Reviewing 2013 and Briefly Catching Up

I haven't blogged in quite a while. My last published blog was in June 2012. Way too much has happened since then, but I thought I'd do at least one blog just before the year 2013 is up. At least it wasn't as bad as the 20-month hiatus I had last time I stopped blogging.

I won't go through all, not even most that happened for me since then, nor can I offer my commentary on the things that has happened on this world since then. That would be impossible. In fact, if I'm lucky, I'll probably just briefly discuss only 1% of what I want to discuss...

Ever since I last wrote, I've taken up a new venture. Along with my laundry business, as well as my motivational business (although limited), I've taken a position as an Operations Manager for a medical import/export business for my father's business in JAGAS International. So, as you can imagine, I've had a lot in my plate. Currently, I'm still working there. I've had some valuable experience, but I would be lying to you if I didn't say that it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. In fact, there has been more valleys and rough and rocky roads. Let's just say, that being "invested" in a business (in more ways than one), with very little help, mentorship, and commitment from the CEO, without a chance for passion to develop, really takes a toll on you. Still, I think it could've made me a better person (although the jury is still out on that).

I had the Shingles, while only in my 30s. And it sucks. The commercials don't exaggerate. No further discussion.

The DC Sports scene (which I've said before is a significant passion of mine), has been interesting. All teams (other than the Washington Wizards, although with that team, we might start seeing their peaks now), has been experiencing it's peaks and valleys. The Capitals started out the lockout season in a slow manner, but went on to win their division. The Washington Nationals, had the best record in baseball in 2012, but underachieved in 2013, mostly because of pressure of high expectations. And then, there's my beloved Redskins...

(Before I give my thought on the Redskins, I will not give any commentary (as of yet), regarding the team name controversy, and whether or not it's racist. I will address this in probably a future blog post. I digress...)

The Redskins have definitely experienced their peaks and valleys as well. Last year, we drafted a magnificent rookie QB in Robert Griffin III, whom the organization and most of the fanbase believe is the franchise's long term solution in QB. They mortgaged the future and gave up several draft picks for an opportunity to pick up Robert. It paid dividends immediately, as my team won the division for the first time in 12 years. RG3 wins rookie of the year, and sets several franchise records as a rookie, and has the whole Redskins fanbase celebrating.

Then came the playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. That's when everything started going downhill. The Redskins were up 14-0 early in the 2nd quarter, RG3 took a hit on the sidelines, and hasn't been the same. Later in the game, he tore his ACL and the Redskins ended up losing the game, and their season. Since then, a lot of speculated controversy took place between the coach and the QB, and that drama carried on to the season and led to a 3-13 disappointing season, and Coach Mike Shanahan and most of his staff being fired in the end of a season. Now they are in search of a new coach, with so much uncertainty in the season. Needless to say, the organization is a mess, and this fan base is restless. I for one, have and always been loyal to the Redskins, and that won't change. I have a healthy love/hate relationship with this team, as like most fans of this organization.

Obamacare: have you signed up for health insurance yet? The deadline is creeping. I like to keep my hopes up regarding the healthcare law, as I'm actually for people getting healthcare especially when they need it, but it has truly been a mess. Right now, the President is looking like a jerk, and his supporters are looking like extreme apologists.

However, Congress and politics as a whole has been a mess. Too much in-fighting going on, that it has practically divided the country. So many hot button issues, Trayvon Martin, Planned Parenthood, Gay Marriage, Trayvon Martin, etc, etc, has divided the country. And frankly, it kinda sickens me. Ever wonder why I dislike politics?

As far as everything else is concerned, regarding next generation entertainment gaming consoles, I recommend the PS4 over the XBox One, and the Wii U. I have a Wii U (as it was bought mainly for my nephew), and I haven't really tried out the other 2 systems yet, but based on graphics, playability, and bang for your buck, PS4 is the recommended system.

I've also gotten into a few TV shows. I honestly haven't really followed Modern Family and Big Bang Theory until it got into syndication, but since I've discovered them, I've been borderline obsessed. I've also gotten into watching "The Game of Thrones", which has a great story arc and a lot of plot twists (which aren't a surprise to those who read the books, or those who claim to read the books but just read the Wiki spoilers). Needless to say, GoT is one of the best shows I've seen in a while. I haven't gotten into "Breaking Bad" as of yet, but I promise I will, as it is highly acclaimed everywhere.

I've also gotten into the Gangnam Style craze, along with the billions of people around the world... for the 30 seconds it has lasted. Those crazy South Koreans. Never gotten into that Harlem Shake craze though.

But regarding 2013, it's been a mixed bag for me. There were days when I felt really low and lost a lot and have been utterly disappointed that I haven't been able to accomplish some personal goals, but there were also other days when I felt so blessed and lucky to be where I am today and have gone farther than I am a few years ago.

As far as plans for 2014... I know for sure that it has some potential to be a good year. I say that every year, but I mean it this year, as I feel I have planted a lot of seeds in 2013 to make 2014 an even better year. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that I think 2014 can potentially be a milestone year for me. After all, I'm turning 33 in 2014, which I think is a significant age for me.

I've written a lot more than I honestly planned to write. But, if you are reading this, thank you for reading, and where ever you are, have a safe and happy New Year. And also, I want to remind you that "You Are Awesome"! ;)

#OBE

Something you wouldn't expect a lifelong basketball fan to say...

I have been a basketball fan for a LONG time. I remembered as far back as my days in Valley View Elementary school, that I enjoyed playing in the hardtop courts with my friends Brendan, Troy, and Barry (just to name a few). I've understood the basics of the game, and the rules aren't overly hard to understand nor are they very complicated. Too bad though, that as soon as I got into middle school, I sucked because I was short, nor was I too good of an athlete. I was in 3rd grade when Michael Jordan (my favorite player of all time), won his first NBA championship. I even wrote a biographical report about Michael Jordan in 5th grade. That's how much I loved basketball.

With that being said, I'm about to say something that you wouldn't from someone who has followed basketball for so long. As far as the NBA playoffs are concerned, the NHL hockey playoffs totally OWNS it!

In my opinion, here are the reasons why... I don't think you really have to understand the game of hockey fully, to truly appreciate it. It is so fast paced, that if you over think every strategy, you may get lost. Honestly, I haven't gotten into hockey until probably the late 90's. When the Caps made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 1998, and there was some championship buzz in this area, that's when I really paid attention to it. There's a lot of action, with tons of hits, and physicality. Action never seems to stop in the NHL playoffs, and it's always going 110 mph.

The best part about the hockey playoffs is overtime. Overtime playoff hockey, is the best playoffs there is. It's not even close. You live and die (sometimes literally) with the hockey playoffs. I can't recall how many times my blood pressure seemed to have gone up with every "almost goals" I've experienced in the hockey playoffs.

The reason why I say all this, is that they hockey playoffs (in all likelihood) will end tonight. The Los Angeles Kings are currently playing the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals as I am typing this, and it's likely the Kings will end this series tonight with a sweep (they have been dominant). But the NHL playoffs have been exciting these past couple of months, with so much hockey overtime (including the first 2 games of this series). If you've never seen a minute of the hockey playoffs this year, you've done yourself a huge disservice. So your last chance is to catch it tonight.

Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE the NBA playoffs. If the OKC Thunder end up closing out the series tonight against the San Antonio Spurs, I will be ecstatic (as Kevin Durant is one of my favorite current players in the NBA, as he's a local guy). And, the Celtics vs Heat ECF series has been surprising and unexpected (with the Celtics being up 3-2). But even after all that, as a whole, the NHL Playoffs OWNED the NBA Playoffs this year.

The only playoff in sports, in my opinion, is better than the NHL Playoffs, is March Madness. I'll even put it slightly ahead of the NFL Playoffs. The so-called college football BCS is the absolute worst. However, since I do understand basketball more, I could still appreciate the NBA playoffs a lot. If both the Caps and the Wizards are in the playoffs and they are on the same night, it's going to be tough as to decide where my attention will go.

But whatever playoffs you'll be watching, try to enjoy it. But, still, try to catch the Stanley Cup Final game tonight. Like I said, it may be the last game of the season.

D4P...PD!!!

#OBE

When Your Mad... Change the Channel

Here in the DC area, I notice that on a Monday after a Redskins loss, depending on how bad the loss is, people are very somber around this area. Today was no exception...

It just seemed, today, people were missing something. People lacked the energy, and some people just felt down all throughout the day. Even while checking my Facebook and Twitter earlier today, people were posting status updates of discouragement. People were overly defensive with some trash talk, people were angry, and one of my friends even posted that she doesn't like football season, because it makes people grumpy. It just goes to show how much influence the Redskins have on people in this area, and how much influence the NFL product has in general. People are so emotionally invested in their teams, that it pretty much determines the whole attitude for the week. And considering that many would consider the Redskins loss yesterday is almost as bad as the Detroit loss last year, people were really down today.

As I said, it is a bit senseless to be angry about things that you can't control. However, we're only human, and at times, it's just a bit hard, especially if what we love keeps disappointing us. 

So with that, my advice is to try to get your mind out of it by momentarily focusing on the other stuff that may give you joy or pleasure. If you can also productively expel your negative energy as well, then even better. This doesn't apply to just sports fandom, but also in life in general.

For example, if I'm angry, I write (either here on my blog, or in a journal), I exercise by doing pushups, etc. If I'm mad about the Redskins, I either write here on my blog, or I try to find something else on TV. To rephrase the latter, CHANGE THE CHANNEL.

It's not really rocket science. When you find a bad and un-entertaining TV program, it wouldn't make too much sense to keep watching, would it? No it wouldn't. Same thing goes for your emotions. If whatever is around you is making you feel terrible, you should either change the channel and find something else, or just turn the TV off and walk away. It's that simple.

And as an avid DC sports fan (and not just of the Redskins), one way I am metaphorically "changing the channel" by hyping myself up for the upcoming NBA and NHL seasons. The Wizards kick off their training camp tonight with their own version of "Midnight Madness", and the Capitals have their annual convention this weekend that I plan on attending. So, if the Redskins are bad, as a sports fan, I'm glad I have other DC sports teams to fall back on and root for.

But, don't confuse "changing the channel" for abandoning your loyalties. You can still be interested in whatever you are interested in, but if it's making you feel terrible at the moment, you have to momentarily get away from it and find something else and not be immersed to it. Comeback to it later when it's the right time. More often than not, programming usually gets better, eventually.

So if you're disappointed at something, one thing to deal with it is to change the channel. There are a lot of options out there, and you just have to be open enough to find them. And like I said, the programming should eventually get better.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

Stephen Strasburg, Witnessing Present and Future Greatness…

A couple of days ago, I was lucky enough to attend Stephen Strasburg's debut game for the Washington Nationals. I always make a point to try to be in big events that I'm interested in, as well as to try to see greatness, either when it happens, or when it has a great chance of happening (before his unfortunate "transgressions" went public, I didn't pass up a chance to see Tiger Woods play golf last year). Therefore, when it was official Stephen Strasburg was to debut yesterday, a kid who has been called by many as this generation's "Nolan Ryan", I had to try to go see this.

And let me tell ya… I wasn't disappointed. From that first start, Strasburg not only lived up to his hype that he created from his success, but he zoomed way passed it! The kid pitched an unbelievable 7 innings, only allowing 2 runs, 4 hits, and zero walks, and most importantly 14 strikeouts. He had unbelievable pitches, clocking a 100+ fastball, and a change-up that's faster than most fastballs. The best thing was, when he faced adversity and gave up the lead by giving up a 2 run homerun, he stepped his game up and struck out 8 of his last 10 (or something like that).

Strasburg threw so many strikeouts, that the group I was sitting near recruited me as part of their "K" group because they only had 8 in their party.

The whole ballpark was going nuts for this kid, and I don't think I've seen anything like this and been so excited just from watching a baseball game (which I usually think one of the more "boring" sports). Heck, a lot of people who have seen a lot of baseball games and sporting events were impressed (Google Bob Costas and try to find out what he thought of this). The energy of the building was just incredible, and as each strikeout and out he recorded, the louder the crowd has gotten. I realized that I was part of something special being in attendance at that game, so much so, that I felt the price that I paid for my ticket to see the game didn't do the game justice, which led me to be willingly ripped of and purchase an overpriced T-shirt to commemorate the event.

this shirt retails for $22 at MLBshop.com, but I paid $34 for it... but I didn't mind because the price I paid for the ticket to this game was not nearly as much as the value I got out of it

I always make it a point to try to enjoy the things you like to do, because it's important to enjoy life the way you see fit, which is the reason why I posted this blog. On top of that, I also think it's important to try to see greatness whenever you can, in whatever field or interest you follow. And the reason why, is because if you see great things happen, it can only motivate you in whatever you may be doing in your life, because you have been reminded that greatness is possible because you have seen it with your own eyes.

But with this eventful debut, Washington Nationals fans (and DC area sports fans in general) have a lot to be excited for in the future. They drafted another possible cornerstone with the #1 pick a day earlier in Bryce Harper, and their young core is starting to shape up. Who knows, maybe Teddy Roosevelt will also win a President's Race. But add that to a lot of the upcoming excitement that is projected to happen to this area's sports teams during the next few years (with the Wizards drafting John Wall with the #1 overall pick in a few weeks, the Redskins kicking off the Shanahan era, and the Capitals continuing to be competitive), DC sports fans in the area, like myself should be excited.

Like I said, if there's something you can take something out of this blog, it is important to never pass up an opportunity to see and be around something that is (or could be) the great. Because once you witness this greatness… it will motivate you to believe and remind you that many things are possible.

D4P... PD!!!
John