Beyond that, the battle has just started.

As a nation, we spoke out and made our choice. That choice was Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino. Individually, we all had our personal bets. But as a nation, Noynoy was who we picked. Thus, he is our choice now. The country’s 15th president is our president now.

Thank you mom, dad

Still, his victory isn’t our victory. In selecting Noynoy Aquino, we simply chose the way we, as a country should proceed. In making the son of two pro-democracy icons our president, we picked our battle and we drew the line.

Our battle is against corruption. On one side of the line is Noynoy and his 13 million or so followers, who gave him a mandate so huge that there will be little reason to question his rule. On the other side are GMA and her minions, who are intent on perpetuating themselves in power.

We could have elected to move forward as a nation and picked either Gibo Teodoro or Manny Villar, two candidates who presented concrete, measurable platforms during their campaign. Teodoro, especially, since even his fiercest rivals conceded that he was best suited for the presidency. But because of their links to Arroyo, Teodoro explicitly and Villar allegedly, we opted for Noynoy–either by voting for him or for others who were as vocal in saying GMA and her ilk would face prosecution for abusing the perks of the presidency.

It is now time to make that choice matter.

Not only should we hold Noynoy to the few promises he offered, we should stand by him when an expectedly hostile Congress–Villar is expected to control the Senate while Representative GMA is a cinch for the House speakership–tries to circumvent our collective will by force-feeding us with Charter change.

Oh sure, we were never sold on the Aquino campaign. He has failed to concretely address land reform issues his clan is embroiled in. He has shown little passion in putting a tight leash on Kamag-Anak Inc. And he had little to show for in his stint as legislator aside from his surname. Thus we went for other choices, even to the point of being willing to put up with convicted plunderer Erap Estrada–further proof that we were steering clear of any president who would refrain from vetoing House Speaker Arroyo.

But this is no longer the Aquino campaign. This is already the Aquino presidency. And in our willingness to put the battle against corruption in the forefront for the next six years, we made a late push to partner Ninoy with a proven executive. Much, of course, the the dismay of Aquino’s self-sacrificing vice presidential bet, Mar Roxas.

Ang sakiiit sakiiit... para ke Korina

Those of us who were against Noynoy were wary that he was a weak and unproven bet. Well, he is now a weak and unproven president. And to choose to grumble now, to opt to slip back to apathy simply because our bet lost would not only mean disrespect to the voice of the majority, it would make the person in charge of our country even weaker.

Let us continue to be vigilant. Let us hold him accountable for everything he promised. Let us offer him nothing more than our critical support.

But when push comes to shove, when Noynoy and his 13 million go to war against a money-fueled, power-hungry corruption machine, let us all take a look at the line that we drew as a nation, pick the right side to go to battle with and add true meaning to our electoral triumph.

Otherwise, these historic elections would be hooray! electronic voting! and little else.

Photos in this post are property of the blog owner

Now here’s what concerns me. Your president could end up being mine, too. So yeah, I give a damn. And this is where my little pitch comes in. This is where I try to egg you ever so gently but as persuasively as I can: Vote wisely. 

You may have an open mind up until this point. Or, you may have your slate already filled but are having second thoughts. Or, you may have your choices made but are still willing to listen to an earnest plea. 

As long as you’re not marching to polling centers wearing all orange and singing wowowee or carrying a picture of James Yap with you, spare a minute to hear me out. 

Consider the person who has shown he can lead this country out of its doldrums. 

Consider Richard Gordon. 

Sure, survey says Liberal Party standard bearer Noynoy Aquino will win this race. I mean, 22 percentage points away from his closest competitors? Even if the margin or error were a laughable plus-minus 10, he’d still be asking yakking sister Kris to pick out his inauguration outfit. 

And yeah, the intellectuals say Gibo Teodoro will win this one. Because apparently, Teodoro and his supporters have a monopoly on intelligence in this country. So you’re either pro-Erap or you’re anti-Erap; you’re pro-Noynoy or you’re anti-Noynoy; you’re pro-Villar or you’re anti-Villar. 

But you’re either pro-Gibo or you’re stupid. 

As Robert Jaworski loves to say: eh genius eh.

I don’t buy that. Why? Some of the more decently written blog posts around the net say Gibo makes the most sense and that his platform is exactly what we need in this country. Reread those posts again. It doesn’t even mention what Teodoro said that made a whole lot of sense. Or discuss his platforms. It’s like we just have to take their word for it because, well, they’re smarter than us, stupid. 

I have nothing personal against Gibo. My dear brother is for Gibo. And so are the brilliant minds in my profession. But in the industry I’m part of, even when teams pay scouts to take a look at prospects, they’d need more than just the scout’s word that “this prospect’s good” before agreeing to draft the player. 

Besides, let me tell you a story about Gibo Teodoro and it begins with two words: Typhoon Ondoy. 

* * * 

Besides, you’re voting for Gibo, you’re basically voting to extend the GMA administration. 

There’s no way around that. Gibo will simply toe his party’s line just as Villar will be GMA’s lapdog. See, Gibo may not be aware of it. He may think he’ll run the country as president. But I really believe he’ll just complete the equation of GMA and her cohorts controlling both chambers of the House without worrying about a vetoing president. 

Besides, if he’s really in control, someone explain Edu Manzano to me. 

And if Manzano was his choice, then he doesn’t sound like a very smart person to me. 

Or he really isn’t his own man. Or he isn’t smart. Either way, it doesn’t look right. 

* * * 

Forget Noynoy Aquino. 

Okay, you've done your job. you can go back to being irrelevant now.

All we really wanted to prove with Noynoy was how much we hated GMA. How GMA is worse than putting up with Kris Aquino’s hysterics. We rallied behind him so we could thumb our noses at arguably the worst president to ever set foot in Malacañang. 

You now what? We succeeded doing that already so enough with this NoynoyMania. He isn’t Cory, he isn’t Ninoy. The only similarities he shares with his parents, aside from lineage of course, is that his name cropped up at a time when the country feared for its future. 

We needed him to allay those fears. We needed him to send a message that we’re not going to quietly subject ourselves to a dictator again. 

We won. 

And now it’s time for us to fix this country and steer it to the modern world. 

* * * 

It’s not just that he wants to modernize our education. And I don’t think he’s cool just because he dances on YouTube or sucks used lemons during tequila shots. 

I really feel Richard Gordon is the leader this country needs. 

Wait, what used lemons?!

Yeah Gibo supporters, you don’t have to take my word for it. 

Let me point you to here. 

We need executives who will buckle down to work and lead by example instead of relying on rhetoric or lineage to power them to the presidency. 

Dick Gordon doesn’t care much for appearances. Heck, when he needed a running mate, he picked the least popular choice of all, former Marikina mayor and MMDA chief Bayani Fernando, the scourge of squatters and illegal sidewalk vendors. He could’ve selected a popular, good-looking personality to boost his chances. Because popularity-wise, Fernando stole major points from Gordon. 

But Gordon ran for president precisely to give this country a chance. And so he picked a vice president who would put on his hard hat, roll up his sleeves and get to work right away. Again, Gibo supporters, here’s proof. 

Nobody may have died during the exodus of the American naval base (save maybe for the dreams of a thousand bar girls and their pimps). But post-US Bases Subic was Gordon’s Ondoy. And guess what? He aced the challenge. He turned the former naval base into an international economic freeport zone that industrialized the area without sacrificing the lush, natural landscape there. 

In fact, the freeport seems to even pay homage to its natural habitat. 

Yeah, yeah, he plans to tax us 50 cents more for his project to modernize education and spare our kids from having to break their backs carrying heavy books daily. Wait. That’s not even a negative! Heck, that’s going to strengthen our public school system! 

Besides, how much of your entire friggin’ life do you lose if you send just two text messages instead of three?!  

And let’s not forget. He won’t use the extra income from the SMS tax on just Kindles. 

So he’s an arrogant SOB. 

But that’s just because he has big plans. It isn’t arrogance. That’s just us, as a people, dreaming in retail again. When people set high goals, we label them haughty. 

We admire the person who dreams of owning a sari-sari store for being a realist. The person who dreams of owning a mall? We say he’s full of hot air. 

But it’s embedded in our genetic code to dream in retail and despise the person with wholesale dreams. 

That’s what we hate Gordon for. And we hate him without knowing that we are actually hating our own cowardice. 

Put it this way: If you set your goals to No. 3 and you fail a notch, you end up at No.2. But if you set your goals at No. 10 and fail five notches, you’re at No. 5, which is still way better than being stuck down at No. 2. 

* * * 

There. I said my piece. You have about a day to argue with yourself if I made sense at all or not. 

But please. 

Think hard and think thoroughly. 

Think about how much we need to move forward as a country already. 

Think about substance, not appearances. 

Think about experience and leadership. 

Think about the amazed look on your child’s face when he/she brushes on on science via a Kindle. 

Think about Richard Gordon. 

Very truly yours, 

The (dumb) boy from Smallville 

* * * 

Oh, PS: 

Forget manny Villar. 

He’s a liar.

Manny Pacquiao going up against Joshua Clottey was a farce. It was those little half-toasted sandwich squares topped with tuna dressing. Floyd Mayweather Jr pummeling Shane Mosley? Same sandwich squares, with a little grilled cheese thrown in. And don’t even go into Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez. Bit-sized hotdogs skewered by toothpicks.

Heck, Pacquiao-Cotto had its appeal, but only because it cemented the Filipino icon’s place in history books. After all the hoopla, it was just quiches.

Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions better get the real party started by whipping out the main course. And in boxing, unless, as one now-forgotten boxing writer put it, the Klitschko brothers decide to finally mix it up in the ring, there’s only one relevant fight left in the horizon.

Pacquiao-Mayweather. Pacman-Money. This is it. Pound-for-pound.

I have no time for more photoshop

There’s an open fight date for both in November. The Cowboys Stadium and MGM Grand will outbid each other to host the event. People will snap up tickets if as much as a rumor floats that they’re available. PPV? Guaranteed blockbuster. And journalists all over the world will drop their pens and stop whatever they’re doing to file for accreditation for this one.

All that’s missing are the boxers.

Mayweather continues jawing about Olympic-style drug tests and says that there’ll be no compromise on that stand. It’s his job, he feels, to clean up the sport.

And the more he talks about it, the more it puts the onus on Pacman to say yes, climb the ring and shut Money’s mouth. It isn’t because people will believe that Mayweather has taken the high road on the issue. It’s just that the more Mayweather talks about it, the sillier it makes Pacquiao look each time he says there will be no drug tests within 24 days of the fight.

And Pacquiao isn’t budging.

Pacquiao says he hates needles. And truth be told, he really does. He’s said it casually before, even when blood tests weren’t an issue yet. I think I was covering his fight against Morales when he was joked about his tattoos and he responded that the only thing he hated about tattoos was the needle.

And speaking of tattoos, it seems perfectly normal for inked athletes to hate needles. If the Mayweather camp feels it’s bullshit, let them tell that to LeBron James (check way down the 11th paragraph).

Will get inked all over but won't take a needle to ease his pain

So no, Mayweather has absolutely no right to dictate the tests on Pacquiao, no matter how the Golden Boy feels about it. But if Pretty Boy’s going to talk about it a lot, then people are going to start being suspicious of Pacman. Before that happens, Pacquiao’s better off taking the damn tests and messing Floyd Jr.’s face.

* * *

The pay-per-view numbers should have Mayweather-Mosley up there right after Mayweather-De La Hoya, which was the biggest non-heavyweight bout in history. Mayweather says that’s because people love watching him fight.

Really? To lull them to sleep? You’ll have to crunch different numbers to know which fighter is really worth watching. And here’s a little interesting math I did after the Mayweather-Mosley fight.

Punch stats showed that the two Americans landed 300 punches—combined—in Sunday’s bout, which went the distance. When Pacquiao made history by nailing his seventh division crown with a 12th-round knockout of Miguel Cotto, the Filipino landed 336 punches on his own. And that fight lasted 11 rounds and 55 seconds.

Plus, on a night when Mayweather was praised for finally being aggressive offensively, he and Mosley combined for 929 punches thrown.

Against Joshua Clottey, Pacquiao threw a total of 1231 punches all by his lonesome.

Even if this counted as one

The pound-for-pound ranking may be debatable now, but when people ask who is the most exciting fighter to watch in the planet today, let the real numbers speak for themselves.

PHOTOS for this post were nicked from various internet sources, including Yahoo! and other boxing sites.

It’s not so much the All-Star game, which really isn’t much of a break from the ennui of elimination round matches. I mean, it’s basically like someone dreamed up a quadrupleheader crammed into a single playdate that would spare us from having to watch Barako Coffee play.

Speaking of which, how does one rationalize the fact that after raiding stars from other teams, San Miguel Beer only has two players on the All-Star squads? It would have been a testament to the franchise’s purchasing power—against the backdrop of the fact that favorite sellers Barako Coffee and Air21 have no players on the list—had the Beermen contributed at least five for the game.

1/2 of San Miguel Beer's contribution to the all-stars

But that’s digressing.

I’ve always been supportive of the move to amp up the All-Stars by focusing on the side events, specifically the three-point shootout and the slam dunk contest.

And really, this year? This is as mouthwatering as it gets.

The three-point shootout brings back memories of the times when Larry Bird would join the long-range contest during the NBA midweek classic. And the slam dunk contest? Do I hear Jordan-Wilkins?

Consider this: Defending three-point champion James Yap of Derby Ace will defend his title against former two-time champs Dondon Hontiveros of San Miguel Beer and Air21’s Renren Ritualo. Mark Macapagal of Coca-Cola and clutch Talk ‘N Text playmaker Jimmy Alapag should provide stiff challenge.

shooting title's under threat

I am, however, quite disappointed that Barangay Ginebra decided to submit Ronald Tubid’s name to the three-point contest. I would’ve chosen—and maybe even wagered on—Sunday Salvacion. Oh, and there’s Rain or Shine’s Jeff Chan, certainly not a participant you can overlook.

The slam dunk contest, however, is where it’s at as far as the All-Stars event is concerned.

How about this for a cast: Rain or Shine’s Gabe Norwood, who would probably lead the league in dunks if the PBA kept tabs, will defend his crown against certified aerial artists KG Canaleta of Derby Ace, a three-time winner, and Kelly Williams of Sta. Lucia, also a former champ.

picture this: Gabe Norwood, the rim and no CJ Giles in between

And to add to the intrigue, JC Intal, Barangay Ginebra’s version of a highlight reel, Talk ‘N Text leaper Jared Dillinger and Derby Ace rookie Rico Maierhofer have been thrown into the list.

I mean, the only thing that could have made things more exciting is if the PBA did some novel act like maybe train some chimp to dunk tennis balls through mini hoops and entered it into the contest too.

okay, my bad. It isn't quite the novel act after all.

These players, chimp excluded, have been given the opportunity to really make this an All-Star weekend to remember and they will do their fans justice if right this very moment they start thinking up routines instead of making them up on the fly during the event itself.

These dunkers are beastly athletes and there’s no telling how exciting things can get if they sprinkle a little creativity to their moves.

So, anybody up for a wager as to who’ll win these side events?

And the renowned trainer has a valid reason to back his firm belief, as he says in an interview with an ESPN reporter.

The thing is, Mayweather is a good fighter and I just believe he came up with these [testing demands] because he wasn’t ready for Pacquiao yet. He only had one fight in two years and I think he needed more time — Freddie Roach

Believe, boxing fans. Believe.

Both fighters have $40-million reasons to make sure that this fight happens.

And after a fight that featured this:

FPJ 2.0

…maybe it’s time to give fight fans what they really need. Ditch the drug-testing protocols already Floyd Jr. sir.

When you’re done out-pointing Mosley, put that undefeated record on the line and let’s decide everything on the ring.

I know moralists will probably chew me up for this. But  whatever scandal the guy’s involved in right now, it still desn’t change the fact that he’s the best damn golfer in the whole world.

Same reason why I don’t care much about the affairs and the gambling that Manny Pacquiao’s supposedly involved in. He’s still the best boxer in the planet right now.

Anyway, here’s the copyof Tiger’s supposedly steamy sex text messages to a porn star.

Tiger: Sent: 05:46 PM 07/30/2009:
Heading back from the course now.
Tiger:Sent: 05:52 PM 07/30/2009:
How close are you
Tiger:Sent: 06:01 PM 07/30/2009:
I will leave an envelope at the front desk under ms daniels. Your room will be 305. Get settled and let me know when you are ready to see me. I will be i
Tiger:Sent: 06:01 PM 07/30/2009:
n room 201. You can come down the stair well next to your room. Make sure absolutely no one sees you
Tiger:Sent: 06:17 PM 07/30/2009:
Just so you know i have to get up at 415 tomorrow.
Tiger:Sent: 07:30 PM 07/30/2009:
Just let me know when you are headed down
Tiger:Sent: 09:46 PM 07/30/2009:
What time is car picking you up tomorrow
Tiger:Sent: 01:14 AM 07/31/2009:
Yes
Tiger:Sent: 01:27 AM 07/31/2009:
Did you get lost. Door is open
Tiger:Sent: 02:16 PM 07/31/2009:
What time do you leave. Im trying to leave. Im trying to get back
Tiger:Sent: 03:57 PM 07/31/2009:
Will back in 5. Let me take a shower and i will text you after
Tiger:Sent: 04:18 PM 07/31/2009:
Oh i know. Not at all. Just glad and suprised i can do that to you Im all clean. Come on down:)
Tiger:Sent: 04:22 PM 07/31/2009:
Hurry:)
Tiger:Sent: 05:08 PM 07/31/2009:
I’m glad you came out
Tiger:Sent: 06:36 PM 07/31/2009:
Awesome baby. Be Safe
Tiger:Sent: 03:13 AM 08/01/2009:
Thank you sexy
Tiger:Sent: 06:34 AM 08/06/2009:
In ohio playing
Tiger:Sent: 05:54 AM 08/09/2009:
I told you im playing these two weeks
Tiger:Sent: 06:50 PM 08/09/2009:
In about a month
Tiger:Sent: 06:51 PM 08/09/2009:
Maybe sooner. Can’t talk now. Will text when i can
Tiger:Sent: 01:53 PM 08/13/2009:
Me to
Tiger:Sent: 10:27 AM 08/20/2009:
I hope not. So you have been with others huh since
Tiger:Sent: 10:35 AM 08/23/2009:
I hope so
Tiger:Sent: 10:45 PM 08/23/2009:
Not a bad thing thinking about me
Tiger:Sent: 11:00 PM 08/23/2009:
I totally agree
Tiger:Sent: 11:03 PM 08/23/2009:
In conn
Tiger:Sent: 11:07 PM 03/23/2009:
Ditto
Tiger:Sent: 11: 08 PM 08/23/2009:
I like when you do that to me
Tiger:Sent: 11:11 PM 08/23/2009:
Ditto sexy
Tiger:Sent: 04:06 PM 08/28/2009:
I want to be deep inside you
Tiger:Sent: 04:10 PM 08/28/2009:
Maybe in two weeks in chicago
Tiger:Sent: 03:19 PM 08/29/2009:
I need that so bad
Tiger:Sent: 03;29 PM 08/29/2009:
Now:)
Tiger:Sent: 03:30 PM 08/29/2009:
Me to. I would wear you out
Tiger:Sent: 03:32 PM 08/29/2009:
I have no idea. I would love to have the ability to make you sore
Tiger:Sent: 03:35 PM 08/29/2009:
In a week. I will try to wear you out
Tiger:Sent: 03:36 PM 08/29/2009:
After i cum you better start sucking my cock to get it hard
Tiger:Sent: 03:37 PM 08/29/2009:
Do you ever hook up with other guys or girls
Tiger:Sent: 03:41 PM 08/29/2009:
You didnt answer the question
Tiger:Sent: 03:43 PM 08/29/2009:
Ok. I would like to have a threesome with you and another girl you trust
Tiger:Sent: 03:48 PM 08/29/2009:
Does that excite you at all or no
Tiger:Sent: 03:52 PM 08/29/2009:
God girl. You better want to take care of me
Tiger:Sent: 03:56 PM 08/29/2009:
You do. Need more of it
Tiger:Sent: 03:59 PM 08/29/2009:
of you
Tiger:Sent: 04″02 PM 08/29/2009:
I want to treat you rough. Throw you around, spank and slap you
Tiger:Sent: 04:06 PM 08/29/2009:
Slap your face. Treat you like a dirty little whore. Put my cock in your ass and then shove it down your throat
Tiger:Sent: 04:07 PM 08/29/2009:
You are my fucking whore
Tiger:Sent: 04:08 PM 08/29/2009:
Hold you down while i choke you and Fuck that ass that i own
Tiger:Sent: 04:10 PM 08/29/2009:
Then im going to tell you to shut the Fuck up while i slap your face and pull your hair for making noise
Tiger:Sent: 04:21 PM 08/29/2009:
Where do you want to be bitten
Tiger:Sent: 04:24 PM 08/29/2009:
Ok. Now your talking. Whatever i want. You are mine
Tiger:Sent: 04:39 PM 08/29/2009:
Whatever else turns you on
Tiger:Sent: 04:43 PM 08/29/2009:
You tell me what you like
Tiger:Sent: 04:48 PM 08/29/2009:
You are. Always will be. Don’t trust people
Tiger:Sent: 04:48 PM 08/29/2009:
But you still have not told me what turns you on
Tiger:Sent: 04:53 PM 08/29/2009:
I know you have tried every positing imaginable but what turns you on besides a dp
Tiger:Sent: 5:00 PM 08/29/2009:
I really do want to be rough with you. Slap you around
Tiger:Sent: 05:12 PM 08/29/2009:
For years. And punish you for not seeing me more
Tiger:Sent: 05:15 PM 08/29/2009:
I want you to beg for my cock. Kiss you all over to convince me to let you have it in your mouth
Tiger:Sent: 05:18 PM 08/29/2009:
We will see how bad you want me
Tiger:Sent: 05:26 PM 08/29/2009:
Next time i see you, you better beg and if you don’t do it right i will slap, spank, bite and fuck you till mercy
Tiger:Sent: 09:20 AM 09/03/2009:
Was playing sexy
Tiger:Sent: 04:17 AM 09/04/2009:
Maybe you can fly out to chicage on monday night and leave early wed
Tiger:Sent: 04:23 AM 09/04/2009:
I land at 930 or 10 monday night
Tiger:Sent: 11:57 AM 09/04/2009:
Great. What time so you land
Tiger:Sent: 12:06 PM 09/04/2009:
I land at the earliest at 8 and the latest will be 10
Tiger:Sent: 12:08 PM 09/04/2009:
Midway
Tiger:Sent: 01:42 AM 09/07/2009:
I cant wait to see you as well. What time do you land again
Tiger:Sent: 03:15 AM 09/07/2009:
You are going to be headed to the hyatt lodge. 2815 jorie blvd oak brook, il 60523. Phone 630 990 5800
Tiger:Sent: 11:38 AM 09/07/2009:
Did you get my text with all the info
Tiger:Sent: 11:41 AM 09/07/2009:
I will text you the room number when i get there. Im still in boston
Tiger:Sent: 11:43 AM 09/07/2009:
I have to check in to get the room
Tiger:Sent: 11:44 AM 09/07/2009:
I should get there before you anyways
Tiger:Sent: 12:27 PM 09/07/2009:
In about 3 hours
Tiger:Sent: 12:30 PM 09/07/2009:
I will be there before you for sure
Tiger:Sent: 12:35 PM 09/07/2009:
You just make sure you take care of me when you get here
Tiger:Sent: 06:28 PM 09/07/2009:
Great
Tiger:Sent: 06:30 PM 09/07/2009:
Let me know when your about 20 out i will order dinner. And what would you like to eat
Tiger:Sent: 06:33 PM 09/07/2009:
I am pretty tired after today. I am going to go to sleep early
Tiger:Sent: 06:53 PM 09/07/2009:
How close are you
Tiger:Sent: 07:09 PM 09/07/2009:
What do you want to eat
Tiger:Sent: 07:10 PM 09/07/2009:
Anything simple
Tiger:Sent: 07:12 PM 09/07/2009:
No turkey unless it’s a club sandwich
Tiger:Sent: 07:32 PM 09/07/2009:
How close
Tiger:Sent: 07:38 PM 09/07/2009:
Head to the elevators and go to 334. Thats your room. The door will be open with the dead bolt. I have to get back here to wait for the food. Im in room 358.
Tiger:Sent: 07:42 PM 09/07/2009:
Let me know when you are in the room. Food just got here
Tiger:Sent: 07:47 PM 09/07/2009:
Sweet. Dont come down here yet. Lots of people in the hall. I will let you know when it clears
Tiger:Sent: 08:16 PM 09/07/2009:
Are you close to being ready
Tiger:Sent; 08:32 PM 09/07/2009:
Come on down. Its quiet here in the hall now
Tiger:Sent: 08:35 PM 09/07/2009:
There is a room service cart in my hall. Be careful
Tiger:Sent: 08:35 PM 09/07/2009:
Room358
Tiger:Sent: 09:59 PM 09/07/2009:
Make it ok
Tiger:Sent: 10:01 PM 09/07/2009:
Ok. Lights out. Good night sexy
Tiger:Sent: 08:49 AM 09/08/2009:
Hope you slept as good as i did. I just woke up which is un heard of
Tiger:Sent: 10:23 AM 09/08/2009:
So when can i have that ass again
Tiger:Sent: 12:40 PM 09/08/2009:
I will be back in a couple hours
Tiger:Sent: 12:42 PM 09/08/2009:
I have to leave for an appearance at 430 but i will be back at 730 for dinner and lots of dessert with you. How about a quickie before i go:)
Tiger:Sent: 01:28 PM 09/08/2009:
Have you ever had a golden shower done to you
Tiger:Sent: 01:29 PM 09/08/2009:
Just morbid curiosity
Tiger:Sent: 01:30 PM 09/08/2009:
Really. You. You have done just about everything havent you
Tiger:Sent: 01:32 PM 09/08/2009:
Never done it. I think i would get stage freight
Tiger:Sent: 02:28 PM 09/08/2009:
Maybe
Tiger:Sent: 03:38 PM 09/08/2009:
I will be over in 10mins
Tiger:Sent: 03:40 PM 09/08/2009:
Why dont you come over here now instead
Tiger:Sent: 03:41 PM 09/08/2009:
Enter thru room 360. Its next door
Tiger:Sent: 03:42 PM 09/08/2009:
Hurry so i come in that ass
Tiger:Sent: 03:54 PM 09/08/2009:
Let me know when you leave your room
Tiger:Sent: 07:32 PM 09/08/2009:
You felt amazing to baby. How much was your flight by the way
Tiger:Sent: 07:35 PM 09/08/2009:
Having a few issues at home. Might be a little later before i see you tonight
Tiger:Sent: 07:39 PM 09/08/2009:
Parent hood melt down:)
Tiger:Sent: 08:01 PM 09/08/2009:
How much was your flight
Tiger:Sent: 05:03 AM 09/09/2009:
Shit i fell back to sleep. just woke up. I have to leave in about 15 mins. I tee off at 700
Tiger:Sent: 07:43 PM 09/09/2009:
Great thing is we have a life time of this
Tiger:Sent: 05:44 AM 10/01/2009:
I know that. Thats why i wont do that.
Tiger:Sent: 06:02 PM 10/01/2009:
Baby im not going anywhere or doing anything. You please me like no other has or ever will. I’m not losing that. You have to understand people love to tal
Tiger:Sent: 06:02 PM 10/01/2009:
k about me. sometimes its good and sometimes its bad. I have learned to just roll with it no matter how much it upsets me when its not true. My life is a

Tiger:Sent: 06:02 PM 10/01/2009:
fish bowl
Tiger:Sent: 10:40 AM 10/04/2009:
Guys from dubai. Investors. So my agent being suggested that we go back to my room at the mansion for lunch. He doesnt know about us, obviously
Tiger:Sent: 11:31 AM 10/04/2009:
This has been a total shit trip. Im sorry i fucked up last night. And this shit. We will get it right next time so we can spend more time together.
Tiger:Sent: 12:06 PM 10/04/2009:
Oh my god. If they were with me. You would have ruined everything
Tiger:Sent: 12:07 PM 10/04/2009:
I told you. Oh my god. I cant believe what just happened
Tiger:Sent: 12:08 PM 10/04/2009:
Don’t Fucking talk to me. You almost just ruined my whole life. If my agent and these guys would have seen you there, Fuck

I MUST have put in a lot of work into the previous post because as soon as I hit the sack, which was a quick shower after signing off WordPress, my id or neocortex or whatever part of the brain is responsible for pot-sleep neural processes started kicking my subconscious into hyperdrive.

And all of a sudden, I was Floyd Mayweather Jr., standing on a podium and saying sorry to the boxing fans of the world and no longer blaming Manny Pacquiao for the collapse of this year’s megafight.

But I don't look like that. I look a hell lot worse.

This isn’t a word-for-word recollection because you have to understand that when you wake up, you only recall a few snatches of your dream. But this is how it went:

“I’m sorry for running away from the Manny Pacquiao fight,” Floyd/I said. “You have to understand two things about me. First, I’m all about legacy. And as far as legacy goes, the only thing I have to tell my grandchildren in the future is my undefeated record. Second, Manny Pacquiao has seven division titles. Seven.

“Nothing about Manny Pacquiao scares me,” Floyd/I added. “The reason why I insisted on tighter drug testing protocols has nothing to do with the fear of facing the greatest fighter of our era at all. It is merely insuring that if I put my legacy on the line, it will be in a fight where if I should lose–and there’s a strong possibility I will–I can tell myself I lost in a fair fight.

“Understand that losing to me will do no harm to Pacquiao’s legacy. He will still be the only boxer to have won titles in seven weight classes. Sure, he’ll no longer be pound-for-pound champ but down the line, people will still remember him as one. Just as people still recognize the fact that I was a pound-for-pound champ. That Roy Jones Jr. was a pound-for-pound champ.

“If I lost? What will my legacy be? Aside from a former holder of boxing’s mythical and highly subjective title? Nothing. So please, understand me. Thank you.”

Still sounds chicken to me

And all of a sudden, I was in Dallas.

And this time, I’m pretty sure I was Manny Pacquiao, looking at the electronic screen of dot matrix figures changing every second. It was the electronic scoreboard of a booking house, flashing the latest odds of The Event.

One line had Pacquiao/Me a -800 favorite. That means people will need to wager $800 on Pacquiao/Me to eran $100 (the base value of casino bets).  If Pacquiao/I win, you get $900. If you bet $400, you will net $450.

Joshua Clottey, on the other hand, is a +500 underdog. That means if you bet $100 on the Ghanaian, you get $500 extra if he wins. Or, as Pacquiao/I begin to realize, a $20 million bet fetches $100 million more of unreported income. (More than what Pacquiao/I would’ve earned if not for the fight against Mayweather, the Pacquiao’s/My mind whispers devilishly)

That's why he's the boxing star, not me

All of a sudden I am on the ring. Still as Pacquiao, staring at an uppercut in slow motion, smiling as it rockets to my chin and not budging an inch. It connects. My head snaps. It doesn’t hurt, but I’m surprised at how I allow myself into a free fall also in slow motion until I hit the canvas. I’m down for the count. Pacquiao is down for the count.

Clottey wins.

And yet, somehow, Pacquiao/I feel victorious, too. The legacy is intact. Seven world titles, seven weight classes. Because of the $20 million bet, the odds on a Clottey upset faltered, but it doesn’t matter. Even if the odds fell to basically even, as long as you bet on the +500 line, your winnings will still be based on the +500 line.

* * *

I woke up.

I calmed myself saying that was me as Pacquiao. Pacquiao as Pacquiao wouldn’t be as stupid.

Sure, he loves to gamble. But not only does he worship his sport with nearly cult-like fervor, he also gets the best advice from all the members of his entourage.

Okay, maybe not all. Most of the people in his entourage.

Like the trainer who treats him like a son...

Buboy Fernandez, who treats him like a brother...

Question how Manny Pacquiao throws money away in casino tables and derby houses. Question those alleged liaisons with movie stars.

But never, ever, ever question Manny’s boxing integrity.

He bows his head only in prayer, never in defeat

IMPT. UPDATE: Manny Pacquiao weighed in at 145 3/4 while Joshua Clottey came it at an even 147

THIS is actually the unabridged version of amy supplement article that’s coming out on the day that Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey collide in Arlington, Texas, for the WBO welterweight crown.

Pacquiao will be defending the title he won from Miguel Cotto last year at the spanking $1.2-billion Cowboys Stadium.

Two things about the American football arena:

1. It is located in Arlington, not Dallas.  It is the home of the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL, so that’s probably where the confusion stems from.

2. The domed stadium, which features a retractable roof is not–and I hope the local television crews finally get this one right–a 45,000-seater venue. The stadium seats at least 80,000 people (the NBA set a basketball attendance world record with 108,713 fans watching this year’s All-Star match) but was reconfigured for The Event to seat just 45,000.

Tickets have been snapped up like crazy and it looks like Pacquiao will be fighting before a record-of-sorts crowd, most of whom will be betting on the number of rounds Clottey can last.

He’s that much of an underdog. And Pacquiao’s a -800 favorite among bookies. To be less-than-technical about it, that’s the casinos’ way of telling you that you’re better off putting your money on Tiger Woods being cheered on by a group of feminists if he returns, as reported, to action in this year’s Masters than wagering on Joshua Clottey.

The way bookies have made it out, they’re practically telling Clottey to give up. Now.

But quitting the fight isn’t exactly something you’d like to serve to fans who were jilted by the promise of a Mayweather-Pacquiao. So if you were trainer Lenny DeJesus, how do you know if your man is doing okay against the most frenetic, relentless and highly-charged boxing machine of this generation, and perhaps of all time?

And how do you know if it’s time to pull the plug?

Well, the Daily Smallville has reconstructed Pacquiao’s last fight using notes from its last Inquirer-assigned coverage to give Clottey’s corner an accurate assessment of how the challenger is faring against Pacquiao.

Pacquiao’s last fight was the historic one, where he beat Puerto Rican sensation Miguel Cotto to claim his seventh divisional crown. And if you have followed my past coverages of Pacquiao and wonder why I’m fond of using the word sensation, let me tell you straight out it has nothing to do with my previous fascination with massage parlors.

Joshua Clottey’s last fight was also against Cotto, where he lost in what he feels was a contestable decision.

Clottey’s corner can use the Pacquiao-Cotto bout as some sort of a cheat sheet since they know Cotto so well already. Look at how Cotto fared each round, compare it to how Clottey is doing in that same round and presto! They’ll know if they’re successful. Or, at the very least, they’ll know if they have to call it quits already.

Here’s the Inquirer coverage:

Round 1

Where Cotto was: Measuring Pacquiao with jabs. Pacquiao initiates an attack at about the 1:50 mark, throwing a lead left and ducking under a counter, but the punch doesn’t land squarely. Cotto controls the round effectively.
Inquirer score: Cotto, 10-9
Where Clottey should be at this point: Still standing, at the very least.

This happened in the first round. Thrice

Round 2

Where Cotto was: On the aggressive end. Although he eats Pacquiao’s lefts halfway through, Cotto lands a scary left hook to the head. But a minute later, Pacquiao unleashes a fiery combination that forces Cotto to cover.
Inquirer score: Pacquiao, 10-9
Where Clottey should be at this point: Landing heavy punches early, staying out of a strong Pacquiao finish.

Had he stayed stayed up 10 seconds more, he would've reached round 3

Round 3

Where Cotto was: On the floor, briefly, courtesy of a 1-2 that surprises the Puerto Rican more than it hurt him really. It’s more of a stunner and Cotto bounces back late in the round with a four-punch combo, built around a wicked hook-uppercut that snaps the Pacman’s head.
Inquirer score: Pacquiao, 10-8
Where Clottey should be at this point: A little bruised and a little overwhelmed by all that hand speed and punching power and trying his best to stay on his feet. Or he could end up on the floor shaking his head in surrender.

After this, he signaled he'd had enough

Round 4

Where Cotto was: Pushing the Pacman against the ropes. A little later, though, he gets strafed by vicious Pacquiao combinations. He engages the Filipino but then catches a right hook that sets up a hybrid uppercut he literally walks into and bam! He hits the canvas again. Knockdown No. 2.
Inquirer score: Pacquiao, 10-8
Where Clottey should be at this point: Steadying his legs. Defending. Counter-punching. Jabbing like crazy to keep Pacquiao at bay.

Freddie Roach: "They always they they'll avoid getting hit. But they always get hit."

Round 5

Where Cotto was: In a state of wariness. However, he doesn’t overexercise caution and starts assembling combinations of his own. He works his way back into contention by deflecting Pacquiao’s frenzied attempts to apply the finishing kick.
Inquirer score: Cotto, 10-9.
Where Clottey should be at this point: Putting pressure with combinations, looking to land his uppercut. Seriously, if Clottey hasn’t smacked that uppercut yet, he’s in serious trouble.

Now if he does land that uppercut...

Round 6

Where Cotto was: Gobbling up combinations by the Pacman again. Amazingly, despite the shellacking, the Puerto Rican’s legs hold up.
Inquirer score: Pacquiao, 10-9
Where Clottey should be at this point: Still working that uppercut, making it enough of a zinger to keep Pacquiao wary. Now or never round for the African.

For another African, Round 6 was never.

Round 7

Where Cotto was: Fending off an early Pacman barrage. Significant because in the past rounds, Pacquiao seemed to be waiting until the second half of the round before pushing the fight to Cotto. Antsy for a KO? Maybe.
Inquirer score: Pacquiao, 10-9
Where Clottey should be at this point: Realizing that Pacquiao won’t let up at all. Telling himself “I’m bigger than this guy” and finding out it doesn’t matter. But pushing on nevertheless, hoping power neutralizes speed.

Size matters. Please. Let it matter.

Round 8

Where Cotto was: In a world of trouble. Worse, the end of the round offers no relief. Just before the bell, Pacquiao connects heavily.
Inquirer score: Pacquiao, 10-9.
Where Clottey should be at this point: Fully aware that Pacquiao isn’t going to fizzle out. He’s going to have to match energy for energy. If he decides to get up from his stool at all.

"I'd rather sit here, thank you"

Round 9

Where Cotto was: Pushed into a corner. He begins to backpedal for dear life, knowing a serious barrage could end the fight right there. And it almost did. Two vicious swings nearly make it lights out. But both miss their mark. Face barely recognizable already.
Inquirer score: Pacquiao, 10-9
Where Clottey should be at this point: Counter-punching. And have we stressed that uppercut enough? If not, here’s the scenario: Pacquiao grows confident and steps into the pocket. Freddie Roach doesn’t want that. But I’m not sure Clottey’s corner wants it either, what with the Pacman close enough to uncork his speedy, match-ending combinations.

He had the end written all over him

Round 10

Where Cotto was: Still being fed with a feast of power punches. The once-proud warrior has now been reduced to jabbing and running away, painting the ring’s perimeter with his shoe prints and blood spatters.
Inquirer score: Pacquiao, 10-9
Where Clottey should be at this point: Inspired that he made it this far. Using renewed spirit to press the attack so that Pacquiao doesn’t apply enough pressure on the way to being the first person to knock him out.

Before the 10th round of their second meeting, Erik Morales never had a good look at the floor

Round 11

Where Cotto was: Being told by his corner that he’s had enough but convinving them otherwise. He steps into the round, but doesn’t seem like he’s there at all. Pacquiao reduced to chasing Cotto around the ring. Cotto walks in, jabs and backs out. Pacman is exasperated.
Inquirer score: Pacquiao, 10-9
Where Clottey should be at this point: Trying to make his size matter this time. Speed and power wane. Size is constant. And hopefully, so is his corner’s faith in him.

And a little later, his corner gave up faith

Round 12

Where Cotto was: Against the ropes, asking Kenny Bayless why he waved the fight off. Who wouldn’t? Pacquiao is leading 108-99. Win is in the bag. But Pacman charges at Cotto hard. 55 seconds into the round, Pacquiao uncorks a combination that pins Cotto to the ropes. Of course it’s over. As early as three rounds before.
Where Clottey should be at this point: Hoping that some judge erred in scoring one round.

A little more and that face would've been completely rearranged

And what would sports be without balls?

Don’t let the calm between the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee right now fool you. There is no agreed truce between both camps. There is no temporary, makeshift bridge that spans the gulf between both sports agencies.

What they’re doing right now is simply waiting for that big date that will help tip the scales to their favor: May 10, 2010.

Yup, this isn’t just the at-the-crossroads presidential elections. It’s also the elections that could decide the next sporting overlord.

Just don’t mention that to Harry Angping.

As far as he is concerned, he’s Dirty Harry. And in his little turf war with Peping Cojuangco, he feels like he’s the Big Bossman.

Becoz mi cojones eez dis big!

It doesn’t take much to infer that Harry Angping doesn’t think much of POC president Peping Cojuangco. In fact, you get the feeling that he relishes the role of Peping’s official cock-blocker.

Peping used to have an open checkbook from the former PSC administration–or so Dirty Harry alleges.

Not anymore.

Peping vouched for a wider participation by the Philippines in the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Laos.

Angping paid for only those who passed the criteria set by, yep, Harry Angping.

Cock-blocking at it finest.

Wasn't too hard. Cock in question was only this big.

The coming elections, though, will be a ball-booster to only one man.

The PSC chair’s position is one of the president’s discretion. And every change in national administration always brings in a change of PSC administration. PSC chairs serve at the pleasure of the president and what makes this interesting is the national presidency is fast turning out to be a two-man race.

Somewhere in my name, you'll find Peping's surname.

Noynoy Aquino, of course, has been a survey front-runner since he announced his candidacy. It’s that Cory Magic, you see. And the senator is a nephew of Peping and oh, the ties that bind. Ties that the Aquino campaign is trying to shrug off.

But a seemingly bottomless supply of cash and the requisite margin of error in surveys have made the polls a two-man race between Aquino and fellow Sen. Manny Villar.

Either way, it’s Peping Cojuangco who’s smiling like a cheshire cat.

Noynoy Aquino may have said that he’s not sure if he agrees with his uncle’s direction in sports. In a talk with Inquirer, Aquino said broad participation in sports by a country with limited financial supply doesn’t sound logical. That does sound like Angping’s cost-cutting, penny-pinching line.

But Aquino is still a Cojuangco. And blood is thicker than whatever water big balls can hold.

The other option might even be worse.

A leadership row has split the billiards association into two, and Peping Cojuangco is aligned with the faction that includes pool benefactor Putch Puyat and some of the greatest names in the game. Guess who the godfather of that faction is?

Get it? Bilyar? Villar? No?

So the way it looks right now, it’s Peping 2, Harry 0.

The only thing going for Angping right now is that his no-nonsense way of going about his work continues to earn much more brownie points than Peping’s penchant for flip-flopping on decisions (he still has no definite rules in threshing out leadership crises among NSAs under his POC umbrella) and his political decisions that lead to heart-rending results.

So until May 10, both camps will likely hold their silence and keep from slinging mud at each other.

But don’t call it a truce or a ceasefire. In this battle to see who’s got the biggest balls, this is merely a nervous wait.

Tuesday night, however, I realized that electoral forms can begin from such a jologs source (I love the way this video–12 seconds in–asks, “Can I tell you a story?”).

Like this:

Yup, believe it or not, memorizing the lyrics to that much-maligned video by the Sex Bomb Dancers may actually be the key to changing the way politics is played in the country.

It started out as a joke, this realization of mine. A handful of employees were inside the editor’s lounge of the Philippine Daily Inquirer to listen to the people from Smartmatic preach the advantages of poll automation and to actually hold mock elections to get a first-hand feel of how it’s going to be in one of the most chaotic seasons in the Philippine calendar.

While filling out a mock ballot, I kidded a few friends about how all one had to do to avoid confusion was to sing the Sex Bomb jingle while inside the voting booth.

After listening to the people from Smartmatic people talk, the Sex Bomb had the last laugh. I mean, they would have if they were actually there.

Okay, they're still not laughing

I know automation scares the bejeezus out of us mainly because its something new. With our foray into the digital world as far as elections are concerned, there is the accompanying digital fear–some of which are not completely unfounded. Can the results be manipulated? Can people hack into the system and alter the count during the transmission of data?

Maybe. Although Smartmatic is certain the procedure is cheat-proof.

But we can help make things easier for us. This is, after all, a crossroads election in more ways than one and I really believe that the results of these polls will determine our electoral path in the years to come. Will we remain a cheat-prone electorate that is content to wantonly sell their votes because they’re not going to count in the end anyway? Or will we mature into an intelligent voting force that will finally get what it needs during polls?

To point us into the direction of the second scenario, let the Sex Bomb jingle hard wire itself into your brain’s circuitry. I mean, Manny Villar has managed to weld his catchy jingle with your memory, even the Japanese version of it:

And the Korean version, too!

How much more difficult should it be to memorize “May bilog, may bilog na hugis itlog?”

Really, the safest way to assure smooth automation is to remember two tips.

ONE: COMPLETELY SHADE THE EGG-SHAPED SLOT BEFORE YOUR CANDIDATES’ NAMES.

Because Juan Dela Cruz rocks!

Under-shaded slots will not be read by the machines that will count your votes. And, when random accounting is done after the elections–a safeguard procedure that will ensure that no cheating occured during the elections–under-marked choices can be a source of protest for sour-graping losers (of which there will be many, given our electoral history).

TWO: DO NOT OVER-VOTE

If the ballot asks for you to shade 12 senators, shade 12 senators.  I’m not quite sure if you can under-vote, but I’m pretty sure if you over-vote, your ballot will be invalidated. The Precinct Count Optical Scan machines into which your ballot will be fed for automated counting will declare your choices null.

Senators. 12. Not 13, not 17. 12

There are websites that teach us how to go about with this automation voting: Here, here and here.

There are also a lot of tips that, in the end, might leave you susceptible to information overload and leave you even more confused on election day. And a confused electorate is all cheaters need to manipulate the outcome of the results. But there is a simple safeguard against all that and it boils down to two things: Do not under-shade. Do not over-vote.

The Sex Bomb girls were smart enough to memorize those rules. Shouldn’t you be, too?

* * *

Allow a little editorial on the debate as to whether we are ready for automation?

I earlier mentioned that there are fears that digital villains will frolic where goons with guns used to and that automation will only pave the way for new methods of cheating. Already, people have been saying that poll automation is doomed to fail, that it will not eliminate cheating.

All for Automation!

Still, it’s better to give the whole process a chance. In that tiring debate as to which is the lesser evil, the experienced public servant whose personal file reads like a criminal record or an untested candidate who has never been involved in controversy, I tend to favor the latter.

Sure, people who assist those with weak eyesight during voting day can still take advantage of their access to cheating and shade the wrong choices. And yes, people might pick up unused ballots and feed them into the machines after voting time. But these are all human errors. And these are manipulation techniques you cannot solve by going back to manual counting.

The machine itself has no biases and every form of manipulation can only come from its human handlers. But it makes cheating tougher. Really. After the Smartmatic demo, I have faith in what they call a “tamper-evident” machine.

“It’s like before, you kill a person, you may get away with murder. Now, if you kill a person, blood will spray so hard that there will be telltale evidence in your hands pointing to you as the culprit,” explained one of the Smartmatic officials.

Because of the stringent measures Smartmatic and the Comelec have put into the automation process, you can actually trace where manipulation happened–if somebody can make it happen at all.

Plus, they did pledge they wouldn't cheat

Results will be counted in real time. They will be uploaded into a hack-safe site that will make canvassing possible right in front of your PC. The way I understood it, 12 to 15 hours after the elections, you can access the site and have right before you the complete and unofficial results of the polls. Two days after voting, the Comelec can proclaim winners already.

And it is this element of real-time counting that prevents one of the biggest sources of massive fraud.

For so long, my beloved Mindanao has been a haven for vote-rigging because slow, manual counting allows political warlords to estimate how many votes the candidate they are supporting needs to beat their closest rivals and then manipulate results to produce those needed votes. Fiefdoms have become some sort of voting warehouses down south.

Real time results will stop this practice. And the digital delivery of results also prevents ballot-snatching. Also, at the precinct level, PCOS machines will print out election results in hard copy (they’re like grocery receipts, only longer) and these are available to the different parties, and more importantly, the media for cross-referencing of results.

There might be unknown methods of cheating out there, but they definitely won’t be as easy or as rampant as when we were doing things manually. That’s why I was initially surprised why certain candidates were against election automation.

After hearing the Smartmatic peeps talk about the safeguards automation has against cheating, I no longer am surprised. I’m suspicious.