People always look up to heroes because they always save the day. Heroes take that small glimmer of hope that we have and shine a bring light upon it. Heroes can look at a situation, assess it quickly to find the best way to keep everyone safe. Heroes put everyone’s well-being in front of theirs. Heroes don’t expect anything back for their assistance. If a hero has a choice between saving 2 people, he or she still tends to find a way to save both.
But, what if a hero needs to be saved? Every hero has a weekness. They may publicly show you that nothing bothers them, but they are people too. Heroes have families of their own that they worry about. Heroes have people that they look up to. Heroes get tired. A hero can worry if that girl he has a crush on likes him back as a person or just because he's a "hero." Heroes need to take time to unwind and have a beer everyone once in a while without having to worry about saving someone when they are buzzing out with their buddies.
So, who saves a hero?
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Tough Times With Don Nelson and the Warriors
I was a supporter of Don Nelson coming back to the Golden State Warriors a few years ago. I mean, look at what the team had offered us loyal bay area GSW fans with the years after the Chris Webber/Nelson fiasco, which I still blame on Webber being a spoiled brat coming out of college crying because a coach actually had the balls to actually yell at him when he wasn't following the gameplan and all. I was thinking that Don Nelson along with one of my all time favorite Warriors, Chris Mullin, was going to make good things happen. We get Baron Davis. Unloaded Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy (I liked Murphy though) and got Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson. Little bits came along and guys like Mickael Pietrus and Matt Barnes played important roles along with these others 2 years ago in one of the greatest 2nd half season runs I've ever seen. I'm not talking about just upsetting the Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs, but I'm talking about the last 2 months of the regular season where everything was working for the team. I mean EVERY 3-Pointer was going in. Loose balls led to something like 16-2 scoring runs at least 2 twice a game. Everything was looking great. Last year was a fluke year because the West had so many good teams with winning records that the Warriors missed the playoffs barely.
Then, this 2008 offseason happened. We all knew that Baron wanted an extension, but I thought he would play out the final year of his existing contract this season and then possibly next year he would leave as a Free Agent since the Warriors weren't going to give him that fat contract. Baron leaves. I wasn't happy at how the whole thing played out, but Management (not Mullin as he got Baron a 2 year contract that Baron agreed to, but "management" overulled) started looking at saving $$$$ again and figured, let Baron go. So Baron left within hours of free agency, not something I was expecting. As expected, Barnes left and so did Pietrus. Then, Harrington gets mad after he finds out Nelson gets a contract extension meaning that Harrington was going to play the undersized PF and C under Don for 2+ years, so he wants out. I know alot of people hated Harrington, but to me he would of been a good bench player being the 6th-7th guy that could play 3 positions and a spot starter, but he thought he was a bigger star in his mind. Let's not forget, that the Warriors were trying to get Harrington from Atlanta a few years back, so he's been on GSW's radar for a while. Then, Stephen Jackson signs an extension, hurts his hand, continued to shot 0 for a zillion 3's, and has been playing like crap- just sit Stephen for the holidays and let that shit heal otherwise you are just making the team worse. I'm a Stephen Jackson fan, but when you are hurt and you can't produce, why can we all see it, but not you o Capt'n Jack who I think still leads the league in turnovers? Only Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant seem to be the only ones that can play at an extremely high level when injured or sick with the flu, but thats another story.
So as the drama goes, Marco Bellini complains to the media about how he's being handled with no playing time and all the while, Don Nelson has been telling us for 1+ years that this guy doesn't know how to play basketball. So, after the media writes about this, Bellini gets playing time and we learn he can actually play, does try to play defense, can dribble, can pass- basically be more than just that 2 minutes a month 3 pointer shooter, which is what Don Nelson made us think. During this time, we figured that Don Nelson was also saying that Brandon Wright and Anthony Randolph can't play, but when they play they look impressive. But then again, they could play 30 minutes 1 night, DNP the next 3 nights, then play 2 minutes, then DNP for the next week. You have Anthony Morrow that everyone thinks could be a good player since his breakout game versus the Clippers in LA, but he's run into the same playing crapshoot as Wright, Randolph, and others like Rob Kurz, Markus Willians, etc....
Anyways, I still go to Warrior games this season, enjoy the games, including seeing other team stars, but the last 2 days this drama is making things worse............ Nelson says he's tired and he'll let his 2 assistants take over to teach defense 'cause he can't do it anymore. Rumor is he told Anthony Randolph to ask his agent to shop him for trades 'cause he ain't that good in practice (try telling Allen Iverson that he ain't good in practice and we'll see where that goes!). Don Nelson is an old man that admits he likes to drink alot, wants to go to Hawaii all the time, and that 2 year contract extension he got looks like a joke. We always hear about how he manipulates the media, makes other's adjust to him, but I think he's confusing himself that doesn't know what he believes anymore. Sounds like a man that is FINALLY ready for retirement. I know that the contract extension was to try to bring stability to a team that is so unstable, but if he plans to get rid of all the players via trades or piss them off then want to get traded, he's just going to run this team into the ground. Part of the reason he's still coaching is he wants that all time coach winning record, but if the last 50 wins are meaninless over the next 1+ years, how is the latter part of his legacy going to be viewed? In my gut, I think he wants to win, but seeing that it's a steep uphill challenge, he looks like he's going to bail on us like he did to Dallas. Maybe Don needs to take a 2 week vacation and see if he comes back re-energized. I know he doesn't have the best team, but the minutes he plays his guys are so confusing.
Hopefully, after Don takes this little vacation, Monte will be back, Maggette's 2 hamstrings will have healed, Jackson's hand will be healed, everyone with the flu gets healthy, and we can make a 2009 run to try to get to .500. That's what I want right now. This team hasn't excited me for a while now and I don't know why I keep spending so much money on them. Must be them damn bobbleheads, tshirts, signs, hot dogs, and the Warrior Girls.
Look at the players that aren't on the team now actively that made up the 2006-2007 team:
Matt Barnes, Baron Davis, Monta Ellis (injury), Al Harrington, Patrick O’Bryant, Mickael Pietrus, Zarko Cabarkapa, Adonal Foyle, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Josh Powell and another all time favorite, Jason Richardson. Alot of them were bench players, but that is still a lot of turnover from their playoff run and there's no more "We Believe" in Oakland. That team is gone and so is our mascot Thunder! C'mon guys let's make this work. I still have Boston, Toronto, Cleveland, Phoenix, and Philly games coming up, so make me proud. There was a point that every game I went to was always a win. That has changed drastically. I just want some moral victories and let's not let the Clippers and the Kings have a better record than us. Chris Jericho came back to WWE to "SAVE US" and now it's almost Monta's time to try and save us!
Then, this 2008 offseason happened. We all knew that Baron wanted an extension, but I thought he would play out the final year of his existing contract this season and then possibly next year he would leave as a Free Agent since the Warriors weren't going to give him that fat contract. Baron leaves. I wasn't happy at how the whole thing played out, but Management (not Mullin as he got Baron a 2 year contract that Baron agreed to, but "management" overulled) started looking at saving $$$$ again and figured, let Baron go. So Baron left within hours of free agency, not something I was expecting. As expected, Barnes left and so did Pietrus. Then, Harrington gets mad after he finds out Nelson gets a contract extension meaning that Harrington was going to play the undersized PF and C under Don for 2+ years, so he wants out. I know alot of people hated Harrington, but to me he would of been a good bench player being the 6th-7th guy that could play 3 positions and a spot starter, but he thought he was a bigger star in his mind. Let's not forget, that the Warriors were trying to get Harrington from Atlanta a few years back, so he's been on GSW's radar for a while. Then, Stephen Jackson signs an extension, hurts his hand, continued to shot 0 for a zillion 3's, and has been playing like crap- just sit Stephen for the holidays and let that shit heal otherwise you are just making the team worse. I'm a Stephen Jackson fan, but when you are hurt and you can't produce, why can we all see it, but not you o Capt'n Jack who I think still leads the league in turnovers? Only Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant seem to be the only ones that can play at an extremely high level when injured or sick with the flu, but thats another story.
So as the drama goes, Marco Bellini complains to the media about how he's being handled with no playing time and all the while, Don Nelson has been telling us for 1+ years that this guy doesn't know how to play basketball. So, after the media writes about this, Bellini gets playing time and we learn he can actually play, does try to play defense, can dribble, can pass- basically be more than just that 2 minutes a month 3 pointer shooter, which is what Don Nelson made us think. During this time, we figured that Don Nelson was also saying that Brandon Wright and Anthony Randolph can't play, but when they play they look impressive. But then again, they could play 30 minutes 1 night, DNP the next 3 nights, then play 2 minutes, then DNP for the next week. You have Anthony Morrow that everyone thinks could be a good player since his breakout game versus the Clippers in LA, but he's run into the same playing crapshoot as Wright, Randolph, and others like Rob Kurz, Markus Willians, etc....
Anyways, I still go to Warrior games this season, enjoy the games, including seeing other team stars, but the last 2 days this drama is making things worse............ Nelson says he's tired and he'll let his 2 assistants take over to teach defense 'cause he can't do it anymore. Rumor is he told Anthony Randolph to ask his agent to shop him for trades 'cause he ain't that good in practice (try telling Allen Iverson that he ain't good in practice and we'll see where that goes!). Don Nelson is an old man that admits he likes to drink alot, wants to go to Hawaii all the time, and that 2 year contract extension he got looks like a joke. We always hear about how he manipulates the media, makes other's adjust to him, but I think he's confusing himself that doesn't know what he believes anymore. Sounds like a man that is FINALLY ready for retirement. I know that the contract extension was to try to bring stability to a team that is so unstable, but if he plans to get rid of all the players via trades or piss them off then want to get traded, he's just going to run this team into the ground. Part of the reason he's still coaching is he wants that all time coach winning record, but if the last 50 wins are meaninless over the next 1+ years, how is the latter part of his legacy going to be viewed? In my gut, I think he wants to win, but seeing that it's a steep uphill challenge, he looks like he's going to bail on us like he did to Dallas. Maybe Don needs to take a 2 week vacation and see if he comes back re-energized. I know he doesn't have the best team, but the minutes he plays his guys are so confusing.
Hopefully, after Don takes this little vacation, Monte will be back, Maggette's 2 hamstrings will have healed, Jackson's hand will be healed, everyone with the flu gets healthy, and we can make a 2009 run to try to get to .500. That's what I want right now. This team hasn't excited me for a while now and I don't know why I keep spending so much money on them. Must be them damn bobbleheads, tshirts, signs, hot dogs, and the Warrior Girls.
Look at the players that aren't on the team now actively that made up the 2006-2007 team:
Matt Barnes, Baron Davis, Monta Ellis (injury), Al Harrington, Patrick O’Bryant, Mickael Pietrus, Zarko Cabarkapa, Adonal Foyle, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Josh Powell and another all time favorite, Jason Richardson. Alot of them were bench players, but that is still a lot of turnover from their playoff run and there's no more "We Believe" in Oakland. That team is gone and so is our mascot Thunder! C'mon guys let's make this work. I still have Boston, Toronto, Cleveland, Phoenix, and Philly games coming up, so make me proud. There was a point that every game I went to was always a win. That has changed drastically. I just want some moral victories and let's not let the Clippers and the Kings have a better record than us. Chris Jericho came back to WWE to "SAVE US" and now it's almost Monta's time to try and save us!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
How I Found Out I Have Diabetes (3 Year Anniversary)
Here's one of my first posts I had on friendster about 3 years ago. I always have lots of things to be thankful for during Thanksgiving, but it's also the anniversary of where over a period of days I found out I had type-2 Diabetes. I guess this is why I tend to focus on just having time off from work, watching football, and not seem to care too much about food around this time when everyone else is ...........................
From December 2005:
The weekend after Thanksgiving, for some reason I had a craving for Orange Juice and Apple Juice. For the first time in my life, I was wanting to drink that, instead of sodas or coffee drinks. Anyways, I just kept getting thirsty and I was also drinking lots of other liquids. I was wanting more to drink things than eat for some reason. Anyways, the weekend went on and I didn't think much about it. Just thought I might be coming down with a cold or flu. Well Sunday night, I had a tough time going to sleep. I was so thirsty that I kept drinking water all night- in fact, I had two glasses of water in my room at all times. I literally would wake up every hour or so, pee, drink more water, get more water from downstairs, and try to go back to sleep. This cycle just kept going on for hours that I ended up calling in sick the following Monday because I was feeling crappy, tired, and my throat felt really dry. During this time, I also started to notice that my 20/20 vision (via LASIK a couple years ago) was getting a bit blurry every here and there. So, I just stayed home on Monday just to relax.
That same night, I went through the whole thing again with the water, bathroom, etc. So, I went to the doctor on Tuesday and took a urine test. Found out that my blood sugar (glucose) level was at 450!! Your glucose level is supposed to be around 100 or between 70-140. Took a blood test and another urine test the next day while fasting and the results verified the same thing. So, as of my doctor's visit on 12/2/05, I am now officially a "Diabetic." Type 2, so I have to take medication, but not Type 1 where I need to have insulin shots.
I was given medication to bring my blood sugar level down and it worked. I felt fine after that. A few days later, I was given a second one. Then, I started having problems. When I started taking the 1st med, my eyesight started coming back. I visited the eye doctor (optometrist/ophthalmologist) and I was close to 20/20 again and the eyes looked healthy. A few days after taking the 2nd med, my eyesight got blurry again. This was weird because your eyesight is supposed to be blurry when your sugar level is off the charts, but mine was normal. Told the doctor this and he thought it was just my eyes adjusting to the "changes" going on. A few days later that's when I realized this started happening after the 2nd medication. So, I skipped an evening dose and wouldn't you know it, my vision vastly improved the next day!!!
I was thinking about how my eyesight would be fighting to focus throughout the day and then in the morning it would be blurry and it was like deja vu every day. That's when I realized the only consistent thing in my system was the evening medication that I was taking. That's why I skipped that day's dosage. Thing is, eyesight being blurry is not a side effect of this drug. Go figure.
So, now I'm living my life watching what I eat, staying away from sweets, monitoring my blood sugar with my new trusty glucometer, exercising (slowly building up), and having alot of water around me. So far, I'm doing well and I eat alot of chicken, steak, pork chops, sausage, jello, etc. Hardly or no white bread, candy, RICE, regular sodas, ALCOHOL, etc. Almost as if I'm on Atkin's diet, which I did a couple of years ago and I did lose like 16 pounds in a month.
I'm taking this as a challenge to myself to get back into good shape. I used to be one of those guys that people looked up to because I would work out twice a day and eat whatever I wanted like when I was at USF. I was in the best shape of my life back then and I'm hoping I can get somewhere close to where I once was. I always make a New Year's promise to get my weight down and I always start motivated and then I stop. Maybe this is God's way of helping me get back into "Bigsexy" shape? Only time will tell, but for my drinking buddies out there......that time is gone. I guess I'm your designated driver now. And, you know how I hate being the one taking care of the drunks!
Everyone please take care of yourselves and even if you don't watch what you eat or workout, please try to drink more water everyday. Try to take the stairs instead of the elevator when you are only going up or down 1-2 floors. Try to cut down on eating fast food, which is full of sodium, sugar, fat, calories, and carbs, although there are some healthy things at McDonalds, Burger King, etc.... Park in the middle of the parking lot instead of in front of the store. It will make a difference in your life. We aren't getting any younger and those days when we were teenagers and in our early 20's when we thought we were invincible might catch up to you. I just want to live for a long time and have ALL my friends there with me, ya know? We need to live, not just for ourselves, but for our loved ones as well. =)
Peace, love, happiness, Happy Holidays, and sincerely,
-Paul.G.Togonon-
From December 2005:
The weekend after Thanksgiving, for some reason I had a craving for Orange Juice and Apple Juice. For the first time in my life, I was wanting to drink that, instead of sodas or coffee drinks. Anyways, I just kept getting thirsty and I was also drinking lots of other liquids. I was wanting more to drink things than eat for some reason. Anyways, the weekend went on and I didn't think much about it. Just thought I might be coming down with a cold or flu. Well Sunday night, I had a tough time going to sleep. I was so thirsty that I kept drinking water all night- in fact, I had two glasses of water in my room at all times. I literally would wake up every hour or so, pee, drink more water, get more water from downstairs, and try to go back to sleep. This cycle just kept going on for hours that I ended up calling in sick the following Monday because I was feeling crappy, tired, and my throat felt really dry. During this time, I also started to notice that my 20/20 vision (via LASIK a couple years ago) was getting a bit blurry every here and there. So, I just stayed home on Monday just to relax.
That same night, I went through the whole thing again with the water, bathroom, etc. So, I went to the doctor on Tuesday and took a urine test. Found out that my blood sugar (glucose) level was at 450!! Your glucose level is supposed to be around 100 or between 70-140. Took a blood test and another urine test the next day while fasting and the results verified the same thing. So, as of my doctor's visit on 12/2/05, I am now officially a "Diabetic." Type 2, so I have to take medication, but not Type 1 where I need to have insulin shots.
I was given medication to bring my blood sugar level down and it worked. I felt fine after that. A few days later, I was given a second one. Then, I started having problems. When I started taking the 1st med, my eyesight started coming back. I visited the eye doctor (optometrist/ophthalmologist) and I was close to 20/20 again and the eyes looked healthy. A few days after taking the 2nd med, my eyesight got blurry again. This was weird because your eyesight is supposed to be blurry when your sugar level is off the charts, but mine was normal. Told the doctor this and he thought it was just my eyes adjusting to the "changes" going on. A few days later that's when I realized this started happening after the 2nd medication. So, I skipped an evening dose and wouldn't you know it, my vision vastly improved the next day!!!
I was thinking about how my eyesight would be fighting to focus throughout the day and then in the morning it would be blurry and it was like deja vu every day. That's when I realized the only consistent thing in my system was the evening medication that I was taking. That's why I skipped that day's dosage. Thing is, eyesight being blurry is not a side effect of this drug. Go figure.
So, now I'm living my life watching what I eat, staying away from sweets, monitoring my blood sugar with my new trusty glucometer, exercising (slowly building up), and having alot of water around me. So far, I'm doing well and I eat alot of chicken, steak, pork chops, sausage, jello, etc. Hardly or no white bread, candy, RICE, regular sodas, ALCOHOL, etc. Almost as if I'm on Atkin's diet, which I did a couple of years ago and I did lose like 16 pounds in a month.
I'm taking this as a challenge to myself to get back into good shape. I used to be one of those guys that people looked up to because I would work out twice a day and eat whatever I wanted like when I was at USF. I was in the best shape of my life back then and I'm hoping I can get somewhere close to where I once was. I always make a New Year's promise to get my weight down and I always start motivated and then I stop. Maybe this is God's way of helping me get back into "Bigsexy" shape? Only time will tell, but for my drinking buddies out there......that time is gone. I guess I'm your designated driver now. And, you know how I hate being the one taking care of the drunks!
Everyone please take care of yourselves and even if you don't watch what you eat or workout, please try to drink more water everyday. Try to take the stairs instead of the elevator when you are only going up or down 1-2 floors. Try to cut down on eating fast food, which is full of sodium, sugar, fat, calories, and carbs, although there are some healthy things at McDonalds, Burger King, etc.... Park in the middle of the parking lot instead of in front of the store. It will make a difference in your life. We aren't getting any younger and those days when we were teenagers and in our early 20's when we thought we were invincible might catch up to you. I just want to live for a long time and have ALL my friends there with me, ya know? We need to live, not just for ourselves, but for our loved ones as well. =)
Peace, love, happiness, Happy Holidays, and sincerely,
-Paul.G.Togonon-
Warriors Filipino Night, 11/21/08
Last night I had fun at the Oracle Arena watching the Chicago Bulls @ our Golden State Warriors. Went to the game with Rich, Jasmine & her parents, Joey, and Jeorge. Dean was there and he looked intense watching the game. Plus, I ran into some folks from high school too! As expected, saw some pinoys and pinays that I know and ALOT of people that I think I know (You know that "I'm looking at you and you are looking at me and hoping it clicks that one of us remembers the other" look LOL). BART took longer to get to the game so I missed the opening Filipino performance(s), which I heard was tinikling, but it's all good as I got my beers and my SHIRT!
Beers are expensive at any pro sportings event, but even if I don't get buzzed, they seem to make me happy when I have at least 2. As most of you know, I'm pretty quiet and like to observe, so here are some thoughts-
Tickets of course for this Filipino event were in Club 200 (upper level for those that don't know) and some dude a couple rows in front of us kept standing up throughout the game. I'm sure you can imagine all the folks behind us yelling at this guy to sit down. At first, it was annoying 'cause we had to look up at the screen to catch some of plays, but then we turned an ackward situation to an entertaining one. Although he would get up at random times, whenver the Warriors hit a 3, blocked a shot (daym on Randolph's 4 blocks!), made a dunk, we knew he would get up. So, Joey, Jeorge, and I posed for pictures with him in the background. I know.... I know... it's stupid, but if you were there, you would of jumped in too for a picture!
Derrick Rose- Wow! Because the Warriors are in the Western Conference, I don't really follow the Eastern Conference that well, so I didn't really know what to expect from Derrick Rose. Other than being the #1 pick on the Bulls and seeing some highlights on tv, I didn't expect almost every offensive move he made to be a potential highlight. Even when he missed shots, it looked smooth! I was impressed and I'll probably look at his stats throughout the season since I do fantasy basketball anyways.
Something weird- not sure if others noticed this, but there were gaps in the areas for the Filipino Night tickets. Not sure if a lot of people didn't show up, but you could see empty seats in the areas. To make the event look good, wouldn't the planners try to fill all the seats (ie. sell the seats) in the same sections so it looks like a mass of people where there! I went to the first Giants Filipino Night and that was packed like crazy! I would of thought the event planners would of pushed everyone to wear their shirts, so that people in the Oracle can look at once section and just know "hey, that must be the filipino night section." I took a look around and even if everyone wore their shirts, there were a lot of non-filipinos there. Not that I mind that, but why would they want a "Filipino Night Shirt?" I knew some Filipinos in other sections (ie lower level) that would of bought the shirt. Anyways, that was kinda interesting.
I have a couple more games on my mini-plan, plus my cousin and will get another 1-2 plans, and my work will offer periodic $15 tickets to games, so I'll post more about the Warriors. Until then..........
Oh and did I mention.............GOT MY SHIRT TOO!!!!!! =)
Beers are expensive at any pro sportings event, but even if I don't get buzzed, they seem to make me happy when I have at least 2. As most of you know, I'm pretty quiet and like to observe, so here are some thoughts-
Tickets of course for this Filipino event were in Club 200 (upper level for those that don't know) and some dude a couple rows in front of us kept standing up throughout the game. I'm sure you can imagine all the folks behind us yelling at this guy to sit down. At first, it was annoying 'cause we had to look up at the screen to catch some of plays, but then we turned an ackward situation to an entertaining one. Although he would get up at random times, whenver the Warriors hit a 3, blocked a shot (daym on Randolph's 4 blocks!), made a dunk, we knew he would get up. So, Joey, Jeorge, and I posed for pictures with him in the background. I know.... I know... it's stupid, but if you were there, you would of jumped in too for a picture!
Derrick Rose- Wow! Because the Warriors are in the Western Conference, I don't really follow the Eastern Conference that well, so I didn't really know what to expect from Derrick Rose. Other than being the #1 pick on the Bulls and seeing some highlights on tv, I didn't expect almost every offensive move he made to be a potential highlight. Even when he missed shots, it looked smooth! I was impressed and I'll probably look at his stats throughout the season since I do fantasy basketball anyways.
Something weird- not sure if others noticed this, but there were gaps in the areas for the Filipino Night tickets. Not sure if a lot of people didn't show up, but you could see empty seats in the areas. To make the event look good, wouldn't the planners try to fill all the seats (ie. sell the seats) in the same sections so it looks like a mass of people where there! I went to the first Giants Filipino Night and that was packed like crazy! I would of thought the event planners would of pushed everyone to wear their shirts, so that people in the Oracle can look at once section and just know "hey, that must be the filipino night section." I took a look around and even if everyone wore their shirts, there were a lot of non-filipinos there. Not that I mind that, but why would they want a "Filipino Night Shirt?" I knew some Filipinos in other sections (ie lower level) that would of bought the shirt. Anyways, that was kinda interesting.
I have a couple more games on my mini-plan, plus my cousin and will get another 1-2 plans, and my work will offer periodic $15 tickets to games, so I'll post more about the Warriors. Until then..........
Oh and did I mention.............GOT MY SHIRT TOO!!!!!! =)
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