25 Years of Life

Tomorrow I'll be celebrating my 25th birthday and I want to share this message to everyone who reads either on this blog or on the RSS feed in Facebook and GMail. I'm offline for the next two days since my community and I will be trekking to Mt. Pinatubo and staying in Don Bosco Pampanga for our year-end outing. I also can't answer greetings and messages in Facebook since it's still Lent. Facebook will have to wait for Easter. Please pass the word to others.

I have already been in a pensive mood since this morning and I'm happy that I have reached 25 years of existence and life. I feel so much blessed to have lived these 25 years in the love and care of so many friends and family. I thank God for the uncountable blessings he has showered upon me, all of them unmerited, and I am humbled by such grand display of divine generosity and lavishness.

I won't have the time or the capacity to thank everyone soon, let these short messages be an expression of my gratitude to everyone.

To God


Thank you so much for giving me a chance to exist, for giving me life, and for loving me just as I am. Thank you for wanting me and longing for me with a love that is passionate and deep, perfect and selfless. Thank you for sharing a life of love with me and an adventure that will last until eternity. Thank you for giving me my Salesian vocation, and the surprisingly great treasure of relationships that came with it. Thank you for everything. You are the greatest and the best.

To Mamsi and Papsi

Thank you for bringing me into the world. For the many sacrifices, tears, and love that cost you rearing me up. You know how much I love you with all my heart. I am sorry for all my shortcomings. For every birthday that comes to me I remember you and I'm reminded how I am eternally indebted to you. I am lucky to have you as parents, great people who have given me much and loved me the best way they can. Thank you for making  me feel I am the only treasure in the world and for believing in me. There is a long list of thanks I'm afraid I'd make a litany of them. I only hope that how I live my life would bring you honor and would make you feel I am how happy and grateful I am to be alive.

To my Relatives


I'm proud to have you as family. I have cousins who has shared my childhood, laughter, and tears with me; uncles and aunties who have pampered me with love and taught me life; lolo's and lola's whose wealth of wisdom and experience moves me onward. To them, I am thankful for sharing my life.

To my Salesian Confreres


I was happy when I finally formally joined the Salesian Society. In the congregation I have found many fathers who love me as their own son, mentors who believed in me and continues to push me on, brothers who love me as their own sibling, friends who simply are there and the my day is brighter and happier. I'm honored, and with a feeling of inadequacy and humility, to call you confreres. Thank you also to the DBFC Lawaan Community and my current DBPN Community. You are fathers and brothers who share my love of Don Bosco and my journey along the pergola of roses.

To my brothers in and out of the seminary


How could I forget my many elder brothers who helped and guided me when I entered the seminary or those I consider my younger brothers who come after me in formation? You are the very brothers that I had wished for and God did not spare me his plenty. Inside or outside the walls of the seminary, you have forever made your marks in my life. Your faces litter my photos and sprinkled my initial formation years with friendship and joy. I'd like to thank specially my best bud, Celso, my DBFC 2003 Batch, my Pre-novitiate batch, and my current batch for sticking with me. Special thanks to the biggest congregation in the world, the X-sems of Don Bosco.

To the Salesian Family and friends of Don Bosco


Thank you for the many Salesian Cooperators, FMA's, VDB's, ADMA's, Alumni and Alumnae, friends and benefactors of Don Bosco, who have strengthened my vocation and dedication. To the Amazona's of Don Bosco, to the lay mission partners: manang's and manong's who work behind the scenes. To the foreign volunteers that I met I owe the experience of enriching me with culture. There are so many of you, so many names to thank, and I wish to thank all from the bottom of my heart.

To my benefactors and spiritual help


I wish to thank those who continue to support me, materially and spiritually. I cannot name you here but I'd still like to extend to you my appreciation and love. To those who pray for me, men and women religious who I met along the way, thank you.

To friends, classmates and batchmates


A special thanks to those who lived life with me in Pasil, from my tender years until the present, you keep me rooted and human. To my classmates from kindergarten, to my Carolinian classmates who are now making their marks in society, to my Bosconians who shared the joy of high school, and to my Josenian mates, teachers, and engineers, thank you very, very, very much for filling my life with color.

To all young people I have met


My students, friends, and charges, you fill me with joy and inspire me to continue on. Thank you to the youth of Pasil, Lourdes, and Lawaan; to the Young Saints, KOA, Angels, and MYC of Lawaan; to the youth of Maghaway; to the trainees in Pasil; to the boys in Lilo-an, Maa, and Dumangas; to my catechism students in Lawaan, Tabunok, and Majada; to the Majada Youth and Palo Alto Youth; to the FOCM of CDBS. Thank  you, very, very, very, much for sharing life and joy with me. Thank you for trusting me and calling me kuya.

To my all my online friends and acquaintances


What would my online social life be without you? To all my friends and pokemates in Facebook, Multiply and  Friendster, Tweeter and GMail. Thank you so much.


It is not my wish or intention to leave out names and persons, so thank you so much everyone for being part of my life. God Bless you all.

Making a (little) Difference

I spent my whole day today with my young friends from San Isidro Labrador Chapel in Majada Out. I invited the youth group members for a swim in the college swimming pool. I expected thirty to come and eighteen came. The others couldn't make it for personal reasons.

It was a simple gathering. They brought their own food which we shared among us, from the humblest viand to the two 1.5L orange soft drink. We were after the fellowship and the fun of being together. Under the glaring sun, eighteen young people had their fill of laughter and joy, and a little bit of pool water.

Watching them under the hut (I was hiding from the noon sun), I began reflecting on what on earth I am doing. What is the meaning of bringing together some young people and giving them a good time? Is this my vision of changing the world when in my idealism I entered the seminary seven years ago? The frying heat was drying up my vigor as I watched the children splash in pure glee in the blue pool.

No, I couldn't hope to make a large difference on the world in the little things that I do for my friends. Organizing games and inserting basic human values, pep talks, and word-in-ear are minuscule compared to the bigger problems of the world. I am not a superhero, I reminded myself. But I know deep inside me, that as I watch these young people enjoying their time, oblivious to the darn noon sun, what I am doing is already making a difference, even if little. The best thing that I can do at my stage of life is to impress upon these youth that life is a gift, that there is hope, and there will always be someone who continues to love them. Not me, but God.

I Miss You, I Do

I MISS YOU, I DO

Sometimes I find myself feeling so sad as I reminisce

The days when you were here with me before

And when the days were sunny then

But the sun just has to set

And now I know

(That/As) I miss you more today

And I’m telling you someday

I will find you again

‘til then I’ll keep you

‘til then I’ll wait for you

‘til then I’ll love you

I do

You were in the days the sun was burning bright

In those days the sun shines brightly in your eyes

I miss those eyes looking at me. See me...

-o0o-

Music and Lyrics: Keith Amodia, SDB

Keyboard: Keith Amodia, SDB

Vocals: Keith Amodia, SDB

-o0o-

For long, I have wanted to compose a tribute song to Tita Brenda, a close friend during my novitiate days. Her untimely death and that of my uncle had deprived me of two people I love and care. Tita Brenda was a regular visitor and friend when I was in the novitiate. She has been battling cancer and emerged victorious. Her cancer never quelled her spirits. Now, she has become one of my heroes - a woman, mother, and friend whose inner strength conquered the bitterness of pain. My uncle Pholo saw me grow up. I have always felt special to him. Every time the bigger family gathers, he becomes my de facto guardian. I lost my angel when I transferred to Canlubang for my post novitiate. It is for this reason that despite my absence in his funeral, I compose this song for him.

In this song, I wished to convey the sadness, denial and confusion that comes along with bereavement. I started with the music and made it leap through the scale to emphasize the breadth of emotions that accompanies death. I inserted accidentals in the music and an irregular chord pattern to illustrate the confusion and irregularity of death.