John Elway - So Good For So Long

My appreciation for American Football started in 1987 when I was in 4th Grade. My elder brother, Jason, who was in high school then, would only go home during weekends and loved to watch sports shows while he's having a good massage from our dad.

Being an 11 year old boy, I would rather watch cartoons more than anything else which we, my siblings would fight for the television tuner. My brother, being an athletic teenager, always brought home MVP medals from different sports he joined in school. He then became my idol that whatever shows his watching, I see to it that I understand whatever it was, how to score, the name of the plays and the players. One great thing I admire from him is that he loves all sports events. And often times, during championships, he cheered for the underdogs except for local pro-basketball (PBA), where he and the whole family is a die-hard Jaworski fan who wore jersey 7 for Ginebra San Miguel.

One Sunday morning my brother requested to watch the football game and I got intrigued by way the game is being played unlike from any sports I've seen so I also watched the games even when he's not around. What caught my attention during his visits was the NFL Denver Broncos Quarterback, John Elway who also wore jersey number 7. Being a new fan of NFL, I didn't realized that this guy will be my idol too but not until my senior year in college when he won his first Super Bowl. And repeated the feat the following year and ended his career on top with two rings and an MVP award.

In 2005, I bought this McFarlane’s 12 inches figure of Elway. For me, he’s one of the greatest QB I’ve seen because I've seen him in his "The Drive" season when I was a kid and seen him at the end of his career a decade later.

And I can never be happier when I saw and bought an SI 2004 Hall of Fame edition from a small local bookshop entitled: “A Tribute to John Elway, So Good for So Long” where the cover photo is very similar to my McFarlane collectible.

Wayne Gretzky - The Great One

In 2004, my wife and I went to Toronto from Ottawa for a 2-day trip to visit her mom's childhood bestfriends before heading to LA. Kuya Abel drove us after dinner for a City tour and asked me if I know Wayne Gretzky or any NHL player. I told him that I'm not familiar with the name and only knew about the Disney's Mighty Ducks movies.

So he told us about him and that Gretzky's Restaurant is on our way but its already closed so I hurriedly took a shot. It's blurry but it's the closest thing that I can be with the greatest hockey player. He said if we've stayed longer, he'll take us there and the food are great also.

In 2005, I bought a 12' McFarlane figure of Gretzky in Kings uniform from Amazon. This year, he bought two more figures, one in his Oilers team and second in Rangers' uniform.

In 2007, I bought the ESPN's DVD of Gretzky in LA but our friends Jack and Niel insisted that they'll pay for it as a Christmas gift for me. So the following morning before my flight to DC at 9PM while waiting for the FedEx delivery of my NBA ticket at the Verizon for the Wizards-Phoenix game, I watched the DVD and was mesmerized by his story as a hockey legend.

Great Experience. Great Figure. Great Gift. Great One!

Ghost Fighter (Yu Yu Hakusho) Action Figures Collection Completed

After two years of non-stop search for Hiei (Vincent), he finally showed up and I did not, could not, give him any tiny bit of chance of hiding again...

Though it cost me a bit much than a regular stuff, for me, of course, it’s so much worth it! Imagine looking for it in every store, local and international, web and underground, even the smallest of toy sellers in the street I would always ask for it but in the end, nothing, nada, NO LUCK!

And from the bountiful jungle of the Amazon, somebody mistakenly made the righteous decision to let it flaunt and allow me peek and seize it. So I can say it’s a destiny for the four of them to be reunited in one box one room…

So the time has come for me to move on and start searching for series number two…

What's in the bag?

Are you wondering why I am all smiles in this picture?


It is because this is what is inside the bag:


I wanted to buy this here in Manila for the longest time now but I find it so expensive. That is why when I saw the Ferrari store in Venice, I did not miss the opportunity of checking out what I can bring home to Manila.

I just want to buy something cheap really but my wife convinced me that I should get what I really want as we never know when we can go back in Italy. And since Ferrari is from Italy, prices here are definitely much cheaper (half of the price if I will buy it here in Manila).

And I am glad I decided to bring this precious home (even if I paid Euro 22 in excess baggage when we took a domestic flight from Rome to Paris. LOL) as it is all worth it.

Michael Jordan and the Bulls - 90's Dynasty

I have lesser words to say about “His Airness” and the Bulls for it have been shown and written a million times.

What I can do is share them to you in a package. The answer to the question why we rarely see MJ’s figures is because he is basically tied-up with Upper Deck and he’s now one of their executives.

Upper Deck released several MJ figures but one stands out, his 1998 Finals winning last shot against Russell of Utah after stealing the ball from Malone. The Dynasty DVD set a complete compilation of one of the greatest franchise in NBA history capturing 6 titles in 8 years.

Included also is MJ’s 11 inches standee when he collected the 3rd leading scorer in NBA history on Dec 9, 1997 against the Knicks in New York. Also included is a rare 14”x20” poster of the first three championships featuring John Paxson, Scottie Pippen, BJ Armstrong, Horace Grant and Michael Jordan.

Wilton “Wilt the Stilt” Chamberlain

Few athletes have ever reached the level of domination that Wilt Chamberlain achieved throughout his basketball career. He is one of only two players who have scored more than 30,000 points in an NBA career.

On March 2, 1962, he scored 100 points against New York, a mark that has withstood the test of time.

Included is an 8.5”x14” wooden frame of his stats and his legendary story as an offensive force second to none.

The Legacy of Julius “Dr. J” Erving

When all young players are referring to as “wannabelikemike”, Michael Jordan on the other hand is dreaming of “wannabelikedoc” in his teens.

There will never be another Jordan with his phenomenal success on and off court but there will always be a standard bearer for revolutionizing the modern basketball with creativity and physical prowess: Dr. J.

Included is a jersey made by Allandale (Recto’s Finest in the 80’s and 90’s) with same color as the McFarlane Legend series 1 figure.

Wayne Gretzky "The Great One" 12" Collections

October 15,1989: Wayne Gretzky scores in Edmonton with 53 seconds remaining to become the all-time scoring leader with 1,851 points. This moment has been captured by this figure raising his both hands with his stick on his right.

Wayne Gretzky held or shared 61 NHL records upon his retirement on April 18, 1999, including 40 regular season records, 15 playoff records, and 6 all-star records. With unprecedented 2,857 career points.

He won nine Hart Trophies, the NHL's most valuable player award, and eight of these were awarded in consecutive years from 1980–87. Gretzky holds the record for most MVP awards of any player in North American professional sports.

Included in the set is ESPN's Sports Century Greatest Athletes DVD featuring the rise of the greatest hocky player to ever hit the ice: Wayne Gretzky. More gifted than anyone before or since as he shattered records and changed the game.

Phoenix Suns' Legendary Run n’ Gun Era

Who could ever forget this era in the Phoenix Suns’ history which brought full packed crowd in every game and every city they went.

Even I was privilege enough to see them play in Washington which they made it a no-contest even at the end of two quarters. But as fast as they were, their legendary games will always be remembered as one of the celebrated moments in NBA with their last seconds’ heroics and a barrage of threes and magnificent passes.

This set features Shawn Marion “The Matrix” one of the best two figures ever made by McFarlane (another is Vince Carter's) with full facial expression of his intensity in the game with an unconventional shooting release. This figure took me a while to find.

Amare Stoudemire is the first Rookie of the Year awardee out of high school in 2003 beating Yao and followed by Lebron the following year out from high school. A perennial force of this era until his knee injury in 2005 but bounced back like a rookie with his tremendous dunks the following season.

Steve Nash, one of the greatest point guards ever played and still active with back-to-back MVP awards that can only be compared to Magic and Jordan at guard position. He is the reincarnation of Pistol Pete in ball-handling and shooting but in an era of so many defense strategists that guard him.

Above is a wooden frame of his first MVP highlights which I made in 2005.

Emmitt Smith "Greatest Running Back"

All time NFL leading rusher, he's won all the major awards in the sport including three Super Bowl rings, regular MVP, Super Bowl MVP and rushing crown and even in a dancing contest “Dancing with the Stars”. A rare 12 inches collection of one of NFL’s greatest running backs made by McFarlane. This box is a limited edition and never been opened.

Ghost Fighter Action Figures without Vincent (Hiei)

Are you a ghost fighter fan? If you own a Vincent figure, I might want to buy it since I already have Eugene, Dennis and Alfred.

Back in college, my best friend used to go home early on Wednesdays which is uncommon since we used to play cards all the time behind the walls of Intramuros. One time, I went with him and found out that their house is full packed with his cousins and brothers and their friends watching Ghost Fighter on channel 13.

Here I found out that he’s addicted to this anime series translated in Tagalog which in time has attracted me as well. I used to watch similar genre way back in grade school but that has change during my high school days where I’m into action-adventure-sci-fi type.

Yu Yu Hakusho (Ghost Files) is a Japanese manga series original during the 90's and conquered the Filipino kids in the late 90's. I never got to finish the last few episodes since I got preoccupied again with other stuff but I got the means now to buy the complete movie, perhaps this coming year and if lucky enough somebody would sell me Vincent. Please !!!

UPDATE: I've finally found Hiei! Click here.

The Coolest Site for FPJ Fanatics

I'm so happy yesterday because I found the coolest site that I'm pretty sure will forever be a fan of. Being one of the millions of FPJ fanatics, finally, somebody has shared tons of great images, stories and memorabilias of the “King” of Philippine movies.

Simon Santos of Video48 has created a blogsite that you would not want to miss visiting everyday and even just clicking on an image will surely suffice your day. For me, I’m proud to say that being a Filipino is also being an FPJ-Die-Hard...

I have a small collection also of his movies, photos and posters but Mon has a monumental compilation that he shares wholeheartedly to us. And if you’ll visit this site, it is only fitting to give him that respect in using his resources.

And as I said, being so excited and all, I’m still awake until 2AM just to join his trivia contest on Da-King’s movie life. And today, he sent me an email that I won one of the five shirts with FPJ on it. Can’t wait to go at his shop but I’m stuck with work so maybe this Saturday, I’ll drop by and perhaps buy more stuffs…

Here is my prize from Mon. You can visit him in this site FPJ-Da King and be amazed by his collections.

Batista - A Box in a Man's Heart

Imagine a professional wrestler holding a lunch box in his hands and not to mention, a Superstar status. How about finding a wall full of these collectibles in his house…

What would you say to him?

If you’ll ask me, I might laugh and would ask “What the??????????” But on second thought, I‘d be appreciative coz I’m a collector too in my modest way.

Whatever it is that made you collect things is a personal bond which has a deeper meaning in your life. I also have a friend who’s a National Artist who also loves to collect these boxes which he carries to office for his lunch…

I remember Batista in an interview with Mel & Joey and he’s still looking for the original box of Starsky and Hutch movie box and hopefully somebody would sell it to him…

Here’s what my impression of a true lunch box collector…

Batista - The Flag Bearer

I was once a wrestling fan, in my teenage years, my dad loves to watch boxing and wrestling. So thus the family especially when Filipino boxers are on the ring.

In high school, we used to hang out at our classmate Richard Agojo's house just to watch WWF and we'd go home late because we watched about 2 to 3 tapes of wrestling fights. Just recently, this friend of ours just been promoted to Captain in the Army so congrats to you Sir!

While we Filipinos are known to the Boxing World as one of the great boxers’ producer, we’ve never seen a superstar wrestling from our bloodline until Batista came.

Few weeks ago, I saw a sale of Dave Batista's action figure by Jakks so I bought it. Not too intricate compared to McFarlane or Neca toys but it’s a great figure especially the flag tattoo in his arm making him a much love by Filipinos as shown when he came here…

Spiderman - Reprised

As I’ve said before, "Someday, I’m gonna paint Spidey’s backboard with a lighter color." Well, guess what, I don’t have to wait any longer. My father-in-law did it for me…

Criticism spread fast in our house on Spidey’s visibility against its background, so I told them that I’m going to repaint it with a lighter one so he’ll be seen even from afar. On Monday while we’re having our dinner, Dad asked me if it’s alright if he’ll be the one to do the painting and I said yes rightaway...

He loves to paint and here’s the result with him shaking hands with Spidey below…

Thanks, Daddy Ben! This is way too cool!

Spiderman - Out of the Box, Pinned on A Dart Board

In 2004, I saw an extraordinary toy in Toy Kingdom at Robinson's Place Manila and it was one of the best Spiderman toy I’ve ever seen locally. It's a bit expensive for my budget so I just let it go...

After a week, I went back to the store and noticed that they are on sale so I hurriedly look for it and guess what; it's on 50% off. So I bought it right away and even share this info to my officemates Tonton and Ryan and they bought it too...

I kept it in the box for years until today, we were cleaning our office area and my former supervisor, Alex, left his Dart board before migrating to the States. It’s an old board but with many memories for him so instead of throwing it, I said I’ll take it. Then suddenly I remember Spidey because I was cleaning my house last weekend and notice that I’ve forgotten to put my collections in a glass cabinet which I originally planned but our house is not that big so I just stack them up.

I’m planning to repaint it with light color and draw a web along the board’s lines but I guess that will take me another more months. I’m too busy right now with work.

It has 67 points of articulation and measured about 18 inches tall from ToyBiz. The colors are great and the best thing about it is that you can really manipulate even the smallest finger’s joint. I wanna share it with you thru the pictures I’ve taken today…