Holly and Colin's Wedding

So my sister Holly got married this past weekend. It was a really nice ceremony. It was my first time meeting her husband Colin. I have to say he is a really cool dude. He thinks he can beat me one on one in basketball. Now, I can count on one hand how many times I have lost a one on one game...Granted I haven't played ball in awhile except some intramural games here and there around the city where I torched a few unlucky individuals at times but I believe I still have some game. It's just matter of me getting into shape to play him so I don't get tired because I still have a decent jumper and a quick first step. Who knows if we will ever play but I have to say he is gonna be a cool brother-in-law and I look forward to getting to know him more.

Anyways congratulations to Holly and Colin on a fun-filled wedding and I wish you guys love and happiness forever.

Corporate Retreat in Mexico

Our company took a corporate retreat in mid January to Akumal,Mexico. This being my first time out of the country I really didn't know what to expect. On the flight to Cancun I slept most the of the flight(except for the last 20 minutes or so). This is what usually happens whenever I am on any type of transportation, whether train, bus, airplane, passenger in a car,etc. I just get really comfortable and just doze off...When we landed we went to Avis and got our rental car and headed down to Akumal from Cancun. And the following is how our trip proceeded:

Day 1: We got to the villas we were staying at in Akumal about 2pm. The weather wasn't that great but the villas were beautiful. They had this relaxing feel to them and scenary was beautiful. They were located right on the beach and the view was picturesque. Our co-workers from our other office got to the villas later that evening so we all had dinner together and then chatted and headed off to get some rest.

Day 2: This was a fun day. We went out on a catamaran and did some fishing. Now I have been on boats before but this boat was rocking back and forth with the waves and made me a little woozy. Seeing Dave throw up didnt help the sea sickness that I was starting to get but luckily I got through it without heaving. We later went to a beautiful cove where the water was acqua blue and the view was amazing. It was just soo beautiful.Relaxing on the beach and having a quite tasty lunch were a plus.

Day 3: Today was "survivor" day for me. See we went to the mayan village where I thought we were just going to go hiking. However extreme sports got thrown into the mix and we had the option to do zip lining across a cenote and rapelling down a cenote. The former was too scary for me. I hate heights so everyone else went except me. I felt bad for not going but hey man my fears of heights are too great. Now when we got to rapelling down into a cenote I felt bad about not doing the zip lining so I did it. My heart was racing but everyone was supportive and I have to admit the rush of adrenaline I felt whiling heading downward into the cenote was a great experience. It was the first time I ever tried something like that.

Day 4: This day was a lot of fun because we were able to go off and do whatever we wanted. So a group of us went to the crocodile zoo which was quite the experience. We walked down a path where there were crocodiles on either side and they could've come up to us and bitten us or taken a leg off if they wanted to. I was scared out of my mind but having the other people there walking down the path made it a lot easier. After the zoo we went to Playa del Carmen. What a beautiful place..We walked down fifth Street which is the main shopping/tourist area which was fun. It ran parallel to the beach which was beautiful. After some walking we wound up going to a lounge place to watch the Packers game against the Seahawks in the snow.

Day 5: We hungout around the villas until about 11 and then headed to Cancun airport. Our flight was great in that we were able to see the Giants vs. Cowboys playoff game in its entirety on the flight. Was definitely a nice way to end a beautiful corporate retreat.

We Goin to the Super Bowl!!!!

So the Giants just beat the Packers at Lambeau field in a historic game. Oh man. What a game!! My heart was in my throat numerous times. When R.W. McQuarters fumbled towards the end of the fourth quarter, when Lawrence Tynes missed two field goals,the list goes on..The way Eli led this team tonight in the frozen tundra was phenomenal. I think everyone should have more appreciation and congrats for him as he has really come of age in the playoffs this year. Seeing Tynes hit that 47 yarder in overtime was surreal. First off he had already miss two field goals and now he was having to take a much further one in a stadium where the longest field ever made in the postseason was 40 yards. Well, now its 47 yards. hahaha.

Anyways I am just soo happy for the New York Giants. They have played with soo much heart and have believed in themselves when no one in the media did and they have never doubted themselves. So I give them all the credit in the world and I can't wait until they play New England in two weeks. They will be healthier and I think they will play the Patriots hard. Who knows what will happen in the game. All I know is the Giants are on a roll!!

Mayo, Gordon, Beasley, Love, Rose

This is why I believe college basketball is one of the best sports to watch. Before the NBA implemented the rule where high school players can no longer jump straight to the NBA and had to play at least one year of college basketball, you weren't able to see the very best of the high school class play on the "next" level. The college level against their peers. Instead they were going directly to the NBA and playing against grown men. Granted some of these guys can make it in the NBA right away but I believe at least one year of college ball makes most of the players if not all of them better fundamentally. This year we have been given the priviledge to watch the cream of the crop play at least one year of college ball. Here is a little bit about each of them from what I've seen.

1) Mister Gordon- Erick Gordon is a 6' 4" guard. Well built and very strong with the ball. He is not the fastest player but his first step is explosive and he can get to the basket at will. He does a great job getting to the line and I'd have to say he is the best shooter in the freshman class by far.

2) K Love- Kevin Love is a 6' 9" forward. His fundamentals are great as a big man and he is a great rebounder. I don't think he is a great defender yet but on the college level I think he is one of the best big men I've seen in awhile. I kind of equate him to Brad Miller in the NBA. Now I think he will be a serviceable NBA player but as of right now I am not sold on him being dominant in the league. He still has to develop a mid range jumper and get a little quicker.

3) O.J.-Mister O.J. Mayo is a 6' 5" guard. He is like an architect on the court and seems to size his opponent up before he ever makes a move. He will be a good NBA player and I think he has one of the best jumpers in the freshman class. He does have to work on his shot selection but he will be a great scorer on the next level and I compare him to Ben Gordon of the Bulls.

4) Michael Beasley- Beasley is a 6' 9" forward who can do it all. Can shoot the three, pass, rebound and score at will. His defense has to improve but as long as he keeps his head on straight he will be a great NBA player.

5) Derek Rose- D Rose is a 6'4" guard and I would say he is the best NBA prospect in the class. He gets to the rim at WILL and is strong and powerful with the ball. A great distributor and a pure point guard I see him doing incredible things in the leauge as long as he develops a more consistent jumper.

For now enjoy watching these guys who play for Indiana, UCLA, USC, Kansas State and Memphis respectively. They all will most likely be playing in the Association at this time next year.

Chargers and Giants

So this weekend for football was great. The Chargers upended the defending world champion Indianapolis Colts with two of their best players (LaDanian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers) missing key parts of the game because of injuries. It was great to see the Chargers fight through all of the adversity they did playing on the road to ensure that we will have a different Super Bowl champion this year. So kudos to them.

Now to the GGGGGGGGGGGGGG Men! It was one of the best games I have a seen all year. In the first half the Giants got an early lead but then struggled on defense to get any type of pressure on Tony Romo and it seemed like Marion Barber was running the whole Giants defense over on every play. However at the end of the half they scored a key game tying touchdown so it was all even going into the second half. In the second half the Giants defense got pressure on Romo time and time again and laid him out with some hard hits. The pressure was key because the Giants secondary became more depleted than what it currently was because Aaron Ross went down with a shoulder injury.

But I have to give a ton of credit to the defense. The offense played well but the defense really drove it home. The intensity they played with towards the end of the game was thrilling and helped move the Giants along in the playoffs. I am happy for Eli Manning. He is finally showing the New York fans that he is a good quarterback and that he can win in the playoffs. Next weeks game against the Packers will be tough but the Giants have been winning on the road consistently so lets keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.. A Giants win!

Cornell or Duke...

It was quite interesting this Sunday when I watched the Cornell vs. Duke basketball game. I was in quite a situation... See I went to Cornell and was recruited to play basketball there. Even though I realized playing basketball in college wasn't an aspiration of mine after playing on the team a short time I still followed the team and went to some of their games cheering them on. From time to time i go to the Big Red sports site to see how the team is doing.

Now to Duke...I went to Duke basketball camp for 3 years from the ages of 14-16. Going to Durham for those 3 summers was such a special time in my life. I always looked forward to stepping off the plane and being met by the Duke bball van and the camp counselors that over time I became friendly with. I was in awe the first time I went to Duke. Getting to run drills with current players at the time like Trajan Langdon and Jeff Capel was a thrill and getting to see and meet Duke greats such as Coach K and Bobby Hurley is something I will never forget. Also being inside Cameron is an experience of its own. So much history, where some legends were made such as Jeff Capels buzzer beater against Carolina from half court back in the mid 90s.

So when the game came on Sunday night I decided to go with Cornell. First time I have ever picked a team to win against Duke. Cornell played a great game and hustled throughout. Even though Duke won the game in the end Cornell made them fight for everything and for that I'm proud of the Big Red.

GGGGGGG Men!

So it was a great weekend if you are a New York Giants football fan. This past Sunday the Giants beat the Tampa Bay Bucs for their first playoff win in long time. Eli Manning finally got the heavy weight off his shoulders by winning his first playoff game. Granted he didnt play spectacular but he didnt make any stupid mistakes and made the big plays when needed to sustain drives and to keep the Giants ahead once they took the lead from the Bucs in the second quarter. Also kudos to the Giants defense. They played great and made it hard on the Bucs all day. It was great to see the Giants win a playoff game and hopefully they can keep the momentum going against the Dallas Cowboys next week.