There's No Plan B, Only God's Plan

How excited were we when Papa confirmed to us last year that Tito Mike will finally tie the knot with his long-time girlfriend. I/we were ecstatic. Especially when Mom announced that we’re going somewhere for the wedding – to Cebu. Yahoo! Back then, the wedding couldn’t have come any sooner. And then it did.

The Wedding Day. I can still recall the frantic preparations that morning at the hotel as everyone in the entourage did every little bit they could to help out. It’s really amazing what girls do to get ready for weddings. It took almost 3-4 hours to get their hair and make-up done. Shikes! But in fairness, the makeup artists and hair stylists have done an awesome job. All the girls looked great.



I know how hard Tito Mike and Tita Cheryl worked to make their wedding as close as to perfect as possible but the preparations didn't go as easy as we hoped it would be. Tito Mike was brought to the hospital days prior to the wedding and that explains why there was no engagement pictorials. All the prenup photos was taken that morning; few hours before the wedding. With a bridal party of 30 it's always hard but the photographers were superb. Needless to say, I was impressed. Way to go, Rock Paper Scissors!










The wedding was held at the Sto. Nino de Cebu Parish. Family and close friends came to witness the wedding. The couple just want it to be more personal environment where everyone knew each other. There were connections, whether it was family to family or family to friends. The ceremony was great. A few tears here and there, emotions on a high, laughter in abundant supply throughout the day.

The reception venue, Nina Ballroom of Radisson Blu Hotel also deserves a special mention. I have to tell you that this place knows how to throw a good wedding. They had all the little details covered, and we all know it's the little details that makes a wedding. The foods were great from the appetizers to the desserts - everything was just yummmm. I only had a little problem with the waiter but that's another story.

The reception was especially memorable because of the speeches. Some were funny while others are real tearjerkers. The wedding video was also shown during the reception. Again, two thumbs up RPS team!

The couple and the entourage looked like they were having a great time swaying to the music and singing along to songs of a live band. My cousins and sisters even went up the stage and overtook the band. Well, their voices aren't that bad but I can do better. LMAO. And man, there was an overflowing supply of alcohol. Waaah! For sure, this is going to be in the almanac for sometimes - an event that could generate talk in the family for years.


ICEBREAKER: I got the garter - you know, the round thing made of cloth whatever. And the challenge was to put that thing in the lady's leg using my tongue - no, I'm just kidding - my teeth. Of course, I did that. It was no sweat for me! I think it will be a good memory on the video.

In my eyes, the day was great! Even more importantly, it looked like the bride and the groom had a blast! They had that look that every couple should have on their wedding day... the look of pure joy and happiness.

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Mikey Marzan!

Photos courtesy of the very awesome RPS team!

Lessons I Learned From the Azkals

We are a basketball-insane archipelago! We all know that so don’t argue. We claim that game as ours. It’s in our culture. A religion for hard-boiled disciples. But in 2010, a team called Azkals, purporting to be our men’s national football team, made us forget about slam dunks and three point shots for a moment and (from out-of-nowhere) created a one-of-a-kind football revolution. Since then, the team inspires more and more hoop zealots to follow the “beautiful game” as well.

But more than the inspiration and the pride, the Azkals taught me and continues to teach me sensible lessons in football and in life. And please allow me to share some.


1. Not all zeroes are as bad as it sounds. Following and watching the Azkals is for me like watching and awaiting the results of a Pacman match. The excitement. The intensity. The madness. The game is long because the struggle is hard. But never ever boring. Even a scoreless draw is full of excitement because passion and determination prevail. One goal would have the same effect as a 20-nil in the first quarter of a basketball game. And in a country weaned in instant gratification, we are starting to appreciate low scores earned with great difficulty.

2. It’s not how you fall. It’s how you bounce back. The Azkals’ pride to play is tarnished for it has felt defeat, not only once but many times. A nil score is part of our men’s national football team’s history. After all, a whipping boy is not a whipping boy if he always wins. But no matter how many 3-0s or 5-0s it suffers, it keeps on fighting. Despite the odds, it still manages to give good results and deodorizes whatever failures our government has had in many years. If determination has a face, we will surely find the Azkals next to it in the dictionary.

3. Not all bad seeds came from the same fruit. A Thai-Belgian blogger once argued that foreign-trained Filipino athletes played for the country mainly due to sponsorships. But the Azkal players beg to disagree. Considering that they have better paying jobs abroad, one would truly find it remarkable that the Azkal players choose to come home and wear the Philippine colors, even if the monthly allowance of our athletes is “barya-barya lang”. I read a comment someone posted on the Azkals’ fan page that said “sometimes those half-breeds love our country even more” and I agree.

4. Take chances. Remember, there is no harm in trying. Football is too short. In this game, nothing happens to a coward. Seize every moment, every opportunity. Don’t be afraid to take risks, chances. Don’t be afraid to fail because failure is inevitable throughout the game. We are humans, after all. Prone to errors; never exempt from failures. So when you meet shattering number of near-makes and misses, you are left with only two choices. It’s either you continue to strike for a goal, more driven than ever and discover how far your passion can take you or just fold and give up.

5. Sport unites. I am a sports fan. I know that sports unite us, with what Pacman has done for us over and over again. I know that sports can bring a divided nation together and can be a source of pride among us. I am so amused by the support and adoration the Azkals has been getting from the Filipinos – it is impassioned, it is amazing, it is crazy. Others have gone to the extent of professing their undying love to the players. And I have a feeling that such sentiment will truly last. Why not? The Azkals sparked a national bayanihan movement. You see not all national teams get the same level of adoration accorded to the Azkals. To get the love and support of a nation is like winning half the battle.

And the biggest lesson I learned (and the simplest actually) is…

6. Never doubt your own. As cheesy and mushy as it may sound, this is one simple lesson we deeply needed to relearn. Many times, we doubt our abilities as Filipinos. We became fearful and coward. And worse, we feel being inferior to somebody else. We always think of what we cannot do. Rather think of what we are capable of. The Azkals showed what Filipinos can offer the world – our talent, our passion, our determination, our heart and our soul. In the few months that we displayed our love and respect to the Azkals; we had also, unconsciously, displayed our love and respect to our country and its people.

I know the Philippines is broken-hearted. We have been dreaming of Brazil for days. We dream of cheering our own team from the stands of Maracana. It only took an opponent’s victory to author the death of our World Cup dream (at least for now). And it was enough to break our hearts. There are a lot of things I could say that would probably make me feel better. I could whine about how poor the Azkals’ offense was. I could whimper on how Etheridge seemed out of it. I could snivel on how Coach Weiss miscalculated everything. I could sulk in and sour grape for days. But to tell you, I won’t. Should the team apologize for not conquering Kuwait? Of course not.

I don’t defend them just because I'm a fan. I defend them because I'm Filipino. Maybe this is what I learned growing up cheering for and supporting teams which don’t win all the time. No matter how hard we wish, the Azkals can’t have it all. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. No matter how ready, no matter how competitive we are, if we are not destined to win, we will not. And that’s the bitter reality: aiming for things that seem too easy to achieve yet very difficult to pursue because it is not meant for us.

Though we didn’t soar as high as we wanted to, I cannot help but feel happy and proud of our football team. Why wouldn’t I? I witnessed how our boys shocked the field. How they jostled it out with the region’s best. How they turned skeptics into believers and believers into fans. How they earned the salutation of the opponents. And most importantly, how they united the country. And for me, that’s more than enough. Even if the Azkals lose, they sort of win.

When the dusts settle and the hullabaloo is gone, it’s easy to see who are the fair-weather friends among the die-hard fans. Because anyone can support a team that is winning - it takes no courage. But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you, that takes a lot of courage.

A Dream is a hope that never sleeps

It’s been a month since I have posted my last article. I miss my blog and my readers too! Maybe you’re wondering what might have happened. Well, the past weeks have been very busy for me. Because of that I am also behind blogging. There are a lot of things – a lot, really – I want to share with you. I’ll get back to regular programming next month.

...

Nae salmi haru haru kkumeul kkuneun geotcheoreom
Neowa hamkke majubomyeo saranghal su itdamyeon
Dasi ireoseolgeoya

Naege sojunghaetdeon gieok sogui haengbokdeul
Himdeul sigan sogeseodo deouk ddaseuhaetdeon
Heemangeun naegen jamdeulji anheun ggum

Don’t tell me how many days are left before the board exam. Mom is already doing that wonderful job for me. So, you don’t have to hammer again that it’s “9 days to go, board exam na!”. Kita niyo ngang sobrang pressured na ako. Actually, whatever-you-call-this-kind-of-feeling is not new to me. I took the MLE in 2009 and luckily, I passed it unscathed and with my sanity intact. But still, I couldn’t help but feel anxious. Imma confess that I am not yet that confident to take this exam that could dictate the fate of my career. A lot of negative vibes gets inside my head as the examination is looming closer that I sometimes think I have a disorder of some sort. LMAO.

When I took the board two years ago, I took it because I need to (in my school, that’s a prerequisite before you become a junior). I didn’t really take it seriously… I dunno, maybe because I know I will pass with ease. Brilliant minds didn’t need much bombardment, you know! LMFAO. Just kidding. But now, it’s a different story. I don’t want to settle for mediocrity anymore. Enough of 81.95! My battle cry this year is “TO TOP THE BOARD EXAM!”. I usually tell that to my friends. Yes and they just laugh at me. But I can’t blame them. Being a mediocre student, that dream seem far fetched from me. But still, I am taking a strong grip on it like my life’s depended on it. At bakit? As Otep puts it, libre ang mangarap. Even when the end line is blurry, even if that dream seems a million miles away, I am hopeful. For I know that those who believe in the power of dreams will soon be rewarded. Hmmm, pwede. LMAO.

Maybe you’re wondering where I’m getting this enthusiasm. To tell you, I am a congenital dreamer because I love to dream. I really do. But my interest in dreaming was tarnished for I have felt rejections many times in my life. I became a pessimist and I had lost faith in my dreams. I became fearful and coward. I lost the bravery and the courage. Moreover, I refrained from taking risks. And I was determined to remain that way.

But I have come to realize that not all of our dreams are bound to come true. At times, they will just serve as inspirations. Even the smallest dream sometimes cannot be touch, cannot be made real simply because it is not meant for us. Moreover, I have come to realize that all those who dare to dream went this way too. They once became weak and coward, fearful and doubtful. But they never gave up their dreams. Our head would sometimes tell us that we are weak but it’s all in our mind. Life is a series of games. And one of life’s games is dream catching, the more dreams catched, the better.

AHEM! Siyanga pala, iyong panimulang kanta, OST yun ng “Baker King”. Wala akong maintindihan sa lyrics pero sa tuwing naririnig ko ang kantang yan, ginaganahan akong mangarap.

"Bakit wala ka pang girlfriend?"

As a 19 year-old guy that has been single for all my life (but 11 days), I know this question too well. I've been asked by this question a thousand times already and you cannot escape it especially when in the company of your friends who are either nosy and pesky or attempting to be a matchmaker. Depending on the tone used, it's easy to know if it's asked out of curiosity or just simply bitching you out.

The stereotype of a single guy (and gal too!) considering the age (I'm freaking 19 years old, repeat, nineteeeeeeeen) is that they are pangit and deprived. Hahaha! I can't help but laugh. It never crossed my mind that I am pangit, never, because I'm not. (^-^) And never did I felt that I am deprived. At least when you are single, you are saved from the perpetual cheesiness and mushiness of this world. And besides I'm enjoying the status I have now. When I wake up in the morning, I'm not obliged to call someone. I can go wherever I want and I can be with anybody. I'm also a quite jealous person so I am saved from worrying about where she goes after school or who she's seeing.

But despite of these, I want to experience falling in love again like what I've experienced million years ago. But I am still waiting for the perfect soulmate and she hasn't appeared yet. Of course, I also want to get married and have my own happy family as much as everyone does. Those who said otherwise are sadly misinformed.

My mom always ask me the question "when will you get married?" everytime we are having this mom-son bonding moments. (I find it weird because Mama is not the kind of mother that will meddle in her son's lovelife. Never.) I always give her my honest and consistent answer: 37. My mom would always give me that same puzzled look as in "37? Ang tanda mo naman yata nun". Why mom? Do you want me to marry a girl, fuck her and have 8 kids to feed by the age of 25? XD

Why 37? I think by that time I have my career established, I have a house and I have traveled a lot. I believe it is important for me to experience these things while I'm still single so that I don't have any regrets later on in life. When you are already tied-down (words alone sent shiver into my spine), it is difficult to do something or go somewhere or take long periods of time yourself.

As cliche as it may sound but "ang pagpapakasal ay hindi parang kaning isusubo at iluluwa kapag napaso". Marriage is not a game, it's a life-long promise. It is about findind the right person, at the right time and under the same circumstances. Though I think that 37 is the right age for me to marry, there is no perfect age in marriage. It simply depends on your being mature enough to be able to make that full commitment to another person. And then you find that another person who can share that promise to you. (That's the hardest part IMO) And that could hit at any age.

But now I'm still young, I haven't turned 20 yet. (I'll be turning 2o this 17th of May. I'm accepting gifts as early as now). Let me just enjoy the moment and just take it sloooooooow.