OFFICE POOL

So this year I have decided to join an office pool that runs amongst some of the business houses here in New Kingston.

The pool is essentially an weekly bet (no cash involved) on which teams teams will win.
So far I have been staying in the middle of the pack, but what I have found out is that this work.

Before this year I only watched and cared about the teams I liked. If I didn't like a team I could cheer against them. Now, however, that has to change... lately I find myself supporting teams that I despise simply because I had (logically) bet on them to win.. Outside of this, it new becomes imperative that I do research before each week. I have to know injury reports, team stats and rankings down to the last detail. Now, this is from a guy who a year ago didn't even know the names of all the teams.

In spite of this I can say it is fun (clearly I am not doing too bad). I am only 4 games behind the pool leader and I think as the season goes on I'll have a good chance to take him on.
So wish me luck.

Leadership: The Team

When put in a position of leadership I find I normally divide the team I have to work with into categories of weapons systems.
There are 5 categories of Team members one can have, these are:

The Dud

This type of team member, as the name suggests, serves no purpose other than to make up numbers. The can't reach a target without guidance and when the get there they will fail to accomplish their mission. Fortunately for me I have never had to work with any :D

The Gravity Bomb

This team member can get the Job done but needs to be micro managed. They are incapable of completing  the mission without you holding their hand. As bad as that is, they are still WAAAAAAAY better than a dud.

Lazer Guided Missile

This team member can accomplish the task at hand but you need to ensure that the instructions given are clear and understood. You may also have to periodically check on this individual to ensure they are on track. They are much easier to work with than the Dud or the Gravity bomb, but you still need to take time to explain and periodically supervise.

GPS Guided Missile

This is the best kind of teammate to have. All you have to do is tell them what you need done and they do it. No hand holding, no supervision, just results.

The Weapon System

This is the ultimate team member. This individual needs no instructions or supervision. They are capable of accomplishing most, if not all, of the needed tasks (including yours) and are willing to work in whatever capacity you need.

This Years NBA season was Awesome but the 2 themes that will stay with me for the rest of my life is:

Make it count

Earned Not Given

Validated

I told You So.

Buying Jamaican

There is something to be said for the swell of pride one feels when cooking with provisions grown right here in Jamaica as opposed to the imported equivalent.

#LowDiKing

Average Points Per Game:
Career 27.6
This season 27.1
Playoffs 30.8

Assists Per game:
Career: 6.9
The Season: 6.2
Playoffs: 5.1

Rebounds Per game:
Career: 7.2
This Season: 7.9
Playoffs: 9.6

What more do you want!?

Let me make this clear; I am fan of Lebron James.
His sheer skill, genius, athleticism, prowess, unstoppable-ness... etc. etc. etc is an unbridled joy to watch. And yet with all this, his easy going nature and unselfish style of play has made him a unique type of basketball star.
In my mind, never before have we seen his like since the days of Magic Johnson.

Yes I said it! I compared Lebron James to Magic Johnson.

But it is simple, not since Magic has any player been able to play from anywhere on the court in any position offensively and defensively. Lebron is the quintessential basketball player.

And Yet! and yet, he is not given a break... ever. Now don't get me wrong the Hype around him from day one has been HUGE, but barring the elusive ring, if we are truly honest with ourselves he has lived up to the hype.

Immediately I know the Lebron Haters club are gonna point out his 4th quarter performances in the championship series he has played in.
I can't deny it, those were sub par. BUT i will say;

1) he is still one of the greatest players to ever grace a basketball court
2) just shut up and watch, you'll see

.

Soca Season 2012 (a review) pt2

The Music

TUN UP DREAD!

I know its been a while but I did promise in my previous post that I would be talking about the 2012 Soca  Music.

So without much ado or fanfare here I my awards:

The Song that I can't get tired of no matter how many times I hear it Award Goes to:

 BUCKET! Like I mentioned in my post, for some reason the song just MAAAAAAAAAAAD, there isn't much more I can say.

Soca Anthem of the year:

 Bacchanalist/Vybes Cyaa Done. These two Songs were on the same rhythm, and while neither won groovy monarch, there is no question that they truly expressed the vibe and sentiment of everyone who enjoyed this season.

Riddim of the Year:

Antilles Riddim. For those of you who somehow don't know, that is the rhythm that Bacchanalist and Vibse Cyaa done are on. For those songs alone, it deserved the title,. but the truth is every song I heard on it was sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

Run Song Of the Year:

Bottle Of Rum. This song has the line "Sober Overratted"... nuff said.

Trouble Song Of the year:

Precision wine. Everyone who has heard this song knows why it had to get this award. For those of you who have not heard it. Its the FIRST line in the first verse. Just 3 little words that unleash a world of ... fun.

Now I am over running the time i had given Myself to do this post So I have to cut it here. I will say again however that for me this is one of the best years for music since 2007 and that is saying ALLOT. Below are SOME of the other BIG TUNES this year.

I am Soca - Patrice Roberts & Kerwin Du Bois
Bless You - Bunji Garlin
Irregular - Bunji Garlin
Rave Out - Skinny Fabulous
On The avenue - Machel Montano
Gyal Wuk - Machel Montano
Pump Yuh Flag - Machel Montano
The People's Champion - Benji
Dusk Till Dawn - Shurwayne Winchester
Wine On It - Shurwayne Winchester
Pretty Gyal - Kes The Band
In Charge - Machel Montano
Mr Fete - Machel Montano

Ok Ok! I have to stop here but I could go on and on. 2012 was a good year and I ready for 2013.

Soca Season 2012 (a review)

IT DID MAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


As you all know, I felt that 2010 was the WORST soca season I have ever had to endure. 2011 was already better just because it wasn't 2010, but  it went quite a few steps further with the great help of Machel and Kes.

Then came 2012... :D

The Fetes:

As I had mentioned in a previous blogs I had given up bacchanal Fridays for lent. As a result i have no idea what they were like.For the fetes that i did go to... well... let me first say that Andrew Bellamy has the Soca Midas Touch.. ANY and i mean A-N-Y, Soca event Andrew Bellamy is putting on, I will Be there!... done talk.

Soca Village
I went to 3 soca village parties and ALL of them were a blast. Not the best fetes ever but a good vibe non the less. The first one I went to was by far and away the best one of the 3. Opening night did HAAAAAAAARD!
The worst night  had to be the week of Trini carnival. JPS decided to loose power for almost an hour. this of course was a MASSIVE buzz kill. When power did return the DJ's did a good job of bring the vibe back but the damage was already done.

Beach Jouvert
Sigh... within 10 minutes of walking into the venue I changed my BB status to "I am Home". After having 3 cups of liquor, I realized I needed none. I drank water for the majority of my time there and I cannot tell you if there was a difference. This was technically my second Beach Jouvert but really it was the first that I had been to as a patron (the first time was to play pan).
How can I describe the music, the atmosphere, the vibe, the feeling.... you just cant. At one point during Machel's performance, he sang "Higher than High" and I had to just stop. I truly and deeply love soca music and standing in a crowd watching the greatest soca artist of all time perform one of my favorite songs of all times.... Ya, I love Soca. Tovi (one of my soca junkie friends) came over and hugged me, she understood.. no words needed to be said.

I Love Soca
This, my friends, is THE soca party to go to. I have never been to an I Love Soca event and been disappointed. They are a BLAST and this one was no exception. The pinnacle of this party, however, was the end. The DJ decided to take us waaaay back to the days of Kitchener and Sparrow and the other calypso greats. Sigh.... Again words cannot describe the joy of chippin all over the venue singing songs like Pan In A-minor, Dust, Feeling To Party etc etc...

And so my soca season ended at only 5 parties, but what it lacked in quantity was exceedingly surpassed in quality.

I have to head to class now so this review is to be continued with my thoughts on the Music this Year... till then; ♫when you feel like the soca done, there is more soca to come...♫

Apple Vs Android

From the pic above you can prob guess where my loyalties lie.
ANDROID TO THE FLIPPIN WORLD!

My reason for going android can be summed up in one word: Choice.

I know that apple products are excellent, user friendly and probably the second best thing since the invention of the spork. Yet for all their ability to know what i need, want and cant live without, their vision of my perfect life is a cage. Mind you, it is a the most luxurious of cages. It can, and does, cater to your every whim (just ask Siri). But for it to serve you well, one must adhere to apple's vision of how the world should work, and any deviation from this is not supported.

Android on the other hand is everybody's friend . There is an android for every pocket and lifestyle. I define how my smart phone will control my life. I decide the demensions and makeup of the cage that i will inhabit. It is I who will choose and not Steve Jobs.

And so i say, VIVA LA ANDROID!
selah.

 

BUCKET!!!!!

I don't know why, but this song is the one song from this year I find myself playing the most.
It just MAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are other songs that mean more to me and that I would give awards to (soca awards coming in a later post) , but this song... dis one right here? ya, it just haffi play pon repeat dred!

It's so bad that I want walk with a bucket to every fete I go to.

BUCKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Void Trilogy

This weekend I finished reading the Void trilogy by Peter Hamilton. I can say unequivocally that this was one of the BEST SciFi series I have ever read... without a doubt.

The story had elements of everything; drama, action, suspense, fantasy, stupidity, heroics, big life questions, life's little questions... etc etc etc. It's like he took all the elements of a great story in its Raw form and masterfully wove them together into tapestry that was enthralling from beginning to end.

My only challenge was keep track of the multiple story lines... ALLOT was going on at every stage and was a bit tricky at times remember who was who and doing what. Never the less, Peter Hamilton has created a masterpiece to last the ages.

Take Care

I am a bit surprised with myself. From the first day Drake came on the scene I kinda liked his music but was immediately turned off by the way he sounded like Lil Wayne.

In spite of this I have found myself playing his last album, Take care, on repeat for 3 weeks now. I have yet to get tired of it. Now for those of you who still bother to listen to entire albums, you know how hard it is to find an album that has more than 3 songs that are worth listening to... and yet, against all odds, Drake has pulled it off. In fact, of the 20 tracks on the album, I only dislike 3 songs... Impressive!

I was wondering if my standards for music have fallen, but the truth is his productions are tight, his lyrics, though a bit more self centered than I'd like, are on point and more disturbingly, some of the songs resonate with me. For some reason they stir a general feeling of FTWDAMFS, and seems to be my music of choice when i am not in the best of moods.

If you dont know: FTWSAMFS = F* the world, Don't ask me for S*

Well done Drake.

Bother Zone

It is well known amongst men that one of the most dangerous zones to get into with a woman is the dreaded "friend zone". This territory is truly an earthly manifestation of the celestial reservation know as the purgatory.
Real no man's land... a place where there is seemingly no escape.

Now, if you (quite rightly) view this as a prison, then you know that there are times when some inmates escape. Because of this, there can be some hope, not much, but just about the size of a higgs boson particle.

There is another place, however, that serves as the alcatraz of zones. It is the Brother Zone.

Know this all ye men, if a female acquaintance looks upon thee and sayeth unto thee; "thou art like a brother to me" know that thou shalt never ever ever see the promise land.

ever ever?

Ever Ever!

This zone will break a man, leaving him but a mere shadow of himself.
Beware this zone all ye men for it is truly a hellish place.

Selah.

It's geting hot in here

Ok, so from the first day the deal was mentioned I knew the Miami heats would be a tuff team to beat. And although their performance last year was not what i would call "awe inspiring", I knew that they would only get better.
However, i was just watching the highlights of the all star game when i heard the words; "Dwayne Wade to Lebron James". I'm late, I know. but WOW!

The lethality of this combination can only be rivaled by what happened when the three headed Celtic monster was born (Pierce, Garnett and Allen). I mean...How can David Stern sit by and watch such balefully pernicious creations be made?

Finally, the destructive and sheer bloodthirsty nature of what the heats have done have sunk in. I mean, I know that there are other three headed monsters out there, but they are mostly old. This is the most athletic killing machine... er i mean team, out there right now. It is truly a scary sight to behold.

I know the celtics will try, but they ain't young no mo. The bulls have the greatest potential and we will see what will happen... next year. The knicks... sigh, they are linsational, but the heats just took them to basic school.

No my friends, I think it already written on the wall, the heats are going to the finals. The only question is, who from the west will be there to greet them.

Gym Woes

Since October of last year I have been going to the Gym relatively regularly, and since January 16 of this year I have been doing a workout schedule that has been giving me some results.... the only problem is it does not show.

The scary thing is that this bothers me. I am running way faster and further not to mention pushing more weights than ever before... but with my increased strength comes increased vanity.
I mean, really?

I am the guy who could not care less what he wore anywhere. Now don't get me wrong i have not turned "dapper" over night, but i now actually think about what to wear :S... what the...!?

That aside, it is amazing how annoyed i am at my lack of muscular definition.When did Mark Hylton start caring about stuff like that :S. Its gotten the point where i realize that i need to change my workout regime again and i am going to add more cardio workouts for at least the next 2 months.

Please understand this... I HATE CARDIO WORKOUTS, and I am doing this just so that i will LOOK the way i want to!?

WT#!!!!!!!!

PS. wish me luck ;)

Atrophy

 
I am currently suffering from blogger's atrophy.
There a number of small ideas that are flitting about in my head, but I can't seem to be able to pin any down to get a proper post out of and I blame Micro blogging.

Although I have a twitter account (@jussoncypher) i really don't use it much. My real guilty micro blogging pleasure was BUZZ.
The thing is, when i go to work the first thing I log into is my gmail account, and Google, the geniuses they are/were, put Buzz right there... I mean Right in front of me!... what did they think was gonna happen!?

It was easy to access cocaine, just a click away and a post is off. Forget thinking through and organizing your thoughts, as it pops into your head, pop it on a page. As a result, my desire and ability to write a full post withered and almost died.
But then! the unthinkable happened. Google killed Buzz (*tear*). I mean i have nothing against Google plus, but i treat it like i treat facebook... i only go on it once in a very blue moon.

As a result my easy to use outlet for my intellectual fecal matter was lost and here i am... back to where i started trying to relearn how to use muscles that i had left languishing.

Sigh.

Song Of the Month

Back in the day of BUZZ i used to occasionally select a song of the month. This months song looks like its gonna be "Titanium" by David Guetta ft. Sia

Intellectual Swagger

Last week i had the opportunity to watch TVJ's school challenge quiz.
This is one of the longest running television programs in Jamaica that pits high schools against each other in test of quick thinking and knowledge.

The match was Spanish Town High vs Manchester High. To be honest Spanish town was not bad, and against a newer non traditional  high school they might have done very well. But Manchester was packin.
Up until the middle of the second segment Spanish town was holding its own but in the final minutes Manchester asserted there dominance. By the time we got to the final round Spanish town crumpled under the weight of their own self doubt.

The truth is they were good enough to put up a good fight, but you saw when they lost faith. They knew the answers but they let the intellectual swagger of the Manchester team intimidate them. In some ways it was sad to watch, had they just kept believing they might have pulled an upset but the almost militant focus exhibited by the Manchester team as they systematically attacked each question was too much for them.

It is this display of mental fortitude and focus I call intellectual swagger.

Sigh...
It has taken me this long to get over yet another defeat. I don't even have anything to say.
Just; We''ll be back. 

Super Bowl XLVI

  This year's super bowl is going to be between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. I am going to be cheering for the Patriots, not because I think they are the better team, (which i do) and not because I am a fan of the Patriots (which I am). No, none of these things hold much water to me. The real issue here is a desire, a need, for cold, malicious and malevolent vengeance.

All this started in 2008 when the egregiously flaccid Giants, who shouldn't even have made it to the playoffs, dashed the patriot's chance to have the perfect season. Oh how it rankled me to the very core to see this half baked excuse for an NFL finalist end the hope and dreams of a team I considered the be epitome of NFL perfection.

ggrrrrrrrrrr!

It still hurts to this day, 4 years later.

It is with this in mine that I do not just want the Patriots to win. Noooo!
I want the land to be purged of any trace of self worth or respect that the Giants may have. I want at the end of this game for the International Court of justice to send out a warrant for the arrest of the entire Patriots team. I want for every human right to which the Giants are entitled to be systematically and irrevocably violated... with extreme prejudice. I want to see men sobbing at the loss of their manhood and dignity.

I want Superbowl XLVI on Sunday February 5, 2012 to go down in INFAMY!

selah

signed: still bitter