This series seems to be best than the previous series of Harry Potter. The different characters this time are more serious with their roles; there is clarity of what is “dark” in the movie itself; well-defined and at least, dedicated to the inter-relationship of Harry, Hermione and Ron,  and of course, the Half-Blood Prince himself as a character depicted by the title itself. This, in fact I am intrigued and maybe watch the earlier Harry Potter movies so that I can relate with and follow the plots easily. How about Draco Malfoy? As he grow older, he tends to become full of “dark” emotions. I can still remember Draco as a bully, with authority over other wizards of Hogwarts.

Before the movie was finally shown last night, it was announced by one of the Warner Brothers that the next series Book Seven of Harry Potter will be in two parts and will be shown this coming November and July of next year.

I just remember some names of the characters just like Hermione. How can I forget that name? I courted my officemate thrice when I was still a teen-ager. Hermione put me down thrice! I have no more contact with her since I entered the Religious life; good for her, lol!

And the thrilling experience I had? The IMAX 3D! At least the 30 minutes of the movie was shown in 3D. It was awesome added to its fantastic cinematographyy and visual effects!

After searching blogs on the net about the movie premiere at IMAX SM Mall of Asia last night, I just found out that there were bloggers like me inside the theater. I’m sure, I saw some of them in “disguise,”  teacher Ria and Cat (Thanks to blogger Christopher, I was able to identify the two from the pictures you provided at your blog).

©2009 The Itinerant's Path. All Rights Reserved. Want to see the images? Please visit www.vinceleste.com/blog for more of this.

Participating with the other junior religious men and women is another good thing of being assigned here in Marikina. It’s an opportunity to be one of them (For the second time) as a temporary profess brother. Two years ago, I can still recall how we continued the legacy of those who came beofre us in responding to the challenges of times to the young generation of religious men and women.

The Juniors-Seminarians Forum (JSF) just started celebrating its 25^th year of existence with a General Assembly last Sunday, July 5, held at St. Joseph College at E. Rodriguez in Quezon City. Together with Br. Joie; one of our Scholastics from Marist Asia-Pacific Center (MAPAC) attended the said activity. It was attended by young brothers and sisters coming from different congregations here in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. It’s good to know also that a core group of officers coming from outside Manila was created, means the JSF is now expanding as it reaches 25 years of existence. JSF started during the time when Philippines needed change, when Filipinos fought for freedom from dictatorship of Marcos, and that fight for injustice was responded with eagerness by the young religous that time. Since time flew fast and changes took place in different ways nowadays, JSF continues responding to its call of existence. Whew!

Visiting the Blue Mosque in Taguig was one of my memorable experiences being pasee tat camdrt of the JSF. I became part of the core group of officers as a treasurer in 2006 and ended for the next treasurer in 2007 at the Formation House of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA) in Quezon City. Recall, recall, recall..

The JSF was blessed enough to be with Bishop Socrates Villegas, DD. He generously shared his time with us. It was my first time to see him in person; so I did ask for a blessing from him which he also granted. Astig!

The Call. Bishop Soc asked first the assembly, “Which shape would you describe yourself?” From square, triangle, circle and hexagon, I chose triangle. It was amusing. Somehow he said that triangle people belong to the traditional people, lol! He challenged everybody with the question, “Who are these religious people we need today?” the K-A-L-M, acronym for Kenosis, Alleluia, Learning and Mission are the characteristics of religious men and women we need today according to him. We need to respond to the call following Christ, but also to die with him. We need to live our call with joy; the christian song “Alleluia.” We also need to learn, and not stop learning. We are missionaries, thus the Church’s nature.

That was a good experience to remember again. It calls me again to go back to the basic, I mean, to be rooted again on my commitment as a religious. Inspired and energized to move onward to the call. Difficult but I’m trying harder to be faithful this time… God, bless me.

Image credit: Caricature above is the recent work of my student in Religion, John Vladimir Manalo of St. Bartholomew Class who happens to be a young actor.

©2009 The Itinerant's Path. All Rights Reserved. Want to see the images? Please visit www.vinceleste.com/blog for more of this.

My roommate noticed by sleeping problem, then another person noticed it also (I don’t have my own room yet, still sleeping on the floor in the computer room). I was gnashing my teeth! At first, I wasn’t alarmed about it. Maybe it was just a rare experience for me while I was asleep. Yet I was alarmed after I received another comment. I looked for reasons and asked my self about the causes of my restlessness. And I tried looking back… these may help me find the answers… I was stressed.

I was supposed to join the Apostolic Formative Apostolate with Br. Ace at Asilo in UN Avenue but I gave it up for our community meeting. Missing the kids is not really the point but to continue what I have started in that place. Being with them made me feel closer to those who are in need. I find solace with God in that place aside from just like those kids also, stress-free, though becoming more reflective about the realities of suffering and looking for meaning in life as orphans of the Asilo. It was great to be with them.

Spiritual direction with my former Spiritual Director was postponed. The community was away for an overnight recollection at Caleruega in Nasugbu, Batangas. It was a community life plan planning. All the members of the community were there for the purpose. Since I missed the spiritual direction, my longing for it becomes intense. I  appreciate and value these processes after I went through two-weeks of intensive training on Spiritual Direction and Retreat-giving in Cebu. I hope that sooner or later, I will be able to attend to my spiritual needs. Oh, thanks to Br. Roy for being around and being generous to me, listening to my experiences. It wasn’t enough though; he’s not my spiritual director but that was fine anyway. I’m looking forward for another Brother to accompany me. I’m just hesitant reminding him of our schedules. He’s from another community.

By the way, I meet my first spiritual director unexpectedly. I was just taking an afternoon bicycle ride around the village outside the Marist school when I passed by his house. He received me hospitably and I was quite happy to see him. I told him that what happened few years ago affected me much since he was the vocation director when I entered religious life. I just realized that once-a-month meeting with him was indeed a spiritual direction for I was able to find God in my daily experiences before I decided to become an aspirant. I was hurt also. Nobody noticed it but now, everybody moves on. I believe in second chance.

Although one of my brothers said that I can’t expect all the brothers to accompany as part of the community. I was pretty sad about that statement; as if he doesn’t need anybody. Well, everybody gets tired, frustrated and stressed in life. I accept that reality but how to cope with those is another challenging moments.

At the faculty room, I wrote “NO TO CON-ASS’” in a small piece of paper and displayed it on my table and it is also related to my other blog entry. I struggled a lot at first while staying inside the room. I am still adjusting to my new environment even at the moment. With the status quo, I seem to be rebellious and resistant with the present practices. I find a lot of discrepancy, power-struggle and inconsistencies. Or the worst, I am the one having discrepancy, power struggles and inconsistencies at the moment. Whatever are those. I just feel bored maybe, I just feel imbalanced.

Talking about balance, I’ve been watching “Avatar, the last airbender” lately. I enjoy the cartoon a lot but I can relate with it everytime I ask myself how is my prayer life at the moment. Everything must be balanced; community, apostolate and prayer life.

©2009 The Itinerant's Path. All Rights Reserved. Want to see the images? Please visit www.vinceleste.com/blog for more of this.

Let me enumerate… First thing since I wrote the entry about Mellisa Roxas was the Con-Ass… It’s really a pain in the ass listening to most of the people in the government; jukebox! Wait, I can still remember how Mayor Miguel welcomed President Macapagal-Arroyo in Koronadal City. What came into my mind? She was there to avoid the rallies here in Metro Manila during the Independence Day. Kaya nga nasa Koronadal City sya. If she was here, malamang di lang ulan ang kanyang napala kundi batikos ng mamamayang galit sa kanya. That’s our present country’s situation; as I see it. Before anything else, let me be…

Back to school, making my world smaller… I was hesitant accepting my advisory. Is it really my advisory? No, we have two advisers for the newly opened first year section, the St. Bartholomew Class. Sir Jeff is the official adviser, I’m just the assistant since I voluntered to help him with this. One of our students in that class will help us looking for class muse this coming MSAL (MSAL wahtever; di ko pa alam what is that). He’s a TV personality anyway, kaya no problem. Maybe deep inside I’m happy for this class or maybe I just miss my last year’s advisory. Babawi ako this year; will face the new school year hoping that I learned from my last year’s first time of teaching.

Ah! I felt dismayed to some people here at the school, an administrator who happens to claim that we are under his office. The organizational doesn’t say like that. Kaya relax lang pare, don’t dictate us of what you want. The successes of our activities at Religion Department don’t just belong to you. Di ka naman taga-Religion Department eh.

As Bloggers would say, “When you have nothing to blog, blog about nothingness…” Lol! I wrote something like this before, I’m sure. Parang bangag ang aking entry this time but it’s just to give me a break from what keeping me busy at the moment. But what is important? Maybe God is telling me again to slow down. We are still on the first week and there will be a lot of things to happen, many new experiences to ponder and will still keep me grounded.

P.S. Thanks to the one who sent me a message (SMS), “It’s amazing to realize that living in simplicity gives true contentment. We go as we come to this world and in the end, nothing is ours to keep…” Whew! Heavy! And that kept me grounded since Wednesday… I forwarded the message to Brother Ted and I was happy with his reply, “How are things with you?” Bro, I miss our accompaniments! Thanks a lot for journeying with me. I was surprised with what I learned from you that Bishop dela Cruz of Diocese of Kidapawan read my blog, LOL! He even mentioned about it during his Jubilee homily; wow! I hope nothing in my reflections contradicts to our Church’s teachings! LoL!

©2009 The Itinerant's Path. All Rights Reserved. Want to see the images? Please visit www.vinceleste.com/blog for more of this.

I can say it is shocking for me because I’ve been into an experience almost the same with what Melissa Roxas experienced in the hands of her abductors. Quoting the newspaper, “She was handcuffed, locked in a room, beaten and suffocated with a plastic bag for six days,” She was reported missing on May 19 and returned home on May 25 in La Paz, Tarlac. She was abducted by 15 armed men in civilian cloths wearing bonnets. I almost lost my temper again as I recall my own experience when I was in Gen. Nakar new years ago. I was one of those sent for exposure-immersion; to live with the people in poverty and in their usual daily activities.

Although I didn’t experience the same fate of being handcuffed and locked in or beaten, it was still a traumatic moments for me to be detained by the drunk military officers in uniform. It was not only me but also another Filipino and Indian religious brothers. I can still recall how they wanted to bring me at the back of an elementary school where there was a construction being done. I just came from fishing together with my house-parent when two armed cafgus came in to the house, went directly to the small room I was occupying and told me to get up and follow them. There I saw my other brother, anxious and quiet as if he was also silenced by this new unforgetable experience. Without saying goodbye to my house-parent, I just followed while starting to wonder where are they going to bring us.

One thing that saved me at that moment was being calm and truthful to my answers to the questions being asked. The drunk military officer started to curse and ask unfamiliar  questions like, “Na-mapping n’yo na ba ang area!” What are you doing here, are you seminarians?” You are just front of the leftests.” I got his message. He was already starting to interrogate us by giving us glass full of Tanduay Rhum and ask with another series of questions, then repeat the same questions again. I kept my reasoning consistent and honest. It was a terrible experience when I started to be anxious of “what if” statements. What if they brought us to their camp and will never come back alive? What if they started beating us to death just to admit that we are leftests? And now, waht if they also asked me, “Are you ready to die?” I was maybe ready to die, but cannot accept the way I would die; to die in injustice. From that time one, I understood what these poor people of Gen. Nakar in Quezon province were trying to tell me about the people in power. Sorry but I can’t tell you his name and rank; I want to forget it and not to remember him and his comrades again. And so on and so forth…. Whew!

This Filipino-American Melissa Roxas experienced the cruelty of the armed people who got and interrogated her, whose right is clearly violated. Of course, the military would not admit whatever the allegations that she said in her affidavit. Whoever her interrogators, they did something that ruins our country’s degrading reputation. With all the political killings and murder of many journalists and activists in the country that are not yet given justice, it seems that our country has lost its moral dignity. I’m not really saying that it is due to poor governance, but our leaders must have done something to at least, keep our faith to our government’s effort. How could I trust the people whom I believe, the protectors of our people? How could I believe to our present government when it is full of filthy issues , alleged human right violations and traditional politicians (Con-ass, again!) It’s really a shame!

Indeed, “the God I know does not condone torture and violence;” quoting the words of Melissa Roxas. I, too, believe that.

What made me write this short reflection-opinion? I almost experienced the same fate of Melissa Roxas and I symphatize with her.

©2009 The Itinerant's Path. All Rights Reserved. Want to see the images? Please visit www.vinceleste.com/blog for more of this.

©2009 The Itinerant's Path. All Rights Reserved. Want to see the images? Please visit www.vinceleste.com/blog for more of this.