BY HIS GRACE

We were dead
We were unrighteous
We were objects of wrath
We were sinners
We were sad
'Cause we're not yet His child

Until we received Hm
accept Him as our saviour
By His grace we are raised up
By His grace we are recreated

Though we walk
 through the valley
of the shadows of death
we will fear, we will fear,
we will fear NO evil
For God is always with me
For God is always with me
For God is always with me

as we have received Him
accept Him as our saviour
By HIs grace we are raised up
By his grace we are recreated

Though we walk
 through the valley
of the shadows of death
we will fear, we will fear,
we will fear NO evil
For God is always with me
For God is always with me
For God is always with me

as we have received Him
accept Him as our saviour..

We are saved from the power of sins
We are saved from God's wrath
We are saved, We are saved
We are saved, We are saved

as we have received Him
accept Him as our saviour..
For God is always with me
For God is always...
 with me


By God's grace

Si Ana Manila ng Lansangan ni Sweet Lapuz

Si Ana Manila ng Lansangan
ni: Sweet Lapuz

Bigo si Ana Manila sa kanyang pangarapNa tinatahi-tahi niya sa isip at dibdib,Natunaw lahat…Hindi pala…Naudlot lahat,Sapagkat walang nabuo kahit isa.

Hanggang diyan ang pisiNg ligaya niyang walang humpay,Dahil sa itim na budhi,Na ayaw maglubay,Kaya ang kanyang buhay,Laging sablay.

Sarap sana ng higop niyang sabaw ng nilaga,At pangal niya ng lechong paksiwNa may sauce na ang timplaAy tamis-anghang ng asukal at paminta,Wala na… wala na… tiis siya!

Hanggang wakas sanaDoon sila magkikitaNg imbay ng tagumpay,Doon sa simula,Makakasama niya namanPero, wala na… puro katapusan!

Pagkat hindi siya nagtiis,Hindi nagpapawis,Kapiling niya ngayon,Langaw na gumonGumon sa kanyang dungis,At paghihinagpis!

Ang tulang ito ay maaring ipaliwanag sa Teoryang Pormalismo. Isang uri ng teorya ang pormalismo kung saan binibigyang kahulugan ang isang uri ng panitikan sa literal na paraan.
Si Ana Manila ng Lansangan ni Sweet Lapuz ay isang tula kung sa kabiguan ng isang babae sa pagkamit ng kanyang pangarap. 
Sa unang taludtod, isinalaysay ng manunulat na si Ana ay isang babaing punung-puno ng pangarap at pagnanais sa buhay ngunit sa 'di malamang kadahilanan, siya'y nabigo.
Sa pangalawag taludtod naman, inilarawan ng manunulat si Ana bilang masayahing tao at punung-puno ng pag-asa. Ngunit dahil sa mga negatibong bagay na 'di binigyang kalinawan ng manunulat, ang buhay ni Ana ay nasayang at lumihis ng landas.
Ipinaliwanag naman ng manunulat na pinapangarap sana ni Ana ang magaan at masarap na buhay. Ngunit dahil nga hindi niya natupad ang kanyang mga pangarap, kinakailangan niyang magtiis at tanggapin ang buhay na mayroon siya.
Sa sumunod pang taludtod, isinalaysay na kung hindi nagpa-lamon si Ana sa negatibong bagay na 'di isinaad ng manunulat, maaabot na niya sana ang tagumpay na inaasam. Noong una'y tama ang tinatahak niyang landas ngunit nang lumaon ay nabigo din siya.
Ayon sa manunulat, ang hindi pagtitiis ni Ana ang siyang naging dahilan ng kanyang pagkabigo. Dahil sa hindi niya paghihirap upang makamit ang kanyang pangarap, mga langaw ang kasama niya sa kanyang buhay. Ang ibig sabihin nito, gutom, pagsisisi at paghihirap ang nararanasan ni Ana. Maaaring si Ana Manila ay isang taong grasa sa paraan ng paglalarawan ng manunulat.
Sa gayon, ang tulang ito ay naghihikayat sa kanyang mga mambabasa na maging matiyaga sa buhay at huwag tumigil sa pag-abot ng kanilang mga pangarap. Nais ng manunulat na ang kanyang magbabasa ay maging matiisin at nakatingin lamang sa tagumpay.

#galaera

Galaera ( ga-la-e-ra ) comes from a Tagalog word GALA which means to wonder about, to go about idly, to travel aimlessly; ERA is a tagalog suffix referring to a female doer (Tagalog Dictionary,2014). And so, Galaera  simply means a female who travels aimlessly. She goes wherever her shoes may bring her, sometimes, her money decides too.

Photos with #galaera are photos captured by yours truly.

~~~

There's this great idea of our professor in Online Writing where we have to go to a certain place and make that wanderlust on us work for ourselves. And the chosen place is Intramuros. It's not so far and not so foreign for all of us. But what made me really interested in this ais the thought and the challenge that we should find a place new for us. I have never been in Intramuros. Maybe I'd passed by it but I have never been in it. And so are the people I'm with. Too bad my girlfriend took the photo and so, she isn't here. (for the photo below)

Photo by Natallie Beduya 
It's Arlan, Aura, and me (left to right). Pa-awra po muna!!

Well then, we roam around the place like other foreigners present there do. We were like Dora the Explorer in real lives. We went over a walled place which I don't really know what it is called but it is somewhere in Postigo street. It was near the headquarters of the Knights of Columbus.

#galaera
This is the signage posted before going up over the wall.

#galaera
Street signs look exactly like those we see in historical photos and footages.

It's just pretty amazing though how these brick walls are still in there after all the wars and tragedies that happened. We went over the walls and saw a wide area of bricked floors. Few couples were there like passionate lovebirds in their nests. I wanted to get a photo of them but I guess, my manners told me not to... Unless, I wanted to be screwed up. 

#galaera
Other corners are ornamented with couples lingering with each other,

It was three in the afternoon when we were dispersed in the place from Manila Cathedral (where the whole class came to meet up then separate as well). Obviously, the next place to go after the being-renovated church is the very place where we can eat. After an hour of walking around Intramuros, we came across Beatrigo Street. Along there, we found this place, Patiode Conchita, a humble yet classy one.

#galaera
Patio de Conchita

#galaera

We don't have any plans of going in there. The facade of the house that happened to be a restaurant, a dormitory, and a place to chill out doesn't seem to offer a pleasing deal. As we examined the place from an outside view, it looks elegant, fine, and expensive. But what made us come in is a signage which says: BUDGET MEAL for P65.00

#galaera
The best ad strategy for wanderers like us 

#galaera
Patio de Conchita, classy and humble

As students and first timers in the place, the deal is just good enough. And so we went in. It's a self-service restaurant. There are plastic chairs and tables and several antique furnitures as well. Some chairs and tables look very historical. I mean, the style is too old. And as we asked, we knew that the old looking chairs are actually legit antiques. The place suggests that there's more to it. It's really relaxing and homey. It lets you feel really at home and at ease. Like a time warp, it takes you to another timeline far from the present and from stress.

#galaera
Sit in and eat with the sound of the relaxing fountain by the corner and that very fresh aura of the place.

I had Hawaiian Pork Barbecue. "It's just the same barbecue I ate at school", I told myself. I took a bite on the pork, it's not too tender, just enough for me. And the sauce, it tastes really Filipino. It made me remember all the feasts and reunions and parties a Filipino may have been living with. The place has that Spanish influence but the food brings you back that Pinoy tummy in you. 

#galaera
Two cups of rice and the Hawaiian Pork Barbecue with Pineapple Juice

It's a place in the heart of Manila that takes you out from there as well. When you come inside, you're entering a different dimension. It gives you the feeling of ease and calmness. 

#galaera
See how stress-free she is when she came out? :P

We, definitely, will go back here! And we'll bring in more stressed friends. :))

photojournalism

Isa pang malalang problema  ng Pilipinas bukod sa basura, disiplina.

MAY LIWANAG ANG BUHAY nila!

#MERALCOrakot

After the Christmas season Manila Electric Company ( Meralco), the leading source of electricity in the country blurted out a very crashing news for all their consumers. They've decided to bill out almost P5.67/kwh.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=791742120840773&set=gm.595839040488186&type=1

The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has warned of rotational blackouts if it can no longer pay for generation and transmission charges as a result of the Supreme Court's temporary restraining order on the rate hike. "With the TRO in place, it will not be far-fetched to imagine that some (generation companies) might altogether refuse to sell electricity to Meralco, or decide to sell to Meralco only such amount of electricity as is commensurate to the resulting rate of P5.6673 per kilowatt-hour," Meralco said in a statement to the court on Thursday. It further warned "the transmission company may stop transmitting if Meralco was unable to pay for the transmission charges. The entire power industry may come to a screeching halt." It said the rotational brownouts will have "dire consequences [on] the economy and security." If the court case drags on, or the power rate hike is nullified by the court, the public may be facing power interruptions in the hottest part of the year, the summer months from March to May.  (http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/343136/economy/companies/meralco-warns-of-blackouts-without-power-rate-hike, retrieved on January 22, 2014)
Being aware of the anomalies and all other issues about the corruption and all greedy deeds of politicians and all those people in power, I strongly believe that Meralco has no right to pass on any generation charge to the consumers. I mean, of course, there would always be additional charges in our electricity bill. But is it really necessary for the consumers, for us, to pay the damages done by nature itself? We all know how the past calamities affected our economy and that they also destroyed much of what we have and what the Meralco may have- technically speaking. The consumers has no contribution on the maintenance of their power plants and all other arrangements and fixings that should be done within the Meralco's production of electricity. They already charged their consumers through other questionable charges. Why would they so unkindly bill out more charges from the consumers knowing that they've also gone through the calamity? Don't they think about the situation of their fellow Filipinos after the Typhoon Yolanda? They haven't even come over the disaster and the tragedy that they faced. It's just so unfair for these people (MERALCO officials) to add up to the burden that smaller people- the consumers- are currently suffering.If I was one of the MERALCO people, I woud have explained this matter better to the consumers so that we can understand why the MERALCO decided to increase the electricity price. But what can be the best way to react into this issue is to do something to make the price hike done in a manner not so heavy or noticeable. Concerning the situations that Filipinos are now experiencing, it is really better to think over this price hike. Or if nothing can be done to stop this, well, the idealistic concept of #CANDLING, may be granted for real.   

I'm crazzzzeeeehhhhhh!!!!!

http://youtu.be/BRZsO5v7-mo

This is my first ever song cover.

 It's Yeng Constantino's Pag-ibig. Have fun. Enjoy!! I uploaded it late and so, I know the consequences. Thank you very much. Godbless!! Please be kind :D

A Universal Truth: Everybody lies.

WARNING: You may take this article as it is. But be very careful for deception might be lingering in every word hereby present. You must know first before you may judge.

~~~

"Class, are there any questions?" After class discussions, almost all of my teachers and professors ask us this one same thing. And usually the immediate answer that I would hear is "None!" I don’t know if we’re geniuses or whatever highly comprehensive human being that we might be but it’s always a “No question Ma’am/Sir, we understand the whole fucking stuff you want us to listen to for the whole hour/s of your class.” But there are professor who never content themselves with that “yes” of ours. They would look for ways to squeeze out whatever we didn’t understand. Though that happens very rarely, when it does it just proves that we didn’t understand enough of what should be understood.

~~~

There are times when I simply nod or smile or say “yes” to my friends whenever we talk for hours indicating that I'm in track with them. I want them to know that I understand what they’re saying bit by bit but honestly, for some point, there’s always something I’ve missed in the middle of our conversations. There are some instances where I try to make them repeat or explain a little further that little detail I missed but I noticed that it takes time and attention not only of the speaker but the other listeners too. So more often than not, I let those little details pass. And that tiny detail usually complicates the understanding that I have in the matters we are talking about. If they ask me for confirmation of my understanding about what they say, I respond, with no further ado, a “yes.” But my friends knew me so they try to explain whatever they think I don’t understand. And there are times when they don’t believe I really understood them that my tongue spits out the shit that I wasn’t really paying attention to every detail they say.

~~~

DO NOT BELIEVE THOSE PEOPLE WHO LIVE TO LIE. 

But believe me, everybody lies. Have you ever not, even once, layered the truth with what you think is better for yourself? In some point or another, we lie. We coat either more or less sugar to our statements for some reasons we think are of worth. Deception has always been present in the nature of a human. I mean, with those simple and everyday circumstances I face, I always have a crack at manipulating the stuffs I would let out for my own sake or for others’.

Scholars once theorized that the speakers attempt to manipulate messages so as to be untruthful, that causes them to be more cautious on the reaction and reception of the one they talk to. On the other hand, the receiver of the message tries to evaluate and decipher if the message delivered is true and valid resulting to suspicion whether or not the sender is being deceptive. (Buller, D.B., and Burgoon, J.K. 1996)

Meaning, when somebody tries to conceal the truth, they put much effort and strategies on their manner of talking to make sure that they look believable to the other party. The other party, then, tries to judge the speaker's performance of truth concealment through identifying verbal and non-verbal behavior. This may happen consciously or subcosciously depending on the traits and behaviors that the two different parties may possess.

One perfect instance is my own father-and-daughter conversation. I don’t really believe that I’m a “daddy’s girl” because I know he loves us all but among my sisters, I’m the one he usually talks to about almost anything under the sun- most specifically those from the heart.

There’s this night when I was sent home by a guy I really like. To make the story short, I WANTED him to be my boyfriend, and so I was planning to tell my parents about him. The only problem is that they haven’t seen this guy yet. I mean, they’ve seen and met several guys who have interests in me but never him. (My parents want to know the guys who court me and they want them to court me at home. That’s the rule.)

When I got out of this guy’s car, we went straight at our house’s door and introduced him as my boyfriend as abrupt as possible so as not to let them interrogate me or make me change my plans. My father wasn’t home yet. I went upstairs and left the guy in the living room with my mom. My mom is busy making graham balls. 

When I told my mom about the guy, she looked not so interested and unhappy at the same time. As I got downstairs, I saw my dad entering the room. I was about to introduce to him the guy I was with. I told him hastily that he was my boyfriend. His face turned into something I can’t explain then he repeated what I said. “Boyfriend mo siya, nak?” He was staring at me intensely. Then he repeated once more. I don’t know what to say. He never took his eyes off mine. I was left unspoken. For the last time, he asked me again. “ Celine, boyfriend mo ‘to?” I know his rules. I’ve been living with it and I’m surviving and growing with them. “Nanliligaw, Pa.” Those we’re the only words I’ve said in a humming sound. “Ah, sige.” Then he went to the dining area.

The truth is that he wasn’t still my boyfriend up to this point when I post this article. I have plans but I know the rules and consequences that come with the decisions I make. I tried to deceive them so as not to follow their rules and make it my own way.

Enough of the boyfriend thing, the point I want to take in from this situation is that all I wanted was to tell them the “supposed-to-be-truth” (meaning, it’s still not the truth). But I ended up absorbing the fact that I should follow the rules and not skip from any of them. And so I was forced to follow the truth (rules) laid down to me. I tried to deceive them in order to get it my way but I must admit that my father knew me more so I wasn't a successful liar to him, as always. He makes me confess to him. He might be examining my eyes, the way I talk to him, or such, that he concluded I wasn't telling the truth. And a part of it I hate, but the whole thought that he makes me spill out is something both of us values.

So you see, Interpersonal Deception is very much of how you know somebody and how you tend to speak or listen to him in order to decipher whether he/she’s telling the truth, may it be only a part of it, or the whole. It's the manner of efforts in veiling and unveiling the truth.

Smart people know when somebody is telling the truth or not. Foolish people know how not to let smart people know what the truth really is. But brave people knows how to make foolish people fail to conceal the truth.

SOURCE/S: Buller, D.B., and Burgoon, J.K. (1996). Interpersonal deception theory. Communication Theory, 6, 203-242.Retrieved: http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/interpersonal/deception.html (December 27, 2013)