Lakers and Celtics Take 12

Now it can be told. It’s the Celtics and Lakers again for their 12th meeting in the Finals of the NBA. Both teams hold the record of having won the most NBA championships with 17 and 15 respectively making them two of NBAs formidable basketball franchise.


Celtics last won the finals in 2008 against the Lakers and Lakers won the title a year after at the expense of the Orlando Magic. Both teams are championship caliber teams with heavyweight basketball names associated with each of the teams. D-Fish, The Goods, Artest, Pau and Black Mamba will banner the defending champions against Rondo, Allen, KG, Perkins and The Truth of the Celts.


On paper, the Celtics looks to be the more powerful and deep squad but Scientific Basketball and the Triangle Offense of Phil Jackson have been working wonders for the Lakers. The Celts will be going to the finals boasting a 9-2 record against the Lakers and this will surely be the motivation for the second generation Lakers against their formidable nemesis since time immemorial. This is going to be a classic in the making. Offense versus Defense. The Doctor versus The Guru.


Nobody, or to say the least, only a few expected this to come. In the beginning of the season until playoffs, it looked like The Finals belong to Kobe and LeBron until the Celtics crushed the Cavaliers in the second round paving the way for their domination of the East.


My son, Xavier is surely having a wide grin on his face. His Celtics is in The Finals and this is his first time to see (at least on TV) them play in the finals since he understood the game last year. While he will be rooting for the Celts, I will be picking the Lakers. Not really a Lakers fan, hate them since, but basketball, just like life is a game of chance and change. We need to learn how to play the rules and play them well. I am picking the Lakers beyond statistics and beyond the underdog tag. I am picking the Lakers because Kobe has taught me an important lesson when he nailed a dagger of a shot (and Grant Hill all over him) in the fourth quarter (when the Suns are threatening a comeback) against the Suns today, It takes talent, teamwork, excellent coaching and experience to win quarters but it takes the HEART to win games. It takes HEART to have a peachy day. :o)

Kaogma Festival @ the CWC

Dubbed as the hottest festival in the world with its famous “sili” (chilli pepper) handle, Kaogma which literally mean “happiness” is a celebration of CamSur’s (Camarines Sur) Foundation Anniversary. This is a week-long celebration which started last Saturday (May 22) and is scheduled to end today (May 29) with a game show that has 1 Million Peso as its catch.


As this year’s team goes “Kaogma: Everybody Happy”, we made sure that we will be part of the Kaogma happiness right where it happens. Our TGIF celebration this week will be at the world famous CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC), the center of the festivities! The group, Redje, Kits, Joy, Glen, Roms, Eduard, Dante, Ice, Sheila and I hit the road.


Visit to the CWC has never been this amazing. The man-made Lago del Rey and the wakeboard area were filled with adrenalin pumping actions for both the local and the foreign wakeboard enthusiast! It’s astounding watching these guys do their tricks and flips in the water! The water action has further been pumped up with sportscaster covering the competition live and a giant LCD screen for live stream broadcast and replays.


Going over at the poolside, a Beer Plaza with Bicol’s two famous bands, Tanikala Tribe and Tara Padi entertained the crowd with their signature reggae sound. The beer taste sweeter and their music sound cooler as we sat at the tent and down bottles after bottles after bottles.



The poolside area has also been our gateway to see Philippine celebrities in flesh. Sheila who is more informed on the biz knew a lot of them and she would just tell me where they appear so I would remember. I only knew few of them, LJ Moreno the famous Talk n Text Cheer Leader, Bobby Yan and Raymond Gutierrez, the rest never heard and never seen.


The Kaogma Festival is indeed true to its meaning. Happiness abounds and everybody who were at the CWC for whatever reason will be ecstatic. Our celebration of the Kaogma Festival is world-class and a true source of pride for being a Bicolano. Happy and Hot.

Craig David - Insomnia

Old Hogs

Nilo. Owen. Fred. Dennis. Jack. Mark. Kambal. Yolo. Dean. Nicko. Obet. Ahay. Tommy. Quad. Deps. Bong. Uding. Jun R., Emer, Ahay, Glen, Ibo, Aida and Chito. These names are familiar in all four corners of Maangas but all except two (2) never really spent 365 days in any of its streets. They come and they go just like the rains do but sure they will come back in one season or two.

The third Sunday of May when the moon was new these vampires gathered in the old famous basketball court, the venue of the Fiesta Party, a tradition that has been observed since I learned how to stay up late at night. And that was a long time ago. The gathering was an informal way of renewing ties and bonds and friendships that has withered storms, crossed boundaries and tested our patience in all ways imagined. Over a bottle of beer or gin if the first is out-of-stock, the old hogs were unmindful of the time, enjoying every moment, sharing the same old stories said in a new different way, though we all knew the ending, we stilled laugh hard together at the punch line.

There were no invitations sent, but just the same, the group met at the same spot where we last met one year ago. There were those who haven’t come but I’m sure they will probably this year or 2 years from now. Joseph Mustafa is in Davao. Maricel in the US but was around 2 years ago. Jun in the US too. Many were not around but wherever they are, I’m sure we shared the same celebration in spirit.

Complete or otherwise, we shared stories and fun that night. Who would ever forget Chito requesting for Craig David’s Insomnia to revive the crowd at quarter past 2 in the morning. Insomnia indeed! Obet, Tommy and Yolo lined up for a sleeping contest. Nilo found himself inside the venue just to notice later that he was wearing shorts, so underdressed for the occasion and he had to excuse himself later. And Uding, the brother of the MYS President, he took care of business, pulled a case of beer after every case whenever the tables and bottles are empty. I had my own blopper that night but that doesn’t deserve a space.

And for those wondering who Bong is, he is the old “Absalon” of the famous Joe Lando Clan. He changed his name. Mark is Marcelo. Deps is Pedro. Jun R is Salvador and Nicko is Kulas. Old Hogs with new names.

PCOS and I

I haven’t voted for three (3) consecutive national elections now and I made sure this time would be different. Been away from my mother precinct during the 2001, 2004 and 2007 elections, our role that time was far more important than casting votes, we, together with the STI Halalan Vounteers during that time guarded the Filipino Votes. In our own little way, we made sure that each vote will be counted. We succeeded in the precinct level but not in the echelon of the Lower House where our supposed Representatives know better how to count. But that’s another story.


I was at our Barangay more known for the beauty that rest in the middle of its sea, the Aguirangan Island. (Rose Island) a day prior to Election Day. Just like the old folks whom I occasionally met for casual discussions, I too am pretty excited to try the new electoral process. I ended up talking to them again about the coming election and their apprehensions of the system and the PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan) Machine as we wait for the PCOS machine delivery to arrive. Yes, the PCOS are yet to arrive at the Polling Center and are yet to be tested with less than 24hours before the election.


The shadow of the PCOS machine showed itself at 9AM. We gathered around the Polling Precinct wondering how the hell this machine looks like in real life. We only get to see them in TV and news but not in person. I watched my elementary teachers, (my Auntie included) carry the machines at the precinct from the office. We didn’t bother to help, I know it was heavy, but their instruction was “nobody should touch the machine but the teachers” so we let them be.

It took the teachers and the election technician about an hour to setup the machine. With each component attached to the machine, the teachers, (3 of them) had to consult the manual and each has to agree that what they did was right. It was funny but that probably was the instruction they got from the COMELEC. At last the PCOS was ready to go, how? Gee! They forget the extension wire so somebody has to run back to get an extension wire. Relax. There’s always a first time for everything.


Three polling precincts made a simulated election on that day. I squeezed myself up to be one of the “trial voters” on the wrong precinct. I need to see how the ballots and the PCOS machine works. So I got myself one trial ballot. The BEI was not strict during this mock election so my kids, Angel, Xavier and Motet were with me at the room. No ballot secrecy folders yet, just shade your candidate and insert the ballot in the PCOS once done. I need to make sure how candidate shading works, should it be perfectly shaded, half shaded, partially shaded and overly shaded. I tried everything just to see how the PCOS will react to my vote.



While I was about to insert my vote in the PCOS machine, Angel noticed something, she told me, “Tatay, I though you’re voting for Gibo, why did you shaded Noynoy instead?” to which I replied “this is just a trial anak, tomorrow I’ll do the right thing.”


All set and with all the preconditions in mind done, I inserted the ballot in the PCOS machine. After a while it says “congratulations”. The BEI told me my vote has been counted. It works. So it doesn’t have to be a perfect shade, it could be any type of shade basta shade.