I've told this story to my boys, but I think it's worth tellin' my readership
-I was at the Dollar Store the other day and made some purchases (candy) ... then I looked at the total, $3.39 ... I stood there and thought about it for a second ... For those of you not in Canada, our taxes are as follows, for every dollar spent: it's 5% Goods and Services Tax and 8% Provincial Sales Tax ... However, there is no PST on items below $4 total ... So I'm thinkin', man this dollar store just ripped me off for about a quarter ... When people shop at the dollar store, they usually make bigger purchases than I did, thus if their subtotal is $12 they are being charged an extra dollar ... you multiply that by 500 people (really rough estimate) per day, that is another $500 in the pockets of the store ... I was thinking about confronting the cashier about it, making a big stink about it, just to get the reaction ... I love gettin' reactions ...
-A couple of weeks ago I was at Wal-Mart ... saw this candy at the checkout tills, it was priced $0.67 ... I remember that at the Dollar Store they are two for a dollar ... And I also remember that Wal-Mart has a price match guarantee ... Working at the till was a friend of mine, so the convo went like this,
J-Smooth: A, I saw this at the Dollar Store for 2 for a Dollar, could you price match it for me?
Cashier Friend: [dumbfounded look, then laughs], sorry J, unfortunately I need a flyer for that
Ughhh, ripped off another $0.17 cents ... So much for a "price match guarantee" ...
I was always taught, if you don't have a penny, you can't have a dollar, and you can't have $100 without $1 ... and so on and so forth ...
I think I'll boycott the Dollar Store until they decide to have a Sale and boycott Wal-Mart until they rectify their bogus price match policies ...
One,
- J -
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Double Life
Listening to the FAN590 Hoops show on the radio last night, they had a special guest, NBA referee Bob Delaney ... He's recently released a book regarding his past career in law enforcement ... more specifically he was undercover and actually infiltrated the Mob ala Donnie Brasco ... He mentioned after seeing some of the things he saw, he would need to pull over to the side of the road because he got sick, he'd throw up or get diarrhea ... He spoke of having to lead a double life ... Also living in fear, because he was "wired" the entire time, had any of these mobsters discovered this, they wouldn't care if he was a cop or not, he'd be dead on the spot ... Finally, he discussed the stress and paranoia which resulted from the job ... I thought about this myself, would I be able to do what he did? ... Probably not, some of the things you'd see when rolling with the mob, I probably wouldn't be able to erase those things from my mind ... In addition it's not just spying, you actually have to lead a completely different life, cut a lot of ties, also entails that you have to act as they do (ie. drug deals, pretty much anything illegal) ... Hollywood tends to glamourize the mob life ... I don't care how mentally tough you think you are, living in fear for your life every day would take its toll on anyone ... I thought this was a very interesting story, not something I would've expected from a current NBA ref ...
One,
- J -
One,
- J -
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Random Shots; Happy 30th
here we go ...
-Ford Motor company has relinquished control of Jaguar and Land Rover and sold it to Indian auto company Tata ... To be honest I've never been a fan of Ford cars, they just don't have that "flare" that I'm lookin' for ... I could care less about Jags and Rovers, two over-rated car brands in my opinion ... For a while I was in love with Cadillac Escalades, even have the die-cast models, but those got played out in a hurry ... Rides I'm feelin' right now, any Acuras or Lexus', as far as SUV's I have to give the nod to Toyota's line ... My dream car right now is the SLR McLaren by Mercedes ... Here I am thinkin' about rides that I probably won't own in my lifetime, maybe Acura or Lexus in my retirement years ...
-Superbug infections rising in Canada ... "At least 2,300 people died in 2006 as a result of an MRSA superbug and 12,000 new patients were infected" ... Man, these new illnesses that are introducing themselves every year, seem to be getting worse ... I'm of the theory that because of our cleanliness, it is a contributing factor to our suceptibility to these new diseases ... all these new anti-bacterial and cleaning products keep us clean no doubt, but I believe they make us weaker ... look at the older generation, they don't get sick as much because their immune systems have become strengthened by being exposed to certain bacterias ...
-Speaking of weakness, I really do believe that the new generations to come will physically become weaker and weaker, due to all this technology ... Children back in the day used to get active and play outside ... now they do nothing more than, watch TV, play video games (ie. garbage like Halo and Guitar Hero) or surf the net ... Have you seen those school kids walking around with those "travel luggages" that they simply pull ... aside from the fact that they look completely r*tarded, I'm wondering WTF happened to backpacks? ... gotta carry that school stuff on your shoulders, build those muscles ... F*ckin' lazy and weak-a** kids ...
-Company stocks to avoid are (and this should be no surprise) Blockbuster and Krispy Kreme ... I would not be one bit surprised if these companies folded within the next 5-8 years ... With society in the downloading and health tip era, these two former "giants" are no doubt becoming obsolete ... I'm actually feeling bad for them, maybe I should go give them some business ... Then again, I have better things to spend money on ...
Finally,
-I would like to take this time to wish my mother and father a happy 30th anniversary ... Damn kid at Dairy Queen didn't even know how to spell "anniversary" on the ice cream cake ... I told the cashier to tell the kid to stay in school ... Anyways back to my parents, much love and thanks for all the love, guidance, strength and support they've given me throughout the years ... h*ll, if they never got together, you all would be doing something different right now as opposed to reading this entry from "the Gilbert Arenas of blogspot" ...
Peace everyone ...
One,
- J -
-Ford Motor company has relinquished control of Jaguar and Land Rover and sold it to Indian auto company Tata ... To be honest I've never been a fan of Ford cars, they just don't have that "flare" that I'm lookin' for ... I could care less about Jags and Rovers, two over-rated car brands in my opinion ... For a while I was in love with Cadillac Escalades, even have the die-cast models, but those got played out in a hurry ... Rides I'm feelin' right now, any Acuras or Lexus', as far as SUV's I have to give the nod to Toyota's line ... My dream car right now is the SLR McLaren by Mercedes ... Here I am thinkin' about rides that I probably won't own in my lifetime, maybe Acura or Lexus in my retirement years ...
-Superbug infections rising in Canada ... "At least 2,300 people died in 2006 as a result of an MRSA superbug and 12,000 new patients were infected" ... Man, these new illnesses that are introducing themselves every year, seem to be getting worse ... I'm of the theory that because of our cleanliness, it is a contributing factor to our suceptibility to these new diseases ... all these new anti-bacterial and cleaning products keep us clean no doubt, but I believe they make us weaker ... look at the older generation, they don't get sick as much because their immune systems have become strengthened by being exposed to certain bacterias ...
-Speaking of weakness, I really do believe that the new generations to come will physically become weaker and weaker, due to all this technology ... Children back in the day used to get active and play outside ... now they do nothing more than, watch TV, play video games (ie. garbage like Halo and Guitar Hero) or surf the net ... Have you seen those school kids walking around with those "travel luggages" that they simply pull ... aside from the fact that they look completely r*tarded, I'm wondering WTF happened to backpacks? ... gotta carry that school stuff on your shoulders, build those muscles ... F*ckin' lazy and weak-a** kids ...
-Company stocks to avoid are (and this should be no surprise) Blockbuster and Krispy Kreme ... I would not be one bit surprised if these companies folded within the next 5-8 years ... With society in the downloading and health tip era, these two former "giants" are no doubt becoming obsolete ... I'm actually feeling bad for them, maybe I should go give them some business ... Then again, I have better things to spend money on ...
Finally,
-I would like to take this time to wish my mother and father a happy 30th anniversary ... Damn kid at Dairy Queen didn't even know how to spell "anniversary" on the ice cream cake ... I told the cashier to tell the kid to stay in school ... Anyways back to my parents, much love and thanks for all the love, guidance, strength and support they've given me throughout the years ... h*ll, if they never got together, you all would be doing something different right now as opposed to reading this entry from "the Gilbert Arenas of blogspot" ...
Peace everyone ...
One,
- J -
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Switch it up, back to the three C's
I've been thinkin' about this for a while now ... I think I've let my readership "in" to my personality, personal life, inner circle as much as I'm going to ... I think J-Smooth has to get back to doing what he does best and that's the 3 "C's": Crackin' jokes, Cuttin' up people/things/everything and soundin' off on what's Current ... Think of this as "Random Shots" with the bass and treble turned up ...
-Another day in Toronto, another threat to a TTC strike ... why is it every time I turn around they're threatening to strike? ... The Employer Rep for the TTC mustn't be doin' his job properly, if he was, shouldn't he/she be able to negotiate a Collective Bargaining Agreement that lasts at least 3 years? ... I don't know what the Union's issues are this time around, and quite honestly, I don't give a F*ck! ... All I know is that their employees make more than enough for what they do for a living ... But hey, I don't blame them for what they're paid, I blame the person that offered those wages to them ... I have to give them credit though, they've got the city by the b*lls ... what is it? like, half a million riders per day, (I don't have the exact number) ... lastly on this topic, the talks have gone to mediation ... I don't care if they strike or not, I just hope they can push talks for another month at least, that's how much longer I'll need their service ...
-I was watching CNN today and all the talk was obviously on the Presidential stuff ... The talk was that all this back-and-forth between Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama is hurting the Democratic Party as a whole ... Booo Hooo ... That's American Politics on the campaign trail for you, win by whatever means necessary ... When I vote in Canada, the way I choose is who gives the country the best leader and who will give the country the best representative when dealing with the U.S. ... As far as the American elections go, if I had a vote, I would solely go by who I think the best leader would be and who I think would best represent the country in foreign affairs ... So as far as that goes, I wouldn't vote ... There is something that strikes me as ingenuine about Clinton, Obama and Republican John McCain, every time each of them speak it's as if they're blowing smoke ... I don't know why Clinton and Obama are fighting so hard, there's no way America collectively would vote either of them over McCain ...
-Anyone go online shopping? ... I do most of mine, like many, through EBay ... The thing that irritates me the most about it is when people bid ahead of time, ie. "6d 11h 23min" ... All these idiots are doing is driving the price of the item up ... F*ckin' morons! ... here's my strategy ... have two numbers in mind, 1. the price you'd like to pay, 2. the most you'd pay ... Keep refreshing the screen close to the deadline ... When the clock runs down to 40 seconds left, type in Number 1 ... it usually takes 10 seconds to process your bid, so that takes you down to 30 seconds ... keep refreshing to see if someone outbids you ... if they haven't outbid you with 10 seconds left it usually means your bid is safe, and you've probably won ... If someone outbids you before the 10 second mark, it still gives you time to enter Number 2, aka your max bid ... My strategy has worked every time ... the biggest heist I've pulled off is a set of Golf Clubs, my current set, for $60 (3-PW), not some no name brand either, Adams ...
-I caught the New Orleans Hornets - Cleveland Cavaliers game tonight, actually the end of it, live on The Score ... Chris Paul with the feed to David West, to beat the buzzer! ... The announcers were talkin' about how both Paul and LeBron James are contenders for this year's MVP, I can't disagree with that, even though I hate LeBron with a passion ... However, my vote still goes to Kobe Bryant ... he's playing with his team this year and he's the best player in the league in my opinion ... it's going to be a close race with Paul though, especially if the Hornets finish atop the strong Western Conference ... Tyson Chandler and David West are probably the most underrated frontcourt in the league ... The Hornets in my opinion are a reliable shooting guard away from a championship ... the 1, 3, 4 and 5 spots are pretty much set going into the next few seasons ...
-anyone hear of that transgendered Oregon man, claiming to be pregnant ... Brings back memories ages ago, when that Filipino man a supposed hermaphrodite, was claiming to be pregnant, definitely a black eye in Filipino history ... back to this Oregon dude, he's legally a man, and kept his female reproductive organs ... So how does that make him a man? ... This doesn't really shock me ... As a matter of fact, I've become so desensitized with all the crap in the media, tabloids and on TV, that it wouldn't shock me to see a human being claiming to have impregnated an animal of some sort ... Probably in the south, they're all pretty close to their livestock down there ...
-What to watch on TV these days ... seems like primetime is filled with all this reality TV garbage ... American Idol, I'm not going to front and say I never watched it a few years back, but this is getting ridiculous ... I caught my first episode of this season, all I have to say is the contestants are missing two things this year: talent and charisma ... I won't be that harsh, some have one or the other, but none have both ... In my opinion, the show has run it's course, but unfortunately it's FOX's juggernaut, their ratings are through the roof, so they ain't goin' anywhere anytime soon, it's become a business, a franchise, something people will always support regardless of how f*cked up the product is, kind of like the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Knicks ... of the other talent reality shows, I haven't really been paying much attention to America's best dance crew or Dancing with the Stars, but my entire family and extended family has ... neither show really appeals to me ... Pussycat Dolls Presents: Girlicious is actually more bearable to watch for me, at least they have some eye candy to look at, but still the premise of the show is horrible, they're supposedly forming a new girl group, but none of those girls' voices sound unique or recognizable ... If you're going to make it in the business, you have to come up with your own style, your own niche ... These girls are being cut in the Pussycat Dolls mold, but wakeup call, there is already a group that does what the Pussycat Dolls do, and that's the PCD ... that liposuction/botox/plastic surgery queen they call a host, is really sabotoging this new group's career ...
-shelves of ice have apparently broken off in the Antarctic ... ahhh, ala The Day After Tomorrow ... At this rate, we should be expecting the largest hurricane ever recorded off the coast of Australia, tornados in Los Angeles, hail storms in Tokyo, a giant tidal wave crushing New York City and 3 supercells/giant sized blizzards covering the northern hemisphere ... Maybe we've reached the "critical desalinization point" ... but if New York City wasn't there, where would I shop?
-So the critical elements of life have been found on one of Saturn's moons ... Water, heat and organic matter ... tell you what, when the "life" on Saturn's moon shouts us back, let me know ...
I think that's enough for now ...
One,
- J -
-Another day in Toronto, another threat to a TTC strike ... why is it every time I turn around they're threatening to strike? ... The Employer Rep for the TTC mustn't be doin' his job properly, if he was, shouldn't he/she be able to negotiate a Collective Bargaining Agreement that lasts at least 3 years? ... I don't know what the Union's issues are this time around, and quite honestly, I don't give a F*ck! ... All I know is that their employees make more than enough for what they do for a living ... But hey, I don't blame them for what they're paid, I blame the person that offered those wages to them ... I have to give them credit though, they've got the city by the b*lls ... what is it? like, half a million riders per day, (I don't have the exact number) ... lastly on this topic, the talks have gone to mediation ... I don't care if they strike or not, I just hope they can push talks for another month at least, that's how much longer I'll need their service ...
-I was watching CNN today and all the talk was obviously on the Presidential stuff ... The talk was that all this back-and-forth between Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama is hurting the Democratic Party as a whole ... Booo Hooo ... That's American Politics on the campaign trail for you, win by whatever means necessary ... When I vote in Canada, the way I choose is who gives the country the best leader and who will give the country the best representative when dealing with the U.S. ... As far as the American elections go, if I had a vote, I would solely go by who I think the best leader would be and who I think would best represent the country in foreign affairs ... So as far as that goes, I wouldn't vote ... There is something that strikes me as ingenuine about Clinton, Obama and Republican John McCain, every time each of them speak it's as if they're blowing smoke ... I don't know why Clinton and Obama are fighting so hard, there's no way America collectively would vote either of them over McCain ...
-Anyone go online shopping? ... I do most of mine, like many, through EBay ... The thing that irritates me the most about it is when people bid ahead of time, ie. "6d 11h 23min" ... All these idiots are doing is driving the price of the item up ... F*ckin' morons! ... here's my strategy ... have two numbers in mind, 1. the price you'd like to pay, 2. the most you'd pay ... Keep refreshing the screen close to the deadline ... When the clock runs down to 40 seconds left, type in Number 1 ... it usually takes 10 seconds to process your bid, so that takes you down to 30 seconds ... keep refreshing to see if someone outbids you ... if they haven't outbid you with 10 seconds left it usually means your bid is safe, and you've probably won ... If someone outbids you before the 10 second mark, it still gives you time to enter Number 2, aka your max bid ... My strategy has worked every time ... the biggest heist I've pulled off is a set of Golf Clubs, my current set, for $60 (3-PW), not some no name brand either, Adams ...
-I caught the New Orleans Hornets - Cleveland Cavaliers game tonight, actually the end of it, live on The Score ... Chris Paul with the feed to David West, to beat the buzzer! ... The announcers were talkin' about how both Paul and LeBron James are contenders for this year's MVP, I can't disagree with that, even though I hate LeBron with a passion ... However, my vote still goes to Kobe Bryant ... he's playing with his team this year and he's the best player in the league in my opinion ... it's going to be a close race with Paul though, especially if the Hornets finish atop the strong Western Conference ... Tyson Chandler and David West are probably the most underrated frontcourt in the league ... The Hornets in my opinion are a reliable shooting guard away from a championship ... the 1, 3, 4 and 5 spots are pretty much set going into the next few seasons ...
-anyone hear of that transgendered Oregon man, claiming to be pregnant ... Brings back memories ages ago, when that Filipino man a supposed hermaphrodite, was claiming to be pregnant, definitely a black eye in Filipino history ... back to this Oregon dude, he's legally a man, and kept his female reproductive organs ... So how does that make him a man? ... This doesn't really shock me ... As a matter of fact, I've become so desensitized with all the crap in the media, tabloids and on TV, that it wouldn't shock me to see a human being claiming to have impregnated an animal of some sort ... Probably in the south, they're all pretty close to their livestock down there ...
-What to watch on TV these days ... seems like primetime is filled with all this reality TV garbage ... American Idol, I'm not going to front and say I never watched it a few years back, but this is getting ridiculous ... I caught my first episode of this season, all I have to say is the contestants are missing two things this year: talent and charisma ... I won't be that harsh, some have one or the other, but none have both ... In my opinion, the show has run it's course, but unfortunately it's FOX's juggernaut, their ratings are through the roof, so they ain't goin' anywhere anytime soon, it's become a business, a franchise, something people will always support regardless of how f*cked up the product is, kind of like the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Knicks ... of the other talent reality shows, I haven't really been paying much attention to America's best dance crew or Dancing with the Stars, but my entire family and extended family has ... neither show really appeals to me ... Pussycat Dolls Presents: Girlicious is actually more bearable to watch for me, at least they have some eye candy to look at, but still the premise of the show is horrible, they're supposedly forming a new girl group, but none of those girls' voices sound unique or recognizable ... If you're going to make it in the business, you have to come up with your own style, your own niche ... These girls are being cut in the Pussycat Dolls mold, but wakeup call, there is already a group that does what the Pussycat Dolls do, and that's the PCD ... that liposuction/botox/plastic surgery queen they call a host, is really sabotoging this new group's career ...
-shelves of ice have apparently broken off in the Antarctic ... ahhh, ala The Day After Tomorrow ... At this rate, we should be expecting the largest hurricane ever recorded off the coast of Australia, tornados in Los Angeles, hail storms in Tokyo, a giant tidal wave crushing New York City and 3 supercells/giant sized blizzards covering the northern hemisphere ... Maybe we've reached the "critical desalinization point" ... but if New York City wasn't there, where would I shop?
-So the critical elements of life have been found on one of Saturn's moons ... Water, heat and organic matter ... tell you what, when the "life" on Saturn's moon shouts us back, let me know ...
I think that's enough for now ...
One,
- J -
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Easter
To my entire readership (Catholics and non-Catholics alike), I wanna take this time to say that I hope you're all having a very safe, relaxed and blessed Easter weekend ...
Easter is the weekend that I dread the most, two masses in one weekend, ughhh, LMFAO, j/k ... I actually don't mind masses, I just dread the choir, it's a Filipino choir too ... man, is that choir all over the place, so out of tune, no hating on them though, just one suggestion, Rehearsal! ... LOL ...
The D-Mac was over today ... pretty much the entire Fraternity, minus Zona and his dad, of course ... as always, a lot of jokes, ball talk, boxing talk, braggin', the way the D-Mac does ... no kareoke, ugh, a downer ... topics of discussion: upcoming things for this summer (ie. parties, Zona's family returning home for a few, vacations) and future plans as well (ie. weddings, my impending departure) ... Chillin' with Fam is always good, it completely takes my mind off of the everyday hassels and routine ... man, the food was awesome, but my stomach has literally shrunk to the size of the golf ball, couldn't eat as much as I would've liked ... if this was 2 years ago, I would've certainly ballooned, thank G*d for my training ...
next week I'm headed to the Raptors game with Juddimac, this is the absolute last game I'm purchasing tix for, as you all may know, I've renounced my status as a fan, until they overhaul the entire team ... my only consolation is that I get to see Chris Paul play ...
Again, much blessings on this day of the Lord ...
One,
- J -
Easter is the weekend that I dread the most, two masses in one weekend, ughhh, LMFAO, j/k ... I actually don't mind masses, I just dread the choir, it's a Filipino choir too ... man, is that choir all over the place, so out of tune, no hating on them though, just one suggestion, Rehearsal! ... LOL ...
The D-Mac was over today ... pretty much the entire Fraternity, minus Zona and his dad, of course ... as always, a lot of jokes, ball talk, boxing talk, braggin', the way the D-Mac does ... no kareoke, ugh, a downer ... topics of discussion: upcoming things for this summer (ie. parties, Zona's family returning home for a few, vacations) and future plans as well (ie. weddings, my impending departure) ... Chillin' with Fam is always good, it completely takes my mind off of the everyday hassels and routine ... man, the food was awesome, but my stomach has literally shrunk to the size of the golf ball, couldn't eat as much as I would've liked ... if this was 2 years ago, I would've certainly ballooned, thank G*d for my training ...
next week I'm headed to the Raptors game with Juddimac, this is the absolute last game I'm purchasing tix for, as you all may know, I've renounced my status as a fan, until they overhaul the entire team ... my only consolation is that I get to see Chris Paul play ...
Again, much blessings on this day of the Lord ...
One,
- J -
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Random Shots
-There's been much in the news about that Canadian lady imprisoned in Mexico ... apparently it's become somewhat of an international conflict ... Canada is trying to have her extradited, or something like that, while Mexico is somewhat resistant ... hmmm, a white Canadian woman stuck in Mexico, and she's making headline news ... I wonder if I was stuck down there in prison, I doubt anyone would hear about my a** ... OK maybe I don't need to wonder, I was surfing the net and stumbled across a story of an Indian-Canadian man stuck in an Indian jail ... Like I said, I found the story by surfing, but I didn't see his face plastered on the evening news ... anyone need more evidence of the big R in Canada, message me, I'll give you an essay's worth ...
-I read this article on how money can't buy happiness if you spend it on yourself, but it can buy happiness if you spend it on others ... LMFAO ... sounds like that movie Pay it Forward ...
-As far as music album releases that I'm anticipating this year: Usher, Black Eyed Peas, Nas and Busta Rhymes, all my fave musical acts minus Alicia Keys ... But then, what do I hear on the radio? ... Usher's first single off of his new album, Here I Stand, for those of you who haven't heard it, the track's called Love in this Club featuring Young Jeezy, YouTube it if you wanna hear it ... My first impression, GARBAGE! ... I'm thinkin', Usher, you've had 4 years to come up with a new album, and this is the best you came up with? ... Don't get me wrong, I'm still a fan, but if this is the best song on the new album, Usher has fallen hard ... But he has nothing to worry about, all the unintelligent music fans out there will still pick up his album ... last note on it, having Jeezy on it makes it sound 100x worse ...
Nothing else comes to mind right now ...
One,
- J -
-I read this article on how money can't buy happiness if you spend it on yourself, but it can buy happiness if you spend it on others ... LMFAO ... sounds like that movie Pay it Forward ...
-As far as music album releases that I'm anticipating this year: Usher, Black Eyed Peas, Nas and Busta Rhymes, all my fave musical acts minus Alicia Keys ... But then, what do I hear on the radio? ... Usher's first single off of his new album, Here I Stand, for those of you who haven't heard it, the track's called Love in this Club featuring Young Jeezy, YouTube it if you wanna hear it ... My first impression, GARBAGE! ... I'm thinkin', Usher, you've had 4 years to come up with a new album, and this is the best you came up with? ... Don't get me wrong, I'm still a fan, but if this is the best song on the new album, Usher has fallen hard ... But he has nothing to worry about, all the unintelligent music fans out there will still pick up his album ... last note on it, having Jeezy on it makes it sound 100x worse ...
Nothing else comes to mind right now ...
One,
- J -
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Filipino Pride
It's 3 days removed from the Pacquiao-Marquez fight and I'm still in recovery mode ... As a result I've found myself listening to The Black Eyed Peas' (which is more of Apl.de.ap's) track Bebot, riding in the car or during workouts ... yes it's an old song, but it was PacMan's entrance music for the fight on Saturday, with Apl performing the track live ... People can criticize the song all they want, because of the hook, but breaking down the lyrics and translating them into English (yes, I took the time), Apl is actually tellin' a story ... The Black Eyed Peas are one of my favourite musical acts out there, yes I'll admit it ... does Apl being Filipino have something to do with it? I'm not going to lie, it is definitely part of the reason ... Which brings me to the point of this post, Filipinos supporting other Filipinos ...
I touched on this briefly a couple of posts back, but I feel an entry on its own is warranted ... When people of other races hate on Filipinos, I usually let it roll off my shoulders, because I can hate on others just as worse ... But when it's Filipinos hating on their own kind, it definitely strikes a chord with me ... Am I saying that just because something or someone is stamped "Filipino" that other Filipinos should automatically support them no matter what, definitley not ... But in my opinion, there is something more to Filipinos hating on each other, and it is an inferiority complex, whether most Filipinos want to admit it or not ... Meaning to say, Filipinos haven't really supported their own, especially those in the public eye, unless those public figures are accepted by the general public first (ie. people of other races and other colours, whites, blacks) ... They don't necessarily have to like what those Filipinos put out, but they don't have to hate either ...
I can definitely respect and support what guys like Manny Pacquiao and Apl.de.ap have accomplished, more so because of the way they accomplished things ... Both are self-made men, grew up with barely anything, had to struggle to make it ... Pacquiao, living on the streets in his teens and selling stolen cigarettes, Apl on the other hand, working on farms to make money, because his mother was raising him and his siblings alone after his father left ... Then they ended up making something of themselves ... But would they be getting the same type of support from their countrymen, if they weren't accepted by the general public, I doubt it ...
I've said it before, Filipinos need to stick together ... I mean, with all the closeted racism which still exists in Canada, we need to ... As long as Filipinos are performing the dirty jobs (ie. live-in nannies, entry-level work or any other odd jobs) or working class jobs (ie. nursing, accounting) and not something on par with "Canadians" at the corporate or political level, we won't run into any problems, but as soon as we reach their level, the "powers that be" do everything in their control to try and bring us down ... I consider Filipinos hating on each other on the same level ... That's my opinion, if people don't like it, tough ... I've never been one to shy away from speaking my mind ... I've seen and been through enough to know what's going on, so I'll speak sh!t that's real every now and then ...
On a lighter note, Filipinos seem to be taking over ... We have the top boxer in the world, a musical artist who's a part of one of the most successful musical groups in the world, the top billiards player in the world, quite a few in acting (Vanessa Hudgens, Rob Schneider and Tia Carrere, just to name a few), a former WWE Champion (Dave Batista), an NFLer (Tedy Bruschi), now all we need is a Filipino in the NBA to complete the spectrum ...
One,
- J -
I touched on this briefly a couple of posts back, but I feel an entry on its own is warranted ... When people of other races hate on Filipinos, I usually let it roll off my shoulders, because I can hate on others just as worse ... But when it's Filipinos hating on their own kind, it definitely strikes a chord with me ... Am I saying that just because something or someone is stamped "Filipino" that other Filipinos should automatically support them no matter what, definitley not ... But in my opinion, there is something more to Filipinos hating on each other, and it is an inferiority complex, whether most Filipinos want to admit it or not ... Meaning to say, Filipinos haven't really supported their own, especially those in the public eye, unless those public figures are accepted by the general public first (ie. people of other races and other colours, whites, blacks) ... They don't necessarily have to like what those Filipinos put out, but they don't have to hate either ...
I can definitely respect and support what guys like Manny Pacquiao and Apl.de.ap have accomplished, more so because of the way they accomplished things ... Both are self-made men, grew up with barely anything, had to struggle to make it ... Pacquiao, living on the streets in his teens and selling stolen cigarettes, Apl on the other hand, working on farms to make money, because his mother was raising him and his siblings alone after his father left ... Then they ended up making something of themselves ... But would they be getting the same type of support from their countrymen, if they weren't accepted by the general public, I doubt it ...
I've said it before, Filipinos need to stick together ... I mean, with all the closeted racism which still exists in Canada, we need to ... As long as Filipinos are performing the dirty jobs (ie. live-in nannies, entry-level work or any other odd jobs) or working class jobs (ie. nursing, accounting) and not something on par with "Canadians" at the corporate or political level, we won't run into any problems, but as soon as we reach their level, the "powers that be" do everything in their control to try and bring us down ... I consider Filipinos hating on each other on the same level ... That's my opinion, if people don't like it, tough ... I've never been one to shy away from speaking my mind ... I've seen and been through enough to know what's going on, so I'll speak sh!t that's real every now and then ...
On a lighter note, Filipinos seem to be taking over ... We have the top boxer in the world, a musical artist who's a part of one of the most successful musical groups in the world, the top billiards player in the world, quite a few in acting (Vanessa Hudgens, Rob Schneider and Tia Carrere, just to name a few), a former WWE Champion (Dave Batista), an NFLer (Tedy Bruschi), now all we need is a Filipino in the NBA to complete the spectrum ...
One,
- J -
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Pac-Man hate, LMFAO
I have to address this article I read online, following Pacquiao's victory over Marquez, things of note in the article, which was titled "Pacquaio: Don't believe the hype":
-"Sure, he's successful. But more successful than a Floyd Mayweather Jr.?"
The only victories I give Floyd credit for are those against Arturo Gatti and Zab Judah ... But I mean, who else did he beat? ... An Oscar DeLaHoya, way past his prime ... he hasn't earned my respect, because he's ducking the best fighters in the division: Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito ... guys who are clear threats ... Manny on the other hand has taken out the top ranked guys in his division (Morales, Barerra, Marquez) ...
-"Sure, he's punishing. But more punishing than a Miguel Cotto?"
Cotto is a great body puncher, but he's not a "home run hitter" ... he'll land many solid shots to break his opponent down ... but he's not a one-punch knockout artist ... Manny lands one big shot, it changes the entire fight ...
-"And sure, he's entertaining. But more entertaining than a Kelly Pavlik?"
This statement lost all this writer's credibility right there ... Don't get me wrong, I like Pavlik too ... but I wouldn't brand him as exciting ... He's a big puncher ... but his arsenal consists mainly of the jab-straight and the jab-jab-straight combinations ...
Let the haters keep hating.
One,
- J -
-"Sure, he's successful. But more successful than a Floyd Mayweather Jr.?"
The only victories I give Floyd credit for are those against Arturo Gatti and Zab Judah ... But I mean, who else did he beat? ... An Oscar DeLaHoya, way past his prime ... he hasn't earned my respect, because he's ducking the best fighters in the division: Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito ... guys who are clear threats ... Manny on the other hand has taken out the top ranked guys in his division (Morales, Barerra, Marquez) ...
-"Sure, he's punishing. But more punishing than a Miguel Cotto?"
Cotto is a great body puncher, but he's not a "home run hitter" ... he'll land many solid shots to break his opponent down ... but he's not a one-punch knockout artist ... Manny lands one big shot, it changes the entire fight ...
-"And sure, he's entertaining. But more entertaining than a Kelly Pavlik?"
This statement lost all this writer's credibility right there ... Don't get me wrong, I like Pavlik too ... but I wouldn't brand him as exciting ... He's a big puncher ... but his arsenal consists mainly of the jab-straight and the jab-jab-straight combinations ...
Let the haters keep hating.
One,
- J -
And the NEW Superfeatherweight Champion!
"Winner by split decision ... And the NEW [WBC and The Ring] Superfeatherweight Champion of the World ... Manny 'PacMan' Pacquiao!" ...
Man on man! ... I've never been that nervous or anxious leading up to a fight or during a fight (not since Tyson-Holyfield 1) ... I thought the fight was over after that knockdown of Marquez in the third round, my father and myself went nuts, jumping out of our seats screaming, probably woke up my mother and my sis, LMFAO ... Manny definitely could've knocked him out, but he ran out of time at the end of that round ... But then the drama, the cut over Manny's right eye ... After that the tide seemed to turn, and Manny looked hurt ... In the end I scored the fight 7 rounds to 5 in favour of Pacquiao, one of the rounds looked even, but I scored it to Pacquiao because he landed the stiffer and more flush shots ... Manny made me sweat for a bit ... even though Marquez took the last round, it still didn't explain why one judge scored the fight 115-112 in favour of Marquez (factoring in the knockdown, that means he had the fight 8 rounds to 4 in favour of Marquez), give me a F*ckin break, he needs to have his judging license revoked ... the thing that p*ssed me off tonight was how Marquez showed little class after the fight ... didn't even congratulate Manny after the final bell, no embrace, not even a touch of gloves ... then went on to b*tch in the post fight interview about how he won the fight, completely taking away from Manny's efforts ... If you think back to the end of the 3rd Pacquiao-Erik Morales fight, Morales was a beaten man, but he still showed class, was the first to congratulate and raise the hand of the winner ... Well my take on Juan Manuel, there's no rematch clause in the contract in the case of a Pacquiao victory, so all I'll say is that he ain't one of the all-time greats of the division, he ain't even a has-been, he's a never was ... He trained his best and to his credit he looked really sharp at some points in the fight, even stunning Pacquiao in a couple of exchanges, but all his hard work and training still wasn't good enough ... He got beat by the superior fighter ...
Now let me put on my promoter's cap ... I fully expect Pacquiao to move up in weight to the Lightweight Division (135-pound limit) and square off against David Diaz next for the WBC lightweight title ... Meanwhile, Nate Campbell, who last week pulled off the colossal upset by dethroning WBA, IBF and WBO lightweight champion Juan Diaz, is looking for his next opponent ... The Ring Lightweight Champion (disputed WBC champ as well) Joel Casamayor faces (interm/disputed WBO champ) Michael Katsidis next week ... confused yet? LMFAO, I know the alphabet soup of boxing ... if I had my way, Campbell should be pitted against the winner of Casamayor-Katsidis ... The winner of that fight should face the winner of Pacquiao-Diaz, who I fully expect to be Pacquiao ... I know Manny would be more interested in a bout with Ricky Hatton, because it would garner a lot more attention, a lot more money and Hatton is the WBC junior welterweight champion (meaning another title in another weight class for PacMan) ... But I would really like to see Manny clean up the lightweight division by unifying all the titles ... but that's just the CEO of J-Smooth Promotions talking ...
Wow, I've seen two boxing PPV's this year (the other being Taylor-Pavlik 2) and they've both been terrific fights ... After all the nervousness and anxiety, I'm spent ...
One,
- J -
Man on man! ... I've never been that nervous or anxious leading up to a fight or during a fight (not since Tyson-Holyfield 1) ... I thought the fight was over after that knockdown of Marquez in the third round, my father and myself went nuts, jumping out of our seats screaming, probably woke up my mother and my sis, LMFAO ... Manny definitely could've knocked him out, but he ran out of time at the end of that round ... But then the drama, the cut over Manny's right eye ... After that the tide seemed to turn, and Manny looked hurt ... In the end I scored the fight 7 rounds to 5 in favour of Pacquiao, one of the rounds looked even, but I scored it to Pacquiao because he landed the stiffer and more flush shots ... Manny made me sweat for a bit ... even though Marquez took the last round, it still didn't explain why one judge scored the fight 115-112 in favour of Marquez (factoring in the knockdown, that means he had the fight 8 rounds to 4 in favour of Marquez), give me a F*ckin break, he needs to have his judging license revoked ... the thing that p*ssed me off tonight was how Marquez showed little class after the fight ... didn't even congratulate Manny after the final bell, no embrace, not even a touch of gloves ... then went on to b*tch in the post fight interview about how he won the fight, completely taking away from Manny's efforts ... If you think back to the end of the 3rd Pacquiao-Erik Morales fight, Morales was a beaten man, but he still showed class, was the first to congratulate and raise the hand of the winner ... Well my take on Juan Manuel, there's no rematch clause in the contract in the case of a Pacquiao victory, so all I'll say is that he ain't one of the all-time greats of the division, he ain't even a has-been, he's a never was ... He trained his best and to his credit he looked really sharp at some points in the fight, even stunning Pacquiao in a couple of exchanges, but all his hard work and training still wasn't good enough ... He got beat by the superior fighter ...
Now let me put on my promoter's cap ... I fully expect Pacquiao to move up in weight to the Lightweight Division (135-pound limit) and square off against David Diaz next for the WBC lightweight title ... Meanwhile, Nate Campbell, who last week pulled off the colossal upset by dethroning WBA, IBF and WBO lightweight champion Juan Diaz, is looking for his next opponent ... The Ring Lightweight Champion (disputed WBC champ as well) Joel Casamayor faces (interm/disputed WBO champ) Michael Katsidis next week ... confused yet? LMFAO, I know the alphabet soup of boxing ... if I had my way, Campbell should be pitted against the winner of Casamayor-Katsidis ... The winner of that fight should face the winner of Pacquiao-Diaz, who I fully expect to be Pacquiao ... I know Manny would be more interested in a bout with Ricky Hatton, because it would garner a lot more attention, a lot more money and Hatton is the WBC junior welterweight champion (meaning another title in another weight class for PacMan) ... But I would really like to see Manny clean up the lightweight division by unifying all the titles ... but that's just the CEO of J-Smooth Promotions talking ...
Wow, I've seen two boxing PPV's this year (the other being Taylor-Pavlik 2) and they've both been terrific fights ... After all the nervousness and anxiety, I'm spent ...
One,
- J -
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Supermanthro; Pacquiao; T-Mac 21 NBA history
Look, up in the club/lounge!, It's a mack!, It's a player!, It's Supermanthro!
That's right, our newest superhero ... By day, he's the complex, intellectual, natural-comic, Anthro ... By night, Supermanthro, the game's newest jubby slayer ... LMFAO ... Ever since last summer we've been priviledged to witness the evolution into a living legend ... From the clubbing, to the drinking, to the "gentlemen's club", it's been a complete 180 ... Just recently, Anthro was referred to an "educational tool" by Prophet ... Last night was the application part of his training, and boy did he put it into action ... As Prophet said, Anthro's "one drink and a boost of confidence away from becoming a monster" ... Oh my bad, last night's back story ... Anthro called me up this week to hit up this lounge downtown ... Now I'll admit I wasn't too keen on goin' out this weekend, just too exhausted physically and mentally and there are a few things I still need to take care of ... But again, I keep in mind, that chances to party like this with "Fam" won't be there in a few months time, so I decided to go with it ... So last night I was rollin' with: Prophet, Anthro, Roldy and Dumpling who's on spring break ... The lounge itself was pretty small, the layout made it seem more like a downtown loft, split levels and two bars ... I'm feelin' the laid back atmosphere, come as you are, no dudes trying to act all hard, best of all no cover ... I have to admit, I was getting a bit bored in the beginning ... But when Anthro went to work, man did I just get this rush of adrenaline ... Prophet, Roldy, Dumpling and myself all just watching in awe, seeing Anthro do his thing ... What really got us goin, was when Antrho's glasses came off, ala Clark Kent transforming to Superman ... I found out after that, he wasn't spewin' out cheesy lines, just Anthro being himself, and the ladies were feelin' that ... It's just a matter of time before Anthro settles into his groove, works out the kinks of his new education and takes on full womanizer status ... Man do I wish he was rollin' with me in '03, we would've gotten all the b*tches! LMFAO ... As for J-Smooth last night, I wasn't actively tryin' to hit on girls, but I got hit on myself, but I don't want to give off the impression that it was someone of quality ... This drunk white chick came up to me, asked me to watch her drink ... couldn't dance if her life depended on it ... I told Prophet when we first got there that her crew was makin' me dizzy with all their uncoordinated moves ... Anyhow, this chick, and I still can't remember her name for the life of me, sat down next to me, introduced herself and started askin' me about me, fully hittin' on me ... That was until her man stepped in ... This skinny white dude, who couldn't dance for the life of him either ... What is it with these dudes that are so insecure about their women? I'm thinkin', "she came up to me dude, your girl ain't even that great" ... One more thing, I accidentally slipped up and gave her my real name, instead of my clubbing alias, ahh well ... In the car ride home, Dumpling brought up that chick who came up to me ... My response, "that's why I'm J-Smooth and y'all ain't", LFMAO ... A great, entertaining night all-round ... While I'll admit that I'm a bit past my peak when it comes to the "game", Anthro on the other hand hasn't even scratched the surface of his talent ... Maybe after I'm finished with my documentary, maybe I could start one on our new superhero ... He definitely needs his own T-Shirt, the superman logo with an "A" ... Aside from all of the Anthro stuff, the highlight of the night definitely was seein' Dumpling get chopped by a dude, LMFAO ... If that was the highlight, the undisputed lowlight was the weak a** DJ, he ran one proper set the entire night, transitions were smooth, but you can't shift between music genres (house, rock, reggae, pop rock, hip hop) and who could forget his immortalized line for the night, when he got on the mic "Rick James B*tch", LOL ...
Elsewhere:
-Tonight is the Big Night ... I fully expect Manny Pacquiao to take care of business and take out Juan Manuel Marquez ... But I've learned to fully expect the unexpected ... If Marquez somehow manages to pull off the upset, I'm just wondering where that would put Pacquiao in terms of his career ... I'm watching the fight tonight, probably from home with family ... I don't usually feel any nerves or anxiety with many things in my life, just my nature, laid back, but ironically I'm feeling a bit of the jitters leading up to tonight ... If anyone is interested to see the official weigh-in from last night, the video is posted on HBO's boxing website ... Pacquiao, the one and only person who has the ability to unite all Filipinos from around the world, hell even the rebels in the Philippines take a day off just to watch Pacquiao ... Viva los Pinoys, LOL ... I was tellin' the guys last night, the reason why Filipinos aren't more successful in this world is because of the hate amongst each other, when one is successful, others always have to find a way to bring them down ... We all need to stick together man ... Filipino Pride and Unity baby! ...
-Congrats to Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets for making history last night, 21 wins ... I just watched the footage on YouTube ... Tracy is simply playing the best ball of his career ... I can definitely see him getting into the Hall of Fame eventually ... Two scoring titles, 13 points in 33 seconds, the dunk over Shawn Bradley, now the second best win streak in NBA history ... With the win, the Rockets are now in a first place tie with Kobe Bryant's (still should be an Adidas guy, if not for the alleged sexual misconduct) Los Angeles Lakers atop the Western Conference, with both teams' next game against each other this Sunday in a battle for sole possession of first place, now I know what I'll be doin' on Sunday afternoon ... Should the Rockets finish in first place by season's end, I can almost guarantee T-Mac will finally lead his squad past the second round, then that should silence the critics once an for all ... I know I called the Celtics and Suns in NBA Finals at the beginning of the season, there is still a strong possibility, but I'm hoping for a Lakers-Rockets West final and the winner going on to face Chauncey Billups and the Detroit Pistons in the NBA final ...
One,
- J -
That's right, our newest superhero ... By day, he's the complex, intellectual, natural-comic, Anthro ... By night, Supermanthro, the game's newest jubby slayer ... LMFAO ... Ever since last summer we've been priviledged to witness the evolution into a living legend ... From the clubbing, to the drinking, to the "gentlemen's club", it's been a complete 180 ... Just recently, Anthro was referred to an "educational tool" by Prophet ... Last night was the application part of his training, and boy did he put it into action ... As Prophet said, Anthro's "one drink and a boost of confidence away from becoming a monster" ... Oh my bad, last night's back story ... Anthro called me up this week to hit up this lounge downtown ... Now I'll admit I wasn't too keen on goin' out this weekend, just too exhausted physically and mentally and there are a few things I still need to take care of ... But again, I keep in mind, that chances to party like this with "Fam" won't be there in a few months time, so I decided to go with it ... So last night I was rollin' with: Prophet, Anthro, Roldy and Dumpling who's on spring break ... The lounge itself was pretty small, the layout made it seem more like a downtown loft, split levels and two bars ... I'm feelin' the laid back atmosphere, come as you are, no dudes trying to act all hard, best of all no cover ... I have to admit, I was getting a bit bored in the beginning ... But when Anthro went to work, man did I just get this rush of adrenaline ... Prophet, Roldy, Dumpling and myself all just watching in awe, seeing Anthro do his thing ... What really got us goin, was when Antrho's glasses came off, ala Clark Kent transforming to Superman ... I found out after that, he wasn't spewin' out cheesy lines, just Anthro being himself, and the ladies were feelin' that ... It's just a matter of time before Anthro settles into his groove, works out the kinks of his new education and takes on full womanizer status ... Man do I wish he was rollin' with me in '03, we would've gotten all the b*tches! LMFAO ... As for J-Smooth last night, I wasn't actively tryin' to hit on girls, but I got hit on myself, but I don't want to give off the impression that it was someone of quality ... This drunk white chick came up to me, asked me to watch her drink ... couldn't dance if her life depended on it ... I told Prophet when we first got there that her crew was makin' me dizzy with all their uncoordinated moves ... Anyhow, this chick, and I still can't remember her name for the life of me, sat down next to me, introduced herself and started askin' me about me, fully hittin' on me ... That was until her man stepped in ... This skinny white dude, who couldn't dance for the life of him either ... What is it with these dudes that are so insecure about their women? I'm thinkin', "she came up to me dude, your girl ain't even that great" ... One more thing, I accidentally slipped up and gave her my real name, instead of my clubbing alias, ahh well ... In the car ride home, Dumpling brought up that chick who came up to me ... My response, "that's why I'm J-Smooth and y'all ain't", LFMAO ... A great, entertaining night all-round ... While I'll admit that I'm a bit past my peak when it comes to the "game", Anthro on the other hand hasn't even scratched the surface of his talent ... Maybe after I'm finished with my documentary, maybe I could start one on our new superhero ... He definitely needs his own T-Shirt, the superman logo with an "A" ... Aside from all of the Anthro stuff, the highlight of the night definitely was seein' Dumpling get chopped by a dude, LMFAO ... If that was the highlight, the undisputed lowlight was the weak a** DJ, he ran one proper set the entire night, transitions were smooth, but you can't shift between music genres (house, rock, reggae, pop rock, hip hop) and who could forget his immortalized line for the night, when he got on the mic "Rick James B*tch", LOL ...
Elsewhere:
-Tonight is the Big Night ... I fully expect Manny Pacquiao to take care of business and take out Juan Manuel Marquez ... But I've learned to fully expect the unexpected ... If Marquez somehow manages to pull off the upset, I'm just wondering where that would put Pacquiao in terms of his career ... I'm watching the fight tonight, probably from home with family ... I don't usually feel any nerves or anxiety with many things in my life, just my nature, laid back, but ironically I'm feeling a bit of the jitters leading up to tonight ... If anyone is interested to see the official weigh-in from last night, the video is posted on HBO's boxing website ... Pacquiao, the one and only person who has the ability to unite all Filipinos from around the world, hell even the rebels in the Philippines take a day off just to watch Pacquiao ... Viva los Pinoys, LOL ... I was tellin' the guys last night, the reason why Filipinos aren't more successful in this world is because of the hate amongst each other, when one is successful, others always have to find a way to bring them down ... We all need to stick together man ... Filipino Pride and Unity baby! ...
-Congrats to Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets for making history last night, 21 wins ... I just watched the footage on YouTube ... Tracy is simply playing the best ball of his career ... I can definitely see him getting into the Hall of Fame eventually ... Two scoring titles, 13 points in 33 seconds, the dunk over Shawn Bradley, now the second best win streak in NBA history ... With the win, the Rockets are now in a first place tie with Kobe Bryant's (still should be an Adidas guy, if not for the alleged sexual misconduct) Los Angeles Lakers atop the Western Conference, with both teams' next game against each other this Sunday in a battle for sole possession of first place, now I know what I'll be doin' on Sunday afternoon ... Should the Rockets finish in first place by season's end, I can almost guarantee T-Mac will finally lead his squad past the second round, then that should silence the critics once an for all ... I know I called the Celtics and Suns in NBA Finals at the beginning of the season, there is still a strong possibility, but I'm hoping for a Lakers-Rockets West final and the winner going on to face Chauncey Billups and the Detroit Pistons in the NBA final ...
One,
- J -
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Training Update; Ball, Boxing talk
Nothing interesting or inspiring to blog about right now, so I might as well talk about my training sessions ...
I worked out about 3 years ago, I'm currently at about 90% of the weights and resistance from back then ... However, my intensity levels far surpass those of the past ... Back then my breaks were anywhere between 30-45 seconds, unacceptable ... None of that now, 20-25 seconds currently ... My goals, I want to be at about 125% of the weights and resistance from 3 years ago, and I also want to be down 20lbs from my current body weight, fully hydrated ... Since I picked up the intensity in my training about a week and a half ago, the results have really started to show physically ... I could realistically reach my goals in under 2 months, if I had the treadmill ... still pressing for the funds ... If I got myself the heavy and speed bags, it'd be over ... I'm comin' for you Carteron! ...
Uhhh, I might as well talk some basketball and boxing while I'm here ...
Kobe Bryant is the MVP!, he's the best player in the league right now, hands down, and yes that includes King James ... The Lakers are looking dangerous for the playoffs ... How about my boy, Tracy McGrady, leading his squad to 20 straight wins and counting, without Yao too, greatness personified! ... LMFAO, a certain not-to-be-mentioned player is getting exposed for the Fraud he is without his go to guy Chris Bosh ... The Eastern Conference has really hit new lows, I mean if a team like the Philadelphia 76ers are currently a playoff team, there is definitely something wrong ... I'm not sold on the Orlando Magic right now, don't get me wrong I love Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, but I have a bad feeling about them come playoff time ... It's sad to see how much Dwyane Wade has fallen, he went from the top of the basketball world to the leader of the worst team in the league, it's looking like the start of an injury-riddled career ... At this point there are no "teams" that I can follow, I only keep track of individual players now ... I miss the old days ... NBA on NBC with their classic theme song, usually a double or triple header ... I remember being glued to my TV on Sundays from lunch to dinner ... The NBA on ABC simply doesn't have the same feel to it ... And who could forget the Chicago Bulls Dynasty: Michael Jordan - The greatest ever; Scottie Pippen - The ultimate utility player; Dennis Rodman - The best rebounding and defensive player ever (The only guy that I've seen shut down Shaq), The Greatest Team ever? ahhh hardly, Dickey Simpkins wasn't exactly a stud ... The Greatest Trio ever? now you can book that ...
What I would give to be in Las Vegas, Nevada this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay ... On a side note I love Las Vegas, truly a city that never sleeps ... awesome hotels, bars and holds big boxing events ... That's one thing I wish I could do, but I probably won't get the chance, is to see a Pacquiao fight live ... I'm estimating he has another 2.5 years left in his career, he said he wants to retire at his peak, smart ... He doesn't want to risk permanent damage and fight way past his prime, unlike a certain heavyweight (The Real Deal Evander Holyfield) who simply doesn't know when to hang it up ... I'm really scared of what may become of him if he continues to fight ... I heard some rumblings of a Jermain Taylor - Roy Jones Jr. matchup for this summer ... I'd personally love to see Jermain shut that big mouth up, KO him and finally end his career ... I think it's pretty safe to say that a Floyd Mayweather - Miguel Cotto matchup will never happen ... Floyd fully realizes that Cotto is a threat, I've been saying for the past couple of years that Cotto will be the one to finally beat him ... ahhh well ... Finally as for the heavyweight division ... complete bullsh*t, the WBC annointed Vitali Klitschko the mandatory challenger to Sam Peter's WBC strap ... Vitali hasn't fought in like what? 4 years? and he's the mandatory? garbage! ... fully trying to c*ckblock the possibility of an undisputed heavyweight champion ... Should Vitali beat Peter, it's obvious that he won't fight his brother Wladimir, the current IBF and WBO boss ... If I had my way, I'd have Peter face WBA Champion Ruslan Chagaev next, then the winner going on to face Wladimir for all the marbles ... Simple right? ... Wrong! ... These boxing sanctioning bodies really need to get their act together and cut the bullsh*t and get the title unified already ... But even if they did manage to get a unified champion, the politics would probably result in the title being splintered again within a few months ...
One,
- J -
I worked out about 3 years ago, I'm currently at about 90% of the weights and resistance from back then ... However, my intensity levels far surpass those of the past ... Back then my breaks were anywhere between 30-45 seconds, unacceptable ... None of that now, 20-25 seconds currently ... My goals, I want to be at about 125% of the weights and resistance from 3 years ago, and I also want to be down 20lbs from my current body weight, fully hydrated ... Since I picked up the intensity in my training about a week and a half ago, the results have really started to show physically ... I could realistically reach my goals in under 2 months, if I had the treadmill ... still pressing for the funds ... If I got myself the heavy and speed bags, it'd be over ... I'm comin' for you Carteron! ...
Uhhh, I might as well talk some basketball and boxing while I'm here ...
Kobe Bryant is the MVP!, he's the best player in the league right now, hands down, and yes that includes King James ... The Lakers are looking dangerous for the playoffs ... How about my boy, Tracy McGrady, leading his squad to 20 straight wins and counting, without Yao too, greatness personified! ... LMFAO, a certain not-to-be-mentioned player is getting exposed for the Fraud he is without his go to guy Chris Bosh ... The Eastern Conference has really hit new lows, I mean if a team like the Philadelphia 76ers are currently a playoff team, there is definitely something wrong ... I'm not sold on the Orlando Magic right now, don't get me wrong I love Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, but I have a bad feeling about them come playoff time ... It's sad to see how much Dwyane Wade has fallen, he went from the top of the basketball world to the leader of the worst team in the league, it's looking like the start of an injury-riddled career ... At this point there are no "teams" that I can follow, I only keep track of individual players now ... I miss the old days ... NBA on NBC with their classic theme song, usually a double or triple header ... I remember being glued to my TV on Sundays from lunch to dinner ... The NBA on ABC simply doesn't have the same feel to it ... And who could forget the Chicago Bulls Dynasty: Michael Jordan - The greatest ever; Scottie Pippen - The ultimate utility player; Dennis Rodman - The best rebounding and defensive player ever (The only guy that I've seen shut down Shaq), The Greatest Team ever? ahhh hardly, Dickey Simpkins wasn't exactly a stud ... The Greatest Trio ever? now you can book that ...
What I would give to be in Las Vegas, Nevada this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay ... On a side note I love Las Vegas, truly a city that never sleeps ... awesome hotels, bars and holds big boxing events ... That's one thing I wish I could do, but I probably won't get the chance, is to see a Pacquiao fight live ... I'm estimating he has another 2.5 years left in his career, he said he wants to retire at his peak, smart ... He doesn't want to risk permanent damage and fight way past his prime, unlike a certain heavyweight (The Real Deal Evander Holyfield) who simply doesn't know when to hang it up ... I'm really scared of what may become of him if he continues to fight ... I heard some rumblings of a Jermain Taylor - Roy Jones Jr. matchup for this summer ... I'd personally love to see Jermain shut that big mouth up, KO him and finally end his career ... I think it's pretty safe to say that a Floyd Mayweather - Miguel Cotto matchup will never happen ... Floyd fully realizes that Cotto is a threat, I've been saying for the past couple of years that Cotto will be the one to finally beat him ... ahhh well ... Finally as for the heavyweight division ... complete bullsh*t, the WBC annointed Vitali Klitschko the mandatory challenger to Sam Peter's WBC strap ... Vitali hasn't fought in like what? 4 years? and he's the mandatory? garbage! ... fully trying to c*ckblock the possibility of an undisputed heavyweight champion ... Should Vitali beat Peter, it's obvious that he won't fight his brother Wladimir, the current IBF and WBO boss ... If I had my way, I'd have Peter face WBA Champion Ruslan Chagaev next, then the winner going on to face Wladimir for all the marbles ... Simple right? ... Wrong! ... These boxing sanctioning bodies really need to get their act together and cut the bullsh*t and get the title unified already ... But even if they did manage to get a unified champion, the politics would probably result in the title being splintered again within a few months ...
One,
- J -
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Kobe & TJ
Stayed up tonight to watch the Raptors game ... not to watch Toronto, but to watch my guy Kobe Bryant scorch them as he's done many times in his career ... I was kinda hoping for 91 points this time ... but I'll settle for Kobe's B-game, a measly 34 ... If I had a vote for MVP, I'd give it to Kobe in a heartbeat ... He's really played with his team this season, unselfish ... And Pau Gasol's made a seemingly smooth transition onto the Lakers ... They're a fun team to watch, I'm telling you ...
The highlight of the game for me was TJ Ford's attempted dunk on Kobe on a breakaway ... Kobe sent it away, but that would've been awesome had it went down ... Would've been number one on Sportscenter for sure ... Looks like he's back to form too, 28 points ... I'm wondering which team he'll be traded to next year ... Toronto doesn't deserve a player of his calibre and talents ... Why he's still coming of the bench is beyond me ...
One,
- J -
The highlight of the game for me was TJ Ford's attempted dunk on Kobe on a breakaway ... Kobe sent it away, but that would've been awesome had it went down ... Would've been number one on Sportscenter for sure ... Looks like he's back to form too, 28 points ... I'm wondering which team he'll be traded to next year ... Toronto doesn't deserve a player of his calibre and talents ... Why he's still coming of the bench is beyond me ...
One,
- J -
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Random Shots
It's been a while since I did one of these type blogs, but here goes:
-If you're a driver like me and pull into the gas station today, what do you see? $1.09/litre ... WTF is that? ... was there a hurricane? natural disaster? did the U.S. raise the terror alert? ... It's sad to comprehend but I know for a fact that I'll see $2.00/litre in my lifetime ...
-Anyone buying what Hilary and Obama are saying about it being time to bring the U.S. troops home? ... If they get elected, I'll believe it when I see it ...
-apparently there are links from the New York governor to prostitution ... my question is, what was his role in the whole thing? ...
-I read somewhere that we shouldn't pack our winter clothes just yet ... F*ck Mother Nature!
-some engineering student here in Toronto is apparently having a hearing, concerning a Facebook study group, accusing him of cheating ... I can definitely see Facebook on a Trivial Pursuit: 21st Century Edition card ... At this point I honestly don't see any point of having it ... Only, it's now become an alternate to eMail and it's convenient for setting up events ...
-I was watching the news the other day and a university, I can't remember off the top of my head, has managed to locate the gene that controls the HIV virus ... where they go from here should be interesting to see ...
-the Summer Olympics are coming up, hmmm, maybe I could book a flight to Beijing for this summer ... The Olympic Games have definitely lost their lustre over the past few Olympiad: boxing has definitely lost its prestige, I don't even bother watching ball, track lost its appeal without any marquee Canadians and so has women's gymnastics ... women's gymnastics, yeah I said it ...
One,
- J -
-If you're a driver like me and pull into the gas station today, what do you see? $1.09/litre ... WTF is that? ... was there a hurricane? natural disaster? did the U.S. raise the terror alert? ... It's sad to comprehend but I know for a fact that I'll see $2.00/litre in my lifetime ...
-Anyone buying what Hilary and Obama are saying about it being time to bring the U.S. troops home? ... If they get elected, I'll believe it when I see it ...
-apparently there are links from the New York governor to prostitution ... my question is, what was his role in the whole thing? ...
-I read somewhere that we shouldn't pack our winter clothes just yet ... F*ck Mother Nature!
-some engineering student here in Toronto is apparently having a hearing, concerning a Facebook study group, accusing him of cheating ... I can definitely see Facebook on a Trivial Pursuit: 21st Century Edition card ... At this point I honestly don't see any point of having it ... Only, it's now become an alternate to eMail and it's convenient for setting up events ...
-I was watching the news the other day and a university, I can't remember off the top of my head, has managed to locate the gene that controls the HIV virus ... where they go from here should be interesting to see ...
-the Summer Olympics are coming up, hmmm, maybe I could book a flight to Beijing for this summer ... The Olympic Games have definitely lost their lustre over the past few Olympiad: boxing has definitely lost its prestige, I don't even bother watching ball, track lost its appeal without any marquee Canadians and so has women's gymnastics ... women's gymnastics, yeah I said it ...
One,
- J -
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Short Weekend Stories, Slight Workout Struggles
A recap of the past few days ...
-As indicated in my last entry, I was at Korean BBQ on Friday night with the boys: Octal, Mype, Prophet & Anthro ... Oddly enough I was the latest arrival, which is something that never happens, but that was the result of this insane weather Toronto's been hit with this winter ... anyhow, not important ... As always, good company, good convos, good eats ... This may start sounding like a broken record, but as the years have gone by, my relationships with those guys have reached new levels ... I may not designate any of them as my "best friend", quite simply because I consider those guys family ... They know mine, as I know theirs ... We don't hang out like crew, nor do we need to ... I could go days, weeks, months, years without talking or seeing any of those guys, and it wouldn't affect our friendships one bit, the bonds are that solid ... I told Octal in person, but congrats again on the purchase ... Back to my history with those guys, in elementary school, our world stretched no further than our school and subdivision ... In recent years, our world expanded within the GTA ... But with the impending departures of some (myself included) I guess the "world" will just have to get a little bit bigger ... I consider it a blessing to have known those guys for this many years ... guys that I never have to worry about doin' me wrong, relationships shrouded in trust and respect, something that I share with no others aside from Fam ...
-Getting back to the weather, I spent parts of Saturday and Sunday morning shovelling, luckily my father was there to shoulder some of the burden ... This winter alone has seriously made me contemplate on whether Toronto is where I eventually want to settle down and build a life for myself ... Now I'm not a fan of constant sweltering heat, but this winter has really strengthened my hate for the snow ... Thinking of places I'd consider moving to (and it should come as no surprise to those that know me): 1) Phoenix - I simply fell in love with the city and surrounding area (Las Vegas, San Diego and Los Angeles are just commuter flights or driving distance away) when I was there ... layed back, sports city, constant blue skies ... now it may sound like a contradiction to my distaste for extreme heat, but I'd be willing to take the good with the bad ... 2) New York City - The Big Apple and Phoenix are 1A and 1B as far as my favourite cities in the world ... Sure it's expensive, but I'm thinking more of the surrounding areas, maybe in the suburbs of NYC, ala Rockland, maybe even cities in New Jersey, ie The Oranges ... 3) Vancouver - the darkhorse, still in Canada, a beautiful city and doesn't snow as much as in Toronto ... If I were to relocate to a different part of Canada, it would have to be in a cosmopolitan/ethnically diverse city, thus only the GTA and Vancouver & its surrounding areas fit that bill ... In all likelihood, Toronto may eventually be where I end up settling, but the aforementioned three are definitely in the back of my mind ...
-I was at the mall today, Square One to be exact ... I went to Pro Image Sports store to check out jerseys ... there is one currently missing from my collection, a classic Blue Pistons Chauncey Billups jersey, although I do have one in red ... But unfortunately that store doesn't have it, they don't carry it either ... complete bullsh*t! ... They don't even have Chris Paul or Dwight Howard ... This reminds me of the year Dwyane Wade took off, they didn't have his jersey either, so I picked one up in the States and I was probably the only guy in Canada to have one at the time ... Same deal with Gilbert Arenas ... All I have to say is damn Canada is slow ... But then I forget, this is a f*ckin' hockey town ... I bet half of the sports fans in Toronto don't even know who Billups is ... speaking of Chauncey "Mr. Big Shot" Billups, I caught the Pistons-Bulls game tonight, my man was on fire ... 20 first half points, finishing with 34, now that's what a playmaker/lead guard should be ... I also caught the shootout between the Rockets and Hornets last night ... I was more entertained by that game than any Raptors game this season ... My other boy Tracy McGrady, 41 points, leading his squad to 18 straight victories ... watching Billups and McGrady play for me is always bittersweet for obvious reasons, former Raptors who have both parlayed their talents into arguable Hall of Fame careers ... ahhh, what might've been ...
-When I stated before that I wanted to film a reality TV/documentary style video of my training for a one-on-one matchup, in my mind I've become quite serious in putting this project into motion ... Bargnani will from now on be referred to as Carteron (he's a fan of b*tch Carter and that chipmunk, who I'm refusing to mention) ... There's something about his smack talk last Saturday that really ignited a fire within me ... I have absolutely no respect for Carteron's basketball knowledge (I mean, who his heroes are, should be indicative of the extent of his knowledge) ... Furthermore, I have absolutely no respect for his game ... I've played him numerous times already, it wasn't even close in any of those games ... I've never come close to losing to him ... he can hit a jumper if he's left wide open, and I do mean WIDE open ... But some of our games ended pre-maturely for reasons I won't disclose, but they were HIS reasons ... Last Saturday I told him that I'd be willing to bet a couple grand that I could whoop his sorry a** on the court, but I also told him that I wouldn't do that out of respect for my cousin Tatsu, afterall they have to save up for their wedding ... The only thing preventing me from starting on this project is that I currently do not own a video camera ...
-As far as my "training"/workouts go ... My Friday and Saturday workouts were awesome ... I built up a great sweat with both, without any cardio whatsoever ... I increased the resistance and weights on the Total Gym and freeweights respectively ... I determine that I had a great workout if both of the following occur: a good sweat and I feel somewhat sore the next day ... My current routine consists of 6 exercises each on the Total Gym and freeweights, takes me about an hour ... My workout today however, was a struggle ... I felt sluggish in the first half hour, fatigued, arms cramping, mild headaches, and I didn't really get a good sweat going ... I was killing myself for taking too long with breaks in between sets ... Another thing that's not sitting too well with me is that I still don't have any sort of cardio machine ... I've been pressing my parents to chip in and help me purchase a treadmill, to no avail as yet, but I'm sure I'll negotiate some sort of deal ... I'm also saving up for the boxing equipment (heavy and speed bag), which should also help my endurance ... I'm hoping that a combined strength and cardio program will help me get into the best condition of my life ...
-Finally, thanks to Zona for the updates on our squad/college this past season, The University of Arizona Wildcats ... Our squad gets zero attention up here on TV or in the papers ... Canada's sports coverage is absolutely garbage! .. It's really unfortunate that the Wildcats are not in control of their destiny this season, as their NCAA tourney fate is now in the hands of the selection committee ... It really would take away from my interest in the tournament, should they not get in ... But don't worry Zona, there are bigger things to look forward to ... I mean, our national hero, Manny Pacquiao is one week away from laying a serious beatdown on that chump Juan Manuel Marquez ... should somewhat alleviate our frustrations ...
Now this was probably my longest entry to date ...
One,
- J -
-As indicated in my last entry, I was at Korean BBQ on Friday night with the boys: Octal, Mype, Prophet & Anthro ... Oddly enough I was the latest arrival, which is something that never happens, but that was the result of this insane weather Toronto's been hit with this winter ... anyhow, not important ... As always, good company, good convos, good eats ... This may start sounding like a broken record, but as the years have gone by, my relationships with those guys have reached new levels ... I may not designate any of them as my "best friend", quite simply because I consider those guys family ... They know mine, as I know theirs ... We don't hang out like crew, nor do we need to ... I could go days, weeks, months, years without talking or seeing any of those guys, and it wouldn't affect our friendships one bit, the bonds are that solid ... I told Octal in person, but congrats again on the purchase ... Back to my history with those guys, in elementary school, our world stretched no further than our school and subdivision ... In recent years, our world expanded within the GTA ... But with the impending departures of some (myself included) I guess the "world" will just have to get a little bit bigger ... I consider it a blessing to have known those guys for this many years ... guys that I never have to worry about doin' me wrong, relationships shrouded in trust and respect, something that I share with no others aside from Fam ...
-Getting back to the weather, I spent parts of Saturday and Sunday morning shovelling, luckily my father was there to shoulder some of the burden ... This winter alone has seriously made me contemplate on whether Toronto is where I eventually want to settle down and build a life for myself ... Now I'm not a fan of constant sweltering heat, but this winter has really strengthened my hate for the snow ... Thinking of places I'd consider moving to (and it should come as no surprise to those that know me): 1) Phoenix - I simply fell in love with the city and surrounding area (Las Vegas, San Diego and Los Angeles are just commuter flights or driving distance away) when I was there ... layed back, sports city, constant blue skies ... now it may sound like a contradiction to my distaste for extreme heat, but I'd be willing to take the good with the bad ... 2) New York City - The Big Apple and Phoenix are 1A and 1B as far as my favourite cities in the world ... Sure it's expensive, but I'm thinking more of the surrounding areas, maybe in the suburbs of NYC, ala Rockland, maybe even cities in New Jersey, ie The Oranges ... 3) Vancouver - the darkhorse, still in Canada, a beautiful city and doesn't snow as much as in Toronto ... If I were to relocate to a different part of Canada, it would have to be in a cosmopolitan/ethnically diverse city, thus only the GTA and Vancouver & its surrounding areas fit that bill ... In all likelihood, Toronto may eventually be where I end up settling, but the aforementioned three are definitely in the back of my mind ...
-I was at the mall today, Square One to be exact ... I went to Pro Image Sports store to check out jerseys ... there is one currently missing from my collection, a classic Blue Pistons Chauncey Billups jersey, although I do have one in red ... But unfortunately that store doesn't have it, they don't carry it either ... complete bullsh*t! ... They don't even have Chris Paul or Dwight Howard ... This reminds me of the year Dwyane Wade took off, they didn't have his jersey either, so I picked one up in the States and I was probably the only guy in Canada to have one at the time ... Same deal with Gilbert Arenas ... All I have to say is damn Canada is slow ... But then I forget, this is a f*ckin' hockey town ... I bet half of the sports fans in Toronto don't even know who Billups is ... speaking of Chauncey "Mr. Big Shot" Billups, I caught the Pistons-Bulls game tonight, my man was on fire ... 20 first half points, finishing with 34, now that's what a playmaker/lead guard should be ... I also caught the shootout between the Rockets and Hornets last night ... I was more entertained by that game than any Raptors game this season ... My other boy Tracy McGrady, 41 points, leading his squad to 18 straight victories ... watching Billups and McGrady play for me is always bittersweet for obvious reasons, former Raptors who have both parlayed their talents into arguable Hall of Fame careers ... ahhh, what might've been ...
-When I stated before that I wanted to film a reality TV/documentary style video of my training for a one-on-one matchup, in my mind I've become quite serious in putting this project into motion ... Bargnani will from now on be referred to as Carteron (he's a fan of b*tch Carter and that chipmunk, who I'm refusing to mention) ... There's something about his smack talk last Saturday that really ignited a fire within me ... I have absolutely no respect for Carteron's basketball knowledge (I mean, who his heroes are, should be indicative of the extent of his knowledge) ... Furthermore, I have absolutely no respect for his game ... I've played him numerous times already, it wasn't even close in any of those games ... I've never come close to losing to him ... he can hit a jumper if he's left wide open, and I do mean WIDE open ... But some of our games ended pre-maturely for reasons I won't disclose, but they were HIS reasons ... Last Saturday I told him that I'd be willing to bet a couple grand that I could whoop his sorry a** on the court, but I also told him that I wouldn't do that out of respect for my cousin Tatsu, afterall they have to save up for their wedding ... The only thing preventing me from starting on this project is that I currently do not own a video camera ...
-As far as my "training"/workouts go ... My Friday and Saturday workouts were awesome ... I built up a great sweat with both, without any cardio whatsoever ... I increased the resistance and weights on the Total Gym and freeweights respectively ... I determine that I had a great workout if both of the following occur: a good sweat and I feel somewhat sore the next day ... My current routine consists of 6 exercises each on the Total Gym and freeweights, takes me about an hour ... My workout today however, was a struggle ... I felt sluggish in the first half hour, fatigued, arms cramping, mild headaches, and I didn't really get a good sweat going ... I was killing myself for taking too long with breaks in between sets ... Another thing that's not sitting too well with me is that I still don't have any sort of cardio machine ... I've been pressing my parents to chip in and help me purchase a treadmill, to no avail as yet, but I'm sure I'll negotiate some sort of deal ... I'm also saving up for the boxing equipment (heavy and speed bag), which should also help my endurance ... I'm hoping that a combined strength and cardio program will help me get into the best condition of my life ...
-Finally, thanks to Zona for the updates on our squad/college this past season, The University of Arizona Wildcats ... Our squad gets zero attention up here on TV or in the papers ... Canada's sports coverage is absolutely garbage! .. It's really unfortunate that the Wildcats are not in control of their destiny this season, as their NCAA tourney fate is now in the hands of the selection committee ... It really would take away from my interest in the tournament, should they not get in ... But don't worry Zona, there are bigger things to look forward to ... I mean, our national hero, Manny Pacquiao is one week away from laying a serious beatdown on that chump Juan Manuel Marquez ... should somewhat alleviate our frustrations ...
Now this was probably my longest entry to date ...
One,
- J -
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Pubbin' for a cure
Just got back tonight from this Pub on College Street ... I was there in support of Breast Cancer research, called to my attention by my boy Prophet ... It seems as though my friends are involved in causes, but I haven't been ... I did the Big Brothers thing a couple years back, but nothing lately ... I've been meaning to check out this pub for a few years, but haven't gotten around to it 'til tonight ... spent most of the night crackin' jokes with Prophet and checkin' our bartender, who was growin' on both of us the whole night, LMFAO ... Prophet was callin' for the young J-Smooth to action, LOL, a couple beers could've done it ... Oh yeah, based on the people who went up for kareoke, it sure makes my family parties seem like a gathering of platinum recording artists ... It was for a good cause, so it's all good ... The food there was pretty good (wings and nachos), sure not doing my BMI any favours, factor that in with Korean BBQ set for tomorrow, not the healthiest of combinations ... Prophet's cool cuz we generally see eye to eye on most things, and again, I can push the envelope with my sense of humour, without any backlash ... Finally, be on the lookout for J-Smooth's comeback spits, and DVD documentary on his upcoming match-up, LMFAO ... The bed is callin' my name ...
One,
- J -
One,
- J -
Poetry/HipHop; Yorkville; Jude the Obscure
-I've been reading a lot of poetry lately, John Ashbery, most recently Geoffrey Hill ... In a stark contrast, I've been listening to a lot of old school Hip Hop lately as well (none of that 50, Kanye or southern crunk sh*t), mostly Nas, Meth, Busta, Mobb Deep, Raekwon, mostly from 1992-1997, Hip Hop's glory days ... Not that it is a groundbreaking discovery on my part, but Hip Hop and Poetry have much in common ... metaphors, rhyme scheme, verses, references ... One big difference, poetry puts me to sleep, while on the flip side Hip Hop gets me amped ... with all these poems and hip hop lyrics on the brain, I was thinking about gettin' back to writing spits ... my boy Shivers was pushin' for them a while back ... I was actually messin' around with lyrics a couple years ago, it was mostly to go after this dude that got me p*ssed, but after that there was no motivation ... Looking back on them now, they were alright, but somewhat cheese at the same time ... Maybe I'll drop a few bars on a future blog entry ...
-For all the years I've lived in the GTA, I've heard the name Yorkville thrown around, but didn't know exactly where it was until this past Saturday ... To my surprise, it's not some place I haven't been before ... For those of you that don't know, it's the area, west of Avenue Road, along Bloor Street ... I had some free time today, so I decided to check out a few stores ... I first went the the Nike Store, now I don't endorse Nike by any means, nor do I rock their sh*t, maybe Jordan brand, I'm an Adidas guy ... Anyhow, I went there to check for a Pacquiao T-Shirt, knowing full well they're exclusive to Asia, just as I suspected none, and not surprising the store workers were like "who?!" ... Next stop LaCoste, now, I never buy their stuff in Canada, especially now with the Canadian dollar where it is ... I was shocked to see that they dropped prices, probably to reflect the dollar, now golf shirts are $88 (taxes not included) down from $98 I believe it was, LMFAO ... F*ck That! ... A further reminder that there is no place like 5th Avenue or Broadway in New York City, Woodbury Outlets or Jersey Gardens ... Probably the funniest thing that happened during my time on Yorkville was at an HMV ... I was walking down one of the aisles and there was this woman standing at those listening stations at the end of the aisle ... she originally had her back towards me and her purse behind her as well ... I guess she caught sight of me with her peripherals, because when she did, she immediately turned around facing me then shifted her purse ... Hmmm, racial profiling? ... I wouldn't have thought so, except that as soon as I left the vicinity, she turned back around to her original position ... Maybe I should've pulled a Ludacris, ala the movie Crash ... LMFAO ...
-Finally, a book that I'm reading at the moment is Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy ... it was first published in 1895 and was regarded as one of the most controversial books of its time, and I can understand why ... If The Time Machine by H.G. Wells was the origin of the Science Fiction genre, then Jude the Obscure definitely has to be where soap operas originated from ... Basically the premise, is this character Jude, who originally marries this girl Arabella, because of sexual attraction, then they split and he eventually falls in love with his cousin Sue, who herself is married, but she leaves her spouse for Jude and they have kids together, F*ckin' disgusting! ... I've also been reading up on the background for this book ... Apparently it was edited prior to its release for content ... here I am, more than a hundred years after its original publication, disturbed by it ... I wonder how most of Hardy's readership felt back then, with his story centering around an incestuous relationship ... They don't even air that kind of garbage on TV shows plotlines nowadays, with the exception of maybe Jerry Springer ... but that's a discussion all unto itself ...
I'm out ... peace ...
One,
- J -
-For all the years I've lived in the GTA, I've heard the name Yorkville thrown around, but didn't know exactly where it was until this past Saturday ... To my surprise, it's not some place I haven't been before ... For those of you that don't know, it's the area, west of Avenue Road, along Bloor Street ... I had some free time today, so I decided to check out a few stores ... I first went the the Nike Store, now I don't endorse Nike by any means, nor do I rock their sh*t, maybe Jordan brand, I'm an Adidas guy ... Anyhow, I went there to check for a Pacquiao T-Shirt, knowing full well they're exclusive to Asia, just as I suspected none, and not surprising the store workers were like "who?!" ... Next stop LaCoste, now, I never buy their stuff in Canada, especially now with the Canadian dollar where it is ... I was shocked to see that they dropped prices, probably to reflect the dollar, now golf shirts are $88 (taxes not included) down from $98 I believe it was, LMFAO ... F*ck That! ... A further reminder that there is no place like 5th Avenue or Broadway in New York City, Woodbury Outlets or Jersey Gardens ... Probably the funniest thing that happened during my time on Yorkville was at an HMV ... I was walking down one of the aisles and there was this woman standing at those listening stations at the end of the aisle ... she originally had her back towards me and her purse behind her as well ... I guess she caught sight of me with her peripherals, because when she did, she immediately turned around facing me then shifted her purse ... Hmmm, racial profiling? ... I wouldn't have thought so, except that as soon as I left the vicinity, she turned back around to her original position ... Maybe I should've pulled a Ludacris, ala the movie Crash ... LMFAO ...
-Finally, a book that I'm reading at the moment is Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy ... it was first published in 1895 and was regarded as one of the most controversial books of its time, and I can understand why ... If The Time Machine by H.G. Wells was the origin of the Science Fiction genre, then Jude the Obscure definitely has to be where soap operas originated from ... Basically the premise, is this character Jude, who originally marries this girl Arabella, because of sexual attraction, then they split and he eventually falls in love with his cousin Sue, who herself is married, but she leaves her spouse for Jude and they have kids together, F*ckin' disgusting! ... I've also been reading up on the background for this book ... Apparently it was edited prior to its release for content ... here I am, more than a hundred years after its original publication, disturbed by it ... I wonder how most of Hardy's readership felt back then, with his story centering around an incestuous relationship ... They don't even air that kind of garbage on TV shows plotlines nowadays, with the exception of maybe Jerry Springer ... but that's a discussion all unto itself ...
I'm out ... peace ...
One,
- J -
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Windows Movie Maker; Randoms
I was bored so I decided to browse on my computer ... And what do I come across? Windows Movie Maker ... I was completely unaware that it came with my computer, so I opened it up to see what it was all about ... Apparently you can make movies, by importing, audio, pictures, videos, even add effects, hence the "movie maker" in the name of the software ... LMFAO, yes J-Smooth discovering that the world is round ... Looks like a new hobby I can get myself into ... Now all I need is ideas for movies or videos that I want to create ... wait ... I got one ... rewind to last Saturday night and my cousin Tatsu's fiancee all up in my face ... hmmm, ideas ... When we play that one-on-one game in ball, I'll get that on tape ... then after I school his sorry a**, I'll turn it into a mixtape ... LOL, schoolin' Bargnani's manlove to a soundtrack ... Actually, I was brainstorming bigger ideas ... why not turn it into a documentary style video, ala the HBO countdown shows previewing big fights ... I could video tape my workout and training sessions, I could also have the camera following me around talkin' smack here and there, all in the weeks leading up to the matchup ... Now I know you all are wondering why I would train just to play against a complete scrub ... Anthro said on Saturday, that I let people rile me, somewhat true, but I look at it as being woken up, I'm not angry, just motivated, if Bargnani's goin' to run his mouth, he'd better be able to back it up ... Anyhow why training for a scrub? The reasons are two-fold: first, it gives me the extra motivation to work out and get in shape, something that I've been meaning to do for some time, and like I said in a previous post, I want to be physically fit for a lot of summer sports, ie. ball, golf, maybe get into boxing when I get the $$$ to purchase the heavy and speed bags ... second, if I played Bargnani right now, in a game to 15, he'd probably be able to score 2-3 points, I'm lookin' to shut him out completely, anything less than that would be a failure to me, thus I have to get in game shape ... When I complete the documentary style video, I'll put it on DVD, distribute it to everyone in the D-Mac, then give it to Tatsu and Bargnani as my wedding present ... Yes, I can be an a** ... Why all this trouble and brainstorming? like I said up front ... bored ...
Randoms:
-After a perfect string of predictions in '07, I started out the '08 boxing year with an incorrect one ... I called Taylor over Pavlik ... but that's alright ... Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez' rematch is in just over a week's time ... there should be no doubt about who I'm rooting for, or who I'm predicting to win ... Pacquiao by KO in no more than 8 rounds ... book it, like a motivated J-Smooth, a motivated and focused PacMan is not something you wanna f*ck with ...
-Just when we thought winter had passed us by, word is another storm is headed this way ... F*CK!!!!!!
-Seems like the American political campaign trail has been goin' on for centuries ... I'll be more intrigued when it comes down to the presidential election ... One word to my American readership: Obama ...
-I've been meaning to address one of Prophet's latest posts regarding my "putting it all out there" ... I'd have to say he's partially correct ... I do put a lot out there, but it's mainly what I want people to see, moreso what I think people would be entertained by me sounding off on ... See, I'm not afraid to walk that fine line, to get reactions from people or to get a laugh out of others ... "It's about what the fans want to see" ... LOL, but seriously, if I had to characterize my posts, I'd call it a snapshot of my life ... people will only get to see what the photographer, in this case myself, allow them to see ... it just so happens that there are a lot of things in my life, that I don't view as serious or too personal, thus it is easier to just be up front about them ... If I had to characterize myself, I'd say a loner by nature ... I actually prefer it that way ... It's given me a thick skin and made me learn to depend solely on number one ...
One,
- J -
Randoms:
-After a perfect string of predictions in '07, I started out the '08 boxing year with an incorrect one ... I called Taylor over Pavlik ... but that's alright ... Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez' rematch is in just over a week's time ... there should be no doubt about who I'm rooting for, or who I'm predicting to win ... Pacquiao by KO in no more than 8 rounds ... book it, like a motivated J-Smooth, a motivated and focused PacMan is not something you wanna f*ck with ...
-Just when we thought winter had passed us by, word is another storm is headed this way ... F*CK!!!!!!
-Seems like the American political campaign trail has been goin' on for centuries ... I'll be more intrigued when it comes down to the presidential election ... One word to my American readership: Obama ...
-I've been meaning to address one of Prophet's latest posts regarding my "putting it all out there" ... I'd have to say he's partially correct ... I do put a lot out there, but it's mainly what I want people to see, moreso what I think people would be entertained by me sounding off on ... See, I'm not afraid to walk that fine line, to get reactions from people or to get a laugh out of others ... "It's about what the fans want to see" ... LOL, but seriously, if I had to characterize my posts, I'd call it a snapshot of my life ... people will only get to see what the photographer, in this case myself, allow them to see ... it just so happens that there are a lot of things in my life, that I don't view as serious or too personal, thus it is easier to just be up front about them ... If I had to characterize myself, I'd say a loner by nature ... I actually prefer it that way ... It's given me a thick skin and made me learn to depend solely on number one ...
One,
- J -
Sunday, March 2, 2008
RECAP: D-Mac birthday outing
Where do I start ... Well, I managed to coerce Anthro and Juddimac to come along, Shivers and Roldy were expected to be there as well, but in the end they couldn't make it for whatever reason ... Prophet it would've been cool if you came out ... When we got to my cousin's condo, they were holding something in the party room, they had a pool table in there as well, with us, that's a no-brainer, we don't even have to think twice ... But in the end, the pool table was warped, unleveled, awkward rolls, horrible cue tips, made games very frustrating ... As soon as we got there, we were handed beers, and since I'm on the fitness tip at the moment wasn't something I wanted, but I couldn't be rude ... Some other dudes there were talking ball, so again, another no-brainer ... And it had to happen ... One of the guys was sincerely in awe of Fraud-eron ... so I had to put him in his place ...
As an aside let me get this clear once and for all: Fraud-eron is the most over-rated player in the league, why?
1) He couldn't defend his own shadow, he let Travis "who the f*ck is that?" Diener expose him (ie. blow by him) ...
2) He is only effective in a structured offense, ala a pick-and-roll scenario, put him on one of the elite teams in the league, ala San Antonio, Detroit, Phoenix ... you'd be dellusional if you think Frauderon would be as effective, or those teams for that matter ...
3) People like to make a case for all of his stats or his player efficiency rating ... Well my response to that, if everything was about stats, then Andrei Kirilenko would be the best player in the league ...
4) Second point about his stats, they were coming in 40+ minutes of play ... if your minutes go up from 20+ to 40+ and your stats don't go up, you'd be a real scrub ...
5) People talk about how he's a good shooter, but if you watch how he manufactures all his shots, they are wide open looks, usually off screens, uncontested ... I wish someone had stats for his contested shots ...
6) People talk about how he makes his teammates better ... That is probably the biggest misconception about him ... primarily he's only looking for Bosh ... His assists only come off the swing-swing passes around the perimeter ... only once in a blue moon will you see him manufacture assists off of the dribble drive ...
7) People like to mention how the US media and people from around the NBA are raving about Fraud-eron ... Hollinger from ESPN thinks how good a player is, is determined solely by stats and PER ... see above ... Pat Riley was recently reported as having interest in persuing Fraud-eron ... my response, well if my team has won a total of 10 games thus far, I would be calling out every name in the book ...
8) Now people rave about how he's the next Jason Kidd or Steve Nash ... So let me get this straight, he'll be a nightly triple-double threat, a perennial all-star, a league MVP, and a future hall of famer ... excuse me while I take a dump ... sounds like something you would read on those tabloid magazines in a supermarket checkout ...
I could go on for days about how Fraud-eron is an over-rated player, but I think my argument should settle it all ... From this moment forward, I am going to avoid mention of his name in my blogs ... quite frankly, not even worth another breath ...
My cousin Tatsu's b/f Bargnani, was all up in my grill, about how I was a hater and I was wrong, then he even went on to talk about how HE himself was a superior baller ... Now, mind you, he was drunk, not just drunk, a loud drunk ... So if this was under normal circumstances and he was up in my face like that, he would've caught a serious Tyson-left hook ... But it was his birthday so I let him have his word in ... However, I did respond by saying to get his a** ready for the summer, when it comes down to a one-on-one game in ball, I'm not letting him score a point, one rule, no blood, no foul ... Let me paint a picture for you all, Bargnani is a white guy, who I've got a 4-5 inch advantage on, he's slow and he's got Antonio Davis-like handles ...
my bad this blog, veered way off ... back to the party ... there was tons of food there ... but I stuck to the whole wheat nachos and vegies with dip ... gotta be good to my waistline, LMFAO ...
Finally, the club, in Toronto's clubbing district ... My cousin didn't even bother to get guestlist, so I won't even disclose how much cover was ... Let's just say the club was the worst I've ever been to ... I've heard stories about that place before and last night did nothing to dispell those rumors ... The only thing I'll say was alright was the dude-chick ratio ... it was 1:1 for the first half-hour to 45 minutes we were there ... Last night, I decided to strictly go to places like, the place we went to for Octal's bachelor or the place we've been hangin' at lately ... places where we can come as we are, just be relaxed, nobody tryin' to act all hard and where people know how to behave ... oh yeah, what would clubbing in the district be like without someone tryin' to start sh*t ... When we were leaving the club, outside there was this dude in a ball cap, face-to-face with this HUGE, and I mean HUGE, bouncer ...
Drunk Kid: I paid someone $20 to get in
Bouncer: Oh yeah, who'd you pay $20 to
Then before I know it the bouncer shoved the kid down to the ground by his face, with one arm ... in the process knocking down this other girl ... wow ... then what made matters worse was the girl's boyfriend got up in the bouncer's face
Boyfriend: You F*ckin' punched my girl
Bouncer: Oh yeah, I punched your girl
Same result, pushed to the ground, by his face, one arm ... Can you say unnecessary force? ... The cops showed up within a minute to bring peace to the situation ... Ahhh clubbing in Toronto, would you expect anything less?
I asked Anthro and Juddimac what they would've done, had the bouncer knocked down their girl ... My response was that I would mouthed off from a distace, seeing how big the bouncer was ... also gives me enough of a headstart, had a chase ensued ...
All-in-all the night was sh!t ... thank G*d I was in good company ... I think I've fulfilled my Fam obligations to birthday appearances for a while ...
One,
- J -
As an aside let me get this clear once and for all: Fraud-eron is the most over-rated player in the league, why?
1) He couldn't defend his own shadow, he let Travis "who the f*ck is that?" Diener expose him (ie. blow by him) ...
2) He is only effective in a structured offense, ala a pick-and-roll scenario, put him on one of the elite teams in the league, ala San Antonio, Detroit, Phoenix ... you'd be dellusional if you think Frauderon would be as effective, or those teams for that matter ...
3) People like to make a case for all of his stats or his player efficiency rating ... Well my response to that, if everything was about stats, then Andrei Kirilenko would be the best player in the league ...
4) Second point about his stats, they were coming in 40+ minutes of play ... if your minutes go up from 20+ to 40+ and your stats don't go up, you'd be a real scrub ...
5) People talk about how he's a good shooter, but if you watch how he manufactures all his shots, they are wide open looks, usually off screens, uncontested ... I wish someone had stats for his contested shots ...
6) People talk about how he makes his teammates better ... That is probably the biggest misconception about him ... primarily he's only looking for Bosh ... His assists only come off the swing-swing passes around the perimeter ... only once in a blue moon will you see him manufacture assists off of the dribble drive ...
7) People like to mention how the US media and people from around the NBA are raving about Fraud-eron ... Hollinger from ESPN thinks how good a player is, is determined solely by stats and PER ... see above ... Pat Riley was recently reported as having interest in persuing Fraud-eron ... my response, well if my team has won a total of 10 games thus far, I would be calling out every name in the book ...
8) Now people rave about how he's the next Jason Kidd or Steve Nash ... So let me get this straight, he'll be a nightly triple-double threat, a perennial all-star, a league MVP, and a future hall of famer ... excuse me while I take a dump ... sounds like something you would read on those tabloid magazines in a supermarket checkout ...
I could go on for days about how Fraud-eron is an over-rated player, but I think my argument should settle it all ... From this moment forward, I am going to avoid mention of his name in my blogs ... quite frankly, not even worth another breath ...
My cousin Tatsu's b/f Bargnani, was all up in my grill, about how I was a hater and I was wrong, then he even went on to talk about how HE himself was a superior baller ... Now, mind you, he was drunk, not just drunk, a loud drunk ... So if this was under normal circumstances and he was up in my face like that, he would've caught a serious Tyson-left hook ... But it was his birthday so I let him have his word in ... However, I did respond by saying to get his a** ready for the summer, when it comes down to a one-on-one game in ball, I'm not letting him score a point, one rule, no blood, no foul ... Let me paint a picture for you all, Bargnani is a white guy, who I've got a 4-5 inch advantage on, he's slow and he's got Antonio Davis-like handles ...
my bad this blog, veered way off ... back to the party ... there was tons of food there ... but I stuck to the whole wheat nachos and vegies with dip ... gotta be good to my waistline, LMFAO ...
Finally, the club, in Toronto's clubbing district ... My cousin didn't even bother to get guestlist, so I won't even disclose how much cover was ... Let's just say the club was the worst I've ever been to ... I've heard stories about that place before and last night did nothing to dispell those rumors ... The only thing I'll say was alright was the dude-chick ratio ... it was 1:1 for the first half-hour to 45 minutes we were there ... Last night, I decided to strictly go to places like, the place we went to for Octal's bachelor or the place we've been hangin' at lately ... places where we can come as we are, just be relaxed, nobody tryin' to act all hard and where people know how to behave ... oh yeah, what would clubbing in the district be like without someone tryin' to start sh*t ... When we were leaving the club, outside there was this dude in a ball cap, face-to-face with this HUGE, and I mean HUGE, bouncer ...
Drunk Kid: I paid someone $20 to get in
Bouncer: Oh yeah, who'd you pay $20 to
Then before I know it the bouncer shoved the kid down to the ground by his face, with one arm ... in the process knocking down this other girl ... wow ... then what made matters worse was the girl's boyfriend got up in the bouncer's face
Boyfriend: You F*ckin' punched my girl
Bouncer: Oh yeah, I punched your girl
Same result, pushed to the ground, by his face, one arm ... Can you say unnecessary force? ... The cops showed up within a minute to bring peace to the situation ... Ahhh clubbing in Toronto, would you expect anything less?
I asked Anthro and Juddimac what they would've done, had the bouncer knocked down their girl ... My response was that I would mouthed off from a distace, seeing how big the bouncer was ... also gives me enough of a headstart, had a chase ensued ...
All-in-all the night was sh!t ... thank G*d I was in good company ... I think I've fulfilled my Fam obligations to birthday appearances for a while ...
One,
- J -
Saturday, March 1, 2008
D-Mac birthday outing
Wow ... I'm up pretty early for a Saturday, so I figure I'd blog before I hit the home gym ... plans for tonight, a joint birthday gathering/outing for my cousin Kekkle, and cousin Tatsu's fiancee, Bargnani's-manlove ... Now, I've spoken before about how the D-Mac is a brotherhood, well I meant every word of it, because the "sisterhood" is a bunch of princesses/divas in every sense of the word ... They're a different breed, I'm tellin' you ... Stuff they've gotten away with, and how they act, man if I was their sibling, we would be havin' some serious words, maybe came to blows in some instances ... We're close because we're Fam, but I don't have the relationship with them that I call them on the cell phone, or hang out regularly or anything like that ... Last year, I skipped out on their birthdays because quite frankly, I had better things to do ... But they attended my birthday gathering at my place last year, they were there for me, so I'm makin' it a point to be there for them this year ... Now just as with my friends, I have an inner circle with the Fam as well ... While I don't mind talking to or hanging out with anyone in the D-Mac, there are people that I can only take in doses and have a certain tolerance for ... There's Tatsu, Kekkle and their two other sisters, now add my sis to the mix, you have five people that can really get under my skin with their humour, the way they act and their level of conversation ... What's sad is that I prefer conversing with Bargnani ... I don't really talk much with my sis' b/f either ... So tonight, it'll probably be no different ... One of my cousins Juddimac, who I consider inner circle and who is my age, is off in space right now, doin' his own thing, but I'll give him a shout so I have someone to talk to ... These are the times that I miss havin' Zona around, someone who I look at as my little brother ... Now he's a brother in every sense of the word ... The last few times he came up to visit and when we were in the Philippines, we probably hung out the most out of everyone ... Now I could say something and he'd give me his full/honest opinion right back, whether he agreed with me or not ... it's kind of weird because on the surface, we're a stark contrast, but our level of conversation, what we debate and joke about, make us very similar ... A quick shout to my brother Zona, can't wait till you all get up here this summer ...
One,
- J -
One,
- J -
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