Can You Name This Plant? (10th of hopefully many)

Can You Name This Plant? (9th of hopefully many)

PBA Kia Picanto At The Bottom Of The Standings

It is amazing how Coach Yeng Giao has turned NLEX around after being given about a year. And I guess some people look forward to the challenge of building a contender from a bottom feeder in the rankings.

Now, it looks like Kia Picanto - what used to be the Mahindra Floodbusters, has inherited the rank of PBA Teams bottom feeder. So, what exactly will it take to turn Kia into a contending team? And is Kia even in the PBA to compete, or is it merely there to serve as advertising for its product? Of course, no product wants to be associated with a losing team.

Maybe they should start with the head coach. Their head coach doesn't exactly have any PBA experience either as a player or as an assistant coach. Why not get Coach Erik Altamirano or Coach Alex Compton (who probably also needs a change of teams since Alaska is no longer winning under his leadership)? Even Coach Perry Ronquillo or Coach Ryan Gregorio would probably be better than the current coach of Kia. Does he have the job because no one else will take it? Who knows, Coach Yeng Giao might just take on the challenge of turning Kia around after NLEX wins a championship. And don't say Manny is the coach. We all love Manny. He's a national hero and treasure. But leave the coaching duties to someone who has been in the PBA, again either as a player or tactician.

After getting a better coach, the next step would be to land one or two star players. There isn't any player in the current Kia roster that stands out. But there are up and coming young players in the Gilas pool who haven't even signed with any team. Out of Ravena, Paras, and Parks, Ravena is probably the best player to build a team around on, if he wants the job that is.

Next step would be to try to get some of the good second stringers in the PBA. Why not make a play for a Tautua, Espinas, Agovida, Ganuellas-Rosser, Pringle (cause he's probably tired of Romeo's shadow), Abueva (cause he's probably tired of the many times Alaska has lost), Grey, Mariano, Melton, Chan, Almazan etc. Baguio could also be out of a job soon since Wright will inherit that shooter role in Phoenix. Yeo might still be decent. And Barocca might want out now that Jalalon is being groomed for the point guard spot.

And scout the D-League for up and coming talent.

Or Kia could just wait until Kai Sotto is eligible to play in the PBA. And then build a team around him.

It sucks to be at the bottom. But if there's anything we can learn from NLEX, any team can rise from that lowest rung and become a contender. The players just have to get tired of becoming the punching bag of the PBA.

The Deele Two Occasions Guitar Chords

Here's my chord attempt at a great old song by The Deele. Hope you like it!

Two Occasions 
Stanza Pattern
CM7
A summer love is beautiful
Am7
But it's not enough
Dm
To satisfy emotions
G
That are shared between us

Repeat Stanza Pattern
A winter love is cozy
But I need so much more
It just intensifies my wants
To have a love that endures

Refrain Pattern
(F -) Em  Am7      
Cause every time I close my eyes
        (F -) Em
I think of you
Am7
And no matter what the season is
             Dm
I still love you
     Em      Am7
With all my heart
            Dm
And I wanna be with you
             G
Wherever you are

Chorus Pattern
CM7                         Am7
I only think of you on two occasions
       Dm        G
That's day and night
(F -) Em                            Am7
I'd go for broke if I could be with you
              Dm       G    
Only you can make it right

Repeat Stanza Pattern
An autumn love is special
At this time of the year
But when the leaves are gone

Repeat Stanza Pattern
Does that love disappear
I never underestimate the new love of spring
But I'm glad to say in my heart
I know my love's lasting

Repeat Refrain Pattern
Cause every time I close my eyes
I think of you
And no matter what the season is
I still love you
With all my heart
And I wanna be with you
Wherever you are

Repeat Chorus twice

Repeat Refrain Pattern
Cause every time I close my eyes
I think of you
And no matter what the season is
I still love you
With all my heart
And I wanna be with you
Wherever you are

Repeat Chorus twice

AVG Error: UI Failed to load.

Got this error early today when I tried to open AVG Antivirus:

UI Failed to load.
This is really embarassing.
AV service is not responding.

There were two buttons afterwards, EXIT and RESTART SERVICE.

I tried the RESTART SERVICE button but still ended up with the same result.
Tried to REPAIR AVG via Uninstall programs in Control Panel. Still no go.
Tried to disable AV service from my startup items using MSCONFIG. Still no go.

So, I uninstalled all AVG programs via Uninstall programs in Control Panel. I also downloaded the latest AVG installer, ANTIVIRUS_FREE_1856, as of this writing.

After restarting, I installed AVG using the installer. Then updated my virus definitions and ran a DEEP SCAN. All seems to be working well. I restarted my PC just to be sure that the same error no longer comes up. All was well. Hope these steps help you out, too, in case you're getting the same error message above.

Clash Royale 2 vs 2

Clash Royale 2 vs 2 has been the most fun gaming experience I've had on my mobile phone to date. It reminds me of the time I've spent on Starcraft, or Generals, or DOTA - where you are about to pulverize your opponent's base as a group. And there's also the thrill of coming back from a game where you are about to lose your base, but a timely counter, a fireball, or rocket to a weak tower, gains you the win when time is down to 00:00. And what's great about it is it is happening on your mobile phone.

2 vs 2 requires team work and familiarity with what each kind of unit does, especially those you rarely use in your deck. It is easy to spot if there is synergy between two teammates or not. And once your opponent sees this, they can easily take advantage of the situation.

The only thing I hate about 2 vs 2 is when your teammate goes offline - perhaps because of a lag in his internet connection, and you are forced to handle two players on your own. But I guess it is part of the game, but I wish there was a way to level the playing field when this happens, maybe allow you to control your opponent's deck, too, just to prevent from being overwhelmed by two player's combined forces.

It would be amazing to see if this game can expand to 3 vs 3, 4 vs 4 or even 5 vs 5. You would probably need a bigger map. And I don't know if you would then be forced to focus on a single unit - then it would be too much like DOTA.

But the Clash universe has already made a big investment in getting their characters recognized, that might just be the next step when Clash Royale losses steam. Still, for now, 2 vs 2 is too fun to pass up. Wish the tournament for 2 vs 2 always has a free entry, that was, I don't have to waste gems on losses. It's already a tough environment, I've yet to get to 10 wins. But it's really lots of fun, and if I could forego the payment of gems, I'd be more willing to experiment with my deck combinations instead of sticking to tried and tested ones.

Thank you, Clash Royale development team for coming up with ways to make this game better. May the game play continue to improve.  

Skycable Digibox HD - USB Videos Have No Sound

In case you've tried to play video files on a USB drive using the USB port of your Skycable Digibox HD, you might notice that your videos have no sound. To play a video file, go to MENU > MUSIC / PHOTOS > VIDEOS and if your storage device is recognized, you should be able to see a list of files that you can play. Press the PLAY button, and the video should start playing in preview mode. To maximize the screen, press the left red button at the top of your Skycable remote control. If your video is playing but doesn't have any sound, even if your regular Skycable channels have sound, you can try doing the following as a work around, in the hopes of getting sound.

1. Try to fast forward the video a bit
2. Press the PLAY button.
3. Your Video should now have sound

This trick worked for me and I hope it can help out others who are experiencing the same issue. If in the process, you also lose sound on your Skycable channels, try powering off your Skycable Digibox and television for about five seconds, then powering them back on.