iPad2

I think I'll get it anyway, too!... somehow.

(here's the actual ipad2 commercial)

Sold!

Image via Wikipedia

I had the opportunity to celebrate Mass this afternoon over at the Catholic Archdiocesan Youth Center (CAYC, Lorong Low Koon), for the youths and young adults undergoing the School of Witness (SOW) program.

In my homily, I mentioned something about Steve Jobs and his way of 'selling' a product, from an interesting read here. When he first introduced the iPad into the public's eye and subsequently the world, he sold us the idea that this device is “magical” and how it is a great way to experience the Internet. He also gave practical examples of using the iPad and emphasized its ease of use and how fun it is, basically for anyone, to use. When his competitors jumped onto the bandwagon recently and started selling their iPad killer tablets, they talked about how they had dual-processors, included so many gigs of memory, and ran the latest Android OS. They reiterated the great tech specs their tablet had compared to the iPad and other tablet devices. Time will tell whether these tablets will 'kill' the iPad.

However, noticed how Jobs sold his iPad that captured the imagination of millions of people worldwide that his competitors had to play catch-up to. While the competitors spoke of technical superiority their product may have over the iPad, Steve spoke of how his product will change people’s lives. It is as if, the article mentions, while his competitors were trying to sell toothpaste, Steve was selling white teeth! Between white teeth and toothpaste, it is a no-brainer which most people would gravitate to!

What's this got to do with our faith life?

The article which is one of the items where my homily runs on, mentions that the method of Jobs sales pitch can teach us something about how we evangelize our faith to others. Certainly, we do need to know and pass on the technical details and teachings of our faith - the hows, whys and what-nots. But these are not the main first things to use to get people's attention. Instead we must proclaim that Christ has changed our lives and that he can change yours/others as well. Those who are in most need of Christ will be drawn to our experience and it will lead them to want to know more about this Jesus Christ and his Church that have so radically changed our lives.

I am assuming that we ourselves, who are in this evangelizing mission, have lives that are radically changed by Christ, or that we have experienced Christ profoundly to be able to share this experience.

New, Sort Of...

Image by mjdave via Flickr

New look, new feel...

The weeks past has been very taxing with many other work and responsibilities that cropped up which occupied my time and attention, making blogging rather difficult to attend to. There was the annual priests' retreat, of which I was in the committee that was organising it. Then came several visitors from Rome who needed my attention again as I played tour guide for them. They were the rector and spiritual director of the Collegio where I stayed during my studies in the Eternal(ly Crazy) City.

It is only today that I could do something viable for this 9 year old blog which had been with me through thick and thin, with some wear and tear here and there. It is appropriate today for a little 'facelift' and since Blogger had a new inbuilt template designer, it was a good day for a 'renewal'.

Meantime, I finally took the plunge and got myself an iPad and it was an investment well spent! I have been using it for the past week already and it is 'magical' as Apple claimed it. I know it is really a bigger version of the iPhone with its OS that uses apps and all, but I am not complaining. I have already used it for teaching in my classes, both in the Seminary and over at SPI, and it is really a good and useful help! I used it in these classes for notes referral during my lecturing.

This has been a little sliver of light in the midst of the dark throes of problems that continue to hover over this parish, as the struggle to stay sane and above waters become a usual staple of activities here...

It's For Real!....

What I had mentioned earlier isn't too far fetch after all! Be very, very afraid! :-D

iPad?!

Image via Wikipedia

Unlike my fellow blogger over at ruminations, I haven't the capacity these days to sit down in front of the computer screen to put down an entry weekly that would be of interest or inspiration to those who drop by for a read.

My mind, for the past few months, have been experiencing some sort of writer's block that made blogging here rather tedious and wasting. I don't know if I can get out of this rut. Perhaps, forcing myself to write something here, anything, may bring back some enthusiasm for this...

So, while looking nonchalance as I possibly can and without seeing to be too caught up by the hype and media that has been going on with the Apple's iPad lately, I must say I am rather impressed by the product and what it can offer. Already I can see what it can become, when taken to liturgical extreme - try using that as the Book of Gospels during the entrance procession, when it is carried in by the lector, with the Apple logo in place of the crucifix, and used later for the readings as the pages are flipped by the two finger swipe! This is the perfect nightmare for any God-fearing liturgist to undergo in his/her sleep.

What say you? Thinking of going the way of everybody else and getting that iPad?...

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