Monday, August 20, 2007
Baguio Once Again
Jovan and I went to Baguio last July 28-29 for Tour de Baguio, this time. It was my first trip to Baguio for the year and Jovan's second. It was a nice trip because Mom and Dad joined us. We didn't stay at our usual hotel, Hotel Veniz, mainly because they didn't have broadband wifi in the rooms. We stayed at El Cielito Inn instead. We left Manila at 4AM, made 2 stops - 1 for gas and the other for a bathroom break - and arrived in Baguio at around 10AM. El Cielito is a pretty decent hotel, but not as good as Hotel Veniz. There were no elevators, the carpet in the hallway was old, and the doors to the rooms were old as well. The bathroom was really nice though.
After a short nap we headed to Camp John Hay, for our usual strawberry juice from Strawberries and Ice Cream at the Filling Station. We had lunch at Little John's - can't seem to let go of that place, even if their food is getting greasier and greasier. Maybe it's the ambience? We decided to do all the touristy stuff (mainly for my parents) on Saturday so Sunday can be a relaxing day. After lunch we shopped at Mines View Park and Good Shepherd, then went to mass at St. Joseph's. By that time we were so tired so we decided to have an early dinner at Oh My Khan. The food was okay, they offered an above-average mongolian buffet and lots of desserts to choose from.
Of course at night we watched the Tour. We couldn't afford to miss it because it was the final time trial. The wifi didn't work at first, because the connection was down. But we were able to make it work after a while, just in time to watch the favorites.
The next day, Mom and Dad went around Baguio once more without us, as we decided to sleep in (which is what we usually do when we go out of town). We had breakfast, lunch at The Filling Station, excuse for another round of strawberry juice. Then we went home.
Here are some photos:
Best. Strawberry. Juice. Ever.
Click here for my complete Baguio photo album.
Jovan and I went to Baguio last July 28-29 for Tour de Baguio, this time. It was my first trip to Baguio for the year and Jovan's second. It was a nice trip because Mom and Dad joined us. We didn't stay at our usual hotel, Hotel Veniz, mainly because they didn't have broadband wifi in the rooms. We stayed at El Cielito Inn instead. We left Manila at 4AM, made 2 stops - 1 for gas and the other for a bathroom break - and arrived in Baguio at around 10AM. El Cielito is a pretty decent hotel, but not as good as Hotel Veniz. There were no elevators, the carpet in the hallway was old, and the doors to the rooms were old as well. The bathroom was really nice though.
After a short nap we headed to Camp John Hay, for our usual strawberry juice from Strawberries and Ice Cream at the Filling Station. We had lunch at Little John's - can't seem to let go of that place, even if their food is getting greasier and greasier. Maybe it's the ambience? We decided to do all the touristy stuff (mainly for my parents) on Saturday so Sunday can be a relaxing day. After lunch we shopped at Mines View Park and Good Shepherd, then went to mass at St. Joseph's. By that time we were so tired so we decided to have an early dinner at Oh My Khan. The food was okay, they offered an above-average mongolian buffet and lots of desserts to choose from.
Of course at night we watched the Tour. We couldn't afford to miss it because it was the final time trial. The wifi didn't work at first, because the connection was down. But we were able to make it work after a while, just in time to watch the favorites.
The next day, Mom and Dad went around Baguio once more without us, as we decided to sleep in (which is what we usually do when we go out of town). We had breakfast, lunch at The Filling Station, excuse for another round of strawberry juice. Then we went home.
Here are some photos:
Best. Strawberry. Juice. Ever.
Click here for my complete Baguio photo album.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Tour de Iba (Iba, Zambales)
Determined to get higher marks in Lakbayan, Jovan and I headed to Iba, Zambales last July 21-22. It was the height of the Tour de France, but we went anyway, and were very lucky that our chosen resort, Palmera Garden, had wifi broadband. Coolness!
Aside from getting a higher mark at Lakbayan, I also wanted to take photos, so I brought my camera (which I have yet to learn, by the way). Here are some photos:
Click here for the complete album.
Jovan and I left Manila at around 8AM. I was thinking of passing by Powerplant to get the Harry Potter book but decided against it. We arrived at Iba, Zambales at around 1PM. We had 2 stops - 1 at Total NLEX to have breakfast at Andok's, and 1 at Luisita for a bathroom break. Palmera Garden is a nice, decent resort to stay at if you just want to get away from Manila. The rooms and the bathrooms are okay, and the food is better than average, though a bit expensive. The resort has a nice pool, and the beach at the back is good enough for sunbathing and swimming.
In the afternoon we slept, and went to the beach to take pictures of the sunset. We overestimated the time - sunset came way after 6PM. We couldn't wait for the actual sunset because of hunger so we left. We went to the town proper to buy water and chips, and bought dinner from Jollibee, to save a bit. The whole night we watched the first time trial of the Tour de France, which Vino won.
We left at 11:30AM after having breakfast. Tour de Iba was officially over. We arrived in Manila after only 3 hours and went straight to Powerplant to get the Harry Potter book.
Determined to get higher marks in Lakbayan, Jovan and I headed to Iba, Zambales last July 21-22. It was the height of the Tour de France, but we went anyway, and were very lucky that our chosen resort, Palmera Garden, had wifi broadband. Coolness!
Aside from getting a higher mark at Lakbayan, I also wanted to take photos, so I brought my camera (which I have yet to learn, by the way). Here are some photos:
Click here for the complete album.
Jovan and I left Manila at around 8AM. I was thinking of passing by Powerplant to get the Harry Potter book but decided against it. We arrived at Iba, Zambales at around 1PM. We had 2 stops - 1 at Total NLEX to have breakfast at Andok's, and 1 at Luisita for a bathroom break. Palmera Garden is a nice, decent resort to stay at if you just want to get away from Manila. The rooms and the bathrooms are okay, and the food is better than average, though a bit expensive. The resort has a nice pool, and the beach at the back is good enough for sunbathing and swimming.
In the afternoon we slept, and went to the beach to take pictures of the sunset. We overestimated the time - sunset came way after 6PM. We couldn't wait for the actual sunset because of hunger so we left. We went to the town proper to buy water and chips, and bought dinner from Jollibee, to save a bit. The whole night we watched the first time trial of the Tour de France, which Vino won.
We left at 11:30AM after having breakfast. Tour de Iba was officially over. We arrived in Manila after only 3 hours and went straight to Powerplant to get the Harry Potter book.
Crazy Tour
Yes, Tour de France 2007 is over. It was a weird tour - really exciting, disappointing, shocking - definitely a roller coaster ride for the fans. After my last Tour post, all the excitement and shocking news happened, from the Alps to the Pyrenees to the last time trial and to Paris.
Vino, the number one fave (supposedly - he definitely wasn't MY favorite) screwed up so much in the Alps that everyone was sure he was out of contention. But in true Vino fashion, he came back - and boy he came back HARD - during the first time trial. He was probably humiliated in the mountains that he made sure he was going to win the time trial. HE FLEW. He beat Cadel Evans, who came in second, by more than a minute. People were amazed, people thought he still had a slight chance, depending on his performance in the Pyrenees - but they thought WRONG. Vino was tested positive for blood doping which resulted in Astana pulling out of the race. How sad for the team who was doing so well overall. I was especially sad for Kloden - he worked so hard for Astana, for Vino, all for nothing. I kinda like the guy.
Rasmussen, the number one fave for the King of the Mountains jersey, delivered indeed. He attacked in one of the first major mountain stages (forgot which one), got the yellow jersey, and held on to it for more than a week. Everyone thought he was going to screw up the time trial, but he surprised everyone with a strong finish. He and Alberto Contador of Discovery Channel made the Tour so exciting in the Pyrenees, with their maneuverings and attacks and all, that it became doubly disappointing when Rabobank, his own team, withdrew him from the Tour. He was withdrawn right after he beat Contador in the last Pyrenean stage. The reason was because the team found out he missed doping tests during the training, and because he lied about his whereabouts. Now, see, here's the thing. If he missed the doping tests, why was he allowed to join the Tour? UCI also needs some cleaning up, in my opinion.
Alberto Contador - bless him - gave us something to be excited about. He attacked like hell in the mountains, until he cracked in the last Pyrenean stage. Then he won the yellow jersey, and defended it with all his might during the last time trial. Levi Leipheimer was the leader of Discovery Channel at the start, but along the way the team realized it was Contador who really had a shot at winning. And just like in the movies (okay, fine, I'm exaggerating 'cause there are not a lot of bike movies out there), Leipheimer ended up being a domestique and brought Contador to the finish line during the last mountain stage.
I need to talk about Popovych too, because HE WAS THE MAN! He worked so hard in the mountain stages and his work helped the team and Contador. His work cracked the leaders, until there was no one left with Contador except Rasmussen, Leipheimer, and Evans. I love Popo! After Georgie, he's my next fave from Discovery Channel.
I never paid attention to Cadel Evans in the past, but after this year's Tour, he gained my respect. HE. DIDN'T. GIVE. UP. He was dropped so many times but he kept coming back! And he's an awesome time trialist. I wonder if he'll ever win the Tour. Next year, maybe?
The Tour was so exciting and the final time gaps of the Top 3 riders are evidence - they were all within 30 seconds of each other. How cool is that?!
But it's over now. Time for the teams to look for new sponsors, because there have been a number of sponsors who pulled out already. Again, damn you doping riders! You are destroying the sport that is feeding you!
Yes, it's over. Time for riders to defend themselves against doping accusations. Damn you doping fools, you are destroying the sport! I admit, I now doubt all winners, all great rides, all comebacks, because of everything that has been happening. And I find that sad, because I am a fan. I can only find solace in the fact that they are stricter now with the controls, and slowly but surely, it seems like the controls are working.
Yes, Tour de France 2007 is over. It was a weird tour - really exciting, disappointing, shocking - definitely a roller coaster ride for the fans. After my last Tour post, all the excitement and shocking news happened, from the Alps to the Pyrenees to the last time trial and to Paris.
Vino, the number one fave (supposedly - he definitely wasn't MY favorite) screwed up so much in the Alps that everyone was sure he was out of contention. But in true Vino fashion, he came back - and boy he came back HARD - during the first time trial. He was probably humiliated in the mountains that he made sure he was going to win the time trial. HE FLEW. He beat Cadel Evans, who came in second, by more than a minute. People were amazed, people thought he still had a slight chance, depending on his performance in the Pyrenees - but they thought WRONG. Vino was tested positive for blood doping which resulted in Astana pulling out of the race. How sad for the team who was doing so well overall. I was especially sad for Kloden - he worked so hard for Astana, for Vino, all for nothing. I kinda like the guy.
Rasmussen, the number one fave for the King of the Mountains jersey, delivered indeed. He attacked in one of the first major mountain stages (forgot which one), got the yellow jersey, and held on to it for more than a week. Everyone thought he was going to screw up the time trial, but he surprised everyone with a strong finish. He and Alberto Contador of Discovery Channel made the Tour so exciting in the Pyrenees, with their maneuverings and attacks and all, that it became doubly disappointing when Rabobank, his own team, withdrew him from the Tour. He was withdrawn right after he beat Contador in the last Pyrenean stage. The reason was because the team found out he missed doping tests during the training, and because he lied about his whereabouts. Now, see, here's the thing. If he missed the doping tests, why was he allowed to join the Tour? UCI also needs some cleaning up, in my opinion.
Alberto Contador - bless him - gave us something to be excited about. He attacked like hell in the mountains, until he cracked in the last Pyrenean stage. Then he won the yellow jersey, and defended it with all his might during the last time trial. Levi Leipheimer was the leader of Discovery Channel at the start, but along the way the team realized it was Contador who really had a shot at winning. And just like in the movies (okay, fine, I'm exaggerating 'cause there are not a lot of bike movies out there), Leipheimer ended up being a domestique and brought Contador to the finish line during the last mountain stage.
I need to talk about Popovych too, because HE WAS THE MAN! He worked so hard in the mountain stages and his work helped the team and Contador. His work cracked the leaders, until there was no one left with Contador except Rasmussen, Leipheimer, and Evans. I love Popo! After Georgie, he's my next fave from Discovery Channel.
I never paid attention to Cadel Evans in the past, but after this year's Tour, he gained my respect. HE. DIDN'T. GIVE. UP. He was dropped so many times but he kept coming back! And he's an awesome time trialist. I wonder if he'll ever win the Tour. Next year, maybe?
The Tour was so exciting and the final time gaps of the Top 3 riders are evidence - they were all within 30 seconds of each other. How cool is that?!
But it's over now. Time for the teams to look for new sponsors, because there have been a number of sponsors who pulled out already. Again, damn you doping riders! You are destroying the sport that is feeding you!
Yes, it's over. Time for riders to defend themselves against doping accusations. Damn you doping fools, you are destroying the sport! I admit, I now doubt all winners, all great rides, all comebacks, because of everything that has been happening. And I find that sad, because I am a fan. I can only find solace in the fact that they are stricter now with the controls, and slowly but surely, it seems like the controls are working.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Britain's Got Talent
Thanks to YouTube, I found out about Connie Talbot and Paul Potts. These two are awesome talents from Britain's Got Talent, a British talent show. I was amazed at Connie's rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow. She wasn't the best of singers, but her voice was so heavenly - it was like hearing an angel sing. Paul Potts, on the other hand, had a very powerful voice. His version of Nessun Dorma was AWESOME! He truly deserved his win. These two got me so interested that I followed the show via YouTube.
There were actually a lot of talented kids in the show. Another favorite of mine was Bessie Cursons, who sang "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" from My Fair Lady during the auditions. I grew up with My Fair Lady, primarily because we had a betamax tape of it, so I watched it a lot. I love that movie! "All I want is a room somewhere, far away from the cold night air, with one enormous chair oh wouldn't it be loverly..."
Simon was so much nicer in Britain's Got Talent than in American Idol. He smiled a lot, he gave a lot of compliments... it was weird! But it was nice to watch.
Connie Talbot
Paul Potts
Thanks to YouTube, I found out about Connie Talbot and Paul Potts. These two are awesome talents from Britain's Got Talent, a British talent show. I was amazed at Connie's rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow. She wasn't the best of singers, but her voice was so heavenly - it was like hearing an angel sing. Paul Potts, on the other hand, had a very powerful voice. His version of Nessun Dorma was AWESOME! He truly deserved his win. These two got me so interested that I followed the show via YouTube.
There were actually a lot of talented kids in the show. Another favorite of mine was Bessie Cursons, who sang "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" from My Fair Lady during the auditions. I grew up with My Fair Lady, primarily because we had a betamax tape of it, so I watched it a lot. I love that movie! "All I want is a room somewhere, far away from the cold night air, with one enormous chair oh wouldn't it be loverly..."
Simon was so much nicer in Britain's Got Talent than in American Idol. He smiled a lot, he gave a lot of compliments... it was weird! But it was nice to watch.
Connie Talbot
Paul Potts
So many things to blog about, so little time. It has almost been a month since I last blogged, a mortal sin for someone who has vowed to update her blog more often. Seems that I should be thankful for this vertigo I have because it gave me time to blog. (Or maybe not. Vertigo sucks.)
Things to blog about that I listed down: Britain's Got Talent, Being a Nerd, Tour de France, Iba Zambales Trip, Baguio Trip, Singapore Trip, and Vertigo. Long list, huh? Well, here goes...
Things to blog about that I listed down: Britain's Got Talent, Being a Nerd, Tour de France, Iba Zambales Trip, Baguio Trip, Singapore Trip, and Vertigo. Long list, huh? Well, here goes...
Saturday, July 14, 2007
6 Weird Things About Me
I was tagged by Kookie so here goes:
1) Every time someone calls me while I'm at my workstation, I open a new Free Cell game, which I usually finish by the end of the conversation. All my officemates have noticed this.
2) I'm not a cyclist (can't call myself one even if I started biking last February) but I am a huge cycling fan. I totally love the Tour de France and I've been following it religiously since 2003. I understand the strategies, the terms, everything about cycling (except the bike parts).
3) I was very sporty in grade school and high school. HUH? What happened?!
4) Whenever fish is served at home, I ask if it's "fishy". I don't like the fishy taste, I go for fish that tastes like white meat of chicken.
5) This is from Jovan: for someone my age, I read Time magazine religiously. (I'm actually a subscriber.)
4) I'm a shopaholic. A real one. I'm not just saying it. Swear. I just have to shop whether online or in the mall. Sometimes I don't even use whatever I bought.
I'm tagging the following:
Jovan
Bea
Mara
Jax
Dom
April
I was tagged by Kookie so here goes:
1) Every time someone calls me while I'm at my workstation, I open a new Free Cell game, which I usually finish by the end of the conversation. All my officemates have noticed this.
2) I'm not a cyclist (can't call myself one even if I started biking last February) but I am a huge cycling fan. I totally love the Tour de France and I've been following it religiously since 2003. I understand the strategies, the terms, everything about cycling (except the bike parts).
3) I was very sporty in grade school and high school. HUH? What happened?!
4) Whenever fish is served at home, I ask if it's "fishy". I don't like the fishy taste, I go for fish that tastes like white meat of chicken.
5) This is from Jovan: for someone my age, I read Time magazine religiously. (I'm actually a subscriber.)
4) I'm a shopaholic. A real one. I'm not just saying it. Swear. I just have to shop whether online or in the mall. Sometimes I don't even use whatever I bought.
I'm tagging the following:
Jovan
Bea
Mara
Jax
Dom
April
Tour de France Review: Prologue to Stage 6
It has been crazy in the office the past week so I wasn't able to closely follow the Tour! I've been relying on the headlines of the different cycling sites. Good for me that the first few stages are flat stages, which are not as exciting as the mountain stages. Thank God for the weekend, now I can catch up.
Ah, yes, the flat stages - 'slower' than other stages, not as exciting - but this doesn't mean they don't offer drama and interesting stories. Thanks to uTorrent, I was able to watch the Prologue and Stage 1. As I write this, I am watching Stage 5, first truly exciting stage with lots of climbs, including one that's Category 2.
The Prologue was amazing! It was all about London - the weather was perfect, the backdrop was beautiful. All of the Brits' hopes were pinned on David Millar and Bradley Wiggins. Poor Millar felt the pressure and ended up being 13th, the anchors said he felt like a newbie the week leading to the Tour. Wiggins did better, but it just wasn't enough. Fabian Cancellara, the winner of the Prologue, F-L-E-W. He took so many risks and they paid off! Too bad for Stuart O' Grady, when it was his turn he was the fastest at the time check, but he crashed in a nasty turn. My favorite Georgie was out to win, what with a very disppointing second place (by a few seconds!) finish last year, but he simply wasn't good enough. He came in third after Cancellara and Andreas Kloden. Kloden did well and ended up in second place - is this a sign of what's to come? Will Kloden do better than Vino? (I certainly hope so.)
Stage 1 was a typical flat stage. There was breakaway, which was caught by the peloton. And there were crashes here and there. The headline story though was that Robbie McEwen, a serious contender for any flat stage, was part of a crash and was left by the peloton. His teammates lead him back to the peloton just in time. And guess who won? From out of nowhere, Robbie surged ahead of the pack and won the stage! Even the commentators were surprised. Where did he come from? See, that's the thing with Robbie, he finds these 'holes' within the peloton and brings himself to the front of the pack, sometimes without a leadout man, just going with the flow and following the leadout guys of other teams. I have so much respect for him because he makes sure he finishes the Tour, unlike other sprinters who give up in the mountains and end up abandoning. Boonen, anyone?
I wasn't able to follow Stages 2-4, but I read that Stage 2 was won by Gert Steegmans. Surprising because he's the leadout guy of Boonen, who was out to win because the finish was in his country, Belgium. In the end he let Steegmans win, I still have to check what happened to him. Stage 3 went to Cancellara and Stage 4 to Hushovd.
And then there's Stage 5. It's not a major mountain stage, more of a practice stage before the Tour reaches the Alps and Pyrenees. There is a Category 2 climb, 7 miles long, hard enough to cut up the peloton to groups, but not hard enough to destroy it to bits. There were lots of crashes, lots of them silly, but the major stories were the crashes that involved Kloden and Vino. Kloden's crash gave him a hairline fracture, we'll see how that will affect his performance in the upcoming stages. Vino's crash caused him a few minutes, even if his whole team practically came back for him (except for Kloden). He is now a couple of minutes behind Kloden. What will this mean to Astana? We'll see.
Some people think - what's up with cycling? It's just a bunch of cyclists racing. But there's so much strategy to think about, there are mountains to be climbed, sprints to be won, and tactics to be used. With Stage 5 of the Tour, CSC needed to balance defending the yellow jersey and wasting there energy. Fabian Cancellara isn't their leader, so CSC has to conserve their energy for the major mountain stages where Schleck and Sastre (their co-leaders) might need it. But the yellow jersey is the yellow jersey, and one should never disrespect it. In the end, he kept the yellow jersey. Good job.
Speaking of respecting the yellow jersey - I remember last year when I felt that Phonak totally disrespected the yellow jersey. The breakaway had a 30 minute lead on the peloton, and it should have been easy enough to defend the yellow jersey, but they practically gave it away. I was dumbfounded, and it truly showed how inexperienced Phonak was.
Speaking of CSC - I believe they have one of the best teams (I'm having doubts if Discovery is still THE best team out there). They have a stellar line up, they prepare intensely, and they strategize well. They just lack a standout leader. If they have one, they will win hands down. I absolutely don't believe in co-leaders. The whole team should be focused on one person alone, it should be absolutely sure as to who the leader is. This is what made Lance win 7 times. Remember the T-Mobile mess with Vino and Ullrich? It was amusing to see how teammates are going against each other, and it definitely did not help in their cause at all.
Stage 6 was won by Boonen. Need to read up on that one.
I am looking forward to Stage 7, the first of the Alps stages. (I could have been there now, sigh.) There are 4 climbs, 2 Category 3, 1 Category 4, and 1 Category 1 climb. The leaders should start emerging in this stage - hey Levi, come out now! Please show me that you can indeed win this race!
It has been crazy in the office the past week so I wasn't able to closely follow the Tour! I've been relying on the headlines of the different cycling sites. Good for me that the first few stages are flat stages, which are not as exciting as the mountain stages. Thank God for the weekend, now I can catch up.
Ah, yes, the flat stages - 'slower' than other stages, not as exciting - but this doesn't mean they don't offer drama and interesting stories. Thanks to uTorrent, I was able to watch the Prologue and Stage 1. As I write this, I am watching Stage 5, first truly exciting stage with lots of climbs, including one that's Category 2.
The Prologue was amazing! It was all about London - the weather was perfect, the backdrop was beautiful. All of the Brits' hopes were pinned on David Millar and Bradley Wiggins. Poor Millar felt the pressure and ended up being 13th, the anchors said he felt like a newbie the week leading to the Tour. Wiggins did better, but it just wasn't enough. Fabian Cancellara, the winner of the Prologue, F-L-E-W. He took so many risks and they paid off! Too bad for Stuart O' Grady, when it was his turn he was the fastest at the time check, but he crashed in a nasty turn. My favorite Georgie was out to win, what with a very disppointing second place (by a few seconds!) finish last year, but he simply wasn't good enough. He came in third after Cancellara and Andreas Kloden. Kloden did well and ended up in second place - is this a sign of what's to come? Will Kloden do better than Vino? (I certainly hope so.)
Stage 1 was a typical flat stage. There was breakaway, which was caught by the peloton. And there were crashes here and there. The headline story though was that Robbie McEwen, a serious contender for any flat stage, was part of a crash and was left by the peloton. His teammates lead him back to the peloton just in time. And guess who won? From out of nowhere, Robbie surged ahead of the pack and won the stage! Even the commentators were surprised. Where did he come from? See, that's the thing with Robbie, he finds these 'holes' within the peloton and brings himself to the front of the pack, sometimes without a leadout man, just going with the flow and following the leadout guys of other teams. I have so much respect for him because he makes sure he finishes the Tour, unlike other sprinters who give up in the mountains and end up abandoning. Boonen, anyone?
I wasn't able to follow Stages 2-4, but I read that Stage 2 was won by Gert Steegmans. Surprising because he's the leadout guy of Boonen, who was out to win because the finish was in his country, Belgium. In the end he let Steegmans win, I still have to check what happened to him. Stage 3 went to Cancellara and Stage 4 to Hushovd.
And then there's Stage 5. It's not a major mountain stage, more of a practice stage before the Tour reaches the Alps and Pyrenees. There is a Category 2 climb, 7 miles long, hard enough to cut up the peloton to groups, but not hard enough to destroy it to bits. There were lots of crashes, lots of them silly, but the major stories were the crashes that involved Kloden and Vino. Kloden's crash gave him a hairline fracture, we'll see how that will affect his performance in the upcoming stages. Vino's crash caused him a few minutes, even if his whole team practically came back for him (except for Kloden). He is now a couple of minutes behind Kloden. What will this mean to Astana? We'll see.
Some people think - what's up with cycling? It's just a bunch of cyclists racing. But there's so much strategy to think about, there are mountains to be climbed, sprints to be won, and tactics to be used. With Stage 5 of the Tour, CSC needed to balance defending the yellow jersey and wasting there energy. Fabian Cancellara isn't their leader, so CSC has to conserve their energy for the major mountain stages where Schleck and Sastre (their co-leaders) might need it. But the yellow jersey is the yellow jersey, and one should never disrespect it. In the end, he kept the yellow jersey. Good job.
Speaking of respecting the yellow jersey - I remember last year when I felt that Phonak totally disrespected the yellow jersey. The breakaway had a 30 minute lead on the peloton, and it should have been easy enough to defend the yellow jersey, but they practically gave it away. I was dumbfounded, and it truly showed how inexperienced Phonak was.
Speaking of CSC - I believe they have one of the best teams (I'm having doubts if Discovery is still THE best team out there). They have a stellar line up, they prepare intensely, and they strategize well. They just lack a standout leader. If they have one, they will win hands down. I absolutely don't believe in co-leaders. The whole team should be focused on one person alone, it should be absolutely sure as to who the leader is. This is what made Lance win 7 times. Remember the T-Mobile mess with Vino and Ullrich? It was amusing to see how teammates are going against each other, and it definitely did not help in their cause at all.
Stage 6 was won by Boonen. Need to read up on that one.
I am looking forward to Stage 7, the first of the Alps stages. (I could have been there now, sigh.) There are 4 climbs, 2 Category 3, 1 Category 4, and 1 Category 1 climb. The leaders should start emerging in this stage - hey Levi, come out now! Please show me that you can indeed win this race!
Sunday, July 08, 2007
The Greatest Show on Earth
Okay, okay. I'm biased. I know that only a few people will agree with me when I say that. To those who don't know yet, I'm talking about the Tour de France. It just started, and I'm so giddy with excitement!
I admit, this year's Tour is plagued with many problems, number one of which is doping. It's not unique to the Tour, it's a problem of the sport itself. It's sad, but the show must go on. Sad because all winners will be doubted now, sad because so many good riders are sidelined due to doping allegations. My line now is "May the best non-doper win." But I'm still excited, because every year the Tour has surprises, every year it offers drama. I'm still looking forward to the great (and stupid) decisions of the different teams, the performance of the peloton, the breakaways, and drama of the climbs.
A lot of people think this is Vinokorouv's year, but I think the race is still wide open. Who knows, we might just be surprised along the way. (Remember Rasmussen?) But I agree that Vino has a good chance of winning, primarily because it seems that he has a good team. Astana did well in Dauphine Libere, too well for my liking. The team won at least 2 stages and they did well during the time trial. Their Tour line up includes not only Vino, but Kloden and Salvodelli as well. Kloden is a good climber, and this has been proven twice when he was part of the Top 3 for General Classification. Salvodelli has won the Giro twice. But they have yet to prove themselves during the Tour.
And what about my team, Discovery Channel? They started strong this season, having several stage and tournament wins, but they were a big disappointment during the Giro and even the Dauphine. I've never been truly impressed by Levi, their chosen leader for this year's Tour. Damn, he was #26 in the Prologue!
Yes, off they went. This year's Tour de France has started, and I'm still trying to figure out how to follow it. Bittorrent, please don't fail me. Anyway, CSC's Fabian Cancellara won the Prologue, even without their Director Sportif, Bjarne Riis. Riis recently admitted to doping during the year that he won, 1996. The Tour has since then taken out his name in all official publications, and they mentioned that Riis wasn't invited this year. Well, that didn't affect the team at all. Kloden was second - there goes Astana! And my Georgie was third! I was surprised to see another Discovery rider within Top 5 - Vladimir Gusev. It would have been great for the team but their leader was #26 - a mortal sin I think for any good leader. Not within the Top 20! I am so disappointed.
Okay, time for me to search for videos on the Prologue...
Okay, okay. I'm biased. I know that only a few people will agree with me when I say that. To those who don't know yet, I'm talking about the Tour de France. It just started, and I'm so giddy with excitement!
I admit, this year's Tour is plagued with many problems, number one of which is doping. It's not unique to the Tour, it's a problem of the sport itself. It's sad, but the show must go on. Sad because all winners will be doubted now, sad because so many good riders are sidelined due to doping allegations. My line now is "May the best non-doper win." But I'm still excited, because every year the Tour has surprises, every year it offers drama. I'm still looking forward to the great (and stupid) decisions of the different teams, the performance of the peloton, the breakaways, and drama of the climbs.
A lot of people think this is Vinokorouv's year, but I think the race is still wide open. Who knows, we might just be surprised along the way. (Remember Rasmussen?) But I agree that Vino has a good chance of winning, primarily because it seems that he has a good team. Astana did well in Dauphine Libere, too well for my liking. The team won at least 2 stages and they did well during the time trial. Their Tour line up includes not only Vino, but Kloden and Salvodelli as well. Kloden is a good climber, and this has been proven twice when he was part of the Top 3 for General Classification. Salvodelli has won the Giro twice. But they have yet to prove themselves during the Tour.
And what about my team, Discovery Channel? They started strong this season, having several stage and tournament wins, but they were a big disappointment during the Giro and even the Dauphine. I've never been truly impressed by Levi, their chosen leader for this year's Tour. Damn, he was #26 in the Prologue!
Yes, off they went. This year's Tour de France has started, and I'm still trying to figure out how to follow it. Bittorrent, please don't fail me. Anyway, CSC's Fabian Cancellara won the Prologue, even without their Director Sportif, Bjarne Riis. Riis recently admitted to doping during the year that he won, 1996. The Tour has since then taken out his name in all official publications, and they mentioned that Riis wasn't invited this year. Well, that didn't affect the team at all. Kloden was second - there goes Astana! And my Georgie was third! I was surprised to see another Discovery rider within Top 5 - Vladimir Gusev. It would have been great for the team but their leader was #26 - a mortal sin I think for any good leader. Not within the Top 20! I am so disappointed.
Okay, time for me to search for videos on the Prologue...
Sunday, July 01, 2007
One shall stand, one shall fall... (With spoilers.)
If you haven't watched the movie, don't read this yet.
Guess what, I wasn't a Transformers fan. I never followed it, the only things I know about it was the song, Optimus Prime, Megatron, the Autobots and the Decepticons. I knew that they were robots that transformed, but that's about it. I didn't know about the story, I didn't know the names of the other robots. I watched the movie because of all the hype.
And boy, what a movie! IT WAS AWESOME! I still can't get over the fact that Michael Bay was able to make me CARE about a bunch of robots. Bumblebee almost made me cry THREE TIMES - when he was captured by the annoying Sector 7, when he lost his legs, and when he asked if he could stay with the boy. Optimus Prime was so fatherly, there were times I forgot he was a robot.
The movie had enough light and funny moments, emotional moments, and action scenes (maybe a bit too much). The mix was good, except that I felt the last part was TOO action-packed. I believe that the audience should be given some time to recover from too much action. The first part of the movie was just perfect for me, a dash of cutesy scenes (Bumblebee playing "Drive" and "Baby Come Back" - hilarious!) here, some funny moments there ("I love you Dad!" and the Autobots trying to hide), and just the right amount of action (Barricade going against Bumblebee).
I'm not a big fan of the raw type of cinematography used, but I didn't mind it at all with this movie. I guess it was necessary to make the movie 'human', as opposed to the cartoon version. It also helped bring out the hotness of Megan Fox and Josh Duhamel. THEY ARE SO HOT, it's ridiculous!
Shia LaBeouf - I still remember him in Even Stevens. He was perfect for the role of Sam. Believably funny, and with very expressive eyes, who would have thought he would be a hero? It makes us think that even if we are nobodies, we can still be important.
One thing though - the movie didn't showcase the Transformers that much, which is ironic because hey, it's entitled "Transformers", right? It was all about Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, and Megatron. Because I wasn't a fan before, I didn't know the names of the other Autobots and Decepticons. And I still don't. I only remember Jazz.
There are rumors that the producers are already cooking up a sequel. Maybe in the next movie we'll get to know the other robots more. I can't wait!
If you haven't watched the movie, don't read this yet.
Guess what, I wasn't a Transformers fan. I never followed it, the only things I know about it was the song, Optimus Prime, Megatron, the Autobots and the Decepticons. I knew that they were robots that transformed, but that's about it. I didn't know about the story, I didn't know the names of the other robots. I watched the movie because of all the hype.
And boy, what a movie! IT WAS AWESOME! I still can't get over the fact that Michael Bay was able to make me CARE about a bunch of robots. Bumblebee almost made me cry THREE TIMES - when he was captured by the annoying Sector 7, when he lost his legs, and when he asked if he could stay with the boy. Optimus Prime was so fatherly, there were times I forgot he was a robot.
The movie had enough light and funny moments, emotional moments, and action scenes (maybe a bit too much). The mix was good, except that I felt the last part was TOO action-packed. I believe that the audience should be given some time to recover from too much action. The first part of the movie was just perfect for me, a dash of cutesy scenes (Bumblebee playing "Drive" and "Baby Come Back" - hilarious!) here, some funny moments there ("I love you Dad!" and the Autobots trying to hide), and just the right amount of action (Barricade going against Bumblebee).
I'm not a big fan of the raw type of cinematography used, but I didn't mind it at all with this movie. I guess it was necessary to make the movie 'human', as opposed to the cartoon version. It also helped bring out the hotness of Megan Fox and Josh Duhamel. THEY ARE SO HOT, it's ridiculous!
Shia LaBeouf - I still remember him in Even Stevens. He was perfect for the role of Sam. Believably funny, and with very expressive eyes, who would have thought he would be a hero? It makes us think that even if we are nobodies, we can still be important.
One thing though - the movie didn't showcase the Transformers that much, which is ironic because hey, it's entitled "Transformers", right? It was all about Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, and Megatron. Because I wasn't a fan before, I didn't know the names of the other Autobots and Decepticons. And I still don't. I only remember Jazz.
There are rumors that the producers are already cooking up a sequel. Maybe in the next movie we'll get to know the other robots more. I can't wait!
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