On Bended Knees

In our world, diversities in terms of theological belief exist. Some were born and raised as Christians, Moslems, Buddhists and others. Some, in turn, converted themselves into another religion; some even extinguished the transcendental existence of a Higher Being. Well, just to be quite specific, Islam do not regard their “converts” as such.

This post neither aims to elevate a certain religion (I prefer theological belief than religion) from the other, nor criticize flaws of certain theological belief. I believe that no one is entitled to say that their religious doctrine offers the best way to salvation, or Nirvana in Buddhism. I hope I’ve remembered my History 2 under Professor Esguerra. Right, Arnel? Haha. Besides, theological belief is a very sensitive issue, and for a not-so-religious-guy like me, I don’t have the guts to scrutinize these sets of belief.

Regardless of religion or theological belief, I think most people believe in a Higher Being — an entity that is believed to surpass human limitations. An omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent entity whose power is mainly characterized by love. Prayer happens to be an essential part of every religion, since this is the only medium of communication happening between the believer and the Higher Being.

Kinds of prayers include grace before and after meals, morning and evening prayers, novena, Islam’s Salah or the Five Daily Prayers, and others. Prayers are also done for various purposes, like glorifying the Higher Being, reflecting, asking for guidance and thanksgiving.

In your life, when was the last time you prayed with all your heart?

Explosion

God saved us.

Last Thursday, my bestfriends and I were planning to set a day-out to “formally” introduce my girlfriend. Since I was the one who called for a day-out, the planning and the decision-making is in me. We are supposed to play bowling at Bowling Alley in Makati, then have our lunch at Glorietta. However, Fatz (one of my bestfriends) can’t remember where the Bowling Alley is. In addition, Mads (my other bestfriend) has less money as of the moment. Kite doesn’t even know how to play bowling, and she insisted not to play even if I shoulder the payment. I then decided to change the earlier plan.

Friday. The Formal Meet-Up at Trinoma. While eating our lunch at Chef D’Angelo, my mobile phone received a couple of text messages.

Glorietta was “bombed”.

Rants on Tullahan

Over the weekend, the news regarding the reopening of the (in)famous Tullahan Bridge, which connects Valenzuela City to Malabon City, has been monitored by the public especially by the Valenzuela citizens. Since last February, the bridge had been closed for reconstruction due to its degrading vehicle capacity over the years.

Actually, the bridge has been a problem for the past few years. I’ve been seeing warning signs even before it was closed, telling the motorists that the carrying capacity of the bridge is about 10 tons or less.

Today is Monday, the reopening schedule of the bridge. Literally, it is open. Literally.

A week before the reopening, there had been news of the reopening the following week, and I am unconvinced with it. Imagine, most of the landfills rest on the sidewalks, forming a mountain-like set of particles, while some are still on the process of being compressed against the soil. Definitely, the soil is still wet, and my feet are forced to step on the soft, uncemented soil. Aside from the greasy-sweaty feeling and the instant tanning that I’m getting because of excessive exposure to sunlight, mud sticks not only on my pair of rubber shoes but even on my pants at times.

Doing all that walking everyday annoys me. The distance I walk everyday is not a joke. Swear. Instead of having a faster one-ride trip, it gets even slower and more expensive. In addition, I have to look for an alternative way to escape from the everyday ritual.

I really don’t know why the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) scheduled the reopening of the bridge even if the reconstruction is still incomplete. I really want to submerge the DPWH officials underneath the oh-so-yucky-and-dirty Tullahan River. Literally, the bridge is open and some motorists can cross from Valenzuela to Malabon, but how come many people still waste their adenosine triphosphate* on walking? Haven’t they thought that it’s more practical to finish the bridge first before letting the vehicles pass through it because the incompleteness of the reconstruction just caused heavy traffic? What did the local government do to hasten the reconstruction? Whoa.

Well, what’s left now is to hope. Hope for a faster completion.

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*Is adenosine triphosphate (ATP) the energy produced by the body? Haha. Just give me the necessary corrections.

Why Goodbye?

The now-disbanded boy band Blue, together with Elton John, stated in one of their songs that “sorry” seems to be the hardest word.

But “goodbye“, for me, is the hardest, the most painful and the saddest (also according to Celine Dion’s song) word compiled by the lexicographers.

I remember my childhood days. My mother’s mother, Lola Agot, lives in Batangas. My family and I visit her several times a year. If time and money permits Lola, she visits us in Manila instead. As the eldest (and the most handsome) grandson, I can say that my Lola and I have a very strong bond, maybe because of the fact that I was the only grandson for a couple of years. Being a certified Lola’s Boy, tears never fail to fill my eyes when parting. Eventually, saying goodbye to my Lola gains better acceptance of a life reality, though I still feel very sad most of the time.

Hayop Ka!

Before, I posted an entry about the UP College of Engineering’s Angas Shirt. Now, I’m going to present our course shirt, the Hayop Ako… shirt.

The Hayop Ako Models

1st runner-up, Mr. PolSci 2007 (Aba, may ganoong factor. Hehe.)