The Big Showdown Week in the NBA

This week brought some great NBA games that give a small preview for what is about to come in the playoffs.

1. Lakers finally beat Celtics at the Garden (110-109)
After losing in Los Angeles, on Wed the Celtics and their fans were eager for revenge. But Kobe & Co. didn't agree and won in OT. And that even without Bynum, the big body, and lately big scorer, for LA. Boston did commit several faults in this game that went without penalty. Although one might argue that Allen got checked by fisher, to call it a fault (& considering Allen's 90% free throw) would have been a total distortion to the result of the whole game.
Game Recap HERE

2. Spurs also beat Celtics at home (105-99)
A very tactic game between two of the best defensive teams in the NBA. And the Celtics chocked again. Spurs didn't do anything extraordinary, Allen dropped the ball again. Despite the fact that I definitely dislike the Spurs, somehow the result was pleasing since the champs do need a decent dose of modesty in their portfolio.
Game Recap HERE

3. Lakers break Cavaliers' 23 winning home streak
The battle between the two most dominant candidates for this year's MVP title (Bryant and James) was not the spotlight of this game. Both Bryant and especially James had below the average performances while Odom's 28 points made the difference in the 3rd and 4th quarters. And although many do not see the significance of these wins (both in Cleveland and Boston), well, it might make a difference when one reaches game 7 in the NBA finals, where home turf can make the difference.
Game Recap HERE

And next weekend, is the All Star Game...

Tire Commercial

Since now I am doing a paper on the tire industry, this is a pretty funny and relevant (to me at least) commercial for Bridgestone tires. Naturally, it was first time aired during the multimillion Super Bowl commercial breaks.
Take a look:

New (to me) Ninja Music

Although I haven't had much time lately to listen and experiment, I look forward to going over some of these albums and EPs:

1. Mr. Scruff - Ninja Tuna (2008): I have listen to some of his track and there are some nice & interesting collaborations with Quantic and Roots Manuva, among others, but the main musical lines are preserved throughout the album.


2. DJ Kentaro - Trust (2008) In this EP, Kentaro does what he knows best, turn tables, that is. two tracks: Rainy Day and Trust in a couple of versions. Except the first track, which is still hectic mix of beats, I didn't really enjoyed the rest.

3. Blockhead - Music by Cavelight (2004). This is Blockhead's debut album that I have been searching for a while now. It is pretty hard to come by but totally worthy to have. Some great instrumental stuff. If you know "Insomniac Olympics", expect more.

Back at Troy Savings Bank Classical Music Concerts

Well, it has been a while. About 1 1/2 years to be exact, since I haven't been at a concert here in Troy. It almost happened last Fall, but I had to travel to Netherlands and I had to cancel in the last minute. Other than that, again, mostly out of town and sadly, busy with other stuff. So, this was a nice way to remember "the old ways" and I think I miss these "getaways"; after all they are good ways to relax. However, I also usually have some good ideas about various things; and I definitely need to write them down afterwards. But back to the thing, the concert was good but I wouldn't call it exceptional: Les Violins du Roy from Quebec directed by Bernard Labadie. In the program: Telemann-Ouverture des nations anciens et moderne; Handel-Water Music, Haydn-Horn Concerto No.2 (with Louis Philippe Marsolais, very nice horn solos); Purcell - Chaconne from King Arthur; Geminiani - Concerto Grosso in D minor and again, Handel with Suite from Alcina. The first pieces were nice but a bit boring while towards the end of the first half, and again in the second, the tempo built up towards a great end. The encore (Vivaldi's Spring) has naturally received a great welcome from the audience.

Historical Inauguration

Barack Obama ..the 44th US President...and the 1st Afro-American one...the inaugural speech.
Link:

Missing Europe..a little bit (more)

When I saw this picture, I immediately felt home sick. All the beauty that Europe has to offer, and all those special small coffees in special small squares and streets that do not have to be proud of their heritage going back multiple hundreds of years. It is normal there, ya? Anyways, who knows...summer doesn't seem that far..at least after January and the cold waves pass:))..so..there is hope.

Getting back to the picture this is the Old City Hall from Bamberg, Germany..Bavaria. Never been there, but looks great. All the credits go to the original photographers.

Hitchcock's Birds and Planes

Although there is a slim chance of happening (about 1 in 10,000) birds can cause a plane crash. And it happened today right here in NY. This is an amazing Associated Press picture showing the safe evacuation of all 155 passengers. However, a dip in the Hudson river is something that will surely make you stay away from flights (at least for a decent period of time).


Airline passengers wait to board a ferry to be rescued on the wings of a US Airways Airbus 320 jetliner that safely ditched in the frigid waters of the Hudson River in New York, Thursday Jan. 15, 2009 after a flock of birds knocked out both its engines. All 155 people on board survived.

mApple and the Simpsons

Although I own and enjoy my Apple products, before more than now, there was a sentiment of ownership similar to a joining cult. The Simpsons explore this feeling in a great episode aired last month. I say "before than now" because now Apple has slightly switched the strategy for a snobbish ultra expensive line of products to almost-affordable and definitely competitive ones with the rest of the tech pack: Sony, Microsoft, etc. pending on the product class.

Lucky Benjamin

Up until a couple of years ago I definitely wasn't a lucky person at all. Actually my friends and I were making jokes about some of the situations that proved this fact. It was a bit painful but also useful at the same time since then you are working and doing a lot more stuff than usual, thinking that your luck will not help you at all. And when it does...well things couldn't be better. On the same line of thought, I found yesterday a 100$ bill in a restaurant. Naturally, I was extremely impressed and come back frequently to this restaurant in order to thank them indirectly for the treat.:)

Getting around San Francisco

San Francisco is a great city to live in and also visit. It only takes a view (nightly or sunny day) from the plane to see the Bay in all its splendor and check out the bridges that unite Oakland, Sausalito and all the rest to SFO. And then, once you get on the ground things get better. Two drawbacks though: 1. incredible amount of beggars per square mile downtown; ocassionally they can become nasty and very noisy; and 2. prices; coming from upstate NY on a student budget, the prices here are quite exorbitant. However, for one week you can survive.:)
Otherwise, for more views check out some of my photoblog postings:
Link 1
Link 2
More to come..