Human

Panel taken from last page of Uncanny X-men #137

This panel stood out among the rest as I was reading my X-men graphic novel (actually, a compilation of what the X-men franchise claims as its "best stories ever told") the other day.

The thought is just "woah". Somebody who had the ability to be so powerful chose to sacrifice herself in order to save mankind.

Heroes like Jean... do they still exist (in real life)? (Or rather... did people like that even exist [in real life]?)

Happy Freedom Day, fellow Filipinos. Somehow, this post aligned itself with this special occasion. Haha.

Let Me Not Forget

The phrase "Let me not forget" stuck to my head after reading Psalm 77 (because of the devotional I was reading - Women On The Journey), and so I ended up writing a poem with that phrase (and Psalm) in mind.

*****

When life has turned its back on me,
Surely I will struggle.
Soon enough I will call for help
Expecting that You will stretch out Your mighty hand.

But if ever You do not,
Let me not forget:
How I smelled the sweet fragrance of Your creation.
Let me not forget:
How I waded in the streams of Your grace.
Let me not forget:
How I felt the cool breeze of Your blessings.
Let me not forget:
How I basked under the warmth of Your great love.
Let me not forget,
Let me not forget.


P.S. "Surely I will struggle. Soon enough I will call for help" - Those 2 lines actually bother me because Christians do ask God for help in everything, right? But then again, before we cannot/ do not ask for help if we do not need help. So, those two lines remain as they are.

Cain

After a month of hibernation, my blog is once again awoken, primarily because of the story of Cain. I've read and heard the story countless of times, but this was the first time that I saw Yahweh's (God of the Old Testament) mercy and love, just like Jesus in the New Testament.

"10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."
13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."
15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so [e] ; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, [f] east of Eden." - Genesis 4:10-16

(So... what happened to my life so far? Finished well in summer classes for QUANMET, a.k.a. Probabilities and Statistics... currently undergoing driving lessons... finished the New Testament... went back to school for the 1st Trimester last May 25, only to have classes suspended from June 4 to 14 because of that AH1N1/ swine flu issue in DLSU. Life is so exciting, and no, that was not sarcasm.)

*****

Yahweh,
I did not give my best offering.
I have killed my own brother.
I even asked You if I was my brother's keeper.
So I was cursed. I was punished for what I have done.

My punishment is more than I could bear.
I will till the soil restlessly all the days of my life,
And I will wander aimlessly throughout the earth.
Also, I am banished from Your holy presence.

But still, Your mercy lingers over me.
You have promised to protect me from being murdered -
He who does it to me will suffer a vengeance of sevenfold.
It is indeed ironic
Because even though I am cursed, I am still blessed.
I may be hidden from Your presence,
But I can still see Your grace.

*****

P.S. This post is entitled Cain because of the poem.

P.S.S. Who will have ever thought that Cain the murderer == Cain under God's grace?

Standing on Grace

Insomnia's bugging me again. This is the consequence of sleeping (like a rock) for more than 15 hours. I'm probably the one out of 20 people not asleep right now, and I feel a bit irritated because of that slight headache which is telling my body to rest (which is unfortunately being resisted by my wide-awake eyes).

Since more than 50% of me is still active, I might as well use this time to write things down. Stuff I want to admit to myself in a *somewhat* physical form. I'm spiritually thirsty and weary these past few days, and quoting/paraphrasing from Paul, "I do what I do not want to do, yet what I want to do, I cannot do." Life is so tough sometimes. I was praying in my sleep yester-morning and asking God to cleanse me, forgive me, over and over again as if once is not enough. It's a horrible feeling - the kind when you say you're so sorry, but you cannot "feel" it. Ugh.

And then... a song by Caedmon's Call, entitled "Shifting Sand," comes into mind, and yet again, never failing, God proves to me that He is faithful, no matter how much slap He gets on the face because of me.

"My faith is like shifting sand,
Changed by every wave.
My faith is like shifting sand,
So I stand on grace." - Shifting Sand by Caedmon's Call

*****

I stand on grace
Because of what You've done
I stand on grace
Because of who You are

You are there when I am broken
You are there when I am filled
You are who You are
You never change
You are the God who saves

The One who authored the universe
The long awaited Prophecy
The Lion who is the Lamb
The Eternal Flame that continues to dwell inside my heart

Forever Faithful
Indescribable
Messiah of mine

Summer! (a.k.a. End of Term)

Weeee. Summer's actually here! My long-awaited break. I'm pretty happy about last term. Though my grades were so-so, I accomplished stuff throughout the term, like relearning to play the guitar (and singing songs with it), sketching some doodles here and there and finally reading the New Testament up until Hebrews (which requires daily dedication)!

Of course, I got my music fix by listening through Caedmon's Call's songs from albums I managed to find here and there. (Their albums are so hard to find!) Here's one of my fave songs, from "In the Company of Angels: A Call to Worship."

I spent my first day of freedom in Star City, with my dear cousins and cousin-in-law, pamangkins and tito and tita. I needed to "feel the air" by riding rides. (Trivia: My favorite Star City rides are Surf Dance, a galleon-type ride which twists and tosses you in air, and Galactic, a wheel where your seatbelt is a chain in front of you, while stand at the edge of the wheel while holding the bars for dear life because the wheel's going to tilt at almost 90 degrees while spinning round and round.)

Oh, I also managed to squeeze in a few of my days (before finals week... an incredible feat for grade-conscious me) in HongKong to remember the city, because my first two visits there date back about 14 years ago, and to fulfill some frustrations of mine (i.e. riding "Space Mountain" in HK Disneyland because of not being allowed to ride it in Anaheim Disneyland when I was 11 years old).


HongKong bayside!


Cutest Disneyland entrance to date.


Oh... the unforgettable turkey leg in Disneyland. I thought we weren't eating it EVER again. (Translation: Hindi nakakalimutan ang pagkaka-umay sa turkey leg kahit 7 years ago na yun... way back in Anaheim.)


Why I love Papsy: Game na game siya!


Ocean Park's "Talking Tree," we meet again!!!


Me and the Panda mascots of Ocean Park... due to Nanay's demand. LOL.


Before there was Jigglypuff... There was Minnie Mouse. *squeals* Best Disneyland souvenirs ever. Mickey and Minnie glass menageries! (Next time, I want them bigger. Haha.)

More HongKong pics here.

So, yeah. Summer's finally here! (Now, I need to learn how to drive! Haha.)