Breaking stereotypes

It is natural to feel comfy within one's circle of friends with similar likes, cultures, traditions, age brackets, etc... but the risk is one becomes insular and biased, if not careful. SO, this writer takes extra careful to notice the many little good things " others " do to break certain stereotypes which society imposes on him from time to time.

On two successive remarkable days, the Universe, so to speak offered him a gift of knowing the soul of erstwhile strangers for a brief moment of time, where the clock stopped ticking... All of you, dear readers, who have experienced this know what he means...

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at a staff meeting: I came early...It was freezing cold and most of my colleagues were late... but a young Korean intern was early enough... She greeted me with a sweet, sweet smile... and asked me gently in a soft voice if I wanted Oolong tea. I hesitated for a moment, not sure if she meant it for me. after realizing it was really so, I thankfully said yes. The tea was super-delicious, not because of the brand, but because of her heartfelt kindness and generosity which blew away the winter chill in my marrows.. After the meeting, our Project Director from Hong Kong, hugged me after a long respite from work to show she still welcomed me after all this time of absence. It is nice to be valued as a human being, not as a salary item in the budget spread sheet.

Thursday, December 10, 2009:I flagged a cab as I was running late for my meeting with the boss at the Central Office. I normally took the buses but they were nowhere to be found... Here came a Nigerian immigrant cab driver who did not switch on his meter. I reminded him to do so. He remarked, " Why, don't you want a ride for free? " He proceeded to switch the meter on, when I realized I did not have cash. So,I told him my dilemma. His credit card machine was not functioning either. He replied, " I understand, brother. I've been through tough times, myself. It's free. I don't know why I decided to pass this way, but something in me told me to do so. " He, then, stopped the car at the island halfway through the boulevard so I could save half the cross-walk! " We shook hands.... and addressed him, " St. Charles... " Bless him. I will never forget him for the rest of my life.

Come lunch time, I went to my favorite lunch place and found myself a quarter short for a sandwich. The Latina lady behind graciously offered one for me!

Love, sacrificial love, is well and alive in New York City. Fear not!!! In fact, it's everywhere... seek and you shall find !!!

Have a Blessed New Year.

Prejudice and love

John 4:44 " For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. " ( New American Bible ).

Matthew 11:28 " Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest. Place my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest for your souls, because my yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light. ” ( International Standard Version ).

One of the most painful hurts one can experience in life is rejection from his own people. Oftentimes, this rejection is borne out of automatic, wrong assumptions ( negative thoughts )ascribing negative motives to completely innocent behaviors and intentions. A simple clarifying question, " What happened?, " could have cleared the air. It is true on the macro sphere of politics and spiritual life; so it is, even in daily activities of micro living. One's beloved people - nation, community, family, son, daughter, significant other suddenly rejects or minimizes your feelings, motives, illness, struggles, losses; misunderstands them completely way out of bounds... way out of the ball park, and the pain becomes so searing, albeit invisible for others to see it is impossible to describe. Expectations can be hugely bigger and higher that what one can deliver and the stress suddenly becomes overwhelming at the moment. And all of your life's works seem to have gone with the wind.

Then, one is confronted with the existential angst of being so terrifyingly alone... until a Solitary Man, who understood pain as no other, stretches out His hand in comfort to say, " Come to me, you who are tired... my love is more than enough and eternal. "

I'm writing this between dizzy spells as shafts of energy and wisdom break through clouds of darkness. I need to go back to my doctor for another check-up after this. Call it lucid interval, perhaps. One may be tempted to ask, " How can you write this piece and claim to be sick? " My answer is: " I don't really know. " All my blog posts have been written with spurts of energy and light from On-High. He... She is the Source of all this. If you ask deeper... you have to ask the Maker....He /She knows best... Life is full of ironies and paradoxes, and this is one of them, an ill man able to write this piece... " Wounded healer " perhaps can weakly explain why... because there are others equally hurting who needed to read this message and feel peace, inner peace.... because it ain't over till it's over, and only God knows the time and day. Namaste!

Uncle Ted

...bottoms up for you!

I must confess most of my life I admired his brothers John and Bobby, the former with his cool, dapper countenance under pressure, especially during the Cuban missile crisis, and his contrite admission of failure in the Bay of Pigs debacle; the latter with his fiery defense of the weak and defenseless, together with is boyish smile. Senator Edward M. Kennnedy, in his earlier years, could not seem to fill in the big shoes of his older siblings and never got off to a roaring start when he tried his hand in presidential politics. But, like in other things in life, it is a huge mistake to define a person based on one or a few criteria.

Uncle Ted, as I will start addressing him from hereon ( although I had never met him ), came to my focus when Barack Obama announced his Quixotic dream of becoming President ( It wasn't delusion after all...It was vision - the difference was success ). Now back to Uncle Ted, this Lion of Boston...

He transformed his personal ( the death of a staffer through drowning while he was driving with her one night; divorce with his first wife ) and political ( presidential ambition )failures into hard-nosed legislative work few of us really tracked down, except for hard-core reporters on the Hill. His awesome works and humility are just slowly emerging in public, posthumous - civil rights, health care, meals-on-wheels, reaching out across the political divide, his Irish wit... and the fire of brother Bob, and the elegance of sibling John coalescing in his mature years with his inimitable poetic prose... the daily drudgery of pushing laws for the ordinary John, Juan, Ioannes, and Jun. Uncle / Tio / Tiyo Ted will be remembered, not just as a great American statesman, but as everyman. He rose beyond and crossed all kinds of barriers and saw humanity as one. He belongs to the world, a quintessential citizen of the earth.

Sail on, Uncle Ted... We are forever grateful for your humanity.

Kris..... coming home

This writer refers to Kris Aquino, youngest child of beloved Philippine heroes Ninoy and Cory Aquino. When she spoke at the Manila Cathedral during the funeral Mass for her mother, Cory, on Wednesday, August 5, 2009, she got mixed reactions. This peripatetic, outspoken young woman, however, through my lenses, had metamorphosed into a serious, more mature human being. She had her share of scandals, but her sincerity, contriteness, acceptance of her weakness and imperfections has made her strong in my eyes. Kris has inspired me no doubt. I am sure, she has millions of others, too.... a prodigal daughter. I pray others will have the guts to accept their shortcomings as well in public.. those public officials who have flagrantly violated the trust given them by people and God. Wishful think? Nooooo... with God's Grace, nothing is impossible... but... " unless a grain of rice falls on the ground and dies, it shall not bear fruit. "

After all is said and done, there is goodness in everyone, including Gloria and Mike Arroyo... All they need to do is keep in touch with this goodness... and come home to it. How about it sir and madame?

Welcome home, Kris!

Lessons I learned from Cory Aquino in living, dying, and death

....which i never learned in graduate school ...

"I thought I had done my quota of suffering. Apparently, there are no quotas." -Cory Aquino

i write this intentionally in lower case letters as a tribute to cory's deep, abiding humility, wielding her power, when she was president of the philippines, with great respect for its potential negative impact on the people. she handled it with a certain stoic-like detachment, pretty much like what a zen master would do: not get drunk with it, which is the ultimate transcendent wisdom any leader could offer her people and the rest of the world who are watching.

one need not have, after all, a political science degree, nor be lawyer, nor have a doctorate in economics - all pretty much the high requisites to be an excellent chief executive... because she is much more than that. in life and death, she has transformed an entire nation, nay, an entire world... this unassuming quintessential politician's wife. he, ninoy aquino, is a hero on his own, too. but cory captivated the hearts of her people, dislodged a hard-fisted dictator from power, restored the people's inherent right to freedom, and stepped down when she could have held on to more years as head of state. but it helped that she had a degree in french and math, so nothing was " french " to her, and she correctly calculated the human heart in its core essence... but her deep, great faith in the God of Love was her biggest gift to all. she lived it to the full and showed us how. that figures... why her name is corazon. there is no greater wisdom than that.

post scripts...

Anagram of the Moment: Super Icon of Freedom, Cory Aquino, Ends Era Fri. = Aqui no more; nice are pour'd cry of friends, foes...

By letting go of power, she became more powerful.... in dying she gave more life to nation hungering for rejuvenation...

....both ninoy and cory in death have energized the people... so paradoxical that in their ultimate helplessness \\\ death \\\, they have gained optimum power to move the people to greater good.... very Christ-lke...

Rose Romero " sees an ocean of tears shed today for our beloved President Cory. And i'm sure that tears are still rolling down many cheeks, as they do now on mine, watching the touching military honors. I am so amazed at the depth of love shown by the Filipinos for the Heart of the Nation. Something that I never thought they'll show again after Sen. Ninoy. We continue to hope that there will still be others like them... "

Planned Behavior versus Automatic behavior

Like him or not, King James Lebron is making waves right now as the The Shot, Mr. Clutch. It did not happen overnight. Like all champions and success stories, he had to work hard for it since childhood... Practice, practice, practice is the name of the game of basketball... and of life.

Now, contrast that with what most of us mortals do: allow ourselves to be swept by the current /tide of automatic behavior, emanating from automatic negative emotions / feelings, triggered by automatic negative thinking. So it starts with our thinking. We, human beings have the distinct capacity to arrest the automatic process occurring in our subconscious minds - by creating gaps or diversions, like activities or different thoughts. So, for example, if we find ourselves thinking automatically that this guy is nuts, we can say, " I don't have to fall in to that trap... maybe he has had a bad day," or " I don't know what he's going through right now, but I'll give him a pass. " Then, my anger will most likely disappear shortly, and I don't have to do insane or inappropriate things which can put me or others in harm's way, or hurt their sensibilities.

Back to Lebron... He was quoted as saying that one second is long enough for him to take that doable shot - par for the course. He did not do that behavior automatically... He had it planned all along. When opportunity came, he grabbed it. When preparation meets opportunity and one has the faith in oneself and a big heart ( courage ), success cannot be far behind.

It is no secret either that his success is due to his humility - the capacity to listen and accept advice from Michael Jordan and Warren Buffett, two highly successful individuals in their own fields. Where he is now, is not a result of King James' automatic behavior, He has been sweating like a slave. But look where he is now. He lives like a king, truly!

Something to think about: What /Who are the people, places and things that trigger automatic negative thoughts? What are these negative thoughts?What emotions automatically result from them?What automatic actions do I do without thinking of consequences?

What kind of positive thoughts do I need to use to challenge these negative thinking when they come? What wholesome activity or stress-relieving exercises or activity works for me ( yoga, reading, breathing exercise, a good movie, a healthy lunch with a good friend? )?


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Yahoo ! Sports

James’ buzzer-beater lifts Cavaliers over Magic

By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer

May 23, 2009 1:28 a.m.

LeBron's buzzer-beater

CLEVELAND (AP)—Michael Jordan no longer has the most famous buzzer-beater in Cleveland sports history.

The Shot has been topped.

LeBron James(notes) made one better.

James dropped a 3-pointer from the top of the key over Orlando’s Hedo

Turkoglu(notes) as the final horn sounded Friday night to give the Cavaliers, their season a heartbeat from major trouble, a 96-95 victory over the Magic that evened the Eastern Conference finals at one game apiece.

From 23 feet—matching his jersey number and Jordan’s—James hit a shot that will go down as one of the defining moments in a career that’s just hitting its stride.
“That guy is not in the league any more,” James said of Jordan. “The other 23 is on the good side now.”


Series at a Glance

Series tied 1-1

1. Game 1: at CLE
ORL 107, CLE 106 - Final

2. Game 2: at CLE
ORL 95, CLE 96 - Final

Taking the inbounds pass from Mo Williams(notes), James only had time to turn his shoulders toward the rim and fire. As the high-arcing shot dropped through, James sprinted into the arms of his delirious teammates as 20,562 stunned fans hugged in disbelief.

“You couldn’t hear anything but a roar,” James said. “Those fans deserved it. That was the biggest shot I’ve made in my career. A second is a long time for me, for others it’s very short. As a kid you practice those moments.”

In the past, this was the kind of shot that happened against the Cavs. Jordan’s jumper in 1989 over Craig Ehlo eliminated Cleveland from the playoffs— a punch-in-the-stomach moment burned into the psyche of every Cleveland fan.
Well, James is changing everything around here.

Game 3 is Sunday night in Orlando, where the Magic beat the Cavaliers twice this season and thumped them by 29 points on April 3.
One second before James’ shot, Turkoglu hit a 12-footer in the lane to give the Magic, who overcame a 23-point deficit in the first half, a 95-93 lead. Cleveland called a timeout and set up a play for James, the league’s MVP who finished with 35 points.

James darted toward the basket to create some room on Turkoglu and then cut back near the top of the circle before letting loose with the biggest shot in his 24 years. After seeing James’ only 3-pointer of the game fall, Williams dropped to his knees and pounded the floor with his right hand as Quicken Loans Arena shook to its core.

“I was punch drunk,” Williams said. “I was stuck. I couldn’t move.”
Officials looked at the replay to make sure it should count.
There was no doubt.

“We just couldn’t afford to go down 0-2,” James said. “That’s just a great shot. Now we have to get ready for Game 3. There’s a lot to clean up.”

Rashard Lewis(notes) scored 23 points and Turkoglu had 21 for the Magic, who have now lost four games at the buzzer in these playoffs. Dwight Howard(notes) scored 10— 20 below his Game 1 performance—and added 18 rebounds.

Williams had 19 points—on 7-of-21 shooting—and Zydrunas Ilguaskas had 12 points and 15 rebounds for Cleveland.

Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy was upset with his decision to guard James on the last play.

“That one obviously hurts quite a bit,” he said. “I’d like to have that last one back from a coaching standpoint,” he said. “I should have defended it differently. It’s crushing enough to lose as a coach, but when you feel like you’re the guy who could’ve made the difference, it hurts a lot more.

“I just want to win and we should have won.”
Like the hand powder James famously blows above his head before every game, Cleveland’s season was on the verge of disappearing into thin air.

Their offense out of whack and their defense not up to its usual standards, the Cavaliers let the Magic overcome a huge deficit for the second straight game.
Turkoglu’s 3-pointer with 48.7 seconds left had tied it 93-93, and the Cavs appeared to take the lead on James’ left-handed layup over Howard. But he was called for traveling, one of several calls that could have gone either way in a second half filled with whistles.

“That walk—great call by the refs,” James said, “glad I had a chance to redeem myself.”

Turkoglu’s shot over Sasha Pavlovic(notes), who gave the Cavs a lift off the bench with nine points, had Cleveland fans reliving all those moments of sports heartbreak—Jordan’s Shot, John Elway’s Drive, The Fumble—that have led to the city’s 45-year championship drought.

James, though, the kid from down the Interstate in nearby Akron, restored their confidence that this might finally be Cleveland’s season.

“An amazing player,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said. “To have the wherewithal to have that type of confidence in yourself, to know there’s one second on the clock and you’re ending this thing right now … not many people could do it. An amazing shot by an amazing player. That’s what great players do.”

Seize the Moment - It's the Only One We've Got!!!

"Do not worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will take care about itself. " - Matthew 6:34

The following report on golfer Anthony Kim's amazing 11-under par run at the Masters tournament is a another lesson on living in the moment. So much of my energy is dissipated on worries that never come. That makes me a very inefficient car, if I were one. But I know you and I are worth infinitely more than a car; yet, we take care of our cars more than we do our own beings.

It is a great Easter message, isn't it?

Something to ponder on as we read this magnificent story below:

1. What makes me worry about the future?

2. What things I need to do are being hindered by my paralyzing worries and fears?

3. May I let go of these fears, turn them over to the Lord, and let God handle them? Pufff!

4. Can I see and use proactively the gifts God has given me to strive and be fruitful? I need to be still to realize this.

5. Do I really believe that God has a good purpose for me for others on this earth? Sure, you do have at least one! A sparrow can fly across the street in 3 seconds; a giant can't.

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Yahoo Sports!

Birdie blitz puts Kim into record books
by Allan Kelly Apr 10, 6:10 pm EDT


AUGUSTA, Georgia (AFP) - Anthony Kim made Masters history on Friday with a record 11 birdies in his second round and said that reading about the death of baseball player Nick Adenhart had changed his mindset.

The Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher was killed in a road accident in California on Thursday just hours after making his Major League Baseball season debut.

Kim, one year older at 23, said he had been upset after a disappointing opening 75 on Thursday but had put things into context after reading a newspaper report of Adenhart's death on Friday morning.

"The last line in the story was: 'You never know what can happen, even at 22. You have to live every moment of every day like it's your last.'

"I said to myself - Look, it's been a dream of mine to be at the Masters my whole life, and there's no reason to pout about a bogey or a 3-putt, but enjoy being out here and enjoy all of the hard work that was put into it by myself and my parents, and go out there and have some fun.

"I think that's what made the 11 birdies a lot easier."

Kim had six birdies on the front nine and five on the back, with the only blemishes on his round of 65 being bogeys at the fourth and ninth and a double bogey at the 10th.

The previous record for the number of birdies in a single round at the Masters belonged to Nick Price of Zimbabwe who had 10 en route to a course record 63 in the third round in 1986.

Kim exploded onto the professional scene by winning two tournaments last year and he then played a pivotal role in the US Ryder Cup win over Europe in Kentucky last September.

This year has been more of a struggle after a tie for second place in the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship in January.

He did spread his wings though playing well in Asia and was tied for fourth at the Dubai Desert Classic.
There had been signs, he said, that his game was coming together again.

Kim said he had never doubted his own abilities.

"I'm not too concerned about what everybody else is thinking. That has nothing to do with me," he said.

"Of course, I hear or I'll be reading the paper and say, whatever happened to him; I'm still here. I'm still making golf swings.

"I haven't played as much in the US but at the same time, I've been dealing with injuries and different circumstances that I've never had to deal with in my life. So I'm very positive about where my career is headed."

That mindset could get even more positive come Sunday if he can reproduce the kind of form the rewrote the history books on Friday.