"in any fight it is the guy who is willing to die is going to win that fight!!"

I felt a pang of retrospective things that i had in my mind. And this column I read tonight reminded me of the mindset I used to try to get myself in. If there are things that have not changed at all for the last five and a half years during my college life I hope they are my sheer passion for mastering the English language and my enthusiasm to differentiate myself from the normal and my will power to live to the fullest. Now, I'd like to add something more to the list. It is my love.

There's so called campus life scheduled to finish in about 4 months in my life. Well not exactly cause who knows..I might want to expand my educational background to a graduate school level in the future. But at this moment I'd really like to put it to an end this year. I've been so blessed to have all these opportunities to experience many things in the position of being a "college student" I've tried hard to absorb anything as much as I possibly can. I cannot say that I'm totally satisfied with how it turned out and what I've learned from all this. But I think I should at least give myself credit for trying pretty hard.

I'm still not settled. Actually, I am not even close to being "settled."

I'm thrilled every time I think about the future after graduation picturing myself doing things that I've always loved to do and also being praised and even admired for the work I do.

To make all my dreams come true I know what to do. Action speaks louder than words. I'm given GREAT chances to burn all my energies and give my best shot to become an interpretation officer.

Thank you.

The Dream Fulfilled

They were a global phenomenon. The Dream Team, basketball's equivalent of Elvis, Ali or the Beatles, was comprised of some of the NBA's greatest players -- Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler, Chris Mullin and one lucky collegian, Duke's Christian Laettner. For the first time in international basketball history, NBA players were allowed to compete for the United States in Olympic competition. Compete? The Dream Team won by an average of 43.8 points per game, and despite the lopsided losses, their opponents were simply happy to be on the same court as their heroes.

"It has been great," said Brazilian guard Marcel de Souza after a 44-point loss to the U.S.

"I am so overwhelmed with joy," said Marcelo Milanesio after Argentina's 41-point defeat.

Aug. 8, 2007 marks the 15th anniversary of the Dream Team's Olympic gold medal and NBA.com is celebrating its greatness. Below is what head coach Chuck Daly, who didn't call a timeout during the Olympic competition, had to say about guiding the greatest sports team ever assembled.

By Chuck Daly

I’ve only tasted champagne in a locker room three times in a coaching career that began in 1955 at Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Area Joint High School. The first two occasions were when the Detroit Pistons won the NBA titles in 1989 and 1990. The third time was in Barcelona, when we accomplished our goal and won the Olympic gold medal. We only had a little champagne that night, but it tasted very good.

“Dream Team” is a lot of name to live up to, but, if anything, the 1992 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team exceeded all hopes and expectations. I think we truly gave the world a glimpse – only a glimpse, since we were never seriously challenged – of what basketball can be like at its highest level.

Chris Mullin accurately summed up all the elements that had to come together to produce this phenomenon, starting with the decision three years ago to open the Olympics to NBA players. Then he ticked off some more: “how badly we wanted to get back the gold. A number of top players in their prime, and a couple of others at the end of their careers. And everybody willing to throw egos, individual statistics, and all that other stuff out the window to prepare to be the best team ever.”

The one thing I will remember most about this team is the professionalism of the athletes. That’s what got us past all the distractions, all the controversies. They wanted to play as a team, put individual statistics aside, and work toward a common goal. A lot of bonding took place among these 12 athletes during the weeks we were together, and it was great to see and be part of.

Many people have asked me, what was I feeling when that final buzzer sounded?

Relief, mainly. This had been a long process, not just seven weeks but almost a year’s worth of thought and preparation. There were high expectations and some trepidation. All the players were major stars on their own teams, and as coaches we had some questions as to what would be needed to bring them together. So I felt a form of relief, mixed with joy and a sense of accomplishment, at having put it all together and won the Olympic title.

We finished the way we had begun – with a prayer. Before our first game together in Portland, Michael Jordan said, “Let’s say a prayer…’” After we beat Croatia in the gold medal game and got back to the locker room, I called everybody together and we said the same prayer. Somehow, it seemed fitting.

Afterward, Magic was asked, “When will there be another Olympic team like this one?” He answered the reporters, “Well, you guys won’t be around, and neither will we.”

I watched the medal ceremony from the front row of press seats along with my assistant coaches, Lenny Wilkens, Mike Krzyzewski, and P.J. Carlesimo. Only the players get medals and climb up on the victory stand, because the Olympics are supposed to be a celebration of the athletes. At the end of the ceremony, however, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, and some of the other guys started waving for us to join them. We declined, because this was their moment, but I was very touched that they wanted to include us in it.

Some of the players had been on that victory stand before – Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and Chris Mullin were on the 1984 team that won in Los Angeles – but most had never won gold medals. For some, this was their first taste of Olympic victory, and that made it even more special.

I thought there was true joy and true sentiment on that winner’s stand, and the players’ comments in the locker room afterward really confirmed that. Karl Malone said it was “an awesome feeling, to see 12 athletes come together and do something for their country.” David Robinson, who was on the 1988 team that lost in the semifinals and came away from Seoul with a bronze medal, said, “Everything surges up inside you when they play the national anthem. It will be my happiest memory.” And Magic said, “It was the most awesome feeling I’ve ever had winning anything, especially when the national anthem was played. Goose bumps just came all over my body. It’s definitely the most exciting thing I’ve ever been through.”

Being with this team was like traveling with 12 rock stars, that’s all I can compare it to. Our every move caused quite a commotion. I’m sure there are some people in Barcelona who are happy we’re gone, like the owner of the little restaurant next to our hotel who said his regulars couldn’t make it down the street because of all the security surrounding us, but there was real adulation everywhere we went.

The Dream Team was very special in terms of talent, but I think it also was special on a personal level to people around the world – to the French fans who came out at midnight to meet us at the Nice airport, to the UC-San Diego students who waited outside their gym for one of our practices to end so they could see us, and to the many fans in Barcelona who staked out our hotel day and night to watch us come and go. And, of course, it was special to the thousands who saw our games in person and the billions who watched us on television worldwide.

Worldwide interest in the sport is what the International Basketball Federation had in mind when it voted in 1989 to let NBA players participate in the Olympics. Yes, we dominate the tournament, to the point where the only competition was for the Silver and Bronze medals. And surely we reestablished the U.S. dominance in the sport. But I believe we did a lot of good. By capturing people’s imagination, the Dream Team gave a big boost to the popularity of basketball around the world. We really won’t be able to gauge the overall impact for awhile. But when you have a team with this magnificent talent on TV in roughly 190 countries, before some 3 billion people, it’s got to improve the way the game is played.

Out there somewhere was a 12-year-old or a 13-year-old, not necessarily in the United States or in Spain but in any country, who perhaps was seeing these players for the first time. Now that youngster has a dream, and will be willing to work to make that dream come true. And maybe someday that child will get to compete in the Olympics and perhaps win a gold medal.

Reprinted from America's Dream Team: The Quest for Olympic Gold
By Chuck Daly and Alex Sachare.

“The English language is nobody's special property. It is the property of the imagination: it is the property of the language itself.”

- Derek Walcott

The Simple Way to Get in Shape

Writing about health and fitness, I admit I can get a little overly philosophical. This was put in perspective for me the other day when I was in the gym and saw a woman I see there only every three or four months. I looked over at her running on the treadmill and saw someone who'd made a small transformation to her body. She never needed to lose tons of weight, but she'd obviously been doing something different. I went over to talk to her and tell her how great she looked, and she said she'd never worked so hard in her life.

Jamie is a 41-year-old woman, with three sons ranging from about 10 to 15, who has worked since she was about 14. She's still married to her first husband and always seems upbeat whenever I run into her.

So how did she transform her body? And why did she do it? She already looked good before and seems to have a secure situation at home. Why the change?

Jamie said she decided she wanted to feel different and maybe make a few physical changes to her body. How did she make it happen? When I asked her, she said she should write a long book, and then on page 500 she'd finally get to the bottom line and say, "You have to work out and watch what you eat." And on a certain level, it really is that simple.

Need a little help getting there? Here are some tips:

1. Decide

It takes that moment where you can honestly say to yourself, "This is it, I want to make a change."


2. Commit

Once you connect with the fact that you want to change, you have to commit to the process. You may miss a day of training here and there, or shove a stress donut in your mouth, but the only way for you to get back on track is to recommit. This won't be fun, so you'll have to dig deeper within yourself to create the change you want.


3. Believe in yourself

Just know that you can do this with good eating and consistent exercise. Results are not just for members of a special club -- they can happen for everyone.

4. Move

You're going to have to move your body at least 4 to 5 days a week, but not for hours and hours at a time. Just get moving, even if you start out with 15 to 30 minutes a day. As time goes on and you want to see more changes in your body, you'll have to move harder and longer.

5. Eat right

Watch your portions, eat real food (not out of a bag, can, jar, or microwave), drink lots of water, go easy on the sugar, avoid fast food, and don't eat too much dairy, pasta, bread, white rice, red meat, foods made with flour, or foods with lots of chemicals and preservatives. Easy, right? I know it's tricky, but this is part is really key. What you put in your mouth affects your butt, brain, and mood.

6. Decompress

Try to manage your stress and make sure you're getting enough sleep. And take a deep breath now and then -- aaaah.

Let go and Allow

Your true desires are those that resonate from within. They are feelings you have on every subject that is important to you. When you think of something that is in harmony with your true desires, it always feel good; if it does not, then your thoughts are misaligned. The Universe is matching your every feeling (desires) with objects in your reality, no exceptions. As things unfold, you sometimes make erroneous conclusion about the true effect of a person, event or circumstance which causes you to respond inappropriately. This reaction undermines a crucial step in the process of manifestation. The Universe then has to recreate a similar person, event or circumstance to complete that missing step. Until this done, the process cannot move forward. You get frustrated and impatient about the delay without realising that the cause is 'you'. If you would just let go and allow things to unfold fully, even if you cannot figure out their reasons, you will be in sync with the efforts of the Universe and this enables your desires to manifest quickly and smoothly.

http://dontwalkalone.blogspot.com/

i spent about an hour organizing stuff and cleaning up my room so there's literally NOTHING i can make excuses with for me saying 'it's hard to study in this condition, it's so messy and distracting.' anymore.

i think i'm really fortunate to be given this opportunity to feel this unwavering enthusiasm for what i'd die for. i'll never ever let it slip in my prime.

feel refreshed..take a deep breath, and let's go !!

I've noticed that being with you, I smile more often, I anger a little less quickly, the sun shines a little brighter, and life is so much sweeter. For being with you takes me to a different place: a place called love.

Music is what feelings sound like.

heart to heart

"...had an opputunity to take it to the next level...but i couldn't do it because of this and that..."

VS

"...just felt jubilation. I thought all the hard work I put in for six years
paid off. I'm going to try to do the same thing I did in college at the next level..."

bring it

NBA Draft 2007 Recap

slide to the side

i got plenty of room to improve.

it's time to reveal my true potential.

even AI practices his free throw shooting

iPhone

Transformers

What's The Story?

It's a special day in any young man's life when he gets his first car. The day gets all the more special when it turns out it's not a car at all, but a robot in disguise. Luckily for Sam Witwicky, his new ride is one of the robots out to defend Earth (Autobots) and not destroy it (Decepticons). It will take a mighty battle involving all sorts of military might to keep the bad robots from ruining everything.

Three Good Reasons

1. Love him or hate him, director Michael Bay knows how to make things go bang. He won't have to worry about being subtle when it comes to giant fighting robots from space.

2. Steven Spielberg producing, with effects by George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic. Hmm...where has that combination worked well before?

3. They haven't forgotten what made the '80s cartoon so great, including Peter Cullen's golden.

The robots in action look REALLY good. Check out Starscream's mid-air transformation from robot-to-jet--back to robot when he spins on that building thing. They kept the "hovering" effect in place.

i feel like i could do whatever i want..it feels great to be in prime.
i'll try to make you feel the same way i do.

it's time to take it seriously.