DVD Collection

It's been a while since I last posted. Naging 3-3 na ang La Salle, isa na lang game for the first round, vs. NU pa. Unless NU churns out a miracle of a win, it's a safe bet na 4-3 ang La Salle sa first round, the same situation from last year. But enough of DLSU basketball muna (although I did buy another jersey, green number 8, here to the left)

While waiting for that win streak to arrive, I have been buying DVDs like crazy since end of June. Mind you, these are not your ordinary Quiapo pDVDs ha, orig ang mga to! There have been so many sales lately, and kahit masakit sa bulsa, I sure would like to improve my collection. I have also started buying sealed and unsealed items from other collectors who have extra sealed copies or those unfortunate ones who had to part (painfully) from theirs. Here's my bag of goodies:


Incredible 2-disc collections:



Awesome animation:



Some wacky movies:


Marami pa but puro 1-disc na lang like Jaws, Tomb Raider, Ready to Rumble, Down with Love, Superman II, 50 First Dates, Risky Business, Rebel Without a Cause.

Siempre, di mawawala sa aking Wish List ito. I'll get this by Nov 1 by hook or by crook.



Peace out!

BLACK and BLUE

July 10, 2005
LA SALLE 78, ATENEO 60

Quezon City – It was worth all the drama and hype leading up to game day as the De La Salle University Green Archers began defense of its UAAP Men’s Basketball crown Sunday (July 10) on a high note by plastering bitter archrival Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles, 78-60, before another SRO crowd at the Araneta Coliseum.

The game caught many observers by surprise as Ateneo was installed as the pre-game favorite due to their height and experience advantage plus they had a new multi-titled veteran coach at the helm. To complete their preparations, the Eagles went to the United States to attend basketball camps. The vertically challenged Archers showed that height is not always might in basketball and turned to its patented pesky defense, smooth running game and sizzling outside shooting to pull off the trick. With an estimated 7,000 green shirt-wearing fans shouting their lungs out and the La Salle Pep Squad in a concerted effort to outdo the other 7,000 members of the audience, the Archers made sure that their fanatics’ efforts would be handsomely rewarded.

Archers coach Franz Pumaren achieved milestone by notching his 100th win as a UAAP coach and he did it against no less than the man known in local basketball circles as “Mr. 100 Percent”, Norman Black, who was making his debut as a collegiate coach after nearly two decades in the professional league. “I feel like it was only yesterday that I started to coach the Archers,” said Coach Pumaren in describing how the win compared to his 99 others achieved since 1998, making him the longest tenured among the eight current coaches. “It’s a big difference coaching in college and in the pros,” added Coach Pumaren, “we were just lucky that we caught them flatfooted and continued to play aggressive.”

Joseph Casio came off the bench and sank a triple that shattered a 9-9 deadlock and the Archers never looked back. The only other time the scored was tied was at 2-2 and the Blue Eagles never tasted the lead throughout the whole contest. Drawing more punch from the reserves, Ryan Arana and Pocholo Villanueva hit two more field goals to give the Archers the first period, 20-11. But as both sides headed to their benches, the referees awarded two free due to a phantom Archer foul at the buzzer that were converted by Macky Escalona, 13-20.

Continuing from where they left off, Casio and Arana bombarded the Eagles with four triples as part of a 16-0 blast to begin the second period, 36-13. A field goal by LA Tenorio at the five-minute mark broke the run but the Archers were merciless with Tyrone Tang and Jun Cabatu keying a 14-5 windup as the Archers’ advantage ballooned to 30 markers at the half, 50-20.

Joseph Yeo scored a basket to open second half hostilities and establish the Archers’ biggest lead of the game, 52-30. Tenorio and JC Intal tried their best to enliven their teammates and the pro-Eagles fans with good plays but Cabatu managed to convert timely hits to prevent the Eagles from inching any closer. Still, the Eagles trimmed the deficit thanks to a slew of fouls assessed to the Archers towards the end of the third period resulting in free throws with the Eagles converting eight out of 11. Ironically, the Eagles managed to escape with no fouls during that key stretch.

Yeo and Villanueva then combined for the Archers first nine points to begin the final period to push the Archers on top by 26 with three minutes to play, 76-48. Entering the final two minutes and the outcome long decided, Coach Pumaren decided to give rookies Lionel Rivera and Kish Co some playing time. “You will see more of the rookies as the season goes by,” explained Coach Pumaren. “It’s part of the breaking-in process.” Rookies James Mangahas and PJ Barua were the only Archers that failed to get playing time.

Cabatu paced the Archers with 15 points and seven rebounds in 34 minutes of action followed by Casio with 14. Yeo chipped in 10. Tenorio led the Eagles with 14 points while Magnum Membrere added 10 as only two Eagles submitted twin digits.

So effective was the Archers’ pressure defense that it resulted in 26 Eagle turnovers that were promptly converted into 35 easy Archer points. The Archers also put up more shots (75 versus 58) with a better shooting percentage (0.440 versus 0.362) to neutralize the taller Eagles domination of the rebounds (38 to 47). Finally, the Archers played more as a team as shown by their edge in the assists department, 18-8. One area that the Archers have to work on is free throw shooting, making only four out of 12 attempts.

Meanwhile, the De La Salle-Zobel Junior Archers set the tone for the day by waylaying the Ateneo High School Blue Eaglets in Juniors Division action, 75-71. Miguel de Asis and David Urra led Zobel with 16 markers each while David Webb followed with 15. Simon Atkins barely missed a triple-double with nine points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Dan Salvador also had a great game with eight points and 11 rebounds.

Up next for the Archers will be the unpredictable University of the Philippines Maroons on Thursday (July 14) at the Blue Eagle Gym along Katipunan Avenue starting at 4:00PM. Zobel faces UP Integrated School ea rlier that day at 12:00PM. The Maroons are coming off a 69-66 squeaker of a win over Santo Tomas on opening day and will parade three former Archers in Mika Vainio, Michael Gavino and Team B member Michael Padolina in a most intriguing match-up. - Anthony Servinio

La Salle teams overpower Ateneo 'Greats'

Last Saturday, I went to Araneta Coliseum to watch 2 ballgames. It has been 3 years since my last visit there. You see, I have always been in Japan during the UAAP season since then. I miss watching the games live, and inhaling all the energy. It wouldn't be right if I don't write about it in MY blog. After all, it's the green and white story of things.

We were there before 1pm, 5 of us. As soon as we got in, we went off and found good seats. We were at Upper A, not too near the court yet not too far. The drums were rumbling then. "It's good to be back," I told Y.

That day was a reunion of sorts. La Salle and Ateneo basketball greats fight each other for old times' sake. The first game were members of teams from the '60s to the late '80s. Some notable La Sallians in the Legends game include the deadly shooter Lim Eng Beng, Franz Pumaren who led us to 5 titles in 7 years, Jong and Joel Uichico, Tonichi Yturri, Boy Manguerra, and others to be coached Virgil Villavicencio (of Triple V fame). I never saw them play as La Sallians before, as I only entered the hallowed halls in 1991. But boy were they something! Sure they were slower, the bellies a little bigger, but they never showed signs of bowing to the blue side. Even if bragging rights were the only trophy, these team didn't show any signs of letting up. After the first period, it was 17-10 La Salle. Ateneo tried to fight hard, with the likes of Jojo Lastimosa, Nonoy Chuatico and Steve Watson combining to give them a 54-52 lead at the start of the 4th. But that's the best they could muster. La Salle dropped a 9-0 bomb to take the lead for good, never looking back. The game ended at 79-70 for La Salle, everything settled at the last-2-minute mark 'cept for the final score. Even with the blue babble battalion shouting at full blast, the green gallery were undaunted. I think we even outshouted them, if that's even a word.

Sidebar: I especially liked the cheers done by both pep squads during timeouts. It had a certain thing about them that I find missing when we're facing a different squad. As much as Ateneo and La Salle are rivals, we are one in traditions. When other schools are fielding cheerdancers who don't even shout cheers to begin with, we both bring out something that both students and alumni know - that spirit of support - that somehow, your strength is transferred to the team. Like the crowd is the 6th player on the court. That's why all Ateneo-La Salle games are sold-out, everybody just wants to participate. It's a bore just to watch a game, di ba? You'd rather PLAY the game! With all the Rektikanos and Blue Eagle spellings for that game, it's ok if I don't get to watch the game live this July 10. Malabo na, coz tickets were already sold out since this morning!

Anyhoo, going back... I was able to relate more to the All-Stars game. It featured players I knew, kasi kapanahunan ko na, hehe. From Dindo Pumaren, Raffy Dinglasan, Dicky Bachmann, Dwight Lago, to Dino Aldeguer, Mon Jose, Alvin Magpantay - gumawa lahat to defeat Ateneo again, 83-72. I knew the game was ours after the first quarter, with the score at 25-8. Yup, that's only 8 for the team from Katipunan.

But we were given the shock of a lifetime when the blue squad scattered points behind the almost buwakaw plays of Vince Hizon, once a good player from Ginebra, to come within 4, 56-52 at the start of the fourth. But like in the first game, that was all they could muster. Pumaren, Lago and Tyrone Bautista combined 14 unanswered points to break away. Hizon and Epok Quimpo (he's an All-Star?!) tried to keep the heads of the blue boys above water, but it was all for naught. The Green Archers triumphed again, this time at 83-72. My voice was pretty much raspy at this point as I couldn't stop cheering for the life of me. I had so much fun! I will definitely, definitely do this again!

(Marj and Regie might watch with us during the La Salle-UST game. I bet that will be even more fun, with all the asarans pa!)

Postscript: As expected from true-blue sore losers, I couldn't find any topic from Atenean.net about the Ultimate Showdown. Are they just braggarts when they're winning? If it were the other way around, the blue win would be all over the Pinoy exchange forums, plus invasions in peyups.com and greenarcher.net. Why are they all mum now?

Monday Blues!

I feel like Garfield today. I really hate Mondays!!! I only like Mondays when they're holidays. I dread getting up and getting ready. How I wish it would always be weekends. Siguro ganon if you don't like your work that much no? I mean, what if I had na my own business? Would I still feel like this?

Before the piracy overkill, I have always wanted to put up my own video and record store. Like Tower Records, but with knowledgeable employees. Not like the ones they have in Odyssey or Radio City or Video City or Astrovision. Yung you'll ask lang for a CD na hindi Britney Spears or Sexbomb Dancers and they'll look at you with a deer-caught-in-the-headlights kind of stare.

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I love movies (more so than music), and I wanted to cater to all those collectors and movie-lovers alike, preferably in the more presentable media, the DVD. Kaso now, I feel na the video-watching public are just totally dependent on the movies that the local distributors put out in the market. Usually the sobrang commercialized movies that you can find everywhere. The ones that are critically-acclaimed or the ones they think na konti lang ang bibili, you have to get pa outside of the country. I can never find 'The Groundhog Day' DVD dito. This, I believe, is Bill Murray's funniest movie. Wala raw kasi tayong winter kaya we won't get the premise of the Groundhog day.

Sometimes naman, wrong timing ang local distributors. It took me forever to find the Godfather Trilogy DVD, kasi when I bought the Region 1 (US), nilabas naman nila yung mas murang Region 3!!! Grrrrr!!!

Sometimes, pang-inis lang ang ginagawa ng local distributors. Like yung sa case ng Friends DVDs, they get the Region 1 cover (where you can see lots of Special Features) and then you plug in the DVD and lo and behold, wala yung ibang Special Features!!! Kulang na lang, i-xerox na lang yung box nung Region 1 and ibigay yung inferior Region 3 discs!!! I really had the first 3 seasons changed kahit walang physical defect yung discs. I just told the lady at Astrovision that the discs did not contain all the special features indicated at the back and I was not at all satisfied with their product. Buti na lang tinanggap nila ulit. The bad news was, sa Amazon.com pa ako bumili ng Region 1 Friends, and you could guess how much it cost me to buy the 8 Seasons.

If ever I'll put up my video store, it would more likely be Region 1 releases. I don't want to sell low-quality stuff kasi... Kaso, it would defeat naman my purpose of raising the bar for Filipino products. Siguro dapat sa Warner or Magnavision ako magtrabaho... Hmmmm...

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Thanks to D and N for always giving me comments about my blog.

Should I take it?

I was offered a project in J for 20 months. Should I take it?

I would want to return there but not that long. 20 months is a long time. I would have wanted to bring my family there, but I don't think that's possible.

With nobody else to assign there, I feel that the decision may not be up to me, at all.

I'm in a quandary.

My Morning Rush addiction

I can't get enough of the morning rush. Although I'm such a sleeper, I try to wake up early just to catch the Morning Rush on RX93.1 (webcast also at www.rx931.com 6-9am Phil time). I used to dread going off to (school before and now) work, but somehow, over the years, that feeling vanished coz I was drawn to their show during, of course, the morning rush.

That was the time when Campus Radio was losing its touch. Triggerman was getting really annoying, and nothing seemed to be doing it for me from all the other stations. My mom used to comment that Chico and Delamar were always talking, but for goodness' sake, it was a radio TALK show, after all.

I used to smile kahit corny sometimes ang topics nila. But they were never really as corny as their next door (can i say door?) neighbor, the old WKC. I liked the He Said, She Said portion - which was their dibs on caller's problems/concerns, their News at 17 (every 17th minute of the hour), the opening and closing songs (sung a little too cheesily for my taste), even the audacity to release their own record! Yup, it was really them singing, believe you me.

Even when they changed stations and carried their morning show with them, I still followed. Boom, Franchesca and Trish, who were assigned their old timeslot in RX, were fun, but not as fun as Chico and Delamar. It was my guilty pleasure to listen to the Morning Rush, with the Top 10 usually leaving a smile plastered to my face. It was my time to be a little corny. Chico would tease the hell out of Delamar, and we were there to help him!

When they returned to RX in 2002, back with them I followed. Brad Turvy was added shortly after, but no offense to Brad, I couldn't care less if he were there or not. The 2 still carried the show. The Top 10, complete with Survivor cue in and out music, would still make me laugh, albeit a little harder. I remember the time I laughed really hard was when they discussed the Top 10 Beauty Pageant Boo boos. Old jokes during the 96 Miss Universe came back, bringing a lot of memories. Here's a sample:

Q:"Why did you join this contest?"
A:"Me? join this contest? why did I? Thank you."

Q:"How would you describe the color blue to a blind person?
A:"That's a very good question, keep it up!"

Q:"I heard you almost didn't make it, how did you get here, did you ride or
did you walk?
A:"Of course, did you ride, what do you think of me? did you
walk?"

Q:"Besides the Philippines, where else do you want to live?
A:"States"
Q:"Where in the States?"
A:"Canada"

Good thing they launched the website then. Even when I was in Japan, I would still listen to their show before I went to work. They even tried TV a few years back. There's even a yahoogroup, rushonline. Join, ika nga, ip pans ka nila!

Cat of RX recently started posting wma soundbytes mostly of the Morning Rush Top 10, details of which can be found on The Rush Online.

At least I don't need to get up at 6 am now.


rx931.com & 93.1MHz in Mega Manila, Mondays to Saturdays, 6-9am
He says, She says - Youth and Campus Section of the Manila Bulletin, Wednesdays
Top 10 soundbytes c/o The Rush Online

Who da pirate?

I'm posting this article coz it really really translates my thoughts into words. Mr. Diokno did me a favor! I just want to put the link up, but with inquirer, this will be gone after a week. Mr. Diokno, with your kind permission, I request permission to show your article to my friends. Thanks!

Who da pirate?
First posted 02:23am (Mla time) June 11, 2005
By Pepe Diokno Inquirer News Service

RIGHT before Star Trek Enterprise on HBO, I saw this ad that said, "If you think it's wrong to steal cars, and bags, and money, it's just as wrong to buy pirated. Piracy is theft" or something like that. The ad is part of the HIP (Honor Intellectual Property) campaign of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.

And cool, piracy is theft. And it's deteriorating society! (Echo, echo) The ad places a lack of respect for an artist's intellectual property at the center of the piracy problem. And I agree. But the problem is, who has the right to talk about honoring intellectual property in the first place?

Buzz! What are record companies and movie studios? Wrong. Companies who make money off other people's creations and put profit as their top priority do not honor intellectual property. Record companies aren't on this earth for the music-they're here for money. Same goes with movie studios. When these corporations ask you to stop buying pirated, they're really just asking you to give them more money. Don't mind them.

Buzz! What is the government? Wrong again. We pay 1/3 of our annual income to our government - and they tax us for everything we buy- and at least more than half of the revenue they get goes into the pockets of Secretaries blahblah and blahblah (and the people who make up their Edsa motorcade).

The government is full of people with individual interests. These people make their money off of your work and my work. They feed off us.They have no right to lecture us about honoring intellectual property.If they did, they'd respect us enough to show us where 1/3 of our income goes. When the government asks you to stop buying pirated, they're really just asking you to fund their next scandal.

We're all pirates!

So it turns out that the main proponents of anti-piracy campaigns aren't in the position to talk to us about intellectual property rights in the first place. They're pirates themselves. The real message of the "No to Piracy" mumbo jumbo is, "Give this fat businessman money" and, "Give this fat politician some dough." It's kinda like the US Government saying they want to kill terrorism when they themselves strike terror in the hearts of little Arab children, among others.

Moolah is behind all this anti-piracy crap. If there wasn't any money in music and movies, we wouldn't have an Optical Media Board and Intellectual Property Office.

Look - in the end, when piracy is, um, eradicated, the ones who will benefit are, first the record companies and movie studios, then the government. The artists get the crumbs. (Like, remember when TLC said they were bankrupt? Anyway...)

Victims!

The victims of piracy are the artists themselves. They're victims of you and me buying CDs worth P50 each and downloading stuff off the net, yes. But they're also victims of executives and politicos leeching on their talent. Everyone's trying to get a piece of these artists, but they're the poorest ones around. People don't realize that the artist is the basic form of life. (Like plants!)

It's typical of Filipino society to look down on the building blocks of society. The labor sector, for example, is regarded with as much respect in this country as, say, rags. They get paid the lowest, but work the hardest-they work their asses off for rice and salt. And then we laugh at the thought that if all of them died of starvation, none of us will survive (it's possible.).

This system of society is a sickness-and it's one of the reasons why our country will never improve. The day we start giving truck drivers and janitors their due is the day we will develop (Any sign of that happening, mister? Uh, sorry.) This is a sickness and a problem.

Piracy on the other hand is a sickness but it isn't the problem. It's (drum roll...) the way we think. A lack of respect for (or knowledge on) intellectual property is a major part of the piracy issue. A lack of regard for the people who actually do the work is another problem. Our national leaders' being out of touch with the way 90 percent of our country lives is another major problem. Unless we change the way we think, the Philippines-and all Filipinos, for that matter-is destined to utter ruin.

The way we Filipinos think contributes to the one big word we pray to God (or Allah, or the kami, or Buddha-it doesn't matter) to get rid of-poverty.

Poverty

Piracy will never be expelled from this region unless something is done about poverty. And to try to solve piracy and pay attention to IP rights are futile when most Filipinos can't eat.

Picture this: OMB chairman Edu Manzano arrives in an expensive car at a slum area in Caloocan or some other place. He makes his way to a flimsy stage and delivers a speech. "I know you people only make P50 a day,which isn't even enough to feed yourself let alone your family, but please, if you want to enjoy the music of Sarah Geronimo, do not eat for just five days, and buy a P250 original CD!"

Now they won't be able to enjoy Sarah Geronimo. (Aww...) So the argument is that if you can't buy something, you can probably live without it. If you can't buy CDs, too bad. But any musician will say that music is life. And any filmmaker will tell you that film is the foremost medium of expression that everybody needs.The people who make the products that are pirated most often will say that their creations are essential to life. It is the soulless politico who doesn't get that, and will say that music is an unnecessary expense.

The point is you cannot tell people who are underpaid (hey, even minimum wage is below what is needed to keep a family alive) to spend a whole week's salary on music. But at the same time, you cannot deprive a person of music.

Demand, supply, solution

But you're right. There's no concrete, clear-cut course of action against piracy. But the least we can do is know what we're attacking. It's not the supply of pirated products, but the demand of them that we should eradicate. See, if people want something, they're going to find ways to get it. These raids our officials do are like games of whack-a-mole. (If you see something come up, whack it! Oops, there's another one! Whack it!)

The solution is to address the demand for pirated products. Record companies and movie studios have to show us that they put music and movies before profit. (Now that is ideal, but telling people to respect artists' rights while being after the money themselves is hypocritical.) And the government should put more effort into realizing long-term goals like speeding up the justice system, fixing the LaborCode, and decentralizing powers, and become less involved in short-term problems like the operation at the back of Metrowalk.

And third, the artists have to be aware of blood-sucking from all directions. Though it is hard to survive without canoodling with and giving into the companies that distribute your work, people must realize that these corporations need you. The people who create must band together and stand up for (cliche coming:) their rights. (Just like People Power... or something.)

These "Say No To Piracy" drives are nothing but crap-they're there but no one minds them. They're there but they don't solve the main issues that cause piracy. The money used for a 30-second spot about intellectual property can be used to put people to school and educate them even better about rights, and proper consumerism. (Hey, an -ism!)

Piracy is theft. And all of us are guilty of it-we're all guilty of living off somebody else's work. But then, piracy isn't the problem. The problem is that our society is sick, and that our country is poor.

Raid that, freaks.

Comments at pepediokno@gmail.com

Things I Miss in Japan

I can't believe how time flew! As of today, I have already stayed 8 straight months in Manila. Ganoong katagal na akong idle! Ha ha! But I kinda miss Japan pa rin. Why? Let me count the ways...

It's so ef-in' hot here in Manila! Our airconditioner would have conked out if I didn't have it cleaned. Nikki learned how to turn on the aircon so I guess that explains why our bill is P10, 400+. Yup, that's right, P10,400. Last year at this time, it was only P4,000+. What did we get recently that contributed to the difference? Nothing!!! We already had the motor for our water tank last year, so I guess it's just the aircon use. But should the difference be P6,000?!!! Hell no! That's why I miss Japan. With their cool climate 9 months of the year, I just have to settle for that awful summer. Honestly, I prefer their cool, crisp winters than their sticky summers anytime!

Going home from the office takes almost an hour! And I live in Las Pinas for cripes sake! I miss the regular train schedules, though I'd rather have the other train lines compared to JR Yokohama. The others are usually less packed, with lesser intervals between trains. And when I'm late it's usually because of my own fault! I just want to get to my destination with so much less hassle! Even if I take my car, with these skyrocketing gasoline prices, LUGI rin! Plus the aggravation of dealing with uneducated drivers on the road, I could literally feel my wrinkles forming on my forehead. No exag!

I miss the food! I'm sawa na of the daing na bangus, sisig, pork barbecue, chickenjoy, yang chow, tapsi, longsi, tosi, pakaplog and what have you! I want my chashumen, my chahan and yakiniku tampin!

I miss the convenience and ease of shopping. I was a regular of amazon.co.jp. I ordered books, DVDs, toys, etc. The prices may not be different from those available here, but I could readily spend 2,000 yen there than P1,000 here. That's the difference. And the gadget! Oh my god! Give me an ipod that has its own satellite, with built-in Gprs, that could heat my dinner with a side of fries and McShake, puri-su! Yodobashi and Bic, two places I miss visiting.

I don't know why, and most of the time I feel ashamed to admit it, but I like living alone for a time. I mean, I like being married pa rin plus I so love my kids, but they can be quite a handful rin. Days literally go by so quickly with them. I just want that time when I can be alone, drink a hot cup of Caramel Macchiatto and read a book. Ideal overseas assignments for me would be three months a year. But that rarely happens. Not to us, not to ITPST.

So adopt me again, Japan. Love me ulit.

But for 3 months lang ha? [asa ka pa.]

Voltes V toy coming out soon!

I'm gonna get me a Voltes V toy come Christmas! Yay!!!

Excuse my giddiness. I just can't get over the fact that every Pinoy 80s boy's dream toy, Voltes V, will be released by Bandai either end of this year or early next year. Oops, that statement should have been followed by lots and lots of exclamation points! as in !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

However silly or nearly impossible the Voltes series were, it captivated all our imaginations. I mean, really, everyone I knew back then were watching the series. From the original airing in the late '70s (which led to a mini revolt among kids when Marcos decided to ban it citing violence daw as the reason), to the never-ending replays in the '80s (which didn't actually reach the end of the series), and finally the revival in the '90s. It was even released as a VCD here in the Philippines, together with my other favorite, Daimos.

So what is it about Voltes V that hooked us to our television screens? Well it maybe the temporary escape from our dreary lives. Imagine the excitement of handling your own ship which combines to 4 others to become a Super Robot! I mean, I was Little John's age, and I believed I could be one of them. It didn't matter that they didn't have military-type flying lessons. It didn't matter that the youngest could only have been in 1st year high school, tops. It made us want to be them, not just admire them.

It could be the cool vehicles/robot. It was Earth's last stand against an Alien invasion, for cripes' sakes. Even with that, you just can't help your ooohs and aaahs looking at each ship, and then having the power to "volt in!" and become the greatest machine to defend Earth. And with that feeling of having their backs against the wall and winning each and every single time, talk about never-say-die!

It could be the translation of the said ships to a toy line. I have this friend, Voltaire, who had the toy and I would bike to their place so that we can play during weekends. If it weren't for this, I don't think we would have been friends, coz we belong to different crowds in school. But we got past the toy phase eventually, and became good friends. I would re-enact the whole volting in (with matching singing pa ng theme song!).

Now, with the release of this toy, my childhood dream will finally come true! I know this guy (his mom and my mom are great friends) in the States. When his mom came over for a visit, his only "bilin" was a Voltes V toy. He didn't care how much it costs. He just told her na now that he's earning, he'd like that 1 toy he didn't have growing up. Alas, the mom could not locate one. So Kuya A, very soon you could own one!

So all you kids of the '80s, Let's Volt In! (sabay pindot nung red button, para ma-play yung theme song!)

N, pabili naman dyan!

Wala na kaming coffee!

We just ran out of Maxwell House this morning. Our previous supply of Maxim from Japan has long expired. We were counting on the "pasalubong" of Noel but alas, they were given way unsuspectingly by Malou to their relatives.

To all those in Japan, kindly send us our Maxim Coffee!!!


or

Happy Birthday, Ethan!

I can't believe my 2nd son, Ethan, will be two this weekend. He's developed so well and I'm so proud of him and his kuya. He can carry a tune already (while watching Blue's Clues or their favorite nursery rhymes CD) and he's so cute while he tried to dance while singing. He can really bring a smile to my face even if I'm down.

I'm really feel like I'm getting old. It's not just the getting old part, rather, the feeling of not being able to accomplish things I should already have at 30. Yup, I'm already 30. Can't believe that the lifting of Martial Law, the first (and dapat last) People Power revolution, College Life have already passed me by. It's been 10 years since I graduated! Can't believe I've been stuck here in J*P*I for that long.

It's not that I haven't tried looking for other jobs. It's just, comparing the amount of work, time I have to spend commuting, versus the current kinda still swings JPI's way. The most I could do is break even, but alas, I feel I will earn the same but work soooo much harder.

I really have to start that Canada thing. Sad to say, I could never fulfill all my dreams here in the Philippines. So that I could give Ethan and Nikki the best birthday gifts ever. Security with Love.

Starbucks

Whew!

I've been addicted to Starbucks' Tall Hot Caramel Macchiato lately. Even though it's the freakin' summer, I still order my cup of hot and tall java whenever we're at ATC or Metrobank. I mean, what's wrong with the usual Maxim, Maxwell House brew? Or the good ol' Nescafe?

Am I really contributing to Starbucks' rise in the business? And pa-sosyal proud of it pa?

Hmm.

I hope not. Let's toast to that.

=)

You Call This An Increase?!

Today I signed my salary increase letter given by our higher-ups. My basic salary really increased, but there was a catch. The reason for such was all my other allowances were bundled into it, and then calling that new sum, "the increased salary".

I know life's hard and the economy is down, but after serving almost 10 years in this company, I should have gotten this amount 4 years ago! I sometimes think of the investment my parents put in me, sending me to school, making sure I have the best education possible.

Should I have ventured on endeavors related to my course instead? I knew computers were in, and I could say I had the interest graduating lankly albeit excitedly 9 summers ago. Would I have found myself in the same financial situation if I were able to find a job in Shell or San Miguel or some other instutition I have submitted applications in?

To finally move into our own house, I would need to tighten my belt a little bit more, put off enrolling Nikki to a playschool and just homeschool him till he qualifies for preschool, say goodbye to my planned DVD purchases, and maybe stay abroad for a few more assignments... What do you say?

Torrents - another choice

Just recently, I have concluded watching Transformers Energon, a show run by USA's Cartoon Network. I did not watch this on TV though, because I am in Las Pinas, Metro Manila. We don't have Satellite TV (not yet anyway). Our cable has not caught up with these nice channels, but I can't think for the life of me why we have those Indian channels were even their dramas have dance steps.

I am quite thankful for the peer-to-peer applications and more recently to bittorrent coz after all these years, I am not anymore confined on what's available on TV, cable or video. I can now watch my favorite shows a few hours after the North Americans. I am now updated in Smallville, That '70s Show, Alias, 24, CSI, Survivor, The Amazing Race, Monk, Lost, etc. Not just being able to keep abreast of these shows, but actually start these shows or download the episodes I have missed.

They say this is piracy or at least in violation of the "all rights reserved" written in their credits. But damn! What can beat having these shows for free?!! (or at least paying for a relatively-faster Internet subscription fee). It's too much a burden to have to wait for a season to finish and be available on DVD.

That's why, even if this is the bad side of piracy, I'm all for it.

What's with the La Salle Basketball Devotion?

I remember 15 or so years ago, when I was still in elementary school how the basketball fan bug bit me. Call me corny, pathetic or whatever, but I was a die-hard Ginebra fan back then. I could still remember staying by the TV and watching all Ginebra games. Even if I my eyes were already droopy, I would try to keep awake so as to finish the game. It was a high of highs when Ginebra won and major asaran (teasing) the next day when Ginebra lost.

I guess it started during the conference when Ginebra fought Manila Beer for the title. Ginebra with Billy Ray Bates and Michael Hackett was awesome! After winning that title, I was hooked. I shouted "Jaworski! Jaworski!" with my brothers to the TV. We whooped it up when Ampalayo, Chito or Joey Loyzaga would hit a three. We would clap our hands when Gonzalgo or Distrito would drive up against taller men for a lay-up. We would smile sheepishly when Ed Ducut got blocked. Even that single three-pointer with a prayer that Mamaril threw that miraculously sank in was a celebration.

During the following years, I tried playing the game and I could honestly say I sucked. I didn't have the height nor the bulk to play it competitively. But what I lacked in physical skills, I made up in other ways. I would annoy the hell out of our schoolbus mates (who were predictably Purefoods fans). I would follow the NBA as much as I could given the feeble broadcasting our local channels showed back then (still a Celtics fan). But nothing could compare during gametime of any Ginebra contest. Our single TV would be tuned in to channel 4. "Ginebra! Ginebra!"

But college happened. PBA exposure was dwindling. Ginebra and Jaworski got old. As much as I would like to connect myself to Ginebra, the connection wasn't genuine. I don't go to PBA games. I never bought the merchandise. Heck, I don't even drink Ginebra (or any incarnation of the La Tondena franchise - Anejo Rhum 65, Gordon's Gin, etc). I didn't watch the games anymore. My interest kinda faded.

Then, our teacher in PEDUONE required us to watch the UAAP Opening ceremonies. At first I didn't want to go, but attendance will be checked, so to Araneta my classmates and I trooped half-heartedly. There was the usual parade of teams, boring speeches. I didn't even watch the La Salle game which was the last game that day.

La Salle was coming off back-to-back championships in Men's Basketball that fateful year: 1991. They defeated FEU and UE the previous two years and were healing from the heartbreaker when Ateneo won over them in 1988. Some classmates of mine were basketball fans and we went to Rizal Memorial (I think) to watch some games. Game after game, the connection was slowly established, this time more real than Ginebra. I was a La Sallian after all. There was more conviction with every "Go La Salle, Go! Go La Salle!" chant. I was definitely back, baby!

My mom would ask me if we had classes after our ROTC coz I was always asking for baon for the whole Saturday. Little did she know (then) that we were just watching games, cheering our hearts out. La Salle was fantastic that season, with the likes of Jun Limpot, sweet-shooters Johnedel Cardel & Jonas Mariano, burly Noli Locsin and play-maker Toni Boy Espinosa. Even if my first season of watching La Salle ended in controversy (La Salle point guard Toni Boy Espinosa stayed in the playing court even after committing his fifth foul, but was not pointed out by the referees/technical panel) it instilled the Animo Spirit of the Green Archer in me. "Green White! Go Fight!" "D-L-S-U Derecho La Salle!" "D! L S! U! Animo La Salle!" Throughout the years it was our battlecry. Through our bridesmaid and 3rd place finishes from '92 - '97, I tried to watch the games live as much as I could. Then '98 hit and we won 4 straight championships over our antagonists FEU, UST and Ateneo. Year '88 was avenged.

Now, back to my title, what's up with the La Salle Basketball Devotion that I had to subscribe to abs-cbn Interactive to watch the games when I was abroad? Is it because of the way we trounced Ateneo during the decade they were lousy (and competitive)? Is it the goosebumps we feel when our cheers are shouted? Is it the way that the DLSU Basketball System was done, that whichever 5 were in the court, it didn't really matter? Is it because of the 4 years UST lorded it over and we just had to dug deep down to win over them? No. I don't think so. I think basketball is just an expression of excellence. It is La Salle with a very Pinoy flavor. Don't get me wrong, I still support La Salle's foray into competition, be it Academics or Sports. Pinoys just love basketball. And connecting with the team makes it personal, very VERY personal.

It just gets thrilling when you shout out in glee with every converted shot and terrific play, and curse with every missed call or conversion from the other end of the court. This season, after 8 games, it looked like it was the end for the Archers, with the team sporting a 4-4 win-loss card. But after shattering UP's 6-game winning streak, and disposing of the rest of the teams including Ateneo (who seemed unstoppable after speeding to a 7-0 start), and getting the 2nd twice to beat seat again from the ballers from Loyola, there was just no stopping the Green Archer 5, what with its own 9-game win streak.

So what a ride it was this year! Congrats to the 67th UAAP Champions, the De La Salle Green Archers!!!

P.S. Wait for my next posts:
Ateneo vs. La Salle - why (almost) everybody watches
What's up with Managers? (Why it is annoying for Higher-Ups to have lower IQs than I do)