we are just playthings

the gods seem to be bored and have nothing better to do than play tricks on me...

(wow, wasn't that incredibly self centered)

Sao Paulo vs Boca Juniors

Last Thursday saw Bernardo and I awash in a sea of Red, White and Black as 'El Tricolor' hosted Argentinian powerhouse Boca Juniors for the Recopa Sul Americana title and for bragging rights.



Matches between Brasileiros and Argies are always fierce and I was hoping that this one will not disappoint. From the very beginning, the Sao Paulo fans set the mood for the night, with their singing and chanting....from passionate hymns saluting their club to more rowdy chants aimed towards insulting Boca Juniors and their band of supporters who traveled all the way from Argentina to support their team. This is what I like about football...sometimes it is not about who is playing but more about the atmoshpere created by the interplay between fans and the team.



Indeed, sometimes my focus was more on the spectacle around me than the game that was ongoing on the pitch. Not that the quality found on the pitch was lacking. In fact the game we saw was a good one, not devoid of excitement and, more importantly, of goals.

It was interesting how contrasting the two teams played. Sao Paulo, I would say, had the better individual players. Individual brilliance and technique causing most of their goal scoring chances. However, tactically they were very disorganized. Boca Juniors, on the other hand, was a well oiled machine. Their passing and movement without the ball was a sight to behold. So much so, that Bernardo, who is Brazilian thru and thru, was rooting for the team from the land of the enemy...albeit not too loudly...lest we incur the wrath of the legions of Sao Paulo fans all around us.

And they had reason to have their wrath incurred. Sao Paulo actually opened the scoring....a brilliant through ball releasing one of the forwards who deftly sidefooted the keeper for the goal. Like I said, individual brilliance. The Sao Paulo crowd was delirious after the goal.



Boca, however, was not fazed. They had been sitting back throughout the match but after the Sao Paulo goal, they piled on the pressure, creating several chances that were kept out by desperate defending and the brilliance of Sao Paulo keeper Rogerio Ceni. Alas, Sao Paulo flirted with disaster too many times and less than 10 minutes after the Sao Paulo goal, the score was level again.

By the time Boca scored a second goal after some horrendous defending by Sao Paulo, it was all over. Because Boca came into the match leading 2-1 on aggregate, the second goal of the night for Boca meant that Sao Paulo had to score 3 more goals just to win. Something they were unlikely to do. The crowd, unfortunately, vented their frustrations in a violent way. Rioting ensued in one section of the stands and in the commotion a Sao Paolo supporter fell from the railings. We took this as our cue to exit the premises and call it a night....not risking the chance that the crowd would turn even more violent.

Basketball Do Brazil Dois

Its funny how in a country that is mad about football (or futebol as they call it), I have re-ignited my passion for basketball.

I've been playing basketball for the past three weekends now and I've had the opportunity to play against Paulistas. To be honest, in terms of basketball skills and basketball IQ I feel that I am superior to these Brazilians. They may be magicians with the ball at their feet but their wizardry doesn't necessarily translate to skill when the game is one where touching the ball with your hand does not result in a turnover.

The problem is my lack of (relative) height and my complete lack of fitness, match fitness or otherwise, is doing me in. Its hard to get a rebound or score underneath when the man marking you is 5'11'! It also doesn't help that I get tired really easily.

But like I said, these experiences have fueled my passion for the the sport. Right now I wish I was back in the park practicing my jumper. They haven't been falling for me and if I'm going to score against these Brazilian trees then having an outside shot is key. I also need to build stamina. I can't be huffing and puffing after a few moves.

I need to show these Brazilians what we Pinoys are made of. Philippines represent!

changing places

I know this is rather delayed but I suppose it has to be done. It is only fitting to pay tribute to the office that I have called my second home for the past 5 years.

I am saddened that I was not able to physically say goodbye to RCBC....Socs mentioned in her blog how the view of the sunset in Manila bay is breathtaking from the 23rd floor. When we first moved to RCBC that was the one thing that I liked the most about being in RCBC. Familiarity and months spent onsite have somehow made me forget that. And I regret that I was not able to get one last glimpse of that multicolored sky as the sun bids adieu and makes way to luna.

But though I might not have been there at very end I am proud to say that I have been there from the beginning....witnessing the office thru its various methamorphoses.

I remember when we only filled half of the 23rd floor. The pantry was only a third of its final size and the restrooms were still accessible by anyone who goes to the 23rd floor. The other side was bare and that was were we had the pingpong table. At the very farthest end and everything else was dead space. I remember how it would get scary at night since only the pingpong table area was lit and everything else was sinister shadows. It was hard to find the ball when it would go to the unlit areas.

I remember when the other side was finally constructed and made available for office use. The pantry was constructed to its present size and we finally got our billiard table! I thought having our own billiard table was the coolest thing ever. And though I might not have necessarily improved my own billiard skills, I had fun playing at that table.

While the other side may have been constructed it was only a third of the way filled. The other two thirds, where the Product group resided, was bare and I remember how I would practice my soccer skills with the little silver R9 ball that I got in Paris.

Eventually even that space was filled as the company got bigger and bigger and we grew to the point where we had to get another floor in RCBC. The company's growth finally necessitated a move to Net2.

Let me end this blog entry with some memories of RCBC that come to mind the most at this moment:

1) the view of the sunset from the 23rd floor (taking a cue from socs' blog)
2) free drinks at the office including snapple and buko juice
3) social club activities - the one that comes to mind the most is the halloween decorating contest we had 2 years back
4) the hot receptionist at the ground floor of Yuchengco tower who I invited to have coffee with me but turned me down 'kasi magagalit ang asawa ko'.
5) having a few beers at Eat after office when it used to be cheap