Sore Losers

A sore loser is someone who loses in a fair competition but whines about it on a constant basis, blaming everyone around them for their loss except themselves. Fun to taunt, but no fun to play with.

Someone who can't simply be honorable, by accepting defeat and/or trying again. On the contrary, said individual or group engages in childish pissing and moaning; bitching about how it's not fair and the other side cheated, etc.

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Definitions from Urban Dictionary.

Welcome Back

Suspended, adj.. Printed on two tarpaulin banners in green letters on white background, the very first thing seen by the DLRT PEPT (sic) Squad when they turned and faced the Ateneo crowd for their customary angas routine during halftime at the game yesterday.



Oh, by the way, we won, 80-77.

The Best Fully Choreographed “Thriller” Reenactment By Prison Inmates You’ll Ever See

Hey. Our penal system works.

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Props up to Allan, PhD for the link.

On Writing Digests

She handed him a long, thin black quill with an unusually sharp point.

'I want you to write, I must not tell lies,' she told him softly.

'How many times?' Harry asked, with a creditable imitation of politeness.

'Oh, as long as it takes for the message to sink in,' said Umbridge sweetly. 'Off you go.'

She moved over to her desk, sat down and bent over a stack of parchment that looked like essays for marking. Harry raised the sharp black quill, then realised what was missing.

'You haven't given me any ink,' he said.

'Oh, you won't need ink,' said Professor Umbridge, with the merest suggestion of a laugh in her voice.

Harry placed the point of the quill on the paper and wrote: I must not tell lies.

He let out a gasp of pain. The words had appeared on the parchment in what appeared to be shining red ink. At the same time, the words had appeared on the back of Harrys right hand, cut into his skin as though traced there by a scalpel - yet even as he stared at the shining cut, the skin healed over again, leaving the place where it had been slightly redder than before but quite smooth.

Harry looked round at Umbridge. She was watching him, her wide, toadlike mouth stretched in a smile.

- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Double Whammy

For a couple of days, I and my former boss, had a nice little thread going about the phrase "double whammy." I saw the phrase in their website, and I thought two of the four pillars came crashing down the steps of the main building. (You can't really blame me. It's not only some run-of-the-mill double whammy, it's a "historical double whammy.") Apparently, no such disaster occured. My boss, who actually agreed with me, later on asked some people to make the necessary changes, only to be informed that neither of them has the authority to make the correction, that is oh-so-begging to be made.

As if that's not bad enough, what makes it worse, is that you are practically telling anybody with an IP address, that either there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth because of some horrible, unspeakable catastrophe, or you don't know squat about idioms.

Double whammy means "a double blow or setback." A whammy was originally "an evil influence or hex," and double whammy emerged not long afterwards. Wiktionary refers to the word whammy as "a serious or devastating setback" or "an evil spell; a curse or hex." It is never used in a positive context, and using it to highlight one of the better achievements of your institution in recent years, is like spending the rest of your life on a Caribbean island, sipping piña coladas and strawberry daiquiris with a hot, supermodel girlfriend, and calling it a curse. It doesn't make sense.

If my memory serves me right, this is not the first time they used the phrase. They used it before in the same context, thereby producing the same confusing and wrong result. Now, to me, that is what you call a double whammy.

Do You Have a Cheer?

"Save the cheerleader, save the world."
- Hiro Nakamura

Girls have been with the Babble since a few years after the UAAP came up with the cheering competition. It was weird for some of us, who came and went, without ever seeing a cute girl wearing a blue and white skirt prance at centercourt during halftime. From what I've heard, tradition did not go down without a fight.

Now, not only do you see girls cheering with the Babble during the halftime show, they also dance. Yes. They dance. You know, that stuff that other schools used to do during halftime because they had no cheering squads. Well, actually, they still do that to this very day, only now, they are wearing cheerleaders' uniforms, and chanting pirated cheers. Come on. We all used to make fun of that stuff.

Back in the day, before 2002, when every other team but the Bulldogs beat us, the Babble made sure that we never lost during halftime. You can go to the games knowing that the Babble will at least make your day at the half. Now, we have Kuya Germs' That's.

Please, for the love of everything good and holy, quit dancing during halftime. Maybe it's time to keep the dancing in the cheerdancing contest (which no Atenean I know has really cared about). If I wanted to see dancing, I'd watch Billy Joe's TV show.

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Notes on the UE game:

There were a couple of plays down the stretch in the game last Sunday, which made me think, "God, we really need a point guard."

We really, really need a point guard. Jai Reyes and Eman Monfort are shooters. They are, in fact, very good outside shooters. But, they are not point guards. The UE game, if anything, showed that our guard corps doesn't know what to do with the ball when the game is on the line.

(By the way, UP point guard, and former Eaglet, Mike Gamboa scored 25 points against NU last Sunday.)

Brain Teasers

Can you memorize the following in five minutes or less?

Every will, other than a holographic will, must be subscribed at the end thereof by the testator himself or by the testator's name written by some other person in his presence, and by his express direction, and attested and subscribed by three or more credible witnesses in the presence of the testator and of one another.

The testator or the person requested by him to write his name and the instrumental witnesses of the will, shall also sign, as aforesaid, each and every page thereof, except the last, on the left margin, and all the pages shall be numbered correlatively in letters placed on the upper part of each page.

The attestation shall state the number of pages used upon which the will is written, and the fact that the testator signed the will and every page thereof, or caused some other person to write his name, under his express direction, in the presence of the instrumental witnesses, and that the latter witnessed and signed the will and all the pages thereof in the presence of the testator and of one another.

If the attestation clause is in a language not known to the witnesses, it shall be interpreted to them.

Apparently, neither can I.

Res Ipsa Loquitur

Well, you have to hand it to whoever came up with this, uhm, campaign. After all, do you honestly believe that people would even care to take a second look, if it compared itself to the Tayabas Bible College?

Besides, having your school inside a mall just screams international.

If It's Green, Flush It

Jack Byrnes: "My Mother", by Jack Byrnes. You gave me life, / You gave me milk, / You gave me courage. / Your name was Angela, / An angel from Heaven, / But you were also an angel of God, / And he needed you, too. / I selfishly tried to hold on to you, / While the cancer ate away at your organs, / Like an unstoppable rebel force, / And now we'll meet in Heaven, / And I shall see you / Nevermore, nevermore, nevermore.

Pam Byrnes: Dad, that's beautiful.

Greg Focker: That's amazing, so much love, and also so much information.

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I have read my share of really ugly poems. Trust me, there are very few things in the known universe more horrible than a really bad attempt at writing poetry; and nobody is more pathetic than someone who is harboring some sad delusion, in his heart of hearts, that he can actually write poetry. Or anything at all, for that matter.

(This eureka moment has somehow confirmed, in a really weird and sick way, that birds of the same feather really do flock together.)

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The 70th season of the UAAP is set to kick off on July 7. Most of the games will be held at the NAS, which means that I will probably be watching most the games on TV. The theme is "Recreating the Values of Honesty Through Sports." I don't know about you, but that to me is a swipe, made with all the subtlety and finesse of Lintang Bedol, directed at idiots who are known to falsify public documents to win ball games.

Most of the games in the first round will be played on Sundays. Which is good, because, I am mostly unavailable on Saturdays. The game against the PEP Test Squad is scheduled to played at the Big Dome on Thursday, July 26.

Pressure

Hi 165

"I do not mean to say that our liberty will be secured at the sword's point, for the sword plays but little part in modern affairs, but that we must secure it by making ourselves worthy of it, by exalting the intelligence and the dignity of the individual, by loving justice, right, and greatness, even to the extent of dying for them, -- and when a people reaches that height God will provide a weapon, the idols will be shattered, the tyranny will crumble like a house of cards and liberty will shine out like the first dawn.

"Our ills we owe to ourselves alone, so let us blame no one. If Spain should see that we were less complaisant with tyranny and more disposed to struggle and suffer for our rights, Spain would be the first to grant us liberty, because when the fruit of the womb reaches maturity woe unto the mother who would stifle it! So, while the Filipino people has not sufficient energy to proclaim, with head erect and bosom bared, its rights to social life, and to guarantee it with its sacrifices, with its own blood; while we see our countrymen in private life ashamed within themselves, hear the voice of conscience roar in rebellion and protest, yet in public life keep silence or even echo the words of him who abuses them in order to mock the abused; while we see them wrap themselves up in their egotism and with a forced smile praise the most iniquitous actions, begging with their eyes a portion of the booty -- why grant them liberty? With Spain or without Spain they would always be the same, and perhaps worse! Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow? And that they will be such is not to be doubted, for he who submits to tyranny loves it.

"Senor Simoun, when our people is unprepared, when it enters the fight through fraud and force, without a clear understanding of what it is doing, the wisest attempts will fail, and better that they do fail, since why commit the wife to the husband if he does not sufficiently love her, if he is not ready to die for her?"

- José Rizal, El Filibusterismo

C Minus Traveler

Created by Eugene Villar.

Travel Advisory

What better way to spend the weekend, and the last gasping moments of SCRA-free life, than to overexpose oneself to ultraviolet (UV) radiation at Puerto Galera. There, you can bask under the sun, enjoy the surf and the sand, eat, and maybe swim a little. Be carefree for a few precious hours.

We took the bus to the Batangas City Pier, where we will take a boat that will bring us directly to the White Beach. Once we arrived at Batangas Pier, we were welcomed by dozens of very boisterous locals, who incidentally, also happened to offer boat rides to Galera. Every fucking single one of them. They were all yapping at the same time, and were trying to outshout each other, making every single word they tried to say unintelligible. Well, except for the guy blocking the bus' only door, whose nostril was up my earlobe. You can almost swear they all had the boats up their asses.

It doesn't really change once you arrive at Galera. This time, they will be offering you places to stay. These people, for some unknown reason, cannot comprehend the word "No." (The armed forces should recruit these people.) They are a persistent and unrelenting lot. They are like the Energizer bunny, only less cute and a lot more annoying. In fairness though, the ones at Galera are the "gentler" kind. There is less screaming, but it is no less irritating.

We stayed at the aptly, and quite imaginatively, named "White Beach Hotel." It's not exactly Shangri-la, but they got cable TV, an A/C unit, and an electric fan. Once you turn on the A/C, you'd figure out what the fan is for. There is sufficient water pressure, and if you enjoy the smell of rust in your water, you'll love it there.

The scene at the beach is a virtual seaborne invasion, involving scores of tourists - like us - taking advantage of the three-day weekend, crossing the Verde Island Passage from Batangas to Mindoro. There are as many boats landing on the beach at any given time as there are hawkers back at Batangas. And they come every hour, most probably less. Since they have no other place to land but the beach, every single person on the water tries to stay alive by not becoming the iceberg to the M/B Commando 7's Titanic.

Freedom

. . . is just another word for nothing left to lose.

- Janis Joplin

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Salamat kay kelrudz sa pagpapakilala niya sa akin kay Janis Joplin sa pamamagitan ng kanyang sining.

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Technically, the break started last April 4. But, because of the uncanny ability of some people in our little corner in Diliman to bend time and space, in reality, it did not start until last Monday, when the last requirement was finally submitted. At least, I had the experience to tell me to enjoy it while it lasts, otherwise I would not have been able to get around finishing the following.

1. Watch the three threequels in movie theaters. In a span of a month, I was able to see Spiderman 3, Shrek 3, and Pirates of the Carribean 3, in theaters. That's three more than all the previous ten months combined. (I'm pathetic. Yes I know.)

2. Play as much NBA Live as I want.

3. Witness LeBron James in one of the best playoff performances of a basketball player since some guy named Michael Jordan. In a tight game 5 contest before a hostile crowd, James scored 29 of the Cavaliers' last 30 points, including its last 25, and all the Cavs' 18 points in the two overtimes to finish with 48 points. They won the game 109-107, and eventually finished the series at home in Game 6.

4. Finish the second season of Prison Break, and the first season of Heroes. Prison Break was a lot better when it was simply about breaking out of prison. But, yeah, Hiro is the Man.

5. Blog. A lot.

Unlike some of my more illustrious classmates, I did not get to dance onstage in my swimwear before thousands of screaming Mexicans. Though I sincerely doubt if anyone in his right mind would pay good money, or any amount of money, to see that.

Game Time

The Philippine National Basketball Team, or Team Pilipinas, as expected, has beaten the living organic fertilizer out of the rest of the field in the just concluded Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) men's championship in Thailand. The RP team beat the host country by a measly 20 points last night, after winning its first three games by an average of 44 points.

With the win, the country booked a slot to the Olympic qualifier in Tokushima, Japan, where the next step to bringing Philippine basketball back into the Olympics will take place. There, Asi Taulava (apparently Pinoy) and company would have the privilege of having their behinds whooped by Yao Ming.

It is great to see the Philippines participating, and winning, in international cage meets again, after the debacle that the BAP brought upon us a couple of years ago. I really don't know why it took so long to get rid of the idiots who made up that sissy-ass entity, who insisted on sending inter-barangay champions to international meets, while the best ballers in the country, who are all incidentally playing in the PBA, are ignored.

Congratulations Team Pilipinas. Hopefully, not one of you will run for Congress.

Sore Wa Kibouteki Kansoku Da

Don't you just wish that, sometimes, we could be more like the Japanese?

TOKYO -- Japan's farm minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka, who has been embroiled in a scandal over political donations, died Monday after a suicide attempt, police said.

"He died at 2:00 p.m. (0500 GMT)," a police spokesman said.

The minister had faced allegations that he reported large utility expenses for a government office building.

If sometimes, we were more like the Japanese, in one fell swoop, this country would be rid of corruption:

(1) without having to deal with extradition issues;
(2) without unnecessarily clogging the court dockets;
(3) without needing to cajole 79 tongressmen to sign an impeachment complaint.

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Report from Agence France-Presse.
Japanese translation by Pekto.

Foma*

"The business of a law school is not sufficiently described when you merely say that it is to teach law, or to make lawyers. It is to teach law in the grand manner, and to make great lawyers."

- Holmes

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*Foma are harmless untruths, intended to comfort simple souls.

Wampeters*

1. We've got it all for you!

"The construction of the Php 700-million SM City in a four-hectare lot at the new central business district of Naga City will start before the end of August this year, according to Hans Sy, president of SM Prime Holdings, the largest mall operator in the country."

There goes the neighborhood. Ha!

Seriously though, this is great. A mall. In Naga. Starting December 2008, there will be an actual, real mall within Naga City. Can you believe that? I think I'm repeating myself.

2. Adultery and Concubinage

The news programs and everybody else should really stop glorifying the supposed adulterous affair between the Songbird and the Big Bird. C'mon now. The entertainment rumor-mongers of both GMA and ABS-CBN have been fanning the flames on this for so long and so often, I could almost already swear that this will in some way affect the GNP. What the fuck? The Big Bird has already announced that he will make an announcement (not a typo) sometime soon. No need to remind the viewing public of this future, insignificant non-event every single fucking day. Nobody even knows what the freaking announcement will be about.

By the way, just in case you missed out on the news about Moses and those two big tablets, adultery is a sin. Last time I checked it's still way up there in the list.

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*A wampeter is an object around which the lives of many otherwise unrelated people may revolve.

Mamacita!

In what may be the best news story of the week, INQ7.net has just reported that Angel Locsin will star in a local adaptation of the telenovela that started it all - Marimar.

With her action adventure series “Asian Treasures” set to end in June, Angel Locsin will portray a character that started the telenovela craze in the 1990s—“Marimar.”

According to the article:

Another challenge for the actress would be specific scenes that require her to display her dancing and singing skills.

I'm not really too keen on the singing part, but if I remember my telenovela experience, the dancing portion should be worth looking out for.