A plan where the timid will never age

But if Nineveh’s for me, I know not

Would You speak, my Master, of my life’s lot?

‘Tis not for me to speak, O Faithful One

For I am but a servant, though a son,

A lowly sight, a bedraggled spirit

A mongrel hungry for the ground’s profit

But for a word, my worthless head I bow

Say I with respect thicker than a vow

For a line, will my callused knees suffice?

I tremble for Your mercy, I can’t rise

For the word is Tarshish, a childhood dream,

With its mild climate, fertile land and stream;

The line’s a taste of opportunity—

A foolish man’s key to serenity

I beheld not yet I heard of the land

Oranges, olives nursed by my warm hand

Then, by sugarcanes, earn nickel sugar

By blood, extend blood for those who suffer

Today’s Tartessus—beckoning splendor!

Master, forbid the stray of my ardor

Just a need of a want, want in a need

For mouth and heart, not for ne’er-ending’s seed

For I’m water oft troubled yet flowing

By Your grace, through the banks of Your seeing;

A constant target of walls crashing down,

Of piercing eyes from mountains of renown

Tarshish—just a dream, not a rebellion

Modest wants clustered as a battalion

Uprising’s from my lawless man of old

But with my now-passions, to You I’m sold

Can I just go to Tarshish first, Master?

Is Assyria’s time a “thereafter”?

Oh please forgive my yearnings, my Lord

You’re still You, lovingly true—word-for-word

After lines upon lines, Your will be done

But please tell Your servant, Your trying son

For if Nineveh is not my calling,

To Tartessus I should be soon sailing…

We want a perfect government.

That’s too obvious. We kick our president’s fanny off his or her throne because of some scandal, some faulty actions and some treasury holes. Then we support another rising political star and pin him or her to presidency. Then after some good enough years, we discover something fishy and decide to take the crown off him or her, too.

I’ve got a question for you: HOW CAN YOU EXPECT AN IMPERFECT MAN TO CREATE A PERFECT GOVERNMENT?

Yeah, give me an election stage right now and I might haul Miriam Defensor-Santiago to the palace! But–hey–even Miriam can lie about jumpin’ off the plane without a parachute! Who are we going to vote as president? The I-am-Vice-President Loren Legarda? The bright Chiz Escudero? I guarantee you: You’ll always find mistakes in them or in any other person you’ll place in that position.

Why? It’s a two-way street. At one point, humankind is so fond of “tsismis” or what my former colleagues call as “cheezums”. We always want to dig the mistakes of others and, albeit with a malicious heart, wear a mask of humility with a slogan in the forehead that says: I just want the truth to come out. Oh foolish man! You think that the heavens smile down on you for your bravery?! Don’t you have your own mistakes waiting to come out in the open? Don’t you have a speck in your eye? Check first from the inner canthus going out! Jesus told the crowd who were waiting to stone an adulterous woman to stone the woman if they haven’t sinned at all. Was there a boulder flying? Not a pebble, baby. Coming from the opposite direction, the politicians may be bright, rich and *sigh* bred with good moral values but they’re human! And they’ll be placed in a position where it’s either you’ll take some or be forced to take some. Why? My goodness! You should know! We’re of corrupted and of corruptible seed!

A student once asked me, “Sir, why does man, though he tries to be as good as he can, always sin?”

I can tell you two true-to-life stories. First, man was created perfect. No sin, no guile, no illness, no poverty, doesn’t have to work, doesn’t have to worry and mama need not labor to give birth to the cutie yet silly you. Perfect. Not destined to go to hell. Second, a worship leader in heaven named Lucifer got all puffed up. Maybe his wings got “pimped up”. He got lotsa stocks of pride so the Lord God threw him out. The handsome singer-turned-scheming evil was then and until now destined to be punished in the lake of fire. Now let’s join the two stories as it happened. Your guy, Luci,could have thought that, “hey–if I’m going to the lake of fire, why not take the humans along?” or “would it be okay for me to go all alone with my demons to eternal punishment and leave man enjoying his blessings?” Surely his answer was: No way. So he tempted my fair lady, Eve, to disobey God and eat of the forbidden fruit. And SURPRISE!!! Man sinned. Now, man gets sick, must work to eat, will die and go to hell. Know what’s another feature? He will always be under the power of his corrupted flesh. He will always sin. Brangelina can always give to charity and adopt helpless children but they still live in sin. (Sorry guys, but you gotta repent!)

Check out your dusty-to-the-max Bible. God wanted to rule over His people. But what did man want? “I want a king! A human king! I want a king to rule over me!” Thus, God gave man a human government. A government with a motto of: fail and fail until you’re kicked out! God donned flesh to rule over His people, wanting to give them righteousness, peace and joy. But what did humans cry out for? “We want a rich human king decked in silky robes and powerful arms to deliver us from these Romans–not that carpenter of Nazareth!” Thus, it was your loss, kiddo.

So what’s my stand? I’m not pro- or anti-Gloria. Neutral? Nah. I’ll simply give her my respect because she’s in position. “Honor the king”, as our beloved apostle said. Yep! The king who was known to be cruel to the apostles. Crazy? Godly. I’ll let you yell “resign” all you want and wait for you to yell again in a few years for your “next one” to resign. Ain’t it funny? Why not take my advice? Conquer the flesh that makes you sin. How, Mr. Nurse? Well, the Bible says: (1) Repent of your sins, (2) Be baptized in the name of Jesus and (3) Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Only then can you receive the power over sin. So scram, kid, and sign up for the best experience of your life!

Oh! Remember the student who asked me? He repented, got the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in other tongues and got baptized in the name of Jesus. It was a joy to see him dancing and jumping like crazy for God!

Gloria resign? I got a better idea: Dear reader, RESIGN FROM SIN!

Surprise!

Pau Gasol is shipped into Los Angeles and we’re all surprised, aren’t we? We were like, “are you kidding me?” or “you can’t be serious!” Even NBA coaches couldn’t believe this latest transaction between the Lakers and the Grizzlies. The Lakers (finally a wise decision…whew!) got Gasol from Memphis in exchange for Kwame Brown (considered to be the lousiest #1 draft pick), Javaris Crittenton (a promising player but not of the present world), and two first round picks (which most probably slouch down to the 20ths as the Lakers’ rise is anticipated). Tinseltown is clearly on the winning end while Graceland is on the “better luck next time” phase.

I’ve never been a fan of the Lakers but I’m a fan of the 7’0’’ Spanish sensation. He’s an effective low post scorer, rebounder and defender with a good touch, a decent dribble and a well-known high basketball I.Q. Of course, he’s no Tim Duncan but he’ll readily show up on the top 10. He’s got the type of personality that will complement Kobe’s leadership. He’d probably remind Phil Jackson of Toni Kukoc’s aura.

Now, when the Lakers take the floor, you’d see the muscle-sporting, experienced Derek Fisher running the point at 6’2”, the NBA’s current best player in the 6’6” Black Mamba, a lengthy, versatile player in the 6’10” Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol at 7’0” and a rising monster in 7’0” or 7’1” Andrew Bynum. It’s like the Great Wall of China you’re going against when you’re talking of length from Kobe and up. Other coaches are now starting to think how to match up against the Lakers’ height. And let’s not forget the skills that go with the height. Are you, Western Conference guys, ready to say big four now? San Antonio, Phoenix and Dallas will no longer hold the spotlight to their own arenas.

 Where will this move take the team? I’m guessing up to the Conference Finals. San Antonio has still the upper hand when it comes to experience. Los Angeles, however, has the tools. It all comes down to the execution and the involvement of the reserves. The Spurs got a good move out of Memphis, too—Damon Stoudamire—and add to that a good cast on the bench. L.A.’s got to think about that. But who knows? They say the ball is round. Good luck to my good friend Marlon “OM” Villa… Hey Pau! You gotta shave, man. You ain’t a grizzly anymore.

How good is this team? They converted me into a fan.

Celtics for years have been a “who” in the basketball world for the past several years. Yes, we respect the old times when it has been Cousy, Russell, Cowens, Havlicek, McHale and Bird. No team is good enough to threaten their string of championships. But after Larry Bird, the bright spots were simply Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. They made an impact but never good enough to conquer the conference finals. To my knowledge, they never got higher than 49 wins during the regular season.

Fast forward. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen came to town and got the world excited. At the beginning of the season, I was like, “Wow. This is a serious contender.” Both of the new additions are superstars with bad back-ups from former teams. And now that there are three of them to make up the Celtic’s core, the foundation’s robust enough. They’ve got an agile slasher and a good enough shooter in Paul Pierce, a quick releasing, ruthless shooter in Ray Allen and a versatile power forward in the Big Ticket. Mighty fine, huh?

My first question was: who’s at the point? If there’s a little less than a Jason Kidd, it’s a sigh of relief. Rajon Rondo? Offensively, good. But that’s not what I think this team needs. I want to see a guard who’ll pace the show and defend big time. I want him dishin’, stealin’ and stoppin’ opponents’ point guards. I’m giving him allowance though. He’s a newbie with a lot to learn. But as a good player, he must improve. One boring morning, I tried to match the present Celtics against the Spurs—my dream finals match-up. I left the playing controls of both teams to the computer. It was a real good match up. It the kind you want to see in the Finals. At the end of the game, Boston won. Guess who made the difference? Rondo. Garnett and Duncan went at each other. Bowen has his focus on Pierce, while Manu and Ray-Ray having a shooting and cutting contest. This left the Parker-Rondo match-up. Of course, you’d give the salute to the 2007 Finals MVP Tony Parker. His quickness and speed ratings are both 99, Rondo’s are 80s. But Rondo stayed in front of him most of the time. He was also passin’ the ball well to the big three. You could say that was in the computer. But, hear me, what’s stopping him from that feat? He’s young, lithe and skilled. He’s got the perfect height, too.

I must not forget another key: Ray Allen versus Manu Ginobili. Manu is good on both ends of the court. It’s my guess that James Posey would be assigned to be all over him. But what if Ray’s on the court? He’s got to play tight defense and he’s got to have quick feet. Let’s not forget: Ray Allen, when he was with the Seattle Supersonics last 2005, torched the Spurs in two playoff games that made their battle a series. They lost the series but his performance in those two games is worth mentioning. Now he has Garnett and Pierce. Together, they form the Big Win-Hungry Three.

Yeah, I know what’s on your mind. When we start talking about the Boston-San Antonio header, the depth of the bench issue surfaces. Spurs has this aspect to their advantage. They have Big Shot Rob Horry, Brent Barry, Michael Finley and Fabricio Oberto who brings goodies to a full table. Celtics has Big Baby Davis, Eddie House and James Posey to count on. They can match but not well enough in my opinion. Trades? Yes, I’d agree to that. But they’d better make wise choices. Or, the Celtics bench must prove themselves—or better yet—improve themselves. Glen Davis and Tony Allen had breakout performances. Posey and House contributes. But consistency is the factor here. That’s were the coaches come in.

Motivation and strategies—the headlines of coaching papers. Doc Rivers no Pop but he’s collecting wins, too. This head-to-head I leave to them though. Aside from their résumé, do we really know what’s on their minds at this moment? Improve this, dump that, and all those thoughts. It’s in the map of their minds.

Let’s go to the statistics.

Scoring. Paul Pierce leads the team with 21.2, followed by Kevin Garnett (19.2) and Ray Allen (18). I want to see them in 20s. The rest of the team is in single digits. I want to see at least 2 in 10s.

Rebounds. Kevin Garnett leads the green and white with 10.0 followed by Pierce and Perkins at 5.7 each. Wait a minute. Kendrick Perkins the center? Whoa! ‘got to show me double digits in that category, man!

Assists. Rondo’s got 5, Pierce has 4.9 and Garnett has 3.6. Rajon must strive to get at least 8 a night. Doc, help him!

Defensive Stats. They have good defense and, as far as that category is concerned, they place higher than San Antonio. Top Ten guys. Eyes on the prize!

The Boston Celtics are for real. Let’s stop fussin’ about that. It has become a fact. But the next stop is the playoffs. I’d say they can take it to the top but they have to beat San Antonio, which arguably is the best team (plus numerous finals appearances). Celtics got ‘em tools—but they have to be consistent and show progress as a team.

 I believe in the green and white. Not just because I’m a La Sallian but the newest Celtic fan.

Few minutes past 12:00 noon. Last quarter of 2007.

Catching myself a bus ride to my Makati apartment after work, I received an interesting text message. It came from csoft.co.uk as automatically identified by my phone. It stated there Paolo, please check your email regarding you employment process and reply back urgently to crescent_healthcare_usa@yahoo.com. Fax 1-646-390-1373 Crescent Healthcare NY USA.

Oh wow. It’s a big break for a tired E*Trade rep itching to have some well-deserved rest. Can you imagine that? A US-based agency’s sending SMS directly to my phone! It’s silly. Yeah. But, for a licensed nurse who can barely survive in the Philippines’ financial district, it sounds like lovely music to the ears. As sweet as it was, however, I had my initial feeling of doubt at that point. Did I see yahoo.com? Institutions of this sort usually have their e-mail addresses connected to their website address i.e. info@***health.com. I gave that some thought but I told myself, “Let it go. It’s a chance after all.” So I did with some reluctance. After reading the message thrice, I called my girlfriend and asked her to check my mail. By weekend, she handed me two sheets of paper containing Crescent NY’s message. Here’s a part:

 Dear Paolo, 

This is with reference to your application seeking a position in Nursing Service and we thank you for your interest in our company!  We are always looking for motivated and career oriented professionals to join our team and contribute to our continued growth and success. Crescent Healthcare offers a positive, professional and award winning work environment where our team members are recognized for their contributions. We are recruiting and processing nurses, pharmacists and other hospital staff for various positions in Hospitals throughout the United States. To enable us to consider your application for a suitable job you are advised to send the following documents through email attachments or by fax and then to our New York office by courier service and we will let you know of your eligibility for a suitable position in Nursing service. 

Documents Required for your Employment Visa & Green Card Process

(1) Copy of RN License from your country

(2) Copy of birth certificate

(3) Copy of passport

(4) Copy of marriage certificate (if married)

(5) Copy of your Diplomas/Degrees of Nursing Education

(6) High School Diploma/Certificate with the dates of graduation and years attended

(7) Copy of CGFNS Certificate or Passing score report from NCLEX-RN exam (if available otherwise we will arrange your exam registration & preparation)

(8) Your full resume of current work experience with past work experience certificates with three professional references/certificates

(9) TOEFL or IELTS and TSE Certificate (or certificates from other English test if available otherwise we will arrange your exam registration & preparation)

(10)Eight recent photographs passport style photographs taken within the current year) 

We would also like to inform you that as a valued member of Crescent Healthcare you will have the privilege to experience most challenging and exuberant work environment offering promising rewards. Excellent benefits package may include competitive salary and free of cost housing, health and dental plans, paid vacation, extended sick leave, medical care, life insurance, short and long term disability plans, 401(k) pension plan. You will be glad to learn that your travel and housing is absolutely supported by us. In addition, the Management will provide you all necessary training, orientation, & study materials and assistance to prepare you for this job and Visa Screen.  Moreover, we will also arrange for your work visa (preferably green card) provided you fulfill all the pre-requisites and comply with the contract terms and instructions, confirming your long term commitment with us. To facilitate a prompt review and verification process of your credentials, you need to send a complete set of your testimonials and copy of passport through fax or email attachments.  We operate nationwide and place nurses, pharmacists and other hospital staff throughout the United States. This job offer is valid for our Group of Hospitals located in the United States and the Management will apply its best discretion while placing your services at any of these hospitals based on your meeting with the eligibility requirements, your past work experience and our staffing needs In case you have any question regarding this job opportunity and benefit package, please feel free to contact us by phone, fax or e-mail. We look forward to receiving your documents as soon as possible.  Thank you once again for your interest in our employment.  

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely, 

D. Scoville

Director, HRM Crescent Healthcare

110 Wall Street, 11th Floor, New York , NY 10005 USA ,

Phone: 212-709-8182 Fax: 1-646-390-1373  email:crescent_healthcare_ny@usa.com crescent_healthcare_ny@yahoo.com

Not the type of professionalism I expected especially with the D. Scoville thing but I guess it’s some undergrad clerk typing it all up for the company. So I allowed that to pass. My girlfriend though has some questions. She e-mailed them asking them about what particularly would they want to be sent first—the testimonials part or the detailed ones, what to do in case we get married in the middle of the processing, etc. We got promising responses and I decided to continue communication with them. I am somehow nearly convinced of their offers until this message came as an answer to my question about what support will their give my girlfriend:

 We can bring her to the United States as we told you repeatedly but you must send your signed employment contract and all credentials. If you want to take her with you while traveling first time to the United States, we will be able to get her a visitor visa valid for six months renewable for another six months but in the meantime we will petition her for a permanent visa (fiancée or wife either way) when you get married.  We are willing to provide you all possible help and assistance but you must follow our instructions and procedures for timely process of your employment. 

How stupid can I be? I didn’t see these proofs before. I decided to dig further after my brief investigation. I searched for forums or blogs that say something about the aforementioned institution and (surprise!) I discovered a lot of inquiries about its legitimacy, complaints after being swindled and information about this certain scam. Man! I was a few steps away from sending my papers! I wouldn’t send placement money, of course, but sending documents to the United States still cost some hard-earned pesos. I found out though that there are some people who bit a piece of this $2000- or sometimes $4000-worth rotten pizza and got conned. Whew! It’s disappointing to lose a prospect but it’s a surefire relief to save my fanny from confidence games.

The puzzle pieces were complete and in place by that moment. Yeah, you can say it’s the moment of truth. I’m glad I’m not on the losing end. I feel sorry for those who got ripped off and it’s easily the reason why I’m writing this entry. Guys, let’s be extra careful. Scrutinize, scrutinize, scrutinize. I hope this helps.

 Let me get this clear: Crescent Healthcare, with its offices around California and Florida is a legitimate institution. I have nothing against them and this blog entry is not directed to them. Crescent Healthcare New York though is non-existent and a fraud. It’s awful for their business that their name is used but it’s up to you guys to establish the distinction in your minds and trust the original one.

Sorry, I’m late.

            2007 has been a huge year for me. I passed my $2500, all-expense-inclusive NCLEX-RN Exam and, again, the local board exam (CGFNS and BON guys: See? I told you I passed it fair and square the first time!). My relationship with my current girlfriend became official last May. Also, I got to work at the not-so-perfect-(payroll for mah bros, baby!) but-one-of-the-better companies: Access Worldwide. I even got myself tangled in the lines of E*Trade Financial’s late bear slide. That was suffering plus excitement rejuvenated! Why is that any good? I’m a nurse not a financial kid and yet I got to be a business saver there! I got new friends from that place (which is a good thing, of course) before I left for Lucena (which is another good thing!), “the slow motion town”. I also got to have new outlets for my creativity: eager young people in the church. Man, they’re a workforce! All in all, I have Jesus to thank for such a tremendous year. I couldn’t have done it by myself.

            Err… 2008, welcome! (One, two, three… Ten fingers! Complete, sir! Haha!) I anticipate this to be a bigger year than 2007. It’s my shot for jobs in local and American hospitals. It’s also the launching year of the programs I pushed for my team of young people, the Red Champs. 40 Days of Focus: Revival, Deuteronomy 8:3 Drive, The First Step Challenge and the Champs Care programs are all set to fire up the first and second quarters of this year. I also got assigned to become an assistant teacher to the New Converts’ Class and probably a spot for the Outreach Department. You see, when somebody gives me a stage and walks my talk, that’s big for me. I’m also set to complete my Fascination With A Better Garden Series. And well, my NBA team is still winning! Say what you want but the Boston Celtics are on a roll! Bigger than the winning stretch though (I want them to lose 11 games to retain the Bulls’ 72-10 record) is my dream match-up of Celtics versus Spurs in the Finals. My girlfriend is an avid San Antonio fan and it would be exciting to be rooting for different teams in the championship round. Go Gang Green!

I’ve said a lot of things and lemme dedicate this space for these thank yous or this entry won’t be complete:  

            What is the most personal thing I have for myself? Project Turnaround. It’s a program I set to cater to areas where I need to give my special attention to: Productivity, Papers, Prayer Life, Partner and Parents. It may seem silly setting a program for my own self but, being a streak shooter, not having plans is synonymous to a year of failure. If I start lousy, then it’s a lousy run. If I have a great start, then expect fireworks behind my name. I’m not “Everybody Loves Raymond”, you know, so victories should pile up for me to weigh heavier than the lawsuit stage drama that my dunno-what-they-want malicious critics are setting up.

            How about you guys? A new year’s a new chance. Rev yourself up! 2007 was bad for you? Encourage yourself. Don’t wait for a friend to come by and give you a back rub. For all I know, if you don’t start within yourself, then the only marks he or she will leave is a Grauman’s Chinese Theater imprint of money-smelling dirt on your shirt. Dwyane Wade’s Converse slogan says Fall Seven Times, Stand Up Eight. And that’s Biblical, too. Proverbs 24:16 states: For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again… Rise up. I believe it’s my year, it’s the church’s year and it can be your year. HAPPY NEW YEAR, BUDDY. GOD BLESS YOU!

My potent rival

I’ve ne’er defeated

Now so ill-fated

What am I to say?

You were such a man

Whose wits I’m a fan

Yet I aimed to beat,

Dethrone from your seat

Why go down this way?

I’ve never outshone—

You—never outgrown

But a stain of shame

You’ve smeared on your name

Is this how you pay?

You’ve had your glory

Now you look gory

Unbelievable…

Unmistakable…

‘You know how to pray?

My former doubts

Is what truth now shouts

But, so I won’t miss,

I should ask you this:

(Yuck, Man…) Are you…?!

*Written after I had a shocking discovery about my former classmate and one-time friend.

Banks of clouds tell an august story

Yet beauty cloys, brings a teary drape…

Why confuse me, troubled ivory?

My sight—cerulean can’t escape!

Prove there’s better use for such glory…

Wait! Please turn not into thunderheads!

Remorse dawns, my countenance ashens…

My soul’s abandoned as futile shreds—

Remnants of misery’s virulence;

Heed my plea from your mercy’s bedsteads!

Defy Foehn’s clout and take no offense…

Troops of mackerel scales and mares’ tails—

Apologies to your pearl-bleached core…

‘Embittered against sunshiny sails

Love—I chased and failed—left me ashore

Cast not gloom on me amidst these gales,

But these hopeless favors I implore…

Don’t obfuscate nor illume my face

For meaningless tearstains form a peeve

Fly not to the dreams of my frail race:

Cloud-cuckoo-land—world of make-believe!

Routed pain’s naught if care’s void of trace,

If blood of magnolia’s doused my sleeve

Take my thoughts, fleecy wisps and balls,

To the one it drains the hourglass for

Rain clouds—unleash your fury with squalls

To her drawn heart’s disquieted door!

Into the eyes of frosted glass’ palls—

Break my state of mind like a downpour!

Am I ranting? ‘Tis nauseating!

‘Sickened by her skies of white blankets

Veil my impetus from this hurting

Remorse peaks! Favors fair—not russets!

Enclose her with fondness I’m saving

Dance my warmth ‘round her castle’s turrets

I bleed yet I yearn! Oh clouds, favor!

My acumen—leaden, overcast—

Trounced by the most indignant fervor…

Will you come back with your silver mast?

Let me touch her skin the next shower?

Save her from remorse for I won’t last…

*It’s just I poem I made from an imagined emotion. It’s never my own emotion at any time. It’s my wish that you, my reader, won’t feel this awful.

Like wishful tears of soon-blossoms so fine

Do you think they revel in the shower?

Or is it warmth that’s missed by each flower?

While nature minds her own gloomy matters—

Her arduous work ‘til darkness shatters,

All it takes is a seat by my window

For all my lonely emotions to grow

I’m lost in this stormy night while you’re far

‘Revealed by clouds as a desolate star

I watch the world turn their drama on me

Each one misses one—it’s for us to see

Though miles apart, we both may even spot

Crying birds when winds leave their young to rot,

See turnip beds miss some heavenly grace—

That the tempest will not erase their face

Empty twigs like my side’s space, you’re seeing,

But should you ever ask me what’s missing:

As drenched leaves lack the mild caress of dew,

My love, what’s missing beside me is you

As lofty trees lose sight in driving rain,

I can’t see your smile… I yearn but in vain…

Like when creatures wish for an endless blue,

Sui, what’s missing before my eyes is you

Scenes outside my window make my mind roam

What’s missing? My inspiration, my home…

How to appease my heart? I have no clue…

Because all I’m ever missing is you.

 I miss you so much, Maloy ko…