Hotshot

Last night. Race to 30.

24 of our 30 points. 11-17 from the field.

Isolation. Off the pick. Bank. Drive. Pull-up. Trey. Fastbreak.

En fuego.

Analog love

Falling in love should be an immediate feeling. Simple yet magical and with ease. It does not have to be long, difficult and complicated.

Weak weekend

Save for a couple of things, this past weekend was just horrible. Looking forward to a good one ahead.

Yellow fever

I am annoyed at all the yellow things being plastered across the metro and I hope it's not just me. Heck, they even forced the UAAP teams to wear yellow ribbons or bands on their jerseys this weekend.

I will pop a champagne and celebrate once this is all over. Very soon I hope.

The lucky 300

I took this screenshot about a week ago when I reached 300 followers on Twitter. I topped out at around 345 yesterday before Twitter filtered out most of the spam tweeps. I'm down to 208 as of now.

Demented militant

According to news reports, Melissa Roxas, a Fil-Am activist, is claiming she was abducted and tortured by the military last May.

Activists have been infamously known for concucting absurd stories so how the fuck can you believe that? Besides, if she were really forcibly taken by government forces, I doubt she'd live to tell her tale.

State of local college hoops

There's no point in watching UAAP basketball unless Ateneo or FEU are playing. All the other teams are just plain horrible.

No one really watches the NCAA so I won't even bother talking about it.

You + Me

I'm a movement by myself
But I'm a force when we're together
Mami, I'm good all by myself
But baby you, you make me better

Word to Fab and Ne-Yo.

Ateneo starts season 3-0

Ateneo has gone through the gauntlet of top UAAP contenders unscathed. They beat FEU, UE and UST within a 7 day period. The rest of the first round schedule looks like JV basketball. A sweep is highly likely.

Record: 3-0 SU. 3-0 ATS.

MAAI 2009: Team Millar wins opener

First game yesterday. A 59-50 win. 1-0 record.

My line: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals.

Oh yeah, for the third straight game, dating to the last ABL season, I fouled out again. SMH. LMAO.

Freeloader

*Shots fired*

Why do some women assume and expect that everything comes free? They don't even bother offering to pay for anything anymore, even if it's just for courtesy.

These rats got no shame.

Harry Fucker

Harry Potter 6 opened today and I don't give a fuck. In fact, I've never seen any of the previous films and it shall stay that way.

MAAI 2009 Season

The 2009 MPG Ateneo Alumni Invitational League starts this weekend and I can't wait to get this thing poppin'.

Goals for the tourney? As usual, to lead the league in assists as I've done the past seasons and hopefully get us into the playoffs again.

My team got robbed in the recent ABL season so we're aching to get some payback.

Always imitated, never duplicated

The original IBM/IBS hoops team's streak is intact. We never missed the playoffs.

*Tips hat and claps*

Another soon-to-dead president

North Korea's authoritarian leader Kim Jong-Il has pancreatic cancer. I hope he succumbs to it sooner rather than later.

Better yet, the US and its allies should just bomb North Korea to bits and pieces.

But wait. What are the chances/odds that he and another cancer-stricken ex-president die on the same day? Calling on Vegas bookies. Please come out with a line.

Offline

My connection was down for the past two days. Can't say if it made my life simpler but I do know I was hella bored having nothing to do at home. If anything, I think my life stalled for a moment. Haha.

Anyway, it's good to be back online.

Next great fashion equalizer

Is it just me or do these big ass sunglasses make every girl look cute and pretty especially from afar? But when they draw closer and take them off, they look mad mediocre at best.

I always fall for it every single time, even worse than the powerful Myspace/Facebook headhsot angle.

So ladies, invest in a good pair of huge bumblebee shades and know your best angle. They make one helluva killer combination.

LeDunkedOn

I just lost whatever little respect I had for the sore loser.

Reports have it that Lebron James just got dunked on pretty bad by Xavier sophomore Jordan Crawford during the Lebron James Skills Academy camp recently.

Lebron, with his mammoth-sized ego, didn't take the embarassment lightly as he ordered Nike officials to confiscate all videotapes that caught the college kid's spectacular two-handed throwdown over the NBA superstar.

It's probably not a coincidence it was a 'Jordan' who took the King down.

Two of the Greatest

Maybe it's not a coincidence they're both MJ's.

RIP Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

Dutch exodus from Madrid

With its bench filled with most of the Dutch first team regulars who are looking for consistent minutes, rumors have it that clubs are preparing to raid Real Madrid's Netherlands stash.

Apparently, English clubs are at the forefront of the potential transfers. Manchester United is said to be preparing a 20M pound bid to get Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Blackburn is looking at former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy while Chelsea is considering Wesley Sneijder.

I hope at least one or two of these deals push through so Madrid can go ahead and buy David Villa from Valencia. Word on the street also has them making a bid for Spanish international and Liverpool midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

Real Madrid adds Benzema

French international Karim Benzema is joining Real Madrid after the Spanish giants agreed to buy the prolific striker from Lyon for 35M euros.

With Madrid's latest signing, I have doubts that David Villa will still make the move to the Bernabeu. As it is, there's already a big logjam at the striker position.

Anyway, stranger things have happened and I won't be surprised if the Spanish international becomes yet another Galactico.

Fighting five

Went 5-1 last night at Acropolis. Baj, Gan, Gonz, Mick and Marf. Great job boys.

Happy 90th!

My dearest grandmother turned 90 today.

Happy birthday!

Soon-to-be dead president

It's only a matter of time until this annoying, attention-seeking ex-president succumbs to cancer and dies.

Shit, I can just imagine the amount of hoopla and media coverage her death will be getting especially from the local networks. Thank God for cable television.

Two for the money

Last night:

2 games, 2 wins, 2 superb gamewinners.

Late for lola's lunch

I was two hours late for my lola's birthday celebration today because I woke up past 1pm. I could've gotten up earlier but the strong rains led me back to snooze. The weather was just perfect to sleep in all day.

She turns 90 on Tuesday.

Trojan horse

Looks can be really receiving.

You know I'm well-experienced at 27, yet I still get victimized.

Shame, shame.

Traveling Vol. I wanna fly again

Went to the airport last night to pick up my uncle who's in town for a short vacation. It's been a while since I was last in the NAIA area. It definitely made me miss traveling, especially the 18 or so flights I had back in February-March.

I swear I shall resume once I get hold of enough funds again.

Mid-morning re-Joyce

I saw this cute chick inside Bo's Coffee Katipunan this morning. So I went inside to catch a glimpse. Forced into action, I had to get dessert at 10:30 am. SMH.

She was mad cute though. She had like a summer dress on and wore an Ateneo ID. Her demeanor screamed freshman though. She just didn't have the upperclassman vibe or maybe she was little bit flustered. LOL.

Anyway, if only Bo's Katip offered free wi-fi, I'd swing by more often. I absolutely love their chocolate cake!

Twitter critics

Some folks at NT were complaining that they're tired of hearing about Twitter and its immense popularity.

They probably have no following. LOL.

Soaring standards

Great is not good enough these days. It baffles me to no end.

SMH. LOL.

Transformers 2: More than meets sablay

I watched the new Transformers movie (Revenge of the Fallen) the other night and it was average at best. Quite frankly, I expected a lot more coming in yet I left feeling shortchanged.

The film is just too long and I think they could've done everyone a favor by eliminating some of the sketchy subplots. Can someone tell Michael Bay that loads of action and tons of explosion will not make up for a bad and hazy storyline?

C'mon, Sam Witwicky dies and he gets resurrected by Primes in robot heaven? Please.

If it wasn't for Megan Fox stripping from her leather ensemble to reveal a sexy white number, I'd declare this movie a failure. Of course, its box office revenue will dictate otherwise.

Splendid Sunday

For some reason, I feel really good today. I haven't slept at all since I got in early this morning from a midnight screening of Transformers 2 but I'm still pumped.

I played basketball from 8-10am and I'm stoked to have had superb games. Did my best Stephen Curry impression, dropping buckets from everywhere while scoring about half of my team's points on the way to a 2-0 record.

I hope today turns out to be a awesome Sunday. I'm tired of the same old lazy Sundays that I'm so used to. Time for a change.

Hocus pocus

I told myself I think I may have found a keeper. Now if only she didn't do magic, then I'd be all over.

The Way You Make Me Feel

Whoa. We both share the same favorite Jacko song. Very interesting. Must be a sign. A good one hopefully.

Cavs buy Witness Protection

Seeing how witness turned into weakness in their Eastern Conference Finals series with Orlando, Cleveland just bought themselves Witness Protection by acquiring Shaquille O'Neal and his $20M salary from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for backup center Ben Wallace and seldomly-used reserve Sasha Pavlovic.

This trade should help beef up their weak frontline but I'm not so sure it will be enough to rule the East next year. If anything, they should match up better now against Orlando's Dwight Howard.

With Shaq having one year left in his deal and Lebron possibly opting out after next season, the pressure for the Cavs to win an NBA title now just dramatically increased exponentially. Cleveland fans have about a year to find out how this interesting saga will end.

Carolina draft recap

Tyler Hansbrough - Indiana Pacers (13th overall)
Tywon Lawson - Minnesota Timberwolves (18th overall)
Wayne Ellington - Minnesota Timberwolves (28th overall)
Danny Green - Cleveland Cavaliers (45th overall)

As expected, three Tar Heels get selected in the first round. I was surprised to see Tyler Hansbrough go ahead of Ty Lawson though. I thought the speed demon point guard had the best shot to land in the lottery.

I thought it was hilarious and stupid for Minnesota drafting three point guards with their first three picks (Spain's Ricky Rubio, Syracuse's Jonny Flynn and Lawson). That said, they've agreed to send Lawson to Denver for a future 1st rounder. The Nuggets just improved their exciting high-octane offense by adding him to their roster. He is expected to log backup minutes for Billups.

Meanwhile, Cleveland is getting a heck of a player with swingman Danny Green. Dude will be a solid contributor for the Cavs. I fully expect him to crack the rotation given the lack of quality bench players in Cleveland.

No matter how they fare in the NBA, the teams that drafted these UNC players are getting proven winners.

Tar Heels in the 2009 NBA Draft

With the NBA Draft only several hours away, I only have one wish - that UNC's Danny Green can somehow sneak into the first round.

Dude was instrumental in Carolina's magnificent run to the NCAA Championship last April and I hope he gets a chance to land a roster spot come the regular season.

The other three Tar Heels are all expected to be selected in the first round. All-Americans Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough might even end up as lottery picks while Wayne Ellington is predicted to go in the late 20's range.

Regardless of where they may end up, I wish them nothing but success intheir professional careers.

My 1st Kobes

I got my first pair of Kobe sigs today. Huarache 2K4's and Hyperdunks don't count as his sigs even if he was the lead pitchman for both.

There's a reason why I never copped any of Kobe's sneaks. I was never a fan and I'm still not a fan despite his awesome postseason performance on the way to leading the Lakers to the 2009 title. But with him achieving his fourth championship, his validation ring, I allowed myself to buy my first ever (and perhaps last) pair of Kobe signature shoes as some form of tribute.

Anyway, I picked these MPLS Kobe IV joints and a couple of other stuff up using the store credit I received for returning my damaged/defective pair of gray stealth XX3's. It took about a week for the exchange to get approved and finalized. Props to the Nike Park management and the Eastwood outlet staff for their assistance.

Return of the robots

Transformers 2 opened today and I'm positive they've sold out in pretty much all popular cinemas. They'll probably sell out the same this weekend.

Aside from seeing Megan Fox and a bunch of morphing robots, I heard there's a Decepticon that transforms into an R8. That's more than enough to get myself amped despite the so-so reviews.

I hope I get a shot at watching this Saturday with my adorable date in tow.

Three strikes

Does that mean I'm out?

Typhoon Tuesday

Save for the unexpected downpour, I want to say it was a great day. Too bad I can only speak for myself though.

Players aplenty

After only 13 people showed up at last Monday's games, 37 players went last night. SMFH.

King of LSS

Is it just me or does Flo Rida make hella catchy beats?

From "Low" to "In The Ayer" to "Right Round" and now, "Sugar," which samples Eiffel 65's 1999 popular hit "Blue (Da Ba Dee)."

I swear everytime I hear his songs, they stay spinning in my head long after.

Nation of domination

Two notorious countries have been hogging the global headlines the past week - Iran for it's dictatorial rule plus the violence and chaos its recent elections have caused; and North Korea for threatening to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) against the US and some of its allies.

I'm sure to get flak for this but I hope the United States flexes its muscles on another set of erring nations. I wish the US military nuke both Iran and NoKor into submission, or maybe even instant obliteration from the world map.

I swear they won't know what hit them and the suffering won't last long. It'll be just like putting both countries on lethal injection.

It's quite unlikely though with Obama in power. Dude doesn't have the Bush balls to intimidate anyone.

Shallow speed bump

My dinner plans tonight got slightly derailed. I'm not bothered one bit though. We'll have our time soon and it's gonna be a blast.

Good luck Bred

A good friend of mine left for the US yesterday. His goal is to try his luck on potential employment opportunities there.

He's planned this for about a year now and I hope it works out for him. I wish him well.

The Lake Show drowns the Magic in Orlando

You already know.

Kobe got his validation ring while Phil got his tenth. Quoting Kevin Garnett from last year's Finals, they're certified.

As much as I don't like the Lakers, I knew I had to ride them all the way to the bank. Fan allegiance and money matters were usually mutually exclusive this time.

Props to them for going all out and not letting up. They proved a lot of critics wrong that they can't close out on the road.

Random thoughts on Game 5

I wonder how the NBA Finals Game 5 will turn out tomorrow.

The Lakers can close it out on the road but there's always the thought of wanting to celebrate in front of your homecrowd. The Magic, on the other hand, might not want to get embarassed at home thus producing an outstanding all-around performance for a possible win.

Keep in mind though that the Orlando players should be aware that even if they win Game 5, their chances on winning Games 6 & 7 in Los Angeles are quite non-existent. They might not be willing to take the long flight out West only to eventually lose anyway. That said, I won't be surprised if they exhibit a subpar effort tomorrow enough to concede the championship to the Lake Show.

Why over-analyze you might ask? Because I need to figure out which side to put money on for Game 5. LOL.

Erasing contacts Vol. Phonebook

Why is it that when you delete a dormant contact from your phone, that person somehow calls or texts you soon after? Now it leaves you wondering who that person is.

Always happens to me.

Fitness fact

A friend of mine walked up to me after our game last night. He asked, "How do you not get tired?"

I said, "Football (Soccer)."

One thing I'm very proud of is my superb conditioning and endurance. Having played competitive football for most of my life, basketball is not even close to challenging my football-developed stamina.

CR7 now a Galactico

It's official. Newly-elected Real Madrid Florentino Perez has delivered on his promise to bring in star power to the Spanish capital.

Manchester United has agreed to sell superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to the Spanish giants for a world record $132M.

Didn't see this coming sooner than the David Villa transfer. Anyway, CR7 must now choose a jersey number since Spanish legend Raul owns Madrid's #7.

Next up for the Los Merengues are Spanish striker David Villa (Valencia) and French midfielder Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich). Coincidentally, like Raul and Ronaldo, both Villa and Ribery also wear the number 7.

Con-Ass protest via FB

People are trying to mount a crusade against the Con-Ass by creating a Facebook group/cause. I don't care if they invite or recruit their friends and then some but that won't deter the Congressmen from pursuing their plans.

It's amazing and flabbergasting how stupid people can become.

Magic win first ever Finals game

Game 3 turned out to be a best case scenario for me. The Magic won while the Lakers covered. I'm not so sure Game 4 will have a similar result though.

The Mamba is furious. I'll bet he has his gameface-cum-scowl back on.

Galacticos reload Vol. World's best

First it was Kaka. Now it's David Villa. Next up? Hopefully Cristiano Ronaldo.

Real Madrid is creepin' on the come up.

Suffer-ink

The worst part of getting a tattoo is not the pain. It's the aftercare. Fuckin' hassle to the highest level.

Sour Apple

Desperate times calls for desperate measures.

Apple is getting desperate now with the company slashing prices for its iPhone and Macbook models in an obvious effort to gain more market share.

Nice try but they'll never overtake any of their major competitors in either industry. They should just to stick to iPods.

Suns vs. Nuggets on Jimmy Kimmel

Chris Andersen & Dahntay Jones of the Denver Nuggets face off against Grant Hill & Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns in "The Team Mating Game" on Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night.




Hilarious stuff.

Act a fool

I was out cold last night. I don't remember shit. I dunno how I got to my room. I even left the living room lights and television on. I think I sleepwalked myself to bed.

When I woke up, I was like, "WTF just happened?"

All these and I wasn't even remotely close to being drunk. Didn't even have anything to drink!

I blame exhaustion.

Another US lawmaker with messed up priorities

One US congressman is questioning the NBA's age limit rule. According to the league's collective bargaining agreement with the players' association, an American citizen wishing to join the draft must be at least 19 years old and one year removed from his high school class.

The congressman is concerned over the rule on the basis of age discrimination. Did he even bother looking at his own backyard? Last I checked, the US Congress has it's own minimum age rule (25 years old).

Someone tell this scrub to clean out his backyard first. Better yet, he should move on to more urgent and important matters like tackling recession.

Delusional denial

The wife of the lone Filipino passenger aboard the Air France flight that recently crashed into the Atlantic Ocean believes that her husband is still alive. She remains positive despite the authorities are saying it's highly unlikely that anyone could've survived.

I don't mean to ridicule her misery but this is just plain dumb. Ignoring the facts will just prolong her agony. Acceptance is the key.

Channeling Mamba

I'm still way too exhausted. But I'm still fuckin' elated.

I killed on the court last night, scoring from a variety of ways and hitting shots from everywhere. More importantly, I led my team to three tough race-to-forty wins, nailing the gamewinner in one.

Still floatin' on hoops nirvana.

Air France Flight 447

I'm still puzzled how an airplane as big as an Airbus A330 can just vanish without much of a trace. Sometimes even the most modern of technology seems rather useless. Took a page right our of the Bermuda Triangle chronicles.

Damn weather

What the fuck is up with the weather? It's been raining hard nonstop since Sunday and this has basically done nothing but mess up my plans.

Not a good look at all.

Missing ink action

My freakin' tattoo artist flaked out on me last night. Dude wasn't answering his phone to reconfirm my appointment. I swear he always does this shit. Hell yeah, I'm pissed.

What an ass.

Unbecoming of a King

Lebron James stormed off the Amway Arena after the blowout loss his team suffered against the Orlando Magic. He never bothered to shake hands, congratulate or even acknowledge any of the Magic players.

After all the showboating during the 4-0 sweeps over Detroit and Atlanta, the King suddenly disappears in front of a worldwide audience. No handshakes, no hugs, no words.

Humble in victory, gracious in defeat. Lebron James has none of that.

That's just one of the many reasons he'll never be like Mike.

Witness weakness

Fuck the fix.

Orlando it is.

Lebron had his witnesses. But Dwight got the verdict.

Battling the fix

David Stern just got his first wish as Kobe and the Lakers are through to the Finals. Now it's up to Orlando to fight the fix and close out Lebron and the Cavaliers in Game 6 later.

It'll be tough because everyone knows the calls are all going to be for the King despite being on the road. But if Orlando waxes hot and they keep making their shots, Stern and company can't do jack about it.

I hope the Magic finish this one in blowout fashion so they can stick all the refs' whistles up David Stern's ass.

Sunday morning hoops

Went 4-1 in tough scrimmages last night. It got my body a little banged up with a couple of bruises here and there but I'm all good though. Ready to hit the courts again in a bit for an early morning runout. Game time is at 8am. Too bad I'll miss much of Game 6 of the Cleveland-Orlando series. I hope I get back in time to see the Magic finish off the Cavaliers.

Wanting Kobe 4 whiteouts

I am so tempted to cop my first ever Kobe sneaker. I've never had any of his sigs and I still intend on keeping it that way. So help me God.

The fix is still on

David Stern can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for another day. His dream for a Kobe-Lebron championship series is still alive.

The Orlando Magic had their chances in Game 5 but ultimately fumbled in the fourth quarter. As expected, it didn't help the Magic's cause that the refs were riding the King's jock again.

The fix was a bit more obvious in Game 5 of the Denver-LA series as all 50-50 calls in the fourth quarter went the Lakers' way. Still, Denver had their opportunities too, but they played terrible basketball in the final period. Chauncey Billups was totally out-of-sync. He looked like a rookie with all the stupid turnovers and poor decisions.

I hope the Nuggets get their act together and win Game 6 tomorrow at the Pepsi Center then hopefully squeak past the NBA fix for Game 7 in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Orlando has a real solid chance of closing Cleveland out at home on Sunday.

Count me in as one of the few who don't want to see a Mamba-King duel in the Finals. I can just imagine how much of a slurpfest that would be.

Barca wins lackluster Champions League Final

What an anticlimactic end to an otherwise superb season of European football. Too bad the English champions failed to show up tonight. Props to Barcelona for getting the job done.

On a different note, what the fuck is up with United's all-white kit?! They looked like Real Madrid. They played like Real Madrid. They lost like Real Madrid. SMH.

Roma 2009: The Dream Final

The most anticipated game in world club football kicks off in less than an hour. Fittingly, it pits arguably the two best clubs this season.

My take? United wins, 1-0, in regulation.

Stern Warning

The NBA should have an ambulance and a med-evac chopper ready at the Staples Center for Game 5. With Orlando winning today, a Denver victory tomorrow just might lead to a David Stern heart attack.

I can already imagine the Amway Arena and Pepsi Center crowds going wild.

Stern in trouble

I think it was fairly obvious to the whole world that David Stern and his army of imbecile refs tried to win Game 4 for Lebron James and company. Too bad the Magic didn't get the memo and kept hitting their threes at an amazing rate, closing out Cleveland in overtime.

Besides, how can you rig the game if Lebron kept turning the ball over without contact? The zebras can't blow his horn their whistles then.

I expect the NBA to go all out and make sure this series reaches Game 7. I just hope Orlando can keep shooting the lights out so Stern can bid his dream finals goodbye.

Until then though, brace yourselves for more bullshit calls in favor of the one they call King.

The Birdman takes flight

In case you missed it, this was the ESPN special on Denver's Chris Andersen as shown during halftime of the Western Conference Finals Game 4 between the Lakers and Nuggets yesterday.



"What statement did you want to make?"

"Look at me now."

Twitter overtakes FB for my attention

Haven't been on FB recently because of Twitter. No, I haven't jumped off the Facebook bandwagon yet. I just find it easier logging on to Twitter because I don't need to have wi-fi to send or update my tweets. Plus yeah, it's a lot less complicated too.

Love-set witness

In all my years playing competitive pickup ball, I've never seen or experienced a love-set game. You know, a game so lopsided that the losing team couldn't even muster a score.

Until tonight.

I was on the right side of a love-set game when we absolutely demolished this particular team on our way to a 21-0 blowout win. Afterwards, we were all in a state of awe and disbelief with what had just transpired.

This might not mean much for other people but I take pride in winning.

Plus, nothing feels better than dominating your opponent so much that the next time you play them, they don't believe they have any chance. They've lost the game before it even started.

Air Jordan still owns THE SHOT in Cleveland

I've been hearing people say King James' buzzer-beater trumps Air Jordan's shot over Craig Ehlo two decades ago.

Let's make this simple.

Lebron James hit a three at the buzzer to win Game 2 over the Orlando Magic. Whatever happens, they go to Orlando for Game 3 this weekend.

Michael Jordan drilled a gamewinner at the buzzer to win a series over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Had he missed, the Bulls were out of the playoffs.

Now tell me who's clutch.

Unbeata-Bulls

I looked up 'dynasty' over the web. This is what I got:

Swine flu stopover

It took a while but the Philippines is no longer A(H1N1)-free. The Department of Health recently confirmed the first ever case of swine flu in the country. The victim is a 10-year-old girl who recently flew in from the US.

I hope this is just an isolated case and does not spark anything disastrous. On second thought, Manila's got terrible air pollution. Maybe it's enough to deter the airborne virus from spreading. LOL.

Day of the 'dogs

The Orlando Magic came back from 15 down to snatch a 107-106 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lebron James was at his usual best scoring 49 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists while blocking 3 shots in the loss. The Magic were 9-point underdogs in Game 1.

The American Idol final night turned out to be another shocker. There was little doubt that everyone expected favorite Adam Lambert to win. In a bizarre twist of fate, voters rallied behind heavy underdog Kris Allen who came out on top.

Sometimes I like rooting for the 'dogs to make things interesting. It's not fun if you go chalk all the way.

Back to books

People might not believe this because I'm actually having a difficult time believing it myself too, but I've mysteriously started reading recently. I was never into books so it's quite puzzling, I know.

Reading was never my thing, at least not since the Hardy Boys Casefiles were in fashion back in my primary school days. That's the last time I remember enjoying some form of literature. I guess going through a stack of pages wasn't my idea of having a good time while I was growing up. Glad I was able to survive school having enlisted the help of Barron's or Cliffs for my book reports. I wish we had Wikipedia back then. It would've been way easier.

Anyway, I've been spending a lot of time the past few days finishing a couple of borrowed books. I'm hoping to finish them soon so I can return them and borrow a few more. I can't say how much longer this phenomenon will last but I'm hooked for now.

Clever comeback Vol. YM chat

Where's the modesty?

I only have honesty.

Phiten-ized

I've been wearing these titanium-infused Phiten necklaces for about a week now and I must say they've worked for me so far. I've been taking less of my asthma maintenance medication and I noticed I don't tire out anymore.

I'm not saying it's all because of these. For all I know it just might be all in my head. But whatever, as long as I feel it works and it does me good then that's all that really matters.

In case y'all are wondering, yeah I wear two and I never take them off.

Days and confused

I dunno what's wrong with me. Maybe I just lack sleep because I've been planning my day like it's a Saturday, only to realize it's just Friday.

Blown out Vol. Atlanta Hawks

My team got spanked in a pickup game last night at the Ateneo Gym, 30-10. If you follow the NBA Playoffs, we shot like Atlanta and defended like Dallas.

Unbelievable.

The Kings of Cover

Need proof that there are a lot of dumb people in this world?

Cleveland and Denver are an astonishing 17-0-1 against the spread during the first two rounds of the playoffs. The only non-cover was a push in Game 4 of the Cleveland-Atlanta series.

Amazingly, there are quite a number of bettors who still faded these teams despite the odds being stacked against them. They were looking to break the streak while everyone else was cashing in. If that ain't stupid, I dunno what is.

Making it rain Vol. Pacman Jones

We made it rain last night. Good lookin' out for those with umbrellas. Dolla, dolla bill y'all.

Cebu on my mind

It's been almost 2 months since I was last in Cebu and I'm kinda missing its laidback lifestyle. I've to admit that there's not much to do there though.

Anyway, I told myself I'll plan a quick trip there before I start working again.

Ode to my mother

Happy Mother's Day Mom!!! You know I love ya!

Lost for words

Some people are just so fuckin' unbelievable. You give them a inch, they want a mile. This is so messed up I don't know what else to say.

Disposable protection

This went around over the net last week, mostly via Twitter:

"Ninety people get the swine flu and everyone is wearing facemasks while millions have AIDS yet people still don't wear condoms."

Quite baffling yet so true.

But yeah, if you ask me... I'd most likely wear a mask than use rubber. LOL. SMH.

PBA groupies

I watched another Talk N Text game at the Big Dome yesterday. I swear I see the same faces over and over again everytime I go. I'm afraid it's only a matter of time until I start seeing them in my dreams too. SMH. LOL.

Great but not greatest yet

With his quick demolition of Ricky Hatton, Manny Pacquiao is on another level now. He's made his case for the best boxer in the world and I'm sure not a lot of people will object to that.

However, some folks are already proclaiming him the best ever. Too much of a reach at this point. I think he will need to beat Mayweather and perhaps one of the more high-profile welterweights in Paul "The Punisher" Williams or Miguel Cotto to stake his claim for the greatest boxer of all time.

I swear people are too caught up with the Pac-Man hype and slurpfest that it's starting to get annoying.

Mexico's latest export

Mexicans are known for producing good boxers and tequila. Now, they are infamous for spreading the dangerous swine flu virus.

Good thing there aren't any direct flights from Mexico to Manila. Not that it would prevent the virus from reaching the Philippines, but that's way better than sharing a border with them. I can just imagine the number of Mexicans going to the US legally or otherwise. It must be hell for the US authorities.

Attention-deprived Aquinos

They're at it again. SMH.

Cory Aquino's family, specifically her infamous celebrity daughter, is again asking for the public's sympathy. According to reports, the former Philippine president underwent some form of surgical procedure in relation to her bout with colon cancer.

I still don't get why they have to release official statements and even appear on television to rally prayers for the old lady. It's as if the public truly cares. Can someone please tell them she's way past her prime? As difficult as it is for them to accept, she's just not relevant anymore.

Besides, there are a million other nameless people who have cancer and cannot afford treatment who deserve the public's support and sympathy.

I can just imagine the amount of hype and media coverage she'll get once she dies. I will pity those who don't have cable television. Torture will be worse than Guantanamo.

Previous posts:
Cory and Cancer
Cory and Chemo

Feels weird to be out of IBM Basketball

I played hoops with my former IBM teammates yesterday. Haven't shared the same court with them ever since the MCBL championship game last December. Moreover, I left the company soon after so I haven't seen most of them since then. They're now getting ready for the 2009 MPG Corporate Basketball League (MCBL) that starts next weekend.

Modesty aside, I built the IBM basketball program from scratch in mid-2007. Since then, we've joined three leagues and we've never finished lower than 3rd. We've gotten two runners-up trophies while placing third once. We've also produced one MVP, one Best Defensive Player, 5 First Teamers, a few more Second Team players and numerous league statistical leaders. Pretty good for a group that had no organized basketball team before.

This season, like our previous ones, I think they have a great chance of getting back to the finals for a third consecutive time. Hopefully, they'll end up winning this time around. I'm sure, like me, they're tired of playing bridesmaid again.

I may not be part of the team and of the program anymore but I'm confident they will be able to continue what I started. We've never missed the playoffs while I was at the helm so I hope they keep that streak going. I left the team in good hands so I'm sure they know what to do.

Good luck, have fun and don't embarass yourselves, boys.

I will miss playing with all of you.

Pacquiao KOs Hatton

Didn't expect to see it end so abrupt, so fast and so soon but Manny Pacquiao sure shut the lights out of Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton for all the world to see. The Brit got clocked pretty bad.

Courtside seats to catch former Tar Heel

I'm excited to see former UNC player David Noel play as Ginebra takes on Talk N Text in the PBA's main game tonight at the Araneta Coliseum.

Dude's been on a roll since arriving as the Gin Kings' import a couple of weeks ago. He got a triple-double on his debut to lead Ginebra to a win. He also captured the Slam Dunk title and was named the All-Star game MVP during last week's PBA All-Star weekend.

Can't wait to see him play up close. Been his fan since he captained an overachieving 2005-06 UNC team to a fantastic season despite losing its championship core (Felton, May, McCants, Marvin Williams, Jawad Williams).