Pacquiao vs Mosley

This was lopsided from every angle. In terms of fight history, Mosley has been terrible in his last two fights (1 loss, 1 draw) while Manny steamrolled his way over the likes of Margarito, Cotto, Hatton, De la Hoya and a bunch of Mexican fighters. On paper, Mosley has the reach and height advantage but Manny has both age and beard length. If you look at them, Mosley looks old. It’s no wonder that even the Vegas odds were 8-1 for Manny.

So how do you promote this fight then? Easy, by putting that doubt that maybe, just maybe, the ’09 version of Mosley will show up and present a bigger challenge. Writers peppered sports sites with these possible scenarios. Did it work? Nope. We all knew that this was a sure win for the congressman.

I wanted to watch the fight but I couldn’t attend any of the Pacquiao parties my friends organized because of my slow recovery from knee surgery (still couldn’t walk). I was planning on just watching some movies on TV but I got a call from Joesil late in the afternoon and she said they wanted to watch the fight with us at our place. I ordered the PPV online then hooked my Macbook to our TV via HDMI cable. Eunice ordered pizza from Domino’s online and voila, instant semi-surprise party at our place.

Before the fight, the ringside reporters spent 20 minutes basically saying the same things: that Manny is favored to win this and that we shouldn’t count Mosley out (though they can’t give a valid reason other than… “malay mo manalo”). Of course, they hid the message by using those deep boxing terminology.

They announced that the honor guards will present both the US and Philippine flags. Carrying the US flag were four heavily uniformed US soldiers marching and barking out commands. The guy who was carrying the Philippine flag looked like someone they just plucked from the crowd “Hey you’re Pinoy, would you mind carrying this flag in the ring?”. Cute scene, it’s their home court advantage anyway.

By the way, I don’t want to comment on this but is that guy on the left holding uh... er... nevermind...

Charice came in and sang our anthem. No riffs, no changes, she stuck with the marching tune and sang it cleanly. Tyrese came in next, plugged his next movie Fast Five and Transformers and sang an R&B version of the Star Spangled Banner. Time it took Charice to sing our anthem: 1 minute, 2 seconds. Time it took Tyrese to sing Star Spangled Banner: 1 minute, 55 seconds. This doesn’t even include Jamie Foxx singing “America the Beautiful”.

I’m not saying Charice should sing a pop version of Lupang Hinirang (with matching traffic signal hand gestures) but at least we should do something to extend the time allocated to honor the Philippines. Why not have everyone whip out their right hand and recite our Panatang Makabayan?

They showed an LL Cool J rap video where he’s standing in a hallway with neon lights and his entourage that includes a boxe… oh wait, that Mosley! This is his entrance! LL steps to the side as the camera now focuses on Mosley until he reaches the ring. There was a long delay before they Manny entered the ring prompting us to give their own suggestion. Cristy says he should use “Bad Romance”. Jeff mentioned that last year they played that “Pilipino ang Lahi Ko” song. I think he should come out with a Mayweather lookalike then punches him before he reaches the ring.

They played his tune, the Rocky theme “Eye of the Tiger” and to the shock of everyone, Jimi Jamison was there singing it live. I’m betting that 80% of Pinoys don’t even know who sang “Eye of the Tiger” and that 99% of Pinoys have no idea who Jimi Jamison was. Manny’s entourage came out and almost trampled Jimi who didn’t want to get out of the way. Jimi decided to walk side by side with Manny while singing to get as much airtime as he can. I think he wanted to enter the ring and pray with Manny in the corner as well until he was stopped by an even bigger camera hog – Chavit.

Manny “Motolite” Pacquiao was now in the ring with his cool headband when they flashed the rules. The “No standing 8 count” baffled us but apparently, it meant when you’re knocked down, you can’t get up right away and let the count roll until 8. If you got knocked down and you want to rest, stay down until you’re ready.

With all respect to Jimmy Lennon Jr, I really missed Michael Buffer here. Even Bruce Buffer would have worked but “Ittttsssss Showwwwtiiiiimmee!” did not put is in the mood to rumble.

They introduced Kenny Bayless as the referee who’s also African-American. Uh oh. Nah, Bayless is classy. He’ll be fair. I guess I was just 0.00001% worried.

Tayoooooo!!!!

Jeff described Manny’s mouthpiece best: “Para siyang kumain ng sapin-sapin.”

The bell sounded and the match started. You can sum up the match in one sentence: They traded punches until the third round when Mosley got knocked down and from there, Mosley decided that he doesn’t want to get knocked out and aimed to just finish the fight standing up. Yes there was the phantom knockdown on Manny in the 10^th, the numerous high fives and accidental headbutt warnings but the match just wasn’t that exciting.

I’m guessing the producers were desperately looking for something interesting to show on air that they decided to show extended clips of Mosley’s girlfriend watching at ringside.

When the final bell sounded, the people booed. Manny came out to fight but Mosley went to retreat mode early and just didn’t want to get a KO loss. Shane never got to prove why people should respect him more. Does it suck to be Shane? Nah, he earned 5 million dollars from this fight and still has rockhard abs – two things I’ve been wanting to have for a long time.

Even the Manny interview was boring. He didn’t even say any great quote that we can use as a Facebook status.

In the end, it was fun times with great friends. A night that was scheduled to be a snoozer and me taking pain pills all nights morphed into our first ever “semi-surprise pagaling mo tuhod mo Arn” party at our place. Chalk one up to my theory “As long as you have good friends, the glass will will always be at least half full.”

Thanks guys!

2011 NBA Playoffs 2nd Round

It was as good as advertised, if not better. All the matchups and its corresponding subplots played out well (so far). Even the most boring series (Boston vs New York) still turned out to be watchable because you just had to see Carmelo Anthony turn it up a notch and see whether Chris Paul is the solution for them.

This year, I got the privilege of watching every NBA game with Jaye and so I got to explain to her what she needed to know from an NBA fan – not just from a DRose fan, not just a Chicago Bulls fan, not just a 2011 Chicago Bulls fan but from someone who followed and enjoyed the game since the early 90’s.

I explained that higher seeded teams are not a sure shot to win the series and that some teams are just designed to beat certain opponents – case in point, Memphis beating San Antonio and basically ending the Duncan era. Jaye got the bonus story about Tony Parker used to be married to Eva Longoria and that big weird white spot on the top of Ginobili’s head.

I explained why Chris Paul is one of the best persons in the NBA, not just by being an MVP candidate and putting up monster stats almost every night but by the fact that he forgave the kids who murdered his grandfather.

I explained that Dwight Howard has the best muscles in the NBA, that Shaq is the fattest and that Shrek (we never called him Glen Davis anymore) was the second fattest. Oh yeah, I had to remind her that Shaq was still in the league and is still in the playoffs.

I explained that that German guy (easier for her to remember) and Durant had unstoppable offensive moves and were freaks of nature.

I explained that that little guy who looks like a water boy for the Mavericks (JJ Barea) is dating a former Ms. Universe.

I explained that the Denver Nuggets had nothing to do with the manufacturing and exporting of frozen chicken nuggets (No, really.)

I explained the “On/Off switch” that San Antonio, Boston and Los Angeles had. How Boston found theirs, how San Antonio couldn’t find theirs and how Los Angeles found the dimmer switch instead.

I defined the term “playoff foul” and that guys like Jeff Foster were meant to dish those out.

I explained why the New York Knicks couldn’t defend a team from the ABL.

I explained that it was perfectly normal for a crowd to chant “Foster sucks!” or “Pacers suck!” and that it was just sports hate.

I explained, diagrammed and provided metrics to explain the difference between Boozer and Noah. How you’d see Boozer acting like a wimp (was going for another word but decided to keep it wholesome) on defense and how Noah hustles, gets into opponents’ heads and fires up the crowd. She understood this so well that she was shouting for Thibs to sub Gibson in for Boozer.

I explained that DRose was the most valuable player but not necessarily the best player (or the most talented player) in the league.

The second round of the playoffs has already started and it has given another set of subplots to watch: What’s up with DRose’s shoe? Can Boston still get back in the series or can they at least wound the surging Heat if it ends up in the conference finals? Can the Mavs get away with their defensive “strategy” against the Lakers? Are the Grizzlies for real?

I’m sticking with my bets despite the Heat surging and the Bulls stumbling along. I’m guessing the Bulls will finally find their NOS button. Down 0-2, I say the Lakers are done. Oklahoma and Memphis will fight to a virtual draw but Durant will just be too much and I say Boston (down 0-2 as of writing) wins game 3 but loses a big game 4 and eventually the series. Oh, and I say Pacquiao over Mosely via unanimous decision.

Cool video from SportsNation by the way (if you're a Miami fan):

The Surgery

The MRI results on my left knee came out and after translating the medical mumbo jumbo to English, my doctor basically says there’s a structural damage to my knee and it will require surgery to fix. He took out his pen, marked three X’s around my knee then explained that these are the locations where he will cut and insert the tubes through. He clicked his pen and casually told me he does this every Mondays and Wednesdays. I was petrified. Like a manager who just found their application went down, the barrage of questions followed: Will I be back to normal? Tubes?! Are you crazy? Why do you need to drill three holes?! When can I walk again? WHAT?! It costs THAT much?! WHAT??!?!? That’s only the professional fee?!?

Bottom line was, the surgery was just a matter of time as there was no realistic alternative. Jaye and I scheduled the earliest schedule available and I remained petrified for the next couple of days.

The day of the surgery came.

8:30 am – I was already wide awake despite sleeping very very late (we watched the breaking news that Bin Laden was killed). I couldn’t eat breakfast or drink milk (doc's orders) and my tummy was growling. I wondered if there was a way for them to tell if I really did eat something 12 hours before the surgery but decided not to risk it. I don’t want the surgeon to page Jaye and tell her “We couldn’t proceed with the surgery because there were traces of KitKat on his knee.”

9:30 am – We took the cab going to the hospital. The driver was tuned in to the news about the Bin Laden story, there were a couple of newspapers in the front seat that had OBL’s face and he looked pissed, really pissed. I gave him an extra dollar tip and we quickly entered the hospital.

10:30 am – After signing a ton of consent papers, the prepping started. They asked me to wear the medical gown and these really cool socks. Nurses and doctors would come in, introduce themselves and state that they are from some department that ends with “logy”. I never remembered them all.

10:45 am – One nurse came in and injected something on my arm. The skin flared up and I quickly asked, “What was that for?”. She told me it was for them to inject an even bigger needle. She unwrapped this syringe with a HUGE long needle and started jabbing me with it. I turned to Jaye who was confused because I was making these weird faces. It was painful.

11:15 am - My anesthesiologist came in and explained that she will put me to sleep. She gave me a series of questions and ended with “Do you need to pee?”. I said no. When she left, I suddenly had to pee. I hate it when that happens.

11:30 am – Surgeon came in and explained to Jaye what he will be doing. He took out a sharpie and signed my knee. He formally stated his name and that “I, will perform surgery to you, Arnold on the marked knee that I have signed.”. I guess this was for legal purposes. I wanted to raise my hand and say “So help me God.”, but I figured it’s not wise to joke with the surgeon before the surgery.

11:40 am – They wheeled me out of the room and into the operating hall where it was suddenly all white. They wheeled me into the operating room, which was huge and brightly lit. There were so many instruments and lights then they asked me to scoot over to the operating table. A couple more nurses introduced themselves then they plugged all sorts of monitoring equipment to my body. They secured my arms then the surgeon started putting something on my leg. They put on a mask on me and asked me to breathe. Then everything went dark...

12:45 pm – A classic “Where am I?” moment. I was no longer in the operating room. There was a machine hooked up to my arm, checking my BP every 5 minutes. A nurse was walking by and I groggily asked “Where’s Jaye?”. She asked “Who’s Jay?”. I said “my wife”. She said “Oh Jay’s a girl? You’re still in recovery. Sleep first.”

Here we go again.

I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t move my leg but I could twiddle my toes which was good. I bent down and saw that my knee was covered with heavy bandages. I did an external limb roll call and I was relieved to confirm that everyone was present including, you know…

1:30 pm – After a vitals check, they wheeled me out of the recovery room and on to another unrestricted recovery room where Jaye was waiting. A nurse came in with a box, opened it and took out a turkey sandwich. Now I have my wifey and a sandwich, things are starting to turn well for a change. After an hour of resting, they declared me fit to go home and they went through the do’s and don’t for the next few days. I told them I had to go to the bathroom and so I hopped out of bed, on to my crutches and started the painful walk to the toilet. Next thing I know, the nurses (and Jaye) were screaming because apparently I forgot that the robe I was wearing came loose and so the recovery room team saw this big white ass staring at them.

“Sorry!” I said.

Finally, they wheeled me out of the hospital and onto a cab. I guess the plan was to get me home ASAP before the effects of the Novocaine wears off. At least the surgery’s now done and will now be followed by weeks of healing and rehab. As I sit on my bed though, I have a cane on one hand, a canister of Vicodin on the other, my leg hurts and I feel like being a jerk. What could possibly go wrong?

2011 NBA Playoff Predictions

Jaye's bracket

Arn's Bracket

It's that time of the year again! The 2011 NBA Playoffs has it all: the upcoming hero (Chicago), the villain (Miami), the old timers (LA, Boston, San Antonio), the question marks (Orlando, Dallas), the dark horses (Oklahoma, Portland, Oklahoma) and a couple of first round fodders. Each team is flawed in some way and so we have so many possible outcomes from each series. So many questions too: Are the Bulls for real? Can Miami with just 3 players win it all? How many minutes before Shaq injures something again? Are the Lakers really struggling or just bored? Can Dallas beat this tough Portland team? In what game will Lebron "hurt" his elbow again? Wait, Shaq is still in the league!?

Every basketball fan will now have their NBA knowledge tested. Last year, we didn't have this luxury of overanalyzing each series. Everyone picked Cleveland and Los Angeles in the finals and the only real debate was who was better: Kobe or Lebron? Until of course, the Celtics beat up the Cavaliers when Lebron "quit" the last couple of games, the Lakers beat the Celts in the finals, Artest thanking his psychiatrist and Lebron ended the whole Kobe vs Lebron debate himself with the Decision.

This year is really really really really interesting with all the ifs and buts. In the East, I'm picking the Heat over the Celtics in seven. I think Miami will cruise through Philly in the first round too easily that they won't be tested until the second round. Boston will regain some of its swagger for the playoffs until Shaq's body crumbles, Rondo goes disappearing again and father time closes the window on them. I picked the Bulls over Heat in the East final because I trust Thibs knows the formula on stopping the Big 3 and that by then, one of the big three will be hobbled after a physical series with the Celtics.

In the West, I say Portland beats the Mavericks despite being the lower seed, Oklahoma and Durant heats up and beats the aging Spurs setting up an exciting Durant vs Kobe in the West final. I wanna go with OKC on this one but I'm guessing the Lakers will find a way to stop Durant and overpower their already big frontline.

Then again, I could be wrong.

Basil and Mint

Jaye had this sudden craving for Chicken Basil and asked me to make some for dinner last night. I guess it was easy for me to go to Star of Siam, order a chicken basil, return home, ditch the containers and heat the stuff in a pan (sprinkle around a pepper here and cooking oil there to mimic kitchen mess). I know though it wouldn't work because we've had that dish so many times already, she'd know if I faked it.

I went to Argyle and picked up a bag of basil and a bottle of kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)... and a few cans of corned beef to replenish my hidden stash of corned beef in the cupboard. For dinner, I cooked the chicken basil and added the leaves last. The smell of burning garlic was now replaced by the smell of toothpaste and gum. I smelled the leaf, it had a hint of mint aroma but oh well, the leaves are already in the dish and Jaye's tummy was growling like a bear. At that point, I was having this slow realization that I may have messed up this dish THAT bad.

I served the chicken "basil" and changed the topic to something more stressful so hopefully she won't recognize it.

"Bakit parang iba lasa?"

"BASIL yan." (galit pa kunwari)

"A bakit? Itong dahon ba yung kakaiba? Oo nga no, parang mint!"

(damn, I played the defensive card too early.)

It was a good thing she was hungry because the chicken basil bowl was empty 15 minutes later. So what was it? I did some research and it turns out that I picked up a bag of sweet basil and that it's part of the mint family.

I learned from this experience that (1) mint is like gum, sweet basil is like chewed gum, (2) there's no tricking Jaye, (3) when I'm really, really bored, I shouldn't blog about leaves.

(By the way, if you're really curious, that's basil on the left and that's mint on the right)

Choosing the Mobility Aid

I had the choice of picking up which mobility aid I can use while my knee heals. Here’s the situation: I can stand up on two legs. I can walk slowly but for a maximum of 5 to 6 steps (after that I’ll need to rest a minute). I can climb up and down the stairs one step at a time. I can’t run. I can’t jump. If you tell me there’s a venomous snake behind me, I’ll do a superman dive then crawl away.

Doctors will recommend which aid to use based only on effectiveness and the type of injury you have. That’s boring. I don’t do boring. I think we should really analyze the pros and cons of each option available.

Cane

Pros: It’s mobile and lightweight which means you can carry it around without much hassle. It’s cheap and will fit a standard balikbayan box. It also serves as an instant weapon in case someone wants to mug you (think you can hit a mugger with a wheelchair?). You can also hold your cane in a Battojutsu style so you look more terrifying (something like Kenshin Himura’s Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki). Carrying a specific cane also boosts your coolness factor since you’ll look like a drug lord or even Dr. Gregory House (they sell House’s replica cane over at Amazon).

Cons: You’re susceptible to falling down if someone accidentally hits your cane in a crowded place. Use it all day and you’ll end up with a sore shoulder and a sore wrist (then again, why walk all day if you have a bum knee?).

Crutches (armpit style)

Pros: It’s more comfortable and more stable than a cane.

Cons: Not so mobile because of its length and you may want to steer clear from dark alleys as you will look like an easy target. It requires more effort to use which means you’ll sweat more. If you sweat more then press your shirt against your armpits… you get the idea.

Crutches (forearm)

Pros: A little more comfortable than those armpit crutches.

Cons: Less support since your wrist now bears your weight. Everytime you look at the mirror with these on, you can’t help but replay that scene from “There’s Something About Mary” where Tucker drops his keys.

Walker

Pros: Does the job well.

Cons: A little OA.

Wheelchair

Pros: You always have a seat when you take the bus. Adds to your coolness factor if you get one that’s like Professor X’s.

Cons: Too OA. No wait, extremely OA.

Staff / Rod

Pros: It’s unique, it serves many purpose, it’s mobile and you have two cool options to choose from - you can get something like Moses’ rod or Gandalf’s white staff. When the bus stops in front of you, raise your staff and watch the bus kneel down in front of you (close your eyes and raise both arms for added effect).

Cons: No one will take you seriously in life. Ever.

The cane won by a hair. I was making a serious case for Jaye to allow me to have the Moses rod or the Gandalf staff but she didn’t believe me when I promised I won’t try to part the puddles along Dearborn St. She didn’t believe me when I said I wouldn’t stand in the middle of the pedestrian crosswalk along Clark shouting “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!”.

Darn. She knows me too well.

Bulls vs Suns

The Chicago Bulls are having a phenomenal year. Derrick Rose is having an excellent season and he’s poised to win his first MVP trophy, Coach Thibs has installed an effective but watchable defensive system, they signed the right players to plug the gaps, everyone has been healthy and the Bulls are three games ahead of Miami and Boston for the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference with just a handful of games remaining. For the icing on the cake, the Bulls also have NBA’s equivalent of me in the team – Brian Scalabrine.

We decided to get lower level seats to watch the Bulls take on the Phoenix Suns at the United Center. Why the Suns?

- I didn’t want lower level seats to watch the Bulls beat up bottom dwelling teams where Rose is already icing up his knee and Noah already putting on conditioner midway in the 3^rd quarter.

- The run and gun style of the Suns means they’ll probably score over a hundred. Their previous game is in San Antonio (which mean’s they’re probably tired) so most likely they’ll lose. Win + >100 = Free Big Mac.

- Tickets for the big games (vs. Atlanta or vs Boston) were severely overpriced. Lower level seats against the Suns are the priced the same as nosebleed seats against the Celtics.

- It will be fun watching Steve Nash and Grant Hill play.

- I can finally boo Vince Carter in person (I’ll explain later).

We arrived just in time for the player introductions complete with the “running of the Bulls” video and “Sirius” in full blast. I’ve always secretly wished I could arrive in the office the same way these guys show up for work.

When the game started, I can’t help but notice how scrawny Steve Nash is and how much he looked like James Blunt. He does not physically look like a two time NBA MVP but you can see the way he does the simple things like passing to the wings, running screens and bringing down the ball that he has the fundamentals mastered. I have tons of respect for the guy.

Janice tapped me and asked if that “Grant Hill” was THE Grant Hill. I said yes. Grant Hill was considered to be one of the best players in the NBA in the late 90’s. He was one of the most popular players around because of his awesome dunks, his success from college basketball, his likeable personality and the fact that he married an R&B star. That was until he broke his foot and missed almost three years of action. It’s a good thing he came back from the injury and reinvented himself in Phoenix.

Vince Carter. Ah, Vince Carter. If you watched his highlights, you’ll love him. If you saw his dunks, you’ll line up to buy his shoes. If you watch him for an entire game (especially if it’s a big game), you’ll cringe. If you watch him for a season, he’ll make you want you to shoot yourself. He’s not the person who would lead his team to victory. He lacks toughness (mental any physical) and he doesn’t have any real passion for the game. If you want a Carter equivalent of an IT professional, he/she would be the one who creates great applications, submit reports on time but during major deployments or critical issues he would call in sick and will be seen strolling around the mall with his girlfriend.

One thing worries me about the Bulls and his name is Carlos Boozer. He has the biggest contract in the team but he’s not an elite player. He’s a decent player who shoots and rebounds well but he virtually has no defensive talents and he’s often injured. You shouldn’t be surprised if you heard he was mangled by a lion, got kidnapped by aliens or if he tripped on his gym bag… oh wait, that last one actually happened.

Kyle Korver is the other player I wanted to observe closely during the game. He only does one thing but he does it very well and that’s shoot the three. He runs around to lose his defender, catches the ball and either shoots if he’s open or passes it back then runs around again in circles. With my knee injury, I patterned my game to his by practicing hitting three pointers on the run. I still can’t shoot like him, I still can’t run like him but at least I almost weigh as heavy as he does.

Derrick Rose is the real deal. He’s an excellent player with a competitive mentality and a humble personality. Ask him about his MVP year and he’ll credit it to his coach and teammates. Ask him about his other awards and he’ll tell you he didn’t deserve it. Ask him for a dollar and he’ll give you ten. Definitely, the role model you want your kids to grow up cheering for.

The game was close at first until the Bulls blew it open and took a 20+ lead until the third quarter. It was a boring game until Vince Carter willed the Suns back in the fourth and cut the lead to 2. I still thought the Bulls would win because of Derrick Rose (and the Suns would lose because they had Vince Carter). I was right, with the Suns having an opportunity to tie the game, Carter threw a wild air ball and gave the ball back to Chicago.

This brings me by the way to the play of the night. I know the “MVP” chant whenever Rose was in the free throw line but this was the first time I heard and saw the “MVP” chant during live play. With the Bulls hanging on to a two point lead, the ball was with Rose as he was dribbling it on the right-center side. People started to chant “MVP! MVP!”. Rose dribbled the ball, did a drive fake, shot a step back jumper and swished it in. Crowd went bananas, Bulls up by four, timeout Phoenix. Korver sealed the game with a free throw. Bulls win 97-93.

It was truly a memorable game. Rose proved to me that he deserved this year’s MVP trophy. The Bulls proved that this was indeed their year. Nash proved to me that he can still play and Vince Carter proved that he really does suck. This was a free Big Mac away from being a perfect night.

The Knee Injury

Yep, it’s injured again and it looks bad. I can’t bend it or put any weight on it which brings a boatload of inconvenience every minute of every day. Simple tasks like getting a glass of water or taking a bath now takes twice as long. It hurts a lot and I always wonder how this will affect me playing sports in the future, particularly basketball.

When I first injured my knee a few years ago and returned to the basketball court after rehab, I was getting the “old man treatment” from my friends where they never really defend me as a courtesy (“Injured na nga babantayan mo pa… kawawa naman”). At first it was annoying but when I saw video clips of myself playing it was then I realized how slow I was moving sidewards. My friends actually had a point.

That was AFTER the first injury. What now after this second one?

I know I have lots of reasons to complain but as I sit down with my knee iced up and a walking cane at hand, I’m not bummed out at all with the whole incident. I’m not sad that I reinjured my knee. Maybe I’m a little worried about the cost of the checkup/tests which I could have used to “free” some of the “prisoners” in my Amazon.com wishlist but I’m not sad. I’m actually thankful because:

1 – If my guess is right that I only tore my knee cartilage, I’ll consider myself lucky. When you tear the cartilage, you usually end up tearing the ligaments behind it. If I escape without ligament damage, it’s like when a burglar decides to rob your home, goes over the gate and steals only the welcome mat.

2 – It could have been a lot worse if Jaye didn’t have me buy these heavy duty metal knee braces that I was wearing during the game.

3 – For some reason, I got leg cramps and I ended up sitting out the last two games. If I played on those two games with an already injured knee (note that I wasn’t aware that time I was hurt) I could have injured it more. It was like God telling me "You're done for the night tubby, here are leg cramps for you, go sit down."

4 – This was the game where I did extra stretching exercises to make sure I was completely limbered up prior to playing.

I remember the first injury… when I was thirsty, I used my crutches to get up and limp to the fridge, get a glass of water then plop back to the couch. Now when I’m thirsty, I use my cane to get up but Jaye pushes me back to my chair and she’ll get me a glass of water and a pack of Kit Kat (she eats half of it though). My injured knee reminds me of how lucky I am to have someone take care of me (and eats half my Kit Kat stash).

* cue cheesy music *

American Idol 2011 Top 12

This week’s theme? Songs from your birth year. Last week was a mediocre episode and Jaye and I weren’t even looking forward to this episode but oh well, we needed some background noise while eating dinner. Jaye and I predicted a horrible episode and we ended up having a horrible episode.

Now we ask... what's wrong with Steven Tyler? Did his scriptwriters made him memorized prewritten review points? At least JLo was making some sense (albeit not much).

Naima Adedapo
“What’s Love Got To Do With It” by Tina Turner

If you’re going to be bad, at least be interesting. This formula worked last week for her only because there were at least three others who were both and and boring. This week? She was so out of tune I had to switch to other channels to check if something’s wrong with the TV. The beginning of the song was terrible, she missed most of the notes and the ending was a disaster.

Unwatchable.

Grade: F

Paul McDonald
“Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” by Elton John

He was like this drunk uncle in a wedding who hogs the microphone, sings violently and everyone just claps and watches him enjoy himself until someone plugs out the microphone adapter.

Grade: B-

Thia Megia
“Colors of the Wind” by that Pocahontas girl

Played it safe… really safe. You can see in her face that she doesn’t have the confidence (yet) to take on the competition. Last week, she tried to incorporate some jazz tunes into her performance and the jazzy part failed so this week, she went back into her shell, went back to her normal ballad range and did a decent performance. Good enough to survive.

Grade: B+

James Durbin
“I’ll Be There For You” by Bon Jovi

Good thing he was entertaining and confident because the vocals were just decent (missed a couple here and there). I hate to make him the lock to win this competition not because he’s good but because the rest of the group is just terrible. It's his competition to lose now.

Grade: A-

Haley Reinhart
“I’m Your Baby Tonight” by Whitney Houston

Took a gamble and played around with the song using both her sweet and raspy voice but she kinda tripped and was out of tune again. At least she wasn’t worse than Naima.

Grade: C

Stefano Langone
“If You Don’t Know Me By Now” by Simply Red

Great performance except for the last 2 seconds of the song. Did a fly enter his mouth? Once he gives a mind blowing performance, I’m ready to name him as the dark horse to win. IF he gives a mind blowing performance.

Grade: A-

Pia Toscano
“Where Do Broken Hearts Go” by Whitney Houston

She has the looks, the range and the guts to take on tough songs. She may be the best female contestant around but how does she rank against Jordin Sparks, Carrie Underwood, Fantasia and Kelly Clarkson? Not so good eh?

Grade: A-

Scotty McCreery
“Can I Trust You With My Heart?” by Travis Tritt

He’s beginning to be as predictable as sunrise. He has a country voice, sang a country song and will manage to stay another week in the competition. It will be interesting what he does on a non country theme week though.

Grade: B+

Karen Rodriguez
“Love Will Lead You Back” by Taylor Dayne

You wonder why she’s been holding back at the start of the song, intentionally softening her voice during the high parts and when she did try to belt it out, you wished she never did. Something tells me she'll do a JLo song first before James can do an Aerosmith song.

Grade: B+

Casey Abrams
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana

Glad to see him out of the hospital but a "rocker voice" is raspy in a unique and audible way. When they belt out, it should be loud but still audible. They don't screech. It looked like he lost a bet to someone and he had to sing a random song from his iPod.

Grade: B-

Lauren Alaina
“I’m the Only One” by Melissa Etheridge

Skit acting fail for both of them (Melissa and Ryan Seacrest) prior to the performance. The song performance on the other hand was actually nice. Maybe the flu did give her a little raspier voice but it sure worked.

Jacob Lusk
“Alone” By Heart

Oversang the song just like Jim Carey overacts scenes. He has a great range and picked a great song but sometimes you just want someone to sing it the right way. The Glee version is better for me and I hated that.

Grade: A-

Bottom three: Naima, Haley and Karen

Out: Naima

American Idol 2011 Top 13

Steven always likes it (or always agrees with Randy and JLo), JLo doesn’t make sense and Randy just seems to just go with the flow. I still think American Idol needs a gong, more contestants in bikinis and Ricky Gervais.

That tears it! I’m writing my own reviews!

Lauren Alaina
“Any Man of Mine” by Shania Twain

Picked a safe song and sang it in a safe way. She manages to give a decent but forgettable performance with the aim of just making it to next week then hopes that one or two people slip up and forget the words or something. It’s the best tactic in elimination reality shows though, just be faster than the slowest guy around.

Grade: B-

Casey Abrams
“With a Little Help From My Friends” by Joe Cocker

I guess Idol made it clear they don’t want any guitar playing soft rocker anymore and this happy guy may be what they’re looking for. I’m still waiting for that one big night where he ultimately shows his vocal range… or the night his beard gets tangled in the microphone head.

Grade: A-

Ashton Jones
“When You Tell Me That You Love Me” by Diana Ross

Didn’t like it. It looks like she was more focused on looking good on camera than nailing her notes. She did get the high note in the end but everything else before it was not so good.

Grade: C+

Paul McDonald
“Come Pick Me Up” by Ryan Adams

Came out with a marine uniform and looked really really creepy at the start. Jaye asked me three or four times if he was high and I didn’t have a good answer. Quirky has been overused to describe him and it will be interesting what he does in the upcoming weeks.

Grade: B+

Pia Toscano
“All By Myself” by Celine Dion

Great performance but again, you don’t want to peak in this competition this early. She could have danced the chicken dance, smiled in front of the camera, Steven Tyler would like it, JLo would cry and Randy Jackson would say it’s good dawg good and she still wouldn’t be voted out.

Grade A-

James Durbin
“Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney

I’m surprised he didn’t scream the entire song out. He toned it down a little and gave a solid and confident performance. He still needs to separate himself from Adam Lambert (or according to Jaye - Adam Sandler... eh?).

Grade: A+

Haley Reinhart
“Blue” by LeAnn Rimes

Zzzz... huh? Song’s done? Why is Miley Cyrus on the stage? Oh wait…

Grade: zzz

Jacob Lusk
"I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly

Three things Jaye and I were debating about: (1) whether or not he should concentrate on his low voice range or high voice range, (2) whether he should sing something more up tempo and (3) if you can fit three or four golf balls in his mouth.

Grade: B- (meh)

Thia Megia
“Smile” by Michael Jackson

Great start but terrible finish. Jaye told me if I wasn’t writing anything good about her, just don’t write anything at all.

(empty space)

Grade: uh… abstain?

Stefano Langone
“Lately” by Stevie Wonder

This song is for people who can reach and sustain the high note but instead he danced his way around it. He felt as comfortable as someone who’s trying to eat soup with a fork. (Jaye: wag mo awayin yan! Love ni Tere yan!)

Grade: F... as in "Fine..."

Karen Rodriguez
“I Could Fall In Love” by Selena

I quickly pointed out that she was sucking up to JLo since JLo played Selena in one of her movies. 5 minutes into the song and I gladly washed the dishes just to get out of the living room.

Grade: D

Scotty McReery
“The River” by Garth Brooks

The song’s great. Voice is smooth and he gave a clean performance but he violated one of Jaye’s rules: “Wag kang feeling pogi kung di ka pogi”. I still think he looks like Tucker from “There’s Something About Mary”

Grade: A-

Naima Adedapo
“Umbrella” by Rihanna

She was all over the place and I think at one point she even mistimed her breathing. She was fun to watch and she gave a complete song and dance performance but if you’re going to tire yourself out dancing, concentrate on singing first.

Grade: C+

Bottom 3 Prediction: Ashthon, Karen, Haley

I say Karen goes out, Steven likes everything again and JLo still won't make any sense at all.

Finally... my first Mac!

My old Toshiba laptop has officially announced its impending retirement. It has served me well, very well. I got it back in August 2006 from Best Buy along Clark and at that time it was one of the top of the line machines available. It had a huge 17 inch display, it used the very stable Windows XP operating system and it was ready if I decided to upgrade that time to this thing called “Windows Vista”. After more than 4 years of service, the speakers have disintegrated, disk space has become a constant challenge (it had 90GB of available space for personal files), the hard drive “clicks” every minute, it took 4 years to boot, 5 years to shutdown and a decade to defrag.

Now, I have my first Mac as I tread through uncharted territories (I’ve never even used a Mac before). Jaye bought me the best, the most powerful and the baddest 15 inch MacBook Pro available. I’m still testing all its features but I’m completely blown away by the specs alone. We got it from the Apple Store along Michigan Ave. and in addition to the laptop, she also bought a wireless HP printer. I know we went a little over the budget (by “little”, I mean it’s like walking from Chicago to Indiana is a “little” far) but it’s completely worth it.

I’m enjoying the Mac life so much the past few days. Thanks again honey! =)