A LOSS

Finally, after the seven-in-a-row wins, Jeremy Lin and the Knicks lost. All the talks about his being invincible died down. After his previous games, when you check nba.com, 4 of the 5 or 6 headlines would be about him. But after the loss, there was only one. Now, a lot of the people who have been cheering for him have been disappointed, reality slapped them. JEREMY LIN IS HUMAN! HE IS NOT INVINCIBLE ALL ALONG!

What gave the doubters more reason to doubt is that they did not lose to a powerhouse team. Not to Miami, not to Bulls, not to Dallas...they lost to the Hornets. One of the bad performers this season (and the last few seasons). As the nba.com headline today says, "Preparing for the Unknown."

It is during this time, however, that I am reminded why I am his fan...even before I watched him play. I am glad that I was already a fan before I learned that he could play basketball well. I was a fan because of his character. I have much respect for him. Knowing that he is a Christian, I know that he would be able to bounce back.

I would guess that after the loss, he was very disappointed. He must have gone to his room, feeling really down, and he wants some strength. A strength that he could never get anywhere else...anywhere else but God. I know for sure that the night he had his first loss, he had prayed like he had never prayed these past two weeks. All of his prayers before were of celebration and thanks, which isn't bad, by the way. But the prayers when you are weak and everything is crumbling down is a different prayer. It has a different feel. I know that he went back to his favorite verses, maybe talked to his pastor.

No one knows how the Dallas Mavericks game would play out. All I know is "All things work together for good to them who love God (Rom. 8:28)." He survived over a year being a bench warmer, two waivers, stereotypes. He will be fine. As long as he sticks to the faith. And I am still a fan. This should be a humbling experience for him.

JEREMY LIN #linsanity

I know everyone is thinking i'm just hopping on the bandwagon of this Linsanity thing. It is partly true. The whole truth is I've learned about him during the lockout when he guested in Kevjumba's "I'm Not Cool" video (he was also a guest in Ryan Higa's video). After a few days, he started his own channel and I immediately subscribed. At first, it was just because he's asian (I'm supporting asian youtubers). After he posted his second video, he totally got my respect. 

In every video that he posts, he always puts a verse in the end. I find it really inspiring to see a guy who doesn't look like a creepy religious nut being very vocal about his faith. He was asked by Arden Cho what his other passions are aside from basketball. He said he really wants to be a pastor so he's doing a lot of community work right now, and a lot of other "good boy" stuff. <----that's my term

A few days ago, as I was having my daily dose of basketball news from the internet, I read his name. Finally! I smiled. I was thinking, "Wow, so he's getting some playing time now." A couple of days later, I read his name again. Cool. 

When I checked twitter, Philip Wang of Wongfu Productions tweeted Kevjumba a link about Houston Rocket's regret of letting JLin go. That was when I realized that this is now the real thing. Honestly, I don't follow NBA religiously. I only do that during playoffs. That's the reason why I haven't even heard of the Golden State Warriors before. By watching his video though, you could see his dedication. I am talking about his video, "A Day in the Life of Jeremy Lin." 

Tonight, I was able to watch the replay of the Knicks game vs. the Lakers, a.k.a. Lin vs. Kobe. To say that I am impressed with his performance is an understatement. I love how he credited everyone in his team during the interview and how he gives back the glory to God. R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

WHAT'S IN MY WALLET

It's been a month (and a day) since I last posted an entry and I was not really busy, I was just lazy to blog. But tonight, I was able to stay away from my laptop for a while and here is the result. I should really make an effort to get off the computer more often.

Tonight, as I was looking at my poor wallet that was in service for a good 4-5 years, I realized that I have to buy a new one.

wear and tear

cracked

As I was emptying my old wallet, I was amused by my rediscovery of some stuff.

the first french name (i think) I pronounced correctly

hot mess

Here are the contents in detail:

Have you ever bought anything worth millions? I have...look:

2,425,000 worth??? rupiah :)

That was my old, trusty, and broken (rest in peace) BB Curve 8520. I bought it when I went to Indonesia in 2010. It was because almost everyone that I know in that country own a blackberry. Mine's the cheapest kind. Blackberry wasn't very popular in the Philippines then. Thus, my BBM contacts could also be renamed as My Indonesian Friends. Needless to say, was not able to use that app much.

The next is a recent receipt:

where i bought our snacks for picnic

I got that last December when I went home for vacation. It was my first time in the place and it was so much fun. I shopped with my youngest sister and nephew who only stayed in one place because the place was so tight.

I also have a collection (not intentional) of different currencies:

money from different countries

First is what remained of my trip to Malaysia last December

$1= 3.11 Malaysian Ringgit 

I've never been to Papua New Guinea but my students from years ago gave me 30 Kinas when they did their class report on Basic Finance.

according to my students: 30 kinas = 600 Php

These are from Indonesia (May 2010 trip):

14,000 rupiah = about 70 Php = about $1.50

This is the currency I use now. I got two $1 bills, 41 dimes, 8 nickels, 75 pennies. Baby, I am broke this way. hahahaha...

$6.75

I also have pictures (typical Filipino). I actually forgot I still have these:

Pictures of my review school friends, my students, passport pictures, me and my sister

It's nice to see my different faces all through the years.

I found my claim stub for my voter's id which, when I last checked in the internet, is still in process. Yes, after more than two years. The ticket for a religious concert is pretty recent. I knew I couldn't watch it but because the one who sold me the ticket is my friend, I spent a big amount of Php200! :D

an expired discount card for Monte Vista, my voter's ID claim stub, a ticket to a religious concert

I also have lots of business cards. When I was teaching, I used to be the contact for our college for retreats, tours, t-shirt printing, etc. Before I left, I gave out the business cards for the resorts in Batangas.

Business cards

Those that remain are mostly from my friends, fellow educators, my hairstylist (naks!). The one from National Car Rental was from a guy I met when I was buying my ticket to go to Palau. I promised to give him a call when I arrive, I still haven't til now. I wonder if he's still here.

Some of my friends who gave me their cards are crazy, the guy who gave me this being the craziest:

Business card from my crazy friend

He kept teasing that he likes me. It was a joke of course, I am one of the boys, they know I'll never take what they say seriously so they freely 'flirt' around me. 

Ok, so there goes the stuff in my wallet, here's to keeping new memories:

my new wallet that can hold a lot of cards!

I am in an island now so the popular brands here are the 'beach brands' such as RipCurl, Billabong, O'Neill, Quicksilver, etc.

from Girbaud to Ripcurl

So, what memories do you keep in your wallet?

LIHAM PARA SA KABATAAN

huwag nyong sayangin ang buhay nyo.
mag-aral habang may pagkakataon.
alamin kung alin ang mga bagay na importante at doon ituon ang pansin.
masarap mabuhay.
masayang kumita ng pera sa matinong paraan at gamitin ito ng wasto.
hindi ninyo kailangang magmadali.
at laging tandaan na minsan, sa isang desisyon lang, magbabago ang buong buhay nyo, mapapabuti nang tuluyan o mapapasama.
lahat ng ginagawa nyo ngayon ang magiging batayan ng inyong kinabukasan.
huwag sayangin ang oras sa pagrerebelde dahil sa huli, kayo din ang talo.
makakasakit kayo ng mga taong mahal ninyo at nagmamahal sa inyo, at siguradong pati kayo ay masasaktan din.
hindi lang yun, pag minsan, may pagkakataon na pati mga inosenteng tao ay masasaktan...ng sobra dahil sa inyong pagpapabaya.
walang ibang mas mabuting paraan upang makaganti sa lahat ng sama ng loob na nararanasan ninyo ngayon kundi ang maging matagumpay sa kahit anong larangan.
at kapag nagawa ninyo iyon, mas madaling magpatawad.
kapag naranasan na ninyong magpatawad, makakahinga ka ng maluwang.
sa halip na galit ang maramdaman ay makukuha pa ninyong magpasalamat dahil naging mas mabuting tao kayo, at nasa mas mabuting kinalalagyan.
hindi ninyo kailangan ang kahit sino kung ipapahamak lang naman kayo.
huwag ninyong iisipin na mag-isa kayo sa mundo at walang nagmamahal sa inyo at hindi nyo mahahanap ang pagmamahal.
huwag ninyong limitahan ang sarili ninyo sa uri ng taong maaring tumanggap at magmahal sa inyo.
totoong maraming mapanghusga sa mundo ngunit hindi ninyo kailangang magpatalo.
bumangon.
tumayo.
huwag matakot na magkamali.
ang mahalaga, sa bawat pagkakamali ay matuto kayo at magsumikap magbago.
walang taong puwedeng magbigay sa inyo ng buhay na gusto ninyo kundi kayo.
kailangan ninyong magdesisyon.
araw-araw.
mahalin ang sarili at maniwala na ang mundo ay puno ng posibilidad.
kayo lang ang maaring pumigil sa sarili ninyo.
huwag ninyong hayaan na maging bahagi na lamang kayo ng istatistika sa bansa.
tumulong.
magkaroon ng silbi sa lipunan.
alalahanin na hindi masama ang magsaya.
ngunit gawin ito ng tama.
palaging gawing abala ang sarili sa paggawa ng tama.
kung magkamali man, bumawi agad.
higit sa lahat, huwag ninyong kalimutang mangarap.
libre lang.
walang bayad.
huwag din ninyong kalimutang gumising at gumawa ng hakbang upang maging katotohanan ang inyong pangarap.
sa lahat ng ito, may Diyos na tutulong sa iyo.
huwag mawalan ng pag-asa.
MASARAP MABUHAY NG MATIWASAY.

Dedicated to my beloved cousin, Neil John Serrano who died due to a machete hacking incident, a gang-related war, a war he is not a part of. A case of mistaken identity. One valuable life lost because of some youth who do not realize the value of their lives, and in this case...of others. If this post would somehow make its way to one adolescent and make him rethink his decisions in life, his death would not be wasted. 

"...and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Rev. 7:17

RANDOM: Thinking Out Loud

If I were to decide (as if i haven't yet) not to renew my contract, what are my reasons for doing so? I would have to explain this to my boss later on, might as well think of the words now.

1. Unsatisfied social needs. I miss my friends in the Philippines who could actually understand what I am talking about. I miss the conversation that stimulates thinking. Talking about ideas, dreams, opinions and not just gossip about another officemate or church mate or anyone else. Not much of the dramas but about life.

2. Boredom. I've gone to almost every twists and turns of Palau. There is not much to explore anymore that is worth spending money with.

3. Personal growth. I have to grow as an individual. I can't imagine myself doing what I am doing now for the rest of my life. This totally feels like suicide.

4. New challenges. I do not plan to be an employee anymore. I plan to have a business on my own. Something I could control and run and manage and decide on. It's not a walk in the park, I know but it is still worth a try. If all things fail, I still have employment to fall back on.

5. Travel. There are so many places I want to go to. I don't want to be stuck here for one whole year doing nothing but the internet. I want to go places. Near or far, it doesn't matter, as long as I get to go somewhere.

There, my five reasons. All of them are true. Now, where do i get the courage to say these things?

RANT: Profile Picture

Sorry if I have to make a rant before I am able to post the 2nd part of my travel post. I just have let this out. A married guy who was positioned beside me in a GROUP picture cropped that certain picture with only the two of us left and made it his profile picture. What could be so annoying in this? He had several adulterous relationships! If you would look at his 'Profile Pictures' album, his wife was never there. He never used his wife's picture as a profile picture and yet I am there!!!! His other pictures are of him with his son. To make it worse, he did not only use one picture but two (cropped) pictures of me! What the hell was he thinking? This has really ruined my already messed up day. Facebook and all social networks should be moron-proofed! *profanities*

TRAVEL : Kuala Lumpur Part 1

I went to Kuala Lumpur last week with my sister and nephew. It was my first time in the place and their first time to travel abroad. It became a time for me to bond with them because I haven't seen them in a while...one and a half years to be precise.

Because it was my first time there and it was the first time i travelled with a child, my set itinerary was changed and i made several wrong decisions during the trip. I will give tips on how to have a better experience than me.

Tip #1: Transportation in KL is affordable...if you never use taxi. We used taxi a lot so i overspent. (Don't judge, we have a toddler. )
Tip #2: Don't worry about getting lost. They will give you a map of the city and travel guide once you check in the hotel.
Tip #3: The center of transportation is in KL Central. I would suggest to book a hotel in that area.
Tip #4: Traffic can be really bad.
Tip #5: If you want to go up the Petronas Tower, go there early. Ticket prices are RM 50 for adults and RM 25 for kids.

Places we went to:

1. Putra World Trade Center. This place is just behind our hotel.

it's a pity we didn't take a picture outside with the name of the building.

2. Petronas Tower

the magnificent building during daytime

while waiting for our turn to go in

a hologram was giving instructions

lakas maka-wa-poise ng pamangkin ko.hahaha

We went to buy the tickets at 10 am and we got scheduled to go in at 1 pm. This is my favorite part of the building tour:

you show your ticket to the monitor

the petronas tower will start building in your hands

completed building

It shows some trivia about the building too.

at night

(to be continued....)