San Beda Alabang's Fr. Gerard de Villa & Coro Benito

Coro Benito Ministry Logo

Yesterday, my family and I  attended the 6:30 p.m. mass at St. Benedict Chapel at  Alabang Hills, which was celebrated by Fr. Gerard de Villa OSB.  The banners bidding farewell to Fr. Dunstan  Candol OSB were already gone-- San Beda Alabang and the  regular Sunday mass goers seemed  ready to move on.

The choir that sung  beautifully during the Mass was Coro  Benito-- a mixed group of young-looking  talents, whose repertoire includes  songs by  Hillsong,  Casting Crowns  and  Bukas Palad.

After communion, one of the members of Coro Benito came forward and reminded the congregation   about  "Christmas Blessings: Caroling at Salu-Salo,"  It will be held on December 10, Saturday, 8:00 p.m. at  St. Benedict Chapel.  It promises to be a memorable evening of songs and fellowship.   Coro Benito will sing the carols and after  their  performance,  the audience will be treated to  traditional fare of puto bung-bong and bibingka.

To me, it is a worthwhile activity to support. Proceeds will  go to Coro Benito's  projects  for marginalized youth and the repair of the chapel.

Before  Fr. de Villa gave the final blessing, he thanked the congregation for the support for the  tocino and chicharon that were being sold  every Sunday just outside of the chapel.  He was happy to reveal  that he  himself would oversee  the production of these items, and that  sales had been good that they could support 2 new scholars in  the coming semester.

On our way out of the chapel, we stopped by to check the tocino-- too bad, somebody else got the last pack a few seconds ahead of us.  And the chicharon was already finished even earlier that day.

We approached the table for  donations to  the "Christmas Blessings" project.   We  got 2 invitations.

Momentarily Shaken

The car's right rear after impact

I  figured in a vehicular accident exactly a week ago.  No,  it was not serious.  I  walked away from the accident apparently unscathed;  but  the impact on the car was another matter.

I  was driving that Friday morning  along Don Manolo Avenue in Alabang Hills,  and when I  was  about a few meters from  the gate of St. Benedict Chapel,  my car  was hit hard  from behind by a van.   The van was driven by someone--  who in the spirit of  neighborliness, I prefer not to  identity-- whose daughter is a fellow alumna of my daughters.  The  van driver  apologetically claimed to have  lost  consciousness for a second or two  while behind the wheel and  panicked when the van got too close to  my car.   As it turned out, the driver of the van stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake.

I initially felt upset that the incident had to happen in the thick of preparations for my  mother's 80th birthday  celebration at my parents' hometown of Lucban, Quezon.    When Maita  went to  the place of the accident, she was glad to find me  up and about  though visibly   feeling inconvenienced by the whole episode that caused a traffic  jam along the usually busy  road.  Later, I  would tell Maita that I was just  thankful that I  could  make  the trip to Lucban the following day for the family celebration.

From that experience,  I learned that it is advisable to have the following items  inside the car's compartment:

• an extra copy of the car's official receipt and certificate of registration
• a photocopy of one's driver's license
• an extra  copy of the car insurance 
• contact number of your car insurance broker

As of this writing, the   car is still being repaired.  If there is  anything good  from waiting for the car's return,  I  get  to drive  more often for Maita in our other car  these days.

Watching TV Can Increase Cardiovascular Risk?

This morning, while we were driving through the Tirona Gate leading up to Alabang Hills,  a lady in an athletic attire handed us a promotional booklet  for  "The Village Sports Club" in BF Homes Paranaque.

I quickly skimmed through the pages of the booklet. What caught my attention was a write-up entitled "A Healthy Heart Can Be Yours," which was sourced from Shape Magazine, October 2010 issue.  There were many "surprises"  in that short write-up from which I lifted the points below..

• Watching TV. Every hour per pay in from of the tube ups your risk of death from heart attack by 7 per cent, according to the Medical Research Council.

• Having a Supportive Boss. A supervisor who's go your back lowers your risk of having a heart attack by 20 per cent, say researchers at Stockhold University in Sweden.

• Living Alone.  If you're on your own, you're twice as likely to have a heart attack according to a Danish study.

• Looking at the Bright Side.  Seeing the glass as half full reduces your risk of developing heart disease by 9 per cent a study in Circulation showed.

• Losing Sleep.  People who log six hours or less per night are 18 per cent more likely to have  heart problems, say researches from Brigham and Women's Hospital in  Boston.

I certainly agree on these points, specifically about watching TV.  I  spend more time before the computer now, which actually could be another source of  cardiovascular risk.   Come to think of it,  that would  be a good topic for another article.