Must be the clouds in my eyes.

It was as if Elton John was breathing in my neck last week, like a devilish whisper the automatically sets your mind into some kind of trance. Daniel is leaving tonight on a plane/I can see the red tail lights heading for Spain. Oh now, I know where this is headed – Spain. You know, like a vamos por todos, etc. No, but honestly, you know those times that a song is just so stuck in your head it feels like the notes have been imprinted in your cranium? It’s not even a last song syndrome (LSS) but a last-sung syndrome. As I can remember, the last Elton John I heard before I was suddenly humming Daniel in a soundless jeep, was Your Song, the proverbial piece of my officemate who incessantly thinks he is Ewan McGregor looking for Sabine, while singing it in the videoke. But really, you know when it hounds you and follows you like dirt in your sweaty skin. As if I’m gonna get through with it already, when I traveled this week to an adjacent city, the oldies guitarist in one of the rooftop grills we ate at suddenly belch an oh-so familiar tune. God it looks like Daniel/Must be the clouds in my eyes. I dunno, I’m not really leaving for Spain right now, nor even flying on an airplane. Oh I know, I have to add this to my videoke repertoire next session. I think I may be getting it now. It’s really hits me probably on the leaving part. I’m like on a letting-go-moving-on mode right now. And waka waka couldn’t be any more timing. I think with the WC coinciding, things are looking good in the near future, not that I equate soccer with anything going on right now but maybe there is. Must be the clouds in my eyes.

Gold

Last Sunday I almost tripped the hot soup I was transferring onto a bowl while watching the Argentina-Australia football (soccer) match. I think I must have shouted too. You can feel the anguish and anxiety in the Argentines’ kicks and butts and after 77 minutes of nil Argentina scored their single goal.

I remembered watching the World Cup with Italy-France battling in 2006 in a European owned bar in the city where my former German friend and colleague Peter treated me to endless booze. The crowd was roaring and the intensity of the game was just hot. Even though the Arg-Aus game was not even finals yet the intensity was just there. Hey, it’s the Olympics for Chrissakes.

After watching a grueling performance the other night, where I gaped in awe at the immense weight these women have to endure, I have now a strong sense of respect for the women weightlifters. Chen Yanqing of China is unbelievable. Unlike the Korean who looks almost like a man and who seems like she’s going to deliver a baby any minute, the Chinese’s composure was truly admirable. Even when she’s shouting and doing the final lift, it’s as if she’s walking the runway.

Michael Phelps is an unstoppable swimming god. To date, he is now the person in Olympic history who’s got most gold medals, and I surmise in any sporting event. Uh, he’s only 23, right?

The U.S. Dream Team is doing their basketball rampage. But after crushing Yao and China, they were given a run for their money with the match with Angola. I would like to see Argentina crush these bastards once again like they did in Athens. But the team looks formidable with the LeBron-Kobe tour-de-force.

Georgia, who’s being bombed by Russia now, is in 10^th place, and a relatively unknown country called Azerbaijan is in the 14^th overall rank. So are other –tan countries like Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan who also have their medals to boot. China has the most number of gold medals, with 17 but US has the most number of medals.

The Filipino athletes who competed already failed to clinch a medal. Hidilyn Diaz, the 17 year old Filipina weightlifter is promising though.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, the entire nation will behold the oral arguments on the MOA on Ancestral Domain tomorrow.

Photo credit: Beijing 2008 website

riot with balls

I was watching the local news’ reportage on events around the globe. The news about the soccer riot in Italy caught my eye. It seems like Italy may have seen the best of the game. Italy, of course, the 2006 FIFA World Cup champs, has recently been caught in a soccer scandal months before. Now, they may have seen the best of it, as a riot ensued between a game of two Italian teams causing the death of a police officer. A soccer official threatened to cancel games for quite a time.

See story here.

I continued to read Sophie’s Choice while my two young half-brothers were watching Atlantika, a local fantaserye (as what it’s called). Since we’re living in one cramped room, I often glance at the TV to see what’s happening. From what it’s called, you can easily guess it is largely a Filipino version of Atlantis: The Lost City.

Piranos (Paolo Contis) is beating the hell out of Aquano (Dingdong Dantes), but a fit of conscience occurred to him and offers Aquano a fair chance at their battle (believe me, it’s not like any battle you’ve seen). He lets Dingdong choose between his love Amaya (Iza Calzado) and her mom. On the other side of Atlantika, Katrina Halili and Jean Garcia were wailing because they have been captured by the Centurions and were awaiting their doom. (Don’t you wonder why damsels keep on wailing “bitiwan n’yo ako!” in unbelievable octaves when the fact remains that the abductors aren’t close to letting them go, and never in a thousand years?) The badass of a ruler, Barracud (Ariel Rivera) and his aliporeses are entering the portal to the new Atlantika signaling the old one’s destruction. It seems like everyone is set for cinematic grandeur only that it isn’t close to even the smell of it.

CR's balls

This is why Christiano Ronaldo is soooooo good. He knows how to play with his balls. (I can see what's on your mind now... hahaha.) Though its more poles than goals, those feet are some kinda action. (It isn't obvious that the one who made this vid is obsessed with his moves huh.) Because he's such a fuckin' braggart, the Gillette Best Young Player went to Lukas Podolski. But whatever, he's still good with the balls. Hehe.