My corner

Yahoo!!!
All smiles for the 1st runner-up...

Ron and I actually insisted to recognize ourselves after the tournament since the awarding of the winners will be held on the teambuilding of ITD where I will not be around.

Initially, I planned to make a second and final thread about my participation during the BSP – Information and Technology Department tournament Sunday night. I’ve previously posted my advance involvement on the event on the latter portion of my Badminton 101 topic a couple of days ago and I felt the urgency to close the subject matter through My Corner also.

On my way home around five in the afternoon, I was already reminiscing the excitements and contemplating the events that transpired during the day. I was unmindful - though my secondary motive only - how to pitch this blog to my new acquaintances just housed on the nearby building of this compound. I thought that my achievement as a 2nd placer - thanks Ron - under the Class B category, would be enough to perk my exhausted spirit. More, I had figured that the accolades – about blogging - I received yesterday from co-BSPers would be sufficient to decrypt the words playing in my mind. But in the midst of my travel back to my pad, the call of the flesh – no pun intended - slowly crippled my body. The pain drastically enveloped my torsos that practically led me to seek the comfort of my bed the moment I reached my place.

At any rate, I still paid time after our Monday morning ordeal downstair and had not considered procrastination the second time around.

Firstly, I dedicate this post to the hands and minds behind the badminton tournament held at SmartShot. The venue was a good pick and I've visited the place numerous times already. I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude for accommodating me in the line-up despite of the short notice given. Should I be giving the credit to JT? Thanx man. I fervently pray that this subtle act on my part would indemnify me to pay the debt of gratitude for the friendly ambience I experienced. I also wish that this little act of gratefulness penetrates the EDPC building and its end users to profess my genuine appreciation towards all of you. Big thanks again.

More than the clinching trophies in mind, I’ve witnessed the camaraderie amongst the young generation of the Department. The vigor in them surfaced during the game and the synergy towards facilitating the events revealed before me as an stranger. May you continue to advance the welfare of this institution in a fun yet enriching way. Then, you will reap the floodgates of heaven in God's perfect time through this initiatives.

Til the next year cup, folks? hehe.. By the way, congratulations to the winners... If im not mistaken, Robin got all the towering prizes, right? Not quite surprising... Maybe next time, we deserve a handicap of +10 or higher... Cheeseburger... Cheeseburger... Cheeseburger.. Chant with my guys!!! Come on..

Hi also to pia and belle!!! My apology to jean if i wrongly umpired your game with pia and belle. Maybe you could have defeated them in your close fight, right? hehe Thanks again to my other partner Jed.. I forgot the name of the girl seated to me at Tapa King during the lunch time, thank you also for favor u've said to my interest.

Signing-off...

I saved my Saturday to grace The 4th Philippine Blogging Summit held at the Malcolm Theater of the University of the Philippines-Diliman College of Law. I figured that instead of enriching the mall magnates through my impulsive spending, I allowed myself to join the community of bloggers across the archipelago the whole day of 26 April 2008 to be educated for matters hovering cyber posting and the intricacies therein. The participants were a combination of professional and newbie bloggers aiming to advance the role of cyber writing in the Philippine arena. I was even surprised to witness a child, approximately eight years or less in his age, well of course with guardian with him, as a registered attendee with a complete identification, i.e, nametag, like ours.

I felt pretty privilege to see the personalities making a big wave in the blogsphere. They were just ordinary person like me - devoted enough to thrive awareness about the significance of blogging as personal nook, business avenue, and as an alternative for traditional media. Like anybody, they have started with the small seed of passion for writing and have unique stories how things all started. There were no eccentric attitudes and psychotic tendencies manifested in their actions and behaviors. Less, there were no impressions that they could be considered as weird and freaky. Though often stereotyped, as also brought out during the summit and oftentimes masquerade in a covert identity, they – including myself, are just living in the bounds of sanity. Thanks God!!!

Honestly, I don’t have much expectation with me when I signed up for the summit. In mind, I just want to associate with the bloggers myself and to unravel handful of technical dilemmas incumbent with my present inclination – that is blogging. But, I had more when I went home – more boldness and more encouragement to ferret what could be my enormous contributions in uplifting the society at large - a social responsiveness and obligations I surmise. This is not just a motherhood statement, but a collective endeavor in exploring the vastness of propensities through active involvement in the advocacies affecting the society in general.

The lecturers during the day include lawyers, IT personnel, co-blogger, educators, and more. Actually, we had Manuel Quezon III, Manolo as his nickname, as one of the speakers during the event and he was very eloquent in stage and clever in addressing queries thrown by the participants. There were also a couple of opportunities given to the attendees to pitch his/her personal blogsite. Some of the colleagues have even had own paraphernalia like mascot and tricks to promote well their individual URL addresses. Sadly, I didn’t take a step of courage to promote mine - probably I was a little intimidated with the way how their unprepared speeches delivered freely. I stocked myself and I just entertained the idea that I was an enrolled law student at the UP-College of Law – my frustration and childhood aspirations – sounds shallow… hmmm.

Anyway, the not so quite appealing picture above evidenced my presence upon the culmination of the convention proper around five in the afternoon. It feared me a little that I couldn’t Kodak myself since my Motorala cellular was battery drained when I handed it. I hardly check my fone during the entire program for there was no network for SunCellular penetrating inside the hall. Although I had it fully charged during the morning, it slipped in my consciousness that my phone is frigophobic – a personal theory by the way. It’s kind odd that my battery meter is consumed faster when it is exposed the breeze of cooling machines and late did I know that I was seated just beside the door type air-conditioning unit. Nevertheless, it still permitted me to capture my first attendance in the summit but unfriendly enough to make another shot for my friend, Bren, since it went futile already.

Guys, until the next summit (hope still with free food and snacks)…. SEE YOU THEN!!!

Badminton is presently close to my heart. I have been off and on engaged to it for the last couple of years since I recorded my first lousy smash. Back then, my footworks were struggling, my defenses were very flimsy, my attacks were either at fault or beyond the perimeters of the playing court. It was really disgusting and humiliating knowing i stand nearly 5'10" plus the fact that I weighed heavier before. It was a big turn-off for every onlookers and I was hoping to vanish instantly after the game so as to save for more mocking and silly talks.

Through the years, I gained insights how to go about the art of playing badminton. Like any other passion, it requires values enhanced and commitment to excell. The court serves as my building character and my mentor as well. I learned to mingle with people strangers to me. The game itself hones my temperament and emotional inclination. The shuttle cock and the racket become the armors for venting frustrations.

The game has been helping me to maintain my healthy body condition as well. Given a sendatary work at office, I need to involve myself with some exercise to emit fatal chemicals inside my body system. It helps me normalize my blood pressure level and it prolongs my stress endurance further. It is physically and mentally challenging, likewise. It is not just mere hitting the shuttlecock in the thin air, but it demands crafty moves and placing skills. Every step, drop shot, and powerful smash are accessories that enlivens the game for both competing teams.

This coming Sunday, I'll be joining a tournament sponsored by the Infomation and Technology Deparment in my workplace. It gives me a pretty excitement coz i'll challenge my mentors. They are the one who gives me the undying inspiration to develop my skills in and out of the covered court. It would also be another elusive opportunity to interact with co-BSPers unknown to me. I guess, an avenue for early policking in the workplace. Just kidding.

I just hope that my right arm would be restored in its normal condition. I am still nursing some strokes of pain at my right elbow after I had some rigorous encounter at the court Monday night with Robin as the primary culprit. (Casting blame to somebody out of my expense? - not a good idea.. hehehe) And, I don't want to pressure myself with the expectations placed within me, but I just want to play with fun and enjoyment. So to my partners, JED and RONALD, my advance apology if I'll fail you. We might not bring home the bacon guys, but I assure the consolation of teamwork during the game and the price of friendship afterwards.

Sana magpatalo silang lahat... =)

I'd like to share this cryptic inspirational poem sent to me by a friend last night. I was having hard time to connect and interpret things knowing I was only provided by the first two lines. As expected, I asked the assistance of my google search engine to unveil its profoundness. This must be something beyond my mental capacity I guess.

The following interpretation was also lifted from the perspective of silver_bell, as identified in the net. And, if you're literally inclined however, i encourage you to post your individual comments to elicit mysteries embedded in the poem.

I failed mine, it's your turn. =)

A Wounded Deer - Leaps Highest
by Emily Dickson

A wounded deer leaps highest,
I've heard the hunter tell;
'Tis but the ecstasy of death,
And then the brake is still.

The smitten rock that gushes,
The trampled steel that springs:
A cheek is always redder
Just where the hectic stings!

Mirth is mail of anguish,
In which its cautious arm
Lest anybody spy the blood
And, "you're hurt" exclaim

**********************

The poem says that 'happiness' is followed soon my misery...

In 'To A Skylark', P B Shelley says

"We look before and after
And pine for what is nought
our sincerest laughter
With some pain is fraught
Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought"

That is the theme dealt in the poem. The poet gives us many examples to prove that a smile is followed soon by tears. Mirth is followed soon by sadness. Triumph is followed soon by failure.

In the first stanza she says that wounded deers leap high than an ordinary deer. It is not in ecstasy or happiness that it jumps high, but to fall and die soon after.
(it is a broken rock that gushes with the stream, if it is hard and heavy, it will lie still)Only a weak and trampled steel would act like a spring. Hard and heavy won't bent.

Just like that, a cheek becomes red only when it is affected by emotions, mainly sorrow. It is not beauty that makes it so.

He says in third stanza that,
Mirth is but an indication of forth coming despairs and disappointments.
If some body see your blood, it means that you are hurt!
(the word 'lest' is here used in the sense 'In case')

It was last month when the controversial Brian Gorell versus Delfin Justiniano Montano brouhaha reached me courtesy of a friend. I was only supplied with the gist of the story due to time constraint the night my friend and I met. Curious enough about the details, I immediately googled the related key words early morning of March 21 to read it by myself. I was even more surprised that hundreds of results flashed to my monitor for every input, i.e. brian, dj montano, etc. But finally, my patience led me to the direct link of the farm boy from the Ground Under after few attempts of striking my enter key.

The blog itself was a revelation and it didn’t puzzle me how the site registered more than two million visitors in a span of only less than two months. I myself was unguarded due to the words usage which were deliberately and harshly casted. The unidentified viewers are scattered around the globe and the number is increasing with an average page visit of sixty thousand at length of fifty-two minutes in a day. The figures were pretty enormous knowing the Brian is a novice blogger himself. The media, both local and international, already covered the much talked about blog, in which articles are also available on the Brian’s cyber page. Philippine press has placed equal attention on the real story both in print and broadcast media bringing the idea of blogging censorship before the legislative body. I have watched the graced interview of the Montano clan and have heard the phone patch talk by DJ Mo Twister through the internet. Both parties have different versions to tell.

Brian, a former florist, also earned unwavering public support and likewise criticism about the veracity of his assertions. Aside from the swindling issue amounting to AUD 70K by his ex-lover, Brian talks about the certain group named as “Gucci Gang” wherein members belong to the elite class of the Manila. The personalities include Tim Yap and Celine Lopez, public figures in the entertainment industry among others and also related by consanguinity to known business tycoons. Brian, also an HIV positive, divulged sensitive matters like high class prostitution, drug addiction, and how the scamming transpired to the extent that even to the immediate family of the DJ were involved. The socialite Embassy bar was even dragged as a haven for the undisclosed crimes by the pseudo elite class as Brian coined it.

Truly, much has been said about the online novella from the west and the image of the Filipinos has been tainted once again. From the DH worldview then, now a crafty swindler I suppose – a derogatory remark even. It is humiliating on my part as a Filipino that I gained publicity on a demeaning circumstance. While I give the benefit of the doubt to the defendants, I personally placed much reliance on the aggrieved party given the corroborating evidences he had disclosed online.

I am neither posting for the sake of joining the bandwagon nor increasing Brian’s advocacy. I write to save the negative impression hovering Filipinos, I believe that good hearted people still dominate this country and only a little portion are nefarious in mind. These people most often do not belong to the high class society but enjoys the serenity of unsophisticated lifestyle and unsought media attention. A standard of living where fame and glamour are not present but still have genuine heart for unconditional friendship towards foreigners, with or without the presence of wealth or material possession.

PS: If i interest you about this, you may visit the blogsite through this link.
http://delfindjmontano.blogspot.com
Happy reading =)

God has a grandeur plan for all of us. This is incontestable statement and could not be subjected to any canny arguments. He pictures a fruitful life to everybody. He desires a royal indulgence for His creations. Jesus longs for richness and glory during the short stint of our stay in the surface of the Earth. He foresees our existence with adequate nourishment. He designs the bits and pieces of our mortal body with aesthetic value. He envisions abundance of basic necessities for every soul. A desirable life. One but perfect life.

But we also need to succumb the elementary fact that we are not infallible mankind. We are bound to commit mistakes that are fully revealed before the Lord. We create building blocks which keeps us away from Him. There is no hidden transgressions in Him for He has every details of our actions even before we commit it. That, we often fail Him and come short of His expectations and plans. Nobody is righteous.

This is primarily becuase of the thorns under our flesh. A chain in our humanity which triggers us to deviate from the bountiful path He has designed of us. That out of this semantic, we are reminded that each one of us has individual weaknesses and personal limitations. A dark side of us that hinders us to achieve the plans Jesus has prepared for us.

Jesus' wisdom is really beyond the depth of our knowledge. Life could really turned out to be frustrating an even more depressing. The dilemmans coupled with the never ending struggles led us to stumble sometimes. We tend to seek quick relief from the suffering of life. We resort to immediate rooms of vindication because of self-reliance.

But Jesus wanted us to appreciate things the way He has in mind. He prays that we seek His provision first and foremost. He has the complete answers in this journey of life. The strengthened faith supplicated with unwavering dependence in Him is the key to unlock the puzzling quest of eternity. He desires that we continue to strive in His likelihood that is embraced with His grace alone. That we value patience and persistence to the promises He has bestowed upon us.

At the end of day, He will then uproot the thorn in us, painlessly and blamessly. In which, we will indulge the eternal bliss with Him.

I had my first big blow of life when my younger sibling flunked the nursing board taken last December 2007. It was last month when the successful examinees were released and I was one of the intruders who caused enormous traffic at the nursing site few seconds when the announcement was made public. The news was really saddening and devastating. I was still in work when a dear friend notified me shortly, thru SMS, that the result was already posted. I could still vividly recall how a sudden rush of emotions conquered me. It was so drastic that I failed to head over the heartbreaking stroke of fate. I was so unprepared to endure a poignant condition right at the corners of my workplace. I could not masquerade from the discomfort of pain for my sister. I even emailed my special friend to vent the sudden plate in me. I was really so broken.

In the midst of my trouble, I sought the Divine intervention. I prayed fervently that He will give me wisdom and enlightenment. That, He will lift my stumpy spirit and that He will give me His adamant comfort. That, He will bless me and reveal more of Himself in that heightened intuition of stumbling.

Indeed, Jesus did not fail me. He attended to my prayers so quickly and composed my shattered thoughts. He led me to His living scriptures for a better connection. Right at our pad, Jesus moved majestically when I caught myself going through the life of King Solomon in which the latter pleaded for a discerning heart to govern the Lord’s kingdom. Jesus in return, gave wisdom to Solomon and even granted him more than he was asking, including richness and honour. I felt that His hands were really not short and His were really not dull to hear me. He sincerely talked to me completely. He replenished the consumed energy and He gave me revelations more than I was expecting.

October of 2001, already more than six years ago, I also had my faith tested when I did not hurdle the licensing examination relevant to undergrad course during the fist attempt. For few days, I experienced the diminished self-esteem to the point of casting blame to Him. I was so radical and even questioned the Lord’s impartiality. Yet, I came to realize that life has to move on and should not be halted prematurely because of uncertainties He alone is capable of comprehending. At the end of the day, I eventually crossed the borderline of mediocrity.

My sister, I believed, is engaged in a more focused study habits nowadays in preparation for the June examination. I often give her encouraging reminders and perks once in a while. My uncompromising support as brother is present round the clock. My plans might have gone some stretching, but I am more learned in life and have stronger confidence Above.

I have already topic overload in mind - enough to awaken me from hibernating since the last time I posted. Probably, my four-day vacation just gave me the opportunity to once again entertain multitudes of frustrating and flattering events in my life. The boredom coupled with soft blows of life paved the way for me to think intuitively again. Admittedly, I can't subdue the ironies and the very nature of life’s complexities that continuously savor my world. It’s like a shadow that conceal from the radiant sun that keeps on chasing me.

Inspite these elusive opportunities, there is an eccentric attitude in me. I noticed that there was no synergy between the brain and the hand. That I couldn’t grasp the appropriate words to even complete a simple sentence. I observed open ended phrases needing thought completion. That, the delete and backspace functions of my laptop were more utilized than the QWERTY keyboard. That there were more blank stares to my monitor than the number of strikes to each letters. Though, there were no trashed files in my recycle bin, I have mounting dilemma amidst all of this.

Honestly, I refrain from the idea that the zeal in me already started to diminish. I still don’t want to entertain the notion that this blogging was just an impulse or was more a result of accidental discovery more than a month ago. I try to wrestle the insinuation that virtual network is not my vocabulary. And, I make myself deaf to the impression that I’m just one of the wannabes out there.

At any rate, I remain optimistic. I still give myself a good reasoning beyond the long period of silence. I try to consider that the dormancy period was just part of the overhaul process ahead of a more distant travel. That it was a ground protocol and an arsenal in the battlefield where enemies are all masquerading in their own identity. I also keep stirring justifications to rekindle the passion to stay connected. I even embrace valuable insights from friends and colleagues to be rewired again.

At the end of the day, I pondered that there is no hard and fast rule in this interest. I impose the do’s and dont’s by myself. I make unwritten policies that have no equivalent repercussion on my part. It is self serving at all. My utmost priority is nurturing the welfare of no less than by me. No pressures outside. Thus, I could try to switch-off and switch on, any day and anytime.

It was already quarter before two in the morning. All lights were off, the pad was dim, the luminous stars were visible through the windows, and my roommates were still engaged in deep slumber. The battery meter of my Motorala phone was about to be drained and no messages or calls registered. There were absence of noise from the vehicles passing-by downstairs and no manifestations of awaken souls in our neighboring condominium units. Yet, I have prematurely rekindled my consciousness during that wee hour of the morning.

I have done hundreds of toss and turns in the bed afterwards. I went to the rest room to urinate, drank a cupful of water next, and checked my spare cellular placed in the living room. I felt helpless and unaided. I began to be cynic again. I thought of not going to work until tomorrow. I entertained the idea to go home to our province by six am. I was praying for compassion above.

These stuffs crossed to my mind just because of the intensified pain rooted from my toothache. Yes, similar culprit that was subject of my previous posts. The robber of my peaceful sleeps this early dawn and the cause of my skepticism for dental practitioners.

But mind you, I don’t intend to make a compilation of articles regarding my denture. It’s so shallow and I don’t want to give the impression that I advocate much about oral hygiene. It just troubles me in many ways since then. Probably, this could caution you to be prudent enought in choosing your oral doctor. You might as well suffer from what I’m going through because of incompetence and negligence.

I already took some painkillers this morning after some piece of advice from the lady dentist in our workplace. She scheduled me for some treatment on the 18th but I couldn’t possibly wait for that time. I will already seek the helping hand of the dentist back in our town. No amount of aesthetic value could defer me from the my conviction to stop its fate.

Too hostile of me to end its legacy.

I just took few steps away from the vicinity of my workplace past five yesterday when I noticed that my sun powered mobile phone was intermittently ringing. I didn’t pay equal attention to party concerned since raindrops started to fall heavily and my priority was to catch the departing jeepney parked just across Shopwise Harrison. At the back of my mind, I was thinking that same undaunted credit card agent would bother me for the nth time just to orient me about the privileges and freebies once I sign up to his offer. It was also less of my concern if the caller was neither a collegue nor an associate, since I don’t want to end up soaking wet in the middle of nowhere.

The moment I got myself secured inside the jam-packed struggling Sarao, I quickly checked my cellular and quite surprised to find out that the calls registered to my doting mother back home. I was little puzzled since we just had our conversation an hour before I checked out from the office. In a day, I could actually lost count as to the times we’ve burned lines just to have superficial tête-à-tête over family matters. With no alarming intuition, I deferred to give her a return call once I reached our pad.

After nearly thirty minutes of travel, I immediately phoned her sun number the moment I unlocked the door of our dwelling place. Unfortunately, I received a machine operated response that her’s was unattended. I hanged the line and scrolled my navigator to look for her globe number and it went successful. Though somebody picked my call, I couldn’t hear anybody for a second. I was trying to lift my voice a little higher to give insinuation that I'm already connected.

I was getting exasperated already when suddenly an incomprehensible sound penetrated over my earpiece. My mood completely changed for the angelic voice coming from the other end of the line. I saw myself with all smiles and felt energized instantly. Few words more, i knew that I was talking to my Xyrille.

Yes, Xyrille is my first niece courtesy of my youngest sibling. She is our little angel in the family. She serves as an inspiration to every one in the house. A very innocent child at the age of two, she thinks much advance at her age. She loves goodies yet oblivious that her dentures are already decaying. She is very affectionate and my personal errand girl also when I’m at home.

Behind all these facades of heaven, there are complexities in her life that her age doesn’t allow yet to fathom. That is why; I want to embrace myself to the time that she’ll be out of my presence. She is not our possession and sooner she’ll be with her mother seeking employment working abroad. Her parents are not in good terms and it saddens me to hear that one day, she’ll be gone to my sight.

This time, I just want to give her the best things out of the remaining days of her stay. I wanted to give her the utmost care and the uncompromised security she longs for once the rain started to drop and when the airplane passes by in area. I long to give her the memory of perfect childhood, no less no more.

I will terribly miss her by then. I'm clueless what is in her so little voice that makes my heart so big? Sigh.