Link
courtesy of my former classmate contrabandiction.


This makes me want to join the rallies. GRRR! So much for the UP Centennial.

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St. Vincent de Paul, patron of the poor, pray for us.

I kind of hate Friendster. It is one social networking site that offers less privacy: it somehow lets other people prey on your profile. It is quite susceptible to bugs.

If only there is a way to detoxify my profile. Because just now, after almost a month of not checking my profile, I discovered something quite horrible.

I'm "seeking dating for men and women, seeking relationships with men and women."

Since when did I become bisexual?

My shoutout hopefully will make things clear:
"LET THIS BE CLEAR: I'm SINGLE, I'm STRAIGHT, I don't date men. To the one who edited my profile without my knowledge, God bless you."

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Lord, You know what it is in the heart. Strengthen my sense of identity. Amen.

Here's what we are experiencing... rainshowers, thunderstorms at 130 kph and increased risk of exposure to Leptospira spp. Hehehehe.

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Saint Francis Xavier, help us to cross our spiritual seas. Amen.

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photo credits: http://typhoon2000.ph

I am praying for many reasons, but for only one Goal.
I am seeking to find my way, and I pray that what I discern to be the way--medicine--will be God's way of leading me to yet another journey.
Grant that a renewed spirit within me would propell me to do things better, to offer my talents to Him, as He shows Himself in my sick and infirm brothers and sisters.

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Saint Anthony Nam, physician and martyr, pray for us.

Karipas
Kagilalas man ang ipinamalas
Na lakas
Lalo na kung ligtas
At paa't kaluluwa'y di napipigtas
Kahit makatapak ng bagay na matalas
Kahit masumpungan ang panganib o dahas
Marating lamang ang landas
Na patungo sa kaharian na nasa Itaas.

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San Isaac Jogues, ipanalangin niyo po kami.

I taught campus journalism for two days at a Chinese Christian school in Tarlac City. I am very thankful for the family of Mark Co, my classmate, for making this possible.

Picture will be coming soon. For now, I am slowly preparing to submit my evaluations, do some examination questions and begin yet another school year as a UP medical student.

I am not quite sure what to feel.

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Saint Ignatius, pray for us.

Last Saturday I was stranded at the bus terminal in Tarlac, while Typhoon Cosme ravaged its way through my home province Pangasinan. I was to only reach home at 3:50 a.m., after almost 5 hours of waiting.



I reached Villasis plunged into total darkness, with some puddles, twigs and leaves littering the normally clean national highway.

Thank God everyone's safe. But I saw the fallen mango tree on the backyard, as well as the small puddles that drips from the roof have created inside the house. We had to clean them all the next day.

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Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, pray for us.

Pungan a pagiddaan
A pagikabilan ti dagsen ti bagi a napnuan
Ti bannog
Ti rugit a naala iti ruwar
Nga saanto koma
Nga umuneg
Iti kaunggan ti kararwa, ngem
Agbatinto, ti ngisit ken bangsit
Iti ules
Iti pagiddaan
Iti pungan

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Unan

Unan na pinaghihigaan
Na napagbabalingan ng bigat ng katawang puno
Ng pagod
Ng karumihang nakuha sa labas
Na hindi sana
Maisaloob
Sa pinakamalalim na dako ng kaluluwa, ngunit
Maiiwan, ang karimlan at kabahuan
Sa kumot
Sa kama
Sa unan

Black, Gold, Black, White:
I am back, momentarily, here in the place I call my home here in Manila, right next to UST.

Maroon and Green:
I am back to being in my alma mater UP.

Green and White:
Welcome, UP College of Medicine Class 2013, my contemporaries (i.e. those with whom I spent my CAS days together)! I am very happy many friends of mine made it. Good luck!

Green, Black and White:
Medics quite needs my attention, and I am thankful for my friends within the staff who are helping one another in strengthening it.

Black and Gold:
I am thankful for my frat brothers, as well as everyone who greeted me on my birthday. By the way, Happy Birthday Vince and Reci!

Yellow, Sky Blue, Indigo and Red:
I am currently teaching in Newton, and I'll drop by our Katipunan branch within the week. Of course, I would politely request that that opportunity to visit LH be factored in into my daily time record, as though I went to office in my home branch.

White and Blue:
I am extremely thankful for my Jesuit friends who are helping me pray. I've got many things to pray for.

Crimson:
My ultimate ambition still surfaces from within. I still don't know how I will pursue that dream, but I hope I am getting there

Royal Purple and Gold:
Will my dream to build a great institution in my hometown fluorish?

Purple and Green:
The colors of hope. I'm still dreaming.

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Saint Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us.

I am currently teaching as a summer instructor in a center in Urdaneta City. Pictures of me, my officemates and my students will be out soon.

I love my job.

I am proud that among my students, such wonderful characters have emerged.

• INTARMED candidates
• three seminarians, one of which I have been told to have taken temporary vows already and taking up Philosophy at a prestigious university along Katipunan.
• almost six instructors of the center already...
• ...and many more.

It is a glorious feeling whenever I come across with my former students who are now studying in prestigious universities such as UP and UST. It stregnthens my resolve each time they tell me, "Thank you Sir."

It's my third summer with the center and I look forward to seeing more futures made, more lives INSPIRED.

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By the way, my seminarian students inspire me so much. Enough said.

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Saint Charles Borromeo, patron of seminarians, pray for us.

Nangagsilabas
Nang parang ligaw na ahas
Tila kulang ang tubig o gaas
Upang mapawi na, maiwakas
Kanilang tibay, puso, tikas
Kahit pandidiri'y sa mga ito'y kay lakas
Kaya't sa araw-araw na pingga'y ihuhugas
Pagtambad sa kanila'y katumbas
Ng gulantang sa masamang balitang nakakalatas
At mapapawi lamang ng pagpisa, pagkumpas
Pamalo pa man niyan, sandok o tsinelas.

Ika-15 ng Abril, 2008; 10:44 pm, habang ginugunita ang paghuhugas ng plato kasama ang tatlong yumaong mga ipis.

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San Martin de Porres, na ayaw man lang pumatay ng ipis at lamok sa pagmamahal sa kanila, ipanalangin niyo po kami.

These two religious orders have one way or the other have touched my life and made me realize God's call in my life as a future physician and even more. But these orders have been known in history as rival orders. I refuse to believe that it is still as it was during the age of the Reformation, when Jesuits and Dominicans disagreed on quite a number of things, although with the jokes that I have read on both parties, maybe there still exists some of the rivalry.

My spiritual director somehow begs to differ. "We now talk, and exchange ideas, some of them even teach here in UST."

Anyway. Some jokes I have read:

A young man is thinking of becoming a Catholic priest, so he goes to talk to his pastor about the different religious orders. "What can you tell me about the Dominicans?" he asks.

"Oh, they were formed in the Thirteenth Century to combat the Albigensian heresy," the priest replies.

"And the Jesuits?"

"They formed in the Sixteenth Century in response to the Protestant Reformation."

The young man looks puzzled. "So what's the big difference between them?"

"When was the last time you met an Albigensian?"

(from http://ozguru.mu.nu/archives/2006/08/dominicans_vs_j.html)

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A Franciscan and a Dominican were debating about whose order was the greater. After months of arguing, they decided to ask for an answer from God when they died. Years later, they met in heaven and decided to go to the throne of God to resolve their old disagreement. God seemed a bit puzzled about the question and told them he would reply in writing a few days later. After much deliberation, God sent the following letter:

My beloved children,
 
Please stop bickering about such trivial matters. Both of your orders are equally great and good in my eyes.
 
Sincerely yours,
 
God, S.J.

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The Franciscans, Dominicans, and Jesuits were having a big meeting that went well into the middle of the night. Suddenly all the lights went out in the meeting room. The Franciscans immediately took out guitars and sang songs, while the Dominicans began preaching; but the Jesuits went to the basement, found the fuse box and reset the breaker.

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One day a local pastor was visiting the home of some parishioners who had a teenage son. The parents were worried about what career their son would choose, so the pastor said he had a simple test that could predict what would become of him.

He would put three objects on a table and let the young man choose whichever one he wanted to have: a Bible, a wallet, and a bottle of scotch. If the boy chose the Bible, he would probably become a priest; if he chose the wallet, he'd be a banker; and if he chose the bottle, he'd become a worthless bum.

So the parents called their son into the room, and the pastor told him he could have whichever object he wished. When the boy promptly picked up all three, the pastor cried out, "Heaven forbid! He's going to be a Jesuit!"

(from: http://catholic-resources.org/JesuitJokes.htm)

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Saint Ignatius and Saint Dominic, whom I pray to be very good friends in heaven, pray for us.

Before I finally end almost two hours of surfing the internet, God has inspired me so much as to write all about the things I have been learning the past week.

God calls so much unworthy people to do the most remarkable things.
He isn't finished with what He wants me to do, not yet at least.
He wants me to embrace the dirt, to know how it is to be in such a hurtful yet beautiful world, for it is in the world that we suddenly discover how God manifests within it. But it is never without His strong connection, through prayer, through contemplation, through friends and love.
He wants me to serve Him, in what way I do not have any idea, save for the fact that I ought to study well for the welfare of my future patients.
He wants me to be in love with whatever He wants me to do.
He wants me to love, without fear.
But I do feel that someday He may call me to leave everything, to take away every single badge of honor within myself, to lay down and prostrate before Him, while being asked what have I done in my life.
I hope to answer when that time comes, "I tried following Your will, as You made it manifest in my life. I tried to follow every single call, amid tears and pain. I tried to surmount every obstacle, while relying on Your Word that You will never leave me. Friends may have left me, people may have questioned so painfully the choices I have made, but it is Your Love that has sustained me."
I actually imagine God answering this, "But how much have You loved?"

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I attended the ordination of a dear Jesuit friend yesterday. With my attending that very inspiring event came a realization: God gives a very tight embrace.

Despite the pain of rejection and the fear of the unknown, despite the inner struggle whenever I feel that my actions do not speak of what the Divine in my heart wants me to do, He has still embraced me.

I do hope to embrace Him fully in my life, in return.

But how?

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It occured to me this Sunday that it is the Sunday of Prayer for Vocations.
Saint Ignatius and Saint Dominic, pray for us.

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Credits: http://www.rcdow.org.uk/vocations/image010.jpg, Joey Velasco's Atrophia, Atrophia (You are My Strength Lord) borrowed from http://www.sfcnyc.org/forums/uploads/post-3-1163184041.jpg

UP Fight! The colors of UP are proudly carried by this blog with this new theme.

To set the mood, here are some songs every UPian must know. I still don't have the inspiration to blog. :)

UP NAMING MAHAL

UP naming mahal
Pamantasang hirang
Ang tinig namin
Sana'y inyong dinggin.

Malayong lupain
Amin mang marating
Di rin magbabago ang damdamin
Di rin magbabago ang damdamin

Luntian at pula
Sagisag magpakaylan man
Ating ipagdiwang bulwagan ng dangal
Humayo't itanghal, giting at tapang
Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan
Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan.

PUSH ON UP

Push on UP
And go in to win
Push on UP and fight
May words and deeds keep you in the lead
Push on to victory with all your might

Loyal and true
We're always with you
Push when the game goes hard
From East to West
We know you're the best
Push on to victory
Rah rah rah!

Rise, rise UP
We'll always stand by you
Go on UP
We will ever cheer and cheer for you to

Win, win, UP
Our hearts will ever yearn
For the Maroon and Green Banner
Waving high up for UP

Varsity, varsity
Keep them high and low
Varsity, varsity
Always on the go

UP rah, UP rah
UP sis boom bah!

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Saint Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us.

"Ever forever, we will sing to Mary,
Who in her love, bids us come to her shrine.."
.. and with singing the hymn for the first time, this marked my beginning as a full-fledged Maristian, in grade school. I vividly remember waking up as early as 5:00 to just get ready, leave at 6:00, line up for flag ceremony at the grade school covered court and sing these hymns: the Lupang Hinirang, this hymn the Marist Hymn, and the Marikina Hymn.

Many changes were bound to take place as I entered my section, 1-Jupiter. Like the biggest planet in the universe to which our section was named, I quietly hoped that things would turn out as big, as hopeful, as inspiring as I wanted them to be after finishing Prep year.

I especially was very excited, for at last, I would learn cursive penmanship. I attempted writing in cursive during my kinder year, which caused quite a scandal on my penmanship grade. My handwriting back then wasn't as precocious as I may have made readers of this blog to think--it was, as people of Sharon Cuneta's 1980's days, "trying hard." But now, it was next to reality.

I relished every minute of Penmanship class. I tried hard to learn the Bs, Ps, Ms, Rs, the Ts and Fs that are quite peculiar to Maristian handwriting. Up to this day when people read my handwriting, they are quite curious about my distinct F and T. I have yet to see people writing their Fs and Ts as I faithfully do.

First grade was indeed a year of firsts. My sweet adviser, Miss Corazon Julia (I am naming her here as my way of expressing my gratitude for believing in me), was very convinced that I could bring home the bacon for section Jupiter during the Spelling Quiz Bee at the Marist English Week. I vaguely remember aceing the qualifying exam for the section, and I thought back then how this would be a great opportunity to shine.

The fateful day came, and after slowly making my way into the top ranks, my opponent from another planet (remember, our sections were named after planets, so this isn't a sarcastic statement) tried his best to clinch a tie. That tie was broken with this word which I will never forget. Resurrection.

First Grade was indeed a year of firsts, but there was a whole lot more exciting things that were to be expected.

(to be continued)

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Saint Marcellin Champagnat, pray for us. 

"Of all people that you should avoid to become, it is to become a social butterfly."
--my spiritual director

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Saint Jerome Emiliani, pray for us.

I am tired of being the person others have been picturing me to be.



With conviction, "gookaku", success!
and "hisshou", sure victory!



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Saint Paul Miki and Saint Magdalene of Nagasaki, pray for us.

Today is the greatest time to be a Thomasian.

This I texted my spiritual director as I walked home after attending today's Mass for Truth held at the UST Santisimo Rosario Parish.

Even though I am a UPian, for the past two years UST, through the Dominicans, has been stoking the fervor on my personal journey towards seeking the truth. And in this national situation, UST has gone leaps and bounds where the UP administration failed to tread. If it weren't for my fellow UP students who are always willing to stand up for what they believe in, UP would not have any voice at all.

But I am extremely impressed with UST. Not only do the whole Thomasian community expressed their support for NBN-ZTE scandal witness Engr. Jun Lozada (UST BS ECE, 1984), it has adopted Lozada himself as the University's statement.

As a person spiritually linking himself to the Thomasian spirit, I am deeply proud of being part of history. With arms raised at the end of the mass, there was the yearning within everyone present to seek the truth and, once and for all, change the country for the better.

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On a lighter note, I garnered such strength of heart to carry my current conviction regarding the NBN-ZTE deal: Tell the Truth. After shaking Jun Lozada's hand, cold perhaps of uncertainty of things to come, I am so happy and proud that I have been one of the people to express my willingness to stand by him and the University he loves. I was also there at the Makati interfaith rally (Hi Tina, Gian, Jegar and Jackie!) and it really is a great feeling to be part of history.

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Saint Thomas Aquinas, patron of those who seek the truth, pray for us.

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video grabs from http://www.gmanews.tv

Tinungga ko yung tubig ko with a memory enhancer kanina. It proved too much. Now, even my Prep years at Marist were as crystal clear as they happened yesterday.

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It was quite a loss for my parents, my mother most especially. After letting their eldest son study in summer school in preparation for entrance examinations at a prestigious exclusive boys school in Katipunan, all that has ended such a dream was a mere phone call.

The Admissions Committee of that school called up the home of a family friend. We had no landline phone then, so my Mom arranged with her friend and asked for a favor: to let my Mom indicate in my application form their phone number as temporarily our own, and to answer the Committee's call if ever I pass the exams.

The fateful call came, but it seemed that another member of that household not only denied knowing any Jaifred Christian Lopez in the house, that person even banged the phone as she hung up.

So much for their dream for their child to grow eagle's wings.

But they were all to happy to know that not far from Concepcion Uno, Marikina was an excellent institution, and by all their means they enrolled me there. I was then six years old, fresh from my being quite an attraction at my kindergarten. I was said to have almost bagged first honors if it weren't for my "precocious" penmanship. I attempted to do cursive when all the others were writing block letters.

So off I went, with much enthusiasm in a bigger world, much larger than my kindergarten. It was big, it was clean, it was exclusive for boys, it was Catholic.

It was Marist.

I now often think about my personality. I am quite shy, but at the same time, outgoing with the friends I choose. I reckon that it was the same when I was at Prep section Magiting some 13 years ago. When I first entered my room with 30-something other pre-school boys, I never remember actually making the first move making friends. I quite existed in the section as someone going to school for the sake of learning something new, something exciting; and not having friends.

What I do remember are certain people who were quite different or well-provided with stuff for preschool.
Like that guy who wore thick eyeglasses.
Like that boy who had a 128-piece Crayola set who caused me deep envy at a coloring session when I only had a 4-piece eraseable crayon set.
Like that selfish twerp who had a collection of fake old 5 centavo coins when our teacher told us to bring old coins for a bingo game (ironically there was no money involved--the coins were just for the sake of marking the numbers being called out by the teacher. Otherwise our Prep teacher would have been suspended by the Brothers). I even quarelled with the boy, for I only had 8 coins, grossly insufficient for marking the numbers on my bingo card. He had a whole canister full of coins. I vividly remember him bringing out his Fox's Candy can, rammed full of his coins. That guy teased me until patience's end, for a reason I now quite can't recall. I would chase him ragingly on the stairs leading to the grade school building, around the communal fountain and back into the prep school hallway.

I wonder what he's up to now.

But what I most remember with my Prep years were two things: 1) my Prep teacher who eventually doubled as my English and Math tutor, and 2) the jelly spider incident.

I will start with my Prep teacher. I quite remember that she overdid her make-up, years later I would realize that she was still a Miss. When I went to her house for our tutoring session she would teach me write good block letters, fill in blanks of questions that my memory vitamins can't make me recall, and let me relate things about life. I remember telling her how I got an Australia shirt brought home by my uncle seaman. I even recall rehearsing how I ought to tell her everything in straight English.

I don't remember anymore how I eventually landed into the Marist Kiddie Speakers' Club, but maybe it was her idea. During the club sessions we only chanted some yells that were supposed to develop our pronunciation, and we were told to say those things as loud as we can. We totally rended the Prep building with our yells every time.

Projects were quite numerous, but as far as I can recall we were required to make a clay diorama, among other things. It was quite a thrill.

But I can never forget the jelly spider incident.

My cousin had flown back to Japan bringing with her some goodies, including two big jelly candies with different animal shapes. I first ate the dinosaur-shaped jelly candy with my sister. It was a diplodocus-shaped lemon jelly candy which we both enjoyed.

We then fought over what snack from the pasalubong each of us will bring to school. I can't remember what she won, but I got the other jelly candy, red, and shaped like a spider. I initially thought things would go well, and the jelly would end up being eaten and digested.

But no. I made a fatal mistake--I read the label first. It said to this effect, "Once you bite, it will bite back!"

I was crying and shouting uncontrollably as I opened my lunch box that day.

Looking back, Prep year was a very exciting experience. But it did made me feel that there was something missing. I needed friends.

I really looked forward to first grade.

At last, I was to enter the grade school building, breaking the routine of passing through the gate and turning left towards the preschool building. Entering the grade school building would mean going straight into another gate, turning left on the administration building and passing through the halls, until seeing the aisle for Grade 1 classrooms.
At last, I was to get access into the library.
At last, things were beginning to get more exciting.

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Saint Marcellin Champagnat, pray for us.

I now pause from the spate of "Blasts from the Past" with a reflection on the spirituality on the two figures I find most influential in the history of the development of Catholic spirituality: Saints Dominic and Ignatius of Loyola.

Both lived very different and yet very similar circumstances and environments. For one, both were Spaniards, Dominic being from Calaruega, Ignatius being of noble blood in what is now known as the Basque region. Both were surrounded by very turbulent events: Dominic being in the midst of the Albigensian heresy of the 13th century, Ignatius being at the heart of the storm brought about by the Reformation of the 16th century.

But both had very differing yet complementary interpretations of following the path to holiness. All of them can be much traced to their personal experiences. Chracteristically profound for Ignatius was his former life of sin and worldliness, Dominic his personal encounters with temptation as well as threats of death during his preaching to the Albigenses. Both used their personal experiences as basis for spiritually preparing themselves in molding other men to follow their path of holiness.

Dominic, as a result, emphasized on the virtue of truth, as manifested by God in everyday life. It is Truth that must be praised, blessed, and most of all, preached. This became the foundation of a characteristic Dominican spirituality, professed by all members of the Order of Preachers. Thousands of people, professed men, women and laymen alike, all trace their spiritual roots to Saint Dominic.

Meanwhile, Ignatius emphasized on the humanity of Jesus, while following His example every step of the way in all things and proclaiming the greater glory of God. It also aimed for a very realistic and practical spiritual encounter with God through its spiritual exercises. It may be also considered that Jesuits particularly update themselves to current culture, to be able to proclaim God's glory as relevantly as possible. This spirituality now counts more than ten thousand priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus within its fold today.

Today both these orders have a characteristic affinity for the education apostolate, both being managers of two of the Philippines' biggest and most prestigious universities. The Jesuits run the Ateneo, whereas the Dominicans manage the oldest chartered university in Asia, the University of Santo Tomas.

Both may have very different ways of following Christ, but this is what I personally put as the most important thing of all: that they have left everything just to follow Christ, and that makes all the difference.

Saints Dominic and Ignatius, pray for us, help us to follow the path of Christ as boldly as both of you once did. Amen.

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picture credits:
Saint Ignatius of Loyola: http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/BRGPOD/31776~Saint-Ignatius-of-Loyola-1491-1556-Posters.jpg
Saint Dominic: http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/9/9d/250px-SaintDominic.jpg