I knew from the beginning of the 2010-11 season that this would not be a successful one for the LA Lakers. It was hard for me to come to that conclusion, having been a Lakers fan for almost all my life. The season came and went, and I thought, Maybe I was wrong. They came out with one of the best records in the NBA. They barely finished off New Orleans and lost to Dallas in a clean sweep. Out...there will be no 3peat. What a way for Phil Jackson to end his coaching career. I watched parts of the game on Sunday, and what I saw was ugly. I missed the antics of Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom, but from what I saw of the clips on the news and Kobe's post-game comments, I'm glad I did. I heard about even more drama from a co-worker, who stated that Pau Gasol's girlfriend and Kobe Bryant's wife got into drama worthy of "Basketball Wives", which affected the team dynamics. Seriously?! I know they might be rumors, but that makes a lot of sense. This team unraveled before the world, making for ugly plays and ultimately, losses.
What I felt went wrong with the Lakers this past season was that they stopped thinking of the fans. If Gasol and Bryant let their own dramas get in the way, that only supports the rumors. Each team member appeared to be interested in furthering their own careers and agendas. Their focuses turned to reality shows, endorsements, awards, and other nonsense. They forgot about the "little" people who got them there.
They need to take a page from Manny Pacquiao's book. No matter what, he thinks of the fans. During Saturday's match, he was locked to win by unanimous decision halfway through, but even during round 12, he was going for a knockout because he knew the fans wanted it, indicated by their chants of Knock him out! He sacrificed his body and face in order to please them. He's a proud Filipino, and he has donated many of his earnings to charities in his home country. He could've retired on top years ago, but he insisted on this Mosley fight in order to raise money to open up a hospital. If that's not classy, what is?!
I don't want to take myself out of the running for being a lifelong Lakers fan, but if there aren't any changes in the team, I will. They truly didn't deserve to win this year.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Celebrate the Red, Yellow, and Blue!
I started out my day in the West Hollywood Christian Louboutin boutique, yet again. I hung with my fave sales associate and a fellow shoe-loving pal. The new leopard ponyskin and Chantilly lace Biancas arrived and are pretty fan-f**king-tastic! I soooo wish I could've walked out with the leopard ones, but I'm currently awaiting the arrival of a
nother leopard ponyskin pair, and of course, sale season i
s around the corner. I have to be more financially responsible this year, so I had to prioritize and ended 
up walking away empty-handed from Christian Louboutin today. Sigh...While there, a customer mentioned she would be watching the Pacquiao vs. Mosley fight. When asked by a male sales associate who she was rooting for, she was a little iffy, but eventually said she liked Pacquiao. I later left the boutique to head to Saks in Beverly Hills to check out the book signing featuring Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper. This is their second book together. It's called Beneath a Starlet Sky, and it focuses on the glamour of the Cannes Film Festival. There's a cool article on this book in the current issue of California. These authors are 2 very sweet and charming women. They posed for a picture with me (in my new white Juicy dress!), and Ruthanna autographed my copy. I look forward to reading their new book, but I think I will check out their first book, Celebutantes, first.
After chatting with the authors, I quickly grabbed a bite in the Saks cafe, then headed to Niketown, just
down the street. There was a section dedicated just to Pacquiao gear. I found a replica of the shirt worn by Pacquiao and his team on TV. I decided on the blue one (pictured on the left). The inscription around the boxing gloves reads Don't tell your God you have a problem tell your problem you have a great God. This is a statement very reflective of Pacquiao's attitude toward boxing, and it's also reflective of how my mother, a devout Catholic from the Philippines, lives. Now I'm not exactly a fan of Nike (I might get into that, but if I do, it'll be some other time), but I really wanted a shirt to wear while watching the big fight, and supposedly, Nike has a monopoly on these shirts. At least I got a free Pacquiao poster with purchase. As I walked back to my car, one of the parking attendants screamed out, "Pacquiao's gonna win!". I couldn't help but to shout back, "Yes, he will!".
And win he did. There's so few things I like more than to sit around the TV with my family on a Saturday night, watching an exciting event. A Pacquiao fight is the ultimate sporting event. He's entertaining and talented, that's for sure. However, what's more remarkable, in my opinion, is what his talent and entertainment has done for us Filipinos. I've heard what other people have said when they think of Filipinos and the Philippines. A girl of Chinese descent once told me that among the ethnicities listed under the Asian/Pacific Islander category, Filipinos "ranked" near the bottom. Why?, I asked her. I was 19 years old at the time and had never heard of this hierarchy. Because the Philippines is dirty and poor, and there are a lot of hookers there. Sad to say that she's not the only one who's made such a statement, and I'm thinking only of the people I've heard. When Pacquiao started gaining recognition, people around the world were suddenly interested in this man who began life as a boy who rose from the depths of poverty in a nation known for dirt and hookers. Tonight, people in 120 countries heard our beautiful national anthem and saw our beautiful flag. I know I'm biased, but I think the Philippines has the most beautiful flag in the world. It's certainly unique, and with many thanks to Pacquiao, people recognize it. The color yellow, the color of Pacquio's boxing gloves tonight and appropriately used for the sun on our flag, is a symbol of hope to us. If today sucks, there's tomorrow, which will begin as soon as the sun rises again, which it does every day. Filipinos, hold your head high!
nother leopard ponyskin pair, and of course, sale season i
s around the corner. I have to be more financially responsible this year, so I had to prioritize and ended 
up walking away empty-handed from Christian Louboutin today. Sigh...While there, a customer mentioned she would be watching the Pacquiao vs. Mosley fight. When asked by a male sales associate who she was rooting for, she was a little iffy, but eventually said she liked Pacquiao. I later left the boutique to head to Saks in Beverly Hills to check out the book signing featuring Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper. This is their second book together. It's called Beneath a Starlet Sky, and it focuses on the glamour of the Cannes Film Festival. There's a cool article on this book in the current issue of California. These authors are 2 very sweet and charming women. They posed for a picture with me (in my new white Juicy dress!), and Ruthanna autographed my copy. I look forward to reading their new book, but I think I will check out their first book, Celebutantes, first.After chatting with the authors, I quickly grabbed a bite in the Saks cafe, then headed to Niketown, just
down the street. There was a section dedicated just to Pacquiao gear. I found a replica of the shirt worn by Pacquiao and his team on TV. I decided on the blue one (pictured on the left). The inscription around the boxing gloves reads Don't tell your God you have a problem tell your problem you have a great God. This is a statement very reflective of Pacquiao's attitude toward boxing, and it's also reflective of how my mother, a devout Catholic from the Philippines, lives. Now I'm not exactly a fan of Nike (I might get into that, but if I do, it'll be some other time), but I really wanted a shirt to wear while watching the big fight, and supposedly, Nike has a monopoly on these shirts. At least I got a free Pacquiao poster with purchase. As I walked back to my car, one of the parking attendants screamed out, "Pacquiao's gonna win!". I couldn't help but to shout back, "Yes, he will!".And win he did. There's so few things I like more than to sit around the TV with my family on a Saturday night, watching an exciting event. A Pacquiao fight is the ultimate sporting event. He's entertaining and talented, that's for sure. However, what's more remarkable, in my opinion, is what his talent and entertainment has done for us Filipinos. I've heard what other people have said when they think of Filipinos and the Philippines. A girl of Chinese descent once told me that among the ethnicities listed under the Asian/Pacific Islander category, Filipinos "ranked" near the bottom. Why?, I asked her. I was 19 years old at the time and had never heard of this hierarchy. Because the Philippines is dirty and poor, and there are a lot of hookers there. Sad to say that she's not the only one who's made such a statement, and I'm thinking only of the people I've heard. When Pacquiao started gaining recognition, people around the world were suddenly interested in this man who began life as a boy who rose from the depths of poverty in a nation known for dirt and hookers. Tonight, people in 120 countries heard our beautiful national anthem and saw our beautiful flag. I know I'm biased, but I think the Philippines has the most beautiful flag in the world. It's certainly unique, and with many thanks to Pacquiao, people recognize it. The color yellow, the color of Pacquio's boxing gloves tonight and appropriately used for the sun on our flag, is a symbol of hope to us. If today sucks, there's tomorrow, which will begin as soon as the sun rises again, which it does every day. Filipinos, hold your head high!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
MayDay Update, Including More Spring Purchases
It's time for another update. This past week has been really busy. Work is hectic, stressful at times. At least, though, I got to unwind with a couple of friends and some much-needed alcoholic refreshment :)
I re-did my nails with Sally Hansen Salon Effects. Being Spring and all, I t
hought butterflies were in order.
I'm continuing to lose weight. I'm definitely not at my final goal yet, but I
'm closer. I have a
bout 17 pounds to go. The best part is that I really don't care. I'm fine with how I look now, but since it's coming off, I might as well set a goal. So what to do when you're no longer fitting into your clothes? Buy new ones, of course. Being that it's now Spring, it's time for breezy dresses. I happened to find one at Bloomingdale's on Wednesday evening, as I was picking up some new skin care products from my fave Clarins sales associate. It was a white Juicy Couture ruffled terry mini (not so "mini" on 5'3" me, of course), but it retailed for $148, more than I wanted to pay. Walking through Bloomingdale's again today, though, I saw their Juicy was all marked at 30% off. Still a little more than I wanted to pay, but there were only 3 of this dress left in the store, and 1 was a P. I took it to the cash register, and my total came out to $86.26! WTF (I happily exclaimed)?! The SA then explained that due to their Private sale going on this weekend, an extra $25 was taken off purchases of $100 or more. Yay! Though I wasn't exactly living in misery, I did miss a few things when I was heavier. I missed wearing Juicy. Their sizing runs so small, and at that time, I couldn't even wear their XL. Well, now I can easily slip into their L (only with Juicy is a size 6 a L!). And I love love love this dress and how I look in it. I took a view of the front and the back. It is NOT easy to photograph oneself while wearing the outfit you're trying to photograph. Anyway, I plan to wear the dress out shopping or to lunch at an outdoor cafe...or perhaps on a date. Speaking of which...
'm closer. I have a
bout 17 pounds to go. The best part is that I really don't care. I'm fine with how I look now, but since it's coming off, I might as well set a goal. So what to do when you're no longer fitting into your clothes? Buy new ones, of course. Being that it's now Spring, it's time for breezy dresses. I happened to find one at Bloomingdale's on Wednesday evening, as I was picking up some new skin care products from my fave Clarins sales associate. It was a white Juicy Couture ruffled terry mini (not so "mini" on 5'3" me, of course), but it retailed for $148, more than I wanted to pay. Walking through Bloomingdale's again today, though, I saw their Juicy was all marked at 30% off. Still a little more than I wanted to pay, but there were only 3 of this dress left in the store, and 1 was a P. I took it to the cash register, and my total came out to $86.26! WTF (I happily exclaimed)?! The SA then explained that due to their Private sale going on this weekend, an extra $25 was taken off purchases of $100 or more. Yay! Though I wasn't exactly living in misery, I did miss a few things when I was heavier. I missed wearing Juicy. Their sizing runs so small, and at that time, I couldn't even wear their XL. Well, now I can easily slip into their L (only with Juicy is a size 6 a L!). And I love love love this dress and how I look in it. I took a view of the front and the back. It is NOT easy to photograph oneself while wearing the outfit you're trying to photograph. Anyway, I plan to wear the dress out shopping or to lunch at an outdoor cafe...or perhaps on a date. Speaking of which...No news on the dating front. I saw one of the men I talked about earlier today, at a group luncheon. He looked good, and when we parted ways, he gave me a nice hug, but really nothing has happened. Oh, well...
I re-did my nails with Sally Hansen Salon Effects. Being Spring and all, I t
hought butterflies were in order.
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