Zabyer

Here's another homegrown website. Homegrown as in grown in Cagayan de Oro and Xavier University. It strives to be the exclusive "friendster" for XU students and alumni. It's still in beta (which means it's still under construction), but usable.

What are you waiting for? Register and add me to your friends list. That is of course if you're an XU alumnus or student.

Home for a few hours

I attended the second technical session of KLUG (Kagay-anon Linux Users Group) last Saturday, November 26, at Room CIT 503, Xavier University. Ahh, my school, my dear alma mater, it has been four years since I last set foot on your grounds. It's good to be back. You look more crowded than ever, but you feel like the same school that I left behind. You are the same school; the same library, the same chapel, the same Loyola House, the same Hayes walkway, the same CIT building. You are the same place that witnessed the forging of my early dreams, the same place that saw me take steps toward achieving them, and sometimes steps backwards toward not achieving them. It's hard to forget the campus where I spent the last eight years of my formal education. And it's hard not to be happy at being there again. The high school is no longer there, most traces of which forever gone. But without doubt, I was on the grounds where I armed myself with stuff to understand, or to try to understand the world around me. The moment I stepped through the gates, I knew I was home. It's good to be back, even if it's only for a few hours.

Hmm... All these nostalgic feelings are getting into me. I guess I'll just blog about what actually happened at the technical session next time. :-)

Harry Potter and the Catholic child

I was surprise to know that a friend of mine hasn’t read any of the Harry Potter books. When she was very eager to see the fourth film, I thought that, like me, she had read the books and was excited to see what the filmmakers come up with. But she hasn't, not even the first book which is the shortest in the series.

But the length of the books is not really the issue, anyway. Apparently a lay group of which she is a member forbids the reading of Harry Potter on the ground that it teaches witchcraft or sorcery. For those who’ve read the books, this presumption is obviously false. My immediate reaction was, "I thought you were Catholic?" She said she is and that it's her lay group that forbids the reading of the books.

I think all Catholics should know that the Vatican has no official position on Harry Potter and it's not hard to see why. There's nothing there that teaches or encourages the learning of sorcery. Everything is make-believe, made from the same stuff that we had plenty of when we're young. And just so it's clear, I'm referring to the imagination stuff. I understand that the very young children might falsely believe that there is such a thing as magic as presented in the books, but didn't we all believe, once, in Santa Claus? So even if the books will indeed make a child believe in sorcery, in time they'll come into conclusion that there's no such thing as magic just as in time we knew that there's no such thing as Santa. Of course to be sure that the child stays safe between the believing and the not-believing point of his or her life, the parents should be in constant communication with the child. Parental guidance is the key. And this is the point, I think. Parents should not worry about what their children read or what TV shows or movies they watch, so long as they're there to guide them. We should not be banning books or TV shows or movies. Let them read Harry Potter, or better yet read the books together with them and then discuss what it's all about. Don't deprive them of a rich source of imagination just because you're afraid they might get the wrong impression. Talk to them. Talk with them. That's all there is to it.

On the other hand, when I was young, my parents didn't really talk to me on what Catholicism is all about. I guess I'm lucky that I joined the acolytes group of our local parish when I was ten, actively serving until I was fifteen. My fascination with the rituals of the mass was enough to make me learn more about my religion, about the Catholic Church. Of course all these fascination with the rituals and symbols of the mass would have amounted to nothing if I didn't find the right books to fill me in on the secrets. :-) Luckily, I passed the scholarship and was able to get into a Jesuit high school, otherwise, my parents (and by that I mean my working mother) wouldn't have been able to send me there and I wouldn't have access to the library that contained lots of books about Catholicism. But that's another story and for another blog post (or not). My point is that when you're grounded on your faith, you can read anything and not be easily swayed the other way. Of course you may not want to buy the books and contribute a portion of your money to the author who you think might be anti-Catholic. But you can always borrow from your friends (no, not the money, borrow the books). On the other hand if you're not really interested about the books in the first place (not because of malicious presumption or anything, but because you're just not interested) then that's another issue.

Going back to the matter at hand, I wish I said to her the things I wrote above when the issue of to read or not read Harry Potter came up. Not that the world is better off if everyone has read Harry Potter, but as a friend it's my obligation to tell my friends what I know (though it's still up to them to decide) about issues that concern them or our faith. I guess I wasn't in the mood for a lengthy debate, especially that we are about to watch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It would ruin the evening.

"I thought you were Catholic?" Tsk tsk tsk… I hope I did not sound accusatory or all-knowing when I said it. Although I'm confident that it didn't ruin our friendship. Ruining of friendship takes more than that. It'll take something like saying something stupid like I love her or something, but that's another story and for another blog post (or not).

Goblet of Fire movie

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is without doubt the best movie of the series, thus far. It seemed everything has fallen into place for this movie. Everything from Steve Kloves brilliant screenplay, to Mike Newell’s inspired direction, to the main trio’s improved acting skills.

Even though the fourth is the longest book that has been filmed so far, the movie is more tightly-woven compared to the previous ones. A lot of subplots were cut, but the result is wholly satisfying. The result is not a story with a lot of cuts, but just one complete story. I think this time around they’d cut in the right places. I still can’t believe that the back-story of the creator of the Marauder’s map which played a significant role in the third book was not touched upon in the third movie. This time around they got it right. They’d cut the right things like Hermione’s S.P.E.W. movement, Percy Weasley, Ludo Bagman, and the Dursleys. It is at once the darkest and at once the funniest movie of the planned seven. I enjoyed this more than any other HP movie.

The three main casts (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson) have improved their acting skills. More than any other time, it’s hard to imagine any other three actors playing the trio in the remaining three movies. Just last year I didn’t care about the rumors of the trio not returning, but now I do. They should stay. It won’t be the same without them.

I’m not sure if I like Patrick Doyle’s musical score more or less than that of John Williams. Their takes are different from each other, although Hedwig’s Theme is recognizable. Doyle’s take on Hedwig’s Theme is refreshing, though I’m not sure if it’s better than William’s. I’ll leave it to the music experts to debate on that. All I know is that I enjoyed the musical score of this movie.

Steve Kloves who is set to pen the screenplay of the latest book (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) is a brilliant writer. He had set the bar high in this movie. It’s kind of sad and worrisome that he isn’t writing the next movie after showing us what he can do, given talented directors such as Alfonso Cuaron and Mike Newell. But I’m confident that Michael Goldenberg (Peter Pan, Contact) will be up to the challenge in writing the script for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I'm excited to see what Goldenberg will be able to create out of the longest book in the series. Too bad it won’t come out till 2007, but on the other hand it will probably be just in time for the release of the seventh and last book which would make that year doubly exciting.

Pinoy Big Brother downloads

Hehe... I can't believe I just spent fifty pesos on Pinoy Big Brother-related cellphone downloads. Thirty pesos for the PBB theme ringback (which those who call me, all two of them, will enjoy from now on every time they do). And another twenty pesos for the PBB theme ringtone which I actually use as my message alert tone so that I'll enjoy it every time somebody sends me an SMS, or everytime the servers act up and send me and my co-workers error alerts via SMS. I don't want to make it my ringtone because for one thing, I seldom get calls, and for another, I like my Hedwig's Theme ringtone which I always use whenever a Harry Potter movie or book is released.

Yes, fifty pesos for Pinoy Big Brother, a reality show I referred to as trash TV just months ago. This show has grown on me.

What does Catholic mean?

Steve Ray ponders what the word Catholic means, its history, and significance.

Read his take on just what Catholic means.