Converge Could Win Quarterfinals

In 2014, a young San Miguel Beermen team did the impossible. It was down 0 - 3 in the finals against Alaska. But they came back and won 4 straight to win the All Filipino Championship.

10 years later, Converge (formerly Alaska) could give SMB payback of sorts. They were down, 0 - 2, in this current quarterfinals series, but they came back with 2 straight wins, and could potentially upset the reigning MVP's team and head to the semifinals.

This could also be the moment Alex Cabagnot has been waiting for, ever since being traded to the Terrafirma Dyip, despite being part of the Death 5, and in my opinion, was probably the glue and the source of positivity in that old San Miguel Beermen team that won so many championships.

It remains to be seen, hours from now, if these musings are true.

But it is amazing what belief - the belief that you can win over a giant, even though you are a younger and more inexperienced team. And that game winning shot by Alex Stockton was all it took to start that small fire. The belief that they can take down the SMB Juggernaut has started. And even if they don't do it this conference, that far can only grow and burn brighter in the future.

LTO Car Registration Renewal 2024

 

Emission Testing 500

Insurance at LTO 1250

Cashier 1610

Total Spent 3360

I have to say that for the first time since I've went to the LTO years ago to handle the car's registration renewal, the corruption feels lessened. Gone are the stencil personnel asking for money. In their place are just people who take photos of the vehicle as it undergoes tests.

The "mandatory" LTO insurance is still around the premises, but they are no longer required. You can actually avail of the insurance at the emission testing center according to some drivers I met. I wonder if the cost is cheaper at the emission testing center. At least the price was back to 1250 from last year's 1550.

The process was a bit disorderly since there was no longer any forms that needed to be filled out. You just submit all the necessary requirements (ORCR, Emission Test Result, Insurance) at Window A before they tell you to have the car checked by their personnel, and after that's done, you wait at the Cashier section to pay LTO fee.

Converge Beats San Miguel

For the first time in the quarterfinals of the current PBA season, Converge finally beats San Miguel after going down 0 - 2 after a buzzer beater by Alex Stockton that broke a tied game. San Miguel was leading by as much as 25 points in the 3rd quarter, but instead of having the killer instinct to end the series, San Miguel fell into the same old habits that cost it the last championship against Meralco.

San Miguel is an aging team with no plans of improving it's roster with fresh young talent. In the last couple of seasons, all it has added are Don Trollano and Chris Rosales, two veteran players who have been in the league for quite some time. San Miguel needs to get a young power forward or center that can help improve its interior defense. Someone who can plug the lanes and block shots, like an Arwind Santos several years ago.

On the other hand, Alfrancis Chua loves Ginebra so much that Ginebra has added Jaime Malonzo, Jeremiah Gray, Maverick Ahamisi, before this year's blockbuster steal of a trade where they got RJ Abarrientos, Stephen Holt, and Isaac Go. And even with Isaac Go getting injured, they get to reactivate Joe De Vans out of a 2 year hiatus.

Even sister team Magnolia has had better reinforcement in that it got 2nd year player Zav Lucero in exchange for Jio Jalalon who was always a defensive liability whenever Magnolia went with a small lineup.

But San Miguel at least won one championship last season and would have won 2 if it had a better killer instinct. One might also surmise that Chris Ross, Marcio Lassiter, and Jun Mar Fajardo probably decided to give Chris Newsome one, after developing a strong bond in the Gilas program, but this is probably just hearsay.

But going back to Converge, one can't help but be excited for this team because they already beat San Miguel without Justin Baltazar. Think Duncan and Robinson. I think that Converge will be a force to reckon with in the future since it will probably have the strongest front court combination if Balti and Arana can work together. And give Caralipio more playing time. He might become what Michael Jhonard is for Rain or Shine.

If I were to make bold predictions, I think Ginebra will win over San Miguel in the Semis. And TNT will win over Rain or Shine (which is a shame since a healthy Aaron Fuller might have given them a chance against TNT).

So a finals with TNT vs Ginebra? I would have to give it to RHJ. But whether or not my predictions come true remains to be seen.

No Video Again

Reseated both RAM sticks. No go. Placed only one RAM stick at a time and tried alternate slots. No go. Brought the tower back to the repair shop and the power supply was diagnosed to be the culprit. Paid  PHP 2500 for the power supply and 600 for the repair.

Revisiting Childhood Places

Yesterday, as we celebrated Mothers' Day, we went back to Mandaluyong to try and retrace the places where we used to live. 

The first place we explored was Santo Rosario. Gone is the old Raymond Theatre where we used to watch movies like Red Sonia or Di Bale Na Lang. My kindergarten school ran by Ms. Walo was also no longer there. The apartment where we used to live is either no longer there or has expanded that we no longer recognize it. The junkshop next to it is also no longer there and has probably been replaced by a house.

The Munisipyo is filled with high rise buildings. I no longer saw the playgrounds where we used to spend our time on swings and slides. And I could no longer see the stage where my kindergarten graduation rites were held. 

We went to R.O. Santos. The street felt more crowded with cars parked left and right. We did not recognize the house of Mrs. Cityar which used to have a Sari-Sari store in front, and a big gate for delivery trucks to pass through. She used to have a packaging plant where they repacked shampoos and other stuff. And our apartment was a small 2 bedroom unit tucked away in their lot's corner.

We saw Good Shepherd Christian School at the end of R.O. Santos. The school has expanded to it's left side. I still saw the school grounds where we held our flag ceremonies in the morning. But the buildings were taller and now made of concrete. We took a picture in front of the old school gate.

The church of the Good Shepherd was still in front. It's façade has been improved. But it still reminds me of the old design. This church building was where we held our recognition rites for grades 1 and 2. It was also where we performed My Little Drummer Boy and Itik Itik sa Manila Zoo.

Thank you Lord for allowing us to revisit the places where I spent some of my childhood years.

Second Memory Stick Caused Blackscreen

Computer would turn on but end up with a black screen (lights on the motherboard were on). Swapped monitors and made sure each monitor was doing the power on self test. Both monitors were ok.

Stripped the PC down to just the motherboard, processor, and power supply. Was expecting beep codes but the board just lit up and seemed ok. So I couldn't really tell which component was causing the problem.

Returned both memory sticks (and this was my error). Still tried to see if there would be a change in the monitor screen, but still just a black screen.

Decided to go the the computer repair shop. Technician was excellent. He retained one memory stick and the PC was finally able to boot up and reach BIOS. He tried to return the second memory stick and the black screen problem returned.

Was forced to upgrade to two 8 GB DDR4 memory sticks since they no longer sold 4 GB DDR4s. Sales person said that I could run the 4 GB alongside the 8 GB, but that the two would settle for the lower frequency. So instead, just bought two new memory sticks for better performance.

God is good. That was still cheaper than having to replace the motherboard and processor.

LTO Non-professional Driver's License Renewal 2024

Went to SM North Annex Basement to have my Non-professional Driver's License renewed for 10 years.

I already printed out my passing results for the CDE from the LTMS portal.

Started at Window 1. Took a number. When called, they assessed my existing driver's license and exam results. Was then given the go signal to proceed to the medical clinic.

Clinic had me fill out a form to assess my medical history. I then took the physical exam which was mainly reading an Eye chart.

After passing, submitted the medical exam results to Window 2. Paid the renewal fee at the Cashier, then waited to be called.

Finally was sent inside the LTO office for biometrics and picture taking. Received the printed temporary license since to plastic cards were available. (Other drivers I've talked to said the plastic cards were unavailable since 2023).

Here are the fees I had to pay that day.

1. Medical Fee - 600 pesos
2. LTO License Renewal Fee - 585 pesos
3. SM Service Charge - 5 pesos

All in all, spent 1190 pesos.

Since I had no existing violations, my license has been renewed until 2034. Will just have to wait for the plastic card ID once it is available.

Hope this helps as a guide for other people who are planning on renewing their driver's license this 2024.