Lines In My Head

For the past week or so, and for some odd reason, I've been really enamored and engrossed on watching a bunch of foreign movies that are categorized under the romance/comedy/drama spectrum. I think it has something to do with the Christmas-y feeling in the air especially with the holiday season this year being extra special for me (oh yeah!). Or on more practical terms, maybe it's because I just want to actually watch these movies that I downloaded instead of just letting them rot and take up precious space in my filthy, old hard drive. Heh. I really am a sucker though for these type of movies especially those that were somehow designed to recreate the teary-eyed instances of someone chopping an onion or someone letting out a big yawn. Almost every time, these lot of heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and stomach-knotting scenes lead to a fierce, grueling battle between my heroic stand to resist the urge to weep like a little girl against that swelling pile of emotions deep ins

While watching an NBA pre-season game (Blazers vs. Warriors) yesterday, a crazy thought crossed my mind. What if a team was ONLY composed of players that they originally picked during the draft? Would the team be able to form a competitive squad? It was seemingly a good idea for a blog post and so, armed with several useful links from the web (Thank you basketball-reference.com!), I'm going to try to build an NBA roster based from a team's draft picks. But first some selection criteria that I  will use. 1. Only active players will be considered . Retired players and those who are already out of the league will not be included in the list. 2. Only players who came from a team's original draft choices will be included. This eliminates players acquired through trades during the draft day itself. 3. The squad would be limited to 12 players. That's it! So then, let's start with the "Homegrown Squad" for my favorite team back in the 9

"I love you, however, you hold me down." "Missed opportunities, and I Don't Cares." "You're the metaphors I can't create to comprehend this curse that I call love.." Probably one of the saddest songs I've ever heard. The band is Motion City Soundtrack and the track is "Hold Me Down" from their album, "Commit This To Memory". Song starts with a simple drum beat then in comes the line:  I found a letter that said:/ "I'm sorry that you were asleep when I wrote these words down."/ You'd think I'd ought to be used to that by now.    Damn. I wish I had thought of those lines myself. It probably should be illegal to write something brutally sad. Oh, and then the song ends with a couple of repeated lines that goes: How will I break the news to you? (Sheds a tear and goes to sleep).

So let me try something new for the blog. As some of you may have surmised from the previous posts, I'm a big, big fan of the pop/punk/alternative side of the music scene. My playlists are littered with songs ranging from "roll-your-car-windows-down" summer jams to "mosh pit worthy" tracks to "cut-and-slash-your-wrists" classics to "radio-friendly" tunes. I can confidently say then that I have a pretty good idea of what's cooking in the pop-punk scene. So together with my trusted earphones, I present the segment "Earphoned" (what a creative title), wherein I'm going to review (or at least try to) past and current albums of bands from this genre. Hopefully, this segment would introduce you to some really good music that you're surely missing out on while at the same time saving your ears from the depths of music purgatory currently dominated by the likes of Justin Bieber and One Direction. Heh. After the jump, learn

"I'm trying to hold it together but irony's found cracks in the foundation." "I try so hard to be some great white hope but I can't shake the feeling that tonight I'm gonna end up shaking in bed alone." "I had to take my own advice and I did. Now, I'm waiting for it to sink in." "It's not about forcing happiness, it's about not letting sadness win." I always though it was really cool when you discover a not-so-famous band that blows you away on your first listen. You immediately think that they should be the next-big-thing but in reality, no one in your circle of friends has any freaking idea of who the band is. Such is how I felt when I discovered "The Wonder Years" and their pop-punkish brand of music. While their sound is typical of the one you'll find in this scene, what I think separates them from the rest of their peers is their uncanny songwriting skills and great lyrics. Their

WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) recently held its 1000th (!) episode of Monday Night Raw and oh boy, it was such a blast from the past especially for someone like me who has been following this sports-entertainment industry for the last 15 years or so. "RAW 1000" delivered a hell of a show as it showcased a horde of legends (The Rock, DX, Bret Hart, Taker, Brock Lesnar, Lita, APA, and more)  interacting with the current crop of superstars (which I found really cool) , progressed existing and created new storylines (Jericho-Ziggler, Miz-Christian, AJ Lee as GM) , and created a wicked angle at the end (Punk-Rock!) . So many 'mark out' moments and despite the wrestling industry being scripted and all, episodes like this remind me of why I was a wrestling fan to begin with: entertaining, exciting and fun! Looking forward to more holy sh!t moves, 'this is awesome' chants, heel and face turns, return of stables, epic pay-per-views, and doses of nostalgia. If yo

"I know that I have always walked the line in between my confidence and lies, so many scenes are full of words I wish I could rewind." "I loved you first. I love you still. I always will." Perhaps better known for their single "Only One", Yellowcard has been churning out quality albums since their Ocean Avenue days. And I've been an avid fan all throughout. The sweet hooks, loud guitars, and fast-paced drumbeats are nice but for me it's the killer violin that sets them apart. Just check out the wicked violin solo that starts at 2:09. Stunning. (Song is entitled "Always Summer" from their album "Southern Air" out on August 14).

I'm a big sports fan. I play basketball. I'm a geek for baseball. I enjoy watching football. Hell, to this day, I'm still amazed by pro wrestling (Rocky! Rocky!). But badminton? Never was a follower of the sport. Heck, I don't even know the rules of the game. Recently though, our company held a badminton tournament and for whatever-reason-that-I-have-no-frigging-idea-why, I joined the said tourney without any playing experience in badminton. The results, however? Then again, I just stood there while my partner did most of the work! Memorable experience indeed!

Found this gem of a basketball sequence featuring Kyrie Irving and several members of the 2012 version of the 'Dream Team' during one of the scrimmages of Team USA. (Credit goes to the owner.) Bye-bye, Kobe, KD, and Harden. That's just unreal body and ball control. This kid would definitely lead the NBA in ABPG (Ankles Broken Per Game) next season.

"Why can't I feel anything for anyone other than you?" "The only thing I regret is that I, I never let you hold me baaaaack!" I've been really digging the pop-punk scene for the past few years, and undoubtedly Taking Back Sunday takes home the "most-played-band-on-my-playlist award". I don't know why but their musical style really gets to me. Dual vocals? Check. Heart-in-your-sleeve lyrics? Check. Gruff and passionate singing? Check. A "Fight Club"-inspired music video? Check. Give 'em a listen, it comes with my highest recommendation. (Featured song is "Cute Without the 'E' (Cut from the Team) from their debut album, "Tell All Your Friends").       

LOL moments from Fairy Tail Chapter 291: Poor Lucy. Aquarius, the ultimate troller. Still a better love story than Twilight. Good comedy from this chapter. Fairy Tail really delivers during these comical scenes. Funny stuff!

Update: So the Maroons lost 73-68 earlier after a crucial three-point play by Jeron Teng. That sucks since they were in the lead, 68-67 with 44.7 seconds left. Another long season it seems. Boo-hoo. Later today, the UP Fighting Maroons takes on the DLSU Green Archers for their first game in Season 75 of the UAAP. The boys from Diliman are once again huge underdogs this season. Here's to hoping they put up a good fight throughout the tournament along with many (!) upsets along the way. UP Fight! Yes, Mike, driving to the hoop is legal.