YOU WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED

August 12, 2008

Thank you for your wisdom.

Thank you for your faith.

Thank you for your strength.

Thank you for your inspiration.

Thank you for cooking our meals.

Thank you for staying with us.

Thank you for the prayers.

Thank you for the recognition.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

Thank you for loving us.

Thank you for your stories.

Thank you for the memories.

You will always be remembered.

Goodbye Lolo.

We love you.

ENTER THE STORM

The might of the four winds approaches
Water from the skies will fall tenfold
The ground will tremble
The trees will bend to the power of the heavens

The tempest is coming.

Enter the storm.

SPIKE THAT BALL!

Ngayon lang ulit ako nakapaglaro ng volleyball.

It's been years since I've played this game and high school pa ko nun. Naalala ko yung coach namin and yung mga ka-team ko nun. The inter-school games, the warm-ups and the action happening in the court. I started playing it nung 1st year highschool hanggang 4th year.

And now, I'm playing it again. Its our company's annual Sports Quest and I decided to participate. Just for the sake of playing again and having fun at work.

Ang sarap din maglaro ng volleyball. Ang pag-spike, ang pag-receive at pag-toss (although mahina ako sa tossing) ng bola. Huwag pala din nating kalimutan ang pag-dive para lang mareceive ang bola. Sa paglalaro ko nito, nalaman ko yung kaya kong gawin and yung hindi. Nalaman kong gumalaw ng maayos and mabilis. Maging observant sa paligid ko at sumuporta sa mga kasama ko. Nandito din yung kasiyahan kapag nanalo ka at lungkot kapag natalo ka.

Sa volleyball, kailangan alam mo kung paano mo titirahin yung bola. Alam mo dapat yung direction. Yung control, kung gaano kalakas at gaano kahina.
Sa volleyball, kailangan mong maging matatag. Yung endurance mo on how long can you stay sa game. Lalo na kung never ka na umalis sa court for 3 or 4 sets.
Sa volleyball, malalaman mo yung humility and confidence. Magaling ka man mag-receive ng bola at ipasa sa team mate mo or magaling man papuntahin ang bola sa labas ng court.

If you're a volleyball player, you can compare this game to life (at naging seryoso).

Sabi ko nga kanina, ngayon lang ulit ako nag-laro. At masakit yung mga braso ko. May mga pasa din. Kasama namin mag-laro yung taga VOL kanina. Masarap maglaro kapag marunong yung mga kalaro mo.

May sinabi lang din yung isang player kanina. Nakita niya kasing namumula na talaga yung braso ko at sabi niya:

Kapag naglaro ka ulit, mawawala din yung sakit.

At natamaan ako. Parang bolang na-spike ng malakas sa mukha ko.

Sige lang, mag-receive ka lang ng lahat ng masasakit na bagay. Magiging manhid ka din. You'll get used to it.

Yeah, naglaro ulit ako, natamaan mga braso ko, nadapa ako (nag-dive pala), at nakipag face to face sa bola. May mga moments na masakit. Pero nung nagtagal, natuwa ako, at nawala na yung sakit.

Totoo nga sya. Nawala yung sakit.

2 WICKED MOVIES IN ONE NIGHT

The Bank Job

The Dark Knight

Spent one whole Saturday night watching these two wicked movies!

AND THE VILLAIN SMILES

You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

- Harvey Dent (The Dark Knight, 2008)

BELLYFEST 2008

It was my first time to attend the Philippine Belly Dance Festival - Bellyfest 2008! It was held at the Activity Center of Glorietta Makati. I really had a good time watching a lot of talented ladies and a guy wield the power of their bodies to perform this beautiful dance. The swaying of the hips, the movement of the arms, the beautiful stare, the invigorating music - all part of this traditional dance was showcased during the event. Solo performances were also rendered by the top Belly Dance teachers (Jill Ngo-Crisologo, Gemma Magtibay, Gladys Mallari, Arcel Benson, Summer Allada) in the country. Clara Romana, a Flamenco and Belly Dancer, also rendered her "Andaluzi", a fusion of the Flamenco and Belly Dance.

The whole-day program filled with booths and workshops ended with a grand show featuring the different performances of the Bellyfest Lead Dancers, the recitalists, and Ms. Regine Tolentino.

The Veil Dance, Cane Dance, Tribal Belly Dance and the Classical Belly Dance - all performed with grace and beauty.

Here are some of the pictures from the event:

Veil Dance by Gemma Magtibay

Zumre - The Male Bellydancer

Jill Ngo's Cane Dance

Nilda Boquiren's Solo Performance

Summer Allada's Cane Dance

Clara Romana's Andaluzi

And another from Clara Romana - the Veil Dance

Regine Tolentino's Performance

To learn more about the Bellyfest 2008 visit: http://bellyfest.asiapad.com/

SAPUL! NADALI MO!

I was browsing my Friendster site when I clicked the Horoscope section. I actually love this feature in Friendster, since they would be presenting my astrological reading daily and sometimes, the reading coincides with what is presently happening. Literally, as in. Interesting. Sobrang interesting.

So for today, here's our reading:

A meeting reveals a real problem.

A meeting or informal discussion at work will reveal a real problem with how people are communicating -- or rather, miscommunicating.

Sapul!

There was just a meeting recently and boy, it revealed a problem. A recurring one. Lots of them. Problems that are just waiting to burst out because it really needs to be revealed or else, it already devoured the ones concerned, alive. There's no need to be blind, deaf, mute and numb.

So, what do we do now?

I'll give you one strategy: YM STATUS MESSAGE.

I'm sure, you'll be in for a war. So prepare your keyboard. There might be some bloodshed.

Take cover! Baka masapul ka! Mahirap nang duguan.

YES, IT'S MURDER.

Pop.

So I took the shotgun off the wall and I fired two warning shots...
...into his head.

Six.

"Single" he told me?
Single, my ass.
Not only was he married...
...oh, no, he had six wives.

Squish.

And then he ran into my knife.
He ran into my knife ten times..

Uh uh.

Uh uh, not guilty!

Cicero.

Well, I was in such a state of shock, I completely blacked out. I can't remember a thing. It wasn't until later, when I was washing the blood off my hands, I even knew they were dead.

Lipschitz.

I guess you can say we broke up because of artistic differences.
He saw himself as alive and I saw him dead.

If you'd have been there!
If you'd have seen it!
I betcha you would have done the same!

It is a murder, but not a crime.

Excerpts from The Cell Block Tango - Chicago

Yes, I bet you would have done the same. Look around and tell me what you see. You should know by now if you'll be holding on to another's hand or a knife. Or is there someone behind you holding a knife?

Remember not to get your hands dirty. Because if you do, it still leaves an awful stain. A cursed mark. Blood, baby, it's blood.

THE WORLD IS AN APPLE

I played the role of Pablo in Alberto S. Florentino's "The World is an Apple" during my freshmen year in highschool. Raesa was the one who played the role of Gloria and Alfred was Mario. I tried recalling some of the lines and the scenes from play and these are some of my favorite lines:

Hmmmmmm. How romantic!

You haven’t changed a bit Gloria…not a bit.

You’re still that same woman who cursed me to hell because I happened to be Mario’s friend long before you met him. Time has not made you any kinder to me. You still hate me, don’t you?

Well, if you hate my face so much, you don’t have to pay me back. Take it as a gift.

How can you be so sure? When he and I were pals we could go to first-class air-conditioned movie houses every other day. I’ll bet all the money I have here now that he has not been to one since you “liberated” him from me. And that was almost four years ago.

What is honest money? Does it look better than dishonest money? Does it buy more? Or honesty? What is it? Dressing like that? Staying in this dungeon you call a house? Is that what you so beautifully call “honesty?”

See what happened to your daughter. That is what honesty has done to her. And how can honesty help her now? She’s not sick and she needs no medicine. You know that. You know very well what she needs: food. Good food. She’s undernourished, isn’t she?

You call this living? This Gloria is what you call dying— dying slowly—minute by minute.

Yeah, the world is indeed an apple. With its worms and all.

A VEGGIE AFTERNOON: The Rise of the Herbivore

This is what I prepared for my lunch today. Sarap!