On Deck: My Gilas Pilipinas 4.0

BAKIT?

PUSO.

For the second straight FIBA Asia Championship, the Philippines has finished second. That is impressive, really it is, even if we again fell short of our ultimate goal. For perspective, before these back-to-back silver finishes, our last podium finish was way back in 1985 when we won the gold. Between 1985 and 2015, our highest finishes were 4th (1987), 4th (2011 - Gilas 1.0), and 2nd (2013 - Gilas 2.0). So at the very least, we can say that the Philippines is competitive again and is back as one of the beasts of Asia. I can firmly say that we are (at least) the 3rd best team in Asia, probably closing in on Iran as the 2nd best.

That being said, I refuse to say that we won the silver medal because what happened was we lost the gold. Eyes on the prize all the time! As a friend put it, "Di naman sa maangas tayo, pero nakakasawa na ang silver at bronze. Kaya naman kasi kung tutuusin eh."

I honestly feel we are on the cusp of the next golden age of PH-International Basketball. The national team program is revived (and hopefully keeps on getting stronger), public awareness and engagement has been on an all-time high compared to years passed, and the skills of our players are on the uprise. 

With the Olympic Qualifiers as well as future FIBA Asia tournaments coming up, I will talk about my ideal Gilas Pilipinas 4.0 line up in this post. I'm sure that all of you have your own ideas, so you are welcome to both agree and disagree. But before going to the line-up, let's state the assumptions for this line up.

Bus Window Reflections 09/17/15: On The Road

Well, guess who's back?

First of all, I'd like to say sorry for not updating this blog for AGES! Been busy lately with a lot of stuff. Career, school, you know, the stuff. Anyway, here's a quick BWR post. Here's hoping I could make posting here a lot more frequent in the future.

1.) Double-Decker Bus! So I've read this article, and while I have yet to process it, I was left thinking, "Hey, why haven't this suggestion gained much traction?" I know there is probably some negatives to it that I have yet to see, so kindly point it out it the comments. But I do think it is a good idea. No, it won't solve the traffic problems of the metro on its own, but it would help. I likewise think decongestion of the metro, strict implementation of rules, and a better transit system are steps toward the right direction.

And look, we've had double-decker busses in the past!

2.) So Sen. Grace Poe announced her plans for the 2016 Presidential Election. I have yet to read (see, told you I'm busy) the whole speech, but what I remembered was her saying something to the effect of "Walang monopolyo ang sinuman sa Tuwid na Daan."

While I'm not yet decided on who to vote for in 2016, and while I'm not exactly a supporter of the "Tuwid na Daan" (the program, not the idea. Who doesn't want a corrupt free society?), I agree with Sen. Poe. I dislike it when one person or group of persons think that they are the only good people; that they are the only possible solution and that what everyone else is doing is detrimental to the society. Sure, go ahead and think you are better, but not to the point of discrediting others. This is very rampant in the politics in our country today. I mean, when have you seen a new president continue a project of their predecessor, even if said project is good and working?

What that tells me is that they are much more concern for themselves than their constituents.

3.) So, I was originally planning to put this next idea up as a post on its own, but I don't know if I can. Instead, let me go on and say it here. A part of me wants to experience how to be a Radio DJ. Then I'd have a segment called:

(a) 90 of 90s - 90 minutes of the best of the 90s
(b) Radioke - where we would be playing the songs we often here during videoke sessions
(c) Silver Screen Sounds - tracks from motion pictures, with trivias about the movies
(d) a yet unnamed OPM segment - pure OPM goodness. To add value, we'd talk about trivias and stuff about OPM songs, artists, albums, etc. If I were a big time Radio DJ, I'd even invite OPM artists as guests once a week. Two weeks dedicated for those that have made it already, then another two weeks for those on the rise.


4.) I am somewhat fond of making jersey designs. Here is a sample of one of my designs for our agency's basketball team.

Yes, yes, I know. I won't be designing for any pro team soon, but I just like doing stuff like that. Shows my love for the sport, I guess.


...and to end this post, holy crap can you believe that it is already just 99 days to go until Christmas? It doesn't feel like 265 days have passed since last years Christmas (and likewise, we are already halfway pass September. Time really does fly). So since the Christmas season is upon us, or I guess started since we Filipinos do celebrate four months of Christmas, I'd be leaving you with a part of the song Fruitcake by my favorite band, The Eraserheads. Let me say that these lines are just perfect.

"It's the season for being happy,

but the reason is dead and gone

if the reason for being happy,

takes a backseat when the season is done."

Thinking Out Loud: Five, five, and Twenty.

" Remember the Kuroda Equation:

5 starts when everything works

5 starts when nothing works

20 starts where it is up to you."

    The above so-called Kuroda Equation refers to starts by pitchers in baseball. Basically, it says that there would be games where you have your best stuff and the opponents have no chance and they just need to tip their hat to you, then there would be games when nothing works for you, and then the rest of the games where you have to figure out what you have and don't have, and work with that knowledge. 

   Translating it to real life, there would be days when you feel like you are on the top of the world, and then there would be days where you feel like the whole world is shitting on you. But, and this is the important part, majority of the days would depend on you (hence, 5-5-20). Will you be a winner today or a loser? Will you be happy or sad? Successful or not? 

   It all depends on you. Because while there might be good or bad days brought upon by external factors, like luck, coincidence, and the like, a big chunk of your days success rests upon your shoulders.

   So, will you be a winner or a loser today? The choice is up to you.

On Deck: 1st round's Coming Up!

It's that time of the year once again. 

Eighty two games are done, and we've seen break out performances, disappointing seasons, unfortunate injuries, eye popping stats, and all kind of wacky things. Now it's time for things to get more serious. 

Each NBA's team goal is to win the NBA championship (except maybe if you are the 76ers). And now for the next couple of weeks, the whole world would be focused on the last sixteen teams standing. As of yesterday, the playoff match ups were finalized, as seen below:

Let's look at each of the match ups, starting with the Western Conference, and then I'll give my thoughts and who I think would advance to the second round. Let's get it on!

Bus Window Reflections 04/13/14: Burn Baby Burn

And I'm back! Pardon my two-or-so-weeks hiatus, things got a little busy in the non-blog world. Now that I'm back, let's kick this off with a little BWR!

1.) First off, let's get this out of the way early on, the heat is UNBEARABLE. It's not just uncomfortable heat, it's heat that feels like it is sapping away your energy, draining away every last bit of enthusiasm in your body. I hate this kind of heat. It's not good. No, no, no, it's not.

2.) That being said, a little bit of sun didn't hurt anyone. So once this heat becomes more manageable, well, I'll let Sandwich tell you what I want to do:

3.) Speaking of beach, time to get a beach body eh? I'm not overly fat or anything like that, in fact, my BMI says that i'm within the normal range, but still, that won't stop me from being more physically fit. It's not like I need to have abs or a sculpted body, I just need to get rid of this excess fat in my belly. GO AWAY FATS!

4.) Been catching up with some friends over the past couple of days, and a lot of those talks (and this was unintentional) included a bit about relationships and time management. I think I will write a TOL post about this in the near future, but just a quick preview: I read a study a few years ago that says that when someone gets into a relationship, it is guaranteed that they "lose" a few friends. The bottom line? Time is a limited resource, and we must learn to understand that.

5.) I'm a big fan of the series Scrubs. It played back in the mid to late 2000s, and if you can find a way to watch it, go! It has my highest recommendations. Anyway, one of the things I loved the most about that series is that it has a lot of great quotes. So many in fact, that I forgot even some of the best! So I'll end this one with a quote from Scrubs, by a character named Dr. Bob Kelso:

"If there is one thing I have learned it is that you can’t schedule love."

Rewind: Girl Power!

Good day everyone, and welcome to yet again another edition of Rewind, where we talk about music and everything related to it!

As you may have noticed, I love OPM so much. Most of my musical influences comes from OPM. And just a few days ago, I came up with a hypothetical album and today, we make another one. Last time we dealt with numbers in song titles, this time, we go with the sweet sweet voice of our lovely OPM ladies.

Don't get the wrong idea though, these ladies can rock some serious tunes! So just like before, let's set some ground rules:

1.) There should only be a minimum of eight (8) songs and a maximum of 16 songs in this album.
2.) To have a diverse album, each artist can only have a maximum of three (3) songs in this album.
3.) Only one version of each song could be included in the album.
4.) The lead singer should be a female. If she has a male co-lead singer, or the song featured a male artist, that is fine.

So now that we have got that out of the way, let's start the fun!

As usual, it all begins after the jump.

Bus Window Reflections 03/25/15: Medal and Honor

A few days without any entries, been a bit busier due to work and school, but everything's cool now. :)

And unto random stuff!

1.) Probably everyone now knows about this now infamous graduation speech, and everyone has given their two cents about it. I have done the same as well in Facebook, saying "props to the girl for standing up", "the school approached it the wrong way", and more. Now some more thoughts about that in rapid fire mode. Go!

- I wonder what the Valedictorian is feeling now. Oh look they've interviewed her too.
- Come to think of it, we really don't know if she (the Salutatorian) was telling the truth or if she was merely being bitter. What if she was just saying all of that because she wants to be the Valedictorian, will all of those that reacted react the same way?
- The school has now come out and said their side, I bet we give this until next week before everyone moves to the next hot topic.
- I know honor and medals and stuff is something that we all like specially if we think we deserve it, but woah there girl, there is more to life than these medals.


2.) It's graduation season and one of my youngest cousins said "Hay sa wakas natapos na rin sa pag-aaral", and in my mind I was like, "Oh you're just getting started."


3.) I've got a lot or Rewind entries the past few days, and when I looked at my articles for posting, guess what, a lot more Rewind posts! It's just that much easier to talk about music, right?

4.) Holy sh!t! Time flies so fast. By next week it would be April already and 3 months of 2015 is history!

5.) Finally, I got to watch this particular video again. It's all about Honor and Excellence. You know that video. Just go. Watch it. Now.

Bookmark: Samahang Walang Kapantay

So I decided to write a poem on the fly, let's see how this goes.

May isang samahan akong nakilala

Nagdala ng kasiyahang di inakala

Walang kapantay, walang kawangis

Ibang iba talaga, walang kasing bangis

  

Dahil sayo kay daming nakilalang tao

Mga taong magtatagal wari ko

Iba iba man ang aming mga pagkatao at ugali

Makasama sila'y kailanma'y di pagkakamali

 

Mga kaibigan, kapamilya, at kabarkada

Yung mga tipong isasama mo sa Sagada

May mga mas bata at mga mas matatanda

Still we make good music, parang banda

 

Tanda mo yung mga ate at kuya sa MK

Yes, yung mga walang kasing okay

Sila yung naggabay sa akin nung bago ako

May mga payo na ayos at merong ding mga loko

         
 

Tapos nandyan yung mga kabatch, mga kasabayan

Nung una tahimik, then eventually kasama na sa tagayan.

Ang dami kong natutunan sa kanila, di man halata

Sabay sabay kaming lumaki, parang magkakabata

 

And then dumating na yung mga mas bata sakin

Sa kulit and galing, they are certainly not lacking

I wanted to be an awesome mentor para sa kanila

Eh sa kanila pa ako matututo ng marami pala

  

 

Sino sino nga ba sila, maaring tanong nyo yan

Syempre kasama dyan yung mga ser, rekta na yan

Tas included syempre yung sa execomm ay nakasama

And of course yung gatas na batch,closeness ay damang dama

  

May panahon na ako'y lumayo, tila nawala

Ito ay kailangan, iyon ang aking inakala

Para lumaki at matuto, tama din naman

Pero sa dulo, mahalaga pa rin ang samahan

 

Kaya ito nagbabalik bago mahuli ang lahat

Sa pagbalik, panibagong ako'y buhat buhat

Pero di naman masyadong nagbago, nagimprove lang baga

Mas magiging mabuting kaibigan at mentor, sa bato iya'y itaga

  

At ngayo'y may mga panibagong kaibigan muli

They seem to be a great batch, to tell you trully

Nawa'y makilala pa lalo at maging kalapit

Tulad ng mga nauna nang kaibigang mga walang kapalit

  

 

 

Mahigit isa ng dekada na ito'y nasa aking buhay

Dala nila sa akin ay walang humpay na ayahay

Para sa inyong lahat, alay ang tulang ito

Tingnan nga natin kung paano ko kayo mababanggit dito

 

Ilang years na kitang kilala, ngayon magthithirty ka na

Sobrang daming kaibigan, family ng maituturing pa nga

Di kita makakalimutan, I absolutely have no reason why

Now and forever, aim high fly high, UP Tangway

Rewind: The Numbers Game

Bakit numbers?

I was browsing our OPM CD collections and I saw a couple of compilation albums and I thought to myself, "What could be a unique idea for a themed OPM compilation album?" And then it hit me:

Numbers.

That's right, let's make a hypothetical compilation album comprised of songs with numbers in their title. But before we get going, let's set some ground rules in selecting the songs first.

1.) The official title should have a numeral in it (e.g. 1,2,3) and not words (e.g. one, two, three)
2.) Only one version of the song could be included in the list (e.g. We have Bakit Pt.2, Bakit Pt.2 (acoustic), and Bakit Pt. 2 (2014). Only one of those three could be included.)
3.) Songs that have alternate versions whose title has a number on it is included (e.g. Mata and Mata 2) but not if the number added is a year (e.g. Jopay and Jopay (2014))

So, let's begin! The fun starts after the jump!

From The Vault: True Friends

I absolutely have lost context about what they/we are referring to in here, but still, cool. :)

Rewind: An 8-Track Beauty

Good day everyone and welcome to another edition of Rewind! In this edition of Rewind, we will look at the most recent album of one of my favorite OPM bands, Silent Sanctuary. That's right, ladies and folks, we will be doing an album review of Silent Sanctuary's Monodramatic!

The Album:

Artist: Silent Sanctuary
Year Released: 2013
Track List:

1. Bumalik Ka Na Sa’kin  
2. Meron Nang Iba 
3. Abot Langit 
4. Sama-Sama 
5. Masanay Ka Muna 
6. Sa’yo 
7. Sa’yo (Orchestral Version) *Bonus Track 
8. Meron Nang Iba *Bonus Track

Monodramatic is the latest Silent Sanctuary album, being the fourth studio album that the band released. It includes songs that experienced commercial success in Bumalik Ka Na Sa'kin and Sayo, among others. This is the third album that the band released under their current line-up, following the release of Mistaken for Granted in 2009, finally ending a four year wait for the fans of the band, and of OPM in general.


The Eargasms (a.k.a. The Good Stuff)

All songs in the album are quality songs. True to vintage Silent Sanctuary fashion, most of the songs talk about hearth aches and other matters of the heart, both in upbeat songs and in slow dramatic songs. I also liked that somehow, it felt like the album has one central theme, that being relationships and distances.

Now let's talk about the individual songs, well, at least some of them. Let's start with arguably the most recognizable song in the album, Bumalik Ka Na Sa'kin.

Let me start this off with how the song started, those drum beats. I absolutely love that part. And that part alone already made me like this song. An upbeat song about two lovers who seemingly had a disagreement, and now the man is wooing her back. Who hasn't been in such a similar situation?

Next on, Sa'yo.

Contrary to Bumalik Ka Na Sa'kin, Sa'yo is a much much MUCH more mellow song, in both versions if I may add, chronicling the unclear status between two people. Again, who have not been or at least seen such a situation? Silent Sanctuary at their best, ladies and gentlemen.


The Nails-on-the-Chalkboard (a.k.a. The Not-So-Good Stuff)

I've said this before, and I've said it a lot, but really, just eight tracks? I mean, I love Silent Sanctuary, but a full track album with just eight tracks, with two of them being 'bonus' tracks as they are alternate versions of songs already in the same album. I had EPs before that were 5-6 songs longs, and now we get an eight-song-album (but I still bought the original copy of the album, so I guess it ain't that much of a factor).

Then again, if you are just going to have 6/8 songs in your album, better make sure that all of them are quality songs. And in my opinion, Silent Sanctuary did just that.


Coda (a.k.a. Conclusion)

Eight tracks or not, Silent Sanctuary has yet again churned another solid, if not better than solid, album in Monodramatic. While the second album (Fushiang Pag-ibig) still remains as my favorite Silent Sanctuary album, Monodramatic is slowly going up my all-time favorite chart. Heck, I think it's such a strong album that all of the songs in it are good songs, i.e. walang patapon. It would be an album that you could just play while on a drive and not worry about skipping any tracks. All in all, in my own unprofessional verdict, I give it four out of five cassette tapes!

Guys, let's keep supporting OPM!

Sporks Up! If Sugar Could Talk

   Hello everyone and welcome to Sporks Up! Sporks Up is the brand new line of entries here at The Bakit List wherein we would talk about, you guessed it, sporks!- - -no, wait, that should be- - - we would talk about food! Just a disclaimer though, I am no food expert, nor did I finish any culinary related courses. I do however, love food, both eating AND actually cooking food. So while I may not be the most qualified person to talk about food, I am not entirely clueless about it either! 

   For our inaugural entry, we'd talk about a brand new food location that's creating buzz online! Get your sweet tooth ready as we talk about SugarTalk!

Bus Window Reflections 03/19/15: Hope, Destiny, Pain and Love

An early one today, so let's get this one out of the way!

1.) First off, prayers to Arwind, his mom, and their whole family. In case you missed it, Arwind’s mom fainted during last night’s PBA game. I don’t know the family personally, nor am I one of Arwind’s biggest fans, but still, you just can’t help but feel for the guy. I just can’t imagine what was going through his mind at that moment. Before following his mom to the hospital, Arwind still managed to play for a couple of minutes, but it was obvious that he is bothered. Not that you can’t blame him, I don’t think anyone can do anything else at that situation, let alone play a competitive game of basketball. As I always say, family first. I do hope this is nothing serious.


2.) In connection to the point above, boy did I feel uncomfortable watching that game last night. Sure, TNT smacking around SMB on a must win game did not help, but after the incident with Arwind’s mom, I just felt blank. Usually I’m frustrated when my team is losing (and they are losing BAD, in a MUST WIN game. I should be furious!), but last night was different. It felt like the wind was knocked out of me. Even at moments where the team looks like they are going to make a run, nothing. I couldn’t even smile. It’s like I didn’t care about the results of the game! It even felt like some, if not most of Arwind’s teammates felt the same. Sure some may spout stuff about being mentally tough, but this is family and health we are talking about. What I was feeling is not even a fraction of what Arwind might have been feeling. Again, a reminder that there are some things that we are just more important than others.


3.) On a lighter note, the 2019 FIBA World Cup would be held in Asia, with the last two finalists being China and the Philippines! While the logistical advantage is with China, there are some factors that are in favor of the Philippines. But heck, it would be beyond awesome if we get to host it. Aside from getting the automatic berth in the tournament, it would be cool to see the very best playing in Philippine soil. Sure, some of the older players now, like Pau Gasol, might not be playing by 2019 (which is still FOUR years away). Heck, even some of the best of the USA like LeBron and Carmelo might not play in it (not that they play at the FIBA tournaments a lot), but I think we still get to see awesome talents like Anthony Davis and Steph Curry. Oh how I hope we pull this one out.

4.) While waiting for the bus earlier today, a pair of guys in a motorcycle stopped near me to ask for directions. A song was blaring out of the motorcycle of this two huge guys. The song? This song.

And it was playing this part at that moment: "Bat di pa sabihin, ang hindi mo maamin? Ipauubaya na lang ba ito sa hangin?".

A lot of people hold back what they want to say because of various reasons, and I understand that. People most of the time wants to have the perfect opportunity to say whatever they want to say. But just food for thought: Sometimes, we ourselves need to make the opportunity the perfect opportunity, otherwise, there'd be no progress.


5.)  “Kaya masakit pa kasimahal mo pa”. I heard this line while my parents were watching Forevermore. While I do agree with the premise of the statement, I think most of those who heard the line (and reacted online) thought that the statement likewise implies that if it doesn’t hurt anymore, then you don’t love the person anymore, to which I disagree. If it hurts, then yes most likely you still love them, but it doesn’t necessarily follow that if it doesn’t hurt anymore that we don’t love them anymore. It could be just because we have accepted whatever has happened, that despite us still loving them, we have just made peace with the situation, and thus, it doesn’t hurt anymore. It has stopped hurting you, but you still love them. See, love is such a wonderful thing, even after all the pain.

..and I wouldn't pass up the chance for a OMC reference! 

“I guess in the end, things seldom work out the way you expect. 

Sometimes, fate is on your side, other times, well, you’ve kind of sealed your own fate. 

Either way you have to trust that whatever’s supposed to happen, will happen.”