penetrating the subculture

it’s only been a week or so since the waves were both my most bitter enemy and treasured friend.

two weekends ago, eight souls ventured into the unknown. for a tropical archipelago such as the philippines, hitting the beach in order to master the waves is not a common practice. some leave the sport to the americans, japanese, australians, and any other nationality that has traditionally been using this force of nature as a means to further exhibit the versatility of god’s great creation: man.

the surfing movement in this country is not as popular as foreigners think. on the contrary, the sport is approached with apprehension even by filipinos themselves. newbies will often hear such statements as:

“nagpapakamatay ka ba?”
“bakit?! marunong ka ba?”
“sigurado ka walang pating?”

only by going past these “concerns” does one actually get the full experience. it is one thing to dream of waves, and another to face them in all their fury as one tries to get to the lineup.

i confess that i am not an expert, no, far from that. maybe just a notch above newbie. but i am learning. and i am hooked.

the leash has taken hold of me. and me it shall have.

reawakening

it is only fitting that a reawakening post would feature a favorite pastime of a lot of my friends.

binge drinking
(published on page a15 of the october 8, 2004 issue of the pdi)

–excerpt–
notice how in both english and tagalog we use innocuous words to describe alcohol intake: "drinking" in english and "inuman" in tagalog. yet alcohol is a powerful chemical, with effects on the body that you can feel within a few seconds after you take it in.

When is it bingeing?

…what's a standard drink? it can be a small glass of wine, one bottle of beer or a splash of russian vodka. for filipinos then, the index would be beer bottles: taking in five or more in two hours could be binge drinking. but don't forget that many asians don't break down alcohol very well in the blood, which means we get intoxicated more quickly. i'd suspect maybe even three beers in two hours could be problematic for many of us.

–end of excerpt–

read more?

exhilaration

this afternoon, a milestone happened. i actually got my first table win. (note: if you don't understand, go learn v:tes. if you do understand, i'll tell you all about it. leave a comment.)

anyhoo, the past few days have been quite a drag. the students are gone, and i'm starting to miss them. i actually can't believe that the schoolyear's over and that in a few months, i'll be back on stage … er … on the platform of the classroom to teach.

by then, the 260+ students i have taught will either be in college, out of school, or otherwise gone from the high school. it will be quite a change not hearing the frequent greetings of those hulking masses of misplaced testoserone (except for the few who are just masses of testosterone. ).

it's a wonder how i survive each day with nothing to do. i've submitted my requirements to the respective offices, met with those who have to be met, been helpful to some others who need help, and still i am bored. i guess i have to clean my cubicle starting tomorrow.

bring on the paper shredder!

on cats, boredom and a feastday

I.
such a long day! on hindsight, it was actually only 7.5 hours long, but still.

i spent the afternoon at the gazebo where i work. having done the barest minimum work for today, i proceeded to relax by walking around the place. it seems that the cats at the gazebo (we have around 4 adults and 3 kittens) have now considered me a friend, after i offered them some salt and vinegar cracklings. yumyum.

hence, being the frustrated photographer, i proceeded to take some pics of them. i’ll try to post some tonight.

having had no pets whatsoever when i grew up, i never knew that cats (as opposed to dogs) have to be courted in order for you to get on their good side. with the dogs i’ve encountered, they immediately accepted affections (especially allan’s shih-tzu, or whatever it’s called). no wonder dogs hate cats. (cat owners, don’t go after me. these are opinions)

II.
after some pics, i admitted to myself that i was bored. b-o-r-e-d. i even SMSed my friend who was working at a telecom: “i’m not being mean, but i’m really bored.” she called me, and apparently she was not having such a great day either! minimal work was done. most of her officemates took a leave of absence. she was stuck with an officemate who was busy. how’s that for a bad day?

well we chatted for a while (thank god for cellphones!), and after two planes passed overhead, we decided to just SMS. saves money, that way.

christmas really *is* coming. nobody’s in the mood to work. the weather’s not cooperating either. too damn cold. and i still don’t have a sweater for the weather. the only bonus is that our once-too-hot heater is now spewing hot-enough water. *ahh* the joys of heated showers.

III.
the 8th of december is the feast of the solemnity of the immaculate conception. i was invited by a close friend to hear mass at the parish of the holy sacrifice at the nearby university of the philippines. i happened to sit right beside a woman who was cradling a child of about 8 months. i couldn’t help but stare at the kid since she reminded me so much of a jenna elfman, the star of dharma & greg! at some points during the mass, i tried to catch the baby’s attention by making faces, but the water bottle proved to be a formidable opponent.

it’s always refreshing to see a baby attend mass. start ‘em young, someone once said. my students would complain that children aren’t given the chance to choose their own religion. i would reply by saying, “if you want to leave the church, who’s stopping you? go!”

parents have the legal and moral obligation to bring up their children in the manner they best see fit. doing otherwise would be both a crime and a sin. if the parents are both catholic, then chances are that the child will be brought up in the church. if the child later on decides that he/she does not belong in the church, then he/she can freely leave. even if he/she has undergone the sacrament of confirmation already. again, my students would react, “but sir! wouldn’t the child be biased towards catholicism?” yes, he/she would be. but if you think about it, nothing in this world is free of bias. think about it.

IV.
it’s monday, and my last major activity was badminton. i took out my brand-spankin’-new racquet, a prince tour1000i (full graphite shaft, strung at 18lbs), and i’m happy. no matter that i spend more than a grand on the racquet plus some shuttlecocks. i had fun. i sweated. my technique is improving, at least i think so.

as an extrapolation of one of my previous posts on badminton, i’ve come across the thought that, ” if people are naturally transcendent, then does it mean that people are destined to be god-like?” interesting. i doubt. maybe people will take on forms like angels, but i truly doubt that people will be god-like in their own lifetimes. for people to be god-like they must be able to transcend their own ambivalence, which is an impregnable fortress. i better stop while i’m still lucid. gotta go sleep.

i have a match-up slated for next monday. can’t wait.