Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Finding Jesus

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My son Nicky came out in a musical play last Saturday evening, June 11, entitled "Finding Jesus"<--click to view photo album. It was presented at the Insular Life Auditorium in Alabang and was really well-received by Ligaya ng Panginoon members, families and invited friends and guests. The place was packed! The story of the play was about a lame girl named Tabitha who went on a journey with her father and her three chocolate factory worker buddies to find Jesus to heal her of her condition. The entire cast was comprised of Ligaya's Music Ministry members, the Young Adults group, the Junior Young Adults group and the Friends of Jesus kids group.

The musical is an original show written, produced and arranged by Ligaya ng Panginoon and was tied-in together with the Summer Workshop that Nicky was enrolled in -- the King's Kids Workshop -- which taught them basic singing and streetdancing. It was a great summer activity that Nicky was involved in because it gave him a chance to move away from the TV set (thank God!), express himself creatively through music, and interact with kids of all ages in Ligaya. Surprisingly, after the first few excruciating classes where he cried a lot (due to heat, nervousness and tiredness), Nicky found that he actually loved to perform! Although quite awkward at times still (sad to say I, myself, was not bestowed with dancing talents), Nicky confidently did all 4 dance routines - and perfectly, i must say! Hay, proud ang stage mommy and daddy! Hehe.

Ok, just to add to the reasons why Nicky is suddenly now missing his 3-times-a-week rehearsal schedule -- he found a "new love" by the name of Bea! The girl who plays the young Tabitha in the show (see photo), captured my little boy's heart! Goodness, my son is just 6 years old! Nicky wrote his lady-love (who happens to be almost 11 years old, i think!) a letter which said "Dear Bea, I will never forget you. I love you. Nicky". Naloka ako! He never got the chance to give it to her, though. But it just amuses me how expressive he has become of his feelings, particularly with girls he likes.

Prep school starts for Nicky on June 20, and he is already looking forward to new productions and shows he can be involved in. Nawili na yata sa pag-perform! With the success of Ligaya South's first musical production, there is no doubt that new plans for future shows that will involve the kids of Ligaya are already in the works.

To my dear Nicholas -- Bravo! We are so proud of your accomplishments.:)

Friday, June 03, 2005

Abot Na Ang Langit

Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour.
Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?
For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

- Kahlil Gibran


My friend Reyster Langit passed away today. He was only 33 years old.


He was a schoolmate and friend of mine at De La Salle University where we both took our Communication Arts course. I think of him, and i think of my years back in college where life was so much simpler then than I know it to be now. Funny how when we were young and carefree we would laugh at the adults for saying that we have it easy still. And now that I am an adult myself, i realize that they were right. Nothing compares to life "in the real world", so they used to call it. Back then, my biggest worries were homework, my "porma" for the day, getting my crush to notice me and getting at least a 2.0 in my grade for any CommArts subject. Now my concerns vary from securing my family's future, keeping the business up and running, taking care of my son's health and security, and keeping my marriage strong. And as the years go by, I am faced by more and more realities of life that I have been protected from by my parents during my growing up years. Tragedies such as sickness, poverty, danger posed by evil elements, and the eventuality of death, are what we grown-ups now have to deal with. 12 years ago, the possibility of death anytime soon or even in a decade or so, would never have crossed my mind. For some reason, young people think that they are invincible and immortal. I thought to myself then, these things only happen to OTHER people -- people who are not my family, who aren't my friends, who i see in movies and TV shows. But not to me. Nor my family. Nor my friends.

The sad reality is, this is what life is. Because life here is but a temporary stopover in the journey towards our eternal life with our Creator. And i have had to face the trauma and loss and sadness of all these ever since I declared myself an adult. I have seen friends and really close family members come and go in my lifetime. All for different reasons. And now, we lost Reyster as well. Or at least, that's how we view it. Our loss is the Lord's gain. And I would like to think that Reyster is now resting in the Lord's arms, free from the pain and suffering that he went through.

So Reyster, if you're out there reading this (from heaven's internet cafe, maybe?), thanks for the short but memorable time we spent us college friends. I will only have fun and pleasant memories...

Thanks for the occasional car rides home when I had to commute late or during the rainy season...

Thanks for letting me and my group use your home for our video projects (Reyster was generous enough to open his home as location for our numerous film projects)...

Thanks for your generous contribution to media and society, your invaluable work has touched innumerable lives here and abroad, and will continue to still...

To his wife Kit, his child and the rest of his family.... my deepest condolences.