“I take you to be my spouse, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.”
And, we have the opportunity to browse their BEAUTIFUL wedding album and watch the BEAUTIFUL video. We recalled how this BEAUTIFUL and momentous event transpired.
The BEAUTIFUL bride and her equally BEAUTIFUL maids of honor.
The Beijing Olympics is finally over. It ended yesterday as colorfully as it opened 16 days ago. China, United States, and Russian hauled the most number of medals with over 20 gold medals each, 51 – 36 – 23, respectively.
The Philippines? Well . . . Together with 122 countries, we got nary a medal.
Before our 15 athletes left for Beijing Olympics, I wished but didn’t expect them to come home with the bacon.
Why? First, compared to the international standards, our athletes are not getting the best equipment and training and the right moral and financial supports - the proper salaries, perks and incentives. As a matter of fact, even their uniforms are sub-standards. Our two swimmers got their swimsuits ripped so easily; and they didn’t have spares. I also doubt if they are getting the right and proper nutrition necessary for athletes.
Second, our contingent was very small – 15 athletes only. There were more than 300 events with more than 900 gold, silver and bronze medals at stake. Hence, the chances of picking medals were slim. I am not saying that we should field athlete in every event. I know our country couldn’t afford that. With the international calibers of athletes of most countries, our athletes need tons of tons of luck to pick a gold medal. We almost got one in 1996 courtesy of Mansueto (Onyok) Velasco (for boxing) but he was not lucky enough. He was cheated by the judges – so, I heard. The other silver medal we had was through boxing too courtesy of Anthony Villanueva in 1964.
Since 1924 (or out of 19 participations in the Olympics), we only picked a total of 9 medals (2 bronze for athletics, 2 silver and 3 bronze for boxing, and 2 bronze for swimming).
Here are the years when we got our medals:
We may have the best athletes, as far as the Philippine or Asian standards are concerned, but they are not good enough against the world. But, some officials thought our athletes would and could win by bribing them in the form of monetary incentives by the millions.
I don’t consider our athletes as losers but Olympians who gave their best and tried to give honors to our country. Congratulations to Hidilyn Diaz, Henry Tanamor, Daniel Coakley, Christel Simms, Henry Dagmil, Maristella Torres, Tshomlee Go, Mary Antoinette Rivero, Mark Javier, Miguel Molina, James Wlsh, Ryan Arabejo, Rexel Ryan Fabriga, Sheila Mae Perez, and Eric Ang and thank you for representing our beloved country. MABUHAY KAYO!
Again, it’s all water under the bridge. But, we must learn from this experience. We have not learned from the past Olympics; and I hope we would now. The government should start the revamp and overhaul of the sports programs and systems then start preparing for the next Olympics and other sporting events.
“You might not be the best looking girl here, but beauty is only a light switch away.”
"I may not be the best looking guy here, but I'm the only one talking to you.”To help you plan and execute your flirting, try playing the Extreme Style by VO5's Ultimate Flirting Championship game first.
I am posting my picture with my flirtatious look and be a judge if it could catch others or your attention. There were times my flirtatious looks were not effective; so, I resorted to some other forms of non-verbal flirting, such as trying to clear my throat (ehem!) and doing some acts that might caught attention. Some of these acts were effective.
WRINKLED beach sand caused by the WRINKLING waves. This photo was taken from Covelandia du Labrador Family Beach Resort in Labrador, Pangasinan, Philippines. It is about four hours away by land from Manila.
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