Masarap Maging Atenista!

Bakit kamo? Ang mga susunod ay ang aking mga rason:

1. Dahil alam namin na parating meron;
2. Dahil lahat ng tao mahal namin, mapa-anong edad, mapa-babae ka man o lalaki, o mapa-anong kulay ka man (kahit na berde ka, ayos pa rin!);
3. Dahil mahal namin ang mga puno;
4. Dahil maganda ang kulay asul; at
5. Dahil panalo kami sa UAAP Season 71!

Biruin mo, sa sobrang sarap na maging Atenista, kahit mga hindi Atenista, nakiki-Ateneo na rin! Hay, ang mga tao talaga. Ang sarap asarin ang mga ilan sa kanila, "Oy, Nene, anong grade ka pa lang?" Haha! Oo na, masama na, pero nakakatawa pa ring isipin na sa isang selebrasyon na gawa ng Atenista para sa kapwa nilang mga Atenista, halos kalahati ng dumalo ay hindi Atenista. Ang saya! Pero ayos lang, dahil nga sabi ko sa #2, lahat ng tao tatanggapin at mamahalin namin. Atenista kami e, men and women for others, kaya dapat maging mapagbigay. Sabagay, sinuportahan naman rin nila si Chris Tiu, ay, este, ang lahat ng Blue Eagles at si Norman Black, kaya panalo na rin sila.:p Hindi nga ba, the more, the merrier?:p

Ang masasabi ko lang, mabuhay kayo, Ateneo Blue Eagles! Rabah Al-Hussaini, Nonoy Austria, Mike Baldos, Ryan Buenafe, Vince Burke, Justin Chua, Yuri Escueta, Zagz Gonzaga, Kirk Long, Jobe Nkemakolam, Jai Reyes, Eric Salamat, Nico Salva, Chris Sumalinog, and Chris Tiu - salamat sa inyong lahat! Mga tunay kayong mga alamat. Kay Yuri at Chris, mabuhay kayo! Sa mga iba, sana maulit uli sa susunod na taon.:D Pero kung hindi naman (nawa'y hindi, pero hindi natin alam ang mga susunod na mangyayari), sa Ateneo pa rin ako! Ika nga natin, win or lose, it's the school we choose. Kung ito'y isasalin natin, "Manalo, matalo, sa Ateneo pa rin ako!"

Go Ateneo, One Big Fight!

Woot! After six years, we finally got back the crown! Congratulations to the Ateneo Blue Eagles of UAAP Season 71! You've made all of us proud!

See you all at the bonfire! The first one (2002) was great, but this is going to be amazing!

Our Manifesto

The Twelve Commandments of Free Faith

1. Faith is free. It is not something that we work for, but given by God by His grace.

Matthew 6:30 If God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

2. The church is for everyone. Salvation is available to anyone who come to meet God.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:10-11 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

3. Love is not conditional. Each person deserves to be loved, no matter where they are coming from.

Romans 3:9 Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin.

4. It is Jesus who calls, not humans. No one other than Jesus can say what one’s calling is.

Matthew 9:35 Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

5. The servant cannot be above his master. Servanthood and humility are what the Lord seeks from His people.

Matthew 20:16 “The last shall be first, and the first last."

John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master ' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

6. To err is human, to forgive divine. Each person is a sinner whose salvation comes only through Jesus.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

7. Worship is a lifestyle. More than songs and lip service, what counts is how a person lives his/her day-to-day life to glorify God.

Luke 3:8 “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”

8. Do not judge a book you have not read. Never condemn anyone based on what appears on the surface level.

Matthew 7:3"Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

9. Insulate, not isolate. As a Christian is in the world but not of the world, s/he need not separate themselves from humanity for fear of contamination.

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

10. Faith is not blind. One cannot believe without understanding and seeking the answers of his/her faith.

John 9:39 And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind."

11. Live in genuine fellowship. Remember the grand commission: to seek and save the lost.

John 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”

12. Thou shall not steal. Theft and robbery of any kind do not and never will reflect God’s love and will for His children.

John 10:10 "The thief coes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life,

and have it abundantly.”

Know more at Free Faith.

Hello, World!

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

I’ve been thinking about this verse for quite some time now, and I think that we’ve taken it wrongly. Or at least, our approach towards it is not quite accurate.

For a lot of Christian groups, the verse means that we should steer clear of the world completely. This means that while we interact with the others, that is, “secular” people, we make a conscious effort to not be like them. Since we’re already renewed, shouldn’t we be acting differently, making it a point to be different from who they are?

For some time, I actually prescribed to that line of thought. After all, the verse did say, “Do not conform to this world”, right? Gradually though, I began to challenge that belief. The verse doesn’t end there. It says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The implication is, if you really try and get to know God, and He reveals Himself to you, then being in Him would mean transformation. It’s not so much that you separate yourself from the rest of humanity, but that you immerse yourself in the Lord. How can you live out the Grand Commission (making disciples of all nations) when you separate yourself from the other people? Are you just going to stick to that little niche of yours for the rest of your life, because we think that what is outside of that is the “big, bad world”?

What I’m getting at here is, as Christians, maybe we should change the way we think. If we really are in the Lord, we have nothing to fear about being corrupted. Jesus already died on the Cross and gave His Spirit. He’s with us. Are we that afraid to be contaminated? Not only is that selfish, but it implies lack of trust. Are we that insecure of His love for us? Are we that self-centered that we would disregard any possible people we might bring into the kingdom for the sake of preserving our souls?

It’s this sense of self-preservation that puts Christians in hot water. We focus on ourselves too much that we don’t realize how much damage we’re doing to the name of Jesus. Think carefully: can you think of someone who’s technically “secular”, but in reality is doing more good than self-proclaimed Christians? If you’re honest to yourself, you’d probably say yes, because there are a lot of good people out there who are not necessarily believers. You know why? Because they’re not afraid to put themselves on the line for other people, as opposed to those who say they follow Jesus but look too much on possible effects a situation might have on them that they end up not doing anything at all. Honestly, if in your heart, you know that it’s the will of God, then go with it! Things don’t always have to go by the book to be seen as “right” or “good.” That would be legalistic, and completely pointless, because faith is all about grace and not necessarily doctrine.

This kind of thinking is not just selfish, it’s also arrogant. Honestly, the reason why a lot of people look at Christians negatively is because of the air of self-righteousness. “Oh, I can’t associate with him, he smokes!” “Oh, I can’t spend too much time with her, she parties a lot and drinks!” Please. Get off your high horse! Just because someone’s different from you doesn’t mean that they have no rights! I loved the sermon given last Sunday. The priest talked about human dignity, that no matter who someone is, s/he deserves love and respect. And no, that’s not a worldly way of looking at it. Never forget that Jesus died for each and every one of us. It is not only for those who are in church, but especially for those who are not part of it. He came for those who are sick, not those who are well (Mk 2:17). If God didn’t care for those who haven’t come to know Him, then why is He willing to leave His flock in search for a single missing lamb? This is who God is. He is not organizations- or institutions-based, but focused on the well-being of His people, no matter what their relationship with Him is.

When you get down to it, this kind of thinking is damaging. Categorizing between the “holy ones” and the “secular people” is a big no-no. We have no right to classify which is good and which is bad, because all of us are under the power of grace. All of us are sinners who are dependent on the goodwill of God. Remove the labels. Take away the bigotry and the self-righteousness. Throw away the garbage.

This is when genuine love comes in, not only because you embrace everyone for who they are, including their flaws and imperfections, but also, that you see them and everything else in the light of God’s love. With this, we become less smitten with what appears on the surface level, but on what’s happening inside, to the core. Where everything becomes meaningful, and, in its own special way, beautiful.

Foolish Games

Foolish Games
Jewel

You took your coat off and stood in the rain,
You're always crazy like that.
And I watched from my window,
Always felt I was outside looking in on you.
You're always the mysterious one with
Dark eyes and careless hair,
You were fashionably sensitive
But too cool to care.
You stood in my doorway, with nothing to say
Besides some comment on the weather.

[Pre-Chorus 1]
Well in case you failed to notice,
In case you failed to see,
This is my heart bleeding before you,
This is me down on my knees, and...

[Chorus]
These foolish games are tearing me apart,
And your thoughtless words are breaking my heart.
You're breaking my heart.
You're always brilliant in the morning,
Smoking your cigarettes and talking over coffee.
Your philosophies on art, Baroque moved you.
You loved Mozart and you'd speak of your loved ones
As I clumsily strummed my guitar.

You'd teach me of honest things
Things that were daring, things that were clean
Things that knew what an honest dollar did mean
So I hid my soiled hands behind my back
Somewhere along the line I must've gone off track with you

[Pre-Chorus 2]
Well, excuse me, guess I've mistaken you for somebody else,
Somebody who gave a damn,
Somebody more like myself.

[Chorus]
You took your coat off,
Stood in the rain,
You're always crazy like that.



Nobody likes getting fooled. No one.

What Fools We Are

Only a foolish-looking fool could be fooled by such a foolish fool’s foolish dream.
- Franziska Von Karma, Phoenix Wright: Justice for All

And I'm one of the biggest fools of all.

'Nuff said.

Updates

It's been a long time since I last updated an entry. I miss writing here, maybe because, compared to the other ones that I update, this one's really my “sacred space”, my cyberhome, if you will. A place that actually has a slice of my life, and just a mere combination of the most random of things. Well, maybe this blog can get random, but I do try and get a few points across most of the time, and that's what matters in the end, right? Anyway, it's hard not being able to write here for a long time. I don't know where to begin. You know the feeling of losing touch with a close friend and then meeting them again, and you're not quite sure how to approach that person? It pretty much what I'm feeling right now. I feel like I'm back to Square One, and I have to learn all over again how to get back on track here.

Anyway, some life updates. I'm still working in the same company that I was part of since November 2006. It's pretty fun. Some of the people who know me say that it's just “so me” to be part of something like this, but for me, it's just where the Lord wants me to be in right now, so I'll be here until He says so (and no, I still won't go and spell out the company name or the specific project I'm working on. Again, I don't want to be mauled alive by fangirls (and if ever, fanboys, but perish the thought).

I'm mixing work and school these days. I'm taking up my Masters in Psychology, particularly Counseling. It's a bit of a struggle, because my undergrad course was different from that one, and the professors seem to take it for granted that all their students have a Psychology background (which is understandable. Why would a non-Psychology major take it up for further studies anyway?) It's not the easiest thing in the world, so I really have to rely on God.

In terms of personal stuff, I guess a lot has happened these past months. It's really funny, because I think I've changed a lot since 2005, my turning-point year. Various factors caused this, and I'm not quite sure what to make of that. I mean, I'm the kind of person who would actually fight so as not to be able to lose a part of her personality, but then I find myself changing (and practically without my knowledge!) I'm still the same Lani, but there are some things that are, well, different. Again, I don't know for sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, honestly. Sure, some, I can appreciate, like having greater patience now, but for others, I'm not quite sure yet. It's too complicated and revealing (hey, just because I have this blog doesn't mean I have to spill out my guts here) to explain everything here, but it just seems that I've changed greatly in just about every aspect. Surface level, I'm still pretty much the same: bubbly, chirpy, and giggly – pretty much traits of a five-year old kid. Inside though, I'm becoming even more introverted (as if I wasn't , already. Those who say I'm extroverted definitely don't know me well enough). It's really strange, because it seems at times I'm fighting with myself, not in a psychotic way, but more in terms of attitude. I've been focused about my situation a lot of times the past months that I feel as though I'm being assimilated without knowing it. Or maybe I've been thinking about specific things so much that I failed to notice how much I'm getting affected by these. I don't know... I used to be comforted by the fact that I know who I am as a person, but I don't think I can say the same thing right now. Sure, I know what I'm standing up for, I know my principles, my belief, and my faith, but knowing how to approach these is a different thing. I guess I need some time to self-reflect, something I haven't done for a while.

One person I admire once wrote something, and I'd like to share what he stated. He mentions a devotional he's had some time, and he said that he was surprised that the message of God was something like He'd be sending rains of fire and lightning bolts to the sinful nation, and he'll be cutting the sinners off from their inheritance. Now, the writer goes and says that people who read that, and he counts himself as one of them, would probably be scared and immediately start reevaluating their lives on what part of their life they should change – or else. I'm sharing this because I've been feeling the same way, and getting the same messages (in terms of meaning, anyway). Suffice to say that I definitely don't want to be cut off from God. Getting to know Him from the very beginning has had a huge effect in my life, I don't even know where to begin how He's touched mine. Nothing could compare to that. I don't want to throw that away. I don't want to lose Him. He's the only sure thing I have in my life, and I'd be a fool if I were to let go of that. Lately, though, I've been thinking as the world does. I don't know when it began. I probably wouldn't be able to identify the exact same time that I started, because that's the way sin works. It starts with the seemingly little things, you know, compromising your Quiet Time because you just “have” to finish a task at hand. Pretty soon, it becomes much bigger than that, but you don't realize that it's already a huge thing because you started so small. I'm just thankful that the Lord woke me up before things got too far, because I was starting to turn to the world in more than just one aspect of my life. It's hard stuff, because in a way, I actually did want to succumb to that call, because I actually did want the things that were offered. Then the Lord gives me a heads-up, saying in no uncertain terms that if I didn't clean up my act, I'd be cutting Him off my life. That's harsh, but it's true. This is the first time that I actually could relate to what Paul was saying in Romans, about doing things even if he didn't want to. The ones who are rewarded are the ones who have persevered in the race, who never let up in their battle. It's not the ones who had a great start and then stopped to chat with the waterboys by the tree and enjoyed the shade so much that they just stayed there, never paying attention to the fact that they gave up on something that they actually trained for and aspired for a long time.

I guess I'm writing this entry for many reasons: to revive my blog, to mark my 21st birthday (hey, in some countries, this is the legal age, so I guess this marks a new beginning for me too), to give an update on what's going on with me, but most especially, to help me get back on track, especially since I don't have a handwritten one as of yet. In a way, I'm accountable to this blog, because it's a way for me to keep track of how I'm growing in faith and of what the Lord has been telling me. I guess that's a commitment that I'll try to keep this year: to update this, and not with silly online quizzes or random things. I want to write about things that matter. I don't know if it will help people, but I do know that it's a way for me to counsel myself.

Lord help me.