between the ebb and flow

Formula 1

2006-10-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

There has been an upward spike in the number of guests in the hotel this week, most of them speaking in a language that is not Portuguese. A welcome change...its not often that I can understand the conversations that I overhear while inside the hotel. It feels a bit weird though, like I'm in the Twilight Zone.

Anyways, all these foreign people are in the hotel for one reason only: Formula One is this weekend. The final race of the season and, more importantly, the final race of one Michael Schumacher. Im pretty sure all these people are here to give him a rousing sending off and show their appreciation for his skills and for the entertainment that he gave fans throughout the years. Its only unfortunate that the final race became anti-climactic after such a tight contest the last couple of races.

Being that this coming race holds much importance, I was hoping to be part of it. To be part of history and be able to tell my grand kids one day how I saw an racing legend in his final race. People from the office actually invited me to watch with them. Therein lies the problem though. They had bought their tickets almost a year in advance and they were able to get it real cheap. I came in too late in the game and by the time I checked ticket prices, they were exorbitantly high already.

I enjoy F1, sure. But I am not passionate for it. Not like how I am passionate for football or basketball. I was willing to go all the way to Germany this summer to watch the World Cup live, only common sense and visa issues prevented me. But Formula 1, nope. A part of me is filled with regret. An opportunity like this doesnt come often. But I can think of better ways to spend the money I need to buy the ticket.

Come sunday, I'll still be giving Schumacher his sendoff and his deserved props. Only I'll be doing it from the comforst of my hotel room, not from Interlagos.

me namora

2006-10-16T04:55:00.000-07:00

I had the tv tuned in to a music video channel the other day just to have some background noise playing. The music video above started playing and the catchy beat caught my attention...and ,damn, up to now the freakin song keeps playing in my head!

The Beast!

2006-10-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

Had the craving for picanha so I had lunch at Fogo de Chao today. Halfway through my meal I saw these two black guys walking to their table, one of them looking terribly familiar. Lo and behold, it was Julio Baptista!

Well, I wasnt sure at first since he didnt get the reception that I though that a famous footballer would get. There were no stares and no whispers, everyone just pretty much ignored him. Except me of course. After fixing my gaze on him for several minutes, though, I was pretty sure that it was him.

Too bad I didnt have my camera with me, else I would have mustered up my courage to walk up to 'The Beast' and have my picture taken with him.

I have to say he was smaller than I thought. And he wasnt as ugly as he looked onTV...

we are just playthings

2006-09-22T13:25:00.001-07:00

the gods seem to be bored and have nothing better to do than play tricks on me...

(wow, wasn't that incredibly self centered)

Sao Paulo vs Boca Juniors

2006-09-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday saw Bernardo and I awash in a sea of Red, White and Black as 'El Tricolor' hosted Argentinian powerhouse Boca Juniors for the Recopa Sul Americana title and for bragging rights.

Matches between Brasileiros and Argies are always fierce and I was hoping that this one will not disappoint. From the very beginning, the Sao Paulo fans set the mood for the night, with their singing and chanting....from passionate hymns saluting their club to more rowdy chants aimed towards insulting Boca Juniors and their band of supporters who traveled all the way from Argentina to support their team. This is what I like about football...sometimes it is not about who is playing but more about the atmoshpere created by the interplay between fans and the team.

Indeed, sometimes my focus was more on the spectacle around me than the game that was ongoing on the pitch. Not that the quality found on the pitch was lacking. In fact the game we saw was a good one, not devoid of excitement and, more importantly, of goals.

It was interesting how contrasting the two teams played. Sao Paulo, I would say, had the better individual players. Individual brilliance and technique causing most of their goal scoring chances. However, tactically they were very disorganized. Boca Juniors, on the other hand, was a well oiled machine. Their passing and movement without the ball was a sight to behold. So much so, that Bernardo, who is Brazilian thru and thru, was rooting for the team from the land of the enemy...albeit not too loudly...lest we incur the wrath of the legions of Sao Paulo fans all around us.

And they had reason to have their wrath incurred. Sao Paulo actually opened the scoring....a brilliant through ball releasing one of the forwards who deftly sidefooted the keeper for the goal. Like I said, individual brilliance. The Sao Paulo crowd was delirious after the goal.

Boca, however, was not fazed. They had been sitting back throughout the match but after the Sao Paulo goal, they piled on the pressure, creating several chances that were kept out by desperate defending and the brilliance of Sao Paulo keeper Rogerio Ceni. Alas, Sao Paulo flirted with disaster too many times and less than 10 minutes after the Sao Paulo goal, the score was level again.

By the time Boca scored a second goal after some horrendous defending by Sao Paulo, it was all over. Because Boca came into the match leading 2-1 on aggregate, the second goal of the night for Boca meant that Sao Paulo had to score 3 more goals just to win. Something they were unlikely to do. The crowd, unfortunately, vented their frustrations in a violent way. Rioting ensued in one section of the stands and in the commotion a Sao Paolo supporter fell from the railings. We took this as our cue to exit the premises and call it a night....not risking the chance that the crowd would turn even more violent.

Basketball Do Brazil Dois

2006-09-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

Its funny how in a country that is mad about football (or futebol as they call it), I have re-ignited my passion for basketball.

I've been playing basketball for the past three weekends now and I've had the opportunity to play against Paulistas. To be honest, in terms of basketball skills and basketball IQ I feel that I am superior to these Brazilians. They may be magicians with the ball at their feet but their wizardry doesn't necessarily translate to skill when the game is one where touching the ball with your hand does not result in a turnover.

The problem is my lack of (relative) height and my complete lack of fitness, match fitness or otherwise, is doing me in. Its hard to get a rebound or score underneath when the man marking you is 5'11'! It also doesn't help that I get tired really easily.

But like I said, these experiences have fueled my passion for the the sport. Right now I wish I was back in the park practicing my jumper. They haven't been falling for me and if I'm going to score against these Brazilian trees then having an outside shot is key. I also need to build stamina. I can't be huffing and puffing after a few moves.

I need to show these Brazilians what we Pinoys are made of. Philippines represent!

changing places

2006-09-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

I know this is rather delayed but I suppose it has to be done. It is only fitting to pay tribute to the office that I have called my second home for the past 5 years.

I am saddened that I was not able to physically say goodbye to RCBC....Socs mentioned in her blog how the view of the sunset in Manila bay is breathtaking from the 23rd floor. When we first moved to RCBC that was the one thing that I liked the most about being in RCBC. Familiarity and months spent onsite have somehow made me forget that. And I regret that I was not able to get one last glimpse of that multicolored sky as the sun bids adieu and makes way to luna.

But though I might not have been there at very end I am proud to say that I have been there from the beginning....witnessing the office thru its various methamorphoses.

I remember when we only filled half of the 23rd floor. The pantry was only a third of its final size and the restrooms were still accessible by anyone who goes to the 23rd floor. The other side was bare and that was were we had the pingpong table. At the very farthest end and everything else was dead space. I remember how it would get scary at night since only the pingpong table area was lit and everything else was sinister shadows. It was hard to find the ball when it would go to the unlit areas.

I remember when the other side was finally constructed and made available for office use. The pantry was constructed to its present size and we finally got our billiard table! I thought having our own billiard table was the coolest thing ever. And though I might not have necessarily improved my own billiard skills, I had fun playing at that table.

While the other side may have been constructed it was only a third of the way filled. The other two thirds, where the Product group resided, was bare and I remember how I would practice my soccer skills with the little silver R9 ball that I got in Paris.

Eventually even that space was filled as the company got bigger and bigger and we grew to the point where we had to get another floor in RCBC. The company's growth finally necessitated a move to Net2.

Let me end this blog entry with some memories of RCBC that come to mind the most at this moment:

1) the view of the sunset from the 23rd floor (taking a cue from socs' blog)
2) free drinks at the office including snapple and buko juice
3) social club activities - the one that comes to mind the most is the halloween decorating contest we had 2 years back
4) the hot receptionist at the ground floor of Yuchengco tower who I invited to have coffee with me but turned me down 'kasi magagalit ang asawa ko'.
5) having a few beers at Eat after office when it used to be cheap

Basketball do Brazil

2006-08-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

basketball in Ibirapeura park

Strolling thru Ibirapuera park yesterday afternoon, we noticed that there were several basketball (they pronounce it baskecheball) courts inside the park. We took advantage of the fact that Jim Stoller was here for the weekend and Jim, Junel and I agreed to go back to the park this morning to play some basketball...nothing strenous, just a little shootaround. Or so we thought.

About half an hour after getting to the park and shooting about, we were asked by some locals if we wanted to play a friendly game of 3 on 3. We figured why not, it gave us a good opportunity to interact with some of the locals.

Apparently, we did have to interact with them, since they play basketball really differently from how we play it in the Philippines or even in the States. Fortunately for us, Cesar, one of the locals, knew a little bit of English so he was able to somewhat explain the rules of the game. Basically each game is up to 21 points. Each basket made scores 2 points. There is no extra point for shots beyond the arc. Everything is normal so far. Here is where things get weird. For each basket made, the person who scored the basket then proceeds to shoot a free throw while everyone else stands in the painted area. If the shot goes in then an additional point is awarded to the scorer's team and the opposing team inbounds the ball. If the ball doesn't go in then the team that comes up with the rebound gets possesion of the ball. Another different rule they have is that you do not have to take the ball back outside the painted area when you rebound ball after an oppenent's shot during the normal run of play. Walang nakaw. The only exception to this rule is the rebound after the extra free throw. In this situation you had to take the ball outside of the painted area before being able to take another shot.

The rules really threw us off in the beggining. Opponents would grab the rebound and I would expect them to take it out first but then they would immediately put the ball back up in for the score. Coupled with the fact that the rim was really unforgiving and Junel had a really bad wrist injury we were soundly beaten by our opponents. Not to take anything away from them. Cesar, who looks like a typical black american, was pretty wide and would come up well with rebounds underneath the basket. Tomas, who looked of Italian descent, was deadly from the outside. Their third player was actually a girl, Rosalinda. The best way to describe her was she looked like a female version of Ronaldinho. She was pretty hussle and she had a good outside shot as well.

The way they play the game is really interesting but I would prefer our rules. There was a lot of standing around under the paint waiting for the rebound. This is probably since it was the easiest way to score. The extra free throw also gives too much of an advantage to the scoring team. Because of all the standing around there was rarely any movement. We mixed the teams up after Junel was too injured to play and no one would cut to the basket or move about to get open. Its also interesting how they determine the teams. They play a version of maalis-alis. But instead of playing the hand palm up or palm down, they either put out either one finger or two fingers. This goes on until the number of 1s vs 2s was equal.

Its definitely an interesting way to play the game. Next weekend hopefully Junel will be better and we'll see if we can play some more games with the locals.

Better start practicing my outside shot.

what I'll miss in the Bay Area

2006-07-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

in no particular order...

1) Food trips with Nina and Hannah
2) Ongpin and Tia Shey
3) Rock concerts
4) Unleashing the Frozen Mango!
5) Playing videogames with Dino, Jody and Joey while Frozen Mango is unleahed
6) Mama's
7) Having after dinner coffee at North Beach
8) Elaine's cooking
9) Cranium and Catchphrase sessions
10) In-N-Out's Animal Style burger and extra crispy fries
11) French macaroons at Santana row
12) Poker sessions
13) The Bay Area weather
14) La Vic's orange sauce
15) The view along 280 while driving from San Jose to Daly City
16) Getting my haircut done by Denise
17) Basketball with the boys
18) All-you-can-bowl at Homestead Lanes
19) Walking across the street to get to work
20) Downtown living
21) All the friends I've met, old and new
22) Dimsum for brunch
23) Going to Sac for dinner and then going back to SJ afterwards
24) Renting an Impala because of the iPod interface
25) Weekends in LA/SD
26) Sleeping on an Aero bed
27) Hanging out with the other SPL MLA peeps

hmmm ano pa ba?....

a series of unfortunate events

2005-11-21T21:43:00.000-08:00

In an earlier post I mentioned how I lost my debit card. Or rather how this bitch bartender lost it for me. Sobrang malas kasi sobrang hassle on my part. Well it turns out my week was full of kamalasan.

Friday I had another malas episode. Well this one was more funny than malas. Lately I've been using my Shure earphones in the office since the stock earphones on my iPod conked out on me. For those unfamiliar with Shure earphones they look like this:

As you can see they come with detachable plastic or foam plugs which you can interchange depending on what size your ears are. And since these are IN-EAR ear phones and since the plugs are detachable...well you can probably guess where I'm heading at.

True enough the left plug got left inside my ear when I took the earphones off. At first I thought I could get away with taking them out myself and not have to let anyone know. Alas, this turned out to be impossible and I only succeeded in embedding the plug deeper into my ear.

I had to enlist Con's help. You can just imagine his amusement at my plight. So he tried taking the plug out by fashioning tweezers out of a paper clip. He was able to reach the plug but the tweezers lacked the grip to fish them out.

Having that approach rendered useless, we decided to go to a doctor to have them taken out. It was a slow day anyway and this gave us an excuse to get out of the office. Of course, we had to inform our team lead, Valli, what we planned on doing. Once he found out then it was only a matter of time before everyone else knew about it. Needless to say I was the object of kantyawan and ridicule in the office.

Turns out I didn't have to go to the doctor. Valli got the plug out himself using a small pair of scissors that Kate lent him. He was laughing while taking them out and I was scared that the mofo was gonna injure my ear! Buti na lang hindi.

That was not the end of my misfortune. And while I was able to laugh at that particular piece of misfortune, I was not so fortunate with the next one (pun intended). Me and Jody were supposed to watch the 49ers vs the Seahawks play in Candlestick park yesterday. Alas, I woke up to the vision of the bedroom ceiling spiraling before my eyes. The next scene had me kneeling on the bathroom floor and unloading the contents of my stomach into the toilet.

Suffice it to say that I was unable to go to the football game. I had my friend Paul proxy for me since I already bought the tickets. Ang mahal pa naman nila: $64 each. The rest of my day was spent alternating between my bed and the bathroom, between trying to get some sleep and unloading my stomach acids into the toilet drain. I guess you can tell where I would rather have been. Sayang the game was close pa naman kwento nila. It came down to the last play of the game. A 2 point conversion attempt by the 49ers that would have tied the game had it been successful.

So there you go. My very malas week. Hopefully this week will be better. Its Thanksgiving week and I'm off to Florida to spend it with my relatives there. Hopefully all the bad karma is gone and only the good ones will be left.

on NHL games and retarded bartenders

2005-11-17T07:47:00.000-08:00

Saw my first NHL game yesterday with the guys at the office. Hockey is the north american sport that most resembles futebol so I like hockey.

And you can't go wrong with a sport that has melee scenes like this happen frequently:

Afterwards we went and hit up a couple of bars. It would have been a good way to end a nice night but the stupid ass bartender at Blowfish ruined it for me by losing my debit card. Fucking hassles man! I had to have it blocked and replaced. I rely on that card for all my expenditures. It serves as BOTH my ATM card and credit card and now I am tied down while the replacement card arrives. Blow me you fucking stupid Blowfish beeyattcch!!!!

aborted jump

2005-11-13T06:19:00.000-08:00

group picture at the skydiving hangar

So yesterday was the day we were going skydiving. I must admit that leading to the event, I was awash with nervous, giddy anticipation. And the feeling would get stronger as the day got nearer and nearer. It was like the feeling you get while waiting in line to get on a roller coaster, only multiplied a thousand times!

It turned out I got myself all worked up for nothing. Sometime ago I wrote an entry about how I was trying to lose weight since the skydiving charged an extra dollar for every pound over 200, as indicated on the skydiving company's website. Well, what the website didn't say was that aside from the extra charge there was actually a weight limit. I only found on when we got to the skydiving site itself. Unfortunately, I was over that weight limit. Hence, no skydiving for me.

I guess a part of me was relieved that I wasn't going to jump. But that was just a small part compared to the one that was disappointed that I couldn't go. And I'll be honest, I'm envious of my friends who were able to jump, especially since they were all raving about how great an experience it was.

I'm disappointed in myself too. Had I been focused and disciplined with my diet from the get go, I might have been able to jump since I was just a few pounds off of the weight limit. Especially bad was that I've been in a bit of binge since SoCal.

Di bale, this has made me more motivated to lose weight. I promised myself I'm going to get below that weight limit. My skydiving adventure was not cancelled, only delayed. Soon I'll be able to share in the wonderful experience that my friends had and that they could only convey to me. Soon.

Musical Legends week

2005-11-11T00:48:00.000-08:00

I have dubbed this week as my 'Musical Legends' week as I have had the great opportunity to see two great, legendary acts perform live:

Paul McCartney @ HP Pavilion. Tuesday, Nov 8.

Went with Kate and her parents to see Paul McCartney at the HP Pavilion in downtown San Jose. Everyone who knows me knows that I am a big Beatles fan. So to see an actual Beatle perform live is a dream come true for me.

Sir Paul did not disappoint. He still looks great at 63. And the old man still knows how to rock! The setlist consisted of a blend of old songs and new. I must say the new songs he played sounded great. Not surprisingly though, its the old songs (especially the Beatle ones) that were most well recieved by the audience. Hearing him sing songs that are so familiar and so dear was like a wet dream to this Beatlemaniac. I was in a state of euphoric bliss that I wished would never end. And for a while it seemed like it wouldnt. He played for almost 3 hours and had TWO encores!

Alas, all good things must come to an end. He finished the show with a medley of 'Sgt Pepper's' reprise and 'In the End', a fitting ending to an amazing show:

'And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.'

U2 @ Oakland Arena. Wednesday, Nov 9.

Part 2 of Musical Legends week had me traveling back to Oakland Arena, sight of the Foozer concert. This time it was to see U2. Thanks to a stroke of luck and the u2 fan club members who I met while queing to get inside the arena, Ninya and I were able to get a position at the very front of the floor area, right by the stage!

Damien Marley, one of Bob Marley's offspring, was the front act. It was kinda wierd to have a reggae act open for U2. I didn't mind though. Reggae is always fun to hear live. Damien Marley was good, worthy of carrying on his father's legacy and name. It was funny as there was this Doug E. Doug-looking black guy in camos on stage with him who did nothing but bob to the beat and waive a Jamaican flag all throughout the performance.

Jamaica Mon!

Finally it was time for the main act. What can I say, U2 arguably is the best live act in the world right now. There was an amazing vibe between the band and the crowd during the entire show. The crowd was more energetic and animated compared to the Paul McCartney show the night before and was singing along all throughout the show to U2's plethora of anthemic songs. Bono even had the crowd sing entire verses by ourselves.

Between songs and even during song, Bono would speak about the various political and social causes that he championed. Truly there is no more hardworking man in rock than Bono and I admire how he uses his music to speak out to people and try to make a difference.

Bono and The Edge up close!

The show was short though. After playing an emotional rendition of 'One' following Bono's impassioned speech for support for, you guessed it, the One campaign, I was surprised to hear that it was to be their last song of the night. Maybe it was just an indication of how great the show and the evening was. As the tired cliche goes: "Time flies when you're having fun".

King Tut

2005-11-10T03:13:00.000-08:00

Last weekend had me, Con, Jody, Hannah and Ninya travelling to LA to visit the ongoing King Tut exhibit in LACMA.

In queue to get inside the exhibit (from L-R: Con, Jody, Hannah, Pads)

The exhibit was, i guess, a bit pricey at $35. This was considering that King Tut's mummy wasn't really part of the exhibit and the whole thing could be finished in 2 hours max. But I still enjoyed myself. Its always interesting to see artifacts. They make me wonder what the persons who owned them were like and how they lived. And what lovely artifacts! Chairs with intricate inlaid designs, daggers of gilded gold...the Egyptians make everyday tools seem like works of art.

Foozer! (aka this is another long-ass post!)

2005-10-31T13:49:00.000-08:00

Had a great night of rock music again last Friday. Went to Oakland with Joey, Ninya and Betty to see the last stop of the Weezer - Foo Fighters tour.

The concert was held at Oakland Arena, home of the Golden State Warriors. As we walked into the stadium we were greeted by the banners of Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain and the other retired Warrior greats hanging from the rafters. I didn't see any NBA Championship banners though. The stage was set up at one end of the basketball floor area, right about where the baseline would be. The crowd was still pretty thin by the time we got there and we were able to get a good position on the floor area: about 15 feet from the front of the stage and slightly to the left of center.

Hot Hot Heat was the front act and opened up the night's festivities. They were a good way to start the evening with their catchy hooks and upbeat sound. Their dance/alt-rock musical style were reminiscent of the Killers, with a little bit of No Doubt mixed in. Funny nga lang how the lead singer kept saying 'How ya doin, San Francisco?'. Ngongo, you gonna get beat up saying that! This is Oakland and people here don't take to kindly to being referred to as 'San Francisco'.

Next up was Weezer. I've actually seen them play before in Coachella but their setlist that time didn't include any songs from Pinkerton. Thankfully, this time they played a couple from that album (including 'El Scorcho'!), along with a couple of songs from the Blue album that I was hoping they would play in Coachella but didn't. Rivers Cuomo was animated and acting goofy all night, as opposed to his stoic disposition at Coachella. He and the rest of the group were having fun on stage and their vibe seeped onto the crowd.

The last song for their set had Rivers and Pat switching up. Rivers played the drums while Pat had guitar and vocal duties on 'Photograph' which segued into Blur's 'Song 2'. As they left the stage after that last song, the crowd was clamoring for more. With everyone focused on the stage, waiting for Weezer to come out again, Rivers surprised everyone by appearing on a platform at the other end of the floor. With the spotlight aimed at him, he began to perform an acoustic version of 'Island in the Sun'. It was funny, a girl from the crowd got up on the platform and started grinding on Rivers, making him pause slightly from his performance.

The other members of Weezer were back on stage by the time Rivers finished his solo effort. Scott, the bassist, then addressed the crowd saying that it will take some time for Rivers to get back on stage so they needed someone to sub for him on the next song. He then said that Pat was going to choose someone from the crowd to come up on stage to play guitar on 'Undone (The Sweater Song)'. A murmur rippled across the crowd. I thought that was totally cool that Weezer was going to have someone come up and play with them. It had me wishing that I knew how to play a guitar and that I knew the chords to 'Undone'.

After a few minutes, Weezer finally chose someone. This guy in a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over his head rushed into the stage with Pat, to the crowd's applause. Turns out that the 'lucky Weezer fan' was no other than Dave Grohl. I was able to see his face even before he pulled down his hood. It was funny, Dave Grohl was even play acting like he was a starstruck Weezer fan and was nervous playing the guitar. When they had him sing the song's chorus he acted like he was going to mess it up but then belted out the words in the familiar Dave Grohl wail. It was quite a sight to see Dave Grohl perform the same song with Weezer.

Unfortunately, I missed the latter half of Dave's performance with Weezer as well as the next song (which I don't even remember what) because I was distracted by the 'show' that was being put on right next to me. All throughout the concert, there was this group of 3 drunken ladies who kept on drifting in and out of the area we where in. They were hella drunk! Obviously they had some even before the concert since they were already acting crazy even during Hot Hot Heat's performance. Anyways, middle of 'Undone', the ladies come back to our part of the area and one of them suddenly goes up to this guy in a Brazil jacket next to me and starts ramming her tongue down the guy's throat. Of course, Brazil jacket guy doesn't fight or hold back and they start some pretty intense tongue fencing.

There was actually a lot of interesting sights during the concert. There was this one girl who was crying and had to being consoled by her friend. There was this one couple who were all lovey-dovey but then suddenly had this seriously intense fight during one of the intermissions. There was even this one guy who was dressed in roman garb. It's fun people watching in concerts.

Last song of the night for Weezer and they start playing 'Buddy Holly'. As the song commences 6 muscular men enter the stage, 3 to each side of the drums. They start dancing and gradually, as the song progresses, start taking their clothes off. Finally, all they had left on were thongs and they were shaking their thang Chippendale style. They had a letter painted on each of their chests in blue, spelling out the word 'WEEZER'. It was hella wierd but hella funny. And given Weezer's brand of humour, I wouldn't put it past them to pull of a stunt like that. It was goofy how some of the male dancers were doing the Weezer sign (hands brought together to form a 'W') while dancing. Weezer's act finally ends with confetti raining down on the crowd from above.

I was left wondering how Foo Fighters were going to match Weezer's performance. But match it they did. And they did so by simply rocking out and rocking out hard. They were intense and edgy and you can't help but be captivated by their performance. Especially Dave Grohl. He has such an amazing stage presence. A true rock star.

Which doesn't mean that they didn't know how to have a bit of fun, too. During one of the pauses between songs, Dave talked about how bands would pull pranks on each other during the last show of a tour. It was sort of a tradition, he explained. He then owned up to the stripper thing during 'Buddy Holly'. Weezer had totally no clue that it was going to happen. It was all Dave's idea. He was proud of it too! He goes on to say that "thanks to me, you were able to see 6 hot cocks on stage!. That's right send the checks to Dave Grohl!" LOL!

As for Weezer getting them back? He said he wasn't worried. "Look at them! They're a bunch of little boys!" This elicited laughter from the crowd and a few lighthearted boos from the Weezer fans. It was all in jest, though. He goes on to dedicate the next song, 'Up in arms', to the "boys of Weezer". It was a funny rendition as he would insert 'hot cock' to the lyrics every so often.

During 'Cold Day in The Sun', Dave switched it up with Taylor and went behind the drums. It was good to see Dave go back to his 'roots' for at least one song. I am reminded how talented this guy really is.

At one point Dave came down from the stage to go to the platform at the other side of the floor that Rivers was earlier on. We were off to the side and somewhere in the middle of the floor by now since we were quite tired already. Ayaw na namin makipagsisikan sa harap. It turned out to be a good move since Dave passed right in front of us. Ninya and the others were even able to touch him as he sped by. Kaso lang sabi nila kadiri raw sobrang pawis!

During another pause between songs, Dave mentioned his wife in passing while again bantering with the crowd. He goes on to say that his wife was actually in the crowd. He then tells the technicians to direct the spotlight on her so that he can introduce her to everyone. "Everyone say 'Hi Mrs Grohl!'". We all oblige his request. "Yep, that's what I say everytime I get home. 'Hi Mrs. Grohl, I love you Mrs. Grohl...'" Who says rock stars have to be all tough all the time?

Best moment of the concert, in my opinion, was when Dave sang 'Everlong' solo. Just him on guitar. He sang it subdued and mellow, without the usual screams and growls. This really brought out the quality of his voice. He sings 'and I wonder, if I sing along with you?' and with the silence brought about by the absence of the other band members, you can hear the whole stadium singing along with him. Amazing.

Earlier in their set, as Dave was talking about the Weezer prank, he mentioned that it was great to be on tour with Weezer and that it was rare nowadays to have two real rock bands tour together. I'm glad, and lucky, to have been able to see two great acts, two real rock bands (in Dave's words) perform live and in person. It was truly a great and fun evening of rock and roll music

2005-10-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was jampacked with activities:

Went bowling with the boys again on friday night. This time it was me, Jody, Joey, Dino, Ken and Emin. Ken was hella funny. He was playing a so-so game but then he got drunk and he suddenly got 5 strikes in a row! What the...?! We have since christened him the CrunKen Masta! Cindy and the 3 Lindas stopped by the bowling alley around 1am. The one Linda bowled a couple of frames on high heels. And she got a good score too! That was wierd haha.

Saturday went to Sacramento for dinner with Sac folks. We passed by SF to pick up Jessy and Phil. We ate at this Asian Sea Food Buffet place. Unlimited crab and lobster! Busog! We ended the night drinking and playing Catchphrase sa bahay nila Joel. I swear Ochie and Ninya must have some telepathic link. How else can you explain the following:

Ochie: Ano ang tawag sa babaeng manok?
Ninya: Rooster!
Ochie: Tama!

Ochie: Ano ang opposite ng in?
Ninya: On?
Ochie: Tama!

Ochie: KFC! (holds her hand up and waves her fingers)
Ninya: Finger lickin' good!
Ochie: Tama!

Now tell me how to explain that otherwise! Hahaha!

playing catchphrase

Sunday, we drove to Napa Valley. I recently watched the movie Sideways on HBO and have been thinking of getting into wine ever since. So was looking forward to this trip to Napa. We stopped by two wineries: Artesa, which was located on top of a hill and afforded a magnificent view of the surrounding valley. And Niebaum-Coppola which was partly owned by Francis Ford Coppola.

rows of manicured grapevines in the background

After that it was back to Sacramento para ihatid si Chona and then it was back to SF para naman ihatid si Jessy and Phil. We had dinner at Daly City first before bringing them home. Sarap ng bulalo steak sa Tia Shey!

Tiring weekend but fun!

on weight loss and prime rib dinner bets

2005-10-18T23:19:00.000-07:00

2 months ago this day I made a bet with Ninya that I will lose 10 pounds a month for 3 months. At the end of each month, if I don't reach my target weight loss , I'll treat her to a prime rib dinner.

Alam kong dehado ako but I did the bet para ma-motivate ako mag-lose ng weight. Kelangan eh...We're going sky-diving in November and, langya, there's an extra 1 dollar charge for each pound over 200 lbs! Yari ako dun! Hahahaha!

Anyways, first month I lost a grand total of....1 pound! Hahaha! Pathetic! Couldnt help it....had too many temptations....

This month was better though....when I weighed myself this morning I have lost 8 pounds since the start of the current month. Sayang 2 pounds na lang and I would have won the bet for this month. So that's two prime rib dinners that I owe Ninya now.

It's okay though. At least kahit paano I've been losing weight. And people have been noticing it too. So kahit paano I've come out a winner pa rin....and at least there's one more month for me to win a prime rib dinner :)

Download Festival

2005-10-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Last October 8 Jody, John and I attended the Download Festival in Shoreline. I had been looking forward to this music festival for several weeks before the event and it was a great way to spend my first weekend back in San Jose after my two week flyback in Manila.

Unfortunately, Jody and I got caught up playing the new NBA Live at his apartment. These games can get heated and we were unable to leave in time to catch British Sea Power, the first band on tap for the day. Sayang, I wanted to see them play pa naman. This is the second time I missed them, having also missed them play in Coachella since their set coincided with another band that we liked.

I was glad that I decided to bring my sweater with me as it was freezing as we settled in on our seats, just in time to catch the start of the Doves' performance. It would get even colder during the later performances as the sun went down. By now we were joined by Jody's friend, Shirley, who was sitting at the lawn area with her own friends. She wanted to see Doves up close and since we had an extra ticket because Topher bailed on us, we were happy to oblige her. Shirley and her friends have been there since earlier in the day and she told me that British Sea Power, disappointingly, wasn't that good. So that consoled me a bit for not catching them play.

Doves on the other hand were great. Admittedly, Ive never heard any of their music before. I just heard people say that they were good. I wasn't disappointed. Their style was right up my alley: melodic, multi-layered brit-pop.

There was a 30 minute interval between the end of the Dove's performance and the start of Arcade Fire's so we decided to look around a bit. There was more to the festival than just the bands and we wanted to see what else was there.

Shirley said the game lounge was good so we checked that out. The game lounge turned out to be this domed, circular tent. In the middle of the tent, a DJ booth was setup while all around the circular perimeter of the tent were videogame kiosks interspersed with sofas and loveseats where people can chill and relax. The DJ was playing some pretty cool tunes and people were dancing to them. She also played two of the best mashups that I've heard: Jay-Z's 99 Problems mixed with 99 Luft Balloons and Bizarre Love Triangle mixed with Madonna's Ray of Light.

The coolest thing of all about the game lounge was this video they showed. At the middle of the DJ's booth was this hi-tech, three pronged video projector that projected videos (mostly of videogames) on to the domed roof of the tent. The technology was such that the whole dome roof was filled with the displayed image and because of the curvature of the dome, the effect was such that the video on display looked like it was 3-dimensional. Think of it as a high-tech, full-color version of the Planetarium Dome Display that we all used to go to on field trips back in Grade School.

After grabbing some food (pretzels and garlic fries) and buying some merch (a Modest Mouse t-shirt) we headed back to the stage area to catch Arcade Fire. Hands down their performance was the best of the night. Their final song, Rebellion, just blew me away. They perform with such manic energy that borders on the theatrical while still continuing to rock-out. They play with such a cacophany of sounds (they had aside from the standard musical instruments, a person playing the violin, french horn, accordion, xylophone, piano) but are still able to bring it all together into a cohesive whole. They got me and everyone on our feet.

Modest Mouse played after Arcade Fire. They were good but unfortunately their musical style was such that they were not suited to play in a large amphitheatre and were better appreciated playing in a small venue. The crowd was pretty much sitted and subdued during their performance.

Lastly, Killers was on. It was around 11PM by this time and a good number of people have already left, leaving a lot of empty seats. We occupied some of these vacant seats so that we can get a closer view of the stage. The Killers were the complete opposite of Modest Mouse and their dance/alt rock style got people jumping in their seats again. Their stage was decorated in glossy silver and it totally complemented their glitzy musical style.

The most surreal incident of the night happened as the Killers left the stage before their encore. All day they've been giving away these white, square, padded seat cushions and during the lull between the Killers regular set and their encore, people just started throwing those things like a square frisbee. It was just surreal...and a bit scary. As we looked behind us and up, you'd see these spinning, white squares flying all across the black sky. We were on the lookout to make sure none of them hit us but I was still hit in the back of my head by one. Parang may nambatok sa akin yung feeling. Those things were still flying when the Killers got back on stage and the members of the band got hit several times. Buti na lang professional sila and they just ignored it. After one song we quickly made our exit before things got more rowdy.

It was past one when we got back to San Jose. After stopping by La Vic to get some burritos we headed on back to Jody's apartment to play some more NBA Live. Shirley invited us to this party in Burlingame but playing 4 player NBA Live to the wee hours of the morning was the best way to end the night in my opinion :)

Friday Night Bowling

2005-10-13T23:17:00.000-07:00

Had a fun time last night.

Twas bowl-all-you-can night at this place in Cupertino and the guys and I headed over to spend the night bowling.

My first two frames were awful....I think I had a 3 on my first frame and a 2 on the second! To make matters worse, I was paired with Joe Sora and he was getting strikes and spares galore. I thought I was in for a long night.

Well, I slowly got into a bit of a groove and I finished in the 90s, which was a respectable score for me. All the others got really high scores, however. Joe Sora was over 200 and Jody, Con and Dino were all around the 150 mark. Buti na lang kahit paano I got a higher scorer than Joey so at least I wasn't last place.

Second game and Joe Sora starts bringing out the pitchers of beer. I had a couple of cups and everyone knows that it doesn't take a lot for me to get a buzz. That started to affect my game and I got two gutter balls in the 8th frame! LOL! Sayang I was on pace pa naman to get over a hundred sana. Not surprisingly, I finished last place and I got rounded on by everyone...Joe Sora even made me wear the 'loser's bib' that he found lying around...

Joey was ragging on me that he got a higher score than me so before the start of the third game we made a bet. Who ever gets a the lower score pays for dinner. He agrees and it was on! Time to lay off the beers a bit. Kelangan mag-concentrate!

It started out badly for me though..I had a seven on each of my first two frames and Joey got a spare on one of his first two. I was suddenly down 14 to 28 kagad. Dang, dehado kagad. Mukhang Joey suddenly found his 'A' game and he got a couple of more spares and some 9's and 8's.

I was able to hang with him though and suddenly around the 6th frame I was suddenly in the zone! I was able to get a spare and this gave me a bit of hope. Joey then flubbed his frame and I was able to get a strike after my spare. Joey crumbled under the pressure and again flubbed his next frame. My turn again...I was feeling on fire by now and I knew I had a chance to put this game away. So I do my wind up and it felt good when I released the ball...another strike! Game over.

I eventually finished with a score of 150 which, as far as I can recall, is my highest score ever. And it seemed the beer got to everyone and it messed up their scores too. Joe Sora got a 135, which was unbelievably low for him. No one else was higher than him so I was the unexpected top scorer!

So yeah, last night was good. I achieved a personal high, I got a game high and I got a free dinner to boot! :D

what really matters

2005-10-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

"There is no hope of joy except in human relations" - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

After such a long time away it was good to be with loved ones again. It was a short two weeks but it was a great two weeks. Back in the familiar yet loving company of family and friends I realized how much I have missed them and how I have been so blessed to have these people who care for me deeply and support me, these people who are the most important thing in the world.

I thank the Lord for such blessings and I pray that He keeps them always healthy and happy.

layover ruminations

2005-09-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

Thoughts while waiting for my flight to Narita...

Its a cloudy day here in Portland and the city was blanketed under a white canopy this morning. It made for a pretty awesome sight while our plane was descending towards PDX. As we drew level with the clouds, the view outside my window was a sea of fluffy, white cotton stretched all the way to the horizon. A further drop in height and the entire view was nothing but white mist before it eventually parted to reveal the city below.

PDX airport in Portland is one of the nicer airports that I have seen here in the US. The wood-panelled walls and columns give it a really comfy, Northwestern US feel. At the same time, the huge glass windows and metal railings that adorn the ceilings give it a modern touch. Best of all, unlike other airports there's free Wi-Fi. :D

My friend Ann and her husband Dondon live just 30 minutes away from PDX. Since my layover here is 5 hours I called her up and they picked me up at the airport to have brunch. Its been over a year since we seen each other and I even missed attending their wedding since I've always been away on assignment. So it was good to get together with her to catch up and reminisce on old times.

Had a bit of a tense moment this morning going to San Jose airport. Had to leave the apartment at 4:45AM to get to there one hour before departure. Con was gracious enough to agree to bring me to the airport but had a little problem waking up at the designated time. I had thoughts in my head of missing my flight during my futile attempts of calling him up. Thankfully, Con eventually woke up and I was able to check in and board my flight with out hitches, albeit a little late.

This Japanese guy sitting a row behind me at the terminal has a face mask on. Either he is extremely paranoid or he knows something the rest of us doesn't. The crowd at the terminal is a relatively sparse so hopefully this wont be a full flight and I'll be able to strech out a bit in the plane.

Reminiscing

2005-09-14T23:42:00.000-07:00

'Open laannnnneeee!' shouts Junel as he lumbers unhindered down the paint.

Suddenly, Jody flies out of nowhere and swats the ball out of bounds from Junel's outstretched hand, leaving Junel dumbfounded.

Laughter and kantyawan ensues. Even Junel's teammate, Rino, joins in teasing Junel.

The game resumes and, thankfully, Jody and I grind it out to win the game. Tying things up at one a piece.

As we take a momentary breather to rest our tired legs and aching bodies, I am brought back to five years ago.

Jody and I were just new in SPL then, back when the company was still in the old Erechem building. With the lack of cubicles precipitated by my batch's arrival, I was thrown into this small, no-AC conference room along with Rino and Junel. Jody and Jon would come by often to hangout and it was there that our friendship grew. Guys brought together by common likes and the propensity for fun and mischief. Those times were good times.

The good times lasts up to now, but not with all of us five together. Rino was soon on a long term assignment in SF. Jody would go back to Canada. Junel, Jon and I would be assigned overseas frequently, as is the nature of the business.

We used to talk how it would be the shit if we were all assigned together on a foreign assignment. As I sit here on a bench in Jody's apartment complex, resting, I realize that this game of 2 on 2 would be the closest we'd ever get to that wistful dream of fun times on foreign shores. Sayang lang wala si Tiambeng.

Rest time is over. Time to decide who will earn bragging rights. The strength is far from regained, the legs are still tired and the bodies still ache. None of that matters though. Doesn't even matter who wins or loses. I will enjoy every minute of this game.

Flyback To Do List

2005-09-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

Things to do when I go home:

1. Visit Tatay's pet project in Anting.
2. Treat Nanay to spa.
3. Watch Noel with Maye and Pao.
4. Spend a day with Pao.
5. Inuman with tropa (repeat X times).
6. Basketball with tropa.
7. Have dinner with Cathy and Wes.
8. Give J her b-day gift.
9. Inuman with Jon and Junel.
10. Watch Cynthia with Socs and Nanet.
11. Soccer Sunday.
12. Lunch out with SPLers.
13. Gimik with SPLers.
14. Watch Ateneo play.
15. Visit Elo in Bulacan and eat LTB.
16. Dinner with Cookie.
17. Isaw sa UP.
18. Lunch with college blockmates.
19. Play Cranium with Jon and Maine.
20. Watch Encantadia :D
21. Razons.

Tori Amos

2005-09-12T01:03:00.000-07:00

Her voice pierces my heart.

Her music stirs my soul.

post-holiday blues

2005-09-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

I hate the tail-end of long holidays.

Once the laughter has died down, the ensuing silence is deafening. The loneliness is accentuated by the absence of the happiness and companionship previously experienced. The temporary respite from the mediocre will be over soon and the remaining hours before reality creeps back in slowly dwindle.

Haayyyy....

strange coincidence

2005-09-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

While listening to Radiohead's Paranoid Android the other day, I placed the following line from the song as my YM status:

Kicking, screaming Gucci little piggy

The following YM conversation (taken verbatim from message archive, cause I'm a lazy bum) then ensued with Hec, one of the SPLers here in the States:

Hec: pads?
Pads: yo
Hec: yo, ano yung status mong gucci little piggy?
Pads: haha linya sa kanta
Hec: a ok, kala ko may kilala kang gucci na aso eh....
Pads: hahaha
Hec: kapatid kasi ni au nasa san jose ngayon may pug na gucci pangalan, eh nag ssnort yun parang baboy
Pads: hahaha ayos ah sakto pala yung linya
Hec: sakto pa kasi nasagasaan kahapon yata
Hec: kaya saktong sakto yung msg mo
Hec: hehehe
Pads: hahaha putsa freaky ah

Being that I am currently assigned in San Jose, Hec thought that I had witnessed Gucci's accident. How freaky is it that my status message would be so apt for Gucci's plight?

Thankfully Hec says Gucci is okay. He's broken, battered and bruised but he'll live.

As for the real meaning of the line from Paranoid Android, this site provides a pretty good interpretation.

Only in da Pilipins....not!

2005-08-31T23:04:00.000-07:00

Had lunch today at the Jollibee branch on Tully Road. As we were heading back to our car afterwards, I noticed that the Benz parked right next to us had the following, shall we say, amusing embellishments:

Just goes to show that you can take the Filipino out of the Philippines but you can never take the Philippines out of the Filipino!

X & Y

2005-08-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

My favorite song at the moment is Coldplay's X&Y:

Trying hard to speak
And fighting with my weak hand
Driven to distraction
So part of the plan

When something is broken
And you try to fix it
Trying to repair it
Any way you can

I dive in at the deep end
You become my best friend
I wanna love you but I don't know if I can

I know something is broken
and I'm trying to fix it
Trying to repair it anyway I can

Oooohh, oooohh
Oooohh, oooohh

You and me are floating on a tidal wave... together
You and me are drifting into outer space... and singing

Oooohh, oooohh

You and me are floating on a tidal wave... together
You and me are drifting into outer space

You and me are floating on a tidal wave... together
You and me are drifting into outer space... and singing

Oooohh, oooohh
Oooohh, oooohh

The lyrics speak of the doubt and uncertainty that we all experience in life. Life throws curveballs at us. Either we swing the bat or we dont, knowing that our actions may have repercussions that we have to deal with.

But then, when you hear the music, you get imbued with such a sense of calm and serenity. When Chris Martin sings 'You and me are drifting into outer space' I really feel as if I am floating above the earth, free from mundane thoughts and worries. As if saying that life can be harsh I know, but that doensn't bother me one bit...

X & Y indeed.

Hello, Goodbye

2005-08-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

My weekend was one of hellos and goodbyes...

Had lunch on Saturday with friends and we 'welcomed' the newest addition to the Tiamzon family. Topher and Emma showed the ultrasound pics of their baby, which they learned the day before was going to be a boy. Congrats, Topher and Ems! Joaquin sounds like a really good name :)

Went all the way to Hercules today for Adele's despedida. She'll be going back to the Philippines indefinitely so we had a small get together to bid her goodbye. There's no better way to send someone off than on a full stomach and we made sure that we stuffed Adele (and ourselves) silly. John grilled inihaw, John's dad created his killer kaldereta and George made crab and garlic noodles.

Safe flight, Adele, and good luck with your new life back home! I'll always remember your kick ass rendition of 'Total Eclipse of The Heart' :) Kitakits!

Chelsea on PPV

2005-08-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

Its been 3 weeks now since the EPL started and, for the third consecutive week, Chelsea's match was only available on pay-per-view (PPV). I missed out on watching their first match of the season against Wigan and the match against Arsenal because of this. I told myself I wasn't going to miss Chelsea play 3 times in a row and I decided I was going to order Chelsea's match against Tottenham. I figured since it was just a regular EPL match, albeit one featuring league champs Chelsea, it will probably cost only as much as a standard movie on PPV ($4.99 to $9.99).

Since the match was on live at 7am here in the West Coast, I had to wake up real early. Which was hard since I got to bed at around 1am last night. So, anyways, I woke up this morning at around 6:30 and went straight to the TV to make my PPV purchase. I turn the TV to ch 799, where the match was going to be shown, and it freaking says the match was available for the cost of $19.99. WTF?!! What a freaking rip off! But since I already psyched myself into watching the match and since I made the effort to wake up early, I said to myself what the hell, I'm buying it.

Well that turned out to be a mistake. The match was disappointing, to say the least. Sure, Chelsea won 2-0 but the level of play was not what you would expect from a team whose entire starting XI is made up of world class players. Sure, there were flashes of brilliance, but mostly Chelsea played on cruise control. Especially when Spurs went down to ten men. The level of play certainly wasn't worth Chelsea's combined 200 million pound payroll. And it sure as heck wasn't worth my $19.99!

missed opportunity

2005-08-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

Driving down I-280 this afternoon I couldn't help but gaze at the scenery along the road and think how much these two friends of mine would've enjoyed it. You see, they were supposed to visit me here in San Jose this September. Alas, that plan went down the drain when my friend's application for a U.S. Visa was denied last Tuesday. Sayang, that would have been the ultimate adventure sana. I would have loved to have shown them around and share with them all the neat things that I have experienced here. I even created an itinerary of all the things we'll be doing and all the places we'll be visiting.

Sayang talaga.

Pag nanalo ako sa lotto ano kayang gagawin ko?

2005-08-26T06:05:00.000-07:00

The Mega Millions jackpot is now up to an unreal 97 million so Jody, Topher, Con and I pooled our money together to get $20 worth of lotto tickets. With the thought of winning all that money in our minds the question of what you would do with it inevitably came up. One thing we all agreed on was goodbye day time job! No more sense slaving for chump change hehe.

As for long term plans...I'm a pretty simple guy so I don't really need the fancy cars or the fancy houses. I'm a lazy bum too. So if I can get away with not working and if the money I win can sustain me, then I'm all set. What would be great is if I can open up a cafe by the beach. Then I can just spend my time overseeing operations in the cafe and mingling with the customers. And it would be flexible enough that I can slip out of the cafe anytime and do whatever I feel like doing. Of course, since my business would be at the beach then I should get a house by the beach as well, with a spectacular view of the ocean and I'd build the house such that that my bedroom would be facing the water. That would be the life!

What would you do with if you win the lotto?

Balling

2005-08-26T05:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, after work, I headed over to Jody's place and played 2 on 2 with Rino, Jody and Jody's cousin, Dino. I haven't played basketball in over 8 months and, boy, did it show! I was panting already after just the first play. Obviously I'm unfit, but back when I was still playing regular ball back in Manila with my officemates and with my friends, it was never this bad. Good thing my jumper was falling because there was no way I was getting any points near the basket. Too slow to drive by Dino and too tiring too post him up (Props to Dino also on the tenacious D).

Hopefully this becomes a weekly thing para ma-ensayo ulit!

Coldplay @ Shoreline

2005-08-21T00:49:00.000-07:00

Topher, Jody, Joey and I saw Coldplay perform at Shoreline last friday. We stayed at the lawn area at the farthest end of the amphiteatre so we coudn't really see the stage that well. The concert still rocked, all the same. Biggest band in the planet? Coldplay surely has a strong case for it.

Funny anecdote: there was this one lady to our left who spent almost the entire concert solving crossword puzzles! I kid you not. She even had a flashlight in hand so that she can better see what she was doing. We were joking that she probably wanted to break the Guinness world record for most crossword puzzles solved while watching a Coldplay concert hehe.

da boys

Pads and Jody go to Dave Matthews Band (a.k.a this is one long ass post)

2005-08-16T23:34:00.000-07:00

I have seen my fair share of concerts during my assignment here in the states and one constant in most of the concerts that I've attended (especially the rock concerts) is the sporadic smell of weed smoke that pervades the air. I'd be rocking out, having a good time and suddenly the sweet smell of da ganja would invade my nostrils. I'd think to myself or comment to the persons I'm with that someone was enjoying the show for sure, or something to that effect. And then I'd wonder what would it be like to watch a concert while I'm high on THC myself.

Well the opportunity finally presented itself when I saw DMB play last Aug 13 with my friend Jody. Jody tokes so I knew that he would be cool with smoking pot while watching the concert. More importantly he'd have weed available for us to smoke. So all was well and good right? Well...not exactly...

If you've seen the film 'Harold and Kumar go to White Castle' you'd know that some pretty funny $h!t can happen when weed is involved. Our quest similarly took us thru some pretty funny turns.

First of all, it turned out that him having weed available was not entirely true. I was bugging him to get some fresh supply every day of the week leading up to the concert. Alas his contact didnt come through for us and come the day of the concert we still havent gotten hooked up with any. So we ended up having to content ourselves with whatever stash he had left. The amount was so small though that it wasnt even enough for one joint. So we had to bring a pipe with us (which we have since christened Mondo Geico) which complicated matters a bit since a pipe was harder to conceal. Furthermore, technically the stash wasnt his but his brother's. And his bro was out on the road and we didnt have a way to contact him. So we said bahala na, maiintindihan naman nya siguro if we take it with us.

So off we go to the venue of the concert, SBC park, stopping at an In-N-Out along the way for some dinner. We get there at around 6:45 just in time to see Black Eyed Peas performing midway thru their set. Its still suprising that BEP would open up for DMB since they are quite a huge act in their own right. But, hey, all the better for us as we enjoyed two good shows for the price of one. BEP rocked, playing all their hit songs plus a few that I didnt recognize. They play with such great energy that you can't help but get infected. Pretty soon everyone was in a party mood and it was a good way to psyche yourself up for the main event.

BEP ended their show at around 7:30 and I knew from the previous night (yes, I saw DMB two nights in row, hey I'm a fan) that it would be around an hour before DMB comes out on stage. So we decided we'd wait till they start playing before we toke it up. That way we'd also have the cover of darkness to hide our deed as the sun would be setting by then. So there we were hanging out at our seats, waiting for DMB to come out, watching the people passing in front of us to while away the time.

Suddenly, when the hour was almost up, Jody suddenly blurted out 'Oh shit, dude, do you have a lighter?? I forgot to bring mine!'. Well, of course, I didn't bring any since I assumed since he had the weed he'd have the lighter as well. So we started thinking...maybe they sell cigarettes here at the ballpark, surely they sell lighters too. So I quickly made my way up to the concession stands. But my trip was for naught. Apparently, its against the law in California to sell cigarettes in stadiums.

We were not to be denied though! DMB started playing shortly afterwards and opened with a killer trio of #41, American Baby and Crash Into Me. By the time Crash was playing I knew we had to do it. So I looked around and I saw the girl directly behind us smoking a cigarette. So I ask her if we can borrow her lighter so we can start smoking our weed. Borrowing a lighter from a stranger so that you can smoke weed that you brought to a concert must be the lamest thing ever to do. Wala, pakapalan na lang ng mukha. Of course, since we borrowed her lighter we were then obliged to share the weed with her. The amount we had was so small though that we werent sure that it would be enough for us three.

Amazingly, just like the loaves of bread, our supply seemed not to run out. Our fears were unfounded and it was sufficient for us three. So there we were toking and passing the weed between the three of us when on the fifth pass I think I inhaled too much, too soon and I started coughing. And coughing. And coughing. Pretty soon the lady seated to my left, who was really nice, was patting my back. And then the guys in front of me turned around and were asking if I was alright. That was pretty embarassing. The lady then explained to them what was going on as I was still to busy coughing to answer for myself. They were pretty cool about it and said that it happens sometimes. Apparently, they've been smoking a few at the concert as well.

Well just like 'Harold and Kumar', our adventure had a happy ending. Pretty soon I was high as a kite. It was amazing. I was seeing and hearing DMB play with heightened senses. It was as if I was watching the concert in hi def. With 5.1 surround sound. And I felt so...happy! There I was rocking out and having a good time and no one and nothing was going to spoil my evening. All my inhibitions were stripped and I was singing and dancing with the lady who patted my back earlier. It was wonderful.

As for DMB? What can I say, they were amazing! And that statement would hold true even had I not been baked. They play with so much passion and energy and they look like they are having such a good time on stage. And I love it how dynamic their music is. You dont know what they're going to play and how they're going to play it. I don't think even they know and they just feed off each's others energy and vibe to determine how each song they play takes shape.

The setlist they had for that night consisted mainly of their old classic songs: crowd pleasers such as The Warehouse, Dancing Nannies, Two Step and What Would You Say. Needless to say that got the crowd really worked up. And what new songs they played, they were the ones that I liked. Playing Steady As We Go, a ballad about not giving up when times get rough, was perfect as an encore.

Good times indeed!

Football Fanatic

2005-02-17T15:13:00.000-08:00

I discovered the beauty and wonder of futebol back in freshman college. And throughout the years I have nurtured this appreciation of 'the beautiful game'. Lately though my love for the sport has reached newer heights as I have met officemates who share my passion for the game. Finally I had people to talk to about the game and finally I had people to play with. More than anything it is our weekly soccer sundays that has brought this love of futebol to the fore.

This past month I have done two things that signal how much I love this game of futebol.

1) I applied for tickets for next year's World Cup in Germany. Experiencing the World Cup live is a personal dream/goal of mine. One that I am sure is shared by millions of football fans around the world. I have applied for tickets for myself and two others to see Brazil's group matches. Tickets will be handed out by lottery so there is still a chance (a great one actually) that I might not get tickets. Plus there's the small matter of financial resources that are needed to get me and my friends to Germany and to sustain us during out stay there. But those worries are for another day. Right now I've taken one step closer to fulfilling a dream. And just the thought of it leaves me giddy...

2) Being that futebol is not an American sport (they even call it soccer for chrissakes!), basic cable companies here in the states dont really show futebol matches except for the odd CL match or so that they show on ESPN2. This simply will not do. No way will it satiate my weekly appetite for futebol! Hence I was left with no choice but to subscribe to the premium cable package that Comcast provided. My monthly cable bill suddenly went from $0 to $50 a month. But hey, if you're a fanatic thats a small price to pay I guess. Now I have access to two dedicated futebol channels that let me watch all my favorite EPL, La Liga and Serie A teams play each week. And more.

On overseas assignments....

2005-01-24T07:03:00.000-08:00

One of the cons of being assigned overseas is being away from your family. Especially hard for me is not being there for my little brother Pao during his formative years. This morning (late night in Manila) Pao sent me an instant message asking for help with his media project, which was to create a sleeve for a CD case. For some reason, he was having a hard time getting the size of his image to fit the dimensions of a CD sleeve. To add to his dilemma Adobe was acting up and was giving him all sorts of funky errors. I tried to help him out the best I could. But I wasnt an Adobe expert and I didnt have a copy of Adobe in my laptop so the help I could give him was limited to 'try this, try that'. I couldnt help thinking that if I was back home with him I could have helped him much more. Had I been there physically with him to I would have been able to help him have an easier time with his homework.

Its times like these that make this job so hard...