Where Has “Positive Thinking” Brought Me?
“Positive thinking” as a concept is like a narrow street that seemingly leads to nowhere. When you embrace it and take the first few steps forward, it would make you feel like you’re not going anywhere.
Consider that normal. When you venture into the unknown and leave your comfort zone, it’s normal to feel iffy. It is your old negative mental programming taking control of your thought processes. As you take a few more steps forward, doubts would start to set in and you’ll be tempted to go back where you came from. That temptation to abandon the journey just beginning would become stronger when people around you start saying how crazy you are to even believe that “positive thinking” works. But should you succeed in conquering all the negative chatters and take the courage to just keep on walking you would soon hit the main road.
The main road that narrow street called “positive thinking” leads to is “personal growth and development.” That was what I personally discovered.
When I decided to dive deeper into “positive thinking,” I realized that it is but the tip of the iceberg. “Positive thinking” is not the main thing. “Personal growth and development” is.
My journey to “positive thinking” started with my accidental discovery of a “self-help” film. I stopped by a stall selling old (pirated) DVDs of old movies. The label (title) of the one of the DVDs – “The Secret” – caught my attention. It intrigued me. So, I picked it up thinking that it’s either a mystery-thriller or a sci-fi movie.
I described in full that encounter with “The Secret” in my essay entitled “Beyond Positive Thinking.”
It is that “self-help” film that got me into positive thinking. For me, anything that advocates positive change is worth my time and worth trying. I though I had nothing to lose but everything to gain when I decided to give it a try.
When I watched that film for the second time, I took off my “critic’s hat” and emptied my mind of all those philosophies that tried to filter all the information the film conveyed and was leading me to analysis paralysis. Anyway, all of those philosophies – all of those isms – which I previously learned were seemingly not leading me to what I want to be and what I want to achieve. Honestly, at that point in my life, I was not even so certain of what I really wanted to be and what I really wanted to achieve. That “self-help” film offered me an option, an opportunity to try another system of beliefs that might help me have clarity of purpose.
I really thought then that my PhD would transform me into the best version of myself. I was wrong.
So, I took a leap of faith and embraced “positive thinking.” I walked down that narrow street that seemingly led to nowhere. I struggled but succeeded in overcoming doubts, in shooting down skepticism, and in turning a deaf ear to the internal and external negative chatters.
And I don’t regret that decision I made.
Then I probed deeper. I read existing literature about “positive thinking” and watched lots of videos about it. That’s how I came to discover that it (“positive thinking”) is the narrow street that leads to the main road called “personal growth and development.”
“Positive thinking” is the springboard to “personal growth and development.” The former is the key to unlocking the latter. I strongly believe that only when a person develops dispositional optimism, when that person expects good things to happen, and when that person hopes that he/she could be a better person and live a better life that he/she would become open to the idea of undertaking the necessary steps to venture seriously into growing and developing further as a person.
When I reached the end of that narrow street of “positive thinking” and got to the main road of “personal growth and development,” I confirmed that indeed it (“positive thinking”) is just the beginning of the journey. The road ahead is long and winding. There’s much to be done. After the “thinking” comes the “doing.”
I discovered that in order to experience meaningful growth and development as a person, it would take more than “positive thinking.” There are other requirements aside from having a positive mindset. There are other things that ought to be done and these are what the gurus of “personal growth and development” commonly describe as the practices and habits that made extremely successful people who and what they are. These people became the best versions of themselves and had found the happiness, good health, and wealth they sought because of such practices and habits.
These practices and habits are actually very practical ones. They are not magical and out of this world stuffs. They are as follows: knowing your whys; embracing a solid belief system; goal setting; short and long-term planning; managing time effectively; developing self-discipline; practicing mindfulness; being purposive; becoming self-sufficient; and living a balanced life.
These are the things that Brendon Burchard, Tom Bilyeu, Jim Rohn, Wayne Dyer, Les Brown, Joe Dispenza, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, Simon Sinek, John Maxwell, Mel Robbins, and the like, recommend to people intending to maximize their potentials.
The above-mentioned experts in the field of “personal growth and development” pointed out also that extremely successful people have a common hobby – reading. They also practice meditation.
What I consider as the most significant among those practices or habits of people who reached the pinnacle of success in their fields of endeavors is “living a balanced life.”
“Balanced life” is a concept difficult to define definitively. It is so because people have different priorities and live different kinds of life.
But when I sifted through the works of advocates of “personal growth and development” I saw a common pattern about living a “balanced life” that made me understand what the concept is. And it is not rocket science.
Firstly – as people work hard to achieve what they want in life – money, degree, fame, and what have you – they should not disregard their health and relationships. Not disregarding health means eating the right food, getting enough rest, and exercising regularly. Not disregarding relationships means not forgetting that you have a family and friends needing your attention too.
Secondly (and lastly) – become a well-rounded person. Becoming a well-rounded person means bearing in mind that you are a physical, intellectual, emotional, and a social being (insert spiritual if you happen to believe in God). You should strive to develop in all these areas.
This is how far “positive thinking” brought me – to the discovery of these “personal growth and development” practices and habits. They seem to be simple, but believe me, they are easier said than done – especially if you have a fixed mindset and you keep looking at life and the world using a negative perspective.
INAY
Kaylan ko po ba ito dapat sulatin?
Kapag ba Inay hindi mo na puwedeng basahin?
Kaylan ko po ba ito dapat sabihin?
Kung pandinig mo ba INAY naglaho na’t
tinig ko’y ‘di na kayang dinggin?
Bago ang nakatakda’y maganap
… bago ang mga braso mo’y bawian ng lakas
at di na kayang gantihan ang higpit ng aking yakap
Eh isuot mo po INAY ang iyong salamin
Simpleng tula ko sana’y basahin.
INAY iyong damhim
Pagmamahal at pagtanging
Sa bawat taludtod padadaluyin
Maka-ina daw ako!
Aba’y dapat lang.
Kung ang ina ang anak ay ‘di malilimutan
Ang anak – ina’y ‘di puwedeng talikuran.
Ako’y nakarating sa gustong paroonan
Dahil nilingon ko sinapupunang pinaggalingan
Sinapupunang pinaglagakan
Ng buhay kong sa Panginoon ay hiram.
Noong bata ako’t walang muwang
INAY ‘di mo ako pinabayaan
Mga bisig mo’y nagsilbi kong duyan
Inaruga mo ako’t inalagaan
Dinisiplina’t tinuruan.
Kayo po ang una kong guro
Kay dami ninyo sa aking naituro.
Maraming… maraming salamat po!
Salamat po INAY at naituro mo sa akin –
…na magtiwala sa kakayahang angkin
…na sa Panginoon laging manalangin
Hindi ka perpekto INAY
Subalit mahal kitang tunay.
Bigkis nating Diyos ang pumanday
Mananatili hanggang sa kabilang-buhay.
Sorry Wisely
Sorry Wisely!
Talo ka nanaman.
Paano ka ba naman mananalo…
eh di ka qualified.
Ano?
Ah college graduate ka kamo!
Eh ano naman… kahit ba may PhD ka pa.
Ang tanong eh – may datung ka ba?
Wala! Wala! Walang… DATUNG
Kaya di ka qualified.
Ano?
Bakit kaylangan ng datung?
Susme!
We’re you born yesterday?
Oh kaninang madaling araw lang.
Ha?
Malinis kamo record mo.
Who cares…?
Nobody… nobody but you.
Dahil ang tanong eh – “Meron ka bang datung?”
Ha? Handa ka kamong maglingkod.
Hindi pala dapat Wisely pangalan mo.
Mas bagay sa iyo ang pangalang engot.
Ang hanap ng botante…
hindi ang handang maglingkod
Ang hanap nila’y – ang handang magbayad.
Pera-pera ang labanan tsong.
Gets mo na?
Ha?
Bakit ganun?
Aba malay ko.
Itanong mo kaya sa lolo mong panot.
Kaya… sorry na lang Wisely.
Better luck next time.
Try mo kaya mag-budots.
Baka makakuha ka next time ng –
mahigit labing-apat na milyong boto.
The Work Attitude of (Some) Expat Teachers
(A PERSONAL ESSAY)
I started teaching here in South Korea in 2013. For six years now (going 7) that I have been working with expat teachers from different parts of the world, mostly from countries where English is the native language. Rarely do South Korean universities hire Asian ESL teachers (like me).
Those years I worked with my fellow expat teachers allowed me to witness their brand of professionalism (or the lack of it). I saw their work, heard them talk, and witnessed how they behaved as persons and professionals. My being given by the university where I am teaching now the privilege to be a head professor for three (3) semesters a few years back allowed me also to have access to information about them. In addition, for the past four years, I have been a member of the university’s hiring committee and have gone over hundreds of résumés of ESL job applicants. A few of those applicants were first-timers, and the majority were attempting to transfer from other universities here. That enabled me to scrutinize their academic and employment background. I discovered that MANY of those moving from other universities are not teachers by profession, and it was their first time teaching when they were hired as ESL teachers here in South Korea. In the job interviews where I was assigned to be a member of the panel of interviewers, I came to know more about expat teachers.
Sometimes, even without me asking, tactless birds from the grapevine would tweet me a thing or two about my fellow expat teachers. I am also a member of an organization of Filipino professors teaching in different universities here in South Korea, and during our meetings, I would be getting more information about ESL teachers from different countries in their respective workplaces, which kind of confirmed my overall perception and observation about them.
I have become so awkwardly familiar with my fellow expat teachers’ behavior in the workplace. I can vividly describe their work attitude. And this personal essay is exactly that – an exposé about the work attitude of some expat teachers here in South Korea.
Anyway, these are just my personal observations. I may be wrong. But what if I am right?
Before I proceed, though, let me clarify that MOST of the expat teachers I worked with in the past years (and those who are still with me where I am currently teaching) are very good – personally and professionally. But as you may have noticed, I used MOST, not ALL, because there are a FEW bad apples.
Yes, there are a FEW bad apples. And you know how the saying goes – “One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.” Of the bad decisions they make as persons and professionals, there is a possibility that employers will think that all expat teachers are like them. That’s my worry.
I hope that Koreans wouldn’t think that expat teachers are alike. MANY of us are serious with our work as ESL teachers here but those FEW who don’t might be creating a negative perception about us.
I witnessed how certain policies were changed in my workplace in response to some of my former colleagues’ bad decisions. Remember that when school administrators implement a new policy or amend an existing one in response to the wrongdoings of one bad apple, the changes will affect all expat teachers and not only the ones who did something wrong.
There are expat teachers everywhere who complain a lot about what they perceive as imperfections of the universities where they belong. Some of them would say, “In my country, this is not how we do things.” Others would make some unnecessary comments about this country and its people as if they themselves, their respective countries, and their countrymen are perfect and blameless. If that is the case, why did they decide to leave their countries and work here? If the universities back in their countries are the best and most ideal, why didn’t they apply for teaching jobs there? Why are they here in South Korea? Did they come here to whine?
This reminds me of what one of my former colleagues from the US said some time ago when he got so frustrated about the complaints of our fellow expat teachers – “Why can’t these people accept the fact that the reason they are here working as ESL teachers is that they couldn’t get a decent job back in their own countries.”
The problem with the expat teachers who have a lot of complaints about the policies in their universities, and granting that their complaints are valid, is that when their employers offer them a contract for the next school year they would sign their names on the dotted lines. They would return and still teach in the universities they malign so much.
Is that a dignified thing to do?
If these expat teachers think that the system in the universities where they are currently working is rotten, why do they keep coming back? (I personally know some of them.) Is salary the reason? Is it the reality that back in their countries, they will not be able to earn the money they are being paid here? Would they even qualify to teach in their universities (or are competent enough to be chosen among qualified applicants)? Is it the fear that should they not accept the contract their present university is offering them, they may not be able to convince another university to hire them?
These expat teachers claim that they are complaining because they want to change the system. Really? When will the Don Quixotes stop fighting the windmills? Okay, if they insist, here is my advice – They should request a meeting with their respective university Presidents and present to them their complaints and the reforms they want to implement. Let’s see what happens. If they are really the idealists that they are seemingly trying to project themselves to be, they should do this.
These expat teachers should express their grievances and suggest the reforms they want, not to their colleagues during meetings, but directly to university officials who have the power to implement changes. Or better yet, go either to the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Labor and file a complaint against whatever it is that they think their university is doing wrong. That is if, aside from barking, they can also bite. That is, if they got balls. If none, they’d better keep quiet and just work. They should not waste their colleagues’ time listening to their whinges and whines.
One thing that I have noticed is that most of the expat teachers I met who are fond of complaining are the teachers who are not “trained to teach” but are “forced to teach.” They are not “real teachers” but “pretenders.” Please click this link if you want to know how I differentiated the “real teachers” from the “pretenders.”
How they conduct themselves as professionals deliver instruction, treat their students, and comply with the job requirements are telltale signs that they have no formal training as teachers. And truth be told – SOME expat teachers here in South Korea were not trained to teach. They have no degrees in education. They were lucky to have been hired. Well, they trained as teachers on the job. Hopefully, they eventually became “real teachers,” no longer “pretenders,” after a year or two. But wait… did they?
What is so frustrating is that the ones complaining a lot are not doing their job how they ought to. They do not comply with all the requirements. And with some of the tasks perennially performed by teachers, they still had to bother their colleagues for assistance. I witnessed how SOME of them swept their incompetence under the rugs of their complaints. They thought that they could hide their inability to perform and deliver by verbally attacking school policies and administrators who were not present to defend themselves or refute what they (the whiners) are saying. There were times that I had to call the attention of a few of my fellow expat teachers for taking the floor too long during meetings to needlessly complain about something. This made me unpopular with them. The exchange between us would usually get heated. I had to do it to prevent meetings from dragging on too long.
How surprised I was when one time, a few of my fellow expat teachers complained about reading long (job-related) emails. Let’s say it would take an extra 5 minutes to read an email longer than usual. What is an extra 5 minutes when compared to the more or less 5 months in a year that we get paid while vacationing and doing almost nothing job-related?
I have some colleagues who voice their discontent about policies but, at the same time, perform their functions as best as they could. Their students never complained about being shortchanged. They know that whatever disagreement they have with policies, it’s between them and the school administrators. The students should never be caught in the crossfire. They help in solving issues that could be remedied. They are professionals, and I admire them. They are not whiners. I listen when they talk. Sometimes, I disagreed with them, and we had healthy discussions.
I could go on and on and say a lot more about the work attitude of SOME expat teachers here is South Korea, but I need to stop at this point.
Let me just give the following parting shots: Expat teachers should perform in such a way that nobody would accuse them of being “mercenary teachers.” And if they think the universities where they are currently working do not measure up to their personal core values and standards of excellence, what should they do? Nobody is forcing them to stay. They must reject a contract extension should it be offered to them. They must leave and find their perfect university.
Magnilay Tayo
Sa bundok ng Golgotha’y umakyat
Pinasan ang krus hirap na hirap
Ikatlong hapon nang maganap
Pagkakatawang taong nagwakas
Kasalanan ay koronang tinik
Sibat na tumusok sa gilid
Kay Hudas tayo ay ang naghatid
Nang sa Mesiya s’ya ay humalik
Hinayaang si Hudas magtaksil
Di ba’t kusang loob nagpakitil
Utang nati’y sa Kanya siningil
Ang utang nating mga nagtaksil
Di ba’t dugo n’ya’y ipinanlinis
Sa pagkatao nating madungis
Kusang loob buhay ibinuwis
Nang tayo’y makapiling sa langit
Huminto’t magnilay kahit saglit
Lumuhod tayo’t mata’y ipikit
Sa Panginoon tayo’y sumandig
Walang hanggan ang Kanyang pag-ibig
Ang Samyo Ng Hinog Na Bayabas
Nang trabaho’y natapos, ako’y lumabas
Sa jeep na dumaan pumara’t umangkas
Nang maupo, sa barandilya’y humawak
Nais na maidlip, pumikit akong kagyat.
Habang nakapikit, ako’y may nalanghap
Animo’y samyo ng hinog na bayabas,
Natakam…kaya’t mata ko’y iminulat
“Ay sus!” Katabi ko… braso’y nakataas.
Di pala bayabas ang aking naamoy
Ito pala’y panis na pagkaing baboy
Nang langit ng baho sa daigdig nagsaboy
Sinalo lahat ng katabi kong kolokoy.
Ako’y nahilo sa amoy na nasagap
Sikmura ko noo’y halos bumaligtad
Para akong ikinulong sa “septic tank”
Nais ko nang pumara upang tumakas.
Ilang saglit pa’t meron akong napansin
May pasaherong sa akin nakatingin
Braso ko kasi pala’y nakataas din
Doon sa baradilya’y nakalambitin.
Hindi lang pala dalawa kundi marami
Matang tutok sa aki’t aking katabi
Marahil ay pilit nilang winawari
Akin o kanya… mabahong kili-kili.
Halos sabay kaming nagbaba ng braso
Pagkatapos… tumingin sa akin ang loko
Aba’y biglang tinakpan ang ilong nito
At mabilis bumaba nang jeep pumreno.
Bago ang jeep nagpatuloy sa pag-usad
Aba’t ang kolokoy ako’y kinausap –
“Eh tanggapin mo sana ang payo ko brod,
Maligo ka palagi’t gumamit ng tawas.”
An Unforgettable Triumph
I am a big fan of basketball. I love the game so much. I can’t recall a day that I didn’t visit websites that cater to basketball – particularly the NBA. It is through ESPN and FOX Sports that I keep track of the standings of my favorite teams, the performance of my favorite players, and the latest developments in the world of basketball. I get updates on professional basketball in the Philippines through pba.ph.
Lebron James is still my favorite player and it is quite difficult to accept the fact that he (and the Lakers) are not playing in the playoffs. But had he not suffered that groin injury, the narrative could have been different.
I also follow college basketball both in the US and in my country. My heart bled when Zion Williamson and the Duke Blue Devils were defeated by MI State.
I could not recall missing any FIBA basketball tournaments also, especially when the Philippine team played.
I would either watch basketball games live (thanks to betting websites that stream them for free) or catch their highlights through Youtube.
I am into fantasy basketball as well. In 2016, I joined a Yahoo fantasy basketball league organized by a fellow expat here in South Korea. My team (M2 Trappers) lead by Lebron James won. For winning that tournament, I earned 80,000 won.
I also enjoy playing hoops and coaching/training a basketball team. I don’t have very fond memories as a basketball player though. I have always been a benchwarmer who would be called to play only when somebody needs to rest for a minute or two or when my team needs to send to the foul line a poor free throw shooter from the opposing team.
However, my being a basketball coach-trainer is a different story. It’s a colorful one.
Aside from teaching and writing, another thing that I do passionately is coaching a basketball team. I have coached basketball teams for school and inter-school competitions. Once upon a time that I was also a manager and coach of a basketball team in the barrio (a geographical unit smaller than a town ) where I am residing in the Philippines.
Some of the teams I coached reached championship rounds. There were times we ended up as runner-ups but of course there were times also that we emerged as champions.
What I consider as the most memorable of all the basketball championships in my collection is the one my team won during a sportsfest (in the college where I worked) many years ago. That time I coached students taking the course Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM).
It was a championship so hard to forget because the manner it was won was too good to be true.
It was epic!
I actually wrote an article about that championship run. It was published in the school paper that year. I decided to reprint here the said article entitled “No Championship Could Be Sweeter.”
**********
No Championship Could Be Sweeter
What inspired me to write about the championship which my team (BLUE) collared during the Sportsfest 2000 was not the desire to brag about it nor an intention to magnify our triumph. We could brag about it should we decide to do so but there was no need for that. No need to magnify it either for winning the basketball men crown in the fashion the HRM team did it was in itself huge that need not be magnified. Writing about it is simply my way of giving tribute to the players who immortalized themselves in the memory of those who watched (as well as those who heard) how they bravely persevered in winning three (3) games in a span of six (6) hours en route to winning the title.
(August 23, 2000)
The BLUE team was loaded with talent making them one of the pre-tournament favorites. The team had 2 good point guards, a shooting guard/forward capable of shooting the lights out from beyond the arch, a lanky dependable center, and a formidable go-to guy who can play point-forward. Predictions had it that they will vie for the championship.
But predictions can go either way…right or wrong.
The BLUE team’s lofty billing (and their morale) were sent crashing back to earth when the BLACK team (Com Sci – Octoberian), the defending champion seeking to “three-peat” and composed mainly of the members of the school’s basketball varsity, dealt them an ego-bruising trashing.
All the hype about the BLUE team were gone. Just that and they were no longer regarded as title contenders. Suddenly, the BLACK team had no more competition to being the darling of the tournament and became the sole favorite to win the crown.
While the BLACKS developed a cloak of invisibility, the BLUES, with their defeat right on their first game, began to doubt their capabilities.
(August 24, 2000)
Such a doubt in themselves became very apparent when in their second game on the second day of the tournament, despite the fact that they had a relatively light assignment (against the GRAY team), they held only a 2-point lead at the half.
Before that game, I talked to the players, pointed out the mistakes which led to their eventual defeat to the BLACKS on their first game and asked them to avoid committing the same. We were literally on a cliff’s edge for the tournament format provides that 2 losses would boot a team out of the competition.
Somehow they responded. They made a conscious effort to avoid their loopholes in game 1 but the problem during the first half of game 2 was their lack of enthusiasm. They played a lackluster brand of basketball which was giving their opponents confidence. So, during the huddle when the second half was about to start, I started cursing and swearing and even called my key players names. I told them that they would become a shameful bunch of idiots should they lose the game.
Cursing and swearing and calling my players names come dead last in my repertoire of motivational methods. I was forced to use them for it was my intention to offend them, make them angry, and push them to prove that they indeed know how to play basketball.
It worked!
For the first few minutes of the second half my players played like men possessed in both ends of the floor. While they scored an avalanche of points their counterparts struggled and had to bleed for theirs. At the end, the BLUES emerged victorious with plenty to spare.
(August 25, 2000)
The third game was very meaningful and integral. Not because we won over a formidable opponent (the GREEN team); not because I finally discovered the team’s best offensive and defensive combinations; and not because the players got their confidence back burying in oblivion the ghosts of game 1. It was meaningful and integral for what one of my players did (not in the playing court but before the start of the game). When I granted him permission to talk he reminded me about one missing ingredient to make the team stronger…PRAYERS. He asked if we could pray before the game. He put me in an awkward position because I’ve never done that. Yes I believe in God and I pray but I do it privately. I don’t know if it was his way of telling me that instead of cursing and swearing to motivate the players why not try praying to God instead. Praying before playing wouldn’t do the team any harm. Nobody objected to it. So, from then on, we would always have a short prayer in one corner of the tournament venue before entering the playing court.
For our second win, we claimed the scalps of the GREENS and faced the tall order of defeating the WHITES for the right to square off against the BLACKS (who enjoyed a twice-to-beat advantage) for the championship.
That night was almost a sleepless one for me. I pondered about the bleak prospects that await my team the following day. We had to beat the WHITES once the BLACKS twice so we could hoist the championship hardware.
Winning three games in a row was a tall order. Honestly, I doubted our chances. Defeating the equally-determined WHITES in the do-or-die game and the seemingly invincible BLACKS twice all in the same day was “mission impossible.” I believed it was probable for us to win the first two games. But when the third game comes, it would take super-human efforts from my players to win.
(August 26, 2000)
I was so disappointed upon seeing that morning that of my 14 players only 7 came. To make matters worse, one of my two good point guards, was one of those who did not come. I used to play both my point guards together during the 1st 5 minutes of the game and one of them not showing up affected my rotation. But we were at the point of no return.
I told the players to employ a half-court offense in every possession unless there’s a clear fastbreak opportunity. Not that they can’t run but with only 7 players, and with the possibility of playing a total of three games that day, they needed to conserve energy.
Though I predicted a win for us, the WHITES we knew were tough nuts to crack. We watched the previous day how they gave the BLACKS a scare before losing by just two points. But as it turned out, my players were tougher. Despite playing with only 7 men in the rotation, the BLUES won and primed themselves for the daunting task of defeating the BLACK team twice for the crown.
Our team was given by the tournament officials just half an hour to rest before we began with the championship game. We prayed, as usual, before entering the playing court. Then one more of my players came, not the good point guard, but an additional pair of fresh legs just the same that somehow deepened a bit our rotation.
While the BLACKS were busy with their pre-game rituals, I asked my players to just shoot free throws and catch-and-shoot from the 3-point line to conserve their energy.
I reminded the players that they were up against the defending champion with most of the members playing together for the past three years and that they were trying to nail another championship to complete a “three-peat.” I told the BLUES that only them are capable of spoiling the BLACK’s impending victory party. The following were my words for them before the opening tip-off… “You have nothing to lose but everything to gain. We’ve gone this far. Let’s go a bit further.”
Once more I asked them to use the game plan we employed against the WHITES earlier that day.
When the final buzzer for that game sounded, the BLUES raised their hands in triumph.
By winning against their first-game tormentors, the blue team effectively exorcised the ghosts of that defeat shattering at the same time the BLACKS’ cloak of invisibility. That was the first time in three years that that team suffered a defeat. At that time my players knew that they were capable of defeating the defending champions. The players of the opposing team recognized also that despite having only 8 players our team could defeat them.
The winner-take-all match was scheduled to be played at 1:00 PM giving both teams just one hour to rest. My players had a light meal and I bought for them energy drinks (Lipovitan). Then, we again prayed… harder… for we all knew that it would take a miraculous performance from them to win a third straight game (twice) against the BLACKS who had more players and fresher legs.
My players were very tired having played twice in the morning that day. Fatigue was one of the two formidable opponents they needed to contend with that afternoon the second one being the strong and determined team BLACK aching to avenge their defeat and continue their winning tradition.
However, neither fatigue nor the strong determination of their opponents could prevent the BLUE team from realizing their victorious date with destiny.
The BLUES vanquished the BLACKS, crowned themselves the school’s Sportsfest 2000 Basketball-Men champions and handed me my first (and sweetest) championship as a basketball coach.
**********
Thank you Niño, Hector, Ramon, Irish, Edward, Ruel, Rommel, Rowell, Arnold, Jaysan, Francis, Ivan, Angelo, Audie, and Sir Jyx. But remember…it was GOD who made it possible for us.
M.A.D. LIGAYA
M.A.D. L I G A Y A 