August 9, 2012

August 9, 2012?

What’s with August 9? What’s important about this date?

I hardly noticed that I almost forgot my “2^nd Blogversary Contest”. I didn’t know I was drifting too far busying myself with lots of things and I undermine the idea that August is fast approaching and perhaps my blogger and non-blogger friends might be losing patience in anticipating my entry for the contest. I know some of you are excited to see it and eventually join. And disappointing you is far from my plan.

For first time visitors or rare visitors, I started blogging last August 9, 2010. My very first blog entry then was "Starter's Delight". Nahhh..nope...don't think of it as maybe about food or sort of that. It's just nothing. It was pure blah-blah of anything. That post was really created last August 2, 2010 but I failed to publish it on that very day and so it fell on the 9th day of August which makes this blog's "birthday". Advance Happy Birthday blog..LoLs!

Ramadan Kareem

Ramadan Kareem! - phrase used by Muslims which literally means "Have a generous Ramadan". 

When this crescent moon is sighted on the last day
 of Shaban it means Ramadan officially begins

It's the Holy month of Ramadan where I'm currently based at. Basically, Ramadan observance follows Shaban, the eight month of the Islamic calendar. Unlike, says, January, Ramadan and Shaban do not have the fixed number of days. Each month can have 29 or 30 days depending on when the first silver of the crescent moon is sighted by the naked eye. If, on the 29th day of Shaban, the crescent moon is sighted, Ramadan has begun and Muslims begin fasting on that morning. If the moon isn't sighted that night, Shaban last 30 days. And Ramadan will begin the next day whether the moon is sighted or not. 

2012 London Olympics: Swimmers To Watch - 200M Freestyle -Men

In a pool surrounded by world-class and top caliber swimmers, there are always many possibilities. Possibilities that a defending champion can be out-swam by the underdogs, that a record holder can potentially be outwitted by the neophytes, that an upset is a thing that can happen in a pool. Anything can happen. It's the human spirit that pushes a neophyte to win and the same that triggers a champion to emerge on top again.

200M Freestyle - Men

A classic example of this scenario was during Sydney 2000 Olympics where the hometown hero and crowd's favorite to win the 50M Sprint Ian "Torpedo" Thorpe suffered a devastating loss to his greatest rival in the pool Peter Van De Hougenband of The Netherlands. It almost made Ian cry as he was expecting to pull-out from the water a champion. He felt that he brought so much disappointment to his home turf. 

I guess you've done reading or browsing my previous two entries: 2012 London Olympics: Swimmers To Watch - 100M Freestyle - Men and 2012 London Olympics: Swimmers To Watch - 50M Sprint - Men. 


So, it's time to to go a distant swim lap and let's find out who's who in the 200M Freestyle - Men.

2012 London Olympics: Swimmers To Watch - 100M Freestyle- Men

Yesterday, I've written all about my predictions of who to watch out for in this category - 2012 London Olympics: Swimmers To Watch - 50M Sprint-Men and I'm sure some of you are quite enthralled and would be planning to watch whom among my top 5 picks will dominate. Will there be an upset or can the current holder maintain his gold medal standing? If you're clouded with doubts , I too have some qualms as the field is very intense. I'm sure some of the contenders will give the champion a run for his medal. And we may never know that someone not from my listed strong contenders will snatch a gold medal as a surprise victor in 50M Sprint.

In swimming, I've always been fascinated to a number of swimming superstars in their contemporary times. In Barcelona 92 and Atlanta 96, it was my Russian swimming idol Alexander Popov that I have been hooked watching. In Sydney 2000, it was the hometown hero "Ian "Torpedo" Thorpe" who caught my attention. Too bad he failed to qualify in the trials for this year's Olympics. That time, Michael Phelps was just a rising name. In Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, it was my great idol Michael Phelps who had the biggest splash in the pool garnering gold medals after gold medals. He totaled 8 gold medals in Beijing making him as the most decorated swimmer in Olympics History. 

Today, let us swim a little further as I give you my boldest predictions of who to take a closer look in the 100M Freestyle - Men category.

2012 London Olympics: Swimmers To Watch - 50M Sprint - Men

Olympics tradition is coming very near.

The Summer Olympics begins on Friday, July 27, 2012 and ends on Sunday August 12, 2012.

2012 London Olympics - Aquatic Center 

Every four years we experience the meteoric and euphoric celebration this quadrennial event brings. It is a competition of the biggest names, brightest stars, and the promising neophytes in the sporting world each wanting to stamp a history of their country in whatever sport's discipline they compete.

As a lover of this sport and a swimmer in my own right (haha!), I will give you a glimpse of who to watch out for in my favorite sports' discipline in the Olympics -- SWIMMING.

It has been regarded that swimming is the most watched and highly anticipated sport discipline in the Olympics and  I am too glad this is my fave sport. Tickets run out because people's influx in the aquatic center is too many that most of the times cannot be accommodated. And for this reason, it is always an implied task for the O.I.C to install a big screen outside the aquatic center to give way for spectators and fanatics to watch their idols in the pool.

A Little Craziness Won't Hurt Right?

Yeah, few hilarious videos won't hurt right? After all, I badly need a breath of fresh air as my previous post had stretched my emotion and turned me into a raging bull somehow..haha!


I guess, though I'm not sure, that maybe I'm one of the last people to join in this "CALL ME MAYBE" craze. It's not that I'd do a cover of my own (as Alex of Gasoline Dude dared me to do one). LoLs! Holy Ghost! I can't act in front of a camera. I'm a boring actor..LoLs! Crap! spare me for that thought..haha!


I have been watching few covers of this super-mega-hit song of Carly Rae Jepsen - a Canadian singer from Mission, British Columbia (Top 3 of Canadian Idol - Fifth Season) who popularized this song. From young teenagers to celebrities, to sports' icons, beauty queens and wow, even the president of the most powerful nation has been into it--If you happen to see it you'll surely say that "it was tailored parts of his speeches from various occasions". It crept the hell out of me when I saw it. Funny though and what I've noticed really is that technology can do myriad of things and ordinary Joe or Juan is awesomely skillful in various latest technological advances.

Annoying Indifference

It is perhaps true that when people don't love a person, an endeavor, an upcoming event, or sort of that they tend to just stay half-hearted, less motivated, and simply won't care much about it.

They embrace the attitude of "come what may". Just waiting for what will happen without acting on what can be done.

It is very challenging and equally frustrating when people displays annoying indifference to an endeavor or a cause. 

Like what I feel last night when I realized the lack of support of my batch mates (except for those who really care, I can count them) to our goals. It pains me thinking our being slow in executing our plans and taking actions despite constant reminders for the concerned people.

And Then There Was Light!

In the story of creation in the book of Genesis 1:3 was written "And God said "Let there be light," and there was light.

Light is an essential element of our lives, whether literally or metaphorically speaking. A house is not a home without someone we consider as light--our mother. It is difficult to live without the care of a person we consider as such.

I can still remember the movie "The Fifth Element" where it tackles about the four stones of the four elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air --when there was a time where the universe is threatened by evil and the only hope is the "fifth element". Though the fifth element metaphorically represented by "Leeloo" yet in my understanding it is the "love" that is the fifth element needed. 

UNCLOG

UNCLOG 
- dict says "to make passage through (something) possible by removing obstructions; to free from obstructions or difficulty"
        

A patron of this blog would easily gauge if I'd say "I'm still wide awake even at these wee hours now" -- that I wasn't able to beat the ticking of the clock when it hits 12:00am. And that I should supposed to be sleeping before it clicks midnight because that's my usual sleeping time. And when I failed to beat it that would mean I could go through the next morning sleepless unless I fight this somehow insomniac state. Now, this is momentarily what's happening to me. This is really me, I've been fighting against this unorthodox sleeping behavior of mine for quite some times. There were few triumphs but most of my attempts fail.


It would seem fair if I'll be telling you what caused today's erratic and unorthodox sleep pattern.Well yeah, I spent the whole afternoon until past midnight conducting physical inventory for all the products we store in our warehouse. To be exact, I reached my flat at around 1:20am. Apart form being positioned as a "Procurement Specialist" yours truly also perform some accounting works. And since I am solely responsible for the inventory system and control in our "accounting system" I collaborate by working with people directly related to inventories and sort to that effect. 


Okey, enough of the explaining part. None from the above has anything to do with what I am going to chronicle right now. The first line above is the main reason why I'm not fighting to win few hours of sleep right now. I'm grabbing this rare opportunity while my neuron is giving me ideas to write. Though this entry is quite on a personal level but as many passionate writers like me would say "this is our best comfort zone to express our emotions, to rant about things, to shout out what's inside of us". Writing is like that of a one best friend that you could say anything you wanted to say by scribbling everything that your heart dictates.

Universal Fighting Championship: Mark "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" Munoz

Last night I chanced upon watching via internet a TV Special featuring UFC's rising mixed martial arts' fighter in our local channel in Pinas. Hosted by Luis Manzano- it chronicled the life of a rising star in the sports world of Universal Fighting Championship. He's none other than Mark Munoz.

Mark "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" Munoz

 I've always been a die-hard fan of boxing more than any other contact sports. A clear reason why I'm always behind our "Pambansang Kamao" Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao supporting every time he has a fight.

But it can never be discounted that I too love other contact sports. And when it comes to this particular sport I think I'm not lagging behind since I know some superstars from this sport discipline like Ken Shamrock, George St. Pierre, Tito Ortiz to name a few.

Mark and his wife Kristi

What even struck me more last night was this man's faith. How he carries it along with his sport is such an amazing thing about him. He has a very strong connection to the Lord. In fact, he even mentioned that there are 4 (four) "F's" that he literally lives by. He revealed that he's a Godly man. And so I will tell you the four "F's" according to its level of priority.