UAAP Season 73 opener post-thoughts

GO USTE!GOUSTE!GO USTE!GO, GO, GO, GO

With UAAP Season 73's kick-off ceremony last Saturday, I can't help but feel excited to catch a game or two of  my school's team in the men's basketball seniors division- UST Growling Tigers, that is. I'm not the only I'm not the only person on earth who's very excited to troop to Araneta Coliseum or wherever the venue will be to cheer tirelessly for my team as there are thousands of alumni and students alike from the more popular and rich schools (read: ADMU and DLSU) who are more than willing to shed money just to get a good view of the game. Well, I'm contented with upper a and b sections of the coliseum....I think it's more fun sitting there because I think that's where the "crowd" is. Aside from the men's basketball in the senior's division, I'm also looking forward to the women's senior volleyball competition to be held sometime in the second semester of the school year and of course, the cheerdance competition (which I have to see live before I die haha!) Hoping SDT will make a strong comeback this season after failing to land a spot on the top 3 last year.

This year's theme, by the way, is "heroes. The reason behind it, according to UAAP pres. Bernie Oca of host school DLSU, is "because we need heroes. I want people to realize there's a hero in each and every one of us." Well, this reminds me of Eric Peñaflorida's famous "the hero in you is waiting to be unleashed" during his acceptance speech when he was named 2009 CNN Hero of the Year. In addition, Oca also explained that the recent turnover from the Arroyo to the Aquino administration has something to do with it also because he wants all UAAP member schools-athletes, officials, students, and alumni- to be "heroic and help build our leaders build this nation." How dramatic, indeed. Anyhow, let's just hope that this theme will be realized and carried out for the rest of the season.

         Can the Blue Eagles defeat their crown and go for a three-peat?

Now, on to my thoughts about the Season 73 opener- both the opening and the games itself (okay I'm a sports analyst wannabe haha). Segue: Thanks to the available TOA, I was able to catch the opening and finish the second game yehey:)

Opening ceremony
It's more laid back this time, based on my observation. I mean, the dance number involving the athletes of the participating schools is like the one you see being performed in your school programs. I like the music and makes me want to dance hehe. I also enjoyed Gary V.'s "Hataw Na" performance. I mean it's Gary V. and just seeing him perform, what can I ask for, right? I skipped Ogie's number by choice. But overall, I think the opening ceremony is not that impressive, save for the mini-movie which I think is somewhat cool. The effects are similar with what I saw in Mulawin or Darna... but I think the mini-movie's effects are better haha. Fantaserye-themed baby! The mini-movie is a hit, at least to me. And the costumes of the eight school representatives? I like some, others so-so. Overall, the opening's a so-so and easily forgettable. The production is not that spectacular, despite Ogie and Gary V.'s presence. I think it's also inappropriate to sing Ogie's composition used in P-Noy's inauguration. I mean, we get DLSU's point of adopting heroes as this season's theme but that "makabayan" song (I'm not aware of the title) plus a clip of P-Noy's inaugural speech...WE ARE IN THE UAAP, just to remind you. The mood should be more festive and main focus should be Filipino athletes and ordinary students. It's good that the tournament is getting involved with national affairs, but they can do that in the proper venue, I guess. This is a SPORTS gathering not a POLITICAL event. We have too much dose of politicking. 

        10...9...8...7...654..3..2...1

Let the games begin!
I was right with my first game prediction: a DLSU win over UP. The Maroon Katipunan-based school may have defeated the Archers last year, but once is enough. I believe that if it's basketball in the UAAP, it has to be DLSU over UP. Despite Woody Co, Martin Reyes, and Mark Lopez, UP's such a young team as compared to the Archers' rich experience in basketball despite losing its veteran players. They still have Webb and recently Simon Atkins whose playing good. Plus a hottie haha! But I'm not booting out the Maroons especially with the addition of their Fil-Am recruit. I observed that they are not as persevering as their Taft-based counterparts during their game...lazy to get some rebound. But who knows in their upcoming games.


Made a mistake on favoring with UE haha! I'm no UE fan and the reason why I favored them on last saturday's game is simple: the Tigers are inconsistent. There are days when they are playing good, most of the time they're all over the place...that's how bad it is. But I'm a Thomasian and will be a Tiger supporter forever---regardless of the standing. Now with their upcoming game in Ateneo, I still think that the Tigers will not win this one...unless if Camus, Afuang, Bautista, Tinte, and the Daquiaog rookie will be in their perfect condition, they might beat the defending champs. Also, if the two Jerics will also play good, they might get this...hoping for a win but I will not be surprised if it will not happen.

                                King Archer takes oath: SimonAtkins leads the oath of sportsmanship...simply hot!
With NU and ADU's game, I knew it will be ADU. And between FEU and ADMU, I don;t know. Both teams are though. As many people would say, it would be an ADMU-FEU showdown in the finals.I think each team now has a shot in beating ADMU especially now that Al Hussaini and Baclao's out of the team. I mean these two guys are the main reason why ADMU won last year---it's how these two guys defend the perimeter and the basket most especially. But Long and Salamat are still there. 


Oh well, let's just see how this season will go...ONE FOR UST!                    

Sleeping beauty wannabe

The worst thing in the world is to try sleep and not to.- F. Scott Fitzgerald                                                                       

I love sleeping just like anybody else. I grab every chance to sleep-while waiting, traveling towards my destination (especially if it's a long-drive or even a 20-minute nap inside a jeepney on my way home), few hours after eating, and since I'm working on a graveyard shift, after finishing my work (okay, not true at all times hehe).

But falling asleep and sleep per se are two different issues for me.

I always have a hard time falling asleep. There are many times that lying in my bed for a couple of hours does not guarantee me a ride to dreamworld instantly nor an unlit room helps me to succumb to sleep. In fact, sleeping in an unlit room unleashes the chicken out of me as thoughts of monsters, ghosts, and other scary-looking creatures haunt me, thus forcing me to open the lights once more. I told my registered-nurse friends about this and they gladly gave me tips on how to fall asleep--- taking a warm bath, avoiding adrenaline rush activities, eating chocolates or drinking coffee few hours before bedtime, drinking warm milk, achieve a "specific bed time," and even rearranging my room to give me that "cozy" feeling. At times, their suggestions work, but more often than not, it doesn't.

sleep like a baby...how i wish! www.babyphotospictures.com

The problem worsens by the time I started working on the graveyard shift.  

Sleeping in the middle of the afternoon on the months of April up until now  is like having my own taste of inferno on earth! My room's ventilation is very poor and I would end up waking up every hour all sweaty (I don't have an airconditioning unit and the electric fan, in its full blast, is of no help). I get cranky since an additional problem occurred, so I decided to tell my mother about this dilemma. Upon consulting with their in-house nurse, she bought me this tiny pink pill. I don't know if it's really a sleeping pill or just an anti-depressant. Anyhow, the pill is effective. But I only take it when needed---like twice a month. I'm all good and feels refreshed after achieving a straight nine-hour sleep. Happiness, indeed. 

can't sleep?you're not alone

www.sleeping-with-a-sleeping-disorder.com

But since I'm not allowed to take this pill everyday, I have to suffer all over again the curse of sleep deprivation, or at least, close to it. Like I said earlier, aside from falling asleep, it's also a struggle for me to achieve a straight and deep sleep since I always end up waking every hour or so---regardless of the weather. And so I begin to wonder why there are people who can easily fall asleep in five seconds in ANY, and I mean ANY, position while I cannot lose consciousness despite lying in a more comfortable  position.

And you know why I am ranting?                                                

Almost two and a half hours of sleep.

And my head starts to feel heavy...dammit! 

Breather

All by myself, I wandered in the woods

the hissing of snakes made me feel I'm no longer on my own.

Walking slowly in a dark and long alley

I am clueless of what awaits me at the end of the road.

Then there was a beautiful light, shining so bright

I'm almost blinded to see what's on the other side.

I swim a river, although I do not know how to, and managed to get to the other side

without getting drowned.

Jumping tirelessly from cloud to cloud, my feet feeling its soft and cotton-like texture

though it's just suspended droplets of water, I did not fall to the ground.

Then suddenly everything went black...and red..and black.

Running as fast as a cheetah,

I tried to elude---

shadows chasing me;

faceless creatures going after me;

silhouettes grabbing every part of me

until I become their capture- restless, weak, powerless.

Blurred image of a man appeared out of nowhere

then he grabbed my head and buried his sharp fingernails in my scalp.

He kept on whipping me and I can feel the gushing of my blood.

I cried in pain. No voice came out from my mouth, though.

Then I suddenly realized I'm free and started to run for my dear life.

But I can hear his loud and deep laughter

getting closer and closer.

I am still confused with what is happening.

I keep on running and running

until my supply of air becomes scarce.

Dead end.

Face-to-face

me versus him.

I am already tired;

ready to give up;

deal with my fate.

My fate that now rests on this blurred image.

As he lift his hand for a final blow

I shut my eyes tightly hoping that when I open them again

I'll see rainbow, waterfalls, butterflies, and flowers.

But I can feel his hands squeezing my neck tighter and tighter,

strangling me to death.

I struggle to get past him,

thinking of hundred ways to get his hands off me so I can breathe normally.

But he's too powerful. I accepted my fate. I am doomed. This is my end.

Everything remains black and dark.

My eyes are still shut hoping by doing so, I'll be numb

but I can still feel every pain and every struggle to live.

And I continue gasping for air...I'm running out of air.

Oh, God. Please let me live longer.

I made up my mind.

If this will be my end, might as well see the face of my unidentified perpetrator up close.

Regardless of what or who he looks like, I want to know his face.

I want to remember every detail.

And so I opened my eyes...

to the sound of voices gathered around me and waking me up.

And I started to breathe normal again.

Madspeaks signing-in

Creating this new blog would be my last attempt to revive the pseudo-writer in me. I don't know if I can still post on a regular basis but right now, what I really want is just to write just like the old days.The only difference is, I will try to write more with sense (and hopefully, I can).

No good topic running in my mind at present.Okay, honestly, I am thinking of giving my thoughts on P-Noy finally assuming office, his inaugural speech that gave the use of sirens or "wang-wangs" its claim to fame status (PD 69 was thus created in order to get rid of vehicles that have sirens on them. In all fairness it's a pretty decent order. However, P-Noy's government should create more laws that would be more helpful and vital. Implementing proper traffic laws is a good start but Filipinos should stop sensationalizing how great the president is for following traffic rules, etc. Cmon! The guy's got six years to prove himself and there's more to shutting other people's siren-equipped vehicles), and Rep.-elect Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's greed for power. Ah, whatever happened to this promising official?Too much power is really bad.

Perhaps, in the days to come, or who knows in a couple of hours, I can finally write something worth-reading and not just rants. So for now, I'll just consider this as my first official entry after a three-year hiatus from my blogging life. Hoping writer's block will not be that often because seriously, I really miss writing.