1000 Kilometers, 1 B-Movie, 3 Coffee

 

Yesterday, I had to bring Mary back to Honda for her first 1000 Km check even if it meant having only a 3-hour sleep and waking up by mid-day after a stressful 12-hour graveyard shift. I was at Honda Alabang by exactly 1pm as scheduled.

Expecting the check-up to only last within 2 hours I spent some time eating in their homely cafeteria and then appreciating the customer lounge’s comfy couch and wide screen TV which was showing an HBO thriller that time. I likewise tried to get some cat naps to fill in my lack of sleep. And true enough after 2 hours I was called by the service agent. But to my dismay I was just about to fill in the service form from which the actual check up will commence right after I completed the needed details. I learned that the check-up itself will be after another 2 hours more. Damn. I can’t take another couple of hours watching another HBO rerun. Besides I’m craving for strong caffeine already.

An idea then came up, “ATC here I go again.” I’m thinking I can get some doze right inside one of the lovely cinemas. Ironically as I was preparing myself for a 115-peso-sleep, my body as if under hypnotism led me to The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s store. My brain is trying to sleep but my body craved for caffeine. Just great. Inside me is an on going battle if who is the boss.

And so after my body got its coffee, my brain came next and it was selecting between four movies. Well a sleep is what I need so the sleepy brain picked what seems to be a B-movie. Dreamland here I come.

Right after grabbing my ticket for the movie Cloverfield, I excitedly entered the cool and almost vacant cinema, and then picked my spot away from the scattered movie goers. I don’t normally enter in between showing of the film, but then again sleep is my main purpose and so out of the norm I did it.

I was 30 minutes late from the start of the movie and my brain was already trying to prep itself into dreamland. I don’t know if I’m that dazed as I find the scenes quite dizzying but I realized sooner that it’s part of the movie’s effect. The Blair Witch Project came into my mind – Cloverfield’s shots are also set to come from one character’s perspective with its handheld video cam thus creating an amateur effect. Perfect. Just what I need to fall asleep.

I actually don’t know if my brain succeeded into getting its much needed sleep even after my body got its dose of the strong and large Americano. I never knew who won the who-is-the-boss-battle but I woke up watching movie trailers. So I looked at my watch and it was just an hour and a half. The movie finished earlier than I expected. It was a short film.

Upon checking my cellphone I found out that Honda still has not sent me an SMS for me to claim Mary. That gave me another hour to kill. So the curiosity to confirm if I was having nightmares while inside the cinema or had actually witnessed the weird ending of the movie, made me decide to watch the film from the very beginning.

The trailers eventually ended. The cinema lights once again dimmed and the featured movie once again started. And just as I find the ending weird enough, the start itself is just as unpredictable. A couple of people actually booed after seeing the chroma bars and as some weird text negatives uncontrollably started appearing and rolling. Unknown to us audience then, the film has actually started.

Cloverfield’s plot I soon find out was about a couple of young New Yorkers having a farewell party for a departing friend. One of them is taking a documentary of everything that’s happening in the apartment. Some were asked to speak their wishes and goodbyes in the video. This cinematography style went throughout the entire film.

The twist of the story then came. While at the peak of the merry making a loud noise was heard and the place suddenly shook with all the lights in every building outside going out momentarily. What happened next is reminiscent of the 911 attack. There was panic. Buildings crumbled. People running around the ravaged and dusty streets. Everything looked real enough with the amateur video effect.

There was chaos and confusion and video cam went shakier and then everything went blurred. Then the shaky cam captured a monstrous creature that would put Godzilla to shame. It delivered a damaging blow to the Brooklyn Bridge; it decapitated the historic Statue of Liberty sending the head crashing on the parked cars miles away. Suddenly I felt I was among those running for their lives. And more surprisingly I was beginning to enjoy the movie. Wow, I never knew I’d like this movie a lot. I regretted giving in to the urge to sleep when I came in earlier.

As the plot thickens, emotions going intense and the destructions getting greater, I felt something in my thigh beginning to vibrate and buzz. I was wondering if I was experiencing a 4D sensation. But damn, it was my cellphone alarm going off.  It was time for me to leave. Never before have I hated leaving a B-movie.

I went out of the cinema feeling bad not having finished the show. I walked out as if with the dilemma if I’ll stay and finish all of it or getting Mary out before Honda closes by 6pm.

My mind’s made up. 10 minutes before closing time I was back in Honda’s service area. It’s getting dark outside when I drove away, and I was still thinking of what I’ve just watched. I was in fact hoping that I’ll be transported back in Cloverfield’s set and would have cared less if Mary and I gets entangled in the devastation. I really got hooked.

*****

By the way, there were a couple more coffee shops Mary brought us within its 1000 Km break in period. She brought us to Bag of Beans in Tagaytay after a cold night dinner at Leslie’s (with my wife’s brother & sister-in-law) restaurant.

A week after that, we took the Talisay road going to Sto. Tomas Batangas. Mary endured the steep, tight and blind turns with me having her just at second gear for almost 15 Km to avoid careening off the road. Eventually that trip took us to a cozy and warm coffee shop in Tanauan Batangas – Dairymoor.

And the verdict? All three coffees actually tasted the same. I just can’t remember which shop cost the least. Definitely not The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

*****

Wrote this blog’s draft while at our company’s parking lot, waiting for my wife…

Man is Never Contented

The first time I heard this cliché was way back when I was in elementary. I never knew then that its meaning will become clearer and clearer (not to mention more expensive) as I grow older. Back then it was just begging for He-Man action figures when I’ve got the small plastic toy soldiers. Wanting to have Legos when I’ve got freebie building blocks from sari-sari store junk foods packs. Dreaming of having BB aluminum slingshots when in fact I already have the bayabas(guava) wood piece. Imagining of having Tonka toys dragged around instead of the Milo cans transformed into trucks with wheels cut out from old smagol (slippers). All those wants and imaginations I never got.

So after more than 20 years that 4-word cliché keeps on circling my mind as if it has cache itself in one of the brain lobes and so ready to remind me any time I’m pulling away from reality.

The recent change from our stereotyped Kia Pride to the highly praised Honda brand (though only having the basic 1.3A City) gave me the feeling of a paradigm shift. I felt as if I just had exchanged my push cart to a Bugatti, just to exaggerate of course. But that was actually how it felt. No one can blame me for feeling this way as the change also involved from having our first car being second hand and having the second car already being a brand new.

If having the Kia Pride excitedly made me search the web for support groups then it’s no wonder if I’ve already spent some time browsing and lurking in Honda forums. This is for me to know what the other owners of the same model I have in their mind. I’m keeping a blind eye though on upgrades as I’m just more interested mostly in maintenance…for now.

And then reality struck. My precious Mary has its flaws and weaknesses too. Some of the owners find their City as having poor suspension, dashboards that are easily scratched, rusting hinges, poor gas mileage, rickety interiors and so forth. I did double check if I’m not reading my Kia Pride’s ex-forum. Well the URL has Honda in it. Hmmm.

As if awaken from a bad dream, these finding made me make up my pros and cons list I’ve seen so far.

Pros:

·         Power Steering.

·         Very silent engine. I find it necessary to honk every now and then to keep inattentive pedestrians from straying near Mary while I’m passing.

·         Spacious interior and boot.

·         4 cup holders. Who said you can’t drink and drive?

Cons:

·         Manual antenna. My Kia pride had power.  

·         Very tight boot and gas lever. Having a Rolex is a bad idea. But then again who has a genuine Rolex and a City.

·         Audio player is not MP3 capable. And there are only 2 speakers located in the front. I pity the rear passengers.

·         The side panels and ceiling are prone to dirt stains due to the fabric material.

And so it is proven once again that man is never contented, gid. Of course this is both a good and a bad thing. It becomes good when you aim for a better life but it becomes so bad when you keep on having more wants than needs. It becomes worse when you keep on staring at the seductive Toyota Camry (the web info shows that what I’m seeing are Hybrids. And this means that there are Hybrids now in Cavite?) while inside your new Honda City. Ti abi.

Enjoy it while it last Cris.

 

2008: Year of Changes?

I’m currently hooked to Dan Brown’s books. During my December vacation I borrowed a book from a colleague and brought it with me in Bacolod. On my rest times I tried reading “The Da Vinci Code” – and under some sort of scrutiny from my pious mother. Answering, “it’s just a book” still somehow raised an eyebrow.

On our way back home to Dasma after the holidays, we rented an airport taxi service and that made me finish the book while inside the cozy Toyota Innova (it cost us only Php 1.3K. Very cheap compared to availing Park n Fly’s service). That was at least a week of reading it. Not bad considering the other yuletide activities I have to attend.

Now I borrowed another, “Angels & Demons” and I’m almost halfway since I started it just this Wednesday. Other than the conspiracy theories that seem to have captured my attention and that got me to ask a lot of questions regarding its possibility, one line in one of its pages made me reflect of what has been happening around us since then.

Olivetti looked the camerlengo dead in the eye. “The prayer of St. Francis, signore. Do you recall it?”

The young priest spoke the single line with pain in his voice “God, grant me strength to accept those things I cannot change.” – pp. 169.

This prayer made me pause and reflect on the changes I’ve seen and observed since last month. Some I might expand but others would remain as a one-liner for others who knew about it to explain.

Dec (3^rd week). Our company’s shuttle bus provider for more than ten years was changed.

Dec 31. Just as the year ends come also the closure of our favorite restaurant – Saisaki ATC. No more sashimi. No more sukiyaki. I went back to the place on Jan 10 and to see it silent with doors locked and tables turned was a bit sad. I’m wondering where its crews have gone.

Jan. Video City, a video rental store near our place closed. Most likely it’s another victim of the proliferation of pirated cds. I’ve seen ACA video Dasma closed before during the peak of piracy and seeing a second one close is just disappointing.

Jan 18. Now the state of the old Bacolod airport is uncertain with the opening of Silay Airport.  I don’t know if Bacolod City’s officials are still considering retaining the old one or if they will totally phase it out. With the recent experience I had both during arrival and departure – mostly due to deceitful porters and taxi drivers – I couldn’t agree more if they pick the latter option. But then the innocent & honest employees’ jobs are at stake. Hopefully they’ll be re-assigned.

We are just starting the year and I hate to think about the things to come. I’m still trying to keep a positive attitude about what the future holds and whatever it will be, I’m hoping that we will be ready by then.

Que sera sera, as my mother used to say.

   

1 Week with Mary

It’s been a week since we got Mary and it was one whole week of a new experience.

Day 1. I got Mary after being covert for two days. Just like in the movies or TV shows, now I know how it feels like to show a brand new car key to a wife.

Day 2. Got no choice but to do a dreaded task – do paper works (car documentation) in a government office. This is where one has to endure long queues for almost a day and later on pay a ridiculous amount of tax. I’m tempted to write and question where these taxes go, but to be fair with Trece Marteres municipality it has improved a lot (at least from the outside) since my last visit. Now I was able to park Mary in a well designated parking lot and spent some time waiting on a bench on a brick-paved sidewalk.

Day 3. It rained. Her first acid rain bath. Hehehe. I was supposed to go back to Honda Alabang to give the papers I processed yesterday but Mary had to sidelined - Mas masarap matulog (It’s better sleeping) while it’s gloomy and raining outside.

By afternoon, my wife and I were able to go back to La Salette to attend an anticipated mass. The last time we were there we took the bus and ended having brunch in Tagaytay’s Pancake house. Not bad. But having Mary is better.

Day 4. Mary went to work with me for the 1^st time.

Day 5. I woke up late from last night’s neighbors welcome party.  Do I need to mention I had a “couple” of beers? Anyway, it’s one of the benefits of having a car. At least I was able to make it to work without much ado.

After work, the secrecy I’m keeping of what the actual car I got was eventually blown when some of my colleagues coaxed me to take her for a ride. Funny but her first trip with them was going to a wake. Ti abi. A beginning and an End?

How did she perform on the rough asphalt road? Let me answer with what my colleague said, “parang nasa eroplano (just like in an airplane)” – she breezed through the uneven road.

Day 6. I went out of work late because of an unexpected serious discussion with one of my people. The least of my worries this time is missing the bus.

Day 7. My day-off after a tiring week at work and in our village (issues, issues, issues).

After breakfast came my 1^st intimate session with Mary – her first car wash. I just realized that because of her size she’s harder to wash than our previous compact car – wilddog.

Then I went to Honda Alabang to submit the loan papers and to get Mary a remote alarm. While waiting for the installation to get done I was thinking – “What more if I was waiting in Prestige Cars customers lounge?” Don’t push it.

The alarm was fitted after almost 2 hours. It cost me Php 5.7K - a 0.9% cost for security. Not bad?

Before leaving I got a not so good news though - I still won’t have my license plates until at least February. I left Honda a bit depressed that I won’t be able to meet my sis at the airport next Tuesday. It was actually the reason why I chose my license plate number able to travel on Tuesdays. I’m hoping that we will see each other next time. And hopefully not after another sabbatical.

By lunch time I was on my way to Batangas to pick up wifey. Construction of the SLEX has gone until its end in Calamba. Hopefully once it gets done, I can compare it to Kuala Lumpur’s road. I’m keeping my fingers crossed but somewhere in my brain lobes shouts, “asa ka pa (dream on)!”

Well that was our 1 week together. Within that period, I feel like we’ve been through thick or thin already. I’m praying that with the coming days, months and years we’ll have, most of it will be fun. Take note of the words – I’m praying.

Mary’s in Town (or City?)

“Freedom!!!” – William Wallace, Braveheart

“Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for, in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it” – Ellen Goodman, RD Dec 2007 All In a Day’s Work

 

I’ve been holding on creating my first blog for this New Year, 2008. Why? Because I find my recent ones were leaning on my pessimistic side. And so for a couple of weeks I was like someone in rehab trying to control my urge to an addiction. I promised myself that I’ll start this year’s blog at least with some positivity in it. Well, I will try.

During the start of this work week - Sunday, I found a new way to entertain myself while in the bus to work. I shut the curtains, closed my eyes and tried guessing which part of the trip I’m currently at. Amazingly I’d rate myself 90% correct most of the time. So I find this ”time killer” relieving that I was so enthused that I did it again on Monday.  But on Tuesday, I got an email message that meant I might not be doing it for long, thankfully? It says, “Please claim your guarantee letter”. Hmm, that one-liner worked like magic that day. It was like espresso in my blood. It got me excited.

That was the start of a covert operation that lasted for two days. The moment I got home and was greeted and asked by my wife if how was my day; I gave out only half-truth and half-lies. “It was another stressful day…I had a bad day”, I answered. I pictured myself as someone tied to a chair in gloomy room lit only by a swaying incandescent bulb but nevertheless not saying anything to my interrogators.  Deep inside, I was grinning hard like Joker in Batman.

The secret tasks include maintaining a poker face during our discussions; deleting any sent items on my cellphones and emails just in case she checks about anything regarding the car subject matter (I’ve emailed and texted a couple of people about this exciting update. Someone’s got to know); discreet bank account withdrawal. And of course, the execution of the main goal…getting the car.

D-day came. After waking up early (for my day-off) today, I got the perfect alibi - I’m going out for a birthday celebration of a colleague. I left home with my car documents stashed inside by backpack appearing to be just going for a casual beer party. Instead I was heading to Honda Cars Alabang.

I mentioned in my blog before that I’ve been there like a car buff’s ghost yearning for a subcompact sedan. Well that wish was granted at last. Just more than 4 hours after I arrived there and with several document signing and payments (there goes my savings!), I got out of the dealership with Mary, our lovely new Honda City.

Hurriedly yet safely, I drove and went back home. And to my surprise my wife still remained clueless when I arrived. She was thinking that the car was someone else’s. She can’t believe that it’s the car we’ve been waiting for. If I said I was grinning like Joker, I saw her grinned like Jim Carey in the movie, The Mask, when I confirmed that it’s ours. That broad. To say she was happy to see it, would be an understatement.

We gave Mary a quick trip together to Tagaytay, grabbed some Starbuck’s coffee and headed back home. That’s our way of breaking in the engine and the cup holders. Sweet.

Now this is New Year. Our New Year with Mary. Expect more blogs regarding her.

And by the way, ever wonder why we named it Mary? It was derived from my colleague’s name who is celebrating his 50^th birthday today. Bawi na lang ako (I’ll make up for it) next time. But thanks for giving me a wonderful alibi.