PARENTHESES

What makes me a proud father? Here’s one:

Watch Maia singing her version of the Cuppycake Song.

I must have missed the joys of blogging that’s why I thought of resurrecting and renovating (as usual thanks to my loving partner Bambit) my blog for the nth time.

For a while I became an absentee blogger. My blog has become a bulletin board of a school on a summer break.My bloggosphere existence had crawled down to level zero together with my page rank, and my writing fervor suddenly became insipid.

Then I realize, to blog is perhaps to be inspired again. To rebound with enthusiasm drawn from new inspirations. I think.

So here goes. Samuel Bilibit, balik-blogging.

I couldn’t go to San Juan La Union this “Undas” (All-Souls/Saints day) to visit the grave of my Dad. Instead, my wife Vikki and I went to the Masonic Cemetery at Manila North Cemetery to join the Masonic District NCR-A’s Outdoor Lodge of Remembrance last Saturday, October 25, 2008.

A Masonic Lodge of Remembrance is an annual ceremony conducted by Freemasons to pay tribute to its departed Brethren. This rite’s other name is the Lodge of Sorrow and is usually conducted indoor and tyled, meaning only Master Masons can participate and witness. But in this Grand Jurisdiction, the Lodge of Remembrance has become one of the Masonic ceremonies being opened to the public.

Officers, members and some family members from Lodges belonging to MD NCR-A came. A delegation from my Lodge, Jacques DeMolay Memorial Lodge No. 305, also came and attended the ceremony. It was a grand and solemn ceremony performed with excellent execution by the Manila Mt.-Lebanon Lodge No.1, who hosted the affair being owner of the Masonic Cemetery where the Lodge of Remembrance was held.

The Roll of the Temple Builders, Brethren of the Craft who have dropped their working tools and are now gathered in the Celestial Lodge above, were called one by one. Among those called included Brother Crisostomo P. Gaerlan, my Dad who passed away April 17 of last year.

What fitting tribute can I give my Dad this All Souls day, than that of having his name called and remembered among his mortal Brethren. His name cast into the four winds of heaven that he may be remembered among Men and Masons forever.

Until then Dad, I rejoice in the thought of knowing that we shall meet again and our spirits shall live forever when time shall be no more. Until then my Brother, until then.

(Photo Credits: Bro. Manny Gudito and VW Joji Bulawin)

Bambit and I just mounted our gallery in cyberspace.

It is an online gallery where we exhibit photos we took from different occasions, time, place, and on varied subjects and compositions. A collection of digitally captured moments of life on earth and all things therein contained, and how we wanted others to see it.

Come and visit our Gallery On Gaerlan St.

Lomography is fast becoming a trendy hobby and gaining a wide following especially among young professionals in the Philippines today. I am interested in Lomo, but since I still don’t have those Lomo cams, I’ll just settle to tweaking digital images in photoshop and get the same effect.

I tried an online tutorial from the Digital Photography School, on making a lomo-effect out of an ordinary digital photo. Here’s my attempt:

The original photo of my Maia and Me :

Here’s the image with the LOMO effect via Photoshop:

I am not an engineer or an architect, but what I observed is that, old houses seemed to be more durable than modern houses. I don’t know if it has something to do with structural designs or the materials used, or both.

The house we’re living now is a structure that was built by Bambit’s Dad in the late 1950’s. Hence some of its parts had already seen better days. But, if given close inspection, a lot of it are still in top shape. Just to have a bit of make over and for some repairs, we had renovated the house before we moved in.

The first thing we did upon moving was to fill up our ersatz tool cabinet with necessary tools for home improvement. We were able to gather at least the basic hand tools. Now we can manage to take care with some minor improvements that has to be made, or for some minor fixings. We set our sights next to power tools, like power drills, which makes other works easier, especially that the house is made of hard and sturdy materials.

We still plan to have the house undergo a major renovation and a little redesigning while retaining the house’s old feel. Because since we moved in, most of the comments we get from all our first time visitors is that, they felt relaxed. In fact, they wanted to sleep. Perhaps that is one value that an old house brings – it exudes the aura of an era where life is slow, and time stands still.

A member of our family is getting married this Friday. My younger brother Rowley, a.k.a.Bunso is marrying a colleague of his in the progressive left movement – Eva, his “Ka-relas”, or “Karelasyon” in the activist lingo. Bunso is the fourth to get married among our brood of six.

Bunso and Eva will sign their social contract as husband and wife in a civil wedding rites officiated by a Judge of a court of Law and witnessed by citizens of the Republic. We are also informed that after the official civil rites, there is another symbolic ceremony prepared by their colleagues specially for Bunso and Eva. Bambit and I helped in making their wedding invitations (sample below) and the CD collection of songs as their give away souvenir.

Para kay Bunso at Eva: Mabuhay kayo! at palaging tandaan, mula ngayon hanggang sa tagumpay ng pakikibaka, ang minamahal ay kaagapay at kasama.