ASOP Entries

I regularly submit song entries to A Song of Praise Music Festival (ASOP). To date, 3 of my songs have already been chosen for weekly eliminations. I'm yet to win in one.

Here are these 3 songs:

Panalanging Di Mo Tinugon - this is a song about being thankful to God despite unanswered prayers. Deep inside I know, the reason my prayer went unanswered was because God has something better planned for me.

Bakit Mo Iniwan - this is a song about how great Jesus's love for man is. He's already seated beside the Father, yet, He left his godly kingdom in obedience, to come to earth and save us from our sins.

Iyong Iyo Buong Buo - this embodies everything that one can do to show gratitude to the Creator - an offering of oneself wholly and entirely.

Hopefully, I'll have more songs to add to this list.

A Song of Praise Music Festival is currently in it's 9th year.

"Never Worked And Never Will" by Margaret Wise Brown

Blogger's Note:

I first read this story when I was in Grade 3. 

We just moved to my father's hometown to live there permanently. Since we didn't really know anyone there yet outside our cousins and relatives, for the most part I and my siblings kept to ourselves. 

In my father's family's old house where we stayed, there was a large shelf of old books. Those books, some already so old the pages were already so delicate they'd readily fall off if you just folded them, kept me company and provided a lot of afternoon and evening entertainment for a long time. 

It was in one of those books that I read the following selection - which had shaped my work ethic.

I hope it has that same effect on you.

*******************************************************************************************************

Once upon a time, in the town we are now living, there was an old man who made things out of wood. 

He had a shop on a street in a small town where all day long he carved wooden ducks and wild geese for weather vanes and hunters' decoys and, also, for people to buy and hang up in their houses like pictures - flocks of wild, black geese flying across a white wall. 

All his life the old man had loved to carve wood. And so that was what he did. All his life he had sat in his shop with a knife in one hand and a block of wood in the other hand, carving wild birds. 

He would paint them the green and black colours of wild ducks and the wonderful colours of wild geese and hang them in the windows of his shop where people passing by could see them.

People from all over would come to his shop to buy the things he made and to talk to the old man, because he was a happy old man.

But there was one thing people from all over the world could not understand. Over the woodcarver's door was a large sign which said: NEVER WORKED AND NEVER WILL.

"How," said the people from all over, "can Jim Bailey carve wood all day and paint it and sell it and then say he 'NEVER WORKED AND NEVER WILL'?"

"Why," said the people from all over, "he works all day, and he has worked all his life carving wood, and he will work tomorrow. What does he mean?"

"It means," said Jim Bailey, "that I never worked a day in my life and I never will."

"But you work from eight in the morning until eight at night, every day, carving the wild geese out of wood. What do you mean?

"If you don't know, I can't tell you," said the old man. "I never worked and I never will."

And then the old man laughed because the people were so puzzled and he laughed some more because he was a happy man. Then the people from all over the world went away with the wooden ducks and the weather vanes they had bought, shaking their heads. "We don't know what he means. He works harder than any of us, yet he says, 'I never worked a day in my life and I never will."

Then the lazy children from all around came to the old man's shop to watch him carve the wooden ducks out of blocks of wood. When they saw his sign. NEVER WORKED AND NEVER WILL, they thought, "Here is a man like us. He doesn't work either."

But when the lazy children saw him carving wild geese out of wood from eight in the morning till eight at night, they said, "Jim Bailey, you do work. You make things. And you work all day. You work harder than we do."

But the old man shook his head and said, "Go away, lazy children. You don't know what I mean, but still I say, 'I never worked a day in my life and I never will.' And you wouldn't have to work, either, if you knew my secret."

But the lazy children from all around were too lazy to guess his secret, so they went off shaking their heads. They said, "The old man is crazy, We don't know what he means. The old man is crazy, he works all day."

Then the other children from all around came to the old man and watched him carve the wild geese out of wood and paint them the wonderful wild bird colours. It made them happy to see what the old man was doing, and sometimes he let them help him paint.

But they never asked the old man what his sign meant, because they were so delighted with what he was doing that they never thought of it as work. And that was how they knew the old man's secret.

by Margaret Wise Brown (1910-1952)

Japanese Verses

Haiku

********************

"Flitting to and fro

a dragonfly jumps on buds

one to another"

"Hide and squint my eyes

against the sun and the spray

of incoming waves"

"From over the hill

a ribbon of smoke rises

up from autumn fires"

"Lie down in the cold

and make an angel's figure

in a sea of white"

********************

Tanka

********************

I wait for the sun

While the east mountains hide him

Excitement and joy

I share with the grass and trees

As we welcome an old friend

A Rather Perplexing Question

I was once asked how I knew Myla was the one.

It took me quite a while to answer. In fact, if she knew how long I hesitated before I could give a decisive reply, I'd be spending the rest of my married life sleeping on the couch - and we don't have a couch - just a hard bamboo sofa.

But I digress.

Myla and I didn't have a long courtship. We didn't even go through courtship.

We had known each other since college. She was the first person I saw on our building for my first class the first day of college. She was on that same class - Philosophy 1. Actually, she was in all of my classes because we shared a common course block.

She says I caught her attention when I disagreed on a point in grammar with our English teacher, and fell in love with me the next meeting when our teacher conceded and said I was right (She'll never admit that, of course).

At that time, our relationship didn't go beyond mere friendship. She had boyfriends, I had girlfriends. We both lived our own separate lives all through 4 years of college.

That was until one hastily arranged lunch date about a couple years out of the university.

We had "sizzling bulalo" at a local restaurant. Incidentally, I didn't have a special someone at that time and neither did she. We walked around the city enjoying our easy companionable conversation and eventually ended the day with a simple, "O ano? Tayo na? Tayo na!"

And that was it.

We just went steady for a little over 3 months before we decided to "elope" (which is material for another story - perhaps for the next anniversary)

But I'm wandering off again - which was, ironically, the way my thoughts actually swirled and twirled when I was asked the question at hand.

How did I know for sure that Myla was the one?

I remember thinking, "Is she the prettiest girl I've ever dated?" Nah. "Is she a great cook?" Definitely no. I was (and I'd like to think "am still") way better in the kitchen. "Is she particularly sweet or thoughtful?" Maybe, but I had other relationships before where I was treated like royalty. "Is she smart?" Well, I'm smarter. "Is she good in b... I'd rather not include that here.

For a moment, I didn't know what to answer. And for the smallest few minutes I began to even doubt if I did the right thing of marrying her.

But then, an unexpected memory suddenly surfaced.

It was so far removed from that present situation, even now I wonder how it crept up in my cluttered excuse for a brain.

Then again, maybe it was no accident at all...

...because that's when I realized I was looking at the question wrong.

It's not whether Myla is perfect. It's not whether she's the best of the best of all the girls I've loved before (yes, that's from that Julio Iglesias song).

One can go on in life and say, "This person is the best for me" and then along the way meet someone better. And if that's going to be our criteria for deciding who's best for us, then we'll never find the “right” person.

There's no sense in looking for "the best" because "the best" is, at best, relative.

We'll always meet someone who's better looking, a better cook, a better lover, a better this and a better that.

Your "best" now will only last till you see "better".

The question was not about "why" I knew Myla was the one.

It was about how "I" knew she was the one.

It was not about her. It was about me.

And there, finally, came my firm reply.

I knew Myla was the one because I was willing to care for her and stand by her no matter who she was and no matter who she may become in the future.

If she nagged at me about whatever she felt nagging at me about, I knew I'd fight back, but I'd never leave her because of it.

If she tried to stop me at things I liked doing, I knew I'd argue and defend myself, but I'd give in eventually.

If she starts to insist on doing one thing and I wanted to do another, I knew I'd probably give her a piece of my mind, but I'd, sooner or later, let her have it her way anyway.

If she got to my nerves for her incessant and annoying badgering, I knew I'd snap at her, but I'd apologize afterwards and we'd make up and make love...ly photo albums for our kids... Whew!

If she got sick and couldn't care for herself to the extent that I'd have to carry her to the bathroom and clean her up myself, I'd do it without second thought.

Some people may think that's a bit too melodramatic and all, but I don't care.

It's the truth.

That's what marriage is for me and the moment I realized all these things about Myla and I that afternoon when we decided to throw caution to the wind and just go live together, I knew for sure she's the one.

And she’s been the one for 10 years now – and hopefully, for another 10,000 years more.

:-)

Epilogue:

In case you're wondering what that strange unexpected thought that came to me was, it was a memory I have of when my father died several years earlier after months of painful battle with cancer.

Of all things, I remembered words my mother said amidst tear filled sobs while sitting by her lifeless husband.

"Kahit habambuhay ko na lang syang aalagaan at pagtitiisan sa sakit nya. Basta buhay lang sya."

Doesn't that embody the entire essence of marriage?

It does for me.

Happy 10th Anniversary, Myla.

I love you so much.

Of Individualism

If there are a million people saying blood is blue and there is only one person that says it is red, does that make him wrong and the rest correct?

Would you stop breathing just because people say that the air is contaminated and it would kill you? (What are they breathing in, in the first place? Water?)

Would you be afraid to travel by sea if people tell you the world is flat and you would fall off the edge if you wander too far?

If I cut myself, who bleeds?

Is it proper to alter your moral judgment just to accommodate ignorance, double standards and most people's warped sense of right and wrong?

There was once a farmer and his son who were walking home from the field alongside their trusty carabao.

On the way, they heard some people saying, "Look at that farmer letting his poor son walk with him when he can let him ride the carabao."

The farmer looked at his son and said, "They're right." So he let his son ride the animal.

Some distance away, they heard another group of people saying, "Look at that ungrateful son riding the carabao while his old father is walking. Has he no respect for elders?"

The son immediately got off the carabao and allowed his father to be the one to ride the animal.

A few meters away, a number of people saw them and said, "Look at those two idiots taking turns riding the carabao when they can both ride it."

Hearing this, the farmer and his son both got atop the carabao and continued home, now both riding the beast.

A short distance away from their own house, they passed another group of people saying, "Look at those two ingrates riding the carabao after they had worked it on the field all day! Have they no pity for the poor animal?"

The farmer and his son looked at each other and in exasperation, carried the carabao through the remainder of the way.

Who is foolish?

Everyone is gifted with intellect, judgment and a conscience. Each of these is not in perfect proportion with the others but each person definitely possessing all three. Thus, everyone is capable of making their own decisions for themselves.

They do not need others to do it for them.

If you get burned, learn from it. Seek advice for some time, but not always. Follow some advice you are given, but not all of it.

Life is a lesson. We can't have others learn it for us. Others can show us the way, provide guidance, offer some help, but it is we who would walk it, we who would live it.

It is true that people are social beings by nature. Man is inevitably connected, one way or another, to others.

From the moment we are conceived from the intimate union of our parents, to the time the doctor pulls us out of the womb, to the time we encounter our first childhood friends and sweethearts, to the fulfillment and disillusionment of our dreams, to, even, the silent mourners by our deathbeds, we are social.

As such, our actions have social repercussions.

Society judges our actions by the measure provided by norms, mores and values laid down by eons of experience and co-existence. There are even instances wherein written laws are no longer needed to determine the validity of certain actions. An inner voice tells us whether we're doing good or otherwise.

This is a generally accepted fact in human society. It is one of the basic foundations of sociological structure.

Yet, this is not absolute.

Man has a weakness.

He is not infallible.

No amount of experience, technology, knowledge and power can change the fact that man is not, by any stretch, perfect.

Thus, his standards also are, by no means, absolute.

Fact is, that all accepted norms of behavior started out as an extraordinary act.

History teaches us that not because we don't understand something, makes it evil, not because we can't do something, makes it impossible, not because people say something is wrong, makes it so.

Yes, man is social. But he is also an individual. Truth of the matter is that the individuality of man defines the quality of the social structure. the diversity of human beliefs and motivations, purifies and characterizes any given society.

What is the point, then?

One cannot live his life in the perpetual shadow of another's existence and beliefs, much less the society's.

He must live out his life as an individual in an interconnected society. He must follow societal rules, only as far as his own individuality dictates. He must never compromise his own standing on issues that would nullify the veracity of his own intellect, judgment and conscience.

Bandwagonism, gossip, malicious intrigue and singularism are the enemies of individualism and, in effect, of defined social structure.

Let a man live his life.

Help him if you may. Guide him if you can. Offer advice if you have it. But let him live his own life.

If he gets burned, let him, and hope that his scars would remind him of the lesson he should have learned. This is not abandonment or exercised apathy. This is the essence of applied democracy.

In doing so, not only are you keeping yourself in your proper place as a peer, but you are also taking part in the process of strengthening his character, like gold tested and purified in fire.

On the other hand, never compromise what you believe in to be true, just to give way for meddlers.

Stand for what you believe is true, and dear and pure. If you fall, accept it, learn from it and stand and move on. Never let your individuality be unnecessarily clouded by false exhortations of what is socially acceptable, and morally upright. Half of the people saying this don't even know what those terms truly mean.

We all live interconnectedly in this world, but our interconnection ends where another person’s right to live his own life, begins.

After all, you wouldn't want others to tell you how to live your own life, nor would you want to be the singular authority on how people should live their lives, right?

Of Chameleons And Men

Things aren't always as they seem.

Sometimes people are concealed deep within multiple layers and it's up to you to peel them back to reveal the truth within.

That is, if you're even allowed as far.

People who are able to do that are either experienced chameleons or on their way to becoming one. Be warned though, the road to creating an unbreakable facade is like a room full of mirrors. You can easily get lost in the maze of reflections and re-reflections and the result may be more grotesque than you expect.

A chameleon only blends with the background but it's essence remains the same. If you're able to change your appearance, you better know how to get back to what's real, because sooner than you'll expect, the thin line that separates the two becomes blurred and obfuscated until it totally vanishes. A strong anchor is necessary. Otherwise you'll never know where lies end and the truth begins.

Most people say they are strong enough to withstand temptation but even the strongest can only take so much. There will always be a point when something starts to give. And then everything shatters in an infinitesimal shower of confusion.

But get this, are you even sure that what you're resisting isn't the truthful reality you're supposed to be living in?

What if the life you're trapped in now is the lie? What if the reason why you can't let go of something is because that's supposed to be your true reality? What if the reason why fate shoves you the same old crap over and over again is because it's its way of telling you, "Hey dumbass! This is what's supposed to be for you! This is your destiny! Why can't you get it into that thick skull of yours!"

Everything changes drastically then, doesn't it?

Then again, I could be wrong.

In fact, I'm pretty sure I am.

Paradigm shift.

Coffee Fix

I can't remember when I developed my steamy love affair with coffee.

All I know is that I've been drinking it forever.

There was even a time back in college when breakfast, for me, was just coffee and Marlboros. Whenever I felt like that was not enough, I'd whip up some orange juice to go with the coffee and the cigs.

I drink two mugs of coffee in the morning, a cup (since we don't have mugs) in the office by mid-morning, another cup by mid-afternoon, a mug once I get home and another mug at night while working late.

If what they say about coffee being healthy is true, then I should be in tip-top shape by now.

I wonder if my mom fed me coffee when I was a baby...

Hmmm...

I'd better go ask her.