A Timely Victory

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures below. They belong to their respective owners (see http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/photo/index.html)

A fan looks out, during the semi-final match Japan vs. Sweden

It's been a week since the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup concluded but I'm still celebrating. I probably have seen the highlights video over a thousand times and yet I'm still not over it. What a breathtaking game! I remember waking up on a very early morning and looking for a live streaming of the game online, but to my lack of luck and laziness, I settled on checking the live play-by-play updates instead. But I gotta say, the excitement I felt as new update pops out paralleled the excitement of people who were actually watching the game. That, coming from a non-football fan or any sports in general.

Yep, I'm not a sports fan, I always find it fun to watch the finals of a cup, tournament, or whatever. I see it as an opportunity to make a friendly bet with family and friends. But this Women's World Cup was extra special to me. More than the fact that I made a bet for Japan, more than the fact that I'm such a Japanoholic, Nadeshiko's victory symbolizes so much hope and possibility.

Given the record of the US team in the previous world cups, and the fact that Japan had never beat them on their past 25 matches. Japan's victory over US is a classic David vs. Goliath story. Not only the teams, but also the fan base. In the online community I'm in, the people I follow on Twitter, the people I made bet with, were all for team USA and I kinda felt alone rooting for Japan, but seeing them win against a very strong team was very fulfilling. There were times that I was ready to give up but Nadeshiko Japan managed to equalize the game at a very unexpected manner, 2 times. And every time they did, a new hope glimmers and I believed that they can actually make it. And they did. They never gave up, they truly deserve to win. Just what a healing nation needed.

Nadeshiko Japan, relishing the victory

Hats off to the recipient of the Golden Ball (best player) and Golden Boot (top goal scorer) awards, Homare Sawa. She was amazing throughout the tournament. She remained a leader and an inspiration to the team and even after receiving the award, she remained humble and gave credits to her team mate, stating that she can't take any personal pride in taking them.

Ayumi Kaihori's impressive save

In my opinion, the player of the match Ayumi Kaihori, deserve the Golden Glove award (best goal keeper) instead of Hope Solo. Now I have nothing about the USA's goal keeper, I think she's great, it's just that Kaihori's saves are far more impressive than Solo's. I even watched the US-Brazil highlights just to compare, and I still think that Kaihori outdid Solo.

So now that I've blogged about it, I can move on. I'd like to think that the game converted me to a Foot Ball fan, but I can't say that yet. It's a little frustrating that I can't cheer for my own country. But it gave me a lot of hope that Philippines have a chance in making a name in sports other than boxing. There is hope.

The Gift of Laughter

I have a confession to make.

Well, some of my friends already know this, but I feel like a need to post this...

I'm a huge Ellen DeGeneres fan. Yep, her. I'm not usually a celebrity person, now before you make any judgement, let me tell you that she's the most adorable celebrity out there.

I'm particularly hooked to her talkshow. To say that it changed me is an understatement. It healed me. I was a pessimistic person, full of problems and frustrations. I was limited to anime and anything Japanese. I refused to go out of my box until one day...

I remember, it was a gloomy week day in November. I was at a friend's place. It was boring. She was having a fight with her boyfriend while I am sad for another reason. I was flipping through channels on TV when I came across Ellen's opening monologue about Barrack Obama's election, she was explaining how the election came down to dancing. It was hilarious. Then she would come up with one funny act after another -the goofy dance, the straddling of the coffee table, showing how a hologram could make her life easier, demoing of a vaccuum cleaner at George Clooney's office, the kid inventors. It was just a super fun show that sent me into a burst of laughter until my friend had to yell to turn down my volume and remind me that she was crying. But something happened that I didn't notice. I had forgotten my own problem.

this is the monologue that got me started!

It took me a while, but once I got a hold of its schedule, I've become a regular home audience member.

My favorite part is the monologue, this is where Ellen shows off her brand of comedy, which I really love. She often talks about everyday life and points out inconveniences and silly things we're willing to put up that makes me think, yeah, why is that? I like the fact that she's willing to look goofy and silly for comedy, and it doesn't disappoint, well most of the time anyway.

It's that hour of laughter everyday that got me through and made me realize how much energy I'm wasting on negativity. And I'm not saying I'm completely healed, I still have a lot issues to work out and a lot of pessimism left in my veins, but I'm slowly getting rid of it. The thing is, I need to keep in touch with reality. Because, life can't always be all about fun. There will be hardships, but by focusing on the positive things, I have a much brighter future.

Anyway, it's Ellen's 53rd birthday today and I would've wanted to greet and thank her personally, for this gift of laughter. I know that it's hard to get a ticket on her show (yes, I'm that kind of fan now, I even bought copies of her books!). Here in Philippines, 2nd Avenue channel holds a contest every year with a ticket to her show (all expense paid!)as the prize. But then, good luck to me, one of the requirements is to have a US visa which I don't have and getting one is like passing through a needle's hole. But then again, I'm sure those people who gets a ticket are in more need than I do. So I'm happy to just watch in the comfort of our living room. I'm sure there are million lives healed by her gift of laughter, and on her birthday, I wish she gets the happiness she imparts, ten-fold. Happy Bday Ellen!

Happy New Year

It turns out that I got lazier than I expected hahaha. I wanted to get on with the updates and here I am, slacking myself off. I don't always get a 3-days off, 2 weeks in a row, so I have to make sure I have something to share. But first...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We spent the New Year's eve like we used to, though I can't help but notice some changes. This year Pipay was not here but Richard and his family celebrated with us at home -he was with his in-laws last year. This season is generally all about family, it's the time of the year where everyone take it as an opportunity to spend time with their family or loved ones. So I can't help wishing we were complete.

I think that this is the most subtle new year's eve we ever had. It's a lot more quiet than the ones we had in the past. Relatives stopped coming and some neighbors have gone somewhere else-some went abroad to work, while some passed away (the old ones). There was huge noise for the last 5 minutes of 2010 and the first 10 minutes of 2011, the bangs and the booms, the bright flares of fireworks and the smoke, but it was unusually low compared to past celebrations in the neighborhood. Not that it's a bad thing, I'm not a fan of the explosives anyway and I despise the smell of smoke. But I like making noise (using other means, like horn) and watching fireworks.

My mom didn't even cook food, she was tired and ever since she got hospitalized, we were careful not to exhaust her. It's a shame that nobody in the family can cook. Pipay knows how, but then she's far away. I decided that this year, one of the things I should learn is to cook! We ended up buying a Chowking family platter. My Aunt Carmen also shared macaroni soup with us and I bought a chocolate cake from Goldilocks. I made sure that there is something sweet or it wouldn't be a celebration for me.

Things to do in 2011:

#1 Get a "health" cook book.

In addition to that, during the Holidays, I watched a documentary film called "Food Inc." It's about how the food we ate are made. Mostly the truth about farm factories -the living conditions of the animals, what "farmers" feed and inject to make 'em grow in a short period of time. How crops are genetically modified to produce more than natural method can produce and accommodate the demand and needs of the mass. No wonder all kinds of diseases pops out. But to make the story short, I was appaled with how big corporations manipulate the trust of consumers. But we have our options, we can be aware and we can decide what to buy and what not to buy, and though it's gonna be real hard for me the things I need to start on are:

#2 allot a meatless day in a week

#3 look for organic foods (where to buy?)

#4 less visit to the fastfood chains

#5 read labels and ingredients

So much about food, going back to new year's eve, after the traditional firworks and noise making, we ate, my brothers and my dad had a little drink, we chat, took pictures and then dozed off.

Despite the changes i noticed, I am happy. I am incredibly grateful that we still get to celebrate like this. So many things had happened in the past year, good and bad, that taught me to back off from my stubborness. How lucky I am to realize that I was sticking to my gun that had no bullet in the first place. Together with the year 2010, I am saying goodbye to all the bad things that consumed me. I am still working on some of my issues but I know, with the baby steps I'm taking, I will get there. I will get to live with my highest potential and be a person who can contribute to the society. I am positive that 2011 is gonna be great year.

#6 be physically active without going to the gym

#7 to travel and appreciate the Philippines more

#8 to save, save, save more money

#9 to give to charity

#10 to go to the dentist (I've been having intermittent tooth ache)

#11 to save the world (LOL)

Rock on Kidd!!!

New Life

Hey, did y’all notice the new layout (it will improve, give me some time, I just wanted to change the color), new header and updated profile? Well it’s almost 2011 and it’s a shame if after almost 2 years of not posting, everything will stay the same. Besides, A LOT have changed since then.

I don’t know how to start, I don’t know how to go back, all I know is, I’ve changed a lot since then. I’ve grown a lot. I’ve learned how to let go of so many things and embrace what’s there for me. I’m still working on this, but I want to stop complaining about life. I want to stay positive. I want to make sure that I don’t take things for granted. I am incredibly grateful for what God has given me.

So to start with, since my last post, I got a new outlook , new goal, new job, new friends, new hobbies, new obsessions, new room, new laptop. I will go through each of these on my next posts (sorry I can’t commit to write that long in one post hehe).

And I want to try and learn new things.