MDC Sportsfest: CS-COM gulps Red Horse EDM

Shrugging off an awful start, CS-COM got its groove back in time to sink Red Horse EDM, 54-40, for our third straight win. We improve our record to 3-0 while they drop to 2-2. This win guarantees us a ticket to the quarterfinal round.

Ward got best player honors with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot. Despite being swarmed for much of the game, I still managed to fill the box score with 7 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals. Dave was the surprise contributor, drilling in 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting.

We're having a 1--day break heading into our next game against the other EDM-Payroll team.

Record: 3-0
Next game: vs Emerson GMDC - August 29, Friday, at Club 650

MDC Sportsfest: Team CS-COM United

With the entire Center Support group having three basketball teams in this year's sportsfest, some people are wondering who comprises the CS-COM team. For their benefit (and maybe everyone else's), here's the entire roster:

Center Support-Client Operations Managers United (CS-COM United)

Albert Velasco (CET-Transition)
Ben Bautista (COM)
Crispin Cajuguiran (COM)
Dave Torcuator (CET-Transition)
Doods Mendioro (CET-Transition)
Edward Reyes (CET-Transition)
Geoff Manalili (PMO)
Jeff Lim (COM)
John Vingno (CET-RESO)
Jun Cruz (COM)
Mike Ramirez (CET-Recruitment)
Paolo Gonzalez (HR-OCD)
Paul Geronimo (CET-Transition)
Rey Bien Cruz (HR-L&D)
Vince Borromeo (BOM)

Blue meets Big Blue

The Ateneo de Manila University hosted the first-ever IBM-Ateneo fellowship night last Friday night at the Leong Hall roofdeck. It was a gathering of Ateneo alumni from various batches currently working in any of the IBM subsidiaries in the Philippines. It became a mini-reunion for the 70 or so of us Atenean IBMers who attended.

A short program ensued with Ateneo President Fr. Ben Nebres, SJ, and Alumni Director Jun Dalandan as special guests. Fr. Dacanay, SJ, presided over the invocation while IBMP's Aileen Rodriguez delivered the welcome remarks. An Ateneo trivia contest followed and gift certificates and UAAP tickets were given away as prizes.

Despite the uncooperative weather, the event was an overwhelming success. We all look forward to seeing this become a regular annual affair.

Weekend wonderland

I'm definitely looking forward to the extra long weekend coming up. I don't remember the last time we had a four-day weekend.

Anyhow, it should provide the perfect setting to do some soul-searching. Early returns are pointing to a gigantic leap of faith.

MDC Sportsfest: CS-COM shuts down Center IT

Center IT encountered system failure earlier tonight as they were left completely disconnected by CS-COM's fast-paced running game. Even a bevy of system analysts and engineers couldn't prevent the CS-COM players from launching their virus-like onslaught, on the way to a 69-32 blowout win.

CS-COM Improves to 2-0, while Center IT drops to 0-2. I guess this means IT needs a major upgrade.

Ward played a superb all-around game finishing with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. Despite missing the whole first quarter, I managed to contribute 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. For the second straight game, Albert dominated the glass with 13 boards.

Record: 2-0
Next game: vs Red Horse EDM - August 19, Tuesday, at the Sta. Lucia gym

Going for Gold

In the Philippines' quest for its first ever Olympic Gold Medal, a lot of local companies and certain individuals (and politicians) have bought into the hype. They are offering staggering amounts for the first Filipino athlete to bring home the gold.

Quite patriotic, eh? Not so. It's a brilliant marketing strategy though. These companies and individuals will benefit from the free publicity gained by riding on the Philippine team's seemingly insurmountable task of winning a medal in Beijing.

Simply put, it's a win-win situation for them. We all know it's near impossible for the Philippines to win a medal, let alone gold. That said, no need for these people to cough out their promised incentives. Now, if and when a miracle happens and we do win a medal, imagine the additional publicity they will be getting while leeching themselves to the medal winners. I'm sure they'll be milking everything for more than what its worth.

That's marketing and advertising at its selfish, capitalistic best.

MDC Sportsfest: CS-COM wins opener

We opened the 2008 MDC Sportsfest season with a 55-42 win over the CompBen Archers at the Sta. Lucia gym a few nights ago. We relied on our playmaking guards and our massive frontline, who were no match to the smaller Archers. We took control of the game by cornering the boards, having collected 70 rebounds, 36 from the offensive end.

I barely missed on a triple-double with a steady all-around game contributing a game-high 17 points along with 10 rebounds and 8 assists. Ward added 16 points.

Our bigs were beasting off the glass. Albert had a game-high 18 rebounds while Rey Bien brought down 13.

Record: 1-0
Next game: vs Center IT - August 12, Tuesday, at the Sta. Lucia gym

Nike: The Star-Spangled Banner

I ain't American but this got me pumped up and ready for some USA Basketball dominance in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Check out Nike's latest video featuring Marvin Gaye's soulful rendition of the American National Anthem from the 1983 NBA All-Star Game, mixed with clips of Team USA.



"And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there."

Consider it done

Deal successfully completed. Transfer's been arranged and confirmed. I won't be needing a Cayman Islands account for this one.

Random thoughts on my HK-Macau trip

Summed up my thoughts and integrated them into a Q&A-type format. I'll just add more as I remember them.

Highlight?
- Baccarat and basketball. I can survive with this combo.

Better highlight?
- Sharing a blackjack table with a couple of Americans. The game of 21's has never been this interesting. Word to commando and the Brazilians.

Best highlight?
- Courtside tickets baby. 1oth row. FTMFW!

Big disappointment?
- Finding out my cam was on ISO 1600 the whole time.

Bigger disappointment?
- No long lenses allowed during the USA-Turkey game.

Biggest disappointment?
- 36 hours ain't enough.

Thing I wish we had in Manila?
- The revolving door at Lisboa. My boys would know what's up.

Laughtrip moment?
- We were running late and we almost boarded the TurboJet to Shenzhen.

Most used words/phrases?
- 'How much' or in the local vernacular 'hawmats.' We were literally throwing it around.

Funniest word heard?
- 'Ses.'

Wishful thinking?
- More English-speaking Chinese in Hongkong and Macau please.

Cheap thrill?
- Fast-riding at HKIA (aka Chek Lap Kok). FTW!

The Macau aftermath

The HK-Macau hit took a nasty toll on me. I've been out of commission nursing fever since Saturday. I blame it on exhaustion and the weather too. It's been consistently uncooperative both here and in Macau.

Also, it's not as if we didn't want to rest during the trip. We just didn't have enough time. With a loaded itinerary, something's got to give. Too bad we had to sacrifice the sleeping part.

Was it worth it? Hell yeah.

Macao Kings

If there's one thing to describe our 36-hour Hongkong/Macau swing, it was simply mindblowing. We got everything we hoped for... and so much more.

A couple of shoutouts to those who made our stay undeniably unforgettable:

To the Pagcor folks - A million thanks for upgrading our seats to ringside. It was heaps better than our original seats. Thanks for adopting us for the rest of the night as well.

To Shong - Appreciate your kind gesture to offer your Venetian room if we don't have any place to crash. At least, we had our worst-case scenario covered.

To Erwin - Tangina, pare. I'll make this simple. You rock. Please pass the word to Boyet as well. Can't wait til our next Asian rendezvous.

The road to a high stakes adventure

The tandem is out. The party is in.

In true photo-finish fashion, another padron decided to grab his backpack and hit Hongkong and Macau with us.

We also hope to be joined by one of the most recognizable names in the local gaming and amusement scene. With him on board, we'll be in for an out-of-this-world experience in the world's gambling capital.

I kissed a girl and I liked it...

Mmmmmmmmm.....

Coffee craving

I've never been an avid coffee drinker until I tried out Coffee Bean's Ice-Blended Mocha early last year. Since then, a day at the office will not be complete without a dose of my ultrablended Mocha. I remember telling the CBTL folks a couple of times that my monthly Coffee Bean upkeep is more expensive than having a girlfriend. For real.

Anyway, after much playful lobbying, they named me customer of the month for July. FTW!

MCBL 1st Conference Recap

It's been over a week already since we lost in the division finals. With the annual MDC sportsfest ushering in, the disappointment has faded and we're all feeling much better now.

Though we'd love to have won the championship, the First Conference will not be remembered as a failure. Here is a brief recap of IBM achievements and highlights, both team and individual, during the recently concluded season:

• We topped the division in the following team categories: Scoring (83.1 ppg), Rebounds (43.3 rpg), Assists (14.8 apg), Total FG made (290) and attempted (652), 3FG made (52).
• Herbert led the division in total points scored with 211 while averaging 23.4 per game.
• Jon led the division in total rebounds with 82, while averaging 9.1 per game. Herbert was second in total rebounds with 80.
• I led the league in total assists with 64, while averaging another league-best 7.1 per game.
• Herbert led the division in total FG made (82) and 3FG made (21). He shot a collective 53% from the field while hitting 38% from rainbow country.
• Herbert, Jon and I were named to the All-Division First Team (aka Mythical 5). JP was named to the Second Team.
• Herbert, Jon and I were also part of the All-Defensive Team.
• Jon took the Best Defensive Player award.
• Herbert took overall MVP honors.

Outstanding season for IBMers both collectively as a team and individually as well. We're all looking forward to the Second Conference this September.

Making it rain

I'm not a business major and I laid off of any business-related subjects back in college. But one thing I know about business is that you have to spend money in order to make money. You invest a boatload of money to make a boatload of money. Word to Warren Buffet.

Makes a whole lot of sense to me.

Nike: Courage

Peep Nike's new television spot for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.



"I got soul but I'm not a soldier."

Music from The Killers song, "All These Things That I've Done."

Worthwhile experiment

It's been one hectic week for me lately. I can't remember the last time I was this busy. Despite the cramped schedule and lack of sleep, I am not complaining. The returns have been very rewarding.

Looking forward to finally complete this gig soon.

The sneaker game

I've always been fascinated with sneakers. I remember back in fourth grade I got my first ever pair of Nike Airs. They were the Air Max 90 in the white/blue colorway. My first Jordans were white/maroon VI's in fifth grade. I had Charles Barkley's Air Force Max and Air Max CB94 during sixth and seventh grades respectively. My mom got me one pair a year and that was it.

Just very recently, I've become what I never intended to be, albeit temporarily. Sneakerheads out there will probably know what I mean. But for the rest of you, your guess is just as good as anyone else's.

"You can't knock the hustle." Word to Jay-Z.

Crazy post-game happenings

After our championship game at Xavier, JC invited the team and everyone else who watched for dinner at Pier One Ortigas last night. It was gonna be a doubleheader of a celebration - for the team's outstanding tournament run and his despedida. We would've wanted to send him off with a corporate championship. Too bad we fell a bit short.

A big shoutout of thanks to JC for the free-flowing food and drinks. People were buzzed when we adjourned around 4am. Daryl and I even had to do an emergency rescue operation because a colleague was too wasted to drive. I'm sure you all know how drunk people act. It was quite an adventure bringing this person home to Antipolo.

Speaking of adventure, JR and I had to rush to Cardinal Santos before proceeding to Ortigas for the dinner. He busted his chin open during the game so we had to get him stitched up. Dude got a deep, nasty cut that required six stitches. I've seen (and experienced) a lot of gruesome injuries and this one ranks right up there.

MCBL: IBS finishes 2nd

Our season ended last night with a disappointing 85-75 loss to a bigger-but-not-better Cebuana Lhuillier team. Their height and heft proved to be too much to handle as we were badly beaten off the glass. Don't let the final score deceive you though. The game was much closer than the final score suggests. We had their balls up their necks and asses for most of the game.

Looking back though, I'm proud of what the team has accomplished this season. Who would've thought that a bunch of IBM weekend warriors, true employees at that, will reach the finals with a sensational 7-1 record. We cruised through most games and we were tested in a couple. But more importantly, the team (especially the rookies) gained more exposure and experience. We'll be a whole lot tougher to handle next time around.

The MCBL 2nd Conference starts in late September or early October. Meantime, the team will part ways and play for their respective domains/accounts for the annual MDC sportsfest which formally opened yesterday and will run until September.

Minus JC and Bon who both resigned recently, I fully expect the team to be back when the 2nd Conference kicks off in a couple of months.


Final record: Runner-up finish with a 7-2 record (1-1, postseason)

Mixing smash and sports

I picked this up from AOL Fanhouse. Very interesting read.

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Don't Believe The Hype: Sex Does Not Weaken Legs
Posted Jul 17th 2008 2:01PM by Tom Fornelli

I haven't played organized athletics in quite a while. Don't get me wrong, I'll still get together with friends to play basketball, football, or baseball once in a while, but the last team I belonged to was in high school. I remember playing football back then, and every Friday before a game we would basically have a walk-through of Saturday's game-plan.

At the end of every Friday practice, before the team would "break it down" our coach would give us a little speech about that week's game. When he came to the end of this weekly speech, he would always tell us the same thing.

"Boys, no sex tonight."

Now what in the hell kind of thing is that to tell a 16-year old kid who is going to a party that night? Why the hell am I going to the party if I'm not allowed to have sex? Still, it's an axiom that has existed in sports for quite a while. In the movie Rocky, Rocky's trainer Mickey tells him not to have sex with ADRIAN(!!!) before his fight because "women weaken legs."

Since Mickey said it, the entire world believed it. I mean, you try looking into those eyes of his and not melting. It's impossible not to believe him. Well, unless you're a cold-hearted scientist or a doctor who refuses to believe things without actual proof.

I'd like to introduce you to the newest American hero, University of Kansas team physician Sean Cupp. Cupp believes he can prove what I spent many a Friday afternoon trying to convince my football coach was a bunch of bull.

University of Kansas sports team physician Sean Cupp sure thinks so. Cupp, a sports medicine specialist, said no true scientific studies proved night-before sex impedes performance in any way. In fact, Cupp said if sex was part of an athlete's typical nighttime routine, the person shouldn't suddenly abandon lovemaking.

"Basically, the best way to continue positive performance outcomes would be to not change your pre-game ritual," Cupp said.

"You won't find a more superstitious bunch of people than coaches and athletes," Cupp said. "If they feel like they have a pretty good system, they're not going to stray from it."

The original theory behind the no sex rules weren't really that the act of sex weakens the legs-in reality, it strengthens them-but that it takes away an athlete's aggression. Since ejaculating draws testosterone away from the body, coaches were concerned that all that dopamine released in his defensive end's brain would cause him to hug the quarterback instead of breaking him in half.

In actuality, some recent experiments have shown that having sex the night before a game or match increases your testosterone levels, which means not only does having sex help the athlete break the quarterback in half, but he actually wants to go after the guy's family as well.

So if you have a big game tomorrow, or hell, even just a meeting at work, get yourself out there and get some tonight, fellas. You won't regret it. Well, at least not for a couple of weeks until you get the "I'm pregnant" call, but you'll cross that bridge when you come to it.

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Alright, so we're having our biggest game of the season tomorrow. Connect the dots or do the math.

Hyperdunk McFly: The Philippine Launch

We went to Nike Park Bonifacio High Street last night to participate in the Hyperdunk Supreme McFly edition raffle hosted by Nike Philippines. The shoe, which was inspired by Michael J. Fox's character Marty McFly from the Back to the Future film trilogy, is limited to about 350 pairs worldwide. Fifteen pairs were raffled off last night to lucky participants. Too bad none of us won.

These sneaks are worth about USD 1.5k in the black market. Retail price in Manila was Php 6995. That's a pretty awesome deal for those who won the raffle. For the rest of us, we can either forget about it or shell out Php 60k for a pair on Ebay.

King for two weeks

My mom's leaving for Seattle tomorrow. She'll be away for about two weeks. Nothing new though since she jets off for trips every so often. That just means I'll have the whole flat to myself until the end of the month.

Sweet.

MCBL: Back from the Dead

Welcome to the postseason.

If there's one thing we've learned from our nailbiting semifinals game today against Pepsi - it ain't over 'til it's over.

In what has got to be the toughest game we've had this season, we've always believed anything is possible.

Having been outplayed, outhustled and outsmarted while trailing for majority of the game, we managed to battle back and escape with a miraculous 87-82 win. At one point, some of us felt our season was about to end. But we never lost hope. We never wavered. With so much on the line, losing was farthest from our minds. This hard-earned win just sent us to the championship game next weekend.

Before I forget, I have to give credit where credit is due. The Pepsi-Cola team came in very prepared. We beat them last week during the eliminations and it seems they've adjusted pretty well.

Despite our killer comeback victory, I have to admit we got lucky this time. The tides turned our way in the fourth period which enabled us to get our dirty acts together. We played sloppily and erratically for much of the game and we're fortunate it evened out in the end. Talk about the law of averages coming into play at the right time.

Props to JR for another splendid performance. Time and again, Bred proved he is mad clutch. We would not have survived without his heads-up play. Dude deserves the gameball.

Highlight of the game? Ward drilled a midcourt bomb off the glass just as the halftime buzzer sounded. The bank was open on a Sunday. Too bad we can't catch a replay.

Overall record: 7-1
Next game: Finals, vs Emerson-GMDC or Cebuana Lhuillier - July 19, Saturday, at the Xavier School Gym

Flashpacking in Chinese territory

My friend and I are flying to Hong Kong and Macau in a few weeks. There's only one thing in our itinerary and that's to watch the NBA-led Team USA take on Turkey in a basketball exhibition game at the Venetian. We're winging everything else beyond that.

No plans. No hotel accomodations. No check-in luggage. No one to keep us out of trouble. It's going to be one helluva fuckin' adventure.

2008 USA Basketball International Challenge

The national basketball teams of USA, Turkey and Lithuania will be in Macau this month for a series of pre-Olympic exhibition games. Each team will play each other once.

Team USA will play Turkey on July 31 and Lithuania on August 1. Turkey and Lithuania will square off on August 2.

Of course, the Nike-sponsored American squad is expected to roll over the competition with a bevy of NBA superstars in their roster. The all-star lineup includes Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul.

Turkey has two current NBA players on its roster (Orlando's Hedo Turkoglu and Utah's Mehmet Okur while Lithuania has three (Denver's Linas Kleiza, Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Washington's Darius Songaila). Also suiting up for Lithuania is former NBA guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, who played two seasons in the league for Indiana and Golden State.

The games will not have the usual competitive intensity but they should be entertaining to watch nonetheless.

2008 USA Men's Olympic Basketball Team

MCBL: Playoffs primer

The elimination round is over and we're carrying a 6-1 record to the playoffs. Anything less than a championship will probably be a disappointment. Why? Well, consider our numbers after the 7-game regular season:

• We're number one in most team categories - Scoring (83.7 ppg), Rebounds (45.7 rpg), Assists (15.1 apg), Total FG made (239) and attempted (512), 3FG made (40).


• We're number two in some team categories - FG% (47%), Steals (11.8 spg).


• We have the top candidate for division MVP (Herbert), while having three other players ranked in the top ten.


• We have the top candidate for best defensive player (Jon), while having two other players in the all-defensive team.

While Cebuana Lhuillier will remain the overall top seed because of their unblemished record (7-0), we believe we deserve to be up there. Hopefully, our paths will cross in the finals and we can settle this on the court.

Wanksta

I am so annoyed with people trying to pass off second-hand information as first-hand experience.

Unfortunately, there are a number of them around.

Ateneo over La Salle

Ateneo showed poise down the stretch as they disposed of archrival La Salle, 79-73, in their UAAP season opener this afternoon. Pretty good start for the Eagles who had solid contributions from a lot of players.

This victory, coupled with their two preseason championships (Champions League and the Nike Summer League), should boost their confidence even more.

Random thoughts on the game:

• Jobe Nkemakolam slimmed down tremendously. Someone school me on his fitness/diet regimen. Dude is batak.
• The Nike-sponsored La Salle players had better sneaks than the Nike-sponsored Ateneans. The white/gray/gold Hyperdunks the Archers had on were more fly than the black/blue Hyperdunks of the Eagles. Ateneans better step up their shoe game.
• I can see Joshua Webb becoming the next Mac Cardona and I don't mean that as a complement.
• Rookie Ryan Buenafe is a beast. Dude can ball.
• Rabeh's looking real good with his Tim Duncan post moves.
• Ateneo's sky-high frontline is one big block party.
• At his best, Eric Salamat has the most wicked crossover. Just ask the DLSU guards.
• I can't think of any other player who gets hit more than Chris Tiu. He may not look the part but dude is one tough animal.

Speaking of Ateneo's win, I heard someone say, "nanalo lang Ateneo, lumindol na." This is in reference to the eathquake that hit Manila a couple of hours ago.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I hope y'all are ready cause there are more coming your way.

MCBL: IBS advances to Semis

We came into today's game against Pepsi with one thing in mind: to win. A win today guarantees us a spot in the semifinal phase. A loss would make us have to go through an extra round known as the quarterfinals. We all know we didn't want to go through that.

So we did what we had to do. We came out victorious with an 87-83 win. We end the eliminations sporting a 6-1 record. It's good enough to claim the top seed in our group.

However, the game was not without drama. We almost squandered a huge 26-point first half lead when Pepsi managed a big run during the second half. With our offense losing steam late in the fourth, Pepsi trimmed our lead down to 3 points, 83-80, with less than a minute to go. Two freethrows and a scintillating JR drive later, we were looking at an 87-81 margin with less than 10 ticks left. We let them score a meaningless layup to set the final score at 87-83.

Play of the game? With the game on the line, we went to JR and he didn't disappoint. He hit a tough, contested layup to give us a bit of breathing room, 86-81. Bred is officially clutch.

Funny tidbit of the game? JP fouled out and got T'd for the second consecutive game. Dude is very lucky his technicals got waived off. Else, he would have had to pay fines.

Five IBMers scored in double figures (Herbert 20, JP 16, Jon 12, JR 11, Pao 10).

Record: 6-1 (1st seed, Group A)
Next game: Semifinals, vs Henkel or Pepsi - July 13, Sunday, at the Xavier School Gym

Happy (Meal) Birthday

We know how our soon-to-be-former HR manager loves McDonald's. He can survive eating Happy Meals day in and day out. In true (and typical) JC fashion, his HR family threw him a suprise birthday party last night at nearby McDo Eastwood.

Grimace was the special guest but I'm sure JC would've preferred having Kung Fu Panda instead.

Happy Birthday JC!

Do you believe in Magic?

I used to play Magic: The Gathering when I was in high school. I remember getting introduced to it by my brother and I was instantly hooked. I clearly remember skipping meals saving my allowance to buy the dopest cards I could afford. It was a rich man's game though. Unlike other games, the best Magic cards come with a hefty pricetag. Students were no match to the purchasing power of the older folks.

For this reason, I decided to browse Ebay for rare MTG cards. I'm not planning to start playing again but I was just interested in knowing how much a badass deck would cost now.

When I was still playing back in 1995-96, one can get hold of a tournament-grade deck (complete with all the Power Nine cards) for about Php 40k. But now, judging from the average prices on Ebay, you'd be lucky to come up with a Type 1 deck for about USD 10k. That's almost enough to buy you a compact car.

Had I known this will happen, maybe I should've kept my set. It would've been worth a small fortune 13 years after.

Then again, hindsight is and will always be 20/20.

the Black Lotus, the holy grail of Magic cards

Hancock

I just saw Will Smith's latest starrer, Hancock. I've nothing to say except Charlize Theron was smokin' hot.

That's all.

Back to basics

Alright, so we're starting from scratch. Well, almost.

I swear we get shuffled more times than a deck of cards in a poker game. Not sure if I'm willing to go through this again.

Un-Wanted?

Since the official trailer premiered a couple of months ago, I've been raring to see the film, Wanted.

It stars Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy. They are a breed of elite assassins belonging to a secret society called The Fraternity. Their claim to fame? They can make bullets swerve.

To be quite honest, I was generally disappointed. I guess I was just expecting something better. I thought the trailer was off the charts and it fueled the hype. Unfortunately, I think the movie failed to live up to that.

Don't get me wrong, it was undeniably entertaining and fun. But really, that was all she wrote.

Gin Kings vs Phone Pals

Can't believe I'm skipping the Ginebra-Talk N Text game tonight. It's the only PBA game I've been wanting to check out live.

I scored patron tickets from Josh, who's part of the TNT coaching staff. Too bad I can't find anyone who could join me and I don't want to go alone.

I'll just catch the game on TV then.

Leeching

Some people are harlots for convenience. I think this is even worse than peddling flesh.

MCBL: Where DRAMA happens

For a while I thought we were actors in a made-for-TV movie. However, we were at the wrong end of the script. Almost.

There was so much drama in last night's game, I swear we'd give the blockbuster basketball film, Glory Road, a run for its money.

It all started when our opponent, Coffey, couldn't field the required five players at the scheduled tip-off (which was at 7pm). They only had four at that time. The refs gave them the standard 15-minute extension to hopefully get a fifth player in. The time lapsed and they still couldn't produce five.

We were declared winners by way of forfeiture (more popularly known as default). It was a decision we obviously didn't like since we all wanted to play. But of course, we had to abide by the rules so we'll go ahead and take the W.

At about 7:20 pm, or just few minutes after the extension, Coffey's fifth player surfaced. Once again, we asked the table officials to reconsider but they kept saying it's already done. One even decided change from his referee garb to civilian clothes already.

Just as we were about to play a game amongst ourselves, I was called to approach the officials' table. Being the team captain, they broached one last idea to me, a final resort so to speak. They asked me to call the league commissioner to check if he will allow us to play despite the default ruling.

I dialled up the commish and I was able to speak with him. Luckily, he gave us the go-signal to play as long as we were willing to invalidate our default win.

If you think that was drama enough, think again. We were in for so much more.

Some of my teammates heard one zebra say quite loudly, "Bakit pa ilalaro, eh default na. Sige kayo, baka matalo pa kayo niyan." I guess he just didn't want to have to officiate the game anymore. The boys were referring to the same zebra who went to the locker room to change.

Throughout much of the game, we felt this ref was totally biased against us. We seemed to never get any call go our way. The disparity between the fouls called and freethrows awarded was skewed heavily towards Coffey's favor. All these close calls and their trips to the line kept them in the game. What would've been an easy, blowout win for us turned into a close nailbiter.

To add insult to injury, we got T'd up thrice. One each for Erwin, Emer and JP. Emer got ejected because he had a flagrant foul earlier in the game. JP had to exit the game because the T was his fifth foul. Oh, did I mention I drilled a buzzer-beater at the end of the third period which they subsequently nullified? Talk about game-changing moments.

Despite all these, we took control of the final period as we managed to hold off a very determined and over-achieving Coffey squad and take an 82-73 win heading into the final week of the regular season.

We went from winning by default, to having an almost blowout win, to playing a nerve-wracking close game, and finally, to come out with a nine-point victory. All that drama crammed into a 90-minute stretch.

Who said basketball is just a game?

Record: 5-1
Next game: vs Pepsi - July 5, Saturday, at The Zone

The one that got away

I saw this in my inbox recently. It was one of them forwarded messages. The article is like five years old but it still packs a mean punch. I wouldn't be surprised if it makes you do a Lou Pardini and wonder "What Might Have Been."

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The One That Got Away
By Mark J. Macapagal
Taken from The Manila Times, 24 June 2003

In your life, you'll make note of a lot of people. Ones with whom you shared something special, ones who will always mean something. There's the one you first kissed, the one you first loved, the one you lost your virginity to, the one you put on a pedestal, the one you're with... and the one that got away.

Who is the one that got away? I guess it's that person, with who everything was great, everything was perfect, but the timing was just wrong. There was no fault in the person; there was no flaw in the chemistry, but the cards just didn't fall the right way, I suppose.

I believe in the fact that ending up with someone, finding a longtime partner that is, does not lie merely in the other person. I can actually argue that an equal part, or maybe even the greater part, has to do with the matter of timing. It has to do with you being ready to settle down and commit to someone in a way that goes beyond the little niceties of giddy romance.

How often have you gone through it without even realizing it? When you're not ready to commit in that mature manner, it doesn't matter who you're with, it just doesn't work. Small problems become big; inconsequential, become deal breakers simply because you're not ready and it shows. It's not that you and the person you're with are no good; it just that it's not yet right, and little things become the flashpoint of that fact.

Then one day you're ready. You really are. And when this happens you'll be ready to settle down with someone. He or she may not be the most perfect. They might not be the brightest star of romance to ever have burned in your life, but it'll work because you're ready. It will work because it's the right time and you'll make it work. And it'll make sense, it really will.

So that day comes when you're finally making sense of things, and you find yourself to be a different person. Things are different, your approach is different, and you finally understand who you are and what you want. And you've become ready because the time has truly arrived. And mind you, there's no telling when this day will come. Hopefully you're single but you could be in a long-term relationship, you could be married with three kids. It doesn't matter.

All you know is that you've changed, and for some reason, the one that got away is the first person you think about. You'll think about them because you'll wonder, "What if they were here today?" You'll wonder, "What if we were together now, with me as I am and not as I was?" That's what the one that got away is, the biggest "What if?" you'll have in your life.

If you're married, you'll just have to accept the fact that the one that got away, got away. Believe me, no matter how fairy tale you think your marriage is, this can happen to the best of us. But hopefully you're mature enough to realize that you're already with the one you're with and this is just another test of your commitment. One which will just strengthen your marriage when you get past it. Sure, you'll think about him/her every so often, but it's alright. It's never nice to live with a "might have been," but it happens.

Maybe the one that got away is the one who's already married. In which case it's the same thing. You just have to accept and know that your memories of that person will probably bring a nice little smile to your lips in the future when you're old and gray and reminiscing. But if neither of that is the case, then it's different. What do you do if it's not yet too late? Simple...find him, find her. Because the very existence of a "one that got away" means that you'll always wonder what if you got that one.

Ask him out to coffee; ask her out to a movie, it doesn't matter if you've dropped in from out of nowhere. You'd be surprised, you just might be "the one that got away" as well for the person who is your "the one that got away."

You might drop in from out of nowhere and it won't make a difference. If the timing is finally right, it'll all just fall into place somehow and you know. I'm thinking, it would be a great feeling in the end, to be able to say to someone, "Hey you, you're the one that almost got away."
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So, who's your the one that got away?

Pondo ng Pinoy update

So after a couple of weeks, it seems as if the investment did not reap dividends.

Sayang, it could've been a how'd-ya-like-me-now moment.

Previous post:
Pondo ng Pinoy

Close to home

Easily the funniest (and possibly the best) comment I heard recently.

"Fish in familiar waters."

Stormy weekend

I can't believe I slept in the whole weekend. I had a number of things and errands lined up and dozing off the whole time wasn't part of it. Blame it on the freaking typhoon. It had much of the country on its knees.

I hope the weather improves by tomorrow. Otherwise, people are gonna have a difficult time getting to work. If only work is like school, we'd be looking at an additional day off. I heard classes on all levels have already been suspended.

Nike Golf: Never

See Nike Golf's latest television spot featuring the world's number one golfer, Tiger Woods. The 60-second ad couldn't have come at a better time as Tiger won the 2008 US Open while dealing with a fractured leg and a torn ACL. It was his 14th major, trailing only the legendary Jack Nicklaus.



"Tiger, I promise you that you'll never meet another person as mentally tough as you in your entire life. And he hasn't. He never will."

Football and its top-class WAGs

It's been a well-known fact that footballers pull the finest dimes. Peep one of the reasons why below.

You're feasting your eyes on model-cum-football-WAG, Abbey Clancy. She's the girlfriend of England international and Liverpool striker Peter Crouch.

I've never seen an animal print look so damn inviting.

MCBL: License to talk

Just got back from our game about an hour ago. We played against Epson. They were arguably the most annoying team we've faced since we started joining third party leagues. They were just too damn noisy. They couldn't keep their mouths shut.

I have nothing against noisy teams. I mean, we can be pretty noisy and annoying too. We can get pretty amped when we're blowing teams out. Difference is, we're winning and they're not. As long as you're winning, you can run your mouths nonstop. But if you're getting your ass spanked, shut the fuck up and walk away.

Now, back to the game. We had an excellent start running our transition offense. I think we scored 10 quick points just by keeping the fastbreak moving. We had no trouble finding the lane for some easy baskets. We had like a 12 point lead when the quarter ended.

We put our reserves in during the second period and Epson slowly made it into a game. They closed in to within 4 points, 24-20, and we had to sue for time. With most of the starters resting, our shock troopers couldn't find the groove offensively and we got stuck in a little bit of rut. When the starters returned, we got our attack flowing again and we erected a huge 44-28 margin by halftime.

It was all downhill for Epson after. They just couldn't keep up with our firepower and our depth. They either ran out of ink or were using substandard refills. Just like all our wins this season, it was pretty much over by the third quarter. In boxing, it would've been a referee stops contest. Corner throws in the towel. Final score was 98-63.

Herbert topscored with 25 points. JP followed with a season-high 24. I don't usually plug myself in but I'll make an exception since I almost had a triple-double with 9 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists.

Highlight of the night? I got T'd up for the first time ever. I was jawing with these dudes all night and the zebras finally called one on me. I can't say it wasn't warranted but it sucks as it comes with a 500 peso fine.

Record: 4-1
Next game: vs Coffey - June 27, Friday, at Club 650

UNC trio goes back to school

It's official. Everyone's back.

Incoming juniors Tywon Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green are heading back to Chapel Hill. The three withdrew their names from the NBA Draft after none of them could get possible first or second round guarantees. Rather than risk being undrafted and losing their college eligibility, they chose to return to North Carolina for at least one more year.

This makes the Tar Heels the consensus favorite to win the NCAA championship in 2009. They return their entire starting unit including reigning National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough. They will be joined by a top-10 recruiting class that includes three McDonald's All-Americans.

With their stacked lineup, it'll be a shame if they don't win it all in Detroit next year.

KG's pure passion

A very emotional and hyped Kevin Garnett speaks his heart out in this interview just minutes after winning the NBA title with the Boston Celtics.



"Anything's possible."

"This is for all of you in Minnesota. This is for all of you in Chicago."

"We made it, Ma. Top of the world!"

"I'm certified. I'm certified."

"What you gonna say now? What can you say now?"

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If that didn't get you goosebumps, I don't know what will. That's passion at the highest level. Dude finally got a ring. He deserves it.

I can actually see Adidas using this material and turning it into a television ad.

Glory at the Garden

And then there was Green.

Thanks to the Big Ticket, Jesus, and The Truth, the Boston Celtics are sitting atop the basketball world again.

The Celtics obliterated the Los Angeles Lakers, 131-92, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to capture their 17th championship, their first in 22 long years.

It was total domination right from the get-go. It seems as if the Lakers never had a chance. It was pretty much over by halftime. Boston's swarming defense forced 19 LA turnovers which led to easy transition baskets and wide-open threes.

The Big Three had superb games - KG with 26 points and 14 boards, Ray Allen also with 26 points anchored on 7 treys, and Finals MVP Paul Pierce with 17 points and 10 dimes.

The lines:
Straight up: Boston
Against the spread: Boston (-4.0)
Over/under: Over (191.5)

*Boston remains perfect against the spread (6-0) this Finals series.

Previous Boston preseason posts:
Celtic Pride
Beefed up Celtics

The Incredible Hulk

I caught the latest Hulk movie recently. All the while I thought it was a sequel to the 2003 film starring Eric Bana and directed by Ang Lee. It wasn't though. The producers said the 2008 version is a film reboot and it could spawn a series of sequels.

I liked this one better than the first one. But I don't think it was anything great though. It couldn't live up to the hype that the other 2008 superhero flick Iron Man generated.

I wouldn't mind being Bruce Banner especially if I had a Betty Ross. That'd be fun... except he can't do the nasty. Go see the movie if you wanna know why.

That said, forget Banner. I wanna be Tony Stark instead.

Lakers extend series

The Los Angeles Lakers regrouped just in time to send the Finals series back to New England via a 103-98 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 5.

Boston had several chances to tie the game (or take the lead) in the final minutes, but Kevin Garnett flubbed two freethrows and Paul Pierce had a crucial turnover that led to a Kobe Bryant breakaway dunk.

Boston still leads the series, three games to two. They have two more chances to clinch the championship at home.

Game 6 returns to the TD Banknorth Garden on Friday morning (Manila time).

The lines:
Straight up:
LA Lakers
Against the spread: Boston* (+7.5)
Over/under: Over (192.0)

*Boston is 5-0 against the spread.

Ateneo wins Nike Summer League

The Ateneo Blue Eagles relied on the sweet shooting of veteran Chris Tiu to beat UE, 65-64, in the Nike Summer League Finals.

The fifth-year senior Tiu drilled the gamewinner from 18 feet. It was a perfectly executed play anchored on a Rabeh Al-Hussaini screen and a pinpoint pass from Bacon Austria. UE still had the chance to win but Paul Lee airballed his shot as the final buzzer sounded.

Great comeback for the Eagles as they were down most of the way. This should provide them momentum as the UAAP season starts in a few weeks.

MCBL: Band of Brothers

Following our surprising loss last week, we knew we were all psyched for some payback in our next game against Henkel. Trouble is, we almost didn't have our next game.

We only had 4 players by tip-off so we were given the mandatory 10-minute extension. We were about 2 minutes from forfeiting the game when Herbert got in. We were then set to field our first (and perhaps only) five.

With only 5 players available, we knew we were in for a tough match. No subs, no rest, no breaks. I can just imagine us losing steam late in the game. Little did we know that this 5-man IBM team will unleash 40 minutes of punishment. All hell broke loose soon after. There was just no stopping the onslaught.

We led 20-7 after the first quarter and we never let up. Using a fine display of fluid offense and relentless defense, along with impeccable teamwork, we cruised the rest of the way without stepping off the gas. We finally ended their misery with an 88-45 blowout win. Not bad for a very undermanned lineup.

We wound up with 7 players, with JP coming in late in the first while JR showed up at the end of the third.

Herbert lit up the stat sheet with 36 points and 16 rebounds. Jon had a monstrous outing too with 21 points and 18 boards. Come to think of it, they would've defeated Henkel comfortably by themselves.

Record: 3-1
Next game: vs Epson - June 20, Friday, at Club 650

Boston steals Game 5

The Boston Celtics are one win away from an unprecedented 17th NBA Championship thanks to a nearly improbable comeback.

They stormed back from an early 24-point hole then took charge in the second half taking down the Lakers, 97-91. Boston trailed by as much as 24 in the first half and were still down by 20 with about 6 minutes to go in the third. From then on, the Celtics outscored LA, 57-33, the rest of the way. They extend their Finals series lead three games to one.

It was the Lakers' first loss at the Staples Center this postseason.

What better way to celebrate a long-awaited championship than for Boston to clinch it at their rival's homecourt. They have a chance to do that in Game 5 which is set for Monday morning (Manila time).

The lines:
Straight up: Boston
Against the spread: Boston (+7.5)
Over/under: Under (191.5)

Delighted

Happiness couldn't have come at such a better time. Nothing spells contentment more than memory bliss.

Flying Santa Fe

A friend of mine got into a nasty car accident Wednesday night at his hometown. They were riding 100 when they missed a turn and flew off a ravine. Good thing it wasn't that deep and they didn't hit anything else.

Dude feels like he just got a new lease on life (thanks to Hyundai).

Chong, masamang damo matagal mamatay.

Seriously, that's nothing a couple of super six hits won't heal. Easy ka lang.

Coming clean

Even the best laid plans sometimes don't work out.

Still, I've never felt so relieved. Finally.

Fiat Voluntas Dei.

Lakers draw closer

The Celtics almost had the Lakers tightwalking on the edge of a devastating 0-3 hole. But the LA Lakers Kobe wanted none of that. He did just enough to edge Boston in Game 3, 87-81. The Boston Celtics still lead the best-of-seven finals series, two games to one.

Game 4 is on Friday morning (Manila time).

The lines:
Straight up: LA Lakers
Against the spread: Boston (+9.5)
Over/under: Under (195.5)

Random thoughts about our first loss

We were just talking about our disappointing weekend loss. We all agree we've never seen a celebration more jubilant than what our opponents had after the game. It's exasperating to remember them so jovial at our expense.

To say they were euphoric is a major understatement.

This should serve as our midseason wake-up call. We can't take any team lightly anymore. Gotta keep our feet firmly planted on the ground.

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On a more shallow note, JP and I went for the college look last Saturday. For those who don't know, it involves wearing a color-keyed t-shirt under the jersey (word to Indiana's Eric Gordon and Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts). Being foolishly superstitious, we'd probably ditch that getup considering we lost (but yeah, we would've continued it if we won).

We might as well hang up the shoes we used. Baka malas eh. Haha.

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Speaking of malas, the boys were saying maybe it was Erwin or John Vingno who brought bad luck. It was their first time to show up this season. Can't confirm anything based on one instance, but if they skip the next game and we win, we all know what's cooking.

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Regarding no-shows: JC, Vinch, Daryl, Bon, Alvin and JR were all missing-in-action for one reason or another. Sayang, we would've done better had they been around.

Di bale, bawi tayo next time.

Boston goes up 2-0

Boston almost cruised to an easy victory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Leading by 24 nearly halfway through the fourth quarter, they managed to fend off a furious LA rally, holding them off for a 108-102 win.

The Lakers were down 95-71 with just under 8 minutes. But a Kobe-led 31-9 run made it 104-102 with 38.4 seconds remaining. The Celtics hit their freethrows to ice the game. They leave the comforts of home with a 2-0 series lead. LA will host the next three games at the Staples Center.

Game 3 is on Wednesday morning (Manila time).

The lines:
Straight up: Boston
Against the spread: Boston (+1.0)
Over/under: Over (191.5)

Next in(k) line

I got a little bit of ink done last night. It's nothing big or fancy though. I'm still thinking of what to come up with next.

I actually have a number of ideas already. I just need to finally decide and make it happen. I'm in no rush though so it might take a while.

MCBL: Deja Vu

It's deja vu all over again.

Last year, we stumbled on our 3rd game after winning two straight comfortably. We fell to 2-1 after three games.

This season, we won our first 2 games convincingly by an average of 31 points. So we played our 3rd game earlier today and just like last year, we falter yet again. Emerson-GMDC pulled off a gigantic upset, beating us by the narrowest of margins, 60-59.

It's a difficult pill to swallow having led by as much as 11 points in the fourth quarter. We couldn't hang on to the lead as they slowly crept back in. We had numerous chances to win the game at the end but we just couldn't convert.

Record: 2-1
Next game: vs Henkel - June 14, Saturday, at The Zone

Living a footballer's dream

After weeks of speculation, it appears the world's best footballer, Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo wants to move to Spanish champions Real Madrid. He said he has nothing more to look forward to having led Manchester United to both the domestic and European club championships this season. He added that it is his lifelong dream to play for Madrid.

He's rumored to have been offered a staggering GBP 300,000 (USD 586,000) a week net-after-tax deal by the Spanish giants. Should Man United decided to sell the winger, reports suggest Real Madrid is willing to pay up to EUR 100M for the transfer fee.

Imagine CR7's world:
You're the world's best player. You've a supermodel for a girlfriend. You've won domestic and European titles. You're about to get paid more than half-a-million dollars a week. And you have the top 2 football clubs in the world fighting for your services. Not bad for a 23-year-old.

Really, that's all a footballer can ever dream of.

Celtics draw first blood at home

Boston held serve today as they beat the LA Lakers, 98-88, in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. One down, three to go.

Game 2 is on Monday morning (Manila time).

For those keeping score of the lines:
Straight-up: Boston
Against the spread: Boston (-3.0)
Over/under: Under (191.0)

Previous post:
NBA's Dream Finals

Pondo ng Pinoy

Tangina ka Bon! Laugh trip ka, men.

We'll soon find out if the funds generate revenue.

Meantime, let's sit back, relax and allow nature to take its course.

Food poisoning: The Aftermath

Still feeling a bit weak but I've managed to gather enough strength and get back to work already. I need to get my eating habits back on track as well. Can't do those no-dinner-routine anymore.

If there's one thing positive to come out of this difficult ordeal, I guess it's the losing weight part. I dropped a few kilos already since the weekend and it's caused people to double takes and ask why. It's not the best way to shed some pounds but I'll take it nevertheless.

The long weekend should provide me ample time to really get back on the road to full recovery.

Thanks to all those who called and/or dropped by to check on me while I was on sick bay. Thanks to my teammates and my manager for covering for me while I was gone. Appreciate the efforts folks. Owe you guys one.

Oh yeah, to my good friend. Thanks for accompanying me to the hospital even if you drive me crazy with your antics. I'm so deeply indebted. Haha =P

Louis Malkey: Captain and Coach

This was shown in ESPN's Sportscenter recently. It's a long watch but it's well worth it. It's as touching a story as you'll ever see.

I wouldn't be surprised if they make this into a feature film. It's one of those stories that has to be told.

Part 1


Part 2


"Tell my wife I said I love you (sic)."

That just got me shedding tears.

RIP Louis Malkey

Lab results just in

I went back to Medical City last night, bringing with me my stool sample. I was advised to submit one if I still kept going back to the bathroom.

After an eternity of waiting, in a very packed emergency room at that, I finally got the lab results. The doctor said that they've ruled out amoeba but there was puss, mucus and blood present. He also said I should be better within 24 hours.

I sure hope so. I've sat on the throne so much the past 4 days, someone should crown me king already.

Visit to the ER; Comical cabbie

Just got back from the ER a while ago. I would've gone earlier but I couldn't find someone to accompany me. Good thing a dear friend volunteered provided we go late.

Anyway, I was suprised to see a few familiar faces in Medical City. For a bit, it seemed like 1800 with some IBMers sporting their IBM jackets.

So the doctor said it's highly likely that I fell victim to food poisoning. You don't go dumping for 2 straight days unless there's something wrong. However, she said it will be difficult to pinpoint exactly what caused it, since it has been more than 48 hours since the incident.

The ride home was out of the ordinary. The driver engaged me in a little chitchat. I could sense he was talkative as he kept asking questions and stuff. I was getting annoyed at first, but amusement quickly took over. He was actually making sense. If anything, I came out of the trip with a whole new perspective. Maybe it's a sign. Haha.

Oo, manong. Walang katalo-talo. Solb na solb.

On keeping one's cool

If you know me well, you know that my day is never complete without reading the papers. And no, I don't just read the sports pages. I systematically rummage through all sections.

I came across this article from today's Philippine Star by renowned speaker and lecturer Francis Kong. It's an interesting read.

Remember Walt Frazier

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Remember Walt Frazier
BUSINESS MATTERS (Beyond the bottom line)
By Francis J. Kong

Sunday, June 1, 2008

There are people in the work place whose favorite part of the human anatomy is the back. These are the people who love to back-stab and back-bite and they feel that the only way they can add value to themselves is to devalue others. They are in the work place, they are in organizations and they are also found in churches too.

What do you do when you are a victim of injustice?

What do you do when you are on the receiving end of a smear campaign? Ask me. I’ve got stories to tell. I am not speaking theory here but I am speaking based on actual experiences. These experiences are not exactly ecstatic for me but I sure am learning a lot from it.

There are people out there whose joy in life is to see me fail as I am sure there are people out there whose mission in life is to destroy you and your career or business. These are insecure people who cannot stand good and healthy competition. These are yellow-bellied cowards who would not dare fight you face to face. They scheme. They mislead. They plot. They conspire. Lying is their native tongue. Hypocrisy is their virtue.

Deception is their character. And then they hurt you or at least they irritate you.

So what do you do?

Sometimes it gets to you. You have within your means the arsenal to fight back and you are almost there. It is so tempting. All it takes is a hard blow. Just one strike is all it takes and you have all the plans in place. Your mind tells you: “The best defense is offense…!!!” Should you hit back or shouldn’t you?

When you find yourself in this situation…try to remember the celebrated basketball player of the New York Knicks Walt Frazier.

Walt Frazier was the soul and the spirit of the New York Knicks in the early ’70s—unflappable, unselfish, versatile and smooth, he embodied the essence of what made champions special. Although he was overflowing with basketball talent, he was first and foremost a team player. And although he’s often remembered for his on-court and off-court smoothness, his game was definitely not all-style-and-no-substance. Frazier brought the goods—he had an inner toughness and heart underneath the controlled flow.

Many years ago during a Knicks-Bullets playoff game, one of the Bullets came up from behind and punched Walt Frazier in the face. Strangely, the referee called a foul on Frazier. Frazier didn’t complain. His expression never changed. He simply called for the ball and put in seven straight shots to win the game, an amazing display of productive anger. This provides us with a great moral lesson as well.

Watching Frazier played his ball game many years ago, I officially considered him my hero for “Coolness.” I taught myself at a very young age that being “cool” is the tool of the intelligent. Being destructive is the tool for fools. Being “cool” accomplishes more than being emotional and explosive.

And in being cool, I have discovered 3 ways of hitting back these cowards who continue their mission of destruction. And if you are currently being hit these days, do the following:

1. Pray. God does not sleep. Vengeance is His not yours. He knows how to deal with the situation. And when you know that you have Him on your side you will always be on the winning side. No, don’t pray for God to hit those losers with thunder and lightning but you should pray that God forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. That they may come to genuine repentance and realize the sins they are committing.

2. Learn. Realize that wickedness lies in the heart of people. And if this could happen to them the same thing could happen to you as well. The heart is hopelessly and wickedly deceiving. So learn form the experience and be on guard. Determine never to decline and deteriorate to their level.

3. Live. The best form of revenge is a life well lived. Excel in what you do and use the energy and channel them on doing more than what you are able to do. Let these losers fuel you with the creative anger and passion to succeed more.

Be a Walt Frazier in the hard court of life and business.

And always remember this: Never wrestle with a pig. And there are 2 reasons why:

Number 1: You get yourself dirty and number 2: The pig loves it!

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Bottomline: When things get heated, always keep your cool.

Hating this feeling

I've always wondered how it is to get food poisoning. Now I know the feeling and frankly it's the worst ever. I couldn't sleep last night as I kept vomitting and going to the bathroom like every 5 minutes. I am not kidding.

I think I should heed everyone's advice and get my ass off to the hospital. I don't think I can survive any longer.

Flashback

Call me bored (and sentimental) but I spent the last hour or two reading through my blog. Yeah, the whole nine yards of it since I started in late 2005.

It's pretty interesting strolling down memory lane and seeing how I've become (or unbecome) over the years. This is going to be more fascinating to read when I'm old and gray.

Sometimes I write too cryptic though and I can't relate to some of the posts anymore. Maybe I should start being more detailed now.

Poisoned

I had to skip my cousin's wedding today due to an emergency. I'm battling with an acute case of food poisoning. It sucks cause I could hardly keep up the fight. I swear I haven't gone to the john this much in my whole life.

Dream Finals

Boston did its part a day after the Lakers did theirs.

The NBA's most storied franchises will meet in what many are calling the dream finals matchup.

Bust out the retro uniforms, throw in the afro, and play some funky music. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers are back. The ancient and bitter rivalry lives on.

The hostilities start Friday morning (Manila) as Boston hosts LA for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Cebu surprises

What's with Cebu and Shang Mactan?

I know of at least two guys who took their SO's to Shangri-La Mactan for surprise weekend overnighters recently. Oh and get this, both occurred in the past two weeks!

Actually, both stories are way too similar. I'm even beginning to wonder if both cats know each other. Only difference was one couple got off the island engaged, the other got off officially together.

Anyhow, I tip my hat off and raise a glass in honor of you guys. Amazing.

But now I have to cross out Cebu and Shang Mactan from my list, lest I be accused of being unoriginal. Nevertheless, as the old adage goes, "There is more than one way to skin a cat."

LA Lakers to the NBA Finals

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers have done their part. They booked themselves an NBA Finals ticket by overpowering the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, 4-1, in their best-of-seven Western Conference finals series.

Now, the Boston Celtics have to do theirs. They lead Detroit, 3-2, with Game 6 tomorrow at Motown. The series moves back to Beantown for the all-important, win-or-go-home Game 7 on Monday if necessary.

It'll be a flashback to the showtime era (1980's) if Boston moves on to meet LA in professional basketball's premier stage.

It'll be the perfect ending to an NBA season fairytale. It seems it was scripted destined from the start.

Press play

Save for some prick jerk hitting me with a clothesline and another one showing me an elbow, last night's pickup games at Acropolis were scintillating to say the least.

Never did I imagine a bunch of Ateneans executing the vaunted La Salle full-court press to near perfection. Franz will be proud.

4-0.

Bane or boon?

I've always taken pride in having excellent memory. I feel blessed that I have that uncanny ability to remember stuff down to the last detail. It's a great skill for the most part.

It's not always beneficial though. Sometimes, it's more of a bane than a boon.

On earthquakes, tremors and life

If there's anything that strikes more fear than earthquakes, it has to be the aftershocks. Just when you thought you've picked up the pieces from the initial tremor, it jolts you right back into submission. It makes recovery even more grueling and unbearable.

You can say the same about life too.

(My prayers go out to all the victims of the recent earthquake tragedy in China. May the souls of all those who perished rest in peace.)

Bad vibes

The say misery loves company. That said, does anyone care to join me?

Man United: 2007-08 Champions of Europe

It was undoubtedly the most nerve-wracking penalty shootout I've watched on TV. Seeing the world's best player miss, I thought it was all over.

Little did we know that English international and Chelsea captain John Terry will choke at the biggest stage. He got United keeper and Dutch international Edwin Van Der Sar beaten, but a momentary slip caused his potential match-winning shot to hit the post. Had it gone in, Chelsea would've been crowned European Champions for the first time. Instead, Van Der Sar parried Nicolas Anelka's kick moments later in sudden death to hold on and win Manchester United their third European club title.

Not only did the Van Der Sar save preserve an excellent season for the Red Devils, it also provided redemption to Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the world's best footballer today. His spot kick was blocked by Chelsea keeper Petr Cech. Having had a magnificent, player-of-the-year season, it would've been unfathomable had United's season end with a Champions League Final shootout loss on a Ronaldo miss.

Then again, the football gods had something else in mind. What transpired was a thrilling end to a spectacular season.

Manchester United: 2007-08 EPL Champions. 2007-2008 UEFA Champions League winners.

NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals

The Eastern Conference Finals will start later today with the Boston Celtics hosting the Detroit Pistons at the TD Banknorth Garden for Game 1.

The Celtics needed all 7 games to dispose of Lebron and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semis. Luckily, they have homecourt advantage throughout the postseason because they haven't won on the road so far (8-0 at home; 0-6 on the road). They'll need to break that streak to have a chance against the blue-collar Pistons.

Detroit took out the Orlando Magic in 5 games. As a result, they come in very well rested compared against a weary Boston team who have played the maximum 14 games in the first two rounds.

I'm predicting this series will go the distance and Boston will punch its ticket to the Finals aided by some magical home-cooking.

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The Western Conference finals will start Thursday morning (Manila) with the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the defending champion San Antonio Spurs for Game 1.

The Kobe-led Lakers sent the Utah Jazz home after 6 games while the Spurs snatched the win-or-go-home Game 7 on the road against the talented but inexperienced New Orleans Hornets.

I don't like both the Lakers and the Spurs so I couldn't care less who wins the West. Nevertheless, I think this will be a great series and I just hope it goes all the way to Game 7 as well.

The NBA is praying that both the Celtics and the Lakers reach the Finals. This will undoubtedly be a marketing dream for the league. I can just imagine the money that the NBA will be making as a byproduct of a renewed Lakers-Celtics rivalry reminiscent of the Magic-Bird era in the 80's.

Conspiracy theorists say that the NBA will indeed make this happen by whatever means necessary.


Previous posts:
NBA Playoffs: 2nd Round
NBA Playoffs update
NBA Playoff predictions

Schedule slip-up

It's only Monday but I think the MCBL picked a wrong time to give us our bye-week. Now, I have nothing to look forward to this weekend and next.

Talk about wrong timing at its worst!

Headache

There's a bajillion of thoughts in my head and I've so many things to say but I think it's best if I just shut up.

Or maybe I should write a book and do a tell-all. It's freakin' difficult if you're hard-pressed to find a confidant. I might as well just broadcast to the whole world.

Tribeca - Cold World

Not a lot of people know this song. In fact, I'm surprised it never hit the mainstream. Anyway, for hiphop/r&b fans and hoops junkies alike, this is just inspirational. It'll make you relive your hoop dreams. And yeah, don't front. I'm sure all of us, at some point in our lives, wanted to be like Mike.

So, if you've ever dreamed of hitting the big time, this one's for you. For all us underdogs in this dog-eat-dog cruel world, this one's for us.

Whenever I need that extra lift, I pop this track and it pumps me up. Nothing else gets me in the zone more than this. It's a must for my pre-game routine.

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Tribeca on his song, "Cold World," and what it means for him:

"It means a lot to me. It's a basketball-driven song but it can relate to anything in life. If you've overcome poverty, overcome something, or are going through something now, if you need that adrenaline rush, this song is for you. You have to make a decision... if you're doing it for love."

MCBL: IBS 72, Emerson 42

Okay, so we won by 30 again. Still, we were so out-of-sync today, we were lucky to come out with a blowout victory.

We hardly resembled the team that dropped 100 last weekend. Our shots weren't falling and our transition defense was sloppy. I swear we could do way better next time.

We're having two consecutive bye-weeks, so it'll be a while until we hit the court again.

With JP and JR having off-days, Herbert picked up the slack, scoring a game-high 17 points. Jon had a solid outing, finishing with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Highlight of the game? While we had a subpar game today, we weren't short of hilarious moments. Right now, it's a toss up between Vinchi losing his shorts after a rebound, underwear exposed, and Bon spraining his ankle and injuring himself just as the final buzzer sounded.

Record: 2-0
Next game: vs Emerson-GMDC - June 7, Saturday, at The Zone

Same old, same old

I rarely get to see my barkada anymore but I had lunch with a good friend of mine about a month ago. After the usual catching up part, he tells me, "Blek, mukhang hindi ka pa rin nagbabago," in reference to one aspect of my life.

Dude, you are spot on. I always go back.

Alumni survey

I was surprised to receive a survey questionnaire from the Ateneo School of Humanities. I was never really the ideal student back in college so it does come as a shock.

I would normally skip these emails but I took a different route this time. I actually took time out to read and accomplish the survey. I sent it right back after about 5 minutes.

It feels good to somehow give something back to your alma mater, no matter how petty or trivial it may seem.

Between the lines

I just saw something that kinda put me off a bit.

I dunno but I think some things are better left unsaid.

In physical pain

I jammed three fingers. I stubbed a toe. There's a pinched nerve in my left shoulder. My surgically-repaired knee is banged up.

Shit, I'm like a walking injury list. Can't wait to see what's next.

MCBL: Season opener

JR and I were late for our season opener last Saturday. We got lost despite having been to The Zone a number of times. We took a wrong turn and we couldn't manage our way back. Blame Makati for its stupid one-way roads and no-left-or-U-turn intersections. It made us miss the opening tip.

So it was the first time majority of the guys played together. Surprisingly, we did very well. We beat Sky Printing quite comfortably, 100-68. It was relatively over by halftime. We were just too deep, they couldn't catch up with our transition game. Think Phoenix Suns fastbreak. We never even expected to breach the century mark.

JR led four IBS players in double-digits with a team-high 21 points. JP followed with 18 points. Jon and Herbert had 17 and 11, respectively.

Play of the game? An Edward catch-and-shoot buzzer beater to end the first half via a steal-and-pass from JR. Simply DIRTY!

Record: 1-0
Next game: vs Emerson - May 17, Saturday, at The Zone

Happy Mother's Day

Let's take time out today to honor our mothers. I'm truly blessed to have a wonderful (yet sometimes annoying) mom. She's all I have. Really.

I have so much to thank her for. She did a splendid job raising us single-handedly while trying to make ends meet. I remember telling her about a decade or so ago that I grew up never needing or wanting a father. I don't recall ever asking about my dad too. She's just all that and so much more.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

In the dumps

I feel shitty. No matter what I do, I can't seem to get anything right.

Not only is this a miserable feeling, it's bleeding me dry as well.

Game Day

We've waited long enough for today, as the MCBL officially opens with a slew of games lined up. We'll miss several players who have other engagements. Hopefully, we'll get over the opening day jitters, as we calm our nerves and deliver a good performance.

I have nothing on Sky Printing, our opponents later tonight. No news, no scouting report, no nothing. I just hope it ain't a bunch of thugs masquerading as a genuine corporate team.

Let's see how our season opener pans out. Game time is at 5pm, at The Zone in Makati.

Film-filled week

We've been tearing up the cinemas lately, having watched Iron Man, What Happens In Vegas and Speed Racer on successive nights. That's actually three movies in four nights. We had an Iron Man do over, not out of choice mind you. Let's just say something big came up.

Don't even ask what. Haha.

MCBL: First game

The MCBL opening weekend schedule just came out and we're up against Sky Printing on Saturday, May 10, at The Zone in Makati. I'm not familiar with our opponents but I hope they don't send their drivers, maintenance or utility people out to play for them.

Anyway, we're looking forward to our first game and get this season started. Hopefully, we can come out, play well, and start the season with a W.

Labor day weekend

Save for the IBM basketball gig earlier, this might be the worst four-day stretch I've had ever.

Alright, maybe not ever but at least in a very long time.

NBA Playoffs: 2nd Round

The Conference Semifinals (aka Round 2) of the NBA postseason officially started today. Here are my picks:

Edit (May 5, 2008): Boston just blew out Atlanta in Game 7 earlier this morning, they win the series, 4-1.

EAST (Team in CAPS has homecourt advantage)

(1)BOSTON vs (4)Cleveland

The Celtics had a scare against lowly Atlanta. Still, they are NBA's number one team. Boston will dispose of Lebron and the Cavs in 6 games.

(2)DETROIT vs (3)Orlando

Once zoned in, no one can stop the Pistons, not even Dwight Howard. Depending on their motivation, I'd say Detroit in 5, 6 or 7 games. Haha. You never know when the Pistons will take their games seriously.

WEST (Team in CAPS has homecourt advantage)

(1)LA LAKERS vs (4)Utah

I don't see how Utah can stop league MVP Kobe. I can see the Lakeshow losing a game though. LA in 5.

(2)NEW ORLEANS vs (3)San Antonio

I'd go with my heart again on this one. I love Chris Paul. I hate Tim Duncan. I don't care how long the series goes, but I'm picking the Hornets to reach the Conference Finals.

MCBL: Team IBS

Basketball season is just about to start for the IBS team. We're joining the MPG Corporate Basketball League (MCBL) First Conference which opens next weekend. I attended the league GA last Friday to finalize the divisions. We were unable to settle the divisions though due to some unpaid teams. However, at least initially, IBS is placed in Division B alongside Cebuana Lhuillier, Pepsi, Shell and HSBC. The divisions may still change up until Wednesday I think.

Our team's core is basically anchored around the IBS Sportsfest champion LeNoBo team, the same group who placed third in one of the MPG Ateneo Invitational divisions last year. We've added quite a number of standout players from the other internal IBS teams, but we've lost a few key contributors as well. All in all though, I believe this is a stronger team compared to last year's.

We're looking to surpass last year's third place finish, hopefully getting into the finals this time.

ROSTER

Holdovers (Account/Domain/Department)

Bon Enriquez (Supply Chain)
JC Javier (HR)
JR Bulaon (Discover)
JP Sarmiento (Lenovo)
Darwin Carmona (Avon)
Erwin Dotimas (HR)
Emer Eustaquio (Payroll)
Paolo Gonzalez (HR)

Additions

Edward Reyes (SSM)
Albert Velasco (SSM)
Alvin Villegas (CQM)
Jon Diokno (Allstate)
Josef Reyes (Allstate)
Daryl Deang (HR)
Ojie Ylagan (HR)
Vinchi Tayag (HR)
Herbert Vergara (RESO)

Losses (from last year)

JV De Guzman (P&G)
Vince Borromeo (P&G)
Joe Camacho (Sunrise)
Louie Gomez (Procurement)
John Vingno (RESO)
Gian Pascual (HR)
Edgar Garcia (HR)
Jon De Leon (IT)