a tribute to the blue and white

And so it ended in two games. We played our rivals in four games this season. We did not lose focus. We never blinked. Not even once.

It was a valiant effort, nonetheless, for the opposing team and defending champions. They came at us like wolves hungry for a kill. From the onset they put tremendous pressure against us, and slowly the eagles started to succumb. Error after error, mistakes after mistakes, the frustration piling. Not without a fight, said the star archer, who gave a commendable performance as he tried his best to carry the archers on his shoulders. But with everything said and undone, the toughest of men survived. The rightful champions emerged victorious.

The Mentor

It all started with him. The process it took to mold one of the best teams to ever grace the league, one of the best teams to ever wear the blue and white armor. Four years it took him, after he jumped from coaching in the professional leagues to teaching in the collegiate. Four years, that included a lot of defeats, injuries, expectations, disappointments, pressure and letdowns. Some wanted him to be better, some wanted him out, but all he wanted was time. Time to mold the freshmen he coached four years back to wise, mature senior basketball players. Time to show them that his system works.

The Team

Individuals did not win today. Players did not win today. The Team won today. With the key players in key positions playing in key minutes, the opposition did not stand a chance. They might have had a menacing and often effective full court press at their disposal, but our stronghold half court defense could not be penetrated. We had arguably the best starting five in the league, full of offensive power and defensive agility, and our reserves were beaming with high potential and understated talent.

The Rookie

He was the hype. He created excitement and generated buzz among peers. Spectators, players and even coaches all gazed at the amazing potential this man has. Coming from a sensational junior career, expectations were set high. By the end of his first senior season, expectations were met. Is this a sign of things to come? Now everyone is waiting to see what more this man can offer.

The Center

Undoubtedly the most improved player of the year, he came as the big tournament surprise as no one expected this man to perform as well as he did. And surprise eventually grew to amazement, as he truly became the center of attention for opponents matching up with us. What looked like a boy the past seasons matured to a man, overnight, and is now likened to the unstoppable force of gravity. He was our man on the offensive, putting up shot after shot, sinking them one by one. He was crowned most valuable player of the season and will be a force to reckon with for one more year.
The Anchor

Throughout the season, his efforts were seen more on the defensive end than on the offensive. He is the anchor of our defense, the true testament of a solid, dedicated player. He stood ground whenever the opponents mustered the courage to go against him. He flew, like the eagle that he is, whenever an archer decides to raise his bow and aim. Time after time, they threw up prayers against him. Time after time, he rejected them. It is only befitting to declare him the most valuable player of the series.

The Captain

Even with two most valuable players and one rookie of the year on the fray, we all know that this blue and white team belongs to him. From day one we all had our eyes on this veteran and placed on his shoulders our hopes of a championship. There can only be one King Eagle, and true to form, he showcased the skill set and the values that we stand for. He led the attack on the court, keeping his men focused and in place. He delivered whatever the team needed in every game, and this final game was no exception. He displayed character and composure to keep the enemy at bay. He gave himself to the game and left everything on the court. The game, in turn, was his.

Now, on a hill, between the earth and sky, there stands the bravest. The strongest. The best.

The Captain.

The Anchor.

The Center.

The Rookie.

The Mentor.

The Team.

The Ateneo.

how come

How come

How come I always see you on the other side of the street
Staring at me, smiling, sparkling
I walked towards you
But like a mirage you aren’t really there

How come I always hear you say Good morning when I wake up
Lying beside me, snuggling, kissing
I put my arms around you
With just a squint of my eyes you’re gone

How come I always think of you when I shouldn’t
Talk to you when I couldn’t
Sing to you when I wouldn’t ..
.. even dare tell you that I, that I..

Know that this will never be
A promise wrapped in reality
The stars are set for you and me
So now, how come..

How come I’m saying goodbye to you
Right now, waving, panting..

.. Yet still I’m standing, staying, wanting
Right in front of you.

Awake

by Secondhand Serenade

With every appearance by you blinding my eyes
I can hardly remember the last time I felt like I do
You’re an angel disguised

And you’re lying real still but your heartbeat is fast just like mine
And the movie’s long over, that’s three that has passed
One more’s fine

Will you stay awake for me?
I don’t want to miss anything
I don’t want to miss anything

I will share the air I breathe
I’ll give you my heart on a string
I just don’t want to miss anything

I’m trying real hard not to shake
I’m biting my tongue but I’m feeling alive and
With every breath that I take, I feel like I’ve won
You’re my key to survival

And if it’s a hero you want I can save you
Just stay here
Your whispers are priceless, your presence is due
So please stay near

Will you stay awake for me?
I don’t want to miss anything
I don’t want to miss anything

I will share the air I breathe
I’ll give you my heart on a string
I just don’t want to miss anything

Say my name
I just want to hear you
Say my name
So I know it’s true

You’re changing me
You’re changing me
You showed me how to live
So just say, so just say

That you’ll stay awake for me
I don’t want to miss anything
I don’t want to miss anything

I will share (I will share) the air I breathe
I’ll give you my heart on a string (give you my heart on a string)
I just don’t want to miss anything.

MNL-DXB-LOS

From MNL..

September 12, 2008. Arrived at NAIA a little after 9pm. Lesley and I checked in together, and then headed towards immigration. And as expected, we were held for questioning about why we were going to Nigeria. There was about five to ten minutes of planning what to do in case we weren’t allowed to go. And a lot of things ran past my mind: what about my leaves? I’ve already used up quite a lot and if we weren’t allowed to go to Nigeria, I wouldn’t have anything left to use until December.. what about my plans? I’ve already set my mind that I would be undergoing a more comprehensive training doing local support for one of our business units, and that I would be doing it with extra pay and extra leaves.. what about my business class flight? Yeah I know this sounds cheap and insignificant, but I really did worry about not experiencing a business class trip.

Anyway, after a few minutes of waiting, we were allowed to go to Nigeria. I didn’t know if Lesley and I were relieved or not. But a sigh was let out nonetheless.

One of the perks of having a Business Class ticket was getting an invitation to the Business Class lounge. It was like a coffee house, but with everything in it for free. I ate some and just relaxed until it was time to board the plane. And when I saw the seats where we were assigned, I literally said “oh my god”. Because oh my god, the leg space/room was amazing. I could easily stretch my feet and legs without having to stand. And then I let out another gasp of unbelief when I saw that I had my very own tv. How cool is that? I was like a kid inside a candy store. But in this case I was just Chux inside the Business Class area of an airplane. Giddy, excited, relaxed and comfortable. Ahhh..

The food wasn’t bad at all. Because the only airplane food I can compare it with was the one from Philippine Airlines when we went to Vancouver. And it really didn’t put up much of a fight with Emirates’ food. Maybe because it was also Economy vs. Business class, but still. I thought the food was really good coming from an airplane. And, to top it all off, it was open bar. Yehey! I was tempted to drink as much as I can, but I got shy of Lesley. She wasn’t a drinker at all, and I didn’t want her to think that I was a drunk. I just.. I just love to have a couple of drinks.. or more. Especially when it’s free.

The personal TV was amazing. I could watch whatever I want, whenever I want. It was divided into three main menus: Information, Communication and Entertainment (ICE). With information, you could view all the stuff about the flight. You could even see a view of the outside similar to what the pilots are looking at or a view of below, as if you were peering directly downwards. In Communication, you could choose to text or call someone from the phone/remote on the side of the seat. And Entertainment, well it was the best part. It was broken down to Movies, TV shows, Music and Radio. Each of them were further broken down to different genres, different artists, different albums etc.

After the light snack I started to watch Prince Caspian, but fell sleepy 30 minutes into the film. I finished off my glass of red wine and then dozed off for four hours. I woke up to breakfast and then decided to watch TV shows. There were episodes from Heroes, Grey’s Anatomy and other new ones. But there was still one TV show that I really needed to watch. FRIENDS. The list had six random episodes from different seasons. I watched all of them, of course, just in time to land and stow away the TV.

to DXB..

September 13, 2008. It was around 4:30am local time when we arrived. And boy, was it beautiful. For quite some time I actually wished that the flight to Nigeria would be cancelled so we’d get stuck here. The Dubai International Airport was more like a mall than an airport. We had fun going around, Lesley looking for things to buy and me taking pictures. At first I was apprehensive about taking photos, but when I saw other tourists doing it, I quickly joined the bandwagon. Dubai Duty Free was the catchphrase, and it seemed like it just slides off of your mouth. DUBAI DUTY FREE. But apparently, the price of PSP there is almost the same as that with SM North Edsa Cyberzone. So I probably wouldn’t buy any electronics here inside the airport. I was told that gadgets were cheaper outside the airport, within Dubai itself. After going around, we decided to spend the rest of the time inside the Emirates Business Class Lounge. Since we were in UAE (Emirates’ hub) the lounge was probably the biggest than with any other airport. It had two floors and buffet snacks as well. I was too full from the food in the first flight so I just surfed the net. I was able to chat with jag and rj, and the interwebs kept me company until we boarded the next flight. The flight that would take us to our real destination.

to LOS..

How I wish LOS meant Los Angeles. But no, it meant Lagos. This flight will take about 7 hours, so I decided to manage my time well. I finally got to finish Prince Caspian and then managed to slip in an hour of intermittent sleep. I managed to wake myself up with just two hours before landing. So I chose to watch Horton Hears a Who that lasted only 88 minutes. With time to spare, I just decided to sit back, put my feet up, pop in some music and enjoy the last few minutes of enjoyable time. Because, truly, at the back of my mind, I was thinking “I’m going to Nigeria”. And the emoticon for that is K.

In the music playlist there was a grouping called “Essential Albums” which listed popular and bestselling albums of all time. I listened to a few of them (just songs, not the entire album). I went from the Beatles, to Metallica, to Nirvana, to Pearl Jam, to Norah Jones, to Mariah Carey, to U2, to Michael Jackson, to Eric Clapton, to Bob Marley, to Ray Charles, and to a lot more. But the final song, oh man, I specifically wanted my final song to be a hell of a song. At the end of the list was The Who. And I only know of one song from The Who, one song that really blew my mind when I first heard it. And apparently, I heard it from House. Baba O’reily by The Who. I just think that its musicality is very very good. Download it, listen to it and know what I’m talking about.

So the captain announced that we were starting our descent, and were about to land in a few minutes. As we decreased altitude, I got to view what Lagos looked like from atop. It was exactly what I expected it to be. So this is Africa.

Red Earth

Even before landing, the first thing I noticed was how the soil seemed so red. Not even close to our shit-brown soil in the Philippines. The soil here was a darker shade of red and brown. And it hit me. From what I read about Africa, from what I watch from movies, from what I see online, it is true. African soil is red because of all the years of bloodshed and fighting over it. I realized that Africa wasn’t a place to be scared of, but a place to take pity on. Now I get why Bono loves this place.

MMIA

No, the MM does not stand for Metro Manila. Haha. We finally landed at the Murtala Muhammed International airport here in Lagos, Nigeria. It was a decent enough airport, and the people who work here are basically the same with those who work at NAIA, especially the immigrations officer: straight-faced and rude. But nonetheless, after immigration we were met by Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) partners whose primary work is to meet and greet Chevron travelers to Nigeria. It sounds corny, but meeting them and having them escort us made me feel safer, better. As we went out the airport, we walked to where the coaster/shuttle and the armed escort was parked. While walking, I noticed how everyone was looking at us as we passed. I felt so white.

We left the airport with just me and Lesley inside the shuttle. For the first thirty minutes, we just coasted and traffic was nowhere in sight. That was until we were diverted to another road because some road was being fixed. And from there, I got to view how traffic in Nigeria was like. It’s like 8:00AM southbound lane EDSA times 10. It took us more than two and a half hours to reach the hotel, which was supposed to take 45 minutes only.

Hotel Bellisimo

Not much to say here. It is an OKAY hotel, not a WOW hotel. I guess I’m liking the part where I’m by myself and I can do whatever I want, which is not much given the situation. We can’t go out of the hotel for security reasons, we can’t eat too much because a meal here costs USD20 to USD40. We can’t swim in the pool, well, because we don’t want to. Watching TV with 6 channels will not last you long, and sleeping can be tiresome if done too much. What I’m enjoying is smoking at the bar, with two free drinks every day for guests. Nice. I’m going to try their local beer Star after I post this blog.

This will be it for now, I’ll update you guys again one of these days.

excited

woooo. less than 48 hours before landing in Lagos.

sino excited? akoooo.

rain rain go away

got drenched by the rain yesternight. good thing i was on my way to meet my sister at glorietta so we could drive home together. she was supposed to pick me up at the mall, but she couldn't get her car because the rain was pouring down hard. had to wait for awhile, so i went to digital exchange..

..and bought me an ipod.

impulsive buy much? hahaha oh well, i've been meaning to get me one of those white thingies that ya'll put on yo ears. and it was the cheapest offer i found. and i am super happy with my buy.

this morning i took the day off to fix my things for friday night. it only took me half a day, so i rested in the afternoon. oh, and i set up my ipod. it actually took me an hour trying to think of a name for my ipod. then it hit me, why not "Classic"? it sounded cool, so classic it is. haha

and i just realized, the 160gb of memory Classic has is actually MORE than what Sundown has. woah. I guess i'll be putting a lot of stuff other than music/video/pictures in there.

oh, and please make the rain stop. i don't want to board a plane knowing that thunderstorms are within reach. =|

it just dawned on me..

.. i am going to Nigeria.