Dr. V

Word of the Week #1: Legit

2010-02-03T10:35:00.001-08:00

"Too legit. Too legit to quit."

This is a new feature on my blog that I'll be doing every week for MCOM 100W, but this is something that sounds really fun and quite productive. Basically, I can take a quote, a poem, a clip, anything set of words that makes a statement, and just say what I feel about it.

I really couldn't think of anything, but this quote came to mind. It's from former rapper, M.C. Hammer and his hit song entitled "Too Legit."

Being legit has been a big part of me this year. It's probably mostly because of my position in Akbayan. I'm the Internship Coordinator and my interns have decided to call themselves the Leadership Empowered Group in Training which in short is... L.E.G.I.T.

But the song has a lot of meaning. In this world, there's a lot of "fake" people who try to bite off more than they can chew. But in actuality, people should really get involved with things that they have a passion for. If the passion is there, odds are high that you won't quit--that's what makes people legit.

Merrian-Webster defines "legit" or "legitimate" as "having full rights by birth."

We all legitimately have the right to be here, but it takes true passion to belong and be accepted.

With that, my "Word of the Week" is "legit."

iPad

2010-01-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, I don't often post about the newest gadgets, but I thought I'd offer my two cents about Apple's latest, and supposedly greatest, mobile machine.

It's stupid.

Sorry, but that's what it is. Steve Jobs claims it's time for something to have in between the smart phone and the laptop (or in his case, the iPhone and the MacBook), but this just seems like a waste of money.

In the most basic sense, Apple's iPad is a touch screen tablet. Yep, it's pretty much an iPod touch XXL. I say iPod touch because the device isn't a phone. Unless you're using a random video phone app, or Skype, you won't be making any calls. The only communication you'll have with the outside world is through chat, social networking, or tweeting. The iPad is a sleek, thin device with a 9-inch LCD that has the ability to browse the web, check e-mail, organize and view pictures and slideshows, and it also works as a media hub for those iTunes freaks out there or those who like to put digital copies of movies into their mobile devices--not to mention it has an iPod built in.

Sure, it might be the coolest way of surfing the web, but that's about it. It's hard to see a real use for such a device in any home. While the device is definitely good to look at, and I'd imagine a joy to use--it doesn't seem like there's room for such a device in any home or bag. Most people who have a smart phone have a computer, and I know all sorts of people who have an iPhone--a lot of them no longer need anything else, especially on the go.

I can see why the item is $500, and it just might be worth it. But do I think it'll be a necessity like the modern smart phone and laptop computer? I seriously doubt it.

Finals over. Here's a few SmashPad pieces!

2009-12-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

Demon's Souls (PS3) - 9.0
Definitely a surprise. Though the game plays like a glorified dungeon-crawler (I'm not a big fan of dungeon crawlers), the story and the challenging and unique gameplay is what will keep you in. A triumphant pat on the back for Atlus.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP) - 9.0
Let's admit it. They are plenty of likable and unlikable main characters and villains in the Final Fantasy games. This game finally brings them all together to make a hell of a brawler.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS) - 8.0
Every bit as good as The Curious Village with an even better story.

Madden NFL 10 (Wii) - 7.3
More of the same, with a better online mode.

Madden NFL 10 (PS3, Xbox 360) - 8.3
Lots of changes in Madden have resulted in a slower, but more realistic game of football.

Space Invaders Extreme 2 (DS) - 6.9
Pretty much the same game as the first.

Nerf N-Strike Elite (Wii) - 6.8
The cool thing is the Nerf gun that comes with the game. Other than that, it'll keep your kids busy.

Hasbro Family Game Night 2 (Wii) - 6.6
Wanna play board games but don't wanna shell out the $30 each? If you have a Wii, this might be a good stocking stuffer.

Tekken 6 (PS3, Xbox 360) - 8.2
"The Year of the Fighter" comes to a close with a strong entry into the Tekken series.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) - 8.7
Probably the most fun you'll have with any friend(s) this year on the Wii.

Review - Wii Sports Resort (Wii)

2009-07-27T03:09:00.001-07:00

Got Wii Sports Resort this evening, and I've played it so much, I already wrote my review on it.

It's up on SmashPad, but you can get it here.

I gave the game an 8.9 out of 10. It's not as high a score as Little King's Story, but it still exceeds the expectations of many. Definitely worth a buy. Plus, you get the WiiMotion Plus accessory for free.

I don't even know why I'm up. I have work in less than six hours.

- DRV

Welcome me back to the current generation of gaming

2009-07-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I won a PS3 auction on eBay for a whopping low price of $220.50. Unfortunately, that seller has yet to send me my PS3, so as a result, I filed a claim against him. If he doesn't respond to that claim by Tuesday, I'll get paid back in full.

Of course, should he respond, and I actually do get the PS3, that means I'll have two... and I can easily re-sell that on eBay. No problem.

So yes, I won another auction a few days ago, but instead of $220.50, it was $310. No big deal though. I mean it's a 60GB model (an out-of-production model that is backwards compatible with PS/2 games), and it came with Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Babel, and a copy of Resistance: Fall of Man. While I have no interest in those two BluRay movies, I also have no interest in that free game.

In the meantime, because of GameCrazy's superb MVP Buy 2, Get 1 Free deal, I was able to nab copies of Street Fighter IV, SoulCalibur IV, Grand Theft Auto IV, and LittleBigPlanet. Yeah, that's a lot of IV's.

I've spent most of my time updating the console's firmware, downloading things such as PlayStation Home and some other things that seem to enhance the experience. The problem is that since I'm on a basic AT&T high-speed connection, I find myself simply here on the net waiting while things download. I really wish I had a faster connection, because most of the time, especially when booting up a game I haven't played before, I have to update to the latest version and download the latest content.

Right now I'm watching my brother use Darth Vader in Soul Calibur IV. As for my actual gameplay, I've just been playing mostly Street Fighter IV and LittleBigPlanet. Both very solid games. I also hope to build up my trophy collection soon.

In the meantime, I'll take on all challengers, but since I'm on AT&T, don't hate me if our connection suddenly falls... :-\

I'll update this post with pictures of my happiness soon.

Quick Gaming Links

2009-07-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

First, I'd like to apologize if my last blog sounded a little moody. But hey, that's what happens when you're used to being busy all the time.

Here are a few links to a few editorials I got done over the passed few weeks.

HANDS-ON - Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP)
Dissidia is a fighting game developed by Square Enix that features both heroes and enemies found in just about every Final Fantasy (flagship) title that's been released. The PSN demo features The Onion Knight, Terra, Cloud, and Sephiroth as playable characters.

REVIEW - Little King's Story (Wii)
Little King's Story is like Pikmin, but more dark, unpredictable, and addictive. Because of its cartoonish nature, it will fall under the radar. Don't let that happen. This game just might be the Wii Game of the Year. 9/10

REVIEW - Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS)
Atlus' critically appraised SMT series makes its debut in style with Devil Survivor. While it may have its similarities with The World Ends With You, it's not like that game was bad anyway. 9.1/10

REVIEW - The Legendary Starfy (DS)
Nintendo has a new series on their hands that's been in Japan for quite a while. Resembling Kirby but being as deep as Mario, The Legendary Starfy is a perfect game with playability on a long road trip. 8/10

REVIEW - Flower, Sun, and Rain (DS)
Developed by the same folks who brought us classics like No More Heroes on the Wii and Killer 7 on the GameCube and PlayStation 2, Flower Sun, and Rain is the port of a bland PS2 game. 4.6/10

REVIEW - Knights in the Nightmare (DS)
An extremely complex game that includes reflex-challenging controls in the form of an isometric Strategy RPG. There is no game quite like it, but at the same time--it's not for everybody. 8.7/10

REVIEW - MySims Racing (Wii, DS)
A kart-racing title that will resemble Mario Kart despite vague differences. Good for a rental. 5.1/10

REVIEW - The Sims 3 (PC, Mac)
I hardly even play PC games, but this was probably the most fun I've had so far this year. 9.4/10

So if you're bored, give those a read! Thanks.

- D

Crossroads

2009-07-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

I know, I've lacked a real update in quite a while. It's been a combination of both being busy and just flat out laziness. I've been taking hours at H&M all summer, simply continuing to save money. Of course, with school tuition to pay for, and then little things like video games and clothes--it's quite hard to save.

But I have now stopped spending so much on food. I bring my own lunch to work every day, and that's really helping me relieve some of my funding.

When I get home, I'm just really tired. The only things I really have energy for involve sitting down, or some sort of screen. Basically, I've been gaming hard with Final Fantasy X, and just spending the rest of my time online, doing random things--heh, OMGPOP and Twitter, to be quite frank.

There's just no energy. I know I said I'd be working out all summer, but it's turn into a weekly thing. I work so much there's just no time. Of course, that's what people always say, but nothing motivates me.

Every day I wake up when I don't have work, staying home. My main circle of friends have their own engagements. One works, two go to summer school, and the other one is someone who stays home and wants to do nothing but that. There's really nothing that excites me, and when they do want to have a night out, it's usually just to eat... either that, or it's during a time when I'm busy.

I've always prided myself on being a busybody, but now even I'm starting to question the things I do. I'm the Internship Coordinator of Akbayan Pilipino-American Organization of San Jose State University, but other than the fact that I want to give back to the organization, should I really be doing that? I'm a Part-Time Sales Associate at H&M, but do I want to stay in fashion retail? I'm an Associate Editor at Gamer 2.0, but the site has been down for a couple months due to a series of events out of my control--why should I care? I'm a journalism student at San Jose State, but do I really want to write for the rest of my life? I'm a Junior Performing Artist for the Hiyas Philippine Folk Dance Company--but after three years, I still haven't been recruited to the core group, so why do I still bother?

I'm half-way into my college career, and barring any drastic changes, I'll be graduating soon and heading out in the real world. At this point, it's hard to tell where I see myself within the next five years simply because I'm doing too much stuff.

But if I wasn't doing all this, I'd feel unfulfilled.

I don't know what's up. Maybe it's because I've either been cooped up in this damn house for so long or just because I'm overworked, but honestly -- I feel totally behind in life.

Summer Gaming Backlog

2009-06-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

It's summer time. Since then, I've only had five days off. I worked out on four. I'm considering doing it today, but the weather is a little gloomy. I'll probably still go out anyway.

So what's best to do when you're staying home? Aside from being productive and doing chores, there's video games. It's been a while since I've played a game for the sake of my own enjoyment. It was last year when I beat Final Fantasy VII in preparation for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII--which I also beat. I've also been playing Pokemon Platinum, and I'm nearing the Elite Four. Maybe I should beat this game first.

But aside from that, here's my entire gaming backlog at first glance.

If you don't know what a backlog is, it's a set of games that own but have never finished. A lot of them I've never even started.

Here we go!

PlayStation 2
- Final Fantasy X
- Final Fantasy XII
- Jak 3
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
- Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3
- Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2

GameCube
- Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
- Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
- Star Fox Adventures
- Star Fox Assault

Wii
- MadWorld
- Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
- Okami
- Punch-Out!!
- No More Heroes
- Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

DS
- Chrono Trigger
- Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
- Pokemon Pearl
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
- Fire Emblem: Dragon Sword

Summer 2009

2009-05-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

Summer 2009 looks to be a bit more chill after I get through some of the hardships in my life.

For those of you who didn't know, I was in a car accident on the 27th of April. I really don't want to talk about it here, but if you're wondering how that turned out, I'm always available to talk.

The damages are going to cost me well over $3800, especially if State Farm really believes it's my fault--and hey, it's NOT.

Anyway, grades came out today. The one I really dreaded was for my ADV 91 class, and I ended up getting a B+. Once again, the worst grade I got this semester is a C, and I actually got a handful of them. I took 8 classes this semester, while working 20 hours a week, being a part of Cab, PCN Core, and doing almost every aspect PCN had to offer (except AK).

Speaking of Akbayan, I was just elected Internship Coordinator. It took a lot of thought to ultimately decide on this position. Most of the organization thought I'd be a shoo-in for PCN Coordinator, but I see next year as a transitional year where most of us will have to adjust to change. Barring a huge setback or change of thought, I'll run for PCN Coordinator in 2010 when I have more of an idea of how it'll be. There's too much uncertainty going to next year's show, and I still have a lot of manuscripts to decipher before obtaining a role as Artistic Director next season. (I'm not teaching dance the way it's supposed to be taught; not stealing choreography from Bayanihan DVD's and YouTube PCN Vids).

As stated in my vlog, I'm working on full-time hours with H&M because I really need the money. On days when I'm not working, I've set up a rigorous workout plan as well. I want to get involved with Austin's REVAMP program, but in all honesty--I can't commit to attending every session because of work, and spending an extra $100 won't help my cause. My best option would be to just do it on my own.

In the meantime, my enrollment appointment isn't until June 19th. I really don't know what to pick yet. I'm still on the fence with both journalism and advertising, and all of a sudden, marketing looks like a viable major as well. But if I switched to marketing, that would delay graduation a year, and I'm actually ahead if I stay in the College of Journalism and Mass Communiations.

I do know, however, that I'll be doing the MCOM 100W class. That's all though. The JMC website took off my guide, so I'm really lost at this point.

Enjoy your summer!

MCOM 63/64 - What I've done on Photoshop.

2009-05-18T13:42:00.001-07:00

I have some experience with Photoshop aside from just image-editing. So here are a few PCN-related projects I've done with Photoshop during MCOM 63/64 class.

MCOM 63/64 - Audio Projects

2009-05-18T13:03:00.001-07:00

Below are audio projects that I've done for the 63 and 64 class. They're uploaded on Ning, so if you're not a member of my social networking Ning site, you should join it before clicking any of the links.

Dr. V (Danreb Victorio) and J-Cap (Justin Lacap) talk about working. [MP3 file.]

Mad Cows Project with Bryant, Brenda, Veronica, and Justin. Cow News! [MP3 file.]

Enjoy!

- DRV

MCOM 63/64 - Various Flash Projects

2009-05-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

MCOM 63/64 - Another Vlog!

2009-05-18T12:44:00.001-07:00

For MCOM 63/64 use. But I might do this once in a while.

MCOM 63/64 - About PCN w/ Justin Lacap

2009-05-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

This is a video I made using Apple's iMovie. This is for the Video Project we in my media class. The thoughts in this video are not necessarily those made by San Jose State University or the Akbayan Pilipino-American Organization.

Spoken Word

2009-03-21T02:09:00.000-07:00

I just talking to a friend from high school, and he told me this...

"The art of spoken word is somewhat played out now."

While this guy has a hip hop ground and is in to a lot of things I really don't care that much for, I have to agree.

You won't like what I have to say, but here it is. Spoken word is overrated. You know what's more overrated? Filipino-American-based spoken word.

Yeah, I get it. It's about the history. Know your history, know yourself. No history, no self. Been there. Heard it. Done it. But even still--with Fil-Am Spoken Word. It's always the same. It's always about the elder struggle. It's always about the argument of the lack of an identity. It's always about shouting about who you are, with some swearing on the side.

Sorry, the gimmick is over. You can go ahead and talk about your life and struggle to get to where you are, but honestly--there are other people who've gone through a lot worse. These people made better uses of their time writing books.

Maybe it's just the fact that I've never really been a fan of it. Granted, I've heard some great flow, especially from one of my friends who I've known a couple of years. But other than that--it's overrated.

If I were forced to listen to Spoken Word, it's better off being a girl reciting it, because the gentle, sweet sound of a woman's voice adds more of a personal and cutting narrative to each story. But that's where it gets you to think.

Why does a lot of the Spoken Word today have to be so negative? Why is it always a bitchfest about traditional-themed parents? I want to hear a Filipino recite spoken word talking about great life is. I want spoken word to be about poetry again.

People can go on and on about the daily struggle that is their life--but that's not poetry.

MCOM 63/64 - Simple Photoshop Project

2009-03-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in my MCOM 63 New Media class learning some basic Photoshop. I already know enough of the basics to hold my own, so I edited an image.

Here's the before and after shots.

BEFORE AFTER

I simply changed the background by cropping the guy out of it, and then I smudged the nose and chin to make him have a bigger nose and somewhat of a bearded effect. Nothing too fancy.

Adobo is overrated.

2009-03-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

Today after church and lunch with my family, I had a little time to just go on a YouTube rampage, looking at random videos to satisfy my need for entertainment, and I ran across a music video about adobo.

Overall the video was extremely hilarious, but there were some themes--mainly sexual--that would be pretty offensive. Usually when I go about looking at Filipino-themed vids, I usually have my mom take a look as well.

This is one thing I really wouldn't want to show her, but I'll show it to you guys because you'd probably get a kick out of it.

---

Now, just to keep consistency with the blog's title. What do you guys think about adobo? While it is probably the most famous dish in Philippine cuisine, I think it's awfully overrated. I mean, everybody knows about it, and now we're seeing music videos produced because of this meat dish with plenty of soy sauce and vinegar.

Maybe my family doesn't make it as well as others, or maybe it's because I have adobo almost every week. But I just don't find adobo worth all the attention. What about caldereta? Igado?

Well, that's all I have to say.

The "new' Facebook

2009-03-15T00:26:00.001-07:00

Like every other college student, I spend a lot of time on Facebook. I don't particularly know why we go about this phenomenon, but it's really a good treatment for boredom. It's different from Friendster and MySpace in the sense that in Facebook it's easier to come across acquaintances (I don't say friends, because you can't all the people you "know" your "friends.") Also, since it doesn't allow much HTML, custom backgrounds and themes are out of the question--which make Facebook a cleaner, and more responsive website than a lot of the other trash there is online.

One of Facebook's formerly original features was the "Status Update," which has since then been ripped off by MySpace, with the only original feature they have being people's moods. It doesn't really end there, though. The popularity of the Status Update has allowed a new website to come onto the scene that was developed last summer--Twitter.

Twitter is simple. All you do on that site is update your status by answering the age-old question, "What are you doing?" Now, Twitter has been installed into pretty much everyone's phones and mobile devices, with people Twittering left and right. In Twitter, instead of friends, you have followers, and you also have the option of following other people.

How does this relate to the new Facebook? Well, Facebook has taken a page out of MySpace's book by trying to eliminate the competition by joining in with the fun. For an example, sign up for your own Twitter feed and compare the homepages of both sites. They look pretty darn similar.

The change with Facebook isn't as drastic as the change that was made in late 2008, but now, instead of doing a re-design, they just changed the streamlined experience. A traditional homepage with Live Feed would tell us who wrote on other people's walls. While we still have that option, it's been changed to Person 1 > Person 2 "wall message here." This all just adds more awkwardness to the pages.

The most noteworthy change is in the profiles. Previously, in order to update your status, you had to clear it and then type it in. Now, it's a lot harder to differentiate your status and a wall post, so when you change your status--it makes it look like you wrote on your own wall.

So this is what we've come to. The new Facebook isn't lame... it just makes us look more lame than we are.

Thanks for making me realize I'm lame, Facebook. I'm going go Twitter now.

I got a MacBook

2009-03-15T00:09:00.000-07:00

I've added another member to my electronic family today.

Over the passed 12 months, I've picked up the Wii, another PlayStation 2, a second DS Lite due to the first being broken, a crappy prepaid cell phone, and an iPod touch. Add a MacBook to that list.

I see this investment as something I'll really cherish. It's just that the timing was quite questionable. The biggest problem with my first laptop, the Dell Inspiron 1501, was that it was oftentimes unresponsive. Why? Because it only had 512 MB of RAM. When I found out that was an issue, I bought two 1 GB RAM cards to update it to 2 GB. Huge difference, and the Dell is a better laptop because of it.

But whatever, the battery is still lame. It's my fault since I kept the thing plugged in, but still. 3 minutes? Hardly worth anybody's time.

This MacBook already comes equipped with 2 GB of RAM, a hard drive that's double the size of my old Dell, and it just gives me more options quite due to the fact that it's a Mac. Why does it give me more options? Because now, I have two laptops of opposing operating systems. I wouldn't be surprised if I bought a Unix system soon--just kidding.

I'll leave you guys with a few pics of this happiness. But if you're my friend on Facebook, you've probably already seen them.

There it is, first being open.

Talk about green packaging.

Here's one more look at the POS1501.

Couple gaming blogs published...

2009-03-12T00:40:00.000-07:00

In case you guys don't already know, Gamer 2.0 is in charge of a blog site called SmashPad. The staff at Gamer 2.0 is full of young guys who definitely know their way around the industry, and they write down-to-earth pieces when it comes to covering video games. SmashPad gives the staff a chance to provide more opinion and commentary for their readers, and it also provides for more social interaction for their readers.

Last week I had two blogs published, one is about the lack of a Wii Classic Controller Pro in the United States, and the other is about the upcoming release of the Nintendo DSi.

Definitely give them a read when you get a chance!
- DRV

More DS RPG reviews

2009-03-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been very busy with both school and the things I've been doing with Akbayan. It's been a pretty crumby week so far with my car's battery dying, and Dancing with the Seniors not being as great as I had originally planned and hoped.

Anyway, here are a couple reviews I've had published at Gamer 2.0.

The first is a review of Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride. It's a remake of an SNES classic that wasn't released in the United States--so unless you're a hardcore Dragon Quest fan, odds are this will be a new experience. It's actually really good game that arguably might be the best RPG on the Nintendo DS. (It's definitely up there with Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy IV).

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride Review

The second is a review of Blue Dragon Plus. Blue Dragon was an RPG that was released on the Xbox 360 a couple years ago but had lackluster reviews because of its apparent dedication to old-school gaming--which necessarily isn't a bad thing. Actually, I think Blue Dragon was a solid Xbox 360 game. Other than that, Blue Dragon Plus is a very different experience because it's a RTS in the same vain as Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. While Blue Dragon Plus is pretty solid, it's really not worth buying at full price, especially with games like Big Bang Mini, Dragon Quest V, and Fire Emblem already out this year.

Blue Dragon Plus Review

My next review will be on Legacy of Ys: Books I & II, also a remake for the Nintendo DS.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon review

2009-02-23T01:30:00.000-08:00

Another extremely addictive Fire Emblem game has been released, but this time, it's a remake of the original game--something we didn't get here in North America. Much to the pleasure of others, the game stars Prince Marth (of Super Smash Bros. fame) as he attempts to save his sister and his kingdom.

You can read my review here.

My due recognition for the World War II Veterans

2009-02-12T23:23:00.001-08:00

Standing
Free-Verse by Danreb Reyes Victorio

Standing.
Envisioning myself in a world where my brothers are not,
While they lie on the ground motionless where leaders are commanding...
Commanding them to keep fighting as bullets hit them from behind.
Falling and falling down in Bataan and Manila Bay
With no fun during every hour of the day
With absolutely no sense or say
And definitely nowhere to stay.

Standing.
But at what cost?
They were in enough of a bind.
A bind so tight that they stood along with their brothers white,
Looking for no exit.
For once, they were one,
Fighting the good fight,
Knowing one day...
Maybe one day they would be looked at under the same light...
As our founding fathers who made our nation so true.
But I awaken.

Standing.
Finding out that we are in a world, a new
World that took away everything they owned.
They wouldn't even throw them a mother ****in bone.
Even our fears over the years,
The bloodshed and tears
Were planned on being forgotten.
But that wouldn't happen. Not on the watch of the young.
The same people, screaming from the top of a bad lung,
"THE PEOPLE, UNITED
WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!"

Sixty years, we waited for change.
It took that long for the higher-ups to pay them back in a range
That didn't even equal minimum wage.

Sixty years, we waited for change.
The lolos kept dying, we waited so long.
We waited so long, time became more important than money.
Yes, money was scarce. No bank held a sack,
But we elected a new leader, whose skin was black.
Sixty years we waited for change.
And as our President said, it's finally here.

Standing.
Right before us lies a new stimulus bill.
Being ready to go through Capital Hill.
The time has finally come
To pay our loved ones one by one.
To find that our goal has finally been reached.
The confidence is back with no sense of breach.
All we want now is recognition.
But this is my premonition.

Standing.
The visions that appear on one and another.
One eye sees closure.
The other eye sees an opening.
One eye closed.
The other open.
Open to recognition.
Open to recognizing the ones who fought and died.
The ones who did not rot and did not hide.
The ones who stayed silent as their kids did the talking.
The same talking that the government didn't even find shocking.

Standing.
Here on the stage were my colleague spoke something he wrote
About his grandfather of whom he never spoke
With the people of our small community who finally cared to wonder...
And that ISANG BAKSAK unleashing our curious thunder.

---

While my piece was nothing great, the recent news about the World War II Philippine Veterans finally receiving their benefits (provided Obama signs the bill) that were taken away from them during Truman's term hit a soft spot for me. It's been a while since I've wrote any form of poetry. The last meaningful poem I wrote was for the girl I've always loved but let go and before that the last poem I wrote was in dedication to the accomplishments of the great Cesar Chavez--yes, even though it was Phillip vera Cruz who first approached him about a union.

It took sixty years for it to happen. It took the falling of our economy for it to happen. It took a black President for it to happen.

But at least it did happen.

All we need now is to recognized what they did. So please, to all of you reading this who have no idea who who you are. Embrace your surroundings. Remain proud of where you came from. Accept where you are.

When I first learned about how this whole ordeal happened, I was indifferent. But when it was finally time to talk to an actual, real-life veteran, it truly opened my eyes to see how patient and humble these elderly men were. There I was, in an impatient mood, wondering what cultural dance I'd learn next... while there was a pleasant old man in front of me wearing his Veteran's cap and the purple hearts he had tucked in front of his pocket. To think that the benefits he had were taken away. To think that he wasn't even going to be recognized for his accomplishments as a guerilla fighter under the U.S. flag. If I were in his shoes, I would be disgusted... but he wasn't.

Even if you're not Filipino, we've been given a chance to change the world. Look at the sense of community around you. Even with how strong it is, we have to make it stronger. That all begins with you. The people. The meat of the community. Stay in tune with what makes you you. Because if you know your history, you know yourself.

The worst part is forgetting.

Star Ocean 2 and Big Bang Mini reviews on Gamer 2.0

2009-02-11T14:02:00.000-08:00

I wrote a couple handheld reviews, and they have just now been published at Gamer 2.0. Check them out when you get a chance.

PSP Review - Star Ocean: Second Departure (8.2)
DS Review - Big Bang Mini (9.3)

Both games were released in late January and have received favorable scores from me. I've never given a 9.3 in a couple years, so Big Bang Mini is definitely worth some big bang for your $20. Buy it as soon as you can afford it.

Akbayan Community Events Coming Up...!

2009-02-09T14:13:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, when you have the time, you should come by some of the Community events I'm helping Akbayan organize and plan out. February is a month with two small-time, yet awesome events, so come check them out!

First, we've got the Know Your Rights Workshop led by Marlo Custodio. Marlo is a buddy of mine who graduated locally from Evergreen Valley High School in 2007. He's currently attending De Anza College and is a very active member in other non-profit Fil-Am organizations such as the Filipino Youth Coalition and FOCUS. Marlo is also one of the heads of the Justice for Custodios group, which is dedicated to fighting the issue of mindless police brutality due to an issue that occurred to him and his family in 2007.

It'll take place immediately after the General Meeting, so I suggest Akbayan members going to that meeting stay for the workshop. He's a very passionate speaker, so I'm sure everyone attending will be enlightened.

Next week, Akbayan is also hosting its annual Poker Tournament, where the profits made go directly to a good cause! Bring your money and poker face, because this is going to be quite an event.

There will be light refreshments served, but it is advised that you bring your own snacks to share.

If anybody has any additional questions about the events, you can contact me or Angelica Cortez.

- Danreb
An Akbayan Chair of Community and Political Affairs

Mmmm... Chun-Li and Robitussin

2009-02-08T13:17:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. But as anyone can tell, I've been more active with the blog as of late. If you didn't notice, this is a brand new layout. While I didn't make it, I just found it kind of cool. It's also easier to navigate than it was before. Yeah, there's ads now, but hey--it's not like we're not all trying to make a little extra money on the side.

I haven't been doing much as of late because I have a pretty bad cough. I've been OD'ing on Robitussin, DayQuil, and NyQuil, but nothing seems to be working. Hopefully I can get passed this cough soon though.

I've just been catching up on old-school gaming... if you can call it that. I've been playing Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES and the original God of War on the PlayStation 2, because I've never gotten around to them. I've also been pretty addicted to Big Bang Mini on the DS (which I should have a review up on Gamer 2.0 within the week).

Starting today, I'll be working four straight 4-hour closing shifts at H&M. Seems like a drag, but money is money.

Anyway, to the real reason this blog was posted. Check this video out; it's the trailer for the new Street Fighter movie. It's starring Kristin Kreuk (from Smallville fame) as Chun-Li. I know she's been in a FEW action scenes in Smallville (I stopped watching), but it's a little alarming to see her taking the role of Chun-Li.

Whatever, I might watch it anyway. Why? Duh. Who doesn't love Kristin Kreuk? I personally hope they have as much fan service as possible. 8-)

Bleacher Report Articles

2009-02-06T15:41:00.000-08:00

Over the passed week, I've gotten really involved with Bleacher Report.

For those of you who don't know what Bleacher Report is, it's a website for sports fans to write articles and columns for just about any sport imaginable. It's managed by actual sports writers, and it allows you to be interactive with others who have similar sports-related interests.

It's good if you want to get a jump-start on a columnist career or something.

Here are a couple that have been recently published.

Packers Off-Season Shuffle
An Article about what the Packers have done and should be doing to prepare for their new 3-4 defense.

Favre Needs to Atone For His Sins
A Brett Favre piece.

Packers off-season shuffle

2009-01-30T10:21:00.000-08:00

The 2008-2009 NFL season hasn't even ended yet. We're just days away from Super Bowl XLIV, the big match between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals, but with all the recent hires happening in Green Bay, there is reason to be somewhat excited for this off-season.

Over this passed month, we've seen Green Bay Head Coach Mike McCarthy fire his entire defensive staff (with the exception of Winston Moss, Assistant Head Coach / Linebackers) in an attempt to bring the Packers a new defensive identity. Replacing Bob Sanders, who now will be coaching the Bills' line over at Buffalo, is Dom Capers--a supposed mastermind of the 3-4 defense who is largely responsible for Pittsburgh's current, aggressive 3-4 style.

While most of the signings of the defensive staff haven't been put to the public eye yet, we now know of most of the hires made.

Defensive Coordinator - Dom Capers
Defensive Line - Mike Trgovac
Linebackers (Outside) - Kevin Greene
Linebackers (Inside) - Winston Moss
Secondary (Corners) - UNFILLED
Secondary (Safeties) - Darren Perry

While it's not necessarily an all-star group, this is arguably the most experienced group to coach a phase in Packers history. Aside from the track record Capers has in quickly turning around a porous defense, the Packers now have Mike Trgovac (Carolina's former defensive coordinator) teaching a Packers defensive line that has a lot of potential talent, a favorite in Winston Moss coming back, and Darren Perry--a former DB's coach in Oakland and Pittsburgh who is supposedly largely responsible for developing two impact players in Nnamdi Asomugha and Troy Polamalu.

Kevin Greene is another interesting hire because he was an NFL star before he retired nine years ago, known for his ferocious hits on the field and the way his aggressive nature pumped up his teammates. Kevin Greene will be coaching a group of players that includes A.J. Hawk, Nick Barnett, Desmond Bishop, Brandon Chillar, Brady Poppinga, and even Aaron Kampman--the great defensive end who is projected to move to OLB as a pass rushing specialist.

When watching Packers games over the last few years, it seems that no player has stood out and shown that he can be a truly feared player. The Packers defense has always been full of potential, but maybe "Mean" Kevin Greene can finally let the Packers play with some passion. I know fans last year went crazy in the NFC Divisional Playoffs when Atari Bigby continuously laid down the meat almost every single down. If the Packers were suddenly a truly aggressive defense, fans would have something to really enjoy after the departure of Favre.

But with all these recent hires on the defensive side of the ball, is that a sign of things to come in free agency? There's been rumors going out that part of the reason why we shifted to the 3-4 and brought in Mike Trgovac was to help lure Julius Peppers over to the Pack. While that may be interesting, I'm one of the few that would be indifferent to that notion. Julius Peppers is a great player, but the guy is built for the 4-3 through and through, and he's really pushing it if he thinks he can move into it freely.

Besides, defensive linemen in the 3-4 are paid nowhere near the amount they'd make while in the 4-3, so that is definitely something to take note of.

Here are some Free Agents that Ted Thompson should be looking at to help with the 3-4 transition:

Dunta Robinson, CB -- Houston Texans
Bart Scott, LB -- Baltimore Ravens
Terrell Suggs, DE/LB -- Baltimore Ravens
Chris Canty, DE -- Dallas Cowboys
Albert Haynesworth, DT -- Tennessee Titans

While only two of them (Haynesowrth, Suggs) are bonafide NFL superstars, the rest are high-effort players that Ted Thompson likes. Robinson could be an interesting look because Dom Capers liked him a lot while coaching in Houston.

The player I think will really end up being a Packer is Chris Canty, because he played some good football in Dallas, and with Kampman probably moving to linebacker, we need another high motor player at the defensive line to complement a healthy Cullen Jenkins and Ryan Pickett.

But before we even talk about such signings, let's at least enjoy the Super Bowl.

Semester 4 -- This is my first REAL one.

2009-01-30T09:41:00.000-08:00

Classes include...

(3) JOUR 61 -- Print for Online, Magazines
(3) ADV 91 -- Introduction to Advertising
(3) GEOL 3 -- Planet Earth
(3) MCOM 63 -- New Media
(1) MCOM 64Y - Sec. 6 -- Web Design / Photoshop
(1) MCOM 64Y - Sec. 7 -- Adobe Flash Workshop
(1) MCOM 64Y - Sec. 8 -- Digital Audio/Video Workshop
(3) MCOM 70 -- Visual Communications
(1) KIN 34A -- Beginning Social Dance

That's uhh... 19 units. 1 more than my usual load. I blame PE, really.

Originally, I only wanted to take 16 units, but those MCOM 64Y units made me think otherwise. The original intention was to have my Mondays and Wednesdays as clear as possible, because I'm trying to get more hours at H&M. This looks like it'll be a really demanding semester, and the only way to help get through it is money. It's the average life of a college student. You go through a pretty tough day, so what do you do? Buy stuff. We're in a recession, but the only way to get out of the recession is to get out and spend.

Aside from those classes, this is also my second semester as Community Affairs Chair with Angelica. We got a lot of events to sort and plan out... among these include:

- Poker Night
- Know Your Rights with Marlo Custodio
- Dancing with the Seniors 2.0
- Community Conference
- SOMA SF Tour
- Bataan Day Memorial
- [TOP SECRET ULTRA COOL COMMUNITY EVENT]

Half are plain and half are awesome. I'm gonna do what I can to make the plain ones totally stick out, so make sure you go to some (or all) of these wonderful events. Remember, everybody is part of the community, and only the ones who know their role are the ones truly pulling their weight.

Oh yes, and Akbayan will be hosting their 21st Annual Pilipino Cultural Night this year, and I am a part of PCN Core. I'll be handling Media with Anne, which is totally cool because Anne totally knows what she's doing.

And I have a solo in the Maria Clara suite. Super special awesome.

But why is this my first "real" semester? Well, aside from the fact that I'm doing a lot of stuff, this is the first time where the classes might actually affect me. I'm not one known for studying. I just pass because I rely on listening to the professor and the fact that my common sense is pretty much kickass. But lately, I've been reading. I don't even do that, so right now, I'm surprised.

I'll be using this semester to decide between Magazine Journalism and Advertising, but lately I've been thinking of moving to the marketing side of business as well.

*sigh* I should've gone undeclared.

Aaron Rodgers is as tough as they come

2008-12-09T14:20:00.000-08:00

With the exception of the Vikings and Saints games, Brett Favre would not have had an impact on any results of any of the games we've played this season.

The game verses Carolina just goes with that notion. He started out 0 for 4 passing, and I was all over him for targeting nobody but Greg Jennings with every pass he threw.

But as the game wore on, Rodgers kept hitting different receivers for intermediate gains. Ruvell Martin, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Donald Lee, and even Jermichael Finley made key receptions to prolong drives. The only way they would get involved would be if Rodgers bought time in the pocket, and his athleticism allowed him to do that.

Going into the season, Packers fans' biggest fear would be Rodgers falling to injury, and he did get injured early in the season, but he hasn't missed a game and now he is back in full form. He ran for like a 13-yard gain before receiving a shell-shocking hit by Julius Peppers--probably the most talented and sizable defensive end in the league at 6'7" and 292 lbs.

He hasn't had the experience of making miraculous 4th quarter comebacks yet, but honestly--if you have to make 4th quarter comebacks every week, then your team really isn't that good.

Aaron Rodgers has had a spectacular season, yet professionals and fans themselves are calling the quarterback "inconsistent." With a 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, Rodgers is inconsistent? Hopefully by inconsistent, people are talking about his interceptions. 11 is not a lot, by any means. Rodgers doesn't even have a supporting running game, and he still finds ways to get hot against opposing defenses.

Just wait till he becomes a seasoned veteran. He's a special player. He definitely has the potential to be a "super" player. He just needs to be trusted.

Black Friday.

2008-11-29T21:12:00.000-08:00

I've been working retail at H&M for about four months now, and I experienced what was my first Black Friday. But before I go on about that, this was my haul.

- DVD -- Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
- DVD -- Superbad
- DVD -- Forgetting Sarah Marshall
- DVD -- 300

Walk Hard and Superbad were about $4 each. These films are Judd Apatow gold, so it's pretty dumb to not own them. Also, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is another hilarious movie--for buying that, I got 300 free. I never saw 300 yet. Yeah, I know. I'm a San Jose State Spartan.

But anyway, I got those DVD's at Target and Hollywood Video. No lines, so that was a good thing.

On my way to work, it took me about an hour to find parking. It took forever. I didn't think that would happen in my lifetime, but rest assured--it did. I planned on checking a few stores out, but turned out I could clock-in early, so for the sake of getting some extra money via overtime, why not? You know.

The store was an absolute mess, and the department I spend the most time in (Divided Blue) was literally all gone. It was a really long day filled with running, but I got through it. I had to close Divided Accessories, and I wasn't even close to finish. LOL. Sorry guys.

At least I get to say I survived. That wasn't true for a Wal-Mart in New York, where shoppers trampled somebody. That's a really sad story.

In the meantime, I'm in the process of creating a gameplan of what classes to take for the Spring Semester seeing as how my registration date is this Monday Morning.

Till next time,
- DRV

It still hurts.

2008-11-17T00:25:00.000-08:00

I already told you. There is nobody else I know that I would have a better time with. I poured myself out.

I've known you since we were kids. I've gotten to know you on a more personal level as we went through the trials and tribulations of high school. Almost everything I've done, you did the following year.

We've been through so much, but you don't see it. Even after you took over the reins, I told you how much time you'll be spending growing from your experiences. Recognition is hard to come by, but I recognized you time and time again, because it was something I never got enough of when it was mine.

So why is it that now that we're done with that part in our lives, you can't even acknowledge me? I've done you all sorts of favors in the past, and when it comes to me asking you for something--you rarely pull through.

I'm tired of the excuses. I know how busy you are, but don't you ever take my time into account? I'm just as busy, if not more busy, than you are. Scratch that. I'm busier than you, period. Especially now.

There. I said it.

It's not jealousy. I swear. I don't even look at you in that way.

I just don't understand why you'd rather have dinner with someone in his late 20's that you only met a couple years ago. I've known you for half a decade, and you still would rather hang out with somebody you already spend a lot of time with. I only asked for one night and volunteered to pay for everything, but you wanna try and act "fair" about it.

I vented about it to someone else, and she responded: "How would you feel if somebody didn't go to your birthday dinner?"

Me: "How would I feel if an 18-year old didn't show up to my 28th birthday dinner? Uhh... I don't think I'd care."

I know he's not your average man in his late 20's but come on.

I really expected more from you. I thought we were *crosses fingers* that!

What really disappoints me is that you can't even talk about it with me.

I don't think I'll be able to talk to you anymore. You take pride into thinking that you're not like a certain someone who was once your best friend... but if you ask me, maybe you're worse than she is. And it pains me to say that.

Thanks for the memories, but it's pretty obvious that you don't care anymore--that's really a shame.

--

If she bothered talking to me about this incident--that's what I'd say to her. But she hasn't yet, and that's really disappointing.

I thought that after graduating from high school and working to change as a person would make me escape mutual rejection. But no, it still hurts. It hurts more than ever.

My fascination with overload

2008-08-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

"How do you do it?"

I've been asked that question ever since I first got involved with extracurricular activities. I think my fascination with being busy should finally be addressed. Does that mean people will understand where I'm getting at? Well, let's hope so. But here we are.

In high school, I just didn't like being home. When all you have at home is a GameCube, a TV with basic basic cable, and a computer that has dialup internet access, that's the last place you want to stay. So I got involved with football my first half of high school, and then I discovered Mabuhay. Two people worked hard at recruiting me -- Austin and Sherilyn. Well, I hope you're happy. I helped turn the organization into the most active cultural club in the East Side Union High District.

But that's besides the point. Aside from Mabuhay, I took almost all AP classes while also being a very active member of the Class of 2007. I'm a spirited person. I'm also especially competitive when it comes to getting something I want. With practices for Powderpuff Cheerleading, Airband, the 12 Days of X-Mas skits, very rarely did I have a day that was all to myself. I mean, when I'm at home, I'm playing video games that require me to review them. While you think it ruins the fun of the gameplay, I'd beg to differ. I love writing.

But yeah, that's high school. I'm in college now. Why am I taking a full load of 18 units, have two jobs, and take over one of the vacant Community Affairs Chairs (one of the especially difficult positions) in Akbayan?

The 18 Units
You guys can thank Camille. In the fall semester, I failed a MATH 8 course and I put myself through academic renewal? I was telling ate that I just wanted to take some other math. And she was like, "No, just get red of it now." So I took her advice, and it was the best advice ever. My GPA raised by a full point the semester in which I first took 18. And yes, that was with PCN on my belt.

I take 18 units a semester because this is what we're paying for. Sorry, but those of you who are taking 12 units must have a lack of confidence. That costs the same as people who are taking 18. If you're going to pay so much for college, you really might as well milk the school for all that you can get.

The Two Jobs
I need money. But besides, this is only one job--technically. Spartan Shops only holds customers temporarily, so it wouldn't surprise me if I was let go tomorrow. H&M will be my first mall job though. It's really exciting, but at the same time, I'm pretty skeptical because a lot of people (especially people I know) have been quitting their jobs due to changes in management. But yeah. I need money. A new phone and a Zune would be nice... some Wii remotes. But yeah, the money is mostly for leisure recreation. I hate owing people money. This would lessen that pain.

--

So basically, I just can't handle not being busy. Time moves slower, and nothing is enjoyable when you have too much free time. I mean come on... I failed a class in the fall because I wasn't busy.

My first day of school. (Pt. II)

2008-08-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

This is the second and final part of the "My first day of school" for this semester. This edition will talk about my Tuesday/Thursday classes.

Aside from the usual routine of getting up early and going to work at the Spartan Bookstore, I'll go straight into the school day. Tabling was pretty fun, and I'm glad to say I'm really starting to enjoy it. Tabling just doesn't have the same boring vibe it did when I was an intern for the organization. Seeing the interested looks on people's faces when you talk about the organization is really a pleasurable sight.

Now for class. I start the day at 12PM with AAS 33A. Arlyn, Brian, Mariel, and Troy are all in my class. Throughout the whole time, I just whisper wisecracks. But it's all good. I know I'm gonna pass. Call me cocky, but I don't expect any challenge here at all. Habal is a good teacher, and Choi shouldn't be an excruciating challenge.

My next class is a little bit more on the boring side, it's COMM 41 - Critical Thinking. It involves a lot of debate-style vocabulary in conjecture with thinking on the spot. I don't expect to fail this either.

I end the day with AAS 125 -- Filipino Experience. The funny thing about this class is that half of the people in it are members of Akbayan. That pretty much makes it so nobody can possibly fail. If one person fails, we pretty much failed at "Embracing in Friendship."

All that being said, if I can juggle everything I want to juggle properly... these are the grades I'm expecting:

TA 5 - B
ENGL 71 - A
BIOL 21 - C
AAS 33A - A
COMM 41 - A
AAS 125 - B+

I'm realistic, foo.

First Day of School. Pt. 1

2008-08-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

This is the first part to a two-part blog. Why? Because in college, unless you do it on purpose, you never have all your classes in one day, especially as a sophomore. To say the least, my day was pretty interesting.

I got up at 5:55 AM and took a shower. After I got out, I dozed off in my underwear just staring at the clock. To add insult to injury, I never actually packed my school supplies. But hey, I was just recovering from a 54-hour work week in which I worked seven straight days. You gotta cut me some slack. When I came to my senses, I realized I had a leftover burrito in the fridge, so I took that out and heated up and went over to the bus stop. Upon arriving there, I was relieved to see that there were people waiting. Unless I'm on the way home, I don't like being alone on a bus stop, because that usually constitutes a long wait.

So I went to my locker near the Spartan Bookstore and put on my Bookstore T-Shirt which we were forced to wear. Then I did the usual internet processing stuff. For some reason, a lot of the managers were monitoring me... I don't know why, but it made me feel uncomfortable--not to mention I had a separate Gmail window open, but hey--what's wrong with keeping your e-mail open? All professionals in the office do that. Hopefully this doesn't constitute browsing the internet and leads me to a writeup. That would be bull. But to be honest, I don't really care. I mean, I'm a temp. They're gonna get rid of me in mid-September anyway, so in other words, I'll be on the market.

I clocked out at 9:30 and went to table with Akbayan. The trifold was pretty darn nice, and our spinwheel was working, and it seemed to be effective in bringing people to our table. I think I did a fair job, recruiting around seven people within that hour. It's also good to be around a lot of Akbayan again. They've really made college a much better experience for me. We haven't gotten anywhere near the hard stuff that's coming up, but man, I'm glad to be back with them. But still, I'm dreading November. My passdown was fairly weak.

Anyway, after despositing a check my mom wrote me for textbooks, the first class of the day was TA 5 -- Acting. As soon as I walked in, it smell liked body odor, but I guess I gotta live with that. I found that I'm also taking the course with Justin Arce and Matt Baltar, so I'm pretty sure I'll be having some fun here. The instructor doesn't look too difficult. It's just that I won't be able to show late to this class... which is unfortunate, due to my recent hiring at H&M.

My next class of the day was ENGL 71 -- Creative Writing. Professor James is crazy. He looks like the next Mr. Warren for me. I totally see myself having loads of fun in this class. The only problem is that we're learning multiple forms of poetry. I hate poetry. But yeah, I don't know anybody in this class, unfortunately.

On Mondays, like today, I have a big gap that lasts until 4:30. I originally intended to go back to work, but heh... an hour of work is only $8. Forget that. So I hung around the table, and I actually had my lunch. Quesadilla. Yum. After that, I looked for the book I needed for ENGL 71 with no success and headed to my BIOL 21 -- Human Biology class.

To be frank, I hate math and science. I hate everything that has to do with math and science, and to make matters worse, this class is 2 hours long. The professor, Poffenroth, really isn't that bad though, and she makes fun of the content sometimes, which is always a good thing. But either way, by far, this looks like my most stressful class.

I headed to Beat the Bookstore hoping to buy a Clicker, but it was closed. Why the hell did they close so early? It's the first day of school! Whatever.

Anyway, that was my day. I was supposed to be doing a Fantasy Draft today, but Cabebe didn't get enough heads involved. But yeah, that's all.

I'll have another tomorrow.

The Brett Favre Fiasco.

2008-08-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone seems to want my opinion on this matter. Yes, I'm a Brett Favre fan... but I'm not one of those bandwagon hoppers. I'm a Packers fan before anything else, so yes, I agree with the way the Packers are going about with this.

I was pretty emotional when Brett retired on March 4th. I didn't pay attention in any of my classes, and instead, I watched Favre Tribute videos the entire week. I understand a lot of big name players, such as Michael Jordan and the late great Reggie White have gone in and out of retirement, but I truly thought Brett was going to leave--even after ending his career with an interception.

I haven't heard anything from the horse's mouth regarding him telling Coach McCarthy that he wanted back in at the end of March. If that were the case, I'd be insanely happy. Instead, we hear reports that he went back on that decision and decided to stay retired. If Brett was going to come back, that would've been a good time.

Amidst reports that the Packers offered a contract to Daunte Culpepper, who ultimately refused to sign with us, the draft came. The Packers drafted Brian Brohm, who many including myself believed was the best QB available in the NFL Draft and Matt Flynn--a very underrated prospect from the draft class. With two rookies and Aaron Rodgers, it's pretty clear that Brett Favre is in the past.

Now Brett develops an itch to play again, and he starts conditioning with high school kids. Now he's in shape again, and he's ready to play football. He wants to play for the Packers, but guess what? It's too late, Brett.

"But Brett gives the Packers the best chance to win NOW." That's true. I'm not denying that.
The guy almost earned his 4th MVP award last year, and he very well could have if Tom Brady didn't throw 50 TD's--23 of which went to Randy Moss, who considered going to Green Bay. If Favre had Moss, he very well could've thrown 53 touchdowns. But it's not about that. What matters is the Packers have to move on. Rodgers has a great core around him, and with only two years left on his contract, it would be a bad investment by Ted Thompson to not go with his first pick as General Manager.

Brett acknowledged that he made the mistake of retiring too early. ALL OF US KNEW IT WAS A MISTAKE. But what's done is done. The man retired. He said he left his team on good terms, and now he's blaming Ted Thompson and the Packers Organization for pressuring him to retire. Sorry, but a Hall of Fame QB like Brett Favre shouldn't feel that kind of pressure. It was a few years ago where Brett told the Packers he'd come back, and it was only a week before the draft. Favre should've just taken more time to make a decision... not retire and then come back out of nowhere. This means the NFL Network and ESPN wasted good time and money airing all these Favre tributes.

I'll end it by saying I'm a Packers fan. If Brett comes back and rides the bench, so be it. If Brett comes back as the starter, fine. If that pisses Aaron Rodgers off to the point where he won't want a new contract with us--then that shows that the guy has no patience and shouldn't be in the league anyway. There's always Brian Brohm. I don't care if my quarterback is Favre, A-Rod, or Brohm. The Packers are a good team, and it won't matter who they have at Quarterback. They WILL succeed.

I mean, if you can put the Minnesota Vikings on a pedestal while all they have at quarterback is Tarvaris Jackson and John David Booty, I like Green Bay's chances.

Tagged. The Game.

2008-08-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

TAGGED: THE GAME

Once you've been tagged, you have to write a blog with 10 weird and random facts, habits or goals about yourself.

At the end choose 10 people to be tagged, list their names & why you tagged them.

Don't forget to leave them a comment saying that, "You're it!" & to read your blog.

You cannot tag the person that tagged you so let them know when you are done so they can go read your blog answers.

1.) I have a dark side.
No, it has nothing to do with my skin color. I'm a good person, but oftentimes, I overthink things. As much as we all hate drama, we know it's always aroud us. Oftentimes I think of what people say behind my back, and I sometimes use that to build a shield around myself. That leads me to sometimes being harsh to people. The bottom line is... you play with someone as fiery as I am, and I guarantee you will suffer burns both mental and physical. Yes, I hold grudges, and unfortunately--I tend to think the world revolves around me, that's something I want to change about myself.

2.) I've never gotten with a full-blooded Pinay.
Yep, even though I'm Filipino, it's true. I've dated two girls... one was half Filipina, half white; the other was half Filipina, half Vietnamese. I'll just say I have a soft spot for the lighter colored, or pale, girls.

3.) Since we're on that subject, technically, I've never had a "real" girlfriend.
Yeah, I know--I've had two, and both those girls were gorgeous. But come on, does being an 8th grader dating high school freshmen mean anything? Those don't count. So yeah, technically--I've never had a real one. Oh yeah, for kicks--I don't count flings. Flings can be had anytime.

4.) I'm a different kind of overachiever.
High school and college students usually classify overachievers as people who do nothing but work and schoolwork. While I do do those things, I'm different. I like to be extremely busy. Take my current pot for instance. Right now, I'm a Journalism student at San Jose State taking 18 units. (That's maximum for those who don't ask for the Excess Units form). It's like academic suicide, but uhhh... No. In addition to those 18 units, I'm also one of Akbayan's Community Affairs chairs. It's actually one of the hardest positions on cabinet because it forces you to get along with people, network well, have a knack for organization, team building, build and maintain awareness around the community, to the ability to get people to get involved... it's a lot of stuff. Hmm... what else. Ah, yes. I'm also an Associate Editor at Gamer 2.0, the fastest growing independent gaming site. We're currently having plans of making a HUGE update, and I'm sure people will like it. There's more to what I do, but I'll go into it later. The main thing you should know is that whenever I get into something--my passion knows no limits.

5.) In middle school, I was Student of the Month twice, but the second time... I didn't show up.
Why? I had diherria. Really embarrassing. A lot of people called me after school with the good news and... LOL.

6.) I don't seem to have a distinct fashion style... or at least, I don't think so.
I'm the prime definition of someone who really doesn't go with the times. I mean, you'd walk around everywhere, and you can really see that people are one with their clothes. You have the girls in that "too sexy for its own good" Abercrombie stuff, and you have the guys in their "OMG why are you wearing those" skinny jeans. Seriously, I just wear shit that matches. I don't care about brand. Well, actually... if I were to choose any brand to rock every day, it would be Timberland. It's not a "name-brand" per say, but you know... their stuff is really rugged and durable. That's what I like to think I am... rugged and durable. I will rock Packers gear and Filipino hats though. Hell, I'll even dawn the Blue Leopard... just kidding.

7.) I have a leg fetish.
(A LEG FETISH IS NOT A FOOT FETISH. I REPEAT: A LEG FETISH IS NOT A FOOT FETISH!!!) It's probably something you wouldn't wanna hear, but that's just how I do. I don't know what influenced me to like them so much. I think it was Stacy Keibler from the WWE. Actually, yeah. I'm pretty sure it was Stacy Keibler. In fact, it was wrestling that helped me go through puberty. I'm sure it helped a lot of guys. I mean, come on. Trish Stratus anyone? But yeah, DRV is a leg lover. Ladies, if you're wearing shorts or skirts... sorry, but I might be checking you out. It doesn't mean anything though. But hey, when girls look nice, one would only assume that they want to get noticed. It should, uhh.... raise self-esteem.

8.) The Green Bay Packers are my second life.
Sorry, while I do a lot of important things... I am just submersed with Packer Football. I would give anything to see the Lombardi Trophy come back to Green Bay. To those who wonder why I'm a Packer fan, I don't really know. I think it's because I liked Tommy the Green Ranger, and that influenced me to like the Packers... not to mention, Brett Favre ALWAYS kicked Niner ass. There is SOME Bay Area love, though! If I were forced to pick a Bay Area NFL team, or face death--I'd pick the Niners. Sorry, but most Raiders fans come across to me as stupid people. I bet half those idiots can't spell their quarterback's name right.

9.) I only drive on weekends.
Unfortunately, I don't own a car. My dad always takes it to work with him. I don't mind though... I have cool friends... and my EcoPass. Seriously, SJSU students don't realize what they have. While gas is expensive, public transportation is expensive too, and the EcoPass allows that second option to be free... anytime. Those who aren't into it end up being fatter than me. lol

10.) My confidence knows no bounds.
Yep, I have the infamous "Yes I can!!!" attitude. I seriously think I can do anything, as long as I'm in the right frame of mind. Examples include my first and second PCN. I was an emcee, a major character, a lead dancer, and a choir member for both shows. PCN's are known for hectic crap, and I pulled it off. Also, I earned one of 3 IBM Internships that Independence gives worthy students. When it comes down to something I know I can do... I always think I can come out on top. Sometimes it's a bad thing... oftentimes, it just works. That's me. "That's how I do." Heh, that was actually my catchphrase junior year.

Thinking of ten things is hard. And then sometimes, limiting yourself to ten things is hard. This was really fun though.

I Tag:
Antonette Bajet -- Because she was the only one who did this one deep survey with me two years ago.

Jeff Agustin -- Because he's the oldest person who does these kinds of things I know.

Arlyn Pascua -- Because she's probably not doing anything because her parents won't let her.

Chris Roque -- Because he's the most random person I know.

A-Jay Nicolas -- Because he's taught me a lot, and I would like to know more about him... other than he's a passionate person who can kick by ass at Elite Beat Agents.

Christine Abriam -- Because she blogs more than anybody I know and uses the wonderful DISCLAIMER.

Kevin Irabagon -- He probably won't do this because he doesn't like long things. "That's what she said." But he has a lot of random stuff going on, too.

Angelica Cortez -- She's away on vacation to Hawaii, but this would be a cool way to get to know my wonderful Co.

Jennifer Pimentel -- Because she completes me. LOL.

Chau Ngo -- Because I'm right a lot, and she's wrong a lot... but she somehow ended up being a valedictorian. Just kidding, you know I love you, Chau.

Summer so far...

2008-06-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

It's pretty much been a year since I've had this blog. It was an attempt to get back into it, but I feel as if I didn't really amount to any of the expectations I had for it. I had some heated topics addressed about myself, but I was never truly active all year. It's not because I was busy, but it's just because I feel like the things I had to say really weren't worth typing.

But yeah, here's the list of things I have planned over the summer.

[] 1. Get a job.
I've been trying to get a job. It just hasn't been going well. I've applied at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Bed Bath & Beyond, Steve & Barry's, Aeropostale, Target, Kohl's, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Radio Shack, Pac Sun, Levi's, and even Victoria's Secret. The only interview I got was with Levi's, and that occurred last week. I was told I'd get a call for a 2nd interview, but that hasn't happened yet. Job-hunting is the most frustrating thing ever.

[x] 2. Go to Antonette's Debut.
Antonette's debut was loads of fun. I got her a singing greeting card, and a little bag from Victoria's secret that had body spray, body wash, lotion, and other cosmetic stuff. Girly. But yeah, it was hella fun. Loads of unexpected things happened though. I was casted last minute for Singkil and Tinikling, but luckily I was taken out of Tinikling heh. I hope that now that it's all over, she'll grow to continue to love life more and stop worrying about things. I miss our old friendship though. People may claim that we're still close, but it's pretty obvious that we're not the way we used to be. I wasn't even a rose. Go figure. But I'm not going to let that hinder the tight bonds we already have.

[] 3. Have a summer kick-it at the beach with the Mabuhay OG's.
We were going to go to the beach in July, but this was cancelled. Hopefully something happens soon. It would be a shame to have something when Chris isn't around.

[x] 4. Watch Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
I thought it was an exciting movie, and it didn't disappoint me one bit. I gotta admit though, the rest of the plots in the entire series are kind of blurry to me though.

[x] 5. Watch You Don't Mess with the Zohan.
Another great Sandler film. It was one of his more unique films, but the jokes were kind of recycled over and over, and I didn't laugh as much as your usual Sandler movie. This one probably had the best emotional pacing out of every other film though.

[x] 6. Watch Get Smart.
I overhyped this one, and I ended up only satisfied. It's my fault really. I watched all of the TV spots that the cast had on shows like the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. But hey, Steve Carell is fantastic. Anne Hathaway is my wifey. And The Rock is rock hard.

[] 7. Watch The Dark Knight.
My most-awaited film of the summer. I just cannot wait.

[] 8. Go to Kababayan Fest 2008.
It's selfish, but I want to perform at this event. If I can't, I really don't want to go. I'm not willing to pay $40 to see a bunch of talent I've already seen before at a much cheaper price. Sure, Mabuhay is there, but they're not as in-sync as the GIII members were. They have a long way to go if they want to impress the crowds. The only reason I want to go to this event now is because of Parangal Dance Company.

[x] 9. Get on Cabinet.
I ran for the position of Media and Publications for Akbayan in the end of the Spring Semester, and I fell short by two votes. While I admit that I got upset, it didn't really eat me up like the way the Mabuhay thing went a couple years ago. I was recommended by most of Cab to run for another position, so I ran for Community Affairs. I got it. I'm Angelica's partner, and I will not let her or anybody else down. Everything we do will kickass. I don't know if it's worth mentioning, but me obtaining this position practically ensures that I truly am "Solly's Successor." From Mabuhay's VP / Ext. Affairs Coordinator to an Intern to this... it has to be true. Watch, next year, I probably won't be on Cab. Probably not! Heh.

We're halfway done with the year. What do you think is the best thing that happened so far in 2008?
I think it's a question worth answering, and I believe that the best thing that happened so far is the... Drumroll please! The best thing that happened so far is $5 Dollar Footlong value deal at Subway. I swear, with this, nobody with $5 in their pocket everyday can ever go hungry again!

And uh... I wish the NFL season would just get here.

Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice...

2008-05-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

BLOGGER'S DISCLAIMER

You might remember back to when the summer just started. I was quite rebellious and furious at my dad because of the way he viewed Mabuhay. "You're just wasting your time, dancing and dancing," he said. I still feel badly. Mabuhay was much more than just dancing. It was my outlet. It was my home away from home. I still consider it my home away from home. Well, that's probably Akbayan now, but still.

We're passed that now. My dad seems to have found his comfort zone with me. We don't seem to be having any problems. He has his job, and I come home before he comes home. It's all good. But I look at the way things currently are in my life and with my friends, and my mind is tired of being here.

One of the key reasons I chose to go to San Jose State was because Santa Clara University rejected me. But looking back, I didn't apply to any UC's. Why? Because I'm not into lecture halls with over 200 students in the classroom. I still am not into those, but I'd much rather be away from home than being where I currently am.

I don't think I'm the only one either. I look at my best friend. He was the President of Mabuhay, so naturally, you'd assume that he joined Akbayan with me, right? Nope, he didn't. Instead, he's a pre-nursing major. As you'd expect, he's one of those people majoring in a subject he really does not want to major in. The guy is artistic, but he's letting his parents dictate what he will be doing in the future. On top of that, he chose SJSU when there were plenty of other schools to go to. Like me, he didn't apply to any UC's either.

Then there's his girlfriend, who is just as smart as he is. Same major. Same school. She was the secretary of Mabuhay, and the best dancer. This girl had the grades to go to any school she applied to, but she chose San Jose State because that's where her mother wanted her to go. She wanted her to stay home. And that's exactly what she does. I don't even hang out with her anymore, because she's not allowed to leave the house. Come on. She's 18. She actually has a CAR--something even I don't have, despite having my license for almost four years now.

I also look at my neighbor who is still attending high school as a junior. She's extremely stressed out because she doesn't think she'll make into Berkeley... or UCLA... or Stanford. Some dream school that her parents expect her to get into. She wants to be like two of my other friends who got into Berkeley and UCLA. But they had a lot of extracurriculars. My neighbor just has church and a year on the cabinet of Mabuhay. But now she's MIA in that club because her dad doesn't support it.

So there's my dad, who hated everything about Mabuhay.
There's my best friend's mom, who won't let his son join Akbayan.
There's my best friend's girlfriend, who isn't allowed to do anything.
There's my neighbor, stressing to fulfill her parents' wishes, and when she does--she'll leave San Jose, and perhaps enjoy what the lack of parents have to offer her.

I went to San Jose State because all my friends go there. But looking at who my friends are today, I probably shouldn't have made this decision. These people are taking a minimum amount of units, and even with that extremely easy and manageable load--they stay home. Why? Their parents. I stayed here because of my parents too.

Eventually everybody has to let go. If our parents want us to succeed, they'll have to let us go. They look down on us because we disappoint them in every way possible. But even through disappointment, they keep us here to suffer.

This is something I seek to understand, but I don't think I ever will.

- DRV

disclaimer

Thanks 4 the memories!

2008-03-09T03:07:00.000-07:00

The man responsible for my passion for football isn't gonna play anymore.

Brett Favre, the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers for the last 16 years, informed Head Coach Mike McCarthy about his decision to retire last Monday Night.

I got the news the following morning as I was checking my e-mail before math class. I couldn't believe it. After a 13-3 season that got us literally a breath away from the Super Bowl, it seemed almost certain Brett would come back for at least one more season.

The pieces seemed to be in place. Favre was the runner-up in MVP voting and was named NFC Offensive Player of the Year, having his best season in nearly a decade throwing for over 4,000 yards and 28 touchdowns. The Packers have found an answer at running back with Ryan Grant, the offensive line continues to steadily improve, and the Packers arguably have the best receiving corps in the NFL with Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Koren Robinson, and Ruvell Martin.

The 2008 Packers would be a sure-fire Super Bowl contender with Favre under center. Now, the Packers go into the 2008 NFL Draft uncertain of what this next year holds.

I'm not saying I don't like Aaron Rodgers. I was going insane when we drafted him in 2005. Rodgers is going to be a great quarterback, but he's no Brett Favre.

The end of Brett Favre marks the end of an era. In Favre's prime, there was no lack in great franchise quarterbacks. The Packers had Brett Favre, the Cowboys had Troy Aikman, the San Francisco 49ers had Steve Young, the Denver Broncos had John Elway, the Seattle Seahawks had Warren Moon, and the Miami Dolphins had Dan Marino. All these great players, with the exception of Moon and Marino, led their respective teams to the Super Bowl in the best fashion possible.

Favre was different, though. He didn't make smart plays every single time despite running a west coast offense. He was a risktaker... a gunslinger. In his prime, his quick passes were miles better than any of those QB's (and he still has a lot left in the tank). But it wasn't his arm that set him apart. It was his passion. You saw it last year. After every touchdown pass he threw, Favre would run around like a crazed child, lifting his receivers over his shoulders and having snow ball fights with them. The first Favre pass I watched was 10 years ago--he threw a literal bullet to Antonio Freeman. From that point on, I became a football fan. It was Brett Favre and the video game, NFL Blitz that got me into it all.

I don't think you'll ever see that kind of player in today's money-feeding NFL. Even while the best quarterbacks--Peyton Manning and Tom Brady aren't in it for the money, they just don't have the spirit and competitive fire that separated Favre and the rest.

The NFL will never be the same now that Brett's hung his helmet.

Goodbye #4. You'll always be missed.

A month into the Spring Semester, it is now PCN season.

2008-02-26T00:59:00.000-08:00

College has finally become routine for me. People who know me are aware of the fact that I'm not having that much fun, but rest assured--I've found a way to get over it.

I still don't see my real friends as much as I used to, but I've been trying to be as active in Akbayan as I can... as much as humanly possible. So far, I never missed a meeting--yeah, that's a given, and I've been coming out to the Social Nights which have been really fun.

It's PCN season now, and I'm taking more of a reduced role as I'm accustomed to. This year I'll only be taking part in the choir, but I plan on helping out with whatever committees need help. It's just that I'm not comfortable with the whole 10:00 thing, especially with the clash I got into with my parents a while back. Choir is really fun, and I'm really enjoying it even though I can't read music. The cool thing about Choir is that it's really early.

Academically, it's not so bad. It's funny, cuz I'm taking 18 units and I feel like I have more free time than I did when I had 13 last semester. Is it just because I'm used to it now?

Anyway, I'm getting tired of typing correctly and I have a Naruto review due in a few days. I'll get back to this.

College is boring.

2007-10-13T14:02:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've last blogged. I guess you can say I've been busy. Quite a bit has happened, but then again--almost nothing has changed.

I still have a curfew, so that's one thing that bothers me.
I drive more often, but I still don't have a car of my own.
I'm a full-fledged member of Akbayan, but I'm not sure I'm ready to get back into PCN mold.
I've visited Independence and know that the school has gotten worse since I left.

But yeah, I guess I'm supposed to talk about college.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I only have MATH 8, which is College Algebra & Trigonometry. Easy class, right? Wrong. I consider myself okay at math, and considering this is a kind of low class, it should be easy, but it's not. I'm taking the route of blaming the teacher. But serious, the teacher sucks. Professor Malyshev has an accent that NOBODY can understand. The highest grade in this class is a B-. Enough said. I have a B- with the rest of the supposed smart people.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are slightly more interested with my two classes. I have MCOM 72 and ENGL 1A at 1:30 and 3:00 respectively. MCOM is a pretty damn intimidating class because the professor is a former broadcast great. He's a demanding individual who expects his students to be well-informed of current events. But it's hard. Really hard. English, I can safely say, is my easiest class. It's mostly grammar and writing, I'm fairly good at both.

And Friday... ugh, Friday. 3-hour Public Speaking course at 10:30. It's ridiculously boring, and I'm doing okay in that class. I have around an A-, and I know I can do much better, it's just that the coursework hardly interests me.

Now aside from the classes, the main reason why I'm bored is that I hardly see my friends. I know college is supposed to be about meeting new people with new experiences--but how the hell is that possible when you only see certain people in class? I've made one new friend--Lawrence. The only reason this is is because I have him for both my classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If not for that common thread, we probably wouldn't talk to each other.

The main reason I chose San Jose State over schools like UOP and SF State was because most of my friends are there. If I knew I'd hardly see anybody, I would've moved! This whole meeting new people thing is stupid. I like meeting new people. I love meeting new people, but it's damn impossible. What am I supposed do? Randomly ask somebody walking around if they want to be my friend? I don't think it works that way.

I hope it eventually changes, especially after I become a full-fledged Akbayan intern. I know that I have myself to blame. I don't have a cell phone, so I guess that's my fault.

But yeah, college? Overrated. I'm doing well in my classes but hardly see people I call friends. *sigh*

- DRV

E3 passes by... time continues to pass.

2007-07-17T01:19:00.000-07:00

There's nothing really new on my part. I've done pretty much nothing since the last entry. I got back to being more involved with working on my gaming journalist skills at Gamer 2.0. E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, was last week, and Gamer 2.0 couldn't attend because we recently broke off from some network because they installed a new budget and decided not to pay our writers, when we're the reasons why a new audience started to tune in to their site. Oh well, doesn't matter. We've been checking site traffic, and our new site has been kicking ass as of late. Super sweet revenge.

For those of you who know of it, E3 was scaled back this year in order for it to be a much smaller media briefing. In previous years, especially over the Xbox, GameCube, PS2 generation, E3 has been a rather big event. It took place at the convention center located in Los Angeles and it's been a pretty huge spectacle, with booth babes and all sorts of shows happening at the floor. A friend of mine actually met former WWE Diva, Stacy Keibler, at E3. Pretty damn cool.

While I wasn't at this year's event, a lot of the game publishers, especially Indie publishers like Gamecock have said E3 is pretty much dead now. To be honest, I really don't care. Though my opinion hardly matters because I didn't go this year, it's kind of easy to see why this action was made. A lot of the things that go on at E3 don't even pertain to gaming. Seriously, why do wannabe DOA girls need to be there? Why should martial artists be having showcases there? None of the games are based on them. From the gaming journalist's point of view, E3 has always been a hectic event. Now it's been a little bit easier to manage.

Another reason why I don't really care about the differences is that the main reason I look forward to E3 is to watch the press conferences held by Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. All three of the press conferences pretty much look and sound they way they've always been. A lot of information was given, and that's what the true gamer expects from E3--announcements about how things are going with each developer. With Sony, there's a PS3 price cut and a slimmer PSP coming out. With Microsoft, the warranty on 360 has been extended and there'll be a limited edition Halo 360 coming out. With Nintendo, Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii, and other games have been announced along with the fact that release dates for Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy have surfaced. Good news for all fans of the three consoles.

With me... in the meantime, I'm still looking for a job. I never realized how hard looking for a simple, mainstream job could be. I was a well-paid intern at IBM last year and received no complaints about my performance and now I can't even get a simple corporation like Kohls or Target to give me a call back.

Maybe I'm doing my applications wrong.

Eh. We'll see. Let's hope things get better. Things have been hitting way too hard this summer. I can't do FYC, I can't folk dance, and I can't sleep in. Some good has to come around sometime...

- DRV

Fantasy Football Preview

2007-06-30T00:38:00.000-07:00

Today was the first Friday in months in which I stayed home and didn't do anything outside of the house. So, in respect, I was so bored that I had my second Fantasy Football draft today. Yeah, it's June, but I still take these things seriously.

I'm one of those people who steadily believes in ALWAYS taking a Running Back first and second. Sadly, that didn't happen tonight. That's honestly the first time it happened. I was in a 12-team draft a while ago, and here's my first 6 picks.

Round 1 -- Shaun Alexander
Round 2 -- Steve Smith
Round 3 -- Torry Holt
Round 4 -- Andre Johnson
Round 5 -- Santana Moss
Round 6 -- Fred Taylor

That'll probably really end up to bite me in the ass. But look at the bright side... I'm set at WR. I pretty much went the approach of taking "The Best Player Available." Maybe a trade will come up where I can land another #1 RB.

Since this blog will be devoted to Fantasy Football, allow me to unveil the best 5 fantasy players at every position. Again, this is simply my opinion, but I'll provide reasons as I go on. I'll also add sleepers to the end of the post.

TOP FIVE FANTASY QUARTERBACKS
1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
Manning is the best QB in the NFL, and has always been the most productive quarterback for years. His ability is never questioned, as evidenced by his record-shattering 49 TD's a few years ago. He has the services of Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and newly drafted first round pick--Anthony Gonzalez. He's the only QB to even warrant a first round pick, but if you pick Manning, you risk your shot at the elite RB's.

2. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals
Palmer has a rocket arm and strong supporting cast with Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Chris Henry as his targets along with a strong backfield consisting of Rudi Johnson and Kenny Irons. His numbers should be up this season as he has no injuries to worry about.

3. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Tom Brady went through some pains last season with a depleted WR corps as he lost both Deion Branch, David Givens, and Bethel Johnson last season. However, he proved he was a fine QB by making guys like Reche Caldwell and Jabbar Gaffney produce greatly at the later part of the season. Now, not only does he have those two wideouts back, but they'll have a depleted role as New England has made a splash taking receivers Wes Welker, Donte' Stallworth, and troubled receiver Randy Moss. Not that Brady has top notch weapons, it just might be enough to make another strong push for his 4th ring.

4. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles
McNabb actually put up 200 points last season in only 8 weeks before getting hurt. 200 points is actually more than a third of what the other QB's put up last season, so enough said about that. Also, since the Eagles drafted Kevin Kolb with a 2nd round pick this year, it shows that they're tired of McNabb being hurt. Look for McNabb to play hard this season all year, especially with new WR Joe Horn from the Saints.

5. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Brees is a very inspiring success story. He's become one of the most accurate and productive quarterbacks in the league this couple years, and he'll only get better. Marques Colston and Reggie Bush are a year older, and Devery Henderson is starting to come to his own. Add first round WR Robert Meachem providing some help and Brees is gonna continue to look good.

TOP FIVE FANTASY RUNNING BACKS
1. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
This does not even need to be explained. Last year he was rated 2nd, and he proves all the professionals wrong. Never put LT passed #1. Never. He already has Hall of Fame written on him.

2. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams
Steven Jackson is set to produce more this year as Linehan wants to continue to pound the ball. Jackson has gotten faster and stronger, and he's actually become a receiver in the backfield in recent years. He looks a lot like Edgerrin James in his prime, and it wouldn't surprise me if Jackson ran for 1800 this year. Look out for Jackson.

3. Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs
Larry Johnson is a workhouse RB whose stock falls because his offensive line is slowly being depleted of talent. But that doesn't take any talent away from the hardnosed Larry Johnson. The problem is that he's threatening for a new contract, but don't let that stop you from taking him.

4. Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks
Shaun Alexander fell victim to the Madden curse last season getting injured, but when he came back, he bounced back in a good way. Look for Alexander to put up numbers expected out of Alexander the Great this season, especially with the loss of Darrell Jackson--Holmgren might seemed poised to run the ball a lot more.

5. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
Yes, it is true, I have a mancrush on Brian Westbrook, but the fact remains that he's a very sturdy project. I pick him and he always produces. Why? The man can catch. A catch is a point in most leagues, not only that--but he can return kicks too. Brian Westbrook is the Boobie Miles of Fantasy Football, and he's definitely a top five...especially considering he's the centerpiece of the Eagles' offense.

TOP FIVE FANTASY WIDE RECEIVERS
1. Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals
"Ocho Cinco" he calls himself. I don't know why. Ocho cinco is eight-five, not 85. But whatever. The guy has T.O.'s body type, and he's probably just a bit faster. After all, he raced a horse and won. But this guy is Palmer's main target, and he is a TD MACHINE. This guy has a nose for the endzone, and if there's ever a game where the Bengals make the highlight reel... it's usually preceded by Ocho's crazy out takes.

2. Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers
At 5'9" Steve Smith is actually one of the strongest WR's in the league. Seriously, it's not really his speed that makes him hard to stop, because he really isn't the fast. This guy is just always open and is a fantastic route runner. That's why he's on the highlight reel all the time. He's actually Delhomme's only target.

3. Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis Colts
Route-running is the true key to all-time success, and nobody runs them better than good ol' Marvin. He's Manning's unquestioned favorite receiver, and don't even mention his age. He's an ageless wonder. 10 touchdowns. Guaranteed.

4. Torry Holt, St. Louis Rams
Holt is another great route-runner, and he's deceptively fast which allows him to easily get open. He's Bulger's unquestioned number one, and he probably has the best hands on this list. Harrison might have better hands though. Either way, it's consistency. There's never been a season in which Holt has received for less than 1300 yards.

5. Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys
Yes, he's an asshole. Yes, he always wants the ball. Yes, he's stupid. But he's good. He'll drop balls, but there's no penalty in the fantasy world for that. He actually scored the most TD's last year. Enough said.

TOP FIVE FANTASY TIGHT ENDS
1. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Other than LT, who are the Super Chargers known for? This guy.

2. Alge Crumpler, Atlanta Falcons
Let's be honest. Michael Vick sucks. He has no receivers, but he has Alge Crumpler. Crumpler makes Vick minorly better, but he's also their main source of points.

3. Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
Gonzalez is someone who many still believe is the best. But he's old now, and the Chiefs wanna get younger. Either way, he and Shannon Sharpe revolutionized the position, and he's a guaranteed 7 TD's.

4. Jeremy Shockey, New York Giants
Jeremy Shockey is extremely tough and he's all about football. Sure, he's become a celebrity, but there's no questioning his talent. The problem is that he's underutilized, but with the absense of Tiki Barber, Shockey should see more balls come his way.

5. Todd Heap, Baltimore Ravens
Heap's been a letdown the passed few seasons but seemed to pick it back up along with Mark Clayton at the near end of the regular season. Expect he and McNair to have a better throw and catch relationship.

TOP FIVE FANTASY KICKERS
1. Adam Vinatieri, New England Patriots
He disappointed last year. But that's not fair--he wasn't on the field. This is still the same guy who kicked 50 yard field goals in blizzards. Where's he playing now? A dome that houses the best offense in the NFL. He'll get you points, easily.

2. Jeff Wilkins, St. Louis Rams
Jeff Wilkins is an accurate kicker who kicks in a dome with one of the best offenses in the NFL. He also was one of the top five productive kickers last season. Good track record.

3. David Akers, Philadelphia Eagles
David Akers was injured too last year, but now that he's not, he's still one of the best in the league. If McNabb gets injured again, their offense should at least be good enough to get within Akers' range.

4. Robbie Gould, Chicago Bears
The Bears showed sparks on offense last season but had trouble in the red zone. That's good for kickers.

5. Shayne Graham, Cincinnati Bengals
Shayne Graham is just as productive as his offense. That's all you need to make the list. You have to kick a lot, and you can't suck.

TOP FIVE FANTASY DEFENSES
1. Baltimore Ravens
Their young talent has just become more experienced. They lost Adalius Thomas, but that gives Bart Scott and Dan Cody bigger roles.

2. Chicago Bears
"Da Bears" are actually the best defense in football, but they're going through a key loss once they get rid of Lance Briggs. They key to this defense being good is keeping Brian Urlacher and Mike Brown healthy. They are the souls of this defense. They also have the best defensive line in the league who always pressure the QB with Adewale Ogunleye, Tommie Harrison, Dusty Dvoracek, and Alex Brown leading that four-man front. The loss of Tank Johnson shouldn't hurt that much.

3. New England Patriots
New England added the best overall free agent with Adalius Thomas. That gives them a lot of depth to a linebacking corp that includes Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Rosevelt Colvin, Junior Seau, and Chad Brown. Rodney Harrison and Richard Seymour are healthy, so that should give their defense another push.

4. San Diego Chargers
Nobody knew it, but they had one of the top defenses last season. There's a lot of young talent who are continuing to get experience, including former defensive rookie of the year Shawne Merriman.

5. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins lose games because their offense can't score. That's their problem. They showed some sparks with Joey Harrington and not Daunte Culpepper, that's somewhat ironic. But this is about defense, and this group continues to grow and play well in a tough division.

THE SLEEPERS
Not too many people pay attention to these guys, but if there's nobody else and the time is right... grab them.

QB - Jon Kitna, Detroit Lions
He's talking smack saying the Lions are gonna win more than ten games this year, and that means he has some confidence in his group. Nobody realizes that he finished in the top 5 in passing yards last year thanks to Martz's system. And now with Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson, Kitna might be in some for some HUGE numbers.

RB - Travis Henry, Denver Broncos
He's lost respect because of his feud with Buffalo after Willis McGahee won the starting job. He didn't do all that well in Tennessee, but he definitely picked it up last season. Now he's in Denver. For the first time in years, Denver has a GOOD RB. Denver can make any RB look good, but they just might make Henry look like a hall of famer.

WR - D.J. Hackett, Seattle Seahawks
With the loss of Darrell Jackson, and the older Bobby Engram gets, Hasselbeck is gonna have trouble finding a favorite receiver. Deion Branch is great, but I'm not so sure about Nate Burleson, and he isn't worth his money. However, Hackett has shown some signs of grown last season, and he looks like a true starter. He just might breakout next season.

TE - Eric Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Johnson couldn't have landed in a better place. At once, back when the Niners sucked, Johnson was actually the top receiver in the NFL in terms of yards back when Rattay was still QB. He has some durability issues, but Brees LOVES throwing the ball to the tight end. Keep that in mind.

I'll post another thread with my teams on them, but that's it for now. Mind you, every year I host a Yahoo! Fantasy Football League that consists of 20 teams. If you want in, tell me as soon as possible so I can get you the signup information.

I hate being of Asian/Filipino descent.

2007-06-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

I know I promised that this blog would be about gaming, but I can't help it. I really was looking to do a huge editorial on it too, but I can't... because of my really fucked up life.

I didn't want this blog to turn into a place to vent out with my fake use of emo-ness, but this is just going to have to be the case... just once. Everyone knows about the stereotypical, overprotective, and strict Asian parents. You see, with Filipinos--it's sorta different, but again, sorta similar. With Filipino parents, they're either extremely strict or their incredibly loose. It's NEVER in the middle. Ask any Filipino. Their parents either don't give a shit about what they do, or they're never outside of their house.

For the latter part of my life, they've been strict, but it's gotten different beginning with my Junior year of high school, when I joined Mabuhay. Thanks to Mabuhay and other extracurricular programs, I've become more of an outsider. I've become more social. But now that I'm out of high school, my parents were wondering why the hell I was still doing Mabuhay activities.

Yesterday, when I got out of the shower, my father immediately called me down. This was the conversation.

"Let me talk to you for a minute." (Note--whenever a parent says that, he/she really means yell or nag.)
"Sure dad."
"Do you still wanna go to school?"
"Yes."
"Then what are you doing?"
"What?"
"Why are you still going to those program?!"
"Huh?"
"That dancing dancing. Do you really need that?"
"It's not dancing I've been doing. It's community service."
"Do you even need that?"
"Of course."
"I thought you graduated already!"
"Yeah."
"You don't need that then!"
"*sigh*"
"What?"
"It'll help me for college."
"Help you how?"
"Leadership."
"That's bullshit."
"What?"
"You think if you're ever in trouble--they'll help you? Of course not, it's all bullshit! Don't go to those program anymore!"
"Why? What am I gonna do then?"
"You look for a job!"
"You haven't been looking for a job, all you've been doing is dancing with those people."
"I have been looking for a job."
"You stay home then!"
"What am I gonna do at home?"
"It's vacation. Take a rest!"
"Take a rest? That's why I've been sleeping until noon every day!"
"You don't need those stupid program. They're just manipulating you. They don't even pay you. They just give you awards. That's nothing! Those are bullshit!"
"Whatever. You always yell at me for the same stuff all the time."
"If you think you're smarter than me, you get out! We don't need you here. God damn it."

Whatever. So what happened to me that day? I listened of course. I stayed home. Instead of being trained for my FYC Internship, I MySpaced. What the fuck. I am just not happy right now. Today, I missed the start of FYC Summer Program. Tomorrow, I'm gonna miss Honors Night--where I finally get recognized for my accomplishments. Why? All this time, I thought my parents were proud that I've started to become so in touch with my culture... my people. Now, my dad says I'm being "manipulated."

I don't know what to do. What can I possibly do now? They just find new ways to hurt me. I'm 18 and I've known how my parents were for all these years. I was happy for the last two years of my life, and now I'm back to this ... undefined shell of mistreatment. I don't know anymore. I don't think I can last another day in this hellhole. I can only handle so much. But I just can't up and leave... even though I am a legal adult.

But I'm not talking to my father either. He's the reason why I'm so unhappy, and he doesn't understand shit to begin with. Then if someone else talks to him, they fall under his tight gripping mouth.

The programs I'm a part of were a big part of my life. I mean, look at my last entry... it's all about my newfound passion of Sayaw. I had goals. I wanted to find ways to become noticed and show my skill to professional dance companies in the hopes of being recruited. Now I'm banned from all things Filipino.

Damn it all. They're racist to everybody... even themselves. It's times like these where I wish I was fucking white.

Renaisa's Cotillion

2007-06-24T00:35:00.000-07:00

Renaisa's Cotillion was interesting to say the least. I wasn't a guest to the party, but I can safely say that the event was successful.

Mabuhay, mainly the graduating seniors, was invited to perform--so we did three folk dances. Two from the Barrio Fiesta Suite and one from our Southern Islands suite. For Barrio we performed Maglalatik (also known as the "coconut dance") and Sakuting (Mabuhay's trademark dance, done with two sticks to simulate an eskrima war... not really... that's what it's "known for", even though it's known in an incorrect fashion.) Then for the Southern Islands Suite and to close out our performances was Singkil, a Muslim dance -- also known as that one dance with 4 criss-cross bamboo poles with princess and a prince.

It took a lot of preparation to perform such a repertoire for the event. For one thing, to Mabuhay, Maglalatik and Singkil are new dances--and naturally they're more expensive. But seeing as how Mabuhay is both an alumni of Independence and an alumni of Mabuhay, I'm sure we gave her a fatass discount.

My main complaint is that, since we weren't really "guests" per say, we didn't really get treated all that greatly. All the practices for this event were to be at Cataldi Park. Seeing as how I don't drive, I had to take the bus to that park. I wasted more than $10 taking the bus all week. I shouldn't be doing that. I want my fucking car. Anyway, to avoid going off on a tangent, since limited dancers were invited we had to rechoreograph Maglalatik. For those of you who don't really give a damn...CHOREOGRAPHY IS VERY HARD TO PRODUCE. As for Singkil, the last time we performed this dance was April 20th--you got it, PCN.

So when we actually got to the venue, we never really got our own room to dress up in. It's not that big of a deal, but people need to realize how folk dancers work. It's an extremely annoying pet peeve to find your stuff mixed with somebody else's. We organize our equipment by the suite and the dance, but people still mess around with our stuff. I don't see any of us touching any of their fancy barongs, so why should we share a room with people who get touchy anyway? Either way, it wasn't a big deal since we were pretty much locked up in there anyway with nothing to eat. That's pretty much why we filled up on hand food appetizers, because we knew we weren't going to be fed anyway.

When it was time to do Maglalatik, I seriously wasn't ready. I usually have my costume laid out, but that wasn't the case. So when I put my scrubs on, there was a bigass hole in the middle. With Maglalatik, the color of the pants you wear is really specific, so I can't just change. So I just threw on my coconuts and did the dance anyway. It's supposed to be funny.

Singkil was something I was really worrying about, because our entrance requires us to use the bamboos as a chariot for the princess, but the entrance door doesn't allow more than a few feet of height. So I had to crouch while walking with bamboos and a girl on top of them... not easy. A ribbon fell from out of nowhere and threw our prince off, but luckily, he caught himself and Singkil looked to be the strongest performance of the night. It was even louder than the response received by the Tahitian performers.

This is probably the last big floorshow I'll ever have with Mabuhay, then again, maybe it isn't. But if it is, I'm glad it was Singkil that ended our time. Next year's group is gonna have to work hella hard if they wanna leave the same kinds of ripples on Independence the way we did.

The rest of the party was just dancing... Some randomass songs were played, but that's probably because the DJ was a girl. No sexism intended, but the DJ wasn't all that great. I was disappointed from the lack of whistle blowing and ghost riding. Hahaha.

But yeah, this cotillion was actually one of the better shows I've performed in. I just wish we were treated somewhat better. After all, we take time out of our day to provide entertainment and showcase actual CULTURE in a Cotillion--a Filipino tradition. I do appreciate the fact that the debutant went as far as booking us months ahead of time. That's true organization.

And as for the comments I made about sharing the room--again. It's not a problem. If I had to share the room with anybody, I'm glad it was the Debut Court... I know how hard you guys have worked, and I'm not taking any of that away from you. You've all accomplished much.

Anyway, since Gurbir is the one who apparently reads my blogs now, I'm gonna reward him with the next one... which will use gaming as a focal point.

Greetings

2007-06-22T17:43:00.002-07:00

Allow me to say hello to whoever the hell decided to give this one a read.

By no means am I new to the art blogging. I've been blogging since 7th grade back when the Xanga craze got started. While it is annoying to conform with the way pop culture is nowadays, I think the Xanga craze is probably the best online fads that ever happened. See, it allowed people to have the desire to write. But now... what are they doing? They've submitted to their hidden narcicist by being extremely active in sites such as MySpace. I'm guilty of having one myself, and yes, I do have a slight rise of self-esteem when I see the bright words "New Comments!" but that's besides the point.

I started a blogger weblog because Xanga is too complicated even for me, and MySpace... well, I got in trouble blogging. I almost ended a relationship between two very good organizations, and that was never my goal. But for those of you wondering--yes, my blogs can be very powerful.

I needed a change. I can't post whatever the hell I feel on MySpace because the stuff I have up there is now stuff that nobody cares about. Who the hell cares that I used to be the Vice President / External Affairs Coordinator of the Mabuhay Cultural Club? Who the hell cares that I'm the only boy who graduated out of the Independence High School Class of 2007 who spent all his years in High School doing Powderpuff Cheerleading? Nobody cares about that stuf.

I'm using this weblog to just state what's in my mind, and do so to the best of my professional ability. If anything I say offends anybody, I apologize. But this is my way to vent, and I do so better here than anywhere else. I'm an open person, but only when I'm comfortable. I'm damn well comfortable here.

Not very many of my future blogs are gonna be all negative though, so don't worry about it.

My next blog will be up in a while. But yeah, I'm just introducing myself... but now that I realize it, I haven't done so yet.

My name is Danreb Reyes Victorio. I just graduated out of Independence High School. I'll be attending San Jose State University this fall. I'm very involved with what I do. Though I'm now a High School Graduate, I still spend most of my time performing with my friends as a dancer for the Mabuhay Cultural Club. I'm also an intern for the Filipino Youth Coalition--a non-profit organization with the prime goal of raising cultural awareness among Pilipinos and keeping the youth out of gangs and similar sorts of danger. Along with that, I'm a Junior Division dancer for the Hiyas Philippine Folk Dance Company, the top Filipino Folk Dance Troupe in the bay.

That's about it. I hate drama, but sadly, it happens to me.