tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56596732024-03-14T06:40:37.677+08:00Catholic+Linux+Monkeyformerly catholic+linux+monkey.Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.comBlogger466125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-59942472941181640132013-03-15T03:38:00.000+08:002013-03-15T03:38:26.415+08:00Where were you when.....<P>After a nearly two-year hiatus, I am back. Well, for now. Just to answer the important question:
<B>Where were you on March 13th, 2013, at 19:07 (GMT+1)?</B>
<P>I was at work, with ears plugged in to a live camera feed pointing at the chimney of the Sistine chapel. Just earlier that afternoon, there was a seagull (with his own Twitter account too @SistineSeagull) perched happily.
<P>At about 19:07, the background noise from the live camera feed suddenly became a swelling raucous crowd cheering. I had to bring up the window. Out came smoke pouring from the Sistine Chapel's chimney. It was dark; I had doubts if it were white, or any other shade.
<P>"Parece blanca" - I texted to my group in Whatsapp.
<P>"Blanca como la nieve!" was the reply.
<P><B>"Habemus Papam!"</B>
<P>So it ends, the long wait - the brief period where we Catholics were orphans. I ran all the way home and stayed glued to the telly to see who it is and what name he will assume as Pope.
<P>"No matter who he is, we love him already!" - I tweeted.
<P>At 20:15, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, left his former life forever, and stepped out to the world as Pope Francis.
<P><B>*Clink*</B>
<P>A toast to the new pope, new shepherd in the Barque of Peter.</P>
Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-87734058153180758982011-05-02T00:58:00.005+08:002011-05-02T03:17:14.177+08:00Quo vadis?Hello, hello!!!! It's been, what, almost a year since I last wrote something on this blog, and boy, how time flies!! A year in tech world is like a lifetime (iPad, iPhone 4, rise of FB & Twitter & Netflix). I haven't quite lost interest in the world yet, but most of the interesting links I found go to Facebook now after Yahoo! announced del.icio.us' early demise. And along with dwindling attention span - it's down to 140 characters thanks to a previously mobile startup called Twitter - I find writing anything more than a couple of soundbites, a tad too tedious.<br /><br />Anyway, it's good to be able to write a good length piece once in a blue moon. And today is such a day. <br /><br />Our late beloved pope, John Paul II, was officially beatified this morning. Although in the eyes of many he's already a saint, the church does what is in her purview - trust but verify - and declare it official after a process of investigation. Papa BXVI did dispense with the 5 year waiting period, but did not decide to declare his predecessor Santo subito ('immediately') without due process. We're in the age of reason after all, or post-rational, as some'd prefer to say..<br /><br />If you haven't caught the fever of enthusiasm and joy yet, read on as I'd like to share a bit of my conversion that I believe I have JP 'the great' to thank for. (Have I got any of my old readers left? No? Doesn't matter, I only hope to cheer on a random soul searching for anecdotes about lives touched by JPII)<br /><br />It started back in 2004, when I just left a serious relationship, and found myself searching for "what's more" in life. I found Choice program - which markets itself precisely to capture this audience. It was good though it wasn't what I was meant for. Got involved running the program, and the community was truly like my second family back in Singapore. That's where I first encountered Theology of the Body, a teaching about love & sexuality made popular by JPII. It was like, who's this brilliant, charismatic, pastoral, and truly paternal figure?? Before this encounter he was only a remote leader figure in the Catholic Church living far away in Rome, and for whom we pray each day even if only out of common piety (or so as not to lead us astray!! How presumptuous I must've sounded...). From then on I began to read his biographies, his works, his encyclicals (yes, even those...), eager to know where'd this guy get all that wisdom, charisma, and above all, the peace & joy that could only come from knowing you're doing exactly what God has made you to do. From one thing to another, I found myself reading tons of blogs (St Blogs, in the words of a wise Catholic blogger), learning stuffs about Catholic doctrine that I never knew existed.<br /><br />When he passed away in 2005, the whole world's interest in him was renewed. Then I came across a blog post about volunteering for the World Youth Day in Cologne, the first one without JPII. I didn't know what the WYD was, but I signed up and haven't look back since. From there on, one thing leads to another, one encounter after another, one session after another, and two years after his death, I found myself signing a blank cheque of my life to God. (Those of you who know me in real life know what I'm referring to). <br /><br />So, here I am four years later, in a place I never dreamt of visiting, doing things I'd never dream of doing if not for the yes JPII has inspired me to do. (It's kind of hastily written - but I just had to write something you see...)<br /><br />Meanwhile life goes on. I still make mobile apps in my spare time (look out for WYD companion app coming soon for your iPhones!!), I am still struggling to keep awake in those Gethsemani moments in my life, I'm still struggling against the old man in me, and I still carry the hope that at the end of it all, our lives are not the sum of our successes and failings, but the sum of God the father's love for us.Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-2822670977539528902010-03-16T06:42:00.006+08:002010-03-17T02:23:37.264+08:00Javierada<P><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m4z6NnyO2ZA/S57DRva2XdI/AAAAAAAAASM/xRnz6lJPtdE/s1600-h/IMG_0838.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m4z6NnyO2ZA/S57DRva2XdI/AAAAAAAAASM/xRnz6lJPtdE/s320/IMG_0838.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449007308719152594" /></a><P>When I left on Friday afternoon for Pamplona, I confessed I had no idea what'd transpire this weekend. Sure I'd heard that this weekend would be <a href="http://www.diariodenavarra.es/actualidad/imagenes.asp?id=2010031319071376&dia=20100313" target="_blank">'The Javierada'</a>, where many people would walk from Pamplona, or surrounding villages, or anywhere along the route between Pamplona to Javier, the village where St Francis of Xavier (Francisco de Javier) was born.<br /><P>Having vaguely said yes to an invitation someone made some months back, I gamely signed up to go on this 'hike' (or so I thought) although the original person who invited me backed out because she had a class to attend on Saturday morning. So we set out, 4 brave cats (cuatro gatos), at 5:15 in the morning, finding for ourselves a lovely weather, not cold at all for March, taking into account that just last week it snowed pretty heavily.<br /><P>On the way to Noain, the airport of Pamplona, we met a middle aged man who regaled us with stories of his various journeys of Camino Santiago and countless Javierada. We walked with him up to Monreal; I was marveled by the witness of his faith. He went this year, he told us, to pray for his two daughters who are self-professed atheists. He is asking for the gift of faith.<br /><P>At this point (it was 8:10 in the morning when we arrived at Monreal - about 12km from Pamplona) I had not felt fatigue setting in, although a brief pause while a friend took a pee, was a welcome respite. I thought about his remark that "everybody had something to ask", and thought, what'd I have to ask from God? Let me say that I made up my mind to do this Javierada, only in this past week, when something reminded me that my father is baptized Fransiskus Xaverius (that's Latin-- or rather, Indonesian-- spelling of the saint's name) and it seemed like a great pity if, being in his homeland now, I do not take advantage to seek his intercession. So that's what I have come to ask.<br /><P>An hour and a half from Monreal, I began to realize that I have a problem. We were walking on perfectly paved roads (which some said are bad for the knees). My friend was telling me that I'm dropping my pace, while I was perfectly sure that I am walking at a constant pace. Soon she left me, and I realized everyone else was overtaking me... even children and the elderly pilgrims were walking faster than me. At this point, my legs felt kinda stiff but there was no pain yet. At 11, we passed by "La Venta de Judas", an oasis under a flyover, where volunteers were offering us food & drink. We thirstily drank Aquarius and picked up some goodies for the journey. That was our brief stop, and my company left me behind for the rest of the journey. Soon one hour became two and two became three. We didn't even stop for lunch. I drank liquids, although I wasn't so thirsty. After all the weather was good. We had good fortune: the wind was blowing (mostly) from behind us. The sun was in my eyes (which for most people here is what constitutes good weather) and I felt not the least bit cold.<br /><P>At about 2 o'clock we "regrouped" at Yesa, to decide whether to stop to eat or continue. We continued, and my company soon left me behind. The last few hours were hellish. I started the day praying the Via Crucis, and realizing for the first time, the fundamental reason why man, does penance and suffers voluntarily, when I said the closing prayer (a la Española) "Señor, pequé." This was the closing prayer that I never quite heard clearly before (having only prayed the Way of the Cross in English, privately of course). <br /><P>"Señor, pequé." <i>Lord, I have sinned</i>. This is why Javierada attracts thousands of people. The next day I read in the paper that not less than 20,000 people did the Javierada this weekend. I was impressed to see many young people, while expecting to see only the most pious and perhaps, the older population. I think there is something deeper than a simple tradition handed down from generation to generation and it being a good day to 'walk a bit' with friends: there is a deep sense that we ought to make reparation for some thing that we have done wrong against ourselves, against some people, and ultimately, against that Someone.<br /><P>We prayed countless rosaries, both together and in feverish silence. All that thought, many prayers, and mumbling the names of each one for whom I pray at every excruciating step, was what got me there. St Francis of Xavier, of course, interceded for us. Here is a saint who inspired, and continued to inspire thousands of people to rise above their own comfort and dare to venture out to spread the love of God. My last prayer, I'm a little embarrassed to say, was for us (well, I know my company was ahead of me) to arrive there before the Mass starts. How glad I was to see the huge sign "Bienvenida a Javier (2006)". Little did I know that the castle of Javier, which is right now a basilica, was at least 2km further and up the hill.<br /><P>But we made it.<br /><P>And just in time for the Mass. I arrived at the grounds outside the Castillo at 4:30pm. I was truly surprised to see a mass of people. It turned out that groups from Madrid had come to celebrate a stage of the journey of the World Youth Day cross. So I was there, reliving memories from the World Youth Day in Cologne, although exhausted and could barely stand (thanks to the huge blisters in my feet and stiff legs). The bishops of Pamplona—Tudela and San Sebastian were there, and said homilies which clearly showed their zeal for souls— encouraging young people to not be afraid to open their hearts to Christ and to pray, concretely, for 3 people around us, to 'bring them up' in the paten at the Mass. <br /><P><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m4z6NnyO2ZA/S57CUYdve8I/AAAAAAAAASE/2xBYr9wniyE/s1600-h/IMG_0847.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m4z6NnyO2ZA/S57CUYdve8I/AAAAAAAAASE/2xBYr9wniyE/s320/IMG_0847.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449006254585248706" /></a><P>The Mass, although outdoor, was reverently celebrated and the people were absolutely pious. I couldn't stand up nor kneel for the consecration, although fortunately, I could see everything as I was situated just in front of the outdoor altar. <br /><P>Another friend from Pamplona 'rescued' me at the end of the mass, held my arm as I limped down to where the car was parked. It was only 50-odd kilometres from Pamplona to Javier. The WYD Cross was brought to the chapel of San Fermin in Pamplona, where an overnight vigil was held. Close to 2000 people came to pray before it, reported the paper the next day. <br /><P>I am glad to have gone, although am still suffering the aftermath with sunburnt lips, swollen legs and limps. This Spanish tradition speaks volume about the Spanish culture and deeply rooted Christian identity. I will go again, given the opportunity. And this time I hope to see the basilica, at least.Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-56295699324169982192009-12-14T11:41:00.002+08:002009-12-14T19:12:18.929+08:00Waiting this advent<P>Despite the fact that I have always loved the season of Advent, and despite the fact that this year Advent in my life has all the characteristics of waiting, I don't feel at all ready to hear, much less live, the message of Advent. It makes me a little sad how frigid (well, <a href="http://www.diariodenavarra.es/20091214/navarra/el-frio-polar-instala-navarra-temperaturas-pasaron-4oc.html?not=2009121402115979&idnot=2009121402115979&dia=20091214&seccion=navarra&seccion2=meteorologia&chnl=10&ph=6">the weather doesn't help</a>) my attitude has been this advent. The birth of Christ, lovingly awaited by thousands of faithful, seems more than a million miles away from me. Even as I helped to put up several Christmas crib scenes around the residence, I wish, <i>I just wish</i>, I could feel a little more enthusiastic, more affectionate, more recollected, to welcome this great mystery of the God who was made man and dwelt amongst us.<br /><P>For 'cultural' Catholics, this would be easy to identify with. After all, they have grown up surrounded by the myth, (but not quite the mystery) of Christmas, ever since they could remember. All that gifts and warm fire and general atmosphere of festivities may be all Christmas means for many. I count myself amongst them, although neither my family is culturally Catholic nor am I a cradle Catholic.<br /><P>This year I have the unusual privilege of having nearly two weeks of 'relatively free' time to think (and prepare) about what Christmas means, or should mean.<br /><P>Struggling to get back 'on track', I tried to imagine being on 'the other side', being the One who is coming to a people who has kind of forgotten him, or is growing tired of waiting for him. How suitably post-modern it is to try to understand a situation from the 'other' point of view.. well. Anyway, as I was saying, I read and prayed, and those exhortations to get prepared, to get ready to welcome God made man, God-made-child, could not lift me up through the thick stupor of routine. <br /><P>But just imagine: how it'd be like for you, if you were the one waiting to be born, waiting to enter into time, waiting to walk amongst us, His ungrateful creatures, waiting to save us, since... since the beginning of mankind, since the fall of our first parents. Talk about waiting! Our 4-week long advent, or even a lifetime of waiting, is nothing, compared to the thousands of years (millions or trillions, if you are an ID-and-evolutionist like me) that He has been waiting to come into our lives. <br /><P>Imagine His enthusiasm, His joy, and most humbling of all, His need, to be with us. As omnipotent God who made everything out of nothing, it is unimaginable, inconceivable (indeed, a folly to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews), that God would 'lower' Himself to save creatures who sadly, do not always recognize Him and even when they do, do not always reciprocate, nor even appreciate, the magnitude of this gesture of love. It is mind-boggling, to think that, God's gesture to us almost says "I need you, I want your love", when it is us who should be saying all that to the One who brought us to existence. And He did come, two thousand years ago, and since then, waiting to come anew into our lives, every Christmas.<br /><P>How fitting it is that December is filled with various feasts of Mary; from the 8th, her Immaculate Conception, to 10th, Our Lady of Loreto, to the 12th, Our Lady of Guadalupe. She knew all about waiting for the One. She knew He has waited much longer, with much more longing, than she, or anyone else, had.<br /><P>Well. This is my short reflection this Advent. This has helped me a lot; this Christmas, I am going to try to be a little bit more conscious of this wonderfully stupefying fact, that God has waited for me first. May this Advent bring you truly closer to Christ.Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-27042263482805228962009-11-24T16:38:00.002+08:002009-11-24T16:42:06.376+08:00Misdiagnosed PVS for 23 years<P><a href="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2009-11/man-comatose-23-years-was-actually-conscious-all-along">http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2009-11/man-comatose-23-years-was-actually-conscious-all-along</a><br /><P>This man was extraordinarily lucky to be alive to tell his story: that for 23 years, they thought he was in PVS state, not realizing that he was actually paralysed but fully conscious of everything that happened around him. <a href="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2009-11/man-comatose-23-years-was-actually-conscious-all-along">This news</a> didn't come from a particularly pro-life publication; it just reiterates how flimsy are the criteria for brain death. It is particularly interesting to me as we now have classes about anatomy, pathology, and inevitably, organ transplant and the polemic around it.<br /><P><a href="http://www.lifenews.com/bio3007.html">This one</a> is from LifeNews with some commentary on how this episode affects debate about PVS determination and ethical implication.Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-15294644406091254932009-10-17T00:10:00.002+08:002009-10-17T00:32:17.672+08:00Cada vida importa (17 Oct)<P>Tomorrow, in Madrid, there will be a pro-life rally <a href="http://cadavidaimporta.org/">"Cada Vida Importa"</a> (Every life matters). Most of my friends who can squeeze time into their schedule are heading there to show their support. It is especially relevant in Spain, where there is currently an ongoing battle to liberalize abortion, seeing it as a 'necessary step' to be fully modernized like the rest of Western Europe. I, like a few others, won't be able to make it but will support them with prayers and ask you for yours.<br /><P>More info <a href="http://hazteoir.org">here</a> and <a href="http://cadavidaimporta.org/">here</a> (in Spanish).<br /><P>Just to recap on the topic of the scourge of abortion:<br /><a href="http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=4329">Last year abortion killed 41.6 million (report by Guttmacher!!!)</a><br /><P>And last, but not least, you have to read this profoundly sad but hopeful reflection by an abortionist, Lisa Harris, who aborted 18-week baby even as she felt her own 18-week baby kicking. Excerpts (<a href="http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/oct/09101501.html">read in full here</a>):<blockquote><br />With a quick tug, I separated the leg. Precisely at that moment, I felt a kick - a fluttery "thump, thump" in my own uterus. It was one of the first times I felt fetal movement. There was a leg and foot in my forceps, and a "thump, thump" in my abdomen. Instantly, tears were streaming from my eyes - without me - meaning my conscious brain - even being aware of what was going on. I felt as if my response had come entirely from my body, bypassing my usual cognitive processing completely. A message seemed to travel from my hand and my uterus to my tear ducts. It was an overwhelming feeling - a brutally visceral response - heartfelt and unmediated by my training or my feminist pro-choice politics. It was one of the more raw moments in my life.<br /><br />...<br /><br />I thought to myself how bizarre it was that I could have legally dismembered this fetus-now-newborn if it were inside its mother's uterus - but that the same kind of violence against it now would be illegal, and unspeakable.<br /><br />...<br /><br />[...] the psychological burdens second trimester abortion care lays upon its providers, including "serious emotional reactions that produced physiological symptoms, sleep disturbances (including disturbing dreams), effects on interpersonal relationships and moral anguish."<br /><br />...<br /><br />Harris conjectures that the needs of abortionists in this regard are not met because "frank talk like this is threatening to abortion rights." "While some of us involved in teaching abortion routinely speak to our trainees about the aspects of care I've described, we don't make a habit of speaking about it publicly. Essays like this bring the inevitable risk that comments will be misinterpreted, taken out of context and used as evidence for further abortion practice restrictions," she writes. <br /><br />"We might conclude at this point that a provider who feels that abortion is violent is simply ambivalent, conflicted, is not really committed to women's abortion rights, and just shouldn't be doing this work," Harris writes. "'Pro-life' supporters may argue that the kind of stories and sentiments I've relayed spell the end of abortion - that honest speech acts regarding the reality of abortion will weaken the pro-choice movement to the point where it cannot sustain itself any longer.</blockquote><br /><P>As you may very well imagine, my first response was, "How could this woman not see?!" All that she wrote was contradicting each other; how can she maintain that the pro-choice position is tenable for the well-being for women when it must be obvious even to her: <br />(1) the incongruous, injustice of born-alive protection and legal status of abortion, and <br />(2) her own 'visceral response' which she tried to rationalize and explain away, and (3) the 'psychological burdens' suffered by 'second-trimester providers' is precisely because our consciences know the action cannot be defended morally ever. EVER.<br /><P>I feel very sad reading the article, but at the same time hopeful that she, like many other abortionists, will come to see the inconsistencies in her position and recant from this kind of work.Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-60894108772005360202009-10-02T16:55:00.004+08:002009-10-02T17:34:24.327+08:00Short Update: Prayerbook now in ITALIANO, DEUTSCH & RUSSIAN<P>Just a short update: I've been down with cold lately and swamped with work. <br /><P>An update to the <a href="http://blvu.com">Catholic Prayerbook</a> is now available in <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312370283&mt=8">iTunes</a> (for iPhone users) or <a href="http://blvu.com">HERE (for Java users)</a><br /><P>With this update, it is now available in English, Español, Latin, Bahasa Indonesia, Deutsch, Italiano, and Russian.<br /><P>Also, there are now up to 28 prayers in each language. New additions include more thanksgiving prayers and novenas. <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312370283&mt=8">Update your copy or Download it NOW here</a>.<br /><P>Any comments and suggestions are always welcome!Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-55938162873954721492009-09-23T23:40:00.002+08:002009-09-23T23:44:11.008+08:00Open-Source Math Tool: Sage<P>So life as a student has begun.<br /><P>But not quite the same. For instance, I still have work pending; I still have people chasing after me, I still have products in the pipeline while several hours daily, I am usually in class. <br /><P>Several days ago, professors from maths class that I'll take next semester (next semester, mind you!!!), emailed us 4-pages "diagnostic" test of our level of mathematics. I swear cold chills descended upon my spine. Not that I hate math or anything like that, but it kinda reminded me of those days of math homeworks which took me hours to finish, not to mention those blasted complicated sums which sometimes, unfinished, crept into my sleep...<br /><P>So I turned to wikipedia to refresh my 'math memory' - if there's such a thing, and lo and behold, it didn't turn out as difficult as I thought. Differentiation, all kinds of techniques to arrive at it, etc. wasn't quite as horrible as I thought. And then I discovered <a href="http://sagemath.org">"Sage"</a>. After unsuccessful attempts to use Maple or Mathlab or something without paying thousands of dollars (hey I'm only a poor student), I discovered an open-source alternative. Somewhat thankful, I'd like to see how it compares to other packages. After several frustrating download attempts with a download speed in the range of 5Kbps, I finally found a mirror closest to where I am, that allowed the download (almost 400MB) to finish in about 20 minutes.<br /><P>It's good enough for me to start writing this blog post :) Let's just say it appeals to the geeky part of me - it requires a mini-webserver to run at port 8000, and requires one to have accounts to 'log in', and its worksheet, was clean enough that I could verify my answers to a complicated differentiation in half an hour. Intuitive words such as "diff" and "sin" and "cos" simply work. Well, they need brackets. And I suppose a few helpful buttons wouldn't hurt. But hey, engineers love command-line interface, right? This package has all that we can ask for...<br /><P>Just thought to recommend this nifty package. <br /><P>Now back to the books...Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-85005333852123344322009-09-11T17:02:00.004+08:002009-09-11T17:13:32.295+08:00iPhone scare: black screen<P>These past few days, the iPhone I use had a black screen. For all purposes, it looked like it's dead, or switched off. But the alarm, which is set to go off at 6 everyday, made it ring and vibrate like crazy every morning and I couldn't turn it off. Calls were still going in, but I could see nothing. I could still use the cable to charge it and to sync it with the laptop and I'd hear the "clink" noise coming. So it wasn't dead, but neither was it functional.<br /><P>They say Google's your best friend, and today it proved to be. A quick search on "iphone black screen" returns this page: <a href="http://seogadget.co.uk/iphone-display-blank-screen/">http://seogadget.co.uk/iphone-display-blank-screen/</a>. (The author had written, in his following post, that some site leeched off his post—I'm not going to do the same thing.. hence the link). But it basically says that you should hold down the "Home" round button at the bottom and the "Wake/Sleep" button on top, and the phone should reboot itself nicely.<br /><P>It worked for me. Hope it saves someone the anguish, or having to find a pile of clothes or blanket in which to hide the vibrating iPhone. Read the comments in the <a href="http://seogadget.co.uk/iphone-display-blank-screen/">link</a> to amuse yourself :)Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-61187966369874657812009-08-06T14:57:00.000+08:002009-08-06T20:43:18.619+08:00How to explain yourself when asked about abortion<p>I've been intrigued by the whole abortion-prolife businesss since I first encountered it in 2003. At that point of time I was nominally Catholic, and held the view that choice is good, very good indeed, for a woman to choose whether she wants to abort her child or not. <span style="font-style: italic;">"Who's the state to say whether a woman should have a child or not?"</span>. I was also, at the same time and unsurprisingly, a nihilist. This learning about the arguments of prolife movement, based on natural law and then from the point of view of the Catholic Church, kind of "brought me back" to rediscover the joy of life within the Church. Hence this topic holds a special place in my heart.<br /></p><p>It's July 30th when I began writing this. Not a particularly special day, but as I helped some friends to find facts to prepare a prolife presentation, I realize that despite a mountain of information available about abortion -- from both its advocates and from those who says it is a mortal sin, I haven't found one that summarizes it comprehensively. I suppose sometimes it seems too much to compress thousands of years of learning that support some of the arguments brought forth by its most vocal defender, the Catholic Church.<br /></p><p>So I'm going to attempt to write a little bit more systematically, specifically about why abortion is <span style="font-weight: bold;">not reasonably acceptable</span>, not even <span style="font-style: italic;">mildly tolerable</span>. Despite numerous 'rationales' proposed by its proponents, I am firmly in the camp that believes that it is an atrocity against the human race.<br /></p><p>One last note: this is not meant as an attempt to 'win' anyone over. My treatment of the subject of abortion will spread over many areas but I will not elaborate too much, since my primary audience will be those people who *already* believe that abortion is wrong, but need a quick primer in articulating *why* exactly it is wrong, and how to answer common straw-fish arguments thrown by 'the other side' about any possibly good reason to support abortion.<br /><P>So here we go; below are the common polemical arguments presented from the Pro-Choice Camp:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. Fetus != Baby </span><br />I'll <a href="http://www.paternityangel.com/PicsAndPhotos/FoetalDevelop/1stTrimester.htm">let the pictures speak for themselves</a>. Within a few weeks, possibly before the woman realizes she is pregnant, what is growing in her womb is not a blob of cells. There is no logical or mythical line that a fetus must cross in order to become a baby. You want to talk about dependence? Then most kids don't cross that line until they go to college!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Fetus != Person, therefore it has no protection of a person under the law </span><br />There's no logical 'beginning' of a person before or after fertilization. A day-old baby is the same person as he was a day before his birth, the same person as he was 2 days before his birth, and so on, until we come to a logical beginning, which is fertilization. During fertilization, a new creature with a complete set of DNA is created - even as a single-celled organism before the cells multiply. <br />Historically, personhood doesn't begin until after the person is born -- like in Roman times, when the father has to 'lift up' the baby to proclaim it as his son, if not, to reject it.<br />Philosophically, that's bosh. We've established that the fetus is a baby, and that baby is the same person, before and after birth. That baby cannot, at some point of time within its mother's womb, suddenly become a rabbit or a bird at birth. A human fetus grows to be a human person. A Person has human rights. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. It's just a blob of cells, a part of a woman's body; she decides what she can do with her body.</span><br />Yes, a woman, or any free person for that matter, has the right to do what she wants to do with her body. A fetus isn't a part of a woman's body the way an arm or an eye is.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. It's just a blob of cells; it's not murder. </span><br />We've established that the fetus is a baby, and a person. Premeditated, deliberate, involuntary termination of a person's life, in any sense, is murder. There's a law protecting the eggs of a bald eagle. Clearly, everybody knows that destroying an egg of a bald eagle destroys one more eagle. That which is growing in a pregnant woman's womb, is a baby. Clearly, to destroy it is to kill one more person.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5. Every child a wanted child</span> <br />Boy, this is a slogan from the Clinton era. Pregnancy is never accidental, just as sex is never accidental. Pregnancy is an intended end of sex, biologically speaking. Every couple who has sex should keep in mind that their action indicates biologically that they want to conceive a child.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">6. Abortion is a healthcare right, a woman's right</span> <br />Several movements have begun to push for abortion to be proclaimed as a woman's right, cleverly stowed under the slogan of women's healthcare – which has become synonymous with abortion and contraception. Pregnancy is not a disease. Human rights can never, ever, include rights that deprive another of his basic human rights. Even in the case of a pregnancy that "endangers" the health of the mother, abortion is still not a right - it is only a tolerably evil consequence of saving the life of the mother. (<span style="font-style:italic;">More about this myth of dangerous pregnancy</span>: only in very rare conditions make pregnancy hazardous to a woman, which are certainly not present in the majority of abortion-for-health cases)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">7. Abortion should be 'safe, legal and rare' </span><br />Another Clintonesque legacy. Stats showed that abortion numbers spiked during the Clinton years. Relative safety, legal status and easy availability (sometimes subsidized or covered by insurance) does not exactly discourage its practice, you see.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">8. Abortion has helped curb crime in dangerous neighborhood</span><br />There is higher density of abortion clinics at poorer neighborhoods. In New York, under Rudy Giuliani, abortion was used as part of the zero-tolerance strategy. It is a form of eugenics, or baldly put, genocide. It is saying that 'poor people' should not be encouraged to have children, and this slippery slope will lead to a situation where poor people will not have rights to have children. Social determinism: not all who grew up in poor neighborhood grew up to be criminals. Guess which ethnicity has experienced the greatest number of abortions? <a href="http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html">37% of all abortions</a> are done on African-American women, more babies (<a href="http://www.lifesitenews.com/waronfamily/Population_Control/Inherentracism.pdf">nearly 15 million</a> -- PDF!) have died through abortion in the last 36 years than the number that slavery killed.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">9. Abortion helps us to be ecologically friendly</span><br />(I must admit this is one of the more 'loco' arguments) Are human beings parasites? <a href="http://www.overpopulationisamyth.com/overpopulation-the-making-of-a-myth">Is the earth overpopulated</a>? 40 years ago, scientists say that at the rate human beings are propagating, there will not be enough food for everyone. Well, they've been proven wrong. Human beings are not only consumers but also producers whose creativity transcend conventional growth projection. As a side point, artificial engineering of population, made countries like China, and a large part of Europe experience demographic 'winter'.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">10. Abortion is Pro "choice" </span><br />When the other side talks about 'pro-choice', this choice is never the choice of the baby, always of the mother. Thus the strong wins. This is pure discrimination, dictatorship of the powerful. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">11. Abortion is legal</span><br />Today, in the US and in many parts of the world, yes, it is legal. But abandonment is not. Abandonment of a newly born child, say in a trash bin, is a crime. Abandonment of a child that survives abortion, say in an abortion mill, is a crime. Is it not inconsistent, not to mention absurd, given the legality of abortion? Have you ever given it any thought? For many in the prolife movement, these laws are seen as steps towards more prolife legislation.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">12. Are you ready to support the baby born out of wedlock?</span> <br />This is a form of ad-hominem attack, which moves the argument from the morality of the act, to the person who defends or opposes it. In reality, the Catholic Church, being one of the most vocal opponents of abortion, is also the greatest provider of social & medical service in the US (and I suspect in many other countries as well). She walks the talk.<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">13. Prevention is better than cure.</span><br />#1 – Abortion is NOT a disease!<br />#2 – Stats show that free availability of contraception does not correspond to lower rate of abortion. It stands to reason that increased false sense of security gave rise to promiscuousness.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">14. Morning-after pills are not the same as abortion.</span><br />Morning-after pills contain hormones that prevent implantation of a fertilized embryo, often given to victims of rape, or those who have had 'unprotected' intercourse. In other words, a baby may (or may not) have been conceived but could not 'latch' onto the mother's womb and is subsequently killed. While it is intended to prevent ovulation and prevent fertilization, taking the morning-after pills may be an abortifacient act if fertilization has already occurred.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">15. I don't agree with it, but I will protect the woman's right to choose... </span><br />This is like saying: I don't agree with slavery, but I wouldn't help my neighbor's slave escape and I certainly won't vote to end it either. Bull.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">16. I don't agree with it because I'm “Catholic / Jewish / Muslim / Evangelical / <insert your own faith here>” but I won't impose my belief on others </span><br />Public square is where faith & reason meets, to throw it out of public square is a form of dictatorship of laicistic relativism. Should we hang our faith at the doors when we step into our offices? Should the Church not build hospitals and schools, because that reflects their belief that nurturing the body and the mind are good works? Should Bl. Damien not have served the leper community in Molokai? Should Mother Teresa not bother to help the poorest of the poor in Calcutta? <a href="http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/education/ed0384.htm">All beliefs influence public decisions.</a> <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Additional reasons why abortion should not be seen as a normal part of our lives...</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Loss of protection of conscientious objectors (eg. FOCA)</span><br />If abortion gains status as a right, then as a consequence, medical professionals need to protect these 'rights'. A pharmacist cannot refuse to dispense abortifacients, and doctors have to supply abortion service on demand, because they are seen as basic rights of the patients, which must be upheld by adherents of these professional standards.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Aborted fetus as a source of embryonic stem cells </span><br />Aborted fetus is a source of embryonic stem cells (ESC). As long as there is a steady supply of aborted fetuses, there is a steady supply of ESC, hence perpetuating this vicious cycle of supply-demand that extols their price in terms of human lives.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Aborted fetus as a source of donated organs</span><br />Aborted fetus can been seen as <a href="http://www.prolife.com/HarvestingAbortedBabies.html">a source of donated organs</a>. And why not? If abortion is seen as a right, and not a tolerable evil as it is seen today, then logically, a utilitarian end can be found for these unwanted consequences. What's stopping them from being used as a source of organs?<br /><P>That's all I have for now, I hope it helps somebody out there.Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-45336191270461123682009-08-03T19:04:00.012+08:002009-08-04T18:36:20.175+08:00Aquí nació<P><img src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs180.snc1/6772_133864946139_645126139_3689953_4134047_n.jpg" width="180" style="float:left; margin-right:10px;">On July 31st, the feast day of St Ignatius of Loyola, I (and 16 others from the residence) went to Loyola for a day trip. Our objective was to see the basilica of St Ignatius, built next to the Santa Casa (Holy House) where he was born and was 'converted', taking advantage of the fact that his feast day happens to be the day when we had a break during the summer course. We went with intent to have more leisure than to exercise piety, but we were quickly disabused of that notion.<br /><P>We drove from Pamplona, and arrived a little before 1pm, and to our (well, mine really) surprise, the parking lot was full and there were throngs of people everywhere. There was a Mass (in Basque) being said, and when we came to the doors of the basilica, we had to be 'restrained' outside until hundreds of people streamed out at the end of the Mass. The next Mass, this time in Spanish, ensued at 1pm. I'm just plainly surprised that the local people are just naturally pious. To come to the basilica of St Ignatius on his feast day is the normal thing to do :)<br /><P>We watched an introductory video about Loyola (more about Loyola than about St Ignatius) at the tourism office, which is just below the basilica. I didn't understand a single thing, since it had the style of Shakespearean Spanish.<br /><P><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs180.snc1/6772_133864971139_645126139_3689958_4479688_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 380px; " src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs180.snc1/6772_133864971139_645126139_3689958_4479688_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>After briefly seeing the basilica, taking a few hurried shots as the Mass was under way, we went to the Santa Casa, which is the center of attraction. The basilica in fact, was built just next to it. Admission costs 2€, and guided tour costs 3.5€, but somehow, just somehow, somebody managed to convince the counter guy that since there were 17 of us, we should be let in for much less. So we forked out 1€ each and got ourselves a guided tour ;) The guided tour really means that our group gets a card that is to be scanned by card-readers at every station (there are 12 in total) in the Santa Casa. When the scanner reads the card, an automatic voice recording plays and thus we heard the history of St Ignatius - from his birth until his conversion.<br /><P><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs180.snc1/6772_133865011139_645126139_3689965_3001921_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs180.snc1/6772_133865011139_645126139_3689965_3001921_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>It was very well done. I am impressed at its quality and comprehensiveness. It informs us of the very well-documented facts of the life of St Ignatius, from the significance of the location of this house and its political alliance, to the significance of the construction of the house (which has no windows on the lower part of its walls—characteristic of a fortress), to the more elevated aspects of the life of St Ignatius, culminating (the tour, that is) in the Chapel of Conversion (the room where <span style="font-style:italic;">se entregó a Dios Iñigo de Loyola</span>)<br /><P>What impressed me most of all is the devotional and 'elevated' style of the guided tour. It has the style of a Christian meditation. In fact, some of my friends jokingly added "Amen" at the end of several of the stations. We heard through the recorded voice that Iñaki (Iñigo in Basque) asked himself - given that God had given him so much - what has he done for God? Then we were asked to 'reflect' what God wanted of each of us ;) Mind you, my friends are exactly some of these pious people who could appreciate such elevated discourse, but the unexpectedness of it all brought much humour to the situation. Indeed, we came out nearly <span style="font-weight:bold;">two hours</span>(!!!) later, having piously (and humorously) heard 'the meditations' and praying for the intercession of St Ignatius on behalf of all the persons & the intentions entrusted to us by our friends who couldn't be there, half-dying with hunger and had a picnic lunch in the park outside the basilica.<br /><P>So far, this is one of the best excursions (not to mention the madness of Sanfermin!) I have had in Spain, very characteristic of this land — both playful and pious at the same time. <br /><P><a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=142407&id=645126139&l=ad324da9ec">More pictures can be seen here</a>Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-82804882118327250702009-07-26T22:56:00.001+08:002009-08-03T19:04:19.709+08:00The changing tide<P>For the longest time, any medical breakthrough achieved using adult stem cells are hardly ever reported in the mainstream media. If it does, it appears under the generic heading of "stem cells" carrying the ambiguity of whether it has employed embryonic stem cells or the adult stem cells..<br /><P>Last week, I noticed for the first time, the phrase "adult stem cells" appear in <a href="http://news.google.com">Google News</a>. Sure the news selection in Google News works 'randomly', sure these articles were not published in big-name newspapers, but there are some differences now:<br /><P>1. The adjective "adult" appear alongside "stem cells" in the titles more frequently now. One doesn't have to scan to the last sentence in the opening paragraph to find out whether it's about embryonic or adult stem cell.<br /><br /><P>2. The article isn't ended off with a 'helpful' explanation of what adult stem cells are, and why they aren't as 'powerful' as embryonic stem cells.<br /><br />Here are <a href="http://www.smartbrief.com/news/bio/storyDetails.jsp?issueid=8C25804F-2ABB-4BC2-AB20-0418D6B5E7D7©id=5441FDE1-31A6-40A7-935D-06E03D19B46E">some</a> <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720163539.htm">latest</a> <a href="http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7015850615?Reprogrammed%20Adult%20Stem%20Cells%20Could%20Repair%20Heart%20Damage">articles</a> about iPS stem cells being used in cardiac treatment.Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-81301862812832803732009-07-26T19:07:00.007+08:002009-07-26T19:23:02.808+08:00iPhone versions are here!<P>I don't know if I should laugh or I should cry... but after more than 3 months of waiting & 10 rejections (for the Mobile Prayer app), Apple finally approved my application. Thank God!<br /><P>Here they are:<br /><P><span style="font-weight:bold;">Compendium to the CCC</span><br /><P><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=321140664&mt=8&s=143441">http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=321140664&mt=8&s=143441</a><br /><P>What is it exactly? It's self-explanatory... it contains the Compendium to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Costs $0.99 to cover my time (for the labourer has to be paid!)<br /><P><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=321140664&mt=8&s=14344"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m4z6NnyO2ZA/Smw5hr_AZPI/AAAAAAAAARs/PVtlLzh5z8g/s320/comp3_2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362724507196876018" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Mobile Prayer app</span><br /><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312370283&mt=8&s=143441">http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312370283&mt=8&s=143441</a><br /><P>It contains 24 prayers (22 for Bahasa Indonesia version) of various Catholic prayers and devotions in 4 languages: ENGLISH, ESPAÑOL, LATIN and BAHASA INDONESIA. Available only for $1.99, it's your forever. Or as long as forever goes :)<br /><P><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312370283&mt=8&s=143441"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m4z6NnyO2ZA/Smw5VtJ6T1I/AAAAAAAAARk/ioKocQwOM7s/s320/iphone_mp1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362724301352619858" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312370283&mt=8&s=143441"><img style=" margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m4z6NnyO2ZA/Smw6hTs-qDI/AAAAAAAAAR0/v90dhIQ0emU/s320/iphone_mp2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362725600190441522" /></a><br /><br /><P>I hope you'll find it useful. Do help me spread the word :) If you have more things to feedback or comment, or say anything about the app, or other apps you would like to have, drop me a mail at catholiclinuxmonkey AT gmail DOT com.<br /><br /><P>More information here: <a href="http://blvu.com/cpb">http://blvu.com/cpb</a>Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-74487280914943826272009-07-03T14:16:00.002+08:002009-07-04T20:05:22.110+08:00In the footsteps of a saint<P style="float:left; top:0px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m4z6NnyO2ZA/Sk308PSCqpI/AAAAAAAAARc/Ud9wfu2z8I0/s1600-h/javier.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 5px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; " src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m4z6NnyO2ZA/Sk308PSCqpI/AAAAAAAAARc/Ud9wfu2z8I0/s320/javier.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354204847744920210" /></a><BR><span style="">Castillo de Javier, Navarra, Spain</span></P><P>Almost by chance, as I was browsing around the ancient bookshelves that clearly don't belong in a modern, brightly furnished study in this residence, I found a decent book titled "Set All Afire". Only the author's surname, De Wohl, attracted my attention since I have heard good recommendation about another book also written by him.<br /><P>There being only a limited collection of English books here, I took it out and started reading. It was about St Francis Xavier, who by chance was born in Navarra, whose 500th anniversary of his birth was just celebrated, who by chance was thinking of becoming canon of Pamplona, and who by chance, is the patron saint of Navarra. Enough chances. I figure out that since I am very much surrounded by circumstances that led me to this book, I might as well read it well.<br /><P>To my surprise, I soon found myself praying with this book. Well, at least, the first few chapters of it. While it is a fictionalized account of his conversion and initiation into the Compañia de Jesus (Society of Jesus), it moved me profoundly. <br /><P>The zeal of St Ignatius (whom they called "Father") was palpable, and his love of God -- and with that, confidence in God -- can be summarized in one sentence, which often gave me consolation: "If everything I planned failed, all my wishes were thwarted and all my fighting were in vain -- a quarter of an hour in prayer would reconcile me and leave me as cheerful as I was before." The book is about St Francis Xavier, though one gets more than a good glimpse of St Ignatius of Loyola, his 'spiritual father'.<br /><P>Well-educated men they were, these pioneers of the <i>Societas Jesu</i>, and it is exemplified by De Wohl's portrayal of St Francis walking up to an Indian temple full of Brahmans, very much reminiscent of St Paul at the Areopagus. Using reason, with fire - both figuratively and literally - when it is needed, or a gentle word when it is needed, he brought many souls to the true faith, a hallmark of all saints. <br /><P>What I found extremely interesting were these two passages from the book, again fictionalized, but those which capture different ways of dealing with diversity of beliefs:<br /><P>First was a lively discussion between St Francis and two Muslim clerics in an island off Mozambique, in the east coast of Africa, on the subject of declining numbers - something that we know very well in today's Churches.<br /><P><blockquote>Seventeen mosques there were in Malindi, but no more than three of them had worshipers and these were few in number. He could not understand it. How could it be? Why was there such a hardening of the hearts, such negligence and indifference? Surely it must be because of some great sin they had committed...<br /><P>"The sin that was committed," Francis said sternly, "is that God's revelation brought to us by Our Lord Jesus Christ was not accepted by you."<br /><P>"Isa ben Marryam," said the old man, "is to us a prophet - a great prophet - though not as great as Mohammed."<br /><P>"There is your sin, old man," said Francis, "... . You are not like the poor heathen who have never heard of Our Lord and thus have had no chance to accept him in their hearts. You heard and you rejected him, you give a mere man preference over him. No wonder then, that God does not abide with you and takes no pleasure in your prayers."<br /><P>"Allah is merciful, it cannot be that."<br /><br /><P>...<br /><br /><P><i>(After Francis reluctantly left these two Muslims to catch a boat to India, the imam reluctantly defended Francis' position to his fellow Muslim -- all highlights are mine)</i><br /><P>The Imam gave a bitter laugh. "How right he is and how wrong you are, O Ali ben Mottaleb!"<br /><P>"Allah!" The old man stared at him, aghast. "You, a Moslem can say such a thing?"<br /><P>"I can say it because it is the truth. When we were children, O Ali ben Mottaleb, we learned that two and two is four. Not seven. Not even four and a half. Just four. And when the teacher asked us how much two and two made and we gave any other answer but the answer four, he would punish us, because we were wrong. Now if this is right and true in an everyday matter, how much more so must it be so in the things of Allah? Either we are right and the Nazarenes are wrong, or the Nazarenes are right and we are wrong. Of course, we may both be wrong. <span style="font-weight:bold;">But one thing is certain: we cannot both be right!</span> It is not possible that at the same time Mohammed is greater than Isa ben Marryam and Isa ben Marryam greater than Mohammed."<br /><P>"That is true, but..."<br /><P>"<span style="font-weight:bold;">And it so happens that that Nazarene believes he is right</span>, O Ali ben Mottaleb! <span style="font-weight:bold;">So he must declare us to be wrong.</span> It is true that his eyes are those of a prophet -- because his soul speaks through them with conviction. He feels sure that he has got the true answer. So how can he make any concession? By the beard of the Prophet, it is impossible! Don't you see what is wrong with us? It is that we no longer have real faith. If we had, we would not ask him questions. We would try to win him over to Mohammed and kill him if he resisted our attempt."<br /></blockquote><br /><P>There are many things packed in this short conversation that could teach us about tolerance and truth! 'Religious' conflicts that happened (and still happen) in many places are, in my opinion, a little too unavoidable. The reasons are plainly obvious, as stated by the imaginary cleric in the imaginary conversation with St Francis. When two religions 'dialog', each must be aware that a compromise in each other's positions, or tenets of faith and liturgical practices, should never be only a part of the objective. To win the other party over - is always the objective, no matter how politically incorrect it sounds. Like De Wohl put it, "[with them - Christians] it is always everything or nothing."<br /><P>I think it is futile to enter into a dialog when neither party believes that what he believes is sacred. It is also futile to enter into a dialog when both parties believe they are both right but not willing to declare the other to be wrong for politeness' sake. It is even more futile to desire peaceful coexistence without each party, or one, having to re-examine its own relationship to the Truth.<br /><P>I wonder what St Francis would have said and done about syncretism and inter-religious "dialog" of today... something that many modern day institutions inherited by his fellow 'Iñiguists' seem to gain infamy for.<br /><P>In the second passage, St Francis was talking to the first Brahman he encountered in India, who gave him presents of fruits, meat and pearls -- as a kind of 'bribe' for not inciting more unrest in a village of Sudras - one of the lower castes - who had been converting to Christianity in droves, depriving the priestly caste of tributes:<br /><P><blockquote>"Please accept in kindness these little tokens," said the Brahman, "tokens of our admiration and respect and the sign of the respect we servants of the gods have for each other."<br /><P>"There is only one God", said Francis stiffly.<br /><P>The Brahman smiled. "To the servant of Siva there is only Siva," he said. "To the servant of Ganesha there is only Ganesha. That is as it shold be and as the wisdom of the gods has decreed it. But confusion would result if we were to teach the lower castes that they must listen to us alone and not anyone else. We are resolved not to contradict your teachings, wise man from the West, and all that we ask of you is that you will not interfere with pious men and women rendering their tribute to the gods in our temple."<br /><P>(Whereupon St Francis flatly refused to accept the bribe and said: )<br /><P>"<span style="font-weight:bold;">Truth makes no bargain with error.</span> ... I shall not rest till all Paravas have become the servants of the one, true God."<br /></blockquote><br /><P>Indeed. Truth makes no bargain with error.<br /><P>The other 'mystery' I encountered in this book, is martyrdom and the mysterious way the Communion of Saints work. In one of the southern islands of India, as well as in many other places, hundreds of villagers were massacred because they would not renounce their Christian faith, they who had learned the Creed and believed in it for a very short while. A most powerful communion of saints strengthen and support the earthly journey of every Christian, never more strongly encountered than in those who have paid the sweet price of faith with their blood.<br /><P>Another thread that is most apparent, is his use of intellect <span style="font-style:italic;">ad maiorem Dei gloriam</span>. Like many Jesuits I know, Francis did not disdain human recourses, used strategy and never shied from using arms to the advantage. And coming from a military background, he knows the importance of discipline in an army, especially the army of God. This book also tried to explain the only possible reason why Francis wanted to set up a kind of Inquisition in Goa. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Xavier">entry on him in Wikipedia</a> implied that the Inquisition was directly due to Francis.<br /><P>The other journeys of St Francis were described most poignantly. I was most touched reading the chapters of his arrival at Malacca, and afterwards, to the Moluccas islands, beyond the city of Amboina (now called Ambon), to the cannibalistic parts of those islands. To think that a saint had learned to speak my language... to think that a saint had set foot in my country to spread the Faith, and to think that today, the Moluccas Islands remain one of the most staunchly Christian part of Indonesia. Both India, Indonesia, China and Japan, countries St Francis visited, are still mission territories today. <br /><P>Few of us are perhaps called to 'evangelize' the way St Francis did, to spread the faith with fire, but for the rest of us, our Jerusalem is "wherever work was to be done for the glory of God, in Siena or Calabria, in Ireland or in Parma, in Lisbon or in India. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Even at this old desk in this old room...</span>"<br /><P><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=cathlinumonk-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0898703514&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-63903172159887603972009-06-29T16:19:00.002+08:002009-06-29T16:34:39.079+08:00In defense of employers<P>Elbert Hubbard wrote an essay titled <a href="http://www.birdsnest.com/garcia.htm">"A message to Garcia"</a>, about the virtue of getting the job done. An articulate defense of employers - who are often vilified and exasperated by the unwillingness of too many a worker - to concentrate and put his head onto a task.<br /><P>(I don't know why this one surprised me, I guess I need to go and do my duties now.)Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-78969197575385681012009-06-18T23:06:00.003+08:002009-06-18T23:07:45.634+08:00This is frustrating...<P>... that the iPhone Developer Portal has not been accessible for the last one week (or more?!!).<br /><P>I <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/166913/frustrated_iphone_users_stymied_by_overloaded_apple_servers.html">heard</a> that the activation servers of iPhone OS 3.0 have not been accessible lately, but the portal too?Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-77496324022946729982009-05-30T15:54:00.003+08:002009-06-03T02:39:30.825+08:00Tortilla de patatas, at last!<P>For those of you who know what's going on in my life, I'll say İHola! Today finally I had those tortillas de patatas. I must say that it has been better than what I expected: the people, the weather, even the food!<br /><br /><P>My journey started with a bang; there was no space in the cabin for my big fat hand-carry luggage and it ended up being taken away from me. It was an unfamiliar thing to me because: (1) I never carried a handcarry bag that is so fat that there was no space in the cabin for it, (2) I never carried anything remotely important for my life in a small luggage, (3) I never expected to lose sight of it for more than the duration of the flight. So I arrived at Madrid a little sleepy after a transit in London. Sans luggage. On top of that I lost the little baggage tag that was given to me in exchange of the custody of my handcarry luggage. Inside was my university certificate and birth certificate... Oh mother, pray for us!<br /><br /><P>After a little dilly-dallying and a mad dash for the almost-lunchtime Mass, I decided to proceed to my final destination sans luggage. That same day I took the bus to Pamplona, and would have slept throughout the 5-hour journey if not for the fact that I was carrying my last possessions on earth in a knapsack and that we had to stop and change bus halfway through the route.<br /><br /><P>Soon after I came to the warm embrace of those who picked me up that rainy freezing night in Pamplona. What their names are, I don't recall. Only that there was a Honduran... and that they thought I was a doctor... I fell asleep soon after. <br /><br /><P><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day #1</span>: The day began with a meditation about the feast of the Visitation of Our Lady. That's about all I caught. I felt a kind of panic surging, a voice screaming, What the hell am I doing here? before reason took over and calmed me down.<br /><br /><P>Did you know that in most towns here you can only exchange US dollars for euros? I had half-suspected it but was too tired, back in Singapore, to realize I should not have carried singapore dollars with me... Bought myself <span style="font-style:italic;">los necesarios</span>, amongst which was a little UK-to-Spain adapter for the computer. Unlike the train in Germany, (and like the rest of the world), it seems like you have to pay to take the train and buses.. and I got myself a bus card and a local SIM card.<br /><br /><P>After calling the airlines' lost baggage counter, finally I heard news that my checked-in luggage arrived this morning. I spent the day replying to my emails, reassuring everybody I was not lost in the middle of Spanish prairies, but merely incommunicado because the phone charger was in the handcarry luggage. After a day reading Spanish and listening to 30+ Spanish girls talking at the top of their voice, I retired with a headache.<br /><br /><P>Just before dinner, I was informed that my checked-in luggage had arrived. Thank God!<br /><br /><P><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day #2</span>: Went to the town hall today to get my residence registration done. The Spanish understood English, spoken, much better than they speak or read. With my Indonesian passport before her eyes, the government officer took my word (a mistaken reply to a mistaken question) that my citizenship is Singaporean! Also, did you know Sarasate was Spanish? I didn't until today, where I took the bus to Calle Sarasate, one of many roads named after him. Passed by many fine old churches in the <span style="font-style:italic;">casco viejo</span> (old town) of Pamplona.<br /><br /><P><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day #3</span>: Went to the university's financial aid office. Was told I only qualified for one type of scholarship available, and that if I managed to somehow get it, the fund would be released only next year, halfway through the course... there's always part-time work available if I want to work... On the bright side, I found an English speaking priest in the chapel of the university.<br /><br /><P>When I came back to the residence, I found that the elusive handcarry luggage had arrived. I was just relieved at this point of time. Looking back at the whole episode I learned that I should never part with important documents, and that I should treat luggage tags as if they are as important as passports, and that I should have carried a slimmer handcarry luggage, and ultimately, that God is good. I traveled the whole journey: plane, train, bus, car, without having to carry luggage, and they were delivered to my doorstep, no less!<br /><br /><P>Food... hmm.. food was fine. Everybody had asked if I like Spanish food. TO which I replied that I didn't realize they were "Spanish" since they were very much similar to what we eat back home. Not the hawker center variety, but the home-cooked food variety. But today we had tortillas de patatas and gaspachos, which is never served outside summer. So today summer had officially begun here :)Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-27399058997374055992009-04-29T14:54:00.003+08:002009-04-29T15:29:48.657+08:00iViaCrucis - now for iPhone!<P>My little pet project, <a href="http://blvu.com/cpb/index.php">the Way of the Cross</a> (and Mobile Catholic Prayerbook), has been ported for the iPhone platform.<br /><P>It is now available for <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312290505& mt=8">FREE download here</a>. (Only available in English)<br /><P><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312290505&<br />mt=8"><img alt="Screenshot" title="Screenshot" src="http://blvu.com/cpb/images/vc1.jpg" style="width:120px; clear:left; float:left;" border="0"></a> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312290505&<br />mt=8"><img alt="Screenshot" title="Screenshot" src="http://blvu.com/cpb/images/vc2.jpg" style="width:120px; " border="0"></a><br /><P>I know Lent is over, but you can always pray the Way of the Cross any Friday, or any day if you want. I know many saints who have grown closer to God by meditating upon Jesus Crucified.<br /><P>I hope you will find this useful!Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-67089188372283920692009-04-14T15:31:00.002+08:002009-04-14T18:56:06.853+08:00A little adventure: porting from J2ME to iPhone<P>Three weeks ago, I began porting two of my J2ME applications, the Catholic Mobile Prayerbook and the Way of the Cross, into iPhone applications.<br /><br />Milestone:<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Week 1</span>: Port to Objective C (and HTML!) - easy & fast<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Week 2</span>: Test on simulators and friends' iPhones - oh no, why won't it run? And there are NO error messages?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Week 3</span>: Got my hands on an iPhone - took a day or two to get it to run a Release version<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Status Now</span>: Uploading to iTunes' App Store ... waiting for review<br /><br />Some useful links when you are on the last stage, about to submit your application to the iTunes' App Store:<br /><br />1. <i>"The binary you uploaded was invalid. The signature was invalid, or it was not signed with an Apple submission certificate."</i><br /><a href="http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1590980&tstart=0">http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1590980&tstart=0</a><br /><br />2. Two different days, project unchanged, different errors?<br /><a href="http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=9167082#9167082">http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=9167082#9167082</a><br /><a href="http://blog.rightsprite.com/2008/11/iphone-buildingtesting-for-device.html">http://blog.rightsprite.com/2008/11/iphone-buildingtesting-for-device.html</a><br /><br />3. OK... all done? Now for the money, wait a minute.. I'm not an American taxpayer; what are all these tax numbers for??!!<br /><a href="http://www.opensoftwarepartners.com/2009/filling-out-apples-manage-your-tax-information-for-app-store-ireland/">http://www.opensoftwarepartners.com/2009/filling-out-apples-manage-your-tax-information-for-app-store-ireland/</a><br /><a href="http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9191027">http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9191027</a><br /><P>Hope it helps someone out there ;)Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-69111883143386565142009-04-14T15:25:00.001+08:002009-04-14T15:30:55.089+08:00Easter people, Easter mission!<P>Happy Easter to everyone! May the resurrection of the Lord make us a renewed Easter people with a rejuvenated Easter mission to bring mankind to salvation!Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-83834567019190915962009-04-03T23:44:00.005+08:002009-04-04T00:03:13.589+08:00Through the looking glass, darkly<P>Tonight I had the chance to stay up a little later and pray the <a href="http://blvu.com/cpb">Way of the Cross</a>, although from outside the chapel. It was an interesting experience as the chapel was closed and pitch dark, except for a tiny light shining from the vigil lamp.<br /><P>As I prayed the Stations, alternating between genuflecting, standing up and kneeling down, before a tabernacle I could not see, something interesting occurred to me. Looking at the dark chapel illuminated only by the vigil lamp reminds me somewhat of my faith. Often, at times like now, the only thing that indicates that there <i>is</i> a tabernacle there, and that Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament inside, is that vigil lamp burning throughout the night. Sometimes, the only indicator I had, that God is here despite, and in the thick of, all the human sufferings, are the faithful who gave witness to the goodness of God by their selfless service, burning through the darkness for the Lord whom they serve. <br /><P>Secondly, the only time I could see (barely) the outline of the Crucifix and the Tabernacle, is when the lights outside the chapel are turned off. When we are preoccupied with our own 'stuffs', filled with the self-importance of our own ambition, we cannot see the presence of God who awaits us in stillness.<br /><P>Well. It's past my bedtime and I'm still out. Enough rambling tonight. Here's wishing everyone a blessed Holy Week ahead! Antonia checking out for the night ;)Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-54327781193202013932009-03-25T13:05:00.006+08:002009-03-25T13:36:43.990+08:00A perfectly ordinary day<P>What makes March 25th a special day? Nothing. A little over two thousand years ago, on a day very much like today, ordinary, sleepy (or stressful... insert your own adjective here) and unassuming, something inconceivable happened.<br /><P>An angel, not just any angel, mind you, an archangel — one of those who perpetually contemplate the face of God — was sent to a humble teenage girl, a teenage girl who had consecrated herself to remaining virgin, to ask her, if she would be the Mother of God. <br /><P>This mystery in the God's plan of salvation has been the subject of many writings of the Church Fathers and theologians and saints alike. I am not going to pretend that what I write here will hold candle against any of their simplest quotes, but I would like to share this image (below) that I found of the Annunciation. <P><a href="http://www.hillstream.com/annunciation.html"><img src="http://www.hillstream.com/paintings/annunciation.jpg" border="0" style="float:left; width:250px; margin-right:15px;"></a>This is a painting set in the modern times, in a modern suburbia, and yet it captures the "ordinariness" juxtaposed with the loftiness of Mary's vocation. Many paintings of the Annunciation reveal the depth of the mystery beheld by their painters, of this divine logic. Imagine Mary as a young girl, going about her daily household tasks, or studying, or working, like what any of us are doing today. And then an archangel asked for her <span style="font-style:italic;">permission</span>—we can imagine all of the inhabitants of Heaven holding their breath at this moment—for the Son of God to take flesh, to be amongst His people.<br /><P>This "plan" of God to enter into time, into the lives of His people <span style="font-style:italic;">in carne</span>, is nothing short of genius. Like told in the story of the Lord of the Rings, it was told that the Enemy could not conceive that the weak race of Man may seek to destroy the One Ring instead of wielding it for their own gain. Who'd have thought the Son of God would take on human nature and lay down his life to redeem a race of Lost Men?<br /><P>The story did not end here. It did not end when Mary said yes. It did not end when the Savior was born. It did not end when He died and resurrected either. It is still happening in our days. Our perfectly ordinary days, like today. Each day the Lord is waiting to hear our assent to His will, and to gift us His graces. And each day we are invited to ponder anew and repeat, with Mary, <span style="font-style:italic;">fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum</span>.Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-15490062118734673762009-03-19T11:25:00.003+08:002009-03-19T11:28:53.972+08:00I didn't know I could make money praying!<P><a href="http://www.informationageprayer.com/catholic.html">This</a> is so OUT OF THIS WORLD!<br /><P>H/T to <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/17/too-busy-to-pray-dont-worry-indulgences-are-back/">TechCrunch</a>.<br /><P>As a business this is a novel idea. Solid business model too!<br /><P>Now, can a thing without soul pray to God? Can a computer pray on our behalf? Can someone accept the Sacraments on our behalf? :)Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-89481658303827178532009-03-18T16:21:00.005+08:002009-03-18T16:30:32.901+08:00Aborted babies as organ donors anyone?<P>This bone-chilling suggestion was given by Sir Richard Gardner, an 'advisor to the Royal Society and the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority' at an Oxford International Biomedical Center. <br /><P>Another professor interviewed, Stuart Campbell, said he had no objection, since "if they are going to be terminated, it is a shame to waste their organs."<br /><P>While this is horrifying and morally repugnant on so many levels, it comes as no surprise. Ironically, the argument of the "pro-choice" crowd is that it is no baby but 'a blob of tissues' that is being removed from its mother's womb. How can a 'blob of tissues' conveniently have organs that might go to many patients on the transplant waiting list?<br /><P>Read <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1161085/Use-aborted-foetus-organs-transplants-urges-scientist.html">the article here</a>.<br /><P>Once the baby is not treated as a person, it becomes either a property of its mother, or creatures made in the lab. Whatever happens next is anybody's guess.Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659673.post-54754305245477770742009-03-18T10:44:00.004+08:002009-03-18T10:58:27.891+08:00Rosary Widget: crossing a milestone!<P>It's always an amazing discovery when you realize someone else is linking to your product without you asking your friends to do it :) (OK, enough narcissism for the day!)<br /><P><a href="http://widgets.yahoo.com/widgets/rosary">The Rosary Widget</a>, I just found out, has been made available for download from several websites, other than the original Yahoo! widget home. Technically, it is a form of content-leeching. But hey, since it is free anyway, they can do that even if none of these sites have asked for permission from the author. <br /><P>They are linked from here:<br /><a href="http://www.widgipedia.com/widgets/search/tag/rosary">http://www.widgipedia.com/widgets/search/tag/rosary</a> (338 downloads)<br /><a href="http://www.brothersoft.com/rosary-202981.html">http://www.brothersoft.com/rosary-202981.html</a> (111 downloads)<br /><a href="http://www.softpedia.com/get/Windows-Widgets/Widget-Miscellaneous/Rosary.shtml">http://www.softpedia.com/get/Windows-Widgets/Widget-Miscellaneous/Rosary.shtml</a> (467 downloads)<br /><a href="http://widgets.yahoo.com/widgets/rosary">http://widgets.yahoo.com/widgets/rosary</a> (4,353 downloads)<br /><P>In total, more than 5,000 people have downloaded the Rosary widget since it is first released! I hope it has helped many to discover the Rosary and pray it more fervently :)<br /><P>OK, here's the end of this short post to encourage you to pray the Rosary this Lent. If you have been praying, please keep it up and remember to pray for me ;) If you have not, what are you waiting for?Antoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12128582802233208751noreply@blogger.com0