Tennis' Ace

Only the best in their time
now here's my message to rhyme:



In U.S, French or Wimbledon's centre courts
in clay, or lawn of some sort.



There's someone named Roger,
who'd like to conquer







and a fellow called Pistol Pete.
who can beat,







those whose name starts with letter "A"
like Andy and Andrei!





No wonder they are tennis' great.
They are players who can have a set,straight.



Players who gave the most aces,
in their opponent's faces.



Players who'll forever give the best service
and the most heart breaking miss.



Players who knows how to keep their cool
Players who are clean, gentle and no bull.



Players who's at the topmost of their game
Players who's never worried about their aim.



Then who is the greatest you ask,
This year, at Wimbledon it's time to uncover the mask



There's only one seat
So I am sorry Pete,



It's got to be Roger Federer
"The Greatest Player ever"!!!

Forza Federer

I am a tennis fan.

And this year's Wimbledon is such a delight as much as the exciting French Open. A few things about this year's Wimbledon.

1) You've got the best player in grass court ...and i mean not just the best, but the greatest Roger Federer, who was out to redeem himself from the sorry lost in last year's tournament courtesy of Rafa Nadal.



2) Former World No.1 Nadal, who took away the top seed from RF in last year's Wimbledon, was out of the tournament because of knee injury. Sure, it could have been exciting with him around...but the ball is round, and Wimbledon was the venue to append the World No. 1 title again on Roger Federer's name.



3) Apart from reclaiming RF's no.1 ranking, Federer was set to get his 15th grand slam title, after tying his 14th slam with another great Pete Sampras (USA) via the Roland Garros 2009.



4) This year's men's singles was marvelous, sublime and massive, and why not? You've got Andy Roddick who went up against Andy Murray and ruined the hopes of the Brits for their first Wimbledon via the Anydmonium. Heck! fans were treated with a classic match of Roger Federer coming from a set down to defeat Andy Roddick 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 16-14 in 4 hours and 16 minutes.





5) Apart from that, we saw tennis legends in the royal box watching day 13 of Wimbledon's epic match. It's nice to see Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras side by side as they watch another great Roger Federer.



There are a lot of reasons to say why this year's final match can be described as tense, fun and knotty, especially when you have Sampras flying over in the am to witness a classic, record-breaking game, alongside tennis greats, whose records were beaten and broken over the years. You have an Andy Roddick on the other side of the court, playing tough with those secret service powers and wonderful backhand to beat. You have an umpire whose calls you want to challenge from time to time. You have a huge crowd to please and many more watching at home, across the globe.



At the end of the day who wouldn't grin at the idea that you brought down the house with 2 sets or so, of aces in a match; at the thought that you were able to regain World's No.1 title after you slip down to no.2 last year; at the fact that you've made history by setting your 15th slam, by far the most number of wins ever made by a player; and at the great delight that you're sending merriment and glee to fans like the one who's writing this post.

Delightful Indeed!!!






**Photos from Wimbledon Facebook.

Amazing Thailand: Chan Rak Mueng Thai (I love Thailand)

Below is the transcript of the speech I delivered during the group presentations in closing session of the ASEM Interfaith Cultural Youth Camp held on February 6-12, 2009, in Thailand. The speech answers the question posted by the organizers to culminate the week long camp, which is stated as: What are the things you learned from the camp, and how are you going to share it to the world?



I, together with my group mates namely: Martine and Anke (Netherlands), Kathleen (Germany), Clara (France), Cin, Pat, Sulaiman and Golf (Thailand) summed up our amazing camp experiences which began with buffet dinner in honour of ASEM Youth Participants at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Ayudhaya Road,Bangkok, that was followed by visits to the Ancient City and Crocodile Farm in Samutprakarn Province, then a briefing on self-sufficiency economy philosophy at Bhumirak Centre in Nakorn Nayok Province, where we also planted rice. Not over just yet of our dinner at Baiyoke Sky Tower Hotel, we went sightseeing the following day at the Temple of Emerald Buddha, Temple of the Reclining Buddha and Gold Mountain Temple. We also made brief visits to UNESCO world heritage sites in Ayudhya Province such as Wat Yai Chaimongkon, Bang-pa-in and the Chinese-style temple grounds( Wat Sam Po Kong.) We also met the former Senator of Bangkok, Mr. Damrong Puttan over lunch at his villa. Then we made visits to the Muslim communities and mosques, first Christian Church in Thailand (St. Joseph's Church built in 1666) and the Portugese Community. All of which was concluded with a dinner boat trip along Ayudhya river.



Sawasdee Ka! Good afternoon, I am Raiza from the Philippines.

Allow me to start by saying that this camp has provided us with a different kind of learning experience. This camp has not kept us insulated in the four corners of a room. It has allowed us to discover new ideas, experience a culture that may be similar to or different from ours; meet new friends that perhaps we can keep in our lifetime. Beyond these discoveries are learnings that can help us become a better individual, a better person of our country and better citizen of the world. Now our group have come-up with a list of words to explain what we have learned from this camp:





First, is LANGUAGE. From day one we were greeted by our host country, with amazing smiles that says sawasdee! Probably, this is not the only word we know of, and the list can go on, including all other languages from different parts of the world.



All the participants of this camp have enriched us with new discoveries about food, ways of life, traditions, history, or to simply put- share something about culture.








We discovered a lot about different faiths like Buddhism, Muslim, Shinto and the Christian faith. The learning is not confined to the discussion of religious practices. More importantly, we were all immersed in worship places, religious communities and perhaps in the heaps of information about our religion that we have kept in our pockets from where we live to here, in Thailand.










From the knowledge that we have acquired, we were able to magnify the traits, which I am sure we all share, like openness, tolerance and respect. Through communication or dialogue, we are able to share and understand not only our differences but also our similarities.







Apart from these new learnings, we have also discovered something about ourselves which perhaps we may not have given much thought of before. Alongside these learnings, I am sure you would agree with me when I say that we all have received the gift of friendship.





While we may all recognize the learnings, we cannot just keep them in our suitcases when we go back to our homes. The most important question we should all answer is ‘how are we going to share this with the world’? Our group listed 6 things, which we believe we can do:

1) Since most of the participants are part of institutions on education, we can come up with sharing sessions, conferences, or presentations that centers on inter-faith and culture, or probably hold an echo workshop.



2) To disseminate the information we have acquired from this youth camp, it would be very interesting to share it through print media, such as newspapers or publish artworks, and I wouldn’t go as far as saying that as a youth, we can tap on resources which are very close to us, like school papers.


3) We can also take initiative on projects that caters on youth from various faiths, to provide more venues for dialogue. Perhaps, we could initiate clubs or centers, open to all young people to freely discuss faith and culture. In this way, we can promote the lessons we have acquired from this camp such as tolerance, understanding and openness.




4) In moving with the current or modern times, we can also go digital through initiatives like an online discussion board where we could share many things about culture, religion or faiths, all encompassing.

5) To foster interaction among youth of various faiths, we can tap on our creative talents and contribute in providing information about faith and culture through the arts. It could be any form of visual arts, such as paintings, songs or photography. This is consequential to the fact that language could at times be a barrier. Of course, the English language do not have to be the common language to explain concepts from our faiths, practices or traditions.








6) Or better yet, we can go for the simplest way to echo the things we have learned from the camp, and that is through our very selves. We could be instruments of promoting respect, openness, dialogue and tolerance among others, through sharing the things we have learned from this camp, to our family, friends, neighbors, and to everyone.




We can do all these, until all of us can realize that the world’s circumference is too small to waste upon ill feelings; that life is good and we can live a happy life.




Allow me to end this by sharing the most important lesson I have learned from this camp and that is: we could use diversity as a language to communicate and experience to be the best tool to learn a lot.




Khob-kun-kah…Thank you very much!!!

Kenneth's Beam

I am reading over my posts from way, way back, and i think this is one of the most interesting stories i have on my roll. When I was reading this, I felt like I was living through such a pleasant and beautiful moment with Kenneth. It makes me wonder how the kid is doing now, actually, over the years (beginning from year 2006, when I first met him) I get to think of him once in a while. He may already have turned 11 this year. I hope there's a way for me to see him again, to say hello and witness the beam on his face; to hear him play the piano again; to know how his grandmother and aunts have been doing; to recognize the beauty of life in the eyes of the child.





Dec 22, '06 6:49 AM
First quarter of this year gave me the chance to explore the other side of life. In one of our courses, we were required to find best practices of Corporate Social Responsibility by business corporations and enterprises. Through the genuine effort of my group mates in this project I was able to find new lessons in life.

It was the Philippine Airlines Foundation headed by Tita Menchu Sarmiento who was very kind to help us in this project. As of interest, she indulged us in several projects and programs of PAL foundation. However, there is one case that really touched my heart. Perhaps that case alone is enough for me to opine that PAL really does practices CSR at its best.

Tita Menchu insisted to bring us to Manggahan, Pasig, were the lead of my story reside. Kenneth Villa is 8 years old and is suffering from a rare mucopolysaccharide (MPS) disorder called Morquio Syndrome (MS). As of yet, there are only 3 known cases of MS in the Philippines. Kenneth who is one of them, has been bedridden for the last 4 or 5 years, flat on his back, with a tracheotomy tube attached on his throat and is hooked to a ventilator.

According to Mucopolysaccharide Association Disorder Fact Sheet, MS is an inherited affliction classified to the group of Mucopolysaccharide storage diseases. It is a condition where cells are not functioning properly, induced by the store up. It prompts damage to the body including the heart, bones and the central nervous system.

Kenneth’s MS may have been caused by a recessive gene. It is usually acquired from an adult carrying an abnormal gene and marries another carrier. Only one in every four chances with every pregnancy that the child will inherit the defective gene.

What makes Kenneth’s case extra special is that his parents abandoned him. While he is under the care of his aunts (sisters of the father), his father now refuses to recognize him. In their small home in Pasig, Nicole (my group mate) and I met Kenneth and his aunts plus Lola Edna, his grandmother. Everybody welcomed us as if we were no strangers at all. Initially, I felt like we were family to them, they even prepared food for us.

Kenneth’s room is maintained and highly sanitized. When we entered his room, he just finished watching morning cartoons from a local network. Tita Menchu introduced us to him, and he was a bit shy. According to his aunt, Kenneth would shy away every time he would see girls. Then I openly asked questions about him. I commenced by inquiring about his favorites. When he started to answer, I noticed the gasp every time he speaks – must have been the tube attached to his throat. While engaging some small talks with him, I felt some throb in my heart, which would usually bring me to tears. But then, I didn’t even have to shed a tear because Kenneth was just so charming that he would make everyone smile. I would tease Nicole, because Kenneth would only smile and talk to me. Nicole would just say “ay bakit kaya?” then Kenneth would beam.

There were moments of silence, as Tita Menchu would talk to Kenneth. Kenneth speaks to her like she was a real mother and she too like a mother checking on how the day was for her child. I am moved when I learned from Lola Edna that there have been several friends who comes to visit Kenneth once in awhile. And those friends as Lola Edna would say, are not ordinary people; they are well-known, the “celebs” as others would put it. Kenneth’s Aunt gave me an album to browse upon. Lola Edna was right when she said that Kenneth’s friends are no ordinary people, I saw them in the album. Actually, I was surprised because they are not only celebrities in their field but people who are really shining because of their genuine heart to help him.

Lola Edna shared the story of Kenneth. Can I just say, “Man, if you hear the story, you’ll surely cry a river!” But no, I didn’t because I was very keen at Kenneth who was very quiet. I noticed that Kenneth was not reacting. I don’t know if he was listening but he was just staring at us as if waiting for our eyes to meet. When we did, he gave me a smile, I would jokingly say something, and then he would snicker. Lola Edna would smile every time he sees Kenneth smiling.

According to Lola Edna she almost lost everything, including her family. She used to own a sari-sari store outside their compound but she had to close it because of financial burdens. I guess I would not have to elaborate that part. We all know how much an illness would cost. Her family was divided when Kenneth’s father refused to recognize him after marrying abroad. Kenneth’s father works in Dubai and would usually come home to visit him until he was two years old. His father’s siblings were divided on the issue of keeping Kenneth under the custody of Lola Edna. But his aunts surely stuck it out, no matter what. In spite being college graduates and having stable jobs overseas, they decided to help Lola Edna with Kenneth. I didn’t see any remorse in the faces of his aunts; they seem to enjoy taking care of him.

I saw Kenneth press the telephone near him. At first I thought it was just one of the things that entertains him. Then his aunt suddenly entered the room with some medical and cleaning tools. Alas! It was already time for his “suction”. I inquired about it, and then his aunt said it is to help the breathing of Kenneth. I could not even imagine how it is to breathe through the tube.

Earlier then, while I was inquiring about Kenneth’s favorites, his aunt mentioned that he loves to play the piano. He has a talent for music. He owns a battery-operated keyboard. Then he started to hit those notes with his frail fingers. I was so amazed that he could play perfectly well even with feeble hands. He played several pieces, but he caught my heart when he played my favorite song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. I grabbed my phone to take some pictures of him, and he would pose for a smile. His aunt took some pictures too, because according to her, Kenneth really loves to see photos of people who visit him.

Want to be awed more? Well, he has read a lot of books and knows a lot of things – Kenneth is very smart. Some good heart gave him a laptop and I bet he is better in operating those tech objects than me. He owns a cellular phone, and he didn’t forget to give me his number so we could send messages once in awhile. His aunt said, he must have liked me that’s why he was sharing a lot of himself to me, to us.

I wonder where he draws all the courage to hurdle all the oddity in his life and face the world with precious smiles. Despite his enfeebled body, marvel how this young boy manifest his gifts and talents and share it with others. If the child really did like me, I like him a lot, too. He is very special, and God knows how I admire his strength and faith. It must have been the people around him, Lola Edna, his aunts and his friends, they help him enjoy his life notwithstanding what has been bereft of his childhood. Or probably its God’s desire to show the world how much he loves us. That whatever he may not have been able to give us, he makes it a point to make up at other aspects of our life, all else being equal. Go figure. I can say that physically, I may have been blessed compared to Kenneth, but who said he isn’t blessed at all? Did I ever mention his smiles? If I didn’t then, I must have to stress that it is his blessing. Kenneth’s smile is a blessing because it has made a lot of people happy and appreciate life. Proof to that, allow me to say, that somebody like me did experienced it and so are the people who knew him personally and those who have yet.

Perchance our destiny have been predestined once. Kenneth may have had a sordid one, but he is not complaining. He is satisfied with the environment that he is exposed to. He may not have his biological parents around him, but that does not leave him without parents at all. Lola Edna and Kenneth’s Aunts were able to do it, in the context of love and understanding.

Kenneth’s story has given me a repository of extra-ordinary graces. It will forever illuminate my spirit as I recall the strands of determination and leap of faith that he make in his embraced life.

In cognizant

Random Thoughts for today:

- I have revisited old sojourns, old thoughts, old friends from my re-blog-sitory. Wow! I felt so happy looking back in the past. I cringed several times for having to write whatever that was written in those rolls. Its good to chronicle things because somehow it can be the source of all sources of happiness or sadness, even foolishness. Before the week ends I should blog about some things i failed to write about especially when I was in the middle of writing my beloved thesis (ack!)

- In the middle of a chat with a friend, i speechify some gender-sensitive thoughts: sometimes we (women) expect them (men) to know everything about us, to do everything for us, we expect them to read our minds, we expect a lot from them....like for a guy friend to like us, even if he's not really into us....and then when they fail to do these and whathaveyou....we get mad...we rage, we loathe, we despise them...and make them feel like they're the most useless, stupid and insensitive creatures on earth. While they can sometimes get into our nerves...and they can really be so annoying at times....more often than not, we are so damn blinded by our love or like for them...now, that's certainly a guilty pleasure for all of us...women out there. I, myself is guilty of that, and sometimes, how i wish to sing Beyonce's song...if i were a boy...and make it real...at least no heartaches, no pains.

Gee, how could i have entertained such thoughts...pathetic...but maybe that's the effect of having been so used to miss busy bee life, then suddenly finding yourself free as a bird.

- I have a lot of plans...but this flu...argh, i don't like this feeling. I don't like to be sick. I wasn't able to give my present to some friends in the University, which I promised to deliver beginning last two weeks ago. I haven't finish sending my new contact number to people...and having to migrate all those numbers...it kills me. I wasn't able to pay my almost due bill. In the coming days, I will try to do all these and begin with my projects like organising scrapbooks of my 2007 spring sem...of my recent trips, etc.,etc.When I am well, i will meet my girl friends...to laugh and prattle.

- Apart from all these, my heart is beating happily, these days. Why?Because... :D

50 Questions to while away with time

01. Who was your last text from?
Mark V.

02. Where was your default picture taken?
i don't see any photo!

03. Your relationship status?
single and ready to mingle

04. Have you ever lost a close friend?
NO.

05. What is your current mood?
Happy!

06. How many siblings do you have?
2

07. Whats your brother(s)/sister(s) names?
My sister's name could be spelled with an 'i' or a 'y'
My brother's name can be pronounced with short or a long 'a'

08. Where do you wish you were right now?
in a 5-star hotel room...perhaps in the plane...business class

09. Have a crazy side?
YES.

10. Ever had a near death experience?
NO.

11. Something you do a lot?
haha! Thesis?!


12. Angry at anyone?
NO.

13. What's stopping you from going for the person you like?
distance...he's on the other side of earth.

14. When was the last time you cried?
sometime ago.

15. Is there anyone you would do anything for?
It depends.

16. What do you think about when you are falling asleep?
what would be the last thing i would be thinking before i lose myself to sleep

17. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Niks

18. What is your favorite song?
Wouldn't it be nice - Beach Boys!!!

19. What are you doing right now?
multi-tasking: watching tv and answering the 19th question

20. Who do you trust right now?
secret.

21. Where did you get the shirt you are wearing?
from my last trip in Hong Kong

22. Have you kissed someone in the past week?
NO.

23. Who is your friend that lives closest to you?
haha! ktensky!

24. Describe your life in one word.
dream.

25. Who are you thinking of right now?
Alex

26. What should you be doing right now?
Working on my thesis

27. What are you listening to?
the wind...

28. Who was the last person who gave you a hug?
kten

29. Who was the last person who yelled at you?
none, but i remember yelling at someone!

30. Do you act differently around the person you like?
i think so...yeah maybe

31. What is your hair color?
black

32. Who was the last person to make you laugh?
ktensky

33. Who was the last person to make you sad?
none.

34. What do you hear?
i can hear my heart beating

35. Is your hair curly or straight?
its wavy

36. Has anyone ever called you "scrumptious" before?
NO

37. Do you have a best friend?
yes...and she can be my online diary

38. Held hands with the opposite sex in the past 3 days?
duh, NO!

39. Do you use smiley faces on the computer?
YES, all the time.

40. Have you ever changed clothes in a vehicle?
hahaha! YES.

41. Are you happy with life right now?
I couldn't complain!

42. Are you currently jealous?
NO.

43. What jewelry are you currently wearing?
a pair of earrings

44. What were you doing on friday night?
today is a friday night, and im not out!

45. Have you ever had your heart broken?
Maybe NO.

46. Have you ever broken someone's heart?
NO. why would i do that

47. Is there anybody you're really disappointed in right now?
NO.

48. What was the last reason you went to the doctor for?
Annual Physical Exam... and i hate the sight of that tube with a noozle sucking my blood

49. How late did you stay up last night and why?
10 pm...

50. Have you ever dated someone longer than a year?
NO.

In the middle of things

It's great to enjoy the "fun experience" once in awhile..and to be away from it, is to feel so deaden.
After the much hyped trips from Hong Kong to Thailand to Zamboanga, I feel so away from the world. And as much as I would want to think of those trips (which by the way, I haven't blogged about), I can't...it's thesis we're talking about here!!!

I shall resume when all else are done. Submission is coming...defense too! See you after the tragedy!!!