last post of 2008.....!!!!

if you happen to hop on this post, kindly share with me your 2009 Resolution, will you?

I'll be posting mine on the 3rd of January....for now, this is the only one I can share with you today:

My 1st resolution, and it should be settled tonight before time turns 2009, is to resolute with my dear friend Vincencius Tobing regarding my past.

He's agreed to make up the time -- I shall write about it in this blog accordingly :)

All my best wishes for 2009, dear Brothers and Sisters!!!!

What is your Treasure?

-originally written in my journal Dec 30, 2008 0824PM-

...been thinking to write something about Treasure, don't know why - perhaps as I myself think that I'm still on the search for my treasure.

Jesus said, wherever your treasure is, there also your heart will be.

This is irritating for me.
Since I don't know what my Treasure is.
If there should exist a Treasure for me,
then it should be fit that my Treasure would want to be find, shouldn't it?

Then how would you identify your treasure?
How would you find out that - out there - there's a Treasure waiting for you to be find?
would you run a Manuscripts research for it, as scholars do?
would you look up with your telescope to the open Universe, as astronomers do?
or would you plunge yourself into the Sea, dive deeper and longer...as divers do?
would you bet on everything you own now, for that little something more, just like gamblers do?
There are far too many options, too many roads.

I believe Treasure Hunters find their ways
or - if destiny permits - they forge their own ways.
I myself like to imagine myself as Santiago;
for so many das I think I know what I want,
but now I'm beginning to think that somehow
I should put myself to Sleep.

Then hopefully
Destiny will appear to as the Dream;
the One Dream that would encourage my heart to no longer fold its wings.
And when my hear flies o seek for my Treasure.....
perhaps, too -
I will wake up.
Wake up and realize,

that my Heart is my Treasure
and It has been with me always.

remind me again please...

I am in this world living the present.
Any good thing that I can do,
or any happiness that I can bring to others,
please tell me.
Don’t let me put things off or forget,
because I shall never live this moment again.

(Henry Drummond The Supreme Gift, [1851-1897])

highlights for October: International Lasallian Day of Prayer for Peace

a letter from the International Council of Young Lasallians

To: Brother Visitors and Auxiliary Visitors, Young Lasallian leaders and Young Lasallians

Dear Brothers and Young Lasallians,
Greetings from Rome, where the International Council of Young Lasallians has been meeting these last days. We would like to take this opportunity to renew our invitation to all Young Lasallians coming from various Districts and Regions to join in an international experience of sharing and prayer. The launch of the activity of the International Lasallian Day of Prayer for Peace (ILDPP) last year, saw a very encouraging number of groups taking up that invitation and participating in this wider community effort of sharing faith and hope for peace.

This activity had originally stemmed out from the YL needs as put forward by the delegates present at the last International Symposium for Young Lasallians. At the time, a collective call to respond to worldwide issues and to strengthen our international network were paramount issues. ICYL would like to envisage the establishment of ILDPP initiatives in the annual calendars of all local YL movements and schools within the various Districts and Regions. We hope that more Lasallian communities avail themselves of this activity to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters, especially the young and the poor, who lack peace in their lives on many levels and who are suffering unjustly.

This project should be taken up in unison by as many Regions, Districts, Young Lasallian movements, schools and communities as possible during the 4th week of October, that is between Monday 20th and Sunday 26st October 2008, acting as ONE International Lasallian Community. Even though activities could be spread out throughout the whole week, these could possibly culminate on Sunday 26th October so as to ensure as much as possible, that we share our intentions together.

Shortly we shall be updating the ILDPP web page on the Institute's website. This section shall also include the final programmes coming from the different corners of the Lasallian world. For this reason we encourage you to finalise your programmes so as to share them with the rest of Lasallian Community on the occasion of this international activity.

The initiatives in the different Districts and Regions could take the form of, but are not limited to, the following:
· Voluntary work experiences both within and outside your own district
· Commitment to live a simpler, less consumerist life
· Assembly activities in schools
· Prayer services
· Workshops / Campaigns / Art Exhibitions
· Peaceful marches
· Sending of letters to local authorities calling for peace in specific areas
· Intercultural or Inter-religious activities
· Others

We encourage you to forward us any relevant resources and materials related to the theme of "Peace" you might have and which could be useful to other groups in preparation of this event.
It would be greatly appreciated if you could forward us the contact details of other people who you think would be interested in participating in or coordinating such an activity within their District or Region. We also urge you to express your feelings and thoughts, accompanied by any suggestions or comments regarding this promising international activity.

For further updates and correspondence regarding this initiative or any other ICYL project, kindly contact us at icyl@lasalle.org or visit our website on www.lasalle.org/icyl.

Sincerely yours,

International Council of Young Lasallians


so....happy peaceful working everyone ;;D

for October....

This day, O Father,

may the glory of all that you have made

remind me of your presence

and lead me closer to you.

on Laskar Pelangi - a humble review

It all begun with a dream. 10 kids - despite their parents' humble background as marginalised residents of a once glorious island of Belitong, who deprived their access to the island's very own abundant resources of coil - wanted to be more than just coil workers as most of their parents were. So they went to the least expensive primary school (I even thought that they paid no tuition fee afterall!) on the island, SD Muhammadiyah.

It wasn't with no difficulties at all. To them, the then so-called Laskar Pelangi (The Rainbow Army, literally), 10 is a magic number indeed. It is the minimum number of students a school should accomodate, so it wouldn't be closed down. (In the movie) The Rainbow Army itself is the last batch of the school. Despite the minimum number of students, and minimum number of teachers (only 3! One which then moved to another school, and the other one - the principal - passed away. So in the end the Army only had 1 teacher left), and minimum standard of buildings and books and chalks and uniforms and money and and and and.....the kids' will to study failed to fade.

The movie showed a lot of lost to the Army: Ikal (one of the main characters) lost his first love, the resignation of one of their teachers, their principal's death, and the most lost...Lintang, the smartest of all (a genius by nature, Ikal said), who never minded cycling back and forth to the school for 70km everyday, had to drop out from school after his father lost in the sea; the same day he brought the school a big winning on a local academic competition against the most favorite school on the island. Lintang had no mother, and he was the eldest of 4, his siblings were all girls....so the tragic path was clear to him and to all his friends and beloved teacher: he had to be the man of the family - when he was only 10.

A big lost indeed.

Although the movie showed only two significant winnings of the Army (1 in an Independence Day Festival, the other was the academic competition Lintang had won for the school), it highlighted the most winning of all: dreams do come true, when you're true to it. Lintang passed on his zeal in studying to his daughter, while Ikal fought for Lintang's dream also: to go to Paris, the most beautiful city of all, where scholars breathed it's inspiring air and drink its intoxicating wine of knowledge.

So Ikal went to Sorbonne for his masteral, then a few years after he went back to the country, wrote the story of the Rainbow Army.

This is a true story.

This could be your story too.

So see the movie. Or buy the book.

we are really always on the presence of God...

...as told in one of the greatest literature work of all time, from around 6 BC:

O Lord,
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

(Psalm 139)

On Being a Lasallian.... or a YLCer...?

An interesting thing happened during the celebration night of my Uni's 8th anniversary:

Each of the 6 faculties (Engineering, Agriculture, Maths and Natural Sciences, Economics, Law and Nursing) were given a sheet of fabric for students and staff to write on their comments and intentions to help improving the Uni in years to come. Each faculty were then appointed representatives, to share their intentions in front of the whole gathering that were present that night.

Amidst all the comments (I'm proud to be a Lasallian, Viva La Salle, and various 'requests' to the rectorate), reps from Law Faculty (yep...I'ma shout it out loud here!!) shared this:

"No YLC! It represents no aspiration."

What a comment.

Who are we to be commented such, anyway?

*YLC: stands for Young Lasallian Corps, a local Lasallian youth group doing their actions inspired by the Lasallian charism (not an official definition). I've been working with the group (as a student) for almost 5 years.*

Later that night, a friend from the said faculty texted me, "Sorry for the comment."

I replied, "It's nothing. We don't really convey any aspiration, right?" (Which in my honest thought: Conveying aspiration? Why don't see the student council if you want to be heard better? It's not that we don't deliver aspirations....we've been doing more things than the council, and now you're expecting us to accomodate ALL aspirations...???!??!)

She texted back, "No. The 'No YLC' comment IS the aspiration. If there's YLC, it means there's differentiation. Yet without having to be a member, students are already a YLCers, right?"

She got a point there. But just not THE point.

Yes, traditionally we say that everyone, every student, every staff who is attending or been to a La Salle school or is working with the Brothers, is a Lasallian. So why need a Lasallian youth group if we're ALL Lasallians...?

The Lasallian charism of Faith, Service and Community itself is very simple, since it carries good moral values. But to claim that one is a Lasallian just because of those values, or because one attends a La Salle school, or is involved in a La Salle mission, is - to me - not that simple.

I myself got shocked of the 'No YLC' comment. Other members of the group were shocked too. And the 'differentiation' thing got me thinking, "True, why need a 'Lasallian' youth group if we're all Lasallians...?"

Two of my lecturers, Jean-Paul and Marie-Laure gave me an insight on how to comment on the differentiation matter, and this is my reply text to my friend from Law, and to my other fellows in the YLC:

"(If you're talking about we're all Lasallians,) True. We're all (can claim ourselves) Lasallians. And true, there IS differentiation. But it's only a matter of interest. There are students who like sports, or music, or camping...they join the respected student activity clubs. But others want more.

I'm sure plenty of our students are grown-up enough to be aware of it. Yet if there's any negative comment, we can only be thankful that still there are people who are paying attention on us, right..?

Dont' you get the message? Lasallians, NOT exclusively YLC, should touch hearts, teach minds, transform lives. YLC is just a NAME some people choose to identify their actions, their movements, but it's not their identity. In a De La Salle school, there should remain only one identity: Lasallian, and everyone may choose to live their own interpretation of it.

We've chosen our way, and we are proud of it.

But one thing I know that's not Lasallian: resentment towards ur fellow. Right...? It's your call =) "

Members of the group replied to me in various ways, like:
"Thanks sista...no worried, we'll carry on!"
"Okay! Let the flame forever burn.... Let's continue, remember new students keep on asking for more forms? hahahaha"
"Yup, this is truly a calling. If not, I would've been quit long time ago!"
"Hearing what they said, it made me even more burned-up!"
"I can only think that those people are pathetic...."
"I love you guys...;) "

Hahahahaha.Yup. No matter what they tell us, we're firm what we believe is true. If students like to take part and join, oh how they are welcomed! But if they want to bring us down....we'd get up again!

So...what's your call? ~_*

one more for a new day!

You need not pretend you are strong
should not always prove that all is well,
must not worry about what others think
cry if necessary
it is good to cry until no tears are left
(for only then will you smile again)
~ Mitsuo Aida (1924-1998)

...read more

08/08/08...

...seems like a perfect day to feel sentimental *sigh*

quote of the day...

...shared by Brother Allan Buenavista FSC


"I do not know when, or what puts the question..I don't even remember answering yes...but I know that at one point of my life I said yes to something or somebody...and since then, my life, in self-surrender, has a goal."
~Dag Hammarskjöld

what exactly are you looking for...?

...try look up here.

mini feed

The Beggar and the Monk

A monk was meditating in the desert when a beggar came up to him and said:
"I need to eat".
The monk – who was almost reaching the point of perfect harmony with the spiritual world – did not answer.
"I need to eat", insisted the beggar.
"Go to the town and ask someone else. Can’t you see that you are bothering me? I am trying to communicate with the angels”.

"God placed himself lower than men, washed their feet, gave His life, and no-one recognized Him", the beggar replied.
"He who says he loves God – who does not see – and forgets his brother - who does – is lying".

And the beggar turned into an angel.
"What a pity, you almost made it", he remarked before leaving.

stilll a Proud Lasallian...

I’m Still Proud Being A Lasallian. I Truly Am.


It was inevitably. Everyone who walks to the lobby of our Campus could clearly see the big banner, congratulating the Campus’ delegates to International Lasallian Youth Gathering and World Youth Day in Australia. The greatest gathering of youth, it says. “Great, another clever way of saying ‘leisure trip’ of those who call themselves ‘Lasallian’,” some might probably commented to that. And I hate it when I have to argue that it wasn’t a leisure trip. Not at all.

I am not going to spell out every details of what we did during the 2 weeks time in Australia. (Those who desperately want to know can either ask around the delegates, waiting for the Lasallian Formation where delegates will share the experience, or surf immediately to www.lasalle2.org or to Brother George’s from USA blog at georgevangrieken.blogspot.com for even more giant details of those days.)

One even once questioned me, “Just how significant do you think of your presence to those gatherings?” I was struck. Right, I’m not really that significant, am I? I said to myself. But then I realized it wasn’t about me being significant to the gatherings. It was those gatherings…being necessary to me. And in fact, they were not just necessary. They were of great magnitude. I needed to participate in those gatherings to, in the end, finding my significance. And I feel proud of myself because of it.

How can one not be? Being surrounded by more than 500 friends – Lasallians, Lasallistas – from 30* different nations from around the world, you can’t help but feel thrilled. I envied Lasallians from Lebanon, since they speak English, Arabic and French at the same time(!). I admire the hardwork volunteers from England, Australia and New Zealand have been doing in schools and students in Papua New Guinea. I was ashamed of myself to hear the stories of my fellow Lasallians from Bethlehem, Palestine, where they are tormented between one’s claim of a Promised Land, and one’s need of a homeland. I was proud to hear the bravery of Brothers and students from Sri Lanka, who take courage in hearing shotguns everyday during school time. I found myself in such awe because of the Vietnamese Lasallians from USA: their parents took unwanted pilgrimage to the States as refugees, and they are now might be caught in between two homelands, but find their home in our own Lasallian family.

Yes, I was proud. I am still proud. And I believe I’m not the only one who wish that every single one of us in this Universitas Katolik De La Salle Manado should also feel the same. After all, it’s our identity. Lasallians.



* Yep, there were only delegates from 30 countries – from among 80+ countries where the Lasallian family serves – were present in ILYG. Can you possibly imagine if all 80+ countries sent their delegates?

______________

my article, to be issued on my Campus' "DLS Link" August 2008 edition

fragment of a pilgrim's diary (cont'd)

.... i met the Cross and the Health today, just right in time, since this was the last for both of the Icons to be displayed publicly in Hyde Park.

pics coming....(when i get back to MDC)

on the news....

..... here

fragment of a pilgrim's day...(cont'd from friendster blog)

.........my feet sore +_+
and I'm so tired i could sleep for 2 days,
but in a matter of minutes it's gonna be the new day here, so all i want to say is that i'll catch up with you later on Blog, as soon as i get back to the homecountry, hehehehe.....


so far, pilgrimage has been great.
but really, there are thousands of people here, i somehow feel distracted....... -_-

finally..!

I finally set up this blog! 

At first to just spread my thoughts wider and be more independent (regarding ads) than my previous FS blog (which I still update now and then), but then I read the AdSense, and got "...hmmmm....this is interesting!" Not that I never heard of it, but just a couple of days ago one of my lecturer teased me about my habit to stay up until (not late at night, but) really early in the morning. He said, "If you want to stay up, at least do it for something that's profitable!" ha-ha-ha

And yep, yesterday I stayed up until morning also just to update things on my FS blog, then decided that I needed to set up this blogger-blog soon (since I'ma put it on my calling card also, heheheh).

Ok, so.....here we go!!!!