The boys who reside in my heart...

 ...and many more!

===================================

by PAM

TGIF! 

The week has been incredible... challenging for the most part at work, but there are a lot of things that deserved to be celebrated, too.  I guess that the more challenging things are, the sweeter 'victory' tastes when it's achieved... regardless whether it's fully or partially achieved, actually achieved or merely imagined.  After all, 'victory is a state of mind', according to a World Cup-related social media post where Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are featured. I think that, for our sanity, we should always look at the bright side... of course, with our eyes wide open, too, to see the gloomy side.  When we focus on the bright side, it is easier to imagine how to extend the brightness to lighten the gloomy side.  When we see the big picture, there is always a way to do this.  When we see none, there is also such thing as 're-thinking priorities'... and 'regrouping' to plan the next best strategy.

Whatever it is... the week is over, and it's time to loosen up a bit... or, a lot!  

***

The bright side       

I had three critical meetings and an important webinar this week that went so well.  Questions in my head were answered, things that were vague were clarified; and new possibilities rose in the horizon, and, boy, don't they look amazing!  I have yet to figure out a lot of things still, and the work does not get easier... but it gets interesting - very interesting... and exciting!

But what is truly interesting and exciting was a message that I received from my youngest sister.  She sent me and our sisters photos of the art works of my nephew - the eldest of her two kids, and that boy who resides in a huge space in my heart.  Let's just call him "LA".  He is now in the first grade at the Ateneo de Manila Grade School where his own father studied, too.  He obtained straight A's in the first quarter of the School Year (SY), and we are, indeed, very proud of him!  He has always loved Mathematics since he started schooling at age 3 years... but his Mom and Dad have been doing a great job motivating him to give all subjects equal attention.  So far, so good.  But what is amazing is how he has been doing so well in his Arts subject, too!  Obviously he has such rich imagination and terrific creativity.  

LA celebrated his 7th birthday last month,
went trick-or-treating as Batman for the first time after two years
since the pandemic, and have been showing excellent job
in his art works (photos 1 to 4, clockwise starting
at the upper left hand side) besides Math and Science.  

LA is a gamer - a very good one!  Hehe...  His parents (and us, aunties) let him play because we see him gaining confidence in talking to people, suggesting creative solutions to practical problems, and strategizing to master his school works the way he tries to master his games.  His mind is fast developing to a tactical mind... strategic and naturally a problem solver.  I like that because my fervent hope is that he becomes an engineer like, uhm, ahem, yours truly (and his Dad, too, actually!).  Hahaha... I am okay that I don have kids of my own, but I cannot deny that I often wish that one of my nephews and nieces would become an engineer someday.  All are grown-up now... except LA and his younger sister.  So, my hope is alive and well!  Hehe...  #meddlingauntie mode.

Anyway, sometimes, we see LA playing online with teenage gamers as well as older gamers (including my brother-in-law, actually)... and he manages to win!  Unlike other kids, he does know when it is time to study... and to babysit her little sister, or entertain adoring aunties and uncles, and his doting grandparents!  When I got sick last year, he set aside time to pray for my recovery everyday.  His Mom would message me, and there was always a video greeting from him... always telling me how much he loved me, and that I should eat well to get well soon.  And that gave me the biggest reason to keep fighting for my life.  With God's grace, I did survive... and that deepened my love for this boy.  In a way, I owe him my life now... of course, along with other family members... and the fabulous doctors in my University.

If there is another young man that I adore more than JK (the son that I never had), it will definitely be my dearest LA - I love him to bits, and I will always do.  He speaks in almost the same manner as JK... with sweetness and in such adorable voice. I have another nephew that I love fervently, too - JPM.  He is tall, sporty, and a very good-looking young man... like JK, too, of course.  Hahaha...  but I think that he (and his girlfriend) will totally cringe if I feature him in this little blog of mine.  Hahaha...

***

'Offside'

In football, 'offside' is one of those things that we, fans, always debate about (with the referees!  Hehehe...)!  It is probably because, most often, decisions in football matches related to the offside rule tilt the favor (or odds, depending on whether you are in the losing or winning team) of the game... and often critical to winning or losing.  

So, JK has been working on the soundtrack of the FIFA World Cup 2022 (WC2022) hosted by Qatar.  He has been working on the Opening Ceremony performance on 20 November 2022 as well. Of course, there have been many issues on the supposed 'unsuitability' of Qatar to host the "Mecca of Football" that is the World Cup, in which 32 of

JK, on his way to Qatar, in preparation
for his performance at the FIFA WC2022

 the best of the best teams from about a hundred national teams advance to compete for the pride of taking home and keeping the 'holy grail' of football for four years.  People bring up Qatar's alleged human rights violations and its aversion to diversity and inclusion. I do believe that that is fair.  When something is questionable, by all means, queries must be raised and answers have to be pursued until provided, and with accuracy and clarity, too - whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  

However, the WC2022 is about football though.  The players work on the mastery of their skills in painstaking discipline and commitment as professional footballers just to be able to have the rarest chance of representing their respective countries in their lifetime in this awesome event!  Many living legends of football, such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, no matter how mesmerizingly successful they are in the football clubs where they play and played, cannot be fully considered by some passionate football fans to be 'complete' legendary footballers because they have not won the World Cup yet. And, we, football fans always look forward to watching our favorite teams and these legends of the 'beautiful game' to compete in the biggest football stage in the world... and when our teams do not win, we wait for the next four years to get yet another chance.... and the next three years and 11 months will be a long and painful build-up to the next World Cup!  

In any case, win or lose, we enjoy the process of seeing the countries come together... chant and cheer - united as one in the spirit of sportsmanship, if that is the only remaining set of virtues that this world has.  So, to disrupt this beautiful process due to political agenda is just very, very disappointing.  I believe that not everything should be turned to politics and global gatherings a venue to push for personal beliefs and agenda.  That leaves us with no space to breathe... and just enjoy life, and each other's company - as human beings... say, in this case, human beings that are enjoying the 'beautiful game' that we love. We can promote awareness of our cause while enjoying the game and observing mutual respect... but we do not need to turn it to an impassioned 'crusade' at the World Cup.  It's too stressful, and it takes away focus on the 'beautiful game'... and miss the chance of coming together peacefully, learning about each other and from each other.  Then again, that just goes to show how important the World Cup is.  People choose it as a venue to express passionate advocacy.

These days, many ARMYs (or people pretending to be ARMYs to breach this powerful fandom?) are guilty of violating the 'offside rule' in fandom etiquette

'Dreamers', soundtrack of the FIFA WC2022

as they publicly lambast JK for moving forward in his performance at the WC2022 Opening Ceremony.  I imagine it must be very toxic for JK... that can gnaw on his mental health. They compare him with artist/s who supposedly declined the invitation to perform, citing Qatar's Human Rights record in their press releases.  Everybody is entitled to his/her own opinion, of course.  And yet, this/these artist/s and the many critics of the World Cup 2022 come/s from and perform/s in countries where people are abused, disrespected and/or treated unfairly on a regular basis, if not everyday, due to the color of their skin, their gender, and/or their ethnicity, or due to the social class in their society where they 'belong' that is perceived to be inferior compared with others'.  I'm sorry, but I find the actions and the justifications to be contradicting. If we don't try to reach out to one another in peace and without judgment, cross the understanding divide and extend a hand in peace, and influence each other positively - through our reconciliatory actions, professions and/or artistry, how do we achieve harmony, peace and mutual respect?  As a football fan for decades now, for me, the World Cup is one of the global events where I can feel optimistic about us, humans.  The passion shown by the players and their coaches, their impressive skills that are mastered through hard work, the unbreakable determination to bring honor to one's country through strategy and innovation, teamwork, humor - lots of humor and camaraderie among fans and players... there are so many uplifting and inspiring things that can only be found and experienced at the World Cup.

And so, I applaud JK for his courage to 'walk the talk' in his (and his brothers' at BTS) commitment to make this world a better place - where people are united as one - through music.  Consistent to his values and his adherence to mutual respect, he did not retaliate in any way to his detractors and haters, nor did the smile on his face was wiped out by disappointment or rejection.  He 'turned the other cheek'... and just went on, and tried to create a beautiful music that he, obviously hopes others would appreciate - for its worth and message, and not for anything else. 

And so, I wait, in great anticipation of the release of his song, 'Dreamers'.  I have no doubt that it will be awesome because that's just the way he does things, the BTS way: the very best... or nothing at all!

***

Image credit:  (1) The collage of photos belong to my sister, borrowed just for this post. (2) JK, on his way to Qatar - borrowed from Big Hit IG account.  (3) As an update to this post on 19 Nov 2022, the 'Dreamers' poster is borrowed from the Big Hit IG account - thanks for the loan.

***

World Cup 2014, Day 5: Surprises again...

...and again!
=======================================================================
by PAM

Just when you thought nothing as catastrophic as Spain's loss to The Netherlands in their first Group Stage game, with a scoreline as staggering as 5-1, Cristiano Ronaldo and the

The spot kick that started Germany's rout of
Portugal (Reuters).

rest of the Portugal national team went down on their knees as the mighty 'guns' of Germany sprayed them with 'bullets' of awesomeness in their first Group Stage game, 4-0!  Crissy did not get to flaunt his bullet headers, and booming kicks that send the ball so powerfully to the net, weakening it to near ripping.  In fact, Crissy did not get to do anything substantial and worth-remembering at all!  Except, of course, those camera-conscious look-at-me, look-at-me poses of thorough concentration as he prepared for a free kick... only to be blocked by a German defender with equal power, sending the ball right back at him with a comically sounding, dug! :)  To think that Crissy came out of the dressing room like a diva, shaking hands with everyone like a real superstar, Ballon d'Or 2013 winner style, it must have been really embarrassing... but then, it's CR7... and drama is his thing.      

Okay, I'm being mean.  Sorry.  It must have been really hard for him and his teammates. First of all, Thomas Muller connected a beautiful spot kick, putting the Germans in the

Without-batting-an-eyelash headbutt!

lead, barely twelve minutes or so into the first-half.  And then, just a few minutes later, the incredibly moronic (Sorry for the term.  Trust me, he deserves it.) Pepe, shoved Muller on the face, pushing the German aside with his big hand.  Muller went down on the turf clasping his face - in pain.  The referee did not see the act, and so he was uncertain what to do for a few seconds, asking his assistant if he saw the act.  Pepe then 'brilliantly' helped the referee decide what to do by stooping down to headbutt Muller, and then whispering seemingly mean stuff on Muller's face like a real villain.  Muller screamed... the referee, without a moment's hesitation, pulled something from his shirt pocket, ran to Pepe and decisively waved a red card.  Out Pepe went.  Crissy stared in disbelief. Surprised?  Nah, it's Pepe... and mental meltdown is his thing!   What is surprising is that he went on mental meltdown so early in the match... and so early in the World Cup, too.  I'm surprised at how advanced his 'stupidity' has reached... bringing his whole national team down with him on a whim like that! Didn't he realize that his teammates waited for four years, working hard, to represeht their country well in the biggest football contest on the planet? And he just blew their chances to win their first match... just like that, with a sorry headbutt!  Tsk, Pepe, tsk-tsk!

And then, still in the first half, another goal from the Germans came courtesy of Matt Hummels while Muller scored his second goal in the match on short range, 3-0.  The result of the match seemed to have been decided then.  Surprised?  That the Germans were that great?  Nah, they are that great!  That the Portuguese were losing, in spite of Crissy's presence?  Uhm, ye-eah... Crissy usually has some pride... if he can afford it. Well, not this time... no Gareth Bale, Kareem Benzema or Xabi Alonso to work with this time. 

It was easy to predict the second-half.  Muller scored his first hat-trick in World Cup 2014, 4-0.  The Germans then just ran around, winding the clock down, further humiliating Crissy and his comrades as they turned the defenseless Portuguese squad to practice mascots. The Germans completely took away Crissy's and his teammates' pride.  Their Chancellor, Angela Merkel, watched happily from the VIP box.  Can't blame the lady, I watched them with pure delight, too!  

Good job, Oktoberfest boys!

***
The US... yeah, the US!

And so, the Team USA made it not to the bottom of their Group!  Wow!  Awesome! Seriously now.  I'm not being mean... I'm being honest in sharing Team America's joy in victory in their first Group stage match - against Ghanna.  Believe it or not.  I strongly advise that you'd better believe it... 'cause they might just be here to stay awhile - they have a German coach (Jurgen Klinnsman), ya know! ;)

***

QOTD

QOTD #11: On personal glory and teamwork. ====================================================================
by PAM

"Goals are only important if they win you games."

-Lionel Messi
 Argentine/FC Barcelona football star
 On valuing team success over personal glory
 via Time Magazine, "The 100 Most Influential People in the World"

In a few hours, the FC Barcelona's 'little magician', Lionel Messi, will be picking up the FIFA Ballon D'Or for his performance in 2012. Yes, I said "will"... I am that confident that he'll win it!  It will be his fourth in a row (the first time as Ballon d'Or and three times as the merged Ballon d'Or and FIFA Best Player, the very
Leo Messi: Eyes on the ball...first merged prizes he won for his 2010 performance) - an unprecedented achievement.

Last year, he became the fourth man to win the golden ball three times, stepping on the same glorious platform as the great players, Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, and Marco van Basten. Leo leaves the three men on that platform as he steps one notch higher with his fourth Ballon this year, setting two records in the process: (1) the first player to win the prestigious prize four times, and (2) the first player to win in four consecutive years. Awesone feat?  It is!  But Leo doesn't think as much of the prestigious individual prize as he does of titles won in a team victory.

Of course, there's that little issue on another two incredibly talented players in Messi's generation: Real Madrid CF's flambouyant striker, Cristiano Ronaldo, and FC Barcelona's midfield genius, Andrés Iniesta. The two superstars are also in contention of the golden prize for their remarkable performance in the field. Earlier, Iniesta ran away with the
...the golden one.UEFA "Best Player" award primarily for his dazzling performance that helped Spain's La Roja win Euro 2012 - for the second time in a row. Ronaldo, the 2008 recipient of the Ballon while with Manchester United, for his part, helped Real Madrid win the Spanish La Liga Primera Division title - their first since 2008, and powered Portugal to their quarterfinal finish in Euro 2012 as team captain and the side's top scorer.  Both players are worthy recipients of the Ballon, too, in any generation... except that, there's Messi in this generation.

Leo, even when he continues to downplay his incredible contribution to Barça's success as a team, especially over the past four years, have had a jaw-dropping string of achievements in 2012, even when Barça only managed to win the Copa del Rey last season, failing to defend their La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles on Pep Guardiola's last term as Barça's most accomplished manager. While highly improved, his national side, Argentina, can only progress to the quarter-finals in the Copa America in 2011, but with him as team captain in 2012, the Selección has been doing well in the 2014 World Cup qualifying matches as they lead South American teams in the qualifying rounds. At 25 years, Leo continues to develop into a highly prolific striker for Barça and for Argentina. He broke Gerd Muller's 40-year record of most number of goals (85) in a calendar year with a staggering 91 goals in 69 matches - for Club and country. Yes, that's 91 - and, in this day and age of 'supermen' on the pitch, too!  And we thought he was already at his top form in 2011 when he hit the 50-goal mark!  His 2012 tally allowed him to pick up his second Pichichi (highest goal scorer in La Liga), and his second golden boot for Europe's highest goal scorer in the 2011-2012 season. Aside from being the UEFA Champions League's highest goal scorer in the 2011-2012 season, he also set the record for the most number of goals in one game, finding the net five times in Barça's winning match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Of course, he dazzled the football world as he did it!

Yep, it's always a joy to watch Leo weave breathtaking magic on the pitch... dribbling skillfully, breaking from zero velocity to a Usain Bolt-ish sprint towards the goal, with the ball rolling smoothly by
The greatest? A great PART of a great TEAM
is more like it.his feet, hooking up with his teammates fast and in precise manner to score the winning goal - all with boyish gusto and the passion of an honorable man who values teamwork and hardwork in making things work... for his team. Too beautiful! But what is more dazzling about him is his humility - in success and in defeat.  And what is most admirable about him as a player of the 'beautiful game' is his great desire for teamwork to work... his visible commitment to working hard for team success rather than individual glory, his heartwarming little figure as he visibly glow in celebrating team success than when accepting recognition for personal achievement. This is the reason why I SO ADMIRE Lionel Messi. He obviously is a genius... but that isn't what makes him worth all the praises.  It's his character and what he does on and off the pitch that do.  He is great, too, and he probably knows it, but trophies for personal recognition do not serve as gauge of greatness for him. It is TEAM SUCCESS that does... and that is worth emulating. And it is primarily because of him why my long standing 'soft spot' for the 'beautiful game' has grown to 'true love' over the past four years or so.

Congratulations, Leo! You are simply THE BEST! :)

***

A ray of sunshine...

...in my little world of sports, 'IKA' and Fulbie-ness!
========================================================================
by PAM

'Sunshine' in the middle of all this Pacman-was-KO'd frenzy? I'm sure you're guessing that that sunshine's gotta be Lionel Messi's doing, right?  Ya know what?  Of course, you're right!  Hah!

Yep, he did it! With a
Thumb up... if you're the greatest!
(Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)brace of goals in FC Barcelona's La Liga contest with Real Betis last Sunday, La Pulga surpassed Gerd Mueller, posting the highest goal tally in one calendar year in the history of the 'beautiful game' - 86 goals!  INCREDIBLE, I know!  And, nope, he ain't done yet, mind you, ah, nah!  

Last week, during FCB's 1-1 draw with SL Benfica in the UEFA Champions League, we stared in horror as Leo clutched his knee in pain while on the verge of equalling Mueller's 40 year-old record.  The whole football world waited in nightmarish suspense waiting for the FCB medical team to issue word on Leo's injury.  Later in the week, it was described to be 'just bruises' and, therefore, he was declared fit to play in the La Liga on Sunday. Whew!  And play, he did... providing the two goals in their 2-1 win against Betis, and eclipsing Mueller's record on the most number of goals in one calendar year for Club and country as well! And he didn't think much of the record feat, not more than FCB maintaining their position at the top of the Liga Table.  Awesomeness? Definitely awesomeness, couldn't be anything else!  Woohoo!  

Alright then, Pedro Pinto (of CNN), you may keep promoting Cristiano Ronaldo as a human-too-sort-of-a-football-god, but it's all smelling like a fourth Ballon d'Or for Leo here.  Even you cannot deny that... so, just let Don Riddell talk some sense into you, sir, to cushion the blow.  I'm sure you'll recover... you always have anyway!  =)  

There, Pacman, and my dear kababayans, we have hope... let's pray that Manny Pacquiao's misfortune last Sunday was a mere glitch, a 'minor' error of judgement... although the blow couldn't be mere 'bruises' 'cause he actually passed out on his way down the canvass, and stayed passed out for a few seconds. Whew!  Horrific!  Later in the night though (Monday early morning, Manila time), Messi turned ugliness to beauty.  Let's hope that a ray of sunshine from Mama Mary's loving hands chases away the horror of Pacman's nightmare (and all Filipinos', too).  Like I said before, we're proud of Pacman no matter what.  Now, if he picks up where he left off before straying 'away from sunshine', then we'd be more than just proud. Hooray!    

***
Striking a balance... sunshine through my (TV) sked

For the first time in a few weeks, I was able to watch all five episodes of "Ina, Kapatid, Anak" on TV last week.  This means that I got home everyday last week on or before 8:15 PM.  Hooray!  And after that very intriguing sneak preview last Friday, giving us a hint of what the 'IKA Gang' has in store for us this week, I resolved to win back 'my weekdays nightlife' from the selfish grip of work, and catch all five episodes again this week.  So far, so good. Hooray!  :)

***
A ray of scholarly sunshine...

Yes, yes... and yes again!  I got to sit in front of a formidable panel of big brains again today with their intimidating stares and sharp, fast-moving thoughts darting at me like Legolas' arrows.  I had to swallow hard several times to make sure that I haven't passed out.  

Yeah, I attended a Fulbright/PAEF (Philippine-American Educational Foundation) meeting to fulfill a task this afternoon... and I got that exhilarating feeling back again!  Cold, sweaty
That good old feeling....hands shaking, my mouth dry, both ears on fire, and my heart beating like it was going to jump out of my chest... that familiar feeling when I first sat for a panel interview, vying for a slot in the 2002 Scholars line-up.  Today, 10 years later, I got the same feeling all over again, but this time vouching for the wonderful men and women who are vying for a precious slot in next year's line-up of scholars... the thought of how those incredible men and women worked hard to get their names in "watermark" in the line-up, and were later counting on me to make their case to the Big Brain Panel so their names could be written in permanent ink in the prestigious list, felt like a Marquez uppercut for me - I was close to falling face down on the floor even before feeling the blow!   Honestly, feeling like that twice in 10 years, I can't tell which instance was harder!  And, honestly, I LOOOOVE IT!  How exciting!

The lunch was also fantastic today, especially with a company who speaks tirelessly of wonderful things, things that I only get to speak about - with myself - when reading good books... the enjoyable conversation over lunch did encourage me to check that my ideals are in place.  I wish of more days like this.  This is my problem with sitting on "big chairs"... they tie you down, and run you dry - until you're almost empty to just realize that you're drying up.  Thank goodness they can't touch your soul, even in your most dry spell!  In any case, I prefer sitting on grass, under the shade of a beautiful tree whose branches and leaves play the most soothing of music when the wind blows gently... lots of sunshine for the mind... and the soul.  So, now you know why I rarely sit on the 'actual' big chair behind that massive table that felt more like a bullet block in that cold, cold office... and if I had no choice but to sit on it, I'd usually sit on the very, very edge, so I could get away as fast as I could when my obligation to sit had been rendered. :)  Ah, life... always beautiful, but never perfect.  And yet, we love living it, just because it is a gift from God.

Alright, enough of that sunshine talk now.  It's nighttime... time to work!  Right!  Ugh!  Bring on Batman then! :)

***

Yoohoo... football?

No reply.... Huh, basketball? Come in, basketball....
====================================================================
by PAM

I think I might be juggling just about too many things these days.  It's either that, or I haven't really gotten 'my groove' back after 'slowing down' for a few months. How do I know?  Well, because I missed this - the first El Clásico of the La Liga 2012-2013 season... 

...and I'm only writing about it, three days after the fact!  Right, right, and right again, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid faced off, with the Los Blancos looking to chip the 8-point lead of the Blaugranas who now sit on top of the Primera División Table of La Liga with Atlético Madrid - ouch, for Los Blancos!  The current La Liga title holders, Los Blancos, are currently in #5 but, of course, that doesn't put a dent on José Mourinho's Jupiter-esque ego... at least, from his outward posturing in his press conferences.

Anyway, it would've been awesome to have seen Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi exchange fire power in Camp Nou live, but the match aired in Manila at 2:30 in the morning of Monday... and I had to work early in the morning.  The main men of Barça and Los Blancos brought the 'surprisingly calm' match to a 2-2 draw... keeping Barça's lead at 8 points.  Crissy looked in the zone, opening the display of goal-making mastery between the two closest rivals in this generation of football greats with a powerful kick that Victor Valdes had no hope of stopping... and then closing it, too, with another fine finishing despite injured shoulder.  But it has to be said, Barça's incredible "little magician" kicked the best goal of the match via that blistering free kick that made Spain's #1, Iker Casillas, looking less than the best goalkeeper in the world that he is... but it's Messi - awesomeness in its purest form.

 As for individual supremacy on the pitch this season, right now, Leo and Crissy share the lead with Radamel Falcao of Atlético Madrid in the Pichichi top goal scorer race with eight goals each. Leo won the award last year, and Crissy the year before. So, this season is going to be tough... and with Falcao making it a three-man race... well, it looks like I need to work hard to make my sked open up for some La Liga time.

I need to check out the next El Clásico sked, and mark my calendar accordingly. :)

***
A menacing growl to ruffle feathers

Speaking of clásico in sports, let me mention something extremely important in this part of the planet while we're at it.  The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers are looking to stop the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles from claiming a 5-peat in tomorrow's second match of the best-of-three series in the 75th UAAP Men's Basketball Championship.  The Eagles have a one-game win advantage to spring from after holding off the Tigers in an exciting 83-78 first match last weekend... but the 'wounded' Tigers are looking ready to tear down the score board with big shots to go even, and bring the duel to a third game.  Uhm-hmmm... looks like the Smart-Araneta Coliseum will be a roaring 'jungle' of gold and blue tomorrow.  

Let's enjoy the match... but let's keep the spirit of sportsmanship alive and well, people. So, while my color is gold and white... may the best squad win!  

Go, USTe, Go USTe!  Raar....

***       

Yep, I just turned in my very first basketball-related post when I thought I was ready to write about golf after watching Bubba Watson win the right to wear the green jacket in Augusta, Georgia last season, and after seeing the highlights of the Ryder Cup just a couple of days ago where Europe beat USA with an epic comeback. I'm sure my students are snickering behind my back after witnessing my resistance to acknowledge basketball as a "beautiful game", too. Nope, not giving in just yet. I maintain that basketball can be exciting... but "beautiful"?  Nah. :)  And yet, yeah, I just started using a "Basketball" tag in my blog!  Oh, well... there's always a first, ya know! ;)

***
Video credit:  Thanks, YouTube, for the video link.

Dang, Citizen Bill!

"Hillary's guy" haven't lost his touch... he just got better!
========================================================================
by PAM

He brought the house down - as usual!  Only this time, he was so much better than ever before... and I didn't think that was possible at all!

Former United States President, Bill Clinton, formally nominated the current President, Barack Obama, for re-election in the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.  And, man, was he AWESOME!  He has always been a charismatic leader and exceptionally good orator, but I
Bill Clinton: "What works in the real world
is cooperation." (Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP)don't think I've seen him give such an incredibly eloquent, engaging, heavy-punching and humorous speech ever before. Ah, talk about wine getting better with age!  Bill Clinton made a case for Mr. Obama's re-election in a way that no one - not even Mr. Obama himself, I think - could ever do.  His speech was well-written, brilliantly structured to send an irresistible message about Obama's inclusive policies and essentially "Middle Class First" Programs while assuring the world that "America is your friend" through his foreign policies. This as he leads the US to a long and hard road to recovery after eight years of war and gut-churning excesses at Wall Street that brought their economy (and the world's economy with it) to its knees four years ago under the watch of the Republicans.  Without sounding like offering an excuse for Pres. Obama's failure to make good his promises from four years ago, Mr. Clinton delivered the message so effectively that it electrified the Democrats - worldwide, I suppose - and maybe brought an approving smile to the "undecided" voters' lips. My attention was glued to the TV screen - in awe - the whole time.  It's a good thing that he didn't talk about abortion though.   

I specifically liked how he emphasized "advancing equal opportunity and economic empowerment is both morally right and good economics, because discrimination, poverty and ignorance restrict growth, while investments in education, infrastructure and scientific and technological research increase it, creating good jobs and new wealth for all of us" just because they were some of the things that I appreciated in the State of the Nation Address of our own President, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, in July.

I was just recovering from the 'man, that Paul Ryan charisma has serious wattage, it actually convinces' thing, and the 'hey, Mitt is human, too' dramatic revelation in the Republican National Convention last week.  Those got me seriously
Obama + Clinton, 44 + 42... "Arithmetic!"
(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)'scared'. Oh, boy, Americans aren't letting those Wall Street vultures take us to another free-falling economic ride, are they???  But the Democrats came back punching - with their biggest and most dazzling superstar no less.  If there had been doubts as to whether or not Mr. Obama can win the election in November against the gathering momentum of the Romney-Ryan campaign... well, it looks like Citizen Bill might have just won it for him right there!  I think it might just be 'game over' for Mitt Romney. Too bad for Paul Ryan.

Former President Clinton's leadership was one of my inspirations in pursuing the dream to obtain Fulbright Scholarship about ten years ago or so... to learn the positive things about the American Higher Education System and the American "can-do" attitude and bring them home to hopefully help complement ours in the Philippines, and keep moving forward.  I was fortunate to attend Cornell University in Ithaca, New York for five years.  His wife, Sec. Hillary Clinton, of the Department of State now was the New York State Senator then, and she visited Cornell a few times while I was there to look at progress in research at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences that would help the New York Agriculture sector. It was a most wonderful experience, of course.  Then again, it's probably the people I met - in Cornell and in Fulbright (and the US Department of Agriculture and Department of State) - who became very good friends that made the experience wonderful more than anything else.

***
In the local politics front...

I had a tough day yesterday and I woke up late today.  But I woke up to Karen Davila's interview of the newly appointed Department of Transportation and
Sec. Jun Abaya and Karen Davila at "Headstart".
(Photo: Karen Davila)Communications (DOTC) Secretary, who is also the elected Representative of Cavite, Sec. Joseph Emilio Abaya.  It did give me a good "Headstart" that I even found the time to drop by here and talk a little bit - to the cyberspace.  Sec. Abaya is a University of the Philippines Applied Physics guy who obtained his M.S. in Electrical Engineering in Cornell, which I know for a fact to be a very tough Program, among many other outstanding academic achievements.  I think the Basic Science and Engineering training is very useful for systematic, disciplined, problem solving-savvy and low-profile sort of leadership.  Just look at the late Sec. Jesse Robredo whose basic training was Engineering - he made problem solving in governance looked so easy.  While he has yet to obtain the nod of the Commission on Appointments, I think Sec. Abaya will do a great job at the DOTC because he has a very good track record in his relatively short career in public service and politics... but more than that, he has good things in mind that he wants to accomplish for the country's better future.  Looks like we have another young and brilliant, less-talk-more-positive-action guy in the Aquino administration - excellent!

Good luck, Sec. Abaya!

***  
Wait... tennis and football!

Oh, and I enjoyed Maria Sharapova and Marion Bartoli's quarter-final match at the 2012 US Open!  Maria dug herself out of a deep hole where the gritty
Maria Shhhh... (Photo: Elsa/Getty Images)Frenchwoman pushed her in in the first set and first half of the second set... and the stylish Russian screamed herself out the hole - emerging as the winner in a three-set battle of wits and wills, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.  Maria's consistently steel determination to win is so awesome!  Win or lose, you know for sure that she always puts up a good fight.  Respect.  Never mind how loud she plays (boy, she's loud!) - ear plugs help, ya know.

Aw, wait... did Roger Federer just crashed in four sets against Tomas Berdych in their QF match??  Dang, I was just going to write about his Olympics Silver medal, Cincinnati triumph and nice form getting into the US Open (eons ago, of course)!  What can I say...  besides 'I am a grown up with grown up concerns who blogs during free time' that is?  Oh, well....

The footie boys are on an International break... and Cristiano Ronaldo is apparently 'sad' at Real Madrid, and it isn't about the money, mind you (according to him, anyway)...and that Lionel Messi couldn't be bothered to comment! :)  And Barça's "pale assassin", who tied the knot last summer, showed both Crissy and Messi who was boss - he won the 2012 UEFA Best European Player award!  So, is that why Crissy is sad?  Aw!  Congratulations, Andrés Iniesta!  Better late than never.

***    

The morning after: "Power outage" in Spanish football...

...breaks hearts all over the globe.
================================================================
by PAM


First, both FC Barcelona - the current Cup holder - and Real Madrid CF were ousted by Chelsea FC and FC Bayern Munich in their respective 'say-what??' Champions League semi-finals... at home.  And then, three days after Barça's deprivation of a chance for a back-to-back European win, the most illustrious Spanish football knight currently in-charge of the formidable Barça helm called it "quits"!  Pep Guardiola will step down as Barça's manager at the end of the season.  Yep, after four exciting seasons and staggering 13 trophies, which included a treble on his first year of tenure as Barça's head coach, the 41-year old, regarded by many as among the most successful football managers in Europe to date, who turned Barça into a phenomenal football force that it is today, announced his decision to not renew his contract with FC Barcelona.  Pep will turn the Barça helm over to his assistant, Tito Vilanova,  at the end of the season. Surprising?  Uhm... not really.  Sad?  Absolutely!

***
Short circuit on the pitch....

Barça was disappointingly held by a 10-man über defensive Chelsea crew in their Catalan fortress, Camp Nou, in a 2-2 draw that robbed them of the chance to defend
El Clasico of penalty misses. And the
winner is... bad luck!their title via 3-2 defeat, on aggregate.  Two sublime goals from the Catalan powerhouse brought the score to 2-0 in the first-half of the match, which was enough to turn the tide from their 0-1 loss in Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the tie, to a winning 2-1 lead.  However, on stoppage time in the first-half, Ramires got away from the scattered Barça defense and beat Victor Valdes to a successful assault of the Barça goal, bringing the score to 2-2 on aggregate, with the Blues leading via away goal rule.  That shook Barça's confidence.  Fernando Torres cemented the Blues lead through a lucky break, and beating Valdes in their one-on-one duel in front of the Blaugrana goal, with less than a minute to play on stoppage time.  While Barça dominated possession and attempts on goal, luck was not on their side, with Peter Ĉech shooing it away most of the time.  Lionel Messi buried his face in his jersey in his utter disbelief and disappointment as the final whistle was blown after missing a penalty kick that would have been Barça's ticket to Munich before even Torres came on. 

Real Madrid, on the other hand, managed to match the Bavarians, stride por stride, gained grounds via Cristiano Ronaldo's brace of great goals in Estadio Santiago Bernabéu to bring their 2-1 deficit in Munich to 2-3.  Crissy et al. ran
The Bavarians... uh, nah, they didn't?like they were Munich-bound and José Mourinho shouted instructions from the touchline like a manager with one hand on the Cup... until Pepe brought down Mario Gómez in the area, and the German squad was awarded a penalty, which Arjen Robben connected.  That brought the score to an all-even 3-3 on aggregate with one away goal each, forcing a 30-minute extension time... and, later, a penalty shoot-out!  Man!  While the brilliant Iker Casillas made a lot of incredible saves during the match, he choked in the "lottery", allowing the first two goals from David Alaba and Gómez to come through!  On the other hand, one of the 2010 World Cup wonder German young guns, Manuel Neuer, made himself his team's hero by stopping the King of Penalty, Crissy, and later, Kaka in
Uhm... yeah, they did!their respective attempts!  Awesome!!!  Crissy's face then was a picture of... uhm, well, Oscar-worthy pain?  :)  While Toni Kroos failed via a sublime save from San Iker, Xabi Alonso kept it simple... and safe - he scored for Real Madrid!  2-1 - for Munich, whew!  Munich's captain, Philipp Lahm missed, too... and all of a sudden, there's hope for Madrid... until the nerve-wracked Sergio Ramos messed it up with a fly ball that sent over cheers to Munich!  And then, the moment of truth:  Bastian Schweinsteiger kept it together, held a poker face, and fooled Casillas, who hurled his weight on the opposite side where Basti sent the ball to bring Bayern Munich a mere inch away from claiming their 5th European Cup.  As usual, the Bavarians peeled off their shirts on the pitch to celebrate their success.  Cheers! :)   

And so, summing up this last week's European saga... Spanish brilliance sparked bright and beautiful in small fireworks on the pitch... and then all the lights went out, pfffft:  short-circuit!  Oh, well....

***
Oh, Pep!

It isn't like we weren't expecting this.  Obviously, all the pressure of being one of the most successful European football managers of all time, certainly the most successful FC Barcelona manager, at a very young age of 41, has weighed down heavily on Pep Guardiola. His explanation for stepping down says it all:  "The reason is simple:  four years is enough.  I'm drained and I need to fill up."

If you think about his age, his young family (who obviously see very little of him, given his herculean task as the manager of the arguably greatest football
Pep Guradiola, one of the best
and most accomplished managers
of all time. Class act!squad of all time), his physical and mental health given the demands of his job and his level of competitiveness, the stratospheric expectations from him and his men given their unprecendented success, I don't think there is a man, no matter how brilliant and talented, that can stay in the level where he put himself on without collapsing from sheer physical exhaustion and breaking down mentally from all the relentless pressure at some point.  Indeed, four years is a long time to stay at such a high level. 

Do I think that Pep "threw in the towel" as many (mostly in Madrid) suggest, given that the announcement of his decision not to renew contract with Barcelona came after failing to defend the La Liga title against Real Madrid via a 2-1 loss in El Clásico and the UEFA Champions League ouster in the semi-final round?  No, not at all.  As he explained, he has made his intentions known to his Club since October last year.  And with big and crucial matches coming up, he chose to wait until they're all over to make his decision public rather than announcing it on February, like in the previous years. 

Pep is right, four years is enough.   And he is right when he said that after
Visionary trainor and game architect.sometime, it's either you get tired of the players or the players get tired of you.  And while Barça remains to be an incredibly massive force in the football world and the relationship between him and his players is still amicable, it is the best time to step down... to turn over the helm to someone else with enough energy to match the demands of the job, all while the Club is "good and healthy", too.  I imagine that, as a manager, the last thing you would like to do is to turn over a wreck of a team to the next caretaker.  Hopefully, this will freshen up things within Barça as they rise again from nagging injuries and strayed focus among some "celebrity" players who basked a little bit too much in their team's success, and prepare to bounce back next season, re-claim La Liga and the UEFA Champions League titles.

Are we going to miss Pep?  DEFINITELY!  There is no doubt about that!  How is
Making brilliant players world-class phenomena! it possible to not miss the brilliant tactician who gave the football world the most beautiful way of playing football - graceful in its inherited tiki-taka rythmn, fierce and fast in its steady attacks, exciting in its brilliant free-flowing spontaneity, joyful in its cohesive teamwork-based movements - through the incredible Barça, his Barça?  How can one withstand watching football and not have that visionary manager who turned the pure potential talent that was the youthful Lionel Messi into the mercurial magician that he is today, hailed three years in a row now as the BEST PLAYER in the World?  How is it possible to not miss the wonderful manager who re-molded and re-packaged Xavi Hernandez as one of the VERY BEST midfielders to play this beautiful game - ever!  How can you not miss the manager who made Andrés Iniesta believe
Making winning look easy, joyful and beautiful. that he can be this sheer awesomeness that could captivate fans of the beautiful game, regardless of Club affiliation and loyalty, as the biggest superstar of the 2010 World Cup?   How could one not miss the manager who gave Carles Puyol the second wind in his career, even when the man was short on depth of talent, by merely capitalizing on El Capitan's burning passion for the game alone, and extracting incredible brilliance in the process?  How is it possible to not miss the manager who found brilliance in seemingly ordinary players like Sergio Busquets and Pedro Rodriguez, and turned them to world-class, World Cup-winning talents?  Why wouldn't one miss manager who has eye for talents even before they bloom as he illustrated in his trust for youngsters like Thiago Alcantara, Christian Tello and Isaac Cuenca?  And, how could you not miss that youthfully dashing and good-looking manager (there, I said it
Passionate, animated... just brilliant.already!) whose cool stance and composure amidst joyful or adverse situations had given a whole new meaning to football's definition as the "beautiful game"?  NO, IT'S NOT POSSIBLE.  Pep will be thoroughly missed!

While it's incredibly saddening to see him go, we can't help but feel gratitude for those four years of wonderful, wonderful football that he created!  It's hard to imagine how the football world would be like after he leaves Barça... but life goes on, and Pep deserves some peace and quiet with his loved ones, and the time to recuperate from the incredibly gut-draining, energy-zapping, soul-gnawing, heart-tearing gloriously brilliant football that he himself created... and that the whole world enjoyed immensely!  And now that he has given his confidence in Tito Vilanova's capacity to lead Barça in reaching new heights of greatness next season, because "in Pep we trust", then we feel confident in Vilanova, too, moving forward... except, there will be no more of those animated "Pep moves" on the touchlines after the 1st of July.  

Therefore, as we say, "from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU, PEP," we also wish him all the very best!  Godspeed, "el puto amo"!  

***  
Photo credits:  All photos were grabbed from the Zimbio website - thanks!