Sunday 30 March 2008

Earth Hour



One hour with no lights means a lot in reducing the effects of global warming...

Global Warning?

Yes, it is a warning to us...

Unusual weather conditions...

Rapid change in climate...

Ice and glacier meltdown...

Some flooded areas on high tide conditions...

I must say... we, the citizens of the world can change and improve the condition of our planet!

Please help save our nature... Amen...

Thursday 27 March 2008

At Quezon City for 3 Days

I've just arrived with my mom and my two aunts...

I still don't know what I am supposed to do here for the next 3 days...

I feel nervous and uncomfortable... I really don't know why...

Bakit kaya ako inatake ng sobrang kaba...

Hindi kaya dahil sa...

Monday 24 March 2008

Hana Kimi - 花ざかりの君たちへ - 花樣少年少女



Both of these versions are on-air here in the Philippines. The Taiwanese version is aired by Kapamilya station, ABS-CBN 2. On the other hand, The Japanese version is aired by Kapuso station, GMA 7.

The good thing is that they are not being aired at the same time! If so, then it will be a great hassle!

Guess what? HurricaneRed and BoukenRed are in Hana Kimi Japan!

Sunday 23 March 2008

JUKEN SENTAI GEKIRANGER - 獣拳戦隊ゲキレンジャー


HOST: Mina Fukui (福井未菜) as Ran Uzaki (宇崎ラン), Hiroki Suzuki (鈴木裕樹) as Jan Kandou (漢堂ジャン), and Manpei Takagi (高木万平) as Retsu Fukami (深見レツ)


They're really cool! That's all I can say...



Saturday 22 March 2008

Kyle XY Season 1 Marathon

Kyle XY

Within few minutes, it will be Easter Sunday and the start of the Easter Season...

Anyway, it was 10:30 in the morning when I opened the television. On Studio 23, I started watching KYLE XY, one of my favourite shows. Until late 8:00 PM, my mom and I continued to watch it...

Friday 21 March 2008

Before the Holy Week Ends...

Ciao!

Last night, the Parish Youth Ministers of San Bartolome Parish, including myself, had the Visita Iglesia in the different churches in Metro Manila. Here are the churches that we visited:
  • Malate Church (Malate, Manila)
  • Manila Cathedral (Intramuros, Manila)
  • San Agustin Parish (Intramuros, Manila)
  • Quiapo Parish Church (Quiapo, Manila)
  • San Roque Cathedral (South Caloocan City)
  • San Bartolome Parish (San Agustin, Malabon City)
And this morning, my mother and I attended Via Crucis at Sampaloc Manila. The Our Lady of Loreto Parish, together with the collaboration of the family of Bagatsing, headed this sacrificial tradition.

Has something changed in me?

Thursday 20 March 2008

JAPAN and KOREA... and the WHOLE WORLD

Greetings to all people, especially to all faithful Roman Catholics and all Christian sects! Peace to you in the name of the Lord!

Tonight is Maundy Thursday. And this night is very special to all Christians, including myself as Roman Catholic. What makes this night special is that we Christians commemorate the passion and suffering of God the Son, Jesus Christ. Without our Lord, there will be no redemption in our fragile world.

Now, what I really want to post here is about my wish for the dominance of Roman Catholicism in the two of my adored countries in the world – JAPAN and KOREA. We all know that Japan and Korea are two of the world’s prosperous and progressive countries today. Without their essence of their unity, then their country will be forgotten from the ruins of past wars. So I hope that the citizens of these powerful countries will understand and collaborate with my wish, since this will be the key for their moralisation and betterment. Hence, the Redemption of the Lord is at their hands.

Speaking of Japan, I was really amazed when I knew that they quickly rose up from ruins after World War II. There was unity, collaboration, and harmony among them. No one thought of his or her own sake. At least, they have admitted of their past mistakes. For me, it was only nothing. For as the saying goes: you can never change the past, but you can change the present for the better future. And I can feel that the soul of Mount Fuji is rejoicing, and will always rejoice… for as long as the people of Japan will be always people. Blessed be the Land of the Rising Sun!

Speaking of Korea, I am still hoping that Joseon and Hanguk will reunite as a peaceful yet prosperous nation. And the soul of Mount Baekdu will surely rejoice by the time that the reunified Korea will be rebuilding back their land, which is only politically separated. After all, Joseon and Hanguk still share similarities, in accordance of their culture, tradition, and language. Communism should be eradicated off from the surface of the Land of the Morning Calm. And at the moment of their glorious reunification, it will up to the Koreans on how they will name their nation in their beautiful language.

Like what I have mentioned earlier, I wish for the dominance of Roman Catholicism in Japan and Korea. I am not saying that I have the desire to give myself up as a citizen of the Philippines, the Pearl of the Orient. As a Filipino, I also give part in praying for the stop of graft and corruption, for those elements only destroy the reputation of my country to the world. But since I also adore Japan and Korea, I pray that they must consecrate themselves in the spirit of Christianity, and must follow and live up the teachings of our Lord, Jesus Christ. And if they will also adopt the virtues of faith, hope, and love, then they will receive perpetual blessings from God. Sure enough, their political and socio-economical progress will be at height of their success.

By the time that Japan and Korea become Catholic nations, they shall become strong pioneers of Catholicism in Asia, together with the Philippines. And they shall become models of true faith, good hope, and selfless love. With the help of the Holy Spirit, they shall voice out the Word of God and proclaim the triumph of good over evil throughout Asia and the whole world.

Japan and Korea may still follow and live up with the teachings of Confucius, but they should also be with the teachings of Christ. Verily, the teachings of Confucius and Christ will serve as souls of moral humanity.

Tok-do or Takeshima should never become the main cause of political conflict between Japan and Korea. Instead, they should establish a law called TERRA NOSTRA wherein they will mutually share the rule on this beautiful island.

To the soul of Saint Francis Xavier and to all souls who have always desired to spread and proclaim Christianity, please pray that my desire will come into reality. AMEN.

GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES! LONG LIVE THE PHILIPPINES!
GOD BLESS JAPAN! LONG LIVE JAPAN!
GOD BLESS KOREA! LONG LIVE KOREA!

AMOR VINCIT OMNIA! FATA VIAM INVENIENT!

Wednesday 19 March 2008

NCM 102 Duty... Over...

At last, my groupmates and I were already done with our NCM 102 Duties...

Finally, we may now rejoice...

But of course, we have to find time to reflect on ourselves...

Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday...

And I am about to publish my very wish for JAPAN and KOREA...

PRONTO...

Tuesday 18 March 2008

How Pampanga Got Smaller




Much of the huge Pampanga Province was hinterland -- forests and swamplands and rice fields -- with only pockets of settlements along the rivers Rio Grande and Rio Chico, as well as along the ancient roads to Pangasinan. And not all inhabitants spoke Kapampangan; the Kapampangan-speaking areas were most likely concentrated on the communities on the riverbanks; the rest were tribal groups, including the much-feared headhunters.

Over the years, Pampanga's boundaries expanded and contracted depending on how many haciendas were awarded to Spanish officials, how many encomiendas were assigned for tax collection and how many new missions were created by Spanish missionaries. At one point, the boundaries extended all the way to Palanan, Isabela in the north and to Infanta, Quezon in the south, with the Pacific Ocean on its east side and the China Sea on its west side.

Eventually, the Spaniards realized that it was difficult to govern such a huge province from one provincial capital way down south in Bacolor, and they began cutting it up into commandancias or military outposts which later evolved into new provinces.

First to go was Nueva Ecija. When it was created in 1704 as the Commandancia Politico-Militar de Nueva Ecija (named after the governor general's hometown of Ecija in Andalucia, Spain), it included parts of Bulacan and the Candaba Swamp, Paniqui and Barug (now Gerona), Nueva Vizcaya, Palanan in Isabela, Infanta, the Polillo Islands and Kalilaya (which later became the province of Tayabas, renamed Principe, renamed Quezon, renamed Aurora).

As commandancia, Nueva Ecija remained administratively under Pampanga until it became a province in 1848. By that time, Nueva Ecija had shrunk in size so much that Pampanga had to give up some of its own towns to firm up the new province. These towns were Cabiao, San Antonio, Gapan, San Isidro and Aliaga -- today under the political sphere of Nueva Ecija but still Kapampangan-speaking.

In 1839, it was Nueva Vizcaya's turn to become a commandancia, followed by Principe (Quezon) in 1853, Isabela in 1856 and Tarlac in 1860.

Tarlac initially included Bamban, Capas, Concepcion, O'Donnell, Tarlac and Victoria, as well as Camiling, Gerona, Moncada and Paniqui (which were annexed from Pangasinan, which is why residents in these four towns hardly speak Kapampangan). Tarlac also included four towns from Pampanga: Floridablanca, Mabalacat, Magalang and Porac. When Tarlac became a province 13 years later, in 1873, these four towns were reverted to Pampanga.

Meanwhile, Bataan was initially divided into two sections: the towns that were part of Pampanga (Orion, Pilar, Balanga, Abucay, Samal, Orani, Hermosa and Dinalupihan), and the corregimiento (similar to commandancia) of Mariveles, which included Bagac, Morong and Maragondon (Cavite). Although Bataan became a province early on, in 1754, most of the original Pampanga towns have continued to speak Kapampangan.

Bataan's northern neighbor, Zambales, used to be quite accessible from Pampanga through ancient trails and passes cutting through the Zambales Mountain Range. The town of Botolan was in fact founded by a Kapampangan from Mabalacat in 1819, while the capital town of Iba came from the Kapampangan word iba ("earthenware"). Bataan's capital town, Balanga, likewise came from a Kapampangan word. The ancient mountain trails were still quite serviceable until 1991, when Mount Pinatubo's eruption buried them. The government today should consider unearthing and rehabilitating these trails to cut down the number of hours it takes to reach the other side.

As for Bulacan, historians disagree on a lot of things. First, they disagree on where the name came from: some say from the Kapampangan word burak, because the place was swampy and muddy, while others say from the word bulak, since the road to the capital town was once upon a time lined with rows of cotton trees. Second point of disagreement is the year it became a province: one document says 1578, but most other documents say Pampanga covered practically everything between Manila and Ilocos; even Tondo inhabitants spoke Kapampangan.

Today, many places in Bulacan bear Kapampangan names. Even Bulaqueños themselves do not understand them, and have sometimes resorted to wild explanations. For example, residents of a barrio called King Kabayo in San Miguel, Bulacan think it has something to do with a royal horse, while those living in Quingua (Plaridel) think it's a Chinese word. (Actually they're both Kapampangan words: king is a preposition that means "in" or "at" while quingua or kingwa is a verb that means "acquired.") Similarly, some folks believe that barrio Batasan on the border with Candaba came from Batasan Pambansa, but it's actually the Kapampangan word for "shortcut."

Other places in Bulacan with Kapampangan names include barrios Kapitangan, Longos, Calumpang and Iba in Hagonoy; Pinaod, Biclat and Makapilapil in San Ildefonso; Mayumu, Ilug Bulo and Cabio in San Miguel; Masukol and Binakod in Paombong; Dalig, Batin and Balagtas in Balagtas town; Penabatan and Inaon in Pulilan; Taliptip and Bambang in Bulacan town; and Talaksan in San Rafael.

Today, all that has remained of Pampanga is the heart-shaped province at the mouth of the Pampanga River near Manila Bay. This is the administrative territory that has been defined by political leaders. But the real Kapampangan-speaking region still encompasses areas beyond the borders, in Tarlac, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Bataan.

To our kabalen living in those provinces: Remember that the only thing that separates you from the rest of us is an imaginary line that is visible only in maps. You are, and will always be, Kapampangans at heart.


By Robby Tantingco

Sunday 16 March 2008

Felicitaciones

MANNY PACQUIAO...

Congratulations to you!

Ipinagmamalaki ka ng buong liping Pilipino at ng buong Pilipinas!

Sana, ikaw na rin ang maging susi upang maging isa muli ang bansang naghihinalo na sa katiwalian...

Pagbutihan mo pa sana ang pag-eensayo...

Buena suerta a ti...

Saturday 15 March 2008

Few more hours to go... before the HOLY WEEK 2008...

Magandang gabi!

Nagsanay nga pala kami kanina ng mga babasahing pangsimbahan para bukas at para sa Jueves Santo at Viernes Santo, pati na rin sa Sábado de Gloria. Hindi ko pa nga alam kung kasama nga ako para sa misa bukas.

And speaking of my hospital duty at Fatima University Medical Centre, my groupmates and I should continue it from Lunes Santo up to Miercoles Santo.

On Holy Thursday, my friends in our Parish Youth Ministry will have our Visita Iglesia. Of course, Visita Iglesia has been a long tradition of the Filipino people. And by Good Friday, my mom and I will go to Our Lady of Loreto Parish in Manila to have Via Crucis with Bagatsing Family. It is also our tradition to have it. After all, offering my sacrifice for the Lord is a great honour.

Sana nga ay maging maayos naman ang mga gagawin ko...

And by Good Friday... not to mention... my wish for JAPAN and KOREA will be published by me... may Heaven help me...

Tuesday 11 March 2008

Goodbye... NCM 102

Today is our final exams...

I'm gonna miss a lot of people...

My friends...

My professors....

Especially those ones who added colours in my roller-coaster-like life...

And to all who graduated on this day... CONGRATULAZIONI!

Thanks to you all!

Wednesday 5 March 2008

新的中国朋友

It went like this...

I have had my duty at Fatima University Medical Centre when my group had decided to divided ourselves into four parts. After our diveristy, this is the true story...

There was this group, and there were two ladies who are different from the others. What I mean is that, they speak MANDARIN because they are from CHINA!

Silly of those people, they make fun on those two ladies. But I was good enough to help them in asking and assisting their patients. At least, I informed them that I have a little idea on Mandarin. But I told them that I like Japanese and Korean than Chinese. It's not that I hate Chinese. Their so-called Hanzhi is so hard to memorise. But I told them that Putonghua itself is not hard to study. After all, I am also interested of learning their Sino-Tibetan language...

I hope that I'll see them again... And I hope that I'll find time to have bonding with them...

非常感谢你们!