Outliers

My current reading list includes this one by Malcolm Gladwell.

I was introduced to Gladwell's works by my good friend Ayadh, who is fond of psychoanalysis and self-help.

Outliers attempts to find out why some people are successful and why some are not.

He plucks out mainstream examples from the cream of the crop across the spectrum and discusses how each of them has climed the ladder of success faster than others, and why some people have been left behind in the race.

So why are some people successful?

According to the book, all people start out equal.

Whether you're a hockey player, a computer whiz or a musician, the moment you take interest in your craft, you have an equal chance as everyone to make it.

But as luck would have it, some people get more opportunities than others.

Opportunities are doors opening for you to explore what's inside that mansion.

Bill Gates took interest in computer programming, but during his teenage years, it was hard to gain access to computers.

Luckily, a university near his house had a computer available 24/7, and he would sneak out of his house in the wee hours to practice programming.

Even though there was a limit to the number of hours every person could use the computer, with a little decoding fueled by his drive to keep on programming, he was able to sit in front of the computer for hours on end.

The Beatles. There were countless of bands in their era, but what did the Beatles have that others didn't?

Gigs at a Hamburg night club.

They were required to play there for more than a hundred nights straight, each night consisting of hours of playing different genres.

Those gigs made them more confident to face a massive crowd, gave them lots of practice and exposure and a record label that took off.

Bill Gates and The Beatles had something in common, and that is the opportunity to practice. Practice, practice, practice.

Their brains and talent wouldn't make the cut.

According to the book, Gates and The Beatles spent ten thousand hours of their lives perfecting their craft before they became phenomenal.

A study shows that it takes a minimum of ten thousand hours before mastery kicks in.

Then you can hold on to your seats and see a new star rising.

I have never done anything for ten thousand hours.

I was doing lots of different things when I was young that I wasn't able to focus on one.

Is it too late?

Milan Kundera Quotes

Time to revisit an old favorite. Milan Kundera is complicated, screwed up even, and has a lot of emotional issues that he can verbalize in a way that stabs my heart like a knife sharpened by the devil.

Here's a toast to you Kundera, for the thoughs you made me ponder and the truths that you discovered about myself. (at this point, our glasses clink)

Eroticism is like a dance: one always leads the other.

Happiness is the longing for repetition.

How goodness heightens beauty!

Optimism is the opium of the people.

People are going deaf because music is played louder and louder, but because they're going deaf, it has to be played louder still.

Anyone whose goal is 'something higher' must expect someday to suffer vertigo. What is vertigo? Fear of falling? No, Vertigo is something other than fear of falling. It is the voice of the emptiness below us which tempts and lures us, it is the desire to fall, against which, terrified, we defend ourselves.

Pull the Plug

Overheat
Dimming light
Flicker, not spark
Wide eyes in the dark
Sliver
Search for power
Short circuit
Voltage limit
Jumpstart
Fuse dead
Will you just shrug
Or pull the plug?

Debts, Goals and More

Dubai World has announced it would request a six month debt payment extension for its $58 billion dollar debt. Fair enough. Even though there are clear-cut rules to lending and contracts were signed in the beginning, what is written on paper may not always materialize. Everything is an assumption.
My take on that is yes, the extension shoould be granted. It's not the first time in history that a conglomerate is unable to pay off its loans on time, and it's no surprise, given the economic situation, no matter what press releases and optimists say.
It's a holiday, so I will let my brain take a back seat and let my emotions run free like a fool, because I'm girly like that. So why give leeway? Because we all make mistakes and we deserve a second chance in everything. Any delay caused by an unfortunate series of events that got out of hand is of course a hassle to the parties awaiting results or payments or a mere update. It's agonizing and it brings about insecurity and hostility.
But if the borrower is transparent and takes reassuring steps towards a sound alternative payment plan, I don't see why things can't work out.
Let's drop the borrower-debtor situation and zoom out to the big picture. Let's talk about ourselves. Each person has a vision, whether short-term or long-term. And that vision is backed by the belief that that happy place he sees in his head will soon take place in real life at the right time. So he works on it and makes it happen. He sets a deadline and is determined to beat it!
But there are obstacles. Unexpected events, people in his way, or bad weather. So he buys time. He allows himself more time but never takes his eyes off the light at the end of the tunnel. So he gets there, slowly but surely, and he feels his adrenaline pump up when his goals begin to take shape.
Or there is an alternative ending to it. He may lose sight of his goals. Consequently he may not find the strength to carry on, and may likely waste away. Which in my book is NOT an option. It is simply not.
Each of us has a personal battle. We are both the borrower and the lender. We owe ourselves our future. And we patiently wait for ourselves to reach it. We give and take to ourselves by allowing grace periods to right the wrong and clean up our mess. We give ourselves a pat on the back when we meet our deadlines. We reprimand ourselves when we falter. Then we get back on our feet.
And the last five words of the last sentence are the most important thing I have written in this entry so far.
Like, I can dive into a pool of shit, swim there all day, but at the end of the day I can towel it all off and take a long hot bath.

I love power naps!

The Fat Game

Lis and I took a walk by the creek to get some fresh air and fuel our fear of getting fat. We played a little game that required us to call each other "fat" names. So she called me Dabiana and I called her Lard Ass. She called me Miss Piggy and I called her Big Momma. You get the picture.
It was so much fun. We got a high out of the whole fat name calling thing that we didn't want to stop. We're both online right now and she just called me Rolly Polly Porker Belly. Wow. Original. I tried my best to come up with something. Miss Pork Rind 2009. It's an endorphin-boosting exercise.


Try it.
You're so fat trying you can't procreate.
You're so fat you ate your fiancee.
You're so fat you don't need tampons, your thighs do all the absorbing.
You're so fat your fingers stick together when you type.
You're so fat you're tempted to cook yourself.
You're so fat you can fly like a giant balloon.
You're so fat you look like a sofa when seated.
When standing, you look like a fridge.
You're so fat you are the capital of your country.
You're so fat you need a whole year to poop.
You're so fat you can never be phat.
You're so fat like that yo!

How I Met Your Mother

This comedy series is basically a very long story told by a father to his kids about how he met their mother. It's the fourth season and still we don't know how. The main character, Ted (who is the dad in the future), was engaged and heartbroken and single and attached so many times that the excitement leading to how he really met his future wife is escalating. And I am itching to find out.

I never really found out how my father met my mother. We never had that chat. I don't think I want to know. It's just a fleeting moment that led to my birth and now that I'm all grown up to backtrack, I won't. I just feel that something that ended tragically and was buried six feet underground some fourteen years ago does not deserve another glimpse.

But here's the good news. Someday I will become a mother and I hope that my story will be so fondly remembered by my children, their children and the children of their children. I want it to be a well-told, unbelievably kickass love story that it will become a legacy and possibly become a smashing hit comedy series. And I get to star in it.

PokerFace (acoustic live) Lady GaGa HD

Remembering the Old Me

The nice thing about going back home is that it is also revisiting my past self. I get to open my old journals, rummage through my old stuff, use my old brands of shampoo and soap and smoke at the desk where I used to hide my cigarettes from Mama Becky. I get to watch my favorite decade-old romantic comedies, such as The Sweetest Thing, Along Came Polly and 50 First Dates. And I get to use our landline phone that emits more static sound than the voice of the person on the other line.
The old me likes a hot cup of taho with extra sago when everybody else is having tapsilog at Edong's. She sneaks out of a brainstorming meeting to meet her boyfriend at the border of the Metro. She likes to have a San Mig Strong Ice before going home from work. She keeps an apple in her bag just in case she gets hungry. The old me buys cigarettes per piece and smokes them throughout the day. She likes smoking under the watershed when it rains, while saying hello to acquaintances holding their umbrellas and hailing cabs in front of the ELJ building. The old me likes to crack a joke or two with a good friend while listening to crap music on the office computer. She likes eating other people's leftover food.
The old me likes road trips. With high school friends, it's got to be Cookie's house in Tagaytay. With college friends, Puerto Galera. She likes boys. Smiling at them, talking to them, holding their hands and pinching them hard. She likes girls too. Well, as friends. She likes it when things happen spontaneously, especially on pay day after work.
The old me is moody at times and would hide under the office table to avoid pleasantries with people. When in the mood, she is playful and likes talking to superiors with chocolate in her teeth. She likes taking pictures with people's butts.
The old me is not complicated at all. She doesn't always get what she wants but doesn't fuss over it. She lets go of things not meant for her gracefully and with the hope that something better will come along.
I am not sure if I will come to terms with the old me when I'm back home again. Maybe the tangible reminders of my old self have been thrown away by our new house help, or eaten by termites, or simply too deeply buried under dust to be retrieved. But it would be nice just to say hi and ask how she's been. She might be wondering how the new me is.
Well, the new me is not exactly different.
A little stronger, a little wiser.
A little more serious, a little more refined.
A little more cautious, a little more inquisitive.
A little more responsible, a little more fair.
Just a little.
I don't want to lose touch with my old self.
I love the old me!
When I look at my old picture, I think, "I was pretty badass."

For G

You're simply amazing. It was one of the most peaceful, amicable endings I have had in my entire life, and you deserve a big round of applause. Until now you have managed to retain my respect and I salute you for that. And even though we're miles apart, I still feel your concern for me. You have given me reason to believe that it's possible to find good people in the world. No hang ups, no deceit, just pure companionship filled with love and understanding. And yes, we will still see each other. Another place, another time. The only thing that will change is the absence of complication. I won't test your temper; you won't tell me what to do. I won't complain about the way you do things; you won't tell me to get my act together. We will see eye to eye and hold hands, like old friends. I know that I will always have you. And you will always have me. Amen.

Good Times - Edie Brickell

Would You Take Body Image Advice From A Pretty Woman? | Never Say Diet

Would You Take Body Image Advice From A Pretty Woman? Never Say Diet

Satruday Night

I have been watching the HBO Sports series in the build up to the Manny Pacquiao - Miguel Cotto fight.
Each fighter's story was told with so much depth that it succeeded in touching my heart.
I was moved to tears.
One of the most memorable things that were said in the series was this:

Long after Saturday night, what would be remembered?
How many years they lived?
How many rounds they fought?
Or what happened in that small handfull of moments that really mattered?

For the two boxers, Saturday night was the big fight.
It could mean a different thing to every person.
Could be the night they won the lottery, met their spouse, or had that life-changing hair cut.
I've had so many memorable Saturday nights, with handfulls of moments that brought happiness and sadness in my life.
Some of them I chose to bury deep in my pocket, some I still hold in my hand.

I once told a person that Saturday is for lovers.
Now I realize it's not really that exclusive.
It's for those who wish to beat the doldrums and do something bold.
And I hope that I will soon have an eventful Saturday night to shake up my life.

You know what? I was daydreaming of being the female Manny Pacquiao.
But then I realized, I don't wanna be Manny.
I wanna be Freddie Roach.
He's dealt with a lot of champion boxers and won't take any of their shit.
In short, he's an excellent trainer, mentor and friend.
With those qualities of his, he produced the world's best in the arena.
I'm Freddie.
Now if I can find my Floyd and my Manny.
Ok, my Manny is Aimee.
Aimee oks lang ikaw si Manny?

Portishead - glory box

Manny Pacquiao on Jimmy Kimmel Live PART 1

This was so much fun to watch.
I love Manny.
I'm sure he loves me too.

Rico Blanco - Your Universe

Antukin - Rico Blanco (Official Music Video)

Thanks Mae... you're right.
He's brilliant, and this song is so true.

HBO Sports: 24/7 Pacquiao Cotto Episode #1 (HBO)

Watch the other parts on Youtube. Excellent Sports feature.

Pacquiao Wins Again!

Of course Pacquiao won!

It's his 50th victory.

And he is now a five-weight, five-time world champion.

Not the best-looking guy on the planet.

But someone to be very proud of for Filipinos.

A product of the slums, the supposedly more hopeless part of any city in any country.

A person who didn't have the funding but had enough resources to fuel his passion.

An inspiration to those who weren't blessed with good looks and a trust fund but had the energy and determination that took him all the way to prestige and unimaginable wealth.

We're all boxers.

We fight, we bleed, we try to win.

But some people get knocked out in the early rounds.

Some simply refuse to.

They just keep on going.

Keep on going.

That's the only way to know your limits.

If you win, congratulations, your life is upgraded a notch.

And winning is addictive and contagious, mind you.

It will keep on happening and it will cause others to do the same.

That's why some refuse to give up until they're on top.

But if you lose, better luck next time.

The fight is finished, but there's another one coming up.

So keep your gloves on.

Those who stick it out until the end are usually the ones who have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

That's a thought.