"Thanks for stopping by. How to describe myself?
Smooth. O-Pinoy-nated.
Nostalgiaholic. Just like my entries, somewhat comical, slightly controversial, but always keeping it real."
did something tonight that I would consider very Prophet-like ... and no it's not the following, somewhat abstract entry ... must've been the alcohol ... but then again, I've never been drunk, or intoxicated to the point that I would do things that I'd regret later ... but this is something that I never thought I would do ... kind of made me laugh, after the fact, thinking, "what the f*ck did this man just do?", LMFAO ... it was just one of these random things, then the "lightbulb" turned on above my head ... how to best describe it? or what to compare it to? ...
"There comes a time when all the cosmic tumblers have clicked into place ... and the universe opens itself up for a few seconds to show you what's possible." -Ray Kinsella, Field of Dreams
who knows what'll come of it ... I've trained myself to live my life never having any expectations, so I can just brush things off my shoulders, should things not turn out as I'd like ... however, the good that I got out of it ... perspective ... I'm usually good with stuff like that, but it's always nice to get another one ...
finally, reflective ... thinking what it was that drove me, compelled me to do what I did ... sure I said it was a random thing, but could it be that I was meant to do it? ... free will or pre-determination?, an age-old religious/philosophical argument better left for another time ...
Let's break this off with some "tuneage" ... more proof of East Coast supremacy ... if party tunes are the direction that artists want to take nowadays, this is what party tunes should sound like ... Big Pun R.I.P. ...
What's up with J-Smooth?
-how did Friday and Saturday chillin' with Fam go? ... Friday had to be the worst club we've hit to date ... it was sub-standard in almost every aspect: quality of women, quality of music ... the only good thing I can say is they had cheap drinks ... Saturday, after Romeo's party, we hit up the usual spot ... like Anthro says, that place is "hit and miss" ... that night was definitely a miss ... one thing that made me laugh was Anthro blaming me for his jubby leaving ... first of all, I was the only one that manned up to approach those girls, and I only found them remotely attractive ... second, I was doing it for him, he told me to, and I obliged ... I was talking to those two jubbs for maybe 5 minutes, before Anthro decided to get his *ss up and come over ... he was blaming me that I should've kept the other one busy while he got the 411 on the one he was talking to ... what was even funnier was that, he told me later that night that he wanted to talk to the jubb I was talkin' to ... then I responded, "if she had some of Jessica Alba's features, she would've looked good" ... LMFAO ...
-I should've been golfing this afternoon, but my family is taking Romeo out for his birthday ...
-NYC in a few short days, can't wait!!!
What's making local news?
-Maple Leaf Foods is in huge trouble ... Listeria bacteria found in their products has led to 12 deaths in Ontario and British Columbia ... even if they don't have another incident for the next few years, the stigma of this will follow the company forever ... no matter what safety measures they adopt, people will never be able to erase this from their psyche ... sucks, if you invested in Maple Leaf stocks ...
-anyone with allergies, notice that it's been worse this year than any in recent memory? ... I actually had to break out my allergy medication, and that was only somewhat effective ...
-they are saying for us people up north, to brace for a brutal winter, even worse than last year ... boy, it's time to get my *ss outta here! ...
-The Toronto International Film Festival is going on now ... ***yawn***
-I've been sleepin' on picking up my iPod ... I don't feel the burning desire to pick it up at this instant, most likely it'll be before I leave for NYC ...
-speaking of iPod's, I'll shift focus onto things going on in the world at large ...
-the U.S. Presidential elections are coming up, and an interesting tidbit has come out on AOL about what's on Barrack Obama and John McCain's iPod playlists ... link onto the following article, personally, I think they listen to a lot of wack sh*t ...
-with the elections right around the corner, let the shmear campaigns begin ... Madonna has stirred things up, by apparently comparing McCain to Hitler ... Dave Chappelle would probably respond to this by saying, "who the f*ck cares about what Madonna thinks" ... myself, not being an American citizen, I don't have a vote, but I think I would take Chappelle's approach ...
Finally, new footage has surfaced of Usain Bolt's 100M Final, world record victory ... The new footage has broken down the race frame-by-frame ... definitely one for the ages ...
I know the 2008 Beijing Olympics haven't officially closed yet, but all the important ish has already been determined for me ...
-the medals for boxing have yet to be handed out, but I lost interest fast ... sure these guys represent boxing's future and some fights have been entertaining, but there's nobody in particular I'm following ... the Filipino guy was eliminated from the games, quick ... It's just not the same when you know it's not the best guys in the world competing (ie. Manny Pacquiao, Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto) ...
-It's been great hearing that vintage tune again ... the Gold Medal in men's basketball is already reserved for the United States, unless there is some divine intervention or the U.S. team catches some horrible disease ... my disappointment in the tournament was Lithuania's loss to Spain this morning ... nothing would've made me happier than to see Spain leave the games without a medal ... now they're guaranteed at least a silver ... But that's O.K. at least I'll get an encore of a U.S. *sskicking of the Spanish team, in the Gold Medal game ...
-what Usain "Lightning" Bolt did in these Olympics was just phenomenal ... after a pre-mature celebration during the 100M Final, he did no such thing in the 200M Final or 4x100M Relay Final, resulting in World Records on both events ... It's just nice to know that the World Records for all three "glam" track events are not in American hands at the moment ... the reason why is that if an American did what Bolt did, we'd never hear the end of it ... his records and accomplishments would be rubbed in the world's faces for years to come ... the thing that bothered me is how the U.S. media was so quick to try and bring him down after his actions during the 100M ... I didn't like it because I wanted to see his top speed, they didn't like it because they thought it was cocky and classless ... well, in case they didn't know, Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene, were all cocky S.O.B.'s in their time as well ... Congrats to Usain Bolt! ...
-You simply can't mention one star of the Olympics without mentioning the other ... Congrats to Michael Phelps as well! ... Boy the American Media will be bigging this guy up for months to come, so America I hope you guys are prepared because he's going to be everywhere, if he isn't already ... Companies with their endorsement offers will be trying to milk this guy for all they can, not to mention the women that'll be all over this guy ... hmmmm, maybe I should get to a local pool and start practising ... but realistically, if I tried I could probably only make it half a pool length in the time it takes Phelps to go back-and-forth, and for me that would be with breaks in between, holding onto the dividers, LOL ...
-Congrats to Shawn Johnson who finally earned her Olympic Gold Medal on the Floor Exercise Final in front of All-Round Champ Nastia Liukin, who took silver ... like Phelps, these two girls are going to be spotlighted in America over the next few months as well ... and deservedly so ... while I'm sure I'll be seeing their teammate, Alicia Sacramone a whole lot on the web, TMZ and any other tabloid media ...
-now to conclude my take on The 2008 Beijing Olympics, I'm reflective ... I just think that some of these "real" Olympians (and you hear it all the time) put in years of hardwork and sacrifice for this opportunity, a lifetime of dedication ... on the grand stage where dreams become a reality, where mortals become legends, LOL ... enough of that media promo fluff ... but seriously, all that training and the slightest error shatters all of those hopes and dreams ... I wish I knew what it was like to train/practise for something for years and finally reach your goals and dreams ... well actually I do ...
-LOL, I started playing that in first grade and finally passed the game in ninth grade ... when that happened, I cannot even begin to describe the emotions of that moment and what I felt ... that to me was the equivalent of a professional sports championship and a gold medal combined, LMFAO ...
Anyways, I know I've left you all hanging on what's been going on in my life, here are a few things and stuff upcoming:
-I ran ball here in my town, for a couple days this past week ... now it's hard to catch a game in my town period, but surprisingly this game was competitive ... my timing was off as I expected, I wasn't hitting my jumper and was missing layups ... but for some reason, call it experience, the game seems easier to me now ... I was playing people around my age and older, but I was fooling them defensively, I find it easier to pick their pocket for steals and boxing out while crashing the boards ... on the offensive end, just minor things like ball fakes and jab steps allowed me to blow by my man with ease ... now if my body can get in tune with the mental aspect, I'd be dominating these games ...
-hitting a club, in the clubbing district with Anthro and Prophet tonight ... I have my beefs with the district, so I'm hoping that the levels of B.S. are at the minimum ...
-tomorrow is a condo party that my sis is holding for Romeo ... hope there's gonna be some jubbies at that thing ...
-Sunday is the "40th Day" after my grandfather's passing ... thus, the entire D-Mac is attending mass together and having our own private prayer/rosary at my aunt's house following ... it'll be good to see some of my little nieces and nephews that I haven't seen in a while ...
-Tuesday, I'm hitting the links with my dad, I'm going to the same club, I went to with Chipy (where I shot that legendary 41 back nine), but this time we're playing on the other course (there are two courses at this club) ... I was at the driving range this past Monday, and like ball, my golf game is rusty ... but I'm the next Tiger Woods, I'm not worried! LOL ...
-finally next weekend, I make my annual trip to New York City! ... which reminds me, I have to pick up my iPod before then, for the long road trip ... I can't wait! ... The Food: White Castle! Nathan's! Roy Rogers! mmmmmm! ... I also need to update my wardrobe, with some Ecko and LaCoste obviously, but maybe pick up a few things at the Adidas Performance and Originals stores, also the NBA Store ... I also found out that there are stores that sell Affliction apparel, if there are any deals, I may pick up a few things from there as well, that ish is expensive! ...
-Christmas is coming up in a few months, now I've never kept a wish list ... but this year I'm eyeing one thing, a Bose Sounddock for my iPod ...
Before I get on with my entry, I have to begin first with Fam ... I don’t think it’s any secret that family is one of, if not the, most important thing in my life, whether it be with my Newman Fam or my D-Mac Familia ... If anyone knows what it’s like to lose a family member, following recent events in my life, it would be me ... I would like to express my condolences to my brother Black Prophet for the recent loss in his family, keep your head up brother ...
For the most part this weekend my attention has been on the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, so let’s get to it:
-I was extremely happy to see The United States men’s basketball team absolutely demolish Spain ... that 37-point beatdown serves them right ... who would’ve thunk it, I found myself cheering for LeBron James to dunk on their sorry *sses during the game, yes my hate for the Spanish players runs that deep ... gotta love Jose Frauderon, 1-9 shooting from the field and 0 assists ... great $40M investment there Colangelo ... the game proved what I’ve been saying all along, if you actually defend Frauderon, he’s ineffective ... few things about what I’ve seen so far in the basketball competition ... Dwyane Wade seems to be back at full strength, it’s good to see ... He’s really been written off by sportswriters and fans this past season, I have to admit some guilt as far as that goes ... it seems to have set him off, as he’s playing with the same fire as when he was 2006 NBA Finals MVP ... one thing that makes me snicker about basketball in these games is the press that Spanish player, Ricky Rubio is getting ... people (analysts and journalists) are really bigging him up to be something “special”, on some websites even touting him as a future number 1 pick in the NBA ... I’ll just come out and say it, the guy is so sh*t! ... he hustles, oooooh, big whoop, so does Matt Bonner ... another Euro hope ... finally, reports have come out about Kobe Bryant or LeBron James playing in Europe, should they be offered a ridiculous amount like $50M per ... with Kobe, I hope not, but be my guest LeBron ...
-Unless you’ve been living under a rock, Michael Phelps is the most talked about man in the world right now and rightfully so ... All I have to say is, unbelievable! ... and he may not even be done at this point ... he’s already talking about getting ready for the 2012 Olympic Games in London ... why?, he’s already achieved everything possible in the Olympics ... but then again he’s only 22 and that’s the earmark of a great athlete, never satisfied ... journalists and sportswriters are already mentioning him in the same breath as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Muhammad Ali ... I certainly don’t have a problem with that, his 14 Gold Medals already make him the most successful Olympian of all time ... and by the time the 2012 Games are all set and done, Phelps accomplishments may be at levels where supremacy will never be challenged ...
-speaking of supremacy, that brings me to Jamaica’s 100M Olympic Gold Medalist, Usain “Lightning” Bolt ... The fastest man in the world ... After winning the gold medal and shattering the world record with a time of 9.69 seconds, there shouldn’t be anything negative to say ... but just one thing, the problem I have is his slowing down during the last 25m to celebrate ... I was thinking, “dude, finish the race full out, set a mark where supremacy will never be challenged” ... he would’ve easily finished with a time in the 9.5 second mark ... well whatever ...
-That Chinese Olympic Gold Medalist, Guo Jingjing is hot! ...
-I even caught the back end of the tennis gold medal match, between Rafael Nadal and some scrub ... Now I by no means am qualified to give an intelligent analysis about the sport of Tennis ... I haven’t followed the sport since the heydays of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi ... I think Zona, being the tennis player and fanatic, would give a more insightful analysis of Olympic Tennis ... but in short, this finals matchup was lackluster, to say the least ... but then again, any game would pale in comparison to this year’s Wimbledon Final between Nadal and Roger Federer ... seeing Nadal at the Olympics got me thinking of other things I’d like to see at the Olympic Games ...
-First, if professional athletes are allowed to participate, ie. basketball, tennis, soccer ... why not boxing? ... maybe the Philippines would actually win a gold medal if we had Manny Pacquiao competing for us ... but, what always seems to be the issue in boxing, I’m sure the politics are what’s preventing it ... too many different sanctioning bodies involved, they would never come to an agreement ... and even if professionals were to somehow, one day be allowed to participate, it doesn’t mean that they would ...
-which brings us to my second point ... golf is definitely one of the world’s most popular sports and it has one of the world’s most recognizable athletes, Tiger Woods ... so why not make it an Olympic Sport? ... my guess is that it would conflict in scheduling with one of the major tournaments, all held in the summer ... another would probably be participation, who knows if Tiger would compete or any of the top players for that matter ... they’re dropping baseball from the Olympic program because of those two reasons ... ahhh well ...
-reports say that NBC’s ratings are up (now I can’t remember the exact number) somewhere between 30-40% from the Athens Olympics, largely in part because of their spotlighting of Swimming and Women’s Gymnastics in their prime time slots ... I’ve read somewhere that ratings are at “American Idol levels” ... I’m just guessing, but I think Michael Phelps and Alicia Sacramone have something to do with that ... The thought of Phelps coming back for the 2012 Games, must have NBC execs salivating ...
-For every great story of achievement at the Olympics (Phelps) there always seems to be a story that’s the polar opposite, one of Olympic heartbreak ... Sacramone definitely is that heartbreaking story, as she’s been plagued with a string of bad luck in these games ... Sacramone, the latest internet buzz, experienced a tragic ending to her Olympic and gymnastics career with a fourth place finish in the Vault Finals ... what makes it tragic is the questionable judging ... Sacramone landed two clean vaults while Gold Medalist, Korea`s Hong Un Jung stepped out of bounds on both her vault attempts and Chinese Bronze Medalist, Cheng Fei landed on her knee on one of her attempts, but both still managed to score higher ... like I said in my last post gymnastics is a subjective sport, which is unfortunate ... as for Sacramone’s U.S. Olympic teammates, their success continues as Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin, won the silver and bronze medals respectively, in the Floor Exercise ... Just hypotheticals, it would be interesting to see who`d win in a showdown between this year’s U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team or “The Magnificent Seven” from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics ... that’s a toss up for me ...
On tap this week, more Olympics watching of course!
UPDATE:
-Nastia Liukin, scored 16.725 in the uneven bars final, which in today's gymnastics is nearly flawless, and was good enough for a first place tie with China's He Kexin ... However, the IOC no longer allows for awarding a dual gold medal, so Liukin finished with a silver medal, in a bullsh*t tiebreaker, which is determined by point deductions on execution scores ... more B.S. in the world of women’s gymnastics ... if the scores are the same, it’s a tie in my opinion ... however, not to take anything away from He, her double release combination is unreal ...
Before I get to my take on the 2008 Beijing Olympics thus far, a couple things ...
-WTF is up with this weather? ... I don't remember a summer with this much rain, EVER ... Then again, looking back, I was saying the same thing about the snow ... could this be signalling a shift in climate? ... I don't have the answer to that, but I have realized one thing ... I was considering situating myself in Vancouver one day ... not anymore, I'm not liking rain at all, I was planning to hit the driving range a couple times this week, but mother nature c*ckblocked those plans ...
-the world seems to be in the midst of another Cold War between The United States and Russia ... This whole Russian invasion of Georgia in my opinion is their business, not saying it's right, but it's an issue between Russia and Georgia, no matter how the U.S. feels about it ... There are even growing fears that Russia may attack Poland ... You know that old saying, "pick on someone your own size" ... well here's America's chance, they only seem to intervene when it's a country not in their "weight class" ...
Enough with the bullsh*t politics, time to shift focus on the Olympic Games -That opening ceremony was awesome! ... I give much props to the Chinese for putting on a stellar show ... But as much press the opening ceremonies were given, just as much energy has been put into criticism ... First, there's the fireworks display ... Much of the display seen on television was digitally imposed footage ... It doesn't bother me at all ... Then, there's the little girl in the red dress, Lin Miaoke, who apparently sang Hymn to the Motherland ... but later it was revealed that it was a lip-sync and that the vocals were from another girl, Yang Peiyi, but she was not given the chance to perform because organizers felt she was not photogenic enough ... can someone say “Milli Vanilli” ... most unfortunate indeed ... unfortunate that no matter where you go in the world, looks seem to be everything ... but the decision was made and there’s nothing that can be done now ...
-now over to women’s gymnastics ... it’s no secret that the American networks, in this case NBC has a bias towards their American athletes, but no time was it any more evident than during the coverage of gymnastics ... In studio, the games are covered by Bob Costas, his analyst is former Olympic gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi, a Romanian-born defector to the States ... Over the past few days Karolyi has not been shy in voicing his opinion on the rumors of the Chinese using under-age gymnasts ... He’s been adamant that these girls do not meet the age requirement of 16 ... However, the Chinese have presented passports for these girls to the IOC, which indicate the contrary ... but apparently there were past newspaper articles about three girls in particular, indicating their age, and doing the math, has them each short of the age requirement ... What do I think, well, just by observation, I’d have to agree with Karolyi, these girls look nowhere near 16 ... but then again, I’m from the Philippines, I should know better than anyone about people who look nowhere near their age ... With this being the Olympics and the matter concerning the U.S., I can see evidence surfacing eventually proving these girls are underage ... if that’s the case, they should rightfully be stripped of the team gold medals ... but they should be given the benefit of the doubt, for now ...
-sticking with gymnastics, I watched the women’s individual all-round competition last night ... A lot of intrigue ... and as expected the United States pulled away with the Gold and Silver medals, awarded to Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson respectively ... knowing the sport as well as I do, they were absolutely solid, although the judging on some events, in my opinion, was sketchy to put it mildly ... most notably was Liukin’s first exercise, the vault, I saw perfect form, got enough height, distance and a stuck landing, but the judges still managed to deduct her 3 tenths, ahh well ... but that’s nothing new in the subjective sport of gymnastics ...
-while Liukin and Johnson achieved success on the mat, much of the internet buzz was about their teammate Alicia Sacramone, whose falls on her balance beam mount and tumbling pass on floor exercise during the team competition, in my opinion are what cost the U.S. the team gold medal ... but from what I’ve read, that didn’t stop internet dwellers from searching her on Google, YouTube and joining Facebook group sites ... Now, I’m not a fan of blondes at all, but Sacramone is not ugly by any means, she is very attractive ... according to the Los Angeles Times, Google searches for “Alicia Sacramone is hot” went up the night of the team competition and there were 1000 new members to a particular Facebook group ... another popular search seems to be on YouTube, Sacramone punching some guy flush on the chin at college ... I’d post the video, but it’s nothing more than typical American college students acting like typical American college students ... Sacramone seems to be the gymnastics equivalent to Anna Kournikova, whom I think has a great body, but her looks in all honestly are not that special ... Kournikova is proof that you don’t have to win anything to get recognized, I guess same goes for Sacramone ...
-I’ve really been disappointed with the sporadic boxing coverage at The Games ... NBC doesn’t broadcast it at all, but skimming the on-screen TV guide, it says every single day that boxing will be on CNBC, I flipped over there every day and not once have I seen boxing on the time specified, or on that channel for that matter ... I’ve been forced to tune in to TSN ***gag*** ... The one fight I did catch was Felix Diaz of The Dominican Republic against Johnny Joyce of Ireland ... man, Diaz impressed me a lot, dude had lightning quick hands and threw punches at a high work rate ... The only beef I had was with the judging ... for those of you who don’t know, amateur boxing is quite different from professional, it consists of four two-minute rounds, and scoring is simply the amount of clean punches landed, should be easy enough ... well, not with this fight, my dad and myself counted numerous flush shots that landed which failed to score ... now this is the only fight I’ve seen thus far, so I have no basis for comparison, but if all the fights are like this, then I say the IOC needs to look into their judging policy ... back to Diaz, he should become a serious contender should he decide to turn pro ... anyways shifting a bit, I know there’s one Filipino boxer in The Games, but I’m thinking he lost, so whatever ...
-with women’s gymnastics almost over (only individual event finals remain, this Saturday) my focus shifts to track ... unfortunately there’s no Donovan Bailey in these games ... looking back, that 100m final in The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games was awesome ... I still remember going nuts when Bailey won it, smashing what was then the world record ... also memorable was Bailey’s a** whooping he put on U.S. 200m champion Michael Johnson at SkyDome months later ... fast forwarding to today, NBC flashed images of Carl Lewis on screen ... Lewis is probably the biggest fraud in the history of track and field, YEAH I SAID IT! ... For those of you who are too young to remember , Lewis originally placed second to Canadian Sprinter, Ben Johnson in the 100m final in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games ... but days later Johnson’s medal was stripped as he tested positive for steroids, subsequently awarding the gold medal to Lewis ... fine, that’s what should’ve happened ... but years later, reports came out alleging that Lewis had actually failed drug tests as well ... but not much was made about those and the issue seemed to be brushed under the rug ... no matter how many years have passed, if there is evidence linking Lewis to performance enhancing drugs, his gold medal should be stripped same way ... but again, this is the U.S. we’re talking about and Lewis is their hero ... so whatever ...
-I know what I’ll be doing tomorrow morning and that will be watching The United States “Redeem Team” stomp a mudhole into the Spanish basketball team ... I referred to the Spanish team, in particular Frauderon, as racist f*cks, but that is a bit harsh, so I’m downgrading that to ignorant *ssholes ... I was talking to my friend Chipy and he said to go to the ACC and protest ... sure, I wouldn’t mind, I for sure wouldn’t have a problem heckling him at a game with a sign reading “Jose Frauderon” ... speaking of him, he used the classic excuse “I have Chinese friends”, he even went on to say that the eye-slit gesture was intended as “affectionate” and that people who misinterpreted are “confused” ... whatever, he’s just as r*tarded as he looks ... one final thing, as expected the Toronto media and average Raptor fan has brushed this issue under the rug, turned a blind eye, as I expected ... says a lot about this city and country as a whole ...
-lastly, what about Canada? LMFAO ... what’s there to say ... absolutely pathetic ... at the same time, I could care less ... talking to Chipy, he sounded frustrated ... I said, Canada’s got it all wrong, forget all this health care and education bullsh*t, we need to get our priorities straight and invest in what’s important, Olympic Medals, LOL ...
First thing, all of my 200-plus posts while some seem to be personal and maybe even a deep look into my psyche, I have to say that they all barely scratch the surface of my thoughts and personal life. The man behind J-Smooth remains an individual that keeps 95-99% of his life, thoughts and feelings to himself. Thus, this is the most revealing, candid and toughest post that I’ve put together. I’ve been stalling on this over the past week, in trying to find the perfect words to say goodbye. When my grandfather left, just under a month ago (I can’t believe it’s already been that long), I can’t say that I wasn’t expecting it but it obviously still had an effect on me. My father woke me up early in the morning on that fateful day, July 16th, 2008, to inform me that my grandfather had passed. I didn’t even hear the phone ring that morning, but I immediately knew what it was about when my father knocked on my door without him even having to say a word. For about an hour, my father and myself sat there in silence, not in disbelief but deep in thought nonetheless. My father did say that it explained why he couldn’t get to sleep that night. The next few days can only be described as “like living in a daze”. At home, the phone calls came in one after another. Despite the circumstances, it was nice talking to some relatives. One in particular, my aunt in New York City. She mentioned that she’s always had this ability/sense since she was a young child, that whenever a close relative passed, she’d hear someone calling her name, but after looking around the immediate vicinity realize that there is nobody around. Then after that, she would receive notification of the relative’s passing, thus it doesn’t come as a surprise to her. She said that slightly passed midnight (eerily close to the time my grandfather passed), she was packing a box, when she heard someone call out her name, but she was alone in her apartment. She also looked outside her window, but nobody was there either. Shortly after, she recieved notification about my grandfather from one of her siblings. I’m not sure how I feel about that supernatural stuff, but I have no reason to doubt her credibility.
Now before my grandfather had passed, our family had been expecting it, almost preparing for it in the weeks prior. My mother and aunt had already left for the Philippines before it happened, because they both got the sense that it could come at any time now. One of my uncles was on the fence about it and pulled out at the eleventh hour when it came time to purchase the tickets. Under ideal circumstances, he wouldn’t of hesitated, but given his employment/vacation situation he was put in a tough spot. He described it as “the most difficult decision” of his life. During that time, I was already thinking of how I could pay tribute to my grandfather. I was thinking of the perfect way to honor him and at the same time serve as a statement/display of unity and camaraderie among every single member of the D-Mac. All I can say is that it hit me, like lightning, a Canadian Flag. It was perfect for a number of reasons: it represented all of his family in Canada, he was a former soldier who served proudly in the Philippine military and laying a flag on the casket is how fallen soldiers are honored, finally to show the D-Mac unity I would have everyone in the family sign it, including everyone even those residing in the United States and The Philippines. So the day that my grandfather passed, that was my first order of business to purchase the flag. At that point, I made it my personal project and objective to make sure that everyone in the D-Mac was represented on the flag.
I can say that here at home it was semi-hectic, as the family here were scrambling to book flights to The Philippines to pay our last respects. I didn’t really have the chance to talk to my uncles (my grandfather’s sons) about how they were feeling. Although, I did hear from one of my aunts that (her husband) my uncle (“toughest decision”), when my grandfather left, all he kept saying repeatedly was that he should’ve went with my mom. My father and two uncles managed to book flights for the Thursday while my cousins, sister and myself were all booked for the following Monday. After those formalities were taken care of, like I said before, the next few days were kind of “like living in a daze”. My cousins from Phoenix, Arizona’s Finest and AVAD, had already pre-planned vacation to Canada and still came down despite the circumstances. Although, they later informed me that had they been given a choice, they would join the rest of the D-Mac in The Philippines. That same Friday, I had already planned a birthday outing for myself and I’d invited all of my closest friends and family to celebrate with me. Thus, I decided that I would just spend the next few days trying to keep my mind off of things and just enjoy my birthday outing and my time spent with Zona and AVAD. I can describe those days as having a calming effect on me.
The morning I left for the Philippines was extremely hectic. I was running around my house like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to get some things packed last minute and make sure all was in order around the house. My cousin Giggs picked me up and we headed for the airport. Flying with him was awesome, as it’d been years since we spent that much time together, probably since before he got married and had a family. The flight/trip went by so fast, probably because the airplane we were riding kept us pretty busy with the OnDemand movies. When we arrived in the Philippines, waiting for us was my aunt. That car ride back to my home province was spent just talking about everything: the funeral arrangements, what’s been going on in the days following and the details of my grandfather’s passing. My aunt informed me that he passed peacefully, which was a relief to hear, as he’d really been suffering in recent years. She said that on his deathbed he opened his eyes and smiled at everyone before bowing his head and taking his last breath. My aunt also informed asked me if I’d be interested in delivering at least part of my grandfather’s eulogy. My initial reaction was, “why me?”, but after she explained, I said that I would be honored. When we arrived at my house, the place was packed, that’s the most filled that I’ve ever seen it. People were sitting around talking inside and outside of the house. After hugs with family, I got my first look at my grandfather in his casket. I must say, my family spared no expense, it was quite the visual display.
The next few days were honestly a blur. There was nothing regular about our sleeping and eating patterns. It was basically a “sleep and eat when you need to” arrangement. I certainly got my fill getting re-acquainted with family members, some of which I hadn’t seen in more than 20 years, others I hadn’t even met before. It was just surreal to see the kind of respect my grandfather received. People just stopped by the house to donate refreshments, really made me appreciate our Filipino culture. Perhaps the most shocking appearance was made by one of my uncles (mother’s cousin to be more exact). He so happens to be mayor of one of The Philippines’ major cities, they blocked off the road and he came in with his security team.
Finally, came the day of the funeral and I was still putting the finishing touches on my part of the eulogy. I can really say that I got emotional at that point. My entire family up till then had really kept things together and kept the mood in the house loose. I pride myself on being a rock and for the most part keeping my emotions in check, but this was beyond my control. I did manage to finish my flag project and as I had hoped, all D-Mac family members were accounted for.
After I finished writing the eulogy it was time to get ready and head for the church. Family photos were being taken, my feelings were extremely difficult to conceal as my family noticed that I was visibly upset. People were asking why I didn’t smile for the pictures, which I thought were stupid questions as there was nothing to smile about. I couldn’t hold back the tears walking behind the procession/hearse, neither could other members of the family, understandably so. As soon as we unloaded the coffin and wheeled it to the front of the church, I sat down in my pew and wept, I don’t recall the last time I did, I was an absolute mess. Luckily I was able to get my emotions in check through the course of the mass and was able to maintain my composure to deliver my part of the eulogy.
When we were headed to the cemetery my father shook my hand and my uncle told me that he was proud of me, both meant a lot. When we got to the cemetery, we unloaded the coffin at one end of the field. My uncles, Giggs and myself carried the casket across the field to my grandfather’s final resting place. It was an elevated grave in what I can only describe as a mini-chapel type structure, with the tomb inside. At the foot of the grave, we opened the casket one last time to say our last goodbyes. Giggs gave him a kiss on the forehead and I did the same, followed by the rest of the family. We closed up the casket for the final time and placed it in the tomb. From there, I remember just putting my arm around some family members, most especially my mother and grandmother. To sum things up, it was definitely an emotional roller coaster that day and that week. It’s tough for me even re-living those moments right now.
I’d like to close this tribute entry with a song and my part of the eulogy. Part of the reason why I’ve been stalling on this tribute entry to my grandfather was in part trying to find the right song. I listened to many songs, in particular by Luther Vandross, Josh Groban, Fuel, Sarah McLachlan and Jewel, but none seemed to fit. Finally, I was reminded of a song sung by Boyz 2 Men, “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”. When I hit up YouTube to find the video, I stumbled across a version performed by Usher as a tribute to Aaliyah and this version really struck a chord with me. But I’ll post both versions anyway. So here’s the song and the eulogy.
Good Afternoon,
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m one of *******'s grandsons. Like me, most of my cousins also call him *****.
Before I was asked by my **** *** this past Tuesday, I already had a feeling that someone would ask me to at least deliver part of the eulogy. So I hope I do ***** and my family proud.
In the middle of last week, the day ***** left us. My dad woke me up early in the morning. Immediately I knew what he was going to tell me. Our whole family had been expecting this for some time, so it didn’t come as much of a surprise, but still I was left with a feeling of disbelief. It’s no secret that *****'* health has been deteriorating over the past few years. Christmas of 2006 was the last opportunity that I had to see ***** alive. It was the time of our family reunion. However, it was not something I was originally planning to attend. But, thankfully my ****** ****** was able to convince me. Looking back on it, I’m glad I was able to be there because, as it turns out it was the last time I’d see ***** alive. By that time his memory had already deteriorated to the point that he didn’t remember me at all. He was very different from the man I knew. I was first introduced to him back in 1985 when *****, *****, **** **** and **** **** came to live with us in Canada. What I’ll always remember about him is whenever I asked him for something, if it was within reason, he never hesitated. When I came to the Philippines in 1999, that first morning we were there, it was really early, maybe 3AM. I had a craving for pan de sal. So I woke up ***** and again, he didn’t hesitate once, no matter how tired he was, so he got up with his cane in hand and we went. See, just those small things are memories that will always be special to me.
So often in today’s world, a man’s success is defined by his wealth, his material possessions or by the title in front of his name. But my definition of success is slightly different. To me success is defined by what kind of person you are and what you stand for. If I could describe ***** and what he stood for in a few words they would be: hard work, sacrifice and family. From everything I’ve heard about him from my aunt and uncles, he always stressed the importance of hard work. You have to earn everything you get in this world. From everything I’ve been told ***** was a very hard worker. He served proudly for the Philippine military in World War 2. When he came to Canada he worked an entry level job at a hotel. He served as a great example to my mom, aunt and uncles and the message of hard work has been passed down to my generation of cousins. The hard work went hand-in-hand with education. It was very important to ***** that all his children had a proper education. He sacrificed a lot to provide that to my mom, aunt and uncles, even if that meant sacrificing his pride by borrowing money. But he also taught his kids that if you borrow money, you always pay it back. A very sound message because nothing comes free in this world. Finally, family, perhaps *****'* greatest accomplishment. You’re only as great as the people you’re surrounded by. My mother, aunt and uncles are all great people and a lot of the credit has to go to *****. In a world where you can’t seem to trust or depend on anyone, that is definitely not an issue amongst the *************. *****'* children all remain close, and that has rubbed off amongst all of us cousins as well.
*****'* greatest gift to me is being part of a family that I can be proud of. I just want to say thank you for that.
As far as what I think defines a man’s success, ***** you were a great husband, father, grandfather and a great man and you epitomize many things that are right in this world. Therefore to me your success is second to none.
I'd just love to hear the excuse/justification for this from Spain and from all of Frauderon's fans ...
There's Jose Frauderon on the pic above (fourth from the left) ... apparently he's already commented on this ... he was translated as saying “anyone who would like to interpret this differently is absolutely confused” ... hmmmmm, this is almost comical ...
As for me, I've always maintained my position that everyone has racism in them, just to different degrees ... but what the Spanish team did was just stupid ... what's their excuse? ... "we didn't know" ... that would be like saying, "not only are we ignorant, but we have IQ's of less than 50" ... WTF, they don't teach public relations or politcal correctness over there? ...
What makes this worse for Frauderon is that he wears "Toronto" across the front of his jersey ... meaning he's supposed to be a spokesperson for this city ... a city, which has a strong Chinese (moreso Asian) population ...
I won't respond to this with hate, but this cements Frauderon's place as my most hated ball player of all time ...
-a minor change that I made to my Facebook account a few months ago, has now proven my point ... not that it needed to be proven, but nice to have some confirmation ...
-a lot of ish goin’ on in Canada nowadays, so a peek into a few of our major cities
-a major section of the 401 (Toronto’s main highway) was shut down, and residents in that area were evacuated from their homes due to explosions at a propane site ... makes me glad I live out in the boonies ...
-tensions seem to be escalating in Montreal ... there were riots over the weekend to protest a fatal police shooting of an 18-year-old ... now I don’t have all the details so I don’t want to trivialize, but I’m certain, the issue here is excessive force used by police ... does it happen?, I’m 100% certain that it does ... but there are also situations that people put themselves into, that they don’t need to be ... thankfully, I’ve steered clear of these things in my life ... it’s just not worth it ...
-in the greater Vancouver area, Coquitlam to be specific (Zona’s old stomping grounds), they are currently having a problem with Grizzly bears in residential areas ... less habitat, combined with the rainier-than-usual conditions this year making food supplies scarce, have caused these bears to search for food elsewhere ... local authorities have been forced to shoot these bears because they have been deemed a serious threat to residents ... hmmm, with the fall season coming (meaning Halloween), a great costume idea would be to dress up like a Grizzly Bear, see what happens ... LMFAO ...
-I’ve been keeping up with the Olympics this year, more than I have with the past two Sydney and Athens, and the most since Atlanta in 1996 (ahhh, that was a great year) ... The first thing is obviously men’s basketball and the “Redeem Team” as so they’ve been dubbed ... As expected, they crushed China, but what I’m really looking forward to is later this week when they matchup with Spain ... I’m looking for the States to give them a serious beatdown! ... The only thing about the U.S. team that makes me cringe is Chris Bosh ... he is easily becoming one of my more hated players in the league ... him being a part my most hated team doesn’t help his cause much, but I’m really starting to think that he’s a bit overrated in the eyes of many ... my approval rating of him goes down even further after hitting up NBA.com, I saw some pictures of him touring The Great Wall of China wearing plaid shorts, ughhhhh! ... I’d post the pics, but I think it would only strengthen the plaid movement ... all he needs is a low cut v-neck top, then the “hetero or not?” question would have to come into play ...
-one final note on the Craptors ... I just discovered, aside from Bosh and Frauderon, they have another member of their squad participating in these Games, Giorgos Printezis on the Greek Team ... apparently the Craptors own his rights after drafting him last year, but he’s currently playing for a Euroleague team ... hmmm, him being Greek, and Colangelo drafting him, it wouldn’t have anything to do with Toronto having a heavily concentrated Greek community, would it? ... ahhhh, gotta love the MLSE business model ... just for that, I hope the U.S. dominates Greece too ...
-not much exposure on the boxing matches, c*ckblocking networks! ...
-another event that I’ve followed this year is women’s gymnastics ... I remember back in 1996, the Atlanta games and “The Magnificent Seven” ... man, that competition was as nail-biting as a basketball game or boxing match for me ... the competition being so close and of course the dramatic finish with Kerri Strug’s gold medal winning vault on one leg ... today’s gymnastics really doesn’t have the same feel anymore ... First, the competitors are just not as charismatic as in Olympics past, no Shannon Miller, no Dominique Dawes or Dominique Moceanu ... plus the playing field of competition is not as great either ... Russia and Romania used to produce machine-like gymnasts, and now they just seem like a shell of the past ... so it’s really a two-horse race between the U.S. and China ... one last thing, there seems to be a bit of a scandal regarding the age of some of the Chinese gymnasts ... accusations are flying that some are below the legal age of 16 ... but that aside, there’s this one Chinese gymnast who performs this skill on the uneven bars, two releases in succession ... if you know anything about gymnastics, it was just sick! ...
-but of course, you can’t have an international event such as the Olympics without being marred by some incidents or political issues ...
-an American man, lost his life at the hands of some extremist Chinese protester ... really sad to hear, but my response is the same as my thoughts on terrorism, no matter what security measures are put in place, if someone is hell bent on doing something, it’s going to happen ...
-not to downplay that incident, but the bigger news is Russia’s invasion of neighboring Georgia ... from what I know, one of the issues seems to be Georgia’s sympathy to the Western ideals ... during the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games, they caught footage of a discussion between U.S. President George Bush and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ... now President Bush addressed this in an interview with Bob Costas, during intermission of the Olympic broadcast ... to paraphrase, Bush said something to the effect that he told P.M. Putin that the violence was unacceptable and that the goal should be world peace ... now isn’t that an example of the “pot calling the kettle black” ...
-LMFAO, now where did I hear that phrase last? ... ahhhh yes, this past Saturday night, rolling with the usual suspects and running mates, Prophet and Anthro ...
-discussions were interesting as usual, ie:
-either or: one night with Jessica Alba or watching a prizefight live front row (a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather bout in my case, and a Georges St. Pierre bout for my counterparts) ... yeah, that either or question is still on my mind, LOL ...
-Anthro is inviting Prophet and myself to his home region back in the motherland to party for a couple weeks ... The likelihood of myself coming along at this point, I would say is highly doubtful ... but obviously if circumstances were much different, that decision to go, would be a no-brainer for me ...
-anyways back to Saturday night ... another chapter of the Newman Fam adventures ... this time we went to a house party along Bayview, for those of you who don’t know, one of the most upscale areas in Toronto ... as soon as we rolled into the street, everything about it screamed upscale, semi-isolated, huge properties with high-end rides in the driveway ... then we got to the house, which is a castle, literally ... a huge house, designed like a castle ... as soon as we get in, there are women in bikinis all over the place ... catered food, open bar, music blasting over the sound system ... man, we just stepped into heaven!, LMFAO ... copped myself three cans of Heineken ... what more could a man ask for? ... but after the initial buzz (of the alcohol and of the atmosphere) wore off, then came the head scratching moments ...
-first, someone mentioned that a former Idol from the Mother Can-ucking incarnation of the franchise was at the party ... this former C.I. winner, whom shall remain nameless, was the textbook definition of stuck up ... non-social and off in a corner by himself most of the time talking on his cell phone ... for me this was certainly a flashback to one of J-Smooth’s peak years in 2003 ... being around people in showbiz, partying like this ...
-then came Prophet’s “Filipino Six Degrees of Separation” theory ... knowing there’d be Filipinos at this party, I’d warned both Anthro and Prophet earlier that night, “bet you $10 I know someone at this party” ... boy, if only did I know how “Prophetic” J-Smooth’s words would be ... when we were introduced to people at the party, the birthday boy looked very familiar to me, but I initially couldn’t put my finger on it ... elsewhere, it was hard not to notice all of the jubbies walkin’ by all over the place ... we were all mesmerized to say the least ... but then after putting pieces together, not only did I realize that I knew these people, but that one of the girls was an ex-girlfriend of one of my cousins, on my father’s side ... now, I’m not close to my cousin, by any means, but the situation was awkward to say the least, especially knowing that his particular relationship was drama-filled and didn’t end well, to put it lightly ... being in enemy territory ... that meant that all the women in the house were now off limits ... I was hoping that with my new look (since 2002) would be enough, so I wouldn’t be recognized by the ex ... well, not even close, she knew exactly who I was, again, awkward! ... I brushed off Prophet’s theory before, but boy am I a believer now ... Movie/DVD Review, Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay:
-now for those that know me, already know the drill with my approach to watching movies ... not listening to the critics or others ... and my approach to sequels ... dismiss my expectations of it, based on the original ... now ... was it funny, definitely, it had its moments ... but, the major difference with this film from the original was that the storyline was more intricate and the subplots were more significant ... the original had a very simple premise and storyline ... this one seemed to be more thought out ... grading this movie on its own, like I said, it had its moments, but nothing spectacular ... all the Harold and Kumar purists out there would probably hate it ... some parts are really over the top ... the racial slurs in the first film were more discrete and harmless comedy, but the racial references and slurs in this film definitely walked the line ... but I’m sure, all you sensitive people out there would say, any racial slurs or references, no matter to what degree, are offensive ... they also turn the levels of “mature content” in this movie up a notch from the original ... I tried not to, but I had one small expectation for this movie, and that was more Paula Garces (Maria) content in this film ... her part was basically a cameo ... but I totally understand why the producers did the movie this way ... the film is about the adventures and mishaps of Harold and Kumar, not H, K and Maria, but still, more Paula Garces would’ve been nice ... Overall, I enjoyed the film, but again, nothing special ... one final thought, it wasn’t good enough to make me anxious to see a third instalment, but knowing me, I’d see it regardless ... scoring ...
-I give this film a 3/5 ... in that case I take back my rating a few posts back on Chuck & Larry, and downgrade that to a 2.5/5 ... for those of you who want to know I rate the original Harold and Kumar film a 3.75/5 ...
-a supposed significant date, "lucky day" ... a lot of couples are getting married today ... luck? ... sounds more like superstition to me ... but best wishes to everyone getting married today though ...
-this date has also triggered a record purchase in lottery tickets ... hmmmm, the Canadian government is probably laughing all the way to the bank ... actually, maybe J-Smooth should head over to the convenience store today and pick up a ticket ... You never know ...
-this date also signifies the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Beijing ... -speaking of the Olympics ... I was just watching the CBC coverage of the Opening Ceremonies ... the commentator, I think his name is Brian Williams, just as the Philippines entered Olympic Stadium, he said (not an exact quote, but pretty close) "According to The Ring Magazine this is now the toughest man in the world, boxer Manny Pacquiao" ... but what got me was the pronounciation or mis-pronounciation of the last name ... he said Paa-kwee-ooo ... not even anywhere close ... my initial reaction: eyes rolled, shook my head and a snicker ... but then I thought about it, Brian Williams, represents nothing more than these ignorant Canadians ... so whatever ... I stopped concerning myself with stupid people a long time ago ...
-Taste of the Danforth this weekend in Toronto ... may or may not check it out ...
Ahhhh back home, yes! ... I could care less about this Mother Can-ucking country, but it's great sleeping in my own bed, showering in my own bathroom, being in the familiar confines of my house ...
Some old school 80's for you, a track I was listening on the way home:
The Epilogue of my Philippines Trip:
-when I left you all last time, after my last entry, it was my last full day in the Philippines, here's what I did that day and my account of my flight home ...
-I went to a luncheon at the house of one of my uncle's friends ... this is my uncle through marriage ... his friend is CEO of some company down in Indonesia, so in a word, he's LOADED! ... his house is the size of mine here in Canada, including my backyard ... From what I hear, a home like that in the Philippines goes for about 25M Pesos ... It was basically a luncheon with all my uncle's friends and their wives ... thus, I was the only youngin' at the table ... To put it mildly, their conversation can be described as "eliteist" ... the only topic not touched upon was politics, which would've made that convo, "bougie" and snobby ... Everyone thought I was bored at the table ... but actually quite the contrary ... I love meeting new and different people, and the best part, analyzing and breaking them down into what kind of people they are ... The owner of the house, the CEO, my impressions of him without any inquiries: he's a tough-as-nails dude when it comes to business, but he's real, strikes me as the type that didn't always have money ... all of this was confirmed by my uncle later on ... That's one thing about me, I can usually break down what type of people individuals are and what they are about within 5 minutes of first meeting them and talking with them ... Just through observation I could tell who the nerdiest, smartest, most hardworking and bougie people of the group were ... it's real interesting to see what money does to people ... these guys were only friends because they all worked together at one point ... regardless of career or finances, my inner circle stays the same ... I wouldn't have it any other way ... What ever your title in life may be, or whatever your financial situation is, none of that impresses me at all ... it's about what type of person someone is and what they're about ... Even if I end up having as much as that CEO dude, whom I see a lot of myself in personality-wise, my "Fam" comes along for the ride, there's an open door policy to my crib same way ...
-that night, I stayed at the same uncle's family's place ... his family is pretty well off too ... over there I met one of his nephews, whom I've supposedly met before, he actually visited my house back in B-Town a few years back ... but quite honestly, I didn't remember at all, even after I saw him, I still didn't remember, which is very surprising because I have a great memory, I remember stuff to when I was 3 ... but whatever ... what was cool was, this guy, whom I'll call JJ, is very similar to myself, with regards to interests, he's into basketball and boxing HUGE, that made breaking the ice and overall convo very easy ... he's only two years older that I am, and just likes to have fun ... he even said, if I had come over a couple days earlier, we could've went out clubbing in Makati, he told me jubbies would be all over my Fil-Can accent ... ahh well, opportunity missed ... next time ... at least I now know who to call if I'm looking to go out in the Philippines when I'm there ... not disappointed though, I got my action already ... anyways back on topic ... he showed me his collection of rookie cards, while we watched the Team USA-Russia exhibition game ... JJ's fave player is Kobe Bryant, but he told me that he was more of a basketball fan back in the days of the Bulls' dynasty Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman ... The best trio ever! ... Garnett-Pierce-Allen aren't even worthy to sniff those guys' jockstraps ...
-JJ was also told me about the clubbing situation in Los Angeles, he actually stayed there for 6 months a few years ago ... said girls over there are snobby, if you're not from there ... I just told him women in Toronto are 10 times worse, they all think they deserve the world ... JJ is actually married now ... I didn't say anything, but his wife is f*ckin' HOT! ... mistiza! ... I gotta get myself a wifey like that ... I tell you, I'd get old real fast, with a wife like that, with all the intense physical labour I'd be putting in, LMFAO ... I told JJ we'd hang out when he comes to Toronto next September for Tatsu's wedding ... just goes to show, that even if people are on opposite sides of the globe, they can be just like you ... makes me wonder if I would've been the same person I am today, if I had grown up over there ...
-During my flight home, I had a stop over in Hong Kong, that made it the 4th time in the past 2 years I've passed through that airport ... from my experiences all 4 times, the airport staff is not very friendly, especially if you speak English ... a couple weeks ago on my way to the Philippines, I purchased a soft drink in American dollars, because that's the only other type of currency they accept over there ... they charged me $3 for a bottle of pop ... I saw the Hong Kong price in their currency (which I can't remember at this point), as soon as I got to the Philippines, I checked the exchange rate, it works out to just over $2 U.S. ... anyways, this time through, I was carrying my newly purchased pool cue with me ... I passed through Manila security, with no problems ... but as soon as I passed through Hong Kong security, they stopped me, the security lady asked, "what's this?" ... I told her "a pool cue", she still didn't know ... some security guy asked, "for snooker?", I said "yeah, for that too" ... he said it was a security item, and I couldn't take it through, so he showed me over to the Cathay Pacific Airlines desk to take it up with them ... at the desk they told me that Manila policies may be different than theirs ... I'm thinking, the airline f*cked up, because they should've told me beforehand, so I could've checked it in with the baggage ... then they directed me to another security checkpoint on the opposite side of the terminal ... by this point my blood started to boil ... I had to go through the same lineup as the previous security check ... then they questioned me again, same questions ... but this time they took my pool cue away from me and handed me a slip/property receipt, then told me to take it up with the airline ... at the same time these security officers were speaking to me in broken English, so I could barely understand them, so I asked if I could speak to an officer who could speak English ... the officer got a bit irked and said, "why have this? ... item, security ... you talk to Cathay Pacific at gate" ... I explained to them that Manila let me take it through ... then I suggested that I go back to the desk and check it in ... but they wouldn't let me do it ... they held it and said to talk to the airline ... at that point it was 20 minutes until my boarding call, so they said, "go to you gate ... you, late" ... So I left, and boy I tell you, I was ready to brawl ... what made matters worse is that my gate was at the opposite side of the terminal, a 15 minute walk in itself ... at the gate, the attendant told me to call the Hong Kong Cathay Pacific Office as soon as I got to Toronto, but he gave me no assurances that this would be taken care of ... At this point I could've knocked someone out with a Pacquiao left hook ... but then I thought to myself, I can't miss this flight over a pool cue, so I just left it at that ...
-I can hear all the cooler heads tell me, "they're just doing their jobs", "it's just a pool cue, J", "there's nothing you can do about it now" ... then I'm responding with my thoughts, "how would you like it if you had your personal property confiscated for someone else's blunder/oversight", "damn terrorists, this strict security is all your fault" ... then I'm hearing these anger management psychologists (not that I've seen one) "just go to your happy place J" ... well why not ...
-I loved that dog ... always wanted a dog like that ... everyone I've talked to regarding the show, including friends and ex-girlfriends, asked who my favorite character was, I'd always say Barkley ... they'd all respond, "who, the dog with one eye?" ... well let me let those people in on something, that's his nose, his eyes are covered ... geeez, was I the only intellectual child that picked up on it ... everyone can say "J you're wack" all they want for posting the video ... but anyone who grew up in Canada or the U.S. during the 80's watched the show, those that deny it are lying through their teeth ... I like Dave Chappelle's take on the show ... forward up to the 0:50 mark ...
-boy did I veer ... LMFAO ... anyways the result of the story is, that I got into contact with the Cathay Pacific office and they told me that they would take care of it, because this has happened before to someone with a pool cue ...
-now elsewhere, my much anticipated fight took place on July 26 between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito ... I couldn't watch it, obviously, due to circumstances in the Philippines ... from that time until today, I avoided boxing websites and convos with anyone about that particular fight ... I finally got to watch the fight last night on tape ... remember, I didn't have any clue who won, so here I am going nuts over a tape ... In recent months, Margarito has become one of my favorite fighters to watch, obviously behind Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley, but right there alongside Cotto and Jermain Taylor ... I've been waiting a long time for this fight, and boy it didn't disappoint, I was on the edge of my seat for most of it ... as expected, a lot of action ... when Cotto went down (took a knee) in the 11th Round, I was shocked, in disbelief and at the same time screaming and going crazy ... the end came after, Cotto took a knee for a second time, succumbing to Margarito's pressure and his corner finally throwing in the towel ... That has got to be one of the, if not the, greatest fights I've ever seen ... now what's next for the welterweight division? ... Margarito hopefully goes onto bigger and better things ... maybe a unification fight with IBF champ Joshua Clottey, who is fresh off of a victory over Zab Judah ... maybe a rematch with WBO champ Paul Williams (who beat Margarito in a controversial draw last year) ... but what I'd personally like to see is a match-up with Shane Mosley, that's another bout that would be guaranteed action ... This is a real vindication for Margarito who's been jerked around by networks and ducked by other opponents his entire career, in particular "P*ssy Boy" Fraud Mayweather (who said no to an $8M Margarito fight) ... speaking of Mayweather, I really don't think he could beat Margarito or Cotto for that matter, I'm certain he'd have a very tough time against Mosley as well ... hey Floyd, the welterweight division, or boxing for that matter, doesn't need you ... as for Cotto, I can definitely see him sometime down the road challenging Margarito again, but not anytime soon ... he took a major beatdown, on top of that, he never hurt Margarito, Antonio took his best shots and still kept coming ... Cotto should take some time off, in my opinion, then take on some lesser opponents to regain some confidence, maybe collect a couple of belts along the way, before challenging Margarito again ... however, a Cotto-Margarito rematch is definitely on my boxing wishlist ... take that MMA!!! Real men fight upright, not this rolling around on the mat, rubbing up on each other B.S. ...
-finally, there's been much debate over the past few weeks between yours truly and Arizona's Finest ... Zona is from the West Coast, but he's reppin' The South, HARD! ... saying I have to give them their respect ... The South will always be sh*t in my eyes ... I've always had an East Coast preference, they're just lyrically superior (Nas, Busta, Big Pun, Jada, Fabolous, Wu-Tang even some of Jay-Z), also with a touch of The West, they put out some good party tracks (X-Zibit, Snoop Dogg) ... I only like one guy from The South and that's Ludacris ... As for my debate with Zona, it is currently about Fabolous and Chamillionaire ... he seems to think Chamillionaire could take Fab in a battle ... my response was Fab's Rap City Freestyle, that freestyle alone is better than any song that Chamillionaire has ever put out ... yeah, I said it! ... also, the only NYC guy I think Chamillionaire could take in a battle is Puffy, maybe even Dy-lan, or better yet Ja Rule, if he's still around ... let's take another spin on this debate ... Lil Wayne is the biggest thing in The South right now, and supposedly in all of hip hop for that matter ... his track A Milli on his latest album is absolutely garbage in my opinion ... now Busta Rhymes and The Game went on Rap City a few weeks back and did a freestyle over that beat ... Again, the freestyle was better than the song ... here's the thing, A Milli is the extent of Wayne's ability, Busta and Game weren't even trying, they were just having fun and their freestyle kills A Milli ... I'm by no means hip hop's all-knowing and all-powerful, (even though I consider J-Smooth's spits as classics) ... but I can recognize what's sh*t and what's not ... The South sucks, and I'll never be sold on it, if they keep putting out this mindless garbage that contaminates the airwaves and music shelves ...
-that reminds me, I gotta get going again on those two spits I was working on ... hey Zona, you wanna get in on this? ... maybe battle some time down the road? ... LOL ...
Wow, it's been a while by my standards that I've been off this thing ... This being my last full day in the Philippines, I figured I'd write, before I forget about the many things I've done since I've been here ... A lot to cover, so here goes ...
-I'm lovin' this track!!!
-headed to Metro Manila in a couple hours, my flight home is lunch time tomorrow ...
-I got to celebrate my birthday here this year ... The second time in my life (last time in 1999) ... It was great because all my uncles and aunts were here and a few of my cousins ... Food was awesome, they really did my birthday up right, considering the circumstances ...
-bought myself a new pool cue ... they don't play 8 or 9 ball down here, instead, they run straight ball ... in short, sink every ball in order 1-15 ... tough as hell! ... I got my a** handed to me, by fam ... that's right, I'm not afraid to admit I took a beatdown ... Anthro, I'm callin' you out for a game in straight ball ... that's if you're man enough ... LOL ...
-while being here, I've decided to break out of my Apple snobbery and purchase an iPod once I get home ... I may never know when I'll have one of those days where I really need to kill time ... it should pair nicely alongside my PSP to keep entertained ... I just have to figure out a way to plug my earmuff headphones into it ...
-I watched another movie while I've been out here ... I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry ... just briefly, it had it's funny moments, but nothing special ... your typical Adam Sandler movie, so if you're not a fan of his, then you probably wouldn't like it ... my score 3/5 ...
-managed to run ball a couple of times ... all I'll say is that I really see why there are no Filipinos in the NBA ... all flash, no fundamentals, no defense, no toughness ... what frustrated me the most is that guys wouldn't run back, they'd just cherry pick at the other end for easy baskets ... my frustration really brought out my cockiness and swagger ... the guys I was playing with were around my age or older, but I tried intimidating them at every turn whenever they tried anything fancy ... Over here with my height, I'm supposedly a center ... The first day I played, I manned the point for the most part ... Second day, I was looking to score more ... I dominated on both days ... really established myself as a Gilbert Arenas-type combo guard ... I'm not making any of this up by any means ... The one benefit coming from playing was that I worked up a great sweat ... If I did this for say maybe a month, I'd be at my target body weight within that time ...
-Last Sunday night, was the last night before the first wave of Canadian Fam went home ... So the entire D-Mac contingent present went out for dinner ... it was nice having everyone together, sharing laughs ... the only downfall was that nobody told me the fried rice contained crab meat, I'm allergic to anything with a shell ...
-I can't wait to get home because the music here is really starting to bother me ... they've got Tagalog versions of Soulja Boy's garbage-a** music and that track by Kardinal Offishall & Akon ... hey Prophet, if you heard that sh*t you'd p*ss your pants laughing ... can't escape the garbage, no matter where you are in the world ... they've even got Pinoy Idol out here ... and to think I was complaining about American and Canadian Idol ...
-another thing that annoys me is the lack of TV channels ... over here they've only got: Jack TV, Solar Sports, Basketball TV ... but the pluses are: ESPN and HBO ...
-I'm a new Godfather ... Ann Hailley, you're such a cutie!!!
-found out that my uncle is considering getting a place in Las Vegas ... hopefully by next year, so that I can be at the expected Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton bout, like Zona and myself were talking about ...
-speaking of Zona, I hear someone is looking to take a crash course in pool from the master (his dad) ... To think, two cheap wins in pool and now he's ready to take on the world ... LMFAO ... hey Zona, when I come down to the Southwest (Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles) hopefully next year, I'm bringing my pool cues along with me ... your Jedi skills better be up to snuff by then ...
-The one thing that I'll miss the most is the fast food chains ... my faves are: Jollibee (fried chicken place) and Greenwich (pizza place) ... those two murder all their Canadian and American counterparts ... they're both under a super company, Jollibee Foods, which also includes: Red Ribbon (baked goods) and ChowKing (Chinese food) ...
-The mall situation here is unreal ... like in North America, it's a past time over here, probably moreso ... I've gone to SM Mega Mall and SM Mall of Asia, two of the biggest malls in the world ... but my favorite is definitely Glorietta, a mall located in the upscale city of Makati (also located in Metro Manila) ... nuff great looking women there ... Mistizas (mixed Filipino and white) ... based on this trip alone Filipinas have taken their rightful place alongside Latinas on my list of best looking women in the world ... While a notch below Mistizas, I've seen nuff great looking Morenas (brown skinned) as well ...
-To close this off, I'll say J-Smooth has officially made his comeback into The Game, in a BIG way ... however, details won't be divulged on here ... only a select few will be privy to that information ... Much thanks to the motherland for putting J-Smooth's game back on track ... The only thing left will be to take his act back to Canada ...
I'll check y'all again later, when I return home ...
For the most part this weekend my attention has been on the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, so let’s get to it:
