Superbowl Sunday

I am not a football fan, but I do understand how the game is played, enough for me to keep up with what's going on. My interest increases as either of the Bay Area teams get to the playoffs, and even so if either one gets to the Super Bowl, like the San Francisco 49ers did.

There was a lot of hype in the last Super Bowl, especially since it is the 6th appearance of the 49ers. In addition, it was also coming off the heals of the San Francisco Giants' World Series championship. It was just a great experience for professional sports in the Bay Area.

Since the 49ers were playing, I wanted to watch the game. Then, of course, there were the commercials and the half time entertainment to look forward to. Surprisingly, with just a couple of days before D-day, I have not heard from friends wanting to watch the game. On the eve of, over casual conversation, a friend suggested that we watch the game. But who was hosting? After some ribbing, we volunteered.

Everything was last minute. I couldn't even decide on what food to prepare. All I knew was that I would have beer and chips at the very least. With this friend of ours, we invited a couple more families, but only one could make it at such a short notice. We ended with some Korean short ribs, grilled pork belly and beef, pancit palabok (a variety of Filipino noodles), and some veggies and dips. Of course, there were chips, salsa and guacamole as well. The beer of choice - Stella Artois.

The commercials were not bad. There were a couple of favorites and really funny ones. Then, there is the distasteful spot from Go Daddy. Beyonce's performance was good, too. And she did prove to everyone that she can sing, live.

Like most, we were shocked at what we saw during the first half of the game. But we had faith. After the power outage, things turned around. Everyone was shouting and cheering at each touchdown. My neighbors were probably wondering what was going on. In the dying minutes, we were at the edge of our seats. Then, the whistle blew. It was over. We were stunned, not because we lost. It was more about the plays that were made in the last 3-4 possessions. Personally, I felt that Kapernick should have run the ball himself on the left side (which was wide open in last couple of plays) for a touchdown. But he wasn't the coach. Game over.

It was a good game, and there were a lot more beers to finish. After a few, and some leftover adobo and rice, we called it a night. Maybe next year.

Note:  Author would like to acknowledge ABC (abclocal.go.com) for the photo used in this posting.