One Line

Last week, I was scrambling to figure out what’s wrong with my programming code. I have done the same thing before, I just need to customize it to fit the current needs of my supervisors. I almost destroyed the original code I made because I cannot figure out why. Only to find out I just needed to add a single line and everything is in order. Crazy right?

So because I figured out the problem, I am thankful that I was able to return the original code back to where it was by adding that single line code to get the output that I needed to present to my supervisors. Having a copy is indeed helpful since not everybody is blessed with a memory that would allow you to remember each line properly.

Which made me realize that sometimes we destroy everything we built because we didn’t know what to do only to find out that we only need to tweak a single part of ourselves, a part of the problem that would cover a lot of issues that would keep us going. But the thing about these things was that we sometimes do not have any backup or extra copy for us to revert things back into original form and add the thing or part that would make our problem/issue work.

Similar to relationships, sometimes we make a lot of effort just to show our love to someone and we wonder why they don’t appreciate us for what we are doing, only to find out maybe sometimes we only need to say one line such as saying the words “I love you.” Those words are enough just to appease all the things that worry the other person. However, in life, time is very essential. We cannot revert time nor we cannot revert it back to the original timeline wherein everything is just starting to fall apart and then you add that one-liner that would make things get back on track.

Despite the fact that we think life is complicated, sometimes we are the ones that are making it complicated. If we look closely, we just need one line… a single thing to solve everything that we are going through right now, but instead we chose to destroy everything we built. The thing is life doesn’t have any backups. Life doesn’t have any extra copies for us to overwrite the destroyed output… and the only way is to remember the lessons and make sure we were able to apply these lessons and knowledge moving forward.

Return to Sender

This blog is inspired with one of the aftermaths of an NBA Trade deadline that happened last month that I decided to make a story in relation to this trade. This is the story of Doug McDermott being traded back to his former team Indiana Pacers (who joined the San Antonio Spurs via Sign and Trade from Indiana Pacers three years ago in exchange of pick-swaps)

Almost three years ago, I thought he didn't love me anymore so I told him I’ll be leaving and met someone who wants me. When he knew who I was with now, he asked my new lover if there was something he could offer in exchange, no matter how minute it is just to salvage out of our previous relationship. My new guy agreed with my former guy - probably their bro code.

Fast forward to the present, I admit in any relationship, there are ups and downs. Regardless, I know we are both happy with each other. However, some things needed to change and my lover realized that he cannot make me suffer in this relationship anymore despite being okay with staying by his side. When he saw that my former lover is not only becoming an even better man, but also discovered that he still loves me wants me back in his life, he told me that he and my former lover had a talk and they decided that my lover should let go of me peacefully so that I could go back into my former lover's arms.

I know part of him hurts, but I understand he has to do what is best for him - and for me. In the end, I knew I had the best of both worlds knowing that they both love me and did what was best for me even if it meant the other person had to be hurt by letting me go.

Queen of Indy

This blog is inspired with one of the aftermaths of an NBA Trade deadline that happened years ago that I decided to make a story in relation to this trade. This is the Domantas Sabonis - Tyrese Haliburton trade from the perspective of Tyrese Haliburton.

In a world where every kingdom was given a yearly opportunity to find a concubine through an annual draft that would help aid The King in ensuring that their respective kingdom will always win enough battles or tournaments among kingdoms and become the best of the best in the world, a young lady like I would dream that one day I would be worthy enough to be selected by the council of respective kingdoms during annual draft and eventually win the heart of The King to crown me to be his queen until death do we part.

Four years ago, I was selected to become one of the concubines in the annual draft. The problem? The kingdom that chose me was said to be full of curse according to the townspeople… curse in the sense that this kingdom was the laughingstock across the world because of the antics The King was trying to experiment such as cherry-picking just to make the kingdom stay relevant and competitive. Curse in the sense that this kingdom was in drought that they never won enough minor tournaments for them to have a chance to become the best of the best in the world during major tournaments… The last time they were in major tournaments? I probably just started my formal education.

Despite the chatter that people were spewing here and there in my newfound kingdom, I learned that these townspeople in my kingdom are special. That if we all worked together, we could do something amazing to represent the kingdom positively. Former queens and concubines of this kingdom may have wanted to leave… Some even demanded to leave or be transferred to another kingdom that is deemed to be more powerful or a kingdom that they thought that could make them happy for a lifetime… but I knew deep down that I wanted to stay here because if I chose to stay and we flourish as a kingdom, it would be all worth it. Maybe I could say… I know I can fix The King’s ongoing struggles and finally remove the so-called “curse” that’s been haunting him and this kingdom and this kingdom will no longer become the laughing stock around the world.

Months after I was drafted and started competing in minor tournaments, the council and the townspeople knew that I’m special… special enough that the townspeople wanted me to stay for a lifetime. I wanted to stay in this kingdom for a lifetime too. I guess I was so special that the King decided to promote me to become one of his lead concubines despite just being selected as a new concubine by his council... So special that the messengers and observers across various kingdoms wondered if I would eventually replace the Queen of this land. Honestly, the Queen and I never have problems with each other. I respect that she is the Queen and I’m a concubine that needs to support her in times of her need during tournaments. In fact, I never even thought if the King would entertain the idea of having two, three or even multiple queens in his kingdom.

Despite our kingdom not making into the major tournaments that year, I knew that the council and townspeople like where the kingdom is heading. Then a new season arrives, a new set of concubines arrive, some left by choice or the King and the council traded some of them, but what’s more important is the Queen and her lead concubines are still here to help her serve the kingdom.

As we start another season of competing in minor tournaments, I never expected that the chatter among townspeople and messengers within and outside the kingdom would continue and at a faster and louder pace that the council would soon decide to dethrone our Queen and I would be the one replacing her. That was not only the case, I admit that our kingdom was struggling against other kingdoms because even if the Queen and I never had issues, our strengths and weaknesses are not complementary with each other which hurts the kingdom’s chances in winning tournaments. The chatter was so rampant that the King, together with his counsels had to make a very, very difficult decision.

The King chose the Queen to stay while he gave me, my other co-lead concubine and another subordinate concubine in exchange for a Lithuanian Queen that was twice recognized as one of the best queens of the world. It was heartbreaking to me because I knew I gave my best shot and it hurts so bad that I was crying about this because there are some thoughts that would enter your head if you didn’t please the King enough for him to consider you staying? Didn’t you give your best shot in every match you competed in? However you see townspeople and messengers across the world wondering why did my now former kingdom give away a soon to be queen in exchange for another queen in a kingdom that has a queen already serving the King? As they said it’s harder to please a proven queen to stay in the kingdom compared to a concubine who is still not allowed to break agreements and has to continuously serve the King as he pleases unless he wants to discard or replace you - such as in my case being replaced by a proven queen.

Then as I entered the new kingdom I was transferred to, a kingdom who was guided by one of the best advisers in the world. An adviser who was able to aid a kingdom he previously guided in becoming the best in the world a decade ago. An adviser who trained a gifted Slovenian Queen in that same previous kingdom to become one of the best queens in the world right now. The only positive here was that because this kingdom I now serve gave away their Lithuanian Queen, there should be a new queen in their kingdom - and the King wanted me to become his queen. Imagine in a span of two years of serving kingdoms, I already become a queen?

However, being a queen is not an easy feat. From helping the queen fend off opposing queens and concubines during tournaments to now having to depend on my concubines to fend off opponents in attacking me. Imagine being called a fake queen by one of the messengers from a big kingdom like York just because I wasn’t able to win our kingdom in that one matchup against their kingdom? It was a difficult transition I should say, but I take on the challenge because this is my dream - to become a queen one day.

As I navigate our kingdom into relevancy like how the previous queen did so, I started to wonder how my former kingdom looked right now, especially if there are now two queens in that kingdom. Well I don’t know what the Lithuanian Queen did to my kingdom but she sure helped to make my previous kingdom relevant. They are no longer the laughingstock that they used to be, they even broke the curse that I wish I was able to fix. That kingdom even created a cult-like chant of “Light the Beam” every time they won a minor tournament that other kingdoms took notice of. Not only that, for the first time, they were part of the major tournaments. As I heard those townspeople say, the drought is over. The curse was finally lifted.

It was sad how you wish you were the one to cure his curse because you are the only one who wanted to stay despite almost all people around you kept on saying you have to leave him. I knew deep down I could have done the same thing in making my former kingdom back to relevancy positively like what that Lithuanian Queen did. It hurts that there is nothing you could have done in the situation for him to choose you to be with him for a lifetime even if you were willing to offer all the love to the King despite his imperfections and he rewarded you with a discard by replacing you with a queen. How am I a lead concubine supposed to go against a queen who is four years older, more experienced, established and twice recognized as one of the best queens in the world? But I guess if the King does not want the curse to be cured through you, you cannot do anything about it. You cannot heal someone who doesn’t want to be cured. You cannot fix someone who doesn’t want to be fixed. Heck you started to wonder if just because the King and their council heard the news that there is a queen that a King wanted to give away in exchange for a concubine, they stroke the chance and it probably still hurts that it was me that he chose to give away. Was the King impatient enough for me to blossom into a worthy queen in his eyes that he chose to go after an older, established and proven queen who blossomed and was waiting patiently to grow into one by her previous King?

Despite these things the former King did against me, what I would be thankful for was that he gave me away to a kingdom who would be willing to make me a queen. A King who saw that a concubine like me would be worthy to become his Queen. I repaid his kindness and for seeing my true worth in ensuring that I would eventually be recognized by the world as one of the best queens the previous year. This year I was chosen by the townspeople, fellow queens and concubines and recognized messengers across the world as one of the top 10 queens of the world to participate in the annual friendly matchup of the queens. Not only did I become an efficient and effective queen, I also had my concubines that would complement my strengths and weaknesses to make the kingdom stronger. Now, we are destroying kingdoms that are known to weather any kind of storm, we are also destroying weaker, but famous kingdoms. Oh, I finally even got my sweet revenge against the kingdom that discarded me by beating them. In addition, I destroyed the kingdom, where the messenger lives that said I wasn’t a real queen, into pieces. I always thought that a queen should always serve the king no matter what, but I didn’t expect that my King and his council would do everything to make me stay - to make me happy. In fact they are doing everything to make my life easier during the tournament by bringing in a Cameroonian Queen who previously served from the kingdom of North and was also previously recognized as one of the best queens (top 10 queens too) in the world. I don’t mind having a co-queen to serve the king, because this Cameroonian Queen and I knew that we need each other to serve the kingdom better and she also knew that I am the King’s priority and she is only secondary.

I don’t know where my life is headed. All I knew was that I am still young, young enough that there is so much to prove, so much to explore and we have time to ensure that our kingdom will become relevant and eventually compete in major tournaments. As long as I knew that the townspeople, the council, the concubines and most especially the King still wanted me in their life and would do everything to make me stay, I wouldn’t mind staying with them for a lifetime too.