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| In 2011, waiting is winning. | Credit: NFL |
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.
The world got faster this year not because we had a “Fast and Furious” flick. It was primarily because of technology. I know that our current technologies were already present in the previous years. However, it was this year when it went full-blown mainstream. When we had our vacation in Cebu last year, I felt a bit proud that we have an iPad. That was the cool thing then (and still is now). I brought out our iPad to watch a TV series in the ferry. What happened in the next few minutes was comic. People around us started bringing out their iPads. I swear, it seemed like 1/3 of the people already had a tablet then. And oh by the way, I did not even own our iPad. I was just borrowing it from my brother.
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| I blame Twitter for making time fly fast | Credit: Twitter |
Top Five Songs
5. Haley Reinhart - Bennie and the Jets
4. Paramore – Monster
3. Maroon 5 - Moves Like Jagger
2. Foo Fighters – Walk
1. Adele - Rolling in the Deep
In our family, the influence of technology is very apparent. Years ago, we watch local TV shows (most especially the game shows) together and we conversed about it. This year, we still watched a TV show together. Heck, it might even still be a game show. The only difference was, no one is actually paying attention to the TV or even in conversations. We are so immersed in the power of the smart phone. We were either playing a game in our phone or we were reading Facebook or Twitter. Things change.
“How I Met Your Mother” tackled the influence of smart phones in one of its episodes this year and I think it hit the target – it has changed the way how people interact and react. For better or for worse, we are now living in a fast-paced life.
One of the reasons why I love watching “Mad Men” is because it featured a time where a paradigm shift in society occurred. Some people coped with it while some stayed with the old ways. I appreciate the show because in my own generation, I experienced a shift as well. I got to experience and appreciate the old stuff while I was able to indulge in the new stuff.
Top Five TV Shows
Honorable Mentions: Parenthood, Homeland, Pan Am
5. Game of Thrones. Dream come true for long-time ASOIAF fanatics like me. At least, the bookstores will provide more copies of future books from now on.
4. The Office. Of course. Steve Carell’s final episodes were emotionally satisfying. I am on the minority here but I also like the way they handled Andy Bernard’s boss storyline.
3. Modern Family. This show continues to be solid. After May this year, I would have put it lower than “The Office.” However, they are on a roll this Season 3 with spectacular episodes on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
2. Breaking Bad. What?! It’s just Number 2? Yes. Even if I was at the edge of my seat for most of the episodes. This was an awesome “Breaking Bad” season but it was defeated by…
1. Friday Night Lights. Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. End the series with a bang! It was an emotional ride for the Taylors and East Dillon. I love how they ended this sterling series.
I saw it happen in my own eyes. Gone are the days when all kids play rough games like hide-and-seek, patintero and luksong baka. Some kids may still play these games but for the current generation, I think most are indoors playing their computer games. Even the attitudes and the behavior of people changed. People (which include me) rant and whine in social media nowadays. I bet it is tougher to be a celebrity these days. You get bashed in an instant for a simple mistake you have done on national television. Heck, even if it was not done in national television – Youtube videos will kill you.
I was pondering in the past few weeks as to why time seems to be so fast. Having a great time could attribute to it, but I think another important aspect that I realized was the fact that we have so many things to do these days. This was my normal routine this year (upon waking up):
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| Is 2011 the Year of the Bird? Angry Birds. Twitter. Ateneo Blue Eagles | Credit: Angry Birds |
2. You are still sleepy. Read Twitter feeds or the Internet for interesting news. (during workdays: minus 5 minutes; during weekends: minus thirty minutes)
3. Download your daily podcasts (minus 5 minutes)
4. WTF?! You don’t have time left?! You rush to the bathroom to take a bath and dress up afterwards (minus ten to fifteen minutes)
5. Still no time left?! I thought I already rushed my bath time? You skip breakfast and finish other preparations before you leave home (minus 5 minutes)
6. While driving, I listen to a podcast. Because it is so much fun, I never felt the long drive going to the office. Because it is so fun, I never realized that time just flew by. (minus 45 minutes to 1 hour)
7. When working, you can do so many things simultaneously that you sometimes do not have a time to sit back and reflect. Then, when you notice that only two hours are left, you complain why time is running so fast. (minus eight hours to eleven hours depending if you plan to work overtime)
8. Instead of getting pissed at the traffic while driving home, you enjoy your podcast or your radio show. In turn, you drive slower (there’s no hurry, anyway) (minus one and a half hour)
9. Oh, I suddenly got hungry. Wait, let’s make it efficient, I will just drive thru a McDonald’s chain. (minus ten to fifteen minutes because 4-5 other drivers thought the same like you did)
10. You arrive home but you want “your relaxation time” to be efficient as possible so you turn on your laptop to download a movie or a TV show. Yes, this should just take minutes, right? Only problem is, you were so curious to read more news via your Twitter or RSS feed or your regular websites. Yes, your initial plan was just to let it download in background in order for you to do other things. (minus one hour)
11. Wow! I have fast download speed! It’s done!
12. Hey, where did my hour go?
13. Eat dinner (minus thirty minutes to one hour)
14. You do one of the following: a) do more work; b) you want to unwind and relax so you watch TV with your family. When I was a kid, this used to be a long time. By now, this is what happens: Hmmm… I wonder what’s in my Facebook or Twitter feed (minus ten minutes). Hey, I want to surf (minus ten minutes). Let me watch some TV… darn it, it’s commercial time. Checks phone and sees Angry Birds. Hmmm… this should just take a while. You didn’t finish the current level. Argh! Bitin! Let me finish this.
15. Finally! I’ll stop playing Angry Birds, Scrabble or whatever game I have in this freaking phone because I do not have any battery left. Oh wait… I am supposed to be watching TV. The show’s done?! What the hell?! And before you know it, you are about to sleep. And sometimes, you even sleep late. Yet you complain how fast your day went by. What the eff.
16. You watch the show you downloaded. But because you have strained your eyes staring at the phone, office laptop and TV for the whole day and night, you ended up dozing at the middle of the show. By the time you wake up, it is already too late so you need to sleep again because you do not want to be late the next day.
Top Five Podcasts
5. Firewall and Iceberg Podcast. Sepinwall and Fienberg continue to be funny especially when they try to insert some sports in the discussion. However, I do not watch all the shows they cover so I find it hard to listen to them from beginning to end.
4. ESPN Football Today. Ross Tucker (with his dumb school jock voice) does well in explaining the nuances of the game and this show also features a lot of Pod Vader. Also, their weekly picks are interesting. (And I have beaten all of them in pigskin pick ‘em thus far)
3. ESPN First Take. It was just recently when I began to follow this podcast, but boy did it become a top priority for me to listen to. Skip Bayless is just hilarious. He knows how to spin things into his favour while Stephen A. Smith is hilarious with his over-the-top shouting. He is like Stanley of “The Office.”
2. B.S. Report. It is always fun to listen to Simmons’ podcasts because 1) they are funny; 2) he injects pop culture into it; and 3) he is a smart analyst.
1. Fantasy Focus: Football. Matthew Berry and Nate Ravitz won three podcast awards for many reasons. They can be entertaining even if they are talking about a supposedly nerdy topic. Memorable ones would be the Hulk Hogan podcast and every time Matthew Berry whines.
A few years back, I would have had time to read books, chat with friends and go to the mall. Technology ate up my hours in the present time. This is why I preferred playing fantasy football because it is just a once-in-a-week affair to save some time.
Things are fast. Times have shifted. Welcome to 2011. Nobody waits anymore at this day and age. People go berserk if they lose Internet connection for ten minutes. When Globe lost network connection of most of its postpaid subscribers, I heard of several rants. Let’s face it – we live in a fast-paced world.
Hold on, wait a minute…
2011 actually featured the value of waiting. Yes, that value that seemed outdated is actually the general theme in sports and pop culture this year.
Top Five TV Episodes
Honorable Mention: Almost every “Breaking Bad” episode this year.
5. Ducky Tie (How I Met Your Mother). This episode reeks “good times” as Victoria made an appearance. It almost felt like we were watching a Season 1 episode of HIMYM
4. Legendaddy (How I Met Your Mother). So much for not putting HIMYM in the Top Eight TV shows this year. This had acting goodness that I had to write a single blog entry for it.
3. Goodbye, Michael (The Office). It would be a travesty not to put this.
2. Crawl Space (Breaking Bad). This episode is in “The Suitcase” level because of the consequences, drama and holy
1. Always (Friday Night Lights). Sentimental favorite and a great way to end the spectacular season.
The year began with the Green Bay Packers’ momentous ascension to the top. The team - that almost everyone wrote off after their December loss to New England - destroyed everything in its path, including the powerhouse teams. Everybody thought the Pack was done last year as the team succumb to several injuries early on. But, the team did not lose hope. They fought through every elimination game until they took the glory back to Titletown.
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| One last time: Clear eyes, full hearts... can't lose! | Credit: Friday Night Lights |
Top Five Championship Storylines
5. Ateneo Blue Eagles secure fourth consecutive UAAP Title. Yes, this is a huge achievement we will forever cherish this. However, there were more buzzworthy championship stories this year. This is one of my attempts not to be biased.
4. CM Punk wins WWE championship. What?! A fake sport in this list? Yes. I don’t care, but CM Punk pulled it off in convincing fashion that had the die-hard fans rooting for it.
3. Green Bay Packers defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers. Title returns to Titletown. ‘Nuff said.
2. Dallas Mavericks upset the Miami Heat
1. St. Louis Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers in one of the most epic World Series ever.
Scotty McCreery was an easy pick to win “American Idol” Season 10. I have not much to say to that but congratulations. However, the big story in “Idol” this year was actually on the second runner-up. People continuously doubted if girls could ever win the show. Being a pretty chick would even hamper your chances further. And if you were tagged as an early fodder, do you stand a chance? I think it was a super long shot for Haley Reinhart to win at the start. She got less airtime and was consistently bashed by the judges even if she gave decent performances. She was a constant bottom three dweller but she dodged the elimination every time. I had her going in the Top 11th (I always thought her looks could pull some early votes). With another hottie, Pia Toscano, and two crowd favorite youngsters eating up her female votes, Haley seemed to have no shot. However, she surprised America by killing Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets.” She built from that momentum and she even outlasted crowd favorite Pia Toscano. And just when you thought that Haley was a goner, she turned into a spitfire as she outlasted all the boys except for one. Judges continued to bash her but it only added fuel to her fire. In the multiple song rounds, Haley often got the backlash early on. However, she waited for the right time to shine. Thus, she outlasted all the non-country favorites. How the hell did that happen?
Haley did not give up.
Top Five Twitter Topics
5. Christopher Lao. We were all informed on this one.
4. Steve Jobs. I learned his resignation and death in Twitter before I began checking the news.
3. NBA Finals. Having the most polarizing team in the past ten years in the Finals provided several comedic and hatred-infused tweets.
2. Tim Tebow. His wins were just phenomenal that had several NFL followers going bonkers on him. Even my friends who do not follow football know him now.
1. NBA Lockout. NBA, congratulations for being the most controversial league this year.
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| I believe I have waited long enough | Credit: Foo Fighters |
Dallas’ run was one of the sweetest moments to die-hard Mavs fans. They waited for this moment for more than a decade. They saw their team almost had it and fade in the past few years. The ironic part was, they defeated the team which was composed of superstars who supposedly took the easy way out to win a championship. There are rewards for staying patient after all.
I cannot fully explain their storyline, so I would not attempt to. It is just that, it is an easy observation that Bruins’ fans waited several years for this year’s Stanley Cup victory.
Top Five TV Actors/Actresses:
Honorable Mention: Giancarlo Esposito. It’s bad we don’t get to watch him in the last “Breaking Bad” season. It’s good he made his character so evil it’s great we do not have to get mad at him next season.
5. Connie Britton. She is the lone actress in this list because of her work on “Friday Night Lights” and “American Horror Story.”
4. Aaron Paul. Easy pick for the Best Supporting Actor award
3. Kyle Chandler. I still think Jon Hamm should have won the Best Actor in the Emmy’s but it does not mean Chandler is not an amazing actor.
2. Steve Carell. Goodbye, Michael.
1. Bryan Cranston. No brainer.
I may be alone on this one, but my favorite movie this year is “Captain America: The First Avenger.” I am not a Captain America fan but I liked its story a lot. It was witty at several points, and it had a very good love story as well. But if there was one thing that struck me in that film, it would be Dr. Abraham Erskine’s line when he tried to justify the decision on why Steve Rogers was chosen to be the super soldier: “This is why you were chosen. Because a strong man, who has known power all his life, will lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength. And knows compassion.”
Humility. Matters. A. Lot.
Speaking of a humble guy, Tim Tebow was a huge celebrity in the American Football world this year. The Makati-born fan favorite of the Denver Broncos finally got his shot at being the QB1 of the Broncos. He sat the bench for more than a year (technically, he played the last few games last year but that was because Orton, their starting QB, got injured and they were out of the race). However, experts criticized him for having a bad throwing arm. Yes, he is not your typical NFL quarterback, but Tim was able to deliver when needed. He got Denver the wins that Kyle Orton could hardly give them. Right now, the Broncos are in great position to win the AFC West.
But the most impressive thing about Tebow were the facts that: 1) he waited patiently for his turn, and 2) he continued to be poised amidst a sea of detractors. Say what you want about him, but you cannot deny that he is a winner in real life.
Top Five Hot Chicks (criteria: should be prominent)
5. Emily Van Camp. I have no business watching “Revenge” because the show’s premise does not fit my tastes. However, I ended up watching around three episodes (and might still watch more). I wonder why.
4. Mila Kunis. Outstanding year for the former “That ‘70s Show” actress. Is she an A-Lister now? In the Hottie List, she surely is.
3. Kelli Garner. I love putting underrated picks every year. Kelli is this year’s underrated hottie. She is pretty as a redhead and her body gets vintage hot in “Pan Am.”
2. Haley Atwell. Oops! Another underrated hottie. Another vintage-looking chick. #goodtimes
1. Olivia Wilde. She rocked the space girl look and she was sizzling (no pun intended) as a cowboy/alien (oops! Spoiler!) Olivia does not have a perfect body but she has the amazing sex appeal that makes her rise from being an underrated guest star in “The O.C.” to a very relevant actress these days.
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| Olivia Wilde was simply my top gal this year | Credit: FHM |
Isn’t it also strangely similar that all the superteams (Miami Heat, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Eagles) that were recently constructed drastically failed? There is just too much coincidence for me not to ignore this.
In the World Series, the eventual theme of the champions was belief and patience. Waiting was not that desperate because St. Louis won a championship less than a decade ago. Their championship run was more rooted on the fact that they believed they can win it even if it was improbable. If the St. Louis fans were impatient, they would have given up in August as the Atlanta Braves were already sporting a sizeable Wild Card lead. But for some reason, the Cards just did not give up. They went on a winning streak to snatch the Wild Card at the final day of eliminations. When they were down to one strike in a pivotal Game 6 (twice), they believed in themselves and fought back. As for the fans, I have to commend them on that game as they waited and cheered even if their hopes were diminishing (but the potential of it being Pujols’ last game made it easier for them to stay). In the end, the wait was worth it.
Top Five Athletes
5. Manny Pacquiao. Two wins this year. Manny remains dominant. And for those who say he should not have won the Marquez bout and Mayweather is so much better. Puh-leeze. Just remember that Manny fought and the judges kept track. As for Mayweather, he had full control on his sucker punch.
4. Albert Pujols (St. Louis Cardinals/Anaheim Angels). I may not be a fan but I admit he is the best slugger of his generation. What a way to end his stint with the Cards.
3. Tim Tebow (Denver Broncos). Stephen A. Smith, you can shut up. Wins are the most important stat. And, Tim’s character? Impeccable. We need someone with good character to inspire people in sports.
2. Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks). His hunger to win the title was phenomenal.
1. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers).Finals MVP + Regular Season MVP = DOMINATING!!!
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| It's Tebow Time! | Credit: Grantland |
I am a die-hard Blue Eagle fan. This is easy.
For the past decade, we were often mocked by Lasallites for having a difficulty winning a championship. They have the bragging rights (after winning four straight) anyway. When we won in 2002, we got the “you have to wait for another fourteen years to win another one.” Then, we suffered a lot in the ensuing years. When we won in 2008, they said that it will take us another six years to win another title. Then, we repeated. But still, there was that monkey on our backs. That chip on the shoulder.
“Call us when you win four straight.”
This year, we can finally say we can dial in DLSU’s hotline and say, “Hi there! We just won four straight. And you know what, we did it in dominating fashion. Top that.” You know what, after my past realizations in this year, let us remove the last two sentences. Let us change these to “We will try to win more. We are not entitled to be called ‘The Greatest.’ All we care is to validate ourselves by working hard for it every time. See you next year.”
If this is what it takes for the Blue Eagles to win another championship next year, then I hope they continue to play as if we still had that same chip on our shoulder.
Top Five Movies
5. Thor
4. Super 8. Nicely made (and with Kyle Chandler being there).
3. X-Men: First Class. Would’ve ranked higher if it was more consistent to the other X-Men movies.
2. Crazy, Stupid, Love. We should have more feel-good movies like this.
1. Captain America: The First Avenger. “A strong man, who has known power all his life, will lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength. And knows compassion.”
I believe I’ve waited long enough
I’m learning to talk again
Can’t you see I’ve waited long enough.”
- Foo Fighters from the song “Walk”
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