Nick Young Is a Friggin' NBA Champion!

After the Golden State Warriors signed Kevin Durant during the 2016 free agency, the 2017 NBA title was basically as good as theirs.   And indeed they won it.  But for the 2018 title run, they decided to give the other 29 teams a slight fighting chance by giving themselves a handicap, and that is, they used their 2017 mid-level exception to sign Nick Young – a player whose most iconic NBA moment is this:

That Time When Tracy McGrady Became the Greatest Basketballer Ever for 35 Seconds

Kobe Bryant is my most favorite player that ever played in the NBA.  Haters gonna hate, but he was the greatest in the league for many years.  That means that at their primes, he was superior to Tracy McGrady.  Sure, when they battled, there were some times that T-Mac outplayed him.  But, overall, Kobe came up on top.  At the defensive end, one-on-one, he made T-Mac work hard for his points, even utterly shutting him down in a couple of notable moments.  On the other hand, T-Mac at his prime might have been as amazing (though not as dominating) as Kobe at offense, but he had never been the dogged, lockdown perimeter defender that Kobe was.  Kobe was simply in a different level.  This is an objective fact.  Even T-Mac acknowledged this in some interviews.

That said, at the 2013 “Kobe Up Close” TV special, Kobe referred to Tracy McGrady as the toughest player he had ever played against – tougher than Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Allen Iverson (whom he also mentioned were notably tough opponents for him).  Indeed, T-Mac was a beast.  He was an incredible, versatile scorer who could have probably had a much better legacy than what he eventually ended up with if he hadn’t been hindered by problematic back injuries.  As far as talents are concerned, T-Mac was the closest player I’ve ever seen to a Kobe Bryant clone.

But a basketball god Kobe may be, there’s at least one legendary feat that he hasn’t accomplished in his career but T-Mac was able to do.

The Episode That Cemented Aladdin and Jasmine as the Greatest Disney Couple Ever

The greatest Disney couple ever is Aladdin and Jasmine.  Period.  And it’s really not even close.

As far as exploration of a romance is concerned among Disney movies, the best is easily Beauty and the Beast.  Second is Aladdin.  But what allowed Aladdin and Jasmine to reign above Belle and the Beast, as well as the rest of Disney couples, is the advantage of having their story continued in two direct-to-video sequels and an animated series.  Sure, other Disney animated movies have those, too, but the Aladdin trilogy is definitely Disney’s best “classic film with (often) sufficiently fun but not-as-good-as-the-original (sometimes even plain bad) direct-to-video sequels” animated film series.

But what significantly fleshed Aladdin and Jasmine out as individual characters and as a couple – or the entire Aladdin universe and characters, for that matter (seriously, Aladdin and friends are one heck of an action, adventuring squad) – is the Aladdin animated series – one of my favorite TV cartoons, and objectively Disney’s best TV series based on a hit movie.

I Miss Seth Rollins' Curb Stomp

I’ve just finished watching this year’s Hell in a Cell.  The latter two of the three featured Hell in a Cell matches were actually pretty decent, though they’re far from “classic”-material (there are simply a lot of iconic Hell in a Cell matches, particularly when wrestlers from the Attitude Era are involved).  I especially enjoyed the match between Charlotte and Sasha Banks, probably because of how groundbreaking and remarkable the whole idea of it.  For not only was it the main event (I’m not sure if this was the first time a women’s match became a pay-per-view’s main event, but it was the first time I’ve encountered such occurrence), but it was also the first women’s Hell in a Cell match ever (this one, I’m sure).

Anyway, I’m not here to write about that match, or about any match of Hell in a Cell for that matter.  Rather, it’s this: since the other solid Hell in a Cell match featured Seth Rollins, I was reminded of how bummed I was – and, apparently, still is – when his original finisher, the Curb Stomp, was banned.

Why ‘Mr. Bean’ Is a Work of Comedy Genius

Mr. Bean is one of my most favorite TV series of all time.  Next to the Blackadder series, it is the best small screen production (best big screen production is, of course, The Lion King) that Rowan Atkinson has involved himself in.

It only has 14 (or 15, depending on how they are presented) episodes made between 1990 and 1995.  But I only got to see them when a local channel, ABC 5, re-aired them (which even as a kid, I already recognized are far superior to the movie) after the first movie’s release (1997).  Because there were only a few of them, ABC 5 ran the episodes over and over again during its block.  Thus, I was able to see these episodes many times over during that time.  But no matter how many times I had seen them already, the show had me laughing so hard.  Maybe it was so because, as a 90’s kid, I had simple tastes.  But the thing is, aside from the Looney Tunes, I can’t remember considering anything else funnier than Mr. Bean back then.

I watched Mr. Bean again as a teen.  The popularity of the Mr. Bean animated series – which was fun in its own right – led Disney Channel to re-run the original live-action series.  During that time, it made me chuckle, but I was no longer laughing aloud like I used to.  It’s not really because I had developed “sophisticated tastes” then and didn’t think of it as funny and amusing anymore.  I still did.  It was probably because I had seen the episodes so many times before as a kid that I had grown “numb” to it.  Fried chicken is delicious, but eat one too many, and you probably won’t find eating it as pleasurable as the first time.

Recently, I decided to binge all episodes of Mr. Bean – something I’ve never done before.  Going into it, I did my best to condition myself as if I’m watching the series for the first time with a critiquing eye.  And you know what?  I enjoyed myself immensely; I laughed my pants off.  I rediscovered what great comedy this show really has, and why the 90’s kid me loved it.  And no, it’s not only because I had undeveloped tastes for entertainment back then.  Choosing to watch it in a fresh perspective, Mr. Bean genuinely stands out as comedy gold.

One Plot Change Would Have Turned 'Harry Potter' into a Masterpiece

Overall, I have fondness for the Harry Potter franchise.  I grew up with the books and enjoyed them; I also find the film adaptations delightful.  However, it has some aspects that I didn’t like.  I also think it’s overrated; I believe that Harry Potter isn’t as great as many people think.  Yes, it made my top 10 list for best fantasy literature, but it only did because I removed science fantasy books in the consideration.

Don’t mistake that I hated Harry Potter.  To be clear with this, let me reiterate: I enjoyed Harry Potter.   It’s not bad literature at all.  It definitely has much more strong points over the flaws I have issues with.  It’s just that I think several other fantasy titles are better.   For example, I think Artemis Fowl is better.

Let me just put it this way: many people think Harry Potter is a “ten out of ten.”  I don’t agree; in my opinion, it’s just 7/10.  Still good, but not perfect.

But I think one change in how the story went would have made it extremely brilliant.  And that is, if Neville Longbottom had been the true Chosen One, and not Harry Potter!

'Cinderella Monogatari' Is a Superiorly Done Fairy Tale Love Story

Five years ago, I made a top ten list for best anime series.  A surprising entry on that list is Cinderella Monogatari, which got the number 9 spot.  Since writing that list, I’ve re-watched a couple of old anime series, and have gained a deeper appreciation on a few of them (especially Cowboy Bebop, which only got an honorable mention in that list), that I now think they are more deserving to be in that list instead of some of the entries, including Cinderella Monogatari.

But that doesn’t mean that I now think Cinderella (I’ll be referring to it as such from this point; Cinderella Monogatari is kind of long) is not as great as I thought it was.  Yes, I now believe that a couple of anime series are better than it, and I know it’s not free of dumb things that can be nitpicked, but it’s still a notable, well-made anime series.  It’s still one of my favorites.  In fact, let me make this bold statement: Cinderella is, in my opinion, the best retelling of a classic fairy tale in all media – including Disney movies.  Really.

'Georgie' Taught Me That Romantic Love Is Insane and Messy

Georgie – or Georgie! or Lady Georgie – is an 80’s anime series that was licensed, “Tagalized” (dubbed in Tagalog), and aired by a local network during the 90’s.  Like with all 90’s cartoons, I immersed myself in it.  It eventually became a favorite of mine.  Up until now, I can still sing by memory its (Tagalized) opening theme song.

I loved all of those “Tagalized” 80’s-90’s anime series, but I found Georgie a unique experience above all the others.  Now, I actually haven’t re-watched it since I was a kid (can’t find a source that has all episodes in English or Filipino) so I can’t tell how it will hold up if I watch it as an adult.  I might find it cheesy or ridiculous if I watch it now, but there was a time back in the 90’s in which I thought of it as the best thing on TV.

Again, I found Georgie a unique experience.  What do I mean by that? Well, I watched this at the same time as Cinderella Monogatari (this one, however, I’ve been able to re-watch many times through the years – the recent instance was early this year – and I still find it appealing; that’s why it’s one of my most favorite anime series ever), and as far as I can remember, with these two shows, it was the first time I felt “romantic thrills” (kilig in Filipino terminology).  Both are basically romantic love stories, but what made Georgie superior in my eyes at that point is that it’s not the “fairy tale” kind that Cinderella Monogatari is (btw, a very well-written one at that), but it dares to be complex, crazy, and messy – a surprising departure from the usual idealistic, innocent romance tailored for kids.

'Magic Knight Rayearth' Has the Most Beautiful, Tragic Love Story Since 'Romeo and Juliet'

Growing up in the 90’s, Magic Knight Rayearth was one of the first anime series I followed, and it introduced me to the “magical girls” subgenre and its common tropes (I got to watch it before Sailor Moon).  The anime centers on three eight-grade girls of varying personalities and from different schools who, while on a field trip at Tokyo Tower, are magically taken into the fantasy world of Cephiro.  They learn that they are summoned by Princess Emeraude, the “Pillar” – the sovereign and guardian of Cephiro, who sustains the peace and prosperity of Cephiro by her prayers – and that they are the chosen Magic Knights that would awaken the Rune-Gods and save the gradually deteriorating Cephiro.  In order to do so, they need to rescue Princess Emeraude from her apparent kidnapper, Zagato, the former High Priest to the Pillar.

From his introduction and throughout the story, Zagato is seen as a callous villain who seeks the destruction of Cephiro.  Meanwhile, the Magic Knights believe that they were summoned by Emeraude to defeat Zagato.  Which they were able to do so.  After overcoming his minions, the trio kill him in their final battle.

Then comes the fantastic plot twist that changes everything that was known of the story…

Reflecting on Kobe’s 81-Point Game

One afternoon, during my senior year in high school, a couple of my classmates skipped the first period and came late because they decided to watch Kobe Bryant make history – making the second best scoring output ever in the NBA.  When they got to school around the second period, they immediately told everyone – especially to me, since they knew that I’m a big Lakers and Kobe fan – about it.  Everyone was blown away, and we couldn’t stop talking about it.  I was, of course, ecstatic and proud.  I couldn’t wait to get home to watch the replay – hoping I could catch a replay (we only had dial-up Internet connection then; not good enough for streaming videos).

That was a decade ago, and it was one of the best feelings I’ve had in my Kobe/Lakers/NBA fandom.  Since then, I’ve several times re-watched highlights of Kobe’s 81-point game as well as the entire game itself.  And with its tenth year anniversary having recently come and gone (January 22), I re-watched it once more.  But this time around, with the sentiment of Kobe’s career drawing to its close hanging in the air, there were some things that I was reminded of and fully realized as I watched.

Why Alexander Dane Is My Most Favorite Alan Rickman Character

Beloved English actor Alan Rickman passed away earlier this month at the age of 69 (he would have turned 70 next month).  He shall definitely be missed.  He was an easy celebrity to like.  He has a refined and charming personality, and he has this terrific, distinctive accent that everybody finds adorable and which other celebrities (e.g. Benedict Cumberbatch) love to impersonate.  Most importantly, he’s an “important” actor – and a genuinely talented one at that.  Now, there are only four movie characters that he portrayed that I extremely liked: Hans Gruber in Die Hard, the Sherriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves, Alexander Dane/Dr. Lazarus in Galaxy Quest, and Severus Snapes in the Harry Potter movies.  But he played these four characters to perfection, making them too memorable and striking that they were already enough to establish and solidify his reputation in the world of cinema and winning movie fans’ hearts.

Among these four Rickman characters, my most favorite is Alexander Dane.  I acknowledged that Snapes is arguably the most complex and iconic – maybe even the best – and it’s either him or Hans Gruber whom Rickman is most associated with.  But Dane was the character that I enjoyed the most.

What Makes ‘Blackadder Goes Forth’ a Comedy and Anti-War Masterpiece

Making my “Top 10 TV Shows That Ran Before I Was Born” list, I became inspired to rewatch the Blackadder series (no. 2 in the list, btw) for the nth time.  It’s quite easy to binge-watch since, not only is it a very delightful watch, but it’s also relatively short.  Each series only have six episodes, around 30 minutes each.  That’s a total of 12 hours of viewing, more or less.  The whole thing reminded me why I loved it ever since, and affirmed my opinion that it really gets much better with each series. 

This means that Blackadder Goes Forth – the fourth and last – is the best of them, and I think everyone who have seen all four series will agree with me.  First of all, it is objectively the funniest and cleverest.  Secondly, its opening sequence is the catchiest, most amiable, and most entertaining – the characters are introduced while in a march along a medley of “The British Grenadiers” (the iconic marching anthem of the British military, dating back to the 17^th century) and the Blackadder theme (seriously, rewatching the title sequences over and over again provides much fun already). 

But what really makes Blackadder Goes Forth impressively stand out above the rest is the fact that it is able to convey a powerful anti-war message through its brilliant satirical insights on war without trivializing the sobering period of human history the series is set upon and without disrespecting the real-life people who took part in it.  And this facet personally had much impact on me.    

As a kid, I thought of war as a romantic, glorious thing.  I loved playing with my collection of toy soldiers and pellet guns.  My favorite Bible stories were those that featured epic battles.  I enjoyed the G.I. Joe cartoons and comics.  I was thrilled when reading about wars in history.  I devoured everything – documentaries, essays, books, movies, etc. – that featured anything relating to war, whether it’s historical or fictional.  I drew battle scenes during idle times in school.  When I saw Saving Private Ryan and other war movies, I unconsciously dismissed the war horrors it portrayed and instead reveled on the exciting violence and explosions of its action scenes.  Yes, I did have some understanding already that time that war is not all glory and thrills, but I didn’t really quite grasp yet the magnitude of the other side of the coin.  To me then, the deaths were mere numbers, the devastation mere black and white pictures, and the accounts and narratives mere objects to take fascination on.  

It was only with Blackadder Goes Forth that really made me deeply understand for the first time that war is indeed a terrible, terrible thing.  It was not Saving Private Ryan or any war/anti-war movies that made me reflect on this.  Not history books or photos.  Not even Life Is Beautiful (an Oscar-winning Italian film back in the 90’s, which I had enjoyed) – it almost did, but not entirely.  It was ironically the sitcom Blackadder Goes Forth that did.  Since then, I’ve seen this series many times already, but each time gives the same impact on me as the first time I saw it.

Set in the Western Front trenches of World War I, Blackadder Goes Forth focuses on Captain Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) as he attempts to be removed from his post in the trenches before another “big push” is ordered by his eccentric, buffoonish commander, General Melchett (Stephen Fry).   Blackadder isn’t necessarily a coward.  It’s just that he wants to avoid being sent over the top on the infamous “No Man’s Land” because it will result to certain death.  He doesn't want to die in such utterly meaningless manner.

So in the first five episodes, we see Blackadder jump at every opportunity and scheme that will allow him to leave the trenches, which ultimately fails in the end.  As to be expected, hilarity ensues during these misadventures.  But more than that, through its satirical gags and dialogue, subtle but provocative anti-war sentiments are delivered.  Though war logic is exaggerated so it can be lampooned, the lingering thought that it leaves would reveal in retrospect that the realistic version of it is actually as absurd and foolish.

For example, in the first episode, General Melchett heartens one of the soldiers, reminding him that if should he falter, he should just remind himself that the general is behind him.  To which Captain Blackadder bitterly comments, “About 35 miles behind you.”  Funny, but thought-provoking as well.

But the clincher is the final episode, “Goodbyeee” – which is definitely one of the most powerful finales in TV history (SPOILERS from this point on). With the order for the “big push” finally given, Blackadder makes another ploy to be sent away by pretending to be mad.  But this, like his previous schemes, doesn’t work.  As he muses later on, “Who would have noticed another madman round here?”

The episode plays out that is typical of the show: funny and smart.  But around its 17-minute mark, it starts giving indications that this episode is going to be different.  With the “big push” nearing, Blackadder and his men reminisce the past – realizing that many of their acquaintances are dead already.  Then Private Baldrick (Tony Robinson) remarks, “Why can't we just stop, sir? Why can't we just say, ‘No more killing; let's all go home’? Why would it be stupid just to pack it in, sir?  Why?”  I was taken aback.  The series has at least three moronic characters, and Baldrick is the stupidest of them.  This kind of insight coming out of Baldrick is something atypical.

The next scene, General Melchett informs Captain Kevin Darling (Tim McInnerny), who serves as his personal assistant, that he will be assigned to the frontlines immediately to join the “big push.”  Much to Darling’s horror, Melchett misguidedly believes that he is favoring Darling by letting him join the “fun and games.”  On the contrary, “folding the general’s pajamas”, as Darling puts it, is something he prefers over being sent to the trenches since, despite any discomfort and humiliation he might receive as the general’s aide, he’s at least safe away from the conflict.  Darling tries to protest, but the general – erroneously believing that Darling is simply having a hard time parting ways because of his loyalty and affection for him – “unselfishly” cuts him off and assures him that it’s okay.

Throughout the series, Darling has served as the primary antagonist of the story, being Blackadder’s rival and tormentor (and vice versa).  Thus, there are some justified laughs to be had from his misfortune.  But any satisfaction is restrained, and not really something cheer-worthy.  In fact, when Darling joins Blackadder in the dugout, he doesn’t mock him about it, but simply welcomes him, “Here to join us for the last waltz?”  (At this point, emotion was already welling inside me as I watched.)  Blackadder – as well as any decent audience – understands that, in this particular context, there is no pleasure in seeing a man – even as snobbish as Darling – being sent to certain death.

Finally, it’s the simple admission from the idealistic, enthusiastic, but dim-witted Lieutenant George (Hugh Laurie) that broke my heart: “I’m scared, sir.”  (Private Baldrick echoes the same sentiment.)  George adds, “I don’t want to die.  I’m not overkeen on dying at all, sir.”  

Up until that point, George has been depicted to be seemingly uncaring or ignorant of the perils of war – consistently thrilled of the opportunity to fight for “king and country.”  It probably finally dawned on him at that point that the thing he feels is “bloomin'ell worth it” (as he claimed earlier in the episode) isn’t really worth dying for.  Hence, the unexpected, innocent honesty makes the scene devastating.  

My eyes were misty, and a lump had formed in my throat.

As the call to assemble is given, the script makes a hilarious, dark joke in a likely attempt to ease tension…

Captain Blackadder: “Don't forget your stick, Lieutenant.”

Lt. George: “Oh no, sir -- wouldn't want to face a machine gun without this!”

(I’m not sure if George is being sarcastic, or has reverted to his usual personality.)

With the men lining up outside, I was still expecting – wishing – that something – preferably, a comedic something – would happen at the last second that would prevent them from participating in this “big push.”  For a second, it seemed that was going to be so…

Captain Darling: “Listen! Our guns have stopped.”

Lt. George: “You don't think...?”

Private Baldrick: “Maybe the war's over. Maybe it's peace!”

Lt. George: “Well, hurrah! The big knobs have gone round the table and yanked the iron out of the fire!”

But when Darling exclaims, “Thank God! We lived through it! The Great War: 1914-1917,” the small flicker of hope vanishes.  It reminded me that the year was still 1917 in that story.  I know my history.  World War I ended in 1918.

The more cautious and cynical Blackadder deflates the men’s wishful thinking by bitterly commenting, “I'm afraid not.  The guns have stopped because we're about to attack. Not even our generals are mad enough to shell their own men.  They think it's far more sporting to let the Germans do it.”

The men puts a foot forward, waits for the signal to go over the top.  Blackadder mutters a “Good luck, everyone” before the whistle to advance is blown.

With a yell, the men go over the top and charges.  They are met with German gunfire.  The scene plays in slow motion.  Explosions and smoke and dirt fill the shot.  Sad piano music plays in the background.  The scene shifts to the empty, devastating aftermath, which then gradually shifts to the peaceful, poppy fields as what it is now in present time.

The last episode has thoroughly made the characters shine.  They were revealed to be actually noble and courageous, despite the weaknesses they had shown throughout the series.  Even if they were already likable, the episode made the audience to care more deeply and affectionately for them.  And because the attachment has been established firmly, the tragic ending was emphatic.  It hurt.  Through this, the show is able to effectively make these characters represent the countless brave men that perished at the hands of the hellish madness of War, who equally deserves – if not twice as much – the respect, appreciation, and heartbreak that I felt for Blackadder and his men.

How the show built up and executed everything going into that finale – all that comedy unexpectedly turning towards that beautiful, heartbreaking ending – is just brilliant.  I was laughing all throughout the series, and then, just like that, the final minutes pulled the rug under me.  The impact of the 180^o turn in its tone effortlessly provoked reflection – becoming a forceful reminder of the dreadful reality that the show is based upon.

It’s one of the most powerful TV viewing moments I’ve ever had.  Thank you, Star World, for rerunning this awesome show for the tween me (was around 10 to 12 years old when I saw Blackadder Goes Forth for the first time).

Blackadder Goes Forth is a work of pure genius.  It pulls off making a comedy out of a sensitive topic without being offensive.  Compare that to the comedy philosophy of today that leans more on being intentionally crude and offensive to earn laughs.  So not only does Blackadder Goes Forth achieve first-rate comedy, but class and depth as well, thus, unhindered by pretentiousness in its delivery of an anti-war message that works.

War still fascinates me as a topic, I still enjoy it if it’s depicted in the context of fiction, and I still believe that war – or any dark, delicate themes, for that matter – always has room for humor, if it’s executed with thoughtfulness and respect.  Moreover, I’m not really a radical pacifist – I’m not ignorant of its unavoidable necessity in some cases in this depraved world.  However, war is something that I believe shouldn’t be treated trivially or celebrated by itself.  Blackadder Goes Forth taught me that.  

That Time When Kobe Taught Me to Love Defense

Note: this is from the draft of a post I wrote some years ago in a LA Lakers fan community blog, with some slight edits.

In basketball, the defensive aspect of the game is often overlooked by most audience.  It’s just that offense’s elements – like dunks, alley-oops, fadeaways, 3-point shots, killer crossovers, and no-look passes – can easily incite excitement from its observers.  If defense is ever given any attention, it’s mostly on blocking – an incomplete and, sometimes, misleading indicator of good defense.

I love playing defense; I understand its value.  But during my early years of being basketball fan, I lacked the appreciation for it.  Yeah, I encountered stuff that preached the importance of defense with sayings like “Defense wins championships” and such.  But I never really quite fully grasped the idea.  I was also aware that Kobe was one of the best defenders of the league – being a consistent All-Defensive Team selection through the seasons.  But I was numb to that fact, taking it for granted with the same degree of apathy as knowing the fact that he plays for the Lakers.  My awe for his exciting offensive skill-set probably blinded me of his equally impressive defensive capabilities.

Then it all changed because of one game.  It was way back in March 15 (16 in my timezone), 2004 – a regular season game between the LA Lakers and the Orlando Magic; it was one of my most favorite duels between Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady.

First of all, let me establish how I consider T-Mac the closest thing there is (so far) to a Kobe Bryant-clone, hence, I respect him.  He was, like Kobe, an awesome well-rounded offensive player and also had his legendary clutch moments (e.g. 13 points in the last 35 seconds to steal the win from the Spurs).

In this particular game against the Lakers, during the first half, T-Mac single-handedly torched the Lakers.  In comparison, Kobe was quiet in the offense during the first half.

But in the second half, Kobe went to gunslinger mode and shot the lights out of the Magic.  Above that, Kobe took over the defensive assignment of guarding T-Mac and neutralized him.  And it blew. me. away.  That’s the time when something just clicked inside my head which made the fact of Kobe’s awesomeness as a defender dawn on me and made me fully appreciate and comprehend the awesomeness of defense.

The Lakers won that game, with a large part due to Kobe’s brilliant performance in both offense and defense.  It is also worth nothing that Kobe had a shoulder injury at that time, and isn’t completely at his 100%.  He was just that awesome.

From then on, I would fully enjoy Kobe as a defender almost as much as a scorer, and I get to love the defensive aspect of the game.

I understand why defense is not so popular with people.  It’s hard work.  And basketball is supposed to be play, right?  A tomahawk dunk?  That’s fun.  A buzzer-beating three-pointer?  That’s fun.  A behind-the-back assist? That’s fun.  Shadowing your man all game long?  Not at all.  Moreover, it’s unrewarding, as people will tend to remember that one time your man embarrass you with an ankle-breaker rather than those five other times that you made him miss his shot. 

But to those who learned to embrace defense, they find something romantic and thrilling about this underappreciated and grinding facet of the game – that there’s a special kind of satisfaction and achievement to be derived from it as much as in putting the ball through the hoop.  And thanks to that one Kobe Bryant moment, I get to understand that.

Chain of Thoughts: 2014 Highlights

Time for another late annual recap.  I will just copy last year’s format.

How I will remember 2014 for:

→ The expression “Boom panes!”

→ I could hear John Legend’s “All of Me” everywhere. 

→ ALS Bucket Challenge.  I didn’t find it fun at all.  Still, I hope it did indeed raise money for that cause though.

→ Loombands.  Now, that was a fad that died pretty quick.

This was a unique and ironic game because whoever plays this game will surely be frustrated by it but won't be able to stop playing.

→ Speaking of fads, there was the widespread addiction on Flappy Birds.  Personally, I didn’t get to play this app game, thankfully.  I did play Zombie Tsunami for a while though.   

→ Oh, and speaking of app games, if I had avoided Candy Crush in 2013 because of its addictiveness, it was in the summer of 2014 that I got to be briefly hooked on it. 

→ Tech support ended for Windows XP.  My five-year old netbook is still on XP. 

→ Speaking of my netbook, in early December, its monitor gave out; the damage was unfixable.  To still use it, I had to remove its monitor and attach a desktop monitor on it.  Fun set up actually.  Anyway, I now seldom use it now since my father gave me his laptop (Thank you so much, Papa!).                

→ The number of TV series titles I’m following significantly bloated in 2014.      

→ I re-discovered the awesomeness of file sharing.  I probably obtained nearly a terabyte worth of games, comics, movies, and TV shows from it.  (One of the probable reasons why I got into – as well as rewatched – a lot of TV series in 2014.)

→ At year end, I had 15 books in “The Pile” – books I bought which I haven’t finished or started reading yet. 

→ I had two trips this year.  In March, we had a mission trip to a leper community in Quezon.   Then in May, we participated in a Youth Camp in Cavite. 

→ I became back-to-back Bible Quiz champion in our church.  It was an awesome feel-good experience.  Best of all, the first prize was a tablet. 

→ I’m not much of an enthusiastic techie, and with a netbook and a smartphone, I found no use with the tab at all for a couple of months.  But then, I realized I could now play Plants vs. Zombies 2 because I now have a tab.  I remembered that I’ve always wanted to play this game ever since its release but wasn’t able to because I had no smartphone or tab.  Later in the year, I would also discover the special delight found in the practicality of an e-book.  So, thanks to the tab, 2014 was the year I finally got into e-book reading.

→ I passed the LET.  Yay. 

→ I had the silver anniversary of my journey towards Eternity (or I had my 25^th birthday, if you didn’t get that).

→ I actually only learned for the first time that the 1989 Batman movie was released in June 23 – the same date I was born!  (Aside from the movie’s silver anniversary, in 2014, it was also the 75^th anniversary of Batman’s first comic book appearance.)

No big deal, really.  Still, it felt kind of awesome sharing the same birthday with the Batman movie.

→ There were a lot of terrific comic book happenings, but probably the most exciting were the return of Peter Parker and the epic “Spider-Verse” event (which I urge Sony to adapt this into film).

→ In manga, Naruto and Kuroko No Basuke ended.  Both aren’t particularly exciting finales.  I’ve already grown tired of Naruto, but out of nerdy obligations, I still saw it through till the end.  And the finale of Kuroko No Basuke had been disappointingly bland and underwhelming.  Hunter X Hunter, after years of hiatus, finally picked the story again, but after a few chapters, went on another indefinite hiatus.  Boo. 

→ After years of providing our province’s electric needs, ALECO (Albay Electric Cooperative) had been taken over by San Miguel Corporation.  It was renamed APEC (Albay Power Energy Corporation), and, I think, for the first time in history, a private company now controls the power in the province of Albay.  During its first year of operation, APEC had earned the ire of the Albayanos.  Throughout most of the year, parts of the province had been plagued by infuriating sets of brownouts due to APEC’s incompetent management; rumored sabotaging by unhappy laid-off employees of ALECO (that has been fired due to their connections with its corrupt administration); presumed maintenance of its electric distributing system (and, maybe, even some overhauls); and, simply, the lack of power supply (the country will be facing a power crisis this 2015).  There was even a lengthy time during May – which had an awfully hot weather – when we didn’t have electricity for several days because APEC wasn’t able to promptly replace the broken components of a substation.  APEC was incapable of solving the crisis at hand by themselves, and it had to take the active help of our provincial governor for it to be addressed.  And despite of all their faults, they had the gall to overcharge their clients.  All of these exasperating things about APEC prompted me to coin the hashtag #APECfail (a pun for “epic fail”, get it?).          

→ Typhoon Glenda hit my hometown in July.  It was a legit destructive typhoon.  There were a lot of damages.  It even brought down my alma mater’s “Centennial Tree” – an iconic acacia tree that had been more than a hundred years old – which was able to withstand even the infamous “Reming” back in ’06, hence, I was a bit shocked when I learned that it was finally felled by a lesser storm.  Post-Glenda, I was actually expecting that we wouldn’t have electricity for about a month minimum.  But I was delightfully surprised (considering APEC’s problems) that it only took five days.  It was God’s grace, since, in many parts of the city and province, it took several weeks – and even months – before they got their power back.   

→ We were, however, spared from Typhoon Ruby in early December, ensuring an enjoyable Christmas since there would be electricity then.

→ There were some noteworthy airplane crashes.  But the most intriguing was definitely the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370) back in March 2014.  In the middle of its scheduled flight from Malaysia to China, less than an hour after its takeoff, the plane disappeared from air traffic controllers’ radar screens.  Up until now, nobody knows what happened – whether it was hijacked, or crashed, or whatever.  It just… vanished.  And despite a multinational investigation and the largest and most expensive search-and-recovery venture in aviation history, there is still no answer – its disappearance still wrapped in Amelia Earheart-scale mystery.  Hence, it was inevitable for this to become another subject that conspiracy theorists can eagerly offer insights on.

→ Aside from the missing MH370, the most notable tragedies this year were the sinking of a South Korean ferry which took 304 lives – mostly students; the Ebola epidemic in West Africa; ISIS terrorizing in Syria and Iraq (in a related matter, I learned that the UN actually put hacks like Lt. Gen. Iqbal Singh Singha in charge of their peacekeeping forces… just sayin’); and Kim Kardashian’s terrifying butt-naked pictorial.

→ Robin Williams passed away.  Well, there were a couple of prominent celebrities that died in 2014.  But Williams’ was probably the only thing that mattered to me.

Goodbye, Genie.  Be free.  (sniff)

→ “The Sony Hacks.”  Sony experienced several attacks by hackers named “Guardians of Peace” (GOP).  GOP released in the Internet several secret and critical information regarding Sony’s upcoming projects as well as copies of some unreleased movies.  Then, later, it was revealed that the likely suspect behind the attacks was North Korea because of their displeasure with “The Interview” – Sony’s comedy movie that ridiculed NoKor dictator, Kim Jong-un.  There were threats that a terrorist attack of “9/11” proportions would happen if Sony released the movie.  To my astonishment, despite Fed reports that such threats are unfounded, Sony actually folded and decided not to release the movie (eventually, Sony opted to release the movie but online).  This was really worth noting and being perplexed about since it’s the first time this happened.  Jimmy Kimmel reacted: "An un-American act of cowardice that validates terrorist actions and sets a terrifying precedent."  I totally agree. If it worked this time, it will definitely be tried again and again! What's stopping the bad guys from moving on and anonymously targeting another movie they don't like? 

→ In probably the most epic casting news ever, Marvel hired the awesome Benedict Cumberbatch to play Dr. Strange!  I’m just crazy for Cumberbatch right now.  The man is extremely talented and charming.  2014 was the year he jumped past Nathan Fillion as my most favorite actor.
→ Warner Bros./DC revealed how Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman will look like.

She hasn't won me over yet.  But at least she bulked up.

→ In one of the most idiotic things in, well, ever, Hello Kitty is officially revealed to be actually NOT a cat but a little girl.  Wait, what?             

→ In relation to their involvement with Janet Lim Napoles and the “pork barrel scam”, senators Revilla, Jinggoy, and Enrile were sent to jail.  Prior to getting jailed, in an attempt to win public sympathy, Revilla did some of the most absurd, hilarious, and shameless gimmicks in the already ridiculous history of Philippine politics.     

→ Vice-President Jejomar Binay’s political enemies in the Senate unearthed some of his dark (no pun intended) secrets when he was still the mayor of Makati City.  The senators had actually provided some compelling accusations, and Binay, in return, didn’t provide a compelling defense at all.  He did challenge Sen. Trillanes to a televised debate, but backed down when the senator accepted (Binay was probably bluffing and didn’t expect Trillanes to bite).

One of the strongest arguments that support the senators’ accusations that surfaced in Facebook is this simple infographic that compares the cost of building the Makati City Hall 2 vs. the building of London’s City Hall. 

→ This year’s hottest government corruption scandal (this is like an annual thing already) is tied between Binay and the discovery that crime lords incarcerated in New Bilibid Prison are living luxuriously like, well, crime lords.  They have first-class accommodations, drugs, money, stripper bars, and Jacuzzis.  And one named Herbert Colanga was even able to nurture a musical career while in prison – and actually found success!    

→ Everyone’s favorite senator, Miriam Defensor Santiago, announced that she has cancer.  Despite of this, she still remained the most entertaining and most prolific senator in the Senate.   

→ Back in August, an MRT train got derailed and rammed into a concrete barrier in which around 36 passengers got injured.  This accident renewed attention on the horrible conditions of MRT.  And while I lamented on the fact that the Philippines still doesn’t have a modern rail system yet, MRT management and DOTC just pointed fingers at each other in whose fault it was.

→ The Philippines filed a case against China in the world court regarding the latter’s invasion of the former’s Scarborough Shoal – and beyond.  The Philippines has a strong case against China, but I’m a bit skeptical that anything will really come out of it.  If China is proven in the wrong (which is quite apparent), I doubt the United Nations will really actively enforce the ruling.  Remember Iraq?  Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, had continually violated UN treaties, but the UN never really made any move – only the US did.

China is still pretending that they lack common sense. 

→ What’s great: Pacquiao earned wins over Timothy Bradley (Mommy D was allegedly casting voodoo curses on Bradley throughout the fight) and Chris Algieri in 2014.  What’s not-so-great: he became a coach-player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

→ After a 27-game losing streak in a span of two years, the UP Fighting Maroons won a game during UAAP 77 (which the NU Bulldogs won in dramatic fashion).  The team was celebrated as if they had actually won the championship.  The university threw a bonfire party, there were TV guestings, and the UP Chancellor was even quoted of saying, “We have proven that we excel not just in academics” (lolwut?).  I really found it hilarious.  This win would serve as UP’s only win this season as they finished with a 1-13 record. 

→ Despite being eliminated in the first round and a 1-4 record, Team Gilas Pilipinas had an impressive performance in the FIBA World Cup.  There was a lot of hype and excitement.  Then, the team fell flat in the Asian Games.  To be fair, overall, the Philippines sucked in the 2014 Asian Games (1 gold, 3 silvers, and 11 bronzes. Ugh).

Kobe looks amazing in black.  He's the Black Mamba after all.

→ Kobe Bryant finally got to wear a black jersey in a game!  I’ve always wanted an official black Laker jersey (which only happened during 2013-2014 season) and I’ve always wanted to see Kobe play in such jersey (Kobe only played six games in the 2013-2014 season and never had a chance to wear it); it had been long overdue.  Ok, this seems pretty petty.  But, as a Laker fan, there’s not much to rejoice about in 2014  The Lakers completed their most horrible season in history (and are now undergoing what looks to be a worse one).  Spurs won the championship, now tying the Lakers with the most championships of this era.  In the offseason, Pau left the Lakers.   There was a slim chance that LeBron would choose to go to the Lakers, but he instead went back to the Cavs.  And the most exciting Laker thing I had in 2014 was probably Linsanity joining the Lakers.  That’s just sad.
→ WWE had its historic Wrestlemania 30.  And Undertaker lost his match with Brock Lesnar  – destroying his perfect Wrestlemania record.  In my opinion, Vince McMahon’s  decision to let Lesnar be the one to beat the Undertaker in Wrestlemania was a big mistake. 

→ Hoverboards have not been invented in 2014, so there will still be no prevalence of commercial hoverboards in 2015 as Back to the Future II had predicted (bummer).  However, there are some intriguing developments in cybernetics.  A guy named Les Baugh, who had lost his two arms, received two mind-controlled cybernetic arms!  They’re not yet permanent add-ons, but the researchers are optimistic that such technology would soon be.

2014 could have been the dawn of cyborgs!

Top 10 PC Games I Had Played in My Pre-Teens and Teens

In a past list, I already covered the vintage PC games (which run in Windows ’95) that I played during my childhood.  This time around, I’ll be tackling the favorite games of mine during another period of my life – when I was 11 to 16 years old, late elementary to high school.

     

“Top 10 PC Games I Had Played Which I Even Cut Classes For” could be an alternate title for this list.  I was so into them, that I could cut classes so I can play them.  Ah, those were the days.  It was in Grade 5 when I learned to cut classes so I can instead go play PC games in Internet cafes.  And when I was in high school, I was habitually cutting classes to hang out with my high school gang in the Internet Cafes near my school (and when I mean “near”, I mean hundreds of meters away).  Heck, the name of my high school posse was “Cutting Classes Club.”  Boys will always be full of mischief.  LOL.  Thank God, it never really got too serious enough that put our academics in peril (though we got into some minor troubles with our school nonetheless).

Anyway, these are the games that I was so into that I opt to play them during most of my free time, and often even compelled me to skip classes so I can play them.    

DISCLAIMER: Screenshots are not mine.  I just Googled them.     

10.) TEAM FORTRESS

What makes Team Fortress unique from other first-person shooter PC games from Valve Corporation is that there are different playable classes to choose from.  Each class has a different set of unique skills and weaponry, with each class having different strengths and weaknesses; thus, there is a “rock-paper-scissors” philosophy that players had to consider in choosing what classes to play.   There is a need for a team to find the proper mix of classes, to be as diverse and balanced as best as they can be.  This makes the game’s teamwork aspect more cerebral than Counter-Strike.  Nonetheless, despite having a more sophisticated gameplay, Team Fortress wasn’t nearly as popular in my gaming circles as other first-person shooter games like Half-Life or Counter-Strike. 

9.) NBA LIVE

 

NBA 2K, in the present, has emerged as the premier NBA video game series, but back in my time, the NBA Live series was more popular.  If I remember it correctly, I started with NBA Live 2003, and the last version of the game that I got to play was NBA Live 2007.  I got to play the NBA Live games in both PC and Playstation but I was more comfortable playing it with the former. 

8.) HALF-LIFE

 

Half-Life is considered by many gamers as one of the greatest games of all time due to its mentally stimulating gameplay and brilliant story.  However, my affection for Half-Life wasn’t due to playing through its mission-narrative, where most of the praise is, but in its free-for-all multiplayer option wherein players battle each other, every man for himself, competing who will get the highest kills and least deaths.  I remembered that we really loved the part wherein a red button can be pushed after a period of time, which will start a countdown for an explosion covering the map, and everybody had to race to the bunker since anybody outside the bunker is automatically killed by the blast.   

7.) BATTLE REALMS

 

Despite the bugs, especially the capability to immediately destroy any structure by just selecting it and pressing “Ctrl+D”, Battle Realms was one of my most favorite strategy game to play back then.  Its Asian theme, the colorful variety of units from the four playable factions/clans (Dragon, Serpent, Wolf, and Lotus), the gorgeous graphics, and the multi-linear story of the mission mightily appealed to me.  It was also the first strategy game I played that I had encountered the concept of “hero”-type units, which is a major reason why this game is so memorable to me. 

      

6.) RAGNAROK! ONLINE

This is the first and only MMORPG (massively multi-player online role-playing game) that I got so engrossed with.  I don’t know what is its status now, but when this game first entered the country, prepaid cards are required to play it.  Hence, this is probably the game that has made me spend the most amount of money, for buying the prepaid cards and for paying for the Internet café sessions to play it.  Still, I really had fun with this game.  It was my first experience with MMORPG that I was greatly fascinated with the concept of maintaining a character in a virtual world.  Also another selling point was its animation style: cute, anime-style characters existing in a stunning 3D environment, which I found very appealing and delightful.  Eventually, after some time, I grew tired of the non-linear, repetitive gameplay, plus the expensive cost of playing it, that I quit Ragnarok! completely.         

 

5.) WARCRAFT III

I had never played the Warcraft games prior this; Warcraft III was my first encounter with the Warcraft franchise.  From the first time I got to play this game, I loved it right away (beating my two opponents during that first game helped much in making me immediately love the game).  It’s definitely one of the smartest strategy game ever created.  Heck, it’s probably even more complicated than StarCraft.  I adored greatly the fantasy world and mythology that Warcraft III established (which World of Warcraft is enjoying now), and its story (from the campaigns) blew me away due to its depth, awesome characterizations, and superior narrative. 

Most importantly, Warcraft III also served as the platform for the revolutionary game Defense of the Ancients, popularly known as DOTA, which probably has become more popular than the Warcraft franchise itself. 

4.) COUNTER-STRIKE

 

Counter-Strike was arguably the king of all first-person shooter PC games.  In Counter-Strike, players get to choose whether to play for the “Terrorist” team or “Counter-Terrorist” team.  Each round starts with all players spawning at the same time and having the opportunity to buy weapons and equipment (if they survive the round, these are carried over to the next round).  Each team should accomplish its respective objective (depending on the map) or wipe out all of the opposing team’s members to win a round.

3.) STARCRAFT

 

StarCraft is probably the most successful and most famous real-time strategy game ever created.  Along with Counter-Strike, this game was one of the earliest PC games that became popular.  Its sci-fi concept of three races – Terran, Protoss, and Zerg – competing for dominance in that particular sector of the galaxy was very interesting.  It’s as challenging and stimulating as Warcraft III, but StarCraft is higher in this list since it was my first encounter with the real-time strategy game genre of such scope and versatility.  Prior StarCraft, the only strategy games I was most familiar with were turn-based strategy games and simulation games; Metal Marines was my only real-time strategy game experience, and its gameplay is not even close to the complexity of StarCraft’s gameplay.  Hence, my great fondness for StarCraft.    

2.) STRONGHOLD

 

The economic aspect of real-time strategy games, i.e. the gathering and management of resources, are often merely secondary to its army-building aspect – the former being simply a means to accomplish the latter.  It was in Stronghold that I first encountered a real-time strategy game in which both aspects are equally exciting and important to the gameplay.  Its “mission” feature even had an economic campaign as well as a military campaign. 

Stronghold is set in during the Medieval period in England, in which as a lord, you have to develop a flourishing economy in your land and at the same time build and maintain a strong military.

The game completely charmed me that even when my peers didn’t get into it, I was satisfied of playing it alone.      

1.) COMMAND & CONQUER: RED ALERT 2

 

It’s not the most sophisticated real-time strategy game around, it’s actually quite simple compared to StarCraft and WarCraft III, but it’s my most favorite for I tremendously enjoyed its simultaneously down-to-earth and wacky premise.  It also had Tanya, who was so hot and badass that she became one of my most favorite fictional female characters ever.  Moreover, most importantly, it was probably the PC game in which I was most good at.  So there. 

I have already written years ago an article solely about RA2, so if you want my more thorough insights about it, just go read that.