random whatevers

Notes: 4 / 1 month ago

The Real (and untold) Story of RMS Titanic, exactly a hundred years ago.

Exactly a 100 years ago (assuming you’ve read this within April 14 and 15), the most popular British passenger liner in history sank in the North Atlantic Ocean after colliding with an iceberg. The RMS Titanic, dubbed by its passengers as the “ship of dreams,” and the “unsinkable” by its unconsoling media, will forever be known as one of the most tragic events the world have ever seen.

My curiosity over the tragedy had grown through the years. And I won’t deny how the 1997 movie had its part (and negate the mushiness, I won’t deny that I did watch the 3d version, just today with a special someone). Through the years, stories of wreck discoveries (which first became successful with documentation in September 1985), big screen remakes (minus the Epic Fail Titanic 2) and net resources have consistently fed my melancholy over the 1,528 lives in that ship, a centennial ago. I was also quite blessed to see first-hand the only Titanic Exhibit during our visit in Singapore last year.

But of all of these, the one story that tops everything in my mind is the untold story of a Titanic survivor, who happened to be one of the six who were rescued after a life boat returned to the icy waters some few minutes after the ship sank (if Rose Dawson was not a fictional character, she should have been with this man). This story was about him getting saved, TWICE that evening. Though that wouldn’t be possible without citing Rev. John Harper, the real hero of the Titanic.

I opted to refer to this article from http://www.sonserver.com/archive/titanic.htm

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If you saw the movie “Titanic,” you know much of what took place 100 years ago tonight, when the ship that even God couldn’t sink, DID sink. Of the 1,528 people who ended up in the icy water, only six were rescued.

But did you know that one of those six was actually saved twice that night?

His story is an inspiring reminder that there’s more to life than mere survival.

To tell this man’s story, though, I have to first tell you about another man, a Scot named John Harper. Harper, a minister of the Gospel, boarded the Titanic with his six-year-old daughter, Nana. He planned to travel to the Moody Church in Chicago, where he’d been invited to preach for three months. When the ship struck the fateful iceberg and began to sink, Harper made sure his daughter was placed into one of the lifeboats. He then began what would be the last evangelistic work of his young life.

As the freezing waters began to fill the ship, Harper was heard shouting, “Let the women, children and the unsaved into the lifeboats.” Survivors reported that Harper took off his own life jacket and gave it to another man. “Don’t worry about me,” he reportedly said, “I’m not going down, I’m going up!”

When the ship began to sink, more than 1,500 passengers jumped or fell into the icy waters. As they gradually drowned or froze to death, Harper was seen swimming from one passenger to another, pleading with them to accept Christ.

Only six of the 1,500 people struggling in the water were later rescued, including a man who later identified himself as Harper’s last convert. This young man had climbed up on a piece of debris. Harper, who was struggling in the water near him, shouted out, “Are you saved?” “No,” the man replied. Harper then shouted the words from Scripture: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” The man did not answer, and a moment later he drifted away on the waves.

A few minutes later, the current brought the two men back together. Again Harper asked, “Are you saved?” Once again, the answer was “no.” With his dying breath, Harper shouted, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” He then slipped under the waves for the last time.

Then and there, the man he had witnessed to decided to turn his life over to Christ. Four years later, at a Titanic survivors meeting in Ontario, Canada, this man tearfully gave his testimony recounting how John Harper had led him to the Lord.

I don’t need to tell you that this dramatic story never made it into the movie. We live in a culture that seems to be more interested in fictional stories of romance, illicit sex, and priceless jewelry than in the real romance between God and His people.

When the subject of the Titanic comes up, tell your friends the story of the young Scottish minister who witnessed to Christ with his dying breath.

And make sure your kids know the story a well. John Harper reminds us of a great lesson, the secret of the ages: that there’s more to life than mere survival.

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A hundred years ago, John Harper (not Jack Dawson) gave his life to be a witness to someone who should survive, and live life with the Grace of salvation. That, I believe, is best part Titanic could have taught (and should be teaching) history.

For more reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIMpXn1Q54U

2 months ago

One event, three newspapers, three different headlines. Subject’s PR, political+religious reality, being safe…take your pick.

Notes: 1 / 2 months ago

On my way to SM North, I noticed this big ‘billboard’ of Coke’s centennial. Quite curious on what it was made of, I walked past the bridge and found out what composed the unit. Amazing! Wh says a bunch of nets and recycled materials would do good :D

Notes: 7 / 4 months ago

I’m so sorry. I can’t help but give some Westerners some (un)fair fight. Need to respond. :D

Notes: 1319 / 4 months ago from pinoytumblr

pinoytumblr:

Two days after its launch, the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) new slogan is still creating a buzz online and dividing netizens into lovers and haters. We’ve been receiving a handful of submissions about the hot topic: external links, memes, opinion pieces, and even lyrics to a “jingle.” Instead of flooding your dashboards with all of them, we picked out a few:

BuzzFeed: 25 Things That Are More Fun In The Philippines (external)

ABS-CBN: Some Think #It’sMoreFuntoBash. I DISAGREE (external)

Junkyardkid: #1forfun badges

Iwriteasiwrite: It’s More Contrary in the Philippines

Dawndie: #ItsfuninthePhilippines campaign memes

Exclamatories: Not that fun?

Marocharim: A jingle set to Rebecca Black’s Friday

If you would like to share memes, we’ve opened photo reply. Also, we’d like to get your two cents on the new DOT slogan. Do you like or hate it?

Notes: 3 / 4 months ago

It’s really more fun in the Philippines!

Notes: 46 / 10 months ago from justbesplendid (originally from hopscotchandgrace)

justbesplendid:

the red one..

Notes: 4 / 1 year ago

The 24 Oras story of Ana Kristina Arce, the Deaf Magna Cum Laude. Video courtesy of GMANews. News feature re-uploaded for closed captioning for Deaf viewers.

Notes: 2 / 1 year ago

Hearing Parents of Deaf Children-a realization

“A hearing parent ripped off the invitation you gave in front of his Deaf child.”

Cold. Really cold.

Narrated by a Deaf friend, i can only imagine how it was like of him ripping my heart apart, whisking away the chance to understand their deaf child. Out of nearly 50 deaf youth who came, only one hearing relative was present for an event that was primarily for hearing relatives of deaf children. Coming from deaf themselves, most of their relatives did not care at all.

That explains why these youth said they were not proud to be deaf when I asked in the opening remarks. As if they want to get their ears out, replace it with something new and working. But we thought of this program for the purpose of not for them to hear, but to listen to the person deep inside themselves and become the best they can be, regardless of their disability.

Ana and I thought of this program, sparked by that one angry comment of a hearing parent saying, “If I send my child to your program, regardless if free, will you be able to make her speak? If not, don’t waste our time!” Admittingly, we cannot make her speak, but we can help her believe in herself, which I hoped, they as parents should have known first. But we understand that it’s a constant struggle with hearing parents, especially those that are poor. The hearing parents seemed to be the real ‘deaf’ ones.

Primary audience missing, but it turned out that the secondary, deservingly needed it more.

Starting the program, we played Ana’s feature on 24 Oras on screen. Had to do it because most of these deaf (spelled small ‘d,’ for now) doesn’t know a person like her exists. Someone who made waves of being the first Deaf Magna Cum Laude graduate of a prestigious school, someone who shared their story of struggle and discrimination.

Then she came on stage. The girl who most thought to be my sibling (compliments, fine), asked the audience what was their perception about themselves. Same reaction, they did not believe in themselves. She later steps down, as the program went, to play her 15-minute Graduation speech.

Not losing its magic, audience teared once again.

She returned on stage. It felt as if it was a boxing match in the succeeding minutes, with a helpless challenger who can only sit and watch. Ana showed how wrong Aristotle’s quote was regarding the Deaf, threw off proper terms, and belted out stories of successful Deaf people in the country. On the second half, the audience took blows of videos featuring successful Deaf around the globe, docked away while listening to Mrs. Arce’s motivational message, got hit with wrong perceptions and got jabbed with truths on seeing their abilities and not their disabilities.

Groggy enough, waking from the long lost truth that was unseen in them for a long time, they finally won over themselves, and believed that they can. The knocked-over audience became the winner.

It was a heart-touching (and healing) moment, after feeling a tear from that parent’s story narrated earlier. I realize that we can only do so much. I’m not an educator yet, but I got to understand how freeing it is for a Deaf person to know and trust in their potentials, and to accept who they are. What more, if given that their first parents would also be understanding enough to believe in them. Before parting ways, we encouraged them to show to their parents that they truly ‘can.’ We understand it is hard, and will also take some time before their parents and relatives truly ‘hear’ them. But it is possible.

The Deaf can - a statement of hope and truth. And we hope their parents would believe in it too.

Notes: 28826 / 1 year ago from albertrjmiranda (originally from cityyandcolour)