Adding a Larger DDR4 Memory Stick

My existing desktop has two memory slots. The memory in the existing slot was a 4 GB Hyper X DDR4 with a frequency of 2400 MHz. I asked the PC salesperson if it was alright to add an 8 GB memory module with the same specs. He said it would be alright as long as the frequencies matched. So I purchased an 8 GB Hyper X DDR4 module with a frequency of 2400 MHz.

When I got home, I simply plugged in the new memory module in the second slot. No Video. The computer would not even reach BIOS. But it was running. And there weren't any weird noises or beep codes. I decided to re-seat the new memory module, hoping things would change. Still no video.

I took out the 4 GB module and replaced it with the new 8 GB memory module. Finally, a message to go into BIOS since the existing memory has changed. BIOS showed that the memory module size was indeed 8 GB. Saved the changes and exited BIOS.

Shut the PC down and decided to add the 4 GB module at the secondary slot. A new message stating that the existing memory has changed again showed up on the screen. BIOS was now showing 12 GB of total memory.

Morale of the story. When adding a larger memory module of the same frequency, make sure the larger module is placed in the primary memory slot on the mother board.

Addendum: It seems like systems running Windows 10 need about 8 GB as minimum memory to run decently. Browsers - be it Firefox or Chrome - need about 4 GB memory, and if that is the minimum amount of memory you have on your PC, then it is subject to a lot of slow downs.

Everlasting God (We Set Our Hope) Guitar Chords

Here's my attempt at the praise and worship song, Everlasting God. Hope you are blessed by it.

STANZA
G
The Lord is my light and salvation
Bm                 F#m
Whom shall I fear, whom shall I be afraid
(Repeat)

REFRAIN
                G
I will wait for you
                Bm   F#m
I will wait for you, yeah
(Repeat)

CHORUS
Em     D      Bm            A     Em             D               A 
I will remain confident in this "I will see the goodness of the Lord"
Em     D      Bm            A     Em             D               A 
I will remain confident in this "I will see the goodness of the Lord (Jesus)"
(Repeat)

Repeat STANZA
Repeat REFRAIN
Repeat CHORUS

BRIDGE
D
We will see Your glory come (Oh yes God)
D
We will see Your glory come (Yes God, we believe it)
D
We will see Your glory come (In our city, in our families)
D
We will see Your glory come (Yes God, we believe it)

CHORUS 2
D
We set our hope on You
D
We set our hope on Your love
D                                                 Bm
We set our hope on the One who is the Everlasting God
G
You are the Everlasting God
G
You are the Everlasting
(Repeat three more times)

EXHORTATION (use CHORUS 2 chord pattern)
Yeah
Jesus, we give You the glory tonight
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Oh we celebrate unto you oh God
Oh Lord in our city, we believe you for a miracle
Cmon we set our hope

Repeat CHORUS 2

Repeat CHORUS
I will remain confident in this "I will see the goodness of the Lord" (In our city, God)
I will remain confident in this "I will see the goodness of the Lord" (In our church, God)
I will remain confident in this "I will see the goodness of the Lord" (In our families)
I will remain confident in this "I will see the goodness of the Lord" (Cmon, declare it tonight)

Is Almazan Worth It?

Now that Raymond Almazan is doing a Calvin Abueva trading maneuver, let's see what might happen. Just like what happened with Terrence Romeo and Calvin Abueva, I doubt that a team can force a player to stay on with the team if he no longer wants to. So a trade might be best for both player and team.

If I had to name the top 5 best centers in the PBA right now, I would say Jun Mar Fajardo, Poy Erram, Japeth Aguilar, Greg Slaughter, and maybe Ian Sanggalang. Raymond Almazan isn't even in that top 5 list.

I tried looking at his stats during the 2018 Philippine Cup. He averaged 9 points, 6.33 rebounds and 1.78 blocks per game. That doesn't even come close to Jun Mar Fajardo's 22.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game or Poy Erram's 14.18 points, 13.82 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. So getting Almazan on one's team isn't as good as getting a Fajardo or an Erram. But some teams could sure use the shot blocking.

So, which PBA teams lack a legitimate center. The following teams come to mind.
1. TNT Katropa
2. Meralco Bolts
3. Columbian Dyip
4. Northport Batang Pier
5. Phoenix Fuel Masters
6. Alaska Aces

Let's try to analyze the potential trades for each of these teams.

TNT Katropa has been lacking a decent center for a long time now. Kelly Williams has been forced to play this spot even though he is better at the power forward position. The departure or Ranidel de Ocampo and Moala Tautua has turned this team into a shooting dependent team. And once your shooters are having an off-night, there's no one to rebound and get second chance opportunities. I'm not saying that Almazan is famous for getting second chance opportunities, but he might help improve TNT's rebounding. TNT might have to shed one of their premier guards for an Almazan trade. But I'm not sure if Rain or Shine would want another guard. They would probably want a center or power forward. And Kelly Williams might not be on the table despite his age.

Even though the Meralco Bolts have Dillinger, Hodge and De Ocampo, they could still use someone like Almazan at the center position. One of those three though might be up for trade.

The Columbian Dyip might want to trade Jackson Corpuz for Almazan. They would end up getting the roughly the same numbers, but a player who is taller.

Despite having Tautua, I think Northport still needs a decent center. I would actually go for a Tautua Almazan trade.

With the addition of Abueva, the Phoenix fuel masters just need a center and point guard to complete their core five. Phelps is doing a great job at the center position which is the reason why Phoenix is a contender during this Governor's Cup conference. But once he is gone during the Philippine Cup, then Phoenix might become a middle tier team. So if there was any reason for them to acquire Almazan, it is in preparation for the future. I would trade Intal or Eriobu for Almazan.

Alaska still has Sonny Thoss. And they might have an up and coming star in Magat. But until that time comes, they will need a center like Almazan to help Vic Manuel down low. Trade Thoss, Racal or Baclao for Almazan.

The other PBA teams could still benefit with the addition of Almazan. For example, Black Water could trade Raba Al-hussaini for Almazan and become an even better team. And a reunion with coach Yeng Guiao is possible at NLEX although I don't know who they would trade for Almazan. Maybe Marcelo. Magnolia, too, could use another center to help Sanggalang. Would they trade Pingris for Almazan? Would Rain or Shine be willing to wait for Pingris to recover?

Teams like San Miguel or Ginebra would probably have a hard time inserting Almazan in the rotation even if they could acquire him.

MVP teams probably have the best chance of getting Almazan. And with no potential premier centers in the 2019 PBA draft, getting Raymond Almazan could be the best move before 2019 even begins.

SMB Loses to Ginebra Despite Absence of Slaughter & Aguilar

Ginebra is now considered the top San Miguel Corporation team in the PBA. The Gin Kings proved their mastery over the San Miguel Beermen last night. Their Commissioner's Cup win was no fluke. And to add insult to injury, they won without their twin towers, Japeth Aguilar and Greg Slaughter who were both injured.

While the Beermen might say they had no Jun Mar Fajardo and Marcio Lassiter, they were still expected to win the match since they had a healthy Alex Cabagnot, Chris Ross, Arwind Santos and Christian Stanhardinger to support their import AZ Reid. But their import seems to be nursing an injury, too. And it might be time for SMB to replace Reid while it is still early in the Governor's Cup Conference. Reid might have been great in the past, but he won't be able to match up against the likes of Justin Brownlee, Eugene Phelps or Henry Walker - imports in teams currently dominating this conference. And don't discount TNT with a Markus Blakely.

Reid was shooting blanks from beyond the arc. He was hardly a post up threat. And his defense against Brownlee was nothing special. An import should be able to cancel out the opposing team's import at the very least. This can be done by matching or exceeding point production, or shutting down the opposing import's offense.

The Beermen might have offensive night outbursts like their game against Columbian, but their offense has not been consistent. So, if I were to get a replacement import, it has to be someone who can pick up the offensive slack, if the locals are stuttering. Without Fajardo, the Beermen have no go to guy if their shooters are missing their shots. A potential bright spot was Chris Ross, who tried to score with a lot of drives to the basket. But a scoring Ross means less facilitation. I would rather have a facilitating Ross who makes sure that the other SMB players are getting the ball, than an offensive minded Ross.

SMB's coaching staff should also remind Standhardinger and Santos to defend better. I miss the Arwind blocks. And I think Standhardinger could become a great defender if he decides to focus on this. He could be the key to defending against imports. Another potential defender could be Kelly Nabong. He should drop his offense and focus on being the best defender on the team, if not in the league. Learn from Dennis Rodman, who despite being small, defended the likes of Shaq really well. MGR could join the defensive party too. SMB should be able to come up with a defensive play against Brownlee, Phelps, and Walker, in case it ends up matching against these teams if ever it reaches the quarter finals. Otherwise, SMB might be taking an early vacation in this conference.

Weak Imports Against Justin Brownlee Might Guarantee Ginebra 2018 Governor's Cup Defense

Coach Tim Cone understands the power of the spoken word. He always makes pronouncements early in a conference and his insights usually result in a positive outcome. Take his pronouncements about Greg Slaughter being the best defense against the PBA's reigning MVP Jun Mar Fajardo. While he did this early in the year, and it didn't happen during the Philippine Cup, Ginebra was able to bag the Commissioner's Cup. Having the media play on the facts that Slaughter beat Fajardo when they were in college and that Fajardo and Slaughter have never faced each other in a finals series placed doubt in Fajardo's mind and was used to Ginebra's advantage. Never mind the fact that Fajardo has been the MVP for the past four years. And never mind the fact that Fajardo has faced taller competition in the international arena and bigger and stronger imports like Onuaku and Smith. Suddenly, Fajardo doubted his ability to dominate the paint because of this masterful tactic. So, if San Miguel wants to dominate again, Fajardo has to be mentally tough.

And San Miguel, as a team, should remove the idea of being the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) in the PBA. You shouldn't talk about that until you've retired as a team. Lebron shouldn't be in the conversation until he has retired like Michael Jordan. And neither should the current SMB Core, until they are finally done. They still have a lot of future accomplishments as long as they keep healthy and as long as they improve their bench. And many years from now, when that time finally comes, then we can compare this SMB team with the Alaska of the 90's, or Star Hotshots or other PBA teams who have achieved a grandslam. As a fan, having a grandslam would still be one of the benchmarks to be included in the discussion for a GOAT Team.

Now, with the recent article of SPIN on the 2018 Governor's Cup imports, I wonder if any team really wants to beat Ginebra, knowing that they've had the best Governor's Cup import for the past two years. Durham is still there, but we've already seen that Meralco doesn't stand a chance against Ginebra, and more so now that Ginebra has gained confidence against SMB. Arizona Reid was an import who left San Miguel in recent memory. Why would you give this guy another chance at redemption? We know how that story will end since we've just seen it in the recently concluded Commisioner's Cup.

What SMB needs is an import that can do it all just like Brownlee. One who is a three-point threat and can slash to the basket.  And more important than this skill set is that  preferably, this import has beaten Justin Brownlee numerous times in the past. An import that has the mental edge over Brownlee and will cause Brownlee to doubt his ability to lead Ginebra to a title defense. If teams can find that import, then they will have the edge over Ginebra in a potential finals match up. And when the leader of the team doubts himself, then the team begins to doubt their ability, too. And if that happens, Ginebra will no longer be the Governor's Cup champions.

Down 2-3, San Miguel Beer Has To Dig Deep

Reynaldo Balkman should just focus on game 6 instead of the non-calls in the Commissioner's Cup 2018 Finals. In a series where he is fighting against Ginebra and their fans, you'ld expect the PBA would want the heavily favored team to win. This was the same type of mentality faced by Tim Cone when he was coaching for Alaska against Ginebra in the 90s. And what made that Tim Cone led Alaska a great team is that they defied the odds, trusting in each other despite what they were up against.

I don't know if SMB's core has enough in it's tank. Unlike the Beeracle 0-3 run, they don't have momentum this time. And for a team known for it's offensive prowess, the shooters seem to have lost their touch at such a critical time. Arwind Santos was given a lot of opportunities to score, but was firing blanks. He was even doing Stephen Curry type shots, shooting away from his comfort zone. Alex Cabagnot has been a non-factor after his Michael Jordan like performance in game 2. And Chris Ross, being assigned as the primary defender for Justin Brownlee, is probably too tired to score or call the plays when at the offensive end. And in a long series, if your starters are too tired, they can't perform.

SMB should also trust it's bench. Austria should trust Balkman, MGR and Stanhardinger with the defensive chores against Brownlee. Even Heruela can be entrusted to defend against LA Tenorio whom he was effective against before in their other Finals series.

And Fajardo is still the focal point of your offense. Rotate the ball from him from the post. Or he along with the other power forwards should be setting up ball screens to free up the shooters. Ginebra has done a good job forcing awkward shots from SMB shooters since they are not in their comfort zone. But the times when SMB shooters are left open, they shouldn't miss - easier said than done.

I don't know if SMB can still force a game 7. Being dominant for the last 3 years can take its toll on any team. Are they prepared to relinquish the torch to the potential upstarts? Is this the time to give others a chance at league dominance? As an SMB fan, I'd hate to think so.

What I do know is that I saw an SMB team that was fighting in Game 5. Sometimes, shots simply don't drop and calls are not made. But as long as their is still another game to be played in the series, their is still hope. SMB simply needs to refocus on what makes them a great team - trusting each other, giving the open man the chance to score, and defending well against their opponents.

Annoying Google Ads In The Middle of Google Play Games

Google seems to have made recent changes on Android phones. Their ads are suddenly appearing in the middle of a game. I wouldn't mind it if the game was Chess which takes a long time. But if the game were Clash Royale, where 5 seconds of delay can cost you the match - this ad ruins the user experience on a phone running on Google Android. I wonder if the higher ups of Google took this into account before they approved the ad changes with Google Play.

Instead of the ads appealing to a user, I think it creates more detest every time the ad appears on screen. It hurts the Google brand. And while some websites may attribute the ad to possible malware, the fact that the ad has Google's signature on it means that Google is still behind it.

So, this is an appeal to Google from a user. Please change the way you place your ads in your Google Play applications. A Clash Royale match lasts for a few minutes. Being interrupted in the middle of a match can turn the tide and result in a loss. The ad cannot be closed immediately because Google has integrated a 5 second delay before you can press on the close button. The ad can show up before the application starts or after the user closes the application.

New Edition Whispers In Bed Guitar Chords

Kept hearing this on the radio this past week so I decided to give it a try. Hope you enjoy it!

Whispers In Bed by New Edition

Intro
Em - Gm - C
DM7-D-DM7-D-DM7

Stanza Pattern
A                                    F#m7
I've been living on your whispers in bed
                 Bm7
And if you had a picture
                       E
Of what I've got in my head
A           F#m7
Whispers in bed
                      Bm7
Your voice is like an angel
         Gm7       C      DM7
And this boy wants to be led
        Gm7 - C - DM7    G
Just an ordinary guy, uh-huh

Refrain
     DM7                        G
And you're the vision that this boy wants to carry
       F#m7                Bm7     
You're perfect, you're the one that I'll marry
    Em
You and I, we just keep getting closer
   Em-(F#m)-Gm    C        DM7-D-DM7-D-DM7
Soon it will be alright (It's gonna be alright)

Repeat Stanza Pattern
A                                    F#m7
I've been living on your whispers in bed (Whispers in bed)
           Bm7
So full of emotion
     E                  A
Over all the things you said
            F#m7
Whispers in bed (Whispers in bed)
                    Bm7
I wish that I could see you
         Gm7       C     DM7
But I'll hold this phone instead
        Gm7  C       DM7    G
I'm a victim of your eyes, uh-huh

Repeat Refrain
DM7                           G
And endless pleasures we will have ‘cause it's magic (It's magic)
F#m7                   Bm7
And everything I have, girl, we will share
Em
Oh...I can hardly disguise it
Em-(F#m)-Gm    C        DM7-D-DM7-D-DM7
Girl, why should I deny it? (We have so much to share)

Bridge (Voice Over)
A - F#m7 - Bm7 - E
A - F#m7 - E - G

Stanza Pattern is now one-half step higher
Bb                                    Gm7
I've been living on your whispers in bed
                 Cm7
And if you had a picture
                       F
Of what I've got in my head
Bb           Gm7
Whispers in bed
                      Cm7
Your voice is like an angel
         F
And this boy wants to be led
Bb           Gm7
Whispers in bed
            Cm7
So full of emotion
         F     
Over all the things you said
Bb           Gm7
Whispers in bed
                 Cm7
And if you had a picture
(Repeat pattern to fade)

Commissioner's Cup 2018 Finals: San Miguel Versus Ginebra

Ginebra finished off Rain or Shine in Game 4 of their semi-finals match up to grab the last seat to the Commissioner's Cup 2018 Finals. The San Miguel Beermen already took the first seat last Sunday when they won against Alaska. Despite these two teams being lower seeded during the eliminations, I think that many fans and analysts somehow expected this match-up was going to happen and I feel that these two teams are still considered the top teams in the PBA, with San Miguel winning this years Philippine Cup and Ginebra winning last year's Governor's Cup.

Justin Brownlee and Reynaldo Balkman may have been teammates on Alab Pilipinas, but they are now rivals in this Finals match-up. And imports are critical in this series. I'm not sure if Reynaldo is 100% since he appears to have been hurt in the SMB-Alaska semis. Brownlee has proved to be deadly in the Ginebra-ROS series, and has the edge of having a 3-point shot and being clutch, so I would say Ginebra has the edge over SMB in terms of the imports.

Jeff Chan has found his shooting touch with Ginebra. Marcio Lassiter has had some games where he scores big and some games where he scores little. But both shooters are positives for their respective teams when they are on the court. So I would say that this match-up is an even one.

LA Tenorio has had a hard time against SMB's guards. Coach Leo Austria usually uses Brian Heruela to match well against LA's speed. Chris Ross has the height advantage over Tenorio, but I really am not sure Ross can take advantage of this at the post. Hopefully, Chris Ross' 3-point shooting continues on in the Finals. Otherwise, if LA has those games where he scores in bunches, SMB will be in a lot of trouble. LA also is clutch, just like Brownlee, and this can give Ginebra the edge in close game situations.

Jun Mar Fajardo is undoubtedly the best center in the PBA today. But Greg Slaughter would want to change the status quo. Slaughter has proven to be one of the centers that can guard Jun Mar well so I'm thinking the two will cancel each other out in this series.

Japeth Aguilar was a scoring beast when Slaughter was out. I was even surprised that he wasn't as explosive in the ROS series, but perhaps this is due to his injury. Stanhardinger has yet to have a really explosive game in the post eliminations. I'm not even sure if Stanhardinger will be used to match up with Aguilar, or against Slaughter or Joe Devance. Among forwards, Joe Devance has the 3-point edge. So maybe matching Arwind Santos against Devance is more likely. Even Kelly Nabong can enter this conversation. And Kevin Ferrer. But I guess matching heft against heft will be key in the forward match-ups so that neither team gains a significant advantage down low. So the team that gains the edge is the team that can maximize their forward's advantage beyond the perimeter.

Scottie Thompson has been a special player for Ginebra. He's like a Dennis Rodman at the guard position. He is also an energy guy for the team. Maybe Chris Ross will be matched up against him.

Sol Mercado and Alex Cabagnot will probably be matched against each other, too. Sol Mercado has some games where he just scores in bunches. So does Alex Cabagnot. Hopefully, they will cancel each other out.

As for bench players, it could also go either way because both benches have a lot of talented players. Maybe Julian Sargent will be showcased in this series. Matt Ganuelas-Rosser can probably be matched against him. Jet Manuel could also show up. Maybe Vigil could match well against him.

Tim Cone is the coach with the most wins in the PBA. Leo Austria is the coach with the most wins in the last 3 seasons of the PBA. It will be nice to see how each adjusts to the other's strategies and tactics.

SMB is the defending champion of the Commissioner's Cup. Ginebra hasn't won a Commissioner's Cup since 1997. In terms of hunger as a motivation, you could say that Ginebra is hungrier. But SMB fans are hoping this will be the Beermen's Grandslam year. And in order to do that, they have to win the Commissioner's Cup.

These are just some of the things that will make this best-of-seven series exciting. And the PBA fans are the winners in this match-up, with each game being a potential thriller.

San Miguel Gives Alaska Hope

Having a 2-0 lead, you'ld think that the San Miguel Beermen would close out their semifinals series against the Alaska Aces. But instead of finishing off their opponent, San Miguel has given the Aces a chance to tie the series on Sunday. This, despite the Aces being undermanned and undersized.

The Beermen were sloppy in the waning minutes of the 3rd Quarter. They were mounting a comeback, being down nine points. They even cut the Aces lead down to 3 points. But Balkman uncharacteristically made a lot of careless turnovers for an NBA caliber player. Blame it on fatigue, perhaps, since he never got any rest from the 1st to the 3rd Quarter.

I don't know why the Beermen like to give their opponents a double digit lead early in the game. But this has turned into a habit since they have been able to catch up and win most of the games anyway. But today was not one of those days. Perhaps they Beermen were already too focused on who they would be facing in the finals, and their mistake was taken advantage of by Alaska. Alaska might even enter the finals if the Beermen are not careful. So SMB should refocus, take one game at a time, and make sure that they aren't thinking of anything else but the win for that game.

The Aces will be known as the team that the Beermen won over during their Beeracle Run. The Beermen were down 0-3 and were on the brink of being swept by the Aces, but the Beermen were able to win 4 straight games, the first time in basketball history.

The Aces will never change history, but perhaps they would want to do the same thing to the Beermen. Coming back from a 0-2 deficit in a 5 game series would definitely be easier compared to coming back from a 0-3 deficit.

The main threats to SMB are Diamon Simpson and Vic Manuel. If they are not going to stop Simpson, since Simpson seems to be able to have his way, at least they should prevent Manuel and other locals from scoring easily. Manuel already had a slight fever during the game, and still scored more than twenty points. Reminds me of the time Michael Jordan had the flu, but never gave up and fought for the win for Chicago.

The Beermen have to do a better job on defense. Stanhardinger and Balkman should focus on the intangibles instead of being the first option on scoring. If you look at the past games where Fajardo, Cabagnot, Lassiter, Santos and Ross played as the core five, they would always rotate the ball and find the open man. Sometimes, the Beermen rush offensive plays with Stanhardinger and Balkman which leads to careless errors and turnovers.

The Beermen also needs another guard in their rotation so that Cabagnot, Ross and Lassiter could get some rest. It is good that Heruela and Lanete were able to play. Perhaps give other shooting guards a chance. Coach Leo Austria could actually try a speedier line up to counter Alaska's press and pressure defense by having 4 guards with Jun Mar Fajardo. Having both Fajardo and Stanhardinger at the same time on the floor is simply too slow. Those two should alternate if Stanhardinger is really forced to play. But SMB was able to enter the semis with Stanhardinger injured. Perhaps he should sit out this series and let faster players like Ganuelas-Rosser and Arwind Santos play the 4 spot to give Balkman much needed rest during certain points in the game. Nabong could also replace Fajardo so that he, too could get some rest.

Alaska isn't a team with large players like Rain or Shine or Ginebra. You don't need to use Stanhardinger just because he is your prized rookie. He might be part of San Miguel's future core. But for now, stick with the veteran players who have been tried and tested in winning championships.

As for rumors of a Calvin Abueva for Christian Stanhardinger trade, I would just keep Stanhardinger. He hasn't been integrated well with the team yet, but even SMB's core had to learn how to play together, and that did not happen overnight. Stanhardinger should hone his defense. Perhaps Fajardo and Santos could teach the rookie how to defend well. Once his defense improves, his offense will probably follow. But I would utilize him as an import stopper. It would be great if he could be a Freddie Abuda type of player for SMB.

Abueva is already old and has too many issues that having him on the team might create more chaos than win games. Alaska should definitely trade him to another team. Alaska needs size, and maybe Rain or Shine or Blackwater would be willing to trade their big men for the beast. Even Phoenix might want to trade Eriobu for Abueva. Or Jackson Corpuz. Or Jonathan Grey. I would probably even look for a quality point guard for Alaska to succeed the aging Casio. But Alaska should build around Teng and Manuel, and move on from Abueva. They've reached the semis without the beast, so not having him around is probably better for the team.

SMB Draws First Blood in Best-of-Three Commissioner's Cup Quarterfinals

It takes a different kind of mental toughness to win a game where you find yourself more than twenty points down in the 1st Quarter, and your shots are not going in. But that is just what the San Miguel Beermen did in their first battle against TNT.

TNT was beating SMB at their own specialty - the three-point shot. SMB usually has three players who can shoot the three consistently - Alex Cabagnot, Marcio Lassiter, and Arwind Santos. But in this particular game, the threes were falling for TNT but not for SMB. Even Kelly Williams, TNT's power forward who is known for his alley-oop finishes has added the three-point shot to his arsenal. Most of TNT's players can shoot from beyond the arc, including forwards Don Trollano and Anthony Semerad.

But SMB has a "no quit" attitude. I would even say that they actually embody their sister team's never say die attitude more. (Ginebra owns that slogan). I've seen a lot of come from behind wins by this particular SMB core since 2015 which is probably one of the reasons why they have a lot of respect from their fans.

Still, SMB has to improve its free-throw and three-point shooting. There might be days like today when despite their dismal performance, they were able to come up with a win. But there are a lot of good teams in this late stage of the Commissioner's Cup, and they might regret not sharpening their skills when the game is close and every point counts. And SMB ought to learn to use some of their players off the bench at critical points in the game. I am hoping they can give MGR and Pessumal more confidence during periods when Ross, Cabagnot or Lassiter are shooting blanks in the field. Good thing Heruela is being used at this time to give Cabagnot and Ross some rest.

Now that SMB has a 1 game lead, they should prepare well for Game 2 and finish the series then if possible. You don't want TNT to be able to bounce back and even this series. TNT simply has too much firepower that it should never be taken lightly.

War Heroes on Android Review

Since my units on Clash Royale are mostly at level 11, and at this point, leveling up is a slow process, I tried looking for an alternative card battle game on Google Play. And that's when I chanced upon War Heroes - very similar to Clash Royale but the setting - instead of being in a medieval realm of knights, archers, and mages - is similar to what you might have in a World War II scenario - infantry soldiers, tanks, and snipers.

I haven't fully accessed all areas of the game, but from the game play I've experienced thus far, it's really Clash Royale with a army theme. You have cards which you level up with in-game money. You have crates which contains cards that you open within 3 or 8 hours or instantly using gems. If not for the alternate company name, I would have thought that Supercell was also behind this game. Maybe Supercell is still a parent company.

Perhaps the only novelty in this game is the idea of having Generals - cards that give a player some kind of field advantage over the other player (assuming the other player is using a different type of General). Some generals add an extra tower that needs to be destroyed. Others spawn troops when certain field conditions are met. Still, others add barbed wires on the field, impeding the progress of foot soldiers. Maybe the creative team behind Clash Royale will imitate this concept and integrate it into their game.

I'm not sure if War Heroes has a 2 vs 2 player mode. In terms of strategy - it seems as if Clash Royale is more mature in that there are different ways to win. In War Heroes, is seems like overwhelming the opponent with units is the only way to win. But again, I haven't reached the upper levels in the game yet, so that is what keeps it exciting and fresh for me. But I suspect that once you reach a very high level in the game, where progressing comes to a slow pace, it will also lose its appeal. Till then, I am waiting to get access to some choppers in the game. ;)

Gabby Espinas Will Be Good For Global Port

As San Miguel continues to experiment with its proven lineup by trading Gabby Espinas for Global Port's Kelly Nabong, you'ld wonder why they would do that since Gabby is the only legitimate back-up local center for Jun Mar Fajardo after Standhardinger's injury. But it wouldn't surprise me if Gabby is the one who asked to be traded with the arrival of Standhardinger since a healthy Standhardinger would eat up Gabby's minutes on the playing court.

I will never forget Espinas' contribution to San Miguel's finals comeback from a 0-3 deficit. There was a point in that series where Jun Mar Fajardo was injured and was out for a couple of games. It was Espinas who placed the center during that All-Filipino conference finals. And he was tough. He was even hitting big time three pointers. So, again, I as a fan ask, why would San Miguel let go of this gem of a back-up big man?

Nabong may have a three-point shot, but that's about it. He has no post game unlike Espinas. Nabong is a bruiser. If you want an enforcer on the court to waste away fouls, then Nabong is your guy. And Nabong is a hot head. If your team was in a crucial game with the score tied, his temper might be a liability. San Miguel's coaching staff might be thinking Nabong is the Dennis Rodman for their San Miguel's version of the Chicago Bulls. I don't know what he will do for the SMB team. That remains to be seen.

But if there was one reason for SMB's acquisition of new blood, it's probably to generate a hunger in the team that seems to have waned since they've already won a lot of championships since 2015. It is hard to maintain a thirst for more championships if your guys are content since they no longer have anything to prove.

A grandslam should be a goal this SMB team should aim for. That should be enough reason for their hunger since they haven't achieved that yet. The core has been through a lot of battles, and a grandslam would cement their status in PBA history as one of the greatest teams that have been formed. From a fan's perspective, I already consider them one of the greats because of the 0-3 deficit comeback. And a grandslam is all I want for them before their core 5 splits up due to age or trades. Hopefully, that will never happen, and Cabagnot, Lassiter, Ross, Santos, and Fajardo can all retire on this team together. But the reality is, no team stays together forever. So get that grandslam guys, while you still can.

But going back to Espinas, he is the legitimate local center that Global Port badly needs. With him in the lineup, Globalport probably just needs to develop a shooting guard... maybe Paulo Taha or use Teng more (although he really should get in shape like his brother Jeron), since Elorde simply gives up a lot of height in matchups. Grey and Anthony can probably go at the 2 and 3 spots, with Espinas at the 4 and the import at 5. Pringle should always be at the 1. Global Port can build on this core, and get back to being competitive.

2018 Gilas Beats Luzon All-Stars

Terrence Romeo broke the record for the highest point-output by a player in a PBA All-Star Game by scoring 48 points to lead Gilas Pilipinas to a victory. The previous record was held by James Yap at 44 points. Terrence Romeo was named the Best Player of the Game.

While an All-Star game is generally seen as a game which lacks defense, Terrence Romeo actually had to face a lot of different defenders from the Luzon All-Stars but not one of them was able to stop him. A healthy Terrence Romeo is probably the closest thing the PBA has ever had to a Kobe Bryant. Romeo was guarded by the likes of LA Tenorio, Calvin Abueva, Alex Cabagnot and even had an almost-scuffle with Arwind Santos. The Luzon team even tried to put Japeth Aguilar in front of Romeo, in the same way that Phil Jackson would put a Scottie Pippen on the opposing team's point guard, but it did little to stop Romeo's offense. Ironically, Japeth was the highest scorer for the Luzon team. He reached 41 points.

It would have been interesting to see Coach Austria assign the one player who I think could have guarded Romeo, Stanley Pringle. But Pringle barely got any playing time, and I didn't see him go against Romeo or vice versa. Since both players used to be teammates on Global Port, they've probably guarded each other during scrimmages and Pringle would have had an idea on how to slow down or stop Romeo. And it would have completely settled the argument on who the better player was once and for all in the minds of the fans and Global Port management.

Despite an 8-man rotation, Gilas managed to pull-off a win. The combination of Romeo, Pogoy, Rosario, and Fajardo proved to be deadly with occasional substitutions from Norwood, Jalalon, and Belo. Maliksi was injured early in the game. The Romeo, Pogoy, Rosario trio is similar to the Cabagnot, Lassiter, Santos support of Jun Mar in San Miguel. I wrote an earlier article on how TNT has copied San Miguel's system. They might actually win the 2018 Commissioner's Cup since the only piece of the puzzle missing is Jun Mar Fajardo. If they could acquire Fajardo and bring him over to TNT, then this game is what it would look like. And the Commissioner's Cup is TNT's chance to prove that this system works, since they can acquire a big import to simulate the presence of Fajardo in the middle.

It is also ironic that Leo Austria was the coach of the Luzon All-Stars. If the Luzon team won, then it means that Austria could win without Fajardo. But could Phil Jackson have won without the MVP of the NBA during his time - Michael Jordan? (He won with Kobe Bryant who was also the dominant player of the league and very similar to Michael Jordan). Perhaps Austria is trying to prove that San Miguel can win without Jun Mar Fajardo, which is why he is favoring Standhardinger in the end games of SMB. But Standhardinger has yet to prove he can become a PBA MVP. Jun Mar might be getting old, but I think the reigning MVP still has a lot of years in him, so why not play him while he is still at his peak?

Also, Austria should stop trying to make the Fajardo Standhardinger simultaneous combination work. It slows down the team, lessens the 3-point options and mobility, and ruins the spacing of the team. It reminds me of a Kelly Williams Mo Tautua combination. And we know that SMB won that matchup against TNT. So if TNT is copying your winning strategy, why are you trying to copy theirs?

Romeo sheds some light into how SMB can get back into it's winning form. SMB shooters should hit their 3-point shots when they are open. Let Jun Mar worry about rebounding and put backs. SMB shooters should just play loose and find their magic touch from the outside. Santos has it as he has shown in this game. Lassiter has it from time to time. But Cabagnot seems to have lost his consistency from beyond the arc. I would rather Coach Austria give minutes to Pessumal and Heruela and even Chito Lanete so that he can maintain 4 shooters on the floor. Standhardinger can sub Fajardo, but Fajardo should still be your primary option for the center position.

Sorry if this has turned into an SMB rant. I just want my team to get back to it's winning form before it reaches a point in this conference which is too late for them to recover and get to the Finals. But if they don't make it, I hope TNT wins the Commissioner's Cup championship. We'll just have to see if either of them end up at the top this year.

SMB Excessive Experimentation Leads to Loss

For an SMB fan like me, it was painful to watch their debut last night in the 2018 Commissioner's Cup. Experimentation led to their downfall.

As if it wasn't enough that an import changes the dynamics of their rotation, they had to give a lot of playing time to their rookie Christian Standhardinger. Unfamiliarity resulted in a lot of turnovers. And having some players in your core play out of their natural positions could also have contributed to their loss. Even the veterans seemed like they were out of place. Their spacing was really affected by having two slow bigs in Standhardinger and Gillenwater.

Standhardinger doesn't seem to have a post up game like Fajardo. And he can't finish on a fast break with a dunk like Matt Ganuelas-Rosser. Why, then, should you be given so much playing time when you are not yet a potential offensive threat?

I personally wouldn't mind experimentation if SMB wasn't chasing after a grand slam. As a fan, the grand slam chase is more important than a top-pick rookie getting playing minutes. Hopefully, SMB's coaching staff will set their priorities straight. Sharing the ball and fluidity on both offense and defense should prioritized. But their import and their rookie were ball hogs in critical moments. Instead of looking for the open man, they were looking to score and prove their worth.

When Matt Ganuelas-Rosser was acquired by SMB in a trade, they did not immediately integrate him into the rotation in that conference. He had to sit it out for a bunch of games. I think he only started getting some minutes in the succeeding conference and he has successfully been integrated into the core. Perhaps the same process can be applied to Standhardinger.

As for their import Gillenwater, he is no Charles Rhoades. SMB should either acquire a defensive import to stop the likes of Onuaku. Or if they are confident Standhardinger can do that (which clearly last night he showed he could not), they can imitate Tim Cone and go after a guard/forward who can finish the fast break with dunks, shoot the three, and is reliable at the free-throw line just like Justin Brownlee. Too bad this guy is already a staple import for Ginebra.

But Rhoades, if you are reading this, the fans need you so that opponents "Get out of the way!"

With too much tinkering, you break things that aren't broke. Having 4 guys that can penetrate or shoot the three and a reliable center is still SMB's strength. Deviate from that formula, and you might end up in the bottom of the cellar and not even defend your crown. Just look at TNT, they are copying SMB's formula for success and are currently at the top of the conference standings.

The time will come when SMB might want to play a three or four-headed monster (think point-guard with Fajardo, Standhardinger, Santos and Import). It might even be a five-headed monster if MGR's point guard skills improve. But this combination's effectiveness is probably very limited. It might only work against Ginebra if they play their four-headed monster. But having more point guards in your rotation means that the ball get's passed to the open man as soon as possible or that the open three is made.

TNT Has Potential To Match SMB With Romeo & Cruz

With the addition of Terrence Romeo and Jericho Cruz in the TNT rotation, TNT has the potential to match San Miguel's guard and forward line up. In the PBA's Commissioner Cup opener, TNT exploded and finished with 128 points against Globalport. Jason Castro, RR Pogoy, Troy Rosario, Terrence Romeo, Jericho Cruz, and Don Trollano proved to be a very good rotation for Coach Nash Racela. And in a conference where all PBA Teams will likely be bringing in big men to match up with PBA MVP Jun Mar Fajardo, Jeremy Tyler seems like a good import who might be able to go against the Kraken.

With the addition of Romeo, four of the TNT players are now members of the Gilas pool. That should help remove doubts about this new unit's cohesion. Perhaps the biggest thing that can get in the way of this new TNT team is ego. But if the players don't mind sacrificing playing time and stats, this team could potentially find itself in the Commissioner's Cup finals.

TNT actually seems to have ended up with the better fit since Tautua, despite being a big man, really had no efficient and reliable post-up game. He could not play the post with his back against the basket and would usually rely on outside shooting and rare dunks if left open. Romeo, on the other hand, can create his own plays and serves as another offensive threat in the local line up. Jason Castro doesn't have to carry the point production burden anymore. And just like SMB, when one star is having an off-night, the other stars can pick up the slack. Castro, Romeo, Pogoy and Rosario could be the best local core that TNT can use to match up against SMB.

A Jeepney Driver's Perspective on the Shift to Electric Jeepneys

I had the opportunity to interview a jeepney driver on the topic of Electric Jeepneys or E-Jeeps. I asked him what percentage of jeepney drivers are against the shift to E-Jeeps. He estimates that about 25% of jeepney drivers are for and 75% are against the shift. One reason why drivers are against it is the exorbitant price of an E-Jeep. He said that an E-Jeep would cost about 1.7 million pesos. Contrast that to a diesel powered jeep that would cost about 0.6 million. So an E-Jeep is about three times the price of a regular jeepney. He said that even after government's offer to help out by giving drivers a loan (which he says isn't really any help since they still have to pay the loan), it is estimated that a driver would have to save about 900 pesos per day to pay for the E-Jeep. Manong driver says that the average jeepney driver is only making about 1000 pesos per day. How can he live off just 100 pesos to feed his family? At 365 days a year, it would probably take about 6 years to pay for the E-Jeep, assuming a low interest rate on the loan.

But manong driver says that the estimated life of a Chinese made product is only about two years. Contrast this to Japanese made engines which they have proven to last about six years. And Japanese engines can be overhauled even after the six year period is over. But he is hesitant about Chinese made engines because he isn't sure if these can even be fixed if they conk out. This perception arose from his experience with Chinese made products like cellphone chargers which fail in a week while japanese chargers last about a year. So, if he's still paying for the original E-Jeep in a six-year period, and it conks out after two years, he's still left with a big debt, and has to invest in possibly another purchase just to keep on making a living.

Another issue that manong driver raised was the possibility of batteries running out of energy during the trip. The country still hasn't established a network of charging stations for E-vehicles unlike an established network of gas stations. So, if his batteries run out, he still has to either have the vehicle towed, or call for a battery replacement.

I asked him about the perceived advantages of the new technologies in E-jeeps such as having swipe cards for payment and having wifi and security cameras. I asked if the daily losses among passengers who don't pay was significant. He said it wasn't. So even if swipe cards guarantee a 100% passenger payment, you still have to worry about an additional technology failing - the card reader. If it fails, then it's another reason for you not to be able to earn anything on that day. He believes that cash is still better for transactions. We weren't able to discuss whether or not a driver's attention would be improved since he doesn't need to keep track of which among his passengers have paid anymore. But he raised issues about the E-Jeep doors not opening immediately if the passenger is swiping it for payment. For him, passengers are better off if they can get in and out of the vehicle quickly. He doesn't want to be penalized with obstruction by a traffic constable just because his passengers weren't able to ride immediately. Perhaps having designated jeepney stop points would address this concern, but not all routes traveled by jeepneys have these.

Wifi, for him wasn't an important feature for passengers. He said that passengers will only become more distracted with their phones, and this gives potential snatchers or holdapers an easier advantage. But the security cameras would probably deter these types of crimes or allow for the quick capture of perpetrators, assuming they don't destroy the cameras or the hard drive data records during the crime. Otherwise, these added techs mean added maintenance costs which probably means less profit for the driver or operator. Government agencies might also use these technologies as additional measures for compliance. Non-compliance means more penalty fees.

I asked him about the environmental impact of an E-Jeep compared to a diesel engine. All he knows is that an E-Jeep no longer has smoke emissions so it should be better for the environment. But I think shifting passenger vehicles to electric tech means putting an added strain on our electric companies that would impact the cost of electricity. As a country, we already have one of the most expensive electricity rates in Asia. Now, when E-Jeeps start consuming part of the energy allotment for households, that will quickly diminish capacity and reserves. But you can't build power plants in a day. So, brownouts or electrical outages might happen more, and electric bills will probably be more expensive.

There's also the matter of shifting a driver from a boundary payment scheme to a fixed salary. Manong feels that if they shift to a fixed salary scheme, there wouldn't be any incentive for a driver to work harder. And their take-home pay would end up being lower. But one of the reasons why manong decided to become a jeepney driver was the take-home pay. He used to be a salaried employee, working as a surveyor for one of the biggest engineering and construction firms in the country. But it turns out, as a jeepney driver, his earnings were about twice what he was getting when he was in the construction company. At the end of the day, the money he takes home to feed his family is more important than a job title or prestige of working for a big named company.

So, as of this moment, manong driver feels that the costs outweigh the benefits of the shift to E-Jeeps. Hopefully, the government will listen to their ideas before requiring mandatory compliance. Their experience in their trade is also valuable and important. While it is important to maintain good business relationships with one of our biggest neighboring countries, let us put the needs and plight of our countrymen at the forefront of our decision-making.

Falafel Yo!

Falafel Yo! just opened a branch at SM North Edsa Annex. They gave away 1000 falafels worth 159 pesos each to commemorate the occasion. I spent roughly three hours in line since I got a number less than 500. But it was worth the wait. I took the falafel home and my family enjoyed it. Some gave it an 8 out of 10 while others gave it a 9 out of 10 stars. That's pretty good, considering I had to wait for a cab for about an hour and travel for another half-hour before finally tasting the falafel.

It reminds me of a SUBWAY sandwich in terms of some of the flavors. I thought that the falafel contained beef, but my sister told me it was made of chickpeas or fava beans, and not meat. This makes falafels great for vegetarians. Overall, I'm glad it tasted great. I would recommend it over your typical Turks shawarma since it is more filling (but also more expensive).

I hope that the quality of their product does not diminish with time. I've seen the likes of fast food restaurants like Kenny Rogers Roasters, Bon Chon Chicken, and Mang Inasal which initially have very good quality products become average or below average as the years go by. Blame it on cost cutting, and maybe on worker inconsistency (cutting corners in the preparation that ends up lessening the quality). Also, when there is an increase in the number of patrons, you usually see the quality go down because the fast food production line can't keep up with a high demand from customers. Falafel Yo! has a great product and it should try to keep it the same for years to come.

SMB Makes History With 4th Straight Philippine Cup

The San Miguel Beermen could have stopped trying when they were already more than 20 points down. They had a 3-to-1 lead in the series, and they could easily have quit, rested their starters and plan for the next game. But that mentality is what cost them their grand slam bid in 2017, and they have learned from their mistakes. Even though the starters were playing heavy minutes, they were still playing all out.

The three point shots were not falling for them. Even Jun Mar was missing from from point blank range and was being doubled and even triple-teamed just so he would give up the ball. Alex wasn't able to contribute anything. And the Magnolia Hotshots were pounding it both outside and in, with Paul Lee suddenly finding his stroke from rainbow country and Barroca, Dela Rosa and  Reavis helping out.

But the Beermen finally woke up in the 4th and in the same fashion that Magnolia whittled down their twenty point deficit in Game 1 of this series, the Beermen clawed their way back in the 4th quarter, with Marcio and Jun Mar taking advantage of every opportunity they could get. Magnolia was in the penalty, so SMB tried to get to the foul line as much as possible. And with Magnolia's limited guard rotation, SMB applied a full court press. This was amazing, again, considering that their starters were doing the press and their starters were logging heavy minutes.

And Arwind gave another heroic moment in his long history of heroic moments for the San Miguel franchise. SMB was down by 3 with less than a minute remaining. They wanted a quick 2, but the play was broken. Alex tried to go for a 3 but the ball bounced out, and Chris got it back by some miracle. He was at the 3 point line and he could have taken it, but SMB plays as a team that recognizes one another's roles. Arwind was at his favorite spot at the three-point line and between Chris and Arwind, the latter was at a better position to make the shot. And BANG! Arwind takes the shot that ties the game. He raises his pistol figured hand in triumph as the Beermen force the game into overtime.

And it had to take two overtimes for SMB to finally put this series away. Props to Magnolia who didn't let them get this win easily. Many will be looking on to the Commissioner's Cup to see how Christian Stanhardinger will affect the existing chemistry of the Beermen. He could be a bane or a boon. And you still have the import to worry about, too, how he will blend with the team. It is an interesting time, and perhaps an exciting time, too. Because with the Philippine Cup win, the current Beermen roster again has a chance at a grand slam - what I personally wish they would attain while their core is intact and as this team stays humble amidst their numerous accomplishments.

Magnolia Chases 20-point Deficit To Take Game 1

The San Miguel Beermen thought that Game 1 was in the bag. They had a 20-point lead after two quarters of play. Paul Lee of Magnolia was not producing his usual offensive output. And yet, Gio Jalalon and Ian Sanggalang kept on playing. And Coach Chito Victolero brings in the game changer - Rob Herndon, who shoots a couple of long distance bombs to help the Magnolia Hotshots erase the huge lead.

Magnolia did an excellent job rotating their men. They actually have more injured key players than SMB, and yet they have been able to pull off an upset. Props to Coach Chito Victolero. He is using the 3-big men defense used by Tim Cone against Jun Mar. This win just shows that the Hotshots are probably hungrier than the Beermen.

But this is just Game 1. I remember the time that the Utah Jazz beat the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of their best of seven finals series. The Bulls bounced back after that and eventually wins the series in their sixth match. SMB has Championship experience. And they have actually been able to come back down 0-3. That is a feat that probably won't be repeated by this team, but they can always draw inspiration from that. And they had the lead in this game. If Coach Leo Austria probably utilized the bench players more, then the core players would have had more energy in the 4th quarter, the quarter that counts.

Utilize players like Lanete, Vigil, Herjuela, De Ocampo, and Agovida. Like Herndon, Coach Austria might just get lucky and get a huge performance boost from any of them. And with Ross at less than a hundred percent, Pessumal, Espinas and Rosser have to step-up. Any help that the core players can get would be welcome.

At this point, all SMB can do is learn from this loss, and move on to the next game. It should remind them not to be over confident against this Magnolia squad. It is a good thing this was not a knock out game but a seven game series. And it looks like it will be an exciting series ahead - a good thing for all the fans.

Lest the San Miguel Beermen Forget They are Dealing with Coach Tim Cone...

I'm a proud fan of the current San Miguel Beermen core. They are the only basketball team I know of who were able to come back, down 0-3 in a seven game series, to win. And they have been in a lot of battles where they were the underdogs, but they were able to win the game. The most recent example was Game 2 of their current semi-finals series against the Ginebra Gin Kings. They were down by double digits, but they battled back to force overtime, and win in the extra period.

But they are also dealing with my favorite PBA Coach of all time, Tim Cone. And Mr. Cone has proven in the past that even when the team he was leading was down 0-2, he and his team could bounce back. And that is what they are trying to do - convincingly winning Game 3 last night against SMB. Coach Tim is amazing at turning things around for a challenged team. We see in the series that his main big man, Greg Slaughter, is out due to injury, and yet he has been able to utilize Prince Caparal - while other PBA teams have opted to pass over this stretch big man. Under Cone's tutelage, Caparal could be the next Ranidel De Ocampo.

So, as an SMB fan, I hope they don't become complacent and allow the Gin Kings to come back. They should treat Game 4 as a do-or-die game, and remember that it was the Gin Kings who helped ruin their bid for a grand slam last year. (Gin Kings and Meralco, but at the end of the day, the Beermen were also too over confident and perhaps the loss is good for the ego).

SMB also has its share of injured players, Chris Ross most recently. I guess this is a side effect of lax officiating, so that players can get into a brawl more. But the PBA should also consider the long-term health of their super stars. If play gets too rough, there might not be good players for the Gilas program in the future if most are injured or if careers are ended.

So, SMB, if you are reading this, please prepare well for the Gin Kings in Game 4. A tied 2-2 series would probably end up in a semi-finals loss for the SMB Franchise due to a shift in momentum. So you'ld want to end the series early. Players like Arwind Santos should just focus on their game instead of playing the crowd. You don't want the added heat from Ginebra fans. And even if officiating isn't going your way, (since certain people have vested interests in seeing who wins), just play on and play your best. You are currently the best team in the PBA because you play as a team. And I am blessed to have seen this type of chemistry in your past games, and hope that you can sustain it until you cement your place in history with a grand slam. 

Is Terrence Romeo Still Good for Globalport?

After seeing how Terrence Romeo got into a shouting match with Coach Pido Jarencio in Globalport's do-or-die game against the Magnolia Hotshots, it is a wonder if Terrence Romeo is still good for the Batang Pier. If we learn from Kelly Nabong's experience with Meralco, Terrence Romeo is probably on his way out since teams might value respect for coaches than any individual player. Other Globalport players might also begin to think that Romeo runs the team instead of the coaches. And we see that Terrence was actually a liability during the dying minutes of the game when he made a dribbling error on a drive to the basket that could have cut down the Hotshots lead to two points.

The Gilas fan in me is saying they should keep Romeo. Terrence was incredible during one Gilas Pilipinas game where he kept the game close for the country with successive three point shots. But Terrence is also getting old, and has yet to prove that he can give Globalport a championship ring ever since he was drafted in 2013. Five years is a long time to prove your worth, and maybe Terrence will win a championship eventually, but I don't see it with Globalport.

Globalport was actually doing pretty well during Romeo's absence. The team was gelling with Stanley Pringle, Jonathan Grey, Kelly Nabong, Gabaini, Taha, Elorde, Teng, etc. But with Romeo in the rotation, a lot of these players ended up with limited minutes. With Romeo on the floor, the offence has to run through him, and therefore becomes predictable. Disrupt Romeo's play, and chances are, he will be forced to pass to another player who isn't really ready since he was already expecting Romeo to go for the basket. With other players on the floor, play is well distributed and the team is more dangerous if scoring is balanced and the opponent does not know who to guard.

But if Romeo were to be traded, which team would want him? And who would he be traded for? Right now, the best team I can think of that would benefit from Romeo is Kia. They need a star player on that team, someone they can lean on during crunch time. But who can Kia give up for Romeo? I'd probably trade for Jackson Corpuz, Glenn Khobuntin, Rashawn McCarthy and Reden Celda. If I can get multiple players for Romeo, I would.

The next team I can think of that might go for Romeo is Phoenix. Wright for Romeo, since their both guards on Gilas. But with Louie Alas' system, I don't think Romeo would thrive since his play is usually made on the fly.

Blackwater might also want to trade for Romeo since they are lacking a star point guard. But who would the Elite give up for Romeo? Maliksi perhaps? (Since he is in a spot conflict with DiGregorio) I don't think Globalport would go for Pinto. Globalport could always ask for Eram and finally get a legitimate center, but Eram is probably the franchise player for the team, and is even in the running for Most Improved Player this season.

TNT might want to try a Jayson Castro or Roger Pogoy for Romeo. But Pogoy and Rosario are probably the team's future. And they have also recently acquired Jericho Cruz. What TNT actually needs is a post presence.

So, I don't really know if Romeo will be traded. I just hope he doesn't end up in a different league. We've seen players who thought they were too good for their team in the past end up flushing their PBA careers down the drain. A player should always stay humble because after all, they all age and get old and are usually outlasted by the team. And a single injury could end a player's career. To have a legacy, to be remembered by the fans on a good note, that should be a player's motivation in the PBA.

Transfer Multiple Photos from Alcatel U5 to Windows 8 Laptop

For some reason, Windows 8 wasn't recognizing the Alcatel U5 Smartphone when it was being connected to any USB port even after swapping USB cables.

There's also the option of transferring files from the Alcated U5 to your Laptop via Bluetooth, but I haven't been able to do this for multiple files after the devices were paired. So, I kept looking for a multiple photo transfer solution.

Device Manager was showing the Alcatel U5 under Portable Devices with a yellow question mark. This means that the device was not properly recognized.

Tried updating the drivers automatically by searching online. It found an MTP driver, but was saying something about an INF error.

Looked for an alternative solution and found a video which was recommending that the MTP USB driver be installed manually from the C:\Windows\inf folder.

Changed the browse directory option and then chose the "Let me pick a list of drivers on my computer option".

Was looking for an MTP or MTP USB device option but initially, there were none. If you see a bunch of numbers with a USB icon, try that. I guess I got lucky. The next time I tried this option, it now gave me two options, MTP and MTP USB device. Choose MTP USB device.

If all goes well, you should now see the Alcated U5 as a portable media device along with your drives on Windows explorer. Right click on it and select import pictures and videos. There are settings which you can configure to streamline this process, but basically, what happens is the PC searches all the android phone folders and directories for all photos and videos and imports these to the computer. I initially found 1000+ pictures on the phone, and this might seem inefficient. But if you are using the same directory on your PC to store all photos, you can skip copying duplicates the next time you go through the process. Yes, searching through all the photos the second time or nth time around is inefficient, but it should only import the new ones.

Personally, I still prefer the old way of going through the DCIM folder and only selecting the photos that are new based on the date they were created. But this wasn't possible in my current situation, thus the workaround above. Hope it helps you out.

A Possible Solution To The MRT Problem

With the MRT trains failing frequently, why is the government in such a rush to build another MRT project from Quezon City to Bulacan? Shouldn't the government address the current situation and stabilize it first before beginning a new endeavor? Otherwise, you'll have another mess when the new MRT project starts failing after a few years of operations.

People want the current MRT fixed, but also want uninterrupted service. Sometimes, you have to shut the system down to overhaul a system. If a car breaks down, you have to use other means of transportation while the car is being repaired. But in a capital which is heavily reliant on the MRT for its commuters, shutting down this mode of transport might only happen if no trains are no longer available. And with 7 trains remaining in operation, that day might come sooner than expected.

Perhaps a long term solution to this problem is developing our own competency in train operations. I think U.P. Diliman tried doing this when they built a mini-MRT model on their campus, but I've yet to see a train going around the campus - perhaps because the line has not even come full circle yet. But if the premier university in the Philippines cannot do it, perhaps it should be done by schools and private institutions collectively. Bring the best and brightest minds from the academe, government, and private sector and build a Fellowship of the MRT (ala Fellowship of the Ring). And we might have some experts in the PNR and LRT systems that might also be able to lend a hand in this mess.

Develop local competency in building our own trains - because you can't fix what you don't know how to build. This will take a lot of time, perhaps decades, to achieve. But if we become experts in the train transport field, then maybe we can export our own train technology to other countries in the future. We should not continue relying on foreign countries for materials and spare parts to fix our problems. We could initially ask them for help in education, but we should learn to develop our own technology.

I've seen old steam locomotive trains still running in Japan up to this day. Those trains are decades old, but they have been reliably maintained. If Japan and other countries can do it, I think Filipinos can do it, too.

San Miguel Beermen Loses to Black Water Elite

Learning from Ginebra's strategy of throwing multiple big men at Jun Mar Fajardo, Magnolia tried to do the same, and would have won if not for the heroics of Chico Lanete. Black Water Elite utilized the same strategy, throwing Eram, Marcelo, and Sena at Fajardo, with the occasional double team from a guard or small forward. And this time, it appeared to have worked. Or has it really?

I would say Fajardo is tired. Perhaps fatigue from the game is setting in considering he is part of the Gilas pool cramming for a showdown against Australia and Japan later this month. The four-time MVP wasn't churning out the usual numbers.

San Miguel is also missing Alex Cabagnot due to an injury. With Cabagnot on the floor along with Lassiter, Santos, and Ross, the Beermen have four potential three-point shooters well spaced on the floor. This is probably the reason why Lanete was effective against the Magnolia game. The three-point shot is an integral part of the Beermen's offense. But if shooters like Pesumal, Lanete, and Heruela are missing their shots, then it becomes more difficult for Fajardo to operate in the paint. The double teams will keep coming since they know that the Beermen have no reliable outside threat. Only Santos and Lassiter made shots from the perimeter. Black Water actually used the Beermen's strategy against them, with Eram being the inside threat, and DiGregorio, Maliksi, and Palma shooting from the outside. Palma appears to be a promising new comer, with a shooting touch and an ability to slash to the basket.

Ganuelas-Rosser should develop his three-point shooting ability. I actually thought they would develop him as another point guard like Ross. But it seems they are utilizing him as a power forward, due to the Beermen's lack of depth at the 4 position. Espinas is still out, so they have to put someone else at that spot for the Philippine Cup.

Santos is better at the 4 spot than at the 3 spot when Rosser is playing. So, I would rather see three additional guards with Santos and Fajardo, then subbing Mamaril or Rosser for Santos. Hopefully, this loss will teach the Beermen a lesson. Better to lose now than get knocked out of the playoffs.

Credit Card Calculations

Tried crunching some numbers using a spreadsheet. At a monthly interest of 3.5%, and assuming you only borrowed money at the beginning, and only paid the minimum payment per month (here, assumed at 4% of the outstanding balance), it would take 77 years for you to reduce the borrowed amount by 99%. 77 years to nearly pay-off the original money you borrowed. It takes more than the average lifespan of a human being to pay-off a debt. And by that time, the bank would have earned about 693.18% or nearly seven times the amount you initially borrowed off monthly interest charges.

Also, during the first year, the bank would have earned more than 40% of the borrowed amount just because of interest charges, and you would have only reduced the balance by roughly 6%. Compare 40% with 0.1%, the annual interest rate that depositors charge banks to lend the banks their money. That gives the bank a net profit of 39.9% by simple being the middle man.

By the second year, the bank has already earned about 80% of the borrowed amount via interest charges and you would have only reduced the outstanding amount by 11%.

The lesson here is that it's unwise to only pay the minimum required payment per month. Try to reduce the outstanding balance to zero by the end of every month if you want to utilize a credit card effectively. Otherwise, you are better off with cash because credit card interest rates are oppressive. I would advice my friends against using credit cards at all.

Yaman Ko'y Pag-ibig Mo Chords

Here's my attempt at guitar chords for Yaman Ko'y Pag-ibig Mo by Arnel De Pano. Hope you like it.

YAMAN KO'Y PAG-IBIG MO
By Arnel De Pano
Intro
EbM7 Dm
EbM7 Dm Gm7
Cm Dm EbM7
Cm Dm EbM7 F7

I
Bb           BbM7      EbM7
Ang mithi ng buhay na aba
Bb           BbM7      EbM7
Kayamanang pansamantala
Dm7          Gm7       Cm7      F7sus - F7
Gamit ay panandaliang dulot na tuwa
Dm7          Gm7       Cm7      F7
Bakit kung hayaan ang hatid ay pinsala
II
Minsan may nais akong kamtin
Ang maging tanyag at magningning
Ngunit ang tuwa't galak ay di maging ganap
Dahil ang ngiti na nasa akin ay huwad

Chorus
Bb         Cm7          Dm7          EbM7
Pagyamanin mo ang aking buhay kaylan man
Bb          Cm7      Fm7       Bb7sus - Bb7   
Pagningasin mo ang init ng iyong pagmamahal
EbM7      Dm       EbM7      F       Bb 
Wag ng mawalay sa paglingap mong tunay
Cm7 - Dm7 - EbM7 Cm7 - Dm7 - EbM7 - F7
Ang yaman ko'y pag-ibig mong alay

Repeat Intro

II
Bb           BbM7      EbM7
Yamang yaman kong pag-ibig mo
Bb           BbM7      EbM7
Puso ko'y punan mo ng husto
Dm7          Gm7       Cm7      F7sus - F7
Yamang kung sa sukat ay hindi magkukulang
Dm7          Gm7       Cm7      F7
Yamang kung sa lawak ay sadyang walang hanggan

Chorus
Bb         Cm7          Dm7          EbM7
Pagyamanin mo ang aking buhay kaylan man
Bb          Cm7      Fm7       Bb7sus - Bb7   
Pagningasin mo ang init ng iyong pagmamahal
EbM7      Dm       EbM7      F       Bb 
Wag ng mawalay sa paglingap mong tunay
Cm7 - Dm7 - EbM7 Cm7 - Dm7 - EbM7 - F7 (Bb)
Ang yaman ko'y pag-ibig mong alay

Bridge
EbM7       Dm7        Cm7         F7sus - F7
Akin ngang nababatid mithiing di matuwid
EbM7       Dm7        Cm7         F7sus - F7  G7sus - G7
Bakit nga nagpipilit Naaakit sa di wastong hatid

Transition to Chorus one step higher

Chorus
C         Dm7          Em7          FM7
Pagyamanin mo ang aking buhay kaylan man
C         Dm7         Gm7       C7sus - C7   
Pagningasin mo ang init ng iyong pagmamahal
FM7      Em       FM7      G       C 
Wag ng mawalay sa paglingap mong tunay
Dm7 - Em7 - FM7 Dm7 - Em7 - FM7 - Em - Asus - A
Ang yaman ko'y pag-ibig mong alay

Dm7 - Em7 - FM7 Dm7 - Em7 - F - G
Ang yaman ko'y pag-ibig mong alay

Outro
FM7 Em
FM7 G7 CM7

AVISION 32 inch LED TV Product Review

Got the AVISION 32 inch as a family Christmas gift and so far, I am quite pleased. We were able to get it from Lazada for a price of around 7,000 pesos. I've tried attaching it to various sources. The PS4 works well with the HDMI port. An old antenna could be hooked up to the cable input to get local channels - although the reception isn't as good as if the TV was hooked up to a cable provider like Sky Cable. I've also tried attaching it to a laptop via the PC VGA input. This set up works fine if your laptop has loud audio or speakers attached. But the most useful port for me is the USB port where we could attach either a USB key or a portable hard drive and play .mp4 or .mkv files.

I remember helping a friend buy a Samsung 24 inch TV about 3 years ago for about 8,000. Now, the same sized TV is about 11,000 pesos. So, for a bigger TV screen at a lesser price, the AVISION is a bargain. The Samsung TV still works until now. I am hoping the AVISION will last as long if not longer.

If there's one thing I could ask manufacturers to change about their design, it would be port accessibility. Having to reach behind the center of a wall mounted TV can be a challenging task at times, and hopefully, ports like the USB could be placed near the sides or edges of the screen so that attaching USB keys would be a breeze.