Back in 2003, I had the privilege of attending a leadership seminar organized by Haggai Institute in Singapore and while there, I was able to buy a simple Mercury digital camera with 3.1 megapixels. The price was within my reach so I bought it. It was not just a camera, it was also a webcam—very handy. This was during the time when laptops did not yet have built-in webcams. It was also able to record sound—audio only—if you want to, aside from being able to take videos as well. It was a great camera until it finally gave up on me after several years and its features began to become obsolete with the coming of newer digital cameras.
This Mercury digital camera served me well for many years and gave me wonderful shots. It’s a simple point-and-shoot digital camera. It’s called “DigitalCam Pro” from Mercury Peripherals, Inc.
Above is a sample of a close-up shot of my wife’s waling-waling. She had several varieties of this kind of orchid when we were still living in Davao City. I was amazed myself that it was able to take a very sharp, close-up photo of this flower. It has a close-up feature by the way. I took this shot when this camera was still very new. I did not use any tripod—just hand-held and I kept myself steady. And yet the photo came out to be very sharp.
Here’s another shot of a dendrobium just after the rain—another variety of my wife’s orchid collection in Davao. Not as sharp but still quite lovely just the same.
Mercury is a camera brand name which I think is unheard of unlike Canon, Sony or Nikon for example. But I’m glad I was able to enjoy my Mercury digital camera for a good number of years from the year 2003 to about 2010—some seven years! It’s now part of my old camera collection.
Here’s something that’s really worth sharing. Here’s somebody who is making an impact in the Philippines and his fame is spreading throughout the whole world because of his “liter of light” project. I don’t know him that much and of course he doesn’t know me. All I know is what I see in his Facebook account. He seems to me to belong to the upper class of Philippine society and I heard — not so sure about it though but most likely — he is the brother of Gloria Diaz, the former beauty queen. His name is Illac Diaz II. He became my “friend” at Facebook about a year or so ago because I was curious of the new innovations he was introducing in the field of architecture and how he is helping poor people in the country. Here’s an interesting video about him and projects:
From Liter of Light to School Buildings
What makes him stand out for me is his dedication to help the poor and less-privileged sector of Philippine society. I salute him for his love for the poor and needy. I can also sense his love for architecture of which I am also interested in. I first took notice of his project “Isang Litrong Liwanag” or “A Liter of Light” which has really helped a lot of poor families illuminate their homes without the use of electricity. This “bulb” which produces natural light is actually made out of plastic soda bottle. Many poor families cannot afford to pay for electricity and this “invention” is helping poor people a lot.
And this time, he is making waves again by being passionate about building more classrooms out of empty soda bottles for children. As we all know, classrooms are sorely lacking in the Philippines. I’ve heard about 60,000 more classrooms are needed nationwide. God bless him as he serves his poor and less-privileged countrymen.
Some years ago, we were about to board the plane in Davao when I saw a little girl who took a ride on her mom’s luggage. I thought it was amusing so I took this shot. She must have been tired of traveling or maybe she was just having fun. I guess she’s already a teenager by now.
This is one lesson I learned years ago in photography. You never know when an interesting opportunity to shoot arises so, the advice is, just be ready with your camera and bring it with you all the time. And don’t forget your camera’s settings! Be sure it’s ready for quick shots.
Photography: A Hobby
Here’s another one. Some people may not see it and some people see it. They must have fertile imaginations haha! It’s just a simple lavatory but then again, I thought it was funny so I took the shot. Just be ready with your camera so that when the opportunity presents itself you can record that moment, enjoy it and share it with others as well.
Ever since my Architecture student days (a long, long time ago—don’t ask me when haha!), I have been fascinated with photography as an art expression. It’s been my hobby since then. But I’m still a student up to now—still learning a lot more!
Visiting Angkor Wat was a once-in-lifetime and an exciting experience for me and my family back in December 2007. It never occurred to me that I would be able to set foot in Cambodia. But it was truly a blessing that was so unexpected. My sister who was then living in Phnom Penh invited us to visit there. What an opportunity it was!
We visited several tourist spots in Cambodia but the highlight of our vacation was our visit to the world-famous Angkor Wat, an ancient 12th century Buddhist temple, one among several other temples within a huge man-made (square or rectangular?) land mass (“island”) surrounded by a huge moat (like a wide river) isolating it to the rest of the world. It took us the whole day (about 6 hours maybe) by bus to go there from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap up north of Cambodia where Angkor Wat is located.
During my college days, my professor in History of Architecture talked about Angkor Wat, a great architectural masterpiece. I never dreamed I could visit and see it!
Angkor Wat: First Heard About it in Architecture Class
During my college days as a student of Architecture at the University of Santo Tomas – College of Architecture & Fine Arts, it was my first time to hear about Angkor Wat when my professor in my History of Architecture class told us about this great architectural masterpiece. It was considered an architectural wonder like the construction of the pyramids and the Mayan temples. My interest to see it was even heightened when I read in the Reader’s Digest (maybe during the 80s) that it was one of those wonders that was already forgotten (during the communist regime) but was “rediscovered” again.
Angkor Wat: World Heritage Site
Our tourist guide led us first to the backside of Angkor Wat —not the usual route for tourists. We had a better time away from the thousands of tourists. The tourist guide was really great.
It felt so good for me to actually see it myself (with my family who are all art lovers) and not just listen to my professor talk about it. I marveled at its huge size, how it was professionally crafted and constructed. It was so amazing to actually see the details of it all. Truly an amazing piece of architecture! I couldn’t fully describe it all in words. Our tourist guide was so well-informed and he helped us understand a lot about the place and the structure. Angkor Wat is considered by UNESCO as a “world heritage site.” What a great vacation it was!
The term “born again” or “born again Christian” is a common term used and heard everywhere in conversations. In the Philippines, it commonly refers to Christians who are non-Catholics, in general. It refers to Christians who are Protestants, evangelicals, charismatics and the like.
But in the Bible, what does “born again” really mean? We find a reference to it in John 3 when Christ said to Nicodemus that he needed to be “born again” (or born from above) in order to see or enter the kingdom of God.
The Minority “Born Again” View
For some Christians, they interpret “born again” to mean as that time in the future at the second coming of Christ (at the resurrection) when those who belong to Christ will be changed into spirit beings — from mortal to immortal. That, for them is to be “born again.” It is something in the future, yet to happen, at the resurrection, at Christ’s second coming. Of course, not all Christians believe in this interpretation of John 3. This is a minority view.
The Common “Born Again” View
For Christians in general, “born again” refers to that point in time in their lives when they accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. It’s that point in time when they were “saved,” when they believed and/or when they got baptized. This is the general understanding of many evangelicals or “born again Christians” when they talk about being “born again.” To them, it simply means a time when one is considered a Christian. It’s that point in time when they “accepted Christ” and were “saved.” It’s that time when they got “converted.” I have no problem with this common understanding and use of this “born again” terminology in general.
The Broader “Born Again” View
“Christ in our place and Christ for us in every respect” —Thomas F. Torrance
But there’s something more that really intrigued and fascinated me when I first learned about it from a great theologian. It has broadened my understanding of what it means to be “born again.” According to theologian Thomas F. Torrance in his book, Mediation of Christ on pages 85-86 he wrote:
“…a highlander asked me whether I was born again, and when I replied in the affirmative he asked when I had been born again. I still recall his face when I told him that I had been born again when Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary and rose again from the virgin tomb, the first-born from the dead.”
For Torrance, we became “born again” when Christ was born in Bethlehem (the incarnation) and when he rose again from the tomb (resurrection). As our representative and substitute—in his vicarious humanity—all of humanity has been implicated in Christ’s incarnation and resurrection. That’s when we were “born again” according to Torrance.
Born Again: Objective and Subjective Truth
I now therefore understand the term “born again” not only in the subjective, personal sense (which the common view) but also in the objective, universal sense. Yes, objectively I was “born again” through Christ and in Christ some 2,000 years ago. And yes, subjectively and personally, I was “born again” when I “accepted Jesus Christ” as my personal Savior a few decades ago.
This is now my understanding of being born again or being born from above.
