JR-isms

Bred is the new Dude; Men is the new Pare. Like hekhek was once the talk of the town.

Yeah, men.

IBS Sportsfest: LeNoBo 84, TM 52

No one gave them a chance. We didn't either.

LeNoBo proved to be too much to handle for the Transition Management team (TM), as we cruised to a comfortable 84-52 win. It completes a three-game sweep of the elimination round earning ourselves the top spot.

JP took scoring honors with 21 points. Hustlin' Herbert added 16. Gian and Bon had 12 each.

As the number one team in the Dayshift group, we are set to meet the winner of Nightshift group 2 in the semifinals on September 22. We'll find out our opponent in the coming days. It'll either be Avon or TASC-CCC. We wouldn't mind either way.

Next game: Semifinal round on September 22. Opponent and venue still to be determined.

MAAI Semis: Escaler United 82, IBS 72

It's over.

We lost our semifinals match against much-heralded Escaler United earlier this evening, 82-72. Everyone including their mothers were expecting a blowout victory for Escaler, as they rolled over all four of their prior assignments with a 37-point average winning margin.

We stuck with them right from the start, and it was neck-and-neck all through out. Surprisingly, we managed to keep ourselves in the game which no other team was able to do previously. We even squeaked out a 31-28 lead during halftime.

It was still close the middle of the fourth quarter, when foul trouble did us in. Several key players went down one by one and Escaler was able to pull away.

It was a moral victory for us, if there ever was one. No one believed we could keep up, and keep up we did and so much more. We scared the hell out of them and we had a chance to win as well. Talk about heart, guts, and passion.

As a consolation for the loss, we settle for third place in the 8-team division. Considering we are a rookie team, that's not a bad achievement at all.

Being team captain, I can say I'm proud of my boys. I'd gladly go to war with you guys again.

Ugly young'ns

I was watching a Little League World Series game over at ESPN a while ago. Japan was playing Curacao for the international championship. Winner will face a US team for the world title.

One thing stood out though. Japanese kids do not look good are just plain ugly. No offense meant, just truth be told.

MAAI Quarters: IBS 82, L Boys 61

We had our quarterfinals matchup versus the L Boys earlier. Winner moves on to face topseeded and heavy favorite Escaler United tomorrow in the semis.

(We had played them previously, during matchday 2 of the eliminations already and we were able to secure a comfortable 67-53 win.)

It was a run-and-gun affair the entire game, with IBS repeating over the L Boys, 82-61. It seemed like a low-scoring game at first, with both teams being held under six points for nearly half the first quarter. Scoring picked up at the start of the second, with IBS opening the floodgates with a barrage of quick transition baskets fueled by a very impressive defense.

IBS held on to the lead and never looked back racing to several double-digit leads throughout the second half. The margin ballooned to over 20 points during the fourth period as both teams will not let up on their transition game.

Gian led all scorers with a game-high 21 points. JP was a close second with 20.

Next game: Semifinal round, vs. Escaler United, August 26, Sunday, at Club 650. Another must-win game as the loser goes home.

Hidalgo adventure

I'm not into pictures. But after months of thinking whether I should get a camera or not, I finally decided to take a trip to Hidalgo Street in Quiapo (it's the mecca for photography enthusiasts) to check for cameras. I've heard a lot of good stories about Hidalgo, so I braved the Manila traffic this morning. It was quite an adventure as I'm not familiar with the area. I was pondering on taking the train, but I was scared I'd get lost in the Manila jungle. That being said, I just took a cab.

It was hella chaotic there though. There were just too many vendors, too many hawkers, too many people in general. I've heard of people getting mugged in Quiapo so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. Carrying along my ThinkPad didn't help my cause either.

It was all good though. I bought an Ixus 70, which was exactly what I wanted except for the color. I was hoping for the black unit, which was out of stock so I had to settle for the silver. It was about 8.5k cheaper than mall price so it was quite a nice steal.

Now, if only I can find enough use for it.

Libis U-Turn slots rumor

Rumor has it that PGMA got pissed at the Libis traffic recently that's why she instructed the MMDA (through her good ally, Bayani Fernando) to close ALL the U-Turn slots along the national road, between Ortigas Avenue and Santolan Road.

If this is true, what a fuckin' bitch.

IBS Sportsfest: LeNoBo 64, P&G 53

We waited one year for this. Payback is sweet.

(Flashback: Team LeNoBo lost to P&G during last year's sportsfest. A bunch of us never forgot about the loss and we've always wanted revenge. Oh yeah, I tore my ACL during this game too, which provides additional motivation for me.)

We overcame a shaky start and a huge 16-point first half deficit on the way to outgunning the P&G team, 64-53, to notch our second straight victory.

Some missed assignments and bad plays on both ends led to easy baskets for P&G during the first half. Most of them couldn't seem to miss as their shots kept falling, especially from the perimeter. On the other hand, their steady defensive pressure kept us from running our plays. They were successful in denying our big men the ball. The half ended with P&G leading, 36-23.

The third quarter proved to be a crucial turning point. We stepped up defensively while being able to execute crisp offensive plays. A flurry of fastbreak opportunities and low-post shots paved the way for game-changing runs of 12-3 and 14-0 to start and end the third period, respectively. Overall, it was a devastating 26-3 outburst that put us on top. P&G was held to a lone three-point field goal. The third period ended with LeNoBo ahead, 49-39.

P&G was able to trim our lead to four in the early stages of the fourth, 50-46. But this was the closest they got. The rest of the period seemed to be just a formality with LeNoBo playing smart heads-up basketball. Final score was 64-53. Spectacular comeback win for us, as we set our sights on sweeping the eliminations against TM Power (Transition Management) next week.

Gian led three LeNoBo players in double-digits with 16 points. Herbert and JP added 15 and 14, respectively. I chipped in 8, while dishing out 9 assists. Shoutout to Louie for a stellar overall performance.

----------------
This game is one for the ages. Talk about having enough drive and composure to stage a comeback after falling behind by 16 early in the game. After the game, this statement summed it up for us, "Galing."

Next game: vs. TM Power, August 27, Monday, at Club 650

Libis U-Turn slots

I used to like Bayani Fernando. What he did to fix Marikina back when he was still mayor was just outstanding. No one can argue against that. But he's been doing crack ever since he got appointed as MMDA chair. His latest snafu? Taking out all the U-Turn slots along Libis. I think it's plain dumb. He only left two slots: in Ortigas Avenue (under the Ortigas/Libis flyover) and Santolan (under the Santolan/Libis/Katipunan interchange).

Simply put, if you're headed to Eastwood from the Katipunan/Santolan area, you have to drive all the way to Ortigas Avenue to take a U. Fucking hassle.

Someone knock some sense out of the MMDA.

Zoom BB

It's rare that I buy shoes at retail price (or anything near it). Plus I usually don't get basketball shoes not named Jordan. However, I couldn't help but ogle at the Air Zoom BB (white/navy/carolina colorway) when I finally saw them firsthand. I thought I'd better pick up a pair while they're available. I've slept on other shoes and I ended up kicking myself in disgust when I couldn't find them anymore.

Got them at 10% off. Fair enough. They're simply beautiful.

Lip service

I busted my lip playing basketball earlier. I caught someone's elbow on the way down from a rebound battle.

Punyeta. The impact was so strong I thought I lost a tooth or two. My upper lip is swollen and cut but at least it doesn't need any stictches.

Another one of them war wounds.

Mini sembreak

Alright, so the kids are getting a six-day weekend. Classes were called of last Wednesday. It was subsequently cancelled for yesterday and today as well. It's a national holiday on Monday.

Fuckin' eh.

One of the reasons why I miss going to school.

No hope for PAGASA

They didn't warn the public about impending strong rainshowers yesterday. The whole metro was flooded and people were stranded everywhere.

They forecasted a powerful typhoon to hit Manila today, saying it's equivalent to a Signal #4 storm. The government suspended classes for all levels in anticipation of this. Well, guess what? It was absolutely dry the whole fucking day.

PAGASA is stupid. It ought to get disbanded. We can use the funds elsewhere.

Nike Park'd

We dropped by Nike Park at Bonifacio High last night for our almost-monthly Nike shopping spree. My friends and I hauled in around 55k worth of stuff. Of course, Tin hooked us up with her 50% discount.

We were kinda disappointed though, as some of the joints we wanted were either spanking new or they didn't have our sizes. Nevertheless, looking forward to our next trip.

Day over night

The Dayshift team proved that the sun still shines on them as we rolled over the Nightshift folks in our exhibition match this afternoon. This game was part of the IBS Sportsfest 2007 Opening Ceremonies held today at Club 650.

Final score was 53-48. Center Support employees comprised majority of the DS roster, beefed up by P&G, Sunrise and Nomad folks.

IBS 65, Park 9 61

We played our last elimination round game a few hours ago against Park 9 at the Reyes Gym. We held on for a 65-61 win. Our next game will be during the quarterfinals stage in two weeks time.

As always, we started out slow but we were able to get our rhythm by the second quarter. We were able to erect a 10 point lead as the first half ended.

The third quarter was a breakout period for us as we were able to pull away with dazzling displays of an efficient running game. Biggest lead we had was 16. Assured of a win, we played soft and relaxed during the fourth quarter and Park 9 was able to creep to within 2, 61-63. JR Bulaon nailed two crucial freethrows in the final 24 seconds, bringing about the winning margin.

JP had a game-high 19 points. JR added 11.

Our record improves to 3-1, and remain tied with Gayap atop the Division F, Group 2 standings. The hold the tiebreaker though as we lost to them last week.

Next game: August 25, Saturday, at the Acropolis Gym. Opponent is still TBD. It's a must-win game as this is already the knockout phase.

La Salle loses

DLSU lost to the UST Tigers today in overtime. They may have lost more than just the game as JV Casio went down with an apparent hamstring injury late in the game.

Good job.

IBS Sportsfest: LeNoBo 89, IT 44

We had a superb start for the 2007 sportsfest season. LeNoBo, with it's roster running 12-deep, pummeled the IT team, 89-44, last night at Club 650. It was essentially over by the second quarter as the half ended with LeNoBo leading, 38-18.

Excellent overall effort by the team. Our offense proved to be balanced yet lethal as we had six players score in double figures (JP 14, Herbert 14, Gian 14, Pao 12, Yenz 10, Bon 10).

Next game: vs. P&G, August 20, Monday, at Club 650.

IBS Athletic Competition 2007 (IAC 07)

It's time for the annual IBS Sportsfest again. The season formally opens this Sunday, August 12, but some elimination round games have already been played since the start of the week.

Our team, LeNoBo (Lenovo-Nomad-Back office), will take the court tonight for our first basketball game against IT.

Everyone's hyped. Let's get this started.

Rain or shine?

It hasn't been the usual rainy season this year, having far less rains than before. By June, we'd normally have several typhoons lining up to enter the country already. As a result of the so-called drought, our dams are in danger of falling below normal level. If this continues, water might be rationed off to the rest of the metropolis and nobody wants this to happen. From what I've heard so far, we've decided on seeding the clouds to induce rain.

Well, it seems God heard our plight. We've been pestered with strong rainshowers the past few days, with an accompanying storm at that. Classes have already been suspended since yesterday. There's flood everywhere too. People have had to evacuate their homes due to the flooding.

Now, let's decide. We complain when it's too hot and there's hardly any rain. But when rains pour and floods rise, we get annoyed.

Pick your poison.

Love ko 'to (NOT)

I was craving for some twister fries early this morning (around 2:30 am) so I decided to Dial 8-McDo. Apparently, McDonald's 24-hour delivery service ain't round-a-clock after all. They couldn't process my order as there were some technical difficulties.

Yeah sure. What a lousy 24-hour delivery program.

756*

So Barry Bonds just broke the most hallowed of baseball records, he's now the all-time homerun king. He sneaked past legend Hank Aaron with a fifth-inning shot today, his 756th career homerun, over centerfield. Washington's Mike Bacsik is the unlucky pitcher who surrendered the milestone homerun.

Of course, this record comes with the most tainted of controversies. Most of the whole world believes that Bonds is/was juicing himself with steroids. It's something he has never admitted to but everything points out to him being guilty. On paper, Barry Bonds may be number one. But in the eyes of many (yours truly included), Hank Aaron is still the king.

That is, until A-Rod slugs his way to breaking the record in a few years time. This time, the world will cheer. So will I.

Sean Kingston is the new Ne-Yo

"Beautiful Girls" is 2007's "So Sick". Everyone and their mothers are humming along this song's feel good tune. It's a certified number one hit.

Not bad for a 17-year old kid.

Team IBS gets stunned, drops to 2-1

Gayap 65, IBS 58

We lost a game that pretty much everyone expected us to win. And I guess complacency did it for us. We came in celebrating the victory already. We came out disgusted and annoyed.

This serves as a gut check for everyone.


Next game: vs. Park 9, August 11, Saturday, at the Reyes Gym

DLSU loses to Ateneo; DLSU protests game

It's been hogging the local sports headlines the past week so I might as well comment on it.

DLSU filed a protest over Ateneo regarding their first round game last week. According to La Salle, the Blue Eagle coach Norman Black fielded American Kirk Long and Aussie Zion Laterretwo foreign players at the same time. UAAP rules state that two foreign-born players are allowed to in a school's roster, but only one may play on the court at any given time.

Admittedly, Ateneo did make that mistake and it was an honest one. There was no clear intention of gaining any unfair advantage. In fact, the moment Black realized the mistake, he quickly pulled out Long, sending Jai Reyes in to replace him. A technical foul was called thereafter because Jai ran on the court without notifying the table officials.

The violation did not have any bearing on the outcome of the game. The UAAP's Technical Commitee ruled in favor of denying DLSU's protest as a result.

It's interesting to know also that DLSU is probably suffering from memory loss. Reports are saying that in 1991, La Salle fielded Dwight and Elmer Lago (both American citizens) together for about ten seconds in a game. The opposing team filed a complaint after but it was turned down because it did not affect the result of the game at all.

With precedence in mind, the UAAP should concur with the Technical Committee's decision to junk the La Salle protest.

My message to Lasallians: go and accept defeat. Let's be sport, not sour and sore losers. There's still the Round 2 game anyway.

Celtic Pride

I'm officially jumping on the Boston bandwagon.

And this is exactly why:

What's up, East?