The Light of Night

When night time falls in the world so big,
Darkness unfolds to make us sleep.
O' brilliant thou man to prolong his wake,
Lamps he made to lit his fate.

Oddity brewed and to the light he stared,
He felt the peace of the warmth it shared.
Happy was he and was enlightened with glee,
For the lamps and lamp shades that made him free.

Forever thus the world has changed,
Cities were born and came of age.
The glimmer of light from dusk it starts
As torchieres burn til night departs.

So now the world has shined so bright,
Grateful for the lamps that gave man sight.
But only HE is the true light of night,
HE that made the world and gave us life.

- Strider

Wordless Wednesday: Are We There Yet?

This entry is for the Tuesday and Wednesday edition of...

wordless wednesday

Conquering Mt. Pinatubo # 3 (Appreciating Simplicity)

After Mt. Pinatubo's erruption in 1991, there was an estimated 1000 square kilometers of prime agricultural lands that were put at risk because of the subsequent lahar flows. Every time the rainy season came, the surrounding areas of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampaga always had to face the dangerous lahar floods.

Mt. Pinatbo spued 6.83 cubic kilometer of pyroclastic flows in 1991. The erruption of hot ash was about 200 meters thick*. After 15 years, it left a vast gray desert.

The span of the lahar was enormous. During the long bumpy 4x4 jeep ride to the drop-off point, the group was drawn to an awe to see how the local folks thrived in that lahar devasted area. Seeing a horserider who was going to who knows where, the group started to wonder how would they fare if they lived in his condition. Most of them couldn't bear the thought of having no access to Direct TV to watch their favorite movies. Some said they can't stand the isolation. While others can't imagine how silent the nights would be.

For sure those local folks have their fair share of exposure to the modern world, directtv and all. Even though everyday life could ba a little tougher. Nonetheless, its definitely much simpler.

No Monday morning rush to work just to get caught in a jungle of traffic. Their blood pressures probably don't spike up that often. And most probably, they don't have that much credit card bills to pay.

A simple life that can be enjoyed with peace and tranquility. Thats a kind of thing many would agree to trade for a day or two. Yet there are a few who can live in the middle of anywhere...as long as they have a DSLR, laptop with high speed internet connection and of course, what would better complete the picture than also having directv .

Now, that's simplicity.

_________________

* sources: ILWIS

Conquering Mt. Pinatubo - #2 (Doing the Process)

On July 20, 2006 a group of highly spirited men and a lady began an early day to climb Mt. Pinatubo. They gathered at the parking area Holiday Inn Resort in Clark Field, Pampanga.

Four sturdy 4x4 jeepneys lined up, all with heavy duty wheel base and roll bars. The head driver told the group that they should be hitting the road by 6:00AM. When the group members have all checked in and after some picture taking...at exactly 6:00AM, they were off.

The road trip was long going to Capas, Tarlac. Because aside from the traffic, the jeeps were more cut for off-road travel. The maximum speed gained never passed 60KPH. It really ate up time. But there was nothing that the group could do but to endure the bumps and the wait. It was an inevitable part of the process.

The real thrill began when the jeeps ran out of roads...

Conquering Mt. Pinatubo - #1 (Facing the Challenge)

After the big eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in June of 1991, it became a famous tourist attraction for mountain climbers and nature lovers.

The feat involves a two (2) hour ride on a 4x4 jeep from Clark Field in Pampanga up to the foot of the Mt. Pinatubo via Capas, Tarlac. Then another two (2) hours of trekking up to the crater of the volcano.

Last July 2006, our team leader organized a climb to commemorate our fiscal year kick-off (Our Fiscal Year cycles from June-May). Part of the objectives were to mentally prepare our team for the challenging goal that year. Another was to build the team camaraderie, especially that time, where we had a group of visiting colleagues from Vietnam that joined us.

Big goals are truly like mountains. When you are at the bottom, it would either scare you of its enormity or challenge you to go on and conquer it's summit. It would take a great deal of courage and conviction to stay the course. The accomplishment of such goal primarily relies on the decision to go. As with the Japanese Proverb that says: "The journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step".

Luckily for our group, we all stood and faced the challenge. We decided to go. Along the way, our battle cry was forged as we shouted together....LET'S GET IT ON!

Nostalgic Moments

Together with the picture from my previous post, I stumbled upon this. A picture of Inay & Itay (Mom & Dad) when my son celebrated his 6th birthday in Tagaytay City.

47 years ago, Inay & Itay had their honeymoon in Taal Vista Lodge. We even thought of surprising them with another honeymoon treat for their anniversary. Unfortunately, Itay passed away exactly a year ago today.

We struggled over the loss, most especially Inay. It took her several months before she got back to her regular community work for our church... which was only understandable of course. Imagine, after their retirement, they have practically spent everyday together for the last 20 years. Tell me about sharing a lifetime together.

What's wonderful about their relationship was the way they have grown to know and understand each other. They can communicate without uttering a word. Still at times, they have misunderstandings...but nothing that love couldn't forgive.

Now that Itay is gone, we can only look back to those shared memories...and what's most memorable about his death anniversary is that it will always happen on my birthday. lol!