Interlude: Seasons and Reasons

I wanted to debunk the existence of writer's block.

I really do, hence another blog post. And blog about what is an interesting question. Actually, I haven't put much thought into it. But laying bare the current condition of my heart, I am so excited to enter yet another season of my life.

Recently, I got a word from UST grad school that I got accepted to the creative writing MA program. There may also be a major career and address change. I remember praying for these things way way back. My emotional disposition would swing from side to side of the pendulum, where I'd feel hopeful for a bit and hopeless when things do not go as planned. PJ Erpelo couldn't be more right in saying that God will ultimately give us the desires of our hearts His way though, not out own.

Past events made me feel like I was in a season of summer, when faith stretching normally happens (for more info on spiritual seasons check this site). It does feel like spring now, when everything's new and fresh and my prayers are being answered.

But blessings aren't as important as the lessons I was taught while in the season of waiting. We become fickle when we think that tangible blessings are all there is to our walk with God. I learned to hold on to and trust in Him more. I learned that Proverbs 3:5 (my life verse by the way), when applied, embodied and taken seriously entails being still before God, complete surrender, not rationalizing and questioning His will. I learned all the more that He has the final say in our plans.

I look forward to the season of fall, when harvest occurs, and winter, when resting and letting go is required. Every season is a season of prosperity and power and opportunity to grow in love with God.

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A thought about marriage has crossed my mind lately, not that I would like to get to soon. It's just that, many people I know-close friends and the likes-seem to be ready enough to be in a relationship. And I can't seem to get around to it, at least in this season. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says there's a time and season for everything. I can't hide my strong desire for marriage someday but I am happy to be single when I can deal with issues that I need to deal with that I may be the man that I should be for that one woman God has destined me to be with. I am blessed to have parents who model my ideal kind of marriage and family. I am blessed to have a God who wants the best for me.

Here's the thought: Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson did give us a poignant tearjerker flick about what to do before you die. I kind of tweaked the list and made it, "things to do before I settle down." Here's some:

1. Publish a book and win the Children's story category of the Palanca Awards and be one of this country's distinguished contemporary writers/documentarist in the level of Lourd de Veyra, Maria Soliven-Blanco and Howie Severino.
2. Write/work for/in Disney.
3. Tour all or most of Southeast Asia.
4. Climb Mt. Kinabalu in Malaysia.
5. Finish my MA.
6. Climb Mt. Pulag for the second and third time.
7. Relearn Cebuano.
8. Learn to cook European (northern, that is) cuisine.
9. Meet Nick Hornby, Sir Paul Mcartney, Joshua Harris, Elisabeth Elliot, Grant Morrison, Ben Gibbard, Ra Ra Riot and Rush and tell them how huge they are an influence to me.
10. Go solo in Sweden.

October Tradition (part 1)

Turning 24 recently made me realize that there are so few things that get me really excited. When one embraces adulthood, one finds himself reluctantly thrust into the proverbial rat race. No wonder why so many young professional get tired easily. My loving dad sort of warned me about being jaded as one ages. When I was younger he advised me to go on a trip at least once a year.

Following his advice, I resigned from my first corporate job in 2008, joined a group of mountaineers and climbed Mt. Pulag and traipsed the pebbled beaches of Pagudpod. In 2009, I enjoyed the beaches of Batangas and the breathtaking landscapes of Tagaytay with my dearest friends.

Ever the pattern seeker, I noticed that all these escapades happened in the month of October.

This year, I went on yet another October trip in Cebu and Bohol. From here on, I vow to travel in October of every year, and so I dub this trip 'October Tradition,' now on its third year.

First Stop

Manila holds so much of my stressors-traffic, schedules, work. Twenty-four hours before leaving, I went to UST to submit my gradschool application, went through a job interview and packed. My typical day comprises a hectic day at work and other engagements. So imagine my joy at the fact that in a few hours I would be on a plane to another place.

I did not sleep, literally, as I had to pack and cram every traveling needs into my back pack. After a hearty very late dinner, I rushed to the airport only to find out that my flight via PAL got delayed for an hour. It was okay though as I found myself chatting up foreigners and being entertained by a game of women basketball players.

I sat by the window in the hopes of getting a good view. The plane's wing was in the way, much to my disappointment. So I decided to nap. I woke up with a pack of energy bar and greaseless peanuts on the empty seat before me.

The atmosphere outside Mactan Airport was a little deceiving. By which, I mean it almost has no traces of urbanity in it. Then I took few steps, asked a couple of guards the way to Colon, referred to a cab with a fixed rate of 395php, then it finally hit me that I landed in a city similar to Manila only cleaner. I successfully avoided taking a cab and ended riding a jeep to pier four. I haven't been in Cebu in a long time, estimate 20 years, and I forgot Cebuano the moment I started learning Pangasinense so I somehow felt alienated when being answered in Cebuano by the locals. It's unnerving and exciting at the same time.

But that's the point of adventure.

On Board Supercat

Thankfully, a lady who speaks tagalog quite fairly helped me get to Pier 4 in which the Supercat going to Bohol was docked. I was welcomed by Eka and Arun, with whom I toured the island.

I couldn't help but notice a slew of Asians inside.

Supercat did get us to Bohol on time. The fare was reasonable at 800php round trip (i advise you to take advantage of the promo). While inside, a huge flat screen TV provided entertainment partly eliminating the almost 2-hour boredom. We were also treated to a scenic view of the Island of Cebu and Bohol.

Arrest My Heart, Bohol

Down in the docks of Supercat, our tourguide greeted us with a warm Boholano welcome. Kuya (I forgot his name) was born and raised in Bohol and he pretty much know the history of the province.

As he toured us around historical landmarks in a Toyota Vios, we couldn't help but be amazed at rich the history of the province is .

Launching one dreamy indeterminate hum

If you're new to the indie popscene here in Manila, Your Imaginary Friends may not ring a bell. But you get to be a fan once you hear their sound, which is a cross between The Smiths and The Pixies amplified by the Gibbard-esque lyrical genius of Vocalist Ahmad Tanji.

Hailing from Bicol and taking 4 years to make, Your Imaginary Friends is composed of Ahmad Tanji on guitars and vocals, Khalid Tanji on guitars, Em Aquino on bass, and Eric Po on drums. Their ep, which is whimsically titled "One Dreamy Indeterminate Hum," is set to be launched on September 17, 2010 at The Ayala Museum at 7pm, with the single "Oh Liza." To know more about the event, click here.

To listen to the single, click here.

Know more about the band, click here.

Hello September

My love affair with my iCal had temporarily been halted by real-life schedules that needed tending to, explaining a long blogging gap. But tending to schedules is a weak excuse, may I say, compared with committing to priorities, and so I have accomplished my "learn to say no"goal in August and Im saying hello to September.

We're not quite there yet, but "ber"months connote holidays, at least in the Philippine context. And it is during these months when people in my circle (myself included) get swamped with work and whatnot. Nevertheless, I look forward to the following weeks and the coming of the last quarter. I have mentioned previously in my facebook account of the events that will happen this month:

Sep 10-Grace's arrival from Canada

Sep 11-OneVoice magazine meeting, 3pm

Sep 11-Citipointe concert, 7pm

Sep 17-Your Imaginary Friend's EP launch, 7 pm

Sep 18-Dad's tentative trip back home

Sep 29-I will stop counting my age

Schedule is not really the issue as much as making priorities. I have come to understand recently that God is training me to know my priorities and be wise enough to focus, through recent seemingly mundane events in my life. There are so many things I would like to get off my head and heart, but I guess for now this will do.

May God bless you and your plans, and may you let His plans in your life prevail.

Of chess, wars and $50M

An interesting question that was asked of me over Skype at work recently, "what will you do if, right now, somebody gives you $50m?" Not that I don't think about it at times, but I didn't have any sensible answer at that moment, except to thank the philanthropist. The question went on to gather a thread of answers mostly hinged on materialism. One said, she'd buy a car, another said she'd stay in a hotel, leave her current job and be elsewhere.

I read on, and I still couldn't give an answer in the veins of what they were peddling. If I were asked that same question 7 years ago I would have answered the same thing-get an imac, buy the complete Peanuts collection, quit school and travel. As I look back now, I cringed at how short my perspective was then. I valued the here and now so much and did not account the future.

Fast forward to the present day, when so much has already changed, I came across this study about lottery winners and instant millionaires, who squandered their riches almost as instantly as they won it. T. Harv Eker on lottery winners in his Money Blue Print program said "Research has shown again and again that regardless of the size of their winnings, most lottery winners eventually return to their original financial state, the amount they can comfortably handle." One might wonder why this is so, Eker explained that the financial blueprint of these instant millionaires are skewed, focusing on what they can consume rather than what they can invest into. They have started with something big that they couldn't handle.

This reminds me of a verse in the bible that says "Whoever is faithful in small things, shall be faithful in large ones...(Luke 16:10 NLT)." It dawned on me how we focus so much on the here and now, on the material things we want to acquire and amass that we just live mediocre lives and hand-to-mouth existence. In other words, our perspective are so skewed and short. Don't get me wrong, though, I have nothing against the here and now, but if that is all we are living and hoping for then no wonder why we buy the lie that we don't have sufficient reason to be faithful and persevere for the great things that God will entrust to us.

If we were entrusted with great things without being faithful to small ones, it will be the death of us, we will dry up and burn out. God is more concerned about our characters than what he wants us to do or have. Rightly so, because if he were to send us to make disciples of all nations without us being discipled first, or blesses us a big business without having the developed character and wisdom to run it, what glory would it give him?

A world war II story tells us of the allies coordinated a massive build-up of troops and supplies to support a large-scale invasion of Normandy, a small region in France. It was so small that the Germans never though it would not be conquered. But as history shows, the invasion of Normandy led to the restoration of the French Republic, and a significant turning point in the war.

Start small, dream, think, and learn big. The point being is that we have to have a larger and longer perspective and be faithful in small things. Life, after all, is like a chess game, where we have so many moves but we can only dispense them one at a time. And it pays to be 10 moves ahead. It pays to know what the goals and priorities are.

Hello Mellow

(A Haiku)

The colors from a distance
You are my gold, white and blue
I will be telling you

An Assertion

The pen, states the popular adage in the 1800s, is mightier than a sword. We can hardly count the number of people who started wars, mended relationships, acquired properties and changed the world through writing. In the words of American writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin, writing is a political instrument, a way to describe and control your circumstances.

The reason why I write, however, is a matter of passion, a thrill in seeking for my purpose. This became known to me when I was younger-that my God-given purpose was to write. Despite my adviser in highschool journalism opening my awareness to the fact that there is not much money in writing, passion boils like an acid burning on a metal surface. And when ideas start to mushroom in my head, it is probably time to de-clutter.

I move my bowels into the toilet bowl. I think it is fitting that i expel my ideas into writing. My journalism adviser may have been right, passionate writers don't really get much out of writing, except maybe when one sells out and writes for publicity. To date, I am far from selling out. I choose to chase after my purpose not money, and I let money chase me as I choose not to chase after it.

Apparently, when the pen kisses the surface of a paper and moves into the direction to form words, communication happens and it is irreversible. There's no turning back, and if there were, the bible would not have been written, the civil rights, Ann Frank's diary, Plato's The Republic and countless other books that changed the world, would have never been published.

Such writings might have met oppositions and criticisms, but it is undeniable that they shaped cultures, realities and imaginations. Writing is such a powerful and wonderful vocation in changing the world.

And I want to change the world.

I am a writer and my pen is my weapon of choice. I can set and affect change. I am a writer and my idiosyncrasies may manifest, but through which I can be effective. I am a writer, and writing is more than a hobby but a responsibility.