tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32164902011-12-15T10:53:05.756+08:00the rowster...rowienoreply@blogger.comBlogger9381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-85687071240873105502006-12-20T02:53:00.000+08:002006-12-20T02:58:54.816+08:00Wait, there's more!Okay, so I've added a few more blogs, all specialized now!- My cooking/food blog: The Palacios Kitchen- My nerdy/academic/teaching blog: Teacher Rowie- My blog on spiritual matters: To Be Like A ChildAnd I have one fun blog:- PinoypanaloAnd a blog (still under construction) for my research on scholarships, conferences and calls for papers for philosophy postgraduate students rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1161697695929617992006-10-24T21:44:00.000+08:002006-10-27T20:53:57.430+08:00New life!I've gotten married (whee!), and my blog-life has changed as well!!My nerdy posts are now here, my spiritual posts are now here, and my personal posts have now gone into hiding. ;)Later on I'll figure out what to do with this page.Cheers, everyone!rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1147172051135780742006-05-09T18:40:00.000+08:002006-05-09T19:24:18.616+08:00Colbert.U.S. political blogs are talking about Stephen Colbert's performance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. As fans of Jon Stewart's show, Mike and I got curious, and watched the entire 20-minute monologue.As a former media practitioner, here's my guess: I don't think Stephen Colbert bombed. I'm guessing he knew exactly what he was doing. I'm guessing he was neither surprised nor rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1146934391571457772006-05-07T00:50:00.000+08:002006-05-07T00:53:11.583+08:00Wedding stuff.Our prenups (30 of the 300++ photos our incredible photographer Mel Cortez took).Our theknot.com website (with not a lot of stuff on it, I'm afraid).rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1145514139216584822006-04-20T14:19:00.000+08:002006-04-20T14:22:19.226+08:00Look who's back.I said "yes" to him about a year ago and will be exchanging vows with him in about 50 days. Yes, a lot has happened since he last blogged regularly, but Mikoid is now back!rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1145097246345421022006-04-15T18:33:00.000+08:002006-04-15T18:34:06.356+08:00Through Him, the universe passes from darkness to light.With Him, we passed from death to life.In Him, we shall pass from sin to salvation.Happy passing over! Happy Easter!rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1143567300433589912006-03-29T00:51:00.000+08:002006-03-29T01:35:00.540+08:00Hankering.Let me explain this post.I don't consider myself someone who wants a lot of things. I think I generally have simple desires. And I'm so blessed in so many ways that I'm often too overwhelmed with thanksgiving to feel the need for much more. But every now and then, there is something, and this is one of those nows.See, I have a long-term dream, to take my PhD, either in NYC or, pwede rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1142775051618029592006-03-19T21:22:00.000+08:002006-03-19T21:41:37.976+08:00Remembering.I don't know why, but today I suddenly remembered a former student of mine who died a few years ago due to complications from cancer.I remembered her face first, then her ever-cheerful personality (always smiling, her voice filled with delight, when she'd approach me after class), then seeing her when she'd visit school after she had already graduated ... wearing a bandana around her rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1142471135168243562006-03-16T08:28:00.000+08:002006-03-16T09:05:35.256+08:00Too much.Oh, for crying out loud!rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1142441332367526902006-03-16T00:46:00.000+08:002006-03-16T01:20:20.620+08:00My Life.I'm higher than average in all areas. Knowing that makes me both happy and sad.This Is My Life, RatedLife: 7.8Mind: 6.7Body: 7Spirit: 8.8Friends/Family: 5Love: 9.2Finance: 8.1Take the Rate My Life Quizrowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1142346150165030472006-03-14T22:15:00.000+08:002006-03-14T22:34:46.796+08:00A different kind of food blog.Lent is probably not the best time to blog about this (hehehe!), but thanks to a tip from a friend, I found the Jesuit Gourmet blog. Not only will you find great recipes on the blog, but you'll also get an interesting, heart-warming glimpse into the life of a religious community.I have a number of Jesuit friends and when I visit them at their house, I find myself (rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1140923204795800612006-02-26T11:07:00.000+08:002006-02-26T11:08:16.523+08:00Proclamation 1017Do I think Proclamation 1017 is justified?Well, if history began on Thursday and everything that had happened before then were a tabula rasa, it would be easy to see the justification for Proclamation 1017. This article from Time Asia shows that there was a coup plot. If the coup plot were the only issue, then the government insistence that Proclamation 1017 saved the country rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1140445336437301032006-02-20T22:20:00.000+08:002006-02-20T22:34:20.013+08:00Busy.Too busy. Will just give you a rundown of things that I've wanted to comment about but haven't been able to:- tragedies: Wowowee (and ABS-CBN's hopeless ineptitude) and Leyte- CBCP's shock and awe- Ricky Gervais podcasts - absolutely terrificBut in the meantime it's:- work work work- stress stress stressrowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1138094082749969102006-01-24T17:04:00.000+08:002006-01-24T17:14:42.763+08:00Two big wins ... and then some.Despite all the political chaos, it's also been a lucky week for Filipinos. Pacquiao won over Morales, and someone from Sorsogon will be taking home the P150 million Lotto grand prize (second biggest win in the history of the Philippine Lotto, I hear).I myself am an absolute contest junkie (of the free contests, at least), and so in the spirit of this week's rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1137508552539723472006-01-17T22:34:00.000+08:002006-01-17T22:48:14.950+08:00Iba ang may pinagsamahan ....On to more mundane things. I was doing research on how to order a keg of San Miguel, and I came across several reviews from people all over the world who consider San Miguel to be one of their favorite brands of beer of all.One American serviceman described how, when he was stationed in Thailand in the 1970s, a delivery of San Miguel would arrive once a month, and rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1136427479689700972006-01-05T10:11:00.000+08:002006-01-05T10:17:59.706+08:00Epiphany.Tomorrow is the traditional date of the Feast of the Epiphany, "epiphany" meaning "manifestation." Some thoughts about the Incarnation and manifesation from George Wiegel:Creation displays the boundlessness of that love – that's what Christians see, that's the "design" we perceive, when we look at the natural world. The Incarnation both confirms and takes us far beyond that perception: rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1136385743206120362006-01-04T22:40:00.000+08:002006-01-04T22:42:23.223+08:00Happy New Year!And if you're reading this today, check out Google.com. The "Google" logo is in Braille, in honor of Louis Braille's birthday. :)rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1135708656525728852005-12-28T02:28:00.000+08:002005-12-28T02:37:36.563+08:00Journalism.There was one reason why I went into the journalism world: because I wanted to communicate to more people the stories that I felt didn't get enough attention in hopes that it would help them think differently. As Howie Severino put it in this speech, I felt a passion to "explain the world to ordinary people." After just 14 months in the world of journalism, I moved to a different rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1135706838646687852005-12-28T02:04:00.000+08:002005-12-28T02:07:18.660+08:00DNA test to trace your ancestors, US$99. This is quite cool.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1135481711690135222005-12-25T11:27:00.000+08:002005-12-25T11:35:11.706+08:00Happy Christmas!One of the first carols I ever learned (which I was taught to sing to the tune of "Flow gently, sweet Afton" rather than the more common tune) was Away in a Manger.Away in a manger,No crib for a bed,The little Lord JesusLaid down His sweet head.The stars in the bright skyLooked down where He layAt the little Lord JesusAsleep on the hay.The cattle are lowingThe poor Baby wakesBut rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1134633133919313862005-12-15T15:40:00.000+08:002005-12-15T15:52:13.976+08:00John of the Cross.One of my earliest philosophical questions was the mystery of suffering. Why do people suffer?I have found my answer, but my great spiritual uncle in the search for that answer has been Saint John of the Cross, patron of contemplative mystics, who struggled with desolation and darkness throughout his life, and who forged from that suffering an incredible testament to God's loverowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1134453300052290282005-12-13T13:50:00.000+08:002005-12-13T13:55:00.066+08:00Updates.A dear, dear friend from college was here visiting the Philippines for WAY TOO SHORT A TIME but it was such a joy, joy, joy to see him and the rest of my college buddies.Meanwhile, it has just struck me that Christmas is a week and a half away, and I've barely done any Christmas shopping! Blah._____Quiz time:Your Birthdate: October 30You have the type of personality that people either rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1133239814886933792005-11-29T12:10:00.000+08:002005-11-29T12:50:14.953+08:00Barong ... Sarong.(Note: "Barong" is pronounced "bah-RONG," and "sarong" is properly pronounced "SAH-rong" in Malaysia, where it is worn by both men and women.)In the 1930s, President Quezon proclaimed the barong the National Dress for men. In the 1950s, President Magsaysay began wearing the barong at all official government functions. Today, many businessmen in the Philippines prefer wearing arowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1133181429256183372005-11-28T20:28:00.000+08:002005-11-28T20:39:49.060+08:0090s music.From 80s movies to 90s music. There are two bands whose music squeezes my heart and makes me want to cry from joy and longing and missing: Counting Crows (August and Everything After) and the Eraserheads (first four albums). Those five albums defined my high school and college years and every time I listen to the songs from those albums, I've overcome by wave after wave of rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1132851769913389492005-11-25T01:00:00.000+08:002005-11-25T01:09:12.606+08:0080s Teen Movies.Anj alerted me a few days ago that Bagets, the classic Pinoy teen movie of the 80s, was showing on cable TV. I caught half of it, and it was a hilarious trip down memory lane to watch it again. Hahahahaha!!!!Then today Mike and I watched The Breakfast Club again. I found it funny that I still remembered particular lines from the film! (Though I have watched it at least twice rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1132772484016180712005-11-24T02:49:00.000+08:002005-11-24T03:01:24.093+08:00The Virtues.I often find, belatedly, that a thought has been germinating in my head for a long time, without my noticing it. The thought springs out at me only after it has appeared and reappeared in different forms, each time becoming more and more developed, and then I suddenly realize that a question I didn't even know I had been asking has been answered.The thought I am referring to right rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1132766360985954392005-11-24T01:16:00.000+08:002005-11-24T01:19:21.000+08:00Tomas de Aquino.I've been brushing up on my knowledge of Thomas Aquinas in preparation for a unit I'll be teaching in the coming months.And I have to say ... despite the fact that his writings have barely any poetry in them ... I really love Aquinas. I don't like reading him, but, wow, his thoughts!!! Everything just becomes so beautifully simple, so elegantly clear with Aquinas! Moreso when rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1132683241563170092005-11-23T02:11:00.000+08:002005-11-23T02:19:23.290+08:00What's your theological worldview?I can only wonder at how this quiz was put together, and I wasn't very sure how I would do, but I did tell myself I'd post it if I came out Roman Catholic and sure enough ....Roman Catholic86%Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan71%Emergent/Postmodern64%Neo orthodox54%Classical Liberal46%Modern Liberal39%Reformed Evangelical18%Charismatic/Pentecostal11%Fundamentalist0%rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1132390449999548102005-11-19T16:51:00.000+08:002005-11-19T17:35:08.900+08:00My Favorite Movie of 2005.My favorite movie this year is Millions. It was showing at the last European film festival, but if you weren't able to watch it you can catch it on DVD.It's about two brothers in Britain who find about 230,000 pounds, and have just a few days to decide what to do with it before the UK begins using the Euro as its currency and all British pounds become demonitized. The rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1132159559834753762005-11-17T00:43:00.000+08:002005-11-17T00:45:59.853+08:00PH 103.Because I'm teaching Philosophy of Religion this semester, I found the opening paragraphs of this post particularly amusing:========Bishop N. T. Wright tells how, when he was chaplain at Worcester College in Oxford, students would often come up to him and say, “Don’t expect to see much of me this term. I don’t believe in God.” Bishop Wright had a stock reply: “Oh, that’s interesting; whichrowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1132157071389615362005-11-17T00:02:00.000+08:002005-11-17T00:04:31.406+08:00All work and no play.Brownpau posted a link to this article about how technology seems to have enslaved rather than liberated us.If he hasn't read it yet, I'd like to send (if I had the money) the author of that article a copy of Josef Pieper's Leisure, the Basis of Culture. The most enlightening part of the book for me was when Pieper discussed acedia, translated into English as one of the rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1132068829956233302005-11-15T23:32:00.000+08:002005-11-15T23:52:00.696+08:00JVP is accepting applicationsThe Jesuit Volunteers Philippines are accepting applications for Batch 27! Details here. You have to between 18 and 35 years old (inclusive), single, a college graduate by April 2006, and physically, psychologically, and emotionally healthy.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1131994790803607122005-11-15T02:53:00.000+08:002005-11-17T01:04:58.446+08:00Faith: beyond intellect, but also beyond emotion.I don't know anything about the guy being interviewed here, but I stumbled upon this webpage and some of the things he said resonate with some of the things I've been thinking about so I'll post some quotes here:-------Many people assume that spirituality is about becoming emotionally intimate with God.That's a naïve view of spirituality. What rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1131632821403104272005-11-10T22:12:00.000+08:002005-11-10T22:44:12.776+08:00Blogging and blog-hopping.So today, one of the last few days of the sembreak, I read some old favorite blogs that I haven't looked at in months, looked at some new ones, and finally decided to write a blog post of my own again. I'll have been a blogger for four years this month, and a blog reader for longer than that (back when people were still debating whether "blog" was an accurate term for rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1131214215591611922005-11-06T02:09:00.000+08:002005-11-06T02:57:14.370+08:00Long weekend updates.Ang sarap talaga sembreak, at ng extra-long weekend na sinundan ng isa pang long weekend!So I've been bumming around and doing stuff I haven't been able to do during the regular sem ... like stay up late and sleep all day and finish an X-box game and catch up on friends' blogs (and now, actually post on my own blog)! Then last week I went to CDO to visit Angie and we went torowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1125715395232079332005-09-03T10:37:00.000+08:002005-09-03T10:51:19.780+08:00They knew it would happen.Do you want another shocking story?They knew about it. In July 2004, they practiced for it. In 2002, an LSU predicted the flooding and the numbers of people who would be unable to evacuate. Read this Reuters story that I picked up from Wired.com:===========They Knew What to ExpectReutersStory location: http://www.wired.com/news/planet/0,2782,68738,00.html09:38 AM Sep. rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1125714932189982402005-09-02T22:34:00.000+08:002005-09-03T10:35:57.043+08:00Insane!The images from New Orleans continue to ENRAGE me.It's just disgusting. I've been sickened by the federal government's response to this, since watching Bush's very first statement about New Orleans, when he promised that his father and Pres. Clinton would look for international aid for New Orleans: "INTERNATIONAL AID?!?!?! They don't need MONEY right now, for crying out loud!!! They rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1125640472175029622005-09-02T13:51:00.000+08:002005-09-02T14:07:21.286+08:00Eyewitness account.Everything that follows is from interdictor's blog.________The following is the result of an interview I just conducted via cell phone with a New Orleans citizen stranded at the Convention Center. I don't know what you're hearing in the mainstream media or in the press conferences from the city and state officials, but here is the truth:"Bigfoot" is a bar manager and DJ on rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1125636420196114952005-09-02T12:38:00.000+08:002005-09-02T13:36:50.443+08:00Appalled!I know a lot of people have said this, but I will say this too:I am APPALLED at how long it's taking to bring aid, food and water to New Orleans. It's just crazy!!!! If reporters can get into there, why can't food and water!!!!! HELLO, WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG! People are dying!!!!!!!!!And can US government officials please stop their insensitive insinuations that the refugees should rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1125547950374613482005-09-01T12:07:00.000+08:002005-09-01T12:12:30.380+08:00Grrr.Let's just say this whole political crisis has made me lose a lot faith in people I once thought better of. Nakakadiri pa yung mga iba, wala talagang mga konsensya. Note: Not that I have much regard for many of the opposition congressmen either. But right now many administration legislators I used to think more of are stinking just as much.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1120808605294249932005-07-08T15:39:00.000+08:002005-07-08T15:43:41.063+08:00Times they are a-changing FAST!It's all happening pretty fast. With the latest statements from Cory Aquino and the Makati Business Club, asking the President to resign so as to prevent a stalemate, I wouldn't be surprised if Noli de Castro is sworn in by tomorrow.Bilis, 'no?rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1118677697072896972005-06-13T23:24:00.000+08:002005-06-14T00:18:17.303+08:00A Book Meme! A Book Meme!A lovely one from Brownpau; how can I resist!Photo to follow (perhaps)....Number of books I own: Oh wow. Hundreds. Last purchased book(s): Nick Hornby's About A Boy.Last re-read: If you count skimming through an online version as "re-reading a book," then Anselm's Proslogion, earlier today. Before that, I re-read a chapter of Paul Tillich's Dynamics of Faith. Five rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1118676257547688462005-06-13T23:19:00.000+08:002005-06-13T23:24:19.483+08:00Whee!!!Nothing like a friendly nudge from a good friend, to get me blogging again.I know it's been ages ... but I have a good excuse! In case you haven't heard yet, M asked ... and I said "yes!" The where and when of the big question are simple: Caliraya at Sunset. With much laughter and some tears (of joy). :)Now on to the next post ....rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1113926853598429182005-04-20T00:06:00.000+08:002005-04-20T00:52:43.983+08:00WE HAVE A POPE!!! WE HAVE A POPE!!! WE HAVE A POPE!!! WE HAVE A POPE!!! WE HAVE A POPE!!! WE HAVE A POPE!!! WE HAVE A POPE!!! WE HAVE A POPE!!!__________Update: So it's Pope Benedict XVI. Hmmm. Well I guess we won't be seeing any major changes from the top in the next 5 to 10 years. :-/ It's nice to see Ratzinger smiling, though; he always looked so serious in previous media rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1113056882958591952005-04-09T22:26:00.000+08:002005-04-10T00:15:13.813+08:00Media and the Pope.Frankly? I was startled, on the day that the Pope died, how much coverage about him the foreign cable news networks were giving. Almost all other news was shoved to the side and the cable news networks discussed the Pope's death (and life) almost exclusively for the next few days. (An acquaintance of mine, a priest, said, "It's like CNN has become the Catholic News Network!"rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1112754009884826332005-04-06T10:15:00.000+08:002005-04-06T11:13:57.856+08:00The Pope in Private.The best article about the Holy Father that I've read so far is the article by papal biographer George Weigel in the latest issue of Newsweek.I said earlier that what touched me most about the Pope was his holiness: his prayerfulness, love, and faith.Weigel's memories of the Holy Father show that he was most moved, too, by those same qualities. Some excerpts:"The rhythm of [rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1112724735868403062005-04-06T02:08:00.000+08:002005-04-06T02:33:52.490+08:00The Pope of the people.I don't really want to engage just yet in the ongoing discussion about how "successful" a Pope the Holy Father was. I feel that now is the time to mourn, to remember, to celebrate ... not to analyze nor criticize.But there is one emerging line of criticism against the Holy Father that has been bothering me, and so I shall say something briefly about it.I've read two rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1112632806472920832005-04-05T00:37:00.000+08:002005-04-05T00:58:59.106+08:00Reflections on the Pope.There are so many, but here are two nice personal reflections on the Pope: one from a CNBC economics analyst (who is not writing about economics in this post), and another from an Episcopalian woman reflecting on the Holy Father and the meaning of Easter.Also: An analyst describes the Pope as the first world leader. And: what would've been the Holy Father's last homily (rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1112539074930789082005-04-03T22:34:00.000+08:002005-04-04T00:24:02.360+08:00Our beloved Holy Father has died.The pundits talk about how he changed the political map of the world; about the symbol he was for some of the most profound ideals of post-World War 20th century: social justice, human rights, the dignity of all people; about the revolution he created in ecumenism and in bringing together the three biggest of the world's faiths.And he did all that.But as a rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1108485317590668602005-02-16T00:30:00.000+08:002005-02-16T00:38:20.270+08:00BUSY!Busy, obvious ba? Haaay .... Run along first and check out my friends' sites. In time, I'll have stuff to post about the Funboard Cup and Lent, pero saka na. Maraming trabaho. And I won't comment on Abu Sayyaf anymore; basahin nyo na lang ang sinabi ng mga iba.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1105584821788766042005-01-13T10:50:00.000+08:002005-01-13T10:53:41.790+08:00Oops! No WMD after all!
The U.S. ends its hunt for the weapons of mass destruction.
Charles Duelfer, the head of the team, is set to issue his final report next month.
So when will Bush issue his public apology?rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1105450496659079992005-01-11T21:32:00.000+08:002005-01-11T21:36:29.590+08:00Happy new year!
Happy new year, pull your ear!
One of the cool moments of my Christmas break was watching We Will Rock You. Incredibly fun.
Okay, yun lang. Back to work.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1104492936138825622004-12-31T19:24:00.000+08:002004-12-31T19:36:13.170+08:00Coverage.
Brownpau has a question about the tsunami coverage; another blogger has a comment. I personally have been watching CNN in the U.S., on which I've seen what I considered to be a mix of good reporting and bad reporting.
_________
Two decades ago, Carol Ann Duffy wrote this:
War Photographer
In his darkroom he is finally alone
with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows.
The rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1104483627001301002004-12-31T16:39:00.000+08:002004-12-31T17:00:27.000+08:00Incomprehensible.
As the death toll continues to mount, and the images of devastation become public, the enormity of suffering and tragedy becomes simply incomprehensible.
:(
_____
Meanwhile, somebody's observation.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1104252651640057112004-12-29T01:34:00.000+08:002004-12-29T00:59:38.176+08:00A Timely Reminder.
A timely reminder, especially this year, with everything in the news:
The Work of Christmas.
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
Then the work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1103253421089269552004-12-17T11:09:00.000+08:002004-12-17T11:17:37.306+08:00The Debut.
I watched The Debut--the Fil-Am teenage film that my brother was raving about earlier this year--on DVD today.
I must say, I'm really glad that there's a film like that for my younger brother and other Filipino teenagers like him growing up in the U.S., a film that tells their story in a country where they're trying so hard to understand what that story is. In the past year, my rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1103252646556924402004-12-17T11:00:00.000+08:002004-12-17T11:04:06.556+08:00Apple news.
Now for some Apple news:
- Early-adopting iPod users go back into the closet (and honestly, I understand why--heheh!).
- A really funky home-made iPod ad makes waves. (Watch it; it's really cool!) (Link from Mike.)
- And Andy Hertzfeld retells the story of how the Mac was made.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1103089923020143782004-12-15T13:42:00.000+08:002004-12-15T14:06:31.013+08:00Cold feet, cold hands.
Pinoy talaga ako; can't take 9-degree (celsius) weather: I'm finding it too cold to step outside, so I've spent most of the last 72 hours in my room enjoying the warmth of the heater. I'm here on the other side of the world, visiting my family. In my absence FPJ has died (but you know all about this already), and people have wondered what the Philippines would have been rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1102391725969369752004-12-07T11:51:00.000+08:002004-12-07T11:55:25.970+08:00Bunso.
Ditsi Carolino and Nana Buxani's latest film is Bunso, about children of prisoners who live in jail.
The Philippine premiere is this Friday, December 10, at the U.P. Film Institute. There are screenings at 2:00 pm, 4:00 pm, and 7:00 pm. Entrance is P40.
Clar talks more about it here. Jo-Ann Maglipon's PDI review of the film is here.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1102263375626665272004-12-06T01:13:00.000+08:002004-12-06T00:21:52.803+08:00How many miles from Manila to California?
Okay, mental game, everyone: How many miles do you think it is from Manila to California?
This was the question M and I debated over lunch.
My answer: approximately 16,000 miles. My reasoning? I know that the United States is about 3000 miles across, and that it spans 3 time zones. Therefore, each time zone is approximately 1000 miles. Since rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1102262072772113852004-12-05T23:52:00.000+08:002004-12-07T11:50:30.596+08:00Bush arrested for war crimes.
Read here.
(And before anyone gets too excited, it's fake, okay? You can read other satire articles about this here.)
________
This story, about war crimes charges against Rumsfeld et al being filed in Germany, is real though.
rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1102076551599144562004-12-03T20:11:00.000+08:002004-12-04T09:13:30.153+08:00St. Francis Xavier.
Today is the feast of St. Francis Xavier, so I'm featuring a prayer attributed to him, which is one of my favorite prayers of all time:
O Jesu ego amo Te
Nec amo Te ut salves me
Aut quia non amantes Te
Aeterno punis igene.
Tu, Tu mi Jesu totum me
Amplexus es in cruce,
Tulisti clavos, lanceam
Multamque ignominiam,
Innumeros dolores,
Sudores et algores
Et mortem et haec propterrowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1102075535826376992004-12-03T20:04:00.000+08:002004-12-03T20:07:20.046+08:00">Pasko Ng Paglaya
Panginoon, hanggang kailan kami magdurusa
Panginoon, kailan sisikat umaga ng paglaya
Panginoon, dumating Ka na
Kupkupin kami sa 'Yong awa
Kupkupin kami sa 'Yong awa
Narito na ang Pasko ng paglaya
Bayan magalak sa mabuting balita
Tumingala at pawiin ang luha
Narito na ang pinangakong tala
Iniluwal ang Sanggol ni Maria
Sa Kanyang sabsabang payak at aba
Ating haranahin, alayan rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1102042954168221502004-12-03T11:01:00.000+08:002004-12-03T11:09:30.030+08:00Task Force Noah.
You can bring your relief donations for the flood/typhoon victims to the lobby of the Loyola House of Studies on the Ateneo de Manila campus, Loyola Heights, Quezon City.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1101978782621823842004-12-02T17:11:00.000+08:002004-12-02T17:40:41.096+08:00Journalists.
I used to work in broadcast journalism, and the latest in a series of attacks on journalists this year is making my blood boil.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1100703119030858482004-11-17T22:47:00.000+08:002004-11-17T22:51:59.030+08:00November 26, Friday...
is the deadline for applications for JVP Batch 26 (SY 2005-2006). Visit the JVP website for details, or dial +632 426-6001 local 4880 for your inquiries. In Metro Manila, application forms are available at Room 313, Bellarmine Hall, Ateneo de Manila University.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1100615827115333412004-11-16T22:35:00.000+08:002004-11-16T22:37:07.116+08:00America apologizes.
Well, almost half of America anyway. (Click on "Gallery" in the navbar.)rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1100262311710556772004-11-12T20:23:00.000+08:002004-11-12T20:25:11.710+08:00Funerals.
I'm watching Arafat's body arriving in Ramallah.
Ninoy Aquino's funeral to the nth power. (Filipinos, by the way, have a tried and tested way of controlling a very emotional crowd: give the crowd a song to sing. Hence the immortalization of "Bayan Ko.") rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1099829931511589062004-11-07T20:17:00.000+08:002004-11-07T20:30:58.166+08:00Live the Life!
The magazine that has been the product of Ganns' hard work and faith will be out on stands soon. Watch out for it!
rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1099490794846607972004-11-03T22:05:00.000+08:002004-11-03T22:06:34.846+08:00Blech.
Kawawa naman ang mundo. Sigh.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1098557838327948532004-10-24T02:55:00.000+08:002004-10-24T03:01:48.730+08:00Generation Gap.
From the latest issue of Newsweek:
"Britney Federline, I like that. Society probably won't allow me, but I would like to change [my name]." -- Britney Spears, in an interview with Germany's Bunte magazine, on whether she will change her name now that she has married dancer Kevin Federline.
When I was growing up, the person who was considered the icon of pop culture was Madonna,rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1098414897043287762004-10-22T11:13:00.000+08:002004-10-22T11:14:57.043+08:00Ninth cousins twice removed.
Well, that's how they say it in the U.S. Here in the Philippines, we say, "John Kerry is George W. Bush's 9th-degree grand-uncle."rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1098412486317055872004-10-22T10:30:00.000+08:002004-10-22T11:07:17.053+08:00Quiz: Catholicism and Voting?
For people following the U.S. election: An interesting quiz that weighs your views on social, political, and economic issues against Kerry's, Bush's, and Catholic Social Teaching (via the U.S. Catholics Bishops Conference). After taking the quiz, the site will tell you what percentage of your views agree/disagree with Kerry, Bush, and Catholic Teaching.
The rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1098193664661988162004-10-19T21:44:00.000+08:002004-10-19T21:52:22.980+08:00T.V. Phone Home.
Weird news of the day from CNN:
"EUGENE, Oregon (Reuters) -- TV hardly gets much better than this.
"An Oregon man discovered earlier this month that his year-old Toshiba Corporation flat-screen TV was emitting an international distress signal picked up by a satellite, leading a search and rescue operation to his apartment in Corvallis, Oregon, 70 miles south of Portland...."
rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1097381573925790532004-10-10T13:10:00.000+08:002004-10-10T12:27:31.476+08:00The author is dead.
Jacques Derrida, 74.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1097343709380529212004-10-10T01:32:00.000+08:002004-10-12T10:24:48.626+08:00The best teen magazine of my adolescence.
Yes, believe it or not, I once was a fan of a teen magazine.
But, you see, it wasn't just any teen magazine.
In 1991, I went to the U.S. for a month-long visit. I stayed with my cousins in Chicago for a few days, and they introduced me to Sassy.
Sassy wasn't one of those make-up and blush-on, "how to catch the cute guys," teen magazines. (Though I rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1097318173526125432004-10-09T18:16:00.000+08:002004-10-10T12:24:01.366+08:00Debate 2.
Bush was funnier, Kerry had more facts.
I'd say this one was more even.
Kerry's response to the question about abortion helped me to understand his stand a little more. I don't agree with him (I'm very much against abortion), but I appreciate that he gave a reasonable and rational explanation about his stand on it (something like, "I'm Catholic, but as president, I cannot legislate rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1097155796940596792004-10-07T21:27:00.001+08:002004-10-07T21:33:38.456+08:00Before Sunset.
I just watched Before Sunset (the sequel to Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise).
!rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1096600329987309212004-10-01T11:10:00.000+08:002004-10-01T13:25:53.056+08:00Debate!
Whoo-hoo, go Kerry!!! :)
My impressions:
Substance: Kerry sounded much more credible because he backed up all of his arguments with easy-to-understand facts and figures. He wasn't able to completely shed the flip-flop image that the Republicans have painted of him, but he did succeed in outlining a very clear plan for Iraq and for the war on terror on the whole.
Bush didn't say rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1096459203186861782004-09-29T19:54:00.000+08:002004-09-29T20:10:06.590+08:00Speaking as someone living in the SMS capital of the world ....
I found this article to be an interesting reminder about how much the U.S. lags in terms of cellphone use. (Grade school and high school policies here are also a little confused, but the story was news four or five years ago in the Philippines.) In contrast, I just saw a new Globe commercial on TV advertising their latest cellphonerowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1096458235130748542004-09-29T19:41:00.000+08:002004-09-29T19:43:55.130+08:00Blair says sorry ...
for being wrong about the WMD. Frankly, that's the difference between Blair and Bush.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1096306457141576592004-09-28T01:33:00.000+08:002004-09-28T01:34:17.140+08:00Intelligent TV.
You've got to hand it to Howie Severino. He never disappoints. His I-Witness team did a story tonight on Catholicism in Belgium. They followed the Belgium Boys' Choir from their Philippine tour back to their Belgian hometown, where Masses are only attended by one or two people. Catholicism is dying in Belgium; most of the Boys' Choir know only one priest, their choir master.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1096247421285463812004-09-27T09:02:00.000+08:002004-09-27T09:27:56.456+08:00Reunions.
Met up with a number of friends last week, among them some whom I haven't seen in a long time.
J, a very good friend from high school, is moving back to the Philippines with his wife, after five years of life abroad, and M and I, along with some other friends, met up with him on Monday. J's wife, in fact, has already resigned from her job and has been here since August, making rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1095590784202873542004-09-19T18:45:00.000+08:002004-09-19T18:46:24.203+08:00Hooray!!!
Finally, finally, finally ... it's done! After don't-ask-me-how-many years, I have finally earned my degree. My thesis defense on Friday went well, and Mike and my aunt prepared a wonderful salu-salo for my colleagues and me afterwards. (Thanks, Mike and Auntie W.!)
So I've been pretty ecstatic since Friday, riding on a wave of relief and of a deep sense of accomplishment.
And now,rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1095000630453795552004-09-12T22:48:00.000+08:002004-09-12T22:50:30.453+08:00"Win the Green."
Mike was saying, it was only a matter of time before reality shows came to this ....rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1094466733202806512004-09-06T18:27:00.000+08:002004-09-06T18:35:55.996+08:00Elitista!
I have a silly theory, well-known among my colleagues, that everybody is, deep down, an elitist of some sort. We've even had conversations about this at work, trying to identify what kind of elitist each colleague is: one is a literature elitist, another a nature elitist (looks down on people who don't enjoy nature), another a Filipiniana elitist, another a reverse-elitist (considers rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1094382725905564822004-09-05T19:08:00.000+08:002004-09-05T20:42:22.393+08:00Horror.
Image from AP.
I got home from a dinner with friends late on Friday night, and I caught the breaking news reports on TV about the violence that had erupted in the Russian hostage crisis. The TV images--of half-naked children running desperately away from the school, many of them bloodied--disturbed me more than those of 9/11 had. It was most difficult to watch one particular scene (onrowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1093168658408164472004-08-22T17:51:00.000+08:002004-08-22T18:15:57.963+08:00Verse, Basketball.
Toni posted a nice, inspiring verse on her blog: very Toni. :) It reminds me of another, similar poem that I and my friend K loved when we were younger:
If I can stop one Heart from breaking
by Emily Dickinson
If I can stop one Heart from breaking
I shall not live in vain
If I can ease one Life the Aching
Or cool one Pain
Or help one fainting Robin
Unto his Nest again
I rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1092969309702855582004-08-20T10:29:00.000+08:002004-08-20T10:35:09.703+08:00New site.
The Singapore Jesuits have revamped their site: The Jesuits Singapore. From a message from the coordinator of the site, Fr. Philip Heng, S.J.:
You will find that one of our main features of our website is to provide a Prayer Ministry service to people of all walks of life; without any charge of course....
Thus, we send them a "Daily E-Message" (3 short lines) on the Gospel to give rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1092664341458266232004-08-16T21:42:00.000+08:002004-08-16T22:33:21.316+08:00John Gokongwei Jr.'s Speech at the Ateneo de Manila College Graduation 2004
Some of you may have read this already. It made its e-mail forwarding rounds back in April, right after the commencement exercises of the Schools of Management and Social Sciences, at which he delivered this speech. I was at the ceremonies, and I was telling people about the speech for days afterwards, but I was never rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1091376698598943782004-08-02T00:09:00.000+08:002004-08-02T00:13:01.770+08:00Thesis.
Been busy. Writing. Thesis.
The general rule is a hundred pages, and so far, without the conclusion, my thesis is only 80 pages long. I don't think my conclusion is going to be 20 pages long.
Argh.
Must. Finish.
(P.S. Happy birthday, Erik, Toni, and Anj!)rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1090856905201289412004-07-26T23:42:00.000+08:002004-07-26T23:48:25.200+08:00Quick Rundown.
Still busy, but just a few highlights of the weekend ....
-- Despedida for a friend who's going to Cornell for her MBA; we'll miss you, Michelle! See you soon!
-- Discovered a little chapel in Eastwood a budding Church community, thanks to Katz. Eastwood doesn't have a parish of its own yet, but a priest comes every Sunday to celebrate Mass, and the new Church community is rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1090152968860858052004-07-18T20:10:00.000+08:002004-07-18T20:43:38.540+08:00Teacher, teacher ....
A cousin of mine is reviewing for ths year's teacher's licensure examination, and she's asking for my help. She managed to get a hold of what she says is last year's questionnaire for English and Literature teachers. The questionnaire, however, did not come with an answer key, and so she lent me a copy and asked me to answer whatever I could.
I began reading the rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1089784095123740262004-07-14T13:44:00.000+08:002004-07-14T13:48:15.123+08:00Busy.
Sorry, I've been very busy with work. In the meantime, check out my friends' blogs linked on the left.rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1088408088156316952004-06-28T15:12:00.000+08:002004-06-28T15:50:40.746+08:00Back to school ... and a long book list!
After two months of the summer break, I'm back in the classroom, and I feel like I'm in my element. Honestly, I do think that I'm a happier, saner, and more centered person when I'm teaching. No kidding.
_____
BOOKWORM
(stolen from angie)
The rules are...steal it, post it on your site, bold the books you've read and add three of your own!
so let's rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1087617913247527662004-06-19T11:57:00.000+08:002004-06-19T12:17:27.456+08:00Fr. Roque.
One of the greatest, holiest men I have ever had the honor of meeting is Fr. Roque Ferriols.
To the Ateneans of the 60s to the early 90s, Fr. Roque was the fiery legend of Ateneo's Philosophy program. He had founded the philosophy department in the 60s, and had transformed philosophy in the Philippines by urging Filipinos to philosophize in their native tongues. His superior had rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1086965824656621392004-06-11T22:53:00.000+08:002004-06-11T22:57:04.656+08:00Happy 10th Anniversary!
I was cleaning my cubicle yesterday, when I found something I had taped to my cubicle wall when I first started teaching, but which had since gotten stuffed into a drawer: my ticket for our batch's Orsem night from freshman year! Amused, I let my eyes wander down to the date of the event, and I got the surprise of the week when I saw it: June 10, 1994! Yes, it was rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1086836094025205762004-06-10T10:11:00.000+08:002004-06-19T11:09:13.120+08:00Cellphone etiquette.
When I first started working, the division between professional and personal correspondence was clear. Professional correspondence was a matter of scheduling an appointment, calling someone at their office during office hours, or mailing a business letter, whether to their office or via business e-mail. When office hours were over, one no longer had to be "on call," and rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1086622936064602002004-06-07T23:39:00.000+08:002004-06-07T23:42:16.063+08:00Age. And hope.
When I was a child, there were a few realities that had been there since I was born, and seemed as if they would be there for the rest of my life: President Ferdinand Marcos, the Cold War (which, if it escalated to Nuclear War, I was certain would kill us all), and Ronald Reagan.
Marcos and the Cold War are history to my current students. And Ronald Reagan has died too.
I rowienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216490.post-1086269769593829022004-06-03T21:33:00.000+08:002004-06-03T22:33:03.306+08:00Today's links.
- Bush's probably-futile attempt to get Catholic votes by visiting Rome, and a well-written warning that the American President ought to listen to the Pope. (From Salon.com.)
- And for graduate students like me: an article about U.S. grad students' woes. (From The Village Voice.)
Update: George Tenet has resigned, according to CNN. Hmmm.rowienoreply@blogger.com