Scribbles on Fire

(For my speech to inform requirement)

Have you ever been in love? Or did you fall in love? Let me tell you something, falling in love is allowing yourself to be controlled by your emotions or feelings, so it is not totally under your control. While loving is an act of the will or the choice, it means that you choose to love the person. Love is also when you have a certain responsibility for a person. That’s why we love, not fall in love, and to love—we need emotional virtue. How many relationships do you think have failed? Because of cheating, abuse, lust, and selfishness. When instead, there should be faithfulness, respect, chastity, and selflessness. In the failed relationships, maybe emotional virtue was absent or lacking? Whereas in successful ones, there was emotional virtue because of the choice of the good. Let me define emotional virtue. Emotions according to Sarah Swafford are the feelings, the desires, or the passions. On the other hand, virtue is what we do with our emotions that help us acquire freedom to be excellent or good in our lives. For example, a girl wants to go on a movie date with her boyfriend. However, the boy has a major exam the next day. Emotional virtue comes in when the girl chooses to cancel her plans in order for her boyfriend to study for the exam. Why was that an act of emotional virtue? The girl’s want for a date is based on emotions while her choice to let her boyfriend study is an act of virtue because it is for his good. She was more concerned for her boyfriend’s own good than herself. She didn’t choose to meet him for the sake of pleasing herself. As I mentioned earlier that love is when you have a responsibility for the other person. In this case, the girl succeeded to truly love her boyfriend and not let her emotions overpower her. Here are stories with emotional virtue. A friend of my cousin went travelling with her boyfriend but they chose not to sleep in the same room. We are made of flesh and bones and humans as we are, we find it hard to resist temptation. The decision to sleep in separate rooms was already emotional virtue because they didn’t think of their sexual desires as a couple because they know that they’re not yet married. Another story is about a relationship that failed to have emotional virtue. There was a guy who was already committed to a girl. But later on, he sees his ex-girlfriend and his feelings were awakened, then he gives in to his emotions because he thinks that he still has feelings for his ex. This leads to the destruction of his present relationship. Feelings never totally go away however you always have a choice on what to do with them that’s why the head is above the heart. He focused on his emotions and forgot to use his reasons, in other words, his brain. In this situation, emotional virtue was lacking in the part of the guy. The last one is my aunt’s love story. When she was still in her teenage years someone courted her. But she was only allowed by her family to have a boyfriend if she’s already 18. To cut the story short, the guy waited for two years before he got her “Yes” and now they have a family. Emotional virtue was there when her husband patiently waited because he respected her and her family. Her husband knew that it was best to wait because if he forced her to have a secret relationship, then he wouldn’t ruin their relationship only but his relationship with my aunt’s family as well. Those were just a few stories to help you understand emotional virtue and that it is possible in relationships. To sum it up, Sarah Swafford stated that emotional virtue is the right ordering of our thoughts, actions, and desires as they relate to our relationships. It is for us to have the freedom to control our emotions because if you don’t control your emotions then your emotions will control you. I’ll end up with these: You have a head and a heart for a reason; your mind has to be formed in what is true, good, and beautiful so that your heart and will can act upon it. The goal is to order one’s emotions—neither to suppress nor to let them wildly take control. Balance the head and the heart.

This man’s face mirrored mine.

His stature was of a tree to look upon

And in his smile, the brightness of the sun shined.

His eyes were the beauty of the stars

And our bond was so warm like the sun in the skies.

 As time altered and went on,

His stature became a withered tree to be feared

And his bright smile, bygone

His eyes turned into the darkness of the night skies

And our bond became frigid from cold ice.

 With much abhorrence of his refashioned self,

From the far end of the jeepney

I saw the man in the driver’s seat.

He gripped at the steering wheel,

Manipulating the movement of the vehicle

And his back against us.

 I reached my hand with a single coin.

To the passenger, two seats ahead of me

And uttered, “Please…” with a hint of sadness

The girl took it and my hand brushed hers,

Then my fare passed on.

The driver reached back with his right hand cupped

And received the fare I gave.

I raised my voice and stated my destination

But neither question nor response was given,

Not even my change.

 I sighed and breathed the air around me                                            

Tainted with the unpleasing scent of smoke.

And the memory of my fare with no change

Lingered endlessly in the air.

(a speech about my journey as a logistics head)

I’m just going to share about my experience last December. I was in charge of the venue and decorations committee for a religious Youth Camp and I had a partner to help me with.  But let me focus on the decorations only. It was the most challenging part because my partner decided to follow a huge poster that needed the talent in painting and drawing and none of us had those talents. He just said “Sus! kaya ra ni natu oi, tuo man ka” despite the busy college life and absence of the talent in drawing and painting. Luckily, we got two beautiful ladies that volunteered to help us. Two weeks before the camp, I told my partner the plans about the decorations and to text those two volunteers, so he said “ako ray bahala nila” so I counted on his words. After a few days, I asked about those two volunteers and he said “Ou, ako na sila gitexsan” so I asked “Unsa man imong gitext?” and he answered “Ana ra ko Hi nya ana rapud sila Hi unya wala nako nireply” then I really wanted to punch him in the face to let him realize the little time we had to prepare. I just took the initiative to ask for their numbers from our Camp Servant but I only got the number of the first one. I texted her “Good evening, si Elijah diay ni, partner ni Bap2x. Kanang gihatagan namo niya ug task?” and I got no reply so I just assumed that she was already asleep and that maybe she’ll text tomorrow. The next day, the Camp Servant approached me and said “huy Elijah ni text na tu ang ni volunteer ninyo? Kay nitext siya nako ganihang buntag” and I just replied “Ha? Nitext siya nimo? Nitext man ko niya pero wala jud siya nireply”. And later on I realized “Ay ou, gwapo man diay akong partner. Kahibaw nako nganung ni volunteer sila. Tsk tsk tsk. Maro pud sila dah”

Fortunately, God provided us three guys to help in the decorations and one of them knows how to draw and paint; now we had the solution for our main problem. We decided to finish all the work on a Thursday night and when my partner arrived in our apartment, I was surprised because he was still in his complete school uniform so I asked him “sigurado ka sa imong gisul-ob? Mamintal bya ta, unya mag uniform ka?” and he just said “okay rana oi, dili rani mapintalan”. So we started painting and after a few minutes, my partner was already wearing his undershirt and boxers only. An hour later, the three guys arrived. In the moment of cutting and painting, one guy interrupted “Hala! Unsa na?” and seeing the creature, I replied “Ok-ok man siguro na or basta mananap. Nganu diay? Mahadlok mog ok-ok?” then this tall and big guy answered “DILI OI”. The next minute, the bug flew and the two guys jumped and freaked out while I just stood there in confusion. I was confused of what he meant by “DILI OI” because he was already crouching by our gate. We continued painting and cutting again while laughing out load to avoid getting sleepy because it was already past midnight. After one hour, when I walked into the living room, I saw my partner already sleeping on our couch and after thirty minutes I was the next one who slept. When I woke up, it was almost four in the morning and all the work was done. Not bad for leaders of a committee, ey?  Leaders... but the first ones to sleep.

(an article for YCOM Cebu press) 

Last June 6, 2015 was KuSugbo’s YCOM Academy at OAD Tabor Hills, Talamban. YFCs from different areas of Cebu travelled and climbed to reach one of Cebu City’s most holy and religious spot to experience this faith and skill grinding activity. KuSugbo’s YCOM (Youth Communications) organized this movement to develop each of the participants’ skills based from their individual fortes for future activities that need the service of YFCs along with their talents. The activity was divided into five workshops namely; Events Management, Multimedia and Press, Music Ministry, Dance Ministry and Logistics. Each of the YFCs who participated in the activity, divided themselves according to their choice of workshop where they think their talents or skills would be of great aid.

But before they went to each of their chosen groups or workshops, all of them were convened in a hall to hear the different talks and some brief discussions that will guide each YFC on what, how and when to use their God-given talents. At the end of the first session, the YFCs were grouped according to their chosen workshop along with their mentors. Hence, YFCs were then equipped and ready to be shaped, drilled, and strengthened by each of their mentors after listening to the talks. The mentors from each workshop shared their knowledge about the workshop and gave some very helpful tips for their trainees to be prepared. Furthermore the YFCs were cultivated to be musicians, dancers, photographers, writers, production staff, stage directors and stage designers for God, with God and through God.

Moreover, the Music Ministry presented their newly written song along with the lately honed musicians and their mentor (specifically in song-writing), Kuya Bimbo Yerro.