for a while, but recently, an unholy alliance of certain bad elements has been plaguing me. Of course, I'm ultimately to blame because I let it overtake me. But now, I think it's about time I returned to what I used to be.
The last talk in our retreat was given by Pastor Nathan Leigh, who (like all of CCF's pastors) is an incredibly cool guy---generally funny, but serious when it counts. He spoke on the topic of one's life mission, and while a large bulk of this blog's readers are young adolescents, I think it might be a good idea for them to start thinking about this too.
A lot of people go through life thinking they have faith when in truth all they have is religion. What's the difference? Religion is simply a set of rules that you follow, a bunch of rituals that you perform, which is more often than not separate from one's daily lifestyle. It's a cultural, official thing (what you have written on paper) and is so separate from your life that often calling yourself by your religion's name is hypocritical. Many people, especially in the Philippines, have this. But what I see that many people unfortunately lack is faith.
Faith is something else altogether. It's something you actually live for, something that affects the way you walk and talk and deal with people--especially in adverse circumstances. For the longest time, the faith that I have took the back seat to a farce that I put up with just for the sake of feeling good. The Christ who I loved and served simply became a distant, impersonal watcher who I only turned to when I felt bad. This was not His fault, but mine. I was too caught up in my little "harmless" habits, in my computer gaming and everything else that I spent too much time with. I tried to justify this by saying "I deserved it" and that I needed the rest after all the stress of my job, among others. But it was a lie. I was trying to restore my strength with something that ultimately just sapped it even more. I slipped and fell so many times within the past few years because of this. It's only by God's grace that I've actually been able to keep standing up and running forward. You could say that I was running but not looking at the path---hence my constant stumbling.
Pastor Nathan only gave a few simple points about a purposeful life:
-It gives you a sense of power when you surrender your life to Christ. Amazing things happen when you boldly do what he wants you to do. It's been a while since I really saw this happening in my life because of my blindness. But I know that as I recommit, I'm going to see this again.
-It gives you a sense of urgency when you surrender in love to Christ's mission. When you're really intent on showing the love of Christ to others, then you'll feel that this command is urgent. It isn't something that comes and goes---it's the actual purpose of your life. I have to admit I'm weakest in this part. I've had great difficulty talking about the Gospel in public, which is why I'm resorting to online mediums for now. Of course the most meaningful way to share it is in a face-to-face encounter, and while I haven't been very keen on that, I know God's working on me.
-It gives you a sense of responsibility---a surrender of rights. I'm also pretty weak in this area. I often find myself scheming how to tear some thug's guts out should I encounter one on the way home from school. (Car broke down, so I have to walk. Good exercise if not for the pollution) I often feel that I have the right to kill someone because he threatens my own right to life. But with this sense of responsibility---realization that I call myself a Christian and should act like one---I have to overhaul this automatic defense mechanism that seems to work every time I'm in a dark and freakish place. But I can see that God's working---as I walked home from the bus stop today, I managed to get rid of the "I'll use my duffel bag to deflect the knife when he lunges, then I'll throttle him with it and stab him" mentality and instead let God's presence comfort me and His bodyguards do the protection. I managed to walk home safely. Of course this doesn't mean I'm suddenly a pansy pushover---it simply means that I'm more secure in the way I act and sure of how I should move in times of trouble.
-Lastly, it gives you a sense of enlightenment---a surrender of ego. Knowing the truth doesn't mean you can laugh at other people and mock them. A lot of times I come off as a know-it-all, but does all that matter? How can I do all the above if I'm showing people how much of a jerk I am? I don't often think "I'm a Christian and you're not, so you SUCK," but I often think that others are really quite dense. I guess it's a subliminal part of my training as an Ateneo student, to see others as intellectually inferior. It's probably one of the worst things to teach students to think, but it happens anyway. Nevertheless, giving up the ego is something practically all men struggle with, whether they admit it or not.
And so I've got a whole lot of things to work on in my life---rather, God has a whole lot of things to work on in my life. It's easy to think that the more bad things that I have in my life, the harder God will have to work on me. But I think a better way of thinking would be "I have so much trash in my life, I look forward to how God will make it all useful for Him. I look forward to seeing how he'll actually pull it off."
Easier said than done. The Christian life has often been seen as a very complicated and unwieldy mess of theology and rules and regulations, but it's actually a very, very, simple thing. Show Christ's love by obeying Him.
Simple, yes. I didn't say it wasn't hard. Jesus never said it was easy either. We often complicate things so that we can give more excuses, as Pastor Nathan said in a previous talk. When it's simple, it's a lot harder to do because we have no excuses, no way of weaseling out.
And so it boils down to a certain decision I've made, which I believe will be the first of several decisions that I'll be making within the next few months. I've decided to step down as Administrator of the SimChamber.
It's not because I can't stand the nagging, not because of some fight. I just think that I've been clinging onto this position for the wrong reasons, and that it compromises the time that I SHOULD be spending with my God. There are disciplines I want to develop, and I know that God won't help me if I don't give Him the time that He's due. If I spend my time arguing about rules and mechanics, then what good will I get from that? I'm done with that administrator position.
I want that sense of Your presence back, O God. I don't want to live this farce anymore. There's a lot that has to be done in my life, and so a lot of sacrifices have to be made. But Abraham only truly saw the extent of Your love when he went out in faith to sacrifice his own son. The blessing comes after the sacrifices are made. This is the first one, and I know that You are pleased.
There will be no more delay. I can't let my weakness keep me from shirking this responsibility.
Friday, November 04, 2005
闇と光
Current System Configuration: Trying to accept the fact that vacation is about to end
BGM: FOREVER AND EVER by JAM Project. The ending theme of Super Robot Wars Alpha 2. A passionate yet mellow rock ballad.
Breakfast: Raisin bread and tuna mechado
Lunch: Home-made waffledogs
Dinner: Baked ziti and cheese pizza at Sbarro (was hungry)
"Light creates shadow, light destroys shadow. Such is the transience of darkness."
This profound quote was taken from---believe it or not, a Magic: The Gathering card. (Shadowbane from the Mirage expansion, way back in the late '90s) Nevertheless, it echoes very well how I feel the events of this week have transpired.
My last post here was full of angst and bitterness. Of course, I'm a human being---we all feel that way one time or another. But the prayer that I said was answered. Very clearly.
Instead of getting into the details of how it happened, I think it's just best to say what I think God said to me through His word in a Soul Stop meeting in church just a few hours ago. (Soul Stop is a college/fresh grad fellowship activity our church has every Friday night, see the JZone site in my link bar for details) Instead of blabbing too much about what I think, this time it's best to let the Word do the talking.
Where is God when it hurts?
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, thought the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. / There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at the break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts His voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress./
Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations He has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress." --Psalm 46
"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted...to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn..." ---Isaiah 61:1,2
"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." --Psalm 126:5-6
I guess the most comforting fact of all is that Jesus Himself felt lonely. On that day, 2000 years ago, He hung on a cross, taking the world's sin upon Himself, and at that time, for the first time in all of eternity, the Father turned His back on the Son.
"Eloi, eloi! Lama sabachtani!"
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." --Revelation 21:3-4
People invariable shun the book of Revelation for its dark and often confusing images--demonic horsemen, legions of abyssal locusts, the Beast out of the sea, the Beast out of the earth, and the Great Red Dragon himself--so much so that they never get to see the wonders at the very end.
The same is true for our lives. Most of the time we stay caught up in the present, mulling over our pathetic circumstances. There's nothing wrong with admitting that we live in a messed-up state---as long as we see how it can make us better people. Many people see darkness as a force opposed to light. I don't see it this way. I see darkness as an absence of light---just as cold is an absence of heat. You don't measure darkness---you only measure light. We don't measure coldness, we measure the lack of heat on the scale that we use to measure heat.
Evil does not balance with good. Good is far more complex than simple justice or mercy. Good has to balance between its own parts. It's when that balance is upset or removed altogether that evil appears--not as a malevolent monster, but as a cold, empty void. The devil is not the opposite of God. He's an insignificant speck who will get his due someday. God is absolute. Satan is not.
At the end of it all, good wins. Light creates shadow, light destroys shadow. It just falls upon us to see that light---to seek it. Yeah, this world is messed up, alright. But it's not going to be that way forever.
BGM: FOREVER AND EVER by JAM Project. The ending theme of Super Robot Wars Alpha 2. A passionate yet mellow rock ballad.
Breakfast: Raisin bread and tuna mechado
Lunch: Home-made waffledogs
Dinner: Baked ziti and cheese pizza at Sbarro (was hungry)
"Light creates shadow, light destroys shadow. Such is the transience of darkness."
This profound quote was taken from---believe it or not, a Magic: The Gathering card. (Shadowbane from the Mirage expansion, way back in the late '90s) Nevertheless, it echoes very well how I feel the events of this week have transpired.
My last post here was full of angst and bitterness. Of course, I'm a human being---we all feel that way one time or another. But the prayer that I said was answered. Very clearly.
Instead of getting into the details of how it happened, I think it's just best to say what I think God said to me through His word in a Soul Stop meeting in church just a few hours ago. (Soul Stop is a college/fresh grad fellowship activity our church has every Friday night, see the JZone site in my link bar for details) Instead of blabbing too much about what I think, this time it's best to let the Word do the talking.
Where is God when it hurts?
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, thought the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. / There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at the break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts His voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress./
Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations He has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress." --Psalm 46
"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted...to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn..." ---Isaiah 61:1,2
"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." --Psalm 126:5-6
I guess the most comforting fact of all is that Jesus Himself felt lonely. On that day, 2000 years ago, He hung on a cross, taking the world's sin upon Himself, and at that time, for the first time in all of eternity, the Father turned His back on the Son.
"Eloi, eloi! Lama sabachtani!"
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." --Revelation 21:3-4
People invariable shun the book of Revelation for its dark and often confusing images--demonic horsemen, legions of abyssal locusts, the Beast out of the sea, the Beast out of the earth, and the Great Red Dragon himself--so much so that they never get to see the wonders at the very end.
The same is true for our lives. Most of the time we stay caught up in the present, mulling over our pathetic circumstances. There's nothing wrong with admitting that we live in a messed-up state---as long as we see how it can make us better people. Many people see darkness as a force opposed to light. I don't see it this way. I see darkness as an absence of light---just as cold is an absence of heat. You don't measure darkness---you only measure light. We don't measure coldness, we measure the lack of heat on the scale that we use to measure heat.
Evil does not balance with good. Good is far more complex than simple justice or mercy. Good has to balance between its own parts. It's when that balance is upset or removed altogether that evil appears--not as a malevolent monster, but as a cold, empty void. The devil is not the opposite of God. He's an insignificant speck who will get his due someday. God is absolute. Satan is not.
At the end of it all, good wins. Light creates shadow, light destroys shadow. It just falls upon us to see that light---to seek it. Yeah, this world is messed up, alright. But it's not going to be that way forever.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Sol Y Sombra
Current System Configuration: Fatigued Slacker
BGM: Anthem Apocalyptica by Machinae Supremacy. Dark, sombre and burdening. Check out Machinae Supremacy's site. I don't usually listen to plain rock, and many of these songs aren't very wholesome, but some of their instrumentals are really good. Anthem Apocalyptica is my favorite.
Breakfast: A few slices of monggo bread
Lunch: Salad and cream of corn soup
Dinner: Don't know. Probably more of the same.
I promised that I would keep this blog as angst-free as possible, but right now it doesn't seem to be feasible. I have to say these things lest they get impacted in my soul. I've always wanted to open up to others and share what I am, what I feel, and most importantly, what I believe in, but I've always felt so insecure, so afraid of the prospect of stepping out onto the water and approaching my Lord, who stands in the middle of the turbulent water, calling gently out to me. I've been unable to share who I really am, let alone what I believe in and claim to live for.
I'm a coward.
That's right. The Great Commission says "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit..." (Matthew 28:19)
Jesus Himself said this, and yet I have been unable to go, let alone make disciples.
On top of that I've continued to commit indiscretions that are not befitting of what I claim to be. I can't go into detail as to what these are, but I guess every guy out there knows how I feel. Some guys really don't want to do these kinds of things but end up doing them anyway, some feel that these acts are normal and even brag about them, thinking that they're more "macho" than those who don't like doing it. No matter how many times I promise not to do it again, it keeps happening.
I don't know why I do it. I'm not looking for a justification, but rather a rationale behind this recurring bad habit. Most of the time it's because I think I'm lonely---but after this happens, I feel even lonelier, having been sucked into a counterfeit, spiritually fraudulent act that gives no real pleasure, only an echoing, painful emptiness. I still have to stop.
Bear with me now, I'm about to pray. Maybe this prayer will touch your heart, maybe it will disgust you. It may give you peace, or it may piss you off. All I know is that after I prayed this prayer, I just felt so much better. I earnestly hope that you feel the same way too.
Oh Father, I feel terrible. I've done many things that were not pleasing to you, and my heart has not sought you. I thought I've learned to love and be tender to other people, but all of that seems to have vanished now. All I've been doing is taking the people around me for granted, treating them like something I don't appreciate. You've given me so many wonderful gifts and yet I've done nothing to use them properly. All I think about is my own pleasure.
It just seems so pathetic that I've been claiming to be some bigshot, bragging about my knowledge and my credentials to my students, being high and mighty, forgetting all my friendliness toward them and being a jerk to them instead. I've snapped at my mother, my grandmother, and fouled whatever images I have of the girl that I love. It's awful, and whatever semblance of self-confidence in my own righteousness has disintegrated, collapsing in on itself like a house of cards set on fire.
I want to change. I need to. Oh Lord, in spite of all this, you loved me and continue to do so. You said you'd never leave me---and 2000 years ago, on that dark and terrible day when you hung from that cruel cross that I nailed you to---you looked lovingly into the future, into my time, and saw me.
And you loved me.
You saw this little baby being formed in his mother's womb, and you loved me. You saw the wicked things I was going to do, the selfish things, the things that hurt you. With every surge of false, selfish pleasure that I felt, you felt the pain of the consequence. With every sin I drove those nails into your wrists and feet, those thorns into your brow, and that lance into your heart. I tried to kill God, thrusting Him out of my life, and He lovingly complied. But I could not kill Him---He laid down His life of his own accord, so that I wouldn't need to pay with mine. He took away the barrier of sin that I had placed between us, and reached out across the void toward me.
You Oh Lord, despite the things that I had done, reached out and showed me that you loved me. All you asked from me is that I accept your gift, and nothing more.
So make me new, O God, change me. Make me what you want me to be. Make my life worth living again. I want your grace to just overcome my evil. Make me yours. I am yours. I want to follow you. Please, hear me, through your Son Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, Amen.
I'm not pure or holy by myself. I'm only a sinner saved by grace. That purification is up to God, and He has done it through the cross. All Christians should remember where they came from, because we aren't any better than anyone else. But I have to say this or I reject what I am---my God is real. He is alive, and He alone is alive. That's the only thing I can claim. I don't want to be judgmental---I'm judgmental enough against myself. But I know that there's only one way. I'm intent on following it.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! -2 Corinthians 5:17
BGM: Anthem Apocalyptica by Machinae Supremacy. Dark, sombre and burdening. Check out Machinae Supremacy's site. I don't usually listen to plain rock, and many of these songs aren't very wholesome, but some of their instrumentals are really good. Anthem Apocalyptica is my favorite.
Breakfast: A few slices of monggo bread
Lunch: Salad and cream of corn soup
Dinner: Don't know. Probably more of the same.
I promised that I would keep this blog as angst-free as possible, but right now it doesn't seem to be feasible. I have to say these things lest they get impacted in my soul. I've always wanted to open up to others and share what I am, what I feel, and most importantly, what I believe in, but I've always felt so insecure, so afraid of the prospect of stepping out onto the water and approaching my Lord, who stands in the middle of the turbulent water, calling gently out to me. I've been unable to share who I really am, let alone what I believe in and claim to live for.
I'm a coward.
That's right. The Great Commission says "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit..." (Matthew 28:19)
Jesus Himself said this, and yet I have been unable to go, let alone make disciples.
On top of that I've continued to commit indiscretions that are not befitting of what I claim to be. I can't go into detail as to what these are, but I guess every guy out there knows how I feel. Some guys really don't want to do these kinds of things but end up doing them anyway, some feel that these acts are normal and even brag about them, thinking that they're more "macho" than those who don't like doing it. No matter how many times I promise not to do it again, it keeps happening.
I don't know why I do it. I'm not looking for a justification, but rather a rationale behind this recurring bad habit. Most of the time it's because I think I'm lonely---but after this happens, I feel even lonelier, having been sucked into a counterfeit, spiritually fraudulent act that gives no real pleasure, only an echoing, painful emptiness. I still have to stop.
Bear with me now, I'm about to pray. Maybe this prayer will touch your heart, maybe it will disgust you. It may give you peace, or it may piss you off. All I know is that after I prayed this prayer, I just felt so much better. I earnestly hope that you feel the same way too.
Oh Father, I feel terrible. I've done many things that were not pleasing to you, and my heart has not sought you. I thought I've learned to love and be tender to other people, but all of that seems to have vanished now. All I've been doing is taking the people around me for granted, treating them like something I don't appreciate. You've given me so many wonderful gifts and yet I've done nothing to use them properly. All I think about is my own pleasure.
It just seems so pathetic that I've been claiming to be some bigshot, bragging about my knowledge and my credentials to my students, being high and mighty, forgetting all my friendliness toward them and being a jerk to them instead. I've snapped at my mother, my grandmother, and fouled whatever images I have of the girl that I love. It's awful, and whatever semblance of self-confidence in my own righteousness has disintegrated, collapsing in on itself like a house of cards set on fire.
I want to change. I need to. Oh Lord, in spite of all this, you loved me and continue to do so. You said you'd never leave me---and 2000 years ago, on that dark and terrible day when you hung from that cruel cross that I nailed you to---you looked lovingly into the future, into my time, and saw me.
And you loved me.
You saw this little baby being formed in his mother's womb, and you loved me. You saw the wicked things I was going to do, the selfish things, the things that hurt you. With every surge of false, selfish pleasure that I felt, you felt the pain of the consequence. With every sin I drove those nails into your wrists and feet, those thorns into your brow, and that lance into your heart. I tried to kill God, thrusting Him out of my life, and He lovingly complied. But I could not kill Him---He laid down His life of his own accord, so that I wouldn't need to pay with mine. He took away the barrier of sin that I had placed between us, and reached out across the void toward me.
You Oh Lord, despite the things that I had done, reached out and showed me that you loved me. All you asked from me is that I accept your gift, and nothing more.
So make me new, O God, change me. Make me what you want me to be. Make my life worth living again. I want your grace to just overcome my evil. Make me yours. I am yours. I want to follow you. Please, hear me, through your Son Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, Amen.
I'm not pure or holy by myself. I'm only a sinner saved by grace. That purification is up to God, and He has done it through the cross. All Christians should remember where they came from, because we aren't any better than anyone else. But I have to say this or I reject what I am---my God is real. He is alive, and He alone is alive. That's the only thing I can claim. I don't want to be judgmental---I'm judgmental enough against myself. But I know that there's only one way. I'm intent on following it.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! -2 Corinthians 5:17
Friday, October 28, 2005
Pseudo-Sabbatical
Current System Configuration: Tactical Coordinator
BGM: The Midnight Carnival by Daisuke Ishiwatari. Final battle theme of the 2d fighting game Guilty Gear XX #Reload. Hard, fast and heavy with soaring lead guitars.
Breakfast: Sourdough toast and corned beef
Lunch: Fettucine ala Pesto with garlic bread (homemade...mmm...) on the side and a beef quesadilla.
Dinner: Mushroom and spinach pizza and garlic bread (again) from Sbarro.
The culprit behind the thefts in my class did not confess, as expected. Whoever you are, I'll find you. That is not an empty threat. I can no longer show you any mercy, as you did not choose the honorable way out. When I find you, it's a dishonorable dismissal for you.
Here is another class caricature (this was actually made first) of one of the other sections I handle, I-Topaz. This image was drawn by Anna. Unfortunately, their appearances don't seem to vary much (except for Anna, of course. <_<>_< ...for some reason I have nothing else to say for today. Maybe it's because I'm tired, maybe I'm just...yeah, tired. Hopefully something worth commenting on will happen over the weekend---something good. さらばだ。
BGM: The Midnight Carnival by Daisuke Ishiwatari. Final battle theme of the 2d fighting game Guilty Gear XX #Reload. Hard, fast and heavy with soaring lead guitars.
Breakfast: Sourdough toast and corned beef
Lunch: Fettucine ala Pesto with garlic bread (homemade...mmm...) on the side and a beef quesadilla.
Dinner: Mushroom and spinach pizza and garlic bread (again) from Sbarro.
The culprit behind the thefts in my class did not confess, as expected. Whoever you are, I'll find you. That is not an empty threat. I can no longer show you any mercy, as you did not choose the honorable way out. When I find you, it's a dishonorable dismissal for you.
Here is another class caricature (this was actually made first) of one of the other sections I handle, I-Topaz. This image was drawn by Anna. Unfortunately, their appearances don't seem to vary much (except for Anna, of course. <_<>_< ...for some reason I have nothing else to say for today. Maybe it's because I'm tired, maybe I'm just...yeah, tired. Hopefully something worth commenting on will happen over the weekend---something good. さらばだ。
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
The Crackdown
Current System Configuration: Criminal Investigator
BGM: Sarani Tatakau Mono Tachi（更 に戦う者たち）Advent Children Version by Nobuo Uematsu. A hard rocking remix of the Final Fantasy VII boss theme used in the Advent Children movie when Avalanche fights the bug-like Bahamut. Edgy, hardcore and heart rate stimulating.
Breakfast: Muesli with pineapple-flavored yoghurt
Lunch: Beef shawarma and nachos
Dinner: None yet, most likely foccacia bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. (If you've noticed, this is the food I eat when I'm too lazy for a full meal)---Actually, I had Yellow Cab Pizza. For the win.
With grades finally submitted and the scholarship committe meetings done, I'm pretty much going to coast along for the last three days before the long vacation we'll be having from October 29 to November 6. Teachers and students alike are stressed to their limits and are barely clinging on to the threads of sanity. (Though some students had no sanity to begin with. You know who you are. <_<) style="font-style: italic;">Non sequitur. Gundam: The 8th MS Team is a great anime. It came out in 1995 (around the same time as Gundam Wing, which might explain why it's not so popular, being overshadowed by the winning formula of bishounen-and-angst) and is pretty much considered a side story. It has no direct relation to the plot of the original Mobile Suit Gundam (0079), which is supposed to happen at the same time.
The 8th MS Team is a well-executed departure from the Gundam many of us are used to: massively-souped up robots piloted by incredibly talented (and often good-looking) young men who easily annihilate all opposition with a serving of angst and reluctance on the side. In the 8th MS Team you instead have an idealistic and oft careless (but incredibly resourceful) team leader, Shiro Amada; a hot-blooded and tomboyish red-headed lady, Karen Joshua; Sanders, a dreadlocked soldier who believes himself to be a jinx; Eledore, a wannabe musician who has a weakness for a particular blonde centerfold; and Michel, a boy who is perpetually found writing to his girlfriend. Their Mobile Suits are still Gundams---but generic, grunt-issue units that can barely fly and never pose flashily (unlike practically everything in Gundam SEED -_-). The 8th MS team does not soar through the blue skies or starry heavens blowing up enemy units---no, they fight in hot, steamy jungles infested with leeches. They get bored while stalking enemy units in the desert to the point of bickering pettily. Their units get trashed, after which they have to actually pull that ejection lever and end up forsaken on some mountain peak in the middle of nowhere, and use their wits to survive the bitter cold.
The 8th MS Team is grittily realistic but nonetheless entertaining. Some people may complain about the lack of continuity when it comes to technology, but really, that's completely fine with me. 4.5 stars out of 5.
Back to reality. Here is a nauseatingly cute caricature of my advisory class, I-Sapphire. (Drawn by Yana)
First Row, starting from upper left: Neon, who appeared in a TV ad for a milk formula for "gifted children"; Mike, who is sleeping with his I-Pod; John; MJ, whose fascination with cattle I still do not understand; Gabby, who loves chess; Zaldy, who is drawing in the grass; Jocel; and Francis, who cannot be seen very clearly. He is standing on the globe and is known for his aptitude in math and Earth sciences.
Second Row: King, who claims to be some sort of universal monarch; Jut, whose soul appears to be trapped in a cellular phone; Kit, who seems to be enjoying himself here; Vince, who was somehow transmuted into a goat; Patti(Cor), who is blooming here; Dianne and Belsha, who are holding hands and flashing creepy grins; and Darrwin, who is erasing the board.
Third Row: The Inseparable Trio/Tres Marias/The Tiger Girls: Inna (the Genie), Trish (the Fairy) and Marga (the Angel); Cesar; Paolo, who seems to have more than adequate funding and an obsession with fish; Manuel and JM, whose souls seem to be trapped inside a Gameboy Advance; Prince, who seems to be more regally-clad than King; Paul, who believes silence is a virtue; Ingrid, who for some unknown reason here is reading a "men's interests" magazine (ahem); Patti (yes, two Pattis), said to be our resident genius; and Kate, who lost her sanity a loooooooooong time ago.
In the lower right corner is Yana, the artist behind this wonderful work of art, and the Syaoran lookalike in the middle is myself. Why she drew me as a Syaoran lookalike I have no idea.
What deeply saddens me is that one of these students is behind the sequence of thefts that has occured since the start of the schoolyear. We have narrowed down the suspects to the 20 boys, as the most recent theft occured in the absence of the girls. (During swimming class---the girls have theirs separate from the boys, for obvious reasons) I'm normally a very merciful person, but I have to say that I will not tolerate thefts in class. Whoever is responsible will have to pay dearly and most likely be dismissed dishonorably from our school. The crackdown itself will happen soon enough. It will be sad to see one of these guys go, but it would be even sadder if he gets all the way through high school, college and professional life without kicking this habit.
May God grant me the wisdom to discern who it is.
さらばだ。
BGM: Sarani Tatakau Mono Tachi（更 に戦う者たち）Advent Children Version by Nobuo Uematsu. A hard rocking remix of the Final Fantasy VII boss theme used in the Advent Children movie when Avalanche fights the bug-like Bahamut. Edgy, hardcore and heart rate stimulating.
Breakfast: Muesli with pineapple-flavored yoghurt
Lunch: Beef shawarma and nachos
Dinner: None yet, most likely foccacia bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. (If you've noticed, this is the food I eat when I'm too lazy for a full meal)---Actually, I had Yellow Cab Pizza. For the win.
With grades finally submitted and the scholarship committe meetings done, I'm pretty much going to coast along for the last three days before the long vacation we'll be having from October 29 to November 6. Teachers and students alike are stressed to their limits and are barely clinging on to the threads of sanity. (Though some students had no sanity to begin with. You know who you are. <_<) style="font-style: italic;">Non sequitur. Gundam: The 8th MS Team is a great anime. It came out in 1995 (around the same time as Gundam Wing, which might explain why it's not so popular, being overshadowed by the winning formula of bishounen-and-angst) and is pretty much considered a side story. It has no direct relation to the plot of the original Mobile Suit Gundam (0079), which is supposed to happen at the same time.
The 8th MS Team is a well-executed departure from the Gundam many of us are used to: massively-souped up robots piloted by incredibly talented (and often good-looking) young men who easily annihilate all opposition with a serving of angst and reluctance on the side. In the 8th MS Team you instead have an idealistic and oft careless (but incredibly resourceful) team leader, Shiro Amada; a hot-blooded and tomboyish red-headed lady, Karen Joshua; Sanders, a dreadlocked soldier who believes himself to be a jinx; Eledore, a wannabe musician who has a weakness for a particular blonde centerfold; and Michel, a boy who is perpetually found writing to his girlfriend. Their Mobile Suits are still Gundams---but generic, grunt-issue units that can barely fly and never pose flashily (unlike practically everything in Gundam SEED -_-). The 8th MS team does not soar through the blue skies or starry heavens blowing up enemy units---no, they fight in hot, steamy jungles infested with leeches. They get bored while stalking enemy units in the desert to the point of bickering pettily. Their units get trashed, after which they have to actually pull that ejection lever and end up forsaken on some mountain peak in the middle of nowhere, and use their wits to survive the bitter cold.
The 8th MS Team is grittily realistic but nonetheless entertaining. Some people may complain about the lack of continuity when it comes to technology, but really, that's completely fine with me. 4.5 stars out of 5.
Back to reality. Here is a nauseatingly cute caricature of my advisory class, I-Sapphire. (Drawn by Yana)
First Row, starting from upper left: Neon, who appeared in a TV ad for a milk formula for "gifted children"; Mike, who is sleeping with his I-Pod; John; MJ, whose fascination with cattle I still do not understand; Gabby, who loves chess; Zaldy, who is drawing in the grass; Jocel; and Francis, who cannot be seen very clearly. He is standing on the globe and is known for his aptitude in math and Earth sciences.
Second Row: King, who claims to be some sort of universal monarch; Jut, whose soul appears to be trapped in a cellular phone; Kit, who seems to be enjoying himself here; Vince, who was somehow transmuted into a goat; Patti(Cor), who is blooming here; Dianne and Belsha, who are holding hands and flashing creepy grins; and Darrwin, who is erasing the board.
Third Row: The Inseparable Trio/Tres Marias/The Tiger Girls: Inna (the Genie), Trish (the Fairy) and Marga (the Angel); Cesar; Paolo, who seems to have more than adequate funding and an obsession with fish; Manuel and JM, whose souls seem to be trapped inside a Gameboy Advance; Prince, who seems to be more regally-clad than King; Paul, who believes silence is a virtue; Ingrid, who for some unknown reason here is reading a "men's interests" magazine (ahem); Patti (yes, two Pattis), said to be our resident genius; and Kate, who lost her sanity a loooooooooong time ago.
In the lower right corner is Yana, the artist behind this wonderful work of art, and the Syaoran lookalike in the middle is myself. Why she drew me as a Syaoran lookalike I have no idea.
What deeply saddens me is that one of these students is behind the sequence of thefts that has occured since the start of the schoolyear. We have narrowed down the suspects to the 20 boys, as the most recent theft occured in the absence of the girls. (During swimming class---the girls have theirs separate from the boys, for obvious reasons) I'm normally a very merciful person, but I have to say that I will not tolerate thefts in class. Whoever is responsible will have to pay dearly and most likely be dismissed dishonorably from our school. The crackdown itself will happen soon enough. It will be sad to see one of these guys go, but it would be even sadder if he gets all the way through high school, college and professional life without kicking this habit.
May God grant me the wisdom to discern who it is.
さらばだ。
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Postmodern Idolatry
Current System Configuration: Pan-Dimensional Reality Synthesizer (Applying decals onto my 1/100-scale Temjin 747 type A8 "White Knight," which is a very tedious task.)
BGM: "Cry for the Earth" by JAM Project. Somber and angsty, which is atypical for JAM Project songs. JAM Project usually sounds like Queen or Aerosmith, but in this particular song they sound like Linkin Park. Lyrics: http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/alinda_sue/songs/cry_for_the_earth_romaji_.htm
Breakfast: Merced Bakehouse's raisin bread + hot chocolate
Lunch: It's 8:02 in the morning, so none yet.
DInner: Ditto
Just finished computing my grades the other night (well, they're not completely finished; I still have to transmute them). Treated myself to a game of Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram (Wow, I finished the game with one token! A considerable feat, since I suck at the game.) at the local arcade and a Chicago deep dish pizza at Sbarro. Also played GunZ last night, finally got to Level 36. The Minic revolvers I purchased for myself weren't much better than the pair of Phantom Cruise Ns that I'd been using for a while---I guess I really have to wait till Lv 50 to get a good firepower boost. Oh well.
Now you might be wondering why my BGM is an angsty tune when I've been experiencing quite an amount of success in the past 24 hours. It's because of an article that my mother pointed out in today's paper--"Babies--bought--sold and traded" by James B. Reuter, S.J. My stand is still that being created in God's image, man---including embryos---should not be slaughtered on whim as if they were problems (as in the case of abortion) or cultured and destroyed like bacteria in a petri dish to come up with a cure for cancer (stem cell research.)
The article talked about how "unborn children are treated like consumer products." Apparently, baby parts are being sold in Kharkov, Ukraine. The parts were said to have been taken from "fetuses aborted at an early stage of life." The thing is, Kharkov's maternity wards have been missing some newborn babies as of late. According to Ukrainian law, "babies born before 27 weeks or weighing less than 1 kg/2.2 lbs are automatically considered abortions."
The article went on to say that "Ukrainian women were being paid to sell their fetuses to clinics. The tissues are then used for beauty treatments that are supposed to rejuvenate the skin and cure diseases." Another scientist, Ian Wilnut, says that human embryonic stem cells should be used in order to save animals from being used in tests.
When I saw this I was just disgusted. I have nothing against scientific breakthroughs, but somehow it seems that people are going back to being pagan. (Of course one can argue that society at large never really truly let go of paganism.) This is not a dig at any contemporary religion, but more of an expression of just how bad we can get.
Children were once sacrificed to "gods" to appease them for the sake of guaranteeing fertility, health or protection of their livestock. Children being sacrificed to the "god" called Sha-Iyyense (figure that out) for the sake of beauty treatments, the cure for cancer or for the protection of animals from use in experiments sounds creepily similar.
I believe that there is just no situation in which abortion is justified except for times when both the mother and child are in danger and it boils down to choosing which one survives.. If you don't want children (especially if you are a teenage girl who's still in school), then don't have sex! Procreation is after all, one of the major reasons why we have such organs built into our fearfully and wonderfully made bodies. A woman may have a right to her own body, but so does an unborn child.
Children being aborted as if they were a disease is bad enough---it's not like it's their fault that they were conceived. Sacrificing children for some obscure "good thing," however is just abominable. What's even more disturbing is that I'm pretty sure that people won't stop there. As a race we are good at one thing: coming up with new ways of being evil.
憎しみが REFRAIN あふれている
絶望が REFRAIN
押し寄せる DESPAIR 耐えられない
降り止まぬ COLD RAIN CRYING FOR THE EARTH！
#1022AD20050847
BGM: "Cry for the Earth" by JAM Project. Somber and angsty, which is atypical for JAM Project songs. JAM Project usually sounds like Queen or Aerosmith, but in this particular song they sound like Linkin Park. Lyrics: http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/alinda_sue/songs/cry_for_the_earth_romaji_.htm
Breakfast: Merced Bakehouse's raisin bread + hot chocolate
Lunch: It's 8:02 in the morning, so none yet.
DInner: Ditto
Just finished computing my grades the other night (well, they're not completely finished; I still have to transmute them). Treated myself to a game of Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram (Wow, I finished the game with one token! A considerable feat, since I suck at the game.) at the local arcade and a Chicago deep dish pizza at Sbarro. Also played GunZ last night, finally got to Level 36. The Minic revolvers I purchased for myself weren't much better than the pair of Phantom Cruise Ns that I'd been using for a while---I guess I really have to wait till Lv 50 to get a good firepower boost. Oh well.
Now you might be wondering why my BGM is an angsty tune when I've been experiencing quite an amount of success in the past 24 hours. It's because of an article that my mother pointed out in today's paper--"Babies--bought--sold and traded" by James B. Reuter, S.J. My stand is still that being created in God's image, man---including embryos---should not be slaughtered on whim as if they were problems (as in the case of abortion) or cultured and destroyed like bacteria in a petri dish to come up with a cure for cancer (stem cell research.)
The article talked about how "unborn children are treated like consumer products." Apparently, baby parts are being sold in Kharkov, Ukraine. The parts were said to have been taken from "fetuses aborted at an early stage of life." The thing is, Kharkov's maternity wards have been missing some newborn babies as of late. According to Ukrainian law, "babies born before 27 weeks or weighing less than 1 kg/2.2 lbs are automatically considered abortions."
The article went on to say that "Ukrainian women were being paid to sell their fetuses to clinics. The tissues are then used for beauty treatments that are supposed to rejuvenate the skin and cure diseases." Another scientist, Ian Wilnut, says that human embryonic stem cells should be used in order to save animals from being used in tests.
When I saw this I was just disgusted. I have nothing against scientific breakthroughs, but somehow it seems that people are going back to being pagan. (Of course one can argue that society at large never really truly let go of paganism.) This is not a dig at any contemporary religion, but more of an expression of just how bad we can get.
Children were once sacrificed to "gods" to appease them for the sake of guaranteeing fertility, health or protection of their livestock. Children being sacrificed to the "god" called Sha-Iyyense (figure that out) for the sake of beauty treatments, the cure for cancer or for the protection of animals from use in experiments sounds creepily similar.
I believe that there is just no situation in which abortion is justified except for times when both the mother and child are in danger and it boils down to choosing which one survives.. If you don't want children (especially if you are a teenage girl who's still in school), then don't have sex! Procreation is after all, one of the major reasons why we have such organs built into our fearfully and wonderfully made bodies. A woman may have a right to her own body, but so does an unborn child.
Children being aborted as if they were a disease is bad enough---it's not like it's their fault that they were conceived. Sacrificing children for some obscure "good thing," however is just abominable. What's even more disturbing is that I'm pretty sure that people won't stop there. As a race we are good at one thing: coming up with new ways of being evil.
憎しみが REFRAIN あふれている
絶望が REFRAIN
押し寄せる DESPAIR 耐えられない
降り止まぬ COLD RAIN CRYING FOR THE EARTH！
#1022AD20050847
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Of One I'll Come Many
Current System Configuration: Time Management/Chronology and Reality -Adaptative Manipulation (CRAM) Device with Plagiarism Search-and-Destroy Module.Background Music: To the End of the Galaxy by Salamander Factory (from SRW Alpha 3: To the End of the Galaxy) Maleficient, grandiose and apocalyptic. "To the End of the Galaxy" (Shuuen no Ginga he/終焉の銀河へ）is the said game's final boss theme. It's a dramatic march that has the effect of bringing down the entire galaxy on your head. Listen to when stressed or angry, or during periods of catharsis.
Breakfast: Pancakes and Cheez Whiz
Lunch: Salami sandwich and beef taco-stuffed breadsticks
Dinner: None yet--probably foccacia bread and olive oil again
Today I had to postpone my introductory lecture for this quarter because of a student I caught plagiarizing. Students may think that their teachers are killjoy slave drivers who exist to torment them with endless requirements. While some teachers may be sadists, I'd like to think that I'm not one. I can't stand failing students, but of course, it's my duty to give these guys and girls the grades they deserve. Failing students because of laziness is one thing---failing them because of plagiarism is another thing altogether.
Of course, we all know what makes plagiarism bad---it's basically denying your teacher his or her responsibility---making students think. This is in addition to the fact that plagiarisim is lying, cheating and stealing all at once. What's bad is when your students actually think they can get away with it---I've proven to them more than once that with my broadband connection and Google I can easily detect and expose plagiarism. Nevertheless, I still found one student's paper to be 50% plagiarized---which is no better than 100%. Student Z jumped from his/her distinctive rancorous "I'll kill you because you're disgusting" writing to clipped and precise journalism language. Of course I was easily able to spot the plagiarized article online, taken from the Philippine Daily Inquirer. I had to harangue them the entire period to hopefully help them kick the habit, because I didn't want them to suffer from stricter teachers later on. The sermon eventually segued from plagiarism to how our individual actions contribute to the entire country's condition.
Now, for those not familiar with the condition of the Philippines: We are a highly social race, very clannish (read: nepotistic), loyal (fiercely so, which is often not a good thing) and hospitable (sometimes falsely) people. Being the way we are, I tend to think that our individual actions tend to affect others more than in generally individualistic societies found in the West. Sadly, many of these actions are selfish and inconsiderate.
I went to the nearby Starbucks today to resume my daily paper checking routine (which is daily this week only because grades are due on Monday and my boss wants to see the grades by Friday) with the usual drink (tall mocha frappuccino with a single shot of espresso) to stimulate my protesting neurons and lower my core body temperature (because my ailing car's air conditioning unit seems to have passed away, emitting a hot, toxic-smelling gas whenever I turn it on). Now usually there aren't that many cars parked there at 2:00 pm. Usually.
Today the parking lot was full, and one car---a cherry-red lowered Hyundai coupe---was parked diagonally across two parking slots. When I inquired with the guard, he said that it was parked that way because if the car was parked straight, it would've hit the pavement. (Which I really don't buy---the car was able to park easily later on) Because of this I had to park a good distance away along West Avenue. Not really a problem, but I wanted to smack the car's driver.
Now I have nothing against lowered cars, apart from the fact that by some unfortunate coincidence, their drivers do not seem to have very good manners. I prefer to get rid of stereotypes, but this time I could not. The driver was a rather attractive lady who did not seem to care that she was inconveniencing the other paying customers of the coffee shop. The hot-blooded warrior in me wanted to flick out my Swiss knife blade and give that gleaming paint job a nice long racing stripe down the side. The Christian in me was grinning and bearing it. Of course I didn't want to be a jerk, so the Holy Spirit won this time and I sat down to enjoy my drink and get distressed by my students' papers.
Now, what on earth is my point? We're social beings. Even the most antisocial humans tend to stick together, as seen in this rather disturbing picture:
This is the infamous Otaku Slumber Party image, which has been edited at least one time to carry a very vulgar and offensive message. Anyway, even individuals who are labeled as outcasts (as otaku usually are) are capable of forming groups. And whenever individuals form a group, there is always an intricate web of cause/effect relationships. If students never get caught plagiarizing and continue to do throughout the rest of their lives, they affect they families, friends and co-workers in one way or another. The same is true for people who do not park responsibly (the effect is of course, making other patrons of whatever establishment they may be in to become irate). Whether we live in an individualistic society or otherwise, forgetting that one's actions affect others is a very good way to grow a hate group.Enough has been said for the day. さらばだ。
#1019AD20051737
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Saa, hajimaru da ze. ~So it begins.~
Current System Configuration: Number-Crunching Grade Machine with built in Grammar Corrector and Logical Fallacy Disposal Unit. (Checking information reports.)
Background Music: GONG by JAM Project from Super Robot Wars Alpha 3: To the End of the Galaxy. Heroic, hot-blooded and valiant. (which would make an awesome description of coffee flavor if Starbucks used it)
Breakfast: Muesli and yogurt
Lunch: Salami sandwich, Twister fries and cake
Dinner: Foccacia bread and olive oil
Greetings, dear readers, flamers and stalkers. Since this is my first post, I'd just like to make sure that it's clear what I want this blog to be. If ever I deviate from this "mission-vision", feel free to let me know so I can get back on track. Now since I have a lot to say, telling you what I don't want to say is the best way to narrow the scope of what you should expect in this blog.
The last thing I want this blog to be is an adolescent angst-o-matic through which I pour out my disgust at how weak Starbucks' espresso is or how little I'm paid for the work that I do. I'm no longer a teenager, so I guess that strikes out the "adolescent" part. However, the combination of being single and professional tends to brew a particularly nasty form of bitterness. I'd like to avoid this. Oh, the world is dark and evil, I'll give you that. But as early as now I'd like to hold onto my hope that there is something better at the end of it all, except for the purpose of sharing this hope with others.
Another thing I don't want this blog to be is a mushy collection of poetry meant to unburden myself of pleasant yet unspeakable sentinments regarding a member of the opposite sex. Don't get me wrong---catharsis is good, and so is falling in love. Nevertheless, you see enough of this online. I'd like to spare you from any more of that dangerously infectious substance called . I may mention the object of my affection once in a while, but if I begin waxing mushily poetic, please feel free to smite me with the Sword of Flame. I'd greatly appreciate it.
One more thing I don't want to anyone to catch me writing: religious condemnation. I want to eradicate the stereotype of practicing Christians as judgmental, oppressive/repressive and generally nasty people. I may be much more conservative than most of the souls who lurk on the Intercontinental Information Cluster, but I shouldn't force that on others. Of course I will become preachy from time to time, but anyone who reads such an article is free to accept or reject what I say. No hard feelings. If I go too far and seem to attack a particular school of thought, please apply slashing and burn damage by using the Sword of Flame.
Apart from these three taboos that I set for myself, you can expect pretty much anything from personal theological reflections to giant robot diagrams to anime reviews to silly anecdotes about my experience as a teacher.
Now, you might be asking yourself "what kind of freak is this guy, anyway?"
I go by the net nick "Aslan J. Cross," which is actually the name of the protagonist of a story I'm writing, Sackcloth Sun. Now please don't ask me to publish the story yet. In its current form it's decidedly horrible and cliche, and I don't want to embarrass myself by displaying it online. Nevertheless, Aslan is Turkish for "lion," and was taken from C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. (a marvelous piece of literature). Neither my real life person nor my character are anything close to the original Narnian Aslan, a divine Lion possessing perfect strength, compassion, love and beauty. I'm nothing like that, though that's what I'd like to be.
The same is true for my character, who has been recently recharacterized to be a dark yet hopeful figure, a man of blood seeking redemption in a time of great distress. This is to make him radically different from my real life self. I learned from my Creative Writing classes more than once that writing oneself into one's literary characters is not a good way to start. Hence the saying "Kill your babies." The "J" stands for "Josiah," the name of a righteous king of ancient Judah. He was instrumental in the revival of the nation and remembered as one of their greatest kings ever, though unfortunately the end of that era was not so rosy. But I'm digressing here.
I am one of the 80 or so million inhabitants of a marvelous group of 7,107 islands in Southeast Asia known as the Philippines. A great country, if you'll ask me---though we admittedly suffer from Chronic Government Incompetency (CGI) and Social Bi-Polar Disorder (SBPD, which is characterized by either complete apathy toward the system or total militant activism). We are a country with great potential but little unity. That's one of the things I'd like to help change within my lifetime.
Of course, I shouldn't go knocking on the government as much as I'd like to, since I'm on their payroll. I teach English in a reputable government-run High School. It's my first year to teach, and though at first it was quite overwhelming, I've been getting the hang of it by the grace of Elyon. I tell everyone that it's a hard job, but ultimately fun and rewarding. Hopefully this will give you an insight as to why your childhood nemesis (your English teacher) acted the way he or she did.
I'd like to go on, but I have papers to check and grades to compute. Before I end, I'd like to leave a few quotes from the information reports my students have been writing. Thankfully the problem isn't so much grammatical as it is logical. Wait, that can't be good.
Student X says, in a report about illegal logging (a rampant environmetal problem plaguing my beloved country):
"So next time we log illegally, think of the consequence [sic] that might be given to you..."
Okay, first off: I am not an illegal logger, neither do I own an illegal logging operation. To my knowledge, none of my family owns any logging ventures, legal or otherwise.
Second: My dear student, I sincerely hope that you aren't involved in illegal logging yourself.
Third: It's highly unlikely that any illegal loggers will be reading your paper anytime soon---which is unfortunate. They really need to get a clue.
Student Y says, in a "report" about littering within our campus (also a rampant problem, much to my chagrin. In a science school no less.):
"These litters [sic] also cause acid or dirty rains. When these litters still have fluids inside them (examples are the koolee cups and Coke cans) these fluids evaporate and cause dirty rains, and some students like bathing in the rain. Imagine the germs they might get, and these germs can cause some serious diseases."
My comments: "Only the water evaporates. The sugary concentrate is left behind as sticky residue....ACID RAIN IS CAUSED BY SULFUR DIOXIDE, NOT CARBONIC ACID FOUND IN COKE!" What's sad is that I'm not a science teacher and yet I have to correct "facts" like this. Student Y goes on to say...
"Even the toilets in the dormitory, which you expect to find clean are also dirty. This causes some people to prevent the urge to urinate, and not urinating causes the build-up of kidney stones in the body, which is again dangerous to your health."
At this I was aghast. Okay, Y has some logic to what he/she was saying, but there are just so many factors contributing to the development of kidney stones that you can't simply blame their formation on stinky toilets. I for one still use the toilets, as icky as they sometimes are. My comment: "You're really laying it on thick, Student Y. -_-;"
Students X and Y, my apologies for writing about your papers. I'm sure you're embarrassed--it's up to you whether or not you want to let your friends know that I was talking about you. I just think that letting the rest of the world know what NOT to write in their papers is beneficial to you, to other students and to teachers alike. To the two of you, so that you learn from your mistakes; to other students, to keep them from making bad papers; and to teachers, to spare them the agony of having to contend with papers like this.
Aaaanywaaaaay, I've gone on long enough. Expect another entry within the week, if I manage to defeat the beast called Dead Line by Friday. Saraba da. さらばだ。
＃1018AD20051808
-Aslan+J+Cross-
Background Music: GONG by JAM Project from Super Robot Wars Alpha 3: To the End of the Galaxy. Heroic, hot-blooded and valiant. (which would make an awesome description of coffee flavor if Starbucks used it)
Breakfast: Muesli and yogurt
Lunch: Salami sandwich, Twister fries and cake
Dinner: Foccacia bread and olive oil
Greetings, dear readers, flamers and stalkers. Since this is my first post, I'd just like to make sure that it's clear what I want this blog to be. If ever I deviate from this "mission-vision", feel free to let me know so I can get back on track. Now since I have a lot to say, telling you what I don't want to say is the best way to narrow the scope of what you should expect in this blog.
The last thing I want this blog to be is an adolescent angst-o-matic through which I pour out my disgust at how weak Starbucks' espresso is or how little I'm paid for the work that I do. I'm no longer a teenager, so I guess that strikes out the "adolescent" part. However, the combination of being single and professional tends to brew a particularly nasty form of bitterness. I'd like to avoid this. Oh, the world is dark and evil, I'll give you that. But as early as now I'd like to hold onto my hope that there is something better at the end of it all, except for the purpose of sharing this hope with others.
Another thing I don't want this blog to be is a mushy collection of poetry meant to unburden myself of pleasant yet unspeakable sentinments regarding a member of the opposite sex. Don't get me wrong---catharsis is good, and so is falling in love. Nevertheless, you see enough of this online. I'd like to spare you from any more of that dangerously infectious substance called . I may mention the object of my affection once in a while, but if I begin waxing mushily poetic, please feel free to smite me with the Sword of Flame. I'd greatly appreciate it.
One more thing I don't want to anyone to catch me writing: religious condemnation. I want to eradicate the stereotype of practicing Christians as judgmental, oppressive/repressive and generally nasty people. I may be much more conservative than most of the souls who lurk on the Intercontinental Information Cluster, but I shouldn't force that on others. Of course I will become preachy from time to time, but anyone who reads such an article is free to accept or reject what I say. No hard feelings. If I go too far and seem to attack a particular school of thought, please apply slashing and burn damage by using the Sword of Flame.
Apart from these three taboos that I set for myself, you can expect pretty much anything from personal theological reflections to giant robot diagrams to anime reviews to silly anecdotes about my experience as a teacher.
Now, you might be asking yourself "what kind of freak is this guy, anyway?"
I go by the net nick "Aslan J. Cross," which is actually the name of the protagonist of a story I'm writing, Sackcloth Sun. Now please don't ask me to publish the story yet. In its current form it's decidedly horrible and cliche, and I don't want to embarrass myself by displaying it online. Nevertheless, Aslan is Turkish for "lion," and was taken from C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. (a marvelous piece of literature). Neither my real life person nor my character are anything close to the original Narnian Aslan, a divine Lion possessing perfect strength, compassion, love and beauty. I'm nothing like that, though that's what I'd like to be.
The same is true for my character, who has been recently recharacterized to be a dark yet hopeful figure, a man of blood seeking redemption in a time of great distress. This is to make him radically different from my real life self. I learned from my Creative Writing classes more than once that writing oneself into one's literary characters is not a good way to start. Hence the saying "Kill your babies." The "J" stands for "Josiah," the name of a righteous king of ancient Judah. He was instrumental in the revival of the nation and remembered as one of their greatest kings ever, though unfortunately the end of that era was not so rosy. But I'm digressing here.
I am one of the 80 or so million inhabitants of a marvelous group of 7,107 islands in Southeast Asia known as the Philippines. A great country, if you'll ask me---though we admittedly suffer from Chronic Government Incompetency (CGI) and Social Bi-Polar Disorder (SBPD, which is characterized by either complete apathy toward the system or total militant activism). We are a country with great potential but little unity. That's one of the things I'd like to help change within my lifetime.
Of course, I shouldn't go knocking on the government as much as I'd like to, since I'm on their payroll. I teach English in a reputable government-run High School. It's my first year to teach, and though at first it was quite overwhelming, I've been getting the hang of it by the grace of Elyon. I tell everyone that it's a hard job, but ultimately fun and rewarding. Hopefully this will give you an insight as to why your childhood nemesis (your English teacher) acted the way he or she did.
I'd like to go on, but I have papers to check and grades to compute. Before I end, I'd like to leave a few quotes from the information reports my students have been writing. Thankfully the problem isn't so much grammatical as it is logical. Wait, that can't be good.
Student X says, in a report about illegal logging (a rampant environmetal problem plaguing my beloved country):
"So next time we log illegally, think of the consequence [sic] that might be given to you..."
Okay, first off: I am not an illegal logger, neither do I own an illegal logging operation. To my knowledge, none of my family owns any logging ventures, legal or otherwise.
Second: My dear student, I sincerely hope that you aren't involved in illegal logging yourself.
Third: It's highly unlikely that any illegal loggers will be reading your paper anytime soon---which is unfortunate. They really need to get a clue.
Student Y says, in a "report" about littering within our campus (also a rampant problem, much to my chagrin. In a science school no less.):
"These litters [sic] also cause acid or dirty rains. When these litters still have fluids inside them (examples are the koolee cups and Coke cans) these fluids evaporate and cause dirty rains, and some students like bathing in the rain. Imagine the germs they might get, and these germs can cause some serious diseases."
My comments: "Only the water evaporates. The sugary concentrate is left behind as sticky residue....ACID RAIN IS CAUSED BY SULFUR DIOXIDE, NOT CARBONIC ACID FOUND IN COKE!" What's sad is that I'm not a science teacher and yet I have to correct "facts" like this. Student Y goes on to say...
"Even the toilets in the dormitory, which you expect to find clean are also dirty. This causes some people to prevent the urge to urinate, and not urinating causes the build-up of kidney stones in the body, which is again dangerous to your health."
At this I was aghast. Okay, Y has some logic to what he/she was saying, but there are just so many factors contributing to the development of kidney stones that you can't simply blame their formation on stinky toilets. I for one still use the toilets, as icky as they sometimes are. My comment: "You're really laying it on thick, Student Y. -_-;"
Students X and Y, my apologies for writing about your papers. I'm sure you're embarrassed--it's up to you whether or not you want to let your friends know that I was talking about you. I just think that letting the rest of the world know what NOT to write in their papers is beneficial to you, to other students and to teachers alike. To the two of you, so that you learn from your mistakes; to other students, to keep them from making bad papers; and to teachers, to spare them the agony of having to contend with papers like this.
Aaaanywaaaaay, I've gone on long enough. Expect another entry within the week, if I manage to defeat the beast called Dead Line by Friday. Saraba da. さらばだ。
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-Aslan+J+Cross-
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