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Archive for photography
Mary and the Baptist
In the Gospels, (as far as I know) there was no mention of the Virgin Mary (the Mother of God) meeting his nephew, John the Baptist (save perhaps when Mary met her cousin Elizabeth. John leapt in Elizabeth womb at the greeting of Mary).
But today, the Aunt and the nephew me - in celebration I mean. 
Every 24th of the month, we commemorate the solemnity of Mary Help of Christians. Today, we are also celebrating the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.
What so important with this? Hmm… They’re just important! (FYI: in the church, we celebrate only three birthdays - the birth of John the Baptist, Blessed Virgin Mary and Christmas - birth of Jesus).
Happy Feastday (Especially for those in Manila and Calamba)!!!
Reminiscing AYD4
Ron and I went to the SCYM Office in Makati for the second to the last meeting of the SYM-PHILIPPINES delegation before the World Youth Day 2008 in Australia. When I arrived at the office, I remembered that there exists a DVD documentary of the Asian Youth Day IV - Hong Kong. Not letting the moment slip, I asked Dinvah if they have a copy of the DVD (and subliminally “Do you have an extra copy for me?”) - I’m so eager to see it because, according my AYD friends, there’s a clip of me there. I think she got the message, within a minute she handed me the DVD.
A glimpse of the cover, rocketed my consciousness back to a few years ago. My mind began flashing the images it saw during the AYD. Hope, again, rushed through my veins - and in my head rung the anthem “Youth, Hope of Asian Families!” - I am HOPE. HOPE!
An Oasis in Amadeo
It’s Rizal’s birthday today. The city government gave everyone in Calamba a holiday to commemorate Rizal’s natal day. We took this opportunity to relax and to deviate from the slowly-becoming-toxic college schedule. We went to Amadeo, Cavite. Known for its coffee beans (which, according to gossips, are being used by Figaro and Great Taste), no one would think that an oasis lies in the midst of this sleepy town.
It took us an hour to reach the government-manages (can be detected easily for most of the markers pointing to the park includes a portrait of the mayor) eco-tourism park. At first glance, there isn’t much to be delighted with. The place is still under-development; thus, rubbles and unfurnished structures would welcome you. But don’t be deceived. A minute walk (a descent) from the parking lot would take you to a natural water park unknown to city dwellers.
The park is actually a “developed” natural spring. Water coming from somewhere in the mountainous terrain flows to a series of natural and man made pools that has been formed using boulders. One can indulge himself by bathing in the pools, walking around the park and enjoy the natural symphony of the birds, the trees, the wind and, of course, the water - not to mention the verdant green vista that surrounds the life giving water.
Coffee. A cafe over-seeing the spring serves snacks, set meals and of course the famed Amadeo coffee, freshly brewed, and bottomless - overflowing (for 15 pesos only).
The place is a great escape for someone who wants to spend a day-off his usual grind, recollect and be in tune with himself - to rest for a while in his subtle oasis (apt for me…*smile*).
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By the way, you might have an event in mind, and wanna spread the word for folks to join. Add your Filipino event so that others may know, and perhaps, they might join your celebration too.
Educate with the Heart
Educate the heart with the heart… of Don Bosco. My own version of the Strenna of the Rector Major for the Salesians of Don Bosco. I did this design for the cover of the HS 2008-2009 Diary:
Altered it a bit:
today’s earth day!
Yes. Today is Earth Day! I grabbed the logo above from the Earth Day Network site. The Philippines is also celebrating it. I saw tarps hanged at certain MRT stations in Manila when I went there last Friday. Too bad I wasn’t able to click my shutter for it. But, actually, you’ll mistake it for a political campaign propaganda rather than a material to promote Mother Earth (I believe you know what I mean ). Anyway, here’s a copy of the program lead by the Cultural Center of the Philippines in partnership with a number of NGOs and businesses among them is HARIBON Foundation (which I’m proud to be a member of).
Too bad I won’t be able to join today’s celebration - in person. I’ll just pray for the success of the activities and it’s lasting effect that would surely benefit our Home and our Future! God bless!
via et veritas et vita
The lyrics of the song Pass it on rings in my mind. “It only takes a spark, to get the fire going…” The Gospel today seems apt and timely. Darkness has been the attribution given to what we are undergoing as a nation. This dim vista is brought about by the confusion that’s been lingering around. This is where the question of truth, the question of life lies.
The news across the nation, for the past few months, contain these questions. We face the unending dilemma: “who’s telling the truth.” We are threatened by the seemingly lacking supply of food. And so the eternal litany of problems begin to fill our days - again, and again, and again. Overpopulation, corruption, destabilization, pollution, education et al - to many to mention. In darkness, we are indeed.
“…a spark, to get the fire going.” For F. Sionil Jose, one of our National Artist for Literature, that spark would ignite one bloody revolution that would eradicate the ongoing culture of unlove for our nation, for our countrymen. A revolution against self-exultation, against that love that knows no suffering (not quoted, my personal interpretation).
Well, for me, let that fire be love. “I am the way and the truth and the life (Jn 14:6, NIV).” When Jesus said that He is via et veritas et vita, I can’t but remember His suffering and death on the cross - the profession of His love. Thus, made me think, love is the way, the truth, the life.
And so the song goes on, ” That’s how it is with God’s love,/ Once you’ve experienced it, you spread His love to everyone;/ You want to pass it on.” Amid this anxiety and despair that we are in, Jesus reminds us that the sole solution to these problems is LOVE. If we only choose to love our neighbor, to walk the extra mile for them, to say the truth, to respect their rights, to eat half rice, to begin to think of our brothers and sisters (not only our relatives and friends but most importantly those who are set aside by the society), and to start suffering for them - I believe, this would get the fire going.
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Ready to tell the truth to the nation? This PR Agency in the Philippines might help you.
TIC: The Alabang Orientation
Yesterday we went to Alabang - Tuloy sa Don Bosco. It’s a street children village near the posh subdivisions and commercial centers of Alabang. The village is being run by Salesians and other volunteers from the religious and business sectors. We went there for an orientation to boot our teaching immersion with the kids of tuloy. Let me share with some of the photos I took while we were there.
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- Kerwin
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- The Future Salesian Educators
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- One of the Stations of the Cross
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- An angle of the chapel's sanctuary
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- Aries reads the letters on the wall.
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- Fr. Beng and my classmates
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- Fr. Rocky with my classmates
For more photos you may check this. By the way, TIC means “Teaching Immersion Chronicles.”
Pandayan 10 - Through my Lens :)
Still not done with my post. For the mean time, feed on these photos..
Trying-out WP2.5
Yey! This blog is already running on Wordpress 2.5. I thought that the migration process would be as painful as porting subtleoasis (this blog) from Blogger to Wordpress but it was not. Just a click-of-a-button did the job. Anyway, I’m writing this post to try-out the picture gallery feature. I need to run this for the blog of the seminary which is long overdue. Anyway, here it is.
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- test1
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- test2
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- test3
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- test5
Hope this works… 
