Messed Up Game

Whenever San Mig Coffee loses, you'd normally see me berate the team for their lackadaisical performance. I'd complain about Yap taking too many forced shots. Devance being too soft a forward. Simon's inconsistent games. Marc Barocca taking shots too many when he should be passing. Not to forget Denzel Bowles' undeniably lower level of play. I'd be completely happy to see Coach Luigi Trillo and his boys get one from their former coach as it will happen sooner or later. I like Calvin Abueva's addition to the Aces as he seems to be the missing piece that the team needs to be a competitive team in the PBA.

That is not happening tonight though. I think that SMC played well tonight. Played hard. They were definitely not close to their condition when they won game one. However, the refs' calls (or the lack of it) killed every chance of the team to get a win. Yap played well, dishing assists to teammates and getting rebounds. But Abueva robbed him of 3 fouls which the refs gave to the latter on a silver platter. Abueva would clip Yap's arms and fall down. People were saying that Abueva could pass as a great actor but I beg to differ. He was playing dirty and the refs just had problems with their vision that’s why they’d call the foul on the Mixers instead of Abueva. The Barroca foul on a shooting Casio is one of the worst calls I’ve seen. After all the hacking and pulling down of Abueva on Yap, not one foul on Abueva was called. There was virtually no contact on the shot; but because Casio’s skin hair was shaken up, the refs called the foul on Barroca.

I could go on and on to complain about the many bad or non-calls made by the refs but that would be an exercise in futility as the Aces still wonn over the Mixers tonight. I can give out all the reasons why the PBA board should review this game and make the necessary adjustments to regulate the physicality of the game.

Yes my boys were dominated by Alaska but they were not psych-ed by Abueva alone. The refs played a huge role in preventing the Mixers spark a run. I don’t have a problem with physicality as it is a part of the game. But this is not healthy anymore. And that is what I am pissed off with right now.

Question is, what does Coach Luigi Trillo has to say after being fined a number of times for complaining about the refs' bad or non-calls as well as the extreme physicality they have been receiving now that his boys (especially Abueva) initiated the extreme physicality in this game? Will he be happy with the way he got his first win over Tim Cone given that he had received help from the refs? What will the PBA do about this and the other dirty games that have been happening in the league?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Of controversial interviews and cyber-know-it-alls (My pathetic attempt to dip my fingers on this blown-out-of-proportions issue)

Finally saw the controversial interview. Few points:

- Yes, this was not the finest interview by the showbiz columnist but I honestly don't think that he did THAT BAD either.

- I saw that Hollywood actress was not too happy about the columnist being too busy with a lot of things (falling cellphone included) and seemed not that focused with the task of interviewing her.

- Columnist referred to Lea Salonga because of legit reasons. Hollywood actress talked about her mom and Lea in various interviews about the movie. I don't see why can't columnist get more juice from statements actress mentioned before.

- Columnist really fumbled in the beginning of the interview. But I think Hollywood actress missed the point of columnist's question. The question was badly worded, yes. But I understood what columnist really wanted to ask. It's just too bad that he was not able to put it into words well.

- While Hollywood actress replied with "We've already talked about that", "That is a very personal question", and "Why don't you invite them to watch? It would be better if it'd come from you", people have misinterpreted these as things she said out of frustration with the interview. First, I think she just stated matter-of-factly that she and columnist have already talked about the question. Second, asking one of his or her personal experiences is indeed something that's personal. The columnist could have persuaded actress to talk some more but columnist was the typical Filipino. Respectful that is why he didn't already probed further and gave a follow up to the question, that his subject felt was too personal. Lastly, I would like to think that what actress meant with "why don't you invite them..." is that she's trying to persuade columnist to see the movie for himself and be a living testament to how good the movie is. While these answers to what others referred to as "stupid", and "ill-prepared" questions may be taken as actress' way of showing frustration over the line of questions, it could also really mean nothing and were only blown out of proportions by people who are envious of columnist, having that "I could have done a better job than that" attitude.

There you have it guys. Netizens (much of them nameless, headless commentarists) may point out mistakes or lapses made by either by prominent personalities or random "amalayer" strangers whose boo-boos are posted on the web. However, we, on the other hand should be more prudent with our statements and posts. Thinking out loud can be good. Only if we have the right intentions and appropriate methods in doing so. "Think-before-you-click" never sounded this right.

And by the way, that "anti-controversial movie" article by the newspaper where columnist writes for, just made things worst for columnist. It read like an article by a writer who's motives are very much dubious.

Defining what “zoom-zoom” really means.

According to Wikipedia, zoom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoom) is an onomatopoeiac sound that indicates swiftness. It’s that thing that tells our senses that we are going fast. Mazda used the word and multiplied it by two to give us a word (or two) that defines “emotion of motion” that is inherent in their cars. The Japanese carmaker wants to stir our emotions through motion, and only their vehicles can induce that. In 2002, Mazda launched the Mazda 6 (or Atenza in the Japanese market) and gave us a feel of what “zoom-zoom” is all about. As reviewed in the very famous motoring show “Top Gear”, the car is the Japanese BMW; a far more affordable BMW. They didn’t stop with that car and started to apply the same philosophy in designing their upcoming cars. This paved the way for the birth of their biggest hit, the compact car contender, Mazda 3.

 

After it was launched in 2004, the 3 has been praised for its great performance, styling, and interior. In a highly competitive compact car market and 8 years down the road, is the first-generation Mazda 3 still relevant? Our family has been looking for a great compact car, and we’ve picked the base model Mazda 3 1.6S. In the looks department, the car is just as breathtaking as I’ve first laid my eyes on it when it was launched. The BMW-esque body shell is stylish, the cool Lexus-inspired clear headlamps and tail lamps are a marvel to look at.

  

Even the sloping rear door window design can leave you staring at the car and wanting to get your hands in it. The interior is still funky and modern despite the car’s age.

As for the looks department alone, the car can very much still get it on with the cars of today. You get power everything—door locks, windows, side mirrors, and steering. You even get steering wheel-mounted audio controls that you can use to play with the decent-sounding 4-speaker car audio unit.

The trims surprising ly don’t feel too plasticky, something you don’t expect from the cheapest model. It had combinations of black, gray, silver and glossy black accents here and there. The seats are rather comfortable and simple.

The car’s performance isn’t really something that’s rave worthy. The engine, despite it having twin cams, 16-valves, and Mazda’s Sequential Valve Timing or S VT—only manages to produce 103 horses and 144 newton-meters of torque. 

It also is still equipped with a 4-speed triptronic automatic transmission, worlds away from the 5-speed and 6-speed automatics offered today.

 The car’s fuel consumption isn’t the best in its class. Most people actually found its 7-8 km/liter consumption, rather thirsty.

Despite all of those figures miserably failing to excite enthusiasts, the car still doesn’t disappoint at all. Mazda’s been known for engineering cars that handles well, the 3 is no exception. The first time I drove the 3 and took the Ortigas Flyover going to the Greenhills area at 40kph didn’t disappoint me. There was very minimal body roll despite the car being heavy. Whenever you’d move the steering wheel, you’d feel the car response and change directions. The steering wheel has great feel compared to electronic power steering systems employed in other cars. The manu-matic function of the transmission also feels quite good despite suffering from lag whenever you use it. Braking feels reassuring, the engine pulls and just builds up speed without you noticing it. The car feels planted and stable even in the highway at speeds over 100 kph.

While it doesn’t have all of the bells and the whistles as other compact cars have. Even though the performance figures of the vehicle aren’t really exciting, it does one thing that other cars in the same price point fails to provide. It is one great-handling car. The car offers better driving feel, compensating for its rather unimpressive performance figures. It gives you the feeling that you are actually running quite fast, even if you really don’t. It gives you that different feeling of being on the move and it gives off that sporty vibe that you won’t get anywhere else. Other than high maintenance costs (casa charges a premium for preventive maintenance) and not so impressive fuel consumption, the car really lives up to its promise. It is a good car for its price. Now who says you have to break speed records just to feel fast? The 3 gives you the feeling that you’re on the move fast when you’re actually not. Despite its old age, the great feeling that only the Mazda 3 is something that you won’t get somewhere else. And if only for that, Mazda’s promise of Zoom-zoom is achieved and realized.

Translated in Tagalog: Q&A on the Robert Carabuena bullying incident

The article of Mr. Vernon B. Sarne, Editor-In-Chief of Top Gear Philippines has been misinterpreted by a lot of readers who failed to understand what he was talking about in this article: "Q&A on the Robert Carabuena bullying incident". Here is a translation of the article in Tagalog so people can better understand it.

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E di ba bastos at corrupt naman talaga ang mga taga-MMDA? Baka dapat lang talaga kay Mang Saturnino yung nangyari sa kanya.

Kahit na madaming taong baluktot sa ahensiya, mali pa din na isiping lahat sa kanila e dapat nating ganyanin. Gaano nga ba kaiba ang MMDA sa kumpanyang pinagtatrabahuhan natin? Ginagarantiyahan ko sa iyo na madami ring loko sa mga kasama mo. Hindi naman eksklusibo sa mga traffic enforcer ang pagiging arogante at corrupt. Wag tayong umastang utang nila sa atin ang kabuhayan nila. Isipin mo ang kalagayan nila. Daan-daang mga pasaway na driver sa loob ng walong oras sa ilalim ng araw, para sa kakarampot na sweldong barya lang para sa iba.

Nung nakaraang lingo, may mga nakahalubilo akong apat na tao ng MMDA na tinuruan akong gumamit ng aparato para sukatin ang lebel ng alcohol sa katawan ng tao. Mababait, mapagkumbaba, at magagalang naman sila. Totoong mga tao ang mga MMDA officers, hindi automatic na gamit na maaari nating sigaw-sigawan dahil lang tinitiketan tayo sa mga violation na ginawa naman talaga natin.

Saka paanong naging dapat lang kay Mang Saturnino ang nangyari sa kanya? Wala siyang magagawa sa pangaabuso na dinanas niya kay Robert Carabuena. Yung pobreng tao ay maaaring anak, kapatid, o ama ng kahit sino diyan. Kung may gumanun sa tatay ko, hindi ako magdadalawang-isip na tubuhin yung taong iyon.

Paano ba dapat hawakan ng mga otoridad ang kasong ito?

Ng may katiyakan. Pag wala itong kinahinatnan, mawawala ang respeto ng mga tao sa mga otoridad, lalo na sa mga tauhan ng MMDA. Madami na akong nakitang mga driver na sinisigaw-sigawan lang ang mga MMDA enforcers at tinatakbuhan ito pag hinuhuli sila para sa isang traffic violation. Kailangang maibalik ang kaayusan. Sana fan si MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino ng The Avengers.

Gagawan kaya ng pelikula ni Carlo J. Caparas ang buhay ni Robert Blair Carabuena?

Hindi naman namaril yung tao e. Ang mga gusto ni Direk Carlo ay yung mga karumal-dumal na massacre bago siya magsimulang sumulat ng isang award-winning na script. Buti na lang may Bubble Gang sa TV. (Michael V. wag mo kaming ipahiya.)

A spare. Nothing more, nothing less.

You’d definitely need a spare tire, unless you have those than run flat. Whenever one of the tires on your ride goes flat, you need this to help you get by. This helps you get to the nearest vulcanizing shop to have that flat tire repaired and reinstated on your ride. For most people, that is what a spare tire is. Nothing more than a quick fix to your woes. And as soon as the problem gets remedied, that spare tire goes back to where most car owners think it should be, in the trunk or the spare tire holder. I can only imagine a spare tire’s frustration. Come to think about it, of all the wheels that come with your ride, this is the most overlooked. People would usually install their worn out tires in this and keep it tucked in. It is almost never cleaned, never properly taken care of. But this wheel and tire combo is the one that keeps the vehicle running well in the most difficult of times. If only the tires can speak, I bet It’d curse us the next time we pop the trunk open or look at them. We car owners can be really ungrateful about spare tires. Maybe because we’ve only seen them as what they are, spares. Something that you can pull out when the need arises; not something that is a part of your vehicle. No matter if the spare rim has the same design and specifications as the other four, (or in some vehicle more) wheels and tires, we never thought of them as a valuable part of our vehicle. We let them get beat up, dusty, and dirty. We fit them on our tires when we need them the most and we uninstall them as soon as the original wheels and tires are okay.

I guess feeling what a spare tire feels has to be one of the most, if not the most painful experience one could have.  No matter how handy we are when somebody needs us, those people will never see us as more than a spare. We are only something that people use when they don’t have any option left. And after our dutiful service, we can never be real thing. Doesn’t it suck? That is why more and more carmakers equip their cars with doughnut tires that are narrower than the original. Why put a wheel and tire combo like the ones that our vehicles use when we would never ever use them are regular tires? It’s just a waste of valuable resources. But is the spare tire really nothing more than an extra one? Couldn’t it ever be a real, hardcore wheel and tire that we can use?

Others may get worn out and feel terribly bad about being a spare. This happens to everything and it is just a matter of time. There are some though who believes that they are needed, and won’t give up and stop being a spare. No matter how stupid it might sound like, these true-blue spare will not just give in. They’d do what they do best, be there in times of need, filling a temporary void that something left. A space that they’d never, ever fill up; just because they’re nothing, but a spare.

Test

This, ladies and gentlemen is my first attempt to write after two weeks of not composing anything “creative”. Heck, I haven’t even seen Microsoft Word’s interface for almost two and a half weeks now.  I have been writing since 2005; writing different stuff for differing purposes. After living, eating, and breathing with writing, I have just been through a two-week hiatus from something that I love doing the most. I have always been a writer (or pretended to be one). In my almost 7 years of having writing as a job, it is quite bothering that I have never mastered my craft. Yes, I have been probably improving but I am in no way good with what I do. I always believed that I was good, until ssomething came out and slammed my ego down the ground. Still, I believe that I am a great writer, only that I haven’t reached my full potential yet. I swear though, I will be back. And when I do, I promise to be a lot better than what I am now. Better than what people thought I was. I am just taking a breather. A break. I will be back. I will be. :D

Annoyed

Manny Villar supporters, err, Militant Groups coined the term "Noynoying" to show the President's inaction when it comes to solving the country's problems. When the Palace released "working photos" of the prez, everybody else was calling it "damage control". I think that if you're a good leader, you don't have to be always there for photo ops just to freaking show that you're working. While there's still a lot left to be seen with Aquino's presidency, one cannot deny that the stock market has been hitting record highs, way higher than what the "hardworking, always-visible PGMA's administration" was able to put up. That's because there is confidence with the President's leadership and "the work he's done" as our leader.  Whiile there are certain instances where the President hasn't done enough, It is not exactly fair to say that he is not doing anything. There's a great difference between those two.

Sorry for putting this out, but will it be fair enough to define "Militant Students" as those who have a lot of issues with the current government and wouldn't want their tuition up so they'd break and burn down their school's facilities which is one of the main reasons why their schools are raising their tuition fees (to improve their services) just because we were in the same line of thinking as the ones who coined the term? Will it be acceptible for them as well?

The other day, I saw people marching along EDSA South Bound to protest the unstoppable rise in fuel costs in the country. What have I found guiding these militants? A 400cc, gas-guzzling motorbike that is serving as a hagad for them, burning more fuel which is not helping with lowering the demand for more fuel, which in turn, makes the gas prices go up. Additionally, the protest action even worsened the already heavy traffic in the area. Now is this seriously helping us? Do these militants have other sources of livelihood other than being offered money for their "convictions"? You can even see them carrying nicely-print tarps taking the place of placards. Daming budget?

People were whining about the hassle caused by failing MRT trains. But nobody wants their fares go up, which leads to improper maintenance.

It seems that most of us only care about the benefits we'd get from the government. Seriously, if Gibo or Villar won and "failed" to deliver their promises, how would these groups feel? Would those who made "Noynoying" famous sing the same tune of disappointment if its Villar who made it?

I voted for Noynoy but this is not just about it. I am feeling this way because I believe that while the President and the system's not perfect, there are moves being done to rectify them. I also believe that there is a great difference between an honest constructive criticism and ridiculous criticisms hiding in the guise of a real, constructive one. But as they say, haters gonna hate. One thing holds true though: You can't expect the country's economic condition to change overnight. But by laying out reforms, we can pave the way for real change in this country. I would ciriticize the President myself if there are certain reforms that he's putting in place that are not in line with his dream for a corruption-free country. But sometimes, I think that the beating the president receives isn't justified. On the other hand, I guess this is where the classic saying "To whom much is given, much is expected" goes in. People can go criticize the prez cause after all, we are his "bosses". But please guys, try giving the guy a chance or at least, be a little bit more supportive. After all, I guess we're all on the same boat. We want this country to move forward. Can we try to collectively push this country forward this time?