May 29, 2012

The last day of the Corona Impeachment Trial according to Twitter

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May 25, 2012

Why Novak Djokovic should return to Adidas

From CNBC's Darren Rovell:
In November of 2009, Novak Djokovic signed a 10-year apparel deal with Sergio Tacchini, as his former sponsor adidas put its money in Andy Murray. It was a huge coup for the brand, who once had Pete Sampras and John McEnroe, but hadn’t been able to find relevance. 
But on Tuesday, Tacchini announced in a statement that the two had mutually decided to part ways. The reasoning? The small brand couldn’t handle the success that the Serbian player had with them.
In their clothes, Djokovic has won four majors, including the Australian Open twice. He has also won 84.7 percent of his matches (161 out of 190) and has been No. 1 in the world for nearly 11 consecutive months.
Novak Djokovic has also recently confirmed on his Twitter account that he is now officially with Uniqlo, a Japanese apparel company. Uniqlo also sponsors Japanese tennis ace, Kei Nishikori. I'm a bit disappointed that Nole didn't sign up with either of the two biggest apparel brands in sports, Nike and Adidas.

It's unfortunate that Sergio Tacchini wasn't able to capitalize on the Djoker's success. I also feel sorry for Djokovic since Sergio Tacchini was also unable to help him solidify his personal brand. Despite his enormous success last year, he still couldn't compete against Roger Federer's or Rafa Nadal's drawing power. The two are still the biggest names in men's tennis and this can also be attributed to the fact that they're backed by Nike, a global apparel giant that's not only able to create lovely designs for the two, but are also able to come up with very interesting marketing campaigns.

If I'm not mistaken, the only Grand Slam champion on Adidas' roster right now is French Open winner and former world no. 1 Ana Ivanovic. (Sorry, Andy Murray, those GS finals do not count. Caroline Wozniacki, being a slamless former no. 1 will also not cut it.) This is unfortunate considering that Adidas had the likes of Steffi Graff, Martina Hingis, Marat Safin and Anna Kournikova (she actually partnered with Hingis to win a women's doubles GS title) in the past. Nike, on the other hand, still has Federer, Nadal, US Open 2009 champion Juan Martin Del Potro, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, defending French Open champ Li Na, current women's world no. 1 and current Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka and defending Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova. Thus, it would be smart for both Adidas and Djokovic to get back together. Adidas needs another marketable GS champ. Djokovic needs a big time apparel sponsor that: (a) would not be burdened by his success and (b) would also help him build his personal brand.

Here are other reasons why Djokovic should come back to Adidas:

1) He looks great in Adidas (despite the weird color combos of some designs):


2 )They gave him a signature Adidas Falcon range that was perfect for his image. It was said that Djokovic, who also goes by the nickname "Nole", was playfully called "Nole Sokole " (Nole the Falcon) growing up.


3) I don't understand what they're saying in this 2008 video but he looks great promoting the brand with the queen of Adidas, childhood friend Ivanovic:



P.S.
Just to defend Murray, the Djoker was still not his invincible self during the time that he was with Adidas. Murray was, arguably, the more marketable one during that time since Adidas could use Murray's popularity to secure a bigger share in the UK market. The apparel brand probably couldn't also offer Djokovic a better deal because of Ivanovic's lifetime deal (which could have been much, much more lucrative if not for the career slump that followed her ascent to world no. 1). Ugh, now I'm sad for Ana, too. Oh, the what-could-have-beens...

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Someone's getting ready for "la terre battue"


Dear tennis gods: you owe her big time. And Ana, your ping pong skills need work.
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May 23, 2012

A bad episode of "Maalaala Mo Kaya"

Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona finally took the witness stand this afternoon in his own impeachment trial. What eventually happened at the Senate session hall was like a plot taken from a Filipino or Latin American telenovela: a badly written script, family drama, sex (CJ Corona said that there's one senator who wants to, uhm, "strip him naked"), a not absolute waiver, a walk out, confusion, a Senate lockdown to prevent *someone* from escaping and a questionable medical emergency.

All of these almost never happened after a heated discussion between lead defense counsel Serafin Cuevas and private prosecutor Mario Bautista threatened to overshadow CJ Corona's testimony. When it was finally his turn, the embattled Chief Justice began with a super long opening statement, which almost bored me to tears since he didn't really answer the allegations against him but instead appealed for public sympathy. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile had to interrupt him several times to ask how long his opening statement is going to last and to ask when he is precisely going to start addressing the issues against him. CJ Corona tells everyone that he has done nothing wrong, that he is being persecuted wrongly and that he, in fact, lives a "simple life" (I'll just ask Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie to define "simple"). He even says that they don't have a maid and that they don't even use an aircon (very important information, thanks for sharing). He then goes on the attack against the Basa family members (his wife Cristina Corona's relatives) who were present during the trial, President Noynoy Aquino, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, Senator judge Franklin Drilon and the 188 congressmen who signed the impeachment complaint against him.

CJ Corona laundered dirty family linen for everyone to see by narrating the infighting over his wife's family-owned Basa-Guidote Enterprises Inc. (BGEI). He calls his wife's deceased uncle, Jose Maria Basa III, a jobless "spoiled brat" and blames him for the entire family drama that spilled over to his impeachment trial. However, Jose Maria Basa III isn't the one on trial here so this was just a pointles exercise. The Honorable Chief Justice also did not explain how the Php 34-M check (issued by the Manila City government) from the sale of a BGEI property in Sampaloc, Manila ended up in his bank account and undeclared in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth or SALN.

The Chief Justice then attacked PNoy for "orchestrating" his impeachment trial since the President wasn't happy with his Hacienda Luisita ruling. I know that CJ Corona got a lot of political brownie points for ruling in favor of the farmers but the President (and his Cojuangco side of the family), again, is not the one on trial here. Dear CJ, please just answer the allegations that are being thrown against you.

Next on his target list was Ombudman Carpio-Morales. He presents a rebuttal PowerPoint presentation (using pie charts) to counter the Ombudswoman's "power presentation", which he previously called a "lantern of lies". He says that many of the accounts had already been closed and admits that he only has 4 dollar accounts (out of the alleged 82) and 3 peso accounts as of December 2011. If I understood his testimony correctly, I think he meant that he no longer has 82 accounts, which means that these may have probably existed in the past but are already closed now. He even takes a dig against the Ombudswoman, questioning how clear her conscience is and if she is able to sleep soundly at night. Our dear CJ however did not testify on the "circuitous fund movements" in his bank accounts that the Ombudswoman raised and the "suspicious" bank transactions that were allegedly made during "suspicious" dates.

I was about to give CJ Corona props when he goes on to sign a waiver on the bank secrecy of his dollar deposits and to authorize various government agencies to disclose information on his (and his wife's) assets, liabilities, business interests and finances. This was, however, not absolute and came with a condition. His waiver would only be released if Senator Drilon and the 188 congressmen who signed the impeachment complaint submits a similar waiver themselves. CJ Corona argues that they are all on trial here, hence the signing waivers. Tsk, tsk. This is not a game of chicken or touch move (besides, having you all compete in the future in a Hunger Games type competition would be much more exciting). Memo to CJ Corona: YOU ARE THE ONE ON TRIAL HERE, not Senator Drilon and the 188 congressmen. What you did was a cop out.

After a testimony that lasted for about 3 hours, CJ Corona decides to end his statement with the following words: “Now the Chief Justice of the Republic of the Philippines wishes to be excused”. Without being discharged by the impeachment court and without opening himself up for cross-examination, our dear CJ walks out of the Senate session hall, surprising everyone, including lead defense counsel Cuevas. (I'm actually more worried about this guy's health. I hope somebody checked his blood pressure.)

A visibly outraged Senate President Enrile, who felt that the impeachment court was disrespected by the walk out, then orders a lockdown to prevent CJ Corona from escaping. The defense later on comes out with a statement saying that the CJ's blood sugar went down and that he had to go to the clinic to take his medicine. (A video from ANC shows that he was in fact trying to go to the basement via the elevator before he was stopped by 7 members of the Senate.) He then returns in a wheelchair (looking like this minus the neck brace). Senator Enrile (who gained a lot of pogi points for his effective handling of the walk out incident) angrily tells CJ Corona and his defense team that his entire testimony would be disregarded if he doesn't return the following day for cross-examination. Don't know if this is still happening since he has just been taken to The Medical City. Perhaps he's going to take a page from disgraced Egyptian former President Hosni Mubarak for maximum "paawa" effect.

All in all, what happened this afternoon was a publicity stunt gone wrong. CJ Corona's opening statement was written  in such a way as to elicit as much sympathy as possible. However, he throws every little gain that he's made with a stupid act of arrogance. The Basas must be asking who the real spoiled brat is right now. Whoever his image consultant is should be fired immediately. I bet National Artist Carlo J. Caparas would have probably done a much better job.

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May 17, 2012

But who are the other three?

I'm still cracking up at the white socks and oversized sweater. Nice one, Goz.
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May 11, 2012

Quotes: Who run the world? Girls.

From Politico:
Hillary Clinton can’t be bothered by chatter about her physical appearance, the secretary of state told CNN’s Jill Dougherty in an interview on Tuesday.
Asked about a photo of her wearing very little make-up that was tauntingly posted on yesterday’s Drudge Report, Clinton replied, “I feel so relieved to be at the stage I'm at in my life right now, Jill, because if I want to wear my glasses, I'm wearing my glasses.”
“If I want to pull my hair back, I'm pulling my hair back,” Clinton, who’s known to sport scrunchies occasionally, added. “At some point it's just not something that deserves a whole lot of time and attention. If others want to worry about it, I'll let them do the worrying for a change.”
Hillary "Hillz" Clinton = awesome. See also exhibits A and B.
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May 10, 2012

OMG!


Ryan Gosling as a cop? I need protection.
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May 9, 2012

The only person who can beat Vladimir Putin

Dear opposition groups: If you want to unseat the Eternal President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, this guy is your best bet:

taken from Russia Beyond The Headlines
Marat Safin is a former tennis world number 1, winner of two Grand Slam titles and Roger Federer's could have been greatest rival. The guy has also been voted several times as the Sexiest Male Tennis Player in TennisReporters.net's Readers' Poll. (The website actually had to retire him and Ana Ivanovic from the poll for winning for five straight years.) Just late last year, he was also able to secure a seat as a representative at the Russian Parliament.

Even if Marat is still with Putin's United Russia Party, there are no permanent friends in politics and I think he could still very well be the male Katniss Everdeen of Russia for the following reasons:

From Getty Images
1) He's a doting brother to fellow tennis playing-sister, Dinara Safina. He'd probably volunteer as tribute should a Reaping take place to save his sister. A lot of women (myself included) would readily volunteer as his Peeta (or even Gale).

taken from Go To Tennis
2) You can talk to him and he'll listen.

From the Hopman Cup
3) He's willing to fight for you. Just look at the black eye and cut eye on this photo. He also smashes rackets when pissed off and frustrated. Don't we all like our leaders with a bit of a temper?

From Marat Safin Forum
4) Marat actually reads the news. Take that, Sarah Palin.

taken from The Downward Spiral
taken from The Guy From Russia
5) He could easily win in a Presidential battle of shirtless pics.

I have many ideas to offer in the economic and social fields. And I may be the prettiest boy in the Duma, but only because the others are all over 60.
Want a face for the rebellion? Marat Safin is your guy.

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May 7, 2012

Thrilla in NAIA: My two cents

I really want to ignore this issue but I just couldn't help myself. For those who are not yet in the know, click here and here.  As they say, there are three sides to a story: your side, my side or the truth. In this case, there are four sides: journalist Ramon Tulfo's, celebrity couple Raymart Santiago and Claudine Baretto's, airline Cebu Pacific's and the truth. I know that giving my two cents on this story will neither contribute to world peace nor ease the current global financial crisis but I'll just go at it anyway:

1) The brawl between Tulfo and Santiago and Baretto wouldn't have happened in the first place if only Cebu Pacific had better customer service. If you're going to offload certain baggages for whatever reason, please have the decency to inform your passenger about it before his / her flight leaves, not upon arrival.

2) Baretto was said to have been berating and cursing a lowly, counter employee. Come on. These employees are only following management orders and company policy. Many of them are not even paid enough to absorb hate and ill will from clients. If you're going to berate and curse a Cebu Pacific employee, go after the "powers that be", as in the ones who are behind the policies that make traveling with the airline miserable.

3) As a passenger who wasn't initially informed that her (and that of her family's) baggages were offloaded, Baretto's complaint seems valid (though she should've been a bit nicer to the airline staff). Tulfo, as a journalist, should have at least approached it objectively and listened to all sides of the story. I'm all for press freedom but as Uncle Ben had said to Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man), with great power comes great responsibility. If he indeed felt sorry for the Cebu Pacific employee, hence the taking of pictures, he should've instead approached Baretto, told her to watch her words and handled the whole situation diplomatically. Documenting the incident will obviously only irk an already upset passenger. A witness who saw the brawl unfold at NAIA narrated her story on GMA-7's 24 Oras and actually took Baretto's side. The witness said that Tulfo even denied that he was documenting Baretto's tirade, attempted to even hide his camera and then hit Baretto when she tried to demand that he stop taking pictures of the incident. During the same telecast, "tough guy" Tulfo denied the witness' story and seemed even more concerned about the battle over public opinion.

4) As for the NAIA officials, sigh, how can you explain the lack of CCTV cameras in important areas of the airport? How could we go after the real bad guys (*cough* terrorists *cough*) should a really bad incident (*cough* bombing *cough*) happen? How could we defend Panatag (Scarborough) shoal against China if we couldn't even watch over our own airport? This is really pathetic. 

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May 5, 2012

Can she get any more adorable?

"Rejection letter" obtained by Politico.
After Texts from Hillary, Madam Secretary of State Hillary "Hillz" Clinton is bringing in the LOLz once again in her "rejection letter" addressed to actor Jason Segel. Seriously, I'm nominating her now as President of the Universe.
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Quotes: I Am Number Four

Andy Murray gives everyone a lesson in perspective in his recent interview with Sport magazine (via Beyond the Baseline):
“I’d be disappointed [if I don't reach the last four at a Grand Slam], but very few people can say they’re in the top four in the world at what they do. You wouldn’t view the fourth-best businessman in the world as a failure.”

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One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

The editors of the 19 editions of Vogue magazine worldwide have added their voices to efforts to tackle eating disorders and the use of underage girls in the modelling industry.
In a "health pact" published in their June issues, the editors jointly say they will not use models under the age of 16, or those they believe have an eating disorder, in an attempt to encourage a healthier attitude to body image within the fashion industry and among their readers.
The six-point pact states that the magazine will ensure that fashion models – in particular "younger girls" – are well cared for and given advice to help them better look after their wellbeing, in an attempt to address criticisms relating to the incidence of ill-health within the industry.
...
Jonathan Newhouse, chairman of Vogue publisher Condé Nast International, said: "Vogue editors around the world want the magazines to reflect their commitment to the health of the models who appear on the pages and the well-being of their readers."
Shulman states in her editor's letter: "As one of the fashion industry's most powerful voices, Vogue has a unique opportunity to engage with relevant issues where we feel we can make a difference."
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May 1, 2012

The two faces of Maria Sharapova

Her "don't mess with me" side:


Vika is actually lucky that she didn't bump Masha's surgically repaired right shoulder.

Her compassionate side (@ 3:25):


I guess nice girl Ana can bring out the best in anyone. 

Dear Masha: Don't ever change.
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