Another sleepless pre-flight night

I'm packing yet again as I leave early tomorrow morning for another Cebu rendezvous. I won't be able to sleep anymore because I'm taking the first flight out of Manila and I need to be at the airport before 4am.

What else is new? This is turning out to be my pre-flight routine already.

Duke hosts North Carolina for ACC lead

(6)Duke and (3)North Carolina renew American sports' number one rivalry as they play the first of their two regular season games tomorrow morning (Manila time).

Tar Heel seniors Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green have never lost at Duke's home court and they will try to make it four straight at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

UNC has won 5 of the last 7 games against their in-state rival.

UConn keeps top spot

AP Top 5 (as of February 9, 2009)

1. Connecticut (Big East, 22-1) - remains unchanged
2. Oklahoma (Big 12, 23-1) - remains unchanged
3. North Carolina (ACC, 21-2) - remains unchanged
4. Pittsburgh (Big East, 22-2) - moved up from 6th
5. Louisville (Big East, 18-4) - remains unchanged

FB stat: Pissed at PAL

I'm pissed my MNL-SIN-MNL ticket fare dropped by almost 60% after two nights. Whoever said it's best to book early ought to die now.

Swish!

I just hit my most amazing and improbable game-winning trey last night. I still can't get over it 'til now.

Steady playmaking

I've only played in 3 of our 4 games this season but yesterday's outing was arguably my best one so far. I posted a pretty solid line of 14 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists and 1 steal leading our team to a 77-51 win.

We improve our record to 2-2 with two straight wins after starting the season with two consecutive losses.

I will miss our next game on February 21 because I'll be in Singapore by then. I hope they could come up with another victory as we set our sights for the playoffs.

Goin' crazy in Cebu

If Davao fell short of initial expectations, Cebu was just off the charts! To say we had a great time is a huge understatement. We were literally blown away with the way we were taken cared of. Spoiled 'til no end.

One thing's for sure, we will return the favor when our friends hit Manila, minus the Land Rovers and FJ Cruisers though. Haha.

I will definitely be back, perhaps even sooner than I had anticipated.

UConn is fourth straight new #1

AP Top 5 (as of February 2, 2009)

1. Connecticut (Big East, 20-1) - moved up from 2nd
2. Oklahoma (Big 12, 21-1) - moved up from 3rd
3. North Carolina (ACC, 19-2) - moved up from 5th
4. Duke (ACC, 19-2) - dropped from 1st
5. Louisville (Big East, 17-3) - moved up from 7th

FB stat: What the pack?!

I haven't finished unpacking yet, but I need to start packing again.

Shameful local bookies

I've been lordin' it over in the Superbowl since Tampa Bay won it all in 2003. I wasn't surprised one bit when the local bookies refused to send me the spread for Superbowl XLIII. Too bad because I would've killed yet again with Arizona covering.

Can't blame them though. They knew I'd be collecting the moment I called in asking for the odds. It's such a shame I wasn't allowed to put it money on the game and I lost out on potential earnings.

Las Vegas will never refuse a wager regardless of how unbalanced and skewed the betting line is. I forgot I was dealing with amateurs masking as big time bookies here.

NTPI goin' down

Sad to say but NikeTalk (NT) Philippines has fallen off big time. It used to be full of fresh sneaker info back in the day. Now, it's rare to find useful information anymore. All you have are noobs flaunting their supposed Nike contacts while showing of their revolving collections*, posers who talk shit and ask questions a lot but never really buy any sneaks, and professional resellers who have stuff sitting on eBay for way over a year now.

Save for some of the OG members (circa 2005 and earlier), everyone else is just crap now. These are just some of the reasons I kill time lounging at the General and Sports forums instead.


*For the uninformed, revolving collectors buy whatever new shoe model or colorway comes out but sells other shoes to finance the purchase. That way, they boast of having the sick new releases (photos included) but they don't have a picture of all of them together.

The Davao aftermath and Cebu anticipation

My weekend in Davao fell a bit short of initial expectations but it still rocked nonetheless. Hopefully, the Cebu leg this week will be as good if not better. It might be quite a stretch though because we won't be there on a weekend.

iPod Appreciation Vol. Jetsetting

My iPod gets heavy burn only during trips and travels. Since I'm off to a travelling spree this February, it is most definitely appreciated.

FB stat: MNL-DVO booking

I'm wondering if i should have moved my Manila-Davao flight to tomorrow instead of today.

Actually, the first option was to fly out on Saturday morning but I was able to work around the agenda so I could come in a day earlier. Now I'm thinking whether I should have stuck to the original plan.

Hindsight is indeed 20/20.

Pre-flight sleep deprivation

I finished packing late and I didn't get to sleep much this morning. It may be because I'm excited for my trip or what but it could very well be something else.

One thing I know for sure is that I lack sleep and I'm just running on pure adrenaline. I hope I don't drop down tonight due to exhaustion.

Destination: Davao

I'm flying to Davao this afternoon and judging from the pre-trip hype, we're expecting no less than a blast.

WF upsets (1)Duke; (5)UNC squeaks past FSU

Duke's first number one ranking after 3 long years will only last a week as (6)Wake Forest stunned the Blue Devils, 70-68, with a buzzer-beating layup from James Johnson. It will certainly knock Duke out of the top spot when the next rankings come out while the Demon Deacons should rise in the polls.

Meanwhile, Ty Lawson drained a three-pointer at the buzzer to help (5)North Carolina hold off Florida State, 80-77. This is the Tar Heels (18-2, 4-2 ACC) fourth straight conference win after starting off with losses to Boston College and Wake Forest.

Duke is tops

AP Top 5 (as of January 26, 2009)

1. Duke (ACC) - moved up from 2nd
2. Connecticut (Big East) - moved up from 3rd
3. Pittsburgh (Big East) - moved up from 4th
4. Oklahoma (Big 12) - moved up from 6th
5. North Carolina (ACC) - remains unchanged

Tough as nails

"You play like you've never busted your ACL. You always go all out and never hold back."

That's one of the best sports-related compliments one can ever get. Definitely appreciated.

FB stat: Davao getaway

I'm off to Davao this weekend. It should be fun.

Driving me Casey

It's over. Shut it down.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, meet my new American Idol: Casey Carlson.

It's official: Pac-Man vs. The Hitman

2 May 2009

Mark your calendars.

This will not end in a 12-round decision.

Clemson's Chapel Hill curse

Fifth-ranked North Carolina unleashed a spectacular display of speed and firepower during the second half to dominate tenth-ranked Clemson, 94-70, at the Dean Dome. It's Carolina's third straight conference win after dropping their first two.

The Tar Heels are 54-0 at home against the Tigers. It's currently the NCAA's longest active home-win streak against one opponent.

(5)North Carolina (17-2, 3-2 ACC) should move up the polls next week as (1)Wake Forest's loss to Virginia Tech will certainly bump them down the rankings. (2)Duke will most likely take the top spot should they win over Maryland this weekend.

FB stat: Cleared

I had just been cleared. Ready to move on.

UNC still 5th at latest polls

AP Top 5 (as of January 19, 2009)

1. Wake Forest (ACC) - moved up from 2nd
2. Duke (ACC) - moved up from 3rd
3. Connecticut (Big East) - moved up from 4th
4. Pittsburgh (Big East) - dropped from 1st
5. North Carolina (ACC) - remains unchanged

Chop them locks, trim them tresses

I don't know if it's just me or if it's indeed a trend but I'm starting to dig women with short locks. Then again, maybe I'm just late.

I hope I didn't miss out though.

Satisfactory grade

Far from the best but fair enough.

(5)UNC squares ACC record

Number five North Carolina racked up two straight conference wins to square their ACC record to 2-2. They followed an 83-61 victory over Virginia the other night with a 82-65 win over Miami today.

Three of the other top 5 teams were in action today. Top-ranked Pittsburgh lost to (20)Louisville, so expect Carolina (16-2, 2-2 ACC) to move up the polls next week. Either (2)Wake Forest or (3)Duke should replace Pitt's number one spot as they beat fellow ranked teams (10)Clemson and (13)Georgetown respectively.

It is possible that three ACC teams (WF, Duke, UNC) will occupy the top three spots when the latest rankings come out on Tuesday (Manila time).

McGB'd

After days of craving for it, I finally had my McGangbang early this morning. It took a whole lot of explaining and the folks at McDo Greenbelt still couldn't get it. Needless to say, I just had to make it myself. Word to self-satisfaction.

Solve your girl problems

Let's keep this simple.

If she's not putting in, then kick her out. But if she's putting out, then keep her in.

Hear me?

The nose knows

If Pinocchio were a girl, better believe I'd know how she'd look like.

Tar Heels suffer 2nd straight ACC loss

With (3)UNC's recent road loss to (4)Wake Forest, the Tar Heels falls to fifth on the latest AP poll.

North Carolina (14-2, 0-2 ACC) has now lost its first two conference games after being expected to run out the ACC. They're not out of the conference race yet, but they need to get their act together soon.

Pittsburgh remains number one while Wake Forest moves up to second. Duke drops to third and Connecticut climbs one spot to fourth.

FB stat: Good man

A skank thundercat can never put a good man down.

Eight and counting

I had my eighth tat started already. I knew I couldn't do the whole nine yards in one sitting so I just had the outlines done last night. I'm coming back in two weeks to get my 9th started first then hopefully get some coloring done to my existing outline.

My tenth and eleventh ones await. Need to finally get my leg sleeve finished by summertime.

Wild and unpredictable NFL postseason

Save for the Pittsburgh Steelers, three of the top four seeds in the NFL playoffs have gone fishing. Baltimore, Arizona and Philadelphia pulled out impressive upsets to round up the contenders for the Conference championships scheduled this weekend.

You gotta love NFL parity. Anything can happen any given Sunday.

FB stat: Karma on call

I have digital karma on speed dial. Will be placing a call soon.

Cristiano Ronaldo survives crash unscathed

You know you got it good when you crash your Ferrari going to work in the morning and then you leave in a Bentley in the afternoon.

The world's best football player, Portugal international and Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo did just that.

He totaled his two-day old Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano on his way to training, completely crushing its front end. He was seen leaving training later that day driving his Bentley Continental GT Speed.

Just another reason why it's great to be a top-flight European footballer.

2009 ABL comeback game

I marked my return to ABL action last Saturday. I had pretty solid numbers from an individual front, leading the team in most categories. Too bad we couldn't get the win as we got blitzed on the transition game.

Better believe we're coming back strong this Saturday. Hopefully, we all play better and come up with the W.

My thou shall not list

Four things I hate in general and in no particular order:

1. Extreme tardiness. My time is Gold.
2. Last minute rainchecks. Gotta be life or death.
3. Disappearing acts. You ain't Houdini.
4. Being lied to. Man/woman up and face the music.

Dirty closet

Sometimes, the most transparent of people have the most dirt to hide.

Ladies and complications

Someone told me I keep dating women with major issues.

As twisted as it may sound, she might actually be right.

ABL comeback

After a 2-year hiatus, I'm heading back to the ABL again. I'll be suiting up as a reinforcement for a team consisting of Ateneans who graduated from high school in the late 80's. I've already played with about half of them back in 2005, so it should be fun.

Season opens this Saturday and we have an early 10am tipoff at the Meralco Gym.

Boston College upsets (1)UNC

After winning 13 straight lopsided games, (1)North Carolina finally dropped its first game of the season, having lost to unranked Boston College, 78-85, yesterday.

Still, everyone believes it's just a small bump on the road for the Tar Heels (13-1, 0-1 ACC) as they only fall to 3rd on both the AP and ESPN rankings after being the college basketball's top-ranked team the past eight weeks.

Usually, a loss to an unranked team will bump you down further than two spots.

Piitsburgh (14-0) claims the number one seed while Duke (12-1), Wake Forest (13-0), and Connecticut (12-1) round up the top 5.

Love is ballin'

Love is getting up at 7am on a Sunday to play hoops despite having no sleep.

Restart

I want/need a fresh start. I wish life came with a reset button. It would definitely make everything easier.

No longer WYSIWYG

It's hard to take anything at face value nowadays. Some things are just too good to be true.

A survey on 2008

I was bored so I took this survey from someone's Multiply and answered it.

Where did you begin 2008?
- At home.

What was your status by Valentine's day of 2008?
- Busy. Haha.

Did you have to go to the hospital?
- Yeah I had to go to the ER for food poisoning.

Did you have any encounters with the police?
- Once. I had to file a police report regarding a theft incident.

What did you purchase over $500?
- A watch.

Did you know anybody who got married?
- There were a number of them. I missed my cousin's wedding due to my bout with food poisoning.

Did you know anybody who passed away?
- Yeah. RIP Mrs A.

What sporting events did you attend?
- MPG Corporate Basketball League. IBM got runner-up finishes at both the 1st and 2nd conferences this season.

What concerts/shows did you go to?
- Chris Brown/Rihanna. Earth, Wind and Fire.

Where do you live now?
- Still Katipunan.

Describe your birthday.
- Ugly. By far the worst.

What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did?
- Resign.

Any new additions to your family?
- Technically, yes. But there were departures too. Complicated huh?

What was your best month?
- I'd say April.

Who was your best drinking buddy?
- Ryan Y.

Made new friends?
- Yep.

Any regrets?
- Not quite sure yet.

What do you want to change in 2009?
- I need to be more patient. I think I should start being a jerk too. Haha.

Overall, how would you rate this year?
- Not good.

Have any life-changing moments in 2008?
- Yeah, there were some.

How old did you turn this year?
- 27.

Did anything embarrassing?
- I'm sure there's a lot.

Get married or divorced?
- Ask me next year. Haha.

Be honest - did you watch American Idol?
- Of course! Looking forward to the next season.

Start a new hobby?
- Does job-hunting count?

Are you happy to see 2008 go?
- Hell yeah. No doubt. Good riddance.

Drank Starbucks in 2008?
- No. Coffee Bean all-day, everyday.

Been naughty or nice?
- A mix of both, though I've been too nice at times.

What are you wishing for in 2009?
- A better job, among other things.

Lost someone?
- Define lost.

Cut class?
- Been there, done that.

Was involved in something you'll never forget?
- Oh yeah. Definitely.

Cooked a gross meal?
- Nah, I think I make pretty mean hotdogs and Spam.

Lost something important to you?
- Yes.

Got a gift you adore?
-Yep! Thanks Mom!

Tripped over a coffee table?
- I don't think so.

Dyed your hair?
- Nope.

Came close to losing your life?
- Nope.

Went to a party?
- Yes.

Read a great book?
- Nope.

2008: FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

Did you meet any new friends this year?
- For the second time, yes I did.

Best time with friends?
- My HK/Macau trip. Nothing even comes close.

Did you dislike anyone?
- Maybe I did.

Did you hate anyone?
- I hated what some people did, not them personally.

Did you grow apart from anyone?
- Yes.

Do you have any regrets when it comes to your friendships?
- None.

2008: YOUR BIRTHDAY

Did you have a cake?
- Yeah I did. Sugarhouse FTW!

Did you get any presents?
- Yeah I got some.

2008: WRAP UP

Was 2008 a good year?
- Sadly, it wasn't.

Do you think 2009 will top 2008?
- I damn hope so.

Anything you're looking forward to already?
- Yeah, getting new ink done real soon.

Parting shot?
- The best way to predict the future is to create it.

Welcoming 2009

Happy New Year.

I hope 2009 will be anything but reminiscent of 2008.

MCBL: Another bridesmaid finish for IBM

This is long overdue. The championship game was played last December 6 at the Northeast Greenhills gym.

I don't feel like making my own article so I'm just posting the championship recap from Gameface, MCBL's official website.

--------------
DIVISION B: Chevron- 87, IBM Business Services I- 74

Prior to the finals, both Chevron and IBM Business Services 1 shared similar MCBL histories.

Both made it to the finals in their first MCBL tournament. Both teams lost to their opponents in those finals. Both were now playing in their 2nd MCBL tournament. Both had won one game against each other this season. Obviously, their histories were going to be different after this match.

In the end, the favorable path went to Chevron primarily on the strength of the single most dominant performance in a MCBL final.

Division MVP Rain Sison tallied 44 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block as he almost singlehandedly kept IBM at bay. While Chevron led most of the way, IBM would rally behind the outside sniping of Paul Ansay who nailed 7 three pointers including a 30 footer heading into the fourth and the inside games of Albert Sanchez and Herbert Vergara.

However, each time they would come close, Chevron had an answer. Most of the times it would be Rain, but Chevron also drew strong games from Joel Ilao, Mark Bersales, and Don Pangcog who tallied 11, 10, and 9 points respectively.
--------------

This marks the second straight runner-up finish for the team this year as we lost out to Cebuana Lhuillier in the First Conference.

Despite coming up short both times, it's been a pretty good year for IBM Basketball. No one can take away what we've accomplished especially since we never needed any ex-PBA or college player to be successful.

This also marks the last time I'm suiting up for IBM. I hope they continue to join the MPG leagues even when I'm gone. Who knows though, I just might be back when the 2009 season opens in May. Hmmm.

Random nightout

I haven't been out for the longest time so I decided to check out the scene last night. Heck, I don't even remember the last time I was out. Anyway, all I know is that Taguig didn't have a curfew and there were no cops roving around the Fort Strip back then.

Can't say I missed it.

White flag

I'm relieved. Time to let nature take its course and allow the universe to make it happen.

Fiat Voluntas Dei

Half-pound patties

McDonald's launched the Double Quarter Pounder locally recently and I've always wanted to try it out. I was fairly certain it was OD but I had to check it out for myself.

I finally got one a few days ago and it was way too heavy for me. My large fries went untouched. Word to virgin. It was good but I doubt I'll do it again.

Next up is the ultra-secret, mythical McGangbang. It'd be interesting to see how I'll be able to pull that off of a local McD's.

Equilibrium

The universe has its own way of balancing things out eventually. Sometimes it tips and tilts to one end before leaning on to the other. But after all's been said and done, it never fails to go back to its center.

Count on it.

Yankees go on a shopping frenzy

You know the New York Yankees got it good when they spent USD 423.5M on three free agent signings. (CC Sabathia 161M/7 years; AJ Burnett 82.5M/5 years; Mark Teixeira 180/8 years). That's almost half a billion dollars invested on three top-tier players over and above the mammoth 275M contract ARod signed last year.

Who said America is under recession?

Dirty laundry

Another scary questions get scary answers moment. I just have this innate talent to dig up dirt. Word to dumpster diving.

Cleaning out

I started cleaning out my desk last night in hopes of getting everything out by tomorrow. Ugh. Good luck cause it ain't happening. I just have too much junk at work. Seems like I need to come in at least one more time during the holidays to get this over and done with.

Botched birthday

One totally messed up birthday. Not even close to what I had in mind. Fuck it. Word to Eamon.

Pre-birthday blow

I was wishing for a happy birthday. It's a shame I'm off to a shockingly dreadful start.

Lotto hits

The office cats were making fun of how some broads at work had LGs as SOs. It made for some hilarious ribbing. Impossible is nothing. Word to Adidas.

UNC still #1

For the fifth straight week (sixth including the preseason), North Carolina remains unanimously on top of both AP and ESPN US College Basketball rankings. The way the Tar Heels (9-0) are blowing out all their opponents, they deserve all the hype they've been getting.

So far, it's really been Carolina and then everyone else.

Preppy fantasy

I badly want my tipsy Catholic schoolgirl. Word to Cruel Intention's Manchester Prep.

Sunday night buzz

It's been a while since I got buzzed. I actually missed the floating feeling.

A little bit unsettled

What's in your head? In your head?
Zombie, zombie, zombie

Can't get some shit out of my head. Word to The Cranberries.

Scary questions get scary answers

Don't bother if you've got a faint heart. It just might rip you into pieces.

Never-Never-Land

I swear I have the most childish and immature former(s). Someone needs to grow up. Word to Peter Pan.

Total recall

I just had some lessons in history recently. I think it's one of those deja vu things. Word to PM Dawn.

Early December downer

Save for a few good things, my weekend was a major letdown. I'm wishing for a pleasant turnaround.

Pac-Man gave the Golden Boy a brutal beatdown

Couldn't find words to describe Manny Pacquiao's total domination of Oscar De La Hoya. I'll just let some photos do the talking.

Next in line? Bring on either The Hitman or Money next.

Myth-bustin'

Debunk the myth. That's what's up. Word to Sports Science.

MCBL: One is greater than Two

I don't think anybody else gave us the chance. Being the 4th seed with a less-than-mediocre 3-4 record, I don't blame them.

One thing I know about this team is that we don't quit. There's just no surrender in us.

In what was arguably the best game an IBM team has ever played in the history of the MCBL, we pulled off a massive surprise attack against top-seeded Accenture that surely left them wondering what hit them. It was shock-and-awe at its finest. Word to the US Military.

It was a superbly played game from start to finish. We bombarded them on offense, shooting 52% overall (31-60) and 50% from beyond-the-arc (12-24), while playing impeccable team defense. We never let up, leading the whole way, en route to a masterful 96-81 destruction of the highly-favored Accenture Knights.

This is the same Accenture team that blew us out us in two previous meetings: one by 11, the other by 20. This made the victory all the more special. Borrowing a widely used sports quote, "We win when it matters." Fuck math but this time one is greater than two. Third time's a charm.

Paul led the charge with 33 points, 18 coming from downtown. Herbert had 29 points anchored on 5 treys while Alfie had a solid outing with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.

We'll meet Chevron in the Finals this weekend, while Accenture (6-2) takes 3rd place. Metrobank is 4th.

We split two games with Chevron during the eliminations. We won the first game, 85-78, while dropping the second, 48-51.

Overall record: 4-4
Next game: Finals, vs. Chevron - December 6, Saturday, at the Northeast Greenhills gym

In before the end

Nothing satisfies my eBay addiction more than a last second win. Word to buzzer-beaters.

I had to get up and go online about an hour ago to keep tabs on this item I was bidding on. It turned chaotic in the final moments with about 10 bids in the last 10 seconds. Fight to the finish indeed.

Clandestine recon

I'm so good at this I make CSI's look like interns. Word to 007.

(1)UNC off to a blazing start

Three weeks into the season, number one ranked North Carolina is on a tear. They've racked up six straight blowout victories, the last three in the Maui Invitational to bring home the trophy. With their unmatched depth, the Tar Heels (6-0) are enjoying an excellent start to the season despite missing key players due to injuries.

All-American and reigning National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough has been limited to three games but scored 34 points during the today's Maui championship duel against eighth-ranked Notre Dame. Senior starter Marcus Ginyard is out until December due to a fractured foot. Freshman Center Tyler Zeller broke his wrist trying to break a fall last week versus Kentucky. He is expected to miss the entire season.

The inquisition

I'm still annoyed at my CIA-cum-FBI self. I know curiosity killed the pussycat, but I doubt the kitty willed itself to die.

Unwanted ordeal

I had one of them irritating CIA moments earlier. Talk about excruciating mental agony, with torture-like effects. Word to The Rack.

Fit and fun

Save for some cramps at the most inopportune time, my weekend workout was more than satisfying.

My body is aching, my abs are hurting and my legs are flatout fatigued.

I ain't complaining though. It's all G-OO-D good.

MCBL: Getting ready for the playoffs

On paper, it was a sure W. There's just no way we're losing this game. We were all licking our chops waiting for this fixture cause we know the best way to end the elimination round is with an easy blowout victory.

And we did just that. We got a much needed adrenalin shot before the playoffs start next weekend.

The winless Logica team decided to run with us and off to the races we went. We controlled the game from beginning to end, finishing with a comfortable 88-68 win, yesterday at the Reyes Gym.

It was an uptempo game highlighted by a lot of quick transition plays leading to easy scores. We were able to stamp our dominance from the get-go and it was pretty much over by halftime. We also had the luxury of resting key players in the fourth period while giving the others opportunity to enjoy the lopsided win.

Daryl wound up with a career game notching 27 points on a variety of moves, highlighted by several and-one's. Paul buried five three-pointers en route to 25 points. He also had 13 rebounds and 6 steals. Alf contributed 19 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.

The semifinal round starts next week and we're facing Accenture. We met them twice in the elims and lost both games. I swear we could've stolen at least one but we were missing several players. I hope to have a complete cast by Sunday because I know we'll give them more than what they bargained for.

Final elimination round record: 3-4 (4th seed)
Next game: vs Accenture - November 30, Sunday, at the Reyes Gym

Bush-shockers

These have been making the internet rounds for quite some time now. Still, it's an unusual sight seeing US President George W. Bush and First Daughter Jenna flash the shocker (on separate occasions, of course).

It's all in the fam, baby.

PP on FB

You have got to love it. Only in Facebook.

Not only am I a fan, I'm a booster as well.

PekPek Shorts FTMFW!

Being LuLi and MIA

Lulubog, lilitaw
Ang buwan at araw
Patuloy pang lalakad ang panahon

Word to Ka Freddie.

The Rihanna and Chris Brown aftermath

- I've never seen such a horrible traffic mess on a fuckin' Sunday. It was hell going to and from the Fort area last night.

- If you didn't know that there was an event going on, you'd be stuck wondering what the fuss is about seeing 70,000 people from all corners of the Fort converging into the open field area.

- I think that the people enjoyed the Chris Brown part more primarily because he performed all his popular hits. Rihanna, on the other hand, sang some relatively unknown cuts drawing a bit of silence and lull from the crowd.

- It was wicked seeing them do "Cinderella" for their encore.

- I would've enjoyed the show more save for a nasty migraine and some annoying, chinky teenage fag encroaching our personal space. He was jumping like crazy as if he was in a mosh pit. I swear I was gonna clock him hard if he bumped me again.

A satiated Sunday slate

It'll be a packed Sunday for me tomorrow. I've a big corporate league game to play after lunch and the Rihanna and Chris Brown show to attend to at night.

It should be fun.

Top-ranked UNC reloads for 2009

The North Carolina Tar Heels enter the 2008-09 basketball season as the unanimous preseason number one team. They will enter the 2009-10 season with the consensus top-ranked recruiting class with all future rooks belonging to the top 70 high school seniors in America.

Five recruits will don the Carolina Blue colors next season led by five-star power forward John Henson from Florida. He will be joined by a pair of talented backcourt players in New Jersey five-star shooting guard Dexter Strickland and Tennessee four-star wing Leslie McDonald. California twins, four-star power forwards Travis and David Wear round up the class.

UNC is preseason #1 again

Last year, North Carolina started the season as the top-ranked team in college basketball. They're at it again for 2008-09 but this time it's unanimous.

Both the ESPN/Coaches and Associated Press polls have UNC atop their rankings gathering all possible number one votes.

With the Heels returning all five starters of their 2008 Final Four team plus three McDonald's All-American freshmen additions, it's dumb not to pick them as the preseason favorites. They will, however, be in for a bumpy start as they will be missing senior starters Marcus Ginyard and All-American Tyler Hansbrough, who by the way, is the reigning national player of the year.

North Carolina opens its season at home against Pennsylvania this weekend.

Elmew the IBMew

I've an officemate who, simply put, strikingly resembles this Looney Tunes character.

Seen him at wowk wecently?

Fancy puck-handling skills

It's all too common seeing between-the-legs moves in hoops. But in hockey? You have got to be kidding.

Or so I thought.

Check out Dallas Stars winger Mike Ribeiro unleash some trickery in a penalty shootout.



Wow.

America's post-election arms race

Picked this up from the CNN website. The Americans know what's up. There's a reason why firearms are flying of the shelves like never before.

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Gun sales surge after Obama election
From Kevin Bohn
CNN Senior Producer

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Bernie Conatser has never seen business this good.

Bernie Conatser, owner of Virginia Arms Company, displays one of his rifles.

The owner of a gun shop in the Washington suburb of Manassas, Virginia, Conatser said sales have doubled or tripled since this time last year.

On Saturday, he said, he did as much business as he would normally do in a week.

"I have been in business for 12 years, and I was here for Y2K, September 11, Katrina," Conatser said, as a steady stream of customers browsed what remained of his stock. "And all of those were big events, and we did notice a spike in business, but nothing on the order of what we are seeing right now."

Weapons dealers in much of the United States are reporting sharply higher sales since Barack Obama won the presidency a week ago.

Buyers and sellers attribute the surge to worries that Obama and a Democratic-controlled Congress will move to restrict firearm ownership, despite the insistence of campaign aides that the president-elect supports gun rights and considers the issue a low priority.

According to FBI figures for the week of November 3 to 9, the bureau received more than 374,000 requests for background checks on gun purchasers -- a nearly 49 percent increase over the same period in 2007. Conatser said his store, Virginia Arms Company, has run out of some models -- such as the AR-15 rifle, the civilian version of the military's M-16 -- and is running low on others.

Such assault weapons are among the firearms that gun dealers and customers say they fear Obama will hit with new restrictions, or even take off the market.

Virginia gun owner Kyle Lewandowski said he was buying a .45-caliber pistol to "hedge my bets."

"Every election year, you have to worry about your rights being eroded a little bit at a time," he said. "I also knew, because of the Democrat majority and because of the election, everybody would have the same reaction I did," he added.

But Peter Hamm, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, called the buying spree "goofy." He said widespread talk of banning guns is a "sales pitch."

"With the glacial speed that we make progress on sensible gun laws, savvy gun consumers should know better than to think they have to rush out and buy guns," Hamm said. Similar surges accompanied the election of Bill Clinton, the last Democratic president, he added.

Dealers in Colorado, Ohio, Connecticut and New Hampshire also reported seeing major increases.

"It's a fact that the liberal Democrats that now control all three branches of our government do not like guns. They want us out of business," Connecticut resident Scott Hoffman said. "They don't want the average American to have a right to defend themselves."

And New Hampshire gun owner Lloyd Clement said, "I think there's going to be an attack to some degree on the gun owners."

The Clinton administration imposed a ban on several types of military-style semi-automatic rifles and high-capacity magazines in 1994, but that ban was allowed to lapse in 2004. Obama has proposed restoring the ban, requiring background checks for buyers at gun shows, and other "common-sense measures."

He has said he supports the rights of local governments to set their own gun laws, but believes the Second Amendment to the Constitution protects individual gun rights.

"I believe the Second Amendment means something. I do think it speaks to an individual right," Obama said in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in February.

With the U.S. economy in a tailspin, however, the president-elect's advisers say gun legislation is not a high priority.

"What people do is their own business, and if they decide to go out and buy guns they'll go out and buy guns, assuming that they are eligible to buy guns," John Podesta, the co-chairman of Obama's transition team, told reporters Sunday. "But I think that President-elect Obama has been clear in his campaign that what he wants to focus on is the economy, trying to get jobs growing again, dealing with the health care crisis, and dealing with our dependence on foreign oil."

Some customers are stocking up specifically on ammunition and point to concerns raised by the National Rifle Association, which ran anti-Obama ads during the campaign.

The NRA said Obama would support a "huge new tax on my guns and ammo," referencing a 1999 article in a Chicago newspaper saying the then-Illinois state senator promoted a plan to increase federal taxes by 500 percent on the sales of firearms and ammunition.

But as a state legislator, Obama would not have had any control over federal taxes. And as a U.S. senator and presidential candidate, he has not introduced or promoted such a proposal.

"I don't really believe it is fear. It is more there is just uncertainty," said Virginia customer David Reynolds, who was buying ammunition in the store as well as ordering more online.

"You know, we don't really know what is going on," he said. "There really hasn't been a lot of clear direction on where he supports it, although he says he supports the Second Amendment. But it just remains to be seen. I think some people are just uncomfortable with what his policy may be."

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Invigorated

Recharged.
Refreshed.
Rejuvenated.
Revitalized.

I feel so much better.

MCBL: Must win situation

Prior to this conference, we've never experienced losing consecutive games. Finally, after three straight L's, we're back to our winning ways.

We routed Thomson Reuters, 61-38, on a rainy Sunday afternoon at the Northeast Greenhills gym. The game was neck-and-neck during the first quarter but we picked up the pace by the second period and it was pretty much over by halftime. Thomson tried to employ the running game against us bit it quickly backfired and we were able to trample them on the transition and secondary breaks.

Paul led the charge with 21 points and 10 rebounds while Alfie added 15 points and 3 blocks.

Record: 2-3
Next game: vs. Metrobank - November 16, Sunday, at the Northeast Greenhills gym

Staying connected

I've never fully appreciated YM, MMS, Gmail and global roaming until this past week.

Technology FTMFW!

This week's FAQ

"Naka-mohawk ka ba?"

"Oo. Hindi ba halata?"

"Medyo."

Blindsided

I'm all weirded out and I just have a blank expression on my face. I totally did not see this coming.

Hancock'd at Halloween

Another one of them awesome costume ideas for Halloween.

That's R&B singer Usher as Will Smith's Hancock.

Wild N' Out

I just felt like being hit with a defibrillator. Talk about shock therapy. Under other circumstances, it would've been sexy can I. But this one got me rather speechless.

I ain't conservative but a little part of me remains old school.

Minority report

I despise how Illinois Senator Barack Obama is leveraging on his race and skin color to get himself elected to the White House.

Behind the elaborate social, economic and political campaign, it's really just a "Let's make history, please vote for me because I'm black" strategy.

Sympathy propaganda at its finest.

Glock guns down F1-FIA-Ferrari triad

Panasonic Toyota's F1 driver Timo Glock has never been involved in this much fanfare. Thanks to his assist (intentional or otherwise) to McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton in the Brazilian Grand Prix, his popularity has risen to exponential proportions. His Facebook page more than doubled its fan base within hours after the race. Talk about instant global appeal and recognition.

Again, Timo Glock is that dude. I hope McLaren Mercedes sends something his way. Dude saved their asses big time while punking the pro-Ferrari duo of FIA President Max Mosley and Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone.

Lewis Hamilton is the King of F1

With the F1 and FIA organizations trying to cheat and rig their way into giving Ferrari (and Felipe Massa) the World Drivers' Championship, they got a taste of their own medicine at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.

If you remember, not too long ago, the FIA ruled in favor of Ferrari's Felipe Massa twice. First at the Belgian Grand Prix, where race officials handed Lewis Hamilton a post-race, drive-through penalty which dropped him from 1st to 3rd. Felipe Massa was promoted to 1st from 2nd. This whole fracas negated 6 points off Lewis Hamilton's championship points lead. Then at the Japanese Grand Prix, where race stewards handed another post-race, drive-through penalty to Torro Rosso's Sebastien Bouedais stemming from a pitlane incident with Massa that was clearly the Ferrari driver's fault. This moved him up one spot, from 8th to 7th, gaining an extra championship point in the process.

Coming into this race, Hamilton had to finish at least 5th to capture the drivers' championship. Meantime, Massa had to win the race while praying Hamilton finishes at most 6th.

Felipe Massa did win the race but Toyota's Timo Glock, whose car had slick tires on despite the rain on the last few laps, had slowed down just in time to hand Hamilton 5th place and more importantly, the World Championship.

Payback's truly a bitch. Ferrari, Massa and the FIA just got fucked up and I'm loving it.

Timo Glock is that dude. McLaren Mercedes ought to tip him with at least an SL65 for the assist.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton celebrates with girlfriend, Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger

Photo via Gettyimages.

Major letdown

After all the waiting, it turned out to be a dud. Word to bomb threats.

Cobra does Halloween

With Halloween just about wrapped up, this is arguably the best costume I've seen online.

Cobra Commander FTW!

Photo via NT.

America decides

With the US Presidential Elections just a few days away, let me share my thoughts.

Some Americans will vote for Obama because he is black.
Some Americans will not vote for Obama because he is black.
Some Americans say they will vote for Obama but in reality they will not, because he is black.

If you think these elections are not racially-charged, you have no idea. Don't let the surveys fool you. Americans are old school.