Gain-loss competition

In the office we have what we call the Gain-Loss Competition, otherwise known as the glorified lose (or gain) weight new year resolution. It's a competition born out of year-after-year of unfulfilled new year resolutions. At least that's the reason why I joined the competition. I have always known that I'm overweight. There was even a time when a BMI (body-mass index) chart called me obese. I already lost 20 lbs since my last physical exam, and I target to lose 20 lbs more for the competition. We are evaluated every fifteen days, and my performance for the first two evaluations are dismal. Maybe because I'm not taking the competition seriously. True enough, I now watch what I eat, but I still don't exercise. I don't know. I guess I'm too lazy to exercise. It's not over yet, though. The competition runs through April 29, 2006. So I still have plenty of time to catch up. Maybe I'll buy one of those Thai-bo (spelling?) videos and sort of dance myself to fitness. :-)

There are seven of us who are competing. One is in gaining category, while the rest of us are in losing category. The biggest loser or gainer at the end of every fifteen days is declared the winner for that round. Each of us contributes 250 pesos for the pot money, so the winner gets 1,500 pesos. Not bad, eh? Can you blame me if I want to win a round or two?

Update:
Matt says it's "Tae bo" for "tae kwon do" and "boxing". I don't know where I got Thai-bo. It's just two letters away from Thai Bowl. Hehe... :-)

somewhere i have never travelled

I ran across this poem in Fr. Jboy's February 12 homily posted at his blog site. I think I'll memorize this poem. It will be a good exercise for my brain and for my heart. Parts of this poem were read by Vincent (Ron Pearlman) in the album version of the theme of Beauty and the Beast TV series (1987-1990).

somewhere i have never traveled
e.e. cummings

somewhere i have never traveled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skillfully, mysteriously) her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the color of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands.

Another one of those idle moments...

Yoda and Darth Vader unite to guard my defective 4-in-1 SAP Calendar. Another one of those idle moments at the office.

Pure tragedy

What happened last Saturday at the Ultra is pure tragedy. People who were lining up, some for about a week, for a chance to win prizes got injured and 71 got killed. The police, organizers, and victims are pointing fingers. The blame game has began. I don't know who's to blame by law. But beyond what is legal, those who pushed and shoved and stepped upon other people are to be blamed.

Don't give up on us

It's a well-made movie sprinkled with cheezy lines. Good thing they have excellent actors leading it. This is the type of movie that I'll probably miss if not for my officemates spontaneity. :-) Here's my favorite lines, in English:

If I hug you, will it be our happy ending?
What if you realize that you're sad?
What if I can't bear to see you sad?
You were right, all along. It's not that easy.

Hehe... It's been a while since the last time I blogged. For about a month my schedule had been 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM go to work, 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM attend linux training at CU. I reach home at 10:00 PM most of the time. There's not much time left to write.