I’ve moved my blog to http://www.akosiallan.com.

I have just watched game 6 game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.  The Boston Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons 106-102 to come 1 game away from the NBA Finals.  The Celtics lead the series 3-2.  A win on Friday at Detroit will bring the Celtics to the NBA Finals for the first time since Larry Bird dominated the NBA in the 80′s.

The Los Angeles Lakers, on the other hand, can end the Western Conference Finals this Thursday at home when they battle it out against the defending NBA Champions San Antonio Spurs.  So far, Kobe and the rest of the Lakers, have matched up well against the Spurs as they lead the series 3-1.  A win will bring them to the NBA Finals for the first time since the Kobe-Shaq era. 

If the Celtics and Lakers reach the NBA Finals, a great rivalry of NBA may be revived.  These 2 teams have been battling it out in the NBA for decades.  Celtics holds the best record in NBA Championship history.  But only one team has stood on its way.  The Lakers.  Will it bring back NBA’s glorious days of Bill Russell vs Wilt Chamberlain?  How about the showtime moves of Ervin Magic Johnson vs the great shooting touch of Larry Bird? Will Kobe vs the big three Garnett, Pierce and Allen live up to the legacy of those great players?  It is indeed a great rivalry…but first, the Lakers and Celtics have to take care of business and wrap up the Conference Finals.  Until then, it’s anybody’s ballgame… 

2008 Thomas Cup: China captures 3rd straight badminton title beating Korea 3-1

China captures its third straight badminton title beating Korea 3-1.  The championship point came from China’s men’s doubles pair Xie Zhongbo and Guo Zhendong.  The Chinese duo came out firing at the start of the first game, taking a commanding win against Korean’s Hwan Ji-man and Lee Jae-Jin, 21-12.  The Koreans came back in the second game, putting up a tough fight, crawling their way to a 21-19 victory over the aggressive Chinese team.  The momentum, however, stayed on China’s side as Xie Zhongbo and Guo Zhendong, maintained their attacking play and pulled off an early lead and never looked back.  The championship point came out of Xie Zhongbo’s powerful smash, ending the 2008 Thomas Cup, capturing the crown for China with a superb win against the Koreans, 21-12. 

Update: China - 2 vs Korea – 1

China takes another win courtesy of Bao Chunlai’s victory over Korea’s Lee Hyun Il.  The world number 3 Bao Chunlai started slowly with Lee Hyun Il controlling most of the game.  The Chinese battled his way through and got to a commanding lead of 3 matchpoints at 20-17.  However, the energized Lee Hyun Il saved all 3 match points and put on a rubber game.  Both players had very sensational rallies, each one saving off match point from the other.  They both displayed superb performance.  In the end, the experience and mental focus of Bao Chunlai prevailed as he brushed off 4 match points from the Korean, and take the first game 28-26.  In the second game, the exhausting first game had taken its toll on Lee Hyun Il physically and mentally.  Bao Chunlai took advantage of the demoralized Korean, playing extraordinary net play and attacking smashes, putting on a commanding lead early and finishing it off 21-11 to put China ahead of Korea, 2 to 1.

Update: China – 1 vs Korea – 1

Korea leveled up the match (China - 1 vs Korea – 1) with a convincing win in their first men’s doubles match.  The partnership of Lee Yong Dae and Jung Jae Sung had to save up 4 match points from the very strong China men’s doubles team of Cai Yun and Fu Hai Feng to win the first game.  The Korean’s tenacity, fighting spirit, and never give up attitude gaved them the extra push to defend the attacks of team China and capture the first game 25-23.  The Koreans kicked-off the second game attacking, barely giving the Chinese team breathing space after the grueling first game.  They displayed great net plays and powerful smashes, continuously burying the shuttle to the ground to the delight of the crowd.  The Chinese team put on a late surge, but it was a little too late as the Koreans finished it off and captured their first point for the Thomas Cup Finals.

Temporary Result: China – 1 vs Korea – 0

The men’s singles match between China’s Lin Dan and Korea’s Park Sung Hwan kicked off the thrill and excitement in the 2008 Thomas Cup Finals.  Lin Dan started off cold with the first game dominated by Park Sung Hwan 21-10.  Slowly but surely, Lin Dan got his swagger back in the second game, with a display of patience and timely smashes,  holding off Park Sung Hwan for a close win,  21-18.   On the deciding game, Lin Dan continued his surge and displayed his magnificent net play and powerful smashes.  He completely dominated the third game, winning 21-8, capturing the first point for China.

The 2008 Thomas Cup badminton tournament has lived up to its reputation of bringing thrilling matches to the world. Tomorrow’s championship battle between defending champion China against the upcoming badminton stars of Korea may be history in the making. China is seeking their third straight Thomas Cup crown while Korea is hoping to make history by bringing their first ever Thomas Cup title to Korea.

Yesterday’s semi-finals match up between China and Malaysia lived up to its hype as surprising victories were secured by both teams. The two teams battled each other neck to neck to the end. Malaysia started very hot behind Lee Chong Wei’s stunning victory over the world number 1 Lin Dan. Malaysia’s dynamic duo, Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong could not get their groove together against the very fired up China men’s doubles team of Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng. Mohd Fairuzizuan Tazari and Mohd Zakry Abdul Latiff saved Malaysia’s men’s doubles by snatching a surprising victory over Guo Zhengdong and Xie Zhongbo of China. In the end, China’s men’s singles players Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin proved too strong for the Malaysian singles shuttlers Wong Choong Hann and Muhammad Hafiz Hashim.

The semi-finals match between host Indonesia and the persistent Korean team had a very surprising result. The Indonesians came into the match as the strong favorites but the hungry Koreans changed the game. Park Sung-Hwan started Korea’s strong rally by defeating world number 6 Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia. Korea’s upcoming men’s doubles stars Jung Jae-Sung and Lee Yong-Dae continued their winning ways by shocking the Indonesian powerhouse Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan. Lee Hyun-Il of Korea completed the surprising upset by defeating the Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.

Tomorrow’s Thomas Cup Finals is a battle between the very strong team of China and the young, talented and hungry shuttlers of Korea. China went to the tournament with just one mission – to defend their crown and capture their third straight Thomas cup title. The Koreans, on the other end, went to the extreme length of intentionally avoiding a clash with China going into the quarterfinals. In the end, Korea’s strategy worked. They are in the Finals. Will China remain the most dominant force in World badminton? Or will the upcoming shuttlers of Korea finally put a mark in the World badminton scene by upsetting the defending champs and capturing their first ever Thomas Cup crown?

Tomorrow’s semi-final match between China and Malaysia in the 2008 Thomas Cup may be a prelude to the 2008 Beijing Olympics in August.   It’s the battle between the men’s single powerhouse of China against the unpredictable men’s double pairings of Malaysia.

China crushed Thailand on their quarterfinal match, courtesy of their singles players’ Lin Dan and Bao Chunlai’s decisive victories.  The other win for China came from former world number 1 men’s doubles shuttlers Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng.  All three games were won by China in a commanding fashion.

Malaysia, on the other end, totally dominated their quarterfinals matches against their Japanese opponents.  Lee Chong Wei, Malaysia’s number 1 singles player, and the other singles shuttler Wong Choong Han both secured convincing victories for Malaysia.  The surprise of the day came from Malaysia’s new men’s doubles pairings of Koo Kien Keat and Choong Tan Fook.  Koo’s usual partner, Tan Boon Heong teamed up with Zakry Latif this time.  According to National’s doubles coach Rexy Mainaky, the new pairings is intended to keep China guessing and make their strategy unpredictable for their upcoming semi-finals match. 

Both China and Malaysia are home of great badminton players.  Both have made it to the top as Thomas Cup champions.  Both have something to prove.  For China, to defend its crown and maintain its supremacy in World badminton.  For Malaysia, to prove that they can bring down powerhouse China and bring the glorious Thomas Cup back to Malaysia.  It will be a showdown of blazing shuttles and powerful smashes.  It will be a display of surprising tactics and amazing rallies.  It will be a match to remember. 

Will it be David vs David in the Final Showdown?

That will be the question for tomorrow’s American Idol.   Earlier this evening, I was able to watch the first songs of the top 3 American Idol contestants.  I thought the performances didn’t really make someone stood out. 

They had pretty much the same performance as their previous weeks style and it made the show a bit predictable.  The requested songs from the judges suited the contestant’s style, except for David Cook’s rendition of “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face”.  The song was requested by Simon Cowell, perhaps to see how the hard rock artist would perform the non-rock, sweet melodic song of Roberta Flack.  It’s obvious from David’s reaction upon receiving the SMS message from Simon and tonight’s performance that it wasn’t easy for him.  It was not David’s best performance, but he also did not make a mess of himself.  It’s amazing how he was able to sustain his voice during the successive long and high notes at the end of the song. 

David Archuleta sang “And So It Goes” as requested by Paula Abdul.  David’s rendition is as expected: very soothing, not forced, but also did not make David the odds on favorite for the night. 

Syesha Mercado, on the other hand, sang “If I Ain’t Got You”.  It’s also a tricky song.  The fact that the song is very popular made it hard for her to create some personal touches and not mess up.  She did not mess up.  But she also did not put on an unforgettable performance.  

In the end, everyone played it safe.  I think this will work out to the two David’s advantage.  But who knows?  Perhaps, America has other ideas in mind.  So, will it be the two Davids in the final showdown?  Or will it be Syesha and one David?  Who will it be?

I have just downloaded and installed Windows Live Writer on my laptop.  Let’s see how this post will look like in my blog.  But first, let me try to change the font color to blue.  This looks fun.  The good thing about the Windows Live Writer is that it looks like a standard Microsoft Word document.  It has the same menu and word formatting features.  Well, it’s from my Microsoft… =)

Now, let me just try to insert one of my favorite pictures. 

This was taken during my trip to Chicago.   On my background is a big, shiny, droplet-looking thing they call “The Bean”.

Ok, what else can I do?

• hhmmm…I can try to create a bullet point..
• and another bullet point…
• and some more…

 

Alright, that’s enough for now. 

 

Technorati Tags: Windows Live Writer,Chicago,The Bean

The 2008 Thomas Uber Cup just got underway this afternoon.  It is one of the most prestigious badminton tournaments in the world.   The tournament is different from the Badminton Super Series in that it is a team event, where each country has its own team.  The teams battle each other in men’s singles and men’s doubles for the Thomas Cup and the women’s singles and doubles for the Uber Cup.  Throughout its history, the tournament has been dominated by Indonesia with 13 titles, followed by China with 6 titles and Malaysia, 5 titles.

This year’s host is Indonesia.  Their team will be led by the men’s singles olympic champion Taufik Hidayat.  The Indonesian crowd and the fans will surely rute for their home team.  But the defending champion  China will have a lot to say.  Their top 3 men’s singles players Lin Dan, Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin, World ranked 1, 3 and 4 respectively, will definitely set the shutlles blazing with their awesome smashes.  On the other end, Malaysia is also claiming that this is their year.  After a long drought in the tournament, their team will be depending on men’s singles world number 2, Lee Chong Wei and their men’s doubles badminton players Koo Kien Kiat and Tan Boon Heong to carry them through the finals and capture the title.

The tournament has just started and it’s a long way to go.  Who will capture the title this year?  Will it be host Indonesia?  Will it be the defending champion China?  Or will it be powerhouse Malaysia?

I’ve been watching “Chuck” the past few days.  It’s a new TV series about an ordinary guy, “Chuck”, who  accidentally uploaded secret government information into his brain by reading an email from his spy friend “Bryce”.   He has a very high capacity for absorbing information and got himself recruited by the CIA and NSA unknowingly.  He works at “Buy More”, an electronic shop who sells and supports electronic gadgets, computers and laptops.   Working with him in the “Buy More” store are funny guys who remind me of the “Geek Squad”.  I like this show.  It’s funny, not so emotional, and entertaining.  It makes me laugh.  Got to get back to the TV. =)

I love going to the beach.  The clear water, the white sand beach and the twinking stars at night make the beach so peaceful.  One of the best beaches I’ve been to is Boracay in the Philippines.   The above picture of Boracay beach was taken last December.  Notice how clear the water is?  It’s very beautiful.  I can’t wait to go the beach again soon…perhaps checkout Palawan…or Bohol?

 

I’ve just watched American Idol. As usual, David Archuleta and David Cook both put on very strong performances tonight. One David is a hardcore rock artist. The other one is a balladeer. I hope they get to the final showdown. It’d be one hell of a show.

It’s a bit of a challenge to compare the two though since they are very good in their own genre’s. Who’s to say that the rocker is better than the balladeer? Perhaps those who like rock. But all those who like ballad would surely love to hear the other one sing. It’s like comparing apples to oranges. There’s really no point in comparing. Which reminds me, American Idol is an entertainment business after all.

In the end, they are both very good singers. Any of the two will surely make a great album. Selling the album will be another story.

I’m watching “Life”, the TV Series. It is not as witty and surprising as “House”, and it is also not as scientific looking as CSI, although they both deal with crime. I guess, it has its own merit in terms of connecting all the episodes together on a central idea, to know who was responsible for framing the main character up. The TV show also tries to make it appear as a “reality” show by inserting some interview clips of people around him, the same trick the “Friday Night Lights” TV show overdid on season 1. I have watched only a few episodes. I’m not as hooked as when I watched “Heroes” the first time. It’s still a long season to go. Maybe there will be some surprises along the way. Until then, I’ll have to enjoy this one for now.

I’m craving for “danggit”, fried “dilis”, salted egg, fried eggplant with bagoong or soy sauce with “kalamansi”. I really love my favorite longganisa, adobo, and Purefoods tender juicy hotdog. Of course, nothing is good unless there’s rice. “Sinangag”, the Filipino fried rice in garlic or soy sauce, or just plain rice, is the best partner for these delicious treats. I miss having breakfast in the Philippines.

Top it up with a nice “barako” coffee from Batangas and it surely is a great breakfast in the taking.

I’ve been watching the NBA playoffs these past few weeks. Just this morning I checked out the NBA website and was surprised to see all playoff teams already in the second round except for the Boston Celtics. Boston Celtics had the best record of the season. They have the “big three” superstars Allen, Garnett and Pierce. It’s even more surprising to see that the reason they are not yet in the second round is that an 8-seeded Atlanta Hawks team forced them to a game 7. Atlanta Hawks, the team with more losses than wins during the season, the team with young talents.

I can’t wait to see game 7. Will the Boston Celtics choke? Will the Atlanta Hawks pull out the biggest upset of all time? It remains to be seen. But it certainly is entertaining.

I’m fond of going to the bookstore and see if there’s anything new. I like to read on the lives of great people. I’d like to know how they think, how they got to where they are, what they stand for.

After reading iWoz, a book written by Steve Wozniak, I had a renewed appreciation for Engineers. Steve Wozniak is an Engineer by profession and he created the Apple II computer. He is an excellent designer, using as few chips as possible, continuously making improvements, finding delight in the thought of beating himself.

In some ways, reading the book made me remember the wonderful days I had working with chips as a student. I worked on some small projects at school. At one time, I had to attach a keypad and an LCD display on a microprocessor chip, added a few resistors, capacitors, transistors and make it do some neat things. If you type in a number on the keypad, the number appears on the LCD and then starts counting down. Once it reaches zero, it blinks three times as if to explode. It’s a bit scary walking around with it going to the malls. The security guys might mistake it for a bomb and have me arrested.

At one point, I was also involved in creating a fingerprint-identification system for use on office time-in/time-out. I can still remember my delight when I was able to make the thing work at the middle of the night. There I was, watching my own fingerprint on the computer screen, smiling up to my ears, as if seeing the face of a beautiful girl.

I guess, I just miss those days. It was a wonderful experience. I hope I get to experience the same feeling again in the future.

This is my first post. I’ve been toying with the idea of a website for quite some time now. I haven’t really figured out what I really want. I love reading books, and I wanted to create an online bookstore. But then I realized, I don’t have the infrastructure to support the whole thing. I don’t even have any experience setting up anything like it. I guess it is just a dream for now…it will have to wait.

As a first blog entry, I wanted to tell a little something about myself. It’s my simple way of introducing myself to the world.

I am a software testing consultant by profession with extensive experience in mainframe, banking and credit card systems. I love reading books, listening to music, playing basketball, going to the beach, singing karaoke, playing guitar, dreaming and sleeping.

That’s it about me for now…next time I will share something about what I really like.