Ok. I think this is it. I started this blog when I was going through one of the worst times in my life. It was like a best friend for me... some place to just vent and air out all the shit that was going through my mind at the time... Well I'm happy to say that this is my last post. I'm much better now. If I find the time/energy/motivation, I may start a new blog. Somehow it just feels right to leave this one as is. I hope you all had a good laugh (at me) reading this. Goodnight.

.mike

i know i haven't posted in a while... but... enh... i really don't have a good reason other than it's very low in priority with respect to what's in my daily/weekly routine these days... but, I've converted tons of pics from the Philippines trip I took last December... I got some pretty damn good nature shots if you're into those things... peep the gallery if you're bored. peace out.

.mike

Just got back from NYC. What a blast. I'll blog about it later along with Sisca's birthday (that dirty parrot!) and Ant's wedding. I'm too tired to write more than a few words tonight so I'll just leave some thoughtlets (if you chuckled, you're a geek):

• What this fuck is up with NYC and revolving doors?


• I think my gearbox is broken. I can't seem to get out of first gear.


• Ambition is an aphrodisiac.

6/07/2002 - Dave & Busters

Rolled up with Dean and Chris... hooked up with Frank, Drew, and Alice... God fucking dammit... I can't get a good score off that basketball game for the life of me... I'm sittin' there trying to think of form and release... while these fools just toss it up granny-style in rapid-fire fashion and score like 120 while I score 35... WTF... i earned like... 5 tickets... i coulda cashed out and got a plastic neon green ring. We then shot pool... they didn't have any regular pool tables left so we had to take the "VIP" room... it was pretty nice... sticks were high-quality and two-piece... waitresses came by often to ask for drink orders... however, the music sucked and we couldn't change the channel... Alice fell asleep on the bench and Dean kept looking at her feet.

6/08/2002 - Denni's Birthday BBQ, Huki Lau

My boy D had a BBQ today... he's one of the coolest cats I know... (barbz you better not mess this one up!)... we ended up grubbin' and hangin' out... we played about 3 hours of ball... good lawd am I outta shape.
We hit up the Huki Lau bar later that night to chill... Me, Frankie, Tine... met up with Dawn, her cousin Isabelle, and her cousin's friend Rachel... it's all about pineapple head drinks and good conversation... it's such a small world... we all ended up knowing the same people from Pomona...

6/09/2002 - Laguna Seca

This was my first live race... we watched the Shell 300 CART race at Laguna Seca... those cars are frickin' loud... the first yellow flag went up on the first turn of the first lap when 2 of the 19 cars were taken out in a wreck... i wanted to go check out the "Corkscrew" turn so we hiked up this hill...i got some good pics of the cars taking on the famous "Corkscrew"... we later found out we coulda went around the hill... on a paved path... weaksauce... Tine's mom and dad got us into the grandstands for the last few laps of the race... it was cool to be able to check out the row of pits... I was even able to snap De Matta taking first place (yes, that black blur is his car)... if I woulda known traffic leaving the track would be this bad, i woulda taken advantage of the shuttle service... this car wins the "Best Graphics Under $20" prize... REOWW!!... while this one is my personal favorite... mmm... I covet the Lotus Elise... of course, one can't forget the traditional Sleeping Beauty pic... i'll definitely be going back there for other races... i wanna catch the Speedvision World Challenge GT and Touring races in September... the entire collection of pictures and videos (gotta hear these cars!) from this day are here.

you ever listen to a song and think "Awwww shit... this is the JAM... I feel like spittin' mad game at someone right about now..." Sade just pushes those buttons... her song By Your Side makes me wanna take a special someone up to the roof of the tallest building and have an elegant dinner for two... watch the stars and listen to her thoughts about.. well.. anything.. good conversations are so damn sexy... haha damn... but here i am holdin' back... i'm gunna school whoever i choose to hook up with next... i feel sorry for whoever follows after me... shiiiit...

5/23/2002

I didn't mean to, but I hit up Rouge again... rolled up with Tine, Dan, and Alice... blah... can't really say much about this night... i'm tired of the asian party scene... i mean, i still am going to go out... i just need better venues... that night i was in a "god i really am not feelin' this crowd" mode... i was telling Dan that the more you stand there looking uninterested, the more girls will come up and jock you... lo and behold i counted around 5 jock attempts (those are the ones that i noticed)... one of them was this girl dancing near me... just there... dancing... alone... looking at me and smiling... hellz no am i going to go up to you and freak you... you 18-yr-old lookin' hooch... Tine was gettin' macked on by this dude that she wasn't feelin' so I sent her a drink through the bartender and smiled... i think it ruined his flow because he stopped talking after that... i'm such a punk :) ... anyways, i ended up crashing at Tine's that night because I was too inebriated...

5/25/2002

Today, I threw a bachelor party for my boy Ant. Special thanks to Sisca for hookin' us up. We went over to Boy's Toys... We got there around 7:30 pm... They put us up in the VIP restaurant and set our tables right in front of the stage... Surprisingly, the food was excellent... I could get used to sitting back in a plush chair, watching beatiful ladies, and sipping on a glass of fine red wine... I could tell Ant was all up into this... he got up close and personal with all the ladies... even had a lapdance or five... towards the end of the night, we went downstairs to the main club area where there were tons of people... the stage crew cleared the stage and set a chair in front of the pole... and the DJ said "Let's play a game... if I call your name, you have to go up and sit in that chair... alright? Ok... where's... ANTHONY at?"... BAM... he got up there and sat in the chair... i picked three ladies whom i thought he liked all night long to mess with him... they took off his belt and tied it around his neck and around the pole so he was stuck... then proceeded to handle business... haha they even took off his shirt and asked him to get up and freak them while they sat in the chair... straight comedy... it's all good... he got me back with a lapdance from Jade... oh darn :)... are they allowed to do those things to you? good lawd...

5/26/2002

Mission Rock... arguably the best venue in the city... again... another asian party (i know i know)... however, they had really good music on one of the outside decks... rolled up with Annie, Frank, and Dawn... met up with Dennis, Barbara, Oliver, Derick, and his lady (oops forgot her name)... it was just AIGHT... we got separated and didn't find each other again until 2 am... if you ever go there, don't stand underneath the top deck... i got so many drinks spilled on me i swear i'd go up like a torch if you flicked a cigarette at me... Annie got so messed up (she drank, dropped, and smoked out) that she had to stay over...

5/27/2002 (Memorial Day)

Had brunch with Annie at Vic's before Dawn picked me up to go to Chrissy's BBQ... the kabobs were off the hook... it was a nice relaxing day of eating, drinking, and cursing the Nets for making the game as close as it was... also, it was the first time that someone thought Dawn and I were an item... I mean, I guess we look like we can be... she's mighty cute and all (that sounds like it can be taken the wrong way... i'm not saying that *i* am mighty cute too)... it was just funny in an unexpected sort of way... Chrissy's such a sweetie... did you know that she was in Rush Hour 2? she'll kill me if she knows that i put this on my blog... but... the scene where Chris Tucker is choosing ladies at the massage parlor... she's the one in the second row from the bottom, near the middle, wearing a light pink bikini... she's got photos of her and Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan on her wall... how cool is that?

5/29/2002

Gil hooked me up with some sneak preview screening of Sum of All Fears... fortunately, Dawn's plans fell through that night so I scooped her up and we headed out to the Kabuki in Japan Town... overall, I liked the movie... it was quite entertaining, however, i think they gave away a little too much too early... there were some moments of "Whaaaat? no way", but all-in-all it's worth not paying for :) We then grubbed on some Hong Kong style noodles at Sun Hong Kong off Columbus...

5/31/2002

Mission Rock again... this time, a different crew and a different kind of party. Me, my boy Lloyd, and his cousin Glen hit up the Soulville party. We met up with Rich, Marissa, Dawn, and Lawrence. All these fools are such cool cats... Amel Larrieux performed (singer from Groove Theory) along with Julie Dexter (sounds like a young Badu)... they also had a band play old school funk and soul riffs... good vibes all around... people were singin' to the riffs... "You're all.... that I need... to get byyyyyyyy" ... skunk in the air... people lookin' at you in the eye, smilin', and sayin'... "Wussup dawg?"... it was so refreshing... good conversation... ladies who have brains... masters degrees... phds... i gotta hit up these parties more often...

6/1/2002

Shopping day... i needed new threads... i wear about half of my clothes and only an eighth of that half is suitable for goin' out at night... so Dawn and I hit up Hillsdale... I ended up buying two shirts and these cool draw-string brown pants from Banana Republic... we then headed over to Ikea to grab a TV table and coffee table for her apartment... good lawd that stuff fit in my car! i'm so happy about that... it's the most versatile sportscar money can buy... we then hooked up with Gil at Le Cheval in Oakland... food, as usual, was orgasmically good... we hung out for a bit after closing since Gil knows the owner... cool place to chill... we then went to Berkeley Billiards... that place was packed... put our name on the list for a table and grabbed some drinks... we even made up a cocktail... pineapple juice, midori, safire gin, and kettle one vodka... the bartender asked me what the drink was called, and I said "GHO"... unfortunately (or fortunately for shits and giggles) she asked what it stood for... being that Gil was right behind me, I happily obliged and said "It stands for Gil's Hard-On... and that's my friend Gil"... *points to Gil*... we actually ended up turning down our spot at a table when it came up since we were having great conversation... songs that i requested off the jukebox: Bob Marley - Stir It Up, Prince - Kiss, Jill Scott - Walk in the Park, Earth Wind and Fire - Shining Star

6/2/2002

I washed my car today. I also Zaino'd it. It is quite shiny. I barely finished it in time to hook up with Ant to head over to Score's for game 7 of the Lakers/Kings series... boy was that place packed... good thing Sisca was with us and managed to charm her way into getting us a 12-person table... met up with Gil, Ivan, Cynthia, Dawn, Tine, and a plethora of other people whom I don't know much about... the place was a mad house... people screaming and jumping up and down... running around going to other people's booths giving high-fives to strangers... it would have been quite a study on fan psychology... too bad the wrong team won... oh well... if you can't hit your free throws, you don't deserve to win anyways... and what's Byron Scott doing letting Stojakovic play so many minutes when he knows he's not 100% and can't his the back side of a barn? Go Warriors... *sigh*

5/19/2002

Ack. I hate the blues.

5/15/2002

I went over to pick up my friend from the Philippines in Daly City. She was staying at this house that reminded me alot of the house I used to share with Ant, Chris, and Mel in South San Francisco. They had a pool table and turntables all set up. People were spinnin' some drum&bass... I've never really been exposed to that genre of music, but I can see myself liking it if I listen to it more... It sounded alot like hip hop beats and breaks but with a fast tempo... Having a slight fever must have thrown off my judgement a bit since I got smoked out in a bad way... that was the second time in my life that I threw up from too much weed... I'm gunna chill on that shit for a while.

5/18/2002

Saturday it's a Saturday... Me, Frank, Christine, Alice, and Yensoo (sp?) rolled up to Space 550. This party signified the beginning of the end of Asian parties for me... i'm just not feelin' it anymore... it's a different vibe... people starin' you down... people grabbin' your ass... it's no longer a fun place for me to chill with friends... so, as usual... got tore up and didn't give a fuck about what i did on the dance floor... freaky deaky...

Friday

Dawn and I rolled up to Border Cantina to listen to her friend Dominic spin. Barbara and Dennis met up with us over there. It's a cool place. Took us forever to find parking. The spot is pretty much two rooms... dance room and bar room... The place was packed with people wearin' beanies and baggy jeans... I loved it... I prefer hangin' with that crowd more than the Asian scene full of college frat boys and sorority chicks... We got all juiced up and hit the dance floor when Dominic started spinning... Mad props to his song selections... he took us back to the old school days of Tribe, Souls of Mischief, Pharcyde, De La Soul... and even got a little silly towards the end with BBD and New Edition... and it even seemed like everyone there had rhythm...

Saturday

Alben and Arne's Wedding

Who here has weddings at 10 am? So my ass had to roll outta bed... pop some aspirins for my hangover... and pull on my 3-piece suit... The wedding was held at St. Catherine's in Burlingame... Arne looked stunning in her wedding dress... and Alben looked... well... like a dude in a tux... i guess the groom isn't really supposed to stand out... it is, after all, her day to plunge the new family into financial debt... just kidding........... I was cracking up when Arne was saying her vows... because she hasn't changed one bit... she still has her signature Daria-esque monotone voice... "I Arne... take you Alben... to be....... my lawfully wedded......... husband." The reception was held at Hotel Sofitel in Redwood Shores... it's a very nice spot right next to the water... I was seated at the "Table for Single Guys"... Too bad there weren't that many cute single girls... After glancing at the wedding party table and concluding from the blank look on their faces that they weren't "in the moment", I turned to my buddy Dennis (the dude in the middle licking my boy Ly) and said "Yo man, come with me to the bar..." We walked back in the reception hall, across the dance floor, and handed each member of the wedding party table a shot of 151... Things got a little more lively after that. The food was excellent... for an apetizer they had a lobster pastry thingymajigger with mushrooms and a light sauce... the main course for non-vegetarians was steak and jumbo prawns (in pinwheel formation at that)... and the desert was key lime sorbet... as for the dancing part of the reception... why must wedding reception music always be so routine? So you have your Abba... and your cha cha music... then electric slide... and of course you can't forget "Hot hot hot" for the conga line that snakes around absorbing random people in the audience (i was one of them)... also, for "mixed company" receptions, there's ALWAYS gotta be that person who, in his own delusion, thinks he's a cross between Fred Estair and Usher (WARNING: 5MB AVI movie)... if i ever get married i'm gettin' the DJ to spin old school hip hop and dancehall... at any rate... congrats Alben and Arne!

Frank's BBQ

After Alben and Arne's reception, I rolled over to Frank's BBQ in Fremont. I must have played half a dozen games of basketball... and the burgers and hotdogs were off the hook!... we all ended up hangin' out and downing 1/3 of a giant bottle of Belvedere vodka... word of advice... don't mix it with orange juice... it's all about the pineapple... i ended up passin' out and takin' off at 3 am...

Sunday

Tine had us over for some skunk and beefsteak... what a combination... that girl can cook! also had some red wine... i'm not traditionally a wine drinker but i think i'm acquiring the taste... we watched the season finale of Alias... after that, Sisca busted out with these "VCDs" or Smallville episodes... so we popped them into the DVD player but they wouldn't play... so I checked them out on Christine's laptop and they weren't VCDs at all... it was a just a CD with 3 AVI files burned on it... we ended up watching them off the laptop... heh... ghetto.

Me, Tine, Sisca, Ron, and Bill ate at Hawaiian drive-in tonight. I actually had ordered mongolian beef before they called so I guess I'll have that for lunch or dinner tomorrow. During dinner, Sisca was talking about some porn format where they go from action scene to action scene without any storyline or anything... isn't that the norm for porn? she couldn't think of the term for it so she dragged us (us guys were kicking and screaming... honest...) to the adult shop two doors down from the restaurant. Damn, are these dildos for real? I mean, c'mon... they're as big as my arm. "The Driller", "The Plunger", "The Auger". WTF. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a disclaimer on them saying "Suitable for use on pachyderms only." vibro eggs... the butterfly... a video titled "Black Jackoff"...oh yeah, so the name of that porn format is "Gonzo"...

I just got back from this club called Icon in Shallow Alto. I was surprised at the turnout for a Tuesday night. All the cows were out in full force. It was like a pasture out there on the dance floor. Dancing was fun, though somewhat painful since I twisted my right knee playing basketball a couple of hours before. There were supposed to be these $2 drink specials for shots of vodka, tequila, rum, and gin. However, a raging bull cost $9?? Excuse me? Give me a $2 shot of vodka and cup of red bull please... morons.

Let me take you back... way back... back into time...


--04.27.2002--


The Last Snowboard Trip of the Season

• slept at 12:30 AM, woke up at 4:00 AM (good lawd!) and headed to Dawn's house


• The crew: me (I'm wearing that beanie just for you, Tine), jason, dawn, and her sister ashley. (these pics are kinda blurry because it was so cold that my camera had condensation between the lenses)


• The resort today was The Ice Planet Hoth (aka Alpine Meadows)


• The conditions were perfect and visibility excellent (for the blind, the sign reads "Easiest Way" with an arrow pointing to the right)


• I wiped out pretty bad. I did an end-over-end flip, landed on the back of my neck (accompanied with the popping of spinal air pockets), jack-knife bounced up, did another end-over-end flip and landed on my back...all while laughing. I've never been more thankful for fresh powder in my life.


• Jason accidentally went over the side of the mountain and had to bust a "shit I have to climb back up onto the trail" move.


• This resort is "the bomb" (har har *rimshot*)


• Ashley's snickering because we caught a picture of her sister sleeping. Little does she know about this bad boy.


• So we got back to Dawn's place around 6:30 PM. Returned the rental car at SFO. Jammed home to San Carlos. Took a shower. Frankie came over. We picked up Dawn and made it to the Huki Lau bar in SF (corner of Masonic and Geary) at 11:00 PM. By 11:45, I was drunk and Dawn was puking outside. Got home around 3:00 AM and passed out (darn, just an hour and a half shy of staying up for 24 hours).


• Collection of pics are here.

--05.03.2002--


It's Friday, and we ain't got shit to do... so, we all decided to hit up Le Cheval in Oakland for dinner. We had a tough time getting our party of nine (Me, Dawn, Christine, Sisca, Rianne, Dean, Drew, Wilfred, Frank) a reservation, but luckily one of our friend's good friend owns the place so he "made space" for us. This French-Vietnamese restaurant is now my favorite eatery in the whole wide world. If I were an Iron Chef judge, I'd state that "the cube beef steak is... so... commanding... yet gentle... it reminds me of the harmony between the stone pagodas and the cherry blossoms in Kyoto during the spring." Maybe it was the gorilla fart shot before dinner that made the food taste so good... hmmm. So I'm chillin'... eatin'... buzzin' off the shot because I didn't have anything to eat all day... when Quan (the owner) sets down in front of me this shot of pink liquid... "WTF is that?"... "Don't worry about it. Gil called in and told me to give it to you."... now I'm worried... ever since I put up a picture of Gil holding a purse on www.hotornot.com, he's been on a mission to get me fucked up at every opportunity. Not one to turn down a UAB (unidentified alcoholic beverage), I down it. After dinner, as we were leaving the restaurant, Quan calls me over to the bar and asks how I liked the shot. I said it tasted like cognac, but there was some other distinctive taste that I couldn't pin-point. Quan, not saying a word, points at this huge glass jar on the far end of the bar. I walk over to it and see a bunch of dead coral snakes chillin' in this pink liquid. OH HELLZ NO I JUST DID NOT. Apparently it's a Vietnamese fertility drink...


After Le Cheval, we hit up Gil's party (he couldn't join us at dinner because he had to set up) at Tabou. So the Evite said "no dresscode". I'm wearing a beanie, sweatshirt, and jeans. I've been here many times before and there never has been a dress code. This I-went-to-Oxford-can't-you-tell-by-my-preppy-turtleneck-and-sweater-ensemble guy says to me "Sorry, no hats tonight... I'll be happy to put it in the coat check for you"... First off... when I wear a beanie, that means my hair is JACKED underneath. Hellz no am I going to take it off. So I'm like "I'll take it off in the bathroom because I have to do my hair"... of course I had no intention to do such a thing but it got me in. So I'm chillin' at the bar hangin' with my friends Gil and Cynthia when mr. I-need-to-act-like-the-bouncer-even-though-i-look-like-i-should-be-brushing-down-my-horse-for-my-equestrian-lesson-tomorrow goes up to me and says "Sorry, you have to take your beanie off"... so I say "Fine. I'll be out of here after I finish this drink."... and so will half of the people in here since we all rolled up together, but i didn't say that... and he's like "Well, you don't have to leave." and to that I replied "Well, I don't want to take my beanie off"... he goes on about some bullshit about "Well I just don't want you to be mistaken for a gang member and get shot"... WTF? just because we don't have valet service at this place doesn't mean that we're in the ghetto, mr. grey-poupon... so whatever... walks away... five minutes later he comes back and asks "What are you having?"... "Currently a Corona"... "Bartender, his next drink is on me. Sorry about that. You can wear your beanie."... where the hell did they get this guy? if a fight really broke out at the party, he would be at the periphery going "Heyyyyy....thhoop ithh!!" The rest of the night was a blur... I was so gone... the only few things I remember are:

• Tine and Sisca putting a bunch of glow-sticks in my beanie (thus jutting out over my face lighting it up like a hotel sign)


• old-school Soul Train-esque dance line... i think i did "the butt" down it once... erm...


• looking at Willieboy and wondering if he was messing around or dancing for reals


• licking sugar off a glass *winks at Tine*


• grindin' with freak momma Dawn to some reggae... damn fun

One of my friends had an altercation with some guy when we were chillin' outside. Although I was pissed to see him get hit (even though it didn't faze him), I'd rather see that than him get shot. Yo man. I understand where you're comin' from. But really... violence is never the only way to deal with confrontation... kill em wid de know...


--05.04.2002--


This morning I got fitted for a tux for my best friend Ant's wedding. I'm honored to be his best man. This guy was helping me try on some shoes when his lady assistant hands me a coat. The guy then proceeds to snap at the girl saying "NO. No no no no. One thing at a time. You're going to overwhelm him." I had to muster all my willpower to not look at Ant because I know if I did I would have busted out with spittle flying all over the place.


After getting fitted, Frank met up with us at my place and we all headed to the Giants vs Reds game. I must say that Pac Bell park has to be one of the most beautiful baseball parks around. It also helped that we had my company's seats. Bonds hit a home run (yes, I caught it in-action) on his first at-bat. It was his 400th as a Giant, and 576th overall. There are currently 17 (my lucky/jersey number) splash hits (home runs into the bay). What kind of parents would name their son Gookie? And what's that Enron ad still doing up there?


After the Giants won 3-0, we headed over to the Metreon to catch Spiderman. I didn't have high expectations for this flick so it sorta blew me away. I was skeptical about how well they'd pull off his brachiation, but they nailed that. What would have been most excellent is if they had Steve Buschemi play Peter Parker (just like I think how they should have casted him instead of Keanu in The Matrix)...


Later on that night, I rolled with Dean, Drew, and Frank to Paul's Pajama Jammy Jam party at his house in Union City (yes, we all adhered to the dress code and put on our flannel bottoms). The music was pretty good once the DJ moved away from drum-and-bass to hip-hop and reggae. And it wasn't no mainstream shit either. We're talkin' Tribe, Capleton, Pharcyde, etc. Dean got so tore up I had to baby-sit his puking ass. Oh, and g-strings are cool.

Fortune cookie fortunes have come a long way. I got this one yesterday:

Imitation is suicide.

Although it's the kind of statement that you can base a good discussion on, all I wanna know is... WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY LUCKY NUMBERS?

Damn us...

alethia8: there are around 20 people here. the warehouses in paranaque have around 50 people
Mr Chilipino: that's a good-sized business
alethia8: and the stores have around 50 too
Mr Chilipino: your father owns it all?
alethia8: yes sole proprietorship. of course he made us his stockholders so we can argue later on.
Mr Chilipino: hehe
Mr Chilipino: that's a good deal
alethia8: there are around 23 company-owned stores, 5 franchised stores and 70 consignment outlets.
alethia8: not bad since he's just doing it on his own.
Mr Chilipino: yeah
Mr Chilipino: and to do it in the PI, he must have good business sense
alethia8: yeah my dad's pretty much a genius. he went to school in patty's university. business is hard for everyone here in the PI but we're doing surprisingly well.
Mr Chilipino: yeah there's a big discrepancy over there... you either make it big or you struggle
Mr Chilipino: there's no in between it seems
alethia8: yup.
alethia8: you got that right.
Mr Chilipino: when i was there, i was pretty upset... i kept trying to think of ways to change that
Mr Chilipino: i didn't like seeing so many people suffer
Mr Chilipino: while so few have it good
alethia8: yes but the plight of filipinos is deeply ingrained in their collective psyche.
Mr Chilipino: i was even contemplating a plan on going back there and opening up a free school to boost the common person's skill set
Mr Chilipino: but yeah, you're right...
Mr Chilipino: we're a very jealous people... trying to climb to the top of the hill on the backs of our fellow men
alethia8: that's why even the most patient philanthropists give up on us.
alethia8: jealousy i think is a result of many years in poverty. when you get the chance to succeed you grab on to anything even if it's wrong.
Mr Chilipino: yeah
Mr Chilipino: same issue over here
Mr Chilipino: with the ghettos
Mr Chilipino: people doing anything to make money... even selling drugs that kill their friends
alethia8: if you go out to the streets and give families 10,000 pesos each, instead of keeping it for school, or buying food or investing in a business, the people will buy an entertainment system even if they don't have a house or food for the next meal.
Mr Chilipino: that's sad
alethia8: it's that bad, so where do you really start except with the next generations, trying to change their mindsets.
alethia8: work with the government and they too will eat you alive
Mr Chilipino: yeah the govt is so corrupt
alethia8: my father came from the dumps and shined shoes to finish school.
alethia8: that's why i think it's a matter of upbringing rather than economic status at birth
Mr Chilipino: i believe that as well... however, the opportunities are so slim
alethia8: yes they are. that's why where do you really begin to change things?
alethia8: i think it will be bad for quite some time.

pump-fake + big dude guarding me = ouch, my back

On dating...

I don't do dates unless I've already established a friendship with the person. I have issues with the fact that you're semi-faking someone out by putting on your best face during your first few encounters. By doing so, you've just set unrealistic expectations on yourself. Then it gets to be some sort of game. "He didn't pull my chair out. What a Neanderthal." "She pushed me away when I tried to play tonsil hockey. What a prude." To that, I say "Homy don't play dat."

What ever happened to the process of getting to know someone before you jump into the "relationship" phase? It seems like the majority of the women out there these days want to just get right into it. Then they complain that the guy's a jerk or he's turned out to be a player. Now that pisses me off because it makes it even that much harder for us nice guys since we have to wade through all the layers of bullshit the jerks/players have laid in our path. If you would have taken the time to get to know the guy as a friend, maybe you wouldn't have gotten yourself into that situation, hmmmm?

And I'm tired of hearing about this mythical "friend zone". I conject that the best relationships are based on a deep friendship. You wanna be able to talk to the girl, not just fuck her and treat her like a trophy.

Maybe I'm noticing this more because of my age range. I've got friends getting married left and right. This year will potentially be a 4-wedding-attendance year for me. It's like a scramble to find a spouse. Age ain't nothin' but a number and people grow at different rates. In fact, I think I'm growing younger.