STATE OF GRACE

Photo from SkyscraperCity

I'm walking fast through the traffic lights

busy streets and busy lives

and all we know, is touch and go

Touch and go. This could well be the theme for 2012. I've touched base with different faces and places in different lengths and circumstances. All of them changed my life in some grand or minute way. If I mattered to them is a whole different story, which doesn't matter anymore.

Because in the end, tears have been cried, hearts have been hurt, scars have dried and faded. Soon a fresh start, a clean slate is miraculously served in front of you and there’s no way you can refuse it. After all, nothing good ever escapes.

So here I am feasting on a heaping plate of changes, feeling full and happy with how I started the year. Despite the state of singularity I am in, I am in a state of grace with all the gifts God rained down even before the year began. This is what happens when you don’t bring an umbrella in the midst of an abundance of rain from the Divine.

WHAT'S ON MY PLATE ANYWAY?

1. NEW JOURNAL

As if I can’t get enough of blogging, I purchased a new leather-bound diary to jot down my most private of thoughts as well as my daily routines. When life seems like a crazy spiral, it pays to have routines.

2. NEW FITNESS ROUTINE

After being diagnosed as hypertensive and having hypertrophy back in October, I decided to start jogging in the mornings at a nearby cemetery. On some days, I would walk the big dogs of my friend Jonathan Samar and jog around my former school, Woodridge College. We normally end the routine with stretching and crunches in the school gym. On Saturdays, Jonathan and I, together with other friends Nolette Garcia and Ernie Sumayod, would play badminton (and I’m getting good at it!).

3. REAWAKENED SPIRITUALITY

Thanks to my good friend (and president/chairperson emeritus of my fans’ club) Bella Bardollas, I met a wonderful community of Catholic Christians who changed the way I looked at Catholicism. The Feast @ Bonifacio Global City, led by its builder Bro. George Gabriel, has worship services every Saturday from starting 4 p.m. at the Topshelf of Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street.

4. SORTED FINANCES

Since I ain’t spending my money anymore on laptop bags that get thrown out of a moving vehicle or trips that don’t even get recalled or valued, I decided to make the most out of it. I adopted a new budget policy and devoted myself in itemizing and reducing my expenses. I also joined a “paluwagan” with my badminton friends, the proceeds of which I plan to save in a bank account. I am now thinking on investing the money I will save in property or stocks.

5. IMPROVED FASHION SENSE

Hey, I’m single and ready to mingle. What better way to attract the next (and perhaps, last) great love of my life than by sporting some new, fashionable attire and hairstyle? And with some great advice from my lady friends at work, I got a lot of pointers in personality development that could perhaps reel in the type of lady I really want to be with at this stage (and coming stages) of my life.

All these are works in progress. Just as Maynilad caused a lot of painstakingly slow traffic for quite some time in the streets of Bacoor or Las Piñas City, the changes I am experiencing right now are an exercise in discipline, determination, endurance, and loyalty. I’m sure someone out there can’t wait for me to give up soon; but no: This is a state of grace. This is the worthwhile fight.

And so while I ain’t perfect, I’m in this fight with all I got. There’s no certainty even obscurity in it—just the invisible hand of change which we can look always look forward to with cautious optimism. As long I am in a state of grace, nourished by the constantly stocked warehouse of God, I live, I’ll grow, and I'll forever be grateful for each day of my life. TSS

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"Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still." - Chinese proverb

5 THINGS OUR SOCIETY SHOULD LEARN

It has been said many times before.

New Year. Clean slate. Time to do away with all the things we didn’t get quite right the previous year. But normally, we’d think of these things individually; never in the collective context. For a communal society, aren’t we supposed to consider what things we should do away or even try to learn as a people? After all, any modest, mature society should get past its own imperfections right?

This is the question which bothered me as the year comes to a close. And just like every other question I asked, I took the liberty of answering it on my own. What should we Filipinos change or learn as a society this coming 2013?

1. LEARN TO BE MORE INTELLIGENT VIEWERS

Photo from ClicktheCity.com

Notice how our choice of viewing pleasure hasn’t changed a lot in the past decades? Our viewing choices are so polarized; the smaller percentage of our population composed of the middle class and the elite still prefer made in Hollywood films and TV programs. The the masses, still prefers the cliché, overly melodramatic soaps dominated by quintessential archetypes that pull just the right heartstrings.

Take the example of how the critically-acclaimed film “Thy Womb” from Cannes Film Festival-renowned director Brillante Mendoza, got virtually snubbed by moviegoers and theatres during the Metro Manila Film Festival. Even as the film boasts a star-studded cast, majority of Filipinos still went for films such as “Sisterakas” or “Si Agimat, Si Enteng, at Ako”, which featured highly popular gay comedy, if not the classic slapstick, family comedy. When are we going to realize that films are no longer just a form of escape from our problems, but rather, a search for meaning and purpose? While strides have been made to introduce new genres in entertainment such as when “Amaya” gave us a glimpse of pre-Hispanic Philippines, more has to be done to completely change the mindset of our society.

2. LEARN TO ACCEPT CRITICISMS

Every time some foreign show bad mouths the Philippines or Filipinos even though it was meant as a joke or wasn’t intended at all, we are quick to resort to anger; an anger aggravated by our crowd mentality. While we shouldn’t let racism get the better of us, let us pick our battles very well and think twice before judging if certain remarks against our people were made intentionally or in the context of humor, or even just lost in translation.

Photo from TheHindu.com

3. LEARN TO BE WISER VOTERS

This is a classic: we chose our leaders like we chose our soap operas. Some senator looked awesome in his new action flick—BOOM!—gets another term. Some mayor danced really well during last year’s religious feast—BOOM!—gets all out support from her posse despite a pending disqualification case. Some nice guy gave out packs of relief goods with his name and picture on it—BOOM!—gets elected as local solon. When are we going to look at platforms? When are we going to scrutinize how they plan to lead us? I know for some it’s just about being pragmatic, but in the long run it just won’t work especially if it’s the country’s future that is at stake.

4. LEARN TO FOLLOW SIMPLE RULES

Whether queuing to get an NBI clearance, crossing Commonwealth Avenue, or spending Christmas at Luneta Park, we Filipinos will always find a way to break even the simplest of laws such as jaywalking, littering, or smoking in public places. If we can get away with it, we would always go for thrill or convenience rather than safety and conformity. No wonder, we can’t do something about the traffic or garbage problem because we can’t get the grassroots level (Us!) to cooperate!

Photo from HitsandMrs.wordpress.com

5.  LEARN IN IMPROVING PROPRIETY AND SENSITIVITY

We are known to be cheerful folks even during calamities or emergencies, but there are times that call for sheer propriety so as not to offend other people concerned. Take the case of the Manila Bus Hostage Crisis in 2010 wherein gleeful students went on a picture-taking spree of the bus as if it were a tourist attraction instead of a crime scene and a grim memorial of the crisis. Another good example is when TV host Willie Revillame hollered about how the nation’s mourning for late President Corazon Aquino is ruining the festive mood of his noontime show. Learning what actions warrant certain events require a great deal of sensitivity, which in turn entails a lot of observation and forethought.

Let us all include these pointers in our bucket lists this 2013. After all, if we start with ourselves, soon enough this will be a collective effort. Let’s do this, not to appease other races, but for our own; it is our attitude as a country that will determine our fate as a nation. TSS

“Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” ~ Vince Lombardi, American football coach

Something Extra: What 2012 Taught Me