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. :)

Ambak!

*** Long entry ahead. If you can't devote a good 10-minute readfest of a Texan's escapade to California, and with major camwhorage in tow, then this particular post is not for you. Scaramoosh!

I was planning to blog while I was in California, but my aunt's AOL dial up service was helluva crap, for lack of a better word. I'm over and done with dial up, so to sit infront of that computer for more than 15 minutes would actually be very patient of me. Unfortunately, that's yet one trait I'm planning to list in my new year's resolution, hence the short hiatus. But I'm back! With a new blog address, blog title, template, stories, and everything else. Long story short, I just got tired of the old stuff. Back to story...

As you know, I finally got my much awaited vacay the past couple of weeks and I got to spend each day with no less than my family. Expectedly, it was fun, but I never thought I'd be exhausted by the 3rd day. We were always on the go, there was always something to be up to, and not one day for me to indulge myself in that tempurpedic bed. Not that I didn't have a choice, but I don't want to give them the cold shoulder, especially that they only get to see me once in a blue moon. Nevertheless, I had a ball, and hopefully everyone else also did.

The rundown.

Day 1: Eagle Rock Plaza is about a 2-mile walk away from my aunt's place, so we chose it as our first destination. It's pretty small, and its basement is stacked with Filipino people, shops, and fast foods. We had lunch at Jollibee, had my first Jolly Spaghetti in years, and you bet, I was in heaven. The mall also has Chowking, Goldilocks, Bench and a huge grocery store racked with Filipino goods. It's like strolling in Megamall on a random Sunday morning. Then off we go to Universal Studios after lunch. It was only the four of us, but we had fun, nonetheless. Super bonding time.


Jolly Spaghetti; Universal Studios overlooking San Bernardino; Bagets Reunion with Hailey
Day 3: Hollywood Blvd. We just cruised through it, kodak-ed here and there then left immediately. Had dinner at Max's Restaurant shortly after, with my parents' old classmates and the rest of the family. Sarap ng Crispy Pata, super na-miss ko!

Day 4: Off to Rancho Sta. Margarita to visit our favorite cousins. Traffic and travel time are torture but it was all worth it upon seeing our first pamangkin. Then to Irvine to visit a friend, and back to LA to celebrate Tita Tess' birthday.

Day 5: Then the actual celebration. It wasn't really a huge party, just family and some friends. My ninang from Fresno came over, and a few others. We also watched the Pacquiao match altogether, and you can only imagine how bizarrely exuberant their celebratory cheers were after the 15-minute payperview. Quite expensive, 'no? But whatever. After seeing the fight, and the priceless look on that rich boxer's face, I finally realized why it was so important for Filipinos to support this boastful man. No matter how yabang he gets, he still bleeds for the country, so there, I couldn't help but go patriotic and appreciative. Parang hindi bagay, 'no.

Day 6: Sunday, church day. After mass, we decided to eat In-n-Out for lunch, my first time! My people who've been in LA forever have been bragging about their burger for the longest time, so why not give it a try. But for real, it didn't taste any special. It's good, but the fries were even better. I still prefer Sonic's, and Whataburger's. But you know what's the best burger I've tasted? Tropical Hut's junior classic. Yep, that one back in the Philippines. To die fuckin' for! I'd give up a year without internet just to have one branch here in Texas. PLEASE!!! Branch internationally!!!

Day 7: It was all about Vegas. We left around noon, and arrived at about 4pm. Checked in at Aladdin, changed clothes and had dinner at Buffet @ Asia, then strolled the strip until 11pm. Papa and Auntie Rose still managed to go the Casino downstais and guess what? My dad won ten times his capital. Hahaha, I wish I had his powers. Woke up fairly early, had brunch at Spice Market Buffet, shopping at Prim, then back to LA before midnight.


Strolling the strip with Bo and Han; Breakfast camwhorage with Hailey; Thanksgiving beerfest
Day 7: Rodeo Drive. I wasn't really expecting to see a celebrity since it's like a tourist spot now more than anything, but I saw a couple, a B-list and a G-list, I guess, hehe. I was in the same elevator ride as Jon Lovitz, and I was standing next to Eugena of ANTM Cycle 7 in the valet parking. Seriously, of all the celebrities in the world, I got to see those two. How lucky!

Day 8: Thanksgiving. I really don't prefer celebrating tradional American holidays, but whatev, it was all in good fun. I almost did nothing that day though. Just rested, fixed my suitcase, and drank a little. And ate my Chowking siomai to go.

Day 9: Back to Eagle Rock Plaza for Black Friday. It was my first time to shop at Macy's, and boy do they have quality clothes there. Too bad I only got one piece because of my luggage space left, and this sweater I badly wanted had no tag on it that I couldn't bring it home. Eff it! Good thing there was Jollibee for lunch, I was calmed. Hahaha! Then Kristine Hermosa and Anne Curtis invaded the Filipino grocery. I happen to be an avid viewer of these Tagalog soap operas, but I never intend to be a so-called fan of theirs to actually line up and ask for their autographs. My mom, my aunt and my cousin were otherwise. They like Anne so much that they just had to squeeze into the day-off crowd and take pictures. Then guess what. This random manong comes up to me and says, "maputi lang sila, at may make-up, mas maganda ka pa sakanila, magpapayat ka lang", hahaha, the old guy just had to compliment this fatgirl to vent out his frustrations of not getting his poster signed. Nambola pa! Bwiset.

Day 10: We went to Griffith Park the previous night to see the light show which was jampacked that it got us home at around 10pm. Went to bed at almost midnight, woke up at 3am, to the airport and left Los Angeles at 6:15. What a crazy hour to fly. Seriously. But for some reason, it was a huge relief to see good ol' Texas again. Such a breath of fresh air.

Can you imagine, it's been two weeks, exactly this time, since the time that I was enjoying McDo's famous fries, waiting for boarding time en route to LAX. Man, how time flies so damn fast. Holidays are here, the ones I normally celebrate. Then I turn a year older, and funtimes will soon be over.

Rainy Days on Tuesdays

And so, the trip to Austin still pushed through, even with the heavy weather almost hindering my long awaited escapade. Aba, I had to rampa at least before this season ends, haha. And I got it, just with an equally volimunous condition. The effin' weather wasn't cooperative at all, it was gloomy from here to there, and it sucked. Big time. Nevertheless, I can't say I didn't enjoy it. After all, The Capitol (the trip's main purpose) is a tourist destination itself. I got to see parts here and there, and around it. Barely satisfying, but not that bad either. If the weather could have been just a little friendlier, sigh, I would have enjoyed the trip immensely. Eff it!

It was a fun experience kodak-ing though. Oh gosh, I'm no expert, please bear with my amateur skills.


The Capitol


Capitol tower ceiling. Brother took this.


Marisco Grill & Grove along 6th St.


And a poor self portrait attempt. Wawa.
You know what ticked me off the most? No, not that I didn't get to take a photo of myself completely, but the fact that I didn't even get to have a single cocktail anywhere on 6th St. That place is like the Session Road of South Texas - I'm from the North, so I'm totally screwed - it's where musicians, comedians, and parties and cocktails come alive each night. It's popular, and seemingly fun, hence my little turmoil. But the rain just sealed it for us. If the sun showed up sooner, we could have stayed over the night. But it didn't, so we headed right back home after a brief 2-hour stay. We didn't even see the fuckin' bat bridge!!! Arghhh.

Pardon my kid-without-a-candy attitude here. I just don't get to go to places like that everyday, and as you may know, I've been severely bored over the past few months, that I needed this trip to at least, remind me that I have an outside world aside from the backyard. Damn. My typing fingers are releasing baloney now. It's 2:47am, it's freezing cold, I got Tennis to watch tomorrow, but I'm yet to yawn, and I'm still mad.

I swear. I will go back to Austin sooner than later. And I will ride that fuckin' duck andventures!

In need of a better digicam.

So, amidst the less-than-hyped system I was trapped in, I still went to see Saturday Night's Main Event with Bo last night. I almost gave that ticket away, and boy, I'm so glad I yielded the persuasion, otherwise, I could've missed a whole damn lot. As many of you know, I'm a big fan of professional wrestling, so if some of you aren't down with that, I advise you to leave. This entry will be filled by what will be a spastic narration, no less.

We arrived at the AAC 15 minutes late of the starting time which was 5:30pm. All along I was questioning as to why it begins at 5:30, when TV guide says that the program starts at 7, and it's supposed to be aired live. Dumbass me didn't realize that it's airing on network television, and for that reason, parts of it were needed to be pre-taped. And so after eating a wondrous whataburger, Papa dropped us off the west entrance, and we readily headed our way to the line, and waited for an estimated 15 minutes under the scorching Dallas heat. Then, we finally settled on our more than satisfying seats at exactly 6:00pm. The view was better than what we could've expected. It just sucked a bit because Paul London had a match and we hardly caught any action. So anyway, I was seated next to my brother, of course, and a black guy to my right who has an uncanny resemblance to Mavs' Erick Dampier. I was a little bit conscious at first because the seats were not as convenient as they're supposed to be, especially for Texans, but as the gentleman I assume he was, he made me feel comfortable with the way I was seated. Needless to say, he also seemed like someone I befriended throughout the show. He was funny.

I was slightly disappointed though, because a lot of the matches, seemed to have been choreographed hastily and lazily (dark matches excluded). I guess, I'm only bitching because my first time was superbly sulit. I paid $60 bucks for a floor seat, and I was supplied with 3 hours of jampacked grappling. Whereas, this $40-dollar treat couldn't compare. BUT, there is one thing that I was witness of last night, that I didn't get the chance to see the previous time. Underfrickintaker! Holyshitness. That was the most surreal thing I have ever seen. As a kid, I would be extremely horrified by his gigantic creature, and those devilish antics, let alone his freakishly chiller music. But he is a phenom, per se, and as a fan that I am, it was the cherry atop the fabulous night that I was having. I have finally seen The Undertaker! I can die now.

Who's my favorite, you ask? Well, right off the bat, I'll tell you it's Triple H and HBK. But I also happen to be a fan of John Cena, who unfortunately faded as a major favorite among the crowd. The best thing about the event though was that I was inserted in a crowd of men who all know their shit, my brother included. Unlike others on the other side who only "boo" people just so they'd get hitched by a certain bandwagon. I take my brother as a perfect example of this point I'm trying to make. In the more than 10 years of his passionate adoration for professional wrestling, he only worships three people. Them being: Triple H, Mick Foley and Ric Flair. Yes, Hulk Hogan doesn't count as his god. Anyway, I knew that he loathed Cena, much like a lot of you do. Hence, my surprised reaction when he applauded him. He clapped, just like all the men around us did. And that minimal applause ingrained my integral respect for my brother and his own share of fanaticism. He's just not another professional wrestling die-hard. He's one of them genuinely smart fans, who give mature ovation whenever it is due.

Speaking of my brother, he was the one taking the pictures and the videos simultaneously. So I credit him for everything we've got. It's just unfortunate though that the images doesn't come close to justifying what we saw, personally. Check them out here and here.

Overall, it was a decent treat. Good show, great seats, best part of the crowd. I had a ball. My mother presently says that the next time WWE comes to town, she won't be paying for the tickets anymore. She actually said the same thing last year, haha. But I guess, we won't torture her any longer. It's my father's turn the next time around. Kidding! I cheered for Batista the loudest, just so you know. He's a fella, and I can't help but be so proud of him. Have you seen his new ink? Anyway, this is lengthy enough. So long.

Drive-thru Dallas

Snapshots from the east side of Downtown Dallas during an enthralling 35-minute semi are we there yet misadventure. Dang, I miss this place. It's been 7 long months since the last time I set foot on it. Dallas was everything I hoped it would be. It holds a mix of colored people, hence the feeling that we genuinely belong, not to mention the certain parts that are remotely similar of what Cainta (my hometown) was like. As opposed to that, North Irving (my current residence) is a little bit on the upper-class hand. I was raised in a middle-class type of living, resultantly, the mute and cleaner surrounding makes me feel quite alienated. I miss the long bus rides, the noise, the smell, the clutter, the mexicans, the gay people, everything. Had we not scored a great bargain with this house, we should still be staying there. And if I would be given an option, I will most likely prefer growing a family in Dallas than anywhere else.

Randomness...
- Leah Salonga was mentioned in yesterday's Jeopardy. My heart giddily jumped, you bet!
- It is quite surprising that I'm not as enthusiastic as I should be about tomorrow's Saturday Night's Main Event. I think my obsession with professional wrestling tamed down a bit, and I blame FIFA and KAKA for it!

I will make sure that I have a blast this weekend, so make yours a party too!