Monette Adeva Maglaya

Pacquiao and the Art of War

Tuesday, 26 May 2009 20:25 Monette Adeva Maglaya

(11 votes, average: 4.73 out of 5)

"If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can come out of hundreds of battles without danger. — Sun Tzu, "The Art of War"

(Part 2 of 2)

ONE British writer likens the Pacman to a mild-mannered Clark Kent with a boyish smile and who seems harmless in his suits and hats, that is, until he steps into the ring. When the bell rings, he morphs into Superman, a fighter that goes to war, sizes up his opponents, executes a game plan and demolishes them promptly with blazing speed, brutal power and pin-point accuracy.

Pacquiao and the art of war

Wednesday, 20 May 2009 00:54 Monette Adeva Maglaya

(12 votes, average: 4.83 out of 5)

“The one who figures on victory at headquarters before even doing battle is the one who has the most strategic factors on his side.” — Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”

I HAVE never been a boxing aficionado — till now. Watching Rocky Balboa get bloodied and beaten to a pulp, even if I knew that was pure Hollywood, has given me an aversion for any contact sport where someone is bound to get hurt. Who can forget Mike Tyson biting off Evander Holyfield’s ear? Talk about appalling. Maybe it’s a chick thing or an overly active empathetic hormone making me feel another person’s pain on the gut level.

Lessons from the Garden

Tuesday, 12 May 2009 20:46 Monette Adeva Maglaya

(11 votes, average: 4.64 out of 5)

"The best way to garden is to put on a wide-brimmed straw hat and some old clothes. And with a hoe in one hand and a cold drink in the other, tell somebody else where to dig." —Texas Bix Bender, Don’t Throw in the Trowel

(Here’s a condensed version of an old favorite, a belated "Ode to Spring," sort of.)

THE delightful tongue-in-cheek quote above is a humorous dig at the tedious nature of gardening. But spring will soon give way to the dog days of summer when a slice of heaven could mean rocking slowly under a tree in a hammock with a book in one hand and a chilled margarita on the other.

Filter it, pull the plug or think outside the box

Tuesday, 05 May 2009 23:29 Monette Adeva Maglaya

(11 votes, average: 4.73 out of 5)

"I think, therefore I am." —Rene Descartes

THE one thing that differentiates a life of deprivation from a rich one is the availability of choice. And making wise choices from the array made available to us, is not always obvious or easy.