Overseas Filipino Workers have always held a special place in my heart. I have witnessed so much of their hardship through my stay abroad and as I watched my mom coming to their aid - in the Middle East particularly.
I consider myself lucky that I am part of the more blessed OFWs with a legitimate working contract and a resident permit in Switzerland.
I honour all those OFWs who have stayed away from their families for so long and have eked out a living sacrificing their own loneliness to send enough for their families to live comfortably back home.
For all those OFWs, this is my little tribute:
Broken bodies
Broken lives
Broken spirits
for a family back home
in tact.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Friday, February 01, 2008
of gossips ... and their kingdoms ...
some people get lost in the seabed of gossips, floating in and out of the lies and the fantastic stories that they create for themselves and for others ... almost like new looking glasses to see the world through, certainly colourful but murky at best, not seeing the true outlines but the soft blurs of the beautiful lies ...
some people see it as a compulsion to gossip, to create this weave of stories that they choose to see of other people and of themselves. sometimes, they like themselves to be the bearer of news, good or bad, of the source, of the mouth that whispers to people's ears so they can hear what they want to hear ...
like a kingdom of some sort, they create their domain, where all are their subjects and slaves and they are the rulers!
some people see it as a compulsion to gossip, to create this weave of stories that they choose to see of other people and of themselves. sometimes, they like themselves to be the bearer of news, good or bad, of the source, of the mouth that whispers to people's ears so they can hear what they want to hear ...
like a kingdom of some sort, they create their domain, where all are their subjects and slaves and they are the rulers!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
of wanderers ...
it seems that if you search "wanderer" on google, tons of web pages and blogs will come out containing that term ... i guess there are a lot of people on this journey called life and they see themselves as wanderers, looking for a final destination, or just going with the flow, but nonetheless, travelers that wander ...
i guess i'm one of them. i don't exactly know where life is taking me or where i'm taking my life. i like to think of myself as a wanderer looking for answers ... and since i travel a lot and have traveled most of my life, i see that my physical travails are part of a journey to a destination whether it be to find my purpose in life or to find out who i really am. i don't know where it will lead me or what tales will come out of it but it reassures me that there are people that share my journey ... kindred wanderers in spirit.
i guess i'm one of them. i don't exactly know where life is taking me or where i'm taking my life. i like to think of myself as a wanderer looking for answers ... and since i travel a lot and have traveled most of my life, i see that my physical travails are part of a journey to a destination whether it be to find my purpose in life or to find out who i really am. i don't know where it will lead me or what tales will come out of it but it reassures me that there are people that share my journey ... kindred wanderers in spirit.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Capturing grief
I wanted to take out my phone ... to take a picture ... but I couldn't do it. I couldn't or I didn't want to capture the tattered pieces of a the UN flag that was blown away by the terrorist attack at the Algiers office because I thought it irreverent to do so. I tried but shame got the best of me.
Amidst the wailing of one of the relatives, the official eulogy by the Secretary-General, the somber atmosphere of the black-clad audience, it was too forward to take a picture to take a souvenir for myself. It would be selfish.
The pictures of the victims were put in frames that were spread across the General Assembly hall. Eighteen of them died in the tragic event. Most of them were Algerian but there were international staff too.
They are:
Mustapha Benbara
Karim Bentebal
Saadia-Lamia Boucelham
Hind Boukhroufa
Mouloud Bouldrouah
Samia Hammoutene
Chadi Hamza
Abderrahim Hanniche
Mohamed Khelladi
Mohamed Lasli
Ma Gene Luna - Filipino
Babacar Ndiaye
Steven Robin Olejas - Danish
Djamel Rezzoug
Kamel Sait
Hakim Si Larbi
Nabil Slimani
Adnane Souilah
Each family representative lit a candle in front of the pictures and one could hear the sorrow in each sob. Beside me were UN colleagues that shared the families' bereavement, wiping away teardrops and silently weeping.
No one clapped at any speech including that of Ban Ki-Moon. It was too solemn. He respectfully bowed after his speech. Bowing in front of their pictures. When he unveiled the tattered flag, my heart wrenched in its place. What I felt was nothing compared to the loss of those families. The flag had only three remaining pieces. The logo of olive leaves barely noticeable as only the leftmost part, the central lower part and the slightest sliver of the olive branch at upper right in the second quadrant of the flag was superimposed on a separate cloth outlining how the flag should look. He then bowed in front of the flag.
Death comes like a thief in the night ... it's a saying that is often true. Gene had just transferred only a week before from her mission from Afghanistan then to Algeria when the attack happened. Nobody can really be sure when they will die. And even in the most secure places, death comes like a blanket snuffing out the living.
What I feel is nothing compared to the family. I share in their grief and hope that their loved ones who died in the service of the UN will see the peace that they all worked so hard for.
Amidst the wailing of one of the relatives, the official eulogy by the Secretary-General, the somber atmosphere of the black-clad audience, it was too forward to take a picture to take a souvenir for myself. It would be selfish.
The pictures of the victims were put in frames that were spread across the General Assembly hall. Eighteen of them died in the tragic event. Most of them were Algerian but there were international staff too.
They are:
Mustapha Benbara
Karim Bentebal
Saadia-Lamia Boucelham
Hind Boukhroufa
Mouloud Bouldrouah
Samia Hammoutene
Chadi Hamza
Abderrahim Hanniche
Mohamed Khelladi
Mohamed Lasli
Ma Gene Luna - Filipino
Babacar Ndiaye
Steven Robin Olejas - Danish
Djamel Rezzoug
Kamel Sait
Hakim Si Larbi
Nabil Slimani
Adnane Souilah
Each family representative lit a candle in front of the pictures and one could hear the sorrow in each sob. Beside me were UN colleagues that shared the families' bereavement, wiping away teardrops and silently weeping.
No one clapped at any speech including that of Ban Ki-Moon. It was too solemn. He respectfully bowed after his speech. Bowing in front of their pictures. When he unveiled the tattered flag, my heart wrenched in its place. What I felt was nothing compared to the loss of those families. The flag had only three remaining pieces. The logo of olive leaves barely noticeable as only the leftmost part, the central lower part and the slightest sliver of the olive branch at upper right in the second quadrant of the flag was superimposed on a separate cloth outlining how the flag should look. He then bowed in front of the flag.
Death comes like a thief in the night ... it's a saying that is often true. Gene had just transferred only a week before from her mission from Afghanistan then to Algeria when the attack happened. Nobody can really be sure when they will die. And even in the most secure places, death comes like a blanket snuffing out the living.
What I feel is nothing compared to the family. I share in their grief and hope that their loved ones who died in the service of the UN will see the peace that they all worked so hard for.
"the best leader comes from darkness ..."
that's what a friend of mine said last night while we were having dinner. i was very surprised when he said that but as i reflected it on it, it was actually very profound and true. i was also taken aback to hear it from him. he used to be a loud-mouth, marijuana-smoking, arrogant guy. he's now the mission volunteer for a church group i belong to. it's really a wonder how God uses everyone to deliver His message.
going back to what he said ... he explained it himself ... how can a leader without any taint counsel another when he doesn't know where a certain person is coming from? it's when you've experienced that darkness in your life and coming out of it into the light can you really serve as an example.
i'm not saying that we should all go to the dark but it's just that when we see people turning away from past destructive habits and becoming the beacons of light that they are now, it's a stronger message and a more powerful testimony. i don't mean to discount anybody's experience. i just feel that what my friend said holds so many truths. we can only truly know the difference between bad and good when we've lived and felt both like what our priest said ... a cup only knows its fullness when it's empty.
light can only be bright in the presence of darkness.
going back to what he said ... he explained it himself ... how can a leader without any taint counsel another when he doesn't know where a certain person is coming from? it's when you've experienced that darkness in your life and coming out of it into the light can you really serve as an example.
i'm not saying that we should all go to the dark but it's just that when we see people turning away from past destructive habits and becoming the beacons of light that they are now, it's a stronger message and a more powerful testimony. i don't mean to discount anybody's experience. i just feel that what my friend said holds so many truths. we can only truly know the difference between bad and good when we've lived and felt both like what our priest said ... a cup only knows its fullness when it's empty.
light can only be bright in the presence of darkness.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
secretly scary alpha-bitch girlfriend
i met up with the triumvirate yesterday. that's me and two other men from college who walked the halls as if we owned it. we got to talking about our lovelives and he confessed about his feelings about his girlfriend's ultra alpha characteristics which leaves him sighing in agreement. he coined the title. he's too nice but he's noticed how she is manhandling him and how his decisions are second-guessed and she gives ultimatums. hmm ... sounds familiar. reminds me of one of my relatives whose wife beats him and emotionally abuses him. but going back to the scary gf.
are women sometimes unaware that they are becoming alpha-bitches??? i can be classified as a feminist but i also know the boundaries in a relationship. just because your man lets you have your way doesn't give you the right to walk all over his manhood! because in reverse, you wouldn't want your identity to be trampled under a sea of abusive words, doubtful statements or controlling actions. each person has his/her dignity that should remain intact despite entering a relationship. respect is a must!
my friend, who wanted to be a priest in his former life is not a saint but he also deserves better. this girl doesn't even want to introduce him to her friends or her mother despite the mother wanting to meet him. i can only guess that she's ashamed of him. fine. i don't know the reason, but certainly, the action is suspect. what other reason is there? maybe it's too soon, maybe she's protecting him from her mom ... it could be a multitude of reason. but a "it's complicated" status on her facebook is a bit of an insult considering there is nothing complicated about the situation. in his words, "we are legit!" so, what gives?
my friend was telling us about this while defending her in earnest. he excused himself saying she was nice. but the mere fact that he's citing her actions as degrading and emasculating means that there's something essentially wrong with how she's treating him. men can usually take a lot but i don't want to generalize. i read somewhere that men usually love their women and they'd do anything for them if they can only have respect in return. at this juncture, it seems that that too is in question.
they are temporarily separated due to him going to vacation here but she also went off on vacation but didn't tell him. she expected a reporting letter each day when she herself was not capable of writing because she was off somewhere else. double standards anyone??? why expect something that you yourself can't give? a little demanding don't you think?
i don't know this gf of his but as he said she was secretly scary in an alpha-bitchy way. this fear in itself is enough cause to write this article to warn people out there that when you're in a relationship, even if you don't mean to, sometimes, there are tendencies that need to be curbed. there are behaviors that need to be adjusted because it's not a one-way but two-way relationship. if it were any other way, it would be like having a traffic enforcer with only one driver to manage. it would be unfair.
are women sometimes unaware that they are becoming alpha-bitches??? i can be classified as a feminist but i also know the boundaries in a relationship. just because your man lets you have your way doesn't give you the right to walk all over his manhood! because in reverse, you wouldn't want your identity to be trampled under a sea of abusive words, doubtful statements or controlling actions. each person has his/her dignity that should remain intact despite entering a relationship. respect is a must!
my friend, who wanted to be a priest in his former life is not a saint but he also deserves better. this girl doesn't even want to introduce him to her friends or her mother despite the mother wanting to meet him. i can only guess that she's ashamed of him. fine. i don't know the reason, but certainly, the action is suspect. what other reason is there? maybe it's too soon, maybe she's protecting him from her mom ... it could be a multitude of reason. but a "it's complicated" status on her facebook is a bit of an insult considering there is nothing complicated about the situation. in his words, "we are legit!" so, what gives?
my friend was telling us about this while defending her in earnest. he excused himself saying she was nice. but the mere fact that he's citing her actions as degrading and emasculating means that there's something essentially wrong with how she's treating him. men can usually take a lot but i don't want to generalize. i read somewhere that men usually love their women and they'd do anything for them if they can only have respect in return. at this juncture, it seems that that too is in question.
they are temporarily separated due to him going to vacation here but she also went off on vacation but didn't tell him. she expected a reporting letter each day when she herself was not capable of writing because she was off somewhere else. double standards anyone??? why expect something that you yourself can't give? a little demanding don't you think?
i don't know this gf of his but as he said she was secretly scary in an alpha-bitchy way. this fear in itself is enough cause to write this article to warn people out there that when you're in a relationship, even if you don't mean to, sometimes, there are tendencies that need to be curbed. there are behaviors that need to be adjusted because it's not a one-way but two-way relationship. if it were any other way, it would be like having a traffic enforcer with only one driver to manage. it would be unfair.
Monday, November 05, 2007
big cup of crazy or devil incarnate?
on life's journey, you meet some odd people, some odder than others, some are not just odd but just plain crazy ... i chatted recently with an SFC brother about a woman i met who claimed to be the Holy Spirit ... see the conversation below ...
10:09 PM me: hi shaun ... are you busy
pls pray for me
i don't know if i just had an oppression of sorts
Shaun: hey there..
10:10 PM whats up PA?
me: i just met someone who claimed to be the holy spirit
i thought what a big cup of crazy
i kept on repeating it in my head
coz she was speaking in scripture lsanguage but it was distorted
Shaun: where was this?
10:11 PM me: here in geneva after church
she was introduced by a common friend
who i think was skeptical of her too
Shaun: a vision, dream, apparition? walking..or sleeping?
oh..
me: i was talking to her
that's why i said ... either big cup of crazy or the devil himself
10:12 PM Shaun: she said she was the H.S?
what did she talk about?
me: she said she was the annointed one
10:13 PM yes ... she said she was the HS personified
and i said a silent prayer for her and me while we were talking
i kept repeating what a big cup of crazy and that for her to be healed if her crazy talk was borne out of some kind of traumatic experience
10:15 PM Shaun: how did your friend meet her?
me: i asked her and they said that they met in 2000
and she claimed that they were friends (this was the crazy lady) because God had wanted her friend to accommodate her when she came to switzerland because she was doing His work
10:16 PM i felt so sorry for her
she was speaking logically at times then sometimes she was just ranting
Shaun: wow... that is strange..
me: yes ... that's why i need your prayers
Shaun: most definately..
me: the prayer that we pray after a prayover
Shaun: i have never heard of that before..
me: to wash away all that i heard
Shaun: the personification of the H.S
me: yes ... it was bizaare
10:17 PM and i am glad that God gave me strength to not laugh or to just feel for her
10:18 PM Shaun: ya..cause its also kinda scary..at last for me to hear this...
I will continue prayers tonight for this person, your friend and you..
did she give any other name? ID?
me: thanks shaun
Shaun: i mean she is travelling..so she has to be using something...
10:19 PM me: grabeh ... i think you wouldn't have laughed either because she was so serious
what do you mean "using something"?
Shaun: some form of ID to travel with..
10:20 PM what do ou mean by distored srciptual language?
me: she could quote the Bible
perfectly verses and all
but like literal interpretations
10:21 PM she believes that it's her work to call the 144000 people that were supposedly saved in revelation
10:22 PM Shaun: now that wierd, cause i didnt think that was a task of the H.S, but of an archangel.. not that i know a lot of How God's kingdom works.. but the H.S has always been the true being manifested in the eternal Love of Father a d Son, a Love so real its a person..
hmmmm...
well.. lets pray for her and your safety..
what ever it is..
me: yes ... thanks shaun
Shaun: if there is truth to be told, May God grant the wisdom of the spritual truth and the knowledge of the worldy truth upon us all
10:23 PM me: worldly truth .. she used that word a lot
she used wisdom too
she said that GOd had given her wisdom and knowledge
Shaun: well, being gifts of the H.S I imagine she would mention most of them ..
me: and that it was a burden for her
10:24 PM Shaun: there's an issue right there.. for the burden would never be laid upon the Love of the Lord..
gifts from God are always good and desirable..
me: sigh ...
10:25 PM she contradicted herself
she said that she was some sort of hero
and she didn't want to die
and because she was doing God's work
Shaun: but death only exists here on earth..
me: it was okay
Shaun: so weird.. PA.. wow.. i praise God that he gave you courage for that
10:26 PM me: she said that there would be a big earthquake in california and that she could see the four corners of teh earth
yes .. me too ... i'm glad that i wasn't enveloped in the twisted package of the devil's work
or whatever it is
Shaun: so she was referring to revalation type events..
10:27 PM me: she referred to the old and new testaments
she said she had done what was written and not had followed what was written
Shaun: hmm.. well. i need to get goign to pick up one of the sfc sisters from her work and take her home.. but we'll pray for you.. and i'll talk with you more later.. May God also grant you rest and calm the child within, so that you may rest easy
me: that in reading the bible she first had to have done those deeds and that she was personified in its pages
10:28 PM Shaun: whoa..hmmm
me: thanks shaun
Shaun: no problem.. I'm here for you if you need anythig else PA.. God Bless
i'll sign on later .. we can chat if its not late for you..
10:29 PM me: ok thanks
Shaun: cya later.. be safe
10:30 PM me: yup
talking talking to donna now
will ask for her prayers too ... you just tell her the details if she ask
s
Shaun: ok..i'm calling her later to discuss..
God Bless
me: God bless too
big cup of crazy or devil incarnate?
on life's journey, you mean some odd people, some odder than others, some are just not odd but maybe plainly just crazy ... i chatted recently with an SFC brother about a woman i met who claimed to be the Holy Spirit ... see the conversation below ...
10:09 PM me: hi shaun ... are you busy
pls pray for me
i don't know if i just had an oppression of sorts
Shaun: hey there..
10:10 PM whats up PA?
me: i just met someone who claimed to be the holy spirit
i thought what a big cup of crazy
i kept on repeating it in my head
coz she was speaking in scripture lsanguage but it was distorted
Shaun: where was this?
10:11 PM me: here in geneva after church
she was introduced by a common friend
who i think was skeptical of her too
Shaun: a vision, dream, apparition? walking..or sleeping?
oh..
me: i was talking to her
that's why i said ... either big cup of crazy or the devil himself
10:12 PM Shaun: she said she was the H.S?
what did she talk about?
me: she said she was the annointed one
10:13 PM yes ... she said she was the HS personified
and i said a silent prayer for her and me while we were talking
i kept repeating what a big cup of crazy and that for her to be healed if her crazy talk was borne out of some kind of traumatic experience
10:15 PM Shaun: how did your friend meet her?
me: i asked her and they said that they met in 2000
and she claimed that they were friends (this was the crazy lady) because God had wanted her friend to accommodate her when she came to switzerland because she was doing His work
10:16 PM i felt so sorry for her
she was speaking logically at times then sometimes she was just ranting
Shaun: wow... that is strange..
me: yes ... that's why i need your prayers
Shaun: most definately..
me: the prayer that we pray after a prayover
Shaun: i have never heard of that before..
me: to wash away all that i heard
Shaun: the personification of the H.S
me: yes ... it was bizaare
10:17 PM and i am glad that God gave me strength to not laugh or to just feel for her
10:18 PM Shaun: ya..cause its also kinda scary..at last for me to hear this...
I will continue prayers tonight for this person, your friend and you..
did she give any other name? ID?
me: thanks shaun
Shaun: i mean she is travelling..so she has to be using something...
10:19 PM me: grabeh ... i think you wouldn't have laughed either because she was so serious
what do you mean "using something"?
Shaun: some form of ID to travel with..
10:20 PM what do ou mean by distored srciptual language?
me: she could quote the Bible
perfectly verses and all
but like literal interpretations
10:21 PM she believes that it's her work to call the 144000 people that were supposedly saved in revelation
10:22 PM Shaun: now that wierd, cause i didnt think that was a task of the H.S, but of an archangel.. not that i know a lot of How God's kingdom works.. but the H.S has always been the true being manifested in the eternal Love of Father a d Son, a Love so real its a person..
hmmmm...
well.. lets pray for her and your safety..
what ever it is..
me: yes ... thanks shaun
Shaun: if there is truth to be told, May God grant the wisdom of the spritual truth and the knowledge of the worldy truth upon us all
10:23 PM me: worldly truth .. she used that word a lot
she used wisdom too
she said that GOd had given her wisdom and knowledge
Shaun: well, being gifts of the H.S I imagine she would mention most of them ..
me: and that it was a burden for her
10:24 PM Shaun: there's an issue right there.. for the burden would never be laid upon the Love of the Lord..
gifts from God are always good and desirable..
me: sigh ...
10:25 PM she contradicted herself
she said that she was some sort of hero
and she didn't want to die
and because she was doing God's work
Shaun: but death only exists here on earth..
me: it was okay
Shaun: so weird.. PA.. wow.. i praise God that he gave you courage for that
10:26 PM me: she said that there would be a big earthquake in california and that she could see the four corners of teh earth
yes .. me too ... i'm glad that i wasn't enveloped in the twisted package of the devil's work
or whatever it is
Shaun: so she was referring to revalation type events..
10:27 PM me: she referred to the old and new testaments
she said she had done what was written and not had followed what was written
Shaun: hmm.. well. i need to get goign to pick up one of the sfc sisters from her work and take her home.. but we'll pray for you.. and i'll talk with you more later.. May God also grant you rest and calm the child within, so that you may rest easy
me: that in reading the bible she first had to have done those deeds and that she was personified in its pages
10:28 PM Shaun: whoa..hmmm
me: thanks shaun
Shaun: no problem.. I'm here for you if you need anythig else PA.. God Bless
i'll sign on later .. we can chat if its not late for you..
10:29 PM me: ok thanks
Shaun: cya later.. be safe
10:30 PM me: yup
talking talking to donna now
will ask for her prayers too ... you just tell her the details if she ask
s
Shaun: ok..i'm calling her later to discuss..
God Bless
me: God bless too
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