Small but terrible

Let’s veer away for a moment from the Ondoy tragedy…

The last few months, I have been wanting to buy a digicam again and have been on the lookout for god ones. 

Now, I am not parting with my DSLR. I love it. It takes really good pictures. However, it has some drawbacks, one of which is its weight. Taking it on vacation and lugging it around are really tiring, especially when you love to walk and explore. Wouldn’t a digicam come in handy during those times? Also, my sister is complaining that  the DSLR takes too damn good and clear pictures that she has to go for a natural acne treatment just so her pimples and blemishes would in no way be captured by the DSLR! In fact, she doesn’t want closeups whenever we use the DSLR!

Anyway, for my next digicam, I have my eyes set on this model.

Canon Ixus 980 IS

What can I say? I’m a Canon fanatic!

But I know that with the current situation of our fellow Filipinos, now is not the right time to buy these kinds of stuff, especially when it’s not a necessity. So until I’ve done what I know I can to help our needy fellow Filipinos and I know I can buy it without guilt [not to mention to actually have the budget for it], the only thing I can do is set my eyes on it!

Omnipotence

September 26, 2009, at the height of THE typhoon Ondoy

PW: Mama, does God love us?

KG: Of course!

PW: Then why are there storms? At bakit hindi tumitigil ang ulan?

Somehow, I find it hard to answer. How do you explain to an 8-year-old, in a manner that she would understand, why God “allows” these things to happen. For children, God is Vitamin C, who protects us from sickness and harm, or God is like one of those furnace filters, who will filter all the bad things so they won’t reach us. After all, haven’t we all told the children that “everything” is from God?

And although we as adults somehow understand it a bit, we will never be able to toally comprehend this part of God.

I guess the explanation that I can most relate to comes [surprise, surprise] from the book Angels & Demons.

In a particular scene, the camerlengo and Chartrand [the lieutenant working with Olivetti] were talking about the omnipotence of God.

“Terrible things happen in this world. Human tragedy seems like proof that God could not possibly be both all-powerful and well-meaning. If He loves us and has the power to change our situation, He would prevent our pain, wouldn’t He?”

The camerlengo frowned. “Would He?”

Chartrand felt uneasy. Had he overstepped his bounds? Was this one of those religious questions you just didn’t ask? “Well…if God loves us, and He can protect us, He would have to. It seems He is either omnipotent and uncaring, or benevolent and powerless to help.”

“Do you have children, Lieutenant?”

Chratrand flushed. “No, signore.”

“Imagine you had an eight-year-old son. Would you love him?

“Of course.”

“Would you do everything in your power to prevent pain in his life?”

“Of course.”

“Would you let him skateboard?”

Chartrand did a double-take. The camerlengo always seemed oddly in “in touch” for a clergyman. “Yeah, I guess, Chartrand said. “Sure, I’d let him skateboard, but I’d tell him to be careful.”

“So, as this father’s child, you would give him some basic, good advice and then let him go off and make his own mistakes?”

“I wouldn’t run behind him and mollycoddle him if that’s waht you mean.”

“But what if he fell and skinned his knee?”

“He would learn to be more careful.”

The camerlengo smiled. “So although you have the power to interfere and prevent your child’s pain, you would choose to show your love by letting him learn his own lessons?”

“Of course. Pain is part of growing up. It’s how we learn.”

The camerlengo nodded. “Exactly.”