Wednesday, August 27, 2008
E
Back in high school, I have this witty seatmate in senior year, Edelweiss. And half of the time, Edel and I don’t listen to the teacher’s many pwents. Instead, we tried to figure out the pronunciation of some US states but we never got Maine. And we sang Eraserheads songs. This brings me to the band’s reunion concert scheduled on August 30. They released the tickets two days before the concert. The original organizer (alliteration intended) backed out a week before the concert (which was initially planned to be an invitation only affair). Everything I know about the concert is from a Pinoyexchange forum. Now I don’t know if I’ll watch the concert this Saturday. Tickets are a bit pricey for an open air concert on a day with very high likelihood of rain. As much as I like to watch this concert, I think I’m just going to wait and see til Saturday. If I won’t be able to go to the concert, I think it won’t lessen the impact of these former college boys’ lyrics on my senior year. Or maybe I’ll just buy a CD.
Monday, August 25, 2008
happy on the job
Being happy on the job, sounds like an oxymoron these days especially if you are plagued by deadlines and faced with difficult situations. But I realized that it depends on who I think my boss is. With impeccable timing, I came across this verse.
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you serving the Lord, not men. And that is something that I should keep in mind always. And not only when I feel like it.
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you serving the Lord, not men. And that is something that I should keep in mind always. And not only when I feel like it.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Showbiz.....................Not
Greg Grunberg who?
Few probably notice him. No starrer with him in the lead role. But he always seems to be there. (Felicity, Alias, Lost's pilot episode, Heroes) Maybe he’s J. J. Abram’s (creator of all those shows except Heroes) favorite go-to guy (they are really close friends). Or maybe I’m watching too many reruns of Abram’s shows. Anyway, my point is this, like your role players in basketball, the Greg Grunbergs of this world don’t get starring roles but they’re essential to the formula. Role players in basketball may not give you the points but they know how to box out and hustle to get the ball so that your go-to guy can score.
Big or small role. Each of us has a role. I found a role we all should have in Matthew 5:13-16.
Few probably notice him. No starrer with him in the lead role. But he always seems to be there. (Felicity, Alias, Lost's pilot episode, Heroes) Maybe he’s J. J. Abram’s (creator of all those shows except Heroes) favorite go-to guy (they are really close friends). Or maybe I’m watching too many reruns of Abram’s shows. Anyway, my point is this, like your role players in basketball, the Greg Grunbergs of this world don’t get starring roles but they’re essential to the formula. Role players in basketball may not give you the points but they know how to box out and hustle to get the ball so that your go-to guy can score.
Big or small role. Each of us has a role. I found a role we all should have in Matthew 5:13-16.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
money for food
I was surprised to learn that India, the second most populous country in the world, just got their first individual gold in the Olympics. So yes, it’s not really the number of people you have (but of course it doesn’t hurt that you have a big pool of talent.) China and US being the 1st and 3rd in terms of population, respectively are runaway leaders in the medal tally. This makes me wonder how good the sports programs of these nations are. What are they doing right?
The United States, the perennial Olympics winner, has a US Sports Academy. Because of their dismal showing in the 1972 Munich Olympics, the government saw the need to establish the academy. But surprisingly, the government provides only modest indirect support to their star athletes in the national team. Most of the US athletes are products of local clubs and school teams. Michael Phelps for instance, trained in the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Their formula works.
What about the host country China? Besides the mind-blowing opening ceremony, they certainly prepared for this Olympics. In the 1988 Seoul Olympics, China only won five gold medals. But look at them now (as of press time), they have 43 gold medals, 17 more than the US. A revamped sports program which aimed at developing very young athletes and very lucrative bonuses and job offers await the triumphant athletes.
To be able to run 100 meters in 10 seconds, you need to actually prepare for more than 10 years. For one of our athletes to swim 100 meters in 51 seconds, he needs a lot of support not only from the government but from the community as well. But before we can do that, we should have food on the table first.
The United States, the perennial Olympics winner, has a US Sports Academy. Because of their dismal showing in the 1972 Munich Olympics, the government saw the need to establish the academy. But surprisingly, the government provides only modest indirect support to their star athletes in the national team. Most of the US athletes are products of local clubs and school teams. Michael Phelps for instance, trained in the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Their formula works.
What about the host country China? Besides the mind-blowing opening ceremony, they certainly prepared for this Olympics. In the 1988 Seoul Olympics, China only won five gold medals. But look at them now (as of press time), they have 43 gold medals, 17 more than the US. A revamped sports program which aimed at developing very young athletes and very lucrative bonuses and job offers await the triumphant athletes.
To be able to run 100 meters in 10 seconds, you need to actually prepare for more than 10 years. For one of our athletes to swim 100 meters in 51 seconds, he needs a lot of support not only from the government but from the community as well. But before we can do that, we should have food on the table first.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
bittersweet facts
How sad it is that…..
- Only when you come to face to face with your mortality that you begin to appreciate your life
- Only when something is taken away from you, that you learn to appreciate its value
- Only when you see people who are in worse conditions than you are, you learn to appreciate the blessings that you have
- Only when you get to the other side of the fence that you realize the grass is not really greener there
- Only when you are in dire straits that you remember to run to God
Monday, August 11, 2008
a prayer
I forgot how I came across this prayer but it has struck a very sensitive chord in me....
Lord, we pray that we shall never judge a brother's actions until we know his motives. It is better to err on the side of charity than to misjudge anyone. Remind us that the faults we see in others' lives are sometimes true of us. May our expectation of others be tempered by an awareness of our own weakness. Lord, help us to lovingly build up one another and show kindness for your honor and glory.
Lord, we pray that we shall never judge a brother's actions until we know his motives. It is better to err on the side of charity than to misjudge anyone. Remind us that the faults we see in others' lives are sometimes true of us. May our expectation of others be tempered by an awareness of our own weakness. Lord, help us to lovingly build up one another and show kindness for your honor and glory.
olympicware
Olympic fever is on. And I've caught some. I have some “hard to find” Olympicware from McDonald's and from one of China’s Special Administrative Region that’s not Macau. (just trying to force some China connection in this sentence) They say that this year's opening ceremony is the best ever. Well, considering that this is the most expensive Summer Games so far. Dapat lang. Anyway, I saw some parts of the opening ceremonies on TV. And I really like what I saw.
There were some rumors of a specially trained panda lighting the torch. The real thing didn’t disappoint though. The lighting of the torch was pretty amazing. A Chinese athlete from yesteryears (who owns a sports apparel company Li Ning) lit the torch. He was hoisted by a cable and he glided on the wall of the Bird's nest (actually he was seemingly running perpendicular to a wall that is vertical of course) while video clips of the torch’s eventful world tour are being shown. I heard that Li Ning’s company's net worth shoot up because of his appearance in the opening ceremony.
I’m trying to get a copy of the opening celebration. After seeing the pictures of the other performances, I want to see the entire ceremony because China’s coming out party turns out to be quite a party.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
stretches
Wala Maobra nga Tawo
When my mind wanders, I come up with these “stretches” of analogies or word plays. The first two are somewhat indirect opposites. The third one is pretty straightforward. Go figure.
Bright Dame (movie with a double)
Lousy Bridge (landmark)
Black Spice Midday Meal (dining place)
When my mind wanders, I come up with these “stretches” of analogies or word plays. The first two are somewhat indirect opposites. The third one is pretty straightforward. Go figure.
Bright Dame (movie with a double)
Lousy Bridge (landmark)
Black Spice Midday Meal (dining place)
Monday, August 4, 2008
my small flat world
I’ve been working on this miniaturization project (you’ll find out later) and with the help of a person I haven’t seen yet. I found some newfound friends whom I think I’ve lost contact with. Here’s the picture and the story….
Last April, I met some very friendly kids in front of the Baphoun temple in Siem Reap. It was drizzling and Meg and I have been walking all day, checking out the many temples of Siem Reap. So we decided to give our tired feet some rest for a little while. We found a nice little spot in front of Baphoun. There weren’t too many tourists and the peddling kids weren’t too active in their trade. Until the drizzle turned to a downpour so we ran for cover and the kids selling in front of the temple were nice enough to offer us their umbrella. So Meg and I and a host of nine Cambodian kids sat under the big blue umbrella and waited for the rain to stop. While we were all seated cozily with all their scarves, Coca-Cola in cans, Cambodia guides and a lot of other stuff they sell, we started to chat and talk about their life in Cambodia. We found out that only three of them go to school and only for an hour a day with a tuition of $200 for three months. After selling in Baphoun the whole day, the three girls rush to bring their goods home then they would go to school from 6pm to 7pm everyday. At that moment, I realized how blessed we Filipinos are. Despite the many bad things we hear about our education system, we still have a system that is able to provide free education to the public at least four hours a day.
Although only three of them know how to speak English, the other kids still flocked around us not because we were buying all their stuff (I didn’t buy anything actually) but because we are actually chatting with them and exchanging smiles with those who can’t understand a word of English. The kids gave Meg and I, a scarf each. A scarf which they’ve been trying to sell us for $3 a few minutes ago, they’re offering to give it to us for free. We tried to pay for it but they won’t accept our payment. They said it was their way of saying thank you for the attention we gave them. They just don’t know how much I learned from our encounter. A smile is truly the universal language, my Esperanto.
We got their email addresses and phone numbers and I was planning to keep in touch with them as soon I get back.
It turned out that they gave us the wrong phone numbers and email address. I thought I won’t be able to contact them ever again. Until I decided to post a shout out for help in the couchsurfing website in June, two guys traveling to Cambodia in July replied to my request.
A month later, I got an email with the subject “News from Baphoun”. My heart skipped a beat. I was thinking it could be good or bad news. The first line of his email is …..”I’ve found them!” He actually found the kids!
A person whom I’ve never set eyes on found the kids using a picture that I just emailed him. Small flat world. That’s miniaturization.
Last April, I met some very friendly kids in front of the Baphoun temple in Siem Reap. It was drizzling and Meg and I have been walking all day, checking out the many temples of Siem Reap. So we decided to give our tired feet some rest for a little while. We found a nice little spot in front of Baphoun. There weren’t too many tourists and the peddling kids weren’t too active in their trade. Until the drizzle turned to a downpour so we ran for cover and the kids selling in front of the temple were nice enough to offer us their umbrella. So Meg and I and a host of nine Cambodian kids sat under the big blue umbrella and waited for the rain to stop. While we were all seated cozily with all their scarves, Coca-Cola in cans, Cambodia guides and a lot of other stuff they sell, we started to chat and talk about their life in Cambodia. We found out that only three of them go to school and only for an hour a day with a tuition of $200 for three months. After selling in Baphoun the whole day, the three girls rush to bring their goods home then they would go to school from 6pm to 7pm everyday. At that moment, I realized how blessed we Filipinos are. Despite the many bad things we hear about our education system, we still have a system that is able to provide free education to the public at least four hours a day.
Although only three of them know how to speak English, the other kids still flocked around us not because we were buying all their stuff (I didn’t buy anything actually) but because we are actually chatting with them and exchanging smiles with those who can’t understand a word of English. The kids gave Meg and I, a scarf each. A scarf which they’ve been trying to sell us for $3 a few minutes ago, they’re offering to give it to us for free. We tried to pay for it but they won’t accept our payment. They said it was their way of saying thank you for the attention we gave them. They just don’t know how much I learned from our encounter. A smile is truly the universal language, my Esperanto.
We got their email addresses and phone numbers and I was planning to keep in touch with them as soon I get back.
It turned out that they gave us the wrong phone numbers and email address. I thought I won’t be able to contact them ever again. Until I decided to post a shout out for help in the couchsurfing website in June, two guys traveling to Cambodia in July replied to my request.
A month later, I got an email with the subject “News from Baphoun”. My heart skipped a beat. I was thinking it could be good or bad news. The first line of his email is …..”I’ve found them!” He actually found the kids!
A person whom I’ve never set eyes on found the kids using a picture that I just emailed him. Small flat world. That’s miniaturization.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Pinoys and singing
Last Saturday, Helen and I heard Charice Pempengco sing Whitney Houston’s “Run to You” several times that I almost memorized the song. We were watching a drama anthology about Charice’s life, the little girl became an instant celebrity after Ellen DeGeneres saw her video in YouTube. Charice flew to the US to sing in Oprah and Ellen. The next day, I saw this 10-year old Fil-Brit boy singing Summer Wind in a Sunday noontime show. He won in a reality show in Britain. These kids’ popularity in the international scene come as no surprise. We are a country of singers.
Pico Iyer in his book, Video Night in Kathmandu, said that one of the Orient’s great truths: Filipinos are its omnipresent, always smiling troubadours. I don’t have the numbers, but next to our nurses, seafarers, domestic helpers, I’m guessing singers are our next top export. You just have check out a bar or club or joint (or whatever you call these places) in any major city and there’ll be a Pinoy band playing or a Pinoy singer. Helen told me that once a foreigner she meets find out she’s Pinay, he or she would immediately ask if she knows how to sing.
What is it with Pinoys and singing? Do we attempt to drown our problems in our songs? Or are we just a musically-gifted bunch with so much time in the bathroom? Or we just know how to maximize what is given to us? Music is in every Filipino’s veins and we are blessed with so much talent.
If that’s the case, I may not be Filipino after all, because I’m tone-deaf, just ask my high school music teacher. Maybe I should start practicing so I can have a rightful claim on my citizenship.
Pico Iyer in his book, Video Night in Kathmandu, said that one of the Orient’s great truths: Filipinos are its omnipresent, always smiling troubadours. I don’t have the numbers, but next to our nurses, seafarers, domestic helpers, I’m guessing singers are our next top export. You just have check out a bar or club or joint (or whatever you call these places) in any major city and there’ll be a Pinoy band playing or a Pinoy singer. Helen told me that once a foreigner she meets find out she’s Pinay, he or she would immediately ask if she knows how to sing.
What is it with Pinoys and singing? Do we attempt to drown our problems in our songs? Or are we just a musically-gifted bunch with so much time in the bathroom? Or we just know how to maximize what is given to us? Music is in every Filipino’s veins and we are blessed with so much talent.
If that’s the case, I may not be Filipino after all, because I’m tone-deaf, just ask my high school music teacher. Maybe I should start practicing so I can have a rightful claim on my citizenship.
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