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Saturday, September 30, 2006
Saturday, September 23, 2006
The Red Army
I got off work early last friday. I left at 3:00 pm for the Araneta Coliseum. I just had to be there. I had to be there by 3:30 pm. That's the time when San Beda fulfills its destiny. I wore RED.
San Beda College hasn't won the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Men's Division Basketball title in 28 years. The last time the San Beda Red Lions won was 28 years ago when Chito Loyzaga was still the team captain. I was still in Grade One then. They've reached the finals a couple of times though. I remember high school batchmate Boybits Victoria and his college teammates almost bringing the title home. I knew that this friday would be the day that my (or should I say "our") wait will come to an end. It was the final chapter of the finals series of the 82nd season of NCAA Men's Basketball between the San Beda Red Lions and the PCU Dolphins.
It started to rain when I pulled away from the office in the minivan. Foreboding doom? Nah. The other car is colorcoding so I had to use the minivan. A plus in having small vehicle is that it is easier to park, in this case I was wrong. I reached Araneta but parking was hell. When I succeeded in squeezing the little bugger between two aluminum vans I immediately ran inside the coliseum.
I was able to get a ticket, which were soooo hard to come by since the finals series was touted as a date of destiny, courtesy of Tita Linda, mom's friend and co-faculty member of the SBC College of Arts and Sciences. Thanks Tita Linda!
It was a photo finish arrival for me, I entered the gates at exactly 3:30 pm, right before the game went live on Studio 23. I was there. I just had to be part of all of it. For one brief shining moment, I was a part of The Red Army.
I was kind of hoping to meet up with Arel and my other batchmates but I knew that at that point it was impossible since the coliseum was jam-packed. But then it really didn't matter since when you're there... when you're with other Bedans... when you're right smack in the middle of The Red Army... you are home... I didn't know the names of the guys and girls beside me. My hands hurt from all the clapping. My throat hurts from all the shouting... But it really didn't matter... We were all Bedans.
The game was a classic. When the Dolphins denied the Lions a sweep in game two, Studio 23's sports commentators had said then that all that was needed to make the series a classic was a cliffhanger of a final game. They got their wish. San Beda Red Lions won over the Gabby Espinas-led PCU Dolphins, 68-67. Though we didn't know each others' names, I shook hands with the guys beside me.
The Lions led by 20 points at the third quarter. But champions in their own right that they are, the Dolphins chipped away at the lead until it was only down to a single point with 24 seconds left.
As it stands, it was Samuel Ekwe's last free throw that mattered, he missed three previous ones. Without it the game would have been tied. He deserves to be the Rookie-MVP-Best Defensive Player awardee. As it stands, it was Yousif Aljamal's final rebound off a miss by PCU's Beau Belga with less than a second left that sealed the game. He grabbed the ball and latched on to it like there was no tomorrow. He deserves to be the Finals MVP.
As it stands, it was the game- (and season-) long heroics of the whole team. Kudos to Rogemar Menor, Pong Escobal, Alex Angeles, Raymond Maggay, Jay-R Taganas, Kristoffer Taupa, Martin Lloyd Antonio, Riego Meinardo Gamalinda, Eduardo Tecson, Jed Micah Evangelista, Eduardo Canlas, John Hermida and Kevin Espinosa.
As it stands, it was the season-long masterful strategies of Coach Koy Banal that gave direction to destiny.
It was fun to be there for the Red Wave. It was exciting to shout the Indian Yell with all its seminal Indian Chanting and "GO SAN BEDA FIGHT" cheers once again. It was an exhilirating experience to sing the Bedan Hymn again, this time as champions.
San Beda sure has something that differentiates it from the rest. Instead of girls and guys cheering and dancing at halftime, San Beda has Little Indians. But this time it was different. This finals game had what some would call the most emotional finals halftime experience for any Bedan.
Before the Little Indians took the court, the Red Army fell silent. Then... Without flair, a single cheerleader took the center floor. In his hand he held high the flag of San Beda College. His other hand rose from his side and found its way over his heart.
...and then the heartbeats started.
Every heartbeat was punctuated with striking the chest.
Everyone in the Red Army followed suit.
Then the drums chimed in.
Then the Red Army started chanting "PUSO!" in time with every heartbeat.
A spontaneous chant which was very symbolic of how everyone felt. Twenty-eight years can do that to you. The words "BELIEVE" and "HEART. COURAGE. PRIDE." were echoing in the Bedan collective mind.
It was magical.
It was destiny.
San Beda College hasn't won the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Men's Division Basketball title in 28 years. The last time the San Beda Red Lions won was 28 years ago when Chito Loyzaga was still the team captain. I was still in Grade One then. They've reached the finals a couple of times though. I remember high school batchmate Boybits Victoria and his college teammates almost bringing the title home. I knew that this friday would be the day that my (or should I say "our") wait will come to an end. It was the final chapter of the finals series of the 82nd season of NCAA Men's Basketball between the San Beda Red Lions and the PCU Dolphins.
It started to rain when I pulled away from the office in the minivan. Foreboding doom? Nah. The other car is colorcoding so I had to use the minivan. A plus in having small vehicle is that it is easier to park, in this case I was wrong. I reached Araneta but parking was hell. When I succeeded in squeezing the little bugger between two aluminum vans I immediately ran inside the coliseum.
I was able to get a ticket, which were soooo hard to come by since the finals series was touted as a date of destiny, courtesy of Tita Linda, mom's friend and co-faculty member of the SBC College of Arts and Sciences. Thanks Tita Linda!It was a photo finish arrival for me, I entered the gates at exactly 3:30 pm, right before the game went live on Studio 23. I was there. I just had to be part of all of it. For one brief shining moment, I was a part of The Red Army.
I was kind of hoping to meet up with Arel and my other batchmates but I knew that at that point it was impossible since the coliseum was jam-packed. But then it really didn't matter since when you're there... when you're with other Bedans... when you're right smack in the middle of The Red Army... you are home... I didn't know the names of the guys and girls beside me. My hands hurt from all the clapping. My throat hurts from all the shouting... But it really didn't matter... We were all Bedans.
The game was a classic. When the Dolphins denied the Lions a sweep in game two, Studio 23's sports commentators had said then that all that was needed to make the series a classic was a cliffhanger of a final game. They got their wish. San Beda Red Lions won over the Gabby Espinas-led PCU Dolphins, 68-67. Though we didn't know each others' names, I shook hands with the guys beside me.
The Lions led by 20 points at the third quarter. But champions in their own right that they are, the Dolphins chipped away at the lead until it was only down to a single point with 24 seconds left.
As it stands, it was Samuel Ekwe's last free throw that mattered, he missed three previous ones. Without it the game would have been tied. He deserves to be the Rookie-MVP-Best Defensive Player awardee. As it stands, it was Yousif Aljamal's final rebound off a miss by PCU's Beau Belga with less than a second left that sealed the game. He grabbed the ball and latched on to it like there was no tomorrow. He deserves to be the Finals MVP.
As it stands, it was the game- (and season-) long heroics of the whole team. Kudos to Rogemar Menor, Pong Escobal, Alex Angeles, Raymond Maggay, Jay-R Taganas, Kristoffer Taupa, Martin Lloyd Antonio, Riego Meinardo Gamalinda, Eduardo Tecson, Jed Micah Evangelista, Eduardo Canlas, John Hermida and Kevin Espinosa.
As it stands, it was the season-long masterful strategies of Coach Koy Banal that gave direction to destiny.
It was fun to be there for the Red Wave. It was exciting to shout the Indian Yell with all its seminal Indian Chanting and "GO SAN BEDA FIGHT" cheers once again. It was an exhilirating experience to sing the Bedan Hymn again, this time as champions.
San Beda sure has something that differentiates it from the rest. Instead of girls and guys cheering and dancing at halftime, San Beda has Little Indians. But this time it was different. This finals game had what some would call the most emotional finals halftime experience for any Bedan.
Before the Little Indians took the court, the Red Army fell silent. Then... Without flair, a single cheerleader took the center floor. In his hand he held high the flag of San Beda College. His other hand rose from his side and found its way over his heart. ...and then the heartbeats started.
Every heartbeat was punctuated with striking the chest.
Everyone in the Red Army followed suit.
Then the drums chimed in.
Then the Red Army started chanting "PUSO!" in time with every heartbeat.
A spontaneous chant which was very symbolic of how everyone felt. Twenty-eight years can do that to you. The words "BELIEVE" and "HEART. COURAGE. PRIDE." were echoing in the Bedan collective mind.
It was magical.
It was destiny.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Beda and Bites
Monday was hell. Actually it started last Sunday.
Mom went to visit one of our neighbors at their house. Our neighbor, Mr. Ed, was recovering from motorcycle accident. Mom went with a group of their neighborhood friends, all present or past members of the board of our homeowners association. Just my mom's luck that she got bitten on the knee by our neighbors' dachshund. Weird thing was she entered the house second. Ate Dee, who entered first, wasn't bitten. Six of the dog's fangs punctured her skin. Like I said, just her luck.
Mom was scared, who wouldn't be. Tita Edith, our next door neighbor, accompanied us to the emergency clinic. A few years back I accompanied Tita Edith and best friend Ian when Justine's son got bitten on the face. Thanks, Tita Edith!
Anyway, I found out that even if the dog that bites you is vaccinated, it is not enough. As a safety precaution, you still have to receive a lot of injections. Heck, better be safe than sorry. Anyways, at the emercency clinic which is also a dog and cat bite treatment center, E-med in phase 1, it was explained that mom would have to get injections of four types of medicine. I'm not much of a medical guy, but I'll try to reconstruct. These are:
We decided to go to RITM which is nearer our place. Had to take a leave of absence from work. I thought we'd be finished by noon, I was wrong. The lines and waiting period was so long that Mom was attended to at 3:00 pm. On the way home we nevertheless agreed that it was worth it since the doctors and nurses there were very experienced in this sort of thing.
Anyway, there were several choices involved. The inital Verorab given was intramuscular. Mom had the choice of continuing it or opting for the Verorab commonly prescribed by RITM which was intradermal. The intradermal option meant she'd have to start from zero which meant that the initial Verorab shots the day before nullified. She opted for the reset and was prescribed the intradermal.
ATS was tested again just to be sure, so was ERIG. Waiting time was 30 mins. She still had an allergic reaction to ATS, but she was okay with ERIG. So she was prescribed ERIG.
At the RITM there were a lot of patients, a lot were first bite patients, the others were follow up injection patients. The follow up line was so looooong! At about 4:45 pm Mom had her barrage of shots. I held her hand. I stopped counting the injections. There were about a couple for each arm, one near the butt, one on the hip, and a lot near the vicinity of the wound on her knee. The wound bled a little. Damn those have got to hurt. But Mom's one tough lady, which probably explains why she has a couple of tough kids (ooohhh, I'll be waiting for the side comments to that one).
Waiting time after the injections was 30 minutes for any adverse reactions. While we were waiting we traded stories with the others still waiting in line. One mom was bringing her kid for the shots because she was afraid. She was a first-hand witness to the effect of rabies. Her brother was bitten and he relied on folk medicine, "pagpapasipsip sa bato", they called it. It didn't work. In about a month's time he had to be confined in San Lazaro, crazed, fopaming at the mouth, afraid of air and water. Despite being restrained to the bed with belts he was still able to run around with the bed along the corridors. The only thing which was able to stop him was when an orderly chased him back to his room with the air from an electric fan. My sister had a similar story. One of their students died a month after being bitten by their cat. The student didn't tell anyone.
Through the whole ordeal I found out that RITM and San Lazaro can offer the medicine cheaper. In private institutions, you have to buy the whole vial of medicine and they will have to inject the whole vial even if the dosage is less becasue if they don;t the medicine will go to waste. At the RITM and San Lazaro, the exact dosage can be extracted from the vials and the remainder used for other patients. I'm not sure but Marian, my officemate, told me that in San Lazaro you find a partner patient in some cases so things won't go to waste.
I also found out that Verorab has to be administered based on the type and on a strict schedule. It depends on the doctor and the institution. E-Med prescribed the intramuscular to be administered on day 0, 3, 7, 14 and 28. RITM prescribed the intradermal to be administered on day 0, 3, 7 and 21. After all the stories we were finally out by 5:10, just in time for the 3rd quarter of the NCAA Men's Basketball Finals between San Beda and PCU. We trodded home, I had a splitting super-headache because of the heat and of all the waiting and lining up.
By the way, San Beda won. So now they're 1-0. All they need is to win the game tomorrow and SAN BEDA WILL BE THE NEXT NCAA CHAMPIONS!!!
So tomorrow, I'll be wearing red. BECAUSE REAL MEN WEAR RED!
GO SAN BEDA FIGHT!
For San Beda, our country and God!
U.I.O.G.D.
Mom went to visit one of our neighbors at their house. Our neighbor, Mr. Ed, was recovering from motorcycle accident. Mom went with a group of their neighborhood friends, all present or past members of the board of our homeowners association. Just my mom's luck that she got bitten on the knee by our neighbors' dachshund. Weird thing was she entered the house second. Ate Dee, who entered first, wasn't bitten. Six of the dog's fangs punctured her skin. Like I said, just her luck.
Mom was scared, who wouldn't be. Tita Edith, our next door neighbor, accompanied us to the emergency clinic. A few years back I accompanied Tita Edith and best friend Ian when Justine's son got bitten on the face. Thanks, Tita Edith!
Anyway, I found out that even if the dog that bites you is vaccinated, it is not enough. As a safety precaution, you still have to receive a lot of injections. Heck, better be safe than sorry. Anyways, at the emercency clinic which is also a dog and cat bite treatment center, E-med in phase 1, it was explained that mom would have to get injections of four types of medicine. I'm not much of a medical guy, but I'll try to reconstruct. These are:
- Verorab (which had to be injected on different days based on a schedule)
- Tetanus Toxoid
- ATS or ERIG
- Immunoglobulin
We decided to go to RITM which is nearer our place. Had to take a leave of absence from work. I thought we'd be finished by noon, I was wrong. The lines and waiting period was so long that Mom was attended to at 3:00 pm. On the way home we nevertheless agreed that it was worth it since the doctors and nurses there were very experienced in this sort of thing.
Anyway, there were several choices involved. The inital Verorab given was intramuscular. Mom had the choice of continuing it or opting for the Verorab commonly prescribed by RITM which was intradermal. The intradermal option meant she'd have to start from zero which meant that the initial Verorab shots the day before nullified. She opted for the reset and was prescribed the intradermal.
ATS was tested again just to be sure, so was ERIG. Waiting time was 30 mins. She still had an allergic reaction to ATS, but she was okay with ERIG. So she was prescribed ERIG.
At the RITM there were a lot of patients, a lot were first bite patients, the others were follow up injection patients. The follow up line was so looooong! At about 4:45 pm Mom had her barrage of shots. I held her hand. I stopped counting the injections. There were about a couple for each arm, one near the butt, one on the hip, and a lot near the vicinity of the wound on her knee. The wound bled a little. Damn those have got to hurt. But Mom's one tough lady, which probably explains why she has a couple of tough kids (ooohhh, I'll be waiting for the side comments to that one).
Waiting time after the injections was 30 minutes for any adverse reactions. While we were waiting we traded stories with the others still waiting in line. One mom was bringing her kid for the shots because she was afraid. She was a first-hand witness to the effect of rabies. Her brother was bitten and he relied on folk medicine, "pagpapasipsip sa bato", they called it. It didn't work. In about a month's time he had to be confined in San Lazaro, crazed, fopaming at the mouth, afraid of air and water. Despite being restrained to the bed with belts he was still able to run around with the bed along the corridors. The only thing which was able to stop him was when an orderly chased him back to his room with the air from an electric fan. My sister had a similar story. One of their students died a month after being bitten by their cat. The student didn't tell anyone.
Through the whole ordeal I found out that RITM and San Lazaro can offer the medicine cheaper. In private institutions, you have to buy the whole vial of medicine and they will have to inject the whole vial even if the dosage is less becasue if they don;t the medicine will go to waste. At the RITM and San Lazaro, the exact dosage can be extracted from the vials and the remainder used for other patients. I'm not sure but Marian, my officemate, told me that in San Lazaro you find a partner patient in some cases so things won't go to waste.
I also found out that Verorab has to be administered based on the type and on a strict schedule. It depends on the doctor and the institution. E-Med prescribed the intramuscular to be administered on day 0, 3, 7, 14 and 28. RITM prescribed the intradermal to be administered on day 0, 3, 7 and 21. After all the stories we were finally out by 5:10, just in time for the 3rd quarter of the NCAA Men's Basketball Finals between San Beda and PCU. We trodded home, I had a splitting super-headache because of the heat and of all the waiting and lining up.
By the way, San Beda won. So now they're 1-0. All they need is to win the game tomorrow and SAN BEDA WILL BE THE NEXT NCAA CHAMPIONS!!!
So tomorrow, I'll be wearing red. BECAUSE REAL MEN WEAR RED!
GO SAN BEDA FIGHT!
For San Beda, our country and God!
U.I.O.G.D.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Beda and Ballet
I got to watch "The Best of PBT", a celebration of 20 years of the Philippine Ballet Theater, the resident balllet company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Jojo Renta is a heaven-sent. He teaches arts and humanities subjects at the San Beda College of Arts and Sciences. Whenever he has tickets to arts and culture events at the CCP he brings along the faculty members, so I tag along with my mom who teaches in San Beda. We had lower box seats so we had a great view of the program, same seats we had when we watched Miss Saigon.
I never was into ballet, but whenever the opportunity came for me to watch a show at the CCP, I jump on it. The Best of PBT was a tribute to the artistry that is the Philippine Ballet Theater. I wasn't able to see a copy of the programme but it was a showcase of the different talents who made PBT one of the best ballet companies of the Philippines. Am not much of a ballet critic but I'll try.
Act One was classical. I think it was a group of the new ballerinas. Some balance and synchronization problems can be seen. The lead female ballerina on the other hand gravitates from the group, you can actually see how more graceful she was compared to the others. It was great, but it gets better as the night wore on.
Act Two was a number to welcome back the stars of the Philippine Ballet Theater, the female leads through the years. God they were great. Every move they made, with their gowns a-flowing, were so graceful. You can actually see the dedication they had to be able to perfect each and every move.
Act Three was a Filipiniana piece. I found it long but if was fine by me. What drew my attention was the great use of color. Flowing malongs and sablays, long furling cloths, all drawing inspoiration from tribal Philippine colors (Maranao, Badjao, I really don't know, but it was so beautiful).
Act Four after the intermission was the rendition of Carmina Burana. This was the piece de resistance. The purple and orange, masks and cloaks, all in a medieval gothic setting was so engaging. It reels you in, sends shivers up your spine but you can't look away from the visual spectacle right before your very eyes.
I'd like to watch their next productions after this one.
Speaking of San Beda College...
San Beda College is off to the NCAA Men's Basketball finals!!!
Good Luck guys! Here are some Youtube vids someone forwarded via our alumni mailing list.
GO SAN BEDA FIGHT!
For San Beda, our country and God!
U.I.O.G.D.
I never was into ballet, but whenever the opportunity came for me to watch a show at the CCP, I jump on it. The Best of PBT was a tribute to the artistry that is the Philippine Ballet Theater. I wasn't able to see a copy of the programme but it was a showcase of the different talents who made PBT one of the best ballet companies of the Philippines. Am not much of a ballet critic but I'll try.
Act One was classical. I think it was a group of the new ballerinas. Some balance and synchronization problems can be seen. The lead female ballerina on the other hand gravitates from the group, you can actually see how more graceful she was compared to the others. It was great, but it gets better as the night wore on.
Act Two was a number to welcome back the stars of the Philippine Ballet Theater, the female leads through the years. God they were great. Every move they made, with their gowns a-flowing, were so graceful. You can actually see the dedication they had to be able to perfect each and every move.
Act Three was a Filipiniana piece. I found it long but if was fine by me. What drew my attention was the great use of color. Flowing malongs and sablays, long furling cloths, all drawing inspoiration from tribal Philippine colors (Maranao, Badjao, I really don't know, but it was so beautiful).
Act Four after the intermission was the rendition of Carmina Burana. This was the piece de resistance. The purple and orange, masks and cloaks, all in a medieval gothic setting was so engaging. It reels you in, sends shivers up your spine but you can't look away from the visual spectacle right before your very eyes.
I'd like to watch their next productions after this one.
Speaking of San Beda College...
San Beda College is off to the NCAA Men's Basketball finals!!!
Good Luck guys! Here are some Youtube vids someone forwarded via our alumni mailing list.
GO SAN BEDA FIGHT!
For San Beda, our country and God!
U.I.O.G.D.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Bye Mimi...
This is Mimi. She died last Tuesday. She was 7 years old at the time of her death. Mimi is a lhasa apso, they're of the working dog class. Actually they look similar to shih tzus with a slight difference in the snout length and degree of overbite, and they have paws nearly the size of those of german shepherds. Comes with the breed, they're originally Tibetan mountain dogs. Mimi had this weird attachment to me. Seems I'm the one designated to always bring her to the vet. When she was a puppy, she sat on her doo-doo which dried and matted with her hair. So poo-poo won't pass through... She was in pain and her knees were shaking. My mom and sister were out of town (or out of the country) so I was the one who took her to the vet and held her chin as the vet did his thing. Seems that also wrecked havoc on her insides too later in life.
I was there when she had to be brought to the vet when she was giving birth, my sister shared that duty too. I think she has had two caesarian births before being spayed. Blindness also haunted Mimi later in her life. Lhasa Apso eyes are bulgy, so eye disease comes easy for them.
So as it turns out I would also be the one to take her to the vet one last time. I woke up Monday morning and was about to get ready to leave for work earlier than usual. I discovered that the garage had a lot of blood streaks. Then I saw Mimi, lying down in her own blood and feces in one corner of the garage. She could still raise her head but was shaking from weakness. Mom and I took her to the vet. Initially her white blood cell count was high, which gave her a 50-50 chance of survival. Then some good news, she stabilized, we thought she'd pull through. But the bad news came that Tuesday.
Dogs to us are part of the family, so my sister asked that Mimi be buried by the vet. Now she has been peacefully laid to rest beside a banana tree in a parking lot in BF.
We'll miss her. Seems the other dogs miss her too, Mokey her brother and Quasi her son. Now we only have two dogs at home.
(The pic is from my sister's blog, by the way.)
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Tanghalang Pilipino
I'm thinking of getting season tickets to Tanghalang Pilipino theater productions.(Hehehe, don't you just love it when this blog jumps from anime to manga lettering to yoyoing to dogs to website projects to wrestling to family all in a heartbeat?)
Just saw Orfeo sa Impiyerno (Tennessee William's Orpheus Descending) yesterday. Best technicals I've seen so far, actually almost all of Tanghalang Pilipino's productions are tops when it comes to production values. I liked the 60's away-from-Manila feel of the play. The set, lighting and sounds were so darn good it makes jealous. Anyway, Orfeo sa Impiyerno in my eyes is about life and living. Maybe about desires too. And prejudice.
Before that I saw Tanghalang Pilipino's Godot, Wer is U? (Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot) which they staged together with the Cultural Center of the Philippines, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the French Embassy. That one, on the other hand, is about waiting. And salvation. My take is that Godot is God, and everyone else is waiting for salvation... But then, with plays like these you're bound to make your own (philosophical?) interpretations. Heck, in my mind the kid is Jesus. Ain't theater grand? :D
Just saw Orfeo sa Impiyerno (Tennessee William's Orpheus Descending) yesterday. Best technicals I've seen so far, actually almost all of Tanghalang Pilipino's productions are tops when it comes to production values. I liked the 60's away-from-Manila feel of the play. The set, lighting and sounds were so darn good it makes jealous. Anyway, Orfeo sa Impiyerno in my eyes is about life and living. Maybe about desires too. And prejudice.
Before that I saw Tanghalang Pilipino's Godot, Wer is U? (Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot) which they staged together with the Cultural Center of the Philippines, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the French Embassy. That one, on the other hand, is about waiting. And salvation. My take is that Godot is God, and everyone else is waiting for salvation... But then, with plays like these you're bound to make your own (philosophical?) interpretations. Heck, in my mind the kid is Jesus. Ain't theater grand? :D
Monday, August 21, 2006
Let's Get Ready to Rumble!
Read my previous post about being a fan... So today I went to SM South Mall Cinema One to watch the Solar All Access Pay Per View (PPV) of WWE's SummerSlam 2006...
To start this post off, I'd like to say... I'm PISSED!!! The PPV started around 10am and was supposed to end at about 1pm. The cinema was packed... Here's the thing... WE WEREN'T ABLE TO SEE THE DARN LAST FEW MINUTES OF THE PPV!!! The John Cena vs Edge match, the main event... We didn't see how it ended!!! The screen turned black before the final pin... We didn't see who pinned who! People were chanting "REFUND! REFUND! REFUND!" But then the feed was okay again, it lasted only a few seconds... Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross were saying "Let's see the replay!", the replay started (with the replay watermark) BUT THEN THE SCREEN BLANKED AGAIN!!! A lot of the audience members just left in disgust. (We knew who won coz the last few seconds showed him walking up the ramp with the belt, but I won't spoil it for you. It took all the fun out of watching it live on PPV for me.)
Anyway, after we exited, a number of us (about 20 people, some kids, some 20-something and 30-something guys) stayed to talk with the cinema manager... Seems it only happened in SouthMall. The feeds to the other SM Cinemas (MegaMall, Mall of Asia, etc.) were okay according to some of the guys who called their buddies, and this was confirmed by the manager. To make things right, the SM management gave us emergency tickets for the weekend screening, same seats, and we have a choice whether to watch Sunday or Saturday. It won't be the same but kudos to the SM Cinemas management for remedying the situation (heck, one guy was so irate he said he'd punch out Sib, the Jack TV VJ, if he happened to be outside the cinema and tried to interview us). Solar informed SM beforehand that there was that risk of disconnection of the satellite feed during inclement weather... Just our luck. O_o;;
Anyway, here are some observations. Let's call it a View of the WWE PPV from the South Side...
To start this post off, I'd like to say... I'm PISSED!!! The PPV started around 10am and was supposed to end at about 1pm. The cinema was packed... Here's the thing... WE WEREN'T ABLE TO SEE THE DARN LAST FEW MINUTES OF THE PPV!!! The John Cena vs Edge match, the main event... We didn't see how it ended!!! The screen turned black before the final pin... We didn't see who pinned who! People were chanting "REFUND! REFUND! REFUND!" But then the feed was okay again, it lasted only a few seconds... Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross were saying "Let's see the replay!", the replay started (with the replay watermark) BUT THEN THE SCREEN BLANKED AGAIN!!! A lot of the audience members just left in disgust. (We knew who won coz the last few seconds showed him walking up the ramp with the belt, but I won't spoil it for you. It took all the fun out of watching it live on PPV for me.)
Anyway, after we exited, a number of us (about 20 people, some kids, some 20-something and 30-something guys) stayed to talk with the cinema manager... Seems it only happened in SouthMall. The feeds to the other SM Cinemas (MegaMall, Mall of Asia, etc.) were okay according to some of the guys who called their buddies, and this was confirmed by the manager. To make things right, the SM management gave us emergency tickets for the weekend screening, same seats, and we have a choice whether to watch Sunday or Saturday. It won't be the same but kudos to the SM Cinemas management for remedying the situation (heck, one guy was so irate he said he'd punch out Sib, the Jack TV VJ, if he happened to be outside the cinema and tried to interview us). Solar informed SM beforehand that there was that risk of disconnection of the satellite feed during inclement weather... Just our luck. O_o;;
Anyway, here are some observations. Let's call it a View of the WWE PPV from the South Side...
- The audience was predominantly male, though there were a number of females, some genuine fans, some accompanying their boyfriends, some accompanying their kids. The females actually knew who was who onscreen... They knew who Batista was and how he tore his tricep... They remember Hulk Hogan... They knew Mr Kennedy... Maybe because of exposure to their loved ones who are passionate about wrestling.
- Audience reaction to wrestlers and matches don't echo the reaction of the Boston, MA or US audience... Seems pinoys have their own faves...
- The audience was appreciative of personalities and good execution of wrestling moves. If there's a good move, there's a nice reaction. A lackluster move mertits no reaction from the crowd (happened to some Batista and King Booker moves).
- Rey Misterio vs Chavo Guerrero was so-so. Rey Misterio was about 70-30 (70 favorable). Mostly kids liked him, the older audience seems to see him like another John Cena... A wrestler who has nothing new to offer and they're getting tired of ... The 619 was received about 75-25 or 80-20, quite unlike the 90 to100 a year back.
- Chavo Guerrero, Rey's opponent, was so-so. He was applauded a bit but since he's a heel he did receive some boos. He was more appreciated by the SM audience than by the Boston crowd, though,
- Vicky Guerrero, who came out during the match, wasn't really appreciated that much.. Maybe because the aspect ratio of the screen was sorta stretched and it made her butt look too big.
- The late Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero, who was shown in Rey and Chavo intro vids, was well applauded and respected, with a number of "Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!" chants in time with the Boston crowd... Truly a legend...
- I don't know, but I think some people, like me, would want the Eddie angle laid to rest already... The tribute frog splash was well received, the three amigos by the two guys were not so applauded. Maybe Chavo and Rey should start making a name for themselves using their own moves again.
- The Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal Sabu vs Champion The Big Show, for the ECW Title, were both well received. Was kind of a surprise and added bonus for me since ECW isn't shown here. Being an ECW rules match, it was definitlely extreme. Tables and chairs, power and death-defying moves went well with the crowd. The last move was a killer...
- One surprising reaction was for Justin Roberts. Justin who? He's the ECW ring announcer since Joey Styles is now with Tazz in the commentary table. He went so well with the females in the crowd. "Ay, ang gwapo!" and a couple of loud muffled shrieks could be heard from a lot of them when his face was zoomed in.
- The Legend Killer Randy Orton vs The Immortal Hulk Hogan, Legend vs Legend Killer, was also well-received. Some negative oooohs for Hogan when he came out, some boos and "Ay ang gwapo!" for Orton. Some heckled the immortal one when he came out, "Mamatay ka na!" "Buhay ka pa rin?" were some overheard reactions. He was slow already but Hulkamania does live on. Despite the initial reactions, all their moves sold. Randy's RKO was well anticipated, Hogan's leg drop was well anticipated and the pointy-finger "YOU!" had the audience in unison with the Boston crowd. It was indeed, though at times retro, a definite treat.
- Nick Foley vs Rick Flair "I Quit" match was a classic. Nick, heel to the hilt, was booed and applauded (respect). Melina, in Nick's corner and in the intro spiels was eye-popping. Rick Flair was 95 to 100, everyone from Boston to SM were "WOOOOOOOO!!!!"-ing when he came out. This match was bloody, very bloody, shocking to some extent. They made true Flair's promise of "May one of us bleed to death in Boston." Anything goes, and it definitely had the audience on the edge of their seats. Barbed wire bats, barbed wire, barbed wire wood slabs, trash cans, thumbtacks, name it, they used it. It evolved into a super-harcore match and the blood began to flow early. All the moves were oooooh-ed at, especially the ones involving the barbed wire, bat and thumbtacks. This was sooooo blooy good that both wrestlers were applauded (Boston and SM) when the match finished.
- Champion King Booker vs The Animal Batista World Title Match went well. King Booker and Sharmelle really sold their "royalty act" quite well. They had audience members laughing it up with their royalty schtick complete with wide-eyed, crazed, facial expressions in the pre-match portions. It was entertaining. And they did their heel job well eliciting boos from the crowd when the match came.
- Batista was about 90-10. Yes, some people booed Batista. But moves-wise, each Spinebuster and Batista Bomb was greeted with oohs and ahhs and strong grunts from the crowd whenever Booker was slammed to the canvass.
- Tag-Team Grudge Match featuring D-Generation X (HBK and HHH) vs The McMahons (Vince and Shane) was a hoot!!! A lot to laugh at and a lot to cheer about. DX was cheered, McMahons were booed. Vince's signature swagger toward the ring was positively "yeah!"-ed by a lot of people, so was Shane's dancing. Signature moves by DX (all instances of Sweet Chin Music and The Pedigree) were cheered wildly. The McMahons homage to top tag team finishing moves which featured a high-flying Shane McMahon was oohed at... The finish was one for the books again.
- Cameos, wrestler bumper vids and camera focuses had different reactions from the SM crowd. During the intro, JBL was cheered when he was focused on the commentary table with Michael Cole. Not much reactions when Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler were focused. Same for Tazz and Joey Styles. JBL was really appreciated even in the Jack TV "Watch WWE on Jack TV" vid. Heck, he has a fan following here.
- Mr Kennedy was cheered, both in the cameo and the watch Jack TV vid. He may be about 70-30 or 65-35. I like the guy, reminds me of The Rock "yabang" wise.
- Val Venis was cheered loudly in his watch Jack TV vid.
- The Samoan Bulldozer Umaga was booed. The Big Red Machine Kane was cheered wildly. The Spirit Squad was booed. Steven Regal and Finlay were oooh-ed! when they came out.
- All the Divas, including the newest diva Layla (Diva search winner) were cheered wildly both in the DIVAS vid and the Divas segment of the PPV! It was worth seeing them, no nudity though. The Divas, led by Trish, snubbed and lambasted Layla before saying it was all just a joke. They "welcomed" her via a wet-shower initiation. WHOA!!! Layla's a bit shorter than most of the Divas. Torrie, Candice Michelle and Ashley were applauded loudly.
- Surprising was the Jeff Hardy returns to RAW vid. It was cheered loudly! I wonder if he'll do singles competition or hook up with brother Matt again.
- Lastly, the main event, The Doctor of Thuganomics John Cena (hometown boy of Massachussets) vs Champion The Rated R Superstar Edge for the WWE championship was well anticipated. Kids liked Cena, not so much with the older guys. He's more 40-60 or 50-50 now after he lost the title (both for the watch Jack TV bumper vid. and the match). Still better than the 20-80 or 30-70 during the last weeks of his title reign. Edge was cheered with only a few boos! He seems about 65-35 or 70-30 with the SM crowd, the older members cheered him. Dunno if it's because they hate Cena or they really like Edge. Heck, if you had a babe like Lita I'd certainly cheer you on. Despite these initial reactions, the moves sold well. Edge's Spear and Cena's FU were cheered. Cena's STFU was cheered wildly toward the end. Too bad we didn't see the ending. DARN!!!
Sunday, August 20, 2006
I'm a fan
Yes, I'm a fan. I'm a fan of a lot of things.
I'm a fan of anime.
I'm a fan of yoyoing.
There are times when I actually even get paid for being a fan of both. I perform when I yoyo or write about anime or letter manga. Sometimes, these two things I'm a fan of get to meet in one place. It's usually an anime convention where our group, FlipSpin, performs for the audience. It happened in UNA Kame. Last Saturday, Aug 19, it happened again, this time in CulturEvolution in Marikina.
Seems it's a new group of anime fans nowadays, I don't know the people who went there. The guys who are "seniors" who are now "veterans" were the ones who were active when Meowok and I were in Questor. Now the guys I know are organizers and heads and admins of their own special interest groups. Got to meet and renew acquaintances with cosplay legends (and one time Yuukan Kendoka) Robert and Paul. Also saw Gundam Girl Dice and cosplay goddes Joy / Haruka. One time Yuukan Kendoka Tyran and Jess were also there.
Jeez, on a related note (and I told Meowok about this), 5 years ago when you looked at my friendster account friends list, it was a smorgasbord of anime character pics. Nowadays I'm surprised when the anime pics give way to pics of young ladies (with or without boyfriends). Heck, what caught me unaware was that they are now in or have graduated from college! Heck, dati nakikipag-kulitan ako sa 12 yr olds na Frances and Marenza (she now goes by Em). Kulitan namin ni Frances nun sa email when our birthdays came (magkalapit bday namin) went something like:
"Happy Birthday! Papa-Fedex ko na lang yung isaw at squid balls sa inyo dyan."
Weird that she ended up in UP... Isaw and squid balls heaven...
I'm a fan of art.
Especially of junk / recycled art. When I finished an OFW Guardian interview last August 17, Thursday, with Mr. Hector Tagaysay of Filway Marketing, I felt hunger pangs and ate at Sizzling Stop (which was in the same building). The ashtrays were made of aluminum cans. I just had to take a pic of it.
I'm a fan of wrestling.
Yes, it's the greatest show on earth. The soap opera for men. I'm actually going to watch the cinematic pay per view of SummerSlam in SM South Mall tomorrow, August 21, 2006.
Meowok and Olan knew how much of a fan I am of the WWE (heck, my tv's glued to Jack TV on weekends because of this). So for my birthday they gave me a WWE vid, The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior. Hehehe, I liked the Disney "Just Monkeying Around" gift wrapper too. I like animals... Well some more than others.
I'm a fan of animals.
Yup, I love dogs. Cats too. Maybe it's the reason why I play UFO catcher too. BTW, got these two ugly Hello Kitties from Tom's World in SM South Mall. The cow's another story.
I'm a fan of family.
The cow pic I took when we went to my inaanak Shuey's birthday swimming party in Los Banos, Laguna. My other inaanak Enzo was there too.
And since I'm a fan of family... It follows that...
I'm a fan of mom.
Mom was always complaining how her TV was acting up. We had bought two Goldstar (now part of LG Electronics) surplus / refurbished TVs from Cavite one day when we visited our house there. Heck, t'was a steal, about PhP999 each TV many years back. So that's one for the sala and one for her room. Anyway, that was years ago, so now with age the TV is hard to operate (Korean markings and all). So I decided to buy her a 14-inch TV from SM after the CulturEvolution gig. It was a choice between a Sanyo and a Sharp. I bought the Sanyo ST-14CE1.
I had it all planned. I'd sneak the TV in when they went to church for the 7pm mass (I'm deist, I seldom go to church). When she got home she'd see her new TV. By 8pm I switched on the TV. My sister saw it, smiled and relayed the news to my brother-in-law Geo. I kept dropping hints for my mom to see it. "Ma, you left your tv on when you went to church!" No dice. When my sister, brother-in-law and Enzo left for their house upstairs, my sister texted me and even called my mom asking "What's new?" My mom was dense... She still didn't see the tv.
About an hour later, while watching a series on Hallmark Channel, she realized she had a new tv when she picked up the remote and realized it was a different remote. Go figure... O_o;;
That's it for today... Too-da-loo...
I'm a fan of anime.
I'm a fan of yoyoing.
There are times when I actually even get paid for being a fan of both. I perform when I yoyo or write about anime or letter manga. Sometimes, these two things I'm a fan of get to meet in one place. It's usually an anime convention where our group, FlipSpin, performs for the audience. It happened in UNA Kame. Last Saturday, Aug 19, it happened again, this time in CulturEvolution in Marikina.
Seems it's a new group of anime fans nowadays, I don't know the people who went there. The guys who are "seniors" who are now "veterans" were the ones who were active when Meowok and I were in Questor. Now the guys I know are organizers and heads and admins of their own special interest groups. Got to meet and renew acquaintances with cosplay legends (and one time Yuukan Kendoka) Robert and Paul. Also saw Gundam Girl Dice and cosplay goddes Joy / Haruka. One time Yuukan Kendoka Tyran and Jess were also there.
Jeez, on a related note (and I told Meowok about this), 5 years ago when you looked at my friendster account friends list, it was a smorgasbord of anime character pics. Nowadays I'm surprised when the anime pics give way to pics of young ladies (with or without boyfriends). Heck, what caught me unaware was that they are now in or have graduated from college! Heck, dati nakikipag-kulitan ako sa 12 yr olds na Frances and Marenza (she now goes by Em). Kulitan namin ni Frances nun sa email when our birthdays came (magkalapit bday namin) went something like:
"Happy Birthday! Papa-Fedex ko na lang yung isaw at squid balls sa inyo dyan."
Weird that she ended up in UP... Isaw and squid balls heaven...
I'm a fan of art.
Especially of junk / recycled art. When I finished an OFW Guardian interview last August 17, Thursday, with Mr. Hector Tagaysay of Filway Marketing, I felt hunger pangs and ate at Sizzling Stop (which was in the same building). The ashtrays were made of aluminum cans. I just had to take a pic of it.
I'm a fan of wrestling.
Yes, it's the greatest show on earth. The soap opera for men. I'm actually going to watch the cinematic pay per view of SummerSlam in SM South Mall tomorrow, August 21, 2006.
Meowok and Olan knew how much of a fan I am of the WWE (heck, my tv's glued to Jack TV on weekends because of this). So for my birthday they gave me a WWE vid, The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior. Hehehe, I liked the Disney "Just Monkeying Around" gift wrapper too. I like animals... Well some more than others.
I'm a fan of animals.
Yup, I love dogs. Cats too. Maybe it's the reason why I play UFO catcher too. BTW, got these two ugly Hello Kitties from Tom's World in SM South Mall. The cow's another story.
I'm a fan of family.
The cow pic I took when we went to my inaanak Shuey's birthday swimming party in Los Banos, Laguna. My other inaanak Enzo was there too.
And since I'm a fan of family... It follows that...
I'm a fan of mom.
Mom was always complaining how her TV was acting up. We had bought two Goldstar (now part of LG Electronics) surplus / refurbished TVs from Cavite one day when we visited our house there. Heck, t'was a steal, about PhP999 each TV many years back. So that's one for the sala and one for her room. Anyway, that was years ago, so now with age the TV is hard to operate (Korean markings and all). So I decided to buy her a 14-inch TV from SM after the CulturEvolution gig. It was a choice between a Sanyo and a Sharp. I bought the Sanyo ST-14CE1.
I had it all planned. I'd sneak the TV in when they went to church for the 7pm mass (I'm deist, I seldom go to church). When she got home she'd see her new TV. By 8pm I switched on the TV. My sister saw it, smiled and relayed the news to my brother-in-law Geo. I kept dropping hints for my mom to see it. "Ma, you left your tv on when you went to church!" No dice. When my sister, brother-in-law and Enzo left for their house upstairs, my sister texted me and even called my mom asking "What's new?" My mom was dense... She still didn't see the tv.
About an hour later, while watching a series on Hallmark Channel, she realized she had a new tv when she picked up the remote and realized it was a different remote. Go figure... O_o;;
That's it for today... Too-da-loo...
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Saturday, August 19, 2006
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Stuffy...
Just some of the things I'm looking at right now... Most are greek... Open Source stuff, 2.0 stuff, the others are just plain stuff. O_o;;
Like these ones... Found these in my fone... Damn they're old....
My sister has always been lucky in raffles. Read her post about it in her blog... But in a nutshell, she has actually won a walkman, an electric fan, a washing machine, and even a car... Sheesh... All I've ever won were a ricecooker and a Panasonic celfone... O_o;; Anyway, she won a celfone strap and watch just by scratching off those silver raffle tickets when we bought 7-11 Slurpees, this was when Superman Returns just came out.
(Yup, the pic, it's a month old... I just seem to click and forget nowadays.)
And this one's my fave... and for Kenneth (aka Vince Valvolene, tafka Ryan Rev - Ex)... It's the P3's favorite opening act...
Saver, the Wonder Dog! Saw him on tv and just had to take a shot.
Also, here are stuff I'm currently looking at...
Jahia <- A Java Content Management System.. Am looking at using this for gokitomo, or some place else...
eyeOS <- An Open Source Web Desktop Environment, commonly known as Web Operating System or Web Office. I just lurv this. Hehehe, all you need is a net connection, no need for MS Word, et al. Nice if you're always on the move.
DeVeDe<- A program to create video DVDs and CDs (VCD, sVCD or CVD), suitable for home players, from any number of video files, in any number of the formats... If only I could figure out how to use it... O_o;;
Emdros - The database engine for analyzed or annotated text. I know I have some use for this... but maybe not now...
Griffith <- A movie collection manager application. Hmmm....
Zolow <- A digital bulletin board. Web 2.0, Ajax stuff... or something like that...
Like these ones... Found these in my fone... Damn they're old....
My sister has always been lucky in raffles. Read her post about it in her blog... But in a nutshell, she has actually won a walkman, an electric fan, a washing machine, and even a car... Sheesh... All I've ever won were a ricecooker and a Panasonic celfone... O_o;; Anyway, she won a celfone strap and watch just by scratching off those silver raffle tickets when we bought 7-11 Slurpees, this was when Superman Returns just came out.
And this one's my fave... and for Kenneth (aka Vince Valvolene, tafka Ryan Rev - Ex)... It's the P3's favorite opening act...
Also, here are stuff I'm currently looking at...
Jahia <- A Java Content Management System.. Am looking at using this for gokitomo, or some place else...
eyeOS <- An Open Source Web Desktop Environment, commonly known as Web Operating System or Web Office. I just lurv this. Hehehe, all you need is a net connection, no need for MS Word, et al. Nice if you're always on the move.
DeVeDe<- A program to create video DVDs and CDs (VCD, sVCD or CVD), suitable for home players, from any number of video files, in any number of the formats... If only I could figure out how to use it... O_o;;
Emdros - The database engine for analyzed or annotated text. I know I have some use for this... but maybe not now...
Griffith <- A movie collection manager application. Hmmm....
Zolow <- A digital bulletin board. Web 2.0, Ajax stuff... or something like that...
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