Thanks for the Birthday Wishes

I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone for their happy birthday sentiments (belated or otherwise). I myself am guilty of often belatedly sending out my wishes to those celebrating their birthday a day or two late (or forgetting altogether). Even though it is a very small deed, I do sincerely thank you for your small gestures. I know how busy we all can get (God knows I've been exceedingly busy over the past couple weeks), and sometimes we do get lost in the transitions of time. I'd like to apologize to all those whose birthdays I have forgotten. Though I try my best, there are some failures we simply cannot prevent.

I didn't really do anything on my birthday; I didn't go out; I didn't have cake; I didn't eat a special meal; I didn't even sing a happy birthday song. I haven't really done anything on my birthday for the past 3 years. I guess it comes with the territory in living away from my family and friends during the summer (due to internships and the like). Yet, I don't feel any true regret over not celebrating. So I didn't have any songs sung in my honor or any over-icing-ed cake; things like that don't really matter to me anymore. Up till as little as a year ago, it would have. It would have bothered me that no one came and celebrated me for at least a day. That no one gave up their time, went out of their way, or altered their schedule specifically for me. Perhaps it is that selfish desire that all feel that at least one day a year should be entirely about ourselves. Yet, I no longer feel such resentment.

I've come to the realization over the past few months that I no longer really care about...well, anything. Nothing flusters me, very little excites me. I don't remember any time within the last few months when I was ecstatically happy, nor the last time I was despairingly sad. I've become mellow to the extreme; some have described me as "constantly on a high." But it is a double-edged sword.

Not caring about anything has worked in my favor in work, in my relationships, in my friendships, and my family. I no longer feel the anxiety or fear of failure or the inability to meet the expectations of others. I no longer care whether I feel wronged or offended by a friend or acquaintance or family member. I remember when my extended family criticized me 11 months ago for my "bad grades" (B+'s aren't that bad...), and I honestly thought I could have punched them all right in their faces. If they did the same now, I would probably just shrug it of and say "I guess." But, it cuts both ways, in that I no longer care whether others care about me. If a friend lets me down, or a family member disappoints me, it no longer matters to me. I just shrug it off and think "well I don't really need that person anyway." In that way, it has become the most care-free process to let people go, to let them out of my life.

It's probably all the best for me. I've always been a deep thinker, someone who concentrates on the little things far too much (just ask my ex-girlfriend). Not caring is probably the best thing for me, because it allows me to let go of all the details that I notice, whether it be a friend's lack of respect, or a family member's lack of compassion. These things, I can now just brush off my shoulder like a leaf fallen off a tree.

How much difference a year can make. One more year for my own personal little history book. One more year forward in my progress in time. One more year lost to the annals of our memories. One more year, in which the feelings that we felt in the past slowly become hazier and steadily fade in the horizon, only to leave us wondering why we ever felt them in the first place. Such is time. Such is life.

2008 NBA Playoffs: Conclusion

With the end of the NBA playoffs, I've decided to come out of hibernation for a bit and just write some thoughts about the Finals.

To be honest, I was about 75/25 in favor of the Celtics winning the series when it started (mostly because of the 2-3-2 format), but I was pretty hopeful that the Lakers would win by pure willpower from Kobe Bryant (which actually never really showed up). Instead, it was the Celtics, with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen playing out of their minds (honestly, whenever Allen caught the ball and shot, I knew it was going in), taking the championship, with the Finals MVP going to Paul Pierce, deservedly so. I'm pretty happy that guys like Kevin Garnett, Allen, Pierce, PJ Brown, and others finally got their championship rings (not so much that they got them in Boston, but more on that some other time). It's not like the Michael Jordan era, when an entire generation of great NBA players didn't get a championship because MJ just had to get 6 (and Hakeem was lucky when they forced MJ to quit playing for two years and go play baseball). Guys like Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, and so many other great players that never won championships.

But, let's hope the Celtics get one and that's it, because I won't be able to stand 100,000 obnoxious Celtics fans screaming at me daily about how awesome their team is (and obnoxious is being kind). I do believe, though, that the Lakers will come back better than ever next year, and they will take down everyone. The main reasons the Lakers lost is because:

1. They had no rebounding, shot-blocking, post presence, or defensive toughness in general. Who is to blame? 100% on Pau Gasol. He's soft like a pillow, and continually gets beat up and cries about it on the court. How about you man-up and bang some bodies, Gasol? Be a man, hit the weights, and hurt somebody out there. Also, Andrew Bynum will be coming back next year, and even if he isn't as much of a force as he was the beginning of this season, he'll still be a big body to put a hurtin' on opponents.

2. They had nobody who could defend Paul Pierce. Why is this? Because he's either too strong (for guys like Kobe, Sasha Vujacic, and Trevor Ariza) or too quick (for guys like Lamar Odom, Vladimir Radmonovic, or Rony Turiaf). How do they solve this problem? Ron Artest just so happens to be able to opt out of his contract this year, and Artest is one of the biggest, strongest, and quickest wing defender's in the league. Plus he also brings another scoring threat alongside Kobe. Just some food for thought.

3. They cracked under the pressure. The Lakers are very young, with everyone except Kobe and Derek Fisher never having been this deep in the playoffs. This will remedy by itself, with another year under Phil Jackson and this year's experience, they'll be ready come next June.

The Lakers do have a couple of contract issues (they're about 16 mil over the cap), and bringing in Artest will probably add around 8-9 mil, so they'll have to shed some contracts (anyone want some VladRad or Luke "SonofBill" Walton?), but I definitely think they should keep Lamar Odom. He's a great facilitator in their offense, and if he bulks up in the offseason, he'll be perfect in the center position in the triangle offense. So here's my projected lineup for the Lakers next year if all goes according to my plan (starters listed first):

PGs - Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic

SGs - Kobe Bryant

SFs - Ron Artest, Trevor Ariza

PFs - Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Rony Turiaf

Cs - Andrew Bynum, DJ Mbenga, Chris Mihm

And they go throw many variations of these positions out on the court, going huge with Artest, Odom, Gasol, Bynum, and Bryant, or going small, with Fisher, Vujacic/Farmar, Bryant, Artest, and Odom. Needless to say, the Lakers will have the best lineup, 1-12, of any team in the league. Honestly, the only throwaway guys on this team are Turiaf (energy guy with a decent mid-range jumper, but not quite tall enough and not quite fast enough), DJ Mbenga, and Chris Mihm (random big guys with little or no basketball skills). Here's my prediction: Lakers take it in 09. Till next random occasion when I choose to write.

Cannot Catharsize: Nana

Ah, the slow days of summer. It's nice to be able to just sit around and relax and do absolutely nothing, and then watch as my days go from meandering to sprinting in a moment AKA when I start my job. I've taken a pretty long break from writing, and depending on how my summer goes, I may not be writing too much on the blog (at least until next semester). But more on that some other time.

Right now, it's another edition of Cannot Catharsize, this time featuring the exquisite anime, Nana, that I just recently finished burning through. Nana is a shoujo anime, based on the manga written (drawn?) by Yazawa Ai, which started airing originally in Japan in 2006. I will be the first to admit that I was quite tentative about watching this anime at first, being that it is mainly a romantic story, mostly plot driven with absolutely no fighting (none physical anyway) nor explosions. But, after watching the first 4 episodes, I found myself hopelessly intrigued by the characters.

The main plotlines revolve around two characters, both named Nana. The first Nana you meet is Komatsu Nana, a naive, air-headed, and spacey girl from rural Japan. At the beginning of the anime, you see her taking the train to move to Tokyo, presumably to live with her boyfriend who moved to Tokyo a year earlier, Shouji. She makes frequent references to the "Demon Lord" (Dai Mao in Japanese), contributing to some elaborate fantasies that she manages to concoct regarding both her friends and her boyfriend (such as when she imagined that he had found a new lover in Tokyo named Sachiko and had been cheating on her for the past year). At first, her character seems like your typical, annoying young girl character, complete with overdone facial expressions and outbursts of emotion, but beneath the surface, she is an extremely complex and pitiable person. Gradually, her annoying habits transform into endearing qualities, with many of the characters at first put off by her outgoing character, only to find themselves wishing they could spend more time with her later.

The second Nana is Oosaki Nana, a husky-voiced, punk-rock singer. She comes off as strong and confident at first, seemingly much more reliable and even-keeled than K-Nana. However, as the series goes on, her flaws begin to seep through, and her character transforms from the strong leading heroine to the emotionally unstable partner, becoming dependent on the support and love of K-Nana, whom O-Nana affectionately names, "Hachiko," after a famous Japanese dog ("nana" also means seven in Japanese, while "hachi" means eight).

Some of the other characters include O-Nana's band, "The Black Stones", including the lawyer-drummer Yasu, O-Nana's only high school friend and lead guitarist Nobu, and the bassist, high-schooler turned child-prostitute Shin. Additionally, there is the rival band, "Trapnest," which include: Reira, the beautiful female lead singer; Takumi, the leader and bassist; the lead guitarist, former "Black Stones" member and O-Nana's lover, Ren; and the drummer, Yasu's old friend, Naoki. On K-Nana's side, you meet Shouji, and their friends, Junko and Kyosuke. While this presents itself as a large ensemble cast, each member is so different, not only image-wise, but also in character and personality. As each character is introduced, their relationships begin to intertwine, with the two rival bands having many inter-band relationships. This leads to many complications between each member doing what's best for their band versus what's best for themselves.

While the anime has many different underlying themes and numerous motifs (such as the use of nana, music, and the part-time jobs each of the characters possess outside of music), one of the main themes is ignoring that which is immediate in favor of that which may come in the future. Throughout the story, the characters continually choose that which they believe will bring them more happiness in the long run versus that which has made them happy up until that point. No details, because most of the occurrences are plot drivers, but it is very interesting to see the characters rationale for making each decision, even if you can see right through them as a viewer.

Overall, I absolutely loved watching this anime, burning through all 47 episodes in about a week. Another season should be forthcoming, and I honestly can't wait to finish the story. I think I'll start rating the anime's I watch, retroactively giving Gundam 00 a B+, and Welcome to the NHK an A-

Grade: A

I leave you with the second OP, "Wish" by Olivia, which is inspired by Reira in "Trapnest."

2008 NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals

Damnit all, I was so close to having a perfect round. Instead, my picks were pretty much obliterated by extremely close games that could have gone either way. Time for a short recap, then the conference finals predictions.

Boston vs. Cleveland
Prediction: Cleveland in 6
Result: Boston in 7
Cleveland was so close to winning game 1, losing 76-72 on some pretty bad play down the stretch. But, if they had won that game, they could have easily coasted to closing out the series in 6 in Cleveland. Instead, they lost that game, and lost Game 7 in Boston by a measly 5 points. So disappointing...

Detroit vs. Orlando
Prediction: Detroit in 6
Result: Detroit in 5
If Orlando hadn't choked Game 4 down the drain with some dumb play from Hedo Turkoglu, the Magic would have taken both games in Orlando, and pushed Detroit to at least six. Instead, they came up small, and Detroit won quicker than I expected.

Los Angeles vs. Utah
Prediction: LA in 6
Result: LA in 6
I'm pretty proud of this one, because I knew that LA would win all 3 games in LA, and that Utah would win the first two in Utah, and that it came down to a coin flip in Game 6. And LA won the only way you can win on the road against a good team: get up by 20+ points. Seriously, they almost blew it at the end. If they had only been up by 15, they would have lost.

New Orleans vs. San Antonio
Prediction: New Orleans in 7
Result: San Antonio in 7
God damnit, this series went 7 games, exactly as planned, and I though Game 7 was going to be close, but in reality, it wasn't. The Spurs got up big, and like I said before, that's the only way to win against a good team on the road. I was completely expecting the Hornets to come back and win, but they managed to choke away their last few possessions when they went away from Chris Paul. God that makes me mad.

...

All right, now for predictions.

Los Angeles vs. San Antonio
The Lakers really don't have anyone who can guard Tim Duncan or Tony Parker, but the same could have been said about Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams in the last round. It's going to be tough, but I think LA has enough offensive firepower to take down the Spurs (you beat the Spurs by outscoring them, not by playing better defense). That and I love how Derek Fisher is playing right now. Everyone points to Kobe, or Lamar, or Gasol, but I honestly think it's Fisher who won them the Utah series, and who has been the seals holding up an otherwise leaky ship. I think the Lakers continue to play great basketball, and manage to steal Game 4 in San Antonio.
Prediction: LA in 5

Boston vs. Detroit
Good God, the worst NBA playoffs match-up possible has come to fruition. Be prepared for some absolutely disgusting 75-77, ugly, dirty, and sometimes downright dangerous games. Boston is playing like shit, complete shit, and I do not expect them to come out of this series. Detroit is playing extremely well, and are extremely focused. That and I have lost all faith in the entire Celtics roster beyond Paul Pierce.
Prediction: Detroit in 6

2008 NBA Playoffs: Random 2nd Round Thoughts

The 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs is in full swing, and here's just a few thoughts as most of the series' hit their midway points.

Boston vs. Cleveland

Good God this series is ugly. So ugly. 76-72 Celtics in Game one? A Nuggets-Warriors game would have a score twice that. And it's not just good defense. The offenses of these two teams have just been bad. Cleveland won pretty big once they got back home to make it 2-1 Boston, but here's hoping for a LeBron James miracle, coming back from down 0-2 to win 4 straight and take the series, like he did against the Pistons last year. But overall, I never want to see a series like this ever again...except I'm gonna have to when Boston beats Cleveland and they play Detroit in the East Finals (Hurray! Here's to less than 80 points scoring per game! I can't wait!).

Detroit vs. Orlando

To be honest, I have yet to watch a single game of this series, not out of choice though, simply because I don't have cable (so I can only watch the games that are broadcast on ABC). But, from what I've read, Detroit's been pretty much pushing Orlando around, and Orlando's been taking it like a bitch. With the exception of Game 3 in Orlando when Rashard Lewis went off for 30 points, Orlando's been taking it the entire series. After a horrible fourth quarter collapse in Game 4, Detroit is up 3-1, and that means Orlando is done. Why? Because the only way they could come back from down 3-1 is if Lewis or Hedo Turkoglu transformed into LeBron James.

Los Angeles vs. Utah

I think I'm starting to become a Lakers fan. I just like the style they play: very up-tempo, lots of passing, lots of movement, basically basketball the way it was meant to be played. But sometimes I get so pissed off when Kobe gets the ball in the post and instead of posting up or driving to the basket, he just pulls up for a contested jump shot. Sometimes they go in and I'm like "wow, he should not have made that," but most of the time they miss and I'm like "God F@$#-ing damnit Kobe."

The Jazz just piss me off. Every single (and I mean every play), they commit a foul of some sort that goes uncalled. Whether it be a moving screen, raping a defender on a back-door screen, or pushing off on every rebound, they always seem to do something that makes me wonder if the refs really enjoy fair basketball or not. Admittedly, this isn't that bad (because every team makes moving screens/pushes off for rebounds), but the worst and most annoying habit of all the Jazz is that they whine like women. Every single time Carlos Boozer misses a shot, it's like he transforms into a weeping rape victim screaming for revenge. It's like "c'mon dude, man up and just play through the hits. God knows you commit twice as many uncalled fouls as those that go against you."

New Orleans vs San Antonio

I was thinking this series was going to be competitive, and some people might say it has been (since the series is tied 2-2), but in reality, these games have not been close. The Spurs were blown out twice in New Orleans, and then proceeded to blow out the Hornets back in San Antonio the next two games. Does home court advantage really mean that much? These are the same guys right? They don't magically switch with some hidden twin that secretly sucks at basketball when they go on the road, right? Cause it sure seems like it.

But anyway, back to studying for my last final (Intro to Partial Differential Equations = B- here I come!). I'll be finishing school soon, then it's two weeks of fun back home with my friends, then off to work at my internship, that I wrote about here. Till next time...