A Call to Arms

no..not this one!

      Gadgets, who among us who have none one of these? Maybe those vagrants on streets or those vagabonds that’s lost in their own universe, or maybe those unfortunates who live beneath the falling bride of this country or those who live in fear the native regions of Mindanao, but us?

from day 1

      Necessity is the mother of invention, and as the season changes so are these gadgets that make as gaga and craze over and over again. From telegraph to telephone, to cell phone now android phones are swarming our market like a plague that catches as off-guard, dying to have one of the latest. If necessity is the mother of invention then contentment is another question.

      Rapidly, I saw how we craze over the latest gadgets, 15yrs ago, you can count on your both hands those family who have cellular phone on their houses, 25yrs ago you can count on one of your hand those family who have a telephone in a town. Now, every member of a family has its own gadgets, and at times you can count in one of your hand how many gadget one has. From the first computer made, from windows ’94, ’97, 2000, vista, professional and from windows 7 to the new talk of the town windows 8, inventors and manufacturer’s really know how to tingle are minds and get us on our feet, sell our dignity for a small gadget.

Add caption

      Early this morning, a friend asks me to come over his school for a Boy Scout investiture, and there is one thing that I notice, most of those who are there are using tablets. I want to have one of those, as a gaming console for me and my baby. Maybe at times get a picture from its camera. But as much as possible, I would like to have my own camera, DSLR or not, I must have one of these.

      Though, a tablet has its own built in camera, it was never a synonym for you-won’t-need-a-real-camera. I mean, hell you have the dough to buy an APPLE IPAD2 or SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB, then why don’t you buy a real camera? Bragging rights? It’s not a cool thing to wag your 10’’ tabs all over the place like you’re a priest that’s holding the holy sacrament and telling the insipid crowd to vow down. Tablets are tablets; they are made as it is. Not a laptop or an SLR to capture a real life image.

who made this cover...steve jobs?

      Have you seen an I-pad with a cover or a casing to protect it from harsh element? Who ever invented it must have thought of it thoroughly, he was a genius! I mean, he created an accessory brilliantly. Why make an accessory that would cover the godly-apple-logo? Then there was the casing with a hole purposely place in front of the logo. There no use of a casing if you can’t tell the world HEY-LOOK-AT-MY-EFING-TAB! Kudos to you sir!

      I know, a facebook friend thought as that we need no SLR or a DSLR to capture image and be an instant photographer. We were only using camera phones at its limits together with our hearts and mind. Imagination and literature was our axes. Maybe they’re no photo enthusiast, and I’m just a dickhead mumbling on things I’m not associated to.

they must have lots of dough man...

      But maybe, a tablet has many more use than we can imagine. One can use it as a cover when it raining, or from the heat of suns raging fury at summer. Or you can use it as a weapon to smash anyone in the head! Or maybe try these cool guys from the US who made their i-pad a skateboard!

      If you’re reading this I urge you my friend to not only invest on show-off-gadgets, though having a tablet is a nice idea, pls. invest on a good camera to be used on kodakan-moments, in the end, we are still Filipinos who love to smile in front of the camera even when we’ve been hit by a level 5-superstorm, and you’ll find that pictures taken from a high def. camera always rocks! Tabs are gods in your hand, but it can never replace cameras, maybe for now.

sir, lets try hitting you with this and tell me if it hurts?

      

Worms of the Earth…

Rotten deep inside, we pretend to shine in a purpose called love.

Dark agenda rises as pretension cover up the hollows in our heart.

We see things on different perspectives.

We live on different objectives.

We act on different reasons,

for our heart changes, just like the season.

As my knee touches the floor,

you stood up and raise your heads as high as the sky.

Your egos soar in the clouds of arrogance,

conceited by your kin; they act none to stop you from falling apart.

You struggle hard to please the crowd,

You pretend from up above.

Actions taken for granted.

We strive hard to reach for the unfortunates,

yet we our misunderstood and accused with words of utter blasphemies.

We took no refuge,

For every soul can understand the sorrow of being beaten down from behind.

Apathy and lament floats towards eternity,

As I soar down deep in this vast sadness.

I mourn on this pretext of yours,

dreams stumble to the ground with this sacrilege you’ve planted

deep inside my heart and mind.

Face first; I collide in this ground of deceit.

No hope to push me up,

You try so hard to shatter this massive rock with my heart.

Muddles of lies scattered on the ground,

leaving no space for light to shine.

Our hearts hide somewhere in this darkness,

mourning in the catastrophe of our acts.

Murmurs of ignorance slip from your lips;

I pity those who will indulge in the bitter sweet taste of your noxious kiss.

Sadly, we lament on things we could never have.

We play in a different beat,

a syncopated purpose that sings no words of harmony.

All I feel is angst in your sound,

no rhythm to hush the sobbing heart of the gods.

We dwell in deep lament,

love weeps silently from afar.

All I hear is a melancholic resonance of your guitar,

no solid foundation to help us stand on the ground.

As I am being eaten by these thoughts,

I roam freely in a universe of hallucination,

pretending that everything is alright.

Point, click, kill,

I’m shot at point blank from behind my head.

Blood drips on the ground,

we smile as we pretend that everything is alright.

Happiness hang somewhere in the heavens,

sobbing in the torment of love,

dying in frustration,

for i have let my guard down.

Leaves in the trees starting to fall;

flowers dissolve in the air as they dance carelessly in the wind of past.

As the fire in your eyes dies together with our life,

cold breeze embraces,

and snuggle inside our heart.

Silently we froze in hatred;

we die vain in this autumn in our heart.

Will we find peace amidst this travesty?

Or shall we end up lying dead on the floor as another casualty.

As I paint the town red,

we try to cover-up the sins of our lives,

Silently,

we hide our lies beneath your lovely eyes.

Now we dine, boastfully in front of death,

Hoping we’ll end up not as worms of the earth.

wish you were this...

The Lamentation of Jeremiah

i go here...you go there.

Eyes fall down,

We resigned to hopelessness the fills our empty hearts.

Death cuddles us with his scythe,

And no ray of light can be seen from afar.  

As we dance in this sea of cloud,

Your smile starts to falter together with the light.

My Heart vanishes somewhere in the dark heavens together with my mind.

Darkness engulfs our dream,

Hallucination rises and wages a war against sanity.

     

Tears run dry as we collide with pride.

We try to survive,

Yet no hope can be seen in these eyes.

You continued to fight,

I reside with this fear in my heart.

Courage was never really at hand.

We shadow box with false hopes and dreams.  

No more reason to fight,

Hands down,

We throw in the towel, as my dreams touches the canvass.

Dreams are shattered,

Oats were broken.

Pain was free to roam inside our hearts.

Tell me, how can we ever survive?

Blistered by faint images of your smile,

Hallucinated with my own deceptive lies,

We falter 8,284 steps behind.

We tried so hard,

Still we fall short to those dreams once we had.

We love to cling on those memoirs,

And dwell on our sweet stain.

Though it only causes us grieves and pain,

We restrain to give up, and to move once again.

Slowly, we glide towards lamentation,

We cast words of dismay from your heart of utter pretension.

I see no hope in your eyes,

You feel no love in my smile.

Welcome to this jungle called love.

Though it hurts,

I must say goodbye.

Though this is pure pain,

You must forget my smile.

For this is what fate has dictated,

That it’s not us that must be together.

As I fall down and weeps these teary eyes,

We falter 8,284 steps behind.

time to say goodbye....

An overdriven syncopated melodic minor 7th beat

      Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something.

      Evelyn Underhill (2001) defines worship thus: "The absolute acknowledgment of all that lies beyond us—the glory that fills heaven and earth. It is the response that conscious beings make to their Creator, to the Eternal Reality from which they came forth; to God, however they may think of Him or recognize Him, and whether He be realized through religion, through nature, through history, through science, art, or human life and character." Worship asserts the reality of its object and defines its meaning by reference to it.

      An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, or by a designated leader.

                “…talking is cheap, everybody can talk.”

-bro. Andrew, Hillsong

raise your riffle...

                Anybody can raise their hands, say words of praise. But few can really initiate it in their own lives. But, let’s drop off the article here and see things from the other side, or rather here. Commonly, worship now is composed of two things, songs and instruments. As stated by matt redman, we are the generation that worship by song, not by heart. Hell yeah, we really are, yet why most of our churches would not give all their best in this medium of worship? We lack the knowledge, how much more is our hearts?

      Now a day, the typical program of a Sunday service is song and word. Oh, forgive me my friend if I have forgotten the most precious part, the tithes and offering. Will you still forgive me? a service would be in futile if this would not be done.

      But really, if this is the way of our worship, may we know the purpose of ourselves? Literally, what’s our purpose and significance?

      To begin with, let’s start with the drummer, the steady pulse of once rhythm. The adrenaline rush towards the sky, the solid anchor that dwells beneath the sea to keep us from strangling in the waves of dilemma called excitement. He is the blood that runs in our veins that keeps us apace.   

      Our solid foundation that keeps us standing is our bass, our skeletal system that keeps us intact with one another.  Eradicate it, and all you’ll hear is a thin hollow sound of murmurs. They are the echo that builds up the pace.

      Guitars and keys are the mind of the team; they are the one that leads us through the ordeal of arrangement. They are the visionaries, the idealist. It’s their tone that leads us through the storm of transposition and the voice behind our shallow dreams.

choose one...

      Back-ups, back-ups. They are the ears and eyes, left and right. It’s them that must see and hear both side, so that they might know what to do to accompany the worship leader, but how will they if they don’t exercise their purpose. They’re like musicians without a listener, a writer without a reader, or a blogger without a follower. One must understand he’s part, or we might end up forever hanging in the tread of suspended animation.

      The hands, at times, it’ll get dirty, worn out and at times get calluses. Yet still, it must reach out to touch lives and meet God. They are the worship leader. More than shaking hands, hand held up high in a voice praise. These little hands are the catalyst that leads us in the spirit. The same hands that must forever dwell in the mud called sinners and lift them up towards the creator of heaven and earth.

      And lastly, our heart. It is our ever living God, Jesus Christ. Without the heart, we’re nothing but a flesh breathing insignificants, nothing more, nothing less. A blood without the heart is just a blood, a stagnant blood, somewhere inside the body, deoxygenated and exhausted. The skeletal system, though they are valuable, without the heart, they’ll be just bones without any joints, cracking and should be fed to any dog. A sound without skill is pointless, and a skill without a heart worthless. Skill and spirit must be enhanced together; none of them must be left behind. And also, both heart and mind should be at peace with one another.

      It’s been years when a suggestion was pass in front of CYP “now SYJM”, a battle of the bands among each worship team. Hell yeah! Let’s see who’s the efing greatest worshipper in town, and kiss their ass!  Not many likes the way a former mentor of mine lives his life, but one of his principle is this“ no worshipper should outstand his fellow worshiper, after all were all just significant in front of our God”. Though, we’ve parted ways a long time ago, and many of us had forsaken him and cast of words of dismay and depamation, kudos to you Doc.

marty or joel?

“We’re all Christians, and we all hold on to our faith very strongly,” he says. “Jesus didn’t come here for just Christians. He came here for the world, to show everyone that love is real and it’s not wrong to speak the truth, and if you speak the truth, you’re going to find it.

“To seclude yourself to a subculture, to seclude yourself to a bubble, I think is wrong. I don’t agree with the Christian industry. I’d like to see it end, really.”

“… when you're serious about your faith it reflects in all aspects of your lives. In a very large way, the messages of the songs reflect where we are as individuals and how we look at life. Faith plays a big part in our music and we all wear that proudly”

“It's amazing how our music has touched people of all faiths and walks of life. We love that people grasp that message of hope and love that inspires us right back. It's everything we prayed for and hoped for.”

“No matter where people are in their lives, they find power in our music and it's been amazing and really rewarding as an artist. We're so fortunate to get the feedback that confirms what we are doing is right.”

“I couldn't ask for more than just that -- the validation, and hearing that the music brings hope and helps you live life to the fullest is a beautiful thing.”

- Sameer ­Bhattacharya, lead guitarist of flyleaf

                                                                             

S.N.L. tyano

      I know not much on this word called worship, but as stated it is a lifestyle, it’s an everyday struggle to make your Creator smile. It’s a never ending journey to meet our ever living God. More than the world itself, one must understand what it means. Grow up, we’re living in a hallucinated world where we believe in a false bravado that this world will learn, always, from the pulpit. No its not, it’s in our lives, on how we interact towards humanity. Compassion, justice hope, and love, more than words, let us act

Maria Magdalena Laguna, Philippines.

from the archive

        Magdalena is a fourth class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 22,976. Magdalena was formerly a barrio of Majayjay, Laguna. A petition from the residents of the barrio for the creation of a new town was presented on September 15, 1819. It was proclaimed a new town by Governor General Don Mariano Fernández de Folgueras on January 18, 1820, and was originally named "Magdalena de Ambling". The name was derived from its patron saint Maria Magdalena and the barrio of Ambling where it was established. The first Teniente Alcalde or Capitan (the highest political authority in a town) was Don Mauricio San Mateo.

      They first established a makeshift school in 1820, which was the very first requirement for it to be a town. The municipal hall was also constructed. A small chapel was also constructed and it gave way to the construction of a church in 1829. The church was made of stones and bricks and donations were solicited from the residents. The construction was finished in 1861. The construction of the concrete town hall and the church convent started in 1871, and was finished in 1884.

      The revolt against the Spaniards in this area started on November 13, 1896, when the male residents joined the revolutionaries from the province to form a bigger force. It was during one of the encounters that Emilio Jacinto was wounded and sought refuge at the Catholic Church.

      Emilio Aguinaldo, then, proclaimed the first Philippine Republic and the Spaniards finally surrendered on September 1, 1898, and celebrations followed.

      The arrival of the Americans, at the turn of the century, witnessed the evacuation of the townsfolk to the mountains for fear of being killed, later returned to the Poblacion seeing that the foreigners were well-intentioned.

The Americans enforced a new system of government. Election of government officials was conducted regularly. The first elected President Municipal was Don Victor Crisostomo. It was during this time that rebels, called tulisan, formed a force to oppose the foreign rule. They robbed the house of the residents. This made the Americans very strict on social life of the people, prohibiting them from leaving the Poblacion and talking to each other publicly. It was on June 15, 1929 that electricity was introduced in the municipality. Life continued under the American regime and to an extent, introduced their own culture to the Filipinos until the Second World War broke out in 1941.    

plaza!

      On 1945, Filipino troops of the 4th, 42nd, 43rd, 45th and 46th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and 4th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary liberated the towns in Magdalena, Laguna, and helpful of the recognized guerrilla groups to attacking Japanese forces. The Japanese surrendered to the Filipino soldiers and guerrillas on May 25, 1945, thus, Magdalena, as well as the Philippines, was liberated from the Japanese army. After the war, the returned to the Poblacion and started their lives from what was left of the war.

      The Kawayan Festival

      Magdalena recently held its first Kawayan Festival to mark the town's 185th Foundation Day. The colorful festival celebrates the native bamboo and its role in the culture and livelihood of the town and to promote bamboo-based industries.

      Liga ng mga Barangay national president James Marty Lim was special guest at the festival, and together with Magdalena town officials led by Mayor Nieva Reodica, congratulated the Magdaleños for their initiatives to promote the local bamboo industry.

St. Mary Magdalene Parish Church

      Magdalena is the home of St. Mary Magdalene Church. This church was constructed in 1851-1871, and made of stones and bricks with a sandstone facade. The church is located at the town center or plaza, just across the municipal town hall of Magdalena. In February 1898, after being wounded in a battle with the Spaniards at the Maimpis River, Philippine revolutionary hero Emilio Jacinto sought refuge in this church. His bloodstains were found on the floor of the church.

The Bahay Laguna

look at our teeth!

      Bahay Laguna is a museum in Barangay Bungkol, Magdalena, that houses the memorabilia of Governor Felicisimo T. San Luis, who served as Governor of Laguna province for 33 years. During his time, he was known as the "Living Legend of Laguna." Aside from the memorabilia of the late governor, Bahay Laguna showcases the specialty crafts and signature products of Laguna towns such as woodcarving of Paete and bottled preserved fruits of Alaminos.

The construction of Bahay Laguna was finished in December 1995. The Dr. Floro Brosas Foundation donated a piece of its land for this repository

      Brief history and info lang yan, ni hindi ko binasa ang article tungkol sa bayan ng Magdalena. Ang hinahanp ko ay kung sinong nagpatayo nung plaza. Kaso kahit anong gawin kong search sa google ay walang ibang lumalabas kundi yung tungkol sa bayan mismo, siguro hindi sila magkaibigan ni google kaya ayaw syang isama sa results.

      Biruin mo, 4^th class lang pala ang Magdalena, buti may kumakandidato pa ditto na mga politico. Eh, wala kang susuwelduhin sa babaa ng klase ng kanilang bayan, may kalidad pa kaya ang serbisyo? Wala akong masyadong alam sa bayan nila, bukod sa ilan pangalan ng brgy. Drug rehab at bahay ng asawa ni benok, palagay ko wala na kong maidadagdag pa. siguro kung meron man, yung yung pinara kami ng kamay na may armalite “nasabi na sa roadrage”. Kaya kahit anong gawin kong isip para sa instant post na ito ay wala akong masasabi bukod sa nakita ko kaninang umaga.

      Noong panahon na may tindahan pa kami sa Liliw, Laguna. Halos araw-araw kong nadadaanan ang Magdalena, particular ang plaza nito sa likod ng simbahang romano na nasa tapat ng munisipyo na nasa ilalim ng kalawakan. Nagpapatawa lang ako. Pero ito ang tipikal na insprastraktura noong panahon ng kastila. Parang barkadahan na walang iwanan ang tatlo nay an. Isang pisa, kung asan ang isa andun ang isa. Siguro ginawa to para sa ganitong tagpo:

      2 Prayle na nasa municipyo:

P1: pare may magandang Filipina sa plaza, tara halayin natin.

P2: sige pre, eh san natin titirahin.

P1: dun sa simbahan, sa tore. Para pagkatapos ditso kumpisal na tyu sa baba kay padre.

P2:  rock and roll!

slide1

      Kaya nagging malaking tulong sa mga kastil ang pagpapakalat ng kanilang lahi sa ating bansa, di lang talaga nila kinaya sa Sagada, mountain provinces at sa Mindanao kung san ang mga maangas ay pinupugutan ng ulo.

      Maganda ang plaza nila pag tinitignan ko mula sa jeep na lagi kung sinasakyan patungong liliw. Kung anong ganda pala nito ay may tinatago pa pala itong mas kagandahan pa pag pinasok mo, parang inner beauty, kung tao to siguro masarap mapangasawa ang plaza ng Magdalena.

     

      Kaninang umaga ko lang mismong napasok ang nasabing lugar, kahit na ilang bese na ko nakapunta sa harapan ng plaza, ngayun ko lang nalibot ng buo ang lugar. Hanepasyet, may tennis court sa loob, gym na malinis, damong kulay green, malinis na pathway at mga estatwa ng hayop, sa puntong ito may pagka bias ang gumawa ng plaza, wala kasi akong nakitang dinosaur yun pa naman ang dinayo ko. Puro kalbaw, kalabaw na walang sngay, giraffe kabayo at balyena. Oo balyena, na pede kang pumasok sa loob at mag papicture pero di ko na pinapasok ang anak ko dahil baka mas malala pa kay jona ang abutin nya dahil sa baho. Tsk.

yeah

      

    Maganda ang plaza nila, may malaking slide, slide sa may tennis court “para pag nagkamali ang player pede ka magslide pababa at upakan ito”. Mga kubo, puno, santo, kubo “nasabi ko na ba to?” at marami pang kubo na pedeng tambayan ng kabataan at gawing lugar inuman. Di naman halata na kawayan festival ang kanila.

      

       4^th class lang sila pero ang ganda ng plaza nila, gym, at ang di ko talaga malimutan na tennis court. Pag pasok mo palang sa bayan nila, ang lamig nan a sasalubong sayo, kaliwat kanan na puno, probinsayng probinysa. Kasunod ang kliwan kanan din na sementeryo. Kasunod ang chapel, kung ililibing ka muna bago ka misahan ay di ko lang alam. Maganda ang bayan nila, kahit na pakitang taong linis ang ilang lugar, ay di ko parin maipagkakaila na namangha ako kanina.

     

smile

      Nakakalungkot man sabihin, pero may mga flaw din ang nasabing plaza, isa na jan ang vandalism.  vandalism na ikinahiya “binura yung pangalan ng jowa”, frat, at ang all time favourite na ANL. Ewan ba kung bakit kada may makikita na spasyo pedeng sulatan ay sulat ng sulat ang mga hinayupak na ito. Idagdag mo pa ang mga basura na nasa tagong lugar, sirang statwa at kupas na pintura. Saying yung ganda kundi mapapanatili ang kagandahan. Tulad ng nasabi ko na sa “lost”.

     

     

      Pero kahit na ganito, masasabi ko na kakain ng alikabok ag bayan ko sa Magdalena, mababang klase man sila ng bayan, hanepasyet naman nag recreation nila. Na eenjoy ng taong bayan at higit sa lahat ng mga batang aratan. Wala man silang Jollibee, Greenwich at chowking, may masagang damuhan naman sila na pedeng takbuhan, gulungan at kainin kung nagugutom na. idagdag mo ang simbahn nila na kasama sa jubilee churches noong taong 2000.

      Hidni ko alam kung may maintenance, janitor o taga-alaga ang plaza nila, kung may pang ayos o may budget pa ba na naka laan para mapanatili at patuloy na magamit ng taong bayan, sana lang, abutan pa ito ng mga susunod na henerasyon at kung makakabalik pa kami ditto, sana bagong pintura na at ayus na ang mga sira sirang statwa, wala ng basura o mabahong amoy na sayo ay magpapasuka at higit sa lahat. Sana may dinosaur na.