My Christmas Gift to All (Part 2)

A Merry Christmas to All! Here's another one of my favorites for Christmas - The Work of Christmas.  The Work of Christmas is actually a poem which was so wonderfully made into a song by the people of Bukas Palad.  As much as I love Christmas for all the giving received by all your loved ones, I love it mostly because of the gift that I received over 2000 years ago.  With the birth of Christ, the work of Christmas begins.  And as the homily of Fr. De La Costa says:

We must remind the world that if Christmas comes in the depth of winter,it is that there may be an Easter in the spring.

My Christmas Gift to All (Part 1)

Here's my early Christmas gift to all.  For 3 years of my life, I listened to this homily as it was presented in Come to the Manger, Dulaang Sibol's Christmas presentation, of which I was a part of.  It is amazing how the message still applies to now -

Now more than ever, living in times so troubled, facing a future so uncertain, we need such faith. We need it for ourselves, and we need it to give to others.

Read the rest of it here.  Merry Christmas to all!

Muppets Rule!

I'm quite happy with all the advancements in kid shows, gadgets and toys nowadays.  Back then, we had that Speak and Spell to teach us how to spell.  And if some of you remember, we had to listen to a robotic voice say the word.  In those days, that was pretty cool for a toy.  In the realm of toys and cartoons, I was happy to have gone through the classics of Daimos, Mazinger Z and Voltes V.  Eventually, it would evolve to He-Man, Transformers and GI Joe (some of which I was able to keep).  In the area of game consoles, we had the classic game of Pong, which turned into Atari, then Intellivision, then Family Computer, then a Sega, and finally a PlayStation.

I'm still quite a fan of those mentioned above and I'm really amazed on how far each has gone.  Toys no longer talk in robotic voices and come in pretty shapes and sizes.  Robots have changed insofar as mobility - knees and elbows can now bend.  As for game consoles, it is simply unbelievable how far these have advanced with the likes of Xbox360, PS3 and the Wii.

But if it's one thing I still love from the past, they are the shows I grew up with - Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, Electric Company and the like.  If I could get a hold of all the episodes of Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, I would.  I have nothing against the Barneys (well maybe Barney), Nick Jr. Shows like Yo Gabba Gabba (which I think is a super cool kids show). I just love the Muppets and how they were able to keep me seated in front of the TV and learn what near and far is, what sharing is, what cooperation is all about or simply get entertained with the lousy jokes of Fozzie Bear, the silly drama of Pigs in Space or watch the guest celebrities interact with muppets!  It's one of those "you had to be there to appreciate it" moments.  A lot of things have changed in years but these muppets certainly won't for me.  Here's a little something from Muppets Studios.

What Time is It?

IT'S DECEMBER! It's almost Christmas, it's almost the end of the year and it's exactly 16 days until I start using up all my leaves (which means I'm on leave Dec 17 and I get back to work on Jan 4!).  Yes, it means shopping and having to brave this season's terrible traffic jams.  However, this also means simbang gabi, family and friends get-togethers/Christmas dinners, bibingka, Majestic Ham, ensaymada (a great excuse to get fat!) - and the list could go on and on.  December FTW!

Random Thoughts: Weird Stuff

Replayed Dreams

For some reason, I've always had recurring dreams.  Of course, we all have those (well maybe most of us) dreams where we fly or we're with friends or the occasional nightmare.  For me though, I've had two recurring dreams. 

The first dream is about me forgetting to attend a Math Class in school.  For this dream, I'm in Ateneo talking to a bunch of friends.  I suddenly remember that I have a Math class to attend.  Unfortunately, I cannot remember which building to go to and I can't seem to understand the schedule I made on the index card.  This is where the dream ends.  Maybe next time I should just take a free cut...and I'll see what happens in my dream.

The second dream (which has been the theme lately) is about me being in a stage play.  I'm performing in front of a live audience and I've forgotten my lines.  As I try to remember, nothing comes to my mind and I'm left with nothing.  And this is where this dream ends.  For this dream, maybe I should just try and say something funny - hopefully the stage play I'm in is a comedy...

These dreams do make me wonder...any dream interpreters out there? Or am I just becoming forgetful? Hahaha

Lost Shoes

Whenever I drive or walk around, I usually notice a sole shoe or slipper on the road.  It makes me wonder - why is it alone?  Most likely, someone was bringing it along and dropped it along the way.  It would not make sense that someone was riding a motorcycle or was walking by and the shoe/slipper fell off the foot.  In this case, wouldn't you be getting it back?  Either way, I find it weird to see it on the street and yet no one bothers to pick it up or put it to the side (oh wait - I'm not expecting people to do that...just hoping).  I've always wanted to take a phone pic...but people might find that weird and start throwing their shoes and slippers at me! Hmmm, maybe that's why there are sole shoes/slippers on the road! Haha.

Watch a Movie! Across The Universe (But Not on HBO!)

One of the things I like the most is listening to the Beatles.  Of course, I like it also whenever a movie has any Beatles song in its soundtrack - like "I am Sam".  And I liked it a lot when they made a musical film based on the songs of the Beatles - Across the Universe.  A total of 30 Beatles songs were used for the film - and a lot of other Beatles references were used (their names, the lines used by characters, etc.)  Among all the songs played, I liked these songs the most: Something, Dear Prudence and If I Fell.  Watch it! Sometimes, I watch this film just to listen to the music!  If you get a chance to watch this movie, please do.  And don't watch it on HBO (well at least here in Manila) - some scenes had to be cut due to nudity and I felt like I was watching a skipping DVD - hahahaha!

Nothing Much. Just a Fog Pic and Instant Baked Mac

A Fog is Upon Us.

While waiting for a cab, I noticed that there was fog in the air.  Ahhh, there's nothing like the Christmas season that brings this kind of weather in the city.

Instant Baked Mac. What the?!?

Took this pic on my way back to the office.  I just love the notion of Instant Mac and Cheese.  You know the drill.  Add water/milk to the powder, boil the macaroni and voila! But if you look at the product at the right...it says "Baked Mac" - what the?!?!? Add water and then poof...it's baked.  Obviously, the flavor is baked mac...but calling it baked mac is just...well...weird.  But if you do come up with a product which instantly bakes upon adding water...the we'll make millions!

The Missing Piece

Recently, we were fortunate enough (or unfortunate for some like me) to see one of the greatest light shows in the sky.  (And no, it's not the world pyro olympics every weekend at the Fort - but it is great!).  It was the Leonids a week ago (Nov 19-20). 

Previous meteor showers which were visible from the Philippines were unfortunately covered in cloudy skies.  However, for this meteor shower we were supposed to be blessed with clear skies.  And so I noted of that day and of what time it would come.  11 pm came and I looked at the night sky.  It was clear!  I waited and waited (for an hour to be exact) and I could see no falling stars.  I decided to end the search.

If we were to base success on the number of stars one would see that night, then I would be classified under FAIL. (Not EPIC FAIL - since for me that would be missing the falling stars because you had to take a bathroom break - hahahaha!).  However, I did not end the night with failure.  Why? Simply because I made time to look up. 

This reminds me of one of my favorite books - The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein - (check it out here) a simple story about the quest for fulfillment. I find myself in certain phases in life where I would think that I am not missing a piece.  Like the thing with its supposed missing piece, I would breeze through everything quickly and without being able to stop and look.  Sometimes, some of us fall into the same kind of hole where days just keep coming and going.  When was the last time you saw a rainbow? or a falling star? Or like the main character in the book - when was the last time you passed a beetle or you let a beetle pass you, or noticed a worm? More often than not, I find myself asking myself - when was the last time I even tried to just look up?  At the end of the story, the main character realized that it missed out more with its missing piece in place than without it.

As Christmas is just a few weeks away, it's usually the time I take all my leaves (this year I'll be off by Dec 17 - woo hoo!).  As it is the season for gifts, it will be busy as hell (and the traffic, and the wrapping...you know what I mean)  However, for this Christmas, I'll certainly take time to look up, to notice a worm, and to let a beetle pass me.

Just to note: I still don't have my own copy of The Missing Piece - hint, hint! But for those interested, it's available in the local bookstores.  Get The Giving Tree as well

It's About Nothing

I used to like writing a lot.  This inspiration to write regularly was during my High School years back in the 90's.  As to why? I really can't pinpoint it.  Was it raging hormones? Or perhaps it was due to my Sibol days and being surrounded with so many inspired individuals?  Or maybe it was because we were required to write on our journals for our religion class?

In any case, I really did like to write back then.  Looking back at the things I wrote, it is funny how in some ways it meant everything, something and sometimes nothing to me at some point in my life. 

Anyway, this is hopefully a good start at writing (errr...typing...well you know what I mean) again.  I lost all of my journals, love letters, hate letters, whatever letters to the flood brought about Ondoy.  As to what I will write about? I don't know yet.  Maybe, just maybe, it might be about everything, something, or nothing at all.