STI College Davao Dancers : HELLO WORLD

I am quite lucky because our STI Convention is a nationwide event which makes me meet lots of people. This year one of my favorite intermission numbers happened during the convention at the CAP Auditorium in Davao City. I am quite amazed at the way these guys danced their hearts out and made us laugh. Hope you also like it.

A safe journey to the Man from Manila

When I was a kid I tried so hard to become a song writer but unfortunately I really had a hard time coming out with nice songs. Eventually I came out with some songs that in a way were okay and some friends loved it, unfortunately it wasn't the traditional ballads that I got to write, it was a rap music. To others its harder doing rap songs since its lyrics usually end in rhymes, but for me I usually need something to perk me up or someone influential to pattern my songs. My influences came from the Sugar Hill Gang who made the first rap song Rappers Delight and the other was a Francis Magalona.

I really loved his songs namely Cold Summer Nights, Mga Kababayan, Meron Akong Kwento, Man from Manila and Kaleidescope World which is somewhat pleasant to the ears.  My only regret is that I wasnt able to meet the man from Manila. May your journey be safe and do remember that your memory will live on!

Slumdog Millionaire - 2008 Best Picture

I finally got to download and watch the Best Picture that was voted by the American Academy Awards or Oscars for the year 2008. I loved the movie and the first thing that got into my mind was that First Love never Dies! When you get to see a lot of movies you tend to remember that a lot of people are driven by the most important thing in this world - Love. The movie tends to make me remember three favorite movies of mine that 1994 Best Picture Forrest Gump, 1997 Best Picture Titanic and 2001 Best PIcture Nominee Moulin Rouge.

Titanic for one was simply a love story set in a tragedy in 1911 and narrated by the lead actress Rose played by Kate Winslet. Forrest Gump was moved by Forrest's love for Jenny that he wrote Jenny everyday who eventually fell in love with him. The Moulin Rouge's theme evolved around the saying that "The Greatest thing that you will ever learn is to love and be loved in return!" Jamaal Malik, Salim and Gatika were three souls living in the slums of Mumbai in India, scavengers by birth the three kids journey is the main focus of the story with Jamaal falling in love with Latika and like a true romantic, his love for Latika never died as witnessed in the movie.

The most interesting part of the story is when Jamaal was able to join the hit television series "Who wants to be a Millionaire!" Growing up in the slums in India and with no education in hand, Jamaal was charged with cheating since he was able to answer the hard questions leading to 2.5 Million Rupees. WHile he was being interrogated he was able to explain to the authorities the reason for the answers he has given and the story behind all those answers.

In the end, it was all for his love for Latika that triggered all the events leading to his win in the TV show. The movie although gory at the start grows on you and you can just see how the living conditions in India looks far more worse than here in the Philippines. The Indian culture and the way the gangs operate are so depressing that I myself would like to kill the villain. Kids from the slums eventually grow up to become criminals after getting through rough times which makes them stealing and killing just common when they become adults.

If you enjoy movies that are narrated by the lead actor and you are a romantic at heart then this is the movie for you. The movie also deserves my nod as Best Picture.

STI Basketball Finals: Balagtas vs. DLS-STI

The magic number in the 9th staging of the STI Basketball showdown is the number 8. Who will be the only team that will have an 8 game winning streak? STI College Balagtas swept the eliminations with seven straight wins and are raring to get the most important win of the tournament, their 8th.  On the other hand, after losing two straight games at the start of the tournament, the four time defending champion DLS-STI team has recharged and has since won 7 straight including two knock out matches against STI COllege Global City and STI College Quezon Avenue.  

A new coach and a new team, this is what the DLS-STI team is all about, although they are the defending champions their team is a bit more different than the previous four teams that won the title since this one has a lot of new faces than old ones. The team anchors around its center and  MVP candidate Archie Olmedo. Olmedo showed his worth specially in the three crucial games of the  DLS-STI wherein he averaged 28 points in leading the DLS-STI team to the finals.  Backing him up is the sweet shooting Christian Tan who fired four triples in their win agains STI College QA.  Their team game makes lots of players score 6-8 points with Olmedo leading the way. Ulysses Casio, Ivan Galang and Mark Gochingco are players to watch specially during crunch time.

And the last shall be the first. This is the battlecry that the STI College Balagtas team is trying to put into perspective.  After years of getting clobbered by their Manila brothers this team from Bulacan has finally found the right players and are in a position to grab their first STI title. Leading the way is MVP Candidate Ryan Pangilinan who led all scorers in the elimination with a 19.14 clip in their 7 game romp of the eliminations. Ably backing him up is their raw but solid frontline led by Cedrick Ablaza, Patrick Pascual, Paulo Villadoz and Chowking Yee. They average 85 ppg and give up just 63.29, both best in the league.

Come game time, we usually throw away all the stats and the team with the biggest heart and desire to win usually comes out on top. SO just take your pick. Gametime is 3Pm on March 11. See you at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

STI Basketball: DLS-STI makes it to the finals

Watching games go down the wire has been a familiar refrain for the games played in the 9th STI Basketball Showdown. Students from defending champion DLS-STI and STI College Quezon Avenue were in for a special treat and just like a boxing match both teams slugged it out for 15 guelling rounds with each team finding ways to get back at each other.

The first quarter opened with the defending champions dictating the pace and signalling that their previous conquest against the same team in the eliminations is not a fluke. Center Archie Olmedo, as if he is still not yet finished scoring since their first encounter, got the ball rolling by scoring the first six points of the game. The E.Rodriguez squad jumped to a 11-6 lead but the Quezon Avenue dribblers came back after Rodgie Trunio sank two three pointers to signal the return of the QA team as the quarter with them just behind by one 17-16.

The second quarter still belonged to the DLS-STI dribblers as their inside and outside onslaught came to full force while the Quezon Avenue cagers suddenly sputtered in the wake of the DLS-STI juggernaut.While Archie Olmedo scored inside, the DLS-STI shooters namely Christian Tan and Soren Mangabat found their range as they scattered two three pointers EACH to give the DLS-STI team a big 43-30 halftime lead. The STI College Quezon Ave. team never knew what hit them as their offense suddenly went south.

Like a bad nightmare that never ceases to comeback the STI College Quezon Ave team used a third quarter run to catch up with their tormentors as they showed their spunk and patience as their defense tightened in the wake of their amazing comeback. Sarmiento was the sparkplug that the Quezon Ave team needed as he anchored their team's defense and presided over his team's offense as he scattered 10 points mostly on daredevil drives to the hoops and three point plays. Sarmiento scored 16 straight points bridging the end of the second quarter till the strat of tht third. After three quarters we were back to square one as the Quezon ave team equalized the score 55- all.

Enter the fourth quarter which saw both teams give it their best shot as both teams engaged in a blink and you die battle. STI College Quezon Avenue's Rodgie Trunio came back from a subpar performance in their previous game to stem the tide for the QA dribblers as he banged in 9 points in the fourth quarter. On the other hand it is still the fierce inside presence of Archie Olmedo who scored 10 points. Despite both teams tried their best to gain the upperhand no team was able to get the upperhand as the game ended with both teams still tied at 73 - all.

The overtime was another nail biting experience as the game boiled down to a free throw contest. The STI QA dribblers raced to an 82-76 lead with three minutes left as Ervin Magistrado waved his magic on the fastbreak. But just when everyone has given up DLS-STI found an unlikely hero in Mark Gochingco. The third year guard was fouled while attempting a three point shot and he sank three free throws. After a botched play by STI QA Gochingco came back to sink two more free throws and then the E. Rodriguez squad was back in the game.

A little commotion happened with less than two minutes left when Ulyses Casio was whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul with the QA team up by one 84-83. Unfortunately Robert Joaquin of STI QA came charging to the aid of Ervin Magistrado and was whistled for a Technical Foul. The two calls immediately cancelled each other thus negating the advantage that STI QA had. Unfortunately for the QA team, they didn't know what hit them. After DLS-STI took a 86-84 lead with 20 seconds left Chistian Tan sank a cold blooded three pointer to give DLS-STI an 89-84 lead that they never relinquished. STI QA botched the next play and DLS-STI scored four more points to give the E. Rodriguez based squad their fifth straight finals appeaance. The DLS-STI team faces the STI College Balagtas team who is waiting in the wings after sweeping the eliminations.

The Scores:

DLS-STI (93)
Olmedo 30, Gochingco 15, Tan 13, Manabat 10, Casio 8, Galang 8, Boncan 7, Escubio 2, Dean 0,

STI COLLEGE QUEZON AVE. (84)
Sarmiento 27, Trunio 20, Magistrado 15, Joaquin 14, Bohol 4, Abong 3, Ragundfaz 1, Cezar 0, Siervo 0, Lucban 0, Jacildo 0

Quarterscores: 17-16, 43-30, 55 - all, 73 -all, 93-84

Blue Eagles too much for Olympians

The Ateneo Blue Eagles are still as formidable as ever as my two favorite teams fought it out in a tune up game at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center. THe Blue Eagles prevailed with plenty to spare and I didnt even bother to look at the score anymore.  I was quite proud in a way for my team to hold its own against the mighty Blue Eagle squad and in a way saw some changes eversince they played last November.

The Olympians are a new team and most of the veterans are gone and last season's bench is still trying to find ways to spell the word team work! Like what Head Coach Vic Ycasiano and I talked about is that the team is quite set in the frontline but lack shooters and a good point guard.  Unfortunately thought 5 players werent there today. Center Forward Maclean Sabellina, Shooter Norman Ihalas and Rookie Paul Sabacahan are all nursing fevers while lead point guard Macky Macabasco was there in crutches and reserver Forward Vergilio Carino is also in sick bay.

Veterans Arnold Danganan and Martin Antonio carried the fight for the Olympians as they tried to hustle on defense and provide high octane offense to the team. For the Blue Eagles, Kirk Long and Eric Salamat sizzled with their patented drive to the hoop and daredevil style of slashing to the basket.  Before you know it the Blue Eagles were already up by fifteen.  

Rabah Al-Husaini was his usual spectacular self but unfortunately landed awkwardly in the second quarter.  Rabah sprained his ankle, came back was not the same. He went home limping and we are hoping that with a day or two's rest he will be able to play100% again.  His match up with Olympian Center Jean Mbe was also a thing of beauty as both players were showcasing their one of a kind defense. 

Nonoy Baclao swatted lots of shots and was oozing with confidence with his jumpers and putbacks. He will be a strong force in the coming UAAP. What really caught my eye was the hot shooting of Jai Reyes. Jai came in while the teams were already finished with the round robin and he was still in school clothes and never got the chance for a shoot around. When he came in he sank a three pointer and another one and another one. That is very nice for someone who is really considered as a deadshot from three point land.

The Olympians are still months from becoming a well oiled team and I do hope before the UAAP opens we can play a tune up game again and hopefully play better.

ABL 2009 Edition

A little over 8 years ago I was playing at a high level of basketball during the Alumni Basketball League in the Ateneo. Now, playing more than 5 minutes is an eternity of basketball for me and the primary source of a one week body ache.

But hey basketball is something that is very close to my heart and i really yearn to play even if it hurts all over. I have been looking for sometime now to be able to play with friends since people who i have been associated with in the past know that I play almost everyday back then. 

I have always loved playing in the ABL but unfortunately my busy schedule has prevented me to practive and play again on a top level.  I have been playing just to sweat and for fun the past five years. But then again its great playing with friends, I dont mind sitting on the bench long as long as we are all happy and spent some time together. I hope that next year me and my classmates will get to make a team that will be playing for the ABL.

STI Basketball: DLS-STI forges triple tie

Four time STI Basketball Showdown Champion DLS-STI refuses to give up as their five game win streak remains as they brought down the STI College Taft quintet to a tune of a 117-53 win to forge a triple tie for the last finals slot. More than this win was their 77-75 conquest of STI College Quezon Ave. in game 6 of the tournament which enabled them to catch up on the said team and gain a tie for the last finals slot.

Archie Olmedo was the immovable unstoppable force that the STI College Quezon Ave.  were not able to contain as the DLS-STI center scored 10 of his game high 34 points in the fourth quarter. Olmedo battled through various defenses and got numerous offensive rebounds to give put backs to be able to give the defending champions within striking distance and eventually overtook their opponents.   

It was a sorry loss for the STI College Quezon ave. cagers as they controlled the tempo the whole game as they raced to a 7-0 lead and everyone thought they got the game in the bag. Unfortunately though, the DLS-STI team summoned the spirits of their previous great teams as they played within striking distance of their sister school. The QA cagers led most of the way as they led in all quarters 17-11 in the first, 37-32 at the half and 58-52 by the third quarter.

STI College Quezon Avenue threatened to pull away as Ervin Magistrado answered every triple sank by DLS-STI's Christian Tan. With four minutes left the Quezon Ave cagers raced to a nine point lead 72-63 and were already celebrating when Archie Olmedo resurrected the hopes of the defending champions by doing his thing.  With a minute and 20 seconds left in the game the E. Rodriguez based team finally caught up with their sister school and took the lead 76-75 for  the first time in the game.

The scores

GAME 6

DLS-STI (77)

Olmedo 34, Tan 12, Galang 7, Boncan 7, Mangabat 6, Gochingco 4, Escubio 3, Casio 2, Mangabat 2, Dean 0,

STI COLLEGE QUEZON AVE. (75)

Sarmiento 18, Magistrado 16, Joaquin 12, Abong 11, Trunio 9, Bohol 6, Jacildo 3, Siervo 0, 

Quarterscores: 11-17, 32-37, 52-58, 77-75

STI Basketball: Global City wins in OT.

Marvin Valenzuela is the glue that holds the team together and the sparkplug that makes the STI College Global City dribblers reach greater heights. In one of the best games so far in the eliminations, he was in the bench as his reliever Andrew Oyama delivered the goods for the Global City quintet as the STI College Global City trooped to the semifinals with a pulsating and thrilling 101-95 win over the STI College Las Piñas cagers.  A win by STI College Las Piñas would have shaken the standings with additional three knock out games but the Global City quintet simplified everything with their win.

Providing additional firepower are big men Hyroff Sampayan and Wynard Sultan who literally owned the paint. On the other hand, the STI College Las Piñas team were no pushovers as their never say die attitude almost gave them a berth to the final four. Led by the sweet shooting Fernandez who scattered 7 triples with the most crucial one coming in the last 4 seconds of regulation with the Global City team's Francis Labbao was on the line with a chance to put the game away with two free throws and a three point lead. Unfortunately he muffed both freebies and in the ensuing play Garett Fernandez sank a cold blooded three to send the game into overtime.

STI College Global City thought they were in a walk in the park when they got the upperhand by the first half as the Taguig based dribblers took the first quarter with plenty to spare 25-13.  After that the Global City dribblers slackened a bit and a mini rally ensued as the Las Pinas cagers cut the lead by halftime 45-38. By the third quarter the Las Pinas team got the momentum and used overtook their opponents as Ray Uy, Adrian de Lara and Garett Fernandez conspired to give their team a 26-12 spurt to gain the upperhand 64-57 by the end of the third.

In the fourth quarter Oyama caught fire and the Global City cagers got their act together as they defended well and matched the Las Piñas team's firepower with the their own offensive power. The Oyama combined with John Magsalos to give Global City an 85-79 lead with 30 seconds left.Unfortunately for them the never say die Las Pinas squad scored on a three point play courtesy of Ray Uy and then a three pointer by Fernandez.  In the overtime the Global City dribblers shut down the Las Piñas scorers while Oyama sank two triples and Magsalos and Sultan took care of the inside which resulted in their six point win.  STI College Global City will now meet defending champion DLS-STI in a knock-out. 

STI COLLEGE GLOBAL CITY (101)

Sultan 18, Magsalos 17, Oyama 17, Sampayan 16, Valenzuela 12, Labbao 11, 

Saltiga 3, De Belen 3, Galura 2, Gonzalez 2, Avila 0

STI COLLEGE LAS PIÑAS (95)

Fenandez 25, Rodrigo 23, Uy 19, Alcantara 9, de Lara 9, Lovina 4, Bautista 4, Camerino 2, 

Quarterscores: 25-13, 45-38, 57-64, 85-all, 101-95

STI Basketball: STI Quezon Ave. makes it to final 4

STI College Quezon Avenue showed their spunk as they became the first team to make it to the final four step ladder as they disposed off the stubborn STI College Parañaque team. The Quezon Avenue dribblers ended the eliminations with a 5-2 slate and the top quotient in a three way tie with defending champion DLS-STI and STI College Global City.

The win came after their sorry 75-77 loss to the defending champions which enabled the E.Rodriguez based DLS-STI team to catch up on the standings. But their win against the Parañaque dribblers was not a walk in the park as they needed a big fourth quarter wind up to dispose their opponents.

QA forward Robert Joaquin led the onslaught of the Quezon Avenue dribblers as they cannot seem to shake off the rugged Paranaque squad.  Joaquin scattered a game high 28 points as he scored on isolation plays to give his team more breathing room after the Parañaque team leveled the count with 7 minutes left.  The Quezon ave team also got ample back up from three point shooter Rogie Trunio, Ervin Magistrado and Raymark Sarmiento as the troika unleashed their scoring prowess to break a close game wide open.

It was another sorry loss for the Parañaque dribblers as they end the 9th staging of the STI Basketball Showdown with a 2 win 4 loss slate with most of the losses coming in from 4th Quarter collapses. Chris Capistrano carried the scoring cudgels for the Paranaque team as he scored 26 points. He was backed up by Jeremy Lacorte who sank four three pointers enroute to a 14 point game.

With this win, the Quezon Avenue cagers await the winner of the STI COllege Global City and DLS-STI Knock out game to determine the second finalist. Do stay tuned as the games get more exciting.

STI COLLEGE QUEZON AVE. (95)

Joaquin 28, Trunio 19, Magistrado 18, Sarmiento 14, Bohol 9, Ragundiaz 3, Abong 2, Jacildo 2, Cezar 0, Siervo 0, 

STI COLLEGE PARAÑAQUE (79)

Capistrano 26, Lacorte 14, Panganoron 11, Arogancia 9, Velasco 8, Orna 6, Mañago 5, Larona 0, Sanchez 0

Quarter scores: 20-12, 36-34, 63-54, 95-79

STI Basketball: STI College Balagtas Dominates

STI College Balagtas romped to its seventh straight win and top the elimination round with an Immaculate 7-0 slate in the 9th STI Basketball Showdown at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. Their incentive is an outright entry to the finals as they await the three last teams who will fight it off for the other remaining finals slot.

The STI College Balagtas team secured their 7th win via a 104-48 rout over the winless STI College Cubao dribblers to gain entry to the finals.

Even though they routed the team from Cubao, they had a hard time fending off the stubborn STI College Global City team. In that game the Global City team opened the game with all guns blazing as they raced to a 29-9 lead at the start as Wynard Sultan and Marvin Valenzueal paced the Global City Attack with fastbreaks that caught the team from Bulacan off guard. The quarter ended with the Global City cagers up 33-16.  

After being stunned with that opening sequence, the bulakeños fought back as Paulo Villadoz, Patrick Pascual and Ryan Pangilinan joined hands to bring back the STI College Balagtas team back to the game. Their defense held the Global City dribblers to 10 points in that quarter as their team effort netted them 28 points to seize the upperhand at the end of the half 44-43.

Just when the Balagtas dribblers thought they had the game in command after erecting a 74-54 lead, the Global City cagers came back through the relentless drives to the lane of John Magsalos and Wynald Sultan. Chowking Yee scored the marginal basket as he gave their team an 86-83 lead after Global City came surging in after being counted out.  It was a preview of things to come as the games become more exciting.

The scores

STI COLLEGE BALAGTAS (86)

Pascual 20, Pangilinan 17, Villadoz 16, Ablaza 8, Yee 7, dela Cruz 6, A. Cruz 5, Querubin 4, Somontina 3, Baliclic 0

STI COLLEGE GLOBAL CITY (83)

Sultan 27, Valenzuela 20, Magsalos 15, Sampayan 6, Oyama 6, Labbao 5, Fajardo 2, Gonzales 1, Avila 1, Galura 0, Saltiga 0, de Belen 0

Quarterscores:

16-33, 44-43, 74-58, 86-83

Slumdog Millionaire dominates the Oscars

I got home and still got to see watch the Oscars. I was quite curious at how Slumdog Millionaire, which has been in numerous blogs everywhere, will fare considering they have 10 nominations. Eventually the movie won 8 including Best Picture and Best Director. The only category they lost was sound editing since they were nominated twice in Best Song.

What was very nice for me was the different way the Oscars introduced the nominees for Best Actress and Best Actor. In order to put class in the introducing the five best actors and actresses in 2008 the Academy brought together ten previous winners. For Best Actress the presentors were 1961 Best Actress Sophia Loren, 1983 Winner Shirley Maclaine, 2001 Winner Halley Berry, 2002 Winner Nicole Kidman and 2007 WinnerMarion Cottillard. For the Best Actor Award the presentors were Academy Award 1980 Winner Robert de Niro, 1982 Winner Sir Ben Kingsley, 1987 Winner Michael Douglas, , 1991 Winner Anthony Hopkins and 2002 Winner Adrien Brody.


Kate Winslet bested Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) Angelina Jolie (The Changeling) Merryl Streep (Doubt) Melissa Leo (Frozen River) with her one of a kind acting in the movie THE READER. I never really thought that Kate would win. After seeing her in Titanic I never thought she would improve her acting. Her portrayal as a German woman in her thirties whose teenage lover is unaware of her dark secret in the past was really a coming out party for Kate. She was previously nominated twice in a supporting role and this is her fourth nomination in a leading role.

Sean Penn on the other hand joined an elite group as he cornered his second statue with his portrayal of Harvey Milk in the movie Milk. This is Penn's fifth nomination and second Oscar as he previously won one in 2003 for the movie Mystic River. Sean bested notable actors such as Richard Jenkins (The Visitor) Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Brad Pitt (The curious case of Benjamin Button) and Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) It it the fifth nomination for Sean Penn and his second award which incidentally puts him in a tie with other notable greats such as Jack Nicholson.

Lastly, Heath Ledger's one of a kind and different approach to the role of Joker won him an academy award for best supporting role. He was once nominated in the lead role category for the movie Brokeback Mountain in 2005.

Congratulations to all the winners specially the makers of Slumdog Millionaire.