The NBA draft was last night. I felt that Chicago made the right decision in choosing Derrick Rose, as he has all the necessary skills to become a good point guard. I like his humble attitude and how he doesn’t mind not being ‘the man’ and knows when to distribute to his teammates and when to . He is very explosive off the dribble and will be a nightmare to guard in the NBA. His only supposed weakness is his shooting range, but that can usually be improved with more practice. But you can’t teach quickness and hops.

Michael Beasley went to Miami at No. 2. I think Michael Beasley will be a good player, but maybe not as good as everyone thinks. Although he’s listed at 6-10, he’s more like 6-8, according to the pre-draft workout records. I think he will be more like Carlos Boozer than a Tim Duncan. It made sense for Miami to choose Beasley since they’re desperate for rebounding and scoring, especially down low. Had the Heat chose O.J. Mayo, they would’ve had two combo guards in Dwyane Wade and O.J. Mayo. The overlap in talent, size, and skillsets would not benefit the Heat all that much, and the Heat’s number one priority is to win enough ballgames next season to keep Dwyane Wade from bolting to another team. So it was pretty clear from the get-go that Miami would take either Rose or Beasley, depending on who was still on board when it was their turn.

One team to be on the lookout in the next 2-3 years is the New Jersey Nets. They’re starting to put some good, young pieces in place (Devin Harris, Yi Jianlian, etc)and are primed to make more moves this offseason. With Jay-Z as a part-owner, and New Jersey/New York being a large media market, the Nets have the potential to attract either Lebron James or Dwyane Wade when these players become free agents.

Westbrook at No.4 surprised me a bit. Yeah, he has potential to be pretty good, but you’re going strictly on potential, I think. I hope he doesn’t turn into a Darius Miles or Jonathan Bender. Even though Westbrook did go to school.

With our credit crisis, I’ve been thinking about what we can learn from all all of this. Everyone knows that they shouldn’t buy what they can’t afford. Yet, many still do. What happens to those who’s house(s) have foreclosed? Where are they now? Why is it that everyone seems to believe that buying a house is always better than renting?

Fortunately, I haven’t spent beyond my means and have a modest amount saved up for cash flow, investments, retirement, etc, although I’m sure that I’ve made impulse buys here and there using my credit card. So I’ve been reading how some families have become financially successful by cutting out their credit cards. I don’t think I can totally part ways with plastic, but I could set some ground rules and learn to stick to them. Namely, only use credit card for gas, certain bills (e.g., cell phone plan), and groceries. I’ll take out a certain amount from the ATM every month and stick to a budget to monitor my expenses. I’ll use my debit card for all other necessary purchases. Every now and then, I can splurge, but it will definitely be less frequent than in the past.

After resisting for some time, I decided to give the more popular social media/networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace a try. I’m more of a blogger, so social networking/media sites such as Facebook or MySpace didn’t appeal to me at first. But b/c i’m in the business of understanding consumer behavior and web marketing, it’s important that I experience first-hand what others are experiencing instead of observing in the stands.

It’s interesting how these web 2.0 sites have made things more transparent (even if illusory) and are used for personal ‘branding’. I’m not nearly as paranoid about some personal info being leaked out to the public as I was before. After a week of using Facebook, I could see how this could be effectively used as a personal web portal to one’s blog, credentials, interests, and views, etc. Unless you have a popular blog that fetches a lot of visitors, it’s difficult for people to find you. People are more likely to remember a name through pics and by seeing that a friend has added another friend that you may know, you may be connected to that person again, if that is what you want, of course. In a way, Facebook will be used as a hub of my info (that i care to release out there anyway). It’s also interesting to see how companies such as Southwest and Kayak are using Facebook to market to their customers.

For lunch today, I made a “Recco” pasta sauce using curry powder, cumin, fresh basil, lemongrass, garlic, and goat cheese.

This recipe was inspired by the “Recco” pasta I had at Primi Urban Cafe in Saint Petersburg, FL. From the menu, it lists curry, basil, and garlic as some key ingredients. Since I love curry and basil flavors, I decided to experiment in making a similar dish.

Ingredients:

Fresh Basil (1.5 Tablespoons minced)
Fresh Lemongrass (1 Tablespoon minced)
Fresh Garlic (1 Tablespoon minced)
Curry powder (3 Tablespoons)
Cumin powder (1.5 Tablespoons)
Fresh Goat Cheese (1-2 Tablespoon).
1 jar (25oz) of spaghetti/pasta sauce.
Olive oil (2 Tablespoons)

Directions:

1. While waiting for the water for pasta to boil, mince the basil, lemongrass, and garlic.

2. Pour the spaghetti/pasta sauce in a saucepan, on medium heat. Add the minced basil, lemongrass, garlic, curry, and cumin. Also add olive oil. Stir and cover for a few minutes.

3. After a few minutes, add 1-2 Tablespoon of fresh goat cheese to the pasta sauce and mix well.

4. (optional) Add 1-2 Tablespoon of butter to pasta sauce and mix well.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Cost: $5-7 on average

Serves 2-3.