From Bobby's desk calendar

"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge
against one of your people,
but love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD."
- Leviticus 19:18

Sing like nobody is listening. Dance like nobody is watching. Love like you've never been hurt. This season of Lent, forgive like you've only been wounded once.

"Loving God, loving others and finding value in ourselves. Without a doubt, these three aspects of love are the most effective weapons against the destructive power of low self-worth."
- Gary Smalley and John Trent

***
The quote and the Bible passage is from the desk calendar of my officemate.

Teach us to number our days aright

We can only live our days wisely when we see God clearly.
- Josh Harris

Sometimes I am too conceited, too confident to think that God is always smiling down on me that I forget that I really do have a lot of transgressions. But when I do remember to look for him, to ask for forgiveness, to ask for blessing, everything becomes clearer.

Seeing God clearly is anything but easy. But in those times that I do see Him clearly, I am truly happy.

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Relent, O LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
- Psalm 90:12-14

It is that simple, really. I just need to recognize the fleeting nature of my life in order to see things in perspective. That I don't have time to worry over trivial stuffs. Or no time to worry at all. Be true to myself. Find ways to celebrate the things that make me happy and forget about those things that won't.

***

Tomorrow my officemates and I will watch the premiere performance of West Side Story at the Rodelsa Hall of Liceo de Cagayan University. If we push through, it would only be my second time at the Rodelsa Hall. I went there the first time to watch the concert of soprano Evelyn Mandac, which was almost a year ago. It's an excellent place for the performing arts. The seats are very good, wall-to-wall carpeting, superb acoustics, and very theater-y ambiance. I don't think there's a better place for the performing arts here in Mindanao than the Rodelsa Hall.

I think the only reason why serious concerts are not being held there is that it can't hold as many audience as the regular, ugly, lame concert venues here in the city. In other words it's not very "pang-masa". Because of the limited seating, in order for the for-profit not-so-serious concerts to be held there, the organizers are going to have to charge very high for the tickets. But for soprano/tenor concerts, choral concerts, piano recitals, and other serious concerts, there's no better place than Rodelsa.

Because of the limited seating, most events at the Rodelsa are by local theater groups and local artists only. The West Side Story will be performed by the University's theater group, I think. Last year they performed The Sound of Music. I can't understand why my alma mater, Xavier University (Ateneo de Cagayan), won't invest on a facility equal to that of Liceo de Cagayan University's Rodelsa Hall.

High drama

high drama

it's not enough to say
"you're beautiful"
the birds must sing
with such delight
as you pass by

it's not right to say
"you've such sweet smile"
my heart must leap
and my spirit fly
because you smiled

"you're friendly"
isn't gonna cut it
the sun must shine
like never before
after years of storm

"you've lovely voice"
is quite simplistic
my ears must flutter
and my heart dance each time
you whisper my name

i couldn't just say
"i miss you"
i have to say
"my heart yearns to see you again"
soon my friend

One long goodbye

The picture is that of I-forgot-what-hole of the Del Monte Golf Course in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. I took it September 17, 2006, hours before a phone conversation with a friend, to whom I dedicate the poem, a conversation where she told me she's boarding a plane that would take her to a city far from Cagayan de Oro (the city otherwise known as Los Angeles, CA). I thought we'll never see each other for a very long time.

I thought she'd never return. I was wrong, she did. I thought I was saying goodbye to her back then. That, too, was wrong. It's only now, five months later, that I am truly beginning to say goodbye. How ironic, too, that it's happening when she has returned. How things have changed from when I talked to her that night of September 17, to when I wrote the poem October 1, to now.

I'm beginning to say goodbye. Will it ever end? Shoud I even say goodbye?

dnt give me dat
drama, watevr u
col it. m tyrd...
- the friend to whom i dedicate this poem

Ears a flutter?

Fluttering ears. Now there's a pretty picture.

I believe I'm loved when I'm completely by myself
- Savage Garden, Affirmation

What?

In addition, the applicant is a charming, sweet lady with the most infectious smile I've ever known. She has such sweet smile that can lighten anybody's day. Her smile can lighten my day. Her glasses cannot hide those beautiful round eyes. She has such sweet voice, too. She can read the dictionary and I could listen to her all day. I love my friend. I love everything about her.

The question was: What skills/abilities does the applicant have that makes him/her ideal for -----?

Say what? And don't count the dashes. I'd like to think it's because it's February and it's two days before the fourteenth. Or maybe, just maybe, as one of our instructors in a recent training puts it, "must be the weather." Whatever it is, though, this guy's in love with his friend. Funny. Funny not because he's in love, funny because what is being asked for are "skills/abilities". Yeah, just in case you didn't get it. I have to explain.

I believe the sun should never set upon an argument
I believe we place our happiness in other people's hands
I believe that junk food tastes so good because it's bad for you
I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do
I believe that beauty magazines promote low self esteem
I believe I'm loved when I'm completely by myself alone

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love 'til you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye
- Savage Garden, Affirmation

Deathly hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be published July 21, 2007. As always (since the fifth book, this is the seventh) I will be pre-ordering my copy from National Bookstore that I know for sure will release it on that day.

I always knew that Harry's story would end with the seventh book, but saying goodbye has been just as hard as I always knew it would be. Even while I'm mourning, though, I feel an incredible sense of achievement. I can hardly believe that I've finally written the ending I've been planning for so many years. I've never felt such a mixture of extreme emotions in my life, never dreamed I could feel simultaneously heartbroken and euphoric. - JK Rowling

I have until July 20 to reread books one to six. But even before I can start rereading them, I must finish reading Paulo Coelho's Veronika Decides To Die and Nicholas Sparks's A Walk To Remember first because I only borrowed them from my friends.

Walk with me

I'm renaming my blog, yet again, from Carl News Network to the simpler Walk With Carl. What does this mean? Nothing, really. I just have nothing better to do. For those who are interested (yeah right), the name history of this blog now looks like this:

• 2007 February - Walk With Carl
• 2005 September - Carl News Network
• 2004 May - The Smaller Picture

It has been a long walk since 2004 and I don't see it ending anytime soon. Along the way I have posted embarrassing stuffs as well as stuffs that I am proud of. Along the way I have posted a lot of questions, some of them have been answered. Along the way I have written things that were only true back then. There have been a lot of changes since I started this walk. This is just another one.

Do you have a minute? Walk with me.

Hayley

Walking with Hayley is like a guided tour of heaven. The rough road is transformed into a golden pathway. The houses that go whichever way quickly dressed up in uniforms. In a moment each one is as tall as the other one. I walk with Hayley and my steps go lighter every word she says. Problems, gone. Worries, gone. All smiles.

So why, tell me why the good die young my old friend
I pray that heaven waits for everyone in the end
And love, love is how we cross that bridge to the light
A star that is what you are in my darkest night
Be always by my side
-Hayley Westenra, Heaven

I smile even as she confides a sad story. I smile even as she tells it in the brink of tears. I smile because I hear in her voice a promise that everything is going to be okay. I walk away from her assured that I'm going to be fine. She gave me a small cross. Something to remember the promise by, her promise, God's promise. I'll meet my sister again for, as Hayley said, heaven waits for everyone in the end. Heaven will wait for me. My sister will wait for me. I will continue walking. Walk with me.

For Emily.

You belong to me

Last week on American Idol, 64-year old Sherman Pore of Los Angeles, California was able to get on the auditions despite him being way beyond the AI age limit of 29 because of the petition that he and his wife worked on. He dedicated his audition song, Dean Martin's You Belong to Me, to his wife. She died of cancer two days before he got on the auditions. He sang from the heart and sent Paula to tears and Simon to being pleasant. The song itself is a very simple and beautiful love song.

You can watch his audition here (from Youtube):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZhWwTreZs0

Or you can listen to the whole song here:
http://annak75.free.fr/zic/tome.mp3



You Belong To Me
(Dean Martin)

Watch the sunrise on a tropic isle
See the pyramids along the Nile
Just remember darlin', all the while
You belong to me

See the market place in old Algiers
Send me photographs and souvenirs
Just remember when a dream appears
You belong to me

I'll be so alone without you
Maybe you'll be lonesome too and blue

Fly the ocean in a silver plane
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Just remember 'til you're home again
You belong to me

Fly the ocean in a silver plane
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Just remember 'til you're home again
You belong to me