Siddhartha and the Superior

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become."

- Siddhartha Gautama

I bet you know Siddhartha Gautama, aka Buddha. Yes, he is the guy we most often refer to as the statue who brings good luck and others refer to him as a sage who introduced simple wisdom for complicated lives. Whatever the case may be, we cannot deny that Buddha is an influential person.

Way way back in the seminary, one of my superiors fondly tease me as 'the little Buddha' (imagine the Buddha statue you see in shops. Yes, the big fat guy with the pesky little kids crawling over him). I'm nowhere the size of the Chinese Buddha, but since I'm the 'healthy' one (using the word 'fat' makes me conscious and a little irritated) among my peers I was labeled as one. So there you go, I was the 'little Buddha' of the seminary. And the name of the superior who gave me the moniker: Fr. Joseph Fernandez SDB. Fr. Joe, as we fondly call him, is the oldest among our superiors. He and his two brothers, Fr. Alton and Fr. Sonny (†) are Salesians.

I first met Fr. Joe when I had my three day orientation. At first sight he looked like the stereotype old priest: slow, grumpy and would make you doze off during homily. I was very much surprised when I got to know him better when I entered the seminary. Despite being fluent in Latin and being a product of the 'old school' (I think he was ordained a couple of years before the changes of Vatican II were put in effect), he's a pretty cool guy who, much to my surprise, would do 'odd' things if only the two of you are around. One incident I would never forget was when he saw me washing my clothes and at the same time cleaning the common toilet during chores time. I was scrubbing the floor when he saw the basin full with shirts. It was during first year then, and I was a 'black sheep' during those times. I was expecting to hear a 'homily' from him. Unexpectedly he just laughed, folded his pants and started to scrub the floor with me.

Fr. Joe riding his "Joemobile"

So, what's with Siddhartha Gautama? And what's with Fr. Joe? Common thing about the two: they're both wise and inspiring.

It was very uncomfortable during my first months in the seminary. I always felt out of place. I was entirely lost because of the rigid schedule. To make things worse, I needed to wash my own clothes (which I never did when I was outside). And so I was there, a spectator who was suddenly thrown to the boxing ring. I told my self "Itchan, you won't make it through the year...no, you won't make it through six months!"

I never told anyone what was happening, but Fr. Joe sensed that I was troubled and from there the rest is history. His advice and fatherly presence always made me feel at home.

Pau, one of my companions who also left the seminary, lent me a book entitled "Fr. Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul." The book was with me for a month, but I never finished even chapter one. I could only think one reason why I failed to read the book, and that's because Fr. Joe already taught me how to do things the right way. He would always call me 'little Buddha'. Problem is, I'm not an enlightened one. One of Fr. Joe's favorite quotes is the motto of the Dominican Order which is "Contemplata Aliis Tradere" (to give to others the fruit of contemplation). And in Latin (which Fr. Joe taught us for three years), contemplate means to survey or observe.

Now that I'm in the outside world, I think it's time for me to survey and observe the things around me, to see where I am being led, to know where I should go in order to serve and be better.

Maybe that is the challenge. To be enlightened and to give light to others.

Archangel Michael and the Rugby Boys

2 days ago I was riding a jeepney on my way to work. I was so sleepy that my head kept falling sideways. My drowsiness quickly went away when two boys, around 8 to 10 years of age, hitchhiked with us. They were sniffing rugby the moment they boarded the jeep until we reached the terminal. "Ano ba 'yan, bata pa lang adik na. Tsk tsk" I told my self. 

I walked going to the bus stop and took a ride.

It's not my habit to watch movies while riding the bus, but since my iPod was dead I had no choice. The movie onboard was "Legion" starring Paul Bettany as Archangel Michael. I'm sure you've seen the movie, but if you haven't then let me give a brief background. God lost his faith in humanity, sent his angels to destroy humanity and ultimately the Archangel Michael in order the kill the 'savior' who will be born (but ended up disobeying God). It's not your usual apocalyptic movie, but it sure is a good one. 

Anyway, I was thinking about the two rugby boys while watching the movie. Yes, they are 'addicts' but it's not entirely their fault. First thing that popped into my mind why this happened to them: the parents. Yes, the parents. I wonder how these people sleep at night. They have children but doesn't seem to mind what's happening to them. I've met and personally know a lot of parents who are 'as poor as a church mouse' but managed to bring up their kids. They might not have enrolled them in exclusive schools or provided them with the latest gadgets like tablets and fancy phones, but they raised their kids to be God-fearing, decent, appreciative about the little things...altruistic even (my cousin is one. Rest in peace, ate). 

The 'archangels' who were supposed to watch over these kids failed. I hope they realize that their kids need their love and support, bond with them at home and not to tell their dad who is playing cards at the wake of a neighbor or their mom who plays bingo at the perya to go home since no one will take care of Junior. 

I went home right after my shift and sifted through my photo albums. Looking back, I was so lucky to be raised by two wonderful 'archangels' whom I fondly call mom and dad (not only them, but also my titos and titas, lolos and lolas). I wonder if I would encounter those two rugby boys again. If ever, I hope I can talk to them and give them a little something for Christmas.

RapidResolve...really?!

ACSR. Einstein. GrandSlam. LOQ.

If you're familiar with the terms I mentioned above then you are one of us, the millions of "call boys" and "call girls" who brave the streets at night and go to work while everyone else sleeps. And to be more precise, you're working for a company with the initials "CC" and you're handling troubleshooting or sales either for cable, internet or phone service. 

Since I handle internet and cable troubleshooting, I have already memorized the basic troubleshooting steps whenever a customer calls in and reports that there is something wrong with their service. Normally, troubleshooting takes 5-8 minutes if you already know what to do. But in some cases, troubleshooting is bypassed if a certain icon appears on the screen.

RapidResolve. If this icon pops up on the customer's account you can simply bypass troubleshooting and immediately schedule a technician appointment. Saves you a lot of time and most likely, this will lower down your AHT (average handling time). But take note, this happens very seldom and not all customers who call have the RapidResolve icon on their account.

When RapidResolve was introduced, it dawned on me that life should have one like it. How I wish life also has its own RapidResolve. No need for long (and sometimes hurtful) 'troubleshooting' steps to fix life's failures. But then again, that would not make your life meaningful. Let me quote JK Rowling's speech in Harvard during its commencement exercise last 2008. It's about the 'benefits of failure':

"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default. You will never truly know yourself or the strength of your relationships until both have been tested by adversity."

Where is the answer to so many questions?

I was humming 'Love is the answer' right after communion, then I saw this kid. I realized that asking questions won't guarantee me anything. Faith will.



I was simply blown away. Wala akong masabi nung nakita ko to. 

I wonder what He wants to tell me.