ok, so i'm stuffing myself with my words and my pride right now (myke and other atenean friends who were on the receiving end of my taunts will be partying right now) but prepare for major reverse peristalsis and verbal chyme expulsion when the second round comes! (or so i fantasize, again.) med terms are such fun to use.

the saddest part about losing to admu isn't actually losing to admu, but the myriad of associations and conclusions that can be deduced from this game and previous ones. we lost to admu by 9 points, while nu lost to admu by only 5 points. adamson slaughtered nu during the game earlier today. so if by pure mathematical substitution and correlation, we would have to lose to both adamson and nu, which isn't exactly what i envisioned this uaap season to be like for up.

but no matter. throughout the entire game, i was still spilling my guts out (and sweating buckets, which we have now diagnosed as hyperhidrosis) cheering for up, no matter how the numbers held. while we held a short but sweet lead early in the game, when the lead against us worsened to ten points, when the maroons made a quick comeback during the 3rd quarter, or when the blue eagles started to pull away once again for their final lead, the intensity in my gestures held, the passion in my voice stayed alive. heck, maybe you might have seen it; several people texted during the game that we were flashed on the studio 23 telecast a couple of times (i was the dark skinny guy in green), and that i seemed particularly ecstatic. and similarly, whether up dominates the season or if they miss the final four by a slot yet again, they can always count on me for support from the stands.

i was texting wyna a while ago, when she mentioned "si abon, mahilig na sa basketball!" or something to that effect. for me, it's not really the game that draws these emotions out, but rather, like i've said before, it's the school pride and spirit which really function to draw me away from derma and anatomy transes and into the stadium. it's such an amazing high, to be able to watch your team and cheer them on with all your might, that regardless of your vested interest in the sport you're still a hundred percent into the game. i'm just proud that i'm able to show this much enthusiasm for up; it really shows that i'm somewhere i want to be in and that i'm so appreciative of the chance to be a part of this hallowed institution.

like the blue babble cheer says, "win or lose, it's the school you choose." and i'm sure i've chosen the best one out there, regardless of final scores or season standings.

**side note: i am now harboring up pep dreams. good luck na lang.**