Injury List

Since I've had quite a number of major injuries the past few years, I might as well jot them down here.

Come to think of it, I played soccer competitively for CSA and Ateneo for about 10 years or so, and I've never had any injuries whatsoever. I never had to miss time to nurse an injury during that span. However, the past 3 years have resulted in a number of injuries due to playing recreational basketball. How strange.

February 2003 - Fractured Nasal Bone (Broken Nose). Needed closed reduction surgery.

November 2004 - Corneal Abrasion (Scratched Cornea). Treated at the St. Luke's ER.

July 2005 - Fractured Lower Fibula (Broken Ankle). Immobilized for 6 weeks.

November 2005 - Dislocated Right Middle Finger.

January 2006 - Dislocated Left Middle Finger.

I guess I flash the finger too often that's why they got messed up.

Flash Me the Finger

Injuries seem to be loving me, as I keep getting something twisted, tweaked or broken one body part after another. The latest being another jammed, dislocated finger courtesy of a basketball gig a few days ago.

I've jammed a lot of fingers already. I think every single finger I have has been sprained during one time or another. But this one's different. It's actually not as painful and swollen as my previous ones. So it seems like a good sign right? However, it's the ugliest looking sprained finger I've ever seen... the joint near the fingertip is crooked. Yes, it's downright nasty. I can't straighten the joint out. I have to keep a splint tied onto it to keep it 'normal'.

Experts say it should heal and straighten itself out in about a week or two. No need for extra special care, just the splint will do.

Of course, it didn't stop me from continuing to play, as I already played last night. A broken nose didn't deter me from playing, so what's a disclocated (or possibly fractured) finger gonna do?

Knock Before You Enter

We were gonna drop some stuff off at my friend's flat late last night. We were in a bit of a hurry so we can finish early and head home. We were joking around that we might catch his flatmate with a girl. His flatmate, by the way, just started renting like two weeks ago. We came in, then we heard someone say, "Uy pare!". I spotted a couple of pale pilsens off the kitchen sink so we thought he and maybe a few friends are having a drink. My friend, who owns the condo, won't be sleeping there anyway. He just needed to unload his things. Unmindful of the earlier warning, we opened the door fully and then we heard him say, "Pare naman...". Ooops, we then understood they were busy. Before we could close the door though, we saw a glimpse of him preaching the gospel missionary style on the couch. I guess they were really on a mission as he managed to sneak in several pumps even while we were looking. That was just plain nasty.

So we went out and stayed at the floor lobby. Father preacher came out a few minutes later, sweat dripping all over his face and his fly still wide open.

Lesson of the day: Knock first before you open the door, even if it's your own your own place. You'll never know what's going on inside while you're gone.

Return of Gonzylla

Today was gameday. It was to be my much-awaited comeback after serving a one-game suspension last week in the ABL. I missed my team's first game because of a one-game ban resulting from an incident during last season's playoffs. Modesty aside, they missed my averages of 8 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals , which is quite a good fantasy line mind you.

Lo and behold, we got the win alright... but it came after our opponents today, Sustagen (Mead Johnson) forfeited the game by default. They were not able to present the minimum requirement of five players at the start of tipoff. Damn.

We were looking to get a W today, but not by default. Everyone was eager to play and strut their stuff, especially since we're coming from a badly-played game. To be honest, I'd rather take a loss playing, than getting a victory by doing nothing. But rules are rules, and that's the way it always has been.

We'll take it anyway. Next weekend is going to be tough, as we will be playing what most teams consider the top seed in the corporate division, Globe Telecom. They have marquee players who will be difficult to contain.

The ball is round... who knows? Maybe we'll get another W with another default.

Haha.

Blowout!

We just had our ABL season-opener last night against Ateneo-San Miguel Corporation. They weren't exactly the strongest of teams, but they blew us out by a massive 35 points, 81-46. I sat out the game because of a 1-game suspension I had to serve for the 2005 season. I am not saying that we would've won had I played, but it sure would've been a more tightly contested game because of the experience I bring from the point guard slot. As Ateneo-Adidas' floor general last season, I averaged a division best 5.6 assists basically on drive-and-dish plays with my shooters on the wing. We had none of that last night. The guys were basically scrambling all over the court without much direction.

Anyway, we're setting our sights for our next game this Saturday at the more familiar Moro Lorenzo gym, against Ateneo-Sustagen. Hopefully, we will able to do better this time though I'm sure it's not gonna be easy. They have one guy who scores over 30 a game, so we have to lock and contain him down. I'll take over from point, and will probably take on their best offensive threat.

With me back on the court, we'll be a totally different team. For real.

Ateneo Basketball League

The Ateneo Basketball League (ABL) starts its 2006 season this weekend, January 14-15. It's officially the largest alumni-based league in the country with over 150 teams participating this year. Everybody's been waiting for the season to begin, I fully expect it to be a success, as always.

This year is going to be my 4th season, again suiting up for the Adidas team. Last year, Team Adidas reached the playoffs despite being a rookie team, with most of our members playing in their first seasons as well. With the experience we gained then, we hope to do better this year. It's going to be difficult since we're playing in the corporate division, rest assured though that we'll go down fighting.

Speaking of playoffs, I've been fortunate enough to win an ABL division championship during my rookie year back in 2003. My team then was composed of my Ateneo HS 1999 batchmates and a few other friends. A big shoutout goes to all my former teammates: division MVP Imman Decena, brothers JR and Greg Umali, sweet-shooting Mark Odulio, Von Valdepeñas, Josh Pritchard, Jon Bantigue, Chucky Reyes, and the rest of Team 4C99. We were all rookies then, but we managed to go all the way.

Gone Too Soon

Just as I was getting hyped over something, the feeling suddenly fizzles down the drain. Now the smile's off my face. Maybe I rejoiced too soon.

What a bummer.

Panic Mode

I've been on my self-imposed vacation for about three months now. I decided to quit work and take a break for the rest of the year last October. I'm a bit surprised on how time flies so fast. It's January already and I told myself last year that I needed to start working at least before February swings by. I honestly don't have much choice but to work soon. My resources are somewhat getting depleted already, close to being totally wiped out. I absolutely cannot afford to bum for another month. As a result, I'm in a panic mode already, as I'm pressured to find a job that I'd like to do, more than anything else. At this point, I cannot settle for a meantime job because it's just not gonna work out. I need something that I'd really like doing, and will compensate me properly as well. Usually, you find a really nice job but it doesn't pay well. So you end up getting paid a lot for something that you don't like doing. That just won't cut it for me though.

At any rate, time's running out so fast I have to resolve this soon. Hopefully things will work out and fall into place.

I'll be praying for that.

The Art of Seduction, Third Edition

I loved the film Cruel Intentions. From the severely puzzling plot, to Kathryn and Sebastian, down to 'Bittersweet Symphony', I've always enjoyed watching the film over and over again.

Early this morning, I was able to catch the second sequel, Cruel intentions 3. I must admit I haven't seen a movie as flirty, nasty and twisted as this one since the first film debuted in the late 90's. The characters here, Cassidy, Jason and Patrick make Sebastian Valmont and his stepsister Kathryn seem like angels.

Oh yeah, the reason why I wrote about this is simple. They have the nastiest seduction sequence I've seen and I know I've seen a lot. I won't go into details anymore but it sure hell made me think about it. Now I've got a new fantasy to fulfill. Haha.

Go watch it.

The Age-Old Question

There are times in life that people wish they were older. When I was 14, I wished I would turn 16 already so I could get my student permit (to drive). When my friends and I were about 16, we wanted to be 18 so we can go ahead and watch adult films at the cinemas. Then I guess as we grow older, the tide changes and we want to revert back to our younger years. People who are 30 want to be 20. People in their 50's do all sorts of things to look 30-ish.

I am 24. I just turned 24 a few weeks ago. But how I wish I was born a couple of years earlier. Why? It's a bit complicated to explain. But being around 26 or 27 right now would definitely be an advantage.

I've always believed that age is nothing but a number. It just quantifies how long one has lived, yet it fails to qualify the kind of life one has had. Between the two, I'll always take quality over quantity.

I know I can't alter my age. It's something I just have to live with. Too bad though cause it certainly would be helpful if I were older, even just a little bit.

2006

Start the year with a bang.

That's basically how I wanted to greet the new year. And boy, what a big bang it was. As they say, whatever you do on the first of January, you'll end up doing for the rest of year. If this is a sign of things to come, hell I don't want to blink for I might miss out on something.

Enough said. I wouldn't want to jinx anything.

Happy New Year everyone!