Good Times Never Seemed So Good Part 2

This is a continuation of this blog entry: Good Times Never Seemed So Good Part 1  
May 6, 2012

It was an awesome sleep. Waking up at Massachusetts was better. I finally got a heavy meal for my complimentary buffet breakfast. I left early for my scheduled Harvard tour. It was my third time to walk in Berkeley Street but it was always a different experience. It must be the old (but clean) buildings in the I arrived 45 minutes early at Harvard Square and I got to take some pictures of Harvard University from the outside.

Good Times Never Seemed So Good Part 1

February 5, 2012

All that is left to me is that final drive. “A New Game” blares at the stadium amplifiers. This is the chance to go for glory. It is like a movie scene. Just when you are against all odds, you will score. The New England Patriots are having the final drive of the Super Bowl against the New York Giants. Drunk, I could not believe my beloved Patriots are in a deep hole again. The chances of us winning the championship were low.

But, as “A New Game” blared, I raised my hopes up. You need to believe, right? Tom Brady is leading that final drive and is giving us a shot to win the game. Then, it was down to that final play. The Golden Boy threw the Hail Mary Pass. Moments like this remind me of Matt Saracen’s Hail Mary Pass or Vince Howard’s championship winning throw in “Friday Night Lights.” Brady threw a beautiful pass going to the end zone.

Going…

Going…

The Bucket List

A month ago, I watched the sterling 2007 movie “The Bucket List.” I actually had an idea of what the movie was about even before I watched it. However, I still ended up very impressed at the flick’s conclusion. I won’t spoil anything about the movie because this writeup is about the idea of having a bucket list.

A bucket list – the way I see it – is about having a list of items that you want to do before your life ends. This includes your life’s dreams and the achievements you want to have. It could be your way of measuring success in life, but it could just be a simple list of your dreams – extreme or not – so that you aim for something.

The Reminder

Credit: Sports Illustrated

Job’s patience. Our Parish Priest discussed about Job’s patience in last Sunday’s Holy Mass. Job was known for having remarkable patience no matter how tough the times were. No matter how Satan dared Job to blame God for his drastic misfortunes, Job did not give way. He remained patient until the end. The priest told us that no matter how many times you get defeated during tough times, you stay strong. You stay patient.

I gasped. Is this a sign of things to come? Will the New England Patriots get beaten again by the New York Giants? In 2008, the unbeaten Patriots zoomed to the Super Bowl only to get upset by the Giants. It was one of the toughest losses in Boston history. Having a shot at a perfect season is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In the history of NFL, only one squad finished perfect (Miami Dolphins). And, there were fewer games then. New England was on the cusp of NFL glory until a young, underrated quarterback named Eli Manning pulled off a miracle drive that was highly improbable because of all the fortunate turn of events for the G-Men. It led to several what-ifs for Boston fans. What if Tyree dropped that tough catch? What if the ball was intercepted in Eli’s final drive? It was a tough loss. What made it worse was it came against New York. For those who do not know, New York is Boston’s rival just as La Salle is Ateneo’s. New England already had three championships under quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick then. The duo spent the next few years trying to build a new Patriot dynasty.

Caught in the Middle

Credit: Moneyball

Note: This is not a movie review and is not only for baseball fans. But I suggest you watch the movie “Moneyball” first before reading this writeup.

“I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I don't know where to go, can't do it alone
I've tried and I don't know why

Slow it down, make it stop or else my heart is going to pop
'Cause it's too much, yeah it's a lot to be something I'm not
I'm a fool out of love 'cause I just can't get enough”

-    Lenka from the song “The Show”

I know this is quite late, but I just recently watched “Moneyball.” Thanks to the Philippine cinemas for not showing this movie. “Moneyball” is a film about how baseball sabermetrics came into fruition. It is about Oakland Athletics’ general manager Billy Beane strategizing to make his cost-cutting team become competitive enough to battle the big market teams.

Hotel Review: Acacia Hotel

I have never made a review on a place before, but I will nonetheless do this one because I had a great experience. I do not know if the fact that I will be leaving my family in the next couple of days has got to do with this. The past few weeks have been hectic for me and it seemed that this was the time when I really got the time to relax and bond with my family.

With Dad and Jeriel

Last Thursday, my family got to avail our free stay at Acacia Hotel located at Alabang. We got to use two rooms for an overnight stay. For a guy who wanted to rest (my despedida the previous night ended at 3 AM), bond with his family, and buy stuff for his relocation preparations, all I can say is…

…wait for it…

Waiting: The Year's Bests

In 2011, waiting is winning. | Credit: NFL

“A million miles away
Your signal in the distance
Tto whom it may concern
I think I lost my way
Getting good at starting over
Every time that I return”

 – Foo Fighters from the song “Walk”

In 2010, what realization did I have in relation to the greater society?

All I can say is, what the hell happened? This year is already over?! I can still remember December last year when I was spending a vacation in Cebu and Bohol with my family. It seemed like one week ago. But as a guy who writes about sports and pop culture, I noticed that lots of events happened in the span of that one week. But it all seemed fast-paced. Do you know why?

I realized that our world got faster this year.