A story that has never been told

Bago mag simula ang roadtrip namin, laging may dalawang tanong na sumasagi sa aking isipan. Bilang isang ordinaryong manlalakbay nais kong malaman ang pagkakaiba ng mga lugar na aking na puntahan at mapupuntahan at bilang isang historian/sociologist (in the making *cough*)nais ko naman malaman kung paano na buo o sa’n nagsimula  ang lugar na aking pupuntahan, tuklasin ang mga bagay na maaring bago sa paningin ng iba… O’ di kaya’y maganda sa paningin ng iba. Habang nasa byahe sa Turbina Bus Station papuntang Bicol, maraming sumasagi sa aking malikot na isipan. Ano nga bang meron sa Bicol bukod sa kakaibang dialect/salita, maanghang na pagkain, at sikat na mayon volcano?  Hindi ko alam ang pupuntahan namin, ako kasi ang klase ng taong mahilig sa surpresa… Hindi ako matanong na tao, kung ano man ang madadatnan namin sa aming pupuntahan… Kahit ano pa yan, magiging masaya ako… Dahil na patapat kami sa semana santa at katoliko romano ang aking kapatid at ina, nais nilang ma...

Privacy. Private. Personal. Every person is entitled to be free from any kind of invasion. Celebrities cry foul when their personal life is invaded by overly curious media people. Politicians summoned for public hearing always resort to the protection of rights to privacy. A teenager gets defensive when parents check a possession without due foreword. Everyone is almost absolutely aware of the importance of having privacy. So how can one live with no doors, no locks, and only a wisp of curtains? Houses in Masinao are the most challenging of all to live at. A person who is used to having his/her own room will be shocked by the thought of living in a place with barely any divider. If you are living with siblings of similar gender it is quite alright, but if you are a young lady living with your older brothers, it is unthinkable. It must be common to think that people living in this kind of houses lack money to install doors with locks or construct decent walls between rooms. E...

My name is Elgine L. Cerdeña, a 3 rd  year irregular student of Colegio de San Juan de Letran – Calamba, a girl so ordinary no one will look at me even if I am walking naked down the hallway. But then again, there must be more. You see, whenever I introduce myself, people have the same reaction – “Again? Elgy, Eglyn? Egnyl?” I know that no matter what I do, people are bound to ask the spelling of my name simply because it is not something that they encounter everyday. I got sick of seeing my name disemboweled for the past years. When I applied for entrance exams, I get my permit and room number by the name of Elaine Cerdeña. Just recently, I was introduced as a student intern by the name of Ailene Cerdeña. By this time, I am more than used to having such a badly misheard name.  And so just like my name, I know people have quite some difficulty understanding the whole “me”. When I was a child, I have a very simple wish when I grow up. A wish that others thought was a shallow ...

           "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first"                                                                                                 John 15:18                                                 Maging Akin Muli                                                       (Click this link for the video) Manlamig man sa Akin puso mong maramdamin Lisanin man ng tuwa puso mong namamanglaw Manginig man sa takot masindakin mong puso Mag-u...

Question: Ano ang mas gusto mo, Tuyo or Tinapa? Answer: Tinapa. Hahah.. Mas masarap sya para sakin. =) Question: Ano ang pinaka ayaw mong food? Answer: Paksiw. Hmmm… ayoko ng amoy… Nasusuka ako. =/ Question: Bakit si Batman naka brief? Answer: Kasi ayaw nyang mag panty. Hahah. PEACE! =) Question: Bakit may mga lalaking umiihi sa pader? Answer: Wala tayong magagawa kung na uulyanin sila ng maaga. Hahah. XD Question: Who Am I? Answer: First question ko yan sa SOCULIT ko na subject. Hahah. Dyan ko nakilala si ano eh… Hahah. Sige, sasagutin ko yan ng maayos. YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD. You are the slave of you own pain and pleasures. You are a selfish creation. Question: Anong message mo para sa akin? Answer: Hindi kita kilala. Hmmm… Magpaka bait ka. Live each day as if it’s your last. Question: Sino si Rene de Cartes? Answer: Sa kanya ko nalaman ang salitang “Cognito ego sum”. Question: Bakit may mga taong BOBO? Answer: Kasi may mga taong tamad… Hindi sila bobo, tamad sila. =) Question: Sino...

Are you an art enthusiast? If so, what kind of painting would you like to put in your living room wall? A Malang or a replica of a Van Gogh?   If you belong to the lower class family, what kind of accessory will you put in your wall besides a calendar from Tanduay or Matador? One of the most common features of average households is the use of diplomas and family pictures as wall decorations. Some put so many pictures that visitors can tell the family history just by looking at them. Pictures convey a lot of message that is why it becomes a major attention-getter whenever visitors or strangers drop by the house. People never get tired of telling the stories behind each smile.   On the other hand, diplomas are proof of the achievements of family members. It is the pride of the family to put even the kindergarten diplomas of their children. Every diploma is an indicator of a hard earned knowledge and a sign of the parent’s perseverance to have their children attain the highest ...

         Given a chance, what thing would you change about the world? This is my favorite question during the “Q and A” portion of Miss PFS. I was stunned to hear that most people would choose real materials as a representative of the “thing” that is to be changed. Of course I respect others opinion, but still, for me there are a lot more to change than oil price and rice shortage. The most prevalent problem today is war. It is a very broad thing to start with if we’re aiming to rehabilitate the sick enough world. But what really launched hatred towards men are their differences. Religion is one thing, but faith is another. Religion teaches men, but faith moves them. Truly, we cannot manipulate what others must think. Thinking and believing is not a set of program designed to be a unitary kind of response. The teachings are the same; it is the interpretation that differs. Truths are spoken through varying degrees, what is understood will be concluded. The sad p...