Thoughts and Non Thoughts

As we approach the end of the year, I am reminded of this passage. It has been quite a year, but a new one is just round the corner... ----------------- Ecclesiastes 3 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised...

I've been a quiet blogger for some time. It's not that I've been busy lately, though that is true. It's not that there's nothing to write about, for there is plenty. It's just that sometimes one doesn't want to always be up to speed on everything. Everyone wants to slacken off once in a while. Oftentimes it's the blog that gets left behind. Well, that's not really too bad, is it? Can't a blog be also some kind of release? Why else do many people blog anonymously? If slacking off is a release, then so be it. I just can't help but notice the irony -- blogging as a form of release but then slacking off means no blog. Hmmmm. The end of the year is closing in fast. I'm not even sure Christmas would make a stopover before we hit New Year. Maybe that's why I'm slacking off, trying to slow down time. But it's futile. When I hit "publish post" it will show the days elapsed from the last entry. Slacking off has a function in t...

Taken by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Article here.

50 on the front 9, 50 on the back 9

From a long time of swimming underwater, gliding at the bottom Holding your breath but unable to break the surface to catch your next breath It is like a dream, a nightmare, a half-awake consciousness you want to escape but know cannot Or wouldn’t because you’re not ready Or tell yourself it is pointless Cause you will go back underwater to hold your breath And swim and glide at the bottom When do you see the sky Feel the wind on your cheeks and look around with a smile Even underwater you are frowning Where does this all lead to You are not swimming around in circles but know you are bound by walls Desperately you want to break the surface And break it for good And maybe admire the water from above or simply let it play around your feet The water gets heavier You sink lower But the water gives you a chance It whiffs you up and you break the surface And you don’t have to go under again

49 on the front 9 Dang, if not for that disaster on the 10th hole...

El Nido, Palawan

Here's the link.

From Lagen Island

Took the plunge and got me a set of Ping G5 irons. After trying them out on the driving range, I realized these are the clubs for me. Not only are they forgiving, the weight balance seems to suit my swing speed -- I can feel where the head is. It also gives quite good feedback, that it tells me when I'm swinging it right. It is literally a game improvement club. Not that the Callaway x-14's are slouches, just that they are probably for better players. I saw one guy hit this club really straight and long, then hooked badly when using the Ping. Tried the Ping in the fairway today. Initially I was swinging them like I used to do the Callaways with not so good results. But when I swung them like I did at the range, ie, easy and smooth, my iron game fell into place. A good iron game just gave me confidence, I started putting great. Almost broke 100 today if not for a really bad driving off the tee. Next might be a replacement for the Callaway X-460 driver, then soon more ...

Calming down the waves in my bloodstream I am making peace with myself Myself averts my gaze Myself turns down a handshake

I search the sky rain from above and my eyes the day you left

I peel off layers of thought, looking for the nonthought in the core. I look for truth hidden beneath the coats of consciouness, that purest of ideas to be uncovered from the taints of lies and pains and hurts and aches and bigotry and compromise. A nonthought free, the whole truth and nothing but the barest truth. Alas, I take off each layer and reveal -- I have peeled the truth like an onion and am left with totally nothing. Where did truth hide? How did it escape from the layers of processed thought? I tried to look for truth but I have set it free instead.

My chip (from way out of the green) on hole no. 4 went in! It made my day and my weekend! Putting has improved a lot too, not too many 3-putts. Earlier in the week, I tried all my putters (a Mizuno, a couple of cheap blade ones, and an Odyseey Blade 2-ball) on the putting mat, to "keep each other honest" so they say. I finally settled that the Odyssey is the best of the lot (for now). It probably somehow cleared some cobwebs in the head. Finally able to use the 21-degree hybrid. I think the trick is to hit it like an iron and "pinch" the ball into the turf; great for punching out of the rough too. I can see this club seeing more use in the future. My driving and second shots weren't too bad but still couldn't string them together. Soon, I hope... an even better reason to celebrate. ------------------------------ Callaway X460 Callaway X 3 wood Callaway x hybrid 21 degrees Callaway x-14 3-SW irons Ben Hogan 58 degree, 8 bounce Odyssey 2-ball blade putter

... at the office... with some nasty surprises too... That's why a bad day at the golf course is better than any day at the office. Gotta pack that golf shirt for tomorrow.

The Best Laid Plans... It started with a disappointment. We had planned a trip to Hidden Valley in Alaminos, Laguna. But the place is no longer the quiet sanctuary of years ago. It has become a picnic ground for busloads of Korean tourists. We left in a huff. We did manage to stop and take a snapshot of this church. Using directions from friends, we made our way into San Juan, Batangas, and into the beaches of Laiya. It's quite easy to get to, once you know how. What greeted us was a pleasant surprise. A white beach, perhaps the sand not as fine as Boracay's, but we didn't need to take a plane to get here. I guess because it is off-season, the resorts were not crowded, and you could find your own space. The snorkeling is quite good, not the same as El Nido, but you get different sealife -- I saw an eel and what looked like a puffer fish. Laiya saved our weekend.

D.A.: What's a dumb-ass? S.A.: Duh?! The opposite of....? D.A.: Oh....

I've been timing these two watches against time.gov. The Omega has kept within 2 seconds over a period of 5 days. Very impressive. The Seiko is now ahead by about 2 minutes after 5 days. Still not bad. (Onega 2254 vs Seiko skx007)

The Omega 2254 and the Seiko skx007.

Break 100, that is. Scored 113 today with a lot of 3 putts....Have to work on my putting.

Have you ever felt what it is like to be someone else, a fictional character to be exact. A persona from Hollywood movies and advertising aimed at aspirations of those who will never be. Perhaps these are all make believe, and we pay our money to be given an illusion and part with our money some more for that illusive dream of becoming someone we are not. For instance do people really believe they can be a James Bond or a Batman, even with all the gadgets and the cars? But what if for one brief instance you get a glimpse, no, feel yourself transform into that persona even knowing it's an illusion, but nevertheless... No wonder Bimmers and cigars sell. And big motorcycles and expensive sportwatches and snappy suits and... Whatever else we use to justify it, it's the experience, stupid.

Not to mention functional... Omega Seamaster Professional 2254.50

After the shock of the Virginia Tech tragedy, finally the time to mourn has come. This event has made the whole world take notice, not only because of the violence of the crime but also because of the questions it raised. The hardest question is "how could it have happened?" In any critical incident, one always looks at two angles, the act itself and the conditions that allowed the event to happen. In this case, both the actions of the perpetrator and the conditions surrounding the event converged to allow this incident. Most people are still trying to make sense of it all, and the expression of grief and renewal needs to replace the initial shock. It is a tragedy, one that shocks, but also one that calls us to wake up. If it could happen in Virginia Tech, one wonders if it could happen anywhere else. It is a time of mourning, for the families of the victims, and for the whole world. But is also a time to ask the hard questions.

See this. It's the same result, only different opponents. Actually Viloria fought more valiantly. Too valiantly in fact he was getting himself hit too much! Quite the opposite of the previous fight. Perhaps he thought he could floor his opponent by landing power punches, too bad the other guy was strong too. Pacquiao toyed around in the beginning, unlike the last fight when he immediately went for the KO. He paid for it with a cut, and risked a contest stoppage.

These pics (not mine) taken with the Lumix FX09.

Talk about bizarre. A man kidnaps children at his day care for 12 hours. kidnapping news Then the parents of the children hold a rally to support him? channel news asia article Then some say it is a political gimmick? By whom? australia story The President had to make game time with the kids and their parents, hopefully to make them see the light. Throw the book at this serial kidnapper and attention-seeker! article citing history of kidnapping as gimmicry In today's world there is no place to toy with people's lives, specially children's, to bolster a sick ego.

Today you get it then tomorrow you don’t Just when you’ve found the Holy Grail You lose it again The game of your life is followed by the worst of them all It’s a gentleman’s game but your patience must be a saint’s Two steps forward, one step backward Then two more back, before a single one front Surely it must be easier To train a dog how to sing Than your muscles to swing The ball is too small and the hole is too small And what makes you think you can sink it From a quarter mile even with a roll? Not with a stick with a head that miniscule Sometimes you wonder why you picked it up at all The view is so wonderful if you can just look around But most of the time your head is on the ground The splash of water is a sound that you dread And the wind on your face Is not a good sign indeed Most of the time you'll frolic in the sand But no, not this time, you’ll avoid it if you can Sure you'll never see a sight lovely as a tree But not if it blocks Your next shot from the tee But on...

Kinda disappointing, no replacement for the 5D... yet... http://www.dpreview.com/articles/pma2007/Canon/

Stocks recover slightly. http://money.cnn.com/2007/02/28/markets/markets_0945/index.htm?cnn=yes I say hold. But that's just me.

... at the driving range. Hope it stays together in the course....

Last week -- front nine: was driving great off the tee and putting reasonably well, but my fairway shots and pitching/chipping were terrible; back nine: my short game improved but my tee shots disintegrated. Today -- finally got my fairway shots in control, but my driving was terrible specially the first five holes; couldn't find my putting touch until the last two holes. When will I put it all together? (Continuing saga of a beginner golfer.)

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/09/smith.dies/index.html Found in her hotel room. She did idolize Marilyn Monroe who died at 36 in her sleep.

... and a little quieter on the arms. Gotta remember this... (Talking about my golf swing in the making...)

This is a great site for golf tips. http://www.golfdigest.com/leadbetter/

Why is it so hard?!!

It was a great display of tennis mastery. The Australian Open couldn't have produced a better Final. Gonzalez was good, but Federer showed why he is ten times a Grand Slam champion. This Final, more than any other, has truly convinced me of the greatness of Federer's tennis.

A friend called this match The Beauty and the Beast. Another friend said that more men are now watching women's tennis after Sharapova came into the scene. But unlike Kournikova who displayed more than played, Sharapova is a true champion. Anyway Serena displayed great tennis to win the Australian Open. It was a magnificent display to watch.

China confirms its "test" missile that downed a sattelite. It's a coming out party. This will go down in history. A watermark event.

This truck stalled traffic for miles...

Might take the plunge this year. Pick up golf that is. Right now I'm choosing between Callaways and Ping. Tried the demo clubs and seems like the Ping G5 is easier to hit high, but the Callaway x-14 feels solid and could hit farther once you hit them right. What am I getting into?