Inside The Mind of a Single Guy

A friend told me last night that any scene involving a father and his child would always unleash a flash flood of memories, instantly turn her eyes into a leaking faucet as it reminds her of her closeness with her late Dad, whom she misses very much. And the thing that instantly popped into my mind during that online conversation was… KODAK!

Oh yes, I am referring to that ubiquitous little gadget that is ever present during gatherings and outings in these sunny shores, hence spawning the term “Kodakan” (picture taking), and forever etching it in Philippine popular culture.

For those of you old enough to remember or may have once come across this classic TV commercial from the mid 70s, that scene showing a teary-eyed father reminiscing while giving away his daughter on her wedding day, was considered by many as the company’s best ever ad in its history.

That commercial also became famous for its touching ditty about the importance of preserving those precious moments in our lives… using their product of course. Originally penned by Paul Anka for Kodak, he eventually turned it into a 3 minute minor hit (at least in the US) that had Pinoys of my generation singing along after it reached the top ten in these shores. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a single copy of that 1975 (or was it 76?) ad on You Tube, probably out of fear of a possible copyright infringement.

In case you’re still clueless as to what song I was talking about, here’s Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka singing it for you…

Indeed, gather moments while you may, collect the dreams you dream today, remember…

Man, we do love eating mushy stuff, don’t we?

Manny Pacquiao is one heck of a boxer, no argument in that, but he sure sucks big time when it comes to singing and acting. And now we can add another thing to the list of things he sucks at… names, or rather, choosing names. Come on, who the heck names his newborn baby girl after a reigning British monarch? Unless of course, one is a certified blue blood. But a blue blood he ain’t, so what gives? Has all those successes in the ring gone to his noggin that he now thinks he’s royalty? Mind you it’s not the baby’s name that’s been the butt of jokes lately, as it is quite a common name, but the TITLE attached to it. Queen Elizabeth Pacquiao?? Man, there really is no accounting for taste… even in the choice of names.

And talk about sucking big time, how those cops? Not only do they suck at their job sometimes, but in road courtesy as well. This patrol car in front of me was taking its sweet time cruising at a snail’s pace the already crowded street near our place, unmindful of the already impatient motorist behind them, namely… me. I honked the horn a few times to get their attention but to no avail, I might as well be invisible.

PS: The patrol car was stopping every few meters and talking to some of the vendors. And just what were they talking about? Well, your guess is as good as mine…

After getting our fill of grubs (and booze for me) in our family reunion last New Year’s Day, Mom and I, together with my sister and her family, dropped by Trinoma to while the time away before calling it a day. It was also a good opportunity for my sister to finally have that long-overdue mother-daughter bonding moment, as our family outing last Christmas was cut short by a nauseated older daughter (read that post here).

Anyways, to make sure her high-strung youngest daughter won’t get in the way of her time with Mom, my sister left her in the care of her hubby —- who in turn left her to run amuck for two hours inside a high-tech children’s play pen called Little Martian.

As agreed before we went our separate ways inside the mall, we all met at Little Martian a few minutes before pick-up time. Earlier, while waiting for my sis and Mom to arrive, I spotted my niece — donning boxing gloves — in front of a monitor doing a Manny Pacquiao against a virtual opponent who kept getting KO’d by her. I couldn’t help but be amused at the sight and decided to record this precious moment for my sis…

Ya gotta admit, the little girl got the moves. This show of pugilistic promise by his youngest prompted my brother-in-law to quip:”Nakakatakot itong batang ito” (this girl scares me).

Oh and in case you’re wondering why the three digit number as this entry’s title, despite the cutesy video, this happens to be my one thousandth post.

Those who have been following this blog for some time now know that we have this little thing called a reunion every New Year’s day. It’s that time of year when the Aunts, Uncles, cousins and just about anyone from Mom’s side of the family (at least to those who live in this part of the country) break bread, gossip and update on each others’ busy busy lives. 

Like every year the gathering is held at my second Aunt’s house somewhere near the outskirts of Quezon City, which unfortunately has become a wee bit too cramped for the ever-expanding clan.

Me and the cousins. Guess who’s the oldest…

… and to think, I used to carry most of them in my arms when they were just little tykes.

Unlike the past years though, the gathering this year was a bit on the pale side as some, like my younger brother, wasn’t able to make it. Believe me, had everyone been present during the photo op (and that would include my cousins in Bicol, Mom’s hometown), we wouldn’t even fit in that picture.

I guess the only time we can really say that we’re complete is when we all hie off to Bicol during the Lenten break. But sadly, even that annual family tradition seem to be slowly dying out.

Anyways, the past decade saw a steady increase, in terms of population that is, in our once tiny clan. Here’s just a small part of the next generation, or what I would call, the 3rd gens…

Don’t ask me which one is mine, I have yet to have one of those…

Heck, the mini population explosion in our clan has already created a parking dilema inside the compound during family gatherings…

Good thing I was able to come earlier than the others, I was able to find a comfortable, albeit, tight space inside. The latecomers had to make do with parking outside the compound, exposed to whatever “elements” that are deemed hazardous to car owners.

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Three more days to go and it’s back to work again for everyone. I can’t say I’m happy about it but in a way I am quite relieved. Why? Because this uber long holiday is starting to take a toll on my wallet. Another week of this and I’d surely go bankrupt…

Despite the ban and repeated warnings from the health department about the all-too-real dangers of firecrackers, particularly from the more powerful ones like the so-called pla pla and super lolo, some Pinoys are still opting to welcome the new year with a bang… a very loud bang. For these numbnuts, greeting the incoming year is not complete without having to light one of these mini bombs.

It’s tradition they say. Well, if tradition means risking life and limb and burning away your money, literally, then I say it’s stupidity. 

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While having coffee with my best friend E yesterday, something dawned on me. I realized right then and there that I really don’t have that many friends as I thought I had. While I do have a few — both online and offline — but other than E who oftentimes double as my food tripping partner (that is, IF he ever gets the chance to get away from work and family), I have none that I can call on anytime for lunch or coffee. How pathetic is that?

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In less than 24 hours, this year would have been over, and Father Time will again start ticking its perpetual clock as we begin another countdown for the year 2009. I am anxious, and at the same time, worried about what lies ahead. I just wish I can greet everyone a heartfelt happy new year but really, there is nothing much to look forward to in 2009 as everyone will start feeling the financial crunch… that is, if they haven’t felt it already.

PS: Please don’t mind my nonsensical blabber today, it’s just depression kicking in you see. However, I would like to thank each and every one of you, dear readers (or what’s left of you anyway) for your continued patronage, as well as patience (really, I can be obnoxious at times) in following this blog.

Have a Happy and Peaceful New Year

The mauling of a 56 year-old businessman and his 14 year-old son in an exclusive golf club by the sons of a ranking cabinet official and their bodyguards only proves that John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton was correct when he quoted, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely“. Heck, he may have had the Filipino politicans in mind when he wrote it. Because where else but only in this feudalistic society (yes, no matter how hard we deny it we still are) where one can find a minor official — strutting around with a coterie of armed goons — beat up just about anyone with impunity, and get away with it. And it is only in this screwed-up country where a known warlord can become a cabinet secretary not by the virtue of his qualifications, but by his closeness to the powers-that-be.

Let’s get real folks, this brazen display of arrogance and abuse of power may have sparked another round of outrage and indignation from the tired and angry masses — along with the hate comments and calls for resignation in blogs — but we all know nothing is going to come out of it. Sad, but true. This is still the Philippines after all, where criminality among lawmakers and public officials are often tolerated, and where the three Gs — Guns, Goons and Gold — still applies.

I’m sorry to say this but, we seem to be pretty much fucked-up as a people…

PS: Now the other side claims it was the 56 year-old guy who started the melee. Lemme ask you, unless you have a death wish, would you pick a fight with someone younger (and meaner-looking) than you are and plays golf with armed bodyguards in tow? I think not…

And now for a public service warning. If you happen to pass by Banawe street in Quezon City and wanted to grab some bite, please, for the love of all things good and fair in this world, avoid this place called Movenpick… unless of course you’re one of those who love getting ripped-off.

I dropped by a friend’s car accessories shop last December 26 to pick up a new pair of halogen bulbs for my car’s headlamps. Nothing wrong with them actually, but with my slowly deteriorating eyesight, driving at night has become somewhat harder and more stressful, especially when zooming along a dark, unlighted  stretch of road like Araneta Avenue (or C-3), hence the need for a brighter and more powerful set of lamps.

Anyways, having chosen the set that I wanted (a 100/90 Watt), my friend’s staff began installing the necessary wiring harness for the new bulbs. While they were at it, I went out to look for a place to eat as my tummy was already telling me it’s lunchtime. It was an unusually warm day and since the nearest MacDonald’s and other eateries were at least two blocks away, I decided to just go for the one and only joint in the block, Movenpick. 

The joint is a bakeshop with an adjacent cafeteria where you can chose from any one of the five dishes displayed behind a glass counter, it’s kinda like your neighborhood turo-turo but a bit classier. I picked out two from the rather paltry choices, the atay ng baboy (pig’s liver) and the fish fillet, and had them brought to my table. Now, the first thing that I noticed was the serving size, they were unusually bigger than what you’d expect from a cafeteria type of eatery. Unfortunately, that was about the only positive thing I can say about the place, and its food.

The liver, which was obviously overcooked, was as tough as rawhide (not that I’ve eaten one before). And the fish fillet? well, it was sorely in need of the most important ingredient… fish.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Worse than having to chow down on the bland-tasting foods, was having to pay an exhorbitant amount for the gastronomic torture. My eyes nearly popped out after seeing the bill. “Are you sure this is the amount?”  I asked the waiter. “Yes”  he said, and began to itemize the bill,”that’s one hundred ninety for the liver, one hundred eighty for the fillet, twenty five pesos for the softdrink and ten pesos for the rice”.

Great, I thought… not only did I just ingest the worst-tasting liver and fillet, I now have to shell out four hundred and five freaking pesos (about $9 US) for them. Dang it! I could have had a MacDonald’s Quarter Pounder with large fries and drinks for less than half the price!

I didn’t complain anymore since I was partly to blame anyway. It was wrong for me to assume that since it is a cafeteria, the prices would be cheaper than than that of a regular restaurant. How very wrong I was… 

And the moral of this story? Never, never ASSUME… it makes an ASS out of U and ME.

As promised, here are some of the pictures I took last Christmas Day at the Mall of Asia. 

Before the fireworks, there was the parade… or a semblance of one since it wasn’t much of a parade. Short, and not much in terms of spectacle like the annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena California. It was still a hit with a lot of mall goers though, especially the children who were gamely posing with the costumed characters amidst the obviously hastily-done floats.

People sitting at the steps waiting for the floats to make their appearance.

The dancing fairies and their, err… escorts? No tinkerbell these little lassies.

I don’t know what this float represents but it had something to do with the sea… or maybe a fish market.

See the guy on the left of the photo? He was taking pictures with his digicam while at the same time taking videos with what I think is his cellphone. Another blogger perhaps?

The float by Rexona. Notice the ballerina showing off her fresh-smelling armpits…

A gaudy-colored choo-choo train carrying boxes of gifts from Toy Kingdom.

A fake Santa atop a fake sled pulled by fake reindeers.

SM’s muse waving to the people

Cowgirls on horsies.

What really got my attention that night was this…

No no, not the girl with the painted face, but the contraption she’s on. In case you don’t know what it is, it’s a Segway, an electric-powered self-balancing personal transporter. Man, wouldn’t it be cool to be scooting around town with one of these? 

Well, that’s all for the last weekend for the year 2008. Have a great one guys…

What was supposed to be a family get together and a day of fun with the nieces at the Mall of Asia turned into a day of disappointment, especially for one of the nieces. After a sumptuous lunch (and that was after an hour of waiting for everyone to arrive) at one of the restaurants in the mall, my sister’s eldest daughter started to feel woozy and nauseous, and had to be taken home immediately.

No, the food wasn’t the culprit, it was an upset stomach, probably from having one too many grubs the night before during my brother-in-law’s family’s Christmas party.

Not wanting to spoil Christmas for her other daughter, my sister left her and the nanny with us to spend the rest of the day while she and her hubby drove home with little miss dizzy.

I guess no family outing will be complete without something happening, huh?

Another thing that kinda spoiled my day was the presence of a huge crowd at the mall…

Ugh!

Anyways, at least I got to take some nice photos of the evening’s parade and the fireworks that followed…

… and here’s a video of that pyrotechnic display.

PS: Pardon the somewhat grainy presentation folks. The original video — shot with my Canon digicam — was in full resolution, it came out quite nicely and in DVD quality to boot. But at 80 MB, it was a tad to large (and a pain) to upload to You Tube so I had to convert it to MPEG 2.

More pictures to come…

Yeah yeah I know, it’s the day before Christmas and I shouldn’t be ranting about politics and politicians, but dang… I just had to post this.

It was supposed to be a joke, therefore shouldn’t be taken out of context, thus claimed her son Noynoy after his Mom’s infamous apology to former president Estrada, which raised not a few eyebrows and started drawing flak from all sides.

Joke? err… okay, let’s see if any of you find this “joke” funny:

“I am one of those who plead guilty for the 2001 uprising. Lahat naman tayo nagkakamali. Patawarin mo na lang ako [All of us make mistakes. Forgive me].”

Are you laughing yet?

Oh and, while she’s at it (apologizing that is), maybe she’d want to apologize to the Marcos family as well, for her part in EDSA 1…

Indeed, that old Arabic proverb “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” rings true, especially in Philippine politics where even the very icon of the people power revolution can go to bed (figuratively speaking of course) with that icon of hedonism.