Quest Physics

“I’ve come to believe that there exists in the universe something I call ‘The Physics of The Quest’ – a force of nature governed by laws as real as the laws gravity or momentum. And the rule of Quest Physics maybe goes like this: If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth-seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared – most of all – to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself….then truth will not be withheld from you. Or so I’ve come to believe.” ~ Eat, Pray, Love

(photo from somewhere on the Internet)

Rowing in The Social Network

rowing scene in the movie The Social Network. looks a lot less intense than a real race but not bad at all. good reviews + this scene = must see.

QOTD

“In the early months of training you’re thinking ‘What the hell is all this for?’ Because the race is so far off. There’s so much tedium and discipline and brutal effort to hammer through. You have to resist the subconscious desire to put an end to all this self-inflicted hardship. But as the days pass and you feel yourself getting stronger, you begin to live for the next day. You punish yourself if with a will in training, because you know you’re facing a race that will suspend your life. Somewhere in the race, you will find out what it is you’ve been working for. And your asking big questions of your body, and when the right answers are coming back, it’s a feeling you know you will never forget.” ~ Dan Topolski, Adapted from TRUE BLUE, The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny

A Lesson in Hope

"Sam: It's all wrong. By right, we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened. But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folks in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam?

Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for."

The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy

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Saw this on a friend's FB note only a few days after I rereading the trilogy. One of the most memorable conversations in the books. J.R.R. Tolkien's a genius.

QOTD

Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?'. The answer is usually: 'Yes'. ~ Paul Tergat

About Time

In Philippine sports, one learns to be grateful for every piece of good news - no matter how small or late in the game it comes. Over the years, nothing much has changed since I last trained and competed for flag and country. But despite the issues, the lack of support, or the politics that continue to hound Philippine sports; to be part of it remains a commitment that athletes embrace.

Less than five weeks to go before the Guangzhou Asian Games and yet many athletes still have not had the opportunity to train or compete abroad. National Sports Associations (NSA) that have the means to send their athletes and coaches abroad for training fare much better than those that depend largely on the support of the Philippine government through its various agencies.

The much coveted international training and exposures are still among those at the top of every athlete's wish list. Still, one of the many things I learned in all those years as an athlete, it was that at the heart of it all was the love for the sport.

As another major event approaches, I wish all athletes especially those in the sports I am and have been part of, the best of luck.

Philippine Rowing Association
The athletes who are competing at this year's Asian Games continue their training at the La Mesa Dam. Their competitors like the Iraqi rowers are training with the U.S. Team while others have been training in Europe for months now. Despite whatever disadvantages that present, the rowers are doing their best (like always) to prepare for the tough races that loom ahead.

Philippine Dragon Boat Federation
At one point the dragon boat team mulled pull-out from the RP Asiad delegation. I had an opportunity to talk with Mr. Ilagan about it and he told me they will not do it if they can help it. They have long waited for the approval of their request to train in LMD. The water there is much similar to the waters of the race course at the Guangdong International Rowing Centre, which I had the chance to see at the Asian Junior Rowing Championships last July.

Their request was recently approved. And they were given ten days to train at LMD before the "qualifying" time trials. That time trial was supposed to happen earlier today. I really hope that both men and women's teams successfully equalled or surpassed whatever time they were supposed to beat. If they did, they would be able to continue their training at LMD until before the Asian Games.

Wushu Federation of the Philippines
At last, the national wushu-sanshou athletes are finally leaving for their training at Shanxi province in China. They were supposed to have a 45-day training there but delays in their departure left with much less than that. It would not have mattered much if their Chinese coach was still around to train them. But he left months ago, leaving an Asiad bound team training on their own. As seasoned athletes, they did what they had to do to prepare. I sure hope, and I'm sure they do too, that all those training will be enough to win the much coveted Gold.

At the end of the day, all athletes who compete for flag and country are heroes. It does not matter if they win or lose the gold, silver, or bronze. Those who know what they experience and do for the love of sport would always think of them as winners.

Mabuhay ang atletang Pilipino!

Honor and Excellence

Inspiring. Even if I haven't been lucky enough to have her as my professor in college, I feel like she threw that threat to me as well. She reminds me so much of the many other UPD professors who taught me more than just lessons from textbooks.

Education beyond the four walls of the classroom. That's always been the UPD way.

A Yen For Travel

Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe. ~Anatole France

To travel is to nurture the soul. There is a deeper level of awareness involved that makes every experience unique and unforgettable. Every trip is a journey not just to places but to the depths of the soul.

Yesterday, my yearning to travel again resurfaced in full force. There are still many places to see before I die. And though I may not live long enough to visit all of them, I would die much happier if I have traveled to some of these places I have long dreamed of seeing:

• The Great Wall - check
• Angkor Wat
  
• Taj Mahal
• Pyramids of Giza
• Parthenon
  
• Zen Garden of Kyoto
• The Louvre
• Venice
  

My life according to Tears For Fears

[tagged by Majella] Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, answer these questions. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as 'My life according to (band name).' Tag your music loving friends!

Are you a male or female: Woman in Chains

Describe yourself: I Believe

How do you feel: Fish out of Water

Describe where you currently live: Mad World

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Empire Building

Your favorite form of transportation: The Big Chair

Your best friend is (are): Sowing the Seeds of Love

Your fear: Swords and Knives

What is the best advice you have to give: Advice for the Young at Heart

Thought for the Day: Everybody Wants to Rule the World

How I would like to die: Watch Me Bleed

My soul's present condition: Elemental

My motto: Ideas as Opiates