Laugh Now Cry Later

Eid Mubarak! Yesterday, the festivities of Eid-Al-Fitr begun. After twenty nine days of fasting and exclusion from wordly affairs, the crescent moon, which signals the end of the Holy month of Ramadan, has finally revealed itself, shedding off the Muslim community's sobre cape and ushering three days of mad and luscious celebration.

Ironically, after an uneventful and miserable day at the office (we were not spare of office though it's holiday), I went home with nothing in mind to do for the rest of the day. I just thought of spending time to give my site a make-over. It would be very timely since its Eid anyway, the Muslim's equivalent of New Year. As I was about to turn my laptop on, my celfone rang. It was an old friend and she was inviting me to go malling. I really felt heavy on my feet cause I know the mall's gonna be crowded to welcome the first day of Eid. But for old time's sake, I decided to meet her up.

It's been three months since we've last seen each other. Oh well, she hasn't changed a bit, physically and I hope, spiritually. She's still locquacious in her loud earthquake triggering voice and reactive in her predominantly "ayaw patalo" attitude. She's still always trying to outshine me in every subject of conversation that pops out of our head. Blame it on her blood, "kapampangan kasi" and she might very well be my last Kapampangan friend here in Dubai "na hindi ko pa inaaway nang tuluyan". "Ewan ko ba?", whenever we have misunderstanding, "nagkakabati rin kami palagi". Maybe because we know it's not easy to just forget "yung pinagsamahan namin kahit papaano", ooopppps without malice, we were really really "good friends dati".

We went to Dubai Festival City and just as I have anticipated, mammoth crowd has made the giant mall seemed like a jam packed arena waiting for a full blast football championship games. There wasn't hardly any space to walk through. Everyone was smiling, screaming, shouting, shopping and dining. During that moment, the place lived up to its name, undoubtedly.

As for myself, I was able to buy two bottles of perfume at a discounted price courtesy of her company ID. Then after that, we had ice cream over another set of gibberish conversations. There were lots of laughs, observing and mocking someone else's dress, fat bellies and oh! those plunging necklines, the skimpy outfits, the boobs, the muscles, the bottocks, etc. We can only laugh in their excesses rather than feel sorry for our deficiencies. Then we watched a boring laser light show and a not-so-impressive fireworks display. At ten p.m., I felt it's time to go home. I had no idea that a spoil was waiting in the taxi stand.

Our number was 200 cars away from being served. While waiting, we played some kind of "name that tune" game. That is, naming the title of he song being played on her Ipod. After roughly getting through all the songs saved on her Ipod, our que number was still a hundred cars away. Time to take a decent seat, a hundred cars could mean another hour of waiting. Then someone, a guy from Uzbekistan sat near me and he opened up a nice conversation. When he saw a child, walking upfront, he said that he also has a son back home in Uzbekistan and he kinda missed him. Then I asked him where was his country located, he said it's in Central Asia previously forming part of the USSR. Then I asked him if it's anywhere near Kazakhtan, he said their share borders. I even asked him if he knew Borat and he said Borat was also quite popular in his country. He did even mention that he almost died laughing when Borat wore that green one piece bikini in his movie. I said that was indeed hilarious. Then he asked me where are we going home and if he could go with us as his que would take him another hour to wait. Since his destination was quite not far from where we were going, i said it's no problem if he went with us. He even volunteered to pay for the taxi just to be able to get home earlier.

All the time that we were talking, my friend was minding her own business, texting. When i told her that he's joining us in the taxi, she said a BIG NO in a firm and uncompromising conviction! I was shocked I thought she was joking. But she wasn't. She threatened to walk out and she said she's gonna take another taxi if he come with us. I asked her what's the big deal and she just insisted that she didn't like it. Plain and simple. Now it was me to feel the dilemma. I have already said yes to the guy, but the girl said no. I paused for a while as I tried hard to hold back my tears.

I turned to the man and told him in a very apologetic manner, "my friend, I am sorry, but my friend doesn't want you to come with us". He understood and said it's okay. I never looked back at him. I was a little embarassed.

We took our taxi and I could barely speak a word. I was trying to figure out what happened and what went wrong. Then she explained her side but I was not listening, I was trying to hold back my tears. Then I told her it wasn't fair. She wasn't fair. Simply because he wasn't a Filipino made him undeserving of any help from us. I felt so much guilt. I told her, it isn't always that I got a chance to do good deeds or something nice to other people. Palagi niya ngang sinasabi na masama daw akong tao. Now, that I got a chance to prove otherwise, out of a clean intention, she herself has screwed it up. She said sorry but still I was deeply hurt. I told her she didn't know how it feels to say yes to someone only to take it back after a moment. It made me look I was half a man and that Filipinos were like that, malicious and selfish

We parted ways without any reconciliatory words. Masama pa rin ang loob ko.

OktoberFest No More

Days to go and here comes October. Having worked with San Miguel Corporation for more than six years, October ushers in a tremendous ambiance of celebration not just for its employees but more importantly to the entire Philippine drinking population as well. On this period, nothing else comes to mind but overflowing beer, band rages, street parties and widespread fiesta. It’s time for San Miguel’s Oktoberfest!

For several years, I have been a part of Oktoberfest – now an officially DOT recognized event in our country. My employee ID was as good as an entrance pass and my various contacts in the Sales and Marketing Department has given access to enjoy the goodness of free flowing San Miguel beer. The kick off party usually begins on the first weekend of October in various simultaneous parties across the country. Together with friends and officemates, we just stay for a couple of hours because traditionally, as the party gets late, the crowd and the “outside crowd” becomes even more unruly and wild, and risk of being hit with flying empty bottles or showered with beer leftovers is uncompromising.

The Philippines is set to make it to the Guiness Book of World Records for the longest bar in the world--a staggering 600 meters in total, stretching along the length of San Miguel Avenue and winding down to Julia Vargas Avenue in Ortigas, Mandaluyong City. The bar, which easily bests the 240-meter record held by Taiwan, was one of the main attractions of the San Miguel Oktoberfest kick-off party held last September 5. The event, which also featured four stages and around 40 local bands and artists, also attempted to set a world record for the largest beer-toasting crowd. Third Eye Blind was featured as one of the main acts. Dubbed "San Miguel Oktoberfest 120," the event launched the longest-ever celebration of the world-renowned festival, now extended to 120 days.

Now I have resigned from San Miguel and decided to try my luck here in Dubai, Oktoberfest is one thing I truly miss most. Though I am not a beer lover by nature, the moments spent with friends while grooving to the music of the featured bands and the opportunity to just be there when it happens is something that I couldn’t find elsewhere. There are also beer here in Dubai, but as what the famous SMB commercial line said, “iba na ang may pinagsamahan.”

Traditionally, Oktoberfest lasts for a month, but for 2008, in celebration of the company's 120th anniversary, San Miguel has decided to make the celebration a four month long revelry of camaraderie, brotherhood, good times, exuberant parties and overflowing beer starting last September. “Siento biente na!” cried Manny Pacquiao. When there’s nothing left to take out of the wallet, Filipinos are sure to find a cunning way to produce money in time for that special occasion. In splendid irony, “pag sa pagkain walang pambili, pero pag inuman, lumalabas daw ang pera”.

Since I am miles away to be one with my friends in kicking off the celebration of Oktoberfest, only pictures of my friends have reached my mailbox as evidenced that Oktoberfest has indeed started. But hey, I might still be able to catch up the Closing Party if ever I go on vacation this December. If that happens, I will just text you and I will see you then. Cheers!

Iskul Bukol : A Trilogy

Episode 1. Grade School: Incredible Winner.
This story took place when I was twelve years old, when I was in grade six to be more particular. I represented my school, a public elementary, to the Division Level of the 5th Caltex DECS DOST Young Scientist Quiz. Most of the participants, totaling fifty, were from private schools and Montessori all over Cabanatuan. It's not really the typical quiz competition wherein sets of questions of varied difficulties are asked of each contestant and they get to answer in papers. It's a plain paper test of sixty questions that we have to answer in two hours. After that the papers would be checked and whoever gets the highest number of correct answers shall be declared winner. Moment of truth came, the third and second placers were already announced and I was ready to go back home. When the contestant number of the first placer was announced, no one was standing; I have no idea that it was me. I bested the best. I won the competition, I couldn't believe it and so were the organizers.

The following day, the Division School Superintendent for Science came to our school, not to congratulate me but to administer the same test that I took the other day. The same exam I have almost perfected and that made me won over a lot of students from different schools. I would have taken that re-taking against the organizers for it appeared that they were doubting the results and so my capabilities. Without malice, I retook the exam, right after; it was checked by the Superintendent herself. Proving that I indeed deservingly and honestly won the contest, I got the same number of correct answers as I did during the actual competition. There wasn't much to say after it, fairly and clearly, I won the contest. I was really the best. In two months, I got to represent the school in the regional Finals. I competed as a team together with the second and third placers though it was made to appear that I was the runner up. Glad we have lost. I couldn't take much of the discrimination. It has to end and it did.

I came from a public elementary school, but it doesn't mean I was inferior and less intelligent. I walked my way to school in slippers but it doesn't mean that I was incapable and incredible to win a contest of pure stock knowledge. I came from a public school, but it doesn't mean that I couldn't be the best

Episode 2. Forbidden School.
Oh my high school life! Would you believe that I didn’t attend my high school graduation? Just as everyone else’s excited to receive their certificates, I chose to excuse my presence in that once in a lifetime event. The reason: failed expectation. I landed on the 5th spot of the honorable mention, to my dismay and resentment. The culprit: the revised criteria for determining the honor list, 50% academic and 50% curricular. I might have excelled well ion academics but in participation with extra curricular activities, so it weighed me down. I felt it so unfair to have the two criteria combined. They could just have given the dumb but talented their some special awards for recognition and let alone academics determine the real honor list. Sad to say, some have to be pleased and some, including me, have to be sacrificed. I could have ruined the occasion by marching in protest, but I realized that the rest of the graduates have nothing to do with what has happened to me and so they deserved a memorable occasion. My silent protest was to be vindicated four years later


Episode 3. Dilemma.
My high school’s experience was a bit traumatic, so entered college, I didn’t stress myself out with too much concentration on studies, home works and assignments. I have found time to relax and focused on some previously unattended aspects such shabby dressing, making some friends, exploring outside school, etc. But soon enough I realized that I couldn’t afford to be lazy and lousy like the rest of my gangs because I have a battle to win and I have to prove something. Caught between the newfound joy of schooling and the ardent desire to get back the honor that was stolen from me in high school, I gave the former, with pain in my heart. Just as I was beginning to love and enjoy school, I was once again isolated from organization, from girls, from friends and from happiness so I could focus more on how to prove my high school wrong. It was a difficult choice. I could have at least as many girlfriends as I would have wanted. What I’ve got after four years was gold medal instead. I graduated at the top of my class. I was vindicated; just the same, I have missed some of the real thing.