The Man Who Thinks He Can

If you think you are beaten, you are

If you think you dare not, you don’t

If you would like to win but you think you can’t 

it’s almost a cinch you won’t

If you think you’ll lose ,you’re lost

For out in the world we find:

Success begins with a fellow’s will,

Its all in the state of mind

If you think your outclassed, you are

You’ve got to think high to rise

You’ve got to be sure of yourself

Before you can ever win a prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or the faster man,

But sooner or later, the man who wins

Is the man who thinks he can.

 from think and grow rich

Surrender

I like Oprah's quotable quotes and recently I came across another nice one:

“When you’ve worked as hard and done as much and strived and tried and given and pled and bargained and hoped…surrender. When you have done all that you can do, and there is nothing left for you to do…give it up. Give it up to that thing that is greater than yourself and let it then become a part of the flow..”

Anyone who has ever dreamt and the dream remain unrealized can relate. I also have things in my plate which I wanted so bad and they are still like that until now - unrealized. All these years, I was learning and sharing in my own little way how we can get what we want in our life, but here is one reason explaining why we can't get what we want in life:

"God can dream a bigger dream for me, for you, than you can ever do for yourself"
 
I am a believer of the law of attraction. And I was able to witness different ways people proved that it works. But hand in hand with the belief in the law of attraction should be the belief in the law of detachment.

The law of detachment says that in order to successfully attract something, one must be detached to the outcome. If we are attached, we project negative emotions of fear, doubt, or craving which actually attracts the opposite of our desire. We are then operating from a position of worry, fear and doubt rather than serenity, trust and faith. Of course there are times when negative emotions are meant to be felt and acted upon, but our dominant emotions should be positive ones.

Just this week, I made a decision which I thought was right. I followed the rules, I checked and cross-checked the bullet points and yet I lost. I was very frustrated with myself. But I decided not to dwell too much on the frustration and I clearly remember praying to God minutes after to remove the bad feeling I have and to just nudge me to let go and move on. I again prayed the same prayer during our prayer meeting, and again before I went to bed. Lo and behold, in less than 36 hours I was able to turn the negative around and I gained more than what I lost. Coincidence? I don't think so.

I could have romanticized what happened and call it a random coincidence, but I believe this is more than coincidence. I believe it was a lesson at letting go. I still have a long way to go from learning this letting go thing but I will get there soon. I have the tendency to be a control freak and I easily lose sight of the goal when a speed bump presents itself along the way. But this thought is comforting: that you give it all you got, since that’s all you can really do now, then leave the results to a Higher Power. You don’t fail until you stop trying. But sometimes, to stop trying is the best thing you can do.

 
So here I am now doing everything I can just like what Corrinne May said - "Take my five loaves and two fishes, do with it as you will. I surrender", then whisper to God my dreams, then let go - with the thought that God is doing some maneuevering in the universe to make everything perfect in His time.

Cirque du Soleil: Varekai in Manila

When I was young,  I loved watching the circus shows they show on tv. The jugglers. The lions and the tamer. The wire-walkers. The fire-eaters. The flying trapeze. But the part I really loved was the clowns. The moment they enter the ring, I was always excited. They never failed to entertain me.

So I was really happy when I learned Cirque du Soleil is in Manila and I have the chance to watch their Varekai production. Thank you SunLife!

It was my first time to watch a production of Cirque du Soleil and my first time to watch a circus live. I cannot think of one word to describe the show but several words might capture it: astounding, amazing, spectacular, mind-boggling, exciting, out-of-this-world, terrific, fantastic, and for me, the greatest show on earth. The performers moved and danced and glided from one end of the stage to the other and flew around like birds, they somersaulted in mouth-dropping precision as if they didn’t have bones, then landing either on the floor or on the palms of fellow performers effortlessly, and gracefully bending and contorting their bodies forward and backward with so much fluid facility as if they were made of rubbers.

Grand Chapiteau (photo courtesy of Chuvaness)

Cirque du Soleil in English means "Circus of the Sun".  Cirque du Soleil began in 1984. Guy Laliberté created the enterprise based on a project involving 20 street performers and the Canadian circus. Currently, Cirque du Soleil employs more than 4000 staff members, including 1000 artists from 40 different countries.

Cirque du Soleil, one of the world’s most famous modern circus troupes originated from Canada. Though the 21st century is the era of advancing modern technology, Varekai is still being performed inside a big tent with elaborate costumes, popcorn and traditional acts of wonder and awe.

Here are some trivia about The Grand Chapiteau

•     The Cirque du Soleil mobile "village" includes the Grand Chapiteau (Big Top), artistic tent, entrance  tents, VIP tent, box office, kitchen, school, office trailers, warehouses and more.
•     180,000 square feet (4.2 Acres or 17,000 square meters) is needed to house the entire site including the tents and trailers.
•     The artistic tent is 1,300 square feet (120 square meters) and houses areas for: wardrobe, warm up and training, physiotherapy and dressing rooms.
•     It takes 11 days for more than 200 workers, including 100 hired locally, to complete a city to city transfer of the infrastructures.
•     It takes 7 days to set up the site and all the infrastructures and it takes 2 days to completely tear it down.
•     This represents at least 11 000 man hours which represents 5.5 years of work if one guy did it alone!
•     An average of 55 tractor trailers are needed to carry more than 2 million pounds of equipment from city to city.
•     Completely self-sufficient for electrical power, the site relies only on a local water supply and telecommunication facilities to support its infrastructure.
•     The Grand Chapiteau measures 165 feet (50 meters) in diameter and is supported by four 82-foot-high (25 meters) steel masts.
•     The Grand Chapiteau is comprised of 18 pieces of flame retardant vinyl canvas and is manufactured in Bordeaux, France by Voileries du Sud-Ouest, internationally renowned for their big tops.
•     The climate-controlled Grand Chapiteau seats more than 2,500 people.
•     The Big Top is held down by roughly 400 stakes, 5' (1.5 meters) nails.
•     The cupola is 52 ft (16 meters) above the ground.
•     The Big Top can support winds up to 75 miles/h (120 km/h).
•     A Big Top lifespan is about ten years, depending on the conditions of use (storage, temperature and frequency of setup/tear-down).
•     The Big Top infrastructure costs roughly $1.6 million. This does not include the stands or the other tents.

The Acts

Flight of Icarus

Icarus performs astounding dives and contortions in the net that holds him captive. With agility, deftness and sensitivity, Icarus performs astounding dives and contortions using this net.

Icarian Games

Foot-juggling is one of the oldest circus arts disciplines. The bearer lies on his back and twirls the other on his feet. The Icarian Games is an ancient discipline of the circus arts rarely seen in today’s contemporary circus culture. This act is generally presented by members of the same family. In tribute to this custom, the Icarians along with other acrobats synthesize in this spectacular display of human juggling. The human body becomes catapult and catcher in an elaborate, explosive and highly choreographed presentation of strength, balance and agility.

Water Meteors

Three young acrobats twirl ropes high above their heads with metal cups attached to the ends, simultaneously performing virtuosic acrobatic feats. Handling their ropes with rare agility, they perform impressive acrobatic figures at the same time.

Triple Trapeze

On an elevated trapeze apparatus, four young women perform a series of striking acrobatic moves, displaying grace, sensuality and impeccable timing.

Georgian dance 

This act takes its inspiration from the Republic of Georgia, where inhabitants took to battle with numerous invaders over the centuries. The movements of the dancers recall the Georgians’ struggles against powers that sought to dominate their land. Endurance, precision and more than a hint of frenzy mark this act.

There is a 25-minute intermission. From my seat high above the venue, I talked to one of the ushers if I can move to an empty seat nearer the stage. And he agreed! He even looked for an empty seat for me! So for the second set, I am at a premiere seat. Thank you, Lord! =)

Slippery Surface

Darting and intertwining on a specially designed sliding surface, the artists fling and catch each other, creating an illusion of skating.

Aerial Hoop

 

Suspended high above the stage or flying through the air on her hoop, a young woman performs a series of movements displaying her flexibility and strength.

Solo on crutches

 Like a jointed puppet, the Limping Angel dances on crutches while background performers teeter on canes in a dance that reignites Icarus's desire to fly again. Hands down, this is my favorite act. The “solo on crutches” act was done by a physically-challenged performer Dergin Tokmak. He appeared as the Limping Angel, moving across the stage effortlessly even while on crutches. He did those difficult moves any able-bodied dancer can find difficult to do. A really amazing performance.

Aerial straps

Two flyers suspended by wrist straps glide gracefully above the stage, performing original acrobatic figures in a synchronized display of precision and power. With a double strap, the two artists meld midair, becoming one in a series of striking acrobatic silhouettes. I love the part where they smiled to each other before taking a bow.

Handbalancing on canes 

The performer achieves a variety of contortions and poses while balancing on a series of canes. Grace, strength and flexibility are exhibited, as a young woman balances on a series of strategically placed canes. Poised now on her feet, now on her hands, she contorts herself on these canes, maintaining a delicate equilibrium.

Russian swings

The audience watched with eager anticipation as they ushered in two, big Russian swings where later acrobats are hurled high into the air, alighting on their partners' wrists or on a landing canvas, sometimes even flying from one moving swing to the other. Breathtaking! A really swell act to cap the show!

The Clown Acts

No circus show would be complete without clowns! Joanna and Steven amuse the audience with acts that are simply absurd.

The audience gave the troupe a standing ovation and loud rounds of applause. Most applauded was of course Icarus (Mark Halasi) and the Solo on Crutches (Dergin Tokmak). Even the troupe themselves appreciated Dergin's unique performance.

It was a very good experience. Up to now I'm still watching snippets of Varekai from youtube.

Coming Varekai shows:
São Paulo, BR - From 15 September 2011 to 27 November 2011
SA   Rio de Janeiro, BR - From 8 December 2011 to 8 January 2012


Cirque du Soleil currently has 22 shows. I hope I will be given the chance to watch more of Cirque du Soleil:

1. Alegria 
2. Criss Angel - Believe
3. Corteo
4. Dralion
5. Ka
6. Kooza
7. La Nouba
8. The Beatles - Love
9. Iris
10. Michael Jackson - The Immortal
11. Mystere
12. O
13. Ovo
14. Quidam
15. Saltimbanco
16. Totem
17. Varekai
18. Viva Elvis
19. Zaia
20. Zarkana
21. Zed
22. Zumanity

Philippine Group Buying Sites

Group buying, also known as collective buying, offers products and services at significantly reduced prices on the condition that a minimum number of buyers would make the purchase.

They are sometimes called collective online buying, social buying,  crowd buying -- but they all mean one and the same thing: getting good deals and significant discounts by the power of bulk buying.

Note that this is not the typical department store or mall sale promo, but the discounts are really enormouse with deals going up as high as 90% less the original price.

So next time you are planning to have a massage, eat out in a restaurant, watch a play or movie, buy some new clothes, get the latest gadget, stay in a five-star hotel or but anything else, try first to visit these group buying websites first and see if they have the right offer for you.

Below is a list of the group buying websites available in the country today. Although most of those in the list  cater to the residents of Metro Manila, some offer deals that are also available for those in other parts of the country like Cebu and Davao.

500 Peso Deals



AtCrazy

Awesome!

Beeconomic – Groupon Philippines



Buyanihan

Cash Cash Pinoy



Catch the Deal

Cheapipay

CityPoynt



CleverBuy



Crazy Deals



Cuponz Philippines



Deal Dozen



Deal Grocer



Deal Spot



Deals Tent



Discount Pilipinas



E-Deals To Go



Ensogo Philippines



eBay.ph Kuponan



Gupo



Halo-Halo Deals



HighLife



Local Roam



Lucky 7



Mega Deals PH



Metro Deal



MuraIto



My City Counts



Nakamura Ka



Pakyaw



Pilipinas Best Buys



Pinoy Vouchers



Plejee



Salamat.ph



Save on Pinoy



TipidTo Deals



Twangoo Manila



Weemall



Wow Deals



YugaDeals

I have friends who gave positive reviews about these group buying sites, especially Ensogo, Megadeals and Cash Cash Pinoy.

If you know of any new group buying website that has emerged, kindly let me know so I can add it to the list once confirmed legitimate. And let me know too if you have tried buying from any of these groups so we can all be guided on who offers the best service and best deal.