putting this up for memory's sake: response to Bill Simmons' mailbag:
I was reading your latest mailbag and you made this comment:
" In pickup basketball, there's an unwritten rule to keep teams relatively equal to maximize the competitiveness of the games. That's the law."
That is obviously very true. I'd like to extend your argument further: The competitive equality is a must in pickup basketball because it pays off better on the collective egos of the winners. If I pick a fight right now with pre-Miyagi Daniel, I would win handily, but it doesn't bring the same level of pride as Rocky beating Drago. In a perfect world, this is all we ask of our athletes - that they put competition ahead of money, and that the biggest payoff that attracts them to play is not money, but the pride of winning over tough competition (if I could put a picture/footnote here, the most appropriate would be KG's "ANYTHING'S POOOSSSIIIBBUUUHHHLLLLL" in 2008").
Sadly, this is not true, especially in today's consumer-driven sports environment. Surrounded by stories of athletes who made it but didn't manage their earnings well ('Toine), they have learned that securing the maximum money now is the most important (not their fault). As a result, they have learned to emulate the actions/words of those before them who earned the biggest paycheck. They learned that MJ said he wanted to win, so they copied him. MJ said he wanted to win championships more than anything, so they said it. Sadly, MJ only said (explicitly) that he wouldn't have played with Bird/Magic recently -- if he had said it 15 years ago, LeBron would have copied it as well.
Everybody wants to "be like Mike" in that he is a global icon, won 2 slam dunk trophies, and is revered all throughout the league. Nobody (except for maybe Kobe, KG, and Timmy, who still has strands of competitive DNA) wants to "be like Mike" for his ruthless desire for winning, his work ethic, and be scrutinized by the media 24/7. "Winning" only means something if it came in the face of opposition. Defeating Barkley in the 93 Finals definitely meant more than beating Big Country Reeves and the Grizzlies in the regular season.
Perhaps this shouldn't be as absolute as it sounds, but I'm afraid some athletes just put on the mask of "I want to win like MJ" without understanding the man behind the mask, thinking it would make them more "marketable". The NBA used to be filled with athletes who were competitors because they brought the mentality of pickup basketball with them. Now, the allure of money and fame, of "being like Mike", has blurred that vision. Instead of Rocky picking up his gloves and beating up tough opponents, one after another, LeBron showed us that he is more content in playing one Apollo Creed after another, pounding them to a pulp.
It's not as much about competitive pride anymore than it is about money, and sadly, championship rings are now viewed as assets rather than victory badges. Again, it's not their fault. I guess it's our job as fans to adjust to this new ideology or leave and watch another basketball league. But we're not touching the WNBA or the NBDL, so we linger.
Love your columns, Simmons. Keep 'em up!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
workout music.
house music just doesn't work. I know I've heard this tons of times, how house music should pump you up. But if pump means literally having the blaring bass pump blood faster, then its just a means to an end. Like Viagra - no thanks.
The whole song is just a phrase repeated - "music, music, music, music, music, music..." Last time I saw that was when I entered the mind of a bum.
Where's the inspiration? the music? nope, it's sampled. The lyrics? nope. Instrumentals? pressing buttons is far from inspired.
No wonder white people love house music. Uninspired music deserves uninspired dancing.
I'll leave this angry rant with this - I believe that "house" music is called as such because it's as good as house wine - inexpensive, insipid, and definitely NOT inspired.
(ok, one or two Daft Punk songs are acceptable. But I will NOT dance to any of it.)
The whole song is just a phrase repeated - "music, music, music, music, music, music..." Last time I saw that was when I entered the mind of a bum.
Where's the inspiration? the music? nope, it's sampled. The lyrics? nope. Instrumentals? pressing buttons is far from inspired.
No wonder white people love house music. Uninspired music deserves uninspired dancing.
I'll leave this angry rant with this - I believe that "house" music is called as such because it's as good as house wine - inexpensive, insipid, and definitely NOT inspired.
(ok, one or two Daft Punk songs are acceptable. But I will NOT dance to any of it.)
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
cultural outrage
Conan is under threat of being one-upped by NBC. I say this: I will abandon Late Night altogether if Jay Leno comes back in any capacity - never liked Leno. Like I told a friend of mine, it's like picking a 40 year old Michael Jordan over an up and coming Kevin Durant. Alright if that was an obscure NBA reference, then try this: it's like keeping your hole-ridden underwear you have been wearing since the third grade and not picking a fresh pair of breathable undies.
Yes, I am horrible with analogies that have to do with extremities. But that works cos I say it does.
In any case, the point I want to make has nothing to do with celebrity-bickering. I am just overwhelmed by all the sudden uproar of sentiment that sounds like this:
"We don't want to ruin late night by shifting its structure - IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN PART OF OUR CULTURE to watch new late at night, catch Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show, have a few laughs, then go to bed".
Whoaaa! If it has been, then that's fine and dandy, but why is it rarely heard of until it is in dire peril of being altered? That, my friends, is the fleeting nature of cultural dynamics. One moment we take something for granted, and then when it's taken away from us, it becomes the biggest thing in the world, as if somebody has caught us plucking armpit hair in the shower. Suddenly it has to be defended to sound humane - and we forget just how humane hygiene is.
Look, if you ask any foreigner here who grew up in the Westernized MTV-is-cool era, nobody knows about Late Night TV because it just never caught on globally as something uniquely American - it's a gingerly protected secret that America has kept for itself beyond the massive exposure that it has undergone the past generation. No matter how much we believe we have grasped the Western culture as foreigners, we always fall short because despite all of us feeling like America has bared its soul to us through globalized media, it has managed to keep its underwear on - all this time.
Sure, Westerners know that China is foggy and dusty, and they probably have peeped at the amazing, nature-defying trajectories that their spitballs traverse (one day when I am rich I will compile a collage of people spitting onto streets in slow motion with La donna e mobile as the background music). But surely there is a cultural Rapunzel waiting to emerge once threatened.
I think my logic has spiralled downwards. Now I'm just thinking about basketball again. Lesson of the day: human transcendence is fleeting, so blog about it when you can, because in another minute, you're just another bum.
Peace out.
Yes, I am horrible with analogies that have to do with extremities. But that works cos I say it does.
In any case, the point I want to make has nothing to do with celebrity-bickering. I am just overwhelmed by all the sudden uproar of sentiment that sounds like this:
"We don't want to ruin late night by shifting its structure - IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN PART OF OUR CULTURE to watch new late at night, catch Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show, have a few laughs, then go to bed".
Whoaaa! If it has been, then that's fine and dandy, but why is it rarely heard of until it is in dire peril of being altered? That, my friends, is the fleeting nature of cultural dynamics. One moment we take something for granted, and then when it's taken away from us, it becomes the biggest thing in the world, as if somebody has caught us plucking armpit hair in the shower. Suddenly it has to be defended to sound humane - and we forget just how humane hygiene is.
Look, if you ask any foreigner here who grew up in the Westernized MTV-is-cool era, nobody knows about Late Night TV because it just never caught on globally as something uniquely American - it's a gingerly protected secret that America has kept for itself beyond the massive exposure that it has undergone the past generation. No matter how much we believe we have grasped the Western culture as foreigners, we always fall short because despite all of us feeling like America has bared its soul to us through globalized media, it has managed to keep its underwear on - all this time.
Sure, Westerners know that China is foggy and dusty, and they probably have peeped at the amazing, nature-defying trajectories that their spitballs traverse (one day when I am rich I will compile a collage of people spitting onto streets in slow motion with La donna e mobile as the background music). But surely there is a cultural Rapunzel waiting to emerge once threatened.
I think my logic has spiralled downwards. Now I'm just thinking about basketball again. Lesson of the day: human transcendence is fleeting, so blog about it when you can, because in another minute, you're just another bum.
Peace out.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
will you go out with me?
Those are words you barely hear from an Asian guy. Why? Because we're socially awkward people - just accept it, girls.
If we became any bolder than we are now, trust me it's gonna be bad - hilarious, but bad. Take this as an example. I stumbled into this video while googling Nastia Liukin (olympic gold medalist-gymanstics for the US): she came vaulting back into my memory when she was spotted at the Lakers-Bucks game.
In any case, here is what we'll be like if we all had the guts to ask ladies out:
Moral of the story: we will take our time with this so that
(1) we only get to embarrass ourselves as seldom as possible, and
(2) ladies are spared of this sorry state.
Reasoning? I thought about it, and only matchmaking seemed to make sense. Forefathers relied so much on matchmaking that the necessary skills weren't honed. A+ explanation if you ask me.
If we became any bolder than we are now, trust me it's gonna be bad - hilarious, but bad. Take this as an example. I stumbled into this video while googling Nastia Liukin (olympic gold medalist-gymanstics for the US): she came vaulting back into my memory when she was spotted at the Lakers-Bucks game.
In any case, here is what we'll be like if we all had the guts to ask ladies out:
Moral of the story: we will take our time with this so that
(1) we only get to embarrass ourselves as seldom as possible, and
(2) ladies are spared of this sorry state.
Reasoning? I thought about it, and only matchmaking seemed to make sense. Forefathers relied so much on matchmaking that the necessary skills weren't honed. A+ explanation if you ask me.
Friday, January 8, 2010
my future profession and colleagues.
For some reason, these comments posted on actuarial forums are both comforting and disturbing me.
Context: In a few minutes, budding actuaries are going to find out whether they passed 1 out of the 10 or so actuarial exams. Everybody's freaking out in forums, and I am shaking in my boots myself.
Comment 1:
"So what's everyone's strategy for (hopefully) finding your candidate number in the list?
- Frantically scroll through the list, column by column.
- Ctrl + F: no build-up, quick and to the point.
- Have someone see if it's there
- Wait till next week and just check your transcript....ha."
Comment 2:
"After running a simulation the expected release time was 10:10 with a variance of 225 min, giving a 95% confidence interval of about 9:55 to 10:25."
Comment 3 (a series of responses):
A: so, 487 viewing exams...Are we going to set a traffic record today with 2 prelim exams coming out?
B: idk, what's the record?
C: "Most users ever online was 1,647, 07-02-2009 at 10:45 AM. I stand corrected. It was recently. Yeah we might do it"
Riveting stuff. If I don't make it in sane condition through this profession, I just want to let all of you know that you are the most amazing group of friends ever.
Well, not as if I have any alternative empirical evidence to cross-reference against.
D'OH!
Context: In a few minutes, budding actuaries are going to find out whether they passed 1 out of the 10 or so actuarial exams. Everybody's freaking out in forums, and I am shaking in my boots myself.
Comment 1:
"So what's everyone's strategy for (hopefully) finding your candidate number in the list?
- Frantically scroll through the list, column by column.
- Ctrl + F: no build-up, quick and to the point.
- Have someone see if it's there
- Wait till next week and just check your transcript....ha."
Comment 2:
"After running a simulation the expected release time was 10:10 with a variance of 225 min, giving a 95% confidence interval of about 9:55 to 10:25."
Comment 3 (a series of responses):
A: so, 487 viewing exams...Are we going to set a traffic record today with 2 prelim exams coming out?
B: idk, what's the record?
C: "Most users ever online was 1,647, 07-02-2009 at 10:45 AM. I stand corrected. It was recently. Yeah we might do it"
Riveting stuff. If I don't make it in sane condition through this profession, I just want to let all of you know that you are the most amazing group of friends ever.
Well, not as if I have any alternative empirical evidence to cross-reference against.
D'OH!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
laughing and reading
The solitude that has surrounded the past few weeks has not only got me thinking, but also got me to lower my inhibitions and develop new habits. Not bad ones, but things I'd probably want to cement as part of my legacy when I grow old(er).
As such, I have been reading books that tap into my fields of interest, particularly, The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I have never felt so liberated by the discovery that there is no merit to reading Kant and Sophocles if you don't garner any psychological acculturation from reading it, so for those who are still struggling to look smart reading Tolstoy, drop it and read whatever you want. So long as it's your passion and it's honorable, nobody has the right to frown upon you. For all I care you can pull out Archie comics while doing number 2 and that would still be the best reading experience.
In any case, I have found Simmons' take on basketball to resonate profoundly with mine, that I found myself writing fan mail. To those who are not interested in basketball and my being an avid Knick fan, you can stop here and I will bid you adieu and thanks for reading. For those who want to peer into the frustrations of a thinking sports fan's mind, read on:
"Mr Simmons:
First off, a happy new year - I just want to say that I just got the book this afternoon and I'm now almost through 100 pages. That's no small feat for a guy whose list of books enjoyably read through consists only of The Hobbit.
In any case, as a Knick fan, it was refreshing to (1) see Isiah on a positive light again, but more importantly (2) validate the disturbance that I have felt the past month during the Nate Robinson saga.
Talking about making teammates better, you're right that the Suns from 04 to 07 deserved better - their leader was the consummate personification of unselfishness (well, you can probably say that assists don't even tell the story anymore, but Nash did raise everybody's playing level). But maybe Mike D'Antoni understands as well.
Benching Nate Robinson was a good decision - I will be the first to vouch for it and defend it. Letting him play after 14 DNP's was alright, but the way he came back make me smirk and think "here we go again". 41 points, 24 shots: impressive, yes? unfortunate, perhaps. All the chest-pounding and the swarming of air-fives towards Nate would have only reignited Krypto-Nate.
Watching the Knicks play while Nate was gone would have put a smile on Isiah's face: they were winning because the ball was moving better - they're a leader short of becoming actually good. Call me insane, but despite all the selfish urges surrounding all the expiring contracts, there is a hope to this team - an element which I wish will not be taken away by the upcoming 2010 fire sale.
Thanks for hearing me out - the book is really a fun read, and I will be sure to encourage others to buy.
All the best!"
And with that I go to rest and wish for everybody God's blessings.
As such, I have been reading books that tap into my fields of interest, particularly, The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I have never felt so liberated by the discovery that there is no merit to reading Kant and Sophocles if you don't garner any psychological acculturation from reading it, so for those who are still struggling to look smart reading Tolstoy, drop it and read whatever you want. So long as it's your passion and it's honorable, nobody has the right to frown upon you. For all I care you can pull out Archie comics while doing number 2 and that would still be the best reading experience.
In any case, I have found Simmons' take on basketball to resonate profoundly with mine, that I found myself writing fan mail. To those who are not interested in basketball and my being an avid Knick fan, you can stop here and I will bid you adieu and thanks for reading. For those who want to peer into the frustrations of a thinking sports fan's mind, read on:
"Mr Simmons:
First off, a happy new year - I just want to say that I just got the book this afternoon and I'm now almost through 100 pages. That's no small feat for a guy whose list of books enjoyably read through consists only of The Hobbit.
In any case, as a Knick fan, it was refreshing to (1) see Isiah on a positive light again, but more importantly (2) validate the disturbance that I have felt the past month during the Nate Robinson saga.
Talking about making teammates better, you're right that the Suns from 04 to 07 deserved better - their leader was the consummate personification of unselfishness (well, you can probably say that assists don't even tell the story anymore, but Nash did raise everybody's playing level). But maybe Mike D'Antoni understands as well.
Benching Nate Robinson was a good decision - I will be the first to vouch for it and defend it. Letting him play after 14 DNP's was alright, but the way he came back make me smirk and think "here we go again". 41 points, 24 shots: impressive, yes? unfortunate, perhaps. All the chest-pounding and the swarming of air-fives towards Nate would have only reignited Krypto-Nate.
Watching the Knicks play while Nate was gone would have put a smile on Isiah's face: they were winning because the ball was moving better - they're a leader short of becoming actually good. Call me insane, but despite all the selfish urges surrounding all the expiring contracts, there is a hope to this team - an element which I wish will not be taken away by the upcoming 2010 fire sale.
Thanks for hearing me out - the book is really a fun read, and I will be sure to encourage others to buy.
All the best!"
And with that I go to rest and wish for everybody God's blessings.
Monday, January 4, 2010
anger management
Being reminded that grades are not everything is not a pleasant way to leave school - and yet here I am trying to find meaning in that very notion. Somehow I don't feel validated for the work that I have put in, but what's past is past. Tonight I shall beat my chest a few more times and let out a few more primal screams, in the hopes that some Mayan enchantment will befall me and drive away the evil spirits.
In all seriousness, I just got back from 3 days of solitude in Washington DC. Again, not exactly the break between school and work that I have been dreaming about, but you have to learn to play with the cards that you're dealt.
To channel my frustration, I shall post this short clip of what I witnessed while watching the Spurs-Wizards beatdown at the Verizon Center:
Very empowering stuff. It just reminds that no matter how desperate we might feel at times, we are never quite at the bottom of the food chain. At the same time, it promotes a 95% accurate racial stereotype that Asians can't dance.
I'm just rambling on and on here because I am trying to distract myself from thoughts - thoughts about why we celebrate our human selfishness so much, about why we are so entangled and so deeply entrenched in a culture that judges you based on fleeting perceptions. Why is it so easy to be outwardly judgmental yet inwardly indifferent? I am starting to believe that the greatest crime in this world is not hatred, but indifference. Hatred is passion incited against ignorance, to awaken people's minds. Not that I condone it, but it's better than people who just sit around and choose to look away and walk on.
Thoughts. Thoughts. Thoughts.
Being content is not the same as indifference - indifference is ignorance, contentment is an active choice to accept a circumstance.
I choose to be content. This too shall pass.
UPDATE: this video made me crack up a smile, and shames the Chinese dude up there. Enjoy.
In all seriousness, I just got back from 3 days of solitude in Washington DC. Again, not exactly the break between school and work that I have been dreaming about, but you have to learn to play with the cards that you're dealt.
To channel my frustration, I shall post this short clip of what I witnessed while watching the Spurs-Wizards beatdown at the Verizon Center:
Very empowering stuff. It just reminds that no matter how desperate we might feel at times, we are never quite at the bottom of the food chain. At the same time, it promotes a 95% accurate racial stereotype that Asians can't dance.
I'm just rambling on and on here because I am trying to distract myself from thoughts - thoughts about why we celebrate our human selfishness so much, about why we are so entangled and so deeply entrenched in a culture that judges you based on fleeting perceptions. Why is it so easy to be outwardly judgmental yet inwardly indifferent? I am starting to believe that the greatest crime in this world is not hatred, but indifference. Hatred is passion incited against ignorance, to awaken people's minds. Not that I condone it, but it's better than people who just sit around and choose to look away and walk on.
Thoughts. Thoughts. Thoughts.
Being content is not the same as indifference - indifference is ignorance, contentment is an active choice to accept a circumstance.
I choose to be content. This too shall pass.
UPDATE: this video made me crack up a smile, and shames the Chinese dude up there. Enjoy.
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