basketball, the beach

You may have missed them. I mean, I make it a point to read the papers every day, and I only saw Part 3 today.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer has been running reports on game fixing for a while now (I suppose in preparation for the UAAP opening ceremonies). I was not surprised by the idea, but I was shocked by the stakes involved:

As much as P300 million changed hands in recent years in each season of the Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), officials say.

I’d rather accept that the UP Fighting Maroons just suck than to hear that its players are dropping games for money.

God, all this cash – for an amateur competition.

Anyway, the series is a good read. Keep your eye out for Part 4.

Part 1 – Stakes reach P300 M in varsity hoops

Part 2 – Player caught in trap allowed to go scot-free

Part 3 – Bookies using text messages make betting easy

* * *

When The Beach came out I was in high school. I saw it, I loved it. Tilda Swinton is just a fantastic actress, and Leonardo DiCaprio is effective. I saw it again last night and I still loved it, though it might have been better without Richard’s final VO. I learned that Paradise is not a place but a feeling that you have in a moment yadda yadda it lasts forever. Ugh, no.

A lot of people didn’t like it that much, based on the film reviews I’ve read. Hm. I wonder if the book’s better.