the dream is over: SONICS watch finale

and so it goes... the dream of seeing the SONICS as the 2005 NBA champions ends with a heartbreaking 98-96 home loss to the San Antonio SPURS, thanks to a last-second shot by Tim Duncan. I wasn't able to watch it since i was at school for our baccalaureate (did i get the spelling right?) mass. Anyway, it was a hard-fought series, with the Spurs favored heavily. Despite injuries to key players (as I mentioned in previous posts), it wasn't a lopsided affair like many people thought. Who knows what could've been had Radmanovic and Lewis been healthy? Oh well. There's always next season.

Ah... next season. It's really premature talking about next season, when the current one isn't over yet. (Of the remaining contenders left, I'm rooting for the SPURS in the west and the HEAT in the east) This off-season looks to be a pretty interesting one for my team, given that they have 9 (!!) players expected to become free-agents, including top-scorer Ray Allen, coach Nate McMillan and other key reserves. Here's hoping they maintain a good core and are able to add a few solid pieces to remain competitive.

Artemis Fowl

oh... no biggie. just a pleasant surprise. i had dinner earlier this evening with my parents and sister at Greenbelt. While waiting for our food, ate K and i decided to look around over at Tower Records and Powerbooks, being the music and reading buffs we are. In particular, i was looking for The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (a Pulitzer prize winning novel... about comic books, among others!) by Michael Chabon since it the store had no stock a few weeks ago. As i was browsing the new books section, leafing through a Roald Dahl compilation, something very unexpected caught my eye... A new Artemis Fowl book! Yay! needless to say, i snapped it up.
i couldn't wait to get home and start reading my books, both of which i'd better finish soon. i HAVE to (seriously) start studying for the boards soon...

SONICS watch, etc.

i was going to write last monday, after the SONICS (yup, i insist on highlighting) evened up the series against San Antonio. However, i missed the game and only read about it on the net how my team played a good game, the absense of their 2nd & 3rd leading scorers notwithstanding. This was the second game (in a row) in this series that i missed and the second (in a row!) that my team won. hmm, go figure...!

(would the "streak" continue?)

today, game 5 of the series was played in San Antonio. the SONICS came out flat in the first quarter but managed to even it out come halftime. (yeah!) entering the second half, the hope was there that we could pull this off. however, in an almost eerily fashion, the second half started like the first as the SONICS missed about seven of their first 8 shots. It was pretty much catch-up basketball from that point onwards and my team fell short. no thanks to the brilliance of that sweet-shooting, hardworking, Argentinian SOUTHPAW Spur Manu Ginobili. i mean, 39 points on 10-15 FG shooting, plus all the little (BIG!) things that matter such as passing and defense! darn...! he's the difference maker in San Antonio right now, no question!

Still, the series is not over. Not by a longshot! My SONICS have shown that they've got what it takes to hang with these mighty tough Spurs. All it takes is a commited defense, solid rebounding and a balanced attack, which i know my team can put together.

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this past weekend, i went to Engkanto Kingdom after, oh... 5 years; my first visit since i started med school. i wasn't too keen on going initially since i knew there was no real new addition since the park opened almost 10 years ago. still, the tickets were FREE and you don't pass up on such things. (a song comes to mind...) plus, i got to spend time with my cousins, whom i get to see rarely, if at all. pucha! ang lalaki na nila! napag-iwanan na talaga ako! hehe! pero ok na rin, nakakaaliw, being able to relate to them in a more mature level. not just kiddie games, but sports... not just toys, but, um, girls (bad example? hehe) AND school AND other less "juvenile" things.


(me and my bro...)


(with raffy. i like this picture despite the distortion...)


(goofing around with Patty, near the merry-go-round)

(fire in the hole! with Chip, Miggy and Raffy. hmm, i've got that face on again... what the?)

these were (obviously) taken at night, just before we went home. Didn't get to experience all of the rides since it was late afternoon when we arrived but we got to ride the Anchors, Log Jam, play Paintball and "bully" a few kids in the bump cars, hehe. (KIDDING, of course!)

SONICS watch

yeah! finally, my SONICS won a hard-fought one, 92-91! i didn't get to watch it but i was definitely there in spirit. here's hoping Rashard "he-really-needs-a-nickname" Lewis recuperates from his sprained toe. when i read this at NBA.com, i was thinking "what the heck?! how do you sprain a TOE?" hehe. guess that just means these athletes subject their body to so much stress that not even a toe is spared...

catching Z's... :) 

view from the hammock 

Today is...

...May 11, 2005.

in a parallel universe, i would be writing this:
"whew! i know, i know! i've been ignoring my blogging duties. it's been a hectic week since i finished internship and today's the first day i've been home since April 30! since May 1, i've been to Calatagan (thanks to Ants in the Pants!), soaking in the sun and basking in the amazing company of friends... participated in a sumptuous feast in Malolos, Bulacan (thanks to my funny- looking brod, hehe) before driving off to Pagudpod and spending 3 idyllic days there, killing time, enjoying the waves, partying like there's no tomorrow... spent time with brods & sisses (both resident & alums) in Dagupan before going back to Manila... stopping-over at Tinggy's for his birthday, practically getting wasted, knowing full well that the following day, it's off to Sagada, then Galera, then Anilao...!"

(um, even in a parallel universe, that wouldn't have been possible, what the last line said. 3 days, all those places??! hehe.)

in reality? yup, i did go to Calatagan; ate at FLK's in Malolos; celebrated Tinggy's day... that's about it. i DIDN'T get to go to Dagupan (damn Pajero!!! itapon na nga yang auto na yan!!), much less Sagada, Anilao AND/OR Galera. i just spent the past 2 days here at home, watching the NBA playoffs, reading tw7sted, doing crossword puzzles, writing & drawing. sayang nga lang, ok sana mag-travel, pero as far as summer bummin' goes? i'm doing quite well. :)

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i wonder about the selection process of the NBA MVP. true, it's long been a debate as to what qualifies a player to be named as such. dapat ba talagang BEST player, stats-wise o more of yung VALUE talaga sa team? this year, i guess Steve Nash "won" over Shaq because of his value to the Suns, given their 33-game turnaround from last year and their record this season during stretches where Nash was injured. given that argument, shouldn't Jason Kidd have won the award, over Tim Duncan, during his 1st year with the New Jersey Nets? la lang. Kidd is also definitely a better player than Nash, on both ends of the court... just a thought. Congratulations to Steve Nash just the same.

still on ballin'... my SONICS are down 2-0 to the awesome SPURS. darn. :(