Like a Pencil

HOW I'M LIKE A PENCIL
By Steve Goodier


It occurs to me that I have a lot in common with a pencil. That's right – a simple and humble little pencil. Not the fancy mechanical kind. That's too high maintenance for me. And I'm not as showy as a plume pen or as smooth as a ball point. I don't live in bold strokes like a heavy marker. But I'm a lot like a pencil. Here's how:

1. Like a pencil, I have a built-in eraser. I can correct my mistakes. No, I can't change the past, but I can make it right again. And if I can't erase history (after all, what's done is done) I can at least erase a great deal of guilt and anger with forgiveness. 

2. Like a pencil, I do better if I'm sharpened once in a while. My mind and skills grow dull without occasional honing. Even my spirit and attitudes need refining if I'm to be at my best. And there is something else, too. I find that the difficulties of life wear away at me, and they can either grind me down or shape me into a person who is more capable and creative. The sharpening I get from living through tough times is often painful, but I know it can make me a better person. 

3. Pencils work best in a skilled hand. And like a pencil, I can do some pretty terrific things with a little guidance. Other people bring out the best in me, and with the help of others, I can do far more than I ever can alone.

4. Like a pencil, I should leave my mark whenever possible. I too often underestimate my influence on another. I have daily opportunities to leave something good behind. That is what it means to leave my mark. It may be in small ways, it may be in the lives of people I love, people I have touched or nurtured, or even in incidental conversations struck with strangers. But, I have a mark to leave and should use every opportunity to leave something good behind. 

5. Like a pencil, it is what is on the inside that matters. A pencil without lead is useless. And a yellow pencil will not do when a black or red pencil is called for. What is on the inside is all important. My outer appearance matters less than I probably think, while it's the stuff on the inside that folks notice about me. Whether it is understanding or intolerance, love or bitterness, peace or unrest, kindness or self-centeredness, hope or despair, courage or fear, what is on the inside matters most.

6. A pencil works best on paper or canvass. It will never leave its mark on water and will wear itself down against a mirror. I do best knowing my strengths and limitations. I can't do everything well and that is okay. There is still plenty of good to be done by doing what I do best.

7. And finally, like a pencil, the biggest part of my purpose in this life can be summed up in three words: to be useful. When I'm too broken to hold together, when everything is ground away or worn away, when I no longer have anything to contribute, I know my life is coming to an end.

Like I said, I have a lot in common with a pencil.

Dancing in the Rain

By Steve Goodier


"The pharmacist just insulted me," a woman sobbed to her irate husband. He snatched the phone from her hand.

"I'm sorry to upset her," the pharmacist said, "but put yourself in my shoes. First, my alarm didn't go off and I overslept. I rushed out and locked both my house and car keys inside and had to break a window to get them. On the way to pharmacy I got a speeding ticket. When I finally arrived late, there was a long line and the phone was ringing. I bent over to pick up a roll of nickels, I cracked my head on a drawer and fell backward, shattering the perfume case. Meanwhile, the phone was still ringing. I picked up and your wife asked me how to use a rectal thermometer. I swear, all I did was tell her." 

Have you ever had a day like that? One man likes to say, "My life is filled with mountaintop experiences. One day, I'm on top of the mountain. The next day the mountain is on top of me." Those kinds of mountaintop experiences are hard to take.

There will always be times when the mountain is on top. Or, in the words of Charles Tindley, times "when the storms of life are raging." When that is the case, what do you do? One wise sage gives us a clue: 

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain." 

I have spent too much time just waiting for one kind of storm or another to pass. "When things change…" "When everything settles down…" "When it gets easier…" "When…" Well, you get the idea.

A few years ago, someone stole my wife's purse. That was a storm we didn't see coming. For days she was hassled with replacing lost credit cards and identification. And though it wasn't a crisis, it was still an aggravation.

As she went about the process of trying to protect her identity from theft and replacing the contents of her purse, I recalled the words of author Matthew Henry, an 18th Century English clergyman. Henry, too, was robbed. Yet he approached his problem differently than I. Unbelievably, his predominant feeling was not anger, but gratitude. What he said was, "I give thanks that I have never been robbed before; that although he took my wallet, he did not take my life; that although he took everything, it was not much; and finally, that it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed."

No self pity there. He was robbed and came away feeling gratitude for his life. Here was a man who learned something I had not yet figured out – to dance in the rain. 

I've found that, over the years, there is plenty of rain, and much of my life has been about waiting for the storms of life to pass. So next time it rains, I'm going to dance. 

50 Pick-Up Lines..Game?

Medyo matagal tagal na rin akong inde nagba-blog (though inde naman ganun ka-busy), lalo na yung tagalog.  Bukod sa ayaw ko magpost ng opinyon ko tingkol sa kung ano anong sh*t sa lipunan o mga napapansin ko sa araw-araw, e iniisip ko rin ang kapakanan ng mga foreign readers ko (kung meron man hehehe).  Isa sa mga madalas kong katuwaan, mabasa o marinig ko man, ay ang mga pick-up lines!  Sino ba inde gumamit neto?  Sumikat na nga sya to the point na gawing segment na ng isang sikat na comedy show.  Pede mong sabihing corny sya, pero trust me, nasa delivery lang yan. Pag swabe pagkakasabi, either humagalpak ka sa tawa, o makapag-pakilig ka ng iba.  Inde ako fan ng ganitong mga bagay (naks!) pero heto ang ilan sa mga nabasa ko (at never ko pang nagamit hahaha!) na baka pede sa inyo.

Read on!


1. "Ligaw na bala ka ba? Kasi sa iba ka nakalaan, pero ako ang tinamaan."
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2, "Akala ko noon, dagat lang ang lumalalim. Pati din pala feelings ko sa ‘yo ganun din."
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3. "Dalawa lang ang bisyo ko: paglalasing at pagsusugal. Ang malasing sa pagmamahal mo, at pagsusugal ng lahat para sa yo."
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4. "Sabi nila, what you see is what you get. Eh paano ba yan, nakita na kita. Eh di akin ka na?"
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5. "Kailangan ko nang umuwi, kaya yakapin mo na ko. Kasi when I’m in your arms…I’m home."
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6. "Sa mga nagtatanong kung kami pa…hindi na…hindi na kami maghihiwalay."
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7. "Dadaan pa ba ko sa bahay niyo, o dederetso na ko sa puso mo?"
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 8. "Ang mahalin ka, parang pangongopya ng exam…bawal, pero ginagawa ko."
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9. "Sawa ka na ba sa buhay mo? Ba’t hindi mo subukan ang buhay na kasama ako?"
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10. "Ibenta mo na bahay mo, tutal nandito ka na nakatira sa puso ko."
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11. "Para tayong kuwento ni Juan Tamad. Ako si Juan Tamad, ikaw yung bayabas. Hinihintay lang kitang mahulog sa kin.”
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12. “Ang galing mo din no? Di mo pa ko binabato, tinamaan na ko sa yo.”
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13. "Nakalimutan ko pangalan mo eh. Puwede bang tawagin nalang kitang AKIN?”
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14. "Para kang paaralan, gusto kitang pasukan araw-araw.”
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15. "Nasira yata cellphone ko, kasi wala dito number mo eh!”
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16. "Siguro freezer ka tapos tubig naman ako. Pag pinasok kita, tumitigas ako!”
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17. "Sana scientist ako, para ikaw naman ang lab ko.”
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18. "Sana ako nalang si antok, para gabi-gabi puwede kitang dalawin.”
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19. "Minsan gusto kitang galitin, para patulan mo naman ako.”
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20. "Musician ka ba? Tumataas nota ko sa yo eh!”
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21. "Sana naging palay ka nalang, para puwede kitang bayuhin.”
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22. "Pag wala ka, ang buhay ko parang lapis na hindi pa natatasahan: pointless.”
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23. "Ketchup ka ba?  Bakit?  Miss ka na ng hotdog ko e"
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24. "Sa hinaba-haba man ng tulog ko, IKAW pa rin ang dahilan ng pag-gising ko"
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25. "Masasabi mo bang bobo ako…Kung ikaw lang laman ng utak ko"
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26. May eraser ka ba? … Di ka kasi mabura sa isip ko…"
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27. "Race track ka ba? Ganda kasi ng curves mo"
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28. "Para kang password ang hirap mo makalimutan!"
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29. "Iced tea ka ba? Pag kasama kasi kita BOTTOMLESS ang SAYA ;)"
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30. "Pag namatay ako wag ka na dumalaw, baka ikaw ulit magpatibok ng puso ko!"
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31. "Corrupted Politician ka ba? Kasi sarap mong sibakin sa pwesto"
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32. "Kapag sinubukan mong silipin ang laman ng utak ko.... para kang lang tumingin sa photo album mo"
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33. "Pawis ba yan? Sorry natutunaw ka na pala."
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34. May notebook kaba dyan? Paki-take note naman, "Mahal kita."
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35. "Graduating ka na ba? kanina ka pa kasi march ng march sa isip ko "
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36. "Patingin nga ng kamay mo? gusto ko kasi malaman kung paano mo nahawakan ang puso ko"
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37. "Para kang sirang kotse, kc tuwing sasakyan kita tumitirik ka!"
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38. "Kutsara ka ba? kasi kapag nanjan ka napapanganga ako eh"
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39. "May free time ka ba? Samahan mo naman ako sa Psychiatrist... Magdala daw kasi ako ng kinababaliwan ko"
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40. "Chicharon ka ba? Baket: kasi ang ingay mo habang kinakain kita
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41. "Kung sumasabog lang ang puso ko, matagal na sigurong nakakalat ang LETRA ng pangalan mo!"
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42. "Balakubak kaba? - kasi I can't get you out of my head"
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43. "I have tried the water company, the electric company, even the telephone company, but NOTHING beats your company"
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44. " I hope there's a fireman around, cause you're smokin'!"
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45. "Alam mo ba ang kasabihan ng mga pilipino? - "aanhin pa ang damo,kung sayo palang may tama nako"
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46. "Pikit ka........ganyan kadilim buhay ko pag wala ka!"
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47. "Nakakatakot man ang multo, mas nakakatakot pag nawala ka sa buhay ko"
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48.  "Baril ka ba?  Bakit? Paisang putok naman!"
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49. "Sana iPhone ka na lang..Bakit?.. para malaro mo na Angry Bird ko!"
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50. Eto ang tatandaan mo.. Hindi lahat ng buhay ay buhay.       
      Tulad ko, buhay pero patay na patay sayo


Hope you enjoyed this one!

Basketball Fundamentals : A Lost Art?

Basketball has always been a part of my life.  I cannot recall a single instance wherein I did not get the urge to play even by just hearing the ball bounce or seeing friends gearing up with fancy hoops jerseys.  Others may call it ridiculously insane to associate oneself to something this mundane, but I guess it's what we feel and do whenever we engage in something we totally dedicate ourselves to.  This is something that I totally have innate passion to pursue and be good at, if not better than your average cager.  I've never considered myself a great ball player though, but I have utmost confidence on my skills (besides, the fulfillment in self-gratification only ruins the essence of compliments)

I pride myself in being more of a two-way team player, one who's happy and content racking up assists or going for steals so that his teammates can gain the opportunity to bask in the glory of scoring points, rather than someone who focuses only on a single aspect of the game, specifically offense. Harking back to my younger days, my father used to tell me that I should be a point guard given my pint-sized frame.  He stressed the value of ball handling (otherwise known today as having "sick handles"), finding the open man, setting up the offense, issuing up assists, and being a vocal leader on the floor. However, regardless of being stereotyped for that matter, he also stressed that I must learn and take into heart the fundamentals of boxing out, an essential aspect of positioning for rebounds; as well as the timely use of crossovers and pivotal footwork to find my way to the hole.  

He's not an advocate of hoisting jumpers yet he made me practice the correct form. The biggest lesson he gave though was to “play to win”; to give it your all at all times regardless if you’re playing under the grandiloquence of the league championship, or just engaged in a prosaic pick-up game.  This is the competitive spirit that I somehow integrated to anything that I engaged at in life.   

It is in this light that I thought of the state of today's players, especially those who we knew so much about.  Basketball is a team sport the last time I checked,  yet nowadays you'll see some players hoisting more shots compared to others as if that was the only thing they were tasked to do.  Others concentrate only in pulling down rebounds, setting screens, or much worse, using up their fouls to foil whatever attempts are being made by the other team's best player. It has reached the point wherein certain players are being stereotyped to work on a couple, or with bigger disappointment, only on a single aspect of the game.

I'd be hypocritical and highly idealistic if I'll say that all five players should have proficiency in most if not all aspects of the game.  This is where the cliché "complementing one another" comes in. Others will really excel at one aspect specially in scoring points (for who doesn't want to be labeled a scorer and gain instantaneous fame along the way), or pull more rebounds given their height.  In stark contrast though, does this competence give them the excuse not to exert as much effort in getting better in other aspects?  Are scorers bound to be laced up in a stake if they box out and reach out for a rebound?  Or are centers damned for life if they issue a nice, fundamental assist? How about a max-player sacrificing his body to draw a charge, or even dive for a loose ball?

Looking at today's players, it's sad that we can only pinpoint a select few who works on both ends of the court, while giving their entire effort to succeed night in and night out.  Some of these players include the NBA’s CP3, DRose, TD, D12, old time greats like MJ, Stockton and Malone, Barkley, and even to my surprise, Kobe’s on my list(I’m literally not a big fan of this guy but I'm all praises to his work ethic and approach to the game).  For those who personally know me, you’re probably looking for LeBron’s name in it right? Well, I couldn't tarnish this list by just being a solid LBJ fan.  He's already a great player, and has the capability to be part of the list and even topbill it, but unless he shows consistency in doing so, he'll just be a sordid flash-in-the-pan, a nightly SportsCenter regular who will never receive the nod of pure basketball pundits.  On the other hand, among our locals, I can only think of one player at the moment who fits this tag, and that's Arwind Santos.

To part with, it is my radical wish that every player and player-to-be (such as my two sons) be ingrained with the right fundamentals,  and hopefully learn to exercise the burning desire not only to win games, but to continuously work on being a complete basketball player as well. I'd rather see a lot of jack-of-all-trades rather than a couple of “master-of-one” (I coined this term that’s why).  It will bring out parity in the competition, and hopefully after a long time, make the game of basketball worth watching. In its purest essence, basketball is not only a sport; it is a way of life by itself.