End of an Era

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon some time in July 2009. I just came back from our team outing and I tuned in the television to check the first Ateneo game that year. I was feeling positive for my team’s chances because we just won the championship the previous year while most of the core players were back (with the very much promising rookies of 2008). I was also excited to find out who was Ateneo’s courtside reporter. I was single again that year so it would be guilt-free to have a crush on someone. And, voila! A cute mestiza named Jessica Mendoza (who was nicknamed “Je”) was shown in the screen. Ateneo always had the best balance of beauty and skill when it comes to courtside reporting but I was never charmed the same way that Jessica did. Little did I know that it was the start of an era.

It was the start of an era indeed. The Ateneo Blue Eagles went on to achieve a bucket list kind of a winning run with Coach Norman Black at the helm. They won the next four seasons to complete a half decade dominance. Even the most confident fans from our archrivals just accepted the fate that Ateneo would rule UAAP for a long time. Watching UAAP games became a breeze for me as the Blue Eagles trounced their opponents easily. If there was ever a golden age of sports in my life, it would easily be this stretch as the Blue Eagles assured me of an annual taste of championship.

Along with that, it was also the start of the Jessica Mendoza era. She became one of the best courtside reporters in UAAP (best in my books). She had an adorable voice and had charming wits. Je was also geeky and down to earth. Because of these, I was motivated to watch an Ateneo game on TV every time I had the chance to. I switched radio stations (from NU 107.5 to Magic 89.9) just to listen to her amazing voice in her daily show with Andi9.

I entered into some kind of fanboyism I never had in my life. OK… my passion as an Ateneo Blue Eagle fan is still unmatchable but this was at the very least, notable. I joined a video chat session featuring Je. Thankfully, my question was posted (3:22 mark of this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlhP_3GSYRE #gustokopagnaghisiyasaakinsachat). It was about career choice – a great foresight of things to come because she actually became what I hoped she would. I requested a song on the radio for the very first time in my life and she played and acknowledged me on air. I never do such things like this before. Never. But because it felt fun then, I did these. And, it was well worth it. Did I forget having the first celebrity response tweet from her? What about this blog site getting an unexpected acknowledgement from her? If ever there was a rating of a celebrity being responsive to her fan, she would have rated 10. And, I did not have to go on too much effort to experience those. This was why I was very thankful.

And of course, I was able to take a screenshot of this

Je was every geek’s dream chick (well, she was already taken but that’s beside the point). She did sports. She was cute. She loves Star Wars. She has good taste of music. She listens to great TV shows (heck, even “Mad Men!”) She loves reading. She blogs. These were probably why I continued listening to her radio show or reading her tweets even if she had ended her courtside reporting stint. This was a girl who’s not just about looks – she was immensely interesting. And that was an understatement.

During the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the Jessica Mendoza era, a lot has changed. Looking back at it, it started four to five years ago! We’ve witnessed the first all-yellow Ateneo-La Salle game. This was to pay homage to the late President Corazon Aquino. It was one of my favorite elimination round games ever. Michael Jackson unexpectedly died. As a tribute, the Blue Babble did a moonwalk in the cheerdance competition. In turn, we placed second. We witnessed LeBron, a small-town hero in Cleveland turn into one of the most vilified and polarizing athletes ever. We had Tebowmania. Linsanity. Dirk winning his first NBA championship. Ateneans and Lasallians getting called lemons and cowards. Tsunami occurring in Japan. “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad” becoming two of the greatest TV series of all-time. I witnessed my favorite fantasy series turn into an outstanding TV series. We witnessed Pacquiao getting knocked out cold. We witnessed PSEi rising high.

On a personal level, I got to live in a foreign land for more than half a year.

I did not even envision Ateneo winning five straight championships.

Wow.

It was a crazy ride.

When Jessica Mendoza announced that she was leaving Magic 89.9 and the country to pursue further studies in Boston, I felt like I lost something. I know that it should not be this way because I am not even related to her in some way. I barely even listen to her show nowadays because of work constraints. I did not follow her PBA stint as religiously as I did in the UAAP. She remains to be one of my favorite celebrities but this did not mean that she should be larger than life.

However, Je’s announcement became a signal of an end of an era. It signified that not all things stay forever. The last five years were sublime for me, but some things are bound to change. How one reacts to it is more important than how one misses it.

Even the Blue Eagle Domination Era is in danger of ending with this 0-3 start.

Championship years

Don’t get me wrong, I still believe we can win it all. However, this 0-3 start symbolizes that not all things can stay the same (like a dominant start of the season). Somewhere down the road, the Blue Eagles will lose the championship. I am not sure if I am prepared for that, but for what it was worth, I am very thankful of the glorious era that we had. Some day, we will reminisce it and say “those were the days.” But just like how Jessica Mendoza wants her career to go, we need to move forward.

With this, I end this writeup with one of my favorite songs this year. I did not know of this until I read Jessica Mendoza’s tweet last January.

Thanks, Je. Please stay relevant. Please continue to write. Good luck!

P.S. Please be a Red Sox and a Patriots fan when you are in there. They have the best (and worst, depending on your perspective) sports fans in the world. Pwede na ring Bruins.

“Carry On” by fun.

Well I woke up to the sound of silence the cars
Were cutting like knives in a fist fight
And I found you with a bottle of wine
Your head in the curtains and heart like the Fourth of July

You swore and said we are not
We are not shining stars
This I know
I never said we are

Though I've never been through hell like that
I've closed enough windows to know you can never look back

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone
Carry on
May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground
Carry on

Carry on, carry on

So I met up with some friends in the edge of the night
At a bar off seventy five
And we talked and talked about how our parents will die
All our neighbors and wives

But I like to think
I can cheat it all
To make up for the times, I've been cheated on
And it's nice to know
When I was left for dead
I was found and now I don't roam these streets
I am not the ghost you want of me

If you're lost and alone or you're sinking like a stone,
Carry on
May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground and
Carry on

Woah my head is on fire
But my legs are fine
After all they are mine
Lay your clothes down on the floor
Close the door
Hold the phone
Show me how
No one's ever gonna stop us now

'Cause we are
We are shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we're miles away
So we'll come, we will find our way home

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone
Carry on
May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground and
Carry on

(No one's ever gonna stop us now)
(No one's ever, no one's ever gonna stop, no one's ever gonna stop us now)
(No one's ever, no one's ever gonna stop , no one's ever gonna stop)
(No one's ever gonna stop us now)