New Friends, New Diving Memories



My friend Gines got certified as an open water diver in May, and he excitedly messaged me on Friendster to share the happy news. I was also very happy to have someone new to dive with, so we vowed to go diving when I got back to the Philippines.

This month, I spent two weekends with him at Outrigger Resort in Anilao. We went with the Divers' Network, which is a group of pretty cool people. I bumped into this group quite by accident. Chi and I went to a dive shop in Tomas Morato to have our equipment serviced, and we met the owner of the shop, Rocio Morato. I remembered Rocio's name from one of Gines' stories from the past. He had mentioned her as a friend of his who was also a diver. I told her that Gines was a friend of mine, and so a friendship was forged in an instant, through our common bond with him.

We immediately made and carried out dive plans. Both weekends were a lot of fun. Diving in itself has always been a very good experience for me. Hovering in the water, looking at schools of fish and gardens of coral; always feeling in awe of what I see and being thankful for the privilege of experiencing a totally different, almost alien world. Last Sunday, on the trip back to the resort after a dive, six or so dolphins passed right in front of our boat. We stopped and looked at them jump for air three more times. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face after that. It just seemed like magic to me.

My new friends are a happy bunch and really a joy to be around. They are the perfect company to have if you just want to kick back, talk about nothing in particular, eat, and most of all, LAUGH (maniacally, at times). I am so glad to have met Rocio, her sister Melissa and Meling's husband Travis, Ronette, Greg, and Aris. I can sense that these are people to form lasting ties with.

It has been also been great to meet new people to dive with; people who share my appreciation for marine life, for the high that comes from being underwater. I had long associated diving with Caye, since I met him on my first open water dive, and he had been my dive buddy until I left for the US. Meeting new friends and having new dive buddies have been immensely therapeutic for me. My new friends remind me that there are so many more new memories to be made, and with each dive that I make with them, the past becomes just a little more distant, loses a little of its mystique, and becomes simply that... my past.

Facebook hits Manila

I have been unable to log on to facebook for the past couple of hours, and I suspect that it's because Filipinos have been using it like crazy and caused facebook's server to crash.

Facebook used to be available only to students with .edu email addresses, but late last year, it opened up so that anyone with any email address could join. I remember how facebook groups cropped up, demanding that it continue to be available only to students. There was no stopping facebook though, and facebook vowed to take over the world. I don't know about that part, but it sure has sucked Manila into its vortex.

During the past three months, I noticed that the facebook craze has caught on among many of my friends. It has caused massive addiction, much more than that caused by Friendster when that became popular about four years ago. Its applications and interactivity have caused my friend Yvette to state her facebook status as "Yvette is the latest resident of the facebook rehab center". Many other friends are throwing sheep at each other, giving out mardi gras beads, leis, and oktoberfest beers to people on their list of friends.

Facebook is really addicting, and I myself have spent many hours poking people, writing on their walls, winking at, sending drinks to, or hugging them online. The stalker in me (and I'm sure in other people) is given free rein in this social networking site. I have various accounts in other networks, but I do like facebook best. I think it's been a hit with Filipinos because we are such social creatures, and it gives us a chance to do online (in various creative ways), what we sometimes do not have time to do offline. Touch base with our friends, give them drinks, and spend office hours interacting with them.

Now, if only the server were up again...

The Secret to Happiness

I was visiting my very pregnant sister-in-law Tintin this afternoon, and I was feeling a little blue. So I told her I was going to the friendly neighborhood store to buy some chips and diet coke in hopes of improving my mood. She said she was feeling down as well, and asked me if I wanted to have some pizza instead. I thought that the combined effects of chips, diet coke, and pizza might be enough to make us feel better, so I still went off to the store, while she ordered garlic and cheese pizza from Shakey's (our favorite) for delivery.

We attacked the chips as soon as I got back, and chatted about our respective reasons for having the blues. After a while (meaning three bags of chips later), we noticed that the pizza had still not been delivered. Shakey's has a 45-minute delivery guarantee, and it had already been 47 minutes since Tintin ordered, according to her watch. After a few more minutes, the pizza guy arrived. Tintin pointed out that 50 minutes had passed since she called in the order, and so the guy said the pizza was free. Our disposition immediately improved, due to the MSG from the chips, the caffeine and artificial sweetener from the coke, and most importantly, the FREE PIZZA from Shakey's.

The secret to happiness is no big mystery after all.

Desperate Overkill

As I mentioned in my previous entry, Pinoys have gotten very agitated about a certain scene in Desperate Housewives. Apparently though, some of the reactions are now well in the realm of the ridiculous. I heard about the demands that some Filipinos are putting forth to ABC, and I agree that they are somewhat (and I say that ironically) of an overreaction. I mean, boycotting Disneyworld? There's also a demand to issue an apology in the next three episodes. I think sobriety is called for here. While it was important to make ABC realize that what they did was wrong, it would also be unfortunate if the whole issue ends up becoming trivialized because of the ridiculousness of our reactions as Filipinos.

"Desperate Housewives" gets Filipinos really angry

It's been just a short while since Desperate Housewives aired their season premiere (just a little over 24 hours ago, if I got my facts straight), but already, thousands of Filipinos are up in arms against the show; Teri Hatcher in particular. Her character, Susan, is at the hospital, and she was told by her gynecologist that she might be hitting menopause. To this, she replied "Can I check your diplomas? I just want to make sure they're not from some med school in the Philippines."

There is a petition to express concern, disgust, or disappointment to ABC, the station that airs this show, at http://www.petitiononline.com/FilABC
People are also encouraged to email them directly at abc7@abc.com. I've already done both. It's no sweat off my back, and really, that line was quite insulting. Everyone involved in the show (particularly the Executive Producer) should answer for their actions.

Here's the clip that has offended so many. Bring out your inner activist and get involved in the cause. Some might find it petty, but frankly, I like anything that gets the goat of Pinoys and encourages some form of mass action from normally apathetic people (Like that Malu Fernandez controversy a few months ago).

The Not-so-Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe(box)

I've been in the (two-month-long) process of moving to a new condo. It's been taking me so long to actually move into the unit, not just because I've been reluctant to cut the umbilical cord that apparently attaches me to my brother John (despite us not having a parent-child relationship), but also because the place is so tiny; microscopic even. That means I've been having trouble fitting all my stuff in it. I'd thought it would be easier because I've purged a lot of my things. I sold off and gave away a lot of things when I left the Philippines two years ago, then I sold off and gave away even more stuff when I left Columbia. However, it seems that "stuff" just multiplies when you are not looking. Kind of like partner-less socks in your drawer. Or fat cells on your inner thighs.

Anyway, the place seems to be the smallest place I've ever lived in (and I've stayed in pretty tiny condos). But aside from its lack of floor space, there are a couple of things that I've found that are hampering the enjoyment I usually experience when I move into a new place (lack of size notwithstanding). First, since I do not have an airconditioner yet, there is a gaping hole in my wall that leaves me vulnerable to the elements, both natural and criminal. Second, I have discovered first-hand the process of choosing the audience for the game show Wowowee. You see, I live right across ABS-CBN, which would not have been so bad in itself. What IS quite alarming is that the people who want a chance to be a part of the audience of this show line up the evening before outside the station, RIGHT ACROSS my condo. In fact, I came across some of them camping out and sleeping one night on the parking space I had hoped to get for myself.

Going back to the process of audience-choosing... Around seven in the morning, someone using a very powerful loudspeaker announces the names of the lucky people chosen to be audience members. Now, the voice of the announcer would have penetrated any wall of the average Filipino home. However, there is that matter of the gaping hole in my wall, which lets in pretty much all the sounds from outside (including occasional drunken conversations of the cigarette vendor downstairs having drinks with his cohorts). When the announcer reads out the names and cracks jokes to break the monotony, his voice is so loud it feels like I'm standing in line down there with everyone else. Also, this all happens too early in the morning, when it is particularly unpleasant and jarring to be shouted at by someone.

So right now, I am kept busy trying to improve my condo situation. I'm still trying to get rid of some things so I can fit all my worldly possessions into my two-square-meter condo, and I'm on the lookout for an airconditioner that can fit into said gaping hole and solve a multitude of problems. It will stop the rain from getting inside, deter criminals from getting a hold of my worldly possessions, and muffle the announcer's attempts at comedy as he calls out the names of people who spend a whole night on the sidewalk for a chance at watching a gameshow hosted by the biggest buffoon ever to grace Philippine television.

Priscilla, the Musical

When I arrived in Sydney, Gigi had already lined up lots of things to fill up my itinerary. One of the things on her list was watching a musical, and she gave me two choices, Billy Elliot or Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Billy Elliot has received rave reviews (both for the movie and the musical), but it was no contest for me- I definitely wanted to watch Priscilla live. I loved the movie, and I remember buying the CD of the soundtrack as soon as I got out of the theater. That CD became well-worn, since there were just too many drag queen karaoke favorites in it that I could sing along to. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert also marked my early days as a fag hag.

Gigi had a hard time getting tickets, as a lot of the shows were sold out. After a lot of conscientiousness on her part, she finally bagged us two tickets for the eve of my birthday. I was really pumped to see the musical (and sing along to the music, of course!) So I started to sing the songs from the soundtrack any time I got a chance, to get into the mood. (While walking along the street, in the shower, while strolling in the mall etc.)

On the night itself, we had a typical late start from the apartment, and got to Lyric Theater a mere five minutes before the show was to begin. Well, we made it, and that's all that mattered. The show was everything I expected it to be, and I was amazed by how effectively they were able to translate the film onto the stage. (A quick summary for those who have not seen the movie- three drag queens from Sydney travel across the Australian outback in a bus nicknamed "Priscilla" to perform at a casino in a remote town. It is revealed later on that the drag queen who planned the gig actually agreed to perform as a favor to his wife, who owns the casino. He is also revealed to have a son.) They were able to communicate the vastness of the landscape with the use of a revolving stage.

The music was great, the performances funny, and the costumes, just FABULOUS. They hired the same costume designer as the one hired for the movie (the costumes in the movie merited an Oscar in 1994), and the costumes just added to the visuality of the whole performance (Cupcakes as skirts, and candles as headdresses!). And how could they go wrong with the songs? "I Will Survive", "I Love The Nightlife", "I've Never Been To Me". Gigi gave me the CD of the soundtrack as my birthday gift. It had more songs than the film version, for some reason. I had a wonderful time during the show, and I was singing the songs in it for days after. "I don't think that I can take it, 'cause it took so long to bake it, and I'll never have that recipe againnnnn......."