Beauty and Grace Dwells in You

Break away from the errors of the past.
Nurture not the demon child of your weakness,
for it will only feed on your fears and frustrations.
It drains you dry of energy and spirit,
and leaves you in the jungle for dead.
Should you tackle a mountain or a mammoth,
step back. Don't run away.
A journey starts with one step;
a rival finishes in good tactic.
If you're facing a reflection of yourself
that's unattractive,
fall not into the illusion of the mind.
You were created in the image and likeness
of the Spirit. Beauty and grace dwells in you.

Pagbalik ng Musa

Bumalik ang Musang may kurot sa tadyang.
Nakagugulantang.
Pawang nagmula sa batis o masahian,
kinumusta ako nang may kalandian.
Ako'y napanganga; kinabog ang ganda ng haring
pinagpala ng maraming tagasuyong
nagbuhat sa iba't ibang bayan
upang hanapin ang natatanging
magpapalaya sa kanila sa kaapihan
ng pag-iisa.

Minsan nya akong dinala sa mapupulang lansangan
ng pag-aalinlangan. Nakipaglandian sa katwiran.
Nilaro ang dibdib ng kasibulan. Kinangkang
at kinamkam ang hiyas ng kahinhinan at kahinaan. Ngayon
tinutulak akong tawirin ang tulay ng panunugis,
pagbangon at pagtatagumpay. Hinahayaan akong
baybayin ang birheng kakahuyan at suyurin
ang madidilim na sulok ng kalibuga't
Sadyain ang salasalabat na landas na bihirang
sulyapan ng mga silahis ng araw.

Sinuway ko siya na parang anak sa madrasta.
Pinili kong iguhit ang mundo
sa kulay ng aking paraiso - isang bahagharing
ipinangako sa sariling hindi na muling
magbabaha ng luha o luluhod ang mga tala
kapag ang puso'y tinapon sa hangin.

Batis

Samu't saring diwata
ang nagbabatis sa gabi,
nagtatampisaw sa dilim,
ikinukubli ang kinang at pakpak,
ibinababa ang lipad sa lupa
hanggang mairaos ang magdamag.

Nakita ko sya sa batis kamakailan.
Pawang isang malakas na siga ng apoy,
pinutakte siya ng tingin, pagnanasa, at pagtatakam.
Dinumog ng mga nagpaparamdam,
walang pakialam ang adonis
sa mga di nya nais.
Isa syang bathala
na naghihintay ng kanyang kapwa.

Nais kong mag-alay ng laman.
Baka ako'y matanggihan.
Kaya't ako'y lumayo;
sa mababang-uri nakipaglaro.

Hindi lahat ng batis,
nakapanglilinis.
Hindi lahat ng bathala,
may mata ng awa.

Our Server is Hung

I understand that language is sometimes an impediment to communication, moreso to understanding. I found the expression funny not because the sender was not fluent in English, but because he meant that the main server crashed, made all processes stop, and all programs from that server appeared to users as if the sessions have just hanged.

There's more to language than meets the eye. You can laugh at how they write in English, you can mock the way they pronounce certain words or speak certain expressions, but you can never ignore the dynamics of working in a multi-cultural environment...

Especially if you're the foreigner.

Happy Are Those Who Have Been Loved All Their Life

The center of turbulence is peace.
Let not the spirit be purturbed by the harsh winds,
for love is still and unshaken.
Thunder and lightning may terrify,
but the heart is kind and uplifting.
We face the unkind and insensitive in our lives;
we should welcome the good and embrace the truth.
For nothing is greater than death...
Or even worse.

If something or someone is taken away from us,
we trade our tears to the hopes of bringing them back.
But death is an unfair businessman.
We are victims of our own illusion.
Any loss can only be settled with a will to let go
of our shortcomings,
our sins,
and our past.
For the weight of the burden is an impediment to glory
and to peace.

Our hearts seek to be forgiven,
to be accepted,
and to be loved.
Tragic are the final moments,
when the one mercy
the one hope,
and the one love
were given at the last minute.
Happy are those who have been loved all their life.