the pilgrimage to Cory Aquino

August 5, 2009

What do I care about EDSA and Ninoy and Cory and the song “Magkaisa” and Martial Law, I was born after it? I say that I believe that if it weren’t for the events that took place more than two decades ago my fellow youth and I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the freedom, the movement for individual and expression, and that we can go out the streets with the assurance that we can.

 

When I turned on the television last August 3 and saw the sea of people in Ayala Avenue waiting for Cory Aquno’s convoy, I wanted to go there. I wanted to be part of a crowd made of people from all walks of life who paid respect to an inspirational icon. But it was over before I could reach there. Good thing my Mume told me that government employees were allowed to go to Manila Cathedral during office hours. So I told her, “Mu, punta tayong Manila Cathedral, gusto ko pong makita si Cory”. Later in the afternoon I learned that my Pupi signed up to go there. Hooray, the Sanchez family shall invade the Cathedral the next day. Haha.

 

We arrived in Intramuros at 2 o’clock in the afternoon of August 4, yesterday, together with their other officemates. “Mukhang maikli lang ang pila ah”, Pupi thought. We excitedly joined the bunch of people walking towards the end of the line. If Dory says “Keep swimming, keep swimming” to Nemo, we kept saying, “Keep walking, keep walking”, to ourselves. And we “keep hoping, keep hoping” that we’ll reach the end of the line. But we went pass through San Agustin Church, way pass NCCA, then pass PLM – where I remembered Frenk because he’s studying there and Pupi kidded me to txt him to buy me snacks there LOL, it seemed never-ending like a tunnel except that you’re not looking for the light at the end of it but that person everyone walking/running like you were coveting to follow.

 

Until we reached Fort Santiago… Fort Santiago, man! And there was the last person in line. We let out a big sigh of joyful relief. It took us 30 minutes to reach the end of the line. Wooh.

 

That 30 minutes stretched into a long 8 hours of patiently waiting and standing in line. We didn’t expect to wait that long because we didn’t know that the necrological service would take place at 4PM to be followed by a High Mass. Pero sabi ko, andun na rin naman, bakit ka pa gi-give up? Kung yung pinunta mo dun ay para makita si Cory then you should stick to it. That’s what’s on my mind. And we did. The journey of those 8 long hours was sweet, funny, himalang di masyadong nakakagutom (knowing me and my metabolism) pero nakakauhaw at nakakaihi LOL, nakakainis, at nakakaloka dahil sa bad case of bipolar attack of the weather. That’s why I want to call it a pilgrimage and an adventure. Cory is too kind she’s almost holy. :D

 

HIGHLIGHTS (naks may ganun talaga. Most of this would be written in my vernacular para mas feel):

 

* Yung kuya na nag-o-offer ng CR nila for P3. “Halika na kayo!”, tawag siya ng tawag, lumalabas na yung mga litid niya sige pa rin. Sorry naman at ako na ang na-entertain sa kanyang mga bulging litid. Hehe.

 

* Yung mga kasabayan namin sa pila na mga estudyante (ehemm na-miss ko raw ang school), naulinigan ko yung ilang napag-usapan nila. Yung isang girl, sabi niya, “Pumunta raw sina Kim at Gerald” and she was saying something like too bad she didn’t get to see them. Tapos yung isa naman, nag-survey sa mga kaklase niya, “Pano pag si GMA ang namatay?” (aba’t napaka-futuristic ng batang ito, ano? Hehe) “Ay di ako pipila nang ganito”, her classmate responded.

 

* Nung umabot na kami sa Victoria, yung street kung nasaan yung NYK-Fil, isang shipping management company (o diba inalam ko talaga), nakita namin na may pila na rin dun, which meant na umikot na ulit yung pila at malapit nang magmeet yung gitna at dulo. Kami na ang na-amaze.

 

* Nakalimutan ni Mume na magdala ng tsinelas at siya na ang naka-heels all along, kaya sinabi ko sa kanya na magpalit na lang muna kami habang pinagpapahinga niya ang kanyang mga paa sa aking flat shoes. Those times na suot ko yung sapatos niya, thankfully, dun ko naalalang mag-straight body. Hahaha. Ohwee.

 

* Sa gitna ng pila dumadaan ang mga nagtitinda at namimigay. Nagtitinda included tindero at tindera ng mga Cory pins, Cory shirts, Cory ribbons, Cory bracelets, Cory umbrellas, at kung anu-ano pang in memory of Tita Cory. Siyempre hindi mawawala ang mga nagtitinda ng balot, penoy, kropek, taho, mani, kasoy, at kung anu-ano pang pantawid. Pinagkaguluhan of all ang mga “Absolute Boys” – ako lang nag-coin niyan LOL – mga kuyang namimigay ng libreng Absolute mineral water para sa amin sa pila. Ayihee ang sweet ng Absolute. At dahil nga “the best things in life are freebies”, pinagkaguluhan. Ako nakigulo lang ako para makapagpicture. Photo op much? LOL.

 

* Nung malapit na kami sa may San Agustin Church (which meant nangangalahati na!), niyaya ko si Pupi na mag-drop by sa loob. Hindi pa kasi ako nakakapunta dun. Ako na ang na-amaze sa ceiling na may intricate paintings at dun sa mga antigong retablo ng mga santo na may mga bato-batong napaka-intricate ng pagkakagawa. At gaya ng lahat ng naging first time ko sa mga simbahang napuntahan ko, nag-wish ako. Buti naman this time mas matino na yung wish ko. Haha.

 

* Sa tapat ng San Agustin Church ay may isang “Casa Monja” something (na-memory gap ako sa full name) at may nagbabantay na isang kuya Guardia Civil. Nakakatuwa yung mga ilang nanay na nakapila ay nagpapicture kasama siya! Siya na ang heartthrob. LOL.

 

* Sarado na ang mga restrooms sa mga malalapit na establishments kaya sinamahan ako ni Pupi sa CBCP kasi sabi nung isa sa mga kuya guard ay meron dun. Pagdating naman namin dun sabi sa’min ay “open” daw yung CR nila dun. Hala, eh how open is open? Hehe, kaya ayun nagpunta nalang kami sa WOW ni Pupi upon Kuya Guard’s suggestion. Turned out, yung WOW pala na sinasabi ay ang Clamshell! Clamshell, man! Nostalgic kasi nagperform kaming mga taga-Teatrong Walang Pangalan dun tungkol sa kasaysayan ng Caloocan. Wah. Nadaanan namin yung stage at backstage at naalala ko at sinabi kay Pupi na dun sa side na yun kami nakapuwesto nun bago mag-umpisa yung play. Hayayay. High School Memories. J Dami ring mga tinda, pero kumusta naman di sila nagtitinda ng per kilong kasoy kundi per baso lang tapos whooping P80?! Oh man.

 

* Pagbalik namin galing Clamshell pumasok kami dun sa isa sa mga open space papasok sa pila (lulusot ka lang sa lubid). Tapos biglang may mga nag-react na tao, “Uy walang sisingit!” Sabi ko, “nandun po yung mga kasama namin, dun po kami nakapila (pointing as far as I can), hindi po namin kayo lalamangan, magkakababayan po tayo eh”. Natawa na lang sila.

 

* Nakailang ulan at ambon din ang pinagdaanan namin. Grabe yung pinakamalakas ay yung dun sa may bandang San Agustin Church pa rin. As in bumuhos ng tuluy-tuloy, ang lakas pati nung hangin, naghiwa-hiwalay kami nina Mu at Pu sa pila kasi nagkakabasaan na kami dahil sa mga payong. At dun na nag-umpisang gumulo nang bonggang-bongga yung pila.

 

* Nagdikit-dikit na yung mga tao, yung mga katabi ko kanina lang biglang nag-iba, yung mga nasa likod napunta sa harap tapos yung ibang out-of-nowhere parang kabuteng sumulpot na lang. Kaya sinabihan namin sila na hindi doon ang pila. Hindi sila natitinag. Dun na raw sila kanina pa. Hindi rin sila natinag sa mga “Ayaw ni Cory ng ganyan”, “Magkakababayan tayo”, “Nagtiyaga kaming pumila rito” na parinig. Sa kalye sa gilid namin may mga ilang pulis na nakatayo. So naisip ko, what if lapitan namin sila para magpatulong na ayusin yung pila. Sabi ni Pupi ewan lang daw niya kung respondehan talaga kami, tapos tinanong ko siya, “Hindi po ba yun parte ng trabaho nila? Ano po bang trabaho nila?” “Peace and order”, sabi niya. “Ayun pala eh! We’re so not in order right now!” O ako na ang nag-rant at natawa yung katabi ko. Hehe. Si Mume ang lumapit at kinausap yung mga pulis nang unti-unting gumalaw ang pila. Eventually narinig din ang aming daing at may dumating na mga bagong pulis at unti-unti nang umayos ang pila, mula sa hindi mo mabilang kung ilan dahil para na kaming karayom, naging dalawa na lang. Sa wakas. Sinabihan kami nung mga pulis na, “O, walang magpapasingit ah. Tingnan niyo yang mga katabi niyo”.

 

PILA BLUES

Here I present the different styles of paniningit (LOL):

1. Pasimpleng lalapit/tatabi sa’yo. Kapag medyo nakahalata ka na at tatanungin mo siyang, “Ate saan ka nakapila?”, magpapacute at sasabihing, “Dito na lang ako”. Ay isumbong na.

2. Mage-excuse lang sa’yo, tapos tatabi. Magse-cellphone kuno kala mo may kausap tapos hindi na aalis. Ay isumbong na.

3. Tatabihan ka. Pag tinanong mo, sasabihin sa’yo, “Kanina pa kong alas-dose rito, di ko makita yung mga kasama ko”. Ay isumbong na.

4. May ibang mananamantala pag medyo nagkaron ng commotion dahil may namimigay ng libreng diyaryo, kinausap nalang namin ng maayos.

 

In fairness naman yung iba matinong kausap at naiintindihan naman kami, pero yung iba talaga matigas ang ulo at kailangan pang sabihin sa pulis. Nakakainis lang kasi nagpunta tayo dun para magbigay-galang sa isang mabuti at matapat na tao kaya sana man lang i-embody natin yun sa mga sarili natin. Yun bang wag nating gayahin yung iba na ginagamit yung kapangyarihan o oportunidad para manlamang ng kapwa. On a lighter note, nakakatawa kasi yung mga sumisingit kung hindi nasa grupo namin dun naman sa kabilang side, tapos yung mga taong kalapit namin sa mga ka-officemate nila Mu nagsusumbong. Nadama siguro nila ang DSWD vibes nila.

 

15 SECONDS OF FAME

Eto laughtrip naman. Dumating yung isang reporter na taga-GMA 7. Mume and her officemates kept on guessing and guessing who he is hanggang sa yung isa sa kanila naalala na: si Cesar Apolinar pala yun. Hala tumapat sa’min yung cameraman at inilawan na yung camera at kinuhanan kami. Todo kaway yung mga ka-officemate nina Mu. Ako, kunwari shy LOL, tingin-tingin lang. Tiyaka hindi rin ako makikita kasi tinakpan ako nung mga bigla na lang pumunta sa harap ng camera at kumaway. O sila na ang nag-crave sa kanilang 15 seconds of fame. Mukha ngang inabangan pa nila yung pangalawang beses na magset-up eh. Eh kaso lumipat na. Hehehe. Sabi ni Pupi, “Okey lang yan kahit di ka nakita sa TV”, “Oo naman Pupi okey lang yun, balang araw ako na ang mag-iinvade sa buong frame.” LOL.

 

PEOPLE’S COMMENTS

Sa tagal sa pila di maiiwasang mag-comment yung mga tao na “ang tagal”, “sana naman umandar na yung pila”, “kanina pa kami dito”, “grabe naman ‘to for nationalism!”, ako rin napasabi ako na sana di nalang muna nag-service at mass. Pero na-enlighten ako sa sinabi ni Pupi: It’s still a private affair kahit na public figure si Cory. Siyempre yung mga kapamilya niya gusto siyang makasama for the last time. Hindi rin naman nila kami nirequire na pumunta dun, although siyempre surely naappreciate naman nila yung ginawa namin. Oo nga naman, choice namin yun and it entailed sacrifice on our part. Siguro yun na yung munting magagawa namin para sa lahat ng nagawa niya para sa bansa.

 

THAT FAMILIAR SMILE

Excited ako nung papasok na kami sa loob ng Cathedral. Sinubukan ko nga ring mag-strategize kung pano ako makakapag-picture eh. Kaso nung nasa loob na kami at nilabas ko na camera ko sinaway ako nung isa sa mga guwardiya. Di na rin ako nagpumilit, baka pa makumpiska cam ko. Hehe.

 

Mabilis man ang pacing ng pagsilip feeling ko slow-mo ang naging paglakad ko papunta sa coffin niya. Nang makita ko, hinanap ko agad yung mukhang pamilyar sakin, yung nakikita ko sa TV at diyaryo, pero for some reason nawala yung familiarity sa face, except sa lips, and I can really say na nakangiti siya.

 

SPOTTED

* Mga taga-USTe! Yung UST bus nakita ko, nakita yung kuya na nagdrive sa’min nung Retreat.  Hehe.Sayang wala akong kakilala sa mga students. Si Kuya Pipoy lang sa EdTech, kaso di niya ko nakita, tuloy-tuloy din kasi yung lakad nila eh. May mga students din sa Chowking, kung san kami sumilong at kumain ng aming first decent meal after 8 hours of only Sky Flakes, Quaker Oat Cookies, Lush, Sugus at Absolute Mineral Water.

* Sa Manila Cathedral: sina Ginger Conejero (tama ba spelling ko?) at Cory Vidanes. Sayang mag-o-audition na sana ako. Hehe.

 

FINAL NOTES

Sa totoo lang hindi ako napagod. Tulad din nung mga sinabi ng mga college students (ako na naman ang feeling estudyante pang-ilan na ‘to LOL) kay Kris Aquino, ito, bilang isang Post-EDSA baby, ang magagawa ko para makapagpasalamat sa mga malalaking naiambag ng ina niyang si Cory Aquino para sa bansa at para sa mga Pilipino, at para rin ipahayag yung paghanga namin sa kanya at yung pagbibigay na rin ng assurance na gagawin ko yung best ko para maging mabuti at kapaki-pakinabang akong mamamayan, na kung anuman yung mga talentong binigay sakin ni God gagamitin ko sa mabuti, at yung mga tinuro sa’kin ng mga magulang ko at mga guro ko patuloy kong isasabuhay.

 

Hindi naman mahirap mahalin at hangaan ang gaya ni Cory dahil mabuti siya at matapat. Simple lang din siya mamuhay. Kaya sobrang na-attach sa kanya tayong mga Pilipino kasi she’s very righteous and simple, which is rare these days dahil na rin sa proliferation ng mga taong hindi ginagamit sa kabutihan ang kapangyarihan at mas inuuna ang sarili bago ang bayan, which is wrong dahil opisyal sila eh, tungkulin nila tayong paglingkuran. Now we are hungry for that kind of leader. And hopefully we are hopeful that we will find another one like her.

 

Sana talaga lahat tayo ma-inspire sa kanya na maniwala sa bawat isa, magpahalaga, magbigay ng respeto at maging matapat. Mga Pilipino tayo… MAGKAKABABAYAN.

 

Salamat, President Cory. You Rock!

not just another "Bee" movie

July 24, 2009

I first heard about “The Secret Life of Bees” in one of One Tree Hill’s fansites. It got some free publicity there because of Hilarie Burton, who plays Peyton in the series and who also happens to be a part of the movie’s cast. I also read some good reviews but never got to watch it until a while ago. It’s such a warm, honey-sweet with a tinge of sting - which is relatable because it’s about family and it’s about life. Set in the 1960s, during the Civil Rights movement in South Carolina, Lily Owens , 14, (Dakota Fanning) lived all her life with guilt from accidentally shooting her mother (played by Hilarie) when she was 4 years old and living with resentment because of her abusive father’s brainwashing that her mother didn’t love her. But she never believed it. An unfortunate event gave her the opportunity to run away from home, in the company of their housekeeper, Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson), off to a place where she believes will lead her to the truth. And here is where the Boatwright sisters (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, and Sophie Okonedo) comes to the picture. Living with them will teach Lily lessons that go beyond bee-keeping. And here is where I’ll stop because I might be tempted to divulge spoilers.

 

I love the movie soundtrack - light, intimate and pensieve, and tried to scour the world wide web for possible sources, but I found out that they actually didn’t release a compilation CD of the songs used in the movie. What they have is the original scoring of Mark Isham. I guess I just have to find the songs one by one. Haha.

 

It’s home-y feel and all those profound quotes about life and love make me want to read the book. Oh yes, I want to read it. There goes another one to my “Book List”.  And oh yes again, I actually have that list. I’m not really a heavy book reader, but there are particular titles I would love to keep me company during lazy afternoons or cold, rainy evenings. Weee.

vomiting through cyberspace

July 10, 2009

There’s a traffic jam inside my head now, and at the same time a steady flow of ideas and thoughts yet to be materialized. Somehow I need to release even bits of them or else all these cars and trucks of thoughts would just end up hitting and bumping at each other. I’ll try to be as coherent and as comprehensible as possible. Haha.

For this month I plan to bide my time with more of my usual day chores and some “self-teaching activities”, and hopefully because of this, LESS FANGIRLING HOURS. I’m keeping my fingers crossed with that one - so tight hopefully I could still type properly. Haha. Yes, I still love David Archuleta, but I realized that there are a lot of things beyond tuning to his twits 24/7, watching adorable videos of him and voting for him in all these universe-wide polls. I want to channel my fangirl love and devotion on things that could help me grow as an individual (oh man, so cheesy). 

Channel my fangirl love and devotion on things like reading. Yesterday I finished (finally! With a deep exhale of relief) PAULO COELHO’s collection of stories, “Like the Flowing River”. I borrowed it from my friend Kim last May and decided I will read it in a much slower than I usually do, since it’s a collection of stories, therefore gave me more space to digest them. There’s a lot to love about this book, as other Paulo Coelho works. Perhaps I should dedicate a separate blog entry for it. It came to me at the right time and I really appreciate Paulo’s amazing stories and hard-hitting and remarkable wisdom. I would buy myself a personal copy - after all, a good book is always a good investment.

  

Because of “Like the Flowing River”, and all these multitude of his references of interesting writers, poets and philosophers, he, although indirect, reminded me (and a great deal at that) of the value of reading, and not just reading, but reading a lot. And oh, not just reading a lot, but comprehending a lot as well. I know we can’t know everything in this vast universe, but maybe we can try.

Channel my fangirl love and devotion on things like music. And SARA BAREILLES. It’s only recently that I’ve downloaded her full album. Before I only had “Love Song”, “One Sweet Love” (which is my favorite) and “Bottle It Up” in my player. Oh yes, David Archuleta had a lot to do with this (isn’t he such a good influence on me? Ayihee) because he is a big fan of hers. I was reminded of this a few days ago when I was checking his Twitter (excuse my plugging, follow His Highness, the King of Twitter, and that’s official! It’s DavidArchie.) and saw Sara Bareilles’ tiny-winny pic on the rows of people Archie follows, then I remembered too, that I am also a fan. So there goes “Little Voice” (the title of Sara’s outstanding album) as an addition to my growing music library in iTunes.

Pre-iTunes days I lived with casette tapes and not-so-gigantic (but equally loud) stereo then the component was invented thanks to the unwavering human desire to outshine himself where I played non-stop albums of my fandoms. Back then I had the fascination for memorizing and studying lyrics and finding lines where I can mostly relate to and considering it as my favorite. Haha. The era of obtaining intellectual propery for-we-swear-it’s-personal-consumption-so-please-don’t-sue-us-we-respect-these-artists more popularly known as piracy came and since I’m playing music through the computer so I got a bit lazy obtaining lyrics from these music sites. 

So much for laying down a chronicle of my musical habits, I resurrected my fascination for studying lyrics. A lot of artists are lined up - Paolo Nutini, James Morrison, Leigh Nash, Marit Larsen, Kate Voegele, etc. The first one, a while ago, was Sara. Oh man, song after song I am just blown all the more away with the way she writes her lyrics and how the emotions of the words are conveyed so fittingly with catchy, unique melodies. And she doesn’t just write about love songs, it’s a variety of things, like dreams, solitude, music. And she writes with conviction, wit, and sometimes humor and sarcasm, so that gives her more credibility. I’ve found another favorite songwriter. *rock* And perhaps, I should also dedicated a separate blog entry for her!

My recent Facebook status is attributed to her:

  

Oh well it may not be a beautiful poetry, but hopefully a song that sticks out, sticks around and sticks through.

* * * * *

Woohoo, the last time I blogged this long was when I blogged about Archie and my fangirl love for him. )

research gaps and parents’ love letter

July 7, 2009

If you have alarm clocks - whether from your cellphone or your classic alarm clocks, or gazillion door knocks coupled with “Gumising ka na, tanghali na!” (hopefully loving) screams as your wake-uppers for the brand new day, today I had hammering plywoods and screeching roofs dragging me out of Dream Land (too bad there were many celebrities in my dream last night! Bitin tuloy, hehe). So as I am typing this, I can feel the struggle of my eyelids. Haha.

But my mind is awake. While I was fixing my bed I thought about this:

We people are like theses. We have respective research gaps to fill - that is, a personal legend to fulfill.

Oh my, don’t I miss school? Haha.

* * * * *

I wanna share this essay I read from my friend Myx’s Tumblr. It’s a very touching, moving piece. Awakened my sleepy eyelids and released a steady flow of salty liquid called tears. 

 

SULAT NI NANAY AT TATAY

 

Sa aming pagtanda, unawain at pagpasensyahan mo sana kami, anak. Kung makatapon kami ng sabaw sa hapag kainan o kaya ay makabasag ng pinggan, ‘wag mo naman sana kaming kagagalitan.  Dala lang yun ng kalabuan ng mata at ng namamanhid naming mga daliri. Pinagalitan ka man sa mga baso’t pinggang iyong nabasag noong bata ka pa, Iyon ay dahil ayaw naming masugatan ka.

Kung ang mga sinasabi mo’y ‘di maintindihan at madinig, ‘wag mo naman sana kaming sabihan ng “Bingi!” Humihina na talaga ang aming pandinig. Pakiulit lang nang malakas-lakas na ‘di naman kailangang sigawan upang tayo ay magkaunawaan.

Kung mabagal na kaming maglakad at ‘di na makasabay sa mabilis mong paglakad, pakiantay sana at alalayan-mahihina na ang aming mga tuhod. Alalay na tulad sana nung musmos ka pa at nag-aaral ka pa lang maglakad. Tuwang tuwa ka naming pinagmamasdan.

Kung minsang makulit at paulit ulit ang aming sinasabi na parang sirang plaka, ‘wag mo sana kaming pagtawanan o kainisan. Ganyan ka rin kakulit noong bata ka pa at nag-iiiyak pa - Kapag nagpapabili ng kung anu ano’y di kami tinitigilan hangggang ang gusto mo’y di naibibigay.

Kung kinatatamaran namin na maligo at nag-aamoy lupa na, ‘wag naman sana kaming pandirihan at piliting maligo. Mahina na kasi ang aming katawan pag nalalamigan. Natatandaan mo ba noong bata ka pa at kahit anung dungis mo ay masayang-masaya ka naming hinahalikan  at mat’yagang hinahabol sa ilalim ng kama upang paliguan?

Kung palagi kaming masungit at nagsisisigaw, dala na siguro ito ng pagkabagot sa bahay at pagkadismaya na wala nang magawa at wala nang silbi. Ipadama mo naman sana na may halaga pa rin kami sa mundo mo, katulad ng pagpapadama namin noon ng pagpapahalaga at pagtutuwid sa kamalian at katigasan ng iyong ulo.

Kung may konti ka mang panahon mag kwentuhan naman sana tayo…Alam kong abala ka sa hanapbuhay, pero sabik na kaming makausap ka. Gusto kong malaman mo na interesado pa rin kami sa mga kwento mo. Tulad n’ung pagbibida mo sa eskwela noong bata ka pa. Na kahit pautal utal pa ang salita mo, nakikinig kaming masaya tungkol sa iyong mga laruan.

Kung kami man ay maihi o madumi sa higaaan dahil hindi na makabangon, ‘wag mo sanang pagagalitan o pandididrihan. Katulad ng walang reklamo naming paggising nang kahit anong pagod sa gabi upang linisin at palitan ang iyong lampin para maginhawa kang makatulog. Hindi na baling kami ang mapuyat.

Kung kami’y maratay sa banig ng karamdaman, ‘wag mo sana kaming pagsawaang alagaan, gaya ng mat’yaga naming pag-aalaga noong musmos ka pa. Bawat daing mo noon ay hirap na dinadala sa aming kalooban. Pagt’yagaan mo naman sana kaming alagaan sa aming mga huling sandali…Kami naman ay di na rin magtatagal.

At kapag dumating na ang takdang panahon ng aming pagharap sa Dakilang Lumikha, ibubulong at hihilingin ko sa Kanya na pagpalain ka dahil naging mapagmahal at maalaga kang anak sa iyong ama’t ina.

 

Everyday I do my best to be a good and loving daughter to my parents. I admit I’m not a perfect lover and daughter to them, but I love them at my very best.

"the secret" is no secret

July 5, 2009

What’s “The Secret”?

That can actually pertain about the book that contains it, or what is contained in the book. I heard about it back in college and was immediately curious. I’m drawn to these certain kinds of books not really for its’ “self-help” element but because of the wisdom and inspiration I can actually get from them. Honestly I am a bit put off by the hardcore self-help ones. Depending on the treatment, of course.

I wanted to buy one for myself (”The Secret” book) but then it’s too expensive for me. Haha. There was an e-book I found somewhere (peace out to the author and crusaders against piracy), so I was able to browse a few pages. I’m not really a big fan of reading a big bulk of soft copy material, so I wasn’t able to finish it. But good thing I was able to reach the part wherein Rhonda Byrne revealed what “The Secret” is, the “Law of Attraction”, that is. Yahoo, good for me, no? )

A few years later, which is now, 2009, and just a while ago I was able to watch the movie version of the book. Point blank, there’s nothing really much new about what it presents. Even one of the speakers attested to that. I’ve heard about being grateful for your blessings so that they would be continously outpouring - in the mouths of priests, of parents, of teachers; the concept of visualization was presented earlier by Og Mandino in “The Choice” - which can actually be related with the concept of Imagination; the helping hand of the universe that which will conspire to grant your heart’s desires is very much present in Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist”; and Peter Pan’s “Think Happy Thoughts”. So basically it’s an organized kind of hodgepodge of all these well-accepted and respected truths and facts about life and living, assembled in such a way that is even related to Quantum Physics!

Was I inspired by it? Maybe I can say yes because it reinforced in me these truths and value systems that I live by to which I owe my disposition. I have an issue with its concept though. There’s too much emphasis on “thoughts” and its power. Yes it’s important that we empower our thoughts and think optimistically about life because it does make a good difference, but we shouldn’t have too much dependence on it as if it has some kind of telekenetic power. We really have to work our way so that we can realize and achieve whatever we thought of. Not that this wasn’t mentioned, it actually was, but not much.

You may want to try watching if you want to indulge in some self-help or philosophical exercise or curiousity-feeding. Other people may be bashing it because of its approach, but there are just two ways at the end of the it: either you believe it or you don’t. Either it gets to you or it doesn’t. Either you live by it or you don’t. Understand it first before you judge.