The General Admission

The general admission section of the Araneta Coliseum is not a bad place to be.

After hearing that we were required to cover the opening games of the UAAP season 74 men’s basketball, I was not that excited.

First of all, it has been my routine to sleep every Sunday afternoon. Since weekdays are very tiring, I need to recharge every weekends. Second of all, the Fighting Maroons will not be playing in the opening games.

It was only my third trip to the Big Dome. Even though I am an avid basketball fan, I prefer watching games on TV rather than driving to Cubao. 

It was also my first time to be seated at the general admission section. The fun that I had was more than what I have expected.

At 60php, you get to have the view of the whole crowd at the Big Dome. You will see different kinds of people from up there. Lovers, best friends, group of friends, toddlers, parents, drummers and beautiful girls are all there for your eyes to see. 

It is also not that far from the basketball court, you don’t need to move your head sideways. You may let your eyes do the work.

Some parts of the floor at the general admission section are sticky, making you wonder how often they mop it. Nevertheless, air conditioning is comfortable enough, snack vendors are within reach and comfort rooms are easy to locate.

I was mesmerized when the guys from FEU made a human wave for several times. Aside from the game itself, crowd reaction and excitement were also entertaining to watch.

The energy and intensity inside the Big Dome are nowhere to be found in watching live TV coverage. You may hear and see it but you won’t feel it.

A 60 peso ticket is cheap-- a great bargain if you want to experience a live basketball game.

 

The Dirty Ice Cream

“My classmates don’t know about it,”

Instead of studying or playing during weekends, Oliver pushes the two-wheeled ice cream cart along UP Diliman campus to make a living.

He pushes it several kilometers from barangay Balara to Diliman campus and then roams around it.

This 15 year old sophomore from Culiat High School sells ice cream from eight in the morning until six in the evening.

“I earn 250 pesos each day,” (Saturday and Sunday) he said.

His father is also a sorbetero (ice cream vendor) while his mother's a housewife. Both are from the country side, they migrated to Metro Manila hoping to improve their lives. He also has 3 siblings.

It is admirable to see a kid working hard for himself and for his family. While other students just drink out and party over the weekend, this boy perseveres for his allowance.

“I also like eating it (the ice cream that he sells), it’s clean and free,” he said with a little smile.

His situation also reflects a problem in the society; a boy like him should be studying or playing but not working.

I suddenly thought of myself and how much I earn every weekend. We’re totally different in terms of how and how much we earn but our reasons for working while studying have some similarities.

“I like what I’m doing,” He said.

UAAP Season 74: Tamaraws whip Archers in opening game.

MANILA, Philippines— Far Eastern University Tamaraws humbled the La Salle Green Archers 74-65 in the opening game of UAAP season 74 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Tamaraws’ defense stepped up in the second half as reigning Most Valuable Player RR Garcia broke loose, unleashing 17 of his 21 points.

The first half of the game was a struggle for both teams as they tried to find their rhythm after a long offseason. 

The Green Archers were fully loaded in the first minutes of the first quarter, hitting their jump shots that gave them early lead. But the Tamaraws crawled their way back as their big men attacked the rim relentlessly. 

The second quarter ended 35-33 with Tamaraws leading the way.

The Archers regained the lead in the third quarter forcing FEU coach Bert Flores to call an early timeout. After the huddle, FEU got their composure back forcing turnovers that led to fast break points. The momentum shifted to FEU as the crowd roared to the sudden surge of the Tamaraws.

They took the lead and never looked back.

FEU was able to sustain its defense until the final minutes of the game while La Salle couldn’t capitalize on several occasions. 

LA Revilla chipped in 18 points for La Salle but got little help from his teammates.

The scores:

FEU 74 – Garcia 21, Ramos 16, Cawaling 10, Cruz 9, Romeo 6, Bringas 5, Tolomia 3, Escoto 2, Exciminiano 2, Sentcheu 1, Pogoy 0, Knuttel 0.

LA SALLE 65 – Revilla 18, de la Paz 9, Tampus 8, Van Opstal 5, Webb 5, Torres 4, Marata 4, Andrada 4, Gotladera 2, Vosotros 2, Atkins 2, Villanueva 1, Mendoza 1, Sara 0, Paredes 0.

Quarters: 18-18; 35-33; 52-45; 74-65.

 

LeBron’s letter to his die-hard fans

No ring for the King.

I didn't forget what I said during our preseason gathering, I predicted multiple championships for me and for the Miami Heat organization.

It remains as my target, purpose and ultimate goal.

Going back to Game 3 in Dallas, most of you must have been thinking by that time, that we will finally be on top. Unfortunately, that was our last win for the season.

I know you are all wondering and asking, where was I during the last three games of the series? I was there, yet I was nothing like the chosen one who demolished the Celtics and Bulls. I was nothing like the championship hungry beast that drove the Heat to the finals.

Pressure is an underrated word. I am not making any excuses but I felt pressure and it overwhelmed me. 

Yes. I choked.

D-Wade got it going during the finals but I didn’t. I’ve become passive and never got my rhythm going. 

Give credit to Mavericks' defense especially to Shawn Marion. Their zone was tremendous; they clog the lane all the time that I had to settle for long jumpers.

Shots didn’t fall down; I heavily relied on D-Wade and Chris. We lost the series and it became clear to me that we will not win a championship if I will not be my usual self.

Yes we were there, opportunity was there, we were two games away from our ultimate goal and I wasn’t able to seize it. 

Now we’re back to square one, drawing board, training camp and 82 games.

Miami Heat will remain focused and will not stop in pursuing a championship; we are not the Eastern Conference Champions for nothing. We know this team can achieve more and it will, in time. 

The King is yet to be crowned. 

 

(Disclaimer: for academic purposes, the owner of this blog pretended to be LeBron)

East Meets West

The more established online journalism in the west gives ideas to news agencies in the east.

I haven’t encountered a news website in the Philippines which has a paywall. Mainstream newspaper websites are practically free –for-all to read. These websites compete with each other in terms of content and advertisement; they also compete to post an update as quickly as possible whenever necessary.

In other countries in South East Asia, paywalls exist, like Malaysia’s malaysiakini.com.

Still, countries in the east have some catching up to do. In terms of internet access, many rural parts of different countries have yet to have internet access (as shown in Cambodia). Same as in the urban area, many households don’t have their own online connection.

In terms of speed and cost, I would say Philippines charge more than the speed that you get. I am yet to know about other countries’. Speed can always affect your online behaviors.

On the other part of the world, America’s Wall Street Journal and New York Times are also having paywalls. It is like buying your hardcopy online. You pay for the great website layout, interface, content and exclusives. Fair enough.

It may be good to reduce printing cost but there can be no substitute for the traditional dailies that we can buy on streets. The internet reaches a whole lot more but still there are a number of people that don’t have access to it.

Where do they go updates? Print media.

Print media in both east and west remain competitive, that’s always a good sign. But the role of the internet changes everything. These paywalls from the west can potentially wipe out newspapers in the future; luckily, most news agencies especially in the east deliver news on their websites for free making the competition interesting.

Good things in life are free.

What is Facebook for?

Let’s face it, Facebook is not done yet.

This social networking site has been a trend maker for the recent time as people become literally hooked into it.

Facebook has been a force to reckon with when you talk about the internet, its massive number of users tells the story.

So why not go where people are?

This might be the argument of some blogs or news websites on why they chose to abandon their sites and bet it all on Facebook.

There could be advantages and disadvantages of course. (It would take longer to discuss both comprehensively)

Going all Facebook seems convenient but it will take away the flexibilities of having your own website. 

A dedicated blog or website also means dedication to what you’re trying to deliver. You can put all your ideas, customizations into it and report more comprehensively. Advertising is not a problem, it can always have space.

If these websites and blogs are not contented with their traffic then Facebook comes to play. It is where you can get audience and drive these audiences to the dedicated website. If the content of the news website or blog satisfies its visitors then sharing and recommending will emerge.  This is what a fan page can do and is supposed to do, lure the people and take them to your territory where you have control.

Unfortunately, some think of otherwise. 

It is unthinkable of news websites and blogs going all Facebook. It should not be the case in the real online journalism; it is like publishing a news story on a popular magazine instead on a daily.

Facebook is a social networking site designed to share, interact and connect people. It should stay that way; it should not become the main source of news and current events.