A little something for Formula One fans (you know who you are)

First of all, I'd like to say that I have always been a Ferrari fan. Even before Star Sports was even a gleam in the eye of the TV executives who brought it here. Even before Michael Schumacher inked the contract that has seen him become racing's most powerful force. I watched Formula One replays on channel 9 at my grandparents' house, back when their star driver was Jean Alesi.

I followed the races as best I could in 1996 when Schumi signed on (still no Star Sports) only to be depressed as hell when he lost to that arrogant prick Damon Hill, who turned out to be only as good as the Williams-Renault he was driving. I felt similarly depressed in 1997 when he lost to Jacques Villenueve, who turned out to be another Damon Hill (yet who still commanded a Schumi-ish salary for many, many years). I was practically tearing my hair out when he lost to Mika Hakkinen and Mclaren in 1998, particularly when backmarker David Coulthard braked too early and lopped off Schumacher's tire, possibly costing him the championship. In 1999, Michael broke his leg early in the season so I didn't feel too bad about his losing.

As you can imagine, the next five years were utopia for me.

All that said, Formula 1 is incredible to watch now. I say this because no one, from the avid fans I know to the usual F1 fans in the press, seems interested in the sport anymore, owing to the lack of dominance of a certain Scarlet clad racer. There are no clear favorites, the last race was a real nail-biter, and for the first time in awhile it feels COMPETITIVE. Sure, it was pretty exciting in 2003, but this time around seven races have come and gone and Ferrari has not won one of them.

What made Schumi's first Ferrari championship in 2000 so special to me was that it felt like he had spent a lifetime fighting for it. In terms of his tenure at Ferrari, this was exactly true. It didn't bother me at all that he ran away with the 2001 and 2002 tournaments because I felt it was payback for all of his almost-but-not-quite finishes. He had, to my mind, earned his years' worth of championships in all the years he had suffered defeat. And in 2003, he even had a good fight from Raikkonen and Montoya.

Last year, Ferrari's dominance took a little luster away from the sport. I mean, they won over eighty percent of last year's races, and while I was happy to see them win, I was a little bored by it as well.

This year, seven races in, the championship is still wide open. I know people don't find it quite as gratifying to watch without seeing the red car driven by the driver with the red helmet at the front of the order, but for me the uncertainty of it just makes it all worthwhile.

Though I'd be be glad to see Ferrari win races again, I feel that this is the way Formula One should be.

sticker
BloggerBot by Ryan

the next step

adding sticker labels to the plastic cases.
looks like a book now, huh?

RETURN OF THE J-BOYS

Friday night was Star Wars night and I couldn't help but be reminded that we all watched Episode I together as well. The circle was complete then as 4J felt the power of the Force with Episode III, quite fittingly at Greenbelt 3.

It all started with R-Jay summoning a gathering...well, actually, just texting as to who needed tickets. Xander (and Mel), Tini (and Conci), Joey (and Mia), TC and I answered the call. R-jay then mysteriously gave up his tickets to Rhochie and Micki so they were able to join us for that showing - which is amazing since Rhochie ended up on the other side of the world again:

Me: "S'an ka na?"
Rhoch: "Nandito na! Sa may Cinderella!"
Me: "Cinderella? Saan ka pumunta?"
Rhoch: "Di ba Glorietta?"

Thankfully, a few minutes and a long walk from Glorietta later, the Browns arrived and we got on with our movie.

I went into it with low expectations and with Episodes I and II fresh in my mind, so what I got was a pleasant surprise. Dialogue was horrendously sappy or dated but kudos to the lightsaber scenes. All-in-all, I felt that the movie provided me with the closure I needed and wanted to have.

As the curtain now goes down on Star Wars, I send it off with the proper salute...

"Live long and prosper...Nanu nanu!"

Kudos to Lucas

As I write this, a great many of you guys are probably watching Star Wars Episode III: Revenge fo the Sith. Well, I'll spare you a review; suffice it to say I enjoyed the movie immensely, for all its flaws in the acting and the script. I really, really liked it.

Anyway, the only thing I wanted to write about was how glad I am that Lucas has taken a stand on war with this movie, not contenting himself with letting critics and audiences draw parallels between his space epic and the current political situation in the U.S., but rather dotting the 'i's and crossing the 't's himself with lines like "if you're not with me, you're my enemy" and a lightsaber duel between Yoda and Emperor Palpatine in the halls of the galactic senate, of all places. In an interview, Lucas hinted that Episode IV: A New Hope, contained an Anti-Vietnam war sensibility, although it wasn't quite as overt as his Bush/Republican allusions in "Sith."

Few people have a wider audience than Hollywood filmmakers do. While motion pictures are not always appropriate venues for political satire, sometimes it's downright irresponsible to pass up the opportunity to make such statements. While Michael Moore's heart is in the right place, his heavy-handed, ostentatious documentaries are not likely to win anyone over, and the only people who probably saw them were the guys who hated Bush to begin with.

But Star Wars is a commodity that everyone buys, young and old, male and female, democrat and republican, and it is because of this that it is the perfect vehicle for a harsh, if not altogether unsubtle message about the path down which the Bush administration is trodding. I hope that the people who were scared into reelecting Bush get the message when they see the Republicans represented by the diabolical, cackling Palpatine and the brash, gullible Vader, because as unfortunate as it may seem, so much of the world's fate depends on how these idiots vote in three years' time.

Hope you enjoyed the movie!

So what's next on the calendar? Batman Begins? Fantastic Four? Let me know, ok?

TC's blog

To my surprise, another J-boy has a blog. Come see TC's thoughts here.

IN MEMORIAM

From the Ateneo Alumni Office:

Math teacher’s teacher, Fr. Prudencio F. Macayan, S.J., 84

Fr. Prudencio F. Macayan, S.J., who taught mathematics at the Ateneo de Manila University High School for 33 years, passed away at the Jesuit Residence on 8 May 2005, at the age of 84.

Father Mac, as he was fondly called by his students, was born in Ballay, Bauang, La Union and finished his elementary schooling at Naguilian Elementary School, also in the same province. He went to Baguio City High School for his secondary education and then studied at Mapua Institute of Technology, in Intramuros, Manila until the war broke out in 1941.

He entered the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches, Quezon City on 26 April 1944 and continued his Jesuit formation there until 1951.

During his regency from 1951-1954, Father Mac taught religion, English, Latin and mathematics at the Ateneo de Cagayan High School in Cagayan de Oro City.

From 1954-1958, he attended Woodstock College in Woodstock, Maryland, where he completed his Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree. He was ordained on 22 June 1957 by Francis Cardinal Spellman at the Fordham University Chapel, and took his final vows at the Ateneo de San Pablo in San Pablo City on 15 August 1960.

Father Mac was first assigned to the Ateneo de San Pablo as Prefect of Discipline and mathematics teacher from 1959-1966. After San Pablo, he began his long and memorable stint with the Ateneo de Manila University High School, where he taught mathematics from 1966-1999, and served as assistant to the Physical Plant Supervisor from 1999-2003.

His countless students remember him as an exacting tutor who taught them not only competence and ease with numbers, but strength and refinement of character as well. To them, he exemplified a life of “simplicity and truth” and they observed that, through the decades, “he took on life more fully, and growing old, as a moment laden with grace.”

He spent the last two years of his life mostly in the infirmary, consoled by the companionship and prayers of friends and of brothers in the Society, until his death on Sunday, 8 May 2005.

His remains lie in state at the Ateneo de Manila High School chapel, Loyola Heights, Quezon City. There will be a mass every night at 8:00 P.M. Interment will be on Thursday, 12 May, at the Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, Quezon City after the 8:00 A.M. funeral mass at the Church of the Gesù, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

Notes of condolence may be sent to his sisters: Mrs. Virginia Canivel (951 Dogwood Drive, South Slocan, British Columbia, Canada VOG 2GO) and Mrs. Filomena M. Andres (511 Q-M Subdivision, 2600 Baguio City).

BLURBS

1. Congratulations to Jim and Theia! As if passing the bar wasn't enough, the happy couple welcomed a little girl into the world. More to come?
2. Bye Fr.Macayan. Unlike the rest of you, I only had one class with him although the stories about him reached far and wide. Here's to the teacher that borught you all together.
3. To end this entry on a lighter note, indulge me in a quote taken from our last Gram's get-together last Friday.

Rhochie talking about his father-in-law: "Kumakain siya sa kotse ng...yung turon na may togue."

Budoy: "LUMPIA!"

Bwahahahahahahahahahaha!

The Adventures of Bob and Jan (2) by TC Montano

The Adventures of Bob and Jan (1) by TC Montano

Remember this?

Paradigms of Romance

Heh. Leave it to me to wax sentimental on relationships shortly after Ryan's post on the more practical/technical aspects of dating.

Many of us have been committed to serious relationships/married for a number of years now, some longer than others, and thankfully, each of our relationships is as unique as the people currently in them. Because of my little recollection in Ryan's post, though, something about my marriage occurred to me, and I wonder a little about it, even though I've already discussed it with Theia.

If there's anything that my track record of relationships (such as they were) has taught me, it's that nothing is certain, that everything is ephemeral, like The Little Prince's flower.

How does this tie into my marriage? Well, it has no affect on my affection for Theia. We didn't conceive two kids by using petri dishes, after all. Neither does it affect my desire to please her; one of my proudest achievements last year was throwing her a birthday party and getting her a cake for the first time since I'd married her (yes, I know; it's embarrassing, isn't it?). And it certainly does not diminish my appreciation for everything she is to me.

Some of you may know that the first few years in law school were not particularly kind. I was all tapped out; I'd basically poured my heart and soul into my college academics and felt I had nothing left to give, and so I was just passing the time and wondering "what's the point?" Whatever had driven me through college had basically run out of gas. I remember standing in the middle of Marawi City or some far flung place like that and wondering "how the **** am I supposed to pass the bar?"

Theia somehow filled that void, even before Apel came along (although he helped too). It's never been more evident than today, the day that I signed the roll of attorneys and became, for the record, and honest-to-God lawyer. I can honestly say I found the courage to hurdle the bar thanks to her.

Oddly enough, though, our marriage doesn't seem to fit the Jerry Maguire -i.e. you complete me- mold. How would I feel if she left the country and took up with some foreign S.O.B.? How would I feel if she died? How would I feel if---well you get the picture. I would be torn apart by it. I would howl and get drunk and do and say a whole bunch of stupid things...and then I'd move on. Not in a crass, Austin Powersish "oh well, I'm single again" way, but I'd move on just the same, with a few drunken anecdotes along the way. I know this for a fact, and although it probably shouldn't bother me, I must confess that it does.

Does this mean I don't love her enough? It seems like an inane question, but I sometimes can't help but wonder how much desperate, maudlin "neediness" is healthy for a relationship, and how much virtual anticipation of the worst is needed as well.

So what is a better manifestation of love, anyway: the clingy kind of person prone to separation anxiety or the hyperpragmatist who, while in love with his/her partner, already has a battleplan mapped out in case of some kind of catastrophe? Is there some kind of middle ground,, or are the two schools of thought just mutually exclusive? Can a guy be clingy and needy and Jerry Maguirish and still imagine life without his Renee Zellwegger?

I'd just like to know what you guys (and girls) think. I don't think there are any right or wrong answers, but I'd like some other perspectives on this.

game

http://www.wagenschenke.ch/