Morning Has Broken

awe me. wow me. amaze me.

disarm me with your dashing smile

wow me with you brilliance

sweep me off my feet with your kindness

awe me with your gentleness

let me cheer for you in your struggles

show your hidden fire

connect it to the Source

and make me marvel at your hidden strength

let your light shine so brightly

i do not mind my heart aching in its beauty

i cheer for you

sail on!

go and amaze me of what the Lord can do through you

i long to praise the Lord jubilantly with you

it will please me greatly

and i will be so honored to have witnessed

how the Lord

make one forget the shame of his youth

and father a broken boy into manhood

so go!

Sa aking
paghihimlay ng mga bagay-bagay

Tahimik ang
aking isip na may banayad na himig na humahaplos

Bumabalik tanaw
sa tahanan ng aking kahapon

At nasisilay ang
hubog ng isang panaginip

Sa kanyang
karangyaan ang isip ay namamangha

Na animo’y ang
panaginip ay naiwan ng panahon

At ngayon lang
nagpakitang anyo

Sumisikip
and dibdib ko sa lakbayin ng imahen

Hanggang sa
pagsumamuan ko na humabol sa akin

Ngunit kumikirot
lamang ang puso

sa haba pa ng
lakbayin

at sa dami pa ng
pusong hahango

pagtahanin ang
aking panaginip

Handa
na namang masaktan ang puso sa lakbaying ito

pinipilit iliko
ang ulo mula sa kahapon

di maibaling sa
hinaharap na mahamog

at iwan ang
imahen sa kanyang panahon

posible bang humabol sa hinaharap ang nakaraan?

handa na namang masaktan ang damdamin

basta’t masunod lang ang dapat masunod

at mapapurihan ang dapat mapapurihan

“When I was a child, I talked like a child,
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me…”
(1 Cor. 13:11…)

… but when it comes to you…
I just want to come running with all my pain and tears.
I want to bury my head in your chest and pour out all my hurts,
in weakness and in surrender.
What better a woman can be
than be the daughter of the King of kings?
   
But my woes overtake me.
My cries resound the fears of my youth
and the mars of this flesh.
I am overcome with my imperfection
and frustrated with my sins.
I have no where else to go to but you.

And when I do,
I curl up in a corner like I would in your embrace
and weep ever so remorsefully
just like a child…

watashi no saishou no nihongo de no shi

ima nani wo kanjiteru ka dou darou
tsukaretemo kokoro ga karui yo
konogoro mondai nai to iu wake de wa naku
fushigi na shiawase ga zutto motteru sou

yume ga attemo
kanau ka hakkiri wakaranai
yaritai koto ga attemo
hontou ni dekiru ka shiranai

dakedo gensai wa doushite sonna heian ga kanjiteru?
kono jinsei wa doushite sonna ni subarashii to omotteru?
sekai wa sonna kampeki ja nai noni
inochi wa sonna kowariyasui noni

kyou wa ichinichichuu kampeki de wa naku
ashita kuru to kowai koto mo aru
demo saki to ashita no koto wa ima no koto ni kankei ga nai
kako to shourai ga gensai ni wa kankei ga nai

kyou no hitobito ni kankei aru shigoto wa owatte shimatta
kyou no yasumi no jikan ga haitte kita
watashi no monogatari wo kaite iru Dareka ni zenbu makesete iru
gensai to kako mo shourai mo jinsei no subete mo

New year na sa Japan, one hour to go dito. I would like to make a praise report in honor of this wonderful year. I sadly have to make it quick kasi super nagpuputukan na sa labas.

2007 has been a real fat one for me. I remembered na this year started na nasa galaan ako. Visit my wonderful ‘kuyas’ in another prefecture (wonderful cause I owe them a lot) and bought my first digicam (my 2nd gadget). Since I was working in Japan this whole year this was my fattest so far.

Hindi lang ako. This year, Jayvee started working also, so san ka pa. Kaming tatlo ay working lahat. Plus my father is in his final year na sa Saudi, if everyhting goes as planned. My mother started her business din this year, if I’m not mistaken. My sister started high school, sadly I am not sure about my two youngest bros but I’m sure they were doing fine by the way I saw them this Christmas.

Not just monetary. This year, I had an explosive growth in friends! I am sure they count over 200! Dominated by girls of course;) Even the foreigner friends are amazing. Iba’t iba pang lahi:) Can’t begin to express one by one my blessings in this area. Siksik, liglig, at umaapaw.

While I was being blessed in a foreign land, my ties at home are even steadily maturing. San ka pa?

Lovelife? Hehe, while not the best, I had an extraordinary experience. The mysterious first kiss (mysterious for me ok) happened also this year. It was great! Hehe.

And most especially, as requested, the Lord revealed more of himself to me this year. Closest so far. astig…

What a wonderful year:)

At ang the best noon, sabi ng Lord, simula pa lang yun;)

Nag-ring ang phone ko habang nagqquiet time ako sa tabing ilog.

ako:   "moshi moshi…" hello…

siya:   "moshi moshi…" hello…

ako:   (short laugh) "ohayou gozaimasu" good morning…

siya:   "ohayou gozaimasu" good morning…

(short pause)

ako:   "arigatou… mou renraku shinai to omotta kedo sugoku sabishikatta. hontou ni arigatou…" (muffled sound) salamat ha… akala ko hindi ka na tatawag. ang lungkot lungkot ko sobra. salamat talaga…

siya:  (rough voice) "kyou sabishii yo ne." ang lungkot ngayon noh…

(long silence)

siya:  (clears throat) "shigoto wo gambette kudasai ne." sige, galingan mo sa trabaho ha.

ako:   "arigatou. (panics) ano…(serious voice) mijikai aida demo osewa ni narimashita." salamat. ano… kahit sa sandaling panahon lang, salamat sa lahat ng naitulong mo sa ‘kin

siya:  "iie. konchira koso." wala ‘yon. salamat din.

pause.

siya:   (shy laugh) "i love you." <old joke>

ako:   (laughs) "arigatou. i love you, too."

short pause.

ako:   (hesitates) "ai shiteru yo."

siya:  (serious voice) "watashi mo."

ako: "jaa. gambatte ne." (my way of saying, sige, God bless.)

At mabigat kong binaba ang phone.

Under the light of the usual fluorescent

You don’t avoid smiling at me anymore

Though you still pretend you’re not looking my way

And I’m still conscious of your familiar presence in the room

Are you the same person who did not acknowledge

me and my friends and a rare time in this foreign place?

Are you the same person who had his arms

wrap around my head one moment

and walking 5 meters behind me the next

as distant as new acquaintances left together

Are you that person by the river

sharing that almost full moon with me

the warmest season giving us a gentle breeze

as we try to bare our souls in the night

Are you this person before me

amidst this crowd of well-meaning people

our moonlight outshined by the fluorescent

the unseen future coming to swallow up the present

these few weeks surpassing the previous months

one night overshadowing all the rest of my memories of you

Am I gonna be the same person

When all these days come to a sudden halt

and all I am left of you are memories,

and pictures, your full name, and an address

Am I gonna be the same person

carrying unchanging dreams

refreshed by new lives from far away places

trying to place everlasting prints in their hearts as well

Am I the same person

with the same everlasting God

the Master Plan unchanged

the same unfathomable love compelling a new day…

Sanae-san is one of the best English speaking Japanese I met. She persistently studies English because she wants to retire in Hawaii.

One interesting day, she asked me if I would open a class to teach English. My first students would be her group that she herself teaches. Since parttime jobs are one of those things I’m not allowed to do, I offered my services voluntarily.

They just have to teach me Japanese in return, hehe.

It was one of those Tuesdays with Sanae-santachi. Miyuki-san, a first time participant, asked me what I thought of Japan when I arrived here. Since I’m fed up with that question I suggested that it might be more interesting for them what I thought of Japan while I was back home in the Philippines. Sure, sure, they’d like to know. And so with all the baluktot na Japanese, I tried to explain.

I told them I was surprised that they were not cartoons when I heard them talk the first time. I told them we mostly hear Japanese spoken by Naruto, Sakura or Sasuke, or kung sinong hit ngayon. Amazed sila.

Bilib na bilib naman sila na kilala ko si Amaterazu, Goddess of creation nila (tama ba Hannah?), na play namin nung History 2 kay Sir Mata. (proof ba ito na ang UP grad ay world class?:))

I told them na part ng paghubog ng kabataan ng generation natin ay ang series ng Bioman-Shaider-Maskman. Na nasusundan ko pa theme song nila at ang mga boys gustung-gusto mga eksena ni Annie pag lumilipad sya sa ere.

Shaider who?

Sure daw ba akong Japanese yon? Opo. Promise po. Aba at si Ito-san ay sinearch pa talaga dun sa katabi nyang internet kung sino si Shaider.

E Bioman po?

Shiranai. (Never heard)

Maskman?

Shiranai.

Voltes V?

Shiranai.

Daimos? Voltron?

Shiranai.

Akalain mong ang uncle ko memorize ang theme song ng Voltes V, tapos sila never heard?

I continued with my balubaluktot na narration, ending with the Japanese occupation in World War II. Yun, I think medyo alam nila na involved sila sa World War II.

Napaisip talaga ako dun. I will always carry that realization around. I think it’s not inaccurate to say that those old animes have great roles in molding our generation, the generation I believe most active in building our country today. And yet, here, in their origin, most do not even know they existed.

Kakaiba… hmmm… isip, isip…:)

10 Steps to make a girl fall for you

1. If you are not of the same race, be acquainted with members of her race first.

2. If you don’t speak the same language, learn one word of her language and say it to her or one of her friends, so that she’ll spot you from the crowd. It might be more effective to say it to her friend than to her directly, and make sure that friend will report.

3. Don’t walk her and her friends home for the first three times.

4. When you do walk them, make sure it is to be friendly, nothing more.

5. Do not call even if you exchanged phone numbers.

6. Call only when she urged you to call and you are not meeting regularly anymore.

7. When she calls you to meet, take it as a sign the she likes you.

8. Establish rapport first and be sure her friends are there when you kiss her out of nowhere. Expect to be hit a few times.

9. Call out of nowhere to meet and be sure that you are in the same place when you do.

10. Ask her to be your girlfriend in front of her and your friends, even before you memorized her name. Don’t take her "are you out of your mind??" reply seriously.

Because even if you don’t speak the same language, and cannot speak her name well, you have her already in a basket. That simple.

(Note: Of course it wasn’t planned from the beginning, but that is how it happened:S)