I should have posted this on the review section, but I think this post contains a lot of opinion and personal thoughts rather than actual analyses of the whole book so... (does it matter, anyway?) Maybe it's one-sided, I know, anyway, I just want to spill out my thoughts about this awesome book from J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Lately I was like, here I am on our house, with this book on my lap, reading it for the Nth time, I'm not really sure. All I know is that it's my favorite so far, or should I say my favorite among all the HP books with Deathly Hallows being closely second. This post is timely too, because as we all know, three months from now the movie will come out. Whoa! Yey! Uh, enough for the lousy intro, let's dig deeper and Apparate through the pages and so here it goes..

Rowling's style of writing matures as she writes, and so the same applies with her (also ours) beloved characters. It is so apparent that Harry, Ron and Hermione has matured in many ways. Almost everyone. Even Ginny. I personally believe that this is the phase where Ginny's character has finally blossomed. She's more comfortable with herself, she's brave, she's more confident now and I just loved it whenever she's retaliating. I like the way she makes Ron shut up with her straightforward retorts, and how subtle she answered Hermione back on one part which surprised Harry and Ron, including me. :)

Harry, he's more of a man now and not just the orphan boy we knew back when he's eleven. Over are the days when Harry's so irritating, he's so moody just like any teenager would be. (the OotP days.) His temper's still there, though, but the seriousness of the situation between him and Voldemort, little by little, is now sinking in onto him. Thanks to the ever brilliant, Professor Dumbledore. He's willing to learn the past and is definitely aware of the prophecy that he is expected to accomplish. He still thinks a lot, but his judgment and decisions are better now. Harry being Dumbledore's man, through and through is just admirable.

In this book, there is also a heightened level of insecurities. The O.W.L's results. The help that Harry's getting from the Half-Blood Prince-- Hermione's having a hard time getting over these. Add the love angle and boom! Hermione learns that life is not just about learning everything and topping classes. She needs someone to share her triumphs with. Obviously with Ron. Yay! She's not into admitting it now, though, but it is so indubitable that her feelings for Ron goes deeper than friendship. She's got jealous, hurt and comical in the process. Ron feels the same way. (and not admitting it, too! Yay! This couple's driving us all maaad! They're so meant to be!) Then Lavender Brown enters and then the next scenes are not suitable for very young audiences, parental guidance is advised. :D Lol Just kidding. It's just so entertaining how this side events contribute to the beauty of the book as a whole. Back to Ron, the Quidditch scenes seem to be another shining moment for him, which is good because Ron's a great guy too and he deserves the attention.

Other interesting stuff in the book:

The Weasley twins, as always, is so lovable.

Slughorn reminds me of the awful fact that some people are judgmental. But he's a great Potions teacher, I must admit that.

The ever loving and caring to monsters and his friends, Hagrid.

The evil-ish Malfoy, with his softer side.

Luna's Loser's Lurgy. (nice Alliterations.)

Of course, the Half-Blood Prince of which I think everybody already knew now that he's Severus Snape. You'll just have to love or hate this man. (Well, I love him!) Which side does he really belong? The good or bad? Is he really a coward just like what Harry has said?

He is so noble, that's all. You'll just have to admire his genius work and his never-ending loyalty.

The end of the book is sad and somewhat tragic, but there's a challenge, there is hope and there's Book 7 to answer all the pending questions in our minds.

Overall, J.K. Rowling never fails to amaze us. The way she transports us to a universe she knew everything about making it seems so real. Though there's magic, it still seems so human -- how the character behaves, the moral lesson and themes, EVERYTHING. Action, Drama, Romance, Friendship and all the things in general, what more could you ask for? I know, I may sound as if praising her a lot but she deserves it, doesn't she? We should be thankful that she introduced the HP universe to us. With all the problems that we have in this present times, good thing we have Harry with us, who showed us that LOVE is still the most powerful thing in the world that will defeat all its bad counterpart; That friendship can still last even through troubled times and that friends will always stick with you no matter what; Which teaches us the value of a family, learning, trusting people and most of all, loyalty. That even in the lowest point of our lives, we get entertained, forget the hassles for a while and gain new hope to continue living, solve problems and live to tell the tale of the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One and the Boy That Will Forever Be Loved.

That's about it for now. Notice that I didn't include a lot of spoilers and as what I have said earlier, this post is soo April-ish, full of personal views about the characters and ideas so... I recommend you to read HBP, or better, read the whole HP series for your own good. You'll never regret it, promise!

Nox!

Oh come on. What do I know? It's not our major subject, isn't it? But still, I wanna learn about the English language more.  And so I am thankful (Nah, hehe. Yep, tunay.) and grateful that my sister has asked me to help her for the hard copy of her report regarding (no need to ask.) Colloquialism. No choice naman ako eh. Haha. Pero gusto ko rin naman kasing matuto pa kasi makakatulong din naman sa'kin 'to for sure. So eto nga, type type type.

I've gathered some info from the World Wide Web. This is fun. Haha. Here's a list of Celebrities, be it on local or international/Hollywood stars/singer/performers, "Superstar" or just extras =D with their REAL NAMES. Some are awkward. Some funny. And some are just amazing. =)

 Aliw. Hahaha.. MABUHAY ANG NAKAISIP NG MGA SCREEN NAMES NILA!! =D

YOU are good.

Yes you are.

They call you THE FAST.

HELTERSKELTER.

The Best Pointguard in the league right now. 

You never fail to amaze the fans with your moves.

Your assists. (that I miss.)

Whenever you do your trademark drives to the basket.

Daredevil stunts.

Heartbreaking jumpshots.

Unbelievable three-point shooting prowess. 

You always make us feel impressed.

Whenever you get hurt in the games,

It always seems like a heartbreak.

You made me cry THREE times already. (As far as I remember.) 

Thought you should know that we, your supporters, cared.

You are one of the reasons why I’m NEVER going to SAY DIE.

Never.

The team’s attitude has made me look through life’s wonderful side

and believe that anything can happen, if we’ll just never give up.

You have your flaws.

You can’t please every people around you.

We may discover a lot of things about you that others might not like. 

But that can’t change anything. 

YOU are YOU.

A Human.

A Superhuman.

Mistakes are inevitable.

And there are some things that must be accepted, in time.

Whenever you flash that sweet smile.

We forget everything.

We get carried away. (If not all, well, I do.)

We may lose a game, but seeing you smile is such a relief.. then we’re okay.

A game’s not complete when you’re not able to make the best out of your teammates

and the best of your craft as well.

It’s about the intensity the you bring and on how you handle the ball situations. 

Having you and Mark on our team is such a blessing from God.

And I know that you two will never let us down. (Just like what he has said on the interviews.)

Because of you, THIRTEEN became so dear to us.

You’re the person that comes first into my mind whenever I hear and see that number on magazines, on things, on shirts.. anywhere. 

You may not get a chance to read this.

(Kaya nga malakas ang loob kong gawin ‘to eh haha.)

But from the bottom of our hearts, 

WE LOVE YOU.

All the best to our MAN! 

YOU ROCK.

And now, Happy Birthday. 

Remember that YOU are ALWAYS LOVED.

***

Note: With a few tweaks from the original Multiply post. Gosh, I'm such a sap. ;-) 

FEW THINGS :

• Jay didn't play. But his energy on the sidelines is sOOOOO contagious. hahaha. That made me really HYPER too, the whole night. :)
• I'm HAPPY. just like the others. I may not be on the venue, but my PRAYERS and HEART are with them. TAMA si Kuya Paul. PUSONG NEVER SAY DIE 'TO EH. PUSO NA LANG TALAGA kaya nakakayanan parin ng team kahit na ang daming injured. AND SO, WE ARE PROUD OF THEM! LOVE 'EM SO MUCH! :) 22,000+ peeps came out to support the team on the venue. It was a record-breaking gate attendance eversince Crispa-Toyota days. WOW. YEAH. haha.
• After the game, I'm relieved. OH MY GOD. My heart's pounding especially on the 4th quarter. Aba eh parang nasa venue eh no? haha. Tensed. But I managed to relax. WHOOHOO! We've won, would you believe that? Jay's out. Mark, Paul, our import Chris are playing hurt. They're not on their 100%. Junthy got injured as the game occur. But, with much effort and love for the fans and for the game itself, and because of the NEVER SAY DIE ATTITUDE THAT WE HAD FROM THE START OF THE CONFERENCE.. THE ATTITUDE THAT'S KEEPIN US GOIN EVERSINCE... THEY DID IT. aw. Touching. I REALLY LOVE IT.
• INTERVIEW TIME!! hahaha. Eric Menk and Ronald Tubid are named as Co-MVPs. They deserve it, really. Um, but i actually thought that Paul could be another co-MVP awardee. He, too, deserve it. Anyway, individual awards don't actually matter. What matter is that WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS. YEAH, BABY. haha. (as what Jay has already mentioned on some of his interviews.) Oh, and speaking of interviews, I actually have recorded his post-game interview with Eric Reyes. haha. Ang kulit n'ya dun. And what about that sweet smack on the cheeks for Pacana?? haha. aw. Pinapakinggan ko yung interview bago ako matulog. Pang-kondisyon ba, haha, pampahyper, ganun. :D
• Lastly, here's the write-up from pba.ph about THE ROYAL CORONATION. THIS RECOGNITION SURELY IS FOR US, FOR OUR MOST LOVED TEAM. AUGUST 20, 2008 is our MARKed DATE. :)

***

BARANGAY GINEBRA BACK ON THE THRONE 

Record crowd of 22,902 witness Kings’ coronation; Menk & Tubid Finals MVP 

Wednesday, 20 August 2008 

Rising above tough challenge and extreme adversities, the Barangay Ginebra Kings are back on the throne, once again reigning supreme in the import-reinforced PBA tourney.

Ginebra completed an epic triumph while handicapped by injuries, waylaying Air21, 97-84, Wednesday night to bag the 2007-08 Smart Fiesta Conference before a delirious record-breaking crowd of 22,902 at the Araneta Coliseum.

The walking wounded of coach Jong Uichico survived an acid test, overcoming a 2-3 deficit in the best-of-seven series to reclaim the crown they won in 2004.

It's Ginebra's eighth championship in all but this one should rank among the best, considering the trials and adversities gone through by coach Jong Uichico and the brave Ginebra gang.

"Every championship means a lot whether it's your first, second, third or what. But this one is really special. It's hard to explain how we won the series with all the injuries and tough challenges we faced," said Uichico, winning a second crown in four conferences with the ball club before a crowd never seen since the glory days of Crispa and Toyota in the league’s early years.

"The players deserve all the credit for not giving up. We could have easily given up when we lost Jayjay (Helterbrand). We could have easily given up when Mark Caguioa got injured. And we could have easily given up when the others also got hurt. But the players didn't," Uichico also said.

With practically everybody already playing with aches and pains, Tubid and Menk seized the moment and led the team to the epic win. The two were rewarded by being named Finals co-MVPs.

"Eric (Menk) has just redeemed himself. Tubid, meanwhile, really showed a big fighting heart as he returned to play in the series straight from injury. Bumalik sya noong kailangang-kailangan namin siya. Bumalik sya ng walang practice," said Uichico.

Menk, defying Father Time, and Tubid, sidelined for six weeks by a dislocated ankle, combined for 43 points and 17 rebounds in the winner-take-all contest.

Chris Alexander, the tournament Best Import, was saddled by early fouls but still played a key role, finishing the contest with 19 rebounds, 16 points, four blocks, one assist and one steal.

"It was a gamble on my part to keep him on the game despite five fouls. What I wanted was for him to make it tougher for Steve Thomas to score. Kung locals, madaling-madali para kay Thomas umiskor," said Uichico.

As it turned out, the Kings held the entire Air21 team scoreless in the last 4:27 of play.

"My players have matured. Still, they were not yet ready to face the impact of what the Ginebra crowd brought to the game," said Air21 coach Bo Perasol.

The injury bug hit Ginebra up to the final game of the series with Junthy Valenzuela hurting his left leg in the third quarter.

Valenzuela wasn't able to return but the Kings didn't waver.

Earlier, the Kings pounced on the Express at the posts with Alexander and Menk combining for 18 points as Ginebra took the half at 49-46.

The Ginebra gang could have established full control right in the opening half if not for an atrocious 12-of-23 free-throw shooting against Air21's 4-of-4 perfect clip.

Though badly beaten in rebounding, the Express kept the game close also with a better three-point shooting. Gary David, Arwind Santos, Nino Canaleta, Ranidel De Ocampo and Marvin Cruz combined for six triples with the Kings accounting for only three.

After the Kings built their biggest lead in the first half at 28-21, De Ocampo and Santos fired a three-pointer each in an 11-4 salvo that tied the count at 32-all midway through the second period.

The two teams engaged in a fiery exchange until Valenzuela beat the buzzer with a floater, giving the Kings a three-point lead at the turn.

Tubid was the lone Ginebra player who did well from the charity lane in the first half, knocking in all of his five charities. He provided Ginebra instant offense coming off the bench, leading the team with 12 points in the first 24 minutes of play.

Santos led all scorers with 13 points in the opening half marred by three technical infractions.

Getting possession after the opening tip, Caguioa quickly brought the ball down court and dished off an assist to Paul Artadi for the first basket of the contest. (NC)

The scores:

Ginebra 97 – Tubid 22, Menk 21, Alexander 16, Caguioa 13, Valenzuela 10, Artadi 8, Crisano 4, Pacana 3, Mamaril 0, Salvacion 0, Reavis 0.

Air21 84 – Thomas 24, Santos 19, David 18, Canaleta 8, Billones 6, De Ocampo 5, Cruz 3, Arboleda 1, Kramer 0, Intal 0, Espinas 0, Sotto 0, Se 0.

Quarterscores: 26-21, 49-46, 72-63, 97-84.

*pril*

***

"The Best You Never Had"

This interview is really nice. :) Credits to Sports Radio, Hooptalk and Ate Ria, thanks for allowing me to jot this down on my blog. Hope you guys, "real" (as how Jay coined it.) Ginebra and Jayjay fans would love this, too. (just as how i have loved it. :D)

Enjoy!

****

About Ginebra's journey to the finals.

Jay: Well, honestly, at the beginning of the conference, I really thought that we wouldn't have a chance. Um, but once we had a new import by the name of Chris Alexander parang.. ano eh.. we got.. um, reincarnated. He brings so much in the table and i think he's the reason, one of the main reasons why we're in the Finals right now.

****

About the improvement on his game.

Jay: Well, being one of the leaders in the team, you know, I have to be the.. I got to really get everybody going. Um, so when Mark got his injury, I really had to do more than of what is that was expected of me. I had to like uh, take more of the scoring load. I had to be like the defensive stopper. Um, as well as run the team, uh, do the assist. So basically I had to change up my whole game. And um, you know, it was just a blessing that I was able to hit most of my side and it's been going on the whole conference and hopefully it'll keep continuing until the end of the Finals.

****

About eventually losing the momentum (because of the long rest before the finals).

Jay: No, I'm not worried about that at all. We know that we're do for a loss but once again, the team's character is um, once you get knock down, well we'll gonna get back up, regardless how many wins we have, how many losses we have, we'll always gonna come back and this is the finals, ain't no time for excuses. We will just go out there, play our game and not worry about any of the records, the MVP, the Best Player of the Conference and all that. Our goal is to win the championship.

*****

On describing their opponent, Air21.

Jay: Air21 is a very talented team. Obviously, they wouldn't be here (if they aren't.) Um, they have a good import. They have their wing guards,one of the best in the league. They're all very athletic. They're all tall. They can all shoot. And they all really play hard. So, we'll gonna get out to match everything they do and more and hopefully, the best team come out on top.

*****

Advantages of Ginebra.. (aside from the championship experience, the crowd.)

Jay: The only thing I can think of is hunger. 

*****

(Hungrier even though it's Air21's first appearance on the finals?)

Jay: They don't matter, they give you their first appearance, their other appearance.. We want the championship. We want it bad. And for me, you only get to the finals so many times in your career, so for me, it's like the first time everytime so I'm not gonna let this opportunity slip away.

*****

About winning the MVP Award.

Jay: Whoever gets it, gets it. If I don't get it, you know, the other person can be called the MVP as long as at the end of the conference, you call me and my team as the champions and I'm good with that. :D

*****

Ever talked to Mark regarding the BPC Award?

Jay: Honestly, we don't even mention it. Like I said, that's not our focus. If you get it, then it's a great honor, but if you don't... like i said our main focus is getting this championship ring.

*****

Message to the fans.

Jay: To all the fans, the real fans. The fans who stuck with this through the 0-5, the 1 and 7 start, until now, we just like to say, Thank you very much and um, see you guys at the games and it's gonna be a very, very, very entertaining series so come on and support us. Thank you.

-end-

** 

aw, LOOOVE IT! GO GINEBRA! :) 

No matter what.. (may ganon? haha.)

what d'ya guys think? :)

*pril*