…events and THE game…REPOST!!!

The Accidental Drinking Hole

 

Friday night was supposed to be Peppeton’s night… But early on, I learned that it was gonna be Metrobar for us later that night… And it seemed I couldn’t get out of it, as Kuya Bry pulled some strings to get us some free tickets… But I was going to be meeting with Che, and she was bit under the weather… Probably not “a bit”, she has bad cold… And she had a headache… So I asked Kali to try to convince one of the people not to go (i.e. itext na binomba ang probinsya kaya kelangan bumalik), so that we wouldn’t have to buy a ticket for Che… When all were said and done though, we weren’t able to come because of Che’s condition… but since I was set on going out that night, I called up another one who cancelled all his “appointments” that Friday night to free himself up for Philo Peppeton’s night, Bebe/Papa Rey (bebe kasi baby steps, papa dahil papalicious. Wahahaha)… Xempre iba na pag twin brother mo si John Pratts, busy ka talaga… Anyway, initially, we were to go to Kebab, but Che didn’t like persian food (gusto ko un korteng tae sa Kebab na papaliguan ko ng garlic sauce… yum.. kaso ayaw nya eh…) so Rey suggested we go to Kalye Juan, which was located at the end of Tomas Morato, at the building where Ratsky’s is… We got there first, but there wasn’t any parking space… I wanted to go to the basement, but there was a car blocking the way… so I drove on, and found a signboard that read “Tony’s”… As we drove by, we saw there weren’t too many people, so we decided to go there instead… What we found was a gem of a place… Ambiance was really good, there even were sofas there… Lights were good, slightly dim, but bright enough to have you see your food well, speaking of food, it was good too (though it takes forever before you get your food), and to top that all off, it’s not that expensive (145 for a full meal which has chicken/liempo + java rice + juice + soup. There was a 108 meal too!), even the beer was relatively cheap (30pesos per, a bucket would be 180, which is weird, since I thought buckets must be cheaper than when you buy it per bottle)… So we ended up drinking, and Che finishing 39 of 40 levels of Rey’s iphone game… Benjo dropped by to rave about Sitti…

 

And he wasn’t talking about how good she sang…=P

 

But that was all Benjo could share with enthusiasm. Di pa kasi ready magkwento eh. Wahahaha…

 

 

Wanted: Driver for Weekend Events

 

How much? Nada. You do it for the sake of “utang na loob sa pamilya”. I just happen to have a driver’s license and that’s it. My dad brought me along to my cousin’s kid’s christening (binyag para sa mga mangmang na di makakaintindi) reception at the same place where Ged and Arrah held their wedding reception… Funny, my cousin is 27, so I thought, yeah, he’s still a gamer… Guess what name he christened his child with: Aeris. Can’t have a doubt in one’s mind that she’s a gamer’s kid…

 

Wanted to visit Che in the afternoon or even late afternoon, but I couldn’t, as I needed to drive my dad across the metro for errands… From Max’s, we went to Sta. Mesa, for him to withraw, pay back the Volkswagen guy and actually get another VW part for our currently-being-rebuilt-for-the-nth-time Beetle (but man, I promise you, as soon as it is built, I’m gonna find a way to gloat it to everyone… its not gonna be passenger friendly, as we’re not going to put back the back seats to make room for heavy speakers for all the assholes driving around their SIRs in full blast and shit, but its gonna have lights on the “shell” which covers the tires, lights by the pedals, speakers everywhere, more red, an 1800 engine because of tune up [up from a 1300 engine], better looking engine [stainless for everything not painted red or yellow] and just overall sheer beauty that you’d want to get yourself one), went to my uncle in Road 6 to get the lower box tix for THE game (I could’ve sold it for 10k apiece, but they might see that I’m profiting from their freebies, so nevermind…:p), then to Mindanao ave to buy a compressor for the aforementioned Beetle (compressor wasn’t broken. Just looked too big. We found a smaller one all for the name of aesthetics) before dropping by to my aunt’s house where they were playing the family-oriented (well, at least for our family) gambling game called Tong-its…

 

Eventually, I got to visit Che that night and said we could probably go together the next day (Sunday) to Chelsea’s birthday (Chelsea’s the “asim” kid in my video section), which was set in the afternoon, since the basketball game which was supposedly set in the morning wasn’t going to be… we ended up watching MMK at its finest with John Lloyd and Alessandra de Rossi playing the lead roles… Call me cheesy, but I do think both play their parts well in any movie/series… Especially John Lloyd… But no, Chris Tiu still tops my list of man-crushes… Nah, Chris Tiu’s the only one on that list… Still, ayoko pa rin xa magchampion… It’s gonna suck not to be him if that happens…

 

 

Sunday Birthdays

 

Birthday ng kapatid ng lola ko. My mom was like “ano, so ndi ka na sasama sa min?” to which I could only bow my head and shut up… when I went out, my dad just said “mag-ayos na kayo para dun na rin tayo magsimba”… So then, I couldn’t say no… Again, I was the designated driver, and Che had to go to Chelsea’s birthday without me… While driving, my aunt calls and offers a patron ticket for THE game… I just had to get it… Yet after a bit of text-arguments, I chose to let my aunt give it to someone else… and it NEVER feels good when you give up something everyone’s dying to get… I tried to enjoy the time we spent with everyone at my lola’s sister’s birthday, especially the times my lola’s only brother (their eldest, and whom I have just met that day) was taking hits at my dad… It was freakin hilarious that a guy as old as he is can take digs at every one of them…

 

I ended up dropping my mom off to the LRT station, my dad and uncle to the game, and dragging my cousin along to Chelsea’s birthday…

 

There, I watched the game like I always do (animated, loud), in a more tame manner, as it wasn’t my house… Beer and VCut were perfect companions for the game… Too bad the Blue bastards got it…

 

THE Game

 

Thanks to the Detroit Pistons, every basketball fan was reminded that “Defense wins championships”… That’s how they beat the star-studded LA Lakers during their championship run… And though it is too cliché, it was defense that won it for both teams yesterday…

 

La Salle has always been known to be a guard-oriented team (this from my uncle who was on the losing end of UST’s 4-peat back in the 90’s) which is why the press works so well for them… The only time La Salle played like they were going to win the game was during that time they were choking the hell out of the Ateneo guards in the backcourt… Full-court press at its finest saw Ateneo bungling about 8 possessions during the 1^st quarter alone (ok, it wasn’t a steal for each of the 8, but turnovers due to the press built up a huge chunk of it), and is largely the reason why they took their first and only lead at 29-26…

 

Ateneo, on the other hand, is known for great recruitment… There was an Olsen Racela and an LA Tenorio who came out of there, and you have bulky bigs, or effective inside presence players in Enrico Villanueva and even Paolo Bugia. My point is, while La Salle is known for producing guards, Ateneo is known not only for bigs or guards, they just have a knack for getting quality finds… But for this season, their team is just too good… You have Chris Tiu and Jai Reyes shooting the lights out, Ryan Buenafe having his shots fall, Rabeh Al-Hussaini manning the middle on both ends of the floor, Nonoy Baclao knowing where to be on both ends of the floor as well, and swatting balls as if he was a volleyball player, Eric Salamat having perfect timing for steals, breakaways, and even spins, whether by himself or spin on the ball to make impossible shots go in (and add his swagger to boot), and the bench with even the foot-ugly Yuri Escueta providing quality minutes off the bench… With all that said, Ateneo’s defense for this season is mostly anchored on the Al-Hussaini-Baclao combo… Player drives toward Rabeh, Rabeh goes for straight up D, then as player launches the ball, a Nonoy Baclao comes from out of nowhere to swat your shot away…

 

7 blocked shots by Nonoy Baclao. La Salle can’t rebound. Rabeh is too big to be defended, and gets his way on just about anyone… Jai hit his shots when it mattered… Salamat is just Salamat, playing with energy, swagger, and impossible-shot making… Mike Baldos stepped up in the absence of Nonoy Baclao (early foul trouble), maybe not in terms of defending the basket, but surely on the rebounding side of things… Heck, even Yuri Escueta had a relatively good game, sans the turnovers when pressed… Ryan Buenafe stepped up during the 1^st half when no one on the Ateneo side was getting their shots in… Kirk Long even made an appearance… Ateneo did a great job spotting open players on the weak side and even from beyond the arc…

 

 

On the other side, Walsham may be able to put a body on Rabeh, but as far as IQ goes, err… Ferdinand can’t catch the freakin’ ball when he needs to… When he does, he can’t even decide what he’s supposed to do… By the time that he does, Baclao’s right there to swat the ball away… He should be the OJ Cua of this season, the person no one expects to come up big but does… Jason Webb isn’t getting off the bench for reasons I don’t know, but I’m really not counting on him that much… JV had a better game than he did during the previous 2 games against Ateneo, but everyone else who stepped up during his absence went AWOL during this game… Mangahas and Atkins got into early foul trouble, but so did Tiu and Baclao… The only difference is the Ateneo reserves stepped up, while DLSU reserves didn’t… I can’t get Coach Franz’s coaching style… He takes someone out as soon as it seems the player is waxing hot… LA Revilla is a blur and gets past everyone on the floor, he just can’t finish… Rico had a gallant effort as well, but he takes too many outside shots… Sure, he makes it here and there, but that’s not supposed to be his game, considering there isn’t anyone else on the team who’s as committed to rebounding as he is… Badir Malabes had a sub-par game... PJ Barua took too many outside shots as well, but didn’t even make a single one, save for a long jumper by the elbow… 

 

Looking at the game, La Salle is forced to take long jumpers because of the fear of THE Nonoy... They got a lot of open shots, but the shots just ain’t falling… Ateneo is just too dominant inside the paint on both ends of the floor, and La Salle just doesn’t have the bodies with actual brains to match the Ateneo big men… La Salle can certainly offset that with stellar guard play, but Revilla has to put his shots in… Atkins, I think, is gonna be a Chris Tiu of tomorrow: not athletic, but good looking, has decent skills, and could carry his team... But as of now, he’s nothing but a good-looking, slow guard who can’t even penetrate if his team’s life depended on it…

 

Ateneo will win the series if they go on doing what they’re doing… Bench stepping up in the event of cold shooting or early foul trouble for starters, Baclao being the anchor for defense that he is, Rabeh hitting his hooks, Tiu and Jai making their timely baskets, Salamat giving off energy and swagger off the bench, and Buenafe backing up his trash…

 

La Salle on the other hand, will win only if:

 

1. Walsham and Ferdinand suddenly remember they have brains they could use.
2. Casio will continue his strong game 1 performance
3. Coach Franz will let someone actually get hot, and not keep the person in until he is, then take him out because he’s hot.
4. LA Revilla learns to use the glass properly for his lay-ups.
5. Use the press as well as they did during the 2^nd quarter.
6. Rico gets support on the rebounding department.
7. Ateneo learns to miss free throws and open shots that La Salle seems to enjoy giving them.
8. They stop bombing threes every time they get the ball.
9. They learn to pass AT THE RIGHT TIME and not at the last minute that the ref didn’t call a foul.
10. They learn to use the perimeter.

Ok, so La Salle has a lot of shooters. And they can’t slash inside. So, logically, for them to score, they have to shoot outside… Since an outside shot is never sure, they prefer to take it on the 3 point line so that it’s gonna be a high-risk/high-benefit shot… Since they shot a horrible 1/9 or more in 3 point territory, can’t they just try to wax hot nearer the basket? Then if they get hot, try shooting further and further away? Shooting 3’s is only good when it goes in. And since they haven’t played a game to show that they can actually get it to go in, they have to try to make short stabs at the basket.

 

C’mon, let’s go La Salle!!! Spoil Chris Tiu’s “perfect” life!!!=P

 

THE Talk

 

This was not part of the original document. It just so happened that it happened today while I was still writing this. I was told that they like me here, and would like to extend my contract for a longer period of time. But that’s the most they could do: give me a seemingly permanent job, but not a regular employee of the company. Why? Because this is a multinational company. And whatever the region (Greater Asia) says goes. And the region shut down marketing for the Philippines, as all marketing stuff would be handled globally/per region. Meaning, I am of no use here actually, for the people up there in the region. But as it seems, I’m indispensable for the people here. Sure, they’ll do fine without me. But the thing is, I do a lot of stuff they wouldn’t normally expect from someone in my position, that is make logical storyboards for whatever proposal they have for a client, make presentations within a set time limit, consult good merchandise/computer buys, troubleshoot basic computer problems, create flashy presentations and product designs, and more stuff I wouldn’t mention as it would seem like I’m gloating. It’s just that I live by what Don Bosco taught: do ordinary things extraordinarily well. With this mantra sticking to your mind, it’s no surprise that people would love how you do your work...

 

Now the dilemma is, they want me here, but they are saying that I won’t ever be directly hired, and will always be through a third-party company. Now, they are willing to let me go if I want to pursue other opportunities, but the thing is, I’m a philosophy graduate looking for a job not fit for Philosophy majors. Where the heck am I going to get a job if not this one?

 

I don’t want to study again, because I don’t know what course I’d like to follow. I want to write. If I get a job at BTV or heck even NBA, in any capacity, I won’t even complain the slightest bit ever again.

 

But whatever job willing to take me in, I’ll take it… I won’t even complain… I just want to be like any other working person, enjoying the benefits of a regular employee, not thinking about a contract ending, and being able to file a 2 or 3 day vacation if work gets too stressful after what, 6 months or a year of working there… I want to be stressed because work’s taking its toll on me… I’d probably rant about that if that happens, but knowing how it feels like not to be stressed, I think I’d rather feel otherwise… At least, in being stressed at work, I know that my skills are being maximized.

 

Not like this.

 

I’m a marketing assistant for a multinational company which doesn’t even have a local marketing group. Hence, I’m the only one in the department, if such a department existed. I get along pretty well with people, but I can’t even have lunch with them at the canteen, as I don’t know who to sit with, because everyone has their place here: reception people, janitors, managers, account executives, IT people, accounting people…. Notice the plural form for each… I’m the marketing person. Singular. No place here. No one of the same age even, not of the same age group… 2-5 year gap is probably OK, but more than 10years? Man… Some of them were trying out making babies while I was learning multiplication!

 

I just want a job which will give me a regular position when they see me deserving of it, a job where I could have people who I could hang out with, a job where I’d feel they’re paying me for doing what I’m doing, a job where I’m not the only one in my department…

 

 

 

 

 

 

…I just want a place I can belong to…