Under the Radar

Hello Garci… Goodbye Gloria? – 10 REASONS WHY GOV’T IS NOT ALLOWING GMA TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY

2011-11-16T11:48:00.003+08:00

Malacañang is willing to fly in a doctor for GMA, all-expense paid. GMA should wait for the arrival of world-renowned doctor…. Dr. Emmanuel D. Pacquiao! He is coming to the Philippines real soon. Most likely, the doctor will also have a courtesy call in Malacañang.
GMA is being blamed for Pacquiao’s controversial win, not because she called up the judges while the counting of votes was being conducted, but because Chief Justice Corona, one of the original judges, had to come back to RP to hear the Arroyo petitions. Had he not missed the fight, Pacquiao would have won more clearly and convincingly.
Noynoy’s No Wang-Wang Policy. Apparently, St. Luke’s ambulance and the convoy of vehicles were using their sirens and wangwangs when bringing GMA from the hospital to the airport. Although some people thought that was just the normal way of introducing the passenger... "boWangWang..."
GMA's titanium implants set off the airport’s metal detectors and body scan alarms when she passed through them.
Children below 5 feet should be accompanied and supervised by mature adults. Unfortunately, none of GMA’s companions are mature.
Aside from the two bags in front of her, GMA was bringing with her overweight excess baggage… in the person of former FG Mike Arroyo.
Professor X did not need PAL, Cebu Pacific, or Singapore Airlines. He used the Blackbird. GMA should use another aircraft… more specifically, a second hand helicopter passed-off as brand new.
Noynoy wants her former mentor to teach again at their alma mater. The subject is not Economics, but this time Good Governance and Ethics. He also wants GMA to meet Hillary Clinton, the wife of her former classmate, who is visiting the country. That way, Hillary can talk about Ms. Lewinsky while GMA can talk about Vicky Toh. Noynoy can't relate to the experiences of their husbands. He couldn't even get one.
Noynoy claims that the NAIA is owned by his father. He wants GMA to use her father's airport in Clark, Pampanga instead.
Government is just too embarrassed to allow GMA to get into the NAIA. Authorities want to improve the airport first. Once NAIA gets off the list of worst airports in the world, then GMA can go inside the airport and leave the country. Right now, maybe NAIA does not even have restrooms for the disabled.

DISCLAIMER: This list is not intended to offend anyone. The statements here are not true and are products of the author's crazy imagination. I am sooorrrryy...

Random and Pointless thoughts on Lebron James heading to Miami

2010-07-10T19:52:00.001+08:00

DISCLAIMER: I am not a Lebron-hater. I still support him and I hope he does well in Miami. As soon as I heard the news, I spontaneously wrote down my thoughts without doing any research or editing, so this note is filled with grammatical and factual errors.

I'm both excited and saddened upon hearing the news. I can't wait to watch Wade, Lebron and Bosh play together for the Heat, but I also feel for the Cavs. Here are some of my thoughts on Lebron leaving Cleveland and joining DWade in Miami.

1. Is the NBA Lebron’s Kingdom? Everyone is rolling down the red carpet when the self-proclaimed King visits. What’s next? Should they all kneel when he walks by? King James is clearly enjoying the spotlight and he wants all the praises from all his loyal subjects. The weeks leading to free agency were just ridiculous: websites such as getlebrontochicago.com, billboards in NY, music videos begging the King to stay. And then the one-hour TV special “The Decision”? Crazy. As an NBA coach commented, how long does it take for one to announce his team? I recall back in 1995, when Jordan returned to the NBA after his first retirement, he announced his decision through a press release with just two words: “I’m back.” The show that matters is what transpires on a basketball court, not on a TV interview set.

2. It’s supposed to be Superstar vs. Superstar. Lebron James vs. Dwyane Wade, not Lebron AND Dwyane. Just imagine if Bird and MJ (and Barkley as “Bosh”) played for the same team in the mid-80s. Magic’s Lakers wouldn’t probably stand a chance. But because MJ, Magic, and Bird were on different teams, they went on to be in the NBA’s list of 10 greatest players EVER. Their legacies were built because they LED their teams to multiple titles. Sure, MJ had Pippen, Larry had McHale and the Chief, and Magic had Kareem, but MJ, Larry, and Magic were the undisputed leaders of their respective teams (none of those “other guys” – Kareem included, are in MY Top10 all-time). Besides, it took years for the Bulls, Celtics, and Lakers to build their dynasties – and not just via the more convenient “get-the-best-players-available” method ala the Lakers in ’04 and the Celtics in ’07. Heroes suffer adversity before they become victorious. The Bulls were tormented by the Pistons before they won their first ring in 1991. Jordan became a superstar because of his playoff exploits (63 points as “God disguised as Michael Jordan” vs. the Celtics, “the Shot” against CLEVELAND–another ouch!), but he became a Hero when he finally overcame the “Bad Boys” from Detroit (who walked out of the arena even before the end of the 4th game after they were swept – much like Lebron refusing to shake the Magic players’ hands when the Cavs lost in ’09). The Lakers had the Celtics, and vice-versa. And with one team’s victory was the other team’s anguish. Magic won, Bird lost. Bird won, Magic lost. It’s one or the other. You become great because of the other. That’s how it’s supposed to be. One Superstar wins, the other Superstars lose. Superstars become Heroes when they conquer other superstars. Heroes become Legends when they are able to maintain that status for so many years.

LBJ and Wade, separately, by the end of their careers, could have easily made it to the top10 all-time. But with them together in the same team, I just don’t see that happening. Talent-wise, they’re clearly in the same level as the legends. Lebron could even be the most PHYSICALLY-talented (with emphasis on ‘physically’) in NBA history. And he might end up winning 4,5,6 rings with Miami, but do you think he would deserve full credit for the championships? As an NBA commentator correctly pointed out, 1 championship in Cleveland equals 3-4 championships in Miami. It’s how you earn it that matters. Even though Kobe (just one of the few things that separate Kobe from Lebron) already won 3 championships from 2000-02, that was with Shaq, and he knew it would be different if he alone LED the team. So he persevered with a mediocre team for a few seasons, ‘loved’ a girl in Denver, scored 81 points against… BOSH(!), changed jersey numbers, until eventually the Lakers were able to rebuild the team and surrounded Kobe with a decent supporting cast.

That was what was happening in Cleveland. The King was given a MORE than able supporting cast. (If MJ had Mo, Shaq, Antawn, Z, Varejao, Moon, West, Parker, Gibson etc in 1995-96, the Bulls would have gone 82-0.) The Cavs blitzed through the regular season and dazzled fans with their…ummm… hand shakes and pre-game gimmicks? But when things got rough, who was first to quit? As the Cavs owner pointed out, Lebron quit during the Celtics series, and even during the Magic series a year ago. (He even pulled out of the Slam Dunk contest even after announcing that he was joining!) Heroes should never surrender.

Had former-hero Lebron won one ring in Cleveland, it would have been legendary. Besides, when it’s all over, Lebron will always have one lesser ring than Wade. And that alone, would make Wade rank higher than LBJ. There goes your legacy, Lebron.

Bottom line is I’d rather watch LBJ and Wade compete against each other 4 times during the regular season and in the playoffs.

3. Is this the Miami Heat or the USA Senior Men’s National Basketball Team? It’s just that ridiculous: Wade, Lebron, Bosh – all in their prime. The Heat will be instant contenders, but, historically speaking, there are actually two possibilities: the Celtics in ’07 or the Lakers in ’04.

When KG and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce in Boston back in 2007, the Truth was Truly the undisputed leader, and the newcomers readily acknowledged that. They quickly meshed well and went on to dominate that season. When Lebron (and Bosh) joins Wade, do you think that LBJ wants to play second-fiddle? He may have publicly stated that the Heat is Wade’s team (which is what is supposed to be, no question), but knowing the egocentric self-proclaimed King, do you think he was really sincere? In Miami, Lebron can continue calling himself the “King”, but Wade should be the Ace.

On the other hand, when Rick Fox stood out for the Lakers in 2004 – being the only non-hall-of-famer in their starting line-up, there was much anticipayton, as the Glove and the Mailman joined Kobe and Shaq. Though they reached the NBA Finals, they were demolished by the team-first, no-superstar Detroit Pistons in 5 games. Kobe and Shaq already had their issues, and adding Payton and Malone made it worse. Not even the Zen Master could handle them. I guess you can’t form a triangle with 4 points.

So, about the Heat, would they become the Celtics '07 or Lakers '04? How would they end up? Honestly, it’s hard to say, but a big part of me says it won’t be easy. They may end up winning 2 or 3 in the future, but I don’t think they’d even come out of the East next year. I know the big 3 played great together for team USA and for the East All-Stars, but those games are more free-flowing and street-basketball-esque. The playoffs are different.

4. Was this all planned way back in the 2008 Olympic games when James, Wade and Bosh really bonded together? I know this is crazytalk but I’m sensing a conspiracy. They all declared the “free agent summit” this past off-season. And they were willing to settle for slightly lower salaries just for the Heat to have enough cap space to sign the three. And when Lebron announced last year that he would be wearing jersey #6 this year, was he already expecting that #23 was not available because Pat Riley and the Heat retired that number in honor of MJ?

5. I honestly thought Lebron was joining the Bulls. I thought it was perfect. Chicago has a good young core of D.Rose, Noah, and Deng, and none of them are superstars. They had enough cap space to sign both Boozer (a former teammate) and James. Lebron would have easily fit in the lineup and they would be contenders. But Lebron would be the leader, and his legacy is safe, even if he might only end up being the second greatest Bulls player ever.

Picking New York wouldn’t have been that bad either. Lebron would have surely been the Man in NYC. And playing homecourt in basketball’s Mecca would have been great. It may take 2-3 years before they seriously contend, but at least it was a fresh start.

To me, though, staying home would have been the right choice. I always admire players who remain with one team their entire career –Bird, Magic, Havlicek, even Reggie Miller and Paul Pierce. Besides, it was really his home – were he grew up and played high school ball. And the Cavs have a very competitive team – even without LBJ. It was just a matter of time before they win.

As I said, I don’t think the Heat will win it all this year. Of course, we’ll have to see what developments happen – how Miami fills up its roster (as of now, only 1 player – Mario Chalmers – is under contract), but I do believe that other East contenders have also gotten stronger. The Celtics added former Heat big man Jermaine O’neal while the Magic signed dependable guard Chris Duhon. So it’s basically a three-way battle in the East. And if the Heat does reach the NBA Finals, Kobe and the Lakers will be waiting for them. And it will be Phil Jackson’s 3rd 3-peat!

6. Will Erik Spoelstra continue to coach the Heat? Or will Pat Riley take over just like what he did during that championship season after SVG was doing a great job? As a Filipino, I hope coach Erik will continue. At least a Pinoy will be the King’s boss. (On a totally different matter, I am P-Noy’s boss!)

7. Lastly, Lebron, Wade and Bosh, as well as Carmelo Anthony are members of NBA batch 2003, but guess who in their rookie class was first to win an NBA title.

Obviously, it’s not Lebron. It’s also not Wade, who won it in 2006.

It’s none other than Daaarkoooo Milicic!!! Lupig sila tanan. hehe

Tiger's Troubles

2009-12-13T23:56:00.002+08:00

Tiger Woods has always been one of my sporting idols. I started watching (and playing) golf in 1997, just after he had won his 1st Master's title in record-breaking fashion.

He is the Michael Jordan of golf. Some people even say MJ is the Tiger Woods of golf. At any rate, what's clear is Tiger is dominating the game of golf and he will eventually go down as the greatest of all time.

His recent scandal involving his personal life is semi-surprising. I always thought Tiger was one of the most well-managed and most private super celebrities. That's why he HAD that squeaky-clean image for so many years, thus translating to numerous sponsorships and millions of dollars along the way. On the other hand, Tiger had started playing golf seriously at about age 2. WTF!

He didn't have a normal childhood. That's why I'm starting to think he is somewhat similar to MJ - the King of Pop. Both were so serious in their fields at a very young age that they didn't really enjoyed their childhood. Before they knew it, they had grown into adults, and yet they didn't really get to do what normal kids (even teenagers) do. It's just a good thing that, unlike MJ, Tiger's into women -- not children! ;)

Don't get me wrong. Tiger's still my hero. I'm just pretty disappointed that he has taken an "indefinite break." In his own words:

I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try.

I would like to ask everyone, including my fans, the good people at my foundation, business partners, the PGA Tour, and my fellow competitors, for their understanding. What's most important now is that my family has the time, privacy, and safe haven we will need for personal healing.

After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.

Again, I ask for privacy for my family and I am especially grateful for all those who have offered compassion and concern during this difficult period.

What would golf be like during Tiger's break??? Fewer people in the gallery, fewer sponsors. In other words, less interest. And speaking of "break", check out this game by break.com - a bit inappropriate but nonetheless fun.

Rivalry Revival

2008-06-06T12:30:00.004+08:00

The wait is over. The revival of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry has finally started with game one in Beantown. (I predicted this matchup ever since Gasol came to Lakers in midseason) Unfortunately, the Lakers (who I support) went on to lose the game. What’s even more unfortunate is that league MVP Kobe Bryant, who I thought would make the difference, struggled. While part of it was due to the Celtics’ defense, Kobe seemed exhausted, especially in the final quarter – the part of the game that he usually dominates. His shot wasn’t there, and he never got his offense going. In fact, he didn’t have a layup (he had one dunk but it was an open court fast break play). Moreover, he was kinda forcing up some shots, especially in the 4^th quarter. Before the series started, I though that the Lakers would ultimately win because they had the NBA’s best closer and clutch performer in Kobe Bryant. Somehow though, he didn’t live up to this in game one.

Kevin Garnett, on the other had, performed like an MVP. He was all over the floor. He was not very efficient on offense, but he contributed in a lot of other ways. The biggest play of the game, aside from the back-to-back threes by Paul Pierce in the second half, was KG, against the odds, saving the ball at the half court line, which led to a Sam Cassell field goal. That play, to me, summed up the game. The Celtics were the hungrier and more determined team. Interestingly, the Lakers crumbled in the fourth quarter, which was rare for a Phil Jackson coached team.

The biggest x-factor was 38-year old PJ Brown, who worked tirelessly in the paint. He, along with fellow 38-year old Cassell, stabilized the inexperienced Celtics.

Going back to the series itself, NBA fans have been waiting for years to see these two teams play again. I was too young to have seen and remembered their last finals meeting in 1987, but I was able to watch their classic games on DVD.

I dunno if it was just me, but seeing both teams on the parquet floor in Boston gave me goose bumps as I remembered the Bird-Magic rivalry of the 80s. There are similarities: Boston has another “big three” – Garnett, Pierce, and Ray Allen instead of Bird, McHale and Parish; Lakers has their own Magic in Kobe, who has his own “flair” to the game; the Celtics are more defense minded and physical, while LA was more offensive minded. There are a lot of storylines too, aside from renewing the rivalry among the two winnigest teams in NBA history: if the Lakers win, Jackson would surpass Celtics legend Red Auerbach as the coach with the most NBA championship rings (both have 9 as of now); Pierce (who once admitted hating the Celtics as a kid) growing up as a Laker fan (in fact many of the players participating in this series have grown up watching the Lakers and Celtics); Luke Walton’s dad once played for the Celtics. I’m pretty sure David Stern’s quite happy seeing these two teams meet again – the teams who also met in the Finals (with the Lakers winning) when Stern entered the league back in the 84-85 season. Interestingly, the Finals MVP was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was 38 years old at the time. I guess it is not surprising then that Brown and Cassell are still able to contribute.

These things alone would make the Finals worth watching. Personally, I feel this is the best Finals match-up in years. And this year’s version, to me, is even better than those of the past. Don’t get me wrong, the 1980s rivalry was a classic. But today’s game is even more fun to watch: No short shorts. The athleticism of Kobe and KG, which was rare in the 1980s. And of course, today’s technology: high definition, different camera angles, super slow motion, the internet (which builds up the hype even more, moreover, liveblogging makes the games more fun).

The series has just started, and it will be a long and interesting one. Kobe will definitely play better – he has to. But right now, all I could say is this: the winners are the fans, me included!

Pacquiao joins the Nike Superstars

2008-04-26T00:30:00.001+08:00

I just saw Manny Pacquiao's newest Nike international commercial this evening and it was really cool (got goosebumps while watching it). PacMan, the first Filipino Nike endorser, is shown with some of the world’s super athletes: Kobe Bryant, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, and Xiang Liu. It just goes to show the talent within the Nike camp.

It seems clear that Nike has the greatest athletes right now (and makes the best commercials too). Prior to this, Nike had the Air Force 1 (25th anniversary) commercial with NBA superstars Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal, Rasheed Wallace, Paul Pierce, Tony Parker, Kobe Bryant, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, LeBron James and Chris Paul.

There was also the commercial featuring the likes of Tiger Woods, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Ronaldinho, and Wayne Rooney on the same training ground.

Going back to the latest one, it would have been better if Tiger Woods was also in it. Nevertheless, according to sources, another Pacquiao Nike ad will soon air this time including the world's number one golfer.

Manny Pacquiao's first ad with Nike was entitled "Ang Mamatay nang Dahil sa ‘Yo", a thematic take-off from the last line of the Philippines' national anthem. The second ad is entitled "Fast Forward" and shows Manny’s routine training. Videos clips from this ad was what was used in the most recent commercial, which to me, was a compilation of the individual TV ads of the Nike superstars.

Ang Mamatay nang Dahil sa ‘Yo

Fast-Forward

Panasonic Lumix FZ8

2008-04-24T22:21:00.007+08:00

Today, I finally got hold of the Panasonic Lumix FZ8 I ordered online when my cousin arrived from the US. Prior to this, my 6-year old Kodak digicam and a brandless one I bought in Singapore 3 years ago (I got duped) had already been destroyed. Hence, the closest thing to a digital camera I had was my Sony Ericsson K800i. Though this phone packed a 3.2 megapixel Cybershot camera, it was insufficient for a frustrated photographer like me.

I bought the FZ8 online from Amazon.com for around $229 (exclusive of shipping fees), which was a bargain compared to the prices in the Philippines. (I was in Manila last week and the cheapest price of the same model was around P23,000 [$548]).

Prior to the purchase, I did some research on the Internet. I wanted a digicam that was kinda between a point-and-shoot and a DSLR. I still plan to own a DSLR, but right now that's just too expensive for me. In the end, I was choosing between a Sony H7, a Canon S5 IS, and the Panasonic Lumix FZ8. The former two are considerably more expensive than the latter. The H7 costs $292 while the S5 IS costs $314. Interestingly, while Sony and Canon are considered "branded", the FZ8 had better online reviews and actually rated higher than the 2 others. To cite an example, dpreview.com gives it an rating of "highly recommended" and an overall value of 9/10, while the S5 IS was merely "recommended" with a value of 8/10 and the H7 was "above average" with a value of 8.5/10.

Add the fact that the FZ8 was quite cheaper, it was a no-brainer decision on my part. Though the S5 IS had more features (including the hot shoe adapter which I really liked) and the H7 had a better zoom (15x), the FZ8 features were not bad either. Among the features of this cam are the following:

- 12x optical zoom (with an 18x extended optical zoom) plus 4x digital zoom (total of 72x)
- 7.2 megapixels
- intelligent image stabilizer
- 2.5" LCD with full 207,000-pixel resolution
- electronic viewfinder

I also liked the fact that this camera uses an SD or SDHC (unlike the Sony H7) as external storage and had the option of using RAW format.

I'm simply amazed at this camera (though I really don't have a basis for comparison). The images were crisp and the zoom was incredible. After the first few hours of testing the camera, I already had taken more than a hundred photos. (At first I had to settle with its 27mb internal memory, though later I used the 256mb SD card from my old cam). I have yet to fully read the manual and I'm still in the process of experimenting. Here's one of my first-ever photos with this camera (which I took from Bethel's Filomena Restaurant):

Sick Doctors

2008-04-23T23:11:00.004+08:00

The recent video scandal involving doctors and nurses of a government-run hospital in Cebu was a display of disrespect and immorality - two things that seem to be plaguing our country right now. The video showed doctors extracting a perfume canister from a man's rectum. People, presumably nurses and medical staff, in the background were heard cheering and giggling. To make it worse, the video was then posted on YouTube (later removed).

I just could imagine what probably happened. During the surgery, the doctor was so amused that he had to call his doctor-friends to witness the odd operation. People began to gather around the poor guy (patient), who was probably in pain physically and emotionally. The already embarrassed patient was suffering while those around him were laughing at the guy. And then this one nurse (or student nurse) just had to take out his cellphone and start recording what was transpiring. This guy probably couldn't get enough of what he had seen, so he shared it with some friends, perhaps sending the video file through bluetooth to some of them. And then the video exponentially spread to a number of people, with one of them uploading it on the popular video-sharing website.

I only hope the hospital where all of this took place would be administratively sanctioned for failing to exercise proper supervision over their personnel. It would also be right to take away the licenses of these erring doctors and nurses and charge them with medical malpractice, for violating their code of ethics. A civil suit for damages can also be filed by the victim.

There are some who insist that in the first place, this would not have happened if the man (victim) was not having those kind of homosexual activities. While that would also be considered immoral, i believe it is beside the point in this case. The point here is that patient confidentiality and the basic human right of privacy were gravely violated.

Doctors (and the medical/nursing professionals) are highly respected in Filipino culture. They have the responsibility to observe the highest ethical standards in their medical profession. This unfortunate incident has tainted the reputation of the medical profession, even more so compared to the nursing board exam leakage scandal.

Invasion Repelled

2008-04-07T10:45:00.005+08:00

Once again, the Filipino boxers proved their dominance in the sport, emerging victorious in an event dubbed “Invasion: Philippines vs. the World” held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, witth all four Filipinos winning their matches.

A.J. “Bazooka” Banal of the Philippines started it off by defeating Caril Herrera of Uruguay in a referee-stopped fight in the fourth round match, an eliminator for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) move up to the No. 1 spot. The Filipino dominated the Uruguayan, scoring with several punches on the latter’s face. Herrera had to take a standing eight-count after being brought down to his knees at the end of the third round by a series of face punches by Banal. The fight, ruled a technical knockout in favor of the Filipino, was stopped at 1:18 into the fourth round.

In the second match, Filipino Ciso Morales defeated Yoo-Shin Kim of South Korea in the fourth round as the referee stopped the fight in 2:24 of the fourth round, seeing that Yoo-Shin, face bloodied with a cut on the left eye, had taken enough punishment from the Filipino, who successfully retained his World Boxing Organization (WBO) oriental super bantamweight title.

In the next match, Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista of the Philippines knocked out Genaro Camargo of Mexico in the second of a 12-round match. Bautista knocked down the Mexican twice in the first round and sent him down for the good 57 seconds into the second round. Bautista thus retained his World Boxing Organization (WBO) inter-continental super bantamweight title.

In the main event, veteran Filipino boxer Gerry Peñalosa beat challenger Ratanachai Sor Vorapin of Thailand to retain his World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight title, via referee stoppage with 29 seconds remaining in the eighth round. Peñalosa knocked down the Thai thrice, in the fifth, seventh, and earlier in the eighth before the referee stopped the fight.

It was in the fifth round that Peñalosa started punishing the Thai with a series of combinations that nearly knocked him down, at one point sending him down on his knees. Vorapin, however, managed to put his arms around Peñalosa’s waist to break his fall.

pinoy boxers

New Lawyer

2008-03-29T23:41:00.005+08:00

Congratulations to my sister, Atty. Niña Rica Ruperto-Teves, for passing the 2007 Bar Exams!
Happy Christening to Baby Jodi - Jordine Paulina Martinez Raymond, 2nd daughter of Jack & Pristine.

10 greatest Michael Jordan moments

2008-02-17T01:44:00.004+08:00

For those who do not know, I'm one of the biggest fans of MJ. As a tribute to him on his 45th birthday, here are my 10 favorite Michael Jordan moments:

10. Jordan leading the Bulls to a record 72 wins - Ok, this 'moment' is actually an entire season. After a disappointing exit the previous year, Jordan was back at his best and the Bulls (with new acquisition Dennis Rodman) dominated the NBA, becoming the 1st team to reach 70 wins. And yeah, wherever they went, they were considered "rockstars".

9. The Jordan Rules - The "Bad Boy" Pistons did everything to stop him, even if it bordered to criminal. They fouled him hard everytime he drove to the basket. But Jordan fought back. Though the Bulls lost to the Pistons 2 straight years in the playoffs, but on their third try, they swept the Badboys.

6. Scoring 55 in Madison Square Garden - Jordan came out of retirement in 1995 wearing number 45. It was only his 5th game back and was still a bit rusty. But on the world's basketball mecca, Jordan was at his best, scoring 55 points, yet even dishing out the game winning assist.

7. Game 4 of the 1993 NBA Finals - I consider this one of Jordan's top 3 greatest games. He drove at will against the Suns in scoring 55 points - whether it was Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle, or Charles Barkley who was guarding him. In one of the last plays, MJ was guarded by his close friend Sir Charles. Jordan drove, stopped and hit a short running shot over Barkley, who was called for a foul. In the end, Suns coach Paul Westphal admitted that they could not guard Michael Jordan. He ended up averaging 41 points in that 6-game finals series, an NBA record.

6. Dunk from the free throw line - As a finale in the 1988 slam dunk contest, Jordan dribbled the full court, took off at the free throw line, double clutched the ball with his right hand and threw it down the hoop. It was enough to defeat Dominique Wilkins in an epic slam dunk contest.

5. Raining threes in game one of the 1992 NBA Finals - Who could ever forget Jordan hitting another 3 and gesturing to Cliff Robinson and the rest of the Blazers in a "i dunno what's going on" manner.

4. "God disguised as Michael Jordan" - This is how Larry Bird described MJ in 1986 after the latter scored a playoff record 63 points against the Celtics, who tried different defenders on him.

3. The shot - Game 5 versus the Cavs, who led by a point with 3 seconds remaining. MJ got out of a double team and caught the inbounds pass, drove towards the paint, stopped on the freethrow line, double clutched, and hit the game winning, series ending shot. The celebration right after was also spectacular, with Jordan leaping and Craig Ehlo (the guy who gave the Cavs a 1 point lead) going down.

2. "A spectacular move by Michael Jordan" - I believe it was Marv Albert who spoke this immortal words in the 1991 NBA Finals. MJ drove to the basket and prepared to dunk the ball. Seeing long-armed Sam Perkins in front of him, MJ put down the ball, transferred it to his other hand, and banked in a lay-up. No MJ tribute video is complete without this clip.

1. Clinching the Bulls' 6th NBA title with a winning shot - The Jazz led by 3 points. Jordan went coast to coast for a lay-up to cut the Jazz lead to 1. On the next Utah possession, MJ sneaked from behind Karl Malone, stripped and stole the ball. He dribbled upcourt, killing some time, and with less than 10 seconds left in the game, started dribbling to the right, crossed over to the left, totally faking (and pushing) Bryon Russell, and then buried the shot. What was more spectacular was the follow-through which went on for a few seconds - kinda like waving goodbye to the sport. It was the perfect ending to the career of the greatest basketball player in history. (not counting the Washington experience).

* NOTE: This list was done spontaneously, based only on what I recall from my memory - so I might leave something out or may have some inaccurate details.

The Newest Pinoy Superstar!

2007-12-22T00:56:00.007+08:00

Wow! This three-letter word is an understatement in describing the most amazing talent I've seen in quite some time. What's even better is that this talent is actually a full-fledged Filipino (or Filipina in this case).

Her name is Charice Pempengco. She's only 14 years old, but her voice could easily be mistaken for that of Beyonce's or Whitney Houston's. In fact, she attracted attention through a YouTube video which showed her Little Big Star (a local singing competition to which she placed 2nd) performance of Houston's hit, "I Will Always Love You." Because of her unbelievable vocals, many viewers first thought her singing was fake and that she was only lip synching. Another popular video was a face-off between Charice and America's Got Talent winner, Bianca Ryan, showing them singing the same song. And it was not even close. Charice was clearly the better singer.

Another video showed Charice singing the Dreamgirls song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going." This earned her an invitation from a South Korean talent show called Star King. The Koreans were wowed by her performance. It was amusing to see their reactions.

This performance led her into American television. TV network E!'s The Daily Ten featured her with the headline, "A Star Is Born" and a few days later, on its Hollywood Royalty segment with the headline "A Queen Is Born".

Her performance on Star King was then featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on its, in which Ellen showed videos of different people she would like to have as guests on the show. After showing the video, Ellen personally invited Charice to perform on the show, which she eventually did a few days ago. Her performance was given a standing ovation and both Ellen and the audience were highly impressed. Just like what Ellen, I had goosebumps. It's hard to put it into words. You just have to see the videos yourself.

Charice Pempengco will make it big time in the near future. From what I've read, renowned talent manager David Foster has already shown interest in signing the young star. However, I think she still has a current contract with ABS-CBN. I just hope ABS-CBN wouldn't destroy her career. I sure hope they'd give way.

Charice is another reason I'm proud to be Pinoy!

Pool Heaven

2007-11-17T13:55:00.004+08:00

I was starstruck at the recent Negros Oriental International 9-ball tournament held at the convention center. Among the participants were Filipino cue artists Efren "Bata" Reyes, Django Bustamante, Ronnie Alcano, Alex Pagulayan and foreign pool players like Ralf Souquet, Johnny Archer, Corey Deuel, Mika Immonen, Thorsten Hohmann, and a lot more. They basically are the who's who of pool. As a matter of fact, the participants included nine former 9-ball world champions (Ralf Souquet - 1996, Johnny Archer - 1997, Kunihiko Takahashi - 1998, Efren Reyes - 1999, Mika Immonen - 2001, Thorsten Hohmann - 2003, Alex Pagulayan - 2004, Wu Chia-Ching - 2005, and Ronato Alcano - 2006.) Most of them participated in the World Pool Championship 2007 in Manila last week, and apparently, they headed straight to Dumaguete!

How big an event was it? Think of it this way. If this were basketball, the names would be legends like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain and current superstars Lebron James and Kobe Bryant. Wow!

While pool is not even close to how popular basketball is globally, Efren is considered by many as the Michael Jordan of pool. Just like Jordan transcended the game of basketball, Efren Reyes, too, transcended pool.

I've seen Efren Reyes already (back in 2005). So, the whole event was seeing all the other pool superstars, especially the foreign ones. Who would have thought the likes of Johnny Archer and Ralf Souquet would come to Dumaguete? Even more, who would have thought I'd be rubbing shoulders with them.

For many non-pool fans, they probably never knew the event existed. But for pool followers like me, it was like being part of an NBA All-Star Weekend. Among the sideshows were seeing the pool superstars walk down the boulevard and downtown, watching Django, Pagulayan, and Dennis Orcullo play poker at Honeycomb, and last year's World Champion Alcano beating local players in money games at local pool houses and then treating everyone who were watching with 'balot' (the lucky balot vendor sold out all his goods).

On my part, what I did was to print photos of the most popular pool players (in a trading-card design) with their name, monicker, country with their flag, and biggest achievement, and having each of them sign on it.

Eventually, I was able to get all the big names who were there to sign on their own personalized photo: Johnny Archer, Francisco Bustamante, Dennis Orcullo, Ronato Alcano, Alex Pagulayan, Warren Kiamco, Roberto Gomez, Yang Ching-Shun, Kunihiko Takahashi, Corey Deuel, Mika Immonen, Thorsten Hohmann, Efren Reyes, Ralf Souquet, Wu Chia Ching, Rodolfo Luat, and Lee Van Corteza.

The only noticeable stars who did not take part in the event were Earl Strickland and Fong Pang-Chao.

By the way, Alex Pagulayan eventually won the event, with a prize of $20,000. Here's Alex behind the scenes rapping:

Let the games begin!

2007-11-02T11:22:00.006+08:00

This week is the start of two major sports events (at least for me) - the NBA 2007-08 Season and the World Pool Championship.

NBA

The most obvious change in the NBA for this season is the Boston Celtics, after acquiring all-stars Kevin Garnett (from the T'wolves) and Ray Allen (from the Sonics) in the off-season. This would give the Celtics the NBA's best trio - Garnett, Allen, and Paul Pierce. Even better than the defending champs San Antonio Spurs' trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. It is therefore clear that the Celtics will be one of the contending teams this season. The only question is how the big three would jell and what their supporting cast would look like (I still expect more acquisitions before the season is over). The good thing about them is that they're all professionals and first-class individuals in the mold of Duncan. It is for this reason that I believe they would be a force in the Eastern Conference, even surpassing Detroit Pistons (which will be as consistent as last year) as the East's best team. Considering the quality and competition among the Western conference teams, it would be no surprise if the Celtics ended up with the league's best regular season record.

Aside from the Celtics and the Pistons, the other teams to look out for are the defending East champs Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic. Cavs superstar Lebron James will continue to improve. He will be an MVP candidate and will continue to carry his team. However, a repeat of last year's finals appearance is highly unlikely. Even reaching the East finals is difficult, as they have to hurdle both the Celtics and Pistons.

For the Magic, a new coach in Stan Van Gundy will help them to become one of the East's elite teams. I believe they are the East's dark horse. I expect Hedo Turkoglu to improve tremendously (probably this year's most improved player). Adding versatile forward Rashard Lewis to the mix would only do wonders to Dwight Howard (another MVP candidate), who would be the undisputed East's best big man.

The West is a different story. Practically every team, with the exception of Seattle and Memphis, could make it to the playoffs. Moreover, there are around 9 teams (yup, even one more than the number of teams that would qualify for the playoffs) which could be number 1 -- the Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Denver Nuggets.

The biggest surprise to me would be the Houston Rockets and New Orleans Hornets. I believe Houston will be great this year, after hiring former Sacramento Kings coach Rick Adelman and acquiring Argentine Luis Scola. I think Adelman is the perfect coach for the Rockets. I hope he would implement the system which made the Kings one of the best teams in the west for several years. Yao Ming has big-man passing skills similar to the Kings' Vlade Divac. Scola, I presume, would be, like most foreign stars, would be fundamentally sound and an effective scorer and passer from the post. Shane Battier, the ultimate role player, will continue to hit threes and play terrific defense. And of course, there's Tracy McGrady, who could take over any game. The fate of this team would eventually depend on the health of both Yao and McGrady. If this dynamic duo could go healthy the whole season, then I'm pretty sure they'd sit atop the West.

The New Orleans Hornets will be the most improved team in the West. They almost made it to the playoffs last year. This year will even be better for them. Sensational point guard Chris Paul will have MVP-type numbers. He would be what Steve Nash is to the Phoenix Suns. David West will also improve, probably enough to make the West All-star team (considering the fact that the game will be played in New Orleans). Tyson Chandler will be a Marcus Camby type of presence in the paint. Peja Stojakovic, if healthy, is still one of the league's best shooters. The addition of Morris Petersen would give some veteran leadership to the team. Finally, I believe coach Byron Scott is perfect for a team with a great point guard like Chris Paul, just like what happened in New Jersey with Jason Kidd a few years ago.

Overall, it's still a toss-up who will come on top in the West. Nevertheless, I believe it will be between the Spurs and the Suns.

World Pool Championship

Once again, the most prestigious international 9-ball event will be held here in the Philippines. While many Filipino pool players, especially the lesser-established ones, will benefit due to the location, the opportunity of more qualifying tournaments, and of course the comforts of being home, playing before your kabababayans also has its own disadvantage. Clearly, the most obvious one is the pressure. Every Filipino expects their Pinoy pool idols to win. While the latter have all the skills and talent to be crowned champion, dealing with pressure not only within oneself but also from the local fans is a different story. Even legends like Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante admit that they feel the pressure playing in the Philippines. If these two world-beaters are human after all when it comes to dealing with pressure, how much more would it affect the lesser-known players such as the likes of Ramil Gallego, Roberto Gomez, and Joven Bustamante.

Last year, our very own Ronnie Alcano was fortunate to win the event. Though Alcano was already an accomplished pool player in the US pool circles, there were many Filipinos who did not know much about him - until he won, of course. He showed great composure in sticking to his gameplan - executing the "soft break" to perfection. Not only was he extremely talented, but he was also cool under pressure.

This year, I'm hoping another Filipino will win the event. I wish Django would win it (he was soooo close in 2002) coz I believe that's what is missing in his resume. However, I also believe many other Filipinos like Dennis Orcullo and Marlon Manalo would do well. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if an unknown Filipino would win it all. Again, the only problem I could foresee is how they would handle the pressure.

Pure Inspiration

2007-07-20T01:07:00.004+08:00

Gary Valenciano's "Pure Inspiration" concert at the Macias Sports Complex was by far the most entertaining one I've experienced in Dumaguete. While I also enjoyed the previous successful performances of MYMP at Barefoot and Kitchie Nadal also at Macias, they somehow paled in comparison to Gary V.'s performance. No wonder why he's known as Mr. Pure Energy.

The good thing about the concert was that it was enjoyable for everyone - regardless of age and background. The selection was a mix of soothing gospel songs, fast-paced pop-rock songs, and the very familiar tagalog songs (most of which became even popular due to recent movies and teleseryes).

He was multi-talented - singing, dancing, and in a way, preaching. Thus, it would seem that I was not only attending a concert, but also a Christian sermon. Everyone in the audience were fully entertained and were standing most of the time, singing and dancing with him.

Among the songs he performed which I enjoyed were: Take me out of the dark, How did you know, Warrior is a child, Lead me Lord, Sana maulit muli, Natutulog ba ang Diyos?, and his own version of Anak.

The bottom line is I would not think twice in watching his concert again. It was really a 'pure inspiration.'

New 7 Wonders of the World

2007-07-09T00:51:00.009+08:00

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were selected by the Greek philosopher Philon more than 2,000 years ago.

Great Pyramid of Giza – Built as the tomb of 4th dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu, it is the only surviving structures of the original seven wonders.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon – The outer walls were 90 kilometers in length, 24 meters thick and 98 meters high.
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus – Dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis, it took 120 years to build.
Statue of Zeus at Olympia – It occupied the whole width of the aisle of the temple that was built to house it, and was 40 feet tall.
Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus – This stood approximately 45 meters tall with each of the four sides adorned with sculptural reliefs.
Colossus of Rhodes – It was a giant statute of the Greek god Helios, roughly three-fourths as large as today's Statue of Liberty in New York.
Lighthouse of Alexandria - Between 115 and 135 meters tall, it was among the tallest man-made structures on Earth for many centuries.

Last July 7, 2007 (07/07/07), a new version of the Seven Wonders of the World was revealed, based on over 100 million votes cast from people in 200 countries. The Pyramids of Giza will retain their status as one of the original Seven Wonders of the World. Almost 200 nominations came in and the list was narrowed to 21 at the beginning of 2006. For inclusion in the list, the new wonders had to be man-made, completed by the year 2000 and in an "acceptable" state of preservation.

Colosseum, Italy – This 50,000-seat amphitheater in Rome, which has influenced the design of modern sports stadiums, was an arena where thousands of gladiators dueled to the death and Christians were fed to the lions.
Great Wall of China – This 4,160-mile barricade running from east to west in northern China is the longest man-made structure in the world, and was built to protect the dynasties from invasion by other nomadic tribes.
Taj Mahal, India – This white marble-domed mausoleum of Mughal architecture combining Indian, Persian, and Islamic styles in Agra was built by Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Petra, Jordan – This ancient city of Petra in southwestern Jordan, built on a terrace around the Valley of Moses is famous for its numerous stone structures carved in rock, like an uncompleted tomb facade that served as a church
Christ the Redeemer Statue, Brazil – This 125-foot-tall statue of Christ the Redeemer, with outstretched arms overlooks Rio de Janeiro from atop Mt. Corcovado, and weighs more than 1,000 tons.
Machu Picchu, Peru – These giant walls, palaces, temples and dwellings of the Machu Picchu sanctuary are perched in the clouds at 8,000 feet above sea level in the Andes mountains.
Pyramid at Chichen Itza, Mexico – This step-pyramid surmounted by a temple survives from a sacred site that was part of one of the greatest Mayan centers of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.

Real drama

2007-06-18T04:58:00.010+08:00

What a finish! I watched the Primera Liga's final match between Real Madrid and Real Mallorca live on RealMadrid TV which started at about 2 a.m. And it was unlike any other football game I've watched so far. It was similar to how I felt when the Bulls trailed the Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals and against the Jazz in 1998.

To give you an idea, Real Madrid had to win that match to win the league title and end their 4-year trophy drought. In the Spanish Primera Liga, the champions will be the club with the most points at the end of the season. Heading into the final day, Real Madrid and arch-rivals Barcelona were tied with 73 points. By virtue of a better head-to-head record (Madrid defeated Barcelona at the Bernabeu 2-0, and drawn 3-3 at the Nou Camp), Real Madrid would be champions if they remained tied (in terms of points). For those who are not familiar with the scoring, a win is worth 3 points, a draw 1 point, and no point for a loss.

The race itself was extremely tight the final weeks, and Real Madrid had a series of amazing comebacks and good fortune in their past games.

On May 12 against Espanyol, they came back from a 3-1 halftime deficit to win 4-3.

On May 20 against Recreativo Huelva, Roberto Carlos scored in the dying minutes of injury time and gave Real Madrid a 3-2 win. The Brazilian left-back raced down the full pitch, settled Fernando Gago's cross and scored under the sliding goalkeeper. The win gave Madrid 69 points, the same as Barcelona, with 3 more matches left.

On May 26, they won against Deportivo, keeping them tied with Barca with 72 points.

On the penultimate match day on June 29, both Real Madrid and Barca were playing at the same time. With a couple of minutes left on both matches, Barca were leading Espanyol 2-1 while Madrid were losing to Zaragoza 1-2. It was then when Madrid's top striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored a goal a minute from the final whistle to tie the match at 2-2. In amazing stroke of good fortune, seconds later, Espanyol's Raul Tamudo scored a late equalizer with 25 seconds left. So the day ended with Madrid and Barca both with 73 points.

Thus, the league championship depended on the last game.

For over an hour the title looked to have slipped from Real's grasp as they trailed to a 17th-minute strike from Mallorca's Fernando Varela, while Barca overpowered Gimnastic.

Real suffered another setback when league leading goal scorer van Nistelrooy was forced off in the 32nd minute after appearing to pull a hamstring as he ran towards goal. At halftime, Mallorca led 1-0. Barcelona, meanwhile, went 3-0 up by the break with goals from Messi and Ronaldinho.

Real manager Fabio Capello introduced the inconsistent Guti at the start of the second half but his side continued to live dangerously with a succession of last-ditch tackles stopping Mallorca adding to their lead.

It became worse midway through the second half, as David Beckham, the man who is largely responsible for Real's resurgence the past couple of months, limped off the pitch and was substituted by Jose Antonio Reyes.

Little did everyone know that the substitute would become Real's hero, equalizing a minute after coming on in the second half. Reyes fired in from close range after some dazzling footwork by Robinho and Gonzalo Higuain on the right side of the area.

The Bernabeu burst into life after Reyes's goal and Real were back on top of the table 12 minutes later when Diarra, called back from international duty with Mali, sent a header bouncing off Mallorca's Angelos Basinas and across the line. The Bernabeu crowd (who interestingly included a Beckham party consisting of wife Posh spice and Hollywood couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes) was ecstatic. Again, it was unlike anything I have ever witnessed. The Madrid fans were partying.

Reyes made sure of victory four minutes later with a great strike from the edge of the area to spark wild celebrations.

As the final whistle sounded, the Bernabeu went wild. Fireworks were lit, and an amazing celebration and ceremony was held. After this, the team paraded throughout the city of Madrid on their team bus with tens of thousands of frenzied fans surrounding them.

I watched all of these on TV from 2am to around 8am. Really incredible nail-biting drama.

This record 30th league championship saved Real Madrid's otherwise disappointing season. After a major overhaul in the off-season (hiring a new coach and signing the likes of Cannavaro, van Nistelrooy, and Diarra), the team was full of potential. However, for some reason, the team struggled early and got eliminated early in the European Champions League and the Spanish King's Cup. It also signified the end of the Madrid careers of Brazilian superstar Roberto Carlos and English football icon David Beckham. The important thing was that Real Madrid was hopefully back on their winning ways, ending a four-year drought. Hopefully, things will even be better next year.

Working on Independence Day

2007-06-13T23:54:00.001+08:00

Perhaps for the first time since June 12 was official made "Araw ng Kalayaan" or Independence Day, Filipinos worldwide will be spending the day at work. Tsk tsk tsk. This is result of GMA's so-called holiday economics. The Arroyo administration introduced holiday economics a few years ago to boost domestic tourism. Under this arrangement, holidays are adjusted to extend up to the weekend. Thus, if let's say April 9 (Araw ng Kagitingan) falls on a Tuesday, the holiday is moved to Monday, so as to give us a longer weekend.

Is it just me or isn't this defeating the essence of the holiday? Though, this is laudable idea (which is being done in other countries), but there are just some days that are too important to be moved. An example is one where we commemorate an important event in history. This holiday should be observed on that day itself and not just any other day.

Let's say we don't have Christmas breaks and let's just imagine that January 1 falls on a Thursday. Should New Year then be moved to Friday (January 2) pursuant to holiday economics?

One more example, just imagine your birthday being moved to another day...

NBA Playoffs 2007

2007-04-20T11:13:00.005+08:00

The NBA Playoffs has arrived with the following matchups:

Eastern Conference:

Detroit Pistons (1) vs. Orlando Magic (8)
Miami Heat (4) vs. Chicago Bulls (5)

Toronto Raptors (3) vs. New Jersey Nets (6)
Cleveland Cavaliers (2) vs. Washington Wizards (7)

Western Conference:

Dallas Mavericks (1) vs. Golden State Warriors (8)
Houston Rockets (4) vs. Utah Jazz (5)

San Antonio Spurs (3) vs. Denver Nuggets (6)
Phoenix Suns (2) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (7)

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The above matchups are intriguing; and it would ensure an exciting and unpredictable road to the NBA Finals.

I'm gonna break it down series by series:

EAST

Detroit Pistons (1) vs. Orlando Magic (8):

This should be an easy one for the 2004 champions, the Pistons. It is a contrast of experience --Detroit having been to the finals a couple of times with most of its core group while Orlando with its core group having little playoff experience. As a matter of fact, it is the first playoffs for the young Magic duo of Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard. The only Magic with some finals experience is probably Darko Milicic (who played some garbage time for the Pistons themselves in 2004). It is also somewhat interesting to watch Grant Hill in the playoffs after a long absence. It could be his last with Orlando. Overall, the Pistons are the better team with lots of experience.

I believe the Pistons should be able to sweep the series, 4-0.

Miami Heat (4) vs. Chicago Bulls (5):

This, to me, is the most intriguing and exciting series in the East 1st round. The Heat, of course, are the defending champs. A big reason for this is because of Shaquille O'neal. Don't get me wrong, Dwyane Wade is clearly the best player on their team, but without Shaq, they wouldn' t be able advance far in the playoffs. The key would be the play of Shaq, who quite impressively, has been playing well (and healthy) the past month. But then, if we come to think of it, who in the NBA has been able to handle Shaq? The answer, if you watched the 2004 NBA Finals, is Ben Wallace. He's, of course, now with the Bulls, to strengthen their interior defense. Another factor that's favorable to the Bulls is that D-Wade is still not 100%. Add that to the fact the he has to guard the likes of Luol Deng and Ben Gordon. If you recall, also, when the Heat had their ring ceremony at the start of the regular season, the Bulls demolished the Heat 108-66. Lastly, since the Bulls have a better regular season record, they have homecourt advantage. However, we still can't underestimate the defending champs. They won't give up without a fight.

Nevertheless, I look for an upset: Chicago in a full 7 games.

Toronto Raptors (3) vs. New Jersey Nets (6):

The most surprising team this year is the Toronto Raptors. The last time they were in the postseason was when they were led by Vince Carter, who's now with the opposing team. The Raptors have a good mix of foreign and young players. The Nets, on the other hand, is the more experienced team. The Nets will rely on their big-three: Jason Kidd, Carter, and Richard Jefferson. They will perform, but whether they win or not might depend on the role players like Bostjan Nachbar and Mikki Moore. After all, who's gonna contain Chris Bosh? The series could go either way.

But I think, youth will prevail in this series. Raptors 4, Nets 2.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2) vs. Washington Wizards (7):

This is a rematch of last year's thrilling 1st round series where the Cavs won 4-2 (with 3 games decided by 1 point). It would have been as thrilling had Wizard all-stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler not been injured. Thus, it should be an easy series for King James and company. As long as they stay focused, the Cavs can sweep the series. Otherwise, the Wizards may squeeze out a win at home.

The Cavs should easily win the series 4-1.

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WEST

Dallas Mavericks (1) vs. Golden State Warriors (8):

Since I'm a big Mavs fan, I already was hoping for the past month that they won't face the Warriors in the 1st round. I'd rather have them face the Lakers or the Clippers. The Mavs have the league's best record (67-15), but the Warriors have all the confidence heading into the series. They barely made it to the playoffs and have nothing to lose. The Mavs, on the other hand, have been out of sync the past games, mainly due to the resting of their key players. Rust might be a factor since they haven't played together as a complete team for a while. What I'm worried about is the the Warriors play well against the Mavs. A proof of this is that the Warriors swept the regular season series 3-0, and they had a couple of lopsided victories. A reason for this is because of Don Nelson, the current coach of GS who was the Mavs coach for several years and was responsible of turning the Mavs from being a lottery team to a playoff contender. The Warriors today are similar to the Mavs 3 years ago - very talented, fast, and high-scoring -- but do not play good defense. Still, they could win games, and win big, too. They're a very opportunistic team - once they get on the groove, it's hard to stop them. This has the makings of a major upset. Nevertheless, since I'm a huge Mavs fan, I'd still have to go with them in 7.

Mavericks-4, Warriors-3.

Houston Rockets (4) vs. Utah Jazz (5):

This should be another exciting and thrilling playoffs matchup. And to think, these two teams did not even make it to the playoffs last year. Victory could go either way. To me, the Rockets would win with a healthy T-Mac and Yao. They are the new Kobe and Shaq duo of the 3-peat Lakers a few years back. But then again, the Rockets pair has a history of injuries, and it might just be a factor come the playoffs. The Jazz, on the other hand, is the more complete team with what I feel is the most talented frontcourt in Mehmet Okur, Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko, and the point guard of the future in Deron Williams. If they play as a team, it is also hard for the Rockets to stop them. Thus, it could boil down to coaching - Jerry Sloan vs. Jeff Van Gundy and a few bounces going one way or another.

Jass-4, Rockets-2

San Antonio Spurs (3) vs. Denver Nuggets (6):

This is another exciting matchup: the veteran defensive-minded Spurs versus the fast and high-scoring Nuggets. The Spurs have one of the league's best trios: Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. They're playoff-tested and should be dependable once more. The Nuggets have the highest-scoring duo in Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. They're very good, but have their own share of struggles. The matchups are exciting: Can Marcus Camby and Nene contain TD? Who's quicker - Parker or Iverson? Can defense specialist Bruce Bowen stop 'Melo? It should be one great show.

Experience would prevail. Spurs 4, Nuggets 2.

Phoenix Suns (2) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (7):

Another rematch of last year's first round series, where the Suns edged out the Lakers 4-3. It was disappointing for the Lakers who led the series 3-1. It is a chance for redemption for the Lakers, especially Kobe Bryant, who only had 1 point in the second half in their game 7 defeat. The Lakers had an advantage last year as the Suns' Amare Stoudemire was injured. This time around, the Suns have him back a hundred-percent. It is interesting to note that both Stoudemire and Bryant have changed their jersey numbers: Amare from 32 to 1, Kobe from 8 to 24. Will these be enough to change their fortunes?

Suns 4, Lakers 2.

How's that for just the first round!?

The MVP Debate

2007-03-13T01:04:00.003+08:00

One thing's for sure - this year's NBA MVP will be a foreigner with a surname that starts with the letter N.

The MVP has come down to a race between two close friends and former long-haired teammates: Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki.

Interestingly, they were Mavs teammates a couple of years ago and were a spectacular duo. Seeing them run the floor with their floppy blond hairdos, hitting some threes was a delight. They came to the Mavs the same year and transformed them into a consistent playoff team. Though the Mavs were Western contenders (even reaching the West conference finals) for several years, they were not able to 'get over the hump'. It seemed that the Mavs organization gave up on the partnership.

You know the story, Mavs owner Mark Cuban did not want to give Nash the big contract, forcing the latter to sign with the Phoenix Suns, which in turn became the a small-ball, running and gunning team (similar to the old Mavs, but even faster). Nash went on to lead the NBA in assists and won back-to-back league MVPs.

This year, Nash's statistics are even better than his two MVP-seasons. This alone would be enough to award him a third straight MVP.

However, I believe it is Nowitzki, who led the Mavs to the finals last year, who deserves the award this time. His numbers have been impressive. More importantly, he is the best player in the best team (in terms of regular season standing) in the league right now. He has improved his passing and has become more of a team player (a big reason for the improvement of Josh Howard). Also, I believe it is quite difficult for a player to win the award 3 years in a row. I know it's unfair but it's actually true. One has two remember that MVP voting is done by 125 members of the media. A lot of factors come into play. One of those is the fact the likes of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson never won the award three straight years. Do you think Nash is as good as those two? Again, it's really unfair coz if there was no other deserving player this year, Nash wins it hands down. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for Nash, his best bud is having an equally tremendous year.

Smaller but bigger

2007-02-28T02:46:00.005+08:00

I just purchased a new flashdisk (aka flash drive/USB disk) recently. And I'm quite amazed at how tiny it has gotten I just had to write something about it. What's even more amazing is that it may have shrunk in physical size but its capacity has greatly increased. Moreover, the price has gotten lower and lower.

I got my first flashdisk in 2003 as an Information Technology senior in college. It had a capacity of 32 mb, which compared to diskettes (around 1.44 mb) which were still commonly used at that time, was really sufficient. It cost about P1000.00 and was about 3 inches in length. Considering all the stuff an IT student does, that flashdisk proved to be quite useful - and durable too. I dropped it countless of times and even stepped on it. It was passed from classmate to classmate, got wet, and was used for long hours. Still, it was very reliable. It came to a point when the exterior broke and what was left was the inside stuff. Still, with a little bending and replugging, it worked fine.

My second flashdisk was more than a year later. This time it was 256mb made by Astone and was a bit smaller than my first one. It was pricey - around P2,500.00. But I figured that it was 8 times more (in terms of capacity) than my old one, hence, the price should be P8000 (duh!). It was a bad experience though. After a week it malfunctioned. I had it fixed but a few weeks later, it didn't work again. I ended up using my old and abused flashdisk. I dunno if it was a factory defect or something, but somehow, this was the reason why I didn't bother buying a new flashdisk for sometime.

As my old flashdisk finally "died", I had to buy a new flashdisk since I needed it for law school. This time it was 1gb and cost around P700. And it was tiny - around an inch in length.

New technology continues to amaze me. Gadgets become faster, smaller, more powerful and cheaper at the same time.

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UPDATE

5/21/07 - Impressed with the 1-gig flashdisk, I bought another one for around P600. It was bigger but I liked it coz it did not have a cover, which was helpful coz I lost the cover of my previous flashdisk. This one worked by simply pulling a lever-like thingie on the side to hide the USB plug.

9/22/07 - I lost my third flashdisk, so I bought another one. It was 2-gig and cost only P500. Amazing.

Fire!

2007-01-17T00:40:00.003+08:00

In my opinion, the worst disaster (aside from death) that could happen to someone is having his/her house burned down by fire. In our culture, the home is a big part of the family and Filipinos usually invest a lot on their houses.

Watching your house burn down to ashes must be devastating. It carries with it not only much of the fruits of your hard work, but also personal properties of material or sentimental value, not to mention countless of memories with family and friends.

The end result is a feeling of "starting all over" again. Building a new house, buying new stuff, and creating new memories. It may not sound that bad for those who have much, but to majority of us, it is really difficult.

These are just some of the things that crossed my mind the other day. A big fire engulfed several buildings just near our house in the city's downtown area (even though I'm now living in another place, I still consider it my second home, since I've lived there for almost 20 years, and still go there everyday.)

It was rumored that the fire started from a kitchen at a nearby restaurant (Rosante). Unfortunately, that kitchen is actually just a few meters away from our kitchen (although a cement wall and a parts of a big mango tree are what separate the two). Though from outside, the house may not seem close to where the fire hit, the truth is the lot is L-shaped. Thus, the property was actually adjacent to where the fire started.

I was awakened by a number of rings on my cellphone at around 4am (at home in Pulantubig). At first I immediately ended the call thinking that it was just my alarm sounding off. As it turned out, the calls came from my classmates who were studying at Dunkin Donuts that morning. Finally, my mom rushed to my room and told me the news.

As I hurriedly drove the pickup on the way to Silliman, I saw a glimpse of the fire. It was huge. I really thought it was hopeless. I parked at the boulevard, a safe distance from the place. It was good to know that a number of firetrucks and firefighters were at the scene and the fire did not reach the house yet. Other cousins arrived on pickups and trucks too. We then started taking stuff out of the house and into our trucks and pickups. On my part, I gathered the valuables - the computer, TV, and other appliances, and also the sentimental stuff - picture frames and the like. Then we got all the important documents from my dad's law office (which was located within the property). Funny thing was, I was able to carry two filing cabinet drawers filled with documents at a single time for more than a few hundred meters. Must be the adrenaline, I guess.

Anyway, after an hour or so, the firefighters were able to control the fire and eventually stop it, without seriously damaging the property (only the kitchen roof was a bit blackened). Thank God my worst fears did not happen.

We spent the next few hours returning all the stuff to the house. Quite exhausting, but who cares...

Saddam

2006-12-31T21:52:00.004+08:00

Somehow, it's unfortunate to know that former Iraq president Saddam Hussein was executed recently. Even more, the manner by which he was executed was quite cruel - probably more so because of the photos (and videos?) that circulated on the Internet. For all the wrongs that he may have done in the past, i believe it is not right to take his life. I strongly oppose death penalty. I believe it's wrong to perpetuate violence with violence.

I remember the time when the infamy of Saddam was at its peak. I think it was in the early 90s on the height of the Gulf War. As a kid, I look at Saddam as the notorious guy - with the thick mustache and all. On the other hand, there was George Bush (the older one) - who I considered the "good guy". Scud missiles vs. Patriot missiles. Also common were the phrases "Saddam'it" and "Bushit". And of course there was the popular novelty song that went something like "Sasasaddami na problema natin"... something like that.

But then again, the execution also shows that evil does not go unpunished. Though I disagree with the hanging, it is somehow good to know that a powerful dictator was brought to justice. I just hope this is a lesson to corrupt and abusive leaders and government officials all over the world.

Basketbrawl

2006-12-18T08:26:00.003+08:00

Remember the Pistons-Pacers brawl a couple of years ago (November 19, 2004 to be exact)? Remember how Ron Artest was suspended for almost a year because of what happened? Remember how that “basketbrawl' tainted the NBA's image?

Well, it seems like the NBA players never learned from that.

Another crazy fight occured. This time involving the Knicks and Nuggets. The fight started when Denver’s J.R. Smith was fouled hard by NY's Mardy Collins. Collins grabbed Smith around the neck as he was going in for a breakaway layup. There was 1:15 left and Denver had a 19-point lead.

Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony and Knicks Nate Robinson quickly joined the fray. Then Melo (not so mellow after all) threw a punch at Collins. Robinson and Smith tackled each other, and flew right into the first row of spectators. Many punches were thrown.

As a result, the 10 players on the court at the time were ejected.

Why did this all happen? I think the Knicks were just sore losers. They were simply angry at the Nuggets because the latter still had their starters in the game in the last 2 minutes despite a double-digit lead. In fairness to the Knicks though, their frustration was probably understandable coz they were playing at home. However, the foul was really malicious and was uncalled for.

Anyway, it's interesting to see how the NBA reacts to this – the suspensions and fines, etc. Considering that Melo, the league's leading scorer, is considered as one of the images and future superstars of the NBA, would they consider suspending him? (lol - 'consider' 3 times in a sentence) If they do, for how long? We'll just have to see.

Simbang Gabi

2006-12-16T22:39:00.001+08:00

Christmas is fast-approaching, and one of the much-awaited events leading to the birth of Christ is the "Simbang Gabi." Basically, it's hearing mass at dawn for nine mornings. Traditionally, Christmas Day in the Philippines (known for having the longest Christmas season in the world!)is ushered in by the nine-day dawn masses that start on December 16. It is also known as "Misa de Gallo," literally translating to "Mass of the Roosters." Depending on which chuch you'd go to, the Simbang Gabi begins as early as four in the morning. Going to mass this early for nine consecutive days is meant to show one's devotion to his/her faith. It is also a Filipino belief, that completing the nine days would mean God granting the devotee's special wish or favor.

Another popularity of this tradition is the presence of Filipino food just outside the church. After hearing mass, families partake of traditional Filipino delicacies, either during breakfast at home or immediately outside the church, where they are sold. Vendors offer native delicacies, such as bibingka (rice flour and egg based cake, cooked using coals on top and under), puto bumbong (a purple sticky rice delicacy which is steamed in bamboo tubes, with brown sugar and coconut shavings as condiments), salabat (hot ginger tea) and my favorite tsokolate (thick Spanish cocoa).

For whatever reason, Simbang Gabi has remained popular, and this is evident by the fully packed churches in Dumaguete every morning.

Since I was young, I usually go with my parents everytime they attend mass. But honestly, it was the puto and tsokolate that I was looking forward to each morning. In spite of this, somehow, I never was able to complete the nine mornings.

This year, however, is different. I'll make sure I wouldn't miss a single Misa de Gallo.

BOOM!

2006-12-04T00:14:00.003+08:00

Boom! - perfect word to describe the explosive performance of future boxing superstar Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista as he destroyed Brazilian champion Giovanni Andrade who was forced to surrender and not come out for the 4th round in the scheduled ten round fight.

According to Andrade, “he hit me with too many body shots and every time they landed I felt like I was stabbed.” The referee said the corner advised him that Andrade “could no longer continue.” The TV commentator said Andrade “is wincing like those body shots did a number and maybe his ribs are bothering him” and added that Andrade’s ribs may have been damaged by the powerful body shots of Bautista.

This fourth round TKO improved Bautista’s record to 21-0 with 16 knockouts. Since he's only 20 years old, the future looks bright for Boom Boom. The Boholano is touted as the next Manny Pacquiao and with this explosive performance, that status is very much attainable.

Moreover, when Pacquiao probably after a few more years, at least Bautista is still there to carry the Philippine flag and make the whole country proud. We're gonna see more of him soon!

The Legendary Trilogy

2006-11-19T01:18:00.001+08:00

If you think I'm talking about the Godfather or Lord of the Rings... you may leave this blog now.

This, of course, is the legendary trilogy between our very own Manny Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales. I compiled this from HBO and other boxing sites, and actually gave this as an exercise for my students in Microsoft Word.

THE PACQUIAO-MORALES TRILOGY:

PART I: March 19, 2005 – MGM Grand, Las Vegas, USA

For Erik Morales, the honor of being Mexico's greatest had been bestowed upon the man who had bested him, Marco Antonio Barrera. He sought a way to regain the hearts of his countrymen when he was given a chance to beat the man, Manny Pacquiao, who had beaten the man, Barrera, who had beaten him. Morales devised a plan that would offset the whirling dervish known as "Pacman," whose non-stop attack had reduced Barrera into smaller, neater pieces and knocked Juan Manuel Marquez down three times in the first round.

Morales executed his plan perfectly, taking up a position in mid-ring and using his height and reach to pepper Pacquiao with his jabs to keep Pacquiao at long range. When Pacquiao would try one of his patented bull-like rushes to get inside, Morales would greet him with right-hand counters. As Morales' jabs continued to find Pacquiao's face, Pacquiao came away from one mid-ring encounter in the fifth round with a gash over his right eye--either from a punch, as the referee ruled, or from a head butt, as later replays showed--and upon consultation with an attending physician, was allowed to continue. But from that point on, as Pacquiao would admit in a post-fight interview, "I couldn't see out of my right eye, only my left eye for most of the fight," Pacquiao was now at a decided disadvantage against Morales, who kept using his jab and his right to Pacquiao's blind side. But just because one hadn't heard the lion roar does not necessarily mean he's asleep as Pacquiao would show time and time again, landing his dynamite-laden left. It wasn’t enough, though, to stop Morales’ barrage of punches.

At the final bell, Morales' fans let loose a roar as the 115-113 unanimous decision in his favor was announced. Morales had beaten the man who had beaten the man who had beaten him.

PART II: January 21, 2006 – Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, USA

The rematch was almost a glove story. In their first fight, Pacquiao was contractually forced to wear Asian "Winning" gloves; in the rematch he wore Reyes gloves. The difference? " The "Winning" gloves, called by many as "Pillows," are filled with a soft foam that absorbs much of the impact of a punch, both for the puncher and the punchee. The Reyes gloves, on the other hand, are filled with horsehair, are thinner and far less absorbent, enabling those hit to feel their opponent's knuckles through the padding.

However, there was more to the story than just the gloves. It was also about what went into them--the hands. Trainer Freddie Roach worked on Pacquiao’s right, honing his right jab and installing a dynamite right hook to go with his blasting cap left. By the sixth round, both the gloves and the newly-minted rights of the “Pacman” were in evidence as he came on like a man possessed, throwing, and landing, both rights and lefts to Morales' face and rearranging his Aztec-like features. Morales' face also began to take on a "did-you-get-the-license-plate-number-of-the-truck-that-hit-me" look.

The ending in the 10th was inevitable as Morales, his legs and punches having gone weak, stood in front of Pacquiao with a dull resignation to his fate. Pacquiao finally capped his non-stop assault with one perfect left, toppling Morales to the canvas for the first time in his career. Barely climbing back up to his feet at the count of nine, Morales stood there, almost defenseless, as Pacquiao continued to practice unspeakable acts of destruction on his foe, finally driving him to the floor. That was enough for the referee as he waved the fight over at 2:33 of the 10th round to signal a Pacquiao TKO victory.

PART III: November 18, 2006 – Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, USA

It only took Pacquiao three rounds to prove himself the stronger, faster fighter. In a surprise ending to the two fighter's legendary trilogy, Pacquiao completely dismantled Morales from the very beginning and scored an early knockout victory. The two fighters both came out trading blows and engaging each other in vicious exchanges to the feverish clamoring of the record-sized crowd. While Pacquiao won the first round by meeting Morales' attacks with tactful counters and explosive speed, it was the second round when the total demolition began.

A much more aggressive Pacquiao dominated Morales almost instantly into the second round. Pacquiao, attacking early and often, looking to challenge Morales' stamina, scored a knockdown late into the second round. Rather than keeping Pacquiao at a distance and analyzing Pacquiao's strategy, Morales fought an older fight than he was capable in the end. Instead, he handed Pacquiao an early holiday present by standing in front of a much faster, much more conditioned fighter.

By the third round, Pacquiao's speed was clearly causing Morales difficulty, his punches missing the mark and his footwork looking sloppy. On the other side of the ring, Pacquiao's energy level was increasing and his right hand started making its mark on Morales, with thudding blows dropping him again and then, finally, a third knockdown at 2:57 of the third round. Pacquiao stood opposite a badly-beaten opponent, waiting out the ten count to put a cap on Morales’ admirable career.

The "Volcano" peaks at just the right time...

2006-11-12T20:23:00.001+08:00

It is only fitting that a Filipino won the World Pool Championships the year it was first held here in the Philippines. After all, the Philippines is known as having the best pool players in the world. Many thought names like Efren Reyes or Django Bustamante would win it, but it was the lesser-known Ronnie "the Volcano" Alcano who had won it all. It just goes to show the quality of pool players in the country. We never ran out of world-class cue artists.

To think, Alcano was in the brink of elimination in the group stages when he started with two straight defeats. However, he did make it into the knock-out stages and went all the way. On his way to victory, he beat Efren Reyes, 2005 runner-up Kuo Po-cheng, and defending champion Wu Chia-ching. In the finals, he met 1996 champion Ralf Souquet from Germany and beat him 17-11. Alcano used a precision soft break throughout and it paid dividends again as he consistently made the wing ball and gained shape to make the 1 ball into the center pocket.

Alcano became the third Filipino (Efren Reyes-1999 & Alex Pagulayan-2004) to hold pool’s most coveted title.

World's Greatest

2006-10-16T23:34:00.001+08:00

we love you. we will make you proud.

March against Crime

2006-10-07T15:55:00.001+08:00

I've already mentioned before that Dumaguete City, known as the "City of Gentle People", is becoming more and more unsafe, but the recent rape/robbery/murder of a graduating nursing student was just horribly off the charts.

A few days ago, a Silliman student nurse was brutally killed. According to reports, the intention of the offender was to steal her laptop. Apparently, she was followed all the way to her apartment, which was located near the campus. At around 2 pm that afternoon, she was alone in her room when the accused attacked her. Most likely, the poor victim resisted, and there was a brief struggle. She was stabbed in the head and her body. Rumors have it that she was also raped. In a nutshell, it was bloody and brutal.

According to neighbors, they heard a scream, but they ignored this, apparently because nothing else happened (at least they thought so). A witness saw a suspicious man coming out of the apartment with a laptop. Upon approaching him, the latter began running, thus confirming his suspicion. He finally caught up with him after a few hundred meters. By then, other people also began gathering around the accused. At first, the people thought that the crime that was committed was only robbery. It would only be discovered later that someone was brutally murdered.

The sad part was that the accused had already been caught before for theft, but the charges were dropped and he was set free. Had he been jailed, this would never had happened.

Yesterday, the entire Dumaguete Community, led by Silliman University, had a "March against Crime". Carrying placards, we paraded around the city condemning the rise of crimes and violence the past years. This was capped off with a prayer rally/gathering at the city plaza, where leaders addressed the crowd. The governor, mayor, and chief of police, along with many other officials, were all present. Many different groups joined the event. Leaflets were distributed expressing disgust and concern over the incidents.

Personally, I agree with the suggestions on those leaflets. But in my opinion, there are some simple things that could we could do to help.

Here are some of the measures we could take to help in our fight against crime/violence:

1. Being vigilant. If you know of a crime, report it to authorities. As mentioned, had charges been filed to the accused, the brutal murder would never had happened. I believe everything must start with us. The police can't do it all.

2. Knowing the people in your neighborhood. Having good relationships with them is helpful. You could easily ask for their assistance whenever you're in trouble. Also, since everyone is supposed to know everyone else, suspicious people are easier to spot.

3. Emergency numbers. Most people have cellphones but do not know the number of the police or hospital. These should be the first ones in your speed dial.

4. Police presence. Believe it or not, people still have respect for the police. Somehow, we still fear their presence. Thus, police officers, barangay tanods, and other authorities should be more visible, especially at night.

5. Lights. Again, this might sound odd, but I still believe this is effective. Let the government put more lights on our streets.

These are just some of the simple things we could do to help. I still believe that by nature, men are good and conscientious.

Bar Ooops

2006-09-26T11:56:00.002+08:00

I had just witnessed how much pressure law students have to overcome to become lawyers.

The Philippine Bar Exam is said to be the most difficult of all licensure exams in the Philippines: four Sundays of September covering eight law subjects. Torture best describes the mixed feelings of anxiety, mental and physical stress, and lots of pressure. Just to give you an idea, the passing rates of these exams the past years are as follows: 1999-16.6%, 2000-20.9%, 2001-32.9%, 2002-19.7%, 2003-20.7%, 2004-31.6%, 2005-27.2%. Based on these numbers, it is safe to say that for every 4 law graduates, only 1 gets to be a lawyer. This year, more than 6000 hopefuls took the exams. That means to say around 1500 will become lawyers when the results come in sometime in March next year.

As a part of the Silliman University Bar Operations Club, I came to Manila to help our own barristers in whatever possible way. We were tasked to attend to their needs for the entire last weekend. Even though I was the only freshman in the group, the experience was one to remember, and one that would stick in my mind for the next four years.

The good thing about being there was to witness how the different barristers react to all the hype. I was here for the last Sunday but still the pressure was at a high level.

We woke up early that Sunday morning, before 4 AM, to make the necessary last-minute preparations. In a few hours time, the barristers will be back at La Salle Taft (where the exams are held).

We waited for our barristers at the Manila Pavilion Hotel (where the SU group were housed) lobby. As each examinee from various law schools came down, I saw their facial expressions and reactions. Each school formed their own small groups, and although each group were wearing their own school uniforms, one thing was common: tension. There was one who was sobbing while another tried to calm her down. Another was looking confident, but then kept on walking back on forth the lobby. One was simply sitting down and staring blankly outside. Interestingly, one guy was excited, loudly letting the others know that this was finally the "last day".

Just before boarding the bus, our own examinees began handing me their cellphones, as if implying that they did not want to be disturbed.

As we were on our way to Taft Avenue, the traffic was increasing, but surrounding us were other similar buses and vehicles with barristers aboard. A few hundred meters from La Salle, we had to get down and walk the rest of the way. Thousands were at the area, mostly supporters and schoolmates of those who would be taking the exams. It was loud and noisy - numerous bands playing their school songs, others simply screaming and shouting.

Everywhere you look you see streamers, posters, and banners showing support to the takers. There was some pushing and shoving, trying to get a better view of the main gate where each barrister got in one by one. I was able to get a spot at the island in the middle of Taft Avenue. I saw each barrister get in, many accompanied by some cheers from supporters. As they lined up, you see some panicking, doing some last minute reviews. Some were praying for divine help.

There was even one who looked as though he was about to puke. I can't blame him. I was a mere spectator - yet I never felt as nervous as I was feeling that time.

One important thing a barrister should have is mental toughness. One had to experience that kind of hype each of the four Sundays. If you're not strong enough - physically or mentally, it's almost a sure thing that you'd fail. There's no room for getting sick. It is said that people who were suffering from illness had no other choice but to take the exam. One reportedly carried with him a dextrous bottle as he took the exam. Some couldn't make it through the whole time. They could faint either due to the overwhelming stress or nervousness, or simply give up and hope for a better one the next year.

As they were all in, the gates were closed and the clock started ticking. We, on the other hand, went to our HQ - the 2nd floor of Chowking just across the street. There we met with other Sillimanian lawyers, young professionals and other loyal alumni in Manila who showed their tremendous support.

Just before lunch time, we, as well as others from different schools, took our positions. We brought with us all the kinds of food the barristers had requested - ranging from KFC chicken to Starbucks coffee to energy drinks.

Still a few hours later, as the afternoon was ending, the crowd piled up again. They came in all forces, as they await their friends and schoolmates. Again, there were bands and music all over. It was much like a big street party stretching for almost a kilometer along Taft Avenue. Each school had its own gimmick. It was even rumored that a female version of the oblation run (people who run naked) may take place. There was drinking, dancing, and shouting. Things almost turned ugly when two fraternities got into a commotion.

Then, finally, the first examinee came out of the gate - to the cheers of his school mates and friends. One by one they came out. Excitement was in the air as sounds of drums and trumpets were heard each time one would come out. As I saw all this, I began thinking... 1 out of 4... hmmm... and randomly tried to predict which of every 4 examinees passed. Since those were the odds of passing, I figured luck could indeed be a factor. Then I thought of myself. Hopefully, four years from now, I would also be one of those who would be coming out of those same gates. And even more hopefully, I would have all the luck I would need.

When everyone was out of the building, suddenly, around 10 black and darkly-tinted vans came out swiftly. These probably contained the exam booklets, to be transferred for safe-keeping. In a few months from now, examiners will start checking them. And in March, 2007, we will know exactly who those lucky 25% are.

Hail to the Chief!

2006-09-16T17:02:00.001+08:00

The highest-ranking judge in the country visited the SU College of Law recently. He is none other the the Chief Justice himself, Justice Artemio V. Panganiban. He is the top official of the Judiciary, one of the 3 co-equal branches of our government. It is a basic law principle that decisions of the Supreme Court form part of the legal system of the land. Thus, whatever the Supreme Court says becomes our law. And there he was, the head of the Supreme Court, speaking before us. Logically, it would seem to follow that words that come out from Panganiban's mouth become our law. Absurd as it was, in some ways, that's just how it felt rubbing shoulders with a powerful Filipino. He was like King Midas. But this time, it was whatever he said which turned into gold.

Aspiring lawyers as we were, the scene was like basketball fans meeting Michael Jordan. We got his autograph and had our photos taken with him. He was a celebrity which people outside the field of law didn't even know.

The Supreme Court, and more specifically Chief Justice Panganiban, has gained much popularity the past several months because of the handful of landmark cases it had handled, especially the political cases which saw the highest tribunal go against the president herself. This series of historical decisions proved the independence of the Judiciary as it has never shirked away from the responsibility of settling controversial issues in our government. As they say, the Supreme Court (and perhaps the Senate, too) is the last bulwark of democracy.

It was the Dr. Jovito R. Salonga Center of Law and Development of the Silliman University College of Law which had invited him to the university. And for the center's inaugural lecture, It was the Chief Justice himself who spoke about "Access to Justice" in general and basically talked more about the programs he has initiated in the Supreme Court.

During the lecture, Chief Justice Panganiban kept on declaring that "Silliman University is the best law school in the country." Everyone knew that he was just kidding and that he was just trying to please the audience. At first it was funny, but he kept on repeating that "joke" that it became annoying for everyone who attended the lecture. It came to a point when it sounded sarcastic and insulting. In fact, he made it sound that Silliman was even worse than it's current number 8 rank (out of a hundred or so law schools) in the country.

If you look at the funny side of it, since that declaration was made by the Chief Justice himself, then it should be true, since whatever he says becomes a law. We all know SU is still far from being one of the top schools in the country, but much has been done to steer the school in that direction. Hopefully, some day, saying that "Silliman University is the best law school in the country" won't sound that funny anymore.

The Magician does it again!

2006-09-12T22:27:00.002+08:00

“The Magician” has done it again. Filipino cue artist Efren Reyes, pool’s most feared player, won a historic half-a-million dollars in the International Pool Tour’s World 8-Ball Open in Reno, Nevada, USA. He has an uncanny knack for winning big money events.

Early in his career, Reyes defeated American Earl Strickland in a $100,000 winner-take-all “Color of Money” 9-ball pool duel. He won the $60,000 World Pool Championship in 1999 when it shifted to its current format and broadcast worldwide. In 2001, he pocketed a then-record $160,000 as he won the Tokyo International 9-Ball Open. It’s amazing how he keeps on getting better as he grows older. Sure, there were some problems with his deteriorating eyesight. But this was resolved when he had a laser eye surgery last year. Since the operation, he is on a tear in the pool world. It was as if he was reborn. In December last year, Reyes beat Mike Sigel in the finals en route to a $200,000 triumph in the IPT King of the Hill in Orlando, Florida. This year, he has once again dominated the Asian 9-Ball Tour. He has bagged top honors in the 2006 San Miguel Beer Asian 9-Ball Tour by winning the Jakarta and Vietnam legs (the other two legs were won by Filipinos also). And finally, about a month ago, Reyes combined with buddy Django Bustamante as Team Philippines defeated Team USA (Strickland and Rodney Morris) in the inaugural staging of the PartyPoker.com World Cup of Pool. The two kumpadres split the first place prize of $60,000. As Reyes correctly observes, “It’s funny that every time there is a new big tournament, I win it.”

And then there was yesterday. The pool world saw the richest purse in its history in the $3 Million IPT World 8-Ball Open. The winner would take home a record $500,000. Reyes met Morris in the Finals for a showdown between two survivors from a starting field of 200 players representing 27 countries. It was an error-filled pressure-packed finale. In fact, the final match saw a combined 10 dry breaks and which saw neither player ever able to gain any momentum. For one, Morris seemed to be real shaken. His normally reliable break abandoned him when he needed it most, scratching three times on the snap to hand Reyes easy run outs. The Filipino icon, on the other hand, was far from the player pool fans used to seeing as his position play kept him in trouble in some stretch of the match. He later admitted that his nerves made his arm feel "strange" and he just could not control the cue ball. "I missed two eight balls, I think, but they were both corner pockets. It made me feel nervous — when I’m shooting that, I’m shaking a little bit. That’s why I missed those two eights," said Reyes in Filipino. But overall, it was Morris who crumbled. "Di ko rin talaga malaman kung bakit ako ang nanalo dito," said Reyes in jest in a TV interview, humbling himself even after he had humbled the best in world pool. In the end, Reyes didn’t have to dish out a perfect game to dispose of Morris and win the biggest purse offered in the sport.

Trailing 2-4 at the start, the man known in the world of pool as “The Magician” elevated his game to win six of the last eight racks. After exchanging dry breaks and splitting the next four racks, the score was tied at 4-4. Reyes had changed his break-cue shaft while sitting in his chair, next to cornerman Santos Sambajon, and in the next rack, he shot with a slow-medium speed, with only two balls rolling beyond the side pockets. Morris wasn't daunted by the dense clump, and ran out as fans yelled "Rocket!" "Alriiight!" He answered their support with another scratch on the break, and soon the score was tied again, 5-5. Efren broke dry, but Morris was foiled by a trouble ball again, as the 5 was locked up near the side pocket, and he missed the 6 trying to free it up. Reyes had a difficult layout as well, but managed to run out, nudging the ball before the 8 into the daunting black ball to attain perfect position. At 6-5, Reyes had his first successful break, pocketing one ball. Three balls in, his errant cue ball acted up again, and he looked to the sky for answers as he worked his way through a series of bad lays. Once again, it caught up to him at the 8, and "Bata" botched it again in the corner pocket. Morris played a masterful safe, and Reyes fouled, hitting a stripe before the 8, though he was able to miraculously pocket the 8 and the crowd went berserk! The score was tied again at 6-6, and a race-to-2 would determine the winner of $500,000. The pressure penetrated Morris' focus, and once again, he scratched on the break. You could see the relief in Reyes, as he masterfully ran out the rack to get on the hill. In the final rack, he rose above his previous breaking problems, and connected perfectly, knocking one in. His one problem ball, the 6, he confidently stroked left-handed, kissing the 13 as it fell into the corner pocket. The crowd could feel the end was near, and the murmurs grew into a frenzy as he pocketed the final 8.

Once again, Efren Reyes has made me proud to be a Filipino.

9/11 Remembered

2006-09-11T20:22:00.001+08:00

All of us have our own 9/11 stories. I was a college sophomore then when the attack on the twin towers happened. I recall that we were taking an accounting examination at the cyberlib section of the main library of Silliman University. It was about 8 PM or so when I finished the exam and went straight home. When I got home, everyone was glued onto the TV screen. Apparently, there had been an air mishap as a plane hit one of the World Trade Center towers. It was incredibly eerie. How could such a tragedy happen? Later on, we were shocked both in grief and horror as another plane crashed into the other tower. Then another crashed on the Pentagon. The drama and disaster was unfolding before our very eyes. Then another plane that was reportedly on its way to the White House, crashed on a field. It was clearly a terrorist attack.

As several floors of both towers were burning, panic was all over the streets. You can see papers and documents and other debris "flying out" of the buildings. Some of these stuff were actually people who had no choice but to jump off from their windows. It was really horrific. Then the towers came crumbling down while the whole of New York was seemingly covered in smoke and ash. Those amazing (in a bad way) series of events will forever be etched in my memory.

I can't believe it has been 5 years. A lot of things happened since then. Things were discovered and some questions were answered. I've watched numerous documentaries on this, from National Geographic Specials to Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911. Apparently, the tragedy would have been avoided if US officials (especially Pres. Bush) were paid more attention to intelligence reports.

Anyway, as I recall the events of 9/11, here are some cool before and after images of the tragedy which I found on the Internet:

Ave Maria!

2006-09-10T23:55:00.001+08:00

Much like former tennis hottie Anna Kournikova, Maria Sharapova (also a Russian) looks more like a model than an athlete. She's tall, skinny, and glamorous. But unlike Kournikova, Sharapova's got game as she once held the no. 1 ranking and is currently no. 3. Not only was she named the hottest female athlete in the world for the fourth consecutive year by Maxim. But she is also now a multiple Grand Slam winner. So, she's got the looks. She's got the game. What does this mean? Maria Sharapova is the world's highest-paid female athlete.

I'm not a big fan of tennis, but when tennis look this good it's definitely worth watching. Thus, I woke up this morning to watch the US Open final between Sharapova and Justine Henin-Hardene. While Henin-Hardenne sported a more traditional tennis attire topped by a white ballcap, Sharapova wore her night-match outfit, similar to a black cocktail dress, accessorized with silver shoes and dangling earrings. According to reports, the look is inspired by "Breakfast at Tiffany's," but the guess here is Audrey Hepburn never had a sponsor's swoosh on her outfit.

Throughout the match, Sharapova was serving magnificently (with 5 aces). And of course, you also hear those trademark shrieks. In the end, the 19-year-old dominated the match to win 6-4, 6-4 and claim her second Grand Slam title of her career (her first was is Wimbledon when she was still 17).

Although she looked like a well-seasoned athlete as she dominated the match, signs of her being a teenager were visible after the match. Sharapova dropped to her knees and covered her face, then rose and trotted to shake hands. Then Sharapova hopped up and down, looking for the first time all night like any other teen. Sharapova screamed and leapt in delight before heading into the stands to hug her father, Yuri. And when she was handed the US Open trophy, she was so excited that the lid actually fell off.

Then she declared during the interview that she was "so happy it's here in New York in my favourite city in the world." After all, her glamour perfectly fit New York City and the most popular TV ad at that time was her "I feel pretty!" Nike ads. In the commercial, that tune is sung by various people as Sharapova walks out onto court. The punch line: Sharapova swings her racket and lets out one of her trademark shrieks.

Even though Sharapova earned $1.7 million with her victory, she makes far more from endorsement deals than prize money.

She insists she's more substance than style. "I've been pretty good in the past balancing my time with my sponsors with my tennis, because I know my priority," Sharapova said in an interview two weeks ago. "At the end of the day, what I love doing is competing, and that's where my heart is at, on center court."

Basketball TV

2006-09-06T14:39:00.001+08:00

Last October 1, a new cable channel was launched - Basketball TV. And as the name says, it's all about basketball, all day, all night, 24/7. The channel is brought to you by Solar Entertainment - the same company that introduced Solar Sports and Sports Plus. Well, actually, Sports Plus was replaced by Basketball TV, while all the basketball shows and programs from Solar Sports were transfered to Basketball TV.

Thus, what we have now are two sports channels - Basketball TV and Solar Sports. The latter covering almost all basketball tournaments to cater to the Filipino basketball fanatic such as the NBA, the recently concluded World Championships, the US NCAA, and others. All the other sports will be shown in Solar Sports. By the way, a very good addition to the Solar Sports list of programs is live Primera Liga (Spanish Football League) matches every Monday.

Another good reason to watch tv!

The Dream Ends

2006-09-02T13:14:00.001+08:00

Another big disappointment for USA basketball. After suffering failures in the last two major basketball tournaments, the 2002 World Basketball Championships and the 2004 Olympics, USA Basketball had high hopes as they assembled a new team and a new program for the 2006 World Basketball Championships. However, the end result was all too familiar. Another dream ends for the "Dream Team"

Greece used a sizzling stretch of shooting across the middle two quarters to turn a 12-point deficit into a 14-point lead, and beat the Americans 101-95 Friday in the semifinals of the world championships. "To lose any game is a shock to us," U.S. star Carmelo Anthony said. "We came in with the mentality to win the game and the gold medal." Done in again by their inept 3-point shooting and they weren't much better from the foul line the Americans will fall short of a championship in a major international tournament for the third straight time since winning gold at the 2000 Olympics.

Interestingly, the Greeks had no current NBA players on their roster. It just proves how much the rest of the world has caught up (and even surpassed) with the United States. Basketball is a team sport. And the better team always prevails. Sure, USA had NBA superstars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony. But as a team, they sure sucked. Basketball at this level is more than just athleticism and entertainment. It's about playing together. Before the game started, during the warm-ups, the US superstars were pleasing the crowd with high-flying warm-up dunks, while at the opposite side, the Greeks were doing their business, performing some drills and shooting some freethrows.

If only the US team knew. They should have practiced their outside shots more instead of do those acrobatic dunks. During the game, they weren't able to overcome their 32 percent shooting from 3-point range or 59 percent from the foul line. Dwyane Wade added 19 and LeBron James had 17, but the three U.S. captains were unable to make up for their disappointment from Athens. As the Greek coach said it best, "Basketball is not just about dribbling and shooting."

For the US team, it's back to the drawing board. They'll have to wait a couple more years to reclaim past glory. Changes have to be made.

Decade of Dominance

2006-08-29T18:22:00.001+08:00

This week marks Tiger Woods 10th year on the PGA Tour, and what a decade it has been. His latest (4th consecutive) victory was also the 10th year anniversary of the day he turned professional. I can't believe it has been ten years already. After all, in that span of time, he has accumulated an amazing 52 victories, 12 majors and $63 million in earnings. When he turned pro, he was the one who grabbed all the headlines. 10 years later, he continues to be THE golfer to watch.

A week earlier, Woods won the PGA Championship for his 12th major, only six behind Jack Nicklaus' 18, a feat that Tiger Woods had always dreamed of surpassing. And at this pace, it seems like it would be inevitable.

Woods tied for 60th at the Greater Milwaukee Open in his pro debut 10 years ago this week. His first paycheck was $2,544. This year, he is averaging $2,512 for every stroke.

As fellow golfer Davis Love III says, "He's had the best 10 years in the history of golf. You knew he was a guy you were going to have to beat the rest of your career." Love was Woods first victim, losing a playoff to him in the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational, and there have been 46 other players who have finished second to Woods on the PGA Tour.

So began a decade of dominance that is defined by any set of numbers -- 52 wins, 12 majors, 142 consecutive cuts, the No. 1 ranking for 406 weeks, official victories in 12 countries.

Woods holds the scoring record to par in all four majors, and he is the only player to win all four professional majors in a row. He went seven years without missing a cut (142 events), and he has won 26 percent of his PGA Tour starts.

What really impresses me is how Tiger Woods strives to become better. Considering that he already was the best, how could he get even better? Thus, he already changed his swing a couple of times in the past decade.

When Woods turned professional in 1996, his swing already was mature but undisciplined. His distance control was spotty, as was his accuracy, but he could generate otherworldly club-head speed with a wide arc and pure athleticism, most notably a rapid hip turn. His dominating ’97 Masters victory, when he won by 12 shots and set the tournament scoring record of 270, was mostly the product, he admits, of a serendipitous week of tempo and timing.

Hence, he seeked the help of swing guru Butch Harmon, the same coach who helped Greg Norman become No. 1 in the 1980s and early 1990s. Harmon’s refinements, which were incorporated fully in 1998 even though the two had commiserated since ’93, helped Woods achieve an efficiency that defied the difficulties inherent in the game. In 2000, Woods won nine times, including the final three majors, and he never shot over par in any of his 20 TOUR starts. He set or tied 27 TOUR records, including a 68.33 non-adjusted scoring average (67.79 adjusted) that broke Byron Nelson’s 1945 mark.

In spite of all these success, Woods departed the Harmon camp in favor of Hank Haney. The switch from Harmon to Haney didn’t appear to be all that good of an idea in 2004 when Woods won only one PGA TOUR event and saw Vijay Singh overtake him in the Official World Golf Ranking. But Tiger had his reasons for undertaking such a dramatic project in the prime of his career.

Woods thought that he could get even better. Haney was the longtime teacher of Mark O’Meara, Woods’ closest friend on the PGA. Haney believes that the best swingers of the golf club maintain symmetry from start to finish on one plane angle. The application of this theory to Woods’ swing made it more rounded and flat, and as Woods tried to incorporate this new method while fighting old habits, his accuracy and confidence waned, though he still continued to extend his record cuts streak through the alterations, a testament to his overall golf abilities and strength of will.

While the questions piled up in ’04, Woods maintained that he was satisfied with his decision. "Have I ever second-guessed it? No," he said in early ‘05. "I took some steps backward to go forward, to make some giant leaps forward."

Five wins and two majors last year vindicated the decision, and Woods has six more victories and two more Open and PGA titles to hang on his mantel in 2006, a year in which he missed his first cut as a pro in a major, at the U.S. Open, due almost entirely to the emotional trauma still tugging at him after his father’s death.

It’s the control, not his famed power game, that makes Woods so indomitable. And it’s control that drives Woods to continue to tinker with his swing, with Haney now his guiding influence.

In other words, Tiger Woods is still a work in progress. Scary...

Real Excitement

2006-08-24T21:53:00.001+08:00

The Spanish Football League, the Primera Liga, had just begun its 2006-2007 season. As expected, I had been up to date with all the off-season transfers and other transactions by the clubs, especially those by Real Madrid, the team I have been following the past years.

The past three seasons have been very disappointing. Recently, Real Madrid was named the “Best Football Club of the Century” by FIFA. However, they haven’t won anything big in the last three seasons, in spite having superstars like Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham, Owen, Figo, and Raul in their roster. Many good things did happen the past few months, hoping to change the losing trend.

The first thing was the stepping down of Florentino Perez as club president. Perez initially did a good job in building the team, with the signing of Figo, Zidane, and Ronaldo. However, it would seem that he was more contented in “selling” the team rather than winning. I believe he was more concerned with ticket and jersey sales. His belief was that the more superstars, the better the team would be. Not to take anything away from his achievements, but to be honest, the team was underperforming. They were more like a group of superstars and they never jelled as a team. People were there not to watch the team play, but simply to get a glimpse of the individual superstars.

Ramon Calderon is now the club’s president and the first thing he did was to bring in Fabio Capello as manager (coach). Capello is a known disciplinarian. He’s very precise and somewhat of a perfectionist. I liken him to Pat Riley of the NBA. Capello won wherever he had coached. Coming from Italian champs Juventus (who were stripped off their titles because of the match-fixing scandal), he also won at Roma and interestingly Real Madrid a decade ago. To me, he is perfect for the club because the players seem to be undisciplined. Capello likes players who work and train hard and he rewards them by letting them play on the pitch. Unlike the previous managers, there is no superstar treatment under Capello.

Fabio Capello believes in the importance of a strong defense, and proof to that is the acquisition of Italy’s World Cup-winning captain (and tournament’s best defender) Fabio Cannavaro and the Brazilian defensive midfielder Emerson from Capello’s previous club, Juventus. I like these two signings. I believe that the weakest aspect of Real Madrid was their defense. Ever since central defender Fernando Hierro and defensive midfielder Claude Makelele left the team three years ago, Real Madrid always had problems in defense. Hopeful, the seasoned veterans Cannavaro and Emerson would fill their shoes well.

Another advantage of these two signings was the fact that they already have the experience playing for Capello, and I see the two as the extensions of the manager on the pitch. Without a doubt, the other players would adjust better to Capello because of the assistance of Cannavaro and Emerson not only during games, but more importantly, during training.

Real Madrid also got forward Ruud Van Nistelrooy from Manchester United. I am not a big fan of this Dutch striker, but I have to admit he is a proven goal scorer. However, I do not think he is that needed since Real Madrid already has 3-time World Player of the Year Ronaldo as their main striker. The good thing is that he brings another aspect to the club. The Brazilian Ronaldo is more creative and can score on his own. Van Nistelrooy is more opportunistic, similar to Raul, another forward already on the club. I am afraid that one of these strikers would be similar to Michael Owen a few years ago. Owen was a world class striker but he had to come off the bench behind the likes of Ronaldo and Raul. Nevertheless, if somehow Capello manages to play Ronaldo, Raul, and Van Nistelrooy in a balanced rotation, then it will all work best for Real Madrid.

The next move was the signing of Mali defensive midfielder Mahamadou Diarra from French club Olympique Lyon. He would combine with Emerson to form what Real Madrid hopes would be a water-tight midfield. They would certainly win more possessions from the midfield for the club. I like this acquisition too. Some say Diarra and Emerson are too similar, but I believe Diarra can also attack and can move a bit forward.

Because of the arrival of Diarra and Emerson, there seemed to be an excess of defensive midfielders. Hence, Danish Tomas Graveson and Uruguayan Pablo Garcia were released to other clubs. Another Uruguay international, Carlos Diogo, a right-back was also loaned to another club since he was third in line behind more preferred right-backs Spanish Michel Salgado and Brazilian Cicinho.

There was also an excess of central defenders and so Real Madrid released English Jonathan Woodgate on loan for a year. Personally, I believe Woodgate shouldn’t have been released. He could be an excellent backup to Cannavaro and Ramos. I honestly don’t understand this move.

A better move was the swap deal between Real Madrid and English club Arsenal. The 1-year agreement sends Brazilian striker/midfielder Julio Baptista to Arsenal on loan while midfielder Jose Antonio Reyes goes home to his country also on loan. Reyes brings speed and youth to Real Madrid, similar to Robinho. Hopefully the two would combine well to outrun and outbreak opposing clubs on the pitch.

Aside from the lack of backup central defenders, my other worry is who would be the link between the defense and attack. It seems that Real Madrid already has a strong defense and an excellent attacking line. But the missing link seems to be in the midfield, the role that Zinedine Zidane used to play before he retired. Who would be the distributor or the playmaker? That was why I was hoping Real Madrid would have picked up someone like Kaka. Anyway, it seems like the only possible player who could fill that spot is Guti. He could be the playmaker but he is nowhere near the level of a Zidane or even a Kaka.

Another possible problem is how Cappello rotates his superstars. I could not think of a starting 11 because of the many options available. Since Cappello already has fixed a back line composing of 2 holding midfielders (Emerson and Diarra) and 4 defenders plus the goalkeeper, it would appear that Real Madrid have a lot of players for the remaining 4 spots. That means selecting the 4 in attack from Ronaldo, Raul, Van Nistelrooy, Cassano, Robinho, Beckham, Reyes, and Guti. Tough decision there.

Overall though, I look forward to the team. I think good things will happen this season, and I am pretty sure they would have success in at least one of the three competitions they will be participating in – the Primera Liga, Champions League, and the Copa del Rey. This is certainly a very much improved Real Madrid. Look out Barcelona!

This is the current first team line up with their jersey numbers:

1 – Iker Casillas (Spain) – GK
2 – Michel Salgado (Spain) – Def
3 – Roberto Carlos (Brazil) – Def
4 – Sergio Ramos (Spain) – Def
5 – Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) – Def
6 – Mahamadou Diarra (Mali) – Mid
7 – Raul Gonzales (Spain) – For
8 – Emerson (Brazil) – Mid
9 – Ronaldo (Brazil) – For
10 – Robinho (Brazil) – For
11 – Cicinho (Brazil) – Def
13 – Diego Lopez – GK
14 – Guti (Spain) – Mid
15 – Raul Bravo (Spain) – Def
17 – Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Netherlands) – For
18 – Antonio Cassano (Italy) – For
19 – Jose Antonio Reyes (Spain) – For
21 – Ivan Helguerra (Spain) – Def
22 – Paco Pavon (Spain) – Def
23 – David Beckham (England) – Mid
24 – Alvaro Mejia (Spain) – Def

Try picking your starting 11.

Political Plan(t)s

2006-08-21T17:59:00.001+08:00

An article from a recent issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer did not surprise me at all. It was regarding the “Green Philippine Highway Program” project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The reporter observed that the launching of the projects in different places was more like a political campaign. This is exactly what I thought when I saw a similar launching here in Negros Oriental on TV.

The project is a political gimmick. It’s not practical, it’s difficult to implement, and definitely there are many more important things the DENR should focus its attention on, such as the Guimaras Oil Spill. Planting trees a long the national highway that stretch 3,439 km. across the country is just a waste of time, money, and effort. Can’t they think of anything better? I’m really starting to believe that the GMA administration has really not one any good to our country.

Maybe there are indeed good intentions, and I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but I have serious doubts about the project. I believe there’s a bigger hidden (political) agenda here. What’s the real intention of the project? Mainly, it’s for exposure. Since the project covers major highways from north to south of the Philippines, I’m quite certain there will be billboards displaying the proponents and people behind the project, maybe even have a poster for every tree planted. I remember in 2004 when almost all electrical posts around Manila had banners with GMA’s image on it. Then there were those clean-up volunteers found along highways wearing vests with the letters GMA at the back. That is what they’re trying to do again. Think of it as an early electoral propaganda for people like Sec. Reyes.

It is quite possible that Sec. Reyes is planning to run for Senator next year. You should have seen him launching the project. As I mentioned already, it was like a political campaign. He even wore a vest like most politicians do during election period. He had this big program with a full-house audience that do not seem to care about the project. Even just in the way he talked, he was as smooth as the veteran politicians. And then he cracked jokes and even worse, sang a couple of songs. With regard to the project he was supposed to be launching, he did not really do a good job in elaborating its details. There was nothing concrete in what he said. Even when interviewed, he was vague and even seemed uncertain. In the end, he only spent a little time with the project and more time in politicking. And he did the same in all the places where the project was launched. Tsk tsk tsk… A very Gloria-esque way of doing stuff – spending our money for a disguised way of campaigning.

Baby Sasa

2006-08-21T17:57:00.001+08:00

My newest kinugos (goddaughter) was Christened yesterday at the Immaculate Church. Her name is Sestina Anna, the second daughter of my first cousin Corinna. Welcome to the Christian world, Sasa! That brings my list of godchilds to a total of 7. This means I have even more gifts to give this Christmas... hmmm....

On the topic of family members, I'd also like to congratulate another first cousin, Dr. Benjamin Jose ("Benjo") Bautista, for passing the Medical Licensure Exam. Another doctor added to the family...

Since I'm on this topic, allow me also to greet the many relatives who celebrate their birthdays this week - my cousin, Bianca, on the 20th; another cousin, Jacinto, and Tito Nonong, on the 21st; my sister, Rica, on the 22nd; Tito Pempo, on the 25th; and Dr. Benjo, on the 29th. Happy Birthday to you all!

Ticking Time Bomb

2006-08-19T01:47:00.001+08:00

The recent Guimaras oil spill really saddens me, and perhaps every environment-loving person not only here in the Philippines, but anywhere in the world. The white beaches in the Visayas islands are known to be one of the best ones in Asia. And the same group of islands has been considered the center of the world's richest marine life.

However, because of the sinking of Solar 1 somewhere near Guimaras, a major environmental disaster is threatening the area. Solar 1 was carrying 2 million liters of bunker fuel. When it sank, it leaked around 200,000 liters, which had gradually spread towards the nearby islands of Panay and Negros. This means that there is about 1.8 million liters still trapped inside the tanker at the bottom of the sea, and is slowly continuing to leak. Hence, this is why some refer to this looming catastrophy as an ecological "ticking time bomb." Sooner or later, the entire amount of fuel will completely leak out of the vessel and harm the rich marine resources in the area. Unless we do something about it, potentially the biggest oil spill in our country's history (there was a 300,000 liter oil spill off Semirara island last year) may even possibly reach the nearby Boracay island, famous for its white beach.

Greenpeace, an environmental organization, describes the area hit as a delicate ecosystem rich in marine life, mangroves and reefs. It is really too early to assess the damage caused by the oil spill. As of the past weekend, oil from the tanker has contaminated some 220 kilometers of coastline, destroyed 454 hectares of mangroves and 58 hectares of seaweed farms. The spill had also destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of people dependent on fishing for a living. It could also be disastrous to the tourism industry in the areas affected.

Just how could we prevent the oil spill from becoming worse? How can we stop the flow of oil leaking from the sunken vessel? The problem is we do not have the technology to "suck" all the oil from the tanker. We do not even know the exact location of the vessel. And if we do know where it really is, still our divers and marine equipment do not have the capabilities to go that deep underwater - about 3,000 feet.

The only thing we could do right now is to clean-up the seas in our own little ways. It is said that it would take years before we could totally clean the sea. The hundreds of villagers in the area are trying to mop up the slick with improvised tools such as bamboo poles, rice straw, dried grass, used sacks and even clothing. At sea and off beaches booms have been erected to contain the oil which is scooped out and taken away for disposal.

It's a good thing the government has already asked for foreign assistance. To me, that's the only chance we could still somehow contain the calamity. Let us remember that the environment is something we should all be responsible for because it doesn't only affect a country, but it affects the entire world as well. Hopefully, its not yet too late.

Midterm Madness

2006-08-09T23:56:00.001+08:00

The midterm examination week is fast-approaching. That translates into a lot of sleepless nights, headaches, stress, and pressure - studying at home or in Dunkin Donuts or Chowking til 5 in the morning, getting a couple of hours of sleep, and then going to school haggard, and sitting in the library the whole day.

Exams in law school is like no other. In this two-week period, you feel all the pressure, you get tense, and ultimately the stress takes a toll on you. You have a lot of reading to do - hundreds and hundreds of pages of textbooks and cases. If you haven't been following the lectures of the professors for the past weeks, then it is the time to catch up on all the readings. And then people say that you have to undergo at least 3 readings before you could fully understand what you have read.

Midterms also is a time when you have to submit certain requirements for the different subjects, so you have to find a way to balance the doing of these projects and papers and the actual studying. In our case, we have to submit digests of around 146 cases in constitutional law, plus a 25-page minimum paper about the world's different legal systems.

One has to prepare for a tough stretch like this, not only mentally, but also physically. When I say this, I mean lots of food! The only way I could keep awake the whole night is by consuming all the goodies and sweets I could get my hands on - chocolates, chips, candies, and lots more. Just enough to make my brain last until breakfast.

Reading thick books, cross-referencing the stuff you read with codals, jurisprudence, and your "handy-dandy" legal dictionary. Doing all these while having something to eat or drink.

The only refuge I could think of is knowing that you're not along. All your classmates are probably just as busy and tense as you are.

In the end, when the brain-draining exams finally come, you just hope that you could remember even just a parcel of what you have read.

I guess I gotta start doing all the crazy stuff I just said... epekto ra nis pagtuon

Miss Silliman Website Launched

2006-08-05T17:48:00.001+08:00

On it's diamond (60th) anniversary, Miss Silliman finally has a website. During the 2006 Miss Silliman Press Conference, the Miss Silliman Organization has launched the site www.misssilliman.com to feature the country's oldest pageant, even older than Miss Universe.

I was tasked by the organization to design and develop the site and finally I was able to finish it just hours before the launching. While waiting for the domain name to be active, the temporary URL is http://www.sillimanians.com/misssilliman.

The site contains profiles of the 6 candidates and a students' choice voting system wherein enrolled Sillimanians may vote for their bets. To vote, you just have to enter your family name and ID number. Only one vote is allowed per student. The one with the most votes will be awarded Miss Popularity. After all, Miss Silliman in 1946 started as a popularity contest.

The site also has some articles regarding the history of the contest as well as a list of the past Miss Silliman winners with their photos.

Before you criticize the site though, may I just tell y0u that I am not an artistic person. Besides, I wasn't paid to do this. So, please, just don't complain.

Inhospitable hospital

2006-07-29T14:47:00.001+08:00

I always have a high regard whenever I talk of Silliman. However, for once, I'd like to speak of something I didn't like.

It was my dad's birthday yesterday but it was also the third straight day that I wasn't feeling well. I had cough, colds, headache, and stomach ache. After class that night, I went home immediately to attend dad's party. I got some lechon and a lot of dessert. Later, however, I was starting to feel worse. My cough got harder and I had shortness of breathe. Finally, I asked to be brought to the hospital.

We were at the emergency room of the Silliman Medical Center and immediately some nurses got my blood pressure, temperature, and amount of oxygen. I knew it was a standard operating procedure but still their alertness impressed me a bit. They told me to wait while a doctor was coming to check on me. So I waited... and waited...

Finally, about 30 minutes later, the doctor arrived. She did some tests on me and recommended that I was to be nebulized. I waited for another 30 minutes before the personnel prepared the equipment for the nebulization. While waiting, I observed everything that was going on in the room. There were about three patients (including myself) around at that time, while there were about 10 hospital personnel (doctors, nurses, etc). No one was really busy. Most of the time, they were just chatting and sharing some gossips. One doctor came in with a pair of Converse shoes. He tried it on and showed it to the rest. Another was busy with her Greenwich pizza. I suddenly had the feeling I wasn't in an "Emergency Room." There I was, having difficulty in breathing, but nobody even bothered to check on me from time to time. In the end, I was at the hospital for almost 3 hours!

If I thought that was bad, it was even worse a few days later. Not satisfied with the results of the several tests performed on me, and since I still wasn't feeling good, my mom wanted me to have an X-ray exam. A cousin, who was also not feeling well the past week, came with me to get X-rayed too.

So there we were at the Medical Center ER. We told the personnel there that we wanted to have an X-ray. Again, the nurses were quick to get our BP, temperature and stuff, and then we were told to wait. Somehow, I was beginning to think that the reason they immediately take all those tests on you was so that you'd not leave anymore - kinda like "once in, no out." We waited there for more than an hour. We were getting impatient. There were just a few patients and a lot of hospital personnel just talking amongst themselves. Finally, a nurse passed by. My cousin asked what we were supposed to be waiting for. She just shrugged and said that she doesn't know, and pointed to the desk. Talk about being helpful. I thought nurses are there to help and assist the patients. We felt insulted and even got more irritated. We waited another thirty minutes until a relatively older nurse approached us and asked what we were waiting for. I couldn't help but raised my voice a bit, telling her that we were there for almost two hours already waiting for someone to give us the go-signal to have our X-rays taken.

It turned out that they didn't know we were there for X-ray. It was some kind of miscommunication. But it was more of them being unsystematic.

Finally, we got the form and went to the X-ray room. In the end, the actual X-ray test took just a couple of minutes. And we had waited there for more than two hours!

I hope this doesn't happen often. It really is a bad image not only for the hospital, but the whole institution of Silliman as well, considering that most of the nurses came from the university. Silliman University boasts of a consistent 100% nursing board passing rate. Sadly though, passing the board doesn't necessarily translate into being a good nurse.

I don't mean to criticize the hospital as a whole. It so happens that a relative is the current Medical director of the hospital, and I know for sure that she's doing very well. Perhaps the incident at the ER was just an isolated case. Maybe it was just a few incompetent people. I don't really know for sure.

Now I know why someone who goes to the hospital for check-up is called a "patient." You must have that virtue to survive there.

State of the Nation

2006-07-27T03:16:00.000+08:00

The most unpopular president in our country’s history delivered her State of the Nation Address (SONA) a few days ago. She was supposed to talk about our country’s current status, not her impossible dreams.

The SONA was more like a “wishlist.” The hour-long speech never dealt with the real issues facing the country today such as poverty and corruption. Instead, as expected, it was just the president babbling empty promises. Sadly, when we talk of promises, she’s one person who is bad at keeping them. Just remember her promise not to run again a few years ago.

At the start, she said she wasn’t going to talk about politics. But then, the whole speech itself was pure politics. She just showed how good a politician she is. Not leader, just politician. She made sure everybody that mattered was happy. Not Juan dela Cruz, but the other politicians and government officials.

She talked about our improving economy, using the dollar exchange rate as her basis. However, if we really think about it, this is the result of the strong dollar remittances from our overseas workers. It only means that Filipinos would rather go abroad and work, losing hope of better lives in the Philippines.

The SONA was a roll-call. She kept mentioning people and saying good things about them. Think of it as an early start of campaigning. Right now, what matters most to her is her political survival. And one measure was to get the support of the local government officials.

That is why she kept promising different projects for the different places in the country. Projects involve money. More money means more corruption – money straight to the pockets of local officials. Just like their boss in Malacañang.

Where do we get the money to fund the infrastructure projects planned by PGMA? We already have a 12% VAT, but still that wouldn’t be enough to finance the costly projects such as the implementation of “Super Regions.” In the end, it would just possibly mean more debts for our already poor country.

She talked so much about highways, bridges, and airports – but barely mentioned education and health. Yet, she mentioned Manny Pacquiao, the Mt. Everest trekkers, and the beauty queens. Is she trying to take credit for these achievements? Sure, this gives a message that as Filipinos, we could do anything. But those victories are really not directly related to her administration.

If you have a house and you want to make some improvements, shouldn’t you clean up your place first? That’s what PGMA should do. Clean up her own mess first before proceeding with her other plans.

The SONA was simply gibberish. The real State of the Nation Address was expressed by the people outside the Batasan. The real state of the nation is best revealed by them calling for GMA’s ouster. Filipinos are tired of empty promises and traditional politics.

The SONA took place while a typhoon was in our country. Ironically, the typhoon was supposed to be named “Gloria”, but the PAG-ASA had changed it to “Glenda” even before it entered the Philippines.

But in our country, the real typhoon tormenting Filipinos is Gloria herself – the fake president. Not a typhoon destroying houses and causing floods along its way. But a typhoon destroying the institutions of our government – the courts, the COMELEC, the Congress, and even the Church, and causing floods of misery and oppression to the people along the way.

Sweet Torture

2006-07-23T15:24:00.001+08:00

NOTE: A write-up about the life of a law student was published in the Weekly Sillimanian last July 19. It was written by a classmate, Christy Marie Cong ("Tycong") and was entitled "Sweet Torture". While reading it, we had smiles on our faces since we all related so much with what she wrote. I've taken the liberty to use that article in this post. The original write-up is the italicized gray text. The rest is just my own additional commentary.

The first question that entered my mind upon learning my parents wanted me to go there was, “What’s it like to be there?”

In my experience, my decision to enter law school was just spontaneous. Sure, I had some vague plans of taking law in the future, but I never really thought about it that much. It was just over a week before classes would start last school year when I was talking with my friend. He mentioned that one of his student assistants topped the law entrance exam at Silliman University. I got intrigued and went to see the list of successful college of law applicants at the Villareal Hall, and saw the roster of Freshmen law students was filled not only with smart individuals, but also well-rounded and fun-loving. I always thought law school was boring and too serious, but seeing the list of familiar names made me think that this endeavor could be fun with a set of classmates like those.

I inquired from the secretary whether I could still enroll and she said that they could still accept me if I just submit and undergo all the requirements. The very next day, I took the entrance exam, and got all the requirements.

Then there was the interview. To my surprise, the dean approached me and mentioned that I got the highest score in the exams. Then he left the room, leaving me with only a single interviewer. The interview went fine. She was just asking whether I would still be able to cope up with the pressures of law school knowing that I was also working. But then she told me that she, herself, was also a working student back in her law school years.

So there I was - entering law school unprepared.

As I entered my second year as a law student this school year, law school is becoming like a chamber of sweet torture. It really goes beyond how I imagined a law school would be like.

In my case, although it was gonna be my second year in law school, I was technically still a freshman, since my subjects were first year subjects. This was due to the fact that I only took a few units last year, which was the maximum allowed for an instructor at SU. This year, however, I was now a full-time student, and a little bit more prepared than last year.

I remembered how I expected the usual getting-to-know-you sessions during my very first day. But I was surprised when the professor immediately discussed the law without even introducing himself. From that moment, my day began and ended with reading law books and cases. The fact that most, if not all, law books have no pictures or even illustrations made it more wearisome. Sometimes, my eyes get glued to a certain paragraph in the reading assignment because it seemed vague and complicated, requiring my rereading it over and over again just to grasp its essence.

Law is all about reading – lots and lots of reading. I remember back in undergrad. When a teacher assigns a ten-page text to be read for the following week, we would immediately start complaining. This time, in law school, with all the text and cases assigned to us, we spent most of our “free time” reading hundreds of pages daily. But then again, IT is very much different from Law. The SU College of Law is not the country's 8th best law school for nothing. It's now all about survival. I don't care if I don't get any honors. All I care this time is simply passing.

In fact, because of the demands of tons of text to read, some of us spend the rest of the night after class in Dunkin Donuts, which is open 24 hours, and is a haven for Law and Nursing students. We’d stay up all night until we finish what is required from us, even if it means watching the sun rise the next morning.

However, the study of law is not just isolated in reading and reading and reading. We also have other activities that are significant for our survival, or else, we would grow old, older than our peers and professors.

In the law library while doing some law-related stuff, I could not help but observe the different individuals that are bound together by the goal of becoming a lawyer.

There’s one in the corner with hands on the forehead, talking to his textbooks. There’s another in front of me making a case digest while unconsciously humming the “Pacquiao Song.” A couple of students in the computer area were playing Yahoo! games. Others could not help but talk about the latest crazes, soccer games, and any other topic that could even remotely be related to the study of law. A certain group shared their corny jokes of the day, followed by a burst of laughter.

The librarian rang the bell, a reminder that silence is an “imperial decree” in the library. Then, somebody from the group jokingly announce, “Ice Cream!”

The library at the Villareal Hall is where law students “hang out.” Perhaps, it is safe to say that it has become our second home, since we spend most of the day there. Not only is it a place where students study and read cases, but it is also a place where we try to relax. It is perhaps the most fun library I’ve ever been to. Silence is a rule, but then again it doesn’t get followed all the time. Considering that we’d be there for hours, students are allowed to eat inside. Once we even brought pizzas and cakes there.

A visit to the library would show you that although the students there are seriously reading and studying, we also take time to relax and talk. I’d like to call this time as a “lucid interval,” in which we’d take a break from all the insanities of too much studying.

People share some gossips and other stories – some may be true, some are just made-up. We never really know sometimes when a classmate is serious or not. There’s also a time for all the jokes, which in spite of being corny, would still bring out a range of giggles and sheer laughter. As some would say, in a sense, we have “mabaw og kalipay” (shallow happiness). That probably is a result of all the pressures we face in law school. We always make sure to have some fun once in a while.

It goes with the saying that learning is fun, and it should be.

With the college’s support, law students even dared dancing in their diapers during cheering competitions. And during the dance sport competitions, there was a time when a guy wore a woman’s dress with make-up and wig, and tangoed with another male in the spotlight.

In the university annual cheering competition, one of the most-awaited portions of the activity was the performance of the law cheering team. Hilarious performances have already become a tradition for the college of law, just for the sake of entertaining the audience, and showing everyone the fun side of law school. Last year, we took it to another level. Doing away with the usual “gay” cheerleaders, this time the cheerleaders went in another direction. They wore adult diapers in front of thousands of people. The performance started with a voice recording, in a spoof of the famous “Hello Garci” conversation, which was a hot topic then. In our version, the student government president was taking bribes from the two deans of the biggest college rivals on campus, who happened to be there and didn’t seem amused at all. This was followed by the squad entering while the “Starwars” theme song was played. It was really amusing and everyone enjoyed the performance. Male justices of the court, all wearing togas, then entered as they were transported by “karitons” rented from the pier. The squad, reading from papers distributed then and there, shouted some yells. Just when everyone thought we were serious, the squad yelled “L”, and simultaneously, the first “judge” took of his robe. He was just wearing diapers and had the letter “L” painted on his tummy. The crowd began to scream and they got louder as each letter was shouted, and each judge disrobed, to form the word L-A-W-Y-E-R-S-!. The audience was entertained as they were treated with some comical dance moves together with funny cheers and yells, mostly making fun of the other colleges.

Because of that unforgettable performance, those 8 cheerleaders were instant campus celebrities, and were recognized by many during the other Founders Day activities.

I want to stress that law students even allotted time to practice for that purpose, a few hours maybe or a day, just to show to the entire Silliman community that law school is fun or even funnier beyond the pressures and challenges we have in the four corners of the classroom.

Other activities include fun-filled acquaintance parties, balls, Bingo socials, billiard tournaments, and basketball games. Each activity is fun, even more fun than most of the activities of the other colleges. Take for example this year’s acquaintance party, which featured the sophomore students doing a spoof of “Pinoy Big Brother”, complete with costumes and props. The party was so fun that we went home at past 4 in the morning.

Then of course, there are the unplanned, spontaneous activities that we do sometimes after school – partying, drinking, watching movies, and loads of other stuff.

The best thing I learned as a law student is the way I valued every single bit of my life. I realized that even a single second can make a big difference; it’s a matter of how you use it and make other people a part of it.

On my part, one of the things I learned so far, aside from learning that “dermatograph”, which sounded more like a gadget for the skin, was the correct term for what I used to simply call “highlighter, was that there’s always time for everything. No matter how busy you’d get, you should always find some time to enjoy. Otherwise, you’d simply get burned-out and frustrated.

Law school is really tiresome, there is no doubt about that. The study of law may be scary. But the sweet torture we have in Silliman University College of Law makes the study of law a lot different. It’s tough. Yet, we still manage to have fun and smile. After all, we will still be having that sweet torture in the years to come.

Sweet torture – that’s the perfect description of law school. It’s so demanding and stressful, yet it is also fun and enjoyable.

Environmental Advocacy

2006-07-22T14:08:00.001+08:00

A few days ago, a well-known environmental advocate gave us a lecture at the SU College of Law. I expected it to be boring but it turned out the opposite. It was very interesting and, to an extent, fun. In fact, I was inspired by how dedicated he was in his advocacy. The speaker, by the way, was Atty. Antonio A. Oposa, Jr., author of the popular environmental law book "A Legal Arsenal for the Philippine Environmental". That family name may ring a bell to you. If you are an environmentalist, studied law, or have browsed through some SCRAs (Supreme Court Reports Annotated), I'm sure your familiar with the landmark case of Oposa vs. Factoran.

Just to give you an idea, that famous 1990s case was a suit asking the cancellation of all the logging license agreements in the country and to order the government to stop accepting, processing, renewing or approving new timber licenses. The ruling established the principle of intergenerational equity in Philippine jurisprudence. This means that every generation has a responsibility to the next to preserve the environment. It established that the right to a balanced and healthful ecology is a specific legal right that one can go to court with and that a timber license granted by the government to a concessionaire does not constitute a contract whose enforcement cannot be stopped.

Oposa, a Bisaya (Cebuano), is a lawyer, but he prefers to be known as an environmental advocate. Perhaps that has got to do with the fact that his biggest (and in a way, only) client is Mother Nature herself. He pioneered the practice of environmental law in the Philippines and is one of Asia's experts in this field.

He is a team leader of the Visayan Sea Squadron, an outreach group of the Law of Nature Foundation which he heads. They hope to preserve the threatened waters of the Visayan Sea. In his lecture, he explained that this area is at the apex of the fabled Visayan Marine Triangle that lies at the heart of the Sulu-Sulawesi eco-region, the richest marine eco-region in the world.

Because of this, he has waged so many battles against environmental foes such as commercial fishing syndicates and logging companies. As a matter of fact, he has even gone head to head against the government with regard to certain environmental laws. He has already sued (and won) several LGUs for failing to implement laws for the preservation of the environment. As he said, "suing the government" had become a hobby of his.

His lecture, as I said, was so inspiring, and it was for most of those who were there. His dedication and commitment to saving and conserving Mother Nature was unbelievable. I was convinced at what he said that our rich environment is gradually deteriorating. I felt that indeed it was our responsibility to ensure that future generations may also experience the beauty of our environment and the earth as a whole.

I have all praises for this guy. He is just incredibly passionate with his pro bono work of serving the farmers and fishermen. He converted his beach house in Bantayan Island into a learning center where kids and adults could learn about solid waste management, coral reef protection and terrestrial ecosystems. He even put up marine and bird sanctuaries.

He says that his advocacy and practice of this field of law may not be that lucrative, but it is fulfilling, knowing for a fact that he was fighting for something that isn't only beneficial for one or a few persons, but the entire human race. Environmental advocacy, indeed, is a cause worth fighting for.

The ball is round

2006-07-16T02:22:00.002+08:00

Pachamba - that's the perfect word to describe the experience I had at Barefoot Bistro last night. The Silliman University College of Law Bar Operations Club, which I was an officer of, held the annual BINGO Socials & Billiards Tournament at that place.

I had always been a billiards enthusiast. In fact, as a graduation gift in high school, my dad bought a pool table, which, although a bit in poor condition now, still exists today. There was a time when I used to play a lot. Relatives and I play all kinds of pool games - 9-ball, 8-ball, rotation, and all other variations. Our pool games even included playing cards and four or more players. That's how I got my cue stick ("taco") - from my winnings in our gambling games.

I joined the tournament just to have fun. Besides, it was free. It was only the second time I entered a billiards tournament, and although we were only four participants this time, the competition was of high quality. They were as good as the players I've played against before.

As they say, "the ball is round". Anything can happen in a 9-ball game - including the seemingly improbable. I won the first two matches against two former winners of the event. I considered myself lucky. I had some great shots, but I also had a lot of "chamba". The two wins were good enough to make me reach the finals. It was a double-elimination format, and so I had the twice-to-beat advantage. I lost the first match but won in the rubber match. These matches really showed how lucky I was and how unlucky my opponent was. Good breaks came my way. There were even a couple of games wherein the only ball I made in the rack was the all-important 9-ball. In the final rack with the two of us tied, only the 9-ball remained on the table and it was his turn. It was a difficult shot, yet, as great as he was, he made it. But then, the cue ball continued rolling, banked once and went straight to the side pocket. Scratch! I won the game, match, and tournament.

I played terribly (like I always do) and I admit I was just extremely lucky. I know I was not the best player in the field but clearly, I had all the good luck.

Quite a number of Law schoolmates watched the match, and they all knew that my opponent was the much better player. I was the undeserving winner. It was an embarrassing win. But then again, it was still a "win". I ended up going home with a mug/trophy for being the tournament champion.

City of Gentle People No More

2006-07-14T07:57:00.001+08:00

What is wrong with Dumaguete nowadays? Incidents of crime and violence seem to get more rampant everyday. In the last few days, for example, there were at least 5 violent deaths around the city.

Dumaguete takes pride in being known as "The City of Gentle People." I guess that's not the case anymore. Over the past year or so, these are some of the incidents I've heard about. A mother was shot while on a motorbike with her kid in a subdivision. Another was killed near a public park. A friend of the mayor himself was killed at his residence. Two people were shot dead on the sidewalk near a convenience store. Another three stabbed each other to death in the same area a few months ago. An acquaintance was shot coming out of a bar. Someone was stabbed while at a gas station, a bar, and in other public places. Many other similar incidents have occurred throughout the city.

Why is this happening? Some say it's vigilante groups taking the law into their own hands. In fact, many of the victims are actually thieves and pushers. Another opinion is that the violence are acts of terrorism by syndicates coming from other places. Others also think it is an indirect result of the increasing drug addiction and heavy drinking in the city. Just about a month ago, a student was arrested on campus after a buy-bust operation.

Theft is so rampant in Dumaguete, ranging from simple cellphone snatching to actual breaking in offices and establishments. In Silliman, for example, several thefts were reported. A couple of laptops and a number of cellphones were stolen. There were incidents reported at the CBA, Nursing, Law, and AS offices, as well as the university bookstore.

It's about time our city government act on this. The rise of crimes in the city discourages potential investors and tourists from coming here. I really do not know how exactly, but one thing I could suggest is to add police visibility around the city. This was what some officials did in New York City in the past decade. About 650,000 serious crimes and murders were committed yearly from the 1960s to the 1990s. Then 2 police consultants suggested the increase of the presence of policemen in public places. Incredibly, criminality in New York City declined sharply by 65% in just a few years.

Monument of Uselessness

2006-07-13T02:52:00.001+08:00

A local politician had once described the controversial 5 million peso overpass at Hibbard Avenue in Dumaguete City as a "monument of uselessness."

There is much truth to this. It has been months since the project had been completed and until now, it hasn't really served any purpose. People prefer not to use it. Try observing the area for once, and you'd notice that no one actually would bother to use the overpass. Many knew even before that it would be useless. A lot of groups opposed this project from the start, claiming that it was impractical. Indeed, WE were right.

Those who were supportive of the project said that it was there for the safety of pedestrians and was a way of improving traffic.

However, the area is really safer than they think. I couldn't recall any accident that has occurred in that spot. It's not like Hibbard Avenue is a wide highway. In fact, the cars that pass that street move not that fast. One could safely cross the street without much trouble. It's only a few meters wide and it takes just a couple of seconds to completely walk from one sidewalk to the other. People would not want to wasted a couple of minutes in climbing up and down the overpass, which on the contrary, is more dangerous, considering the height and the number of steps to climb. Let us remember that most of the ones who cross the street are kids with big school bags. Don't you think it would be difficult for them to be carrying all their stuff while climbing those number of steps up then down the overpass?

The overpass actually contributed to the exact opposite of safety. There were a couple of reports of theft and hold-ups occuring on top of the overpass itself. Stories say that there would be a guy and a girl on top waiting for someone to pass by. The innocent passer-by would have no choice but to give to the demands of the holduppers.

Regarding traffic, it didn't really have any effect, since people don't use it. Instead, it just robbed a few square meters of parking space, making the area a bit more crowded. However, since a week a go, you have to say that traffic has improved, but it has nothing to do with the overpass. It is a result of the one-way traffic scheme implemented in that street, an idea which I've already suggested several times in the past.

Gas-to

2006-07-11T01:16:00.001+08:00

Once again, the prices of fuel had gone up. At 12 midnight yesterday, an price hike of 50 centavos per liter was implemented. Those who were aware made sure to fill up before earlier that evening. I was one of them. And it cost more than 2,300 Pesos for about 50 liters of gasoline.

a rare site!

Currently, the price of a liter of gasoline (unleaded) is almost 45 Pesos. That means that a hundred bucks will only get you just over a couple of liters. The price of diesel is probably a little lesser than that. I miss the days when a liter of a gas was even cheaper than a liter of bottled mineral water.

When I was working, friends ask me where I spend most of my salary, and I quickly tell them that that all my (hard-earned) money go to fuel expenses. I'm not really sure how much my daily fuel consumption is, but I spend at least 100 Pesos everyday. That's 3000 a month.

I tried an experiment once just to see how many kilometers I could go per hundred pesos. I put 1500 worth of gas in the Accord and reset the odometer. A couple of weeks later, the fuel warning LED started to light and the odometer read 165 kilometers. If my math is right, that's exactly only 11 kilometers per 100 Pesos, translating into about 5 kilometers per liter. Compare that to a Picanto, which, rumor has it, consumes an amazing 27 kilometers per liter. Maybe it has something to do also with the Accord's lack of fuel efficiency then. It has a 2.0 engine, and it's automatic, so it's more inefficient than the ordinary car. But still, the bottomline is, prices of fuel are devastatingly high.

Just imagine, I estimate the distance between the house (Pulantubig) to school at almost 3 kilometers. Thus, a round trip for that route is around 6 kilometers, or more than a liter of fuel consumption.

I've already started some measures that would hopefully lessen my gas expenses. I make sure that when I leave home each morning, I have all the things I need for that whole day, so that I won't need to go back home for stuff I may have forgotten to bring. Another measure is to park just at the house in Silliman Avenue and walk going to school (if it wasn't raining) or downtown. Lastly, every chance that I get, I'd rather leave the car at home and ride with mom and dad.

The Final Bow

2006-07-10T05:09:00.001+08:00

Perhaps a billion people in the world, including myself, are in a great state of shock and disappointment. It was supposed to be a happy ending, the perfect way to say goodbye. Legendary football genius Zinedine Zidane was going to play his last professional match, in no less than the greatest football stage, the World Cup Final. He was supposed to lead the overachieving France team versus the three-time champion Italy.

Three hours ago, at about 2:00 AM Philippine time, I got out of bed, and went straight to where all the action is - Coco Amigos. It was the only place in Dumaguete that was alive and kicking. The place was packed and everyone was filled with excitement for one reason. The World Cup Final will be aired live. There was no entrance fee, you just have to order a drink or two.

I came there with my classmate Rommel. He was wearing a France jersey. I, on the other hand, couldn't find my Zidane shirt, so I opted to wear a shirt bearing France's primary colors - blue, white, and red. I also had an adidas (the French outfitters) cap with the same colors. It was pretty obvious then that we were on the same side. Another law classmate of ours, Nabi, was already there. And he was on the other side, wearing an Italia shirt, an Italy pin, plus a miniature Italy jersey keyholder. Quite a number of familiar faces were there too. From Tito Bing Merced to Kuya Moe Atega, high school classmates to law upperclassmen, and soccer players to basketball players. It was a viewing party that only comes once in four years.

I came there to watch the end of one of the greatest football careers ever. I was rooting for France because of one man - the man who wears France's number 10, coincidentally my favorite number. It was no other than the three-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Zinedine Zidane, or Zizou for short. To me, he is the greatest football player of his generation.

I was looking forward for perfect farewell picture - Zidane lifting the World Cup trophy. It was like Michael Jordan posing as he made the shot in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Jordan was on top when he left the game (at least we all thought - if it wasn't for his disappointing Washington comeback). Coincidentally again, that same month that year, Zidane lifted the World Cup trophy, leading France over favorites Brazil. Will he repeat that moment today? Will he have the perfect ending? We were going to find out in a couple of hours.

The match looked like what I was hoping for. Zidane opened the scoring with a seventh-minute penalty after Marco Materazzi’s trip on Florent Malouda. The football gods seemed to be smiling on Zidane. It was gonna be destiny.

That's what I thought. A few minutes later, Materazzi made amends as he headed in the equalizer from Andrea Pirlo’s corner. The match was tied 1-1 with still 70 minutes remaining.

The match was up-and-down for the rest of the half. Glimpses of football flair and roughness made it entertaining. Both teams had their chances. When France goes on a break, the pro-France group in Coco Amigos begin to scream. When Fabio Cannavaro makes a good stop, the pro-Italy side respond with their own yells. It seemed like the crowd present there were evenly distributed. But it was clear that the people there were respectful and intellectual fans. They applaud in delight for every good play - even though it was by the opposing team. I enjoy being with people who are appreciative of the sport itself, and wouldn't be swayed by personal biases for a team. You could root for a team, but that doesn't mean you have to boo or curse the opposition.

The second half was better for me. France dominated the possessions and had a lot of great chances. Somehow, shot after shot, Italy was able to thwart the waves of French attacks. There were thrilling moments, attempts that almost beat the Italian goalkeeper. But still Italy was able to hold its ground.

The game ended in a 1-1 tie, and went into a 30-minute extra time. It was more of the same in the extension period, with France getting the better shots on goal. The closest was Zidane's header that was barely tipped by the goalkeeper to divert the ball inches above the crossbar. Had that gone in, the perfect ending I envisioned would have been reality.

But then the match suddenly took a dramatic wrong turn. From out of nowhere, Zidane had another header. This time, however, it was a headbutt directed on Materazzi. Was it visions of "Running of the Bulls" from his days in ? Zidane must have seen red as he powerfully rammed his head on Materazzi's chest. As it turned out, the only red thing he saw was the card the referree showed him a few seconds later. What happened really? What was on Zidane's mind? Was he that exhausted? Did he hallucinate? What did Materazzi do to justify the unsportsmanlike conduct? Dumbfouding really. From the replays, it seemed unexplainable. Unexcusable. Zidane was disappointingly yet deservingly thrown out of his final match. Personally, I think he was provoked. I don't think Zidane would react that way if he wasn't insulted.

The French were reduced to 10 men and would eventually be defeated in the Penalty Shootout. Italy went on to claim their 4th World Cup trophy.

As for Zidane, it was a major disappointment, and not because of the defeat. A loss would still have been respectable since he played a decent last game. It was that moment of shame that would be etched in every football fan's minds from quite some time. How sad is it for an athlete to build up his legendary career for so many years and to lose it all in a few seconds? It was like Mike Tyson biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear. Zizou ruined his valedictory with that one second lapse of judgement. The fairytale ending has to be rewritten. The farewell song ends in a sour note.

To the very end of his career, Zidane still displayed his elegant control of the ball. In the World Cup Final, he lost control of his temper.

Instead of Zidane lifting the trophy, it was the referee who lifted the red card. Instead of Zidane's entry into record books, it was a disgraceful early exit in his final game. Instead of replicating Jordan's farewell, Zidane did a Dennis Rodman.

The parting image for the France captain will forever be him rearing back in anger, lowering his head and launching his balding crown into the chest of Materazzi after the two exchanged heated words while walking down the field in extra time.

When shown the red card, Zidane barely protested. Slowly, he turned toward the exit leading to the locker room and began the long walk. And so the closest he would come to the World Cup trophy on this night was passing within arm's reach of the pedestal where it sat on display a few steps ahead of the exit.

For all the trophies he hoisted, all the glory he brought France, all those sparks of magic that flew off his feet game after game, year after year - all of a sudden, it seems like they never happened. All because of one moment of uncontrolled temper.

It's a shame. He's final bow on the world's biggest sporting stage turned out to be one directed to the chest of an opponent. Such a disappointing end to a fabulous career.

Law Acquaintance Party

2006-07-09T22:04:00.001+08:00

"All work and no play makes John a dull boy."

I've just been to the best acquaintance party last weekend. It was an experience more fun than any getting-to-know-you gathering I've been part of in high school and college.

The annual Law Acquaintance party last Saturday was held at a classmate's place near Valencia. Tradition calls for the Freshmen class to organize the event. They are tasked not only to prepare the place, food, and games, but also to pay for the whole activity! It's kinda like the JS Prom back in high school wherein the Juniors treat the graduating Senior class. The first year Law students did an excellent job! (fyi: I'm considered a sophomore since I've already paid my dues last year - hehehe).

The theme of the event was "Children's Party." Everyone has to wear a costume related to the "young child in all of us" - cartoons, superheroes, mascots, etc. Unlike other costume parties I've been to, the Law version is more serious, more competitive. People make sure that they're in the appropriate costumes as what was required. Ladies came in school girl outfits, short skirts, long stockings, and all. The three-time and defending "Best in Costume" winner dressed up as Tinkerbell. Men came in their boyish get-up. One classmate wore tucked-in checkered polo with bow tie, khaki shorts, high socks, rubber shoes, and a colorful cap. He even brought a toy car with a string attached to it, which he pulled along as he came in. The united Seniors all came in their bully/rockstar costumes. They were all in black, complete with tattoos and all the bling-bling. Aside from their own costumes, the Sophomores unveiled their class shirts displaying a sexy lady of justice at the back and the legal maxim "Ignorantia Legis Non Excusat", meaning "Ignorance of the Law Excuses No One".

The place was perfect. It so happened that it already had a playground. There was a basketball court, a ping-pong table, and a videoke and disco area. The yard was so huge you could even have a makeshift soccer field.

Since it was a "children's party", there were balloons, toys, lute bags, and parlor games. Other free goodies were plastic balloons, torotots, lollipops, gum, and candies. Even one of our distinguished professors, assisted by his own kids, performed a magic show for all of us.

The program exhibited talents from each year level, except for the Seniors who weren't able to prepare. The Sophomores did a play "Pinoy Big Brother Law Edition" that was quite entertaining, and even had a video presentation on the projector screen. If you think all law students do is read and study, you're certainly wrong. We could also sing, act, and dance.

The food included the kinds you'd usually see in children's parties, and a lot more. Not only were there lechon, spaghetti, hotdogs, sandwiches, lumpia, chicken, puto, and one tube of Panda ice cream, but also kinilaw, dinuguan, steak bits, sugbang isda, sashimi, and all kinds of nuts - perfect for the late night pulutan.

Since we're on that topic, one of the coolest things in the party was the never-ending flow of alcohol - beer, rhum, and tequila. Everyone was getting drunk and the super cold bottles of beer just kept coming. We never finished the 10 cases of beer that was prepared by the host.

Everyone was tipsy and started heading to the dance floor. Even the faculty joined in. The dean showed his own moves, and even the city legal counsel did some breakdancing. Everyone was getting along, the freshmen and the upperclass, and even the students and the faculty.

We were stuffed and getting wasted so we figured we needed to burn some of the calories. We then spent the next hour on some 3-on-3 halfcourt playground basketball. In between games, we'd consume a few gulps of beer and some pulutan.

Others played ping-pong and did some videoke singing. We played on the swings and the jungle jim at the playground. We even had a hide-and-seek game within the expansive front yard.

In the end, we went home past 4 in the morning, and we brought with us some fun memories along the way. It was a perfect break from the stress of law school. After the weekend, it will be back to normal - books, SCRAs, cases, and all.

Overall, the party was incredibly fun. Good place, good food, good friends. As the speaker, a Bar topnotcher and a professor from the University of the Philippines, commented on the occasion, the SU Law school is unique in every good way. The camaraderie and closeness of everyone is a breathe of fresh air. For us also, it certainly was a breathe of fresh air, from the weeks of hardship and stress.

(photos shall follow soon)

Sudoku

2006-07-08T02:31:00.001+08:00

In the 2006 MTV Movie Awards, they did a spoof/parody of the Da Vinci Code. Jessica Alba finds a body on the ground with a Sudoku puzzle on his stomach. And she begins to take her pen out and tries to think quickly.

I've heard of this game for quite some time already. But I've never really knew how it worked until last week. I had some extra time while reading the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and I noticed this puzzle beside the usual crossword one. I read the instructions and it seemed challenging. And that was it. Since then, I try to find time each day to solve the daily puzzle.

Sudoku, also known as Number Place or Nanpure, is a logic-based placement puzzle. The aim of the puzzle is to enter a numerical digit from 1 through 9 in each cell of a 9×9 grid made up of 3×3 subgrids (called "regions"), starting with various digits given in some cells (the "givens"); each row, column, and region must contain only one instance of each numeral. Completing the puzzle requires patience and logical ability. No math necessary.

The PDI Concepti Sudoku puzzles gradually get tougher each day of the week. I tried my first puzzle on a Saturday, so the difficulty level was 4 out of 5 stars. It took me almost 3 hours to complete it. But it was really fun. I've always loved puzzles, word games and the like. This is something new and I love it. The next day, 5 stars, it took me under 2 hours to finish. And on Monday, 1 star, it was a piece of cake - less than 20 minutes.

I'm still getting the hang of it so I guess my "solving time" will eventually improve. There are some tips available online, which I haven't gone through yet. It's tempting to know the techniques to solve the puzzles quickly, but I think I'd prefer doing it my way, since I've started to develop my own set of procedures.

I was able to download a PC game, Sudoku by GameHouse. At least now, I could play as much as I want to.

10 favorite everyday desserts

2006-07-06T13:23:00.001+08:00

I admit I'm an addict when it comes to sweets. Those who know me knows for a fact that I love chocolates. Everyday, I make sure I have my daily dose of anything sweet. Here's a list of my top 10 favorite after-eating sweets, not arranged in any particular order. This list doesn't include chocolates and takes into consideration the accessibility (near the house) and the affordability (relatively cheap) of the dessert.

1. Cookie Monster (Bethel's Cafe Felomina)

- We always take our snacks here, where the it's always cold. Everyone in the family loves their Halo-halo, but that's just not my type. I love their cookie monster cake. There's something about the icing that's really delicious.

2. Concorde Cake (Sans Rival)

3. Brazos de Mercedes (Sans Rival)

- Back when I was a kid, this was my ultimate favorite. I still love it now, but not as much as I did before.

4. Sans Rival (Sans Rival)

5. Cookie Monster (Cafe Antonio)

- It so happened that the one who bakes this is my college classmate's mom. Back then, we used to hang out at their place, so we got them for free then.

6. Oatikins (Tsokolat)

- I'm not sure of the spelling but one thing's for sure. This is really good.

7. Leche Flan (Jo's Inato)

- It's not really the best I've tasted, but since it's just a stone throw's away, it has to be a favorite.

8. Silvanas (Sans Rival)

9. Cookies & Cream Polvoron (Goldilocks)

10. Mocha Java/Freeze (Scoobys)

- I'm not really sure if this could be considered a "dessert", but the bottomline is, I have it after lunch, since Scooby's is quite near.

Déjà vu

2006-07-04T02:23:00.001+08:00

The whole football world was stunned as the referee blew the final whistle. The score read: Brazil 0, France 1. Rarely could one witness a squad of Brazilians held scoreless for an entire football match. But that's exactly what had happened to the current World Cup, Copa America, and Confederations Cup champs as they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the winners in 1998. The superstar squad were the odds-on favorites to repeat, even though they were underperforming in their first few matches.

I've written about this match and I mentioned that this could be either Ronaldo's or Zidane's last World Cup match. In the end, it was Ronaldo, the new record-holder for most goals in the tournament's history, who was beaten.

To be honest, I expected a much better game by both teams. With the likes of geniuses Ronaldo, Zidane, Ronaldinho, Henry, Robinho, and Kaka, I thought the game would be a display of flair and entertainment. Much to my dismay, it was dull and boring.

The game was much more physical, as the French defense stifled the celebrated Brazilian attackers. Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Kaka were very much contained. I'm especially disappointed with Ronaldinho, the 2-time and current FIFA World Player of the Year. He struggled the whole tournament, held scoreless, and never really was a big influence in any of the matches. Kaka, too, apart from that goal against Czech Republic, had not done much. At least Ronaldo scored thrice, but still, he could have done better. The fourth of the "feared" Brazilian magic quartet, Adriano, who for some reason did not start in that match, had a poor showing in the entire tournament. As a matter of fact, I couldn't think of one player in the Brazil squad who played well in this year's World Cup.

Against France, the Samba boys were out of sync. They never threatened to score as they only recorded one shot-on-goal, and it was late in the game. That's unheard of. They were lethargic. Anemic. They lacked the passion that we would normally expect from Brazil. They were lax through out the match. Their passing was average. Their teamwork was horrible. I saw signs of disunity within the squad even in their match against Ghana. As I recall, Ronaldo was wide open with no goalkeeper to worry, but Adriano selfishly tried his luck. The same thing happened with the streaking Ronaldinho, who was ignored by Cafu in a Brazilian attack. No better example of their lack of cohesiveness was during the most crucial point of the match against France. Zidane took the free kick. Five French players were in the penalty area, and there were only three Brazilians who marked them. No one even bothered to mark France's leading goal-scorer Henry as he delivered the winning strike. As replays showed, Roberto Carlos, who was closest to Henry, never even moved an inch. A perfect pass by Zidane, completed by Henry. This kind of Brazilian performance (or lack thereof) was a portrait of the kind of tournament they had. Underachieving. All talk and no walk.

Everybody saw that they struggled at the start of the tournament. They got better with each game and we probably assumed they were gonna peak at the right time. For some reason, when France beat Spain to arrange a quarterfinal meeting against Brazil, I immediately had doubts. My gut feel at the time was for an upset.

Indeed the upset did realize. The last time Brazil lost a World Cup match was 8 years ago. And who do you think defeated them? You guessed it! France, in the finals 3-0. It was simply déjà vu.

For all the World Cup trophies won by Brazil, the most successful soccer country will always be remembered losing to France. Sometimes, there's just that team which you couldn't seem to beat. If I'm not mistaken, in the four times the two teams have ever met, Brazil had only won once, and it was decades ago. In Brazil's book, France will be known as their tormentors.

And the one who led the tormenting? The great one himself - Zidane, all 34 years of him. The man of the match. He played magnificently, as he dazzled the crowd with his spectacular ballhandling wizardry. Playing what was expected to be his last game before retirement, Zidane came up with all his trademark touches, his twisty runs past defenders and expertly timed first-time passes. The 3-time FIFA World Player of the Year made Ronaldinho look like an amateur. It was the master getting the better of his student. He was classic Zidane as he masterminded the biggest upset this year - just like he did 8 years ago. Déjà vu indeed.

Empty Streets Tomorrow

2006-07-02T00:01:00.001+08:00

Finally, the much-awaited Pacquiao fight is just hours away. Dubbed the "Thrilla in Manila 2", in reference to the Ali-Frazier match decades ago, our very own Manny Pacquiao will be taking on another Mexican in the name of Oscar Larios, at around lunch time tomorrow at the Araneta Coliseum.

This is the first major fight in which Pacquiao will be in front of his countrymen. There was the "Yanig sa Taguig" a few years ago, but it was more of a tune-up fight against a hardly-known opponent. This is different. It's for the WBC International Super Featherweight belt. It is internationally sanctioned, and it is aired worldwide (that's why the fight begins morning, Manila time; so that it would be featured in a prime time slot in the US). Well-known boxing journalists and commentators from all over the world are in the Philippines to cover the fight. They even brought in Michael Buffer (familiar with the line "uhhhh let's get reaaaaddddy to rumbbbbllleeee"?). Just a quick add-on: according to some reports, the fight organizers are paying around 1 million pesos just for that introductory line before the fight. Apparently, he has already made a fortune in just doing that, and has sued (and won in all cases) a lot of imitators.

Now back to the fight itself. Unfortunately for Manny, homecourt advantage also has its disadvantages. First, there's the pressure. 80 million Filipinos will be following the fight. That's a lot of weight to carry on your shoulders. Another problem could be overconfidence or being overzealous. Manny might wanna put on a show. He might perform instead of fight. The adrenaline and the roars of the crowd may drive him into thinking of finishing the fight early. That could work against him.

All signs lead to a big upset tomorrow. Remember Barrera in San Antonio (which is regarded as his hometown) in 2003. Well, Pacquiao, the heavy underdog, shocked the boxing world in one of the biggest upsets ever. Will the tables turn tomorrow?

According to reports, Larios is in top form. Pacquiao, on the other hand, seems to have a lot of distractions. All the advertisements and endorsements, TV and movie appearances, album sales, cockfighting, the civil suit against him, and of course the movie that just came out about his life.

As one journalist put it, a movie about Pacquiao's life is already out (starring Jericho Rosales as Pacquiao) in a time when his career is still rising. Usually, movies about heroes are done towards the end of their career or even when they retire. Could this be a sign that his career is on the decline?

We will all know in a few hours. People will be glued to their TVs or radios tomorrow. Where will I be? Well, I plan to wake up at 5 a.m., go jogging at the boulevard, attend mass at Immaculate Church by 7, go home and freshen up, then be at Macias Sports Center with law classmates by 9 a.m. The fight won't be there, but there's a big screen for public viewing. It will be televised on TV but the commercials delay the coverage by so much. I remember, during the last Morales fight in Las Vegas, an aunt who watched the fight live, informed us Pacquiao already won, when the TV broadcast showed it was still the first round. The one in Macias is live without commercial break. Although it costs 20 Pesos, it would be nice to witness the fight with other sports fans. Plus, the undercard fights feature a number of Filipinos led by Jimrex Jaca and Gerry Peñalosa. Unfortunately, one of the Pinoy rising young boxers, Boomboom Bautista, had withdrawn due to some injury.

As for my prediction, it's hard to say. It has been shown through reports that Larios is in excellent shape. I don't know if the organizers (ABS-CBN and others) are doing this on purpose to build up the fight. Months ago, people think that Pacquiao will breeze by Larios, and some do not wish to spend as much as 1000 Pesos (reportedly the lowest ticket price, the highest being 50000 Pesos) for a fight that would finish early. It has been reported that ticket sales are low. That's when the media (led by ABS-CBN of course), did their thing by conditioning our minds that Larios is a great fighter.

If this is true, then they did a good job. I now think Larios is capable of beating Pacquiao in the latter's own turf. However, patriotic as I am, I don't think it will happen. Larios is a hard-worker, but I believe hard work is not enough to overcome raw power and skills. Even a 100% Larios could not beat an 80% Pacquiao. If Pacman is not overconfident and overzealous, then I think he'd knock out Larios inside 7 rounds. Otherwise, he'd win via split decision in 12 full rounds. If Manny would be careless in the later rounds, a late knockout by Larios is possible. The key there to me is the first couple of rounds. Manny should not come out firing and attacking immediately. An open defense may lead into a Larios power punch - and he has that powerful punch. He should feel him out first with jabs and then start the barrage perhaps on the 4th round, when he could already gauge the skills of his opponent.

I know my so-called predictions are play-it-safe. Actually, it's not much of a prediction. The best I could foresee is this: the streets will definitely be empty tomorrow morning 'til after lunch.

RELATED BLOG ENTRY: The Pacman Phenomenon

Class is permanent

2006-06-28T12:09:00.001+08:00

“Ronaldo and Zidane prove class is permanent” – this is the headline displayed today at http://www.fifaworldcup2006.com/. Very appropriate indeed. Two legends heading into the twilights of their magnificent football careers.

Ronaldo plays for Brazil. Zinedine Zidane plays for France. They are two of the greatest footballers ever, combining to win 6 FIFA World Player of the Year awards and 3 World Cups. They have met before in the 1998 World Cup Finals, with Zidane scoring twice to lead France over Brazil. It was Ronaldo’s turn 4 years later to hoist the World Cup trophy, as he led Brazil in 2002. The two rivals have become good friends then, as teammates in Spanish club Real Madrid, and as goodwill ambassadors for the United Nations, even appearing in some UN ads and playing in "Matches Against Poverty."

Before the start of this year’s once-every-four-years World Cup, Ronaldo had been criticized for being overweight and unfit, and many have questioned his inclusion in the Brazil starting 11. Zidane, on the other hand, has made it clear that after the competition, he would be retiring from the sport, ending one of the greatest footballing careers ever. It seems inevitable that this would be the last time these two will be performing in the world’s biggest football stage.

Yesterday, Ronaldo and Zidane proved that they still have it. They may not be as quick, as strong, and as agile as their former selves, but they could still perform. Brazil took on Ghana. France took on Spain. Ronaldo and Zidane both scored as they led their teams to victories.

For Ronaldo, it was making his critics eat their own words, as he scored for the third time this year and broke the record for the most World Cup goals ever with his 15th. For Zidane, it was simpler – extending his career for at least one more match. For both, it was proving to everyone not to count them out yet.

They may be older now and it may be true that there are emerging superstars around them. Brazil has Ronaldinho, the current FIFA World Player of the Year, while France has the younger Thierry Henry. Interestingly, Ronaldinho and Henry led their respective European clubs, Barcelona and Arsenal, to the UEFA Champions League Finals this year. The two could be heirs to Ronaldo and Zidane’s thrones, but for now, they still are overshadowed by their legendary compatriots. They have proven that class is indeed permanent.

And what do those two victories mean?

As the cliché goes, “a match made in heaven.” The wins resulted in a quarterfinal meeting between Brazil and France. The storyline couldn’t be better than this. It was Brazil versus France once more. Ronaldo versus Zidane one last time. The only sad thing is that one has two lose.

Then again, they already are proven winners. And they will always be remembered as such.

Billionaire Philanthropists

2006-06-27T13:24:00.001+08:00

Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie once said, “The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.”

I'm glad those words did not fall on deaf ears. I was ecstatic when I heard on TV that a billionaire has promised to give away a huge amount of money to charity. I immediately went online to get the details, and here is what I gathered from different sources.

Warren Edward Buffett, the second richest man in the world, announced that he will be donating 85% of his $44 billion worth of common stock from his company, most of which would be going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

This single largest monetary donation in history has united the world's two richest people in a bid to fight disease, reduce poverty and improve education.

The roughly $30.7 billion donation doubles the Gates Foundation's size to $60 billion, five times larger than any other U.S. charitable group and larger than the gross domestic product of Kuwait.

Buffett told reporters that his decisions to give such a significant amount to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is due to his friend Bill Gates’ decision recently to step back from his responsibilities at Microsoft to focus more on the foundation.

Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, recently announced plans to retire from Microsoft in 2008 to focus his attention on philanthropy. Many analysts and people in general view the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to be the world's most respectable charitable foundation due to Bill Gates' involvement and how critical he is about where money is spent and who it is given to.

Time Magazine last year named the Gates couple, together with Bono of U2 its "Persons of the Year" for 2005, citing their charitable and philanthropic pursuits.

I've heard some who fear that Bill Gates might be the next anti-Christ, and even claim that this partnership between the world's two richest men is part of a bigger conspiracy. I can't really comment on this. I just wonder why people tend to find the negative out of something positive.

Nevertheless, these developments are truly inspiring. Imagine if all the other 689 billionaires (in US dollars) would duplicate this, even just a tiny portion of their immense wealth?

That would simply be incredible - the total alleviation of poverty.

10 signs that you're getting older

2006-06-25T18:52:00.001+08:00

Here are 10 things that makes you realize you’re getting older (based on my own experience!)

when the clothes you bought just last Christmas do not fit anymore (this probably has something more to do with weight rather than age)
when people prefer to call you kuya or sir
when you use the calculator more often instead of doing all the math in your head (you’d blame your deteriorating memory on beer)
when drinking all night doesn't sound so fun anymore (and when you do drink, everyone seems to talk about anything related to work and jobhunting)
when you play golf or badminton more instead of basketball (people think badminton is a sissy game - no offense, I play it too, and believe me, it’s tougher than you think)
when you do play basketball and the kids you used to beat all the time before now run circles around you (I don’t jump as high or run as fast as before. Your mind thinks you could do it but your body doesn’t)
when you idolize NBA players who are much younger than you are (you look up to LeBron James and the other high school phenoms)
when you’re the only one among all the cousins in your entire family who isn’t married and doesn’t have kids (among all the first cousins in my father’s side, I’m the only one unmarried and without kids)
when you and your nephew are both freshmen students in school (just to clarify, he’s a freshman undergrad student, I’m a freshman law student, but you get the same green sheet when you enroll at SU)
when you now believe in the saying that “age doesn’t matter”

The number "10"

2006-06-25T04:08:00.002+08:00

10 is my favorite number. I'd like to think of it this way: 10 stands for perfection (as in 10/10), something one should aspire for. Since I'm into computers and everything digital, 10 also symbolizes the language of computers called binary digits or bits for short (remember the cool Matrix graphics?) consisting only of 1's and 0's. In addition, each digit in number 10 is the exact opposite. 1 is the opposite of 0. On and off. Yes and no. Positive and negative. Good and bad.

a wicked week for sports

2006-06-24T00:40:00.001+08:00

It has been a bad week for sports - nope, I'm not a part of any of it (although I'd like to think I am - in spirit), but as a die-hard sports fanatic, the past week sucked!

NBA FINALS

First and foremost, the team I have been rooting for the past 4 years lost in the NBA Finals. Yup, I'm a big-time Mavs fan! An amazing 2-0 start in the best-of-seven series for the championship ended up with an equally and heartbreaking game six victory on the road by the Miami Heat. Although the Mavs had homecourt advantage, many made them the underdogs. Even 6 out of 10 Dallas journalists predicted a Heat victory (talk about loyalty!). But I was confident the Mavs would win it all, even at the start of the season last November. I predicted the NBA champs (I give out my prediction after each All-Star break) for the past three seasons (2003-Spurs, 2004-Pistons, 2005-Spurs) but that streak failed this year. By the way, I may root for a team, but it doesn't necessarily follow that I predict them to win. This may sound weird but I'm just being realistic. (There are just times when you want a team to win but know that they don't stand a chance) Interestingly, it was only in 2004 wherein the team I rooted for was also the team I predicted to win. It would have been the second time this year. Here's a simple table to illustrate what I mean:

year --- predicted champs --- my team --- eventual champs
2003 -------Spurs---------------- Mavs------- Spurs
2004 -------Pistons --------------Pistons ----- Pistons
2005 -------Spurs --------------- Mavs ------- Spurs
2006 -------Mavs ----------------Mavs ------- Heat

As you can clearly see, the only time I did not root for the Mavs was in 2004. That was the time they had that crazy incompatible lineup (with Walker and Jamison). Then compare the second and fourth columns, as I said, it's only this year that my prediction was incorrect. Blame it on D. Wade.

The Mavs were 2-up in the series and led by 13 points midway through the 4th quarter of game 3. It looked like it would be 3-0 and ready for a sweep, but the Flash just started to "heat" up. No offense to Shaq (who showed glimpses of Superman in the Pistons series - nearly coinciding with the release of the movie "Superman Returns"), Dwyane (that's a "w" before the "y") Wade carried the entire Miami team. Fall 7 times, stand up 8. He is definitely the MVP worthy of MJ comparisons. He was just amazing. Unstoppable. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Wade fan, I just don't like the Heat as a team, mainly because of the old veterans (aka has-beens) who signed for a minimum contract just to have a chance to win a ring.

That come-from-behind Heat victory in game 3 was the turning point of the series. At that time, I already felt the Mavs were in trouble. A disheartening loss like that easily shifted the series' momentum in favor of the veteran Heat squad. And for that, I was correct. The Heat's vast experience (led by Shaq, Payton, and Zo) proved to be the difference.

As for the Mavs, it's not the end of the world. The experience they gained will be valuable as they make another run next year. I'm just a bit worried though because I feel like this WAS their chance. It just got away.

NOTE: That's an old photo of the Mavs. Michael Finley isn't a part of them anymore. Ironically, he's with the team the Mavs defeated in the West Semis - the Spurs.

US OPEN

Next was the U.S. Open Golf Championship. I idolize Tiger Woods (who else?) but unfortunately for him it was his first tournament back after the passing away of his dad, who was a big part of him not only as a father, but a teacher. The world's number 1 golfer just struggled at the extremely tough Winged Foot Course in New York. It was the first time I could recall him missing a cut in a major championship.

Even worse was the fact that sentimental choice Colin Montgomerie (perhaps the best golfer not able to win a major championship) choked at the last hole to ruin his chances (shades of Jean Van De Velde's meltdown at the British Open several years ago). But then again, at least it wasn't Phil Mickelson who won.

WORLD CUP

Third on the list is the still on-going FIFA World Cup at Germany, although this is not totally a disaster. Brazil, without any doubt the favorites to repeat, was unimpressive in their first two games - a 1-0 win over Croatia and a 2-0 win over Australia. The Samba boys didn't show the finesse and flair they are known for, and the intimidating attacking quartet of superstars Ronaldinho, Kaka, Adriano, and Ronaldo never clicked. They clearly were underperforming, even prompting a Brazilian journalist to call Ronaldo a "wobbling heavyweight".

The good thing was that the Brazilians improved in their 3rd outing against Japan, 4-1, but not after conceding the first goal. Proving everyone wrong, Ronaldo, on his 4th World Cup, showed flashes of his 2002 Golden-boot-winning form as he scored 2 goals, tying the record for most goals in the World Cup with 14. One more goal and he would be the leading goal-scorer in the tournament's history.

In the end, at least the Brazilians are still in, through to the last 16. And I believe we have yet to see the "real" dominant Brazil team. It may not be that wicked after all. Lookout everyone!

and one last shot... The New York Knicks just fired celebrated coach Larry Brown (in the process losing millions). Another episode in the Knicks' never-ending moves. If there's an award for the most unstable team, they'd surely win. And who would replace the former coach of the year? Isiah Thomas, who had stepped down from an executive position. Maybe he's just trying to "pull out a Riley." Get this: the Knicks are nowhere close to the Heat.

Summer of '06

2006-06-01T18:06:00.001+08:00

Dang! Summer's over... just like that. Time has flown really fast.

Although I had classes, this eight week summer "vacation" was one of the most fun in recent memory.

For starters, I went to Boracay twice this summer, the first one during the last week of March and the second one just this May. Both times, my companions and I brought our own vehicles up to Caticlan, so I got to drive in several new provinces. Although it was not my first time to Bora, we had to get a map of the island of Panay. The unfamiliarity of the place made the trip more fun.

The second time was a little bit of a hassle as we went there just as typhoon "Caloy" struck the island-paradise. The fun part was that there were about 20 of us relatives. However, because of the delay in our trip, I had to go home ahead of the rest. I was just in Boracay for less than 10 waking hours.

My cousins from Manila spent their entire vacation in Dumaguete so there were a lot of activities, such as "beach-resort hopping" - a term I want to describe as being at several resorts in a single day. Among the beaches and/or resorts we visited (the entire summer) include Bahura (several times), Pura Vida, El Dorado, Private Residence, Cangmating, Martesan and Atlantis. I worked the past summer so there were some activities which I failed to take part in, such as trips to Lake Balinsasayaw and Sand Bar, as well as Dolphin Watching.

We always ate out. We were always (this is an understatement) at Bethel during hot afternoons. We'd stay there for hours talking and consuming Halo-halo or Cookie Monster. Other favorite food places are Chin Loong, Cafe Antonio, and Hayahay. As usual, there was the food festival at the boulevard during the Santa Cruzan, and we were often there too.

Speaking of Santa Cruzan, the city tourism sent me a letter to be one of the escorts for the sagalas during the parade. I never showed up.

I also went to Cebu a couple of times. At Shangri-la Beach Resort in Mandaue, we went jetskiing. Also, I watched the NBA Legends game held at Mandaue City. I saw former NBA stars Dennis Rodman, Calvin Murphy, Darryl Dawkins, Sidney Moncrief and Alex English in action against the San Miguel Legends led by Allan Caidic. Of course they played a lot slower, but still you know that when they were at the peak of their careers, they were the world's best. And there were also NBDL players who were super athletic, showcasing their aerial artistry with a barrage of high-flying dunks. Best of all, I got the Worm's autograph after the game. I was able to get to him cause I was wearing a Bulls shirt and cap (I'm a big fan of the 1990s Bulls team). I was amazed at how big and muscular he was and I wasn't able to react right away and have my picture taken with him.

That night, we went to Vudu at Crossroads. We were at the VIP lounge and to our astonishment, this huge guy wearing what looked like pyjamas came in. You got it, it was Rodman himself. There were only about 10 people in the lounge that night and yet, I didn't have the guts to get a picture. He was, after all, known as the Badboy, and he loves that reputation. I didn't want to leave the bar with a broken camera.

Now back to Dumaguete. Since we're on the topic of bars, on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, most likely you'd find my cousins and I either at Hayahay, El Camino, or Payag. It seemed like we never missed a Reggae Wednesday at Hayahay. We were also at the Ragga De Mayo Concert by Junior Kilat led by Pinoy Big Brother finalist Budoy and local band Enchi (by the way, they have music videos on Myx already) since two of my cousins, as part of SUHS batch 1996, were the organizers.

Sports has also been a part of the summer. Specifically badminton and basketball - not golf this time. We usually play at Erco or the Court at Hypermart. The good thing was that many of us cousins, and even titos (and now titas) play badminton too.

looks familiar?

2006-04-04T15:47:00.001+08:00

I was reading the newspaper last week when an article on the Philippine Daily Inquirer caught my attention. It wasn't the headline in the Business section that stood out, but instead, it was the picture on that page, which showed an image of the historic Silliman Hall. Although the Silliman Hall is popular and there are a lot of published photos of this, this one amused me because it looked really familiar.

As it turned out, this picture was taken by me! It was during summer 2003 when my team and I were working on the Silliman University Online Tour as senior BSIT On-the-Job Training (OJT) students then.

Im sure of this because I used that exact photograph as the image in the Silliman University Online Tour homepage. I distinctly remember applying an embossed effect on that image just to make it less bare.

Anyway, I remember taking that picture early one morning (according to the picture details, it was April 21, 2003). I was too embarrassed to take a photo of the building in the presence of other people, so what I did was to take it inside a car, the Diahatsu Feroza I was then driving during that time. I strategically parked the Feroza just between the "tempurahan" and the start of the long strip at the Rizal boulevard. In fact, I hurriedly took the shot to avoid passers-by from wondering what I was doing. Because of the rush, I accidently included the Feroza's side mirror.

I then cropped the image to discard the part where the side mirror was included. A few enhancements using Adobe Photoshop, and the picture was ready.

I had always been a frustrated photographer and dream of succeeding as one. Seeing it on a national publication like the Inquirer, it made me feel kinda proud in a small little way. But then again, should they have had asked permission from me? Considering it was used in the Online Tour web page belonging to Silliman University, then I guess they should ask permission from SU. Perhaps they did. But it doesn't matter. The bottom line is, the picture I took was published nationally!

Traffic

2006-03-10T10:01:00.001+08:00

"Traffic.. too bad nakaka-badtrip... ". That was a line of an old TV jingle. I guess that San Miguel Beer commercial was effective since I often find myself singing to that tune in the middle of traffic.

Believe it or not, the small city of Dumaguete has its own share of traffic problems too. Yesterday morning, it took me almost 30 minutes (28 minutes to be exact) to travel from home to school, a distance of approximately 4 kilometers. The traffic jam that morning was one of the worst I've experienced in Dumaguete, considering that there was no road accident or other mishaps that could have caused the congestion. Good thing I was driving an automatic that time. Normally, at regular speed and regular traffic, it would take me about 8 minutes to cover that route. Two years ago as an undergrad, that number was around 6 minutes. This proves that (aside from me being a frustrated statistician and numbers-keeper) traffic is becoming worse in the city.

The roads are quite narrow and there aren't a lot of alternative routes to get from one point to another. And then there's the fact that there are a lot of vehicles in the city. Someone once said that Dumagueteños are very much into cars and the number of fancy cars here could rival those of the bigger cities.

Then of course there's the presence of pedicabs (a term for a motorcycle with sidecar) that infest the city. The pedicab drivers speed up, then take a sudden stop or U-turn without any regard for safety or road courtesy. It somehow boils down to the driver's discipline on the road and consideration for others. Drivers do not observe proper traffic rules. There are a lot of traffic signs that never get observed. Just try driving around Dumaguete and I'm pretty sure you'd see what I mean in a few minutes. An uncle observed before that if one knows how to drive in Dumaguete, then driving in other cities would be a piece of cake. That probably best explains how undisciplined Dumaguete drivers are.

When I drive along the National Highway from the public market to PNB, I am amused at how vehicles overtake left and right, the drivers cut in, take a sharp turn or sudden stop. That zone is what I like to call the "free-for-all freeway". Drivers do not follow a certain lane, and one time the road even clogged up to 6 vehicles each in different lanes! Even ants are more organized than this.

Then there's also the physical condition of our roads. It's good that the city has started to cement much of the roads, but there are still quite a number of sections that are really terrible. The road at Lo-oc for example, where you get to experience a "roller-coaster" ride. I believe the reason for these "wavy" roads is because of the soft soil beneath our city. That's what one of my elementary school teachers said. Because of the bad conditions of some roads, and the need to fix them often, a lot of detours and one-ways are implemented. As one classmate said, Dumaguete is a one-way city. There are lots of one way streets to help facilitate traffice and even more because of constructions going on.

These roads should be fixed first. Dumaguete's population will drastically lessen during summer and I hope construction of roads would be hastened during this time in preparation for late May when the population goes back to normal again. The Lo-oc road has been under construction for more than two years already. I noticed that the construction is on and off. It's not finished all at once. Hopefully it would be done soon. The opening of the Lo-oc road would certainly help ease traffic congestion because this is where big trucks and Ceres buses pass, instead of the other narrower roads.

Speaking of trucks, I wish there was still another alternative route that would go from Sibulan to Bacong directly. That way, vehicles that travel from north to south without the intention of being in Dumaguete, could choose this route. Many cargo trucks go from north to south or vice-versa but because there's no other way, they have to pass through Dumaguete. I know this is asking to much, but I believe this option could be studied. I once got from Bacong directly to Valencia (Palinpinon) then through the Dumaguete outskirts (Camanjac) to Pulantubig. Then there's also a route that goes from Camanjac direct to Sibulan via Barangay Magatas. Maybe somewhere along, this alternate route could be realized.

Alternate roads really help. Just recall when the Lo-oc bypass was completed. That, to me, was a very good project. In fact, it helped a lot during the Silliman University Centennial Celebration in August 2001 (by far the busiest month - not only in terms of traffic - in Dumaguete's history). The same should be done with the road that connects Aldecoa Drive (between the SU Medical Center and SU Ballfield) to E.J. Blanco Drive. It already exists but there's just this one property that blocks the path somewhere at the middle. I believe an expropriation case is already in progress but I'm not sure of its current status.

There was much debate regarding the overpass construction at Hibbard Avenue. Personally, I was against it, but still I commend the proponent and the people behind this project for their noble intentions. Whether you like it or not, that's not important anymore since it's already nearing its completion. I believe the project's purpose is to lessen traffic congestion at that area. If that is the case, then make the overpass the only option. I've heard that crossing the street will still be allowed. That just defeats the purpose.

In my honest opinion, it worsens traffic. Let's just see about this a few months from now.

I believe decongestion would also help. I suggest moving some of the establishments somewhere in the outskirts. An example would be having city hall (and all the offices attached) transferred to Bajumpandan. If I'm not mistaken, there was already a proposal similar to this before. Some other government institutions should be moved away from the heart of the city. It would have been better if the Hall of Justice was built somewhere else.

Right now, everything seems to be congested in the downtown area. I was happy when Hypermart opened in Lower Bagacay, at least it somehow diverted some traffic out of the city proper. Hopefully also, Robinson's would open somewhere far from downtown. Let's be realistic. Our "downtown" now would not remain the same after some years. Just look at Cebu. Their "downtown" used to be at the Colon area. But it's now known as the "old city" and newer buildings were established in other areas like the reclamation area (where SM City currently is) and Ayala. That certainly helped "decongest" Cebu.

Too many stars...

2006-03-09T07:53:00.001+08:00

For the 3rd straight year, legendary Spanish football (soccer) club Real Madrid will not be taking home any major championship trophy, after their early exit in the UEFA Champions League. I woke up at 3 this morning just to watch them draw the 2nd leg of their last-16 match against English team Arsenal 0-0. Real Madrid lost on a 1-0 aggregate score since Arsenal won the 1st leg played at Madrid two weeks ago 1-0 on a brilliant goal by captain Thierry Henry. Although it was a goal-less game, it was nonetheless exciting till the end. I was of course rooting for Real, and they had lots of chances, including two near-misses by captain Raul. I also thought Ronaldo should have been awarded a penalty in the first half after being tackled from behind by Roberto.

This only proves one thing. The better team would always emerge victors. Sure, on paper Real Madrid would seem much better, with the likes of superstars Ronaldo, Zidane, Beckham, and Raul in their squad. The club, led by president Florentino Pérez, who had recently resigned, has made a habit of buying at least one galáctico (superstar) every year. (A Galáctico is a term used to describe a world-famous soccer player who transfers to Real Madrid). To show you how much star-power its lineup has, over the past 6 years under Pérez's helm, these are some of the players acquired by the club:

2000 - Luis Figo (2001 World Player of the Year)
2001 - Zinedine Zidane (1998, 2000, 2003 World Player of the Year)
2002 - Ronaldo (1996, 1997, 2002 World Player of the Year)
2003 - David Beckham(2-time runner-up, World Player of the Year)
2004 - Michael Owen (2001 European Player of the Year)
2005 - Robinho (heralded as the next Pelé), Julio Baptista

Although this policy has certainly helped cement Real's status as perhaps the world's most prestigious and most popular club, it has so far had limited success on the pitch. If it's based on star quality, Real would certainly be the best team in the world. However, in the world of team sports, that's not always the case.

Recall a couple of years ago when the underdogs Detroit Pistons dominated the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. The Lakers were a team of superstars - Shaquille O'neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton. They were also guided by a "superstar" coach in the name of Phil Jackson, a man with 9 NBA championship rings. One more would have made it a ring for every finger.

On the other hand, the Pistons did not even have one who could be considered a superstar. Sure, they had good players like the Wallaces (Ben and Rasheed) as well as Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton, but none of them were big-names. What they had though was dedication to play as a team on both ends of the floor. They did not care who scored the most points or who got the biggest attention. They were clearly the better team on the court. And they surprised the Lakers and everyone else except me (I knew they were gonna win it all even before the playoffs) by winning the title in a modern day David versus Goliath story.

Another example would be the United States' basketball Dream Team, a team composed of NBA superstars. Of course, it was not like the original Dream Team that ran away with the Olympic gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona games. The players on that team, led by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, were all superstars but they also knew how to play as a team. Perhaps, that would remain the greatest team ever assembled in the history of sports.

The most recent USA team, however, placed a very disappointing 6th in the 2002 World Championship and 3rd in the 2004 Olympics. How can a team led by Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and a whole bunch of other superstars lose? You may say that the rest of the world is catching up with the United States, but the bigger reason is that you can't simply toss in the best players and assume that they'd become the best team too. You have to consider the chemistry and balance, and how they play as a unit.

Team USA has began its preparation for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. All players, regardless of their star status will have to do something new to most NBA stars: tryout for the team. Team USA director Jerry Colangelo announced the list of 23 players who will try out for the team in July. Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski will pick a 15-man roster (with 12 active players). Interestingly, 2004 USA co-captain Allen Iverson was not invited.

Unlike the previous Dream Teams, the roster will not be composed of the biggest names available. They would have more role players like Bruce Bowen, Luke Ridnour, and Shane Battier, who were all invited to the tryouts.

The bottom line is that these are team sports. The better team should win. It's not the name at the back of the jersey that matters, but it's the one at the front that's important.

20 years after EDSA

2006-03-08T11:50:00.001+08:00

Owe it to our heroes’
Ultimate sacrifices
Sweat, blood, and sorrows
Till freedom’s joy arises

Generations have come and gone
Life wasted one by one
Our fight for truth and equality
Resent for evil’s tyranny
In the end we still wonder somehow
Asking, “Where are we right now?”

Chocoholic

2006-03-03T09:47:00.001+08:00

I love chocolates. I crave for them all the time. I love them all - from Godivas, Van Houtens, and Cadburys, to Reese's, KitKats, and even Flat Tops, Gandours and Knick Knacks. It doesn't matter if they're the cheapest ones, as long as they taste good.

Since I was younger I was always likes sweets. Although what's weird is that I don't like candies or other sweets that are not chocolate-flavored that much. It seems like my addiction zeroes in to chocolates only in whatever form - chocolate bars, ice cream, candies, milk. Heck, even my toothpaste right now is chocolate-flavored. (Thanks to Unilever executive Ernest Dale Acar for some freebies!)

When I was little, I used to go with my mom to Cang's all the time. She shopped for some stuff while I just tail her wherever she went. The important part was when we went out. We would always stop by the chocolate counter near the exit, and I would usually get a Nestlè Crunch for being obedient. That was sort of a routine already. If it wasn't blue-covered Crunch, then it would either be the red or white one (I forgot the names of these other Nestlè chocolate bars.

I also recall in elementary school when I had a pocket in my school bag that was exclusive for chocolates only. I stock my sweets, usually individual Flat Tops or Curly Tops, there and during class, I'd take some from time to time. I remember also the "buying outside" days wherein the usual snack was the choco powdered milk consumed using a straw.

Our high school canteen had Flat Tops and Curly Tops so it was no problem. However, new types of chocolates were also introduced. First, there was Stick-O. It was a barquillos-like stick with chocolate filling and stripes. Then there was Choki-choki. It was a small tube-like plastic wherein you had to bite one tip to make an opening and then suck the chocolate from the inside - much like the concept of "ice-candies." There were two ways to consume it. You could take in the chocolate while it was still firm or you could first twist it between your hands for several minutes to let it melt and then eat it.

Among my other favorites are: Cadbury Whole Nut, Cadbury Time Out, Nestlè Kitkat, and Hershey's Reese's peanut-butter cups. I also love Twix and Hershey's Barnone, although I couldn't find these anymore.

As to drinks, I also have a lot of favorites. I love the Chocolait drink (now called Chuckie's) and the counterparts from other brands. In fact, there was once wherein everytime we had a drinking (shottings) session at Escaño, I'd make sure I brought a chocodrink along with the beer and other alcoholic drinks we bought, not to mention a KitKat or Hello chocolate bar.

At home, I drink Milo and sometimes even my neice's Sustagen Kids chocodrink. I also like adding chocolate flavoring to my milk, like Brown Cow, or simply adding Koko Crunch. I also stop by Caltex often just to drink Milo Shake or Mocha Java.

When I study in Dunkin' Donuts, I have with me Hot Chocolate and all types of choco-flavored doughnuts. I prefer also Cookies & Cream-flavored polvoron from Goldilocks. I love a good chocolate cake. Sans Rival's Concorde and any Black Forest or Cookie Monster cake.

My favorite ice cream flavor is Double Dutch. As a kid, it was Chocolate Marble. I also like Cookies & Cream and Mocha Fudge. I also enjoy chocolate ice cream bars like Twin Popsies and even the local ones like Supreme.

I love chocolate cookies. I remember the chocolate-covered Cream-Os which I used to eat a lot. Then there's Chips Delight, a chocolate-chip cookie covered with chocolate strips, Oreos, and Chips Ahoy!. Last week alone, for 4 days straight, I consumed a box of Chips Ahoy! every night. I spent more than 400 bucks on sweets - kinda costly considering I should have used that 100 daily on gas. I then had to settle for the less expensive ones.

I guess you could call me a chocolate addict. It has come to a point wherein I really crave for sweets. One night, at around 2 am, I suddenly had a craving for chocolates so I had to go to Sted's St. Paul's to buy some. During the middle of class, I go out once in a while to buy chocolates at Sted's Silliman. I should probably blame Sted's.

Should I be worried? I bet my blood sugar's at a high level. Considering that my family has a history of diabetics, I guess I should be. I used to tell myself that I'm still young, but then again, I'm getting older and yet my love for chocolates has not mellowed down a bit.

In the end though, I always put it this way: It's better to be a Chocoholic than an Alcoholic.

And guess what I'm eating right now while writing this?

40 Days, 40 Nights

2006-03-01T16:29:00.002+08:00

I’m not talking about the movie "40 Days, 40 Nights" wherein Josh Hartnett’s character gave up sex and other physical intimacies for 40 days. Instead, I’m talking about the traditional type of “sacrificing” during the Lenten season.

The Bible has mentioned a lot of characters who underwent fasting usually up to 40 days and nights such as:

Moses

And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

Exodus 34:27-28

Elijah

And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

1 Kings 19:8

Jesus

Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards hungry

Matthew 4:1-2

Today, Ash Wednesday, March 1, 2006, I embark in a different kind of fasting. I would give up eating meat and drinking soft drinks. So far, so good. I hadn’t eaten meat all day. My fasting would end exactly 40 days from now on Palm Sunday, April 9, 2006.

Just to make it clear, the “meat” I’m referring to includes only beef and pork. I’m free to eat chicken, fish, and the others.

Good thing Tanjay Fiesta doesn't fall within the Lent season

That means skipping the “lechons” during the series of balls and graduation parties later this month, not to mention my neice’s third birthday party next week. It could also mean not eating meat when I (hopefully) go to Boracay at the end of March. That would be fine though, considering all the good sea foods available there.

As to soft drinks, that would include all Coca-Cola (Coke, Sprite, Royal, Lift) and Pepsi-Cola (Pepsi, 7-up, Mirinda, Mountain Dew) products as well as those from lesser-known names. I have tried lasting 4 months without soft drinks so I’m confident I’ll be able to make it for 40 days.

I’m hoping also that this would perhaps help in my goal of losing weight, not exactly to trim down (and look better physically), but more importantly for health reasons.

This may not seem like a big sacrifice. But personally, it’s not that easy coz I’m a big meat-lover. Wish me all the luck!

These are some of the updates on my fasting:

Day 1

It was Ash Wednesday so meat was never served at home. I ate shrimps and fish for lunch. That afternoon, a colleague brought some layers of pizza and I had no choice but to eat the vegetarian kind. A tougher task was later that night at the 1st birthday party of my kinugus Alexa Ruperto-Arnaiz at the governor's residence. I had to skip two lechons and all the other great dishes prepared by Lindai's Catering.

Day 2

It was the despedida of my first cousin, Baging Ruperto-Godiñez, who would be returning to the US that afternoon. The party was held at Piapi and again I forced myself not to get any lechon. I ate fish and squid and just drank water.

Day 5

Good thing there were lots of seafood dishes for lunch at home. I ate fish, shrimps, squid, and a special type of Dangguit. Yummy!

Day 7

It was the 3rd birthday party of my neice Ashley Simone Ruperto-Teves or Sim for short that afternoon and again I had to skip the lechon. I had to eat chicken, spaghetti without the meatballs, and lots of dessert!

Day8

Reggae Wednesday at Hayahay with cousins and friends. I haven't gone out in a while and I crave for pepperoni pizza. But no can't do. I just ordered Lumpiang Bangus and Calamares.

Day10

Again in Hayahay, and later at El Camino. Didn't eat any food though... just a couple of beers.

Day11

Cause Party overnight "victory" party at Kho's (coincidence?) beach house in Bacong, Negros Oriental. There were two lechons and lots of yummy dishes. I ended up eating tuna spaghetti (i dunno the exact term), chicken ala king, kinilaw, and lots of brownies, choco trillion and other sweets.

Day12

It was the birthday of my friend and former IT classmate Tatchie Gabay at Forest Camp. Again I skipped the lechon and just ate chicken and the yummy cookie monster cake!

Day15

I had an exam in Constitutional Law II the next day and I hadn't studied nor read the 400+ pages assigned yet. I needed food to keep me up all night. I went to Ricky's and bought tuna, bread, lots of chocolates, Chips Ahoy, and ham spread. Yup, ham spread, I forgot it contained meat! Good thing I realized that just before I opened the bottle. Anyway, I was glad mom made Chicken Salad just for my personal consumption.

Day17

The CITCS Seniors Night was held again at Honeycomb and as I was getting my food, I never realized that what I got was actually pork. It looked a lot like fish. When I took a slice, however, I knew it was pork and I disappointedly had to give it to a companion.

Day 18

The food during dinner at home were all pork or beef, so I had to eat at Bethel. I ate Diced Fish in Sweet & Sour and consumed a good-for-two serving.

Day 22

Graduation party of my nephew, and again no lechon for me. The two kinds of chicken were good, and so was the fish. I also ate lots of dessert.

Day 26

There were 3 lechons during the annual CITCS graduates' lunch and all I ate was fish fillet. That night, my cousin, Dino Bautista who just got his Nursing degree at SU earlier, celebrated at his house and again I skipped the lechons. The same happened at the joint party of a high school classmate of mine, Christy Camacho, who finished her Management course, and the sister of my friend Gino Dionaldo, who graduated from high school.

Day 30

I failed. I folded. I caved in to the pressure. We were at Boracay and the menu for the free breakfast buffet had no seafoods - all meat. Darn it! It was free and I did not want to spend some more just to buy some other kind of food. Basically, it was a question of practicality. So I had to eat what was on the table and quit my 40-day fasting.

CONCLUSION:

It was good while it lasted. My fasting was cut short by 10 days, and yet 1 month wasn't that easy, ya know. So, I'm still proud of lasting that long without meat, softdrinks, and chips. Next year, probably chocolates!

And the first-half winners are...

2006-02-25T15:49:00.001+08:00

The second half of the NBA season is underway. I look back at the first half and hand down my own set of awards to the deserving players.

Most Valuable Player

Kobe Bryant – There are 81 big reasons why number 8 is number 1. Many have compared him to the great Michael Jordan and why not? They have similar numbers. They have pretty much the same built, the same shoe company, the same charisma, the same moves, the same killer instinct, and even the same swagger. In fact, Kobe has surpassed MJ in some scoring feats, notable the 81 point game that is considered the highest scoring game ever recorded. The bottom line is Kobe is single-handedly carrying the Lakers, which would make the playoffs if the season had ended now. Right now, Kobe Bryant is the best NBA player – not LeBron James nor anyone else. His all around game is brilliant and his clutch shooting is even more impressive. And like MJ, there’s no one better with the ball when the game is on the line. Kobe Bryant has patterned his game after His Airness. And so far, he’s doing a good job at it.
(Runners-up: Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash)

Rookie of the Year

Chris Paul – This is a no-brainer. At the all-star break, Chris Paul leads all rookies with averages of 15.9 points and 7.7 assists on the season.. Speaking of all-star, he should have been in Houston as an all-star as he has carried the overachieving New Orleans-Oklahoma City Hornets to the seventh-best record in the very tough Western Conference. The fourth overall pick out of Wake Forest, Paul is the best rookie point guard in a while. For a third time in as many months, he has been named the NBA Rookie of the Month in the Western Conference.
(Runners-up: Channing Frye, Andrew Bogut)

Coach of the Year

Avery Johnson – Although experts pick Detroit’s Flip Saunders, I’d have to say Avery Johnson deserves the award more. He has steered the much improved Dallas Mavericks to the second best record in the NBA. Since taking over midway through last season, he currently has a winning percentage of 82% (59 wins, 13 losses). The “Little General” has transformed the once run-and-gun Mavs to a very respectable defensive team. Flip Saunders, on the other hand, has led the Pistons to the NBA’s best record. But let’s not forget that the Pistons were already a great team, having been in the NBA Finals the past two years and winning it all in 2004.
(Runners-up: Flip Saunders, Mike D’Antoni)

Defensive Player of the Year

Ben Wallace – It is only fitting that the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year should come from the NBA’s best defensive team – the best team for that matter. Big Ben, a two-time winner of this award, deserves it one more time, being the anchor on defense for the league-leading Detroit Pistons. As usual, he is among the league leaders in rebounds, blocked-shots, and steals. More importantly are the intangibles and hustle that he brings into the game. His defensive plays often have a big effect on the outcome of a game, just like his two blocks against Pau Gasol in the all-star game which ignited the Eastern Conference rally to win.
(Runners-up: Bruce Bowen, Andrei Kirilenko)

Most Improved Player of the Year

Boris Diaw – The emergence of Frenchman Boris Diaw has made people forget about Joe Johnson, who was traded to the Hawks last year. It was Diaw who was one of the lesser-known names involved in that trade. And as it has turned out, he has become one of the most versatile players in the league, and a fantasy stud. He is able to play all 5 positions on the court, which he has, making it easier for the Suns to run their offense without all-star Amare Stoudemire.
(Runners-up: Mike James, Smush Parker)

NBA All-Star Weekend 2006

2006-02-24T16:07:00.001+08:00

It was another fun NBA All-Star weekend, the greatest showcase of talent and entertainment. Here are the events for the weekend that I watched on TV together with some of my thoughts on each:

Rookie Challenge

76ers other “A.I.”, Andre Iguodala scored 24 of his game-high 30 points in the second half as the Sophomores defeated the Rookies 106-96 in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge. Iguodala, the game's Most Valuable Player, was dominant as he made 13-of-17 from the field, mostly on a flurry of dunks and 3-pointers. It was like a one-man dunking exhibition. Surely enough, it was just a preview of what was in store in the Slam Dunk contest, which he would be participating in.

Shooting Stars Challenge

Team San Antonio, comprised of current Spurs all-star Tony Parker, former Spurs sharpshooter Steve Kerr and WNBA star Kendra Wecker of the Silver Stars, won the 2006 RadioShack Shooting Stars challenge. Thanks to Tony Parker, who hit the half-court shot on his first try, their team had a record-setting time of 25.1 seconds. Interestingly enough, Kobe Bryant of team Los Angeles also made the half-court shot on his first attempt, while Tracy McGrady of the host city Houston made it on his second. This made me think that, perhaps, one of these years, there’d be a half-court shoot contest similar to the current three-point shooting contest. To me, the highlight of this event was not any of the shots made on the court, but it was actually a glimpse of Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria beaming with pride as Tony hit the clinching shot.

Skills Challenge

Miami's Dwyane Wade won the 2006 PlayStation Skills Challenge champion, defeating Cleveland's LeBron James in the final round by completing the obstacle course in 26.1 seconds to James' 33.7-second time. Defending champion and my bet Steve Nash, and rookie sensation Chris Paul were eliminated in the first round, setting up the duel that would probably be a glimpse of one of the NBA’s future superstar rivalries. At 6’8”, I believe LeBron was the tallest competitor in the history of the event, and yet he moved like a true point guard as he hurdled the course. Yet, he never had a chance as D-Wade lived up to his billing as the NBA Live 06 cover boy.

Three-Point Shootout

One of my favorite NBA players, German sensation Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA’s annual Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout 2006. He made 7-of-8 shots at one point and scored a total of 18 points in the final beating Washington’s Gilbert Arenas by 2 points and 2001 champion Ray Allen of the Seattle SuperSonics, by 3. The 7-foot Nowitzki became the tallest player ever to win the event, and with his height, blond tops, and of course impeccable shooting, reminded me of a young Larry Bird. What was even interesting was Nowitzki almost did not make it through the first round. Replays would show that his last shot, a two-point ball, did not make it before the buzzer. Had it not been counted, he would have been eliminated and instead of him, his teammate Jason Terry would have moved on.

Slam Dunk Contest

The NBA’s slam dunk contest is back! To me it was the best one since the Vince Carter-Tracy McGrady-Steve Francis showdown years ago. However, I was disappointed at the results.

It should've been Andre Iguodala's second trophy ceremony of the weekend. Instead, it turned out to be a controversy as 5’9” Nate Robinson won the event after a first-ever “dunk-off” to break the tie. Robinson needed 14 attempts to complete his final dunk – performing a transfer of the ball between each leg before lobbing the ball with his left hand off the glass -- all while midair -- and then catching it for the throw down. He got 47 points for that while Iguodala, who only needed 2 tries to complete a reverse between-the-legs dunk, got 46.

It was clear to the crowd that Iguodala delivered the best dunk of the night in the first round, catching an Allen Iverson pass off the back of the glass and gliding under the backboard and rim for a reverse-slam on the other side. He then followed that up in the final round with another perfect 50 on a lob off the glass featuring a behind-the-back, hand-to-hand transfer slam.

I would still have to agree that Nate Robinson was also spectacular. His most impressive dunk came in the final round. Walking across the court, he handed Spud Webb his old Atlanta jersey No. 4. Robinson, who also wears the same number for the Knicks, caught a bounce pass from the 1986 slam-dunk champ and jumped over all 5 feet, 7 inches of him for a spectacular jackknife slam.

However, I believe Iguodala deserved to win. That crazy behind the backboard dunk alone was the single most creative dunk I’ve ever seen. As for Robinson’s, jumping over a guy was nothing new. In fact, even Vince Carter dunked over a 7’2” guy in a game in the 2000 Olympics.

Overall, I believe the judges – a panel of Houston legends -- Kenny Smith, Elvin Hayes, Rudy Tomjanovich, Moses Malone and Clyde Drexler, are to be blamed. Except for Malone, all of them seemed tentative and had to glance at each other before they revealed their scores.

They clearly lowballed Iguodala with a 44 on his final attempt of the final round to force the first tiebreaker in the competition's history.

In the end, even one of the judges, Elvin Hayes, who awarded 10 points on Robinson’s final dunk, didn't feel too good the results. He felt that the wrong guy won. "I think Andre's (last dunk) was much more difficult and had a lot of power and energy in it….I just feel Andre won but it is all in the tally of the points."

It is interesting to note that it was 20 years since the only other 5-footer, Spud Webb, won the event. Also, for the second consecutive year, the jersey of an Atlanta Hawk 1980s Slam Dunk champ was worn on the court and was part of the winning dunks. Last year it was Dominique Wilkins' no. 21 that was worn by then winner Josh Smith.

All Star Game

The 2006 NBA All-Star Game came down to an MVP showdown between LeBron James and Tracy McGrady, both high school-to-NBA superstars. In the end, it was a matter of which team won the game. The Eastern Conference won, 122-120, and expectedly James, at 21 years old, became the youngest All-Star MVP ever. He scored 29 points, fueled a second-half comeback and disrupted McGrady's potential tying jumper as the Eastern Conference rallied for a victory over the Western Conference in the 55th annual midseason showcase.
Unlike many of the past All-Star games, this one was relatively lifeless. For the first time that I could remember, defense was actually played. No doubt that it was because of the four Detroit Pistons who were fielded altogether by East coach (and Detroit coach) with about 3 minutes left in the first quarter.

The Western Conference All-Stars held a 21-point lead at one point during the game, but let that lead slipped away late in the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. LeBron James started it, but the Pistons quartet eventually broke it down. They started pushing the ball more and Ben Wallace's two blocks on Pau Gasol hyped up his entire team. No wonder why the Pistons are currently the best team in the NBA. The East eventually tied the game at 97 with almost a quarter left in the game.

There were some flashes of individual brilliance, led by McGrady and James, the superstar swingman of the Cleveland Cavaliers. McGrady, in front of the hometown crowd, scored 36 points, as his teammates kept feeding him the ball. He linked up with several Kobe Bryant lob passes that translated into spectacular dunks.

And yet, compared to the previous all-star games, this one had lesser highlights. Two missed dunks by Vince Carter and Rasheed Wallace’s left-handed three pointer that missed badly typified the kind of show the NBA superstars had put up. In fact, my favorite highlight was Shaquille O’neal at the free-throw line. He threw his second free throw attempt off the backboard and slammed it home. However, it was a lane violation.

The 2006 midseason classic wasn’t as entertaining, nevertheless it was a good hard fought game. And in that game of superstars, the youngest one seemingly rose to the occasion. He would definitely become the King of the NBA for many years to come.

A Sure Cause

2006-02-24T08:17:00.001+08:00

It is said that everything we do in college is in preparation for the real world. With that point in mind, campus politics should be no exception. Exercising our rights of suffrage by participating in campus elections prepares us to vote for the right candidates in our country’s actual elections. The student government is an excellent training ground for students who aspire to become future leaders of our country.

Every last Wednesday of February, the Silliman University Student Government (SUSG) elections are held. The 2006 edition was held two days ago and it offered the chance for students to elect their leaders for the next school year. Unfortunately, like the previous years, the voter turnout seemed low, although I couldn’t confirm this personal observation yet.

Nevertheless, the elections ran smoothly that day. There were a couple of power interruptions during the counting that night but it really wasn’t a big deal. (It’s not like there’d be some ballot box-switching or something!). In fact, the results were ready around midnight.

This year, there were 3 political parties which include the well-established Concerted Action for the Upliftment of Students’ Endeavors (CAUSE) and Students’ Union for Reforms (SURE) parties, both of which have become a byword of student politics in Silliman. The third party is the NSTP (I couldn’t even recall what the acronym stands for). The last time there was a third party in the SG elections was in 1999, the time I ran for (and luckily won as) High School Representative. They were called the CURE party, obviously a combination of the two leading parties. In fact, that was their slogan, as they claim to be the “cure” to all the political bickering between CAUSE and SURE, which had already extended at that time for about a decade and a half. Unfortunately, the CURE party weren’t able to complete all the necessary requirements, and for this reason, even if they were already posting their campaign materials, they were disqualified by the COMELEC.

I have been a member of the CAUSE party for almost 8 years now. I have seen almost everything good and bad in student politics. I have seen how potential leaders climb the political ladder on their way to the highest position in the student government and how they overcome their shyness to become great leaders.

On the other hand, there are also some dark sides. These range not only from mere black propaganda and misinformation, but even up to frat wars. From the stories I’ve heard, years ago, fraternities take sides and their differences in party affiliations cause trouble between these feuding frats. Fortunately, over the past years, political tension has lessened somewhat. Gone were the frat wars and confrontations. Perhaps the only bad thing that continues to exist the last couple of years is black propaganda (although I’m glad to share that as far as I know, there is zero existence of such this year!). The sources of these controversies are not known. The mudslinging may come from the party itself, or from a group of loyalists in support of one party. It is even very possible that an outsider (not from CAUSE or SURE) could start all the character-destroying propaganda that could cause one party to blame the other. Then the “political war” heats up. Issues and stories – some true, some made-up, start surfacing. Political figures are targets of black propaganda, aiming to ruin their reputations.

Over the years, both parties have experienced ups and downs that make politics dynamic. The good thing is that members of the two parties remain friends (I have a lot of friends from the SURE party). It is probably only during the election period, when the election fever heats up, that loyalty to the party somewhat takes over. The friendship is not forgotten, it is always there. After the elections, when winning candidates from both parties take their places in the student government, a new working relationship is created. After all, at this time, one cannot say that he or she represents the CAUSE party or the SURE party, but he or she now represents the SUSG.

Now back to the election results. After four consecutive years of CAUSE presidencies, the streak was broken as the SURE party bet, Razcel Salvarita, won. Although I am a loyal supporter of the CAUSE party, I do not have any problems with the results. In fact, I believe all who ran as standard-bearers were very much qualified to handle the positions they vied for. The fact that they voluntarily offered their services is admirable, knowing that there is no monetary compensation for the work they would be doing (Believe me, I had been a part of the SG for several years, and honestly, it’s really a tough task). All the parties had good intentions, and that is to serve the student populace.

Knowing his background and capabilities, I’m sure Razcel would be a good student-servant. Besides, one person does not make up the SUSG. There is the entire set of other elected and appointed officers to work with him. Ultimately, the success of the administration would lie on how well these officers could work together and implement their plans.

For vice-president, Lycar Flores of the CAUSE party was victorious. I know her personally and she is really dedicated and committed to serving the students. Hopefully the Razcel and Lycar partnership at the helm of the student government would do good. As for the college representatives to the SUSG Assembly, I’m quite certain that as always, it will be a good mix of personalities coming from both parties. I hope they would really be there to “represent” their constituents and be their voice in this student legislative body.

In the end, my support for the SUSG perhaps would overshadow my support for one party. The responsibility you have as a student leader is such a privilege and at the same time a challenging undertaking. I hope that more students would realize that there is genuine satisfaction when you serve with sincerity. True leaders are not after the recognition or awards, but are there for the commitment to serve.

Burnout

2006-02-08T19:16:00.001+08:00

Life's a marathon, not a race...

Finally, summer’s coming soon! I can’t wait for my favorite time of the year. Just imagining what I could do makes me smile. Vacations, the beach, road trips, adventures, golf – these are just some of the things I’m gonna make sure I do this summer. I guess I better get my summer gear and sun block ready.

However, weeks before summer, I’m already experiencing a different kind of burn. Nope, this has nothing to do with the sun nor my skin. What I’m talking about is me currently experiencing burnout. To be more specific, as defined, I’m currently suffering from psychological exhaustion and diminished efficiency resulting from overwork or prolonged exposure to stress.

So much for one of my new year’s resolution of managing my time better. Right now I’m barely hanging on. I can’t describe how exhausted I am. I have a bad case of cough and colds, but never took any rest. When I discuss something in front of my class, I run out of breathe due to severe nasal congestion. At times I feel like passing out, and sometimes I wish I would, so that I could rest and will have a reason to be absent.

Let me enumerate what parts of my body hurt: Nose, sinuses, throat, stomach, head, knees, back, and sometimes chest. I should probably see a doctor, right? Weird thing is, I don’t have fever or anything, although I get the occasional chills at night.

Well, actually, my current health is just part of my burnout. A bigger part of it is my responsibilities. First, being a teacher, I need to submit my students’ midterm grades as soon as possible. They’re actually ready, but there are still a few students who had submitted some requirements just recently. Aside from this, I have loads of exams to check, papers to read, and programming assignments to evaluate. Then I still have to prepare for my class tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and so on. You get the idea.

Next is law school. I am way behind in our readings. I was so happy yesterday that the assigned reading was just one chapter. So I went to the library to study, only to find out that the chapter was an inch thick! Once I started reading, my head ached so much that I couldn’t even open my eyes without feeling any twitches. I had to go home and sleep. I slept all afternoon and missed classes.

Finally, let’s talk about extracurricular commitments. I had to work on the 2006 Grand Law Debate poster layout and TV advertisement. I had to stay up all night last Friday to finish it. And although it was haphazardly done, I think it was still presentable enough. I exerted a lot of effort on it, only to find out that the print ad must be in black and white. Back to the drawing board I guess.

The SG Elections is coming up and as a student, I am still actively supporting a certain political party. Like some of my responsibilities when I was still an undergrad before, I was in charge of information and media. That involves flyers, posters, streamers, IDs, and lots of other stuff. I had to take pictures of the candidates, encode their CVs, and design other election paraphernalia.

Yesterday alone, after sleeping the whole afternoon and waking up late last night, I received more than 10 text messages concerning some things I had to do: “Klase na bai…”, “Can you bring your camera for a picture-taking session tonight?”, “Where is my certificate of candidacy?”. “Are you done with the streamer lay-out?”, “Can we attach a pop-up banner in your website?”, “Sir, what’s the coverage of our exam tomorrow?”, “Can you look for a good printer and have our old one fixed?”, “Is 300K pixels good enough?”, “Just start working on the PHP side of the project”, “Can I borrow (something) for (someone)?”, “Please bring the envelope containing the files…”, “(Someone) couldn’t find the CD, kindly burn another one for me.”, etc. And these do not include the e-mails and personal messages I get, complaining or suggesting something for my website. Sometimes I just prefer to turn off my phone and not check my e-mail. If it was possible, I would like to sleep for like a week or so.

These are just some of the pressures I feel right now. Sooner or later I feel like I’d probably break down. And this is not just a one-time thing. This is actually constant. My weekend is already filled with commitments, and this is after I had already turned down something which could have made me earn a couple of hundred dollars or so. Next week would be the same, and it will probably get worse.

So, one may ask why I was still able to write this. Well, this is just a spontaneous thing. I’m actually checking papers and working on some bugs in my website. I just took a 10 minute break to release some of the pressure by just typing whatever was on my mind.

That and the thought that summer’s coming fast. Probably then I could take a well-deserved break.

The Pacman Phenomenon

2006-01-25T19:12:00.001+08:00

We all know what happened. With a devastating left hook in the 10th round of their rematch “Battle”, our very own Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao knocked-out the legendary Mexican fighter Erik “El Terrible” Morales, who had never been knocked-out before. The victory restored national pride in a country battling economic and political instability.

This is one of the many articles I’ve read about Manny Pacquiao, whom the great Muhammad Ali once called “Little Ali”, this past week. It was written by Tom Thompson of Tigerboxing.com and I’d like to share some bits of it.

"…Who compares to Manny Pacquiao and his relationship with the Filipino people?
Here in America, you could combine Lance Armstrong, Peyton Manning, LeBron James, Tom Cruise, Bruce Springsteen and 50 Cent into one person and you still wouldn't have what the Philippines have in their number one all-time super-star Manny Pacquiao.
He's that important to his people.
His nation stood still- literally- for "The Battle." Politicians, clergy, elites, commoners and criminals alike took a long pause to witness their idol face down the man who had defeated him less than a year ago. They traveled to Vegas in the thousands and the millions who stayed home watched it on television or listened to it on the radio. Manny is their Super Bowl, World Series, Final Four and World Cup. He's that big- all 130 lbs of him.
Consider some of the press reports coming out of his country…
It was predicted that the crime rate would fall dramatically in the hours leading up to the fight, during and after as everyone would be glued to their televisions.
In the week leading up to the bout, there was some concern by high-ranking government officials that terrorists in the nation may take advantage of the fact that everyone in the country would be totally distracted by what was going on in Las Vegas.
Clergy and politicians called for a national day of prayer for their idol as he faced Erik the Great.
To call this an event for all of the Philippines seems like an understatement.
After his superb victory, while being interviewed by HBO's Larry Merchant, Pacquiao thanked his compatriots and his president for their love and support. As he spoke, there was no doubt that the entire nation and President Arroyo were watching, listening and celebrating.
As an American, I find myself somewhat envious of what the people of the Philippines have. We have nothing close to what they share with Manny Pacquiao.
Not long ago we had our Michael Jordan. Millions of Americans wanted to be like Mike. Then again, millions of Americans couldn't have cared less. It didn't come close to what Manny means to the Philippines.
Twenty-five years ago a man named Sugar Ray Leonard transcended the sport and became a larger celebrity, but I'm not sure I can accurately call him a "national hero."
No, we've never had a Manny Pacquiao of our own.
…
Congratulations to the people of the Philippines. You love and worship Manny Pacquiao and he didn't let you down. You stood by him last year even after his disappointing loss to Erik Morales because you are true fans. We can all learn a lesson from you.
…
Enjoy your historic win, Manny. You deserve it."

Reading that article gave me goose-bumps. It’s been a few days since Manny’s “historic win” and the euphoria hasn’t died down even one bit. Pictures of Pacman are all over magazines and newspapers. Try channel-surfing on TV and I’m quite sure you’d see Manny either in a commercial or in the news. In fact, while watching TV Patrol, there were at least 5 Pacquiao-related news stories in last night’s edition. And that was already a couple of days after the victory. It is the hottest topic in Pinoy forums online. Filipinos praise and idolize him. As a matter of fact, one fanatic made a life-sized sculpture of Manny Pacquiao complete with a boxing belt. On a sadder note though, 2 elderly fans watching the fight died of heart attack. Apparently the thrill and excitement of Pacquiao’s victory was too much for them.

Clearly excitement was everywhere in the country. One newspaper’s headline the following day read “ONE NATION IN JUBILATION”. And rightfully so, everyone was celebrating. There’s not a single Filipino who doesn’t know Manny Pacquiao. Manny has become the biggest Filipino celebrity. He has all these product endorsements, TV commercials, a clothing line, and even a music album, which immediately sold-out hours after his victory in Las Vegas. Pacquiao and his team were like F1 drivers, with all the patches and logos of sponsors not only on their shirts, but also on the Manny’s boxing shorts. According to some sources, those shorts were worth about five million pesos in product endorsements. A space on Manny’s shorts cost advertisers millions. In a way, he is a walking billboard. Even a Vegas hotel paid him 300,000 dollars just to don a cap bearing the hotel’s name during interviews. Not like Manny needs the money. He already got at least two million dollars for the fight, not to mention a percentage of the pay-per-view income.

He could run for president and he’s a sure winner. As Inquirer columnist Neal Cruz stated: “Even in a snap election, I don't think anybody can beat Pacquiao now. Even if you put together the votes of Ate Glue, Fidel Ramos and De Venecia with the help of Garci, I don't think they can beat Manny.” Hmmm... Manny Pacquiao as president? Okay, so that's a little far-fetched.

What I’m just trying to illustrate is what I’d like to call the “Pacman Phenomenon”. In the hours during the fight, the streets in Dumaguete, and perhaps every other street in the country, were practically empty. From 10 AM to 3 PM that day, and even earlier, the city was more like a ghost town. Everyone was glued to their TV sets. Everywhere in the Philippines, people stopped doing whatever they did, and spent that time to watch our new-age “National Hero.” As a result, the Philippine National Police announce that there was zero-crime rate during those few hours.

This is not an exaggeration. People flocked to the biggest TV screens in their neighborhood, at the municipal plaza, and even in food courts and restaurants. Movie houses featured live broadcasts of the fight in big screen. And guess who were some of those seen together coming out of the movie houses after the event? Politicians coming from both the administration and opposition. Talk about uniting a country.

For once the country was united. There was no politics involved. The only thing, in my opinion, that tainted everything was the appearance Chavit Singson and Mike Arroyo on the ring after the fight, and the GMA phone call. I quote another Inquirer columnist, Amando Doronila's analysis:

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made quick political capital of Pacquiao's triumph. Paying tribute to Pacquiao, she said he was her "inspiration" in governance. She identified with Pacquiao, saying he "rose from defeat with a sharper mind, and a stronger body and will to win. That is why he is the true people's champion in this time of challenges and opportunity."

Not to be outdone, the Senate, hotbed of senatorial conspiracies against the regime, produced a raft of proposed resolutions acclaiming Pacquiao's victory. One authored by Sen. Francis Pangilinan said the boxer played "an inspirational role ... in a nation troubled by political and economic upheavals."
In a rare demonstration of national unity, the ring triumph touched off an explosion of national pride in a country that has long been starved of economic achievements and political stability.

Just imagine, a week ago, political instability and coup rumors were the talk of the town. In fact, a text message about a supposed phone conversation, akin to the original “Hello Garci” version, between PGMA and Manny circulated. It went something like this:

"Hello, Manny? Pipilitin mo, ha? (You will try your best?) Kasi ... ano ... ano ... pag natalo ka, i-ku-kudeta ako (Because if you lose, there will be a coup d'état)."

Right now, it’s all about Manny. And it will get even bigger as he is scheduled to return to the Philippines in the coming days. The self-proclaimed and rightful “Storm Across The Pacific” is coming home. Manila’s preparing a big parade in honor of him. And perhaps an even bigger one awaits him at his hometown in General Santos City.

As for Pacquiao, his next foe would most likely be another Mexican in the name of Marco Antonio Barrera, whom he had demolished last November, 2003. A victory in that fight would even push him to higher grounds. Hopefully, he’d stick being “Little Ali”, instead of deciding to run for president and to succeed “Little Ate Glo.”