Sunday, November 30, 2008

funeral for a friend

it is now official. i now have one dead friend.

i heard the news of his death a day after it happened. right after i went home, i had my mom go with me to his wake. he was a friend since my preschool days. his mom and my mom were good friends, so my mom was shocked when i told her the sad news.

as we went to the wake, i saw almost everyone who were parts of my early childhood. to make it short, i saw all of my elementary batchmates. almost everyone was there during the four day wake. we went ahead to see him, and that was i think the first time i saw tears from my mother in a long while. i can't really describe her relationship with his mom, but what i do know is that they are really, really good friends and that his mom was our official family pediatrician so i saw them a lot during my childhood years. at first, i really did not feel anything. yes, i was saddened and all, but seeing everyone else and remembering the good times pretty much preoccupied my mind during the wake. i knew it had to be more than this, but i guess the fact that he has truly departed was not sinking yet in my mind.

then came the funeral.

i really did not know how, but hearing the priest emphasize that of the 3 dead people that were to be undergoing necrological service today, my friend was the youngest. i think that part really struck me. how come a strong 20-year old individual come down so fast and so sudden? how can someone who is just at the cusp of enjoying the world have his life abruptly cut? and so the feeling of loss made itself felt. i was crying. crying hard. i was mourning. i felt the collective grief that gripped that whole cathedral that afternoon. so this is how it feels to lose a friend. it hurts. and somehow i find it kind of regretful that his death came at a very suprising time.

they say that death comes like a thief in the night. adhering to that, death came and stole one of our dear friends away. it was encouraging to see almost everyone make it, but if we wanted to get together, all of us, i do not think it's really fun to get together in a wake. i hope we all get through this. somewhere, somehow we can see him smiling, being jolly and having fun because we would all be secure. it also helps to know that so many people came and saw everything from the wake to the funeral. it is a very, very crushing event, but afterwards everyone of us would be asked to move on..

but let us not forget that we have the capacity to improve ourselves and look back at this experience as an eye-opener for taking life for granted. personally, i did not think that dying this early cannot happen, yet it did. this now poses a challenge to all of us to take a step back and appreciate everything that has been given to us.

we can always sugarcoat everything, cloud them with fruity and colorful words to make them easier to bear. but sometimes, it takes one deep breath and a strong will to face what happened. a loss is still a loss, no matter what anybody says.

so, may you rest in peace pareng nikko. pahinga ka lang dyan, antagal-tagal mo nang pinapagod ang sarili mo. alam naming babantayan mo pa rin kaming lahat. kahit nasaan ka pa man.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

power down!

the reason i wasn't really online the past couple of days (more than a week i say) is because my beloved cpu is still under repair. it was supposed to be only a routine reinstall of windows, but suddenly the power supply gave in and it would not turn on. i has really not bugged me since i took it upon myself as a chance to do things other than shell up to my pc.

i went out, socialized, watched movies, spent time with the girl i love, improved my game (now that's an achievement) and currently enjoyed this old-school lifestyle having no technology around me except for my mobile phone.

i really had a great week, and the only glitch i could think of is that of my cpu not returning home. but i know everything would be set right eventually. for the meantime, it would be best for me to focus on things other than my computer.

let me talk a little about the nba today, since the league has gone through already its first week.

billups-iverson trade:
i really did not think it was serious when my friends told me about in a party i went to, but it was real, and today both players has suited up for their new teams with Iverson losing to the Nets and the Mavs leading Billups' Nuggets in the 3rd Qtr as of this moment.

i think it was a win-win for both teams, since Detroit honcho Joe Dumars wanted to shake the core which many believed has underperformed in the past 3 yrs even though going into the Eastern Conf Finals for six straight years is really nothing to be ashamed about. The Iverson-Anthony experiment of Denver wasn't also getting them past the First Round of the postseason so as it stands, a change of scenery was to take place. Even Iverson knew he was going to be traded because he was already on his contract year and Denver did not really pursue on signing him an extension.

With Iverson, they get a Hall of Fame caliber guy that may give them that scoring punch and superstar factor that Dertroit has managed to live without for years, relying only on the team which featured Billups, Hamilton, Prince and the two Wallaces. He can shoot the ball, break defenses down and run the break. The only problem with that is Detroit may have to give up a lot of defense in the backcourt with the loss of Chauncey. We must remember that Iverson is only 6ft in height, and Detroit has to defend guards like Arenas, Wade and Kobe. Defense has not been part of Iverson's calling card though he may have led the league in steals a couple of years ago, coaches do not like the fact that gambling on defense may cause the offensive player to get a clean shot since a gamble does not really translate into a turnover.

The Nuggets meanwhile, get a lot of defense and shooting from one of the best in the business today, and the good news is Chauncey is still in his prime. It's like having Andre Miller back, because apart from the points and assists, Billups built his name on leading the team that went to six straight Conference Finals. The only problem I see here is that, it may take some time for Chauncey to integrate himself into the Nuggets' system. Good things come with Billups, as Denver now has someone more consistent to back-up their budding star in Carmelo Anthony. The fact that Billups too has come from a system that puts a prime on defense may affect a change in culture in Denver. Like many observers, i feel that to advance into the playoffs, defense must first be improved and with the addition of Billups the Nuggets get a high quality, all star caliber point guard.

update:
Denver leads the Dallas, 83-79, 9:22 left in the 4th.

Miami Heat:
posting a quality win over the Spurs today (though that would be dubious since Parker and Ginobili were out, Parker injured himself in the 1st Qtr.), the Heat or Dwyane Wade actually, have shown that they are back. At last, after the failure that is last season, Wade has come back with gusto. The insane shots, bankers, splits, sidesteps and jumpers are back, and it was fun to watch him kill the Spurs this morning.

i've seen Michael Beasley's game, and i have to say i was impressed. Shawn Marion is not really a fit into the Heat's style. I would like to him being moved for say, Al Harrington (who wants to be traded anyway), a player who can post up and hit the three-ball with ease. Marion is not really a half-court guy, and most of his success comes from running the break. Miami has not really been that set on running teams out of the building, but the versatility he brings is still valued by the team. I think that though he may not be viable on offense, defensively he should bring it for the team. the rebounds, blocks and steals that he can create can effectively lead into transition baskets which can bode well for Marion.

ultimately, the Heat must find success in defense to keep Marion happy. Otherwise, I'd like to see him be moved along with the large sum of money in his contract.


so there ends a blog entry for me. i hope my cpu would be back and that things go the way i would want them to. :D