Sunday, April 15, 2007

Rodeo Roadtrip

Pardon my recurring absence, I certainly don't mean it. In fact, I intended to blog a couple of days ago, but my gang was in a hurry, I had to shut down all machines in my room before leaving. On a random Wednesday evening, my mother suddenly decides she'll call sick and evade to Houston with my dad for his high school reunion. If she'd be eating cookies alone in her hotel room, then I might as well go and provide her some entertainment. So I went straight back home after my HDEV exam, and called in sick myself for my math. Packed, rather excitedly, while I watched Idol's results show (Sanjaya's staying power is something else, man) and headed out not before 3.


Houston wasn't exactly as engaging as I thought it would be. Well, the tough schedule, that prevented us from delving the city, was partly to blame for it. The rest would probably be consisted of their sick freeways, stupid street signs, and perilous construction sites. The city might have lacked appeal to me, but its outskirts were definitely, um, interesting.

It was time to exchange driving duties for the boys, as I volunteered to get us some blizzards and onion rings. DQ was easily spotted from the freeway, in the midst of a town seemingly composed of people severely alienated from the colored world. The old lady looked stunned when I opened my mouth and sounded as if I've been living here as long as she has. She was subtlety hostile. Never smiled, even when she did that wacky thing with the blizzards. She obviously wasn't colorblind. But I quickly disposed the nuisance after enjoying my treat. Thank God she wasn't racist enough to poison us.

So, we checked in, dove in our beds, and watched basketball to sleep. It was such an exhausting trip that we weren't even worried about going elsewhere the following day. But my dad had plans of going to San Antonio the next morning, and we just couldn't resist to convoy. It was yet another road trip. Literally. I probably spent more time sitting on my ass than my entire sojourn down there. I wouldn't complain if the view was anything close to my LA-to-Vegas escapade, but it's remotely not! Especially when I would see a house clad with black and white posters saying "Go Spurs! Go!" every once in two minutes.


As cued by Mark Cuban's past criticisms, I expected The Riverwalk to be similar to the bad area of Manila Bay. You know, that part where entrepreneurs gutted restaurants and grills infront of, while there were vacationing used diapers on the shores, and the water smelling like shit. But to Cuban's rare inaccuracy, Riverwalk wasn't anything like it. Although the water wasn't exactly appealing, at least the smell wasn't puke-worthy enough to drive us out of our Texas-sized appetites.

Apparently, you also have to check out The Alamo if you're a virginal tourist in that part of the state. I wasn't necessarily interested because I think, I've already had enough of stories about Magellan and Lapu-Lapu, that these they-saved-our-nation museums and apologue don't juice anymore interest from me. But it was refreshing to go in there. It was so hot in San Antonio that I wouldn't overlook any chances of getting into cemented buildings. Even if it means locking myself in a room of smelly armpits. Yes, it was that hot.


Some random camwhorage with mother. At the River, and after shopping for fridge magnets.

Then we went home that same day. (Sorry Laureen, I passed by New Braunfels, squealed even "I have a friend living right there," finger pointed at that lone freeway that probably leads to your location, but I didn't have enough time to see you. I'll be back though, and I swear, I'll leave you my number the next time.) We then went to this parochial community headed by my dad's high school professor. It's one of those crowded get-togethers, where there's Wowowee on TV, some dried fish's odor sprinting up your nostrils, and a variety of Filipino dialects in every corner of the place. It was social nightmare to the nth degree!! If it weren't just for my dad, I would totally act like those girls from Sweet 16. Seriously. Who wants to get trapped inside a bungalow, congested by eyebrow-raising Filipinos, all asking you the exact same thing, as if griping you to admit that you're a probinsyana just like they once were. "Do you still speak Te-geh-leg?" I'm so sorry, but that question irritates the fuck out of me. Especially when I came in to that very door greeting everyone in sight with a polite (and required) mano to my forehead (even with no clue wherever that hand may have been!) and "Magandang Gabi Po." And they dare ask me if I still spoke Te-geh-leg? If the function wasn't just facilitated by priests, I would have smacked back with a, "Tangek, Manila girl ako!"

So anyway, that's about it. It still boggles me how updating this blog now takes a lot from my time. Maybe because the semester's drawing to an end (translation: more work than usual), or maybe because the playoffs are here and Rafa's hopefully on his way to another unbeaten clay court season. Hay, there's so much going on that I can't even find time to shave my mustache. Ok, that was a joke. But hey, I hope you guys had a terrific week yourselves. Thanks for still dropping by despite my recent lag in your respective comment boxes. I promise to see you around soon. :)

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow looks like a nice trip! And god those food you guys have certainly looks appealing!

Anonymous said...

hmmm... where did my post go?

anyway, i was saying it's really very sweet of you to accompany your mum, ate kai! and gosh, you made me so hungry with those pics. i wanna go on another roadtrip now, too... haha. thankies.

[vayie] said...

THERE YOU ARE!

That's why you're not posting that much anymore. Every blogger I know are caught up in something these days that they hardly blog. I would like to believe you enjoyed the roadtrip. =)

You have to do a serious backblogging on my site when you come back! =)

KAI said...

Chase
Texas has got the best BBQ, Chas ;)

Acey
Go here! I shall drive for you. :P

Vayie
Oh yeah, I did enjoy. The funnier moments were even while in the car. It was interesting. And backblogging? Check. ;)

Talamasca said...

Sanjaya proved that night that he's got mad vocal skilzzzz. And I think Simon's in lurrrrveee with him. Like they have this love-hate relationship that's bound to last until he's booted out or forever and ever, whichever is longer!

OMG ROADTRIP!!! Haven't been on one for a very long time, sad to say. Glad to know you relished every moment of it, even though you encountered some major fuckwits. Hehe.

Laurene said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Laurene said...

ate kai, do you watch antm there? etc's airing cycle 6. anong cycle na d'yan?

KAI said...

Jerome
Ow, okay. Sure. I'll email ya ;)

Tala
Ok, are you and I watching the same show? Hahaha. Yeah, I did enjoy, somehow. Thanks!

Laurene
Yep! We're on Cycle 8. :)

Anonymous said...

hello magandang gabi po! hehehe. kamusta na. tagal na rin akong di nakadalaw dito. ang dami na talagang pinoy dyan sa tate, marunong pa ba sila magtagalog? hehe *peace*

[vayie] said...

I forgot to say that you're headband is cute. =)

Anonymous said...

that's the trouble sometimes when you live in a city that lacks some color. there aren't a lot of coloreds in NB either, but at least there aren't any mean ladies at the nearest DQ. haha.

OMG, that is SO San Antonio...those "Go, Spurs, Go" placards that dot almost every establishment. would you believe many faculty cubicles in my college have that sign hanging as well. tuloy, i'm starting to find the team so overrated. haha. i might even root for the Mavs this year ;)

gosh, i had to stifle a laugh when i read "do you still speak te-geh-lehg?" i'm in the school library pa naman. those are annoying to the bone. it's like you want to scream "hello, hindi ba obvious?"

seriously, kai...we've got to meet sometime. hehe. hmmm, i wonder if my family has plans of traveling north anytime soon ;)

Anonymous said...

i'm not keen on making "mano po" either. i try to be respectful though.

KAI said...

Iskoo
Tse! :P

Vayie
Just the hairband? Haha, but thanks. It's actually a scarf, just folded it to make it look like a bandana slash hairband. ;)

Laureen
Haha, I would have probably broadcasted the town's name, hadn't I forgotten, but good thing I had. It was terrible, I mean, I've gotten used to racists over my time year, but it still hurts. You know. Anyway, the signs were hilarious! I'm sure there's a lot of us Mavs fans here too, but we never do that, even way back in the 'hood. :)) And heck, I was really annoyed! It's like they're mocking us, because they assume that we're already Americanized. Of course, we are. But we still curse in Tagalog. I mean, it was really insulting. And YES!!! We've gotta see each other next time. I promise to email you my number when we have plans of coming back. :)