Ang Kwento ni Jollibee

"Love will find its way through all languages on its own" - Rumi


The Vatican had re-edited the Bible while the Muslims over-interpreted Qu'ran


This was my last thought among a series of murmured answers to a Muslim van seatmate who asked me if i know Islam. Yes! I KNOW, but not all. in fact and i think, i know more about Islam than my Christianity. That was a lie, probably, and i answered him, "i wont talk about religion, sir, because it is often the source of conflict."

so, i continued. tuned into itouch and read the newspaper. Ya, i know your 5 pillars. in fact, i did one of them: ramadhan. i know too Qu'ran taught cleanliness, environmental care and respect for women. do you? well, i know our Church is highly divided. There are the Jesus is Lord (JIL), Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), Protestants, Episcopal....and there too are the Sunni, Shiah, Sufi, Wahabi and among others.

If the Muslim soldier had asked me what i do, id definitely break my silence, "we build water systems for the Muslim communities for them to have access to safe water." And you, what do you do? Fire guns? I continued my lipbiting and news reading.

Ye, i know too your wedding rituals and that Qu'ran shares the same story with our Bible. You even have saints (but you never prayed to them unlike some of us, Christians). One of your saints even prayed in one of our churches. Then i texted Elsan, my Tausog friend, of the saint's name.

For the whole trip back home, i answered silently the Muslim soldier-van seatmate and one Muslim family, who forged me to hurriedly consume my Jollibee spaghetti, chicken and Coke. Instead of eating inside the van, i closed my lunch pack. Then they complained of the "porky" smell and suggested to eat it fast while the van gases up or better give it away. so, i gave it away, willingly. But then, the van driver had my Jollibee pack pala. and so, it returned back in the van, along with its porky smell

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA We all laughed like close friends, but ironically, they never complained again and scolded the driver to give Jollibee away. Well, they must have not smelled the pork anymore from the backseat.

I reached Davao, unsheathed. thanks to silence, tolerance and patience. and ye, it was Rumi, who frequented in praying in some Christian churches when he is in places without mosques.

and ye, Islamic jurisprudence even says that Muslims should respect (not follow) the laws of other society. so, kung offensive talaga sa katabi mo ang smell ng pork, the proper thing for him/her to do is transfer sit.

Life is too Beautiful

when the trees and the sea are struck by sunlight and you are riding in a heavily staggering (and deafening) boat, they form a collage of colored rings (but often white). they become more beautiful to watch.

when you gazed too long to the sea, you would see marvels of an eagle catching a fish; and when it is night, you would be surprised that shooting stars are not rare, much like the flying fishes; too ordinary as they are in the coastal villages, they remain beautiful!

when you ride home on a long rough road that is carpeted by strips of shadows of the trees, your face is silenced by the gushing breeze and rays of light. then suddenly, a little kid on the road with pale of water makes a peace sign to you with a face that loudly shouts, "YE, YOU ROCK!"

you smile back and inhale.

ahhhhh. indeed, life is beautiful!

Jimmy Cliff's Come Into My Life played in and realized, i'm close to home and id be with Greta again. YEY!

An-Online-Friend-In-Sight Survey (sure beh!)

you are on a leisure walk in a less crowded mall, when suddenly you are exchanging a curious stare with another stranger within 10-15 steps. he/she turns to be one of your online friends, whom you havent personally seen since you/he/she added him/her/you online.

how will you...

Live Life

Ever convinced that you are living the life you are meant to live?

I do! :)

Do Nothing This Year!

the best way for a football goalkeeper to stop a penalty kick.

do nothing. just stay in the center and do not move.

but 94% of 286 penalty kicks, goalkeepers still dived, according to Journal of Economic Psychology.

well, this is not just goalkeeper science. this is reality.

often we treat "doing nothing" as undecisive and unproductive. so clueless and guilty, we often do something. we dive! doing nothing is also productive. idleness also is a creative process (for artists, definitely, like Emma Thompson in Stranger Than Fiction). inaction statistically could stop penalty kicks. doing nothing could put us away from harm. doing nothing is also a good choice and decision, after all (sorry, grets)

doing nothing however is not always good and Malcolm Gladwell pointed that out clearly in his latest book, Outlier. along with researchers and scientists, he affirmed that practice (or so to say, doing) does make experts (not perfect). for one to be successful on something, one has to spend 10,000 hours on something. often, this hours are achieved in 10 years. The Beatles, Bill Gates and elite violinists had proven this view. add in some cultural legacies and seizing every opportunity, one becomes more likely to succeed.

id jump in the trend and by 40, id begin my life. but of course, id have some random happy idleness.


id dive often and do nothing sometimes.

Free Your Mind

Difficulties are for those who are not creative while sarcasm is for those who cannot speak their mind.