Minnesota Miracle

Down by one, 57-58, with 1.5 seconds remaining, Minnesota needed a miracle.

A miracle they will indeed get. Blake Hoffarber caught a 75-foot inbounds pass, spun around, and released a nice left-handed floater to beat the buzzer for an improbable 59-58 upset win over (22)Indiana.

Enjoy.



If you don't like this, you don't like college basketball.

(1)UNC reaches ACC tourney final

I missed two Carolina games over the weekend as I was in Batangas for an official IBM activity. Nevertheless, I'm elated to find out that the top-ranked Tar Heels move on to the ACC Tournament Finals with wins over Florida State (82-70) and Virginia Tech (68-66). They will meet the Clemson Tigers for the ACC postseason championship.

Clemson had two overtime losses versusNorth Carolina this season, while leading for much of the games. I'm hoping the third meeting is not a charm for the surging Tigers. They upset (7)Duke in theit semis matchup to reach the final.

Tipoff is on Monday, 1am Manila time, broadcast over ESPN. No way I'm missing it.

IT goes to Calaca

I just came back from an exhausting but super fun, off-site, overnight strategic planning session with Center IT. For the second straight year, the IT folks had chosen Batangas as our destination. This time it was in mountainous Calaca town, which had a Tagaytay-like ambience (last year was at seaside Calatagan).

I would have to admit that Center IT probably holds the best planning sessions in MDC. They're absolutely off the chains.

UNC's Green serves a facial over Duke's Paulus

North Carolina's Danny Green slams one over Greg Paulus on Duke's Senior Night last Sunday.

Green had his nuts literally on the Duke guard's mouth, as he went for the thunderous throwdown.

Paulus just got owned pretty bad.



If you don't like this, you don't like Carolina basketball!

Just turned 2 (in IBM years)

I'm officially on my first week in my third year here in IBM. My IBM anniversary date is March 9. I sincerely hope and pray that I will still be here to start my fourth year in 2009.

Hmm...

Let's Groove tonight!!!

When I found out Earth Wind and Fire was coming to Manila for a concert, something told me I needed to go. I watched them at the Philsports Complex (formerly known as ULTRA) the last time they came to town back in 1997 (or 98). It was a no-brainer. I just had to see them again last night.

The show was good, nothing great though. They started out bad in my opinion, opening up with four songs unknown to most of the crowd. Then they lit it up with consecutive hits, "After The Love Has Gone" and "Reasons". They followed with a few more what-song-are-they-singing numbers. They saved the best for last as they supposedly ended with "September" then they came back out for an encore performance of "Boogie Wonderland" and "Let's Groove".

If only they arranged the song sequence a little better, I think it would've made the crowd pumped up from the beginning. Still, Filipinos are known to be great fans, and despite the rough start, we still showed EWF how Pinoys party.

Gossip Girl, Manila style

Someone sent me this blog and it's too interesting to pass up. It's Gossip Girl and Soozyhopper rolled into one.

Enjoy!

xoxo

http://delfindjmontano.blogspot.com

Carolina spoils another Duke Senior Night

All eyes were on the state of North Carolina as it featured US college basketball's (and perhaps college sports') greatest rivalry.

Welcome to another Duke-UNC game, but this time there's more than just pride on the line. Number five Duke hosted top-ranked Carolina for the ACC regular season championship and a potential number one seed in the NCAA tournament later this month.

North Carolina used a 10-0 run in the final minutes to seal the 76-88 win, spoil yet another Duke Senior Night, while clinching the ACC regular season championship. Duke was held scoreless for the last five-and-a-half minutes of the game.

It was another gloomy end for another Duke senior, as captain and leading scorer DeMarcus Nelson had a poor outing with 6 points on 3 of 12 shooting. A couple of years ago, Duke's inside-outside duo of Shelden Williams and JJ Redick also lost to UNC on their Senior Night.

Danny Green led the Heels with 18 points and 7 blocks while All-American Tyler Hansbrough had 16 points and 15 rebounds.

Hmmmm...

I smell a coup d'etat brewing... and it smells good.

Haha.

UNC back on top

As expected, North Carolina regained the top ranking in both the AP and ESPN polls after spending the first 10 weeks at number one.

Tennessee, which held the top spot last week after upsetting then undefeated Memphis, fell three slots to fourth with their loss to (16)Vanderbilt.

Expect a powerhouse ACC regular season-ending clash this weekend, with (5)Duke hosting (1)North Carolina on Senior Night at Durham. Winner will most likely take a number one seed heading into the NCAA Tournament.

This is interesting...

Same watch, same phone.

How cute can you get?

Zero is Nil

Despite Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines' overwhelming marketing campaign, Coke Zero and regular Coke are still worlds apart.

Coke Zero's taste doesn't even come close to the proven flavor of the regular variant.

Regular Coke > Coke Light > Coke Zero

Tar Heels over Eagles

Showing tremendous poise, (3)North Carolina rose from the dead to turn back upset-minded Boston College, 90-80.

Carolina (27-2, 12-2 ACC) was looking for its sixth straight win since losing to heated rivals Duke, but BC's Tyrese Rice has other plans in mind. He scored 46 points anchored on 8 of 12 shooting from rainbow territory to carry the Eagles to double-digit leads for much of the game.

The Tar Heels used a 32-8 run to turn a 17-point deficit into a 76-69 lead in a span of 11 minutes.

Tyler Hansbrough, UNC's All-American junior, topscored for the Heels with 25 points.

With topranked Tennessee losing to (16)Vanderbilt last week, expect North Carolina to snatch the number 1 ranking when tomorrow's polls are released.

Massacre at Moro

So I played ball last night instead of watching Ne-Yo. I said it's like the worst tradeoff.

But I had a splendid all-around game and my team went 5-0. It was murder from the start. Hearing that Ne-Yo performed for just an hour, I think I didn't miss much.

It wasn't that bad of a tradeoff after all.

Even when she's sober (if she ever is), Amy Winehouse still looks mad wasted. I honestly don't get what the big fuss is about her.

Oh yeah, I tried googling the word fugly (fucking ugly to you and me) once, her picture popped up.

No way? Yes way!

I wasn't THAT suprised to see this person (someone I actually know) pose nude for a local mag. Still, it was quite unexpected to say the least.

Must be the money?

No mo' Ne-Yo

I still can't believe I'm skipping Ne-Yo tonight. Actually, I could've gone, and I can still go. But I don't want to push it.

It sucks though knowing that while a lot of people will be humming to 'Sexy Love', I'll be shooting hoops at Moro.

Tangina. What a tradeoff.

6th ink and more

I finally had the time to finish my 6th tattoo last Sunday. It's been more than a month since I had it started on. Not to be outdone, I left the artist's place with my 7th.

Yeah baby!

Tennessee takes down Memphis

The Tennessee Volunteers showed poise down the stretch to hold off their instate rivals Memphis, 68-64. The second-ranked Vols (25-2) are expected to take the top ranking with them when the latest polls are released tomorrow.

With the loss, formerly undefeated Memphis (26-1) should go down a notch or two. There is a chance streaking third-ranked North Carolina will move up to second.

(1)Memphis vs. (2)Tennessee

All roads lead to the state of Tennessee as instate rivals, number one Memphis and number two Tennessee meet in a highly-anticipated matchup at the FedEx Forum.

It should provide an interesting backdrop to a crazy, fun-filled NCAA season. Who would've thought the state of Tennessee would be the center of college basketball come February?!

The Memphis Tigers (26-0, 12-0 C-USA) will try to remain unbeaten and keep their top ranking. While Tennessee Vols ( 24-3, 11-1 SEC) will try to prove they can hang with the best.

NBA Trades; Cavs beat the buzzer

We've had quite a number of blockbuster trades, especially out in the West. We've seen three West superpowers enhance their lineup by adding veteran All-Stars.

The whole frenzy started with the Lake Show trading for disgruntled Memphis big man Pau Gasol. Having been beaten twice by a then less-talented Lakers team before, Phoenix upgraded their frontline by bringing in an aging-but-can-still-be-dominant Shaq from Miami. An Amare-Shaq frontline can be scary. Not to be outdone, Dallas made a move for New Jersey's triple-double machine Jason Kidd.

All these should provide for an exciting last few months in the NBA.

-----------------

With the trade deadline looming, Cleveland barely beat the buzzer with a late-breaking trade. Cavs GM Danny Ferry has just given Lebron the supporting cast he's been lobbying for. In a huge 11-player, 3 team deal, the Cavaliers landed All-Star center Ben Wallace and veteran forward Joe Smith from the Bulls, and Wally Sczcerbiak and Delonte West from Seattle. They gave up six players to complete the deal.

I still don't think the new-look Cavs have what it takes to take the East, but they should provide a tough challenge to league-leading Boston and perennial East powerhouse Detroit.

I love fairytale endings, so I'm still going with the the resurgent boys from Beantown.

More Mickey D's for North Carolina

The 2008 McDonald's High School All-American game is raining Carolina Blue. The entire three-man 2008 signing class of the Tar Heels were named to the annual all-star game.

Pos. Name (home state)

C Tyler Zeller (Indiana)
PF Ed Davis (Virginia)
PG Larry Drew (California)

With the addition of the three, North Carolina now boasts of 53 McDonald's All-Americans since its inception in 1977. It's the most of any school.

(3)UNC over NC State; (5)Duke loses again

Chalk up another convincing blowout victory for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. They completed a season sweep of the NC State Wolfpack with a 84-70 road victory.

All-American junior Tyler Hansbrough led the charge for North Carolina (25-2, 10-2 ACC) with 32 points, 12 rebounds and 5 steals.

With Miami stunning fifth-ranked Duke, the Tar Heels are back atop the ACC standings. UNC and Duke share the conference lead with similar 10-2 ACC records. They will still meet in a highly-anticipated season-ending matchup at Durham in two weeks.

Please police your YM stat

I've seen the dumbest, poorly constructed YM status messages lately. I wish I could name names, but proper net etiquette tells me not to.

They're so stupid, it annoys the shit out of me. This is one of the few reasons why I don't like YM. I see grammatically incorrect status messages.

UNC climbs two places in latest polls

Latest US NCAA Men's Basketball rankings (as of February 19, 2008)

AP Top 5

Team (Record, last week's rank)

1. Memphis (25-0; 1)
2. Tennessee (23-2; 4)
3. North Carolina (24-2; 5)
4. Kansas (24-2; 3)
5. Duke (22-2; 2)

ESPN Top 5

Team (Last week)

1. Memphis (1)
2. Tennessee (4)
3. North Carolina (5)
4. Duke (2)
5. Kansas (3)

--------------------

As expected, North Carolina gains while Duke drops. I'm hoping UNC continues to carry on despite numerous injuries so they can secure a number one seed coming into March Madness.

Revenge, retribution, redemption

You wanna see revenge at its finest?

Suggest you watch the 2002 film version of Alexandre Dumas' famed book, "The Count of Monte Cristo."

Surprising fantasy

Well, what do you know.... I just took over the top spot in the IBS Yahoo fantasy league. Judging from the bad start I had, this is a pleasant surprise.

There's still a long way to go, but I hope I can keep up.

UNC over VTech; Duke loses to Wake

After a series of close encounters, fifth-ranked North Carolina quickly dominated Virginia Tech at home, 92-53. The Tar Heels were playing their fourth straight game without sophomore stud Tywon Lawson.

UNC (24-2, 9-2 ACC) led from start to finish, shooting 50% from the field while outrebounding the Hokies, 54-24.

National Player of the Year candidate Tyler Hansbrough paced North Carolina with 23 points.

--------------

Wake Forest scored a monumental upset at home, beating second-ranked Duke, 86-73. The loss would most likely bring down the Blue Devils (22-2, 10-1 ACC) off of their number two ranking when the latest polls come out tomorrow.

Duke (10-1) still leads the ACC, with North Carolina just a game behind (9-2)

Puzzling?

For once, I don't know whether I should be happy or annoyed for being overqualified.

Work email downtime

It's been five days already and they can't seem to get my Lotus Notes email fixed. Damn. Just when I'm expecting an important email.

I hope this gets ironed soon. Absolutely need to read that email.

Kidd to Dallas trade blocked!

With the trade deadline looming, the Dallas Mavericks are trying to make a blockbuster trade for former Maverick and triple-double machine Jason Kidd. An agreement has virtually been reached between Dallas and New Jersey but some scrub named Devean George blocked the trade from falling through. Apparently, he has the Early Bird rights which give players something similar to a no-trade clause (only Kobe has an active no-trade clause on his NBA contract).

What the fuck was Devean George thinking? He ain't no superstar. Dallas owner could get back at the scrub for fucking this trade up.

A lot of suggestions have been discussed in various internet forums, among them are:

- Deactivate him for the rest of the season. That means no playing time.
- Cut/waive him, but they still have to pay him his guaranteed salary.
- Send the fucker down to the D-League.

I think Cuban and the Mavericks front office should get some pretty neat revenge by doing the third option. Sending an NBA veteran to the D-League is probably the worst punishment a pro player can get. No more private jets, hotel suites, and the works and perks of an NBA player. Instead, dude's gonna travel via commercial flights and Greyhound buses.

That'll teach him a lesson.

(5)North Carolina 75, Virginia 74

In another surprisingly close game, North Carolina just edged spirited Virginia, 75-74, on the road. With their respective seasons going the opposite way, Virginia wasn't expected to keep it close.

Undoubtedly playing their best game of late, the Cavaliers just couldn't go over the hump at the endgame. They've lost 9 out of their last 10 games, and are at the bottom of the ACC standings with a 1-9 record.

Fifth-ranked North Carolina (23-2, 8-2 ACC) showed resiliency under a hostile environment, making key shots down the stretch.

All-American Tyler Hansbrough topscored for the Heels with 23 points, including a critical shotput-type baby hook with 21 seconds left.

North Carolina drops to 5th spot

The latest rankings are out and I'm not surprised the Tar Heels drop to number 5 on both the AP and ESPN polls, with the loss to second-ranked Duke last week. Duke remains number 2 this week.

(3)Kansas just lost to (11)Texas, so that should bring them down on next week's polls. Memphis holds on to their unanimous top-ranking, while (4)Tennessee rounds off the top five.

(3)UNC rallies against Clemson

North Carolina staged a mammoth comeback as they downed upset-minded Clemson, 103-93 in double overtime.

Being outplayed for most of the game, the Tar Heels displayed maturity and composure down the stretch to send the game in overtime tied at 82-all. They methodically erased the Tigers' 11-point lead in the final 3 minutes of regulation.

With the win, North Carolina (22-2, 7-2 ACC) set the NCAA record for consecutive home wins against one opponent (53 straight). Previous record was 52, set by Princeton against Brown from 1929-2002.

Clemson, who lost another OT thriller at home against Carolina on a Wayne Ellington buzzer-beater last month, drops to 17-6, 5-4 in ACC play.

All-American junior Tyler Hansbrough led the Heels with 39 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore stud Wayne Ellington added 28 points. The Heels were without star playmaker Tywon Lawson for the second consecutive game due to a sprained ankle.

Gimme some retail therapy

How do you deal with being bad vibes for much of the weekend?

You go and buy yourself a watch.

It sure helped me feel a little bit better.

Random musings on losing my laptop

- Always back-up your files! Though had I regularly used my external drive to back-up, I think I would be keeping it with my laptop bag. Ergo, it would've been gone too.

- I lost pretty much half my life there. All my files since joining IBM are stored there, and that included personal (non-work) stuff. I will never retrieve those again. Not even excellent IBM technology can help me here.

- I came to work this morning like a new hire. No ID, no laptop, no office keys, no nothing. All I had was a freaking piece of paper called a police report.

- My schedule is worse than a train wreck. I don't have my LN calendar to rely on. I have no idea what my schedule is this week or next unless they issue my new TP soon.

- I've never ever missed checking Lotus Notes, until today. I'm dreading to check my email as I'm waiting for a particular response.

- I had a pretty kickass IBM lanyard for my ID. I lost it too. It'll be difficult to get a similar one again.

- I have to buy a new cam. Hassle.

- With all the unwanted stress this whole situation has brought on me, I wish those thieves the worst possible karma. Punyeta.

Putangina, I just got robbed

I lost my ThinkPad (among other things) to fucking thieves last Saturday night. I was having dinner at Friday's at Bonifacio High.

This fucking Friday's establishment had a lot of lapses in security. They allow skanks to loiter and hang around the place even without even ordering anything. It's absolutely the worst display of restaurant security at such a high-profile venue like Boni High. I'm not surprised I'm not the first victim. Ayala security folks said there have been numerous instances already, mostly involving cellphones.

Lesson learned? Never go back there again.

(2)Duke 89, (3)UNC 78

The Duke Blue Devils (20-1, 8-0 ACC) snapped a three-game losing streak to the Tar Heels, winning on the road at Chapel Hill, 89-78.

North Carolina (21-2, 6-2 ACC) played without stud point guard Ty Lawson who was out with a high-ankle sprain. All-American Tyler Hansbrough led the Heels with 28 points and 18 rebounds.

Hopefully, UNC will have Lawson back once the game shifts to Durham in a couple of weeks.

Duke should keep its number 2 rank following this win. I don't see North Carolina slipping off their third-place ranking because they lost to a higher-seeded team. But I will not be surprised if they fall to 4th or 5th in the polls.

(3)North Carolina vs. (2)Duke

US college basketball's greatest rivalry resumes tomorrow as second-ranked Duke visits third-ranked North Carolina in a high profile matchup in Chapel Hill.

Both teams have high-powered offenses with the Tar Heels averaging 91 points per game, which is second-best in the NCAA. Duke is not far behind at 85.7/game (3rd).

If you think the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry is fierce here in the Philippines, UNC-Duke tops that plus a hundred times better.

I ain't missing this for the world.

Random musings on Super Bowl XLII

- I would've liked the Patriots going undefeated (19-0) all the way, but I'm happy I bet on the Giants (at +12.5 spread). Who wouldn't take a 12-point underdog in the Super Bowl knowing that the Patriots never cover in the big game? The money line was at +450 (that's $450 for a $100 bet) if you took the Giants straight up. But I doubt people were taking that route.

- A Patriot win by less than 12 would've been the best situation for me. New Englands remains perfect while the Giants cover. Win-win. Too bad, Eli Manning did his best Tom Brady impersonation in that last game-winning drive.

- Bill Belichick is an ass for walking out with 1 second left. It's such a shame a sleazy coach like him has won multiple Super Bowls.

- Giants WR Plaxico Burress caught the game-winning TD, but David Tyree undoubtedly made the play of the game season. His stunning overhead how-the-fuck-did-he-do-that catch while battling Patriots S Rodney Harrison was simply amazing.

- Despite losing out this season, the Patriots are the favorites to win next year. They begin the offseason as 4:1 favorites according to Bodog. The current champion Giants are listed at 10:1, similar to the Dallas Cowboys. The San Diego Chargers (6:1) and the Indianapolis Colts(8:1) round out the top 5.

Super Bowl experience at NSG

NSG was pretty overflowing with mostly expats by the time I got in around 6:45 am. It's a good thing we were able to snatch a table outside though we didn't have nice views of the huge plasma TV's deployed strategically around the area. We couldn't hear anything except for the noise generated by the people around us.

We moved to nearby Fish and Co. when they opened around 10am. John and Larry were able to get nice courtside seats so we could actually hear the telecast and the commentators. Though the food at NSG was loads better, it was a far better experience altogether.

This should be a learning experience for us as we wait til Super Bowl XLIII next February. Now I know that you have to come in by about 5am to get the best view possible.

(4)UNC 84, FSU 73 OT

It was supposed to be an easy out, but North Carolina needed overtime to dispose of the pesky Florida State Seminoles, 84-73.

FSU's Ryan Reid drained his first career three-pointer with 8.1 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 67-all. The Tar Heels failed to launch a shot as the buzzer sounded.

Tyler Hansbrough top-scored for fourth-ranked North Carolina (21-1, 6-1 ACC) with 22 points. He also grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds.

The Tar Heels will host archrival Duke this Thursday (Manila time) in a high profile matchup between the potential second and third ranked teams. The latest rankings will be out tomorrow.

Super Bowl XLII: One GIANT upset

Finally, New York chalks one up against Boston and they did it in the grandest sports event of all.

The New York Giants scored a stunning upset of the heavily-favored New England Patriots, 17-14, for the Super Bowl championship. The Giants were 12-point underdogs.

QB Eli Manning did a Tom Brady as he led the Giants to a last minute 12-play, 83-yard drive capped by a Plaxico Burress' 13-yeard touchdown reception.

Tom Brady still had 35 seconds and three timeouts to mount a signature comeback, but New York's stifling defense was just too much to overcome.

The Patriots ended their historic magical dream season with an equally historic nightmare.

(4)North Carolina vs Florida State; Super Bowl party at NSG

It's gonna be a sports-filled Monday morning later. Balls TV is televising the ACC matchup between fourth-ranked UNC Tar Heels and the Florida State Seminoles at 3am. It should finish by around 5, so I've got enough time to prepare and leave the house by 6. I need to be in Greenbelt by 6:30am to get a nice table for the Super Bowl.

I want the Patriots to win and I'm all for them in their pursuit of perfection, but I just had to take the Giants (+12.5) in the spread. The almost two-touchdown margin is going to be difficult to cover especially in a championship game. I'm hoping for a closely fought, grind-it-out match.

This should be fun.

RIP: Mrs. A

My good friend and former kabarkada's mom passed away Saturday afternoon due to a liver ailment. She was 54.

I'll always have fond memories of her, as her son was one of my first good friends in Ateneo High. We used to hang out a lot at their place after school, and we'd use their house as the rendezvous point for soirees and nights out. I haven't seen her in ages though as I rarely get to hang with my HS barkada anymore.

Rest in peace, Tita. I'm sure you're in a better place now.

Random musings on UFC 81

- Tyson Griffin is one helluva fighter. He packs a mean punch despite being only 5'6". You can't doubt the kid's heart. He convincingly beat Brazilian Gleison Tibau via unanimous decision.

- Former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar's UFC debut lasted one round as former heavyweight champion Frank Mir took him out with a knee bar. Kudos to Mir as Lesnar did land some deadly blows to his head, but was able to finish him off with the submission.

- I'm still amazed on Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira's comeback win over another former heavyweight champion Tim "The Maniac" Sylvia. Sylvia had Nogueira on the ropes early in the fight with some vicous strikes. It opened a deep wound and had Minotauro oozing blood from his face. He was able to bounce back and make The Maniac tap out with a masterful guillotine choke in the third round.

Super Bowl Monday

I'm skipping work on Monday to watch the Super Bowl live at the National Sports Grill in Greenbelt. I'm being joined by a few other fellow IBMers -expats and locals alike.

It should be exciting.

8F to 7F 1800

I'm moving desks again! What's new?!

It's my 9th workstation in almost 2 years here in IBS. I'm hearing we're moving again this June.

Karma's one dirty bitch

Careful, it might be out to get you.

(4)UNC blows by Boston College

-----------------
(4)North Carolina 91, Boston College 69

By Joedy McCreary, AP Sports Writer
January 31, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- North Carolina's big early lead vanished, and coach Roy Williams was steamed. So, he yanked everyone off the court, sent in five subs and went ballistic on the bench.

"When Coach takes us out five at a time, we know we did something wrong," point guard Ty Lawson said. "He was cursing us out, basically."

Everyone got the message, and then everyone got involved in the scoring. All five starters reached double figures and the fourth-ranked Tar Heels scored 21 straight points during their 91-69 rout of Boston College on Thursday night.

"We got a lot of things from a lot of different people," forward Tyler Hansbrough said.
Hansbrough scored 18 points, Deon Thompson added 13 of his career-high 17 in the first half and Lawson finished with 16 for the Tar Heels (20-1, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Wayne Ellington scored 14 points and Marcus Ginyard added 10 for the Tar Heels, who shook off an eight-day layoff and took command with a 21-0 run that bridged halftime.

That big burst permanently turned the matchup of the league's top two scorers into a blowout and helped North Carolina reach the 20-win mark for the fourth straight year and 50th time in 98 seasons. Hansbrough entered leading the ACC with a 22-point average, with BC's Tyrese Rice two points behind.

Rice equaled his average with 20 points, but he was 6-for-15 from the field and 1-for-9 from 3-point range for the Eagles (12-7, 3-3), who had 17 turnovers and were denied their second straight victory at the Dean Smith Center. BC has lost three straight and five of seven overall.

"We turned the ball over way too much, myself included," Rice said. "We just can't do that on the road against a good team that likes to run up and down the court."

Lawson also finished with 10 assists and Alex Stepheson added 11 points for the Tar Heels, who returned to the dominant style that fans had gotten used to during their 18-0 start to the season. They were playing at the Smith Center for the first time since a surprising 82-80 loss to Maryland knocked them from No. 1.

"It feels a heck of a lot better than it did the last time we played here," Williams said.

Part of the problem for the Eagles was that their big men spent much of the night in foul trouble. Starting center Tyrelle Blair and backup Josh Southern both picked up a fourth foul early in the second half, and forward John Oates -- who was guarding Hansbrough -- fouled out with 10 1/2 minutes left. That left the inside open for the Tar Heels, who outrebounded BC 44-28.

"I'm smarter than to publically criticize refs, but some of the calls might have been a little tough," Oates said. "They're good enough, particularly Hansbrough, and then you have stuff like that. That made it a lot harder. We're having a hard enough time anyway."

Oates gave the Eagles their only lead of the game when he banked in a 3-pointer with 9:14 left in the half to make it 26-25. Thompson, who had 13 points in the first half, took the lead back for good 11 seconds later for the Tar Heels with his jumper from the free-throw line.

"We had the lead but it wasn't for long," Rice said.

North Carolina opened the game with a 14-4 run before falling into the lull that prompted Williams to make the mass substitution.

"I was ready to choke someone," Williams said.

The tactic worked: the Tar Heels scored the final 11 points of the half to take a 16-point lead and remove all doubt. After the break, the Tar Heels then picked up where they left off by reeling off 10 straight points, a decisive burst capped when Lawson blew past Rice for a layup that made it 57-31 with about 17 minutes left.

Lawson has combined for 20 assists and one turnover in the last two games.

"I'm just taking care of the ball a lot more, make sure the passes I make get through and not put the ball in jeopardy," Lawson said.

Updated on Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 10:01 pm, EST
-----------------

This victory, coupled with the (2)Kansas loss to (22)Kansas State the other day, should propel the Tar Heels to third spot in both AP and ESPN polls next week. Kansas, on the other hand, should drop a few places. (3)Duke is expected to rise to number 2. Unbeaten (1)Memphis will remain top-ranked for the third consecutive week.

What goes around, comes around

Oftentimes, even worse.


"What goes around, comes all the way back around." - JT

IBS goes to Agri

Having been told last minute yesterday that our game at Brent was cancelled, I brought the boys to Agri (that's the Department of Agriculture for the uninitiated) instead. I have a weekly Tuesday basketball gig there.

It turned out to be an awesome night for the IBMers as we romped our way to two impressive wins over good teams.

As usual, Bon broke a lot of hearts with his three-ball while JP maneuvered his way inside for some sweet baskets.

No hitting on me if you ain't a girl

Speaking of Rambo and violence, I would've Rambo'd someone last night for trying to hit on me. This freaking son-of-a-bitch dude was trying to engage me in a conversation while I was peeing. I was ignoring him and he couldn't take the hint. He continued to talk and talk.

Sensing that I may have to beat up this dude soon, I rushed out of the washroom and went straight to the security people on duty. Dude got scared and left with his family (including some geriatric old lady in a cane). The guards were asking if I wanted to file a harassment complaint. I was leaning towards doing it but I didn't have the luxury of time. So I decided against it and just walked away.

I swear I would've clocked the shit out this fucker had he been alone. Sayang, I was in the mood for some violence pa naman after watching Rambo annihilate Burmese assess.

Rambo: Live for nothing or die for something.

I never expected another Rambo film especially from a sexagenarian Sylvester Stallone. But having grown up watching Rambo stuff - from the First Blood movies to video games and cartoons, this new installment was just too tempting to pass up.

It did not disappoint. It depicts heavy graphic violence reminiscnent of recent war movies like Black Hawk Down. There's literally blood and gore everywhere. Basically, it's your typical guy action movie.

Oh yeah, aside from John Rambo himself, there's another cult hero who deserves to be mentioned. He's a mercenary who goes by the name of "School Boy". He gets quite a bit of air time blowing people up with his Barrett 50-caliber sniper rifle. These babies shoot six-inch bullets at a whopping 10,000 foot pounds of energy (or 14 kilojoules).

The .50 caliber round (leftmost) compared to other ammunition. In
contrast, the standard M16 carbine round (5.56 mm) is second from right.

Air Jordan XX3

According to various reports (from both confirmed and unconfirmed sources), this will be the final Air Jordan in the prestigious numbered collection.

Because of this, they are releasing this Titatium Blue colorway in limited numbers. Only 23 stores in the US will have them, with each getting 23 pairs. It's being sold at US $230 retail. It should fetch at least quadruple that amount in the black market. Hypebeasts will sure pay more than that.

The other colorways are scheduled for general release in February.

The Philippines will also be receiving 23 pairs, dropping at the Nike Park in Bonifacio High Street tomorrow afternoon. Because of its limited nature, the folks at Nike Philippines are holding a raffle for the chance to purchase these babies for a staggering rape price of Php 14995 (US $365).

Are these worth 15k (plus all the trouble and hassle that goes along with trying to cop it)? You be the judge.

Unstoppable

Three. Two. Two. Two.

Nine straight on a variety of shots. Boom. Gameover.

Some say it's clutch, I call it taking over.

IBM in CSA

I had a difficulty getting up this morning as my body's pretty banged up from some exhausting, competitive basketball last night. We played some folks from CSA in their own backyard.

It's all good though as we came up with a nailbiting victory, 60-56. Bon drilled the gamewinning three, falling away with a hand on his face.

Bon's doing an MC. He's a heartbreaker.

UNC down, Duke rises

As expected, UNC (18-1, 3-1 ACC) tumbled down the college basketball rankings with the surprising loss to lowly Maryland. They were tops on both the AP and ESPN polls for the first 10 weeks. They've gone down to 5th and 4th places on both charts, respectively.

Their heated nemesis, the Duke Blue Devils (15-1, 3-0 ACC), moved up to 4th (AP) and 3rd (ESPN). It's the first time Duke was ahead of North Carolina in this season's rankings.

Super Bowl XLII: New England Patriots vs. New York Giants

With the Patriots and Giants winning their respective conference championships today, we're going to have a pretty damn nice Super Bowl matchup.

New England beat the Giants on the last day of the regular season, 38-35, en route to finishing with a flawless 16-0 record.

Maryland upsets (1)North Carolina

The unranked Maryland Terrapins pulled off a monumental upset over the top-ranked UNC Tar Heels with a 82-80 win at Chapel Hill.

The loss will likely end UNC's reign atop the college basketball rankings. Still, UNC should remain a top 5 team despite the setback.

TBDM week

It's been one exhausting week at work. 2008 is only a couple of weeks old yet I think I've logged in about ten 12-hour workdays already.

It's been an interesting and entertaining week though as I had to sit down through a lot of performance assessment calibration sessions.

They were downright tiring, but meaningful nonetheless.

We're Brothers Forever

Move over William Hung, we have a new American Idol sensation. Oh yeah, did I mention he's pinoy?

Check out and enjoy Renaldo Lapuz.

(1)UNC 83, Georgia Tech 82

The way their seasons are going, North Carolina came into Atlanta looking for an easy blowout win. They barely escaped with one.

The top-ranked Tar Heels edged the Yellow Jackets, 83-82, on a last second defensive stance anchored on a Tyler Hansbrough block off a Zack Peacock shot.

The All-American junior topscored for the Heels with 27 points and 11 rebounds.

UNC remains unbeaten (18-0, 3-0 ACC), while Georgia Tech is still searching for its first league win (7-9, 0-3 ACC).

ABL going down?

The 2008 ABL Season started last weekend and for the first time in like 6 years, I'm not playing by choice. I skipped last season due to injury. I was still recovering from my ACL reconstruction surgery.

Judging from this season's turnout, I think the ABL has lost its appeal especially to the veterans. Year in and year out, Ateneans would play the same faces again and again. At some point, you just get bummed out and lose interest. To add fuel to the fire, a lot of 'open' leagues have surfaced and these are a lot more interesting compared to the ABL, which is limited to current Ateneans and their alumni. My guess is those who want a little more challenge and competition would elect to try it out in the open leagues.

I noticed there's also a lot less sponsors now than in the past seasons. I'm thinking they're not getting much ROI with their investments so it's not beneficial anymore.

I dunno if the ABL will ever get its mojo back. It has become a victim of its own success. It's just not that exciting anymore.

From the corporate grapevine

I just heard some intriguingly interesting news. Seems like a lot of people are dying to become HR business partners and join our team.

Now, whether they actually get in is a totally different story.

Oooh, I love this job.

One perk of living along a major thoroughfare is... you get to witness massive accidents!

I went down to check on a huge crash early this morning, around 2:30 am. Though I didn't see it happen, the loud bang made me want to snoop around the accident site. Not sure on the details, but I think a pedicab counterflowing via a U-turn slot was the main culprit.

The end result? Two totalled cars and a bunch of wrecked concrete barriers. Good thing there were no serious injuries to anyone.

Inked for more

Since I wasn't able to get a tattoo for 2007, I decided to start early this year.

I just had some ink done today, adding a bit of modification to a prior tattoo. I was supposed to get the old tat retouched, but I had to beg off because I couldn't take the pain anymore. It was just stinging too bad even the new additions didn't get finished.

I'm looking to get the second session done in about 3-4 weeks.

Annual Quiapo death march

It puzzles me how devotees can manage to take part in the annual Black Nazarene procession in Quiapo knowing that they can be one of the yearly casualties at the said event.

It never fails. Numerous people die and even more get injured just by attending the procession. The culprit? Exhaustion, extreme heat and a chaotic stampede.

I know Catholicism is huge in the country, but this is something I will never be able to understand.

Sink or swim?

With the latest big-name defection plus the additional center-wide org structure changes, I will not be surprised if it's downhill from hereon forth.

Some Australian kid is the latest fool to challenge Tiger Woods' supremacy on the links. Reports say that 19-year-old Jason Day said that he's sure he can take him down.

Stupidity displayed at its finest. Oh and I heard this kid's half-Filipino.

Just another one of them idiot hybrid pinoys.

(1)UNC improves to 16-0

UNC wins it's 16th straight game, routing UNC-Asheville, 93-81. The top-ranked Tar Heels (16-0, 1-0 ACC) finished it's nonconference regular season schedule with a perfect 15-0 mark.

Watch as All-American Tyler Hansbrough slam his way to the hoop over Division I's tallest player, 7'7 giant Kenny George.



Enjoy.

Fucked up queue

I had the worst experience at Mcdonald's Katipunan last night. I was waiting in line for a solid 25 minutes. The store looked way understaffed.

Never in the hundreds of times I've eaten there did I ever have to wait that long.

Oh yeah, did I mention it happened at 11pm?

Wayne's World; (1)UNC over (19)Clemson, 90-88

Watch Wayne Ellington drill a gamewinning trey with 0.4 seconds remaining as the top-ranked Tar Heels win over a very determined Clemson squad.

The talented sophomore shot 11-19 from the field, making 5 of 8 from downtown, en route to a career high 36 points.

UNC remains unbeaten at 15-0 (1-0 ACC), while the Tigers drop to 12-2 (0-1 ACC).



Sweet.

PBB for the poor

With Ruben Gonzaga topping Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2, the show has officially proved that it's a charity event more than anything. Like the other PBB winners, Ruben obviously seems like the most financially-challenged among the final four.

I'm not saying the guy doesn't deserve it. Maybe he does. But I ain't a fan of charitable reality shows. It's a game, not some fundraising project for the pityful.

Five down

So TMac goes down again and brings my fantasy team along. I've lost 5 straight now and my record dips below .500 (4-5).

As of this writing, I'm leading in week 10 so hopefully I catch a break and get a much-needed dubya.


Fantasy going .500

You know the holidays are over 'cause it's way too easy to get around the metro again. It's been hell the past couple of weeks.

Welcoming the New Year without a bang

I spent the New Year in the most unconventional way --- alone.

My mom went off for a short holiday leaving me to spend the last few days of 2007 alone. It's not that I didn't have alternatives. I had choices on where to go and party but I decided to hibernate from all the noise and chaos, and just stick it out at home to watch television.

It wasn't so bad after all.

Happy New Year! Here's to an amazing 2008, cheers!

Picture Perfect Patriots

A 38-35 win over the New York Giants capped a magnificent 2007 regular season for the New England Patriots. As a result, they've set numerous league records along the way.

Team
*NFL-record 16-0 regular season.
*NFL-record 589 points scored in one season.
*NFL-record 75 touchdowns in one season.

Individual
Tom Brady: NFL-record 50 TD passes in one season.
Randy Moss: NFL-record 23 TD receptions in one season.

Fittingly, Brady and Moss made their marks on the same play. Peep their record-breaking feat below.


Wow. Simply amazing.

Spice Girls

Call me a wuss but I'm hell bent on seeing the Spice Girls on their reunion world tour when it makes its stop at Hong Kong. No dates yet from the official site though.

Take a peek at a recent performance the Spice Girls had at a UK television show. They performed the sexually-laced track, "2 Become 1".

Jessica Alba, out of the game

Easily the worst news I've heard/read recently.

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Jessica Alba Engaged to Baby's Father
December 27, 2007

Los Angeles (AP) - Pregnancy has been an engaging experience for Jessica Alba.

The 26-year-old actress, who announced earlier this month that she's expecting, is now engaged to her boyfriend and the baby's father, producer Cash Warren.

"I can confirm that they are engaged," Alba's publicist, Brad Cafarelli, said in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Thursday.

The couple is expecting their first child in late spring or early summer, Cafarelli said.

Alba stars in the thriller "Awake," and recently appeared in "Good Luck Chuck" and "The Ten." The sex symbol first gained fame as an action star on TV's "Dark Angel," then in films including "Fantastic Four" and "Sin City."
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NNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Did I just hear half of the world's male population cry suicide?

Re-upping my license, Round 2

I finally got my license renewed this morning. But not after waiting for over an hour though. So it wasn't a breeze at all, even if I'm done with all the requirements already. Talk about Philippine government bureaucracy.

Oh yeah, did I mention this is my second visit? I went last week but their machine bogged down while I was lined up.

Fantasy going .500

After going unbeaten (4-0) during the first four weeks of NBA.com fantasy play, I've lost the last four.

Holy shit.

I'm now holding a mediocre 4-4 record which is good for 5th in my division (8th overall). Injuries to Lebron, MemO and TMac have cost me a ton of fantasy points but I ain't making any excuses though. I just have to raise my game, and I have to do it soon.

Sunday habit

Coming to the office every Sunday seems like a weekly habit for me since my broadband got busted. This is like the 5th or 6th consecutive Sunday that I dropped by Eastwood to go online, among other things.

I know we're going to get a new service provider but I'm not sure when they will be coming to install and set it up. highly likely that it will happen next year already.

Speechless

Damn, she makes me change my mind about smoking.

Cabs and Christmas

One of the things I hate about the Christmas season?

It's infinitely more difficult to hail a cab nowadays. Seems like people who usually don't ride cabs start taking them this time of the year.

Re-upping my license, Round 1

I dropped by the LTO Satellite office at SM Hypermart Libis this morning to get my license renewed. Lo and behold, when it was my turn already their machine conked out.

Punyetang hassle ito. I've to go back one of these days to get it done. If it's any consolation, I finished all the requirements already (drug test, so-called medical exam, forms) so it should be a breeze the next time around.

26th

For the second consecutive year, I'm spending my birthday in the office. Some folks were asking why I came in and didn't choose to take the day off. My reply? Birthdays are fun in IBM.

No seriously, I think I just like the feeling of being greeted. Nah, I'm kidding. I just didn't have anything planned so why not just spend the day at work.

I hope to spend the next X more number of birthdays here. Now if only I didn't have a 6-10pm meeting tonight, I guess it would've been perfect.

Thanks to all the friends, colleagues, big bosses and everyone else who greeted.

Pigging out

I ate so much food today I think it can last me the whole week. At least, everything was free though.

First stop, Lunch at the Birthday Kapihan at 16F Cyberone for the November celebrants. Next, HROSC Christmas team dinner at Shanghai Bistro. Lastly, Lenovo Christmas party at McDonald's. As I write this, JC is inviting for late dinner here at Eastwood.

This is just too much.

Tat time again

The year is about to end in a couple of weeks. That means I still have about 15 days to make up my mind if I should get another tattoo.

For those who don't know, I've been getting ink done annually since 2004. It's a streak I intend to keep until I run our of blank skin.

Seriously though, I've a number of ideas in my head right now. It's just a matter of which I like most and where to put it.

Let's see how the next two weeks pan out.

Used?

For some reason, I think I'm at the wrong end of the stick again. And no, this is not about work.

Alcohol and National TV don't mix

I was never a Pinoy Big Brother fan but it was such a comic relief watching a visibly drunk and wasted Baron Geisler do hilarious antics while making a total fool out of himself. Too bad it was bitin last night as they had to cut the episode short. It should be one interesting laugh trip with the continuation tonight.

I hope someone posts these on YouTube for the whole world to see.

Toothy problem

I chipped my tooth on a freak accident last night. It's not obvious but I hate the way it feels like I just had a prophylaxis.

You know that rough feeling you get right after you have your teeth professionally cleaned? It's fuckin' annoying!!!!

Recent buzz

Gossip is usually nasty by nature. But this latest scoop I heard is downright funny and amusing.

My lips are sealed on the details but let's keep the rumor mill churning!

The game we play

A mentor told me recently that corporate politics is a game of perception and pressure.

I say X marks the spot.

U-Turn's back

It was a pleasant surprise seeing one U-Turn slot reopened today along Libis. It's the northbound slot in the middle of Greenmeadows and Ortigas Avenues. I no longer have to reach Ortigas Avenue to make the turn going back to Eastwood. I'd still prefer they opened either the Shopwise or the Grilla slot but this should suffice. Too bad for southbound vehicles they still have to go the Libis-Santolan interchange to make their U-Turn.

Undefeated: Mayweather vs. Hatton

It was dubbed as a 'USA vs. UK' fight. A battle among the biggest of allies. In the end, the American just proved to be too much for the Brit.

Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather scored a sweet 10th round knockout victory over Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton en route to retaining his WBC Welterweight title. Mayweather improves to 39-0, while Hatton drops to 43-1.

It was cool watching the fight with a continuous live coverage (ala pay-per-view) via Sky Cable's new channel, Balls (Ch. 33).

SPENT

I've got to admit, the past two days have been the most emotionally draining moments I've had this new millenium.

I'm still at a loss for words on why they all had to happen within 24 hours of each other.

Et tu, Brute?

Isn't it disappointing to find out that the person you expected a lot from held in high regard, is the one person that lets you down?

Venting frustration

How do you recover from a stressful and frustrating day?

Channel the angst and play great basketball.

-----------------

We had our weekly IBS hoops gig at Ateneo last night. An intense atmosphere provided a great backdrop for good competitive games. I was so drained after the games my tongue was left hanging.

If yesterday's showing was a sign of things to come, we're in for some serious balling.

Random musings on the Peninsula Standoff

- Fr. Robert Reyes announced that he was going on another hunger strike. What the fuck?! Another one of his hilarious antics. Last I checked, he said he will continue with his hunger strike until GMA resigns. Stupid priest eventually gave up.

- "He's too old to be sent to jail. Besides, at his age, he's automatically eligible for pardon." - Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol on whether Teofisto Guingona should be imprisoned. I have to admit, this quote got me rolling.

- The mediamen who refused to leave the Peninsula premises got what they deserved. They refused to leave despite repeated warnings. In case of a gunfight, they will surely be caught in the crossfire. I applaud the police in rounding these people up and sending them to Camp Bagong Diwa while on handcuffs. Buti nga.

- It's annoying how Philippine Media can sometimes be so stupid. They get arrested, hauled out of the hotel for obstructing police operations, and now they're crying harassment. Some are contemplating filing charges against the police. In case there was a bloodbath and some mediamen get killed, I'd bet my ass that they will still cry foul and sue. Either way, they'll blame the government. Wala ng mas tatanga pa sa mga ito. On the contrary, meron pala. Sila Trillanes.

- I like how this latest Trillanes caper didn't make any dent in society. According to reports, hotel guests and patrons of the Peninsula didn't give much fuss about several armed men entering the hotel premises. Most, if not, all continued with their business unmindful of the surroundings. The hotel itself was business as usual. The stock market and foreign exchange closed higher versus the previous day. The way I see it, majority of the people just didn't care about Trillanes. Just goes to show that there's no place for military adventurism in the country.