The power of positive thinking!

Now, this is how you give soundbites on a losing end...

Massa urges fans to stay loyal

Shanghai - Brazilian Felipe Massa urged fans to keep faith with Ferrari after the F1 champions slumped to their worst start to a season since 1981 at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.

"I would say to our fans that they should not give up on us, as this is a difficult moment, but the championship is still long," he said.

Ferrari have now failed to score points for three races in a row, leaving the glamour team languishing in last place in the standings. Leaders Brawn GP, winners of the first two races, have scored 36.

Massa slowed with an electrical problem while in third place on Sunday while his 2007 world champion team mate Kimi Raikkonen finished 10th in the rainswept
race.

"The great shame is that at a time when technically we are not at our best, once again we failed to capitalise on circumstances," said team principal Stefano Domenicali in a statement.

Massa, who missed out on the title by a single point last season despite winning more races than McLaren's world champion Lewis Hamilton, said motivation was not the problem.

He said the team needed to get on top of their continuing reliability problems.

"Obviously I'm very disappointed and a bit upset but my motivation is still intact," he said. "All of us must work together to get out of this situation."

"The team is united and there is a real will to turn things around as soon as possible."

Raikkonen recognised he and the team had to do better. "Clearly the championship situation looks very difficult. We have made mistakes and we are not quick enough," said the Finn. "I am sure we can be competitive enough to win again but this work will take time."

"The team is motivated, I'm sure of that, and we will all do our bit."

"Now it is easy to criticize but we know how to turn things around," added the driver who overcame a 17 point deficit in the final two races of 2007 to beat Hamilton to that year's championship.

In Tagalog, what they're saying is... "Guys, walang iwanan!"

Okay, I get it. After what I've written previously, you're saying that your motivation is intact. That's good, dude. Now, show us! I wouldn't mind a repeat of 2007, if only to make our F1 viewing lives more exciting.

On one hand, F1 2009 is turning out really great with the emergence of private teams like Brawn and Red Bull showing a lot of potential early on. This makes for a better, more exciting and unpredicatble show. On the other hand, this season sucks for Ferrari fans.

In one word: DISASTRO!

Dear Kimi,

You need get your act together already! It's not too late for a comeback...

As much as I like you because you're cool... (in this photo with Kiss)

I'm saddened to say that I think you've gone too cold on the sport.

I'll even go as far as saying that it looks like you're the most undermotivated F1 driver today. You're the complete opposite of someone overworked and underpaid -- you're overpaid and underperforming. Too expensive but not delivering the results and that's really really sad!

Nobody knows what you're really going through but I hope you overcome this phase already.

The team made some changes and I hope this would translate to a podium finish in Shanghai. Go go go!


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HAHAHAHA WTH!

Okay, so obviously, I've imbibed the 'win or lose it's the school we choose' mantra in ALL the sports I follow. This also explains why I stuck it out with Real Madrid throughout their losing streak until they won the Primera Liga, and with the Lakers last year when it's obvious the Celtics would win. Well, of course, Ateneo also throughout their losing years (which is most of my college life).

In F1's case, I'm with the driver first, team second. I've become fascinated by F1 since 2003 and even then, I was already rooting for Kimi Raikkonen when he was with the ever struggling McLaren. This means that although I admire Schumacher, I didn't root for him or Ferrari during MSC's time. Heck, I was sick of Ferrari dominating F1, and yes I prayed for the domination to end... but not fucking noooooooow! Not noooooow! (irate fan on the loose!)

I've seen Kimi Raikkonen over the years and I believe that he can do more, be better but I also recognize that things won't happen on his own. The F60 is the poorest Ferrari car in years! Please please please, Ferrari, get back to form! It's not too late to live the dream --

"One day, itay, sana maging katulad mo rin ako!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

3 Random Things About Me Right Now

1. I like it when people call it as it is and don't say one thing when they mean another.
2. I like people who are not afraid to admit their faults or acknowledge correction.
3. I like to air out my frustrations in cyberspace and you, lurkers, are probably full of my drama. (I say lurkers and not friends because I expect my friends to be able to deal with me, haha).

I like you because you're cool like that.

2009 Malaysian GP - It sure is tough to pick one favorite Ferrari moment in this race.

While everyone else waited in their cars soaking wet in the rain, Kimi Raikkonen stripped off his suit, changed into shorts and shirt, ate ice cream and grabbed a Coke 5 minutes after the race was halted due to weather conditions at the Malaysian GP. And that's what you call 'acceptance'. Hahaha! Save the drama for your mama!



Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby...

Minutes earlier, Felipe Massa was the complete opposite of Kimi Raikkonen, frantically asking for a white visor. Why in heaven's name would his race engineer call him "baby"? They get a few seconds of team radio stardom and we get a gay moment. Hahahahaha




Ferrari disappoints again after making a series of mistakes, screwing the chances for both Massa and Raikkonen in Malaysia. A team bungle during qualifying ended up with Massa way down the grid and on race day, Ferrari made a mistake again when they changed Raikkonen's tyres for the wet weather 4 laps too early (for the actual rain fall). Using wet weather tyres on a dry circuit cost the cool driver a good 20s per lap. Darn it! WTF is happening? This is obviously not the Ferrari we know.

The Ferraris and McLarens have yet to make a killing at the GPs, both with zero points after two races. It would be interesting to see how Brawn fares with these two back in form... if we'll ever see them back in form.

With great power comes great responsibility

And this great responsibility is what I kind of fear which is why I'm a little apprehensive of my acquiring some sort of power (not 'power' as in power...figure of speech). I think it's too early for me to be awarded with such a tremendous level of trust, more so when I don't think I even meet my own standards. I'd say my performance is not super fantastic; at least not enough to merit my overachiever status. I would admit that nothing ever runs smoothly under my lead. I have a lot to learn. More often than not, the team effort is just good enough to keep us afloat day-to-day. I'm happy to be working with such a dedicated group. (God bless this team! hehe)

This doesn't mean, though, that I don't want that 'tremendous trust'. I do. Any form of recognition is of course, always welcome. I really appreciate the fact that the effort and dedication that I put in to what I do are being recognized. If at all, I'm grateful for the trust and confidence being given to me even when I know I could still do better to deserve it.

See, I'm 26 years old with a professional title fit for a 35-year old. I won't be surprised if nobody believes me. I can't believe it, too.

Whuttttt. Hahaha. My pretending to "know it all" is apparently bringing me to greater heights. Geeeeeeeeee. I say this because I'm in this position knowing that I couldn't really hold my own against others who are in the same level but with a gazillion years of experience.

If I keep going at this rate, I'd probably be ruling this country in 10 years. Mga kababayan, kailangan ko pa ang boto ninyo :)


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But deep inside...
I guess another factor that affects my view on this is the belief that success in career is inversely proportionate to success in love life.

Oh shucks!!! Demmmit. For love or money?! Hahaha

Noel Gallagher is a push-over.

Literally!

A man came out of nowhere and pushed Noel Gallagher on stage while Oasis was performing in Toronto, Canada in September 2008. Allegedly, that man is a Japanese fanatic racist who hates Oasis. C'mon, dude, if you don't like the band or the music, then don't go to the shows!



Oasis mode today. Been listening to the Dig Out Your Soul album.

We're on the same planet, wishing on the same stars.

Oasis is playing its first gig in Korea tonight. Liam Gallagher sent a Twitter update and guess what? He has diarrhea!




He's just human like us!!! har har har!

Just in case the image appears to be unclear on your screen, the one above Liam's update is mine (sipping a tall cup of Starbucks hot choco on a cold afternoon. wish I'm at the beach instead, having a margarita on a sunny day).

I'm breaking up with you.

Just realized that it's Edward Cullen I like and not Robert Pattinson because Edward is supposed to smell really good while Rob Pattz, unfortunately, doesn't.

Robert Pattinson Stinks

Robert Pattinson is making life hard on his co-stars while on the Vancouver set of New Moon. The man reeks.

“He stinks. I mean, it’s awful. He never showers, and it drives people on the set crazy,” dishes someone who works in very close quarters with Pattz.
“He completely reeks,” complains an annoyed crew member.

These started out as rumors on the net and of course, he dispelled them and I believed him (blame it on blind fanaticism, haha). BUT!!! There's no denying the GQ writer who merely expressed his observations:

"His clothes smell like he has recently purchased them off the back of someone more less fortunate than he."

I'm also not sure if I wanna believe the things that he says on that interview. Looks like he's just playing cool - perhaps too cool for his own good. So unlike Edward. Hahaha

Anyway, I'm still so looking forward to New Moon because Edward Cullen's in it and to see if it turns out any better than Twilight. I'm not sure how they're going to make that into a movie -- it's my second least-liked book in the series. Bella Swan is just manic-depressive all throughout!

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Now there's another Brit who caught my eye even before the Twilight Mania broke out. This one looks like he smells of Armani after shave. hahaha

Ed Westwick for K-Swiss

Parang gusto ko nang bumili ng sapatos.

I'll never get enough of CHUCK BASS!!!

Or my forever favorite since Spiderman, James Franco.

Hihihihihihi (giggles)

Twitter Twitter Twittering...

I haven't been writing here lately because I'm getting to appreciate microblogging in Twitter a lot more than I used to. Twitter is the next step after Facebook. In my observation, unlike Friendster and Multiply, Facebook has become more appealing to old people. I have aunts, uncles and faraway relatives from yonder who have befriended me and now they get to find out more about me than what they usually see in family functions. It's fine to have da pulis force in the family in my friend list but because they're there, I tend to be more careful. I also have clients and industry friends who add me up on FB and that really blurs the lines of personal and professional information-sharing (I don't mean to say I don't want them in my network... I'm just saying everything has limitations, I'm sure you all can relate).

Twitter

Anyway, what I like about Twitter is that it's a microblog. I can put random thoughts out there for people to see (or for my own consumption) and at the same time, I get to see their random thoughts, too. 90% of those I follow on Twitter are people I don't personally know... although I do know them to a certain extent, like Trent Reznor, Liam Gallagher (who just started his own clothing line called Pretty Green), Ellen Degeneres, Britney Spears, John Mayer (he tweets that he's getting ready for a jam), Bloc Party, Barack Obama (definitely not him but his PR or something), Kimi Raikkonen (who updates his Twitter on a weekly basis, I think. Like "just finished testing and tyres are great")... etc. For people who are mobile, it's also convenient for getting real time news. I got by the minute updates on the Australian GP yesterday via F1's Twitter on mobile.

Nine Inch Nails in Manila

Speaking of Trent Reznor, he confirmed on his Twitter that NIN is coming to Manila in August. Some unconfirmed reports indicate that the venue is at the Araneta Coliseum. I'm really excited since I like/love their music and I've read about how good they are live. My problem is (yeah, problem), my friends and I don't really share the same taste in music. They're more of the Rihanna type whereas I enjoy those otherwise so I'm sure I'll have a tough time convincing any of them to spend a few grand to watch NIN with me. A cousin of mine loved the band (and had it been possible, I would have had no trouble asking him to go), but unfortunately he's already making his own music high up the heavens.

Brawn @ Australian GP
And speaking of F1, I think the results of the Australian GP was a great, albeit surprising, way to start the season. At least there's a new contender challenging the podium staples. I'm just wondering what happened to the Ferraris, though. And I'd like to add that Brawn's colors remind me of my Stabilo Boss highlighters in highschool. And that Rubens Barrichello is such a perennial second-stringer, I wonder how he feels. At least he got his place in the podium.

I also think that Lewis Hamilton did pretty well, having come back from 18th from the grid to place third (Trulli was later penalised which cost him the third spot). Now as opposed to Button who led all the way (and didn't have much trouble maintaining that lead), I'd say Hamilton did a lot of work to end up 3rd. However, it's also arguable that Hamilton's finish was a result of the other drivers' misfortune.

A few years ago (in the early 2000s), a friend invited me to attend a Mild Seven event at the NBC Tent (I think) where Jenson Button was the highlight of the night. I begged off from that to attend some debut or something and it was okay because he was relatively unpopular then as he drove for one of the lesser known constructors... Guess I wrote him off too soon!

The year before Fernando Alonso became the youngest champion, he went to Manila as a promotional stunt for Renault and Mild Seven. The family of a close friend owned the restaurant where they held the press conference but the family was instructed to keep mum and to refrain from inviting outsiders to the event. In short, none of us knew. We were still in school then and I was just shocked to see photos of her chatting with him on her friendster! Betrayal! hahaha Well I guess now that I've also done a super secret presscon, I understand what she had to do at that time. I wasn't dying to meet Fernando Alonso anyway.



*Currently listening to: Electric Feel by MGMT

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EDIT:

This just in (Apr 2, 6 PM):

Hamilton excluded from Australian results, Trulli regains third

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from last weekend’s
Australian Grand Prix after a second stewards’ investigation on Thursday decided
both he and his team had provided ‘misleading' evidence during a hearing held
after the Melbourne race.

Okay... I wrote in my post above that I thought Hamilton worked really hard to place at least third - would've been nicer if he coupled it with some honesty.

Ang Huling El Bimbo

I haven't had the chance to write about my own eheads experience and maybe I never will. Much has been written and everybody knows the show was fantastic. It's true that no other Pinoy band has had the same effect on the people even after several years of being not together and I'm happy to have been part of local music history. It was just great to participate in a large karaoke party where everyone knew most of the songs by heart. When you're with about 100,000 people, cussing never felt so good! (and so normal considering it was part of the lyrics, haha!) I didn't even realize that I still knew the words of their songs which weren't as heavily played in the airwaves (some of those never even made the airwaves at all).

Five days after the event and I'm still hung-over from the craziness. Seeing the photos and reading all the blog accounts bring back memories from the night. It's the first time, I think, that I allowed myself to be bumped here and there by the JJs in the VIP section without complaining. Yes, the Jumping Jologs made it to the VIP section during the super final set and inspite of that, it was fun. We all love the 'heads and I thought during those final moments which we only get rarely, we're all entitled to enjoy the show any way we know how. The last three songs were the best, thank God I'm a slow walker and chose not to squeeze myself in the crowd that was exiting the place. Because I didn't rush to wherever the crowd was leading when the show was over, took my time traversing my own path, and the fact that I was still hoping the night hasn't ended, I managed to discreetly re-enter an unguarded gate only to find myself (and my friend) led right infront of the stage in time for the last three songs -- and we screamed and sang our hearts out with the celebrities and other VIPs, and the jumping Js. I'm not quite sure but I might have turned into a JJ for a moment there. :)

Wait, did I just write about my experience? Hahaha

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I'm turning a year older in a few days and I can only hope that this year is better than the previous ones. I think I'm ready for positive change in whatever aspect of my life it may come. I've never been a risk-taker as I've always tended to go with what's comfortable and certain but I think I'm really ready to get out of my comfort zone now.


Currently listening to: Spiralling by Keane