Shopper's mantra

I was at the mall last Sunday accompanying SY go shopping. When asked for my opinion on some stuff, I said, "when in doubt, get all."

Pretty much sums up my shopping philosophy.

Hansbrough: I'm coming back; Lawson, Ellington and Green will test NBA waters

The reigning consensus national player of the year, All-American junior Tyler Hansbrough announced he is returning to North Carolina for his senior year. He said he wants to bring back a national championship to Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels were ousted in the recent (2008) Final Four by eventual champion Kansas.

UNC last won it all in 2005 with four current NBA players on its roster (Charlotte's Raymond Felton and Sean May, Atlanta's Marvin Williams and Minnesota's Rashad McCants).

Hansbrough, the likely favorite to repeat as player of the year next season, should be able to break numerous school, conference and NCAA records when he plays his final year.

Though most felt he would return, this ends weeks of speculation on the three-time All-American's future.

Meanwhile, sophomores Tywon Lawson and Wayne Wellington, and junior Danny Green have declared for the NBA draft, though they won't sign with agents. Under NCAA rules, college student-athletes lose their eligibility and amateur status upon signing with an agent. Should they decide to return to school, they have until June 16 to withdraw their names.

Despite the possibility of three key players leaving early for the NBA, did I just hear the Carolina faithful heave a huge sigh of relief?

Scrumptious sampaloc

I've been munching on Moniegold chewy tamarind candy all week.

It's freaking addicting.

Bringing down the walls of Jericho

We're in the new millenium now and I'm still shocked at how many people are still fearful of challenging the status quo. We're in the age of globalization yet some of us are still stuck in yesteryear.

I guess it takes a mix of willpower, courage, a lot of balls and maybe a bit of stupidity (or stubbornness) to take a shot against an established standard, an institution so to speak. Not everyone is blessed with the capacity and fervor to do just that.

Being a man of risks, I wish to see more and more people try to do a David amidst a throng of Goliaths. Similarly, the walls of Jericho were once deemed indestructible. We all know what happened after.

Comeback Kings

Since bringing along my IBM colleagues to the Tuesday basketball games at the Department of Agriculture a couple of months ago, we've never dropped a game. Ever.

That flawless streak was put to the utmost test last night as we found ourselves down by 12 points, 11-23, in a race to 40. We were being outplayed and outhustled in just about every aspect.

Everybody knows I hate losing, so this setback pumped up my adrenaline and got my competitive juices flowing once again.

Channeling my best Chris Paul impression, I almost single-handedly willed a comeback, scoring on a series of isolation and transition plays. A 19-6 run, culminating with a Bon three-pointer, finally gave us a slim 1 point lead, 30-29.

However, our opponents scored five straight points on consecutive possessions and we found ourselves staring at a 30-34 hole yet again.

Unfazed, we made the necessary defensive stops and scored the next 10 points, capped by a game-winning Daryl trey for a thrilling 40-34 comeback win.

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I went pretty hard on some of my teammates last night, but I just wouldn't let my team lose. Not while I'm handling the point. I'm expecting them to go all out, just as I do all the time. Then again, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone more passionate on the court than I am.

But that's just me. Laying it all on the line. Treating every game like it's the championship. No holding back.

Become Legendary: Look Me In The Eyes

Another one of Jordan Brand's excellent television spots.



"I'm scared of what I won't become. You're scared of what I could become."

Dirt status

Bred makes the most interesting (and comedic) YM status messages. Everyday is a guess-the-meaning-of-JR's-status moment.

Become Legendary: Maybe

Check out Jordan Brand's latest TV ad.



Wow.

Mind-boggling

My weekend was a rollercoaster. It had more twists and turns than an M. Night Shyamalan movie.

I'm glad I came out in one piece.

IBS Fantasy winner

Let it be known.

After almost 6 months of Yahoo fantasy basketball action, I've emerged as the IBS league champion. Pretty cool for someone who was toiling in the middle of the pack for the first 5 months.

I went into the playoffs as the 4th seed, beating topseeded Lenobo (Lenovo's JP Sarmiento) and 2nd seed Battlegrounds (Discover's JR Bulaon) in the semis and finals respectively.

For those who know me, you'd already know how competitive I am. For those who don't, this is a testament that I take games seriously. I just don't like losing.

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Lost count

I lost some scripts including my stat counter upon upgrading to the newer version of Blogger. I'm not sure if this is better than the original one but I know it did mess up my template.

Anyhow, I picked up a new counter but it'll be starting from scratch. I'm not getting revenue from this anyway so I don't mind at all.

NBA Playoffs

The NBA regular season officially ended today and the playoffs shall start this weekend. The Eastern Conference should be easier to predict, while the West circus will be very interesting to watch.

Here are the matchups plus my take on who'll advance to the next round:

EAST (Team in bold has homecourt advantage)

(1)Boston Celtics vs (8)Atlanta Hawks

- The Celtics Big Three (KG, the Truth and Jesus) vs Atlanta's three (JJ, JSmooth and Bibby). Atlanta has absolutely no chance. I say Beantown sweeps this one by a mile, 4-0.

(2)Detroit Pistons vs (7)Philadelphia 76ers

- The playoffs bring out the best in Detroit basketball. I'd go for another Piston sweep.

(3)Orlando Magic vs (6)Toronto Raptors

- Dwight Howard vs. Chris Bosh? This is difficult, but I'll go with a Canadian upset, 4-3.

(4)Cleveland Cavaliers vs (5)Washington Wizards

- King James vs Agent Zero Deshawn Stevenson? Cavs take this one in 6 games.

WEST (Teams in caps have homecourt advantage)

(1)Los Angeles Lakers vs (8)Denver Nuggets

- My mind tells me it's Kobe, but my heart says it's Carmelo. I'll follow my heart and go with a giant Nugget upset, 4-3.

(2)New Orleans Hornets vs Dallas Mavericks

- I'll take Chris Paul over Dirk Nowitski all day, everyday. Hornets in 6.

(3)San Antonio Spurs vs Phoenix

- I hate Tim Duncan, I love Steve Nash. The Suns in 7.

(4)Utah Jazz vs (5)Houston Rockets

- The Rockets have been awesome even without Yao Ming. They'll take the series in 5 games.

Localized uprising

The little coup d'etat that was brewing over a month ago seemed to have had a life of its own. It steadily built up until it was too much to be ignored.

At the onset, I said it smelled good. Now, it tastes even better.

Blackout

If anything, I think the past week-and-a-half proved that I can survive without watching TV and I can sleep without an iPod plugged into my ears.

S-ful Sunday

I found myself watching a play the other day. It's not really my thing but it was fun. I can see myself doing it again.

I caught the Horton animated film later that night too. I enjoyed it. Haha. It's nice to be a kid once in a while.

Last call

I think I just made the biggest gamble of my life. There's no turning back.

UNC's Hansbrough sweeps MVP awards

North Carolina All-American Tyler Hansbrough has just swept all the major college basketball individual awards. That makes him the consensus national player of the year.

He needed just one of six player of the year trophies to have his jersey retired by North Carolina, instead he took home all six: the Wooden, the Naismith, the Associated Press, the US Basketball Writers Association, the Sporting News, and the National Association of Basketball Coaches MVP awards.

It's a testament to the spectacular season he's had, punctuated by a trip to the Final Four. One question still remains though: will he stay or go pro?

Strange, weird and unexpected no more

I said a few days ago that I'm looking forward to a thrilling week ahead. True enough, it has been a wonderful week so far. I just wish this could go on forever.

Leader Culture with Francis Kong

I had to get to the UP Ayala site at 8am today to catch the IBM/Inspire Leader Culture program launch with reknowned speaker Francis Kong.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have made the extra effort to get up early. But I had every reason to make a little sacrifice and get my ass ready to leave for Commonwealth by 730.

Except for the nasty early morning heat, I couldn't have imagined a better morning.

Tick tock

It sucks to be working (or living) on borrowed time. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

Losing money to Kansas yet again

Memphis' last minute breakdown and missed freebies, plus the Chalmers' three cost me some dough. I had money on the Tigers winning the chip with a negative-2 spread.

I swear I was counting money when Memphis had a 9 point lead with just over 2 minutes remaining. Also, when Memphis was up 3 with about 10 seconds left, all they needed was one good defensive stop for the championship (while covering the spread). But no, they let Super Mario hit the game-tying trey.

I bet against Kansas twice (first was against UNC in the Final Four) and I get bounced both times.

Punyeta.

Kansas is the NCAA Bball champion

Up by 9 points with 2 minutes and change left, Memphis looked assured to win their first national championship. But a late game meltdown anchored on missed freethrows, paved the way for Kansas's Mario Chalmers to nail a three-pointer to knot the game at 63-all with 2 seconds remaining.

It was all Kansas in the ensuing overtime period, winning the championship via a 75-68 comeback victory.

Strange, weird and unexpected

Except for some minor hitches, my long weekend has been surprising and interesting to say the least. It should provide for a thrilling week ahead.

UNC bows out of the NCAA tournament

I'm disappointed North Carolina lost to Kansas yesterday via an 84-66 blowout.

The Jayhawks clearly dominated the game especially in the 1st half building a game-high 28 point lead. The Tar Heels were outhustled throughout the game.

Save for a ferocious 2nd half comeback that trimmed the Kansas lead to 4 points, North Carolina was outplayed in all aspects.

Tar Heel fans are hoping that All-American junior Tyler Hansbrough, and sophomore studs Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington forego the NBA draft and stay at least one more season. It'll be a dream to see them come back and join the three HS All-Americans (Ed Davis, Tyler Zeller, Larry Drew) who are coming in next year.

Within the next few weeks (or months), we'll know their decisions. until then, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Toto in Manila

Alright, so I missed the Toto concert last night. I've been looking for someone to come with me and watch, but no one seemed interested.

They all prefer to see the Swing Out Sisters, who performs Monday night at the Araneta Coliseum. Yeah maybe I'll watch that instead as consolation. It's a bit more expensive than Toto though.

Meantime, I guess I'll just have to be contented with listening to Toto music on my iPod.

Cory and Chemo

I heard Cory Aquino underwent a couple of chemotherapy sessions already. This is rude,but I'm raring to see her go bald.

Pics, pics, pics!

Psycho T to AP All-America Team

The Associated Press released its annual All-America teams today and I'm not surprised North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough was a uninanimous first team selection. Kansas State's freshman phenom Michael Beasley shares the same accolade.

They are joined in the first team by Texas point guard DJ Augustin, Memphis guard Chris Douglas-Roberts and UCLA center Kevin Love.

Only Hansbrough was able to score a double, as he was also named to the preseason AP All-America team.