23 June 2010

ikalima

bawat bangkang lukot
na aking ginagawa
sa mumunti kong papel
na aking pinapaagos
sa ilog na di nalalayo sa'min

bawat kumikislap na bituin
na aking hinuhulog
sa bawat salita't panalangin
na aking tinatangis
hangga't may natitira pa

bawat punung-kahoy
na aking pinaluha
sa pag-ukit ng mga alaala
na aking sinasambulat
sa aking makitid na kalawakan
____________________
23june10
pasakit. pasakit. pasakit.
mahirap maging tao.
mahirap maging taong hindi tao.
-ara.janelle

15 June 2010

Let's be careful!

Attention CA people!

On behalf of CA, I'm pleading that we should be careful about what we say, especially what we write on our statuses and blogs, pertaining to the lock-up incident at Don Enrique Heights. We want to show the people afflicting the school that we are first and foremost CHRISTIANS. Let us fight the good fight in a way that pleases the LORD, not our own angry and sorrowful selves. Please, let's be a good example to those who persecute us. Let us always remember that we are also sinful and that we need to ask for God's help so that we may control our tongues, hearts, and minds. Of course, let's not forget to confess our sins! :D


Always remember this verse:
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Romans 12:21


Let's continue to pray that God's will be done in this trial that we face. Let us be Christians for ALL seasons.

-ara.janelle

12 June 2010

Cornerstone Christian Academy's Open Letter

June 12, 2010


AN OPEN LETTER to all Homeowners, Residents, and Members of the DEHHA


This is in response to the open letter signed by Mr. Alfonso S. Nepomuceno, explaining the actions of the DEHHA Board against our school’s constituents yesterday, June 11, which inevitably affected and inconvenienced you all. All this time, we have remained quiet despite the accusations and rumors that have been circulated about our institution. But after the traumatic ordeal our students, parents, and staff endured, as well as the biased story aired by a major news network last night, we believe that it is time for us to speak up and defend our good name.

First, complaints for grave coercion have been filed against the security guards, Mr. Nepomuceno, and Mr. Pearlito Garcia at Q.C. Police Station 6, Batasan Hills because they prevented our school’s students, parents, and staff from entering the subdivision, the streets of which have already been donated to the city years ago. The security guards who have been ordered by Mr. Nepomuceno were arrested. City Ordinances Nos. SP-840-S99 and SP-946-S2000 clearly prohibit the closing, obstructing, preventing or, otherwise, refusing to the public or vehicular traffic, the use of or free access to any subdivision or community street within the jurisdiction of Quezon City. What Messr. Nepomuceno and Garcia ordered the guards to do was illegal, which was why the law enforcers from Police Station 6 and the Quezon City Hall had to act on our behalf. Mr. Nepomuceno has said on national TV last night that he intends to do the same thing on Tuesday, June 15.

Second, in March 2009, we received a copy of the Board Resolution of DEHHA in 2008 (No. 2008-12-1), which “strictly prohibits commercial establishments and schools in our subdivision.” Back then, we wondered why they issued such a prohibition after we had been operating in Don Enrique for six years. When our School Board met with the DEHHA Board on May 12, 2009 as a response to the said Resolution, the DEHHA Board could not present a single written complaint against our school regarding noise, traffic, security, etc. Such prohibition must be considered null and void for two reasons: 1) According to the legal principle of Estoppel, a Resolution may not have a retroactive effect, and therefore, our school cannot be covered by it; and 2) since the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) has already ruled that the term of the incumbent DEHHA Board Members has expired as early as December of 2006 and are only on a hold-over capacity, they do not have the authority or right to continue making Resolutions of any kind.

Despite our knowledge that the term of the DEHHA Board has expired, as cooperative members of the community we have been paying our monthly dues on time. We are appalled why they say they do not want our school but continue to receive our payments, issue receipts, and even receive donations for projects like the construction of the sidewalks and security guard house – the very place where our students and staff were coerced yesterday.

Third, Cornerstone Christian Academy of Quezon City, Inc. is not an illegal educational institution. We are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We have had permits from the Department of Education for our preschool, elementary, and high school departments ever since we started, and recently, we have been given Recognition for both elementary and high school departments because we have raised our academic standards and quality of education. The Q.C. Government has always given us locational clearances and business permits since 2003 for the school that we have been operating in the facilities of Cornerstone Community Baptist Church at #5 Don Jose St. It is true that from a handful of students in 2003, our school population had grown through the years, so that in 2006 we had to purchase the lot across the church and began plans about building a structure in 2008. Up to that time, the DEHHA Board or any homeowner had not filed any formal complaint against us with the City Government. It was only when we started to put up the residential structure on #10 Don Jose St. that we encountered written opposition from the DEHHA Board in the form of a Resolution. We would like to clarify that: 1) We did not misrepresent or deceive anyone with our building plans because Mr. Nepomuceno was told we would use the house for our school when he signed the permit to construct the structure. 2) The City Government was informed through a letter dated February 2008 that we would be using the house for our school as a temporary solution for the additional space we needed to decongest our facility due to our financial limitations, until we could buy time to raise bigger funds to transfer to another location. It was only when the DEHHA filed a formal complaint in June 2009 against our presence in an R1 zone that the Q.C. Government inspected our facilities and informed us that we could no longer be given locational clearance and business permit. When we sought advice from the City Government, we learned that the law has provision for the application of a Certificate of Exemption from the zoning ordinance. In the letter dated July 2009 from the City Planning and Development Office, DEHHA was informed that our school was currently applying for a Certificate of Exemption from the City Council, which has the exclusive authority to grant such petitions. Our petition for Exemption was granted by City Council in its 82nd Regular Session in March 2010 (Resolution No. SP-4873, S-2010). Hence, we have the legal right to continue operating in #5 and #10 Don Jose St.

When we filed a complaint with the Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS) of the City Government against the DEHHA for preventing one of our employees from entering the subdivision last May 21, 2010, their officials paid Mr. Nepomuceno a visit last Thursday, June 3. They showed him our documents, including the Certificate of Exemption, and warned him that if he will order the guards at the gate to prevent entry to anyone, it would be an illegal act. In spite of this, Mr. Nepomuceno padlocked the gates at Commonwealth and ordered the guards to prevent students, parents, and staff from entering yesterday.

Fourth, Cornerstone Academy is not a threat to your security. In fact, we are serving the community already by providing quality Christian education to regular and special students, a number of whom are residents. We believe that whatever inconvenience you may experience by our presence in Don Jose may be easily addressed through peaceful dialogues. We have tried to peacefully and amicably settle with the DEHHA Board in the form of a compromise agreement dated November 2009; however, they rejected our offer. The City Government and the DepEd advised us that we are not the only school operating inside a private subdivision, and most parties have settled many such disputes amicably. They are the government agencies that have the authority to shut us down – not any Homeowners Association, not even the HLURB.

Dear fellow homeowners, we stand by our rights as citizens and we implore you not to support the illegal actions being taken by the DEHHA Board against our institution.


Very truly yours,

CORNERSTONE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY OF Q.C.
#5 and #10 Don Jose St.

--------------------
Please pass to others!

11 June 2010

Well, what can I say?

I watched GMA's 24 Oras to hear what the media can say about my alma mater, Cornerstone Christian Academy of QC. I'm really surprised that all of the guards' verbal harassments can actually end up in locking the gates of the subdivision so as to prevent people from entering.

And the name "Nepumoceno" became an image on television.

So Mr. DEHHA President Nepumoceno was behind all the verbal harassments that Cornerstone Academy students, and even Cornerstone Community Baptist Church members, experience. How rude is that? CA people are willing to come up with an agreement (with the right papers and legal documents), but Mr. Nepumoceno thinks otherwise. In the news, I don't actually see any of the board members with him. Does this mean he's acting only for the benefit of HIMSELF? We may not know. One thing is for sure, locking up the gates with a bond paper posted on the gate saying "CA students are not allowed to enter" are simply rude and are results of very poor decision. Mr. Nepumoceno should have called a meeting or an open forum about this matter. It is very foolish to act on such a matter so harshly.

Will he do this every opening of the school year? Definitely. He already did in the last 3 years or more. As a student, I experienced verbal harassments from DEHHA guards. Not once, not twice, but more than three. I really felt bad that it came down to padlocks. I saw red-haired Zyra holding a guitar (maybe singing all the heat and anxiety away), Daphne squinting from the terrible heat of the sun, and many others who were very uncomfortable.

The news I watched ended with the picture of four uniformed guards in a precinct. The police who came to the incident said that the their guns and their agency's license were expired long ago.

I believe that in a conflict, (usually) two parties are involved. Both parties have contribution in the conflict. I may not know from the minutest detail, but that's how it always goes. Mr. Nepumoceno is one person we should be praying for. Honestly, I hope that CA will declare that they're a school once and for all, especially to the DEHHA board. I want to see a proud banner in front of the school gate, bearing CA's name.

As one of my favorite quotes from The Peacemaker says, "Conflict is an opportunity to glorify God."

Let's continue to show the GOD we are living for, in joy or in sorrow
____________________
11june2010
-just because I am a proud graduate of CA :D
Note: Don't blame the media. In this world, nothing is perfect. Focus on the problem. ^^

11 May 2010

BBC Reading list :D

BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up? Share with your fellow reader friends.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings (trilogy) - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 The Complete Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible (currently :P)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials (trilogy) - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell (i haven't, though i have a book somewhere here in my house. :))
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia Series - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres Mais
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno - Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

25/100

Wahahaha! I think I'll get some books from this reading list :D

31 March 2010

Wan, Tu, Tri!

Ako si Ara. Ako ay nag-aaral sa Paaralang Elementarya ng Lagro. Walong taong gulang lamang ako ngunit nasa ikalimang baitang na ako. Ang alam ko ay tumalon daw ako ng baitang, hindi ko lang alam kung paano nangyari talaga yun. Ang tatay ko ay nagtatrabaho sa gobyerno. Ang nanay ko naman ay nasa bahay lang para alagaan at bantayan kami. Simple lamang ang aming buhay.

“Nay! Papasok na po ako ng eskwelahan.” Aking isasambit kapag alas-singko y medya na ng umaga.

“O sige anak, eto na ang iyong baon.” Laging iaabot ni Nanay ang bente pesos sa aking kamay.

Maaga akong umaalis sa bahay dahil malayo ang paaralan sa aming bahay. Mga tatlompung minuto ang byahe na nagiging isang oras kapag trapik. Mas madalas ang trapik kapag umaga dahil napakarami nang tao na pupunta sa eskwelahan at trabaho. Pagkababa ng sasakyan ay tatakbo kaagad ako sa linya naming sa quadrangle para sa pagkanta ng Pambansang Awit.

“Bayang magiliw (hingang malalim) perlas ng (hingang malalim) Silanganan…”

Ang bente pesos ko ay napapagkasya ko din sa isang araw. Ang pamasahe ko ay nasa 8 pesos,16 pesos kung balikan. Ang natitirang apat na piso ay ipambibili ko nalang ng biskwit na tig-tatlong piso. Mayroon pa akong ipon na piso!

“Ara, gusto mo ba ng pagkain? Meron pa ako ditong maliit na sandwich,” sambit ng aking kaklase.

Ang isasagot ko naman, “Naku, ayos lang. Busog na ako dito sa tatlong Marie biscuits. Salamat nalang.”

Pero, kung ako’y gutom talaga, hindi ko na tatanggihan ang alok ng aking kaklase.

Isang araw, nauna sa aking umalis si Nanay sa bahay. May nakita akong sulat sa lamesa. “Ara, nauna kami ng tatay mong umalis dahil may kailangan kaming puntahan. Yung baon mo nilagay ko na sa wallet mo. Galingan mo sa school ha. Love, Nanay.”

Nang nakasakay ako sa dyip, kinuha ko ang wallet ko para kumuha ng pamasahe. Nagtaka ako. Bakit walang laman ang wallet ko? Baka nalimutan ni Nanay ilagay sa sobrang pagmamadali nila ni Tatay. Mabuti nalang at may mga naiipon akong tagpipiso araw-araw. Binuksan ko ang isa sa mga lalagyan ng bag ko at binilang ang barya. Saktong labing-anim na piso! Mabuti nalang at may pamasahe ako.

“Manong, bayad po. Sa may Lagro Elem lang po. Estudyante.”

Pagdating ng recess, naririnig kong kumukulo na ang aking tiyan. Naku, gutom na talaga ako. Nagdadasal ako sa Panginoon na sana ay may lumapit sa aking kaklase para alukin man lang ako ng biskwit. Paglaon ng ilang minuto, wala paring lumalapit. Siguro sakto lang din ang mga baon nila. Hindi ko na natiis at bumili ako ng tatlong Marie biscuits. Naku, bawas na ang pamasahe ko.

“Ang blackboard ba ay solid, liquid, o gas?” Hindi ko masyadong marinig ang guro ko sa Science. Iniisip ko kasi kung paano ako uuwi. Maglalakad nalang ba ako pauwi? Masyadong malayo, delikado pa dahil walang lakaran ng tao ang mga daanan. Biglang may pumasok sa utak ko. Kahapon kasi, may nakatabi akong tatlong estudyante sa dyip nang ako’y pauwi na.

“Huwag na tayong magbayad para mayroon tayong pang-PS.”

“Mahahalata tayo ni manong drayber nyan.”

“Hayaan mo, di tayo mapapansin nyan. Gusto ko din kasi ng scramble mamaya. Ang init kasi e.”

“Ms. Foronda? Is the air solid, liquid, or gas?” Ako na pala yung tinatawag ni sir sa recitation.

“Sir, gas po.”

Pagkatapos ng klase, sandali muna akong tumambay sa may stage sa aming quadrangle. Habang ang ibang bata ay naglalaro ng agawan-base at Chinese garter, ako’y nakaupo at nag-iisip kung paano ako uuwi. Sumabit nalang kaya ako? Kaso babae ako e, hindi yata bagay.

“Mag-wan, tu, tri nalang kasi tayo.” Naalala kong sinambit nung mga hindi nagbayad sa dyip kahapon. Wan, tu, tri pala ang tawag sa hindi pagbayad sa manong drayber. Katunog ng mga numerong 1, 2, 3.

“Ara, bakit parang ang lalim ng iniisip mo dyan?” tanong ng aking kaklase.

“Kasi kulang yung pamasahe ko pauwi.”

“Alam mo, mag-wan, tu, tri ka nalang! Meron ka pang pambili ng Chinese garter pag-uwi mo.”

Wan, tu, tri nanaman. Mukhang usung-uso yun sa aking mga kaklase at sa ibang mga mag-aaral. Ako nalang yata ang nahuhuli sa uso.

Naku, ala-una na pala! Kailangan ko nang umuwi! Sa dyip ko nalang iisipin kung ano ang gagawin ko. Tumayo ako’t naglakad patungo sa sakayan. Nakita ko yung kaklase kong nagtanong sa akin kanina. Sabay na kaming sumakay.

“Nakautang ka ba ng pamasahe?”

“Hindi nga e. Mukhang nagsiuwian na yung iba nating mga kaklase.”

“Sabi ko naman kasi sa’yo, mag-wan, tu, tri ka nalang. Madali lang namang gawin yun e. Dapat mabilis ka lang gumalaw,” pabulong na sinabi sa akin ng kaklase ko.

“Talaga?”

“Oo. Ayan, pababa na ako. Tignan mo kung paano ko gagawin a.”

May pumarang isang ali. Pagkababa ng pumara, dali-daling kumaripas ng takbo ang kaklase ko. Hindi napansin ni manong maging ng kasama niya na hindi pala sya nagbayad. Ganun lang pala kadali yun.

Dahan-dahan kong kinuha ang mga barya sa aking bag.

“Isa, dalawa, tatlo, apat… Isa, dalawa, tatlo, apat…” Pinipilit kong palagpasin ng apat ang aking baya ngunit hanggang sa apat nalang talaga siya. Hinawakan ko ng mahigpit ang apat na pisong hawak ko. Habang papalapit ako sa aking bababaan, lalong pinagpapawisan ang aking kamay at ang mga piso ko. Gayahin ko nalang kaya ang kaklase ko. Kaya ko namang tumakbo ng mabilis dahil sanay na akong maglaro ng mataya-taya.

Medyo masikip ang daanan sa aking bababaan dahil palengke ito. Marami akong pagkakataon para kumaripas ng pagbaba at hindi na mapansin ng drayber. Sige, tatayo nalang ako at tatakbo na habang nakatigil pa ang dyip.

“O yung mga hindi pa nagbabayad dyan, pakiabot nalang ho ng mga bayad ninyo.”

Nanigas ako sa aking kinalalagyan. Alam ni manong na hindi pa ako nagbabayad! Hala, ano nang gagawin ko? Maniniwala ba siya pag sinabi kong kulang ang pera ko? Baka akalain niyang niloloko ko lang siya.

Dito na dapat ako bababa.

“Manong! Pasensya na po, apat na piso nalang ang pera ko. Heto po kunin nyo. Antayin nyo lang po ako sandali, kukuha pa po ako ng apat na piso. Dyan lang po ako nakatira. Antayin nyo po ako a,” lumabas sa aking bibig ng pagkabilis-bilis, halos hindi ko ito namalayan.

Ngunit dahil nasabi ko na, dali-dali na akong tumakbo palabas ng dyip at patungo sa bahay. Binuksan ng nanay ko ang gate.

“Nay, pahingi po ako ng apat na piso!”

“Bakit anak?”

“Basta Nay. Naghihintay si manong dun e.”

Kumuha si Nanay ng apat na piso. Kitang-kita ko sa kanyang mukha na hindi nya naiintindihan ang mga nangyayari. Mamaya ko nalang sasabihin. Tumakbo ako pabalik sa dyip. Mabuti nalang at trapik kaya naabutan ko pa siya.

“Manong (hingal), heto na pa yung kulang ko (hingal).”

“Ay iha, ayos lang. Sa iyo na yang apat na piso. Akala ko nga hindi ka na babalik e. Ipambili mo nalang yan ng ayskendi. Libre ko na yan,” sabay ngiti ni manong drayber at pinaandar na ang kanyang dyip sa maluwang nang kalsada.

Ako naman ay nanatili sa aking kinatatayuan. Akala ko’y susungitan ako ni manong dahil sa pinaghintay ko pa siya. May apat na piso pa tuloy ako ngayon. Napangiti ako bigla, hindi lang dahil sa nakalibre ako kundi dahil sa hindi ako nag-wan, tu, tri. Umuwi ako ng bahay at niyakap si Nanay at kinuwento ko sa kanya lahat ng nangyari.

____________________

31mar10

-Kuwentong Pambata para sa Malikhaing Pagsusulat 10

base sa aking karanasan :)

14 March 2010

same old story

before...

i thought i was ready to go on board
young as i am
ambitious as i always have been

i thought i was ready to take over
everything is perfect
it'll be all fine

i thought i was ready to take it in
it's manageable, isn't it
i'm over the top anyway

now...

i am on board
trying to maintain my balance as i walk
i can't even open my eyes to look towards what's ahead

i am on board
holding this on one hand, holding that on another
thinking of everything, anything, something, nothing

i am on board
so tired and exhausted of all the work i did
not realizing that i'm already off-course

later...

"excuse me, but are you in charge here?"
of course i am
i'm just resting

"excuse me, should you really be the one in charge?"
of course i should be
who else can handle it anyway

"excuse me"
what do you think you're doing
who are you anyway

during later...

i wonder why we began moving
i'm still outside
talking to others

i wonder who initiated the move
who took over
with tactless decisions

i wonder
why everyone think its moving
when it really isn't

after later...

is a decision you have to make

____________________
14mar10
-what would you do?
let it adrift?
or admit that you're not in charge?
-ara.janelle

11 February 2010

sabayang bigkas :: MPs 10

Ang mundong ito ay puno ng mga desisyon
Tila nasa isa kang kumunoy
Hinahatak kang pababa ng buong-buo
Magpupumiglas ka ba para lalong malugmok?
Sasarilihin mo ba ang pagsubok na ito?

Sa puyat at gutom na yata ako matutuluyan
Paano, kailangan kong pag-aralin pati ang mga kapatid ko
Suwerte ko na nga lang at isa ako sa iilang nakakapag-aral dito
Na may baong bente pesos pang-alis sakit ng tiyan!
Basta, itong edukasyon ang gamot sa matindi naming kagutuman
Kaya’t nag-aaral ako para sa summa cum laudeng magbibigay tagumpay!
Bibigyan ko ng kape si bituka nang makakayod ng walang humpay
Di ako gagaya sa kanila na inaasawa na lang ng makukunat na Kano!
Kaya hoy, sa kumportable niyong mundo diyan sa Luzon, pasali naman
Penge naman ng kaunting libro, ng malasakit, para sa amin dito sa Mindanao


Ano ba ‘tong buhay na ‘to?
Bitin sa kita, maski dala-dalawa na ang trabaho
Di na ako makapaghintay na umuwi’t makita
Ang aking anak na puno ng pagmamahal at saya
Mawala na lahat—pamilya, kaibigan, kanyang ama
Kami ng supling ko, ‘di mawawala sa tabi ng isa’t isa
Kakayanin ko lahat, ni makipagpatintero kay kamatayan
Para lamang sa anak ko at sa kanyang kinabukasan
Isa ako sa mga kumakayod na magulang, wala akong asawa
Oo mahirap, ikaw, subukan mong bumuhay ng isang bata


Lagi na akong nahuhuli sa trabaho
Baka malintikan na ako ni bossing ko
Tuwing nag-aabot, may kita at, siyempre, toma na ‘to
Huwag lang maispatan ng parak, naaaning na kasi ako
Yung natitirang pera napupunta naman sa aking pamilya
Itong pagtambay ko ginagawa ko lang para kumita
Nagtatago na lamang ako sa totoong mundo
Sobra na kasi iyong saklap na pinagdaanan ko
Pusher ako, at ikinahihiya ko ito
Dahil paninira ng buhay ang trabaho ko


Halos wala na akong maihain sa hapag-kainan
Ni perang pampakopya ng retrato ng aking nawawalang anak, wala akong mailabas
Sa kabila ng aming pagdurusa, napangiti ako ng mga numero
Lalo na pag naririnig ko na ‘tong umaalog sa isang baso
Umaasa akong sa di numerong papel aasenso ang aming buhay
Kaunting tulong na rin sa asawa kong maliit ang puhunan
Pangarap ko’y magtayo ng tindahan ng gulay o mag-OFW sa Dubai
Marahil ay titigil na rin akong tumaya at mamiso balang araw
Isa akong mambibingo, at aaminin kong nalululong ako
Dahil sa walang trabaho, napilitang isugal ang piso


Naging madamot nga ako, sinasarili ang problema
Pero tumigil ka ba para ako’y silayan?
Kailangan kita para makaahon ako sa kumunoy ko
Kailangan mo din ako para matuto ka sa pagkakamali ko
Talaga ngang ang mundong ito ay puno ng desisyon.
____________________
11feb10
-sabayang bigkas para sa Malikhaing Pagsusulat 10
patungkol sa mga "human tendencies", as concluded by Reis :P
This is done by the collective efforts of Andrea Escudero, Benjamin Esguerra, Ara Janelle Foronda, Ruth Ibarrientos, Margaret Garde. Special mention to Reis Luke Aquino (for converting his 2PM to 6PM). :D

31 January 2010

lessons still to be learned

*insights from the message of God's Word that I learned from Church services ^^

1) Unforgiveness is a poison you drink, hoping that others will die.
--the ever-favorite. ahaha

2) Conflict is an opportunity to glorify God.

3) The Christian faith is not about individualism. It takes place within a community of believers.

4) CHRISTIANITY is all about relationships ("Mahal kita dahil Kristyano ako."). It's not about hate relationships ("Kristyano ako kaya ayaw ko sa'yo.").

5) Forgiveness is all about GRACE, not FAIRNESS.

6) Because when we are divided
I can hear Him crying
I can't be a part of breaking His heart anymore
I can't do it anymore
So, brother, I commit my love to you
--I Commit my Love to You by Twila Paris

7) Solve the problem. Don't condemn the sinner.

8) He saved us not FROM the nations, but FOR the nations.

9) The more God shows His imminence, the more we should realize His transcendence.

10) Our utmost purpose is to glorify GOD.

23 January 2010

ikaapat

binibilang ko ang mga naglalagas
na dahon
pinagmamasdan ko ang paglubog
ng araw
pinakikinggan ko ang uyayi
ng kuliglig

sumandal ako sa aking
kinalalagyan
buntung-hininga
naghihintay ng isang diwata
na lilipad galing sa
langit
o maging sa lupa
na haharap sa akin
habang iwinawasiwas ang kanyang
kamay
at gagawin ang aking mundo na
kasing-kulay ng mga bulaklak

sa isang panaginip
na kailanma'y hindi ko na
marahil
matatanaw.
____________________
23jan10
4 down, one more to go!!!
-ara.janelle

ikatlo

unti-unti ka nang nililinlang
ng mga boses sa
naninimdim
na saliw ng iyong
kwerdas na
iyong pinipilit santuhin.

masikip na kalawakan.

saan ba ito
patutungo?

isa na nga ba itong
kahibangan?

o pagsuko sa karimlan
nang
walang
naiintindihan?
_____________________
23jan10
3 down, 2 more to go!!!
-ara.janelle

03 January 2010

ikalawa

binabagtas ko ang
araw-araw
suot ang
tanikalang
ginto
pinapalakpakan ng
madla
tanikalang ginto
inaasam ng
karamihan

nakikita ang
kinang
ang ginto sa bawat
kalawang
napupuna ang
kislap sa bawat
bigat

na sa kumunoy
ako'y dinala
____________________
04jan10
tanikalang ginto..
pilit mo ba akong dinadala sa kumunoy?
-ara.janelle