Bowling a Suez Canal

Today's the office fun bowling tournament. I brought a white shirt as Jeng asked via text. Vikki was the only one wearing a dark blue t-shirt.

I had a very low score in the 1st game - a little over 40!. My score was about double in the 2nd game - above 80. Almost a repeat of Tuesday's practice. Does that mean I always need a warm-up game to at least hit 80? I mean, if I had a warm-up game before the competition, then maybe that 80 would be my first game score and my second game score would be higher?

I got the Suez Canal award for throwing the most balls into the canal. At least I have cash prize that ended up twice the money the individual members of the winning team got. Well, I did announce at the start of the competition that I'm gunning for the lowest score award - and I got it! :-)

Some of us ate at Dencio's near CCP afterwards. With the guys ordering, we ended up with crispy pata, crispy tenga, and sisig! The only vegetable was the pinakbet ordered by Cristy.

Bowling lessons

Seems that my team is taking the "fun" tourney seriously ... Vikki arranged us to have bowling lessons with Becky during lunch last Thursday. Jeng found her game improved after pointers from a real player. I was not as lucky. Last Friday, I joined the marketing people and my score was worse. I hadn't internalized Becky's teachings and then I've got Pam and Jong telling me what else to do. The tips got mixed up.

Today, we had another lesson during lunch. We had two games though and my score in the 2nd round was almost twice that of the first round. My team mates are hoping I could at least hit 96 again during the tourney. How pathetic am I? :-)

Benedict

Gave out the Benedictine medals I bought last week. Pia said she appreciated it and she needed it, Jun and Cristy said thanks. Jeng's txt msg: Hi. Thanks so very much. Was really touched. (dabbing tears)

:-)

That makes me happy.

What passes for a Retreat

Sam paid for a retreat in her tuition but didn't attend... now the nuns want her to avail of it even if she goes on her own. She invites me to go with her. I needed a break and said yes. She scheduled it for April 13 - 15 at St. Scholastica Tagaytay. As April 13 came nearer, I was excited enough to have a dream ... funny thing was - Sam and I were lost again as we were in Subic, and when we asked where we were, I think the person in the dream said Palawan.

We planned to meet Wednesday morning near her place which is on the way to Zapote where we will take a jeep to Cavite, and a bus to Tagaytay.

Read what we did there in my pinoytourista blog:
http://pinoytourista.blogspot.com/2005/04/what-passes-for-retreat.html

Ponderings on Grief

During Holy Week, one of the features I watched on TV was Pope John Paul II's contribution to history - particularly his role in the fall of the communist bloc. I even remember remarking that such a feature seems to forebode John Paul II's death soon for the documentary struck me like a eulogy.

Fast forward to April 2. The round-the-clock Vatican watch on the cable news networks when it became apparent that John Paul II may die anytime soon was, to me, overkill. Therefore, it was not surprising when my brother told me Sunday morning (Saturday afternoon in the Vatican) that John Paul II is dead.

I felt none of the grief that some of the people expressed when interviewed by roving reporters. The Holy Week documentary prepared me for the probability, the Vatican watch in cable news imprinted to me the inevitable. The announcement of the death was merely confirmation of the expected. By then, I was already looking forward to who the next pope will be.

I find this as an example of how media, particularly news as reported these days, could take away the feelings out of an event or a moment such as the dying of a well-loved Pope of the Catholic Church.

It was not until yesterday, April 4, that I felt grief over his death. It only took one paragraph to make me feel it - and because of it, any coverage these days of the wake leading to John Paul II's burial will bring on grief even if only a touch. What brought it on? It was an account of his final moment, which, to date, is not even confirmed yet. According to Rev. O'Connell in an interview with CNN (transcript here: http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/03/oconnell/):

"...in the pope's last minutes he grasped the hand of Archbishop
[Stanislaw] Dziwisz.
And looking out the window, the curtains were not drawn,
he was looking out the window. And he said, "amen." And then he passed
on..."

His supposed act of farewell sealed it. That is when his being gone hit me. For me, it meant - he had done all he could of what he must as leader of his flock, and now that his body is failing, he accepts the end of his life, and his ministry, and looks forward to what God has set aside for him in the afterlife. He died gracefully, and it is the beauty of that moment that touched me, to the point that sometimes, my eyes threaten to cry if I allow them.