Solid and reliable

Come hell or high water, I know who'll always have my back.

Van Wilder was a movie and should not be taken seriously

It's never cool to overstay in school too long. There's just no excuse in taking too long to finish school.

My mom is home-wrecking again

I just found out my mom's doing Church annulment work for one of the pioneers of Philippine television. She made me swear not to divulge details about it though.

FB stat: Fed up

I'm so fed up with all these young'n antics.

On losing due to technicality

I was informed that the protest against one of my teammates was upheld. As a result, they forfeited our second semifinals win last March 15. meaning the team we beat that day (Baterina) moved on to the finals last Saturday, March 21. They subsequently, and not surprisingly, lost to Team O'Brien for the championship.

Bullshit. But it is what it is (or it was what it was). I say put an asterisk on their trophy.

UNC off to Sweet 16

North Carolina breezed past the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament with double-digit wins over Radford (101-58) and LSU (84-70).

The Tar Heels enjoyed another pro-UNC crowd having played both games at nearby Greensboro. They will travel to the FedEx Forum in Memphis to face Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen this weekend.

It will the the third straight year Carolina has reached the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament. They lost to Georgetown in the Elite 8 in 2007 and Kansas in the Final Four last year.

Oops!

I had a little accident in Cebu last weekend. It's best that I keep my mouth shut on this one.

Free Daniel Smith!

With Suzette Nicolas (aka Nicole), alleged rape victim of US serviceman L/Cpl. Daniel Smith, recanting her prior allegation via a recent sworn affidavit, the truth has finally come out. The court should set the innocent man free immediately.

To Evalyn Ursua and everyone else who supported Nicole, it's about time y'all shut the fuck up. And please, do everyone especially the Americans a favor. Do not even dream of setting foot in the United States. I hope they deny all of you entry.

Stepladder-ing our way to the Finals

We won our second stepladder semifinals game last Sunday to reach the championship match next weekend. It was a tight affair throughout but we managed to pull ahead and win it in overtime.

I made the pivotal, game-changing play in OT with an and-one opportunity off a fastbreak. However, with my emotions running high, I screamed at my hapless defender with full rage and I was T'd up for taunting. Unfortunately, it was also my fifth personal foul so I had to leave the game. I fouled out for the second straight game after getting disqualified on Saturday's semifinal game as well. I was just retaliating on the same old guy after he showed up my teammate after a great defensive play. He, too, was given a technical foul after he was trying to be macho tried to go after me. We led 40-38 after my layup and we never let up until the final buzzer.

There's some drama and suspense involved though as I was notified of a protest filed against one my teammates. Apparently, this teammate of mine also played for another Batch Division team whereas ABL rules provide that only one Batch Division team is allowed per player.

Should the protest be upheld, that will mean we will have to forfeit the championship game on Saturday.

Louisville gets first number one ranking ever

Final AP Top 5

1. Louisville (Big East, 28-5) - rose from 5th
2. North Carolina (ACC, 28-4) - dropped from 1st
3. Memphis (C-USA, 31-3) - moved up from 4th
4. Pittsburgh (Big East, 28-4) - fell from 2nd
5. Connecticut (Big East, 27-4) - slid from 3rd

The NCAA Tournament starts next week with Louisville, UNC, Pitt and UConn as the four number one seeds.

I will kill you

I watched the film, "Taken" while I was in Cebu last week. It's exactly how I want action/thriller movies to be. Just straight-up, unadulterated and entertaining-but-sometimes-disturbing violence. No need for any mind-bending twists.

UNC leads the South Region

A semifinal loss to Florida State in the ACC Tournament may have cost North Carolina the overall number one seed in the NCAA Tournament but more importantly, they still secured the #1 spot in the South Region.

The Tar Heels will most likely have ACC Player of the Year Ty Lawson back after missing their two ACC Tournament games. They would probably have won the tourney had Lawson suited up but Coach Roy Williams said their top priority was getting his speedy All-American point guard ready for their run for the national championship.

Three Big East teams - Louisville (Midwest), Connecticut (West) and Pittsburgh (East) - round out the other regional top seeds with the Cardinals being the overall number one.

From the airport to the hardcourt

I took an early flight to Manila this morning so I can get back in time for my ABL semis game. Good thing our game was in Ateneo so I didn't have to rush or anything. Best thing was that we won despite missing a few key players. That set us up for another win-or-go-home game tomorrow afternoon at the Blue Eagle Gym.

My body's exhausted for not having enough sleep but I'm still so amped up. Hopefully, the game turns out in our favor and we manage to pull off a victory over the second seed. The winner goes on to the championship round next weekend.

UNC regains top spot

AP Top 5 (as of March 9, 2009)

1. North Carolina (ACC, 27-3) - moved up from 2nd
2. Pittsburgh (Big East, 28-3) - moved up from 3rd
3. Connecticut (Big East, 27-3) - dropped from 1st
4. Memphis (C-USA, 28-3) - moved up from 5th
5. Louisville (Big East, 25-5) - moved up from 6th

Final poll will be released next week.

Three years ago today

Today would've been my 3rd year anniversary with IBM. Tomorrow would've been the start of my fourth year with them. But all good things must come to an end and even better things happen.

UNC sweeps Duke, wins ACC

(2)North Carolina continued its recent dominance over cross-town rivals (7)Duke with a 79-71 win on Senior Day at the Smith Center. The Tar Heels (27-3, 13-3 ACC) clinched their second straight ACC regular season title, their 3rd in the last five years.

Seven seniors, led by All-American Tyler Hansbrough, played the last home games of their college careers. UNC coach Roy Williams honored his seniors by having all seven of them on the court prior to tipoff.

North Carolina will be the top seed in next week's ACC Tournament in Atlanta.

Five straight wins

We won our final elimination round game yesterday morning, 73-69, at the Reyes Gym in Mandaluyong. It was our fifth straight win after starting the season 0-2. We head into postseason play as the third seed with a 5-2 record.

I clinched the game by making 6 consecutive freethrows in the final minute. I had to buck off a poor start at the fifteen-foot line as I missed my first 7 freethrow attempts with most of them coming up short.

I finished the game with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists and 6 steals.

Another trip to my second home

Six of my ten recent flights have been on PAL. The only thing I don't like about flying with PAL is that they use NAIA Terminal 2 as their hub. I prefer the new and nearer Terminal 3 that Cebu Pacific utilizes.

I'm back to my jetsetting ways this week as I'm trotting to the Queen City of the South yet again. It'll be a short trip as I need to get back in time for my ABL semifinals game on Saturday morning.

I'm taking the second flight out of Cebu so I can make it to my 10:30am tipoff at the Blue Eagle Gym. Barring any unforeseen delays, I should make it with more than enough time to spare.

UNC guns for outright ACC title

Second-ranked North Carolina (26-3, 12-3 ACC) has already clinched at least a share of the ACC regular season title going into its season-ending game against Duke (25-5, 11-4 ACC) at Chapel Hill this weekend. A win on Senior Day will give the title to the Tar Heels while a loss will make Duke and UNC co-champions.

Senior scholarship players Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Mike Copeland and Bobby Frasor as well as senior walk-ons JB Tanner, Jack Wooten and Patrick Moody will be playing the final home game of their college careers. What better way to send them off than with a victory over Duke and another regular season title.

ABL 2009: Semis-bound

Since I was out on consecutive weekends, I've missed out on my last 2 ABL games. I was hoping they'd win at least one so we can make a run for the postseason when I come back for the regular season-ender on March 7. I was delighted to find out they won both games by comfortable margins.

We're safely into the postseason with a 4-2 record. We're riding on a four-game winning streak after losing our first two. A win in our last game this Saturday means we clinch 3rd seed while a loss will drop us to 4th.

UConn back at #1

AP Top 5 (as of March 2, 2009)

1. Connecticut (Big East, 27-2) - moved up from 2nd
2. North Carolina (ACC, 25-3) - moved up from 4th
3. Pittsburgh (Big East, 26-3) - dropped from 1st
4. Oklahoma (Big 12, 26-3) - dropped from 3rd
5. Memphis (C-USA, 26-3) - remains unchanged

FB stat: Tired but ready to ball

I'm so exhausted and drained from continuous traveling but I'm hell bent on playing hoops tonight.

Back from being MIA

I was MIA for about two weeks. I just got back from consecutive trips from Singapore and Cebu and I didn't have the chance to blog while I was out. My recent itinerary was just way too hectic. Ten flights in 29 days is absolutely no joke. I was literally living on my trusted Delsey for about a month. I was so close to running out of clothes, most especially underwear. Lol.

Off to Sing

I'm leaving for Singapore tonight for a one week vacation. It'll be my 7th flight in 18 days and I can say I've had enough plane rides to last me the whole year already.

I'm gonna be with the only kabarkada that I haven't had an overseas trip with that's why I'm so hyped up. I'm sure it'll be awesome. Word to TMNT.

Household help-less

I hate dumb maids and I'm sure I'm not alone. Punyeta.

AP Top 4 remain the same

AP Top 5 (as of February 16, 2009)

1. Connecticut (Big East, 24-1)
2. Oklahoma (Big 12, 25-1)
3. North Carolina (ACC, 23-2)
4. Pittsburgh (Big East, 23-2)
5. Memphis (C-USA, 22-3) - moved up from 8th

*(1)UConn just lost to (4)Pittsburgh so expect the Huskies to drop from the top spot in next week's polls.

FB stat: Hide-and-Seek

I am back in Manila after playing hide-and-seek in Cebu.

UNC ups ACC lead to 2 games

Following a 101-87 thrashing of archrival Duke a few days ago, (3)North Carolina held off an inspired Jack McClinton-led Miami comeback to hang on to a 69-65 win.

All-American junior Ty Lawson hit consecutive clutch treys late in the game to keep surging Miami at bay. He finished with 21 points with 15 coming from beyond the arc.

With (6)Duke losing to Boston College, the Tar Heels (23-2, 9-2 ACC) increase their ACC lead to two games. If it weren't for UNC's consecutive losses to start the regular season, the conference race might have been all but wrapped up by now.

UNC wins fourth straight at Durham

North Carolina seniors Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green are undefeated at Cameron Indoor Stadium. They will end their college careers after this season sporting a 4-0 record at the famed Duke homecourt after a scintillating 101-87 win over the Blue Devils a few days ago.

Safe to say the Tar Heels own Duke at their own floor.

FB stat: Skipping UNC@Duke

It's a shame I will be missing the North Carolina-Duke game later today.

I will be at some far-flung beach off the coast of Cebu while the Tar Heels battle the Blue Devils for ACC supremacy at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

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