Top 10 Pro-Wrestlers

John Cena sucks.  Let’s establish that.  I don’t understand why most of today’s wrestling fans love him.  Back in my days (90’s to early 2000’s), he will definitely be dismissed as trash by the fans.  I admit, I liked Cena back before he became a WWE icon.  He has this mean charismatic smartass rapping tongue and entertaining antics as a white hip-hop.  Now, I can no longer find him charismatic nor entertaining.  I say it again – and if you were already a fan during the Attitude era, you will agree with me – John Cena sucks.

In this list are the top ten wrestlers that I found most entertaining and charismatic – two factors to determine the quality of a wrestler.  Professional wrestlers are not only tough athletes but good actors and can sell their characters very well.  Actually, I find that those that are good actors are rewarded more in this business than the athletic ones (since if it’s the other way around, Billy Kidman should have had several world titles during his career).  I am not saying that athleticism in wrestling is unimportant, but I think being able to make your character’s personality more interesting is more important than athleticism.  It doesn’t matter if a wrestler is a babyface (good guy) or a heel (bad guy).  Fans appreciate creativity or good characterization when they see it, regardless of being a good or bad guy.  Besides, in wrestling, the characters and storylines are dynamic and ever changing.  A wrestler might be a babyface in this storyline, and then a heel on the next, and then back to babyface.  And so on with the cycle.   Some wrestlers are better off as babyfaces, some wrestlers are better off as heels, and some are good either way.

By the way, before starting, I want to make this clear, this top 10 should not be interpreted as who is the top 10 greatest according to my opinion.  This list means my top 10 favorite performers (though the top 1 of this list is also who is, in my opinion, the greatest of all time in the history of wrestling).

10.) MICK FOLEY

He was given the nickname the Hardcore Legend because of his trademark toughness.  In his career, he had endured an unbelievable amount of painful stunts just to make the matches he is in – especially the hardcore and no-holds-barred matches – more compelling and badass.  Together with the Rock, they had formed the second most entertaining duo (I will mention later which I think is the first) in wrestling: the Rock N’ Sock Connection.  He was known to characterize three personalities: Mankind (the most famous and fun), Dude Love, and Cactus Jack (the most hardcore).  At one Royal Rumble, though Mick Foley lost, all three personalities had participated!  His signature move is the Mandible Claw, in which he put a sock on his hand and grabs his opponent’s jaw. 

9.) STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN

The Texas Rattlesnake was the ultimate anti-authority figure in the WWE.  He answered to no one.  He was badass and uncompromising.  He was a primary reason why the 90’s was known as the Attitude era – which had put more grit into the WWE.  Just looking at his signatures – from his Stunner, to his beer drinking, to his gesture of raising his middle fingers – you can determine how much of a rebel he is.

8.) THE HURRICANE

This is no joke.  I really liked the Hurricane.  Yes, he’s mostly used for comic relief, but his ridiculous antics and mannerisms as a superhero in the wrestling world really cracked me up.  I actually find it sad that he had not much success as a competitor. His most funny (and best) moment was during his short but memorable feud with the Rock (where the Rock made fun of him and called him “the Hamburglar”).     

7.) KANE

Not the Kane now, but the legendary masked Kane of the past.  Prior to removing his mask, Kane was the most terrifying star in WWE.  Terrifying in the sense that his mask added to the mystique of mystery about him.  There is a reason he is nicknamed the Big Red Machine, as he was like an unstoppable mechanical force of destruction.

6.) BATISTA

I have to add someone with Filipino blood on this list.  Batista was just an enforcer-type of wrestler before he was catapulted to superstar status when he became a world champion.  I think he was made to be so to replace Goldberg as being the “Animal”.  But I find Batista better than Goldberg.  He’s classier (but still retaining the savageness of being the “Animal”), more charismatic, grittier, better with the mic (an important and invaluable skill in the trade), and does not seem to exaggerate as Goldberg does with the “Animal” characterization.      

5.) THE UNDERTAKER

He had also donned a “Hell’s Angel biker”-type of character, but he is more famous as the eerie, scary Deadman.  With his “back from the grave”-persona with Underworld powers as the theatrics of his character, he is the most intimidating wrestler in the WWE.  But more than theatrics, he is also among the most formidable and skillful wrestlers in the ring.    He can even tightrope on the top rope, something impressive for a seven-footer like the Undertaker.

4.) TRIPLE H

I cheered against Hunter Hearst-Helmsley when he was feuding with my favorite wrestler (see number 1).  But though I cheered against him, I respect him as a wrestler and performer.  He is one of the greatest ever in the business, and at his best when he is a heel.  He and Shawn Michaels form the most entertaining duo in wrestling with D-X.  And he was also the leader of one of the best heel groups ever, Evolution.  The best moment of Triple H was during his tagteam match with Stone Cold against Christ Jericho and Chris Benoit.  Somewhere in the match, Triple H’s left quadriceps muscle burst and rolled up his leg.  A famous orthopedic surgeon would describe it as as if someone had shot off a gun inside the muscle.  Triple H surpassed the limit of human tolerance for pain, as he continued to finish the match, even enduring a Walls of Jericho along the way.  That epic performance showed Triple H’s heart and dedication for his trade, earning him the respect of everyone.    

3.) SHAWN MICHAELS

HBK or the Heartbreak Kid is one of the most dedicated and skilled performers in the WWE.   His finishing move, the Sweet Chin Music, is one of my favorites.  No complicated hype but still cool. Sometimes he deliver it after some build-up or flair, but it is at its best when it comes out of nowhere, knocking his opponent unconscious.  In a way, the Sweet Chin Music reflects its wielder; unpredictable, fundamental, effective, sexy, and striking.  As an icon, HBK is one of the most beloved ever.  

2.) RANDY ORTON

My most favorite wrestler in the post-Attitude era, Randy Orton would fit well during that Attitude era (unlike Cena).  I had seen great potential in him when he was being built up by Evolution to be “the future.”  And then he became the Legend Killer (targeting legendary figures), became the youngest world champion, and, now, he’s one of the top superstars in the WWE and consistent champion or contender.  Most of the time, he’s a heel, but even during those times, with that smirk and arrogance in him, he was lovable.  These days, he is the Viper (though I kind of like his arrogant Legend Killer persona more), cunning, uncontrolled, and deadly.   Just like a Viper, his signature RKO finisher can strike unexpectedly.  It is so entertaining to watch those RKOs coming out of nowhere.  My dream match is between him and the number one in this list.         

1.) THE ROCK

The People’s Champ.  The Brahma Bull.  He was captivating, entertaining, and electrifying.  He was blessed with a witty and charismatic tongue, his promos delivered with unique flamboyance and humor, and he had coined plenty of trademark catchphrases.  He was that great with the mic that I remember that there was a time, that even though he was the heel and talked trash against the audience, they still cheered for him!  He was not that breathtaking in terms of ring athleticism but his collection of delightful antics, behavior, mannerisms, facial expressions, and body languages made his ring performances special.  He was also passionate with wrestling, and it is demonstrated by how much effort he put in performing, by the creativity he shows, not only in building up his character, but also making his opponent’s character look good, making the story more interesting.  I don’t need to elaborate more how much a great performer he is since you already know that he is now a Hollywood actor (proving my point).  The Rock is the best.

That’s why it’ll probably drive me mad if the writers require the Rock to lose against, ugh, Cena in Wrestlemania 28.     

Read More

I Love Writing. I Love the Lakers. I Love This Blog. Happy 5th Year Anniversary!

Five years ago, on May 2006, I created this blog.  The first post I wrote was about how, as a Laker fan, Laker defeats are made more painful when there are plenty of haters surrounding you that celebrate when the team fails.  More about that later.   First, I want to talk about why I decided to make this blog.  I made this blog to house most of my written works.  Later on, I would also use it to archive my videos and host my photo albums.  But initially and primarily, this blog was for my writings.  I wanted to create a form of “autobiography” of myself through my writing and discussion of various topics (and, now, also through the photo albums of my life and videos) and not just explicit journal-type writings of what happen in my life.  I write about all things that interest me or what was on my mind at a particular time, and through these, a reader might catch a glimpse of who Bernel is.

In those five years, I had written more than a hundred posts – in essays or scribbles – on a range of topics in this blog.  I love to write.  I write to organize my thoughts.  I write as therapy (in fact I consider it as my best form of therapy for myself).  I write to chronicle a particular moment I want to look back to.  I write as a pastime.  I write for fun.  I just love to write.

Yes, I love to write.  It doesn’t matter what particular mood I am in (though the mood does help a bit with the quality and style), I will write.  Even if I would have to write about something painful, the act of writing helps in easing the pain (as I’ve said, it’s the best therapy).  Indeed, the mood is (almost) irrelevant.  Five years ago, my first post in this blogwas prompted by the Los Angeles Lakers’ disappointing defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Suns.  The underdog Lakers surprisingly took a 3-1 against the favored Suns, and it looked as if the Lakers would pull off an epic upset.  However, the Suns won three straight, winning the series 4-3.  It was hearbreaking to a Laker fan like me.  More made painful by the rejoicing of the Laker haters (note: just part of being a sports fan).  But writing about it was healing.  Coincidentally, now in the 5^th year anniversary of that debut post of the blog, the Lakers suffered a heartbreaking loss once again.  This time, being swept by the Dallas Mavericks, ending the dream for a third straight title.  And just like 5 years ago, to write about my thoughts about it will ease the disappointment.

When the LA Lakers was down 2-0 (losses coming from the Lakers’ homecourt), I was not worried.  They are the type of team that can come back from it.  Then, the Mavs took a shocking 3-0 lead.  Even if there was no team in NBA history that came back from a 0-3 deficit to win a series, I was never really totally anxious.  I have been a Laker fan for more than half my lifetime and I can say that I am a tough enough fan to trust my favorite team – even if it’s improbable – to win 4 straight games.  I would only go down when the Lakers’ elimination had been certain.  Until then, my attitude was still “meh”, though it’s very unlikely to still win the series, I – with my Lakers – would go down fighting. 

But there you go.  A 4-0 sweep.  Kudos to the Mavs.  They certainly did a great job and deserve to win the series.  I am proud of the Lakers team, for what they accomplished in these last four seasons, reaching the Finals three straight, and winning the championship two straight.  Yes, I am proud, but I am a bit disappointed as well.  As a fan, it seemed to me that they did not give their best at it.  I know that they were capable of doing better (I now have second thoughts if Pau Gasol is really what I thought him to be: greatest power forward in the NBA; maybe I was quick at concluding it.  He was definitely “Ga-soft” this playoffs).  Still, I love this team and trust that they will rise up from this defeat, like they always did in the past (It is very likely they would try to trade for Dwight Howard in the offseason).  In the highs and lows, I hold my head up high, proud to be a Los Angeles Lakers fan.  To be honest, this recent Laker defeat did not sting me as much as their past defeats (especially in 2008, although their 2009 and 2010 victories made up for it).   Hmmmm.  Maybe it is due to being a tougher fan now than before, as I mentioned a while ago.  Or maybe because I am so happy nowadays that even a Laker defeat does not bother me much (*wink*wink*).  Anyway, I am optimistic of the future.  (By the way, after the Lakers got eliminated, I’m rooting for the Memphis Grizzlies to win the title this year.  That would be awesome!)     

I love writing.  I love the Lakers.  And I love this blog.  These will never change.  5 years old, my dear readers, this blog is 5 years old.  Or 5 years young, if you prefer it that way.  Either way, celebrate with me.  Looking forward for the next five years… and beyond.  

Read More

Performances in Mission Trip '11

Last May 4 to 6, we (Joy Church) went to Manila for a mission trip.  In Dawn Dew Korean Church, we performed some evangelistic numbers for the congregation there.  Here are videos of some of the performances:

click here for more videos

Read More

Love... And the Related Topics Part 2

More than half a decade ago, I tried to summarize all my thoughts about love and its offshoot issues in one comprehensive essay.  I was a sixteen year-old back then and those were a sixteen year-old’s thoughts.  Now, I am a young adult and have a more organized – if not better – perspective on this subject matter than my teenage self.  So, I decided to write this “updated” essay, to add more to the original essay or to revise or improve some of its contents.  Here goes nothin’…  

Is love easily analyzed or defined?  No.  I don’t think so.  In fact, love is something so complex.  Our viewpoint on love varies, depending on our own unique individual encounters and experiences.  It has different facets.  It is more than an emotion.   More than a concept.  And there might be something more in the saying “Love makes the world go around” than a cliché. 

Let me first try to define or conceptualized “Love” in its purest and truest form.  And it’s God.  God is Love.  Not only is God loving, but God himself is Love.  The truest and purest form of Love is found in God’s nature and nowhere else.  And since it is impossible to fully comprehend God’s nature in our lifetime and present mental capabilities, then it is therefore impossible to fully comprehend what Love really is.  Only God knows. And only God can really love purely and truly.    

As humans, we are created in God’s image.  Thus, as creatures created in God’s image, we might be able to wield some of his qualities… or, rather, to wield POOR IMITATIONS of God’s qualities.  God loves, and we humans also love.  We have some idea of what love is, but considerably fall short on the concept of God’s Love.  Nonetheless, as humans, we love, in our own limited and flawed ways.  We have different forms of “love”.  Affection to others.  As comrades loyally and passionately having each other’s backs (philia or brotherly love).  The concept of lovers (eros or romantic/sexual love).  Parents’ love for their children, and vice versa.  Several form and complicated hybrids of these forms, and within these forms, different and indescribable intensities.  You can never perfectly diagram these facets of human love.  In some ways, these forms of human love have some ingredients of nobility that gives us an idea on how God’s love might function.  People willing to sacrifice even their lives for their friends or families.  Parents lavishing their children with love even if they’re ungrateful and selfish brats.  A lover’s readiness to give up his own happiness for the best or for the happiness of the person he or she loves.  Etc.  However, human love will always be imperfect.  Human love is conditional.  It is limited.  And it always expects something in return. 

God is Love.  He is the only one that has perfect idea on what Love is, since it is who He is.  And He is the only one that can wield in perfectly. 

God’s love is unconditional – no, let me correct that – God’s love is certainly conditional… but He was the one who fulfilled those conditions so that we can enjoy the experience and benefits of His love .  His love is more than unconditional. 

When a human loves, it is always limited to his capabilities and strength.  Though he might want to give the most expensive gift to his loved one, but he won’t be able to do so if he can’t afford it.  He might desire to be beside his beloved always, but it is impossible for him to have his eyes on his beloved 24/7.  His weakness limits him to perfectly protect his beloved.  However, God’s omnipotence and sovereignty assures that His love can’t be limited.  Nothing or no one can frustrate His love.  If He wants to give someone He loves a particular gift, He is able to give it.  He is able to be by His beloved’s side always.  And His protection is absolutely perfect.   

With God’s love being unconditional, He does not need anything in return.  We have nothing to give in return for His love anyway.  Love God back or not, God will remain as He is.  Though, whoever God gives his love to, he or she can’t help but to love God back. 

And only those that saw and experienced God’s love can truly wield love… or, at least, as close as a human can on truly wielding love (since, again, only God can truly love).  God’s love has never been more expressed when His only Son was incarnated in this world.  The Latter brought and taught outlandish concepts such as “loving your enemies” and “turning the other cheek.”  And then He was humiliated, tortured, and crucified on the cross.  All that He endured out of love.  To save His children from Hell, He had undergone Hell for himself.  So, that they can reconcile with His Father and to enjoy experiencing being Truly Beloved.  Take note that He is not obliged to do it.  His being God will not be lessened if He didn’t do it or be increased if He did.  He just did it out of love.  

Those people who Jesus died for – people who encountered and received what True Love is – will have their hearts filled with love and gratitude to God, ready to do anything for Him.  They would be enabled to carry on the outlandish concepts he taught like “loving your enemies” and “turning the other cheek”, because they love God and want to please him and because God’s own love itself is overflowing through them.  Again, only those that have been Truly Loved can truly love.  To love the unlovable.  To wield the kind of love that the Apostle Paul wrote in the famous Love Chapter (1 Corinthians 13 to those who are not aware of their Bible).  It’s not as perfect as God’s, but it’s the closest thing we humans are able to truly love.

Human love per se in all its forms – romantic, brotherly, parental, etc. – are flawed and, in a sense, selfish.  But combined with this God-given Love, only then they become special. 

Now from this point, let me concentrate on humans’ – or, at least, the recent generations’ – most favorite kind of love (thanks largely to Shakespeare and pop culture): romantic love (eros).  Why is it the most favorite?  Maybe because it is the most fun.  And also most natural, since human physiology is a main reason of its being.  God created us to be attracted to the opposite sex, and our biological make-up ensures that we do.  So romantic feelings are mostly because of chemicals pumped by the body.  Is it more than that?  The answer is a complicated “Yes” and “No.” 

Let’s look at the “No” aspect first.  I had already argued in a past essay that romantic love is the same all over – different types of attraction, different intensities, but same emotions.  Emotions that are mostly triggered because of the God-designed bodily chemicals.  And when the chemicals wear off, the emotional high also wears off.  So, at this sense, romantic love is nothing more than God-designed bodily chemicals. 

It gets complicated because of the “Yes” aspect.    As I’ve mentioned in the past paragraph, these emotions (of romantic love) are mostly triggered by chemicals.  BUT these chemicals are (definitely) triggered by external stimuli.  Usually, we “fall in love” because several factors or conditions are favorable in a “butterfly effect” (review your Chaos Theory if you are unfamiliar with the term) way rather than the person per se – though, he or she is of course a major factor, but just not the sole factor.  Given a favorable person in a favorable setting in a favorable time in a favorable circumstance (and other favorable applicable variables),  getting attracted or “falling in love” happens.  And when the conditions become unfavorable – i.e. long-distance, revelation of dark secrets, external (outside of the two parties) variables, found someone better, etc. - we “fall out of love.”  Emotional high wears off.  Romantic love all depends on how fast and hard the chemicals that make us “fall in love” can be stimulated by the conditions or external stimuli, and how long the conditions or external stimuli can sustain the emotional high.  E.g. a girl might have “fallen in love” with a boy, because he came as a “knight in shining armor” during the loneliest part of her life.  That’s why we “fall in love” and “fall out of love” a few or several times in our lives (until we fall in love for final time, but I am getting ahead of myself).  And the intensities on each time are different, depending on the variables present.  E.g. a boy might have “fallen in love” with a girl, but due to their young age, the intensity is mere infatuation.  Yup, romantic love occurs and has different intensities due to complex sets of conditions.

I am not saying that there is no such thing as “One True Love” or soulmate or Mr. Right or Ms. Right.  Indeed, I believe that God destines two people to be together.  It happens not only because of favorable conditions that make them “fall in love”, but because of PERFECT conditions.  And since it is perfect, there will be no emergence of “unfavorable conditions” (even if it appears to be as such) that would make them “fall out of love”.  Perfect person in a perfect setting in a perfect time in a perfect circumstance – made possible because of the Master Matchmaker.  The intensity of this romantic love would lead to marriage.

As much as one can, fight the feeling of romantic love, never yield to it.  Since if it’s true or too strong anyway, it will break through in the end; it will overflow from the heart.  People who allow themselves to “fall in love” easily, who rush into their decisions, become “romantic love junkies”, people who actually “fall in love with falling in love” rather than “falling in love with someone.”  They “fall in love” just for the sake of “falling in love”.  They rush to “fall in love”.  Since it is rushed, it is likely that the conditions will become unfavorable, and when they do, these people get their heart broken.  To fill the pain, they would be in a rush to “fall in love” again.  And will get their heart broken again.  And so on.  Junkies indeed.  So sad.   “There are many people who believe in serial love, loving one person after another,” as Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago (the most entertaining senator in Philippine history) mused, “I don’t think it is good for our mental health.” 

I always believe that when you get your heart broken, you have nobody to blame but yourself since it is you who allowed yourself to fall in love.  So as much as one can, fight the feeling and never yield until the feeling breaks through.  At least, by that, when you indeed fall in love with someone, you can be sure that you fell in love hard, that you can’t help it now but to go all in, risking even heartbreak, since, as a favorite quote of mine goes, “[Falling in] love is giving someone the power to destroy you, but trusting them not to.” 

   

When that time comes – a time when you are willing to risk it all – you would see every girl (or boy, if the reader is a girl) paling in comparison to her (or him).  You would feel uncomfortably incomplete without her.  You would be oblivious to the rest of the world when you’re with her.  You don’t care about anything anymore but to be with her.  There will be nothing or nobody else better or more important.  This type of falling in love is what Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago means when she said, “It’s like measles, you know.  You only get it once in your lifetime and you are immune forever.”   This is falling in love for the final time… the good kind of falling in love since it is true.

This usually leads to marriage.  I used to roll my eyes on marriage.  That’s when I knew nothing better.  Then I learned that in marriage is where human love as a lens to have a glimpse on God’s love is at its best.  With the passage in Ephesians 5:25-30 (read it if you aren’t familiar with it.  It’s just beautiful), we can see how marriage was used as an analogy – the most perfect analogy possible – for Christ’s own love for His Bride (the Church).  Before, since I was a kid, I never thought of myself as someone that would eventually marry.  Maybe it was a possibility that I would, but I never entertained the thought.  “I will never marry.  It is more advantageous to be a bachelor,” were my usual words.  But after really seeing how special marriage can really be, now, maybe for the first time in my life, I start to really like getting married someday.  To have someone hand-in-hand in the journey for True Happiness that is only found in Him.  To live out the analogy that would make me feel and appreciate greatly the greatness of God’s love. 

But I also believe that you don’t need to romantically fall in love to get married.  Some couples even fall in love only when they’re already married; learning to love each other after getting married.  Romantically falling in love before marrying is a convenience of modern times that the majority enjoys.  Historically, marriage is not always because of so.  Marriages get prearranged.  There were times that a couple would see each other for the first time on the wedding day itself.  But these marriages, surprisingly, work.  Ironically, more often than not nowadays, those however that married because solely of romantic feelings have marriages that aren’t successful.  Mostly because these marriages are selfish and not God-centered.  But, I believe, that even without romantic love, a marriage will be successful if there is the kind of love Christianity has (which I already talked about many paragraphs ago) in it.  At some point of the marriage, the “favorable conditions” that brought the couple to “fall in love” might even disappear.  But the marriage will be sustained because of the Christian love they have for God and each other.  But, of course, the best marriages are those that have both the high of romantic love AND the God-centeredness of Christian love.  And we have to be thankful that falling in love before marrying is of fashion nowadays instead of prearranged marriage.  I, for one, am thankful for such convenience.        

I still can’t talk much about marriage because I am yet to experience.  So I leave it at that.

In fact, I think I’ll leave this essay at this.  This “upgraded” essay on “Love... and the Related Topics” is long enough already.  A Part 3 might be written in another half a decade – give or take a few years.  Maybe I would have more ideas or understanding about the topic at hand by that time.  Who knows, I might even be married already at that point. 

Read More

Floodgates - Live in Naga City

Our band, Floodgates, was invited to go to Naga City to perform in the March for Jesus '11 concert.  Ironically, though we were from Legazpi City (two-and-a-half-hour trip) and needed to finish our set as soon as possible to get home early (i.e. we have a Sunday worship service the next day), our band was put last in the program.

The songs were...

click here for more videos

Read More

At Last, I Finally Got My College Yearbook.

The promised date of its release was February 2010, two months before our batch’s graduation.  This was to ensure that we would be able to enjoy this souvenir immediately after leaving college.    However, the yearbook’s release was more than a year late of its promised date.   Just got it as I write this.

Was it worth the wait? 

No.

No.  Because from the start, I preferred a college ring instead of a yearbook.  But the majority of my batch preferred a yearbook or was just apathetic with what type of souvenir the batch would have.  So a yearbook it is.

To be fair, the quality of the yearbook was great.  And it has a Facebook motif.  Therefore, there are Facebook-style “shoutout/status message” – quips or quotes by the individual – and “comment box” – some details or description of the individual written by a friend/classmate – included in a graduate’s profile.  Now, that’s creative.

Then again, if I want to look at a Facebook-themed profile – complete with photos, info, and status message – of a particular batchmate, wouldn’t it be better if I just – I don’t know – look at his or her Facebook profile!  I mean, after the advent of Internet social networking, having a yearbook as something to remind you of who you went to school with and read something about them, if not already made out of fashion, at least, is bland already.  So it’s actually ironic that the concept (Facebook) that the theme of the yearbook was based from is the one that makes it dull in comparison.     

Ok, you might consider it as a memento instead.  Something you can have tangibly on hand to make you sentimentally reminisce your school days.  Ok, that argument or purpose seems sound.  However, consider this… what is the predominantly content of a yearbook?  Right, profiles of batchmates.  So, those “sentimentally reminiscing” can only be done if those profiles are of people you actually know or shared experiences with, which would enable you to actually reminisce. 

But I don’t even know half of those people in my yearbook.  In the case of my high school yearbook – in which my only complaint was the part where the phrase “Hakuna Matata” (which is my motto) was criticized – I liked it because, even if I was not friends with all of them, I, at least, know all of them, since there were only a few of us (124 to be exact) in our batch.  In college however, there are plenty in the batch.  As I’ve mentioned, I don’t know half of them.  Heck, I wasn’t even familiar with the faces of most of them.  Therefore, I don’t care to read about most of the people in the yearbook.  But their “boxes” and “status messages” are there, dominating the pages.  In a Facebook analogy, it’s like having hundreds of connections/friends but you only know a minority of them, thus your home wall is flooded with posts and newsfeed of people you don’t know or care for.    

By the way, here’s my “profile page” in the yearbook:

I admit, it kind of looks nice.  Just one complaint.  In the “comment box” part, the written description for me got screwed up.  It should have gone like this:

As Bernel puts it:
"I'm a cowboy longing
for my ride to the sunset.
A six-shooter in my hand.
Staring down the bullet,
making my final stand."

Instead of just in one-paragraph form, it should have appeared as a 6-syllable-a-line, 6-line poem which was a bite-sized summary of a profile poem of mine.

(Sigh)

Still at least, I finally got the yearbook.  Overrated and late, but, at least, I got what was paid for when some batches don’t even get the yearbooks that they paid for.  

But I still prefer a college ring.

Read More

Why I Look Up To Kobe Bryant (and Other Thoughts on Kobe)

Why I Look Up To Kobe Bryant

Ever since I started loving basketball and watching the NBA, I was a Laker fan.  And the length of time I was a Laker fan, I was a Kobe Bryant fan.   More than that, he is one of my role models.   Yes, I have a lot of “favorite” people.  Lots of people I admire.  If I’m going to make a list, it’s going to be long (even if we minus the fictional characters).  I admire them for their talents or intelligence or achievements or characteristics.   But if I have to make a list of people – the people themselves and not only their successes or skills – I really look up to and want to emulate, the list would be shorter.  Kobe Bryant is in this list. 

Kobe Bryant is an amazing basketball player.   He is probably the most explosive and versatile offensive player in history.  He possesses wide arsenal of moves, footwork, and ways to score.   And being an all-around player, he is also an elite defender, and brilliant passer and rebounder.  More than that, he possesses genius level I.Q. which he utilizes in understanding the game of basketball very well.  But if these are the only indications, he would only belong to the first category (people I admire because of possessing admirable talents, intelligence, or characteristics) and not the second (people I look up to and want to emulate).     

So what made him become part of the second category?  It would be his admirable attitude and incredible mental focus.  These two are actually the reasons – the sources – that allowed Kobe to have such amazing basketball skills.

Kobe is known to have a good work ethic.  He is a hard worker.  He possesses such skills because he developed them through regular and rigorous practice.  He is usually the first guy to arrive at the gym and the last to leave.  Practice, practice, practice.  Training, training, training.  He continually works to improve his game, or add something to his already wide collection of weapons.  One illustration of this was during the 2009 offseason, fresh from winning his fourth ring, he called up Hakeem Olajuwon to improve his post-and-pivot game.   “I’m chasing perfection,” he once said.

In contrast, I am usually a lazy person.  The compliments “versatile” and “smart” have been used on me by several people.  However, oftentimes, I do not work hard to improve these initial gifts of mine.  I am a “just enough effort” kind of guy, as long as it gets the job done.  How I long to have Kobe’s attitude of “chasing for perfection” through hard work. 

This season, he was quoted: 

“I’ve always been comfortable as a kid growing up to think that when my career is over, I want them to think of me as an overachiever despite the talent that I have.  To think of me as a person that’s overachieved, that would mean a lot to me.  That means I put a lot of work in and squeezed every ounce of juice out of this orange that I could.  Hopefully, they perceive me as person who did whatever he had to do to win above all else.  Above anything.  Above stats. If they say that about me I’ll be happy.”  

Epic.  I really want to have this same mentality.  I want to be an overachiever with the talents I have.  God help me.

Kobe's Greatest Weapon: Mental Toughness

His mental focus is the best I have ever seen in the NBA.  He can detach himself from everything, and put his full concentration on a goal.  Best example:

This mental focus also translates to mental badassery.  He is also never intimidated.  Best example:

A mental focus that even allows him to play through pain.

I haven’t seen someone with such focus, motivation, obsession, and mentality as Kobe Bryant in sports today.     I mean he is probably the Sherlock Holmes of the NBA as far as a dehumanized mental machine is concerned… no, wait, not Sherlock Holmes – since Kobe has a near sociopathic/psychopathic drive to execute to get a goal – but the Batman of the NBA (which I already mentioned in my article after the Lakers won the 2010 title).

It can’t be denied that Kobe is awesome – if you’re being mentioned in the same sentence as Batman, then you’re definitely awesome.

Haters Gonna Hate

But still some do try to deny his greatness.  I found that Kobe just inspires as much irrational hate as President Bush, and because of this hate, they refuse to acknowledge his greatness.

Some criticize Kobe for selfishness, for having an itchy trigger finger, for jacking up a lot of shots.  But this “selfishness” is more due to his obsession with getting the win (and avoiding a loss) rather than stacking up his personal numbers.   If given a choice between team success – i.e. NBA championship – and personal glory, Kobe would pick the former in a heartbeat.  Of course, he would definitely prefer getting both, but getting the championship is paramount if he had to pick one and sacrifice the other.  Again, Kobe has a Batman mentality.  A cold-blooded gambling gunslinger.  So, he is not afraid to gamble in shooting a lot.  To risk getting crucified by critics for shooting too much, especially if they lose because of it.  But, these shooting gambles of his can also win games.  And Kobe already earned the reputation (and legend) that his coach and team are willing to give him the power to win or lose the game for them with his “cold-blooded gambling gunslinger” mentality.  Again, this is more because of his strong desire to win rather than selfish desires to get personal glory.  He really just wants to contribute to making his team win (or by dragging them to win), no matter what his role is, and he just sincerely believes that he can do this by shooting a lot.  To quote Kobe: “I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.”

We also do hear “Kobe is not Jordan” a lot.  I agree.  Kobe is not Jordan.  But I always believe that if Kobe and Jordan had switched places in generation in the NBA, Kobe would have been considered the best instead of Jordan.  That’s how Michael Jordan-esque I believe Kobe to be.  In fact, in some aspects, Kobe is better.  Kobe is more skillful than Mike (ask Phil Jackson), though MJ is more athletic and more physically gifted (i.e. bigger hands and better leaping ability).  But that’s the point on why Kobe is better than MJ in a sense.  Even if Kobe was not really that initially gifted (in terms of raw and physical gifts), he developed and obtained the amazing skills he had now – to the point that he is being compared to the player that many considered as the best basketball player ever (Michael Jordan) – through pushing himself through Batman-ish hard training.  (Just imagine how much Kobe could be better if we put him in LeBron’s body!  He would dominate basketball to the point of overkill!)

There are other Kobe attacks, but the most annoying is the “Kobe is a rapist” hating.  When a hater finally sinks to this level, that hater is just so intoxicated of hating that he can’t be convinced by a reasonable argument in Kobe’s defense.  I mean what does “Kobe is a rapist” got to do with basketball?  Besides, we all know that Kobe was vindicated already in this matter.

Greatest Of All Time?

Even if we, say, insist that “MJ > Kobe”, well, that can’t be used to deny Kobe being a great player.  If we consider Jordan as the best anyway, then MJ is greater than every other player, and not only Kobe.  Why would we then use the detail of Jordan being better to discount Kobe’s greatness?  As one writer illustrated, it’s like seeing a 7’6 guy and then saying, “He isn’t the tallest man that ever lived.”  So?  He might not be the tallest man that ever lived, but he sure is damn tall!

Will Kobe take the greatest player title away from Jordan?  It’s possible, but very unlikely.  As far as being on the basketball court is concerned, in my humble biased “Kobe Bryant-fan” opinion, Kobe and Jordan are equals.   But MJ greatly separates himself from Kobe with his tons of personal achievements.  And observers would look at MJ’s collection of MVPs and scoring titles and defensive-player-of-the-year award and then look at Kobe’s and they would conclude that MJ is the better player.  It can’t be helped.

Still, Kobe is the closest thing to Michael Jordan we would ever see.  The facts that he is being compared to MJ and MJ fans and/or Kobe-haters are being threatened by that comparison prove the point.

Kobe will never catch up with MJ as far as individual awards are concerned.  But I think getting more championships than MJ is more important anyway.  I will be satisfied if Kobe retires with 9 to 10 championships.

It would be lovely, though, if Kobe will have another MVP season or two. 

I love seeing this during the regular season…

…which will culminate to this:

Sweet.

Read More