06 Sep 2010
by Jamesin Rants Tags: 2010, Christmas, Pinoy, Rants
We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar.
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
The -ber months have begun and already it smells like Christmas (only in the Philippines, the holiday season begins in August)! In the market places, retailers have begun selling Christmas decors and paraphernalia. Oh I can’t wait! Fast forward please!
If only that were possible, fast forwarding to the good bits of the year. I would fast forward to the day after my Midterm examinations are over. Oh don’t worry, I’ve already reviewed.
This month my Mama and Papa will be celebrating their birthdays. Ma on the 11th (we were probably celebrating when the twin towers fell) and Pa on the 19th (same as my cousin’s cousin Jemima). So don’t forget to greet them, ya hear? ^^
24 Dec 2009
by Jamesin Rants Tags: Christmas
Last night I felt down and practically in despair. Why? Because this year our family is doing some belt tightening and we won’t be going down to Manila to celebrate Christmas with our relatives. I was so disappointed I didn’t want to have noche buena altogether. That’s when my Mama knocked some sense into me. You don’t need to know how exactly, she just did. Like I said before, mothers have their own indescribable ways of dealing and doing things. Quite neat, no?
I realized that I’ve been selfish and self centered. I’ve been acting like a girl during her period just because I can’t make it to the family reunion this Christmas when the fact is a lot more Filipinos have lost their homes in a fire, but they are still happy because the reason for celebrating Christmas is not the material and temporal things it brings forth, but rather the person who is the essence of the occasion. The man nailed on the cross for our behalf: Jesus Christ. Now I don’t want to be preachy and force my convictions on anyone who disagrees with me, but I believe I should at least get it out there that when I celebrate Christmas, I celebrate my salvation. I celebrate Christ.
I guess I can end this post with the last three words of the previous paragraph. So ciao dear readers. Merry Christmas! Share the love, share Christ.
14 Dec 2009
by Jamesin Rants Tags: Christmas, Pinoy, Rants
This afternoon on my way to the wagwagans near the public market I passed on an overpass where the blind men usually play musical instruments and beg for alms. Chained on the railing was a brand new electric guitar with a paper cup fastened on its neck and a cheap amplifier (the sort that you could buy at local stores for your karaoke machine). On my way home and on another Baguio overpass, I encountered a blind man who had a plaque card hung on his neck that said: MIRI KRISMAS, MAGBIGAY KAYO. He played an electronic keyboard.
What I saw was enough to convince me that these beggars are like those in India portrayed by the movie Slumdog Millionaire who are part of some syndicate group who take advantage of these people and their disabilities(which they themselves inflicted) so they can selfishly earn money. When I was in my grade school years, older folk usually told me not to give alms to these blind beggars not only because of their involvement in a scam, but also because it encourages familiarity and motivates them to beg even more. The sad part is that the alms they receive are taken from them by the ‘managers’ of the syndicate group they’re in and they are left with scraps if not nothing altogether. I’ve been instructed to give them food rather than money. Because of these I learned not to trust and encourage these unfortunates.
Nevertheless, I could not help but feel sorry for the blind man from this afternoon and obligated to give him a few of my loose change. Quite hypocritical eh? Yeah, probably. Maybe I should have given him a sandwich or something he could fill his stomach with for a few hours. Maybe I will next time. Anyway, as I look back to my walk towards the jeepney station at Perfecto Street, I imagine what their Christmas must be like. No carols, no gifts, no traditional food like puto bung bong, queso de bola and hamon, no feasts, no fireworks, no love, no nothing. Having realized this made me thankful that I am fortunate to have a family who loves me to spend the holidays with, and food to fill this stomach of mine that always seems to want more food.
I think we who can have and do have what these beggars can only wish to have should be grateful. If you aren’t, take a good long look at the beggars around you who go crazy and have no home and turn to the spoils of fast food chains and garbage to satisfy their hunger. You’re something else(and something i don’t want to be acquainted with) if what you see doesn’t move you.
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