Don Mclean - Castles In The Air

One of my favorite folk singers. He is old now but he still sings beautifully. Don McLean was the inspiration for Roberta Flock's "Killing Me Softly."

"Inspired by a Don McLean gig at L.A.'s Troubadour, folk singer Lori Lieberman jotted down the idea for the song, then took it to Gimbel and Fox (of Happy Days fame). Flack heard Lieberman's recording on an in-flight radio station and "absolutely freaked," she said. She tracked down the songwriters, then spent three months in the studio with Dorn perfecting the track."

Rolling Stone

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Comments Moderation

I have activated my blogs comment's moderation, not becuase I am receiving a lot of comments, but because lately I have been recieveing comments from outer space! Some of them, I suspect, are viruses or germs or digital satan out to make my digital life miserable. ECBC Blog, my church's blog, has recieved comments from hell and I can't delete them!

My PC was imfected with a virus and a spyware, according to Gilbert the computer guy. It kept shutting down (I accidentaly wrote shitting down he, he, he...it's a good thing I saw the error!). The PC was reformatted and all my files disappeared. I made a back up but I can't find the CD.

Talk about temporary memory gap and memory loss.

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Book List

Here are some of the books that I have just finished reading:

1. The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant.


I bought this paper back brand new. I removed the price tag because I don’t want my wife to see how much it costs. I feel guilty buying brand new books because a brand new paperback here is equivalent to almost fifteen kilos of rice, enough rice for us for two weeks but the book is worth it.

Dr. Durant described Kant as, “…like and unlike Jehovah. He speaks through clouds, but without the illumination of the lightning flash.” I have tried reading Kant’s “Critique of Pure Reason” and after a few pages I gave up. I was confused, discouraged and sick (all those abstract words!). But after reading that Kant’s friend, Herz, a man versed in speculation according to Dr. Durant, returned the book half read saying he feared insanity if he went on with it I am challenged to reread it again, maybe for…hmm…fun or torture.” Maybe next year I will reread the book again, or next decade...he,he,he…

I love Nietzsche for his honesty and bravery and Dr. Durant has this to say about him: “Nietzsche has been refuted by every aspirant to respectability; and yet he stands as a milestone in modern thought and a mountain peak in German prose…He spoke with bitterness, but with valuable sincerity; and his thoughts went through the clouds and cobwebs of the modern man like cleansing lightning and a rushing wind. The air of European philosophy is clearer and fresher now because Nietzsche wrote.”

Rating: Very Good!

2. Battlestar Galactica by Glen A. Larson and Robert Thurston


I am an avid Sci-fi fan Hmmmm…Battlestar Glactica was one of all my time TV sci-fi favorites. I was ten years old when the series was first shown in the Philippines. The special effects were outstanding. This was where I first saw Dirk Benedict, a matinee idol then. Then I saw him again on the series A-Team. But after A-Team, Dirk “the Face” disappeared on Philippine Television. I don’t know what happened to him.

I dreamed of owning a model of the battlestar after my father brought home an AAFE (US Army-Airforce Catalog) catalog showing models of Galactica, Enterprise, Eagle (from Space 1999) and other spacecraft from classic sci-fi series.

It was fun reading the book version of the TV series.

Rating: Fun!

3. Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau



I love the outdoors. I was a former boy scout patrol leader during my grade school and high school days. But going on outdoor activities and reading other people’s outdoor activities are very, very different things. Walden is a bore with a super duper capital letter “B.” I bought the book because I have read a lot of good things about it. I started reading it about a couple of months ago and to tell the truth I didn’t finish Walden but I did finish reading “On Civil Disobedience.”

It’s a classic and sometimes one has to read a classic for stock knowledge (definitely not stimulation for the classics are, in reality, soporific literatures).

Reading this classic is like riding in a classic car. Upon riding a classic car one expects to feel the atmosphere of the era of the car, but sooner disappointed to find out that the car has poor suspension, no air-conditioning, the space cramped and the engine noisy…so instead of enjoying the trip the passenger develops calluses on his butt.

Rating: Call me a caveman but this book is “Booooriiiiiiiinnngggggggg!!!

4. The Elements of Preaching by Wiersbe and Wiersbe.

This little book is patterned after Strunk and White’s “Element of Style” and it’s a very good guide for lay preachers. But…hmmm…. Anyway, the book is like those books I hated, grammar books, lots of rules and suggestions etc. Reading it feels like my hand was being tied behind my back. The book is an old book from my brother's book shelf.

Rating: Hmmmmm….Good.


I have a lot of catching up to do with my reading.

Adjusting

I went back to the campus to have my clearances signed and one third year student asked how it felt to graduate. I replied, “Free!”

It’s summer and the heat is oppressive and I don’t know what to write…

I am now jogging. I gained a lot of weight from stress and now I am trying to lose weight. I switched from walking every afternoon to jogging (or is trotting) every morning with the hope that it will lessen the fats in my belly at the same time train my body clock to wake up and sleep early. I am now adjusting so that when I start working I will not have difficulty with my schedule.

I am not blogging that much. Maybe it’s because I haven’t that much things to let out or purge.

I had some chats with my church mates and we were talking about the kids’ camp when the conversation suddenly turned to English. I am a little (or a lot) insecure about the subject since I am not good with grammar. We were talking, murdering other people’s English (I was talking to an editor and the other is a call center agent; both are proficient in English while I am only good at identifying parts of a sentence.). We were laughing. I was thinking, I hope they don’t read my blog because here I am laughing with the experts while both my written and oral English is a classic textbook exercise for copyreaders and speech therapist. But I don’t care we were having fun and that’s what counts. (At the expense of other people of course…)

Yeheeyyyy! What's next?

With my wife Myra and daughter Jesse Faith

After four years of studying and laboring I finally received my college diploma. I am happy because I know this is what my family prayed hard for and God has heard their prayers and my prayer too. Thank you Lord.

With the Mommies of the class (this their second college degree)

Four years ago my Diche (younger older sister) invited me to attend summer theological classes at the Baptist Seminary. I had doubts if I could pass the course because judging from the theological literatures I have read, I knew that theology was too abstract for me. But I did try and I was encouraged when I did well in the New Testament and Christology classes. My Diche told me to go to college with the hope that I would go to the seminary for the ministry.

With an instructor and some of my classmates

When I came home from the seminary, the first thing I did was to prepare the necessary papers for college. I enquired and the enrolling officer told me that for someone my age, elementary education is the most practical since teachers have no age limit. I weighed her recommendations and saw the logic in it. I enrolled for the elementary education course. I never regretted the decision. I feel at ease teaching children and from the evaluations I received from them, there’s connection. (All of my pupils commented that they love my class because I made them laugh. So, I’m not only a teacher, I am also a stand up comedian.)

Some of my pupils

I feel famous. One day I was riding my motorcycle when I heard someone shouting, “SSssiiiiiiiirrrrrrrr Gggggeeeeeeeeoooorrrrrgggeee,” I stop. I had to stop. I looked and found my pupils riding in a tricycle smiling at me. All the stress and the tiredness left me on seeing my pupils smiling at me.

I will miss being mistaken for a professor and campus director. I will miss joining competitions and being mistaken for a coach, judge and instructor. I will miss doing gymnastics. I will miss dancing folk dances, modern dance,cha cha etc. I will miss the choral recitations. I will miss my classmates asking advice from me. I will miss classmate asking me what’s the English for this and for that, I will miss my instructors, I will the campus…Old as I am I never thought that graduation could be this emotional.
College Education changed the way people look at me. I am now called sir by some of my neighbors and church members. I used to make fun of teachers but I never realized how they are respected (generally speaking) until I became one.


Now what? I hate to say this but its obvious now, I am meant for the ministry. I may not like it but all indications seems to be pointing towards it. I would be the happiest person if I am wrong but I would also be the happiest person if I am right for it is the greatest privilege to serve the Lord and no one can resist His calling.

Hayyy naku!

On our way home on a passenger jeepney

Judgment Day

Finally tomorrow I will be at Morng, Rizal for the graduation ceremony. I am feeling a little mushy about it.

Securing clearances.

Asthma, Birth Certificates, Lines, coffees

I was down with asthma these last few days. It’s because the summer heat is already creeping in and the air was so dry; there’s very little moisture in the air to keep the dust in control. So, all the allergies in my body started to act up in chorus and in harmony. My nose was running and when it is not running it was clogged, my eyes were always crying. I heard strange noises in my ears like someone is tearing a piece of paper. I had a small growth in my head that, according to my daughter, is already infected. To top it all, I got infected tonsils that gave me fever.

I was frustrated and irritated. I barked at my wife at the tiniest little things. An instance is when I told her something and she didn’t hear me the first time, I told her that she was deaf. Sometimes she can’t take it; she frowns and leaves me. And sometimes she laughs and slaps me on the head. She can’t understand why I sometimes get so irritated easily but with the above mentioned symptoms, it’s difficult not to bark at anything, even our dog who can bark too.

Anyway, the symptoms are ebbing though not totally disappearing and my head is a little bit lighter and cooler now. Maybe another factor that made this year’s allergy attack worse was stress: school and graduation, the disappearing academic records, the authenticated birth certificate and my grade 1 students (Lest I’d be misinterpreted:I love them).

Birth certificates are hell. I have my original birth certificate that my mother saved for me but I found out that it is now useless—it is not acceptable as a public document. I was freaked when I was told that I had to get an authenticated copy from the National Statistics Office. I mean, in the name of my neighbor’s unmentionable name, what can be more authentic than the original! I do love my country but everyday weirder and weirder things happen. Because our campus registrar will accept only NSO authenticated birth certificate, I was forced to do one of my most hated things to do-- go to the city.

I went to the Pasig City NSO satellite office to get an authenticated copy of my birth certificate and when I got there my jaw dropped--the line! The Line! The Line is so long that if you stretch it, it will circumnavigate the earth three times! The Philippines is becoming the line capital of the world! If you want to apply for an NBI clearance the line to the processing windows alone is not enough to drive a person to commit genocide. Go to the Department of Foreign for a Travel Abroad Document, expect to be in line for four years and three months before you can reach the door of the office. SSS, ATMs, Cashiers, the lines are getting longer. To tell the truth I expect to find Rod Serling standing and smiling and telling me “George, welcome to the Twilight Zone.”

What could be more authentic than the original!? Since I am in the mood, I will theorize on why birth certificates are worthless documents now.

Here’s my theory. It is because of the age limit imposed on casual and contractual employees. I have seen this happen. A contractual and a casual employee work for five months and then they are terminated to prevent them from becoming regular employees. So when applicants hit the age limit, they begin to doctor their birth certificates. The doctoring is so obvious and the age discrepancy between the document and the face and look and the body of the applicant is so big, that all the employers has to do is to call the police and charge these poor applicants with forgery and be done with it…or just tell the poor applicant no. But they needed the skills of these people so they go along with the forgery. During my teenage years when I used to work as a factory worker, it is not unusual to see forty-three year old teen-agers working as machine helpers and they taunt it.

And that’s how birth certificate became what it is now—a piece of paper for wiping rear ends.

I quit coffee. I hate to do it but I’m beginning to feel the effect of caffeine addiction--I can’t sleep without drinking coffee. I can’t sleep when I drink coffee but I can not sleep with out drinking coffee. See, I can’t tell what’s keeping me awake. I have turned to drinking milk, healthy and scientifically proven to induce sleep.

Enough.

Finally

Its been a long time since I posted something on my blog. I finally can take a breather since my final general teaching demonstration is over. For the practice teacher, this meant an end to their teaching practicum—after their demo, they’re free. But this is not the case for me, I have to finish the school year since I have no cooperating teacher for the subject that I’m teaching—I am the teacher and the student teacher!

I am becoming worried of what will happen to my blogs, I haven’t been posting on my devotional and my Filipino blogs. Of course this does not mean that I am not reading my Bible, I have a regular devotion and I have a regular doctrinal Bible reading for my doctrinal class. But my promise to reread the Bible chronologically is faltering. Haaaahhhh…frustrating!

Duetos Sintunados 2

ECBC 29th Anniversary

Our Church's anniversary

Relgious humor

How to tell if catholics are driving fast

These are pictures I received through e-mail from ate myra.