It's Not An Obsession, It's A Passion

I've been a Red Sox fan since they won the World Series in 2004, the year I graduated from grad school, and I've always dreamed about getting a piece of that Red Sox history. Just this afternoon I passed by the Akt!v store in Greenbelt and they do sell a lot of New Era caps. Aside from the regular baseball caps, they also sell NBA, Filipino and Muhammad Ali caps, but the one that grabbed my attention was the navy cap with a red 'B' on it, obviously the Red Sox cap. I was able to see the Yankees, Tigers, White Sox, Braves, Dodgers and Phillies (my other favorite team) caps, but I really wanted the Red Sox cap because of my passion of cheering for the men in Fenway. So I churned up all my money and used it just for the cap. Eventually I bought it, but by the time I went home I'm barely emptyhanded. Still it was all worth it.

No wonder why I'm so much loving Boston sports, especially the Celtics and the Red Sox. I may not get any Bruins souvenirs, but the best I could do will be yellow laces on my black sneakers.

As for my savings, I need to get them all back within three weeks. The plan is, I'm not consuming on late afternoon snacks in order to save money. Good luck with my money plans.

39 Ends Today... 100 Begins Today

First of all congratulations to the Boston Bruins for winning the Stanley Cup Championship. It's been 39 years already, and to the likes of Ray Bourque, Cam Neely, Andy Moog, guys unable to win the Stanley Cup during their time in the black and gold, this one's for you. And for the current group of Bruins, such as Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Tim Thomas, Mark Recchi and the other players, congratulations for bringing the title back to Boston.

Coincidentally, my graduation years have occurred at the same time a team from Boston won a world championship in U.S. professional sports. When I graduated from grade school, the New England Patriots of gridiron football won the Super Bowl, and as I was starting high school, baseball's Boston Red Sox won the World Series after an 86-year drought. As I was about to finish high school, the Red Sox won it all again, and as I was starting life in college, the Boston Celtics of the NBA ended a 22-year wait by winning their 17th NBA championship. Now as I was about to finish college, the Bruins have ended a 39-year drought by winning the Stanley Cup title. How lucky I was to have a Boston-based sports team win a championship on the year I was about to graduate and start a new life. That's sheer coincidence.

On a day the Bruins ended a 39-year Stanley Cup title drought, De La Salle University was celebrating its centennial. I was supposed to wear black and gold instead of my customary green, but I decided to wear green in the expectation of a lot of students wearing every kind and shade of green in their shirts. As I arrived, the place was overflowing with men and women in green shirts, a lot of which have a statement commemorating the university's centennial. It's almost like an Ateneo-La Salle game at the Araneta Coliseum except only a few notables are wearing Ateneo's blue. And the place, as humid as it is, made me remind of the Bruins' old home, the notoriously hot and un-airconditioned Boston Garden.

The entire day took its toll on me, but not before I was able to meet some of my college friends. It was a moment to remember, reminiscent of my first day in college, a memory that seem endless. Every moment sinks into my mind with every passing day, as if it never ended. College, after all, made me safe with all the people surrounding you.

As I'm about to wind down on college, I never stopped reminding myself of the goal that needs to be reached: to pass thesis and all my remaining subjects. And it is still my goal, and with two months remaining, it is still achievable. But till then, the best option is working hard.

Now that the euphoria of the centennial day has ended, now it's back to better things on hand.

It's a Taft Life

So far, in the first week of school, I seem to have fun. Was it because I'm not concerned about the renovation and ongoing construction inside DLSU? Perhaps. Or is it because I only have four subjects and thesis remaining on my college life? Definitely so. But what I wanted to see was the sight of the frosh students experiencing their first baby steps in college. That's almost a done deal. If only I would still see them for the next three months.

That's because first term of this year will be the only time I'll see the frosh in person, most especially my old high school mates. They were what I called the 'final bridge', because I got to see them back when they were high school frosh and I was a senior. They provide the final pieces to my puzzle; an endless array that keeps on growing piece by piece. By October that puzzle is finally complete, through all the eight years of this stage of my life.

On this boulevard filled with constant student movement, pedicabs barking, and cars running, it's a typical life whenever students come in to study. By early June, when the Scholasticans begin another school year, it'll be a world as active as ever. The final moments of my college life got underway, and I just need to savor them.

Bruins for the Cup

"Oh Lord Stanley, give me the brandy", uttered Pittsburgh Penguins radio play-by-play man Mike Lange whenever the Penguins win the Stanley Cup. Two seasons ago, this team in black and gold were the NHL's kings. This year, another team in black and gold (a yellowish shade) is aiming to win it all this season.

The Boston Bruins recently have been a sports afterthought in the Boston area. The Red Sox are the two-time World Series winners this past decade, the New England Patriots of gridiron football won three Super Bowls, and the NBA's Celtics recently won their 17th championship three years back, something that overshadowed the Bruins' long list of playoff failures.

But since head coach Claude Julien took over in 2007, the Bruins seem to be on a revival, something not seen during the late 80s and early 90s. The Bruins won two division titles during this stretch, and have made the playoffs four straight seasons. However in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs the Bruins unexpectedly let a 3-0 lead slip away, losing in Game 7 to the Philadelphia Flyers 3-4. The loss served as a rallying cry for the 'Big, Bad Bruins', and in the following year's playoffs they didn't even allow the Flyers in the series, finally sweeping them in the conference semifinals. The Bruins finally punched a ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990 with a seven-game win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Including a seven-game comeback over the Montreal Canadiens, the B's have played in 18 playoff games so far. On Wednesday, they'll play the Vancouver Canucks for the Stanley Cup title, something that eluded them since 1972.

This one's for legends such as Cam Neely, Terry O'Reilly and Ray Bourque who have never won a Stanley Cup title wearing the iconic 'spoked B' logo on their uniforms. And this one's for long-suffering Bruins fans. Four wins to Lord Stanley, baby.

First Week of Last Term

First day got underway on Wednesday, May 25. However, it wasn't officially my first day until the following day, Thursday. I just bummed around and to a lot of people lining up for adjustment. It was a long line to the Vice Dean's office and so many minutes wasted by waiting.

Thursday was really my first day. I had just one class all day, and that class started my day. Filipino class was great, even though I had no mutual friends except for my lower-batch commarts friend and high school friend of two batches later. The rest of the day was all bum and bond, going to and from different people, as if it was a reunion.

And Friday, I had three classes, with a near two-hour lunch break in between. Mostly due to adjusting to the body clock had the professors only got loose during our first classes. Once again I hang around with people during breaks.

Having finished 100 pages of my screenplay draft I decided to submit mine to my mentor in an effort to revise the script. Hopefully I'll get it done by early August.

First week was fun, indeed. But now greater things lie ahead.

At Noon....During Summer

At noon, during the summertime, I would turn off my laptop and watch 'Pinoy Henyo' on Eat Bulaga! and see the contestants guess the word on an electronic helmet they're wearing. Right now it's becoming a popular game, even during parties this game was used for comical effect.

Eat! has been a staple of noontime television since 1979. Not even its rivals like the old 'Student Canteen' and rival station ABS-CBN's 'MTB', 'WoWoWee' and now 'Happy Yippe Yehey' could top them. Just recently, though the show became more charitable to the cause of helping people achieve their dreams, through their segment 'Juan for All, All for Juan.' This project proved successful, as they encourage people to donate school supplies and used junk in exchange for the children's future. But Pinoy Henyo remains the best, even for the uneducated who would find this game show humorous at best.

Still, I find it a reason to rest my laptop just for these. Anyway, my laptop is taking a lot of extended breaks once class starts.

Tomorrow, Not Quite

Class officially starts tomorrow. But my 'real' first day is actually two days away. This term, my alma mater De La Salle University, as a result of the refurbishing of their flagship building St. La Salle Hall, would have to accommodate a six-day class. Regular days are Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. University Break, usually scheduled on a Friday, was moved to Wednesdays in fear of weekend bumming. Wednesdays and Saturdays are now reserved for P.E., lab and other minor classes. It may take some time to adjust, but I'm ready.

Aside from the refurbishing of the St. La Salle Hall, the construction of the Henry Sy Hall at the site of the former football field is still ongoing. Let's say this place will be crowded at best in the event of heavy floods, but just bear with the inconvenience caused by these, because it's for the modernization of DLSU's facilities.

Finally, I'm welcoming the upcoming frosh class as well, even if I'll only see them for one term.

As for my thesis screenplay, the draft itself is finished. I'll have the entire term to revise and refine the script. I have four subjects left, and I want to finish them as hard as I could. So good luck to me and my fellow soon-to-be graduates this term.