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Sixers advance after Nets sweep, Suns on brink as Clippers downed
The Philadelphia 76ers shrugged off the absence of Joel Embiid to complete a 4-0 sweep of the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA playoffs on Saturday as the Phoenix Suns edged closer to a second-round berth with a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Sixers advanced to an Eastern Conference semi-final showdown against either Boston or Atlanta with a dominant second-half display to seal a 96-88 victory in Brooklyn. The Sixers trailed by 11 points early in the third quarter but transformed the contest with an 18-4 run to take the lead before closing out victory with a fourth-quarter rally. The Sixers' win was all the more impressive given the absence of star center Embiid, who suffered a right knee sprain in Thursday's 102-97 victory in game three. Embiid led the NBA with 33.1 points a game and is a finalist for the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. With Embiid out, Paul Reed stepped in to fill the void and finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Tobias Harris led the scoring for Philadelphia with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while De'Anthony Melton came off the bench to produce 15 points and lead the fourth-quarter rally. Harris said the Sixers had been determined to use Embiid's absence as a motivator. "He's the MVP. And when we heard he wasn't playing, I think it was an opportunity for everybody else to really step up and understand that we've got to get a win without the big fella," Harris told the TNT television network after the win. "For us to come out here and get this victory, it feels great for the whole group. "The whole group came together today. It's a great win for us and a great way to sweep the series." Asked what his message to the injured Embiid would be, Harris replied: "Hurry up and get your ass back out here." The 4-0 series victory was Philadelphia's first playoff sweep since 1991. Spencer Dinwiddie led Brooklyn's scoring with 20 points while Nic Claxton had 19 points with 12 rebounds. In Los Angeles, Kevin Durant finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to help Phoenix take a 3-1 series lead over the Clippers with a 112-100 victory. Devin Booker plundered 30 points and veteran Chris Paul added 19 in a late burst of scoring as Phoenix bagged their second straight win in Los Angeles in the best-of-seven series. It means the Suns need just one more win to book their place in the Western Conference semi-finals, with game five set for Phoenix on Tuesday. The Clippers' hopes of squaring the series had been dealt a blow by the absence of Kawhi Leonard, who joined Paul George on the injured list. In their absence, Russell Westbrook produced one of his best performances for the Clippers with a 37-point display but ultimately it was not enough as the greater depth of the Suns' line-up proved too much. "I'm in a good place and I'm enjoying playing ball," Durant said after the win. "I've been out a few months this season, and I'm just happy I'm out here where the ball is." In later playoff games on Saturday, the Milwaukee Bucks travel to Miami looking for a win on the road over the Heat with the best-of-seven series finely balanced at 1-1. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who sat out game two after suffering a back injury in game one, was listed as questionable for Milwaukee. In the late game, the Memphis Grizzlies travel to Los Angeles to face the Lakers with their series knotted at one game apiece. The post Sixers advance after Nets sweep, Suns on brink as Clippers downed appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
NBA Restart Team Overview: Boston Celtics
TEAM RECORD: 43 - 21 Boston is in third place in the Eastern Conference, three games behind secondplace Toronto and 2½ games ahead of fourth-place Miami. The Celtics have already clinched a playoff spot. OVERVIEW: Boston excels at both ends of the court, ranking fifth in the NBA in offensive rating and fourth in defensive rating. First-time All-Star Jayson Tatum is a go-to player at age 22, averaging 29.2 points in his last 16 games. Tatum (23.6 ppg), Kemba Walker (21.2 ppg) and Jaylen Brown (20.4 ppg) give the Celtics three 20-point scorers. The trio is joined by the resurgent Gordon Hayward and defensive anchor Daniel Theis in a versatile, talented starting lineup. NUMBER TO KNOW: The Celtics have advanced to the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Seeding Games: vs. Milwaukee Bucks (8/1) vs. Portland Trailblazers (8/3) vs. Miami Heat (8/5) vs. Brooklyn Nets (8/6) vs. Toronto Raptors (8/8) vs. Orlando Magic (8/10) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (8/12) vs. Washington Wizards (8/14) .....»»
NBA Restart Team Overview: Memphis Grizzlies
RECORD: 32-33, sitting at eighth-place in the Western Conference, seven games behind the seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks and three-and-a-half games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Sacramento Kings, who are all virtually tied for ninth place. OVERVIEW: Following the departure of former franchise stars in Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, the expectations were not high for the Grizzlies. Powered by one of the league's youngest rosters led by a pair of 20-year olds in Rookie of The Year frontrunner Ja Morant and sophomore Jaren Jackson Jr. however, the Grizzlies are firmly in the running for a spot in the playoffs. Morant leads all qualifying rookies in scoring with 17.6 points per game and assists with 6.9 dimes per game His six-foot-eleven running mate Jackson meanwhile, is a threat on both ends of the floor. Veteran big man Jonas Valanciunas has also been solid for the Grizzlies with 14.9 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. NUMBER TO KNOW: The Grizzlies are averaging 27.0 assists per game, second-most in the league. KEY ADDITIONS/LOSSES: N/A SEEDING GAMES: vs. Portland Trail Blazers (8/1) vs. San Antonio Spurs (8/3) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (8/4) vs. Utah Jazz (8/6) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (8/8) vs. Toronto Raptors (8/10) vs. Boston Celtics (8/12) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (8/14) .....»»
Thousands stuck in mud at Burning Man festival, one dead
Tens of thousands of festival-goers were stranded Sunday in deep mud in the Nevada desert after rain turned the annual Burning Man gathering into a quagmire, with police investigating one death. Video footage showed costume-wearing "burners" struggling across the wet gray-brown site, some using trash bags as makeshift boots, while many vehicles were stuck in the sludge. All events at the counterculture festival, which drew some 70,000 people, were canceled after rain tore down structures for dance parties, art installations and other entertainment. Police said they were probing one death, without giving further details. Road gates in and out of the Black Rock City venue were closed, but some desperate attendees trudged on foot for hours to reach the nearest road and hitch a lift out. "It was an incredibly harrowing 6 mile (10 kilometer) hike at midnight through heavy and slippery mud, but I got safely out," lawyer Neal Katyal said on social media. "It is very slippery and the mud is like cement and sticks to your boots. "No one should try this unless in good shape and part of a group. These are dangerous conditions to hike and will likely get worse." Festival crowds were asked to shelter in place and conserve food and water after the heavy rains started Friday night, with more downpours forecast on Sunday. "You can't really walk or drive," a young woman with dreadlocks named Christine Lee, a circus performer, said on TikTok. Internet service was not available or patchy, she said. "My boots are five inches, and the mud became five inches so I was kind of on stilts," Lee said, adding people were being told they may be stuck until Tuesday. "We have enough tuna for a week so we're OK." A video posted on social media showed comedian Chris Rock hitching a ride in the back of a pickup truck after managing to leave. Pershing County Sheriff’s Sargent Nathan Carmichael told CNN the conditions are difficult. The muck "seems to stick to people, stick to tires (and) makes it very, very difficult to move vehicles around," he said, adding that most RV motorhomes were stranded. Organizers urged festivalgoers to "conserve food, water and fuel, and shelter in a warm, safe space," saying the "playa" -- the huge open-air esplanade where the event unfolds -- was impassable. "Look out for your neighbors, introduce yourself," they added. The festival was scheduled to conclude on Monday. 'Survival guide' The organizers warned only some four-wheel drive vehicles with all-terrain tires were able to move. "Anything less than that will get stuck. It will hamper exodus if we have cars stuck on roads in our camping areas, or on the Gate Road out of the city," they said on a "2023 Wet Playa Survival Guide" special webpage. If necessary, they said it was possible to walk to the nearest road, where buses would be provided to take people to Reno. Mobile cellphone trailers were being deployed and the site's wireless internet was opened for public access. "We have done table-top drills for events like this. We are engaged full-time on all aspects of safety," organizers said. Last year, the festival contended with an intense heat wave and strong winds. Launched in 1986 in San Francisco, Burning Man aims to be an undefinable event, somewhere between a celebration of counterculture and a spiritual retreat. The festival -- for which tickets cost hundreds of dollars -- culminates each year with the ceremonial burning of a 40-foot (12-meter) effigy. It has been held since the 1990s in the Black Rock Desert, a protected area in northwest Nevada, which the organizers are committed to preserving. The post Thousands stuck in mud at Burning Man festival, one dead appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Katya Angara – The journey of a woman and artist
The promising artist that Katya is today is the latest phase in a lifelong journey that began at an early age when she began drawing characters from cartoon comics. All the while she was growing up in a home that nurtured her interest in the arts, as much as it prepared her for rigorous academic training. She read early in life, in a house filled with books. In this second part of our interview, Katya shares with us how she made a number of choices that would lead to where she is today. But once upon a time, for all that had been given to her on a silver platter, she was in a quandary as to what to do with her life. But when she finally decided on what she wanted, there was no stopping the talented and smart girl who, it turned out, possessed an intellectual prowess not unlike those of her parents, the lawyer, and senator Edgardo Angara, whose affinity for the land had been impressed on his daughter, and the lady educator Gloria Manalang Angara, who opened up her daughter’s eyes and minds to the wonders of world literature and the other arts. And it was in art that the young girl did not only find solace but also healing. Here is the final part of our interview: DT: After high school, did you immediately leave for London? KA: To be honest, and I don’t want filters here, I had mental health issues at that time. I was severely depressed. Before I went to London, I went through a tumultuous period of deciding where to go with my education. So, after Poveda, I went to Woldingham (boarding school). then I did half of my BA Psychology degree at UP Diliman from late 2000 to 2002. I loved my time at Diliman but it was a tumultuous transitional period for me, so I decided to revisit pursuing university in London. Central Saint Martins, to be precise, is one of the most prestigious and distinguished art and design schools in the world DT: Around what time was this? KA: It was in 2002. I was bouncing around like I couldn’t anchor myself to one thing. Like, okay, I’m here in London already. And then, okay I’m going to study Psychology in UP. So, what’s with the leap, the sudden jump, the sudden shift? I couldn’t make up my mind. And I think that frustrated my parents for the longest time. I was also being hard on myself because I ended up causing a lot of frustration for myself. And I think that depressed me. So, you know, I’ve been diagnosed with different things. I’m bipolar. And then, I had the hallmarks of ADHD. Let’s just say that my brain works differently DT: Well, one can never be sure about oneself. KA: No, you can never be sure about yourself. And I was questioning myself. For the longest time, all those years I thought, what’s wrong with me? Why am I making all these strange decisions? Why am I behaving this way? Why do I react to people this way?”. You know, parang I shouldn’t be talking or reacting to people like this in this kind of situation. And I’m not just saying with family or what. But with my classmates in school. What drew me to art was it being a place that has its own language e. It’s a place where I can express myself. Art is also a way of healing your own wounds. It’s also a way of revealing those aspects of yourself that you wouldn’t be able to otherwise. It really was a way of healing for me. And I didn’t even know that I needed it. Because again, I was a very quiet and introverted kid. I don’t know why. I couldn’t rely on people, talk to people the way I thought, or maybe people thought I should. So, you know, I kept to myself. I’d hide away in the library every recess or lunch. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. So, that carried on until my university years. Daily Tribune (DT): What did you finally take up in college? Katya Angara: Well, first I just wanted to do a purely art course. So, my foundation course to get me a degree was an Art and Design course. My first choice for this was Central Saint Martins, which continues to be ranked as one of the best art and design schools in the world. I was over the moon when I made it in. DT: What did you have to show to qualify? KA: I needed to show my work. I had some already since I was drawing a lot in my childhood and teenage years. DT: Your works are not the usual ones that use oil, watercolor, acrylic, and all that. KA: I was drawing mostly. And for some reason, I have always been more of a draftsman eh. I’m always more into drawing. I have more illustrating tendencies. DT: Like pen and paper? KA: Yes, pen and paper. Pencil, charcoal. I’ve always had a thing for dry media and pen and ink. It’s more about the control and the precision. That’s my personality. DT: That’s not easy ah. KA: It’s not easy. But you have an affinity for it. And your hands have to be steady. Which is unlikely for someone with pasmado hands like me. But that’s where I find my control eh. That’s why I like it so much. DT: So, what was it like when you showed your drawings at Central Saint Martin? KA: So, I showed my drawings because that was required during the interview. And so I went through the ropes. They asked questions like, "why do you want to do this course here?" DT: Your work must have been good to get you accepted. KA: They were fine. I think it was good enough. But there was a lot I had to improve on. I only knew that once I got into the school. Then, you told yourself, Ah, oo nga pala. There was so much I had to learn. That I could be taught. DT: How was your learning experience? KA: From the beginning, as a child, I always copied from cartoons. And they didn’t like that. They didn’t want to see any cartoons or anything like that. They wanted to see me. They wanted to see my work. My drawing from life. DT: So, how did you do that? It must have been challenging KA: So, I gave them the best of my life drawings. But when I showed them my other works, they weren’t happy with them. So, I learned from that. Being young, you got a bit crushed. But then, you realize it’s a different way of thinking. It’s a different way of doing things. Okay, there’s still so much to learn in terms of art. And it’s not the be-all and end of it all. And then, they said, “This is where you should be learning from.” And they showed me art books. They said, “Go to this gallery or this museum.” DT: How was it like living abroad? Back home, you were the daughter of a senator. KA: Which means nothing when you’re abroad. It meant nothing. Which I actually loved. It was something that I was looking for. Because I lived in a bubble back home. To my parents’ credit naman there’s a reason for that. I was very protected. They wanted to keep me safe and secure given my father’s position. So, I’d always lived in a bubble. I’d always have bodyguards and drivers and all that. And it just felt at times a little restrictive. DT: So, it was a welcome thing? KA: It was a welcome thing. Really, I felt different. I felt normal na parang my family name didn’t mean a thing. And that was refreshing. I could be anything I wanted to be. I could experiment and nobody would judge. Because in schools like that and abroad, especially in Europe, they’re so open-minded. They’re so liberal. DT: How were the teachers? KA: Oh, wonderful. Of course, you always have your favorites, right? Very varied. Depending also on what course you were taking up, whether industrial design or sculpture which I was horrible at when I tried it. I didn’t really get close to my tutors until I moved on to my actual degree. Funny enough, instead of ending up in a practical course. Which would have been like Fine Arts, Graphic Design, or even Illustration because I love drawing. You would think that I would end up in a more practical course like Fine Arts, Graphic Design, or even Illustration, I did a complete shift and I did a theoretical course. I did Curation, Art Criticism, and Art History. So, my training is as a curator and an art critic. DT: Wow, that was very intellectual. It’s good that you always read a lot. KA: Yes, I think that helped because you have to read a lot. You have to love reading. You have to like doing the research. And that served me well. Who would have known, right? But if you think about it, as long as you follow what you want to do in life, it just opens up even if you don’t intentionally seek it. Somehow it just finds you It just fell into place for me in that sense. This is not what I initially set out to do. But I think you have to allow yourself to change your mind. Parang whatever happens at the time, you change with it. You adjust to it. And it worked out beautifully for me. DT: So, were the teachers terrors? KA: Mabait naman sila. But they have very different personalities. My course leader was a lovely older lady who was really into Victorian arts and culture. As in, Victoriana lahat. She would tell you everything about English Victorian history. And she was very passionate about it. And you know, it involved a lot of writing and research. But my favorite tutor was someone who was writing about comic books. Comic books and Pop culture. So, for me, that was a revelation because I didn’t think you could take comics books and put them in the academe. You know, academic level like intellectual. Pwede pala e. Because he showed me a way. He took me under his wing and he showed me his work and from there I learned to write. And because I love comic books. I’m actually a huge geek. I’m a nerd, I’m a dork. DT: What was your thesis? [caption id="attachment_165427" align="aligncenter" width="463"] Roger Sabin was Katya's pop culture mentor at Central Saint Martins in London.[/caption] KA: Because I wanted Roger Sabin, my pop culture tutor, as my professor for my thesis, it was about a 1990s Japanese animated film called Ghost in the Shell 101. It was an animated film based on a very heavy graphic novel, a manga or Japanese comics, by Masamune Shirow. And for me, his work is revelatory. It wasn’t just the style of the Ghost in the Shell. And to think just one man could draw like this. I mean it was a very thick graphic novel. He could draw like that. And he wrote the story too. And to think you had the mental stamina to be able to write something like that and to draw. DT: You must enjoy doing comics. KA: Since I was a kid, I’ve made my own comic books. You know, I would sell my own comic books and people would actually buy them. I taught myself to draw in the comic book style. I learned them all. You know, there’s like Stan Lee of Marvel. DT: You really had it in you. KA: I had it in me. My love for comic books started by reading the ones my brother had collected over the years. He had a stash of them, so, I just devoured them. It was all very amazing to me. Kasi the drawings, the stories, these are worlds written by someone else. So, you have Marvel comics, DC comics, Dark Horse comics. [caption id="attachment_165417" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] With brother, Senator Sonny Angara, whose comic books she devoured for their cartoon figures.[/caption] Q: You didn’t idolize anybody? A: Well, I wasn’t particularly huge on the American comics. I think it was until I stumbled upon the Japanese comics or manga. That really piqued my interest to a degree I never felt before. Kasi it wasn’t just the style, which at first for me was very girly. I mean, I love the romantic comics. But I also felt myself leaning toward the darker stuff. DT: What did you like about Ghost in the Shell? KA: It’s a cyberpunk graphic novel. So, ang galing, ang ganda ng style. It was like, wow. You know, the sheer amount of detail that he puts into the drawings. I said I want to draw like this. I want to tell a story like this. But I don’t know if I was capable of telling if I had the stamina to tell something so intricate and complex. DT: When did you graduate? KA: In 2008. The BA in the UK is only three years. That’s why you take a foundation course. There’s a BA in Curation, and Communication, and criticism in Arts and Design. DT: I am told that you graduated at the top of your class. But you’re not telling me. KA: It sounds so funny kasi eh. Anyway, I graduated with first-class honors for my degree. So, basically, I was Suma Cum Laude in my batch in my year. So, that was what sealed the deal for me and my dad. Kasi for the longest time, I was kind of meandering. I was kind of flip-flopping. My mom knows this eh She goes, “You know Katya you have a tendency to be whimsical.” I am an artist eh, what can I do? Besides, I was young and I wasn’t sure. I knew what I wanted to do, which was to be in the arts but not where I wanted to go. I was asking myself if I had the stamina, the commitment, the fortitude to see it through. [caption id="attachment_165415" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Katya and mom Gloria Angara, who first ignited her interest in the arts.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_165419" align="aligncenter" width="854"] Katya with her dad, the late Senate President Edgardo Angara from whom she learned to apply the principles of nature to her art[/caption] DT: College made you really bloom. KA: Yes. It was the environment. it was the people I was with. Because I was able to go into something I really enjoyed. I wasn’t just doing homework because I was told to do homework. I loved what I was doing. I was invested in it. DT: What did you do after you graduated? KA: Apart from community work, I also worked for some small galleries. I did some work for the Victoria and Albert Museum. I tried to have experiences in bigger institutions, bigger museums, and small independent galleries. I thought that experience would hone me and make me well-rounded. With the smaller galleries, I was able to practice my curatorial background. I was able to help a lot of young artists. They don’t know how to talk about their work or they’re not confident enough to do so. So anyhow, apart from helping them put together shows, I help them speak about their work. Or offer them a perspective they have never seen or thought about. And I feel that that was helping them and I think that’s where I have been able to engage with them. It was fulfilling to help them find their voice as an artist. DT: All the while, you were all alone in London? KA: I was married actually. To a Filipino who was born in the UK, in London. He’s an Englishman, for all purposes. It didn’t work out. We have a daughter. I had a beautiful little girl with him. She lives in London with her father. She’s been here. She lived here in her early years. After she was born in 2010, I decided to move back here. Then, after four years, we went back to London because it was what my husband wanted. He and my dad had a falling out. DT: When was your first exhibit? KA: Last year. Earlier, I did a group show at the Lethaby Gallery at Central Saint Martins. So, I did it with other emerging artists. My next group show was at The Crucible. But it was for a book that Sari Ortiga had commissioned me to do. He wanted to do a series of children’s books about Philippine artists. I did mine. Mine was about Anita Magsaysay-Ho. I did the illustration. It wasn’t new to me because I had been making my own books. I would staple them myself. Although up until that point I didn’t know how to really do it professionally. I found out it could be lucrative and fulfilling. This was in 2008 when I didn’t have a daughter yet. DT: Tell me about your forthcoming show. (The current show had yet to be opened). What paintings are you showing? KA: They’re not paintings, they’re not just drawings. They’re an amalgamation. They’re what you call a compendium of everything I’ve ever done as an artist. The book illustration, and then I dabbled a bit in black-and-white photography. I like the look of black and white photography. So, I do it with my phone or a simple camera. It’s also good for taking reference photos for my work. Because if you can’t sit in the park drawing people or objects, or subjects, the next best thing is you take pictures. And you can draw from those pictures. Kaya maganda siya for reference. So, my work is that, actually. DT: So, what about your subjects? KA: Well, I’m a very central person. We live in a very conservative culture. And I have subjects that would make people say ay, you know, you shouldn’t talk about that. So, there’s no filter, it’s very raw, very natural. In London, I was able to talk to people about things like BDSM or Bondage Sado-Masochism. And you know, that can get a bad rap. Because if you do it wrong, it would look strange to anyone who is not familiar with it. Among the Japanese, there is a subculture that does that. DT: Do they consider BDSM an art form? KA: There’s a particular Japanese artist whose work I used to admire. He’s a photographer. And his subject is BDSM. There were pictures of women tied up and then there were flowers and reptiles. So it was very sexual. I found myself drawn to that because there’s the element of the dark side. Carl Jung, the psychoanalyst, talked about how we have to make our unconscious conscious. The darkness in us is unconscious. And if you don’t make your darkness conscious, it’s going to come out in other ways at some point. Meaning to say, you shouldn’t repress those sides of you. I think it is a side that’s intertwined with the creative side of me. I can’t be an artist without being sensual. Without that aspect, all that would be macabre. Which brings me to my mom again. She used to chide me for reading Stephen King when I was a kid. I’m a huge Stephen King fan. She was like, “It’s so macabre, so dark.” And I’m like, “I like it, I like his work.” He’s such a skilled writer. And I like how he could take something so mundane and make it terrifying and frightening on all levels. Stephen King said that he writes two thousand words every morning. I’m not sure if I can do that. I wanted to write na rin eh because the natural partner of my art is my writing. Because as a curator, I didn’t just read. I had to write a lot. And that’s where I honed my skills. Kasi siyempre, it’s a sword that you have to sharpen every now and then. So, for the show. I did a lot of writing. I did my own writing. DT: While we're on the talk of artists, what about the Filipino artists? Who among them do you admire? Do you have any mentors and idols? KA: Among Philippine artists, Junyee is my second father and my first artistic mentor. He is my OG sage and shaman of Philippine art, the Father of Philippine Installation Art. I'm actively lobbying for him to become National Artist soon, as no one deserves it more than he does, with his magnificent oeuvre. I'll always remember how, in a fleeing moment of impostor syndrome, he consoled me by saying that making art for myself always comes first. Love the process and the rest follows. The maverick attitude is very Junyee! And yet, he lives a modest life in the forest-like setting of his home in Los Banos, echoing the nature-loving ethos of our favorite Japanese animator, Hayao Miyazaki, creator of Toroto, Nausicaa, Spirited Away, among many other magical films. Since I was a child, Junyee saw my potential and continued to push me to have my own gallery shows, as did his longtime friend and one of my other mentors, Sari Ortiga. Sari's daughter Yasmin is a good friend and batchmate of mine from Poveda. Sari owns and runs the distinguished Crucible Gallery, and he hired me to illustrate one of the children's books for his series "Growing up with Philippine art" in 2009. It's thanks to Sari that I pushed myself to evolve as an artist, to grow outside of my comfort zone. The acclaimed visual artist and sculptor Jinggoy Buensuceso is something of a bad boy du jour of the Philippine art scene, and his dissident attitude is something I can identify with. I love the unorthodox, the sensual, the macabre, the dark stuff that delves deep into the psyche. I'm so bored of the "covers" or "riffs" of the countless Amorsolo, Basquiat, Picasso, or Rothko-type artworks that I see so much of in the local art scene. As wtih Junyee and Sari, Jinggoy has taught me how to navigate the perilous seas of art and life, echoing Junyee's advice to remain myself, in a world that often pushes us to be someone else. My three mentors, by example, taught me how to be original. DT: How many are you exhibiting? How many works? KA: Now, I have 9 complete pieces. I’d like to add another one. Honestly, medyo cramming ito because I only had two months to do the show. Normally for this kind of work - especially with the big piece I am doing - it’s a seven-foot piece. I would need, preferably to be comfortable, at least four to six months to do all this work. Kasi, there is so much nicer when you give it time to compost. To come together, to become fertile. DT: Is there enough time for one more work? A: Yes. I have one more work that I want. Because I feel that it rounds it up eh. If I do ten, I love the work that I’ve already done. Again, it’s not a painting, it’s a collage. So, I’d call it a photographic collage with paper cuttings on canvas. I wanted to treat canvas in a way that is not painting DT: Shouldn’t someone curate for you? KA: For now, I’m happy to have to do it myself. Because I feel that I’m the only one who can portray myself in a way that I feel I should be portrayed. Kasi it’s art eh. You’re trying not so much to explain yourself as you’re trying to convey who you are to somebody without being obvious. That’s art. DT: Where does Stephen, your partner, come in? [caption id="attachment_165418" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] With her partner and anchor, Stephen Lu.[/caption] KA: Stephen is somewhat of an anchor for me. So, I feel comfortable, I feel more confident when he’s around. But I guess I’m okay. DT: Now, as we wind up, let’s talk about how you are like your parents and not like them. You said that your interest in the arts came from the exposure that you received from your mother, and of course, the presence of books at home. Tell me more about your father’s role in your becoming the person that you are. KA: One of my fondest memories of my father was his love of nature, gardening, and farming, which I learned from him. He was at his best and calmest when he was at his farm in Nasugbu and Baler. Whilst my father was a “man of the soil”, I learned to be an “artist of the soil”, a gardener who applies the principles of nature to my art. Hence the overlying themes of nature in my oeuvre of artwork. And the most resonant themes of philosophy (which my father also studied and applied in his life) are the themes relating to lessons learned from nature: patience, fortitude, temperance. From this I’ve become more acutely aware of life’s transience, making our time all the more precious, being grateful for small and simple pleasures, and the opportunities that come my way. The naïveté of my younger years meant that I didn’t have a complete grasp of the opportunities presented to me by my father, I took much for granted. Now I see why he did what he did, he gave me the tools to be able to achieve my full potential. Only now that I’m embracing that fire and heading in a direction that makes the most of my talents. I had impostor syndrome for the longest time. Always questioning and doubting myself. Now I can fully embrace who I am and it is cathartic. DT: In what way are you like them? KA: I have the different strengths of my parents. I’ve inherited their academic minds and cultured tastes, with an eye for detail and beauty. I have many mannerisms and behavious in common with my mum, in terms of poise and self-possession. But, she is like Audrey Hepburn and I am infinitely more of a Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn was also a very private person and something of a poet and writer. I guess it’s no surprise that I am drawn to art and writing; I am highly introspective, painfully self-aware and attuned to my moods and to the moods of others; like my Dad, I’m intuitive and know how to read people. DT: My last question is, how has art influenced you in your direction in life? And where are you going from here? KA: Being an introvert, I don’t always translate into easy social interactions with most people. So I channel it all into my art. It’s a language that best expresses my psyche, thoughts, and emotions. Working with my hands is healing and consolation for the isolation, depression, and anxiety attacks that grip me on bad days. That’s why as an artist of the soil, gardening and art go hand in hand. In the future, I can see myself tending to the land and becoming a farmer as my father was. It’s like coming home. The post Katya Angara – The journey of a woman and artist appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tribune, Marcos share good gov’t journey (20)
In the days after the devastating typhoon “Yolanda” struck, killing from 6,000 to 10,000 individuals depending on the source of the figure since the administration of the late former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III directed the casualty count be stopped at 6,000 deaths, Daily Tribune tracked then Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was at Ground Zero several times after the disaster struck on 3 November 2013. BBM arrived in Tacloban City to offer assistance to the “Yolanda” victims on 17 November. The huge swath of devastation caused by the storm surges stunned Marcos, who said the extent of the damage was almost impossible to believe. “They have nothing. They have no homes, they have no water, they have nothing,” he said. Marcos said he came long after the day of devastation so as not to get in the way of the government relief efforts. “We did not want to come because if we had come we would have taken up resources and assets that were sorely needed at the time. You know if you come here, somebody will have to secure you, you will have to have a vehicle, you will have to have a place to stay, they will have to feed you. In the first few days they simply did not have those capabilities so we got out of the way and let people do what they could,” he said. Marcos told Tribune he spent the previous eight days in Manila coordinating the relief sent to donation centers by private donors. The Marcos family brought a ship and their donation of supplies to Surigao since there was congestion in Leyte. Between an Aquino, Romualdez His visit was significant because, among other things, in the heat of the recovery and relief mission, then-Interior Secretary Mar Roxas supposedly uttered to Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez the infamous line, “You have to understand, you’re a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino,” after city officials complained of the snail-paced government response. Marcos refused to comment on the criticism the government had been too slow and uncoordinated in responding to the devastation. The assessment can come later, he said. Eventually, Marcos commented that those in charge would have to admit to shortcomings. “For now, assisting the victims is of primary importance,” he said. “Could we have done better? Sure. Do we need to do more? Certainly. But this is not the time for all of this finger-pointing. This is the time to put our heads down and help the people who are suffering,” the senator said. Much later, Marcos called for a thorough investigation of the government response, primarily the reported dumping of hundreds of sacks of rice in a deep pit in the remote village of Dagami. “Various reports said the sacks of rice found in the pit bore markings of the NFA (National Food Authority) but there were also plastic bags marked DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) in the same pit,” according to Marcos. “Wasting rice is disgusting enough but if it turns out that these were relief goods, then it’s even more appalling. Somebody should answer for this,” Marcos asserted. Marcos lamented the slow pace of the government’s rehabilitation efforts in areas hardest hit by the typhoon despite billions of pesos allocated in the budget and from international donors. “What is disgusting is the government’s refusal to explain how the funds for ‘Yolanda’ victims were spent!” he fumed. “The government does not feel the need to explain itself in any way; never mind the tens of thousands that still live in makeshift homes, never mind that people have no jobs or sources of livelihood,” Marcos said. He said the late Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman could not wash her hands of responsibility for the wastage. “Soliman had admitted the rice and food packs were from the DSWD warehouses but clarified that they were intended to be distributed to those affected by typhoon ‘Ruby’ and typhoon ‘Glenda’ last year and not for the survivors of super-typhoon ‘Yolanda,’” he noted. According to Soliman, the DSWD is investigating why the relief goods were not given out. “Soliman cannot simply toss the responsibility for this mess to her underlings; she is the one ultimately responsible,” Marcos averred. The Commission on Audit tagged the DWSD for the spoilage of an estimated P2.8-million worth of relief goods intended for distribution to “Yolanda” survivors in 2013. “The DSWD claimed it had learned its lesson and even acquired a mechanized repacking system and yet this unconscionable wastage of relief goods continues to happen,” Marcos deplored. “According to Soliman, the buried goods were no longer fit for human consumption. Initial reports estimated that around 500 sacks of spoiled rice were disposed of in a 10-feet wide, 15-feet deep hole dug in Dagami.” “Can you imagine how many typhoon victims the DSWD could have helped with such an amount of relief goods? Surely, those responsible for this are unfit to be public servants. Someone should be held accountable,” Marcos concluded. (To be continued) The post Tribune, Marcos share good gov’t journey (20) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Feel like royalty at Tivoli’s Royal Lounge
When you’re starving, you want to wolf down on great food. You crave the familiar, the basic but lip-smacking delicious. You naturally pick your comfort food and wish to be satisfied, happy and full. [caption id="attachment_156739" align="aligncenter" width="525"] country burger.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_156741" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Pot roast beef braised in red wine.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_156742" align="aligncenter" width="525"] BBQ Pork Ribs.[/caption] That’s the idea behind the Royal Lounge, Tivoli Royale Country Club’s banner restaurant located on Yakal Street, Tivoli Royale Subdivision, Quezon City. It understands the concept of great food in a way that it does not need to impress. It just wants to make you happy. The al fresco poolside restaurant is unpretentious. Right next to a glistening turquoise pool, aesthetically pleasant dining tables and chairs are invitingly open to the hungry, or to big families with little kids, or to corporate yuppies for a hearty lunch meeting. The atmosphere at Royal Lounge is chill and friendly. The menu consists of familiar Filipino favorites but upgraded to an edgy hotel experience. Their chicken pork adobo, for example, has boiled egg and pickled papaya. They have pancit canton, beef nilaga, sinigang na sampaloc (pork or salmon, your choice) and even beef and ox tripe kare-kare. Their free-range chicken inasal with java rice is finger-licking good. At P580, it can serve up to three people. This popular Visayan dish of marinated chicken grilled over hot coals is mouthwatering, perfect for lunch after a dip in the pool. For shrimp enthusiasts, I highly recommend the Po’Boy — Louisiana-inspired crispy chunks of deep-fried freshwater shrimp sandwiched between Pistolet buns (all their yummy bread is baked in-house!), but made even more deliriously good with the Cajun spice blend, topped with pickle relish and remoulade sauce. Sous chef Jomhar Marcial’s Nasi Goreng is perhaps the ultimate breakfast meal. Inspired by Indonesia’s national dish, the rich and flavorful fried rice is cooked in a wok and served like a surprise underneath a perfectly concocted omelet and served with a side of chicken satay. Just opened a little over a year ago, the restaurant revamped its menu. Since then it has become quite popular not only among the country club members, but a favorite venue for social and corporate events for its pleasant and spacious area — and the scrumptious food. Thanks to executive chef Emmanuel “Jonnel” Roxas who specializes in Mediterranean cuisine and backed by experience in both hotel dining (the Sheraton Manila Bay, Pan Pacific Hotel Manila) and casual American dining (TGI Friday’s), the restaurant experience at Royal Lounge has elevated ever since his arrival. Chef Jonnel shared that he is collaborative, allowing his chefs in the kitchen to be creative and imaginative in putting their signature twist to already well-known dishes. But chef Jonnel says that he still makes sure that the food served to the members and guests is still familiar, because familiarity brings comfort. “Siyempre po, sa country club, normally, the families would want to have a place where they can relax and unwind, to bond,” he said. “Yung tema kasi dito is: ‘I want to eat something I can eat, and my family can eat’. The concept is familiarity.” “The guests are not going to spend a lot of time thinking what to eat, so they will get a burger, club sandwich, pizza — the familiar, humble and simple everyday favorites,” he further explained. But chef Jonnel’s creativity in these “simple” dishes is notable. His European taste, for example, is evident in his pot roast beef, braised in red wine sauce, as if you are tasting Julia Child’s recipe of Beef Bourguignon — designed for family dining. It is a savory delight, the beef melts in the mouth and you are suddenly transported to east-central France, in Burgundy. For young kids, the menu does not disappoint with a wide selection of meals that will keep them coming back: beef and bacon sliders, cheesy macaroni, mozzarella sticks and chicken tenders and fries, spaghetti and a lot more. The country club burger, meanwhile, is a sight to behold. Towering and crammed with cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, bacon and a fat, juicy patty in the center of it all, which is so thick it’s like meatloaf. I had to break it down just so I can fit every single layer in my mouth. The BBQ pork ribs with a side of corn is another memorable experience — fall-off-the-bone tender. But what truly made an impact on me was the new experience: Chef Jonnel’s Tapa Don Galo, a recipe close to his heart as he grew up in the coastal town of Don Galo in Paranaque, where tapas are the specialty. One spoonful of the Tapa Don Galo is like eating the complete tapsilog experience with fried garlic sprinkled on top. It is heavenly. It comes with four kinds of dipping sauces: banana ketchup, white vinegar, chopped chili and rock salt. Mix, match, ignore, you can customize your dipping sauce. But, personally, the tapa alone is a winner. Believe me, you will dream about it for days. If you are on the hunt for afive-star hotel dining experience of your all-time favorites and more, the Royal Lounge is the ideal place. Sure, you can get a burger anywhere, or a gising-gising, or a country-fried chicken, but what the Royal Lounge does is that it adds a magic sprinkle of specialness to every dish, making it still comfortable but deliciously unique. The post Feel like royalty at Tivoli’s Royal Lounge appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Yoga is better than heroin, says Blur’s Damon Albarn
British band Blur are back with a new album and reunion tour -- a chance to "time-travel" for band leader Damon Albarn, even if he admits the years are taking their toll. "The Ballad of Darren", only their second album in 20 years, came as a surprise to everyone -- members of Blur included. "I didn't tell anyone I was writing it," Albarn told AFP during a visit to Paris, saying it happened while touring with his other band, Gorillaz, in the United States last year. "I came back in January and said: 'Come to the studio, I've got something to play you.'" He presented the band with 20 songs and told them to pick their favourites for the album, which is out on July 21. They are a typically strong set of tunes, but mostly the softer Blur of "Tender" than the perky pop of "Girls and Boys" or grungey rock of "Song 2". "I'm a profoundly sadder person in my 50s," the singer offered as explanation, laughing as he said it. "It's OK -- I'm leaning into my sadness. It's not that far from happiness. I'm comfortable with melancholy." Indeed, Albarn admits his cheeky-chappy persona in the 1990s was never a natural fit. He thinks about that younger self as he considers the huge upcoming dates at Wembley -- England's national stadium -- which Blur never played at their peak. "That would have terrified me beyond comprehension. Panic attacks, everything," he said. "Yoga helped me massively. Firstly it was heroin, and obviously I knocked that on the head 100 years ago. And now yoga -- if I do it pretty much every day, I'm calm. That it's not taught in every school is absurd." He also takes heart from the surreal sight of all the young people coming to Blur concerts these days. "It's like time-travelling. The audience is young again," he said. "It's weird -- you forget where you are sometimes." - 'Struggle inhumanely' - Albarn was always the most restless of the Britpop stars, exploring new sounds and styles on each album. It brought global fame, but he said it cost him mainstream acceptance back home. "It feels good at the moment of course -- people have suddenly realised I exist again -- but it's been a while since England is a place where I feel welcome," he said. Albarn's desire for the spotlight is central to infectious recent single "The Narcissist", which sees him cast back to his teenage years "with my strobe light and mirror and synthesiser in my dark bedroom, playing along with my favourite records. "That was the beginning of my narcissism," he said, though the song is also about "the fact we live in the most narcissistic age of man ever". "I don't have a phone but I understand the principle. We all carry this machine that sends pictures of ourselves, we look at them, check them, we manufacture our own narcissism." Not that he enjoys writing lyrics. At all. "I struggle hugely, almost inhumanely, with my lyrics. There's always a month when I'm trying to finish the lyrics of something... ugh, it's awful." - 'Lost our minds' - Since Blur's first hiatus back in 2003, it has been France that has been more welcoming of Albarn's experimental projects, including a full opera he is planning at the Lido in Paris next year. "Last time I tried something like that in England, it was at the National Theatre and I ended up being bullied into doing a Christmas show for 'commercial concerns'," he said, spitting the last words. There are also happy memories from Blur's first visits to Paris: nights at the legendary Bains Douches club ("a fairly explicit place," Albarn deadpans), and the Refuge des Fondus in Montmartre, famous for serving its wine in baby bottles. "Imagine being a 21-year-old English lad and being given red wine in baby bottles and melted cheese. We lost our minds!" er/bp/fg © Agence France-Presse The post Yoga is better than heroin, says Blur’s Damon Albarn appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
The art of slowing down
One of the greatest secrets of octogenarians who are still active in the business world is this: “Never retire. If you do, then most certainly you will deteriorate.” How is this even possible? Truth be told, people who are naturally driven do not know the meaning of relaxing. They derive their strength and vitality from their highly motivated minds plus that regular flow of adrenaline running through their veins. It is what keeps them going. Their bodies have been so used to a steady supply of good stress hormones which guarantees their energy levels — physically and mentally. Yes, this approach works for some people. But others who are into their late ‘60s to early ‘70s wish they knew how to retire gracefully. Slowing down Now here is something interesting. Welcome to The World Institute of Slowness (www.theworldinstituteofslowness) founded by Geir Berthelsen. Here, they have another kind of mindset: Slowing down is good for you. But there is a formula to this which guarantees success. 1 Do not hurry. Being in this state guarantees making mistakes along the way. When you are hurrying, your stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline kick in. If their levels reach too high, then you will begin to feel uneasiness, weakness, palpitations and exhaustion. Take your time. [caption id="attachment_145470" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Photograph courtesy of unsplash/jeshoots | DO not hurry.[/caption] Daydreaming is good for you. Most of the time our minds are so focused on a task that it does not know anything else but to be determined, maybe even fixated on the job at hand. Let your mind lose on the playground of creativity by doing nothing. Simply, let go. Allow your mind to wander aimlessly and freely. It’s called going easy on your brain power. Respect the work-life balance. In short, when it’s time to work then do so. But do not allow it to cross over the boundary of your relaxation time. Therefore, do not take any work to your house. You will not be able to unwind when you should. Go to sleep. It is a major pillar of wellness. Good, quality sleep is what you need in order to regenerate while you are in bed. Value your sleep. Try to go to bed early and regularly. Try not to overload yourself. Even while at home, multi-tasking could be tempting. But in the end, it will only be detrimental to your health. Focus on one task at a time. Multi-tasking could lead to accidents. Keep a diary. Writing down your thoughts organizes you. It is good therapy for the brain. [caption id="attachment_145469" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Photograph courtesy of unsplash/lilartsy | keep a diary.[/caption] Learn to disengage and disconnect. Oftentimes, we get gadget overload along with over-exposure to electro-magnetic radiation. Give it a rest. Besides, gadgets heat up. This means that they too need to rest. So why shouldn’t you? Say no to distractions. That’s right. Sometimes it is difficult to shut out the noise of the world. But you can make an effort. Take a step back and value some silence. [caption id="attachment_145471" align="aligncenter" width="525"] photograph courtesy of unsplash/tony Sebastian | Take a step back and value some silence.[/caption] Slow down in everything you do. If you talk fast, try speaking in a calmer and steadier pace. Your heart will thank you for it. If you walk fast, start by taking longer but easier strides. And if you are a fast eater, take time to chew your food. This contributes to better digestion. Respect time. It will fly by you so fast. You cannot hold it back. So, give every second its proper place in your consciousness. Put it to good use. Affirmation: “I am dancing to life’s music — slowly and surely.” Love and Light. The post The art of slowing down appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Heat on brink of NBA Finals after 128-102 win over Celtics
The Miami Heat knocked the stuffing out of the Boston Celtics on Sunday, powering to a 128-102 victory to take a 3-0 stranglehold on the NBA Eastern Conference finals. The Heat, who host game four on Tuesday, are one win away from reaching the NBA Finals against either the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics meanwhile are battling the weight of history -- no NBA team has rallied from 0-3 down to win a best-of-seven playoff series. Heat talisman Jimmy Butler could afford a relatively quiet 16-point night as point guard Gabe Vincent led the way, connecting on 11 of 14 shots from the field, including six of nine from three-point range, on the way to a game-high 29 points. Duncan Robinson added 22 points off the bench for Miami, who are vying to become just the second eighth-seeded team -- after the 1999 New York Knicks -- to reach the NBA Finals. Unlike in their first two wins of the series in Boston, there would be no need for the Heat to claw back a double-digit deficit. In front of a pumped-up crowd at Kaseya Center in Miami, the Heat dominated, Boston unable to build on an early three-point lead in the face of a total team effort from the hosts on both ends of the floor. "I don't know if 'surprised' is the word," Vincent said of the lopsided result. "We played well tonight. We defended. We made shots. We forced them into turnovers." "The next game, the mentality is to come out and compete at a high level, defend, try to make the right read every time offensively and just play good basketball. "It's the first to four games. We are not satisfied with three." Boston star Jayson Tatum scored 14 points and Jaylen Brown added 12, but Tatum made just one of his seven three-point attempts and Brown missed all seven of his as the Celtics connected on just 11 of their 42 three-point attempts. Miami made 19 three-pointers on 39 attempts, connecting on 46 of their 81 shots overall. "As you can tell, the rim was as big as the ocean for everybody," said Miami center Bam Adebayo, who thrilled the crowd with a pair of alley oop dunks and a spin around Brown for a one-handed slam on the way to 13 points. "(We were) making the extra pass, making the right pass and everybody played together." Caleb Martin scored 18 points off the bench for Miami. Max Strus chipped in 10 and the Heat didn't miss a beat when veteran Kevin Love departed after less than five minutes with an ankle injury. The Heat closed a fast-paced, physical first quarter on a 9-2 scoring run to lead 30-22 and pushed their lead to as many as 22 points in the second quarter. Boston managed to cut the gap, but with the Celtics again struggling from three-point range and with turnovers, Miami's 61-46 halftime lead represented the biggest halftime deficit faced by Boston this post-season. There would be no re-set for the Celtics in the third quarter. They had managed to trim the deficit to 12 early in the second half, but Miami out-scored them 32-17 to take a 93-63 lead into the fourth. Tatum and Brown combined for just three baskets in the third, Miami's dominance evident on back-to-back Boston possessions midway through the period when Adebayo blocked Tatum's shot on one and Martin came up with a steal to set up a Strus three-pointer. The shell-shocked Celtics went more than three minutes in the period without scoring. "I don't even know where to start," Brown said. "I feel like we let our fan base, organization down, we let ourselves down, and it was collective. We could point fingers, but in reality, it was just embarrassing." Boston's first-year coach Joe Mazzulla, who took the helm after Ime Udoka was abruptly suspended before the season for an improper workplace relationship, took the blame for the Celtics' disjointed performance. "I just didn't have them ready to play," Mazzulla said. "Whether it was the starting lineup or it was an adjustment, I have to get them in a better place ready to play, and that's on me." The post Heat on brink of NBA Finals after 128-102 win over Celtics appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Butler brilliance as Miami stun Boston
Jimmy Butler led a fourth-quarter fightback as the Miami Heat stunned the Boston Celtics 111-105 to take a 2-0 lead in their NBA Eastern Conference finals series on Friday. Miami talisman Butler finished with 27 points as the eighth seeds grabbed a second straight victory at Boston's TD Garden to leave the Celtics with a mountain to climb if they are to reach the NBA finals. Miami had trailed by 11 points early in the fourth quarter and the Celtics led by as much as nine with under seven minutes of the final frame remaining. But Butler led a sensational 20-9 Miami run in the final minutes of the fourth quarter that turned the game on its head and leaves his team just two wins away from returning to the NBA finals as the best-of-seven series heads to Miami for games three and four. "We got some dogs, and I love it, I love every bit of it," an elated Butler said during an on-court interview after the Miami win. "Guys never quit, guys never give up, we love playing with one another -- we got so much faith and trust in one another." Nine of Butler's 27 points came during the fourth-quarter rally, with the Miami star seemingly fired up after an angry nose-to-nose exchange with Boston's Grant Williams midway through the fourth quarter. At that stage in the game, Boston led 96-89, but Miami launched a devastating late run that turned the contest decisively in favor of the Heat. "Just healthy competition, and I love it," Butler said afterwards of his exchange with Williams. "I'm always here to compete, I like to talk at times, as long as we get the win I'm good with it though." Butler received offensive support from Caleb Martin with 25 points off the bench, while Bam Adebayo delivered another all-round effort with 22 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists. Duncan Robinson added 15 points from the bench including three three-pointers. A shellshocked Boston meanwhile were left reflecting on another shattering defeat at home despite 34 points from Jayson Tatum. Jaylen Brown finished with 16 points but had a wayward shooting night, making only 7-of-23 from the field, while Robert Williams III and Malcolm Brogdon had 13 points apiece. Game three takes place in Miami on Sunday. The post Butler brilliance as Miami stun Boston appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Marita Tan Gaddi: Beautiful, energetic and carefree at 94
An amazing lady! That’s how I would describe the nonagenarian Marita Tan Gaddi whom I recently met when her daughter Susan Gaddi Campos, not surprisingly as gorgeous and svelte as she, invited me to a merienda at the Valle Verde Clubhouse. I first became aware of Marita — if I may dare call her by her first name — when I saw Susan’s post about her mom joining the Zumba session at the Valle Verde Country Club, her stomping ground. Realizing she is “young” at 94 and dancing like anyone from 18 to 28 to 48, I could not help being both bewildered and impressed. I told myself: “I have to meet her.” If anyone had found the fountain of youth, it had to be this lady. Rustan’s Young VIP Our introduction to each other came easy because I had met her daughter Susan more than a year earlier. A columnist in the social set section that I edit, Agile Zamora, and Susan are Facebook friends. When I saw Susan’s name on Agile’s friends list, I sent her a friend request. Hers is a familiar name from the mid-1970s when I often saw her pictures on the covers and inside pages of the iconic Women’s Journal, a lifestyle magazine that was the number one reading fare of Filipino women from the 1950s to the 1980s, among other lifestyle magazines. Susan, during her cover girl days, was a member of the Rustan’s Department Store’s Young VIP Council. These were young ladies who belonged to good families, studied in exclusive schools and typified the image of the trendy and personable young Filipina. They modelled clothes designed by Rustan’s in-house designers and well-known European couturiers. Having come across Susan again via FB, it wasn’t long before I featured her as a well-dressed do-gooding young matron — she being the founder of the Ladies of Manila, a group engaged in philanthropic projects. When I finally met Susan in person, she was, of course, with her mom, the foremost reason for our meeting. With us was Susan’s businessman husband, Bunny Kretzschmar Campos. In our conversation, Marita shared that she enjoys walking and dancing. At home, she exercises by going up and down the stairs by herself. To my surprise, she revealed that she loves crispy pata, lechon kawali, sans rival, bibingka, halo-halo and ice cream. She also drinks Coke every day. Other than dancing, she also loves to sing — both passions dating back to her youth. Daughter’s wedding gown I asked her how she had been able to overcome the challenges that she undoubtedly faced through the years. Her reply? “I just adjust to a situation. If I can do something about it, I will do my part. But if it requires something beyond my capability, I make the most of the situation.” While mother and daughter are both lovely and light in complexion, Susan pointed out, “We’re very different in temperament. She’s feisty and I’m the exact opposite.” Expectedly, their bonding moments have been memorable. “She sewed my wedding gown,” Susan said. They also counsel each other. “Her best advice to me is ‘Use your God-given talents,’” Susan confided. Of her mom’s kindness and generosity, Susan related her unforgettable story. “I was in Grade 4. The day before our class excursion, my mom asked me what I wanted to bring for snacks and, without batting an eyelash, I told her I would love to have pancakes. The following day, I wondered why my lunch and snack bag was heavy. During snack time, I was surprised to see several layers of pancakes. I shared them with some classmates but still had a lot of untouched and uneaten pancakes. While we were enjoying our break, an old woman approached us. She was begging for food so I gave her the remaining pancakes. She looked inside the bag, immediately found a place to sit and started devouring the pancakes. “When I got home, my mom asked me if I shared the pancakes with my classmates. I told her I did but I gave the rest to a pitiful old woman who was begging for food. She smiled at me and said, ‘I did the right thing,’ and that she was so pleased that a small act of kindness could go a long way.” [caption id="attachment_133786" align="aligncenter" width="525"] MARITA Gaddi[/caption] An only child According to Susan, her mom Marita “grew up in Manila. She’s half-Chinese. Her father came from mainland China, while her mother was mestiza Filipina. She was an only child. When her father suddenly passed away in Samar, they moved to Manila.” Susan related: “My mother spent most of her childhood as an intern at Sta Isabel College. She was a consistent honor student and she wrote for their school paper. During her free time, she would practice new dance steps with her friends. She enjoyed singing too. She had a beautiful voice, and they fondly called her the Jo Stafford of the Philippines. After high school, she married a pre-med student, Rodolfo Gaddi, who eventually graduated fourth place in the dental board exam. They had five children, four girls and a boy. It has been years since Marita was widowed. To this day, she has remained physically sound, mentally alert and capable of independent action, whether walking, dancing to the tune of lively music or going up and down the stairs. She also loves doing crossword puzzle. But of her many traits, her being prayerful and grateful tops the reasons for her joyful life. Fortunate woman A living testimony to the positive results of joie de vivre, Marita can openly say that even if she has defied certain rules of healthy living, she has kept her youthful strength and vitality. But on the other hand, she has always been an “action woman” in the literal sense of the word, not one to stay put and let things pass her by. “I have also been always optimistic and grateful for life’s blessings,” Marita told me with her eyes glowing and full of sincerity. If Marita is a fortunate woman, her children and grandchildren are even more fortunate for they continue to enjoy her caring and gentle presence. If at all, she is the best reminder to the younger generations that there is life beyond the usual 60 or 70 or, in this case, even 80 and 90. The Lord, indeed, has blessed her with so much grace. The post Marita Tan Gaddi: Beautiful, energetic and carefree at 94 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Grizzlies hold off Lakers to level series 1-1
The Memphis Grizzlies shook off the absence of star guard Ja Morant to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 103-93 on Wednesday and knot their NBA Western Conference playoff series at one game apiece. Xavier Tillman scored 22 points and pulled down 18 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies, who led by as many as 20 points in a bruising battle that saw Lakers center Anthony Davis suffer a small cut on his right eyelid and LeBron James drawn into a verbal back and forth with Dillon Brooks. With All-Star point guard Morant ruled out with a bruised right hand, the Grizzlies clamped down defensively, Tillman saying their message to Morant was "we've got his back, and we're going to hold it down for him." Tillman keyed Memphis's quick start, connecting on his first six shots and finishing 10-of-13 from the floor. The Grizzlies led by as many as 16 points on the way to a 59-44 halftime lead as the harried Lakers failed to find a way to get their offense firing. Davis blocked five shots in the first half but connected on just one of nine shot attempts. He finished with 13 points on four-of-14 shooting. James led all scorers with 28 points and Japan's Rui Hachimura added 20 to become the first Laker to score 20 points off the bench in back-to-back playoff games since Magic Johnson in 1996. But unlike in game one, there would be no late resurgence for the Lakers, the Grizzlies absorbing the Lakers' second-half push. Jaren Jackson Jr., the newly named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, scored 18 points, Desmond Bane added 17 and Brooks chipped in 12. Tyus Jones, starting in place of Morant, added 10 and eight assists. After the Grizzlies pushed their lead to 20 points early in the third quarter, the Lakers began to push back. Two baskets and two free throws from James launched a 17-3 Lakers scoring run that sliced the deficit to six points, but that's as close as they would get the rest of the way. Now, Tillman said, the Grizzlies will summon a "road warrior mentality" for game three of the best-of-seven series in Los Angeles on Saturday. Antetokounmpo ruled out Elsewhere the Milwaukee Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo as they tried to claw back a victory against the Miami Heat in their Eastern Conference first-round series. Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, suffered a lower back contusion in the first quarter of the Eastern Conference top seeds' 130-117 loss in game one on Sunday. The Bucks, the top seeds in the East and owners of the best regular-season record in the league, had hoped he would be fit to return but he was ruled out less than two hours before tip-off. "He's continued to improve," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game. "But organizationally, talking and working with him and the sports performance group, a decision was made. He's out." Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, meanwhile, sought to extend their series lead over Minnesota when they hosted the Timberwolves in game two of their Western Conference clash. The post Grizzlies hold off Lakers to level series 1-1 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Grizzlies’ Jackson named NBA Defensive Player of the Year
Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., the NBA's leading shot blocker for a second consecutive season, was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Monday. The 23-year-old American, in his fifth NBA season all spent with the Grizzlies, won the award for the first time with 56 of 100 first-place votes and 391 total points from a global media panel. Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks was second with 309 points and 31 first-place votes while Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers was third with 101 points. Jackson became the second-youngest player to win the NBA top defender award after Dwight Howard in 2009. Jackson, whose father spent 13 seasons in the NBA and helped the San Antonio Spurs win an NBA crown in 1999, led the NBA with 3.0 blocked shots a game. "You really put yourself second and everything that has to do with the team is first," Jackson said. "(My dad) always did that in his career... he always wanted to play winning basketball. He was thankful enough to win a championship and that's what I'm trying to do now, get one of my own." Jackson also averaged 18.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals a contest for a Memphis club that ranked third defensively in the NBA and finished second in the Western Conference at 51-31. "Team defense really helps us go a long way," Jackson said. Jackson held opponents to an NBA-low 46.9% as the closest defender at the rim but is working to be more of a scoring threat as well. "I'm trying to put it all together, be the best you can be, be a good all-around player," Jackson said. "The greatest two-way players, they had to do a lot. Had to have the endurance to be on both ends. It was really my pops. He had me working on all kinds of crazy stuff in the gym." Lopez averaged 2.5 blocked shots a game, sharing second in the NBA, as well as 15.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists a game. Mobley 16.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 blocked shots a game. The post Grizzlies’ Jackson named NBA Defensive Player of the Year appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Butler, Strus lead Heat past Bulls and into playoffs
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat caught fire down the stretch to beat the Chicago Bulls 102-91 and reach the NBA playoffs on Friday, as the Minnesota Timberwolves dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder to book their postseason berth. Miami, smarting from a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, clinched the Eastern Conference's eighth and final seed to set up a meeting with the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks starting on Sunday. Minnesota meanwhile will face Western Conference top seeds Denver in the first round of the playoffs after a comprehensive 120-95 blowout of Oklahoma City. While Minnesota romped into the postseason, Miami's clash with Chicago went down to the wire before Butler, helped by the three-pointers of Max Strus, secured victory for Erik Spoelstra's team. Butler put up 31 points, a tally matched by Strus who shot 7-12 on three-pointers, including a crucial 26-foot jumper with 1:14 left that put Miami 96-91 up. For Strus, who grew up as a Bulls fan in the suburbs of Chicago and was released by them before joining Miami, it was a sweet night. "It's huge. It doesn't really matter who we're playing - we had to win this one, no matter what. It was win or go home and we're not done yet. "So we want to keep playing and it's good to get that one. But it does feel a little bit better against them, I'm not gonna lie," he said. Strus secured the win with three free throws after he was fouled by Alex Caruso as he tried to make a throw from the corner. The Heat had been 14 points up in the first quarter but a 12-2 run from the Bulls in the third leveled the game up at 56-56. A Zach LaVine dunk then put Chicago up for the first time since the opening basket of the game and three three-pointers early in the fourth from Coby White ensured the Bulls were 90-87 with three minutes to go. But then Butler and Strus took control. Butler was fouled while making a lay-up and then Bam Adebayo, who grabbed 17 rebounds, sank two free throws after he was fouled by Nikola Vucevic to make it 93-90. Butler set up Strus for a three-pointer before he then made sure of the victory from the free-throw line. The Heat had found themselves in the elimination game after losing their opening play-in game to the Atlanta Hawks and faced the prospect of being the first divisional winner not to make the playoffs. "I don't think any of us felt any type of pressure. We went out, we competed, we played the right way, corrected some things, and did what we were supposed to do," said Butler. DeMar DeRozan topscored for the Bulls with 26 points and nine assists. There is little time for Miami to savor the victory however as their playoff series against the Bucks begins in Milwaukee on Sunday. "Man, it's going to be tough," said Butler, "But I think we got a shot. A really good shot at that. As long as we stick together. I'm telling you, we're a really good team and we're going to go out there and play," he said. In Minneapolis, the Timberwolves put their team's recent turbulence behind them to demolish Oklahoma City. Minnesota finished the regular season in disarray, with team-mates Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson involved in a sideline punch-up in their final regular season game last Sunday. Gobert was subsequently suspended for Tuesday's play-in defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers, but returned on Friday to contribute 21 points in a convincing victory. Minnesota led by as many as 29 points at one stage in the fourth quarter and were up by double digits for most of the second half. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves scoring with 28 points while all five starters finished in double figures. The post Butler, Strus lead Heat past Bulls and into playoffs appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Rower Nievarez out of Olympic medal contention
Nievarez, who earned an outright berth to the quarterfinals after finishing third in his heat last Friday, clocked 7:50.57 for fifth place. He was a good 34 seconds off of third placer Mindaugas Griskonis of Lithunia......»»
Where have you Christians been?
WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD It happened in China a few years before the Communists expelled the missionaries. A foreign Catholic missionary came upon an old woman by the wayside, deserted, cold, and hungry. “Why do you bother about me?” the old lady whispered feebly when the priest tried to help her as best as he could. “Nobody else cares. Why should you?” * * * “God said to go out over the world and help everyone who is in need,” the priest said. Pondering over the words of the priest, she said, “What a beautiful religion. Where did it come from? ” * * * Whereupon the priest started to tell her about God who loves us and sent his own Son Jesus Christ to save us. “Your Christ,” the old woman went on, “Where is He?” When the priest said He died two thousand years ago, she was amazed. “Do you mean to say that it has been two thousand years since Christ commanded his followers to spread his teachings? Why, where have you Christians been all this time?” * * * This might well be the pointed question addressed to us as we celebrate World Mission Sunday today. Before ascending to heaven, Jesus commanded his apostles: “Go out into the whole world and proclaim the Good News to every nation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk 16,15). * * * Pope Francis gave the Church his first apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). In it he proposed a profound missionary renewal of the entire Church. He asserted that we need an “evangelizing Church that comes out of herself…All renewal in the Church must have mission as its goal; otherwise, it falls prey to a kind of ‘ecclesial introversion.’” * * * How can we be an “evangelizing Church”? Obviously, not all can go out of their country to reach out to peoples who have not known Christ. If some heroic Christians can do it as missionaries, great. But for most of us, all that we can do is be missionaries at home. * * * Remember St. Therese of the Child Jesus? She is the universal patroness of Catholic missions yet, ironically, she never stepped out of the four walls of her Carmelite cloister! She merited the title because of her burning obsession to save souls by offering every little act, every bodily pain for the conversion of immortal souls. * * * When I was ordained priest in our missionary congregation, Society of the Divine Word (SVD), I applied to work in Mexico, Central America. Unfortunately I never got my wish. The farthest I’ve gone to is Mexico… Pampanga! * * * That doesn’t mean, however, that I am not a genuine missionary. By my work in the media or supporting seminarians under the “Adopt A Seminarian” scholarship program, I am a missionary. What counts is not geography, but the missionary spirit or attitude. In this connection, let’s not be missionaries only on Mission Sunday. As a good Christian, the mission spirit should be an all-time continuing attitude and action. * * * Further, you can be missionaries by means of extending financial assistance. Be generous and share your resources for the support of missionaries. Money is a necessity in the work of evangelization. Churches, schools, convents, clinics, social centers are needed, especially in the “bush” mission. * * * Every Christian is a missionary. Are you doing your share? * * * LAUGH WITH GOD. A parish priest was making an impassioned appeal to the parish council for the annual mission collection. Great was everybody’s surprise when the wealthiest but tight-fisted member of the council rose and offered to start the collection rolling with a contribution of P500. * * * As he stood up to hand in the amount, a mild earthquake took place and some plaster from the ceiling fell and hit him on the head. A bit shaken, he withdrew the amount and said, “I guess I’d better make that P5,000.” A small voice from the back was heard, “Hit him again, Lord.” (It’s not known if he gave some more!). * * * HELPING MISSIONARY SEMINARIANS. We Filipinos are blessed because there are still a good number of young men who wish to become priests and missionaries. But they have difficulty in pursuing their priestly vocation due to financial constraints, especially this time of the COVID-19 crisis. * * * Chip in or sponsor a year’s scholarship of a seminarian. REMEMBER: Without seminarians, we cannot have priests and missionaries. For inquiry, e-mail me at belsvd@gmail.com. * * * FAMILY TV MASS – is aired on 5PLUS Channel 59, Cignal Cable Ch. 6, Free TV Ch. 41 at 6-7 a.m. Sunday and anytime at “MCFI SVD Media” Account on YouTube and Facebook Page. Priest presider: FR. LOUIE PUNZALAN, SVD......»»
Heat oust depleted Bucks to reach NBA East finals; Lakers down Rockets, up 2-1
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat drives to the basket against the Milwaukee Bucks during Game Five of the Eastern Conference semifinals of the NBA Playoffs on September 8, 2020 at The Field House in Orlando, Florida. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images/AFP) MIAMI (AFP) — The Miami Heat punched their ticket to the NBA Eastern Conference finals Tuesday, beating top-seeded Milwaukee 103-94 as injured Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo watched from the bench. Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic finished with 17 points apiece as six Heat players scored in double figures and Miami completed a 4-1 series victory in a bruising encounter against the league’s top defensive team. Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 23 points. Antetokounmpo — tipped to scoop a second straight NBA Most Valuable Player award this season — aggravated his sprained right ankle in the first half of the Bucks’ game-four overtime victory over the Heat. The Bucks declared him inactive less than an hour before tipoff on Tuesday. The loss of Antetokounmpo, who averaged career highs of 29.5 points and 13.6 rebounds per game this season, was a huge blow for the Bucks, as they tried to do what no NBA team has done before: come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a seven-game playoff series. It’s the second straight campaign that the Bucks built the best regular-season record only to come up short in the playoffs. In 2019 they fell to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors in six games in the Eastern Conference finals. The fifth-seeded Heat will face either the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors for a place in the NBA Finals. The Celtics lead their series against the defending NBA champion Raptors three games to two. Butler, who added 10 rebounds and six assists and was a perfect eight-for-eight from the foul line, said the Heat’s impressive 8-1 record so far in the playoffs means nothing now. “All of that is behind us now,” he said. “We’ll wait and see who we get out of Toronto and Boston and then we’ll lock in on that. “But it’s zero-zero now, we’ve got eight more to get.” The Heat trailed 28-19 after a chaotic first quarter in which they committed six turnovers leading to nine Bucks points. They trailed by as many as 13 in the first period, but settled down in the second, out-scoring the Bucks 33-18 to take a 52-46 lead into halftime. But Milwaukee, with Middleton leading the way, refused to go away. After going scoreless for more than six minutes in the third period the Bucks put together an 8-0 run to pull within five points. Trailing 73-65 going into the final period, the Bucks trimmed the deficit to four multiple times, but the Heat’s depth finally proved too much. “Obviously they missed their MVP,” Butler said. “But we knew we were going to have to get one out of the mud and I think this was the one.” Antetokounmpo said he felt “lost” as he was unable to contribute. “Mentally it was a battle, but at the end of the day you’ve got to trust your teammates and that’s what I decided to do,” he said after the Bucks medical staff persuaded him not to risk further injury by playing. LeBron leads Lakers LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers, left, drives the ball against Ben McLemore #16 of the Houston Rockets during the second quarter in Game Three of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 08, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (AFP) In Western Conference action, LeBron James scored 36 points and Anthony Davis added 26 as the Los Angeles Lakers powered to the finish in a 112-102 victory over the Houston Rockets. The Lakers grabbed a 2-1 series lead and James notched an NBA record 162nd career playoff win. “It says that I’ve played with a lot of great teams,” said James, who won two NBA titles with the Miami Heat and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers. “It says that I’ve played with a lot of great teammates and some great coaches.” James Harden scored 33 points with nine rebounds and nine assists and Russell Westbrook added 30 points for Houston in a back and forth battle that saw 16 lead changes. The Lakers’ reserves scored 42 points, with Houston’s only points off the bench the 16 of Jeff Green. Rajon Rondo, who scored 21 off the bench for Los Angeles, hit back-to-back three-pointers and came up with a steal and layup as the Lakers surged ahead with a 17-5 scoring run to start the fourth quarter. After putting up 64 points in the first half Houston scored just 38 in the second and the Lakers posted their second straight win of the series. There was a frightening moment in the fourth quarter, as Robert Covington and Davis collided as Davis rose for a rebound. Davis’s elbow appeared to hit Covington in head and he left the court holding a bloodied towel to his face, while Davis was hurting from Covington’s elbow in his side......»»
2020 NBA Champion doesn t deserve dreaded 'asterisk'
Take your asterisk and file it somewhere else. For former NBA champion Glen Rice, the winner of the 2020 NBA title will be a deserving one. It certainly shouldn't be subject to to any asterisks even as the NBA season was postponed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If anything, the season delay and the fact that NBA teams had to be subjected inside the bubble for the duration of the playoffs plus an additional eight seeding games makes this year's champion all the more celebrated. "When you have what's going on around everyone, trying to maintain a safe lifestyle in the bubble, at the same time staying aware of what's going on outside the bubble and the nuances that can go as far as COVID creeping in there, if you can get champion out everything that's going on that's really easy to distract you from basketball, I think that's a huge plus for these guys," Rice said in an interview set up by NBA Philippines. "That just goes to show you how determined and focused they were," he added. The 2020 NBA Champion will be one of the few crowned during a season where teams played less than then 82 regular season games. The 2012 Miami Heat and 1999 San Antonio Spurs won their respective titles during lockout-shortened seasons. Still, those teams don't deserve asterisks shouldn't they? Do the 2019 Raptors deserve an asterisk because Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson were injured in the last two games of the Finals? Do the mid-1990s Houston Rockets deserve an asterisk because Michael Jordan chose to play baseball? Each NBA champion will be unique in their own way, Rice says there should be no reason why the 2020 NBA winner should be looked at any differently just because of the current world circumstances. "I think you will see a lot of people saying something different, perhaps having that asterisk. But I think more importantly, people need to realize is that this is different and I'm talking about in a positive way," he said. "This is something that we've never seen in sports. To crown a champion in this environment right now, I think that says a lot about the players and coaches who go out there and do what they gotta do," Rice added. The 2020 NBA playoffs tip off Monday (Tuesday in Manila) with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers leading the East and West, respectively. The Bucks open round 1 against the Orlando Magic while the Lakers battle the Portland Trail Blazers. Defending champion Toronto Raptors take on the Brooklyn Nets while the Boston Celtics meet the Philadelphia 76ers. The Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat complete the East bracket. In the Western Conference, the no. 2 Los Angeles Clippers open things up against the Dallas Mavericks. The Denver Nuggets take on division rival Utah Jazz while the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder duke it out in a best-of-7. — Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8.....»»
PBA players too good for press defense says coach Franz
Back when he was with De La Salle University, Franz Pumaren had the Green Archers punish opponents with an intense pressing defense. It proved to be pretty effective, resulting in five La Salle championships in the UAAP. Eventually, Pumaren had his chance in the PBA. His Air21 Express came one win away from taking down San Mig Coffee in the semifinals of the 2014 Commissioner's Cup. Of course, the Mixers ended up with a Grand Slam that particular season. Coach Franz likewise had an on-and-off relationship with the Globalport Batang Pier. In his time coaching in the PBA, coach Franz realized that his greatest college weapon might be just best left in the amateurs. "The players there [PBA] are on another level," Pumaren said, talking about his press defense on Coaches Unfiltered. "So once in a while, maybe you can force them to turnovers but after that, they know how to handle the pressure," coach Franz added. It doesn't mean that the press defense has no place in the pros. However, that kind of defensive scheme may be too simple, and too tiresome, to exclusively implement on a full 48-minute game in the PBA. "Pwede naman to slow down, but you have to understand in the PBA, you're playing 48 minutes," Pumaren said. "Once is a while siguro pag surprise, pero you can't really do that pag 48 minutes of trying to press them," he added. — Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8.....»»