The Parable of the Scorpion and the Frog

One day a scorpion was trying to cross the river when it spotted a frog attempting to swim at the water.

SCORPION:  Can I ride on your back while you cross the river?  I want to go to the other side too.

FROG:  I am afraid that you might kill me afterwards.

SCORPION:  I promise, I will not kill you.  You will help me cross the river, so how can I kill someone who is willing to help me?

And so the frog agreed to bring the scorpion across the river, carrying the scorpion at its back.  But after they crossed the river, the scorpion stung the frog with its poisonous tail.  As the frog was dying, he asked:

FROG:  Why did you kill me?

SCORPION:  BECAUSE IT IS MY NATURE!


May lesson ito...
Kung mamumulat lang tayo sa mga pangyayari ngayon sa bansa...

Pati ba naman sa Sports...

Binabati ko si Willy Wang sa pagkapanalo niya ng gintong medalya sa Beijing.

Pero teka muna, bago tayo magpunyagi sa tagumpay ng ating kakabayan, may gusto lang akong iparating sa ating “MAHAL” na gobyerno:

PUNYETA kayo! Wag nyong pinaglololoko ang mga Filipino!

Hindi kami BOBO para hindi maintindihan ang ibig sabihin ng salitang “OLYMPIC Event” at “TOURNAMENT”. Si Willy ay nanalo sa Wushu Tournament na ginanap sa Beijing din mismo, na nagkataong isinabay doon din sa pinag-ganapan ng katatapos lamang na Olympics. Hindi rin kami BOBO para maniwalang Olympic Event ang Wushu dahil hindi ito naka lista sa talaan ng Medal Tally sa Olympics. Nagpapaniwala kayo sa Tsina na mahigit limandaang taon na tayong pinaglololoko. Hindi naman kami TANGA upang maniwala na ginamit na lugar ng pagdadausan ng torneo ang Beijing para magmukhang saklaw ito ng Olympics.

Kung Olympics lang naman ang usapan, eh, sa tingin nyo kaya makukuha natin ang gintong medalya sa Wushu, na isang laro na nagmula sa Tsina mismo? Kung Olympic event yan, sa tingin nyo kaya may pag-asa tayo sa mga intsik sa Wushu? WALA maski isa. Siguradong gagawan ng paraan ng Tsina na makuha nila ang gintong medalya dyan, sa anumang paraan, upang ipandagdag sa medal tally nila sa Olympics upang ipakita sa buong mundo ang kanilang kakaibang galing sa larangan ng palakasan.

Hindi sa binabalewala natin ang tagumpay na nakamit ni Willy Wang, pero sana wag na po tayong sumakay sa pagkapanalo niya kasi wala naman tayong naitulong. SARILING SIKAP ng tao kung bakit siya nanalo sa paligsahan. Wag na po tayong sumakay sa kasikatan ng tao, kung noong bago siya sumali sa paligsahan eh ni katiting na pansin hindi ninyo magawang ibigay. Pagkatapos ngayong nanalo siya nagkukumahog kayong magmalaki na para bang kayo ang pangunahing dahilan ng tagumpay ni Willy. Wag na kayong magpapapogi, kung pwede lang! Kahit magpa plastic surgery pa kayo kay Dra. Belo, hindi na matatakpan ang kapapalkan ninyo, kahit sa larangan ng Sports. Kaya pala translation ng SPORTS sa Tagalog ay PALAKASAN - palakasan ng impluwensiya at pakapalan ng mukha pala ang ibig sabihin nito.

Kung pwede lang, patahimikin na ninyo ang sambayanang Filipino! Pati ba naman sa SPORTS ginagawan ninyo ng kasinungalingan at katarantaduhan? Maawa naman kayo sa sarili ninyo, kahit huwag na samin. Hindi naman kami ang babalikan ng karapatang parusa pagdating ng paghuhukom. Kung gusto ninyo, si Manny Pacquiao na lang ang uto-utuin ninyo. Siya na lang ang gamitin ninyo kung sa tingin ninyo ay maibabalik sa inyo ang tiwala ng sambayanang Filipino. Wag na kayong mandamay ng inosente...

Binabati ko ulit si Willy Wang sa kanyang tagumpay! Sana lang hindi siya mauto ng pamahalaan natin katulad ng milyong milyong Filipino na nauto nila simula pa nung 2001.

Let the BLAMES begin...

It looks like it will be a medal shut-out as the Olympics is on its final week of competitions! This is the result of continuous bickering between our Sports Officials that has been prevalent since 1986. Never has the Filipino Athletes been so humiliated that even countries who cannot even provide decent sports equipment to their athletes were competitively better than ours. So much for our leaders' intentional false hopes for the nation and bold predictions about winning a gold medal when competing for the just the bronze weren't even achievable.

And so the government shall just keep the 15-million peso incentive and use it for their own purposes. Forget about long-term solutions like the necessary budget allotment for the training and benefits of athletes. At least there wont be anymore press releases and commendations in Malacañang, with the government intentionally riding on the athletes' popularity for personal beautification purposes, trying to minimize it's damaged reputation. There won't be ticker tape parades which stalls traffic within Manila roads, and positively, we will be denied of those politicians more actively waving than those who sweat-ed it out competing against the world's best athletes.

With the whole world improving on their training methods, with even the Kenyans whom before, their track and field team virtually trains barefoot, our athletes took a backslide, because it is much more interesting to watch sports leaders fighting it out with each other. Only a handful were able to train harder, particularly those US-born, fed, and studied in American NCAA schools, rich kids who can pay for their expenses in international competitions, luckily-sponsored sportsmen even donning his sponsor logo occupying the whole of his shorts all the way to the buttocks side, while the others are contented with measly allowances, unable to cope up with the soaring prices of fuel, food allowances that can pass up as food rations for disaster victims in a Rescue Center, while the bulk of the government's budget are being used in the travel expenses of our dearly beloved, I mean, MOST EXPENSIVE LEADER (pinakamamahal na pangulo).

image from www.gmanews.tv site used by plorwaks

And today's news featured anew the Pilate-eous acts of our Sports Officials - washing their hands from all these failures. These very same Sports Officials who were bold enough to predict our positive chances for the first gold medal harvest in Beijing. These very same official who hugged the limelight prior to the games, confident of our chances to show the world how we “have” already improved on the our training in connection to our competitive involvement in the Olympic events. These very same officials who sits in their air-conditioned office almost eight hours a day, thinks of something beneficial for the good of the sports program yet doesn't know anything about the sports. This has always been our country's dilemma whenever we put some politician to lead our sports agencies. How can someone who cannot even shoot the ball learn how to coach?

As the Games is about to end this Sunday, and with the imminent failure of our athletes – not necessarily their fault - to improve their performance, another epic battle will happen within our sports agencies:

Let the BLAMES begin...

The parable of the Athlete and the Olympian...

This is a story about two childhood friends who competed in the Olympics. The other one was so successful that he won the Gold medal for the Olympic event he joined. The other friend was so unlucky that he never won even a bronze medal although he always competed at his given chance. They both trained hard although with different methods. Still there were some similarities, like waking up early in the mornings for the routine training, eating proper foods, and they were disciplined enough to limit their nightlife habits.

When they returned to their country, the gold medalist returned a hero, adored by millions of his countrymen, and was given a ticker tape parade with confettis falling down the avenue on the way to the Office of the President for another commendation. He was also compensated with millions of money, apparently as a reward for his outstanding achievement in sports.

The other one quietly retired to his hometown. No fanfare, not even a token of appreciation from the government for competing and giving his best for his country. He was a forgotten figure in their mediocre town while his medalist friend was basking at his newfound fame and glory.

A few decades later, at a local festival within the town where the two friends had attended, a very curious kid had asked his friends in a quiet discussion about the difference between an athlete and an olympian. As the man who never won any medal overheard the question while he was passing by on his way to go home, and as he walks away with dignity, he whispered to the little boy: “An athlete is someone who competes and excel in sporting events, while an Olympian is someone who competes in sports event without the aid of Chinese herbs, American steroids, and European drugs, for the sake of fair play and sportsmanship...”

Saan nga ba ako patungo?

Hawak hawak ang dalawang piraso ng Nestle Safari na binili ko sa 7/11, nagsimula kong lakarin ang kahabaan ng McArthur Hiway simula Balibago hanggang Dau. Walang gaanong kahulugan, bagkus ay isa lamang napag diskitahang gawin pagkatapos kumain ng arrozcaldo sa paboritong kong karinderya sa may kanto ng Mountain View. Mayroon akong hinahanap habang ginagalugad ang kahabaan ng kalsadang nag uugnay halos kalahati ng Luzon, na nagsimula sa bantayog ni Andres Bonifacio sa Kalookan, hanggang marahil sa Aparri ang pinaka dulo nito.

Apat na kilometrong lakaran sa isang lugar na hindi ko kinalakihan ngunit pilit na pinakikisamahan upang mabuhay ng mapayapa at matahimik. Ganito na yata ang kapalaran ko. Isang mahabang paglalakbay. Isang walang katapusang paglalakad, tungo sa kinabukasang wala pa ring malinaw na patutunguhan. Sa gabing iyon, siguradong alam ko ang aking pupuntahan, ngunit sa realidad ng buhay, ito’y maihahantulad sa isang madilim na kanto na walang kasiguruhan kung magkakaroon ng liwanag ang nagsisilbi nitong ilaw sa posteng nakatayo sa paligid.

Naalala ko tuloy yung naging paksa noong ako’y nakisali sa isang pagtitipon ng aking mga bagong nakilalang kaibigan:

"Ang pinakamadilim na oras sa magdamag ay yung kapag malapit ng magbukang liwayway"

Marahil ito'y isang aral na matutunan na magpapatungkol sa magiging kapalaran ng aking paglalakbay.

Marahil sa madilim na lugar na aking tatahakin, isang maliwanag na patutunguhan ang kahahantungan...

Let The Games Begin… and the Consent for all the atrocities…

Olympic fever has already begun… amidst the universal criticism of host China’s handling of the games and mixing it up with their political policies.  This will be the most significant Olympic Games of all, with all the media people having a feast with the Chinese style of organizing and holding the greatest sporting spectacle on this side of the universe, as a ploy to improve the country’s damaged reputation as the primary violators of human rights.


Let us not forget that way before they promoted the Beijing Olympics, China has promoted the Opium trade, which is the predecessor of the modern drugs trade and the world famous Chinese Triad, which operates and influences and even disrupts major businesses around Asia and in the United States.


Let us not forget that before they twisted the foreign press people assigned inside China, “Chairman Mao” twisted the Socialist Philosophy, written and developed by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, to accommodate his dictatorial ambition in the interest of world domination.  Let us not forget the Tiananmen Square Massacre where thousands of protesters were killed and where all foreign journalist were banned and driven away, sympathizers and supporters were either killed or jailed, in an attempt to cover-up the facts and to prevent the report from leaking to the world media. 


Let us not forget the influx of poor quality products and imitations manufactured in China, in an attempt to gain share of the worldwide market by destabilizing it with defective product which are almost 70% cheaper than their branded counterparts.  From toys to electronic gadgets to movies, basically anything that you can purchase is probably imitated inside China and being sold to the world.  Yes, it’s cheaper, but you could only use it for a day and not more than a week.


Let us not forget the China-Darfur connection which made the life or even the death of Sudanese people miserable.


Let us not forget the occupation of a nation with a different culture, different language, even a different geography and religion, and being branded as part of China.  Let us not forget how they drove away a very religious man, the Dalai Lama, and invaded Tibet.


Let us not forget that the Olympic Games is an altogether different stage in connection to political policies and interest, but it is also important for a reputable government to raise and support this issue whenever the beleaguered status of the citizens of the world is on the line, even while competing for gold medals.


Let us forget politics in the spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie, but let us not forget the atrocities…