I want to be six again

I saw this on Facebook. It was posted by Paolo Jamoralin then shared by my friend Majella Jamoralin.

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I want to be six again

I want to go to McDonald's and think
it's the best place in the world to eat.
I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle
and make waves with rocks.
I want to think M&Ms are better than money
because you can eat them.
I want to play kickball during recess
and stay up on Christmas Eve
waiting to hear Santa and Rudolph on the roof.
I long for the days when life was simple.
When all you knew were your colors,
the addition tables, and simple nursery rhymes,
but it didn't bother you because
you didn't know what you didn't know,
and you didn't care.
I want to go to school and have snack time,
recess, gym, and field trips.
I want to be happy
because I don't know what should make me upset.
I want to think the world is fair,
and everyone in it is honest and good.
I want to believe that anything is possible.
Sometime, while I was maturing,
I learned too much.
I learned of nuclear weapons,
starving and abused kids, and unhappy marriages.

I want to be six again.

I want to think that everyone, including myself,
will live forever because
I don't know the concept of death.
I want to be oblivious to the complexity of life,
and be overly excited by the little things again.
I want television to be something I watch for fun,
not something I use for escape from the things I should be doing.
I want to live knowing
the little things I find exciting,
will always make me as happy as when I first learned them.

I want to be six again.

I remember not seeing the world as a whole,
but rather being aware of only
the things that directly concerned me.
I want to be naive enough to think that if
I'm happy, so is everyone else.
I want to walk down the beach and think
only of the sand beneath my feet,
and the possibility of finding
that blue piece of sea glass I'm looking for.
I want to spend my afternoons
climbing trees and riding my bike,
letting the grownups worry about time,
the dentist, and how to find the money to fix the car.
I want to wonder what I'll do when I grow up,
not worry what I'll do if this doesn't work out.
I want that time back.
I want to use it now as an escape,
so that when my computer crashes,
or I have a mountain of paperwork,
or two depressed friends,
or second thoughts about so many things,
I can travel back and build snowmen
without thinking about anything
except whether the snow sticks together
and what I can possibly use for the snowman's mouth.

I want to be six again.

-anonymous-

45 days to go... :)

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

How to get an NBI clearance (for the nth time)

This morning I got my NBI clearance in 1 hour and 40 minutes. Not bad, especially with the crowd I saw when I arrived. Lesson learned: Do not leave old NBI clearance behind with other stuff for storage. Renewal takes less time.

I am posting a few tips help make this task easier, especially for first timers:
~ NBI satellite office located in front of Victoria Mall, Bajada, Davao City allots a certain number of forms for both AM and PM transactions

~ If you wish to finish before lunch time, be at the NBI office on or before 9:00am. I got there at 9:20am and a few minutes after, they announced that they ran out of forms already. Those who were not able to get forms were advised to come back at 1:00pm.

~ Listen carefully to instructions and hone your observation skills. One thing I distinctly noted earlier was the NBI staff I saw were all in plain clothes. Maybe it was laundry day or maybe it was just standard operating procedure for them not to be in uniform but that certainly made it harder to pinpoint people I can approach to ask questions.

Good thing there were volunteers/OJTs (I assumed) who look like students of a law enforcement or maritime school. They at least were easily identifiable in their respective stations. Other than these volunteers/OJTs (again, I'm just assuming), finding someone to provide information was a bit of a pain. It did not help that the tarpaulin listing the steps was posted within what served as waiting area for those whose numbers were already called.

Advice to NBI office mentioned: please put the information near the gate where everyone can easily see it.

I also took some notes from the info tarpaulin detailing the 8 steps in getting an NBI clearance (for first time applicants):
Step 1. Verification of true identification of applicant (required: valid ID with picture or Community Tax Certificate)
Step 2. Filling up in bold letters and checking of NBI clearance card details
Step 3. Fingerprinting by the fingerprint personnel
Step 4. Paying of correct fees at the cashier's office

Local Employment - Php115.00
Travel Abroad - Php115.00
Licenses - Php165.00
Business - Php165.00
BI Requirements - Php415.00

Step 5. Image Capture Processing
Step 6. Data Encoding (to verify whether applicant has no records in file or has no namesake)
Step 7. Releasing in same day for "No" records/"No Hit Applicants"
Step 8. For "Hit applicants" - advice to return in ten (10) working days period

And as end note, keep your NBI clearance where you can easily access or find it come renewal time. Believe me, renewal is much much easier. I should know, I have done it back when I had the foresight to keep my old clearance.

If - read by Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal

This started my day right.

Sport for All

Sport: a human right for all individuals

Sport for All is a movement promoting the Olympic ideal that sport is a human right for all individuals regardless of race, social class and sex. The movement encourages sports activities that can be exercised by people of all ages, both sexes and different social and economic conditions.

Just recently, I mentioned Olympism in an email thread with dragon boat friends. The thread was about some umpiring, rowing and dragon boat updates. I said that whatever our role requires us to do in our respective sports we should not forget to promote the spirit of Olympism, always.

Modern Olympism, as defined here, celebrates the ideals which remain at the heart of Olympism. By blending sport with culture and education, Olympism promotes a way of life based on:

* The balanced development of the body, will and mind
* The joy found in effort
* The educational value of being a good role model
* Respect for universal ethics including tolerance, generosity, unity, friendship, non-discrimination and respect for others.

I thought about all of these immediately after I heard about an unfortunate issue involving my dragon boat club team. Quite frankly, the story is not new to me. I heard variations of it already even before, seemingly harmless remarks from competitors. Those kinds of things happen a lot in sports. No big deal.

This latest incident happened during the November 8th race at Manila Bay. A teammate told me that a paddler from another team called one of the Manila Dragon women's team members "gurang" (oldie) inside a CR. My friend told me that another teammate took exception and respectfully called the lady paddler on it. The said teammate explained quiety that most of the women that she was disrespecting were breast cancer survivors. The girl who made the comment apologized. However, as soon as the teammate who called her on it left, the girl shouted "Wala akong pakialam!" (I don't care!). Unfortunately, my friend said another teammate was still in one of the bathroom stalls and heard her - and triggered another exchange.

In another incident, a different team's member commented "Ay matrona!" while Manila Dragons were unloading.

A few thoughts came to mind after I heard the story:
1. Everyone is entitled to her/his own opinion. Ang pikon talo.
2. Sporting events are often rife with intrigues. Competitiveness and team pride knows no bounds.
3. There is always an opportunity to understand the ideals of sports better. Learning and understanding is a start.

To the Manila Dragons breast cancer survivors, nasty and petty comments thrown at you will not diminish the strength of your spirits.

As for the labels, I personally wish to defy those labels as I intend to play until my old age. Sports for All means sports is for all. No one has the right to discourage healthy individuals from embracing a sporting life.

A series of unfortunate events

I first heard of the story from my tita who is staying over after a hospital procedure. She said the road accident happened sometime last week. A bus headed to Tibal-og, Davao del Norte was following a tractor with a cargo of water. It then tried to overtake the tractor and almost collided head-on with an oncoming truck. The bus tried to avoid the truck and swerved to its right. Unfortunately, it hit the tractor and killed its driver. A bus passenger also died and the conductor lost a leg.

A while ago, my uncle arrived and said another tragedy struck the tractor driver's family. The funeral car carrying the remains was hit by a truck near the scene of the first accident. Perhaps what's most tragic about this was the car's driver, the dead man's mother and a child relative died. The dead man's body was not spared as the coffin flew off the car because of the impact.

The bus driver had the presence of mind to flee the scene. If he did not, there was a chance his life will not be spared by the wrath of grieving relatives and friends who were following the funeral car to bury their dead.

It is hard to feel sorry for a man who, by accident, killed people. Especially when he is found to be carrying shabu in his wallet.

Lucky

~ A fall to remember
~ Memories of The Hague
~ Maybe because it's November

LSS: Lucky to have been where I have been, lucky to be coming home again

How Much Water is in Your Latte?

For coffee lovers like me out there, don't worry. This video says it's not about taking away our morning java fix :) | from: The Top 9 Green Viral Videos (via TreeHugger)