Avocado for LIFE

          

             I admit that I’m just one of the thousands of Filipino people who has been craving for avocado. Yes, this is about AVOCADO! This fruit is a seasonal craving that starts to make on the market in the month of July and ends in September, maybe. I have always been craving for this from the start of December. I always look for this heaven thing everytime I go to the market but found nothing. 

           

            My Lola was admitted in the hospital in Legazpi city due to severe pain. I felt really down because I don’t want to see her suffering from any illness. So one night while I was walking on the streetside of the city to buy food, from a far distance, I already glanced on a small fruit stall with an old woman who is its vendor. And as I went nearer, she suddenly told me this with a smile on her face "Igwa na avocado." And behold there was really plenty of avocado! I couldn’t believe it! I was standing in front of a stall with the fruit that I’ve been looking for for like a year! So in response to her, I just suddenly smiled back telling myself that I have to buy packs of that before I go home.
           

            I just want to post this to remind myslef and to share also with you guys on how timely is the Work of the Lord. We dont really know on how or when He moves in our lives even on little things. Truly, His plan is unexpected but well orchestrated.

Life - Bounded By Time

What if you only have 6 months to live? What if you just came to visit your doctor just for an annual check-up then suddenly he told you that you are going to die within 6 months? What will you do?

On December 20, 2016 I tweeted the songs that I want people to hear during my funeral. Yeah, during my funeral. At that week span, I felt the worst feeling that a man can ever feel--the feeling of emptiness. I was ready to accept death at that time, to be honest. But I’m glad that that feeling was just a week!

Humans don’t live here on Earth eternally. We are all given just a portion of time to live a life and each of us has a different way on how we value that time. As they say, we are bounded by time. Every action we do there is a corresponding time.

There will be times that the result of your hardwork is not the result that you wanted. You may have done all the possible things that you can do to have a better result but the ending may have gone on a different path. You may not undo yesterdays but we have the opportunity to correct the present in order to have a better future.

Learning new things will not be EASY and FREE

Remember this. Learning new things will not be EASY and FREE. If they are, then EVERYBODY can do it, ANYBODY can do it, ANYONE can be a doctor, engineer, painter or a singer.

To learn new things, someone has to give time. Time doesn’t mean days or weeks. It takes months and years. It is not a one night process wherein one day you’ll wake then boom! – Congrats, you’re now an architect. But that’s not how it goes.

To learn new things, you have to invest. We are not talking about here a 5-digit amount. Have you ever wondered why you have to pay large amount of money to a doctor’s recommendation and a piece of paper where we thought their handwritings were really the-f*ck-is-this?  It is just simply because they spent more than a million in school fees and they spent almost 10 years in school.

Whatever you are pursuing right now, the beginning will always be the hardest. Most rich people started with nothing. They just had perseverance. Along the route, you will surely have to face challenges and obstacles, but don’t worry because you NEED them. You read it right. In life, you need them because they will develop you to be a stronger person. You need to fall in some circumstances in order for you to be reminded that you are moving up. Storms don’t last, young man. It is not how you fall, but it is how you get up.

A not-so-open-letter

              It’s been 2 months now since I feel this, the feeling of rejected. I just couldn’t sleep well and when I close my eyes what I see is you and I don’t know why I always daydream of you. A week ago, I’ve been trying to contact you. I really tried but I just don’t have the strength to read your reply telling me how happy you are pursuing your career and how inspired you are every time you see that Chinese-looking guy. I know you are trying to forget me or even regret that you knew me. But it’s ok, don’t worry, don't mind me, I’ll be fine maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next month but I hope it will not take a year to get over this pain. I just want to tell you to always look after yourself, never give up on your dreams and always ask for His guidance. Now I know that in love someone has really to experience a fall and I’m happy it was me. Someone has to endure the pain of loneliness like there will be no tomorrow and I’m happy it was me too because I don't want to see you crying. Yeah my heart is broken, but hey, it still beats, I’m still alive.

Mother Earth

My name is Earth.

Some call me Earth, 

others Mother Earth.

I am the Mother,
of all things you see

and you can’t see.

God created me before you.

I’ve been here before you.

When I fall, you fall.

When I starve, you starve.

When I thirst, you thirst.

I own billions of species. You don’t.

I own deep ocean. You don’t.

I own green nature. You don’t.

You don’t feed me,
I feed you.

You poison them,

you die, I don’t.

Your doings today

will affect your future.

You’re getting smarter.

You can change things.

But you can’t change me.

I don’t need you, you need me.

And your future depends on me.

What Is Really The Purpose Of Your Life?

    When I was working in a corporate world, I can simply identify each employee if he is a “conyo” who is a graduate of a prominent university in our country or he is just simply a “promdi” going to Manila finding luck to earn more money. I can simply identify each of them just by their appearances as I am a great “observer”. Like the conyo for example, he will enter the work with a very fresh and pore-less face wearing his signature, pressed outfit while holding his car key and phone and on the other hand is a lunch box cooked by his yaya because the company canteen doesn't serve brown rice. While the promdi, he will enter perspiring with a very haggard face after fighting for his own life inside the MRT while wearing a backpack and inside of that is a lunchbox cooked by himself early in the morning because he just simply can’t afford the food in the company canteen.  

 After 3 years, I resigned from that big, international company for various reasons like very stressful transportation and polluted environment. So I decided to go back to province to work in a government agency earning a fair salary which I think for me is enough to raise a family in a decent way.   

 Few people had asked me if how much do I earn which I believe that asking someone’s salary is a very mean question. But out of respect for these people, I told them a rough estimate of the amount. Then their reply is textbook: Study in Masteral Degree so you have to be promoted! (Promoted means bigger salary). I was shocked by their reply and brought me a big question. Do people now live life by earning money to get rich to buy whatever he wants, to order food whatever he likes, to book a flight wherever, whenever he wants to travel? Is that really the purpose of our life?            

 WOW! Is this now really the mindset of people? Each of us has its own fate. It’s just we have different perspective. We choose different directions. Some choose this way, some choose that way. 

For me to live with a happy family, with food enough to satisfy our hunger and by not skipping a day thanking the Man why I breathe today is already a blessing. Wealth cannot determine my being, character does. The character on how I live my own life and my relationship with others and to God, that is for me the purpose of life, my purpose of life.

6 Easy and Basic Steps to Learn Proper Freestyle Swimming

Swimming for many athletes is primarily their biggest weakness. This will take you time, months maybe to learn proper freestyle swimming. This sport will define who you really are. This will cast out your personality as how you discipline yourself and how much you love and enjoy triathlon.

As a non-swimmer, (I have totally no idea on how to swim as I am thalassophobic—fear of the sea) I began this sport watching Youtube videos. This helped me a lot of what are the do’s and don’ts. So I want to share some tips for you guys on how to basically start proper freestyle swimming:

1.       Watch Youtube videos – before the actual training, I regularly watched tutorial videos. This gave me ideas on what will I feel, what will I do and don’t. Maybe start watching proper breathing topics.

2.       Equipments – You already have latest running shoes and you already own a thousand-worth road bike so DON’T BUY cheap swimming equipments. You engage in this sport so you have to invest and spend. Buy swimming goggles which can adapt to sea water. Don’t believe of the tag “anti-fog” as all goggles will be foggy if you spend hours in water. (Sue me if this is not true). Kickboard will help you big time if you are a newbie in swimming.

3.       RELAX YOUR BODY – Water will not eat you! So relax, ok? Your body should be “confident” with the water. Start your training in swimming pool as you have idea of its depth.

4.       Proper Breathing – This will be your biggest problem. I will tell you now that you will not learn this properly in 1 day or 1 week. This made me think to quit triathlon and just go instead for duathlon. So that’s how hard it is! Maybe my tips for this are just keep swimming and swimming and also try the breathe in, breathe out technique (watch this tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a0Q-IAqO8U).

5.       Body Movement – Your whole body will be working here so we start on the top.

A. Head – Your head should be parallel on the bottom of the water. Only your hair should be seen so you have to look down. It is where your mouth and nose located (just in case you don’t know). In order to breathe, you have to rotate your head, just your head! This doesn’t include your neck. 45 degrees rotation is the most proper way. Breathe out while you’re in the water and as you rotate to breathe in, only 1 eye and half of your mouth should be seen as you breathe in.

B. Stroke – Reach forward. Extend your arm to its fullest and your body will rotate also. Imagine you are reaching for something. As you propel, the tip of your fingers should be facing down.

C. Hips – As you reach forward, your hips should rotate also. This will make you              accelerate further.

D. Legs – Legs should be relaxed. Legs should just be straight. As you kick, don’t kick      too hard. If you kick too hard, you will immediately gas out. Preserve your energy        as it is a long distance swimming.

               

6.       Love it! – As I have said, this will take you months to learn this sport. Just keep swimming and swimming. If you do this because you have to, then stop it. Don’t continue! Do this because you love this.