Majority of the Catholics today grew up in the Papacy of Karol Józef Wojtyła a.k.a. Pope John Paul II. And it is really a sight to behold- him being uplifted from the level of the Popes up to the “Blesseds”.

Every beatification (an act of making one blessed) must have a “confirmed miracle” as a premise.

The miracle of Pope John Paul II which was confirmed by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, concerns a nun who, after praying to the Italian Pope, was cured on her Parkinson’s disease.

The process of beatification is the fourth phase of canonization (an act that declares a deceased person to be a saint) which is composed of a 5- step stringent procedure:

1. The canonization process must commence only after at least five years of a man’s death.

2. The person who requested the canonization (the Diocese Bishop) has the task to perform initial investigations; he must gather all the documents and congregate witnesses to prove that the deceased has the following Christian virtues: faith, hope and charity, and the cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude.

If the analysis is favored on by the Diocese, then he (the deceased man) would be entitled “ Servant of God”

3. Afterwards, the documents shall be passed to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. If majority of the theologians agree that the man, indeed, lived up to the Christian virtues; then the documents shall be forwarded to cardinals and bishops who, too, are part of the congregate. Subsequently, if the cardinals and bishops favor the documents, then it shall be a subject of review by the Holy Father, and shall require the rest of the congregation to draft a relative decree for public information.

4. Beatification is one of the final steps of canonization; it is also a process that requires strict canonical investigation of the miracle that a man has done. A strict process is performed to avoid possible criticisms and doubts in the future.

5. In canonization, another miracle is needed which would also undergo the aforementioned steps.

If one is canonized, then he will be called a “Saint”

The Vatican has announced that Pope John Paull II will be beatified this coming May 1.

Reference:

Catholic-pages.com

photo from concordiaministries.net

I am a 21 year old guy.

I live in Asia.

I listen to Lamb of God (the band) in an hourly basis.

I have a tummy with laudable relics of cholesterol and booze.

Tell me.

What good would the “royal wedding” do to me?

Would it give me an 8-pack abdominal beauty?

Would it uplift the Philippine economy?

Would it shut the hell out of my neighbor’s mouth ala-putakti?

[Pardon the (forced) rhyming rant]

It certainly won’t.

But regrettably, I, too, am a fan of free TV.

And free TV b****slaps me in the face with unsolicited details about the aforementioned nuptial. It slaps me so hard I couldn’t resist to slap back.

***

One good thing about Prince William is, he is a Prince.

With his family’s influence and wealth, girls would literally throw themselves at him – with their big bosoms and perfume and all. Siya pa ang hinahabol. William, too, (with no malice at all) is a looker.

Moreover, being a chic-magnet is a skill any real man would desire over any given Justice League character ability. Prince William, you are the shite.

One bad thing about Prince William is, he is a Prince.

One thing about us, men, is that we have our soft side.

We may appear as rugged, excess-hair infested, most ignorant bastards on earth; but when placed beside our dear ones, we portray the most loving yellow care-bear ever to exist.

Having our soft side exposed to other people though, is a different story.

Media’s plaguing with the royal wedding details is – with its historical value – unavoidable, but pondering on the unending interviews and specials about the wedding details, their love story, their paparazzi photos and everything in between; Prince William’s temper might be boarding on the inevitable – volcanic.

The man may relentlessly smile in the presence of cameras and media people, but imagining him saying ‘the media’s a pain in the ass; I wish I could tear down their lives” is not illogical.

We try to hide our soft side, that’s a fact and the Prince of Wales, who is amidst media incursion, might be living in hell right now. And I could just wish the Prince a good, peaceful and meaningful life ahead of him.

Good thing for me’s I’m not a Prince.

I mean, I could dump my girlfriend as of press time and the rest of the world would not give a flying fart.

Oh! The joy of care-free living is not for everyone, indeed.

But not that I would, dear.

It’s getting really hot. There are so many people planning to go to the beach or a vacation somewhere. It’s enjoyable to have a trip if the things you have to carry are prepared.

Clothes, foods, money are some of essential things you have to bring. When it comes to clothes some are not just going to bring it. Some are extremely looking for latest fashion of the season. Summer is here and all of us will surely change our styles or the way we clad ourselves with our clothes, accessories and shoes. Of course the right styles that will hook up with the kind of climate we have. Though we have different styles in wearing our clothes, what’s more important is that you are comfortable in it.

For some girls, it is very common wearing shorts, sleeveless and slippers when the weather’s that hot. For boys, they enjoy wearing beach shorts, and slippers. Many of us can’t wear dark-colored outfits because it looks heavy and uneasy on the eye. Light-colored clothes are better options for summer.

It’s not only the clothes you have to think of during summer. Protecting your skin from harmful UV rays is also important. Having a lotion with high SPF in your prepared back pack is very useful and I say is a must. You can enjoy fun activities under the sun without worrying about your skin. Sunglasses are also in. It’s not only protecting our eyes from sun light but also preventing wrinkles around our beautiful eyes. Some are having this eye accessory depending on their preference – the shape, the shade, the color of the frame, etc.

Different summer get ups are exciting to see and to try. We have various ways of preferred summer wardrobe but what matters most is you are comfortable and happy wearing the pieces.

All of us always look up to someone. Someone who influences us, someone whom we try to pattern our lives on and it is almost a fact that we could never – never, ever achieve the way they lived their lives.

And musicians – I look up to them. I admire how they write their music; how they perform onstage; and how they keep an endearing life despite the uncanny rock and roll lifestyle that they have.

I may not be the greatest instrumentalist and I may have a voice of a hyperventilating chipmunk, but I do keep a playlist for each and every mood I have.

And I do know the bio’s of musicians whom affected me the most. So here is my list of music people whose lives are making me green with envy.

Flea (Bassist, Red Hot Chili Peppers)

The bassist of highly acclaimed band Red Hot Chili Peppers is always a sight to behold. Most of the time, he’d wear out-of-this world outfits like a giant lightbulb atop his head, or a skeletal cover-all or just nothing but a Bass guitar to cover his uhmm… manhood.

But really,more than his comical façade is one of the best live performers that ever lived.

Zack dela rocha (Vocalist, Rage Against the Machine)

Being a front-man for a politically charged band requires balls of steel.
And in every performance, he doesn’t fail to be hyped up.
Two of my favorite lines of his are: “They say jump, you say how high?” (Bullet In The Head) and “Anger is a gift” (Freedom).

See, I am no fan of political activism, but with catchy beats and the aforementioned energy of Zack, I might as well am.

Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Symphony X, Avenged Seven Fold)

Is the best drummer in my lifetime. But what makes him the best drummer ever does not stop within the gazillion things his feet and hands could do.

This 23-time Modern Drummer awardee still has time to care. There’s a DVD wherein he grants a wish of a sick kid to play his drumset – he even sat down with the kid and exchanged drum fills with him.

Seeing the flickering eyes of that kid really proved that a man could be more than happy in music alone. And Mike gave the kid a chance to be the happiest person in the world.

Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver)

He is theatrical. The way he moves and dances to the now immortal tunes of STP onstage is a bit odd and alluring at the same time.
He has become a symbol of care-free, f-you attitude and he also radiates a sense of exclusivity which makes his personality all the more interesting.

Fascinating, indeed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxS4lqppZ6Y

Chris Martin (Vocalist, Coldplay)

Is the husband of Gwyneth Paltrow. ‘Nuff said.

It might be bizarre to look up to rock and rollers – rugged as they are – as role models. Yes, they might look like tattoos with limbs, they may smoke mountains of cigs, and they might not be the wealthiest, most intellectual chaps on earth.

But these men who are fueled primarily by music float my termite infested boat.

Written by: Joel James Cubillas

I know that you’d agree that Momma’s cooking trumps fine dining in all meals of the day. We’d all love the cooking imperfections because we all grew with it. It has this unique flavor, only us, hapless children of our mothers could understand.

But what if, we find ourselves worlds apart from our houses and that faint smell of adobo would just be a fount of our imagination. Would you sacrifice your high earning job and tread your way back to your house? Nah… that’s impractical.

I suggest that you look for a close alternative.

See, the infamous isaw can’t be found in most places of the world, and if you could – it might cost you a fortune. And having your food shipped from country to country may not be practical as well (shipment fees and shelf life of the food may not suit your needs). So again, I suggest that you look for a food that tastes close enough to that one at home.

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A good alternative for adobo is…

Katsudon (Japan)
A katsudon (カツ丼)

This dish from Japan is simply a bowl of rice with chunks of pork atop of it and condiments that almost makes for the taste of our very own adobo especially if it’s complimented with Worcestershire sauce. You may have to pass the chopsticks out and chomp on it with a spoon and fork so the un-homey feel will be lessened.

A good alternative for dinuguan is…

Czernina (Poland and Lithuania)

This dish from Europe is a soup made up of duck blood. It, too, like our infamous dinuguan has black as its color. Czernina, in the first place, roots from the word czarny which means black.

With blood as a main ingredient, I think its taste would not be far off from our good ol’ dinuguan. But I wish you good luck in finding a puto.

A good alternative of isaw is…

Yes, the street foods of Thaliand. Need i say more?

A good substitute for sinigang is…

Thai Tom Yum Soup (Hot and Sour Soup) (Thailand)

One major characteristic of sinigang is that it is served hot and it tastes sour. Tom Yum, in Thailand, means hot and sour. And luckily, they have Thai Tom Yum soup as a dish on their relatively intricate cuisine.

People from Thailand like the Filipinos, further enjoy their respective sour soups when served with fish sauce. And luckily, I don’t have to explain further.

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See, there would be no problem if we settle for less.

And I agree with Mr. Ramon Bautista when he says that lowering your standards is key to happiness. Moreover, if you work abroad and you miss the home-made opuses of your mom; don’t miss it too much because more often than not, there’d be an alternative food to satiate our home-sick tummies.

There will be a time where we must stray away from home to love it even more. And being away from home must not necessarily mean a totally different world.

Online Reference: Wikipedia.org

Written by: Joel James Cubillas

This is the third day of the Holy Week. This is the day when Jesus foretold the deceitfulness of his disciple, Judas and St. Peter who denied him. He also gave His one commandment which is to love one another as He loves us.

He is our light that always brighten our everyday life,
Strengthen us, guiding us, healing us,
To love each other, is Loving Him so much
It’s one way of showing how we deeply praised Him

Follow His commandments,
For it will, lead you into righteous way
Always put Him inside your heart
For happiness you’ll always feel

Not only this day, but everyday
Keep a prayer; it’s one on his way
It’s our love that should always be in our heart
Come and do good things and you’ll be blessed.

Okay, okay.

Call me a killer of joy but the man could just not tickle my fancy. Kala mo kung sino.

He may have a high end Audi, and a couple of Ferrari cars alright, but seeing him making fools out of the audience and of the studio contestants makes his 50-million-peso-a-month-payslip (www.starmometer.com) makes him nothing more than a hapless tambay.

Such is the case of the poor Jan-jan.

Nobody in his proper thinking would call this primetime entertainment, noh? But more than the case of Jan-Jan, the crying-out loud + sob music = better prizes (which dates back from the Wowowee dynasty) formula is a solid act of hubris.

And you know what I mean. Seeing people share their wretched lives and cry for money, when done too often, is corny.

But don’t get me wrong though; Willing Willie has its good episodes. There are times when I did enjoy the show, and found Ms. Shalani Soledad down-right pleasing.

Her dalagang-Pilipina and sometimes candid personality makes for good TV. And her looks, too, is undeniably refreshing.

Maybe it’s a time where nobody could bring Kuya Wil (as he would like to be called) down.

Or maybe it’s just me. There are persons that we are born to hate.

And yes, after seeing the “defenders of Wilfredo Buendia Revillame’s” comments on just about everything about him on YouTube.com and on social networking sites; I told myself – maybe he is not that bad after all.

Maybe it’s just me. Or maybe I should just tune in to the nightly news.

Written by: Joel James Cubillas

One sad thing about the internet and old people is that they are not the best of friends.

Statistics say that a good number of old people are ignorant enough to even think about touching a computer.

A sad thing, it is.

A good thing though is that I have enough time to kid myself and formulate unsolicited advices on ways in convincing old people that the internet is not the work of the devil.

ERASE THE GENERATION GAP

Old people would not even sit in front of a computer because they don’t know what the heck to do.

Teach them the basics.

Start with Microsoft Office applications, perhaps.

Teach them how to click the mouse, tell them the fact that things would not deteriorate to ashes when they hit a wrong button.

Give them short tutorials on applications that could increase the efficiency in everything that they do; e.g. Microsoft Excel as a replacement for accounting/ grading sheets as a replacement for their Jurassic calculators.

INTRODUCE COMPUTER GAMING

Let them feel that fact that computers are not solely made for programmers and for those who speak techie.

Computers may also be an unending source of fun.

Trust me; the Plants Vs. Zombies game alone lured my father into countless hours of tactical thinking. Afterwards, I just saw him fast with his hand- eye coordination, and I knew right then and there – he was enjoying himself and is eager to try something new with the computer.

BRING IN THE INTERNET

Tell your old man that subscription to the internet would not cost him a fortune.

Explain the many perks of the internet include:

The daily news;

Incalculable reruns of his favorite television series; and of course

Social networking – being reunited with long-lost friends is an instance no one with a sane mind would reject.

Let him play around with the internet.

Let him Google whatever he wants to know about – from World War II events to the cheapest cars to everything in between. With your guidance, he would come to discover that everything that exists could be found on the net.

And voila!

He would find out that the computers and the internet are not rocket Science.

A journey of a thousand sites begins with a single click, so to speak.

PHOTO CREDIT: www.techvibes.com