“There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.”
~Ecclesiastes 3:1

The list I am sharing below is for everyone out there who, at one time or the other, suffered from ze silent killer: Stress.

Goodness knows we need all the help we can get.

Thirty-Six Ways to Reduce Stress

1. Pray.

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won’t fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don’t lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can’t do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don’t use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry an inspirational book with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19. Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don’t wait until it’s time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures and inspiring quotes on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good “Thank you, Lord.”

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33. Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you are grateful for that you have never been grateful for before.

Finally: “Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn’t happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.”

Amen to that, and everything.

I am dedicating the following to all my fellow martial artists, especially those who have retired from competition but still practice their craft as part of their lifelong commitment to being modern-day warriors.

Focus the mind,
cleanse the soul,
keep sight of my target,
concentrate,
be prepared for the unexpected,
concentrate mind and body as one,
achieve tranquility through movement,
integrate spirit and flesh,
channel the powers,
separate darkness and light,
give birth to yourself,
define your existence,
create your divinations,
from strength learn gentleness,
through gentleness strength will prevail,
tell me what you see beyond your fist?
AWAKEN…

This is from Street Fighter 2: The Animated Movie. I cut out some repetitive parts so the ideas will flow more smoothly and beautifully.

So much of my existence would seem meaningless, only a bewildering blur of random events, without you, my dearest enemy. You bring “moral clarity” where there once was only the murk of self doubt. This new-found sense of certainty soothes the anxiety created by the falling away of so many of the verities of the past.

My finite existence, which before you came into my life seemed so confused and devoid of meaning, is now imbrued with mythic purpose. Because of you, meaningful narrative has been bestowed upon the vast, incomprehensible and impersonal cosmos. The wayward prince has become a warrior king.

~Phil Rockstroh, A Love Letter To My Enemy

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort) in the 16 November 2005 premier of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

In honor of the final installment of the Harry Potter movie franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2), I would like to share the above quote and image.

What can I say, every time I look at the picture, I can’t help but think of numerous written and illustrated Harry/Voldie slash throughout the Web. Keep bringing them on, I say, while supplies last.

This is a short, sweet but very meaningful response to one of the current worldwide Trending Topics on Twitter.

I would like to share a passage from Tsunetomo Yamamoto’s warrior treatise, Hagakure. This means “In the Shadow of the Leaves”.

This name served as the inspiration of the ninja clan to whom Kage-Maru, the Shadow Warrior, of Virtua Fighter belongs.

Kage is my favorite character in Virtua Fighter, both in the game as well as in the anime adaptation. In fact, he was the very reason why I fell in love with the entire series in the first place.

When I found out about that the Hagakure ninja clan’s name was inspired by the ultimate bushido manual, I researched the same and eventually got my hands on the full English translation of Yamamoto’s Hagakure. It makes for very interesting and fascinating reading.

It begins with the idea that the way of the warrior is death.

Stupendous. I love it!

In one’s life, there are levels in the pursuit of study.

In the lowest level, a person studies but nothing comes of it, and he feels that both he and others are unskillful. At this point he is worthless.

In the middle level, he is still useless but is aware of his own insufficiencies and can also see the insufficiencies of others.

In a higher level, he has pride concerning his own ability, rejoices in praise from others, and laments the lack of ability in his fellows. This man has worth.

In the highest level a man has the look of knowing nothing.

This is the first blog entry I have written from my hometown in the Philippines since October 2007, when I moved to Oman. As such, this is the first time I have come back to my native land.

It has been quite a long time now, more than two eventful years, yet it feels like I first stepped onto the international flight away from home only yesterday. So much has changed yet it all feels strangely the same.

People have aged and grown, come and gone. Places have been built and destroyed, beautified and left to the mercy of time and decay. Money ebbs and flows, most of it moving away from our grasp so quickly as prices have all gone up. There are little victories and small defeats, glorious milestones and ugly consequences.

I am sure the above will still apply when I come back home again in later years.

When I arrived home, one of the first things I noticed was the addition of a small wooden plaque to the wall. These words were inscribed on the plaque:

Winners or Losers

The winner is always a part of the answer
The loser is always a part of the problem

The winner always has a program
The loser always has an excuse

The winner says, “Let me do it for you.”
The loser says, “That’s not my job.”

The winner sees an answer for every problem
The loser sees a problem in every answer

The winner says, “It may be difficult but it’s possible.”
The loser says, “It may be possible but it’s too difficult.”

On a final note: Happy, happy, happy birthday to my grandmother!

In preparation for various Saber Forms that will be part of my Wushu curriculum in the coming weeks, I was asked to look for a sword that is suitable not only for the training but also for my, well, comfort.

“Comfort” meaning it has to go with my height (or lack thereof). Also, I could choose to have a light or heavy sword, which depends more on the weapon’s material rather its actual size.

My father had always taught me that heavier swords usually have stronger steel structures.

Anyway, I did not have to buy a new sword or anything. Father gave me a katana that he got back in the mid-1980s when he and my mother lived and worked in a different province.

This particular weapon was, simply put, perfectly suited for me. When I held it with arm slack, it extended to a good several inches off the ground.

It was neither light nor heavy, but had a solid weight that will condition my arms to move quickly with a weapon as well as maintain my balance and grip.

Here is a katana image I found online that very closely resembles my own. In the future, I will try to take a picture of my sword itself and post it here.

Finally, a most apropos quote from the anime BLEACH:

What a letdown, Kurosaki-san. A real letdown. After all, there’s nothing but fear reflected in your sword.

When you dodge, “I’m afraid of getting cut.” When you attack, “I’m afraid of cutting someone.” Even when you try to protect someone, “I’m afraid of letting them die.”

Yes, your sword speaks to me only of absurd fear. That’s not it. What’s necessary in a fight isn’t fear. Nothing can be born from that.

If you dodge, “I won’t let them cut me.” If you protect someone, “I won’t let them die.” If you attack, “I’ll cut them.” Well, can’t you see the resolve to cut you reflected in my sword?”

~Kisuke Urahara

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“No, it’s not the stars that are so beautiful and wondrous. They explode or collapse and fall away and you never see them again. But if you’re very lucky, you find that the moon and the stars can work together. When one star burns itself out, the light from the moon will get you through until you see the next star.”
~Linda Holeman, Starlight, Star Bright

“Despite being of sound mind and body, and in the middle of my teenage years, I have not known a great love – or even one of mediocre quality. Because of this lack, I have submerged myself in the love of others. I’ve rolled in it, soaked it up, swallowed it whole.”
~Linda Holeman, Love, Unrequited

The quotes above are from the compilation of short stories entitled Toxic Love, penned by Linda Holeman.

Toxic Love is generally considered as suitable for the Young Adult genre but the sentiments it evokes are, in my opinion, deep and poignant – mature in their deceptive simplicity.

I am very much reminded of the style of another YA author, Francesca Lia Block, and her own collection of short stories, Girl Goddess #9.

As for Eastern simplicity and sensibility, I highly recommend the works of the very talented Banana Yoshimoto, especially her compilation of brilliant shorts, Lizard.

It has been raining on and off since Thursday, and the weather has been grey, overcast and deliciously cool.

I woke up late this morning and wanted to have a light lunch before going off to my afternoon training. However, I had a very ugly migraine attack, so painful that it was difficult to keep my eyes open and my head up straight.

As a result, I had to call off all my appointments for the day. I ended up being stuck at my place.

With nothing really better to do, I finally took the chance to watch the video CD that was loaned to me by a friend more than a week ago: The Wedding Date, the 2005 hit romantic comedy topbilled by Debra Messing and the very hot Dermot Mulroney.

The movie was a lot of fun, with just the right mix of intelligence, quirkiness and passion.

The leads had great chemistry, too, so they did not have to force anything to create romantic tension.

There are two great quotables that I picked up from the movie, both said by Dermot’s character, Nick Mercer:

“I’d rather fight with you than make love with anyone else.”

“The hardest thing is loving someone and then having the courage to let them love you back.”

Amazon.com provides the following movie summary:

Debra Messing shines in this hilarious romantic comedy about the surprising road to finding true love.

Kat Ellis (Messing) is determined to attend her younger sister’s wedding with a date. Rather than face the ridicule of her family and in order to show up her ex-fiance, she resorts to the Yellow Pages to find a last-minute escort, Nick (Dermot Mulroney).

His dashing good looks and quick-witted charm may win over her family. But will they win over Kat?

Filled with unexpected twists and endless laughs, The Wedding Date is the one date that you’ll want to keep!

Nick Joaquin, Philippine National Artist for Literature, passed away last April 29th, at 7:00 AM, in his San Juan, Metro Manila home. He was a week shy of his 87th birthday, which will be taking place on 4 May 2004.

Yahoo! News Asia provides a very good news feature as tribute to this brilliant man, whose rich imagination and poetic soul reached beyond print to capture the numerous facets of the human spirit.

Among his most notable works are the short stories Summer Solstice, Guardia de Honor (Honor Guard) and, my personal favorite, the savagely bittersweet May Day Eve. He also wrote the local classic novel, The Woman Who Had Two Navels.

His play A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino: An Elegy in Three Scenes was a big hit when it was first staged in 1955. This work was later made into a movie. In the years that followed, Portrait has been staged time and time again by various professional and amateur theatre groups, testimony to its timeless grandeur.

More recently, his play Tatarin, a mystical and sexually charged battle between woman and man, was likewise transposed into film form, topbilled by big silver screen names such as Dina Bonnevie and Edu Manzano.

Indeed, Nick Joaquin was more than just a novelist, poet, playwright, and essayist in his time. He was a creator of sharp, witty reflections of the Filipino essence.

The Ramon Magsaysay Foundation called him “the greatest Filipino writer of his generation” who produced “a body of work unmatched in richness and range by his contemporaries.”

According to the faithful logs of Paolo Manalo, Mang Nick was cremated at La Funeraria Paz Araneta on the night of his passing.

His wake began at 1:00 PM last Friday, April 30th, at the Sanctuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Makati City. Necrological rites were held this morning at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, with the interment immediately following, at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (translated as “Graveyard of Heroes”).

Rest in peace, Mang Nick.

That they were at peace at last, the two of them and her tired body at rest; her broken body set free at last from the brutal pranks of the earth–from a trap of a May night; from the snare of summer; from the terrible silver nets of the moon.

~Nick Joaquin (4 May 1917-29 April 2004), May Day Eve

“This above all, to refuse to be a victim. Unless I can do that I can do nothing. I have to recant, give up the old belief that I am powerless and because of it nothing I can do will ever hurt anyone. A lie which was always more disastrous than the truth would have been. The word games, the winning and losing games are finished; at the moment there are no others but they will have to be invented, withdrawing is no longer possible and the alternative is death.”

I came across the beautiful quote posted above some time ago. It is from Surfacing, a novel by mystery writer Margaret Atwood.

I have one of Atwood’s earlier works in my personal collection, Playing for the Ashes. It was published many years ago, with professional cricket as the backdrop.

There is a great possibility that I will look up this particular book in one of my bookstore jaunts in the near future.

However, my foremost priority would still be Koushun Takami’s blood-drenched, gore-splattered thrill ride, Battle Royale (Batoru Rowaiaru).

The novel’s Amazon.com page provides a summary of the story:

Part detective novel, part psychological thriller, Surfacing is the story of a talented woman artist who goes in search of her missing father on a remote island in northern Quebec.

Setting out with her lover and another young couple, she soon finds herself captivated by the isolated setting, where a marriage begins to fall apart, violence and death lurk just beneath the surface, and sex becomes a catalyst for conflict and dangerous choices.

Surfacing is a work permeated with an aura of suspense, complex with layered meanings, and written in brilliant, diamond-sharp prose. Here is a rich mine of ideas from an extraordinary writer about contemporary life and nature, families and marriage, and about women fragmented…and becoming whole.

The death toll on the current flood situation in the general Central Luzon and Metro Manila areas have reached 41, as of Thursday night.

Factor in several thousand families who have lost a good portion of their homes as well as those who were injured by thunderstorm and flood-related incidents. A big, ugly number.

Tonight’s episode of Debate on GMA-7 was quite interesting: A discussion on whether or not the rule “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” should be applied into Philippine law so as to properly punish kidnappers and other criminals who have committed atrocities with similar gravity.

The opening statement that caught my attention was the one made by the Chairman of the Commission of Human Rights: “Before we are even born, each of us have our human rights.”

My dear man, I have no argument with you on that, but consider this: Do those kidnappers even act remotely human, when caught in the frenzy of their self-righteous delusions of grandeur and Utopia? Are they human enough to consider the countless innocent lives that they sacrificed for their pointless causes, which are more to the personal gratification of their insane, power-hungry leaders?

They have no right to call themselves human. Orcs, more like.

By the by, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is NOT a quote from The Holy Bible.

It is from Hammurabi’s Code, with H-sama being a king of Ancient Babylon.

Hey all. I’m just dropping by to share a quote I just read. I think it’s beautifully worded and, yes, true.

Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not something to be waited for; but, rather something to be achieved.
~William Jennings Bryan

Did I see you kneeling down by the river?
Reflections taking you to where you wanna be.
Blue sky, the ripple, the feeling of security.
Can you still believe in me?

Wonderfully poetic, isn’t it? There is something about those lines that really struck a chord in me.

These words could be found on the banner of the site Arisugawa’s Locket. Please visit. It is the finest Juri site I have ever come across.

Happy, happy, happy birthday to my way-cool grandfather!

My paternal grandfater is turning 73 years old today. He is still kicking – way, way better than his contemporaries that I saw in one of their high school class reunions of late. Rock on, Grandpa!

I read this quote from someone’s e-mail signature in a mailing list which I’m part of. These beautifully-stated words of wisdom are credited to Martin Luther King:

The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

Wow. ‘Nuff said, indeed.