Even more frisbee love

Day 2 (April 17) of the Heads Up Ultimate Frisbee Summer Clinic was bad for me. I sucked big time. I had a messy performance during the drills and games. But the good thing about it was that the things I needed to work on were pointed out to me by fellow participants.

Day 3 (April 24) was better. I guess I performed well, judging not by my throws and catches (which were so-so, especially my forehand throw. I was like, "What's going on with my forehand throw?"), but by how my team performed. We had a smooth flow - the throwing of the discs, the stacking (or how the players position themselves in the field), defense, and cuts. At the end of the session, I realized that a participant's performance is not gauged on how well he/she throws and catches the disc alone, but if he/she is able to do something for his/her team to perform well.

I really love this sport. Since this is a self-officiating sport, everyone is honest. No hotheads on the field. And everyone is just so good-spirited before and after the game. No sore losers.

I hope my friends will also find joy in this sport. I hope we could simply gather, one afternoon, in an open space, and enjoy throwing and catching a disc. That would be really nice, right? :)

Frisbee love

This afternoon's Ultimate Disc Summer Clinic was SUPER fun. I'm happy that I mustered the courage to sign up for it and stop underestimating myself. And besides, the clinic is for beginners like me, for us to improve in that sport.

Even if I didn't have a friend with me, I still signed up and went to the clinic. My frisbee buddy, Micah, is already in Singapore. Had she been here, we would've gone to the clinic together. I'm really, really grateful because she introduced me to this fantastic sport. And what better way to show my gratitude than by keeping on playing.

And when we played the game after the drills, I realized that my playing wasn't so bad after all. I was able to guard properly, throw decently, and catch when the disc was thrown to me. There's just this one instance when my opponent, the person I was guarding, slipped out of my guard. She ran toward the disc, and I wasn't in front of her to block it. But the disc slipped out of her grasp, so it became our team's turn to be on the offense side. And since I was guarding her, I picked up the disc. And when I did, I heard our coach say "Go Kat". A teammate of mine ran toward the disc unguarded, and I was able to pass the disc to him using a forehand throw. A forehand throw! I was able to pass using a forehand throw! It's harder than the backhand throw, especially if you're a beginner. But at that moment, I saw myself make a nice forehand pass. Yes!

I can't wait for next Saturday's clinic. I just wish I have someone I can share my frisbee joys with, like my friend Micah. But I can share how happy I am with the sport through our online catching ups. And besides, she's going back to Manila next month. So there. For now, I'll keep on playing and enjoying the sport.

My Poems

So there, after a long while, I've posted poems again. I added the "Poems in Filipino" category because I am a Filipino, I'm proud to be one, and I also write poems in my own language. Sometimes, I get caught up with writing in English that I forget how beautiful my own language is.

I'm sorry I cannot translate to English my poems written in Filipino. I'm not a good translator, and there's a big chance that the meaning of the poem will be lost once I translate it to another language. Google Translate is useless in this case, too. I ended up laughing when I tried translating my poems using that tool.

So there. To my non-Filipino readers, I hope you continue to enjoy and appreciate my poems in English, no matter how irregular or infrequent my posts are. And to my readers, whether Filipino or not, thank you for reading and enjoying my works. Just keep coming back, okay? :)

The Mirror

It doesn't hide anything
A blemish, a pimple, a scar
It shows all marks
Beauty marks of being human.

It doesn't mask anything
A frown pretending to be a smile
A smile pretending to be sweet
No guessing games, no pretenses.

It shows everything
Revealing secrets long kept
Hidden pain, hidden suffering
Lingering sadness and lament.

So look at yourself in the mirror
There's a girl, boy, child, mother
Looking at you too.
Do you like what you see?

Or do you turn around
Wishing you could change it?
You can't, because it is you
And the mirror doesn't lie.

-Katherine Lopez
09 April 2010

Naghihintay

Makikita ba kita?
Sa dinami-dami
Ng mga mukha at ngiti
Sa buong unibersidad?

Makakasalubong ba kita?
Hindi ko alam ang iyong oras,
Kung ikaw ba’y dadaan
Sa pasilyong dadaanan ko rin?

Makakausap ba kita?
Maliban sa mga simpleng pagbating
Namumutawi sa ating mga labi
Kapag tayo’y nagkakatagpo?

Makikita mo ba ako?
Tititig sa aking mga matang
Tutok sa iyo, naghihintay,
Humihiling na ako’y makita mo?

Kayrami pang mga tanong
Na naghihintay ng mga sagot.
Ako ba’y mapagbibigyan,
O maghihintay na lamang?

-Katherine Lopez
04 Abril 2010

Bagyo

Umiihip ang hanging pagkalakas-lakas,
Pagkalamig-lamig.
Wari’y katapusan na ng daigdig.

Tila talon kung bumuhos ang ulan.
Kay lupit ng bagsak.
Bubong nami’y tila mawawasak.

Lalong pinadilim ng bagyo
Ang madilim na gabi.
Buwan at bituin, sadyang naikukubli.

Pati mga daga, aso
At pusang gala,
Tahimik na nagtatago sa kanilang lungga.

Sa bintana, ako’y nakadungaw.
Sa aking bahay, ako’y preso
Dahil sa masungit at mabagsik na bagyo.

-Katherine Lopez
24 Hulyo 2006

Ulan

Palihis ang iyong buhos
Binabasa ang yerong bubong
Ng aming bahay.
Bubong na iyong tinatamaan,
Lumilikha ng ingay.

Nakikita kitang kasayaw
Ang hanging sa mga dahon
Sa puno’y siya ring nagpapagalaw.
Pinagmamasdan kita mula sa
Bintana, kung saan ako nakadungaw.

Hindi ko alam kung ang
Himig mo’y musika.
Basta’t ito’y nakahahalina.
Binitiwan ko ang aking aklat
Upang pakinggan ka.

Tila ka maninipis na sinulid
Mula sa kalangitan.
Naghahatid ng lamig sa amin
Sa panahong maalinsangan.
Hanap ko’y ginhawa, ako’y pinagbigyan.

Hatid mo sa mga halama’y
Tubig na pamatid-uhaw.
Pamalis ng dusang
Dulot ni Haring Araw.
Binhi’y uusbong, sisibol ang pag-asa.

Ngunit ‘pag nariyan ka,
Abo ang kalangitan.
Maputik ang kalsada.
Gayunpaman, sa kabila nito,
Ika’y biyayang kaloob ni Bathala.

-Katherine Lopez
23 Hulyo 2006

Pinay

Dalagang nakatingin,
Pangiti-ngiti sa salamin.
Mga mata'y kumikislap
Tila mga bituin.

Hinaplos ng suklay
Ang buhok niyang mahaba.
Itim, alun-alon
Taglay niyang korona

Hindi dinampian
Ng kolerete ang mukha
Pagka't kayumangging kutis
Ay hindi naman maputla.

Mga matang hindi singkit,
Hindi rin malalaki.
Tama lamang upang ipahayag
Mga saloobing hindi masabi.

Ilong, di man matangos,
Di man kanluranin
Kaya namang samyuin
Bango ng bulaklak sa hardin.

Mga labing natural
Ang pagiging rosas
Kapag pumorma ng ngiti
Pagod ninuma'y mapapawi.

Ganda ng dalagang
Mula sa Perlas ng Silangan
Hindi mahihigitan,
Angat kahit saan man.

-Katherine Lopez
Oktubre 2007