BUA has partnered with

Swoosh Basketball and Coops Life Skills

Swoosh Basketball is one of the largest basketball tournament management companies in the country. It has helped several hundred student athletes secure college scholarships, has close to 30,000 participants annually. Along with Basketball Universe Academy, Swoosh Basketball has partnered with others such as Nike, Disney, the LA Clippers, AEG (owners of the Staple Center) and many others.

www.swooshbasketball.com

Coops Life Skills is a youth enrichment program founded in 2007 by 5-time NBA champion and Los Angeles Lakers legend, Michael “Coop” Cooper and his son Michael Cooper II. CLS has a mission of enriching kid’s lives and building a better tomorrow. CLS address the alarming rise in obesity and other health and academic issues that disproportionately impact youth in disadvantaged communities across the country. Over 21,000 youth have participated in the CLS program since its founding in 2007.

www.coopslifeskills.com

"It is true that we are called to create a better world. But we are first of all called to a more immediate and exalted task: that of creating our own lives."

WORD OF THE DAY

Thomas Merton, Love & Living

We all Fall & We all Fail

Over the past years, I have struggled as an Artist, but most importantly, I have struggled more to stay alive, fighting away my Demons...

Sometimes, you ask yourself, 'What did I do to deserve this?'...I too, have asked that to myself over a million times, but I was not able to satisfy myself with the answers.

I was struggling with my addiction to alcohol for the past years, but now I am struggling with my addiction to be in Love... Hence ; Absinthe Diaries - Where emotional and physical aspects collide.

I have struggled to escape from the painful reality too many times and alcohol was my only way out from the mess.

If you had met me couple of years ago, there won't be a day where you would have seen me sober. But funny thing was, it was my prime time in my career as well, but sadly, I was not in the right state of mind to savour those moments...

I lost everything for I too, have failed...

My Journey

as an Artist

TATTOOS BY DIAMOND FANGS

Many of you already know that I been a Tattoo Artist for the past 6 years, running my own studio - Immortal Tattoos, Singapore since 2006...

But only an handful of you know that Immortal Tattoos, Singapore - have come to a closure with effect from June 13th 2012...

But that doesn't mean that I am leaving the Tattoo Industry, I am actually moving forward with this new change. It has been hard, letting go of something you worked for, but sometimes, we have to make that sacrifice.

I will be inking, hand in hand with my mentor, Carlston, at ACID CRUË - Peninsula Shopping Centre, 3 Coleman Street, #01-30, S(179804) as of the 16th of June 2012. 

Some of you might wonder, how different is Absinthe Diaries from my other BLOG - Well, in here, you will experience my Tattoo Works, Photography and my Personal Literature which revolves around my 'Psychotic' yet 'Artistic' nature of Life...

So brace yourselves, Ladies and Gentlemen...

ohhhhhhh

PICSSSSS

Epic. Epic Tom Hanks Photo.

So epic, it deserves 2...I mean 3 epics...or 4.

The Course Report

June 13th 2012

The weather has been fantastic - almost too good as the courses are probably in need of some rain but the greenkeepers have been working hard to keep everything in shape.

Last Friday was the first locals stableford comp. Results as follows;

Toshiko Makabe 45 (Free Pizza from Niseko Pizza)

Ross from Niseko Wine Supply 40

Papa Makabe 38

Mak 37

Perrin 34

Ian and John B 31

Jay from Jay Build 31

Ash 30

Russ 22

200,000 yen hole-in-one prize still up for grabs and the dash for the Hirafu season pass has begun!

Mak also took both long drive competitions for 2000 yen each. Here is a photo of his 320yd effort on the Par 6 10th hole.

And finally, if you haven't seen it, TW's chip at Memorial. Tiger is wearing red also, Maybe Mak is onto something....

Email me at [email protected] for this weeks comp on Friday morning - 1000 yen to take part - 200,000 yen and a season pass!

Marvel’s "The Avengers" is a global box-office sensation, but among studio executives, it’s being hailed as much as a triumph of smart dealmaking. After all, the famously frugal Marvel managed to corral six hot stars into one film without breaking the bank. But Robert Downey Jr., 47, seems to be the lone exception to Marvel’s strict cost controls.

According to multiple knowledgeable sources, Iron Man/Tony Stark is set for a highflying payday of about $50 million once box-office bonuses and backend compensation are factored in. (Two sources claim the number could go higher than $50 million once the ultimate box-office haul of "Avengers" is known, but another cautions that it could be years before the final number is known.) While on par with the upper echelon of franchise movie stars, that number blows away his superhero co-stars, all of whom will make a small fraction of Downey’s total, even as "Avengers" has a shot at topping the final "Harry Potter" film’s $1.32 billion global haul.

Why the difference? When Marvel’s "Iron Man" grossed a surprising $585 million worldwide in 2008, Downey’s reps at CAA and the Hansen Jacobson law firm renegotiated a deal to include what multiple sources say is a slice of Marvel’s revenue from future movies in which he plays Iron Man (one source puts it in the 5 percent to 7 percent range; another source disputes the percentage. Marvel and Downey’s reps declined comment).

As Marvel launched other hero pics that would lead up to "Avengers," the studio struck hard bargains. Two sources say Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo all signed on for small upfront fees and ultimately will make about $2 million to $3 million on "Avengers" with bonuses. Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson, who signed deals to pop up in several Marvel movies, are said to be making about twice that for "Avengers" with bonuses.

"Avengers" has become a global Goliath, passing the $1 billion milestone in just 19 days. If it passes the $1.32 billion of 2011's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," "Avengers" would become the third-highest-grossing film of all time, behind only James Cameron's double-whammy of "Avatar" ($2.8 billion) and "Titanic" ($2.2 billion, including grosses from the recent re-release). The Marvel film is distributed by Disney, which purchased the independent studio in 2009 for $4.3 billion.  

While Downey’s pay might seem high, it's not unheard of for stars with backend to collect super-rich paydays when their films become global smashes. Johnny Depp is said to have made at least $250 million from the four "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, and Forbes reported that director Michael Bay took home $80 million from the first "Transformers." (He likely made more than that for the sequels.)

At those rates, Downey almost seems cheap.

Robert Downey Jr. Making Super 

Money 

By Matthew Belloni, The Hollywood Reporter

Via: MSNBC 

FUNNY

AND 

INTERESTING  

FACTS 

ABOUT 

D

E

A

T

H

Via: YouCantCheatDeath

Via: You Can't Cheat Death 

Did you just get a new cell phone? Are you wondering what to do with the old one? Rather than adding it to your growing collection of unwanted mobile phones, recycle it!

In 2007, approximately 14 million Americans recycled their used cell phones. Today, donating or recycling cell phones, PDAs, chargers, and batteries has never been easier.

Donating your working cell phone or PDA can benefit your community. When cell phones and accessories are in good working order, some programs donate them to worthy charities or sell them at a discount to those in need.

Recycling cell phones helps the environment by saving energy and keeping usable materials out of landfills. Cell phones and PDAs are made of precious metals, copper, and plastics-all of which require energy to mine and manufacture. Recycling conserves these materials so they can be turned into new products.

Recycle Your Cell 

PHONES 

Where Can I Turn in My Cell Phone for Donation or Recycling?

Cell phone collection programs can be accessed from almost everywhere in the US. Many organizations, such as cell phone manufacturers, retailers, network carriers, charities, and state or local solid waste programs offer cell phone donation and recycling programs.

Drop It Off

Drop off your old cell phone, PDA, cell phone batteries, chargers, or other accessories at one of the retailers or service providers below. Visit the links for detailed drop-off and collection event information.

Mail It In

Mail in your old cell phone, PDA, cell phone batteries, chargers, or other accessories at one of the retailers or service providers below. Visit the links for detailed drop-off and collection event information.

Ever wonder how to get rid of your old cell phones? I know mine just sit around catching dust. Here is some real helpful info, I didn't even know you can drop off your old cell phones at Best Buy, crazy! 

Via: EPA 

Oriented


The short stomp to Miharashii leaves the crowds behind. Rasping breath, crunching snow, followed by the wind in the branches of a withered silver birch tree. The Japanese pop is fading into a distant, tinny rattle. The chirpy Japanese announcement as the gondola approaches, carries across the slope. Mamonaku shuten desu... I zip my jacket and click into my skis. The weave of my pole straps rubs across my gloves, and then I whump up and down. Jon is just starting to walk. He looks up to me and silently says go ahead.

I am between the family course and the Gondola. The chirpy Japanese girl has faded away, the music blaring over the piste is lost here, just a straining ear away. I hear the rumples of my jacket, the soft purr of fresh snow. Behind me the chirping, pinging ski slope is awash with New Year skiers, instructors barking at students in abrupt Japanese syllables. The low whine of a ski patrol snow mobile stops suddenly. Two more turns and I slide into silence. The sun appears as if waiting for everyone to shut up before joining the conversation, only to say nothing. My breath is sharp. The creak of my boots as I stretch, the awkward crack of my leather gloves when I flex my hands. No one is here. I choose my line and start a song in my head. My head bobs to the invisible tune and my knees start to bend. I am moving fast by the time the guitar starts and I have left the spontaneous whoosh of turns in between the knuckled, bare trees, the cloud and sound falling as I press on.

The last turns through the copse are exhilarating. I stop at the end of the run and look at the line, a treble clef dotted by trees, and wonder where the sound has gone. The blaring wind and shuddered breathing, a powder yelp somewhere near the first mushroom, left behind, hanging in the air, only to fall away like the settling powder.

Now it is silent. Maybe Jon will run into them on his way down. Maybe he will start his turns and rush head first through my breathless run.

I pole onto the family course and slice from silence to sound. The gondola is surrounded by shuttle buses and bilingual announcements about lift operations. I can hear the instructors, the ping, crowds. From sound to silence and back again.

www.niseko-wow.com

http://aavnews.uberflip.com/i/69506

"EN EL LIBRO 'THIS I BELIVE' HOMBRES Y MUJERES FAMOSOS COMPARTEN SUS FILOSOFIAS COMENZANDO CON LA FRASE "CREO' ...ASI QUE ME PREGUNTO, QUE ES LO QUE YO CREO? QUE ES IMPORTANTE PARA MI? PUEDE QUE SEA EL AMOR DE FAMILIARES Y AMIGOS O EL ORGULLO QUE SIENTO POR EL LUGAR DONDE VIVO O EL TRABAJO QUE DESEMPENO.

AUNQUE MUCHAS COSAS SON IMPORTANTES PARA MI, LO MAS PRECIADO ES MI FE EN EL PODER Y LA PRESENCIA DE DIOS. ESTA FE ES LA BASE DE MI VIDA.

ES EL LUGAR DONDE COMIENZO Y TERMINO CADA DIA. CIERRO LOS OJOS PARA ORAR, RESPIRO PROFUNDAMENTE Y DESCANSO EN UNA CONCIENCIA DE LA PRESENCIA DE DIOS.

EN ESTA UNIDAD CON MI CREADOR, SIENTO ALIVIO, FORTALEZA, PODER Y VIDA NUEVA. CREO EN LA PRESENCIA DE DIOS EN MI. ESTOY EN PAZ."

Creer

LA PALABRA DIARIA