Rainy days

I love wearing jackets, but when you have to wear them everyday for more than a week even outside the cold confines of an air-conditioned office, that means the weather is bad.

I used to love the rainy weather.  As a kid, it was a lot of fun running around our compound in Sangi, Toledo City when we were still at the old Atlas mines.

When we moved back to our house in Minglanilla, the rain was still a welcome respite despite the fact that the Pakigne River is very near our abode and would often swell when there’s heavy rainfall.

 At times I would go out in the rain and frolic like a child with my two kids to make them experience a highly-enjoyable activity that would not require lots of cash unlike going to the malls.

Yes I love the rain, but when it goes on for days and you begin to run out of cold weather clothes.

I’m sure many sporting events have been postponed due to the weather and many young athletes in training have lost interest to report to practice since the bed somehow beckons that you stay longer than usual.

Then there are also those aches and pains from old injuries that remind you of your age during cold weather that is such a low down.

Well, I just have to keep a jacket on to survive and all my plans to enjoy outdoor sporting activities as part of the audience or the gallery shelved.

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Justine Henin of Belgium is quitting professional tennis at the age of 25 and while she is currently the world number 1 player in the women’s tour.

Henin, who is also an Olympic gold medalist and winner of Grand Slam events except the Wimbledon, will be leaving the game after reportedly battling fatigue.

She is not the first among athletes in their prime to quit while they’re still at the top.

Back in 2005, Lance Armstrong retired from competitive cycling after winning his seventh straight Tour de France title, a feat that would be very hard to match.

Michael Jordan twice (or should I say thrice) retired from basketball while at the top of his game.  He did both after the Chicago Bulls bagged three straight NBA championships.

Then recently there was Brett Favre, the long-time starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League (NFL), who retired while still at the top of his game.

It is always hard to predict how long a career as a professional athlete can last and that is the reason why many try to make the most while they still can and the wise ones try to prepare for retirement as early as they can.

Unfortunately, there are many top professionals who seem to think that they are going to have long careers and don’t prepare for sudden retirement.  Many of them now only have the memories of their glory days as their only remaining wealth.

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The first Filipino Olympic medalist was Teofilo Yldefonso, who won a bronze medal in the 200 meters breaststroke during the 1928 Amsterdan Games.  He won a bronze medal again in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics for the same event.

The country first took part in the Olympics during the 1924 Games in Paris.

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