It's the Simple Things in Life We Forget...

it's the simple things in life we forget...

you hear her talking but dont hear what she's saying

how could you make something so easy so complicated

searching for what's right in front of your face

but you can't see it...

-Usher

A lot of people right now have forgotten that simple things used to bring forth happiness. That the simple things in life are sometimes the most satisfying things in this world. In an era plagued by social networking sites, the world wide web, Apple products and Android phones, a lot of the things that used to bring us happiness and entertainment have slowly been neglected.

Kids nowadays spent more time making friends via the internet rather than going out of their houses and making friends with their neighbors. If you see kids nowadays in school, when they are on their breaks, they would usually be on their phones, iPods, iPads, laptops or any wifi connecting device facebook-ing away or tweeting away. Back in my childhood days, school breaks are spent chasing each other, playing hide and seek, Chinese garter, agawan base, tumbang preso, or patintero. Now the kids of today have lost interest in playing REAL games. They would just rather spend their time in front of a PC, playing online RPG games, Angry birds, or harvesting crops on Farmville. Gone are the days of bruised knees. 

People nowadays would rather download eBooks than going out to your favorite bookstore and getting a copy of the latest novel from your favorite author. For most people, it's easier and more economical to download books on the Internet. But what ever happened to the joy of flipping over a page (a real page made of paper for that matter), putting dog ears on the books you read, borrowing books from friends and sharing your book collection to others?

Technology may have made things easier for us yet it have also robbed us of the simple but REAL joys in life.

:D

"Mudblood" in Sports

(Mudblood in Harry Potter books refer to those half-blood witches and warlocks. Those born from a pure-blooded families and Muggles, a term used for non magic people.)

Recently, I posted a status on Facebook that says:

i miss the days when surnames like Buhain, Lucero, Muros, De Vega, and Velasco make the country proud whenever they win in the SEA Games or the Olympics. Nowadays, Filipinos are proud of those who win in the SEA Games whose surnames are Hodge, Ellis, Slaughter, and Parks. Now I have a glimpse of how Benjie Paras felt when he retired early from PBA because of the FIL-SHAM affair. Cant the country produce ALL FILIPINO WORLD CLASS athletes anymore?

and another one that says:

I'm not against half-pinoys playing here. It's just that there are a whole lot of Pinoy athletes who are not being given the chance to compete in the SEA Games because they don't have the MONEY to train and the capability to travel abroad. I hate to think that sports officials in the country would tend to rely on the GENES of other races that are in the bodies of those half-pinoys rather than the sheer talent and hard work of PURE Pinoy athletes. I dont think the country doesn't have a new Elma Muros in the making or a new Onyok Velasco or a new Paeng Nepomuceno.

These 2 Facebook statuses weren't the result of Dave Marcelo playing for the Sinag Pilipinas team. Most of my friends knew that I hated Beda winning the championship crown because their athletes are composed of Half-Americans, Half-Australians and a Pure blooded African. But it wasn't the main reason why I posted those status messages. Here's the reason why:

I miss the days when PURE BLOODED FILIPINOS make FILIPINOS proud. That when they see these Filipino athletes compete for the name of the country, they feel proud because they have the same skin color, same facial features, and same language. So what happened to the Philippine Sport scene?

Before, these athletes make us proud:

1. Elma Muros - Philippines' Long Jump Queen and Iron Lady. She won a total of 15 GOLD medals in the SEA GAMES. She also competed at the Olympic Games for the long jump event. STATUS: PURE PINOY

2. Lydia De Vega - Asia's fastest woman in the 1980s. Asia's Sprint Queen. Two-time Olympian. STATUS: PURE PINOY

3. Eric Buhain - Won a gold for the country at the SEA Games when he was just 15. In 1989, he broke one of existing SEA Games records for swimming. Several gold medals where attributed to his name in the SEA Games. STATUS: PURE PINOY

4. Bea Lucero - Won a bronze medal in the 1992 Olympic games for taekwondo. She won 2 golds and 3 silver medals for gymnastics at the 1987 SEA Games. STATUS: PURE PINOY

4. Miguel Molina - Two-time Olympian. Best Male Athlete, 2007 SEA Games. Philippine record-holder, 100m freestyle, 50m and 200m butterfly, and 200m and 400m Individual Medley. 7 Gold medals for the 2002 SEA Games. STATUS: PURE PINOY (P.S. both his parents are pure blooded Pinoys, he was born in Quezon City but they moved to Tokyo and he studied at Berkeley in the States)

5. Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco - Gold medal awardee 1994 Asian Games. Silver medalist, 1996 Summer Olympics, our only medal for that year. For the Filipinos, he is the rightful winner for that fight for the gold.  STATUS: PURE PINOY

Now, these are the ones who are making us proud:

Greg SLAUGHTER

Bobby PARKS Jr.

Clifford HODGE

Chris ELLIS

Do i hear or see Filipino surnames in any one of those athletes? 

What ever happened to those talented athletes from around the country? Those from the provinces who would survive the heat of the Palarong Pambansa just to compete in the sport that they love? They cannot compete with these FIL-AMS or FIL-SHAMS because they cannot buy the proper equipments and training gear for them to be able to fully use their talents the best way they can. They cannot even be trained by professionals because they cannot afford their fees. But I tell you, there are a lot of Pinoys out there who, given with the same amount of training and equipments, can win more medals for the country. 

Here's a link to a docu made by GMA 7's Sandra Aguinald about the younger swimming athletes of the country and how they lack a lot in terms of training and gear. You might be interested to watch and see what's lacking. http://youtu.be/oIJ8tvyUl4o

From Hero to Zero?

8 solid years of ball and his last game was a failure for most of the spectators. It wasn't a good way to end a collegiate career nor would it be how he would have planned to end his years as a Stag. His statistics for the Finals bout were 1 Rebound, 0 Freethrows, 4 Assists, 1 Steal, 0 Blocks, 6 Turnovers, 2 Fouls, 3 Field Goals, 1 3-pointer, and 2 2-pointers. Too bad for him, most people only care and remember the last basket missed, the last turnover, the last error, the last game lost, or in this case, the last championship crown we gave away to Beda. They seem to forget that once, that Stag brought home a few crowns to our school.
    

2005 and 2006. Check your history and you will know that these years were the first 2 years of a 4-peat championship that made stars such as Raffy Reyes, Arvie Bringas, Ryan Buenafe, Eric Carlo Salamat, and Paul Lee. But wait, they can't and will not be able to win one championship, more so, four if there weren't other players in the team. One of those players who contributed 2 of those 4-peat championship streak was the Stag a number of people are now calling stupid. Stupid for all those turnovers, stupid for not playing good enough as a point guard, stupid for not leading his team enough to emerge as this year's NCAA basketball champion. Yes, he was one of the important members of that team that gave you a 4-peat Juniors NCAA record, ending a 19-year championship drought.  He was wearing jersey number 18 then.
    

2009. The Seniors won their first championship after a 7-year drought . He was a part of that Jimbo Aquino-led team. He was now  wearing jersey number 17.
    

It saddened me to see a number of Sebastinos post on Facebook things like, "Ang bobo mo namang point guard!" or "Wala kang kwentang point guard ang dami mong turnovers." These people, sadly, might not even have an idea that he wasn't originally a POINT GUARD. His original team position was the 2 - SHOOTING GUARD. (Many don't even know the difference between the two positions.) He didn't use to care about play-making. Before, as part of the team, his main aim is to shoot. But in the middle of the first round of the 87th NCAA season, he was transitioned to be a point guard, following the unfortunate ACL injury of Jonjon Semira.  If one would look closely at the game, one would see glimpses of his original position emerge in some crucial moments of the game. He won't think twice of going for a basket, a trait common to SGs. He shoots teardrops, a basket not common to PGs but considered one of the strengths of an SG.  

I remember a tweet by Jovit Dela Cruz that said something like a team is composed of members and it doesn't necessarily mean that all members should have equal points. That's true. When they play ball, their scores aren't going to be always equal. And their performances wouldn't exactly be the same with each game. If he really was a failure at his last game, then maybe, Garvo Lanete would have outgun the team with his killer three's. But he wasn't able to do so because this Stag I'm talking about was guarding Garvo like his life depended on it.
  

As I always say, give the guy a break. He played with all that he could. Maybe, it just wasn't meant to be his day that day. You see, there are no coincidences in life. Everything's been pre-planned, sorted out by the big Boss up there. If for that day, the championship wasn't one of His plans for the Stags, we cannot question the Boss up there. They may play with all their hearts and with all their mights, but if the Boss up there says the baskets will be closed for our team, who are we to say it should be opened? For what God has closed, no man can open. If God has already closed the doors on the Stags for a championship this year, who are we to argue against the Boss who holds all of our lives? Every closed door provides an eye-opener for those involved. God will not close a door on you without a purpose. We may not understand it yet, or we are just too stubborn to admit what the purpose is, but someday the purpose will be plainly seen.
    

There is always one player who gets to be called King each year.  Eric Carlo Salamat, in his last year as an Eagle was called King Eagle. Kevin Louie Alas, though not yet in his last year for the Knights was tagged King Knight.

KING STAG. Who deserves the title? Is it Calvin Abueva, this year's season MVP? Or Ronald Pascual, our 3-pointer hero? Or Ian Sangalang who was awarded Defensive Player of the season? The title King Stag in my opinion, should be awarded not to those who scored the most this season but to the one who played the longest, brought home the most number of championships whether for the Juniors division alone or for the Juniors and Seniors division combined. So to you baller number 17,  a lot of people may disagree with me because they have such close-minded brains who would only care for the most recent errors and mistakes and game loss, but there is no other player worthy to be called King Stag this year other than you. Thank you for playing for the Golden Stags for 8 wonderful years. Win or lose, you know where your home is - the home of a true champion.  And no, you have not turned from hero to zero. You will always be a hero, as long as the records of the NCAA say the Juniors brought home 4 championships in a row from 2005-2008, and that the Seniors brought home the 2009 crown. Stand proud, King Stag ROLAND ANTHONY DEL RIO!

photo source: http://fullcourtfresh.com

I Wished I Wasn't Beautiful

I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes words can't bring me down
So don't you bring me down today...

-Christina Aguilera, Beautiful

I wished I wasn't beautiful. Yes, I called myself beautiful. I won't show false humility here and say I'm just a pretty girl or I'm not one at all. I said I am beautiful because ever since I was a kid, I know I turn heads. Every time I go to a new school, I always get to be asked my name and if they can court me. I've won 3 school beauty contests as well, the first one when I was in preparatory school. I was crowned Miss Work (W came from CWL, the initials of my school). When I was in grade school, I joined the Miss United Nations contest and I won Miss United Nations International. When I was in high school I won my most prestigious award yet, being crowned Miss San Sebastian. I was just a 3rd year high school student and I went up against college students. I had the crown until 2009, when I was replaced after 5 years of reigning as Miss San Sebastian. While I was at school too, I had a few modelling stints outside, mostly ramp. Even then, I knew I can turn the head of any guy I want.

While others may think of it as a blessing to have a beautiful face, at certain points in my life, I found it a curse. You see, ever since I was a kid, I've been plagued by intrigues and rumors created by girls who are insecure with themselves. I would be tripped on the stairs by some mean girls who wanted me to be humiliated, I would be pushed around in the school cafeteria or worst, they would try to stain my uniform with food and beverages. In college, I remember a girl once said to me, "Susugatan ko yang legs mo eh! (I'll put a mark on your legs!)" just because she hates it that my legs look good.

Once, when Jeremy and I were on our way home, I told him that there were times when I wished I wasn't beautiful. I wished that I was just a plain jane, with none of the talents I have nor the looks and the body that I have. I wanted to be able to blend in with the crowd, with a face that is so plain men won't stare at me all the time. I hate it when men stare. I find it rude. And he was surprised to hear that. There I was, a girl who can get anything she wants if she uses the beauty that she's been given, wishing that I weren't even beautiful at all. So among all of the blogs I've posted, I think this one's got to be the most honest one I've ever written... YET. I really hated it back then whenever some girls who throw me nasty looks as I walk the school grounds. I hated it when they whisper amongst themselves in the school corridors, thinking I cannot hear them. Unfortunately for me, I can hear sound that other people can't. I can hear even the faintest whisper and decipher what is being said. I think the ability to hear like that was given to me because I don't have a pretty good eyesight. I also hated it when girls would try to befriend me just so they can get some perks from me - namely, the names and numbers of the guys who want to date me, or a certain air of popularity they cannot get if they are not my friends. But that popularity I have is somewhat attributed to the fact that my mom is one popular and infamous teacher at the school where I studied. I also hate it when ex-girlfriends of the guys I dated or had a relationship with would try to put me down with her friends telling them she's better than me or worst, that I'm just a slut who took her guy away from her.

And right outside the academe, when I graduated, I wasn't spared the insecurity of some girls. They would always find me too sexy for their taste, too beautiful to like, or too charming to befriend. Some girls in the corporate world tried to ruin my career, and they have tried to ruin my reputation. There's this one girl who, instead of hating me publicly, showed me and others that she likes me so much. She would always compliment my dress, my shoes, my make up and accessories. But when my back's turned, she was spreading nasty rumors to my subordinates. She tried to make herself the hero by telling them that I plan to fire a number of them for the company's sake. In the end, when I couldn't take it anymore, I left that workplace and just decided to pursue my passion - photography, video editing and anything related to media. And since then, I have decided not to enter the corporate world again. Not even with all the offers I get, I still chose to stay away from the corporate world. One of my former employer even offered me my job back, a job I resigned from because it was already too toxic for me.

My question is, when will all of these insecurities end? They won't. Just as long as I'm living in a world east of Eden, there will be a lot of girls who are not secure of who they are who will still be insecure towards me. But I know something they all should know. No living person, no material thing in this world, no amount of money or career achievement can give them the security they need. The only security one can ever have in this world comes from one man. His name is Jesus. And I know my security as a woman comes from him.

 

 

photo from Google