detour lol

So, I KNOW I should be posting Nightmare on Elm Street movie reviews, and I should probably have posted five or six by now lol, but I've been too busy being unproductive with summer school right now. Anyways, just wanted to share this with whoever could possibly be reading my blog:

Super Mario Bros. Crossover!

That link right there leads to one of the greatest games of all time! If you're a retro video game fan, a Nintendo fan, if you grew up on the NES, if you LIKE FUN in general, you will love it.

You can thank me in the form of money orders :)

ANNOUNCEMENTS: On the Horizon has been updated

UPDATE: A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) review, and the kick-off of the Elm Street Review Maration

At last! My Elm Street Marathon begins, kicking off with the recently released remake/reboot. Following this installment, I’ll be going back to its roots with the original Elm Street film of 1984, and then moving forward in the series from there, ending with Freddy vs. Jason, and afterwards, I’ll give a review of the even more recently released Never Sleep Again, a documentary on the Elm Street franchise as a whole. In the words of Shang Tsung, “It HAS begunn!!!”

WARNING: This review contains plot spoilers for those that have not watched the film. I have a segment on the plot sectioned off from the rest of the review, but skipping over it won’t completely keep you free from spoilers


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I. OVERVIEW:
I finally got a chance to catch the A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot earlier this afternoon [EDIT: The time of this writing was Thursday May 20. I only finished it tonight] . As a huge fan of the Nightmare franchise, I’ll try to review this movie from both an objective perspective and one that takes into account this film’s genetic history, the Nightmare films that have come before it. Also, just to let you know, this review, because it is the first article about an Elm Street movie, will also inevitably be about how I always dreamed and wanted to do the Nightmare films as a franchise and not about just the reboot itself.
I have to say that, leaving the theater, I was feeling

The Presentation of Art

So, until my A Nightmare on Elm Street review marathon begins, I thought I'd fill the time with a few articles. For today's, I want to touch on something I place great importance on - the presentation of art, or, the correct way of absorbing art.

What I mean by "the presentation of art" is how one watches a movie, how one listens to a song, how one takes in a painting, etc. It’s how the art is presented to you, and how you let it be presented to you. I know I probably shouldn't be, but I get really upset and even annoyed when people don't experience art correctly or don't put in the time and effort to really let themselves take in a piece of art. To me, it's a huge disservice to the artist and art, and is a huge disservice to the person themselves because they miss out on, and, more importantly, deny themselves, the opportunity to really take something in that could in fact truly touch and affect them had they given the art the attention it deserved.

One of the plainest examples I can give of this is when

UPDATED: Spring Semester over, status update

Finally done with finals. Pretty brutal, but at the same time I feel I actually did alright all things considered. All through dead week I was staying up until 4-6AM and waking up at 2PM trying to get as much studying done as I possibly could, but with little success. As an English major I do a surprisingly little amount of of the reading I'm supposed to so I was trying to catch up on nearly a whole semester's worth of readings. I failed. But, on the day of the final I was surprised I was able to answer many of the questions and essay topics with relatively solid responses. I guess going to class without doing readings is worthwhile after all.

Even though I'm done with Spring semester I'm

I've topped myself

Well, I didn't think it could be done, but I surpassed myself yesterday. I beat my previous records at procrastination.

I had a final paper to turn in to my prof. by 2:00 PM through e-mail. Well, I didn't just wait until the last minute to get it done.

I waited til an hour after to start.

-_- fml

Happy Star Wars Day

May 4th is the "official"(I think?) Star Wars Day! So spend the day by celebrating Star Wars in any way you can: Wish your friends and neighbors that the Force be with them, wear Star Wars apparel, have a movie marathon, open automatic doors with a wave of your hand, recite lines of dialogue in relevant situations, get crazy with it! Here are some fun Star Wars videos (I would embed the videos straight here but part of the frame gets cut off :\)

The classic Star Wars Kid

The Star Wars Kid vs. Yoda!

Star Wars according to a 3 year old

La caida de edgar THE MOVIE star wars reloaded peaton puente

Ryan vs Dorkman

Ryan VS Brandon

RvD2: Ryan vs. Dorkman 2


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ANNOUNCER: Well, that's all for this entry. I hope you enjoyed the article and your time spent here. We here at no1important studios invite you to come again for another riveting entry. And remember, "Like it? Share it!" This is Jovan signing off, good morning. And, if I don't catch you later, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

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Mini-blog 5: Pop-Tarts

So this morning, while getting ready to head out the door for class, I was feeling hungry and since I was in a hurry I decided to just toss a Pop-Tart into the toaster and be on my way. I was thinking back to other times I had a Pop-Tart for breakfast and I realized that I always felt dissatisfied and even a bit empty. "Why don't I just cook two of 'em, stack 'em, and eat both of 'em at once? Hurraaayy!" So popped in to, fast forward 60 seconds, and I'm out the door with my Pop-Tart sandwich.

I was so satisfied with myself for my novel idea. Why hadn't I thought of this before?! I exclaimed in my mind. I took my first bite, and it was a full mouthful of strawberry Pop-Tart the likes of which I had never experienced before. I took my second bite, and Wait...ugh....I swallowed it down and took another and Ugh, yeah, I don't like this. This is too much.

As I get to the bus stop and wait, I have about 1/2 of my Pop-Tart sandwich left. I felt a bit determined to just finish it since it was my breakfast, which I rarely ever eat. I could feel the artificial sugary mush in my stomach and what was left of my last bite in my mouth.


I tossed it. lol. So lesson learned: Too much of a good thing is really awesome. Too much of an awesome thing is just really really stupid though.... Though, technically I already learned this lesson back when I was frustrated with the tiny amount of liquid able to pass through my Capri-Sun straw straw. Oh well. Third time's the charm?

SUNDAY UPDATES! and Song of the Moment

So I thought I'd start this new feature, Sunday Updates, where I post my favorite cards from the week's entries on PostSecret, and my favorite FML's from fmylife.com. I was going to do thisiswhyyourefat.com too, but that site doesn't get updated enough for me to pick new stuff every week :\

PostSecret - Two of them deal with loneliness. The other two are just funny :)









The motorcycle one I was thinking was kinda pathetic, but I realized that I'm not surprised that it is a reality that many people face so it became a little depressing that more people don't get to enjoy simple hugs. The library card one was a bit sad too, but I thought it was a little more happy and optimistic than just depressing.

FML
It's always hard to find a good FML. I find that a lot of entries seem fake and manufactured instead of genuine circumstances legitimate enough to exclaim "..fuck my life...". But anyways, here's the ones I enjoyed:

http://www.fmylife.com/love/10304820

http://www.fmylife.com/love/10303642

Damm..

Song(s) of the Moment
What I've been diggin' at the moment are:
Your Song - Elton John
Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap
Flight demo - Daphne Loves Derby
Ridin' In My Car - She & Him
Ninja Ropes - Simon Helberg, Nathan Fillion, Neil Patrick Harris from Commentary! The Musical
Despicable freestyle - Eminem
I'm too lazy to find links for the songs. Just YouTube'em :P

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ANNOUNCER: Well, that's all for this entry. I hope you enjoyed the article and your time spent here. We here at no1important studios invite you to come again for another riveting entry. And remember, "Like it? Share it!" This is Jovan signing off, good morning. And, if I don't catch you later, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

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this just in

Normally I wouldn't post anything like this, just because it's a more personal thing and doesn't relate to anything this blog is supposed to be about, but I just thought I'd share this bit of information with you:

I AM A PIMP. I had an essay due today at 12PM. Yesterday at 1PM I started the beginning of a novel, finished it, cranked out a 7 page essay out of my ass and turned it in on time.

I know, I know, I'm cool. Sometimes.

I was going to celebrate by going to this pie shop I've been desperately wanting to go to, but instead I treated myself to my Berkeley food of choice - Pad Thai :) I would eat Pad Thai everyday if it wasn't basically pure carbs.

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ANNOUNCER: Well, that's all for this entry. I hope you enjoyed the article and your time spent here. We here at no1important studios invite you to come again for another riveting entry. And remember, "Like it? Share it!" This is Jovan signing off, good morning. And, if I don't catch you later, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

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Lists: Favorite 80s Movies

For this list, when I say "80s movie," I have criteria more than just being released within the decade. All of these movies, I feel, all embody and personify the very unique vibe and aesthetic of the 80s.

13. The Goonies

12. Big Trouble in Little China

11. Beetlejuice

10. The Lost Boys

9. Ghostbusters

8. The Monster Squad

7. The Princess Bride

6. Coming to America/Beverly Hills Cop

5. Teen Wolf

4. The Karate Kid/Part II

3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

2. The Breakfast Club

1. Back to the Future


There are some movies that were released during the 80s and that I like more than some of the movies I have here on this list, but I left them out for various reasons. For example, I left out Predator because I define it as a "Man-movie" more than an "80s movie."


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ANNOUNCER: Well, that's all for this entry. I hope you enjoyed the article and your time spent here. We here at no1important studios invite you to come again for another riveting entry. And remember, "Like it? Share it!" This is Jovan signing off, good morning. And, if I don't catch you later, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

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JGL and Leo

Pictures don't get more pimp than this :)

meh

So yeah, I was supposed to have put up reviews of the first three Elm Street films, but I got caught up with school stuff. I might not even be able to get a chance to start reviews until after the remake comes out because I have even more school stuff coming up this coming week, a final and two papers. It's a bummer, I really wanted to do it, but its just bad timing is all. I'm getting near to the end of the semester so all papers, projects, and finals are compacted within a 2-3 week period so it's gonna be hell for a while. Here's hoping I get a chance to sneak in some articles every now and then :P

If I was almighty, I would create a hyperbolic time chamber and study until I was smart enough to get As. And work out until I got my six-pack again :P

==========================================================ANNOUNCER: Well, that's all for this entry. I hope you enjoyed the article and your time spent here. We here at no1important studios invite you to come again for another riveting entry. And remember, "Like it? Share it!" This is Jovan signing off, good morning. And, if I don't catch you later, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

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Lists: My Best-to-Worst Nightmare on Elm Street films

In celebration of the new A Nightmare on Elm Street coming out next Friday, I'm going to be reviewing/presenting each movie starting April 22 all the way thru April 29, and as a pre-party kick-off to the even I thought I'd rank the Nightmare films from my personal best to worst. I know it's a bit early, but I was just too excited to not share my thoughts on my personal order of faves. And now, without further ado:

1. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

2. A Nightmare on Elm Street

3. Freddy vs. Jason

4. Wes Craven's New Nightmare

5. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge

6. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

7. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

8. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

The top 4 were really hard, and depending on my day some movies could be interchangeable. Just know that in terms of quality, they're really close together for me. I know that, for people that know and love the franchise too, there's a few controversial picks of mine: Freddy's Revenge at number 5, The Dream Child over The Dream Master, and arguably Freddy vs. Jason at number 3. Again, I'll be touching on each movie individually as we get closer to April 30th, the release date for the new A Nightmare on Elm Street, so just hang tight, and see you in a few.

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ANNOUNCER: Well, that's all for this entry. I hope you enjoyed the article and your time spent here. We here at no1important studios invite you to come again for another riveting entry. And remember, "Like it? Share it!" This is Jovan signing off, good morning. And, if I don't catch you later, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

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Jovan Presents: Rilo Kiley

They're too awesome for words, so I'm not even going to try...Just listen
Rilo Kiley - Silver Lining


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Jovan Presents: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

In the past two months, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has become one of my favorite actors. As of right now, there isn't anything I wouldn't watch him do.

For the longest time, people mostly knew of him from the t.v. show 3rd Rock from the Sun, if they knew of him at all. Since the end of that show to now, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been steadily building his name to become synonymous with talent and was for a while something of an indie-darling. After his time on 3rd Rock from the Sun, JGL made bold decisions with his roles in small but impressive and great films.

The first one was his work in Mysterious Skin. In that film JGL played a

Friendship and Morality test

So, I want to talk about something that I've pondered on for years, and it has to do with friendship. Here's the context:

There's three friends involved: A, B, and C.

Here's the scenario: Friend C does something to A that A considers really messed up and is hurt by, and now they're not on speaking terms. Friend B then has two options: Not speak to C in solidarity with A, or continue being friends with C because the situation between A and C doesn't concern him.

Now, both options have arguments as to why they're the right thing to do as opposed to the other. Personally, I originally believed that B should side with A because, even if it doesn't concern him, if B knows that C did some wrong to A then the siding with A would communicate to C that B thinks what C did was wrong too and that that's not okay. It would also show a loyalty to A. Furthermore, if B didn't side with A and continued to be friends with C despite how A feels hurt by C, then that to me seems like B doesn't really care about A, or, at least no as much as they care about themselves; like, they'd rather be friends with both still out of their own sake and that to me seems a little selfish. Then the pressure is put on C to make the next move, which would, hopefully, be apologizing to A.

I once proposed this scenario to a friend of mine, and they thought the opposite. They believed that if A asked B to not be friends with C, then A isn't a good friend to ask B to choose friends when it doesn't concern B. Furthermore, because what C did wasn't to B, if B sided with A it would be seen as messed up to C.

But that's kind of why I still think B should side with A; it's similar to the saying "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Isn't a nobler thing to stand up against wrong doings, especially when it wasn't done to you?

I'm still a little conflicted on what's conclusively the right thing to do though, and am willing to hear why B shouldn't side with A and continue to associate with C. What do you think?

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ANNOUNCER: Well, that's all for this entry. I hope you enjoyed the article and your time spent here. We here at no1important studios invite you to come again for another riveting entry. And remember, "Like it? Share it!" This is Jovan signing off, good morning. And, if I don't catch you later, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

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Picture Time 2: Pokemon, they're real... I knew it...

Lugia, the legendary guardian of the seas

Ho-Oh, the legendary guardian of the skies

Celebi, in my opinion the 2nd rate Mew :P

Cubone, the lonely, emo pokemon :'(

Squirtle, the blue turtle that had those pimp black sunglasses

Lame post, I know, but I thought these pictures were too awesome to not share :)
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ANNOUNCER: Well, that's all for this entry. I hope you enjoyed the article and your time spent here. We here at no1important studios invite you to come again for another riveting entry. And remember, "Like it? Share it!" This is Jovan signing off, good morning. And, if I don't catch you later, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

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Mini-blog 4: Random Thoughs

Anybody else get that strange shiver when they go pee? I wonder what that is. My physiology teacher from high school thought it could be because the body is reacting to the large amount of warmth leaving the body but, I don't know, it seems like it could be something else too. Any thoughts?

Or how about that muscle twitch/spasm that you can never see or catch in the mirror? Do you know what I'm talking about? Like, for me it occurs mostly when I'm changing clothes. For example, I'll be take off my shirt and without warning my Deltoid muscle will be twitching repeatedly, seemingly on a beat. And when I turn my head to look at head, it stops. Probably most infamous is the butt-cheek-twitch lol (I hope I'm not alone in this!) Ever have that? Where you can feel a butt cheek twitching? It happens to me when I'm changing, and when I try to catch it in the reflection of my mirror, whether very slow and cautiously or immediately, it just dies. Rarely have I ever caught a twitch and been able to watch it spasm out of my control. Some day...

What is it about Chai Tea Latte's that make them taste like Christmas? Know what I'm talkin' bout?

To Borrow

I'm going to explore something related to what I talked about in one of my first posts. Going off of talking about gift-giving, I want to move to the act of borrowing because it's something that I also personally see a lot of significance in the act that I don't think others necessarily recognize.

To me, the act of a person letting another borrow something of theirs is loaded with the value of trust. When Person B borrows an item from Person A, not only is Person A giving them the item itself but they’re also imparting upon them an amount of trust, trust that Person B will take care of their item but also trust that Person B will be responsible enough to return the item/favor. Whenever I borrow something from a friend, whenever I’m Person B, I make it a primary aim of mine to take care of the object even better then if it was my own because in letting me borrow from them, Person A is letting me know that they think that I am a trustworthy person and I don’t want to betray them or that thought.

I’ve had experiences where I let a friend borrow something from me only to have it returned in a less than reasonable condition. I would be mad not just because of the condition of the item but because I trusted my friend. As the trustee, when you betray the truster’s trust they’ve imbued upon you then in a way you’re also conveying to your truster that you don’t care. Of course, I don’t want to sound too sensitive or vulnerable; the degree of hurt caused is directly relative to the magnitude of the item/trust imparted on the trustee. So yes, if I let you borrow a pencil of mine and you break it, I won’t go to pieces and sob uncontrollably. However, I do still think it’s important that people realize just what is being said when someone let’s them borrow something.

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ANNOUNCER: Well, that's all for this entry. I hope you enjoyed the article and your time spent here. We here at no1important studios invite you to come again for another riveting entry. And remember, "Like it? Share it!" This is Jovan signing off, good morning. And, if I don't catch you later, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

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Meh, whatever

Well, I guess the time it's taken me to post something just goes to show you how valuable my word is, and how band my discipline and dedication is. I mean, this isn't homework, or work at all, but still I procrastinate and am for some reason unable to post stuff here.

In my last real post I blamed school and my move to Berkeley as the reasons why I hadn't posted anything, but really it was simply a huge dose of procrastination and fear. Initially when I started this blog I wanted to use it as a forum for me to initiate a dialogue, and also post my opinions, on pop culture items and topics and also more important social issues, everything from my opinion on Sony's decision to update the Spider-Man movie franchise to my opinion on California Proposition 8A. But, soon after creating the blog it soon daunted on me the amount of pressure I was creating for myself to compose such pieces. As you've seen from my previous posts "Gift-Giving" and "Why Manny Should Not Fight Mayweather", I give modestly lengthy articles and studies for the topics on which I have something to say, and I like to present them in a form and tone which is slightly more pedantic than casual conversation. Thus, even when writing about things I was hugely interested in and geekish about, it felt like I was writing academic essays, which even as an English Major at Berkeley I find burdensome (though once completed, somewhat cathartic).

I suppose what I'm trying to get to is I've resolved to not let that pressure get to me by deciding to not always try to make such an event out of every piece of writing, and to let my blog spout out more fun features. Hopefully, my word will hold this time and there won't be another two month break between this post and the next :)

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Well, that's all for this entry. I hope you enjoyed the article and your time spent here. We here at no1important studios invite you to come again for another riveting entry. And remember, "Like it? Share it!" This is Jovan signing off, good morning. And, if I don't catch you later, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

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Mini Mini-Blog: Strange Reality 2

Really, Nature? Really???


http://zombieresearch.net/2009/10/14/zombie-snail-spreads-infection/
How messed up is that? Parasites that cause snails to commit suicide...


http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/05/korea.baby.starved/
Just goes to show that humans are among Nature's most insane inventions too.

Forgive Me Nothingness

Damnit, I was hoping this wouldn't happen.

It's been nearly THREE weeks since my last entry and I haven't been focused on sustaining this blog. If it helps, within that time I moved to Berkeley, and started school there; It's my first time back in school after a year-long hiatus so I've been trying to concentrate on that a little, get my priorities straight (not that that's really helping). But, I PROMISE to get back in the saddle this weekend. I have dozens of ideas for articles but can never fully commit to sit down and writing them, maybe in fear of not doing them perfectly (I'm SO anal like that(yes, that was a lousy attempt at being funny because I'm 9 yrs. old and think saying "anal" is hilarious)). So yeah, wait patiently. I plan on writing a ton of articles at once so I can easily put them out at even intervals.

Mini-blog 3: Strange Reality

*UPDATE 3/8/10: Fixed the links :P

Nature sure is weird. So weird in fact, sometimes I wonder just what the hell it's thinking as it invents these things.

*Apologies in advance, for some reason blogspot isn't letting me link to the sites I have here. Copy and paste the addresses for now :\

A bird with a smiley face.

What's possibly stranger is that it's name is Superb Bird of Paradise (though, that's a stupidity committed by humanity).

These plants look like they came straight out of Super Mario World.
http://www.divinecaroline.com/22167/37205

Mega Cows
http://www.divinecaroline.com/22063/75623-gigantic-belgian-monster-cows
These cows have a naturally occurring mutation that gives them double the muscle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua
This parasite gets in a fish's mouth, atrophies it, and replaces its tongue. No joke.....a parasite designed to straight up crawl into a fish's mouth and replace it's tongue....

This spider doesn't look too weird, now, right?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traumatic_insemination
BUT, this particular species of spider reproduces basically through what we call "rape." This spider pierces the female's abdomen with its penis and impregnates her that way.


WTF Nature? What's wrong with you?

..cept maybe the muscle thing, that could be kinda cool.

Picture Time 1: If only...

[sigh] If only....

In 1985, TIME Magazine imagined what celebrities would look like by 2000. This is Michael, obviously. Look how pimp he would've been if he hadn't gotten all that surgery and turn into a alleged pedophile. He's got a real Lando thing going on lol

Mini-blog 2: Pringles

How do you eat Pringles? It seems the normal way is to place the chip so that it conforms with your tongue. But, I eat it so that the flavored side is placed down on my tongue. I mean, it seems like a no brainer to me. You can't taste the flavors if you eat it the "normal" way! Iono. Ridiculous.

Why Manny Should Not Fight Mayweather

I am by no means a boxing aficionado, so my opinion is primarily from a social perspective.

Right now, there is no greater Filipino, and arguably Asian, face in the social consciousness of the United States than Manny Pacquiao. In the past few years he’s been taking the boxing world by storm, and this past November Pacquiao cemented his status in the history of boxing by defeating Miguel Cotto and becoming the first and only boxer thus far to win seven world titles in seven different weight divisions. Now, it would not be unheard of to hear his name mentioned when the greatest boxers in history are discussed, alongside names like Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali.

Filipinos around the world had a new hero to be celebrate, and one whom we were immensely proud of. He became a paradigm of the rags to riches tale, a tale of great importance and meaning to the United States and especially, given their poor population, the Philippines. Pacquiao had broken through the Western barrier, earning their fame and recognition, in such a way that arguably no other Filipino had done before (Ernie Reyes Jr. maybe? lol). As for the Philippines, I doubt you could drive through Manila for more than three minutes without seeing Manny’s face plastered on an advertisement from one of his, presumably jillion, endorsements. Aside from just fighting for the Philippines, he finds time to act, sing, and is getting gradually more involved in politics, a field in which he plants to enter once retiring from boxing. The public persona of the Manny Pacquiao is getting larger and larger.

But in our passion for having such an epic hero represent us as never before, it seems to me that Filipinos are getting just the tiniest bit overzealous to the point of ignorance and arrogance. For quite a while now, a confrontation between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been one that has been insisted upon and ultimately brought to fruition by fans, one that I‘m a little scared for considering what the consequences could mean for our hero. Of course, there is reason to be that enthusiastic, in a sense. Manny has come off as nothing short of invincible from his numerous wins and now-legendary status in boxing. Why wouldn’t he win against Mayweather? Well, maybe because he’s just not good enough.

From my (honestly few) conversations about the bout, and from things I’ve over-heard from people in public places, despite Pacquiao’s talented power and speed, Mayweather is possibly superior, if only slightly, at both. And, combined with his naturally larger stature, shouldn’t this be something the Filipino community be concerned about? Is Pacquiao’s signature unorthodox boxing style enough to win?

As a supporter of Pacquiao, what is there to be gained from this fight with Mayweather? The victory would mean a lot more for Mayweather than it would for Pacquiao. For Mayweather, he would be the one to topple a living legend. What’s there for Pacquiao and his fans? To say that, “Hey, he beat this guy too.”? Is that enough for fans to risk a loss?

For me, it’s not just the fear that Pacquiao could lose that has me considering that the fight should not take place. As mentioned earlier, it’s the fallout. Sure, Pacquiao will still be in history, still be the one and only to win seven titles in seven weight divisions. But the loss that could occur would not just be a number on his record. Were it to occur, it would significantly diminish everything Pacquiao has accomplished thus far. Here you have a hero that has just accomplished so much in the boxing world, only to be knocked out as he has been put to the forefront of Western audiences. The fact that he’s won seven titles in seven divisions would be considerably devalued in a lot of people’s minds.

Even after all that, to me the most devastating thing to happen should Pacquiao lose is just how much the Filipino community will feel deflated after defeat. We would essentially have our country’s hero defeated. And when the world is as weary and depressing as it can always be (especially if you’re poor and living in the squatters of the Philippines, I assume), that’s one of the last things we need. Pacquiao, with his recognition and victories, his epitomizing the riches to rags tale, gives hope and pride to a population that rarely has such a figure for one. To me, it’s not worth it to risk a loss for our homeland’s hero just to say that he is also capable of defeating Mayweather. And it’s not even about win or loss. What’s important is not that Pacquiao win; What’s important is what Pacquiao represents to his people, and what we need as a community.

**for those who want a cheesy fan boy analogy, think of the end of The Dark Knight, except replace Batman running away as Pacquiao, and replace what Commissioner Gordon says with, “He’s not the hero we deserve, but the hero we need.”

:P I know, I’m a geek.