The Nepa Gambling Queen

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A Prayer seeking the intercession of St. Joseph of Cupertino for Success in Examinations

The power of this prayer has been attested by many.


This prayer is not meant to replace a good review or a thorough preparation;
among the positive effects of praying is its synergistic influence on good thoughts and actions;
as the adage goes: God helps those who help themselves.


Below are two variants of this prayer.

First Prayer

O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino who while on earth did obtain from God the grace to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew, obtain for me a like favor in the examinations for which I am now preparing.

In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked.

Through Christ our Lord. St. Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us. Amen.

Second Prayer

O St. Joseph of Cupertino who by your prayer obtained from God to be asked at your examination, the only preposition you knew. Grant that I may like you succeed in the (mention the specific exam here) examination.

In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked.

O St. Joseph of Cupertino, pray for me.

O Holy Ghost, enlighten me.

Our Lady of Good Studies, pray for me.

Sacred Head of Jesus, Seat of divine wisdom, enlighten me. Amen.

Please don't forget to thank St. Joseph of Cupertino after your exams.

Feast Day: September 18

For more info on the life of this Saint,

click on this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_of_Cupertino

Prayer for the Intercession of Blessed John Paul II

O Blessed Trinity,
We thank you for having graced the Church with Pope John Paul II
and for allowing the tenderness of your Fatherly care,
the glory of the Cross of Christ,
and the splendor of the Holy Spirit, to shine through him.


Trusting fully in Your infinite mercy
and in the maternal intercession of Mary,
he has given us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd,
and has shown us that holiness is the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life 

and is the way of achieving eternal communion with you.


Grant us, by his intercession, and according to Your will,
the graces we implore,
hoping that he will soon be numbered among your saints. Amen.

(as published by the Diocese of Rome, June 2005)

Typhoon Signal Number 1

Turn on the electric fan,

curl underneath your body-warmed blanket.

It's 11 A.M. the clock says,

6 A.M. by nature's light you bet.

"Shut the capiz windows!", your Mama says.

You take another ocular sweep

of the evolving nature's show outside,

that shall later deprive others of sleep.

A mere hour ago, you had breakfast:

2 pieces of Tinapa, sliced fresh tomatoes,

smoking Sinanlag--- why, 2 plates as well!

Yet your stomach says, "To the kitchen get close!".

Torn between two delightful warmths,

that of the cushion, and that of the oven.

Out of the room, DZRH and PAGASA greet you,

Aha! Avegon has new batteries once again.

The kerosene-powered Kalan is set on the floor

protected from the wind by makeshift walls of Tabla.

Your mother is crouched, you're happy, she's cooking.

"Make yourself useful! Pump the Kalan!" per Grandma.

It's a time for Late Breakfast, Earlier Lunch,

and Early Dinner; and the things you do in between---

Trapal- piano, plastic- appliances, water- galonan/balde,

on the chair's seat- sack of rice, in the gasera- kerosene!

This recollection takes you to the future that, today, is your past;

Third-worldly hilarious: when the folks of Pang-pang

forthrightly monitored the weather through their TVs;

then came the lightnings, the village lost its Tubes in the bang.

The comic break over, rewind to the once present of a pre-TV past:

What's for lunch? Pinangat! Kusido! Prito! Nag-aasu-aso!

"Signal naamberr 1 sa mga bayan ng..." per Joe Taruc.

You're done with plate number 1, on to plate naamberr two!

1.   tinapa: smoked fish, usually mackarel

2.   sinanlag: fried rice

3.   DZRH: pioneer AM radio station in the Philippines

4.   PAGASA: government agency for weather forecasting

5.   Avegon: my granny's transistor radio

6.   kalan: stove

7.   tabla: plank of wood

8.   trapal: tarpaulin

9.   galonan: 1 gallon-water container, (ours were the vintage glass variants).

10. balde: pail

11. gasera: improvised kerosene lamp, made from recycled glass bottles/jars

12. Pang-pang: a barrio of Sorsogon

13. pinangat: a dish-blend of taro leaves, chili, meat and coconut milk

14. kusido: in the bicol region, a soup-blend of fish, camote tops, tomatoes, onions, lemon and salt

15. prito: anything fried, ours was usually fish

16. nag-aasu-aso: smoking hot

(photo by: heinzkieh.multiply.com)

BAYANIHAN

An age-old tradition in the Philippines 

where people of a community volunteer to help a family move

by literally carrying the latter's house.

It is the spirit of collective effort.

(photo by: Bulilit Marquez)

BAYANIHAN

During the typhoon/rainy/flooding season,

the fire of communal effort still burns:

to those in the foreground--- Yes!

To those at the background--- not so much,

as probably doused by the heavy rains.

Conjunctivitis

As a cornucopia of images flooded your eyes,
you at once thought and believed
that the world around you were moving.

From then on, you feared shutting your eyes;
your illusion has claimed a victim
in you who did not want your world to stop.

Ever curious, ever naive, quite the opposite,
the people of this Third World said,
"Our jeepney is moving, let's count the stops!"

The Philippine Jeepney

Smooth suspensions?

Climate-conditioned?

Comfortable?

Safe?

Pricey?

The philippine jeepney:

just like your life,

the ride does not define you;

you define it.

Virgin Act