Thoughts and Non Thoughts

I made an eagle today at the second hole of Ayala Greenfield Golf and Leisure Club. It's a 512 yard par 5. My drive was a good one, with the wind, a total of 312 yards including roll. My second shot with a Cobra 23 deg hybrid had the ball ending about 6 feet from the cup. Fortunately my putt went it. Yes!!!

... to Christmas... I can't believe it's that close. Where did time go?

Inquirer news article on her death

Great job, preparing a smart strategy and executing it effectvely. It's a vindication for Freddie Roach, who earlier declared that Oscar de la Hoya "can't pull the trigger." Yes, he knew something others didn't. For Oscar de la Hoya, it is time to focus on making money, but not inside the ring. ESPN story.

Duh?!

Black Friday by Steely Dan When Black Friday comes I'll stand down by the door And catch the grey men when they Dive from the fourteenth floor When Black Friday comes I'll collect everything I'm owed And before my friends find out I'll be on the road When Black Friday falls you know it's got to be Don't let it fall on me When Black Friday comes I'll fly down to Muswellbrook Gonna strike all the big red words From my little black book Gonna do just what I please Gonna wear no socks and shoes With nothing to do but feed All the kangaroos When Black Friday comes I'll be on that hill You know I will When Black Friday comes I'm gonna dig myself a hole Gonna lay down in it 'til I satisfy my soul Gonna let the world pass by me The Archbishop's gonna sanctify me And if he don't come across I'm gonna let it roll When Black Friday comes I'm gonna stake my claim I'll guess I'll change my name

I was supposed to be in Mumbai, staying at the Taj Hotel, flying in Nov 26 and checking out Nov 28. I would have been in there, maybe my room in flames as the terrorists attacked while I was asleep. But my trip was cancelled. Just one of those things. I shudder at the thought of what could have been. But I was saved. Maybe it's my guardian angel, or my mother and mother-in-law who are now in heaven watching over me. Or my wife's nightly prayers heard. I'm at a loss for the meaning of all this. Sometimes one of those things is not just one of those things.

A terror attack on hotels in Mumbai. The Bangkok airport occupied by protesters. These are unusual times. Or maybe it's just that it's a different world. Or maybe I'm just getting older. These may be the same thoughts or nonthoughts of people during the French Revolution, or during 9/11, or during the Philippine People Power. Maybe the world is not really that normal after all, but people tend to think it is. Or need to believe it is. Until reminders like these. The world in not pretty.

How I wish I could use this camera more often... there's something about mechanical cameras that makes it a different experience.

So far, so good.

42+46 Thanks in large part to my new driver, the TM R7 cgb , I hit almost all fairways. Six putts for birdie and not one made, tsk tsk... Happy Golf , remember?

The sun sneaks out of the day, its rays sliding through the blinds, like the footsteps of a thief just ahead of a closing door. I see a concrete water tower frowning at me from beyond the fence, hiding a rainbow, dominating the sky. I wonder if its mood would be as dour were it a lighthouse throwing beacons to wanderers seeking a shore. It is another day of trees competing against concrete for the light, of the second hand beating the minute hand in a race. But the light of day outruns them both. Tomorrow, I wonder if the sun will extend its rays through my curtain to caress my cheek. Will I run out to meet it? Or will I remember it sneaking out on me today? Two days, and it can make it up to me.

43 (started with the back 9) + 47 (too bad I had a double bogey on the 9th). It feels good to have those consecutive pars. :)

Newly launched Omega Seamaster James Bond Limited Edition Add caption Very nice. I like the black face. Personally prefer it over the blue face of the old Seamaster Bond. But I wished they didn't stamp the 007 logo on the face... The Planet Ocean, I like except for the arrow hands... What to do? Get this before they're gone.

Two months since this was announced. With the economic crisis rearing its ugly head, this looks like a luxury. I want one... but should I hold on to my cash?

It's been more than a year since I've had this classic tube power amp in my system. There is really something magical with tubes that I couldn't get from my Musical Fidelity AC3R. Yes, the MF had loads of dynamics and a powerful bottom end coupled with extended high frequencies. But that midrange, the timber and the tonality -- that make instruments sound real and vocals lifelike! Compliment of tubes: 12ax7: Tungsol new production 6SN7: Tungsol GTBs (NOS) EL34: Svetlana

The election of Barack Obama as the next President of the USA is truly a historic event. Not only is he the first African-American to be elected to this office. He is also the first candidate in a generation to bring back to the national psyche the idealism of the founders of the American nation. It has given the USA a chance to regain its respect among the community of nations, if not endear it to some of its former friends. His acceptance speech epitomizes the message and demeanor of his candidacy. It is poetic and deeply moving to those who still believe in the American ideal. I think there is one word to describe his voters: lovestruck.

On the golf course, it looks like nonthought won vs. thought. At least for today. :-)

Suunto G6 One of the coolest gadgets around!

Learn to be happy and you'll shoot lower golf scores. Today I played a happy round. Scored a 95 (49+46). But the point is that I was relaxed. Relaxed is better. Two days ago a scored a 104 and won class c in a system 36 tournament. The happiest moment was when I made a perfect 50-yard third shot into a narrow green to make a bogey in a difficult par 4. But today was happier. I parred the same hole; same third shot into the green. :-)

A thing of beauty. Hit it straight and long. With a swing speed of 100 mph, I am getting 250 - 280 yards from this hi tech beast. Just swing it smooth and let it do the work.

No wonder Ben Hogan wanted three of them -- power comes from swinging the arms. Of course the right arm is more powerful for a right-handed golfer, but THE LEFT ARM HAS TO SWING TOO. Arms, not hands.

Well, this little camera is a pleasant surprise. Not bad macro at all. And nice bokeh too!

Getting out of a greenside bunker can be sometimes daunting. What seems to work is making sure you keep the clubface open -- by not releasing the clubhead. Keeping your spine angle and finishing with the right palm skywards, and keeping the lower body steady throughout the swing seem to be key. A firm grip allows the arms to stay in front of your chest as you turn towards the target. Making a cutting stroke -- outside in, or by pulling at the grip end -- may give that added guarantee, but the path of the clubhead on the follow through is important in keeping control. Releasing and not releasing the clubhead is also the difference between a controlled pitch (with back spin) and a full swing that has some roll -- and about 30 yards.

In Isaiah, God described the love of a mother by asking, "Can a mother forget the child that she has borne?" And He also described His love by saying, "Even if a mother forgets her child, I will not forget you... I have engraved your name on My palm." You have gone back to your Creator; He has given you rest.

At 8:08:08 pm of 8/8/08, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics begins. What a spectacular show. China's coming out party. At the same time, the headline at yahoo is about America's fastest-dying cities. It's the turn of the century.

48+44 Good putting saved the back nine.

Scored a 44 at Kagitingan . My best ever score on this 9-hole course. Some of my shots overshot the green, surprised myself with the additional distance. "Ligwat" works. :)

The cocking of the wrist on the backswing; keeping the "L" on the downswing and reforming it after impact. (Actually it feels as if the "L" of the wrist is never uncocked.) Coupled with the "screwing the inner ball of the right foot to the ground" move prior to/during the backswing. (See golfwrx forum discussion here .) It creates a l everage that adds power and consistency.

Don't stand too close to the ball. Slow backswing. Stop while the left arm is straight, somewhere at three-fourths up though it may feel like it's just halfway up. Swing down from the inside. Keep your right shoulder up while the arms swing through. Continue on an inside out path and rotate your arms counterclockwise just before impact. Point the club at the target in the follow through and let its momentum turn your body to the finish. Oh, forget making it too complicated. Just try to make the ball curve right to left.

Saw the movie on the plane from Amsterdam. One of the best movies from last year. I wonder what mine would be. Aurora Borealis? Antarctica? Maybe one day it will show on this blog...

Nothing brings the story of Dresden closer to reality than Band of Brothers, the TV series about American soldiers serving in Europe during WW II. Most of the story of the characters revolve around their time around and in the city of Dresden. Dresden was bombed "flat to the ground", as one local told me on the train from Dresden to Berlin. Today, much of the central part of the city has been restored, using the old stones where possible. It is a vibrant city, with quite a decent museum, and a growing tourist industry.

Tried the Ping i10 at the range. Nice irons. I noticed that impact with my Ping G5 irons is a split second later than with the i10. Now I wait for the extra split second to "see" impact happen. It seems to help keep my spine angle up to the moment of impact; perhaps it is making me hit my irons more consistently. I started learning my swing with Callaway x-14s, which have less offset than Ping G5's. Maybe I had swing timing ingrained from my x-14 days. Comparing the i10 vs the G5 made me feel and understand the effect of offset on timing. Hitting the i10 has helped me hit my G5 better. I thought I wanted to change to i10's, but at the course over the weekend, I still appreciated the help that the G5's were giving me off the fairway. Maybe one day I will be good enough to hit the i10s just as well.

Ball and turf. If i can only do this with every iron shot... Clubhead speed from swing mechanics. But then applying it to compress the ball at impact... Control plus distance. Golf is a difficult game. PS: Full swing! To the follow through! Better to change clubs than to change swing! Then you'll hit more distance... more consistently. PPS: Alignment -- with an open alignment, balls go straight to the left but it's not a hook. Instead of changing your swing, check your alignment!

The magic moves of golf. This one puts it together. For me, the key ones are the grip, and of course the four magic moves... in the takeaway at the top in the downswing at impact and follow through.

The 2008 Masters Champion, Trevor Immelman, has a very smooth swing. He normally does a couple of practice swings. It's a very good swing thought. "Smooth". I think this is what distinguishes the swing of the pros from the club players. At the driving range today, I lost my rhythm. I remember Immelman's practice swing. That practice swing -- trying to keep it smooth from the backswing to the downswing (especially the transition) to the follow through -- made me get my tempo back. Smooth does it. PS: I noticed that my swing is smoother when the wrists cock near the top of the backswing, not early on. But there is definitely a wrist cock and a feeling of bringing the grip end of the club to the ball. PPS: I was able to avoid pulling my hybrid shots by keeping my spine angle constant through the follow though. Of course, keeping it smooth all the time.

Specially with irons, pausing at the top of the backswing helps make solid impact. Just a half-second... I learned how crucial this is with pitches and chips, even putts. I guess it's part of having a rhythmic swing. Applies to mid and longer irons too...

Seems being conservative pays off. Aiming for the angle helps provide a better view for the second shot. My previous aim was to cut the corner. I guess this only works for Tiger. No wonder I always tripled these holes -- I'm not a tiger, not even a cub...

48+45

52+45

c o n s t a n t .

"I, whom you call Lord and Master, have just washed your feet. Now go and wash your brother's and sister's feet." May God, whoever He is to you, bless you these Holy Days.

The key swing thoughts that made a difference for me lately 1. Revisiting my grip. I realized I was gripping too loosely! Making sure there is pressure between thumbs and forefingers and right lifeline over left thumb as well as right pinkie on left hand -- now I feel my hands are more unitized. 2. Reverse K set-up. Simplifying the backswing to make sure it is on plane starting from the first 2 inches. Clubhead pointing up with shaft at waist high. Bring the club back to the same slot at the top. 3. Consciously following an inside out path on the downswing. This resulted in some drawn balls and even hooks but much better than slices. 4. Bumping the left hip on the downswing actually helps keep the spine angle constant throughout the downswing and follow through. It also helps keep the left leg solid. Turning the right hip to the target is key for the body to control the club. The whole left side (leg, club, arm) stacked during impact.

Scored 98, 48 on the front 9. It was a nice round, had a great feeling. I've waited so long for this (a year and a month). It didn't come like a dramatic moment. More like finally coming together. A lot of hard work, chipping away the number of strokes with each round. Been very close to this several times-- scoring 100 in the previous game, and 45 in a 9-hole round (par 33 course). And going to the driving range 3 times in the last 7 days. I guess one thing I learned is that golf is really about hard work and practice. But no, I don't think I've got it figured out. I guess I got a bit of luck today too. But at least I was ready when luck smiled. Of course I may score 120 next time on the course, but hopefully I would score below 100 more often than above.

Bring your hands to the slot and swing on plane. The trick is that the plane changes depending on the club length. What's important is that you bring them to the same place at the top of the backswing.

Reverse K. Keep your weight on your right foot during the backswing. Bump your left hip a split second before the downswing. Then turn your right hip to the target. Realized how key this move is on the downswing. This keeps your left side solid and prevents your upper body weight going beyond your left leg before impact. This also helps keep your hands ahead of the ball at impact. Just have to remember (not the brain, the body) during every iron shot.

Played 9 holes and shot a 45. :-) Have to learn not to be rushed by flightmates. That one disaster hole was due to loss of concentration. Otherwise, not a bad day at all...

Super Tuesday ended in a draw. It will be another week or so, or even longer, before the final Democratic candidate is chosen. From an outsider perspective, it looks like Hillary is better for America at this point in its history. Imagine the next four years -- what's the best thing for the US to do? Pull out of Iraq, while avoiding total disaster in the Middle East. Focus on the economy while not letting up on security and terrorist concerns. Avoiding a recession while resisting protectionist urges. These are tasks for someone who can get down and get the job done. Maybe for two people who can get it done. Those would be Hillary and Bill. Obama will be a great President one day. Perhaps he can bring America to the next level after Hillary does the clean up job. But first things first. And that would be the First Lady turned President.

Had to remind myself at the driving range today...

Looks like another 6-month wait...

Taken with a Nokia N95

Had a good iron game today. My driving was a little wild, and still have to get used to the new putter (Cameron Circa 62 model 2). Still an improving iron game is good news since that has always been my problem. The Circa 62 really feels good. Realized how important proper set up is. Using this putter forces you to improve your putting stroke and learn how to read greens better. I can sense it's something special.

Just got one of these... So far smiles on my face...

Been a very busy year so far. My mom in law is in the hospital (twice already in January), will have a few guests staying in the house soon, and work hasn't been that light either... Three weeks into 2008 and I already need a break...

May your assets increase and liabilities decrease, friends multiply and worries erased. All the best for 2008!