Eh-hum # 60

Weather-Weather Lang Iyan

Monday and Tuesday: I was miserably coughing and sniffing my way inside the house and kubo, braving the tremendous heat the month of April just had to offer. Staying in my parent’s room (where air-conditioning reigns supreme) did not seem to help, as everyone in the family keeps complaining. The sudden change in body temperature, I believe, was the main reason I got sick in the first place. For almost a week (last week), I was drenched by my own sweat (not pretty, I know) and then getting blasted by cold wind from the air-conditioner. After some bed rest and water, water, water, I’m able to attend work. However, I’m still a little “deaf”, I couldn’t smell a thing (has its advantages) and my taste buds are still “confused” (no effect on my appetite; not even a tiny bit). Aside from getting sick, the weather also lowers my chances of achieving what I call the “Ken” hairstyle (you know, Ken of Meteor Garden). The weather isn’t hair-friendly, so I may end up going to the salon for a hair cut.

This morning, I read in the news that May will be an even more scorching than April, with temperatures up to 36-37 degrees centigrade. Could the Philippines get any more humid?! Suddenly, I am looking forward to June’s rain showers and thunder storms (not the floods, of course). On the lighter side, I think women are more equipped during this hot season since most of us have “kikay kits” that helps us to “freshen up” and eventually conceal any traces of discomfort due to commuting (mine hardly qualifies as kikay, since it lacks anything related to cosmetics). Plus, we can wear skirts for ventilation (last time I wore a skirt was college; uniform).

Since we are on the subject of uncomfortable weather conditions, we all have heard this phenomenon called the greenhouse effect (low oxygen, high carbon dioxide), which also adds up to the heat. It is said to be caused by having less trees and more air pollution. This is bad news, thus giving a new meaning to the expression “out of breath”. Furthermore, certain pollutants can cause the depletion of the ozone layer, which is even more bad news. While the planet may burn like hell, exposure to the sun will cause the polar ice caps to melt. This in turn will create massive floods, possibly swallowing several islands and even whole countries. The future will be bleak if we don’t work to preserve our environment or dispose of our wastes properly. If not, we will have to deal with temperatures beyond 37 degrees centigrade.

Eh-hum # 59

TANJOUBI DESUNE

Yep, last 12 April, I celebrated my birthday…making me 25 years old (sigh).

I decided to treat my officemates some good Pancit Bihon we ordered outside the office (way, way out). Nothing fancy really, but it was all good.

Until I realized I am THISCLOSE to reaching 30. Uh-oh. Will I still be “well-rounded” by that time? Or for the next five years, will I muster enough will-power to exercise and eat less? What say you?

They say age doesn’t matter. Perhaps. It is possible to be in your 20’s and feel that you are already 50 years old. Or it could be the opposite. I guess the key is to lead a healthy lifestyle, be content and enjoy the blessings that keep coming. It great, really.

HABEMUS PAPAM

Its official: the new leader of the Catholic Church is Pope Benedict XVI, also known as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger of Germany and formerly the Dean of the College of Cardinals. When white smoke came out the Sistine Chapel and the bells gave a mighty bellow, people were excited. Moreover, they got the idea who the new Pope would be when someone else announced to the whole world that the Vatican has a new leader.

As I have mentioned in an earlier post, it will take sometime for me to get used to the new face giving out blessings and wearing the papal white robes. For most of my life, and perhaps other people from my generation, I have associated the faith to the late John Paul II. He was THE Pope. However, he has peacefully passed away. But I am sure he will never be forgotten.

Nonetheless, we welcome Pope Benedict XVI as the new Holy Father. It may not be easy at first, but am sure that he will be able to overcome any obstacles during his term. We’ll be praying for his success.

WHAT THE F*CK?!

Is it just me or did a certain local network decided to make a J.R.R. Tolkien knock off by blatantly copying some (what used to be unique) elements of the Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillon to its new fantaserye? Okay, emphasizing Angel Locsin’s breasts than her acting in Darna is senseless, but THIS IS APPALLING. I have seen the billboard along EDSA and the trailer and guess what? I HAVE A REALLY BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS. HELLO?! DON’T THESE PEOPLE KNOW THAT TOLKIEN’S WORKS ARE SACRED AND SHOULD BE LEFT ALONE?!? Would it hurt them so much to be a little more creative or do more research on Filipino legends and folklore??!! But hey, most televiewers don't care; the masa el fanaticos do not care just as long their favorite stars are on the show. Right, who gives a damn about the orginality or quality of the story line (and even the acting)??!? WHY, WHY, WHY?!?! Ehem, it better be just me....

Eh-hum # 58

Another post for the late Pope John Paul II. Yep, even people with a huge amount of responsibility (and authority) can be silly (in a nice sense) every now and then.

Blessed be those who have a sense of humor...they will have a blessed life, reach the ripe age of 84 and will be respected and loved by about 1.1 billion people and even the rest of the world.

The Passion

I know its quite late, but let me just say that I find Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ, intense and moving. I watched the movie during, I think, Black Saturday (I bought the ORIGINAL vcd version). I recommend the movie to all Christians, not just Catholics. I cried in a few scenes and it was great. Many said it was too violent, but I thought the violence helped illustrate the Christ's earthly suffering to save humanity (and indeed, Jesus was very much human in the film, especially in the scene when he was making a table for a rich man and sharing a light moment with his mother).

Another plus is Jim Caviezel (and I don't want to elaborate my personal "opinion" on him in the same post as the Pope and Jesus. SIGH), he's really a talented actor (among other things, whoops). Seriously, the film for me was something worth watching. It was even more meaningful when I watched it during the Holy Week. It wouldn't hurt to take time and look into the teachings or fundamentals of our religion, right?

Eh-hum # 57

Pope John Paul II
1920-2005

Although much of today’s youth have been partying due to their graduation or simply the end of SY 2004-2005, I doubt they haven’t heard that the 264th leader of the Christian Community/Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II, has peacefully died on Saturday evening in Vatican City (however, let me point out that I am sometimes stunned how clueless the younger generation can be).

I remembered waking up on Sunday and learning from Merly that the 84-year old Pontiff, who has served for almost 27 years, has indeed passed away. I was dismayed by the news, but was somehow expecting it since he was critically ill. After a quick trip to the bathroom, I turned the TV on to CNN and watched the news until breakfast. I wouldn’t deny that I sad enough to shed some tears while watching. It’s amazing, really.

For me, his death was somehow different from the passing of other world personalities, such as the Mother Theresa, Princess Diana or even PLO leader Yasser Arafat. Maybe because, being a Catholic myself, Pope John Paul II was the face of faith that I have come to know and revered. To be honest, it will be quite an adjustment to see a new Pope wearing those familiar white robes.

He will always be referred to as the “Great Communicator”, and his being down-to-earth sets him apart from his predecessors who, in a way, have enjoyed the pageantry of the papacy. He was unique in many ways: first non-Italian pope in four and half century; first pope hailed from Eastern Europe; known as the most traveled pope, with visits in Africa, Asia, Latin American, North America, Europe and even the Middle East; has visited a synagogue in Rome and a mosque in Damascus (yep, he took his shoes off); has encouraged dialogue between nations and religions; said to have been partly responsible for the demise of Communism in Eastern Europe; aside from world leaders and other dignitaries, has met with personalities from the entertainment industry, such as U2’s BONO and the Passion of the Christ’s Jim Caviezel; and has canonized the most number of saints (or at least placed them on the path to sainthood).

On a serious note, like a President of a country, there were a few assassination attempts. Furthermore, there were criticisms against his efforts of keeping the Catholic faith conservative. A minority of Christian women called him not women-friendly because he disagreed to the petition for the ordination of women priests. Meanwhile gay activists referred to him as a bigot, since he was against gay marriages and homosexuality in the priesthood. While the Pope may have the power to pave the way for these changes, I believe the Church as a whole is not ready for these radical amendments any time soon. Since Christianity is deeply rooted in tradition, even if the Pope was open-minded, his education as a priest prevented him from considering these options.

Of course, the Filipinos will always remember the charisma of John Paul II, or Karol Wojtyla. As we all know, he visited the country twice as Pope, the first in the 1980’s and the other during the World Youth Day celebration in 1995. I just found out last night that in mid-1970 he was in the country as Cardinal Wojtyla, and celebrated mass in Baclaran Church while waiting for his flight for Papua New Guinea (?). In my opinion, the most memorable image of him during that week long celebration in 1995 was when he whirled his cane like Charlie Chaplin; the man obviously had a sense of humor.

Before going to work this morning, I decided to buy a newspaper that would definitely feature an article (rather, articles) on him. I like the picture printed in today’s Inquirer, which occupied the front page; the Pope was wearing his white miter and crimson robes (the wind made the picture all the more dramatic) and holding his, uh, staff (hehehe), his right hand was raised as if blessing the eager crowd before him, he was smiling of course. I guess this is how all of us should remember the Holy Father: eagerly spreading God’s word and assiduously promoting peace and unity among Christians and non-Christians.

We will be waiting for the election of the new Pope, but John Paul II will definitely be “a tough act to follow”. Nonetheless, the faithful will have to move on, since the Holy Father has moved on and returned to the house of the God. Our memories of him will last forever and his noteworthy contributions to the world will go down in history. The simple boy from Poland will gain immortality for his service to his brothers and sisters and ultimately, to his (and our) God.