Friday, June 27, 2008

Sunday Lethal Combination

It's another war of the fists! I'm sure all of us Filipinos are waiting for the Pacquiao vs Diaz fight results come Sunday. This is just a temporary break to the problems this country is facing right now. Think about the victims of the typhoon Frank, the lost lives of the Princess of the Stars and 8 other vessels, those who died of the flood in the Iloilo area, the rising prices of rice and fuel, and the various unsolved murders.

I don't know. It seems like we are all seeking for a hero somewhere. He couldn't stop typhoons and rising inflation rates, but at least he gives us something to be proud of - even just in the world of boxing. If Pacquiao wins, let's not get lost in the euphoria. We still have suffering brothers and sisters.

If you are in Cebu, you can watch live feed at SM Cinema. Reserved seats are sold at P500 and P400 pesos. One can also go to Club Ultima, that high-rise structure near Fuente OsmeƱa. Or the cheapest that I gathered is the eat-all-you-can offer of Royal Concourse in Gorordo Cebu. Only for P298. Or if you have a large TV and cable subscription, you can buy pay-per-view from your cable operator. Gather all your friends, and prepare a feast.

Oh well, these are just suggestions! But don't forget that Sunday is church day!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Make Money With Bloggerwave

It has been a while since I made a post of something like this. Perhaps these last few months, after the Google penalization, my interest probably dwindled. But I'm not quitting. As you know, there are plenty of money-making opportunities a blogger can take part in the blogosphere.

One of which is by joining Bloggerwave, an advertising company that aims to be Europe's biggest advertising media on blogs. Blog and make money. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.


Frank's Fury Sank 9 Vessels

....left hundreds dead, 700 more missing and flooded many areas nationwide.

I received an email from a yahoo group the passengers' manifest and the crew list of the ill-fated Sulpicio Lines Vessel, Princess of the Stars. I told an officemate if he wants that list and post it his blog. It sent shiver to his spines. "No, no" he said.

Our office also received memos that some of our branches will have no operation for at least three days because of flooding. Affected were offices in Zamboanga, Kalibo and Cotabato.

An officemate got stranded in Tacloban over the weekend. Here in Cebu, we also experienced strong winds. A wedding, which my wife coordinated last Saturday, pushed through despite the bad weather. The garden wedding set-up at Busay Hills was aborted. Good thing the venue has a covered area, and everything went smoothly, well except, of course the winds outside the venue.

Oh yeah, another typhoon! Another of nature's wrath that claimed many lives. But why did the responsible government agencies allow vessels to sail despite the turmoil? We'll be expecting another senate investigation on this.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Fathers' Day Post

This is supposed to be posted yesterday, Fathers’ Day. I think I have written enough pieces here in my blog about my father. I’ll just dig my archives and give you the links if you like to read them. These are his tales and stories, unbelievable sometimes. But I’ll let you be the judge. He insists that these are true.

1. Introduction to my Fathers’ Tales - My father even has a story about his birth.
2. The Magical Stone - This is a story about his precious find but an aunt took it and kept the thing for herself.
3. My Stubbornness Saved My Mother – This is an incident his mother will never forget.
4. Adventures in Kiamba – He spent some time with his uncle’s family in Kiamba, Saranggani. There his adventures continued.
5. A Goodbye from A Departed – When he was young, he and his grandfather swore among themselves that whoever leaves his earthly body first, shall have to say goodbye to the remaining one.
6. The Library: A Love Story – How he met my mom.

I still have plenty of his stories that remain unwritten. The following are the possible titles:

1. The Black Prayer Booklet – His grandma left a black prayer booklet containing Latin chants, just before she died. A cousin confessed that he kept it.
2. Chased by a Tikbalang – He and his cousins were chased by a Tikbalang.
3. A Ride With a Magical Horse – This is a story of a city boy who was invited to a town fiesta.
4. On the Brink of Assassination – He almost died at the hands of the NPA while visiting a brother-in-law in Davao.
5. The Underground Route from Cebu to Negros – An old man emerged from a cave and asked around for people who died decades earlier.
6. The Bullet-Proof soldier – This is a tale of his aunt’s bro-in-law who is said to have powers. His death was blamed on his aunt.
7. The Headless Horseman - A headless horseman roams the road near the cemetery.

Maybe one of these days I’d publish a volume of his stories. I already wrote a short story version of the Magical Stone and My Stubbornness Saved My Mother. I'll make it a goal to complete it by 2010, including a Cebuano version of these tales.

Monday, June 09, 2008

Today I Played Pingpong

There are so many sports I played since I was kid. One of these is pingpong. I was in elementary when I first got hold of a pingpong racket. I can still picture the place where we played and how I returned the ball to my opponent, which was similar to my badminton lob. Of course I lost that game.

But I improved my game three years later when a neighbor bought a pingpong table and some kids from the neighborhood were lining up to play. My neighbors just designed and made their own rackets. I bought the cheapest one. There was a time when an adult ruled the table. But after a few months, another kid ruled. Then I had my time too of being the best in the neighborhod.

But in school, there were other better players. So I was not able to make the cut for the intrams. Besides, I was already a badminton player.

Last month, my wife's uncle bought a pingpong table hoping to encourage his son to play the game. He used to be a mainstay of the pingpong team when he was in the Philippine airforce. His father and brothers also played pingpong when they were young. But his son prefers the computer. Uncle asked my wife if I play pinpong. When my wife told me about it, I immediately bought a new racket.

Then the rivalry began. In our previous encounters, I usually win by large margins, 10-2, 11-3 but today, he was even ahead 8-6. Good thing I made some adjustments and took the next five games. So today, the score is 11-8. At 57, uncle is still a very good player, and I cannot keep up with his stamina. I have to call a time out a couple of times to rest and drink water.

After the game, he told me to return next Sunday. It would be another hell of a pingpong battle next time.