Freedom

"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings." - Optimus Prime, 2012 Presidential Candidate

Okay, just kidding. But if Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen, natch) were to run for president of the United States, I'd vote for him (so would you), he'd win (undoubtedly) and it will be the greatest thing ever (unquestionably). But I digress.

You see, today was my day-off from work. We had some kooky, only-for-us holiday and my co-workers and I were afforded a free day. Oh how sweet it is.

See, the mere idea of a holiday from work makes me giddy, especially if it comes after a work day. Those last few minutes before the end of the day are a bag of uncontrollable, electric excitement. There's so much energy and love generated by the prospect of no work that you're overcome with joy.

And even that cannot compare to the actual holiday itself. One whole day without responsibilities and burdens and stress? Fantastic! And today I didn't do anything work-related. I just watched TV, used the computer and just relaxed. I had lunch with my girlfriend (something we used to do every day but had to stop because of work) for the first time in a long time and it was grand. Seeing her was definitely the best part of my day.

Of course, even I do not advise having too many holidays (What am I saying?). Too much of a good thing blah blah blah. Sometimes, one can get sick of too much free time (even I admit it). After all, what makes the freedom fun is the fact that you're free of something, and if you aren't beholden to anything, you will never be able to experience that particular kind of happiness.

JINX! A Random Post

Randomly...

I probably jinxed my fantasy team's championship chances after my recent post about how I was good enough to win it all. A few days later, Danilo Gallinari gets breaks his left thumb and I'm forced to drop him. Derrick Rose might be out for longer than expected too. The worst part is, if I want to have any chance at all of winning, I'm going to have to drop Gallo. And I don't want to. Basketball, in whatever form is about love. I've had Gallo since the beginning. He was one of my prized draft picks. And now, because of his injury, if he stayed on my team, he'd end up a non-factor and worse, a liability. I had to drop him. I've done that before but mostly to players who weren't performing well, not one of my stars. Hopefully, when the season is over, I can pick him up again so that he will be part of my final roster (basically, after the season is over, you can still pick-up players just to have them on your team's final line-up) just so I can look back on my team and smile about all the good memories of he (and his stats) gave me. It was fun while it lasted.

Next, I have determined that getting my hair cut is bad luck and leads to bad days. That is all I will say about this topic.

What else? Hmmm. Just found out that the new Doctor Who companion will be played by a relatively unknown actress named Jenna-Louise Coleman. She was in Captain America playing...someone apparently (my money is one of Bucky's girls at the Stark Expo). Well, she's going to be the most Googled/Wiki'd person in all of nerdom over the next few days. Hope she brings the same energy and enthusiasm (also, hotness) that Karen Gillan brought. It's going to be tough replacing Amy Pond but I hope she does well.

I also just saw the trailer for the new Battlestar Galactica show Blood & Chrome. The trailer was fully of Viper-y action goodness which is a good sign, since I Caprica didn't have any of that. I also did not watch any Caprica for that same reason. If the trailer is any indication, B&C should be more well-received from the get go. So say we all!

Also, it's been in the news recently (well, nerd news) that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles under Michael Bay will have a more out of this world origin. Literally, as he plans on turning our heroes in a half shell into aliens. For the love of nerds everywhere, please stop, Michael Bay. You already gave us Devastator balls and racist robots, don't give us this crap as well. There's no good reason to make this change. Aliens and mutants are practically same to the masses. Don't you like mutants, Michael Bay? Also, THEY'RE CALLED TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. The franchise is named very specifically. Ugh. Come on. You almost ruined Transformers for everyone (can't really call anything with Peter Cullen in it, 'crap,' since you know, he's basically the voice of God), don't do it again.

That's it for now I guess. Hope everyone continues having a good week, or if you're having a bad one, that it turns around. Toodles!

Ends

Lately, I've been to focused on the 'ends.' The end of the day. The end of the song. The end of a night. Lately, I've been so focused that I've missed the mids. See, when from the start, you've got your eyes on the end, the journey becomes secondary.

Enjoying the mids is a decision. It is a decision to be in the moment. To move from one moment to the next without seeing it. Without knowing it.

Let the moment play out, don't let the moment end.

That way, moments never end and live on forever.

Winning Time

There's one week left before the fantasy basketball playoffs begin and I currently sit at the no. 3 spot in our 12-team league. I've been top-3 all season and actually spent a number of weeks at the top. My roster, as of today, looks like this:

Derrick Rose
Goran Dragic
Louis Williams
Chandler Parsons
George Hill
Roy Hibbert
Rodney Stuckey
Zach Randolph
Serge Ibaka
DeAndre Jordan
Jared Dudley
Danilo Gallinari
Monta Ellis

This year has been especially difficult what with the lockout and the condensed schedule making injuries a bigger factor than ever before. Less time between games means less time to heal. Players have taken much more of a pounding. The season's early weeks were especially rough as everybody was still getting into game shape. Believe me, percentages were way down and I was willing to drop everyone.

Of course, once things settled a bit, the players I picked up started producing the way I expected them to. Well, mostly (I'm looking at you Raymond Felton). Rodney Stuckey, Jared Dudley and Serge Ibaka started to produce the way I hoped they would and guys like Monta Ellis and Louis Williams were helping me stay afloat. As it stands, I'm pretty confident in my team. The only reason I dropped from first to third was because I played hurt for a good part of the season. Danilo Gallinari missed a lot of time with an ankle injury, I picked up Zach Randolph despite knowing he'd be out until March and Derrick Rose, my number one pick, has been beset with a number of injuries keeping him out of my line-up far more frequently than I expected. However, I've got everyone back now (Rose has missed the past few games but isn't expected to miss much more) and with the playoffs to start in one week, I'm ready to reclaim my crown.

The actual NBA playoffs are right around the corner as well so the title of this post also applies to the real thing. Now is the time for teams to start tightening their rotations with an eye towards the playoffs. Players have to become more focused as mistakes and losses become bigger with each passing day. Currently, my Indiana Pacers are in a 2-6 swoon. Hopefully, Roy Hibbert, Danny Granger, Paul George and co. can right the ship in the next few weeks.

Basketball is life for many Filipinos, myself included. Whether you're playing or watching, for those who truly love it, the game is a matter not just of winning or losing, but life and death. Immortality and oblivion. It's this exhilarating notion that drives some fans (yes, myself included) crazy during this time of the year (the heat is a major factor too). Winning Time truly is the most amazing time of the year.

Done to Death

When everything has been said, everyone has been given a voice, and all ideas are basically the same, then what else is there to say?

To believe in?

To dream of?

To live for?

What is unsaid.

The Days of the Week

I only ever seem to be able to post on Mondays. I guess it's because the American news cycle doesn't really start until Tuesday here in the Philippines (thanks to the time difference) so I get today off to focus on the blog rather than browsing my favorite websites.

I may be in the minority, but I really don't hate Mondays. I know a lot of folks make that claim (and I do too on some occasions) but for me, I don't find the first day of the week all that bad. Maybe it's because of the metaphorical weekend hangover which dilutes the effects of the dreaded day or the fact that there's still enough "new" to keep me blinded from the OH NO IT'S MONDAY AGAIN blues.

Now, Tuesdays are a different story. See, Tuesdays, I don't like. For some reason, probably because of its place in the week, I feel the least amount of hope when I wake up on Tuesday mornings. It's that 'bleh' day when you haven't gotten quite past Monday yet and are nowhere near Friday. On the bright side, the internet is usually a buzz this day since, as mentioned, the American websites are all posting new stuff again.

The midpoint of the week, I argue, really isn't the exact middle of the work week. I tend to see Wednesdays as the third day of the week, automatically making it seem closer to Friday than Monday, even if it's temporally equidistant to both. There's a little more energy in trying to finish the day and get to the next day, which all in all seems to be my favorite day of the week.

Thursdays, for me, represent the most hopeful day of the week. You're on the fourth day of the work week, which makes seem like you've gotten through most of your trials and challenges for the week and are on the cusp of the weekend. If the week were like a marathon, Friday, the finish line would be in your sights. All your hopes and dreams are being fueled by one thought, "It's Friday tomorrow." Plus, how could you not love a day named after the Mighty Thor?

Fri-day! And what some might say the best day of the week. I love the day too; TGIF, right? Sometimes though, I find that there is a manic, overeager pace to the day that often robs it of its potential greatness. Like, we're in a rush to do so many things on Friday that we overexert ourselves and try to do too much in so little time. You have to remember, for most people there is still work on Friday and thus, Friday nights can become a little too tiring. Do too many things and you might just wear your body out, wrecking the rest of the weekend. However, I do subscribe by the notion that you should go out on Friday night. If you really want to maximize your weekend, starting out on a Friday is the best way to do it. Makes the weekend seem longer. At the same time, you avoid "waiting" on Friday night for Saturday to come, thereby wishing that Friday was done sooner. It's preposterous, right? But admittedly, I've felt that way too on nights when I was stuck at home because my plans were for Saturday.

Saturdays are over too quick. The old adage, "time flies when you're having fun" is never truer than on Saturdays when you wish the whole week could be spent with your friends and loved ones. Personally, Saturday is my favorite day because it's when I get to see my girlfriend. The only problem is, after dinner and a movie, you find yourself at the end of another Saturday, wishing that you had more time.

And finally, we get to Sunday, the Lord's day, family day, rest day, and everything else you want to call it. Sunday kinda gets the unfair reputation of being 'the day before Monday.' What is one half of your weekend is treated as an extra weekday because we can't help but see what comes after. Homework and assignments need to be finished; you remember the tasks you left unaccomplished at work last Friday; the realization that another grueling work week is upon you is making you stressed -- All of a sudden, Sunday isn't as relaxing as it should be anymore. And that isn't Sunday. I guess I'm for taking back Sunday (naks) and making it what it was originally intended to be: a day of rest. Resting by relaxing or by doing the things you love. Put off work first, you've got five other days for that.

We seem to live life in manageable week-sized doses. If so, all seven days are blessings and opportunities. Hating on one day and loving the other does not make sense, if our reasons for doing so are their assignments in the order. Each has the same potential for greatness. The goal moving forward should then be to enjoy each one for its own unique characteristics. Love the days because once they're gone, you will never get them back.

Stress Itself

Today, Friday, March 9 of the year 2012, was a day unlike any other, and not in a good way.

For some odd, strange reason, for about an hour or so earlier today, I could not do anything right.

This has to be said, I have to say it, because damn if it wasn't a pleasant experience.

There I was, in front of my desk making mistake after mistake after mistake. E-mails being sent to the wrong people. Using old templates and forgetting to change the details. Failing to properly respond to people's questions. It got so bad that when I was correcting my mistakes, I was still making some. How does that happen?

Taking stock of the whole thing, I'm blaming it on stress. My job can be very stressful. In my line of work, when you screw up, it ain't the end of the world, but the clients' whose assets you're handling are likely to take offense. In some cases, it's not even totally my fault but because I work in marketing and customer service and deal directly with the client, I get the brunt of it.

That can put me under a lot of stress and pressure. And I guess I broke a little today.

You know what? It felt good. It felt good to be out of sorts and angry and scared and a little crazy and manic. It felt good to feel those things but it felt even better to know that I could survive things like that.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? Guess I gotta believe that.

Is Your Smart Phone Making You Look Dumb?

I have a new phone. It's one of those fancy-pants smart phones (defined by one online dictionary as a device that functions both as a cell phone and a hand-held computer) with a touch screen and "qwerty" keypad.

From it I can take and store pictures, stay updated on what's going on in my friends' lives through Facebook, track NBA games as they happen, read up on my favorite comic book sites and even Tweet my lame jokes whenever I feel like it. I can also take and store pictures, play games and listen to music. Oh, it also sends text messages and makes phone calls. Pretty sweet right? This is my first smart phone and honestly, I was pretty stoked to get it. (Thanks mom!)

I still carry around my old cell phone because after using it for over two years now, I've grown accustomed to both its features and quirks. Dropping it for good in favor of my new phone would not be practical as I have yet to master the nuances of this modern-er device.

So on the way home from work today, I decided I wanted to listen to music on my old phone. However, it was almost out of juice and I did not want to drain the battery. No problem, just sync up my two phones and transfer the songs from one phone to the other. Okay, it worked, where is the file saved? There it is, in the memory card, huzzah! Hey, let's make a new folder where I can put all the songs so that they're nice and organized. Ha! I named it 'Jeri,' how clever of me. Now, let's transfer the songs into the fol- Wait. It's not working. *confused* Maybe I should make the folder first before transferring the songs ergo I will delete everything again and start from scra- Wait. It's not working. Huh?

I could not for the life of me figure out how to transfer songs from my old phone to the new one and save them in a new folder for easy storage. Something as simple that, and I was stumped. A smart phone should be able to do that, right? Was I missing something obvious? If I was, why wasn't it obvious-er? Why make it not as easy as it should be to do something like that?

And then all of the other things I noticed over the first week of using my new phone popped into my head. Why does the screen go blank like some power-saving feature while I'm using it? Why can't I use wifi to connect to surf the web? When I'm composing a message and I want to go back to a certain point, why does it seem not as easy to do so using the touchscreen interface than it would have with a thumb stick or mini D-pad?

Questions like these make me feel as if I'm stupider than I previously thought. Am I not using it properly? Are their secret functions that are just eluding my sensibilities? My old phone, which came out around three years earlier than my newer phone did not have a slick touchscreen interface but never blacked out while I was using it and I could easily edit messages. Surely, this newer phone can do what my old phone did/does? And if it can, then the problem is with me.

Actually no, it's just that manufacturers love subtracting one thing from the older model when they come out with the new one. It's stupid, yes, but they do it. They can't just give us what they want because if they did, we'd stop buying new things. Look, this is a rant, because I don't know why the hell my phone goes dark WHILE I'M USING IT. I mean come on! And would it kill you to have some sort of directional pad on it? The space bar is gigantic for crying out loud!

Well that felt good to get off my chest. I'm going to back to watching Justified now.

The Pacers? We Talking About The Pacers?!

Yes, that would be my Indiana Pacers. Why? Because currently, with a 22-12 record, the Indiana Pacers reside at the no. 3 position of the Eastern Conference. One of basketball's proudest franchises (going back to its ABA roots), this organization was once one of the powers of the NBA during the 90's and early 00's. Recent years have been less than kind to Pacer Nation which is what is making the current season all that much sweeter.

Long-time Pacer fans such as myself have been suffering for the better part of the last decade. Between all the suspensions, negativity, the retirement of the great number 31 Reggie Miller, and most depressingly, the multitude of losses, there hasn't been much to talk about when it came to our favorite team. Sure, there have been some shining moments of individual players stepping up or unexpected wins over league powerhouses, but they were all just fleeting moments of pride. A day or too if "Hey, how 'bout them Pacers?" When it came down to it, the Pacers were not all too good.

Then something funny happened last year. Much to the surprise of the public-at-large, the Indiana Pacers somehow made it into the 2011 NBA playoffs, despite owning a losing record. Many pundits were expecting a meek effort from a team that wasn't seen as a legitimate playoff team, let alone a championship contender. And the Pacers did bow out of the race early, losing their first round series against the no. 1-seeded Chicago Bulls, 1-4. Oh but anyone who watched that series would be hard-pressed to call the boys in Blue and Gold, meek. They displayed toughness and swagger, defensive stops were being made and there were actual good ol' fashioned highlights - from Indiana! The Pacers, who many thought "lucked out" into the playoffs actually gave the Bulls a fight and the world a reason to pause and think, "Hey, these guys might actually be good." Well, in sports, winning and losing are miles apart and for all intents and purposes, the Pacers had "another" disappointing season. Except this time around, there was something to build on.

Due to a failure to come to terms between the owners and the players (don't ask), the NBA's 2011-2012 season started later than usual. But when it finally came around, it looked like the Indiana Pacers were picking up right where they left off. The Pacers started off with a bunch of wins, tacked on more, and more and more and more (including wins on the road against the Lakers, Bulls and defending champion Mavericks) until they found themselves near the top of the standings. To the delight of many sports fans who love hearing about the underdog finally breaking through, this was just another overachieving team. To the Pacer faithful? This was our guys finally doing what we long ago believed (and hoped and dreamed) they could do. This was redemption and vindication. This was sweet and long overdue.

Through a combination of tenacity, grit and poise, the Indiana Pacers have rolled through the NBA picking up more wins than losses at a pace (pun non intended) unseen since 2004. Led by high-scoring swingman Danny Granger, the face of the franchise through these past few rough years, vastly improved big man Roy Hibbert (a participant in this past All-Star game), veteran free agent pick-up David West, second-year stud Paul George (who is going to become a regular during All-Star Weekend and not just on Sundays, bet on it) and steady point guard Darren Collison, the citizens of the state of Indiana (and its transplants all over the globe) have a team to root for again. It's a hardworking bunch that will give you your money's worth most nights playing great team defense (buzz words for good teams) and smart offense (a nicer of way saying, "an offense not predicated around one or two individuals").

The great thing about this team is that they really have grown over the past couple years. Hard lessons were learned and crushing experiences were used to build character. Bad eggs were jettisoned, youngins with potential were cultivated and winning was put ahead of everything. They got sick of losing and found the winning cure.

Expectations are high right now, as they should be. Winning does that. For us fans, it's a dream come true. When Larry Bird started assembling this roster not too long ago, we did not know it would all come together this beautifully. Hope was all we had. Hope that Roy would develop into a true, dependable center (just about there); that Darren could join the ranks of the best point guards in the league (almost there); that we could get lucky and snag serviceable rooks and free agents during the off-season (look at all the additions these past three years: George, West, Tyler Hansbrough, George Hill); and that Danny could finally become the leader we needed him to be. Lo and behold, look at where the team is at now.

Of course, the season is far from over and there's a lot more basketball left to be played. The real challenges of being mentally-tough and being better late in the season are on the horizon, challenges that could easily overwhelm undeserving teams. The NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint, as they say, where the importance of peaking at the right time is paramount to ending the season in June rather than April. Well, so far the Pacers have kept pace and are prime in position to make waves in the basketball world. Pacer fans can't wait for the next leg of the race. This team has improved too much to slow down now and the finish line (and first place) has not looked this near in a long time. See you there.