Mistakes

If you commit a mistake and realize it, you're most likely going to try not to commit it again.

However, if you incessantly commit it - meaning over and over and over again, then stop calling it a mistake.

Call it what it really is:  A recreational wrongdoing!

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Go Fly a Kite

Photo by Muha

Have you ever tried to hit on someone only to end up being told to go fly a kite?  Well, I know I haven't--at least not in that sort of situation.  One of my best friends, Farrah, loves that expression but uses it in response to various contexts.  She says it in a state of annoyance and believe me she gets annoyed by a lot of things.


Picture this!

Someone tries to recruit her in multi-level network marketing.

Recruiter:  ...and you're sure to get rich because when you sign up for this and get as many people to join, too, you'll end up not having to do anything because your recruits are going to do all the work for you.

Farrah then triggers an awkward moment of silence by saying something uncalled for in a very low and apathetic tone of voice.

Farrah:  So are you thinking like that right now?

Pause...

Recruiter:  What...

Farrah:  (Cutting in)  I'm assuming you've been told the same thing by whoever got you into this.  Do you expect me to do all the work for you then?

Pause...

Recruiter:  The thing is...

Farrah:  (Cutting in)  You know what?  Go fly a kite!

Farrah then smiles and severs the conversation for good.


You see, I've tried using the expression in such kind of context, but it has never and is never going to amount to anything positive.  It's basically just another way of telling people to get lost.  I'd like to use it in a different way.  I want to give it a more productive tone.  Yes, I've used this on someone who tried to hit on me.  Believe me, it's offensive.  Albeit, mildly, but still offensive.


Do this instead!

When someone emotionally unbecoming but still worthy of future consideration tries to hit on you and you don't quite feel comfortable about the thing at the moment, but you don't want to blow the person off, do this:

Wait for a good pause; smile; and say:

"Go fly a kite! Respect the kite. Take care of the kite. Learn to be in harmony with the kite. Love the kite. And then... come back and do the same to me when you've learned how."

Isn't it nicer that way?

2nd FWCC AWPS Young Friends Gathering Epistle

Greetings to Young Friends everywhere,

The 2nd AWPS Young Friends Gathering of FWCC, 7-9 April 2011, was held in the breathtaking surroundings of Bukal ng Tipan, Maryhill, Antipolo, Rizal, Philippines.

We adopted the same theme as that of the AWPS General Gathering, “Faith and Action.”  It was very fitting to the occasion as we all left each of our cities, provinces, and countries, bearing in our hearts and minds the eagerness to share and learn from others how to translate faith into concrete actions that will benefit the greater good.

As a Friend said, “one of the coolest things about being here is this big group of young evangelical Friends, singing and dancing with such vibrant energy of song and spirit.”  It was like a beating pulse that kept all of our blood pumping throughout the gathering.

The start was marked by a unique way of introducing ourselves.  Aside from our names, each of us gave a word from our own dialect and told everyone what they meant.  Not only was our global vocabulary broadened, we were also able to create a special kind of bond among us by using unfamiliar words that belonged to the mother tongue of another Taman (Friend).

We then moved on to Janet Scott’s talk which gave us an overview of Quaker history.  It was as inspiring as it was informative and we loved it because it spoke to all conditions, whether programmed or unprogrammed and everyone somehow found resonance in her words.  Next up was Helen Bayes who shared with us her thoughtful perspective on Elijah, using his story of prophetic vision under persecution to inspire us to find our own prophetic voice.

Julian Stargardt then joined us to share a few thoughts on the subject of his advocacy where we were made to feel the weight of his Concern.  We were challenged to contribute our personal experiences on Global Change (which here in the Philippines is substantial) to the cluster group process.

The final activity of the day was the Bible Study and it was such an amazing experience because Rev. Crisanto de la Cruz of PEFIM (the Philippine Evangelical Friends International Ministries) was very sensitive to the fact that people bearing other beliefs were in the same room.  None of the unprogrammed Quakers were made to feel excluded in any way.  It was a safe haven for Friends from diverse traditions to share whatever their feelings were, while Pastor Cris shared with us his passionate and inspiring love of Jesus Christ and the Bible.

Nadine Hoover conducted a workshop on non-violence and trauma healing, which was, to say the least, invigorating to the young Friend’s spirit.  Her youthful approach to things made it very easy for us since there was limitless room for self-expression.  Shortly after this, we exchanged ideas and finally came up with a way for us young Friends to maintain communication after this gathering.

The highlight of the day was that evening’s concert where the beauty of different cultures was shared in a new way when we expressed them through song and dance.  We gave praise to the Spirit with loud and beautiful voices, and shaking bodies.  To the varied styles of dances from hip hop and Bhangra, to songs from India, Nepal and Bohol, we quaked in the rhythm of the Spirit!

After that energetic concert, we gathered around a small campfire as we came to know each other more deeply, exploring our fears, hopes and secret kagalakan (joys) in the flickering light of the embers, and in the twilight company of the toko (gecko lizard), frogs and bats.

As the final leg of the gathering, two members of the United Religions Initiative interfaith movement, of which three young Friends in attendance are also a part of, joined us and gave a brief presentation on conflict resolution and interfaith community understanding.

As a conclusion to the gathering, several friends exchanged letters of heart-warming messages of aroha (love) and gratitude for the new bonds created in such a short span of time.  Those three days will surely be cherished throughout our lifetimes.  The kaanyag (beauty) of the place and the beauty of the people we spent time with will be etched in our hearts forever.

Thomas Owen

Madhavi Avinashika

Ludwig Bon Quirog

Epistle Committee

The Westboro Baptist Church Needs To Be STOPPED!

I just have to stress this over and over and over and over and over again!

You cannot just go around telling people that God hates them simply because they do not adhere to whatever precepts a certain institution has derived from the Holy Bible, the Holy Qur'an, or any other book of holy scriptures, for that matter!

Come to think of it, you are the very same people preaching of God's UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!

Do you even know what "unconditional" means?

Go look it up!

I know I've ranted about this quite a long time ago, but no statement is ever enough.

I'm sick and tired of hearing from people that I'm going to hell because of this and that passage taken from the first book of coffee beans found in the holy scriptures of musical chairs, decreed in the law of schnitzel and egg noodles!

Damn it!

Fred Phelps obviously believes that God sent him to utilize wood and paper and ink and gullible people to picket around funerals and Lady Gaga concerts to warn them that God hates them just because they're the way they are.

Ugh!

I shudder at the idea of ever getting the chance to read his thoughts!

I could imagine the disgusting things that go on in that head

Ugh!

To him and those gullible pinhead church members of his, God hates everyone except them!

What?

Really?

Who do they think they are?

GOD HATES?  REALLY???

Bag-o Pa Gani

Bag-o pa gani ko ni-ingon nga di na magsige og lalis, naglalis na hinuon pod.  Ako-a man tu-od pod to'ng sala.  Manhid ra kaayo ko sa gibati nimo.  Wa nako gi-timbang ang duha ka aping.  Tanga man gud pod ko.  Na-uwaw hinuon ko da!  Aw, gikinahanglan g'yud 'to nako pod para maka-hino'ong ko sa akong mga sayop.  Pagka-daghan 'jud nako'g wa mahibaw-i.  Salamat 'jud.  Ni-samot akong pagkasiguro sa akong gugma nimo.  Karon, klaro nga naa 'ju'y hinongdan to'ng awaya.  Giganahan ko sa gigaw'san.

Wa ko kahibaw og unsaon nako pag-pasundayag sa akong gugma nimo.  Daghan kaayo'g mga pu'ong, pero mga pu'ong ra man gud na sila.  Og unsa akong tuniod nga gibati, ikaw ra man 'jud ang makahibaw kay ikaw ra man pod ang makabati.  Di iksakto nga igo ra ko mo-ingon nga gihigugma ka nako, ang imong gibati ang may naa'y hinongdan 'jud.

Nalipay ko nga gipangsulti nimo imong mga gipang-bati nako.  Na-uwauwan man gani ko, pero wa'y problema. Nalipay ra pod ko.  Lami kaayo ka paakon pero di na lang ko kay lab-as pa baya ra sa atong lalis-lalis.  Basin mo-balik imong kasubo.  Salamat kay ni-kalma ka human sa imong gipagawas nga mga hinanakit.

Naka-piyong ko sa akong gibati og nakapahiyom kay kadto tanan nagpasabot nga nahigugma ka nako.  Nagtubo pa atong gugma kay bata pa ni kaayo.  Bag-o pa kaayo ta.  Pa-paak ko sa akong wa-it, bisa'g sakit, lami gihapon.  Tam-is 'jud nang maayo nga kahumanan sa kasakit, no?

Hahahaha!

Gihigugma 'jud ka nako kaayo!  Wa na'y lain!  Ikaw ra jud ang bugto'ng nakapanag-iya sa akong kasing-kasing!

Try and Sing That Which Dwells Within, Farrah

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This song reveals the unsung emotion that dwells within, as you have very poetically put it.


I have no idea what it is.


We have been friends for seven years, but that does not afford me the privilege to say I know you well enough.  You have not truly opened the book of your life for humanity to enjoy--albeit feast on.  You continue to dwell in the shell of your convenient comfort zone, safely tucked away from the adventures of life.


You are never predictable, yet always fully transparent.  You hold the potential power to create wars among nations or peace among the tech giants of the world.


Life has unfolded itself upon you in such that faith has been shattered in so many places in your heart and in your mind.  You have begun to crawl in Divine Discontent--seeking answers that convention could never satisfy.  All that will change soon enough.


You are an unyielding secret keeper (in sobriety), a bitch in one way or another (but never a whore), a genius in the dynamic world of digital intelligence, an adept of the pen as a weapon, and a freakishly awesome friend!


More than all that, you also happen to be an UNOFFICIAL EMO GIRL!

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I Smile at Your Unrelenting Passion to Find Yourself, Bienna

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Why did I choose this song?


I chose this song because, Bienna, it very closely represents a conversation you would have with yourself.


You have seen the world.  You have traversed both land and ocean.  You have conquered vast jungles and met some of the holiest people in existence.


You have been lured into happiness, submitting with full loyalty - only to have your heart shattered. You have always been faithful, yet past lives' karma has purposely allowed you to taste the sweetness of love and the bitterness of betrayal.


You know so much about your Earthly home, yet so little about yourself.  It is apparent that you have tried very hard and intently to create a bond between Bienna and Bienna, but realization of its difficulty has struck you down time and time again.


I smile seeing you as you are - beautifully imperfect, seasoned, and armed with passion in your quest to face the world in search of who Bienna truly is.


I admire your unrelenting drive to seek truth in a world overwhelmingly filled with lies and misdirections.


Your wishes are my wishes, too.

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