Thank God It's Saturday

Since I stopped working at M3 Dialysis Center in Bacolod City, I spend my Saturday afternoon catching up of all the movies I missed by watching DVD at home.

Last Saturday, I watched this interesting movie Source Code. It is about a decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) who wakes up in the body of an unknown man. He later discovers that he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter-train. In an assignment unlike any he's ever known, he learns he's part of a government experiment called the "Source Code". This is a program that enables him to cross over into another man's identity in the last 8 minutes of his life. With a second much larger target threatening to kill millions in downtown Chicago, Captain Stevens re-lives the incident over and over again, gathering clues each time, until he can solve the mystery of who is behind the bombing and prevent the next attack.

How I wish we can also re-live our life over and over again. Isn't it great if we can do this because we can correct our past to have a better future? Well, of course, this is only possible in movies.

What I really love about this movie is the realization that you can do a lot of things in eight minutes. In this movie, he was able to save the world at the same time express his feelings to the woman he loves in eight minutes. My point is that, in the real world, whether it is eight minutes or twenty-four hours, what really matters is what you do in the present.

I remember a scene in the movie Kung Fu Panda where Master Oogway said to Po "Quit, don't quit, noodles, don't noodles, you are too concern about what was and what will be, there is a saying, yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift. That is why it is called present."

The truth is that, some of us cannot move on with our lives because we keep holding on with our past. Most of us are even busy preparing for the future when in fact, no matter what we do, we cannot control it.

So let us instead re-live the past by learning from it, be thankful of the present and be hopeful of the future. Thank God it's Saturday indeed.

Ako ay Pilipino !

I am a Lakers Fan. No doubt about it. So why should I waste time blogging about other teams. Well I realized that this years NBA Playoff is different because this is not only about being a NBA fan but it is also about being a Filipino.

Yes, I am talking about Coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat. Coach Spo, as his staff and players would call him is the son of an Irish-Dutch -American Jon Spoelstra and Elisa Celino of San Pablo Laguna, Philippines.

Spoelstra grew up in Portland Oregon, where he graduated from Jesuit High School in 1988 and from the University of Portland in 1992. At the University of Portland, Spoelstra was the Pilots' starting point guard for four years, averaging 9.2 points, 4.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game and was named the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year.

Spoelstra joined the Heat staff in 1995 as the team's video coordinator. After two years, he was named assistant coach/video coordinator, then promoted to assistant coach/advance scout in 1999. He became the assistant coach/director of scouting in 2001. He was cited by Sports Illustrated (May 30, 2005) for honing star guard Dwyane Wade's "shooting balance and smoothing out his release after the Flash's return from the Athens Olympics."

Spoelstra was an assistant coach with the Miami Heat when they won the 2006 NBA Finals by defeating the Dallas Mavericks, overcoming a 0-2 deficit.

In April 2008, Spoelstra was named successor to Pat Riley as head coach of the Miami Heat. In naming Spoelstra as head coach, Riley said: " This game is now about younger coaches who are technologically skilled, innovative, and bring fresh new ideas. That's what we feel we are getting with Erik Spoelstra. He's a man that was born to coach." Riley also noted: "A lot of players want the discipline; they will play for Spoelstra, because they respect him."

Three years after as head coach of the Miami Heat, if destiny will allow it, Spoelstra can become the first Asian American NBA Head Coach to win an NBA Championship.

As I have said from the very beginning, I decided to make this blog not only because I am an NBA fan but also because "Ako ay Pilipino". I believed that a championship for the Miami is a pride for all of us Filipinos. "Mabuhay ka Coach Spo!"

Ani ME!

It's been six months since I posted my last blog. As my first post for this year, I would like to share with you a new application from Youtube. This application will awaken your creativity and imagination especially if you are a fan of animation.

First of all, you have to make an account in Youtube. Once you have it, click UPLOAD and look for CREATE YOUR OWN ANIMATION. Then click TRY NOW. There are four applications to choose. I suggest as a beginner, try XTRANORMAL MOVIE MAKER.

Personally I like GOANIMATE because you can create your own character. The one you saw above was done using GOANIMATE. I really enjoyed making one. Now I know what will I look like as an Ani ME! Enjoy!

The History Behind The Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) Dance

Actually the original title of the song is “Tsamina” or “Zangalewa” which was sung in 1986 by a Cameroon group called Golden Sounds. This was produced by the group as a tribute for the African soldiers who fought in World War II.

The relevance of this song for the 19th FIFA World Cup is that the game of football is often synonymous with doing battle.

The Inspiration of Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) Dance

Waka Waka means in Cameroon language “do the job”. I think it is our job to help and support quality education for all the children in the world by one song, one dance and one goal.

The Phenomenon of Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) Dance

Waka Waka T-shirts features the African Lion logo or the word “It’s Time for Africa”. Proceeds from sales are to benefit Shakira’s Barefoot foundation related charities like education in South Africa. You can buy Waka Waka t-shirts from any Mango Stores.

Speaking From Experience

A week ago, Kris Aquino-Yap in her last appearance in The Buzz once again shocked the nation when she confirmed that her marriage with James Yap was finally over.

Few minutes after her interview by Boy Abunda, social networks like Tweeter and Facebook were flooded with mixed reactions.

Most of the men I know reacted by saying how stupid James was by allowing this problem to happen however majority of the women I know loved what happened because for them it’s about time for Kris to move on.

In fairness to both of them, I think we should give them a break since we really don’t know what the story behind it. Kris was right when she said that she don’t owe us an explanation except only to her children and family.

Whatever the outcome of their relationship in the next few weeks, actually it's none of our business. We just hope that their decision will be based on truth and not because of what the fans and the showbiz community wants.

Speaking from experience, I think decisions that are made to please other people are always a big mistake. Believe me because I learned mine the hard way.

Bill Cosby of the popular TV program of the 80’s “The Cosby Show” once said that he doesn’t know the key to success however he knows the key to failure and that is when you try to please everyone.

To James and Kris and to all couples out there, always remember that relationships is always about you and your partner and not about the insignificant others.

There Can Only Be One

This is it! The stage is finally set for the most anticipated rematch of the decade between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.

Since their rivalry started several years ago, the Lakers only won 2 out of the 9 championship games against the Celtics. Currently, the Celtics hold the most number of championships in the NBA history with 17 and Lakers with only 15.

Nevertheless, I believed that this series will not only be about their past but it will also be about their pride and legacy in the league. A win for the Celtics would prove to the whole world that they are still the team to beat however a win for the Lakers would somehow threatened the record of Boston.

So, will it be the Celtics destiny to repeat or the Lakers foreseen dynasty? I guess that would depend on how you are going to look at this series.

For me, I am going to consider their play-off statistics as my basis. For the point guard position, I don’t think Derek Fisher of Lakers can stop the young Rajon Rando of Celtics in terms of points and assist per game. He averages 16.6 PPG and 10.0 APG while “D’Fish” only averages 11.1 PPG and 3.1 APG.

For the guard position, nobody can compete with the intensity of Kobe Bryant of the Lakers averaging 29.4 PPG, 5.10 RPG and 6.2 APG while Ray Allen of the Celtics only averages 16.8 PPG, 3.60 RPG and 3.0 APG.

For the forward position, the “Truth” does set Celtics free from any hassle. Paul Pierce averages 19.1 PPG, 6.20 RPG and 3.6 APG while Ron Artest of the Lakers only averages 11.5 PPG, 3.70 RPG and 2.5 APG.

The “Ticket” somehow slowed down a little bit after his injury. Kevin Garnett of the Celtics only averages 14.9 PPG, 8.20 RPG and 2.3 APG while the pride of Spain Pau Gasol of the Lakers averages 20.0 PPG, 10.90 RPG and 3.4 APG.

True that Andrew Bynum of the Lakers was playing better during the play off as compared to Kendrick Perkins of the Celtics but we must not forget that his right knee is still fragile. Bynum averages 9.1 PPG, 7.70 RPG and 0.8 APG while Perkins averages 5.6 PPG, 6.40 RPG and 0.9 APG.

Well, as you can see, they are statistically tied that is why for me, their bench will play an important role in winning this championship. Lamar Odom and Jordan Farmar of the Lakers should be consistent with their play while Rasheed Wallace and Nate Robinson of the Celtics should make their presence felt during this series.

The painted area would be a factor for the Lakers since they are taller compared to the Celtics thus Glen Davis of the Celtics should step up his game while the three point area would be a factor for the Celtics thus Sasha Vujacic of the Lakers should be more sharper in every game.

Though Lakers have the home court advantage but again we cannot totally count out the Celtics because they have a better road win record compared to the defending champion during the play-off.

In summary, this series is still anybodies ball game. In fact, my fearless prediction would be that there will be a game 7 thus the adjustment of each respective coach in every game will be important in this series and personally, I will go for Phil Jackson of the LA Lakers because of his experience. Therefore, good luck to both teams !

Shaq's Mojo ?

The regular season for King James and the Cavs is perfect giving them the home court advantage all throughout the post-season. With the help of Shaq in the team, they were able to hold one of the longest winning streaks in the NBA. For the second time around, the King was chosen as the Most Valuable Player for the regular season.

The post-season of the Cavs was expected to be a no contest not until the second round of the play-off where the team is in the brink of elimination. The series between the Cavs and the Celtics is 2 – 3 in favor of the latter. It would be sad for the fans of King James and the Cavs if this unexpected thing happens again.

However, fans agree that unlike in 2008, Shaq was not around to boost the confidence of the team. But the big question is if Shaq still got his “mojo”. Anyway, watch this video so that you will know what I mean and judge for yourself. Hehehe!