Week 17 Bump

A week ago, I woke up, and bam! I suddenly had a bump. And no amount of sucking in could hide my growing belly.

Strangely, though, my last weigh-in showed that I lost some weight. Hamil says it's most likely muscle mass. He's probably right. My legs have atrophied, plus I can no longer detect my triceps under the soft layer of flab. Sigh.

Photo above was taken over the weekend. The little monster experienced his/her first live Ateneo vs. La Salle game--ze huzband was able to score some patron tickets again! Woot! So our blue eaglet felt all of mommy's cheering, screaming, and the occasional jumping-out-of-her-seat-when-Ravena-would-make-a-sick-basket.

Years ago, when I thought about where we would send our kids to school, I considered sending them abroad for university. But I would always think about how they would miss out on the UAAP experience--it's one of the best parts of college life, cheering for your school (whether you're a cheerleader or not). Even if people make fun of our cheers, I get goosebumps whenever I hear the drums starting. (The first time I heard the eight-beat after graduation, I got teary eyed.) It's amazing seeing a sea of blue, united and screaming as one. And I swell with pride whenever we sing the alma mater at the end of the game. Win or lose.

But hey, that's years from now. This one isn't even halfway through making a home out of my tummy! We'll let the little one decide when the time comes.

Sporty Sunday

This day is an absolute dream for sports lovers: Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, Pacquiao vs. Bradley, and Rafa vs. Nole at the French Open finals. Unfortunately, it turned into a bit of a nightmare after that, er, questionable split decision after the fight. Some reactions from my Twitter feed:

Pacquiao was gracious in defeat, Bradley was gracious in his (unexpected) win. The crowd (and the Twitterverse), not so much! My own reactions swung from complete and utter disbelief to psychosomatic symptoms from the stress. Yes, I can get that emotionally invested in sports. I think it's hereditary. Years ago, my boxing-loving grandfather had to be confined after he got over-excited while watching a fight. I think he would have loved Pacquiao, but I'm kind of glad he wasn't around to see what happened today. It would have required a trip to the hospital, for sure!

I guess there's nothing left to say today except one big ¡VAMOS RAFA!

Preoccupied

Haven't posted in agesss, I know. Been preoccupied lately, got so much on my mind. (Will most likely blog next week about a little project we're working on.) And it's playoff season! So my mornings are pretty much spent watching  games. Was heartbroken when my boy DRose was out of the running early on due to an injury. While I've been rooting for  my other boy, KD since then, I can live with the Spurs winning it all. Yeah, I never thought I'd see the day. But the older I get, the more I can appreciate the Spurs. Haha. And I have such ill feelings for both teams playing in the East that San Antonio is the lesser evil. (My respect for Rondo has grown though.)

So anyway, one of the highlights during my blogging hiatus was the first National Championships. That was one of the most incredible finals I've ever seen (comparable to Spirits 2008, when Team Pilipinas won). It was a layout fiesta! You can watch the exciting game in its entirety here (video by Ian Villar). It's between Manila team Sunken Pleasure (our captain, Felix, played for them) and Dumaguete Extreme. For now, take a look at this sick, sick block by my friend Dada. Watch til the end!

Video by Ian Villar

Mankind's Only Hope

Heartbreak. That's the only way I could describe what I felt in the dying seconds of Game 5 of the Eastern Finals. I seriously teared up when my beloved Bulls were eliminated. I was stunned. I was pained. It's not just that I'm anti-Miami (Wade, Bosh, I got nothin' against you. I have issues with that other guy). I am truly a Bulls fan. And not just a bandwagon fan. When D-Rose was a rookie, I saw something in him that I really liked, and so I've had a soft spot for his team. This game will haunt him for sure.

Ugh. I'm still not over it.

Anyway, now, our only hope is this guy...

Please, Dirk, play like you've been playing. Shake off 2006. Save us from the King. He'll most likely get a ring eventually. But please, not just yet.

Anatomy of a Bonfire

What exactly happens when a collegiate team celebrates a basketball championship? I can't speak for other schools, but at the Ateneo (Arreneow), we have a bonfire. And this year, we had a big reason to celebrate: three-peat, baby!

The event usually starts off with a mass, then the crowds spill out onto the school grounds. This year and last, the bonfire was wisely held at the Grade School grounds. (I remember a particularly muddy year at Bel field. Ick. But Parokya totally rocked!) There, all the blue bloods--from grade schoolers to alumni grandparents--wait patiently for their beloved teams to come onstage; while doing so, they walk around looking for friends, or guzzle on beer--one of the rare times alcohol is actually allowed on campus. Food stalls and booths selling souvenir shirts are erected all around and do pretty good business. Hamil and I normally hang out at the ASSOC tent, where alumni of his old org gather. (There was lechon these past two bonfires!) We see people we haven't seen in ages; unfortunately, my close friends aren't a basketball-loving bunch, so we mostly see Hamil's friends. This year though, I bumped into pro baller and member of the '02 championship squad Rich Alvarez, who told me that to him, I "will always be Alvarez." (He used to joke that I shouldn't change my last name when I got married!)

The juniors' team is usually introduced first, and their high school groupies let out little shrieks. And then, the much-anticipated seniors' team and their coach (Norman Black) go up onstage. Key players get interviewed, and hosts normally have a bit of fun with them. This year, American Kirk Long was asked to speak in Filipino. The team was also asked to dance with one of our favorite Blue Babble Battalion boys--the one who dances in the bleachers when most of the crowd has exited Araneta!

After that, the pile of wood is set ablaze!

We then sing the alma mater. Then homegrown bands take to the stage to play the rest of the night. My favorite is Parokya ni Edgar, mostly because they have such hilarious spiels in between songs.

Two years ago, they kept talking about how pogi Chris Tiu was. This year, they talked about their La Sallian bandmate...

Lead singer Chito: "Itong gitarista namin, La Salista. Pero pumunta siya dito para mag-celebrate kasama natin."
Crowd cheers
Chito, to guitarist: "O, bumaba ka diyan, magugulpi ka!" (Try going down there, you'll get beat up!)

While the bands play on, a long line snakes its way to tables, where the team is available for autographs and photos. (The most epic line I've seen in the years I've been going to bonfires is the one after the 2002 championship. Come to think of it, that team was super hyped, guesting on everything from talk shows to sitcoms!)

And then, inebriated with both alcohol and school spirit, people head home, or to a nearby bar. Here's hoping we'll have an even bigger reason to celebrate next year!

Third Time's the Charm

...and so were the first and second!

Congrats to my beloved Ateneo Blue Eagles! Three-peat, baby!!!

For Buenafans and Buenafriends! Photo by ze vonderful Aaron Vicencio.

I feel kind of bad that I didn't get to watch the finals game live, but I probably would have had a heart attack if I had. That was one exciting game! I felt sick as the team struggled in the first quarter. I exalted when Buenafe made that killer three in the fourth. (I am a Buenafan! Haha.) My arms shot up in the air as the final buzzer sounded. My team--the champion once again!

For the uninitiated, I am a pretty big basketball fan, and among all the leagues that I follow, I am most invested in the UAAP (the local collegiate league). I joined the cheering squad back in college because a) I loved dancing, b) I figured if I was going to cheer, I had to do it before I hit my late 20s, and c) I wanted to score free tickets to every game of the season! It was tough trying (mostly pretending) to face the crowd and getting them hyped up, my back turned to the court. But I'd sneak in peeks, or stand on the stairs sideways so that I could still see the action!

Today, I missed yelling "Get that ball!" and "One big fight!" and cheering all the chants I know by heart. I missed the deafening eruption of cheers as Ateneo officially became champions, beating the no.1-seeded team. I missed being on my feet, on edge for 40 minutes. But I definitely won't miss the bonfire! Wheee!

Date Night: PBA and Cafe Bola

We had to move date night to Friday, which worked out well, since Hamil was able to score courtside seats to the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) semi-finals!

We were thisclose to the court! My barely visible outfit: purple tunic (used as a top) from Topshop, white racerback top from tiangge, necklace from Bangkok.

My husband and I are both big basketball fans. Other girlfriends/wives complain that they have to watch their significant others play, but I love watching Hamil on the court (he's pretty good at it). When I was a kid, I used to watch live games with my family (brothers and cousins)--some of us would root for Ginebra, while others were die-hard San Miguel fans. I lost interest for a few years, and became a fanatic when I hit college and started rooting for the Ateneo Blue Eagles. In fact, I joined the cheering squad not because I wanted to parade around in a teeny skirt, but because I wanted to be assured of a free ticket to every single game!

I'm not up to date when it comes to PBA, but it gets exciting when the semi-finals roll around. It would have been nice if Ginebra had made it, but they didn't. We weren't loyal to any particular team playing that day, so to make things more exciting, Hamil and I made a bet. During the second game, we each picked a team (I was for Alaska, he picked Talk N' Text). Loser had to buy the other dinner.

I was pretty confident that I would win since Alaska led for the most part, up by as many as double digits at some point. With 44 seconds to go in the last quarter, things got really interesting...

My team was still up, but by a measly one point! So yeah, Alaska led for the most part--except when it mattered! My team-for-the-night lost by one point! I couldn't frickin' believe it. I was actually squealing from my seat in the final few seconds as Alaska made several attempts, to no avail. I was too shocked to take a photo of the final score.

Great game nonetheless. It did cost me this though...

Hamil's adobo flakes with kesong puti from Cafe Bola.

I used to looove Cafe Bola. They had this kickass sour cream-paprika sauce that I ordered over Carambola (mixed balls made of beef, chicken, and seafood) and pasta, but they've sadly phased it out. My second go-to dish:

Creamy dulong pasta. Yum. Hamil's order was pretty good too. Will try to replicate it one of these days!

I lost, sure, but it was still a thrilling game. Maybe we could score tickets to the finals...


Cafe Bola is located in Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City.

Back to Back, Baby!

I tend not to do two posts a day, but this is an exception.

Epic game. Sloppy first half. Down by double digits. The worst scoring output everrr (or at least this series!) from the Black Mamba--sure, he had 23 points, but 6-of-24? Come on. (At least he tried to make up for it with rebounds.) There was also an inexcusable number of missed free throws. But still, the Staples Center roared behind their team. Artest hustled on both ends--scoring when it mattered and being the bane of Paul Pierce's life. Fisher made a crucial three. Gasol...well, he's proven this season that he ain't soft y'all.

Kobe bailed this team out repeatedly over this season (remember those six buzzer beaters?). This time, they had his back. Awesome Hollywood ending. LAKERS, BABY!!!