Hi Everyone,I guess it’s pretty unusual for me to have a blog of my own, since I’m not a natural extrovert. But with a little help from my friends, I think that this blog will give me the opportunity to share another side of myself! I think it would be really interesting for me to be able to express my thoughts and also get feedback from people who might want to give their comments. I regret waiting so long to start this up because I think it’s good to document the milestones of our lives or even just our random thoughts. Plus, it’s a great thing for people to share their experiences and reveal the lessons we’ve learned, so that others can learn from them too. So here it goes!
The first thing I want to say is about my stint as an Ateneo Blue Eagle. A lot of people have been asking me about this, and I’ve made my decision that I will be back to play in the next UAAP season. I want to share my reasons why I’ve chosen to stay for one final year. Actually, I felt like moving on to new opportunities. But after the advice and encouragement of the people around me, I’m determined to stay one more year and carry out what I set out to accomplish.
Our line up this year is bursting with talent and potential! We’ve got an all-star cast of rookies, and of course the returning players are going to be back with a vengeance from last year’s sorry defeat! I think my role in the team this year is to share my experiences with the younger guys and to lead them with integrity. After all, I’m the SECOND eldest player in the team (Not the eldest – Yuri is! Hehe!). Just looking at this team and realizing its potential gets me really excited for the upcoming season! I know a lot of people are writing our team off this year, and that’s fine with us. It’s kinda like the Spurs every year. They rarely are the so-called “favorites” to win the championship at the beginning of the season, but come playoff time, they show up every game! (BUT I do hope they lose to New Orleans forbeating my Steve Nash’s Phoenix Suns!!) Sports analysts have ranked our team 5th and 6th in the last two seasons because of the
loss of key players, but we still managed to finish in 2nd and 3rd. I really do feel that this year will be our year to
bring the UAAP championship back to Ateneo!
bring the UAAP championship back to Ateneo!I got into Ateneo the year after the school won the 2002 UAAP Championship. We’ve come SO close each year only to come up short. This year, I would be most fulfilled knowing that I brought glory back to my university by playing HARD, SMART, and FAIR basketball.
Also, taking from the advice of those people who’ve been in my place before, I know that the corporate world can wait. I have the rest of my life to do that, while I can only play basketball for so long. Besides, college basketball is the most fun of all ☺, according to those who have gone ahead of me to the PROs.
Anyway, while waiting for the next season, I have to stay productive! I am actually really particular about making the most of my time and being very productive. I didn’t want to waste time so I decided to enroll again and take classes that I find useful and interesting. Right now, I’m taking Applied Math and Finance as my 2nd major. I became interested in Investment Banking because of my internship at CreditSuisse during the summer of 2006, under the supervision of one of the industry’s “greats”! But now I'm sort of thinking twice about getting into investment banking because of the volatility and weakness of the whole global financial system—as seen through the financial crisis in the US! And also, because of the many other options being opened to me.
For now, I'm actually taking a lot of Chinese classes in Ateneo because I'm serious about brushing up on my Chinese. In fact, I’m thinking about studying in China for a while after the season. To help me improve my Mandarin, I listen to Chinese music day and night, at home and in my car – to the horror of my brother Charles who shares a room with me. (I'm a huge fan of Jay Chou!) Oh, and even in the karaoke I love singing his son
Well, this has been a pretty long entry already! So, that's it for now. Time to rest for another long day tomorrow!
