Konted's Make My Day 2

Monday, 24 December 2012

Oh, There Was A 4th King !

Oh, There Was A 4th King !

There were Three Kings and they were Melchor, Baltazar and Gaspar. There was a 4th one but he didn't get as famous as the other three. While the Three Kings took the limelight, the 4th one was relegated to the background and into obscurity. The 4th King was named Artaban.

Bearing Sapphire, Pearl and Ruby as his gifts to the real King of Kings about to be born in the little town of Bethlehem, Artaban left the mountains of Persia for his long journey to an appointed place and at an appointed time where he would meet Melchor, Baltazar and Gaspar. Time was of the essence.

Riding on top of his horse Visda, Artaban traveled in blinding speed through mountains, streams and valleys. On a stretch of a lonely road where darkness covered the area, Artaban chanced upon a weak, dying Hebrew sprawled on the ground. Knowing fully well that he had no time to stop for him to be able to make it to the Temple of the Seven Spheres, Artaban, just the same, dismounted from his horse and took care of the dying man. He gave him bread, wine and healing herbs. Precious minutes were lost but he continued his journey.

Reaching the Temple of the Seven Spheres, Artaban didn't find anyone there. The 3 Kings had left with instruction written on a papyrus for him to follow across the desert. Frustrated, he thought long and hard. With his horse a spent one and his ration down to nil, he decided to sell the Sapphire to be able to buy a train of camels and food. The stop at that dark, lonely road had cost him a lot.

Following that bright star, Artaban reached the little, quiet town of Bethlehem. He searched but didn't find the place and the 3 Kings. Entering an open door of a stone cottage, he was welcomed by a woman holding a new born baby and singing a lullaby. Artaban learned from the woman that the 3 Kings had left after visiting the new born child of Mary and Joseph. Mary, Joseph and the child Jesus had left too to an undisclosed place.

At this point, voices of Herod's soldiers could be heard as they were looking for infants and they were out to kill all of them. Artaban bravely opened and stood by the door and called for the leader of the group. Handing the leader a Ruby, he said: "Nobody else is here. Leave this place at once." To which all the soldiers obliged. Artaban was able to save the woman's child but, in return, he had to give away that Ruby which was intended for the King of Kings. First, it was the Sapphire. Now the Ruby had been lost. Only the Pearl remained.

Artaban was frustrated for missing the opportunity to join the 3 Kings. He missed offering his gifts to the Child Jesus. But he was determined to continue his quest for the Son of God. For years, he looked for Him in places where the sick were treated, hoping to find Him there giving assistance. He searched for Him in prison cells and almost everywhere but failed to find Him. 33 years had passed, yet Artaban had not yet succeeded .

One day, an old, weak Artaban was awakened from deep slumber when news broke out that a man called Jesus Christ was to be crucified at Golgotha with two other thieves. Holding the Pearl, which was the only gift left to him to offer to Jesus, he hurriedly walked towards Golgotha. On the way, he met soldiers dragging a young lady. She was to be taken as a slave as payment for the debt incurred by her merchant-father. "Help me" cried the young girl. Thinking in a quick manner, Artaban drew from his pocket the precious Pearl and gave this to the soldiers as ransom. The young girl was freed.

After a few seconds, the earth trembled. Structures were collapsing and debris was falling, hitting Artaban. Seriously injured, he heard a voice from nowhere. The young girl could see Artaban talking to somebody she could not see herself. Artaban was saying: " I had looked for you for years. I had failed. Now that I have seen you, I have nothing more to offer. The Sapphire, Ruby and Pearl are all gone. "

The thundering voice said: "Artaban, you have not failed. Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you are doing it to me". With that, Artaban heaved a sigh of relief and with a smile on his face, he closed his eyes forever. The 4th King had succeeded in his noble quest. Finally !!!

- Konted

^ I came across the long, original story by Van Dyke while assisting my son Allen in doing his homework during his grade school days at ADMU. This is now my grandson Maximus' favorite story.

The Child Jesus in a manger

Gold, Frankincense and Myrr as gifts of the Three Kings to Jesus

Sapphire as a gift of Artaban to Jesus Christ

Ruby stone

Pearl

Chestnuts for the holiday season

Cashew Nuts

Grapes are in abundance all year round.

Ham is a traditional Christmas gift.

Apples as all-time favorite

Oranges for everyone

Lechon is everybody's pick.

One's Nemesis

Promo poster of Pacquiao-Marquez 4 at Cafe Lupe in Antipolo City

One's Nemesis

Nemesis is a word that means someone who causes misery. Nemesis can mean a scourge, curse or bane. In a battle or competition, a nemesis is someone who cannot be defeated or someone who causes pain or trouble. And history is replete with stories of great men who, seemingly indestructible, were beaten by other men who appeared to be mere mortals. These supposedly 'mere mortals' defied odds and came out triumphant in the end.

Napoleon Bonaparte, referred to as the Emperor of the French Empire, was one of the greatest military commanders of all time. He personally led his troops during the Napoleonic wars. Even in the midst of a crucial battle, he would write his wife Josephine: "I am sending you a million kisses but do not send me any, for they burn up my blood. "

In actual battles, Bonaparte was relentless in leading the French troops to numerous victories. But one man proved to be his nemesis. The Duke of Wellington and his Anglo-Allied army dealt a devastating loss to Napoleon and his French Army in the Battle of Waterloo. That was the end of Napoleon's rule as Emperor.

In the same vein, there are stories in sports where seemingly invincible fighters ruled their division with ease, annihilating opponents after opponents, only to find themselves dethroned by fighters who were underrated and not given a ghost of a chance. Sonny Liston destroyed America's sentimental favorite Floyd Patterson and other top rated heavyweight boxers of his time, only to see himself knocked out in two successive fights by the loquacious Muhammad Ali.

Likewise, George Foreman made mincemeat of tough Joe Frazier and stopped him in the early rounds. He disposed of equally durable fighters like Ken Norton and George Chuvalo. Again, Muhammad Ali, already past his prime, battled Big George in what was dubbed as "The Rumble In The Jungle". Initially appearing to be a one-sided match with Ali not throwing enough punches but, instead, applying the rope-a-dope, the Louisville Lip sprang a surprise by unleashing a chopping right to Foreman's face in Round 8 to knock out Big George for good. Clearly, Ali was the nemesis of both Liston and Foreman.

Recently, Juan Manuel Marquez proved to all and sundry that he is the nemesis of boxing sensation and knockout artist Manny Pacquiao. With all three previous fights ending either with close scores or controversies, the 4th fight settled it once and for all. In Round 6, with both fighters scoring knockdowns in the early rounds, Marquez, moving his head a little to the left and mustering all his strength, unleashed an explosive overhand right to the onrushing Moneyman. Pacquiao fell flat on his face and remained unconscious for nearly two minutes. El Dinamita shook up the world in spectacular fashion. He, indeed, is Pacquiao's nemesis. By beating the legendary Pacquiao, Marquez, too, has become a legend.

- Konted

Marquez's knockout punch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHsB591saj8