Hundreds of helicopter pilots engaged in last-minute training exercises to master blind descents through the clouds of sand kicked up by their rotors.
And, to cap it off, many view the episode as an exercise in master manipulation of the news media by someone whose aims are obscure.
That will not spare her the necessity of personally controlling some seasoned practitioners of politics à la Marcos, including Mr Salvador Laurel, her vice-president and prime minister, and Mr Juan Ponce Enrile, her defence minister.As she tries to master the exercise of power, Mrs Aquino will need to move quickly to deal with the worst legacies of Mr Marcos's last years.
The point of this exercise is to master controlled movements rather than to increase your speed.
During the first half of Honorius' reign, power was exercised by his master of soldiers, Flavius Stilicho.
There is the voice of diet, exercise, education, mastering a trade, but what is God telling you to do?
Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre Keith Johnstone (Methuen Drama, £9.99) Techniques and exercises from the master of improvisation.
Singers and soloists, he notes, will frequently master recitals, concerti and operas that call for a prodigious exercise of memory.
For Mr. Friedlander, his surroundings are an exercise in mastering a sort of Zen, "and not identifying with my apartment," he explained, "being able to find peaceful existence no matter what kind of living situation".
Public officials are our servants, not our masters, and they must be held accountable for the responsible exercise of the limited authority delegated to them.
