By Jason Webb

On the eve of the semifinals, I left the country for some work in Dallas for the NBA All-Star game.   It was a bittersweet moment for me since I was gearing up for a job of a lifetime of seeing my NBA idols in the flesh, but my trip would also entail me missing the entire semifinal schedule.

While the memory of the exciting PBA quarterfinals series was enough to entertain me through the 24-hour transit to my final destination, I was quite eager to get information about the results of the semifinal games upon touchdown.

Once we landed in Dallas on Wednesday (US Time), I quickly tried to locate an Internet provider to get some updates on the results of the first day of the semis.

I quickly realized that despite advances in technology, it was still difficult to grab real time information on the games.

Having been away for the first time during the most exciting part of the PBA schedule, I wasn’t prepared and didn’t have the knowledge on what Internet sites would best serve my purpose in getting information on the games or live streaming.

The best information I got was real time reports of the game courtesy of the social networking site, Twitter.

Following twitter maniacs like Patricia Hizon, Cesca Litton and Fidel Mangonon III gave me a keyhole view of the games’ action but it was still far from replicating the feel of a game seen through ones’ eyes.

The other problem with following the semis was the time difference.  Dallas is 10 hours behind and games were being played right around midnight all the way until early morning.

If not for the jetlag, which was my bedside companion, it was impossible to stay up and get fresh information of the games.

Before leaving the country, I assumed a very tough series for the Alaska-Barangay Ginebra affair while I thought that San Miguel had a huge advantage against Purefoods.  Apparently the only assumption I know is the location of the all-girl school in San Lorenzo.

The results were a total surprise to me.

It seemed each time I read the results through the PBA website and the Philippine dailies, I couldn’t help but ask myself how Alaska was able to manhandle Ginebra via a sweep and how Purefoods was able to win their series against San Miguel.

That’s the biggest difference of not having to see the real action of the games.  While the final score and newspaper report of the game can give you the synopsis of the game, it can never really speak to you like an actual game.

Alaska has been the team that has played the best basketball all season except for stumbling in the latter part of the elims but it was still surprising to see them sweep a very good team in Barangay Ginebra.  Sweeps don’t happen very often in the PBA, especially in a 7-game series.

Purefoods, on the other hand, stayed under the radar all season and seemingly just gets enough done to go to the next round.  They were almost upset by Rain or Shine in the quarterfinals, but it turned out that they were the team with an upset in their minds.  What was even more surprising for them was how they were able to get huge leads against a very strong San Miguel squad.

The experience of being away for the semis allowed me to see what some PBA fans outside the country go through.

And just like our “kababayans,” I also started to get homesick.  The one difference with me is that I have a much shorter fuse than most.  In just two weeks away, I was already looking forward to my favorite “tapsilog.”  I was craving for something Filipino while 10,000 miles away.

I was able to arrive Monday night just in time to watch the PBA Finals.

There is no place like home.

And in the Philippines, there is nothing that tells you your home, like tapsilog and the PBA.