Be Happy!

The most important component in finding true happiness is ACCEPTANCE.

This may seem to be a simple process but it is actually easier said than done. If you experience a nagging difficulty in any aspect of your life---it's likely that the cause of this problem is the failure to accept reality as it is.

There are certain things in life that we can change like job, address, haircut, girlfriend, boyfriend. However, there will be times when we cannot just change them on a whim. If you don't like your boss you don't just quit and say good riddance! Finding a job is hard nowadays. Your current house may not be as plush as you want it to be but do you have enough financial excess to move out and buy a new one? Or, you wanted to have a mohawk style hairdo but if you have a receding hairline like Bruce Willis there wouldn't be much hair to style. What I'm saying is---in order to be happy in life you should find contentment with what you have.

Resentment is a disease that eats up the soul! If you have an abundance of resentment in your heart there can never be room for happiness!

I cannot tell you what to do. All I can say is---IT'S NOT A GOOD FEELING TO BE RESENTFUL! So, I chose to be happy! Try it! You may find it worthwhile doing!

What Now, Brett?

And the Brett Favre comeback saga continues...
Apparently, the Packers organization has "moved on" to the post-Favre era and is now posturing Aaron Rodgers as their number 1 quarterback. Naturally, Favre wanted a release so he could show what he has still got in another team. Unfortunately, the Packers aint quite ready to release him just yet. Now, why is that?!
They've offered the number 2 spot which I think is an insult to Favre's stature! I'm sure Brett will not be amenable to this set up!
If I were the Packers---I'd let Brett play out the remainder of his contract (he's got one more year left) and have him redeem himself from last season's sorry loss to the Giants. That would be reason enough for him to really step it up one more notch to greatness!
But then, I'm not the Packers!

Dare to Dream!

"Mangahas kang mangarap!" That was what Dr. Onofre Pagsanghan was passionately preaching about during Jollibee's General Meeting last June 23, 2008. Dr. Pagsanghan or "Pagsi" as he is fondly called is an 81 year old Ateneo high school teacher whose teaching experience spans 57 years and counting!

I have had the privelege of hearing this man speak twice. The first one was during our department team building in Tagaytay. Although, he basically spoke of the same things, I was mesmerized a second time!

When I first saw him, I was wondered what this feable looking man has to say that will make me want to listen. He was close to balding and looked withered. There was, however, a certain spring to his stride as he went up the podium. To my surprise, he spoke with such energy, passion and the eloquence I couldn't help being capture by his every word! With his extra ordinary charisma he spoke of his life experience and transformed mundane moments into lessons that many of us can attribute to.

His message was simple, "Mangahas kang mangarap!"---"Dare to DREAM!"
Born from a poor family in Manila, Pagsi dreamt of studying in the Ateneo. A simingly impossible aspiration for someone whose family is barely able to make ends meet. But through the kindness of their parish priest coupled by persistence, perseverance, and an unwavering hope that there is life beyond the confines of poverty, he was able to prove that dreams can come true!

With S'Ato's declaration of the company's 2020 vision on international television, we find ourselves looking through the eyes of young Pagsi. Such a tall order for a small company to prance about in the land of giants!
The road towards this vision will definitely not be a walk in the park and considering that the international players are already entrenched and dug in, our path will be an uphill climb on rocky grounds.

"Mangahas kang mangarap!"---To open 4,000 stores world wide and be the best Asian food chain in the 2020 is definitely a long haul but with Pagsi's example he has taught us that YES, one can dream one's impossible dreams and try to reach for that unreachable star, only if one is ready to pay the price to make it a reality!

Talking About Brett Favre

I fellow football enthusiast told me last Thursday that Greenbay quarterback, Brett Favre, is mulling a return to active play after announcing his retirement a couple of months ago. Obviously I haven't been following the post-Superbowl news as of late---well, except for that teary retirement speech of Brett.

I root for two football teams in the NFL---the San Francisco 49'ers and the Greenbay Packers, but primarily the Niners. I recently shifted to the Packers when Steve Young retired.
When Brett got to the podium to bid his football career good-bye I was NFL comatosed. Who do I root for now that Brett decided he'd be fishing on the next football season? Anyway, the latest talk about a comeback stirred me from my slumber. True enough, when I logged in the NFL website, there it was---Brett is definitely coming back for, I'd guess, I more year! Can't blame him though. He ended last season with an interception filled game it must have like bile that wouldn't seem to wear off or a relationship turned sour that needed...closure.

Unfortunately, the Greenbay organization isn't about ready to get him back for the reason that they have already committed to the rebuilding of the team without Brett. So, I guess, it's going to be another team for Mr. Favre next season.

Question now is: "Who's going to gamble on a 40 year old quarterback?" I'm sure Brett won't settle for a secondary position. Well, if price wouldn't be an issue, I'm praying that the 49'ers would send an offer sheet. Their main quarterback, Alex Smith, didn't give impressive numbers last season. Maybe the 49'ers organization will see the possibility of giving Favre his last hurrah and at the same time let their young quarterbacks learn from the master. Wishful thinking? I guess we'll find out when the next season begins. For the meantime, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Note: This blog was a result of an excessive amount of ice coffee I just injested!

A Song

Lost in the ghettoes of my soul
Is a song,
Cherished,
Yet not sung,
Hidden in the cavernous
convolution of my being...
In the mouth of a mute,
Shouting, struggling to be free,
But,
Fate had sealed the door,
And there it dwells,
Forever,
In the dungeon...
...of my soul...

To Kill a Mockingbird

A mockingbird sits
perched on a song,
Throating the mellifluous
voices of cherubs,
Cleaning our miseries---
With the innocense of their opus...
His glolden brown hair
Glistening,
In the early morning sun,
Rousing us with music
Of yet another
glorious day...
But,
The hunter in men
Harkens for blood
Anesthesing all morals
Chained to the lust
that so palgued him...
And so,
The men go about the hunt
Seeking his prey with hawk eyes
Mind a blank
Except for the thrill
of the kill...
In the meantime,
The mockingbird is unperturbed
Unmindful of the looming specter
of danger,
Singing his repertoire
In blissful naivite...
Then ran
The echoing boom of death
And the predator whistling away
Satisfied with the blood
that so stained the earth,
While the mockingbird lies still...
(inspired by the book by Harper Lee)

Picking Fights

"The good general knows when to fight and when not to fight."---Sun Tzu, The Art of War

When faced with adversity fighting is not always the right course of action. Blind action almost always ends up a disaster. When a war is needed to be waged a thorough assessment of one army's chances of winning need to be the primary consideration. Why bother fighting if there is no chance of winning? However, let us not mistake sheer number as a source of strenght. Superior fire power can only be an advantage if you can see your enemy. Case in point: the American invasion of Iraq. Why is it that after many months since the American led coalition forces moved in to "liberate" Iraq have they yet to secure the country? The so-called superpowers are virtually impotent in dealing with the war versus terror because they have no idea where they are. In the movie "300" it was three hundred soldiers versus a hoard of invaders. Just as it was with Emilio Jacinto's last stand in Tirad Pass. Clearly, strategy would play a vital role in each battle that needs to be won.

A co-worker told me that you should never to complain about the food in a restaurant or any food establishment for that matter. If your complaint is legitimate provide the feedback and leave. If you're complaining in the pretense of "the customer is always right", never demand for a replacement unless you can witness the actual preparation of the product---who knows what you'll get in return. Believe me, it may seem you've won with the power play but once you've known the "extra special ingredient" in your soup...well, you get my drift!

If you have an asshole of a boss, you need to evaluate your options---you can resign and wish him good riddance. But you need to think this through very carefully specially if your boss is a ver well connected asshole! If you're tied to a contract you can just suck it up and be the best you can. For all it's worth, the wheel of fate will turn and you may find this assholeof a boss in a situation where you can just smack him in the head! What goes around comes around, right?
Good thing I have a good boss! Nighty!

My First Blog Ever!

Well, well, well...look who's taking this Friendster thing seriously! I got this idea from a long lost friend of mine who I recently got re-acquianted with! Just read her blogs and I thought why not?! God knows how much I like to write and be heard---I guess this is my chance! I just hope I don't bore those who'd get the chance to read them!
I do believe that I will be able to impact other people by sharing with them my life experiences. Originally I have wanted to write a book out of it. I did start writing this book which I titled "Me, Myself and a Whole Lot of Crap!" I guess I was already on page 10 when my hard disk crashed and lost all my files! Yeah right, it was a real BUMMER! Then quite recently, I was awoken in the middle of the night by a drunk co-worker I was sharing a room with during our Department seminar in Tagaytay, that I got an epiphany to start another book-to-be which I titled "Gridiron Living".
Football(NFL) fan that I am I thought the title was a no brainer---until I realized that the NFL is not that popular here in the Philippines! Now I guess this book is going to be a wait and see thing! Or maybe...I can just compile my blogs here and make a book out of it! Hmmm...I guess sleep is alreay clouding my mind!
Gotta hit the sack folks! Over and out!