Although my interest in the stock market started when the Crash of 1987 (I was only 12 at that time) was all over the news, the term October Effect is just another business phrase with no application in literature or in my personal instrospection.      I only took notice and reflected on the significance of the month of October on myself when in 1994, I read an article about Tony Perez’s upcoming play, “Oktubre, Noong Tayo’y Nagmamahalan Pa”.    This is the first play in the multi-awarded playwright’s thought provoking trilogy about love, friendship and companionship and its consequence into our lives.  It’s sequel is titled “Nobyembre,  Noong Akala Ko’y Mahal Kita” and its third and final installment, “Saan Ba Tayo Ihahatid ng Disyembre”.     On that 10th month of 1994, when I read about Tony Perez’ play, I was then recuperating from a break up of a serious relationship.    And I was seeking solace through poetry and literature, which lead me to that article. (This was also the time when Lord Byron’s poem When We Two Parted became my favorite and up until this day, I can recite this literary piece from memory)

On that October of 1994, I ruminated on the Octobers of previous years and indeed, the current month was the month where great personal challenges or tribulations occured.  And fifteen years later, just this morning while driving on my way to work , I once again contemplated on the October Effect and the Octobers of recent years.

In October of last year, I learned very invaluable lessons about human behavior and office politics that Robert Greene forgot to write about in his classic “The 48 Laws of Power” (it was for this reason that I didn’t have any article written in October 2008).   But thanks, in part, to the said book,  I was able to maneuver my way and turned the tide against those who conspired against me, and ended up the victor.

October of 2007 was another difficult month,  at that time, the pangs of guilt are slowly killing me because I wasn’t really there for my Mother during her last days (She died of leukemia in August of 2007).   And I kept on wishing that I be given at least one more day with her, even if that will be limited in the realms of my dreams.   It may sound amusing that a martial artist who’s not afraid of stepping onto the ring has an extremely soft side.  But one night in October of 2007, while reading Mitch Albom’s For One More Day (a very beautiful story about a mother’s love for her son)  HBO aired on cable TV Anna Chlumsky’s movie “My Girl”.    In the said movie, Macaulay Culkin’s character died and at the unforgettable scene where Anna Chlumsky saw for the first time the lifeless body of her best friend, tears are swelling in my eyes and partly because of that emotional scene and partly because of the effects of alcohol, I dialed my mother’s mobile phone number countless times, hoping that somehow I will hear her voice.    In the end, I sent a text message to her number saying sorry for everything and that I missed her so bad and I hope she knows that I love her.

Perhaps the October of this year is no different.    It will be the end of an era as the global economic crisis and its inevitable effects has finally put my American company to its knees.  Though I have plans of pursuing a path outside my present company within the first half of next year, the developments that happened this month, though expected, still brings concerns.  But I have made my plans, well in advance though it will be a big leap of faith.   I hope Paolo Coelho is correct about the whole world conspiring to help you attain your personal legend, because the big leap that I’ll be making is a step closer to what I think is my personal legend.

The musings I made this morning in the Octobers of my life,  lead me to ponder on the song “Borrowed Heaven” by my favorite band of all time, The Corrs.    Almost everything or everybody we hold dear in our life is just borrowed heaven and sooner or later, these must fade or we must bade our farewell.   I just hope that I will not lose another “Borrowed Heaven” in this month of October.

The video below is the heartwrenching scene in the movie “My Girl” that I mentioned above

Here are some of the pics I took and I promise to do better in the next tournament.

A picture perfect roundhouse kick to the body by a female fighter from Batangas City.

Benedicto Alumno (in red gears) landed a solid straight punch to fellow RP team member, Eugene Toquero

Ryan Jakiri (red gear) catching what could have been a good teep by fellow national team member Tyrone Naticho

National Team member Jay Malubay (in blue) doing ala Matrix move by evading a roundhouse kick from Zaidi Laruan.  Zaidi was unanimously voted as the best fighter of the tournament.

Jonathan Polosan of the RP team executed countless sweeps to edge out a unanimous victory over Zamboanga City’s Jasper Lim.

Videos courtesy of Mr. Vic Benedicto will be posted next.

Here are the medalists of the 2009 Philippine Muay Thai Championships:

42-45 kgs. Men’s

Jessie Bitaga (Baguio City)-Gold Medal

Mark Anthony Gecalao (Lipa City)-Silver Medal

42-45 kgs. Women’s

May Libao (RP Team)- Gold Medal

Jocelyn Bauyan (Misamis Oriental)-Silver Medal

45-48 kgs. Men’s

Roland Claro (RP Team)- Gold Medal

Johnny Blanca (Makati City)-Silver Medal

45-48 kgs Women’s

Maricel Subang (RP Team)-Golds

Janelyn Sevilleno (Misamis Oriental)

45-51 kgs. Men’s

Danilo Dilag (Quezon City)-Gold Medal

Ronnie Catampatan (RP Team)- Silver Medal

48-51 kgs Women’s

Preciosa Ocaya (RP Team)- Gold Medal

Ana Joy Olores (Las Pinas City)-Silver Medal

51-54 kgs Men’s

Benedicto Alumno (RP Team)- Gold Medal

Eugene Toquero (RP Team)- Silver Medal

51-54 kgs Women’s

Ana Marie Rey (RP Team)- Gold Medal

Violeta Lagawad (Baguio City)- Silver Medal

54-57 kgs Men’s

Ryan Jakiri (RP Team)- Gold Medal

Tyrone Naticho (RP Team)- Silver Medal

57-60 kgs Men’s

Zaidi Laruan (RP Team)- Gold Medal

Jay Leomar Malubay (RP Team)- Silver Medal

60-63.4 Kgs Men’s

Jonathan Polosan (RP Team)- Gold Medal

Jasper Lim (Zamboanga City)- Silver Medal

63.5-67 kgs Men’s

Jay Harold Gregorio (RP Team)- Gold Medal

Charles Saavedra (Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat)- Silver Medal

Best Female Fighters of the Tournament:

Ana Marie Rey and Maricel Subang-both members of the Philippine National Team

Best Male Fighter of the Tournament:

Zaidi Laruan

The 2009 Philippine Muay Thai National Championship wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of PTT and its president, Khun Siripong Phoungpaka.    From left to right:  Paul Senador-PTT HR Manager, unfortunately I wasn’t able to get the name of this beauty from PTT,  Red Dumuk-MAP OIC and Sec. Gen., Khun Siripong Phoungpaka-PTT Phils President and Ajarn Pudpadnoy Omglin

The RP Muay Thai Team

Beck with her close buddy Zaidi Laruan.  They’re joined with Dindo Camansa, a never say die fighter from Tacurong City.

Representatives from Misamis Oriental

The contingent from Zamboanga City, headed by Kru Arnold Palpalatoc.  Kru Arnold is one of the best coaches that the RP team ever had.  I missed training with him.  But the RP team’s loss is Zamboanga City’s gain

I’ll be posting the fight pics later.

It’s an age group competition of 6-7 year old,  8-9 year old and 10-11 year old.  These kids could be the future Philippine national team who will bring honor by winning medals in international athletic meets such as the Southeast Asian Games.

RP competed in both events, in the 10-11 year old individual kata and individual kumite.  Expectedly, having only started last summer, RP faced stiff competition from more senior karatekas.   By luck of the draw, RP won a bronze medal in individual kumite, her first medal in martial arts.

Lars Petersen, already a world champion at 10 years old

The kid in blue belt is the son of Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, a Filipino I consider to be  an epitome of moral courage for bravely standing up and expose the corruptions of the current administration despite the pressure and the threat brought upon him.   Mr. Lozada is also watching this tournament, he’s in the far left side of the photo wearing a pink shirt.    His son competed against a much bigger opponent in this match.

Here’s a close up of Mr. Francisco “Jun” Lozada watching his son in action.

Here’s RP going against a purple belter in the individual kumite.  The more senior karate kid won this match.

RP with her karate buddies.  I had a very funny anecdote with the cute girl at the rightmost of the picture.  Her name is Hannah and she’s one of RP’s seniors in karate.  One Saturday afternoon when we are about to pick up RP after her karate class, Hannah approached me and Beck to tell us that she saw RP sucking her thumb.    She said, “Tita I saw Rebecca sucking her thumb.  That’s a sign of mental retardation.”.   I want to die laughing after hearing this.  When that anecdote happened,  we were with my best bud Richelle who’s also a Psychology graduate like me.   It took us 4 years in college to be able to tell the symptoms of  psychological disorders and then we met a young school girl of 11 who could tell us a sign of mental retardation.   Kids really learn fast nowadays.

Winners all!

RP displaying her bronze medal in individual kumite, with her favorite sensei, Rex Resureccion.

The belting exam composed of kata, bunkai  and memorization of japanese karate terms. At the end of the examination, AAK Megamall have 4 new orange belters.

A6-year old karateka displaying a good form of the straight punch.

Preparing for the execution of the bunkai or the application of the kata.

Karatekids all, the 4 new orange belters.  Hope they will carry on their sport and represent the country in international competitions.

On January 1, 1999  legendary investor Jim Rogers embarked with his wife on a Guiness World Record setting road travel crisscrossing the globe passing through 116 countries, covering more than 245,000 kms of highways, dirtroads, deserts, tundra, steppes, urban jungles and war zones.   This trip took them more than 3 years to finish in their custom made, Mercedes Benz station wagon. (The map above traces the route that Jim Rogers made for his record setting voyage)

Being born in an archipelago, I often yearn of doing a loooooong road trip with a distance of at least 2,000 miles (which is nearly impossible if you’re living on an island).  One item in my “Bucket List or Things To Do Before I Die” is to travel the length (or what’s left of it) of the famous, though decomissioned, Route 66.   This highway, nicknamed, America’s Main Street, stretches 2,448 miles and starts from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California.     This was inspired by the 2006 animated movie, Cars.  And I intend to do this with my daughter.

Another crazy road trip that I want to embark on is to drive a car/SUV from Tierra Del Fuego, the Southernmost tip of the American continent all the way to Anchorage, Alaska.     It’s an outrageous idea shamelessly copied from Ewan McGregor’s road trip from Scotland to Cape Agulhas in South Africa.

I’m not filthy rich like Jim Rogers or famous like Ewan McGregor to be able to finance or find sponsors for those road trips.     Then one evening, over dinner,  my very good friend Ajarn Pudpadnoy Omglin (a legend in muay thai and considered to be one of the top 3 fighters of all time) shared to me and my family about his plans of doing a road trip from Paris to Bangkok on his 60th birthday (that’s 2 years from now) as an honor to King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.    He intend to do this journey with three friends, two of whom are Thais.  And to my surprise, he said that if it is ok, he wants me to be part of the long voyage.

Those words sounded like a TV announcer declaring my lotto ticket number as the jackpot winning combination.   Of course, I want to join that trip.    The voyage  will be financed by a Thai Billionaire (who must remain unnamed) who has a collection of more than 1,000 antique cars, military vehicles and even a decomissioned Norwegian military submarine!

Though it’s still two years from now, the route and date of the voyage is already planned.   We will leave Paris during summer (Of course!  The bitter European winter will definitely decimate the bodies of 4 Southeast Asians accustomed to tropical weather) then go up north to the European capitals Berlin, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm then down to the Baltic Republics (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), then to Minsk, Moscow, across to the Russian tundra,  down to the former Soviet States Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, then eastward to Tibet, China then go down to Laos and finally, to Bangkok, Thailand.   There’s no estimate yet of how long the journey will be.

To say that I’m excited is an understatement.  But I really have to prepare for this trip because I will be the youngest person in the expedition.   This early, I am already preparing by studying first aid, navigation  and the geography of the route (this is my forte) and of course, I have to study even just the basic of several European languages.

Two years is enough time to prepare, but given my situation,  having a full time job, a family to support plus other engagements and commitments, I’m concerned that it may not be sufficient.  I’ve also been asking some of my friends in religious services (either as priest or pastors) to pray for this trip to push through and for the health of King Bhumibol, in whose honor this voyage is being dedicated to.

But whatever happens, I will still live by one of my principles.  That is prepare for an opportunity even though there’s no assurance that it will come rather than an opportunity coming and I am not prepared for it.  Looking forward to June 2011.

I really, really, badly need to read and follow David Allen’s best selling book, “Getting Things Done”.   I guess, the delay in updating my blog is a self-explanation why that book must be in my reading list.

Two people who are very close to me are born on the ninth month of the year.    First is my Mother in law who celebrated her 76th birthday last September 2 and my sister who receive birthday cakes every 8th of September.

Two new angels were born in the first week of September.  On  the 1st of this month, my friend from La Union, Ray Duclayan became a first time father when his lovely baby Hannah Kendra was born.   My wish for the baby is for her to grow up and fulfill the meaning of her name.  Hannah is of Jewish origin meaning “Grace” while Kendra is of Old English origin meaning, “Magical Water Baby”.

Beck’s friend, Mrs. Philippines-World Donnabel Deinla gave birth to her second child, this time a daughter and was given a very unique name, Qristine Vernadeth.   This early, it can be seen that beauty does run in the family of the Filipina beauty queen.

Congratulations to the two of you, my friend Ray and to Ms. Donnabel!

Baby Hannah Kendra Duclayan

Baby Qristine Vernadeth Deinla

The new baby under the loving arms of her mom, Mrs. Philippines-World Donnabel Deinla.  With her are Beck, Mrs. Universe-1st Runner up Camilla Kim Galvez and fellow Mrs. Philippines finalist, Dr. Karen Mauri.

I control the hands of time- much to the
Majority’s dismay
If you’d leave me behind- im a picture
Painted in black and gray
But my colors are inside- when it’s just
Too difficult to see
And I just feel alive- this means so much
To me

Young!! young!! – holding on and taking
Grasp
- a vow that I will last
- ive learned so much from the past
- I’ll remain forever young-  Bob Dylan, Forever Young”

The dreary world of endless routine-work, reading/studying, eating, going home and sleeping- prevented me from writing, despite the many thoughts and ideas that hover around my head.    And I just realized that its been almost a month since I last made an entry to this online journal.   Perhaps by serendipity, while waiting for my daughter to finish her karate class in AAK Megamall, I chance upon an art exhibit sponsored by Gallery Genesis featuring Toti Cerda’s watercolor paintings.  It’s a collection of art works that evokes memories of one’s childhood.  The exhibit is aptly titled, Forever Young.

Each painting in the exhibit seemed to be mirrors to vividly remembered childhood events when life is extremely simple and the world is a lot different.  Perhaps this is the artist’s way of communicating to parents and grown ups that we should allow our children to enjoy childhood, in the same way that we enjoyed it when we were young.    I may not be able to cite statistics but I know a lot of parents today have put considerable amount of pressure on their children by expecting them to achieve things at an early age.   Children will only be young once, then its lost forever.  Parents should learn how to balance between training or ensuring that their children will have a bright future by “starting them young” and by letting their kids be kids.      Also, perhaps the paintings are Toti Cerda’s way of reminding parents that the environment and surroundings that they grew up with are fast disappearing and that we must find ways of preserving them so that their children can also enjoy it.

My favorite painting in the exhibit is the painting of five young kids walking along a grassy plain, titled “Tutubi Gang”.  First, except for the human figures, the grasses were painted almost in the style of Monet’s post impressionism.  (Claude Monet is my favorite painter).  Second, I have countless fond memories of crossing grassy plains with my childhood friends in search for dragonflies, firelies, and spiders.   We have no care whether the grass will make us itchy or for any thorns or broken pieces of trees that could scratch us or for anything that we might step on, be it mud or animal dung.

The painting below is Beck’s favorite, as this brings back memories of her younger years when she and her two siblings would use the wall of their house as one big blackboard.

Very often, I would pity my daughter for not experiencing the simple joy of playing in the rain.    I think this is one of the privileges enjoyed by children born to poor families, myself included.   Middle and upper class parents would not let their children go out in the streets and have the pleasure of playing in the rain.

The strong rains and flood did not deter the people to go to the Manila
Cathedral for the last mass before President Cory Aquino will be laid to rest.

A banner carried by the Franciscan order of Metro Manila

Outside the Manila Cathedral, two elder ladies, one clad in a dress with the colors of the Philippine flag prayed the rosary for the EDSA heroine.

Just outside the entrance of Manila Cathedral.

A 4-storey high tarpaulin banner from Manila City Mayor Alfredo Lim giving thanks to Cory Aquino.

A row of Manila’s Finest, the WPD policemen form a cordon to secure the people who want to pay their last respect and show their love for the former president.

I saw this man falling in line last Sunday to the wake at La Salle Greenhills.  He was wearing a “NO To Gloria Forever” t-shirt.

The former President’s casket was placed on top of a flat bed truck, instead of a hearse, for the people to catch a last glimpse of her.    She is guarded by 4 servicemen, each representing the various units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.    Yellow confetti showered as the truck pass by.  It was like EDSA and Ayala Avenue in February of 1986.

A multitude of people follow the flatbed truck carrying the former President, chanting “Cory, Cory, Cory” while flashing the Laban sign.    Former Senator Pedro Paterno is very right when he said that in 1986, people flocked to the streets in anger and in their desire to end despotic rule.  Today,  people flocked the streets out of love and reverence for, perhaps, the only President of the Philippines who was never seduced by power and prolong their stay in Malacanang.

This reminds me when I was still a 10 year old boy when my father brought me along to EDSA to heed the call of fighting for the restoration of democracy.

From the Manila Cathedral, I ran all the way to the Anda Circle to catch another glimpse of  former president’s Philippine flag draped casket.

A man displayed this placard near the entrance of Manila Cathedral.

This is serendipity.  Beck and I were looking for a way to avoid the traffic that the funeral parade will bring.   I erroneously thought that the funeral will pass along Roxas Boulevard and make a left turn to EDSA, so we went to Quirino Avenue.   We were surprised that are moving right smack to the path of the funeral parade.  But, this gave us the opportunity to capture images of how revered the former president is.

It seems that “Cory Magic” has not lost its luster for the past 20 years.

This is the crowd along Quirino Avenue.

The crowds have not waned even along Osmena Highway (South Super Highway)

And an even larger crowd is waiting at the intersection of Gil Puyat and Osmena Highway (South Super Highway)

I don’t know, if I will ever see Filipinos would again display their respect, love and reverence to a Philippine President or Leader the way they did with President Cory Aquino.

August 1, 2009 was a sad day for the Philippines.   President Cory Aquino, a housewife who had the courage to struggle for democracy and fought a dictator,  succumbed to colon cancer in the early hours of the first day of the month.

Pres. Aquino’s family are gracious enough to have a public viewing of their beloved mother in order for the hundreds of thousands of supporters and friends of the former president could pay their last respect.  The first two days of the wake was held at the gymnasium of La Salle Greenhills in Mandaluyong City.  The people who flocked to the said venue ignored the stormy weather and the long lines just to have one last look at the person who was instrumental in restoring freedom in the Philippines and end the 20-year rule of a feared tyrant.

I was a veteran of two People Power Revolutions.   In 1986, I was just a 10 year old Elementary school student who was brought along by his father to what will become a momentous part of the Philippine’s history.   In February 1986,  my father and I were part of the crowd who heeded the call to troop to EDSA and protect what the then Manila Archbishop Jaime Sin called, “the friends of democracy”.      EDSA was then a sea of yellow shirts and yellow ribbons.  I never thought that I will be seeing that color again being proudly worn by the masses.

The long line to La Salle Greenhills

Yes.  NO to Gloria forever, 9 years is more than enough.

This European man was standing behind me in the queu line.   He’s a Ph.D. in History from Netherlands and he acknowledged that the 1986 EDSA People Revolution was the model and inspiration of the movement that restored democracy that swept across Eastern Europe from Romania to Russia.     Here, a young beggar asked him for some alms.  He instead bought the young boy a stick of ice cream.

A correspondent from Channel News Asia

This is the historian from Netherlands pictured earlier, here, he’s being interviewed by Channel News Asia and explained why he was among the thousands who fell in line for hours just to pay respect to the recently departed former president.

At the entrance of La Salle Greenhills gymnasium

Enduring images of Cory Aquino.

Cameras were not allowed beyond the green cordon.

Flowers from Sen. Mar Roxas and his fiances, Korina Sanchez

Flowers from the Prime Minister of Thailand Abhisit Bhejjajiva