A Moment of Conversion

I never could have imagined myself attending a chastity talk, although I am a believer of chastity and purity. But one thing led to another and I found myself at SMX two Sundays ago seated right at the back of a chastity speaker himself, Jason Evert! I had no idea what he looked like. All i knew was that he was American. And because the person in front of me was the only blond person I saw in the jam-packed SMX , I figured it was him.

Honestly, my understanding was that it was going to be a talk about love and relationships, not about chastity. I also heard really positive feedback from his prior speaking engagements upon arriving to the Philippines just 2 days before. Hence, I decided to listen and pick his brains.



The program started with a Holy Mass. After which, I was introduced to Jason by a friend of mine and we spoke for a bit. Jason must have read what was going on in my mind and so he picked me as a volunteer at the beginning of his talk. He wanted to start his talk with the question, "how far is too far" in a relationship.  And to illustrate his point, he made me put on a "lady gaga" wig and acted out as if we were on a date.  And in an instant, he lifted me upon his shoulders! One hand supporting me, and one hand holding the mic! Deep inside, I was thinking, Wow! This guy is strong! I stand at 5'11 and Jason was just about 5'7. He was probably 30 lbs. lighter than me. Then he lifted me towards the end of the stage and asked me if he should still go on. Of course, i said NO! And he took me down and thanked me for volunteering!



So what's his point? The point is not to put our loved ones in danger.  He said that asking "how far can I go with a girl without sinning" can be put more positively into "how far can I go with a girl in protecting her innocence".  Think of it this way. He invited us to think of our future wife who may be dating another guy right now. How far do we want that guy to go with her? It is like Stephen Covey's "thinking with the end in mind", the end here being marriage.  Then he said "girls, do not allow a guy to lift the veil of your body before he lifts the veil in your head--in marriage."

To illustrate his point further he cited statistics in the US which says that those who married as virgins has a divorce rate of 70% less than those who were not. This was taken from a 700-page book research in the US with the largest survey respondents.

What made me think deeper was his analogy of our love for our future wife with the love of Christ for the Church. He quoted St Paul's letter to the Ephesians. I couldn't help but think of Mel Gibson's the Passion of the Christ when he described how Jesus suffered for us, His Church, His Bride.  He said that that's how much we have to be willing to suffer for our future wife. And part of that sacrifice is to live a chaste life now. We need to free ourselves so that we can love!



He told girls not to fall into the misconception that perhaps if she allows a guy to invade her privacy, he will love her more.  On the contrary, that is the best way for a guy to lessen his respect for a girl. Then, he told us the story of a lady named Cristalina. When she allowed her boyfriend to have sex with her, he started mistreating her and calling her names.  After a while, the usual excitement of being together was gone.  Love had been confused with lust.  Until her mom insisted and dragged her to attend a chastity talk , finally she decided to break off with the guy.  Instead of engaging in sexual acts, what she did was she started writing love letters for her future husband whom she did not meet yet at that time. Letters indicating 'i did not give in to temptation tonight because i am saving myself for you!' . After a few years, on her wedding day, she gave them all to her husband, who happened to be Jason himself! She also gave him a white candle with a fresh wick (as a symbol of preserving her body up to the time of marriage after her conversion).

After Jason told this story, I felt quite uneasy. If I were in his shoes and would have to talk about the past of my future wife, it would really be awkward. But I realized that it was Cristalina herself who wanted the story told so that girls will not fall into the same error she fell into. I salute their courage! It summarizes what he said earlier: that love can wait to give but lust can't wait to get.

In this light, he mentioned the dangers of pornography.  Boys, especially teenagers, may be incited to get into pornography to show that we are men, indeed.  He turned that around and said that on the contrary, pornography emasculates us--which means, it makes us less of a man because we become slaves of our passions.  Men are those who know how to be strong in the midst of peer pressure.

He also said that addiction to pornography is the best way to shoot your future marriage in the head. Why? Because you start creating a fantasy world about sexual pleasures which increases your dissatisfaction for the body of your wife. It makes you easily dislike your wife since you are used to flipping from one female body to another in a matter of seconds. You also tend to only see the external beauty of your wife and may judge her worth for her body.  He told us the story of his friend who was a porn addict who divorced his wife three months after their marriage. 

For those who are into porn and sex, God is not judgmental. They may be like that because they have not known better. He admitted being into porn before. And so he recommends a "change of heart"--to make a commitment to live a chaste life.  For a start, receive the sacrament of Confession. In fact, there were 5 priests at the end of the hall receiving people for Confession. Obviously, that wasn't enough to accommodate the thousands who gathered that afternoon in SMX. By the way, the youngest person in the crowd was 4 yrs. old and eldest was 90. I estimated the attendance to be around 5,000 to 8,000 people.

He also touched on modesty, especially in dressing up well, without being provocative.  Modesty does not mean wearing long gowns and old-fashioned clothes. You can look classy without showing too much skin.  The way we dress also shows the respect that we want people to have of us.  He invited us to be "nice" and not "naughty" in the way we dress up so we elicit more respect from the people we meet. Showing too much skin is a sign of desperation, as if you are calling out to guys to look at you.



Overall, it was a truly inspiring talk, with a good combination of humor and wit. His stories were very touching and meaningful. I wasn't surprised to see a number of people crying as he was speaking. He was a great speaker, i just felt that sometimes he spoke too fast that it was difficult to absorb everything that he was uttering. How I wish that more people could have attended and listened to him speak. If only I had known earlier, I would have invited you guys myself. But at least he created a website that contains videos of him speaking and testimonials from other individuals like his wife Cristalina & former America's Next Top Model who decided to live a life of conversion to God.

I strongly suggest that you guys check out his website, www.chastity.com . I'm sure you have many questions, and he has the answers to them right there. On the cover page of his site, there's a quotation from one of my most admired Saints whose words of wisdom never fail to guide young people. It summarizes the beauty of chastity and the positive approach we should have on it: "When you decide to lead a clean life, chastity will not be a burden for you. It will be a crown triumph. " - St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way 123.

For me, this is the most important lesson that I got from the talk. THAT IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO CHANGE! God is always giving us a second chance, and a third chance, and so on… that's how merciful He is! What matters is what you do with your life from now on. God will not judge us. And the best way to start is by receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation & being truly sorry for our sins. I know most people will be hesitant to confess our sins to the priest because of shame or embarrassment. BUT do you know what the priests are really thinking? Deep inside, they are saying to themselves, "hey, i truly admire this person for confessing, because it does not matter to him/her what others may think, but what he truly cares about is what God thinks of him."

Since it is now the Lenten season, it would be best to repent and free ourselves to love. Before our game today vs Air21, Fr. Ed gave me a blessing and reminded me that we all have our shortcomings, but despite that, we must keep trying to do good and remember that God is always there waiting for us to return to Him!

My Personal Wishes & Goals for 2011

Thanks for all your very supportive and inspiring comments!

As promised, here are my personal wishes for 2011.

1) For Smart Gilas national team- that we may regain lost basketball glory for our country! I strongly believe we can do it no matter what people say. With the right frame of mind, training, exposure, discipline, skill, it can be done if God wills it. But more than just proving Filipinos wrong, the reason why i want Gilas to succeed so bad is really to unite the Filipino people and inspire them - that despite the odds, we can succeed in life if we possess the right habits and values! Just like how Manny Pacquiao, the Azkals and other sports heroes have done.

2) For Philippine sports - that all sports stakeholders may put aside all personal ambition and glory for the greater glory of the country. It's close to impossible to eradicate totally the politics in sports, but at least start somewhere towards creating programs for the development of our current and future national coaches and athletes. Sports is a legal battleground where we can lift our national flags with pride after defeating our opponents.

3) Philippine economy - I wish that the economy will continue to flourish and that the stock market will keep moving upwards, although experts predict it won't be as hot as 2010.

4) The Philippines - I pray we be spared of major calamities this year. And that the Filipino people will do what is right, and not do something just because everyone is doing it.

5) I wish for good health for myself, my family and close friends.

6) I want to meet Jay Chou & Steve Nash! hehehe

Next, let me jot down my personal goals for this year. I believe it is truly helpful to ones self-improvement if one makes a conscious effort to set concrete goals to enable him/her to work towards it. It doesn't matter if its a long-term goal, mid-term or short-term goal. I'll put mine down randomly. I would advise you to do the same.

1) I will dedicate most of my time to basketball , for my personal improvement and that of the team. (as if i haven't devoted my entire life to the team) I will improve my shooting percentage and be more aggressive. One last hurrah! This could be my last year of competitive basketball.

2) Open at least 3 more Happy Lemon branches

3) I will take a more active role in promulgating my advocacies, such as education and entrepreneurship among others. It is one thing to raise awareness through shows, press releases, etc, but i want to have a deeper engagement as well. This will happen towards the end of the year, after the FIBA Asia Championship in September.

4) In everything I do, i will try my best to set a good example, especially to the kids. I know i have a mission/apostolate to bring people closer to God through my various platforms . But in doing so, i myself must become closer to God. I have my own shortcomings, but I'm constantly trying to improve. I will spend more time in prayer, receiving the sacraments, conversing w/ my spiritual director & doing simple good deeds.

To end, here's a nice reflection i picked up from Bishop Tagle in his Jan. 1 homily in Tagaytay Highlands that I'd like to share. In lieu of the Feast of the Solemnity of our Lady as the Mother of God, Mary was full of grace as she accepted to embrace the responsibility of bearing the child Jesus and bringing Him into humankind. We normally ask God for grace or blessing. We thank Him profusely whenever we receive gifts, money, projects, etc. referring to these as 'blessings'! But these things are fleeting or short-lived. The true essence of the word 'blessing' is about you & me being a blessing to other people - this means that we should be Christ-like. Now here's my challenge to you, HOW can I be a blessing to other people?

Have a great day, folks!

Chris

A Quick Look at My 2010

2010 was a roller coaster year for me. There were the wonderful moments that I've cherished and appreciated. But naturally, there were also the not-so-desirable occasions , that taught me valuable lessons and made me a stronger person. I've made a quick reflection of my past year.

Here are the highlights of my 2010

Jay Chou concert - The one event which I will never forget is the Jay Chou concert that I went to see live with my cousin, in Singapore. I can still remember vividly the desperate measures I had to resort to in order to get hold of those tickets at the front most section of the stadium. So you know how much it meant, I chose to skip an Ateneo-La Salle game just to watch this. I will blog more about it (with photos) in the future... and will try not to sound too much like a fan boy.

Gilas stints - There were 4 tournaments out of 7 in 2010 where we had a respectable performance. First is the Dubai invitational in January where we finished 3rd place playing with practically no import. Next is the Manila Invitational in July , which we won 1st place by beating the Jordanian national team. Third is the Stankovic Cup in Lebanon in August, where we made the final 4 without most of our main players. And lastly, our 2nd place finish in the ABA Championship in Haining, China where we lost to Samsung Korea by 1 point in the finals through a desperation shot with 2 seconds left in the game. Coincidentally, they knocked us out of the Asian games too.

New TV programs - I was chosen to host the show Ako Mismo on TV5, which features ordinary heroes, with the hope and goal that Filipinos may be inspired to do the same and make a difference in others' lives. Plus, i got to work with one of our most heralded heroes, 2009 CNN Hero kuya Efren Penaflorida. Just in November, the pilot episode of Hanepbuhay aired in GMA7 and garnered high ratings. The show encourages Filipinos to have that entrepreneurial mindset. And at the same time, my partner Love Anover and I give useful tips on how to run a business and come up with business ideas. Thanks to GMA7 and TV5, I have been given a platform to spread my advocacies through a very powerful medium. It's always great to be able to entertain, educate and share the right values all at the same time.

New endorsements - Thanks to my two new endorsements in the pharma industry, namely Advil and Oracare, my credibility as an endorser was bolstered and my net worth has increased by just a little bit... enough to relieve me of my stress and headaches (haha corny!)

Guangzhou Asian games - This was a major disappointment for me , the team , and the millions of Filipino basketball fans. I could not sleep for many days. I know we are a better team than what the result actually reflects (6th) . It's a painful experience but still I am thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to play in this kind of high-level international competition which happens once in every 4 years, where we got to encounter the most elite athletes all over Asia. I have too much thoughts on this but I will save it for another blog entry.

Barangay Kagawad - I was re-elected Kagawad (Councilman) in our Barangay in Makati. This gives me another chance to serve our constituents, mainly through sports & education programs .

Favorite Media Personality award - Just last week , I won the Favorite Male Media Personality award given by the NCCT (National Council for Children's TV) in its 1st awards ceremony. A survey was conducted among 12,000 kid subjects all over the country to determine the winners. I thought only prime-time artistas could win this. This means so much to me, knowing that people out there, particularly the kids, appreciate what I'm doing and trying to communicate to them through my shows, basketball, advocacies and other engagements. I take it as a challenge, not just to serve as a good role model, but to take a more active part in reaching out to them and spreading the Gospel values.

Happy Lemon - My good friends and I (from Xavier & Ateneo) decided to bring in the franchise of Happy Lemon, an extremely popular bubble tea/milk tea brand from Hong Kong & Shanghai , to the Philippines. And after a year of planning and preparation, we finally opened our first branch in Promenade, Greenhills last November 13. We are very pleased w/ the sales and feedback of the customers so far, we are looking to open more branches (no sub franchises) this year. Next will be in the new Eastwood mall this Feb. In fact, we're very honored to be featured in/by OurAwesomePlanet himself. So if you're in the area, please drop by! We'd love to make you HAPPY! (To clarify, I am just a minute shareholder)

Family time - Because it was the first time we were given a break from training & competition in almost two years, I had the chance of catching up on lost time with family & friends. We were able to take short trips to Hong Kong, Macao, Tagaytay & Batangas where we really bonded. I felt I became closer to my family & friends in these last 3 weeks! How timely because it is Christmas season and that is what the spirit of Christmas is all about - giving! Not necessarily by giving material things but more importantly, by sharing ourselves with others - our time, our compassion, our love! Awards / achievements can make us happy at one point, but it is love that will make it last a lifetime! (Cheesy!)

Overall, my 2010 was an awesome one , except maybe for the outcome of the Asian games which dragged down the 'awesomeness' quotient. But I can't complain and I am very much challenged to do better this year. I'd like to thank the Lord first and foremost for all the blessings and good health for myself & my family. (I didn't incur any major injury... *knock on wood*) Thank you Lord for the perseverance when we feel like quitting, for the wisdom when we are uncertain! Everything was made possible because of You! We are merely Your instruments. I would also like to thank all of you have been so supportive with all that I'm doing . As cliche as it sounds, it can't be done without you guys! 2011 will be even better, I know it!! Part of success rests on chance but part of it depends on us. So let's do what we can to make each of our 2011s a fantastic one!

For my 2011 wishes, I have some in mind right now but I'm too sleepy already. Just wait for my next post! Happy New year everyone!!

“Eat Nothing. Do Something!” World Vision 12-hour Famine

12-Hour Famine Video of myself in Baseco

By: Bernadette Tan

There is a child killer among our homes...
As you read, millions of families in the Philippines are going without food; their children go to bed hungry every night. In the next seven seconds another hungry child will die—nearly 5 million in a year. An underweight child is four times more likely to die of a disease compared to a well-nourished child.Hunger is one of the leading child killers in our world. What are we doing about it?

Luckily for you reading this, hunger is not a life threatening concern. You’ve never had to face the horror of helplessly going without food for days or weeks on end. But for millions in countries like Ethiopia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and even the Philippines, the painful, weakening feeling of hunger is an ordeal they must negotiate every single day to survive. More than 1 billion people worldwide experience hunger daily. In the Philippines about 4 million households go hungry everyday or eat only the bare minimum of food to keep themselves alive. A hungry mind is incapable of concentrating, a hungry body cannot work productively, a hungry child loses all desire to study and play. When was the last time you skipped a meal? How long do you think you can go without food... 2 hours... 6 hours... 12 hours?

Before you take your next meal, please stop and consider what you can do to help these children.

WORLD VISION 12-HOUR FAMINE

In response to the screaming global hunger problem, World Vision Philippines is doing the “12-hour Famine” campaign, a global youth movement against hunger and poverty.

The same Famine campaign is being done worldwide: the 30-hour Famine in the US, the 40-hour Famine in Australia and New Zealand, and the 24-hour Famine in the United Kingdom, to name a few.

Youth participants from high schools, colleges and universities; members of youth orgs and churches will start collecting funds and donations for children and families going hungry in the country. And then, they will all come together in one event and experience a 12-hour famine—that is to go on voluntary fasting from food for 12-hours.

For 12 hours, thousands of Filipino youth will unite as one lending their voices to this global fight against hunger and poverty. On empty stomachs they will further raise funds and awareness about these issues and challenge the public and government to help.

The hunger period will be devoted to various activities other than eating to fill the void of hunger. For 12 hours there will be educational sessions and talks on related issues with guest speakers, inspiring video presentations, prayer time, interactive activities, games, talent showcases from different schools and groups, and a big, festive concert with World Vision celebrity supporters, the country’s top bands and other special performers who themselves are advocates of this cause.

The “12-hour Famine” will happen on November 6, from 9am to 9pm at the Flying V Arena in San Juan. This is your chance to do something relevant for the country and the world. All it takes is a little sacrifice. Eat nothing. Do something. Join the 12-hour Famine! To register call 8-FAMINE or log on to www.worldvision.org.ph/famine.

Fund Raiser for Teacher OLGA

Hey, are you an ELC alumnus as well? Or Early Learning Center pre-school in San Lorenzo. Do you remember Teacher Olga? Anyways, she is in terrible health condition right now and will need any form of assistance. She is suffering from diabetes and needs to undergo dialysis 3 times a week. She also suffered a mild stroke a few weeks ago. A group of ELC alumnus has organized a standup comedy night to raise funds in her behalf. This show is also open to the public, even if you are not from ELC. So please please come and support the event because you will not only be entertained, but you can save a life as well! Check out the details below.



Chris

Samsung Netbook

Congratulations to Kimberly Claire Tan and Rogelio Torres Jr for winning the Samsung Clique Savvy Poll! Now you guys can enjoy your own Samsung Netbooks as well!

To those who did not take part in the promo, the mechanics is really simple. Anyone can be a trend guru by placing an entry indicating what is HOT and COOL for you! Kimberly Claire had the most votes with 10,804. Unfortunately, the promo has ended and no more entries can be accepted.


What's HOT & COOL about the Samsung Netbook for me?
It's HOT because it's very stylish and it comes in the color BLUE :)
It's COOL because it's compact, light-weight and convenient to carry around, which suits my mobile lifestyle.

How about you?

Jones Cup 2010

I just want to take this opportunity to thank all those who greeted me for my birthday either through this blog or through my twitter. I was in Taipei over my birthday for the Jones Cup for almost two weeks and did not have internet access there. Actually, we did have internet, just felt that $10 USD per 24 hours of use was not worth it.

To those who are not updated, Team Pilipinas finished 4th place in the Jones Cup behind Iran, Lebanon & Japan. We placed higher than Chinese Taipei, Chinese Taipei team B and Australian Crocs team. I felt we could have finished 2nd or 3rd but had a disastrous game against Japan, who played with former Phoenix Suns point guard Tabusen. They scouted us well and fatigue kicked in. We also weren't able to adjust to their defense and intensity right away. Although I am personally disappointed with our result, and i'm sure quite a number of Filipinos feel the same way, i felt we showed that we could compete against the powerhouses of Asia particularly Iran and Lebanon.

The Iranian national team played without Hedadi and Afagh but their superstar Samad Nikkah Bahrami took over w/ 27 pts, 8 rebs and 8 assts. The Lebanon national team was complete (plus naturalized Jackson Vroman) and had a very balanced lineup, except for Fadi El Khatib, who said himself that he will not play for the national team. We were up by as much as 15 points until their shooters started to get hot.

Overall, i believe the Jones Cup was a very fruitful experience for both coaches and players and it allowed us to gauge our level and the standards of the opposing teams. For now, we just have to continue to work extremely hard (and smart), gain more experience (through competitions) and plug the holes in the lineup that will best suit coach Rajko's system.

Thanks again to all those who've been supporting us, through both rainy days and sunny days! And please continue to pray for the team (the players, coaches, management, etc.) for strength, wisdom, courage, inspiration and a little luck! So that we may rightfully represent our beloved flag and make each Filipino proud to be Filipino through our performance on the court and even our behavior off the court. I know its a long shot, but someone's gotta believe.... and try!

Chris

P.S. Still no word if we're participating in the Stankovic Cup this August 7 in Beirut, Lebanon. Greg Slaughter and Rabeh Al Hussaini can't afford to miss class, while Chris Lutz and Marcus Douthit still don't have Filipino passports. Still weighing the sanctions if we back out. FYI, we are in the same bracket with Lebanon, Qatar, Jordan and Syria! Other bracket is Iran team B, India, Japan, Chinese Taipei and one more (which i forget at the moment). How lucky can we get.