Bahay

By: Gary Granada

Isang araw ako'y nadaalaw sa bahay tambakan
Labing-limang mag-anak ang doo'y nagsiksikan
Nagtitiis sa munting barung-barong na sira-sira
Habang doon sa isang mansyon halos walang nakatira

Sa init ng tabla't karton sila doo'y nakakulong
Sa lilim ng yerong kalawang at mga sirang gulong
Pinagtagpi-tagping basurang pinatungan ng bato
Hindi ko maintindihan bakit ang tawag sa ganito ay bahay

Sinulat ko ang nakita ng aking mga mata
Ang kanilang kalagayan ginawan ko ng kanta
Iginuhit, isinalarawan ang naramdaman
At isinangguni ko sa mga taong marami ang alam

Isang bantog na senador ang unang nilapitan ko
At dalubhang propesor ng malaking kolehiyo
Ang pinagpala sa mundo ang dyaryo at ang ang pulpito
Lahat sila'y nagkasundo na ang tawag sa ganito ay bahay

Maghapo't magdamag silang kakayod kakahig
Pagdakay tutukang nakaupo lang sa sahig
Sa papag na gutay-gutay pipiliting hihimlay
Di hamak na mainam pa ang pahingahan ng mga patay

Baka naman isang araw kayo doon ay maligaw
Mahipo nyo at marinig at maamoy at matanaw
Hindi ako nangungutya kayo na rin ang magpasya
Sa palagay ninyo kaya ito sa mata ng Maylikha ay bahay

Just like winning a Championship Game

Basketball...

... Considered as the most favorite sports in the world next to football. Yes I love this sport and when I was a kid I considered the basketball court as my second home. I even entered local and school leagues and though I am not a big scorer, I love fundamentals especially in defense.






I am a huge fan of our country's famous basketball league, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), and the prestigious National Basketball Association (NBA). In particulars I am an avid fan of Barangay Ginebra in the PBA, Chicago Bulls during the Jordan era, and at present of the Boston Celtics of the NBA despite their heart breaking downfall to the Lakers. And of course I am a certified addict in playing NBA on computer. Guess how many times I have won a championship in playing the season games wearing the Bulls Uniform?




My basketball addiction doesn’t end in watching games on TV nor reading the results on the news papers, I do also follow articles on the web. By reading so much about articles and comments, I even learn to analyzed game including assessment of players, coach’s strategies and the likes. Lately, upon following the 2010 NBA finals Celtics and Lakers I became very vocal about my analysis in my FB posts. I always reiterated the defensive excellence of the Celtics and how many times they crashed their opponents because of the toughness of their team defense and their excellent team game. On the other hand, I became a critic on how the high scoring abilities of Kobe Bryant of the Lakers is bound to put his team to heart breaking heart defeats if he will fail to trust his teammates like Paul Gasol, Ron Artest, Derreck Fishers and the others in the scoring category.




My forecasts came true. Boston was leading the game from the first quarter to the third until the fourth quarter defensive toughness of Lakers which brought them back to the game. Bryant wasn’t the main man (with just over 10 minutes into the fourth quarter Kobe Bryant was 5 for 21 shooting) it was Paul Gasol, and other teammates such as Fisher, and Artest who made the crucial comeback points for the team in the fourth quarter which led the Lakers’ 2010 Championship Trophy. Finally Kobe learned to pass the ball. Though I vowed to the Lakers’ impressive comeback, I will always be a huge follower of the Celtics who gave its fans one of the most epic games ever played in NBA Finals history.



Basketball is not just putting the ball to the rim. It is both physical and mental game. Physical for you have to bang bodies with your opponent to box-out, get the rebound and play defense. Mind game for it entails smart decision to make your moves to the basket or to pass the ball to your teammates who are open for the shot. It is not a one man show but rather a team game. It is always a winning attitude to trust your teammates more than to relay on your talents alone. And most importantly it is a game that needs a lot of heart and passion. These two things made a player or a team to gear to the highest level of their ability just to win a ball game. Such characteristics of a player are arguably singled out Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls.



So much of this! All the things I have written above are nonsense if I cannot be able to relate it in real life. Just like in basketball, we have to be physically healthy and mentally sound in dealing with our daily lives. We cannot work efficiently if we are sick isn’t it? And obviously we have to be smart in every decision we are to make for our own sake and for others as well. In life also we can never survive alone. We need others as they needed us to be able to be successful and happy as John Doone said "no man is an island". And most importantly we have to love and put passion in everything that we do especially with our chosen careers. It is because being as such will lead us not only to success but more so to a happy and contented life. Just like winning a Basketball Championship Game.

3 Packs of Nissin Waffers

I can always recall Jem's first day in School. Though my wife and I have hesitations to enroll her in nursery becuase she is only 3 years old, we did enrolled her nonetheless because we both saw her early interest in going to school. Just like any parents, we are much excited as our daughter is.


On her first day in school. At first she was very hesitant to participate in the classroom activities. She only observed what her teachers were discussing and intently sensing what her classmates were doing. Without her knowing it, her mother and I were peeking in the classroom's window while closely observing how she tried to adopt to her new environment. After awhile, a boy student at about her age asked the teacher to give him the stick becuase he wanted to use it in pointing the letters of the alphabet at the blackboard. Seeing that boy, my daughter started to participate and begun to shout the letter that the teacher was pointing.


Its normal to see such scernarios in a nursery class. But this is not what I want to highlight in this blog post. when the reccess break came, everyone was told by the teacher to get their snacks.
My wife gave her 3 packs of Nissin Waffers and without any hesitation she shared the two packs with the two of her girl classmates and kept the last for herself. When my wife told me about I felt proud for my daughter because at her early age generousity is like part and parcel already of her life. Its an attitude that is very automatic to her. As far as I can recall, whenever we go to a nearby store to buy something she will always ask me to buy extra pieces for her cousins. Without her knowing it she is trying to teach me what generousity is.


"Values are caught not taught" as my teacher in highschool always told us. I always believe that its foundation begins at the early age of three. As a parent I know that I have to set good examples for my child becuase she is indeed a fast learner. So I am very cautiuos in every words and expressions that would come out of my mouth.

Proud? Yes I am very proud of her. I can blountly tell you that.... and there's a lot of reasons why I should be?

The father I had never known

I was only two years old when my father and mother got separated... though I remember moments of being together with him through occasional visits, nothing of those really left which is heart warming to consider. When I was growing older I learned from the stories of my relatives that we are not his legal family but it doesn't matter to me because I am quite used of being without him in our lives.



I was 12 years old when we met again in one of my relatives house. It was my birthday and he prepared everything for our lunch. He was a great cook I can say. After that, our communication became regular, until one day I was told that he was transferred permanently to Catanduanes to work in Catanduanes State University.

After 7 years I got a call from my mother (I was a seminarian then in San Jose Nueva Ecija). He was confined in the hospital somewhere in QC due to Cirrhosis (cancer of the liver) cause by excessive drinking of alcohol... and it was a terminal case. Of course, without any hesitations I visited him.. after all he is still my father. We got time to talk... a lot of conversations about family matters..... when I saw his
condition I knew it already that he will not last for another month. Ordinarily, when you knew that your father is dying your initial reaction is to be sad and to cry, but in my case I didn't felt anything like that. As if it really doesn't matter to me at all. For he was long gone in my life ever since. I felt this way because I really don't have any attachments to him in any way. The only relationship I had with him was money matters, that's all. It is his obligation as my father any way.

A week later, after my plane touched down to NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) from our Iloilo mission, one of the brothers in my congregation approached me and broke the news that my father already passed away the other day. Without emotion I told him that I was expecting that already and I was prepared for that.

During the funeral in Catanduanes everybody were crying except me. As if his death really don't bothered me at all until everyone was gone and I was the only one left standing in front of his grave. That was the time that my tears flowed from my eyes unceasingly. I really cried out loud and I told him that I wish I had that chance to really know him better.... and I wish that I had learned to love him in return but he is gone now. If only I could turn back the hands of time.

Tomorrow is fathers day, I wish I could tell him how much I love him and thank him for bringing me to this world. To those of you who are still with their fathers, don't waste time to tell them how much you love them. Do it when you still got the chance. Make this opportunity to be a special moment for both of you.

Happy Fathers day to you dad and to all the fathers all over the world. Love you dad and thank you for everything.

RedWhiteandBlueJewells

Since it will be my very 1st post on these pages, it would be proper to start with the things that you would expect to read on this blogspot "RedWhiteandBlueJewells". Using colors on my title's name would mean a lot of things but I just wanted to focus on its subjective and collective meanings.

Red is a very significant color ‘cause it represents love and courage. In life these two play great roles for us to face whatever endeavors we are facing. While white signifies cleanliness, purity, and order. It would be meaningful to live in the sense that in whatever we do, we should have the purity of intention and that persevering patience to put our life in order. Next is blue which represents sad, down moments, struggles, problems and the likes which are definitely we cannot live without, for they are indeed part of our lives as a person. But none-the-less, all of these things can bring a lot of spices in our day to day journey.

These three colors could be sum up with the last entry which is JEWELLs, beside being the name of my lovely daughter (Jewell Mari Ariate Vargas), life could be a lot more meaningful not only during what we considered as happy moments but also even amidst of all the mess and sadness we have.

Life is too short to waste so lets find a way to make the best out of it. To God be the Glory.