This man reminds me of my classmate Carlos Cuano when he asks, "Talaga?"
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Lomokev
I've recently discovered the photography of Kevin Meredith from Brighton, England. He's popularly known as lomokev in Flickr. His work features bright colors and interesting subjects. He uses a lomo, an analog camera (which makes use of the good ol' film), most of the time. And he sounds really funny. He updates his Flickr many times a week, so check it out if you have time.
This man reminds me of my classmate Carlos Cuano when he asks, "Talaga?"
This man reminds me of my classmate Carlos Cuano when he asks, "Talaga?"
Monday, February 8, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Cravings and encounters at Robinson's Place Manila
On my way home, I had a craving for Jollibee's Barbecue Chicken. I headed to Robinson's Place Manila and ate to my heart's content. The chicken was so moist and tasty that I devoured it without the sauce. Way better than the famous Chicken Joy, if you ask me.
As I was leaving, I had another craving for something cold and sweet. The last time this sweet spell had happened to me was on October-November of last year: I would go out of my apartment, leave my notes altogether, and grab a cheap ice cream from the nearest Mini Stop. This time I went to Dairy Queen and ordered Banana-Strawberry. As the lady was punching my orders in, I had a weird feeling: I felt that someone was sneaking glances at me.
I grabbed a high chair and began eating, when a woman grabbed the chair beside mine. "Lance? Is that you?," she asked in Ilonggo. My memory was failing me; her face didn't register at all.
"Yes," I said. "Oh . . . hello."
"I went to K-N, too," she said excitedly. "My name is Ping."
And then she spilled everything to me. We went to the same high school; she was two years ahead. She knew many of my friends, and I had to chide myself for not remembering her. Was I too snobbish then? I don't think so. There were just too many of us that it'd be impossible to know everyone. In my high school batch, there were 1500 of us.
She told me she has been working in a Makati call center. She also told me that she didn't attend the high school reunion last December—"So did I," I said—and that she was in Robinson's because it was her day-off and she felt like hanging out.
I had to leave her because I was getting sleepy. After checking my emails at home, I immediately retired to bed and had a dream of talking to a professor about Linux computers.
As I was leaving, I had another craving for something cold and sweet. The last time this sweet spell had happened to me was on October-November of last year: I would go out of my apartment, leave my notes altogether, and grab a cheap ice cream from the nearest Mini Stop. This time I went to Dairy Queen and ordered Banana-Strawberry. As the lady was punching my orders in, I had a weird feeling: I felt that someone was sneaking glances at me.
I grabbed a high chair and began eating, when a woman grabbed the chair beside mine. "Lance? Is that you?," she asked in Ilonggo. My memory was failing me; her face didn't register at all.
"Yes," I said. "Oh . . . hello."
"I went to K-N, too," she said excitedly. "My name is Ping."
And then she spilled everything to me. We went to the same high school; she was two years ahead. She knew many of my friends, and I had to chide myself for not remembering her. Was I too snobbish then? I don't think so. There were just too many of us that it'd be impossible to know everyone. In my high school batch, there were 1500 of us.
She told me she has been working in a Makati call center. She also told me that she didn't attend the high school reunion last December—"So did I," I said—and that she was in Robinson's because it was her day-off and she felt like hanging out.
I had to leave her because I was getting sleepy. After checking my emails at home, I immediately retired to bed and had a dream of talking to a professor about Linux computers.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
He didn't mind the gigantic, pretty girls around him
Taken with a camera phone, this is one of my favorite shots.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
A daily reminder
My friend Frances Bocobo recently gave this to me: a red wristband I occasionally wear in school, a conspicuous, tangible reminder to "Live For Him." According the note, "Live for Him" means "that your life is no longer your own; it belongs to Christ! Everything you do reflects on Him."
The Red Wristband Project of Kerusso aims to donate $0.25 for every band sold to Compassion International, an organization committed to spreading the Gospel by helping thousands of children.
Thanks, Frances!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Asking Prof. Wiesel
Yesterday I had the opportunity of asking Prof. Torsten Wiesel, Nobel Laureate for Medicine in 1981, what we still do not yet know about visual perception. Prof. Wiesel pioneered the work on the neural basis of neural perception, having traced the pathway from the retina to the visual cortex. Every medical school in the world studies his work.
I don't recall the exact words, but his face lit up when he answered me. He said that his discovery is only a part of the puzzle. The brain is as complex as the universe itself, and, even if so many researches have been published on how it works, we still don't understand it enough.
Here were the highlights of the open forum:
A high school student asked him what he did with the Nobel prize money. Prof. Wiesel answered, "I used it for my daughter's education."
A man asked a really long question on the role played by science in the destruction of the world—or something like that. It was so long we didn't get the drift. The professor simply said, "Thank you for that talk."
Dr. Wiesel referred to Gloria Arroyo as prime minister, not president. The brother from La Salle, who was hosting, had to correct him. "She's not the prime minister—at least, not yet."
It was a humbling experience for me and my classmates—being in the same room with an intellectual giant. But I was even amazed with the Lord, whose idea it was to give man the eyes and the brain in the first place.
I don't recall the exact words, but his face lit up when he answered me. He said that his discovery is only a part of the puzzle. The brain is as complex as the universe itself, and, even if so many researches have been published on how it works, we still don't understand it enough.
Here were the highlights of the open forum:
A high school student asked him what he did with the Nobel prize money. Prof. Wiesel answered, "I used it for my daughter's education."
A man asked a really long question on the role played by science in the destruction of the world—or something like that. It was so long we didn't get the drift. The professor simply said, "Thank you for that talk."
Dr. Wiesel referred to Gloria Arroyo as prime minister, not president. The brother from La Salle, who was hosting, had to correct him. "She's not the prime minister—at least, not yet."
It was a humbling experience for me and my classmates—being in the same room with an intellectual giant. But I was even amazed with the Lord, whose idea it was to give man the eyes and the brain in the first place.
Monday, February 1, 2010
A South African story
"For a man of his age, fifty-two, divorced, he has, to his mind, solved the problem of sex rather well." Thus begins J.M. Coetze's Disgrace, which I had read over the weekend. Coetze is the 2003 Nobel Laureate for Literature.David Lurie is a professor of Romantic poetry at Cape Technical University, twice divorced, and spends his Thursday afternoons with prostitutes—one in particular, a woman named Soraya. But one day he sees her with her two sons, walking down the street. Things then begin to get awkward, and they stop seeing each other.
The professor thinks he lives a typical life. He teaches his courses dutifully but without much passion. He lives within his means. He's not ecstatic; he's not unhappy either.
A student, Melanie Isaacs, comes along. They have an affair. And when Melanie's parents and boyfriend pressure her into filing a complaint for sexual harassment, Lurie loses his job and retreats to the country side, in Salem, on the Grahamstown-Kenton Road in the Eastern Cape. Lurie's daughter, Lucy, lives there.
Lucy lives an entirely different life altogether—a simpler one, if one may call it. She tends her animals and works at her garden. To keep himself occupied, he helps take care of the dogs, and he assists Bev Shaw in the Animal Welfare League euthanize animals.
But the book really is a story about complicated racial complexities of South Africa. One day three men barge into Lucy's home and rape his daughter. His head has been knocked off, and he cannot help his daughter. The men steal his car and leave.
The last time I've encountered South Africa was Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom. Disgrace is probably the fictional version. It's a book about power struggles—between the black man and the white man—but this theme emerges subtly.
J. M. Coetze writes in simple but weighty sentences that need a lot of processing. I have to read this book again.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Burning with passion
O, God you have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare your wondrous works—Psalm 71:17
How long has it been since we were young, when our hearts were burning with warring passions, when we felt we could do anything? For some of us, it has been light years ago; for others, just years; and, as we survey the congregation today, we find that many—myself included—are still in that tumultuous, volatile, and exciting phase of life.
If there is one thing the youth can teach us, it is this: to live passionately. But misdirected passion is just as difficult—perhaps even harder—to correct than a lack of it. All of us, regardless of our age group, may be guilty of one or the other: a passion geared to the fulfillment of worldly desires or an indifference to the advancement of the glory of Jesus Christ.
It must then refresh us to read an old saint, which many scholars think is David, write in Psalm 71:17, “O God, you have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare your wondrous works.” Psalm 71 may be regarded, according to Spurgeon, as “an utterance of struggling, but unstaggering, faith.”
From the passage we note two things: first, that the saint was a believer since the days of his youth; and second, that he was a believer still, even in his old age. The imagery is inspiring: an old man, probably arthritic and osteoporotic, but still harboring such a passion for his God that led him to say in verse 18: “Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.” The Lord clearly has preserved him, allowing him to declare the praises of the Lord all his life.
While the picture is heartwarming, it is also rebuking. How many of us have become less passionate about God than when we had first known him, blaming all too often our increased workload or exams? How many of us have grown tired of serving in church because we've invested our passions for the pursuit of other, less important things? How many of us have, after all these years of coming to church, treated Sunday worship or cell times or the youth fellowship as routine tasks? And still how many of us sometimes find ourselves looking back and wondering, “Where has my zeal for the Lord gone? What has happened to me?”
Whether we are 15 or 50, the Bible calls us to live our lives for Him because our God deserves our all. The Psalmist in Psalm 71 reminds us that, by careful study and diligent application of God's word, it is possible to do so.
. . .
This is the transcript of my exhortation during Youth Sunday. We in the Torchbearers Youth Fellowship had a wonderful, blessed time ministering in church. All glory be to God.
How long has it been since we were young, when our hearts were burning with warring passions, when we felt we could do anything? For some of us, it has been light years ago; for others, just years; and, as we survey the congregation today, we find that many—myself included—are still in that tumultuous, volatile, and exciting phase of life.
If there is one thing the youth can teach us, it is this: to live passionately. But misdirected passion is just as difficult—perhaps even harder—to correct than a lack of it. All of us, regardless of our age group, may be guilty of one or the other: a passion geared to the fulfillment of worldly desires or an indifference to the advancement of the glory of Jesus Christ.
It must then refresh us to read an old saint, which many scholars think is David, write in Psalm 71:17, “O God, you have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare your wondrous works.” Psalm 71 may be regarded, according to Spurgeon, as “an utterance of struggling, but unstaggering, faith.”
From the passage we note two things: first, that the saint was a believer since the days of his youth; and second, that he was a believer still, even in his old age. The imagery is inspiring: an old man, probably arthritic and osteoporotic, but still harboring such a passion for his God that led him to say in verse 18: “Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.” The Lord clearly has preserved him, allowing him to declare the praises of the Lord all his life.
While the picture is heartwarming, it is also rebuking. How many of us have become less passionate about God than when we had first known him, blaming all too often our increased workload or exams? How many of us have grown tired of serving in church because we've invested our passions for the pursuit of other, less important things? How many of us have, after all these years of coming to church, treated Sunday worship or cell times or the youth fellowship as routine tasks? And still how many of us sometimes find ourselves looking back and wondering, “Where has my zeal for the Lord gone? What has happened to me?”
Whether we are 15 or 50, the Bible calls us to live our lives for Him because our God deserves our all. The Psalmist in Psalm 71 reminds us that, by careful study and diligent application of God's word, it is possible to do so.
. . .
This is the transcript of my exhortation during Youth Sunday. We in the Torchbearers Youth Fellowship had a wonderful, blessed time ministering in church. All glory be to God.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Xiphos is a great Bible tool for Linux users
I downloaded Xiphos, an open source Bible platform for Linux. It works like E-sword, which I highly recommend if you're using Windows. Different Biblical translations, commentaries, and other Biblical references from various languages all over the world are available. I downloaded the English and Tagalog translations. They don't have the New King James Version (NKJV) and New International Version (NIV) translations, but at least they have English Standard Version (ESV) and King James.
I like the simplicity of the design. The search tool also works efficiently. If you install a dictionary (I installed Strong's Hebrew and Greek), a dialog box immediately appears at the lower right corner. Click on the word, and the corresponding Greek or Hebrew word is shown there.
What struck me most as I was installing this (which works well if you use the Ubuntu Software Center (just key in "xiphos" in the search box) was this dialog box:
How easily I forget that while I enjoy the Bible in all forms, electronic or analog, many Christians in certain parts of the world do not have this privilege. They are instead sneaking in their Bibles for fear of being arrested. They are, in Paul's words, "afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus" (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).
While the Philippines remains a free nation, let us, as the old Sunday school song goes, "read (our) Bible and pray every day . . . "
I like the simplicity of the design. The search tool also works efficiently. If you install a dictionary (I installed Strong's Hebrew and Greek), a dialog box immediately appears at the lower right corner. Click on the word, and the corresponding Greek or Hebrew word is shown there.
What struck me most as I was installing this (which works well if you use the Ubuntu Software Center (just key in "xiphos" in the search box) was this dialog box:
How easily I forget that while I enjoy the Bible in all forms, electronic or analog, many Christians in certain parts of the world do not have this privilege. They are instead sneaking in their Bibles for fear of being arrested. They are, in Paul's words, "afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus" (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).
While the Philippines remains a free nation, let us, as the old Sunday school song goes, "read (our) Bible and pray every day . . . "
Asperger's, it's not a veggie
Adam (2009) is a movie about a man struggling with Asperger's syndrome, a disease a lot like autism, characterized by an inability to interact with other people. It's sad, living like that alone, in a big house, eating macaroni and cheese day after day. Adam (Hugh Dancy) is a genius, has excellent memory, and is fond of astronomy. You know, the science geek.
Suddenly a woman arrives and settles in the same building. Beth (Rose Byrne), a children's book writer and a preschool teacher, meets Adam while she does her laundry. She eventually becomes friends with him. At this point the viewer gets excited how the relationship develops. A touching scene is when Beth invites Adam for a housewarming party of sorts; Beth knocks on her door, while Adam stands shivering on the other side, making sure Beth doesn't hear him. He's afraid of people because he has no idea how to tell what they're saying, apart from what they're saying verbally. If, for instance, Adam were in an English class and the lesson was on idiomatic expressions, he'd definitely fail. He wouldn't know you want to be kissed until you tell him.
The point of the movie is to show whether Adam, a man pyschologically incapacitated, could live a normal life with Beth. The movie is typical but, thankfully, it isn't corny.
There were funny parts, too. Beth comes in to apologize and brings a box of chocolates after a misunderstanding. Adam responds, "I'm not Forest Gump, you know?" I love that line.
And this one, spoken by his old friend, was a standout, too: "Liars is (sic) all you're gonna come across in this world. A man has got to learn the difference just plain liars and liars worth loving."
The soundtrack is wonderful; I particularly loved the Joshua Radin song, Someone Else's Life.
The movie shows a different facet to the human existence; some people just can't get along with others. The ending is a bit rushed, and I could've wished it had continued longer.
Suddenly a woman arrives and settles in the same building. Beth (Rose Byrne), a children's book writer and a preschool teacher, meets Adam while she does her laundry. She eventually becomes friends with him. At this point the viewer gets excited how the relationship develops. A touching scene is when Beth invites Adam for a housewarming party of sorts; Beth knocks on her door, while Adam stands shivering on the other side, making sure Beth doesn't hear him. He's afraid of people because he has no idea how to tell what they're saying, apart from what they're saying verbally. If, for instance, Adam were in an English class and the lesson was on idiomatic expressions, he'd definitely fail. He wouldn't know you want to be kissed until you tell him.
The point of the movie is to show whether Adam, a man pyschologically incapacitated, could live a normal life with Beth. The movie is typical but, thankfully, it isn't corny.
There were funny parts, too. Beth comes in to apologize and brings a box of chocolates after a misunderstanding. Adam responds, "I'm not Forest Gump, you know?" I love that line.
And this one, spoken by his old friend, was a standout, too: "Liars is (sic) all you're gonna come across in this world. A man has got to learn the difference just plain liars and liars worth loving."
The soundtrack is wonderful; I particularly loved the Joshua Radin song, Someone Else's Life.
The movie shows a different facet to the human existence; some people just can't get along with others. The ending is a bit rushed, and I could've wished it had continued longer.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Youth Sunday
I haven't mentioned this lately, but we've been rather busy preparing for the Youth Sunday. We haven't done that in a long time; I was still in high school when the last of its kind was held.
In a nutshell, it's an entire Sunday service where members of the Youth ministry will do practically everything: the ushering, worship leading, and leading the prayer time. Kuya Lito, our youth pastor, is preaching instead of Pastor Bob.
It's amazing how the preparations for this event have made me realize the commitment of people in church who make our Sunday gatherings look breezy. Although there are occasional glitches, like an unresponsive projector, everything seems to go on smoothly. The reason, I now realize, is these people's hardwork, a result of their passion for God's glory.
The hardest jobs are those done in the background. And when they're done excellently, they speak well of the people who've labored for the task. So thank you.
I'm leading the prayer time this Sunday. For the past few days, I've ruminated on possible outlines for my 15-minute talk. I'm writing them down now, so I'd like to covet your prayers. May Jesus Christ alone be exalted, may He hide me behind His cross, and may I be of service to the Lord as I step on that stage: I, a wretched sinner.
In a nutshell, it's an entire Sunday service where members of the Youth ministry will do practically everything: the ushering, worship leading, and leading the prayer time. Kuya Lito, our youth pastor, is preaching instead of Pastor Bob.
It's amazing how the preparations for this event have made me realize the commitment of people in church who make our Sunday gatherings look breezy. Although there are occasional glitches, like an unresponsive projector, everything seems to go on smoothly. The reason, I now realize, is these people's hardwork, a result of their passion for God's glory.
The hardest jobs are those done in the background. And when they're done excellently, they speak well of the people who've labored for the task. So thank you.
I'm leading the prayer time this Sunday. For the past few days, I've ruminated on possible outlines for my 15-minute talk. I'm writing them down now, so I'd like to covet your prayers. May Jesus Christ alone be exalted, may He hide me behind His cross, and may I be of service to the Lord as I step on that stage: I, a wretched sinner.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
This is the subject of my dreams
Here's a look at the study room of Dr. Albert Mohler, one of my favorite bloggers of all time. If the Lord gives me a house of my own, I'd want a library that looks a lot like this.
(HT: Justin Taylor)
(HT: Justin Taylor)
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Newness
The wisdom in buying a cheap phone that works is that when it gets lost (which happened to me) or gets stolen (which happened to me, too), you won't suffer as much depression, cry as many buckets of tears, and distrust the entire human race. Sadly, though, that also means you can't take vain pictures of yourself. But console yourself with the fact that your cheap phone also doubles as an alarm clock. Other than call or text, the only other important function of a mobile phone is to wake you up in the morning. And, yes, help you divide 9967.45 by 7.4.
Because division with all those decimal places is, like, hard.
Because division with all those decimal places is, like, hard.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
List of UP College of Medicine Class 2015 applicants for interview
Go here for the list.
Anyway, it was around this time last year when I read my name on a similar list. I remember that, at that point, I wasn't completely sold on taking up medicine. A part of me still wanted a PhD in neuroscience or something. But time flies really fast. Look at me now. The end of first year med proper is nearing, and I'm not regretting any of it. So far.
Let's pray for the applicants as they prepare for the interview. May they be truly passionate in choosing this kind of life.
Anyway, it was around this time last year when I read my name on a similar list. I remember that, at that point, I wasn't completely sold on taking up medicine. A part of me still wanted a PhD in neuroscience or something. But time flies really fast. Look at me now. The end of first year med proper is nearing, and I'm not regretting any of it. So far.
Let's pray for the applicants as they prepare for the interview. May they be truly passionate in choosing this kind of life.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Definitely, Maybe
While my roommate is reading in advance for the upcoming exam this Thursday—and mind you, the lectures on the topic haven't even begun—I've been watching a movie. You'll laugh at this, but the film is a love story called Definitely, Maybe. It was shown in 2008. I had no idea it existed until now.
There's nothing spectacular, except that I enjoyed listening to the little girl (Abigail Breslin) egging her father (Ryan Reynolds) to talk about his love escapades—think How I Met Your Mother, but with less hilarity.
The most important message of the story: write meaningful messages in a book you're about to give. Especially if it's Jane Eyre. It gives the book a deeper, more personal meaning—that it actually came from someone. And might I add: read the book first before handing it. Unlike t-shirts, the value of a book doesn't decrease if it has been first used by the giver. Just don't crumple the pages.
And what do I think about the movie in general? If you've seen one love story, you've probably seen them all. This one's not an exception to that rule.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
A lesson in losing
I lost my phone today, and I don't feel sad at all. I hope I could say the same thing for all the unimportant, worldly things the Lord takes away from me.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
A story told over lunch
In a class, the professor asked, "Which South Asian country has the highest fertility rate?"
Franco Catangui answered, "Bangladesh po."
"And why is that?"
"Kasi di ba po . . . marami silang tinatanim doon."
Franco Catangui answered, "Bangladesh po."
"And why is that?"
"Kasi di ba po . . . marami silang tinatanim doon."
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