Kiss my ass

While I may not be a big fan of an unlaced up Manny Pacquiao, I become an advocate when he is on pre-fight mode and when he steps inside the ring. I was once an athlete myself but quite far from the phenom that he is. Talent is one thing but to be willing to invest in the mental and physical demands of elite level competition is what truly separates the men from the boys.

Recently, a lot has been written about Pacquiao's unwillingness to give in to the dictates of his possible megafight adversary and the latter's promoter. To think that Pacquiao is poised to lose an insane amount of money, he just would not budge. The $50 million being dangled is not enough for the high school dropout to be pushed around.

Paquiao may have had a history of compromising his principles: in dealing with contracts, showing loyalty, and so forth, but it does not necessarily mean that he will always violate them. Change is possible. Principles can be rebuilt.

For standing his ground this time, I admire Pacquiao. He showed that it does not require advanced education to have principles. Most of us, even the most educated among us, will find the $50 million out of the window incomprehensible. Pacquiao chose to walk off rather than kiss ass.

Happy holidays!

Happy holidays, everyone! I hope we are all having a grand time with family and friends. Make the most out of it. It does not usually last long.

Love at its grandest

Inay, my grandmother-in-law, passed away three days ago, after years of confinement to her bed. The hip injury, four years earlier, greatly affected her quality of life. To be honest, I thought her death was better for her; it put an end to her agony.

I was with a client when Shiela informed me that we needed to rush to Inay's place. Apparently, my grandmother-in-law died in the arms of her caregiver while the latter was trying to feed her. My wife was restless, and I had to calm her down. Since I had no plans of rudely disrupting my meeting, I discreetly sent a text saying that we will go soon after I finish. Of course, Shiela could not wait and went her way.

Anyway, I ended up telling my client that someone in our family died; nonetheless, we could still continue. My rationale: Life must go on for the living. We will pay our respects, but whether we go sooner or later, nothing else could be done.

When my wife got to Inay's place, most of the members of the family were already there. Regardless of my grandmother-in-law's lifeless condition, the family wanted to be with her. It did not need to be a life and death situation for them to act hurriedly. Clearly, the family was drawn together by flesh and love.

As an outsider myself, I could feel the outpour of very strong emotions. It was not just customary; everything was genuine. I wish I could declare the same for my own family. Inay was bedridden for the longest time, yet her children persisted to extend her life. Definitely, another first for me.

Who's bad?

Driving on our way home, my wife and I leisurely exchanged ideas about the most recent fight among our folks. What else is new? Domestic chaos is like seasoning to some members of our family. For this reason, I once said to an inquisitive former girlfriend, "Please do not ask anything about my family. I have nothing to be proud about."

Growing up, I learned to be immune to disorder and have even perfected the art of detecting any upcoming red flags. It may be unhealthy, but in my case, it was essential. Time always proved me right.

A few years ago, I got entangled in an affair involving my folks, something I have been vehemently avoiding like a plague. Since my old self knew nothing about retreating, things became a lot messy. Although I was not into it to win the battle, I was engaged to enlighten the guerrillas about the shameful turn of events.

In the heart of it all was my grandmother. She was infamous among her children because of the way she treated her father, husband, and kids. Anyway, my contention was for the children not to take revenge. If they want to distance themselves, then go; however, to treat a person horribly is barbaric. I suggested that if they cannot embrace their mother like a human being, at least, care for her like a pet. Yes, a brutal analogy indeed. If they cannot love her, respect her. Sadly, they did not get my point. I became the bad guy.

I am no saint, but the aforesaid gruesome event is something that the elderly should never show their kids. When faced with similar circumstances, you would not want your kids to do the same. Now, the cycle has been repeating itself again and again among siblings because they did not have a better example. Could it be common sense not being common after all? Values formation? Blinded by what? Ruled by whom?

I have not seen my grandmother in years. I respect her. I love her, but I had to distance myself because I love my wife and kids more.

Way out of stress

We all have our unique ways of managing tension. My style is to not think about the source of anxiety, but it does not work all the time. It never will. Life's problems are so complex; you cannot simply ignore them.

Whenever my stress level rises, I seek refuge either at the spa, for a decent Swedish massage or the gym. The latter does not involve any cost; hence, I can engage freely. On the other hand, a trip to the spa usually requires a bit of negotiation with my financial officer, Shiela. I almost forgot, she also happens to be my wife.

It has been two months now since I last went for a massage. Surely, I miss the euphoria of a relaxing touch therapy. Lately, however, I have been indecisive. The negotiating part, as mentioned earlier, is another form of stress. Additionally, someone talked me out of it.

Shiela usually deals with tension by harnessing with her loyalists. They conspire their way out of her misery. Could have they, at some point, plotted against me? Just kidding. Anyway, if the committee could not convene, my wife would end up finding solace... at the spa. The irony of it all! Poor me, she stashed away all the loose change.

Then, there are those who walk their way out of anxiety. Some people pop a pill and sleep on it. While others bake and mix flour with anything, one batter after another. How about you?

Women and their fallible instinct

My wife and I exercise a system of open privacy. We enjoy unrestricted access to each other's letters, emails, phones, wallets, bank accounts, and so forth. It did not happen overnight though. It was more of an evolution, mainly a result of my unspoken approval.

While our practice is not universal, neither of us complained about it. If you have nothing to hide in the confines of your relationship, overriding the rules of privacy may appear suitable. However, it has its demons. I am afraid it is too late to exorcise them.

The riddle with open privacy, especially when the parameters are not clear, is context. Without a clear understanding of the circumstances relevant to an issue, instinct eclipses logic. Humans are supposed to be cognitive beings. Things are not hard-wired in us like animals. We have to gather information and process them through volitional effort.

Often, my wife and I get into disagreements because of our flagging system of open privacy. For instance, should you nag about a text message that no one has control over? Anyway, I do not see myself winning any of our trivial battles because she will always choose to believe in what she thinks. Maybe all she sees is my past, or should we start talking about PRIVACY?

My stock picking argument: History is not an indication of future performance.

Tell Me Your Name

By Jose Mari Chan

Tell me your name you're lovely
Please tell me your name
Just when I thought
This would be one of those boring games
You walked into these feelings
You looked at me and smiled
My heart unfroze and started going wild

Can you imagine this
The confusion of
First love's kiss
A return to wondering
If the magic of love was this
You merely said hello
And my mind did a stop and go
Can it possibly be
The future for me is you

Tell me your name
I must know
Won't you tell me your name
I'm not insane
Just frightened that you might go
Don't go please stay beside me
Wait until I can tell you all my schemes
Chasing rainbows spinning dreams
Finding someone to love like you

I'm not insane
Just frightened that you might go
Don't go please stay beside me
Wait until I can tell you all my schemes
Chasing rainbows spinning dreams
Tell me please your name
Tell me

*A friend's favorite