GotMyNerdOn: First Smackdown after Raw 1,000

Off the heels of the controversial Raw 1000, here's a look at Smackdown:

Intercontinental Championship Rematch: The Miz defeats Christian

• The Miz opens Smackdown, with his first speech as the new IC Champ;
• Christian interrupts and says he's invoking the rematch clause right then and there; I guess it's supposed to be sold as a shoot, but no one is really surprised; rematch stated right away;
• the intense match goes back and forth between the two, showcasing the skills of both wrestlers;
• in true awesome heel fashion, with the ref out of position, The Miz thumbs Christian in the eye and then rolls him with his other hand held fast to Christians tights for the win, retaining the IC belt.

The Good: Well fought match, as good, if not better than, their previous bout at Raw 1000; thumb to eyes for the win further enhances The Miz's heel persona.
The Bad: Nothing really bad; maybe the initial cheap promo about this being a shoot, but nothing major.
Rating: A




Ryback defeats Jinder Mahal via Countout

• the two looked good in this smashmouth match, for displaying some decent amount of in-ring ability;
• not the best match, a few botches here and there, but nothing major (just looks silly how they sold the moves at some points);
• looks like Ryback is finally getting into a decent feud with another wrestler;
• Jinder draws heat, by letting himself be counted out for a Ryback win.

GotMyNerdOn: Rating Raw 1000

Opening Video: The Unforgettable Moments of the First 999 Episodes

·         features most memorable moments, special guests through the years;

·         features some downlights (Vince on the Montreal Screwjob, Edge and Rick Flair's retirements, Eddie Guerrero);

·         Raw running weekly continuously since January 11, 1993

The Good: good start, pumping adrenaline to the crowd;

The Bad: none

Rating: A

Mr. McMahon starts of the show

·         Mr. McMahon struts down the ring and thanks WWE Universe; WWE Universe responds with chants of "Thank you Vince! Thank you Vince!"

·         Mr. McMahon welcomes the WWE Universe to Monday Night Raw and welcomes DX;

Degeneration X kicks off the Raw 1000; Damien Sandow interrupts DX

·         Shawn and Triple H hits the ring; Shawn cuts short their pyro;

·         Shawn Michaels: "Something's missing..." underwear check, pants check, tshirt check,  glowsticks check, wristbands check...

·         Triple H: "Did there used to be more of us?" CROWD GOES NUTS!!!!

·         New Age Outlaws and X-Pac rolls in on the big jeep and joins Shawn and Triple H in the ring;

·         The DX Jeep they rode on is a nod to the DX Invasion of WCW in 27-April-1998, Monday Night Wars;

·         Triple H: "Shawn will lose his smile." Ha!

·         Damien Sandow interrupts DX; gets Sweet Chin Music and Pedigree and taken out like common trash out of the ring

DX reunion

The Good: nostalgic and hilarious antics; good to see them back even for one night only

The Bad: no Chyna (I guess her recent XXX exploits does not fit well with the new PG era)

Rating: A

P'Noy's SONA 2012 - Summary/Highlights

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GotMyNerdOn: Clash of the Titans makes for poor mythology

By this time, you guys already know about the good and the bad about Clash of the Titans. It's a box office smash, which is why you we had the sequel a few months ago (haven't fully watched it yet; just some vignettes). Regardless, it has its faults, but some are more... unforgivable than others. :)

I got my nerd on -- Greek mythology is one of my favorite subjects since... well ever -- and I just want to speak out on some things that are really wrong about this movie from the literary/geeky/nerdy point of view.

BTW, my knowledge on Greek mythology is largely based on the Mythology by Edith Hamilton. So that's my reference, in case you want to compare notes. (I hear Bullfinch's Mythology is also a great source, but I sadly do not have a copy, so I can't judge how good that is.)

So here we go...

Running through Disneyland Adventures on the XBox!

The Breakdown: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Disneyland Adventures is one of our IT Show 2012 loot that we have played quite extensively for the past few weeks now. In the It's a freebie we got from the IT Show -- thank you DBS/POSB!

In addition to the game, you also get a redemption code for 160 Microsoft Points (MSP). Not sure if that's standard issue for all Disneyland Adventures game, or if it's just an IT Show promo, or if it's a regional thing only. At any rate, free game + free MSP was enough reason for us to say "nice deal!"


The Flaws: Sensor Unsensing

Now the game. It's a Kinect game, so it pretty much has the same benefits and/or issues with any other Kinect game. However, this game has particularly annoying sensor issues. Even compared with the other Kinect games -- e.g. Kinect Adventures or Fruit Ninja -- the game has a hard time interpreting my moves. It can hardly distinguish me raising my hand for high fives with the characters (more on this later). Apparently, this has been seen by other players as well -- some have complained about this a lot in some of the forums I've checked.

In addition, there is some noticeable lag on specific games/areas. For example in the last leg of the Pirates of the Carribbean attraction where you have to swat away the bombs/grenades thrown at you, my avatar swats the bomb about a second too late so I often get, uhm, bombed away. This lag takes a little bit of getting used to.

One workaround I found to help was to re-calibrate the Kinect sensor after you have loaded the disc.

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BULALO! Oh Bulalo!

Every now and then, we want a taste of home and have one of our favorite delicacies. It's pretty rare that we look specifically for bulalo, but when we do, we always end up disappointed: Meat was not tender; wrong type of meat; wrong type of bone; not enough meat; you name it. I think we've been served every type of disappointment in the bulalo department for the last five years we've been in SG.

That changed tonight.

view full image

"BULALO! Oh Bulalo! Where have you been all this time?! ;))"
(taken at Lucky Plaza)

Reviewing Pororo The Little Penguin

Not many people know this, but I really don't like Pororo the Little Penguin shown in Disney Junior (formerly Playhouse Disney). However, I do like the musicals, which I guess is the big draw here. (Great; now I'm using wrestling slang for a show/parenting-related post.)

I have some hesitations about posting this online and I'm going back and forth as to whether I should proceed or not -- Pororo's a very popular character, and I haven't met anyone yet who doesn't like the character. But, I guess I have to say my piece sooner than later, so I just finally went ahead and posted it.

The Bad: The "Moral" Story Episodes

I've watched several episodes and to be honest I find them quite disturbing.

Case in point: the "Let's Play Together" episode (Season 1 Episode 11). This is the very first episode I've seen and it has caused me to worry about this show since. Here's the summary (from the tvdb.com):

Pororo was playing on the swing. When Eddy came and asked him for one ride, Pororo ignored him and didn’t let him ride it. Eddy trying to persuade Pororo to come off the swing and Pororo resisting, they both hear their friends having a good time. Looking over, they find Loopy, Crong, and Poby having a wonderful time on the swing taking turns…

You can review the video in Youtube here.

Summary of Noynoy Aquino's Year One Speech

June 30, 2011 marked the anniversary of his first year in office of President Benigno S. Aquino III. So for those who are interested (like the students who have assignments on this topic), go on and read. Just take note below.

Note: Original speech is in Filipino. I've translated the direct quotes from the speech to the best of my ability. And since it's a summary, I paraphrased it according to how I interpreted it. Just take note while you read this. Thanks!

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A recap of the last year:
Before, we move aside when we hear sirens on the street; our greatest dream was to get a VISA to work abroad; waking up to unexpected floods because there's no warning from PAGASA; people giving up on justice for Maguindanao massacre victims.

Bad news only gets worse. But surprisingly, the economy rose -- locally and globally -- shortly before election, because it was the end of the Arroyo administration and the end of the suffering of Filipinos.

It took a long time to contemplate on whether to run for office or not. In the end, instead of “sorry, I'm frightened, and I want to live longer" I said, "Filipino, I'm with you. We'll straighten the crooked, we'll remove the anomalous, and we'll right the wrong."

The here and now: It's much worse than first imagined.

HATCHED: Food for the Disney Junior Preview lunch

Hatched was the venue for the Disney Junior preview last May 31st. It's at the Evans Lodge along Evans Road -- a little bit difficult getting there without your own car, as the nearest bus stop is a quite a way off.

It's a pretty small place which could accomodate around 30 people at a time. They're going for the old, rustic, farmhouse look and feel and they certainly achieved that. The yellow light bulbs remind us of the old yellow light bulbs you find around chicken houses used to warm newly hatched chicks. And all the furnishings -- the wooden tables, wooden stools, and the brick accent walls complete the farmhouse feel. Even the bar and display shelves have that simple, functional, farmhouse feel as well. Ah, the joys of farm living. :)

Reliving the Passion of the Christ

Not sure what got into us, but we just decided to watch The Passion of the Christ this Good Friday. Guess it's timely and we really didn't have anything else at hand that fit te occassion.

At a certain point -- when the brutality peaked a new high -- it all came back rushing to me. I remember the time we watched this years ago at the movies. I cringed, felt numb all over, and my body agonizing at the bloody scenes my tear-drenched eyes are witnessing.

I guess the most violent scene -- when I was "hit" the hardest -- was the flagelation of Jesus by the Roman soldiers. He was stripped down and chained to a stone then the soldiers lashed out at his back with sticks left and right. Not happy with that, they turned to the flails with metal spikes and... well, guess you all know what happened. By the time the movie ended, my ribs still felt funny in a way and from my knees down to my feet are still numb. It took me a while to recover from that.

I watched some violent movies before but all of them paled in comparison to the brutality in that scene. Somehow I wondered why I forgot that and wanted to watch this movie again. Not sure if I'm ever gonna watch this again. Perhaps I will, but it's not gonna be anytime soon!

Ms. USA bringing it on in WWE Tough Enough 2011

Rima Fakih, the current Miss USA, is making waves in the sports entertainment industry by joining WWE's latest season of Tough Enough -- WWE's search for the next WWE Superstar. If the fact that WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin is not enough to whet your appetite, then the fact that Miss USA just might.

[CynicMon: And from here, you can see how WWE is trying to reel in more watchers; from wrestling fans, to beauty queen fanatics, everyone must have been interested at least to watch the first episode. Even my wife, who disdains wrestling, got interested enough to watch at least the first episode! Hehe.]

The new season aired Monday last week, April 4th, and it didn't disappoint. As can be expected from Stone Cold, he raised hell and set the bar for the 14 contestants trying to win the competition.

Reviewing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

My son really likes Mickey Mouse -- his very first favorite character. And this is a quality Disney series that should be watched.


Mickey Mouse Clubhouse logo

Every 9:00 AM at Playhouse Disney (here in Singapore, it's still Playhouse Disney, not yet Disney Junior), he will smile as soon as he sees Mickey Mouse walking down the lane and says "Hey everybody!", he lights up! His round eyes also smiling and you can tell that he really, really, really likes him.

That's all well and good I guess. I've been watching the other shows in Disney Playhouse -- yep I got that much time in my hands -- and all I can say is that this is by far one of the "safest" shows for any toddler to watch. Not that my son is a toddler, but.. well, I guess you get my point.

So let's see. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I guess I'll just get down to it and list down the pros and cons (yeah, not all shows are perfect, even this one has its downsides).

New Books on Our Bookshelf

Among other things, our recent trip back to the Philippines triggered my latent fondness of books... Thanks to the frequent trips to National Bookstore beside Shopwise. :)

So for the last three weeks, these are some of the books that really took my fancy:

Guess How Much I Love You
Written by Sam McBratney
Illustrated by Anita Jeram
Published by Walker Books Ltd

I guess my daddy-side is already showing, ain't it? :) Anyway, it's a story about Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare telling how much they each other. It's a rather short and simple story but one that you would love telling your kids every night. Although it's "short", it's actually quite longer than other baby picture story books out there. Plus, the watercolor illustrations on each page is great and makes the story even more endearing. Personally, my favorite picture is the one shown below, in which Big Nutbrown Hare is holding Little Nutbrown Hare who finally falls asleep.

Ang Pera na Hindi Bitin
Written by Eduardo O. Roberto Jr.
Illustrations by Roli Sabado
Published by OMF Literature Inc.

This one we got as New Year's gift. Like most of the self-help financial management books, this one deals on how one should manage money. Unlike most of self help financial management books, this one actually has a religious tone about it -- citing several verses from the Bible; it is written in Taglish (Tagalog-English "slang"), which means it's specifically intended for local Pinoys; and, containing just about 100 pages, it is very brief and concise.

The presentation is rather simplified which makes it easier for anyone -- or at least anyone who readily understands Taglish -- to read and follow. The strategies are presented simply and logically, with some Bible verses cited every now and then as needed.

Interesting fact (I've learned from the book): Money is the second most talked-about topic in the Bible, with over 2000 verses in all.


Book of 101 Fables
Retold and Illustrated by Johnny C. Young
Published by Luminaire Printing and Publishing Corp

In case you haven't noticed, I like stories. And in my opinion, there's no better collection of timeless stories than Aesop's Fables. The good thing about this particular book is that (1) it contains several fables which are not attributed to Aesop such as the local Philippine fables; (2) there are commentaries and moral lessons at the end of each fable, which is the reason fables are written in the first place -- to teach a lesson; and (3) the index at the latter part of the book groups the fables by the general moral lesson (i.e., Honesty, Sincerity, Procrastination), which makes it easier to look for fables for different ocassions.

Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito: The Results

WBC World Super Welterweight Title Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito
Cowboy's Stadium, Arlington Texas
November 13, 2010

Undercards:
Lee (winner) vs Dowther - KO ("dark match")
Rios (winner) vs Lourther - KO
Rigondeaux (winner) vs Cordoba - split decision
Soto-Karass vs Jones (winner) - majority decision

Main Event:
Michael Buffer - Ring Announcer
Yarir (?) - Himno Nacional Mexicano
Zyrene Parsad - Lupang Hinirang (sang the Anthem better than most; good job!)
3 Dallas Texas Cowboys Cheerleaders (awooga!) - Star-Spangled Banner

Judges: Glenn Crocker (Texas), Jurgen Lagos (Germany), Oren Schellenberger (Texas)
Referee: Laurence Cole

Intermission by Nelly

Recap: Tale of the Tape:
Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38KO)
Age: 31
Height: 5'6 1/2 "
Weight: 144.6 lbs
Reach: 67"

Antonio Margarito (38-6, 27 KO, 1 NC)
Age: 32
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 150 lbs
Reach: 72"

Checking out iOS 4.0 for iPhone 3G

Note: These are my observations for iOS 4.0 on iPhone 3G only. Many features are only supported in iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4.0, most likely due to the hardware limitations.

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Supported Features:

Folders
You can now organize apps further by placing them into custom folders. While in "wiggle" mode, simply drag one app on top of another. This will automatically create a new folder.

At least for the 3G, each folder can only contain up to 12 applications. And you cannot create subfolders within each folder (we tried, no luck). Although a bit limited, it is a great additional feature that should help clear up the clutter.

And if you're not comfortable setting up Folders on your iPhone, you can set up Folders within iTunes instead.


New Mail Features
The biggest new feature for Mail is that now you have the option to view your mails in all of your email accounts into a single unified mailbox.

You can reply, reply all, forward, and download images. You can even move mail from one account to the other.

In addition, by default emails are organized by threads. You can enable/disable this on Settings > Mails, Contacts, Calendars and slide on/off Organize By Thread.


iBooks
New addition, though frankly, this came in a little too late. There are already too many eBook readers online. Still, you do have the option to browse and buy books online, so if you are into that kind of thing, having the iBooks would be a blast for you.


Create Playlists
My personal favorite new feature!

Before, the only playlist you can edit is the "On The Go" playlist; you had to connect to iTunes to create and edit playlists. Also, if your existing "On The Go" playlist, if different from the previously synced "On The Go", will be updated to "On The Go-1", and so on. Quite irritating.

Now, you can now do this on the fly. Not just the On The Go. You can now create multiple playlists on your iPhone. On top of that, you can also edit any of your existing custom playlists.

All in all, a great improvement.


Photo Sharing and Copying
In Photos, you can now only Share or Copy at most 5 images at a time. The five-image limit prevents the memory leak issue experienced before when one tried to share/copy unlimited number of photos at a time.

When sharing large images (via email), you will be prompted that you can reduce the message size by scaling images down to Small, Medium, or Large. Or course, you can stick to the Actual Size if you wanted.

In case you wanted to send more than five images, simply Copy five images at a time then Paste them to your email.


Photo Places
Photos with geo-location data are now organized in the Places feature under Photos. You will be presented with a map (c/o Google). The locations where your photos are taken are marked with pushpins ala-Google Maps.


Location Services
Prior to iOS 4.0, Location Services can only be configured globally. Now, it can be configured on a per-App basis. That is, you can opt to enable it for Camera, and turn it off for everything else.


Safari Search Engine
The default search engine is Google. If you're tired of it, you can select Yahoo! or Bing instead.


More Secure Passcode Lock
The Passcode Lock can now be alphanumeric, providing even more security.

In case you still wish to stick to the simple 4-digit passcode lock, you can select that instead as well.

All of these can be set in Settings > General > Passcode Lock


Gifting Apps
The new Gift This App option is now available in App Store. After some experimenting, I noted that this option is only available in iTunes for applications which are (1) paid apps and (2) currently installed on your iPhone.

I haven't actually tried gifting an app yet. Anyone already tried this one out? :D


Expanded Spotlight Screen
The search feature of the iPhone now includes searching the Web (via Safari) as well as Wikipedia.


Other Features:
Messaging Character Count - now configurable on/off
Hiding Calendars (in case you sync your iPhone on multiple machines)
Cellular Data - now configurable on/off
Lyrics and Podcast Iinfo - now configurable on/off

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Unsupported Features:

And now, we come to the more heartbreaking part -- the unsupported iOS 4.0 features in iPhone 3G:

Multitasking
The greatest and perhaps most hyped feature of iOS 4.0 is NOT supported in 3G. Oh well, that's it for the 3G then.


Orientation Lock
You can now lock the iPhone to portrait view. That is, it longer changes to the landscape view the moment you shift your iPhone a little to the side. This is a feature that is part of the Multitasking controls, so obviously this was a no-go as well. It would have been a great addition, though.


Customizable Homescreen Background
Just to clarify, there used to be only one wallpaper -- for the Lock screen. Now, there is the Lock Screen wallpaper, and there's the Homescreen wallpaper -- the background behind your apps -- and you can assign a different one for each page, as I understand.


Spell Check
The typical word processing application feature is not available in 3G -- or at least I haven't been able to make it work yet. Supposedly, when using any application, say, Notes, any misspelled words will have the familiar red zigzag lines under the words. So far, I've not seen it yet.


Digital Zoom
The Camera app still does not have the digital zoom. This is easily remedied by using third-party apps though, although quality... well, it's best left to the user.


Zoom while Shooting Video
Well, iPhone 3G is not capable of shooting video in the first place, so no surprise, zooming while shooting is another no-go.


Video Playback in Page
Supposedly, in iOS 4, videos will now play right on the page, instead of launching the video player. Still a no-go for iPhone 3G.

Pacman vs Clottey Match Breakdown

Manny Pacquiao vs Joshua Clottey
The Event
WBO Welterweight Title Match
March 13, 2010
Dallas Cowboys Arena

Judges:

Duane Ford (Nevada)

Levi Martinez (New Mexico)

Nelson Vazquez (Puerto Rico)

Referee: Rafael Ramos
Ringa Announcer: Michael Buffer

Stats:
Joshua Clottey: 35(21)-3 (Red/Grey trunks)
Manny Pacquiao: 50(38)-3-2 (Red/White trunks with sponsors)

PacMan Trunks Sponsors

• Motolite
• Nike
• Cafe Puro
• Ricoa
• PAGCOR
• MP (Manny Pacquiao) Productions
• RGB
• Head and Shoulders

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Round by Round:
Round 1:
2:14 Pacman forces Clottey to the ropes;, then he unleashed his first flurry of body shots.
1:45 Pacman scores a lot of body punches again.
1:01 Pacman takes one in the face, but punches back, catching Clottey in with a glancing right blow, shocking Clottey for a moment.
Scorecard: 10-9 (Pacman-Clottey)

Round 2:
2:33 Pacman scores a straight to the face.
2:18 Pacman pounds Clottey with shots to the ribs.
1:12 Clottey has Pacman against the ropes, attempts an uppercut, Pacman blocks and counterpunches.
0:30 Clottey scores two hits to the side of the head.
Scorecard: 10-9 (Pacman-Clottey)

Round 3:
2:20 Clottey unleashes a then goes back into his shell.
0:50 Pacman pommels and forces Clottey to the corner.
0:42 Clottey lands an uppercut and a right straights to pacman's face.
Scorecard: 10-9 (Pacman-Clottey)

Round 4:

1:36 The Pompyang FPJ doublepunch moment. (Others call it A Three Stooges moment.)

1:10 Clottey on the corner; still in the impentrable shell.

0:30 Pacman flurries again, Clottey on the ropes but slides away.
Scorecard: 10-9 (Pacman-Clottey)

Round 5:

1:57 Clottey catches and locks Pacman's right arm then pushes him back.

1:28 Clottey scores a left jab knocking his head back.

1:15 Clottey and Pacman exchanged flurries, Clottey and Pacman lock, Pacman taps and both break off cleanly.
0:34 Clottey catches Pacman with a right, left uppercut, exchange blows, then sends another left to the side of the face, staggering Pacman a bit.
0:18 Pacman ctaches him on the ropes; back in shell and slides away.
Scorecard: 10-9 (Pacman-Clottey)

Round 6:
2:16 Clotteys combinations forces Pacman to the ropes; Pacman taunts Clottey.
1:30 Pacman throws side-body shots.
0:33 Clottey evades and was caught under Pacman's gloves; Pacman breaks off cleanly, Pacman and Clottey touch gloves and continues the bout.
0:21 Clottey on ropes, body shots.
0:00 Bell rings, Clottey left jabs Pacman on the face.
Scorecard: 10-9 (Pacman-Clottey)

Round 7:
2:41 Clottey unleashed straights and jabs to Pacman's face, Pacman pushed back.
1:55 Pacman unloaded combinations pushing Clottey against the ropes.
1:45 Clottey catches Pacman with a hard right across the face.
1:15 Clottey gets past Pacman's guard and scored a strong left uppercut.
1:03 Pacman forces Clottey again against the ropes.
0:58 Pacman focrse Clottey against the corner. With Clottey quickly back in his shell, Pacman backs off.
0:04 Pacman caught under the arm again.
Scorecard: 10-9 (Pacman-Clottey)

Round 8:
2:01 Pacman scores combination shots left and right to the ribs.
1:40 Clottey inadvertently lowblows Pacman, ref calls timeout, Pacman walks it off, touch gloves, then match continues.
0:57 Minor headbutt, ref calls it, both fighters OK, touch gloves, then match goes on.
0:31 Pacman fires up, throwing lefts and rights to the head, to the ribs, the head again, getting through the Clottey's guard.
0:02 Clottey catches Pacman under the left arm, then throws a right cheapshot. Ref warns, then bell rings. Both touch gloves (in respect).
Scorecard: 10-9 (Pacman-Clottey)

Round 9:
1:58 Pacman scores combinations to the body again!
1:25 Clottey combos Pacman on the face.
0:45 Pacman stepped up offensive, dominating Clottey starting to lose his defensive posture, arms lowered.
0:37 Clottey forced against the ropes as Pacman throws shots to Clottey.
Scorecard: 10-9 (Pacman-Clottey)

Round 10:
1:45 Pacman keeps throwing punches, Clottey keeps soaking them up.
1:36 After Pacman's barrage of body shots, Clottey counters with a single straight to Pacman's face.
1:01 After a melee of trading blows, Clottey scores a left to Pacman.
0:49 Clottey uppercuts with his left, stunning Pacman for a bit, then Clottey follows up and pounds Pacman.
0:08 Clottey locks Pacman twice, both times they break cleanly, as the round ends.
Scorecard: 10-9 (Pacman-Clottey)

Round 11:
2:41 Clottey locks Pacman again under his right; both break cleanly.
2:01 Pacman and Clottey exchanging combinations one after the other, like in a practice sparring match.
1:36 Clottey clocks Pacman with two left uppercuts, followed by two body shots.
1:04 Clottey staggers back to the ropes as he takes on the barrage of Pacquiao's combinations, Clottey pushes Pacman back.
0:31 Clottey scores 2 uppercuts, Pacman barely blocks the third.
0:13 Pacman unleashes another barrage of body shots, Clottey slinks back to his shell until the closing seconds of the round.
0:06 With Clottey against the corner, Pacman scores lightning fast left and rights to the face and jumps back. Clottey shocked by the blast.
Scorecard: 9-10 (Pacman-Clottey)

Round 12:
3:00 Pacman and Clottey hug to begin the 12th and finaaaaaaaal round.
2:28 They headbutt each other, ref calls it, both ok, touch gloves, match went on.
1:16 Pacman pretty much dominated Clottey, throwing 10 punches for every one punch of Clottey.
0:53 Clottey catches a break when the two lock arms and hug; both break cleanly, touch gloves again.
0:48 Clottey scores another uppercut.
0:45 Pacman caught under the right arm of Clottey. Clean break.
0:20 Pacman caught and locked by Clottey again. Another clean break.
0:06 As the seconds countdown, Pacman fires up and unleashes his last onslaught of punches on Clottey.
Scorecard: 10-9 (Pacman-Clottey)

General Observations:
Pacman is almost always on the offensive, getting in throwing combinations, then stepping out. His combined power and quickness was a little too much for Clottey to mount an offensive of his own.

Clottey is almost always on the defensive, his long arms firmly guarding his face and uppper torso, forcing Pacman to throw combinations to the side and lower torso. But he has scored more uppercuts than Pacman, and the power and effect of those uppercuts are apparent on the closing rounds of the match.

Great respect for each other is clearly visible. This is one of the more "feel-good" fights for Pacquiao. One of those rare moments when sportsmanship is observed by both fighters in the ring.

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Official Result:
Manny Pacman Pacquiao retains WBO Welterweight
Winner by Unanimous Decision

Duane Ford: 120-108
Levi Martinez: 119-109
Nelson Vazquez: 119-109

Looking back at 2009

This will be a long post. This should make up for my silence the past few weeks. :)

Another year has passed. Another year gone by so quickly, we barely noticed it. Looking back at 2009, we experienced one hell of an emotional rollercoaster ride. The year was riddled with both the good and the bad, not only personally but also globally. Who would have thought so many memorable things could happen in a span of a year?


2009 and Us

We had our greatest joy turned to the greatest sorrow, as we learned early June that we were blessed with a child, only to be taken away the following September... It sucks. Don't know how to put it more bluntly than that. I was brought down to my knees for the second time in my life; I cried my heart out. Pain was unbearable. But I had to keep it together. We had no choice but to let her go. Trying to move on and, as in the movie "Meet the Robinsons", keep moving forward. Just keep moving forward...

Then came December... A few days before Christmas, our loving aunt, Tita Cory -- not to be confused with Cory Aquino, mind you -- passed away as well. Could not go to the wake which makes it that much more difficult. It's like losing another mother. Made me realize how important it is to show your loved ones that you care. Especially for people who are away, overseas... Because you'll never know when you can see them again.

Oh well... Enough brooding...

Although I doubt if any of the good things could match up to the bad things that happened, I still like to think that at least we still had good things to celebrate. Like what I learned in high school, focus on the good things... No matter how dark it is, always look at the good side of things. There's always something to learn.

What we'll take away from our harrowing experience is the wisdom and knowledge that we gained, a new appreciation for life, plus Che and I have become closer and much more open to each other.

Also, we had our third year anniversary at Quincy Hotel in Orchard. The food is great (breakfast, lunch and dinner), not to mention the room. Not a spectacular view, though, but hey we're in the middle of the shopping district... :)

Another great experience is our weekend trip to Malacca (Melaka) in Malaysia. Once you're used to shopping in Singapore, you will really, really, REALLY appreciate Melaka. Most unforgettable would be the "Fish Doctor" there. You let the tiny (and some really big) fishes nibble your feet. An hour after that, our feet are so soft and smooth. If ever we get a chance to go back there, I'll be sure to drop by that place again!

Then one important thing to be thankful for: our approved permanent residence status. In a time when many applicants were rejected and told to re-apply again after six months (others up to two years), we are lucky enough to be approved. Although it means that it will eat up some of our salary, we are at least much more secure here in Singapore, not to mention, it opens up new possibilities.

We're also thankful for our jobs -- despite the troublesome shifting schedule and endless politics -- I guess no office job is complete without one. We can afford new things we need and want; things which we would think more than ten times before buying if we were back in the Philippines. Not that we do not like our flat, but it was kind of unwelcoming and unrelaxing, until we brought in some new furniture like the dining set, which I'm very, very pleased with. Slowly and steadily, it is feeling a lot more like home. :)


Philippines under siege

The Philippines is battered with catastrophe after catastrophe. It's always sad whenever I see Philippines in the news in our office -- it's as if the Philippines is only in international news whenever something bad has happened.

The great flood brought about by Ondoy and Pepeng has been the worst of its kind in recent memory. Houses ruined, livelihoods destroyed, lives lost. The silver lining in all of this is that it brought out the best in all Filipinos. The bayanihan spirit is seen best in times of trouble. Heroes bold and true died saving lives of others. People banded together to help those who were most devasted by the floods.

Another saving grace is the proof of the resiliency of the Filipinos. Despite going through a lot, Filipinos still manage to become happy during the festive Christmas season. Even those hit hardest by the floods won't let Christmas and New year pass by without a bang, a bunch of lechon, and others. :)

Then just before the year ends, Mayon volcano fires up anew, threathening the whole countryside. Glad to know that it has simmerred down for the Holidays. Hope it stays that way for good.


Scandals left and right

The Philippine government - particularly the Arroyo government -- is not new to scandals. Heck, it's almost impossible to think of the Arroyo administration without thinking of all the corruption cases piling up, which -- I hope not -- would likely end up at the bottom of the stack of cases...

Not to mention the infamous lunch/dinner of the Arroyo contingent during their US trip. The apparent insensitivity of the president in the midst of the global economic crisis left a bad taste in the mouths of Filipinos.

Also, there's this "little" issue about the different sex scandals of the former doctor Hayden Kho. through the whole ordeal, at least one person benefitted from all this. After the scandal broke out, for some reason, one TV network gave her a break giving her one prominent role after another, eventually winning her an award for one of those roles. Well, at least something good came out of this whole mess.


Prominent deaths

The death of the first woman Philippine president was felt by all Filipinos. Even the younger generation who were not even born during the EDSA revolution felt the loss of the former Time Magazine Woman of the Year, the icon of EDSA revolution, the symbol of People Power. The day-long drive from the Manila Cathedral to her final resting place in Manila Memorial Park just shows the number of people that showed up and gave their respects for the former president.

Not to mention, the latest and most apalling election-related violence perhaps in the entire Philippine history. The Ampatuan case down south just shows the extreme violence present in the provinces and, possibly, the best display of the giant rift between the rich and the poor; being the third(?) poorest province in the entire Philippines, the Ampatuan clan allegedly owns at least 20 mansions, an unknown number in their private army, and some heavy armaments. It's been 40+ days since the mass murder. 'Wonder how long before justice is served?

Then there's also the other controversial death of the Ruby Rose Barrameda, sister of former beauty queen and actress Rochelle Barrameda. The fact that the body was found sealed up inside a drum... well, let's just say it's gonna be ugly...

Also, there's also the deaths of music legend, the King of Pop Michael Jackson, and likewise the Hollywood star of Dirty Dancing, Patrick Swayze.

Is it just me, or is the death toll for 2009 higher than the previous years? And it's not even 2012 yet! Oh well, enough of that...


The good things

Good year for PacMan. This is the year that brought him his unprecedented 7 championships in different weight divisions. Filipinos couldn't be any prouder. He probably could do better and hold eight -- if only Mayweather sucks it up and stop complaining about drug tests here and that, and finalize the fight already. He's just a jack@$$, afraid of facing PacMan who could possibly end his winning streak. Hell, if he wanted to keep his streak, who should have just stayed retired and shut the hell up. If the fight doesn't push through, he's just all bark, no bite.

Then again, maybe that's just a technique of them promoters. Damn shame on you guys! That ain't right! :))

Of course, the only problem I have with Pacquiao is his political ambitions, trying, once again, to run for public office. Heck, no doubt that's because of the that corrupt, gambling devil on his side whispering into his ear again. You know, the one who was also a money launderer but did not get a trial because he's a "star witness". Before I lose control of myself again, I better move on...

So, going back to the good things...

Another person we can be proud of, Efren Penaflorida. The 2009 CNN Hero of the Year. Do we really need to say more? The whole world loves and respects what he does... Well, at least most of the Internet voters... But still, his work is an example to all. Hopefully more and more people will look up to this young man. Now the question was raised during one of his interviews: Should he run for public office? Well, it would be nice for someone like him to actually lead us. I just hope if that's the case, he won't get sucked in and be corrupted by the prevailing, stinking politics in our country today.

Also, global economy is slowly getting back on its feet. Should be a great opportunity for people looking for better jobs -- I know some colleagues who did! :)) Hopefully, the road to recovery would be a smooth one and hopefully opportunities along the way open up for us as well.

Okay that was tiring... :)) But I enjoyed doing this.

Cheers to 2010! Hoping for a better year than last year! Good luck to all of us! Happy New Year to all!

Pacquiao wins WBO Welterweight Belt

After twelve intense rounds of fighting, the Pacman gets the WBO Welterweight Championship and becoming the first ever boxer to hold championship in seven different weight divisions! SEVEN! Proud to be Pinoy! Congratulations to the Pacman!

The First
Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Aside from the the late great Corazon Aquino, he is the only Filipino in recent memory who has become a "first" in anything globally. The very first boxer to be a champion in seven weight divisions. (Yep, can't get tired saying or writing it.) The first! The first!

The first... (Ooh yeah.)

What more could the Filipino people ask for. The most famous Filipino in the world today has now captured the hallmark of excellence. He will go down in history books with this very distinct honor.

Truly one of the greats in our lifetime...


Not without a scratch

The Pacman admitted this is a tough battle. And we can see why in his interviews following the match. The right side of his head is a bit swollen... A testament to Miguel Cotto whom many -- including the Pacman himself -- respect.

We should all raise our hats to Miguel Cotto. He may have lost, but he did not go down easy. I watched their fight several times. Have you seen the crazy flurry and powerful hooks Pacman delivered? If it were some other opponent, he would have probably been knocked out or have given up in the early or middle rounds.

Miguel Cotto was different.

After his last match, he set out to prove something to himself and all the boxing fans. He may have gone down, but he did not go down easy. At certain points, he gave Pacman a run for his money.

Though knocked down twice and defeated in the end, he never gave up -- it was the ref who stopped the match, if you remember. But I imagine that Cotto could easily have gone the distance. To stand toe to toe with the PacMan in tweleve rounds is no easy feat. The guts that this guy has! Talk about intestinal fortitude.

We're so happy that Cotto gave his all for this fight and for giving PacMan the competition that he deserves. In this fight, he undoubtedly brought out the best in Pacquiao.

This is but a setback for Cotto. This is not the end of the line for him. We can and should expect more from him in the future. Go Cotto!


Worth every cent

With such a long, drawn-out battle, no one who watched the fight could say that they have been short-changed. After a long time, we see Pacquiao at his best, battling twelve rounds. Almost an entire hour filled with excitement.

No easy knockdowns. No easy fights. No instant victories. Just twelve rounds of pure boxing at its best!

I remember a friend saying that in Pacquiao's previous fight, he just went out to buy some cigarettes. When he returned, the match was over. Not the case here. :)

It was a great match that was great to watch over and over again. We never get tired of watching two fighters at their very best.


What's next
Everyone already knows the answer to that: Pacquiao vs Mayweather! Fans are saying it. Commentators are saying it. Even Roach is saying it. Everything has been building up to this dreammatch. The former Pound-for-Pound champion versus the current Pound-for-Pound Champion! Mayweather vs Pacquiao! Pacquiao vs Mayweather!

We'll see what they can cook up with next year.

Though I agree with Aling Dionisia (the Pacman's mother): he should stop and retire. If not now, very soon. Better to stop while you're ahead. Better to retire as a champion that to retire because you got old and was defeated by a younger, fresher boxer.

Anyway, he said he was boxing so that his family doesn't have to work hard anymore. I don't think that was ever the case eversince he became a star. In spite of the recent crisis, he and his family is set for life. No need to pound and get pounded to feed his family. He should have more than enough by this time.

Parkinson's disease (Mohammad Ali), post-concussion syndrome (Bret Hart), and other trauma-related conditions are very real threats to those in this line of business. It's only a matter of time before a bad luck -- in the form of a younger and better fighter or a small accident -- could unravel all that he has achieved. Though not necessarily true, this does make a lot of sense: "You're only as good as your last match." This is Pacman's best match so far... Connect the dots...

Provide financial support for his family. Check.
Bring pride, honor, and glory to Filipinos around the world. Check.
Be the first boxer to be champ in seven weight divisions. Check.
Do movies with beautiful ladies. Erm... Check. (more on that later LOL!)

Only other thing I could think of that he needs to cross out of his list is his fight with Mayweather. But after that, I think it's best for him to retire.

Oh well, enough about that.

Congratualations to Manny Pacman Pacquiao for the win. Kudos to Miguel Cotto for the fight that he brought with him. Good work Bob Arum and Top Rank for setting up a great match. ;)

Playing iAssociate in iPhone...

Been playing around with the game iAssociate in iPhone. It's a really interesting game, interesting enough for me to buy it for USD1.99 :))

It's a simple word association game. You start out with one main "theme" word, which is already associated with several other words. Your only clues are the number of characters per word. In the demo version (which is the same as the first puzzle of the full version), you start out with the theme "Out of the blue" starting with the word Blue. Best to watch the video below:



Note it shows the number of "characters", not letters; oh yes, numbers and punctuation marks are included too! Figuring that out sooner could save you some time ;)

As of the moment, we have completed three levels: Out of the blue, Surfing the web, and Theme:Comics and Cartoons. Had some "web" help for the first and last one, while we did the middle one on our own, without help.

The Good:
Gameplay is very simple and straighforward. You have a word, think of words associated with that word, enter it. If its correct, you get clues to other words associated with it. Lather, rinse, repeat until you solve all of the words.

It's a great brainteaser and in some weird way shows just how much you know. For us, being able to complete the Surfing the web theme shows that we are very familiar with the web -- not surprising since we're both IT people. We had a hard time for some of the themes, such as some cartoon characters that we barely know about.

Once you solve some puzzles, you get some trivia about things. Pretty interesting for the bookish, I-like-to-read-a-lot-of-books type of person.

The Bad:
Like all puzzle games of this sort, it has very little replay value. Once you have figured out a puzzle, there's really no point retrying that puzzle again -- unless maybe if you have absolutely a lot of time to spare and you aim only to best your score -- the fastest time to solve a puzzle/theme.

Also, it might be frustrating at some points particularly for puzzles/theme that you have little or no knowledge whatsoever.

Of course, that's part of the challenge. But the sad thing is, once you know the answers, there's really no turning back; once you know, you know, and the puzzle is solved... Unless you have a way of "unremembering" stuff, you really can "enjoy" this game as long as you haven't solve the puzzle yet.

Oh well, better make my 2 bucks worth it. Hmm... What's a phrase consisting of 3 words (3+9+10 characters long), the first wword being 'The' that is associated to "Prison" and "Stephen King"?

iPhone apps we like

Been exploring our new iPhone now... Sooo many applications out there available for download... There are a few which we really like:

YM, Skype - pretty much the same applications that we have on our laptops. YM since, well, it keeps me in touch with friends and family. And Skype because of the calls. As long as I'm connected via WiFi, calling via Skype is always an option.

WordWeb - liked it then on our PC/laptop, still like it now on the iPhone. What makes this thesaurus much more useful is that it not only includes synonyms and related words, but also gives detailed explanation/s (of how to use the word in sentences) as well as concrete examples. Top choice for those who always end up using the same words over and over again. (I better use this now before I repeat some words again. :) Hehehehe. )

FantasyLens - For some reason, out of the so many photo-related applications out there, this one is particularly appealing to me. I guess it's the old paintings used.

UnblockMe - One of my personal favorite games. A real mindtwister if you go for the challenge mode (i.e. solve this puzzle in x moves); or a good way to relax and unwind if you opted for the relax mode (i.e. just solve it, however long it takes).

Pregnancy Tracker - In our case, this is obviously a reasonable application to have. BTW, it says that we are now at 6 weeks 4 days, and the baby is as big as a grain of rice. Also has some details on how the baby develops on a weekly basis -- gives us a pretty good idea of what is going on in there. Also gives tips on what to eat. Very useful. The only downside is that it's not free.

Well, that's all for now. :)