Mamburao-U.S.A. Association

Lamberto V. Tajonera

Honorary Director

Chair, Website News

BERT'S EYE VIEW

MUSA and the Anaheim Angels

Last Saturday, I was one of the 45,000 lucky jerks who were able to endure standing (actually sitting, sleeping, drinking coffee, sleeping) in line to get tickets for the 4^th game of the Angels and Yankees divisional series.

After four hours that Saturday afternoon, I was again one of those jerks who kept on shouting (what I was shouting has been forgotten, drowned by 2 plastic cups of beer (or was it 4 or 5? whatever…!) and jeering "Yankees go home!" at the parking lot. And the Yankee bus had long gone to LAX for the sad trip back Nuyok.

Later on that evening, I was seized by a sudden urge to reflect, as in meditate, on the Angels. Here was a team of nobodies. No superstars. The team had one of the lowest payrolls in the major leagues. Yet they beat a team that had a payroll more than double of theirs, like $135 -million against their $60-million.

They also started to build a huge fan base. I can safely say that after that Saturday, Angels t-shirts, caps and jackets will sell like gang-busters in many Orange County stores.

What attracted these new fans to them? First, they were winners. Then they were just your ordinary ballplayers playing extraordinary baseball. They were over-achievers. They pulled for each other. They put the team over their own individual statistics. And best of all, they were real nice guys.

This is one example of nice guys finishing first.

Now, about MUSA. I joined this organization 10 months ago for a simple reason: my beloved dad came from Occidental Mindoro. By inheritance (is that the legal term? whatever….!) I felt I was a Mindoreno, a tamaraw, a Mangyan (as my classmates kidded me a long time ago in History class when we were reading the chapter on Mindoro).

From the regular communications I had been receiving from our then tireless Chairperson, Thelma, I sensed that this was one organization that was well-run.

Just a few weeks ago, I read with concern a few letters from our top officers about some wrinkles in the organization. To their credit, our officers did a class act. They were concillatory in their letters. That concillatory and high-minded attitude impressed me. In my book, the one word to descirbe the quality of our leadership is HUMILITY.

That virtue in our officers, I am again 100% sure, will propel MUSA to greater heights. Parang Aneheim Angels.

Our officers are ordinary immigrants, like you and me. And they see MUSA as a vehicle for us to forge and renew bonds with one another, and more importantly, to help our less fortunate countrymen.

I phoned Thelma and Roger after reading their letters, and complimented them on their class act. Then I made a big blunder: I promised both that I will be MORE active in the association affairs from this day on. I guess they saw that error on my part, and they immediately said, "Thank you! Now, which area will you help MUSA?"

Just like the Angels, I had to be creative and athletically flexible, so I answered, "I volunteer to kiss all the pretty girls at all our parties as they come in. I also volunteer Roger to kiss all the gentlemen as they come in."

On that note, I hope that I have injected some inspiration and supreme motivation to our officers to do well.

NOW FOR THE FUNNY STUFF.

Some of you may have read the following wise sayings in the bathroom. But I don't care. I ask all of you to meditate on the following sayings. But before you start reading, here's one bit of advice to the freeway drivers among you: DO NOT OPEN

YOUR DOOR ON THE FREEWAY.

Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just leave me the hell alone.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt, a leaking radiator and a flat tire.
It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.
Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
Some days you are the bug; some days you are the windshield.
Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

And finally, you can pick your nose. You can pick your friend. But never pick your friend's nose.

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