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Imagine straddling and balancing yourself on a foam board in the open ocean. You notice a rise in the sea, an oblong bump, coming rapidly toward you. You spin your board toward shore and dig your arms deep into the water, straining to pick up speed from a head start. Sometimes its agony. Concentrating on your paddling, you barely notice as the approaching wave gently lifts you up.
You keep on paddling, but now, as the wave brushes over the reef below, the gentle slope suddenly stands up straight and tall, and you feel the sudden pull of gravity. You and the board begin to drop down the vertical face of the wave.
That's it! one wrong move now and you will pitch head over heals with your surfboard into the trough the wave, the place where all the energy and power of the throwing wave will be focused. No choice but to take it head on, so in one smooth move, you push up with your arms and swing your feet up underneath you. You are standing!
As you feel your board drop down the face of the wave, you suddenly realize that you are moving diagonally across the wave that is both going forward toward the beach and at the same time moving up and down. Yes! This is the dance you have worked so long and hard to do. But I don’t think so much about it anymore, I just do it!
--- Soul Surfer, 2004. Bethany Hamilton
 
I just read Soul Surfer, a book by Bethany Hamilton. This is a story of a thirteen-year-old surfer girl who lost her arm in a shark attack but never lost her Faith in God and to return to competitive surfing.
"Its not just adrenaline. Surfing is a force that moves you body and soul. So this is why I do it. This is why I endure so sore and weak that they feel like wet noodles. This is why I swallow gallons of saltwater and get up at the crack of dawn day after day. This is why I am a surfer."
This part of the book hit me hard. The adrenaline is just a fraction of what it's all about. It's the dedication to get things done. It’s mind above everything. Who knew that after her attack, she would be so optimistic. "You lost your arm, woman!" This was probably the last thought on her mind at the moment. She was so eager to take the next step. Pushing panic and pain aside, she began to paddle with JUST on arm, just focusing on one thing: "Get to the beach… Get to the beach…" The first thing Bethany wanted to know after surgery was "When can I surf again?". She leaves no room for bail or bogus cutbacks. It's her amazing determination and belief in God that got this aggro grommet through not just ankle slappers but angry growlers day in and day out. Bethany Hamilton... a soul surfer.
Surfer lingo:
angry growler - a huge, gnarly wave
grommet (grom) - a young surfer
aggro - agressive surfing or surfer
bail - to abandon the board and head for the bottom
bogus - fake
soul surfer - a surfer who merely surfs for the love of the sport
ankle slappers - small waves | | |
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UPCAT's in a week and I'm still not ready for it. Soo scary! I finally found out that am not the only one that I know is in my class. There's Bello, Kc, Pammy, Mae Mae. Phew! Bello and I were talking the other day. Our conversation went something like this:
Nic: wanna meet with kc?
Bello: where?
Bello: Pero dapat SUPER early! (5am)
Bello: Traffic!
Nic: yea! grabe! line up pa
Bello: si maemae rin diba...?
Nic: yea and pammy
Bello: parang ang unti natin!
Nic: yea nga! i sware, wala akong alam before i (group) messaged you guys
Bello: imagine ikaw lang nandun!
Bello: Hmmm il ask my cousin kung aircon
Nic: kaya nga! scary man!
Nic: haha... i dont think so!
Bello: college of engineering oo ata eh
Bello: kaso may multo daw
Nic: hahah!
Nic: talaga? lahat naman!
Nic: baka lumapit yun sayo!
Bello: nanggugulo daw
Bello: freaky!
Bello: no naman!
Bello: Hindi na talaga ako papasa!
Bello: Whats your course ba?
Nic: gags!!! talaga? fotah man!
Nic: HINDI KA PAPASA? ya right!
Nic: i dont remember... hahaha!
Bello: im wondering lang kasi kung pano nadistribute
Bello: pero hindi eh!
Nic: yea
Nic: hay nako!
Bello: Okay na yan
Nic: kaya natin!
Bello: Kinakabahan na ako
Bello: Pero kaya!!!
Nic: yea, grabe!
Nic: 1st choice mo ba UP?
Nic: whats your course?
Bello: Up or ateneo... not sure
Bello: Business ad w/ accountancy
Nic: naks naman! may math!
Bello: Hahaha
Bello: gusto ko nga fine arts eh pero ... oh well.
Nic: ahh...
Bello: Gosh i just hope its okay!
Nic: lol! | | |
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15 minutes after watching The Buzz (Exclusive: Hiwalay nga ba si Kristine at Diether?)
Nic: did you watch the whole thing?
Trish : yes!!
Nic: his part was very dragging. his answers were sooo long, man!
Trish : yeah
Trish : and he was like this most of the time (about-to-cry smiley)
Nic: i know! sad!
Nic: i changed channel 3 times when we was talking. It was too cheesy that it became really boring!
Trish : i kept zoning out when he was talking
Nic: kristine was (crying smiley) the whole time
Nic: yea! hahaha me tooo
Nic: i was in 'piolo land' when he was talking
Trish: piolo land (laughing-on-the-floor smiley)
Nic: yea. thats my 'neverland'.
Nic: hahaha
Nic: omg! i can like imagine ourselves (you, me, marela) as the hunks groupies.
Nic: you - diet, me- piolo, marela- jericho.
Nic: hahaha
Trish : you are sooo kapal!!!!
Trish : jericho's mine
Nic: LOL
Nic: but seriously, can you imagine us as groupies?
Trish : not really
Trish : i can imagine me hitting on jericho
Trish : but thats about it
Nic: hay nako!!!
Trish : diet was cute today
Nic: he looks sooo much better now. thats sooo piolo's look, man! The whole facial hair thing.
Trish : i knooow
Trish : he is sooo much cuter now
Trish : but come on, its piolo's look but diether looks straight (I ASSUME SHE MEANT GAY ALTHOUGH I NEVER WISH SHE'D SAY THAT)
Nic: his F4 hair is sooooo... untidy!
Nic: NO!
Trish : i knooow
Trish : ewwww
We are sooo baduy, man! Its soo funny! And yes, we talk about these men (and more… including Gardo Versosa) during our lunch break. | | |
| ATTENTION:::
Trish! Diet ka lang! 
Trish (6/25/2005 3:41:34 PM): piooooooolo
Trish (6/25/2005 3:41:36 PM): <333
Trish (6/25/2005 3:41:38 PM): dont steal my man | | |
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