Live

Any sport you play is good for you.

No, I haven't been playing any ball lately. Sayang. After playing that two-on-two game with Migs, my interest in basketball has returned.

I have been playing the new NBA Live 2004 for four days now. It was difficult in getting used to the new controls since I've always been a 2K fan. However, after a few tries, I've been blasting my opponents with lead of 60 points or more.

Live's still not as realistic as the past 2Ks. I average like 20+ blocks and 30+ steals per game. I wonder if 2K4 (also known as ESPN NBA Basketball) is much better.

I've been watching On Cue 2, the billiards tournament here in the Philippines, on TV. I wish I could see it live, me being a big billiard fan and all. And I could watch the "injusticed" Earl Strickland. Apparently, he lost his luggage along with his cue sticks. He's very affected by the loss that he's not doing anything well.

Music:	Barbie's Cradle - Limang Dipang Tao
Mood:	Amused

Amusing.

Little amusing things are always there to uplift us. We just need to open our senses wider to see, hear, touch, smell, or taste them. If one manages to do this, one would never have a totally bad day anymore.

After waking up and exercising with Gilad and the rest of the Bodies and Motion crew (Mind you, the moves are getting more and more difficult each day!), I redesigned one of my websites, Tones on the Go, a cellphone ringtone site (can be found in http://aplomblue.iscool.net).

Later, I went to Q-Plaza to look around National Bookstore. There, as soon as I got one foot outside the car, "Oo ako si Mr. Suave, wohohohoh grabe" played from one of the stalls there. Amusing. It kept on playing in the background until I stepped inside the bookstore. Yes, the music stopped as soon as I got one foot in the bookstore.

After browsing through books in National Bookstore, I went to have lunch in Tropical Hut. As I waited for my order (spring chicken - sarap!), the song "Otso-otso" played through their speakers. Nothing special. However, as soon as it reached the chorus, "Tayo'y mag-otso-otso...", two waiters quickly did their version of the Otso-otso. They felt a bit embarrassed after that and quickly went to the pathway towards the comfort room. And they did it again! Amusing :)

Just wanted to share a little amusement. :) So smile now.

Music:	Barbie's Cradle - Limang Dipang Tao
Mood:	Amused

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Believe the White

Well you know something player? Most players nowadays underestimate the power of the white boy because all white boys look the same to them. White boys can't jump, they all say. More so a team of white boys like the Utah Jazz. The only black men are: Raja Bell, Jermaine Boyette, Keon Clark, Michael Ruffin, Deshawn Stevenson and Maurice Williams. That's 6 out of 15 players. You feel me?

And now they blow out one of the strongest teams in the NBA today.

From NBA.com
Utah 92, Dallas 76
Jazz Make Easy Work of Mavericks

DALLAS (Ticker) -- Antoine Walker got a Texas-sized welcome from a fellow Chicagoan.

Walker, the latest All-Star added to owner Mark Cuban's arsenal, received a warm ovation prior to the Dallas Mavericks' 92-76 preseason loss to the Utah Jazz.

Walker and Tony Delk, both acquired Monday by the Mavericks, were in street clothes and did not play. Before the game, MIchael Finley - who like Walker grew up in Chicago - introduced both players to the American Airlines Center crowd.

Things soured for the Mavericks shortly thereafter. Their only lead was 1-0 as the the rebuilding Jazz controlled the entire game.

Rookie second-round pick Maurice Williams scored 17 points in 14 minutes off the bench and Matt Harpring added 15 points for Utah (5-1), which kept pace with Memphis for the league's best preseason record.

Forward Aleksandar Pavlovic, Utah's first-round pick, scored eight points.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 points but was the only player in double figures for Dallas. First-round pick Josh Howard scored nine points. Finley scored eight points, Jamison seven and Nash four.

Believe that.

Music:	Ken Zhu - Here We Are
Mood:	In Control and Loving It

Magnet

Someone once said that all knowledge can be derived from nature. The golden rule can be seen in mutualism, a relation between two different species of organisms that are interdependent. "There is strength in numbers," can be found in animals travelling in packs. The perfect proportion, the golden mean, or even Fibonacci's number can be found in the spiral of a snail shell. And so on. However, the human, having the freedom of though and being the complex being that he is, can counter this "natural knowledge". An example of that is, "opposites attract," as said by magnetism.

See today's Philippine government. It is split into two: government and opposition. If they stop squabbling against one another and started working as one, it would most likely result in a brighter future for us Filipinos. And we want instant change, yet we are preventing it to happen.

See the racists piting blacks against whites. That's just skin color! No wonder whitening or tanning products gain so much profit.

I was browsing through some blogs yesterday and saw friends break up because one finds out that his friend is a lot different from who he thought she was.

Here we are blinded to search for that next big thing in our lives, not realizing that it is just beside, opposite of you.

Music:	Black Eyed Peas - Where is the Love?
Mood:	In Control and Loving It

* Always exercise with Gilad in Bodies in Motion. See the unity of races there!

.hack

When success comes one's way, no man can say that he did it alone. Even though one has the capabilities to act and think on his own, the talents to overcome the obstacles, and resources to extract, that success he was able to attain was not done alone. Probably, this is why we have friends.

Since now I have time to spare, the third chapter of .hack (A psuedo MMORPG for the PS2) has finally started.

When we last left Kite and his friends, they defeated Magus through magic, swords and a whole lot of teamwork. However, when they did, the current situation got worse as Net Slum and even all the servers seemingly got infected by this virus outbreak (hence the title of the third chapter .hack/outbreak).

His first mission for this chapter was presented to him -- to return to the place where Orca (his buddy who got into a coma while playing this game) was investigating. Kite tried to contact his friends. However, no one was present in The World that time. He had to do the mission alone.

He faced a lot of enemies in that gate protected area. What he found easy back then, now became difficult as there were no teammates to back him up. He relied a lot on magical scrolls, healing potions and data drains just to survive. In the boss' room, he met Balmung, one of the renowned players in The World. Even though Balmung was tough, he couldn't beat the boss. Kite helped out and together, they defeated big evil in that mission.

Back to reality. I really had a difficult time completing that mission. I missed Mistral who was always there to heal the party up when health points were going low or resurrect someone dead. I missed Blackrose who sliced through big monsters like they were bread.

It's the same with real life.

.hack's quotable quote: "There is no growth without error."

Music:	Mandy Moore - Have a Little Faith in Me
Mood:	In Control and Loving It

Libra

Life is a balance scale. Sometimes it tips to your favor, sometimes not. It tips because of you, society, or the environment. However, no matter which way it goes, the word "balance" would always rear its head and even out things for you, whether for better or for worse. And it has reasons why.

The plan: Wake up to Bodies in Motion, & go to Ateneo this morning to meet the brother I should've had, Migs, for some semestral break fun.

Surprise: However, I didn't expect a huge surprise package courtesy of the Philosophy department when I arrived there. And a few other gifts along the way as well.

Flashback: See last post about the stained semester especially the orals. (And to cure sadness, I ate a whole lot of ice cream that day just like the movies!)

Back to the present: There it was, in the glass cover of the Philosophy department bulletin board, our grades for our finals, the dreaded orals. I felt my heart beating in three different places as I slowly peeked in that white paper seemingly glowing due to daylight. The first paper showed the grades in QPI form inside a grid of orals schedule. Somehow, amnesia struck me that I thought my orals was on a Tuesday, 2:00 pm, when it was actually on a Thursday. That part of the grid was a blank.

In the corner of my eye, I saw my name on the bulletin board. It was on the second paper. That paper contained the students who had exemplary orals. AND MY NAME WAS IN IT! Apparently, I got a B+/A (3.75) even though I got follow-up questions like: "Bakit iyang course mo ang pinili mo?", "Anong sinusulat mo? Tula, Kuwento...?", "Pagkatapos mong magradweyt, anong gusto mong gawin?" These questions scared me like heck because simple questions usually mean that you cannot grasp the meaning of the thesis statement that he needs to lower the difficulty or your orals was so appalling that he just needs questions to pass the time. I was so rhapsodic after reading it that I read it two to three times more just in case I misread it.

More gifts followed in the form of two victories: one in billiards where I extended my winning streak to (I've lost track) when I beat Migs 7-3, and one in basketball where Migs (Dirk Nowitski) and I (Bruce "Almighty" =) ) teamed up to beat Shaq and Fisher(?), 15-13.

Billiards: The brand new billiard glove (me) vs the time-tested gym glove (migs) Ever since I got that glove, I've been doing much better in that game. Not professionally good, but better than my game back then.

Basketball: It was proven that I am an Ateneo Blue Eagle. I can shoot threes better than free throws (I'm getting better). During that two-on-two stint, I scored 8 points, three from the rainbow country, two from lay-ups (one regular, one reverse)

Life is good, when you're having fun...

Music:	Bambini Commercial Theme Song (Ano ba 'to?
Mood:	In Control

Looking back at a semester lost.

Here in my palm I hold the past semester. Looking at it, I see how bedraggled it is. Only a few white patches remain thanks to the support I got from the Gonzaga people -- Migs, Jen, Queene, Monix, Tia, Karla, Kakoi, Bea, and a few others (remind me who you are so I can thank you here) *thanks for your company* and to all the people whom I left smiling im some way *you've helped me as much as I've helped you*.

Now, my fingers run through the begrimed parts of what used to be a pure white semester. Here I see: the unhappy feeling of not having any of my blockmates in any of my subjects, the pain of heartbreak which lasted for around a month, the sadness of losing two friends over something I never did, the agony of struggling just to survive four out of my five subjects (especially History [it's going to ruin my chances of getting graduation honors big time]), the fear of flunking my orals, the lost opportunities I had to join writing contests, and many more others that contribute to this somewhat unremovable stain.

And I managed to stay smiling after all this stained semester. I can't believe it.

But all of those are in the past, and I now have a brand-new, stain-free semester waiting for me.

Wake up, look around, because that past reality is about to change -- I'm going to control my world.

Music:	Stacie Orrico - There's Gotta be More to Life
Mood:	No Mood

If you are born in June daw...

Ones in bold are my comments.

JUNE:
Thinks far with vision. I believe so.
Easily influenced by kindness. Fortunately or unfortunately yes
Polite and soft-spoken. So True
Having lots of ideas. Of Course
Sensitive. Yes
Active mind. Yes
Hesitating, tends to delay. Right on
Choosy and always wants the best. Of course
Temperamental. Only in Earl Mode
Funny and humorous. Some friends find me like this
Loves to joke. Always wanted to share a smile!
Good debating skills. ummm. I only had 1 debating contest, but maybe.
Talkative. No. I'm deathly silent
Daydreamer. Yes
Friendly. Terribly Yes!
Knows how to make friends. Am compatible with anyone daw
Abiding. Never liked to break the rules
Able to show character. True
Easily hurt. Especially when accused of something I didn't do
Prone to getting colds. Every morning.]
Loves to dress up. I just wear whatever I'm comfortable in --- especially Penshoppe clothes
Easily bored. Boredom is a gift
Fussy. Maybe
Seldom shows emotions. I like to keep them to myself
Takes time to recover when hurt. No. I easily forgive.
Brand conscious. Only Penshoppe. Otherwise, no.
Executive. Wow
Stubborn. I don't know... am I?