Next year, is the year of the ALTAR!

The incoming year is fast approaching - as I am writing this, (it's exactly 10:38 PM GMT +8), it's approximately 1 hour and 22 minutes before we welcome another set of 365 days, another year of joy, blessings, and prosperity. But let me ask you, who is to thank for the past 365 days, and for the incoming 365 days?

As I attend the New Year's mass today in our church, I've experienced one of the most spiritual and most inspiring mass as to date. After finishing the mass, I just felt energized, felt positive, and hopeful for the incoming year. Now, I would just like to share to you one of the most striking statements of our priest, which is about the ALTAR.

This new year, we must always remember the ALTAR. Everytime we receive Jesus' body and blood, we must remember the ALTAR, and as we pray, we must remember the ALTAR. If you're wondering what the ALTAR is, let me break it down for you.

ADORATION. We must adore the Lord, and worship Him, for He is the most generous, loving, and forgiving person we know. He has given us a lot of blessings which we do not even expect and deserve. He is loving because He accepts us even though we have turned away from Him several times. He is forgiving, because that hand is forever extended to us, even though we have sinned. Adoration. Something that is deserving to the Lord, our Creator, and our Savior.

LOVE. Let's express our love to Him. Right now, let's tell Him how much we love Him. For a person who is overly generous and forgiving, He definitely deserves our love and affection. A loving relationship with Him is definitely the best relationship we can enter into, for this is a relationship that is full of love ONLY, and no space for hate. Love that does not expect love in return, for it just depends on us if we decide to give it back. That time is now.

THANKSGIVING. We may not realize it, but we are definitely blessed more than what we expect, and what we deserve. There are a lot of things that we have taken for granted, and there are definitely a lot of things we should thank for. Ultimately, let's thank Him for the gift of life. We are lucky to be waking up everyday, experiencing things that we enjoy, spending time with our family and friends, and more time to prove that we are worthy of our existence. A simple "thank you" is enough. A "thank you" for all those blessings we have and we are currently experiencing, and those blessings that we will definitely experience in the future. A "thank you" for the food in our tables, for our family, friends, and many more, and a "thank you" to Him for giving His only begotten Son, to save us from our own sins.

ASK. For someone who knocks, the door will be opened. Moreover, we are lucky that the person inside that door is infinitely generous. Ask Him everything you want to have, be it physical health, spiritual guidance, material wealth, peace of mind, anything. Ask, and you shall receive. Most of all, claim it. Thank Him already for those things you have asked for, for He will grant them - not instantly, but in ways and in the time we do not expect.

REJOICE. Rejoice because there is a new year coming. Another year of experiences, of happiness, prosperity, peace, enriching problems, of growth, and life. This second, minute, hour, and day is a moment of joy, and that is because the Lord is always with us, and has never left us, even in times of difficulty. Let us rejoice because this will definitely be a blessed year, and because we have overcome a year of problems and difficulties. Rejoice because we get another year wherein we can praise Him for all His goodness. 

That's it, the ALTAR. Adoration, Love, Thanksgiving, Ask, Rejoice. The Lord is definitely worthy of all these - and is more than willing to accept these. Moreover, as the year ends, let's offer Him everything we have - be it our successes, our happiness, our joys, or even our problems and doubts we had the past year, for He will definitely multiply those positives, and reduce those negatives. Now, as 12 o'clock ticks in our watches, let's offer a small prayer, better if we have our families with us, and think of the ALTAR.

For that light will definitely save us in times of darkness.

In addition, let's light a candle in our tables. The first thing that the Lord has made is the light, and that our candle's light is a symbol of being reborn. As the New Year approaches, let's be born again, with all those positivity, and brush away those negativities. Let's let that small light burn in our hearts and minds, to warm those cold times we have in store for next year, and to enlighten our minds when we are covered in darkness.

Again, a prosperous, happy, and peaceful New Year to all of us! It's a New Year, and it's definitely a NEW BEGINNING!

(And let's watch our blood glucose and cholesterol levels after, shall we?)

PMA (Pahinga Muna, Anak)

Kamakailan, habang kami ay nasa bahay ng aking lola, paglabas ko ng kusina ay narinig ko ang nanay ko kausap ang aking tiya, na sinabi daw ng isa ko pang tiya na "naaawa daw sya sa akin, dahil parang napagkaitan daw ako ng kabataan nang dahil sa pag-aaral."

Siguro, may mga pagkakataon ding nasasabi ko sa isip ko na tama nga ang sinabi ng tita ko. Na napagkaitan ako ng kabataan. Nabuhay ako ng 22 years na puno ng pressure - ako ang kuya ng buong pamilya, na inaasahang posibleng bumuhay sa pamilya sa hinaharap. Ako din ang maituturing na "achiever" sa bahay, dahil maganda naman ang performance ko sa school. Pressure diba? May mga pagkakataon noong grade school ako na grounded ako dahil ayaw kong mag-aral para sa "Spelling Bee" na hindi naman kailangang ireview. Nang high school, napakalaking parusa sa akin nang malipat ako ng second section dahil sa computer games. At nang college, nawalan ako ng "night life" dahil sa pag-aaral ng mabuti. Kung ikaw ang makaranas nito, masasabi mo bang napagkaitan ka ng kabataan?

Ako, napagkaitan ba ako ng kabataan?

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Siguro. Siguro dahil kung titignan mo ang "bell curve" at ang standard deviation ko sa mga ka-edad ko, nasa outliers siguro ako, o yung mga nasa lugar na hindi pangkaraniwan (kung sa imahe sa itaas, nasa asul na mga punto siguro ako). Outlier dahil hindi ako nakapaglaro ng tumbang preso kasama ang mga bata sa daan, hindi nakapaglaro ng patintero kasama ang mga pinsan araw-araw. Dahil hindi ko na-enjoy ang rebellious phase ng high school, walang ganoong katinong barkadahan, at hindi nakatikim ng alak o nakapunta man sa mga bar dahil wala akong nightlife nung college. Malungkot siguro ang buhay ko. At nasabi ng isang kaibigan, masayado daw "predictable" ang buhay ko, dahil napaka-plantsado ng buhay ko. Dry. Tuyo. Barren.

Kailangan kong tanggapin ang mapait na katotohanan, na napagkaitan nga ako ng kabataan. Pero kung tutuusin, nang dahil sa pagdadamot sa akin nito, nabigyan naman ako ng masaganang kinabukasan. Ang mga achievements na natanggap ko simula nang bata ako, mga honors, pagpasa ng board exams, at ang ngayong estado ko, bilang studyante ng medisina, at mga nalalaman ko ngayon, ay bunga ng pagdadamot nila nang bata ako. At dahil dito, siguro nama'y may naghihintay sa aking napakagandang kinabukasan, hindi lang para sakin, kundi para sa pamilya ko na din, at para sa mundo. 

Kung matapos ko man ang kursong ito, dadagdag ako sa mga doktor na kasalukuyang nagkukulang sa Pilipinas. May isang doktor na sasama sa mga medical mission na kung saan maraming mga tao ang nangangailangan. Isang doktor na posibleng makagamot sa isang hindi pa magamot na sakit. At higit sa lahat, isang doktor na may takot sa Diyos.

At dahil sa mga bagay na naghihintay na 'yon, siguro, hindi muna ako magpapahinga. Sabi sa amin ng mentor ko sa school, in Medicine, you learn continuously, even after you graduate. Kaya siguro, hindi na talaga ako magpapahinga sa pag-aaral. At kung yung duktor sa taas ang kapupuntahan ko, ay wag na talaga akong magpahinga. Dahil yun ang kailangan sa kasalukuyan, at may tsansa akong mapunan ang pagkukulang.

Kung sigurong magkaka-anak ako, at mayroon silang mga pangarap na mukhang napakaimposible, itutulak ko pa din siguro sila. Dahil minsan, ang mga bagay na napakaimposible ay nasa ganoong estado dahil sila ang pinaka-kailangan ng lipunan. Sabi nga ng isa pang blogger, "Be Unrealistic and Dream the Unattainable." Ipe-pressure ko sila ng naaakma sa kapasidad at sa mga pangarap nila, tulad ng ginawa ng ina ko, dahil darating at darating din naman ang araw na maiintindihan din nila kung bakit ko ginawa yun.

Ngayon, outlier na kung outlier. Tulad ng isang napakasikat na quotation na "because being normal is too mainstream." Di ko man naenjoy ang kahapon, eh siguro maeenjoy ko ang kinabukasan. Nang dahil sa pressure, naging masaya din naman ako kahit papaano, dahil maraming nalalaman, at nagbubunga din naman lahat ng paghihirap. Siguro, passion ko na talaga ang learning. Kaya, thanks, 'ma! :)

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...pero joke lang ang sabi ko sa itaas. Uminom din naman ako ng alak nung college. Pero konti lang, siguro dalawang bote lang ng RH simula first year hanggang graduation. Honesto, pramis!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, mga kaibigan!

Christmas - It's About Thanking and Giving Back

First of all, guys, I would like to greet you a Merry Christmas, in behalf of my family!

I remember one church homily just on my way to completing the Simbang Gabi, stating that Christmas is a season to thank God for all the blessings that we have received for the year, and also to give back to what He has provided us with. It is indeed true - the Lord, first of all, has given his only begotten Son just to redeem us for our sins, and that, is something that we cannot do - more than that, He also has given several things that we even might not be aware of.

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