what i'm reading

just because!

happy happy joy joy

because enrolment drops invariably, second semester does not bode well for part time teachers like me. at the state college where i teach, things are worse: classes do not only become fewer at this time of academic year, they are being fused.

according to a disgruntled colleague, the school is doing this to give additional incentives to permanent employees through the salary that should have been paid to part timers.

so i was pleasantly surprised when i was given two subjects. and to top it off, they're both dream subjects: administrative communication and information management and public administration and the economy!

as marianne villanueva, my favorite blogger, would say: happy happy joy joy!

what-ifs and if-onlys

Except for the 1977 fire that reduced to ashes a mother and her three children, nothing could be more tragic for Tago than the vehicular accident that killed Bingbing, Tito Jun, and ‘Ya Tet in one fell swoop.

Tito Jun was driving; Papong sat beside him in front. Behind them were ‘Ya Tet, Tingay, and Bingbing. As the Crosswind sped on a highway in Bunawan, an old man, dragging a bicycle by his side, crossed the street. The white SUV grated concrete, swerved, and turned turtle eight times, leaving in its wake sparks, tires, and cadavers.

Everything happened in split second. And because death is a smooth operator with impeccable precision and timing, Tagon-ons pitched a lot of what-ifs and if-onlys.

Two eulogists said that what if 'Ya Tet decided to spend her birthday in Tago instead of Davao?; what if Bingbing had denied ‘Ya Tet’s request to accompany her?; what if Bingbing didn’t go home from Dubai?; what if Bingbing had overslept that day, even for a few minutes?; what if they had given in to Bingbing’s request for either pancit or spaghetti the night before, would it make her life longer?

A blogger ruminated that what if either Bingbing or ‘Ya Tet drank so much water before leaving that day, would they request Tito Jun to pull over so they could use the toilet?

Tagon-ons asked what if ‘Ya Tet sat in front, would she advise Tito Jun to slow down?; what if Papong had pursued his original plan to go to Davao with his motorcycle, would ‘Ya Tet sit in front?; what if Tita Siony decided to join ‘Ya Tet even if ‘Ya Tet told her that the house in Davao had no refrigerator in which Tita Siony could store her medicines, would it change the seating position? Or, would she request Tito Jun to pull over because being a diabetic, she needed to take a leak every so often?; what if Tito Jun gassed-up for a half rather than a full tank?

Not a few Tagon-ons mulled over some if-onlys, like: if only ‘Ya Tet pursued her plan of commuting with Bingbing to Davao; if only Tito Jun didn’t race against another vehicle; if only ‘Ya Tet or Bingbing opted to sit in the middle instead of Tingay.

Ahhh! So many what-ifs and if-onlys!

But death doesn’t happen by chance, neither it is random. Just think of W. Somerset Maugham’s “The Appointment in Samarra” and the story of a man who avoided a ship like a cliché because a psychic told him that a marine vessel would cause his death, only to die when an earthquake made a huge painting of a storm-tossed yacht to fall on his head

Despite what the Bible says about its inevitability, death, in all its forms, is hard to accept. Thus we dwell on the what-ifs and the if-onlys even as we begin the excruciating process of coping. But amidst this flood of what-ifs and if-onlys that inundated Tago on the tragic death of Bingbing, Tito Jun, and ‘Ya Tet, one interesting detail sailed through: Papong, while riding shotgun, came out of the crash unscathed!

There’s a lesson there about death that begs to be learned!

uccp-tago

for cecille, kharel, sheila may, and sammy



I grew up in this church. It was here that I learned many invaluable things: songs about reading the Bible and praying everyday; verses about God so loving the world that He gave His only begotten Son; and stories about angels protecting Daniel inside a lion's den.

Ours is a small church with an even smaller congregation. But we don't look at it that way: not then, when just a few pews were vacant; not now, when churchgoers sometimes number less than the characters in the Last Supper.

Quaint with excellent acoustics, our church is so old it sways as we sing "Onward Christian Soldiers." And because it hasn't shed its original skin, it stands brittle and scarred from the ravages of time and the tyrannies of termites and weevils.

All this made us decide to renovate!

Despite the quantity and the financial capability of our parishioners, we plodded on with nothing in our hearts but faith, the kind that moves mountains.

And move mountains we did!

Now, the facade's done. And please don't ask me how because all I can tell you is that God indeed works in ways so mysterious it leaves us amazed beyond belief.



But half done we're not. That's why no matter how small, we are counting our blessings and praying for more because we have no enough resources. What we have in our hearts are faith----the kind that moves mountains----and this simple wish that our church won't sway as we sing "Great is Thy Faithfulness."




one of the two sides that still need to be demolished and replaced.