NBA Playoffs 2009 Final Four

The San Antonio Spurs got taken out of the playoffs in the first round. Ouch. That really stung. Hopefully, once the big three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili are back together again and all of the Spurs' injury problems get solved, next year should still bring in a good shot at the NBA title.

As for the current playoffs, I no longer have any team I can root for en route to a championship. I don't care who will win anymore. Okay, so I'm lying. I'd rather see any team win the title than the Los Angeles Lakers. To all remaining teams, BEAT L.A.!

But let me put in my two cents worth as to who I think will get NBA rings at the end of the NBA 2008-2009 season.

***

Eastern Conference Finals- Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic

LeBron James is a great player. Arguably the best in the entire world. He deserves all the hype he's getting all season long, not to mention the MVP award he was recently given. But do I appreciate what the NBA is trying to force-feed to everyone, that LeBron James is the new Michael Jordan of the league and that the Cleveland Cavaliers and the L.A. Lakers are already on their way to the finals? I have a big problem with that.

MJ is on a level all his own. James, as great as his accomplishments are, still has to deliver a banner year for the Cavaliers, which pales in comparison to the 6 titles Jordan gave to Chicago. Let James win one this season and then the NBA can start this whole second coming thing again without leaving a sour taste in the mouth of a lot of people.

The unofficial tag line of the NBA this year has been "We are all witnesses". That's a Nike tag line, but really, David Stern should just make it official and drop the pretense. And wouldn't the NBA management just love a Cavs-Lakers finals. That's global recognition right there. Too bad for them, the finals aren't automatic for the top seeds of both conferences, huh? There are 14 more teams (now 2) in the playoffs. The thrill is in the ride of all teams in the post-season. But the hype has been for these two and it feels like a damn Hollywood script.

Now that I've gotten that out of my chest, my take on this series is that both teams are evenly matched up. No team has a distinct advantage over the other. The Magics have a well-balanced team while the Cavs have the luxury of being single-handedly carried by LeBron.

The Cavs have LeBron James. That's good enough to put any team in the playoffs. Without Bron Bron, the Cavs will be lucky to win 25 games in a season. With Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mo Williams giving him enough support in the frontcourt and backcourt, the Cavs can go all the way to the finals. Add to that Delonte West and Anderson Varejao contributing points from time to time and being steady role players. The key to beating the Magic is to neutralize the dominance of Dwight Howard in the middle, tough to do against the best center in the league, consequently ruining the rhythm of the Magic's outside shooters.

The Orlando Magic have impressed everyone with their game this season. It's like everything has clicked for the whole team. They have a dominant big man in Dwight Howard that they can anchor their play on. If that's not enough, Rashard Lewis adds additional muscle underneath to complement Howard. The Magic are also known to live and die by their three-point shots, and that's where the luxury of having reliable shooters in Hedo Turkoglu and Rafer Alston come in. Plus, there's the additional scoring of guards Mickael Pietrus and Courtney Lee. The answer on the question of how to beat the Cavaliers is simple, stop LeBron James. Doing that is a whole different matter. But if they can significantly limit James, they can beat the Cavs.

In the end, I believe the Cleveland Cavaliers will march to the NBA finals. But they will have to do that by going through a grueling 7 game series. The winning factor here will be King James himself. His determination to win a championship is amazing. If he has to carry the whole team against the Magic, he will to that. And I see him doing that in this series. I expect 40 and 50 point nights for James in the days to come.

***

Western Conference Finals- Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets

Hey Kobe, tired of the taste of Shaq's ass?

Kobe Bryant, the ridiculously talented L.A. Laker, has been criticized by people for years for not being able to give the Lakers a title post-Shaquille O'Neal. Myself included. I'm amazed at his b'ball skills, I just don't like the guy. And the Lakers.

But that fact aside, are the Lakers good enough to book a return ticket to the NBA finals? The painful answer (for me) is yes. Kobe Bryant has the same drive to win a championship that LeBron has. And Pau Gasol has become a great no. 2 player that any franchise player would love to have playing by his side. Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza have been playing steady ball all year round so the Lakers have several options when their 1-2 punch needs help in putting up numbers for the team. And the championship experience that Derek Fisher brings to the team is a big asset. The best way to beat Denver is to make the series a defense-oriented one, making sure that the Nuggets have to bleed for every point they score. In close games, the Lakers have a better chance of winning than Denver.

The Denver Nuggets are the surprise team of the season. I never even thought that the Nuggets would get this far when the playoffs started, even if they did end up being the no. 2 seed in the west. All this success, they owe to the excellent leadership of Chauncey Billups and the maturity of Carmelo Anthony. J.R. Smith can pour in the points if needed and Nene Hilario and Kenyon Martin make for a very formidable frontcourt tandem that can deliver the offense and defense. It's also impressive that the Nuggets are stacked with good role players in Linas Kleiza, Chris Andersen, and Dahntay Jones. I doubt if Denver can limit the scoring of Kobe. The best way to stop the Lakers is to make sure nobody else gets into groove throughout the series. Giving 4o-plus points to Bryant can be an acceptable sacrifice.

I see the Lakers winning this series. Ouch! There I said it. It's also going to be a 7 game series, the way the teams are evenly matched up. Anthony and Billups better score over 20 points a game because Kobe will come up with the same amount the two will score combined. I doubt the two can do so if the Lakers can execute an intense defensive gameplan. Plus, the Lakers have finals experience, on the other side, only Chauncey does.

***

So yes, my projected NBA finals match-up has the Cleveland Cavaliers going up against the Los Angeles Lakers. But please, I'm a critical thinker, not a dumb witness.

The Weekly Stash (05/20/09)

Book of the week:

Batman: Battle for the Cowl 3 of 3

What everyone was expecting finally happened. With Bruce Wayne out of the DCU (for the time being), Dick Grayson has (once more) assumed the role of Batman. Gotham has a new Caped Crusader. And a new Boy Wonder to boot.

Really, would it make any sense not to have Dick as Batman?

My favorite character is no longer the prince waiting for his time to sit in the throne. He's there now. And for the limited time he will be there, I'll try to enjoy it as much as possible. Heck, with Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely handling the new "Batman and Robin" series, that's going to be easy. Judd Winick writing "Batman" will be the problem. But I'll complain about that some other time.

There's no Nightwing now. I just can't get myself to call Chris Kent Nigh... I just can't do it. Nightwing is the character I consider to be at the center of the DCU. Supes, Bats, and Wondy are the heads of the DC pantheon. But Dick Grayson has the strongest relations with most characters. He can easily make a six degrees of separation chart for all characters, with him in the middle. But now, the center has moved to the top of the pantheon. This makes for an interesting development.

Going back to the issue, my take on it was that it was okay. Yeah, pedestrian. Even the climactic battle and the "coronation" never really delivered any impact. Everything felt rushed and muddled.

Tony Daniel's writing has been so-so throughout the mini-series. He's a very good artist, and you can glimpse it in all the issues of this mini. But as a storyteller, he fails for me. He needs his artwork to be guided by good writers in order for it to really shine. The way he tells a story on his own is a bit disappointing.

I was especially irked by the two-page spread at the beginning, showing the Network. It's one of the most artificial and contrived drawings I have ever seen inside a comic book. This would have made a killer cover, but not for a panel within the story. In the drawing, everyone was just staring blankly at the reader, with some characters spewing out random facts.

Another major problem I had was the voice he was giving Dick Grayson. The internal monologues that Nightwing had never really connected to the essence of the character. The lines he wrote could have been spoken by anyone in the book. It could even pass as something the writer himself is thinking. I consider this a major flaw when it comes to writing. A writer has to write about the character, keeping in mind the personality of the character. A writer shouldn't directly project his thoughts in the book. Daniel should remember that an internal monologue is a first person perspective. If he were writing using the device of a third person narrator, maybe it can work. And if he needs help on how to write a Dick Grayson dialogue, he can always pick up a Chuck Dixon written Nightwing book.

In this issue, we learn why Dick Grayson didn't just become Batman upon the death of Bruce Wayne. And it is told here that there is a secret in Jason Todd's life that caused him to go bat-shit crazy. We also see how Tim Drake survived after being stabbed by Jason last issue. One of the things that left me sore was how Damian became Robin. I don't have a problem with him being Dick's sidekick, but it felt like in a span of a few pages, everyone just went "Tim is down. Here's a Robin costume. Go crazy".

As for the villains, the criminal organizations of Penguin and Two-Face are taken down, and Black Mask is the new crimelord of Gotham. I highly doubt that this is the same Black Mask Catwoman killed years ago. And I can't wait to find out who. I have to admit that Tony Daniel succeeded in making this BM an interesting character. I see him as one of the main villains that Dick will have to defeat, along with Jason Todd.

Which brings me to another point. I'm intrigued about which villains the new Batman and Robin will be facing. Aside from the two baddies mentioned, I also look forward to seeing Batman go up against the new lunatics released by Dr. Jeremiah Arkham in "Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum". I don't want DC to just be lazy and throw old Bat-villains at Dick. He's faced everyone, either as Robin or Nightwing. A new Batman means changes everywhere, including the rogues gallery. What made Chuck Dixon's run in Nightwing great was that he threw new and exciting villains at Dick. He didn't just get some Gotham villain to travel to Bludhaven and cause mayhem there.

All in all, I'm happy this mini-series is over and Dick can now star as the new Batman. Gotham City will be a very interesting place now. Everything old is new again.

Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance 1 of 6

One of the best comic book names in a long time. As for the story, it did enough to keep me interested for the next issue. But I have yet to be impressed, though the issue was a fun read. The Super Young Team try to face the life of a commercialized super-hero team, while trying to fit this in with their newly found sense of responsibility. With "Teen Titans" recently hitting rockbottom, this could be a boon for the teen heroes area of the DCU. Done right, this could be written like the Keith Giffen/ J.M. DeMatteis/ Kevin Maguire JLI. Done wrong, this could be the Power Company all over again. Who? The cliffhanger at the last page, showing the villains, left me very intrigued.

Jack of Fables 34

The book opens with Bigby Wolf/ Detective Chimp still in shock about his transformation. Things just go crazier from there. Bigby goes through several more transformations, ending up in a form that is very ironic for a Big Bad Wolf. This issue shows that Kevin Thorn still hasn't gotten his full powers back. But the introduction of his muses, representing different literary genres, help make him an interesting character nonetheless.

The Outsiders 18

I still love this book, but the sluggish pace of the story is starting to bother me a bit. I'm now looking forward to a really good action scene, or more clarity on the nature of the villains, whichever will come first. This seems to be a problem for Peter Tomasi, as this is also happening in his other book, "The Mighty". But it's the characterization of the team members that's been carrying this book. Okay, so I still shrink at the sight of Geo-Force, but not as much as before. Owlman is developing into a really great character, if not Batman-lite. And Alfred is perfect in his James Bond-like role. My biggest beef with this issue is that it has Deathstroke. I don't like Deathstroke. In any book. Period.

Supergirl 41

Great fight scene between Supergirl and Superwoman. The storyline in this series has been fairly enjoyable. If I could easily accept what they did to Lucy Lane, this would be even better. But I'm not pleased with her new role in the Superman mythos. The repercussions of this issue will be worth looking into.

Superman/ Batman 60

Imagine my surprise when two writers, Michael Green and Mike Johnson, who I have disliked for a long time, delivered a really entertaining issue. Justice Titans? I love the concept. It's a home run for me. It's like those crazy silver age stories that were just off the wall. There has to be a meeting between the Titans and the Justice Titans. And the villains? The names themselves are really fun, if not creative. Lex Joker. Brainycat. Penguello. Jimmy Two-Face. But a combination of Dick Grayson and Hal Jordan? If only in this issue, it was shown that it can work. But the big winner for me in this issue is the amazing art of kababayan Francis Manapul. And I consider his Superman art superior to that of equally talented countryman Leinil Francis Yu.

Tiny Titans 16

This issue proves just how much better this book is than the current "Teen Titans" series. After reading this book, I'm amused. After reading Teen Titans, I feel underwhelmed. This issue has health nut Coach Lobo putting the whole student body in a race around the world, non-speedsters, non-flyers, and non-"fish guys" included. Good thing there's always a Bat-helicopter lying around. The scene with Lobo reading and loving Shazam comic books was just fantastic. Oh, and the eventual winner is...

Tayo na sa Antipolo

A college friend visited my place this week. So I thought I'd show him around my hometown of Antipolo City.

I wasn't born here but I've lived most of my life here. I always think of myself as a son of this city. It has the perfect location for me: a high-altitude area, close enough to Metro Manila, but far enough to forget the hustle and bustle of the urban life in the Capital.

1.) Hinulugang Taktak

The place that was once a must-see spot of the city is now an embarrassment. The falls is full of garbage and the water seems to be composed of 50% soap suds. The place can emit an awful smell to drive away tourists. I wish the government would do something to save this place.

2.) Antipolo Cathedral

Antipolo is the pilgrimage capital of the Philippines. And the center of it all is the cathedral. People come here to pray to "Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage", and have their cars and religious items blessed. I don't believe in religion, but I was acting in the office of a tourist guide, so this had to be a major stop. The street leading to it is a great place to buy suman and kasuy.

3.) Overlooking

You have a great view here of the whole Metro Manila and the nearby provinces. Choose among the numerous bars here to have meals and drinks while enjoying the fantastic view.

We're Off to See the Wizard

...of Enchanted Kingdom, that is.

After getting my Assignment Order for my posting to Tripoli, I thought I'd celebrate with Cay by going to the Philippines' version of "the Happiest Place on Earth". If champion NFL teams can go to a theme park to have fun, why not me?

With our handy-dandy map, we set out to make sure we get on all the best rides.

Dodgem- Who doesn't love bumper cars? Just homicidal driving fun at its legal best.

Up, Up and Away- It was so boring I almost fell asleep while on it. A slow jeepney ride in traffic has more excitement than this thing.

Roller Skater- 30 seconds of crappy "entertainment", seconds taken from my life and I won't ever get them back. It was so bad I actually timed how many seconds I wasted on this thing.

Anchors Away- One of the best rides. Ride this thing from the end seat and enjoy as the "boat" goes vertical. Swing it, baby!

Bump N' Splash- So-so ride. Would have been better if the pool was bigger and the controls weren't so iffy.

Rialto- Good God! This thing is awful. I remember that the Rialto was the best thing I experienced during my first visit here. Now I can't believe how bad it is. Sitting on a rocking chair or a swing is way cooler than this.

Flying Fiesta- Gravity-defying fun. As my favorite penguin, Opus of Bloom County, always wishes, "fly, fly, fly, fly, fly..."

Wheel of Fate- It offers a great view of the entire park and the surrounding areas. A perfect place to take pictures when you reach the top.

Jungle Log Jam- My favorite ride. In this thing, the bang is as good as the anticipation. Highly recommended.

Rio Grande Rapids- Really good. If only it didn't cause me to travel back home soaking wet. DO bring an extra set of clothes if you want to try this ride.

Swan Lake- Not good at all. The "swans" were too small to fit my fat ass comfortably and the pedals were too small for my feet. And this was an exercise I didn't plan on getting. Bummer.

Space Shuttle- Unfortunately, this thing was closed for the day. Maybe someday...

Grand Carousel- No. I didn't ride this thing.

Some more pics of the place:

Overall, the visit was enjoyable. But a good dose of reality hit me during this visit. The last time I was here was when I was 13 years old. My age has doubled now. All these years, I thought of coming back here to experience the wonder of the place again, and try all rides I wasn't able to try.

The moment I got here, I saw the place wasn't the way I had it pictured in my memories. I realized the place was small. I've seen several malls easily dwarf this place. What seemed so magical then now looks as grimy as the streets of Manila. And the rides that seemed so awesome now seem tame. I rode patok jeepneys traveling from Cubao to Antipolo everyday when I was in school. That was sheer excitement, and deadly real.

I grew up. And relatively, the place grew small to me. The memory never adjusted to the reality, until now. But still, the place offers fun for a one day outing. This place is really for the kids, it's with them where the magic can truly stay.

Destination Damascus

Congratulations to Evil White Chick 2 for his posting to Damascus.

If things are inevitable, just find a way to enjoy them. And don't drop the soap. 'Til then I remain... PB.

I got served!

I just received my Assignment Order this week for my posting to Tripoli. I have about 60 days to make all my preparations.

Finally, I can escape the hellish work here in the Home Office.

Now I just hope they sell DC comics in Libya...

Boracay! Finally!

After going on trips to high-altitude areas, I promised Cay we would go to a beach, her preferred vacation spot. And also, there was the matter of my birthday gift for her, the first one I will be giving as a husband.

I had a bit of a budget to work with, so I decided we would go on a vacation to none other than the island that has the best beaches in the world, Boracay.

It's easy enough to get to Boracay. Most of the big local airlines travel to either Caticlan Airport, an airport located just beside the jetty port where one can take a motorized banca to the island, or Kalibo Airport, where one can take a bus to travel to the jetty port (travel is about a little over an hour). In my case, the cheapskate in me prevailed and I booked ZestAir flights, the least expensive local airline. I booked flights to Caticlan going there and flights to Kalibo going back to Manila, I thought I'd enjoy the bus ride and see the sights traveling through the province of Aklan. The trip to Caticlan was uncomfortable as we had to ride on propeller planes, the only kind of aircraft the airport there can handle, that reminded me of local jeepneys that would shake, rattle, and hum as it went. Thankfully, Kalibo Airport can handle the normal commercial airline jets.

Once we arrived in Station 1 of White Beach, where our resort was located, we couldn't believe our eyes. The beach was so beautiful, and the weather was sunnily perfect. Boracay was paradise on Earth. If I wasn't a believer of this place before, I saw the light then and there. And I couldn't wait to dive into the beach.


Walking around the beach, there was so much stuff one can do. Trying the food in the restaurants by the beach was priority one for us. There was also beach volleyball, frisbees, and sand sculpting to try. Also, try going to Willy's Rock for good picture opportunities.

Cay and I trekked to Diniwid Beach to try the waters there. The walk itself was rewarding, given the nice sights one will see in passing.

White Beach is located in the western side of the island and offers a stunning view of the sunset. Watching the sun set on Boracay is a must experience. It can be both spiritual and romantic.

We stayed at Jony's Resort, one of the oldest family-owned resorts in the island. The price was very reasonable while the facilities and services were excellent. The staff made sure you were well taken care of and they provided very useful local knowledge. Also, their restaurant served great Mexican food and the island's best fruit shakes. I had fruit shakes there everyday day of our stay while Cay had breakfast burrito every morning.

The street food being sold by the beach was really good. I couldn't have my fill of the Chori Burger (Chorizo) and the Longa Burger (Longaniza). As for the restaurants, there was a great variety of cuisine to choose from. There were Italian, Mexican, Spanish, and Greek restaurants, along with the fast food joints, coffee houses, and pizza places. And prices here won't really bleed your wallet dry at all.

D'Mall is one of the places where a lot of the eating establishments and souvenir stores are located. You can also try activities here like wall climbing, free throw shooting, and the ferris wheel.

In the mornings, Cay and I would walk through all three boat stations in White Beach as a form of exercise/ sightseeing. It's kind of nice just watching people go about their business and the boats come and go. One can also watch those who are going on banana boat rides and parasailing. Maybe I'll try those sometime.

We decided to go on a boat tour around the island. I learned that Allan Fun Tours had a good program that was relatively inexpensive. We tried it out and it turned out to be a wise decision on our part. The whole activity lasted about 6 hours.

First up was snorkeling. We went to a spot just off the coast of White Beach. I've never tried snorkeling so far off the beach, and man, the experience was fantastic. Just swimming around with schools of fishes beside me was awesome.

Next up was a visit to Crystal Cove Island, a private island near Boracay. This place had a good view of the surrounding islands and had two caves leading out from the island where people can swim in clear blue waters.

Part of the package was a lunch buffet in Tambisaan Beach. The food was okay. And after eating, Cay and I walked around the beach. The boat then departed again for another snorkeling site that was near the beach.

When the boat docked on the last stop, Puka Beach, I found the best beach I've ever seen. The water was crystal clear and it was very tranquil. Another great factor was that there were only a few people swimming there. If I knew beforehand how wonderful this place is, I would've headed to it as soon as I got to the island. I practically stayed in the water until it was time for the boat to leave.

The ride back to our station was exhilarating, as the scorching sun beat on our skin and the sea water splashed on us all throughout.

Our entire stay in Boracay was a magnificent experience. I've always heard about how great Boracay was, but this place has to be experienced personally for one to fully understand how it leaves visitors in awe. Now I truly understand why people from all over the world come here over and over again.

And in a way, this trip is also important to me in terms of my job. I meet people from different parts of the world, and I have to do my part in promoting tourism in the Philippines, among other things. I know personally that Boracay always comes up when the discussion focuses on the best places that foreigners can go to in the country. Now I can speak from experience about the wonder of this place.

How wonderful is this place? As Cay and I were about to leave the island, the main thought running through our minds was "So, when will we come back here?"

The Weekly Stash (04/15/09)

Book of the week:

Green Lantern Corps 35


Another solid GLC issue. The lead-up to the "Blackest Night" event has been so good in both GL titles that they can just stop it with the teasers by now. The fans are hooked already. Now the worrying starts as to whether DC can live up to the hype it has created. But for now, both series are going great guns.

This issue has Scar, the Guardian who is the series' link to the Black Lantern Corps, orchestrating pandemonium in Oa via a jail break in the Sciencells by members of the Sinestro Corps and the Red Lantern Corps and releasing the captured Sinestro Corps rings. The GLC members in Oa, lead by Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, and Kilowog, rush into the scene looking every bit like action heroes (with the art delivered in a spectacular way).

Sodam Yat and Arisia arrive in Daxam, only to see it guarded by a planet-sized snake, who is a member of the SC. There was not much action in this part but the imagery was stunning, conveying the magnitude that the two GLs are facing. The Daxamites had turned suicidal after their planet was conquered single-handedly (no pun intended) by Mongul, throwing themselves off of cliffs when they thought no help would arrive. A group of SC members, which included Arkillo who now wears his tounge as a necklace, just watch as the Daxamites prove how big of an idiot they are. But help does arrive in the form of the two GLs. Sodam berates his father for being stupid and assumes the role of Spartacus in order to free his people.

At the end, the identity of Sinestro's daughter is revealed. Once again proving how unlucky at love a certain Green Lantern is.

Ain't Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason just awesome?

Action Comics 876

In the WWE, this is the situation where the babyface and the heel personas are given a push. This was a smackdown between the tag team of Nightwing and Flamebird and Ursa, which literally brought the house down. I didn't enjoy the delivery of the story, with Ursa being the narrator. But at least it solved some mysteries, foremost of which is why Christopher Kent developed strange powers (i.e. tactile telekinesis). Mutant Kryptonian, anyone? The fight in this issue showed that the two heroes aren't exactly a dynamic duo and that Ursa won't be winning any Mother of the Year awards. Now can we go back to the story about the hunt for the Kryptonian sleeper agents?

Fables 83

Stinky the Badger... errr... Brock Blueheart (*snort* that's an improvement...) founds a religion centered around Boy Blue as the prophesied messiah who will rule over all in a happily ever after kind of way. I, for one, would like to see Boy Blue return. Bigby Wolf and Beast get into a monstrous brawl, only to show they're both henpecked husbands. The buildup of the Mr. Dark storyline continues at a snail's pace, with the franchise now occupied with "The Great Fables Crossover". Jack is finally shown interacting again with the cast of the book, as he explains the impending threat the "Literals" pose. I'm looking forward to the next installment of this crossover.

Oracle: The Cure 2 of 3

For some reason, Barbara Gordon heads to Hong Kong for geek assistance against the Calculator, who is still searching for the Anti-Life Equation. The issue is full of seemingly pointless drivel. I completely lost interest.

Superman/Batman 58

This was actually a good story. I enjoyed it. It had a "The Matrix" feel to it. Batman tries to rescue Superman in the microverse but ends up in a bad situation. Superman is captured by Nanites and is used to power themselves up, saying Supes is the key to their evolution. Batman is rescued by the organic life forms of the microverse, who believe that Bats is the savior that the prophecies spoke about who would save them from the Nanites. Pretty interesting. The downside is the shoddy art.

Tiny Titans 15

We have another meeting of the Pet Club. What's that? The number one rule of Pet Club is we don't talk about Pet Club. Sorry. Also, I read 6 issues worth of Terror Titans crap and got nothing. I read 6 pages of the Tiny Terror Titans here and everything made sense. Go figure. Plus, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny. Top that.

Blackest Night 0

Like I said, I'm already sold on this event. This is just gravy. We see Hal Jordan and Barry Allen reminisce about their memories of Bruce Wayne and talk about dead JLAers Aquaman and Martian Manhunter, as well as their own funerals. We then see familiar names in tombstones and then Black Hand and Scar. Yep, gravy.

Yabba Dabba Dubai

Once again, the President wanted to visit a country in the Persian Gulf. And once again, I had to be part of the Presidential delegation. It was vacation time, and I wanted a, well, vacation. But duty calls (like I have a choice).


Day 1

I had to fly out of Manila around midnight. I just slept through the flight and woke up during breakfast. I still had time to watch a Filipino movie before landing.

I arrived in Dubai early in the morning. There was a bit of an administrative snafu so it took some time before I was picked up from there airport. I didn't go directly to the airport as the people who picked me up still had some business to attend to. Just wonderful...

I arrived at the hotel to see everyone there. I was supposed to be the advance party but I ended up the last to arrive since the whole delegation had to be evacuated out of Pattaya, Thailand before the end of the ASEAN Summit due to the civil unrest that was happening there. I booked a room that turned out to be more expensive than my budget allowed. The day just keeps getting worse.

The room itself was okay but I wish I could have gotten a simpler one.

As soon as I got settled, I took a stroll around the streets surrounding the hotel. The architecture in Dubai was, as everyone knows, ostentatious and extravagant. Just the way the rich Arab folks want it.

The afternoon came and the program for the Filipino Community started. The program was graced by the President herself. It started with a Catholic mass and then the President delivered her remarks. As I don't believe in religion, I occasionally snuck out off the mass to get a bite to eat from the cocktails section. Not an easy feat to do when your seated among the cabinet secretaries, congressmen, and other government officials. I was lucky that some members of congress had the same idea I had to grab a bite.

After the program, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, my big boss, wanted to visit the Atlantis resort. So away we went.

When we arrived there, we were met by the managers of the establishment, who gave us a tour of the place. Along the way, they dropped some names of celebrities who have graced the place, among them were Michael Jordan and Richard Branson. You had me at His Airness.

From the lobby, we can already see that the hotel wants itself to be considered grand by everyone who sees it. The decorations and carvings on the wall tried to evoke a Byzantine or Ottoman Empire feel to it.

It was Easter Sunday so they had a gigantic chocolate Easter Bunny.

This is the Hotel's Presidential Suite.

We were then lead to "The Lost Chambers", a zoo like place for sea creatures, except it's the people who stay in enclosed spaces. I have never seen such a vast collection of underwater life. The place is truly a wonder.

The whole complex is vast and I was huffing and puffing by the end of the tour. But seeing the underwater zoo they had was worth it.

We then headed back to the hotel. I went straight to my room where I watched television until I fell asleep.

Day 2

I had a bland breakfast. Then I was brought to the Philippine Consulate General, where I helped out on consular matters all day. I was a good "OJT" experience for me. I know I'll be doing the stuff they're doing once I get posted myself, wherever that may be.

I then headed back to the hotel to rest and prepare for my flight back home the next day.

Day 3

I was driven to the airport early in the morning and the only thing I could think about was going home. Home, where I wanted to be during the time I was in Dubai anyway.

During my flight, I watched "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" and episodes of "The IT Crowd" and "The Batman".

Once I got home, I looked forward to resting in my room and hoping I don't have to do another one of these visits in the near future.