- Over my short stopover time in Hong Kong (in which I'm still at), which was further shortened by a 1 1/2 hour technical delay in Johannesburg (!), the places that I decided to go to were the Big Buddha and Monastery in Nung Trung, plus a side trip on any mall or two on the side.
- Since it's my first time (!) to go outside Hong Kong, I wanted to visit its landmark, which is the Buddha, since it's quite near the airport, and there's a Cable Car station to go there.
- My original budget for transportation is around 500 HKD and it turned out I only spent 43 HKD (!) because there is a bus terminal outside airport to the cable car terminal, so I did not have to take a taxi.
- Plus, unluckily though, it turned out the cable car is under maintenance (!) for September, that's why I had to settle for a round trip bus to the Buddha from Tung Chung.
- While at the steps towards the Buddha, since I was alone, I need someone to take a picture of me with the landmark as the background, and voila!, there is a semi-hot Latina (!) alone as well (!!), so I just waited her to ask me to take a picture of her so that I could return the favor.
- Well so it went that way, we took pictures of each other. It was nothing, not until I was at the bust terminal queue back to Tung Chung, she was the girl in front of me (!). We talked a bit.
- And so the bus boarded, she was at the left frontmost window seat, I decided not to seat beside her, I sat on the right frontmost window seat, it had been 20 people (!) since somebody sat beside our respective seats. An old Chinese lady was beside her and a man sat beside me, so naturally, I slept.
- I woke up when I heard the Latina & the old lady talking. A surprised old lady said, "You don't have a husband or even boyfriend?" (!) The Latina replied, "For a loooong time now!" (!!!)
- Actually, it was really no big deal, I'm just wasting my time now because I am waiting for the plane. (!) Continuing, so I was back in the mall in Tung Chung. Shopping for cheap Esprit clothes (!) in the factory outlet made my day and made me forget that Latina girl.
- Then I ate at McDonalds, after an hour searching for a KFC (!!). Obviously I am unhappy to eat at McDonals, Then I decided to go back to the airport, because I have to buy a Hong Kong Starbucks City Mug since I officially stepped foot (!) to Hong Kong and also, have to upgrade my Macau City Mug since the mugs now have a different design.
- I don't want to buy at the arrival area because I didn't wat to check the mugs in. Besides, I know there is one store at the transfer desk area. I checked in the airport and went to straight to the Departures Area (!).
- Even I am officially a transit passenger, since I went out at Hong Kong, I now do not have access to the transfer area. The situation, I have HKD to spare (!), and I couldn't go to Starbucks, where I forego going to the big arrival area Starbucks outlet (!!!). I'm not sure if when will I come back again. So the HKD will be sleeping.
- I asked the information girl if there is a starbucks at the departure area, and she was very agitated to say there is. Go straight the OTHER wing (!).
- I went far the other wing, I caught Starbucks hiding in the corner, there were around 1,000 Macau mugs and 987 China mugs, but HK mugs were ZIlch, Nada, Nil (!!!!!!!). Even the smaller ones were sold out.
- So I just bought a Hong Kong Starbucks tumbler, yeah, TUMBLER (!). The barista albeit calmed me by saying that the tumbler has a free drink and the mug has none, well, I would really still prefer the mug, obviously. But at least, I tasted the Ice Blended coffee from Hong Kong (as if there's a difference).
- I didn't bought the new Macau mug because I'll be having 2 of those where I don't have a HK mug.
- Going to the Cathay Pacific lounge, I realized that its Sept 10 already, meaning I spent 09/09/09 waiting for the Johannesburg flight and 13 (!) hours in mid-air watching Secret (a good Chinese Movie though), Shawshank Redemption, and The Proposal(!!!), and also listening to Leona Lewis & Jording Sparks dominated playlist.
- Logging-in at Facebook, I saw Greenarchers.ph waving goodbye at the Green Archers 2009 Final 4 aspirations, so I immediately thought that UE gave away the game to UST...
...but...
...NU 63, DLSU 61...
- Then I saw and greeted again the Latina girl again here at the lounge... As the saying goes, the third time is a charm...
... apparently, it was a case of a mistaken identity, she just looked and dressed almost exactly like the earlier Latina...
... then immediately lip-locked his man...
... the boarding gate has just been announced... And oh by the way! It's straight on the OTHER wing, besides Starbucks...
...I just can't wait to go home.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Kiss of Life...
With the recent news of my friend leaving the Philippines... after around 8-10 years of searching her... it's just appropriate to list down all my friends (old & new) who immediately left after we became acquainted (or reacquainted). I'm like a walking immigration, hook me up and sure you'll leave wherever you want to go...
Jeanne (2009) - will leave 3 months upon our reacquaintance in Facebook. She's a some kind of a college special friend.
Levy (2008) - on the day that when we were introduced by Sweet, she immediately got the news that she'll be going to Canada. Immediately, just over a little over a month, she flew.
Ionna (2008) - we were reacquainted after she (Deloitte) audited me (P&G) in 2005-06. On the day that we met (again), she just received a job offer from Dubai... By Jan this year, she flew.
Tin & Irene (2008) - Tin introduced me to her because Tin wanted me as Irene's boyfriend. Then apparently, Irene was just waiting for her migration to Australia around March-April. Then in an ironic twist, Tin followed Irene a few months later and I ended up taking her job temporarily.
Greys (2008) - Greys has been one of my good friends in my disastrous stint in YAM. She knows most of my secrets within YAM, and we're on the same boat when it comes to point of views... She's just more patient that me that's why she stayed the for the longest time... She left for Malaysia to join her boyfriend in working there.
Roxan (2007) - I consider her as my 1st self-made friend @ Chevron, in which I joined in June. By December of the same year, she left for BVI.
Janice (2007) - Well, at least I saw this one coming... we have been talking about her plans to go to London... Well, she took the Singapore route to make it even faster...
Monica (2007) - at the time before me met, we were textmates for more than six years, though we live within the same vicinity and batchmates in DLSU, we never met until late 2006. Then by Feb '07, she left for Singapore.
Camille (2006) - my coffee buddy at the Fort. Left for Singapore within the year that we met. Hanging out @ the Fort has never been the same.
Jeanne (2009) - will leave 3 months upon our reacquaintance in Facebook. She's a some kind of a college special friend.
Levy (2008) - on the day that when we were introduced by Sweet, she immediately got the news that she'll be going to Canada. Immediately, just over a little over a month, she flew.
Ionna (2008) - we were reacquainted after she (Deloitte) audited me (P&G) in 2005-06. On the day that we met (again), she just received a job offer from Dubai... By Jan this year, she flew.
Tin & Irene (2008) - Tin introduced me to her because Tin wanted me as Irene's boyfriend. Then apparently, Irene was just waiting for her migration to Australia around March-April. Then in an ironic twist, Tin followed Irene a few months later and I ended up taking her job temporarily.
Greys (2008) - Greys has been one of my good friends in my disastrous stint in YAM. She knows most of my secrets within YAM, and we're on the same boat when it comes to point of views... She's just more patient that me that's why she stayed the for the longest time... She left for Malaysia to join her boyfriend in working there.
Roxan (2007) - I consider her as my 1st self-made friend @ Chevron, in which I joined in June. By December of the same year, she left for BVI.
Janice (2007) - Well, at least I saw this one coming... we have been talking about her plans to go to London... Well, she took the Singapore route to make it even faster...
Monica (2007) - at the time before me met, we were textmates for more than six years, though we live within the same vicinity and batchmates in DLSU, we never met until late 2006. Then by Feb '07, she left for Singapore.
Camille (2006) - my coffee buddy at the Fort. Left for Singapore within the year that we met. Hanging out @ the Fort has never been the same.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Week of April 13-19 '09 learnings...
I think last week I've learned a lot in my life. The most since I was on my formative years... Well, it's not because I didn't want to learn all this time, but because I always thought that I know everything... Here are some of my learnings, in no particular order of importance.
1.) "Ichan" turned out to be a good nick.
2.) Hyper is Ichan.
3.) There are friends that are truly concerned with me.
4.) When stressed, count 10-20-30, say a little prayer, then let out a big exhale.
5.) I can excel in physical activities if I put my mind into working out.
6.) I can put my gameface on in every game of life.
7.) You cannot say you enjoy until you could define enjoy.
8.) Don't accept friends in social networking sites unless you have true connections... or face the consequences.
9.) What you don't know won't hurt you (Note: I am against this argument all my life!).
10.) I have great instincts... I hope I could trust/follow it next time.
11) When it's freakin' hot in a summer day... Expect rain to fall in the evening...
12.) I should be sticking on my pessimism because...
12a.) As CPA's, we were taught the theory of conservatism.
14.) ...Always remember when it rained.
15.) Focus! Focus! Focus!
16.) Waiting is really overrated.
17.) It's great when you're always preoccupied. You don't think of the unnecessaries.
18.) My bi-weekly FootSpa/Pedicure sessions has become a part of me (not anymore out of necessity).
19.) Missing a few episodes of your favorite TV shows won't hurt especially if you're having vodka sessions.
20.) There is such a thing called AIP Vigil.
21.) Chamomile tea is the best!
22.) Never, ever, ever expect nor assume.
1.) "Ichan" turned out to be a good nick.
2.) Hyper is Ichan.
3.) There are friends that are truly concerned with me.
4.) When stressed, count 10-20-30, say a little prayer, then let out a big exhale.
5.) I can excel in physical activities if I put my mind into working out.
6.) I can put my gameface on in every game of life.
7.) You cannot say you enjoy until you could define enjoy.
8.) Don't accept friends in social networking sites unless you have true connections... or face the consequences.
9.) What you don't know won't hurt you (Note: I am against this argument all my life!).
10.) I have great instincts... I hope I could trust/follow it next time.
11) When it's freakin' hot in a summer day... Expect rain to fall in the evening...
12.) I should be sticking on my pessimism because...
12a.) As CPA's, we were taught the theory of conservatism.
14.) ...Always remember when it rained.
15.) Focus! Focus! Focus!
16.) Waiting is really overrated.
17.) It's great when you're always preoccupied. You don't think of the unnecessaries.
18.) My bi-weekly FootSpa/Pedicure sessions has become a part of me (not anymore out of necessity).
19.) Missing a few episodes of your favorite TV shows won't hurt especially if you're having vodka sessions.
20.) There is such a thing called AIP Vigil.
21.) Chamomile tea is the best!
22.) Never, ever, ever expect nor assume.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Thirteen
For some reason... 13 has been like a plague to me... and today 04/13/09 is no different...
I tried to avoid #13 but it was always coming at me...
So I tried to embraced #13, but it didn't hug me back...
Then I fought #13, but it got back at me thirteen-fold...
I even tried a monthsary on a 13th of the month...
Then today... from subconsciously wearing all black to being in a depressed mood by the time I woke up earlier... I totally forgot that today is the 13th and I was so being indifferent to the number...
...then at around approximately 1313 hrs, #13 (April, that is) resurfaced in front of my face and reminded me that I shouldn't be indifferent because it will haunt me anyway...
Notables:
Favorite #13s - Dan Marino, Wilt Chamberlain, Steve Nash, Alex Rodriguez, Kurt Warner...
Mathemagic - Add the digits of my B-day, and it's 13
Add the digits of the plate # of my car and it's 13
Coincidences - I took the Board Exam at Room #130, Seat #13
The worst job I had, I started Jan 13
The only year that I was not at the 1st section, was during 1st year HS, I was 13.
Though nothing of those compares to what I'm having almost every 13th of the month... well, most especially earlier...
enigmatism strikes again...
I tried to avoid #13 but it was always coming at me...
So I tried to embraced #13, but it didn't hug me back...
Then I fought #13, but it got back at me thirteen-fold...
I even tried a monthsary on a 13th of the month...
Then today... from subconsciously wearing all black to being in a depressed mood by the time I woke up earlier... I totally forgot that today is the 13th and I was so being indifferent to the number...
...then at around approximately 1313 hrs, #13 (April, that is) resurfaced in front of my face and reminded me that I shouldn't be indifferent because it will haunt me anyway...
Notables:
Favorite #13s - Dan Marino, Wilt Chamberlain, Steve Nash, Alex Rodriguez, Kurt Warner...
Mathemagic - Add the digits of my B-day, and it's 13
Add the digits of the plate # of my car and it's 13
Coincidences - I took the Board Exam at Room #130, Seat #13
The worst job I had, I started Jan 13
The only year that I was not at the 1st section, was during 1st year HS, I was 13.
Though nothing of those compares to what I'm having almost every 13th of the month... well, most especially earlier...
enigmatism strikes again...
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Not-So-Good Friday
It's not because I worked on a sacred holiday that I had an atrocious Good Friday. Working doesn't bother me. I work whenever I like to work anyway... anytime, any place...
Right off the bat, my mind was messed from the get go since someone started to give me a cold treatment since Thursday night as I uttered one wrong joke to her... As of the last second, things are still never the same... and I wonder what it will gonna be like next week, when we're on the same day shift... Needless to say, I was still on the night shift, and I carried that emotion into the sunrise, workday seven and all... I said sorry and slept abruptly as I went home at 8 am...
I missed the 3 pm Good Friday mass because I was asleep and just starting to get into the earth again at the time, after all, I was on the penultimate night of my Night Shift career (assuming I'll be having my visa over the next two weeks). Officially woke up 3:15 pm, thus I didn't went to mass because I still have to fix myself and beat the heat... So I decided to log-in on my laptop instead, and voila(!), the connection is so slow, I can't access Yahoo Mail, Facebook, and ESPN! I'm stuck with Friendster and playing Pac-Man. I guess it was divine intervention... By 4:30, I decided to log-off and go back to bed..
Not sure if got more sleep, but @ 6 pm, I decided to take a bath and prepare for my final night shift (I hope) for quite sometime. It's really a Christian-Oliver way of ending my night shift... on a Good Friday...
I had to drop by the Church where the remains of the fallen Christ was embarked. While lying there, I prayed and asked for forgiveness on not attending most of the Holy Week's festivities... and also prayed for the enlightenment of... everybody (haha!), especially me (more of looking for a sign!). I also prayed on my other intentions... I'm not sure if I'm being selfish on that regard...
By 8 pm, I started to go to my so-called sanctuary, with the moon staring brightly at me like she's gonna eat me... Nobody's dancing Cha-Cha-Cha in the highway with my car... Even the delivery trucks were kneeling and praying on those times... It has been a 10-minute journey to the office that seemed to be going for hours... I recalled childhood memories, when people are not advised to go out, nor even move, during holy week, much more "the Good Friday", and 5 hours into Jesus Christ's last of his seven final words... It's different now, some people are working, errr, more and more people are working... and some, errr, most people were in Boracay, Galera, Pagudpod, Baguio, or anywhere that they could hide in this year's summer solstice. Globalization, tourism, and recession working out well to break old traditions, but I was curious to find out myself, that's why I found myself driving to work...
Safely into my sanctuary, I was craving for something... food that can be eaten on this kind of day... So I went down and crossed the street only to found out that Kopi Roti and my favorite Kopi Bun was closed... though I saw a lovely couple walking on the hallway of Columns... made me feel nostalgic again... why not me, at this place, at this moment... how mighty have I fallen when it terms on the matters of my heart... it used to be my strong point, but I'm very fragile now... every happy couple I see is considered a travesty... especially with what happened to me the night before, and all these months...
Fillet-O-Fish... a food that I could only remember during Good Fridays... and it came as no surprise that I crossed three streets just to get to the nearest golden arch... as I queue, there were two lovely ladies were in front of me... ordering only one fillet-o-fish meal... then I overheard that the meal will be available in five minutes... and when it was my turn, I agreed likewise to wait for it... Then I went to the farthest isolated corner, where I thought nobody will dare to get there... but those same two ladies sat on the next table... in front of me... side-by-side together... with one meal... waiting as well for maybe 3 minutes... 'Ole Fillet-O-Fish finally came... one for me, and one for the other table... As I disrobed the sandwich, simultaneously, the ladies disrobed theirs as well... and I... I couldn't take it anymore... as I put a huge bite on my sandwich, simultaneously the two girls made simultaneous huge bites on theirs, getting some sandwich, and getting more skin... and they went on and on as if I was not 2 meters in front of them... Again, why not me doing the kissing, to any of those two... at this very Good Friday, at this very McDonalds...
I don't believe it's a coincidence anymore... I guess it's really my fate... to be alone & watching... It was supposed to be my alone-in-the-corner-of-the-golden-arch moment... but it turned out to be my rubbing-it-in-to-the-lowest-level moment...
Well, I had no choice but to come back to my sanctuary... good thing that my WBS clean-up project was still ongoing and I kept myself busy the whole night... nostalgic and all... waited for the sunrise of the "Glorious Saturday"... waiting for Easter... Where I'm pondering right now (to the tune of Enya, no less) on what moment will get resurrected? The "March Madness" moment or "The Empty Road Leading to March Madness"...
Right off the bat, my mind was messed from the get go since someone started to give me a cold treatment since Thursday night as I uttered one wrong joke to her... As of the last second, things are still never the same... and I wonder what it will gonna be like next week, when we're on the same day shift... Needless to say, I was still on the night shift, and I carried that emotion into the sunrise, workday seven and all... I said sorry and slept abruptly as I went home at 8 am...
I missed the 3 pm Good Friday mass because I was asleep and just starting to get into the earth again at the time, after all, I was on the penultimate night of my Night Shift career (assuming I'll be having my visa over the next two weeks). Officially woke up 3:15 pm, thus I didn't went to mass because I still have to fix myself and beat the heat... So I decided to log-in on my laptop instead, and voila(!), the connection is so slow, I can't access Yahoo Mail, Facebook, and ESPN! I'm stuck with Friendster and playing Pac-Man. I guess it was divine intervention... By 4:30, I decided to log-off and go back to bed..
Not sure if got more sleep, but @ 6 pm, I decided to take a bath and prepare for my final night shift (I hope) for quite sometime. It's really a Christian-Oliver way of ending my night shift... on a Good Friday...
I had to drop by the Church where the remains of the fallen Christ was embarked. While lying there, I prayed and asked for forgiveness on not attending most of the Holy Week's festivities... and also prayed for the enlightenment of... everybody (haha!), especially me (more of looking for a sign!). I also prayed on my other intentions... I'm not sure if I'm being selfish on that regard...
By 8 pm, I started to go to my so-called sanctuary, with the moon staring brightly at me like she's gonna eat me... Nobody's dancing Cha-Cha-Cha in the highway with my car... Even the delivery trucks were kneeling and praying on those times... It has been a 10-minute journey to the office that seemed to be going for hours... I recalled childhood memories, when people are not advised to go out, nor even move, during holy week, much more "the Good Friday", and 5 hours into Jesus Christ's last of his seven final words... It's different now, some people are working, errr, more and more people are working... and some, errr, most people were in Boracay, Galera, Pagudpod, Baguio, or anywhere that they could hide in this year's summer solstice. Globalization, tourism, and recession working out well to break old traditions, but I was curious to find out myself, that's why I found myself driving to work...
Safely into my sanctuary, I was craving for something... food that can be eaten on this kind of day... So I went down and crossed the street only to found out that Kopi Roti and my favorite Kopi Bun was closed... though I saw a lovely couple walking on the hallway of Columns... made me feel nostalgic again... why not me, at this place, at this moment... how mighty have I fallen when it terms on the matters of my heart... it used to be my strong point, but I'm very fragile now... every happy couple I see is considered a travesty... especially with what happened to me the night before, and all these months...
Fillet-O-Fish... a food that I could only remember during Good Fridays... and it came as no surprise that I crossed three streets just to get to the nearest golden arch... as I queue, there were two lovely ladies were in front of me... ordering only one fillet-o-fish meal... then I overheard that the meal will be available in five minutes... and when it was my turn, I agreed likewise to wait for it... Then I went to the farthest isolated corner, where I thought nobody will dare to get there... but those same two ladies sat on the next table... in front of me... side-by-side together... with one meal... waiting as well for maybe 3 minutes... 'Ole Fillet-O-Fish finally came... one for me, and one for the other table... As I disrobed the sandwich, simultaneously, the ladies disrobed theirs as well... and I... I couldn't take it anymore... as I put a huge bite on my sandwich, simultaneously the two girls made simultaneous huge bites on theirs, getting some sandwich, and getting more skin... and they went on and on as if I was not 2 meters in front of them... Again, why not me doing the kissing, to any of those two... at this very Good Friday, at this very McDonalds...
I don't believe it's a coincidence anymore... I guess it's really my fate... to be alone & watching... It was supposed to be my alone-in-the-corner-of-the-golden-arch moment... but it turned out to be my rubbing-it-in-to-the-lowest-level moment...
Well, I had no choice but to come back to my sanctuary... good thing that my WBS clean-up project was still ongoing and I kept myself busy the whole night... nostalgic and all... waited for the sunrise of the "Glorious Saturday"... waiting for Easter... Where I'm pondering right now (to the tune of Enya, no less) on what moment will get resurrected? The "March Madness" moment or "The Empty Road Leading to March Madness"...
Friday, April 10, 2009
Bloggin' the Easter's eve away...
After weeks of hibernation, I've decided to blog again... maybe because I enjoyed so much my so-called happiness, my march madness, my best month in years... And now it's already April, the usual drop-off (happiness trade-off) is what I'm feeling.
By the way, here are some of the reasons I've enjoyed my March...
I'm going to an extended business trip in Angola...
My 1st ever domestic flight... to Naga... to CWC and Caramoan...
I (finally) formally pursue a girl that I wanted...
I've started a new hobby by buying an SLR camera...
MSSC Volleyball is here again...
DLSU won the Volleyball championship...
Duke won the ACC Basketball championship...
Gained new friends...
But As always, all good things that I'm getting comes with a catch... which is the reason why I'm blogging again...
My passport had to be renewed ASAP because Angolan Visa requires 20-month
passport eligibility...
We didn't really had a chance to swim at Caramoan... and no wakeboarding at all @ CWC...
Of course, there's no certainty in pursuing a girl...
I learned that buying a camera is not enough... need to upgrade, upgrade, upgrade...
Lack of playing time in Volleyball... Winless so far...
End of UAAP Volleyball season, end of Volleyball dates...
UNC won the NCAA championship...
Gaining new friends have been controversial, as always...
So the enigmatic self that I am is signing on again... It's been a great March ride...
By the way, here are some of the reasons I've enjoyed my March...
I'm going to an extended business trip in Angola...
My 1st ever domestic flight... to Naga... to CWC and Caramoan...
I (finally) formally pursue a girl that I wanted...
I've started a new hobby by buying an SLR camera...
MSSC Volleyball is here again...
DLSU won the Volleyball championship...
Duke won the ACC Basketball championship...
Gained new friends...
But As always, all good things that I'm getting comes with a catch... which is the reason why I'm blogging again...
My passport had to be renewed ASAP because Angolan Visa requires 20-month
passport eligibility...
We didn't really had a chance to swim at Caramoan... and no wakeboarding at all @ CWC...
Of course, there's no certainty in pursuing a girl...
I learned that buying a camera is not enough... need to upgrade, upgrade, upgrade...
Lack of playing time in Volleyball... Winless so far...
End of UAAP Volleyball season, end of Volleyball dates...
UNC won the NCAA championship...
Gaining new friends have been controversial, as always...
So the enigmatic self that I am is signing on again... It's been a great March ride...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
An Unpredictable Sunday
How do you define a day? I can't define mine...
3:00 am - Found myself awake with an ant bite in my stomach... slept again...
4:30 am - Found myself awake again with an ant bite on the other side of my stomach... checked if there were live NBA/NCAA games! None... so I went back to bed..
5:50 am - Got up from bed as 4 ants were biting me non-stop in the stomach, left elbow, right elbow, and... there... yes, down there!
6:00 am - checked Facebook & ESPN - North Carolina lost to Florida State! Duke was winning against Maryland! D-Wade with another superhuman performance, 50-10-9-4-2!
7:30 am - After the holy mass, checked ESPN again and Duke won!
***by the way, I've checked the scores thru my laptop without plugging the power cord!***
9:40 am - Left home for Definition in Makati Cinema Square to buy an SLR camera. Surprised that there were no traffic in Bicutan SLEX!
10:00 am - Arrived in MCS, and was out of myself when I learned that the outside parking was Fifty freakin' Pesos! Yeah, at Makati Cinema Square! I am not kidding!
10:45 am - After searching the old-school mall, I found Definition... and it was closed on a Sunday!
11:15 am - Took a right turn from Pasay Road to Paseo de Roxas... gosh there were MAPPSA (tama ba?) waiting. Apparently, the left turn arrow was not green... Well, it's not red either! But I was still apprehended!
11:30 am - The MAPPSA officers still haven't given me a ticket, and they were standing like beggars by my window until something came up... P200 wrapped in tissue!
12:00 noon - My pedicure session, Lyn, my pedicurista was not there. Nail Spa suggested Leah to be my pedicurista for the day... I was very nervous because I'm feeling a little ingrown nail already on my right toe... But I had to accept her!
12:30 pm - Pedicure session was done! I was so nervous at 1st because of her different approach on my toenails, but in the end, she pulled it thru!
Fast Forward
4:00 pm - since I was going to QC in the evening, i decided to go to McDonalds El Pueblo for free parking and wi-fi (for wasting time)... Apparently, McDo does not allow laptop battery charging! ^$&^%#$@, why did I logged-in at the house without using the power cord!
5:00 - Battery exhausted! Bad thing there was a hot chick on a green dress sitting next to my table. I ran out of pa-cute actions! So I decided to get-off to QC and meet a friend for dinner instead.
6:00 - @ Gateway! Starbucks = full, Gloria Jeans = full, KK = full, Coffee Bean = full. We settled at Taco Bell... I wouldn't go to Gateway/Araneta unless I eat at Taco Bell anyway...
7:00 - My other friend that I was supposed to meet did not came! Given our circumstances, &^$^%$%^$^&%$!
7:15 - Decided to go to Timog ahead of time to meet a new-found friend =), Coffee Bean (with free wi-fi) didn't have any parking within the vicinity... So I had to relocate at Burger King for the free wi-fi!
8:30 - My new found friend arrived at BK, we then took off to relocate somewhere else.
9:00 - Starbucks - no parking, another Starbucks - no parking, Coffee Bean - still no parking, so we had to settle for a coffee shop near ABS-CBN. It's coffee tasted mediocre that's why I forgot it's name...
10:00 - While in the middle of a nice conversation, the coffee shop closed! Yes, the coffee shop closed @ 10:00 pm!!!
10:30 - In the middle of a fast EDSA, there was a build-up from Ayala to Magallanes fly-over. At 10:30 in the evening on a Sunday! Wow!
And then I decided to write this down... for rubbing-it-in sake!
3:00 am - Found myself awake with an ant bite in my stomach... slept again...
4:30 am - Found myself awake again with an ant bite on the other side of my stomach... checked if there were live NBA/NCAA games! None... so I went back to bed..
5:50 am - Got up from bed as 4 ants were biting me non-stop in the stomach, left elbow, right elbow, and... there... yes, down there!
6:00 am - checked Facebook & ESPN - North Carolina lost to Florida State! Duke was winning against Maryland! D-Wade with another superhuman performance, 50-10-9-4-2!
7:30 am - After the holy mass, checked ESPN again and Duke won!
***by the way, I've checked the scores thru my laptop without plugging the power cord!***
9:40 am - Left home for Definition in Makati Cinema Square to buy an SLR camera. Surprised that there were no traffic in Bicutan SLEX!
10:00 am - Arrived in MCS, and was out of myself when I learned that the outside parking was Fifty freakin' Pesos! Yeah, at Makati Cinema Square! I am not kidding!
10:45 am - After searching the old-school mall, I found Definition... and it was closed on a Sunday!
11:15 am - Took a right turn from Pasay Road to Paseo de Roxas... gosh there were MAPPSA (tama ba?) waiting. Apparently, the left turn arrow was not green... Well, it's not red either! But I was still apprehended!
11:30 am - The MAPPSA officers still haven't given me a ticket, and they were standing like beggars by my window until something came up... P200 wrapped in tissue!
12:00 noon - My pedicure session, Lyn, my pedicurista was not there. Nail Spa suggested Leah to be my pedicurista for the day... I was very nervous because I'm feeling a little ingrown nail already on my right toe... But I had to accept her!
12:30 pm - Pedicure session was done! I was so nervous at 1st because of her different approach on my toenails, but in the end, she pulled it thru!
Fast Forward
4:00 pm - since I was going to QC in the evening, i decided to go to McDonalds El Pueblo for free parking and wi-fi (for wasting time)... Apparently, McDo does not allow laptop battery charging! ^$&^%#$@, why did I logged-in at the house without using the power cord!
5:00 - Battery exhausted! Bad thing there was a hot chick on a green dress sitting next to my table. I ran out of pa-cute actions! So I decided to get-off to QC and meet a friend for dinner instead.
6:00 - @ Gateway! Starbucks = full, Gloria Jeans = full, KK = full, Coffee Bean = full. We settled at Taco Bell... I wouldn't go to Gateway/Araneta unless I eat at Taco Bell anyway...
7:00 - My other friend that I was supposed to meet did not came! Given our circumstances, &^$^%$%^$^&%$!
7:15 - Decided to go to Timog ahead of time to meet a new-found friend =), Coffee Bean (with free wi-fi) didn't have any parking within the vicinity... So I had to relocate at Burger King for the free wi-fi!
8:30 - My new found friend arrived at BK, we then took off to relocate somewhere else.
9:00 - Starbucks - no parking, another Starbucks - no parking, Coffee Bean - still no parking, so we had to settle for a coffee shop near ABS-CBN. It's coffee tasted mediocre that's why I forgot it's name...
10:00 - While in the middle of a nice conversation, the coffee shop closed! Yes, the coffee shop closed @ 10:00 pm!!!
10:30 - In the middle of a fast EDSA, there was a build-up from Ayala to Magallanes fly-over. At 10:30 in the evening on a Sunday! Wow!
And then I decided to write this down... for rubbing-it-in sake!
The Enigmatic Thursday
Well, on Wednesday night, I've been putting in my Facebook status that I was preparing for what could be an enigmatic Thursday... It actually didn't turn out that way as I just had an ok Thursday.
I had to go to DFA to renew my license personally, since renewing it thru an agency will take much longer than it should be as I need my passport to be renew in 2 1/2 weeks time. I was surprised that it was not the other way around. Anyway, I was there at 6am...
...To my surprise, at the Roxas-Libertad corner, there was a DFA personnel approached me and looked at my requirements, in which I was overwhelmed that they were checking it that far, then every 10 meters there were guides until I reached the gate, then the basketball court, where step 1 will be executed. At 6:08 am, I was the 1,387th person to apply/renew a passport... Wow!
At 6:30, the line starts to move, I was like in Singapore, meaning there were instructions along the way... which is very good by the way, there were seats all the time as well. As the steps gone farther, the windows were getting more & more, so the steps were getting faster! At 8:30, I was done with the whole thing! Had to go back after 7 working days for my new passport! =)
For the 1st time in ages, I was satisfied with a government office.
Not much happened the rest of the day, except that my next role in the company was announced, which is quite something for me. Though it happened at the tail-end of a long meeting (rather than it's usual spot at the 1/3 mark of a meeting).
It was more of anti-climactic than enigmatic, but I was ecstatic!
I had to go to DFA to renew my license personally, since renewing it thru an agency will take much longer than it should be as I need my passport to be renew in 2 1/2 weeks time. I was surprised that it was not the other way around. Anyway, I was there at 6am...
...To my surprise, at the Roxas-Libertad corner, there was a DFA personnel approached me and looked at my requirements, in which I was overwhelmed that they were checking it that far, then every 10 meters there were guides until I reached the gate, then the basketball court, where step 1 will be executed. At 6:08 am, I was the 1,387th person to apply/renew a passport... Wow!
At 6:30, the line starts to move, I was like in Singapore, meaning there were instructions along the way... which is very good by the way, there were seats all the time as well. As the steps gone farther, the windows were getting more & more, so the steps were getting faster! At 8:30, I was done with the whole thing! Had to go back after 7 working days for my new passport! =)
For the 1st time in ages, I was satisfied with a government office.
Not much happened the rest of the day, except that my next role in the company was announced, which is quite something for me. Though it happened at the tail-end of a long meeting (rather than it's usual spot at the 1/3 mark of a meeting).
It was more of anti-climactic than enigmatic, but I was ecstatic!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Pluggin' Along
For the past 30 hours, I've only had 4 hours of sleep, had to play in a sportsfest under weltering heat, scraped (and burned) my bare on a very hot obstacle slide, had the team with the fewest competitors, had to drive at SLEX through heavy traffic without those 4 hours of sleep, and had to endure all these news regarding Francis M's death. All of those coming off a half-day SL and believe me, if i took on even a half-day SL, it means something really is not right.
I keep on pluggin along...
as if I feel perfectly ok, which has been routinary for me for the past three years or so. All these failed relationships, friendships, dates, & endeavors have put me in the depressing mode at any given time. I'm trying to fight it as much as I can though I'm as confident that these "misery" will end anytime soon as I'm confident that these will continue for a long, long time. I'm still doing the same things, being a serial dater and a hopeless romantic, but with each passing day, more often than not, I go back home being a serial hopeless.
I keep on pluggin' along...
Work has been my only bright spot for the past two years, and I'm holding on to that psyche that I'm not doing anything to screw that up... it's not as if I did not have work issues previously, I had changed multinational companies in the three-year span and I had to deliver as well as I had previously, but this time, hoping to get what i really deserved this time. I guess I'm on the right track because...
I kept on pluggin' along...
April will mark a big change, with high hopes that it will be a big positive change... I hope a lot of aspects in my life will follow suit as well. After all, I have paid my dues, and I hope I paid well enough...
I keep on pluggin along...
as if I feel perfectly ok, which has been routinary for me for the past three years or so. All these failed relationships, friendships, dates, & endeavors have put me in the depressing mode at any given time. I'm trying to fight it as much as I can though I'm as confident that these "misery" will end anytime soon as I'm confident that these will continue for a long, long time. I'm still doing the same things, being a serial dater and a hopeless romantic, but with each passing day, more often than not, I go back home being a serial hopeless.
I keep on pluggin' along...
Work has been my only bright spot for the past two years, and I'm holding on to that psyche that I'm not doing anything to screw that up... it's not as if I did not have work issues previously, I had changed multinational companies in the three-year span and I had to deliver as well as I had previously, but this time, hoping to get what i really deserved this time. I guess I'm on the right track because...
I kept on pluggin' along...
April will mark a big change, with high hopes that it will be a big positive change... I hope a lot of aspects in my life will follow suit as well. After all, I have paid my dues, and I hope I paid well enough...
Monday, March 2, 2009
Jinxed!
I woke up about 30 minutes ago seeing the Miami Heat leading the Cavaliers from Cleveland 91-80 with 7 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter... meaning my favorite Dwyane Wade was leading the hated LeBron James... i was thinking good things already! Immediately thereafter, the Cavs went on a blinding 22-4 run to suddenly lead 102-95 with less than a minute remaining.... Game Over.... Miami blew it...
Just some notables...
Coach Spolestra had called 4 timeouts in between the Cavs run... ohhh that Filipino instincts of him...
Why didn't I see the successful 5 (against the Knicks at least) of Jermaine O'Neal, Haslem, Moon, James Jones and Wade on the floor at the same time.
D-Wade still had a fantastic game, approx. 41 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 7 steals. ( LeBron I think had 44) Though I think D-Wade should have at least 50 points and 12 assists at the rate he was going BEFORE I watched.
You'll learn, rookie! Yes, that's you Mario Chalmers!
People are saying how good the Mo Williams acquisition for Cleveland... for me, it's still the health of big Z Ilgauskas the key for the Cavs this season. Unfortunately, he was healthy tonight against Miami.
Just some notables...
Coach Spolestra had called 4 timeouts in between the Cavs run... ohhh that Filipino instincts of him...
Why didn't I see the successful 5 (against the Knicks at least) of Jermaine O'Neal, Haslem, Moon, James Jones and Wade on the floor at the same time.
D-Wade still had a fantastic game, approx. 41 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 7 steals. ( LeBron I think had 44) Though I think D-Wade should have at least 50 points and 12 assists at the rate he was going BEFORE I watched.
You'll learn, rookie! Yes, that's you Mario Chalmers!
People are saying how good the Mo Williams acquisition for Cleveland... for me, it's still the health of big Z Ilgauskas the key for the Cavs this season. Unfortunately, he was healthy tonight against Miami.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Telegenic Saturday (on the boob-tube)
Amazingly, I decided to stay put at home yesterday with absolutely no regrets. Well, part of the reason was that I’m home alone but the bigger part of it was that there were too much (favorite) sports on the TiVo. Well, it helps when the three NBA providers that my cable give you three different mathes! Yupee!
8:05 AM – ESPN – Toronto Raptors @ New York Knicks
Here are two Atlantic Division rivals with hopes of sneaking into the playoffs (Both are currently out). After a bevy of trades, the Knicks were shorthanded and Toronto had full complement of Raptors; Chris Bosh returning from an injury and the 2nd game of Shawn Marion after the trade with Miami. Since I don’t like both teams, I’m supposed to sleep on this. Note that the phrase “New York” was enough already to cheer for Toronto on this. I didn't sleep on this though, because a team with Mike D’ Antoni is always entertaining to watch. New York was blowing Toronto big thru the 4th quarter.
10:00 AM – Jack TV - Monday Night Raw
It was already the 2nd broadcast so it’s gonna be hard to find another telecast if I missed this. On a night after No Way Out, it was quite a lean schedule on Raw (more later). Since Edge won the Heavyweight Title from John Cena and 4 others the night before via a bizaare fashion, at the very least I figured that this edition of Raw was ati-climactic. And boy I was right! Nice exchange of words though from Cena and Edge.
10:22 AM – Final: Knicks over Raptors (Christian 0-1 for the day)
Did I told you I’m supposed to sleep on this? Well, go figure: The teams’ leading scorers after the game: Wilson Chandler and Joey Graham!!! I should have slept, hehe.
11:00 AM – NBA League Pass – Atlanta Hawks @ Portland Trail Blazers
I love this, the anti Knicks-Raptors, with two of my favorite teams squaring off, it’s gonna be tough on me to see one lose. But I was for Atlanta on this one. Josh Smith was having a block-fest early and Mike Bibby was.. well, sharpshooting midrange jumpers. On the other hand, LaMarcus Aldridge was treating Offensive Rebounds like they’re hot chicks, grabbin’ and grabbin’ all of ‘em!
11:30 AM – CS/9 and C/S Origin – New Orleans Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
“The Main Event – CP3 vs. Kobe” if I’m not Christian Oliver, but since I am, it’s just a typical good match-up of elite teams with superstars. The odds were with me since so far this season, LA won in NO twice and NO won in LA once. And since this was a road game for NO, it’ gonna be great for me because the phrase “Los Angeles Lakers” was enough already to cheer for the Hornets on this.
*- Note that I like the Los Angeles Clippers that’s why I had to put the whole team name of the Lakers.
11:55 AM – Conclusion of Monday Night Raw
Edge (from Smackdown) vs. John Cena (in trash-talking); Chris Jericho vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper (basically in trash-talking as well); Shawn Michaels vs. JBL (in trash-talking). Basically, WWE today is really more of a tele-novela rather than wrestling. The only legit match there was the Randy Orton-Shane McMahon Match which ended in a tele-novela in itself when Orton punted both Shane and Stephanie McMahon in the head that enraged Stephanie’s real life husband WWE Champion Triple H (from Smackdown)…. I was smelling another pay-per-view pitting Raw vs. Smackdown which is a good thing. I was also thinking Cena will cross-over to Smackdown and Triple H crossing-over to Raw since both WWE and Heavyweight Champions are currently at Smackdown.
1:15 PM – Final: Trail Blazers over Hawks (Christian 0-2 for the day)
Too much Brandon Roy. Too much rebounds for Portland. Too much outside shooting and turnovers for the Hawks when all they need was to drive to the basket as the Blazers were already in the penalty two minutes into the 4th quarter. Never happened. Hawks done.
2:00 PM – Hornets @ Lakers - Overtime
My NBA marathon got extended!!! Thanks to Chris Paul’s bad decision making of the year! Up three with 20 seconds remaining, Paul forced a 3-in-1 fastbreak and get called for a charging foul! This kid will have to learn! Oh, the learning process continued, on the ensuing possession, Paul left Derek Fisher for a wide open three! Game tied! Overtime! Should be absolutely a won ballgame for the Hornets in regulation!
2:24 PM – Lakers beat Hornets – (Christian 0-3 for the day)
So what’s the point of enjoying when you are 0-3 for the day? Kobe exploded in Overtime, taking over, even drawing CP3’s 6th foul on a looseball exchange that Kobe was clearly the culprit. That instance changed the complexion of the game. My favorite ex-Miami Heat Rasual Butler kept it close by engaging Kobe in an Overtime shootout. But in the end, Kobe won and I was still nil for the day.
2:25 PM – Studio 23 – UAAP Men’s Volleyball Final Four (#1 UST vs #4 ADMU)
Are you kidding? I’m not watching this. Time for snack, play NBA Live, and start this blog. All I know by far is that UST won.
3:45 PM – Studio 23 – UAAP Women’s Volleyball Final Four (#1 DLSU vs #4 AdU, Christian 1-3 fr the day)
This is it. David vs Goliath. A team peaking on the 2nd round vs. the team peaked during the 1st round. Blocking Game vs. Ground Game. The Lady Spikers held a twice-to-beat advantage. La Salle was expected to blitz Adamson on this one, but Adamson gave my team a scare by winning the 2nd set and thus tying the game at a set apiece. On the next sets, DLSU showed grace under pressure as they overwhelm the opponents from San Marcelino in 4 sets. I was 1-3 for the day but that 1 was my alma mater so I had no complains about it.
Some notables:
I hope Stephanie Mercado of DLSU will continue to be under the radar for the rest of hr career. I like her physically and with the way she plays the game. With all the rest of the male population are looking at her teammate Manilla Santos & Rachel Ann Daquis of FEU, both of whom are graduating after this year, expect the majority of male population to look for another set of beauties.
Jill Gustillo had some good shots on the camera. I’ve never seen her before on any good angle and yesterday there were certain angles that she looks ok.
Why did the Studio 23 zoomed-in on Angela Benting’s (AdU) face. Though I’m not a fan of dermatology, she needs one (only if the cameras will zoom her face like that again).
In their last year of eligibility, Michelle Datuin & Manilla Santos of DLSU were very emotional whenever they attack the ball. Pretty girls getting feisty, always good news!
5:20 PM – National Channel – Indian Hockey
Just kidding, hahaha. I had enough for the day. That was my cue to go have a David Garcia Jr. “Walang talo-talo” haircut, eat sisig and shomai for dinner. I already had enough TiVo to forget my dateless Valentines Day and the rough week thereafter. This day also inspired me to go back to the gym (which I did earlier today) and to have discipline in eating…. well, at least after the sisig and shomai fiasco…
8:05 AM – ESPN – Toronto Raptors @ New York Knicks
Here are two Atlantic Division rivals with hopes of sneaking into the playoffs (Both are currently out). After a bevy of trades, the Knicks were shorthanded and Toronto had full complement of Raptors; Chris Bosh returning from an injury and the 2nd game of Shawn Marion after the trade with Miami. Since I don’t like both teams, I’m supposed to sleep on this. Note that the phrase “New York” was enough already to cheer for Toronto on this. I didn't sleep on this though, because a team with Mike D’ Antoni is always entertaining to watch. New York was blowing Toronto big thru the 4th quarter.
10:00 AM – Jack TV - Monday Night Raw
It was already the 2nd broadcast so it’s gonna be hard to find another telecast if I missed this. On a night after No Way Out, it was quite a lean schedule on Raw (more later). Since Edge won the Heavyweight Title from John Cena and 4 others the night before via a bizaare fashion, at the very least I figured that this edition of Raw was ati-climactic. And boy I was right! Nice exchange of words though from Cena and Edge.
10:22 AM – Final: Knicks over Raptors (Christian 0-1 for the day)
Did I told you I’m supposed to sleep on this? Well, go figure: The teams’ leading scorers after the game: Wilson Chandler and Joey Graham!!! I should have slept, hehe.
11:00 AM – NBA League Pass – Atlanta Hawks @ Portland Trail Blazers
I love this, the anti Knicks-Raptors, with two of my favorite teams squaring off, it’s gonna be tough on me to see one lose. But I was for Atlanta on this one. Josh Smith was having a block-fest early and Mike Bibby was.. well, sharpshooting midrange jumpers. On the other hand, LaMarcus Aldridge was treating Offensive Rebounds like they’re hot chicks, grabbin’ and grabbin’ all of ‘em!
11:30 AM – CS/9 and C/S Origin – New Orleans Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
“The Main Event – CP3 vs. Kobe” if I’m not Christian Oliver, but since I am, it’s just a typical good match-up of elite teams with superstars. The odds were with me since so far this season, LA won in NO twice and NO won in LA once. And since this was a road game for NO, it’ gonna be great for me because the phrase “Los Angeles Lakers” was enough already to cheer for the Hornets on this.
*- Note that I like the Los Angeles Clippers that’s why I had to put the whole team name of the Lakers.
11:55 AM – Conclusion of Monday Night Raw
Edge (from Smackdown) vs. John Cena (in trash-talking); Chris Jericho vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper (basically in trash-talking as well); Shawn Michaels vs. JBL (in trash-talking). Basically, WWE today is really more of a tele-novela rather than wrestling. The only legit match there was the Randy Orton-Shane McMahon Match which ended in a tele-novela in itself when Orton punted both Shane and Stephanie McMahon in the head that enraged Stephanie’s real life husband WWE Champion Triple H (from Smackdown)…. I was smelling another pay-per-view pitting Raw vs. Smackdown which is a good thing. I was also thinking Cena will cross-over to Smackdown and Triple H crossing-over to Raw since both WWE and Heavyweight Champions are currently at Smackdown.
1:15 PM – Final: Trail Blazers over Hawks (Christian 0-2 for the day)
Too much Brandon Roy. Too much rebounds for Portland. Too much outside shooting and turnovers for the Hawks when all they need was to drive to the basket as the Blazers were already in the penalty two minutes into the 4th quarter. Never happened. Hawks done.
2:00 PM – Hornets @ Lakers - Overtime
My NBA marathon got extended!!! Thanks to Chris Paul’s bad decision making of the year! Up three with 20 seconds remaining, Paul forced a 3-in-1 fastbreak and get called for a charging foul! This kid will have to learn! Oh, the learning process continued, on the ensuing possession, Paul left Derek Fisher for a wide open three! Game tied! Overtime! Should be absolutely a won ballgame for the Hornets in regulation!
2:24 PM – Lakers beat Hornets – (Christian 0-3 for the day)
So what’s the point of enjoying when you are 0-3 for the day? Kobe exploded in Overtime, taking over, even drawing CP3’s 6th foul on a looseball exchange that Kobe was clearly the culprit. That instance changed the complexion of the game. My favorite ex-Miami Heat Rasual Butler kept it close by engaging Kobe in an Overtime shootout. But in the end, Kobe won and I was still nil for the day.
2:25 PM – Studio 23 – UAAP Men’s Volleyball Final Four (#1 UST vs #4 ADMU)
Are you kidding? I’m not watching this. Time for snack, play NBA Live, and start this blog. All I know by far is that UST won.
3:45 PM – Studio 23 – UAAP Women’s Volleyball Final Four (#1 DLSU vs #4 AdU, Christian 1-3 fr the day)
This is it. David vs Goliath. A team peaking on the 2nd round vs. the team peaked during the 1st round. Blocking Game vs. Ground Game. The Lady Spikers held a twice-to-beat advantage. La Salle was expected to blitz Adamson on this one, but Adamson gave my team a scare by winning the 2nd set and thus tying the game at a set apiece. On the next sets, DLSU showed grace under pressure as they overwhelm the opponents from San Marcelino in 4 sets. I was 1-3 for the day but that 1 was my alma mater so I had no complains about it.
Some notables:
I hope Stephanie Mercado of DLSU will continue to be under the radar for the rest of hr career. I like her physically and with the way she plays the game. With all the rest of the male population are looking at her teammate Manilla Santos & Rachel Ann Daquis of FEU, both of whom are graduating after this year, expect the majority of male population to look for another set of beauties.
Jill Gustillo had some good shots on the camera. I’ve never seen her before on any good angle and yesterday there were certain angles that she looks ok.
Why did the Studio 23 zoomed-in on Angela Benting’s (AdU) face. Though I’m not a fan of dermatology, she needs one (only if the cameras will zoom her face like that again).
In their last year of eligibility, Michelle Datuin & Manilla Santos of DLSU were very emotional whenever they attack the ball. Pretty girls getting feisty, always good news!
5:20 PM – National Channel – Indian Hockey
Just kidding, hahaha. I had enough for the day. That was my cue to go have a David Garcia Jr. “Walang talo-talo” haircut, eat sisig and shomai for dinner. I already had enough TiVo to forget my dateless Valentines Day and the rough week thereafter. This day also inspired me to go back to the gym (which I did earlier today) and to have discipline in eating…. well, at least after the sisig and shomai fiasco…
Thursday, January 1, 2009
The Year That Was(n't) - Part II
NBA
Miami Heat sunk to obscurity, fielding a line-up of D-Leaguers to end the season. Take note that those players have yet to receive an NBA gig to date.
Boston Celtics finally won another NBA championship, only the 2nd time in the last 18 years that my favored team has won the championship. People, bet against me…
Kobe Bryant was named MVP… should have been Chris Paul. Well, CP3 = Christian Ponce’s jinx, jinx, jinx!
In a lightning, the Seattle Supersonics became Oklahoma City Thunder … quoting Bill Simmons, it’s really now a No Balls Association. Whenever Green turns Blue, it’s always Gary Payton-Shawn Kemp connection turning to Earl Watson-Mohammed Sene connection!
Joe Johnson and my Atlanta Hawks emerged from the ashes. In a typical Christian Oliver fashion, they ended up facing the Boston Celtics in the 1st round! Favorite vs. Favorite match-up when all other series were a snooze-fest!
WWE
Chris Jericho came back from the doldrums to become a 2-time champion. Too bad he had to change his character from hero to villain… You’re really a Chris, Chris… You win some, you lose more! But you win the Superstar of The Year for 2008!
Finally, world championship changed hands in a regular show when Mr. Money-In-The-Bank CM Punk pinned Edge in a Raw episode in June. Unpredictability was back in WWE, the first since 1765!
Jeff Hardy has finally exorcised the demons of the past by defeating Edge in a late Pay-per-view event. Jeff is my alter-ego, so high hopes for 2009!
The Chris Masters award
Finally, MVP crashed down to earth by not winning in 25 straight weeks o end the year and counting. Oh, and his buddy Mr. Kennedy turned jeers into cheers by not playing at all?!?
NFL & MLB
When I finally cheered for the New England Patriots, they lost in a David Tyree impossible helmet catch. Well, that’s the Christian Oliver magic again! Then, the cherry on top, Tom Brady suffered a season-ending injury in his 1st game for 2008.
The New York Yankees ensured that they would never ever compete for the Playoffs by fighting for 3rd, place in the AL East throughout the year! At least they are consistent!
List of 1st Place/Wild Card Teams = Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers! Ladies and Gentlemen, I am serious!
Detroit Lions – 0-16; Jeter joined A-Rod in being 0-October; Barry Bonds 0-0 At-Bats; AL MVP Dustin Pedroia listed at 5’0”; AFC MVP Peyton Manning 0 wins in Playoffs; Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria 0-1,006 in the MLB Finals.
Ichiro Suzuki matched an MLB record of hitting .300 and amassing 2,000 hits in eight straight seasons to start a career. He was also All-Star and Gold Glove for the eight straight seasons. He’s also currently the only reason why the Seattle Mariners exists for eight straight seasons.
Other Sports
The Nadal-Federer Wimbledon epic solidified 2008 as a Nadal-Year. My favorite small champion Justine Henin retired at a tender age of 26 while ranked #1. Locally, the Philippines’ Davis Cup Team rose from the ashes to come back to Zone I… Only to have them relegated again to Zone II.
Memphis vs Kansas & LSU vs Ohio State typified a boring year in College Sports. What, no Duke?!?!?
DLSU women’s volleyball, trying to come back with grace in UAAP Season ’70 and fighting with Ateneo for the last Final Four berth, sank near the cellar when Jacq Alarca found ineligible. FEU beat a camera-shy Adamson team, what if it’s not televised. Season 71’ marks DLSU back into the elite, finishing 6-1 in the 1st Round.
DLSU settled for a 2nd place in the UAAP Men’s Basketball Tournament after Rabeh Al-Hussaini eclipsed cousin and former Archer Carlo Sharma as the best center in the Sharma/Al Hussaini family. However, DLSU claimed the National Championship by beating both UAAP and NCAA champions Ateneo & San Beda in the final four. Who’s laffing now, MVP?
Manny Pacquiao beat Juan Manuel Marquez, David Diaz and the great Oscar De La Hoya in different weight classes to vault himself as the top draw and pound-for-pound fighter in boxing to date. It’s a wonder how he’s seen outside of the country as a very humble man despite of his accomplishments, but here in the Philippines, he’s not really seen in that light. Foreign media really doesn’t know Mike Arroyo, Chavit Singson, Lito Atienza et. al.
Other great match-ups during the year were Tiger Woods (less 1 leg) vs. Rocco Mediate in an epic 19-hole playoff in US Open; Lewis Hamilton beat Felipe Massa by 1 point in F1 Driver’s Championship; and Brock Lesnar beating Randy Couture in UFC 91 to capture the UFC Heavyweight Championship, so insipid, Bobby Lashley followed the script.. err… Brock from WWE to MMA.
Beijing Olympics
Michael Phelps of USA broke an Olympic standard by winning eight gold medals in a single Olympics, mostly in record fashion. That’s eight more than the whole country of Philippines Olympic History.
Usain Bolt of Jamiaica established himself as the fastest man in the world by winning the Track sprints, tallying an overall Gold Medal haul of three. That’s three more than the whole country of Philippines Olympic History.
The Philippines established a standard of consistency by finishing dead-last in all events they joined. We’re hoping all other athletes will be tested positive for illegal substance to barge into the medal tally. Meanwhile, they became the all-time leader medal hauler in Exhibition sports by hauling 4 medals in Wushu.
The USA Redeem Team beat Spain in the Gold medal game in Men’s Basketball after Kobe Bryant threatened his LA Lakers teammate Pau Gasol that Chris Mihm will average more points and rebounds than Gasol if Spain will win the Gold.
China officially declared as a sports superpower by capturing the Overall championship in the Olympics. Their secret: long-term training, discipline, and a whole lot of White Rabbit.
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