Every year, my university, the University of the Philippines, holds the Lantern Parade. To many students, it’s just an event celebrated every December. To the students of Fine Arts, it’s our chance to show off our creativity and imagination.

Along time ago, it used to be a competition between colleges. But since the College of Fine Arts kept bagging the 1st Place, we have since been disqualified. Many people think that we do it for the sake of the parade but in fact we do it for the sake of our grades as our lanterns/costumes and floats are all graded.

This year, I decided not to be part of the parade but to be a mere spectator. It’s just amazing to be a participant but since I’ve never been part of the crowd, I decided to give it a shot.

Indeed, I enjoyed the parade. I think next year I’ll be a spectator again… or maybe not.

There’s no better way to hamper my last school year in college than spending it with my best friends doing almost crazy things that grasp our attention.  We don’t bother if we look like fools taking candid photos with Zorro and if we seem irritating laughing rowdily while watching lantern parade. Because the last thing you could think about is caring about what other people would say, right?

Thank you guys for making every moment unforgettable, we may not always complete as expected but I don’t think I’d be able to weather any storm without your help.  This year became a tough one to all of us, but anyhow thanks for a rocking 2009!  I ♥ you HOPIA!

Here are some of UP Lantern Parade 2009 pictures:

Ako at si Zorro

The Back hoe

UP College of Science: Turn off Climate Change now!

Palma Hall: The Famous AS Steps

UP Babaylan: The leading gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) students' support group in all campuses of the State University.

Babaylan with Ian

UP College of Engineering: Robot

UP College of Engineering: The Electric Jeepney

UP College of Fine Arts: Chinese Dragon

Ang Pag-asa ng Bayan: Ako, si Zorro at Ian

Masaya lang kami

Porma!

Different Facial Expressions

Zorro and Mark: Let's get ready to rumble!

Litrato ng magkakaibigan

Camwhoreness!

And finally, with Sir Ramon Bautista!



Today, I woke up at 3:50 in the morning; just in time to make it on time for the fourth day of the Misa de Gallo masses at the UP Diliman chapel, the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice. It was a tough challenge for me to wake up early today considering that I had a tiring coverage of the lantern parade yesterday for a Broadcast Journalism class and a news story for Journalism 102 (News Reporting) that had to be submitted within the day.

I slept at one in the morning and that was barely three hours of sleep. However, God must really be good that He woke me up right in time to prepare for the mass despite the temptation of having the first taste of real sleep that marks the start of the holidays. My alarm clock failed me. My eyes were still closing down in protest. My feet were still grimacing in pain after all the running and searching for human interest stories during the parade yet He managed to bring me to His House to hear His Word.

Fr. Anil Thallakkotur’s homily concentrated on the nature of prayer. Prayers are serious things. God gives or provides whatever is good and beneficial to us and He gives it in His proper time.

No matter how subtle or meaningful our prayers are, He surely listens. After all, it is our way of communicating with the Lord up above every time we ask for healing, counseling, and the like. In the homily, he told a story of a man who was diagnosed with cancer and he had only months to live but seven months later, the man was found to have gotten rid of his cancer as if a miracle took place. However, a year later, his mother died. There, he found out that his mother prayed every day for God  to pass the disease to her for he was such a young man to die at such a young age.

If prayers are said with sincerity and with faith, God will surely heed our prayers. It may either be yes, no, or wait. God heeds our answer if he thinks our petitions are beneficial to us. As a loving God, he will surely not bring us to danger or harm. If he says no, He has better plans for us; far better than what we asked for. If he says wait, then God’s plan for us comes in His right place and in His right time; not our time, but His.

God's grace: An 'anti-difference'

Perhaps it is inherent in us, humans as we are that we always have second thoughts every time we are to give or share something to others. After all, when we give something, something is lost in us just like in subtraction. Whenever we encounter the ‘minus sign’, we are bound to get a difference or what has remained after the loss was incurred.

Christ’s unrequited love, however, is something that does not adhere to this mathematical principle. When we give our life to our Savior, our blessings come twice more abundant than what we have lost. This, according to Fr. Mike Ty, a chaplain at the UP Chapel, is ‘anti-difference’. We gain something when we give.

On the other hand, we must always be cautious. We should not look at God’s grace as a business interest. If we do, then the essence of His love diminishes and our offerings are reduced to ‘mere investments’: giving off something and waiting for the profit and the interest.

Today is the second day of the Aguinaldo (dawn) masses and for the second time around, I had to stand for the rest of the mass. The church was once again jam-packed.

Isn’t it wonderful that God has carefully designed His grace as an ‘anti-difference’? That even if we devote our life and give our life to Him, we will surely not lose. On the other hand, we will receive Him and He will receive us. Our grace is reciprocated.

Yesterday, I happened to end up on a website of a religious organization, “Christ’s Youth in Action”. Their motto says, “Kay Kristo Buong Buhay, Habambuhay (For Christ our whole lives, for the rest of our lives). As I looked on its picture gallery, I was in awe with their intense spirituality and how they have discerned God’s grace. Indeed, if we offer our life to Him, His graces are sure to come.

God’s grace is unending as long as we offer our life to Him ceaselessly and without inhibitions.

]]> http://mikhatalk.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/christian-stewardship/ Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:42:50 +0000 mikhatalk http://mikhatalk.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/christian-stewardship/



Stewards of Christ

As I write this, I have just attended the first day of the Aguinaldo masses at the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice here in UP Diliman. The church was jampacked and I had to stand during the duration of the mass.

Fr. Raymond Arre, the parish priest, delivered an enlightening homily that focused on Christian stewardship. According to Fr. Arre, stewardship with Christ is done on four levels, namely source, gratitude, accountability, and return.

God is our source, no more, no less. It is from him and it is through him that we receive the glad tidings and blessings during Christmas season and all the other seasons of our lives. He does not provide worldly things but eternal blessings that the world cannot give.

With these blessings, we must always be thankful; we must always show gratitude to Him for bestowing upon us the gifts that we need in nurturing our stewardship with Christ. A person who does not know how to say “Thank You” is a person whose only concern in this world is personal gratifications.

The gifts that we receive are to be honed and nurtured. We must always be accountable for it lest it may be put to waste. When God provides blessings, we must always appreciate his will and be responsible in taking care of these.

Finally, to complete our stewardship with Christ, we must always return these gifts by sharing our blessings to others. A person who keeps his gifts for his own use does not fully realize the essence of Christian life and that is to give more than to receive.

The Campus Ministry choir sang my favorite song, You are Mine by David Haas. The song tells us that God is always here for us whenever we need him, whenever we are depressed, and whenever we feel that our life is filled with unbearable burdens. He will always provide refuge as long as we follow his ways. In Christ, we fill find our dwelling place. Through Christ, we can be stewards as long as we follow him and we recognize his glory, appreciate his gifts, and share our blessings to others.

This Christmas, let us extol the God that is the source of our life.

This Christmas, let us thank the God that allowed us to celebrate another season of joy and hope.

This Christmas, let us recognize that our life is to be cherished.

This Christmas, let us share our lives to those who need them most.

(Starting today and until the new year, I will shelf my political commentaries and reflect on life and Christmas. Though my mind works on politics and my heart is for the press, my human spirit, on the other hand , dwells on finding the true meaning of my life in accordance to the will of God.)

Hi guys, please check out a new blog I made, which is dedicated to my housemates.

http://thebvlwagandialogues.wordpress.com/

Enjoy!

Model: Dawn
When: 11/28/2009
Where: UP Diliman grounds

Did a shoot with Dawn again but with a different theme. Our location this time was in UP Diliman campus, good for nature and outdoor shoot because of its preserved forest habitat. If your gonna do a shoot here better get a shooting permit beforehand unless you enjoy being pestered by the security guards in the area ( Real bad experience hehehe).

Below were some of my favorite shots

ENJOY!!!

Final pics

Join the UP Astronomical Society tonight and watch the Geminid meteor shower on Sunday evening!

Lately, I haven’t been doing my thesis design seriously. All I’m doing is sketching pointless shapes and perspectives.

I’m stuck.

I was already “in love” with my last design but it was (well not entirely rejected) changed by my thesis adviser last Friday. They found my form too “alien” for Ifugao. Well, I couldn’t blame them. Two spherical structures would really stand out in a relatively rural town.

He suggested that I go for a polyhedral form instead of a spherical.

I was really excited about doing it but now, I’m just tired of it. I couldn’t come up with a decent site development plan and floor plans. I feel that my space programming is not entirely correct and that I have to redo everything.

Maybe, I’m just too sick of it. I love designing, but I hate thesis. I hate the pressure. I really need to do good. I need to show them that I’m a competent designer.

I just want to finish this, then graduate and fly somewhere.

Yesterday, I, together with my classmates in De La Salle Lipa taking up Television Production just had the most awesome and fulfilling seminar ever.  We attended the Media Communication Convention of the International Center on Communication Studies-Manila held at the UP Film Institute, University of the Philippines-Diliman.

Nearly a thousand students and professors joined the convention.  It was so cool to see that despite the fact that Philippines is considered to be one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists after the recently reported massacre, still there are lots of aspiring journalist or newscaster like me.  Most of the participants are students taking up Journalism or Communication from different colleges and universities in the Philippines…

The Hosts are Love Anouver (she was so funny and very entertaining), Mark Salazar and Sol Aragones.  Both are respected people in the field of Television.

Korina Sanchez gave a talk and a bit of I can say both an encouragement and discouragement in pursuing our passion for journalism.  She told us that the industry is very competitive and our chances are like a very small ice cube in hell.  But I was not discouraged.  I was even challenged.  Nothing is impossible, we just have to believe in our potential.

Mike Enriquez was such a comedian, but of course very intelligent and credible.  He told us how he became a news anchor and the history of GMA’s kapuso.  He was very intelligent and he speaks differently compared to what he usually does in television.

Atom Araulo was like a matinee idol.  The youngest among the resource speakers and a very cool guy.  He tackled things about doing a documentary film and etc.  Girls inside the auditorium were thrilled and mesmerized!

Susan Enriquez’s story was so thrilling.  She shared her experience at Mindanao particularly Basilan.  Its like one of the most dangerous place for journalist.  They were captured by the bandits group there.  “No story is worth dying for”, she quoted.  It was kind of discouraging but at least we are opened to the realities that might happen to us in the future if we pursue this field.

More speakers shared their experiences…It was a great treat for all of us.  Very informative and its like a once in a lifetime opportunity for us.  Anyway, I realized that journalists and newscasters are  just like us, normal people who have a heart and a sensitive side.  All of them, whether from this network or that network shares the same environment and true passion in telling the truth and public service.  They are not fighting.  They are all public servants who are willing to risk their lives if necessary for the people to know the truth.  They are indeed HEROES!!!!

me and my friends inside the theater…(i am the guy)

Join UP Astronomical Society this 2nd semester!

UP Astronomical Society’s Sign-up Booth, Dec. 2-5, 2009 at AS Walk, UP Diliman Campus

See you there!

Today was very productive; tiring, yet very productive. I went to UP Diliman this morning with Jayem to do a little research for my readings on my Public Speaking Class. It was successful. I was able to find all four books and I didn’t even have to go college hopping. I was supposed to have the readings last week, but instead, I resorted into borrowing the readings from my friends. I know, “grepa” much. Anyway, while I was in the CMC (College of Mass Communication) Lib, I realized that their library wasn’t so big at all. Our library in UP Manila, CAS (College of Arts and Sciences) Lib was even bigger; yet, we always get the most reliable sources and books in CMC. I thought, probably because the books in CMC were already filtered and are more specified for the course; where as, in our library the book subjects and categories are really diverse. We’re not the only course in CAS, after all.  It was a really simple answer to a really simple question, and was actually a very obvious one. Duh. It was just something I did to occupy my mind while waiting for the Kuya to finish counting my photocopied paper.

After CMC, Jayem and I went around some more in Diliman. We were trying to find Manong Isaw, but failed to do so; thus, we ended up in the Shopping Center and ate kwek-kwek instead. Whew. That was our third meal with just an hour interval. We decided to go home after that. We both went home with bloated feelings from eating too much. I told him, it was a good thing that I didn’t end up in Diliman, otherwise I’ll always have my budget murdered because of eating too much. He disagreed, however, and said that I should have studied in Diliman, so I can gain more weight. Okay, I appreciate the point.

Our 2nd D-day last sem. Too bad, we weren't able to take pictures this time

I’m glad I was able to use my free day productively, and even enjoyed it because I was with Jayem. I’m still feeling a little productive right now. Who knows, I might even start working on my HRD (Human Resource Development) paper after this entry.

The U.P. Astronomical Society will hold a Sidewalk Astronomy at the U.P. Sunken Garden on Nov. 25 (Wednesday) and Nov. 26 (Thursday), starting at 6 pm. Sidewalk astronomy refers to an activity of setting up a telescope on urban streets for public astronomical viewing.

Everyone is invited!

My boyfriend and I observed the Leonid meteor shower at the PAGASA SunDeck Observatory last Nov. 17, tuesday. To my surprise, we were greeted by numerous cars, media men, and people from all walks of life. I’ve never encountered such a huge crowd in my whole Astrosoc life, hahaha . For this reason, I decided to find a place where I could move and take pictures. At 1 am, we decided to observe the meteors at my place. In my 3 hours of observation, I only saw 14 meteors – 2 with smoke trails.

I was quite disappointed but I still enjoyed the celestial show.

Looking forward for another spectacular meteor shower – the Geminids!

Somebody celebrated his/her birthday under the stars. Cool!

The person was trying to take pictures of the night sky.

Chemistry building beside the PAGASA Observatory.

Star trails

Star trails

So you think you know the true Isko and Iska? Ha! Think again. These findings will surely bust commonly held notions and stereotypes on UP Diliman students.

A glimpse of our research findings:

Grade Conscious.

Most UP Diliman students work hard for incentive grades.

Loner no more.

76.5% of UP Diliman students are organization members. 51.5% of them belong to more than one org.

Party harder.

70.8% of UP Diliman students have gone clubbing.

On the go!

More UP Diliman students own laptops (53.1%) than desktop computers (41.1%).

Readings galore!

Photocopying books is more popular than owning original copies.

My Ride.

25.1% of UP Diliman students drive their own cars.

Non-Smoking Campus.

65.1% of UP Diliman students have never smoked and do not plan on smoking while still in UP.

Academic Integrity.

UP Diliman students find cheating and plagiarism unjustifiable.

Just say NO.

84.8% of UP Diliman students have never had sex while in UP. 92.4% have never taken prohibited drugs.

Sexy time!

10.6% of UP Diliman students have had sex while in campus and they are willing to do it again while in UP.

Better late than never.

UP Diliman students can tolerate tardiness (but not absences) in the name of love.

A to E of POLITICS.

All socio-economic statuses of UP Diliman students are now represented in political activities.

Out for the weekend.

UP Diliman students who spend much effort on academics also have social lives.

Lovin’ the lib.

54.7% of UP Diliman students hang out in the library during their free time.

UP AKO!

UP Diliman students like telling people that they are from UP Diliman.

Love your own.

57.8% of UP Diliman students who are in romantic relationships have partners who are also from UP.

SINGLE?

Don’t worry, 68.4% of UP Diliman students are not romantically involved.

FRAT ZONE?

Only 6% of UP Diliman students are members of fraternities and sororities.

Don’t be a loner.

79% of UP Diliman students are part of a barkada.

The geek wears Prada.

UP Diliman students keep up with fashion trends.

The result of the Philippine (LET) Teachers Licensure (Board) Examination, which was held in Manila & all Regional Offices on October 4, 2009 has been released by the PRC. See below for the full list of passers and topnotchers: (continue)

http://karitoon.com/xoops/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=71

The result of the Philippine (LET) Teachers Licensure (Board) Examination, which was held in Manila & all Regional Offices on October 4, 2009 has been released by the PRC. See below for the full list of passers and topnotchers:  (continue)

http://karitoon.com/xoops/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=70

Phi Delta Alpha Sorority,

UP’s beloved pride and glory.

Congratulations to our new 2nd Vice Lady Chancellor, Sis Marielle  Bordado batch 2008-A and Sister Recorder, Sis Jennifer Canalda, batch 2007-C.  Hail Phi Delta Alpha Hail~!

And to Sis Angela (surname concealed) 2008-A, for being a friend to some senior  ichiraku members and cosplayers, and likewise for the nice figure

- hanhan~

Last night, the PAGASA SunDeck Observatory was jam-packed with spectators, astronomy enthusiasts,  and media. You could actually feel the crowd’s excitement for the Leonids celestial show.

On the other hand, I just hope the media will be more aware of  light pollution and its effect on astronomical observations.

ABS-CBN News – Bandila: Meteor Shower to Brighten Night Sky

GMA News – Saksi: Leonids Meteor Shower Sky Show Tonight ’til Dawn

http://www.gmanews.tv/video/50899/saksi-leonids-meteor-shower-sky-show-tonight-til-dawn