Originally posted by Bon, December 11, 2006.
[reposted because of this]

This year, I had the weirdest birthday experience to date. I was suspended on air hanging on three ropes belayed by 3 people, 30 feet above sea level for 15 - 20 minutes while my teammates and other campers started to sing "Happy Birthday!". And while I was enjoying the view of Olanggo Island and the waters of Mactan Island, the strength of the harness supporting my body on the shoulders and the hips started to get painful. I am not afraid of heights ... I was afraid of my weight. I never thought that at 27, another adventure is about to begin. Nothing prepared me for what I was actually getting myself into.

Our team leader told me that the Pamper Pole (a high element where one climbs a pole 40 feet high, stands on a disk while it wobbles and then jumps to get down while suspend on ropes) is a metaphor for rediscovering the self and attaining one's goals. I did not expect that climbing the Pamper Pole would start off an awakening. I thought climbing it was merely part of the routine as a trainor, something that I had to experience myself inorder to facilitate a group. However, it was amazing how the experience revealed how impatient I have become. I remember back in college, while falling in line for a subject (a.k.a. making pila), I'd keep telling myself, "Good things come to those who wait." And there on the top of the pole, I was so bothered how I turned into a control freak and relied so much on my accomplishments to define myself. Astonished and humbled, I realized that as a formator and trainor, I have failed to work on myself.

Three weeks ago, I entered a "battlefield" I was unsure of getting myself engaged in. For days, I asked God for a sign to back out on the Singapore trip. No sign came. So lo and behold, I found myself in the most interesting and enlightening situation ... in Outward Bound Singapore. Adventurous as I am, I never imagined I would go through a proficiency course for Wilderness Rescuers. CPR Certification, First Aider, Rescuer ... these words defined my life for the first five days in Pulau Ubin, Singapore. The next 4 days were even more interesting. To make the long story short, my life during these days hung on ropes and most of the time, on a single rope. The highlight was the zip line or what others call "flying fox" where I was able to whiz through the longest cable line in Asia (for now). The view was spectuclar. The experience is so far unmatched.

I went home realizing that for a time I did lose perspective. (Not because I forgot to visit the Merlion or I nearly got lost on the way to the hotel. Tsk. Tsk.) I can be ranting all night because I failed to acknowledge the opportunities and still lack the courage to do what I think is right. I can continue fooling myself that I am in control when I have allowed work to control and consume me.

Thus, I remain intolerant of incompetence yet have learned not to let their incompetence get the best of me. I still believe that using only 10% of our brain is a choice. (By the way, thank you Bob Ong for the argument in "Stainless Longganisa").

And though eternal life may be unattainable, in this lifetime, perpetual bliss is always possible ... I thank my friends who remind me of that every waking moment --- Jo, Gen, Yan, Mark and the many more who keep me naturally high.

Though, I may not have chosen my battles well at all times, I'd like to believe that I fought each one well. And I credit that to my mom, the warrior I continue to admire.

And so I live anxious for the next adventure and excited for another delightful surprise. Will I wake up on the wrong side of the bed again tomorrow or with someone beside me in bed? Now, there's something to look forward to. Wink