Barbaric Acts

I pray for all the victims of that tragic day. Some of them are my close friends.

Stop this kind of senseless violence. Whoever knows the suspects who did this tragedy please turn him or them in. Let justice be served. For the perpetrators - even if you guys do not get caught, crime does not pay. You will have your day. Mamamatay din kayo, 'ina niyo.

***





44 hurt in Bar exams blast
Manila Bulletin
Manila Bulletin - Sunday, September 26

The last day of the Bar examinations at the De La Salle University (DLSU) on Taft Avenue, Manila literally ended with a loud bang yesterday after a late afternoon explosion that wounded at least 44 people, mostly students, police said.

The Manila Police District (MPD) identified 18 of the wounded, all students, taken to the Ospital ng Maynila (OsMa) and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) but also said the total number of victims may go beyond 44. The OsMa admitted victims Joanna Katrina Ledda, Arvin Francis Rosales, Philip Edwin Teelo, Gennilyn Ong, Cyril Ferrer, Kathleen Samba, Azenith Gonzalvo, Jamell Ann Marie, and Renald Sudla. PGH records, as of 8:30 p.m., identified victims taken to the hospital as Raissa Laurel, Diana Espiritu, Claudine Abrogena, Datu Mohammad Abdul, Generson Mercado, Milanes Rainier, Eunice Abdon, Diane Camita, and Donelle Quilates. As of press time at 11 p.m. yesterday, the MPD continued to monitor more reports of victims of the blast since they had been admitted in separate hospitals - OsMa, PGH, Manila Doctors Hospital, and Manila Medical Center. MPD officer-in-charge Chief Supt. Roberto Rongavilla said it is not yet clear if the explosion, which occurred between 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. shortly after the Bar exams ended, was caused by either an improvised bomb or pyrotechnics. But witnesses on the scene claimed that it was an explosion and not just a ruckus that happened in front of the DLSU. ''We were not sure at first if it is an explosive or a drum that we heard at first. You can't tell the difference then because of the boisterous students from different universities. But the cheer suddenly turned into screams of panic,'' said a Bar examinee who was across the street from DLSU when the explosion happened.

Better Than Bliss

Better Than Bliss was a song Joyce and I wrote circa 2005. It became our favorite composition to play whenever we get to be invited to perform. The song tries to describe how it feels to be in love, but eventually concedes that such feeling is indescribable -"... it's better than bliss... I don't know what it is..." then finally,  the immediate longing physical nearness - "boy i miss your kiss." The melody was meant to be soft but upbeat. This video was taken at Bella Bar in Greenhills almost a year ago. Bogs on the shaker, Bey (my childhood friend) on the classical guitar named "Sunshine", Rah on the yellow Yamaha guitar named "Mango", my brother Ryan on the beatbox, and Joyce on vocals.




Better Than Bliss
by Rah and Joyce Nobleza

I
My eyes are roamin' out the room to find
a special someone out there meant for me
as I gaze at your smilin' face, so real
no words can express the way I feel

Chorus
Can you know, that your touch
saves me from being lonely
can you hear, my heart
beating you're my one and only
it's better than bliss
I don't know what it is
it's better than bliss
boy I miss your kiss.

II
Days and nights are cold
when you're not with me
still I remain so faithful, can't you see
come caress my body longing for you
no one else can love me the way you do

Refrain
I know you're there 'so far 'need you to be here
there is no other place that I rather be...

Chorus
Can you know, that your touch
saves me from being lonely
can you hear, my heart
beating you're my one and only
it's better than bliss
I don't know what it is
it's better than bliss
boy I miss, boy I miss your kiss

 Refrain
You have a way of telling me I'm the one
And that goes the same for me
And that I can't deny...

Chorus
Can you know, that your touch
saves me from being lonely
can you hear my heart
beating you're my one and only
it's better than bliss
I don't know what it is
it's better than bliss
boy I miss your kiss

The Death of Poker

In Facebook, they have a social game called ZyngaPoker. I have been playing it for quite some time now and I can say that I have became really good at it. I'm not bragging. There are probably guys out there who have more chips than me or has a higher rated level, but I can confidently say that I have reached a sort of semi-expertish level. In fact, from just one million chips last month, I now have 45Million chips.

I fell in love with the game of poker the first time I learned to play it. Perhaps, because the game is more like life itself -- the drama of life unfolds with every turn of a card.

Poker is a game of empathy. It is a game of understanding the intent and motives of your opponent so that  you can arrive at correct decisions.  Poker teaches a lot about life. It develops discipline, critical reasoning, management of finances, strategy building,  all are useful not only in life but also to almost any endeavor you want to pursue. In my quest for my first million, I have learned a lot of lessons from poker as in life, which I hope you can learn from, too:

Life is both luck and skill, in the short run, luck prevails, but in the long run skill  triumphs. Don't bluff, but don't be totally honest either. Be patient, composed, and calm. To get better, practice and study. Look for patterns. Never make an important decision when you're tired or have recently consumed alcoholic beverages. Stick to the level of stakes you are comfortable with and while you're at it, you might as well enjoy the game.

Since I have reached this far in "the game." I have no further intentions of pursuing another million chips. The game does not appeal to me anymore. I have done enough for the game, and for this, I am officially retiring. The game must end in one way or another and I must move on.

My skill in this game is a gift - that's true. But I also realized that if I must widen my horizon and find out what other talents I can cultivate - I must learn to let this go. As the saying goes, you can't discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.

On Childhood Dreams

I love this video because it shows the power of childhood dreams. Like him, I am also blessed with parents who allowed me to discover my potentials as a kid.

They enrolled me into art classes (although I did not become a professional artist). They enrolled me to chess class (although I became really good at chess strategy and tactics, have yet to win my first medal). They enrolled me to music school to learn the basics of playing the guitar (although I've been to a lot of gigs and have composed a lot of songs, having an album at this point in time seems highly improbable).

But above it all, all these experiences did not come to waste. It shaped me to become who I am now
-- (a cute panda).

The guy in this video is correct. You can't lose either way. It is a win-win situation. "Experience is you get when you don't get what you want."

The highest reward for man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it. -  John Ruskin.

What memory do you want to forget?

None, I want to remember everything.

Ask me anything

what is the purpose of your existence?

Wisdom is the purpose of my existence. I came here in this world to see, learn, and understand. Then, be understood.

Ask me anything

On Courage

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” - Nelson Mandela

“Courage is not the absence of fear but the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all. For now you are traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be.”
-Meg Cabot

On Problems

I woke up last Tuesday feeling down and tired. I felt that I was carrying the problems of the world. But I had no choice, I still went to class with full mastery and understanding of nothing. My head was empty as a coconut.

Alas it's time for class, but the good dean did not conduct his regular stomach churning recitations. Instead, he gave us a lesson on life. He advised us not to worry our life away. But what I loved the most on what he shared to us was his philosophy.

 "There are really no problems - only decisions to be made."

Since that Tuesday night, my understanding of problems has changed. I am no longer afraid of problems.

"When God closes a door, He opens a window. Did you notice that He solves the same problems he gives? You just have to return the problem to the person who gave it to you. Sometimes, you just got to have faith."

"There are really no problems in life, only decisions to be made."

I like it. I guess what brings light to a dark damp and clouded mind is worth repeating.