San Antonio Spurs 2014 NBA Champions

Even more than months after the San Antonio Spurs won their fifth title, I still feel like everything is a dream. As a long-time fan of Tim Duncan, last year's loss to Miami Heat still feels like a nightmare whenever I think about it.

It took me more than a month to recover after that loss. I'm just a fan and I felt terrible so I can't imagine what it was like for the players. People who did not believe and appreciate them said it was the end of the line for the "old" guys. Duncan and Manu Ginobili were passe. They said some might retire or go to other teams, but they proved them wrong again. Of course I didn't wanna believe all the bad things they wrote but it was not easy to keep thinking like that after that kind of loss. They said it would not be easy to recover from that nightmare. Of course it wouldn't be, but how the players will deal with that will say a lot about them individually and their spirit as a team.

Whatever the unbelievers and haters said, we fans knew that our Spurs players were made of a tougher sort of material. Yes, most people would not easily forget a game 6 loss like that. Yes, they're still humans and they made mistakes in that series. But unlike other teams that suffered a big loss, the Spurs are tougher.

They kept saying no, they can't bounce back 'cause they're old. The joke about old players is old. Yes, we can see that our superstars are aging. But how many superstars can claim that their team is still a title contender even at the twilight of their careers? Besides not everyone on the team is old. The younger guys proved that they were more than just talented. They were willing to be coached and to play team basketball. Just look at Kawhi Leonard now.

2014 Western Conference Champions

When they won the 2014 Western Conference Finals, I heard some people say that it was an easy match for them because some players in the other team were not at their best. But have they forgotten their old players joke? Wasn't my team old and slow and boring? Tony Parker wasn't even at his best in the series against Oklahoma City Thunder, so why do people still deny that the Spurs are good? Didn't the other team have the season's MVP? We won but people criticized the team and the fans and still glorified the losers.

Even getting there was not easy. I almost thought they'd lose to the Dallas Mavericks. And I was surprised they cruised through the second round. But what amazed me more is the kind of basketball they played throughout the season.

Yes I know they've been playing beautiful basketball for years. That's why I became a fan in 2002 after all! The passing and ball movement, the defense, the unselfish superstars---I've watched all that for years. I was delighted to find however that they improved all of that. And this is the season after that loss in 2013. Who said the Spurs can't bounce back?

Even when people were praising their team basketball, there were still those who claim that the Spurs were not talented enough to beat Miami Heat in a rematch. Well guess what? Even the world's best player for the past few years can't beat a team with experience and spirit. Old and boring my ass.

The Big Three: Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili

In fact, the rematch was a disappointment partly because the Heat played like they did not want to win and partly because Spurs were just too damn good for them this year. I expected more heat from the Heat, but I think they looked old and lost. They relied too much on their superstars but the superstars weren't as good as the boring players after all. If I was a Heat fan I'd be ashamed of that performance. My Spurs last year may have lost in the Finals, but we weren't that terrible!

If this season was a redemption tour for the Spurs, they more than redeemed themselves in the eyes of their fans and critics. The critics can keep writing them off for next season if they want, but we've got new talent and experienced superstars. Keep saying boring and old if you want until the Spurs beat your team/s (then you'd start saying your team was just not at its hundred percent, duh). I didn't even mention yet the records they made this season on their way to the championship.

Congratulations my San Antonio Spurs! I never once regretted sticking with you guys and waiting for seven years for a fifth championship. The future looks bright with a talented kid like Leonard but we'll wait and see what kind of career he makes with a great team like the Spurs.

2014 Lineup:

Jeff Ayres

Aron Baynes

Marco Belinelli

Austin Daye

Boris Diaw

Tim Duncan

Manu Ginobili

Danny Green

Cory Joseph

Kawhi Leonard

Patty Mills

Tony Parker

Tiago Splitter

Coach: Gregg Popovich

Assistant Coaches:

Jim Boylen

Chip Engelland

Chad Forcier

Sean Marks

Ime Udoka

Athletic trainer:

Will Sevening

Strength and conditioning coach:

Matt Herring

2014 AWARDS:

NBA Coach of the Year (Gregg Popovich)

NBA Executive of the Year Award (R.C. Buford)

NBA Finals MVP (Kawhi Leonard)

All-NBA Second Team (Tony Parker)

NBA All-Defensive Second Team (Kawhi Leonard)

Deities and Mythical Beings of the Davao Tribes

Note: I don't claim to be an expert in the mythology and religion of the six tribes featured here. My source for this information is Fay-Cooper Cole's The Wild Tribes of Davao District, Mindanao. This entry is solely a list for future references. The deities and mythological creatures here are from Fay-Cooper Cole's The Wild Tribes of Davao District, Mindanao . This is a list of the gods, goddesses, and spirits/spirit classes of the Bagobo, Bila-an, Kulaman, Tagakaolo, Ata, and Mandaya. I retained the spelling of the names found in the book. For full accounts of the myths and customs of the tribes, I recommend reading the book. BAGOBO Eugpamolak Manobo/Manama/Kalayagan - first and greatest creator whose home is in the sky. Offerings for him should be white. Tolus ka balakat - name means "dweller in the balakat"; loves blood but not the flesh of humans and is one of the three deities for whom the yearly sacrifice is made. Mandarangan and Darago - husba...

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An Analysis of the Enuma Elish (The Epic of Creation) or The Seven Tablets of Creation, A Babylonian Creation Myth

*Note: This was a term paper for a class. Since I don't know what grade the professor gave me (or of she even read the paper at all), I decided to post it here. The Enuma Elish is also called The Seven Tablets of Creation. It documents the Babylonian creation epic. It was recorded in seven clay tablets found at various locations including the infamous library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, discovered by Austen Henry Layard. The name of the hero of the epic varies depending on where the tablet is found. The most common version tells of Marduk as the hero. In other versions, the god of the city is considered the hero. Introduction The title of the epic is taken from its opening line “When in the height, heaven was not named...” The epic chronicles Marduk’s war against Tiamat. He leads the other gods against the old divinity who had turned against her children. Besides Marduk’s exploits, the epic also tells about the birth of the gods and goddesses and the creation of the universe....

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The Ghost of Sparta: A Review of the God of War Series

Several adaptations of Greek Mythology in media have appeared over the years. Some were successful while the others have failed to represent the ancient Greeks. Among the most memorable I've encountered is this series. Not only was it able to illustrate the heroes, monsters and gods in myths, but also brought to the fore the often ignored question - what happens to the Greek pantheon after they defeated the Titans? It is unique because the hero in this game is not a hercules-achilles-jason clone. The protagonist is a minor figure in Greek mythology. Kratos (Cratos) is a servant of the gods and one of Zeus' children, which is close enough to the real version (Cratos is not a child of Zeus, but one of his servants along with Nike). And unlike most heroes, he does not carry weapons to save humanity. He seeks revenge to cleanse his past. The series began when he sought to kill Ares, the God of War. He was finally able to kill Ares with the help of the other gods. The portrayal...

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Literary Theory and Criticism

Note: This is my final paper for Adv. Literary Theory and Criticism, one of my classes in MA in Literature. October 2015. I'm posting this here as a backup in case I lose my copy and I need a guide in the future. Literature is the soul of a civilization. It is the collection of dreams, ideas and experiences of a people. It is what separates us from animals. It is an examination of our aspirations, happiness, fears and sadness, ideas and opinions. As a student of literature, I have learned that to get the most out of a poem, short story, novel, play or film, I must go beyond simple reading and observation. To do this however, I have to answer first the question "how do we fully appreciate a literary piece?" This essay is divided into four sections, namely; what is literature for me; the literary theories and criticism; Heneral Luna: a film review using the poststructuralist approach; and what makes a good literature? In the first part, I will recall my experiences a...

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On the Verge of Lunacy

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