Serna: Prayer, Instagram, help during earthquakes

LAST Monday morning while still feeling the earthquake aftershocks from time to time, I hastily made three Facebook posts as a stress reliever of sorts and also to share them with Facebook friends who might have the same predicament that very moment.

In my first post, I asked the reader: “(Are you in) need to calm your fears? Need to relieve your stress? Need to cling to something in these uncertain times? Pray! Haven’t done it since? Then start—now!”

I tried to inject humor in my second post as I narrated how I tried to control myself from running out of the office after a stronger tremor shook the place and how glad I was that my feet did not contradict my decision to stay put.

All this time, an officemate was playing Christmas songs by Josh Groban and Charlotte Church on her computer. At other times, I would request her to lower the volume, not because I’m killjoy or something but because I usually start listening to Christmas songs on the first day of December while feeling the chill of the cold air brought about by the season.

That time, though, I allowed the Christmas songs to fill the air, which inspired me to post my third musing about my practice regarding Christmas songs and the reason why I took an exception that one time. Doing so, the songs sort of gave me hope that there is a silver lining behind these times of fear, doubts and uncertainties.

I closed the third post with an advance Christmas greeting. Needless to say, the posts received various “likes” from friends. Not really that much but encouraging, nonetheless.

Some even gave a piece of their mind regarding the topics. For those who took their time to click the “like” button and even went further as to construct short comments, thank you very much. The gestures are highly appreciated now more than ever. God bless you all!

***

Although it’s a little bit taxing to be sitting as a judge in a competition in which the contestants are mostly, if not all, high caliber. However, it also gives me a sense of confidence, first for having been entrusted with the job, and for being instrumental in choosing the best from the lot, in giving him or her the boost for doing his/her craft well and also in giving the others the time to self-evaluate and to improve on their craft.

Just this month, I sat in at least two talent competitions. First was the Halad-Biritan Singing Contest in the City of Naga right on the eve of its annual fiesta.

Second was the Little Mr. & Ms. Chicky Ding Ding at the Gaisano Country Mall last Saturday. Admittedly, the tasks were tough as all the contestants were good. One has to be keen in picking out the flats, the sharps, the hits, the misses and the other nuances of the art.

When I was new to this chore, I kept on worrying whether my scores were more or less the same with those of the other judges until I realized that each judge is entitled to his own decision depending on his own taste, biases and the like.

So it did not come as a surprise when my choices were a little bit different from those of the others. “Little bit” because the difference, more often than not, were only in the ranking so, more or less, we still agreed on who really shone onstage.

In all these assignments, I can honestly say that I followed the criteria set by the organizers and had not exercised partiality despite the fact that there were times when some contestants were personal friends or kin. I have learned to love the job.

***

I salute those groups and individuals who readily supported fund-raising activities either as organizers, performers, volunteers and others just to be able to help our brothers and sisters in Bohol and Cebu who suffered in the recent earthquake. Go on with the admirable and commendable endeavor.

Cebuana diva Dulce informed me that she, Chad Borja and other Visayan artists in Manila are also organizing a fund-raising show for the same beneficiaries. In the meantime, let’s do our share. Our efforts will not go unnoticed by the One Above.

***

Let me wish Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2013 Ariella Arida all the best as she competes with all the beautiful women in the Miss Universe beauty competition in Moscow, Russia come Nov. 9.

Don’t be pressured. Rather, enjoy the moment and the experience. Those are the words expressed by beauty queens who made their marks in their respective “assignments.”

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