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But Jesus wasn't interested in table etiquette, nor in helping us to avoid public humiliation! Still less is he urging a false humility in the hope that people, recognising our true worth, will give us a more prestigious place. Such a person would simply be a crafty status seeker -- far worse than someone who simply grabbed the best seat. Rather than our instinctively thinking we're the greatest, we should humbly recognise the dignity and worth of other people -- and leave the ranking to God.

The Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

Psalm 68:4-5, 6-7,10-11

Hebrews 12: 18-19, 22-24a

L uke 14:1, 7-14 One Sabbath when he went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him. (7) Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, (8) "When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; (9) and he who invited you both will come and say to you, `Give place to this man,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. (10) But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, `Friend, go up higher'; then you  will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. (11) For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (12) He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. (13) But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, (14) and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

Meditation Isidore Clarke O.P.

Who's the Greatest?

At a formal meal, seating arrangements are important. Usually the most-distinguished guests sit at the top of the table. To avoid the embarrassing situation described in today's Gospel a wise host will decide the order of precedence beforehand.

Here Jesus makes fun of those pretentious people who scrambled for the most prestigious places, only to be demoted lower on the arrival of someone of greater importance. How ridiculous would the status-seeker then appear! All would have had a good laugh -- except the butt of Christ's observation! Beware, Jesus must be getting at you and me, whenever we have an inflated idea of our own importance!

But Jesus wasn't interested in table etiquette, nor in helping us to avoid public humiliation! Still less is he urging a false humility in the hope that people, recognising our true worth, will give us a more prestigious place. Such a person would simply be a crafty status seeker -- far worse than someone who simply grabbed the best seat.

This meal, like all the others in the Gospels, anticipated the heavenly banquet. Here Jesus is telling us that we are not the ones to decide which position we deserve. Our very presence at the heavenly banquet is God's gift. None of us deserves this. He will overturn our sense of priorities and will give the highest places to those whom the worldly consider to be the least important.

The meal described in today's Gospel provides an interlude on Christ's journey to Jerusalem and the cross.That context gives special force to the folly of being status seekers.

Jesus himself came to serve, not to be served. While Adam fell through his pride leading him to strive to become equal to Almighty God, the Son of God emptied himself of the glory which was his by right. Jesus became humble and obedient, even to death on the cross. The God of glory became despised and rejected. And yet it was precisely in his lowliness that Jesus revealed his true greatness. On the cross he showed the power and generosity of his love for his heavenly Father and for us sinners. Jesus, who lowered himself to become the least, was raised to become the first in the Kingdom of Heaven .

The crucified Christ shows us where our true greatness lies. Not in the honour or status we may bestow on ourselves, but in following Jesus along the way of the cross. Like him, we are called to serve, rather than be served, to give of ourselves, rather than grab for ourselves. Sometimes that will be costly, painful and humiliating. But, with the grace of God, this will bring out the very best in us. And God will give us a place of honour at his heavenly banquet.

We Christians could easily make the mistake of thinking that this parable was directed at the Pharisees alone. If so, we should remember that the disciples were forever bickering among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. The sons of Zebedee even sought privileged positions in the Kingdom.

The full meaning of this parable is brought home forcefully in the light of the Last Supper. As Jesus and the apostles celebrated the salvation God had brought to his people in the past, Christ committed himself to saving the world through his death on the cross. While he was preparing to be brought low, his followers were striving to exalt themselves. They started arguing as to which of them was the greatest -- immediately after Jesus had celebrated the first Eucharist and had prophesied that one of them would betray him. What a dreadful, frightening irony! This should warn all who are too full of their own importance. Possibly any one of us!

Certainly we should take God very seriously. But let's be able to laugh at ourselves and our ridiculous posturing. That's far better than God and other people despising us as pretentious fools! Rather than our instinctively thinking we're the greatest, we should humbly recognise the dignity and worth of other people -- and leave the ranking to God.

Supplementary Reading

A Heavenly Nudge

{xtypo_quote} ...Behold an Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young child (Jesus) and his mother, flee to Egypt and stay there until I bring you word... -Matthew 2:13 {/xtypo_quote} 

G od well knew the heart of Harod the king. God knew that His only begotten Son would not be safe in the land that Harod ruled. God had a plan. A divine plan. A journey to the safety of a foreign land where the Christ child would be safe. A heavenly nudge into the unknown for Joseph and Mary. A journey for which they did not know what would await them. A journey of faith!

Are you willing to accept the heavenly nudge that comes your way? Are you willing to make that journey into an unknown land? Are you willing to trust God with your future? Perhaps you've lost your job. Maybe that will require retraining in a new field. It might mean a new city , or a new state, or a new country to call home. The true miracle begins when you place your hand in THE hand of the Almighty. Then watch as the King of kings and Lord of lords handcrafts a fantastic future just for you!

Be encouraged by these words from God in Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope!"

Heavenly Father, I trust You with my very life! I trust the plans You have for me - plans to prosper me and to give me a future filled with a bun dant hope! Thank You for your loving-kindness, for that is truly better than life! In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Have you ever felt a "heavenly nudge" from God? Describe it and what affect it had upon your life and/or the lives of others.

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

For past gospel meditations or to browse spiritual readings, you may visit the following:

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"Lord Jesus, you are the fulfillment of all our hopes and desires. Your Spirit brings us grace, truth, life, and freedom. Fill me with the joy of the gospel and inflame my heart with love and zeal for you and for your will".

Monday in the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Psalm 119:97-102

L uke 4:16-30 And he came to Nazareth , where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the Sabbath day. And he stood up to read; (17) and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, (18) "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, (19) to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." (20) And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. (21) And he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (22) And all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?" (23) And he said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, `Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at Caper'na-um, do here also in your own country.'" (24) And he said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. (25) But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Eli'jah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; (26) and Eli'jah was sent to none of them but only to Zar'ephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. (27) And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Eli'sha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Na'aman the Syrian." (28) When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. (29) And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. (30) But passing through the midst of them he went away.

Meditation by Don Schwager

H ow would you react if Jesus spoke this message from the pulpit of your church? It was customary for Jesus to go weekly to the synagogue to worship and on occasion to read the scriptures and comment on them to the people. His hometown folks listened with rapt attention on this occasion because they had heard about the miracles he had performed in other towns. What sign would he do in his hometown?

Jesus startled them with a seeming rebuke that no prophet or servant of God can receive honor among his own people. He then angered them when he complimented the gentiles who seemed to have shown more faith in God than the "chosen ones" of Israel. They regarded gentiles as "fuel for the fires of hell." Jesus' praise for "outsiders" caused them offence because they were blind-sighted to God's mercy and plan of redemption for all nations.

The word "gospel" literally means "good news". Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would come in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring freedom to those oppressed by sin and evil (see Isaiah 61:1-2). Jesus came to set people free from the worst tyranny possible – the tyranny of slavery to sin and the fear of death, and the destruction of both body and soul. God's power alone can save us from emptiness and poverty of spirit, from confusion and error, and from the fear of death and hopelessness. The gospel of salvation is "good news" for us today. Do you know the joy and freedom of the gospel?

"Lord Jesus, you are the fulfillment of all our hopes and desires. Your Spirit brings us grace, truth, life, and freedom. Fill me with the joy of the gospel and inflame my heart with love and zeal for you and for your will".

Supplementary Reading

Persevere!

{xtypo_quote} The Lord will work out His plans for my life - for Your loving-kindness, Lord, continues forever. -Psalm 138:8 {/xtypo_quote}

A Sunday-school class was discussing the story of Jonah. The teacher explained how the Lord punished Jonah for running away from Him by arranging for a huge fish to swallow the frightened man. For three days, Jonah cried out to the Lord praising and thanking Him from the belly of that great fish. On the third day, God ordered the fish to spit Jonah onto the beach.

In closing, the teacher asked her students, "What does this story teach us?"

One little boy quickly answered, "Well, I think the story teaches us that you can't keep a good man down!"

He was right you know! And that's why perseverance is on my list of dynamic, life-changing values. But we all have experiences at times in our life when we are really down. Perhaps there is something happening to you this week that threatens to hold you back or knock you down.

Now, confidently commit this situation to God in prayer. When Jonah had lost all hope, he turned his thoughts once more to the Lord. His reason? "For my deliverance comes from the Lord alone."

Dear Lord, what has appeared to me to be an impossible situation is fast becoming a possibility! Thank You for showing me the way out of a tough situation. Thank You for encouraging me to have the perseverance needed to accomplish in this life all that You have for me to do! Amen.

Describe a situation that threatens to hold you back or knock you down. How will using the life-changing value of perseverance help you to move ahead with possibility-thinking faith?

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

For past gospel meditations or to browse spiritual readings, you may visit the following:

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To browse more spiritual readings, please go to: http://www.webprayze.com

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

For past gospel meditations or to browse spiritual readings, you may visit the following:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=216458741502#!/home.php?sk=mynotes

http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com

http://www.webprayze.com

To browse more spiritual readings, please go to: http://www.webprayze.com

Sept. 3, 2010—Friday Meditation (Gospel-associated Changes: With Jesus Christ, Yes, We Can!)

To browse more spiritual readings, please go to: http://www.webprayze.com

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And Christ will win. He has counted the cost. He has faced our worst enemies and conquered. We must not be afraid to share his sufferings, so as to share his victory. But we need to take stock of what we must do and what it might cost. Or we shall only deserve to be mocked.

Twenty-Third Sunday of the Year

Wisdom 9:13-18

Philemon 9-10,12-17

L uke 14:25-33 Now great multitudes accompanied him; and he turned and said to them, (26) "If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. (27) Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. (28) For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? (29) Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, `This man began to build, and was not able to finish.' (31) Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? (32) And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace. (33) So, therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Meditation by Simon Francis Gaine, O.P.

Facing the Challenge

J esus has had his disagreements with learned scribes and Pharisees along the way to Jerusalem , while the unlearned crowds are still enthusiastically behind him. He speaks to them not to destroy their zeal, but to temper it with something more characteristic of his opponents. The crowds did not know what this road to Jerusalem meant for Jesus, nor did they know what following after him really means. Jesus wants to inform their zeal with a dose of learned realism, warning them that anyone who does not bear the cross and follow after him cannot be his disciple.

Jesus is in some way already bearing his cross as he makes his way to Jerusalem, and he will carry it physically on Good Friday to his place of execution. There he will defeat evil by submitting himself to the worst evil can do, and overcoming it. All that - and its consequence for those who follow - is encapsulated in his words 'Whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.'

We too are in conflict with sin, with Christ at our head, and we too may have to bear the brunt of what opposition to our faith can still do. The crowds had no idea of anything like this, supposing that Jesus was going to win a war on behalf of their race, their nation, its structures of family, blood and clan. But Jesus tells them that if they follow him, they must hate their own family. This stark way of speaking, characteristic of Jesus's language and times, tells the crowds that, when the time comes to choose, we must put God and his Christ before everything we hold dear, even the very things we expect God and Jesus to preserve.

And, finally, Jesus advises us all to think over the cost of discipleship. If the crowds were actually going to war, the only intelligent thing to do would be to assess the odds of winning before risking everything. Don't start building a tower until you know you can get it finished, or you'll only deserve mockery! A virtue of good thinking must indeed apply to the whole of our faith.

So where do we stand today? We need the zeal of the crowds and the learning of the scribes and Pharisees. We need to have thought over the challenge of discipleship in a time when it is taxing, when we more and more feel a relentless opposition towards our faith and religion, sometimes in the name of science and good thinking, attacks that are more militant, more planned, more zealous - and that sometimes seem justified.

The worst thing we can do in this situation is to lose our zeal for the Gospel of Christ. It might be tempting to carry on our religion in an unintelligent way. We could declare that you can't argue for the existence of God anyway, treat religion as something only emotional, something about our feelings separated from thinking and in a world of its own, see religion and science as so far apart that religion can be insulated and protected from science.

E ven if we could muster up enthusiasm for such a religion, it would be to maintain it without real thinking. Religion and science may be distinct, but it is false to imagine that they have always been or are necessarily in conflict. In fact, our whole scientific tradition in the West is the fruit of faith in creation, and draws so much from Christian philosophy and theology. Science and religion ultimately belong together peacefully in the same world.

So we cannot withdraw from the challenges our culture presents us with today. We cannot withdraw from thinking about faith. Others have shifted our culture against faith; it is not impossible that we too can shift the culture once again, if we are prepared to be both zealous and thoughtful. It means that we must put Christ first, be ready to suffer and to risk occasional defeats, even if we know that the truth is ultimately victorious.

And Christ will win. He has counted the cost. He has faced our worst enemies and conquered. We must not be afraid to share his sufferings, so as to share his victory. But we need to take stock of what we must do and what it might cost. Or we shall only deserve to be mocked.

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

For past gospel meditations or to browse spiritual readings, you may visit the following:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=216458741502#!/home.php?sk=mynotes

http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com

http://www.webprayze.com

Top-Ten Reasons Why Meg Whitman’s Candidacy Is a Losing Proposition

By Goliath Letterman

H ere are the top-ten reasons why Meg Whitman – despite her zillions in campaign funds – will lose the Nov. 2, 2010, election for governor of California:

10.   Meg Whitman has hired at least 999,999 political consultants, campaign staff and field operatives but like her, 99.99% of them have not voted for 28 years or more or they are registered voters of other states.

9.      Voters know that if Ms. Whitman becomes the governor, she will turn the Golden State into Goldman-Sachs country.

8.      In spite of a degree from the Harvard Business School, Meg Whitman still needs to go back to college and take up more management courses. Ask eBay executive Young Mi Kim why Ms. Whitman’s needs more schooling in anger management.

7.      Ms. Whitman knows how to turn a push into a shove, to use a cliché. But each shove as the California governor may cost the state treasury a minimum of $200,000 settlement per incident. Again, please ask Young Mi Kim for the settlement’s computation.

6.      Meg Whitman’s stint at Goldman Sachs investment bank makes her a part of the mortgage-meltdown problem and not part of the solution. People know the adage that those who have profited from the destruction (of the housing-mortgage industry, for instance) should not have a role in the reconstruction.

5.      Ms. Whitman has experience in dealing with executive pay and, therefore, she may be able to solve California’s pension-fund crisis. She can simply do what she did as director of Goldman Sachs. Like voting for big bonus packages for five top Goldman-Sachs executives, including the CEO’s 2001 bonus package of $11.5-million, more than 19 times his salary. In her two years on the executive-compensation committee, the five men were paid $79-million in bonuses – thanks to Meg Whitman’s concern for the lowly stockholders.

4.      The California governorship is not yet being sold on eBay.

3.      Meg Whitman is a New Yorker, if not a Yankee carpetbagger, who will exploit and turn California’s Main Streets into extensions of Wall Street.

2.      Meg Whitman is the ultimate “flip-flopper” of a candidate. During the primary campaign, she touted herself as a conservative. After she won the primary, she became a moderate. Now, she is trying to become more liberal than Jerry Brown. Pretty soon, Ms. Whitman will be more popish than the Pope. And . . .

1.      Meg Whitman has hired all the scriptwriters in Hollywood. She has a script prepared for any issue, as she believes in the dictums that “the less talk, the less mistake;” and “no talk, no mistake.” But voters do not like a corporate robot as their governor. # # #

By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

(© 2010 Journal Group Link International)

C HICAGO (jGLi) – Unbeknown to Filipino Kundiman singers, the natives of the Philippine deep must also be enjoying the whole time as their singing lasted during the hour-long concert.

The young Filipinos of musical minds residing in Chicago area had a reunion of sorts for the first time Sunday (Aug. 29) to get their fellow community members interested to visit, if not revisit, the Philippine Wild Reef at the Shedd Aquarium nestled on the edge of Lake Michigan at Chicago’s southeast side.

After Consul General Leo M. Herrera-Lim thanked the Filipino concert performers for showcasing their musical talents and Bryan Schuetze, vice president planning and design of the Shedd Aquarium, who welcomed both the performers and concertgoers at the Shedd Aquarium, the performers started warbling Filipino songs to the delight of aquarium visitors, mostly Filipino community members.

The aquatic Philippine natives may not be hearing the Kundimans (love songs) being performed beside them because of the extra thick glass separating them but it was obvious the Philippine fishes swimming in the dark must be enjoying the gestures and the body languages of the performers.

In fact, in some still photos taken during their performance, the Philippine fishes appeared to be crowding behind the singers.

FISHES ATTRACTED BY PERFORMERS?

P aul Aquino, a soprano, was pleasantly surprised when told by this reporter that while his fellow musicians were singing, the fishes that are natives to the Philippines behind the glass must also be enjoying the sight of their concert as aquarium visitors crowded around them.

“Siguro enjoy din ang ating mga isda,” (Maybe the fishes are also enjoying) Mr. Aquino, a native of San Nicolas, Pangasinan in the Philippines, said, “habang kami ay kumakanta at tumutogtog.” (While we were singing and playing the band.)

Aside from Mr. Aquino, a cum laude Bachelor of Music graduate from the University of the Philippines, the other performers were Isidora Miranda, also a cum laude Bachelor of Music graduate from UP who completed her Masters degree in Violin Performance and Musicology at Western Illinois University; and Daven Taba, a tenor and pianist from Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija who recorded a song as part of the album, “The Road to M.A.S.”

They were joined by Chris Zamora, guitarist for award-winning singer and Hollywood actress Lisa Zane and songwriter and performer David Pomeranz, and a member of The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP); Jay Espano, actor in theater, film and television and 50 plays for Tanghalang Pilipino, Gantimpala Theater Foundations, etc.

The other performers were Olga Natividad, Filipino actress for Tanghalang Pilipino Theater Company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and recently had a principal role for a PBS TV documentary, “From Du Sable to Obama: Chicago’s Black Metropolis;” Emily Morales, soprano, a UP alumna, who last performed on Broadway with Tony-winning South Pacific Broadway Revival at the prestigious Lincoln Center Theater; and Rica Goldyn, soprano, a graduate of master of music Vocal Performance Program at Chicago-based North Park University and a graduate of University of the Philippines’ College of Music, and has been a member of the Philippine Madrigal Singers.

INSPIRED BY APO ISLAND

T he Philippine Wild Reef at Shedd Aquarium is home to hundreds of Philippine fish species that were imported from the Philippines in 2003. Among these species are Butterfly, Angel fish, Square Block Anthies, Whitetip and Blacktip sharks, Unicorn Tangs, Stingrays and Groupers (Lapu-Lapu).

Majority of them live in the Celebes Sea of the Pacific Ocean adjacent to the Philippines and Indonesia, considered the heart of the Coral Triangle.

The Wild Reef was patterned after Apo Island, a marine protected area (MPA) off Dumaguete City in Negros Islands in the Philippines, spearheaded by a recent Chicago visitor, Dr. Angel C. Alcala, a marine biologist and herpetogist.

About 40 years ago, fish population around Apo Islands was declining due to overfishing. Subsistence fishermen used destructive methods, such as dynamite blasting and cyanide poisoning, to get enough fish for their families. These practices severely damaged Apo’s coral reefs, further depleting fish stocks. Eventually the waters surrounding the island were fished out. In 1974, Dr. Alcala (director of the marine laboratory at Silliman University in Dumaguete City) and Oslob municipality (Cebu) started a small marine sanctuary, the region's first, at uninhabited Sumilon Island (about 50 km from Apo). Dr. Alcala and some of his colleagues at Silliman University visited Apo Island in 1979 to explain how a marine sanctuary could help reverse the decline in their fishery.

When fishermen saw the marine sanctuary at Sumilon Island, teeming with fish, they started supporting the concept. At present, only three percent of the entire Philippine archipelago has MPA’s. Dr. Alcala said ideal MPA’s should cover 30 percent of the entire archipelago for Filipinos to have a sustainable fishing industry. (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net) # # #

S an Francisco, California – J-Ricz, a singer-songwriter-producer releases sophomore album entitled “Musicphiliac”. The anticipated album available on August 31, 2010, is fully written and produced by J-Ricz bringing in a new wave of vision and creativity to the music scene. All details are available at: www.jricz.com

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, J-Ricz brings fresh new R&B/pop music to his fan base locally and nationally. J-Ricz' roots are from the Bay Area's R&B male group, “Next Phaze”. As his career and music evolved, J-Ricz made his debut as a solo artist in 2008 with the album, “Genesis.” The album has been well-received also internationally, especially in the Japan market, where the album is currently distributed by Inpartmaint Inc. J-Ricz' singles “Do For You” & “Beautiful Life” have become one of the top sellers on iTunes Japan alongside artists such as Ne-Yo, Alicia Keys, & Jay Sean.

“Musicphiliac” has been highly anticipated for success and J-Ricz' newest single titled, “Go” is already receiving great remarks from fans, producers and industry professionals alike. The new album encompasses an evolution of J-Ricz' music career as first songwriter, then performer and now producer. J-Ricz' record release party featuring J-Ricz' show and a number of collaborations is slated for September in the San Francisco Bay Area.

For media inquiries contact: (650)488-8397; info@thelunaco.com

For more information on J-Ricz log on to: www.jricz.com

Christina N. Luna

c.luna@thelunaco.com

US Office: +1.650.488.8397

Twitter: christinaluna

AIM: vokaluna

By Jesse Jose

A Cup O' Kapeng Barako

I love watching beautiful women parade their wares. 

So, when the recent Miss Universe pageant came on TV, I stayed up late to watch the show. And it was worth it.  Talking about beautiful women and legs galore, sexy bodies and enchanting faces and all kinds of galore ... boy, I tell ya, I was going bananas salivating all these galore of wares that these women had.  

My favorite was Miss Brazil.  I also liked Miss Colombia and Miss Venezuela and Miss Australia.  In fact, I liked them all – all 83 of them.  I kind of like Miss Philippines, too, of course.  But Miss Venus Raj wasn't my type.  To me, she looked anorexic and too thin, with a rounded face, shaped like a hopya.

It surprised the heck out of me that she even made it to the finals and finished as Fourth Runner-Up. Siguro maganda siya sa personal, but on TV, she ain't that hot to look at.  Dear Readers, I have a strange taste on how a woman should look like. So don't take my word here, literally. My type is the she-devil type and the type who's luscious all over. A temptress in looks and a tempest in bed. 

B ut let's move on, ha? ... and talk about Miss Raj.

So, when THE question came, the final question and the answer that would decide who's going to wear the crown that night, the question for Miss Raj came from one of the randomly-selected judges, Actor William Baldwin, and the question was:     

"What is one big mistake you made in your life and what did you do to make it right?"

And, this is Miss Raj's answer: "THANK YOU so much for that question. You know what, Sir, in my 22 years of existence, I can say there is nothing MAJOR, MAJOR, I mean problem, that I have done in my life.  Because I am very confident with my family and the love that they are giving me.  So THANK YOU so much that I am here.  THANK YOU, THANK you so much."

Susmaryusep!  Say what?  Carabao English 'to, eh.

And she graduated cum laude from a private, exclusive school in the Philippines?  Diosme naman, anong klaseng eskuwelahan naman yan?  Hindi kaya Iskul Bukul sa Be Cool? 

At saka ang daming "thank you" ang sinabi.  Style yan sa ASAP, that musical show on ABS-CBN, where all the Pinoy actors and actresses would say, "maraming-maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat, dahil pinanood ninyo ang pelikula namin, lalung-lalo na kay yada, yada, maraming-maraming salamat ... at kay blah-blah-blah, maraming-maraming salamat din...."

And the use of "Sir" in her answer: Only restaurant servers and hotel clerks at mga tsimoy at tsimay lang sa atin use that word, "Sir," in answering questions.

And to say that "in my 22 years of existence ... there is nothing major, major, I mean, problem that I have done in my life."

Again, what the heck are you saying, girl? 

Q uoting the words of Diane Sawyer, ABC's prime time news anchor, "She's never made any mistakes in her life before?  Is she Miss Little Perfect?"

Come on now, Ms. Sawyer. Don't be too harsh on her. Perhaps, she didn't understand too well the question that was posed to her.   Perhaps, her English was deficient. Perhaps, she was awfully nervous that she lost her poise and composure. Kaya, nagkandabaluktok ang English. It can happen if you're NOT a native speaker of the English language, you know. It had happened to me plenty of times. Especially, when I am angry or distraught or whatever.

Or perhaps, she's more fluent with Taglish (a combination of Tagalog and English), which is really the usual way of talking in the Philippines, especially among the so-called "in-na-in" crowd.

Perhaps, what she meant to say was: "I've made a lot mistakes in my life, but the uncompromising love and support of my parents, who were always there for me no matter what, had allowed me to overcome those mistakes. I suppose I am a lucky girl to have loving parents such as them ..." 

Or, something like that, anyway. Something that makes a little bit of sense.

Or, she could have asked for an interpreter, just like what Miss Mexico did, who answered the question posed to her in her native tongue.  She won the title despite of that. With that interpreter by her side, Miss Raj could have spoken in Taglish. Or, whatever language she would be comfortable speaking. Nothing wrong in admitting that your English is not that good.

What was wrong, I think, was her deficiency in speaking the English language, and her inability to say correctly what she meant.

A lot of could haves ... Sayang, many Filipinos all over the globe have said. "Miss Hopya" or "Miss Little Perfect" or "Venus" to many, could have been the "Miss Universe" 

Sayang, indeed.  

"Miss Hopya" man o hindi, well, she won the world title of "Miss Little Perfect," thanks to Diane Sawyer. JJ    

JGL Eye

By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

(Journal Group Link International)

Maria Venus Raj’s Miss(ed) Opportunities

C HICAGO (jGLi) – My kababayan (region mate) Maria Venus Raj from the Bicol Region was an answer away from becoming the third Miss Universe from the Philippines but she just panicked big-time with her answer.

For her performance, I am adding an award to her as the “Miss Congeniality Universe” instead of just the fourth runner-up honors.

There was no doubt that many things must have been going on in her mind as she turned to face the question from actor and beauty-contest judge William Baldwin: “What is one big mistake that you’ve made in your life, and what did you do to make it right?"

And her answer: “You know what, sir? In my 22 years of existence, I can say there is nothing major, major, I mean problem that I have done in my life,” said Venus Raj with a wide smile on her face, adding that she thought it was a “great questions.”

There was no doubt that Miss Raj was under tremendous pressure of putting a brave face in the light of the tragedy that befell her best friend and mentor, 2009 Miss International semi-finalist Melody Gerbach, who died in an accident a few days before the pageant.

But for a cum laude graduate, Miss Raj was expected to do better than she did. As the Bible says, “for those much is given, much is expected” (http://bible.cc/luke/12-48.htm).

She should remember that as a contestant, she should be ready to answer “canned questions” with “canned answers” anytime.

The question posed on her was eliciting an answer that should inspire the youth, who look up to her as their role models.

NO READING OF HER MIRANDA RIGHTS, EITHER

M iss Raj should not be nervous with her answer because she was not being asked by a police or an inquest fiscal, who would arrest her if she gave a wrong opinion.

All she had to do was to remember one of her mistakes, revisit it on the spot and remember how she corrected her mistake and how she was able to avoid the same mistake.

She does not even have to mention her mistake.

By telling Mr. Baldwin “there is nothing major, major, I mean problem that I have done in my life,” she suddenly went on a denial mode that speaks volume of her insincerity and her mental dishonesty.

She should have said, “like any human being, I am not perfect. I have had my shares of mistakes. But I make sure that after I reviewed my mistakes, I make sure that I will avoid the incidents that caused my mistakes.” That is all the judges and millions of viewers needed to hear from her.

The pageant also made a genius out of my friend, former Philippine President Joseph E. Estrada, who has been criticized for delivering gibberish English. As a result, Mr. Estrada has preferred to speak in his native Tagalog although Mr. Estrada speaks good English.

But in answering his critics, Mr. Estrada said the trouble with these Filipino Anglophones (English-speaking Filipinos), “akala nila ang pag-e-English ay ang kaisang-isang paraan na makakatulong sa problema ng ating bayan.” (They thought speaking English is the only key to solve the problem of a nation.)

“JOSEPH ESTRADA” EFFECT

If you noticed during the pageant, Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete needed an English translator posed on her by Olympic gold-medal figure skater and judge Evan Lysacek to answer the question: How she felt about unsupervised Internet use among the young people.

Miss Navarrete’s answer: "I do believe that Internet is an indispensable, necessary tool for the present time," she said through an interpreter. "We must be sure to teach them the values that we learned as a family."

Without speaking English, Miss Mexico was able to deliver her message – the populist answer from a populist question and went on to win the 2010 Miss Universe.

She did not need English to win the coveted title. She only needed a lot of common sense that Mr. Estrada wanted to tell the English-loving Filipinos that is needed to solve the nation’s problem. In this case, the winning Miss Universe's question. # # #

Editor’s Note: To contact the author, please e-mail him at:  (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)

Nat King Cole singing "Dahil sa Iyo"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIXpJZzLMrU

Lettermen singing "Dahil sa Iyo"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNjbQEkTNmI

Tadao Hayashi - "Dahil sa Iyo (Instrumental)"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39YCw22cSfg 

Charmaine Clamor - "Dahil sa Iyo (Jazipino Version)"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig7JlULJzhE

The scenes of Old Manila, as remembered by former Board of Investments Gov. Ben Sanchez, are shown in this video. Governor Sanchez sent to this website views of Manila, which was then considered the "Pearl of the Orient."

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4933039399110729804&hl=en#