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iLove: Looks a lot like Christmas

janizjardiolinlo — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 08:49:42 PHT

I've been tweeting about it; how much I'm not into the whole Christmas thing this year. I just wish it could go away or that I can press skip in a remote and proceed to the next episode. I wanted so badly for that. Or I could sleep in through the whole holiday season and wake up when all the spirit of Christmas is gone. I wanted to extradite myself somewhere so I won't screw up someone else's Christmas. I'm not always like this, I used to get excited about Christmas. I guess not this year. But for the sake of my daughter, I'll try to pull this one off. Although just the thought of it makes me want to puke.

Kiara:I love Christmas mom. Everybody seems to be nice, the lights are "ahmazing", the city's all lit up.

Janiz: Yeah yeah. They're consuming too much electricity.

Kiara: *dagger stare* Mom! That's not the point.

Janiz: I know, sorry baby. I don't want to ruin your Christmas.

Kiara: So we'll do "Simbang Gabi" again this year?

Janiz: Yeah, that's the only thing I wanted to do this Christmas.

Kiara: Oh mom, why so down?

Janiz: I don't know. Christmas is not my thing this year.

Kiara:It's ok, at least you're still looking forward to the dawn masses. I guess that's what's important you know, not the gifts, not the lights.

Janiz: Did I tell you how brainiac and brilliant you are?

Kiara: Yeah, more than a million times.

iLove: Parking scene

janizjardiolinlo — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:40:39 PHT

I'll just have to reiterate: my daughter is not afraid to make fun of herself. She may seem all girly but she's a certified goofball. While my brothers are mega-supportive to my 9-year old crazy ideas.

Jerard: Goofy? Hell yeah, we know how to do goofy.

Jason: Come on, let's bring the word goofy to the next level!

Kiara: Hmm...I like that!

And this is what they came up with:

Janiz:Hmm...not quite but I could give it a thought.

So Kiara did stunts and fight scenes with my brother instead.

Hmm...that you be a lame excuse for a fight scene don't you think?

Jerard: Lame? Who do you call lame? How about this for lame!

(Gave punch that could throw you a few meters away like a action hero.)

Jerard:What do you think about that?

Janiz: I'd probably have to say "cool", not awesome, just "cool."

Now, my daughter transforms into a gangsta. And manages to rap and do what hiphop's do.

Before heading home, she pees in public.

Kiara: Peace brotha!

iLove: One of those Saturdays

janizjardiolinlo — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:34:43 PHT

Saturdays are usually spent with family. Kiara and I go to mass while my brothers "try" to be there too.

Kiara: Where's Ahia and Dihia?

Janiz: Around there somewhere.

Kiara: Aren't they going to hear mass?

Janiz: Baby, the perfect question is, do they ever go to mass?

Kiara: Oh.

When the mass ended, Kiara was more than happy to see them. That's why she transformed into a goofball all of a sudden.

*sigh* What would I do if you grow up Kiar? I will have a mental breakdown. Or...I should start making my own time travelling machine so I can go back to whatever part of the past I want. *sigh* I love how my daughter isn't afraid to make fun of herself -- maybe not to everybody though.

Even my brothers levels up to my daughter's wackiness. Kiara, you're so contagious!

iSpeak: Praying for the world today.

janizjardiolinlo — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:57:56 PHT

I know I'm way too late to still be blogging about this but this Saturday may have been the worst experience to date for most of the people in Metro Manila. I'm just so grateful that me and my family was spared from what had happened. Though I've experienced it last year when we were in Iloilo. Having to see half of everything you own submerged in waist-high water -- and not just any water, chocolate-brown water. I've seen most of our people hanging on to trees just so they wouldn't be caught in the rushing current. I may not have been a flood victim of Ondoy, me and my family had been a victim of typhoon Frank. It's just creeping me out that after over a year that it happened to Iloilo, it then again happened to where I'm at -- Manila.

Every Sunday, without fail, I'd tell my daughter,

Janiz: You know what honey? In most parts of the world, Churches are empty.

Kiara: What do you mean "empty"?

Janiz: In most parts of the world, people just stop going to Churches.

Kiara: You mean, people in those places stopped believing and stopped praying?

Janiz: That, I'm not at all sure of. It's not quantifiable that when they stopped going to Church, that their faith and prayer also stopped. But now that you asked of it, it makes me wonder.

Kiara: Oh. So why did they stop going to Church?

Janiz: People just became too busy, some work on Sundays. Or others take their day off on Sundays so they'd rather spend it home resting. Whatever their reasons are, it doesn't mean that they stopped believing.

Kiara: So every Sunday they don't go to Church, they're adding up to their sins.

Janiz: *smile* The context of sins nowadays are changing.

Kiara: No it's not. A sin is still a sin. Black is still black mom, even if you color it with blue or green, it's still black.

Janiz:*smiling* You're right baby, it doesn't mean that when everyone is doing it, makes it right and acceptable.

I waved my white flag, how can you argue with someone uncorrupted when it comes to faith? The innocence of youth, it keeps me grounded.

By the end of the mass, my witty little daughter asked,

Kiara: So what would happen to the Churches when there's no people praying?

Janiz: In Europe, it becomes sort of like a museum. While in the US, a priest once said that maybe this year, they're closing down roughly a hundred Churches.

Kiara: That much? A hundred?

Janiz: Yes baby. But look at the Philippines, the Catholic Church alone, regardless of the other religions -- we have anticipated Saturday mass, and an estimate of six masses on Sundays. Yet, the Churches remain full.

Kiara: Yeah mom, I've noticed. I just thought it was like this in other places as well.

Case in point, we Filipinos are deeply rooted in our faith. But how can a country such as ours be so religious and yet have one of the most corrupt government at the same time? My greatest disbelief comes when I begin to put it in that light. It's like saying, evil could really over-power good.

But when disasters like these come our way, that's the time that people will actually start to care. That's the time when people in power start to go out of their way to lend a hand and do the extra mile. A time when they start to care to the people outside of their family and themselves.

All I want to say is this, it is by far one of the most withstanding reality, that these people have long needed any possible help. Way before they were flood victims, they were already a victim of poverty, a result of the endless corruption that the people in power, and supposedly in public service would have done, a long long time ago. It's just sad, that we needed mother nature or any force for that matter, destroy us, to become a whole. And for these people to wake up, and see where they have brought our nation so far.

With that said, I rest my lifelong disbelief for a nation so God-fearing in the first place but still remains in the third world. God is not failing us, it's the people we put in power.