Owari da...

Well, this has been coming for a while. I haven't been posting too often lately, and my friends are fairly inactive as well. I have loved writing this blog for these past few months, even though it was few and infrequent for much of the time. The posts I've written, getting things off my chest, it has all been great fun and a great experience for me. It's fitting that I began this blog with "Hajimemasyoo ka?" translating to, "shall we begin?" and title this post with "Owari da," which roughly means "the end."

And so, it is now time to bid goodbye to my beloved Simply Casually Observing...

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for this semester!

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You didn't really think I was killing the blog did you? Guwahahaha.

B=========D~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (><);
In other words, "My dick; my semen; your face."


Wow, that felt great, I really needed that. And all joking aside, this semester is indeed coming to an end, and what a semester it has been! Coming off one of the most exciting/traumatic/eventful summers of my life, this semester has thrown me into the hamburger grinder of life and I'm proud to say that I have managed to survive it with my dick intact. Between applying for full-time jobs, considering graduate school, working three part-time jobs, taking on a research project, and general dicking around, my time has truly been spent. And I must say, with all do respect to first semester, freshman year, I have to claim that this semester has been my best. All the fundamentals of this semester have been sound, fundamentals meaning having enjoyable, stimulating classes, having some semblance of free flowing cash, and my living environment being relatively satisfying. I've had lots of fun with old friends, new friends, sex-buddies, and platonic gay partners. And so, with finals starting and study half-week commencing, this semester is official coming to a close. Maybe I'll write in the next few days, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

A Thanksgiving List

Ah, the beauty of Turkey Day. Not only do I get to go home and take a break from school/work/research, but I also get to:

1.) play with my doggy, Gizmo (aka my Raison d'etre).
2.) hang out with my faggoty friends (Matt and Judd, and my BFF Bailey from college).
3.) play video games non-stop (a stellar mix of Star Wars Battlefront II, Halo 2, Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, Dynasty Warriors 5, and a little sprinkling of Perfect Dark and Final Fantasy II)
4.) eat not just one, but two amazing dinners (thanks Mommy!)

After two and a half days of blissful living, I finally returned to college yesterday evening. Although the break was amazing in words beyond description, I do have a couple regrets:

1.) that I didn't eat/hoard more leftover Halloween candy.
2.) that I forgot to bring the extra large bag of spearmint flavored mints.
3.) that I didn't pack the pumpkin pie and take it with me back to school.

Otherwise, it was perfect.

To be honest, I haven't had a lot of breaks like that. Lots of times they're either taken up by lots of work (homework, reports, grading, or essays) or worse things (job interviews). And it's times like that that make me think about (here comes the cliche) things that I am thankful for. Truthfully, I've rarely had time to just sit down and think about the things I'm grateful for but have no time nor salience to acknowledge. But then again, I guess that's what this space is for. Without further delay, here are the top ten things I am grateful for:

10.) Asian Noodle House - Thank you, not only the best place to eat in Collegetown (in terms of cheapness/quality/quantity/cleanliness/location) but also amazing people that work there. I may not know them by name, but I have their faces memorized, and I'd like to thank them for not only serving me the same meal every 5-6 days (Roast Duck and BBQ Pork over Rice), but also putting up with the fact that Bailey and I have a tendency to stay there for hours upon hours. Not just that, but also for putting up with the atrociously offensive/racist jokes that I so love to tell.

9.) Spiderman Vitamin Gummies - Thank you, Sundown Inc., for helping me to get 200x my daily dosage of my vitamins, while tasting so delicious that I could eat an entire bottle in one sitting. I'm surprised I haven't OD'd on them yet.

8.) The Los Angeles Lakers - Thank you, LA, for dominating your competition (except for one night against Detroit) and allowing me to watch not only the most dominating team in black-men-bouncing-a-rubber-ball-around-a-hardwood-floor, but also the most entertaining one.

7.) Detractors - Thank you, to all those who told me I wasn't good enough, told me I wasn't wanted, or that "things just haven't worked out." Not only have I learned to thrive in adversity, but I have learned to allow my hatred to drive me to new heights of individual fulfillment and success. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing, because I love who I am now, and a lot of that is because of all the people who have told me I wasn't good enough for them.

6.) My Teachers - Thank you, to all my professors, for not only being intelligent human beings, but also empathetic and engaging. Thanks especially to Prof. Protsak and Prof. Henderson, for making math not only interesting and engaging, but also fun and entertaining.

5.) My Anime/Novels/TV Shows/Games - Thank you, for allowing me not only to pass the time between doing work, but also teaching me about myself, both in dealing with the situations of characters, the themes present in each medium, and the changes they undergo. Not only do you give people a poignant way to describe life (what would life be like without DBZ metaphors?), but also a way to relax and lose oneself in a story.

4.) My Classmates - Thank you, to those whom I share class with. Of course there are a couple people whom I consider more friends than classmates, but we met in class, and bonded as classmates we shall remain. Too often we take for granted those whom we go to class with. Know that while each class may not necessarily be different without you, it most certainly would not be the same.

3.) My Co-Workers - Thank you, to the people whom I CA with, and the guys (and gals) who work at MSC. God knows, I am so involved in both, that if you people weren't as nice as you are, I would be miserable. Even though we are all very different in our backgrounds, interests, and social idiosynchrasies, you made it so that working at MSC and as a CA was one of the best decisions I made at Cornell.

2.) My Butt Buddies - Thank you to my two butt buddies from home, Matt and Judd, who can always be counted on for a good time (both platonically and sexually), as well as my pseudo-life partner, Bailey. Without you guys, I'd have to do so many things by myself (play Battlefront II, talk about philosophy, masturbate). Individually, I'm thankful that Matt is a godless liberal, allowing me to test the bounds of my understanding of my own beliefs. I'm thankful Judd is fat and loves to laugh, because how else would I be able to pick on kids with Down's syndrome? And last, I'm thankful to Bailey, for being the Batman to my Joker, always clinging to the hope that I'm not completely evil on the inside, and enduring my endlessly attempting to corrupt his incorruptible morals.

1.) My Immediate Family - Thank you to my Mom has always been there to support me through the worst times and cheer me through the best times. She has been the constant compassion in my life, and without her, I would be half as happy as I am. My Dad taught me to not only be a hard worker, a quick thinker, and a straight talker, but he also taught me how to take yourself seriously (earlier in his life) and how not to take yourself too seriously (later in his life). My brother will always be my big brother, and to this day, I still turn into a little kid when he is around. There are so many things that I share with my brother that I have with no one else (like the names of our old stuffed animals, decade-old video games that we love, and jokes that no one else in the world will ever get). Nothing comes close to them, and it cannot be said how my family has helped me become who I am. And last, and certainly the most, my baby Gizmo, for being the cutest doggy ever, and loving me unconditionally despite all the annoying things I do to him (pull his tail, play with his face, pick him up when he doesn't want to be picked up).

Simply Casually Listening: Joe Inoue

Simply Casually Observing

Is it a coincidence that the only time I'm writing is when I'm waiting for Lakers' games to start? I think not.

Anyway, school is grinding to a halt (mostly because of Turkey-giving break), and I've had quite a bit of down time over the past couple days (a beautiful contrast to the rest of the semester). So, what do I do when I have free time? I, of course, turn up the Marvin Gaye... warm up my hands on the heater... pull down my pants and...

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Find some good new music to listen to (who doesn't surf the web without pants on?).

I started off in familiar places (what's the latest offerings from my favorite bands), ventured off into a little genre surfing (typing "power metal" into Google and seeing what comes up), and then, took the nerd route. The nerd route is, of course, finding out which of my favorite animes have new OP's (for new people, OP is short for opening theme, because saying "opening theme" in Japanese is not only very difficult, but it also sounds retarded). Well, it just so happens that my #1 currently-being-released anime had just started airing a new OP. Naturally, I had no idea what the title was, nor who it was by, because I'm oblivious to such things during opening montages (montages are my only true weakness), so I had to look it up online. As it turns out, the song is called "Closer" (makes sense, considering one of the lyrics is "you know the closer you get to something, the tougher it is to see") by some dude called "Inoue Joe."

First thought through my head was "whoa, is his name really Joe?" followed closely by "who the hell is that?" (Being slightly knowledgeable of Japanese, I started thinking, "is his name pronounced Joe, like normal people, or is it Jo-eh, like it would be pronounced if the Japanese had such a word as "Joe."). Anywho, I did a little research, and it turns out he's only a year older than me, and he was born in LA. ("Oh! That's why he can actually sing in English without sounding like he has Down's syndrome!"). On further investigation, however, I discovered something that had me immediately hooked...

As it turns out, he plays every single instrument in his songs. Yeap, so he records the lead guitar, bass guitar, drums, and vocals, all separately, then mixes them together after the fact ("How does he perform live?"). Needless to say, I was blown away. "Dude, how can this not be the coolest guy ever? He plays 3 fucking instruments and he can sing," I thought to myself.

So began my quest to acquire his music via nefarious means. Yet, much to my chagrin, I was unable to ascertain the means to acquire said music (Google and Isohunt weren't turning anything up!). At this time, I was quite voracious in my desire to listen to his music, so I went to Youtube, searched for one of his videos, and constantly played it (see bottom for more details). And thus, I was forced to search for Joe Inoue in the most horrendous fashion imaginable.....Direct, Download.

*shudder*

Just typing it sends shivers down my spine. As I scoured the net (mostly asian forums) for direct download links to his songs, I was finally able to procure two items of his: His first EP, "IN A WAY" and his first single "Hello!" And thus, there was much joy in the land of JK. Ever since that fateful night three days ago, I've been enjoying his music on my Ipod on my way to class, on my way home from class, during class, while conversing with friends, while ignoring friends, all that good stuff.

Honestly, his music is not that special. The drum beats are insipid, the bass is droll, the lead guitar is uninspired, and the vocals are passable at best. But, I think it is this simplistic combination that makes me so drawn to it. You can tell it's not music that has been ground to a pulp, smushed together, and re-packaged by the corporate music industry. It may not be the most inventive music ever, but I find it refreshing compared to most of today's music that is constantly trying to be "new" and "fashionable."

With that, here is the video I had on repeat while trying to find his music. The song is called "Nowhere."


And here is the music video for "Closer," the latest Naruto: Shippuuden OP

MNFS: Legend Of The Seeker

"People are stupid. Because they are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true."

This is the very first "rule" introduced in my most favoritest fantasy series of ever-time, The Sword of Truth. This line comes from the aptly named, Wizard's First Rule, the first of eleven in the series that made Terry Goodkind famous. I first started reading the books in 2000 as a naive high school freshman, impressionable and romantic. I instantly fell in love with the extremely developed characterizations, the sweeping world-building scale, and the epic themes which seemed both massive and yet individualist at the same time. Naturally, I just about crapped my pants when I saw the first commercial for Legend of the Seeker, a live-action adaptation of Wizard's First Rule (just ask my mom; I gasped so loudly she thought I had lost somewhere between 100 and 5000 dollars). My thought process was (unedited), "oh-em-jee, seeing this will make my life complete." That being merely slight hyperbole, I was very excited.

(Note: I'm not putting in links to the characters names, because they contain HUGE spoilers. If you actually want to get into the series, I would advise not Wikipedi-ing the fuck out of it and instead actually reading the books. Judd, that means you.)

For a little background on the series, the hero, Richard Cypher, basically gets chucked into a quest by a hot chick, the Mother Confessor, Kahlan Amnell, to kill the embodiment of evil, Darken Rahl (which has to be one of the best evil guy names ever. Just say it a couple times, "Darken Rahl..." "Darken Rahl..." It gets more evil the more times you say it). On his quest, he is aided by his old wizard friend, Zedd, who imparts to him little tidbits of knowledge (like the line at the top) along the way. Oh, and Richard uses a sword called The Sword of Truth... Talk about the lamest sword name ever.

Anywho, needless to say, I was as excited as a puppy that sees its reflection in the mirror for the first time. So, I went and did a little research on the series. It was then that my heart sank, as I realized who was the producer of my immaculate series: The bane of all fantasy series'...

Sam Raimi.

As flashbacks of Kevin Sorbo and Lucy Lawless ran through my mind like a tank running through a car, I began to attempt to convince myself that this series wasn't going to be terrible. "It's ok, the source material is good, the author is involved, and this is 2008, not 1998. There's no way Goodkind would allow such desecration of his magnum opus." As my brother has so adamantly professed, there would be no reason to adapt a book into a new medium if there were no changes made to accomodate it. I accept minor changes, such as certain descriptions being less vivid and more implied, and certain thought processes being exposed in dialogue, but I truly denounce any wholesale changes to plotline (unless they A.) simplify the plotline, or B.) enhance the characters).

So, I nervously watched the first episode and was well... happily surprised by the quality. The production level was obviously excellent (other than the fact that it was glaringly obvious that soldiers were getting sliced by swords and there was no blood anywhere), with fast-paced action scenes coupled with slow-motion features that really enhanced the battles. The characters were also well-chosen, with Bridget Regan becoming the perfect Kahlan, and Chase, Richard's BFF, looking exactly like I thought he did. However, I always dreamed of Ian McKellen portraying Zedd, so Bruce Spence's casting seemed a little off (although I have warmed to him as of late.) The only glaring weakness is perhaps Craig Horner, the actor playing Richard, whose acting ability leaves...something to be desired. He looks exactly as I imagined Richard, but he has none of Richard's striking characteristics (like his painstaking approach to truth and attention to detail). Otherwise, the music, pacing, cinematography, and landscaping of the first episode (a two-hour double feature) was excellent. And on that day, I was happy.

Well, at least until the second episode. That was where the story branched off from the book, leading Richard and Kahlan to have several "adventures" to right some random, arbitrary wrongs going on in the world. When the first thought of "wait, this wasn't in the book at all,"struck me, a little portion of my soul died. But, the visualizations were still excellent, despite the plot being utterly inexcusably insipid. And I'll probably continue to watch the series (uTorrent, you are my savior).

If you've already read the books, it depends on how conservative you are (or how much of an asshole you are) in terms of how much you'll like this television adaptation. Some diehards writhe and seethe about the fact that this series is different from the books, while others take Legend of the Seeker with a grain of salt, offering up as a new story, mostly unassociated with Wizard's First Rule. For anyone who likes fantasy, this is an excellent series to watch. The characters are excellently imagined (at least until you get to the acting), and the world-building done in New Zealand is second to none. And last but not least, for all you godless liberals, Terry Goodkind is a staunch objectivist philosopher, so you can enjoy lots of ranting and raving about truth and rationality and the stupidity of those who allow things other than rationality to lead them in life. When I was younger, I found objectivism and rationalism to be fascinating, but now I pretty much read the novels and watch this series in spite of the themes. Yet, the themes are not so overbearing that you can't enjoy a great fantasy story while you're reading.

It's a little too early to rate this series, because it hasn't gotten to the juicy parts (to give you a hint, there's a dominatrix as well as a near butt-rape scene in the book), but overall I don't have too high hopes. As long as they get back to the book's plotline at some point and don't go off into Sam Raimi-land, I'll be happy.

Rating: N/A

Oh by the way, if you still need reasons to watch the series, keep this in mind:

Bridget Regan is OMG-hot

The Last Two Months In Review...

Oh-Em-Jee, what to write about first... I've been gone for so long it seems as if the world has completely changed since the last time I wrote, so there's just so many things I could tackle:

1. America chose as President a black man with the middle name Hussein over a white war veteran (honestly ridiculous, at least at face value).

2. The stock market has tanked to levels not seen since 2003 (and shortly approaching levels not seen since the start of Bill Clinton's second term in office)

3. A TV show (based on my favorite fantasy series of ever-time) began airing in syndication.

4. My #1 and #2 animes currently being released decided to stop sucking!

5. An awesome new season of black guys bouncing a rubber ball around a hardwood floor started.

6. I started research with one of my professors in a project to help poor kids understand math.

7. I got fired from my job at a high-profile asset management firm.

8. And last, but certainly not least, one woman managed to set Women's Rights back 50 years.


Needless to say, I'm prickling with excitement for the future...

Anywho, I could write about any one of these, and God knows its so cold that I could spend hours doing it tonight. But, I'm feeling a little deep tonight, so at least until the Laker game starts, I'll delve into a little my dealings with the passage of time.

It's weird how one moment you can think something will never end, only to realize all too quickly that it will soon end. I remember when I first met my BFF Bailey (Bailey is a dude's name, btb) here at Cornell, and I said something to him along the lines of:

"Man, I don't think I can handle 7 more of these things."

I, of course, was referring to the seven semesters we would have left at Cornell (wtf were you thinking). Now that I look back, that comment was foolish for so many reasons. I hate to admit it, but my time here at Cornell has flown by. I look back with a bit of regret, as I realized all too late that I haven't made the most of my time here. A victim of my own inaction, I failed to heed Ferris Bueller's advice and college has just slipped by somewhat. There are so many things I wish I could change, so many things I wish I could have done (or done earlier). All these regrets really make me wish school wasn't almost over (and make me really want to go to graduate school).

I originally had about 3 paragraphs of philosophical bullshit below this, but I decided that should be spared for another time. In the end, college has made me realize one thing:

Too often, people only care about what you've done. They want to know what you've accomplished, and how you can show that accomplishment to other people. I, on the other hand, believe it is much more important to enjoy yourself while acting, as opposed to just acting for the sake of accomplishing. In this way, one takes great joy in the most pointless of actions. I believe this is the best way to lead one's life.

CapTalk: Portland, An Exercise In Frugality

As everyone already knows, the Portland Trailblazers have possibly the most promising, young roster in the NBA. They have a young emerging core of Brandon Roy (going into his 3rd year), LaMarcus Aldridge (3rd year), and Greg Oden (rookie, due to his season-ending injury last year), and have been able to surround them with a surplus of young talent, including rookies Jerryd Bayless, Rudy Fernandez, and Sergio Rodriguez, along with Steve Blake (6th year), Travis Outlaw (6th year), and Martell Webster (4th year). Combine these guys with Ike Diogu, Channing Frye, and Joel Przybilla, and you have the most solid 12-man rotation in all of basketball. However, the most surprising element of this young talent is that the Blazers will have a two year window (2009-10 and 2010-11) where they will have around $54 million in total salary.

As I cited in my last post, the luxury tax level will be a little above $71 million next year. Extrapolating by comparing the increase from last year to this, I can estimate that the salary cap will be somewhere around $72-$73 million come 2009-10. and a little more than $1 million larger in 2010-11. However, as of right now, barring any extensions/new contracts, the Blazers will have about $53 million in total salary in 2009-10 and only $34 million in 2010-2011. This means that they will have about $20 million free to spend next summer, and about $40 million to spend in the all-important summer of 2010, when Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, among others, all become free agents.

This of course comes with some caveats: the Blazers will extend some old contracts between now and 2009. The team would be stupid to let Steve Blake, their only true proven point guard, walk when he's working for only $4.5 mil this year. Assuming he comes back at less than $6 mil, I would jump if I were the Blazers. Secondly, it would be more than stupid for the Blazers to extend merely qualifying offers to Martell Webster, Channing Frye, and Ike Diogu. When someone becomes a restricted free agent, they get assigned a cap hold by the league, which basically decides how much they count against the salary cap even if they remain unsigned and unwaived. This is especially limiting because the cap hold is generally two to three times that player's current salary.

Assuming in 2009, Portland picks up team options on Roy, Oden, Aldridge, and Sergio Rodriguez, they will still have to decide what to do with Frye, Webster, and Diogu. Say they let Frye and Diogu walk, and resign Webster at 1.5 times his old salary. Thus the cap holds on all three of them which would have been between $26 and $39 million gets reduced to $7.5 million for Webster. Next, let's assume that Portland decides to hold onto one of either Travis Outlaw or Rudy Fernandez (they play similar positions with similar styles involving being excellent slashers and fair jump shooters, while playing little defense). Fernandez would be much cheaper, considering he makes less than $2 mil a year, while Outlaw makes $4 mil a year and will be looking for a lucrative extension.

Thus, we're left with Outlaw, Frye, and Diogu off the books. There's some speculation on Blazer's Edge about the Blazers trading these three for Tayshaun Prince, who would be perfect in their system. If Outlaw, Frye, and Diogu all continue to improve, I can't see how Detroit doesn't make this trade. Detroit is on the verge of dying of old age (most of their core is over 30) and they'll be reloading by the end of 2009. Naturally this trade is a no-brainer for Portland, because their only hole is at SF, where they need someone who defends the perimeter and can make 3's, both of which Prince can do and a whole lot more. This still leaves the Blazers some $20 mil below the luxury tax level in 2009. Let's assume that Brandon Roy signs a contract extension for $15 mil a year (same as Chris Paul), and Lamarcus Aldridge also resigns for $15 mil (a little less than Elton Brand, more than Andrew Bogut), that still leaves the Blazers with about $10 mil to throw at a new free agent, say, Shawn Marion in case the aforementioned Prince trade doesn't work out. Or Lamar Odom. Or Mike Bibby. Or even Allen frickin Iverson. Not saying any of them would take $10 mil a year, but there are lots of possibilities. Imagine if Roy or Aldridge take one for the team and sign a below-value contract. Then there'd be lots of money to go around.

Overall, the key to the Blazers current flexibility are the fact that their players are signed on the cheap as of now, and won't be able to ask for a raise for a couple years. However, hopefully by the time they get around to signing extensions, they'll have earned them.

CapTalk: The Lakers and The Luxury Tax

In the NBA, it is common knowledge (and common sense) that some markets are just bigger than others. According to Forbes, the LA Lakers are valued at $560 million, ranked 2nd in the NBA in terms of franchise value (behind the ailing NY Knicks) in 2007. "Good for the them, they still didn't win the championship last year," you may say. This is true. However, having such a high market value gives the Lakers a noticeable advantage over other teams: their tolerancy level with regard to the luxury tax. As I explained in my last post, the luxury tax is calculated as such:

Total Team Salary - Luxury Tax Level = Luxury Tax Payment

Thus, for each dollar a team is over the luxury tax level, they pay two dollars, one which is already going to their players and one to the League, which then distributes the money to all the franchises that are under the luxury tax (a great boon for teams such as San Antonio, which classically enjoy running their team as just below salary cap level, thus giving them a several million dollar swing in overall revenue).

During the 2007-08 season, the luxury tax level was set at $67,865,000 (TrueHoop), with the Lakers being over the cap by $5,131,757. One might think that this is a lot of money, but the Lakers payment was almost one-fourth that of the NY Knicks and the Dallas Mavericks (both around $19 million). Looking ahead, the NBA announced that the salary cap for the 2008-09 season will be $71,150,000, with the Lakers salary (assuming they make no roster cuts) will be $82,305,701, giving them a luxury tax payment of around $11 million, a huge increase from last year. This is mostly due to a full-year of Pau Gasol and the new contract received by Sasha Vujacic.

However, there are two large variables that may affect these numbers in the coming years. First is whether the Lakers wish to retain Lamar Odom, who is currently making a cool $14 mil as the Lakers 4th best player, and the second is how large of an extension they give to Andrew Bynum.

Purely from a basketball stand-point, if someone were to ask, "do you want to keep Lamar Odom," I'm pretty sure Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak would say, "hell yeah," or something along those lines (maybe a more business-like line, such as "why yes!") However, with the twin towers of Bynum and Gasol taking up the power forward and center spots in the lineup, Lamar Odom is relegated to either starting at small forward or coming off the bench as either a center or PF.

Both of these propositions come with negatives. If Lamar starts at small forward, his best qualities become nullified: he has excellent speed and ball-handling skills for a guy who's 6'10", and he's an excellent rebounder. Starting at small forward would cause Lamar to be guarded by a smaller player, negating his speed and slashing ability, and take him further away from the basket, where most of the rebounds will be gobbled up by Bynum or Gasol. If Lamar comes off the bench as center or PF (most likely PF), he will have to be focused and ready to come into the game cold and contribute immediately (something which he has had problems with in the past). Plus, Lamar is making far too much money to be on the bench playing only 20-25 minutes a game (which will be all he gets with Bynum and Gasol ahead of him).

I have a tendency to lean towards the second option, with Lamar playing some sort of point forward role. Given that his contract expires this year, and he comes back at a discount (somewhat unlikely, but possible), which let's say will be around $12 mil, it will lessen the blow the Lakers take in terms of luxury tax. However, I do think shedding Lamar's contract in a trade or free agency will be a mistake, considering how well Lamar played last year.

Next is the contract extension of Andrew Bynum. Bynum will be making a little less than $3 mil this year, obviously way below his market value (with last year's averages of 13 pts, 10 rbs, and 2 blocks per game). Given that Elton Brand just signed a new contract that tops at $18 mil a year and Emeka Okafor signed an extension that tops at $14 mil a year, you can expect Bynum to be somewhere between there. Let's assume a round $15 mil per year over 5 years for Bynum as an extension. This will put the Lakers at somewhere around $30-$35 mil over the cap next year. Needless to say, this is a massive amount of money.

Honestly, I do not think the Lakers will be able to keep Odom long-term unless he takes a massive pay-cut. They are just too far over the salary cap, and their only short-term source of relief will be when Odom's contract expires next summer. An interesting point of intrigue comes in the form of Kobe Bryant's player option after next year. Bryant can choose to opt-out of his current contract and sign a new deal after next year. If Bryant were to take a marginal pay-cut (say $5-$8 mil), this would go a long way toward keeping Odom. Yet, there's really no end in sight for the Lakers.

With the contracts of Trevor Ariza, Jordan Farmar, and Chris Mihm expiring in the near future, the Lakers will have to extend deals to these key role players as well, probably pushing them further over the luxury tax level. However, without any financial ramifications, the Lakers are built to win, right now. If they want a championship, though, they may have to hurry. Those luxury tax bills will add up quickly, even for the Lakers.

The main problem children for the Lakers are the contracts of Vladimir Radmanovich (VladRad, as I like to call him) making a cool $6 mil a year to shoot three's, give up lay-ups, and sit on the bench in crunch time, and Luke Walton (or SonofBill, as he is often called on Forum Blue and Gold, the most insightful Lakers blog I've found), who signed a lucrative 6-year, $30 mil deal and promptly decided to start sucking again. The worst part is that both of their contracts are untradeable; they're too long and too costly for such little return in play.

For all their salary cap problems, the Lakers are still possibly the best positioned team in the NBA to be successful for the foreseeable future (the other being the Portland Trailblazers....*sniff*, I smell another blog post coming soon). But, championship teams have been derailed by the salary cap before, and it wouldn't be surprising if the salary cap cut the Lakers contention window a little short.

CapTalk: My Dream Job

Edit: I've decided to turn this post into a new running column, "Cap Talk," dedicated to the finances of the NBA.

Another Edit: I had to correct some mathematical errors and errors in describing the cap. This was before I had done enough reading to truly understand some nuances of the cap. Please forgive the errors.

For those of you who know me, you know that I have few very strong passions in life. These (in no particular order) are: anime, finance, mathematics, irrational thoughts, high-fructose corn-syrup, racist jokes, and basketball. The past couple weeks have really been a large mish-mash of all of those put together: catching up on my anime, applying to full time jobs, working as a math CA/starting math classes, trying to get one of my friend's laid instead of myself, eating various overly-sweetened snack products, managing to insult four ethnic minorities in the span of ten seconds, and spending a lot of excess time looking at the salaries for various NBA teams as the off-season winds down.

The first few seem pretty reasonable for me in any given week. However, the last one is seemingly a little off; most of the off-season's trading action in the NBA is over, and the regular season isn't starting for a few weeks. That's when I realized that all effort I have exhibited towards getting full-time employment in Financial Company X has been completely misguided. I've thought all along that I wanted to go into finance, into business, the corporate world, thinking that once I got there I would know what I truly wanted. Yet the more I think about it, I realize that even my greatest financial dream (running my own billion dollar hedge fund), does not even come close (both in feasibility and enjoyment) to what I would truly love to do: be an NBA Business Analyst.

"WTF is that?" you may ask. Well an NBA team is the same as any other business, they have compensation and operating costs as well as massive profits. They just happen to do it selling basketball paraphernalia and tickets to sporting events involving (mostly black) men throwing a rubber ball around a hardwood floor. Having interned at Legg Mason last summer where all I did was expense analysis, I find that this would be an amazing outlet for my skills and experience.

Even though I know I would inevitably have to start out analyzing the cost-to-benefit ratio of Kobe Bryant jerseys vs. Kobe Bryant hats, my dream would be to one day be able to focus on what I truly enjoy: analyzing the NBA trade possibilities with respect to the salary cap.

Those of you who don't know the NBA, it has a soft-cap, meaning that any team that spends over a league-set amount on player salaries has to pay the difference between what they are paying their team and the luxury tax level. This is called the luxury tax. In other words, they have to pay:

Player Salaries - Luxury Tax Level = Luxury Tax Payment

The repercussions of this is that they are effectively paying two dollars for every one dollar they are over the cap. Some teams (Lakers, Knicks, Celtics) can afford to do this because of their excessive profit margins. However, teams in smaller markets (ie Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Sonics... er, Thunder) will be unable to pay such a penalty. This naturally gives teams from larger markets an advantage. However, there are several benefits to being below the salary cap: You can sign free agents (those that make you go over the salary cap) without impunity, you can take on extra salary when trading for players, and the most obvious, you save money. But the true skill to manipulating the cap is being able to maximize the amount of talent on your team for the amount of salary you're paying.

Now players are coming and going non-stop, but this isn't half the problem. Most of the problem comes from players demanding pay-raises/contract extensions. The poster-child for this dilemma shall be the Summer of 2010, when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, and a multitude of other superstars will be opting out of their rookie extension contracts and entering the free agent market. This coming season, Lebron James shall make approximately $14 million. However, given his level of talent, he is obviously worth more than that, probably upwards of $20-25 million per year. In case you didn't know, there is a very large difference between $14 million and $25 million. Cleveland's total salary for next season will be somewhere around $85 million, which will be something like $20-$25 million above the projected cap. Their dilemma lies in how much they are willing to pay in luxury taxes in order to keep James.

God, just writing about this stuff makes me cream my pants. All right, not quite, but it's close. Very close. I have a feeling it will be extremely difficult, but if this whole finance thing doesn't pan out/interest me enough, I will most definitely turn toward my new-found passion: using my math/finance knowledge on my favorite sport, basketball.

My New Favorite Show: Burn Notice

Ah, that new school year smell...something between alcohol, perfume, textbooks, and dusty classrooms. Well, I had the best of intentions coming into this year to start great new things for my beautiful little blog here, but that seems to be derailed by the fact that I am going to be applying to somewhere between 20 and 30 jobs over the next month or so. However, as a start, I would like to introduce a new running column of mine: My New Favorite Show. As whoever reads this blog will know, I have a couple running columns already (Cannot Catharsize and Motion Picture Magic). Cannot Catharsize was always more about anime than anything else, considering the structure of Japanese television is such that one can actually engage in the storyline, as opposed to American television which are one-hour drama pills. And Motion Picture Magic is more about movies, which are a completely different art-form than television shows or anime. Thus, to fill the void, I have created My New Favorite Show, or MNFS, for short.

Title selection (and word selection) goes a long way for me, and to be honest, I went the exact opposite with this one and went with what first came to mind. However, I do believe that this title fulfills all the necessary objectives I want it to: it's simple, it's ambiguous, and it really showcases the fact that I have fickle television tastes that change every so very often. With that comes my first entry: Burn Notice.

Burn Notice seems like a fairly unassuming show at first: it's a spy drama/comedy about some guy who gets in trouble with the government and has to find his way out of it. However, the best part of the show is not the plot. It is the characters. As USA so blatantly writes/says in all of its commercials, "Characters Welcome." The first is Michael Westen, the main character played by Jeffrey Donovan, who plays an ex-spy who was "burned" by the government. The story goes that when a spy is fired, they can't just be let out into civilian life, not with all the skills/knowledge they possess. So instead, the government burns them, which basically amounts to taking away their spy privileges, freezing all their assets, and dumping them in a town that they're not allowed to leave. Luckily for Michael, he happens to be dumped in Miami (better than Detroit, right?). Michael has an extremely dry sense of humor, but also possesses Macgyver-like talents (he often uses duct tape and plastic ties instead of guns). He's really what makes the show tick, as everything revolves around him

Then there's Fiona, Michael's ex-IRA, ex-girlfriend, played by Gabrielle Anwar. She has a trigger-happy personality (she loves to start fights, as well as fire guns), but plays an excellent foil to Michael's non-violence oriented personality. Did I mention she's ridiculously hot? (check the pic above; that'd rate about a 4 on the Fiona's sexy clothing scale). Being a good actress doesn't hurt, as she makes her part both believable and engaging at the same time.

Supporting Michael in his effort to find those who burned him is Sam Axe, played by the immortal Bruce Campbell, (Anybody up for some Army of Darkness?), an ex-Navy Seal who survives as a playboy for rich, older women in Miami. Needless to say, Campbell is perfect for the part, since the character of Sam could easily be Ash Williams in his older years, minus the shotgun and chainsaw stump hand.

I've just finished catching up on season 1 and now am fully caught up on season 2. Burn Notice is great because its a show that you can just jump into, but one that is also extra-rewarding for being a loyal viewer. For anyone who likes House, MacGyver, or James Bond, this a great combination of all three. Even if you aren't interested in plot or characters, there is always the eye-candy (I'm talking about Fiona and the requisite bikini-butt shots that just so happen to pop into every episode). Trust me, it'll be worth your time, no matter who you are. Till next time...

Back With A Vengeance

And so it begins...again. A new school year means the return of SCO full-time. I hope to be able to expand on what I did last semester, as well as getting renewed focus. Of course I'll be extremely busy (last year of classes, studying for GMAT's, applying for jobs, working my THREE jobs, etc.), but I hope to be able to have at least a little time every couple days to devote to my writing. I'm still running through ideas, but I hope to be able to focus the blog on something, and not just have me and my friends writing about random stuff. It'll probably be about dork-stuff (video games, movies, anime, card games *coughmtgcough*), but I may also throw in some other things, like music reviews, and of course, my favorite, basketball. I hope to maintain the same casual environment, while still remaining as introspective and self-reflective as I can be. After all, if I'm just reporting on other people's ideas, it's not really writing is it. Till next time (soon hopefully).

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...

Motion Picture Magic: Rocky Balboa

(There's an update to this post at the bottom, because I stupidly left out Rocky II when I listed the Rocky movies in my order of preference. Good catch by Judd.)

After watching Rambo, the latest installment of the Rambo series, I was inspired to watch other works by Sylvester Stallone, and naturally decided to revisit the Rocky series. And so began a grueling trial of 5 Rocky films, including Rocky I, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, and the latest film, as well as the subject of this post, Rocky Balboa (Notice how I casually skipped Rocky V, I'm not even gonna dignify it with a hyperlink). If I had to give each film a rating, I would agree with most of the ratings Stallone gives. I laughed so hard at the reason Rocky IV gets a 7.5: "lots of montage." If anything montage makes a film exponentially better, not worse, Sly! At least that's how it is in my world... But more on that some other time. Gotta love the zero for Rocky V as well (Stallone tells it like it is). Ranking the Rocky movies from best to worst, I'd have to go with I, Balboa, III, II, then IV, and V doesn't get a ranking (because it's obvious what it should be).

Now some of you might be looking at that and being like, "WTF, you have Balboa before IV?! And III before IV?!" The answer is a definitive, "You should actually try watching IV as a serious movie, beyond 'Rocky fights a 'roid ragin' Russian robot' (Alliteration, yes!). Not only is the first half of the movie absolutely ridiculous (with the robot and the pseudo life-partner relationship between Rocky and Apollo), but there is a grand total of 5 montages. Five! In one movie! (Now that's nowhere near Transformers: the Animated Movie's grand total of 10 montages, but still, that was a movie about toys. Incidentally, Vince DiCola does the soundtrack for Rocky IV, the same guy who did the soundtrack for Transformers! If you watch both movies, it's so obvious). Listing off the montages we have: Introduction montage (a staple of all Rocky movies), "Apollo dies then Rocky goes driving" montage, Training montage 1, Training montage 2, and final fight montage. Seriously. WTF. 2 training montages? A montage is basically like director saying "OK a lot of shit happens, but we don't wanna show it all, so here's a musical treat!" But I still love them.

Rocky III is also vastly underrated, (even though Mr. T's performance is as crappy as advertised) but it still tells a very good story about Rocky's heart and determination. which is really what the Rocky movies are about. Plus there's the strikingly overt gay undertones between Rocky and Apollo during their training sequence (look at how Apollo looks at Rocky's butt as they're doing the dance-training thing). That and the freeze-frame ending is priceless. But anyway, back to Balboa.

Other than Rocky I, I think that Rocky Balboa is far and away the best of the Rocky series. Stallone really brings Rocky to life one more time, and his character portrayal is his best performance since Rocky I. You really feel as if this is the real Rocky, some 30 odd years later after his first fight with Apollo. Honestly, I think you could just skip from Rocky I to Rocky Balboa and not miss a beat, Stallone-wise. Sure you'd have a few character gaps, but Stallone's performance is so good that you'd just assume they're just plot fillers. The rest of the actors also performed extremely well, with Antonio Tarver pulling off an excellent Mason Dixon, and Milo Ventimiglia giving us a believable Robert Balboa, Rocky's son.

In addition to the good acting performances, the movie has an excellent message and theme. Really, the entire Rocky series is so moving because of its thematics, with Rocky being the dumb, good-hearted fighter with the unbreakable will. I especially love the line "...it ain't 'bout how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward." I think Rocky I and Balboa should be required viewing for all kids 10 and older. It really teaches you to suck it up and keep going forward despite impossible odds against you. Rocky is really really stupid (he says his wife died of "woman cancer."), but he also shows that you can be dumb, but still have self-respect, and that you can be given nothing and still make yourself into something.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

I leave you with the best part of the film, the intro to the training sequence. Watch it; it will change your life. "Let's start buildin' some hurtin' bombs!"

Update: Rocky II definitely is the 2nd worst Rocky film for me (I don't count V as a Rocky film), because there's very little depth beyond the plot. Sure it accomplishes its purpose in Rocky winning the title from Apollo, Adrian freaking out because Rocky gets the crap kicked out of him in every fight, and everyone in the world making fun of Rocky because he's an idiot. But, it really doesn't bring much more out of the characters, and seriously makes me want to kill a couple of them (Apollo and Adrian both have a couple "omg just stfu" scenes). A decent film, but I definitely liked III better.

2008 NBA Playoffs: 2nd Round Predictions

(See my 2008 NBA Playoffs Predictions, and my 1st round results post.)

Well the first round is (mostly) over, so it's time for my revised second round predictions (given that some of my first rounders were wrong...). Just a little disclaimer before we continue: I do not guarantee accuracy nor credibility, but I do guarantee selective memory in touting my correct picks and conveniently forgetting those that I get wrong. With that, on to the 2nd round...

East

#1 Boston vs. #4 Cleveland

This is assuming that Boston wins Game 7 vs Atlanta, which I fully expect them to considering they've handed the Hawks three 20 point beatdowns in Boston during this series. Even so, because the Celtics have gone the distance against the Hawks, I have absolutely no confidence with them against Lebron James and co. If they can't stop Joe Johnson, they won't stop Lebron. Boston may come out like the real Boston (the one from the regular season that dominated and won 66 games) and make me look stupid, but I'm not betting against Lebron anymore.

Prediction: Cleveland in 6

#2 Detroit vs. #3 Orlando

Unlike Boston, I think Detroit has actually pulled it together. They played pretty well, beating down the 76ers in the last 2 games, closing out the series in 6. And although Orlando did beat Toronto in 5, it is Toronto... The Raptors didn't have the size nor the strength to deal with Dwight Howard, but the Pistons do have a few big men that they'll throw at him to slow him down. I also think that Detroit's perimeter defense will be able to shut down the Magic's three point shooting. With those two things down (Howard, 3-pointers), the Magic really have nothing else to go to.

Prediction: Detroit in 6

West

#1 Los Angeles vs. #4 Utah

Utah played a pretty good series vs. Houston, but they did allow T-Mac to get 40 points in the close-out game despite him having to play 1 on 5. Plus, with Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko having almost non-existent postseasons, the Lakers will be able to take this one with Kobe Bryant again leading the way (and fresh off his MVP award...?).

Prediction: LA in 6

#2 New Orleans vs. #3 San Antonio

God, this is the hardest one to pick. New Orleans is coming off a great series, absolutely dominating Dallas in the first round (causing Dallas to fire their coach). Yet, San Antonio is also coming off a great series, pounding the crap out of Phoenix in 4 out of 5 games, 1 of them a classic (Game 1), 2 huge beatdowns (2 and 3), Phoenix's last gasp (4), and the closeout (5). This one's so hard to pick because it's not as if we can use the regular season to compare the Spurs to the Hornets (because the Spurs just don't give a crap during the regular season, obviously...). I have a feeling this is going to come back and bite me in the ass, but I'm going to pick youth over experience, and go with Chris Paul and the Hornets. Hopefully Robert Horry gets hurt (so he won't be able to put Chris Paul into the stands like he did to Steve Nash).

Prediction: New Orleans in 7

...

God, these playoffs turned out gay. Whoever went chalk with their picks got them all correct... Western Conference most competitive ever my ass. Till the next round, where I'll probably tout my correct picks this round, and casually forget/brush-off my wrong picks.

2008 NBA Playoffs: 1st Round Prediction Results

Well...for those of you who read my 2008 NBA playoffs picks, they generally fell into 3 distinctly different categories: the ones I got entirely correct, the ones I got mostly correct, and the ones I got completely wrong. With that, let's have a little recap.

Predictions that were entirely correct:

East

#3 Orlando vs. #6 Toronto
Prediction: Orlando in 5
Result: Orlando in 5

Orlando took the first two games with ease, as expected. After those first two games, I thought perhaps that Orlando might sweep, but the Raptors came back in Toronto as expected with a good effort due to home court advantage. However, Orlando easily took the next two, as the combined strength of Dwight Howard and the Magic's 3-point shooting were too much for the streaky-shooting Raptors (despite a monster 39 point, 15 rebound game from Chris Bosh in game 4.).

West

#1 Los Angeles vs. #8 Denver
Prediction: LA in 4
Result: LA in 4

Many of ESPN's experts picked this one to be the Lakers in 5 or 6 games, but I knew better. The Lakers simply had too many offensive weapons, with both Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol having a monster series. Plus, the Lakers ability to play occasional defense made all the difference between them and high-scoring Nuggets. Of course, the Nuggets basically imploding in a couple games helped, but that was sort of expected given their team make-up and abundance of tattoos.

#4 Utah vs. #5 Houston
Prediction: Utah in 6
Result: Utah leads 3-2 as of 11:45, 05-02-08 (*Update*: Utah won pretty big, building a huge lead going into the 4th quarter. So Utah takes the series in6, as I predicted ;) ).

Game 6 is going as I'm typing this, but the Jazz are up by 16 now with less than 6 minutes to go in the first half, and they're at home, so I'll just assume they're going to win (sorry Houston). Now that I think about it, I really shouldn't have given the Rockets two wins, given my analysis of their only play (Tracy McGrady dribble/turnover). But, the return of Rafer Alston really helped T-Mac, and the Rockets were able to pull out two wins, one extremely impressive victory in Utah, and an enormous 95-69 beatdown in Game 5 when down 3-1. But, T-Mac is basically alone in this series, and him carrying them this far has been an amazing achievement. I feel bad for the guy, because he's infamous for going out in the first round of the playoffs, but most of the time it really hasn't been his fault. (UPDATE: wow, in the two minutes I've used to type this, the Rockets have managed to pull within 9, and T-Mac already has 24 points with 4 minutes to go in the 1st half! I may have to change this prediction later...)

Predictions that were mostly correct:

East

#2 Detroit vs. #7 Philadelphia
Prediction: Detroit in 5
Result: Detroit in 6

I expected Philadelphia to have at least one solid game on their home floor, but I didn't expect them to take the first game in Detroit, at all. But, the Pistons finally came alive after Game 3, and took it to the 76ers with 2 impressive wins, one in Philadelphia, the other at home winning by 17. Detroit was simply too good for the overachieving 76ers. Sorry Philly, better luck next year...

West

#2 New Orleans vs. #7 Dallas
Prediction: New Orleans in 6
Result: New Orleans in 5

I'm quite proud of this one, mostly because many of ESPN's "experts" picked Dallas to win, most attributing it to their "playoff experience." But, all the smart analysts (aka those that don't appear on TV), actually know enough about basketball to realize that playoff experience is a joke when matching up against a quicker, smarter, better coached, more efficient basketball team. And as I predicted, Chris Paul made Jason Kidd look like a retiree, averaging 24 points, 12 assists, and 2 steals a game, including a monster 32 point, 17 assist Game 2 and a triple-double in the decisive Game 5.

Predictions that I got completely wrong:

East

#1 Boston vs. #8 Atlanta
Prediction: Boston in 4
Result: Tied 3-3 as of 05-02-08

I completely did not see this coming. Atlanta has played with so much heart, and Al Horford, Joe Johnson, and Josh Smith have all been amazing for the Hawks in this series. Plus, Boston has played with a lot less intensity than I expected, and this causes me to seriously doubt their potential to win the championship this year (or even beat Cleveland in the 2nd round). I predict that Boston will win Game 7, simply because of their home court advantage, where they've pretty much taken it to the Hawks at home. But still, great series from Atlanta. Their future looks very bright indeed.

#4 Cleveland vs. #5 Washington
Prediction: Washington in 6
Result: Cleveland in 6

I bet against Lebron James, and I paid the price. Washington didn't show half the toughness or defensive intensity that I expected out of them, and they allowed James to basically beat the crap out of them all by himself. Plus, the return of Gilbert Arenas seemed to hurt a lot of players chemistry, especially Caron Butler, who had a couple good games, but also a couple of real stinkers. Antawn Jamison was also extremely quiet in this series, not being nearly as dominating as he needed to be for the Wizards to win.

West

#3 San Antonio vs. #6 Phoenix
Prediction: Phoenix in 6
Result: San Antonio in 5

Man, the Spurs are such a-holes. They lie in wait, biding their time until the playoffs, then they just magically turn it on. It's almost as if the regular season is just their stretching and warm-ups, and the playoffs are the actual game. Game 1 was amazing, with the game going to double OT on threes by Michael Finley, and of all people, Tim Duncan. After that, it was all down-hill for the Suns, who couldn't hold a lead nor keep a rhythm. Some blame this on Hack-a-Shaq, used by Greg Popovich (coach of the Spurs) to discombobulate Phoenix's highly rhythm oriented offense. But man, I can't believe the Spurs are this good despite being so old. Maybe it's the return of Robert Horry? ;)

...

I'll save my revised second round picks for tomorrow, just because I'm tired and need some time to think about my predictions before actually explaining them :P.