Digital Soap Opera

To create a new standard, it takes something that’s not just a little bit different, it takes something that’s really new and really captures people’s imagination and the Macintosh, of all the machines I’ve ever seen, is the only one that meets that standard.”
–Microsoft founder Bill Gates, 1984

If I were running Apple, I would milk the Macintosh for all it’s worth–and get busy on the next great thing. The PC wars are over. Done. Microsoft won a long time ago.”

–Steve Jobs, 1996

These two guys looked good together, a battle royal for almost three decades can also lead to bursts of laughter and sharing of common ideals. Find out what these two has to say to each other as they give a glimpse of how they got to the top and maintained to stay there.

Read the liveblog of D: All Things Digital at this link

Diversity of Man's Struggles

This news article was published in Religion Today (www.crosswalk.com). If EDSA has been a great challenge to you as well as the stunts of government officials smuggling for applause, try to read this article and digest every word that spells poverty.

Pick up those crumbs of bread at your table, buy enough soda cans for the day, flag your neighbor with a smile, thank God even for a while, for some of our pains and hunger are defined as feast and comfort on the other side of this earth.

British Evangelical Aid Agency: Many Children Dying in Zimbabwe

Peter Grant, Tearfund’s International Director, says children are now suffering from very high levels of chronic malnutrition. “People are dying. It’s the very young, the very old, and those with Aids who are the most vulnerable,” says Peter. “We heard recently of a church leader who had to bury a grandmother and a baby from the same family over the same weekend. As the year goes on with the continuing food shortages, we can expect the situation to get worse, and more people to die.”

“With inflation exceeding 4500% - some reports put the figure nearer 8000% - currency no longer buys food and medical care. Even if people could afford to go to hospital, there are no longer medical supplies to treat them. The wages of hospital staff do not even cover the bus fare to work,” the story continued.

full story

Like a Rose Trampled on the Ground

[Reflections on the Song, Above All]

Above all powers, Above all kings
Above all nature, And all created things
Above all wisdom, And all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Julius Caesar made the most of his divine ancestry and built a temple in his forum to Venus Genetrix, Mao Tze Tung had his little red book carried by multitudes, Adolf Hitler killed the Jews, Pol Pot became popular with agrarian communism, Joseph Estrada became president, Mike Arroyo went to Hong Kong, the bus driver cuts loose a wild chase in EDSA, a rugby-saturated young thief went off with the purse of an old lady in white, a jobless drunk stabbed to death a sober dreamer.

Above all kingdoms, Above all thrones
Above all wonders, The world has ever known
Above all wealth, And treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure What You're worth

Napoleon was poisoned, Saddam Hussein was caught on a filthy hole in Baghdad, Kurt Cobain swallowed a shotgun bullet, Richard Nixon stepped down from office, JFK's head was shattered by an assassin's bullet, Ninoy Aquino's white clothes were tainted with his own blood, Ferdinand Marcos flew to Hawaii, Government inks ZTE deal, Team Unity beats Genuine Opposition 12-0, FPJ dies, PGMA says sorry, the writer of this blog thought he knew it all.

Crucified
Laid behind the stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

A carpenter was nailed to a wooden cross, the blood of a sinless Savior for the remission of the sins of those who killed Him, the King of kings stripped of His robe on His way to the cross, His death in exchange for the lives of those who would believe, Glorious Lord crowned with thorns, the multitudes hated and shouted at the One whom the angels worship, “It is finished” and the battle is won! He rose on the third day, He sits on His throne but He is never busy running His Kingdom for you not to hear these words from Him “I love you my child, I gave my only begotten Son, believe me and you will have eternal life”

Jesus Christ, according to Paul Baloche and Lenny LeBlanc's song was rejected trampled on the ground like a rose. Beautiful Jesus took the fall, and thought of you and me – ABOVE ALL!

Rain, Rain On my Way!

On a taxi going to Hotel Royale yesterday, we could hardly see the road due to heavy rain. I was listening to Philips, Craig and Dean's Crucified with Christ. My favorite line of that song is “His cross will never ask for more, than I can give, for it's not my strength but His”

And as I get inspired and give thoughts to countless means where Christ has blessed me, there before me was another great orchestration of His divine protection not only to me and to the whole mankind. Different authors have wrote about nature testifying to God's majestic craft, you see it in the sunset, you feel it in the cool breeze, you listen to it in the sound of the wind paying homage to the cloud of life.

The rain continued to poured hard. But my heart suddenly thanked God for one simple thing. It made me think about the rate of evaporation, how much water is getting sucked by the clouds in an infinite repetitive cycle of evaporation and condensation. And then I was caught in amazement knowing that for every drop of rain to kiss the ground, there has to be someone to count them first, or someone to make sure that just enough water would rain down on us. Otherwise, Waterworld would cease to remain a myth.

If you want to know the rate of evaporation, on one website that I recently surfed (though I really can't understand the PSIs and molecular weight jargons), the article states something about 1.1 Kg/sq m/ sec. A largeish number according to the author.

Don't know if that would be the exact figures, but the certainty of a Supreme Creator of this universe making sure that there's just enough rain would remain a glimpse of God's mystery which is both sovereign and carefully executed.

Next time you get trapped on a bus stop, without your umbrellas, and the rain poured hard. Avoid your rage, it won't get you dry, instead thank the One who covered the earth with clouds and sent the rain in its season.

I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit.

Leviticus 26:4

SESAME!

Isang pagpupugay sa munting gabay ng aking kabataang di mapalagay

Kung gusto mong sumaya

Kung gusto mong sumigla

Igalaw mo, igalaw mo

Igalaw ang 'yong ulo.

Huebes ala-una ng tanghali, kakagising lang ni Sultan Parachibum. Agad niyang hinanap ang kanyang mga alagang si Ningning at si Gingging. Sumigaw siya sa gawing kanan, "Ning!" Sa gawing kaliwa, "Ging!" At sabay humatsing, "hatsing!"

Hindi niya matagpuan ang kanyang hinahanap, sa kakalakad sa maliit na eskinita sa gilid ng Podium ay nagulat siya, “Bwahahahaha!” sabi ng isang anino ng matsing, hawak ang saging at maikling baging, bigla itong naglaho. Nilapitan niya ang pinanggalingan ng boses ng matsing at sa di inaasahang sitwasyon ng kanyang pusong mamon, nakita niyang nakahandusay ang matandang babae, duguan, kikip ang isang bolang kristal at may suot na ID na hugis ATM na may nakasulat na “Manang Bola at Your Service” Diyata’t isa itong stewardess ng Tiger Airways?

Kung gusto mong sumaya

Kung gusto mong sumigla

Igalaw mo, igalaw mo

Igalaw ang mga paa.

Agad itinext ng sultan ang kaibigan niya sa media, si Noli De Kasyo, “Pre where na you? Dito n me” ipinaling niya ang kanyang 3G na 5110 (3G as in 3 Gives), sa gawing hilaga upang makahanap ng signal, at ng may signal na siya ay biglang tumunog ang mapagbirong “toot” sa palsetong tono ay nabatid ni Sultan na wala na siyang load.

Nag abang siya ng kung sino mang dadaan para makahingi ng tulong. Ilang saglit pa ay palukso luksong dumaan si Kapitan Basa, hawak ang aklat ni Sydney Sheldon, tinangka niya itong istorbohin “Manong, Manong! Pahingi ng tulong! Kung ayaw mong matanong, hahampasin kita ng talong!” sa takot ni Kapitan Basa ay sumagot nlang siya ng “Ok, wag lang science ha?”

Kung gusto mong sumaya

Kung gusto mong sumigla

Igalaw mo, igalaw mo

Igalaw ang mga kamay.

“Nakita ko kasi itong bangkay ng matandang babae na ito, tingin ko wala na siyang buhay, kung meron man eh sumakabila na, gusto ko siyang tulungan, dalhin sa kung saan, kaya lang wala akong kakayahan, ngayon eto ang tanong ko – bakit nakalimutan ni Christian Bautista ang Lupang Hinirang?”

“Eh nagpapatawa ka ba?” ika ni Kapitan Basa, “hindi nakalimutan ni Christian yun, nalobat lang yung gamit niyang Magic Sing kya nag iba ang lyrics niya.”

“Ano yang kaguluhan na iyan?” sigaw ni Irma Daldal, ang call center agent na nakatira malapit sa Brickley.

“Hindi kami magulo!” duet ni Kapitan at Sultan, “ang gobyerno ang magulo hindi kami”

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” (parang sa komiks, nagulat!) “bakit may patay jan? sabi ni Irma!

“Nakita lang namin ito dito” duet uli ng dalawa, sa pagkakataong ito ay tenor si Sultan at bass naman si Kapitan.
Sino ang may kasalanan?

Kung gusto mong sumaya

Kung gusto mong sumigla

Igalaw mo, igalaw mo

Igalaw buong katawan mo.

“Alam namin kung sino” sagot ng dalawang alien na si Sitsiritsit at Alibangbang, “kanina kasi habang nagwiwindow shopping kami sa St. Francis Square ay nakita namin ang matandang iyan na tila nakikipagtalo sa isang matsing.”

Samakatuwid, ang ating prime suspek ay isang matsing.

Timing namang padating si Pong Pagong kasama ang isang maliksing matsing na matanong.

“Alin, alin? Alin ang naiba? Isipin kung alin ang naiba?” Masaya nilang awit. Walang kaalam alam sa gulong madadaanan.

“Huli ka!” sabay sabay na turo ng lahat kay Kiko, (hindi Santos, kundi Matsing)

“Ako?” sabi ni Kiko, “Ikaw nga sabi ng kaibigan niyang pagong”

“Teka, anong ginawa ko?” paliwanag ng Matsing.

“Ikaw daw ang may kagagawan nito” Sabay turo ni Irma Daldal kay Manang Bola na nakahandusay pa rin ng mga oras na iyon.

“Hindi ako!” sabi ni Kiko.

“Ungh!” sosyal na ungol ng matandang stewardess.

Nagulat ang lahat!

*Ako din nagulat kasi biglang dating ng amo ko at nagtanong kung ano na raw ba ang natapos ko, salamat sa gakidlat na bilis ng Alt-Tab at nailipat ko ng tamang oras ang screen sa Photoshop.

“Si Manang Bola buhay!!!!” sigaw ng ibong si Koko Ki-Kwak.

“Hindi maari” sambit ng sultan.

“Paano nangyari yun?” sabi ni Kiko.

“Himposibol” bulalas naman ni Pong

“Ohmigosh!” sabi ng sosyalerang si Irma

“No-Deal” sigaw naman ni Kapitan Basa.

“Alinsunod sa nakalap na ebidensiya ng mga guwardiya, ikaw Manang Bola ay hinahatulan ng hukumang ito ng mga kangaroo ng dalawa’t kalahating ulit na habang buhay sa salang pandaramba!”

“Inuutusan ka ng hukumang ito na isauli ang nakulimbat mong isang garapon ng mentos at magbayad ng danyos perwisyo na nagkakahalaga ng 150 pesos gift certificate sa Isetan Recto”

“Dahil kaming lahat ay pinaniwala mong dedo ka na, pagkakaitan ka ng karapatang mag chat at mag attach ng file sa iyong email”

“Binabawi na rin namin ang 20% discount privileges mo at wala ka ng aasahan sa retirement benefits mo (as if meron naman tlga diba?)”

“Anong masasabi mo Manang Bola”?

“I’M SORRY!”

The comfort of poverty

The comfort of poverty
Originally uploaded by Blessed.Wind

On my way to SM Marilao in bulacan, I was seated on the front seat...these people caught my attention..they were shouting at me with words that I could not understand, maybe it's the language they have or I'm pretty sure it's the discrimatinion inside of me that made me not understand them...but as i witnessed...these people seem to enjoy their time together...even in the uncertainty of the existence of their new found home...they took time to gather...left alone with a smoke to chill up to...I may not be that rich but I am certainly well off compared to these people but how come their hearts are richer than mine?

Cover the Earth with God's Glory

Cover the Earth with God's Glory
Originally uploaded by Blessed.Wind

A glorious praise and worship offered to the Glorious King...truth remains that all our strength, our joys and every inch of worth in us is who He is in our hearts, the voices of passionate worshippers reaches the throne of the Sovereign Lord in majestic utterance that it is all about Him alone...

JIL SG Worship Leading Team!

Static Magnetism to an Orb of Decadence

[Instant coffee and aircon, prose and confusion]

I left the park without the usual gutsy feeling and a bullet proof attitude of "let go of me dude!, I'm fed up with you".

Almost cynical of your righteous intention, I need to fasten my seatbelt and let the adrenaline rush, shy of Pompey's post privatus years.

The metallic plate of my subtle dreams ended up in a less than lucrative business of the self.

Not minding the gradient color of the blood that spilled from self inflicted wounds, my hopes are reduced to half the number of stars that collared my engaging tactics. Deal with me now or prepare for the great white shark's ferrocious kiss.

Listen to the sound of the black keys that holds my fingers apart, I hurriedly take you away to neverland, to where we will never grow old, to where the pirate captain is held captive to the croc's enigmatic agenda.

I am helpless in preventing the rage behind these words that time had allowed me to translate inside a dim-lit room of strange people.

Though the memories have died in the eye of the strong hurricane, fear never held back an inch and took his post.

Battle!

To battle the essential truth behind the smile. To rattle the poignant decaying pulse for a little while. The mantle of random heartbeat refuse to survive. The damsel of creative distress is barely alive.

Thank you!

The curtain is lifted.

I'm out of words, a burglar of poetic innovations.

Leave me alone and let me alone.

My dear self, how I long to ask "Where did you sleep last night?"

And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:27

Blessed Be Your Name

First day at work today, woke up early...last night I closed my eyes digesting M. Redman's book with these lines;

Can a child presume to choose where or how to live,
But can a Father's love refuse all the best to give?

He further explains, We cannot choose our path in life but we can choose to walk down it with a worshipful trust in the sovereignity and Father heart of God.

Matt is dwelling on the topic of worship having a price tag, in all circumstances, in bright and dark seasons of the soul, "Lord blessed be Your name"

A few minutes ago reading L.B. Cowman's devotional book, she speaks about Job who declared, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised" (Job 1:21).

Today is one season of my soul that I share with only a handful of people around me. After four months in Singapore, finally i would start work. Told a few around me that I lack the confidence to pull this through, due to the fact that I came from freelance land, I have never had much of the nine-to-five routine.

Well here I am, I have been praying for this and I could only pray that God be with me in every step of the way. I pray for His grace that I would never miss that which He purposed me to be in this place, to meet these new set of people and to work in a totally different environment.

Have to scram, never felt like this since grade school (argh! I just made it to the mushy team)

God bless to all, I do have hundreds of words when I get home tonight, hope to have enough strength for a blog entry.

Carrying Out Great Exploits with Strength in Knowing God

JIL Singapore, 17th Anniversary, 2007

9th of September, 2007, Sheraton Towers. Six months of preparation lead to this day of celebration. As God has again revealed Himself to the worshipping hearts of this congregation, the aura of reverent amazement to Jesus filled the air. A rainbow of eternal hope embellished the cloudless skies of souls in need of God’s mercy and grace.

The production team is all set; every little details have been put in its rightful place by the diligent ministry groups. The administrative team has done a great job of putting up a great program; the groups of intercessors have spent time marrying their knees to the ground. Prayers, tears, exhaustion, sleepless nights, joy, silence. Countless enough to write a whole chapter of what was involved in preparation for this day, but one thing could not be left out. One of highest importance, that amidst all of the corporate efforts to put up an organized event, there is One who sits on His throne saying “Here comes the apple of my eye!” As if He sets a time to gather His angels to witness a group of believers, maybe amounting to a thousand that day but before the heavenly architecture of God is only a speck of dust. Yet, in His throne, God is so much excited to see young people, old people, professionals, mothers, fathers and children gather and shouting Jesus’ fame. Worshipping God as He covers this earth with His glory. Telling the world that Jesus loves them.

“Here they are to worship me”, Jesus says to His angels. “Yes they will never know how much it will cost to see their sins in my cross, but they called upon me and here they are to say that I am their God” Jesus continues to speaks about His worshippers.

It is already 1 in the afternoon; the guests slowly took their seats. The program began with an introductory voice over, followed by the Philippine National Anthem led by Sis. Thessa Tepase. Not long after, the JIL Singapore worship leading team took the stage with a passionate hunger and thirst. “Praise the Lord!” Everyone is at their feet, the dancing generation turned their time of waiting into raising of hands, shouting out loud and thumping of feet. All for the glory of their Creator, all because they love the One who first loved them.

The usual routine of the program went through, Bro. Paul Palis and Sis Hazel Guiling did a great job as emcees. Sis Mae Ignacio, the wife of our guest speaker from Australia, Pastor Jerry Ignacio, exhorted tithes and offering to the congregation and afterwards, one of the highlights of the program is the launching of the KKB Singapore, after a short avp, they rendered a live band performance, All for Love and I Am Free. These young people not only looked good on stage with their colorful outfit, they poured out their hearts for this one great opportunity to worship God. The fruit of long months of rehearsals were not only evident on their songs but on the desire of their hearts that sang louder than their instruments and voices.

The guest speaker is the JIL Worldwide Ministry Director for Asia Region 3 and the Resident Pastor of JIL Australia. It was a short, yet very inspiring message. Anchored to the theme in Daniel 11:32b; But the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits, His message revolved around the truth of how much we know of God that would determine how we will see things, how it would affect our future and how much of Him would be revealed to us.

“You are created by the Creator therefore you are creative” What a magnificent statement. Since we are created in the image of God, there is that something in us that is part of what God is, the one thing that would make the difference is; How much do you know of your God? Would that be enough for you to be strong and carry out great exploits?

Pastor Norlyne Gagarin, the Resident Pastor of JIL Singapore was still in Algeria yesterday so a video of his greetings was projected on screen. And you could definitely feel how much this great servant of God loves his flock so much, his words speak completely how his heart has been always praying for these fruits. How God alone has been the center of His agenda that from the early years in Botanical Garden, His flocks grew to two Sunday services at the Royale Hotel.

Bishop Bro. Eddie C. Villanueva, Sis Dory J. Villanueva and Rep. Joel Villanueva sent their greetings which were read by the emcees.

Among the highlights of yesterday’s event was the pantomime presentation of the KKB, a song number by Bro. Jess Lampasa and Sis Thessa Tepase.

The event was followed by a dinner fellowship at the same venue with other special guests, Pastor Rey Navarro and wife, Bro Ricky Sanchez who rendered two inspiration songs.

It was a great day indeed. It was not about how the people grew tired, all wanting to go home and call it a day. It was a picture of excited believers, ready for the next big thing for God. Bro Arnold Francisco, threw a few words to me before I went home, “This is a long year for us, more events to come”

Praise God for the great opportunity to sing to Him, to give to Him, to live out loud for Him. A life resolved to God would have great faith to leave the results to Him. Yesterday’s event resulted to one clear thing that was etched in everyone’s heart...

The greater praise of His greater glory!

See you on the 18th year celebration.

Problem Solving Problematic

Singapore, 2007

My wife and I are running short of time preparing for this day’s event. It’s two hours before our call time and we should be at the venue by then. But while taking a hot shower, the “urge” to write seems to pull my senses deep and give it a try. Yes, that is how I write, I write from instincts. I seldom have a clear understanding of what I would write until I get my fingers on my laptop keyboard and started scribbling for words. I don’t know how real writers do their stuff, but this is how I do mine. And unless someone would cross my path and tells me – “This is how you should do it” then I would give it a thought. Then maybe I would start to become a real writer.

Anyways, to satisfy my craving to write today, what I learned from the seminar yesterday seems to be a good start for a good topic to write. It was the first time that I heard this good pastor from Australia, I was able to talk to him before at last year’s pastor’s congress but I was not able to hear him preach. Actually, I was having second thoughts of approaching him, I was not sure if it is because of the uncertainty that he still remembers me or if it is because of the certainty of the fact that he might know of a bent that I had on my bow. Either way, I was more than glad when he called me from where he is sitting and complimented my works from where I used to come from. (That is roughly how my life goes from time to time, people would compliment me for being a techie, a deadly smile deep in my heart as pride looms up and one day in a single stroke of a mighty hand of God, things turned upside down).

“There is a solution in you; you are the solution of a problem”. He exclaims from the pulpit. In chat lingo, this is a time to put up the great LOL! But there is no wi-fi signal, my laptop is buried silently in my bag and it was just a reckoning piece of truth coming from a person well-versed in life’s toil. “Should I believe this crap?” says a fearful, weak but tyrant corner of my heart. Believe me, we all had our share of problems engulfing our frail breath but it’s a different thing to be the “cause of a problem”.

My senses come swinging like a pendulum while listening to his short talk, one minute I get encouraged, the next, I get afraid. What do I fear about? Or was I really afraid, or it is just the enemy peeking from a small hole that failure left as a scar of my self-inflicted wound.

Wound. Well healing comes in handy when blood flows from a deep wound, and it is an absolute fact that God is our Great Physician. And yes as I consistently seek His revelation from the trivial things of life in His grace, I manage to make ends meet when it comes to blow after blow of truths that peels all of my confidence revealing only a heartbeat of hope in God.

I was nearing the last pages of Tommy Walker’s book, He Knows My Name and this morning I got a slight pat on my shoulder reading this truth;

“If you think you are the last one in line, then God is rooting for you. God loves a good comeback. He is the God of the second, third and hundredth chances”

Then I remember one encouraging moment yesterday, “God sees you not as a problem but a solution to a problem. Your company will not hire you if you can’t add up as a solution to one of their problems; you will not be in Singapore if you will not be a part of a great solution in this community. Do not run away from problems, these will release a giant in you. Problems are fortunes. Finally, the reward you get in this life are determined by the problems you are willing to solve for others”

Whew!

I think I should leave my fears behind for good. From this day, till the last stroke of my breath I will hear countless words. But I pray for God’s grace to get a strong grip to hold on to great truths about life. To things that would help me the most, to godly advise, and to wise counsel.

Listening is not an easy task for me, that’s what I become for the past years of my life. I always wanted to be the one being listened to. Maybe I should make a quick turn on the next road ahead of me.

“Our little becomes big when God is involved”

God’s love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

Behind Bars

Behind Bars
Originally uploaded by Blessed.Wind

I am currently working on one project and in search for a material when I came accross this photo. It was a few weeks before leaving Manila, I joined an outreach team who visited Golden Acres, a place for old people. Most of them left by their families. This shot was taken before we left, I thought I had already seen the saddest images. But here is a section of GA where old people needs to be locked in a prison like cell. For one reason...they tend to be violent with other people. A heart-crushing picture. But not half of how it really felt being actually there. I remember my hands shaking while taking this picture. It took me several tries before i got it right.