kasalan at pag-aasawa

i remember the Reynolds wrap commercial wherein a young lady tried to use cheap aluminum foil in her cooking and it was ruined. her older sister then teaches her to use "only Reynolds wrap." at the end of the commercial the young lady used Reynold's wrap and their grandmother said, "pwede ka nang mag-asawa!"

if only it were that simple. your ability to discriminate between cheap aluminum foil from the good ones qualifies you to be someone else's wife. to bear someone else's children. to vow to love someone for the rest of your life...

but then, we know that it isn't that simple. it amuses me how the people around me seem to want me to get married. maybe it's because i have learned how to use Reynolds wrap. BWAHAHAHA! the following are some kasalan at pag-aasawa moments in my life recently.

***

my lola, who lives in Dumaguete, visisted us. we call her "mommy". sometimes i call her mommy-yo (lalung-lalo na pag may pano siyang hirit). and these are love-life-related quoatable quotes from mommy-yo during the one week that she stayed with us:

Setting: kusina, 6-ish AM
[enter tiara na mej antuk-antok pa]
mommy: may boy friend ka na ba?
tiara (na-gising nang di-oras sa tanong ni lola): wala po.
tiara (deep inside): good morning din po pala. how was your flight? kamusta ang weather? let's make small talk muna. why not?
mommy (incredulous): bakit wala kang boyfriend?
tiara (can't help but smile at this point): wala po eh.
mommy (still incredulous): bakit wala? you're beautiful. you're smart.
tiara (deep inside): BWAHAHAHA! i know i'm beautiful. i know i'm smart. kelangan bang may boyfriend na ako dahil lang dun?

**

Setting: same day, 8-ish AM
[tiara naka bihis na, all set to go to school for a two hour class]
tiara: bye, mommy-yo. uwi ako agad. two hours lang class ko eh.
mommy: oh, bakit hindi ka nag powder?
tiara: short lang naman class ko, di na ako nag make-up.
mommy: dapat mag powder ka. ano bang nilalagay mo sa mukha mo?
tiara (deep inside): as you can see, today, wala po.
tiara: moisturizer lang po.
mommy (most probably said in her mind): kaya pala wala kang boyfriend.

**
now mommy is back in Dumaguete and yesterday i got a birthday card from her (11 days early!)

the note on the card says: i hope i can still attend your wedding. wag kang magmamadali. piliin mong mabuti.
tiara (deep inside): BWAHAHAHA! winner ka talaga mommy-yo. sigurado kang hindi ka nagmamadali sa lagay na yan?

**

Ma'am Buenaseda is my co-teacher at FEU-NRMF. i love her because she is so Bisaya. and i miss the doting affection that is characteristic of Bisaya older women. Bisaya older women are like mommies. they always sound galit pero sa totoong buhay emphatic lang sila. most of the time you don't argue with them, you just agree lest tumaas pa lalo ang boses nila. hehe.

Setting: school of nursing office, lunch time
Ma'am Buenaseda: my dear! kain na tayo!
tiara (nag-chicheck ng English exams): sige po, okay na po ako.
Ma'am Buenaseda: hay naku! baka hindi ka na makapag-asawa nyan dahil nag teacher ka!
tiara (deep inside): BWAHAHAHA! it's that pag-aasawa thing again!
Ma'am Buenaseda: dapat wala kang class kapag sabado! dapat lumalabas ka para makapamili ka ng asawa!
tiara (thinking of the saturday classes of sections B, C, and F): guys, looks like you're depriving me of a love life. at least in ma'am buenaseda's mind. haha.

my heart*

Let my heart be so hidden in yours
That it beats when your heart beats

Let my heart be so hidden in yours
That it breaks when your heart breaks

Let my heart be so hidden in yours
That it loves whomever your heart loves

Let my heart be so hidden in yours
That it sees whatever your heart sees

Let my heart be so hidden in yours
That it desires what your heart desires...

Let my heart be wholly and completely yours
That I can no longer call it my own.

*journal entry: 11/27/07

anniversary

today, we celebrated sixty glorious years. i know that we only met in 1995 but i have such a great love for you.

because you are the bride of Christ. we are the bride of Christ.

happy anniversary, Church.

so i take this time to thank the Lord for blessing me with such wonderful people that have been with me as i journeyed in the faith. i praise God for my brothers and sisters in the faith. it is such a joy to grow with you in our love for Jesus and His Church. special thanks to the woman who birthed me in the faith one rainy day in paenan. to the wonderful girl who discipled me and who is now a very good friend. to the beautiful ladies who entrusted me with their spiritual growth as they were starting out in the faith, it is my honor to serve Jesus through discipling you. you are more than just disciples, you are my joy. to my wonderful brothers in the faith, you make me so proud. you paint me a picture of what men should be. to fellow sunday school teachers who tirelessly invest their time to secure the future of the church.

and most importantly, to my King, my Lord, the Lover of my Soul. Jesus. thank you for being so faithful. indeed, your love endures forever. i look upon your church and i can't help but cry. you lifted us up. you look upon us with love. your favor is unimaginable. i cannot begin to comprehend such a great and mighty love. words are not enough to express how great you are.

why do i want you to fill this house with your glory? because i desire your very presence. and like moses, if you are not with the israelites then he would rather not go, if we do not have you then i would rather we cease to exist as a church. Lord, i don't want you for a day. i want you to stay. stay with us.

"anniversary isn't just a day. it's made up of months, weeks, days, seconds, minutes... that make a year. we don't just glorify God for a day." -ptr caloy

Of Schooling and Education

One of the most interesting questions I got asked at the start of this semester was if I was a masungit teacher.

I smiled at the student who asked the question.

To answer “yes” would most probably send the whole class to the registrar’s office for a change in matriculation and sectioning. To answer “no” would be partly lying.

I cannot recall if I was able to answer the question that plagued the student’s heart. But I do remember sharing with the class my educational philosophy.

I am a humanist. I believe that man is capable of improving himself and his environment. And not only is he capable of doing so but it is his responsibility. To refuse to do this, I believe, is to deny one’s humanity. As a teacher I want to see my students go beyond mere existence. I want them to find meaning in their lives. Not just to finish each semester with grades of 3’s and 2.5’s but with greater wisdom and deeper understanding of themselves and of their world. That is one of the great purposes of education.

The tragedy is that there are so many students who go to school but very few get educated.

We can point fingers as to whose fault it is. Some would readily blame the system, others would blame the teacher, and still others would blame the subject. But one thing remains: the student has the power to make something of what is given him.

I am extremely pained when I see students who merely attend classes and miss out on the fruitfulness of the experience. I cringe at the sight of eyes devoid of the passion to learn. I weep at the thought of a whole generation losing sight of such a great destiny because they have become too busy working for grades.

And it is during these times of beholding such indifference and emptiness in my students’ lives that I become masungit. Not because I am masungit but because I feel such a deep anger towards the spirit of apathy that robs this nation of its future.

I teach in defiance to the spirit of indifference. I teach to challenge the spirit who squashes my students’ passion. I teach to wage war against the spirit of mediocrity.

So, yes, I am a masungit  teacher but not really towards my students but to the spirits that prevent them from being all that they can become.