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.

The Neophyte Cook # 4: "Gising-Gising"

The Neophyte Cook - this segment in my blog will feature my cooking apprenticeship without the formal culinary lessons, shy of cooking standards, and is done out-of-passion in cooking. Recipes will vary from various cuisine's dishes as long as I can modestly prepare and my guts tell me to do so.


This menu was a week delayed already. Originally, we have planned to cook it last week. But due to a lacking ingredient, we decided to pass on and re-scheduled it this weekend.


And here's the "Gising-Gising" guys! I'm sure when you try it even at once you'll be so "gising talaga" LoLs..kidding aside. But, I guess I'm right when I say that since it has some chilli peppers ingredient that will surely arouse your lousy morning or not-so-exciting lunch time.


It was cooked after I'd finished the "Binagoongang Manok". Of course with the aid of my "sous chef" LoLs my wife is my sous chef and I am the master chef..hahaha! --pretentious enough to own the word.  Okay, here's what we've got.

Gising-Gising

I'm not so sure which province in our country this recipe originated. If I may guess, I would perhaps say it comes from the Bicol Region. I'm just suspecting that the "gata" and the "sili" is more likely my clues why I said that. But then again I'm not that sure. I was tired and lazy to look it up in the internet and search its place of origin.

The Neophyte Cook # 3: "Binagoongang Manok"

The Neophyte Cook - this segment in my blog will feature my cooking apprenticeship without the formal culinary lessons, shy of cooking standards, and is done out-of-passion in cooking. Recipes will vary from various cuisine's dishes as long as I can modestly prepare and my guts tell me to do so.


If you've been following this blog, you're probably oriented that I have this blog segment called "The Neophyte Cook" and the description is written above. In cooking, if you really have the talent it will surely show-up even though you're short of having formal culinary lessons. And this talent if properly develop will evolve into a passion. For it to become a passion you need to have a natural inclination and an intense & pure love of the craft.


Cooking runs in the family. In fact, I have an Uncle who's been so successful in the field of culinary arts. He is based in Sheraton Hotel in Guam and had devised & designed his own "Cuisines of the Suns Culinary Program". He's been traveling to different colleges and universities within the country to conduct this program. Basically, giving lectures and seminars to college students pursuing the field of culinary arts and hotel and restaurant management. And countable from my cousins are pursuing the same passion. So, you might not wonder if one of these days, I may be joining their ranks and you'll just see new posts here which are at par to cooking standards or has leveled-up in a very near future.


Like what I've said, I only cook if I have free time, which in my case fall under weekend. Today, I am featuring a original Filipino dish and perhaps most of you are familiar with. Or I may be wrong too. Maybe some of you aren't used to seeing or hearing "Binagoongang Manok" since when we speak of binagoongan, pork comes first into our mind as its main ingredient. To add a twist in it, I have deviated the recipe into chicken. Just for the taste of it and a detour from the normal course so to speak. And here's my third entry for this segment. I cooked it for our dinner.

Binagoongang Manok

Preparing this menu is more enjoyable when you're being assisted by your wife. She's like my "sous chef" - a second in command and direct assistant of the chef. Well, I pretended to be the master chef..LoLs. And when cooking session is being done with smiles both in your faces it'll surely result to a palatable finish product. Plus the constant goofing around adds a lightly cool mood into the relatively hot atmosphere in our kitchen.

CHANGE is Coming

It had been a long plan that I wanted to drastically change my blog’s content. Drastically? Wow! such a big word. Well, for quite sometimes and as I promised during the onset of 2012, I want to create a fully informative blog which will feature any of the following segments:

  v  Books

  v  Current Affairs

  v  Faith

  v  Family

  v  Food

  v  Movies

  v  Opinions & Editorial

  v  People

  v  Prose & Poetry

  v  Places

  v  Travel

I know it’s pretty challenging to come up with a regular post on any of the above-mentioned topics but I will try my best to at least deliver. I should befriend the quote “Under prepare but over deliver” at least the pressure won’t be mounting and disappointment will be nowhere in sight if I won't be able to reach a targeted output.

This change will also help me gain more traffic in my blog and my consistent readers will be more hooked reading my entries and those who barely visit will be excited to come back again. 

As some of my blogger friends would say, it's a sort of leveling-up--climbing another ladder to create a more seasoned, up-to-date, relatively & plausibly concise, and more informative entries. 

Of course, I will never discount the fact  that my write-ups will always be prone to grammar blunders as it happens most of the times. Further, I will really appreciate anyone, bloggers or not, if they'll put extra effort in informing me through email or private messaging if they see grammatical flaws in my writings. 

As I've said, I write not to impress, I do so out of passion. My writings will always have grammatical flaws no matter how keen I'll be in editing. Plus, I do not conform to any structural way of writing nor I do an outlined framework. Admittedly, I am not a trained creative writer nor a holder of any communication arts degree. It's just passion--pure and driven kind of attitude in me that pushes me to scribble my thoughts about anything. 

And now, since we are talking of reaching a notch higher from where this blog is used to be, the above mentioned segments will be my focal points.

The scope of each segment will be defined in my follow-up entry. In the meantime, this is all for now.


HAPPY READING :) 

The Neophyte Cook # 2: "Tinolang Manok sa Pakwan"

The Neophyte Cook - this segment in my blog will feature my cooking apprenticeship without the formal culinary lessons, shy of cooking standards, and is done out-of-passion in cooking. Recipes will vary from various cuisine's dishes as long as I can modestly prepare and my guts tell me to do so.


For the record this is the second entry I have in my blog segment "The Neophyte Cook". I only cook if I have ample time and if ingredients are readily available in our refrigerator. LoLs.. I'm aiming to have more recipes to be cooked. (Crossing fingers with matching closed eyes..LoLs) 


Tinolang Manok sa Pakwan? Whooah! I never thought there is a certain recipe as this. Not until I found it out one day. And how did I find it out?


It’s funny how this idea (cooking it) came up. It was one late Tuesday morning of June 19 when I was tagged in a wall post by my good friend Ryan making me envious of his version of it. I really thought I’d be invited for a lunch that day (nag-expect lang si Spidey lols!). Normally, we usually take our lunch together with the rest of our group (Satt, Jimmy, &Remwell) almost everyday. It’s either we dine out or he’ll cook in his flat. But since these past few months I’ve been so occupied in the office I humbly begged-off from joining our lunch group until my bulk tasks in the office finishes. Seriously, I missed these guys. The normal cracking of funny jokes while having our lunch adds up to the "I miss them" part.

Now, back to what pushed me to cook my own version. I was just tagged for his purpose of maybe letting my envy runs in my blood and probably just to make me drool. And he was successful indeed because I almost got out of my office and rode a taxicab to head fast to his flat. But it was too late since when I read again his post it said they’re done with lunch already. I was frowning and a bit sad—hahaha!. I was hungry then and I thought it’d be perfect since I didn’t prepare my lunch that day. You’re such a poor guy spidey! LoLs! hahaha.

As a reply to his post, I did my own wall post tagging him by telling that I’ll be cooking my own version comes weekend too -my way of easing-out my slight irate that day.

And so here it is, my simple version of “Tinolang Manok sa Pakwan”. Initially, my wife and I planned to cook it for lunch but since when we checked out the nearby “Farm ” supermarket we didn’t find any sliced watermelon from the stands. Instead, we find one whole watermelon unsliced. The store attendant told us that the sliced one will be ready comes late afternoon. Having heard that we just decided to cook it for dinner.

I have the recipe saved in my Samsung Galaxy Note so we had to check it out and read the instructions. Honestly, I’ve read it twice already but my poor memory always makes me in trouble. I can’t memorize the way I used to before. So, we had to read again while preparing the ingredients.

To cut the story short, I successfully cooked my own version of “Tinolang Manok sa Pakwan”. I was laughing hard while we’re about to put some into a bowl since I told my wife that it should be presented well. So she got two tablecloth napkins and a clean white Corell bowl. To add to its aesthetic element we topped it with pechay leaves. And here’s what we’ve got.

Tinolang Manok sa Pakwan