...NBA Trade Deadline Deals...

Now that the flurry of trades are over, while there's a bit of downtime for me in the office, and before anyone can claim that I copied ideas, I'd like to give my takes on the deals that went through.(Source: NBA.com)

For the record, analysis came from reading articles, playing NBA 2k11, and having a daily fantasy league. 

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James Johnson to Raptors

Chicago gets: 

2011 first round pick (from Heat)

Raptors get: 

F James Johnson

Verdict: Neutral

Analysis: 

Not much to talk about, as James Johnson has been at the tail end of the Bulls Bench despite injuries to their bigs. Could be a project, but this deal looks like something to have the Bulls dump salary wherever they can.

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Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks

New York gets:

F Carmelo Anthony

G Chauncey Billups

F Renaldo Balkman

C Shelden Williams

G Anthony Carter

G Corey Brewer (MIN)

Denver gets:

F Wilson Chandler

F Danilo Gallinari

G Raymond Felton

C Kosta Koufous

C Timofey Mozgov

$3 million cash

2014 1st round pick (from NYK)

2012 & 2013 2nd round picks (originally from GSW)

Minnesota gets:

F Anthony Randolph

C Eddy Curry

2015 2nd round pick (from DEN)

$3 million cash

Verdict: Great trade.

Analysis: 

In essence, this is a win-win for the Knicks and Nuggets. While Melo could've just walked over to the Knicks after not signing an extension, New York got a boost in this trade by getting Chauncey Billups. 'Melo and Amar'e could work, really, like AI and 'Melo worked before in Denver. But Denver wasn't a serious contender before Chauncey arrived. Had 'Melo walked, NYK would be a bunch of young guys trying to have fun with each other, and would be exciting to watch, but wouldn't go deep in the playoffs. 

As for Denver, they got great value in getting something out of Carmelo. Gallow could provide a good scoring punch, Chandler would be a nice defensive stopper and 2nd offensive option, and Felton could push the tempo. The problem they have to deal with would be veteran leadership (Kenyon Martin, really?), now that three significant figures in their locker room in 'Melo (the franchise), Chauncey (championship experience, fan favorite), and Anthony Carter (veteran experience) are gone. It'd be interesting how they'd turn out, especially with two players (Lawson and Felton) playing the same style. As Denver already has the Birdman, K-Mart and Nene, Mozgov probably wouldn't be having much playing time. Actually, either Mozgov or Koufous has to go, but either way, they can't go wrong. Both are project big men.  

Oh and New York got back one of their draft busts in Renaldo Balkman (I say bust because the people watching the draft were so disappointed to have picked him at such a high pick, thank Isaiah Thomas). And I think Shelden Williams has major upside, he just needs the minutes. Despite losing Wilson Chandler, getting Corey Brewer is a bit of a safety net for them. At least they don't lose much of the athleticism Chandler provided. Anthony Carter is an good bonus, but really essential. 

As for Minnesota, they get cap relief by season's end and the "intriguing" Anthony Randolph. At least they have someone to spell for Darko if he gets injured again. 

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Deron Heads East

New Jersey gets: 

Deron Williams

Utah gets:

G Devin Harris

F Derrick Favors

2011 1st round pick (NJN)

2012 1st round pick (GSW)

Cash considerations

Verdict: Good trade.

Analysis: 

Raise your hand if you thought this would actually happen!

New Jersey finally lands a legit star after striking out on LeBron, Bosh, Amar'e and 'Melo. From watching shows with American humor, I realize that New Jersey isn't the ideal destination if you're going to the US. And it probably is the reason why big name stars don't want to be shipped there. If Deron re-signs with the team, they should be good, with Brook Lopez developing further, and other stars wanting to play with Deron. 

Utah doesn't lose much in exchange. Harris is an all-star caliber player (though a bit underwhelming this year), while Favors is a rookie with high potential. How he fits in the front court with Millsap and Al Jefferson would be a problem. I think they're going to be moving one more big man in the offseason. 

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Landry for Thronton

Sacramento gets:

G Marcus Thronton

Cash considerations

New Orleans gets:

F Carl Landry

Verdict: Ok trade

Analysis: 

The teams involved didn't get significantly better, but getting these players won't hurt them either. For Sacramento, they are loaded in the backcourt (Francisco Garcia, Beno Udrih, Jeter, Evans), but this is probably just to shake the roster up, and as a short relief while Evans is recovering. Although seeing as they're not in contention for a playoff spot, they might go the Rudy Gay route on Evans, and just rest the rest of the season, as they are left in very capable hands anyway.

For the Hornets, they get relief at the 4 and 5 spots with Landry while Okafor is out of action. I don't really understand why they had to trade for Landry when Jason Smith seems to be progressing nicely. 

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Hinrich to Hawks

Atlanta gets:

G Kirk Hinrich

C Hilton Armstrong

Washington gets:

G Mike Bibby

G Jordan Crawford

G Maurice Evans

2011 1st round pick (ATL)

Verdict: Excellent trade

Analysis: 

This is a great trade for the Hawks. They have had a history of bad point guards, and though Bibby did an excellent job at it, they needed something more. I am a huge Kirk Hinrich fan, and I think getting him at the point can finally redeem Atlanta for not taking any of the good point guards with their high draft picks (Chris Paul and Deron Williams have often been mentioned as those they passed on to take Marvin Williams instead). And now that we've seen Al Horford play as an all-star center, he can probably slide down to his natural position at the 4 with Hilton Armstrong effectively manning the middle. This gives them a scary starting unit, with Hinrich, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith at 3, Horford at 4, and Armstrong at 5. And they still have Jamaal Crawford off the bench. 

For the Wiz, they got a bunch of role players, and a more veteran voice in Bibby. I think Hinrich was great for them and the development of John Wall, but Bibby, as the starting point guard of formerly-perennial playoff contender Sacramento Kings, would be a more authoritative figure that Wall can listen to. Maurice Evans won't hurt the bench production either.

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B-Diddy to the Cavs

Cleveland gets:
G Baron Davis

2011 1st round pick (LAC)

Los Angeles gets:

G Mo Williams

F Jamario Moon

Verdict: Ok trade

Analysis: 

As NBA.com put it, the trade is a way for Clippers management to tell Blake Griffin that they're building around him. In that aspect, this trade goes well with the Clips. And they're not shortchanged with who they're getting, as Mo Williams was a 1-time all-star and is a capable scorer, while moon is a Shawn Marion-type of journeyman. 

For the Cavs, they get a superstar not named LeBron James. Now, if Baron can play like he's interested, the Cavs could get some wins. 

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Boston upgrades for Pierce backup

Boston gets:

F Jeff Green

C Nenad Kristic

Oklahoma gets: 

C Kendrick Perkins

G Nate Robinson

Verdict: Great trade

Analysis: 

Boston needed depth at the wing position with Marquis Daniels injured (just in, Daniels was shipped to Sacramento for cash and a 2nd round draft pick). Getting Jeff Green is a major upgrade at that position. Nenad may not be as physical as Perk, but you have to give up something to get someone at the caliber of Jeff Green. 

For Oklahoma, they got tougher in the interior, now that Perk and Serge Ibaka are splitting time at center. Nate Robinson gives them a Russel Westbrook-light from the bench.

Boston seems to be dumping their bigs for no reason (Semith Erden and Luke Harangody were sent to the Cavs for one (1) 2012 SECOND ROUND draft pick), but seems to be doing so in order to sign free agents. Roster space could probably be reserved for Troy Murphy and a coming-out-of-retirement Rasheed Wallace.

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Rockets moving on without Yao

Houston gets:

C Hasheem Thabeet

Future 1st round pick

Memphis gets:
F Shane Battier

G Ish Smith

Verdict: Good trade

Analysis: 

Memphis gets a veteran voice in Shane Battier. They have one of the youngest teams in the league, and having someone like Battier in their locker room can help organize this group to play as a team. From what I read, Battier is a great locker room guy, and his leadership shows in the playing court. While Z-Bo is a nice vet in the team, he's not the leader they need.

Houston, for their part, finally seems to be coming to terms that Yao Ming will not save their franchise. They trade for a #2 pick with a lot of upside, but so far hasn't shown much. With Chase Budinger, Kyle Lowry, Kevin Martin and Luis Scola putting up the points, Thabeet could be the defensive anchor the team needs inside. If he develops an offensive game, he'll probably be able to help this team greatly.

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Charlotte exchanges a big for a guard

Charlotte gets:

F D.J. White

G Morris Peterson

Thunder gets:
C Nazr Mohammed

Verdict: Ok trade

Analysis: 

Paul Silas seems to be getting the hang of his roster, and doesn't want to deviate from what he has. Morris Peterson would probably come off the bench to spell for Captain Jack and play a little bit of point. I think they're confident enough with Kwame Brown to let go of Nazr Mohammed. At least to some extent, that's a relief for Jordan.

As for the Thunder, this doesn't help their team much. They're pretty much set on their rotation, so they're probably either going to move Nazr later, or have Ibaka or Perk as trade baits. 

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Suns make a move

Phoenix gets:

G Aaron Brooks

Houston gets:

G Goran Dragic

Future 1st round pick

Verdict: Bad trade

Analysis: 

I hate this trade. Dragic was going to be who Nash is to the Suns now. I don't understand why they had to let him go to trade for someone who plays much like Leandro Barbosa. I don't think they lack an offensive game, as they have Carter, Frye, Dudley and Nash. What they needed was more jelling, and adding a new, disgruntled player from a completely different system will not help them now. Unless they want to move in a different direction in terms of team philosophy in the future.

As for Dragic, I'm not sure if his playing style fits the Rockets' system. But he'll be playing behind Kevin Martin and Kyle Lowry, which would be such a waste of talent for him. Sure, he'll be a spark off the bench, but he'll probably be stuck in a backup role for the rest of his career in Houston, since they have a young backcourt tandem in place. At least Rockets got rid of Ish Smith in a separate deal, which makes it easier for Dragic to move up in the rotation. 

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Blazers get deeper

Portland gets:

F Gerald Wallace

Charlotte gets:

F  Dante Cunningham

C Joel Pryzbilla

C Sean Marks

2011 1st round pick (NOH)

2013 1st round pick 

Verdict: Awful trade

Analysis: 

Well, it's awful for Charlotte. They let go of their #2 player to pick up pieces from Portland. Sean Marks, who has been a journeyman at best, has been in the league for so long, that I have to assume that he brings intangibles to locker rooms he comes to. Cunningham has upside, if judging only from the time he spelled for the injured bigs of Portland. Those are the best reasons I want to believe why Charlotte pulled the trigger on this deal, because you don't lose a player like Gerald Wallace like that. To some extent, I think it's to give more minutes to Gerald Henderson. He's been getting regular minutes and the 'Cats are playing small most of the time as of late. And they've been winning too. 

For Portland, they get a defensive wing to complement offensive machines like Wes Matthews and Nicolas Batum. They can't go wrong with this. But given Wallace's injury history, he doesn't make the team better in terms of health.

The trade is awful in such a way that it's not really a win-win situation.

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...An Admission of Weakness...

I have always thought that once I put my mind on to something, I can be great at it. I have always believed that I had a potential to be anyone I want to be. After a week of ups and downs, I must punctuate it with this emo-blog to try to push all the negativity in this week, so that tomorrow will truly be a new day. 

I normally edit parts of my blog to emphasize points I'd want to stress, but this is not one of my proudest blogs, so I leave it to the reader who wants to read, to the reader who is actually interested, to the reader who wants to sympathize, and to the reader who has nothing better to do than read an emo-post. =P 

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On Being a Student

My sister is a licensed architect. My brother is a registered nurse. And I'm a Philosophy graduate. Everyone thought I'd pursue law, but I didn't. In all honesty, I believe I'm so afraid of failure, that I wouldn't even dare try. I barely passed my undergraduate degree. I've always made my focus on extracurricular activities as the main reason why I had sub-par grades during college. But even that didn't work out too well for me. 

As a student, I don't think I could last listening to a lecture for more than 20 minutes. I don't think I could read beyond 14 pages of a textbook without falling asleep on it. I know these because that's who I was when I was a student. I am a Philosophy major who wouldn't be able to help you out in your Philosophy assignments. I know some of them philosophers and what their fields are, but I probably don't know any more than you do. I probably have knack for reasoning, but I don't have the will power to read up on sources to back up my stand. I'm too unequipped in Philosophy to try to pursue a Master's degree in it and teach, and I don't have the will power to study as law students do. 

As for my "alibi" on getting sub-par grades, I took a risk. Knowing full well that I'm not academically equipped to excel as a normal student, I devoted my attention to public service in my level; student politics. In my first year, I proclaimed that I'd want to be considered as a possible candidate for the presidency or the public relations officer, because I had the notion that those are the two positions that had most impact. They got me as the auditor. I lost in my first year, worked in the council as tirelessly as I have over the past year, and eventually won in my second try as the auditor. Everyone had an expectation of me, that even my opponents didn't take their defeats heavily. And even then I failed those expectations. I even had one of the nicest chairpersons of the party in Ate Jean Castillo, on my case back then. As a result, I didn't have the full confidence of the whole student community when I ran for the presidency.

And now, I hold a degree which doesn't get me anywhere, burned myself by not getting above-average grades academically, and I don't even have a "president" tag in my resume. It sucks to find a job with what I am equipped with, but thankfully, I have one.

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On Being a Partner

Che and I are going on our seventh year. Seven. Some marriages don't even last this long. And yet, we're not planning on getting married soon. We haven't been on too many trips. The most expensive gift that I gave her was probably the cellphone I gave her way before, and almost half of which my mom paid for. And she gave me a PS3 last December.

Now, that may not mean much. But it's frustrating that I can't even come up with a nice Valentine's day surprise for her. As mushy as I am, I haven't made her feel as special as I want her to. No surprise trips somewhere, no romantic reservations to any dinner. Nothing. We've seen couples travel, we've seen them give outrageous gifts to each other, and I can't even do any of those.

I feel more like her big brother than her boyfriend at times. Well, that's what we've always been, but, as in romantically, I'm just frustrated that I can't make her feel as special as any of those women in those couples we see. 

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On Work

Well, basically, work is all this is about. By June of this year, I'll officially be working for 4 full years now. Total savings: nada. Career path: headed nowhere. 

One day, after meeting a customer, I went out of that meeting and realized; can I really do this shit?

I'm frustrated because I don't know how to get things done. I'm familiar with the business, but this sales thing is so new to me. It's like, I'm still learning to type on the typewriter while everyone's tapping on their iPads. I don't know how most stuff works, but I'm treated as if I should. The longer I've been here, the more detached I have become to my boss, when at first, I thought that it would draw us closer. Almost six months going, and I'm still learning to talk to customers, still learning how to sort out those seriously wanting to consider doing business and those who are just hearing out ideas. We're in the business of flavors and fragrances, and on my side (fragrance), I haven't sold anything. What the fuck is the use of being a salesperson when you can't sell anything?

I feel like an overpaid slacker. No, it's not that I'm not trying. I'm being what I hate now, bugging people to ask questions that I know the answer to. I'm working my ass off to try and sell something, but I haven't. I feel like an overpaid slacker because I haven't sold anything as a salesperson, and I'm being paid as a salesperson.

And though I think I'm overpaid, I still haven't saved anything. No matter how materialistic this sounds, I do believe that money affects my life greatly. The lack of it affects my whole life; not being able to surprise my girlfriend, not being able to even plan on settling down, not being able to plan for trips, not being able to try to consider studying something else, etc.. 

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This past week, I failed to wow my girlfriend on Valentine's day. I met a customer I don't even know if I can actually do business with. I haven't sold anything still. I felt like I'm being pressured to give in to the demands of a customer just because I need the sale. I felt like I'm ruining the fragrance part of my boss's business. I felt like I'm not being as much help as I was expected to be when I came in to our company. And my car just had to have fucked up electrical wirings. 

At some point of this bad weak, I came to a realization: I'm weak. I'm not good at anything. The things I think I'm good at are things that won't earn me any money. For a guy whose wardrobe selection includes his dad and brother's cabinets, I seriously don't know how someone could spend so much. I can't even buy the things I want. I want to cry while admitting that I can't do what I'm doing, and actually believe that it'd make everything better. 

But this admission of weakness is in no way an acceptance of defeat. Like I said, this is just putting all the bad vibes in one ball and throwing it out there so that I'd be prepared to face the next week as a new week, a new beginning. If there are winners and losers in this world, and I apparently happen to belong to the latter, I'd still continue to strive as if I'd reach something. Heck, I graduated Philosophy when I thought I wouldn't. I landed a job when I thought I couldn't. I lived when I should've died a few years back in an accident. Losers don't have to just lie down and wait to get trampled upon, because sometimes, luck just smiles their way. 

Maybe I can't do this. Maybe I wasn't meant for this. But hey, that shouldn't keep me from trying. Being a basketball player on the soccer field doesn't mean the basketball player can't contribute anything on the field.

The admission of weakness shouldn't mean a declaration of defeat, but rather, a blueprint on what to overcome. 

And with this, I seriously hope luck decides to smile at me again. =|

...An Incoherent Take on Fantasy...

“I found an emulator online that lets you play classic text based computer games from 1980’s…. It runs on the world’s most powerful graphics chip: imagination.” 

– Sheldon Cooper, Big Bang Theory Season 4

 

Fantasies shaped us in one way or another to be who we are today. There are times that I actually envy the kids of today because they have such cool, modern toys. When I was a kid, my joy was up to high heavens when Santa gave me a robot/jet transforming toy, even though my brother got the same thing. These days, a kid would throw a fit if he didn’t get a PSP or something.

As the year 2010 ended, I came across an article that enumerated what kids born today will never know (for the sake of those interested to take the trip down memory lane, http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2010/12/29/30-things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/). Then Che and I watched Beauty and the Beast on Disney Channel on the last day of 2010. It made me realize how much kids of today are missing.

Fantasy. Imagination. Today, modern gadgets do the imagining for you. Fantasies are now either too absurd to even listen to, or something not impossible to happen. My thoughts on fantasies and how it affects us:

Disney Flicks

I can't even remember the last Disney Movie that I watched that could probably be clustered in the "classic fairy tale" category. All I know is, I stopped watching when Pocahontas, Hercules, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame came out. 

They don't make it quite the same as before. These flicks had little girls wanting to be princesses. And as they grew older, they wanted to have a fairy-tale ending with some prince charming they drew up in their minds, hidden behind the names "Mr. Right", "The Right One", "The Ideal Man", etc.

Kids of today have talking cars, talking toys, and talking animals that are loads of fun, really, but not "magical" like the Disney flicks of the past. They deprive kids of today the chance to dream of being a princess or becoming the prince that saves the princess. 

On the plus side: 
Those kids will grow up not waiting for "Mr. Right" or something because they never drew him up. They can be just kids, enjoying the colors of the animated cartoon offerings of Disney, and later on in life, be practical about choosing their partner of choice. 

On the minus side:
Everything is becoming too casual these days. By the time these kids hit puberty, they won't be thinking "this isn't right, you're not right" when some moment consumes them. There are no Mr. Right or Ms. Perfect, only a person and another person who'd like to try stuff they don't know about. 

Superheroes

These are for the young boys. Everyone wants to be that hero who saves the day in a

 mysterious mask, but lives a normal life when he doesn't wear the mask. No boy wanted to be the villain if they had their way, they always wanted to be the good guy. It shaped us kids to avoid what bad guys would do. It paved way for the nice guys. Or the nerds.

See, as kids, the non-athletic/non-talented kids stick together and find stuff they can do without embarrassing themselves in front of people. They don't want to dance on stage, sing, perform, or play sports for school glory. These make them either more attached to people because they meet so many of them, or too detached from reality because they don't meet other people anymore. Those athletic/talented kids? They grow up to be the jocks, the center of attention, the class clowns, who either wouldn't have a future or be real assholes and jerks. Of course not all of them. But most of them.

We still have superheroes today. It's not like it's been ages since the last Spiderman or Batman movie came out. The difference probably, is consistency.

When before, we had comic books that we read and wait on the story on week after week, kids of today have the convenience of watching them on the big screen, in full motion. Problem is, the people who play the parts usually aren't there for the long haul, or management wants to go another direction or something. It messes the whole story up.

On the plus side:
No more geeks! No new generation comic book nerds who collect comic books they wouldn't open without plastic gloves or something. Everyone will just be waiting for the next movie to come out. 

On the minus side:
No more geeks. No more butts to kick in class, no one to throw stuff at just for fun... No, seriously, these ever-changing stories are just no good. They mess up the concepts/stories that there's no common truth. Everyone has their version of what the origin of this hero is or what that hero is. They don't give kids something common to look back to when they grow older because they had different ideas of how their heroes came to be. It wouldn't eliminate the "escape" the kids create for themselves, but it opens more debate than fun stories. 

Drama Series

I just had to insert this. I watched an old movie of Cesar Montano (well, part of it. Watched it while driving) where he's somewhat of a vigilante. He's poor and with a kid brother. He's a good guy doing bad things (like shooting people) because that's what he needs to survive. These kinds are not fantasy movies, but are works of fiction drawn out from reality.

Too many times, we've seen drama series drawn out from stories of poor people who suddenly become rich because of some twist of fate (i.e. switched at birth, orphaned who actually has rich parents..), or good people just trying to make a living, and are pushed to do illegal stuff like drug dealing and stealing.

How many times have we seen snatchers caught and when interviewed by the media, they appeal to the public that they only did it because they need it badly? In movies, we understand their predicament. But if there comes a time that you're the one they steal from, all you want to do is kick their ass.

On the minus side: 

Poor people strive less,  because they see their lives played out in movies, and they realize that they're not alone in suffering what they experience at present. They cling to the hope that they'd meet their rich parents or meet someone who can alleviate them from poverty, much like the girls who are waiting for their prince charming.

On the plus side: 

Those rich people who don't mingle with the commoners get an idea how they live their lives and maybe, just maybe, spark a fire in the philanthropist in them. Slumdog Millionaire comes to mind. 

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(I just had to change the title of the blog at the last minute. Apparently, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to talk about, but it's been hanging over my head over the past couple of weeks, so I just had to write it already.=P)

...On the Power of the Human Mind...

"Anything is possible if you put your mind to it"

-Quote heard countless times

When I was a kid, I usually drag my brother to play with me in an imaginary world where we have powers, high-tech gadgets (plastic toys), Masked Rider Black-like vehicles (BMX), and impenetrable armor (imaginary, powers stated upon hit). Back then, that was a reality we could escape to anytime. We didn't damage anything, we'd look stupid to those who aren't part of the game, but in that reality we were in, our imagination made it seem to us that we were in some anime we were watching.

"Made it seem". It's not, but it "seems" real. That is but one of a lot of things that the human mind can do. The admission of Power Balance that their claims "are not scientifically proven" gave me further reason to believe that the human mind is capable of those supernatural stuff we see in movies. 

I have three arguments on the subject:

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Respect and Ignorance

This happens to us as kids. When we know nothing about the world around us, we tend to believe that what people who we think know more than us tell us. For example, when we were kids, some of us were told that monsters exist so that we won't play outside at night. We were told not to make faces or else a gust of wind will make that face permanent. Or that if we were good Santa would give us gifts at Christmas.

While some of these things were meant only to discipline us kids, we believed it to be true, and did what we were told, and tried to avoid stuff that we were told not to do. And by believing, we made nonsense into reality. 

Such is the mind of a kid, that 

tabula rasa, that formless clay that you can mold into anything. By simple ideas that are probably not true, the kid is disciplined in such a way that the kid behaves in the manner which you want him/her to. In a way, an idea, a product of the mind, became the most powerful disciplinary tool. 

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Power Balance 

It became a fad that even athletes endorse it. People testified.

And yet, after countless people said that it's all bull, it's only now that the makers of Power Balance actually admit that they have no scientific proof whatsoever that whatever bull they're telling people about their product is true.

But you can't deny facts .They testified because they saw results. And yet, with this admission of the sham, it doesn't discount the fact that people have indeed been helped by that stupid hologram thing.

How? Simply because they put their mind to it. They believed in all the crap that the product marketed itself, and they attributed every enhancement to that. While people should feel cheated, I think they should recognize the fact that it's not a product that helped them, it's always been in them (sounds like a cheesy line from a dying sensei in an anime series). 

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Faith

Funny how we were told in Philosophy that "faith begins when reason ends". Apparently,

 they're not like Church and State that should be separated. They work hand in hand. Those that we can't explain, we leave up to faith. And if we actually believe, most of the time, positive things happen. 

A great example of this would be faith healers. Some scam people by planting "sickly" people and "healing" them, making others believe that they can actually cure their diseases. And in most instances, those who are actually sick ARE cured. 

While I wouldn't want to discount a Higher Power (peace tayo Bro, blog lang), it somehow seems that it's all in our minds; we just need a catalyst to perform "miracles" on us, some tangible person that our Higher Being uses as a tool to answer our prayers. We're not healed by quack doctors who we don't believe in. We sought their help because we believed they can do something about what we were feeling.

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This is what I get from listening to the radio and hearing about that Power Balance thing.

...2010 Quotes of the Year//TeamFlow Compilation...

Approaching the new year, there are all sorts of countdowns and awards being given out to round up the whole year. I don't give out prizes and stuff, but I want to ride that bandwagon and post memorable quotes that I've encountered over the past year.

Walang personalan, masagasaa'y bahala na kung masaktan o magalit. Nais ko lang ipaalam sa mundo (all 5 of my readers) ang mga nasambit ninyong mga kataga na di ko malaman kung matutuwa ako o magagalit, pero sigurado, ginusto kong tumambling.

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"I'm sorry to burst your bubble"

Quote from: To answer the question: "Are you in or out of this marriage?"

I say: What bubble?

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"Do you want to be ok for the rest of your life, or extremely happy for a short period of time?"

Quote from: On making a girl choose between 2 lovers. 

I say: Eventually, girl wanted to be happy for a short period of time, which turned out to be some couple of years. Score one for mediocrity? I wouldn't. It would be a fallacy. The "ok for the rest of your life" part didn't happen, so no one can truly say that that was the right choice. At that time, she chose what she thought was the best choice for her. She shouldn't view it as a mistake.

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"Di ko kaya mag-stay sa marriage dahil sa concept ng marriage"

Quote from: Guy justifying getting out of the marriage.

I say: So, what should be the reason for one to stay in a marriage? If it was a mere concept you don't genuinely believe in, you shouldn't have entered it in the first place. 

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"Eh di siya na ang better person? Ok na thoughts mo?"

Quote from: A response to a comment: "…I thought you were better than your friend. I thought wrong. He’s way much better than you."

I say: I actually found it funny. I'd probably say the same. If you hate me, delete me. You can't "educate" me by posting "righteous" comments on my status updates. It accomplishes nothing. A sarcastic "like" would probably do the trick. Then you wouldn't have to deal with me replying to your comment.

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"Malapit na."

Quote from: 2010's "In Denial Ka Lang Ata" awardee, when asked the question "Kayo pa rin ba?"

I say: This is after we learn that the awardee is still blocked in person's friends list in FB. 

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"Di kita lolokohin, (insert name of girl here)"

Quote from: a guy with a notable history of dating 3 girls at the same time in one day.

I say: This was meant to be a joke to the girl, really, but it was hilarious when he said it as if he could even pretend he could do it.

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"Di ka lolokohin nyan, ipupusta ko pa lahat ng law books ko."

Quote from: Aforementioned guy, hard-selling boyfriend to girlfriend as if girlfriend needed the assurance. This tops all his praises for boyfriend that night because...

I say: ...boyfriend had a fling just a couple of months or so after. They have since reconciled and are happily together. But yes, guy still owes girlfriend law books.

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"Ehh, Romantic eh."

Quote from: Visiting female friend's comment on: "Bawas na tayo, mei nagpakasal na."

I say: He truly is. No one just bothers to notice. He doesn't act like one in front of friends but it seems he really is. It's just funny to be spoken of that way.

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"Ano yan, class A? Amoy palengke eh."

Quote from: 2010 On and Off Girlfriend of the Year awardee, upon being given an authentic Nine West bag by reconciling BF.

I say: It's either a.)she's hiding her glee, b.) she doesn't really know what an authentic bag smells like, c.) she's just being a bitch about it for reasons only she would understand. Either way I don't know who to smack; her of the non-gratitude, or him who decided to give such a gift to his not-yet-girlfriend.

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"Hindi naman nawawala yan eh..."

Quote from: Boy Torpe in answering the question "...eh mahal mo pa ba?"

I say: Classic one liners from boy one-liner. If he could earn points by saying stuff, he'd be way ahead of all competition. But unless he acts, everything is just theory.

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"Pwedeng walang magtatag ng pictures?"

Quote from: 2010 "Wala Naman Akong Tinatago" awardee, every time a friendly gathering happens at night. 

I say: Awardee texts that he's bored and would just sleep in dorm, so tagged pictures are a no-no should there be pictures of the event. It sometimes becomes difficult to distinguish what actually happened and what supposedly didn't if time comes that everyone is in the gathering.

 

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"Ikaw, dating madungis, ngayon naglilinis... Yung isa, madungis talaga... Yung isa naman, sa ichura nun, nagmamalinis pa... Ako, dati pang malinis... pwede bang... padungis?"

Quote from: an argument on cheating. 

I say: Everybody had too much fun with this quote that I had to include it. I leave no names or clues. 

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"Di naman si (insert kid's name here) ang iniwan ko eh, ikaw."

Quote from: in response to the question on what happens to the couple's kid.

I say: In what seems to be said in a matter-of-fact tone, this is just a harsh way of putting a nail in the coffin. It may be true, but considering what guy did, that was just a wrong way of saying it. 

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"Kaya kong tumanggi sa tukso, pero pinili kong hindi"

Quote from: guy justifying having a third party.

I say: This has got to top the list. It's like that joke that if you go home so late and you know you're going to get it from you parents, the first thing you say when you get home is "eh bakit ngayon lang ako? Late nanaman ako? Mei pasok pa bukas puro ako inom? Di na ko nagbago? Grabe na talaga ko! Magkukulong na ko sa kwarto!". It's justifying a wrong act with rational-sounding irrationality. This particular line is said in such a way that he shows that he has principle as he recognized the "right" act, at the same time, it shows his being a rational, free being, as he acted "by his own free will". What it doesn't show is what he thinks of his wife, what he thinks his wife would feel, and what wife actually felt. Personally, I'd snap. 

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I leave no names in order to somehow protect the identity of those who said it. Tamaan ang tatamaan. I hope to accomplish nothing with this blog other than entertain my readers with quotes I gathered through 2010. There are probably many others, I'll add it if it pops up in my head again. If we have a common friend and you think I missed something that he/she said, you're welcome to add it in the comments section.

I say nothing of these friends of mine who were quoted to say these words, I don't hope to change them with what I said about their words. They're old enough to know what they said and why they said it, 

Again, I wrote for the sake of writing and entertainment. If you can't deal with that and are too affected with what has been said, well, I can't do anything about that. Besides, if you know you're one of the people mentioned, you probably know the kind of person that I am, and that I'm just being me. 

...Random Rants...

I haven't been able to write for some time, so I write another lengthy blog (which I always do anyway) about nothing in particular. Read on, sad, bored reader who has nothing else to read on the net and nothing better to do. I appreciate you taking some precious time off your idle time to try to read my blog. =) 

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So I've been here for more than a month now. So far, I haven't sold anything. A sales rep that can't sell.

Sheesh.

Not even 6months, and I'm already turning my alarm off at 6am, only to start moving to go to work at 6:30. I don't have that perkiness and excitement of getting up for a brand new day for my brand new work.

I got myself to make an excel file of all my customers. It helps to let me see how many people I've been bugging. It doesn't to see that of those people that I've bugged, I am nowhere near a sale. Those that I haven't yet, don't want to be bugged.

As a guy who hates sales people bugging me about what they sell, I want to try to not be as irritating as I find them sales people. I try to call on intervals of at least a week so as not to be so pesky, but consistent enough to be remembered.

I told Che that I am not going to book any flights as long as I haven't sold anything yet. That's a pretty tall order, really. And it doesn't look like we're going to be booking something somewhere anytime soon. 

Consider the stages I have to go through in order to sell something:

First, I must find the person who would talk to me about projects. That's difficult, especially if they're total strangers.

Second, the fragrances that I sell must be liked by those who are in charge, which isn't always that person who I got to talk to about projects. 

Third, the oils must be stable if mixed with their chemicals on whatever product they're applying it to. 

Fourth, if everything goes well and I reach this stage, they're going to test it on consumers, to see the potential.

After all those, we have to agree on a price. THEN I have a sale. Those stuff don't happen in a week or a month. They happen in at least 2 months. At the fucking least. 

I'm a bit worried and feeling unaccomplished, really. But not so worried for me to quit. I'll soldier on, hoping to reach my targets next year if I don't sell anything this year. I'm slowly gaining the confidence of talking to people through phone again. A little more time, and I'll probably stop stuttering.

And probably get my call-center pace back. Then the swagger comes. Argh. I wish I can live up to my salary soon.

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As much as I think I'm well-balanced as a person, There are times when I feel I'm going to snap. I always step in the middle of a parental dispute (if no such term exists, I'll copyright that) to mediate. Always. But there are times that I feel I can't do anything about it. Sure, I'll be able to pacify the both of them, but only until a certain time.

There's a side of me that tells me that I'm not unaffected by all those screaming and cursing. I'm not fragile by any means, but sometimes, I wish I were so that I'd break, and they'd think about me rather than think about those not here.

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Everybody's raving about the half-billion Lotto jackpot. Everybody's thinking of how to spend the money even though they haven't won yet. 

I am admittedly one of them. I'm not so desperate that I'd line up. I only bet if fate calls me (read: pag walang pila). 

Hopefully, this administration will not do what the past administration did to those big jackpot prizes (say that there are 8 people who got the numbers. C'mon. Weeks and weeks that no one won, and then this one week where 8 people shared the same numbers? Come on.), where only one person always won *ehem* FG *ehem*. 

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Speaking of this administration, I'm sickened. I voted for change, for hope, for a symbol that personifies both. I believed. And then all these. 

The communications group was a good idea that performs better as an idea than an actual office. 

The hostage crisis where for a few hours, our president was some dude named Isko Moreno. 

Handpicked Secretary for I don't even care anymore, Dinky Soliman asked for some hundred billion Pesos to give out 500 pesos in cash directly to the poor Filipino people. And the freakin motion was approved. How the hell are our poor Filipino compatriots, useless as they may be? Did their lifestyle improve? 

 

I do not regret voting him as the president, because at the time I made my decision, he exuded the qualities I wanted in my president. I can't say we should be in better shape if another presidential aspirant won last May. No one can prove that. We can only speculate.

Manny Villar is a wise man. He admitted defeat despite his massive spending to save face. Now, some people might actually think that he could've done a better job as president had he won. His ideas remain concepts, and not actual, concrete actions, so they remain as good ideas that could probably save the country if they were actualized. 

Same goes for Gibo. I do not doubt his capacity, but I do not trust his judgement in political alliances. 

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Some words I find difficult to spell without the constant help of spell check:

friend, bureau, league, believe. 

Yes, I apparently have a problem with "ie/ei". =|

...Of Old People and the Great Singapore Exodus

My grandmothers are more than 80 years old. My grandfathers died in the early 90's and I regretfully wasn't able to know them too well. As years go by, they grow older and weaker, and at times, I wonder if I want to grow that old to do what they do.

On the Lozada side of things, my Lola's favorite hobby is looking for people's faults. She'd call you, scold you for being worthless as a kid for about 30 minutes, then abruptly puts the phone down. She also has a habit of making you hear all her self-pitying. She'd ask you to bet on the lottery, pull out her wallet, look for change, and say that that's the money she uses to buy her medicines, which she'd rather spend on a lotto ticket because "her kids don't give her money anyway, so might as well sustain her life by trying to win big money to buy her own medicine". It gets worse. It's almost funny sometimes that there was one time my aunt actually called her bluff and let her ride a cab on her own.

On the Coo side of things, my Amah has a convenient room that my uncle built for her: cable TV, a nice comfort room right beside it, and an altar for my grandfather. Yet she maintains that her kids "threw" her there like it was some kind of trash bin or something. Every single time that you see her, she'd cry as if she's been convicted of some crime and then let go by the authorities. She spends her time calling my mom or whoever she can call, and then she reports stuff that no one really cares about or shouldn't care about (i.e. what time I got to the office, house help sleeping while there's no one at home) or playing solitaire. I find it difficult to talk to my Amah about stuff. I barely understand her (she speaks broken Tagalog, as she's a pure Chinese), and sometimes she asks too many questions.

Then I realized, what else do I want them to do at their age? Honestly, some of their friends are probably not with us anymore, so they can't hang out with friends. They're too weak to walk for long hours, so shopping's out. They spend time calling us up, asking for stuff we'd rather not share because we're too busy doing work or something, or if it's our rest day, de-stressing and wouldn't want to be stressed out by their rants. I don't know whether to pity them or get irritated by their constant calls.

It got me thinking, do I really want to grow THAT old? Staying longer on this Earth than any of my friends, being too weak for my family to take me places, and becoming overly interested in minding other people's business.

Then again, back then, our grandparents didn't have all these gaming consoles that I enjoy now as a kid. I know these may probably go obsolete real fast (I remember the time when that handheld Sega console was the most advanced console I've ever come across), but really, would these consoles change so drastically in the future that I won't enjoy it by myself? Maybe, just maybe, I'd grow old to be a cool lolo my kids and grandkids won't have to worry about, and just leave home alone; I just need a kick-ass TV and a nice console, and play my "classic" sports games. =)

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Everyone's leaving for Singapore. It's the new land of opportunity for us Filipinos, less the distance of half a world. It's difficult to make it big here in the Philippines. But working abroad can help one save up faster than any Filipino working locally can.

My sister's already in Singapore, a close friend decided to try her luck, and a few others are planning, if not already booked, for their own exodus. It saddens me to know that they wouldn't be just a single text message away from me, but I understand that they're just grabbing an opportunity to build a better future for themselves.

As for me, it never crossed my mind. I took up Computers as a major elective in Don Bosco, but decided against pursuing related courses in college because I know that I must go abroad to earn money in that field. I decided to take up Philosophy, because I really wanted to pursue Law, to become a politician, and try to make the Philippines a better place, so that people wouldn't want to bolt out the first chance that they get. Then I became disenchanted with all the politics in the country. I figured, I have to work within the system to beat it. But in the process, I become something that I loathe. So I stopped studying after my undergraduate Philosophy degree.

Obviously, it was difficult to find good work with my major being shrugged off by HR people. I got into a call center job with a GY schedule, an online English tutor for Koreans, and landed a pseudo-marketing gig at a multinational company with the help of my uncle. For the longest time, though, it felt as if my life would be stuck in mediocrity (the marketing gig didn't end up with a permanent post, what with regional direction and stuff). I couldn't find work I'd like to do or would accept me for what I took up, until finally, I decided to suck up whatever hesitation I may have working for a relative, and accepted my uncle's offer to work as a sales executive for his company.

It's my second week on the job. They're still pacing me, before being directly thrown into the fire. I'm still excited. I want to do this. It sucks that it's a 6-day work week and at 8am to 5pm at that, but somehow, I want to succeed in this job so bad to prove to people that I can. That staying here was a good idea, that leaving the country and being away with family and friends is the only way to go and earn good money.

(I'll edit when I have time.=P)