1. March on March 2008 – Thank God I graduated from high school last March 2008. And yes, with flying colors!  I graduated second honors with two medals (Excellence in ICT and Loyalty Award). I was even part of the Top 50 of the graduating batch. The years have now paid off.
2. Enroll on a decent college / university – Who would have thought that a Jeric Peña would study at the University of the Philippines? I never imagined myself studying at the national university of the Philippines. Good thing my mom encouraged me to take the UPCAT (UP College Admission Test) even though there’s a slim chance of passing. Although people find it weird that I’m studing via distance education, I’m still proud that I’m a student from University of the Philippines, Open University taking up the program that I really wanted.
3. Attend the World Youth Day 2008 in Australia – The only goal that I didn’t accomplish this year. I felt really bad that I wasn’t been able to attend the World Youth Day 2008 in Australia. But who knows? I might be a part of the World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, Spain!
4. Join a Blog Network - Aside from the multiple blogs I maintain, I also write for Chikadora and TechBlog.ph.
5. Set-up new niche blogs, improve current blog and earn more through blogging – This year, I opened a couple of blogs such as Kim Chiu Fan, Distance Education in the Philippines, Jeric on the Tube, and So Sick of Taxi. I also revamped the Toni Gonzaga blog I maintain while My Boring Life… Now A Blog gets a face-lift this year.
6. Buy a new gadget for myself - I was only aiming for one gadget but thank God for I was able to buy myself three gadgets. Although I already gave the two other gadgets I bought this year to my mom and my sister, it feels so good that I can buy things that I want with my own hard-earned money.
7. Nourish my spiritual side and Be closer to God – Only God knows if I accomplished this one. But this year, I’ve been more contented with my life. My ‘materialistic side’ has softened down. I stopped asking for this and that. In fact, this Christmas I have one wish and I hope that it would come true.

Wow, it really feels good to having accomplished almost 86% of my goals for this year. With the things I’ve done this year, I have no regrets. I am happy right now and looking forward to a brand new year full of joy and love. I won’t stop thanking God for the great things that happened this year. I feel great right now realizing how God has given me everything I needed and wanted. Happy New Year!

PS: Looking back at “My Goals for 2008″ post, I realized how awful my grammar and spelling before (well, up to now). It only shows that I’m truly dyslexic. Huhuhu. Where did the internal editor in me go?

I hope you’re enjoying the Holiday season! I wish you and your family will have a blessed and wonderful year ahead! Watch out for my year-ender posts in the coming days. Thank you for visiting my poor blog regularly. 

Happy Holidays!
Jeric

Instead of having our Laguna Trip today, Black Saturday, my Mom decided to push through with our trip yesterday, Good Friday. It is our pseudo-Visita Iglesia where we visited seven (7) churches in Laguna although we didn’t have the chance to adore the Blessed Sacrament since it’s Good Friday. We chose Laguna to be our destination for it is home to old churches (since Spanish Era), which we would like to see.

The trip started at around 11:00am although it’s a bit late we managed to visit seven (7) churches and two (2) other locations.

We visited the following places (in order):

1. St. John the Baptist Church (Calamba, Laguna)
2. Rizal Shrine (Calamba, Laguna)
3. University of the Philippines – Open University (Los Baños, Laguna)
4. Diocesan Shrine of San Antonio de Padua (Pila, Laguna)
5. Immaculate Conception Parish (Sta. Cruz, Laguna)
6. Church of Bartholomew (Nagcarlan, Laguna)
7. St. John the Baptist Parish (Liliw, Laguna)
8. St. Gregory the Great Parish (Majayjay, Laguna)
9. Parokya ng Santa Maria Magdalena (Magdalena, Laguna)

The ones in bold face are the churches we visited. Please click “more” to read about our experience with photos.

St. John the Baptist Church (Calamba, Laguna)

This is the church where Father Rufino Collantes baptized Jose Rizal in June 22, 1861. The exact baptistery where he was baptized is still present. Rizal’s baptismal record is also posted on the entrance of the baptistery. The baptistery is closed when we visited. The church was quite huge as compared to the churches here in Metro Manila.

Rizal Shrine (Calamba, Laguna)

The Rizal Shrine is also known as the house of our national hero, Jose Rizal. The shrine was closed although we were able to see the exterior of the house. The house is located just a stone throw away from the St. John the Baptist Church.

University of the Philippines – Open University (Los Baños, Laguna)

We dropped by the University of the Philippines – Open University and had my picture taken with the UPOU Oblation and the signage. Thanks to the guard on duty for he allowed us inside to execute our pictorial. I am hoping to study there this coming school year.

Diocesan Shrine of San Antonio de Padua (Pila, Laguna)

The church was erected in 1578 just a few years when Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines (1521 if I’m not mistaken). The interior is full of gold embellishments especially the altar. The bell tower has a different color as compared with the main church. As with the other century old churches within the country, the façade is the only one preserved and the interiors are reconstructed. We weren’t able to see the St. Anthony de Padua relics.

Immaculate Conception Parish (Sta. Cruz, Laguna)

Franciscan priest Padre Antonio de la Llave supervised the construction of a big church made of heavy adobe. Franciscan missionaries dedicated the church to the Blessed Virgin of the Immaculate Conception. Construction continued in 1672, expanding the church and giving it the shape of the cross. Padre Miguel Persiva managed the construction. Santa Cruz’s first parish priest was Padre Gabriel de Castro. Although the interiors are very much contemporary, the façade was preserved.

Church of Bartholomew (Nagcarlan, Laguna)

This church became famous for it is where the Filipino TV Series, Kampanerang Kuba was shot starring Anne Curtis. I would really want to check out the bell tower but it was closed. The church was built in 1845. The church was made out of red bricks, which gave the church a unique color. The interiors were quite preserved although several renovations have been made.

St. John the Baptist Parish (Liliw, Laguna)

The church got an orange color because of the bricks used on its construction. The church is also huge and the interior is great although it is a bit dark inside. There were a lot of people inside for they’re preparing for the procession of the Santo Entiero. The church’s compound is huge and statues of saints are erected on the church’s fences.

St. Gregory the Great Parish (Majayjay, Laguna)

This is one of my favorites among the churches we’ve been to. It is very much huge and the buttresses are gigantic. When we arrived there, a lot of people are inside for the procession is about to start. We waited for the people to evacuate the place before we took a look inside. The interior is great as well as the façade. We were able to go to the choir loft and saw the church’s interior in bird’s eye view.

Parokya ng Santa Maria Magdalena (Magdalena, Laguna)

This was the last church that we’ve been too and was able to spend a longer time. The church was a bit dark inside but the façade is superb. In fact, I took a lot of pictures of the façade. The church got a very big compound where an amphitheater is also found.

If you are planning to visit the churches that I’ve mentioned here, you don’t have to worry with the parking as to most of the churches got a very compound and has a lot of parking spaces to offer. Unfortunately, some of the pictures we’ve taken were corrupted because our digital camera has gone bonkers. In fact, I have to use a data rescue program to recover the files. Thank God for I was able to recover them. This trip is the best! For more pictures, please visit my multiply.

10. “The Message (Mohammed: The Messenger of God)” (1976)
Religion: Islam
Controversy: It is considered heresy to depict images of God or Mohammed.
It’s 600 A.D. and Mohammed is receiving the word of the One True God, rather unusual during a time of still-widespread paganism. Mohammed sends messengers through the Middle East to spread his proclamations, and so begins monotheism and the basic tenets of Islam, including the five-daily calls to prayer and the obligatory pilgrimage to Mecca, known as hajj. So far, so good, but here’s the catch: According to the teachings of Islam, no images can be shown of the prophet Mohammed , his seven wives, his daughters and his sons-in-law, nor can the voice of God or any likeness of God be depicted. At all. The lead role, then, was an absent protagonist and the stand-in lead was Mohammed’s uncle (Anthony Quinn), who spoke lines and listened off-camera to a voice viewers never heard. Unusual, maybe, to non-Muslims, but it got the job done. “The Message” opened in the United States during the rise of the Black Muslim movement and some followers were so incensed that Mohammed would be shown on-screen that they took more than 100 hostages in Washington, D.C. “The Message” won an Oscar nomination for Best Musical Score, but its claim to fame? During filming, producers walked and the one and only Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi stepped up to finance the movie’s completion.

9. “The Pope Must Diet” (1991)
Religion: Roman Catholicism
Controversy: The Vatican — run by Goodfellas.
A bumbling parish priest (Robbie Coltrane) accidentally becomes pope, only to find that the Vatican is controlled by the Mafia. Coltrane finds himself in hot water when he discovers arms-dealing and black-market mechanizations among the papacy, and then has to make a run for it. Originally titled “The Pope Must Die,” the “t” was added for the U.S. market, to become “The Pope Must Diet,” and, wow, what a sleight of hand that was. Unfortunately, consensus was that neither the title nor the movie was funny. And talk about putting one’s PR foot in one’s PR mouth: That “t” added at the last minute to change the film’s title to something less offensive? It was in the shape of a cross.

8. “The Prince of Egypt” (1998)
Religion: Kemetic Orthodoxy (also known as Ancient Egyptian Mythology) and yes, there are modern-day worshippers.
Controversy: Egyptian mythology depicted in a campy manner, with admittedly false priests.
An animated version of the life of Moses as described in the Old Testament’s Book of Exodus, you say? More than 500 religious experts were consulted during the making of “The Prince of Egypt,” and it was met with mostly positive reviews, but there were elements that still managed to incite grumbling — and get it banned in Malaysia. Not only was God voiced by Val Kilmer, but a musical number involving two Egyptian high priests appeared to some to be an open mockery of the ancient culture and religions of Egypt, and were voiced by Martin Shortand Steve Martin, chewing scenery as utterly unfettered cartoon characters.

7. “Eight Crazy Nights” (2002)
Religion: Judaism
Controversy: Where’s the Hanukkah?
Adam Sandler lends his voice to this animated take of a young Jewish Scrooge; he hates the holidays and wants to ruin it for everyone else in town. On the first night of Hanukkah, Drunken Davey goes on a bender and ends up in jail, only to be saved by do-gooders, who put up with his violence and propensity to maneuver others into inexplicable mounds of fecal matter. What stops our boy? The ghosts of holidays past, of course. Neither a kid movie nor a frat-boy flick, “Eight Crazy Nights” became infamous as parents, relieved to finally have a Hanukkah movie to share with the kids, were blindsided by this potty-fest. And what was the claim to fame of “Eight Crazy Nights”? It was nominated for a Razzie Award for Most Flatulent Teen-Targeted Movie.

6. “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” (1979)
Religion: The genesis of Christianity
Controversy: Some viewers believed the uber-message was that Christ was just “some bloke” and his followers were depicted as fools. “Biblical” and “satire” are not two words that many would put together willingly, nor is the phrase, “crucifixion kickline,” but Monty Python threw it all together, along with sight gags and dropped trou. In typical Python fashion, the six Monty Python cast members played some 40 different characters. It’s the Holy Land, some 30 years after the birth of The Man Who Would Be God, and things are chaotic. No wonder it was banned in Norway, Ireland and Italy. Simple, perpetually baffled Brian Cohen, played by Python regular Graham Chapman, finds himself a reluctant messiah due to accidentally blundering into a string of situations similar to the ones famously dealt with by Christ. With full frontal nudity.

5. “The Da Vinci Code” (2006)
Religion: Christianity
Controversy: The Vatican, Opus Dei and numerous other top-secret religious factions have suppressed the “divine feminine” and Christ’s true nature.
A film about how Goddess worship was squashed by the early papacy, but retold as encrypted messages throughout history by some of the world’s most renowned artists — plus, Jesus was a Baby Daddy. There was a lot to upset people about “The Da Vinci Code:” Tom Hanks in a mullet, conspiracy theories that would have made Mulder proud and the big reveals: Not only were Jesus and Mary Magdalene a couple — she’s buried under the Louvre — they had a child together and the descendants are French. The film’s producers were repeatedly asked by various religious groups to make statements to the effect that the storyline was fictional. “The Da Vinci Code” really riled numerous groups: Not only was it banned in China and Pakistan, but Catholic bishops in the United States went so far as to start their own Web site to rebut numerous plot points. Oh, and most critics trashed it.

4. “Dogma” (1999)
Religion: Christianity
Controversy: Including but not limited to: Foul-mouthed, fallen angels; a female descendant of Christ working in a pro-choice clinic; a muse-turned-stripper; and God played by a pop singer.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck joined director Kevin Smith for this look at fallen angels who figure out a minor loophole that will get them back into heaven — an act that will prove God’s fallibility and therefore, by extension, negate the existence of all mankind. “Dogma” was criticized for the way the Catholic religion was depicted, including casting that darned cheeky Chris Rock as a missing 13th Apostle and a disturbingly twinkly Alanis Morissette as God, but at least it wasn’t Val Kilmer (see “The Prince of Egypt“).

3. “Hail Mary” (1985)
Religion: Christianity
Controversy: The Virgin Mary as “Everywoman”; the Angel Gabriel depicted as a somewhat discomfiting walk-on; Joseph as a horn dog; the “divine story” in an everyday setting.
French director Jean-Luc Godard placed the story of the Virgin Birth in present-day France, sparking protests during its release. The devout were horrified that Myriem Roussel‘s “Marie” would be depicted as a regular girl who works at a gas station, claims to be a virgin and has a romantic — but chaste — relationship with Joseph (Thierry Rode), her sweet, taxi-driving boyfriend. Maybe it was showing Marie as a simplistic, average girl/child rather than someone more obviously meant for great things that outraged so many. Perhaps it was that she played mediocre basketball. Or maybe it was that the long voice-overs from Marie as she struggled to comprehend the division between body and spirit drove people to distraction with such an overlay of “philosophical lecture time” set to seemingly endless images of filtered sunlight, but the subject matter triggered picketing and protests wherever it was screened. In fact, it was deemed so offensive that Pope John Paul II officially condemned “Hail Mary,” sight unseen.

2. “The Passion of The Christ” (2004)
Religion: Christianity
Controversy: Extreme violence, perceived anti-Semitism, debated historical accuracy.
Yes, this is the one Entertainment Weekly rated No. 1 of the 25 most controversial movies of all time (but it didn’t inspire violence —- see “The Last Temptation” — so we’re demoting it by one). Director Mel Gibson‘s depiction of the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, including the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem, with Latin and Aramaic dialogue, subtitled in English, didn’t sound like box-office gold to anyone. But “The Passion of the Christ” went on to set all sorts of records, including the most pre-ticket sales, the highest-grossing R-rated film in U.S. box-office history (it earned more than $370 million), the highest grossing foreign language film in the United States and the highest-grossing religious film worldwide.

1. “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988)
Religion: Christianity
Controversy: Jesus chooses the path not taken; scenes depicting him as fully human, exploring aspects of lust and other base human temptations.
Based on the novel of the same name, Martin Scorsese‘s “Temptation” follows the life of embattled Christ (Willem Dafoe) as Satan shows him what life might have been like had he not been crucified. Christ takes temptation for a ride around the block several times, including marrying and explicitly making love with Barbara Hershey‘s terribly earnest Mary Magdalene. At the end of his hot and heavy life, Christ rejects all temptations and time rolls backward to his crucifixion as he chooses the path not taken. Too little, too late for some: A French Catholic fundamentalist group protested the screening, fire-bombing a Parisian theater and badly injuring more than 12 people.

Out of the 10 movies, I have only seen 3 movies (Da Vinci Code, Prince of Egypt and Passion of the Christ). In fact, repairing a botched rhinoplasty is difficult than watching a movie. Have a blessed Holy Week everyone!

Joey Velasco‘s Hapag ng Pag-asa (aka Last Supper)

Today is Maundy Thursday, as we know. In a few hours, my sister and I would be going to the church for the Mass of our Lord’s Supper. It became an annual thing for the both of us. After the mass, we are planning to do the Station of the Cross (within the church). Unfortunately, we won’t be doing the Visita Iglesia today for we have scheduled it for Saturday. I know it is too late but it’s better late than never, right?

It seems that I don’t feel this year’s Holy Week. I’m not that in a “reflective” mood compared to last year. It maybe attributed to the fact that this year’s Holy Week is too early compared to the previous years. Another factor is that, I’m still thinking about school since we still have classes until the 27th of March. I still have to cram some requirements. And I still have to worry about my grades and clearance.

The world has gone complicated and I need a break. I want some quiet place where I could just be by myself.

I do hope I’ll be more closer to God this Holy Week as part of my goals for 2008. May everyone have a blessed and meaningful Holy Week.

For those who want to attend a Holy Week Retreat but don’t have the luxury of time to go out and look for one, you could try this Online Holy Week Retreat hosted by the Jesuits.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. (Luke 24:46)

I am beautiful / handsome
I am loved
I am special in the eyes of God

You are beautiful / handsome
You are loved
You are special in the eyes of God

We are beautiful / handsome
We are loved
We are special in the eyes of God

Life is beautiful despite the problems we encounter everyday. Let us all enjoy life to the fullest. We are given freedom to chose whatever we want. But we need to know how to handle our freedom. To be able to enjoy life to the fullest, here are some things you can do:

• EXPECT THE BEST – Good or bad only God knows. All things work together for good and for those who love the Lord.
• NOURISH YOUR MIND – When we stop learning, we start dying.
• NOURISH YOUR BODY – Be physically fit by eating healthy and exercising regularly. No pain, no gain. If we became sick, we endure from pain. For example, catheters are needed to help you ease pain but we all know that inserting one is really painful.
• NOURISH YOUR SOUL – Prayer time is important. Devote time for reflection and meditation. Talk to the Lord often. Pray the rosary whenever possible.
• NOURISH YOUR RELATIONSHIPS – Bond with your family and friends. Talk to them. Show proper gratitude, affection, respect, obedience, care not only to parents but to all.
• JUST BE YOURSELF – Being true to yourself never goes out of style!
• OOOPPS SLOW DOWN – Slow down and take time to do beautiful things. Avoid sin. Just remember: Love before Marriage and Marriage before Sex.
• YES LORD – Just like Mary let us just say YES to the will of God without hesitations.

Good thing I love to take down notes during seminars specially when something valuable is being discussed. Let us all E-N-J-O-Y our lives!

Take time to be aware
It is the opportunity to help others
Take time to love and be loved
It is God’s greatest gift

I really love the said stanza. First, it talks about taking time. In today’s time, almost all things can be done with a blink of an eye. Our world became a fast-paced one. Everything’s fast even our life. Most people became career-oriented that they tend to focus on their jobs and occupation without thinking of others. We take each day as fast as we can that makes us forget about the people around us. Sometimes, we need to slow down a bit to realize the beauty of our surroundings. Sometimes, being fast makes us insensitive. It is in taking time that we can hear the voice of God. It is in taking time that we can see the needs of others. It is also in taking time that we learn to help and share. It is in taking time that we can realize that God loves us so much that even if we forget about Him, He is still there watching over us, showering us with unending graces. It is in taking time that we can feel God’s greatest gift to His creations – LOVE.

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Phobias may be irritating and a major obstruction in one’s life. For example, you fear enclosed places; you would take the stairs instead of taking the elevator. It maybe hard to face your fears but doing certain steps would help ease them. In the mean time, increasing your self-esteem would not be easy as 1-2-3. At the same time, quitting smoking when you’re really addicted into it is not an overnight thing.

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Gospel Reading: 1 Jn 2:22-28

Be Who We Are.

“Be who we are,” is the message of today’s Gospel. We saw John through the Gospel be himself and not claim anyone’s identity. The priests and Levites from Jerusalem were asking him, “Who are you?” and he replied, “I am not Christ.” Being labeled as the Messiah, the Prophet, or Christ is very much flattering. But, John denied this.

John remained who he is and rejected false labels that people would call him.

In today’s world, I know it’s hard to be true to ourselves. There are times that we feel like there is a need for us to keep our true identity just to be accepted by many people. I remember a quote from Legally Blonde the Musical that says, “Being true to yourself never goes out of style.”

It is in being true to ourselves that we become free. We can express ourselves without hesitation and without the fear of rejection. It is in being true to ourselves that we gain TRUE friends. For true friends accepts the real you no matter what. It is fun and exciting being YOU!

And let me end this reflection with this quote, “Being true to yourself never goes out style!”