I am totally off in my sports predictions lately. But PAG-ASA still has a worse batting average. The Cavs-Nuggets NBA finals I was gung-ho about flopped famously. A friend reminded me that basketball is a team game not a Kobe-LeBron game. I switched allegiance to the Magic, being the anti-Kobe that I am, but they lost game 1.
I blogged that Federer's hopes of matching Sampras' record lies on him not facing Nadal in the finals. In this year's French Open, Federer showed that the other players are catching up on him. He was always put on the brink before somehow managing to find the will to win. Meanwhile Nadal rode on a record win streak until big-serving Robin Soderling took care of him to pave the way for a Soderling-Federer setto.
In the finals, Federer breezed through the first set. But Soderling was holding his own on the second. The rains came suddenly making the match much tougher for the world number two. Federer comfortably squeezed thru a tie-break to take the second set as well.
In the third, Federer broke and held in the first 2 games and the two held on their serves until Federer got the game, set and match to equal Sampras' record. Way to go, Fed! I got one right at last. Tomorrow, the Magic will win to continue my streak. Eat your heart out PAG-ASA.
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Update: The Magic lost game 2. My streak ends.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Hopeless PAG-ASA V
I am now constantly monitoring PAG-ASA's weather forecasts. They fail big-time 100% of the time. But today I noticed a change in their strategy, they have several people who make different forecasts which are published in different newspapers/websites. They want to cover all possible scenarios. I read the Inquirer and the Manila Bulletin while watching over Vito who's confined at the hospital because of dengue. I expected the different slants on the political news, but not on a subject like the weather.
- The web edition of the Inquirer carried the same story as the broadsheet edition. It said "more sunshine and drier weather in the coming days" according to PAG-ASA's Benjie de Paz.
- The Manila Bulletin Sunday edition says Nathaniel Cruz, also from PAG-ASA, predicts the rains to continue.
- Philstar.com reports that PAG-ASA's Bernie de Leon sees less rain next week, more or less the same as what Inquirer says.
- Abs-cbnnews.com, as of 06/07/2009 4:28 PM, headlines "PAGASA: Rains likely to continue until Monday" according to Nathaniel Cruz.
Dengue, swine flu, Aling Banang sighting
While the world frets over the A(H1N1) outbreak, my son Vito got the fever, chills, and general malaise. It turned out to be dengue. Our DOH/DepEd should be on the lookout too for other diseases aside from swine flu, especially with the onset of rains. After all, dengue for one has a higher death rate than A(H1N1). The DOH website says that the WHO reported 19,273 cases and 117 deaths from 66 reporting countries. This translates to just 0.6% A(H1N1) fatality rate compared to 2%-8% for dengue.
After failing to delay PacMan from returning to the Philippines, Duque now says the CHED's move to delay the opening of classes won't prevent the spread of the A(H1N1). He says the practice of proper hygiene among students and school officials is still the best protection against the virus. Correct, but Mr. Secretary, please shut the f*ck up and instead help the schools draw plans on how to instill proper hygiene when the students return. Supply them with alcohol dispensers, make posters on the proper hand washing technique, use the time to prepare the schools for the virus, instead of contradicting yourself just to stay in the news.
Vito is confined at the St. Luke's Hospital. A mild surprise is the Aling Banang's pansiteria in front of the hospital. They dropped the Aling, opting to use just Banang's, but they still have the same basic menu of pancit, halo-halo, tapsilog, atbp. I'm not sure who among her children runs the place, but this is the first Banang store where the busboys wear uniforms.
The originally San Juan eatery enjoys good word of mouth success. Its N.Domingo-Araneta branch is now used by Google maps as a landmark, as can be seen from my Google profile map.
After failing to delay PacMan from returning to the Philippines, Duque now says the CHED's move to delay the opening of classes won't prevent the spread of the A(H1N1). He says the practice of proper hygiene among students and school officials is still the best protection against the virus. Correct, but Mr. Secretary, please shut the f*ck up and instead help the schools draw plans on how to instill proper hygiene when the students return. Supply them with alcohol dispensers, make posters on the proper hand washing technique, use the time to prepare the schools for the virus, instead of contradicting yourself just to stay in the news.
Vito is confined at the St. Luke's Hospital. A mild surprise is the Aling Banang's pansiteria in front of the hospital. They dropped the Aling, opting to use just Banang's, but they still have the same basic menu of pancit, halo-halo, tapsilog, atbp. I'm not sure who among her children runs the place, but this is the first Banang store where the busboys wear uniforms.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
DepEd advisory issued early; rains come late
From philstar.com:
MANILA, Philippines – Citing a weather forecast of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) of monsoon rains in the early morning “heavier” than last Wednesday and Thursday, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced early yesterday the suspension of classes for the third straight day at the elementary and high school levels in Metro Manila.
But the expected heavy rains did not come in the morning, and Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said the DepEd should not be faulted for the apparent wrong decision on class suspension. Heavy rains started to pour in the metropolis only in mid-afternoon.
Click to read the news article.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Hopeless PAG-ASA IV
Perhaps stung and still red-faced with its way-off forecasts, PAG-ASA chose not to comment at all about the rains. The Department of Education, too, was non-committal about declaring suspension of classes early yesterday. But heavy rains the PAG-ASA was expecting last month came in full force. Forcing the DepEd to cancel classes by 12:00 noon yesterday, when half of the students were already wet and shivering.
Buoyed up by the rains, government authorities, in an attempt to become relevant, decided to push their luck and immediately declared suspension of classes at 5:00am this morning. With all the rains last Thursday, they expected Friday to be rainy as well. At last we will be right, they thought! Or so they thought. But again, PAG-ASA and DepEd authorities must be gnashing their teeth in wonder what could they have done in their past lives to deserve this, the weather did not cooperate. Except for a brief spell of gusty winds in the morning, the expected rains did not come. Instead, the clouds dissipated to make way anew for the mighty sun. As of 12:30pm today, the sun is still smugly snickering with scorn.
PAG-ASA's expected vindication did not come. It did not rain on their parade.
Buoyed up by the rains, government authorities, in an attempt to become relevant, decided to push their luck and immediately declared suspension of classes at 5:00am this morning. With all the rains last Thursday, they expected Friday to be rainy as well. At last we will be right, they thought! Or so they thought. But again, PAG-ASA and DepEd authorities must be gnashing their teeth in wonder what could they have done in their past lives to deserve this, the weather did not cooperate. Except for a brief spell of gusty winds in the morning, the expected rains did not come. Instead, the clouds dissipated to make way anew for the mighty sun. As of 12:30pm today, the sun is still smugly snickering with scorn.
PAG-ASA's expected vindication did not come. It did not rain on their parade.
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