Almost 365 days ago, the new year started with us having a good set of fireworks. We always lit these up either for the superstition that it could bring some luck or for the fun of it. Guess what happened... we had a non-stop drizzle in New Year’s Eve. It was a bit disappointing because we were not able to use all the fireworks. I have waited twelve years for the Year of the Ox and it had started bad (well, technically, it was not yet the Year of the Ox then). I will be honest. This year has been a sucky year for me – it was either status quo on some aspects in my life or it was for the worse. I do not recall anything that went for the better. So much for celebrating my supposed year (although Chinese horoscope states that people born in the year of the Ox will have misfortune in 2009). I am used to terrible years in the past but what sets 2009 apart from them was my different outlook in life. I call it the delusional optimism. If you are emo, just think of it the other way around. Thus, I just moved on from each setback the past year (well, not all). The thinking was more of, “you’ve already tasted bad luck. Do not make it worse by feeling sad for the following days.” I think I got the perspective from Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother. I can also attribute the thinking from Jack in Lost when he stated whenever he feels fear: “Count five seconds and I will stop being afraid.” Thus, I felt like I celebrated most of the year because of some positive moments. Well, these moments actually are more of collective moments (so in short, I never gained anything but the new outlook in a personal level). But still, I was glad for most of the year so I am here to recognize what were the best things that happened for me this year (since it is collective, you will probably understand it).
Again, these are what I consider as my top fives, thus expect it to have some biases. This year’s version, however, is more objective than last year’s.
Hollywood
Top Five Movies (check my last blog entry for the explanations)
1. (500) Days of Summer
2. The Blind Side. Last minute change in here after I watched the movie recently. This heartwarming tale on a football player put me in the verge of tears (something that is very rare recently). The world needs inspirational movies like this. Sandra Bullock acted excellently here as well.
3. Paranormal Activity
4. Taken
5. Up
On the cusp: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (yeah, I failed to include this in my last journal entry), GI Joe: The Rise of the Cobra (because of The Blind Side. Frankly, I want to see GI Joe in that top five list more than Up because I really enjoyed the movie more but since I have rated both and I do not see any valid reason to downgrade Up or upgrade GI Joe, it falls out of the top five), Drag Me To Hell
Some revisions in the top ten list: 2012 should not belong in this year’s top ten. I have overrated it when I realized that I forgot to attempt to rate it.
Top Five TV Shows
1. How I Met Your Mother. HIMYM takes the spot it should have held in last year’s list. Season 4 has been the most outstanding season thus far because Ted was single for most of the time (thus giving way to more creative storylines). Barney falling for Robin was also a good twist even if their eventual relationship was a disaster.
2. Lost. As Bill Simmons mentioned in one of his podcasts, Lost is easily in the five best TV series ever. Season 5 pretty much answered a lot of the questions that boggled Lost fans. And of course, Lost continues to be Lost because of the new plot twists. It just gets more complicated as ever.
3. Grey’s Anatomy. Very strong year for Grey’s Anatomy in its fifth season. They started the year strong and finished it superbly. Ever since they had the Private Practice crossover episodes, they never looked back. The season finale was also a shocker. Season 6 also started greatly with the interesting twist that the Mercy West people brought. Even if they lost Katherine Heigl for some episodes, they still did great.
4. Mad Men. AMC’s cash cow. Mad Men has superb script and theme. It is a very good show for people who did not pursue marketing but really loved it (like me).
5. Entourage. This TV series just stormed in my top five these past few weeks. Entourage marathon was just too easy because it is cool and the concept is great. I am now in Season 4 and with the rate things are going, I may finish it before the new year/decade.
On the cusp: American Idol. I avidly followed this show but it still fell short of the top five. That is how awesome the top five TV series for me this year is. Easily my best year for watching TV series.
Top Five TV Actors
1. Neil Patrick Harris (Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother). Very easy choice.
2. Jeremy Piven (Ari Gold in Entourage). Another awesome supporting actor. Vince Chase’s agent is simply golden in this TV show (forgive the pun). I love everything Ari’s character brings: from the excessive swearing to the conniving to the hand actions to the asshole character). Of course, I do not condone it but this is awesome acting.
3. Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus in Lost). Supporting actors are easily pawning their lead counterparts. With the dwindling role of Jack, Ben easily gets the limelight this year. Just like the first two characters in this list, Ben’s character has characteristics you would practically hate in real life because it is evil but of course that doesn’t matter if we are evaluating acting.
4. Kevin Connolly (Eric Murphy in Entourage). When it comes to real acting, E steals the show from Vince. Kevin Connolly makes acting as E natural as he plays the temperamental and pessimistic agent of Vince Chase. Of course, that is a perfect combination when he argues with Ari.
5. Jon Hamm (Donald Draper in Mad Men). I actually like Mad Men more on its superb cast but Jon Hamm portrays Don excellently as he has been a person of authority in the office and he knows how to charm the women outside of work. Donald Draper is Tiger Woods of TV shows.
On the cusp: Josh Radnor (Ted Mosby in How I Met Your Mother). Sorry, Ted. You have excellent competition. Nevertheless, Josh is a natural for his good boy character. Switching from being hilarious, nitpicky and starstruck is smooth when he plays as Ted.
Alec Baldwin (Jack Donaghy in 30 Rock). No need to expound on this.
Top Five TV Actresses (remember: this is not about being attractive. It is about acting superbly)
1. Katherine Heigl. (Dr. Izzie Stevens in Grey’s Anatomy) How come Katherine is the MVP of females if you remove her but the show still remains great? Answer is simple: Grey’s Anatomy has a very good cast coupled with a refreshing concept in Season 6. Nevertheless, Katherine stood out this year because she sucked it up by playing a cancer patient and still making it believable. She was annoying as hell as Izzie Stevens, but that she has brain tumor, right?
2. Leighton Meester. (Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl) Queen Bitch. Leighton is not only hotter than Blake, the former also acts better. Blair stands out in her scheming acts whether these succeed or fail because she is just wicked sick and she can pull of the ‘fall from grace’ look.
3. Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester in Glee). Awesome acting. You will really hate Sue in Glee. Being an asshole is just so natural for Jane especially with her lesbo-alpha dog image. If I were Will Schuester, I would have done something awful (not necessarily physically) to Sue because the insults just strike the core. Heck, she even insults his hair.
4. Lea Michele (Rachel Berry in Glee). This year, the top five actors easily topple the top five actresses when it comes to acting, but the Glee girls are having a field day in acting against their male counterparts. Rachel Berry succeeds not just by being the best singer in the group, but also for her almost perfect portrayal of a limelight-craving girl. Damn, she is annoying as hell whenever she brings out the I-am-better-than-you attitude.
5. Tina Fey (Liz Lemon in 30 Rock). I have not finished 30 Rock Season 1 but Tina Fey rocks as Liz because having a loser image is just innate in her look. It is also golden whenever she reacts from a seemingly irrational decision by Jack Donaghy.
On the cusp: Alyson Hannigan (Lily Aldrin) and Cobie Smulders (Robin Scherbatsy in How I Met Your Mother). HIMYM girls rule! Alyson succeeds in portraying as Lily because she pretty much resembles your female friend who annoyingly ‘mothers’ you yet still remains a nice and cute image so that it would appear to be a sin if you totally get pissed at her (girls!). Robin, on the other hand, is just quirkingly awesome and hilarious.
Paula Abdul (Herself in American Idol) Excellent acting whenever she makes those brain fart comments. What?! She is not acting? Seriously? You’ve got to be kidding me!
Top Five Female Celebrities
1. Rachel Nichols. Stole the show as Scarlett O’Hara in the GI Joe movie. Red Hair. Awesome body. No fake boobs. Tiny eyes. Pretty face. She is a 12/10.
2. Christina Hendricks. Here is one of my favorite lines in Mad Men Season 2:
(The creative crew were presenting about a brassiere to Donald Draper)
Paul Kinsey: …I was thinking, women right now already have a fantasy…Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe. Every single woman is one of them. Watch this… (points to the secretary with pointed breasts) Jackie… (points to an employee with round breasts) Marilyn… Jackie… (points to Christina’s character – Joan Holloway) Marilyn. Well… Marilyn’s really a Joan, not the other way around.
3. Hayley Williams. I have pretty much blogged about everything there is to say on how hot she is.
4. Taylor Swift. Blonde sweetie.
5. Cristine Reyes. The Dream!
Radio
Top Five Radio Stations
1. Magic 89.9. For every year of this decade, NU 107.5 was at the perch of the best radio station in my books. This year was different. Despite the mainstream status of Magic, I was addicted to listening to it because they feature more conversational (and controversial) radio shows. I always get stuck in the traffic so conversational shows always appeal to me (especially since I seldom get to hear my favorite songs).
2. NU 107.5. Magic 89.9 stole the thunder with at least three shows but I still listen to NU when those three are not on (although I am probably not in the car then as well hahaha). Nevertheless, I still listen to 107.5 because it features the musical genre that I mostly like. I am less enticed to listen to them when they lost DJ Monica.
3. Jam 88.3. My kind of mix! Of course, Jam features an extensive repertoire of alternative music that is why I love listening to this show.
4. Any radio station that is not jologs
5. There is no number 5 in this ranking.
Top Five Radio DJ’s
1. Jessica Mendoza (Magic 89.9). The main reason why I considered listening to Magic 89.9. Since she did well as Ateneo’s courtside reporter, I was curious on how she does it as a DJ. Despite the fact that they play mainstream music in Top 5@5, I still continued to follow them because of Je’s amazing voice (right up there next to ex-DJ Monica’s), the happy mood they bring into the table, and the fact that I won’t get sleepy while driving when Jessica and Andi-9 are manning the Magic booth.
2. Mo Twister (Magic 89.9). Arguably the best DJ in the Philippines today. To be honest, I really do not like Mo Twister in past years. There is just something in him that is not appealing when you see him in the TV. However, that notion changed when I tried to consider listening to them during ‘number coding mornings’. DJ Mo just owns the booth. He talks 80% of the time with Grace Lee and Mojo Jojo butting in at times and yet I get engaged listening to them. Maybe, it is about the interesting conversations. It could be controversy or Mo’s ability to pull anything under the sun. I may disagree with a lot of his statements in the show but that’s the good thing about it – you get to feel like you are in a sensible conversation when listening to them. Very good way to make your mind work early in the morning.
3. Sam YG (Magic 89.9). Best DJ in Boys’ Night Out. He knows how to make fun of himself.
4. Guru Shivaker (Magic 89.9). Wow! Back-to-back Indians. Seriously? Yes. I know some are debating that Sam is Shivaker but they are of different ‘characters’ when you listen to them. Temple of Love has got to be the best segment of BNO because of the wisdom Shivaker brings in (and the occasional laughtrip I get when someone calls them to call Shivaker “Chupaker”)
5. Hilary Isaac (Magic 89.9). But of course, Hilary should be on this list because of the light mood she brings in all of her radio shows. She shines best whenever she is paired up with a guy and that’s how Sundown Rundown is structured.
Top Five Radio Shows
1. Boys’ Night Out (Magic 89.9). If not because of me missing Top 5@5 one Monday afternoon, I would not have known about BNO and boy was I thankful of that incident. The gang of Sam YG, Tony Tony and Slick Rick has entertained a lot of guys who are stuck in the traffic every week day. Their boatload list of topics has made them interesting and their double-meaning jokes make the show enjoying. There were even times when it was just OK for me to get stuck at the traffic just to listen to their funny show. Big thanks to them for lowering my blood pressure.
2. Top 5@5 (Magic 89.9). See Jessica’s description in the top radio DJ’s.
3. Good Times With Mo (Magic 89.9). Most sensible show in Magic 89.9. Increases its appeal to me every Alternative Tuesdays.
4. Halikinu Radio (NU 107.5). The return of Ateneo’s radio show. It was funnier in previous years but I still followed it every Thursday this year.
5. Sundown Rundown (Jam 88.3). Of course, it has Hilary hosting it.
Even if I had an iPod Touch this year (its purpose was to have me listen to my favorite songs instead of listening to radio), this year was one of the best years for me in listening to radio. Ironic, but true.
Games
Top Five Games
1. Grand Theft Auto 4 (XBox 360). This should have been last year’s best game but my Xbox 360 had RROD then. Nevertheless, GTA 4 was awesome because it entails you to do very many things yet the usage is still simple. Downtown place was also cool (I really love tall buildings). The best thing in it is that you get to do what action stars in movie do – have an intense breakaway. Best mission: Bank Robbery mission.
2. Guitar Hero World Tour / Beatles Rock Band / Guitar Hero 5 (Xbox 360). Sorry, I have to put them in one category or else this list would be boring. Nevertheless, World Tour is my favorite because it was my first and it had a lot of memorable songs (although Beatles RB also had very many)
3. NBA 2K9 (Xbox 360). My first very HD-friendly game. Damn, the players here appear more real than the pixilated ones shown in local cable channels.
4. Tap Tap Revenge 2 (iPod Touch/iPhone). During boring times (or when my computer hangs due to the process workload), Tap Tap Revenge 2 was the best game because it is just short, I get to play my favorite songs, and it breaks the ice.
5. Plants vs. Zombies (PC). Who says you need graphics all the time? Plants vs. Zombies is the perfect example showing that gameplay trumps graphics all the time. Heck, it was just simple. But, it was very addictive. It is not that strenuous to play and I never got dizzy when playing it. The only time it became like that was when I played more than twelve hours to reach almost level 200 (I really let my plants die because my fingers were already twitching and it was already 3 AM!)
On the Cusp: Ghostbusters (Xbox 360) – very witty script and nice gameplay. I am also a huge Ghostbusters fan. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (Xbox 360) – HD-friendly graphics for the best superhero franchise ever. Plus, it has the Civil War storyline. Peggle (iPod Touch/iPhone) - Not that time-consuming and is hugely addictive. These games could easily reach the top five in other years but there were just too many great games this year.
Misfortunes or Sad Moments
Unfortunately, this year was also a year of sad events. There were too many so I have to note these down.
Top Five Sad/Awful Moments
1. Ondoy. Worse than Maguindanao Massacre because of the nationwide effect, and it is of uncontrollable circumstance. It is sad because it is very hard to prevent such in the future.
2. Maguindanao Massacre
3. Deaths of well-known celebrities
4. Tiger Woods cheating on his wife – his very hot wife (Why, Tiger, why?!)
5. Kanye West humiliating Taylor Swift
On the cusp: Wynne Arboleda attacking a PBA fan; Mikey Arroyo imploding when interviewed by Winnie Monsod
Music
Top Five Songs
1. Panic! At The Disco – New Perspective
2. Gin Blossoms – ‘Til I Hear It From You
3. Paramore – Decoy
4. Snow Patrol – Crack The Shutters
5. Paramore – Turn It Off
On the cusp: Paramore – Brick by Boring Brick
Top Five Bands
1. Paramore
2. Fall Out Boy
3. The Beatles
4. Snow Patrol
5. Death Cab for Cutie
As compared to 2008, 2009 was a better year for music.
Sports
Top Five Athletes
1. Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers). From villain to superhero. Kobe, due to his relentless fortitude, reached success after 24 straight months of basketball. He always aims to get better whether it is very necessary or not. This sportsmanship quality should be emulated by the youth.
2. Manny Pacquiao. Manny has reached the top ten greatest boxers of all time when he broke the record of most belts in different divisions. He still remains to be humble and God-fearing. Way to go, Pac-Man!
3. LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers). Regular Season MVP. He could have reached the dream Finals if his teammates did not let him down for the 145th consecutive playoffs.
4. Alex Rodriguez (New York Yankees). 2009 was redemption year for A-Rod. After years of failure and ridicule, A-Rod erased some bad karma by admitting that he used steroids. This led him to have a mission which was punctuated in the 2009 MLB playoffs.
5. Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets). Should be Dwight Howard but he has too many help in his team. Chauncey, on the other hand, rejuvenated a mediocre Nugget squad by instilling some leadership and defense to his teammates. The result? 2nd place in the West.
Top Five Sports Commentators/Analysts
1. Jeff Van Gundy. JVG was a great coach but he is definitely an outstanding commentator. The ESPN lineup of Mike Breen/JVG/Mark Jackson is simply golden because of the entertaining arguments of Jeff and Mark. As they were a coach and a player respectively, you get to listen to them complain on referee calls, bad player/coach judgments or best player choices. Jeff Van Gundy gains my respect because of his sheer analysis, consistent thinking and his utter attempts to ridicule himself by making outrageous yet logical statements. He had LeBron as the most improved player last year.
2. Marv Albert. Up to now, I cannot get rid of Marv Albert’s voice running through my head (during the 1-second shot of LeBron in last year’s finals)… “LeBron James for the win… YES! LeBron James at the buzzer!”
3. Chris Webber. He is funny and humble and yet he still makes sensible statements.
4. Doug Collins
5. Bill Velasco. Should easily be Sev Sarmenta but I am not watching PBA games that avidly yet.
Top Five Sports Moments (Biased)
1. Ateneo winning the UAAP Basketball Championship
2. Manny Pacquiao beating the record for boxing titles in different weight divisions
3. LeBron James winning the MVP title
4. LA Lakers winning the NBA Championship
5. Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion placing 2nd in the Cheerdance Competition
Top Five Sports News
1. Tiger Woods cheating on his wife. It is top news especially if it involves the world’s greatest sports figure. And since Tiger was usually quiet to the media, the curiosity level was higher than it could have been.
2. Kobe's LA Lakers finally winning the NBA championship without Shaq.
3. Manny Pacquiao beating the record for boxing titles in different weight divisions.
4. LeBron James and his 2010 free agency. LeBron really knows how to make himself popular. His controversial move to keep us guessing and speculating on where he will end up in 2010 was the media’s favorite story during the NBA preseason.
5. New York Yankees win the World Series. Finally! But, was the ROI sufficient enough? Just kidding, Yankee fans. The world’s winningest sports franchise is the king of the hill once again. With the possibility of LeBron going to New York and Jay-Z rapping Empire State of Mind, things are getting brighter for NYC in the upcoming decade. Stay tuned.
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