The Pacman with the Boston Celtics

There was no way I'm going to miss Pacquiao's bout with David Diaz. Our good friends , the Baels hosted the PPV event in their home and we gladly went there last night. I won't be indulging much with my views on the match but it is suffice to say that Manny was at his best last night and David Diaz was completely overwhelmed from start to finish. Besides, with the tremendous popularity of Pacquiao worldwide among boxing fans, he is a major draw and all legitimate boxing sportswriters never misses a beat when he fights. Call it a mismatch if you may but Manny Pacquiao was simply unbeatable in this fight. That 9th round KO was just a sort of needed coup de grâce.

Now officially a four division champ after wresting the WBC Lightweight Belt from Diaz and the first Asian to be so (five if only the belt was at stake contractually when he first fought Barrera in 2003 when Barrera was officially the WBC Featherweight champ), Pacquiao is recognized as the best pound for pound boxer right now. He is truly 'up there' together will boxing's all-time greats and immortals. And when you have the superstars of the newly crowned NBA champs, the Boston Celtics visit you in the dressing room after your fight, you can be assured the 'Pacman' is the real deal and has clearly reached 'Superstar' status even outside the Philippines. IMHO, this is even bigger than if Britney Spears was the one who visited him. Now if it was Scarlett Johansson, I will have to think about it, hehe!

video: Pacquiao with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Rajon Rondo

A Gift from the Kids

Not what you expect but David and Missy gave me my first 'tattoo' and that is of an eagle (their version). This is their Father's Day gift to me and I'm not complaining. Thank God they used washable markers. It was Missy's idea and David helped in the implementation. Okay, I never had any 'tattoo' in my life and this is as close as I can be to having one. I don't abhor them and I'm actually fascinated by them as long as one is not overdone and of course it should be a piece of art done in good taste. Should I get a real one? Probably not. Not right now!

Turning 34 Isn't That Bad...

Yeah, if that was true but 43 it is. I'm way past my physical prime so to speak but after regaining the health and physical condition I have aspired for quite some time until I started September of last year, I feel much healthier and happier. I can't do anything with the receding hairline or the increasing number of white hair unless I cheat if you know what I mean but I'm letting that run it's course naturally. Anyway, I'm thankful that I'm still alive and kicking and actually feel stronger than ever. Every day that I'm alive, that my family is safe and healthy is something I don't take for granted. God is so good!

We celebrated my birthday a day earlier by having a buffet dinner last night at 'The Ark' since Ophine is having a class tonight. It is pricey but if you bring your appetite and know what to pick, you can have your money's worth! Their prime rib au jus is my favorite since they cook it to it's desired doneness, perfectly medium rare. It's not meant to be cooked and eaten any other way. So too are their poached salmon, raw oysters, xl peel and eat shrimps and crab legs (they did away with the King Crab legs but they replaced it with large snow crab legs). The kids always pick the food 'suitable' for them. Pizza, mac and cheese, spaghetti, fried chicken and the like...'Lugi', but what can you expect? At least their dessert table is loaded with really good stuff and the kids plus Ophine never shy away from this. Anyway, it was a great dinner and for one meal, I totally took a break from my diet. Can you blame me? Their prime rib can be my death row last meal!!! The restaurant took a beating from me at the carving station.

Too bad, I can't post my photo with the kids. Ophine's trusty p&s was not that trusty after all and it was way out of focus. I guess it was quite dim that the lens was still 'hunting' when the shutter was pressed.

Next year, it will be magnum __!!!

Somerset End of Year Show

David and Missy's school always holds an 'end of year' show so all we went to Somerset Academy on May 28. Surprisingly, the first graders were not included. I can only speculate but I guess the school officials have their own reasons and I'm not really complaining. Anyway, David's class did two numbers with music from 'High School Musical' and here are some photos and videos too.

The boys were so crowded. I sure wished they were arranged better!