World Cup 2014, Day 4: More 'surprises'?

Yep, but very pleasant ones!
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by PAM


And so, the moment of truth has finally arrived... will Diego Maradona's 'heir apparent' finally become who he was born to be?  A hint to the answer came some 65 minutes into the first match of La Albiceleste in the 2014 FIFA World Cup - in the cavernous Maracana no less, the sacred ground of Brazilian football... Brazil's answer to Rome's Colosseum.   

The moment that millions of football fans around the world have been waiting for since 2010 in South Africa has finally came.  Lionel Messi stepped out of the dugout and into the Maracana pitch, donning the sky blue and white strip

The Albiceleste Captain and his 'army': all men
of the 'beautiful game'.

of the Argentina National Football Team.  The crowd of 74,738 erupted in cheers.  He knew what he was up against: the formidable 'giants' of the game, the towering expectations of his countrymen, and the non-believers who continue to doubt his greatness, in spite of four Ballon d'Or and other awards, and countless silverware for FC Barcelona, which he helped to amass.  He knew who were behind him: millions who believe in the 'beautiful game', and in the fact that he and his talents are an exquisite ornament that confirms the beauty of the game.  Wearing the Albiceleste Captain's arm band, the subtle but distinct swagger with which he walked as he led his Team towards the pitch spoke volume:  he felt the daunting challenge, but he felt the support of millions... and perhaps, the soft lips of destiny brushing his brows lightly - there, but not quite... and, that carried his spirit, allowed him to walk tall despite his minute physical stature.  Will destiny favor him and his supporters?  We have four weeks to find out.

In the meantime, there was the Group Stage to take care of.  The World Cup debutante, Bosnia and Herzegovina National Football Team, had a line-up menacing enough to

Own goal: The mistake borne out of inexperience
that put Bosnia on catch-up with Argentina.

make the Argentinian football fans to look up to the skies and pray for their Team to successfully clear this hurdle.  With high-quality players, the likes of Edin Dzeko, who have distinguished themselves to be highly realible in their respective roles on the pitch, say, the English Premier League in the case of Dzeko, it didn't look as easy as most would hope for. True enough, going through the newcomers was a nightmare, no straightforward approach!  Luckily, with a Messi inbound, after Sergio Aguero was brought down bad, an own goal by Sead Kolasinac put the Argentinians in the lead, 1-0, barely five minutes into the match.  This put the newcomers on a catch-up with the more experienced Argentinian squad.  However, with the 5-3-2 strategy employed by the Albiceleste boss, Alejandro Sabella, with Messi and Aguero in front, the Bosnian defense easily crowded La Pulga and El Kun everytime they got a go for the ball, rendering both forwards ineffective in finishing.  This nailed the score to 1-0 until the end of the first half.

In the second half, Sabella changed strategy, adopting a more tactically plausible format, given the tough Bosnian defense.  He brought out Gonzalo Higuain on the right wing to

The Maracana... cavernous, intimidating, exciting!

effect a 4-3-3, with more options for finishing.  It allowed Angel Di Maria to go deeper behind Aguero, using his speed and dribbling prowess more effectively to give Messi time to find his position, augmenting attack.  That sliced the Bosnian defense on Argentinian attack, giving Messi more space and better opportunity to finish more successfully.  Fernando Gago came on, too, putting cushion and creativity in the defense line as Di Maria went deeper. It seemed to be working as a few opportunities were made... but wasted, as El Kun cannot seem to control his touch on the ball.  At one point, Messi pooped a free kick... and the Argentinian fans made a disapproving sound... something that would suffocate the

The 'little magician' at work... goooooaaal!

spirit of someone made of less sturdier stuff.  Surprise?  Nah... it's the story of Messi's life, actually, having to wear the Blaugrana shirt and the Albiceleste shirt.  Luckily, he is made of stuff that All-Time Greats are made of.

And then, around the 65th minute into the match, there came an opening on the Bosnian defense, which Messi spotted quickly.  He sped forward on the left of the goalkeeper, Asmir Begovic, passing the ball to Higuain so he could lose his markers who now chased Higuain, slicing the defense further, and then changed course and sped to the left, not giving enough time to Begovic to change position and the defense to change direction.  Higuain, in a perfectly timed move, passed the ball to Messi as the 'little magician' zigzagged the defense.  La Pulga charged to the slight opening, jumping over the disconcerted defense who fell tangled as they chased him, and fired with his left foot.  GOAL!  Awesomeness!  

Maracana erupted with sheer glee!  I was on my feet, too, despite my sickness, which

Messi goal-related pandemonium: 74,738-glee!

required that I lie down for a few days. :)

More similar opportunities were created by the Albiceleste, but lady luck seemed to say that two goals should be enough, and winning does not have to mean "slicing" your opponent to pieces.  Winning  must also be a humbling experience.  In fact, just to point out that the Argentina defense is suspect, a late goal from Vedad Ibisevic, which was fired on close range went through the legs of the Albiceleste goalie, Sergio Romero.  None of Sabella's defense crew were anywhere close enough to help out Romero effectively.  To be fair, Federico Fernandez, I believe did a great job, putting away many Bosnian attempts in a decisive and 'mean defending' manner... actually, some of his moves were in the vicinity of awesomeness.  Yep, the man is quite reliable.  Perhaps, Javier Mascherano must emulate his example... and, with Fernando Gago allowed more playing time, they should be fine. 

And, to be fair to the Bosnian squad and their boss, Safet Susic, they played like old timers out there... fearless, determined, focused, composed... they showed hunger, but they also showed elegance and grace.  Good job, gentlemen!  You are one of World Cup 2014's pleasant surprises.  Carry on.   

Alright, good first game, Albiceleste.  Moving on... Nigeria and Iran must be tamed, too.  Can you whip it? :)  You'd better! 

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World Cup 2014, Day 3: Surprises, surprises...

...the really 'surprising kind'!
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by PAM


Were we really surprised by this:  As if Spain's painful loss to The Netherlands is not a huge enough shock, England went down on their knees to let Italy come through.  The Three Lions squad gave a whimper as World Cup newcomer Mario Balotelli no less headed a late goal to put the Azzuri on top, and their World Cup bid looking better than the men from the most 'successful' (read: moneyed) European Football League... the English Premier League, of course.  Oh, well... at least, in the 90s, David Beckham's good looks more than made up to the squad's being such underachiever.  Their time will come... but 2014 is not it, I think.  I did put them on my Top 5 choice to win the World Cup last month!  What can I say, I still feel strong 'affinity' with the man who 'bends it' like no one else does.  And, the Premier League must go on... and on.  Therefore, let's go on. Yawn.

Next surprise:  The Uruguay National Team took off with a zing via a 1-0 lead over the come backing Costa Rica courtesy of the now grown-up, Edinson Cavani. He used to look like an 'oversize boy' who played good football back in 2010. Now, he comes back all grown-up, complete with beautiful cheekbones and abs that would have more than made up for it if he were a so-so, and he's not a so-so either.  So, bravo!

 After the first-half, I was ready to go to bed, confident that Oscar Tabarez, one of my fave coaches, I must admit, have prepared his team enough to crush the Costa Rica challenge, in spite of the absence of his "main man", Luis Suarez, who underwent knee surgery last May, and elected to sit out the match.  Plus, judging from their performance in South Africa in 2010, when they were in the last four, and their successful finish in the Copa America in 2011, they should be fine in the Group Stage.  I have to admit though that I had to take a second look everytime Diego Forlan hesitated or steadied his footing before firing/passing the ball, giving the Costa Rica defense time to react, and how he walked around the pitch, not looking like there is urgency in the need for his strikes.  Anyway, Cavani looked fired up, so I thought they'd be fine... plus they have one goal advantage.  So, imagine my surprise in the morning when I learned that they were beaten... and beaten good, too - by Costa Rica, 1-3!  

Alright, Luis, be well and come back to Papa Oscar.  He needs you - now!

Pleasant surprise:  Colombia, of course! :)  Man, that was a beautiful match right there, as they made the Greeks suffer on Brazilian grass from not being able to match their enthusiasm, fearlessness, and their desire to have fun.  Their joy was so infectious!  And, they were even missing the injured Radamel Falcao!  Imagine that?  What a pleasant surprise! :)  Luv these guys!

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

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World Cup 2014, Day 2: Speaking of 'surprises'...

...Spain left the world gasping as Holland gave them a surprisingly thorough whipping.
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by PAM


There was no furia in La Roja during their opening bout with their former challenger in South Africa in 2010 - the mighty Oranje.  The flying men in orange, while still pushed and shoved unnecessarily, did not have to resort to judo and karate this time.  They beat the Red side, mostly in the second half, in a fashion so reminiscent of the Spaniards' own brand of game for the last six years or so:  just beautiful!

Intense... that's what the first 25 minutes or so was like on the pitch:  the current World Cup holders asserting their supposed dominance, dancing, creating many chances for themselves... the 2010 challengers weighing their opponents' resolve, poking their

I don't mind losing... too much, but how I wish
that the score stayed at 1-2 instead of going at 1-5.

muscled attack here and there, showing menace on counter attacks, jolting the holders. You can almost see localized electric sparks flying everywhere on the pitch.  Intense.

The Brazilian fans are also adding to the intensity... booing Diego Costa loudly, showing their disgust toward the 'traitor' who wears red instead of bright yellow.  The 'traitor' is back on Brazilian soil... with his Spanish adoptive comrades.  Everytime he made a run for the ball, the stadium erupted in loud boos.  While that didn't seem to bother Costa, it seemed to have been shifting the localized sparks of pure energy to the Oranje side.   

And, then, Costa was knocked down - hard - to the delight of the (Brazilian?) fans.  It happened in the area, and so Xabi Alonso took to the spot.  He scored, 1-0 for the Spanish side.  The intensity went one notch higher... La Roja ran faster, more menacing, created more chances.  The uber industrious, David Silva, almost took the goal

Awesomeness.  Robin van Persie's goal on-a-flight. I
nominate this to be the Best Goal in World Cup 2014.  
(Photo credit: Reuters)

tally to 2-0 from a brilliant pass courtesy of Andres Iniesta... almost.  And then, out of nowhere, several yards from Iker Casillas' goal, a speeding Robin van Persie flew in a perfectly timed flight to head a beautiful cross-field pass from Daley Blind, willing his head to power the ball in a collision while his body was on full flight in a precisely calculated move.  His body reached and slid on the turf gracefully in a beautiful dive as the ball flew over Casillas' head - goal, 1-1.  Yep, that was indeed an absolute beauty!  Whew, just sublime.  Just in case, I respectfully nominate that as Best Goal in World Cup 2014!  

Fireworks!  The men in orange and their coaching staff celebrated with gusto, with a cute high-five between RVP and Louis van Gaal, while the Spanish side tensed visibly.  Game changer?  At that point, I thought it was just to make the match a little bit exciting.  However, now that we know what we know, I was very wrong, of course!  About a minute later, the referee blew his whistle... half-time.  Silence... the tension was close to snapping.

A few minutes after the resumption of the match, Arjen Robben muscled his way through Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos, right in front of Casillas.  The slippery Dutch beat the trio and brought the tally to 1-2.  There was a simultaneous leaping of orange shirts in the crowd... as the red ones fell on their seats with a thud.  They had no idea what was about to happen.  A throw-in from Wesley Sneijder, which was tapped in to the net by Stefan de Vrij brought the tally to 1-3.  At that point, the usually supercool La Roja boss, Vicente del Bosque, was on his feet... for one thing, Casillas may have been fouled by RVP before the de Vrij goal. Casillas appealed to the referee passionately, and he was shown a yellow. Tough luck!  The Spaniards started to look dejected... and scattered, with only Andres Iniesta showing unperturbed gut, trying his luck to cut their goal deficit - to no avail.  And then  RVP went at it again, beating Casillas, this time in a clinical finish, 1-4!  Robben followed suit, tried his karate-style flying kick to score a brace - he connected, bringing the goal tally to an official rout of the current World Cup holders, 1-5! 

Fernando Torres, who was shoved in to the pitch, last minute, had a quick opportunity to cut the Dutch lead, but as cold from the bench as he probably still was, he hesitated, and let the opportunity slip.  Robben tried to bring his goal hoard to a hat-trick, but by that time, Casillas' pride and the Spanish long-distance prayer over their "San Iker", saved them from an official crash out of World Cup.  Casillas kicked, punched, shoved... and it worked, a bit too late, but, hey... it's only the Group Stage.  There is a reason to believe that staying alive is possible... except that Chile beat Australia, 3-1, putting Spain at the bottom of Group B.   

Si, Del Bosque, siempre, will be spending sleepless noches.  He needs to come up with a quick answer.  The Spanish defense is a mess... no muscle, they lacked coordination, and without Carles Puyol, no leader to look up to. Iker committed many mistakes at crucial moments.  Oh, boy, I didn't think the day would come when I'd actually say that about Iker Casillas.  The midfield is not as precise, sharp and fast as back in 2010 in South Africa, and back in 2012 when they captured their second-in-a-row European Cup.  Nope, I didn't think I'd ever have to say that, too, with Xavi Hernandez and Iniesta still active. Their front line, while filled with talented men, are not as fast and not as connected to the midfield as, say David Villa, back in 2010.  Time for major revamp?  Perhaps.  More, importantly, I guess the Spanish men should put aside their colors at home, and concentrate on just being red... and things will fall in their right places.  

Never say die, boys!  Vamos, La Roja!

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World Cup 2014, Day 1...

...We are one!

And so we're on!  World Cup, baby!  And, it's in the 'party place', too - the colorful Brasiiiiil!  

Let's party as one... one for the beautiful game.  

Game on!

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Saturday photo

Paradise on earth...
...achieving harmony between nature and man-made recreation.

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Photo details:  Taken at the Green Canyon Resort, a 22-ha piece of paradise at the Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, Philippines.  Presently, the Resort is on 'soft opening', and will be on full operation by September 2014.

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Sunday foodie...

...hello, June!
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by PAM

It looks like June comes with pleasant surprises... hmm, knock on wood, I hope I didn't speak too soon and jinxed it.  

Surprise #1:  My sister and I stopped by our usual place in the neighborhood for running errands when we noticed a hair and nails salon. Apparently, the salon had been there for a few months now, but we noticed it for the first time only today.  Just because the facade looked interesting, we decided to try their services... in a whirl of snap decision!  It turned out that the staff were insanely hilarious and friendly, we felt so at home.  We have yet to decide though whether the quality of their work are better than our usual salon (let's see how long this organic "permanent blow-dry" treatment lasts)... we'll see how it goes. Given the favorable experience from their staff's personalized and friendly approach to their clients though, we are likely to seek their services again soon, especially if the difference in quality of their services and those of our old salon is minimal. 

Surprise #2:  And this is what would justify the title of this post.  So, after our trip to the salon, my sister and I decided to grab something to eat, and we decided to go to the Old Spaghetti 

Pinoy pizza: an extraordinary dish made an ordinary
restaurant chain quite special.

House branch that was very close to the salon. Old Spaghetti House is one of those restaurant chains that I've tried before in the Bay Area of Northern California.  I didn't think it was any more special than any other restaurant chains that served Italian dishes.  So, I never had the inspiration to visit their branches here in Manila.  Therefore, I opened the menu with no expectations, I thought I just wanted an order of 'good old' seafood marinara... when I saw "Pinoy pizza".  Hmmm... slices of century egg, cured meat - Pinoy style, slices of tomato, kesong puti (mozzarella cheese made from buffalo milk) sounded interesting and yummy.  So, I ordered my spaghetti, and then decided to order the Pinoy pizza - to go.  The seafood marinara was very good, and the ripe mango juice was superb... in spite of my decision not to be impressed. :)

When we got home, we decided to share the pizza with the rest of the family, and boy, I was kicking myself in the head for not ordering two!  It was very good - umami bliss!  Whoever decided the recipe of this pizza, I really think that the kesong puti was a good decision, it was rich and so flavorful.  The tomato should have been grilled though, the hint of burnt tomato skin and the heightened umami that result from the grilling would've emphasized the kesong puti flavor and the saltiness of the century egg.  But, just the same, it was good. What a pleasant surprise!

Alright, June... you are so welcome to keep bringing on the (pleasant) surprises, okay? So, please don't hesitate... just keep going!  Okay, go for it... now!

***
     

Saturday photo

Marriage... the calm before the, er, blissful union of two souls
and the lifelong celebration of the gift of love,
given, reciprocated, and shared.

***

Saturday photo

Savoring 'la dolce vita'... away from it all.

Yep, I'm feeling the stress from 'City life' now... from my toes to the tips of my hair!  I feel that my 'tank' is nearly empty and, I'm mostly running on adrenaline... commitment and inspiration. I know though that, at some point, my body will realize that I am 'cheating' it with the will of mind and my heart's passion, and it would just drop (dead) from exhaustion.  So, before we get there... I need a 'refill', therefore I'll get some! 

Joyfully, we have a special family occasion today... I have a good reason to leave behind

Date and Dine Italian Restaurant and Resort...
a hidden haven atop the beautiful hills of Antipolo.

the stressful "noise" of the City, and retreat with my family in this haven of a place, Date and Dine Italian Restaurant and Resort. The Resort is nestled in a quiet and exclusive village atop the beautiful hills of Antipolo.  It's a pretty place, a mix of classic and modern architecture that depicts the 'then and now' of Philippine home coziness, brought together by the inviting blueness of a small swimming pool in the middle.  With its cozy and homey appeal, it was initially envisioned by its owner to be a Bed and Breakfast place... a place close enough and private enough to get away to and recuperate from stress when the going gets tough in the City. 

It is owned by a lovely couple who have an appetite for entertaining guests. One is a Filipino garments manufacturer (Obra ni Juan) who loves cooking, and the other is a technology professional who later trained in the culinary field.  As they come to enjoy

Private and cozy:  highly recommended for family
events and other intimate gatherings.

entertaining guests with their cooking, they decided to open their private space to friends, and friends of friends, and share their cooking, too, using secret recipes in an Italian Restaurant.  Later, as they realized how four rooms in their modern home are rarely occupied, they decided to open these to guests as well who need a place for overnight stay, a weekend stay, or accommodation on a short-term basis.  And this led to the soft opening of Date and Dine about two months ago.  The accommodation rate is highly affordable, which includes breakfast, and the use of the pool, gym, mini office, wi-fi connections, recreation areas and the dining areas.  My family and I are very lucky to be among the very first guests of this lovely place.  We stayed overnight using all four rooms and had an exclusive use of the restaurant and all the amenities for our family event.  The personalized service is highly satisfying... it's like being in your own home with extra pampering, guaranteed to keep your mind away from work... and the stress that goes with it.    

Places like this, which make important family occasions even more special, are wonderful reminders that, indeed, life is good!  Thanks be to God that my family and I found another place to retreat to when City life becomes too grueling and unkind.  

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Happy Mother's Day

To all the "Ilaw ng Tahanan" out there, Happy Mother's Day!
Thanks be to God for all of you.

Something that a colleague of mine said yesterday made me pause to think. She said:  "You've been serving as a loving mother, nurturing the whole Faculty of Engineering...."

That might just have been my colleague's opinion, and she might just have been being generous about it, just the same, it made me think about my work... and how I got there in the first place, considering that, growing up as child, I never thought I'd ever work in the Academe.  And later, after finishing College, I still could not picture myself adopting teaching as a profession.  I guess, when you surrender your life to God, and pray that He helps you become His faithful servant - in whatever little way that your 'smallness' as an individual could handle - He really does guide you, and help you. 

Today, as a way of celebrating Mother's Day, my eldest sister and I spent the day helping out her daughter, who is also a goddaughter of mine. Our daughter is getting married soon.  My sister and I went to accompany her in accomplishing one of her Catholic preparations for the marriage, heard the Holy Mass together, and then ate lunch together.  We spoke about a number of things... very good things.  Just to make sure that I am not getting too stressed out, my sister subtly asked about my "daily routine" these days at work.  

As I was going through my activities in my head, arranging them so I could give my sister an overview... this and that scenes from my conversations with students and my colleagues at work came to mind.  I realized one thing:  most of the things I spoke to them as the Faculty's "mother"... the pieces of advice and opinions that I gave them... most of those are words from my own late mother. I am certain, too, that those are the pieces of wisdom she gained from discerning God's will in fulfilling her role as our mother.

Indeed, mothers are the instruments of God in shaping us to become the unique individuals that God intended us to become.   Biological motherhood is one way, I'm sure the best way, of experiencing motherhood.  However, as my colleague's observation, there are other ways by which a woman can fulfill the role of a "mother" the way God has intended mothers for - the nurturing shepherd of young and inexperienced souls.  The important thing is we endeavor to be humble enough to accept God's will and wisdom, serve with all our hearts and with all the love we are capable of, and remain faithful and appreciative of His love.  And, without a doubt, life becomes truly meaningful then... and happiness is the perfumed mist that keeps you refreshed and envigorated all day long.  And you glow with the beauty of it all.  

And, to lighten things up a bit, let me share a song that comes to mind on this occasion...

"Hey Mom... what was it like when you were young?

Has the world changed, or is it the same?"

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Video Credit:  Thanks, YouTube, for the video link.

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Wednesday nostalgia....

... because the present reality is too 'harsh'. ======================================================================
by PAM


The last thing I'd want for this little space of mine in the www is for it to become a place for ranting - from me.  So, I'm going to avoid it - ranting - at all cost.  

I feel that I'm beginning to forget what it's like to write creatively... I mean, yeah, creatively... as in artistically.  Uhm, well, yeah, I thought I kinda know how to do that. Aren't we allowed to have our illusions?  Well, that's mine, deal with it!  :)  

My harsh reality is 'biting' me hard lately... I think I've been writing too many business letters... recommendation letters, administrative letters (is there really such a thing?  Nah, I'm just making that up, just to make what I do at work sound important!  Hahaha....), partnership proposals (O-K, that's not how it sounds, so don't raise your hopes!), MOU here, MOA there, Opening Remarks here, Closing Remarks there... oy!  I'm losing my little artistic side - the very reason for the existence of "Sari-sari...".

Alright, I know, no ranting... thanks for reminding me!  Since it's too hard to get my mind off "work mode" even in the middle of the night that it's quite impossible to write anything 'creative', let me just take the easy route... write one of my formulaic stuff:  Wednesday Nostalgia.  And, no, that ain't cheating either... or, maybe it is... whatever!

"Notebook"... ah, luv, luv, luv!  "Feels like Home" by Chantal Kreviazuk... ah, luv, luv, luv!  What if we put them together?  Well, I'm sure it's everything that's creative and beautiful.  Let's do it....

"A window breaks down a long, dark street

And a siren wails in the night

But I'm alright 'cause I have you here with me

And I can almost see, through the dark there is light." 

Alright, I don't think there is a need to explain how that beautiful experience "feels like home", right?  I think it's self-explanatory... or, maybe, some things need no explanation at all.  So, I'm just gonna shut up right now... and play the video again.  Feel free to do the same. I'm pretty sure it's worth it. So, let's do it!

Ciao!

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

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