the junkyard it's rubbish, it's clutter... but i just can't throw them to oblivion
Monday, February 28, 2005
Somewhere in Milaor, Camarines Sur, there lived a fourth grader boy who would follow this route to school everyday: he has to cross the rugged plains and cross the dangerous highway where vehicles are recklessly driving to and from.
Once past this highway, the boy would take a short cut by passing by the Church every morning just to say Hi to God, and faithfully say his, "Magandang umaga po" in Bicol dialect. He was faithfully being watched by a priest who was happy to find innocence so uplifting in the morning, "Kamusta Andoy! Papasok ka na?"
"Opo padre." he would flash his innocent grin, the priest would be touched. He was so concerned that one day he talked to Andoy. "From school," he advised, "do not cross the highway. You can pass through the Church and I can accompany you to the other side of the road. That way I can see that you are home safe."
"Thank you father."
"Why don't you go home? Do you come to this church right after school?"
"I just want to say "Hi" to my friend, God," and the priest would leave the boy to spend time beside the altar, talking by himself, but he was hiding behind the altar to listen to what this boy has to say to his heavenly FATHER.
"You know my math exam was pretty bad today, but I did not cheat although my seatmate is bullying me for notes. I ate one cracker and drank my water. Itay had a bad season and all I can eat is this cracker. Thank you for this! I saw a poor kitten who was hungry and I know how he feels so I gave my last cracker to him ... funny but I am not that hungry. Look, this is my last pair of slippers. I may have to walk barefoot next week. You see this is about to be broken. But it is okay, at least I am still going to school. Some say we will have a hard season this month, some of my classmates have already stopped going to school. Please help them get to school again, please God?"
"Oh, you know, Inay had hit me again, it is painful, but I know this pain will pass away, at least I still have a mother. God, you want to see my bruises? I know you can heal them. Here, here and... oh... blood. I guess you knew about this one huh? Please don't be mad at Inay. She is just tired and she worries for the food on our table and my schooling that is why she hits us."
"Oh, I think I am in love. There's this pretty girl in my class, her name is Anita. Do you think she will like me? Anyway, at least I know You will always like me, I don't have to be anybody just to please You. You are my very best friend!"
"Hey your birthday is two days from now!!! Aren't you excited? I am! Wait till you see, I have a gift for You. But it is a surprise! I hope you will like it! Oooops, I have to go..." then he stood up and calls out,
"Padre, padre, I am finished talking to my friend. You can accompany me to the other side of the road now"
This routine happens everyday. Andoy never fails. Father Agaton shares this every Sunday to the people in his church because he has not seen a very pure faith and trust in God, a very positive look at negative situations.
On Christmas day, Father Agaton was sick so he could not make it to Church. He was sent to the hospital. The Church was left to 4 manangs who would chant the rosary in 1000 miles per hour, would not smile and would always find fault in what you do. They are also very well versed in cursing if you irritate them!
They were kneeling, saying their kilometric rosary when Andoy, coming from his Christmas party, playfully dashed in.
"Hello God!"
I "P----!! (a curse) bata ka!! Alam mo nang may nagdadasal!! Alis!!"
Poor Andoy was so terrified, "Where's Father Agaton? He is supposed to help me cross the street and to be able to cross the street I will have to pass by the back door of this church. Not only that, I have to greet Jesus. It is His birthday. I have a gift right here."
Just as he was about to get the gift out of his shirt, the manang pulled his shirt and threw him out of the church.
"Susmaryosep!!! (does a sign of the cross fervently) Alis kang bata ka, kung hindi matatamaan ka!!!"
So the boy had no choice but to cross the dangerous side of the road in front of the church. He crossed. A fast moving bus came in. There was a blind curve. The boy was protecting his gift inside his shirt, so he was not looking. There was so little time.
Andoy died on the spot. A lot of people crowded the poor boy, the body of a lifeless young boy. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a tall man in pure white shirt and pants, a face so mild and gentle, but with eyes full of tears, came and carried the boy in His arms. He was crying.
Curious bystanders nudged the man in white, and asked, "Excuse me sir, are you related to this child? Do you know this child?"
The man in white, His face mourning and in agony, looked up and answered, "He was my bestfriend." was all he said.
He took the badly wrapped gift from the bloody chest of the lifeless boy, and placed it near His heart. He stood up and carried the boy away and they both disappeared from sight. The crowd was curious.
On Christmas Eve, Father Agaton learned of the shocking news. He visited the house, and wanted to verify about the man in white. He consulted the parents of Andoy. "How did you know that your son died?"
"A man in white brought him here." sobbed the mother.
"What did he say?"
The father answered, "He did not say anything. He was mourning. We do not know him and yet he was very lonely at our son's death, as if he knew our son very well. But there was something peaceful and unexplainable about him. He gave me my son, and then he smiled peacefully. He brushed my son's hair away from his face and kissed him on his forehead, then he whispered something."
"What did he say?"
"He said to my boy," the father began, "Thank you for the gift. I will see you soon. You will be with me." And the father of the boy continued, "And you know, for a while, it felt so wonderful. I cried, but I do not know why. All I know is I cried tears of joy. I could not explain it, Father, but when that man left, something peaceful came over me. I felt a deep sense of love inside. I could not explain the joy in my heart, I know my boy is in heaven now but tell me, Father, who is This man that my son talks to everyday in your church? You should know because you are always there except at the time of his death."
Father Agaton suddenly felt the tears welling in his eyes. With trembling knees, he murmurred, "He was talking to no one... but GOD."
A woman arrived at the Gates of Heaven. While she was waiting for Saint Peter to greet her, she peeked through the gates. She saw a beautiful banquet table. Sitting all around were her parents and all the other people she had loved and who had died before her.
They saw her and began calling greetings to her "Hello! How are you? We've been waiting for you! Good to see you."
When Saint Peter came by, the woman said to him, "This is such a wonderful place! How do I get in?"
"You have to spell a word," Saint Peter told her.
"Which word?" the woman asked.
"Love."
The woman correctly spelled "Love" and Saint Peter welcomed her into Heaven.
About a year later, Saint Peter came to the woman and asked her to watch the Gates of Heaven for him that day. While the woman was guarding the Gates of Heaven, her husband arrived.
"I'm surprised to see you," the woman said. "How have you been?"
"Oh, I've been doing pretty well since you died," her husband told her. "I married the beautiful young nurse who took care of you while you were ill. And then I won the multi-state lottery. I sold the little house you and I lived in and bought a huge mansion. And, my wife and I traveled all around the world. We were on vacation in Cancun and I went water skiing today. I fell and hit my head, and here I am. What a bummer! How do I get in?"
"You have to spell a word," the woman told him.
"Which word?" her husband asked.
"Czechoslovakia."
Moral of the story: Never make a woman angry ... there'll be Hell to pay later.
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe and the biran fguiers it out aynawy.
mga bagay-bagay na kasalukuyang kinaiinisan...
george w bush's smirk, mga pangalan na nilalagyan ng "h" (katulad ng jhune, dhanny, jhoey, jhim, jhay, jhet, mayron pa nga akong kilalang piph), tunog ng baril ni agent X44 Tony Falcon, tunog ng suntok ng mga pelikulang pinoy, people who say "at the end of the day" all the time, allergic reactions to seafood, tunog ng stirofoam pag pinisil, tunog ng kinaskas na kuko sa blackboard, war, alikabok, the term "weapons of mass destruction", sales people who always say "absolutely", people who don't take a bath everyday, anghit, people who don't change their shirts everyday, tropical heat, people with anghit who don't take a bath and don't change their shirts everyday at kasabay mong maglakad in the tropical heat, cnn's jim clancey's reporting, monday afternoons, NAIA, the term "liberating the iraqi people", jeepney fumes, standing on a bus going home, cruise missles, pelikulang bumbay, stale coffee, tomahawk missles, january 2, ping lacson, tessie aquino ureta, pimples, powdered orange juice, elevator music, kenny-g's music, elevator playing kenny-g's music, donald rumsfeld's squint, funeral parlors, hospitals, hospital morgues, cold showers, nagtataeng ballpen, nagtataeng ballpen na nakalagay sa bulsa ng puting polo shirt, lapis na bale, disco music, rap music, loud bar music, loud rap music played in a bar, non-functioning remote control, scientific calculators that are not casio, automatic watches that stop in the middle of the night, smelly farts that are not mine, come to think of it - any kind of fart that did not come from my asshole, "bawal umihi dito" signs (ang mahole, bogbog), sunglasses na tabingi pag sinuot mo, yellow-orange shirts, pink pants for men, pantalon na bitin, lalaki na naka yellow-orange shirt na may ternong pink pants na bitin, lawlaw na shorts, tsinelas na luma, loud preachers inside a bus (PRAISE THE GOD!), el shaddai, amerikana ni brother mike, brother mike, good friday, american war propaganda, train stations in india, being thirsty, LBM, smelly hair, ugly american speeches, tinapay na may amag, mainit na coke, soft boiled egg na sobrang soft, CNN reporters na pumipikit-pikit pag nagrereport, sign pen na walang tinta, CD na tumatalon, abstract painting na binebenta sa bangketa sa quiapo, palenkeng maputik, cell phones ringing inside theatres, sappy love song ring tones, sappy love song ringtones ringing inside theatres, loud text message ringtones, mcdo hamburgers na may chii sauce, taxes, ringing phones at 2 o clock in the morning, traffic jams, fast changing traffic lights, war councils, tapilok, somebody wearing turtle neck sweaters in manila, somebody wearing leather jackets in manila, somebody wearing leather jackets over tutleneck sweaters in manila, the term "decisive force", censorship, self righteous people, self righteous censors, names i can't pronounce, people calling me "david", riding in a car that's been left baking in an open parking lot in manila at 12 o clock noon, pentel pen na malapit nang maubusan ng tinta, the disco song entitled "zodiac", low batt cellphone right when you need it, underpowered cars, stars on 45 music, stars on 45 music being played inside buses, stars on 45 being played inside a bus when a preacher suddenly shouts "PRAISE THE LORD" while you are a few seconds from finally taking a nap, funeral wreathes, lumang pera, kahit anong pelikula ni steven segal (except yung kasama niya si idol kong tommy lee jones), ang mukha ni prime minister john howard ng australia, "operation iraqi freedom"...
...AND, the most kinaiinisang bagay-bagay as of late: the term "shock and awe"
