FIRST 5: While I was away

while i was away due to the module on spiritual direction and retreat giving at sacred heart novitiate, here are five things (used to be three, but three won't be enough) that i missed in the basketball world: 

1. battle of two kevins

the name kevin has come and gone in the nba. among the well known kevins were kevin mchale of the boston celtics, kevin johnson of the phoenix suns, kevin garnett of the minnesota timberwolves/boston celtics, kevin martin of sacramento kings/houston rockets, and more. in this time and age, we have kevin durant of the oklahoma city thunder and kevin love of the minnesota timberwolves. and who would have thought that these two kevins would engage in a battle of statistics and game winners to claim the victory for their respective teams. love, reigning three point shootout winner and nightly double-double machine, scored a whopping 51 points, 21 of them from beyond the arc, and 14 rebounds. but durant, reigning nba scoring champion, all-star game mvp, and a favorite to win the most valuable player award for this season, finished with 40 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, and the win for the thunder over the t-wolves. games like these are always fun to watch, unfortunately i missed a shootout between two namesakes of mine.

2. four overtimes!

for the first time in 15 years, an nba game needed four overtime periods to determine the winner as the atlanta hawks edged out utah jazz, 139-133. the game lasted for 3 hours and 17 minutes (tied for third longest game in nba history), had 4 potential game winning shots missed by the jazz (two each from paul milsap and devin harris), and 14 players from both teams scoring in double figures (five of them had double-doubles). it's always a treat watching marathon games like these, with the game on the line at the dying seconds of the game. too bad i missed it. 

3. andrew bynum for three... and rides the bench

as a rule, big men should play in the paint. well, the nba is changing as big men learned to make outside shots. dirk nowitzki is a classic case for a power forward shooting a three. the pba has mick pennisi, but that's another story. but when you see a 7 foot 285 pound guy who jacks up a three pointer with 15 seconds left in the shot clock, you must be shaking your head so hard that you can feel it's about to fall off. andrew bynum did and got benched for it. what more can we say? let our head shaking do the talking.

4. linsanity over?

jeremy lin, the taiwanese-american phenomenon that swept the nba by storm with his unbelievable play with the new york knicks, will sit out for six weeks after electing to have injury for a small, chronic miniscus tear in his knee. he was averaging 14.1 points and 6.1 assists before the injury, where he sparked new york's resurgence this season. it's not much of a problem in the knicks roster as they are stacked with point guards in baron davis, mike bibby, and toney douglas in the line-up. but with amare stoudamire out indefinitely with a bulging disk in his back, new york might have a hard time to push for a better seeding or even a playoff spot when the season ends this month. 

5. the boat is sinking!

i was having quite a comfortable lead in the xavier teachers fantasy basketball league. i've been on top for most of the season, and in a few days time i lost a seemingly insurmountable lead and am currently trailing by 5 points. it was coincidence perhaps that my return to sacred heart novitiate paved way to losing those points. but it seems to me that the time for the injury bug to bite me has come. with a few more playing days left, i have to save up on my games and try to get the lead back. the boat might be sinking yet my title defense is surely far from over.

AND 1: The Art of the Bank Shot

returning to sacred heart novitiate reunited me with its basketball court. this is where i learned to use the backboard (well, in this case a metal backboard) in shooting from mid-range. i was able to bring this to tuesday basketball at xavier during regency and even in afternoon basketball upon returning to the seminary. knowing how to use the glass as a weapon is surely a plus especially for an undersized big man like me (height-wise, that is! haha). it's quite helpful especially if i have no chance in hell sneaking a shot with a bunch of beanpoles in the paint.

i saw this video featuring current nba players who uses the glass often to make their shots. it's interesting to know that zach randolph, a resident fantasy basketball player in my rosters, and tim duncan, one of my favorite big men of all time, also use the glass as part of their arsenal. other players featured in this video were luis scola and dirk nowitzki.

i suppose using the glass in offense has been a lost art, as ballers prefer the sweet swish on the net rather than the hard hit on the backboard. even in lay-ups, there's a tendency to let the ball find its way to the hole than using the bank as insurance for the shot. well, it all boils down to what the player finds useful in the game. on my part, if the bank is open, i'd gladly cash in the shot.

Tempus Fugit

tempus fugit. time flies.

my first batch of students in xavier school will be graduating today. wow, those four years in high school went fast. i can still remember their faces after meeting me as their h1 cle teacher (for 5 of 8 h1 sections), and now they are walking down the aisle to get their high school diploma from one of, if not the best high school in the philippines.

Congratulations to Xavier High School Batch 2012, especially to my former students:
H1 B, C, E, G, H of school year 2008-2009
H2 D, G of school year 2009-2010
especially to my former students who will receive special distinctions: Kendrick Kyle Chua Santos, Matthew Tan, Jude Liao, Hadrian Ang, Jeron Teng, and Axel Ngui!

IGNITE THE LIGHT AND LET IT SHINE! LUCEAT LUX!

THREE-POINT PLAY: While I was away (again)

while i was away due to my "engagement" last monday and three final exams in three days, here's what i missed in the basketball world: 

1. new york is lin-ning again

just when you thought that "lin-sanity" is over, that melo should be traded for messing up the team chemistry after those string of loses, and mike d'antoni deserves to vacate his post, the new york knicks are rolling one more with one win after another. now on their five game winning streak, the team from the city that never sleeps have beaten portland, indiana (twice on a back-to-back), toronto, and the 76ers. coach mike woodson has done a great job in taking over d'antoni's job by maximizing his bench and letting the players do their stuff. at 22-24, it's still my hope that they make it deep in the playoffs, but reaching the finals at this point is just unimaginable with miami and chicago lording over the east.

2. the golden state warriors and that bone-headed trade

the bay area fans have a lot of boo-ing to do, and i understand why. the golden state warriors traded monta ellis, a fan favorite and perhaps the most effective player in their roster, together with ekpe udoh and kwame brown (why is this guy still in the nba?!) for an injured andrew bogut (who could be out for the rest of the season) and stephen jackson (though later traded to the spurs for richard jefferson). it is obviously a bone-headed trade, knowing that they got an injured player in the place of an effective player in ellis (though he hogs the ball most, if not all of the time). it might be far from the most ridiculous trade of all time (pau for kwame and a bunch of fries from in-n-out burgers), but this trade, using the words of rick barry, is "doing a disservice" by "changing the franchise" from knocking at the door of the playoffs to staying in the draft lottery. only history can tell if joe lacob did the right thing. let's wait and see.

3. mick pennisi deserves an oscar

this has to be the best acting job i've seen in recent memory, and mick pennisi sold it pretty well. the lag between being hit by the ball and falling into the hardwood as if he had a concussion is just ridiculous. well that's a veteran move deserving of an oscar award. the night truly belongs to pennisi as he also hit his 700th three pointer of his career and helping deliver a victory for barako bull over petron blaze. i might as well give him the oscar standee we made for the senior's despedida last week. and for sure, that replay gave a smile on your face.

#marchto192k12

the reason behind my change of relationship status from "single" to "engaged."

on the feast of saint joseph, the HULMA (hinirang upang laging maglingkod) class of san jose seminary were admitted to the candidacy to sacred orders by his eminence, gaudencio cardinal rosales dd, archbishop-emeritus of manila.

thanks to the san jose seminary community, alumni, the family and friends of the HULMA class, and everyone who made this event a truly memorable one. thanks also for your prayers and support!

HAIL SAN JOSE!

Kapistahan ni San Jose

hango sa isang pagninilay noong ako'y sumailalim sa banal na pagsasanay ni san ignacio de loyola.

san jose. isa siyang mangagawa, isang karpintero. 

sanay siyang sumunod sa plano: sa mga bagay na eksakto ang sukat, tama ang hulma, lapat sa isa't isa. 

ngunit nang tumugon siya sa tawag ng diyos, hindi niya nagamit ang kanyang pagiging karpintero. 

nalagay siya sa situwasyon kung saan hindi niya matantsa ang sukat, hindi maipagkasya sa hulma ang mga pangyayari, at hindi mailapat ang dapat pag-isahin... isang situwasyon na labag sa planong kanyang hinanda. 

ngunit sa pagtugon ng isang karpintero sa tawag ng diyos, natuto siyang bumitiw - bumitiw sa kanyang pagnanais na sumunod ang lahat ayon sa kanyang sariling plano. 

sapagkat, ang plano ng diyos ang nananaig sa lahat, maging sa kanyang buhay. 

MALIGAYANG KAPISTAHAN NI SAN JOSE SA INYONG LAHAT!

Pagtanggap, Pag-amin, Pagpapatuloy

Tomorrow, I will be admitted to candidacy for the diaconate and priesthood – one of the “last few steps” in seminary formation before ordination. In line with this, I will be posting some fruits of my days of prayer and reflection in preparation for the said activity last weekend at Sacred Heart Novitiate.

Admission to Candidacy to the Diaconate and Priesthood. Ano ba talaga ito?

Hindi pa naman ito ordinasyon sa pagka-diakono o sa pagpapari. Hindi naman ito ganoon kalaking pagdiriwang kumpara sa mga nabanggit na ordinasyon. Ngunit bakit siya lubhang malahaga?

Siguro, dahil ito ay nangangahulugang malapit na o palapit na sa ordinasyong matagal na pinakahihintay. Siguro, dahil ito ay naguhudyat ng pagsusuot ng singsing bilang tanda ng pamumuhay ng "promise of celibacy" sa siyang bahagi ng buhay pagpapari. O di naman kaya siguro'y may iba pang kahulugan ito.

May tatlong salita na puwedeng i-ugnay sa salitang "Admission" sa wikang Filipino: una ay ang PAGTANGGAP, ikalawa ay PAG-AMIN, at ikatlo ay PAGPAPATULOY. 

PAGTANGGAP. Sa Admission to Candidacy, tinatanggap ko ang biyaya ng Diyos sa pamamagitan ng isang mas malalim at mas konkretong pagtugon sa tawag niya sa pagpapari. Tinatanggap ko na malapit na ako sa susunod na yugto ng paghuhubog sa buhay pagpapari: ang ordinasyon. Tinatanggap ko na may kaakibat na responsibilidad ito, at hindi ito biro o laro lamang. Sa pagtanggap nito, kailangan kong tanggapin ang aking sarili bilang minamahal at tinatawag ng Diyos. Kailangan ko ring tanggapin ang tawag niya na lalo pang ag-ibayuhin ang aking paghahanda at pagtanggap sa biyayang ihinahanda niya para sa akin. At sa pagtanggap na iyo, ako ay nagpapasalamat sa Diyos. 

PAG-AMIN. Sa Admission to Candidacy, hindi ko lang inaamin na tinatawag at minamahal ako ng Diyos. Kailangan ko ring aminin na hindi ko kayang tugunan ito nang mag-isa. Kailangan ko ring aminin na sa kabila ng aking kalakasan ay may taglay din akong kahinaan at pangangailangan. At dahil dito, kailangan ko ring aminin ang aking pananalig at pag-asa sa Diyos. Kailangan ko ring aminin na hindi madali ang aking pag-pili. Kailangang aminin na may mga posibilidad sa aking buhay na magiging imposible dahil tatalikuran ko ang mga ito para sa kanyang tawag. At muli, hindi ko ito kayang mag-isa. Aaminin ko sa Diyos at sa taong bayan ang aking pagnanais na sumunod at mabuhay ng isang payak at buong-pusong pamumuhay upang makatugon ako lalo sa tawag niya. 

PAGPAPATULOY. Sa Admission to Candidacy, pinapatuloy ako ng obispo bilang isang ganap na hinirang sa bokasyon na ito. Pinapatuloy ako bilang isang seminaristang diyosesano na nagnanais na tanggapin ang biyaya ng ordinasyon sa takdang panahon. Pero higit pa rito, pinapatuloy din ako ng Diyos na sundin ang kanyang tawag, dahil sa kanyang kabutihan at pagmamahal sa akin. At sa kanyang pagpapatuloy ay tinatawag akong magpatuloy na tumugon at maging mapagkilatis sa kanyang kalooban sa bawat sandali ng aking buhay.

Nawa sa Admission to Candidacy na aking tatanggapin ay maipagpatuloy ko ang pagtugon sa kanyang tawag bilang paghahanda sa isang mas matindi at mas malalim na paanyaya upang magmahal at maglingkod sa kanya at sa mga taong ihinahabilin niya sa akin sa hinaharap.

deo gratias.

Guess who's watching over #TheFleet while Preacher in Basketball Shoes is away?

Suscipe (A reflection on the prayer traditionally attributed to Saint Ignatius of Loyola)

(photo source)

In a few days time, I will be admitted to candidacy for the diaconate and priesthood – one of the “last few steps” in seminary formation before ordination. In line with this, I will be posting some fruits of my days of prayer and reflection in preparation for the said activity last weekend at Sacred Heart Novitiate.

Take Lord, and receive 
all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, 
all that I have and possess. 
Thou hast given all to me. 
To Thee, O lord, I return it. 
All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. 
Give me Thy love and thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.

During the mass, I found myself playing Fr. Manoling Francisco SJ’s “Take and Receive,” known in Ignatian parlance as the suscipe. It’s a song always played in masses and liturgies, a very usual song that I know by heart. But while playing it, tears flowed from my eyes and my voice got held back. I still can’t say it, knowing what the song means, and knowing that the hour has come for me to truly live what it says. But I just can’t say it, and I know why.

This song freshly re-echoes what happened before my election when I had my Spiritual Exercises almost five years ago. I found much hesitation belting these lines, knowing that it meant a lot of “surrendering” on my part. How in the world will I give to the Lord my will, my mind, my memory, all things I hold and all I own, the things he himself has given me. In doing so, I ask, what else is left of me? I’ll be giving everything, and I find it hard to do so because nothing will remain in me, even just a bit of my being. For someone who values and cherishes the gifts he gave me, I find it hard to give it back to him. These are the very things that define me, and the very things that I’ll be using in my life and ministry. Why should I give it back? How will I be an effective minister of his word and works without them?

It’s crazy and it may drive me crazy, but I have to. Whatever he gave me, I’m giving them back as a gift. Or perhaps, in the context of my forthcoming admission to candidacy, it means more than that.

The Ring (Revisiting the Story of the Generous Father - Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)

In a few days time, I will be admitted to candidacy for the diaconate and priesthood – one of the “last few steps” in seminary formation before ordination. In line with this, I will be posting some fruits of my days of prayer and reflection in preparation for the said activity last weekend at Sacred Heart Novitiate.

"Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."

Luke 15:22-24

I have not been a good son to the Father.
I know and I admit that I have been unfaithful.
But he has remained faithful to me.

He has been waiting all along, and even ready to give me a new ring. I am shocked by this generosity and graciousness of the Father. I deserve to be cast away, or even unaccepted at that. But he welcomes me with open arms. I know I don’t deserve the ring I got from him, and all the more I do not deserve receiving another after losing the first one. But he continues to love. He continues to accept. And he continues to love me as his son.

In a few days, I am accepting another ring: the ring of commitment to celibate life, the ring of admission to candidacy for the priesthood. I do not deserve it. I have been an unfaithful son. But you keep calling me, you keep waiting for me, you keep loving me. I am afraid to take this ring because I know I am not strong enough to receive it. I know I have my own failings. I know that I can be unfaithful again. Give me the grace to accept this ring and live out what it means to be your favorite son. 

“Tanggapin mo lang ang singsing. Maging paalala sana yun na lagi kitang hinhihintay, lagi kitang tinatawag, at lagi kitang minamahal.”

But I am afraid to take and wear this. You know my struggles, Lord. You know my tendencies, you know my weaknesses, you know how easy for me to fall into sin. I don’t want to fail you again – that I would pawn this ring and not get it back again.

“Tanggapin mo lang ang singsing. Maging paalala sana yun na lagi kitang hinhihintay, lagi kitang tinatawag, at lagi kitang minamahal.”

Sometimes I wonder, why are you like that? You’re all loving, all caring, all good. I for one am wicked and wretched. But you still call me. I have nothing else to feel or say. I am thankful for this opportunity. Stay with me. Be with me. Because I can’t do it alone. Because I will fall and fail without you. Remain with me. I need you to be there to help me become faithful to your call.

“Tanggapin mo lang ang singsing. Maging paalala sana yun na lagi kitang hinhihintay, lagi kitang tinatawag, at lagi kitang minamahal.”

deo gratias.

Admission to Candidacy to the Diaconate and Priesthood

THREE-POINT PLAY: While I was away

while i was away attending to academic stuff and having my admission to candidacy retreat over the weekend, here's what i missed in the basketball world: 

1. ricky rubio ends a magnificent rookie season with a torn acl

the season ends for ricky rubio, the rookie sensation from spain who led the minnesota timberwolves to its new-found resurgence in the season, after tearing his acl in a game against the lakers. his nifty passes and crazy dribbles will have to wait for next season. it sucks to see a budding nba star get injured when his time to shine has come. my thoughts go to him as he recovers from this very unfortunate injury.


2. gerard green with the eye-in-the-sky alley-oop

a late addition to the new jersey nets' roster, gerard green has been known as a high-flyer in high school and the nba before playing international ball and even in the d-league. in their game against the houston rockets, he received a lob pass from marshon brooks to finish the break with an insane windmill jam. this should be one of the dunks of the season, perhaps contending with lebron james jumping over john lucas or blake griffin's dunk over kendrick perkins as dunk of the year.

3. who takes credit for the clutch shot: wade of james?

for the past few games, lebron james has been given the blame for "folding" in the fourth quarter like he did in the nba finals last season. armchair coaches from around the internet have lambasted "the king without the ring" for turning the ball over off the pass during the all-star game and passing the ball to udonis haslem when he could have taken it strong to the hole in their game against the jazz. in this game against the pacers, lebron made a three pointer to tie the game and send it to overtime, while dwayne wade hit the winning shot with 0.1 seconds left in the game. now who takes the credit for the win: lebron with his shot sending to overtime or wade with that unorthodox game winner? i say both of them. the miami heat are hungry, but the road to a championship is still under construction.

TIMEOUT: BRB... again

 

mabuti pa sila... patulog-tulog na lang.

like josie and fritskie, preacher in basketball shoes will take a short break from the blogosphere for the next few days to attend to academic requirements and some matters in preparation for admission to candidacy to the diaconate and priesthood on march 19.

prayers promised and requested!

Happy Birthday, Shaq!

what a way to celebrate your birthday: 61 points, 23 rebounds, and a win (against a "small" clippers team). happy birthday shaq!

"Magkaisa tayo"

i just returned from an ambush recording for the paul "mini-concert" of some 2nd year theologians where they recorded a song inspired by the letters of paul as learned form tier class. this brought some memories of my own experience of composing songs and even making a play for our pablo class 6 years back, with the "original" atabay class and ate adie isidro.

the play was entitled "balut", where evan napuran portrayed paul as a balut vendor interacting with different people that represented the various communities where paul shared the gospel of christ.

here is one of the songs from the play, inspired from sister bernie dianzon fsp's concept of "corporate christ." this was composed by fr. mark anthony reyes (diocese of imus) and fr. ron alquisada (archdiocese of jaro), and sung by fr. anton tejero (archdiocese of cotabato) who also helped in composing the song. the video, made by redel golez, interestingly made 3000+ hits at youtube!

those were indeed the days!

Isang Paalala

brader... tama na facebook, twitter, at bbm...
basa na.

AND 1: LEGO + basketball = cute

for someone who used to play with lego as a child, this looks really cute.

when i taught scriptures to 1st year high school students, one of my favorite websites used was the brick testament, where bible stories were creatively (sometimes irreverently) portrayed using lego blocks.

i found the depictions of the "5 greatest nba finals moments" using lego blocks as somewhat innovative. recreating the gar heard buzzer beater, dr. j's reverse in the baseline, magic's endgame heroics against the celtics, the "microwave"'s dagger jumper, and his airness' "last shot" using legos was just... cool.

Just when I said "I'm retiring from the shoe game"...

... i'm back.
welcome to the fleet, air zoom flight 95!