Rhythm of Life

Recently I asked some youths to give up their watches while we were in the Philippines. I expected some of them to protest silently in their hearts. To my surprise, even the quiet ones spoke out loudly as if they had heard a most repelling thing and they just had to react. "What? Give up my watch? never!" As if I had asked them to surrender their last breath of air.

Why the reaction? There were 2 reasons. The 1st reason was the watch was of sentimental value... someone had given it to them or they have been using it since the last millenium and have since grown so attached to this made-in-japan thing that it would be weird not to have it on the hand.

The 2nd reason was "I need to know the time".. If you observe a young person long enough that fella is probably looking at his time (watch or hp) every 15 minutes.

The irony was: after much discussion the youths agreed that it was not important for them to have their watches and they did not need their watches but they just could not take it off. If it's not important or you don't need it, why can't you take it off?

I felt I was looking at myself as a teenager struggling with time and with my possessions. A youth is as poor as a church mouse. I can say that from experience. What a youth has to call his/her own is really almost nothing. That almost nothing is probably the watch they have on. Some youths earned their watch. Perhaps from good results or behaviour. Some, perhaps, cos they learnt to be on time! :) But for whatever the reason, many young people are given watches. Watches are often gifts. I notice adults give watches to young people as a way of telling them, "You're old enough to tell time and to keep time."

And that's what young people do.. and boy.. do they keep time.. at least for Singaporean youths. Our young people are always rushed and hurried, especially rushed and hurried to grow up. Many of them have a fully-packed program for the holidays. Many do not have programs they themselves had come up with or chosen. Many were put on leadership courses, work attachments, overseas trips, training, extra academic lessons. Even holiday trips were planned for them. They have so many plans and activities pre-programmed. There were a few without any plans, just happy-go-lucky but these youths did not seem to fit in with the others. I also suspect some just gave the impression that they have a lot on for the holidays just to be in sync with their friends.

In all our rushing and speeding through life, it's no wonder the young people find sunrise and sunset to be unfamiliar events. Strange that roosters crow and cows can run freely in open land. The full moon seems to be an oddity in the dark sky. and the stars.. oh never see stars as bright as these. Oohh... smell the air just before rain drops fall pitter patter. Waiting for water to boil, just waiting for water to boil. raining, raining, nothing to do cos it's raining. never had nothing to do. children chattering. Don't understand what they're saying. Can't answer, can't understand. Never felt isolated, never felt un-understood. What to say? just smile. never smiled for the sake of smiling ... nothing to do but smile. Rain stops, no more pitter patter, no more chatter. Across the valley, a giant rainbow appears. The valley seems to smile, the rainbow seems to be listening.

Time has passed. Time, not in seconds or minutes or if.else.then. But time in the rooster's crow, in the sunrise, in the air, the pitter patter, the chatter, the smile, the listening rainbow, the smiling valley, the boiling water, the quiet sunset. Time, not by Seiko nor Casio nor Raymond Weil, rather time by the rhythm of life.

One Meal A Day

This is BABY JANE. She's such an angel. An active happy child who loves to dance and tell stories. She comes up to me with those big puppy eyes and rattles off in Tagalog. Often she is asking "Are you leaving tomorrow?"

Beneath her cheerful and extrovered behaviour, it is hard to imagine that Baby Jane often has only 1 meal a day. And that meal is the lunch that she receives in Paaralang Pantao. Our food project will reach its 5th year come 2008. I wonder what goes through the minds of the young recipients after each lunch. Many are too young to express what they really mean. We're going to get each kid to do a survey to give their feedback on the meals. I can't wait for the response. Perhaps some will complain about the vegetables and ask for more fried chicken. :)

Just last week, a fight broke out in school. Pepito, who was not able to finish his fried chicken drumstick, ran over to Arnil and dumped his remaining chicken on Arnil's plate. An angry Arnil jumped out of his seat. Pepito was already back in his seat, 2 chairs away. Arnil yanked the hair of Pepito and dragged the smaller boy back to that fried drumstick. Arnil sat down expecting Pepito to take back his chicken. Perhaps Arnil was embarrased because there were visitors present and they had seen the leftover chicken dumped on his plate. Pepito, also embarrased that he had been too weak to fight back, then rained punches - blow after blow, on a stunned Arnil. The 2 boys were separated quickly and each was given time out to cool down. Arnil continued his lunch and even finished off the remaining of Pepito's half-eaten drumstick. This is a boy who has 8 or 9 siblings at home. Meal times are a rush and even a fight for who gets the bigger share of the meal.

Now back in Singapore I think of Baby Jane and Arnil. I wonder if they have had enough to eat today? If they have gone to bed hungry? The Christmas season is in the air. We're busy getting the home ready for the festive season. Planning our gift list, what to buy when to wrap and so on. The menu for Christmas is already in the works. In NTUC or in Sheng Siong, housewives can be heard complaining. The price of MaLing was once $1.10 and is now $2.50. Food prices have risen over the past few months. Yet in Singapore there is no shortage of food. Food is available 24 hours. An old lady once said, "In Singapore, the poor will never die of hunger."

As Advent approaches, I've decided rethink what food means to me and what the food project means to the kids in Payatas. I've never gone hungry, never known what it's like to have just one meal a day or what it's like to share a small piece of meat with 9 others. This Advent I'd like to have just one meal a day. I started 2 days ago... Today I had cup noodles for lunch and some fries... It's 1130pm... I'm hungry very hungry... But I think: like Easter, Christmas also comes with personal self-sacrifice in the season of Advent.

How do I make Christ present in the world for 2008? I don't know. I also don't know how to bring about justice and peace, freedom and hope in the world. But I know that if I have one meal a day, I will constantly be reminded that the poor exist and that Christ chose to come to the world not as a privileged king but as a poor Asian child, like Baby Jane and Arnil.

If you'd like to join me in this advent "fast", do tag here and let me know how it has been for you :)

Peace
Sherlyn

Paraiso Return to Paradise Smokey Mountain

Dear MEC-Amen,
when i 1st met u guys at UST (Univeristy of Santo Thomas) u made me cry with ur singing. Your songs were not a performance like so many other singers I've heard. But when you sang, it's just one voice, one message telling me that God's looking out for me. Now so many years later, we're all working and last Sunday we met up again u sang this time to the IJ girls and teachers.. and again you made me cry, even the girls and the teachers cried.

you chose such a powerful song to share with us. I felt I was I stepping into Payatas for the very 1st time once more. Thank you for sharing not only your voice and the song with us, but your heart as well.

I found a video of Paraiso on the web. And I invite all of you who have been to Payatas to listen to this song. Looking back, I realize now that truly this place is paradise. In Payatas, I learnt what was worth laughing about and experienced the freedom to laugh and be filled with joy. I learnt also what was worth crying for. I learnt to let go and cry, to be in sorrow. I realise only when we experience Paraiso then we can know laughter and tears. I know many of you have not been to Payatas for some time because of studies or work. But I invite you to come back to Payatas, return to Paraiso. To those of you who have always wanted to experience life on this Smokey Mountain but have just been too afraid to come to the Philippines, listen to Paraiso. :)

Return to a land called Paraiso,
a place where a dying river ends.
No birds there fly over Paraiso,
no space allows them to endure.
The smoke that screens the air,
the grass that's never there.

And if I could see a single bird, what a joy.
I try to write some words and create
a simple song to be heard
by the rest of the world.

I live in this land called Paraiso,
in a house made of cardboard floors and walls.
I learned to be free in Paraiso,
free to claim anything I see.
Matching rags for my clothes,
plastic bags for the cold.

And if empty cans were all I have, what a joy.
I never fight to take someone
else's coins and live with fear
like the rest of the boys.

Paraiso, help me make a stand.
Paraiso, take me by the hand
Paraiso, make the world understand
that if I could see a single bird, what a joy.
This tired and hungry land could expect
some truth and hope and respect
from the rest of the world.