Bleaching and Tanning

A repost. As originally published on EV Mail News for the week of October 24-30, 2011.

http://www.evmailnews.com/eastern-visayas-mail-issue-of-october-24-30-2011

This is among the intriguing topics that my friends and I find too irresistible not to talk about. Anything that pertains to culture and the unique ways people do things are always very interesting to talk about. I find it stimulating to dissect different cultures, human beliefs, ways of life and man's similarities as well as our eccentricities.

Since I was a child, learning about other people's lifestyle has always been captivating for me. One of my childhood dreams was to become a sociologist or an archaeologist so I can find out more about the world's old and new civilizations. I think a genuine and noble interest in people's lives is what can help make us become better human beings. In sharing our humanity, telling our personal stories, and to be curious about each others' ways without being judgmental, can help us to grow closer with one another.

I'm going to take on the topic of bleaching and tanning today. My personal knowledge of the bleaching industry, specifically of the whitening products in the Philippines, may already be outdated due to my long absence. But more than 6 years ago, I still remember that Filipinos were fond of bleaching and whitening products. The fondness, if I remember correctly, was almost bordering on obsession.

The "power" to whiten was available everywhere --from the lowly "tawas," a crystal rock made of purified potassium alum which can be ground to powder form, up to the commercial products available in every grocery. I remember using "tawas" directly from its rock form. Probably due to increased demand, a lot of toiletry and cosmetic products started coming out in the market with the added ingredient of "tawas" in them. There were facial washes, astringents, deodorants, body lotions and body wash, all claiming to have the power to whiten. They promised visible results after only days of regular use. The famous tagline I remember from the commercials was, "It gives you a fairer skin with a pinkish glow!" What girl could resist that?

I was normally fairer than most girls in my country (that was then, I’m not too sure about now) due to my mixed heritage but still, I stacked on those products. As I look back now, I honestly can't fully attest to the whitening results the products promised. Maybe I simply don't remember or I didn't take notice of any difference in my appearance. I only hoarded on those products because they were readily available and they were very popular. Besides, everybody was using it, so why shouldn't I? Talk about societal influence! And as for the lowly "tawas," pure from the rock, I can attest to what people say it's supposed to do. I remember how it can truly lighten the skin almost naturally without any side effects.

As for the extreme, I've also heard of bleaching treatments being offered in beauty salons in the Philippines. I've never tried it on myself, and I don't know anyone personally who has tried it, so I can't speak about it fairly. All I know is that it's some kind of a chemical treatment which can lighten the skin to a much fairer complexion. On how much and how often to apply? I've no idea.

I've also heard that once you have started the treatment, you cannot let your skin be exposed to the sun or else a bad reaction will occur which can burn and ruin your skin entirely.

In contrast, our fair-skinned American counterparts are not very fond of their own "whiteness." As opposed to the "obsession" we have for bleaching in the Philippines, the Americans go to the other extreme to tan themselves in beaches, on their own porch or in tanning salons.

There are also various tanning products in the supermarkets here in America. There are the tanning sprays, tanning lotions, tanning oils, bronzing make-ups, darkening creams, and my personal favorite, the age-defying, mega-sizzler, sun-kissed skin toner. Doesn't it make you feel "pale" in comparison?

Most of my American friends tell me how much they love the dark, olive-skinned Asians and Latinas they see in this part of the world more and more these days. I do agree that the Filipino brown skin tone is so gorgeous. I tell my American friends we call it being "moreno" or "morena." I guess whatever brown skin tinge I had before has now been washed away by all the whitening products I doused on me in the past years. Oh well...

I guess the point in talking about these curious but seemingly polar practices is for me to ponder on the truth of human discontent. 

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content" -1 Timothy 6:6-8

"Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD." -1 Chronicles 16:10

"The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever." -Psalm 22:26

It's common for us to feel dissatisfied with what we have now. It's not only true with the color of our skin or the texture of our hair or the shape and color of our eyes, it may also go deeper as how and what the state of our heart is.

Envy, jealousy and covetousness are very real emotions that each of us can relate with. I believe Satan uses these as weapons against us. He whispers lies into our ears to make us believe that we ought to be better, so much better, from how God has created us, and that we deserve only the best in everything. But the real question is, what is the best in everything for us? Do we really know? Or, is what we call the "best" are those that have only been dictated by the world?

When we leave our hearts unguarded even for just a second, we become prone to the attacks of the evil one in the form of greed, dissatisfaction, discontent, unfaithfulness, disloyalty, love of money, and service to mammon. Oh how easily we forget the goodness of the Lord in our life and that the contentment in all His blessings is a great gain in itself.

As I get older, it's my prayer that God will help me to guard my heart from things that can rob me of my satisfaction in Him alone. He is more than enough for me. His grace is sufficient for me through all the days of my life. I know it's easier said than done, so help me God. But it's so much better to aim for godly contentment than to aim for anything lower than that.

"Writings On Water"

A repost. As originally published on EV Mail News for the week of October 17-23, 2011.

http://www.evmailnews.com/eastern-visayas-mail-issue-of-october-17-23-2011

This is the story behind my original blog I named "Writings on Water" or W.O.W. for short.

Water is powerful. It's one of those things that can make or break you, sustain or kill you, can be the best thing for you, or can be bad for you. This is why I love water. It's clear, colorless and odorless yet it tastes good. Our human bodies consist of 60% water while our brains are composed of 70% water.

We float in water while we were still inside our mother's womb and this is why experts say that water is like a second skin for an infant right after it is born. Have you ever heard of water birth? A lot of new mothers are getting into this form of delivery now because experts say it is the most natural way, it's less painful for both the mother and the baby, and the baby's entry into the world is less "traumatic." And even the world we live in is also covered in water --around 70% of our planet is made up of water.

And yet at the same time I also dread water. Especially those huge, bottomless bodies of water, I'm scared of them. I'm scared primarily because I'm not a strong swimmer. I know how to float and swim in shallow waters but oceans, rivers and lakes are out of my league.

And with the onslaught of the industrial and commercial world people are warned to be very careful in what kind of water to drink. We must be absolutely sure where the source is and that it's reliable and safe. Water contamination and toxicity are becoming one of the modern world's growing concerns. These days it doesn't mean that when there is water that we can just drink anytime. Although this latter part is an issue not inherent in water but it has given H2O a bad rap. See what I mean about making and breaking? Water can do that.

On these qualities of water I did dare to name my very first blog after. The writings on my blog are just my own thoughts, my opinions, my feelings and emotions, my beliefs and my upbringing (which as I've previously said is what blogs are for). I'd like to share my own story with anyone and everyone who likes to read and who are willing to listen.

I know my posts can either "make me or break me" but if I don't do what I love and I won't be brave enough to share a part of myself even to strangers, my words and my story will stay within me forever, unknown and unheard. Since it's my wish and my only good intention to share my faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is my Savior and my Lord, it is then my hope that my blog and my writings will be more of Him and about Him and less of me. Every thought I have, all that I do and say, and my life as a whole are all for His glory, I hope. So I pray that at the end of the day my story is pleasing to Him.

"...the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." -Matthew 14:24-27

To my mind it was also apt to name my blog as Writings On Water since my Savior literally walks on water and by the command of His voice, rain and storms calm down. As a Christian, my ultimate goal is to be more like Jesus every day. We are commanded to imitate Him in all our ways and "to be perfect since our Father in heaven is perfect." This may sound too lofty to even attain in the slightest sense but this is the particular reason why we need God and why we should cling on to Him always, without Him I am nothing.

And lastly, for us Pinoys when we say "to write on water" (ilista nalang muna sa tubig) means to forget everything, ultimately. Everything from other people's offenses and sins, to each of our debts and past hurts, and all the "utang na loob," Filipinos write them on water all the time. So therefore, it's my desire and hope that my blog and all my writings will be forgiven for its misgivings and assumptions, for its errors and hearsay, and for my audacity and "kapal-muks" in sharing my humanity to all. God bless us all!

What Is Your Nickname?

A repost. As originally published on EV Mail News for the week of October 10-16, 2011.

http://www.evmailnews.com/eastern-visayas-mail-issue-of-october-10-16-2011

"And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them." -Exodus 6:2-3

Names are very important. In some cultures, they believe that a person's life, his character and personality, his destiny and future, depend largely on the name given to him at birth. There are also some societies that give names that mean something to their people. No matter where our names come from or in what type of culture or society we live in, people tend to agree that names are very essential and are very dear to the heart.

As I was writing this, I googled the most "unpopular" names for babies. Not surprisingly, no parents in their right minds would call their babies Judas, Demon or Satan. I've never met or known of any parents who would be eager to name their baby as Lucifer, Hades, or even Saddam (this last part is pure speculation on my part, who knows, Saddam may be considered a "hero" by his own family and "friends?").

It doesn't really matter if these parents are godly or not but for some good reason they stay away from these types of names. We love our children too much for us to knowingly "burden" them with names that have negative and evil stigmas that come with it. I'd like to believe that all good parents won't voluntarily bind their children to a "bad name" for the rest of their lives.

We can say that we all agree that names are important but how about nicknames? Are they as important and significant to a person's life journey? Nicknames might not be as essential as our real names (for example, the agents at Customs or in any Immigration office would not bother to ask for your nicknames unless you're known to have an infamous one like "Scar Face"), and yet they are a part of our lives.

To an average person, it is normal to have a number of "pet names" which they have "acquired" throughout the course of his life. For me alone, I've had a few nicknames which I've "gone through" over the years. Some of those nicknames are not in use anymore (for obvious reasons) and some others have been forgotten already and a couple of them may somewhat be "irrelevant" to who I am now. Let me explain.

Parents and adults have the tendency to call babies with "silly," funny names. I guess it comes with the territory. When we take care of little, cute, cuddly miniature human beings, adults can't help but be silly at times. We resort to "baby talk" (the gooh gooh, gaah gaah), excessive cuddling and "panggigigil" (translated as "excessive thrill" or "overly adoration" --sorry this is the closest I can get), and giving babies weird nicknames.

So when I was a baby, some members of my family began calling me Dit-dit. To this day I've no real idea where it came from or what the nickname means. When I went to grade school until I graduated from college, my classmates just called me Mara or Mar, which is perfectly understandable since that is my name after all. When I started working, some of my close friends began calling me Mayang. I love it because I know the people who call me that are very good friends.

In Chicago, my friends at work call me Mara-pooh or Mara-sweet. They are the only people in the world who call me that. Then there is another group of friends who sometimes call me MJ, short for Mara Jean, which is really not my actual name but it sounds right and I love it. There's another friend who calls me Mara-san just for fun (and she's not Japanese in any way). I know that those who call me by these nicknames are some of my great friends. And then of course, I'm just plain Mrs. Dizon or Meldrick's mom to my son's friends and classmates, which is perfectly fine with me.

These are the nicknames I've "earned" through the years and as you can see each one of them has a story attached to it. Each nickname is "tied-up" with a particular group of people that have touched my life one way or the other. So, when somebody calls me Dit-dit (which is very unlikely now), I would know that that person comes way back since my infancy. The only people I personally know who used to call me Dit-dit are my Dad, tita Lalaine Jimenea and my late grandma Corazon (my Dad's and tita Lalaine's mom). To those who know me as Mara Marcos, I'm a hundred percent sure they are from my hometown in Tacloban City. And if I hear someone calling me Mayang here in Chicago, I would truly freak-out because the only people who call me that are hundreds of miles away from me.

These are the stories to my nicknames. You see now why I said that even "pet names" are very important in one's life? Without them, I will never be the Mara I am today, I will be incomplete. All those names are intrinsic parts of my whole being. I'm glad I got to have nicknames which mean something, not only to me but to the people I care about.

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." -Romans 8:15

"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." -Galatians 4:6-7

I'm also very happy to learn from God's Word that since I am His child and because He is my Father, He has made me to know His "nickname" and I can call It out anytime I need Him. Abba in the Aramaic language means father. But it does not just simply mean father, it is an address of esteem and is used with deep affection. It's a non-formal way of calling a father with personal intimacy. It can be loosely translated as like calling your earthly father as Itay, Tatay, Daddy, Papa or Dada.

With this endearing term, God has given His children a much more open and a personal access to Him as the same way as to call Him 'Tay or Dy. God wants a closer, meaningful relationship with us that's why even if He is the Almighty, Holy God, Creator of heaven and earth, the King of kings and the Great I AM, He still wants us to call Him Abba, Father. What an amazing grace! This is nothing I deserved at all. I thank God I can call Him Tatay and also for He knows not just my name but all my nicknames too!

A "Night of Hope" in Chicago with Televangelist Joel Osteen

A repost. As originally published on EV Mail News for the week of September 26-October 2, 2011.
http://www.evmailnews.com/eastern-visayas-mail-issue-of-sept-26-oct-2-2011


It was a night of "firsts" for us. For one, we've never been to a huge gathering of Christians before. Second, we've never been to one of the most famous and biggest stadiums in Chicago, the U.S. Cellular Field. It's the "home" of one of Chicago's two baseball teams, the Chicago White Sox. And third, we've never seen "televangelist" Joel Osteen in person.

It was one of the gatherings for his "Night of Hope" tour in America. According to him in his many interviews, a big part of his ministry is to motivate people and to "bring them up." There's just too much "negativity" going around in the world which brings people down but with too little or no encouragement. So it's his hope to motivate and bring people up for a change, he says.

It was a Saturday evening, August 6, and the weather was exceptionally gorgeous that day which lasted all throughout the night. I checked the weather report, it was 77 degrees Fahrenheit, a perfect temperature in Chicago's standards. There was the cool summer air, not a cloud in the sky, not a drop of rain, and when the "concert" began at 7pm, the sun was still out just enough to give some light for us to enjoy the entire surroundings and the beautiful skies. We were in a group with the family of one of my friends from work. It's always fun to hangout with friends outside of the office.

© Copyright, MMD Images, 2011

© Copyright, MMD Images, 2011

© Copyright, MMD Images, 2011

An estimated 25,000 people or more attended the gathering in Chicago. It was particularly a special blessing for me since as I've said I've never been to a huge gathering of believers all in one place before. The U.S. Cellular Field was teeming with people but it was not a scary kind of crowd. Each person has an assigned seat per ticket and there was no bad view anywhere around. Although we can't clearly see the people who were on stage which was set-up in the middle of the field but we can watch them on the big screen TV set right up in front of the crowd from where the concert was being shown live the whole night.

© Copyright, MMD Images, 2011

© Copyright, MMD Images, 2011

© Copyright, MMD Images, 2011

A choir of around 50 people (I'm just guessing because I really didn't count) was on one of the stages in the middle of the field and oh how they can deliver songs of praise! That's how it all began, the cue came from the choir who sang a couple of songs before Joel Osteen came up to the stage and began preaching.

As everyone who knows of him, Joel Osteen is a very good motivational speaker. He is known to draw crowds with his preaching and motivational talks. His home church in Texas boasts of at least 20,000 members. This number does not include those who come by to visit every Sunday. He speaks of his life experiences, and about his family and friends, that tell of the power of God to heal, to restore and on how God moves mightily in people's lives. He talks about how God can make all our dreams come true and how we need to "weed out" the people who bring us down. I also noticed he didn't even have notes that night while he was preaching.

To be fair with my reporting, I also have to mention that there were small crowds of people outside the stadium who were there to protest against Joel Osteen and his ministry. Sadly, some of them are Christians themselves which really doesn't help to promote the cause of Christ with all their protesting. This sort of brought our mood down a little bit. I was thinking that if we Christians can't seem to agree among ourselves, how much more can the "lost" possibly see the truth themselves? This is one of the sad issues we Christians talk about all the time but can't seem to overcome.

There are also some criticism against Joel Osteen that claims that he rarely quotes the Bible when he talks or preaches. This particular critique I've personally witnessed firsthand at the meeting that night and it kind of bothered me, I have to admit. Maybe this is why he has a lot of detractors and critics against his ministry? But I also have to make it clear on here that it's not for me to criticize and it's not my place to "correct" anybody. I'm just reporting what I've witnessed and also to share our family's experience at the concert.

The "service" went on until 11pm and people still didn't want to leave the place. Aside from the praise and worship songs from the choir and the worship leaders, there were several testimonies and life stories from Joel's family --his wife Victoria, his mom Cindy, his brother Paul-- as well as testimonies from his friends. There were also pastors and preachers from different churches in the Chicago land area who came out and got together that night to pray for and claim God's blessings for the city of Chicago.

There were stories of how great God is and how He only wants the best for all of us. It was all about positive talk, more encouragements and motivations, inspirational preaching and how to leave "the past in the past." The concert was aptly called a "Night of Hope," for Chicago and America as a whole, is so in need of the hope that only God can give.

© Copyright, MMD Images, 2011

The gathering ended without any mishap. We went ahead from the thousands of people who were still in the arena but the streets outside were already crowded with people who were walking to their cars, some were heading down to the train station to get a ride, and cars were slowly streaming out of the parking lots. The protesters already went home for the night. It was such a fun night that came with lots of hope and blessings for our family to bring home with.