Schönet Wochenende wünsch ick euch allen!

Euer Prinz Schlobi

OK...so our passage this week will be Mark 14:12-26.

As we read this passage, we can see the unifying theme to these verses.  What is it?  What is happening all through this section?

If you were to take this section, and break it into chunks, you would have v12-16, v17-21 and v 22-26.  It's interesting that each of these vignettes tell a different sub-story, yet all together, they describe the whole event.

In v12-16, Jesus sends His disciples to get a room prepared for them all to celebrate the Passover.  Mark spends a lot of time on this detail.  One thing that interests me is that they waited so long to get this room.  Jerusalem is swollen with pilgrims from all over the country...it's like spring break on the beach.  I wonder how easy it is to come down to the beach the night before spring break starts and just get a room?  As we read this...what is this sub-story telling us?  How do we apply what we learn from this story to our own lives?

In v17-21 Jesus breaks the news that not all of the disciples are who they seem to be.  There is a traitor in their midst.  It's a dire warning, and certainly not what the disciples were expecting for diner conversation.  What is their reaction to this news?  How do they feel, what do they say?  How do we apply this to our own lives?

Finally, in v 22-26 Jesus takes the Passover meal in a whole new direction.  Jesus took portions of the meal and applied them symbolically to Himself, and the events that were about to unfold.  In v24-25, there is a word that gets repeated.  What word is it?  What does it tell us about the effect of Jesus' death on us?  What is the lesson we learn from the Lord's Table?

Stuff to think about.  Have a great week, see yer' Sundee!

You know what I failed to do this week?  I forgot to publish the text for this weeks teaching.  Sometimes life gets the better of me...sorry about that for those who read this.

Well...better late than never.  This week we'll be looking at the last verses of Mark 12....verses 35-44. Read it here.

Jesus is still in the temple, and it's still during this final week before the cross.  In v34, Jesus told a Scribe that because he was in agreement with Jesus about the summation of the commands of God (Love God and love people), he was "not far from the Kingdom of God".  V 35 seems to flow right out of that conversation...even stating that Jesus is "answering" something.  What would He be answering?

In his discussion about the improper understanding the Scribes had about what the Messiah would be, Jesus points something out that had been overlooked...what do we understand about the Messiah from the passage in Psalm 110 that He quotes?  What does it have to do with the Kingdom of God?

Jesus is harsh in his condemnation of the religious leaders.  Do any of His observations sound familiar?  Instead of picking on the obvious caricatures of church leadership, how would we apply his warnings to our own lives and spirituality?

What is Jesus watching at the offering box?  What does this tell us about our spiritual journey from God's perspective?  What is most important to God, based on these verses?

Anyway...hope you had a good week!  See you Sunday, Lord willing.

The June 2008 issue of Mabuhay Magazine will center on Davao as its main feature, and knowing that my story is part of it makes me feel incredibly thankful and blessed.

The story, "The Legend of the Queen Orchid" (alternatively, "The Legend of the Waling-Waling" or plainly, "Waling"), an original legend I wrote in 1998, is part of a collection of writings which I uploaded to my websites some 10 years ago.  I remember back in my college days, way before "blogging" made its way to Netizen parlance, I created  websites on Geocities and Fortunecity (with versions in English and Bisaya), which were free web-hosting sites that provided free web space (something like 15MB—you got that right!—back in the day) and TONS of ads.  

Like a true novice, I crammed everything in my pages as I saw fit: lots of multi-colored text, gif files, jpeg and (the still novel and crude) CSS, photos of my watercolor paintings, song lyrics and midi files, my college essays, project papers, and published articles (SunStar Davao). The result: pure, untrameled clutter!  Now that these websites are old, dried up, fried and forgotten, I never really, REMOTELY, thought anyone would still be looking at them after ten full years of dereliction.  In fact, I thought they have already been deleted for reasons like sheer outmodedness and lack of taste!

Luckily, an executive from Eastgate Publishing found one of these websites (I didn't really ask which one they found, but I am making a very safe assumption here), and found "Waling."  There must be a real lack of literature on Philippine orchid folklore because to date I have never read or heard of any "official" Lumad legend on the Waling-waling (Vanda sanderiana), the Queen of Orchids and one of the symbols of Davao City.

Again, safely assuming that the executive made another Google search, this time on my name, she found my mobile number in a Travel Agency ad or Call Center website (presumably).  Thanks to The Almighty I haven't changed numbers since 2004! 

So, Ms. Ira called me up, much to my matutinal (that is, early morning) suprise and told me of her discovery, offering to publish the story in Mabuhay Magazine for a fee.  I replied with something like an enthusiastic "OK."  Then she told me further to cut the verbosity of my work to the vicinity of 400 words. I paused a bit, but couldn't refuse the true honor of having my name printed in precious Mabuhay ink, so I said "OK," careful to mask any hint of hesitation.

After two days and smoky hours on my laptop laboring to reduce a 3,873-word epic down to a stupendously measly 400 words (while genuinely risking loss of thought and storyline), I finally e-mailed the text to Ms. Ira, who replied the next day without any complaints (thankfully!).  She however additionally requested for a third-person, 30-word blurb about me, which I promptly accomplished the day after.

I was told there would be illustrations on the story (which, as I requested, should be in the Lumad Bagobo flair), but that remains to be seen (Well, I can always e-mail Ms. Ira about that, but I don't want to be such a pain.  You see, now that I have hit first base, I'm seeking further exposure by becoming a regular freelance contributor to Mabuhay! Ha!).  Whatever. The important thing is that I will find my story in THE Mabuhay Magazine, in ALL Philippine Airlines planes, on ALL Mabuhay Class seats, on ALL domestic and international flights this June!

I don't know if it's brag-worthy, but hey, my name will soon fly all around the world!   

The purpose of "Being Cenantua"
When completed (heaven knows how long that might be), "Being Cenantua" will be formally linked to and serve as supplemental text to this blog. Since my blog closely examines different issues about Civil War “memory” as well as the practice of Digital History, I figured it only fitting to create a hypertext non-fiction that serves as a form of introspection into my own "memory" of the American Civil War. I think that through the creation of a hypertext autobiographical narrative focusing specifically on my “memory” of the war, I can more efficiently interrelate different memories and experiences. Granted, this is just how my memory of the war came to be and it is not necessarily a reflection on how others think of the war, but I believe that it can provide a general idea about the different ways in which Civil War "memory" can develop in people.

A brief explanation of hypertext navigation
For those who may not be familiar with hypertext narrative, it is not read as standard linear text. Instead, hypertext is read by navigating through hyperlinks. Usually, the hyperlinks appear in each "node" (as designated by Roland Barthes; "lexia" if George Landow's terminology is preferred). However, there is more than one way to navigate through hyperlinks. In the case of "Being Cenantua," there are at least two additional ways to navigate through the hyperlinks; the blog format being the reason for so many different means of navigation. In addition to navigating through hyperlinks in the respective nodes, navigation can also take place as a matter of "tag surfing." As the reader will note, at the beginning of text in each node, there is a list of hyperlinked "tags." There are also hyperlinked "tags" available through the "tag cloud" that can be found in the widget column to the right of the node text. In any of these cases, using hyperlinks as a form of navigation empowers the reader with the ability to select a personal path through the narrative.

Though not a means of navigation through hyperlinks, readers may also make use of the "search box" that is available in the column to the right of the node text, and search for personal words of choice as a means of navigation.

Basics thoughts behind name and design
As the narrative relates how my "memory" of the war developed and evolved, when considering a name for the narrative, I use the word "Cenantua," as I have used it for a number of years as a personal identifier in communications on the Web. It is believed to be one of the original native American words from which "Shenandoah" evolved. The Shenandoah Valley is also the place of my birth and my current residence. The title of the narrative is also an adaptation from Being John Malcovitch, a movie about a puppeteer who discovered a portal that literally lead into the head of actor John Malcovitch. Though my hypertext nonfiction isn’t so “sci-fi” in nature, it is my hope that this will offer a “portal” into the way that my “memory” of the Civil War developed over time.

The theme of "Being Cenantua" has been adopted from among the different themes made available through standard WordPress.com services. I have selected "Dusk" as the theme for the hypertext narrative as, in my opinion, it fits well with a dreamlike/memory-centered experience (not to mention that the use of the blue-gray color scheme fits quite while with the subject matter). There are also design features within the theme that are reminiscent of the Victorian Era, of which the Civil War era was part. Imagery is limited throughout the respective nodes as it is the hope that the imagination of the reader will serve to facilitate a more interactive experience.

Parting words to the reader
Please keep in mind that this is electronic narrative currently under development (at a very early stage) and will be expanded considerably over time. In the end, it is my hope that through this project, I will create an innovative form of hypertext and lend better understanding to others about how memory of historic events evolves through us, even though we were neither present or alive at the time of an historical event.

"Being Cenantua" readers are encouraged to post comments in the different nodes of the hypertext narrative. Other questions and comments about this experiment are encouraged through the comment block below.

Enter the hypertext non-fiction"Being Cenantua," here

 One thing I really like is it isn't done "professionally". The video is choppy, and they have not dressed the stage for television.  It's just them, singing their songs, talking about God, praying their prayers.

Many will say you can't have a Web church, and I know what they mean.  We humans do need contact with others.  That touch on the shoulder that says everything will be ok can't be duplicated on the web (at least not yet.) But in every other way, it is church.

 But think about it, all the research tells us that while this generation and the next really want to learn about God, they don't have much tolerance for the structure or machine of the church. On the web, you watch with your friends. Discussion and comment is instantaneous. It could be like the days of old.  It is the church in your house.

Today, I worshiped with folks in Florida, folks in Tennessee, and some one in British Columbia. Sounds like heaven.....

http://www.mogulus.com/eastgate

Visited the church last week and it is more "hang out" than church. I know that many traditionalists would struggle with that idea, but I think it hearkens back to the early days of the Church. Just some friends, hanging around a fire or a good meal, talking about life. They laugh, they cry, they mock, they hug (just don't hug Rob, from what I read hugging is not high on his list of favorite things.) They do what friends do.

Oh, if only the church at large could understand that simple fact. It's not about building a monument or a political force. It's not about occupying as an invading army. It's about relationships, simple, coffee infused (at least the really good ones) relationships. If only......

www.eastgatefellowship.net

wonderwhat.net

The 10-storey EastGate, developed by Sing Holdings, received temporary occupation permit (TOP) status in 1998 and is located along East Coast Road and near Marine Parade Central.

Of its 52 units, four were sold before TOP. Sing Holdings said yesterday that it had decided to sell off its remaining units to focus on residential property.

Managing director Lee Sze Hao said in a statement: ‘The divestment of EastGate is in tandem with the company’s current business model of focusing on residential property development.

‘With the appreciation in values of commercial space, we believe that it is now an opportune time to unlock the value of EastGate.’

The units are being sold to Develica Asia Pacific, a wholly owned unit of Develica Asia Pacific Management, which invests in regional commercial real estate.

Develica chief executive officer Chris Brown said: ‘This is an excellent acquisition as it allows us to tap into the decentralisation of office operations out of the central business district due to the rise in rentals there.’

The sale price works out to about $1,059 per sq ft based on a net saleable area of 59,491 sq ft.

Sing Holdings will reap a net gain of some $15.9 million from the sale, which is expected to completed on Dec 13.

It intends to use the proceeds to pursue opportunities to expand its land bank for residential property development projects. The sale was brokered by Savills Singapore.

Source : Straits Times - 12 Oct 2007 ]]>