What's Your New Year's Resolution?
Printed in Fish n' Quips 2009-2010, Issue no. 5
ICE
My New Year's Resolution is to lose my 20-pound fatness and to maintain my target weight - by biking regularly and eating more white meat! Wahoo! :D No desserts for me na :( I'll continue baking, but for the people around me.. WAHAHAHA
MIGGY
My New Year's Resolution is to be more pro-active this year! Take chances! Take risks! And most importantly take action! I need to excel at everything I do and I need to do the things that are most important! I need to be more organized when it comes to my priorities.
LUI
Siguro to be more healthy - feeling ko masyado akong naging unhealthy ngayong 2009. Tsaka medyo tumatanda na tayo kaya masyadong mahirap na magkasakit. Hahaha. Tsaka tambay more sa ICTUS.
LOUIE
Magpakatino sa acads... hahaha! Huling sem na rin naman e... Eto pinipilit ng kapatid ko: hindi magmukhang wasted all the time! Haha! In other words, magpaka-girly. Mababaw lang mga resolution ko. Yung mga sigurado akong kaya kong gawin hehe ;p
MIGS
Mag-ayos at mag-aral ng husto. :D
RAP
Work out! Both for the community and for myself. Kailangan magwork out para maging fit at hindi na magkasakit nang madalas. Hahahaha. At pwede na rin ba isama ang magpaputi? Para hindi naman ako asarin ni Joelle. Hahaha! Joke lang, Joelle! :)
EDZEl
Hmm.. Sakin: Stop worrying and stressing myself too much. Nagwoworry at nastrestress kasi ako sa mga pwedeng hindi naman mastress, ie. mga pweden mangyari sa future. Haha. I'll still plan ahead but go with the flow more next year. :)
JAKO
This 2010, I will give more time for myself. Yung tipong papansinin ko na lahat ng bagay about me and work on it. Example, appearance, health, social life, emotional health, spiritual health. At tsaka, I want to be more adventurous this year. Gusto ko magtry ng mga bagay na I haven't gone before like ear-piercing etc. [Kinda like giving myself more time to be adventurous] :))
NONS
To be able to spend more time with my family and friends. Lagi na lang kasi akong busy this (last) year so kapag aalis or something, lagi akong wala. :)
JELA
I hope by 2010 I'd know effective time management. Lagi na lang akong punctual sa lahat ng bagay e. :p
MACY
Be Vocal! I don't always say my opinions out loud. Even if I did, it wouldn't come out the way I wanted it to be.
PAM
New Year's Reso: To be more appreciative of what I have instead of looking at the difficulties of what those things entail :)
I want to be more enthusiastic about having all the different challenges I have in life right now: being a senior in Broad Comm, a producer for a nationalist-protest playlist program on DZUP, a Nu107 URock jock, a Lia Head in ICTUS. :) I rant all the time about all the work and stress that comes with it, not really seeing how priviliged I am to be in the position I am in. My mind knows how lucky I am to have all these but I want my understand all of it. Difficult as it seems, I love it. I may feel lost in Mass Comm, keep stuttering when I'm on air on University Rock and I lack sleep because I keep thinking about how to provide for the seven scholars but at the end of it all, two words describe how I feel about those: TOUGH LOVE (as taught by Ron Basuel).
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, what makes you stronger makes you sexier." (Perez, 2005). - My Kuya Dino didn't come up with this OBVIOUSLY but I don't want to be accused of plagiarism so there.
BANA
I will eat fruites at least once a week. Hopefully this will help me be healthy. I've been taking Vitamin C everyday but I still get sick. I take multivitamins too, and right now, I don't think I'm in any danger of overdosing on vitamins, so I'm adding fruits to the list. :P
DANS
DIET! I used to be sexier, and I want it baaaaaaccckkkk RAWR. Hahahaha.
ABI
Di talaga ako gumagawa ng resolutions, pero I operate under a quote na pinaniniwalaan ko. This 2010, I'll be more of a risk-taker. I want to get out of my comfort zone and do the things that I used to things I'll never get to do. Accept challenges dahil sabi nga, "You lose 100% of the shots you don't take." Basically, it's the living-life-to-the-fullest cliche. :)
MER
Errr... Actually, hindi ako naniniwala sa New Year's Resolution. Pumapalpak lang ako eh. Ahaha. Pero sige. For the sake of FnQ magpakabait - i.e., bawasan ang pagsusungit at pagmamaldita. Hehe.
MARC
One, I want to be more conscientious of what I'll be doing. Think first, ponder second, then act. And when I said think, I meant healthy thinking, not the kind wherein you get stuck thinking for hours and eventually doing nothing. I don't know, I think I've become a little more tash this year than the others. I'd also like to slow down. Life's too fast-paced nowadays.
GING
Magpataba! 20 years of "payatness" and nakakaiyak na mga comments ng mga tao sa paligig... pagod na me!! HAHA! Every birthday ko winiwish ko na sana maging healthy na ako pero hindi ko natutupad. Kasi: 1) madalas akong magskip ng meals; 2) mahiliag akong magsnacks pero hindi naman nutritious (ata) yung mga kinakain ko... haha; 3) Kahit gusto kong kumain, madalas akong nawawalang ng gana; 4) di ko na kayang kumain nang maramihan at nasusuka ako kapag feeling ko super dami na; 5) ang laki2x ng tiyan ko, nawala na si abs at ang hirap magkaflabs, huhu; 6) mas binubudget ko pera ko photocopy ng readings at load at snacks sa McDo, haha; 7) naguiguilty ako kapag super dami kong kinakain dahil during school days malayo ako sa family ko so iniisip ko na sana kasama ko sila para ishare yung mga bibilhin at kakainin kong food.
HAHAHA! Lord, help me!!!!
Gagraduate na ako soon. Magtatrabaho at magkakapamilya. Kailangan ng more energy para mas happy... haha! Baka di ako magsurvive sa tough world dahil sa kapayatan ko.
Lagi rin kasi ako naiintimidate dahil sa size ng katawan ko. Laging binubully. Oh well.
At mahirap maghanap ng damit infairness dahil sa male-skeleton kong katawan. At kung mahirap maghanap ng damit, mas mahirap maghanap ng boypren.... hahahahaha!
Ayun, yun ang New Year's Resolution ko. Hindi yan and Top 1 though pero yan ang gusto kong ishare! :))
RUBY
Hmm. New Year's Resolution? Wah ang dami. Siguro more works for God. More services... more time for Him. At mas iisipin ko na lahat ng ginagawa ko ay para sa Kanya. :) Everything for Jesus! :)
JILL
Eto na ang aking resolution: matuto magdrive ng car! Wahaha. Para sana marunong na ako by the time na mag OJT ako this summer. =P Pwede ba dalawa yung resolution? Mag-aaral din ako magbike this year! Nyaha. Kasi magbebente ba ako, hindi pa rin ako marunong magbike. XD Hehe, ayun lang. =P
KAT CATRAL
To be a trusting person - nagtitiwala at napagkakatiwalaan.
SOPHIA
My New Year's Resolution is to be able to develop a better "system" of time management so that I could use my time more wisely and be able to balance it with all the activities or things I have to do... I also want to eliminate cramming in my system... there. :)
GAB
To make people smile. Make God smile at me, to make my family smile, to make my friends smile, my loved ones smile. And to make myself smile. Kasi naniniwala ako na pag lahat ay nakasmile kahit papaano mababawasan ung bigat ng mga problema sa buhay. Ayaw na aya ko na kakakita ng taong malungkot. Iba yung feeling pag nakakasalubong ka ng tao tapos pareho kayo nagkatinginan tapos nakangiti pareho. It makes me happy too when I make people smile. It's very fulfilling.
EMIL
Wala... kasi hindi ko naman siya magagawa, just go with the flow. Haha.
LUKA
Ngayong 2010, gusto kong iwasang gumastos nang malaki. Lahat na lang nagmahal ako na lang hindi haha gets nyo? Anyway, I assessed my expenses last year and I realized that most of it is for food and transpo. This year I am planning to commute more often than [using] a car. Nakakalungkot ang oil price hike. I'll also have baon regularly and bring snacks/candies kasi cheaper at para less guilt kasi di ako kukuha sa allowance ko. I hope this year matupad ko na ito.
MARIE
Magpapapayat na ako this year kasi tumataba na raw ako kahit sabi naman ng nanay ko hindi... ewan ko... Basta gusto kong mabawasan ang timbang ko this year... hehehehe! :)
NISA
Matuto pong magluto, at magiron ng clothes at magdrive gusto ko kasi for this year maging independent na... Kasi minsan naiisip ko paano kung mastranded ako sa island at wala akong alam gawin. Aantayin ko na lang ba mahulog ang buko sa ulo ko? :)
KAE
To have no more New Year's Resolutions and make every day of the year an opportunity to change for the better. Hehehe. :P
BRAIAN
My New Year's Resolution is to eat ng sobrang dami ng mas maaga para tumaba kahit pa maraming distraction. By hook or by crook dapat magawa ko 'to. :]
JOELLE
This yea, I shall focus on improving myself! New Year's Resolution ko ang ayusin ang buhay ko at wag nang tatamad-tamad - kasi walang mararating pag puro katamaran ang pinapairal. :)
RHEIN
Ang resolution ko ay wag na gumawa ng resolution. n_n
Might as well just do whatever it is... Tsaka nakakadepress pag hindi mo nagawa... n_n
MISSY
My New Year's Resolution: I shall stop using drinking straws. Save the environment! Hahaha.
20 February 2010
The Greatest Foe: A Story of Wrestling and Life
FEATURE ARTICLE
Printed in Fish n' Quips 2009-2010, Issue no. 5
The Greatest Foe: A Story of Wrestling and Life
by Simoun Redoblado
"I am in love with this woman."
Shawn Hickenbottom was sure of it. He had only known her for weeks, but he could tell it was love.
Weeks ago, Rebecca Curci was only a moving image on the television - so near, yet so far. With the help of friends and some luck, Shawn, 33, came to meet Rebecca, 23, in person. And after many days in her company, he was won over.
When they reached the terminal of the Los Angeles airport, Rebecca bade goodbye to him and got out of the car. As she was walking inside the airport, Shawn suddenly had the urge to tell her how he felt.
"I just had to tell her."
Shawn got out of his car and rushed inside the terminal. With a sense of urgency, he ran. When he found her, she was getting ready to take an escalator.
"Rebecca!"
She turned around, her radiant face and flowing hair in display. "Yes?"
"I hope it's okay, but I think I'm in love with you!"
Rebecca dropped her bags, ran up to Shawn and said, "Really? I love you so much too. I thought it was just me!"
Soon after, they became Mr. and Mrs. Shawn Hickenbottom at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. That was March 3, 1999.
"It was perfect."
Perfection, however, wouldn't last.
One evening after their marriage, in their San Antonio, Texas home, Shawn passed out on the floor.
The cause: drug abuse. Shawn was taking thirty to thirty-five pills a day.
The kind of pills? Pain killers and muscle relaxers. These were common among professional wrestlers.
For over 13 years, the 6-foot-1, 225-pounder had tied his light-brown hair in a ponyital, laced up his boots, and performed in the wrestling ring. The name he went by was widely admired and respected.
"Shawn Michaels was the very best performer the World Wrestling [Entertainment] had to offer and the first guy that made me aware that even greatness can be challenged," said Ric Flair (real name: Richard Fliehr), a WWE Hall of Famer.
Another Hall of Famer, announcer Jim Ross, once proclaimed, "Nobody has ever, ever outperformed Shawn Michaels in a big-match situation."
In Michaels' career, there were many. He leaped from the second rung of a 10-foot ladder and body-splashed Razor Ramon. He wrestled technical expert Bret Hart for more than an hour and won the presitigious WWE Championship. And, with his face drenched in blood, he pinned the gigantic Undertaker to claim victory in an enclosed 16-foot high cage.
But, in January 1998, Michaels' body absorbed the biggest loss yet.
While wrestling Undertaker in a Casket Match (in which the objective is to put your opponent in the casket and close it), Michaels landed back-first on the closed casket, rupturing two disks in his back. A doctor told him, "You are through. You will never wrestle again."
Two months later, Michaels lay int he middle of the ring at the Wrestlemania XIV event in Boston. He had lost his third WWE title to Steve Austin and received a punch from celebrity enforcer Mike Tyson. Austin approached him and draped a black Austin t-shirt over his body.
Wincing in pain, Michaels lay there.
Rebecca, who was several weeks pregnant, raised Shawn Hickenbottom's feet to relieve the pressure in his back. Afterwards, she walked into a large closet and prayed.
"After everything I've done for you-!"
Shawn stormed out of the locker room in Detroit, leaving Paul Levesque in shock.
March 27, 2001. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon had just purchased World Championship Wrestling (WCW) - his company's fiercest rival. After years of competition in TV ratings and crowd attendance, it was time for a celebration for WWE. It was also a time of great changes.
One man who could play a part in these changes: Shawn Michaels.
"At that point, we were gonna do something with Shawn," recalled Paul. Perhaps a TV appearance was planned for the ex-full time wrestler to involve him in the 'takeover'. Perhaps, more than one TV appearance.
Whatever the comeback plan was, it never came to happen.
That night, which was a taping night of WWE's Smackdwon show, WWE official Jerry Brisco came up to Shawn and asked, "Did you take something last night?"
The previous night had been the live telecast of WWE's Monday Night Raw, to which Shawn had also been invited. While watching in the Chairman's office, he took some pills.
"We are sending you home," Brisco said. "We wanted to give you a chance, but we can't have that. Even [Paul] said you were out of it."
Minutes later, in the locker room, Shawn confronted the man who often drove the car for him while he slept after a tiring show, hung out with him despite his bad reputation, woke him up many mornings when he was in terrible shape, and comforted him after his match at Wrestlemania XIV.
"Daddy's tired," whispered Cameron Hickenbottom a year later.
He crawled around his father, who was lying on the couch. They had eaten their dinner and some cookies.
The child's bedtime came, and his mother offered to read the bedtime story. But Shawn wanted to do it himself.
He stumbled into Cameron's bedroom. Soon, the book's images and text became fuzzy.
Hours later, Shawn woke up on the couch. He went upstairs, crawled into bed with Rebecca, and asked, "Where are all the cookies?"
"Baby, you ate them. You and Cameron ate them." But Shawn could not remember it.
He broke down crying.
As he lay there in bed, Shawn's spirit cried out, "I don't want to be like this anymore. Please, God, I've tried and I love my wife and my son so much."
Before dinner and cookies, he had taken some pills.
The following day, Shawn hung up the phone after a conversation. Then, he began to dial a number.
The conversation he had was with Kevin Nash, who had wrestled in WWE as 'Diesel', Shawn Michaels' 300-pound bodyguard. Outside the ring, though, Kevin, Shawn, and Paul Levesque were like brothers. During the conversation, Kevin gave Shawn some tough, brotherly advice.
"Are you still doing that stuff?" Keven had asked.
"Just every once in a while," Shawn had replied, the events of last night still fresh in his mind.
"You can't be off doing that stuff any more, man."
Kevin had then admonished Shawn for not talking to Paul for almost a year. "That's your fault, too. You were wrong."
Minutes later, Paul picked up his phone. It was his teammate in wrestling and life, apologizing for unfair words and thanking him for all his kindness.
When that conversation ended, Paul and Shawn were brothers again.
That night, Shawn slept well. As for Paul, it was turning out to be a great year. A few months ago, he had returned to the ring after a long absence.
When Shawn woke up on April 23, 2002, he felt something different.
He turned to Rebecca and told her, it's over. No more drugs, no more drinking. Rebecca had heard it all before - including vows of quittin before Cameron was born - but still she tried to be encouraging to him.
"Something is different today," said Shawn. "I'm not asking you to believe me. I'm just telling you. It's over."
"Well, good, honey. I hope that it is. I believe the Lord has done all this."
"I think you are right."
"Just pray and ask and He will take you where you need to go."
Later that day, Shawn found himself in the Cornerstone Church parking lot. Cameron was in the car with him. All the child knew was that they were going to run some errands.
"What are we doing, Daddy?" Cameron asked, puzzled.
"I don't know." The Hickenbottoms had been attending services in that church.
The two sat there in the parking lot for a while. When they got home, Shawn told Rebecca, "I think I am going to go in there and ask for a Bible study. Maybe that's what I need. Yours seems to have had a really positive effect on you. Something is still missing in me."
Rebecca had been attending a Bible study for quite some time. For Shawn, the former dancer for WCW Monday Nitro had been captivating since the first time he had watched her. But when she started attending Bible study, she became even more loving and beautiful.
As Shawn entered the house of parioshioner Keith Parker at 7 P.M. on April 25, 2002, the man who had been nicknamed "Sexy Boy" in the ring wasn't looking for good looks. In fact, he wasn't sure what he was looking for.
In order to be part of the Bible study, Keith told Shawn, the former professional wrestler had to be born again.
"Have you ever said the Sinner's Prayer?" asked Keith.
"No. I've said a lot of prayers, but I don't remember saying one that is called that."
"It's not really any particular prayer. Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior?"
"No."
"Would you like to?"
"You know something... yeah, I would."
Only four days ago, Shawn Hickenbottom couldn't read his son a bedtime story. A year ago, he had destroyed his relationship with a man who cared for him in his times of weakness. Three years before that, in a packed arena in Boston, he had lost his professional wrestling career.
Two out of those three times, he had cried.
Now, as Keith Parker led in the Sinner's Prayer, Shawn was crying again. This time, they weren't tears of anguish and loss. They were tears of joy and redemption.
By accepting Jesus Christ, he had been born again.
"In one moment, everything made sense," Shawn later recounted. "I knew who I was. I got it. All of a sudden, 'ding!' The light went on, and nothing really mattered now, except [my family's relationship with Jesus Christ]. And as long as we got [Christ], man, we are good."
When Shawn came hom, he told Rebecca what had happened. Rebecca was in bliss as she embraced her husband.
Shawn asked her if she knew the Sinner's Prayer. Rebecca knew it... and something more. During Shawn's troubled times, she had known all along that what he had just gone through - the Prayer, being born again, and Bible study - was exactly what he needed.
He asked her why she didn't say anything. Rebecca pointed to a Bible passage that she had learned in her own Bible study. According to 1 Peter 3:1, "The wife should win her husband over to the Lord by her actions and not her words." And whenever she prayed in the closet after one of his drug problem episodes, she heard the Lord telling her to be the woman she's supposed to be.
Now, Shawn Hickenbottom is the man he's supposed to be - a caring husband and father.
"I will love that woman for all the days of my life," declared Shawn. And certainly, the "Sexy Boy" will love another girl - his 5-years-old daughter Cheyenne.
But Shawn had better watch it when eating cookies with Cameron. He needs to maintain his body for his present job.
"This is the opportunity for D-Generation X to make history!"
December 13, 2009. Commentator Matt Striker's words captured the scene in San Antonio's AT&T Center.
Lying outside the ring were Chris Jericho, a blonde-haired Canadian veteran, and Big Show, a 7-foot behemoth. Both had been knocked out by their opponents, who were standing in the ring.
Triple H looked up, his mane of brown hair moving gently. Hanging several feet above him were two large leather belts adorned with gold, their straps fastened around a noose. The team that retrieves those belts will win the match, and gain recognition as the best tag team in WWE.
The problem was, the climbing device had been destroyed.
In his hands, Triple H held a ladder. Or, to be precise, half a ladder. One side had ben torn off by Big Show, making the collage of metal in Triple H's hands useless.
Or was it?
Thinking quickly, he hosited up the half-ladder, holding it firmly. He then looked at his teammate and pointed to the belts.
Shawn Michaels got the message.
Triple H put his left leg forward and bent it, giving the half-ladder more support. Michaels then grasped the ladder and began to climb. As the crowd cheered fervently, commentator Michael Cole cried, "Teamwork! Teamwork has always embodied DX!"
Michaels climbed steadily. When he reached the midway-point of the half-ladder, his head brushed one of the belts.
"Michaels is there!" cried Cole. The crowd was deafening the 44 year-old reached out his hands.
One belt was unhooked.
And then the other.
The bell ran as 15,000 fans exploded in jubilation. Amidst the thunderous roar, Striker proclaimed, "For the first time ever, we can say that D-Generation X are the Tag Team Champions!"
Paul Levesque still held the half-ladder.
And Shawn Hickenbottom, who had climbed the ladder, now raised their championship belts in triumph.
The quotations in the article were taken from these sources:
Flair, Ric and Keith Elliot Greenberg. "Ric Flair: To Be The Man." New York: Pocket Books, 2004.
Michaels, Shawn and Aaron Feigenbaum. "Heartbreak and Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story." New York: Pocket Books, 2005.
World Wrestling Entertainment. "The History of the WWE Championship." 2006. DVD.
World Wrestling Entertainment. "The Shawn Michaels Story: Heartbreak and Triumph." 2007. DVD.
World Wrestling Entertainment. "WWE TLC." 2009. Pay-per-view event.
Printed in Fish n' Quips 2009-2010, Issue no. 5
The Greatest Foe: A Story of Wrestling and Life
by Simoun Redoblado
"I am in love with this woman."
Shawn Hickenbottom was sure of it. He had only known her for weeks, but he could tell it was love.
Weeks ago, Rebecca Curci was only a moving image on the television - so near, yet so far. With the help of friends and some luck, Shawn, 33, came to meet Rebecca, 23, in person. And after many days in her company, he was won over.
When they reached the terminal of the Los Angeles airport, Rebecca bade goodbye to him and got out of the car. As she was walking inside the airport, Shawn suddenly had the urge to tell her how he felt.
"I just had to tell her."
Shawn got out of his car and rushed inside the terminal. With a sense of urgency, he ran. When he found her, she was getting ready to take an escalator.
"Rebecca!"
She turned around, her radiant face and flowing hair in display. "Yes?"
"I hope it's okay, but I think I'm in love with you!"
Rebecca dropped her bags, ran up to Shawn and said, "Really? I love you so much too. I thought it was just me!"
Soon after, they became Mr. and Mrs. Shawn Hickenbottom at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. That was March 3, 1999.
"It was perfect."
Perfection, however, wouldn't last.
One evening after their marriage, in their San Antonio, Texas home, Shawn passed out on the floor.
The cause: drug abuse. Shawn was taking thirty to thirty-five pills a day.
The kind of pills? Pain killers and muscle relaxers. These were common among professional wrestlers.
For over 13 years, the 6-foot-1, 225-pounder had tied his light-brown hair in a ponyital, laced up his boots, and performed in the wrestling ring. The name he went by was widely admired and respected.
"Shawn Michaels was the very best performer the World Wrestling [Entertainment] had to offer and the first guy that made me aware that even greatness can be challenged," said Ric Flair (real name: Richard Fliehr), a WWE Hall of Famer.
Another Hall of Famer, announcer Jim Ross, once proclaimed, "Nobody has ever, ever outperformed Shawn Michaels in a big-match situation."
In Michaels' career, there were many. He leaped from the second rung of a 10-foot ladder and body-splashed Razor Ramon. He wrestled technical expert Bret Hart for more than an hour and won the presitigious WWE Championship. And, with his face drenched in blood, he pinned the gigantic Undertaker to claim victory in an enclosed 16-foot high cage.
But, in January 1998, Michaels' body absorbed the biggest loss yet.
While wrestling Undertaker in a Casket Match (in which the objective is to put your opponent in the casket and close it), Michaels landed back-first on the closed casket, rupturing two disks in his back. A doctor told him, "You are through. You will never wrestle again."
Two months later, Michaels lay int he middle of the ring at the Wrestlemania XIV event in Boston. He had lost his third WWE title to Steve Austin and received a punch from celebrity enforcer Mike Tyson. Austin approached him and draped a black Austin t-shirt over his body.
Wincing in pain, Michaels lay there.
Rebecca, who was several weeks pregnant, raised Shawn Hickenbottom's feet to relieve the pressure in his back. Afterwards, she walked into a large closet and prayed.
"After everything I've done for you-!"
Shawn stormed out of the locker room in Detroit, leaving Paul Levesque in shock.
March 27, 2001. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon had just purchased World Championship Wrestling (WCW) - his company's fiercest rival. After years of competition in TV ratings and crowd attendance, it was time for a celebration for WWE. It was also a time of great changes.
One man who could play a part in these changes: Shawn Michaels.
"At that point, we were gonna do something with Shawn," recalled Paul. Perhaps a TV appearance was planned for the ex-full time wrestler to involve him in the 'takeover'. Perhaps, more than one TV appearance.
Whatever the comeback plan was, it never came to happen.
That night, which was a taping night of WWE's Smackdwon show, WWE official Jerry Brisco came up to Shawn and asked, "Did you take something last night?"
The previous night had been the live telecast of WWE's Monday Night Raw, to which Shawn had also been invited. While watching in the Chairman's office, he took some pills.
"We are sending you home," Brisco said. "We wanted to give you a chance, but we can't have that. Even [Paul] said you were out of it."
Minutes later, in the locker room, Shawn confronted the man who often drove the car for him while he slept after a tiring show, hung out with him despite his bad reputation, woke him up many mornings when he was in terrible shape, and comforted him after his match at Wrestlemania XIV.
"Daddy's tired," whispered Cameron Hickenbottom a year later.
He crawled around his father, who was lying on the couch. They had eaten their dinner and some cookies.
The child's bedtime came, and his mother offered to read the bedtime story. But Shawn wanted to do it himself.
He stumbled into Cameron's bedroom. Soon, the book's images and text became fuzzy.
Hours later, Shawn woke up on the couch. He went upstairs, crawled into bed with Rebecca, and asked, "Where are all the cookies?"
"Baby, you ate them. You and Cameron ate them." But Shawn could not remember it.
He broke down crying.
As he lay there in bed, Shawn's spirit cried out, "I don't want to be like this anymore. Please, God, I've tried and I love my wife and my son so much."
Before dinner and cookies, he had taken some pills.
The following day, Shawn hung up the phone after a conversation. Then, he began to dial a number.
The conversation he had was with Kevin Nash, who had wrestled in WWE as 'Diesel', Shawn Michaels' 300-pound bodyguard. Outside the ring, though, Kevin, Shawn, and Paul Levesque were like brothers. During the conversation, Kevin gave Shawn some tough, brotherly advice.
"Are you still doing that stuff?" Keven had asked.
"Just every once in a while," Shawn had replied, the events of last night still fresh in his mind.
"You can't be off doing that stuff any more, man."
Kevin had then admonished Shawn for not talking to Paul for almost a year. "That's your fault, too. You were wrong."
Minutes later, Paul picked up his phone. It was his teammate in wrestling and life, apologizing for unfair words and thanking him for all his kindness.
When that conversation ended, Paul and Shawn were brothers again.
That night, Shawn slept well. As for Paul, it was turning out to be a great year. A few months ago, he had returned to the ring after a long absence.
When Shawn woke up on April 23, 2002, he felt something different.
He turned to Rebecca and told her, it's over. No more drugs, no more drinking. Rebecca had heard it all before - including vows of quittin before Cameron was born - but still she tried to be encouraging to him.
"Something is different today," said Shawn. "I'm not asking you to believe me. I'm just telling you. It's over."
"Well, good, honey. I hope that it is. I believe the Lord has done all this."
"I think you are right."
"Just pray and ask and He will take you where you need to go."
Later that day, Shawn found himself in the Cornerstone Church parking lot. Cameron was in the car with him. All the child knew was that they were going to run some errands.
"What are we doing, Daddy?" Cameron asked, puzzled.
"I don't know." The Hickenbottoms had been attending services in that church.
The two sat there in the parking lot for a while. When they got home, Shawn told Rebecca, "I think I am going to go in there and ask for a Bible study. Maybe that's what I need. Yours seems to have had a really positive effect on you. Something is still missing in me."
Rebecca had been attending a Bible study for quite some time. For Shawn, the former dancer for WCW Monday Nitro had been captivating since the first time he had watched her. But when she started attending Bible study, she became even more loving and beautiful.
As Shawn entered the house of parioshioner Keith Parker at 7 P.M. on April 25, 2002, the man who had been nicknamed "Sexy Boy" in the ring wasn't looking for good looks. In fact, he wasn't sure what he was looking for.
In order to be part of the Bible study, Keith told Shawn, the former professional wrestler had to be born again.
"Have you ever said the Sinner's Prayer?" asked Keith.
"No. I've said a lot of prayers, but I don't remember saying one that is called that."
"It's not really any particular prayer. Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior?"
"No."
"Would you like to?"
"You know something... yeah, I would."
Only four days ago, Shawn Hickenbottom couldn't read his son a bedtime story. A year ago, he had destroyed his relationship with a man who cared for him in his times of weakness. Three years before that, in a packed arena in Boston, he had lost his professional wrestling career.
Two out of those three times, he had cried.
Now, as Keith Parker led in the Sinner's Prayer, Shawn was crying again. This time, they weren't tears of anguish and loss. They were tears of joy and redemption.
By accepting Jesus Christ, he had been born again.
"In one moment, everything made sense," Shawn later recounted. "I knew who I was. I got it. All of a sudden, 'ding!' The light went on, and nothing really mattered now, except [my family's relationship with Jesus Christ]. And as long as we got [Christ], man, we are good."
When Shawn came hom, he told Rebecca what had happened. Rebecca was in bliss as she embraced her husband.
Shawn asked her if she knew the Sinner's Prayer. Rebecca knew it... and something more. During Shawn's troubled times, she had known all along that what he had just gone through - the Prayer, being born again, and Bible study - was exactly what he needed.
He asked her why she didn't say anything. Rebecca pointed to a Bible passage that she had learned in her own Bible study. According to 1 Peter 3:1, "The wife should win her husband over to the Lord by her actions and not her words." And whenever she prayed in the closet after one of his drug problem episodes, she heard the Lord telling her to be the woman she's supposed to be.
Now, Shawn Hickenbottom is the man he's supposed to be - a caring husband and father.
"I will love that woman for all the days of my life," declared Shawn. And certainly, the "Sexy Boy" will love another girl - his 5-years-old daughter Cheyenne.
But Shawn had better watch it when eating cookies with Cameron. He needs to maintain his body for his present job.
"This is the opportunity for D-Generation X to make history!"
December 13, 2009. Commentator Matt Striker's words captured the scene in San Antonio's AT&T Center.
Lying outside the ring were Chris Jericho, a blonde-haired Canadian veteran, and Big Show, a 7-foot behemoth. Both had been knocked out by their opponents, who were standing in the ring.
Triple H looked up, his mane of brown hair moving gently. Hanging several feet above him were two large leather belts adorned with gold, their straps fastened around a noose. The team that retrieves those belts will win the match, and gain recognition as the best tag team in WWE.
The problem was, the climbing device had been destroyed.
In his hands, Triple H held a ladder. Or, to be precise, half a ladder. One side had ben torn off by Big Show, making the collage of metal in Triple H's hands useless.
Or was it?
Thinking quickly, he hosited up the half-ladder, holding it firmly. He then looked at his teammate and pointed to the belts.
Shawn Michaels got the message.
Triple H put his left leg forward and bent it, giving the half-ladder more support. Michaels then grasped the ladder and began to climb. As the crowd cheered fervently, commentator Michael Cole cried, "Teamwork! Teamwork has always embodied DX!"
Michaels climbed steadily. When he reached the midway-point of the half-ladder, his head brushed one of the belts.
"Michaels is there!" cried Cole. The crowd was deafening the 44 year-old reached out his hands.
One belt was unhooked.
And then the other.
The bell ran as 15,000 fans exploded in jubilation. Amidst the thunderous roar, Striker proclaimed, "For the first time ever, we can say that D-Generation X are the Tag Team Champions!"
Paul Levesque still held the half-ladder.
And Shawn Hickenbottom, who had climbed the ladder, now raised their championship belts in triumph.
The quotations in the article were taken from these sources:
Flair, Ric and Keith Elliot Greenberg. "Ric Flair: To Be The Man." New York: Pocket Books, 2004.
Michaels, Shawn and Aaron Feigenbaum. "Heartbreak and Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story." New York: Pocket Books, 2005.
World Wrestling Entertainment. "The History of the WWE Championship." 2006. DVD.
World Wrestling Entertainment. "The Shawn Michaels Story: Heartbreak and Triumph." 2007. DVD.
World Wrestling Entertainment. "WWE TLC." 2009. Pay-per-view event.
07 February 2010
overwhelmed
So kahapon, pumunta kami nina Marc, Ging, Kor, and Chard sa Cottolengo Filipino (St. Luigi Orione) sa Montalban, Rizal. We were armed with 'Sndwich Cke' (and yes, ganyan talaga yung spelling sa plastic - nagtitipid ba ng ink ang Regent?), 2 bilao ng bihon at Joozy Fruit Juice. At syempre, ang camera at tripod ni Boss (Marc).
Sa loob ng kotse ni Kor, nagemo si Ging sa backseat habang ang iba sa amin ay nakinig nung isang program sa RX na tungkol sa Epic Fail Love Stories. And just as Kor and I were discussing na sa tingin namin ay unfair yung pagpili nung DJ sa pinakaepic fail na love story among those na nakwento on-air that PM, nasa gate na kami ng Cottolengo. We didn't get lost!
Pagdating pa lang namin sa Cottolengo, may nakasalubong na agad kaming mga bata, most of them familiar faces. (Sabi nga ni Ging: 'Naaalala ko siya!) Ginreet na kami ni Father Flavio, at dumiretso na kami sa refectory. Sa loob ng shiny, high-end kitchen ng Cottolengo, naghanda kami ng 35 plates of pancit bihon - bawat isa may 'cheesecake' - kahit actually, 42 yung kabuuang bilang ng mga bata. May 3 kasing allergic sa manok (at diba may manok ang bihon?) at yung remaining 4 hindi nakakakain ng solids.
Pagkatapos nun, tinawag namin ang mga bata sa refectory para kumain na ang lahat. And even though I'd been to Cottolengo before, I found myself at a loss on what to do next. At sa tingin ko, hindi ako nag-iisa sa pakiramdam kong iyon. Naturally, Chard and Boss, who were new to the Cottolengo experience, were a bit overwhelmed. (Sabi nga ni Chard nung pauwi na kami, "Nung una ko pa lang kita sa kanila, naoverwhelm na ako.) Pero kahit kami nina Kor at Ging, naoverwhelm din. Si Ging na nagpakain ng ilang bata at naghugas ng mga pinggan pagkatapos; Si Kor na nagpakain ng 3 makukulit na bata at the same time. At least, si Mark, na sinusubuan ko, mabait naman.
Pagkatapos ng lunch (na may background music na Nobody ng Wondergirls, with matching dancing pa ng kids) may dumating na bagong 'delegation' na hindi ICTUSians, so nagsplit kaming lima. I was (literally) dragged by Jessie (Jako, Dora, remember him? Si 'lika, lika, lika' na nagsuot ng sapatos na hindi sa kanya?) sa back area ng Cottolengo, which, I later found out, was out of bounds. Si Boss, nakipagBBall sa 2 kids na ginawa siyang 'puno'. Si Ging at Chard, nagstroll with the kids. At si Kor, nasa refectory pa rin, pinapakain yung 2 niyang wards.
Long story short, it was an overwhelming afternoon. Maraming emotions at physical sensations ang nagcollide nung hapong iyon. On one hand, pagod ka dahil kinalmot at pinatakbo ka ng mga maliliit na bata, at uuwi ka na may 'heavy feeling in your heart'. On the other hand, alam mong may nagawa ka, kahit maliit lang, para pasayahin sila. So, basically, mixed emotions. Overwhelming.
Sama ka next time para mafeel mo rin!
-sandybeaple
Sa loob ng kotse ni Kor, nagemo si Ging sa backseat habang ang iba sa amin ay nakinig nung isang program sa RX na tungkol sa Epic Fail Love Stories. And just as Kor and I were discussing na sa tingin namin ay unfair yung pagpili nung DJ sa pinakaepic fail na love story among those na nakwento on-air that PM, nasa gate na kami ng Cottolengo. We didn't get lost!
Pagdating pa lang namin sa Cottolengo, may nakasalubong na agad kaming mga bata, most of them familiar faces. (Sabi nga ni Ging: 'Naaalala ko siya!) Ginreet na kami ni Father Flavio, at dumiretso na kami sa refectory. Sa loob ng shiny, high-end kitchen ng Cottolengo, naghanda kami ng 35 plates of pancit bihon - bawat isa may 'cheesecake' - kahit actually, 42 yung kabuuang bilang ng mga bata. May 3 kasing allergic sa manok (at diba may manok ang bihon?) at yung remaining 4 hindi nakakakain ng solids.
Pagkatapos nun, tinawag namin ang mga bata sa refectory para kumain na ang lahat. And even though I'd been to Cottolengo before, I found myself at a loss on what to do next. At sa tingin ko, hindi ako nag-iisa sa pakiramdam kong iyon. Naturally, Chard and Boss, who were new to the Cottolengo experience, were a bit overwhelmed. (Sabi nga ni Chard nung pauwi na kami, "Nung una ko pa lang kita sa kanila, naoverwhelm na ako.) Pero kahit kami nina Kor at Ging, naoverwhelm din. Si Ging na nagpakain ng ilang bata at naghugas ng mga pinggan pagkatapos; Si Kor na nagpakain ng 3 makukulit na bata at the same time. At least, si Mark, na sinusubuan ko, mabait naman.
Pagkatapos ng lunch (na may background music na Nobody ng Wondergirls, with matching dancing pa ng kids) may dumating na bagong 'delegation' na hindi ICTUSians, so nagsplit kaming lima. I was (literally) dragged by Jessie (Jako, Dora, remember him? Si 'lika, lika, lika' na nagsuot ng sapatos na hindi sa kanya?) sa back area ng Cottolengo, which, I later found out, was out of bounds. Si Boss, nakipagBBall sa 2 kids na ginawa siyang 'puno'. Si Ging at Chard, nagstroll with the kids. At si Kor, nasa refectory pa rin, pinapakain yung 2 niyang wards.
Long story short, it was an overwhelming afternoon. Maraming emotions at physical sensations ang nagcollide nung hapong iyon. On one hand, pagod ka dahil kinalmot at pinatakbo ka ng mga maliliit na bata, at uuwi ka na may 'heavy feeling in your heart'. On the other hand, alam mong may nagawa ka, kahit maliit lang, para pasayahin sila. So, basically, mixed emotions. Overwhelming.
Sama ka next time para mafeel mo rin!
-sandybeaple
05 February 2010
ito na ang sikreto
Single
Satisfied
Satisfied
Desperate
Taken
Dating...but still looking
It's complicated
MU.. as in Malapit Umamin
Straight
Ghey
Best of both worlds
Not saying
Alin ka man dito...
Sa darating na linggo ng Feb 8-12, may magmamahal sayo!
Ika nga nila, love is sweeter the second time around.
Sige nga, tingnan nga natin...
SECRET VALENTINE: The Repeat
Tulad ng nakaraang taon, parehas lang halos ang mechanics, kaso may karagdagang pakulo! Basahing maigi. Madali lang naman to:
1. Lahat tayo ay assigned bilang "secret valentine" ng isang kapwa nating ICTUSian (mems at apps). Kayo ay makakatanggap ng mensahe sa Facebook (o kung walang FB account ay sa text) galing kay Jill o Nikka upang ipaalam sa inyo kung sino ang secret valentine niyo (Sabado at Linggo niyo matatanggap.Ipagbigay alam kung walang natanggap).
2. Dahil week ng Valentines next week (Feb 8-12), let's spread the love among ICTUSians! Ikaw ay magbibigay ng gifts/tokens sa iyong "secret valentine" SECRETLY--hence, the name, "secret valentine". Para may thrill sa buhay diba?
Depende sayo kung ilang regalo o ilang beses mo siya bibigyan ng regalo (mas maganda kung everyday may regalo ). Kung wholesome man ito o R-18, ikaw bahala, pramis. Basta tandaan mo na dapat ay ma-feel niya ang pagmamahal sa linggong iyan--eros, agape o filial man ito. Nasa diskarte mo na rin kung paano mo gagawing sikreto. Pwede mo siya itext sa isang anonymous number at sabihing may iniwan kang gift sa lagoon nang hatinggabi. O magset ka ng fireworks tapos nakalagay in red and blue sparks "Feel the love!" Pwede mo siyang pasisirin sa kalaliman ng UP pool ng gabi kung saan nakasulat sa tiles doon in neon, "Apoy ka ba? Kasi alabyu" Or pwede ring simple pero from the bottom of your heart.
3. Importante ito! Sa Biyernes, February 12, ipapaalam ninyo ang katauhan ninyo sa inyong secret valentine. Mas maganda kung creative manner ito maisasagawa. Isipin niyo, tipong magpropropose kayo! Bilang pasasalamat ay bibigyan kayo ng token of appreciation ng inyong secret valentine.
4. PARA MAIBA NAMAN SA GINAWA NATIN LAST YEAR, kailangan ay magdate kayo ng secret valentine ninyo! KAILANGAN! Para naman mas maipadama niyo pa ang pagmamahal niyo diba, since some scholars say that communication is 80% nonverbal! Hindi kailangan magdate kayo sa araw na mareveal niyo ang inyong identity, basta DAPAT AY MAGANAP ANG DATE NINYO BAGO MATAPOS ANG SCHOOL YEAR.
TANDAAN:
Lahat tayo ay may secret valentine. Lahat rin tayo ay secret valentine. Kaya maghahanda ng token of appreciation ang lahat.
Magtipid because you'll have not one... but two dates! One with the person you have given your gifts to and another with the one who has given gifts to you.
IT IS NOT THE CASE THAT Person A is the secret valentine of Person B and Person B is the secret valentine of Person A. So kung sino ang bibigyan mo ng regalo, malamang hindi siya yung nagbibigay ng regalo sayo. Keyowks?
Pairs were randomly selected. PRAMIS.
Pairs are composed of either girl-girl or boy-girl. YIKEEE
WAG MAGING MIA O KJ! ACTIVE MAN O INACTIVE, SALI NA!
Simpleng aktibidad lang naman ito upang mapaalam mo sa iyong kapwa ICTUSian that you care for him/her. Plus it's fun conceptualizing ideas and making them happen!
Sa mga may katanungan at kung hindi mo pa nalalaman kung sino ang secret valentine mo by Sunday, maaaring magreply dito o itext si Nikka Tatiana sa 09274934337.
28 December 2009
speaking of new year's resolutions
New Year's Resolution ko for 2010, magpakatino... esp sa FnQ! ::D
Please, please, please, submit your new year's resolutions,
pa PM nalang sa akin sa Facebook.
(Side note, kitang-kita kung sino ang mukhang FB sa ICTUS.
Less than a few hours pa lang, nagreply na agad.)
Thanks ahead! ::D
Looking forward to a great 2010! ::D
sandybeaple
Please, please, please, submit your new year's resolutions,
pa PM nalang sa akin sa Facebook.
(Side note, kitang-kita kung sino ang mukhang FB sa ICTUS.
Less than a few hours pa lang, nagreply na agad.)
Thanks ahead! ::D
Looking forward to a great 2010! ::D
sandybeaple
11 December 2009
Masaya ang CSC!
Ang kwento ay nung other day tsaka today nagkasakit si Dans so ako yung sumama kay Migs sa CSC Meeting na pinatawag ni Father Mike. Two night event din ‘to ano, so syempre, naging productive naman yung vocal rumination namin over bananas and grapes. A rundown of the two-night meet:
Night 1 – 9 Dec 09
NagSWOTR analysis kami led by Kiboy of the CMVG. Hindi ko alam kung pwedeng sabihin yung mga napag-usapan namin sa Transitional Planning (kasi yun yung formal name ng meeting series) pero I assure you, fellow ICTUSians, maraaaaaming in store for you come AY 10-11.
Nga pala, sa mga unaware (harharhar) ang CMVG or Campus Ministry Volunteer Corps ay isang arm ng Campus Ministry Office composed mainly of dormers. Objective nila ang iassist si Father Mike sa activities ng parish concerning the youth, at tumulong sa evangelization esp. sa UP dorms.
Night 2 – 10 Dec 09
Syempre, late na akong dumating kasi birthday celebration ni Ma’am Jamon so nag-extend ng konti yung 5.30 to 7 PM PolSc 160 class ko. Pagdating ko sa CMO (CM Office) nagdidiscuss na sila ng Four Objectives – parang consti drafting din somehow. Thankfully, naabutan ko pa yung pagdedetermine kung aling objectives yung nagcocoincide sa 5 Point Plan ng Parish, so yehey!
Wala pang nangyaring calendaring for events kasi hinihintay pa ng Secretariat (kahit sa CM the best ang Secretariat!!!) ang “main” calendar ng parish. Pero for sure, magkakaroon ng maraming venues for us ICTUSians to “showcase our talents”.
Ayun. Masaya. Super great host ni Father Mike - ang cute ‘pag tinatawag siyang Pads ni Kiboy. Nung first night ang pinagpiyestahan namin ay Afritada (ata yun) at tonight yung kinain namin ay Peesh na ayon kay Migs Fudolig ng SLG ay yellow finned something in English at tanguige sa Tagalog – sorry, Migs, di ko na maalala. Masayaaaa, pramis. Many many new masayahing friends from UPSCA, CYA, CLC, SLG at CMVG. Nandun din sina Sr. Aida at Fr. Mike, of course – ang mga adults na game namang makipaglokohan sa CSC reps and others, esp. pag nagjojoke na si Kiboy ng Poohkwang jokes niya.
Bottom line: Lots of CSC activities lined up for AY 10-11. Heads up!
Nothing Without Faith,
sandybeaple.
Night 1 – 9 Dec 09
NagSWOTR analysis kami led by Kiboy of the CMVG. Hindi ko alam kung pwedeng sabihin yung mga napag-usapan namin sa Transitional Planning (kasi yun yung formal name ng meeting series) pero I assure you, fellow ICTUSians, maraaaaaming in store for you come AY 10-11.
Nga pala, sa mga unaware (harharhar) ang CMVG or Campus Ministry Volunteer Corps ay isang arm ng Campus Ministry Office composed mainly of dormers. Objective nila ang iassist si Father Mike sa activities ng parish concerning the youth, at tumulong sa evangelization esp. sa UP dorms.
Night 2 – 10 Dec 09
Syempre, late na akong dumating kasi birthday celebration ni Ma’am Jamon so nag-extend ng konti yung 5.30 to 7 PM PolSc 160 class ko. Pagdating ko sa CMO (CM Office) nagdidiscuss na sila ng Four Objectives – parang consti drafting din somehow. Thankfully, naabutan ko pa yung pagdedetermine kung aling objectives yung nagcocoincide sa 5 Point Plan ng Parish, so yehey!
Wala pang nangyaring calendaring for events kasi hinihintay pa ng Secretariat (kahit sa CM the best ang Secretariat!!!) ang “main” calendar ng parish. Pero for sure, magkakaroon ng maraming venues for us ICTUSians to “showcase our talents”.
Ayun. Masaya. Super great host ni Father Mike - ang cute ‘pag tinatawag siyang Pads ni Kiboy. Nung first night ang pinagpiyestahan namin ay Afritada (ata yun) at tonight yung kinain namin ay Peesh na ayon kay Migs Fudolig ng SLG ay yellow finned something in English at tanguige sa Tagalog – sorry, Migs, di ko na maalala. Masayaaaa, pramis. Many many new masayahing friends from UPSCA, CYA, CLC, SLG at CMVG. Nandun din sina Sr. Aida at Fr. Mike, of course – ang mga adults na game namang makipaglokohan sa CSC reps and others, esp. pag nagjojoke na si Kiboy ng Poohkwang jokes niya.
Bottom line: Lots of CSC activities lined up for AY 10-11. Heads up!
Nothing Without Faith,
sandybeaple.
18 November 2009
ground rules
Yey! May blog na ang ICTUS! Pero actually, online logbook lang natin 'to. Haha!
Before anything else, let's set the rules for posting:
1) Remember you are carrying the name of ICTUS.
2) Update regularly! Kahit anong ICTUS-related pwedeng pag-usapan!
Sample: Today nakijoin sa open apostolate si Crush #5, etc.
3) Promote, Promote, Promote!
4) Participate sa ICTUS blogosphere! Post, post, post! Comment, comment, comment!
5) Attach your signature to everything you post!
Poof!
sandybeaple
Before anything else, let's set the rules for posting:
1) Remember you are carrying the name of ICTUS.
2) Update regularly! Kahit anong ICTUS-related pwedeng pag-usapan!
Sample: Today nakijoin sa open apostolate si Crush #5, etc.
3) Promote, Promote, Promote!
4) Participate sa ICTUS blogosphere! Post, post, post! Comment, comment, comment!
5) Attach your signature to everything you post!
Poof!
sandybeaple
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