PROFESSIONALISM

Juan Manuel Marquez arrived today to help promote his upcoming fight with Manny Pacquiao.  It is so refreshing to see two professional athletes respecting each other on and off camera.  For too long, boxing's pre-fight hype has been filled with trash talking, hype and testosterone-filled antics.  This is a good example.  Like in the boxing ring, we can disagree with others in the senate, boardroom, or classroom but at the end of the day, let's shake hands and walk away as friends.  RESPECT!  This is what's missing nowadays.  If two legendary champions like Pacquiao and Marquez can do it, why not "ordinary" mortals like us?

BALANCE

The world constantly seeks balance.  In seeking this balance, however, we are subject to the chaos it brings.  Remember that whatever you do will come back to affect you.  Do good things and it will come back to bless you.  Evil brings back a typhoon of "bad luck."  Be careful what you sow.  You might just reap the whirlwind!

SIMPLE ANTI-STRESS MEASURES

With all the stressors around us, we need to be careful that we don't get "stressed out."  Here are some anti-stress measures that really work:

1. Attitude - Bottom-line is that how you feel depends on how you look at life.  Stress is our mind/body's reaction so we can influence this by cultivating a positive and courageous attitude.
2. Breathing - learn to breathe deeply and fully.
3. A healthy body facilitates healthy thinking - all the attitude in the world will not compensate for an out-of-shape body.
4. Don't exercise too hard - Avoid the "no pain, no gain" approach.  Exercise to live, don't live to exercise.
5. Nutrition - eat the right foods.  Balance and variety is still the best approach.
6. Play - As we get older, we seem to forget how it is to be playful.  Be childlike from time to time.  This will also facilitate your creativity.
7. Rest - Get enough sleep and take time off from work to recharge.
8. Support - Your family and friends can help you deal with stressors in so many ways.
9. Don't play around with medication.  Even over-the-counter medicines can cause damage if abused.
10. Laugh - They say laughter is the best medicine.  Having a sense of humor takes the edge out of life.
11. Don't forget to pray.  Remember that there is always Someone who is willing to listen and really help us.

Also watch out for these major sources of stress:

1. Lack of money - real or perceived
2. Mondays!
3. The boss!
4. Demanding clients!
5. Our family (hopefully just sometimes)
6. Traffic
7. The government
8. Media (mostly bad news)
9. Vices
10. Negative thinking
    

TRUE LOVE

What's the basis of a successful relationship?  LOVE!  Not the mushy type of romantic love many people think.  It is love that rejoices in each others' victories, accepts the other's faults and willing to put everything on the line for the sake of the other.  For me, this is real love.

POLICE TRAINING

I was watching the huge turnout of applicants for police academy training and I couldn't help but wonder which among them will turn out to be "good cops."  As it stands right now, our policemen are not only incompetent but susceptible to corruption.  So we're liable to graduate thugs as well as cops. THIS IS SERIOUS, PEOPLE!  Filipinos are not only afraid of criminals but now they don't even know if they can turn to the police for help.  It's no longer just a few corrupt cops folks, but our system of training these people needs some serious revamping.  If the police can't and won't protect us, what do we do? We need to do something fast or some people may think taking the law into their own hands is a better deal than waiting for "police protection."

DRAGON BOAT VICTORY 3

If there's anything that the POC/PSC has proven in the senate hearings, it's that they are not only incompetent as sports managers, they are incompetent managers PERIOD!  If they really want to convince the Dragon Boat Federation to be under their aegis, they ought to remember that "you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar."  Don't they realize that the more they insult these people, the more they drive them away?  More than this, they don't show an ounce of respect for these people and their accomplishments.  It's really very simple.  When was the last time our kayak and canoe team won any golds?  NONE!  So maybe you can't really blame a winning team to be part of a non-winning team.

I sincerely hope that these so-called sports professionals show a smidgen of decency and stop all of this nonsense and give our victorious athletes the respect that they deserve.  Hey people!  I don't know if you've noticed but the entire country recognizes and believes what these people stand for.  If you're the only ones who don't know this, what does that make you?  JUST ASKING.

WISDOM FROM "EARL"

Do good things and good things will happen to you.  Do bad things and they'll come back to haunt you.

DRAGON BOAT VICTORY 2

Welcome back dragon boat team!  Kudos on your fantastic performance with 5 golds and 2 silvers!  Kudos also to Congress for deciding to pool together their resources in support of our team!  Can we just cut through the legal crap?  I, for one, think that people are muddying the issue with talk of who belongs to which federation.  The fact remains!  Our team won!  They represented our country in spite of the lack of concern or support.  Filipinos pooled together their resources because they believed in their cause and no amount of political posturing can change this!

Oh and about all that team versus team challenge bullsh--?  So juvenile!  The fact is that those "old guys" were able to do what our young turks have been unable to do:  win gold!  So POC and PSC why don't you do your job and implement a real strategy that will develop our athletes.  If you people can't do it, give the job to people who really give a damn about our real athletes. Besides, I wonder where their budget really goes to, hmmm?

I just read that the POC/PSC are claiming "scientific" new methods for developing our athletes for SEA games.  In the article, they describe checking the eyesight of our athletes!  If this is the most scientific approach we've got, we're headed for a medal drought again.  My suggestion is stop blowing hot air and really work at discovering athletes that perform.  For your information, they are not always found in the most exclusive schools.  The strongest, fastest and most strong-willed athletes are usually found at the grassroots level.  These are the people who need your sponsorship.

Be careful what you wish for

If you expect the best from people, they will live up to your expectations.  If you expect them to fail, they will surely disappoint you.  Don't be disappointed if people don't deliver 100% all the time.  What is important is that they delivered their best.  What is disappointing is when people don't even try.

OLD INDONESIAN PROVERB

The mind controls the body but the body trains the mind.

DRAGON BOAT VICTORY

Congratulations Philippine Dragon Boat Team.  You have our congratulations for winning 5 gold medals in international competition.  You bring honor to the country and to its people.  Way to go PSC and POC!  It's bad enough that you didn't support them.  Now you don't even have the decency to congratulate them!  They are not accredited! Again with the politics!  This is sports and about bringing honor to our country.  Stop wasting your money on sports that we have little to no chance of winning!  We need winners today my friends and it's about time we placed our bets on winners!

EXERCISE

Many exercise because they want to look good.  Try exercising in order to move better.  It's all about getting stronger, faster and more flexible.  You can't really "flex" while you're rushing late for work or running to catch that bus pulling away from the curb.  If your exercises don't do this, you're probably wasting your time.  Also exercise shouldn't hurt you.  "No pain, no gain," will usually result in injury 50% of the time especially if you're a bit "mature."  Exercise is also good for the mind.  Focusing on your movements and balance hones your concentration and strengthens the link between mind and body.  And above all else, DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE!  Proper breathing not just during exercise but throughout the day adds to our energy and power.  Think of this as a triangle composed of:  efficient body, focused mind and proper breathing.

WANTING

"Having is not the same as wanting.  It is not logical but often true."  - Spock

LEARNING

Why do wise men know more?  Because their learning never stops.  They do it anytime, anywhere, with anyone!  They even learn from their mistakes.  Foolish men never learn!  They keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again.

LEADERSHIP

When do the greatest leaders come out?  During times of war, chaos and uncertainty.  Would-be leaders would do well to remember that they are most needed when the going gets tougher.  This is where their followers need them the most.

CRITICISM

We have become a nation of critics.  Everyone is telling everyone else how to do this or that.  The worst culprit is the government.  We have senators and congressmen conducting investigations.  This is "in aid of legislation" supposedly but what laws have really impacted the majority of the country because of these investigations?  I wonder how they prioritize which laws to pass?  With the moneyed lobbyists all over congress and the senate, the ordinary citizen doesn't stand a chance.  We are on the brink of chaos and our so-called officials seem to be oblivious to the poverty, crime and corruption around them.  They need to become exemplars of integrity, fairness and honesty, yet which official can claim even a smidgen of these?  Our new president is trying hard but if the people around him don't start "walking the talk" he'll be left with the herculean task of changing the country on his own.  I say break the circle of mediocrity and corruption.  Let's stop complaining and start working.  Do your job to the best of your abilities!  The time for criticism, protests and activism is past.  Now is the time to work together to bring our battered country back from the edge.

Incompetence

Incompetence and apathy are close relatives.  Someone who doesn't care cannot possibly do his job well.  Just ask CHED.  Managers especially be warned!

Corruption

Our dear statesmen want to fight corruption in this country.  I say, "Good luck!"  I don't know if anyone has noticed, but corruption runs much deeper than it looks.  This "fight" goes beyond jailing corrupt politicians or hunting plunderers.  Corruption is an insidious virus that has infected Filipino society!  We have become a nation of incompetents, malcontents and indifferent people.  Case in point:  Policemen losing evidence?  Give me a break!  If police were trained properly, they would be out there ready, able and willing to serve.  Instead, we see "kotong cops" and cops shooting people because of some petty quarrel.  Add to this the fact that cops (and public school teachers) are some of the worst-paid jobs in the country today.  Talk about a recipe for disaster!  I shudder to think that people who are supposed to protect and educate us have among the lowest morale among public servants.  YOU CAN'T SERVE IF YOU'RE NOT MOTIVATED TO SERVE!  Someone had better do something quickly because right now I don't know who's scarier:  criminals or cops.

The Journey Begins

I have created this log to share my thoughts and leave a legacy to people who may have an interest in the topics I will tackle.  I may also use this log simply to vent, bring attention to issues that may affect us, or provide suggestions that will hopefully be of some use to people.  This log is especially dedicated to my family:  my wife and my children.