Okay. So I'm wrong more often than right. Yeah I thought the Cowboys were going to win the Super Bowl and DeMarcus Ware was going to be the Super Bowl MVP. In my defense, I did no research. I was still on World Series hangover. (Come to think of it, I still am and it's AWESOME!)
But occasionally, I do know what I'm talking about. As seen in this facebook post on my friend's wall : Ryan Matsuura Lie. Giants will win the World Series in the next five years.
May 6, 2010 at 8:49pm · UnlikeLike · 1 person
(If you want the context, he was talking about a Yankee monopoly on baseball. Ridiculous.)
Was that going out on a limb? Meh. Fine. How about these predictions? I'll start with a Bay Area angle.
Right now Stephen Curry's a top 10 point guard. By the end of next year, he'll be in the same tier as Steve Nash. Wherever that is. Probably knocking on the door of top 5 status.
The Warriors will make the playoffs next year. Then for two more consecutive years after that.
Sharks will reach the Western Conference Finals again. If they play Vancouver, they'll lose. If they don't, they'll advance to the Stanley Cup Finals...and lose. They won't win a Cup with the current nucleus they have.
Pablo Sandoval's weight won't be the problem. He'll end up being the next Jeff Francouer. Average around .270, OB% around .320, 15 hrs, 70 RBIs for about the next 4-5 years. That's aite, but it's not .330 25 hr 90 RBIs.
Tim Lincecum won't win another Cy Young (although I'll be rooting for him). Matt Cain will and Buster Posey will win an MVP in the next 3 years. (Side note: I can't
and won't predict what, who, where, or anything about Brian Wilson. Self-explanatory.)
I have a funny feeling the Niners will re-sign Alex Smith because of the lockout and he'll lead them to the playoffs. 9-7 will win the division.
Now onto the rest of the nation:
The Bulls will come out of the East. Yes, I'm aware Boston, Miami, Orlando, and New York play in that conference. Can't help my Derrick Rose man crush.
Team South Beach will win 2 rings with their core of LBJ, Wade, and Bosh. No more. No less.
Rajon Rondo will magically learn how to shoot. Similar to Jason Kidd. He'll become a 70% FT shooter for the rest of his career. Borderline HOF'er. (And I'll still hate him.)
Shaq will eventually retire and join the Inside the NBA crew (with EJ, Kenny, and Charles). It'll be can't miss TV for the next decade.
Indiana will draft Kyle Singler with their 1st round pick in the 2011 NBA draft. It's just too perfect of a match.
Boston College will....NOT win the college hockey national championship this year. It's bold considering they probably will.
No predictions on the Stanley Cup playoffs. It's the biggest crapshoot of a tournament in all of sports. March Madness included.
2 Big 10 teams will make it to the Final Four. No Big East teams.
If the Oakland A's play the Red Sox in the playoffs, the A's will win. Did the Year of the Pitcher teach you anything?
The Colorado Rockies will win the NL West. People forget how much of a struggle it was for the Giants just to squeak past the Padres. Don't worry. Giants will be the Wild Card.
Yankees will miss the playoffs. Freddy Garcia's their 4th starter? Kidding me?
Phillies-A's World Series. Yeah. Heard it here first.
Pujols will sign with the Cubs in the offseason.
That's all for now. Enjoy Kris Letang and Tyler Kennedy being weather guys.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
My attempt to gain more readership than Bill Simmons...plus why I could never coach
Poor Boom Dizzle. I'll get to him later. And a knucklehead play too.
Gotta say I love the NBA rumor mill just as much as the play on the court. So today was AWESOME. From what I've read, the Warriors tried to do a few things. They looked into the availability of Kendrick Perkins. He was dealt to OKC. They nearly pulled the trigger on a deal for Antawn Jamison. Reportedly, they ran out of time. So they did nothing (except for acquiring a 2nd round pick...they'll buy out Troy Murphy). I didn't expect them to do anything. And that was really their best option. Why? The uncertainty with the new CBA.
No one knows what the rules will be next year. Will there be a franchise tag? Will there be a hard cap? Hell, will there be a season? Without boring you, the bottom line is there's too much uncertainty. Are the reports true that Deron Williams wants to be in New York when his contract is up? Could acquiring a Gerald Wallace prevent the Warriors from re-signing Stephen Curry to an extension? All things to consider.
With that being said, GM Larry Riley tried to make a move, but he had one hand tied behind his back because of that dumb dumb dumb dumb Marcus Williams trade. Ergo, no movement. It's understandable when broken down.
A lot of people were appalled at the Perkins deal. Count me in, but I don't think Danny Ainge is on crack. Look at the market value for a Perkins-type player. Noah signed his extension last summer that will pay him $14 million in 2015. Andris Biedrins is making $9 million a year. Look at what Darko and Amir Johnson are making (about $5 million). With $56 million committed to the big 4, ain't no way in hell Boston could pay Perkins $8-9 million per year. The timing absolutely can be second-guessed. The move itself? No way. (Celtics traded Harangody? Who's gonna be the new token white guy? Your thoughts?)
And Baron Davis, the boss, Boom Dizzle. Poor guy. He's a Cav now. Just 5 days ago he was throwing lobs to Blake Griffin out of the sunroof of a Kia. Dayyyymn. Dude's gonna stop caring and he'll be filming movies in the great city of Cleveland. Eh.
Side note, this video's hilarious. If it's not, then at the very least it's ridiculous. Yeah, we in the Bay have too much time on our hands.
Yeah, I'm pretty excited to fill out brackets. Anyways, why I won't coach. I'll set the stage. CCS playoff game Los Gatos at Mountain View. LG up by 3 with 10 seconds to go. Mountain View's panicking throwing up wild shots. On a rebound, LG commits a foul. Not a problem, LG has 3 fouls to give and the foul was on the rebound. Problem: the LG player then throws the MV kid to the ground for no reason. LG kid gets a tech and consequently gets thrown out of the game. LG loses the game in OT after MV scores on a baseline out of bounds play (with LG playing man-to-man) to send it to OT. How a senior goes full on knucklehead mode in a basketball career elimination game is beyond me. Also, why was LG playing man D? If I coached that kid, I would have lost it...at him. 5 months of blood, sweat, and tears...for that? You've got to be kidding me.
I'll send you off with videos of athletes after each post. Here's a goody courtesy of Monta Ellis. Maybe it's at the expense of him...whatever. UHHHHHHHHHHH, enjoy.
Gotta say I love the NBA rumor mill just as much as the play on the court. So today was AWESOME. From what I've read, the Warriors tried to do a few things. They looked into the availability of Kendrick Perkins. He was dealt to OKC. They nearly pulled the trigger on a deal for Antawn Jamison. Reportedly, they ran out of time. So they did nothing (except for acquiring a 2nd round pick...they'll buy out Troy Murphy). I didn't expect them to do anything. And that was really their best option. Why? The uncertainty with the new CBA.
No one knows what the rules will be next year. Will there be a franchise tag? Will there be a hard cap? Hell, will there be a season? Without boring you, the bottom line is there's too much uncertainty. Are the reports true that Deron Williams wants to be in New York when his contract is up? Could acquiring a Gerald Wallace prevent the Warriors from re-signing Stephen Curry to an extension? All things to consider.
With that being said, GM Larry Riley tried to make a move, but he had one hand tied behind his back because of that dumb dumb dumb dumb Marcus Williams trade. Ergo, no movement. It's understandable when broken down.
A lot of people were appalled at the Perkins deal. Count me in, but I don't think Danny Ainge is on crack. Look at the market value for a Perkins-type player. Noah signed his extension last summer that will pay him $14 million in 2015. Andris Biedrins is making $9 million a year. Look at what Darko and Amir Johnson are making (about $5 million). With $56 million committed to the big 4, ain't no way in hell Boston could pay Perkins $8-9 million per year. The timing absolutely can be second-guessed. The move itself? No way. (Celtics traded Harangody? Who's gonna be the new token white guy? Your thoughts?)
And Baron Davis, the boss, Boom Dizzle. Poor guy. He's a Cav now. Just 5 days ago he was throwing lobs to Blake Griffin out of the sunroof of a Kia. Dayyyymn. Dude's gonna stop caring and he'll be filming movies in the great city of Cleveland. Eh.
Side note, this video's hilarious. If it's not, then at the very least it's ridiculous. Yeah, we in the Bay have too much time on our hands.
Yeah, I'm pretty excited to fill out brackets. Anyways, why I won't coach. I'll set the stage. CCS playoff game Los Gatos at Mountain View. LG up by 3 with 10 seconds to go. Mountain View's panicking throwing up wild shots. On a rebound, LG commits a foul. Not a problem, LG has 3 fouls to give and the foul was on the rebound. Problem: the LG player then throws the MV kid to the ground for no reason. LG kid gets a tech and consequently gets thrown out of the game. LG loses the game in OT after MV scores on a baseline out of bounds play (with LG playing man-to-man) to send it to OT. How a senior goes full on knucklehead mode in a basketball career elimination game is beyond me. Also, why was LG playing man D? If I coached that kid, I would have lost it...at him. 5 months of blood, sweat, and tears...for that? You've got to be kidding me.
I'll send you off with videos of athletes after each post. Here's a goody courtesy of Monta Ellis. Maybe it's at the expense of him...whatever. UHHHHHHHHHHH, enjoy.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Engineering a New Actor
Out of anything I have written in my life, this is far and away the most rewarding. Enjoy.
Engineering a New Actor (2007)
“I want drama! I want energy here, Fahim!”
The small, skinny kid from Bangladesh nodded. Fahim Hamid, a freshman at Boston University, took a deep breath and adjusted his neck. Then, he went to work, reciting lyrics from Immortal Technque’s rap song, “You Never Know.”
“She was on her way to becoming a college graduate!” Hamid exclaimed, pointing his finger to his right while swinging his arm from side to side. “Wouldn't even stop to talk to the average kid, the type of Latina I'd sit and contemplate marriage with…”
“Stop! Perform it with even more ‘umph,” said his theater advisor Colin Blatell. “Try it again. Repetition, Fahim, repetition.”
Hamid sighed, but then smiled because he knew his path to the School of Theatre in the College of Fine Arts has been bizarre ever since birth. In fact, he very well could have ended up an engineer. According to College of Fine Arts advisors, Hamid is the first engineering student to successfully transfer into the School of Theatre in the College of Fine Arts in the past decade and the only current Bangladeshi student in the curriculum.
Change of Course
Fahim Hamid was born on November 26, 1988 in Chittagong, Bangladesh and moved with his family to Brooklyn, NY in 1991 when he was two-and-a-half years old. Like many traditional Bangladeshi immigrants, Hamid developed a keen interest in math and science at an early age. He even preferred memorizing multiplication tables to performing in his elementary school play. Throughout his childhood, he and his parents looked at theater and performing more of as a hobby than a potential career. That all changed when Al Pacino gave him a different outlook on acting in 2005.
“I was never really into theater or drama throughout my childhood. I never was encouraged to act by my parents either,” Hamid said. “But I have always liked acting around and have always respected actors. And I remember after watching Scent of a Women, starring Academy Award winner [Al] Pacino, I wanted to try to learn more about actors.”
During his senior year at Stuyvesant High School, Hamid took an acting class, in which he “learned a lot and performed well” compared to his other classmates. This encouraged him to take BU’s acting class for non-majors in addition to his classwork. While taking the class, Hamid decided to inquire about transferring into the School of Theatre.
Before Hamid started pursing his acting interest, he was on the path to becoming an engineer. BU’s opportunity played a huge role in Hamid’s decision towards colleges. The highly ranked College of Engineering program won over his parents, but Hamid kept a certain secret to himself.
“The opportunities are endless and that’s one of the reasons why I chose to go to BU,” Hamid said. “When I was deciding between several schools, I wanted a big school in case I did want to pursue acting. I had it planned that I wanted to try out engineering for a semester or two and then check out the process of transferring [to the School of Theatre]. I just had to sell to my parents that BU was good for engineering as well.”
Instead of sitting at his desk or in the library studying for midterms and finals for his engineering courses, Hamid spends numerous hours in the College of Fine Arts buildings. Hamid says there are empty classrooms where he can practice memorizing and reciting his lines.
“It’s definitely takes a lot of time to get everything down to a point to where I am satisfied [with my work],” said Hamid. “But I’m willing to put a lot of effort into improving my acting skills.”
At Hamid’s rehearsal practice for his performance in Until it’s Gone, a show put on by the freshmen in the School of Theatre on Dec. 12-14, Blatell recommended different exercises for Hamid to try out to find the perfect medium between a dramatic performance and a more subdued approach. After he exuberantly performed Immortal Technique’s “You Never Know,” Blatell encouraged Hamid to look into a classmate’s eyes and “just speak with elegance.”
“Get away from trapping any tension in your throat, arms, and chest,” Blatell said. “In poetry, you can’t have any tension.”
For his piece in Until it’s Gone, Fahim often has stayed in the College of Fine Arts building until after midnight. He cites his work ethic has transferred over from engineering out of necessity due to the intensive acting program at BU.
“I live on the other side of campus, so it’s often a hassle,” said Hamid. “But the only way to get better or improve a performance is to practice. I don’t even know how long it takes to get a performance down pat. I don’t even know if there is such thing as ‘perfection’ in this profession.”
The Transfer Process
Just after spring break in March 2007, Hamid spoke with Assistant Director of the School of Theatre Paolo DiFabio about the possibility of transferring. DiFabio then told him about the audition process and the application he had to file. But after hearing the odds of getting into the School of Theatre, Hamid had a little doubt in his mind.
“I was really intimidated because I never went to a true audition,” Hamid said. “He said that they get about 70 applicants and accept between three and six. He definitely warned me about the process and the fact that I would have to ‘repeat’ freshman year.”
As a result, Hamid spent countless hours preparing and practicing two pieces, one classical and one contemporary, for the audition. This really tested Hamid’s desire to go through with this process since he had several engineering finals during that time period.
“It takes days to get even a line to a point where you say, ‘Okay, I like this,’” he said. “I didn’t really have that much time on my hands so I was very stressed out. My pieces were constantly changing then, and the more they change, the better the piece will become. If you are not changing, then you aren’t making progress. But, with that being said, nothing’s ever perfect.”
According to DiFabio, Hamid was one of 75 transfer applicants to the School of Theatre, which includes both performance and design and production sections. Of the 75 applicants, nine were accepted, including seven intra-university transfer students. Hamid was one of four performance applicants accepted.
“Fahim brings a unique perspective to our program,” said DiFabio. “In my time here at BU, Fahim is the first College of Engineering student I’ve seen attempt a transfer into CFA. He is also the only one that’s been accepted.”
DiFabio says Hamid has “made strong growth and will continue to develop the longer he stays in the program. The one thing he does not lack is passion.”
Although Hamid acknowledges he is always willing to learn and improve, Hamid says he isn’t as “naturally artistic and abstract” as other School of Theatre students since he comes from a science background.
“I’m not as crazy outside of performing, so that provides some challenges,” he said. “But when I get on the stage, I go all out and don’t hold back anything. I get pretty into it.”
Breaking the Stereotype
Friends describe Hamid as “real” and “down-to-earth,” breaking a stereotype many actors value themselves above the normal population.
“A stereotype is just a stereotype,” said Hamid. “I’m not trying to copy the normal drama student. There are just a wide variety of personalities in drama. I just try to be myself whether I’m acting or not.”
Another stereotype Hamid certainly breaks is the perception of Bangladeshi-Americans pursing a career involving math and science. Popular professions include engineering, economics, architecture, and medicine according to an article written by J. Sydney Jones. Many famous Bangladeshi-Americans specialize in studying economics and technology, including M. Shahid Alam, an economics professor at Northeastern University, Jawed Karim, the co-founder of YouTube, and Faziur Khan, the lead architect of the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center.
According to The Europa World Yearbook 2007, at Bangladesh’s thirteen state universities, agriculture, Islamic studies, and engineering are the three most popular majors. Since Hamid was on a path that was widely accepted amongst the Bangladeshi community, Hamid said his parents, Mohammed Akhtar Hamid and Kahleda Begum remain skeptical about his decision because it “breaks the norm.”
Fahim is well aware of this perception, but he says his mindset is all about pursing his interests and dreams, not just what he is good at.
“I entered in the College of Engineering because like other Bangladeshis, I have pretty good math and science skills,” he said. “I love acting and I think I’m pretty good at it as well, so I am just trying to be myself.”
But even Hamid knows he has to work very hard to scratch the surface of his potential as an actor. Even though Hamid says he “has an engineer’s mind,” he will have to continue to dig deep in his heart to find his passion for acting. By focusing on the task at hand and leaving tomorrow’s challenges for the future, Hamid can work hard at maximizing his abilities in the intensive BU acting program. But that doesn’t mean he lacks a long-term goal.
“Do I have a dream? Yeah, it’s to become a big movie star,” said Hamid. “But I know I will have to work hard.”
But in the words of Immortal Technique, “You never know.”
Engineering a New Actor (2007)
“I want drama! I want energy here, Fahim!”
The small, skinny kid from Bangladesh nodded. Fahim Hamid, a freshman at Boston University, took a deep breath and adjusted his neck. Then, he went to work, reciting lyrics from Immortal Technque’s rap song, “You Never Know.”
“She was on her way to becoming a college graduate!” Hamid exclaimed, pointing his finger to his right while swinging his arm from side to side. “Wouldn't even stop to talk to the average kid, the type of Latina I'd sit and contemplate marriage with…”
“Stop! Perform it with even more ‘umph,” said his theater advisor Colin Blatell. “Try it again. Repetition, Fahim, repetition.”
Hamid sighed, but then smiled because he knew his path to the School of Theatre in the College of Fine Arts has been bizarre ever since birth. In fact, he very well could have ended up an engineer. According to College of Fine Arts advisors, Hamid is the first engineering student to successfully transfer into the School of Theatre in the College of Fine Arts in the past decade and the only current Bangladeshi student in the curriculum.
Change of Course
Fahim Hamid was born on November 26, 1988 in Chittagong, Bangladesh and moved with his family to Brooklyn, NY in 1991 when he was two-and-a-half years old. Like many traditional Bangladeshi immigrants, Hamid developed a keen interest in math and science at an early age. He even preferred memorizing multiplication tables to performing in his elementary school play. Throughout his childhood, he and his parents looked at theater and performing more of as a hobby than a potential career. That all changed when Al Pacino gave him a different outlook on acting in 2005.
“I was never really into theater or drama throughout my childhood. I never was encouraged to act by my parents either,” Hamid said. “But I have always liked acting around and have always respected actors. And I remember after watching Scent of a Women, starring Academy Award winner [Al] Pacino, I wanted to try to learn more about actors.”
During his senior year at Stuyvesant High School, Hamid took an acting class, in which he “learned a lot and performed well” compared to his other classmates. This encouraged him to take BU’s acting class for non-majors in addition to his classwork. While taking the class, Hamid decided to inquire about transferring into the School of Theatre.
Before Hamid started pursing his acting interest, he was on the path to becoming an engineer. BU’s opportunity played a huge role in Hamid’s decision towards colleges. The highly ranked College of Engineering program won over his parents, but Hamid kept a certain secret to himself.
“The opportunities are endless and that’s one of the reasons why I chose to go to BU,” Hamid said. “When I was deciding between several schools, I wanted a big school in case I did want to pursue acting. I had it planned that I wanted to try out engineering for a semester or two and then check out the process of transferring [to the School of Theatre]. I just had to sell to my parents that BU was good for engineering as well.”
Instead of sitting at his desk or in the library studying for midterms and finals for his engineering courses, Hamid spends numerous hours in the College of Fine Arts buildings. Hamid says there are empty classrooms where he can practice memorizing and reciting his lines.
“It’s definitely takes a lot of time to get everything down to a point to where I am satisfied [with my work],” said Hamid. “But I’m willing to put a lot of effort into improving my acting skills.”
At Hamid’s rehearsal practice for his performance in Until it’s Gone, a show put on by the freshmen in the School of Theatre on Dec. 12-14, Blatell recommended different exercises for Hamid to try out to find the perfect medium between a dramatic performance and a more subdued approach. After he exuberantly performed Immortal Technique’s “You Never Know,” Blatell encouraged Hamid to look into a classmate’s eyes and “just speak with elegance.”
“Get away from trapping any tension in your throat, arms, and chest,” Blatell said. “In poetry, you can’t have any tension.”
For his piece in Until it’s Gone, Fahim often has stayed in the College of Fine Arts building until after midnight. He cites his work ethic has transferred over from engineering out of necessity due to the intensive acting program at BU.
“I live on the other side of campus, so it’s often a hassle,” said Hamid. “But the only way to get better or improve a performance is to practice. I don’t even know how long it takes to get a performance down pat. I don’t even know if there is such thing as ‘perfection’ in this profession.”
The Transfer Process
Just after spring break in March 2007, Hamid spoke with Assistant Director of the School of Theatre Paolo DiFabio about the possibility of transferring. DiFabio then told him about the audition process and the application he had to file. But after hearing the odds of getting into the School of Theatre, Hamid had a little doubt in his mind.
“I was really intimidated because I never went to a true audition,” Hamid said. “He said that they get about 70 applicants and accept between three and six. He definitely warned me about the process and the fact that I would have to ‘repeat’ freshman year.”
As a result, Hamid spent countless hours preparing and practicing two pieces, one classical and one contemporary, for the audition. This really tested Hamid’s desire to go through with this process since he had several engineering finals during that time period.
“It takes days to get even a line to a point where you say, ‘Okay, I like this,’” he said. “I didn’t really have that much time on my hands so I was very stressed out. My pieces were constantly changing then, and the more they change, the better the piece will become. If you are not changing, then you aren’t making progress. But, with that being said, nothing’s ever perfect.”
According to DiFabio, Hamid was one of 75 transfer applicants to the School of Theatre, which includes both performance and design and production sections. Of the 75 applicants, nine were accepted, including seven intra-university transfer students. Hamid was one of four performance applicants accepted.
“Fahim brings a unique perspective to our program,” said DiFabio. “In my time here at BU, Fahim is the first College of Engineering student I’ve seen attempt a transfer into CFA. He is also the only one that’s been accepted.”
DiFabio says Hamid has “made strong growth and will continue to develop the longer he stays in the program. The one thing he does not lack is passion.”
Although Hamid acknowledges he is always willing to learn and improve, Hamid says he isn’t as “naturally artistic and abstract” as other School of Theatre students since he comes from a science background.
“I’m not as crazy outside of performing, so that provides some challenges,” he said. “But when I get on the stage, I go all out and don’t hold back anything. I get pretty into it.”
Breaking the Stereotype
Friends describe Hamid as “real” and “down-to-earth,” breaking a stereotype many actors value themselves above the normal population.
“A stereotype is just a stereotype,” said Hamid. “I’m not trying to copy the normal drama student. There are just a wide variety of personalities in drama. I just try to be myself whether I’m acting or not.”
Another stereotype Hamid certainly breaks is the perception of Bangladeshi-Americans pursing a career involving math and science. Popular professions include engineering, economics, architecture, and medicine according to an article written by J. Sydney Jones. Many famous Bangladeshi-Americans specialize in studying economics and technology, including M. Shahid Alam, an economics professor at Northeastern University, Jawed Karim, the co-founder of YouTube, and Faziur Khan, the lead architect of the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center.
According to The Europa World Yearbook 2007, at Bangladesh’s thirteen state universities, agriculture, Islamic studies, and engineering are the three most popular majors. Since Hamid was on a path that was widely accepted amongst the Bangladeshi community, Hamid said his parents, Mohammed Akhtar Hamid and Kahleda Begum remain skeptical about his decision because it “breaks the norm.”
Fahim is well aware of this perception, but he says his mindset is all about pursing his interests and dreams, not just what he is good at.
“I entered in the College of Engineering because like other Bangladeshis, I have pretty good math and science skills,” he said. “I love acting and I think I’m pretty good at it as well, so I am just trying to be myself.”
But even Hamid knows he has to work very hard to scratch the surface of his potential as an actor. Even though Hamid says he “has an engineer’s mind,” he will have to continue to dig deep in his heart to find his passion for acting. By focusing on the task at hand and leaving tomorrow’s challenges for the future, Hamid can work hard at maximizing his abilities in the intensive BU acting program. But that doesn’t mean he lacks a long-term goal.
“Do I have a dream? Yeah, it’s to become a big movie star,” said Hamid. “But I know I will have to work hard.”
But in the words of Immortal Technique, “You never know.”
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