1st round over

The long wait is over!

Survivor Gabon premiered a couple of days ago and with back-to-back premiere episodes, it was only fitting that I blog about it here. I’ve read the cast bio’s and had a clear idea of what to expect…or so I thought! Initial favorites were (from Kota) Kelly, Ace, and Marcus, and (from Fang) Matty and Dan!

This was quite a huge premiere for this new season, considering Jeff Probst’ recent win in the Emmy’s and the fact that Survivor is the first reality series filmed outdoors through HD. I totally love it when Jeff surprises the castaways with a challenge right off the bat! It showcases each castaway’s ability to work together under pressure, despite lack of familiarity among tribe members. And physical challenges is one of the reasons why I love this show. (grinning)

And with back-to-back episodes, also came back-to-back-to-back losses for the Fang tribe (insert sigh). I actually, found myself rooting for the underdogs, which the Fang tribe is at this point in the game. And while I undeniably liked Marcus (did I hear Charlie second me?), I think he’s safe enough in his tribe even if they did lose because of the newly formed alliance – the earliest alliance formation I’ve seen in Survivor in a while. I hope that Fang is able to get over the hurdle of uhm, lack of team unity, and start winning!

For the premiere episode, people always ask the phenomenal question: who gets the distinction of being the first boot? In this case, it was Michelle’s negativity that caused her to get booted. I can trace that on two things: (1) she didn’t like the bunch of people she was marooned with – to the point of calling them ‘dorks’ – and (2) she disliked the idea of these ‘dorks’ picking her last.

As for Gillian, everyone saw it coming (probably even Gillian herself!). But the fact that this woman auditioned 15 times in the past, that says a lot about her character and persistence! She got lucky one too many times and only a win for her tribe would have saved her a** in the game.

Can’t wait for next episode! Go Fang!

Diving Getaway!

I’ve been wanting to go on vacation in a long time now. The last time I went on one was way back in May – that is a good 4 months from now. With a few days left on my vacation leave credits, I wanted to reserve that for a special occasion. These past few months, I feel like I have been an extreme workaholic, burrowing myself into work and just taking whatever free time I got to spend with Ed. So, I was extremely glad that we finally got the chance to do our own mini pool getaway for the 21st monthsary celebration. However, we were both planning to do something not so grandiose but extreme for our second anniversary.

While strolling at the mall last night, we saw this exhibit that features activities which was exactly what me and Ed had in mind. When they went to Kaputian Island last February, he got the chance to do some snorkeling – something of which I envied so much because we both wanted to do that together (see attached photo of Ed while snorkeling). During the same exhibit, we got to look through some exciting activities that we could do. Until we learned about this diving tour and we both got so excited that we were already planning on a perfect date to do that. It is quite costly but that would be nothing compared to the experience and the time we could both spend together (awwww). I am already thinking about the underwater pics that we’ll be getting. We were contemplating on that island tour adventure as well.

However, we thought about doing this with some of our friends. It should be real exciting since we planned on going on a vacation anyway! We’ve scheduled this up for mid-October. So guys, are you up for it?

Parallelism: Inanimate Objects and People

Here I am, worrying to death about whether I’d make the article quota for today and yet still having the time to squeeze in a blog. A week ago, I went through files on my computer and I found an essay I wrote for one of my classes in college (I could not even remember which one) regarding Russell Baker’s essay, The Plot Against the People.

I am amazed by the semblance of how most people and inanimate objects behave. According to Baker, inanimate objects can be broken down into three major categories: those that break down, those that get lost, and those that don’t work. Furthermore, he claims that “the goal of all inanimate objects is to resist man and ultimately to defeat him…”

Those that break down.

Like inanimate objects, people can often times be a challenge and, to say the least, a test of patience. While it is common knowledge that our individual level of capacity and understanding vary, they tend to break down at times most inconvenient to you. When life seems to be going smooth for you, they always manages to find ways to tick you. Unlike inanimate objects, you cannot recharge, fix, or tweak these people; they need to do that for themselves. And that’s the start of your doom.

Those that get lost.

As much as inanimate objects develop a sound technique for concealing from human’s view when they are needed, some people have also managed to perfect this very same technique. They find themselves in peculiar places just to hide from your view. And the worst part of all is, (which is the exact opposite) they meddle with your affairs even when the person concerned does not ask for his or her opinion.

Those that don’t work.

I have to agree with Baker that out of all three categories, these people (and inanimate objects) are the most curious of all. It would be stupid to say that they don’t work at all because we are all equipped with “something”. However, they are ridiculously inconsistent. One time, they work perfectly and with such precision. Other times these people wait for an outside prompt, such as having someone to push their button on or off, instead of executing their own actions. They never seem to have the initiative to work as they were designed for. And the worst thing is, they achieve high status although they have been known to achieve nothing.

Reality TV is back

…and it does so with a bang!

What with new seasons of my favorite reality shows set to premiere within the month. In fact, the 3rd season of Amazing Race Asia has just taken off and though the cast lacks the character, there are a few competitive and exciting ones to look out for! After all, it’s only the first episode and it was a rough one already as the racers had to eat a bowl of fried insects (talk about maggots, cockroaches, scorpions, and frogs)!

As for the 13th season of TAR’s US version, well I heard it will premiere this month as well. I did get the chance to preview the contestants but there was nothing striking about this cast and so with the previous seasons. However, TK and Rachel’s win in the preceding season was a redemption for what I considered as one of the series’ worst seasons.

Survivor Gabon is more or less a couple of weeks from now. And while waiting for this, I can fill my time on Survivor Philippines as of the moment. It will premiere on Philippine TV tonight and I can’t believe I just let pass an opportunity to join. From what I’ve heard, thousands did line up during the auditions. Although I am an optimist, I did not think I’d make the cut. Two factors stood out from among the contestants chosen: 1) athleticism or outdoor skills, and 2) sympathetic stories of people suffering from poverty and hoping that the prize pot on the show will save their family. Typical.

I  hope that the local version will at least live up to the standards of the Survivor series franchise. After all, Survivor fans would not want to see a remake of Paolo Bediones’ Extra Challenge days. Hmmm..

Lessons on Blogging

On a previous post, I have cited a few notes on how to write a readable blog entry. This time, here are some pointers to remember if you wish to avoid being the recipient of not-so-friendly feedbacks:

* NEVER write hanging posts without proper context clues, especially those with sarcastic undertones.

* NEVER underestimate the capacity of your readers to read between the lines. On the other hand, do not make it so subtle either so as to lead to further confusion on the reader’s part. Their miniature brain cells might find the information overwhelming.

* REFRAIN from naming names. The guessing game makes your blog a lot more interesting (and an increased traffic to boot ).

* ON the flipside, refrain from posting too general entries. After all, everyone’s got their own personal issues. You would not want the rest of the world conniving against you.

* TELL your friends not to post a comment on your blog entries. There’s a lot more venue for that offline.

* IF you can help it, never write a blog as a form of retraction. It will only fuel a series of retractions.

* NEVER use suggestive titles to your posts. It might just give them the wrong cue, despite lack of knowledge or understanding about the blog’s content.

Federer is lucky at 13!

Federer emerged victorious in this year’s saga of the US Open Tournament. This is too big of a story for me to describe in words, so let’s just leave it at that.

To read the entire news story, click here.

tennis mayhem

News alert!

Yes, yes. Federer is back in the US Open Finals. All Novak fans, pardon me for being the loyal Federer fan I am. However, when I learned that these two were meeting for the men’s US Open semis, I knew Fed already had it in the bag. Tennis-wise, Federer already had the clear advantage. However, after bowing down to Nadal during this year’s French Open and Wimbledon, I think it was enough to ignite him on the court as this is his last opportunity to steal one for the year.

So, that is basically not THE big news. It is the other half of the semis which saw an upset. To anyone who predicted another Federer-Nadal duel, well you are all wrong!

Spanish Rafael Nadal, the French Open champion/Wimbledon champion/recent Beijing Olympics Gold medalist/world no.1 is out in the running for the US Open title. And who would have thought he would be defeated in such fashion by a not very lowly competitor – Scottish and 6th-seed Andy Murray? This could boil down to be one of the US Open classic matches of all time.

A few weeks ago, Nadal seemed like he was out for another title after breezing through his competition in the previous rounds. But Nadal finally met his match. Murray wasn’t one to be dismissed aside that easily though. Remember how he met and defeated 15th-seed Juan Del Potro from Argentina during the quarterfinal round and reduced him to tears?

In the court where two undeniably talented tennis players met, it came down to wit. Murray did, no question, outsmarted Nadal on this one. Murray showed tremendous footwork when Nadal had him chasing the ball all over the court, always managing to shoot sharp returns and impressive backhand – something of which Nadal lacked in notably a couple of instances.

The most impressive part of all is that Murray ripped Nadal’s confidence on the court. Nadal looked uncharacteristically limp and without the fiesty attitude often displayed by this champion. After Nadal served what turned out to be his last for the tournament and Murray approached the net to drop the ball for his winning point, the match analysts summed it up for this classic match, and to paraphrase him: Nadal might be the world’s No.1, but in this match, Murray was the better player.

still poetry [part 2]

“today i am too young, tomorrow may be too late”

- Rilke