I am the person you would least expect to talk about sports. I don’t follow any sport at all not even when I was in the U.S. In the US, they have the Superbowl every January but this is nothing compared to here where emotion run high because it is not just states competing here but countries so there is national pride mixed with testosterone which is a great recipe for madness. But then it’s not really just men who are in this, during lunch I ate alongside visiting lady German colleagues and they were saying that it was a pity that they were using the train going home so they would miss watching the football game that night. These ladies were working in the IT department.

So anyways, last time I even had the slightest interest of watching sports on TV was back in the Philippines watching Purefoods vs. San Miguel championships and that was about it. Both me and my husband are total geeks who are only into computers and we don’t have any ounce of sportiness in us. Just a second ago our topic of conversation runs like this:

“we should not use Team Foundation Server so that we don’t get locked in Microsoft” .. or… ” oh maybe we should get some training in SCRUM”

However, we realize our health deserves some attention too so we find ourselves talking about doing something physically active at least during the weekends. But this does not mean sports like tennis or cycling, so possibly we’ll just do some nature or city walks. Ok, I admit today is a Sunday and the sun seems to be up and we are both in front of the computers. No city or nature walks seem to be happening in the near horizon.

But anyways, a few years ago I was approached by my colleague at work and he talked about the “Poule” and that I should participate on it because it is “fun”. He tried to explain it briefly that it is something about football and such and you are predicting scores and winners and such but it was just too much for me to absorb so I just said sorry but I will pass because I have no idea. He said I can just join for fun and not put in any money bets. I still declined without batting an eyelash. Two years later, I was asked again by the same colleague. He made a small computer program where you can put in your guesses of who the top players are, the main winners and the scores of all the matches. Again, you don’t have to put in any money or place a bet. You could just play for fun but he warned that last time, the top winner was supposed to win but he did not place a bet — so too bad for him. So, ok, this year is for the Euro 2008.

I agreed to try it. I tried to research a bit and enter a few scores and uneducated guesses but that was it. I got busy with work and eventually wasn’t able to finish entering my bets. People at work talked about how much they are winning during lunch. You could see the ranks of “earnings” of all the people who participated in the Poule.

Meanwhile at home, it was the night where Netherlands played with Italy. My husband was working from home and I was watching GI Jane from the movie channel but it was easy for us to know who was winning judging from the loud noises and cheers from our downstairs neighbors. It was indeed impressive for the Dutch team since Italy was the former champion so to speak. Our team played excellently so far the next game which was with France, the runner up last time. My husband even told me that his friends were telling him that they were actually “nervous” about that game. I think the correct translation would have been “excited” rather than nervous but then maybe they were actually nervous. But hey, what is there to be nervous about a football game?! In the supermarkets they give away this little orange lion thingies called Welpies. Whoah! talk about football madness indeed. To be honest, to me they are an eyesore but maybe it will grow on me. That night I actually tried watching it. I saw their first score where one guy scored using his head (not figuratively but literally). I fell asleep a few minutes after. MrC told me that when Netherlands won our neighbors were banging all the walls and floors but luckily I was deep into sleep and it never woke me up. Anyways, it was a 4-1 win!

Everyone is jubilant these days and as expected I saw a lot of orange things while walking at the Centrum yesterday. The following photo was taken in Rembrandtplein yesterday.

I received the following e-mail while watching the video above and somehow this brought me to tears.. maybe I’m just too sentimental now ..

I also read about the story of Arnel Pineda’s incredible story.
Here’s another video that tells the story. It is indeed encouraging to hear and see another person’s wish came true inspite of the odds.

Believe it and you shall be blessed.

The problem with many of us is that we don’t believe
that God will open a window and pour out blessings
that we won’t have room to receive them. I dare anyone
to try God. He is true to His word. God cannot lie and
His promises are sure.

Three things will happen to you this coming week:

(1) You will find favour with someone you don’t
expect;

(2) You will be too relevant to be ignored;

(3) You will encounter God and you will never remain
the same again.

My prayer for you today:

The eyes beholding this message shall not behold evil,
the hands that will send this message to others shall
not labor in vain, the mouth saying Amen to this
prayer shall laugh forever. Remain in God’s love as
you send this prayer to everybody on your list. Have
a
lovely journey of life! Trust in the Lord with all
your heart and He will never fail you because He is
AWESOME!
If you truly need a blessing, continue reading this
email:

Heavenly Father, most Gracious and Loving God, I pray
to you that you abundantly bless my family and me. I
know that you recognize, that a family is more than
just a mother, father, sister, brother, husband and
wife, but all who believe and trust in you. Father, I
send up a prayer request for blessings for not only
the person who sent this to me, but for me and all
that I have forwarded this message on to. And that the
power of joined prayer by those who believe and trust
in you is more powerful than anything. I thank you in
advance for your blessings.

Father God, deliver the person reading this right now
from debt and debt’s burdens. Release your Godly
wisdom that I may be a good steward over all that You
have given me Father, for I
know how wonderful and
mighty you are and how if we just obey you and walk In
your word and have the faith of a mustard seed that
you will pour out blessings. I thank you now Lord for
the recent blessings I have received and for the
blessings yet to come because I know you are not done
with me yet.

In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

TAKE 60 SECONDS and send this on quickly and within
hours, you will have caused a multitude of people to
pray to God for each other.

Then sit back and watch the power of God work in your
life for doing the thing that you know He loves.

Remain Blessed!!!

Don’t stop believing.

I think this blog should not only include just my wishes but I want to share others’ as well. Recently I received this e-mail from my aunt and here she described her own dreams as well. (The following e-mail has been edited to protect her privacy and the people she mentioned):

” I recently enrolled in a course Introduction to Viticulture. It is something interesting to me, having to do with grape growing and possibly in the future go to winemaking so I can use my food technology background.

I might even get a manual job picking grapes or looking after grape vines or seedlings in the future. Who knows? Life is full of surprises; It is an adventure, really!

I am happy for you that some of your ‘dreams’ come to reality too. I also notice the Filipino trait of helping others specially our family and relatives. I think that is not only Filipino but universal. But sadly in some affluent societies like Australia, the idea of helping family or relatives in terms of time and money is not as prevalent. I know of Filipino family members who are ‘heroes’ in their own right, like some of our countrymen working abroad just to have money for their family at home to make both ends meet, to send their children to school and be educated so that they can live a ‘better’ life for themselves and their children. It is very touching to see it myself ( as I have seen and met some of them in Belfast) and learn of those stories from elsewhere. My niece used to tell me what she saw in Dubai, the first time she was there, and she can not help but say that those Filipinos, Indians, Pakistanis and other Asians working there, away from their families are sacrificing a lot to the point of being ‘heroes’ to their families.

I also experienced it with my parents, they literally ‘made night into day’ to have us educated and I think their dreams for their children have materialized in the sense that we, their children live in a ‘better’ circumstances, materially, than they. I can not speak for their social life as they also had a ‘life’ so to speak!

One of my dreams nowadays is to teach my grandchildren Tagalog so that they can pick up Filipinos talking our language wherever, and that they would feel joy in having a conscious identity of their Filipino heritage, a legacy I dream of leaving them. At present, I have told my son and daughter in law that when my granddaughter and I are on our own, I will only talk to her in Tagalog so that she can pick up some Pilipino words! What do you think of that dream?

I dream also of getting a paid job sometime in the future, after all these trips, and even at my age. One of these days, I dream of landing in a job that I will truly enjoy, probably only part-time, so it is not that stressful compared to other jobs I had. We can always dream, can’t we?

I read somewhere, that happiness can also be a decision; so we can decide to be happy whatever our material circumstances are, and count our blessings, without comparing ourselves with others. Life is also a personal philosophy and a choice and decision, ‘ika nga’. Whatever that means to other people, but its meaning is very clear to me, as I dream of ‘that’ choices and decisions all the time!”

I wish that my aunt’s dreams will come true as well.

Today is my sister’s 39th birthday. I wish her good health and may she find more free time to enjoy life and have the rest she deserves.
May her family be blessed with happiness in the years to come.