It has been days already and nary an update from me! Do I blame work for that? Heck no! Because lately, I haven't got any projects. Although my site counterparts have given me fair warning already that alot of work is coming my way. Bummer! That is why I'm making hay while the sun is out! I've been spending alot of time on the net. Searching for possible ideas and inspirations on --- guess what? --- graphic and web design !!! The world of art(whatever media it may be) have always fascinated me. Though I didn't go to school for it, I have always felt I can hold my own in that vast field. It's one of those things wherein you woke up and discover you could draw... or something like that.
Now, I'm trying my hand to develop a decent personal site. It might showcase some of my traditional paintings and the like. The aim here is - whatever it'll turn out to be, i'll enjoy creating it. Watch out for that.
** feeling PATRIOTic **
The Patriots are in SuperBowl XXXVI ! Get a load of that !
Since the last time I posted something about them, they had won over the Jerry Rice' Oakland Raiders in the playoffs and Kordell Stewart's Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship. This is definitely a cinderalla season for the Patriots. Winning it all this coming Sunday in New Orleans against the tough St. Louis Rams will cap this magical run.
As always, they will enter the game as underdogs. Nevertheless, New Englanders still hope they can kick some goat's ass !!!
While I consider myself to be a true-blue football player and fanatic, I still made room for other sports. One of these is American Football. Ever since a friend of mine introduced me to its rules, I did find some logic as to why they keep banging each other's heads off on the field. The offensive team(the one with the quarterback on) will try to inch their way to the endzone for a touchdown while the opposing team will defend with all their brute and might to stop them. That's how simple it is really. It's just like basketball or soccer. Now, I find myself cheering whenever I watch a game.
Last Sunday I cheered... for the New England Patriots. It has been forever since they last entered the playoffs. Much more top their division! When I was in Boston, most people I talked to were not too optimistic about the home team's chances at the start of the season. Add to that the controversy with Tom Brady(the fill-in qb) getting the nod from the head coach to start the game... FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON(!!!)... while sidelining their star quarterback Drew Bledsoe even if he was already activated from the injured list. There was an uproar especially with the pro-Bledsoe fans. But last sunday, Brady proved all his non-believers wrong.
It was already the playoffs. They were up against the vaunted Oakland Raiders led by Jerry Rice. They were down 10 points with a few minutes to go. Then Brady made his move. He instigated a run by scoring a touchdown himself. With under a minute to go, they punted to tie the game. Overtime. Then a chance to win the game with a punt came. They went for it. And the rest is history.
If I was in Cebu(my real home) now, I'd be training with Graeme MacKinnon's boys. He's the Australian coach who started the MLSDF. When I was in high school, I used to follow his M. Lhuillier team. They were unbeatable in Cebu in the 80's and eventually won the 1988 National League title. In the middle 90's however, the team disbanded for a couple of reasons... the players were getting old, other teams were catching up to their success and what topped it all was - the players became big-headed and disillusioned by the titles they won. That led Graeme and his captain, Mario Ceniza, to head a foundation which would teach football at the grassroots level.
I can still remember those 8 to 9-year old kids watching the senior games. As the games progressed, they were taught why the referees blew their whistles, why fouls were called, why that was a good play, why the other team lost, etc. In other words, they had first-hand knowledge of what a football game is all about at a very tender age. In their first few games, Graeme listed them to play against bigger and older opponents thus losing by as much as 15-0. That's a lot! But then through the years, they've never waivered on their aim... to be the best football team that Cebu have ever produced... and maybe in time, the Philippines.
Now, it's happening. Their time has come. The MLSDF Carmen team, with an average age of 15, is toppling the dominant football forces one by one. They sailed through the All-Visayas Under-16 Coke-Go-For-Goal title with ease. Disposing traditional football powers like Dumaguete, Ilo-ilo and Bacolod is no easy feat but they did it with great aplomb. That is why they'll be representing the core of the Visayas team for this year's National Coke-Go-For-Goal championship.
When I was in Cebu last December for the holidays, I hooked up with Graeme and practiced with them in Sabang, Danao. His players were awesome. At fourteen-fifteen years of age, they sure played more like seniors! Off the field, they don't relax either. Graeme introduced a boxer's training regimen as crosstraining! How are you gonna beat a football player whose feet is a light as a boxer's? How are you gonna tire a football player with an endurance and stamina like that of a boxer's? Very wild indeed!
So for this year's Coke-Go-For-Goal, I boldly predict the Visayas team to win it all. In any case, I will always root for the home team. Hehehehe!
Yesterday was a major revelation for me. It revealed that I'm in no condition to play any competitive football unless I wanted to look like a scarecrow on the pitch. I'm sure my skills didn't leave me. But man, those fast counter-attacks really killed me. I used to outsprint defenders whenever I want but yesterday, I was very sluggish. It's hard to accept those kind of things especially if you had already experienced being on top of your game.
But I'm willing to do my share. I'll get myself back in playing form. I'll make sure of that.
It has only been hours since I started this Blog*Spot and I'm already on my 3rd entry for the day. Lots of things on my mind and it seems that all of them are trying to get out at the same time. Maybe it's all those pent up ramblings while I was still "blogless".
I'm thinking about football right now. Not American football but rather the one those Yanks call soccer. I prefer to call it football since it's a very apt name for the way it's played. When I was in Boston, I only got to play once. There's a public park in Cambridge, Massachusetts where Hispanics also played league football. Unfortunately, a lovely Fall season got in the way and made everywhere else too cold to play outside.
Now I'm back and very much rarin' to get into the groove again. Last Saturday I played futsal with my Lateo teammates at the Rockwell futsal courts. We're preparing for a futsal tournament this coming February. I hope to be fit when that time comes because I can tell you honestly, I'm way over my playing weight! The extra pounds are just killing my quick spurts to the ball. THE SPIRIT IS STRONG BUT THE FLESH IS WEAK !!! Hahahaha!
On the brighter side, I'm just glad to be playing football again. Losing weight, stronger stamina and endurance will ultimately follow. Forza Lateo !
Okay... So it does work. Sorry if I sounded like a cynic. Somehow when you're online, there's always a chance of messing things up... whether it's caused by you, by a server, or by a badly created website. Hehehe! Blog*Spot is doing a good job though.
You might be wondering - "What's with the "duway-duway" thing?!!!". Well folks, it's a personal word I coined when I was still two years old. In vernacular Cebuano(the dialect which I speak), it's supposedly "drowing-drowing" or "drawing-drawing" if you want to be technical about it. I love to draw, sketch, paint and everything else related about it. And I started young! But being two years old, I made up my own language. And with the help of a toothless grin, I came up with "duway-duway". Mind you, I can still clearly remember those days when I wanted to "duway-duway" and ask for a pencil so I can start doodling away. My grandparents' books will be a constant reminder of those times. Why? Because that's where I scribbled and doodled my ice cream cones and my stick houses!
Now, after 25 years that "duway-duway" was coined, it still carries the same meaning(as what that two-year old wanted to say) and more. It still means, "I want to draw... I want to sketch... I want to paint... and I want to express what I feel in any which way I can... whether through this blog, through the arts or on the football(soccer to you Yanks out there) field, which incidentally is the game I love to play and get passionate with.
This blog will be about all those and more. If I'd have the time, I would update this as often as I can. Like today, I had already written two entries including this one! Goes to show I'm not doing anything related to my day job. Hehehe! Oh well, I'll take these kind of days anytime. Ho-hum.
Whoaa! Finally got my own blog. Took me awhile to decide whether I should do this or not but now, I'm glad I did. Anyways, since this is my first entry - I'll make this short. Got to check if this "Post & Publish" thingie really works. Later.