This thing... called blog...

Many thanks to Dennis Rito and Janette Toral for the links in their blog to mine.

You are arguably the first ones to consider elsalvadordelmundo in the league of "emerging" and "influential".

--==+==--

I just got a chatbox operational at the lower part of the sidebar on the right. Please feel free to leave a message! =]

Happily hurtling down a rabbithole of history

Caught in an unusual Saturday traffic snarl in the South Luzon Expressway, my siblings and I arrived about 10 minutes after the appointed meeting time at the San Agustin Church in Intramuros. Worse, I did not ask where in the vast complex we were to meet when I signed up for the tour. I thought it would be hard to locate the tourist-y bunch of people we were supposed to join but the guy in the top hat and long-sleeved barong marked the spot.

Carlos Celdran’s IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK! – Intramuros Regular Walking tour is a heady, two-hour plunge into Philippine history sans the drone of an academic institution. His spiels as tour guide and docent are alternately fascinating, disturbing, intriguing, entertaining, and irreverent but never boring and always teeming with information. And of course, how can he not be inspired by the art and history that envelop us as we wander up, down, and through San Agustin and its environs. (My siblings below, at the ruins beside Father Blanco's garden)

If our history teachers in high school and college were like Carlos Celdran, we’d arguably be a whole nation of frank but beguiling patriots.

Where is Juan Luna interred? How is a chong-sam related to priestly vestments? Why is Pampanga the culinary capital of the Philippines? What two things are absent in the bedroom of a 19th century Filipino home? What can you possibly say if you were challenged to tell the life story of Rizal in 60 seconds?

If these questions piqued your interest… If you feel there is nothing *great* about The Philippines in general and Manila in particular… If you have that unextinguishable belief that there is more to being a Filipino than our love affair with politics, boxing, and artistas… You ought to gift yourself with a booster shot of Filipinization by walking Carlos Celdran's way.

After which it would not be difficult to believe that the Philippines is indeed Lupang Hinirang – Chosen Land.

Traffic jams and all.

Pinoy Blog of the Week Redux

Thanks to all those who gave in to my gentle harassment for them to vote for my site.

Well, we didn't quite make it as the Filipino Blog of the Week in the poll at talksmart's site but we managed to land at a very respectable 3rd place! Tight race it was! And as is wont to happen based on the polling site's rules, I'm in the running again for Blog of the Week for this week (since I finished among the top 5 sites during last week's selection process).

So, if you continue to believe that my Blogger site ought to be Pinoy Blog of the Week, please go to http://salaswildthoughts.blogspot.com and vote for elsalvadordelmundo at the righthand side of the page. You may vote for my site once a day, everyday, until June 2nd.

Thank you again! God bless us all =]

Traveling at the speed of a camera flash

As if my life is not a huge juggling act already, I decided to put up yet another blog http://safarisogood.blogspot.com this time to exclusively contain photos which I took in the course of my various work-related and personal travels plus some related insights regarding that particular place, person, or event captured on film.

The photo-travel blog is largely inspired by Dan Eldon; the explanation of which I posted in the first entry of this new blog.

I plan to update it daily, a random photo a day, about my past, present, and future travels. Just please click on the link at the upper right hand corner of this page to view what I have shared so far.

All aboard!

Let Google pick your brain and earn USD100

During the rare times that I got to read Blogger Buzz, that section in the Blogger Dashboard that the Blogger team posts relevant news to Blogger users, I came across this link to a money-making venture courtesy of Google.

They're looking for people willing to try out new Google products or innovations in existing members of the Google family. You can visit their California offices or simply fill up an online survey and *$ka-ching$ka-ching$*

I just signed up so I really don't know how and when they will pay us for our invaluable time and effort. But just the same, here's a fairly simple way of earning online. Users and non-users of Google products and services can come on board.

Sign up for the Google User Experience Research here. Good luck!

More than meets the eye

Thirty-six days to go, Pilipinas!

Vincible (3) - Federer def. Nadal in TMS Hamburg '07

As if to prove that you just can’t predict what will happen in an ATP season, particularly this current one where star players have revealed gaping chinks in their armor, Rafael Nadal succumbed to world no. 1 Roger Federer at the Hamburg Masters Series last night (Philippine time), losing in the final 6-2, 2-6, 0-6.

Nadal’s record 81-match winning streak came to a halt after colliding with the Federer Express who upped his game on the tennis surface where he is 0-5 versus the Mallorcan. The Swiss tennister seems to be lucky in Germany though: he has won this leg of the Masters Series thrice in the last four years prior to the 2007 edition. But as Nadal said in the post-game press conference, he sheds no tears since he lost to a better player.
With just a week to go before hostilities begin in Roland Garros, the year’s second major and only Slam Federer has yet to win, this victory in Hamburg is a definite morale booster as he goes on his way to tennis immortality.

Even if both Andy Roddick and Martina Hingis are unable to play in Paris, Federer will be reason enough to stay up late again during the May-June fortnight. Won’t it be a treat to see the top dog who’s actually an underdog- in this surface at least- emerge at the end of the tournament holding the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy over his head?

Win a trip to the 2008 French Open! Click on the ad on the right to find out how.

Unit 3, Anglo Bldg.

Attending the graduation of UP Medicine Class 2007 unlocked the floodgates to related memories.

I wrote this entry in my old blog some days after we moved out of our med school apartment. It was a task that I wouldn't wish my worst enemy to undertake. Moving out of that apartment was a Herculean undertaking that only my parents had patience for; if they were close to disowning me then, they didn't let it show. Too bad my old computer crashed and I lost all photos that I ever took of and in the apartment, save for this photo of my desk which says quite a lot about the state of my third of the room...

This one's for Johann and Vergel as well, the best roomies a sloppy packrat could ever wish for.

May 1, 2005

Dear Unit 3,

So. Paano ba yan. End of contract na. This is it. Lipat-bahay. Iwan ka na namin. Apat na taon mo rin kaming inampon. Mami-miss kita. Ikaw at-

Ang mga kalendaryo na taun-taon e kung saan-saan namin nakukuha: 2001- Allied Bank; 2002 & 2003- Mercury Drug; 2004- Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, at; 2005- San Juan Food Products, Inc (makers of Joy Hotdogs, Ham, Bacon, and Specialties);

Ang ref na walang naging laman kundi tubig, ice cream, beer, Coke Light, Pepsi Blue, at samu’t saring mga pagkain na may sarili nang buhay, pamilya, at kolonya sa malalamig na suluk-sulok sa hinaba ng pagkakalagak sa kanila dito. Andiyan din pala yung mga nakadikit sa pinto ng ref na bills ng tubig at kuryente na laging disconnection notice na ang itsura bago may pumansin sa amin;

Ang wood parquet na unti-unti nang parang nalalagas na ngipin ng lolong ulyanin. Salamat at naaaliw kami sa paghahanap na animo’y puzzle kung san kagrupo yung napahiwalay na tuklap na kahoy sa sahig. Pero di biro yung semi-matalisod dahil sa baku-bakong sahig;

Tanging litrato sa apartment, matatagpuan sa pinto ng banyo, litrato ng anim na nakatalikod na toddlers, ipinagmamalaki ang kanilang puwet. Pedophilia ba ito? Wala lang. Regalong pambahay ng isang kaibigan namin. Sweet… kanino kya sya mapupunta?

Humigit-kumulang dalawang dosenang pares ng sapatos na bumubulaga sa bawat bisita namin dahil nakasalansan sila sa may pintuan. Klosetang Imelda Marcos kaming housemates;

Ang wall clock ko na frozen sa oras na 4:40. Inabot ng buwisit at katamaran kya di na napaayos;

Ang TV na matanda pa yata kay Alexander Graham Bell pero panalo pa rin. Salamat dahil stuck sa Channel 9 ang iyong channel changer- na-memorize ko na ang mga shows ng Prime Shift. Minsan may sumpong- maski Channel 5 nakukuha. Nakatambay pa ko kahit papaano with Friends at naging The Apprentice pa;

Ang “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” “Lives of Saints,” at iba pang mga libro’t babasahin sa banyo. Pag talagang nagagahol sa oras at exam season, may pakalat-kalat pang dermatograph, stabilo, at Faber-Castel na highlighter sa sink. Talk about multi-tasking;

Ang sofa na nagka-identity crisis dahil ni minsan yata e hindi sya naupuan. Sa dami ng tambak na nakasampa sa kanya, inakala nyang cabinet sya. Ano na nga bang kulay ng sofa na yun?

Ang banyo na nagsilbing takbuhan sa oras ng pangangailangan- stress diarrhea, semi-food-poisoning, sobrang inom, pakikiligo ‘pag walang tubig sa mga dorm- ng hindi iilang katauhan, hindi lamang ang mga tenant ng apartment namin; at

Ang iba’t ibang mga kalat, kalat na libro pala, libro at mga pira-pirasong papeles, papeles na may mga random notes lang na ipinapasa-pasa pag may boring na lecture, notes na nakakabit sa mga regalo, mga regalong di nabuksan, regalong nabuksan pero nalimutan at nabalumbon sa ilalim ng kama, kama na hindi na nahihigan dahil sa dami ng kalat, kalat na libro pala, libro at mga pira-pirasong papeles…

Gaya ng sinasabi sa mga historical places- if those wall could talk… Mami-miss ko ang mga gripe session, sermon session, magkuwentuhan-tayo-til-madaling-araw-kesa-mag-aral-dahil-wala-nang-pumapasok-sa-ulo-ko session, mag-inuman-tayo-til-madaling-araw-kesa-mag-aral-para-wala-nang-pumasok-sa-ulo-ko session, mga pop quiz ng roommate ko, mga true confessions session, post-Sadako takutan session, mga pat on the back session, mga pray with each other session…

Home daw is where the heart is. Where your hat lands on. Sa ‘kin- home is-

Where you toss your tons of books on after a looooong day.

Where you sleep in after a 36-plus-hours duty.

Where you gobble up boxes of Yellow Cab goodies.

Where you study til you puke.

Where you try to study but puke instead because of all the booze (rather than knowledge) you’ve so earnestly tried to wade into.

Where friendships are forged, secrets shared and held sacred, fears assuaged, confidence boosted, defiance squashed, dreams fulfilled.

Bunutin na ang lahat ng naka-plug. I-check lahat ng mga gripo. Patayin ang main switch ng kuryente. For the last time- ilock ang pinto. Hataking maigi. Make sure naka-double-lock. Yung susi- kailangan na palang isurrender sa building administrator.

Good night and thank you, Unit 3.

Lovelots,

PS: May the new tenants treat you better than we did. I know- the once-a-year cleaning was really unfair. You deserve a bi-annual event.

Pinoy Blog of the Week

Two wonderful events to celebrate this week in my life as a blogger: My Blogspot site just received its 1000th hit and it is one of ten sites nominated for Pinoy Blog of the Week thanks to talksmart, a U.S.-based Pinoy engineer and fellow blogger.

Do checkout his site.

And they're off...

I had the distinct honor and pleasure of attending the 98th Commencement Exercises and Internship Closing Ceremonies of the UP-PGH for Academic Year 2006-2007 last night at the Meralco Theater. I previously thought of skipping the event but then I got a gentle reminder from our department’s secretary so attend I did.

It was a mad kaleidoscope of emotions and memories for me, even if I was not the one graduating.

- It was my first time to attend as a teacher in the college. The moment we were asked to lineup per department and our entrance to the theater was announced- The Members of The Faculty of the UP College of Medicine- it was one of The Most Surreal Moments in my young professional life. It was one big WHOOAA.

- But before that, light dinner/ cocktails were served at the lobby area. I was sharing a table with my Pharmacology and Pathology professors plus ENT, Plastic Surgery, and Community Medicine stalwarts. They were very cordial, very nice people (underneath the veneer of strictness and seemingly unchangeable straight-laced demeanor!). I was hobnobbing with my teachers, my colleagues, AND fellow faculty members. Surreal. (Above with members of our department, from the right: Dr. Delen Dela Paz, Dr. Nina Dizon, and Prof. Linda Coniconde. Thanks to our photographer, Dr. Portia Marcelo!)

- On an uber-personal level, I also discovered I sort of enjoy dressing up for events. After all, it’s not everyday one can wear a barong and the U.P. sablay (academic sash). Don't these university bigwigs look regal and visually eloquent? (From the left- Dr Abad, Special Assistant to the Dean; Dr Balgos, Assoc Dean for Planning and Development; Dr Wang, Assoc Dean for Faculty and Students; Dr Valbuena, Assoc Dean for Acad Development; Dr Alfiler, PGH Director; Dr Roxas, Dean; Dr Arcadio, UP Manila Chancellor, and; Dr Ernesto Domingo, former UP Manila Chancellor, one of just 12 University Professors, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Medicine, Commencement Speaker.)

- I tried my best to sit still and soak the sights and sounds of the ceremonies; after all, it was one of the rare humongous events that I am made to attend without me having to rush back and forth, working behind the scenes.

- I tried my best to sit still and soak the sights and sounds of the ceremonies- but I couldn’t quit comparing Class 2007’s graduation with our. Or rather, recall my own graduation… I can still remember Johann and I still garbed in our janitor attire while most of our classmates and their families were already at the UP Theater lobby dressed to the nines since it was already- what- 1.30pm (and we were still overseeing the physical arrangements in the theater!). But that evening, two years to the day come May 22nd, and the ceremonies I attended last night, they were really for our parents who, more than ourselves, deserve the congratulations and recognition for having held us aloft through med school.

- As I watched UP Med Class 2007, it was impossible not to think of my classmates, who not too long ago sat with me in those rows, donning those academics gowns, embraced by that cumbersome hood and uncooperative cap-and-tassel complex. Some are in the US already, some have still not gotten enough of the PGH and have stayed on, some have families, some have taken on totally different career paths. I miss them all terribly…

- It was a joy to see friends two years my junior becoming full-fledged colleagues. Those seemingly lost third year students during our internship year now have that palpable air of confidence about them. From memories of presenting a number for the Ob-Gyne Christmas party (below) to assisting them as they do their first IV insertions at the ER- it was an absolute joy to see them complete their own medical school undergrad journey.

- Nothing compares to saying out loud the Oath of Hippocrates for the first time. I remember that sense of awe when we recited it during our own graduation ceremonies two years ago. What made it more special was when all other doctors in the theater were asked to re-commit themselves to the physicians' oath, when the emcee said- Physicians, all please rise- and dozens of colleagues stood with us. It felt as if we were really being ushered into a select society of servants. Last night, I was part of that crowd who stood with the graduating class as they said the Oath for arguably the first time. Re-dedicating myself to the life of a physician using the words of the Hipprocratic Oath, t was a very timely reminder for me why I am doing all the "doctor-ly" and "not-so-doctor-ly" things I do in the course of my UP and GK work.

- I come home with one thing ringing in my head. It’s what the class valedictorian said in her speech- that no one is too young, too unaccomplished, too inexperienced to make a difference in our country and in people’s lives. Amen to that.

Congratulations, Class 2007! Let us not fail the people who eagerly await your leap out of the safety of your med school nest. Pluck them out of the muck, take them on your wings and let them soar with you.

Over and out

Over the last few weeks, my Blogger site has been converted into my own Ang Kapatiran campaign HQ so much so that I felt as if I was one of the candidates myself. I exaggerate, of course.

With the singular aim of spreading hope for our country by way of campaigning for Ang Kapatiran, I’ve promoted Atty Jess Paredes, Atty Adrian Sison, and Dr Martin Bautista in almost all media including my own Friendster page; made unabashed postings in many different online fora; prodded and cajoled people at work to vote for them; enlisted my friends, fellow members of my Catholic yuppy community and my siblings and their officemates in my campaign army; and talked politics and hope with practically everyone I encountered from Bicol to Bukidnon whom I “sense” to be an open-enough-person. I don’t think I’ve advocated as intensely for anything or anyone, except for Gawad Kalinga.

I’m still not ready to give up, even in the face of the partial and unofficial results published by various media entities. As I write this, Dr Bautista has 101,599 votes according to the NAMFREL tally, good enough for 29th place in a field of 37 candidates. Leading the pack is Loren Legarda who has a little over 2 million more votes than Dr B.

But the receipt of an email from him accepting the fate dealt by the electorate was the cue for me to look forward to the next round of the battle to overhaul the Philippines. Hence my decision to christen that blog entry Chapter 2. After all, we’ve only just begun.

And so, in the next few days, this page will be undergoing some minor makeover, actually more akin to putting down Christmas decors. The fuzz and hustle of my vicarious participation in the polls will soon be neatly tucked away to make room for what is current and here and now. Hopefully equally inspiring and at times thought-provoking.

Hopefully this housekeeping chore, this spring cleaning task that I’m doing in my blog will somehow be translated to a slow but sure revamp in my own cluttered life. May others who likewise put segments of their life on hold to engage in this very worthwhile task of modestly helping in the Ang Kapatiran campaign find themselves busy with their own clean-up jobs and emerge better (and not bitter) people because of the campaign.

May we throw into the furnace the things that prevent us from moving forward as individuals, and as a nation use that same fire to set aflame love for our country and our people.

The task of rebuilding the nation is not just a rhetoric for candidates to use and abuse during campaign season. We trudge on well after the votes are tallied and the last winner is proclaimed. This is when the real action begins. And the struggle to be a better nation continues.

--==+==--


First order of business: transfer my registration to the local COMELEC office covering our new home so I can vote in the 2010 polls.

Chapter 2

The election is over. It is time to examine, and to both skeptics and sympathizers alike, explain my participation in it.

I gave up a flourishing medical practice in America, joined Kapatiran and ran for the Senate because I wanted not merely to prove a point, but to live by it.

And the point is this: we can change our country, help our people, not by talking or theorizing but by actually doing something about it. One cannot simply make a statement. He must apply it in his life, by example, by involvement, by action. Our political campaign was such a statement.

Did we succeed? We did not get enough votes for a seat in the senate. But we did get the attention of the electorate and, more importantly, we made people aware of alternative solutions, better political options.

We demonstrated that it is possible to conduct an open, honest, vigorous campaign on programs, not personalities.

We showed that there is no need for false promises, political gimmickry, immoderate spending; but that there is a need for continuing communication, defending and justifying our positions and priorities.

Our fundamental premise is this: Politics is not a means of livelihood. It is not an economic investment that will pay off in future material gain. Politics is a way of giving, of sharing, of helping. It is not soliciting support but providing it. It is not about rendering service in the senate when elected, but rendering service now, in the present, in this time and place, in one's capacity as a candidate, a citizen, a Filipino of compassion.

If we have, even in a small, tentative way, we have redefined politics in the Philippines, then we have been fully recompensed for our efforts. The accomplishments of our greatest heroes cannot be judged in the simplistic terms of triumph or defeat. Like Burgos, Gomez and Zamora, the Kapatiran candidates won no instant victory. But they achieved a beginning, advanced the cause for reform, and awakened a hope that such reform is possible.

A personal note of accountability. We received donations from many sectors of society. Added to our own private contribution to the campaign, the total amount exceeded our modest campaign expenses. The balance we shall turn over to Gawad Kalinga in accordance with our conviction that politics is not an enterprise for profit.

Finally I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to all the men and women of goodwill who stand with us in the common belief in a Filipino future. Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat.

Martin D Bautista, MD

A voter's prayer*

LORD, make me an instrument of your presence in the Polls.

Where there is coercion and violence,

Let me sow seeds of love;

Where there is bribery and vote buying,

Let me sow seeds of integrity;

Where there is discord,

Let me sow seeds of unity;

Where there is electoral fraud,

Let me sow seeds of honesty;

Where there is duplicity and propaganda,

Let me sow seeds of truth;

Where there is indifference,

Let me sow seeds of care and concern;

And, where there is despair in the electoral process,

Let me sow seeds of hope.

Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much

Think of my selfish motives when I vote.

Instill in me a deep sense of communal solidarity in my critical choice of candidates who would rise above the traditional politics of PAY-OFF, PERSONALITY andPATRONAGE.

Enlighten me to elect worthy men and women who embody the true spirit of public service in their moral consciousness.

For it is voting responsibly that we receive

the fruits of true democracy.

And it is in dying as a seed to our selfishness

that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

(Adapted from The Prayer of Saint Francis. Lifted from http://kpkcommongood.blogspot.com)

Why I am staying in the Philippines (7): Prescription for change

Prescription for Change:
4-C Victory For Ang Kapatiran,
Foresee Victory for the Filipino

Over the last 90 days, we have been bombarded with information, lavished with promises, threatened with doom if we vote for these candidates or those candidates. As the candidates parade before us, as records of past achievements and glaring failures are put to the fore, it is so easy for us to be eaten up by jadedness and cynicism, forcing us to just sit on the sidelines and opt to not vote. “What’s one ballot anyway?” is a sentiment expressed by frustrated veteran voters and suspicious first-timers. Pessimism and doubt are sinister conditions that, like airborne bugs, can easily be passed on from one person to another.

In several days’ time, we will again troop to our election precincts, fill up our ballots, and chart our country’s destiny. In the midst of the political noise, one group has campaigned for the Senate based on a solid platform for good governance, economic development, peace and order, improvement of the political climate and foreign policy. Ang Kapatiran’s Zosimo Paredes, Adrian Sison, and Martin Bautista will definitely be on my ballot and will most likely be only names which I will write down.

So what is the prescription to combat jadedness and cynicism? Like the equally commonplace colds virus, loading up on Vitamin C- specifically the brand Ang Kapatiran possesses- can do the trick.

C- Christ-centered leaders
Bring God back in the center of Philippine politics. No one among the contenders in these elections have come out clearly and consistently as Paredes – Sison – Bautista have with regard to this principle. If a group of men are looking to Christ as their aim, idol, and mission, Christ the Good Shepherd, the Just God, the Merciful Lord, the Divine CEO- that group more than deserves our vote.

C- Conscience and competence
Paredes – Sison - Bautista are relative novices in the political realm, not beholden to any political backer or kingmaker. They are running on the principle that ordinary citizens can and must reclaim the country’s leadership from traditional politicians. They have lived full lives immersed in what is real and not just soaking the view from their ivory towers. They willingly sacrificed their individual lives and careers because they believe that looking after the Filipino people’s welfare supercedes all personal concerns and interests.

C- Consistent quality campaign
Paredes – Sison – Bautista campaigned consistently, steadily, assuredly direct to the masses minus the distractions of celebrity endorsers and excessive advertisements. They’d rather spend money on basic campaign materials- flyers and leaflets explaining their platform for governance- rather than splurge obscene amounts on TV and radio ads that hardly talk about issues. They would rather spend the P300,000.00 needed to place a 30-second ad in TV Patrol to build classrooms.

Paredes – Sison – Bautista ran not as mere personalities or stooges of a powerbroker but as candidates espousing clearly spelled out platforms, which include: working for a gunless society; putting in place mechanisms for a dynasty-free political environment; instituting debt payment limit to free up budgetary allotments for health; setting up fixed terms for the AFP Chief of Staff and appointment of civilians as head of the Defense Department to professionalize further the military and lessen patronage politics in the AFP; and scrapping of the pork barrel, among other advocacies and items in their legislative agenda. (More details from http://www.angkapatiran.org)

C- Collective community empowerment
As Paredes – Sison - Bautista campaigned in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and in cyberspace, they have created a community of Filipinos whose faith in the electoral process, faith in the Filipino, faith in themselves, and faith in God have been rekindled. They have inspired a new legion of Filipinos consciously working for change, choosing to do good rather than fall prey to evil, stoking back to life the dying embers in the hearts of a jaded, cynical, wounded nation. From well-placed Makati executives to public utility vehicle drivers in Misamis Oriental, Filipinos from all over now have new and sufficient reason to hope and believe that the Philippines can rise again.

In several days’ time, we will again troop to our election precincts, fill up our ballots, and chart our country’s destiny. In the midst of the political noise, one group has campaigned for the Senate based on a solid platform for good governance, economic development, peace and order, improvement of the political climate and foreign policy.

I will definitely vote Ang Kapatiran’s Zosimo Paredes, Adrian Sison, and Martin Bautista for senator. They are the prescriptions for change that each Filipino voter must write on May 14 to heal our land.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! God bless us all!

Many marry in the merry month of May

As the emcee in Tin and Vince’s wedding reception put it- it is a celebration of the years that passed and the years that are to come. The same goes for Jo and Mund’s.

For the tender ceremonies; for the timely reunion with friends; for the warm reception, the great food, and the delightful music; for the genuine glimmer of joy when you guys saw us; for sparking the impromptu introspection among many a single person and yet-to-be-engaged couples; and for making me still hope in finding The One -

thank you for sharing with us your amazing evening.

Salvador – Sison Nuptials
Holy Mass at the Sanctuario De San Antonio 2.30pm
Cocktails and Reception at the Manila Polo Club

Jo and Mund at the altar

Chang and Johann dispensing with their cord duties

Grand send off to the reception

With some rarely seen med school classmates- Edhel, Jim, Gracie, and Hugs

Enjoy cocktails at the Manila Polo Club with Marvin, Eileen, Toyang, Pepper, Chang, JP, and Les

Gloria – Cunanan Nuptials
Holy Mass at the Sanctuario De San Antonio 7pm
Cocktails and Reception at the Mandarin Oriental Makati

An unmistakable beautiful blur in the crowd

Tin and Vince at the altar

Dapper First Reading reader (thanks for taking my photo, Capits!)

Lighting their Unity Candle

Preparing for the first kiss

Welcomed by guests at the reception

With UP-PGH Internship blockmates- Lester, Kate, Julie and Lizza

Our next-table neighbor: Tin and Vince’s!

With the very lovely couple

Reunion of the Waterboy with some members of the class basketball team

Be still my heart: My Two Favorite Girls – Pam and Tin

--==+==--

To Dr. Mund Sison and Dr. Jo Salvador-Sison and Dr. Vince Cunanan and Dr. Tin Gloria-Cunanan – bon voyage et bon appetit! Godspeed!

(Major, major, major thanks to Tina DLC for letting me use her SD card! Life-saver!)

Why I am staying in the Philippines (6): More than one little candle

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. - Philippians 1:6

A candlelight, prayer rally was held earlier today (May 1st) at the Meditation Garden of the Quezon Memorial Circle. Led by an interfaith group of supporters, the event served as a venue to pray for honest, peaceful and credible elections, and for the victory of the principles and platform of Ang Kapatiran party and its senatorial candidates Zosimo Paredes, Martin D. Bautista, and Adrian O. Sison as well as its local candidates in the May 14 elections.

One of the charismatic Christian groups who led the crowd into singing songs of praise, worship, and thanksgiving.

Ang Kapatiran supporters, standing, and ready to be counted.

The candidates' first foray into the event's stage.

Dr Bautista sharing the light from his candle with the crowd.

Ang Kapatiran senatorial candidates Atty Sison, Atty Paredes, and Dr Bautista renewing their covenant of service to God and country.

True to the night's final song- the three candidates lead the crowd in singing Onward Christian Soldier.

Ian, Dr Bautista, and Dr Philip Cruz

(former PGH Pediatrics chief resident and fellow pinoy.md enthusiast)

No clenched fists...

no political speeches...

no disturbance of peace & order-

Just hands held high, palms up...

in deep prayer and expression of praise and thanksgiving...

storming heaven to bring peace and renewal to our land.

When we stop hoping, we cease to be Christians.