Tapping Potentials

FCF Anniversary

2012-01-27T07:39:00.001-08:00

20 years of God’s faithfulness. 20 years of serving those who serve. That’s all it takes for the Filipino Christian Fellowship to launch as one of the longest running churches in Yokosuka Naval Base.

Five families and two civilians from Assemblies of God initiated a Bible study at the base. On January 1992, they decided to expand the Bible study into a Sunday Service reaching the service members, families, as well as residents off base. Pastor Willy, one of the founding members, has witnessed the church growth in the last 20 years.

Valuing marriage as a sacred relationship, the Church guide families to sail on healthy and significant living that will serve as a good testimony amid issues of broken relationships . Through pray ring, fasting, and fellowshipping, God’s glory has been shining in every FCF family.

For Josh, serving the music team and empowering the youth are ministries God entrusted upon him.

Even when tsunami or a calamity struck the land, the family has the Word to remember: James 1:2-3

As a test in Navy life, service members and their families come and go. But the Church trains them for the next level.

From a mustard seed that God has planted, the church has indeed grown as a giant vine with many branches of service. We pray that in the next 20 years, God will multiply the attendees, double the portion of their anointing, and reach out families for them to experience the healing power of Jesus.

Finally, our long wait is over

2012-01-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

It almost took us two years. From the time we decided to enter into the longest distance relationship, we know times will be tough for us. Nearing on our second anniversary as a couple, we finally are together - one flesh, one blood to enjoy life as God meant us to be.

The Bible and 2012

2012-01-02T08:03:00.001-08:00

This explanation makes sense:

This 2012, don't trust the stars and the Universe

2012-01-01T16:44:00.000-08:00

When a new year starts, most people have the tendency to look unto horoscopes and consult fortune tellers about their fate in the coming days. In the Philippines, big networks ask opinions of famous fortune tellers like Zenaida Seva and Madam Auring.

Some fortune tellers would even predict about the death and success of celebrities. A celebrity once replied, he wants to predict the death of fortune tellers too.

Horoscopes have also been flooding social media platforms. Twitter and Facebook users would post their horoscope status for the year.

Horoscope is a chart diagram based on the position of stars, planets, and the Sun. Astrologers or modern day fortune tellers use that chart to track what's the best luck for people. Is this year a good year for business? How will my health be? Will I have a new girl friend this year? I don't know how the stars can talk about their money or love life. It's a wild guessing game.

The problem is, people often listen and read horoscopes because they want to know something that's pleasing to them. If not, it will turn out to be "horrorscopes" ruining their lives.

Filipinos believe in such superstitions whether it's a horoscope or a fortune teller's 2 cents as this has been rooted in the culture. I myself don't believe in superstition, because they bring bad luck.

Such beliefs advocate believing something other than trusting God. According to Christian Answers for the New Age:

The belief that the patterns and movements of the planets, sun and moon reflect our lives is contradictory to the view of a living, omniscient God who created the heavenly bodies to reflect and proclaim His glory, not ours. Astrology also is often intertwined with the teaching that since we are all connected to the universe by a force or energy (which is sometimes considered to be divine or to be God), then everything in the universe is one and therefore, there is no true distinction between man and nature; this is called monism (all is one and one is all). Identifying God as one with the universe is pantheism (God is all, all is God) or is sometimes panentheism (God is contained within the universe), and is totally at odds with the belief in a Creator who created the world out of nothing and is distinct from His creation. God is present in the world and transcends it, but He is distinct from it.

This 2012, don't rely your destiny on the moon, the stars, and the planets. Rely your hopes, dreams, aspirations, and faith on the Creator of these celestial bodies - the God Almighty.

Our God is bigger than those planets and the Universe. In the book of Jeremiah, God says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a better future."

If we pray directly to God and trust on His word, we will have a fruitful New Year. Easy day. No matter how challenging the trials are ahead, we can overcome them though God's grace.

Happy New Year!

11 lessons learned in 2011

2011-12-30T20:56:00.000-08:00

While media organizations are geared towards presenting the top stories for 2011, I want to share 11 life lessons I learned this year. A roller coaster ride this year ended me up in a victorious destination that I have desired to achieve as part of my annual resolution.

Here are my top 11 golden nuggets:

#11 Give back to the community
Aside from my daily work at the US Navy, I volunteer extra hours in community services. Whenever we visit places, I make sure to participate in an environmental project or cleanliness campaign. Though I only give four hours of my time for a certain cause, I know that the quality time has already impacted the community.

In Cairns, we visited two homes for the aged. There I met some old folks who are at the twilight years of their lifetime. Someday, I will be like them that's why at my young age I want to share more of my life to the communities.

By the way, one of the reasons why I joined the Navy is that I want to serve communities in foreign land, and so I am committed to fulfill my purpose.

#10 Be on time
I have no record of tardiness as I have always appeared earlier during quarters. In the Navy, a saying goes like this: "When you are on time, you're late. When you are early, you're on time."

This year, I have mastered managing my time. According to my evaluation, I am always on time and I manage to perform my work and qualifications ahead of time. Something I want to keep on doing is to be on time. Also, be on time with my date with my wife Tefanee.

#9 Widening perspective
Since 2009, I have been traveling to different places. This year, I'm happy to visit Australia, Hong Kong, and Philippines. Immersing into a culture (that I am not accustomed to) is an important lesson from traveling. The more I understand how human beings behave, the more I widen my perspective about their culture and upbringing.

When I visited Osaka, I witnessed how Japanese pay respect to their little gods. This has burdened me to share more about Christ to the lost souls. Visiting DMZ, the borderline between South and North Korea, I am reminded of the cold war existing between the two countries.

My vlog about Brisbane:

My vlog about DMZ:

This 2012, hope to visit more countries!

#8 Good steward
To budget wisely and monitor my spending is something that I am learning now. One important lesson I learned in Budget 101 is to prepare a list on how to keep track on spending my money. For example, pay the bills first and allocate something in savings, so those something extra will land to daily allowance and groceries.

Though I am still struggling a little bit in terms of managing my finance, I hope to adjust my spending habit and limit some activities that are unnecessary. Specially that I am entering into "familyhood", budgeting and saving should be my top priority.

#7 Overcome trials
Everyday, we face trials of many kinds. When my wife and I had a civil wedding ceremony last September, there are relatives and friends who focused their critical eyes on us. With comments like "it is too early for me to get married", we still continued the ceremony and tied the knot. Though we know we cannot please everyone, we will be committed to praying for those who disagree with our decision.

While we are en route to Australia, my mom was rushed to the hospital twice. I would want to go back to Philippines to take care of my mom, but thank God, she recovered well. Good thing, my mom enrolled in an aerobics class - something that has actively improved her health. With positive mind, I prayed for my mom's good health.

It is still a great trial for me to work in the US Navy. For the third time after taking the test, I made it and advanced as petty officer third class.

Furthermore, trial is connected to failing forward. As I emphasized in my previous blogs, better experience failure at a young age so we know how to respond or avoid it later.

Indeed, there is pure joy when you overcome a trial than when you receive an instant blessing.

#6 Pray more
Prayer is very powerful tool. It is our way of connecting and talking to God. Whether it is a formal or informal conversation with God, I have shared my frustrations and supplications to Him.

What I learned this year: God answers a prayer at the right time when we are ready to receive our blessing or learned a lesson from a certain trial.

But I need to improve my quiet time to God as I have been distracted by a lot of activities. Though I am busy with the ministry, I focus my attention on the minister. I need to focus on the King than the kingdom.

#5 Wait for the perfect time
Waiting maybe a boring moment if you just stop and don't do anything. But waiting becomes purposeful if you prepare and train yourself for it. Right after I married Tefanee, I got advanced as third class petty officer. I waited to attain this position for a year. As I advance, I can bring her now to Japan.

Last year, my Macbook pro was stolen at the base galley. This year, God paid me back by giving me another gadget: I won a Nikon D5100 camera during our command Christmas party. Maybe, He wants me to practice photography this time.

All things work together for good, the Bible says.

#4 Fact of life
There are things in life that we cannot control such as calamities and disasters. When the northern part of Japan was hit by tsunami, our ship was immediately recalled and we have to stay in the waters of Japan for a month just to keep ourselves away from the radiation leak.

Families are voluntarily evacuated in Japan. In our church, there are a number of family members who evacuated to US. For two months, our church stopped a Sunday service. But with a strong prayer chain and faith, the family members returned with joy to reunite with their relatives and continue life in Japan.

All I can do by that time: accept the fact of life and pray that God will fix things for the families.

#3 Love my wife

As I enter into marital life, I learn how to love my wife more. The difference spells between you love your girl friend and spouse. Now that my responsibility will focus on fatherhood, I need to step up and be more mature. I am excited to be with my wife this January 2012. Love you!

#2 Work-in progress
My life is a work-in progress. This year proved to be a defining moment for me to improve skills in technical knowledge of my rate (my job), my communications skills, managerial tasks, and leadership.

I am a work-in progress.

#1 Intimate relationship with Christ
Every year, it is my desire to know more Christ and deepen my relationship with Him. This year, all the challenges sum up to how I value my relationship with Christ. As what Apostle Paul said, "I consider everything rubbish." For me, everything is rubbish if they are not purposely connected to Christ.

I have no other wish but to know my Savior Christ Jesus. He is the reason why I exist. As He laid my life for me in the cross, I am willing to lay my life for Him and share the Gospel to those who long for it.

As New Year's Even ticks the clock and 2012 comes, I hope to carry these lessons to the New Year and continuously improve myself.

Happy New Year!

Mission Impossible

2011-12-30T07:30:00.000-08:00

I have seen the movie earlier. It was awesome! My favorite part of the movie: Tom Cruise is climbing the tallest building in the world. I thought that the scene is only shot in a green screen but it was for real. Check out the making.

How connected am I

2011-12-25T00:20:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting application I downloaded from Facebook - called the Friend Map. It shows how connected am I to the rest of the world. Of course, my top friends are from the Philippines followed by United States.

Para sa Mindanao!

2011-12-21T09:14:00.001-08:00

CNN iReport: Disaster preparedness in Philippines

2011-12-21T08:38:00.003-08:00

Taken in Taytay, Rizal after the Ondoy tragedy in 2009.

Typhoon Sendong, the deadliest cyclone in 12 years, claimed the lives of thousands of residents in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. The Massive flash flooding has also swept houses and hectares of farms. The death toll is expected to rise.

Two years ago, my friend and I appealed to the government about the need of having an efficient disaster preparedness program to reduce the impacts of calamities hitting our country. Winning in the CNN/YouTube Debate in 2009, we zeroed into disaster preparedness program. Let me reiterate on the insights we shared in the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Copenhagen.

Award winning video

An efficient and effective communications system should be in place to reach out those who need help when a calamity is about to strike. A stakeholder approach including the government, the private sector, and the citizens should coordinate with each other to prepare for an upcoming calamity. Proactive than reactive response should be the lead of the game!

A close and efficient coordination with different stakeholders during calamities will help reduce the impacts of several typhoons.

The Ondoy tragedy that struck Luzon two years ago should be a painful lesson learned. It could be recalled that the Natural Disaster for Coordinating Council has been clueless in plotting out areas prior to the Ondoy tragedy. Same is true for the Sendong tragedy.

Philippine President Ninoy Aquino was quick to admit the government could have done more in preventing the effects of the typhoon. Give the president the credit for honestly accepting the brutal fact, yet there are more legwork to do in the grassroots level.

A research paper produced by Randolph Kent underpins an organized structure in implementing a disaster management program. Kent shared these insights:

vulnerability assessment: dynamic on-going process of people and organizations that assess hazards and risks, anticipates relief needs and available resources.
planning: identify clear goals and specific tasks for people and agencies in disaster preparedness.
institutional framework: works within the established networks and system.
information system: coordinate means of gathering and disseminating vulnerably assessment and early warning within and between agencies and organizations
resource base: disaster relief funding, disaster preparedness funding, mechanisms for aid
warning system: convey to the public effective warnings, international community must be forewarned.
response mechanism: disaster responses must be put in disaster preparedness plan and communicated to the people
public education and training: public education programs, experts must learn from local populations on how the warning system will be placed.
rehearsals: provide opportunities to reemphasize training programs.

As you may have observed, our government is only focused on response mechanism. Since we are good in mobilizing relief efforts during calamities, we should take a leap in mobilizing not just relief efforts but warning systems even before a natural disaster strikes.

No doubt, the typhoon that hit the northern part of Mindanao is correlated with the effects of climate change. We know this is easier said than done. But with the right effort to be exerted, we all together can reduce the impacts of climate change!

CNN iReport: Dear leader Kim Jong il and DMZ

2011-12-19T14:33:00.000-08:00

The recent death of Dear Leader Kim Jong Il will definitely change the relationship between South and North Korea. Visiting the Demilitarized Zone three months ago, I am reminded the two nations are still at the brink of cold war for 60 years.

A brief Korean history: the US and other United Nations countries combined forces to prevent the advancement of North Koreans in the South. Kim Il-Sung, the father of Kim Jong Il, led the war. Right after, a military demarcation line was placed in the 38^th parallel. This is under the care of United Nations as well as neutral countries.

The DMZ is a hostile ground. With their closed fists, South Korean guards are ready for combat anytime the need arises. On the outside world, Kim Jong Il is viewed as a fierce dictator…and just a mere disrespect to the dear leader will have a lifetime consequence.

Even the flag is Kim Jong Il’s focus of patriotism.

With his death, we hope his successor will be open to diplomatic changes and totally giving up its nuclear weapons. This is Paul Garilao for CNN iReport.

This video can also be viewed on CNN iReport.

Help victims of Typhoon Sendong

2011-12-18T08:29:00.001-08:00

Let's help our fellows who were vicimized by Typhoon Sendong, one of the worst cyclones that hit Philippines in the last 12 years.

Three YouTube videos that changed my life this year

2011-12-15T03:16:00.000-08:00

Here are the three YouTube videos that changed my life this year. These videos have inspired me to focus on helping people than just improving my image.

A Filipino based in Dubai produced this 30 second pitch to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. Jonathan Eric Defante is trying to push young people and communities to adapt recycling bottles. Out of the 600 entries, Jonathan Eric Defante together with two other contenders from Sudan and Guatemala notched the top three prizes.

They further discussed the action points of their videos with the secretary general at the UN Headquarters.

This very simple innovation has changed the lives of residents in marginalized areas in Philippines. The Isang Litrong Liwanag (One Light of Bottle) is a project of My Shelter Foundation run by Illiac Diaz.

Three Overseas Filipino Workers prioritized sending their money to the motherland, instead of using it for plane ticket and allowance to go back home - but they are just being practical. However, the Coca Cola company paid the airfares of the OFWs so they can reconnect with their families back home. This Coke project shows the corporate social responsibility arm of the company.

Pinoy salesman to pitch "Echo brick" idea to UN Secretary General

2011-12-13T05:08:00.000-08:00

A Pinoy sales associate based in Dubai will pitch his Echo Bricks idea to Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on December 15.

This is the top prize of Jonathan Eric Defante who produced a 30 second pitch on "changing lives one bottle at a time" when the UN sponsored a YouTube contest in celebration of the World Humanitarian Day 2011. In the video, the Pinoy recommended to create a model community for every nation made out of used plastic bottles that he dubbed as "Eco Bricks".

"I will propose the building of communities sustained mainly by products made out of used plastic bottles, " said the engineering graduate from Mapua Institute of Technology. "The key steps involve the creation of a cooperative system to create sustainable jobs, education about the products that can be built using plastic bottles and a solid support by both the government and private organizations."

Prevailing ideas

Defante's Echo brick is not something new as few organizations in the Philippines have already been recycling bottles to recreate structures. In San Pablo, Laguna, for example, the first classroom bottle in Asia was built by the provincial government and the My Shelter Foundation. A mixture of cement and sand is placed inside each plastic bottle and in between bottles.

Another project of My Shelter Foundation is the Isang Litrong Liwanag (One Liter of Light) that have been giving light to hundreds of houses in Quezon City and Laguna.

The "solar bottle bulbs" are installed halfway into the corrugated metal sheets. The bottle is filled with a solution of water, salt, and liquid bleach. When sunlight hits the bottle, the light is refracted by the water and the bleach increases the brightness of a room. The luminescence from the bottle can give off a maximum power of 50 watts in every house.

According to the YouTube video, the My Shelter Foundation has already installed 600 bottles on roof tops.

These are some of the projects that Defante wanted to be effectuated in a wider scale. The UN Citizen Ambassador said there are many ways to be involved in this advocacy, zeroing into capitalizing on the use of social media. The idea of joining the contest was first introduced to him while he was browsing the internet last August 19.

"Another way is to partner up with NGOs as well as to work hand-in-hand with the government to start the initiatives in areas which needs restructuring and a new form of livelihood, " Defante noted.

Next steps

After the meeting with the UN, Defante plans to continue his advocacy by reaching out to My Shelter Foundation as well as to keep in touch with HUG IT FORWARD Foundation in Guatemala, in order for him to be more involved in the effort of rippling changes in different places around the world.

Excited about his plan to make this as his calling, the UN Ambassador furthered "I shall continue the things I have started one step at a time. First is I plan to implement it in my workplace and then to serve as an instrument for the ordinary citizen to relay the important issues and concerns to world leaders."

Defante shared this award is a life-changing experience that he wants to share to his fellow colleagues and countrymen. "I learned that one small act, done greatly can make a lasting impact. It also changed me in a way that I want to do more things that will make this world a better and safer place to live in. I will definitely carry this message as part of my career and will continue to make efforts to put the initiative into reality, one step at a time," he ended.

Inspiring a student from India

2011-12-11T07:51:00.000-08:00

For four years and few months, I have been blogging about my insights and perspectives about life. I used to write opinions for our college paper, until I found an avenue to continue my passion for writing through this platform.

Blogging is a form of free expression. Yet I find this platform effectively useful to inspire people through my stories and thoughts about life. While I was online a day ago, a student from Kerala, India added me on Facebook. He messaged me:

was a gud student till some personal and emotional issues crept in my life & made me a poor student...people startd calling me a failure..i lost my confidence 2 bounce back..tats wen i searchd google 4 some help...and it was ur blog which gav me hope.

This message struck my heart. The student said he was searching something about bouncing back from failure until he chanced my blog dated May 04, 2008 with the title Bouncing Back from Failure. In this blog, I discussed my failures in school and how I responded to it. During that time, I also read a book by John Maxwell: Failing Forward.

The student told me he excelled in college but struggled a lot. Here's an excerpt:

struggled a lot during that period..
was the turning point of my life..
i topped in everything till that...but lost my way after this..
and by God's grace,i showd some come back attitude..and got a seat in one of the gud collgs here...
but succumbed to depression again..and failures followd...
cud never raise my bar...felt that people dragged me down by calling me "failure"...

Imagine, that blog three years ago still made a significant impact. The student also acknowledged God's mighty grace as it helped him recover from his failures.

Praying

2011-12-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

Praying that my wife can follow me in Japan soon. Thank God for the favor He has given me this year. As I advanced to E-4 I got the privilege to be with my wife.

Speaking than troubleshooting

2011-12-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

Speaking during the debut

If there's an opportunity to speak in any form, I will do it. God gave me a breakthrough this year. In May, I was given to share my stories as a Filipino and Asian serving the Navy. This month, there are three opportunities to speak: hosting a church event and debut as well as the poetry recital.

I am happy to hear that people were entertained for the Thanksgiving program I prepared. With the usual phrase lines to catch their attention, I make sure I can connect with my audience. For God's glory!

After I hosted the Thanksgiving Dinner for our church, I was invited to host a debut of our senior chief's daughter who is an elder of our church. Though it's like an on-the-spot extemporaneousness talk, I am still prepared to share my spiels with the audience. I am also invited to host a wedding ceremony early next year. That one is another opportunity to bless people.

My church mate commented I seem to be confident in terms of speaking. That's a gift from God. That's a natural talent I want to do. As I explained in my previous blogs, both speaking and writing are talents I want to carry out to the world. Whatever career in the future that's available, I hope those two activities will be the driving course.

But I could say I am not naturally gifted to fix mechanical stuffs. Ironically, that's my rate as a machinist's mate. My day job is geared towards troubleshooting machines and standing watch on machinery equipment on-board USS Blue Ridge. My colleague noticed that I still struggle in terms of using machinery tools. There are still times when I miss to perform some steps for maintenance.

I don't want to take my rate for granted. For me, it's more of character building. I am a work-in progress. Though I know that I am not doing an excellent job with this rate, my spirit and drive for excellence will still continue.

Speaking, a tool for communicating, will always be part of my calling.

Using Scribd

2011-12-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have been uploading former issues of The LaSallian in my Scribd account. I found the platform very useful and resourceful. This is a good avenue for online publishing. Check one of our issues:

Anniversary Magazine

A payback blessing

2011-11-29T07:30:00.000-08:00

Taken by MC2 Hart.

What a surprise. During our Christmas party a day ago, I won a Nikon 5100 camera. The reason most people go to a Christmas party is to win the top prizes. USS Blue Ridge gave away plane tickets, iPads, Apple products, Nikon cameras, and 72 hour liberty (that means day-off in Navy lingo) tickets among others.

Do the math. Given there are approximately 800 participants who purchased the ticket, the probability of winning the camera is .125 percent. I was a blessed winner!

Paying 15 dollars for the party is worth it! Considering the prize of Nikon 5100 is 850 dollars, the return of investment is tremendously high. It's just like betting my 15 dollars in a poker game that multiplied 56.66 times that turned out to be 850 dollars.

Before the raffle draw, I was asking God: "Lord give me something. I either want a Macbook pro or a camera." Viola, raffle number 907686 was called. I got it!

A mass communications specialist in the Navy quoted me on his article. Here's the excerpt:

Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Paul Garilao was surprised when his name was called as the winner of a digital SLR camera. “Before I arrived, I had actually been praying for a camera,” said Garilao. “It is something I've wanted for a long time. Since I like to blog about my travels, now I have a great camera to take pictures with.”

Thank God for this wonderful blessings! Last year, I was expecting to get advanced as a petty officer. But due to the small quota (4.28 percent) for advancement in my rate, I fell short by 15 points. Last year too, my Macbook pro was stolen while I was eating at the base galley. It's painful to pay the stolen Macbook pro that I only used for two weeks. Those were the down moments of my life.

This year, God promoted me and gave me a bonus - a camera. This is a payback blessing of God. What can you expect from a God who smiles from heaven and showers blessings in perfect time. If He says "No" to a prayer, it means any of the following:

There is a better blessing waiting
The prayer request may lead us to sin more. It may breed "materialism" or greediness in our heart.
Just wait. Our character is being tested.

In a nutshell: If God knows that a blessing will glorify His name and will bring the best out of our character, he will grant our desire!

With this camera, I hope I can further enhance my skill in photojournalism and video production - some activities that I am passionate to do during my liberty. Later on, I wish these activities will be part of my profession.

The Bible says, "But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!"

Give thanks!

2011-11-24T09:31:00.001-08:00

This is the opening prayer I did for the Thanksgiving party of our church:

Four hundred years ago, English pilgrims sailed to the new world called America to find an environment where they can worship God in spirit and in truth. As they set forth a journey through Mayflower and arrived in Plymouth colony, the pilgrims struggled to survive yet managed to live during the cold winter of November.

Learning their lesson from that heartbreaking winter, the pilgrims raised cattle and stocked food during summer to prepare for the gloomy season. They feasted with American Indians, which according to history is the origin of Thanksgiving Celebration.

As we remember what the pilgrims did four centuries ago, we thank you Heavenly father for helping us overcome the trials and blessing us tremendously this year.

Today, millions of Americans in the mainland and thousands of troops and their families overseas are celebrating Thanksgiving. Today, hundreds of families and friends here in Yokosuka feast together in front of a turkey as a symbol of togetherness and gratefulness.

We give thanks for we have surpassed trials and tragedies this year:

· We give thanks that despite the tsunami that hit the northern part of Japan and killed thousands of people in the area, you still magnified your sovereignty as our Lord and Savior.

· We give thanks for blessing us and delivering us paychecks despite the global economic recession still hitting the US and other countries as well.

· We give thanks for you have maintained peace and stability in the Pacific region and all the ships are safe. We give thanks for safe deployment and exercises this year.

· We give thanks for those sailors who got advanced this year, a testament of your mighty wisdom showering upon our careers.

· We give thanks for our families and friends who have kept faithful and loyal to glorify your name.

As we partake in this Thanksgiving feast, we pray to nourish our physical bodies. With our special Turkey, Afritada, and appetizing delicacies, bless us mightily.

This is the day that you have made. Lord, thank you. Lord, harigato gozaimas. We bring back honor and praises to you. We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Justice has been served

2011-11-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

Justice has been served. Amid the tensioned Friday afternoon, the wheels of justice accelerated as executive and judicial branch of Philippine government worked together to file the arrest warrant against former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

It took only two hours for the COMELEC to decide on filing case against Arroyo. This is in relation to the 2007 Elections in which she was allegedly involved in sabotaging ballots. How about the 2004 Presidential Elections?

Third class, bad ass

2011-11-18T06:05:00.000-08:00

This crow is going to my sleeves soon

The long wait is over. After taking the test for the third time, I finally made it as third class petty officer, a rank E-4 in the United States Navy.

To give you a brief idea, advancement in the Navy is based on different categories and is not just taken from the Navy wide exams given every March and September of the year. The breakdown goes this way:

Performance mark average or the evaluation (36%): Early promote (EP) ,Must promote (MP), promote (P), and special problem (SP)
Standard score (34%)
Passed not advanced (13%)
Service in pay grade (13%), and awards (4%)

I used to have EP in the last two cycles for special evaluation. But since I only got MP this time, I know that my chance of making it will be very slim.

In the last cycles, I got low scores: 65 and 58 percent for September 2010 and March 2011 exams, respectively. A miracle happened. Last cycle, 14.71 percent of those who took Machinist Mate exam made the cut. This time it skyrocketed to 38.13 percent: 395 firemen out of 1036 examinees got the chance to advance.

My insecurity that time was: How come I passed the Mechanical Engineering license exam in Michigan, yet I struggle to make it as petty officer. It comes with the technique of studying. I am not used to memorizing terms as my training in engineering is geared towards solving hard core mathematics problems. I changed my strategy. I requested our departmental master chief for me to stand watch in the fire room because I get low in that part of the test.

My strategy paid off. While standing watch in the fire room, I familiarized myself with the boiler operation and casualty controls. I got 86 percent in the exam!

Advancement will open me to a lot of opportunities: increase in pay rate, more responsibilities to handle in the shop, additional units in Smart transcript, high chance to go for officer program, and command sponsorship for my wife.

Among the opportunities mentioned, I am focused now on bringing my wife to Japan. Usually, command sponsorship is only granted to pay grades E-4 and above.

Thank God for this achievement. This is for his glory!

Don't step on my foot

2011-11-17T04:05:00.000-08:00

You know who plays dirty tricks. This photo circulated in Facebook.

Opinion is not a birth right

2011-11-16T20:30:00.000-08:00

When Hillary Clinton visited the Philippines and answered questions during a social media event in Manila, a campus journalist disrupted the forum to express his disagreement about Visiting Forces Agreement.

In a report by GMA News, the student identified as Marjohara Tucay shouted "Junked VFA". He is the editor-in-chief of the Philippine Collegian, the official student publication of University of the Philippines-Diliman. "There is nothing mutual in the Mutual Defense Treaty," shouted Tucay, according to the news report.

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A day after, the student journalist was invited in a GMA News TV program. Howie Severino, a veteran journalist and GMA anchor, shared that as an old-fashioned journalist, his training is to cover the protest conducted by activists - and not to lift banners of protesters.

I agree with Severino! As a former campus journalist and editor in chief of The LaSallian, I will not partake in such action. If I am in the other fence and I disagree about VFA, I will take it to the streets and march and not storm the forum with anti-VFA sentiment. If I have a different opinion against someone else, I will take it professionally and propose a better recommendation about it.

As a protester, I will protest. As a journalist, I will cover. Tucay should have instead went to the streets and protested against the Mutual Defense Act. He should have respected Sec. Clinton, journalists, and officials who were attending the forum. I believe, there is a proper venue for his angst.

What is Tucay's recommendation? During the interview with Severino, he didn't even present his recommendations as an alternative for Mutual Defense Treaty. He shared there are some people whose lives are at stake in Mindanao based on his sources. But he was stuttering all the time that's why I didn't understand his insights.

Four years ago, I remember writing something about opinion. I revised a few statements but here's my point:

Those people who irresponsibly use this "freedom of expression" clause have gone beyond the real essence of democracy that is to make a healthy debate out of issues, while maintaining respect with one another.

As a former campus columnist and current blogger, I learned that expressing ideas is not about ranting or raving. It is also giving solutions to a certain issue. The purpose of our opinion is not to find loopholes but to fill them through our recommendations. Call it expression with an advocacy.

Where is the solution of people who challenge the status quo? Mr Tucay, your opinion is not your birth right. Although we are entitled to our own opinion, we should be responsible to share it.

Not a convincing fight

2011-11-13T02:04:00.000-08:00

A lot of Pinoys and boxing experts agree that the Pacquiao-Marquez fight is not a convincing fight. They are disappointed. It was one of Pacquiao's worst fights.

Sports Analyst Halili told GMA News Online: "The burden on Manny Pacquiao, as a boxing megastar who fights twice a year, is that he always needs to be great. When he's good, not great, fans expecting fireworks will likely be disappointed."

In an Inquirer report, Marquez said after the fight, "I don't know what I need to do so the judges will see I won."

Beth Celis has a good insight about an untold story. Before the fight, Jinkee had an argument with Manny, which GMA Reporter Chino Trinidad described Pacquiao "very angry". "Who’d ever imagine that The War of the Pacquiaos would be a virtual undercard to the third fight between Manny and Juan Manuel Marquez," said the columnist.

We would definitely expect that a fourth fight will happen. Right after the big event, Promoter Bob Arum and Coach Roach are talking about setting another fight to happen on May 2012. That will delay the fight against Floyd Mayweather.

Pacquiao, beat Marquez

2011-11-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

Few hours from now, I wont be able to watch Pacquiao-Marquez fight because I have watch at the fire room in the afternoon. It sucks when you work in a Sunday to miss church and the big fight.

It will be a fierce fight between the two warriors.

Inquirer.net reported: “I trained hard for this fight because this is the biggest fight of my career,” Marquez said after tipping the scales at 142 pounds, two under the catchweight stipulated for this bout.

The fight is important to him because it has something to do with respect. When Marquez went to Manila for the promotion of the fight, the Mexican boxer wore a t-shirt that he won in the previous bouts.

“Everybody knows I won both fights,” Marquez shared to the journalists during the weigh in. “I just did not get the decisions. I want to show I’m the better boxer.” Today's fight will prove who is the better opponent.

Go Pacman!

Brisbane Got Talent

2011-11-05T06:34:00.001-07:00

Brisbane, the third largest city in Australia, is riding on the brand as the country’s New World City. According to latest economic research, Brisbane already outlasts Sydney and Melbourne in terms of economic dominance.

But the streets are not just a platform for business establishments but also for artists and entertainers who showcase their talents to earn for a living.

Meet Jared Lyell, an artist who scribbles and paints in the city’s public square. "I have been painting for 20 years with spray cans. This is my passion, this is how I communicate with the world," shares Jared.

Using spray cans, Jared has mastered the craft of mixing colors and sales his master pieces ranging from 50 to 500 Australian dollars. "It is my realistic photograph of my impression of the world. What I see in my mind, I put it out [on painting]."

On the other hand, the Howdini type escaper can take off chains in a matter of 60 seconds. Of course, he is asking for some donations and anyone is free to contribute something.

Though showcase of talent is something that tourists often overlook in Brisbane, this asset no doubt adds value to the city. Indeed, Brisbane got talent. From Brisane, Australia, Paul Garilao reporting.

Feeding the Japanese homeless

2011-11-03T03:50:00.000-07:00

This is a curry soup made by a Filipino family for the Japanese homeless

After working 14 hours and running 1.5 miles for my physical fitness assessment a day ago, I feel tired and can't wait to hit my bed. But my fellow from Junior Sailor Association requested me to participate in a community relations at night.

We rationed food to three places near the Naval base. They know we are already coming and so they form a queue and ready their plastic bags. We distributed sandwiches with peanut butter and jelly and canned goods. We also have a pushcart that contains chicken curry soup.

Though Japan is a first world country, informal settlers still proliferate the country. A quick search at Google reveals, there is a 15.7 percent poverty rate or 15,800 people live on the streets of Japan.

Measuring 6.5 feet long and 4.5 feet wide, the capsule offers a pretty decent place

For those who are homeless in Japan, Capsule Hotel Shinjuku 510 offers a very affordable place to stay. According to Tofugu blog, the hotel was created for drunken salary men they stay out too long and miss the last train. But then, most people stayed at the hotel for weeks, months, or even make it as their home for a while. This sounds a cool idea!

From their standpoint, it's an embarrassment for them to get food especially from gaijin or foreigners.

Chaplain Baker said it perfectly: feeding the homeless is more than providing them food but to establish relationship with them.

Confessions of King David

2011-10-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

Today, we have a combined service with Chapel of Hope. Here in Yokosuka, I regularly attend at Filipino Christian Fellowship.

Pastor Willie preached about the dark side of King David found in second book of Samuel. As most of you know from Sunday schools, David coveted Uriah's wife Batsheba. Seeing Batsheba bathing one afternoon, he glanced upon the beautiful girl and asked a fellow to know more about her.

The preaching struck my hurt to the point that my contact lens already hurt from crying. David is a man after God's own heart. But God has no double standards. He still sinned so he needs to be punished. Period.

When Nathan rebuked him through a story, David did the right thing: He confessed his sins and asked God "to create in him a pure heart and renew a right spirit within him."

This story reminds us that God is a God of many chances. Though he punishes us from the wrongdoings we committed, He forgives and forgets our sins. He removes the blood guilt from our hearts.

Happy Anniversary Jesus Is Lord Church

2011-10-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

Happy 33rd Anniversary Jesus Is Lord Church! This Church has been a channel of blessing to me since I was a child. 33 is a symbolical number, the age when Jesus was crucified and died in the cross. The Church carries the name of Jesus.

For many years, the Church has been influential in every Philippine sector.

Today, we also launch the God Bless the Philippines Movement. Wherever you are, say a little prayer every lunch time.

News in depth

2011-10-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

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Since I left my motherland, I am still tuned into Philippine news. This year, three news channels were added in the roster. Aside from ANC, GMA News TV and Aksyon TV are competing to get the top notch in delivering 24/7 news. Though ANC has been running for a while, GMA News TV now tops as the leading news in the country.

In particular, I like the news presented in GMA News TV. They are in depth, balanced, and socially relevant. The news clip above is an example of it.

Sikat II lands 17th in World Solar Car Challenge.

2011-10-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

Despite being ravaged by fire due to overheated solar batteries, the Philippine Solar car Sikat II landed 17th out of 32 solar cars in the recently concluded 2011 World Solar Car Challenge.

On its way to Tennant Creek, one of the car's batteries apparently overheated. The team immediately troubleshooted the problem and remained optimistic that the race must go on.

“One hundred eleven kilometers lang ang lamang sa atin ng MIT [Masacheussette Institute of Technology]," Harold Geronimo of Team Solar Philippines said in a phone interview with GMA News Online.

Check out the article here for more information.

17 days with Tefanee

2011-10-17T06:21:00.000-07:00

It was not the ideal wedding that most brides and grooms would dream about. We can’t afford a royal wedding like that of Prince Charles and Kate Middleton for the meantime, plus the time to prepare for the big day is too short as we are separated thousands of miles away. But that’s not the defining moment of our love story. Our love story rolled out from a place far, far away from our respective hometowns.

Almost two years ago, Tefanee and I crossed paths in a village where a statue of little mermaid epitomizes the existence of fairytales. Well-known author Hans Christian Anderson once lived a fruitful life in that city where he published most of his fairy tale stories.

In Copenhagen, our paths crossed

While attending a United Nations conference in Copenhagen, a Filipino community celebrated victory for the international award we were about to receive. She was part of the community who greeted us with cheers at the airport and supported our campaign on environmental issues. From the time we met in Copenhagen count four days where we have been together in person.

The beautiful couple

While walking along the medieval streets, we talked about careers and plans like we have been friends for many years. Our small conversation turned out to be spur of the moment. We know we like each other, but we have just expressed it days before I left the city. As I leave Copenhagen airport, Tefanee kissed me goodbye: both leaving us mixed feeling of likeness.

Believing in Anderson’s quote “Life is a fairytale written by God’s fingers”, we entered into a long distance relationship. Until I joined the Navy in February 2010 we committed on a trust-based relationship with the plan of getting married someday. Imagine, doing video calls via Skype, maximizing all instant messaging avenues like YM and FB for hundreds of hours for a whole year just to sustain the relationship. Life was so tough for us.

Tefanee got the chance to live in Copenhagen because a Danish family sponsored her stay for she can study and work. Since her contract with a family was about to expire, she decided to return to Philippines to arrange all paper works for our marriage.

Taste of life

Being a service member in Uncle Sam’s forces requires a lot of instructions to that point that even my personal life is instructed. Just to be married in RP, I have to process a special paper work – and part of it, a medical exam is required for the couple. I recalled our command doctor writing a certificate for us: “The two are free from any medical illness and are fit to be married…”

Wedding prep: My future wife puts my medals.

When our ship visited Manila early this year, I filed a leave and spent quality time with Tefanee. When I departed the ship to meet her, I find it awkward to look at her face though I hold her hands. That was our first meeting since our Copenhagen moment.

The Manila visit was our first anniversary, which we celebrated with our friends. The night after, my friend drove us to Fort Bonifacio where I asked for Tefanee’s hand. Yehey, she wants to marry me!

Tie the knot

After our summer patrol in Australia, I took 20 days of leave to process our marriage certificate so we could have a civil wedding ceremony. Having a church wedding is out of the picture for the meantime since we have to process all paper works for Tefanee to fly to Japan.

My commanding officer

The civil wedding was so civil. No ring bearers, no flower girls, no best man, no stunt man. Even the reverend who administered the wedding is not wholeheartedly prepared as if he came from a drinking session in Tondo. Though he justified, “Wala sa nagkakasal iyan, nasa ikakasal iyan.”

Our relatives and friends enjoyed the overflow of food care of Tramway in Quezon City. Usually, service members perform simple ceremonies and focus on expediting the paper works of their wives to immediately follow them on their duty stations.

With our friends in Christ.

Seventeen days with Tefanee! Those were the longest and most precious 17 days of my life. I thought I have known my wife for over seventeen years as if each day is equivalent to a year. By the time we got married, it was only the 12th day that we have been together physically.

Our first kiss (as married couple)...

During the first night that we slept and lay down as a couple came the magic of love. Honeymoon drove us crazy! When two became one, we are now allowed by God to have intercourse under his command. In the Book of Deuteronomy, God gave some instructions: “When a man is newly wed, he need not to go out of military expedition, nor shall any public duty imposed on him. He shall be exempt for one year for the sake of his family, to bring joy to the wife he as married.”

If this Biblical thought is only honored in the Navy today, a yearlong honeymoon can bring out the best and worst in our relationship. Perhaps, a baby will be born within that time frame.

Cheers of wine the day after the wedding. At last, we become one!

Complement each other

Marry someone to fill the gap of your weakness. It holds true for our relationship. Tefanee complements my personality. Having been messy with my clothes and other stuff, she is there to pick my dirty clothes and underwear. When she was doing laundry for our clothes one time, she called my attention to help her – an indication that household chores are not just the single role of a mom but a team effort of mom and dad.

A portrait of Mt. Mayon depicts the joyful couple. Tefanee lives in Bicol region where Mt. Mayon blows off lavas occasionally.

I have been introduced to Tefanee’s roots when we spent almost a week in Naga City, where she was born and raised. I met her parents and brother only the day when we got married, and yet they accepted me as if I have been part of their family for decades.

At their hometown, life is so simple and relaxing. I’ve tasted Bicol express – one of the best expressions of love her family has offered to me. Her parents shared Tefanee’s late brother Eric is a copycat of me. Perhaps, I was God-sent-person to replace his brother who died 14 years ago due to a motor accident.

When I participated in wakeboarding in Naga, I have stretched my hands but not strong enough to hold the tension of cable pulling me. This resulted in sickness the night after. Thanks to my wife took care of me like a fragile box with caution: handle with care. Putting towel at my back and massaging my body recovered me immediately.

My wife is the greatest chef, at least, of my dining table. When we shopped one time, she knew the ingredients to grab and estimated they will all blend in a perfect dish. With spirit-filled passion in restaurant management, she cooked cordon blue and pasta for our friends.

My wife teaches me how to slice potatoes, one of the basics in cooking.

What else can I look for in my wife? She is also a multi-linguist armed with four languages and a dialect: Danish, Dutch, English, Tagalog, and Bicolano. Her ability to grasp languages makes it easy for her to adapt to any culture.

But I have to deal with her another form of language, her language of love – that is quality time. As demonstrated in a long distance-relationship, we ensured every tick of the clock is of quality no matter how long or short we talk via Skype or Facebook. Spending quality time personally spells the difference: there is no room for idle time and every moment signals getting to know each other. Even during sleeping hours, we dream of togetherness.

Till we are together again

As I left Manila during the 17^th day, I have been heavily burdened. My wife can’t see me leaving so she requested me that I get a cab for her first before I enter the gates of NAIA. When she entered the cab, I can’t even look at her face but I still turned around to see her for the last time. Deep inside, I was crying but I need to move on and pass this test.

Singing to the tune of our favorite songs in Makati

As of the moment, I am processing her paper works so she can follow me to live while I am stationed in Japan. Now that we are one in flesh, we keep on learning from our mistakes, complement our weaknesses, and share love to the fullest. One thing is sure: Nothing can separate us from the love of God, the author of our love story.

Pinoy is 2011 UN Citizen Ambassador

2011-10-14T07:19:00.001-07:00

An alumnus of Mapua Institute of Technology will be chosen as United Nations Citizen Ambassador for 2011 for winning in an online contest sponsored by UN Department of Public Information.

Through his 30-minute pitch on "changing lives one bottle at a time", Jonathan Eric Defante will have the chance to present his recommendations to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in UN Headquarters in New York sometime this year. He will join two other winners from South Sudan and Guatemala.

From 8 August to 8 September 2011, contestants were asked to upload a YouTube video about their ideas in celebration of the World Humanitarian Day 2011 that could help change the world.

The Pinoy recommended to create a model community in every nation made out of used plastic bottles that he dubbed as "Eco Bricks".

"Every year, 75 percent or 2.7 million tons of plastic bottles end up in land fills. The message across the globe about recycling is not strong enough," shared Defante on his YouTube Channel. The bottles are "built by people themselves and are sustained by livelihood from recycled plastic bottles." He believes the communities can be organized into cooperatives "to enable them to sustain their livelihood for years to come".

Defante will also carry the honorary title "Citizen Ambassador to the UN" for two years and receive a customized HD mini flip cam courtesy of UN Foundation.

According to his LinkedLn profile, Defante finished Electronics and Communications Engineering from Mapua Institue of Technology as a scholar. He served as an instructor in Malayan High school of Science by conducting lectures and laboratory modules for a class of 4th year students. He also taught Information Technology subjects in Mapua for a year.

Keeping on the spirit of excellence, Defante graduated valedictorian of his batch and won in contests sponsored by Cisco.

English in the workplace?

2011-10-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

Tatagalugin ko na para hindi maintindihan ng ibang lahi tutal isang wika lang naman ang alam nilang gamitin - ang wikang hiniram nila sa mga Briton. Magagalit pa sila kapag nagsasalita kami ng Tagalog sa hapag kainan sa barko. Malamang, hindi kasi nila kami maintindihan.

Yun ang hirap sa kanila. Sinasabi nila sa amin na Ingles lang ang dapat gamitin sa barko. Malamang Ingles lang talaga para magkaintindihan ang lahat. Pero ang problema kayong mga nagdidikta sa amin na wika ni Uncle Sam ang gamitin, kayo mismo hindi wasto ang pagamit ng wika. Kayo mismo nagtatanung pa kung anu ang spelling ng typhoon at believe, kayo mismo ang pumapatay sa sarili ninyong lengguahe.

Baka nakakalimutan niyo na ang wikang ginagamit niyo galing pa sa Europa. Panahon pa ni Geoffrey Chaucer, pangkantong salita noon ang Ingles.

Hindi niyo iyon pag-aari! Hindi niyo iyon kailan man maangkin. Bagamat Ingles ang nagsisilbing global na wika, hindi ibig sabihin noon na kayo na ang nagmamay-ari ng wika.

Ilang taon naming inaral ang Ingles sa sariling bayan. Kasama sa asignatura namin ang mag-aral ng Ingles. Naalala ko tuloy ang karanasan ko nung boot camp sa Great Lakes. Sinabihan ba naman akong hindi makaintindi ng Ingles kasi ang bagal daw ng tugon ko. Muntik pa akong ipadala sa Language Learning para matuto ng Ingles, pero isang malaking kalokohan iyon. Pagkatapos ng bootcamp, pinatunayan ko na may ibubuga ako at sumali sa Essay Writing Contest. Sa tatlumpung nakilahok, mapalad akong nanalo. Oo, isang Pinoy ang nanalo.

Kaya dapat matuto rin kayo ng ibang wika. Hindi lang Ingles ang dapat ninyong matutunan.

Single best invention of life

2011-10-06T01:32:00.000-07:00

iCon. 1955-2011

The world is mourning. The world has lost a great innovator. Steve Jobs who was battling pancreatic cancer since 2003 experienced his so-called "single best invention of life" - death.

Seven years ago, Steve shared some thoughts about death to 2005 graduating class of Stanford University. Here is an excerpt of his speech:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

For Jobs, neither iPhone nor iPad is the greatest invention on earth. Death is. Just like his products that were once new but were kept of being replaced by a new one, he can be replaced too in the world. He's old now but his inventions and life lessons to humanity will remain.

I agree with Steve Jobs. Death becomes the single best invention of life because it serves as a transition period from earthly life to eternity. I hope Steve knew Christ before he died so he can spend eternity with in heaven.

The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death...but the gift of God is glory and eternal in Christ Jesus." The death Steve may be referring to is just physical death. Because the eternal death referred to in this verse is eternal separation from God and I know I'm hitting the obvious because it's about damnation in hell.

After two became one

2011-09-24T02:38:00.000-07:00

They say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Personally, a picture captivates the moment that words cannot explain. I am sharing you some of our shots during post wedding. Yes, I got married to Tefanee Bonafe, the woman whom God matched for me. The day after our civil wedding, we staged in a photo activity. In short, we have our post nup photos.

The series of photos are taken by my friend Karen Sarte and can be viewed from her website. Karen and I used to be editors back in DLSU-Manila eight years ago. Never we have imagined that she is going to stage the photos for me back then.

Just starting her studio photography business, Karen presented me the idea of taking photos for our civil wedding including pre-nuptial and post nuptial photos.

The photo that you see above is my favorite masterpiece. It highlights the white gold wedding bands - an evidence of our long lasting relationship.

This is a boy-meets-girl staged photo. You see Tefanee exhibiting her "killer" smile - the smile that made me fall in love almost two years ago in Copenhagen.

Drinking wine together sounds fun. That wine was a gift from one of our godfathers from Europe. She perfectly opened the bottle by popping the cork even without using a corkscrew. She knows it well because she has taken it in one of her HRM courses. But for me, all I know is to drink the wine and be merry, I mean be married.

Here, I like Tefanee's nose. It is so aquiline! That was the part of her face that I first observed when we first met. And that nose is my insecurity too. LOL.

The shot at the staircase of Oasis Hotel signals success. From middle portion, we are about to step to the next part of our lives.

Will upload all photos on my Facebook once the high resolution versions are available.

We tied the knot

2011-09-21T04:46:00.000-07:00

When God planned the union between man and woman, He orchestrated everything to happen at the right circumstance, the right place, and at the perfect time. Tefanee and I just got through a civil wedding ceremony held in Tramway Buffet restaurant in Quezon City.

It may not be the ideal ceremony for now, but it is a day that we enjoy God's blessing. Before the big day, series of trails happened: my live chit was approved by the commanding officer the day before my flight to Manila, I had an excess baggage of 25 kilos that I need to pay 700 dollars to South China Airlines, and some event preparations that did not happen.

Since I am only staying for two weeks in the Philippines, preparations for a church or garden wedding may be far fetched and impractical as of the moment.

The reverend who even ministered the civil wedding seemed to come from a drinking session. He found it difficult to pronounce the name of Tefanee. However, he did the right thing during a civil wedding: to pronounce us as husband and wife. The reverend justified it, "Wala sa nagkakasal yan." Call it a comedic relief!

But despite the trials, love still triumphed. Happy to see relatives and friends of my wifey. Happy to be with my relatives, college colleagues, and church mates who have been with me through trials I overcame. Most importantly, the participants and guests enjoyed the food. Tramway has one of the best dishes in the country! Eat all you can for an affordable price.

This wedding is just the icing of the cake. We are still planning a solemnization - now with a spiritual twist and an epiphany of romantic blending.

My words for this blog may be running out but all the memories will always be fresh in my mind. In the right time, I will share them to you. We tied the knot!

Focus

2011-09-15T05:54:00.000-07:00

Lately, my mind is preoccupied with so many things: my upcoming wedding, my faith in God, my sins, my exams, my Navy qualifications, and my simple joys in life. All I need is focus now. So help me God.

Steve Jobs: Stay hungry, stay foolish

2011-08-25T00:07:00.001-07:00

Taken from CNN

Steve Jobs' resignation shook the world, a breaking news far more important than the approaching hurricane in East Coast and the falling empire of Gaddafi in Libya. At least, for those who have iPhones and iPads, his resignation may cast fears that the next CEO may not parallel with his achievements.

Everything rises and falls on leadership, as what leadership guru John Maxwell shared in his books and talks. For Apple Computer, this mantra holds to be true. When Jobs was kicked out of the company two decades ago, the sales of Apple products drastically dropped down.

When Jobs resurrected to his dearest company as consultant in 1996 and CEO in 2000, Apple's magic is back with innovations that has been changing the world's day-by-day technology: iPad, iPhone, iMac.

In fact, CNN Money reported, "Apple shares were briefly halted in after-hours trading as Apple announced its leadership change. When trading resumed, shares dropped 5%."

Although Jobs didn't specify health concerns in his resignation letter, the Apple founder turned sentimental as he said goodbye to his longtime career. "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come," wrote Jobs.

Battling pancreatic cancer six years ago, Jobs delivered his only commencement speech to Stanford University graduates with a monologue on life and death. "Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new...Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else life."

At the last part of his speech to Stanford University crowd, he shared, "Stay hungry, stay foolish."

Jobs will definitely be missed by Apple and his flocks of tech savvy fans. We hope that his successor Tim Cook will continue to propel Apple to new heights and innovations will come along to grant the changing desires of stakeholders.

Though he just resigned as Apple's CEO, Jobs will continue to stay hungry and foolish for knowledge and contribute something to make this world a better place.

DMZ: It's almost North Korea

2011-08-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

Our seven hour trip from Busan to Paju City lead us to a bizarre tourist spot - the only borderline in the world that divides two nations that are still at brink of cold war after 60 years of bloody war.

The Demilitarized Zone popularly known as DMZ serves as an ideological dispute between North and South Korea. DMZ stretches from "Han River to the East Coast, and it ranges two kilometers north and south of the Military Demarcation Line, covering a vast region of 64 million square feet."

DMZ is described by Mark Tran, a Guardian journalist, as a faded themed park with military twist. He shared, "it's not often you get the chance to visit a living museum of the cold war."

Since Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Republic of Korea (ROK) were formed in 1948, it became an international dispute to claim what part of Korea they both owned. From 1950 to 1953, Korean war broke out until they have decided to divide their lands in the 38th parallel - now known as the DMZ.

As we entered into one of the most dangerous tourist attractions in the world, we were welcomed by tour guides. Surprisingly, those guys who have been serving Uncle Sam's military forces are serving two roles in DMZ: as protectors of the borderline and as tourist guides.

During the briefing, two US Army guys reminded us not to show any gesture to the North Korean guard as we approach to the borderline. In addition, the soldiers prohibited us from taking photos as we approached high roads leading to the borderline.

Although I know tension is still highly alert why we can't perform such gestures, I fully grasped their prohibitions when we reached Panmunjeon, in which the Joint Security Area (JSA) is located that's only 800 meters in diameter. According to research, "the United Nations and North Korea sides each operate 6 guard posts and 35 security guards reside inside."

North Korea is just on the other side of the fence. As I zoomed in my camera into the building at the other side, I saw a North Korean guard using his binocular to observe us as well. In my view, that may be his rare chance to see foreigners from other countries as he only has an idea of people in his nation. The DPRK has been monitoring the tourists as well through two CCTV cameras installed in front of their facility.

If one would run to the other side, a North Korean guard may not think twice and just shoot the defect. After the cold war, the borderline has witnessed fatalities that lead to intensifying rules among the divided country. Check some of the facts on Wikipedia.

Aside from Panmunjeon, the soldiers toured us to the most dangerous golf course in the world, the point of no return, and some museums that exhibit war stories.

We hope the day will come when the two countries will unite together so that families who were separated by war 60 years ago could reunite and live together.

Sikat II to compete in World Solar Challenge journey

2011-08-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

The Sikat 2 and the people behind. Photo courtesy of Sikat 2 media team

Sikat II, the country’s newest solar car made exclusively by Filipino students, is finally set to compete for the 2011 World Solar Challenge in Australia on October 16 to 23,2011. After conducting a test run at the North Luzon Expressway, Sikat II demonstrated its readiness to compete in this year’s solar challenge to exemplify to the world that the Philippines is gearing up for sustainable energy technology.

With its much-improved technology, Sikat II is set to race with 20 other countries in the 3,000km World Solar Challenge that runs from Darwin to Adelaide in Australia. In a recent public launch held at the NLEX compound in Balintawak, Caloocan City, the people behind the solar car expressed their patriotism and confidence that the country’s representative will make the cut.

“The team is honored to be representing the country and very proud to have been able to design and create a solar car within seven months, and race it in the World Solar Car Challenge,” shares team leader Jack Catalan. He furthered their target for this year’s competition is to finish the race and beat the 12th place performance of SINAG in 2007.

Photo courtesy of Sikat 2 media team

Behind the team
Highlighting the ability of Filipinos to lead in sustainable energy technology, Sikat II was pioneered by the Philippine Solar Car Society (PSCS) and twenty-two students and three professors from the Mechanical Engineering and Electronics and Communications Engineering Departments of De La Salle University-Manila.

The project is headed by DLSU Dean Dr. Pag-Asa Gaspillo, supported by mechanical team heads Martin Kalaw, Isidro Marfori III, and electrical team head Jack Catalan (who also serves as Team Head), and faculty advisers and students who make up the mechanical and electrical teams. “Sikat II is a testament to Filipino ingenuity, talent and technological capability in tapping clean and natural sources of energy such as solar power.

Just like Sinag and Sikat I, Sikat II is beaming with promise as it not only shows the world what solar energy can do, but what Filipinos can do. We are very optimistic that Sikat II will shine in WSC,” said Federico “Piki” Lopez, PSCS Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Gen, one of Sikat II’s major sponsors.

World-class features
A successor of Sinag and Sikat, Sikat II boasts many improvements to its design, electronic, and mechanical features. Its sleek and aerodynamic body is made of lightweight carbon fiber-honeycomb composite.

Faster than its predecessors, Sikat II can run at a top speed of 110 kph with its 2-kilowatt motor. It weighs in at less than 180kg, 10kg lighter than Sikat I and roughly 110kg lighter than Sinag. When running on its 4,000 watt-hour Lithium-ion battery and solar array power at a speed of 85kph, Sikat II can travel more than 800 kms.

Utilizing the inexhaustible power of the sun, Sikat is fueled by solar energy harvested and converted into electricity by photovoltaic cells. Sikat II is equipped with solar cells from Sunpower Philippines, a leading manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells in the world. These solar cells are proudly Philippine-made and are manufactured by Sunpower in their Batangas and Laguna plants.

Together with the support of First Gen Corporation, First Philec Solar, Energy Development Corporation and Sunpower, Sikat II is set to make Filipino pride shine once more and make an impact in the advancement of solar technology in the country.

Pinoy pioneers
It will be the second time that the Philippines will be competing in the international challenge. In 2007, Sinag delivered a remarkable debut performance by finishing 12th among 40 other participants from around the world.

Crossing the equator

2011-08-06T00:30:00.000-07:00

A-Division rocks! The shell back wannabees parade their costumes during pre-wog day.

Today, I have achieved one of the defining moments in my life: to cross the equator while dancing and singing to satisfy King Neptune. Joining at least 300 sailors on board USS Blue Ridge for this Navy tradition, I finally turned from slimy "polly wog" to a trusty "shell back".

Crossing the Line ceremony is a tradition followed by some navy organizations in the world: the United States Navy, Marine Corps, Royal Australian Navy, and the British Navy. The moment after a ship crosses the equator, the trusty shell backs initiate the wogs either by cracking some after shave lotions on their heads or showering them with salt water.

Filthy polly wog. They made this shirt for me.

According to Wikipedia, "Originally, the tradition was created as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure their new shipmates were capable of handling long rough times at sea. Sailors who have already crossed the Equator are nicknamed (Trusty) Shell backs, often referred to as Sons of Neptune; those who have not are nicknamed (Slimy) Polly wogs."

In the ship, we have heard that Davey Jones communicated with the commanding officer. The script sounds like "Old English" with the words "thy" and "thou" appearing on their conversations.

Right after we wore our white T-shirts, designed with artistic sketches, the shell backs pulled us from where we sleep to the mess decks, where we dined the nastiest breakfast in our lifetime. By the way, my division designed a shirt that best fits my personality: A "Robert Frost Wog". Though EN2 Chavez knows that I love poetry and writing, he widely guessed that Robert Frost is my favorite poet, especially I used to recite his poem "The Road Not Taken".

The shirt says: "Roses are red, violets are blue but King Neptune and the shell backs are big joke too." This cool T-shirt will put me in trouble under King Neptune's command.

In terms of conducting the ceremony, worse things had happened to sailors who have come before us. It was quite a "brutal event in the 19th century as sailors were beaten with boards and wet ropes. Others were thrown over the side to drag the poly wog to surf from the stern."

Not until hazing is prohibited in the Navy, the ceremony today has evolved into a pretty decent activity that involves zero tolerance on physical harm. But shell backs still have a reason to revenge. As soon as we got up to the main deck, the top part of the ship, they did all the crazy things to us:

pretend swimming on the main deck while salt water is showering upon us
sing any song of Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga to entertain the shell backs
the shell backs poured in mixture of hot sauce, mustard sauce, after shave in our bodies. (Imagine, I have to shower for an hour to remove the mixture on my hair).

At the last part of the ceremony, we appeared to King Neptune and proved to him we are worthy to be shell backs. The chief who acted as King Neptune is a veteran in the Navy who has conducted many ceremonies like this in his sea career. Though he yelled much to the wogs, he has welcomed them with open arms and big heart.

Proud to see our leading officer who congratulated us right after the event. It always feels great when your leader looks upon you as a person, and not as a position.

Crossing the line is a defining moment in a sailor's life. It indicated that life at sea is not just about work but fun and fun.

Payback time! Time to beat the ass of incoming polly wogs in the ship!

Reference letter for an officer candidate

2011-08-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend, my friend Electronics Technician 3rd class Petty Officer Jex made the cut for the Chaplain Candidacy Officer Program. I am humbled to help him as I wrote one of his reference letters. Here is the letter:

For almost a year, I have known ET3 Jared Jex as a motivated and excellent sailor ready to serve the fleet through his compassionate heart and skillful mind.

During our community relations sponsored by USS Blue Ridge in Palau, I am blessed to work with Jex and witness how he shared his quality time and enduring effort with the locals. His involvement in other community relations is an indication that his calling is to serve both his fellow sailors and communities from all walks of life.

On-board the flagship, Jex has exhibited a servant leadership and excellent management skill. He performs his job well as an electronics technician, troubleshooting his equipment with good attention to details. Even during Holiday routine while underway, he devotes his time to share God's word with Latter Day Saints members.

Having spent a short time with Jex, I believe that he is my best candidate for Chaplain Candidate Program Officer.

Dear John

2011-07-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

A photo with John Johnston in Cairns, Australia

When I watch documentary films and Hollywood movies about World War II, I am pretty amazed on how filmmakers bring the pieces of true stories during the perilous war to the big screen. Some of my favorite war movies are the Saving Private Ryan, Thin Red Line, and Inglorious Basterds.

In one of the community services in Cairns, I got the privilege to talk to the elderly people who are already retired from their careers. The home for the aged houses at least 20 old residents, both grandpa's and grandma's.John Johnston, Quartermaster chief during World War II, shared his vivid memories about Navy's operations in the Pacific and Africa to defeat the enemies. His ship was in Philippine Sea when Japanese Empire was demolished.

One of the ladies requested me to talk to a man named John. His attire is so 1950s. He 's wearing shades since his eyes are already sensitive to sunlight.

John is 88 years old yet he still remembers vividly his experiences during the War War II. When he was telling me his experiences, he described the events detail-by-detail to me, as if they were just recent events.

John retired from the US Navy in 50s. He used to be a quartermaster chief who has been directing and plotting out directions of USS Belleau Wood. These days, quarter masters use global positioning satellite to navigate the ship's direction. But during John's time, the Navy uses the old way: looking up the skies and pointing the North Star.

John has been part of liberating Philippines and other countries in the Pacific against the Imperial Japan. He has also fought battle against Nazi in the Horn of Africa. "There were like hundreds of marines who are dying every three hours," he shared.

This was John's striking message to me: "War is unending. When one war is victorious, US is still going to wage war against another country."

The short but sweet conversation with John has stricken a golden chord in my heart. His story inspires me to carry my mission in the Armed Forces.

The Greatest Barrier Reef

2011-07-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Snorkling in Great Barrier Reef

Today, I have snorkeled in one of the seven wonders of the world - the Great Barrier Reef. Forty-five minutes away from Cairns, a ferry boat sailed us to the Green Island, one of the 900 islands surrounding the Great Barrier Reef. It's a popular destination here in Cairns.

Let's have a brief trivia. Euphoria Magazine shares: "...it is the largest coral reef system composed of 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 3,000 kilometers." It is the biggest structure made by living organisms.

As our boat docked in the island, we immediately got our snorkeling apparatus and swam nearby the shore. Though I have thought of white reef sharks and the movie Open Water - in which a couple lost their boat while diving in Australian waters, I overcame this fear freak moment instead enjoyed the crystal clear waters.

My liberty buddy Mariano took video footage of fishes and other living creatures while snorkeling. What surprised him is witnessing a white reef shark hiding behind the huge stones. When I tried to check out the shark, I have confirmed that it is! Then I immediately ran with my fins, instead of swim into the shore. LOL.

The largest living organism is visible from low outer space.

The Great Barrier Reef reminds me of how great thou God is. When he created this reef, He would have been proud of his wonderful creation, which exemplify His glory to the planet.

Frontpage of Aussie newspaper

2011-07-29T09:35:00.001-07:00

The front page of Cairns Post, a local news paper in Cairns, showed the Sailors who participated in a community relations held in the town. Before we walked through the Legacy, a photographer from Cairns Post asked us to stage a walk as he clicks his thousand dollar worth camera. We were caught surprised when we made the headlines.

During the activity, we had the chance to meet the widows of retired members of Armed Forces of Australia. Sailors of Royal Australian Navy also mingled and refurbished the townhouse where at least 20 retirees were living.

In the front page, you'll see eight Filipinos who are serving Uncle Sam's forces. These are my homeboys who invited me to participate in a noble activity and lend a help to widows whose husbands served Australia. I had the chance to talk to a World War II veteran who was part in operational forces in Philippine Sea and Horn of Africa.

I hope to get a hard copy of this news paper and frame this.

Opportunity down under

2011-07-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

There are a number of opportunities down under. It refers to the country down under the map, under the equator, down under the big countries who are suffering from global economic recession. Not that the country is free from the crisis, but Australia can bounce back from the crisis and still give good benefits for the residents.

I know a lot of friends and relatives who decided to live down under. My high school classmate is a business consultant in Sydney University and famous firms in Queensland. Kuya Buddy, who used to live in our house in Manila, is now a banker in Sydney. Our former maid gave birth to a beautiful Filipina-Australian kid.

What interests people to immigrate to Australia is its economic opportunities. Aside from good pay and income tax return every year, family members receive bonus stipend that they can use to pay their credit cards or buy new appliances for home improvement. At least two of my friends shared to me they always get this bonus annually.

While we were in Birsbane last week, I had a chance to talk to some Filipinos who are working and studying in the area. A family who owns Best Friend, a combination of restaurant and grocery store, has been running the business for over 20 years. Their business stall is situated near China town and has been receiving an average of hundreds of customers weekly. As the family has mastered the craft of running the business, they are fulfilling the not-so-familiar "Australian dream".

Perhaps, if I don't have opportunity to migrate in United States, I would have consider living down under too.

Hey mate

2011-07-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

As we pulled in to Brisbane, Australia this week, I can't wait to get out of the ship and enjoy my weekend overnight liberty. Australia is a place I always want to visit. Ever since a child, I have dreamed of traveling "down under". Dream come true. Here I am listening to the Assie accent, mate.

What interests me to know is the Aussie accent and jargon that they use to communicate with their fellow mates.The Aussie accent is almost the same with the British accent. But wait, i think Australian accent is a sister of British accent. It makes sense because Australia is used to be a colony of Great Britain. Most prisoners or convicts from Europe were cast out and were thrown in Australia. According to Wikipedia, "Between 1788 and 1868, approximately 161,700 convicts were transported to the Australian colonies of New South Wales."

Another Wikipedia entry shares: "The earliest form of Australian English was first spoken by the children of the colonists born into the colony of New South Wales. This very first generation of children created a new dialect that was to become the language of the nation."

The Aussie accent is one of a kind. You here a very unique accent that's pleasing to the ears. They pronounce long words with nasal movements. The late Steve Irwin best epitomizes Aussie accent with his "Hey Mike" as he used to hunt some crocodiles.

It may take time to learn the accent if you want to. You may require long mouth and tongue exercises to pronounce the words perfectly.

Mom is sick

2011-07-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

We need your prayers. My mom was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis that might lead to pneumonia if it will not be prevented. She is still recovering and under medication at Mary Chiles Hospital in Gastambide, Manila.

This is her third time to be confined in hospital. Her previous doctor said her asthma triggered again. In 2008, my mom was diagnosed with TB. But she got healed. Thanks, by the grace of God!

It's painful on my part not to be with my Mom while she is in hospital. Both my brother and dad are in US too. the best way we can do for my mom is to send her finances for hospital bills and medication.

I know that God is in control. I pray that God will extend the life of my mom till she meets her grand sons and daughters. My prayer is for my mom to follow us in US and spend time with us, traveling the world. I want to give the best experience to my mom before she joins the Lord in perfect time.

My top priority is to arrange her papers so she could migrate to US as well.

The illegal American dream

2011-06-26T00:13:00.000-07:00

As Obama Administration deported almost 800,000 illegal residents in America in the past two years, there are still a number of people who survive and strive harder just to pursue their career in the so-called "land of immigrants". Rarely you would encounter an illegal resident who would speak about his or her struggles and fear of being caught one day by proper authorities.

Recently, there is a Filipino who revealed his struggles as an illegal alien. In Philippine euphemism, we call this "walang papel" (no legal papers). As I read Jose Antonio Vargas's life story in New York Times entitled My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant, I am moved by his powerful words - such an honest account of his life as he finished high school, college, and landed as a journalist in Washington Post. His top-caliber performance as a journalist was proven as he received Pulitzer Price for covering the Virginia Tech shootings back in 2007.

Vargas shared he moved to San Fransisco in 1993 when he was 12 through the help of a man whom his relatives told his "uncle". At 16, when he tried to get his driver's license in DMV, he handed his green card to a clerk who told her, "This is fake." Then this started the long agony of Vargas.

"I’ve tried. Over the past 14 years, I’ve graduated from high school and college and built a career as a journalist, interviewing some of the most famous people in the country. On the surface, I’ve created a good life. I’ve lived the American dream," Vargas shared.

Just to be accepted in Washington Post required Vargas to produce a driver's license. With the right connection, he was able to use a residence of a friend in Portland. He furthered, "I was paying state and federal taxes, but I was using an invalid Social Security card and writing false information on my employment forms."

(Read his outstanding article here).

Journalism is a field of truth-seeking. As Vargas shared, "I decided then that if I was to succeed in a profession that is all about truth-telling, I couldn't tell the truth about myself." There will be a big risk for telling the truth. But as the truth hurts, Vargas will be freed.

With this, I salute Jose Vargas for representing the voice not only of Filipinos but hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who also share a big role in shaping the American economy.

I hope that Vargas story will be a strong voice in pursuing the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, Education of Alien Minors Act), a bill that will give thousands of illegal aliens the chance to get legal status. According to the website, the following are qualifications for the DREAM Act:

Must have entered the United States before the age of 16 (i.e. 15 and younger)
Must have been present in the United States for at least five (5) consecutive years prior to enactment of the bill
Must have graduated from a United States high school, or have obtained a GED, or have been accepted into an institution of higher education (i.e. college/university)
Must be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time of application
Must have good moral character

I too have my share of story. My Dad flew to San Fransisco in 1995, two years after Vargas immigrated to the same city. But because he knew he can give us better life someday, he extended his stay and got menial jobs in California and New Jersey just to pay our tuition fees in private schools in Philippines. After nine years of being an illegal resident, my Dad was given amnesty and applied for green card under skilled worker.

Last year, my Dad swear allegiance and loyalty to Uncle Sam. In short, he got naturalized as an American. Despite how tough the road he faced, he was able to bring my brother and I to United States to take advantage of the American Dream. Four months after I joined the United States Navy, I also got naturalized and recently got my blue passport.

Indeed, someone has to sacrifice to pursue a better living,a great opportunity. If my Dad's sacrifice paid for us - his offspring, I know Vargas sacrifice for revealing his life as an undocumented immigrant will someday benefit thousands of people who still live in fears of being caught.

Petronas Towers: mighty towers

2011-06-21T05:04:00.000-07:00

The Twin Towers measures 88 floors or 451.9 meters as it serves as the highest building in the world since 2004 but was surpassed by Taipei 101 (Wikipedia). As we paid a visit to Malaysia, this structure has amazed me as thousands of workers painfully labored here with their sweat and blood embedded within the frames of the towers. The sky bridge is a structure that balances the towers. Amazing towers.

100 years

2011-06-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

As De La Salle Philippines kicked off celebration this month, I am happy to share the Lasallian experience with thousands of alumni around the world and students in the University. I am always grateful of the Lasallian education I got for almost five years of study.

Animo La Salle!

Liberty

2011-06-16T22:40:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful day to spend time alone to read books and scan blogs, know what's trending on line. Most of the time I spend my liberty in coming up with a blog or speaking to friends. Liberty is a term used in the Navy to signal we are off work. What's the opposite of liberty, by the way? And that's when we work for the ship. What I like is we're given enough liberty to enjoy a good time for us. Hope to do more stuff during liberty like travel and eat the best Japanese food out of town. It's such a blessing.

Long distance

2011-06-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

It has been 16 months since Tefanee and I have been running this relationship. It's tough to manage a long distance and it sucks when conflict arises. There were times when we have to wait for hours to keep on conversing via Skype and Facebook. When I'm onboard ship at sea, I still keep in touch with her. From the time we met in December 2009, we parted ways yet decided to be in a relationship. A year and two months after, we got engaged in Manila.

But if it is a relationship sealed by God, we have nothing to worry about. Sooner (not later), I will bring her to Japan after we tie the knot.

For now, we are not yet heading to a big ceremony with dazzling fashion and big top celebrities. That will follow later. Love you, honey.

Social

2011-06-11T05:01:00.001-07:00

This day, I spent time managing my social media platforms such as YouTube and Blogger account. I checked My Twitter and found out I only have 201 followers. Hope to have more followers. Social media is a platform I want to focus on as it will be a way for me to connect to the world. Plus there is a good business opportunity in the future. I checked my ad sense and it's earning a little bit of cents. Hopefully, will learn more.

X-Men: First Class

2011-06-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

X-Men: First Class is bad-ass. It back tracked the lives of first class mutants Professor X and Magneto who aimed to kill the dark side of mutants who influenced Russians to fire nukes agains Americans.

What makes the movie interesting is that it showed the relationship between USSR and United States during Cold War. During the fighting scenes, you would witness how a Captain and US Navy sailors manned their battle stations to prepare for possible attack. The shadow history of Cold War and Cuban missile crisis were part of the film. It's like history was written anew with the twist of mutant involvement in the war initiated by human race.

Michael Vaughn and crew did a great job in combining the characters in the film as well as producing outstanding graphics. A Film critic shared, "Adeptly juggling the film’s separate narrative strands, they manage to introduce the various mutants and their powers without losing sight of the overarching story (a feat that sometimes eluded their predecessors)."

The critic furthers, "The result is a well-paced adventure that delivers excitement, humour and pathos, and which steadily builds momentum between the set-piece action scenes without getting unduly sidetracked along the way."

This is the best X-Men movie I have watched.

50 facts about Millennials

2011-06-10T00:44:00.000-07:00

I got these facts from website of EON, my previous company in Philippines. The facts show interesting numbers o Millennial men who turn 31 this year. Check out and feel free to comment.

50 median number of text messages teenagers send every day (Pew Research 2010)

49 ranking, out of 100, of Marc Jacobs on the list of top prestige brands for Millennial men. BMW #1 for men. Chanel #1 for women (L2 Prestige Brand Study 2010)

48% of Millennials who say word-of-mouth influences their product purchases more than TV ads. Only 17% said a TV ad prompted them to buy (Intrepid Study 2010)

47% of 16-to-24-year-olds are employed, the smallest share since government started recording data in 1948 (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2011)

46% of Millennials say they’ve had vigorous exercise in the past 24 hours

45% of Millennials highly associate their lives with simplicity, compared to 51% of Gen X and 58% of Boomers

44% of Millennials say that marriage is becoming obsolete, compared to 35% of Boomers who feel the same way (Pew Study 2010)

43% of 18-24 year-olds say that texting is just as meaningful as an actual conversation with someone over the phone (eMarketer 2010)

42% of teens say the primary reason they have a cell phone is for texting. Safety was second at 35% (Nielsen Study 2010)

41% of Millennials have made a purchase using their smartphone

40% of Millennials think that blogging about workplace issues is acceptable. Compared to 28% of Boomers (Iconoculture 2011)

39% of Millennials have a tattoo (Pew Study 2010)

38% of Millennials count themselves as Democrats, 28% Independents, 26% Republicans (Brookings Institution Study, March 2011)

37% of those ages 18-29 are unemployed in 2011 (Pew Study 2010)

36% of Millennial women said the Trump brand (i.e. Donald Trump) was their most disliked prestige brand (L2 Millennial Study 2010)

35% of employed Millennials have started their own business on the side to supplement their income (Iconoculture 2011)

34% of women now have bachelor’s degrees, compared to 27% of men (U.S. Census Bureau 2011)

33% of Millennials live in cities and 14% live in rural environments

32% of Millennials say they don’t like advertising in general, compared to 37% of the general population (Experian Simmons Study)

31 the age of the oldest Millennials in 2011

30% of those 18-29 say having a successful marriage is one of the most important things in life. Being a good parent = 52% (Pew Study 2010)

29% of Millennial workers think work meetings to decide on a course of action are very efficient. Compared to 45% of Boomers (Iconoculture 2011)

28% of Millennials have a gun in their home (Pew Study 2010)

27% approximate decline in email usage among those ages 12-34 over the past year (ComScore Study 2010)

26% of Millennials say they are not affiliated with any religion (Pew Study 2010)

25 average age of the first time mom in the U.S. Twenty-seven for dads. (U.S. Census Bureau)

24% of Millennials say that ‘Technology use’ is what most makes their generation unique, the #1 answer (Pew Research 2010)

23% of Millennials think they will still be with their first employer after two years (8095 Live survey 2011)

22 average age of a fast food worker in the year 2000. In 2011, the average age is 29.5 (U.S. Census Bureau)

21% of Millennials say helping people in need is one of the most important things in life (Pew Study 2010)

20% of Millennials are Hispanic. Millennials are more racially diverse than any generation before them (U.S. Census Bureau 2011)

19% of Millennials have voted on American Idol (Pew Study 2010)

18 rank (out of 100) of the Christian Dior brand in the top 100 prestige brands for Millennial women, just ahead of Lexus, Louis Vuitton (LS Prestige study 2010)

17 age of actress Dakota Fanning, one of the youngest celebrities in the Millennial generation

16 the age of the youngest Millennials in 2011 (as grouped by 8095)

15% of Americans ages 25-29 who had never been married in 1960, compared to 55% in 2011 (U.S. Census Bureau)

14% of the Millennial population is African-American (Pew Study 2010)

13% of adults under the age of 35 have postponed marriage because of the recession

12% (only) of Millennials disagreed that they should pay more for higher quality items (Intrepid Study 2010)

11% of Millennials have boomeranged back to their parents house after graduating from college because of the recession (Pew Study 2010)

10 median number of brands that Facebook users ages 18-34 have ‘Liked’ (eMarketer via Wedbush Securities study 2010)

9% of Millennials say they have serious disagreements with their parents, compared to 19% of those ages 30+ who said the same (Pew Study 2010)

8% of 18-29 year-old internet users have used a location sharing service such as FourSquare (Pew Study 2010)

7 average number of jobs a person will have by age 26 (Intrepid Study 2010)

6 # of text message sent by those ages 13-18 every waking hour (Nielsen Study 2010)

5 in 10 Millennials say they travel for leisure with friends – nearly 20 points higher than older generations (PGAV Destinations Study 2011)

4 average number of times that Millennials eat out per week (3.39 per week to be exact), more than any other generation

3% of Millennials say they get their news from Facebook and Twitter (Brookings Institution Study, March 2011)

2% of Millennial males are military veterans, compared to 6% of Gen Xers at a comparable life stage, 13% of Boomers (Pew Research 2010)

1 rank of Adele’s Rolling in the Deep on the Billboard Hot 100 this week. The #1 song in 1980, the year the oldest Millennials were born, Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall

*Note: some numbers have been rounded for this report.

Kung Fu Panda

2011-06-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

Kung Fu Panda 2 focuses on inner peace.

Pray

2011-06-02T08:11:00.001-07:00

Dear Lord. Thank you for the many blessings you shower upon my life everyday. Thank you for giving me friends and good paycheck. Thank you for being faithful to me despite unfaithfulness. Thank you for giving me a healthy life despite having been sea sick in the past days. Thank you for helping me overcome all the trials. As you put me out of my comfort zone, I have learned how to trust you more and humble myself. Thank you Lord. In Jesus name. Amen.

Speaking onboard USS Blue Ridge

2011-05-31T01:19:00.000-07:00

This is a summary of the speech I shared to sailors on-board USS Blue Ridge for the celebration of the Asia Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Modesty aside, I received a good reception from the audience, congratulating me how powerful my speech was. As what a Yeoman said, "Your speech moved people in the ship." To God be the glory.

Five years ago, my Dad convinced me to join the Navy. Over the phone in Manila, he told me how challenging it is to join the world's finest Navy. Now you see me here standing in front of bunch of sailors from all walks of the planet and proudly serving on-board USS Blue Ridge.

As I immigrated to Hawaii two years ago, joining the United States was the biggest decision in my life that I never regret doing. There are lot of Filipino-Americans who inspired and moved me to strive harder everyday as they advanced and made their career in the Navy.

Three keywords that talks about the theme of Asia Pacific Islander Heritage month: Diversity, empowerment, and leadership.

DIVERSITY

Let's talk about diversity. How many of you here are Asian Americans? One of the reasons why I joined the Navy is to dwell with different cultures. The Navy is a melting pot of culture. In my division alone, I deal with Vietnamese, African, Chinese, Caucasian, and Central American. As of now, I am learning a lot from the upbringings and skills of different races. When they shared me the way they were raised, I am humbled to know the challenges they faced.

Filipinos have been joining the Navy even before World War II. Former US President William McKinley "signed an executive order in 1901 allowing the Navy to enlist 500 Filipinos as part of the insular force." There were also Filipinos who enlisted during World War II as part of the US Armed Forces of the Far East to fight the Imperial Japanese.

And that's about diversity.

EMPOWERMENT

Empowerment is a powerful tool to move people. Once you stop complaining and do the job that you have to do, you feel you are being empowered. In the 50s, Filipino-Americans started to serve as stewards, performing menial jobs like cooking and cleaning. But empowerment of generation took center stage as they advance in ranks and responsibilities.

From being ship helpers and chefs in the mess decks, fellow Filipinos and Asia Pacific Islanders assumed critical positions in the United States Navy. Eleonor Mariano is the first Filipino-American who made it as rear admiral, being appointed by former President Bill Clinton as medical chief of White House.

As I advance in rank someday, I hope to empower more people and share them not just to be limited to the position that they have known over the years but instead strive harder be it in the military or the civilian world.

LEADERSHIP

John Maxwell shares, "everything rises and falls on leadership". Another reason why I joined the Navy is to learn insights from leadership, a by-product of diversified people serving in the fleet.

By knowing your Chain of Command, you will not only learn your job but also life lessons about leadership. The "leadership decision moments" that your supervisor or chief will relay to you can either make or break your career. In the same way, their leadership can bring the best out of you.

When I joined the Navy, I am only limited to certain jobs because I was not yet an American citizen. Some jobs that I really want to do require me to obtain secret clearance that only citizens can have. Now that I got my citizenship, I can hunt for better opportunities and one of them is to become an officer someday. Dreaming of advancing with gold bars someday, I hope to lead a bunch of sailors who came from different walks of life.

God bless America and the Asians serving the Navy!

Almost third class

2011-05-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

By four points I missed advancing as third class petty officer, a rank in the United States Navy. Though I passed the exam for the second time, Navy only advanced 135 machinist mates (MM) out of 918 sailors or 14.74 percent in the rate who took the exam last March.

To give you a brief idea, advancement in the Navy is based on different categories and is not just taken from the Navy wide exams given every March and September of the year. The breakdown goes this way: performance mark average or the evaluation (36%), standard score (34%), passed not advanced (13%), service in pa grade (13%), and awards (4%).

Seven years ago, taking the third class exam and advancing is a walk in the park. Enlisted members who have been in the service for a decade or more would only put their names and social number in the exam sheet and wait after two months before they get advanced. Even if they just dotted Christmas trees on exam sheet, they still get the crow on their sleeves.

But not to undermine those who made it before, I know and believe they strive harder to advance in the Navy. As my mentor told me, keep on studying till you get it.

But today, advancement is like passing the eye of a needle. As I observed, the Navy is downsizing through Perform To Serve (PTS) and Enlisted Retention Board (ERB). The goal of ERB is to eliminate manning in 31 ratings. The good news is that most of the rates opened this cycle. For example, MM rate used to have 4.74 percent advancement last cycle but increased to 14.74 percent this time.

As I explained in my previous blog, Navy advancement is survival of the fittest.

They said third time's a charm. But charm is not enough. Right now, I will keep on studying and learning all the spaces in the engineering covered by MMs. Most importantly it is my faith in God that will lead me to advancement.

Hope my Thanks giving Day will be a good news this year!

The World will end on May 21?

2011-05-21T05:09:00.000-07:00

Today, the world is expected to end. That's what Harold Camping and his religious followers believed .According to CNNMoney.com, "...a massive earthquake will mark the second coming of Jesus, or so-called Judgment Day on Saturday, May 21, ushering in a five month period of catastrophes before the world comes to a complete end in October."

But CNN Money investigated Family Radio has been receiving $ 80 million contributions between 2005 and 2009. "Camping founded Family Radio, a nonprofit Christian radio network based in Oakland, Calif. with about 65 stations across the country, in 1958," the report furthers. Employees of the Church are being paid $23,000.

Let's have a basic knowledge first about eschatology, the study of last days. Let it be clear to believers and non-believers of Bible: No one knows the day and the hour of Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

In Matthew, Chapter 24, Jesus shared signs that will indicate the end of the world: there will be wars and rumors of wars, famine will occur, and evil will get worse in the world. Although Jesus shared signs of His coming, he cleared he will come to the world like a thief in the night.

Some indications are already happening. We have experienced the worst earthquakes and tsunamis this decade. Series of wars has been going on in Afghanistan, Iraq, and some countries in the Middle East. Another clear indication we are waiting to happen is the rise of Anti-Christ. Someone will introduce himself as "man of peace" to the world yet will start the one world government and force people to have a "mark of the beast."

God will not definitely tell people when the exact day of Second Coming is. Because if that's the case, people will continue to enjoy material things and pay attention to something the world can offer. Just like in the case of Family Radio, the extreme followers "have recently driven up in fancy cars or taken their families on nice vacations as a last hurrah."

What's disappointing is that Family Radio extended its solicitation in Minnesota from July 15 till November 15, days passed by the Judgment Day. The signs of the times for Family Radio leads to profit-making. In telling the world is coming to end, Camping and his followers have been gaining millions of bucks for this propaganda.

Enough said. It is not our problem to know the end of the world. What we should focus on is to believe and connect with Jesus Christ. Having an intimate relationship with Him no matter distant it is will matter now, until we meet Him in person during the Second Coming.

Temple and faith

2011-05-14T07:21:00.001-07:00

As we toured Osaka today, we captured photos and videos of temples and historical places often visited by residents and foreign nationals. Most of my American friends who were raised in stateside would rather visit the Universal Studios to experience 3-D Spiderman ride and other attractions made in Hollywood. Since we are only spending a weekend in Osaka, I would rather see the native attractions in the city. There were a few friends who joined in my crusade to search for temples and castles.

We dropped by in Shitennoji temple, the first officially administered temple in Japan built in honor of Prince Shotoku, the great hero in Japanese history who brought about the adoption of Buddhism in Japan. In some of the structures, I witnessed golden gods. Cameras and videos were not allowed as to protect their privacy.

Faith plays an important role in Japanese people. For them, temples are sacred places for worship. Either they believe in Buddha or practice Shintoism, Japanese are very serious in expressing their faith. When we dropped by in one of the shrines, I witnessed how a Japanese paid respect by offering her 200 yen to the tabernacle and then she uttered an intimate prayer.

As I see Japanese residents chanting their prayers silently, I am reminded on how I pray as a Christian. Although there are various expressions of faith in the world, one important key lesson I am learning is the sustainable faith in God.

In the Bible, the most famous temple mentioned is the Temple of Jerusalem built by King Solomon. But temple is more than a structure. For modern day Christians, temple is often refer to our body where the Holy Spirit dwells. What God wants in His people is to worship Him in Spirit and truth that's why we don't face any tangible material to worship (John 4:24).

The more I see other people bow down to their gods, the more I am convinced to express my faith to God and share his wonderful and amazing works to others.

Osaka

2011-05-13T20:35:00.001-07:00

Right now, we are touring Osaka. This is amazing moment for me as I got weekend off to travel to another area in Japan. Hope to see more places here.

SEALed lips while saving the world

2011-05-08T23:49:00.000-07:00

Though they were applauded by the citizens and highlighted by media organizations, the Navy SEALs performed their job silently in killing the world's wanted person Osama bin Laden.

Since I joined the Navy, I am amazed on how the SEALs fulfill their mission secretly without the world minding the details of their operation. Right after the announcement of the operation, Navy SEALs were featured in international news programs.

They were silently unnoticed in their own hometown in Virginia.

While I was attending at school in Great Lakes, Illinois, I witnessed a team of sailors performing hundreds of push-ups while shouting The Sailor's Creed with pride. My co-worker who used to train in Navy SEALs gave up his desire to be in the commando organization because he got injured for a couple of times.

One key lesson we can learn from Navy SEAL: Seal your lips while working on a job. Chris Heben, who was a former SEAL, shared to CNN: "Be a quiet professional. There is no room for braggarts in the SEALs."

As I advance my career in the Navy, I always remember to perform a job without complaining even if it is a shitty job to perform everyday. I may not have a body built structure of a SEAL but I will try to emulate their sealed lips attitude in carrying the Plan of the Day everyday.

Mama

2011-05-08T05:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day, Mama Lydia. Words can't explain how I love you.

Sleep

2011-04-30T19:12:00.001-07:00

Finally, happy to get long hours of sleep.It feels great and relaxing. I'm like a snake hibernating for months just to charge for the whole year's battle. I hope I can get more breaks but I know it rarely happens in the Navy.

First Royal Kiss on Balcony

2011-04-30T06:52:00.001-07:00

While watching the Royal Wedding yesterday, I am struck by the two consecutive kisses delivered by Prince William to Kate Middleton. It was not so-Hollywood; neither a physical display of physical affection nor a fancy kiss. Billions of people around the world witnessed the royal kiss.

For me, kiss is a very sacred act. I remember the story of Pastor Joseph Bonifacio who tied the knot with Rica Karla Peralta last year. They saved their first kiss during their wedding, a symbol of preserving their virginity.

Kiss is one of the best gifts you can offer to your future bride. Save it!

Shop and ride in Hong Kong (documentary special)

2011-04-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

Asia’s business capital Hong Kong is a place for real shopping and recreation. According to its tourism department, Hong Kong received 36 million visitors in 2010 with travel sentiment as its economic booster.

The city is filled with shops, street markets, and malls which tourists can go for hunting cheaper products. Practice the art of good bargaining so you can get those at affordable price.

Even if some products are just imitations of the original brand, you might be convinced to buy them.

And speaking of entertainment, you may want to check the street dancers in Mong Kok at night. Watch your grandpa and granda exhibit their finest showdown.

Ocean Park is a tourist spot that offers marine mammal park, oceanarium, and animal park.

The cable cars have built safety features to ensure that they will not plunge into the ground.

Ocean Park offers sharks, jelly fishes, sting rays among others. The park focuses on marine conservation and environmental protection.

Shopping and rides are two activities that define Hong Kong’s entertainment as part of business. We hope the city will continue to serve the generations to come serving residents and tourist spots from all walks of life.

For Hong Kong, this is Paul Garilao your travel correspondent.

Kate-William wedding

2011-04-28T22:35:00.001-07:00

Hours from now, the whole world will witness the nuptial between Prince William and soon-to-be-princess Kate. Right now I'm watching Fox news via AFN channel to keep updated on the Royal Wedding. Hopefully, this wedding will serve as an inspiration to dreamers, who one day want to tie the knot.

Run

2011-04-25T04:12:00.001-07:00

Running one and a half mile for the upcoming PFA feels uncomfortable at first. My problem is I only prepare 2 months before the cycle. But I can't cram a physical fitness exam. Have to bring that habit of running and working out at the gym 3 times a week. Hopefully I see the progress.

Happy Easter

2011-04-23T20:55:00.001-07:00

Christ's resurrection is powerful that it has and will save humanity from hell. The essence of Easter is to reminisce the passion of Christ to save us. I have been following up Easter every year. The more I open my life to Christ the more I draw near to his presence.

Slack

2011-04-22T05:49:00.001-07:00

Lately, I have been slacking in work. Cranking at mess decks is tedious and shitty job. I have to wake at 5 am everyday and job finishes at 6pm for long day and 2 pm for short day. For civilian readers cranking refers to working as food service assistant in mess deck and scullery. It sucks. My motivation lowered down but have to work because it's part of the job.

Palm waivers, head scratchers, and the donkey rider

2011-04-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

Service in the base

This Easter week, I attended a Sunday Service that highlights Jesus triumphal entry to Jerusalem. The Chaplain in Naval base has a good preaching about the Palm Sunday. Here's the gospel:

John 12:13-16

13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! " "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!" 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, 15 "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt. 16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

Based on the gospel, the Chaplain divided the characters into three types:

1. Palm waivers
They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! " "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!"

Speaking of palm branch, one would think of the tropics, beaches and warm weather.But for the people during the time of Jesus, palm branch was a political symbol.You would understand why the early people use palm.

Here's an excerpt from Bible-preaching.org website:

Yes- the crowd greet their king. If we dig a little into Jewish history, we can understand a little of the crowd’s reaction. In 167BC, the Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes had desecrated the Temple. Pig’s flesh had been offered to Zeus on the altar and the temple cubicles turned into a brothel. In 164BC, the yoke of Antiochus was broken by Judas Maccabeus, and a feast or rededicaton held. The people had shouted “Hosanna”, had waved palm branches and looked for redemption.

So, again, we have a crowd going wild, a crowd going wild waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna”! Now: the word ‘Hosanna’ means ‘save us’

The palm waivers address Jesus as their deliverer and Messiah who will save them from Romans atrocities. They want Jesus to be the political leader. That's what the palm waivers wanted- a Jesus who was committed to their agenda.

According to the chaplain, people are excited to follow Jesus only to give them what they want, people who use Jesus to meet their own agenda. In our modern day world, palm waivers still exist.

The chaplain related it with American consumer religion in which citizens only attend Sunday services to tailor fit to their needs. If they find a faulty logic or not-so-nice situation about the church, they will transfer to another church. There are some citizens who also believe the Cafeteria Christianity who only pick laws and regulations that they want to follow.

One classic example is the religious rightists who use Jesus to get their side.

2. Donkey rider

Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, he found a young donkey. In other accounts, he asked his disciples to find a donkey for him. But this time Jesus took the initiative to ride a small and young donkey.

The Bible-preaching.org explains it best:

Zechariah, whose prophecy was quoted by Matthew, further tells us that at the End, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. (14:4) It was from there that the Jews would expect their Messiah to come. And on that day which we call ‘Palm Sunday’, Jesus thus approaches Jerusalem, fulfilling that other prophecy which Matthew quotes: Say to the daughter of Zion, “See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (9:9)

According to the chaplain, a donkey was an "animal of peace", powerless kind of animal. In Islam Prophet Mohammad rode a horse.

Talk about donkey, I'm reminded of two scenarios: the donkey named Balak who spoke in the Book of Numbers and the donkey who's very funny in the movie Shrek.

Here's a good explanation about donkey as a sign of peace:

On the donkey as a symbol and instrument of peace

Jesus rides a donkey into places of violence where peace is especially needed.
The donkey goes all the way in to the situation.
Jesus isn’t a warrior on a fast horse to ride in, inflict damage and escape; but on a donkey he goes in to stay.
The donkey runs the same risk of being killed as its rider.

On being Jesus’ donkeys for peace

Jesus won’t get to as many places or as fast if we and other donkeys aren’t willing to be ridden into those situations. These situations could include

interpersonal situations – family, school, neighborhood or workplace conflicts.
wider and deadlier conflicts – fights, riots, war zones
institutional or social-political situations – in our Church, educational systems, government policies, corporate practices, the criminal justice system.
What God said to Jeremiah, Jesus says to us: “Go now to those to whom I send you and say whatever I command you to say. And don’t be afraid of them, for I am with you to protect you” (Jeremiah 1: 7-8).

Jesus action is symbolic. Palm waivers totally missed the point. They thought Jesus is a political figure. But he came to the world to offer salvation, to give peace to each individual.

3. Head "scratchers"

At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

The disciples missed the point even if they were in the situation. They missed the meaning of what's going on. But you would understand that most of them have lack of discernment in terms of what will happen to Jesus a week after Palm Sunday.

As head scratchers, we also ask questions and challenge God. We ask why things happen and why catastrophes has to claim thousands of lives? Why did he pick a country that has experienced a nuclear crisis already? What are you trying to teach me Lord?

According to Chaplain, it is entirely possible to be a head scratcher and a donkey rider of Jesus. But it is not possible to be a head scratcher and a palm waiver.

Who are you? A palm waiver or a head scratcher?

Who will watch for chiefs

2011-04-16T23:28:00.001-07:00

March issue of Navy Times presents Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy' plan to get rid of dirtbag chiefs in the Navy. It's because there are a lot of chiefs who were involved in drunk under influence of alcohol, sexual assaults, fraternization and many more violations prohibited by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Don't get me wrong. I admire and salute chiefs who strive harder and share their leadership moments with us, junior sailors. This reminds me that personal leadership matters most.

Room

2011-04-16T23:19:00.001-07:00

It's good to enjoy my duty free weekend not anywhere else but in my private room. Since my room mate is temporarily stationed in Virginia, I am alone relaxing and enjoying my room, which Navy technically calls barracks. I saved a lot in having my own room than living in the ship. Before, I used to eat in restaurants and fast-food. Now, I buy food and groceries I needed and stock them on my refer.

Of Cherry blossoms and earthquakes

2011-04-16T04:04:00.000-07:00

Cherry blossom in Yokosuka

This spring, Cherry Blossom is the most awaited part that Japanese and foreigners want to experience. It's time of the year when the flower of cherry trees blossom and give color to gardens and places.

According to Wikipedia, the "association of cherry blossom with mono no aware dates back to 18th century in which transience of the blossoms, the extreme beauty and quick death, has often been associated with mortality."

This year, some festivals for the Cherry Blossom have been canceled to pay respect to the death and tragedy brought by the recent earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. According to Japantoday.com, "In this time of national grieving, the cherry blossoms will bring home the awareness of “hakanasa” with a strange kind of force—one that doesn’t strike but sinks into the soul like heat from a hot spring or fire from a sake bottle, bringing sorrow and solace in equal measure." Indeed, the

It's my first time to witness how the cherries blossom as they shine bright throughout the day. Right after I captured some photos of cherry trees, I went straight to the library and used Wifi to upload those photos. While uploading the photos, I felt the ground has been shaking and the book shelves swaying. That's one of the numerous aftershocks since the 9.2 magnitude earthquake hit Japan last March 11.

Before I left the base last February, I got to see some families in the base and Japanese residents going to work and school. Business was as usual. But now, it's saddening to see only a few personnel are walking in the streets and buying some stuff in NEX and Commissary. Gone are the children who wait for their dads in uniform. Since the unstable condition of the nuclear plant in Dai-chi, the Big Navy has decided to implement voluntary evacuation to family members in Yokosuka. The decision has almost sent two thirds of the family members back to US.

I still have high hopes that Japan will still rise up. The Japantoday.com furthers, "And amid death, people of all stripes here are plowing ahead with life, in an orderly and cooperative way. Many are already starting to return to the sites of their devastated homes, and thinking cool-headedly about how to start over amid Japan’s biggest catastrophe since World War II."

In the same way, the season should serve as a hope for the residents of Japan. God is in control of every situation no matter how hard it is for us to comprehend why tragedies happen. The Bible says, "Be still and know that I am God."

Like the cherry that goes dry in winter, life can still spring.

iphone blogging

2011-04-15T01:38:00.001-07:00

Today, I will start blogging via IPhone. I downloaded an application so I can be able to access my Blogger account via IPhone. Through this platform I can offer you more articles. Blogging breaking news and instant concepts will now be part of my blog. Enjoy reading.

Aftershocks and conservation

2011-04-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

Things have changed since we came back to the naval base. Here are some of my observations:

1.Hours after we pulled in port, we have experienced series of aftershocks, the nth earthquake after the major crisis that hit Japan a month ago.

2. Before, I am greeted with sailors and family members at NEX and some food establishment. But since evacuation of family members was initiated by the Navy, the base seemed to be a lonely place to stay, not to mention a ghost town.

3. Usually, lights across public streets are turned on illuminating the whole area at night. But as I walk outside the base, darkness feels the street and roads - a way to cut down power rates and conserve energy.

In fact, our base is doing significant effort to cut energy costs. According to Seahawk Umitaka, the weekly newspaper on base, the Yokosuka base "significantly reduced the amount of power they use in an effort to lessen their draw from the Japanese power grid that was damaged from the recent earthquake, tsunami and failure of Fukishima Dai-ichi nuclear reactors."

Hopefully, things will go back to normal. There is still a big challenge ahead of us.

Land

2011-04-11T05:51:00.000-07:00

Finally, we touched down today to Yokosuka. After two months of underway and a month after Japan was struck with devastating earthquake, we are back to land. I got of at 1400 and packed all my things from my rack. I was supposed to do a laundry today but I instead went online in the library.

Finally, I got the chance to eat real food, I mean a food not from the ship. Cocos is the best.

This time my mind is still occupied with many things that's why it's hard to blog about my experiences and insights. More to come...

Earth Hour and what can I do?

2011-03-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

Earth hour. So happy to know that every year, there is an increase in the number of cities participating during Earth Hour. CNN reports, "In honor of the fifth annual Earth Hour, millions of homes and businesses around the world went dark for one hour Saturday at 8:30 p.m. The symbolic gesture highlights concerns over climate change and is sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund."

Caring for the environment is an advocacy I have embedded in my mind after I studied environmental science and inspired by my professor Dr. Alvin Culaba. My awareness skyrocketed after participating in the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 2009.

What am I doing for the environment now? As I am temporarily assigned to work with culinary specialist in the ship, I make sure that all areas of the mess decks (where sailors eat) are clean and trashes are taken out of the spaces. While at sea, we make sure that trashes are separated: biodegradable (food debris, paper, etc) and non-biodegradable or plastic materials, and metals. As shitty as the job is, I make sure that trashes are separated into these three categories. (At least, I will only do it for three months and not forever!)

The garbage processing team, on the other hand, compacts those trashes through machines. We are prohibited to throw trashes in the ocean. Of course, that will pollute the environment.

Accepting the "fact of life"

2011-03-26T04:17:00.000-07:00

Days after tsunami struck the northern part of Japan, we are continuously carrying disaster relief efforts to the affected families and residents. As a command ship, USS Blue Ridge has been communicating with other warships that were in the nearby vicinity.

Though we haven't been directly involved in the ground zero to help deliver relief packages for now, I feel joy to have contributed something for the mission in my little way. The mission is called Operation Tomadachi, a Japanese word that means "friends".

Speaking of Tomadachi, I miss my friends in Yokosuka Naval base. Most of the families who attend in our local church already left the base to move to United States and Philippines. That's because the Big Navy decided to implement a voluntary evacuation given the radiation from Fukishima might have possibly affect Yokosuka, 300 miles from the devastated town.

Because of the recent catastrophe, sailors will be temporarily be separated with their family and loved ones. I didn't have the chance to meet my fellows at the church before they say goodbye. In fact, those families would prepare a dinner party for me as I go back to the base. What I will miss is their Filipino delicacy and the hospitable relationship that they share to me.

Since we are still underway for a month, my fellow sailors haven't even been met their families who were already evacuated in the naval base. In Navy lingo, the situation sucks.

We really don't know what events may change the course of our lives. We have to accept the brutal fact and face the situation with faith. As the cliche goes, there is always a reason why things happen. In this situation, family separation for a while will test the relationship of loved ones.

I remember in 2008, when I read Failing Forward, leadership guru John Maxwell explains "the fact of life." We need to understand the difference between a problem and a “fact of life”. A problem is something that we can control, while “fact of life” refers to circumstances that are beyond our control. The situation is, no doubt, a fact of life, so better deal with it in our own means.

For most of the sailors, evacuating their families and flying them to US is the best step for now. Whether radiation will immensely hit the base or not, at least, the families will be secured from any imminent danger. Peace of mind prevails.

Tefanee and I will be married this year as our request is already approved by Guam (Yes, we need a request chit to be married, that's the way it is in the Navy). But because of the situation, I cannot underpin the date of the civil wedding. With regard to arranging her papers to fly to Japan, I still hope that it will be approved once the situation turns normal.

We need to deal with the fact of life and address the situation to God. The Bible says," The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You."

Call of Duty: Motivated sailors want to help

2011-03-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

Earlier, our ship USS Blue Ridge loaded 72 pallets of relief goods from another naval vessel. While I'm washing dishes in the scullery, I heard my name on 1MC that I have to join those sailors who will heave lines for the naval ship to be adjacent with our ship while refueling and loading goods delivery.

I am happy to be part of this historic event.I am also happy to see some sailors who joined the Navy with an end goal of helping those who need help.

My shipmate Jo Tanilon has been updating her Facebook from time to time to share updates about the tragedy. Bliss Seale, a good friend from the ship shared on her Facebook:

I made a promise to myself that I am going to do whatever I have to do to help Japan…I feel even more honored to be in the Navy because I get to help and rescue people in a time of devastation… my main reason in joining the service was to do something good for my country whether it was to fight or to represent honor, courage and commitment that I value and as well as the Navy…

As we are headed to Japan, I watched CNN: Becky Anderson interviewed the ship's public affairs officer and shared nine US Navy ships will respond to the area of calamity. A CNN news article shares:

Navy personnel began loading tons of disaster relief supplies aboard the U.S. 7th Fleet command flagship, the USS Blue Ridge, currently in Singapore The vessel and its crew were scheduled to depart for Japan Saturday morning, according to a statement from U.S. 7th Fleet public affairs.

I just hope that we will be on ground zero to help those victims and distribute relief goods in the area. It's the time to heed our calling.

The call of duty: Help the Tsunami victims

2011-03-11T10:04:00.000-08:00

While our ship USS Blue Ridge is moored in Singapore, we have learned from CNN that an earthquake struck the north eastern part of Japan. Sailors were already prepared to go out of the ship, but our liberty was secured. I was still sick on quarters due to my swelling feet; but I can't help but do something to aid those who were victimized by the tragedy.

According to news reports, US Military will respond to the victims of the natural disaster. In fact, National journal posted on its site that two ships USS Essex and USS Blue Ridge that are in Malaysia and Singapore, respectively are headed off to the devastated area to respond to those who need help.

An ABC News article furthers, "All U.S. military and federal government personnel based in Japan are accounted for with no reports of injuries or serious damage to U.S. military facilities there in the wake of the 8.9 earthquake that has rocked Japan."

One of the reasons why I joined the US Military is to help those citizens from around the world who might have been victimized by natural calamities. I believe an organization as big as the US Military can save thousands of lives by using its military facilities. Tapping the potential of military when it comes to disaster response is a big help.

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, US Military responded by sending troops and sailors to the area. An old report shared the ships carried "food, fuel, medical and construction supplies as well as hovercraft that can be used for evacuation and search-and rescue missions."

A year ago, the military also responded to the earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of residents in Haiti. According to Navy news, USS Vinson and the rest of Navy ships were deployed to Haiti to conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

Before I joined the military, participating in disaster preparedness has been one of my advocacy. Almost 1.5 years ago, my friend Alfonso Orioste in Manila and I joined the CNN/You Tube Debate after Manila was struck by Typhoon Ondoy (International name: Ketsana).

We produced a six-minute video that discusses the effects of climate change both in first and third world countries. Besting other 1,000 entries, we won the online contest and witnessed the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.

From there, my passion to help those who are in need has accelerated. Indeed, in our own little ways, we can help and save the world.

Now is the right time to respond to my call of duty. I join hundreds of United States sailors based in Japan to respond to victims of tsunami that recently hit Japan.

Tsunami hits Japan

2011-03-11T06:45:00.000-08:00

We are supposed to stay in Singapore for humanitarian missions but we have to respond to the victims of tsunami in north eastern part of Japan. But I can't think of liberty now in Singapore. Our liberty is secured.

In times like this, I have to think of helping those affected by the tsunami. CNN reports there are 200-300 bodies found in the area. Flights are cancelled in Narita Airport, market stocks fell down, and possible food shortages were reported in Tokyo.

US President Barrack Obama said United States will respond to Japan's tragedy. News article states: Obama said in a statement early that his administration will "continue to closely monitor tsunamis around Japan and the Pacific going forward."

National Journal.com shares US military is about to respond. Check out the article:

7:47 a.m. Overnight, the U.S. military began to put in place the beginnings of a humanitarian relief operation when and if Japan asks for help, CNN reports.

If such a request is received, the U.S. and other international organizations are expected to step in, CNN reports, adding that three major U.S. Navy warships in the region getting ready to move to help Japan:

-- The USS Essex is in Malaysia and is getting ready to bring relief supplies, though it will take a few days to reach Japan

-- The USS Blue Ridge is in Singapore, loading up relief supplies there and heading off to Japan

-- The USS Tortuga is already in Sasebo, Japan, and is putting on board small landing craft to reach flooded areas where roads are washed out and get the relief operation underway.

Malaysia truly Asia

2011-03-04T07:07:00.000-08:00

One of the challenges faced by Aquino Adminstration last year is changing the tourism slogan of the country from Wow Philippines to Pilipinas Kay Ganda.

But most citizens reacted negatively about the proposed slogan. In fact, prominent Filipino tour guide Carlso Celdran "posted live updates from the campaign launch on his Facebook fan page, where the new slogan was met with a barrage of criticism."

Branding a country as described in a phrase is a challenging task. Such phrase should encapsulate the idea of the country's great tourism image. One successful slogan that foreigners would remember is Malaysia Truly Asia.

This week, our ship visited Kota Kinabalu, one of the popular places in Malaysia. Here are some of my key observations:

1. There are a lot of similar words I heard from them, and could have believe that some of them are derived from Tagalog words. The word "salamat" in Filipino is used as a greeting in Bahasa language like Salamat peteng (good evening). The term "tang hari" in Bahasa is similar to "tanghali" in Filipino that means afternoon.

2. I may have just stayed three days in Kota Kinabalu, but I already got a gist of the cultural and social behavior of Malaysians. A Filipino- Malaysian who has living in Kota Kinabalu for there decades delivered me a best massage that they call feet reflexology.

3. Malaysian delicacy is truly Asian! After work, I joined some Filipino sailors who dined in Fish Market that sells huge sweet and sour fish and tilapia (milk fish). In my entire life, I have never seen a huge tilapia like that.

Based on a little search I made over the Internet, I found out why is it called Malaysia truly Asia. Check this out from Pluralism Porject:

The slogan “Malaysia, Truly Asia” is commonly heard around the world as part of a large and expensive advertising campaign sponsored by the Malaysian government. It is an attempt to attract foreign visitors to this country of 22 million people which boasts of a highly diverse ethnic and religious composition (Embong 2000, p.59). 51 percent of the population is Malay, all of whom are Muslim. (1) Chinese make up 26 percent of the population, most of whom are Buddhists combining Taoist and Confucian practices, while a small number identify as Christian. Indians comprise 7 percent of the population of which most are Hindu with a small minority of Sikhs, Muslims and Christians. Various ethnic groups, such as different indigenous groups mostly situated in the Borneo region, and Eurasians and migrants workers, most of whom are Indonesians, make up the remaining 16 percent of the population (Peletz 2005, p.243).

Indeed, Malaysians are truly Asians!

The art of Hong Kong bargaining

2011-02-27T06:27:00.000-08:00

My Hong Kong experience sums up with the word "bargain". Tourists and residents love Hong Kong because of cheaper prices that markets can offer. To buy merchandises at affordable prices, learn how to negotiate with the seller.

From Admiralty Center, my friends and I ride a busy train MTR to Mong Kok, the marketplace for anything you want to buy: from bags, T shirts, jackets as well as decorations like Four Season and preserved insects.

In Ladies Market, one of the market places in Mong Kok, I got the chance to shop for souvenirs, clothes, and bags. I recommend to tourists who want to shop in Hong Kong to practice the art of good bargaining. Here's what I did:

An imitation of D&G bag costs 180 Hong Kong dollars. But I was able to negotiate to lower down the price at 130 dollars.
Six kit-chains cost 100 dollars but I was able to lower it down to 40 dollars.
An imitation of Ferrari jacket costs 110 dollars, but I ask to get it at 80 dollars. The seller doesn't want to sell it below 85 dollars. To make a deal, my friend included a Honda ball cap with the jacket at 110 dollars. The seller agreed to the deal.

According to a review article of About.com, "All prices at the Ladies Market are negotiable, and the sellers will waste no time in trying to fleece naive tourists Start at a low price and bargain with the stall holder until you reach a price you think is fair, if they won’t budge, take your business down the road, as the same or similar product shouldn’t be far away. Be warned, Hong Kong market sellers are old veterans and can appear aggressive, but the bargaining is just part of the game, and if you get a good price, they will often offer you a compliment afterward."

When our ship pulls in Hong Kong again, I want to try shopping in other market places in the area. I want to go back to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

2011-02-25T04:42:00.000-08:00

I regret. I didn't prepare enough money for Hong Kong. It's because I spent a lot in Manila for my fiancee and relatives. But thank God I am still able to shop some t-shirts and bags and explore beautiful places in the city

The good thing is that taxi drivers and residents speak English that's why it's easy to know directions and ask for basic stuff like a good restaurant and a nice bar. Check out a long blog and video later.

I love Hong Kong.

The rules of engagement

2011-02-17T02:24:00.000-08:00

In Fort Bonifacio, Manila

Though Valentine's breeze just passed quickly, the season of love is still going on throughout the year alive and kicking. As Shakespeare shares in his Sonnet, "Love alters not with brief hours and weeks, but bares it out even to the edge of doom." But I am not carrying my love to the edge of doom but to the edge of joy.

When our ship USS Blue Ridge moored in Manila, I can't wait to get out to see my fiancee, Tefanee Bonafe. February 13 of last year, she answered me online and decided to be in a relationship via Facebook. For almost a year, we pushed through with our relationship not minding the challenges and tough roads of long-distance relationship. We didn't expect that a exactly a year after, we will celebrate our anniversary with relatives and loved ones in a personal way.

What highlighted our three day moment was my surprise proposal. How did I propose to Tefanee? Check out the three simple rules of engagement:

1. Romantic setting. After we celebrated our birthday in Quezon City, I asked Ponching to drive me to Global City, commonly known as Fort Bonifacio. I choose the place for the proposal because I consider it the most romantic place in Manila. If you have been to the place, I particularly choose the end part of Serendra that is parallel to Bonifacio High Street.

I did the proposal during the eve of Valentine's Day when lovers are just starting to date. The setting is dim but the beacon of light coming from Serendra illuminated the proposal crystal clear. In fact, when I opened the case, I felt the light shined on the ring.

2. Suitable ring. The price doesn't really matter as long as you value your fiancee or future wife. In a news article I read, I learned the ring should match the personality of the person. In my case, I purchased a ring that has a crown shaped head as I consider my fiancee the queen of my life. Check out the article here.

Make sure that you know the ring size of your fiancee. Don't give her a hint. Ask it from her close relatives or parents.

I recommend that you already buy a set: the engagement ring, the ring bands. The advantage is you will know what will match the engagement ring and the band.

3. Surprise, Surprise. She was caught by surprise! Some common proposal takes place in a restaurant after a dinner or in front of family members. Right after we drunk coffee and tea from Starbucks, we walked across the Bonifacio High Street. Without having an idea about engagement, i immediately got the ring (or set of rings) in my pocket and asked Tefanee: "Honey, will you marry me?"

"Sabi mo hindi ka pa nakakabili ng ring? (You told me you haven't bought a ring yet?)" She replied with high level of joy.

Jokingly, I told her, I still need to pay that because that's on credit. Tefanee told me the proposal was one of the memorable moments in her life. That's what she told me so believe me.

Soon, I am going to upload the video my friend Ponching and I edited. The video will explain the engagement.

Overall, what's more important is your sincerity. Make the proposal realistic and free yourself from fancy ideas that cannot be executed well.

Love you so much my honey! To God be the glory!

Tefanee

2011-02-16T08:52:00.000-08:00

Finally, I got the chance to bond with my fiancee Tefanee. The last time we met was in December 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. It's almost a year of no physical contact but we keep on communicating via Skype and YM. I want to write a long blog about her but my mind is still overwhelmed with a lot of exciting memories with her and Manila.

Life lessons at 26

2011-02-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

Blogger's note: This is just a ripped off my blog a year ago. A year in my life is added again so I better edit the piece and share them to my viewers.

Twenty-six years ago, I came to earth clueless of why I'm here. Few days from now, I will be turning 26.

Some people experience the so-called quarter life crisis between 25 and 30. Feeling of insecurity, disappointment, and boredom appear at age 26. It's a period associated with choosing the right career and plotting out what you may want to do the rest of your life. It's a period when one thinks of security of tenure and financial matters.

My initial intention for this blog is to brag about the 25 great achievements I experienced and cherished in the last two and a half decades. But who cares about those experiences.

Here are 26 life lessons I learned by age 26. Some are lessons I learned from mentors while the rest are based on my personal experiences. Check their rundown in random order:

1.Simplify your message. I thought before that communicating a complex theory is the best approach to get the attention of listeners. But I was wrong. A good communicator is one who can simplify a message that is as complex as the technologies evolving today.

2. Be fit. Going to the gym and running 1.5 miles a day will improve your endurance. When I was a kid, I used to run miles in our community and school and that has earned me medals for sports festival. But when I stopped for a decade I sensed that my body is not always feeling well. I am back to the oval and running again I feel energized to work and face challenges ahead. The Navy life is pulling and pushing me to drive crazy in running an extra mile and building new muscles.

3. Don't believe in superstitions, they bring bad luck. Filipinos have thousands of superstitions to believe but they are not happening in my case. Better to believe in the Word of God than in the word of mouth.

4.Talk to strangers. Wherever I go, I approach and befriend strangers. At age 16, I met African and European friends when we attended a youth congress in Germany. Now in the Navy, I am working with a Vietnamese, American, African, and other races from all walks of life. You'll learn a lot from their culture and their upbringing.

5.Love your country. No matter how corrupt our politicians are and how stupid some of our fellow citizens are, we still care for our country. I recently become a naturalized citizen of United States, but I will not give up my nationality as a Filipino. Definitely, I will be back to my homeland with suitable skills and lessons to share.

6.Trust your instincts. There are times when I don't do a lot of research to decide on matters of everyday life. It's stupid to do. I just rely on my gut feeling that my decision is right and favorable in the long run. What example can you share?

7.Turn your downtime into uptime. During idle times, I use the opportunity to have a productive life such as reading books in the library and praying in my room. During long hours of travel, I take time to have power nap to energize myself for big activities like speaking engagements and major exams.

8. Discipline of learning. We are in school for almost 23 years and we often complain why we need to invest more time to study subject matters we don't need. But the discipline of learning is more important than learning the subject matter itself.

9. Fail forward. I've encountered failures in school and life in general. In his book Failing Forward, John Maxwell shared, “The only way you can get ahead is to fail early, fail often, and fail forward.” Better to experience failure at a young age to learn to avoid them years from now.

10. Advocate for a good cause. What are you passionate about to fight for a good cause. Having an advocacy heightens your participation in the community and country. Some of my advocacies include climate change, education, and technology.

11. Care and share. After college, I got the chance to share my key learning experiences about leadership, journalism, and career to high school and college students. Whenever I learn something, I want to share those lessons to people. I aspire to be a motivational speaker someday.
12. Write according to your age. I was trying hard to write like an expert when I was a child. But if you write according to your age, you'll realize your craft is growing naturally. You learn to write to express and not to impress. Writing is my opium. It is an activity that I will continue to do till I pass away this world.

13. Obey your parents. I have nothing to complain. My parents sent me to the best schools in Manila. I value the lessons I learned from them. When I was a child, there are moments of tantrum and complaints about their decisions for me. But I wholeheartedly followed their decisions for me. Obeying our parents is the only Biblical commandment with a promise.

14. Eat the best food in town. Rice and adobo are not only the food that I am craving for. Whenever I visit places, I make sure to taste the best delicacies. In Cebu, I love the lechon or roasted pig.

15. Learn from influential people. Ever since a child, I look up to influential people who are passionate about advocacy. I also have mentors who motivate me to pursue my career and life goals and their pieces of advice help a lot in my decision-making.

16. Focus on solution-seeking, not finger pointing. One lesson I learned about opinion writing or sharing my thoughts is not just to ramble about the problems in an issue. When I was a columnist for our school paper, I include solutions on how to resolve university issues. As a blogger, I always ensure to put my humble suggestions on topics that need solution seeking.

17. What you visualize, you actualize. I always dream of great feats. My dream to become an editor was fulfilled. My dream to meet world leaders came true last December 2009 when we attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference. My dream of traveling the world is now being fulfilled too in the Navy. Few years from now, I dream to become a CNN correspondent. I dream to join global leaders to discuss issues that are adversely impacting the world. It is my global calling.

18. Connect the dots later. There are parts of our life that do not make sense why we encounter them. We'll only realize their purpose when they are connected to a responsibility that will impact others in the future. Sometimes, there are bad moments that hamper our growth and haunts as ghosts from pasts. The Bible says, "All things work together for good for those who love God, and who are called according to his purpose." I recently realized that the public and media relations I learned from a previous company helped me to win the CNN/YouTube Debate on Climate Change.

19. Wait for the right time. Waiting maybe a boring moment if you just stop and don't do anything. But waiting becomes purposeful if you prepare and train yourself for it. It took me nine years to wait before I reunited with my Dad who migrated to US. It took me years to study engineering and now will be applying it in the US Navy. I waited for Tefanee Bonafe, my life partner and soon we will tie the knot.

20. Leadership is a lifestyle. I remember in grade school that I always raise my hand to volunteer as a leader for a group project. In high school and college, I hold many campus positions to enhance my leadership skills. Leadership is test of character and an opportunity to inspire and motivate people to tap their potentials.

21. Excel in everything you do. If I can turn back time again, I will target an honor in college. My college life is a mediocre period when I got mediocre and failing grades. But I would say there are parts of my life in which I excelled like in journalism and in church activities. Excellence plays a role in our competitive world. Will practice this as a lifestyle.

22.Travel while you are still young. The good thing with travelling is that I have been immersed to different socio-political and cultural differences. Traveling has opened my mind to understand those differences. Thanks to the Navy as I am traveling to different countries. Since I immigrated to US, I live in three places already: Hawaii, Chicago, and Japan. As I am aboard USS Blue Ridge, I have been to Palau, South Korea and back to motherland.

23. Eternal value. In Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren emphasized "Life is just a dress rehearsal." Life is a preparation for eternity. Whenever we decide on something, think of its eternal impact. And when we think of eternal values, we focus on developing our character. Imagine when we think of what we are doing now, they can be valuable when we connect them to their eternal activities later. We are work-in progress.

24. Don't laugh at your joke. Sense of humor takes time to develop. My secret is that when I utter a punchline, I don't laugh at my joke.

25. Christianity is about relationship. In my whole life, I realized that Christianity is not a religion. It's about having an intimate relationship with Christ. During my down moments, I feel Christ has been comforting me to ease the pains I experience. He is a real person who touches my heart.

26. Loving God. The reason why we live is to glorify God. With all the life blessings I receive from God, I am thankful to declare that I am a proud follower of Christ. That's all.

Happy 26th birthday!

Egypt

2011-02-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

Finally, Egypt is free. After three decades of Mubarak rule, the citizens marched in streets of Cairo to exhibit their disgust and disgrace against their government that has demeaned democracy.

Suicide should not be an option

2011-02-06T02:59:00.000-08:00

In 2007, when I was about to leave my work in De La Salle Philippines, I was invited by Department of Energy (DOE) Communications team to handle the public affairs of the department. Their office is in Fort Bonifacio. I have to decline that job offer because I decided to work in EON, a public relations company based in Makati.

During that time, former Secretary Angelo Reyes served as the DOE secretary. I saw the strong man in an energy convention back in 2007. Check out my photo with him.

The general who used to serve as Armed Forces Chief has been attending anniversaries of Jesus is Lord Church, my church in Manila. That's why in a news report, Br. Eddie Vilanueva denies allegations against him.

The pressure is intense that Reyes has to kill himself to escape from the possible shame he might face. For an experienced person like him, dignity and integrity are two important charactes he could give to his family.

There's one ultimate and painful lesson we can learn from Reyes. We would admire his achievements in the government yet his last option to commit suicide must not be emulated. Life is precious.

Manned and ready

2011-02-05T06:09:00.000-08:00

Manned and ready. That's the phrase we use over sound-powered phone in the Navy when we confirm that we are ready to take the responsibility of workspace.

As I hit my one year in the Navy, I have learned to man and be ready to assume the watch whenever it's my turn.

Here's an experimental advertisement I did. The scenes are very smooth. This video shows my everyday life aboard my ship. Hopefully, this will be shown in AFN.

Life in a day

2011-01-30T05:13:00.000-08:00

Thousands of amateur filmmakers submitted video for Life in a Day, "a historic cinematic experiment to create a documentary film about a single day on Earth." According to a Google article, Oscar award winning director Kevin Macdonald and a team of editors "have whittled down over 80,000 clips (and more than 4,500 hours of footage) into a 90-minute film that gives an honest and inspiring glimpse of our world."

We surely missed the chance to participate in documentary film directed by Kevin Macdonald.

Here's one of the video teasers:

Check out how they produced the film:

I have yet to watch the documentary film but it already reminds me that human beings across the planet can perform millions of activities.

What's a life in your day? Everyday is a meaningful day for me. For me, life in a day is a day in the Lord.

Indeed, everyday is a day with the Lord. I dedicate each day for the Lord as I do activities that will make me productive as a person. Whether I am sweeping the deck in our spaces, folding my clothes, doing maintenance for our equipment, or writing a blog, I offer them for the glory of God.

Check out a life that took placed this Sunday during a Christian service. A baby named Joseph Uy was dedicated to the Lord through a prayer led by our pastor. Then, we celebrated a Sayonara party for Bonot family.

I documented it via a video and uploaded on YouTube:

There is a theological explanation about a day in the Lord. According to an article, "it's a special term in the Bible used to refer to a period of time when God directly intervenes in human affairs -in judgement or in blessing."

In the book of Psalms, King David shares," This is the the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it."

A good name outweighs riches

2011-01-22T23:07:00.000-08:00

Almost a year ago, I joined five residents of Hawaii and flew to Chicago for the US Navy boot camp. It was an eight hour flight from the paradise island to Chicago. Couple of hours before we turned into military service members, we enjoyed cookies and pastries at the USO in the airport. But what captured me was a little museum of small aircraft used during World War II and an Air-force member who was awarded with Medal of Honor.

Landing in O'Hare International Airport, I observed this is the busiest airport with a lot of residents and tourists catching up their respective flights from time to time. It was such a beautiful airport. After I sworn in as an American citizen, I dropped by to the airport again to catch up for my flight to Yokosuka, Japan.

Few months later, I learned from Pastor Clem Guillermo during a church service about the man behind the airport. He shared to us the story and I googled some other details about the man.

According to Truthorfiction.com, there is a Lt. Cmdr. Butch O'Hare, a fighter pilot assigned in an aircraft carrier USS Lexington in the South Pacific. Check out the story I lifted from the website:

One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare.
He was a fighter pilot assigned to an aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.
One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship. His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet. As he was returning to the mothership, he saw something that turned his blood cold. A squadron of Japanese bombers were speeding their way toward the American fleet. The American fighters were gone on a sortie and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor, could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the flaeet.
Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch weaved in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until finally all his ammunition was spent. Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to at least clip off a wing or tail, in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible and rendering them unfit to fly. He was desperate to do anything he could to keep them from reaching the American ships. Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction. Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier. Upon arrival he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had destroyed five enemy bombers. That was on February 20, 1942, and for that action he became the Navy's first Ace of WWII and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. A year later he was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of that heroic action to die. And today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man. So the next time you're in O'Hare visit his memorial with his statue and Medal of Honor. It is located between terminal 1 and 2.
Story number two:
Some years earlier there was a man in Chicago called Easy Eddie. At that time, Al Capon virtually owned the city. Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. His exploits were anything but praiseworthy. He was, however, notorious for enmeshing the city of Chicago in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder. Easy Eddie was Capone's lawyer and for a good reason. He was very good! In fact, his skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time. To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big; Eddie got special dividends. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago city block. Yes, Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him. Eddy did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddy saw to it that his young son had the best of everything; clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Yes, Eddie tried to teach his son to rise above his own sordid life. He wanted him to be a better man than he was. Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things that Eddie couldn't give his son. Two things that Eddie sacrificed to the Capone mob that he could not pass on to his beloved son: a good name and a good example.
One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Offering his son a good name was far more important than all the riches he could lavish on him. He had to rectify all the wrong that he had done. He would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Scar-face Al Capone. He would try to clean up his tarnished name and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this he must testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. But more than anything, he wanted to be an example to his son. He wanted to do his best to make restoration and hopefully have a good name to leave his son. So, he testified. Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago street. He had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer at the greatest price he would ever pay.
I know what you're thinking.
What do these two stories have to do with one another?
Well, you see, Butch O'Hare was Easy Eddie's son.

Check out the YouTube story:

What a story. Easy Eddie proved that first impression doesn't usually last. A person who has done something offensive to the community can still correct himself. That's what the father did to make his son still proud of him. And the result is a tremendous honor the son gave back to his country.

The Bible says, "A good name is better than great riches." What can you give to your children, students, and friends? How can you show a good name to them?

Christ has given himself for the humanity in exchange of the riches that the world can offer to him.

Church anniversary

2011-01-16T03:11:00.000-08:00

The Filipino Christian Fellowship celebrated its 19^th anniversary with the theme Stand Firm in the Faith. The church has been serving sailors and families of United States Navy here in Yokosuka, Japan since 1992. The Church has been conducting community relations and worship services suited to needs of attendees.

Pastor Clem Guilermo of Back to the Bible Philippines took center stage as the guest speaker, highlighting key points about faith.

Guilermo furthered that Christians should discern true gospel amidst false prophets and doctrines roving around. He also prayed for Pastor Willy Bulseco, the senior pastor of the church.

The church continues to expand and reach sailors in the Naval Base.

Uploading videos

2011-01-15T08:16:00.000-08:00

As the new year kicks off, I have thought of launching my hobby on uploading videos on YouTube. Before I joined the Navy, I developed this passion while I'm in Hawaii. I did at least four videos last year and one of which was aired on CNN.

Aside from writing, this is one of the hobbies that I will further develop. Check out a sample video I made via my iPhone.