Snowboarding rocks

It took me two years to figure out whether to do this sport. The usual apprehensiveness came up, it's too expensive, I'm gonna get really badly injured doing it and will I really enjoy it? Doesn't really seem to be my thing.

So finally, I decided to take lessons to just try it out up at Grouse on the first week of January. I had 4 sessions every Saturday and it was complete with falls, bumps and bruises. To top it all off, I was one of the people that didn't catch on it as quickly as the others.

Despite all that however, I was already having so much fun and this was becoming a sport I really looked forward to doing every winter. Now, I can officially say I am addicted. Got all the gear and thankful that I got friends (thanks Karno) to help me learn, and Aldo and Pia who also gave me individual instruction when I was still learning, and Aldo, the ever passionate one, pushing me as if I was going to eventually go to competition or something... hahahaha

The payoff is great, look below at the videos and pictures I took from my phone. You get to enjoy the view and watch other good people ski and board. On top of all that, you meet a lot of great people doing it.

If you have facebook, you will need to go to my original blog to view the videos below as it won't show up through facebook.



Karno, a passionate snowboarder of 18 years, is enjoying the view up on the mountain. This is what I have been missing figuring out whether do it or not! Karno is a real good guy to go boarding with as he gives great individual instruction and also tries to raise the bar as Aldo does.


A short 5 second clip, but you can see the reflection Karno's board made on the snow.


And a few

photos from facebook:

There was also the FIS Snowboard championship that was held on Cypress and here is another video I took on the phone. Karno has great pictures up on his facebook but again there are restrictions to who can view these photos.

Video:

NBA Playoff picks

Here are my playoff picks for the NBA

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/playoffs;_ylt=AjeBUwbp2X9WoUGX7n9D0HO8vLYF

Eastern Conf

(1) Boston vs (8) Atlanta = Boston in 4
(2) Detroit vs (7) Philly = Detroit in 4 (yes, two sweeps)
(3) Orlando vs (6) Toronto = Orlando in 7
(4) Cleveland vs (5) Washington = Cleveland in 7

Western Conference

(1) Lakers vs (8) Denver = Lakers in 6
(2) New Orleans vs (7) Dallas = New Orleans in 6
(3) San Antonio vs Phoenix (6) = San Antonio in 7
(4) Utah vs. (5) Houston = Utah in 5. ( Alston, and Yao injured? I dont think so)

Houston, Toronto, Cleveland, Seattle, Chicago, make deals at trade deadline.

Let's summarize first before we go any further. So many trades at the deadline! I'll have to start with my favorite teams first.

1) Houston gives Bonzi Wells, Mike James to New Orleans and Kirk Snyder to Minnesota. Houston gets Gerald Green, slam dunk champion from a year ago, from Minnesota and Bobby Jackson from New Orleans

For Houston, I think this trade was to give more playing time to Luther Head and Carl Landry. Jackson is close to retiring. Gerald Green has potential but only a high flyer at this point. Houston had to let go its glut of guards

New Orleans got even stronger I think. James and Wells will help them a lot and keep them at the top of the standings

2) Toronto gets Brezec from Detroit for Juan Dixon

Where is Juan going to play with the Raps having Calderon and Ford? Toronto is better off keeping Graham who had been languishing on the bench because of Dixon. This shows more confidence in Graham by trading Dixon. Brezec? He was just a filler for the trade.

3) THE BIG THREE TEAM TRADE

Cleveland gets: Ben Wallace and Joe Smith from Chicago, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West from Seattle
Cleveland gives: Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden to Chicago. Donyell Marshall, and Ira Newble to Seattle

Seattle gets: practically no one. Newble and Marshall and Adrian Griffin. Rebuiding phase! They also get Barry and Elson from the Spurs. Barry was waived
Seattle gives away: Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West

Chicago gets: Larry Hughes and Gooden.

Seattle is rebuilding and they got nothing on these trades.

Cleveland finally gets some help for Lebron James and they got so much stronger. Once Varejao gets back, who will be the help on offense for Z in the frontcourt? Wallace and Varejao are no scorers. I guess this is where Smith comes in. They lose a good perimeter defense player in Hughes, rebounding with Gooden. I guess James will take the brunt of the offense now. Wally is an outside shooter that will help but is not a defensive player. West really gives them that point guard they really need and moves Gibson to SG.

By getting Hughes and Gooden, Chicago is in good shape for next season.

4) San Antonio Spurs acquire Kurt Thomas and give away Elson and Barry.

This trade is pretty much meh. You can never go wrong with veterans.

Trades galore part 1

So much movement in the NBA. Part 1. Yesterday there were even more trades!

Gasol --> Lakers


I love Gasol but I am a Kobe hater. I'm still contemplating whether to cheer for them. Maybe for Gasol to do well, but that's it.

Shaq--> Phoenix, Marion --> Heat

He had his first game yesterday. Can't really say much. He needs to play a little bit more. I don't like the trade and I agree with Kenny Smith who said that the Suns window to win is now just two years. One thing is for sure, the Suns will not be one of the best free-throw shooting teams anymore. 3-12 for Shaq in the free throw line. Ouch! He's lucky he's got a good FT shooting team. Maybe it will rub off on him.

Miami got a gem in Marion. Very good player to build around and will do well with Wade. I have to admit though, I am starting to like the trade.

Bibby --> Hawks


The Hawks need someone like him to build on the East playoffs where mediocrity is the name of the game

Webber--> Warriors

Meh, Webber is washed up. Signing won't do much

Kidd--> Dallas


Dallas instantly becomes a contender for a title and will surely get past their upset a season ago. He will lead them far in the playoffs.

Philippines win the Women's World Cup of Golf!

Congratulations to the Philippines winning the 2008 Women's World Cup of Golf on the sterling play of Dorothy Delasin in the last round making 4 straight birdies herself after struggling mightily in the front nine.

Click here for the link to the story and the interview

Woohoo Noypi ako!

Woody takes a swim

This is what you call taking one for the team.

To top it all off, he made 3 consecutive birdies after...

Garnett going to the Celtics. Boston instant contenders

Photo courtesy of NBA. Com

OMG. Boston has just become instant contenders again. Like in Gabby's post earlier, both of us used to be big Larry Bird, hence, Celtics fans. I guess this will be one more reason to cheer for them now.

My ranking of favorite teams now goes like this:

1. Houston
2. Toronto
3: Boston

The starting lineup of Boston now consists of:

Ray Allen aka Jesus Shuttlesworth - Great shooter but fast and quick enough to penetrate.

Paul Pierce - an overall good player. There is nothing he doesn't do well. Hadn't had good players around him to make some noise.

Kevin Garnett - Probably the best all around player in the NBA right now. I've had him for my Fantasy Leagues, and he consistently fills up ALL statistics. Not only that, but he is a hard worker, intense and a good example to set for his teammates as if Allen and Pierce cannot do as well a job on their own.

Correction: I included Durant here when he shouldn't. I was confused between the Celtics and the Sonics. Durant is in the Sonics.

I was watching the summer leagues and you guys have to watch for this guy Boston acquired. Jeff Green. He is another rookie that is impressing me a lot in the summer leagues. To have that coming off the bench is a reason why they could let go of Gerald Green, the most recent slam dunk champ. Gerald Green has the potential to be a superstar in this league but Jeff Green is not too bad either. Jeff Green is a very good all around player in the mold of a Paul Pierce.

One word.... WOW.... Celtics are going to rock!

3 on 3 Tournament Recap

Warning: Uber long post

BCIT Burnaby BC - If there was a worst day to hold a 3 on 3 basketball tournament, this has got to be it. It was not drizzling but pouring! Yet all games continued on as scheduled. My team didn't advance to the next round and we also lost Aljerau in the first 5 minutes of our first game with a third degree ankle sprain. He was supposed to be one of our key players in our team. Our record for today was 1 Win 3 Losses.

A 1 -3 record would seem like we didn't have a chance but not in this case. Our first game was an aberration as we lost 16-4 (more on that later). 2 of our losses were one point losses, however, losing it on a FT in the 3rd game and a winning shot on the last game.

Rules were pretty much typical 3 on 3 scrimmage games except possession alternates on every made shot. No "make it you take it". Also there are free throws. 1 free throw awarded after 7 fouls and a free throw plus possession awarded after 12 fouls.

Here are the individual recap of the games:

Game 1 = Loss 16-4
We lost Aljerau on the first 2-3 minutes of the game when he went down on a railing and twisted his ankle. He was done for the day and we had to take him to the hospital. He is ok, albeit in a lot of pain.

We lost 16-4 as we were overplayed. Not overmatched, however. We played lackadaisical defense and missed open shots we would normally make. We also made some bad decisions that led to bad turnovers.

Game 2 = Win 16-12
Having Jin play in our next 3 games helped a ton! He wasn't sure if the 3 on 3 tournament was continuing on since it was pouring out so he didn't make it to our first game. Jin is so effective because he is a pest for the opposing team. On top of all that, he has a good medium range game with good speed and quickness to penetrate inside. He was invaluable in Aljerau's absence and played great!!!

In this game, Carlo and Jason were making the shots we missed in the first game. We were leading early but then they caught up towards the end of the game. With our team leading 12-11, I made a crucial 2 pointer that gave us a 3 point cushion. Carlo finished it off with a few free throws plus the winning runner at the end of the game.

Game 3 = Loss 17-16 (OT sudden death)
The team we played against here hadn't lost a game yet at this point so we knew this would be a hard game. Honestly, they weren't as great as I thought they would be, considering the scores of their previous games.

It was a game of runs, and I was the "goat" at the end of the game. We already had 15 fouls at this point and was one of the key reasons why we lost. The opponent made their FT to win the sudden death OT.

What made this loss hard to take was that we had 3 chances of finishing the game. Carlo and Jason missed FTs to end the game in regulation. Come overtime, I was the goat. I was open at the corner for a 2 pointer when Carlo found me after his drive, then the ball slipped out of my hands and went out of bounds. They got possession, I got called for the foul on the block and the opponent made the FT to win the game. I felt there was not a foul and it was a legitimate block. i hurt my back in the process of going for the block :p

Game 4 = Loss 16-15
This was a showboat team. They all thought they were playing for an And1 mixtape it seems, but they werent that great. Jin and Carlo made great penetrations in the lane to make life tough on them. I wasn't much of a factor in this game and so, Jason, Carlo and Jin finished the game off.

Highlight of the day though. With us down 14-13, Carlo made a 2 point heave with a hand in his face from LOOOOOONG distance and made it! That gave us the lead at 15-14. Carlo had a chance to win it but his runner rimmed out. This would have been similar to our Game 2 win had he made it. On the next possession, they got fouled, made the FT to tie it. Then they made the winning shot at the end of the game.. :(

Even though we didn't do as well as we wanted to, I felt that this was actually the first time where we played hard and good enough to win every game but came out short this time. Jin, Aljerau, were good additions to our team from last year's competitions, and we are definitely giving Jin an "extension" next year :)

Now pay up boys ;)

Team Madapakasanatalaga - 3 on 3 tournament

For all you flips out there, it's supposed to read...

Team Madapaka Sana Talaga (I hope you trip.. really)
- it also has a double meaning in English. Think of a filipino saying the word "Madapaka"

Let's see if you guys (non flips especially) can figure it out

So we got 4.5 players. 0.5? That has to be me coz I cannot play on Sunday due to work. We have got 3 players back from last year and we came close to winning, and this time we got an even better team.

Let's see how it goes. Updates on Saturday after the games.

SFU vs. Ateneo - Game recap

I wanted to watch this game so bad but I was working. At least Ateneo gave it one good go.

Weekend/Cavs win Eastern Conference Finals.

That was an awesome weekend as two of my buddies had their b-day celebrations on Friday and Saturday. I had so much fun!

And on to another topic, I wasn't expecting Cleveland to win the Eastern Conference finals but I am so glad they did. There is no way I would feel like watching another Pistons vs. Spurs finals but with Cleveland in there, I'm so stoked to see how these finals go. Lebron is really showing why he was the first pick in the draft. Not only is he a scorer, but he is a team player. I still don't feel the same way about Kobe, however.

Yes, I picked a Pistons vs Spurs finals so again, I lose my playoff pool. I'm last place... ack! Oh well, there's always next year.

Olajuwon teaching Yao some low post moves

Wow, these are real good moves to learn on the low post

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid823433113/bctid909894375

Baron Davis' Huge Slam Over Andrei Kirilenko

The dunk heard around the world. Baron Davis putting AK47 on a poster. OUCH!

And of course other Game 3 highlights where it was the Baron Davis Show. Just watch the last part of the video for the juicy bits where Davis went on a rampage

Another One Bites The Dust

Hahahaha, maybe I am the jinx of all teams. LMAO.

Now it's the Rockets turn to get ousted. All my fave teams are now gone.

Now I'll be relegated to cheering for the Suns (Steve Nash), Warriors (underdogs), Spurs (used to be my fave team, but they are boring to watch. LOL). I don't like the Eastern teams much so I couldn't care less

Hope Ottawa Sens do well, they are the only Canadian team left. May they bring the Cup back to where it belongs :)

Going going gone!

Well that sort of describes what happened the past few days.

The Canucks of course, but you know what? They went above what was expected of them this season. What Luongo and AV did with the personnel they had plus the adversity of injuries was nothing short of admirable. At the start of the season, I predicted them to be a little bit below .500 or above. Well, they did more than that.

Things can only look up for the Canucks but not with the same personnel. Luongo will still be there, so are our defencemen who played great these playoffs. Luc Bourdon, our highly touted draft pick, will finally be able to stick with the team, and that should help a lot. Edler showed what he can do this season. Our forwards needs some revamping, however. Sedins will stay, but I bet that Naslund and Morrison will be the next to go. Go Canucks Go!

And The Raptors. I feel the same way. A very bright future ahead, and they lost this playoff series due to the lack of experience. With one season of playoffs under their belt, things will look even better next season

But wow, Dallas? Losing to Golden State? I wasn't expecting that at all! I wanted the Warriors to win the series anyway. Nothing against Dallas but I like rooting for the underdogs. My Rockets play Game 7 tomorrow and please, this once, have one of my teams advance... Please, I beg of you.

I can also say the same thing with what happened today but I would not really know till Thursday next week. Oh well move on.

As I watched Rocky Balboa on DVD this evening, a quote from that movie really hit home to me. This is what I should remember as I go through my life.

It ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done

-Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone)

What is going on?

This has been a crazy weekend in sports.

First off, the Canucks. Just when you thought that we would get the upperhand, we squander it on Game 3. In Game 2, we see an inspired team that unexpectedly won on Anaheim on Cowan the Brabarian's heroics. Linden is showing why he brought the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Finals in '94. True, he's old and a shadow of what he once was but his hardwork and heart still shines. Then of course, you have an immediate letdown on the next game where Anaheim won the first game at GM Place. Since I was working that day, I didn't get to watch the game. Nice to see that Naslund and Daniel Sedin scored although the giveaway by Luongo proved to be the extra goal that the Canucks couldn't recover from.

And how about the NBA? Who would've thunk it? Miami got swept by Chicago! I guess Wade's injury was worse than expected. Warriors pushed the Mavs in to the brink of elimination by winning Game 4 at home and leading the series 3-1! Toronto is playing real bad, not being able to handle the Nets. They are down 3-1. Looks like my picks are all going south this first round.

Canucks will win Game 4. I have a better sense for this game than I did with Game 3 (and I am talking before the game even started). Go Canucks Go!

Pop's Toronto trip

Gabby just posted on his blog Pop's trip to TO and posted some pics

But he didn't post this picture! Which I found so funny as well and really captures Carla's silliness.. The silliness runs in the family. LOL!

Hahaha good job Carls.... Miss ya!

On to another note, Canucks lost without having two of their stars, Bieksa and Salo. Clearly overmatched. But you know what? Despite the loss, there is still that chance. It wasn't that bad, if only they had Salo and Bieksa. They really got to cut down on turnovers. Krajicek has been making so much errors even since the Dallas series and same goes for Sopel.

I still believe! Go Canucks Go!

And on basketball, Houston plays today. I can finally watch my first game of them in the playoffs. I could not watch them previously because they had games when the Canucks were playing

The Raptors play tomorrow. Same with the Canucks. At least I can watch both games.

Canucks set for Game 1 vs. Anaheim/Raptors win 2nd game

Vancouver Canucks

Game 1 is set for today against Anaheim. We are clearly the underdogs here. The Anaheim Ducks are known for their size and physical play, plus they got great goaltending (2 of them!), size and speed (see Selanne). Everything a potential Stanley Cup contender needs to have. Therefore, many predict Ducks in 5 or 6.

Except for the aberration (the 6-0 Anaheim win at the start of the season), all the other games during the regular season were real close. Anything can happen in a playoff game, and of course we have Luongo, considered by many as one of the best goaltenders in the game. When could you have said that about Vancouver goaltending? Last time we had great goaltending, it was Kirk McLean in the 90s.

Do we have a chance at an upset? I think so. We were one of the favoured teams in the Bertuzzi era yet we lost two straight Game 7s. Calgary and Edmonton had a good run all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. And on the basketball front (Philippine college game), Ateneo lost the championship to UST who came back being down 3-1. How heartbreaking for Ateneo. In a way, being an underdog is better for the Canucks. You have nothing to lose, have more motivation and have the potential to surprise people.

As long as we play with effort and poise, we will be in good shape. It will be a more open style of game with the Sedin twins and Naslund having the potential to have a great series. My prediction? There is a chance at that upset but the depth and physical play of the Ducks will wear the Canucks down. I predict the Ducks in 6. But... I REALLY hope I'm wrong.

There is no denying that VC (Vince Carter) put the Raptors on the NBA map. But when you clearly dont act professional, tank games and have the audacity to say it in public when you get traded, you get absolutely no respect. Kudos to the Raptors for winning Game 2 but I really hoped they would sweep the Nets. Karma is a b**tch and VC deserves it.

Go Raptors Go, beat the Nets!

Go Canucks Go! Pluck those Ducks!

Canucks win Game 7!

OMG what a game! What better story than to win the game on the player that has been synonymous with Canuck hockey. TREVOR LINDEN!!!!!!!

Photo Credit: Canucks.com

Canucks.com report on Game 7

What could've ended up as an ominous hockey game with Dallas getting the first goal, the Canucks dominated after that and put the game away. Zubov was a big loss for the Stars.

After the game, a couple of friends and I celebrated downtown and everybody was high fiving each other, shouting in support for the Canucks. The two friends I had with me had never done this thing before and I'm glad I got them hooked.

Some funny quotes from yesterdays celebrations looking ahead to the next series against the Anaheim Ducks:

F**k the ducks!

The duck is done!

Let's BBQ some ducks!

Nucks pluck those ducks!

It really brought back memories of the Rangers vs. Canucks final in 1994 when my brother, sister and I did the same thing and celebrated on Robson after the Game 6 win in the Stanley Cup Final. That's what got me hooked on hockey ever since. It was pretty much the same thing and you know what the great thing is? It's just the first round!

Well, I can't write much anymore as I have an exam coming up tomorrow

GO CANUCKS GO!!!!!

Fantasy League results

Fantasy Basketball Season is over and in all three leagues, I came in second place. Not bad from being a perennial cellar dweller.

Here are the detailed standings... Not bad eh? Jamie (Bryan's Bombers) won for two straight years. My bro and I tied for second place. A tight race here

I (Dis Is Yu Dis Is Me) tied with Taal Tantays for second place. Who are the Tantays? I dunno. Gabby (Ducut's Ducks), my bro, can answer that.

My brother (Punky Alolor's) won this league, I came in second (Madapakasana). Look how close the standings were. It came down to the last day. I was down 5 points and almost won it!