Spare tire

Keeping a spare tire for the car is a good practice. It’s like maintaining a buffer for whatever wicked thing that can happen to one of the tires. A few weeks after I purchased my car Britney, I was unfortunate enough to be a victim of those vulcanizing shops who place tacks near their vicinity so they can have instant clients. Good thing brand new cars have spare tires kept in their trunks. Thus, I was early to realize the benefit of a spare tire.

If we contextualize spare tires to people, that would be a different story. Regrettable enough, I had recently been used as a spare tire of someone. You’ll get what I mean, shortly.

WARNING: The following sentences contain too much drama and raving, and they can “violate” you.

So my friends and I went out on a Thursday night to send off one of my closest buddies who will be then flying to the States for a 6-month work assignment. We went to this gay club in Malate where I met a guy. He is cute and attractive, and we had on-the-spot chemistry. We were talking about stuff, until he suddenly confessed to me that he has a boyfriend, whom he is living with.

Reality check: I was flirting with a committed guy who just sneaked out from the place he is sharing with his lover to go clubbing and meet some people. But what the hell, I still entertained him anyway. And we exchanged digits!

We started texting so that we can get to know more things about each other. Until one day, his boyfriend caught him. But we managed to continue our communication through some weirdly funny codes, so I would know if it’s him who’s texting; otherwise, it’s his boyfriend using his phone to nose about me.

I asked him out so he would see the real odd person that I am. I asked him to join me in one of the activities that I love doing alone. I guess he liked that idea of our date, and I was starting to like him. As I was about to drop him off, I asked a kiss from him, which he obliged. It was a totally bad idea, as things were never the same after that moment. I knew I was beginning to fall for him.

I thought things were happening to my favor as I learned that he broke up with his partner and moved out of their apartment. I took advantage of the situation and invited him as a “plus one” to a friend’s party. I was happy that he mingled well with my friends. My friends actually felt that he is becoming assimilated into our circle. Everything went pretty much well, and hot, and the rest is history. His lovemaking words were so promising that it gave me a spark of hope that there could be an “us” in the near future.

One very busy and stressful day in the office, I received a text from him implying that he and his ex-boyfriend patched things up and got back together. It suddenly dawned to me that I was just used as a spare tire – a comfort person during trying times who can be disposed off easily. I couldn’t blame him alone, because I allowed him to exploit me. I admit I was teary-eyed, and it totally ruined my day.

Looking back, I realized that it wouldn’t have worked out easily between the two of us because we started out as an act of cheating, to be blunt about it. Maybe they really love one another and I was just a hurtful phase in their more-than-a-year relationship.

So here I am, back to my cynical and jaded self. It’s not like I’m gonna go emo over this. Putting everything into words indeed helped a lot. Some things are just not meant to be.

Weekends

I'm starting to believe that weekends are just hallucinations, an imaginary oasis, a dream, a temporary state of happiness. Everyone looks forward to it. And when that time of the week comes, everyone is happy. People go out. Shop. Have dinner. Have a couple of drinks. Party. Get drunk. Go wasted. Go out of town. Splurge. But when it's Monday again, it's reality check. More like a reality bite - realizing how much one has spent during the weekends leaving none for the coming week. Everyone should go back to school or work, seeing the evil grin and hearing the demonic laugh of the 5 days waiting to stress one out. And the cycle goes on. And on.

What happens in Vegas

"What happens in Vegas" is a romantic-comedy film about two strangers, Joy McNally, a girl who was recently dumped by his ex-fiance (played by Cameron Diaz) and Jack Fuller, a guy who just got fired (Ashton Kutcher), who met in Las Vegas after the hotel receptionist accidentally booked them in the same room. They shared a night full of gambling, drinking, dancing, partying and oops! - instant marriage?!

They woke up sober and realized the mess they just made. After a heated discussion about divorce, Joy gave Jack a quarter which the latter inserted into the slot machine. Surprisingly, the drop resulted into a jackpot, making Jack win the $3,000,000 prize. Joy now fights with Jack over the prize, claiming they're now married and should be sharing the prize. They even brought their case to court which resulted into the judge being disgusted with them and sentencing them to a 6-month of living together to try make their marriage work out before deciding on how they should split the pot.

It is just funny how the movie progressed as the couple tried to outwit each other into proving that one is a better husband or wife than the other. I guess the main conflict came in when they realized that they are falling in love with each other after all the nasty things they have done. The ending, I should say, is just right - no overkill as opposed to most Hollywood flicks. It was touching and sincere, and I should commend Diaz and Kutcher for good characterization.

I just couldn't believe why this film was underrated by critics. Overall, the movie is both funny and heartwarming, and I regret the fact that I have just watched it last night when this movie was released last 2008!

My rating: 75%

Drunk texting, drunk calling

The semi-uncontrollable habit of texting or calling someone when you're drunk is far more dangerous than drunk driving, I suppose. If you're drunk-driving, the consequence can only be a one-off thing - death. But if you're drunk texting or calling, the consequences of the things you can say can be very grave - to the point you'll wish you'd die instantly, but you won't!

Just recently, I got buzzed with drinking different kinds of mixed drinks and stupidly decided to drunk-call someone from my past (and skipped the drunk-texting part!). Good thing his phone didn't ring and I just got the recorded voice message "The number you have dialed is either unattended or out of coverage area." - or I could have said some pathetic stuff that will totally ruin my past decision that I stood strong with. Looking back, I realized that I had nothing to say to him in the first place (or so I thought)! I am very thankful that I was then so weak and lazy to text him after the failed call attempt. Relief!

Next time I feel like I'm starting to get possessed by alcohol, I will turn off my phone. This is madness, and it should never happen again!

Preferences

Most of the time, I can't help but ignore some people because they did/do not meet my expectations and preferences. Perhaps it's true that we all have our biases and prejudices. I suddenly recalled the song from the Tony Award winning musical Avenue Q entitled "Everyone's a little bit racist", with some lines that go like:

Everyone's a little bit racist
Sometimes.
Doesn't mean we go
Around committing hate crimes.
Look around and you will find
No one's really color blind.
Maybe it's a fact
We all should face
Everyone makes judgments
Based on race.

Ethinic jokes might be uncouth,
But you laugh because
They're based on truth.
Don't take them as
Personal attacks.
Everyone enjoys them -
So relax!

If we all could just admit
That we are racist a little bit,
Even though we all know
That it's wrong,
Maybe it would help us
Get along.

Everyone's a little bit racist
It's true.
But everyone is just about
As racist as you!
If we all could just admit
That we are racist a little bit,
And everyone stopped being
So PC
Maybe we could live in -
Harmony! 

Well I guess you can't blame me if I consider certain features of a person before deciding whether I should go out with him or not. It's simply called preferences. I'm not the only person who has that - all people have these criteria in their minds. And some people can be really very choosy even if their looks suggest they shouldn't! So what the heck!?

Team building

Team building, in its most literal sense, means building a team. This requires not just building rapport and camaraderie, but also improving relationships and trust amongst each other, especially in a corporate setup. It may be a one, two or three-day event, but participants should remember that the lessons learned should not end with the event. It should be applied to the daily work environment or every penny spent on organizing the whole activity is just put to waste.

Our department had an overnight team building event last 18-19 June 2010 at the Forest Club in Laguna. To say that the group activities were tiring is an understatement. Nonetheless, we had fun and the tasks brought out the best in us. We also learned to overcome our fears and discovered some pretty interesting stuff about people we don't usually hang out with in the office. I think this is nice, especially when you already had some impression (or should I say judgement) of a certain colleague from a work-related interaction. It helps you understand why a person acts in a certain way and makes you feel comfortable about it.

The most exciting part was the evening party where lots of booze were served. There were no walls. Everyone showed one's true colors. As the saying goes, in vino veritas - in wine there is truth. People began sharing their problems, their strong opinions on some matters, and even their nastiest secrets. Until everyone went to bed or was brought to bed after passing out!

Even though there were no verbal discussions of the lessons learned, I believe (and hope) we are mature enough to have realized those things. I just hope that the cracks on the wall can still be re-painted so that we can be on the right track to our goal of being one.

No dramas please

Sometimes I wonder - Do some people really mean to unleash their highly personal dramas unto others - like unto perfect strangers they barely even know? Do they really think it's fine to do that?

Okay I'll be specific. There's some people I meet (whether online or in the real world) who suddenly (out of nowhere) talks to me about some problems with either family, work, friends, finances or whatever. I have to be honest - I can't help but be turned off by this. I don't mean to be mean or something, but I think it's pretty un-cool to share those stuff no matter how important that is, to people you're supposed to show a good impression to.

If one has some pretty nasty issues, I believe it's not a good time for one to mingle with others and infect them with those. It's just not right to ruin someone else's day just because one's life is messed up. Or if one is really that desperate to go out with other people, I reckon it's but fair to at least carry one's self as a clean slate - no dramas. Or at least hide them in the meantime. If this is not possible - better fix them first.

Street signs

Oh my gosh! I just saw this sign along Baclaran while driving. The traffic was kinda heavy, so I had the chance to take this picture. It seems the MMDA is really serious in warning people of the risks of jaywalking. But I think instead of posting signs like this, the government should just build fences along the island so that no one can cross the street at all. For me, it’s a better strategy than posting signs like this that are so straightforward and unprofessional-sounding.

English translation: No pedestrian crossing. Someone already died here.
11 June 2010

Sex and the city 2

I just saw Sex and the City 2 last night at Alabang Town Center with one of my lady BFFs, Marlin. I know… I watched it late and I think I kind of regret having watched it on big screen. Don’t get me wrong – I loved the series but the movie’s quality is, sad to say, of “series quality” and I found it racist and culturally disrespectful.

It was just another day in the life of the four women in New York City. So TV series! Nothing new. What made it “special” was the gay wedding and the all-expense paid trip to Abu Dhabi which eventually turned into total chaos, thanks to Samantha’s promiscuity feats and the 4 women’s cultural violations.

I don’t even dig why the Abu Dhabi government allowed the whole cast and crew to film in their country without even checking the storyline and script. It is totally shameful to see liberated American women (or should I say girls) going into a different world and seem to dictate how they should live their daily lives. They were suggesting that the whole Islam culture is so wrong and that everything from the burka to the no-making-out-in-public law should be scrapped. This movie simply affirmed to the world how nosy Americans can get and how rogue-like they act towards other countries. Definitely disappointing.

And in an attempt to hype up the film, Liza Minelli, Miley Cyrus and Penelope Cruz were cast as extras. This couldn’t get any more desperate.

I can frankly say that this movie has no substance at all – just cool dresses, shoes, accessories, cocktails, parties. And it was just another payday for all cast and crew after getting money out of millions of audiences around the world who were tricked into watching this crap. No brainer. Believe me. Or better yet, see for yourself and be sorry as I am.

15 June 2010

My rating: 50%

Strangers. Reason.

The world is indeed a jungle full of strangers. It’s really amazing how a simple decision of going to this place instead of this other place goes a level higher when you meet someone that changes your life. This alone makes me think that everything happens for a reason. Yeah, I know I lack coherence, but I’m sure this makes sense.
7 June 2010

Alter ego

Most people think that my life is an open book. But only a handful know about my alter ego - my shadow that lurks under the moonlight, ready to devour an unsuspecting prey. Yes, there are just some things I do not divulge. Everybody keeps secrets. I do. And I know you do too.

7 June 2010

Asshole

What do you call someone who gives you flowers with a note “I love you. Goodbye.”?
26 May 2010

Bears

I just realized that there are still stuffed toys beside my TV. I know their stories, where they came from. But I feel nothing. At all.
29 May 2010

Life

Life is too short. No time to waste. Party all the time.
Photo taken at Mikko’s Bar, White Beach, Puerto Galera (15 May 2010).
26 May 2010

CamSur nightmare

Quoting Maryflor: “Ang CamSur ay parang etong halo-halong kinakain ko. Mukhang masarap pero kulang pala sa gatas at asukal pagkatapos kong tikman.” Funny metaphor but true.
This is a documented ranting of our trip to Camarines Sur last 16-18 April 2010.
Personally, I consider travelling to Bicol by land as a very stressful event in itself. Then going through all the hassle we’ve been through totally turned our vacation into an almost mayhem. Or we could simply be just maarte. Or poor – because we couldn’t afford a plane ticket (at least just at that period). Or lazy to book plane tickets for everyone. Whatever.
We left Manila (Makati to be exact) at around 11pm and did a late dinner stopover at Shell SLEX at around 12mn. The land trip was excruciatingly long. I fell asleep when we passed by Quezon’s first town. I am a “masa” (masandal tulog) type of passenger so I’m pretty sure that I slept for quite a long time. But when I woke up, alas, we’re still in Quezon! And that was not the last town yet. I felt frustrated and I lost my urge to sleep. But due to tiredness, I fell asleep again.

We left Manila at midnight. But that time, the sun was already shining in the sky and we are still on the road going to Sabang Port, where we were supposed to ride a boat to the Caramoan peninsula.

Upon seeing the public transpo boat at the port, we decided to take a private boat instead. It was quite hard to get in the public boat, because we would have to soak ourselves in the water just to be able to hop in. Some boatmen offered a private boat for a pretty expensive price.

But wait! There’s more! They charged us for carrying us (our bodies) and bags from the bank to their boat. When we were about to head for the peninsula, we discovered that there was a ramp (hidden from our sight) that should have allowed us to get in the boat without them carrying us – without the need to pay them additional fees! So much for moneymaking.

To add more to our pissed mood, the boatmen told us upon arriving near the Caramoan port that they could not park the boat because it was low tide. Out of the blue came some small boats that would take us from our private boat to the shore – for another fee! The situation was so infuriating that my colleague, Maryflor (who is a very uncomplaining sweet girl) exploded and said “Kuya pineperahan niyo lang kami eh!” From then on, so many heated comments came from everyone until the boatmen decided to park the boat. In other words, the boat can still be parked even when it’s lowtide. It’s all for the revenue!

The land trip from the port to the Villa took 15-minutes along rough roads.

One of my colleagues booked an inn (Villa Caramoan) where we will be staying. By the looks of it via the photos in their website, the place seemed promising. But when we got there, it was different. In fact, it didn’t even have similarities at all with the website pictures. So we complained. But in the end, we still paid for it with the agreed (note: pricey) rates.

From the villa, we did another 15-minute road trip to the shore for our island-hopping. Good thing the islets were damn beautiful to ease away all the bad vibes we’ve been through. Sad part is – we were not able to visit the most beautiful islands because the production team of Survivor Israel was shooting their episodes that time.

The food was bland. Nothing special. We enjoyed our booze and chips more. Our night activity (Pinoy Henyo) was so much fun.

We left Caramoan the next day and headed back to Pili to visit the CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC). It appeared to be a pretty fine tourist attraction. True enough, there were many foreigners when we got there.

We were very hungry when we arrived so we headed straight to the restaurant. We called the waiters several times (read: for 30 minutes) for the menu but they just kept on saying “yes” without returning to our table with a menu. We even overheard a woman at the other table complaining that it’s been an hour but their food was not yet served.

With that, we decided to eat somewhere and just go back after. Our extreme starvation brought us to a bus stopover cafeteria. Food was cheap and okay. Satisfied and full, we went back to CWC. Some of us tried wakeboarding, some went swimming while I and Ivy decided to just chill and get some cocktails and snacks.

CWC is a cool place. It has world-class wakeboarding facilities, sophisticated water activities amenities, skateboarding park, cute villas, among others. Unfortunately, they offer bad service, for some reason. Apparently, the waiters have preference to foreign guests in terms of service over Filipino guests which is so colonial mentality-ish and racist!

Tourist destinations like CWC should focus on improving customer service because in the end, it is what will leave a lasting impression on guests.

We left CamSur in the evening for another agonizingly extensive journey back to Manila.

25 May 2010

Happiness

I’m glad I realized that happiness can be found anywhere. Before, I thought it could only be achieved by following the conventional formula of getting a job, getting married, having kids and raising them, retiring and eventually dying peacefully.

But then as I grew up, I started to accept that I am different. Life experiences taught me that bliss can be much cherished from the simplest and weirdest of things - walking alone, enjoying my favorite meal, sharing the table with family and friends, driving during wee hours, listening to the songs of my life, crying, and even waking up in the arms of a stranger.

It’s all about recognition of the moment’s pleasure and keeping it in your heart to complete yourself - without the need to find someone else to fill your heart with happiness.

25 May 2010

Bangkok

You are one of my favorite cities in the world. I’d love to visit you again, but not when there’s blood on your streets.

25 May 2010

Kick Ass

Kick Ass, a fiction movie about a high school student who finally decided to become a superhero and lost his values and principles along the way, is quite entertaining. Thanks to the infused comedy, special effects and sophisticated fight scenes.

But it ends there. It is not a good movie for minors. In the Philippines, it was rated R-13 by the movie censorship board. Are they kidding me? There’s too much brutal violence, gore, swearing, sexual content and drug use for a 13-year old to see!

Shockingly, a character named Hit Girl, an 11-year old girl trained by her ex-policeman/convict father to become a female hitman, contributed much to the viciousness of the film. What impression does this give to children? That killing in a ferocious way is fun and cool?

I’m not playing mother goose with this commentary. I have to admit that I found the film a masterpiece. But giving this a censorship access to naive and hazy minds would cause detriments.

Immature eyes easily accept things as suitable. There has been a major loss of values in the present generation of youth. Feeding them with works of art as “mature” as this makes the road to maturity head downhill.

25 May 2010

My rating: 70%

i welcome myself to blogspot

I finally decided to transfer my blog of random thoughts from tumblr to blogger. My photo albums, videos and other social networking shit would still remain in Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/vinci.mendoza), and my nonsense blah-blahs will remain in Twitter (http://twitter.com/vincimendoza).
24 May 2010