15 Minutes of MAT fame

My ringing cellphone woke me up today.

"Hello?", I murmurred groggily, but trying to steady my voice so it wouldn't sound like I just woke up.

"We're in Manila Bulletin!", a team mate from MAT greeted me.

"Talaga? Galeng!"

"Astig interview mo ah..."

I woke up and tried to check Manila Bulletin online. Wala naman online eh. Baka wala na akong mabiling newspaper, almost noon na eh. Another friend texted me, meron din daw article sa Philippine Star. Quickly checking Philstar Online, wala ring article na naka-post sa web. Naku, dalawang dyaryo na ang kailangan kong bilhin -- Philippine Star at Manila Bulletin.

Then another batchmate from MAT emailed: "-see A27 of the SPORTS section of THE PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER - APRIL 28, 2005". Yahoo! Ayun, meron kaming Inquirer! And yes, nandun ako. Meron akong maliiit na picture kasama ng mga sponsor ng event. Balang araw, ibubuo ko yung blog entry ko tungkol sa MAT...pero for now, ito na muna.

15 minutes of fame daw eh. Ito na yun. =p

I checked the news article in Inquirer, and I was quoted as saying: "When I saw that we were only a few women in the national finals, I felt that slim lang ang chance ko to make it," said Lim, the only female who earned a trip to Utah. "Being a part of this, it'll take a while before it sinks in."

Hehe, you know what, I barely recall saying those things, but hey, maybe it hasn't really sunk in yet. The whole adventure was fun, but there will always be more difficult and challenging things ahead. But somehow, deep down inside, I acknowledge that this is one gift and opportunity that does not happen easily to everyone. I am here, not because I was gifted or was capable, but just because I got lucky*. And for that, I am very thankful.

MAT finalists 2005, the All-Terrain-Vehicle (aka quad bike), bonding in a tent party, waiting to drive the 4x4 jeep

*From 300,000 applicants who handed in their application forms, 2000 applications were randomly chosen (bunutan system). From the 2000 applications, initial screening narrowed the field down to 500, then phone interviews narrowed it down to the 50 participants who camped at Tagaytay from April 12 - 16.

Ultimate and Boracay

Boracay Island
April 23 - 26, 2005

Last weekend, some friends and I participated in the Asian Beach Ultimate tournament in Bora.

Well, the back-story to this story is, I've been asking B. to go to Bora for the longest time. I remember Bora with its fine white sand, clear blue waters, refreshing fruit shakes, and drink-till-you-drop party places. In a way, I wanted to share the beauty of Boracay with B. And that weekend, I managed to do so, but not in the way I expected to.

After several "failed" attempts at going to Boracay before (no money, no time, no flight), it was announced that the Ultimate frisbee people were going to hold a tournament at Boracay. Ayan na, nagsikilos na ang mga adik! So what if the airfare was 6k? Or that the registration fee was 2k? Don't get me wrong, sure it was a very fun event. I was there, I had fun. But I was slightly disappointed that all he wanted out of Boracay was frisbee. If you notice the "party" shots, he wasn't even there. He was off by his lonesome, watching some evening pick-up game.

I don't want to read anything into that. Maybe there's nothing to read. In any case, I had fun with the Sunlife people I went with. Hurray for friendship! And of course, Ultimate.


Crabito in action




Team Flying Daggers in Action



Firedancers, evening pick-up game with beer cases, Cocomangas
nsg4ever!!! wishing well at Crystal Cove the monkey with the balls, Claire's silhouette, Cave 2 at Crystal Cove


Sunset shots from Rose's camera



I took an earlier flight to Manila. But my companions took an Asian Spirit flight that was very smoke-filled. :)

More pictures at http://www.pbase.com/xieurx/ultimate__bora

Bullet with Butterfly Wings

Tonight ended on a sadly depressing note. (Work. Issue na naman! Pucha. Parang hindi naman nangyayari ito sa akin dati ah. Ah, !#$%$^!)

BUT...Julie Andrews has a cure for this. To cheer one up, "I simply remember my favorite things, and then I won't feel so bad." "Happy thoughts," ika nga ni Wendy kay Peter Pan.

So here it is, one of my all-time favorite songs:

Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Smashing Pumpkins

the world is a vampire,
sent to drain secret destroyers,
hold you up to the flames
and what do i get, for my pain
betrayed desires, and a piece of the game

even though i know-i suppose i'll show
all my cool and cold-like old job

despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage
then someone will say what is lost can never be saved
despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage

now i'm naked, nothing but an animal
but can you fake it, for just one more show
and what do you want, i want to change
and what have you got
when you feel the same

even though i know-i suppose i'll show
all my cool and cold-like old job

despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage
then someone will say what is lost can never be saved
despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage

tell me i'm the only one
tell me there's no other one
jesus was an only son
tell me i'm the chosen one
jesus was an only son for you

despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage
and i still believe that i cannot be saved

Ten Thoughts of the Day

1. Ang dami kong work backlog!!!! @!^$*@!$%!.

2. Love is a cycle. I am clueless and confused, enlightened and at peace. I'm trying to figure out which things really matter. Alam mo bang I read somewhere that 54% of women consider fidelity the number 1 criteria for being with a man? It's supposedly not compatibility, wealth, or good looks. It's loyalty. Somehow, that piece of information did not help me in finding out about what I really want.

What women want most in a man:

• Faithful partner: 54 percent
• Respect the other person's independence: 40 percent
• Ability to listen: 35 percent
• Physical attraction: 13 percent
• Being good in bed: 6 percent

What men want most in a woman:

• Faithful partner: 47 percent
• Respect the other person's independence: 36 percent
• Intelligence: 35 percent
• Physical attraction: 26 percent
• Being good in bed: 13 percent

3. No time to do my blog entry regarding MAT....yet.

4. No time to study for the exam scheduled end of next week.

5. No time to do my thesis which was scheduled for end of this month.

6. No time to do the website thing for MAT.

7. I am so sleepy.

8. I will be going to Boracay during the weekend. At the same time that I should be doing my thesis, studying for the Java certification, doing my work backlog, and catching up on my sleep.

9. We will be playing Ultimate Frisbee in Bora, and heck, I haven't practiced for a long long time. As in.

10. Need to shop for board shorts, sandals and other beach wear stuff. Dream ko lang na mag-bikini sa Bora. Hahaha.

11. Last na. Kelangan ko na matulog. !%$$&*&

Mountains out of Molehills

"i married the man i love.. pero he was never the man of my dreams...gets mo??"

A friend of mine told me that line today. What's the difference between the man you love, and the man of your dreams? Should there be a difference? If there's a difference, is that "settling"? Or is that just you, being mature about life and love and compromises and wisdom? Why should there be the curse of the "man of your dreams"? The perfect man, who will never be the one for you anyway. The perfect man, who doesn't exist anyway.

I read somewhere that you don't really marry the person you love the most, but the person you're with when you're most ready for marriage. Is that really just it? And then again, how can you be sure that you really are ready for marriage?

This is Murphy's law...all the ugly termites coming out of the woodwork. One temptation is enough. The temptation passed, and I survived. Another temptation? Is this God's way of telling me to get out of the relationship? Or is this God's way of strengthening our relationship? Shucks, so many ways to interpret signs from heaven...maybe I'm so dense and I need a big bonk on the head to understand. The signs are there. I just can't understand them.

* Mood: distractedly dyslexic

The Marlboro Adventure

Itatagalog ko na ha. Pasensya na po. At mahaba ito. Pasensya uli.

The Marlboro Adventure Team

Yung mga application forms para sa Marlboro Adventure Team, inaabot sa mga bars, sa mga convenience stores, at sa kung saan saan pa. Ako mismo, hindi ako naabutan ng form. Si Tenantz ang naabutan ng form nung bumili sila ng yelo sa 7-11. Ang teammate kong si Sheila naabutan rin ata ng form, binigay rin nya sa akin nung nag-team building kami sa bahay nila.

Hindi ko masyadong pinansin yung application form. Interesado kasi ako sa raffle eh. May kasamang raffle entry form instructions yung binigay sa akin, at syempre gusto ko rin manalo ng kung ano-anong cool items, tulad ng mga motor, jacket, etc. Ano ngayon kung di ako marunong mag-motor.

Pero di ko pinapadala yung mga entries. Ilang linggo rin atang nandun lang sa bag ko yung application form. Nung paalis na ako papuntang Costa Rica at Toronto, dali-dali kong finill-up yung application form, at pina-mail ko pa sa kasambahay ko. Malapit na kasi mag-deadline ng pag-submit eh, at hindi na aabot kung aantayin ko pang bumalik ako galing sa business trip.

Pre-Screening

Habang nasa Toronto ako, tumawag yung Leo Burnett, yung nagha-handle ng screening at phone interviews ng mga aplikante. Nung una, ayaw kong sagutin yung cell phone ko. Hello, naka-roaming ako. Naka-charge sa kin pag may tumawag no! Pero naisip ko, baka importante. Sige na nga. So nung sinagot ko, ininform ako ng tumawag na napili raw ako, at kailangan ko mag submit ng mga pictures at iba pang impormasyon. I-email ko daw ang picture at copy ng passport at drivers license. Naku, nagka-problema pa ako. E, wala naman akong makitang scanner sa Toronto office no. Tumawag pa ako sa front desk ng hotel, tinanong ko kung may scanner sila. Wala daw. So naisip ko, bahala na. Next week na lang po, sabi ko. Kailangan na raw this week, sabi ng girl. Pero sige, eventually pumayag din sya. Pero first thing next week daw. Okay, tamang tama, next week uwi na ako ng Manila.

Buti na lang may scanner sa office sa Manila. Hehe. Pagka-uwi ko galing Toronto, medyo tinatamad pa ako pumasok eh. Pero naisip ko, naku, kailangan mag-scan ng passport at drivers license, kailangan pumasok ng opis! So ayun, pumasok nga ako. Kailangan din daw ng picture, eh nag-cut-and-paste na lang ako ng picture mula sa mga ibang photos dati. Kung titingnan mo nga yung full-body shot picture na pinadala ko, may kamay pang naka-akbay sa balikat ko. Di ko na na-photo-shop eh.

Phone Interviews

Pagkatapos ng ilang araw, tumawag ulit yung MAT. Marami silang tinanong, tulad ng "Marunong ka bang mag-bike, mag-swim, mag-motor, mag-tricycle, etc." Akala ko nga di ako kukunin, di naman ako marunong mag-motor. Semplang ako agad dun. =p Laking gulat ko na lang nung tumawag ulit sya makalipas ang ilang araw. Pasok daw ako sa Top 50. Pwede raw ba ako mag-leave sa April 12-16 para mag-camp sa Tagaytay at mag-stay sa Manila Penninsula? Sige! =)

Follow-Ups

So okay na ako diba. Pero pagkatapos ng ilang araw, tumawag ulit sila. Sigurado raw ba ako. Uhmm...alam mo naman kung tinatanong ka ng mga ganun klaseng tanong. Nagdadalawang isip ka. Pero sige, sabi ko, sure ako! Siguro mga 3 beses din silang tumawag para tanungin kung sigurado ako. Tapos kailangan pa raw mag-psychological test. Friday ang last day ng psych test, buti na lang wala yung boss ko nung araw na yun at walang team meeting. Nag-psych test ako nung hapon ng Biyernes, at medyo nabwisit ako sa kakulitan ng mga test questions. "Do you see things others cannot see?" "Do you hear voices?" "Do you feel everything is conspiring against you?" Paulit-ulit na lang yung mga tanong. Naku, ang sarap sagutin na, oo! Sira ulo ako! Tigilan nyo na itong pagtatanong! =)

May face-to-face interview pa pagkatapos ng psych exam. Sabi nung nag-interview sa kin, ako palang daw ang babaeng na-interview nya. Naku, medyo nag-ring yung mga warning bells sa utak ko. Parang ayoko na ah. Makayanan ko kaya ito? Tapos nung nag-research pa ako sa web, parang controversial itong event sa US. Bawal kasi sumali ang US citizen, dahil labag ito sa anti-smoking stance nila. Kung kaya't naghahanap sila ng mga participants mula sa iba't ibang bansa para sumali sa Marlboro Adventure Team.

------------------------------------------
THE MAT Philippine Finals
April 12-16, 2005
Manila Peninsula/Tagaytay
------------------------------------------

Freebies

Hanggang nung Tuesday na kailangan mag-register sa Manila Penn, di pa rin ako sigurado. Pero naisip ko nga, kelangan gawin ko to, kung hindi, parati kong iisipin, "what if". Pwede naman ako mag-backout midway kung di ko talaga gusto. So ayun, nagpunta akong Manila Penn at natuwa ako nung makilala ko yung first friend ko sa MAT -- si Jennifer! At ang daming freebies! May hiking bag, sleeping bag, tent, beltbag, etc. Astig! Magagamit ko lahat yun! At overnight stay pa sa Penn ha...the best. :) Freebies pa lang, solve na ako!

Maya-maya nakita ko pa si Ian, yung isang kasama ko rin mag-row. Tapos nandyan din pala si Wowie at si Leo, mga kasama naman sa frisbee. Nung unang gabi, medyo magulo lang nga, kasi binubuo ng mga organizers yung mga teams (5-man teams), at shuffle sila ng shuffle ng members. Di kasi nila naayos beforehand. Pero after that, okay naman. Nag-swimming pa kami sa pool bago matulog.

Wednesday

Wednesday morning, pagkatapos ng hearty buffet breakfast sa Penn, dumirecho na kami ng Tagaytay. Nag-setup dun ng camp, at nung hapon ay tinuruan kami mag-drive ng 4x4 jeep at ng quad bike (ATV). Parang motor daw ang ATV, buti na lang may apat na gulong ito kung hindi, semplang agad ako. =)

Thursday

More ATV and 4x4 driving. Tapos nag-Tyrolean Traverse din kami, pero sa mababang lugar lang. Minsan nadi-dismaya ako. Medyo mapolitika ang paligid. At parati akong tinutukso. Sabay ang puti-puti ko pa at mukha lang daw akong magma-mall. Sabi nga nung isang taga-Power Up na nag-setup ng course, ako raw ang pinusta nyang iiyak sa mountaineering at rappel eh. Hehe, di lang nila alam na yun lang nga kaya kong gawin eh.

Friday

Ang swerte ko talaga! Nagkaroon pa ako. Ito pa naman yung araw kung saan magswi-swimming kami at mountain climbing. At nauna pa ang swimming ah. Buti na lang may pagkakataon magpalit ng damit. Nung gabi, may campfire ulit.

The Team

Bonding talaga yung mga 50 participants. Masayang experience sya. At marami ka talagang makikilala, mula sa iba't ibang lugar, at iba-ibang mga background.

Saturday

May send-off party sa Le Pavillion sa may Roxas Blvd. Ito yung culmination ng event, kung saan ia-announce na kung sino yung 5 pupuntang Moab. Ang tagal rin naming nag-antay na mag-umpisa yung program. Tapos nung kumakanta na yung mga performers, di rin kami pwedeng pumasok o manuod. Dun lang kami sa labas, nag-aantay. Nung pumasok na kami, ako yung unang inannounce dun sa lima. Gulat pa ako, kasi yung introduction ng host, "The first man on the team..." O, e de syempre expect ko naman na lalake yun no. Tapos medyo nabingi pa ako. Number 31 kasi ako, tapos ang pagkarinig ko sa announcement eh Number 21. Gulat na lang ako nung pinagtutulak tulak na lang nila ako. Ako pala yun! Haha. Isa itong "i won, i won" moment.




Ayon sa article, "The competitions listed on the MAT menu included driving all-terrain vehicles and 4x4s; swimming some 200 meters and boat-flipping in noontime heat; two-hour trekking, orienteering and mountaineering on arid weather; and arguably the toughest challenge of all -- rappelling down 250 feet off a vertical rock cliff. "

And yes, walang prize money. Sabi nga dun sa flyer, "There are no winners. You just get to do it again". So here's to two weeks of camping in the Moab deserts.

MAT 2005

My friend Beng says that "Everyday is a gift". And I guess it is. Life twists and turns, and sometimes, you end up where you least expect to. And sometimes, you end up exactly where you wished you would. Except that it took you a long circuitous route to get there.

I made it to the finals of the Marlboro Adventure Team 2005. 50 individuals will be vying for the chance to be part of the 5-man team to be sent to Moab, Utah, USA. You don't get to bring home a trophy (freebies lang po), but you get to do it again. This scares me. I am not that strong. But I want to do this. If I don't, I'll regret it. So, here I go....

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."
Albert Einstein

Rant....(intentionally vague...it's not what you think)

naasar ako.

i cannot sleep late and wake up early and still function functionally. wala lang, rant lang ako. Kasi kailangan ko maghatid ng tent bukas ng umaga ng 4:30 AM. Yun lang. =p

And another thing...decisions and decisions and things to do and tasks undone. Just a while ago, I read something in a mailing list that struck close to home. Struck close to what I was feeling regarding something I was deciding on. I'm still undecided. I'm still waiting to see what's next. And maybe that also tells me something about the decision I have to make.

I need to start doing something. I have loved to procrastinate for so long. April is as good a month as any to put an end to things that should be ended, and to begin things that should be begun.

What is love

Love is patient, Love is kind,
It does not envy, it does not boast,
It is not proud, It is not rude,
It is not self-seeking,
It is not easily angered,
It keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil,
but rejoices with the truth.

Love always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.

Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.

Love never fails.

-- Corinthians 13 : 4 - 8

Moving on

For quite some time, I had been postponing getting into the normal groove of things. I guess in some way, not doing the 'normal' things I usually do will sort of extend the sort-of vacation that I had. Will not embarking on new activities extend the old memories? Hehe, isn't this the sort of logic that makes lovelorn people refuse to go out of their comfort zones?

Anyway, life goes on. And I'm extremely thankful for having the opportunity to travel, work, meet up with precious old friends, and meet new ones along the way.

Unfortunately, as my really close friends have known, I'm quite lazy in real life. So, this is my excuse for not having taken enough good pictures of the places I've been to. But...as I mentioned before, it's not really the photos that matter, but the stories behind the photos. Cheers. :)

Costa Rica & Toronto
Vancouver