A. Bonifacio

Superman in motorbike, del monte city transit, ice-cold cobra energy drink, sun's ablaze, heavy traffic, squid emission from cranky closed van, here comes half-man, half-grease on a bicycle. Green light on, everything moves 2 inches. Pranela wipes, yellow stripes, ants of the nasty kind queueing, gathering on a half-chewed gum. Feather dusters and black, plastic back rests for sale, BNY 4 girls with its load of teen wears...15 minutes before lunch break.

Oktopus

Asar ako sa taong aligaga. Ito yung taong aali-aligid pero parang gago/a naman. ang tawag ng iba sa kaniya o kanila ay BAWANG- kasi, laging nakasahog. Ang iba naman, CHICHARON- pirmi kasing nakasawsaw. Ako, ang tawag ko sa kanila ay OKTOPUS. Kulang kasi ang dalawang kamay sa dami ng gusto nilang pakialaman, panghimasukan, pagmarunungan. Paroo't parito, atras-abante, urong-sulong, akyat-panaog, paikot-ikot, labas-masok. Hindi mapirmi, hindi matahimik. Ikamamatay ata ang saglit na pag-upo. Larawan ng kasipagan sa unang kilatis. Kalaunan nama'y sanhi ng pagka-inis. Sa sampung pinkialaman, walang natulungan. Sa sampung pinanghimasukan, walang na-resolbahan. Kamukat mukat mo, dagdag pa sa alalahanin, sa pamimiryendahin. Hindi na nga nakatulong, nakapag-baon pa.

Maraming uri ang mga taong-oktopus. May oktopus na kaupisina, may oktopus na kapit-bahay. May oktopus na teacher, may oktopus na kaklase. May oktopus na pulitiko, oktopus na pari't madre, oktopus na boss, oktopus na empleyado. May oktopus na katulong, oktopus na ususero at tambay. May mga taong oktopus sa simbahan, mga oktopus na sis at brad, mga oktopus na NGO, mga volunteer oktopus. May mga madasaling okotopus, bastos na oktopus, oktopus na barbero, tsuper, kargador. May mga oktopus na naka-barong, naka coat-and-tie, mga oktopus na naka-kotse, oktopus na pobre. May oktopus na matanda, mayroon ding bata. May mga oktopus na tomboy at bakla.

Pero kahit iba-iba, kahit sari-sari ang hugis at hisura, kahit iba't-iba ang costume at drama, iisa pa rin ang pakay: makapang asar lang sa kahit anung kaparaanan, sadya man o hindi. Ang taong oktopus, pirming nakahambalang. Hindi maaaring hindi ka matalisod ng isang oktopus kahit pa kayo nasa isang silid na kasinlawak ng basketball court. May kakaibang dating at kilos ang isang taong oktopus. May kapangyarihang makapagpakulo ng dugo, makapagpataas ng presyon, magpasikip ng dibdib, magpadilim ng paningin. Daig ng mga ito ang pinagsama-samang powers ng x-men at mga kasapi ng justice league, pati na nila Darna, Kapitan Bawang, Panday, Lastikman, atbp.

Kawawa nga lang ang mga oktopus na ito. Sila ay nagkalat sa mga simbahan, opisina, paaralan, government offices at kapitbahayan. Sila ay nagsusumiksikan sa mga tambayan at umpukan. Sila ay naglipana sa mga lansangan. Hindi ito ang mga lugar para sa kanila. Dapat natin silang pagmalasakitan. Kailangan nating humingi ng tulong sa WWF at National Geographic at iba pang mga organisasyon na nagsusulong sa karapatang pang-hayop ng lahat ng kahayupan. Magkapit-bisig tayo mga kaibigan. Sama-sama nating ibalik ang mga oktopus sa Atlantic Ocean, sa Indian Ocean, sa Pacific Ocean, sa China Sea. Kung san may malapit na dagat sa inyo, pwede na rin dun. Doon sila malayang makalalangoy at makasisisid at makakakain ng mga small fish at planktons at shrimps. Doon ay buong sigla ring makadadapo sa kung anu-ano ang kanilang mga galamay ng 'di nakasisira ng project, nakababagal ng operation, nakapagpapahaba ng meeting, nakapgpapalabo ng usapan, nakapagwawatak-watak ng mga barkada. Doon sila nararapat sa bottom of the deep blue sea.

P.S. Kung sakaling matagalan ang pag responde ng coast guard o wwf, isakamay mo na ang batas at gawing calamares ang ilan sa kanila...

Salamat Bataan!

Bayani at Banal ika'y naturingan
Natuklasan ko ring ika'y kaibigan
Mga payak mong umaga at hanging magaan
Sa lambong ng takipsilim ikaw din ang kapisan

Ang tahimik mong maghapon ay lubhang mapagpayapa
sa kabog ng dibdib na minsa'y ginambala
ng hiyaw at hinagpis ng mga dinakila
na mga alagad ng dangal at laya

Bataan, bataan, ang bukirin mong luntian
ay gamot sa mga taong may pusong sugatan
gayon din ang bisa ng maalat mong karagatan
makapal na kahuyan at masiglang kabataan

Ang pangakong iyong pinanghahawakan
huwag mo sanang itambal sa saklap ng pawikan
Na kung noo'y payagpag na namamahayan
Ay ngayon sukat mabura sa mga dalampasigan

Ito rin ang babala na pirming naka-amba
Kung ang diwa mong mutya ay mahihirati
Sa tuwina na lamang na pangungulila
Sa mga lipas na tagumpay at humulas na ngiti

Sabayan mo sa pagbangon ang bawat umaga
Nang may apoy sa dibdib at siglang masagana
At sa bawat paghakbang ay isaboy ang binhi
ng galak na marami at pag-ibig na malaya!

Panaghoy Sa Langit

Ikaw na bukal ng awa't pag-ibig
Balon kang malalim sa lahat ng iigib
Ay ano't naidlip, sandaling nawaglit
At sa lupa'y sumambulat ang apdong mapait

Isang lunes ng umaga...bumangon, humayo
Mga kasama sa bukirin ng pag-asa
Ang bao'y tampipi na may lamang laya
At kipkip sa bulsa binhi ng kamulatan

At doon sa burol na paroroonan
Ay may huning naulinig tila sipol ng kaibigan
Ni hindi namalayang ang paswit na bahagya
Ay hudyat lang pala ng simula ng paglapa

Ang dati'y mga tadyang at braso't binti,
Mga mukha at tainga at labing may ngiti,
Inararo't tinalupan, nilaru-laruan
At sa matingkad na pula ang lupa'y nakulayan

Bakit nga ba ika ko'y bigla mong naisipang
Ang mga sandaling ito'y saglit na pagtaguan?
Sadya ba sa iyo ang birong malupit
Na sa daan nilang tahak ang liwanag ipagkait?

Makaawa nitong lingkod mong maliit
Tapusin mo na sana ang pananahimik
Isakdal ang may sala't itanghal ang wagi
Kalingain ang aba't pamungahin ang mithi

At 'di muna gugugulin mga gabi sa pagtulog
Ni hindi paaawat sa panalangi't pagdulog
Hanggang isang araw ang mithi'y maabot
Katarungan sa mga martir at parusa sa salot!

Gaudete

It's the first vespers of the third week of advent...Rejoice says the office, rejoice says the prayers. Liturgical prayer is not without its cache of ironies. This Sunday's celebration features one of them. What is there, pray tell, to rejoice about when all around you reeks of the putrid smell of murder and mayhem? What is there to shout out GAUDETE for when even the cyber space is overrun and polluted with virtual triumphs at some imaginary poker tables, smiley punctuated updates for a new found cyber pet or new born cyber brown cows, or mounting stats in one's adeptness at zapping neatly arranged cyber gems, all these being our age's sorry alternative for the decent and humane society that we have now long lost?

Tonight, on this eve of Gaudete, I stand before God. He in his majesty and I in my misery. I stand before him as a beggar, a stray dog licking its wounds. I dare stand before him in my utter nothingness, or rather, in the filthy garb of selfishness and sin that I have made out of the sparkling mantel he once clothed me with when I came out of his bosom. I stand before him tonight, aggrieved by my failings, ready to be slaughtered anew and refashioned into his image once more.

This is the cause of my rejoicing! I declare GAUDETE tonight, for God has not deprived me of that spark in my innermost, that now moves me out of hell and back to life! I declare GAUDETE, for the Lord is truly nigh, and I could feel the trembling all around, as mountains of atrocities crumble, and valleys of injustice and afflictions fill up with consolation. I declare GAUDETE tonight, for I profess, I believe, that the day is truly at hand, when the martyrs would again rise to trumpet the victory of goodness and compassion, of mercy and justice, of life and of love, while their feet trample on the vicious head of the despicable monster of hate and greed that has caused their blood to flow far and wide, refusing annihilation but rather suffusing every parched spot on the face of humanity, and now cause a thousand buds of hope and recovery to spring into new life.

I rejoice for having been found! I rejoice for having been empowered! I rejoice for having been saved! I rejoice for being still around today, that I may lend my voice to those whose throats were slashed for speaking out the truth, for voicing out the cause for freedom, for crying out for mercy, for praying for peace! I rejoice because the God of Justice, the Prince of Peace, has loved me immensely in spite of me, and has wiped away every stain of sin in me, that I may worthily take up arms against the enemy! I rejoice for the Lord is truly nigh!

The Genealogy Project

It all started as an inspiration in the heart of Archbishop Soc Villegas...upon coming back from one of his pilgrimages. He came home one morning at Bahay Pari-San Onofre, his residence, and also my refuge for my sabbatical year, brimming with excitement at the vision of having the Holy Anscestors of Our Lord portrayed in individual medallions along the four supporting arches of the faux dome of St. Joseph Cathedral. Over breakfast, one rather humid Monday of July, he just so casually shared with me this thought of putting up the icons to which I merely responded with an approving nod thinking all the while that he too has somebody else to create them for the cathedral. I was wrong. It was clear to him as well that he wanted me to paint the icons myself. Of course I was honored by that nonchalant show of confidence and trust. But it was with a nervous smile that I was prodded to accept the challenge. I am a painter and am no stranger to the thrill of coming up with a new work of art at the sudden upsurge of this rare type of insanity exclusive to artists, but actually working on a project of this scale is simply not within the range of what I believe I am capable of. Daunting but not impossible is how I would describe the project. I suddenly found myself at a loss, not knowing where or how to begin.

Then I was seized by a terrifying sensation upon realizing that there's not much time left for me to prolong my musings. I realized that I have just said yes without having given much thought to the kind of preparation needed even long before the actual painting of the icons could begin. I also shudder at the fear of not being able to live up to what was being expected of me, not to mention the possible effect this project would have on the clergy and the community not only of Balanga, but of the whole diocese! I needed encouragement and spiritual support. And it is in providing the latter that the good Archbishop is famously known for. Ibig sabihin...walang lusot...wala nang atrasan 'to!

And so back to the drawing board I went. I began by doing a little research work not only on the subject matter and the history and theology behind it, but even on the ancient art of fresco painting and the technicalities entailed in replicating the same results but using modern technology. The following three months were perhaps the longest and most tedious as I have to meet up with architects and engineers, light technicians and designers, prefab-manufacturers and and a host of other experts. Most everyone I have encountered and consulted for the project were just as clueless at first as to how we could possibly execute the project without sacrificing the integrity of the existing structure, a heritage site in its own right. But all of them kind souls also shared with me and the Archbishop the same passion for the project. Daunting but not impossible...

For five straight months, in between occasional masses and tasks at the cathedral, I labored night and day over the icons. I started with pads of study sketches based on Byzantine models, transferring them on charcoal papers in exact, uniform dimensions, and later photocopying them and tracing them onto gesso-covered fiberglass panels with canvass lining underneath. With initial drawings completed, I then proceeded by retracing each individual portrait all over again with a fine-tipped, sable hair brush using a mixture of Burnt amber acrylic pigment and emulsion. Only after this already exacting process was I able to continue painting layers upon layers of Yellow Ochres and Olives and Cerulean Blues in imitation of the ancient iconographic technique called "illumination," i.e., the gradual extraction of "light" from the painted images which gives the impression that light is emanating from within the subject and not coming from any outside source. This is symbolic of the divine life that is exuded by the subjects of icon-writing (e.g. Our Savior, Holy Mary-Theotokos, The Saints, etc.).

Icon writing is a spiritual discipline more than an artistic endeavor. The task necessitated that I confine myself in a suitably peaceful and serene environment not unlike a monastic cell. The work too was spiritually demanding in that I have to paint in a genuinely prayerful and reflective manner, and to be in the state of grace. This proved the toughest challenge and the most exacting requisite of all. It simply was an ordeal having to concentrate on the painting while keeping your cool especially when unexpected disturbances and distractions come up. It was truly a journey into Calvary when you start hearing less than encouraging remarks for something you have been doing only with much love and enthusiasm. It truly was a sacrificial enterprise to deprive yourself with even the most basic of indulgences, of consciously and deliberately choosing to be misunderstood, criticized, undermined, suspected of your real motives or capability by not fighting back nor exerting effort at defending yourself...and bouts of insecurity issues and self-doubt...all these are the many devils one is bound to encounter and wrestle with in the course of painting an icon.

Daunting but not impossible...this has morphed into a mantra of sorts which I kept on repeating again and again to myself as I plunged head on to accomplish the task. I have to be strong. I have to be courageous. I have to convince myself constantly that I am doing God's will, that everything will turn out right, that the end-product will be a source of untold blessings for the community I am dedicating it for. And as the blessed faces of the Holy Ancestors of Our Lord started to emerge one by one from the gessoed panels, I realized that a parallel event is also transpiring in my life as trials and complications and other occasions for growth also unfold in my very own family. It was amazing how these rather intimate events in my own family somehow substantiate for me the story behind each and everyone of the personages I am portraying in the icon-project. I somehow suddenly, strangely, felt the same struggles, the same tensions, the same animosity, the same joys and pains, the same sibling issues, the same off and on relationship with God, the same normality of being very human and and the same time called to live out divine virtues, and a host of other family complications that characterize this genealogy where Jesus Christ sprang up. I was having this sense that I too was actually portraying my family's story as I painted a representation of the Lord's own. This was the grace that I was longing for: the realization that Jesus truly penetrated the depths of human experience by going through its pains and struggles, even to the point of actually having relatives and ancestors who themselves were not consistently flawless and undefiled at all times.

It was December 1, 2009 when I and my construction team finally installed the last of the forty-four panels thus finally completing the project. I was 2 months ahead of my target deadline which was supposed to be February of 2010. I feverishly worked through the last remaining panels to make it on time for the upcoming Presbyteral Ordination of Rev. Joen B. on December 7. The completed icons were truly a sight to behold. Seeing them on those four arches of the soaring faux-dome filled my heart with a bit of pride and an ample dose of humility. God in his servants is truly alive and speaking through these holy images. I was moved to my knees. I can only offer a quiet prayer of thanksgiving at such a marvel that Our lord has wrought through my crude instrumentality. My heart was welling up with nothing but gratitude for everyone: for Fr. Soc who believed and trusted in me, for the cathedral fathers and the clergy of Bataan who offered me acceptance and unbridled support and friendship, for the simple and kindhearted people of Balanga, and for my little family in Bahay Pari-San Onofre, Sr. Lola Luth, Sr. Lourdes, Ate Myrna and Joseph, Kuya Alvin and Kuya Edong, Ate Venus and Ate Idang, for nanay Norma- Fr. Soc's Mom and surrogate mother to all priests.

Days after, I woke up in Bahay Pari realizing that my job was done. The quiet morning I woke up to was the same calm and peace I have had when I had my first breakfast in this homely abode. It was the same morning which spoke to me very gently, telling me to go on and enjoy life, to explore possibilities for growth and selfless service, to pray and be healed, to discover friends and kindred souls, to find excuses to thank God for, to bathe in kindness and compassion from others and to dare to offer the same to them in return. It was a quiet morning, a cool December morning...It felt just right...time to move on...I knew I have to go

Et Verbum Caro Factum Est

Makapangyarihan ang salita. Nakapagpapasaya, nakapagpapalungkot. Nakapagbibigay-buhay, maari ring makamatay. Ang salita ay maaring magpausbong nang 'di masupil-supil na pananabik sa isang umiibig kapag binitawan bilang pangakong pagbabalik ng mangingibig matapos ang sumandali nitong paglisan. Maaring maging sanhi ng pagkakaibigan, maari ding pagmulan ng bangayan. Salitang malumanay ang susi ng pagkakasundo, ang marahas nitong kabaligtaran naman ang ugat ng pagkakawatak-watak, at minsan, ng mapait pa ngang alitan na maaring tumagal ng pagkahaba-habang panahon. Ang salita kapag puno ng malasakit ay nakagagaling ng maraming karamdaman. Kapag ipinagkait naman, ito'y nagiging isang nakabibinging pagkakait ng pag-iral sa isang tao, yung para bang oo't andiyan ka ngunit walang kumikibo sa iyo kaya't parang ika'y wala lang. Pampasigla, pampakalma, pampainit ng ulo, pang-away, pang bati, pang lait o pampuri, pang samba o pang uyam, pampahayag ng pag-ibig o pagkamuhi, pandugtong ng buhay mo sa buhay ng kapwa, pantawag pansin kapag nangungulila, pampainit ng samahan... sa anu mang kaparaanan na ito'y gamitin, ang salita ay makapangyarihan.

Batid ng Diyos ang kapangyarihang ito ng salita. Siya Ang Salita! Kanya lamang ang salitang tunay na makapangyarihan, tunay na buhay, tunay na bumubuhay.

Ngunit sa kadakilaan ng kaniyang karunungan, 'di lamang siya nagpakawala ng salitang pinagmulan ng lahat. Hindi lamang naging sanhi ng pag-iral ang buhay at bumubuhay niyang salita. Siya, ang mismong salitang buhay at bumubuhay, ay 'di lamang nanatiling makapangyarihang salita. Siya ay salitang naging tao; Salitang nagkatawang tao; Salitang nagpakatao; Salitang naging kaibigan, kaanak, kapitbahay, kaagapay, kalakbay, karamay. Bawat sambitin niyang salita ng pakikiramay ay may kasangkap na paggawa. Bawat pagtuturo, may mabuting halimbawa. Bawat pakikiluksa, may pag luha. Bawat pakikisaya, may masaganang halakhak. Ang mapaglikha niyang salita ay masasaksihan, maririnig, matitikman, maaaninag, masusundan sa kanyang pagsasakatawan at pagsasabuhay nito.

Ang Salita ay Nagkatawang-tao! Ang salita ay nagka-mukha, nagka-anyo. Siya'y nagkapangalan, nagkaroon ng laman. Sa pagkakatawang-tao niya'y binigyan niya ng matamis na ngiti ang sayang ipinahahayag. Pinagkalooban ng haplos ang pagdamay na itinuturo. Ginuhitan ng talim at talas ang pagtutuwid na ipinangangaral. Isinalarawan ang pagtulong na iniaalok, ang pakikibakang nilalahad. Ang salitang nagkatawang tao ay naging brasong umaakbay sa nangungulila, kamay na umaabot sa naliligaw at nawawala, labing dumadampi sa pisngi ng taong gutom sa pansin at kalinga. Siya ay naging hiningang mainit na pirming nagsasaboy ng buhay sa lahat ng madaanan at makasalumuha. Siya ang salitang nagbigay ng anyo sa turo ng paghahandog ng sarili sa kapakanan ng kapwa.

Siya ang salitang nanlumo sa pagaayuno, ang salitang yumakap sa mga balo at ulila. Siya ang salitang nagpatong ng kamay sa may karamdaman, ang salitang pumunit sa limang piraso ng tinapay at dalawang isda upang pakanin ang limang libong gutom na mga kaibigan. Siya ang salitang lumakad sa ibabaw ng tubig, nagpatahimik sa nakagigimbal na hangin, nagpatawad sa maraming kasalanan.

Siya ang salitang tumupad sa pangako niya nung una, sa pamamagitan ng paguunat ng katawan, mga kamay at paa, sa krus ng pag-ibig. Sya ang salitang ibinayubay at pinagpistahan na tila dulang. Siya ang salitang inilibing, at bumangong muli sa luwalhati ng pagkabuhay.

Ang Salita sa kanyang pagkakatawang tao ay nagparating sa ating lahat ng pag-ibig niyang hain at pangako niyang buhay na walang-hanggan! Ang makapangyarihang Salita ay gumamit ng lenggwaheng arok ng makitid nating pang-unawa upang ipahayag sa atin kung gaano kalalim, katayog, kalawak at kawagas ang pag-ibig niya sa atin...ang lenggwahe ng pakikipagkapwa.

Mula sa labangan hanggang sa libingan, mula sa pagsilang hanggang sa muling pag-silang, mula sa pangako hanggang sa pagpapako ng kabuuan, kaganapa't katuparan ng binitawang pangako dun sa krus ng tagumpay, sa muli niyang pagkabuhay, sa kaniyang paghahari, ipinaghuhumiyawan ng buhay na salita na bawat isa sa atin ay kanyang pag-aari, na kung sa'n tayo nagmula'y doon din uuwi.

At dahil dito, ang pagkatao natin, ang lahat sa atin, ang kabuuan natin, ay ginawa niyang mga masiglang tagapagpahayag ng kanyang buhay na salita...nang siya'y makipamayan sa atin!

PASKONG QUIAPO

Linamnam ang una sa aking litanya
Ng Paskong alaala sa Quiapo kong sinta
Pabango ng Echague ay ang halimuyak
Ng sinangag na kastanyas
At hamon at mansanas

Villlalobos ikaw ay ibang kaharian
Pinggan at kaldero at Nidong sako-sako
At bunton ng Bacalao ang mga handog mo
At Pansit na guisado
'dun sa Hun Nam na yumao

Matapang na amoy ng goma at katad
Sya namang paanyaya ni Carriedong liyag
Mga sapatos at baro at kurtina't kuchilyo
Mga relo at alahas
Na peke at tanso

At marami pang sulok, at siwang at ligoy
Mas marami pang ingay,
Halakhak, panaghoy
Itong kuna ng aking pagkabata at diwa
Tila batis ng ginhawa, pwede ring kumunoy

Ang Quiapo'y dambana ng Hesus na ulikba
Nang Diyos na piniling maging aking kamukha
At ito'ng kanyang puso at kaluluwa
Marikit niyang ngalan,
Kayamana't dangal

Sa kawawa't bigo, o gutom o kapos
Sa salat at hapo pirming hain mo'y dugo
Ina ka sa ulila, kaibigan ng ligaw
Silong na malilim
Kung masungit ang araw

Pasko na naman at doon sa iyo
Ay muling dadalaw at muli ring magmamano
At sa daan pa lamang dun sa 'di kalayuan
Ang hain mong pag ibig
Langhap na ang sagana

Love in the Time of AH1N1- Resolutions for the New Year

I love the Philippines! I am a proud Pinoy! Therefore...I will not pay taxes whenever I could ( And I believe I would be contributing to the nation's spiritual renewal as well as the current non-president, squatter-in-Malacanang's impassioned appeal for the country's moral recovery in doing so). I will not call corrupt, engorged, drug-dependent, bloated, slimy, greasy-faced gnomes as honorable, officer, excellency, or even human beings. I will not remain silent. I will not fool people to believe that time heals everything. I will not lie if only to make others feel good about themselves, and contribute to their over-all developmental retardation in the process. I will not buy things that are more than what I need to decently get by each day. I will not pay P2.00 for one of those alcohol-soaked, pieces of cheap tissue papers being peddled at the NBI desks after having all of one's fingers smuged with black ink for the finger print records.

I will always have a pocket notebook and a pen or a pencil ready, if I don't have my mobile phone with me, so that I could record plate numbers of the cars and motorbikes of thieves and rouges disguised as peace-keepers but in reality are hyenas preying on hapless victims on the roads, in our side streets, or other public places.

I will help keep the anger and disgust of our people alive and raging over the grand foolery and cover-up we are all being led into regarding the Ampatuan Massacre, Le Cirque dinner, ZTE-NBN deal, fortified noodles Scam of DepEd, Abalos "Borjer" machine, Jocelyn "Joc-Joc" Bolante fertilizer scam, and thousand other crimes that the current administration and all its ilks have imposed upon our already languishing people. This I will do by engaging taxi drivers and yosi vendors, balut peddlers and sampaguita ladies, brother priests and house-helps...men and women on our happy, busy streets, into meaningful discussions and ways to help out our sorry but hope-filled nation. Boiling hearts and flaming souls are sure to keep us on our feet against any threat to our sanity and well-being.

I am sorry...that I cannot recognize any legitimacy in any of our incumbent leaders at present. Rather, I regard with no little amount of reverence and awe, the many sparks of goodness and altruism that at present provide alternative leadership through quiet witnessing that I experience daily in ordinary men and women of the streets: that lowly janitor or security guard zealously keeping his or her post, the honest fishmonger, the taxi, jeepney, or tricycle driver who gives exact change, mothers and fathers telling their wards not to throw candy wrappers on the pavement, poor but dignified young ones who would rather look for job than beg and line-up forever at the next relief distribution center, men of the cloth who would speak less and do more, customers refusing plastic bags and insisting on bringing their own during shopping sprees and trips to the grocery.

I will not be ashamed to pray and say grace even in public places. I will make the sign of the cross before and after meals in a restaurant, even in front of my collegues. I will not hesitate to say no to things or involvements that are less than proper or decent, or are destructive of others. I will not throw garbage at my neighbor's backyard or vicinity. I will use ashtrays and bins for my cigarette butts.

I will say thank you and sorry more often. I will lend my voice to the voiceless. I will do my part in nation-building according to the dictates of my conscience and not just be influenced by the fad of the moment. I'll do the best that I could in living well, in keeping a smile handy to cheer up the weary ones, to have a candy or two for the urchins on the loose. I will check on my family more frequently, connect with my friends, visit sick and elderly mentors and members of the community...and still have time to enjoy unhurried walks in the city or even in some countryside. I will spend more of my meager provisions for vacation visiting local tourist spots so that money won't bleed out of our country.

I will contribute in whatever way I could so that pertinent issues may continue to be discussed. I will take up a meaningful and worthwhile cause. I will speak out if necessary, shut up if I have nothing of import to say.

And at the end of each day, I will fold my knees in prayer and see to it that I'll have a good night's sleep, that I may be ready for the battles of the following day.

Eureka!

Welcome to me! I am now officially out of the Jurassic era. It has already been two months since I discovered the joys and slightly narcotic after- effect of clicking away at the keypad. It is such a delightful discovery for me that the world has already come a long way since the revered but already ancient days of the Morse code and the telegraph. Here's looking forward to many days of happy exchanges with whoever would care...cheers!