The one with the Kobe and the Lakers

Well the NBA Finals is just around the corner. As I write this, the (L)eastern Conference Finals is still going on (game 6, with Celtics leading the series 3-2 against the Pistons). In the meantime, the LA Lakers have made the finals, dispatching the defending champions Spurs 4-1. So now Kobe and the gang have ample time to rest till the finals kick off on 5th June.
A lot has been said at the beginning of the season. With Kobe making trade demands, no decent talent around him, the fans calling for Mitch Kupchack's head. Well they all decided to stick it out and with the mid-season addition of the Spaniard Pau Gasol, it was looking very bright and sunny in LA again. And Kobe gave a season performance for the ages. He had to stave off young talents in Chris Paul and Lebron James for his first MVP award at the age of 30. Amazing considering the MVP-numbers seasons he had.
The Lakers made their march to the finals by beating the Nuggets, Jazz and Spurs. Now they await the winner of the Celtics-Pistons series. Most fans want a Lakers-Celtics series, as it will be a throwback to the 80s when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird lead their Lakers and Celtics teams respectively.
However I believe Lakers would love to face the Pistons, to get revenge over the 2004 Finals loss. Which lead to the break-up of Kobe, Shaq and coach Phil Jackson. Now that Shaq got his 4th ring with the Heat a couple seasons ago, Kobe wants to prove he too can win without Shaq. And Phil Jackson would love another ring to add to his collection (which I've lost count).
So here's to the Lakers and the NBA, where amazing happens.

The one with a packed week

A long gruesome week. Full of exercise tho. In my attempt to get some discipline now that I've joined a gym. Yes, old habits do die hard. Glimpses of laziness was there, but have to keep motivated. At least I have music pumped in via my iPod.
I'm still playing futsal. However the last Saturday and Tuesday sessions were a letdown. Due to the numbers (we had 9 players). At least Wednesday was great. Think we had like 4 teams. Some pictures were taken also by Hood. He tagged me on Facebook.
As for my weekend plans? Well rest is in order. And hope to catch up on some reading (comics, mags and blogs, haven't bought a new book yet).

The one with the bowling

Tournament day finally came. The PPKM annual bowling tourney. Wasn't really high on confidence after last week's dismal training session and also with my arms still in some amount (minimal at best) pain.
The poor form continued and couldn't find any rhythm. The flow wasn't there at all. And my first two games averaged a measly 110. Manage to find the flow by the third game, but it was too late. Even smashed a turkey but had too many 9s. Couldn't convert the spares. My aunt was also in the tourney and I lost out to her also.
Oh well, hope for a better showing next year.

Here In My Home by Malaysian Artists For Unity

The one with the Smallville season 7 review

Finally Smallville season 7 has ended. After a lot of uncertainty faced due to the writer's strike, I'm glad it came to a close.
My initial review of the season. Very, very disappointing. After the excitement from the last two seasons, they messed this one up. Especially the way season 6 ended with the surprise introduction of Bizzarro. And season 7 did start with great promise. But it kind of faded as the season wore on and the writer's strike probably effected the story.
Season 7 also saw the introduction of some familiar faces in the DC universe. Mainly Supergirl and also Black Canary. And one villain made his return, Braniac.
The one thing I enjoyed was the evolution of Lex Luthor. Every season we see the darkness creep into him. And probably this season was the final stage of the development of Lex. You can say this is the season Lex finally becomes the Lex we all know from the comics.
To cap the season off, Lex finally knows Clark's secret in the final showdown in the Fortress of Solitude.
Short post, due to my disappointment with the series.

The one with a lot to cramp in one post

Well a lot to write here. Not sure if I can remember a lot from the past week. Especially the recently long (and welcome) weekend. And as I write this my whole body is aching in pain with a capital P and A and I and N. Think I should add !!! for good measure.
Well last Saturday had a bowling training session with my teammates for next this Saturday's tourney. The session was to get the feel of the game after not playing in ages. And my game was totally off. Managed a measly 100 average after 3 games. There were moments of sheer brilliance, but like I said, moments.
Also last Saturday had an impromptu karaoke with Farrish. He needed to kill time while waiting for the fiancee who was stuck at work. So we totally rocked the house. We even did a Micheal Jackson medley but couldn't pull off Billie Jean, David Cook style as the music wouldn't allow it. Also rocked out a whole lot of rock tunes so our voice wasn't there after the session.
After picking up Farrish's fiancee Ida, we went for drinks in Subang. Somehow we talked about our childhood and how strict our parents were.
Sunday night had a corporate dinner. Our client EON had their charity dinner and long-service award ceremony. The only great thing from the dinner was Noryn Aziz. Totally fell in love again. She has a great voice (unlike me) but like me we can pull off a variety of tunes. My colleagues and guest were all introduced to Noryn Aziz and were blown away.
Right now to why my whole body is in pain. Recently I enrolled to a fitness centre in Subang Parade. Felt it was high time I did something before I balloon into the Marshmallow Man. My personal trainer pointed out that my heart rate and blood pressure is good. Sadly that cannot be said about my BMI. I 'scored' a 27. And my weight has shot up to 95 kilos. He also put me through some weight exercises. My weakness was pretty much obvious. I'm weak, and really have trouble with weight exercises which require pushing. However the pulling exercises was a breeze for me. And also my abs are damn weak.
After the 2 day (Sunday and Monday) weight training my arms and chest are in severe pain. I hope that means its working. I can't even lift my arms higher than my shoulder. Which results in some difficulty when I pray.
Also a fun note, my iPod has been 'jailbreaked'. Had the assistance of my colleagues brother. So now I can do more fun things with my iPod.
Lastly, the reason I'm in a flow (blogging wise) is due to the fact that futsal Tuesday was canceled due to insufficient numbers. In the end I went home early and hopefully will get to rest my aching body.

I'm Yours by Jason Mraz

The one with the football

As you can see from the title I mention 'football' not 'futsal'. Meaning I played football on the big field with acres of green space to run around in. Also it was outdoors with the sun shining brightly.
The game was between a local broking house and the rest of the dealers. I was invited by one of my bosses who knew that I run around like a headless chicken. It also gave me the opportunity to meet up some old friends and colleagues who I haven't seen in a while. Most with the observation that I've grown 'wider'.
We were given the broking house away kit, sponsored by Carlsberg. Gladly it wasn't the scousers kit. Also got my favourite number 11 for the game. And I told the team I would like to play on the left wing.
Before the game I knew this was going to be different. I had to readjust my positioning and spatial arrangements. Also had to look up further and widen my vision. Since I'm so use to analyzing a futsal court. I too had to prepare myself for a whole lot of running.
There were times I was playing futsal style with quick one touch passing and movement. It would have worked if we all knew each other style of play. At times I got caught out because my futsal tricks didn't seem to pull off on the field. Need to work on the execution. Also, despite being the winger, I only manage to put in one decent cross, as most of the action was on the right side of the field.
Towards the end of the game, I shifted to playing upfront, just behind the strikers. I had the easiest chance to score. I missed an open goal from two yards. Somehow, amazingly I muffed the tap-in over the bar. As the rest of my team said, "it doesn't get any easier than that".
We lost the game 1-2. So that made my miss even more stomaching to take. Also it was a game of 3 penalties. Only one went in. And the penalty calls were all dodgy. Since the dives were very obvious. Overall I had a good time. Enjoyed running out in the open spaces.
After the game, I went home as my whole body was aching and surprisingly I slept early.

The one with the basketball

After some time, a basketball post. Been sometime since I last played. I no longer join the group that I use to play with on Sundays. Being the fact its a Sunday and I don't really want to do anything at all. So a friend invited me to join his group which plays on Friday night.
It was the first session for the group. Probably want to see the response. The fact that everyone was totally out of rhythm was plain to see. Most couldn't keep up with the pace. I managed to keep up but I don't recall playing basketball hurting this much. Guess when you play the 'run-and-gun' style it does take a toll on you.
I myself enjoyed this session compared to my previous groups. Reason being most of the players are actively playing in social leagues and all-stars in their own right. I believe most of the players from today's group are stars also, so I will wait before committing my Friday nights to the group. Guess everyone wanted to see how each other played as well as adjusting to the style of play.
My game, well I had a very bad shooting night (again) going 1-for-7. At least my stat line was filled with 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. I also enjoyed playing the point guard role at times. A role I haven't played since college. I know I can do better, especially when it comes to rebounds as I'm still lazy to bang inside with the other big guys. I still enjoy playing in the wings playing the slasher role.
I had the winning assist for the night. I was in mid-air behind the board, and threw a no-look-pass over my shoulder to an open teammate for the winning shot.
So the group decided to make it a fortnightly affair. Maybe after it picks up, I might need to buy a new pair of shoes.

The one with Speed Racer

Surprisingly I had time on my hands after work today. So I thought of checking out what was new at the cinema. This weeks new releases include What Happens in Vegas and Speed Racer. I opted for the latter so I wanted to see how the Wachowski brothers messed this one up. Yes, I believed they made a mess of one of the cartoons I watched as a kid after seeing the trailers. Hey, they did mess up Matrix 2 and 3.
First of all and surprisingly I enjoyed the movie. It was quite fun to watch. The movie itself was very colourful despite all the CGI animation. The racing action was mind-blowing (please ignore the laws of physics while watching). Despite the length (2 hours) the movie was enjoyable.
What do you know, another short post. Good night.

The one with the day off

Just realize it's been exactly one year since I've join Am. And I felt I've been there for like donkey years already. So what have I achieved in my year there? Sad to say, nothing with a capital N.
Anyways, I took the day off and also tomorrow. House-sitting while my parents are on holiday in Jakarta. Might I say I do enjoy not being at work. Especially with what's been going the past few weeks. Even though I did practically nothing besides watch TV and stuff myself with food, I really enjoy the peace and quiet. No calls to answer. No customers who give you a hard time, especially one client I dubbed as "the wicked witch of the west". No being around people I despise. No one asking me to do things for them. No loans department giving me hell. And best of all, no angst for the day. I am so at peace.
However, today is also the day when I thought about my career. I think I've started to hit the wall at my career. More like at the crossroads. I believe I've posted something like this before. Hopefully I will get over it and re-focus. Which currently seems to be a problem now. I can't seem to focus.
For me the thing I love most about my daily working routine is walking to the station while listening to my music. For that 10-15 minute walk, I'm lost in my own world. Especially when I listen to songs which is my 'theme-song'. Songs which really fits the way I feel at that moment.
Lastly, go check out the new trailer for The Dark Knight. Totally awesome.

The one with IRONMAN

Lets see if I can write a full movie review. And probably spoil it for everyone in the process. So the entourage went to watch Ironman at the usual cinema and also our usual seats.
I have to admit, I'm not much a fan of the comics, but at least I know who's who in the Ironman world. I probably more well versed in the Superman and Batman universe.
First of all I have to say I totally enjoyed the film. Hard to find faults or complaints. I even talked about it with the Earth638 guys, and they say overall they got it right. The movie didn't stray too far from the original comics. The filmmakers kept it true to the form fans loved.
I for one totally dig the iron suit (although it is suppose to be titanium alloy). The colours were spot on and the red, was a very nice red. Hot-rod red as they call it now. I believe soon it will be in in-colour for 2008. The special effects of the armour had a Transformers feel to it. I also the scene where the suit was put on. The way the armour was put on was wicked, so sophisticated. And when he wanted to take the armour off, well it had calamitous results.
For the cast of the film, I must say they couldn't have casted it any better. Robert Downey Jr felt at ease playing himself as Tony Stark. The rest of the cast played their role well. Terrence Howard had a scene which would excite fans about the sequel. He saw another armoured suit and said the lines "next time baby". Meaning, hopefully he will don the armour of War Machine for the sequel. An unrecognizable Jeff Bridges delivered a master baddie performance. Guess its always easier to play the villain than hero. And finally Gwyneth Paltrow played the ever-loyal personal assistant to Tony Stark.
Also this movie is not without their "product placement". Mainly the culprits here are Audi and Burger King. BK being the obvious early in the film, when after Tony Stark escaped his captives, the first thing he wanted was an American cheeseburger.
Finally for those who are planning to watch, as usual Marvel movies always seem to have an extra scene after the credits. Here we are introduced to Nick Fury who is the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division). And he was played by none other than Samuel L. Jackson. He mention the Avengers to Stark. Guess Marvel is really planning something big in the near future.
So that's the beginning of the summer blockbusters. Next up, Indiana Jones 4.

The one with the public holiday with a lazy Sunday feel to it

First of all happy day off to all. Not really sure whats the occasion, but as long as its a day off, I'm happy. Anyways, I didn't really plan to do anything today after the past few days I had. It was nice to wake up late and enjoy my morning coffee while reading the newspaper without hearing the phones ring.
Anyways, my previous post had my friend Amryl post a comment which is worthy of a post. Since he was reciting philosopher Marley, I wonder if he was high at that time.
Anyways, I did go out and see the outdoors. Had lunch with Farrish and then headed to Earth 638. My friend Kaleon was manning the shop as his cousin Ka Wyn had other things to handle. And these two guys had the honour of watching Ironman on Tuesday. Being in the comics business, they have these kind of privileges. And Kaleon's review? Well he totally enjoyed the movie and really liked how they made everything believable. Being the guy who writes those bi-weekly comics review in the Star, you have to believe him.
So the entourage will take the opportunity to catch the film tomorrow night. The start of all the great films for 2008. My pick of the lot will be The Dark Knight, but will have to wait till July.
Alrighty then, time to get some sleep. Normal hectic schedules resume tomorrow as per normal.