Getting my Ateneo fix

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with still a few more days from the start of the pccl final four, i decided to get my ateneo fix by watching the volleyball game between the lady eagles and the ue lady warriors at the blue eagle gym this afternoon.

i'm not really much of a volleyball fan, but i do watch volleyball games... well, women's volleyball games. i myself tried playing volleyball when i was in the minor seminary, to no avail. hahaha! but watching women's volleyball live is an entirely different experience from that of men's basketball: drums and cheers only done during dead ball, not so much complaints from the crowd on the ref's calls, and no fabilioh.com to pose for. but the "oohs" and "aahs" for every attempt from the blue and white keep the eagles' spirit alive.

it was also nice seeing my professor in philosophy during my college years in the venue. he was there to support his daughter, who is currently the captain of the team. well, so was i. hahahaha!

speaking of getting our ateneo fix, we will be seeing the blue eagles play once more to defend their pccl championship and have the mvp perpetual trophy (that's what it's called) stay in katipunan. here's the schedule:

taken from the pccl website

this will be an interesting pccl final four as ateneo is the only uaap team standing, as they are contending for a record three straight national championships with san sebastian golden stags (luzon-mm regional champion), san beda red lions (ncaa champion), and university of cebu webmasters (visayas-mindanao champion).

the blue eagles have been quite productive after winning their fourth consecutive uaap championship. coach norman black and his core players greg slaughter, kiefer ravena, emman monfort, and nico salva are coming off a gold medal finish with sinag pilipinas in the 26th sea games. the rest of the blue eagles and some "team glory b" players won the university games basketball title last month. if they get their acts together and shake the proverbial ring rust off, then the blue eagles are aiming to complete another "grand slam" of sorts by adding the pccl to their already championship-laced 2011 (which also includes the fil-oil pre-season cup).

as usual, there will be interesting match-ups to behold in this tournament. the university of cebu has man-mountain junemar fajardo, who have waged countless basketball wars in the visayas with greg slaughter. there's also the pinatubo trio of ronald pascual, ian sanggalang, and calvin abueva for san sebastian whose physical style of play might pose match-up problems with our starters. and of course, san beda would like to get some retribution from the blue eagles after losing to them in the fil-oil pre-season cup last march.

with a round robin format in the final four, it will be more interesting to find out who gets to play in the championship game, as it seems that the quotient system will be used to break ties in the standings. according to the ever-reliable chinoy hoops fan: "The team at the end of the round-robin phase with the highest record gets twice to beat in the Finals versus the team with the next highest record."

while everyone is waiting for nba to open in 26 days, we still have college basketball to watch and the ateneo blue eagles to root for in the pccl.

GOOD NEWS, GREAT JOY TO THE (BASKETBALL) WORLD!

with nba basketball returning on christmas day, nba fans are for sure contemplating on several things this "advent season" - perhaps change cable providers, subscribe to nba premium, join or activate fantasy leagues, practice draft skills in online mock drafts, get nba 2k11 (the only place where one can experience a full nba season), or even get a metta world peace jersey.

nonetheless, the xmas nba games have always been a spectacle for basketball fans. it's the time of the year when the league gets to schedule rivalries and interesting match-ups to treat the fans with the greatest brand of basketball on earth.

last season, what added spice to the games was the launch of signature shoes of players in interesting colorways: lebron 8v2 xmas day, kobe 6 grinches, kd3 in yellow, hyperdunks in green, red, and yellow, and all other sneakers in xmas colors. the game between the lakers and the heat last year featured some of these joints.



this year, we'll be treated to a triple header - celtics vs. knicks, heat vs. mavericks, and bulls vs. lakers - and who knows, even the launch of great kicks that sneakerheads would love to cop.

but for me, the most memorable nba xmas game was in 2008, when two of my favorite teams - san antonio spurs and phoenix suns - fought a game that was decided at the buzzer. the suns, bolstered by steve nash, amare stoudamire, and an aging shaquille o'neal, broke the deadlock through a grant hill basket with 4.3 seconds left in the game. that was until roger mason hit a corner three at the buzzer to silence the crowd at the us airways arena and give san antonio a very merry christmas with a 91-90 victory.



so what could be in store for us on christmas day? let's all stay tuned. have a merry nba christmas!

Coming, Waiting, and Preparing (A Reflection on the First Sunday of Advent)

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Part of the homily originally delivered in Filipino on the occasion of the 1st Sunday of Advent at the chapel of Barrio Visaya, Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City

The word "advent" comes from the latin word adventus which means "coming." As the start of the new liturgical year, the season of advent is a special time for us to reflect and prepare ourselves to commemorate and remember the coming of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Another word associated with advent is "waiting", as the days of advent are actually days where we wait not just for Christmas day but for He whose coming we await for - Jesus Christ.

It is said that there are three levels of "waitings and comings" in the season of advent. The first is that which has already happened in Salvation History: the waiting for the long-awaited Messiah and His coming in birth of Jesus. The Father, out of His tremendous love for His creation, sent His only begotten Son in order for us to have life and have it to the full. By coming to the world in the person of Jesus Christ, He came to redeem not just His chosen people, but all of us. This mystery of the Incarnation is the what we commemorate and celebrate during Christmas.

The second level of "waiting and coming" that we remember in the advent season is that which we look forward to in the future: the second coming of Christ in the end of time. This is reflected in the creed the we profess: "I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting." Through the last few weeks of Ordinary Time, we reflected on the "end days" where we not just simply wait for the second coming of Christ but also prepare ourselves for it. Until that day comes, out lives should be characterized by active waiting and inner change so we can receive Him with open hearts.

Finally, this "waiting and coming" is something that we also experience in the present: the coming of Christ in our everyday lives. Our daily lives revolve around welcoming the life and presence of Christ, in our actions and words, through the people around us. We concretely experience this through the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist. This perhaps is our real advent journey: of waiting and preparing for the coming of Christ in our lives.

More than thinking of Christmas right ahead, let us take this time of advent to truly prepare ourselves to receive God's best gift to us: His Son. And perhaps, the best give we can give Him in His coming is our very own selves. And so, we ask ourselves: how ready are we to receive Him and give ourselves to Him in our todays and tomorrows? The advent season is an opportunity to trim our excesses, fill our lacks, and to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord in our lives.

In a time where the experiences of waiting and preparing are something undesirable because we can get whatever we want in a snap, we pray for the graces of patience and anticipation that we may truly welcome Christ and give Him the best gift that we can give Him: our lives.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!?

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looks like we'll finally have our nba fix this christmas season. (click here for the article)
 


if things work out well between the nba players association and the league, we will be watching nba games starting december 25 (26 here in manila). scheduled games then will be boston celtics vs. new york knicks (one of those eastern conference rivalries since time immemorial), miami heat v. dallas mavericks (whoa! rematch of last season's championship!), and chicago bulls vs. los angeles lakers (1991, anyone?).

well, a full 82 game season is now water under the bridge. i'd rather watch a shorter season than nothing at all.

so please make this happen. and let everyone have a merry christmas.

TIMEOUT: 8%

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saw this on facebook... and reposted it. hahahaha

92% of people who see and read this will not have the guts to repost it.

When Goku died in the explosion that Cell tried to destroy the Earth with, he did it for you and me. If you're not ashamed to love Goku, post this as your status and show everyone. Thank you, Goku. I lifted up my arms for the Spirit Bomb every time you asked for my energy.

Black (Cement) Friday

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in the united states, the day after thanksgiving is called black friday, which basically marks the beginning of the xmas shopping season. but for sneakerheads, 11/25/11 is no ordinary friday, not even black friday.

it's black cement friday.

today marks the release of 136064-010 aka jordan 3 retro black/cement/varsity red. known to sneakerheads as bc3, jordan 3 black cement was the shoe michael jordan wore in the commercial he had with spike lee in 1998, the year when he won most valuable player, most defensive player, all-star game mvp, and slam dunk competition. on court, he used this shoe in the 1988 all star game with fantasy god-like stats: 40 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 4 blocks! he also played with these in certain games in the regular season where he won the scoring title (37 points per game). originally released in 1988, it has been retroed thrice: 1994, 2008, and 2011. this is known as the first jordan shoe to sport the "jumpman" logo to commemorate his win in the slam dunk competition a year before. the first of 14 shoes designed by renowned designer tinker hatfield for his airness, this is perhaps one of the most celebrated jordans of all time besides the jordan 11 concords and space jams. no wonder sneakerheads of all ages and shoe sizes have been looking forward to this day "to cop these joints."

i tweeted a few days back that i'm not keen on buying these shoes, as i am looking forward to other prominent releases especially the jordan 11 concords, which i personally consider as my "holy grail." but i know that a lot of sneakerheads won't sleep on this release. to get on top of this "sneaker game", a collector has to do whatever it takes to cop his own holy grail.

days leading into the release, there was much talk and discussion on nike talk philippines' facebook group page and i found it interesting that people intend to camp out and fall in line for these. i even read a post about tips on how to get inside the mall even if it's still closed just to get in line. true enough, a lot of them did. looking at the pictures from the various outlets that released these joints, it was not surprising that the lines could actually match that of a feature film or even a rivalry game in the uaap. and reading the posts in the group page was quite surprising, with stories of drivers and yayas falling in line to buy multiple pairs, collectors traveling from one venue to another to get their joints, disappointed sneakerheads who fell in line yet failed to grab a one due to over consumption of those in front, and other recollections and reactions on how black friday went.

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with this hoopla around bc3 on black saturday, i wonder how much more will the commotion be on the release of jordan 11 concords less than a month from now. with all the hype building up for this shoe as well as the potential for resellers to make the most of the opportunity ahead, i won't be surprised that i myself will not be able to cop those concords on its day of release unless nike will impose a limit to purchases (which i think they won't). for sure, lines will be longer, commotions will be greater, anomalies will be messier, and accusations will be fiercer. on that day, it's either you leave the shoe premises with the shoe of choice on your own size, or die trying.

at the end of the day, they're just shoes. and shoes are meant to be worn, not kept.

Bend, not break (A reflection on adversity and resilience)

Part of my reflection submitted in the course "Explorations in Individual and Family Resilience"

Adversity is part of life. Some might have seen or experienced it more than others. Fighting the fight or struggling through the challenge might be one way to deal with adversity. But living with it and using it to make one better is a manifestation of resilience.

I remember an anecdote about the oak and the reed that I encountered in one of my philosophy classes in college. The oak tree stood deeply in the ground and raised its head boldly in the sky; while the reed may not be so grand yet can bend gently when the wind passed by. In the face of the storm, the strong winds tore up the tree from its roots; while the reed bent to the force of the wind and soon stood upright again when the storm had passed over.

Perhaps this anecdote describes my experiences of adversity as well as resistance and resilience. Throughout my life, I have faced adversities in all shapes, colors, and sizes. There were times when I tried to stand strong to resist the storm, and this either kept me on the ground or made me fall hard to it. There were also experiences when I bent with the rush of the wind and in effect weathered the storm. Yet in all these storms, I would have never survived them all by myself.

In these experiences, I found myself shuffling between the resistant oak tree and the resilient reed confronting the gusty winds of adversity. There were moments when I chose to stand firm on my ground and struggle with challenges head on, ready for a collision course. There were also times when I decided to adapt to the changes and welcome the cold and shivering breeze. There were instances when I bent and occasions when I got broken. Yet in all these, I recognize that I am not alone in picking up the pieces or in bouncing back to where I used to me. The Father, in His steadfast and providential love, served as the root – whether that of the oak tree or the reed – that anchored me through the adversities and challenges of life.

On Positive Thinking

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every bad situation will have something positive.
remember:
even a broken clock shows the correct time twice a day,
even if it's wrong in 1,438 other times.

What are you going to do?

 

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On Discernment (Part 1 of ?)

"if your head tells one thing and your heart tells you another, before you do anything, decide first whether you have a better head or a better heart."

- albert einstein (1879-1955)

TIMEOUT: thinking of food during scripture class :|

Gold shines for Sinag Pilipinas

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sinag pilipinas captured the gold medal in men's basketball last night as it trounced thailand, 85-57, in the 26th southeast asian games in indonesia.

uaap standouts greg slaughter, rayray parks, rr garcia, and kiefer ravena scored in double digits to lead sinag's rout against the more experienced thailand squad. the 7 foot behemoth from ateneo finished with 16 points, the reigning uaap mvp scored 15, last year's uaap mvp had 12 points, while the uaap rookie of the year made 10 points. this is the first game sinag pilipinas scored below 100 points, and the 28 point lead was the closest winning margin sinag had in all its 5 games in the competition.

bucking the absence of garvo lanete, sinag slowly pulled away from its thai counterparts in the third quarter. emman monfort and chris tiu facilitated excellent ball movement for the team as its scorers finished strong inside and outside the shaded area. the thais might have scouted some of sinag's plays, but coach norman black stuck to his game plan to distribute the ball efficiently and run the break frequently.

there were moments in the game when i saw sinag execute plays from the blue eagles' playbook in the uaap. perhaps it was a "low scoring game" because sinag also intended to keep it as such, thus dictating the tempo for the game. it's not a surprise after all, as coach black wanted the players to adjust to his system more than it adjusting to them.

to all the haters out there, you should have seen the gold medal game as it proved why attending practices and adjusting to coach norman black's system matter the most for sinag. he did not want to rely on star players who will chalk up big stats but resilient players who are willing to take up roles in the team and execute that role effectively. i personally think the composition of this team is good enough for a future training ground for "gilas 2.0" but if the players who were conspicuously absent in the line-up would be willing to embrace coach norman's system, then international competition and exposure are waiting to be written in their basketball resume.

in the end, the future looks bright for philippine basketball. imagine kiefer ravena gaining a bit more height and arsenal in his offense and defense. imagine greg slaughter continuing to learn under the tutelage of coach norman black and improve his footwork on the post. imagine rr garcia playing as a natural point guard that can fire away if the play calls for it. imagine rayray parks slashing against china's big men for an and-one play. imagine cliff hodge and chris ellis becoming defensive stoppers that can guard korea's three point shooters. the sun shines bright for philippine basketball and i cannot wait to see more of this team improve and gain exposure in international competition. and who knows, they might just be the team we've been waiting for to barge into the olympics and world championships.

The Scores:

Philippines (85) - Slaugther 16, Parks 15, Garcia 12, Ravena 10, Monfort 8, Tiu 6, Marcelo 6, Pascual 5, Hodge 5, Salva 2

Thailand (57) - Kaedum 17, Sangthong 11, Mertmalaiporn 11, Kongkum 8, Apiromvilaichai 6, Klahan 2, Ghogar 2

Quarter Scores: 21-17, 44-25, 61-42, 85-57

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also, congratulations to discovery perlas ng pilipinas for winning the silver medal in the women's basketball competition. they were like 3 seconds away from the gold medal until a series of unfortunate events took place. nonetheless, great job to the girls of perlas! and i really want to kill that mosquito that bit cassy tioseco.

Solemnity of Christ, the King

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on his head was a crown of thorns, not of gold.
in his hands were nails pierced to his flesh, not a royal staff.
in his body was blood poured for our salvation, not fine garments decked with jewels.
behind him was a heavy wooden cross, not a lofty regal throne.

he fed the hungry, he was not the one who must be fed.
he came to serve, not to be served.
he was available to all, not to a few.

the real king is not adorned in gold,
but christ on the cross.

Highlights of San Jose Seminary's 82nd Alumni Homecoming

Here is a short video presentation made by Rev. Raymund Cruz (Batch 2012, Tarlac) on the recently concluded 82nd Alumni Homecoming of San Jose Seminary, with the theme "Josefinos: Stewards of Christ in the spirit of PCP II." 

HAIL SAN JOSE!

Sinag goes for gold

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sinag pilipinas had scary moments through three quarters of the game until they get their composure back and defeated malaysia, 103-74, to advance to the gold medal match against thailand.

ateneo blue eagle greg slaughter led sinag's scoring with 16 points, as malaysia had problems challenging the big man down the paint. cliff hodge and chris ellis, the duo from the nlex road warriors, combined for 19 points for sinag pilipinas. collegiate standouts rr garcia, jake pascual and nico salva remained steady in the offensive front as they scored 11 pointd apiece.

however, garvo lanete suffered a shoulder injury during the game. he might miss the next game against thailand, which will be for the men's basketball championship in the biennial meet.

there were times in the game when malaysia even took the lead from the philippines and sinag just can't pull away earlier in the game just like they did against cambodia, vietnam, and thailand. but consecutive three point plays from chris tiu and jake pascual early in the third quarter sparked a 15-3 run that helped the team claim the victory.

in fairness to malaysia, which fielded players from the westport kuala lumpur dragons of abl fame, they were aggressive in offense through three quarters - attacking the rim, exploiting height mismatches against smaller and younger filipinos, and getting the shots from both the three point range and the charity stripe. in fact, they had more free throw attempts than sinag throughout the game. it seems that the malaysians did their homework by scouting sinag pilipinas well. however, the adjustments made by coach norman black after three quarters caught them by surprise and eventually held them to just 14 points in the final quarter.

once again, every player in sinag's rotation scored in this game. but i give credit to chris tiu for his leadership on court especially in those stretches when malaysia was threatening to upset sinag. since kiefer ravena was mismatched against older and taller malaysian guards, tiu used his experience in international basketball against his malaysian rivals. he might have only scored 7 points in this game, but it was that and-one play and three pointer that bolstered sinag's play in the fourth quarter.

i fell asleep by the end game (with all the work we did for the alumni homecoming) when sinag already led by 15 points midway through the fourth quarter. but i read in the news that a malaysian player hit kiefer ravena with a closed fist in the head towards the end of the game. these malaysians might have just fueled the fire for the philippines' drive for gold as they take on thailand next game.

what could be a concern for sinag pilipinas in their gold medal match is the spotty officiating in the past two games. the number of free throw attempts by their opponents may point to two things: it's either the opponent attacked the rim a lot or the referees blew their whistle too frequently in the game. discovery perlas ng pilipinas, their female counterparts, fell prey to some interesting calls in the endgame of their gold medal match against thailand, including the three pointer at the buzzer which they claim should have only been a two as the thai player stepped on the line. referees and their calls are part of the proverbial breaks of the game, but if philippines want to win it clean, they have to come out the locker room with guns ablaze and thrash thailand on sunday. they might as well avenge perlas' loss to the thai women's basketball team in the process.

The Scores:

Sinag Pilipinas 103 – Slaughter 16, Hodge 12, Garcia 11, Pascual 11, Salva 11, Parks 8, Ellis 7, Tiu 7, Lanete 7, Monfort 6, Ravena 5, Marcelo 2.

Malaysia 74 – Batumalai 24, Kwaan 11, Ooi 10, Wee 8, Ng 7, Chee 5, Kuppusamy 5, Loh 2, Wong 2, Lau 0, Ong 0, Kuek 0.

Quarters: 23-19, 44-41, 73-60, 103-74

Maligayang pagbabalik, mga anak ni San Jose!

photo courtesy of dino tariman

photo courtesy of fr. didoy molina

 

photo courtesy of fr. arnie bugtas sj

HAIL SAN JOSE!

TIMEOUT: Please don't give me that look :|

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kd4 - december 3

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air jordan 14 "last shot"retro - december 17

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air jordan 11 "concord" retro - december 23

this coming christmas season is the worst time to be unemployed...

IMBA pa rin

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sinag pilipinas rolled past its opponents in the men's basketball competition in the 26th southeast asia games with two resounding victories in the past two days.

yesterday, philippines led more than vietnam scored, 107-53. greg slaughter, the tallest basketball player in the competition, scored 20 points, hauled 6 rebounds, and had 2 blocks. rayray parks, reigning uaap mvp, was also impressive with a 19 point performance.

we all know that basketball is not (yet) vietnam's sport, but most of the players in their national squad will be part of the team called saigon heat in the forthcoming asean basketball league season this january. still, sinag, bolstered by collegiate and pba-dl standouts, outworked the taller and older opponents from the other side of the sea.



and today, philippines beat perennial contender thailand, 103-69. the 34 point lead is the slimmest margin so far among sinag's games. this time, it was cliff hodge's time to lead the team in scoring with 15 points. kiefer ravena continued to provide numbers that would bring smiles to fantasy basketball gms: 14 points on 6/9 field goal shooting including 3 treys, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. the thai national team was composed of players from the chang thailand slammers in the abl but are still outplayed by the younger and faster filipinos.

as i mentioned in a previous post, i'm still looking forward to see "real" competition to test the team. i would love to see how coach norman black's system has been adapted by players coming from various collegiate teams as well as two additional d-league players. but since this is the sea games, we will most likely be dominating like a big fish in a small pond. it may take a little more time and development for us to play with the rest of the ocean predators in asia and the world.

The Scores: 

November 15, 2011

Philippines (107) - Slaughter 20, Parks 19, Ellis 11, Lanete 11, Marcelo 9, Pascual 8, Ravena 8, Hodge 8, Salva 4, Tiu 4, Monfort 3, Garcia 2

Vietnam (53) - H. Nguyen 11, N. Le 10, Trieu 8, Doan 7, Duong 7, Hoang 6, Ngo 2, Vu 2

Quarters: 32-4, 59-23, 84-41, 107-53

November 16, 2011

Philippines (103) - Hodge 15, Ravena 14, Salva 12, Slaugther 11, Ellis 11, Parks 10, Lanete 8, Garcia 7, Monfort 6, Tiu 6, Marcelo 3

Thailand (69) - D. Apiromvilaichai 12, Klahan 11, Kaedum 8, Kongkum 8, Jantuma 7, Sangthong 6, Lertmalaiporn 5, Kruatiwa 5, Dasom 3, D. Apiromvilaichai 2, Ghogar 2

Quarterscores: 37-21; 54-34; 75-49; 103-69

TIMEOUT: On the Diocesan Priesthood

photo courtesy of fr. didoy molina

join us.

IMBA

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sinag pilipinas, the philippine basketball team competing in the 2011 southeast asian games, razed its cambodian counterparts with a 59 point blowout, 127-68.

the team shot a blistering 71% from the field, with every member of the lineup lighting up the scoreboard, 7 of them even scoring in double figures. kiefer ravena led the pack with 17 points on 8/8 shooting as rr garcia, garvo lanete, nico salva, dave marcelo, chris ellis, and rayray parks also scored in double figures for sinag pilipinas.

it was a delight watching sinag play together, despite only practicing with each other for only three weeks. competing against professional basketball players from their asean counterparts, this team is relatively young yet loves to run and has an advantage in terms of basketball iq. under coach norman black, defense is the forte of the team, and such is evident in the manner they outrebounded, outran, and outhustled the opponent.



of course, one can say that "it's just cambodia", but this game served as a good preparation for sinag as they face "tougher" opponents in the competition. it would be nice to see them play against "real" competition though in the years to come.

finally, it was nice to see an all-ateneo five on the floor at one part of the game: greg slaughter at center, salva at pf, chris tiu at sf, ravena at sg, and emman monfort at pg. though armchair coaches in the internet have raised eyebrows on the number of ateneo players in the line-up, i have to say that these players have been well-accustomed with the coach's system. they might not have much offensive firepower as others, but they follow the team concept of playing. besides, statistically, these players are quite efficient - in scoring, fg%, assist-turnover ratio, etc. - compared to other players who can score chunks yet can throw more bricks along the way. in the end, it's about efficiency and team play that will lead this team to another gold medal finish.

The scores:

Philippines (127) – Ravena 17, Garcia 16, Lanete 15, Salva 14, Marcelo 12, Ellis 12, Parks 10, Tiu 9, Hodge 9, Pascual 6, Monfort 2.

Cambodia (68) – Sophoeun 24, Pek 24, Boroth 15, Kim, V. 3, Kim 0, Sovann 0, Meas 0, Monh 0, Lov 0, Chom 0.

Quarterscores: 35-20; 61-39; 93-56; 127-68

TIMEOUT: A Postscript on Pacquiao-Marquez III

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“The secret to happiness is to face the fact that the world is horrible”

- Bertrand Russell

TIMEOUT: Philosophy and Boxing mix together

"Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker"

 - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

"Twilight of the Idols" (1888)

11 basketball wishes for 11/11/11

 

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today is november 11, 2011 - or in pop culture, 11-11-11. i'm not really a fan of superstition and numbers, but some people consider this day to be a lucky one, while others don't really give a damn. nonetheless, this phenomenon won't happen again in a century, and that perhaps is the reason why a lot of people are making a fuss out of it.

they say 11/11/11 is a good day to make wishes. this might just be my lucky day to wish some things for the love of basketball, and lady luck might just smile upon me. who knows? anyway, here are 11 wishes - all basketball-related - that i have for 11/11/11.

AND 1: Kampante

what do allan evangelista, tim duncan, and bojan bogdanovic have in common except playing basketball?
mga kampante sila.

what are your prosthetic arms? (sapi's best with jessica cox)

the san jose seminary community was graced with the presence of ms. jessica cox tonight for a special talk sponsored by the social advocacy and political involvement committee. she is known as the world's first licensed armless pilot as listed in the guinness book of world records. she also holds a black-belt in taekwondo, can surf and scuba dive, drive a car, and a lot of other things that normal people can do. she talked about how she achieved her goals in life by acceptance, overcoming fear ("false evidence appearing real"), and being a blessing to others through small things.

one of the things that struck me in tonight's talk was what she shared regarding her experience on wearing prosthetic arms. when she was young, she tried putting on prosthetic arms to somehow address her situation. one day, on her way to school, she accidentally left her "arms" at home. when she rode the school bus, she never felt so light and easy. actually, she found wearing them to be heavy and burdensome for her as they weigh around ten pounds. from then on, she decided not to use those prosthetic arms anymore.

she concluded with a question: what do you consider the prosthetic arms in your life? what are the things that if you let go can actually make you feel light and free, and eventually make you do more and be more?

AND 1: Basketball never stops

even in my schedule, basketball never stops.

Leather Bound

i have not been much of a music person growing up, with both my feet turning left and my fingers too crooked to make a bar on the fret. i only learned to play the guitar in the latter part of my college years, though i already know how to play songs with simple chords as early as grade 6. there was early attempt to be in a band called g minor together with fellow minor seminarians - as a vocalist. and in my first few years in san jose, i also became part of that famed acoustic band that often took over the stage of any resident band's performance in bonfire grill in marikina riverbanks.

one of the high points of my stay in xavier was being part of a band. together with peers in the faculty room, we just had an impromptu jam session in one of those hidden studios in the streets of little baguio, and voila, we have a band. we even had a gig at the now-defunct mag:net bar in katipunan, and it was forgettable to say the least. to redeem ourseleves, we decided to join a competition among the school's faculty and staff entitled "xavier's got talent" where we performed for sm gift cheques. hahaha!

before i forget, our band had a name: leather bound.

AND 1: i want my nba (part II)

too much basketball action, no nba games to watch. please end this lockout and let me defend my xs fantasy basketball title!

Shine on us

shown to us last night during our recollection points with fr. teodulo gonzales sj.
may the lord continue to shine on us in our todays and tomorrows! god bless!

Feast of Saint Charles Borromeo

(photo source)

silang man sa kayamanan, sa 'sang angkang may pangalan
di binigyang halaga ang buhay na maginhawa

buhay ay tinalaga sa paglilingkod sa kanyang kapwa
ang tangi niyang kayamanan pag-ibig sa diyos na mapagmahal

san carlos, san carlos kami ay ipanalangin!
san carlos, san carlos kami ay ipagdasal!

happy feast day of saint charles borromeo, reformer of the church and patron of seminarians!

happy feast day also to my fellow karlistas! HUMILITAS!

AND 1: i want my nba

since the nba and the players association still can't decide on how to break this lockout, i have no other choice but to watch highlights of retro nba games like this one.

please settle the lockout. i want my nba. and i want to defend my nba fantasy basketball championship this season.

on a positive note, it's nice to take a look at some of the nice kicks sported by players way back in 1996: jordan 11 (which will release this december), penny 1 (which i copped last march), air uptempos (worn by scotty pippen, ron harper, and some magic players on the black colorway), and of course, shaqnosis (a classmate of mine used to have this way back in the minor seminary).

with that, just like you, i ask the same question:

Back in the Home of the Sons of San Jose

photo by fr. arnulfo bugtas sj

TIMEOUT: what kept me busy this week II

ParDS general assembly (oct. 25, st. joseph parish, tambo)

ParDS audience with bishop jesse mercado (october 28, presentation of the child jesus parish)

blessing of tombs (november 1, manila memorial park)