Ten Thousand Things

Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people? That must be one of the big questions of all time. Some people will say it’s because He has something better for us after. Others will say it is punishment. I don’t buy either.

The truth is, we will probably never know. We can only speculate. I can’t pretend to be sure of my answer but the only thing I can think of is this: God does not value the material world, our health and material bodies included. It matters not to God if they all come or go. Look how quickly fortunes of men change. Observe how physical  beauty fades.

It seems the only thing that matters is what is eternal—and it is that which has no beginning, was never born, and will never end. The eternal aspect of who we are—Christians call it the soul, other religions call it something else, is what I am pointing to here.

Notice how our conversation with God qualitatively changes when bad things happen. We immediately ask for material deliverance. There is no logic to how God decides about who gets spared and who doesn’t. But one thing sure is, God seems to want to crack us open and tell us that we are bigger than what we think. Concentrate on things that last—eternal stuff. That’s the real stuff you are made of, not your possessions, reputation, not even your body.

*     *     *

If God made a survey and asked how many bothered to see the sunrise today, I think She would be severely disappointed. I don’t think 1% of people on earth cared about the morning light show yesterday, today and will probably not care tomorrow.

And yet God continues to keep these things going—glorious sunrises and sunsets, blue skies, marvelous life forms in the oceans, a nice soft wind, just to name a few.. Why?

Hmm.. My guess is, God is God and that’s how a God behaves. God is unconditionally God with or without believers or fans or followers.

And God simply can’t help being marvelous.

*    *     *

My new years resolutions this year:

1) Have one creation a day-an idea, big or small like a song, a photo, a tweet, anything at all.
2) Give more, take less.
3) Produce more, consume less
4) Come from love more
5) Be awake to the present as often as possible
6) Go back to writing books. The 5th one is ready to be written
7) Do more music
8) Have an exhibit
9) Learn a new skill
10) Less twitter and facebook
11) Travel often and write about it
12) Do not hurry. Live life at the speed it dictates

13) Continue exercising

14 Continue meditations

HUMMING IN MY UNIVERSE By Jim Paredes (The Philippine Star) Updated December 25, 2011 12:00 AM

I

llustration by REY RIVERA

Mass burials, over-stretched funeral parlor services, a dearth of coffins and formalin. There were bodies that were going to be dumped in the landfill in Cagayan de Oro, for lack of space to keep them anywhere.

It is six days before Christmas as I write this. A pall of gloom has severely dampened the nation’s spirits. The Christmas spirit seems to be farther away than ever. On Twitter and Facebook, there are those who have become very sensitive and see even the President’s attending the Christmas party of the Presidential Security Group as tasteless and insensitive.

I will not delve into anything remotely connected to politics. It’s Christmas, and that’s the last thing I wish to do. But it is important to ask real questions during a situation like this. Should we be celebrating Christmas when there is so much suffering around? Is it inappropriate, insensitive, immoral to have a good time when many of our brethren are cold, homeless, starving — in great need?

My mother used to tell us about a bleak Christmas during the Second World War when there was very little to eat. Of course, it also meant there were few gifts to give and to receive. What they had on the table was a simple, humble meal of fish and a prayer of thanks that they were all alive, unhurt and together. When I heard such stories even as a boy, I felt they had a spiritual dimension.

A good friend of my wife Lydia who spent a year in Iran during the revolution recalls what Christmas was like in a society that did not recognize or celebrate it, and was/is at times even hostile to Christianity and its celebrations. She had just married an Iranian. Everything was alien to her. She barely understood the language, customs, geography, religion and culture of the place. The city of Tehran was experiencing severe rationing and each person was entitled to only one egg a week. Her father-in-law, sensing her discomfort and sadness, went out of his way to buy her a tiny potted tree that she could trim to simulate a Christmas tree so she would feel better.

What also comes to mind are the many OFW families in the Philippines who will not have a complete cast during noche buena since at least a mother, a father, a brother, or a sister will be missing. The irony is, the “abundance” on the noche buena table and under the tree are courtesy of the ones who are not there.

There are also the policemen and policewomen, firemen, doctors, nurses, security guards and others who must render necessary service, spending the night at their stations making themselves available to people who may need help. They should really be celebrating with loved ones, but whether they like it or not, they show up at their jobs and do the sacrifice for all of us.

We all have our different feelings about this season. We all have our reasons — both profound and shallow — to justify losing not just one’s faith but also one’s good cheer during Christmas.

Natural tragedies, calamities and the horrific acts of violence and terror inflicted by man against man can completely alter our perceptions about life. The simple everyday grind of the season — the debilitating traffic, the never-ending expenses, the uncooperative weather — can also make our celebration of Christmas less than perfect. In fact, it can be a big hassle. Such things can diminish our enjoyment of and the meaning of Christmas.

In the west, there has been the trend to secularize Christmas. No religious icons in department store displays and corporate greetings, but only secular ones like Santa Claus, the Christmas tree, mistletoe and other holiday décor are used. This practice has been gaining ground for some decades now, much to the chagrin of Christians. However, while it may be the fashion for many in the west to take away the Christian aspect in the celebration of the season, the message remains the same — and that is to behave differently. Amid the commercial onslaught and the revelry is a call to spread good cheer among our fellowmen and hope for a better world.

“Peace on earth and goodwill to all men” remains the mantra of Christmas whatever your religious affiliation is, or even if you do not have any. I came across a quote whose source is unknown which goes, “The message of Christmas is that the visible material world is bound to the invisible spiritual world.”

The spirit lives! There are people who profess to no religion or creed but work in shelters, or extend financial, material help to the needy for the simple reason that it is the season for giving. That has to be a good sign.

There will always be suffering in the world and the call of human existence is to make sense of it and deal with it as best as we can. Some will find solace believing in a God who has a reason for everything and that these are all for our own good. Others will embrace freedom in the insight that it is useless to fathom the mind of a nonexistent god and that we must simply be philosophical and deal with the meaninglessness of suffering.

Wherever you may find yourself and whatever the condition of your spirit may be, it is my wish that this Christmas you feel a lightness and grace that will open you up to the goodness that is happening amid the suffering you may encounter or witness. As we pack relief bags and send cash donations for the victims of the flashfloods, let us pause to appreciate that the stars still shimmer in their magnificence. The sunsets are still awesome. There are also many good people in the world sharing the gift of service with laughter, love, generosity and compassion.

It may all be a question of where we are at, or what we wish to focus on. I have had good, “perfect” Christmases and some others that I do not wish to remember or revisit. This year, as I am present and humbly accept the gifts of family, closeness, friendship, revelry and love, and the few material things thrown my way, I am focused on the spirit that animates my consciousness and concern for the poor in spirit and those who suffer. And Lord knows, there are many in our homeland today.

On a personal level, I also extend glad tidings and prayers of hope to those I may be have been in disagreement with on many issues throughout the year and those who I do not particularly like, and especially those who may not like me for one reason or another. It may be the only time of the year when most of us can awaken to a little more positivity, bigness of spirit and hope than we presume we are capable of.

“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love,” the American essayist Hamilton Wright Mabie once wrote.

Amen.

Maligayang Pasko sa ating lahat!

At the doctor’s office

They always ask at the doctor’s office why you are there, and you have to answer in front of others what’s wrong and sometimes it is embarrassing. There’s nothing worse than a Doctor’s Receptionist who insists you tell her what is wrong with you in a room full of other patients. I know most of us have experienced this, and I love the way this old guy handled it.

An 86 year old man walked into a crowded waiting room and
approached the desk…. The Receptionist said, “Yes sir, what are you seeing the Doctor for today?”

“There’s something wrong with my dick”, he replied.

The receptionist became irritated and said, “You shouldn’t come into a crowded waiting room and say things like that.”

“Why not? You asked me what was wrong and I told you,” he said.

The Receptionist replied; “Now you’ve caused some embarrassment in this room full of people. You should have said there is something wrong with your ear or something, and discussed the problem further with the Doctor in private.”

The man replied, “You shouldn’t ask people questions in a room full of strangers, if the answer could embarrass anyone.” The man walked out, waited several minutes and then re-entered.The Receptionist smiled smugly and asked, “Yes??” “There’s something wrong with my ear”, he stated. The Receptionist nodded approvingly and smiled, knowing he had taken her advice. “And what is wrong with your ear, Sir??”
“I can’t piss out of it,” he replied.

The waiting room erupted in laughter

*     *     *

Oh To Be 12 Again….

A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, observing his wife, looking at herself in the mirror. Since her birthday was not far off he asked what she’d like to have for her Birthday.

‘I’d like to be twelve again’, she replied, still looking in the mirror.

On the morning of her Birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Coco Pops,
and then took her to Alton Towers theme park.
What a day!

He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Corkscrew, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Monster Roller Coaster, everything there was.

Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park.

Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down.

He then took her to a Mc Donald’s where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake.

Then it was off to the cinema with popcorn, a huge Cola, and her favorite sweets……M&M’s.
What a fabulous adventure!
Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted.
He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked,
‘Well Dear, what was it like being twelve again?’

Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed.
‘I meant my dress size, you retard!!!!’


The moral of the story: Even when a man is listening, he is gonna get it wrong.

For dengue, typhoid, leptospirosis cases, proceed to WARD.

For operations of kidney, liver, colon, throat cases, proceed to PRIVATE ROOMS

For cancer, bypass and angio cases, go to EMERGENCY ROOM

For plunder, corruption cases, go to Presidential Suites.

 
By Jim Paredes (The Philippine Star) Updated November 27, 2011 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - There are smartphones and there are smartphones. Almost every big and medium-sized phone maker comes out with a new model every once in awhile. Even many startups are joining the smartphone bandwagon. If it’s choice you want, there’s something out there within your price range and needs.

Aside from the excitement that a new iPhone generates, there isn’t a company I follow closely except Samsung. It seems to be the most serious contender against Apple in terms of innovation and creativity and — more and more — market share.

The new Samsung Galaxy Note (GT-N7000) is a phone to behold. There is so much to hold in fact, in terms of size alone which may or may not appeal to all. It will depend on who you talk to. When I first held it, I found it quite huge at 146.85 x 82.95 x 9.65mm, a little too much for what I was used to. But the more I tinkered with it, the more I saw how clever it was to make a phone this size for what it is ready to offer.

The phone seems to be aimed at people who wish to use their cell phones almost like a small tablet but do not want to carry around or own another device aside from their phones. It is as thin as the Galaxy S2. It has features for drawing, sketching, and illustrating together with a stylus (they call it an S-Pen), which is smartly hidden at the back and you can pull it down. And it does deliver this notepad feature very well. The screen is super clear the way Samsung Galaxy phones are, thanks to its 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED display—perfect for drawing. The 1280 x 800 pixels is as good as what you see on laptops. This makes drawing maps, or any kind of instant sketching with details, so easy to do. You simply sketch and you can send it out via 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and through e-mail and social networking.

If you are not into drawing, the size of the Galaxy Note also is a big plus factor because the few millimeters that have been added in between keys make texting so much easier. I make fewer mistakes and feel less clumsy texting.

I also get the feeling that the Samsung Galaxy Note is a tad faster than Samsung S2. And the S2 is nothing to sneeze at when it comes to speed. The OS on the Note is a Gingerbread 2.3.5.

I have been carrying it around for almost three days now. It fits a regular pocket. Sometimes I still find it a bit big, but the size stops being an issue the moment I use it for anything — texting, checking e-mail, Facebook, Twitter and even for making calls. Watching videos is a dream and the sound quality is better than just “good.” Battery life, I felt was quite long, maybe even better than my Samsung S2. I expected the battery life not to last as long considering that it was powering a bigger screen. But I get a full day’s use per charge considering that I am on Wi-Fi or 3G mode a big portion of he day. The camera and video are excellent just like the GS2.

If I did not know that Samsung plans to release a new phone called the Nexus in about two months here in Manila, I’d say this is the phone to really get excited about. A great Christmas gift!

Sung by the people, XPGMA spokesperson Horn, and Gloria herself

PEOPLE SING:

I see  a little woman ex President

GMA GMA will she do an eskapo

Cases have been piling, very very frightening NGII!

Mike Arroro, Mike Arroyo, Mike Arroyo wants to go!

Mag-eskapo-o-o-o-

Gloria’s  a bad girl nobody loves her

She’s just a big crook from a rich family

Claims to be sick and wants to leave the country

Easy come, easy go will they let her go

Del Lima NO, we should not let her go

(HORN): Let her go

Del Lima NO,  we should not let her go

(HORN): Let her go

Del Lima NO, we should not let her go

Hold order mo, we should not let her go, hold order mo, we should not let her

Go go go go go go go

Maam De Lima the Arroyos are planing to eskapo

Mag-a-asylum daw sila at magtatago—tago—tagoooooo!

Instrumental:

GMA SINGS:

So you think you can stop me from going abroad?

Tignan natin ang sasabihin ng Supreme Court

Oh, baby.. Manuod kayo baby

Just gotta get out, just gotta get right out of here…

Instrumental

PEOPLE SING: Justice really matters, anyone can see

Justice really matters to me